Underground Elevators

(Coming from the Cathedral)

"Ragna the Bloodedge!"

Noel had stopped right in front of he quarry just as he pressed the button that closes the doors to the lift. "Oh no! He's getting away!" she thought worriedly as the doors slowly closed. She ran all the available options in her head, all the possible courses of action she could take...

She could only think of one good option at the moment, and it wasn't even that good. But, hey, a plan's a plan, right?

"Yaah!" With a determined roar, she sprinted for the elevator he was in, doing a baseball slide as she managed to barely make it just as it closed. Unfortunately, she could not stop herself due to the momentum she built up and was about to head on crash course for the wall...and for Ragna as well.

Noel, who closed her eyes since she was so sure that she was going to smack herself into the wall, was quite surprised that instead of hitting the hard steel surface, she landed on something relatively softer.

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a little upon realizing that she was in the arms of Ragna the Bloodedge, the target she had been chasing.

"Uhm...I think so..." She said in a soft voice, finding herself unable to tear away from his gaze "Th-thanks..."

Noel saw that she was indeed on him and instinctively stepped back bashfully, her cheeks reddening around him.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry!" she squeaked as she back herself against the wall opposite of where he was leaning, her emerald green eyes looking down on the floor shyly. Here she was, trapped in the elevator with the notorious SS Class Criminal Ragna the Bloodedge with no way out whatsoever. The funny thing was, she pursued him of her own will.

"Oh...Makoto's gonna laugh at me, I just know it..." she thought in dismay as she slowly looked up at the white haired man, half-expecting him to attack her. When she found that she wasn't going to to make a move, she was slightly relieved. So she decided to stay silent, composing her thoughts until she finally spoke.

"Uhm...Mr. Ragna..." she managed to say "Is it okay if I ask you something?"

"S-sure..."

Noel looked into his eyes feeling quite intimidated by her companion. And could you blame her? She was in the elevator with Ragna the effing Bloodedge! An SS Class Criminal like him wouldn't hesitate to kill her on the spot.

"Or would he?" she thought as she twiddled her thumbs anxiously, forming the words in her mind before finally uttering her question.

"Why is Major Kisaragi after you?" she finally asked, wanting an explanation for Jin's erratic behavior.

"Well yeah..." Noel said rather bashfully, taken aback by the understandable question he had asked.

True, there were standing orders for Ragna to be arrested on sight. True, there were chilling tales about how he would ruthlessly murder NOL officers without batting an eye. However, there were three reasons that kept Noel from attempting the arrest; one, there wasn't much either of them could do in an elevator. Two, despite all that she heard, she could not reconcile this rather gruff man in front of her as the infamous criminal. And three, she had questions that needed answering, mostly why Jin did what he did just to find him in the first place...

And why he felt so damn familiar to her despite never meeting him before.

"B-but Major Kisaragi went AWOL just to find you..." the Lieutenant explained "A-and the way he was behaving when he was informed that you were headed for Kagutsuchi was...scary."

"H-he's your little brother?!" Noel's eyes widened at the startling revelation. She really couldn't believe that Jin Kisaragi, Major of the NOL and the Hero of Ikaruga, was the sibling to the infamous Grim Reaper

"B-but how?!" she asked as she followed him out of the elevator, only to find her train of thought getting instantly derailed when she saw what he was gawking at: A rather scruffy ninja fighting an intimidating warrior clad in pure white armor. Like Ragna, she felt the intense battle aura the warrior was emitting, immediately telling her that fighting him would be suicide.

"W-what on earth?!!"

It was during this time that the Silver Knight became aware of their present company, two presences that he would have much sooner turned to face them; the battle poised leader of the Six Heroes kept his gazeless mask upon Bang Shishigami, Ookami drawn back to his side while his stance widened. He would have to end this faster than he thought then, despite the impressive show of both power and skill from Bang. "It would seem, Bang Shishigami, that this little battle must end...since the one I seek has arrived. Even if in unexpected company." He would end this battle with Bang and then take the Dark One down.

"Very well!" The scruffy ninja known as Bang Shishigami roared in proud, manly voice, his pectorals rippling as he zipped past Hakumen with blinding speed and appeared a far distance above him. He drew the massive nail from his back, the fires of justice raging in his eyes as he did so.

"THEN I SHALL END IT WITH THIS BLOW!" he boisterously declared as he descended upon his opponent, his mighty nail going ablaze from the momentum he was gathering from the dive "PREPARE YOURSELF, FELLOW WARRIOR OF JUSTICE!"

This man's intensity and dedication to justice were no laughing matter, he had continued to surprised the timeless hero who would meet this proud show of power with no less than an equal show of power. Normally the kind of blow Bang was using would spell certain defeat for a normal opponent; but Hakumen's stance centered as his near endless might flooded the corridor, causing the space around him to tremble as a blue aura emitted from his body; whilst before his chest did he hold Ookami out while standing up tall, placing the free palm against the flat of the blade as a large silver-white glyph formed before his entire body. With the ninja's mighty show, not even Yukikaze would have sufficed against this tactic. But he would not be defeated by this blow, nay...he had to finish matters with the Dark One. "Well met, Bang Shishigami, but it ends here." It would be upon the contact of his nail to this glyph, the battle would end in his favor.

Bang knew that his opponent was about to reveal his trump card, just at the same time he was going to reveal his. From the way the situation was unfolding, the ninja was heading on a destructive collision course with a white clad warrior. It was too late to stop now; he had built up too much momentum to the point that his nail was wreathed in flames. He knew that only one of them would be the victor when the smoke had cleared.

That was exactly how he wanted it to go. To go all out against a powerful opponent and, win or lose, do his all in the name of Justice.

"SHISHIGAMI STYLE FORBIDDEN TECHNIQUE: THE ULTIMATE BANG!"

The clash would end in huge explosion that stopped just mere inches in front of where Ragna and Noel stood. The victor, as of now, remained unclear...

Upon the impact of the flaming nail against the barrier that Hakumen had forged before him, the attack became active. it was with the flames licking around the great glyph that still surprised him...how could he have been so strong? It mattered not, the silver knight sealed the fate of the battle in his favor as his attack activated, "Kokujin Ougi: Akumetsu(Empty Sky Form Forbidden Art: Perish Evil)!" it was at the moment that he'd finished this, that he swept the Ookami in Bang's direction, though it seemed by respect alone he had slashed across his body with the blade's flat; making sure that the lethal energies would not destroy this man of justice. The force clearly rippling through the air as the explosion seemed to linger a moment before the air drew in, as a small vacuum drew in the airflow and then sent it blasting downward in all directions.

The end result of which was an area painted in destruction, some flames still licking at the walls, the area around the corridor's floor having caved in due to the sheer force that had just been met, slashes apparently in a variety of directions from where the now single figure stood before a notable 'click' of his unique footwear hitched against the stone floor. The Silver Knight emerged with the unconscious and somewhat battered body of the ninja remaining in the wake of the floor's caved in segment; while Hakumen had won the fight it had not come without a cost. Even he looked a little weathered, though he spoke with no such fatigue present; he knew that Bang Shishigami had been a man above man to have him exert such effort. "Now that my business with that man of justice has concluded. The time for you to meet your fate has come, Dark One. Even with another present, you shall return to the Darkness from whence you came." He'd drawn down into a battle stance, hiking the hilt of Ookami above his head with no hesitation; even if this girl was not one that he'd seen very often...she could not change the fate of Ragna the Bloodedge.

Noel could feel an overwhelming aura from the white-clad warrior, her body trembling in fear as he approached. She managed to glance at the unconscious ninja, who had fought vigorously despite being outclassed, and knew that she stood no chance against him. All common sense and logic was screaming at her to follow Ragna's command and run.

Yet, she couldn't. Not when he had the answers to her questions.

"No." She said in determination as she drew Bolverk "I'm staying."

So it seemed that he would have two opponents, the matter of which was not one that he cared about. He would simply have to vanquish the both of them. So he would send the girl of the Azure and the Dark One back from whence they'd come. That of which was fine with him, despite him having a small bit of remorse towards the foolish girl's decision to stay. "If that is your wish, then you will both have to face this fate. Do you know the value of your soul, Dark One? It is going to be measured as I come to be judge." the stance had not faltered and in fact the pooling energy only flooded the corridor as he seemed to reach into an endless realm of power and such had shown.

Noel nodded at his words and stayed behind him as he confronted the masked man. Still, she had Bolverk drawn out just in case things get awry.

She too felt her entire body turn to lead at the man's aura, his presence sending cold shiver down her spine. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to get the hell out of here, to leave the Grim Reaper to his fate and come back to subdue him, should he still be alive from that encounter.

But she chose to stay. All because she needed answers from him. As such, she kept her Nox Nyctores at ready. Despite his urging for her not to join the inevitable fray, she had a feeling that she will have to.

What were his reasons? The question that Ragna had asked him was pointless, the only answer that the Bloodedge would feel was a heavy pressure that thickened in the air as Hakumen briefly acknowledged his query as to what this had to do with him. "The world will not be guided down the path of darkness, it will be settled upon the path to a just and proper world. You will be extinguished this day, lest the fates grant you a divine favor. Both you and any who join your aim, will be destroyed." A bluish-white light built around him as he drew the massive Nodachi up before him again.

"I am the white void. I am the cold steel. I am the just sword. With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction. I am Hakumen. The end has come!" With each word the energy seemed to only build more and with the last word a cold chill could be felt throughout the entire corridor, it was well past the time for speech.

As the massive head neared his personal space, Hakumen simply slashed the Ookami outward, releasing a heavy gust of sheer pressure out in every direction around him. As if in a way to announce the immense strength that he wielded, the powerful dark energy was dispersed by the greater force that caused a massive tremor in the surrounding space around him. "Kah!" the simple shout seemed to halt the massive flood of movement in the surrounding space and despite Hakumen's flawless stance remaining unbroken, he was well aware of the movements of Ragna. Having arched his blade off to his right, even though his faceless mask was not looking at him; the blade would still rest upon the Bloodedge's bearing. "Was that your effort, Dark One? Your resolve is worthless if that is what you muster."

The words came with a single slash, which would send a small shockwave in the direction of the SS-Criminal; alone itself the wave didn't seem like much, yet it caused the ground to shudder and crack under its force alone. This gesture appeared to be the Silver Knight's showing what true projected will appeared like in raw form.

"Ah!" Noel gasped as she braced herself for the incoming force. The sheer power of both shockwaves threatened to send her flying as she barely held her ground from the fury of these opening attacks.

"They're...so strong..." she said in utter disbelief as she became a mere spectator in the events that were unfolding before her. In truth, she felt powerless against these two figurative behemoths clashing against one another.