The tall Latino's blade flashed in the moonlight as he circled the beast. The Dark Lord's eyes gleamed with hatred. From somewhere within the mass, a voice spoke.

"LINA INVERSE, WHY HAVE YOU COME? YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE! LEAVE. GO BACK TO YOUR HOME!" said the steely voice.

Lina snorted her response, "Yeah right Shabranigdo, you think I'm gonna let these guys have all the fun! I killed you before and I'm gonna do it again." The cute little sorceress jutted out her chin and crossed her arms indignantly.

Eduardo looked away for a second and his heart melted. Lina was so beautiful. But he mustn't let those things fuzz up his thinking. He had to concentrate on the Dark Lord, lest he get caught off guard.

The gray, sulfurous mass throbbed and pulsed with dark energy. Amelia was pelting the beast with Flare Arrows and Elmikia Lances, but neither had made a dent. Time for the big guns.

"AMELIA, USE THE RA-TILT!" Lina yelled to the princess.

"Miss Lina, are you sure? Well, okay, here goes: Source of all souls which dwells in the eternal and infinite..." Amelia began.

Shabranigdo's tentacled arms reached for the girl. Lina threw up a shield around herself and her three allies.

"...Everlasting flame of gloom Let the power hidden in my soul, be called forth here from the infinite. RA-TILT!!!" Amelia said even as the blue light gathered in her hands. Shabranigdo disappeared in a cloud of dust and energy. Eduardo leapt clear of the blast just in time. Moments later, there was a crater where he had been standing.

"What the hell was that! W-who are you people???" Garrett stammered as he stared wide-eyed at the little princess.

"Oh, so Kylie didn't tell you that Amelia and I are sorcerers? How forgetful of her," Lina smiled, "Now, let's get back to the battle, where'd Shabby-boy go off to?"

Eduardo stood up and looked around nervously. He'd never felt this serious in all his life. He usually had a wisecrack about now, but today, he was fresh out. His sword now forgotten, he reached for his proton gun. Eduardo clutched his shoulder where he'd landed on the ground.

The smoke cleared, but the Dark Lord was nowhere to be seen. Garrett's PKE meter showed high residual, but nothing more...Shabranigdo had left the building.

* * * * *

Kylie and her companions sped through the alleyways until they came to a huge dust cloud. Kylie saw Lina shielding her face from debris. The smoke cleared and there was a crater in the ground. A few brave residents had peeked out of their doors. Kylie took it upon herself...and Gourry...to evacuate the city. She dragged him along as she went to talk to the people.

Eduardo dragged his battered body to the side of a building and sat down. He was shortly joined by Lina, who looked at his shoulder with concern.

"Eduardo, do you want me to heal that? It isn't a complex wound," she asked as her fingers probed his wound.

"Sure Lina, thanks," Eduardo replied. The sorceress murmured a spell and his shoulder felt instantly better. He clasped her hand in silent gratitude. The move surprised the little sorceress. Their eyes met. Eduardo smiled shyly and she smiled back. She drew herself close and kissed him softly.

"I've never kissed anyone before," Lina whispered as she clung to him.

"Me either," Eduardo replied, kissing her back. Her lips were soft and he felt himself dissolve in her arms. But in the back of his mind, something seemed wrong.

* * * * *

"Okay Kylie that's the last of them, all the people are evacuated," Gourry said as he sat down next to the girl.

"Great Gourry, thanks for your help," Kylie smiled cheerfully as she closed her eyes. "I wonder what will happen now? Do you think Lina and the others destroyed the Dark Lord? From what Lina told us, I'd gathered that he kinda couldn't be destroyed without the Giga Slave. Would Lina really use that? Would she risk our world?"

Gourry took her hand suddenly and said, "I know Lina seems crazy, and she probably is, but she knows how to handle Shabranigdo and I think she wouldn't use the Giga Slave unless she absolutely had to."

Kylie flashed another winning smile and squeezed his hand, "Thanks Gourry. I sure hope you're right, though!" She stretched her neck. It was stiff from sitting in the alley for so long.

Gourry moved his hands around her shoulders and began to gently rub them. She did not pull away, but instead turned her head suddenly and caught him in a kiss. His eyes widened in surprise and warning bells rang loud, but Gourry ignored them as he drew her closer.

* * * * *

"So that's it?" Roland said once the group had joined back up, "He's just gone? We can all go home now? It seems like a waste!"

"No Roland, we can't go home yet. Shabranigdo isn't destroyed or defeated. He ran away," Lina explained patiently.

Eduardo pulled on his goatee and thought aloud, "Well, if we want to kill the thing, then we need a better battle plan. Obviously the last one didn't work. We need to be able to keep him from disappearing."

Kylie chimed in, "Right, which brings me an idea! If Roland, Garrett, Eddie, and I can immobilize him using our proton guns, maybe you can finish him off with a spell. Hey, it's worth a try, don't you think?"

Lina nodded decisively, "Right, then, that's the plan. Okay, let's divide up. I'll need two Ghostbusters with me, as well as Gourry. Kylie and Eduardo immediately volunteered. "Great, then, Zel and Amelia will take Garrett and Roland. Make sure you don't expend your magic before Shabranigdo has been immobilized. Now, the next step is to locate him. We did it before."

"Or maybe we should get him to come to us," Zelgadis said sedately. Lina shrugged.

"Sure, sound's good to me! Now, who's gonna be bait?" Lina said cheerily.

To be continued...
 Paradox Part Five