| Slayers |
| Episode 9: IMPACT! The Eve of the Menacing Battle! |
| In the chamber of Shabranigdo's summoning, Rezo yelled with pain, and his red cloak glowed all the redder, as the Slayers continued to watch in fear, caution, and anguish. There was nothing they could do. All around the Red Priest, a red aura shone, and his hands were over his eyes as he groaned in agony, for that was the root of the pain. His clenched hands began to slowly recede from his face, and Rezo's eyes were seen to be a pure demon red, in the same glowing red as the aura around him. Suddenly, he put his hands down, and the full glory of him was seen as his red eyes shone coldly. Rezo laughed in triumph and completeness, and as the scene panned out to show the backs of the Slayers, he cast his cloak down in finality, and winds blew everywhere from him, so that the Slayers had to shield their eyes. The Red Priest continued to laugh, for nothing mattered to him now than his new-found sight. Zelgadis looked on with clenched teeth, not knowing what to expect. "I can see!" the Red Priest laughed, in a completely evil voice, as red winds shot up around him, and his eyes glowed a brighter red. "I can see! My eyes are opened!" OUt of nowhere, his laughs were interrupted, and he yelled in pain once more. His cloaks began to be broken, and strange appendages were bursting out of him, large and unhuman. "What's happening?!" Rezo asked out loud, in frustration, as he clutched at his eyes once more. A far deeper laugh was heard; pure evil's tone had been heard. "Who are you?!" Rezo asked, his eyes now white instead of red. "I am he whose rebirth you desired," the voice said, and then Rezo was consumed. "Shabranigdo! Of course!" Lina realized, as Rezo's body was broken to bits in the Dark Lord's rebirth. Zelgadis powered up a blast, and fired it, full-force, and the transforming body. However, the energy from it merely reverberated off with a red flare, having no effect. Zelgadis looked back with determined eyes and clenched teeth. While Gourry looked about in confusion, Shabranigdo finally showed himself. Ruby Eye, he was also called, for his eyes were as red as rubies. Two huge appendages protruded out of his shoulders, as if a cross between a tentacle and an arm. His rounded head had no hair, but rather sloped down a bit, more like a lizard. Beneath his eyes were no visible nose, but his mouth had many sharp teeth that stuck out, and were immediately noticeable. Shabranigdo made deep sounds of growling as he stood, in his full might, facing the Slayers. His arms, chest, and legs all looked very sturdy and strong, and he towered above the humans like a giant. "Ruby Eye... Shabranigdo!" Zelgadis muttered. "Exactly! He was sealed into Rezo's own blind eyes is now reborn!" Lina said. Shabranigdo put one of his feet to the ground, and even then, the ground gave way beneath his strength. As the Slayers gazed up at him, Shabranigdo's eyes gleamed. "I give you a choice to the path you may take..." he announced. "In gratitude to you, who have allowed me life again." Lina looked up, cautiously. "Follow me, and I shall grant you long life," the Dark Lord continued. "Refuse this offer, and I shall fight you here, before I release the other six parts of me sealed in this world!" "Gee, why don't you make some BIG demands or something?" Lina yelled in sarcastic anger. "Death, or slavery to a devil!" Zelgadis stated. Gourry looked on, and then asked, "So, which do we take?" Lina and Zelgadis sighed in utter disbelief. Lina's face got exaggeratedly big to show power, and she yelled, "Dark Lord reborn equals world go BOOM!" to Gourry to clarify. "Don't you understand that?!" "OK, relax. Relax!" Gourry replied. Zolf stepped up all of a sudden, and demanded to know what "all this nonsense" was. "Zolf, you can't!" Lina yelled. "Don't flatter yourself!" Zolf stated, looking straight ahead at the Dark Lord. "Mankind had advanced... in the thousand years you've been imprisoned! Now, watch as the great Zolf defeats the Dark Lord!" Lina sort of danced about in frustration. "Another one on our side who just doesn't get it!" she complained, as Gourry stared at her. Zolf brought his hands up, and began a chant. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows...." he began. Lina stared in surprise. "Huh?! The Dragon Slave? That third-rate wizard?!" she gaped. "The strongest spell in all of black magic..." However, as Zolf continued to chant, Lina ordered him to stop. Shabranigdo looked on, his expression unchanging. Zelgadis, in turn, told Zolf to stop. Zolf, however, didn't heed their words, and fired the blast at Shabranigdo, resulting in a fiery explosion. "I did it!" he announced. Lina and Zelgadis both had faces on that clearly read, "It didn't work. It's hopeless." Rodimus looked into the red fires, and suddenly exclaimed, "He's... he's still alive!!" He sprinted towards Zolf, and then started to pull him away. "Run for it, Zolf!" he yelled. "Movc it!" Out of the fire, Shabranigdo emerged, and fired a blast at them. Zelgadis yelled in alarm, but both Zolf and Rodimus were blown to bits against the other side of the tower. They were the first to fall at the hands of the Dark Lord. "Shabranigdo..." Lina whispered, painfully, her eyes blazing with anger. Ruby Eye merely laughed and laughed. "C'mon, you're both sorcerors!" Gourry insisted. "Can't you do something?" After a few brief words, the three decided to run. "Run as far as you can!" Zelgadis yelled, and the three took off in a flash out of the tower. They were no match for the Dark Lord, at least at the moment. "Yes, run. Run while you still can..." Shabranigdo boomed, not moving to chase after them. The sun shone huge and bright against the sky, and the clouds, and the silouettes of three lonely travellers could be seen walking along the edge of a lake. "Pathetic! Absolutely, positively pathetic! All we could do is run away!" Lina exclaimed. "Man, the Dark Lord sure lives up to his name. He's got power to burn!" Gourry agreed. "Damn him! He'll come after us sooner or later!" Zelgadis added. Lina replied that they should cheer up, for it's times like this that... Lots of food should be eaten. The scene switches to that of a restaurant; apparently they had reached a town after walking along the lake. "Even if he is the Dark Lord, he should give us wimpy humans a break and let us make our decision," Lina said. Gourry asked how she could eat at a time like this, but Lina replied that they still have to eat, drink, and get rest. "This may be our last supper..." Zelgadis commented, and Lina had a look of great frustration. "Look, I'm trying to keep our spirits up." Suddenly, they were interrupted by the happy shouts of the others in the restaurant. Lina lapsed into thought, and she realized that everyone was happy; no one had any idea that the Dark Lord had been reborn. Zelgadis began to get depressed again, but Lina assured him that it wasn't his fault. "Chicken dinner for ten, and step on it!" Lina called, thinking that this is the cure for depression. Elsewhere, now in the black of night under a bright moon, Shabranigdo is standing on a rock that extended well above the ground. He laughed evilly again, and spoke: "Let this word tremble. Let them fear my rebirth and the world's imminent destruction!" His eyes glowed red, and dark purple smoke extended everywhere. The people in the town saw it, and all that were exposed turned to stone. Trolls were transformed by this evil, and they began to be enraged, growling with anger. From the spot that Shabranigdo stood, it is seen from high above that his power and evil had spread for many miles in all directions. The might of the Dark Lord would soon cover the entire world, and darkness would fall over all, regardless of who stood up against him. In the restaurant, the Slayers are still talking. Zelgadis had his hand clenched. "'Shouldn't we get down to business?" he asked, impatiently, and dozen upon dozen of empty dishes were seen piled on the table, while Lina patted her stomach. "Not yet. Stomach only eight-tenths full!" "Now look!" Zelgadis yelled. Lina agreed that it was time to get to a strategy, after that. After the table was cleared, Zelgadis, Lina, and Gourry sat around it, trying to find a solution. "It's clear that my specialty, black magic, won't beat him," Lina started off. "If we build a plan around your shamanist powers, then maybe we'll have a plan," she said to Zelgadis. Without so much as a glance, Zelgadis stated, "It won't work." Lina nodded her head in understanding and content. "Exactly, it won't work-" Suddenly, she sat up with realization. "Huh?! It won't?!" "Did you notice while I did while Shabranigdo was being reborn?" Zelgadis asked. "Yeah, you cast a spell I couldn't make out. It didn't do anything against him, though..." Lina replied. "Wait, that wasn't...!" Lina started. "The Ra Tilt," Zelgadis finished, closing his eyes. "What is it?" Gourry asked. "The Ra Tilt is the strongest spell in shamanism," Lina replied. "It's a way to destroy your opponent from the Astral Plane. And it's supposed to be as powerful as the Dragon Slave." "The Dragon Slave?!" Gourry exclaimed. "Yeah, and that didn't work either... the strongest spell in all of black magic," Lina replied. "A wise man killed a dragon with it so long ago that the name got corrupted from Dragon Slayer to Dragon Slave." "But why won't magic work on him?" Gourry asked. Lina decided to "pass" this question onto Zelgadis. Zelgadis explained that shamanism called power from the Astral Plane, but Shabranigdo has a far more powerful astral presence than themselves. "He can disrupt astral energy very strongly, and deflect a human's astral power with no effort at all," Zelgadis explained, flashing back to his unsuccessful Ra Tilt. "In short, no powers from the Astral Plane will kill him." Gourry replied that he wasn't sure what was going on, but his basic impression was that "The Dark Lord has a lot of spirit, so magic won't kill him!" Lina looked a little bit berazzled at this, but she couldn't say he was wrong. Continuing, Lina explained, "The reason my black magic won't work is pretty simple. The source of black magic's power comes from terror, hatred, hostility... The dark, negative forces of the world. Well, Shabranigdo is the one who controls all of those. You heard it when Zolf cast his spell. 'Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows.' That's describing Shabranigdo!" Lina finished by saying that, in short, casting the Dragon Slave, or black magic, against Shabranigdo, was like asking the Dark Lord to help them to kill him. "And white magic's only good for healing and purification," Lina stated, finishing Gourry's question about the uneffectiveness of magic. This said, the Slayers agreed that now, since magic won't work, the only chance they had was in Gourry - in his Sword of Light. The scene zoomed in on the Sword. Plain and unimportant it looked, sheathed, but it possessed great power. It was the only hope they had... Shabranigdo, meanwhile, upon that great rock, dispersed the horrible energy with increasing power. His eyes glowed an even brighter red, and the mad trolls gathered in a huge army, with the shadow of his huge, evil eyes seen above them. They all ran towards the village where the Slayers were; a battle was about to begin. The restaurant owners looked on in annoyance. "I'd like to close SOME TIME tonight," one of them muttered, for the Slayers were the only ones in the restaurant now. The Slayers were deciding, in their final decision, who would go to battle. Zelgadis said that he would go, because even though it might be a useless battle, Rodimus and Zolf's souls would not be at rest if he didn't. Gourry vowed that he would go as well, since he believed that it was his problem, as well. Lina, the sole undecided, said, softly, "I really... I really don't want to die." "No one's forcing you to go," Gourry replied, clear-eyed and gallant. "The thing is..." Lina began, standing up. "There's still good food for me to eat! And treasures for me to grab! And if I get tired of studyuing magic, I can go home and start a real business. Be a girl for a change! Maybe even fall in love..." Lina continued, clenching her fist. Gourry looked on with a face of disbelief, and asked, "Uh, is there a point to...". Zelgadis, meanwhile, had his teeth clenched, and his shoulders were shrugging up and down with frustration. He obviously wasn't accustomed to these types of situations. Lina stepped up to them, and told them but it was stupid to go into a battle expecting to die. Some people deemed it heroic, but she believed that you only have one life; it shouldn't be simply thrown away like that. Gourry reached over, and picked up the Sword of Light, and Zelgadis's sword. "Then do what you like," Zelgadis stated, as Gourry handed Zelgadis his sword. "To flee is your privilege; just don't try to join him. If you do that, we'll have to kill you. Let's go, Gourry." "O-oh..." Gourry muttered. As they turned to go, Lina suddenly pounded the table with her hand, causing them to turn around. "'Scuse me, fellas. Who said I'm not going to fight?" Gourry looked back in confusion, but Lina replied that they should never jump to conclusions. She merely hated the whole "Die in battle" fiasco, and she'd sooner rip off her own lips than start whining. "If you've only got one percent of winning, but you convince yourself you're going to lose, that one percent turns to zero percent," Lina continued. "I really don't want to die. That's why, when I fight against him, I'm going to win." With that, Lina held out her hand in a fist. Zelgadis put his hand on hers, and then Gourry put his on Zelgadis, like a pact. "Let's go get him!" Gourry said, and then there was a fierce rumble that shook the whole restaurant. The Slayers glanced outward to a scene of destruction. Possessed and enraged, trolls with soulless red eyes rampaged, many using torches to set buildings on fire. The night blazed with chaos, and many of the town's residents were being attacked. One man was about to face his death against a troll, when a ball of fire came out of nowhere, and destroyed his attackers. Lina is seen as the savior. The Slayers were debating why these trolls had suddenly shown up. Zelgadis doubted that Shabranigdo would send the trolls to kill them, especially since they were really paying them no attention whatsoever. The trolls continued to wage their attack, and Gourry looked on in bewilderment. Lina wondered as well at the trolls' behavior, and realized that it was Shabranigdo's rebirth that had this chaotic effect on the trolls. Gourry destroyed some trolls with his sword, and while Lina congratulated him, Gourry muttered about how she should stop watching, and actually fight. Smiling, Lina replied, "Look, there's more! See you later!" Just at this point, however, a troll is seen behind Lina, towering above her. Lina noticed, and then got a look of confidence as she began to turn around, and kick at her attacker. The scene was broken by the sound of a woman's scream. Both Lina and the possessed troll stopped in their tracks, blinking in confusion. An attractive young lady is seen running through the falling debris, trying to dodge the columns falling down, in particular. At this, the troll grinned mischievously, and promptly turned to the direction of the scream, scooting off. "Uh... excuse me...?" Lina asked in confusion. Gourry scooted up next to her out of nowhere, and muttered thoughtfully, "Even a troll can tell which one's the cute girl." Gourry earned a hit across the head at this, and an angry Lina made sounds of annoyance. The woman was about to be attacked by the trolls, when Lina came to her rescue, hitting them over the head. "How dare you ignore me!" she yelled at them. "You've got a lot of nerve!" Determined music is heard, as Lina continues to complain about the trolls' rudeness. "That's right... It doesn't matter who I face," she said, solemnly, and then destroyed all the trolls with a fireball. Zelgadis, in his turn, destroyed several trolls as well. Far away, Shabranigdo roared mightily, his huge figure and glowing red eyes a menacing sight. Power flashed about him, and the air around him thickened; his power was still growing, even as the music continued to play in protest. Winds started everywhere, and evil energy reigned. Gourry and Zelgadis are seen protecting the townspeople, slashing at the trolls everywhere with their swords. Meanwhile, Lina had had enough. "Here goes nothing!" she announced, and then began her spell: The Dragonslave. An enormous blast finished off all of the trolls, and they are seen lying dead in a forest the next day. Lina and Gourry are seen snoring under a tree; it seems they stayed in the woods overnight. Meanwhile, Zelgadis is awake. "I must try to end this myself," he whispered. Mysterious wanderer music played in the background, as Zelgadis continued, "Even if I die, Zolf and Rodimus await me in the next world." As it was still very early, the stars were visible in the bright sky, and two stars seemed to shine particularly brightly. "I will not be lonely there..." Suddenly, Zelgadis grimaced with pain as he was hit by a rock. It was Lina. "Thinking of going off without us?" she accused, correctly, to Zelgadis's surprise. She reminded him that they had made a pact together, and that they would stay by it. "Just do what she says. It's a lot less painful that way," Gourry hinted, whispering at Zelgadis. A whack is heard, and Gourry is now on the ground. "You got it?" Lina asked, as Zelgadis sweatdropped helplessly, looking after her. "We three attack Shabranigdo together, got it?" Lina repeated, and Zelgadis and Gourry smiled back in response. They were ready. "And so this little charade ends," a deep voice boomed, and Lina clenched her teeth. She knew. "Shabranigdo..." she whispered, as Gourry and Zelgadis got serious as well. Above the trees, in the midst of the deepening fog, a gigantic figure is seen. His eyes glowed as red as ever, and his razor-sharp teeth showed menacingly. It was the Dark Lord. The last stand was about to take place against him. "And now begins a duel for the fate of the world. Whatever happens, we're going to win!" Lina thinks, playing the role of the announcer. "At least, I think we are..." |
| Overall Episode: 9 |
| Episode 2 of Video 3 |
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