The Final Battle (Part 1)

The thirty-fifth chapter of the Crusaders of the Constellations Novel, it is about the final battle between the Crusaders lead by Ranald and Mayari against the Devourer of Worlds.

## Story

Ranald in his Golden Griffin Warrior of the Blazing Sun form asked his Dreamland Dimensional Mate if he's ready. "I'm as ready as ready can be!" Ra spoke excitedly from the griffin head armour on Ranald's torso. He used the special move **Rays of Aten**, in which he shot sunbeams from the golden orb above his head at the Devourer of Worlds. The Serpent shot out his own laser beams from his eyes, and they hit the **Rays of Aten** and exploded. The Devourer of Worlds summoned monsters from the dark side of the universe to destroy the Crusaders of the Constellations and the Solar System Guardians.

"You Crusaders and Guardians get the monsters. Ranald and I will get the Devourer!" Mayari yelled to her classmates. They fought the monsters while the Warriors of the Sun and Moon fought the Devourer of Worlds. Mayari fired **Artemis Arrows** from the Bow of the Moon, while Ranald fired the **Rays of Aten** from the golden orb above his head. He also used the **Roar of Ra**, which involved him and Ra roaring together at the creature, stunning him. As Ra still has his Crystallized Right Arm with him, with the Ecliptic Zodiac Wheel Shield of the Celestial Way hovering around him to protect him from any sudden attacks, he used a new special move that came with his Crystallized Right Arm: **Sekhmet Claw**, which he used to deal burning scratches at the Devourer of World's face. "The Serpent screamed in anger, "How dare you ruin my face!"

Delmare used Wave Slash on Vilesnakes advancing on her, while Bai Tu used **March Hare Fists**, in which he unleashed rapid-fire punches on some Malebranches, and some **Rabbit Kicks** on the monsters. Delmare simply covered Bai Tu while they were fighting the monsters. Meanwhile, Phrixus was riding Chrysomallos, who is also decked out in golden armour like his master. The shepherd boy used **Blazing Meteor Hammer**, in which he threw his hammer Baba Gurgur at the Blight Hounds running to him. More of the monsters advanced on the Crusader, who unleashed **Wool Grenades** at the monsters. "This should end them!" he said. Bai Tu ran up to him and asked him about Ranald. "He will do as fine now that he has a cool new form to be on par with the Devourer of Worlds," he said. They went to save any civilians caught up in the battle.

The Devourer thrashed around, dealing blows to Ranald and Mayari. Mayari fired a Light of Selene from the silver moonlight orb above her head. Ranald turned the crystallized pyramid on his right arm's palm and changed it into the **Fire Snake Chain**. Then he used it for a special move where he wreathes the Fire Snake Chain with the flames of the Sun that takes on the shape of a hydra head and cracks it like a whip to give out lightning-fast lashes at his target: **Chains of Surya**. The Devourer of Worlds was hurt by the whip and promised to vomit up the bullies he ate. Mayari shot a **Crescent Moon Arrow: Lullaby**, which induces a target with the desire to sleep. The Devourer slept, and Ra tied him up and used the **Tied-Die** on him. At once, the Serpent vomited out the bullies, who were covered in sticky gunk. Ranald as Ra flew to them, only for them to be scared of him.

"Are...you...now a...super? Don't...hurt...us." the son of Buaya said. "Go meet your parents at the hospital and care for them," Ranald told them. The bullies left, and Ranald resumed fighting the Devourer of Worlds. Meanwhile, Orion used his Whiteout, a dense blizzard that blinds his target monsters. "Nice work, yo!" Bai Tu said as he sped past the hunter, who now wore leather armour on his striped yellow bodysuit, with claws on his gauntlets and boots, tiger tail, a torso armour shaped like a tiger head with dark green stripes, and a helmet with deer antlers. "If you say so, kid," Orion grunted as he went to assist the other Crusaders in fighting off the monsters.

"You are ssssssstrong. And I will ssssssssee to it that you will be weak!" the Devourer of Worlds hissed as he shot Void Energy Balls from his mouth. Ranald flew past some of the balls, but was hit by one, and fell to the ground. He was rescued by Chiron, who just happened to be passing by. "Nice moves you dished out on the Void Serpent. Now drink this thing and you will be fine!" The centaur gave his pupil one of Asclepius's healing potions to drink. After that, Ranald thanked Chiron and flew back to fight the Devourer of Worlds. He turned the crystallized pyramid on his right arm's palm again and changed it into the **Spike Launcher**, which he used to shoot out **Phoebus Sword Bullets**. The Phoebus Sword Bullets, once shot, is wreathed in flames that take on the shapes of lion's or eagle's heads. They flew to the Devourer of Worlds and bit his hide. Ra as Ra the Golden Griffin Warrior of the Blazing Sun then wreathed his whole body in flames and with his six flaming wings, flew at the Devourer and rammed the monster with his Corona Charge. "Nice work!" Mayari complimented him.

Kibahime used her new special move, **Constellation Arts: Setsugekka Gen** at a swarm of Void Wasps. She waved her hand and trapped them into an illusionary world of nature. They were unaware that Kibahime used **Foxtrot Slicer**, in which she made dance-like moves while cutting up the insects with her nine tails. "The show's over!" she said and grinned, striking a pose. Delmare went up to her and complimented her skills. "Eh, no problem," the fox spirit said, and went with her to fight more monsters.

King Athos and the staff went to join in the battle, with the king carrying Baby Little under his arm. Husdent, carrying Ranald's schoolbag on his back, expressed concerns that the king may be too old to fight off waves of monsters, but Athos told the flame dog, "I may be old in body, but I am not old in fighting spirit!" They went to help their students fight the Devourer's monster minions while Cerynitis went to rescue civilians. The Ecliptic Zodiac Wheel Shield of the Celestial Way flew away from its owner to help Mayari's foster mother to evacuate any remaining civilians, simply by deflecting the attacks of monsters from them and attacking any monsters that try to hurt the civilians.

Little did they know that the battle between the Crusaders and Solar System Guardians and the Devourer and his monsters was being broadcast by news outlets on the televisions and the internet in the Philippines and around the world, just like the battle Lobong Ligaw and Buaya had with the Devourer before the AWCU students and staff showed up.

Meanwhile, Ranald was dodging and countering the Devourer's attacks. Whenever Mayari got injured, he would give some of the healing potions Asclepius made to her, restoring her health. He turned the crystallized pyramid on his right arm's palm again and his right arm became the **Saw-Drill Blade**. The sword's blade rotated like the rotating chains of a chainsaw, then it burst into red and golden flames, enabling Ra to use the special move, **Burning Shamash Cutter** to slash the Devourer's hide. The Saw-Drill Blade then rotated its base like a drill, and Ranald used it to perform another special move, **Turbulent Sol Drill**, in which he aims the flame-wreathed drill at the Serpent's hide to pierce it. The Devourer raged at the thought of his hide being pierced by his nemesis.

After all the monsters were eliminated, the Solar System Guardians and the Crusaders of the Constellations went to help the Warriors of the Sun and Moon fight the Devourer of Worlds. Ranald flew to meet them and told them to help him distract the Serpent. "At least you did a great job here," Asterion spoke to him, clad in the armour of the Taurus constellation. "Thanks, friend," said Ra. He turned the crystallized pyramid on his right arm's palm again and his right arm became the **Wand-er**, a wand-shaped sword that not only has the ability to travel into people's dreams (but only when they're asleep) but it also has the power to create scenarios of their worst nightmares (whether they're asleep or awake) that teaches people a lesson for their misdeeds.

As for that crystallized pyramid on Ra's crystallized palm, it not only acts like a dial he turns left or right just to change his right arm into different kinds of Crystallized Swords, but it also acts as a container for evil spirits and a fuel tank for his Wand-er by sucking in every black shadowy evil spirit (from the Nightmare Realm) he fought and slashed with his swords into the crystallized pyramid on his palm. The Nightmare Realm spirits sealed in the pyramid is what fuels up his Wand-er's nightmare energy in the first place. But even if he ran out of nightmare energy, at least his sword still has the ability to travel into people's dreams with or without his Wand-er's bad dream juice.

"You devoured worlds and dimensions, leaving people homeless! Now Serpent of the Void, hear the cries of your victims whose homes and loved ones were devoured by your accursed maw!" said Ra the Golden Griffin Warrior of the Blazing Sun as he used his Wand-er for a special move that trapped the Devourer in a nightmare world that creates various scenarios of his worst fears and nightmares to teach him a lesson for his evil deeds: **Visions of Tonatiuh**. With a wave of the wand-like Crystallized Sword, he brought the Devourer of Worlds into an ever-shifting nightmare prison called Mictlan (either an illusion or a part of the nightmare realm) that resembled the Boogie-man's Field of Nightmares. Many nightmare monsters and spirits materialized in the nightmare world and surrounded the Serpent, staring at him hungrily.

Once inside Mictlan, Ra can create nightmarish situations to teach wicked people what happens if they continue to take the wrong path. "I have no idea if the Devourer will repent of his evil deeds, but we'll play it safe just for once," Mayari said. She fired a New Moon Arrow: Melancholy Night, that induces sadness in a target at the Devourer of Worlds as he was dragged by and assaulted by evil spirits taking on the forms and shapes of the natives of the dimensions he ate while trying to escape the nightmare prison.

"Sssssssssssspare me, pleasssse! I cannot live with thissssssssss hellish torment any longer!" the Devourer of Worlds pleaded in anguish as waves of nightmare spirits tormented him with screams and visions of the snake monster's nefarious deeds. "Fine. Promise me that you will never destroy Earth," Ra said. He stopped the Visions of Tonatiuh, ordering the nightmare monsters and spirits to go back into the crystallized pyramid. The Serpent bowed his head as if to thank them for sparing him, though somehow, he can't be trusted.

"Watch out!" Anbesa cried out to them. The Serpent then raised his head and shot his laser beams at the duo. Ranald and Mayari were then sent crashing into a building and falling to the ground. Anbesa, Huang He and Bai Tu heard a thump on the ground and ran up to them. "Are you okay? Did it hurt?" Bai Tu asked them. "I guess we underestimated the Void Serpent's deceit," Mayari said. "That's right," Huang He said, "But I can heal you up real quick." "Man, but what if the injury's serious enough to put them at a disadvantage?" Anbesa asked. "Nothing to fret about, sir. After all, we're warriors, not worriers," Huang He said, as he used Healing Wings on them, where the crane wings on his back extended to cover and heal both Ranald and Mayari. "That's what friends are for," Ra spoke from the griffin's head chest plate on his torso armour. "Now, let's get back to work!" Ranald said.

Anbesa growled at the Devourer of Worlds, and roared: "You fooled my friends into thinking you'll change your ways when you actually want to kill them! Golden Lion Brave Claw!" His claws and new gauntlets became covered in flames, and the Crusader of the Leo constellation pounced on the Serpent, covering him in burning scratches. The Devourer though can heal himself quickly, and tossed the armoured anthropomorphic lion aside. Mayari saved Anbesa with a Net of Diana she formed from moonlight, and gently lowered him to the ground. "Now go help your younger brother while Ranald and I subdue that lying serpent!" she told him. Anbesa nodded and ran off to look for Arye.

Ranald turned the crystallized pyramid dial on his right palm and turned his right arm into the Claw-ossal, a sword which is shaped like a guandao. It can grow up to 50 feet in length. With this size-changing sword, he can instantly slice through a mountain or cut off a giant monster's head clean off. And it's also a crab claw that moves like a pair of scissors that can cut through anything even though it's a giant monster's stomach. "Taste the blade of Heaven!" Ranald in his merged Hyper-form cried as he used a special move with his Claw-ossal: Amaterasu Luminous Slash. The Claw-ossal grew as big as a car and became wreathed in Sun-fire and Ranald slashed the Devourer of World's scales. Mayari used a Tsukuyomi Hoof, an upper kick, at the Serpent's head. "That's for tricking us!" She said.

Liquid Dark Steel oozed out from the Devourer of Worlds's tail. He turned it into the void energy-coated Nihil Blade and engaged in a sword fight with Ra, who used Amaterasu Luminous Slash to parry the bladed tail's attacks. As soon as the Serpent raised his tail, Ra used the special move Lugh Pincers to snip off the tail, which dissolved into black mist.

The Devourer of Worlds then flared up his hood, and hissed: "No matter how many fancy ssssssssssssssssspecial movessssssss you throw at me, you will never be able to sssssssstop me from consssssuming your dusssst ball planet!" "Think again," Ranald spoke as the Ecliptic Zodiac Wheel Shield of the Celestial Way flew up to him. Phrixus seeing this, knew what was going to happen next, for the first time he met Ranald, he told him about it. He was about to use the rarest crystallized sword: "The Heart of the Araw Ginto".