As Ryan charged, flipping up the black gun into a straight kris, he saw the army of darkness charge towards them. He looked up as the Shubagelion zoomed passed him, grabbing what looked like a gigantic mechanical sausage, rocketing down to the middle of the army, sending several silhouettes flying several meters in the air before blasting a laser from its mouth. The PekoMikodam wasn't too far behind, blasting at the inexhaustible army with a rocket launcher that shot a gigantic explosive carrot. "STAY HOME-PEKO!"
"Heads up!" Brianna shouted, creating several portals in front of the army. Ryan smirked, jumping through one of the portals, finding himself in the air a couple dozen meters above the army of shadows. He flipped his knife over, gripping it tightly as electricity coursed through it. When he stabbed the ground, a field of electricity spreading from the ground, electrocuting his enemies for about a hundred meters.
"Damn, I've gotten pretty good at this," Ryan said to himself. He turned around as he heard footsteps to see a gigantic shadow tiger three times his size. As he raised his gun, several hundred sword slashes went through the tiger, cutting it to dust.
"You need to watch your back," Ryan turned around yet again to see Enma sheathing her swords.
"Thanks for the save," Ryan smirked, pointing the gun at Enma, shooting a shadow behind her.
"I guess that makes us even," Enma said before dashing off.
Ryan sighed and ran off to the closest group of enemies. "Hey Ryan!" Reporter called as he punched someone's head off with his burning gauntlets. "Shoot me!"
"What?!" Ryan asked as he shot a shadow in the head.
"Just do it!" Reporter said.
"Fine," Ryan said as he channeled magic energy into his gun, firing at Reporter. Reporter grabbed the beam, his gauntlets channeling with power.
"Thanks, bud. I've been waiting to get my hands on Edhas's magic. He never lets me play with it," Reporter smiled as he grabbed a pebble on the ground, throwing it. As he threw it, the pebble grew in size until it was five times his size, crushing his enemies.
"I didn't know I could do that," Ryan said.
"You can't," Reporter said. "It's Edhas's magic, not yours."
"Whatever," Ryan grumbled as he stabbed a shadow lion in the head.
"Hold on!" Ryan stopped and turned to see Ironmouse holding up a hand towards a shadowy figure about to slice her to bits. She then took out a device with a big red button on it. When she pressed the button, her chest size almost doubled in size (AN: Yes, this is canon). "Alright!"
She pointed her finger at the shadowy man and a laser shot out of it, completely disintegrating its head.
"Time and place, Mousey," Silvervale said, forming from a bunch of sakura blossoms as a slew of enemies were cut down in an instant.
"Hey Silvervale," Ryan said as he kicked a soldier in the face before shooting him in the head and stabbing him in the stomach. "I guess I'm fulfilling that promise to help you protect the world, huh?"
"What promise?" Silvervale asked as she sent a wave of blossoms at a group of enemies, hacking them to ribbons before turning to Ryan, putting her free hand on her hip. "Last time I checked; this is the first time we've met."
"Huh," Ryan shrugged. "My memory must be off. Good luck."
"Thanks," Silvervale replied as her body changed into a bunch of blossoms and flew off.
"Huh, that's pretty badass," Ryan thought aloud as he ducked, narrowly missing a bullet to the head.
"Not yet," Ryan said as he threw his knife, stabbing his assailant in the head before the knife flew back into his hand. Marine's giant galleon then landed in front of him, crushing a bunch of soldiers.
"Hey, Ryan!" Marine called from the top. "You're in a hurry, right? Hop on!"
"With pleasure," Ryan said as he channeled magic into his legs that propelled him up onto the deck of the ship.
"These cannons are way more fun to use than bows!" Flare cheered as she lit the fuse of a cannon, firing it into the enemy ranks.
"Hey Ryan!" Noel called over from the crow's nest. "Come here! The view is amazing!"
"Alright," Ryan said, bounding over to Noel's side.
"Look! Ankimo is so cute!" Noel pointed over to the gigantic bear. Ryan looked over to see AZKi and Sora with what seemed to be giant speakers next to them as Ankimo ruthlessly stomped and threw shadow soldiers around like broken toys.
"What's with the speakers?" Ryan asked, pointing at the two idols.
"They don't really have offensive magic," Noel explained as she summoned a mace, throwing it at a shadow tiger that had tried to jump up to board the galleon. As the mace vanished in a yellow light, it reappeared in her hand. "Their magic involves singing to amplify their allies."
"I see," Ryan tilted his head as a shadow soldier flew past him. He turned around to see Kanata in gorilla form using a giant shadow tiger as a bat to smack her enemies around.
"Watch out, Kanatan!" Coco shouted, though the shout sounded more like a deep roar as she exhaled a bunch of fire. "You almost hit Senchou!"
"My bad!" Kanata shouted in her normal voice before roaring, slamming the tiger into the ground.
Ryan turned his attention to the army of Tems that were trampling the shadow soldiers. One of them flew up in a jetpack, landing in the middle of the group. "Sup," the Tem said in an uncharacteristically deep voice as a chain gun popped from the jetpack and unloaded, "I'm Bob."
"What the fuck," Ryan looked at the scene in utter bewilderment.
"Some things are better left unanswered," Noel said.
"Well, I better get back to the fighting," Ryan said. "Can't slack off forever, ya know?"
"Let me join you," Noel said. Ryan just smirked as the two jumped down, Ryan shooting at any enemy in sight before he landed. As they landed, Flare shot a cannonball which blew up behind them.
"That was badass," Ryan said as he shot a laser (AN: LASERS!) at a group of shadow soldiers, watching it explode.
"I guess I'll see you," Noel said as she summoned Excalibur before speeding off to the nearest enemy, tackling it and crushing its head with her shoe.
Ryan aimed his gun at another soldier before it got crushed by a giant, purple tentacle with about dozen others. "I guess you can say that this is quite smashing," Ina said in a deep voice.
"God, even in war you can't stop with the puns," Ryan grumbled. A giant foot then stomped next to Ryan, sending him flying.
"I AM GOD!" Matsuri shouted before she just straight up decked a shadow dragon, killing it instantly.
"Ow, you could have aimed your foot a bit better," Ryan muttered under his breath as Matsuri punted a tank.
Ryan looked up as Pochi leaped over him, a wild smile on her face as she wielded her two gigantic swords. "Man, I haven't gotten a nice opportunity to stretch my legs like this in a while!" Her hair started to grow into tendrils which shot out, stabbing and slicing at any shadow soldier that got close to them.
"Man, I'm really starting to feel inadequate here," Ryan said to himself.
"Don't worry about it!" Ryan turned to see Sabrina, who had abandoned her stone mecha. With a wave of her wand, several meteors flew down, crashing down on the enemy. "I'm not all that much either."
"You're not helping," Ryan grumbled as Juniper landed next to him, shooting lasers from her eyes (AN: I asked Juniper if she shot lasers. She didn't answer, so I just assumed she could).
"Hop on!" Juniper said on her distorted voice. Ryan responded with a nod, jumping on her back as she flew off.
"Do me a favor and pat the fluff for me, okay?" Juniper said. Ryan gave her a confused look, but shrugged, rubbing the fluff. "Thank you."
"No problem…?" Ryan said as he looked down below him. Aloe was flying through the air alongside with Towa, scorching anything in sight. Polka jumped up from her elephant, grabbing on to Aloe's hand. Polka held a bomb up as Lamy and Nene blasted it with their respective beams. Aloe tossed Polka back onto her elephant as she threw the ball. The ball landed in Botan's grenade launcher. She pulled the trigger, sending it flying, obliterating a shadow dragon with a burst of fire and ice.
"Their teamwork is not that bad," Ryan said to himself. Ryan then looked down to see Oga in what he assumed was a berserker's rage. His pupils were gone and his left eye was now uncovered, the eye burning with green flames. Even though he was in a rage, he was still dispatching them with practiced ease, as if he had been fighting for so long that fighting was ingrained in his DNA, able to utilize his martial arts and skills no matter what state he was in.
"Alright, fuck this," Jam said. He closed his eyes as he started to glow, slowly morphing into a dragon. He roared, fire jutting out of his mouth burning a multitude of shadow soldiers. Yuni flew up on his back, shooting a giant laser from her horn. Roro followed not far behind, flying up as bolts of lightning pierced a bunch of soldiers. The lightning then rescinded from the soldiers, pulling out dark, tinted souls.
"These are no good. I refuse to eat rotten souls," Roro said, casting the souls aside. "Whatever. I'll go get dinner after this."
Uto flew around, shooting lasers at soldiers around her. She then opened her hand, summoning a machine gun. She unloaded on the shadow soldiers. When she ran out of ammo, she threw the gun at a random shadow soldier. She then summoned a giant railgun, charging it up. "GG men."
"Hey Ryan!" Juniper said, causing Ryan to look up just before Uto pulled the trigger. "Looks like Kiara needs help!"
"Huh?" Ryan turned to see Calli, Kiara, Gura, and Amelia duking it out with a shadow soldier twice Amelia's size. Juniper grabbed Ryan with one of her giant hands.
"Sending you in!" Juniper shouted, throwing Ryan straight at them.
"What the fuckkkk?!" Ryan shouted as he flew over, landing next to Kiara.
"Glad you can make it!" Gura shouted over as she bit on the shadow soldier's arm, only to be thrown off.
"So, you've been the thorn in my side," the shadow soldier said, throwing a punch at Ryan.
"Sorry, but who are you?" Ryan said, dispelling his kris to catch the punch. He winced at the force. "Man, you're strong."
"I am the void, the essence of nothingness!" The void shouted.
"Don't care!" Kiara shouted as she slashed at the void, causing him to stagger. Calli then jumped up, using Kiara's shoulder as a boost to jump up even farther, slashing downwards at the void.
"Calli finally stepped on me!" Kiara squealed before being knocked back by a blast of darkness.
"Don't get sidetracked!" Amelia reached up with her mecha arm, catching Kiara.
"Yeah, yeah," Kiara said as she flew back into the fight, followed by several missiles shot by Amelia. She impaled the void, followed by several explosions.
"You fool," The void grabbed Kiara, throwing Kiara aside. "Nothing you can do will hurt me! You are not strong enough!"
"Maybe I am, though," Ryan said, smirking as he jumped up, aiming both of his guns at the void and drained all of his magic into his guns, unloading all of it point blank in the void's face.
"Hey, that actually stung," The void said, grabbing leg. "Too bad it wasn't enough."
"Ah shit," Ryan said before getting flung to the floor."
"Ryan!" Out of nowhere, Suisei dashed for Ryan, catching him. "Are you alright?"
"That kind of hurt, but I'm alright," Ryan said, standing up. "Don't have much magic left."
"Please tell me you have a plan of attack," Suisei said.
"Yeah," Ryan said, scowling as he dashed for the void. "Attack."
"It's useless," the void said, backhanding Ryan.
"Like hell it is!" Kiara shouted, swinging her giant fire sword. The void caught her sword, charging a beam of darkness in his hands.
Without thinking, Ryan dashed for Kiara, grabbing her and throwing her aside. "Ryan!" Kiara shouted as she flew backwards. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"Sorry Tenchou," Ryan smiled softly. "Thanks for everything."
Kiara extended her hand at Ryan as the beam of darkness swallowed his entire head.
Shameless plug, but you should totally follow Twitter @burningryan854. Right now I'm posting updates during the writing process, sneak peeks of upcoming chapters, and announcements. I might start doing things like polls on who I should add in future chapters once I start the side story. I'm also answering any questions you have about anything if you DM me. Thank you for supporting me and thank you for reading.