Dual Destinies
 
Disclaimer: Well, if you've read this far then I commend you. Insert
standard disclaimer here.
 
[" "]: Telepathic communication
<" ">: Chinese language
* *: Thoughts
^^ ^^ The Almighty is speaking (you'd better listen!)
 
 Chapter 36
 Fifth Trial
 Battle at Jusenkyo
 
The light of dawn began to peak over the horizon as the Chosen Twin awoke
on this fateful day. Earth's future was to be decided on this day. The
final clash between the Ranma Twins and the Dark World would take place at
Sharoka's discretion. The atmosphere was somber and the people of the world
could feel a dark, foreboding sensation wash over them.
 
Shampoo slowly awoke and found that she was alone in her bed. Apparently,
her husband had left early and she wondered where he could be. Quickly
putting on her clothes, the purple-haired wife of Ranma Red went out to
search of him. She soon found him behind the house, sitting in a lotus
position and meditating. The fact that he was glowing and floating five
feet off the ground didn't go unnoticed, but she was used to such things
now. 
 
"Airen?"
 
Ranma Red opened his eyes slowly and gazed toward his spouse. Giving her a
gentle nod, he landed lightly on his feet and dispersed his aura. He then
gathered up his Amazon and their lips locked together in a passionate kiss.
After a long minute, the two broke the kiss and simply gazed at each other
while embracing. They stood together in silence, not daring to say
anything, as they knew that words were meaningless this moment. They knew
how important this day was. Nothing more needed to be said. 
 
Ranma Red looked deeply into the violet depths of his Shampoo and saw the
fear in those eyes. She was worried, very worried. She had watched him
battle beings of unspeakable horror and very nearly lost his life several
times during the trials. She had almost been driven to the point of madness
after witnessing her husband of just a week, put himself in dangers that
would have killed a normal person a hundred times over, or worse. Now, this
was to be the final conflict. Her mate would face off against evil
incarnate, the very being who had caused much suffering throughout the
centuries. To say that she was a bit on edge would be an understatement.
 
The mystic twin saw his wife's fear but knew that nothing could be said to
alleviate it. Saying that everything would be all right would be a lie. He
knew that Sharoka was not going to be defeated easily. It was extremely
possible he and his brother could lose their lives this very day. However,
he could also see the trust and love that Shampoo carried for him. It was
that undying faith that the magical twin drew his strength from. It gave
him hope and made him look boldly toward the future. When he and his
brother was one being, Ranma Saotome had always been fearful of the future.
The problems of his old life had always plagued him, and the cursed martial
artist dreaded the coming of another day, as it usually brought forth new
headaches and pain, courtesy of his father Genma. Now, with their souls
separated, and the panda man no longer present to cause any more problems,
Ranma Red could truly look forward to tomorrow. And tomorrow would come,
provided that Ranma Red and his brother could win this final trial. A
lifetime of living without his old troubles was promised. A happy existence
with his wife by his side. A life that was finally his to command and
perhaps... a family.
 
With that last thought in mind, the seventeen-year-old martial artist, and
one of the most powerful mortals on the Earth swept up Shampoo in his arms
and carried her back into the house. In a short time, they were both naked
and were making slow, lazy love to each other. This time however, Ranma Red
did not use the birth-control spell.
 
In another house, Ranma Blue groaned as he spilled his seed into Ukyo for
the fifth time. The okonomiyaki chef shuddered as she felt her own body
find its release. As he husband collapsed on top of her, she began weeping,
as she knew that this might be the last time. 
 
Ranma Blue noticed his wife's tears. "Ucchan? What's the matter?"
 
"It's nothing Ranchan... really." She tried to wipe the tears away, but he
grasped her hand and then leaned forward to kiss away her salty tears.
 
"It's all right, Ucchan. I know." He said quietly as he began making love
to her again. "I promise you... we'll always be together."
 
Ukyo nodded and shut her eyes tight. Her arms and legs tightened their grip
around him as she began moving with him. A few minutes later, she cried out
as her body found its release again.
 
An hour later...
 
Both twins and their wives walked up to where Soren and Taron were standing
near the Challenge Log. Behind them, were their mother, Soun Tendo, their
adopted sisters Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane and the entire Council of Elders.
Cologne nodded to them as she and her sister matriarchs stood by. 
 
"So... are you prepared for the final trial?" Soren asked.
 
Both twins nodded as Ranma Red replied. "We've been training for this for a
long time Soren. We've lost a lot and gained so much more. After all that,
if we're not ready for this now, then the Dark World already won."
 
"Let's do it!" Ranma Blue said. "Send us to the Dark World and Sharoka!"
 
"The final trial will not be in the Dark World." Taron said as he shook his
head.
 
"What?" Both twins said with surprise.
 
Soren nodded. "As this is the final battle of the Contract, Sharoka
reserves the right to hold the battle in a place of his choice, and it
doesn't have to be in the Dark World. Furthermore, the Contract does state
that the Emperor of the Dark World may either battle the Chosen Twins
himself or have a champion of his own choosing. We had just received word
that you will be battle against his champion and… on Earth."
 
Both twins became a bit apprehensive at this news. They had expected to
battle with the dark lord himself. Now Sharoka was making this last-minute
change. Something was up. They didn't like the sound of this at all. They
had sensed the great evil and immense power within the Dark World ruler. It
would have taken all of their power to defeat him. He himself was confident
of victory, despite the fact that the twins had successfully completed each
of the trials. What was going on?
 
However, since this was part of the Contract, they had no choice but to
abide by this sudden change.
 
"So, who is it? And… where?" Ranma Blue asked slowly.
 
Taron sighed as he said, "The identity of this champion has not yet been
revealed, therefore neither my brother nor I can tell the two of you
anything about him. However, the battlefield has been revealed and one can
see the irony of it all. You are to meet Sharoka's champion at Jusenkyo by
noon."
 
In the Dark World...
 
Sharoka chuckled as he watched the gigantic orb of energy pulsate before
him in the throne room. He slowly circled around the massive globe, while
he admired his handiwork.
 
*Finally! After ten thousand years, the plan shall come to fruition! Those
foolish gods of Earth think that they are one trial away from defeating us,
eh? Little do they know that the Contract itself was our OWN plan to
conquer all of existence. It has taken us ten millennia to get to this
point, but we have finally gathered enough power to achieve our ultimate
goal! The Ranma twins themselves shall provide me with the final key to
becoming master of all! *
 
Sharoka smiled evilly as he began making gestures toward the orb. Its
surface began quivering and began shifting as the dark lord intoned his
spell.
 
"Power..."
 
The sphere flared with a bright white light then began shifting toward a
dark orange color.
 
"Time..."
 
The color then became a deep ruby red.
 
Space..."
 
The red then became a dark violet.
 
"Reality..."
 
The violet lightened to become amber.
 
"Mind..."
 
The amber became a navy blue.
 
"Soul..."
 
The navy blue lightened to become emerald. Within the orb, swirls of mist
appeared and seemed to take on familiar forms. Tiny, high-pitched screams
of anguish could be heard as six of the mists swirled around the center of
the orb. For a brief instant, each of the mists managed to form perfect,
miniature duplicates of Sharoka's minions before losing their shapes and
combining together.
 
"Arcados... Zuruka... Gaizera... Makana... Katoka... Ekoja... your deaths
shall not be in vain, as I will gladly use your souls to gain mastery of
all creation itself! The infinite power of the very cosmos shall be mine to
command! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
 
Jusenkyo, 11:55 am...
 
Ranma Red and Ranma Blue stood at the edge of Jusenkyo, waiting for their
opponent to arrive. They had gotten to the place an hour ahead of time and
had informed the Jusenkyo Guides to leave this area before noon. They had
reason to believe that once the battle had begun, the Training Grounds of
Cursed Springs would be destroyed. The twins themselves were not concerned
with the impending destruction of the place, which had caused so much
misery to so many. However, it would be best if no innocent bystanders were
present when the magic and elemental forces of the twins fought against the
powers of the Dark World. There was also the potential danger of Jusenkyo's
magic running amok, so the farther anyone not involved were the better. 
 
Back in the village, the Masaki clan, Soun Tendo, the first Chosen Twins
and the other Amazons watched from the viewing portal at the scene in
Jusenkyo. Everyone was waiting in anticipation as the sun began making its
approach toward its zenith.
 
11:58 am...
 
"Well, two minutes to go."
 
Ranma Blue nodded to his brother. "Everyone gone?"
 
Ranma Red replied. "Yeah. After we removed that curse from those guides
that kept them at Jusenkyo, they all headed for the hills. Nobody around
for miles."
 
"Good. We don't need any distractions." The elemental twin thought back to
a couple of hours ago when Shampoo and Ukyo wanted to go with their
husbands. The twins had denied them their request, as they didn't want
their spouses put into any danger. The fewer people that were here, the
less the twins had to worry about. 
 
"Well, here it comes..." Ranma Red pointed up to the sky.
 
Ranma Blue nodded as the sun reached its highest point. A few hundred feet
above Jusenkyo, a bright orb of light suddenly appeared and began
descending down toward the pools. It then hovered above an open patch of
dry ground and waited. A moment later, a dark shape appeared beside it and
both Ranmas took defensive stnaces as they recognized the figure that
appeared.
 
"Sharoka!" Both said as they drew out their weapons.
 
The Dark World king smiled as he greeted the twins. "Greetings Chosen
Twins! Welcome to the place of your destruction! Now then, shall we get
started?"
 
"Ready when you are!" Ranma Red spat out. "Only you're the one that's going
to be destroyed, after we're done with this champion of yours!"
 
"So where's this champion?" Ranma Blue asked with venom in his voice.
 
Sharoka gestured to the orb and said, "Why he's right here." He then
snapped his fingers and the orb began to pulsate. A moment later, it
exploded into a bright flash of light. When the light faded, both twins
looked up in surprise at their opponent.
 
The figure was humanoid in shape and white. He resembled a department store
mannequin and his face was basically featureless. He stood about eight feet
tall and had a lean, but muscular physique. However, despite his plain
appearance, the power he was radiating almost overwhelmed the enhanced
senses of the twins.
 
"What the...?" Ranma Red stuttered.
 
"Who or what is that?" Ranma Blue asked.
 
Sharoka smiled as he said, "Why this is my champion, of course. Since my
minions had proven to be inadequate, I decided to create my own. Since he
doesn't have a name, I suppose the title of the Destroyer shall suffice, as
that is what he's going to do to you! And if you think that he'll be a
pushover, then think again. He will do what the others had failed to do.
Now, Chosen Twins, are you ready to meet your ends?"
 
"We'll see about that!" Both Ranmas said simultaneously as they raised
their weapons and prepared to attack.
 
The being that Sharoka had termed as Destroyer began to glow with an eerie
light as he gestured to the charging twins and floated back out of range.
"Kill."
 
Destroyer wasted no time as it suddenly vanished from view as Ranma Red
ignited the Light Star Blade and took a swing at its head. Ranma Blue
paused in charging as he looked around for their opponent. Suddenly, he let
out a yelp of pain as a flare of light appeared behind him and slashed away
at his back. 
 
Ranma Red immediately saw that the Destroyer was using Gaizera's old trick
of striking from the astral plane. He held his sword up and faded from view
as his brother began scanning the area for their invisible foe. Almost
immediately, flashes of light began sparking around the cursed pools as
Ranma Red clashed with the Destroyer.
 
["What the hell?!"]
 
The elemental twin didn't know what was going on in the astral plane, but
he did realize the situation. Concentrating on the telepathic link he had
with his sibling, he began anticipating where the two would be. When a
flash of light appeared above the Spring of Drowned Pig, Ranma Blue let
Storm Striker fly.
 
The war hammer slammed into something solid and caused a big explosion,
which obliterated the pool that had cursed Ryoga a year ago. The
surrounding pools were also blown up; sending cursed waters splashing
everywhere. Calling upon his elemental powers, he erected a barrier to
protect himself from getting cursed by Jusenkyo again.
 
"ROCK SHIELD!"
 
The ground before him suddenly erupted and a flat slab of granite appeared
to act as a protective shield against the waters from the Spring of Drowned
Pig, Bull, Cat and Young Priest. When the waters were redirected away from
him, Ranma Blue looked to his side as his brother reappeared. Storm Striker
automatically returned to his hand, as they both gazed to where the
Destroyer had reappeared after being forced from the astral plane. The two
siblings stared at what they saw in the center of the crater that once had
the Heitoniichuan.
 
"W-What the…?" Ranma Blue stammered.
 
"Gaizera? You're still alive?" Ranma Red asked in surprise.
 
Standing before them in the destroyed spring was the swordmaster himself.
He was still garbed in his armor and holding the black magic blade, the
Demon Fang in his hands. His face held a grim expression with murder in his
eyes, a look the twins knew well as Gaizera's berserker rage.
 
"It can't be! You're supposed to be dead!" Ranma Red's brother exclaimed.
 
"He is… well, in a manner of speaking."
 
Both twins looked up to see Sharoka chuckling as he floated above the
training grounds. 
 
The ruler of the dark ruler smirked down at his foes and said, "Oh, didn't
I mention? The Destroyer happens to contain the essences of all of your
former opponents. I thought that it would be such a waste for those poor,
departed souls, so I gave them another opportunity to kill the two of you.
My Destroyer has all the powers and essences of Arcados, Zuruka, Makana,
Katoka, Ekoja and, as you can see… Gaizera. I simply merged their life
forces into my creation so that they can fulfill their mission, namely to
end your lives. Although, I must admit, Gaizera was quite unwilling to aid
me, so I had to force his soul from the Kami Plane. Ah… all that effort to
die to escape from my grasp and he still ends up as my servant. Isn't that
amusing? Ha ha ha ha!"
 
"Damn you!" Ranma Red gritted. He and his brother had seen the true anguish
that the Dark World swordmaster had felt and they had been reluctant to
grant his wish for an end to his existence. However, the tormented soul was
once again being forced against them and the twins may have to kill him
twice to finally free him.
 
"Wait a minute…" Ranma Blue said, as he realized something. "You said that
the Destroyer contains Makana and Katoka's souls too. They didn't die when
they lost the fourth trial."
 
"Indeed." Sharoka nodded. "So… I killed them and added their life essences
to my champion. They failed me in their original forms, so I gave them a
chance to succeed in this new form. Aren't I generous? Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
 
"You… monster!" Both twins had no fondness for the demon sisters, but they
couldn't believe that Sharoka would be so ruthless. 
 
"But enough talk." Sharoka then gestured to the Destroyer to continue with
its attacks.
 
The Destroyer let off a loud roar, then glowed with a white light. Before
the startled eyes of the twins, the being that looked like Gaizera began to
shift its form and split apart. The surface of its body became elongated
horizontally as the mass suddenly divided in two like a cell undergoing
mitosis. In an instant, the two parts reformed into gigantic beings with
huge demonic wings and scales. The forms soon became sickeningly familiar.
 
"I'll take Arcados! You take Zuruka!" Ranma Blue said as he charged the red
demon.
 
Ranma Red nodded and he began focusing his inner energies as the copy of
the original began attacking with blasts of energy.
 
Sharoka smiled as he watched the twins engage his creation. *Excellent! All
is going according to plan! The twins are expending more and more of their
energies to combat the Destroyer. With their mystic and elemental powers,
plus the energies I've gathered and the ley lines of Jusenkyo, I shall soon
have the ultimate prize within my grasp! It is now only a matter of time
before the energies reach their peak! *
 
Back in the Amazon village, the audience was transfixed at the scene being
depicted on the viewing portal. Akane shuddered as she saw the images of
Zuruka and Arcados. Although she had recovered from her ordeal with those
monsters, the sight of them still brought back horrible memories and a
shiver down her spine. She now understood what her former fiancée must have
felt, whenever he experienced the Neko Ken. To have one's grip on reality
being slowly torn asunder while being tortured, have a lasting fear being
placed upon one's psyche, then later relive the experience repeatedly. She
wondered how Ranma Saotome could have endured such a thing for so long. 
 
Taron and Soren watched the battle with very intense looks. As they
continued to observe their pupils fight against the Destroyer, they held a
telepathic conversation between each other.
 
["They are doing quite well."] Soren observed as Ranma Red let loose with a
barrage of chi blasts, followed by a Spirit Fist.
 
["Yes, but it seems that Jusenkyo is taking quite a pounding."] Taron
responded as he saw three more cursed springs explode from several of Ranma
Blue's Thunderbolt Strike attacks.
 
["Well, the destruction of Jusenkyo would be of no concern to the future of
Earth. It would be no great loss if the training grounds were
obliterated."]
 
["Have you forgotten, brother? About… IT?"]
 
["No I have not. However, even if Jusenkyo were totally annihilated, the
network of ley lines that the cursed pools draws their power from would
still be intact. Kami-sama had seen to that. After all, beneath the grounds
of Jusenkyo is the Crystal of Eternity."]
 
["Yes. Within those six shards that represent the properties of all
existence, is the power that had formed and shaped the multiverse. The
remnants of the energies from what the Earth people termed as the Big Bang.
I shudder to think what would become of all existence if Sharoka were to
get his hands on it."]
 
["Fortunately, only a select few know of its existence and Kami-sama had
taken steps to prevent it from falling into anyone's hands. You would need
an incredible amount of energy just to unseal the crystal from its mystical
and elemental casings. Far more than what Ranma Red and Ranma Blue have. At
least a little over ten times more."]
 
["Indeed. So I suppose that if Jusenkyo were destroyed, then it would not
be any great loss. After all, there's no way that…"] Taron suddenly became
pale as he realized something. ["Oh no…"]
 
["What is it?"] Soren had known his brother for well over ten thousand
years. He rarely got worried over anything and when he did, it was cause
for alarm. ["What is it?"]
 
Taron took a long moment before replying. ["Soren… I think I know why
Sharoka had chosen a champion instead of battling the twins himself, and
the reason why he chose the final battle to be in Jusenkyo."]
 
["What? You don't mean that he's after…?"] Soren began to get a really big
lump in the pit of his stomach.
 
["I think he is. He's after the Crystal of Eternity! I have a feeling that
the crystal was what the Dark World was after all along, even from the
start ten thousand years ago!"]
 
["That can't be! He can't know of it! Besides, there's no way he could get
at it! He'd need tremendous amounts of magic and elemental power to just
unlock it! Not to mention getting through the barriers of the six shards
that comprises the crystal. Without all six shards working together, the
power within the crystal cannot be controlled!"]
 
["I know that as well as you do, Soren, but think of what's happened so
far. Sharoka has been pitting our champions against foes that were
formidable, but could be defeated. However, our champions always needed
more and more power to defeat them!"]
 
As the viewing portal depicted Ranma Red throwing his Skyfire Sword spell
at his opponent, obliterating another six pools in the process, Soren began
to realize what his brother was implying. ["Hold on a minute! Are you
saying that the Dark world has been drawing power from our champions,
whenever Ranma Red and Ranma Blue had to fight them?"]
 
["It makes sense doesn't it? I mean, look at how many times they used a
Leech Dome or some other kind of method to suck away their energies! And a
massive amount of both mystical and elemental energies is needed to unlock
the crystal's seal."] The viewing portal then changed to Ranma Blue, who
was using his Arctic Spear to gain him some more elbowroom.
 
["B-B-But if that's true, then they'd still wouldn't be able to unlock the
seal! The Ranma Twins don't have anywhere near the amounts that are
required! The Dark World would need more than ten times the…"] This time,
it was Soren's turn to become pale. ["No… you don't mean?"]
 
Taron nodded as he saw Arcados and Zuruka merge together to form Arcaruka.
["The Dark World has been playing us for suckers! Ten thousand years with a
Contract Renewal every thousand years! I wouldn't be surprised if they had
been secretly siphoning off power from our previous champions as well! That
would mean that the Ranma Twins would provide the final portion of power
they need to unlock the crystal! And if Jusenkyo were destroyed, all of
that elemental and magical power that would be released would push the
seal's limit over the top!"]
 
["But… Sharoka would still need the psychic connection between the
releasing energies and the six shards of the crystal in order to gain
access to its power."] Soren felt as if he were going to faint as he
thought back to the last four trials. ["Oh no. Power from Zuruka and
Arcados."]
 
Taron nodded. ["Ekoja warped Reality in his tower and challenged the
Mind."]
 
["Gaizera traveled through Space with his Astral Plane attacks."]
 
["Makana and Katoka's trial was a race against Time."]
 
["And… the Destroyer is the combined Soul energies of those six. Soul…
Mind… Space… Time… Reality… and Power!"]
 
["Sharoka wants the twins to defeat his champions! They're fighting their
way into a trap! We have to warn them!"]
 
Soren nodded as he began powering up his teleportation powers. However, he
was surprised when he tried to transport to Jusenkyo. He felt no connection
to the magical fields that fed his powers. He tried again. That too also
failed.
 
Taron noticed that his brother was somehow being prevented in using his
magic. He tried to lift off the ground with his gravity powers. He didn't
rise an inch. He then tried again. That too also met with disappointing
results.
 
["What's going on? What's happening?"] Taron tried to move, but he found
himself rooted to the spot. Soren also discovered that he too could not
move. It was then that they got a message in their minds from someone very
high up. About as high as one can get!
 
^^ YOU WILL NOT INTERFERE, MY FIRST CHOSEN ONES! ^^
 
The first champions of the Contract blanched when they heard the voice of
Kami-sama in their minds.
 
["K-K-Kami-s-sama? You're doing all this?"] Soren stuttered.
 
["Why are you doing this?"] Taron asked as he strained to move. ["We must
warn our champions! They will unwittingly unseal the Crystal of Eternity!
Sharoka and the Dark World is planning to…"]
 
^^ I KNOW. ^^
 
["W-W-What?!"] Both immortals were stunned.
 
^^ I HAVE LONG SINCE KNOWN ABOUT THE DARK WORLD'S PLANS TO SEIZE THE
CRYSTAL OF ETERNITY. THAT IS THE REASON THEY INVADED THE EARTH IN THE FIRST
PLACE, TEN MILLENNIA AGO. ^^
 
["B-But… we don't understand!"] Taron said. ["Please Kami-sama! Let us
go!"]
 
["If you knew what the Dark World was planning then… WHY?"] Soren was also
trying to move, without success.
 
^^ ALL SHALL BE REVEALED IN DUE TIME. HOWEVER, AS WE ARE STILL BOUND BY THE
TERMS OF THE CONTRACT, I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO INTERFERE WITH THE FIFTH TRIAL
OF THE RANMA TWINS. ^^
 
["But if we don't do something, then it will be Armageddon! Not just for
the Earth, but for existence!"] Taron shouted telepathically.
 
^^ RAGORNOK SHALL NOT BEGIN UNTIL I SAY SO. AS YOU ARE STILL 'MY' CHOSEN
ONES UNTIL THE END OF THE CONTRACT, YOU SHALL ABIDE BY MY ORDERS. IS THAT
CLEAR? TRUST IN YOUR CHAMPIONS. IN OVER TEN THOUSAND YEARS, NONE HAVE EVER
COMPARED TO THE TWINS NAMED RANMA. ^^
 
Soren and Taron could only stand in silence as they watched the battle at
Jusenkyo near its climax. They could only feel a sense of utter
helplessness as watched was most certainly going to be the ultimate
tragedy.
 
At Jusenkyo, more than half of the cursed pools had either been destroyed
or had their waters mixed together. By now, the Ranma Twins were becoming
exhausted. Apparently, the Destroyer not only had the abilities of their
previous opponents, but it also was far more powerful than the originals.
They had been steadily using their more potent attacks against it, causing
even more destruction to the training grounds. However, Sharoka's creation
either shrugged off the attacks or absorbed them, becoming ever larger with
each second. So far, he had taken three Spirit Bombs and four Dragon Slaves
as well as an uncounted number of lesser spells, elemental and chi attacks.
As of now, it had transformed itself into Ekoja's lizard form, only it was
more than sixty feet tall. It began spewing out huge gouts of fire and the
two Ranmas knew that they would have to pull out all the stops.
 
Ranma Red gestured to his brother to attack the Destroyer as he began
intoning a new spell. As Ranma Blue began hammering away at the fake
Ekoja's head, the magical twin started gathering energy into his hands as
he hovered nearby.
 
"Lord of Darkness and Four Worlds…"
 
Hovering some distance away, Sharoka smirked. * I was wondering when he'd
try something like that. *
 
"I beseech thy fragments; by all the power thou possessth, grant the
heaven's wrath to my hands…"
 
When Ranma Blue heard this, he knew that he'd better get out of the way.
 
"Unleash the sword of dark, freezing nothingness…"
 
Black, elderitch energy began to form in Ranma's hands and take shape. The
Light Star Blade glowed in its scabbard as it made the connection to the
sources of magic that particular spell drew from.
 
"By our power, our combined might, let us walk as one along the path of
destruction…"
 
The Destroyer looked up and saw the mystical Ranma dive down toward him
with a huge blade of black energy in his hands.
 
"RAGNA BLADE!"
 
There was a huge thunderous noise and the Destroyer let off a howl of pain
as Ranma Red used the Ragna Blade to cleave the monster in half! The
resulting explosion of releasing so much power all at once caused Ranma Red
to lose control of his spell and was flung backward. The Ragna Blade
dispersed into nothingness as the two halves of the monster reeled from the
attack. Fortunately, Ranma Blue was there to catch his brother and managed
to keep them aloft. Making certain that his sibling was all right, he
looked down at the carnage that he had wrought on the Destroyer and
Jusenkyo. The rest of the training grounds trembled under the massive
blast, annihilating the rest of the pools and causing the rest of the
valley to shudder as if it was subjected to a small earthquake. The people
in the Amazon village were taken by surprise by the sudden tremor and
everyone had to hold onto something solid to keep from being thrown off
their feet.
 
However, both twins cried out in despair as they saw that their opponent
had not been destroyed! The halves simply rejoined each other and the
monster grew even larger! Sharoka was laughing at the Twins misfortunes and
sneered. "Ha! If that's all you've got, then you might as well give up
now!"
 
The twins were at their wits' end. No matter what they did, the Destroyer
would keep coming back for more. With Jusenkyo now a barren crater and the
Destroyer was now powering up for a final attack, they had no choice. 
 
["Blue, I have one last spell I could use. This will take just about
everything I've got and even then, it may not be enough."]
 
["Well, we've got nothing else that we could throw at him. He's taken
everything we could attack him with. If this spell is all we've got left,
then do it."]
 
["All right, but I'm not sure if I can control it. The Ragna Blade took a
lot out of me. I may not be able to keep it contained! It may just destroy
the world as surely as the Dark World would."]
 
["Taron and Soren did say that we can combine our energies together. I
might be able to use my elemental energies to keep that spell in check so
you can use it. It'll be a combined attack. Our last and best attack."]
 
["All right. Let's do it!"]
 
Ranma Blue got behind his brother and placed his hands on his shoulders. He
began focusing what remaining energies he had and merged it with his
sibling as Ranma Red took out the Light Star Blade and began chanting the
final spell.
 
"Darkness beyond blackest pitch, deeper than the deepest night…"
 
All over the Earth, certain beings began getting a sense of foreboding, as
if they knew that the end was near.
 
"Lord of Darkness, shining like gold upon the Sea of Chaos…"
 
Washu's instruments began to go haywire as a whole flock of crows suddenly
landed dead at the front of the Masaki Shrine.
 
Belldandy, Urd and Skuld's face markings began to glow as they looked up
from their stations at the Ultimate Force System.
 
Yosho looked to the skies and silently promised to meet his wife and Achika
soon.
 
In the Amazon village, everyone held their breath…
 
"I call upon thee, swear myself to thee…"
 
Sharoka put a bit more distance between himself and the danger zone as the
Destroyer let loose a final, massive blast at the twins above. He smiled in
anticipation, as he was about to claim the greatest prize of all.
 
"Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I
possess! GIGA SLAVE!"
 
A gigantic blast of utter darkness was sent hurtling down at the Destroyer.
The blackness swallowed up the monster's attack as well as the entire area
where Jusenkyo once stood. Ranma Blue gritted his teeth as he desperately
used all the elemental power at his command to keep the Giga Slave from
running amok. He held onto his brother, using his power as a conduit to
limit the destructive power of the spell within the confines of the valley.
Winds began blowing at hurricane speeds, causing nearby forests to snap
like toothpicks. A huge storm suddenly appeared from above, causing massive
amounts of lightning to strike the ground below. The entire world trembled
as the force of Ranma Red's spell drove deep into the ground to totally
destroy the Destroyer. 
 
Ranma Red bit down and focused his mid to end the spell when he no longer
felt the presence of Sharoka's champion. It took supreme concentration for
both Ranmas to keep the energies contained and disperse it before it had a
chance to wreak havoc on their world. Finally, after what seemed to be an
eternity, the chaos finally ceased and the world could breathe a sigh of
relief.
 
The Ranma Twins landed hard on the barren ground that had once been the
place they despised most. The two had totally used up all their reserves
and were now only barely conscious. However, they knew that the danger was
over. 
 
"We… won…" Ranma Blue mumbled as he lay beside his brother.
 
It was then that Sharoka floated down beside them and smiled down at the
pair. "Very nice. I didn't think that you two would be able to contain a
spell such as that one. I congratulate you on your last victory. What a
pity that you have lost your world and all that you hold dear."
 
"W-What do you mean?" Ranma Red coughed out as he and his brother tried to
stagger to their feet. They only managed to keep up by leaning against each
other. 
 
"Yeah… we BEAT your champion!"
 
"True." Sharoka said as he floated up to about fifty feet above them. "But
you have yet to defeat ME and now, thanks to that last attack, you have
just handed me the means to become master of ALL!" He let out a maniacal
bout of laughter as he gestured toward the center of the devastation and
said, "Now that the seal has been broken, the Crystal of Eternity will be
MINE!!!"
Both twins looked over to where he was gesturing and noticed that there was
a small shaft of light being emitted up from the ground. The ground then
suddenly erupted as something shot up from the ground and flew toward
Sharoka. The dark king smiled as he grasped it in his hands and held it
high above his head. Immense power, unlike any the twins had ever
experienced began radiating out in all directions.
 
Both Ranmas were almost blinded as they looked up at the object. It was a
huge crystal the size of a soccer ball that seemed to made up of six,
different colored fragments. Each fragment glowed with an unearthly light
and the power each piece emitted made the twins tremble with fear. With
their powers at next to nothing levels, they were completely at Sharoka's
mercy.
 
"W-What is that?!" Ranma Blue stuttered.
 
Sharoka looked down at his helpless prey and smirked. "This, Chosen Twins
is the source of ultimate power! A remnant of the very forces that created
all existence! And I thank you for unsealing it for me! It has taken the
Dark World ten millennia to obtain this, but now I shall take my place as
master over all!"
 
"That's not fair! We won the contract!" Ranma Red shouted.
 
Sharoka's smile became even more evil as he said; "No… you LOST!" With
that, he began tapping into the crystal and his power began to grow
exponentially. Soon, the entire ground began to tremble again, even though
his feet weren't touching it. He then held the crystal in one hand while
gesturing with the other in a certain direction. A direction that both
Ranmas realized what he was about to destroy.
 
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"
 
Sharoka let loose with a huge blast of energy at his target and in an
instant, an entire civilization was obliterated. The Chinese Amazons and
all those within the village were now nothing more than memories.
 
"BASTARD!!!" Running on pure adrenaline, the twins began charging up what
little power they had to attack. However, the Dark World ruler simply
smiled and sent a glancing blast toward them, knocking them back down to
the ground. As the twins were sprawled on the ground, he then descended
upon them and raised his hand to deliver the final blow.
 
"Don't worry… you'll be joining them soon. In any case, there is nothing
you could do against me now. Even if you both have full power, you would
still be nothing compared to the Crystal of Eternity. I have WON!"
 
Both Ranmas knew that this was the end. They had failed! After all they had
gone through, Sharoka was going to destroy the world. They had lost all
those who were close to their hearts and now, all humankind would cease to
exist. This was the end. The only solace they had was in the fact that they
would join their wives and family in oblivion.
 
It was then that fate decided to deal one final hand.
 
As Sharoka became more ruthless as the crystal fed him huge amounts of
power, he decided to destroy the entire planet at the same time he would
kill the twins. After all, with the power of the crystal at his disposal,
he had no need for one measly little planet. He smiled evilly as he said,
"Now kiss your pathetic lives and planet goodbye!" 
 
He then began building up power, but something was wrong. The energy
wouldn't stop flowing in after he had gained enough. He tried to stop it
but the power kept on coming.
 
"What?! What's happening?! I can't stop it!"
 
It was an old saying that power tends to corrupt and absolute power
corrupts absolutely. Sharoka was finding out to his horror the hard truth
to that saying as he tried to stop the energy from overwhelming him. It was
like trying to stop a tidal wave with just his hands and Sharoka's body was
now threatening to explode. In desperation, he threw away the crystal but
the power just kept on building.
 
Both Ranmas were wondering what was going on but they knew that being close
to Sharoka was not a good place to be. They feebly tried to get away, but
with their powers and strength totally spent, they knew that they would not
get far enough. They then closed their eyes and waited for the end.
 
Sharoka screamed out in anguish and total disbelief, as his body could no
longer hold in the crystal's power. In one gristly moment, his body
exploded from within, spraying both twins with blood and pieces of flesh. 
 
The twins had no time to be disgusted by this, as the Crystal of Eternity
could not longer remain stable and exploded into its six fragments,
unleashing a blinding white light that obscured all sight and the all
existence. 
 
Ranma Red and Ranma Blue only managed to say two words before they were
enveloped into a vast nothingness.
 
"Oh shit."
 
To be concluded…
 
Author's notes
 
Well, what can I say? Stay tuned!