Episode X

A couple of days have passed since Ashi, Mei, and Hamato left the base camp. Matsuko and Daishin have been waiting for them to return. Matsuko however has been the most impatient for them to return. Time was growing short as the planetary alignment was tomorrow and if their astronomers were correct, it will occur at noon when the sun reaches it's highest peak.

"We can't wait any longer!" Matsuko shouted.

"Have patience young one," Daishin replied. "The Empress will make it in time."

"In six hours it will be tomorrow," Matsuko argued. "We can't just keep waiting. We should attack now."

"Our soldiers are preparing to sleep," Daishin said. "We can make an early morning attack if necessary."

Matsuko tried to argue again but she didn't know what else to say and decided to comply. In the distance the Matsuko could see Ashi, Mei, and Hamato returning along with the warriors Ashi promised. But the appearance of the warriors is what truly caught Matsuko off-guard. They didn't look like humans they all had different forms that filled the female daimyo with disgust and fear.

"Is something wrong?" Daishin asked.

"They've returned with the warriors but," Matsuko was at a temporarily loss of words. "But they look strange none of them are humans but I'm sure that they are not demons as well."

"These warriors must be aliens," Daishin said. "I remember hearing about them from the stories that Emperor told when he was stuck in the future ruled by Aku."

Ashi, Hamato, and Mei approach the daimyo and a ground that came to see the warriors that their empress promised. The closest aliens were Zorak, Brak, and Thundercleese.

"These are the warriors I promised," Ashi said. "What do you think of them?"

"I find some of them disgusting," Matsuko said while starring at Brak and Zorak.

"You are so racist," Zorak said to the female daimyo.

"Just because we look different then you terrans doesn't mean you can insult us," Brak said.

"Where did you find these warriors my Empress?" Daishin asked.

"Uwaki-sha had summoned Demongo into the world," Ashi said. "I freed them from his control and they killed Demongo as revenge."

"We owe your Empress a debt and this is the only we can repay her," Thundercleese said while flexing his bulky robotic arms.

"I only agreed to this cause I know some of the robots here will die," Zorak said. "That will give me a good reason to build a device out of their bodies without them trying to hurt me, so I can get us off this rock."

"Have the other reinforcements arrived?" Ashi asked.

"Yes with them and your warriors we can attack now and...," Matsuko said before getting cut off.

"We can't attack now," Ashi said.

"How come?" Matsuko asked.

"We've been traveling for a long time," Mei replied.

"If we attack now we'll be slaughtered," said Hamato.

"Our robots can't get tired but even they understand why organic races to rest," Brak said.

"We can rest up now and awake at sunrise," Ashi said. "As much as I want to end Uwaki-sha as soon as possible we have to wait just a little bit longer."

Matsuko relents and soon everyone goes to sleep early to prepare for the final battle.

The next day. Within the capital city the streets are abandoned. The humans have left when the Oni attacked. The Oni who have occupied the city stand within the buildings waiting for Uwaki-sha's next order. Uwaki-sha was within his inner sanctum waiting for noon to hit.

Just four more hours...just four more hours. These were the only words that the second darkest soul to ever rise from the Pit of Hate was thinking. After years of planning his machinations were about to come to fruition. Unlike the mortals and most demons (Like Demongo) he still possessed memories from the timeline were Aku took over the Earth and had spread his to the stars. He did what Aku couldn't do, he destroyed the Sacred Blade. While it was made to destroy Aku Uwaki-sha knew that destroying it would break Ashi's spirit.

"Master, master, master," said a flock of shadow birds who quickly flew into the room.

"Yes my servants," Uwaki-sha asked.

"Ashi and her army have returned they are being aided by aliens," the flock said.

Uwaki-sha is surprised by the last part and uses his magic to see through the eyes of the shadow birds outside the palace and saw that what they said was true.

Demongo's captured warriors no doubt. Ashi must have found away to free them.

When he sees Ashi he saw that she was wearing a shiny silver armor and was cutting down Oni with a familiar sword.

How!? I destroyed that sword! Unless...the gods remade that accursed blade.

"Too all my Oni," Uwaki-sha said. "Keep the mortals away from the palace for as long as possible."

Uwaki-sha then goes to his summoning ring and opens up a portal to the Pit of Hate to summon more demons.

I have to focus all of my magic on this portal or it will begin to close. I'll need all the soldiers I can muster to keep the mortals away.

Meanwhile the fight outside was in the mortals favor. Ashi had taken point and was cutting through any Oni she fought. At her side were Mei and Hamato who chose to stay near the Empress so they could protect her from any danger. The aliens and robots used whatever weapons they had available; swords, shurikens, guns, axes, etc. But the mortals did suffer casualties as well. Some of their forces, whether human, alien, or robot, were heavily injured or killed in the fight. Ashi noticed that more Oni were emerging from the castle.

"Push forward!" Ashi commanded. "Their coming from the palace that must be where Uwaki-sha intends on opening his permanent portal!"

Zorak jumps to Ashi's position with Brak on his back. Once Brak gets off his back they take out their blasters and open fire on the demons.

"You mortals will die!" yelled an Oni.

Zorak shoots the demon in the head and says, "Cram it jerkwater!"

As the battle continues Ashi's forces gain ground and approach the palace ever closer. Ashi looks up at the sky to see that noon was fast approaching.

"We're running out of time!" She yelled. "If you have a blaster or explosives get to the front line and fire everything you have to clear path!"

As she commanded several of the aliens, robots, and some of her warriors who picked up the blasters of some of the dead aliens and robots got to the front and did what they were told to do. As planned an opening through the now destroyed palace doors was made. Ashi charged in with Mei, Hamato, Brak, Zorak, Thundercleese, and a few other warriors into the palace.

"Now what?" Brak asked.

"We need to figure out were Uwaki-sha is," Hamato said.

"Hey Thunderbutt try scanning for any life signs," Zorak said insultingly.

"DO NOT INSULT MANTIS!" Thundercleese yelled. "I can't track demons they don't show any normal life signs."

"Any ideas Empress?" Mei asked.

Ashi thought for a moment and figured out where Uwaki-sha might be.

"I think I know where he might be," Ashi.

"You think!?" Zorak asked.

"Just follow me," Ashi said as she ran down a corridor with the group following her.

They came across a few Oni but quickly killed them. The group noticed that they were surprised to see them and figured out they were on the right path. They then saw a room with a red glow.

"There the shrine room to Amaterasu," Ashi said.

They enter the room and see Uwaki-sha standing at the other end of a portal to the Pit of Hate. He looks at the group and throws a ball of black fire at them. Most of the group gets out of the way but two samurai get incinerated by the fire. A robot holding two blasters charges at Uwaki-sha but he draws his sword, stabs the robot in the chest, and grabs one of it's blasters and shoots a mummy-like warrior to death with it. He drops it and blocks an attack made by Ashi. Their blades were locked and they both stared at each other menacingly.

"The alignment will happen soon," said Uwaki-sha. "Your world will die."

"We will make sure that never happens," Ashi said. "Thundercleese!"

She jumps out of the way and Uwaki-sha sees a barrage of energy blasts come at him from Thundercleese. He deflects the shots and one of the deflected blasts explodes when it hits Zorak. He is screams and is somehow alive but covered in soot and blinks with a annoyed look on his face.

(AN: This is a reference to a running gag from The Brak Show and Space Ghost Coast to Coast.)

Uwaki-sha then charges at Thudnercleese while deflected all of shots and then.

STAB.

Uwaki-sha and jumped into the air and stabbed Thundercleese in the head killing him.

"Systems failing," Thundercleese said as his last words.

Uwaki-sha then turns to the group as they charge at him. He releases an energy wave that knocks everyone out. He then looks at the portal he made and feels that the time has come.

"The alignment has begun," Uwaki-sha said.

True to his words the planets are now aligned weakening the barrier between dimensions. Uwaki-sha comes near the portal and begins to chant in the demonic language unaware that Ashi was already coming to along with Hamato and Brak. Her helmet was gone and she saw that Uwaki-sha was already beginning his master plan. She picked up the Sacred Blade jumped at him from behind, and when she brought down her sword on him, he turned around, and quickly blocked the attacked. But her attack causes the both of them to fall through the portal.

"NO!" Hamato yelled.

Zorak and Mei wake up as well.

"What happened?" Mei asked.

"Ashi and Uwaki-sha fell through the portal," Brak replied.

"Look the portal's starting to close," Zorak said.

True to his words the portal was beginning to contract in size.

"We need to get the Empress out of their," Mei said.

"I think we have bigger problems to worry about," Brak said.

They see Oni climbing up what appears to be solidified fire trying to reach the portal.

"Uh oh," Hamato said.

Zorak goes to the robot that Uwaki-sha had stabbed and tosses its guns to Mei and Hamato.

"We got demons to kill so you two better shoot them with those," Zorak said. "We'll hold them off until that portal closes and then we'll be home free.

To be continued.