It sates itself on the life-blood / of fated men, / paints red the powers' homes / with crimson gore. / Black become the sun's beams / in the summers that follow, / weathers all treacherous. / Do you still seek to know?

Völuspá, Stanza 44

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Chapter 27: Quantum Ragnarök

Anew Returner stared in horror at the terrifying Decepticon-Gundam displayed on her monitor. The Fang that had obliterated the Katharon cruiser quickly cloaked itself again, disappearing on Persephone's radar. "This… creature… has obtained genuine Twin Drives. On his shoulders," she whispered. "Its particle production is astonishing, theoretically impossible."

"Megatron's acquainted himself with Veda for many months, absorbing all of its components and creating a perfect Mobile Suit for itself," came Ian's transmission from the hangar. "Forget about any kind of shortcoming – I've never seen so much power packed into one unit before! We'll be lucky if 00 Raiser's full energy output can even match his!"

"Status?" said Sumeragi tersely, leaning slightly forward on her chair.

"All Mobile Suits are ready for another sortie," said Mileina briskly. "Your orders, Ma'am?"

Sumeragi licked her lips in concentration. "It won't be long now."

Megatron had annihilated the fodder that obstructed him from his intended prey. Chunks of dead metal and charred flesh floated uselessly behind him. Now the hunt could begin in earnest. He hungered specifically for the four children that had managed to defeat his legions. Perhaps he had been arrogant. He never expected these so-called Meisters to endure so long. "You destroyed Nemesis," he acknowledged, watching 00 Raiser closely. "Now I must find another flagship for myself. Perhaps that Cybertronian bomber you have constructed for yourselves will suffice," he noted, nodding at Persephone, which hovered behind the remaining Gundams. "Once I tear you apart, it will only be a matter before Prime shares the same fate as his precious human friends." He glanced into the distance, snorting. "To think that Starscream and Soundwave were outfought by humans. A hindrance, but by no means a decisive setback. I will annihilate you all before Optimus even returns from his little errand."

"You're wrong. About everything," said Tieria coldly. "You will not possess this Mobile Fortress. Nor will you defeat us." Seravee accordingly deployed all its armaments, shifting its GN Cannons and aiming directly for Megatron. "Seravee Gundam. Tieria Erde. Annihilating Cybertronian Mobile Suit." His deep red eyes narrowed in hostility. "Trans-Am!"

The demonic Mobile Suit raised its grotesquely long claws in salutation. Its horned helm gleamed. "This is… Eventide Gundam. I am the Lord High Protector, Megatron!" it rumbled. The Decepticon's optical sensors glinted as his solar furnaces hummed at Eventide's shoulders. "And you will all kneel before me!"

"All combat units, engage Eventide!" ordered Sumeragi.

A furious, vengeful Setsuna bore down on Megatron, and with a tap of two buttons, 00 Raiser raised its GN Sword II, slashing at him diagonally. Megatron grinned in wolfish keenness as the Kurdish Meister growled out the final objective of Operation Galactic Symphony. "00 Raiser, Setsuna F. Seiei. Exterminating opposition!"

"Arios Gundam, Hallelujah Haptism. Breaking your fucking face, junk heap!" cackled Allelujah's alter ego, and Arios transformed into fighter mode, hurtling towards the exotically plated Mobile Suit. The gentle girl who loved him followed in GN Archer's jet form, trembling as she looked upon the fiendish leader of the Decepticons.

"GN Archer – Marie Parfacy. Engaging enemy!" she cried.

Megatron had already parried Setsuna's attack with an enclosed fist, and a massive GN Field surrounded Eventide and 00 Raiser, repulsing Seravee's six shockwaves with ease. The pink beams bounced away aimlessly. Setsuna rashly initiated another attack upon Megatron's head to keep the Decepticon's concentration. But Megatron did not intend to have his pleasure spoilt by petty interferences. Opening his hand, he caught the swinging blade with his elongated fingers, pushing against 00 Raiser's outstretched arms. Setsuna gasped in disbelief, and Saji yelped in surprise. Eventide clutched 00 Raiser's sword and resisted without any visible effort, directing its free arm to gesture at the humans' Mobile Suits.

"Bring me their spare parts, Tyrant Fangs!"

The Decepticon clenched his left claws, roaring in scornful laughter. Behind him, a line of twenty hovering, silver cannons uncloaked themselves, shimmering into sight and aiming their long barrels at Celestial Being's main force. Hallelujah's bloodthirsty expression darkened. "He's ready for us, huh?" he muttered. They fired simultaneously, surrounding Celestial Being's Gundams in a matrix of white lasers. To experience the barrage for the first time was almost fatal in itself. Setsuna and Saji quickly disengaged Megatron and fled the intersecting beams, evading precariously and with acrobatic precision. Arios took up the offensive, firing a salvo of plasma bolts at Eventide, before spinning away from the large, daunting Fangs. It soared in an arching semi-circle as 00 Raiser also entered Trans-Am, flying iridescent circles around Eventide in an attempt to throw it off-balance. GN Archer and Seravee's armaments pounded at Megatron's expanding GN Field relentlessly, but to no avail. Together, 00 Raiser and Arios closed in on him in a flank attack. 00 Raiser bashed against Megatron's left arm and Arios caught his right wrist in its GN Beam Shield. Hallelujah laughed as he began to charge the energy of his surprise weapon – nothing could survive the intensity of a converting beam shield. "You fell for it. Now taste the pain, you – "

"None of you can hold a candle to my GN Greatsword!" proclaimed Megatron, and his right arm suddenly began to shift its plates, deploying into an immense, single-bladed weapon. The platinum greatsword slid along his forearm, cutting into the left joint of the beam shield. Eventide bashed back 00 Raiser and clamped his claws on his GN Greatsword, twisting and flinging Arios away. The sliders holding the energy together snapped, and the fighter spun out of control. Hallelujah muttered several profanities, but he was in no position to retaliate as Arios fell victim to the crisscrossing solar flares. They vomited from the Tyrant Fangs as Hallelujah struggled to regain his offensive against Megatron, and two linear shots from two Fangs punctured Arios's torso, blowing up Arios from the midsection. Eventide moved on, hurling itself at 00 Raiser and GN Archer. The incapacitated, orange-white spacecraft was promptly hurled aside, tossed into irrelevance like a faulty toy.

"You – you bastard," moaned Hallelujah, his head bleeding profusely from the explosion.

00 Raiser evaded an angry swipe by Eventide's GN Greatsword and counterattacked with a whirling slash from its beam sabres. Megatron blocked with his broad gauntlets and sent five Tyrant Fangs to surround and occupy Seravee. Marie released a hail of missiles from GN Archer's sixteen doors, hoping to break past the unassailable GN Field. But as they streamed toward Eventide, her Mobile Unit suddenly exploded, and she screamed in fear and pain as her cockpit went dark. A shard of metal buried itself into her left arm, cutting into her humerus. Blood spurted from her wound and spattered her screen. She whispered Allelujah's name helplessly as the solar system outside her cockpit blurred, before fading into complete darkness. Meanwhile, Megatron directed his hand upward, and the remainder of the Tyrant Fangs that still encircled 00 Raiser shot towards Seravee, advancing nimbly and firing without abating. Retreating, Tieria gritted his teeth, astonished that the Decepticon could engage multiple opponents so effortlessly. The blast that toppled GN Archer had come from Megatron's arm, which housed another twisted, long-range weapon.

Setsuna's eyes widened, and Saji began to tremble. "This is the fusion cannon, upgraded with Veda's technology," whispered the Japanese-American, as Megatron fired a charged shot from his mounted gun. It was too fast for 00 Raiser to evade, and it blocked the blast with its GN Shield. The pilots disengaged from the melting e-carbon as the shield exploded from the impact of the fusion cannon's firepower. "I recognize this from the files Feldt sent me."

"We'll intercept him!" shouted Setsuna. Emerging from the smoke, 00 Raiser recovered its bearings and pursued Eventide, which was hurtling towards Seravee. "Tieria! Watch out!" shouted Setsuna, as the Tyrant Fangs surrounded him again, preventing him from reaching Seravee. Saji cried out as the left wing of 0 Raiser was chipped away by a Fang's adjacent attack. "I'm pinned down over here."

"I know who I am up against," snapped Tieria, as a GN Field activated around Seravee. But as he prepared for another concentrated volley of plasma, Megatron deployed his GN Greatsword, roaring and thrusting against the shimmering particles. And to Tieria's astonishment, his forcefield gave way without much resistance, shattering and scattering as the huge blade reached Seravee's torso –

The GN Cannons attached to Seravee suddenly withdrew their lens and shot out six hands. Megatron's expression of triumph turned to one of puzzlement. Tieria had revealed Seravee's melee capabilities; activating his six beam sabres and thrusting them at Eventide. "You can't outpace me now, not while I have Trans-Am," shouted Tieria. Two shining swords stabbed into the Decepticon-Gundam's arms, another two cut against its legs, and the final pair slashed at its armoured neck –

Megatron shrieked in excitement, his interest piqued. "GN Flail!"

Tieria blinked as his Gundam's right arms were suddenly torn from their main body, rent from Seravee by a long chain that ended in a hideous blade jutting with e-carbon spikes. "Wh… what?" he stuttered, as sparks danced along Seravee's ruined body. Eventide took advantage of the Meister's momentary bewilderment with a devastating swing to his left flank. The gigantic platinum flail, bristling with six-foot long barbs, crushed into Seravee's abdomen, and the Gundam folded feebly. Explosions consumed its destroyed form as Megatron sneered and reached for Seravee's face.

"There is nothing left for you here, boy. Nothing left… except extinction!"

Bleeding from his head, Tieria screamed as his Mobile Suit's equivalent was pitilessly torn away. It was a terrible sight. Losing himself in his bloodlust and frenzied arousal, Megatron tore into the wrecked unit like a jackal feasting on a bloated corpse, his brutal claws ripping into the trunk of Seravee and puncturing its backpack, critically damaging Tieria's trump card, Seraphim. Not even the hidden Gundam would have made a difference, however; he had been defeated far too quickly. The headless and armless Seravee reeled as circuits crackled and exploded along its upper socket, and Tieria shielded his face with his arms whilst his cockpit exploded around him. His frontal monitor blared in warning, urging him to eject. But Tieria didn't care. Instead, he opted to protect his GN Drive, ensuring that it had detached from Seravee before any more damage could be inflicted. The legacy of Schenberg floated into the vacuum of space, oblivious to its fragmenting host.

Implosion was imminent.

I cannot withstand such power… I cannot overcome that demon. Tieria closed his eyes as the world around him was enveloped in blinding white. Eventide had left nothing of Seravee, and the dissected Gundam slumped and went dark, along with the immobilized Seraphim. The concluding detonations ensured that nothing was left of Tieria's body, either. However, his final thoughts lingered as he became one with the quanta, evaporating into the global consciousness that was Veda. But I still have faith in Schenberg's vision. I still trust in the supercomputer that selected us. The solar furnaces… are everything. The dialogues must continue. So for the sake of our plan… I must return to Veda.

Until then, Celestial Being will testify… to my existence… my life… and my humanity.

"Tieria!" Setsuna growled, sensing the Innovade's death through the quantum realm. 00 Raiser aimed its Gun Mode carefully at an uncloaking Tyrant Fang, pressing the trigger and incinerating the capsule. I've taken five down. Fifteen more to go, he thought. I can see how they give Eventide a crucial tactical advantage. I have to end this quickly!

00 Raiser hurtled towards Megatron, entering Trans-Am and pointing its GN Sword at Eventide. "I swear I'll avenge you, Tieria Erde," gritted Setsuna, entering quantization. Megatron turned, his blood-red optics still hungry for death. His Fangs shot above the two Gundams and fired their solar flares at 00 Raiser, and he deployed his GN Flail again, beckoning Setsuna to him. But to his shock, 00 Raiser suddenly shimmered, and its visible form disappeared amongst a sheet of GN Particles. The Tyrant Fangs missed, their lasers blowing up distant comets and space debris instead. Eventide slowly turned around in cheated fury as 00 Raiser completed its quantum leap, bringing down its GN Sword. Taken aback, Megatron grunted as a shallow wound was carved along his raised forearm. He attempted a counterattack with his flail, but 00 Raiser teleported from sight again, and Megatron's weapon was quickly swinging at nothing. The Decepticon leader barked his disbelief as he withdrew the jagged chain and looked around restlessly. 00 Raiser was nowhere to be seen… yet.

"Show yourself, boy!" he bellowed.

A ruby-hued 00 Raiser glimmered back into the material realm, shooting repeatedly at Megatron's head. He can be hurt… he can be damaged! I only need to get past that GN Field, and if I can trade blow for blow with that creature… I can topple him! speculated Setsuna, greatly encouraged. "It ends here, Megatron!" he shouted, closing the gap between them. "Your fusion cannon won't help this time."

"Don't be so sure, child," declared Eventide. It gave a beastly grin. "A fusion cannon is one thing. But it is another to tap directly into the resources of your homeworld's sun, Sol. Veda has given me limitless power, and I have acquired the star-draining abilities of the fabled Sun Harvesters – within this one body!"

Megatron's greatsword withdrew into his forearm, and his fusion cannon suddenly disappeared. He spread his arms exultantly and clapped them together, and as one, they combined into one machine and elongated, transforming into a demonic cannon that was as long as his leg. It was a marvel that he could still hold himself upright. This new… thing was a twisted appendage; studded with horns on its crown and covered with ornate hieroglyphs across its cylindrical form. Setsuna's eyes widened in confusion as a blinding light gathered at the tip of the rail cannon's barrel. The whining was deafening, and only Megatron's laughter could be heard over the unexpected drone. Saji screamed out a warning as an orb with the destructive power of a supernova correspondingly erupted from the Decepticon's secret weapon.

"Devour them, Duskbringer!"

The shaft of pure antimatter tore towards 00 Raiser hungrily, and its pilot quickly steered away. But Megatron was not satisfied, and Duskbringer's ray shot upwards, chasing 00 Raiser with stunning speed and homing in on its lower body. It was too fast; even for a Gundam that had activated Trans-Am. Evasive manoeuvres were of the essence. Responding to Setsuna's desperation, 00 Raiser quantized and teleported away, shielded by GN Particles. But as it disappeared, the beam from Duskbringer winked out of sight as well.

"Do not delude yourself into believing you are safe. Because my weapon… can enter the quanta's realm, too!" cackled Megatron.

His optics glowed in delight as his systems processed the impact shuddering the ethereal plane. How glorious, he thought. Surely they are writhing in agony now.

He was not incorrect. Trapped in the luminous eternities, Setsuna and Saji screamed as the planets and particles were replaced by Duskbringer's ravenous fire. White light surrounded them, and 00 Raiser's right leg was engulfed and eventually swallowed in flames. The entire Mobile Suit shook, covered by its own purple smoke as it lurched away from the brilliance. For the first time, even this astral world was not safe. Struggling to move his hand, Setsuna recalibrated his coordinates feverishly, silently pleading for the particles to whisk them away. They obliged. Tumbling out of quantization, his creaking Gundam reappeared behind Eventide in space, burning and smoking. His head swam and his knees shook from Duskbringer's attack. Never had he experienced something like this before: a beam of antimatter that could not be physically restricted by any boundary. "Damn you, Megatron…" he rasped lividly, unable to coherently express his hatred and loathing for the Decepticon.

Eventide turned around smugly, separating its hands and withdrawing Duskbringer. "Do you see, fleshlings?" it said, displaying its claws again. "I am simply superior."

Setsuna clenched his teeth, feeling blessed to be alive. Another moment spent in that cannon's light would have meant his annihilation. "Saji, what's your status?" he asked tersely. His heart pounded noisily in his ears. "We can't give up."

Silence.

"Saji. Saji! Saji Crossroad!" Setsuna's heart sank, and his voice rose in concern as he opened a window to Saji's cockpit on his monitor. The Japanese-American had slumped in his seat, unconscious and unresponsive. Setsuna swore and turned his Mobile Suit around, but even he had no time to react as Megatron's fifteen Tyrant Fangs encircled him. Having cut away the fatigued Meister's retreat route, the cannons fired their solar flares simultaneously. Hit after direct hit rocked 00 Raiser, and Setsuna felt his lip trembling as he vomited blood. Gore splashed against the interior tektite of his helmet as his cockpit began to sputter and sizzle from the explosions outside. He couldn't move, even though his Mobile Suit was being tossed to and fro. He could barely think. Operation Galactic Symphony was falling apart. On its own, Eventide was matchless. It was mightier than Celestial Being's Gundams in every way. Megatron had rendered Veda his slave, and now they were paying the ultimate price.

"This… this monster's power…" croaked Setsuna helplessly, as his hands relaxed on his controls. Blood poured from his broken nose and it felt difficult to breathe.

"The power… of Gundam…"

A gentle blanket of darkness draped around him, smoothing down his drooping eyelids and liberating his gaze from the smiling Decepticon leader.

*

Amidst the defeated forms of 00 Raiser, Seravee, Arios, and GN Archer, Megatron raised his head, his two wicked spheres of vermillion light glowing. "From the highest heaven to the lowest hell, there are none that can withstand my power!" he bellowed in victory. He glanced at the severed head of Seravee and its detached GN Drive. "Salvation – and damnation – live on through my sword!"

Celestial Being's children had fallen around him. Even 00 Raiser was useless against him, although it had admittedly proven itself to be worthy of attention. The fact that his armour was actually dented impressed him already. Still, human beings were human beings, and not even their best could have hoped to match his strength.

I am… almighty!

He was about to indulge in another triumphant laugh when a yellow laser beam suddenly scraped past his left shoulder, searing part of his GN Drive. He turned, his optics narrowing. "Who dares to interrupt?" he demanded.

The sphere of Earth glimmered behind three approaching Mobile Suits. Their yellow, lime-green and jet-black forms contrasted jarringly with each other. The Autobot-Gundams had left the planet's orbit and, like shooting stars, were flying towards Megatron. "Anointed! Surya! Follow my lead," growled Ironhide. He clenched his fists and deployed his fission cannons, sparing nothing to topple Eventide. "I'll break apart that monster's face with my bare hands."

"Be careful, Bumblebee," said a resplendent Ratchet. "You can't use Trans-Am after deploying your Trial System, so keep yourself at a distance. Wear him down while we grapple with him." He turned his attention to Eventide, glaring at it thoughtfully. "It's been a long time, Megatron," he noted, activating his GN Chainsaw. "It seems we're disrupting your victory speech." Healing GN Particles flew around Anointed and shot towards the defeated Gundams of Celestial Being. Ratchet decided to stall for time. If he could hold back Eventide, perhaps Persephone would be able to retrieve Setsuna and the others.

"Autobots," hissed the Lord High Protector. He raised his forearm to block a nuclear missile from Ironhide, and the exploding warhead enveloped him in a titanic mushroom cloud. "I don't even need a GN Field!" barked the Decepticon, waving aside the smoke and debris scornfully. Ironhide was not deterred, firing another tactical missile at Megatron's armour before unleashing four ion orbs from his left launcher. A new GN Field radiated from Megatron's torso, enfolding him in a globe of protective particles. Surya fired several shots from its Solar Blaster before drawing its beam sabre, attempting to pin down Eventide. But Megatron was not amused by Bumblebee's antics. "Come here, you wretch," snapped Eventide, reaching for Surya, only to have its hand scorched by the yellow Gundam's beam sabre. Losing patience rather quickly, Megatron aimed his fusion cannon at Bumblebee's head, preparing to fire a fatal shot into the hero's helm.

"Not so fast," cried Ratchet. "Trans-Am!"

Anointed smashed its GN Chainsaw against Megatron's cannon, preventing the Decepticon from exploiting Surya's depleted particle levels. Anointed, on the other hand, had plenty left to spare. The screaming, spinning edge of its blade struggled against Megatron as the Decepticon withdrew his damaged cannon, revealing his converting GN Greatsword. The Gundams glared at each other as they pushed harder against the other. "You think yourself complete," breathed Ratchet, his crest glimmering, "but you only need to look around. Your followers have been defeated, and you are alone. Our friendship with Celestial Being is enough to match your will."

"Don't get arrogant," barked Megatron. "Celestial Being was nothing to me. I expected a better fight from its Meisters. Now that I've crushed them, I don't expect much from you, either."

His optics darted to his left as Bumblebee's beam sabre slashed against his shoulder. Anticipating another attack, Eventide grabbed the Autobot's neck with its arm, throttling Surya and smashing it against Anointed. He hurled his opponents back effortlessly. "You pitiful reprobates – surrender your sparks!!" bellowed the Decepticon, taking hold of Surya's struggling waist. Plunging his greatsword into Bumblebee's hip, he began to pull with his free hand, and Bumblebee screamed in agony as his body slowly but surely split apart. Shredded e-carbon tore itself from circuits and cables as Eventide halved the yellow Gundam with its bare hands. It tossed away its dangling legs and severed the remaining wires and filaments with its claws. Surya's optics slowly went dim. A tremor shook its upper body as it limply released its Solar Blaster and beam sabre.

"Bumblebee!" cried Ratchet.

"Pain is merely weakness leaving the body. Trans-Am!" roared Ironhide. Mahisha Gundam emanated a hellish crimson as it flexed its thick, bull arms. "You'll pay for what you've done, Megatron. And I'll be the one to collect your debt." Four more nuclear missiles, along with four ion blasts, were launched from Mahisha's GN Twin Fission Cannons. They imploded against Megatron's hastily triggered GN Field, and the Decepticon leader grunted at the rumbling impact. Encouraged, Mahisha intensified its barrage. "Ratchet! Now's our chance! Take him down."

Ratchet attempted to seize the moment, and he flew towards Eventide, lifting his GN Chainsaw to bear down on its head. I have to land at least one blow on him! thought the medic to himself. I can't let him get past us… we're the final line of defence!

Eventide's dual furnaces hummed with unlimited power, and aqua particles swirled around the reddening Mobile Suit. "If Trans-Am triples a Gundam's speed, strength, and firepower…" Megatron grinned, looking into the shocked faces of Ironhide and Ratchet. His Tyrant Fangs rose with him, and they were dyed in a bloody red. "My Trans-Am… pushes my limits by ten times."

In the single beat of a throbbing spark, Megatron's fusion cannon had blown apart Ironhide's fission launchers. In another nanosecond, his greatsword had plunged into Ratchet's abdomen, slicing horizontally and ripping away Anointed's GN Chainsaw. Wheezing, Ratchet attempted to grab onto Megatron, but Eventide simply disappeared behind him and bashed into Anointed's head with its GN Flail. Ironhide's optical sensors widened in agonized astonishment as the Fangs around him unleashed a hail of untraceable flares, cutting into him mercilessly. "This… this is impossible," he groaned, as Mahisha's legs were blown away. His arms were already hanging by his sides, their metal joints roughly snapped in two. "What… what could this fiendish power be?"

Megatron grinned. "Trans-Am Rage!!" he declared, tossing away Ironhide's arm. "An ability granted only to Eventide Gundam after many space-cycles in communion with Veda!" He stared at Anointed and Mahisha disdainfully. Their Trans-Am colours flickered and died away, departing from their mediocre husks of smouldering e-carbon. "But this is not enough, no. I grow impatient. This farce of a challenge is over." He spread his arms. "You never stood a chance."

Ironhide reeled as fifteen lasers punched cleanly through his body, and Ratchet folded as Eventide teleported before him, burying its claws into his abdomen. The distant stars glimmered helplessly, as if wishing but unable to help. The Autobot-Gundams fell silent as Megatron deactivated Trans-Am Rage, glancing at the Mobile Fortress Persephone in the distance. The cowards within dared not to challenge him – they were too busy protecting their Gundams and their defeated Meisters. Let them. He would savour this and use his Tyrant Fangs to overwhelm them, instead. "More humans flocking to their own slaughter!" he decided aloud, flexing his claws expectantly.

But then he paused. He could sense something on his system, and it was not a weak signal. Eventide turned to face two glimmers of light approaching from the east. Megatron recognized one of them instantly – it was a particularly powerful Gundam, one that shared the same Twin Drive System as his own and 00 Raiser's. Nestled in two of its six arms was the separated torso of a green-white Mobile Suit.

"How many times must I humiliate you, Optimus?" whispered the Lord High Protector, gazing at Bhagavan. It was approaching quickly; the final struggle for the universe was imminent. Surely a fitting welcome would be required. "I will finish you, and put an end to your coalition's pitiful resistance!"

Mahisha's trembling hand found Megatron's clawed foot. The black Gundam clutched the Decepticon's ankle desperately as the latter glanced down. "No!" roared Ironhide, his destroyed body suspended in space.

"Such heroic nonsense," dismissed Eventide gloatingly, and its emerging fusion cannon fired a direct shot into Ironhide's visual processors.

*

They were too late.

Prime released Cherudim in horror as he beheld the ruins of Celestial Being's assault force. 00 Raiser, Arios, GN Archer, and Seravee had all suffered grave damage, and the transmissions from the pilots inside were nonexistent.

"No," he whispered. His morose optics fell upon the wreckages of the Autobots, which trailed not too far behind. "Bumblebee. Ratchet. Ironhide!" he murmured urgently. His faithful soldiers floated in the vacuum of the solar system silently, their Gundams crackling and hissing as purple smoke streamed from various wounds across their bodies. Ironhide twitched helplessly, a ruined sensor dangling from his crushed head. His arms were broken and his legs scattered. The dismembered Ratchet groaned quietly, his GN Chainsaw severed in two as his solar furnace hummed weakly. Even his GN Healing would require time to restore his injuries. Surya had been torn in half, and the spark of Bumblebee was flickering in desperation as it struggled to warn Prime of another enemy. But Surya's systems were crippled to the point that none of its processors could function – they could barely wheeze out a word.

Lockon shook his head dazedly, staring at Bumblebee's pained, pitiable face. "This has to be some sick joke. This is bullshit!" he snarled suddenly, hands clenching. He shoved at his controls and looked into his display wildly, almost refusing to believe that he could have failed his friends so miserably. "This is ridiculous, dammit!"

"Who could have done this?" Prime raised his crested head, looking around briefly. The alliance had managed to destroy Nemesis; the Decepticon warship was nothing more than a hulking carapace hovering above Mars. The Alpha fleets had been evidently vanquished, and their scattered remains were evidence of this. But if the Decepticons weren't the victors, then who could have defeated so many amongst his coalition? None had been spared from the mysterious onslaught. The Ahead and Realdo forces that he had assigned to reinforce Celestial Being had vanished, leaving behind only their charred remains. Their mother vessels were also consumed by fire; unnatural fire.

"Look, Lyle!" whispered the Autobot leader, pointing at the immediate distance. To his great relief, Persephone seemed to have withstood the unknown onslaught. It was desperately firing a hail of missiles and lasers at several remote-controlled cannons. "The crew is still safe." He transmitted a message to the space cruiser. "This is Bhagavan Gundam. Come in, Leesa. Come in, Feldt. Is everyone all right?"

"Optimus!" came Sumeragi's relieved reply. "Oh, I am so glad you're here!"

"Optimus! Please, help us!" crackled Feldt's voice. "This enemy… is no ordinary enemy." Her words were thick with terror. "It's Megatron!"

Prime's spark flared at the dread name. "So it has begun. But it is sooner than I thought. He grew impatient with our strategies and struck out on his own," he whispered. Tracing the mysterious object that was commanding the Fangs, he turned around, sensing a presence of infinite evil. He could hardly believe his optical sensors as they fell upon a hulking Mobile Suit, a colossal equivalent of the Decepticon leader's original body. Blue and orange orbs met those of a fiery, burning red.

"Megatron!" exclaimed Prime, his voice rising.

"Optimus," reciprocated the Decepticon lord, baring his jagged teeth.

Prime's fists clenched. It really was him. After three hundred years, they crossed ancient paths once more, meeting again in the incarnations of Gundams. The archenemy of the Autobots began to laugh, as if to relish the exhilaration of it all. He did not care to stop Prime as the latter surreptitiously pushed Cherudim away. His attempts to protect his friends were laughable at any rate. "It has been too long!" declared Eventide. "Are you enjoying the gift of the GN Drives, Prime?"

Fate had reunited the brothers for a decisive confrontation. Their climatic encounter would determine the fate of Earth, Cybertron, and the galaxy itself. With this knowledge, Bhagavan Gundam raised its weapons and hurled himself at the multiversal despot. "That's enough distortion you've caused, Megatron! You must be stopped – no matter the cost."

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A/N: And so Transformers 00 reaches its culmination… I have tried to do justice to the legendary conflict between the Autobot and Decepticon commanders. Please enjoy the finale of my story. :)