The Battle of the Abyss

A stone-faced Abyss Guard stood behind him. The sound of the metal doors creaking open echoed through the chamber, and before Makoto knew it, he was shoved forward to the cold, hard ground of the arena. Makoto looked up and saw the Abyss King, standing tall on the other side of the arena. A maleficent grin was on his face as the crowd watching shouted. Makoto knew what he had to do. He had to fight.

"Well well, Chosen," The Abyss King said. "It seems the time has finally come for us to battle." Makoto couldn't help shaking in fear. He knew the consequences of his failure, and everyone was counting on him to win. "I won't lose to you, Abyss King!" He shouted. "I'm going to win so Kaerainus can go back to the forest!" The Abyss King laughed with evil. "We shall soon see that will not be the case, child. Have at thee!"
The Abyss King lunged forward, aiming for all the vital points. Makoto quickly dodged each attack, even though he almost felt that he couldn't move an inch. 'Come on, Makoto!' Chihiro thought. 'Use that same technique that you used to defeat Shiro!' Ryu watched intently as Makoto continued to dodge the Abyss King's unrelenting attacks. 'Makoto, what ever you did in that fight with Shiro, do it again here.'

The battle continued, and Makoto kept dodging all the attacks the Abyss King threw at him. "All you ever do is run, Chosen! How do you intend to get your bear back?" The Abyss King said tauntingly. Makoto was getting tired by now from running so much. 'What do I do?' Makoto thought. 'I hate that he's right, but I really can't just keep running. I'm going to have to attack sooner or later, but...' Then, Makoto heard someone say something. "Let me handle this one, Electus." Makoto turned to see Shiro standing in the arena. "Shiro?!" Makoto said in a surprised voice. "And Makoto, if anything happens to me," Shiro said quietly. "Tell Hope his... pater, er, father, is sorry. That... I'm sorry." Makoto looked at him in shock. "What- But then that means you...!" Just then, Makoto realized what Shiro meant. "Y-You're Hope's-" Shiro nodded before he could finish. "Ita. He's my son." The Abyss King's malicious laughter echoed in the arena when Shiro said this. "Hah! So it was you! Well then, you won't get away so easily this time!"

Just then, as the Abyss King was about to strike, a radiant, otherworldly light enveloped Makoto. The intensity emanated by it could rival the sun, radiating brilliantly. It was as if a god had just lent Makoto their power in that instant. Chihiro and Ryu instinctively covered their eyes, unable to withstand the blinding luminosity. "It's so bright, I can't see!" Chihiro shouted. "Just what is that?!" Ryu shouted. Soon, the light dissipated. "You've messed with the wrong warrior, Abyss King." A voice said in a confident tone. Everyone turned to see who said it, and they were shocked to see that the person who had said it was...
Makoto.

The Abyss King's laughter echoed through the arena. "Hah! You think using that pendant will help you win? Against the likes of myself? You must have a death wish!" Makoto remained silent for a moment. Then, in a slightly deeper voice, replied with, "It is you who has a death wish, Abyss King." Shiro, who was watching this unfold, thought to himself, 'So, this is the true power of the pendant... Interesting...'
As he assumed a martial arts stance, Makoto said, determinedly, "Let us finish this fight. Properly." The Abyss King, with an aloof chuckled, replied, "I accept your challenge. Push yourself to your limits, Chosen! Give this fight your worst!"
The fight continued, with both the fighters' powers clashing violently. Arthenraed watched on in a mix of shock and awe. 'I never thought the Chosen One would walk these grounds in my lifetime!'
Then, as the two fought, the Abyss King used a wave of energy to push Makoto backwards. As Makoto was getting up from the impact, the Abyss King shot an energy spear in his direction. "Makoto, look out!" Chihiro shouted in fear. "Cede loco!" Shiro shouted as he darted in front of Makoto, shielding him from the attack. In that instant, the determination, the power, the aura that Makoto had previously disappeared as he saw what happened. "Shiro!" He shouted in a mix of shock and fear as he darted over before dropping to his knees beside Shiro.

"Hey, are you OK??" He asking, worried for Shiro's safety. Shiro forced a smile and reassured him, "No worries, puer, I've been through worse, remember?" He seemed to be strained when he spoke, making Makoto worry even more. "I-If you're not OK, just-" Shiro interrupted Makoto, putting his hand on the high schooler's shoulder. "Just promise me you won't tell Hope if I can't come back with you," Shiro said quietly. Makoto's mind was racing. 'What should I do? What if something happens to Shiro?? I can't use magic, I'm not from this world!'

The Abyss King's evil laughter echoed in the arena. "You and your friendship don't stand a chance against! Only pure and brute force will ever be victorious!" Just then, Makoto felt a spark of determination ignite within him. Despite the fear that still lingered, he turned to look directly at the Abyss King. "No, you're wrong," Makoto said, though his voice was still a bit shaky. "I got through all of middle school with no friends at all. I started high school with none, and if I have to go through this world with none as well, I'll tough it out! I've done it before, I can do it again!"
The second he finished speaking, a sudden crack echoed in the air. The red gem on the Abyss King's right glove had shattered into pieces, leaving him momentarily stunned. Makoto's eyes widened at the unexpected turn of events. Shiro looked over in shock as well and thought, 'What... what was that?'
The Abyss King, his anger evident, growled at Makoto, "Why you...! You'll regret this!!" In an instant, the five, along with Kaerainus, were teleported out of the tower. The fight, at least for now, had come to an abrupt end.

Arthenraed soon noticed Kaerainus, the bear. He bolted and hugged the bear, saying, "I'm so glad you're safe!" Kaerainus, in a wise and reassuring tone, said, "There was no need to worry, young one. After all, they wouldn't have been able to keep me for long." Arthenraed, full of relief and gratitude, smiled as he hugged the bear.
Makoto, relived and somewhat tired from the fight, let out a breath he didn't even notice he had been holding. "Here, let me help," Chihiro said as he came up to the Makoto and Shiro. He used his water-based powers to heal Shiro's injuries. "Thanks, Yamamoto," Shiro said with a grateful smile. Chihiro smiled back and said, "No need to thank me."
Just as this was happening, a small, joyful voice broke the silence. It was Hope. As he ran, he said, "Pater, you're back!" Shiro smiled when he saw Hope, and lifted him up, then put him back down. He gently touseld Hope's hair as he said, "Were you brave while I was gone?" Hope nodded happily, "Yep! I also didn't bother anyone for food, since I kept what you got me before." Shiro and Hope shared a smile, and Shiro said, "That's good, filius."
Makoto, feeling a sense of safety and relief, smiled at Chihiro and Ryu. Though the battles were not going to be over for some time yet, it was a good break from fighting. And even if there were more battles ahead, they knew from that knowing glance they shared that they could overcome it. As long as they were together, nothing could stop them. Not even the Abyss King.