Hibiki leads the group heading towards Kushinada's Lynchpin to an old, decrepit, ruined city. Though you could hardly call this place a city anymore. Hazama stares at the sky, taking note of the dark red coloration. These ruins were once the city of Wadatsumi. Taking a look around, one could see that an effort to rebuild the city torn by the Ikaruga Civil War has been going on, though no one is in sight now.
"What happened to this place...? This is horrible..." Noel says, staring at the ruins with a sorrowful expression on her face. Her heart goes out to those who died during the war, or those that were forced to move from this war torn city.
"Take a good look, because this..." Hazama steps in front of the group, turning back to them and spreading his arms out. "This is the product of war! Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday! The Ikaruga Civil War was one helluva war, wasn't it?"
"Terumi you bastard..." Ragna growls through grit teeth. Hazama rejoins the group and motions for Hibiki to continue walking. Both Hibiki and Hazama's eyes are set on one building that stands taller than all the rest. What's left of a castle is planted right in the middle of Wadatsumi. Just by taking a look at it the rest of the group could feel their hairs standing up on end.
"This is where the Lynchpin is?" Noel asks.
"Yes. You will find it in the basement of Wadatsumi Castle. There I am sure that you will figure out the rest," Hibiki says without turning around.
"You're not going to come with us?" Celica asks.
Hibiki shakes his head.
"No, I'm afraid this is about as far as I can go. Lord Kagura needs me, and I can't just leave him alone at a time like this," he says. "Anyway, this is where we part."
Hibiki turns around and walks past Ragna. The man turns around and grabs Hibiki's shoulder and says, "Thanks for navigating us."
"It was my pleasure," Hibiki responds. Ragna lets go of his shoulder and walks away. Hazama watches Hibiki as his figure becomes smaller and smaller, until he can't see the man anymore, and then turns back to the rest of the group.
"Alright, I'll be leading the way from here on. You should be careful on the way. We wouldn't want any one of you getting hurt now, would we?" Hazama asks. The team nods and follows Hazama as he makes his way into the castle.
As soon as Hazama steps into the castle and Ragna closes the door, complete darkness enshrouds them. They can't see anything. Ragna looks around for anything that might resemble the door that Kagura told Noel about before they came, but he has no luck trying to find it.
"Dammit, did we go into the wrong castle?" Ragna asks.
"No, Raggy. There is only one Wadatsumi Castle and we're standing in it right now. But I see what you mean. I can't find this door anywhere, and no matter where I check there doesn't seem to be any signs of a door..." Hazama says, adjusting his fedora. "I must say that I'm actually pretty stumped here."
"There is the off chance that we came to the wrong room," Celica notes, turning away from the wall she was inspecting earlier.
"What is this...?"
The group turns their heads to Noel, who is staring at... well, nothing.
"What are you looking at, Noel? Don't tell me that you've gone insane," Hazama asks.
Noel turns to them, an incredulous look on her face. How can they not see it? It's huge!
"Do you mean that you can't see it? It's right here in front of us..." Noel says. She turns back to whatever she's looking at and puts her hands on it, feeling around for some way to open up the door. "I don't know how to open this, though..."
"Hmm... then I guess this is what he meant when he said that it will only open to the Successor of the Azure. Only she can see this door," Hazama says, a finger on his chin. "Maybe you should acknowledge it. We could probably open it, then."
Noel nods her head, turning back to the door. She shuts her eyes and begins to focus. She's enveloped in a bright light that goes away as quickly as it came, revealing her in the same clothing that she wore when she was Mu-12. It brings back bad memories for Ragna, and he averts his gaze, opting to look at Hazama instead. The man is smiling with anticipation.
A thin white line appears in front of Noel as she opens her eyes. That line expands, as if a door is opening. The entire wall that the line covers fades away in a bright white light, revealing a hidden section of the castle.
In the center of the newly revealed room lies the artifact that they're looking for. Kushinada's Lynchpin. The artifact itself is a giant nail with odd patterns all over it, wrapped around in massive chains. Ragna, Noel, and Celica stare at it in awe, while Hazama turns his head to the left, seeing a flash of purple.
"This is how they kept it from being observed..." Ragna says.
"My my my... It's been quite a long time since we've last seen each other, hasn't it?" Hazama asks suddenly.
"Hm?" Celica turns to where Hazama is looking and gasps loudly. Ragna and Noel's eyes narrow as a man walks up to them, holding someone by the collar. That someone is completely limp, but is still breathing. The other man merely knocked him unconscious.
"Ah yes, I do believe it has, Hazama," the man says, throwing the other man in his hands away from him. The body rolls as it hits the ground, and when it stops his face is revealed. The "X" shaped scar on his face is unmistakeable. It's none other than Bang Shishigami.
"Where does the time go, Colonel Relius Clover...?"
The man who Hazama addressed as Relius stands before them with a smirk on his face.
"So sorry, Hazama, but I cannot let you activate the Lynchpin," Relius says.
"Yes, we can't," another voice says. From behind Relius a well endowed woman steps out, glaring daggers at the others.
"Oh my, it seems you've taken Litchi Faye Ling with you, too?" Hazama asks, taking his hat off and bowing.
"I have taken the liberty of getting this loud, obnoxious man out of the way in preparation for the grand finale," Relius says. He turns to Kushinada's Lynchpin and a twisted smile spreads across his face. "My my... so this is the Lynchpin... What a marvelous creation. I would have liked to have seen it activated, but we are a little bit short on time. Now, Thirteen."
Another girl jumps out from the shadows in a flash of white, grabbing hold of Noel. Ragna's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets as he lays his eyes on who grabbed Noel.
"N-Nu!?"
"Link with 12th Prime Field Device confirmed. Commencing merge," Nu says.
Noel begins to cry out, trying to break free from Nu's hold. As Ragna runs toward Noel to stop Nu from doing whatever she's doing to Noel, Relius intercepts him, a pink doll appearing behind him. His weapon, Ignis.
"I will not let you interfere. Come, Ignis," Relius commands. Ragna is blocked off from Nu and Noel just in time for Nu to take Noel and run. Before anyone can reach her she vanishes into the shadows, her destination unknown.
Hibiki, Kagura, Homura, Tsubaki, and Nu all stand in the basement of the Librarium, waiting for the okay from Hibiki.
"Preparations are complete," Hibiki says, turning to Kagura. The black haired man nods his head in satisfaction.
"Alright, connect the lines with all the Cities in the world. I want the whole damned planet watching!" Kagura yells with anticipation.
Just then, Kagura's transceiver beeps.
"Kagura, wait. Looks like Relius crashed Ragna's party," Kokonoe's voice says. At the sound of Relius's name, Kagura's eyes widen.
"Relius!? Are they alright?" Kagura asks.
"I can't be sure about that. My signal cut off and Tager's nowhere nearby to intercept. Is there anyone that you can send after them?" Kokonoe asks.
"Let me go," Nu says, startling the others. "If Relius is there then that means that my little sister is in danger. I'll be more than enough to protect them."
"If you're sure about that, Nu, then you can go. But the moment something happens I want you to return here. While Tsubaki can be more than enough to protect his highness, the situation here is going to escalate. Rapidly," Kagura warns. Nu nods her head in agreement, running out of the basement. Kagura leans his head toward the stairs and yells out, "Get Makoto, too!"
"I got it!" Nu's response echoes back to them. Kagura lets out a sigh as he turns to Tsubaki.
"Is there any word on Jinny?" Kagura asks. Tsubaki looks sad as she shakes her head. Jin is still asleep in his room, and he shows no signs of waking up soon.
"I have a very, very bad feeling about this..." Kagura says, looking at Homura.
"Did you let it go? Or did you let it run?"
A sense of dread fills the room as a dimensional portal appears in front of them. It doesn't take a genius to know who spoke just now. The Imperator Librarius herself steps out of the portal along with the Phantom. She takes a look around the room, and a look of disdain spreads across her features.
"...What are you doing? It is I that stands before you. Know your place, lowly worms," the Imperator says. Kagura crosses his arms and scowls at the Imperator.
"It seems I haven't had the pleasure yet, Imperator Librarius," Kagura says. He grabs his giant sword, and Tsubaki readies the Izayoi.
"Such disdain in your voice. Do you not understand who stands before you? Oh, and the Izayoi, too? How do you think you will stand before me? You haven't even achieved its potential yet," the Imperator chuckles to herself. The Phantom moves to her side and casts a powerful magic spell, flooring Tsubaki, Kagura, and Hibiki. "Where is Jin Kisaragi...?"
"Why are you... so concerned about Jin...?" Tsubaki asks through grit teeth, trying her hardest to stand on her feet.
"Hades..." Homura stares right at the Imperator, a semi frightened look on his face.
The Imperator looks surprised at the sight of Homura and a smiles faintly.
"You must be the Tenjo child... Homura, wasn't it? I see..." the Imperator notes.
"Why are you here...?" Kagura asks.
"Must I tell you when I am visiting an area of my domain?" she responds.
"I never thought of you as the Imperator!" Kagura yells, shaking his head defiantly.
"Is that so? Then am I led to believe that this child is the true Imperator? I see, so you are after the Librarium," the Imperator laughs. "You are quite interesting creatures, coming after that which I possess. Very well, I suppose that I shall lend you a hand in the matter."
The Phantom casts another magic spell, and the Imperator takes in a large breath, preparing to speak.
"To all citizens of the world, I declare before you that I am the Imperator! As of right now I relinquish all control of the Novus Orbis Librarium to Amonohokosaka Homura! From this moment forward Homura is the new Imperator! I am generous. The Librarium is yours. Write the laws to achieve your ideal world, and struggle to achieve that glory you have long sought. That is right. Now the world belongs to you. It has left my hands, and has been placed into yours. Citizens, I call to you. You have served the Librarium well and have fought to protect your own world, and believed that through obedience to me that would be fulfilled. Now, I almost long for it. I appreciate your dedication and loyalty, and for that I will proved you with a reward as I relinquish the seat. The greatest peace... Unending calmness... A most comforting repose... An event that all living beings receive equally. All citizens, in the name of Hades Izanami, I present to you... DEATH!"
Noel lies at Nu-13's side as the white haired girl stares up into the sky with a happy expression on her face. It creeps Noel out, seeing as though she was told by Nu that she's normally emotionless.
"The Imperator gave off quite a speech... I suppose that I should be getting to what I'm here to do now," Nu-13 says. "Restriction 666 released... Dimensional interference field deployed... BlazBlue... activate!"
Nu-13 is immediately enveloped in a dark, purple aura, very similar to Ragna when he activates his BlazBlue. Noel takes this chance to look around to see where she's been taken to, but can only find the dark, cloudy sky above. She looks up into the air to see the clouds parting in a circular formation, revealing light.
The ground starts to rumble with tremendous force. It takes all that Noel has to keep herself on the platform that the two are standing on.
Ragna feels the ground below him begin to shake violently, throwing him off balance.
"What the hell!?" Ragna looks around for the source of the tremor, but finds nothing. What could have caused this to happen?
"The initialization has begun," Relius states, a satisfied smile on his face.
"Ragna, can you hear me!?" Kokonoe yells, her voice echoing throughout Ragna's mind.
"I'm a little bit busy right now! Can this wait?!" Ragna yells, blocking an attack from Ignis.
"Make sure you protect Celica and the Lynchpin with your life! Nu and Makoto are on their way to your location, so hold out until they get there!" Kokonoe commands as Ragna jumps over a buzz saw-like contraption coming out of the ground.
"Obviously! But Noel is in bigger trouble right now! The Nu that belongs to this timeline got her and she took her to somewhere! I don't know exactly where, but I can tell that it means trouble!" Ragna yells, slashing at Relius. A giant, metallic fist pops out of Relius's cape and parries the blow.
"Noel!? What the hell are you talking about!?" Kokonoe yells.
"Gah! The signal's horrible! Stop yelling into my ear!" Ragna yells back as a metallic fist collides with his chest, pushing him back a little due to the force.
Hazama looks both ways for any oncoming attacks as he runs toward the unconscious Bang on the floor. He crouches down beside him and gives him a slap in the face, instantly waking the man up. Bang beings to scramble across the floor and eventually sits upright, looking at who woke up him.
"You... Who are you? Oooh, my head..." Bang holds his head in his hands, feeling intense pain.
"Hey hey, you alright in there?" Hazama asks. "We can't have you dying on us, you know. Listen, there's something that I need you to do for us."
"I am sorry, but if it regards the Lynchpin then the answer is no. I was told to protect this with my life, and I will not let it fall in the wrong hands," Bang shoots up from the ground and gets into a battle stance, ready to risk his life to protect the Lynchpin. Hazama sighs loudly and shakes his head.
"Do you really wanna start a fight here!? This is an urgent situation you lunkhead!" he yells, pointing the the fight raging on between Ragna and Relius. Ragna cries out as Ignis's claws dig deep into his arm, and retaliates back with a slice of his sword. The sword hits Ignis's arm and the doll recoils back, taking its claw out of Ragna.
"What has been happening since I've been gone!? All I remember is... Relius Clover! That man came here and attacked me" Bang realizes who he's looking at with wide eyes.
"Yes, yes! Relius Clover! He's here to take the Lynchpin from us and use it for some kind of evil cause! Isn't that what you said you would stop anyone from doing?" Hazama asks.
"Yes, I did say that!" Bang yells. He begins to run into the battle but Hazama grabs him by his scarf and pulls him back.
"Look, I don't want you getting into that fight. It'd get a little bit messy, you see? What I need you to do is take that girl over there and activate the Lynchpin with her!" Hazama points toward Celica, who runs up to the two of them.
"Hi, I'm Celica A. Mercury. Are you alright, sir?" she asks, looking at the wounds that cover Bang's body. When Relius attacked him, he must have hit him hard.
"Um... yes, yes I am. Thank you for asking. I am Bang Shishigami," Bang says.
"We need you to activate the Lynchpin, Bang," Celica says with a kind smile. "I'm so sorry, but I don't know what to do past the point of using the Phoenix Rettenjo..."
"No no no, it's fine. I too do not know how to use it properly," Bang shakes his head.
"Well, if you look at the Rettenjo, it's like a nail... so maybe we need to hammer it into the Lynchpin!" Celica announces. "Bang, please. I know that this is an odd request, but could you please hammer me into the Lynchpin?"
"WHAT!?" Ragna yells, turning away from Relius to look at Celica with an incredulous look on his face, giving Relius enough time to slam Ragna into the ground with a giant green fist.
"Pay attention, Ragna the Bloodedge!" Relius says, a tone of disappointment in his voice.
"Well... okay, if you're certain..." Bang says.
"But, I thought that Kokonoe said that she wanted to try the bloodsucker's way first?" Hazama asks.
"This situation is getting serious now, Hazama! I don't think that Kokonoe is willing to take any chances, and I don't want to either. If it means that I'll protect everyone, then so be it!" Celica says, determination clear in her eyes. Hazama is taken aback by this and is left to stare at Bang and Celica as they get up and start running toward the Lynchpin.
As he sees Litchi go to intercept them, he jumps up and throws a chain out. The snake head at the tip bites down on seemingly nothing and Hazama shoots himself to where Litchi is going to be, taking out his knives and blocking an attack from her pole. Both Litchi and Bang are surprised by this action.
"H-Hazama...!?" Litchi stares at the green haired man wide eyed.
"You must activate the Lynchpin at all costs, right!? Well, what are you waiting for?! Go on and do it already, dammit!" Hazama yells. Bang and Celica nod their heads and start running to the Lynchpin once more.
Celica gasps and clutches her head, surprising Bang.
"What's wrong, Miss Celica!?" Bang asks.
"Dammit, the seithr here is way too concentrated!" Hazama yells. "What the hell is going on here!?"
The fighting in the room simultaneously stops. Ignis returns to Relius's side, and Hazama and Litchi put down their weapons to turn to the man. Relius starts laughing.
"I've opened all of the Cauldrons, so it was an obvious outcome," Relius explains.
"Even the one in Ikaruga!?" Ragna yells.
"I'm sorry, I don't think you heard me correctly. I said 'all', did I not? Now, all of the Cauldrons will be unleashed!" Relius announces. "All of the Cauldrons have been released. We have opened every single one of them. The seithr that flows out of them will eventually consume all 'life' on this planet and gather at the Monolith, here in Ikaruga, to become a catalyst for the Cauldron."
"Catalyst...?" Ragna asks.
"A Monolith that huge? The number of souls that it will be able to gather will be astronomical. I couldn't ask for more in the creation of a Cauldron."
"A Monolith? Ah, I see what you're doing. Raggy, do you remember the Cauldron I used to smelt Kusanagi? They're going to do the same thing I did there, but instead of using the Librarium soldiers like I did, he's going to use the entire world!" Hazama announces.
"So that's why there were no Library soldiers!? You used them to create the Kusanagi!?" Ragna asks incredulously. "You despicable bastards!"
"Please, that was all in the past!" Hazama says with a dismissive wave.
"The cauldron that that process will make, and the fact that No. 13 has fused with the Successor to the Azure... I would say that's a pretty sufficient way of bringing the Gods down to the altar," Relius says.
"You're... going to summon the Master Unit!?" Ragna yells.
"I'm not going to let that happen!" Bang yells, putting down Celica. Before he can do anything, Litchi jumps to him and slams her pole down on the ground in front of him, startling Bang. He stares at her, hurt clear on his face. "Why!? Why do you follow that man's wishes!?"
"It's all for the recreation," Litchi says. "We are going to reset this world and then rebuild it. In order to do that, we will send the souls of this world into the Azure, where his soul lies... the Abyss of the Azure..."
"You stupid bimbo! Do you understand what that means!?" Hazama shouts. "Little Miss Panties-in-a-twist is trying to destroy the Master Unit! Don't you understand that without it, recreation is impossible!?"
"Oh, Hazama... don't worry about that problem. I have solved it already. 'I' will recreate the world," Relius says. "The creation of a perfect doll... A world in which I am the Architect! In such a world, the Master Unit: Amaterasu and even the Imperator will be unnecessary!"
Nu stands at the very top of the Monolith, staring into the sky. A blue crest appears in the sky where the clouds have parted, covering that space. It has the shape of eight swords, with four at either side, and devilish wing-like protrusions at the top. It's the symbol of the Black Beast.
"It is time... to open the gates to the Nemesis Horizon!" Nu announces. Noel stares at the girl wide eyed, not knowing what's going on.
"What is that thing!?" Kagura asks, still struggling to stand. Phantom's spell hasn't weakened at all.
"That light is all living creatures' souls returning to the Azure. It is a repulsive light. One that I do not wish to see again," Saya says.
"Did you just say... that human life was repulsive!?" Tsubaki yells.
"Oh, so you are still able to stay in this world. I suppose that those who are gifted will not cave in as easily," the former Imperator says.
Kagura finds the strength to stand and attacks Saya. She teleports out of the way of the attack and casts a spell, sending a very thin beam at Kagura. It shoots through his arm and he howls in pain.
"Kagura!" Tsubaki, Hibiki, and Homura yell at the same time.
"So you are still able to resist Phantom's Gravity Seed. Truly a marvelous display of power," Saya says.
"You piece of shit..." Kagura says through grit teeth.
"It speaks! Let's see you survive this..." Saya announces happily, sending a blast of magic power at Kagura. The man is blown away, crying out in intense pain. Saya laughs, saying, "It's been such a long time since I've heard such a beautiful song... Nevertheless, I would have liked to enjoy it more. My blade has arr-"
Saya is interrupted as she's thrown into the wall. Tsubaki and Kagura stare at her wide eyed as an expression of pain finally spreads across her face.
"Didn't your brother ever tell you... that naughty little sisters deserve to get punished!?"
"No..." Saya's eyes widen as she stands up. "No! Not you!"
"Oh...? What's this...? You seem to fear me. How is it that you fear me now, when before you didn't? In fact, you said that you would prove to me how useless I am... Well...?"
The long, white blade pointed at Saya glints in the light of the basement floor. Shining white armor holds the giant blade in one hand, handling it perfectly. There are no eyes on the armor, but Saya can feel the murderous glare. The aura that emanates from the armor, a swirling white, chills those in the room to the core.
"J... Jin..." Kagura begins, looking at the armor as it steps toward Saya. The Phantom moves to intercept, but the armor pushes it away effortlessly. Its head slowly turns to the purple cloak.
"When I am finished with her, you are next, Nine," Hakumen says.
"You must be a fool to think that your blade can eliminate me!" Saya floats in the air, high enough so that she is eye level with Hakumen. She gets close to him and stares at him where she believes that his eyes are. "Susano'o, the Time Killer... how can you kill that which does not have time...?"
"You say that you are immortal, however there is one thing that you are forgetting, sister," Hakumen says. "The Izayoi!"
"Oh? You believe that the girl who does not know how to wield it properly can put an end to my life...?" Saya asks.
"Tsubaki, you have to release the Zero Type Izayoi! If you do not, then the entire world will be at risk to this monster!" Hakumen yells.
"You think that you can defeat me!? You, mere mortals!?" Saya yells, getting angry. She takes a breath to calm herself down, and smiles confidently. "Fine. If you truly are deluded enough to think that you are able to defeat me, then we shall go to a more fitting arena. Come, Phantom. We will go and see my sword."
"Wait!" Kagura yells. Before he knows it, Tsubaki, Phantom, Saya, and Hakumen disappear.
"The perfect doll... A world in which I am the Architect! In such a world, even the Master Unit and the Imperator are useless," Relius says.
"The Imperator... useless...?" Ragna's confused by Relius's words. What does he mean by the Imperator being useless?
"I have only made a pact with the Imperator until 'Doomsday'... However, since 'it' will be no longer necessary in the world I build, I will dispose of her. This world is insane... Every occurrence in this world is part of the Master Unit's memory. All events are chained to a reality that cannot be improved upon nor conquered. In other words... evolution beyond the Master Unit's memory is quite impossible. A predetermined number of possibilities vie for supremacy in this finite space. The pieces on this accursed chessboard carry out what limited moves are at their disposal. How is THAT not insane...?" Relius asks.
"Relius you insane fool... are you trying to become a God!?" Hazama asks.
Relius throws his head back and laughs. "Don't be ridiculous! I am not that greedy of a man. I simply want to fix this failure of a world... to rebuild it from the ashes!" Relius throws his arms out, spreading them wide. "I am the Architect! I am the Creator!"
"Self-righteousness has its limits... and you have gone way too far..." Ragna says. He goes to attack Relius, but a different doll stands in the way of him, blocking his attack.
"Oh come on!" Ragna yells at the sight of Carl Clover. The boy turns to his father, a hateful expression on his face.
"Father, I'm going to make you keep the promise that you made to me back then, and I can't have you die before you do," Carl says.
Relius starts laughing once again. "That's the spirit, my son! Now you're finally thinking for yourself. All lives in this world are merely tools! Even your father's!"
"Ragna! Has the Lynchpin been activated yet!? The Imperator is about to destroy the Master Unit!" Kokonoe's voice yells.
"Shit's hit the fan here, Kokonoe! Everyone and their fucking mother has sided with this masked freak!" Ragna yells.
"Dammit... alright, then is the teleporter done, at least!?" Kokonoe asks.
"I put it on, yeah... Look, is this going somewhere? Cause Carl's looking at me like he's gonna kill me," Ragna says.
"Carl's there!?" Kokonoe asks in disbelief. "And yes, I do have a plan. You're going to inject the Lynchpin into the cauldron at the top of the tower in the Ibukido Ruins. There, it should act as a conduit that will stop the flow of seithr form the Boundary all the way to the cauldrons all across the world."
"Do you realize what that's gonna do!?" Ragna yells.
"Yes, I do! Would you rather have the world drown in seithr or not?" Kokonoe asks hotly. "Look, there's one problem with this, though. We need to break the foundation of the tower. If not, the whole thing could collapse."
"Hey, you said that Nu's on her way here, right? Tell her to get her ass over to the tower so that she can break the foundation!" Ragna commands. "I'll try and do the best that I can in the meantime."
"Alright," Kokonoe says.
"Oh, and Kokonoe...?" Ragna asks.
"What is it now?" Kokonoe lets out an annoyed sigh.
"We're using Celica for the Lynchpin," Ragna says.
"I see," Kokonoe says, ending her transmission with Ragna.
Nu spreads her arms wide, staring up at the crest that shines brightly in the sky. Noel looks around to see blue energy flying into the crest. Are these the souls that are being used for the Monolith?
"No.. stop! You have to stop!" Noel yells at her. There's no signs of her even hearing what she said.
"I pray as Successor to the Azure... Bring the light that shines upon this Earth before me," Nu-13 says. "Master Unit... Amaterasu..."
The clouds in the sky begin to swirl in the circle that has been covered by the blue crest, and many different spike-like structures pop out of the clouds. Noel stares in fear as the sky literally opens up to reveal a brilliant golden ray of light. From that ray of light, and intricate machination lowers itself from its position in the sky. The machination's grandeur tells Noel that this is the Master Unit itself.
"NOOOOO!" Noel screams.
"Shit!" Hazama yells. He blocks a blow from Litchi and kicks her out of the way. "That was the Master Unit, there's no mistaking it!"
"Are you serious!? Bang, we need to activate the Lynchpin now! Or else we're going to be in some deep, deep shit!" Ragna yells, barking orders at Bang.
A massive fist made out of blue energy punches Litchi away from Hazama, startling the man completely. He turns his head to the source of the blow to see Makoto standing there, already ready for battle.
"Don't think I'll let you lay a finger on my Captain! But what the hell are you two doing with Relius Clover!?" Makoto yells. "I hope you're ready for a world of hurt, because I'm gonna give it to ya! Sorry I'm the only one here, Nu was coming with me but Kokonoe said that she needed to go somewhere else."
"Bang, you go and get to the Lynchpin with Celica! You're our only hope, old fart!" Ragna yells at Bang. The man looks at him, startled that he would put his trust into someone that he met only recently, and nods, taking Celica and running to the Lynchpin. Ragna joins the fray once more, grabbing Carl by the shoulder and kicking him into the ground. He dodges a blow from Nirvana and then slashes at the doll.
Hazama takes the chance to jump to Relius and blocks a blow from his metal fists with his knives.
"You know, I remember telling you that I'd kill you one day, Relius!" Hazama exclaims.
"Ah, yes, I do recall you saying that, Hazama. I'd like to see you put it to the test, then," Relius chuckles as he summons Ignis. "How pathetic, though... to think that you would believe you can control this situation with just yourselves. I also find it hilarious... how we were able to achieve all of this without you, Hazama. All it took was some reworkings of No. 13's protocols and a few other things and she replaced the gap you made perfectly."
"If you've got time to talk you've got time to fight. So shut your trap, Colonel Relius!" Hazama yells. Suddenly, a wolf comes flying by, breaking the two away from each other. That wolf lands on the ground and transforms itself back into a human. More specifically, Valkenhayn R. Hellsing.
"I am sorry, Terumi, but I have unfinished business with Relius Clover! I ask that you move aside!" Valkenhayn yells.
"Old fart!?" Hazama asks.
"Ah, Valkenhayn! It's been such a long time!" Relius announces.
"Dammit... then I leave it to you, old man. Make sure you don't sprain yourself," Hazama scowls. Looking over to Carl, he throws his chains at him and restrains the boy's movements, giving Ragna the chance to attack.
"Raggy, get Bang to the Lynchpin! Whatever the cost!" Hazama commands. "It's time to stop playing around!"
"Got it! I never thought that I would be saying this in my life, but... Thanks, Terumi," Ragna nods to the man, and then runs off to Bang.
"Ragna, all that you have to do is get Bang to the Lynchpin. I will handle the rest," Rachel's voice echoes throughout the area.
"Rabbit!?" Ragna asks, startled by the fact that the woman would join in.
"I can teleport the Lynchpin to where it needs to be. You worry about getting Bang to the Lynchpin, that's it," Rachel's voice commands.
"Rachel, you just don't get tired of throwing wrenches into plans, don't you?" Kokonoe's voice asks.
"Sitting in the boxes is far more boring than being on the stage itself!" Rachel announces, laughing almost happily.
"Well, alright. If you can teleport that Lynchpin to the tower, then be my guest. Ragna, I think you should go and help Nu out..." Kokonoe suggests.
Ragna nods his head and turns to Bang and Celica. His face softens when he lays eyes on the girl.
"Celica... I guess this is farewell," Ragna says.
"Don't worry, Ragna... I'll be with you in your heart," Celica says, tears forming on her eyes. Ragna reaches to her face and wipes the tears off of her cheek, not bothering to wipe his own.
"That's so cliche..." Ragna chuckles to himself. "Go now, Bang."
Bang nods his head and jumps away, landing on top of the Lynchpin.
A portal opens up at Ibukido, and drops four figures out from it. Hakumen lands on his feet, catching Tsubaki easily. He sets her down onto the ground and turns his head to the others that have arrived. Saya, and Phantom.
He looks up at the sky, seeing the sickly purple that it has become. He has no clue as to what's happening, however; he can see the Master Unit Amaterasu in the sky above.
"The Master Unit has been summoned..." Hakumen states to no one in particular.
"So it has. It has been much too long a time," Saya says. "I can say the same about us meeting face to face like this... brother."
"You say that as if you have missed me. I hope that you do not expect the same sentiment," Hakumen scoffs.
"As I have said before, this is a suitable place, is it not?" the Imperator asks, spreading her arms wide as she looks around. The Master Unit looms above our heads in this last battle to decide which one of us will win! How is this not the perfect stage?"
"You monster..." Tsubaki growls.
"Tsubaki, you have not yet released the Izayoi's true strength. What are you waiting for!? It's the only way that we are able to defeat her!" Hakumen yells.
"Y-Yes, Lord Hakumen- I mean Jin!" Tsubaki yells. She starts to focus on the Izayoi's power, trying to find the power that she needs to tap into to activate it. She begins to think about what's dear to her. What she's going to lose if she and Hakumen do not defeat the Imperator here and now. Her friends come into her mind. Noel, Makoto, Nu... She loves them dearly, and the thought of losing them tears her up on the inside. Then, her thoughts go to the man standing by her side now. No, no, she won't lose Jin! She'll never!
Tsubaki's eyes shoot open as she's taken over by a pure white light, exclaiming, "Zero Type Izayoi, activate!"
Tsubaki's clothes change drastically. She's in armor fit for battle, ready to go at any second. The shield-like book she once held in her hands is gone along with the sword, transformed into a pike with a yellow tip at the end. Tsubaki's hat is completely gone, her hair tied up in a ponytail. Hakumen stares at her new form in awe. This form seemed to radiate her beauty even more.
The man regains his focus as he turns back to the Imperator.
"I do not know when I woke up, myself. All I heard were the voices of those important to me calling out my name, and my eyes flew open. I found that I was in the Susano'o Unit as well. I figured that the reason I passed out was because the Susano'o Unit was reforming on me. I'm answering their call, Saya. I'm not going to let those I cherish down! I feel so much lighter than before... I feel more power flowing through the armor. And now..." Hakumen holds Ookami in front of him, and the ground beneath them begins to rumble. Tsubaki is taken off guard, as well as the Imperator.
"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!" Hakumen cries out.
"That's the spirit, Hakumen!" a familiar, gruff voice calls out. From out of nowhere a small cat jumps out, slashing at the Imperator Librarius. The woman dodges the attack easily and smiles at the feline.
"Stay out of my way," she says darkly. "This is a family matter."
"I'm not here for you, Imperator..." Jubei turns his attention to Phantom.
"Ah, I see... Phantom, it must be hard to fight like that. Very well, I shall release your restriction," Saya says, turning to Phantom. "I will grant you shape. Restrictions unbound... Code: Nine. I allow your release."
"With pleasure," Phantom speaks.
Black flames erupt from the body of Phantom, covering the figure entirely. The shadowy figure of what once was Phantom returns to its original shape. Magister Nine of the Six Heroes.
"It has been a long time, Lover," Nine says, looking down on Jubei.
"Hah... this is becoming one hell of a reunion party, wouldn't you say, Hakumen?" Jubei asks, turning his head to his old friend.
"Yes, Grimalkin... I do say it is..." Hakumen readies his blade, pointing it at Saya. "The Susano'o Unit has been reformed. It is stronger now than what it was before! I feel it now... yes... this is the level of power I was operating in during the Dark War... Prepare yourself, Saya! It's time for your big brother to finally teach you the lesson that you deserve! Tsubaki, come!"
Saya's eyes widen. Hakumen can tell that it isn't in response to the start of the battle. Her gaze is directed to the Ibukido tower. Nu appears in front of her with a blank expression on her face. It looks like she is awaiting orders.
"No. 13, it appears that there are two people that are threatening our plans for the destruction of the Master Unit. I wish for you to deal with them," the Imperator says. The Nu that stands in front of them nods and dashes off. Hakumen tries to catch her, but she eludes his grasp, giggling all the while.
"Maybe next time we can have a round two, Jinny..." she says, disappearing.
"That was not... Nu..." Hakumen says.
"No, that was the one that belongs here," Saya says. "Now, I do believe that we are in the middle of battle...?"
"It's time! Tsubaki!" Hakumen charges at the Imperator, and Tsubaki follows, nodding her head and readying the Izayoi for battle.
"Kokonoe sent me here... but... what am I supposed to do?" Nu asks herself as she walks into the ruins. She sees the base of the tower right in front of her but she has no idea where she should begin. She's surrounded in graves, giving her chills down her spine. This looks more like a cemetery than it does ruins.
"Sister!"
Nu doesn't expect to hear her own voice, and to feel something bring her down to the ground as well. She turns around to see herself hugging her tightly. Someone that she had never expected to see again before now.
The other Nu gets off of her and lets Nu stand up on her feet. She stares at the other her blankly, wondering how she came back from the dead.
"Nu!" Ragna's voice yells. Nu turns around to see Ragna running up to the two, and stops at the Nu that he suspects is the one that's his ally. Nu sighs as she undoes her hair to make it fall down freely, giving Ragna the basic idea of who's who.
"I've been waiting so long for you to come, Ragna... I started worrying... and sister's here, too..." Nu-13 says.
"Don't talk to me that way. It's disgusting," Ragna grumbles.
The other Nu looks down to the ground, hurt by Ragna's words. "Why are you so mean, Ragna? I'm Noel Vermillion, too..."
"No you're not. You're Nu..." Ragna says.
"I'm not Noel Vermillion," Nu adds.
"Did you know, Ragna? I realized this after merging with Noel Vermillion, but... Here in Ibukido, I was supposed to disappear. Oh, and by I, I mean Noel Vermillion," Nu-13 says. "The day Ibukido fell, Noel Vermillion was supposed to be smelted into a Black Beast by Sector Seven to end the war."
"What...?" Ragna is at a loss for words.
"Ragna, do you know how Black Beasts are formed? You need a Murakumo Unit and an Azure Grimoire," Nu-13 begins. "You fuse the Murakumo Unit, which is the heart, and the Azure Grimoire, the body, and that's how it's formed."
"Why does Sector Seven know that...?" Nu asks.
"Sister... the answer is simple! You know who..." Nu-13 says, the sheer thought of the man making her face twist in disgust.
"Relius..." Ragna says.
"Yes, that's correct. Noel was supposed to be used in that smelting process. And do you know who was supposed to be the body? Yuki Terumi. Noel and he were supposed to fuse. Or perhaps that's why the two of them couldn't. I mean... it was obvious! He took away my family and violated my heart! How could I fuse with someone like him? I would rather die. But I'm glad that the Take-Mikazuchi pulverized the operation."
"Why would Snakey wanna become a Black Beast...?" Nu asks.
"I dunno, sis... maybe you should ask him yourself?" Nu-13 looks to the ground again. Then, her expression springs up into that of utter joy. "Well, story time is over, Ragna, Sis! This poor little Noel Vermillion has come to kill you! Hahahaha! Ahahahaaaaa! Whatever the case it's fine with me! Let's all kill each other again! Sis, you can experience your original personality again! You can even join in! It'll be a threesome! You'll have to go first, though..."
"I'd rather not... But you're right. If you stand in my way I'll kill you... again..." Nu says. "Ragna... let's go."
"Hehehehe... come on, Ragna! Let's go as deep as possible this time!" Nu-13 exclaims.
"I'm not here to kill you or destroy you, or anything like that. You won't even die if I tried," Ragna says.
"We're connected with the Life Link... We have to die together or else it won't work! It's almost like... marriage...?" Nu-13 asks.
"If we're married, then I want a divorce, now," Ragna growls.
"But why? Nu wanted to kill you over and over and over and over again..." Nu-13 looks disappointed, and Nu grimaces in disgust.
"Ugh... hearing my voice talk like that... makes me sick..." Nu shakes her head.
"No, it's not over. Just now you asked me to help you," Ragna says.
"I never said anything like that."
"Yeah, you did. The moment you started telling me your story it sounded like a desperate cry for help."
With a smile on her face, Nu-13 says, in the most dangerous tone she can muster, "If you take this too far, I really will kill you..."
"Try me, bitch," Ragna spreads his arms out. Nu punches his back and he turns around to her.
"Deja Vu..." Ragna thinks back to when a situation very similar to this happened. When he, Hakumen, and Nu stood before the very same Nu-13 not too long ago.
"Oh god, you're right! I didn't even notice that, haha!" Nu laughs. Then, she cracks her neck, her sword falling down from the sky and landing behind her. She dons her battle armor.
"Ragna..." Nu-13 warns.
"I thought we were done talking for now? Come here... it's time I teach you a lesson," Ragna says, a confident look on his face. As the other Nu dons her battle armor as well, she begins to laugh as she cups her face with both hands.
"There it is! That's the Ragna I know!" she announces.
"Wha...? What are you talking about?" Ragna asks.
"That's the face you make every... single... time! Every single time you go out to do what you do best... Mmmm... you have no idea how much it turns me on..."
"What are you saying!?" Ragna yells.
"Why do you keep on fighting, Ragna? You've basically saved what you're fighting for. What's the point of continuing it? I can tell you why. It's because you enjoy all the killing, that's why," Nu-13 says.
Her words have an instant effect on Ragna. His eyes widen and he shakes his head out of sheer denial.
"No!"
"Are you denying it!? If you want a prime example, then just look at all the times we've ran into each other... I watched your face when you killed me all those times... that was the face... of sheer, utter, joy..." Nu-13 says, her voice getting lower and lower as she spoke.
"Shut up," Ragna says darkly.
"Didn't it feel wonderful, Ragna...?"
"I thought I told you to put a sock in it."
"You were smiling..."
"I'M GONNA DESTROY YOU!" Ragna screams at the top of his lungs.
Nu-13 throws her head back and starts cackling manically. "HAHAHA! I knew you were just like me! Yeah, just like me! Hahaha!"
"You're not making sense!" Ragna yells.
"Ragna, you want to destroy things, right? Me, yourself, this whole world! You want to destroy it all! Of course... Because you have the power to fight against all of humanity. The Azure Grimoire. Why wouldn't you want to use it? That's okay, Ragna! We can go at it until the end of time! You know I'd do anything for you, Ragna! Because I'm the only one who can satisfy you, Ragna! I'm the only one!" Nu-13 goes from an ecstatic expression to that of complete insanity.
"Kill... kill... kill kill kill killkillkill! I'll kill you all! I'll wipe you off the face of the Earth!" she screams, charging at the two suddenly.
Ragna blocks an attack just in time, and Nu's swords protect her from another one.
"Ragna she won't listen to reason anymore! We have to kill her or she'll kill us!" Nu exclaims.
"...A-Alright!" Ragna says, still trying to gather himself from what Nu-13 said to him earlier.