The wall exploded as Lina, Gourry, and Zel came falling out as Dread slowly walked through the new opening as they entered the courtyard. Smiling as he lifted up his talons, he drove them into the ground as it split apart. Lina barely was able to cast levitation to escape as Gourry swung his sword down only to have it easily shattered with a blow from Dread.
"That pathetic sword is no match for me," Dread stated as he started to glow.
"Astral Vein," Zel cast on his blade before he tossed it to Gourry, "Use this."
"Thanks," Gourry said as he swung the blade, nicking Dread as he teleported away.
Appearing before them, Dread laughed, "Try this on for size~!"
A huge orb of energy appeared before him as he dropped it straight down on them as Zel cast a wind barrier to block it. Smoke soon obscured the entire vision of the courtyard from the explosion resulting from the blast.
"This is getting annoying," Zel muttered as he tried to see through the smoke.
Gripping her side in pain, Lina muttered, "I don't think I can pull off a Laguna Blade in my condition."
"Damn it," Zel cursed as the smoke dissipated to reveal nothing.
Looking around for Dread, Gourry asked, "Where did he go?"
"Right here!" Dread laughed as he appeared behind Zel blasting him back.
"Blast Ash!" Lina cast even though the spell was worthless on Dread.
"For one who's done so much, this fight is really a disappointment," Dread muttered as he grabbed Gourry and slammed him into the ground.
"I'm not finished yet," Lina hissed as she cast recovery on herself.
"You think I'll let you heal yourself!" Dread laughed as he charged at her.
A blue streak intercepted him as it slammed him into the wall and pinned him there to Lina's surprise.
"Get out of here Lina!" Zel yelled as he struggled to hold Dread back.
"What?" Lina muttered as Gourry came up to her side.
"I'll hold him off for now," Zel muttered struggling.
"You need healing," Gourry stated as Lina nearly fainted in his arm.
"GO," Zel said as the two flee.
"Humph, you think you can handle me?" Dread commented as he blasted Zel back a few feet. "I'm truly superior to a pathetic chimera like you," Dread laughed as he held up his talons.
Slowly rising to his feet, Zel stated, "It doesn't matter to me. I'm your only opponent now, so fight me."
"With pleasure," Dread laughed as chunks of the ground around him lifted up and went hurling straight toward Zel. Using his speed, Zel managed to evade the rocks as Dread stated, "You've dug your own grave."
"Maybe so, but I'll take you down with me," Zel growled as he dashed toward Dread.
"Oh, what are you planning on trying?" Dread inquired.
"Source of all souls, which dwells in the ethereal plane and infinite! Everlasting flame of blue! Let the power hidden in my soul! To be called forth here from the infinite!"
"You've got to be embarrassed just for saying all those cheesy lines," Dread mocked the gathering energy around Zel.
"Ra-Tilt!" Zel cast.
Dread just stood there as a huge pillar of energy rose up from beneath, tearing at him from the astral plane.
"Arrgh you got me, Copper!" he screamed as he was consumed in all of the energy.
Zel sweatdropped at that last line, what the heck was that thing saying? He's heard a lot of final death screams, but that one certainly took the cake. No last curse or screams for vengeance, just a really strange line that Zel never heard before.
Popping up right behind Zel, Dread smiled, "Oops. Silly me. I lied!"
Lifting his fist up, he punched Zelgadiss into a nearby wall as he cackled madly. Zel slowly pried himself out of the rubble as he found it hard to stand straight. Taking a step, Zel convulsed as he coughed up a huge chunk of blood into his hand.
"To think when I was hit by that spell, I felt like I was going to die. But then bang, I felt alright and ready to crack your skull against the pavement," Dread mocked, wagging his finger at Zel. "You are so out of your league," he mocked as Zel slowly took steps to him.
"I'm not done yet," Zel coughed as blood splattered to the ground.
Shrugging at Zel's continued resistance, Dread muttered, "You are amazingly dense."
"That is what everyone usually says about me!" Zel growled as he touched the ground before him.
"Oh what are you going to do now?" Dread mocked pretending to be scared.
"Dynast Breath!" Zel called forth as the ice spell traveled across the ground toward Dread.
"Pathetic," Dread commented as the ice consumed him completely.
Shaking a bit as he prepared to cast one more spell, Zel yelled, "Burst Flare!"
The strongest fire spell a human could cast blasted toward the huge frozen pillar created from Dynast Breath as it consumed the ice and the being inside. A massive shockwave emanated as smoke and shards of ice went spilling everywhere by the force. Zel fell down to his knee as the smoke slowly cleared and Dread came walking out of the explosion toward him.
"In the end this is all that you amounted to," Dread snorted as he kicked Zel, sending him sprawling to the ground. "It was a waste to soil my hand with your blood," Dread gestured as the ground around them shook as three being came rising out.
Each wore the tattered remnants of armor over their skeleton bodies as they gripped the weapons they had borne to the death in their hands. The shredded capes flapped behind them as the remaining white that clung to the scalp were blown away by the wind. Shaking off the dirt that they had been covered in and moving over the rubble, the Skeleton Warriors slowly converged on Zel.
"Kill him," Dread ordered.
At that command, the skeletons' eye sockets seemed to flare with life as the three dashed toward Zel at once whacking him with the maces they carried. Zel coughed up blood as he was battered around by their blows as they maneuvered around him giving him no reprieve. Finally one of them slamming him in the smoke sent him falling to his knee as Dread signaled for them to stop their attack. Zel was having a hard time to focus his eyes as he tried to look up at the smirking Dread before him as the three stood ready.
"What are you planning on doing?" Zel choked as he gazed at Dread.
Smiling as he looked at the battered chimera, he replied, "Just a little pause before the end." Kicking Zel in the face, he laughed, "Prepare to die!"
"Ah is that really all that necessary?"
Dread spun around as he glared at Xelloss standing there.
"I must say you haven't change a bit, Dread," Xelloss continued as he walked up to him. "I'm afraid that your freedom goes against the desires of my Master. You'll be surprised how many people want you dead."
"We'll see who dies! Get'im," Dread ordered as the Skeleton Warrior all charged at Xelloss.
"I'm afraid that is useless," Xelloss said as he blasted them all to pieces. Walking through their remains, Xelloss sighed, "Well looks like it's just you and me."
Cursing, Dread hurled several orbs of energy at Xelloss, "I won't lose to you." Charging at Xelloss as the Priest blocked the orbs, he roared, "Die!"
Xelloss merely smiled as he evaded the attack and with a simple swing cleaved Dread in half horizontally. The lower half fell to the ground as it dissolved away.
"Damn you," Dread cursed as he was held up by the Priest.
Smiling as he held Dread up by his throat, Xelloss inquired, "Before I destroy you may acquire something of you?"
"Like I would tell a snake like you anything?" Dread spat.
"Snake?" Xelloss muttered as he looked at Dread with a smile. "That was pretty rude of you."
Dread's scream echoed as he was destroyed completely. His undead army soon collapsed without the support of their leader. Xelloss smirked as he teleported off to report to his master as the rain started to pour down from the clouds above.
Zel lay there silently as the water cascaded down him. After awhile, Zel slowly got up as he winced at the pain coursing through his body. Slowly casting a recovery on himself, he slowly limped across the courtyard toward the city outside of the castle.
"Princess Amelia!" a guard called he ran frantically to the crown princess.
Amelia turned as the guard came running up to her as the rain came pouring down around them. Much of the brigade were searching through the damaged city in search of any wounded. The undead army had put up quite a fight, but fell apart for some reason. Luckily Amelia and the knights had managed to lower most of the casualties. The Behir had devoured most of the militia, but Amelia managed to take it down. With some help from the knights, of course.
"What is it?" Amelia asked the guard as he stopped to catch his breath.
"Your friend Lina is dying," the guard said as he caught his breath only to get seized by the collar.
"What happened?" Amelia demanded.
"The medic says that she seemed to be suffering from some unknown problem. The healing spells aren't helping her," he cried as Amelia let go of him.
"Take me to her," Amelia ordered as he led her to the local inn.
Running into the room, Amelia called, "Lina-san!"
"Have some respect for the dying," Lina joked a bit before she grimaced in pain as she was laid in the bed.
"What's wrong with her, Gourry?" Amelia inquired to the swordsman.
"Nobody knows. All the recovery spells don't help," Gourry said as he looked at Lina.
"I'll use a resurrection on her," Amelia said as she started to prepare the spell.
"Amelia don't - " Lina started before she lost conscious.
"Lina," Gourry cried as checked for a pulse. "You can't die," he said shaking her.
"It wasn't fast enough," Amelia stammered as she look at the stiff form of Lina.
Zel slowly peeked into the room as he heard what had happen, gritting his teeth as his sides were on fire. He slowly limped down the hallway leaving the other two to their grief.
"LINA!"
Several days passed since the city was attacked and Lina Inverse had died though that was kept under wrap. Lance, Baron Dokter's cousin, took over the estate as he oversaw the repairs. Zel had all but disappeared, no sign of him or a body was found. Gourry was hit hard by Lina's death and had taken into drowning his sorrows with a bottle. Princess Amelia remained isolated from everyone else as she pondered by herself.
"Princess Amelia," Lance asked as he opened the door to her room. "Forgive my rudeness, but you didn't answer my knocks."
"I'm sorry, I just had my mind on other things," Amelia commented as she looked out at the rain.
Ever since the attack, the sky had raining nonstop. It was like the sky itself was crying.
"You father has requested your return," Lance stated with his hands behind him.
"Thank you," Amelia said quietly.
Clearing his throat, Lance asked, "It is not in my right to say this, but will you be taking the body with you?"
"Yes," Amelia said as she sat up from her chair and place a hand against the window. "Lina-san deserves a funeral fitting for what she's done."
"What of the swordsman?" Lance inquired as Amelia bowed her head down a bit.
"Gourry..."
"I've been hearing from my men that he's been causing trouble and ruckus in the taverns. The death must have really hit him hard," Lance reported as Amelia turned to face him.
"Gourry blames himself for not being able to protect her," Amelia said as Lance nodded.
"My lord!"
The two turned as a guard came frantically running into the chamber. He looked slightly disheveled as sweat slid down his face.
"The body has been stolen!" he yelled as the two gasp.
"What?" Lance stated. "How can that be?" he exclaimed as he turned to Amelia. "Let's go."
"Right," Amelia nodded as they ran to the funeral parlor filled with several guards.
"What happened?" Lance demanded.
"A mysterious purple haired figure with a staff came in here and before we knew it, he took the body," a guard explained.
"Why would someone need Lina-san's body?" Amelia asked.
Lance couldn't give her an answer as a flash of lightning danced by the window followed by a deafening thunder.