Hustling was a natural thing for Lina - be it from loan sharks, giant dragons, or even her own sister, she had a natural aptitude for running. She didn't know many people that could keep up with her at all, but Gourry was one of them.
Even so, when she was pouring on speed to get to the energy surge that Rezo had pointed out to her, even Gourry couldn't keep up. As she blazed over cornfields, leaving the helpless villagers shrieking in terror and adding more to the Lina Inverse mythos, ("She flies into town by night and steals your children!!") something still didn't click with her. Xelloss was a Mazoku, all right, but why did he want Shabranigdo ressurected? In most cases, Xelloss simply wanted to have fun... was this his underlying motive? A simple bringing forth of a piece of Shabranigdo? Or was there something more?
So engrossed in thought was Lina that she didn't hear Ameria whining for help in her carrying Gourry after Lina. They followed after Lina, whining all the way, also adding to her mythos. ("And after her, her pet servant, the two-headed Dragon Slave flies, yelling horribly for her to come back."
"So, she's coming... hm.", Xelloss mused to himself. "Well, good that the transformation is complete."
Smiling, he turned back to look on his completed work - the huge, looming silhouette of Shabranigdo stood a little bit from him, completely imprisoned by the magic circles.
Shabranigdo looked down on Xelloss, giving him a scornful glance that only a demonic figure could. Xelloss ignored him, waving away his attempts at getting through the barriers. "Time to go.."
With that, the trickster priest disappeared.
"Lina!!! Linaaaaa!!!!", Xelloss yelled, waving his arms and looking rather ridiculous. He was in a clearing where Lina could easily see him. She stopped flying overhead and landed.
"What are you doing here, Xelloss?"
"That is a secret."
"Don't get me pissed again."
"Don't worry, it's a secret that I am going to share with you! And only you, yes?", Xelloss said, brushing his hand over Lina's cheek.
"So what is it?"
"Another piece of Shabranigdo has been revived."
"What?! HOW?!!"
"I don't know."
They both stood there, looking at each other for a minute.
"Well, aren't you going to go defeat him?"
"You didn't tell me where he was."
Turning around and pointing, Xelloss said, "Oh! He's right over there, about a mi - "
Lina had hit him with a Gaav Flare, which had been deflected by his shield.
With his back turned, motionless, Xelloss started to speak. "So you figured it out, eh? I was hoping you would destroy him."
"What? Why?"
"Ohhh... so you HAVEN'T figured it out."
"Figured out what?"
Xelloss turned around slowly and started advancing towards Lina. "You see, it's rather simple. There is a heirarchy of Mazoku, with the Lord of Nightmares at the top, Shabranigdo below her, and my mistress, Zelas-Metallium, below him. At the moment, Shabranigdo is only a little more powerful than Zelas-Metallium. If one more piece were to be destroyed, Zelas-Metallium would take her rightful place as lord over the rest of the Mazoku and general of the Lord of Nightmares."
"Why does she want that?"
"Lei Magnus."
"Who?"
"I don't personally understand my mistress, so I couldn't ever understand why she wanted this, until I talked to Dynast. I found out that Lei Magnus was a man that was closely affiliated with the Mazoku in the Demon's war. He was the first bearer of Shabranigdo, as well as the inventor of the Dragon Slave, and the Lord of Nightmare's lover. My mistress envied her greatly for that, as she was quite in love with Lei herself. Lei was eventually sealed away and the location obfuscated by Shabranigdo, according to the Lord of Nightmares' will. My mistress is quite confident that she will be able to break said seal and find Lei when this last piece of Shabranigdo is killed."
"Why didn't you kill me by now? Why did you tell me this?"
"You know, I never quite understood why she felt that way about Lei.. it was commonplace knowledge that Mazoku couldn't fall in love..", Xelloss said, advancing towards Lina. "Knowledge I have found to be wrong.", he said, as he held Lina's face in his hand, and kissed her.
To his surprise, Lina didn't struggle at all through the kiss.. in fact, it was rather enjoyable. After the kiss was over, Lina put her mouth up to Xelloss ear and quietly whispered, "Fireball."
Lina's hand, which was firmly situated on Xelloss's stomach, exploded with firey intensity and blew Xelloss across the clearing, into a tree. Gourry and Ameria rushed into the clearing in time to see Xelloss, panting, emerging from the smoke.
"Well, I suppose that playtime is over.", Xelloss hissed, his eyes opening, glowing red.
Zelgadiss had found that once his body had been transformed into Shabranigdo's, that all he could do was sit there and watch out through the eyes. It pained him not to be able to move, but it pained him more to be stuck, immobile, while Lina and the others were being beaten severely by Xelloss. As much as he hated to admit it, they had no chance. Xelloss was powerful enough to imprison a released piece of Shabranigdo, cunning enough to keep this all behind the Lord of Nightmares' back.. wicked enough to use Selyan against him.
He hadn't thought about Selyan in years... he was so in love with her, but the rules of his village stated clearly that if there were to arise a quarrel over a woman, that the victor of a wizard's duel would be the one to marry her. Zelgadiss had lost her to Sephros, his only rival in the village. Then, while he was in the forest, Rezo came to him, and the rest was history. Now he was just teetering on the brink of destruction, incapable of doing anything but watching.
Xelloss was a tough mother, they had all known that before. But when he caught the Sword of Light in one hand and caused it to retract, it dawned on them just how powerful he really was. Luckily, he was not the type to end a battle quickly - otherwise, they would've been dead already.
The group reared up for another assault, half-knowing that it wouldn't work, but too desparate to not do it. Gourry rushed at him, jumping high up in the air, and coming down with the Sword of Light. Lina cast Dragu Slave on the sword, making it grow huge with energy, pulsating to the brim. Gourry landed, causing a huge explosion with the release of energy... an explosion, it was revealed when the smoke cleared, that had not fazed Xelloss. Xelloss started walking up towards Gourry, too haughty to care if he slashed. This same haughtiness is what didn't let him notice until it was too late that Ameria had snuck up behind him in the smoke and threw a rock straight at the sphere on his staff, breaking it.
He was pissed. He had stored a lot of enegry in that sphere, and it was gone. Lina knew this, and had used it to her advantage. Grinning, the three heroes rushed at Xelloss, confident that this attack would work.
It didn't. Xelloss blew all away of them, rendering Ameria and Gourry unconscious, and Lina severely injured. Xelloss sighed, looking at Lina, who was crawling up to Gourry, and said, "If you kill him, then I won't have to kill you. Please, don't make me do this. You can stay with me forever."
Lina slowly clasped the Sword of Light as it's blade flickered into existence once more.
"Please, Lina, I don't want to hurt you."
Darkness beyond deepest pitch...
"You can still turn back.."
....deeper than the deepest night!
"Don't..."
Queen of Darkness, who shines like gold upon a Sea of Chaos...
"Lina, think this over.."
I call upon thee!
"Don't say another word of that incantation!"
I swear myself to thee!
"You leave me no choice...", Xelloss said, as he turned and started flying away.
Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power both you and I possess!
By this time, Xelloss was fairly far away, but not far enough.
GIGA SLAAAAAVE!!!!!!!!!
And then, there was nothing but a violent, quaking explosion.
There was too much dust in the air for anybody to see anything... anybody, that is, except Zelgadiss. He found that the sight of a major Mazoku was slightly different from a human's, in that it could see THROUGH things. He used this newfound talent to look through the smoke. True enough, Xelloss was nowhere around Lina. Then Zelgadiss looked down, and lo and behold, there he was, standing there, inside the magic circles. They had protected him from the Giga Slave.
"I told you not to do that, Lina.... now I have no choice." Lina stood there, dazed from her experience. The Sword of Light fell from her hands.... she leaned up against a tree to prevent herself from collapsing. If she had been her normal self, she would've cared that her hair had changed color, but she was just too tired to care.
"Forgive me, Lina..", Xelloss said, as he fired off a fireball. It exploded on target, and his eyes started to well with tears. "No... I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have..."
The smoke cleared and Lina still stood there, somewhat more upright this time than she was beforehand, actually.
"Lina! You're alive! Oh... you're alive! You're ali-", Xelloss exclaimed, only to be cut short by noticing that Lina's hair had not, in fact, been turned white, but a golden blonde. Which could only mean one thing - one thing that was demonstrated by the Lord of Nightmares' unearthly voice booming out from Lina.
SO, XELLOSS... YOU'VE BEEN SNEAKING AROUND BEHIND MY BACK.
"No, my Lord.. I only sought to revive Shabranigdo and restore some order in the Mazoku court. Ever since he was split into seven pieces, it has had no order, and I thought..."
XELLOSS.
Yes?
I AM THE LORD OF NIGHTMARES. I RULE FROM THE SEA OF CHAOS. DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT I WOULD WANT ORDER TO BE RESTORED? DID YOU HONESTLY THINK I DIDN'T NOTICE HOW ZELAS-METALLIUM LOOKED AT LEI? DID YOU HONESTLY THINK I WOULD LET YOU GET AWAY WITH KILLING LINA INVERSE?
"But.."
YOU KNOW HOW... SPECIAL SHE IS TO ME.
"I beg your forgiveness, my Lord.."
AND YOU DO NOT GAIN IT. I HAVE MY EYE ON LINA INVERSE, SHE INTERESTS ME. NOW, TO PUT THINGS BACK..
With that, Lina waved her hand and all the wards surrounding Shabranigdo disappeared. She clapped, and Shabranigdo gradually got smaller and smaller, changing shape back into Zelgadiss.
AND AS TO YOUR PUNISHMENT, XELLOSS...
"Please have mercy, I didn't want to..."
FOR ONE DAY, YOU SHALL BE WITHOUT YOUR POWERS FROM ZELAS-METALLIUM.
Xelloss blinked. Was that it? That was a pretty mild punishment.
"Yes, my Lord.."
VERY WELL THEN. NOW.... I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE MORE PIECE OF UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
"...and what would that be, my Lord?"
Lina waved her hand again and the ground near Xelloss began to glow. Soon, Zelgadiss materialized there, a bit disoriented, but otherwise fine.
"You... Bastard....", Zelgadiss growled. Xelloss looked at Lina and asked, "What's the unfinished business?" Lina smiled evilly and replied, THIS. "What? I don't understand your meaning, my Lo- why, Zelgadiss-sama, what's wrong? I - OW!"
Zelgadiss had punched Xelloss across the clearing. "But.. but... please, my Lord! Aid me!" NO.
So for the next several hours, Zelgadiss did nothing but take out his frustrations in all sorts of new ways upon Xelloss, while the Lord of Nightmares, residing in Lina's body, sat in the tree and watched, smiling.
And yet... it was not over yet.