The troops gathered on the battleground raised their weapons and prepared to strike their target. Shinobu and Reiji weren't worried they knew Douma would be able to handle the new guests, their weapons wouldn't deal any damage on him. It was the safety of the people in Hasu Mountains that they were worried about. More of these troops could be out there, holding the villagers captive while this battle was ongoing.
Back at their hidden headquarters, Mr Moikawa was watching the events intently. A big smile was plastered on his face as he grinned at the sight of the weapons in the troops' arms.
"This is going to be interesting." Mr Moikawa sneered. He was prepared for the worst outcome of the weaponry that his troops were equipped with: Douma remaining unscathed since he was an entity from another dimension, however Mr Moikawa had other plans that won't involve any injuries or lose of limbs. It wasn't going to easy but he had thought about it enough.
The remaining few took off in the opposite direction. Some of them were screaming at the top of their lungs despite Douma being there to save them from the same threat they were fleeing from.
Shinobu, Eiko, and Reiji quickly stepped out of the way to give the villagers time to get away with Eiko nearly tripping, luckily Shinobu caught her by the arm since straining an ankle would only make it difficult to head to safety if the situation escalates.
Douma punctured Nebulas' arm with his fan that spewed dark liquid from the gushing scar before it healed instantly, leaving nothing but undamaged armor.
In the midst of the clash of fans and claws, Nebulas backed away and fired several shards resembling missiles from a vehicle. The shards landed on several parts of the area, exploding upon impact and giving off the same acidic fumes.
Those who were still running sped up upon seeing the shards. A few of those acidic things landed on the spots they happened to be standing at earlier. If they hadn't listen to the three friends they would've been met with an unfortunate outcome.
The three friends fell to the side of the hill, narrowly dodging one of the shards that impaled the ground and exploded that instant. Shinobu wrapped her arm around Eiko to ensure she doesn't end up breathing in the fumes given her condition.
"We can't stay here for too long either it's getting dangerous." Reiji said hurriedly.
Shinobu grit her teeth after hearing what he said. There was no doubt Reiji was right but at the same time she was also concerned about Douma, those troops were clearly after him they couldn't leave him here all by himself. Not with that horrifying creature still around.
"I know but we can't leave Douma here," Shinobu responded in dismay. "He's going to be all alone and we don't know what Nebulas is going to do next."
"Shinobu I understand you're worried about him but we're only putting ourselves in danger if we continue standing here. Douma can fend them off you've seen what he can do this is a piece of cake for him!" Reiji assured her but despite his efforts the violette was still feeling uneasy about the whole situation, he could tell from her expression Shinobu wouldn't seem that way if nothing was bothering her.
"Once you're out of my way, then I can go about my plans on Earth! As long as you're still here this will remain a problem not just for me but others who wish to live without troublemakers like you who are constantly interfering with our plans." Nebulas was determined to make sure Douma wasn't roaming the same planet that he wanted to restore a new order on. It just so happens that the shrine leader was aware of this and was preventing it from manifesting.
"You don't have to hurt others to live on this planet. That's not the point of harmony and you should know that." Douma replied swinging his fan to land another hit.
Nebulas growled in anger. "Says the one who caused this storm. You can't defeat me no matter how hard you try, our past battles prove that your own mistake is pulling you back. Don't you regret what you've done?"
The shrine leader swiped his fan at the giant therapod, causing him to stumble from the impact. "At least I'm not siding with the mastermind of all problems just because I got my feelings hurt."
Who is he to belittle my decisions? Nebulas clenched his fist a few of his claws were starting to dig into his skin from the pressure. That's the only place where I'm treated as an equal lifeform without anyone interfering with my plans. Of course he wouldn't do that there's no need for me to be worried about my fate as this ruthless creature that everyone sees me as.
"Despite all that you've seen and heard, you still believe that you're in the right. Are you certain that he values your efforts and presence because if he did, the mess that I'm seeing right in front of me would be getting immediate assistance don't you think?" Douma could hear every calculating thought circulating Nebulas' mind from the silence.
The monster pointed his arm at him, the jaw on it opened wide, preparing to blast the shrine leader who was getting on his nerves.
At the same time, the troops began firing their weapons at the shrine leader. Every bullet that landed on him deflected back sending them falling to the ground one after another until there was no one standing.
The jaw on Nebulas' arm emitted fumes that rose to the air causing Eiko to cough. Shinobu took note of this and decided to go with Reiji's plan.
A large gush of acid rushed towards Douma, the shrine leader spread his wings and flew away. The mount several distances away collapsed from the devastating impact of the acid shaking the ground beneath.
Hasu Mountains won't fall to the hands of this monster. Douma grabbed one of Nebulas' extended arms at the back of his shoulder blade. The giant therapod struggled to break free from Douma's grip attempting to push him away.
Shinobu watched she could tell Douma was planning something to ensure their safety but it risked not being able to see each other, and the violette wasn't sure how long that was going to be. She was starting to get a little worried.
Whatever you do please be careful Douma. You don't have to make rash decisions you'll only make us worry more. The violette thought anxiously.
With Nebulas' arm still in his hold, Douma disappeared from the clearing leaving Shinobu, Eiko, and Reiji standing on the path back home in confusion.
Shinobu especially widened her eyes at the empty clearing. It just so happened that she thought about the possibility of both she and Douma seeing each other again without anything getting in their way the next time they did. The storm's rage was only making her even more anxious she didn't know what to think of it now.
~~~
Douma had teleported to a field beside a forest. There was also an industrial area that was many blocks away so anyone in that area wouldn't be affected by the ongoing battle. This was one of the few areas that Douma knew about which didn't have any obstructions for severe outcomes of any damage dealt.
With Nebulas' arm still in his grip, the shrine leader threw the giant therapod to the ground with much force. Nebulas didn't expect that from Douma but he wasn't surprised, the blonde wasn't from this world.
Getting up from the decimated ground, Nebulas flew towards the blonde and raised the arms of his at the back of his shoulders. Douma narrowed his eyes at the monster who was planning his next move.
It's easier to control his movements if he's able to get a hold of one of my arms or shoulders.
As Nebulas closed in, Douma felt a weight on his right arm. The jaw on Nebulas' arm had bit down on it, Douma didn't feel any pain however Nebulas felt a boost in confidence when he saw what he had managed to do after a longtime.
Finally, I don't have to worry about this fly bothering me ever again- Nebulas felt a strong force on his chin that caused him to stumble in the air.
The shrine leader had kicked the giant therapod in the chin with the same amount of force as when he threw Nebulas into the ground. In this case it caused Nebulas to strain his muscles from the impact.
Flying backwards, Nebulas roared in anger and summoned the same dark pillars that Douma and Shinobu had encountered during their previous battle. More of those dark pillars started emerging from the ground. They were targeting Douma who flew past every single one of them.
The dark pillars followed suit in a consecutive sequence. Nebulas watched he knew it might not be possible to land a scratch on Douma but at least it would distract him from his plans.
While Douma was flying away from the pillars, he noticed the oncoming buildings and power plants in his view. That's when he realized what Nebulas was trying to do. By having the blonde fly towards the industrial area ahead, he would end up destroying this entire area. This was another form of distraction.
"Not gonna happen." Douma tightened his grip on both of his fans and dove towards the pillars that were still emerging from the ground.
Instead of the pillars posing as a danger to the shrine leader, they ended up becoming a threat to each other. Colliding with the pillar beside the other creating a mess in the clearing. Nebulas couldn't even control the dark pillars anymore.
"This isn't over yet!" Nebulas cried as he roared in immense fury shaking the Earth to its core.
Douma watched as the ground began to split and a yellow and red wall enveloped the atmosphere from behind Nebulas. It began covering the sky, the ground itself was slowly sinking into this new floor that rose from the depths.
"This is another world." Douma looked around the tarnished and grotesque walls. He noticed other organisms attached to them, resembling plants and lifeforms that he had never seen on Earth before. Just like the first time he encountered Nebulas, the giant therapod had once again summoned his world in the midst of battle thinking that it would benefit him.
As of now, Nebulas was nowhere to be seen. He had completely vanished however Douma was certain that his opponent was hiding in this place.
The shrine leader flew past the caverns and stalagmites on the walls and at the bottom which inhabited various plant-like organisms that were moving about and observing the new visitor. Douma wasn't surprised if they had been instructed to annihilate him on sight. Like that was ever going to happen, they couldn't even move from their spot let alone catch up with the speed he was flying at.
Some of these organisms started firing their beams at him, most of the attacks coming from the ones on the walls. Douma dodged the beams and sliced through the eerie and rotten-looking organisms like butter, he then continued flying towards the end of this never-ending world. Almost everything looked the same except for a few changes in the positions of the caves, crevices, structures, and lifeforms that got ready to fire at him once again.
Douma unleashed his two ice shards that sent the crippled organisms falling to the ground, puncturing the walls as well that immediately regenerated like Nebulas' skin. This entire place was a representation of Nebulas' constant transformations and adaptivity. Its appearance gave off the impression that any creature residing in it would share the same traits.
The shrine leader caught a glimpse of movement ahead of him. He quickened his pace and flew towards the supposed end of this place.
Right before he approached the narrow terrain, the lifeforms gathered on the walls and floor fired their beams at him. Around three of them looked different, crawling on the walls to get a better aim on their opponent who was in the air above them.