Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath ❯ Wings of Flame ( Chapter 12 )

Shrouded deeply in mists, the Isle on which the heroes made their home was quiet. Yesterday they had discussed Ryo's decision to not return to them and stay with Sakura. A few were for it, the rest opposed, and others with no opinion at all. The sun rose over the ancient sanctuary, as the heroes slept soundly, unawares of the impending doom that was on its way.

The Forgotten Souls, as usual, had gathered around the island, to protect it and warn the heroes of any problems. Atop one cliff, Hariel stood, his large and powerful Dark Inferno standing behind him, armed to the teeth. The hero yawned, tired from the night's watch. In a few minutes Saber Strike would come to relieve him of his watch. That was reassuring. He looked out towards the rising sun, and noticed a large black cloud headed towards the island.

"Probably a flock of birds…" he thought. But he noticed they were headed for the island. And they were getting closer still.

Thinking something might be up, he climbed into Dark Inferno and zoomed in with the highest possible magnification. His jaw dropped in shock.

The Draconai. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. All flying, all headed for the island, with Navcase out in front. This was far from good. The last thing he noticed was the emeralds on Navcase's shoulders charging up and firing on him. He barely leapt out of Dark Inferno before the damage was inflicted. He grimaced in pain as he felt the full effects of Dark Inferno's injuries. He was bleeding. He looked at the robot. Most of the chest plating was damaged, he could see that in some places the armor had been blown away to show the circuitry within.

"Dark Inferno! Let's go!" Hariel called. The large lumbering robot walked behind him as he stumbled down the cliff path. He dove and slammed into the ground as a blast from their cannons struck the ground.

"Destroy Hariel!" Navcase ordered as the Draconai began to circle above him. They rained blast after blast down on Hariel, which the injured warrior barely dodged.

"Concentrate all your firepower on that machine! Killing it will kill him!" Navcase ordered his troops.

The Draconai flourished their arms towards the machine and fired Chi blast after Chi Blast. The Ishibiya Corps fired again and again, damaging Dark Inferno, and, in turn, injuring Hariel through the machine's vampiric connection.

"Keep firing! Ceiphied said leave no one alive!" Navcase ordered. "Finish him off!"
"WINGED ANGEL OF DEATH!!!!!!!" a voice bellowed.

Out of nowhere a powerful blast of energy killed off several members of Kouen's clan. Saber Strike, as well as the other Forgotten Souls, had heard the explosions and had come to the rescue.

"What are your orders Hariel?" Saber Strike asked.
"Get Dark Inferno out of here…Saranbo, go find the Ronins and warn them…"
"They already know."

From off camera a beam of death erupted, taking out still more, but there were thousands left.

"Open fire!" Rowen shouted.

The Ronins, all clad in their Mecha Armors, unloaded every ounce of ordinance they had on the Dragons. The creatures began dropping like flies as they were shot down. Navcase's anger flared and he fired an emerald blast at them, throwing the heroes off.

"To the Ground! We're too vulnerable in the air!" Navcase ordered, canceling his wings and dropping several feet per second before using his verniers to touch down gently.

"Attack!" Rowen shouted, the Ronins putting away or retracting their cannons and breaking out their beam weapons, and charging at the horde of soldiers that began to land, cutting them down, only to have more land in their place.

Rowen was worried. Sure, the heroes had lots of skill, and their technological terrors had held off many Draconai before. But with this many, and Navcase in the lead…Could they win?

Meanwhile, up in the Heavens…

"Well, I guess this is good-bye." Ryo said. "Amaterasu, thanks for letting me train here. It was an honor."
"Thank you Ryo. It was an honor to train you." She replied.

He turned to Ran, who had begun to cry. He picked up one of her tears with his finger and lifted it from her check.

"Don't cry. I'll be back soon." Ryo said.
"Just don't die this time!" she cried.
"Thanks for all the good food. I enjoyed it."
"You're welcome." Ran said, who was quickly embraced by Yuri, and began to sob.

He next turned to Suiren. She had been quite beneficial these past few weeks, in keeping him neat and tidy, as well as a challenge with her no-daichi.

"You show those Dragons, okay? You weren't here for all this time to screw up." She replied.
"I'll make sure to." Ryo said. "I've grown stronger this whole time."

He turned to Ayame next. She had also been there, and his arrival had caused many problems between him and Sakura. But those were all behind them.

"Sorry about everything." Ryo said.
"It's okay…" Ayame said. "It's partially my fault."
"No, don't blame yourself. It's my fault." Ryo said. "I didn't realize Sakura had changed so much."

As he turned to his girl, he whispered. "Rowen still wants you."

Next, was Sakura. Dressed, in her tight pants and trenchcoat, she looked the part of intimidating. But her face said otherwise. She was fighting back tears.

"It was really nice to get to know you better, and to see you again. You'll keep her happy, right?" Ryo asked her sisters.
"You got it." Ayame said.
"Even though you don't have a place here yet…" She started to say, choking up a little, "You'll always have a place in my heart."
"I know…it'll be hard without you around…but I'll try."
"I think I might have something that might help…" Sakura said.

Reaching around her neck, she removed her pendant, and placed it around his neck.

"Now every time you wear it…" she said, still fighting back tears, "you'll think of me."
"I just wish I had something that I could give to you." Ryo said sadly.
"I have your old armor…okay, it's changed a bit…" Sakura said.

Ryo gave her a puzzled look. She chuckled a bit. "Okay, a lot," she said blushing. "But most importantly…" she said, starting to cry, "I have your heart."

"Sakura…" Ryo said, embracing her. He held her tight as she began to sob.
"Ryo…we're running out of time." Amaterasu explained.
"I've got to go now." Ryo said.
"Okay." Sakura said softly.

He let go of her and headed towards Amaterasu, before he heard Sakura speak again.

"Wait."

Drawing him close again, their eyes met, as she gave him a long good-bye kiss.

"Bye." Ryo said.
"Bye." Sakura repeated.

Amaterasu opened a portal, and Ryo stepped towards it.

"This will get you pretty close to the Check-In Station. Tell the others that their armors grow stronger if they feel the need to better serve their wearer. They can feel their emotions; that's why Anubis' armor upgraded. But you must hurry. The attack has already begun and your friends are loosing badly."

Everyone wished him good luck and Ryo leapt through, the portal disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

Sakura felt herself begin to loose it. She had tried hard to keep from crying again…but she could not hold back any longer. The tears came rolling quickly as her sisters rushed to comfort her.

Ryo appeared about halfway down Snake Way and began racing down it at high speed. A man in orange with black spiky hair leapt out of the way and almost fell off as Ryo flew past him towards King Yama's.

"Hey! Watch it!' the man shouted. "Jerk!"

Ryo smiled as he saw the end, or rather the beginning come up suddenly in front of him. He ran in, zooming by several other dead people waiting in line, straight towards Kayura, who was waiting for him. He grabbed her hand and instantly, they were at Talpa's palace.

"The others are on the Isle of Mists. The Draconai appeared and launched a sneak attack. You've got to hurry." Kayura explained.

Ryo summoned his armor and rocketed out, heading towards the island at breakneck speed. He hoped he would not get there too late.

But things were not looking good for the heroes. Navcase's forces were only slowly being decimated. Most of the Forgotten Souls had been defeated and had fallen back towards the shrine. The Ronins had managed to get in a few good sure-kills, but the rest had been blocked by the Draconai's AT Fields. They were quickly running low on ammo and power for their weapons. They needed a miracle, soon.

Navcase had ordered the forces to spread out, destroying everything they could. A large group was heading directly for Mia and Yuli. Others had backed the Ronins to the Shrine of Amaterasu. Navcase smiled. Victory would soon be his. Suddenly, his senses picked up the Chi signature of someone, one he had not felt in a long time…"It couldn't be…" He thought to himself. "Could it?"

On the other end of the Isle, Ryo touched down in his Mecha Armor, he quickly shed it and stood in his sub-armor.

"This is it. No turning back now. I just hope all that training is enough." Ryo said as he surveyed the situation.

"Time to go to work." He said to himself.

He moved his arm out in the first motion of the kata.

"Armor of White Neo Wildfire…" He began, as he felt the ground begin to shake. He found it odd. That usually did not happen.
"TAO JIN JIN!!!!!!" He screamed, as his aura flared up, grabbing the attention of Navcase.

"I was right! Koureha, take your men and investigate!" Navcase ordered.

Several Draconai ran off. Koureha was in the lead. He would prove to Ceiphied's right claw man that he was worthy of this mission. He would kill this infidel and report back to Navcase. He and his warriors looked up and saw a white glint fall from above and land in front of him.

"Kill him!" Koureha shouted.

The soldiers ran from behind him and charged straight at Ryo. They were smiling. There could not be another Ronin stronger than the Anubis Demon Thing.

They were wrong.

Ryo whipped out his swords in a blur and tore into them. Every slash they made was parried and a slash from Ryo accompanied it. Every time was knocked down, they charged him again, only to be knocked down again. At the end of a few minutes, Koureha's minions were covered from head to toe in scars, bleeding to various degrees. But Ryo did not have a scratch on him. Koureha, furious, charged at the hero, making angry claw swipes at Ryo. Ryo fought back harder. He was tougher than the others were.

"He must be one of those Elite Amaterasu mentioned." Ryo thought to himself. He remembered back to what Ayame had told him once.

"Ceiphied's army is divided into five Clans. Kouen's Clan controls Fire. Koureha's Clan controls Ice. Gantassai's Clan controls stone. Rakurai's controls Lightning. And Gekidoku's controls Poison. To defeat them, remember this: Earth and Poison…"

"Fire and Ice!" Ryo exclaimed suddenly. He took his twin swords and placed them together. The Draconai were caught off guard and watched him curiously. They had never seen the Ronins do this before.

Ryo began to focus all of his Chi, as Sakura had shown him when he proved himself worthy of her. "gather all your life force and channel it through your swords. Recite the power word one syllable at a time…"

"Chou…" their voices said together. "An…" the ground began to shake once again as energy poured into the spot. "Do!" He finished, at the moment he spoke, his blades erupted in flame that shot from the hilt to the edge of the blade. Ryo shot into the air, leaving a small crater in the ground. He soared high above them. The Draconai thought they had lost their minds, but Ryo was glowing red as well as purple, and they saw wisps of flame extending out from his back.

"FLARE UP…" Ryo shouted, the Chi output increasing second by second. "NOW!!!!!!!!" he shouted, letting the energy loose.

A giant fireball of flame starting from him erupted outward, engulfing the Draconai soldiers and vaporizing them almost instantly in the hot flame. A huge explosion ensued, which Navcase was almost knocked back by. How could someone have that much power? It seemed to be flame…that could only mean one thing…

The Ronins saw it too. Though weak, they were filled with new energy instantly when they knew who it was. Only one warrior could do that.

"Ryo's back! He must have changed his mind!" Rowen shouted, fighting back with new strength against the Draconai. "Let's give him some help!"

Ryo raced across the Isle towards his friends. Along the way, he slashed down Draconai after Draconai, smashing their energists. He suddenly tripped over something. He smiled as he recognized the object.

It was his twin buster rifle.

With new energy, Ryo shed his White Neo Armor and called upon his Mecha Armor once again, setting off yet another power surge. After the battle, Ayame had managed to repair it to perfect working order. He plugged it into his armor's power supply and charged towards the troops that had gathered to keep him from Navcase, charging up ki blasts to waste him. Ryo dramatically rocketed into the air, and began a flip in midair, firing the cannon again and again. When he completed his flip and landed on the other end, there were nothing but charred Draconai bodies. He had shot them all.

He ran up to where Navcase had backed the Ronins up.

"NAVCASE!!!!" Ryo shouted. "Only one of us is getting off this island…and you're gonna have to go through me." Ryo said, brandishing his swords.
"Why would you sacrifice yourself so recklessly for these fools?" Navcase asked.
"That's a question you should ask yourself Navcase. There was a time when you were honorable, and noble…what are you now?" Ryo demanded.
"That's quite Simple…" Navcase said, powering up his emeralds.
"Ryo look out!" Kento shouted.
"A DRACONAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Navcase screamed, firing at Ryo, knocking him down.
"I don't want to fight you Navcase…" Ryo said, getting to his feet. "But I will if I have to."

Navcase laughed. "Your chances are slim or nonexistent. My training in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu and Gatousu, along with my power as a Draconai makes me more powerful than you." He said, preparing himself.
"The odds may be against me…but I've been busy too. I won't let Amaterasu down!" Ryo declared.
"I seem to recall Anubis mentioning that at some point. But even that will not be enough to defeat me in my current state."

He looked at Ryo, brandishing his sword, with his poker face of determination staring at him. He suddenly realized that it was true.

"Well then Wildfire…Let's see how much you've learned." Navcase said.

Navcase reached to his back and grabbed his collapsed Sword of Ryuujin from his back. He held it in front of his chest and the blade extended to full length. He brandished it in front of him and took Gatousu first stance.

"Let's go."

Navcase lunged at Ryo quickly, barely giving him time to dodge out of the way. Navcase held his sword above his head and crashed down, forcing Ryo to desperately block.

"This is interesting," Ryo thought. "He's not even trying anything major. But he keeps hitting harder and harder. I'll have to stretch out my endurance."

Navcase slashed again, managing to leave a mark in Ryo's shoulder guard.

"Okay, a lot harder..." Ryo thought.

Ryo was being driven back with blow after blow. He then realized what Navcase was trying to do. Push him off the cliff! He had to get behind Navcase. But how? Navcase was strong, and the armor made him slightly less maneuverable. But he had to try. Ryo pressed a button on his sword, retracting the blade and igniting the beam capability, he sliced cleanly across Ryuujin's chestplate, causing Navcase to reel back. Ryo then flew towards him, leapt up, and kicked off his head, triple flipping to land behind him. Ryo switched his blade back to normal, grateful that Sakura had taught him that trick.

"Had enough?" Ryo asked Navcase, as he finally got back to his stance.
"Hardly." Navcase replied, bracing his sword above the ground.

Ryo was confused. He remembered that the mantled rude guy, Hiko had shown him every possible move that Navcase could possibly use. Navcase did not know that. He racked his brain for the technique that he was going to use...there were so many...and so painful, to remember the differences between them and the major amounts of hurt they did to Ryo's body, a fact that Ryo was once again grateful he was dead at the time...

"Dou Ryu Sen!" Navcase shouted, slicing his sword to the ground, kicking up dirt and rocks that knocked Ryo onto his back. As he struggled to get up he saw Navcase rocket skyward and hold his sword up for a blow from above...Ryu Tsui Sen, he remembered, was what Hiko called it. He could stop that. But suddenly Navcase rearranged his hands, pointing his sword downward, holding it like a pool cue! Hiko had not told him about this move!

Ryo cringed in pain as he struggled to roll out of the way, but Navcase landed too quickly and drove his sword into the back of his right shoulder using Gatousu Second Stance. Blood began to trickle out from the hole in the armor as Ryo strained to get himself to his feet again, before Navcase blasted him back with his emeralds, causing Ryo to collide into a Romanesque pillar. Ryo got to his feet again, trying to fight off the ringing in his head as Navcase launched into the air again, but his stance was not the same. This time he was going for Ryu Tsui Sen. And Ryo knew what could possibly stop that. Hiko had explained that most warriors had a blind spot for airborne attacks, but in the event that an opponent tried one, there was a move to stop it. And Ryo had experienced it firsthand--Hiko's very painful trademark. He felt sorry for whomever Hiko called his "Stupid Pupil".

"Ryu Shou Sen!" Ryo called out as he slashed upward, colliding with Navcase's incoming Ryu Tsui Sen, knocking the armored form away from him as Ryo stood there, panting.

Navcase was shocked. How did he know this? How could he know this? He had held back most of his strength as his teacher, the 4th Hiko, had suggested, when performing the ougi; his master had survived, but died soon after passing it on. He had passed the technique on to the 6th successor as his master had passed it to him; sure, his pupil was shocked when his master was still alive, a shock to both student and teacher, one Navcase had never fully figured out. He had been in Kyoto, due mostly to his curse, when the 13th Hiko had passed on the style to the 14th successor, who refused both the title and the mantle. So then how could Ryo have learned that, or even seen it? The "14th successor" had died years ago, though reports differed over whether or not he died of complications from the years of strain and punishment performing the techniques of the style had put on his body, or from a heart attack caused by the anxiety of living in constant fear of his wife. Either way, Ryo could not have seen him perform the techniques. Even if the "14th successor" had shown up, he would never have shown Ryo the style. Ever. One way or another, Ryo had learned of its existence, and there was only one way to deal with it.

Kill him.

"Well Ryo...it seems that you're better than I anticipated. It's time to really go at it."

Navcase sheathed the sword of Ryuujin on his back. Steam erupted from the machine as the chestplate opened up and Navcase climbed out of the power armor. Ryo gasped in shock at what Navcase had become. He was still dressed in his traditional Japanese garb, much like Kenshin had, but his hands had become draconian claws. His entire body was covered in scales, making him look reptilian. His face extended slightly outward, also covered in scales. His eyes were not set back on the sides of his face like most reptiles were. The oddest thing about Navcase, as Ryo observed, was his reddish hair was still there, and it was about halfway down his back from lack of maintenance. The rest of the Draconai were completely bald, as he had observed, both before and after his death. Something was definitely wrong.

Navcase stood there, with his sword sheathed.

"Hit me!" he challenged Ryo. "But first, shed your armor."

Ryo removed his armor, staying in his sub-armor. Sekhmet tossed him two of his swords.

Ryo knew that Navcase was leaving himself wide open as a trap, but Ryo probably would not get another chance to hit him. Ryo leapt into the air and came flying towards him, his swords raised above his head as he came down. Navcase smiled slyly and used Ryu Shou Sen to block Ryo's advance, knocking him back and on his knees.

Ryo got up and charged again, leaping into the air. He had to try again, and if Navcase was wise, he would not use the same move again, because Ryo knew he had it. Ryo could see it coming. Ryo screamed at the top of his lungs as he flew in for the blow he knew would connect with.

Meanwhile, Navcase watched as the distance between Ryo and him grew shorter. Of course he would not repeat Ryu Shou Sen. It was too common a move in the style anyway, and it would make the battle too boring. And as a Draconai, he now craved this. He held his left arm above his head, and then gripped his sword and brought his right arm down to his waist, pointing the sword straight up in the air.

Ryo only saw red as things started to go black and blood shot out of his other shoulder, as Navcase pushed off with his foot and drove the blade straight up. Navcase lowered Ryo to the ground on his sword and pulled his sword back cruelly and rapidly, causing more blood to spill out and Ryo to scream in pain. But Ryo managed to remain standing, even though his vision was fading in and out from the loss of blood.

"You're persistent...we successors have something for that." Navcase said, reading his sword for another go.

Ryo cringed in pain as one by one Navcase hit the nine vital areas using the Ryu Sou Sen. His sword seemed to fly as each blow hit. Ryo staggered back, but still managed to hang on.

"STOP THIS RYO!!!!! HE'LL KILL YOU IF YOU CONTINUE!!!!!" Rowen screamed as he watched this horror.
"I can...beat him..." Ryo declared.

Navcase's face took on a look of anger, and glee as he set his sword up for another technique. Through blurred vision, Ryo was horrified to remember that the technique Navcase was about to use was the favorite of the egotistical madman who had used him as a practice dummy.

Navcase called out Kuzu Ryu Sen as he charged across the ground at high speed, causing a sonic boom to erupt that sounded like the roar of a dragon. He seemed to fly, and the blow came so quickly, it felt like all nine vital points were hit all at once, when they were only hit a few milliseconds apart one by one. More wounds opened, and Ryo coughed up blood as he staggered back again. Navcase sheathed his sword and took the Battou-Jutsu Stance. Ryo knew what this meant. He was going to try the most powerful technique in the style.

He thought back to when Hiko had instructed him on the move. Hiko had said it was unstoppable, but then another man came in and shocked the mantled man when he said there was a way to defeat it. He explained that the technique created a vacuum if the first move missed, which the user would then use to hit them with the second blow. However, if the opponent found a way to go low enough so that he went under the vacuum, he could use it to score a hit. Hiko smiled at that, and was happy to know that his Stupid Pupil did not know that, happier still when this person told him that his stupid pupil had been defeated that way. But Ryo knew what he had to do.

He charged at Navcase with the last of his strength, and at the last second dove to the ground just as Navcase swung with the first blow, leading with his left, displacing the air and creating the famous vacuum. Ryo somersaulted to his feet, and kicked upward, punching Navcase in the jaw with an uppercut, sending him sailing backward and crashing to the ground with a loud thud. As Navcase got up he found Ryo's sword at his throat, breathing Heavily and bleeding just as hard.

"I win...now get off this island." Ryo declared.

Navcase nodded, got up, and sheathed his sword, as the Ronins and Warlords started cheering. Ryo began to walk away. But out of the corner of his eye, Rowen noticed Navcase go to the Battou-Jutsu stance.

"Ryo Watch out!" he shouted.
"I'm not loosing! Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, Hi Ryu Sen!"

Navcase whipped around and launched his sword from his scabbard with his left hand. It flew at Ryo who turned around just in time to see it go through his upper chest. Ryo fell over slowly as he coughed up blood.

"NO!!!!" Anubis shouted. "NOT AGAIN!!!!"

Ryo lay there, in pain. He felt himself slowly slip away, as he went into a sort of trance. He heard the voices of his friends, laughing, talking. He remembered how he had promised the girls that he would win. He heard himself tell Sakura that he could wait for her...he wanted his friends at the wedding.

Not at his funeral. He would not allow this to happen again. He felt new power surge through his body, one he had not felt since he had sparred with Amaterasu. He slowly but painfully rose to his feet.

"NAVCASE!!!!!" Ryo bellowed, causing the warrior to turn around. He gasped in shock. Ryo had begun to glow purple slightly. Perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"I...will bring you back to our side...no matter the cost!!!!" Ryo screamed, the purple energy bursting into an aura that surrounded him. Anubis could see Ryo's back. Just next to where the sword had penetrated, in the middle of Ryo's back, he saw a kanji glowing brightly. "Tsubasa."--Wings.

Ryo placed his hands around the blade, and slowly but painfully pulled it out of him, and threw it to Navcase. He focused his power. It was hard though. There was a great deal of energy to control. He thought he heard a voice in his head, the one he had heard before.

"Awaken...Tsubasa no Hi." it said.

At that, Ryo's sub armor seemed to crack slightly. The cracks grew bigger and became sutures, as it seemed something was trying to break free. In a dramatic display of power, the sub-armor shattered as flames burst from Ryo's back, taking form. The Ronins and Navcase gasped at the sight. At first, the flames seemed to be flaring out unfocused, but they soon took the form of angelic wings. Flaming angelic wings. The purple glow continued to erupt around Ryo, as his own Chi healed his wounds slowly. They watched as the wounds to his shoulders and chest slowly closed up, as if they were never there.

Back at the Palace, Ceiphied watched this through his spectral image. He began to sweat and shake in fear as he remembered the first line...He repeated it to himself, out loud.

"The Plight of eight will awaken one who rides on Wings of Flame..."

"Ryo, I know you're confused." The voice said again. "All will make sense in time...for now, focus your energy into a wardrobe more fitting for one of your stature...a Seishi. Besides, your significant other will soon flood the palace with her drooling."

Ryo smiled slightly as he imagined Sakura seeing him completely naked and the palace flooded, then nodded and closed his eyes. He focused his mind, thinking of every way cool ancient outfit he had ever seen, and let fly.

The wings covered his body, as his Chi shot up, quickly tailoring the hero. When it was done, he was clothed in extremely stylish Chinese threads, resembling that of Tamahome's definitive costume when his new power erupted, only done with accents that looked like flame. Flames seemed to be a major motif of the outfit. But amazingly, his wings were not burning the fabric. It had been created from his own inner life force.

Navcase looked at this thing. He remained focused, but within he was terrified. Ryo's horror factor had shot up dramatically, and the Kenki Ryo was projecting was enormous. But still, he had to defeat this menace. If this was a Seishi, as Ceiphied had told him, then he must die immediately. He had used all his power moves, but one. He had been saving this one for an emergency. He held his sword in the traditional pool cue stance of Gatousu, and pushing off with his back foot, he flew across the ground at Ryo using Gatousu Zero Stance, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Ryo stood there, and waited. At the last second, he shot straight up into the air, avoiding the Gatousu. He used his wings to go into a flaming power dive, slamming into Navcase, knocking him back across the ground.

"Ryo...Your wings will become whatever you need them to be. Just think of what you need and they will obey." the voice said again.

Ryo focused and the wings disappeared and formed into twin swords, which he used to parry Navcase's next blow. He slashed, scorching Navcase's chest, causing him to scream in pain. He focused them into a flame spray, burning Navcase even more, singing his clothing and causing him to stumble back. The wings reformed as Ryo went airborne, flapping them to send a burst of fireballs screaming towards Navcase, all of them knocking him back.

And then his wings canceled.

Ryo dropped to the ground, gasping for energy as Navcase readied himself for another go.

"What's wrong..." Ryo called out.
"You're still weak from fighting him before. Your body hasn't completely adapted to this new power." Amaterasu explained.

Navcase focused energy in his hands and fired it, knocking Ryo back with a chi blast. He fired again and again, severely beating back the young warrior.

"Why won't...the wings come back..." Ryo wondered.
"You've got to focus harder...in time you'll learn...you need practice...There is only one hope now...I want you to call out for something...I've been readying for this moment."

Ryo struggled to his feet. His strength was fading, but he had to keep going. Navcase would win.

"Any last words before I finish you off Wildfire?" Navcase asked, as he prepared another energy bolt, this one stronger than the previous ones.
"I'm not Wildfire anymore...I am Tsubasa no Hi, the Wings of Flame, and I have something more appropriate to my new position as a Seishi of Amaterasu..." Ryo spoke, not wavering a bit.

Then, calling out to the heavens, Ryo shouted once again. "ARMOR OF WHITE REFLECTION!!!!"

(White Reflection by Two-Mix kicks up)

Ryo erupted in his aura again as he shot into the air, above Navcase. Two red boots locked together over both his feet, as a white plate locked into place over each. Two pieces came from either side, forming his shin guards. Two more locked into place over his thighs. Joints shot from the lower part of his thigh plates to the upper part of his shin plates, covering up his knee completely. Two pieces came from behind and in front, and formed a skirt armor around his waist. A piece came in from behind him, and attached itself to his back, as another came from the front, making up his torso. His upper arms were surrounded by twin panels that came from either side, and a white armor followed by blue gauntlets with a red fin attached to each of his forearms. His shoulder guards attached from behind and in front, as two pieces came from the lateral and medial sides of his hands, locking into place, and then armor protracting over his fingers and thumbs, forming his gloves. His helmet came from behind his head and locked into place, as the faceplate locked into place as well, forming his helmet. A part came down over his eyes and the bottom of his face plate closed up from both sides like his old armor did, causing him to look the spitting image of Wing Zero Custom. His wings of Flame became metal, completing the illusion.

The Ronins stood there, gasping, their jaws dropped at the sight as Ryo touched down. Navcase started to show worry in his face.

"Now Navcase..." Ryo said from behind his helmet. "We're even."

Next Episode

RYO: Whoa! Not only am I a Seishi, I get this cool armor too! It's pretty cool looking, but is it enough to fight off Navcase? Oh yeah! But there's a little problem...this thing doesn't have any swords!

It's next time on Ronin Warriors: Dragon's Wrath; The Luminance from the Heavens. Don't miss it!