Disclaimer: This story features SPIDER-MAN...'s friend Superman, which is a trademark of DC Comics, and the cast of the Tenchi Muyo! OAV series, which is a trademark of AIC/Pioneer LDC, Inc. Ehhh, Spidey's got nothing against those guys, I guess. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made off this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don't archive it without my permission. Don't be shy.

Continuity Note: This story takes place years after SUPERMAN VS. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, SUPERMAN & THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, and DC/MARVEL: ALL ACCESS #1 (Featuring Superman and Spider-Man, by the way). They tight. Really.

Confession: No, Spider-Man's not in the fic. I wish he were, though. Damn, that movie was good...


Original Tenchi Muyo! concept by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster


The Inhuman Condition: 25
LORD TENCHI vs. SUPERMAN in ACTION COMICS

by Mike Smith


BDOOM!

That's the sound I hear as I go flying across the combat area and land on my butt a good twenty-five meters away. My field of vision looks like someone spilled alphabet soup over the universe as holographic readouts scroll across the viewscreen in my helmet. Damage report, I guess. Not that it means much to me, since 1) It's in English, and 2) I kind of expected to put this thing through the wringer. Not for the first time I find myself wondering why I didn't just leave the demon in the cave...

You wanna know my story? Fine! I'm Tenchi Masaki, and this is nuts. Not the part where I fight a vastly more powerful opponent with the fate of the galaxy on the line, or the part where I duel a Juraian noble over whether or not a houseguest can live with me on Earth, or even the part where Superman is mad at me. It's all three of those things at once that gets me.

I like Superman. Everybody on Earth does. When Washuu caused trouble in his hometown of Metropolis, he could have blown the whistle on me and the other four aliens living in my house. He decided to let it slide, and he trusted me to deal with it my own way. When Ryoko got taken captive by an interstellar judicial committee, he could have walked away, but he didn't. He went to her aid when I wasn't able. When he never came back, we met up with his friends, Steel and Cogito, and they agreed to help us find him... only he'd been kidnapped and brainwashed into thinking he was a Juraian noble, and the King of Jurai picked him to be Ayeka's fiancee. Of course, Ayeka lives with her brother and sister and the rest of us on Earth, so he set up this duel. If I win, we all go home. If Superman ("Komorebi" as he's been conditioned to believe) wins, he marries Ayeka and becomes the successor to the throne of the most powerful empire in all of outer space or whatever.

Two seconds in, I'm lying on the deck of King Asuza's space-yacht in some remote corner of Jurai territory, and he's walking over here figuring out how best to follow up on the single left hook he used to drop me. I like Superman. I can't let that stop me.

He's confused. See, I'm descended from Jurai's Royal Family like Ayeka, and with that comes a rather impressive reputation. I've got a sword that functions as the Master Key to the First Generation Space Tree Tsunami, and it was used to defeat the space pirate Ryoko and remove from her the three gems that fuel her power (Two are still fused to the hilt. I gave her one back for good behavior.). I defeated Ryoko's former master Kagato using the Lighthawk Wings, which are the same phenomenon space-trees use for their defensive systems. Given all that, he thinks I should be made of sterner stuff. He thinks I'm luring him into a trap.

I am. I made it a point to angle my descent so I landed with my feet pointed away from him. As soon as he's close enough I activate the jet boots on my armor and slam into him as fast as I can before he can react.

What, you didn't think I was doing all that exposition for nothing? Playing possum gets dull after a while.

I make it a point to ignite my sword (It's like a lightsaber, so I have to "ignite" it in case you were confused.) and hold it in front of me when I hit him. Sure enough it doesn't even scratch him where the blade touches his chest. It just sizzles and crackles on contact. I didn't really think it'd cut him, but I was hoping I might luck out. It's all right, though. I planned for this. Honest.

I actually manage to force him to the ground as he recovers from the blow and touches his feet to the floor to stop us. Almost as if he's worried about hurting the crowd. I'm glad HE'S on top of that, because I had no idea we were gonna be doing this in front of an audience. There must be four or five hundred people sitting in bleachers all around us with little more than a wall of vine-like vegetation to separate us from them. Considering the kind of raw power involved, it'll be tough to keep this in the designated area. While he's still in the process of slowing us down, I lay into him with a hard blow from the sword. It bounces off his arm like I'm clubbing a brick wall, but there's some give there, and I can feel the armor's motors enhancing the force I put into that. I'm not as strong, but I can still hurt him, and as long as I keep on him he won't be able to take me down with his superior speed--

And he hits me again. This time I manage to deflect it with my sword, and in concert with the armor I stay on my feet, so at least I can keep my pride for a second longer. He's just too fast. I'm beginning to think my only hope is to just let him hit me until he wears himself out. I can defend myself, but I just can't seem to hurt him. And he knows it, too.

"That sword of yours packs a wallop, Lord Tenchi," he says to me as he rubs his knuckles with more than a little discomfort. "But I'm betting it won't do you much good if you can't find me to use it!"

And he's gone! I spin around to try to find him, but I can't see him anywhere, until I realize there's a blur surrounding me and a noticeable gust of wind to go with it. I'm in armor and I can feel it forcing against my limbs as I try to lash out at where he might be. Dammit! At least Kagato stood still and shot green crap at me! How am I supposed to fight him when I can't even touch him?

Or the ground? I'm flying! He's moving so fast that he's made his own miniature monsoon and I'm getting tossed around in it like a piece of driftwood! This is impossible! And if that's not enough I take a couple dozen punches in the gut, the ribs, the head--the armor protects me but I can still feel enough of the impact to hurt! It's all I can do to keep from throwing up, but I put aside the pain and hold out my sword away from my body and hope it's enough to discourage him. It's an insane strategy, especially considering all the people so close to us, I can only assume he's trying to finish me off as quickly as possible to avoid hurting anyone, so if I can stand up to this for just a little longer...

"Warning: Turbulent activity potentially hazardous to user. Adjust trajectory to compensate (Y/N)?"

I'm assuming this is written in the text scrolling in front of my eyes, but I hear the voice-over in Japanese and suddenly I curse myself for forgetting the rocket boots. "Yes!" I scream and bring my feet together to facilitate the process. And once again I hear the thrusters fire and I'm sent careening into some random direction in the hopes that it gets me to relative safety. By the time I can see where I'm going, I realize it's too late for me to stop myself, and I'm making a beeline straight for the stands. I see people covering their faces in a desperate attempt to shield themselves from the inevitable and I pray that no one gets hurt--

And then I just stop. And I look up to see him holding me by one leg and the end of the cape bolted onto my suit. I turn and look a group of frightened spectators right in the face, just inches away. I manage to right myself with a few mental commands to the armor and then I'm looking him face to face. He saved them. I was resigned to being responsible for who knows what and he righted it in less than a second--!

So I slash my sword against his face before he gets a chance to say something to me. Probably an admonishment to keep it confined to the arena, but he's too busy holding his face and tumbling to the ground to make himself heard. I let myself freefall down after him and he darts away before I can make contact. I raise the sword to guard against another attack, but instead he takes a defensive stance just a few meters away.

"Almost," he pants, "almost didn't make it in time... That sword of yours... it's hurting me even though it can't cut me."

I'm not sure why he felt the need to tell me that, or maybe he's just thinking aloud before making his next move. At least I can take some solace in that he's taking me seriously now. Then suddenly a pair of robots pop out of nowhere and perch on my shoulders. I didn't have anything to say to him, but they do all the trash-talking for me whether I like it or not.

"Natasha is MAD whack," Shoulderbot 'A' announces.

"But Boris is MAD whacker," Shoulderbot 'B' retorts.

"Dude better ask somebody."

"Word to yer mother."

Right... Steel's niece spent a few minutes repairing Washuu's dolls before we left Earth. Well, at least he HAD been taking me seriously before all of that. Now he just stands there in shock and he stares right through me.

"Your outworlder technology is impressive, Lord Tenchi," he says. "But I've got a few tricks of my own, and I think it's time to see how well you do without it!"

He says that as if he hadn't just scared the hell out of me with that cyclone stunt. I know my face is covered, but does he actually think I'm unimpressed so far? Before I can wonder any further he takes a deep breath and blasts me with a gust of freezing cold. I brace myself, thinking he's trying to knock me off my feet, but then I find my left arm completely encased in ice. I look over to inspect the damage and I figure it's no big loss since the armor will protect me and I can chip it loose with my--

And then suddenly my right hand snaps open like a three ring binder. I jerk my head back just in time to see my sword fall out of my hand and down to the ground, and then up at Superman, his eyes still bright orange as he finishes cooking the motors in my gauntlet. I make a move to recover my weapon, but it feels like I'm wearing stone oven mitts at this point and then he tackles me with the force of a tractor trailer.

My grandpa left Jurai to escape the prejudice against his half-human heritage, and that means he's just about the only relative on my mother's side who isn't here today, and I'm glad for that, because if he saw me fall for such an obvious ploy I'd never hear the end of it. I club at Superman's face with my frozen arm and all I really manage to do is shake loose a little of the ice.

And just like that I'm down for the count all over again. He stands up and looms over me with those incandescent eyes and I realize just how easily he dismantled my offense. Even if I had my sword, I couldn't use it with my hands trapped like this, and now he's free to cut open the armor with his heat vision and finish me. For a split second I look up at the crowd and notice Legion (Lord Fudou as he's known in Juraian circles) sitting there next to the King and his wives. He's just staring at us with his hand wrapped around his chin in contemplation. I can see it in his eyes, though. He thinks I'm finished.

And as I feel an uncomfortable warmth spreading across my chest, I realize he's got good reason. I borrowed this armor from Steel in the hopes that it'd give me some protection from my opponent. The catch is I'm not familiar with using it, but he shouldn't have even expected me to bring it into the fight. Well, it hasn't stopped him from figuring out a counter-strategy to shut me down. Legion may have erased his identity and memories, but the experience is still there.

I can hear them over the interior speakers. Asuza's guests are ecstatic at this, watching their "homegrown" hero finish me off decisively, and I notice my friends sitting together off to one side. They look worried, some of them shouting for me to do something, some wondering if I'm hurt inside of this thing. Except for Steel. He's just sitting there with his foot propped up on his knee as he checks the sole of his shoe? I'm getting killed out here and he's not even paying attention?

And then it hits me. I raise my feet up and command the boots to fire the thrusters, sending jets of flame into Superman's exposed face. Probably doesn't hurt him, but I had to have caught him with his eyes open while he was deep-frying me, and that's enough to send him reeling. Another burst of rocket fire on my arm to get rid of the ice, and that glove isn't much better off than the one he disabled. I'm really starting to hate this armor. Protection or not, I'm a sitting duck as long as I can't use my hands.

Of course, the nice thing about Tenchiken is that I don't have to be holding it to use it. I reach out with one arm and levitate the sword mentally, and it flies straight for my open palm. I can't grip it, but if I can use both hands to hold onto it I may be able to--

BDOOM!

Yeah, I'm getting sick of that sound, too. At least this time he hits me from behind so I can drop to my hands and knees instead of my butt. The sword goes bouncing just within arm's reach but as I go for it a bright red boot kicks it away. I should probably be asking how I'm supposed to stop this guy when he can floor me with one blow, but what I really want to know is where he got those boots. Those are from his Superman costume, and he was wearing Juraian-style when we first saw him as Komorebi. That cape looks a lot brighter red than the one he had been wearing before, too...

"I told you before, Lord Tenchi," he says with a patronizing click of the tongue, "that sword is interfering with my super-powers!" He bends down to pick it up, and I can't help but smile. "And that means my only chance of winning this fight is to keep you from--AARRRRRGGGGHHH!" That was one of the many reasons I turned down Steel's offer to let me use his hammer along with the rest of his armor. He's got a security feature on it that prevents unauthorized users from wielding it. Washuu cracked it in ten seconds. Tenchiken can only be used as a weapon by its designated owner, and only other Juraians can touch it safely. Anyone else gets a painful surge of energy when they try to touch it. I don't know much about it, but it's proven to be strong enough to discourage Ryoko, Kagato, and even Superman when he tried to examine it the day we first met. Of course, Superman's been conditioned to believe he's Juraian, and most everyone in this crowd thinks he is, too, so to see him writhing in pain like the alien he truly is...

Well, I hate to say "I told you so". I use the breather to get back up and I club him with the butts of my palms, putting as much of the armor's strength into it as I can. Red lights are starting to flicker in my display, which I can only assume means that the suit is on its last legs. I'm not sure how much longer this can go on. I've managed to HURT him, but so far it hasn't weakened his resolve. Mercifully, he drops the sword and I scoop it up in my hands and light the blade once again. He's right about one thing: The sword's my only chance to stop him, and now that he's still dazed from the "theft deterrent", I have to press the advantage and get in as many licks as I can. Some swordsman I turned out to be. Can't get any dexterity with the armor, and the blade still isn't cutting him. I feel like a snow monkey trying to club a guy with a baseball bat. Crude as it is, at least it seems to be chipping away at his reserves. It's been almost a full minute and he hasn't punched me to the ground.

So he kicks my legs out from under me instead. Barely even saw his foot moving, and it felt like getting hit by a car, but I still smile as I drop my sword and fall down one more time. It's working. I'm getting to him. Saw I was trying to force him back and my weight was all on one foot so he capitalized on that as opposed to just relying on raw power. I can still win this, just as soon as I get rid of those stars in my eyes...

He rolls me over and rips the cape off my back, then he lifts me up one-handed by the chestplate while he carefully balls up the red cloth and places it on top of the sword. I'd ask what he's doing but then he plants his right foot squarely on top of the cape and the look on his face tells me that no force on Earth is going to move him OR the sword now.

Of course, we're in space, and I'm not entirely human, so I try anyway. No good. He's just too strong, and the cape's protecting him from the sword's power. It's not like I expected this to be easy, but MAN, he's even better than I thought. "I think it's time we finished this once and for all," he announces, and he pulls me toward himself and wraps his arms around my chest, locking his hands behind my back. Nothing fancy here, just an old fashioned bearhug.

Dumb as it sounds, I'm being squeezed to death by an alien from outer space and all I can think about is how I've done THIS before, too. Well, without the armor, and Superman's no Ryoko... A sickening crack reminds me that this is hardly the time to creep myself out with introspection. The readouts on the armor are flashing crimson even faster now, and the voice over is delivering my eulogy unless I can relieve the pressure in the next minute or so. Steel might know what to do in a pinch like this, but I can't even read the text telling me just how royally screwed I am. I try to raise my arms to resist him, but they just hang limp, either damaged from the fighting or the suit's redirecting power to keep me from getting crushed. I grit my teeth and a frustrated scream slips out as I begin to feel a stinging pain in my sides as the armor begins to buckle. I have to get OUT of this thing, but I can't shut it down or I'll be crushed for sure! He's BEATING me and there's nothing I can do about it--

But there is. I can feel it welling up inside of me, just like when we faced Cogito on his space station, when we barely escaped the destruction of Dr. Clay's ship, when Kagato was on the brink of destroying us all...

I didn't want it to come to this, but somehow I have this feeling all of a sudden, like it's the only way, and I have to trust my power if I'm gonna make this work. As rough as this has been, I still don't want to hurt Superman, but I don't have much choice. I close my eyes, and pray that this works.

BDOOM!

No, don't worry, that one was mine. I think.

I find myself standing on the deck in the same bright white costume that seems to accompany the manifestation of the Lighthawk Wings, and before me is the three-pronged light formation of the Wings themselves. Superman's lying on the ground, already stirring and brushing a piece of Steel's armor off of his chest. We'd pretty much established that the Wings weren't good for Steel's technology. I'd sort of hoped that generating them inside the armor would get me out, but not in such a dramatic fashion! I glance up at Steel and he has a despondent look on his face like he'll be sending me a bill for this when it's all said and done.

"It's OVER, Komorebi," I tell him as firmly as I can. I grab the light blade closest to me and it forms a massive sword in my hands. He's wiped from all this combat. Thanks to Legion and the Emperor we're holding this little battle in orbit around a red sun, so there's no way for him to replenish his powers. Of course, he's still got plenty of power left to still put up a fight, but he shouldn't be outrunning any bullets anytime soon.

I hear a collective gasp from the crowd. Everyone here either knows me or knows about the Wings, and to see me wielding them like this must be pretty amazing to them. If Superman thinks he's Juraian, then hopefully he understands the significance, too. "Surrender," I add, "and let's end this peacefully."

He hobbles up to his feet and grips a piece of red cloth in one hand, his ribs in the other. It's interesting that an energy discharge powerful enough to hurt him didn't affect the crowd, but I see a slight ripple in the air that could be a force field. Nice to see someone was thinking ahead. Asuza may not like me, but at least he isn't underestimating what I can do.

"You're just..." he gasps, "just as strong as I'd been... told! But I can't give in... not while there's still a chance!"

Oh, fine. Either he doesn't realize that I could kill him if we keep going, or he knows I can't control the Wings perfectly so he's gambling on me slipping up and giving him an opening. Or he's just too noble or brainwashed to give up. All that matters now is that I've got about two seconds to figure out how to bring him down for good. It's like any other sword, I suppose. Maybe if I hit him with the flat of the blade--

I rush him with a swing of the sword and hit nothing but empty air. He's slowing down--at least this time I saw him duck out of the way--but he's still fast enough to run rings around me. I try to follow him with my eyes, and anticipate where he'll go, and I strike out to catch him. He looks like he must be running at a hundred kilometers per hour, but I think I've got him now...

And the big sword comes down and it STOPS? I look down and find it sparking against something he's holding in his hands. It's like I hit one of my practice swords against an iron bar, but where did he get something to shield himself against the Lighthawk Wings? They're supposed to be unstoppable! Not even he could withstand them in his weakened condition!

Then I notice red cloth fraying and disintegrating around his hands, and I can finally see what it is that's blocking my strike. It's the hilt of Tenchiken, and just as I figure out that he must have scooped it up as he was darting around me just now, I feel a powerful shove forcing the Lighthawk sword up and away from him. I see his face contort into a satisfied grimace as he straightens his legs and forces me back. The cape wrapped around the sword in his hands is already annihilated from the tremendous energy, and it's burning the flesh of his hands. He grunts in pain and tightens his grip.

All I can think about is how different a universe we'd be living in now if Kagato had thought of this. "I... anticipated this sort of thing, L-lord Tenchi!" he snarls in spite of the pain. "Gambled that if the Master Key is a component of the same phenomenon that can create Lighthawk Wings like yours... ARRGHH! Then... then the Master Key would have special defenses to withstand the kind of power the Wings can generate!"

"And it has defenses against YOU!" I scream, still putting every ounce of strength I have into holding him back. "Give it up! You'll kill yourself if you don't let go!"

"D-don't know me very well," he shudders. I've never seen a non-Juraian hold on to the sword this long, and that's not even taking into account what I'm doing to him. He's in agony, and he simply refuses to quit. "Sooner... DIE... than fors--"

I will the Lighthawk Wings to disperse. I was an idiot for even trying to use them, and when the resulting shift in energy sends us both tumbling backward to the ground, I figure it serves me right for being so thickheaded.

Tell you a secret, I've been going at this all wrong. I've been looking at Superman like a reluctant enemy. A friend turned into a villain. He's not. The reason Kagato wouldn't have tried that stunt is because Kagato wouldn't have taken such a desperate measure with sketchy odds of success. Just like Legion refused to face my power personally. He sent a proxy to keep me at bay, just like any coward would do. Superman, though, he's still the same hero he always was, and as long as he's convinced that he's acting in the interests of the common good, I'll never be able to stop him. He'll always come up with some way to keep fighting me, no matter what I throw at him. Not that I'm the type to call it quits myself, but at this rate we'll just keep going until there's nothing left of either one of us. And I don't think Legion would mind that at all.

He's back on his feet in a defensive stance. I guess he's figuring I've run out of tricks. He's right. I hold out my hand and activate Tenchiken's blade once it reaches me. If I'm lucky, I've sapped enough of his power to take him on toe-to-toe and survive. I rush him, but he sidesteps me and his fist lashes out at my side like a rattlesnake. Hurts, but not enough to stop me from spinning around and catching him in the shoulder with the sword. He's not cut, but he clutches his arm with his other hand as if he were. Still too fast, and too strong. He gets in close and lets loose with a succession of quick jabs and chops. I try to block him with the sword, but I'm not ashamed to say more than a few blows make it through. I'm not used to getting this visceral with an opponent. He's an experienced fighter, but take away the powers and Superman's basically a brawler. That's good for my odds, but it's bad for my face. Feels like getting hit with a brick! Finally, mercifully, I get in enough shots with the sword on his knuckles that he's discouraged... slowing down. He's sucking wind and staring holes through me with his eyes. The tip of my blade glances off his cheek as he backs off to lick his wounds and I can tell it's the last thing he wants to do. And there it is. A red mark on his face from where I last tagged him. Took forever, but he's bleeding. I finally managed to--

"Cut me," he gasps, wiping a trickle of scarlet from the wound and examining it on his finger, "...don't understand... how my powers faded so quickly. Won't give in... won't let you win..."

"I know," I tell him. We circle each other for a few seconds. Feels like forever. I hold out my sword to guard against anything he might try, and he never takes his eyes off me, scanning me with whatever's left of those super-senses of his for an opportunity.

It's not smart of me, but I look past him and focus on the crowd. Most of the people there are guests of the King, and they're dismayed to see me take advantage over their favorite. I'm fighting for them, but they just don't know it. They think I've beaten their hero. The truth is that I haven't won as long as he's still standing.

I see Asuza himself, and I can't help but feel angry at him for letting all this happen. I didn't ask to be part of his bloodline, and even still I've done everything I can to live up to that, but here we are. And while no one would blame him for letting someone exploit his hostility towards me, I'm still disappointed that he managed to drag his whole empire into something that should have been between the two of us. There's a look in his eyes that betrays what I'd like to think is a small measure of pride that his great-grandson managed to pull an upset here today, but I can also tell that he hasn't really learned anything from this, and I honestly wonder how many are going to have to pay the price until he does.

And I see Funaho and Misaki, his wives on either side of him. They never doubted me for an instant, even after spending a whole day with "Komorebi" here. Funaho smiles in that enigmatic way she always does, like the Mona Lisa only Japanese, and Misaki's actually the only one here cheering me on. They're not too worried about him, I guess. For them it's just a matter of getting this over and done with so they can console the loser and help him get back on his feet. I love them for wanting that, and I'm only sorry that I'll have to deny them such a selfless desire.

And I see them. Maybe we need a name for our group, but "Masaki Household" seems to work for me. I ask myself exactly when it was that he joined our fold... I guess in some way it must have been the day his spaceship touched down in some undisclosed part of the Western Hemisphere, really. Another refugee from a distant star. He was one of us from the start whether we knew it or not. Superman was right all along about us. People like us, we do have to stick together. It took me a while to understand what he meant, but they figured it out a lot quicker. I see it in their faces.

I don't know what he said or did to do it, but he earned Ryoko's respect, and more importantly her friendship and trust. I know firsthand how significant a thing that is.

I see it in Mihoshi's eyes... he must have explained to her that his home planet didn't make out as well as it did in my dad's comic collection. He's seen sacrifice and loss and I guess she can relate to the kinds of things he does to stem the tide.

Same with Washuu. If this hasn't shown her that there's more to this man than whatever she saw through that telescope on Krypton thousands of years back, then maybe it's dust in her eye. I'm sure that's what she'd say if I asked.

And Ayeka... they didn't really interact much. She's not always outgoing around new faces. Doesn't change the look of pity she wears. This is the same person who went with me on a mission to save what she thought was her worst enemy, after all. The only thing that could outstrip her compassion for his plight is her deep shame that her family and people could bear responsibility for it, and that she herself can't do anything about it. But I know she tried. I know they all did. I just haven't figured out who convinced him to put on the cape and boots...

They're not cheering for me. I can tell there's a relief that I've won without getting seriously injured, but there's also an undercurrent of concern for how badly I've had to damage Superman in the process. And a righteous anger that this stupid fight had to take place at all. They're all thinking it, but Sasami's countenance makes the message all too clear: "End this, but please don't hurt him anymore." Again, I love them all for wanting such a thing.

I can't give it to them.

I lock eyes with my opponent one last time, and as I make those few steps forward to close the distance between us, he makes a last-ditch effort to defend himself, but by this point it's child's play for me to outmaneuver an unarmed man. And as I drive my sword blade-first to the center of his chest until finally the hilt makes contact with his vestments... I want to tell him I'm sorry. As he screams in agony, then falls lifeless to the ground, I want to take him in my arms and tell him how sorry I am to do this to him. I want to tell them all how sorry I am. I feel like I let him down. As powerful as he was, he shouldn't have needed me, but he did and he must think I've failed him. Instead, I look down at him like a dead dog while a collective gasp spreads across the crowd, and Ryoko teleports our group to the arena floor to tend to him, and she's screaming something at me while the others look on in horror, and I want to say how sorry I am that I had to do this.

I don't.

No, I just turn away from them and point my sword into the stands where Legion is sitting, and I try not to let the exhaustion or the sight of tears in Ryoko's eyes stop me from what I have to say to him.

"You're next."

And after all I've been through this morning, all the pain and all the turmoil, the green-skinned man in the front row exceeds it all just by smiling and clapping his hands ominously. "Indeed, boy," he hisses. "Indeed I am..."


NEXT: Condition Critical!

Continue To Chapter Twenty-Six