The Final Battle

The Japanese resistance stormed the Black Palace. Because of the revolutions, it had been left with a skeleton crew that easily fell to the superior numbers of the rebels.

All that mattered, however, was clearing a path for Keitaro. With the guards taken care of, he and Musahi ran inside and through the Palace, heading directly for the throne room.

But as they turned a corner, a shot rang out.

Immediately, Musashi pulled Keitaro and himself into cover, but he had already taken a shot to his chest.

“I can’t let you face Jack so easily.” It was Audie Murphy, Jack’s bodyguard. He had his pistol lined up, ready to fire as soon as they left cover.

“Damn it…” Musashi said under his breath. He leaned over and whispered to Keitaro, “Try and find another way around, I’ll take care of this.”

Keitaro nodded and started running.

“So you sent the kid ahead, huh?” Audie chuckled. “Doesn’t matter.”

As Musashi watched his lord disappear in the distance, he felt regret that that would be the last time he ever saw him.

After taking a deep breath, Musashi burst forth from cover, drawing his katana, and as Audie fired, Musashi moved with superhuman speed, predicting the trajectory of the bullet and blocking it with his blade.

The bullet hit the top, ricocheting off but shattering the sword.

Musashi continued closing the distance, and with what remained of his katana, he blocked yet another shot from Audie, this time shattering the rest of what was once a beautiful weapon.

Audie fired again, hitting Musashi, but it was too late. Musashi was right on top of him, and with his left hand, he drew his wakizashi, driving it into Audie’s neck.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, and as Audie gurgled, he put his pistol right against Musashi’s stomach and fired again and again, emptying the magazine.

Musashi cried out from each shot, but it didn’t matter.

As life left their bodies, the two warriors collapsed to the floor.

***

Keitaro ran down the halls of the Black Palace until he ground to a halt. He had reached his destination.

Before him stood the massive doors to the throne room where Jack and Ella were waiting for him.

This was the final battle. Whatever happened in there would determine the future of humanity.

Keitaro pulled out Toko’s Core, staring into the mesmerizing black void. “Just a little longer, Toko…”

With Toko’s Core now safely stowed away, he placed both his hands against the door, pushing them open confidently.

This was the room where they had all first gathered, where they first learned about the Genesis Tournament. It was almost…nostalgic…

But sat upon the throne that was empty last time were Keitaro’s targets.

Jack Butler, the White Knight, and Ella Appleton, the White Maiden.

“Keitaro!” Jack called out. He stood up tall and started descending the steps. “You’ve come quite far, haven’t you? However, I say without regret that your rebellion ends here.”

“Together, me and Jack will create a new world in God’s image!” Ella had followed behind him.

“And what will be sacrificed for that?” Keitaro spat.

“Before God, nothing of the material world matters.” Jack walked closer, only a few yards from Keitaro now.

“I can think of a couple things.” Keitaro stopped, readying himself for battle.

Jack's only response was a grunt. Without warning, he activated Ironwork, hurling a wave of steel balls at Keitaro.

But Keitaro had honed Destruction after all this time. With a swipe of his hands, he created a black miasma, and while it only lasted a second, every steel ball that came into contact with it disintegrated into nothingness, leaving Keitaro completely unscathed.

“W-what!?” Jack fired more steel balls, but Keitaro used the same trick again, this time while closing the distance between them.

But just as Keitaro was about to grab onto Jack with Destruction, Ella ran up to him, reaching out.

Keitaro immediately aborted, dashing back and widening the distance between them. He couldn’t let himself be inflicted with the poison that had killed Toko.

His failed gambit had revealed a massive problem, however. He was fighting two people by himself.

“What are you? Scared?” Ella taunted.

Jack laughed. “Come on, you have to do better than that!”

But Keitaro said nothing. He stayed in a fighting stance, ready to act.

“Enough playing around, it’s time we end this.” Jack pulled over some steel pipes, lining them up. And as they were properly aimed, he sent them flying at Keitaro.

With some finesse, Keitaro managed to dodge the pipes, but he lost his footing, and the last one hit its target, going into his stomach and getting stuck in the floor, pinning him to the ground.

Keitaro coughed up blood as he stared at the pipe that was sticking out of his stomach. This was it. He still had the Neutralizer on him. He wanted to save it, but he really should’ve used it earlier. Not like that mattered now…

“Looks like this is it, Keitaro.” Jack approached, leaning over him.

“Serves you right!” Ella was beside him.

“May God be merciful.” Jack pulled up a steel rod high into the air, ready to slam it down into Keitaro’s Core.

Keitaro reached into his pocket, clutching Toko’s Core. “I’m sorry…”

But as Keitaro held onto his sister’s Core, it started glowing, shining through his clothes.

“What?” Jack looked confused at the sight.

But before anyone could realize what was happening, Rewind activated.

The steel rod that had pierced Keitaro rocketed out of him, slashing the side of Jack’s head.

“Aah!” Jack cried out in pain and fell backwards.

Keitaro could hardly believe his eyes, but he couldn’t let this go to waste. He immediately jumped up and went for Ella, grabbing onto her Core.

“Get off me!” She clawed at him, but it didn’t make a difference.

Keitaro activated his Ability, her Core quickly started turning to dust.

“J-Jack!” Her cries echoed throughout the throne room, fading away as Jack recovered.

Staggering to his feet, Jack screamed, “You bastard!” as he prepared to launch another wave of steel pipes of Keitaro.

But Keitaro wouldn’t wait around again. He pulled out the Neutralizer and hit the button, causing each of Jack’s steel pipes to clatter to the ground.

Jack cursed, once again left without his Ability.

Keitaro rushed forward, sending a punch into Jack’s face.

Jack staggered from the hit, but he counterattacked fast with a punch of his own.

Now without their supernatural powers, their duel became a brutal fistfight.

“Don’t you understand what you’re doing!?” Jack hammered down on Keitaro.

Keitaro responded in kind, throwing every punch he could. “More than you!”

Both were badly hurt. But even with cracked teeth and broken bones, they kept trading blows.

Through blurred vision, Jack put everything he had into another punch. “We have God on our side!”

Taking the hit, Keitaro revved up his own. “The only God that stands with you is your own!”

Simultaneously, each threw a punch directly at the other’s face. As both were hit by the full strength of the other, the fighting stopped. Their fists remained in place like a mosaic showing their final punches, and they stayed like that for a few seconds. But as the crushing pain and overwhelming exhaustion finally hit Jack, he found himself unable to stand, collapsing to the ground.

Keitaro fell to his knees, breathing heavily. He had won, but it wasn’t over…

Stumbling to his feet, Keitaro walked over Jack. He was still breathing, hanging on by a thread. Of course he was. The only thing that could truly kill a Knight or Maiden was destroying their Core.

Jack sputtered up blood. “K-Keitaro…” Just moments before, his face had been filled with fury as he fought to the death, but now his expression was almost serene as stared up at the ceiling. “I think… I think I see the light…”

“That’s good…” Keitaro placed his hand on Jack’s Core. “Keep looking, all right?”

Jack’s eyes slowly closed as Keitaro pulled out Jack’s Core. Beautifully, it glowed white, but as Keitaro activated Destruction, its light faded, disappearing along with Jack’s life…

The Genesis Tournament was finally over…