Chapter 5: Evil Sword Epyon
In the Minov Boundary Sea floated three knights with purple capes.
One knight wore red armor, with a satellite-like shield and an arch of small drums floating over his head. He was Mercurius, Knight of Thunder.
The second knight wore blue armor with two fans on his back, and held a staff. He was Vayeate, Knight of Winds.
The third knight's armor was dusty grey, and his face was like a devilish mask. Over his grey armor he had golden claws and wings. Next to him was a large red lance. This was Tallgeese, Knight of the Tempest.
Tallgeese floated listlessly in the air, suspended in magical energy coming from a red octagon covered in Lacroa runes. On either side of the octagon wore Mericurius and Vayeate, who were channeling their own magic into the octagon.
Vayeate grimaced under his visor. "I-if we keep doing this, our own magical energy will run out in no time!"
"Y-yes," Mercurius gasped, "But we simply cannot abandon our lord!"
"Is it possible that Lord Tallgeese took so much damage?" Vayeate asked, "Could the dazzling Feather Dragon truly be that powerful?"
"Its rank as a spirit is much higher than that of the Griffin," Mercurius answered, speaking of the spirit that Tallgeese had merged with. "Lord Tallgeese didn't stand a chance!"
They all remembered when they went to Neotopia in the other dimension to destroy the Gundam Force. Trapping them in a Magic Square, Tallgeese tried to force the location of the Spirit Egg from Zero…only to find the creature of the Egg becoming the Feather Dragon. Merging with Feather Dragon, Zero soundly defeated Tallgeese, causing him and his followers to fall in a crack in the Magic Square. Since then, they have remained in the Minov Boundary Sea, with no way to escape. Tallgeese had fallen into a coma soon after, possibly from the stress of the battle or the shock at his defeat. The Feather Dragon had fallen into the Sea as well, but had flown off somewhere…
The two knights were pulled from their thoughts as they heard a sound like something rushing through the air.
"Huh?" Vayeate murmured, looking in the direction the sound was coming from.
"What's that?" Mercurius asked, also looking.
A red, sinister sword drove itself into the rune octagon. The green gems on its blade seemed to glow.
"What's it doing?" Mercurius asked as he and Vayeate flew in for a closer look. Before they could get to far, the sword pulled itself out and attacked them, lashing out like a snake. The two knights went flying away from the octagon, which shrank into the sword. Without the magic, Tallgeese began to fall, and the sword flew down after him.
"Lord Tallgeese!" Vayeate cried.
Mercurius looked down and asked, "What's happening?"
The tip of the sword's blade softly tapped Tallgeese, and there was a flash of light. The unconscious knight stopped falling as the sword began to emit red light, bathing Tallgeese in its glow.
And then…Tallgeese stood up.
"Lord Tallgeese!" Mercurius gasped. He and Vayeate flew down to investigate.
"The power of this sword must have revived him." Vayeate decided.
"Hmm, still alive, in the Minov Boundary Sea. I am proud of you, Tallgeese!"
A rune circle like one Vayeate had never seen appeared, and expanded into the size of a person. An image of Tallgeese's devoted servant, Deathscythe appeared in it.
"Deathscythe…" Tallgeese said softly, still a bit weary, and then realized that the Knight of Darkness had not called him 'Lord'. "I hope you're not mocking me…"
"Of course not!" Deathscythe cried out, sounding shocked. "Just expressing my respect and admiration."
Tallgeese grimaced as a tingle of pain shot through him. "…Forget about it. Just get us out of here. I trust you have a plan…do you?"
"Hm, but of course!" Deathscythe purred, "I've prepared a magical pathway to cross the dimensional border. However, there is one problem…"
"Spit it out already!" Tallgeese snarled.
"Yes, if you'll allow me to finish," Deathscythe said sternly, "You see, the Winged Knight and his comrades are at the foot of the magical pathway."
"Do you mean the Gundam Force?" Tallgeese asked quickly.
"Well, I don't mean the Neotopia Knitting Club," Deathscythe said, "We must hide you in this weakened condition!"
"Never mind!" Tallgeese growled, waving his hand. "It's time for a little payback… I'll get back to Lacroa after defeating them all! And that's that!" Destroying the Gundam Force would be a lovely way to celebrate his escape from this void…
"Ooh, spoken like a true warrior!" Deathscythe applauded, and the red sword floated up at their level. "Now, please take this Evil Sword Epyon. It will definitely be of use to you…"
Tallgeese stared at Epyon with wide eyes. "The Evil Sword…Epyon?" Was this what he thought it was?
"It will guide you to the magical pathway," Deathscythe explained, "Go ahead…take it."
Tallgeese said nothing, but the way he looked at the sword showed his thoughts. I am going to borrow your power, Epyon!
Deathscythe's image began to vanish. "I wish you victory, sir…" He said as the rune circle dissipated.
-z-
Deathscythe chuckled darkly. That is, I wish you victory in order to make my ambitions come true!
The Knight of Darkness looked at the petrified form of Princess Lacroa and cackled.
-z-
Tallgeese took hold of the Epyon Sword's handle and shivered with delight. His eyes flashed purple as he held it up.
"What a wonderful sword…" He whispered, "It flows into my body…" He began to laugh. "The power is flowing into my body!" His body gave off a dark orange light.
"Lord Tallgeese!" gasped Vayeate.
"Such powerful magic…" Mercurius murmured.
Tallgeese turned to his followers, chuckling evilly. "So you feel it too, do you?"
And with that, he rammed the Epyon Sword into Mercurius' chest!
The knight gasped out in pain, dropping his shield. "But… Lord Tallgeese…!"
Vayeate watched in horror as a black energy appeared from the sword, covering Mercurius. It soon shrank away, taking the red knight with it. The green gems glowed again. All the while, Tallgeese laughed fiendishly.
"Wh-why did you do that, sir?" Vayate asked anxiously, backing away.
"Why did I 'do that'?" Tallgeese asked, turning to the blue knight. He lunged. "The same reason I'm doing this!"
Vayeate was stabbed and subsequently absorbed into the sword's black energy. Once it was finished, Tallgeese held Epyon close to him, chuckling cruelly as he watched the green gems glow.
"My faithful followers…" He murmured into the blade, "Join the power of Epyon!"
Tallgeese waved the sword, and a ball of crackling electricity and swirling winds flew out from it- the powers of Mercurius and Vayeate.
He cackled, "This evil sword absorbs those wounded by it, and adds their power to its own! And it awaits you, Gundam Force! I will have your powers too!"
-z-
"He does not understand the true power of that evil sword," Deathscythe told the princess, even though as a statue she could not hear him. "Though he is a knight, he's no Gundam. And he should feel honored to contribute to my happiness with the princess. Isn't that right, my beloved Princess Rele? Fear not, my dear, for we shall soon be together!"
-z-
"Now, guide me to them, Evil Sword Epyon!"Tallgeese commanded, holding out the sword. Following its subtle urgings, Tallgeese flew off.
-z-
On the Gundamusai's lookout, the Gundam Force were taking a break. Captain had his face plate open, and Bakunetsumaru had a wide plate full of freshly-made rice balls. The rice and packing materials were on a trolley behind him.
"Okay, let's eat!" The Blazing Samurai said, walking forward.
Shute smiled and ran forward for a bite, but Zero hung back, his eyes half-closed.
"Rice balls again?" He asked tiredly.
"Okay, Zero," Bakunetsumaru chuckled, "I'll be glad to eat your share!"
Just then, RAIMI made an announcement. "Captain! The radar shows an unidentified object is approaching us from behind!"
Confused, the Gundam Force looked down the ship's flight path, trying to see what was coming up. Because their backs were turned and their focus elsewhere, none of them noticed Genkimaru spring up from the front.
"Food!" The Musha Gundam child laughed, "They're mine!" He zipped around before charging back down to the deck.
"Genkimaru?" Bakunetsumaru asked, and then realized that his load seemed to lighten. He looked down at his plate of rice balls to find that…
"They're gone!" Shute cried, staring at the empty space in Baku's hands.
"My rice balls!" Bakunetsumaru cried, and hollered, "Come back!"
"No fair!" Shute yelled.
Genkimaru kept on going, laughing as he hopped down the cannons and onto the deck. He quickly ran into the ship.
Everyone stared, while Shute and Bakunetsumaru grumbled over their lost meal. Their mutterings were cut off when a giant red lance suddenly speared itself into the floor in front of them. The pair jumped back in alarm.
Zero examined the weapon. "I know this lance." he muttered, and looked up to see Tallgeese flying above them.
"So, I've found you at last, Gundam Force!" Tallgeese cackled.
"That guy again…!" Shute muttered as he and the Gundams looked up at Tallgeese.
Bakunetsumaru pointed at him and asked, "Who's that?"
The rest of the Gundam Force fell over.
"It's been a long time, Gundam Force!" Tallgeese declared, "Witness my newly acquired power!"
Tallgeese lunged at them, and Shute and Bakunetsumaru ran for cover. Once they reached the end of the lookout, Bakunetsumaru whirled around and pulled out his swords.
"No more running!" He yelled, "It's time to fight!"
Tallgeese swung his sword and hit Bakunetsumaru, sending him flying towards the deck below.
"Looks like Tallgeese is back." Captain said, and closed his faceplate.
"He's definitely changed since the last time we saw him." Zero commented. He not onlyfound Tallgeese's new glow unsettling, but also that he didn't go through a grand introduction speech. That wasn't like the Knight of the Tempest he knew.
-z-
Down below, as Bakunetsumaru tried to pull himself up, the Zakos, Grappler and Destroyer walked out of one of the Haro faces on the outside of the ship. They had heard the crash and came to investigate.
"I can't believe Lord Talgeese is still alive, Zako!" One Zako said.
Grappler shielded his eyes as he looked up at the winged figure. "I knew he'd be tough enough to survive!"
"Yeah, duh." Destroyer added.
"Hey, you idiots!" Zapper yelled following them. He waved his mop angrily. "Grab a mop! Our cleaning mission isn't over yet! This galaxy is filthy!"
-z-
"Come to me! Legendary sacred magic Vatras Sword!" Zero chanted, summoning his sword and shield. Once he was armed, he took to the air after Tallgeese.
"Looks like that Feather Dragon isn't around to fight for you, huh?" Tallgeese asked tauntingly.
The two knights began to clash, swinging their swords against one another. When their blades locked, Zero finally got a good look at the sword Tallgeese bore.
"Tallgeese!" the Winged Knight cried, "Is that by any chance the Evil Sword Epyon?"
Tallgeese smirked evilly. "Ha! I'm impressed you knew it! You truly are the sole survivor of the Royal Knights! Embrace your knight's pride as you are destroyed!"
Tallgeese spun around and struck Zero, sending him flying down onto the Gundamusai's deck, landing near Bakunetsumaru.
"Zero!" Shute cried out.
Tallgeese laughed wildly as Shute and Captain ran to the aid of their friends.
"Zero!" Shute yelled, and helped the knight up. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine." Zero replied a bit gruffly.
As he was helped up by Captain, Bakunetsumaru muttered, "He's so powerful…"
Captain looked up at the laughing fiend and scanned him. "Tallgeese is showing 376.19% more power than the last time!"
"He's sold his soul to the Evil Sword," Zero said, "Everyone, be careful! That sword possesses formidable power!"
With a mad yell, Tallgeese flew down to the deck at the Gundam Force. The glow around him seemed to be increasing.
"Tallgeese!" Zero cried out, "Stop using that sword!"
Tallgeese grinned evilly. "Ah, the words of a coward who used the power of the Feather Dragon to seal me in the Minov Boundary Sea!"
Tallgeese swung Epyon down at Zero, who blocked with his shield. The evil knight then kicked Zero towards the front end of the deck, and quickly landed on him to keep him down. Tallgeese pointed the tip of the blade at Zero.
"Now to return the favor, Winged Knight!" Tallgeese cackled.
Zero stared at the blade, his eyes practically crossing as it got nearer. From behind Tallgeese came Bakunetsumaru and Captain, their weapons out and ready to fight. The Knight of Tempest floated up and whirled at the incoming Gundams.
"So, you want to be absorbed too, huh?" He asked cruelly, and shot a ball of tornado-lightning at them from Epyon. The two Gundams were blasted back into the wall of the ship.
"Captain!" Shute cried, "Bakunetsumaru!"
"The power of thunder and wind!" Zero gasped, getting up. "You had the Evil Sword swallow up your trusted followers?"
Tallgeese laughed insanely, shaking. "That's right! I can hear it! The joyful voices of my followers becoming part of y power!"
Zero felt his circuits go cold. "That Evil Sword absorbs it wounds, and then it steals all their power!"
Captain, having peeled himself and Bakunetsumaru from the wall, looked up at Tallgeese and asked, "Does that mean that the sword actually possesses the power of Vayeate and Mercurius?"
Bakunetsumaru spat. "Oh, fine! So the sides are more even, big deal! Let's get him! C'mon, team!"
Zero glanced at Shute and said, "I need you to stay here, Shute."
Shute did not argue. "Yeah, okay." He knew that this battle was going to be fierce, and that the last the Gundams needed was to worry about a comrade. He would support them from a distance.
"I'll have the sword absorb the power of each and every one of you!" Tallgeese cackled.
-z-
Off to the side, the Dark Axis stowaways watched the battle.
"Hmm…nice!" Grappler said.
The Zakos cheered for Tallgeese, while behind them, Destroyer yelled, "Sword! I want that sword!"
Only Zapper was not celebrating. "I want you morons to get back to your cleaning right this minute!"
-z-
Tallgeese attacked, swinging Epyon against Zero without pause. Zero was barely able to keep up with evil knight's assault as they fought in the air.
"I am grateful, Deathscythe!" Tallgeese cackled madly, "For giving this power to me!"
"Deathscythe?" Zero cried, "Why would your own ally give you a sword that will destroy you?"
-z-
"Rele…you can understand why I've used Tallgeese in this way, can't you?" the Knight of Darkness asked the princess. "He was always envious of the Gundams… The darkness in his mind made him choose the path of belonging to the Dark Axis… And I am going to use that obsession of his to make you mine!"
Deathscythe cackled again.
-z-
As the two knights clashed their blades together, they found themselves lowering back down to the Gundamusai. Although Zero had caught on to the pattern in Tallgeese's moves, he still had trouble keeping up with the Knight of the Tempest's speed and power.
"You are just a weakling if you can't borrow the power of the Feather Dragon!" Tallgeese screamed as his attacks intensified. "Someone as weak as you should never have been made a Royal Knight! Why are Gundams always chosen and not me?"
As Zero fended off Tallgeese's blows, he thought, How dare Deathscythe resurrect such an evil sword!
Tallgeese raised Epyon for a strong cut, and Zero backed off. Epyon banged harmlessly off of the cannon they were over.
"I had you but the ship moved!" Tallgeese howled, and began to stomp the cannon. ""Why can't you just! Stay! Still! Bad ship! Bad ship! Bad ship!"
Down below, the Zakos quivered at Tallgeese's hissy fit.
"Lord Tallgeese is acting kind of weird, Zako!" One cried.
"That's not the Lord Tallgeese that we know, Zako!" Another whimpered.
Then Tallgeese turned and glared up at the bridge. The sight of its Gundam-head appearance only increased his rage.
"I don't like that face!" He growled, "What are you smiling at?"
Tallgeese shot another lightning-tornado at the bridge, and the entire ship shook from the impact. Not only that, but electricity seemed to crackle all over the place.
"Attention!" RAIMI called, "The Gundamusai's outer hull has been damaged! Presently engaged in emergency-scan of all damaged areas!"
-z-
Inside the engine room, Genkimaru lay atop one of the ceiling supports, sleeping off his stolen meal. The empty plate of rice balls was right next to him, but the ship's shaking caused by the battle caused it to fall. Soon Genkimaru fell with it.
"Ouch!" Genkimaru cried when he hit the floor. Wincing in pain, he tried to sit up. "Ow… What's all the racket…?"
-z-
Zero and Tallgeese soon were back to fighting. Their blades soon locked as the Knight of the Tempest began to force the Winged Knight down.
"Do not make light of my power!" Tallgeese snarled, "You are no match for me, little Gundam! Say goodnight!"
Zero strained, trying to keep his strength up. "Stop, Tallgeese! If you let jealousy consume your soul you'll only destroy yourself!"
At that moment, Tallgeese pulled away and swung around, hitting Zero down. The Winged Knight managed to land on his feet on the ship's lowest frontline cannon.
"You don't understand the magical power you're dealing with!" Zero continued, "The Evil Sword Epyon absorbs not just those hurt by it, but it eventually devours the soul of the one who wields it as well!"
But Tallgeese laughed. "You are envious of my power! Without the Feather Dragon you are nothing but a weakling! This Evil Sword is mine! And it's power is mine!"
The Knight of the Tempest lunged, and slammed Epyon against Zero's Vatras Sword. As he began to force Zero down, the V-Rod and Bakunetsumaru's swords suddenly joined in and began to press Epyon back.
"Fenn the Feather Dragon is no longer with him, but we are here to help!" Captain said.
"Right!" Bakunetsumaru said, "Unlike you, we will not allow a friend to be defeated!"
"We will always fight together to achieve victory together!" Zero said.
The Gundams increased the force of their push, forcing Epyon back.
"Impossible!" Tallgeese exclaimed.
With one mighty shove, the Gundams sent Tallgeese flying into the face of the bridge. Tallgeese began to shake as blue lightning crackled all over him. He gave a fearsome yell and turned an even darker shade of orange.
"Now, I shall cure you of your curse!" Zero declared, and turned to the others. "Captain! Bakunetsumaru! Please!"
Captain nodded. "Got it!"
"We're with you, Zero!" Bakunetsumaru yelled.
"Captain, Zero, Bakunetsumaru!" Shute cheered.
"Soul Drive activate!" Captain cried as the unit burned to life. His eyes enflamed and his fist shone gold as he took a fighting stance.
Bakunetsumaru's chest stone shined. "The heavens call out… The earth calls out… the people call out! Justice calls to me, and I answer! I am Bakunetsumaru! The Blazing Samurai! Of Ark!" He charged forward.
"O Mana, who lives in all the universe," Zero chanted, By your contract with this Winged Knight give me your power now! Super Magical Violet Torndado!"
Zero swung his sword, and a great wind blow, laced with violet rose petals.
Captain swung his fist forward. "Captain Punch!"
"Secret Arts! Bakunetsu! Kenpu!" Bakunetsumaru sliced a flaming X into the air. "Tenkyo-Ken!"
The force of the three attacks combined shot forward, with Zero flying in the center of it.
"Get ready, Tallgeese!" The Winged Knight yelled, "This is our power!"
By now, Tallgeese had separated from the ship, though he was still crackling. The lightning vanished as he got a hold over himself and glared down at the incoming force.
"Hahaha!" He laughed fiendishly, "You make an easy target for me, Winged Knight!"
"Take your best shot!" Zero retorted.
Tallgeese raised Epyon and crowed, "The Evil Sword hungers for you!"
The two knights slammed into each other in a fantastic burst of light, and for a moment seemed to equal each other. Then Zero pushed forward, blasting Tallgeese away.
"Noooooooo!" the Knight of the Tempest screamed, letting o of Epyon. The Evil Sword landed on the Gundamusai deck, stabbing itself into the ship behind Shute, Captain and Bakunetsumaru, who were looking up at the knights.
Tallgeese seemed frozen in the air for a moment before slumping. "What happened…?" He asked tiredly.
"You were being absorbed by the Evil Sword!" Zero told him, "But you're in control now."
Shute, meanwhile, was staring at Epyon. The Evil Sword was giving off a strange black mist before it receded. It then pulled itself out of the ship and flew into the air, fitting its handle into Tallgeese's hand. The blade began to give off the black and purple mist again.
"Wrong…" The evil knight moaned, "The sword…is controlling…me!"
"Oh no!" Zero cried, "We're too late!"
As the mist increased, Tallgeese wailed, "What's happening?"
-z-
Deathscythe's chamber echoed with the psychotic laughter of the Knight of Darkness.
"Yes! I've been waiting so long for this moment!"
-z-
Everyone- Gundams, Shute, Zakos- watched in horror as Epyon's dark mist began to cover Tallgeese, while the Knight of the Tempest shook, trying to free himself from the Evil Sword. But it was too late.
"Deathscythe!" Tallgeese howled, "How dare you use me!"
As the dark energy of Epyon covered his body and consumed him, he could just barely hear Deathscythe's voice in his thoughts, as if the Knight of Darkness were right behind him, whispering into his ear.
You see, in order to activate the true power of Epyon, I needed to nourish it with intense negative feelings… Like jealousy…rage…hatred…and vengeance! It was obvious to me that more suitable morsel than you…Lord Tallgeese!
"Deathscythe…!" Tallgeese screamed as the darkness consumed him, "This…isn't…over...!"
His final words echoing into the air, Tallgeese became a giant cloud of swirling dark magic.
"That was so cruel!" Bakunetsumaru gasped. The fate he had just witnessed was one he wouldn't wish on anyone, even his worst enemy.
Captain stared at the dark cloud and gave a start. "Warning! An extremely powerful energy is being released from the Evil Sword!"
Shute cried out in alarm.
…No! Zero thought, staring.
The black cloud burst, and in its place floated one of the most terrifying things anyone present had ever seen.
It wore black and red armor with four wings on its back. It bore a shield with serpent imagery and the Epyon Sword. Its shoulder pads resembled lizard heads.
And the most frightening aspect of it…was that it had the face of a Gundam.
"The Berserker Epyon!" Zero cried out, his worst fears confirmed.
The dark warrior did nothing for a moment, but then began to speak in a deep voice, as if from the bowels of Hades. "My name is Epyon… My revival is now complete…"
As Epyon spread his wings out, everyone who had witnessed this terrible thing being born shook with fear.