Chapter 35
The Nexus of all Realities
Lucy and Kohta stared in complete awe at the Nexus of all Realities spread out around them, their senses numbed by the grandeur of the center of the universe. The platform they stood on with their friends and the Dragon Emperor seemed like an island of gold floating in an ethereal sea with the Dragon Emperor standing there as the guardian god of the place. Glittering star clouds of unspeakable beauty surrounded them with the gateways to other dimensions floating like corks in a three-dimensional sea. The individual gates became Christmas lights flickering in the ethereal sea beyond the platform. Fear raced through Lucy and Kohta in waves, along with a sense of being utterly insignificant in the grand scheme of the cosmos. Lucy's friends and her father cowered just near the edge of the platform, fearful of being lost into the void that surrounded them. "Welcome to the Nexus of All Realities, my Queen," the Dragon Emperor rumbled formally. "Here is where we access the Collective, along with every other dimension in existence, including the Dark Dimensions."
Lucy stared at the marvels around her in fearful wonder. "Is this the true nature of the universe?" she asked softly.
"Yes," the Dragon Emperor declared. "Every dimension and timeline of the earth along with every other world in the universe meets in this place. You must be very careful here because it is extremely easy to get lost in the other dimensions."
"I can see why," Lucy muttered. "I fear this place more than any place I've ever been before, even the Collective. This place is dangerously unreal, even perilous."
"And so you should," the Dragon Emperor replied. "To not respect this sacred space is to invite disaster. But fear not," the Dragon Emperor chimed. "You are safe with me in this place."
"Where is the Collective?" Kohta asked bluntly.
"I will point out the gateway to the Collective in a moment, Master Kohta," the Dragon Emperor answered evenly. "But there is something you should see first." He pointed to a darkened area off to the left beyond the platform, with a gateway of pure black chained with glowing chains. "See that dark gate there? That gate is the primary gate to the Dark Dimension the Chaos Lord Calidor came from. That is where he must return. If he breaks the chain on that gate, he will unleash a horde of evil that will consume the entire universe."
"And how do we do that?" Kohta asked.
"Simple…you destroy him before he can escape the Collective," the Dragon Emperor declared. "Once his form is destroyed outside his home dimension, the Dark Dimension will reclaim his soul. He cannot survive without a form outside his home dimension."
Lucy cast a grim look at the black gate, which seemed to swallow all light approaching it as if it were a black hole. As she looked into the abyss of the Dark Dimensions, her anger rose. "Finally, I know who to blame for this shit and how to get rid of him," she hissed. "If that's where he needs to go, then that's where the sorry fuck will go. Now answer Kohta's question. Where is the Collective, Ryu-Wo-Chin?"
"Right in front of you, my Queen," the Dragon Emperor answered. "Go to the center of the platform and you will see what I mean."
"But there isn't anything there," Kohta retorted.
"You forget that this is the Nexus of all Realities, Master Kohta," the Dragon Emperor chided. "Here, anything and everything is possible. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it isn't there. Besides, that's the way Lady Izanami designed the Collective. It's only visible to the true Queen."
"Do you see it, Lucy?" Kohta asked as Lucy looked toward the center of the platform.
Her mouth fell open in astonishment. "Holy shit," she cursed. "I can see it. It's just like the wall of the Collective we saw in the dreams, except that it's much smaller here."
"Size matters not, my Queen," the Dragon Emperor stated. "The Collective is every bit as vast as you remember it. What you see here is merely a gateway into it, not the entirety of the Collective."
"I still don't see it," Kohta retorted.
Lucy put her left arm around Kohta and pointed with her right. "Look closely, Kohta. It's there; a shimmering dome ten paces across."
The scales fell from Kohta's eyes the moment she touched him. He gasped in astonishment as an icy chill raced down his spine. "I don't believe it. I can see it now."
"You can make it visible by touching it, milady," the Dragon Emperor instructed. "Touch it so everyone can see it."
Lucy nodded and walked with Kohta to the edge of the Collective. From the vantage point of everyone else, Lucy appeared to reach out into thin air. Her hand pressed on something solid, yet invisible to her companions. Her eyes flashed as she clenched her free fist, feeling the power of the Collective suddenly rush through her. The dome she mentioned to Kohta flickered, and then became visible to everyone.
"By the gods!" Tao breathed. "It truly exists! The Collective is real."
Lucy looked into the shimmering dome, seeing shining cracks all through its membrane. The dark and light clouds roiled and battled for supremacy just as she had seen before. She suddenly picked her hand up and turned to the Dragon Emperor. "Okay, dragon…you're not telling me something important here. What is it and don't dawdle. How do we get in without destroying it. This gate is solid, not a membrane like in my dreams. If I try to force my way in, I'll cause the Collective to collapse. I thought that was the whole reason for me getting in there was to prevent the Collective from collapsing and destroying the planet."
"Very clever, milady," the Dragon Emperor commended, "you've seen the paradox in play here. I'm impressed. Understand this, Queen Kaeda Lucy Saros: the Collective you see before you is an artificial construct that does not belong here. It is not like the other natural dimensions you see beyond these other gates. Izanami's Collective is an artificial temporal anomaly designed to contain the war between her and Calidor. It was never meant to last for all eternity. Why else would she beg you to release her and the other prisoners within the Collective? And why else would the Collective be crumbling as it is? The Collective you see here is a structure that has finally outlived its purpose. Izanami designed this artificial dimension to be merged with the true Collective of the first Diclonius race of the Dragon Wars. But to do that, the true Queen had to emerge and break down the walls of the Collective Izanami created to contain her war with the Chaos Lord. Only then could she and you merge her Collective with the true Collective of the Diclonius. Whether you understand it or not, the Collective you are looking at now is nothing but a prison for the souls of your people, created in order to prevent to the Chaos Lord from destroying all life."
"But won't that release Calidor and allow him to free his people too?" Charlene called out.
"Yes," the Dragon Emperor answered bluntly. "But he will not succeed. He is too consumed with his own ego to realize that as the Queen's power grew his failed. Calidor's power comes from the souls he consumes. Take away those souls and he is vulnerable. Izanami and the angel Yuka are already eroding Calidor's power by using the Lilium against him. Even Lord Rayden has taken to using the song against the Chaos Lord. The song frees the souls Calidor has captured, thus weakening him. Izanami's whole plan hinged upon the true Queen of your race rising up and choosing life over death, just as you did. Wait a minute, I think I can explain this in terms you can understand. Does everyone know what boils are?" Everyone capitulated to understanding what a boil is. "A boil," the Dragon Emperor explained, "is an infection in the body that localizes in one spot to keep it from spreading throughout the body and destroying it. In your case, Izanami's Collective is the boil. Your body, the diclonius race, was infected when Calidor took Rayden. In an effort to save the body, Izanami sealed the infection…Calidor, in the Collective, thus creating the boil. At first, the boil doesn't hurt and is just a nuisance. But as time goes on, it festers and grow until it breaks out. The infection then spreads to other parts of the body. Now a doctor, when he or she sees a boil, what do they do to it in order to remedy the infection?"
Kohta suddenly understood the Dragon Emperor's reasoning. "They lance it and drain out the infected puss," he declared, "Then they clean it up and give the person some antibiotics to make sure the infection doesn't come back."
"Precisely," the Dragon Emperor declared. "In this case, Queen Lucy is the doctor. She has identified the infection within the body of the diclonius…an infection sealed inside the Collective created by Izanami to contain it. You know it as the Fury, which is the puss and Calidor, which is the core of the infection. Remove the core and the infection cannot stand. However, you don't know if lancing the boil is the right thing to do, correct milady?"
"Yeah," Lucy admitted. "Everything I've been told up to this point is that I need to get inside the Collective and rebalance it. Nothing was said about breaking it open."
"Tell me, Li Mei of Tibet," the Dragon Emperor called out. "When you deal with an infection, whether it be from a boil or a wound, do you leave it alone to fester or open it up so it will drain?"
"We open the wound and clean out the infection," Li Mei answered, her tone trembling.
"When you open the wound and clean out the infection, does it spread as it would if you had let the infection break out of its own accord?" the Dragon Emperor asked.
"It does not," Li Mei stated. "When we do that, we are in control and can dispose of the infection properly, allowing the patient to recover."
"Do you hear what your friend said?" the Dragon Emperor asked Lucy. "She knows how to deal with infections. What you are facing is a lethal infection in the diclonius collective body, milady. The only way to deal with it at this point is to open it up and destroy it."
"That's easy for you to say," Lucy countered. "You're talking about a person who is sick. When you open an infected wound on a person, it doesn't affect the entire planet!"
"You're correct," the Dragon Emperor answered. "A single person's infection usually doesn't affect the entire world. But, in this case, it did. Rayden was infected by Calidor's poison, and as a result, it has infected the entire diclonius race, and by default every living creature on the planet. But don't worry about that. You seem to be missing a very important point. Can you tell us what that is, Master Kohta?"
"Is it that when we deal with the infection on our terms, we can overcome it?" Kohta asked. "Otherwise, the infection runs rampant and kills its host."
"Very well put, Master Kohta," the Dragon Emperor commended. "That is precisely the point I was making." Turning to Lucy, he said, "You fear breaking into the Collective because it will release Calidor and allow him to overrun everything. But he can only overrun everything if he breaks out of the Collective by his own power. He has not yet reached that critical threshold yet. When you break into the Collective, opening the infection to outside, you are in control, not him. By opening the Collective now, you can stop him from completely poisoning and killing the diclonius race, and by default the rest of the planet. He has already been straining to break out of the Collective, sending filaments of his poison around the planet. The events in Japan and around the world are evidence enough of that. But he hasn't been able to completely free himself of the chains Izanami placed around his neck. Now is the hour for you, milady, to cleanse your body of this infection. Open the Collective, link with Izanami and her minions, and cut the cancerous infection of Calidor out of your collective body. I know you can do it. I believe in you."
"But I can't do it alone," Lucy retorted, her fear and doubt rising again. "We're not talking about doing surgery on a single person, but an entire race. I'm not sure I have what it takes."
The Dragon Emperor leaned down and looked Lucy in the eye, standing nose to nose with her. She saw her reflection in his enormous ruby eye. "You are not alone in this, milady. You have help from sources you can't even imagine. But you mustn't doubt yourself or your power. You were chosen from all the souls ever born to do this. It is your destiny. Besides, your friends are with you, and Master Kohta will never leave you. This is a task you can and must do, with his help, for the sake of all life everywhere."
Lucy's eyes flashed at the mention of Destiny. "My destiny is it? Well, I have news for you, my dragon friend. My destiny is in my hands and no one else's hands, so don't talk to me about Fate or Destiny. I've had my belly full of that kind of talk."
"Keep that fire, milady," the Dragon Emperor chimed, not insulted by her harsh rebuke. "It'll serve you well because you can count on Calidor invoking Fate and Destiny to get you to give in."
"You do realize that when I break this thing open, all hell is going to break loose all over the world. You know that, don't you?" Lucy asked pointedly.
"I do," the Dragon Emperor answered bluntly. "But it cannot be avoided. In order to eliminate the infection of Calidor, he must be drawn out into the open so we can destroy him."
"This is going to be very messy," Lucy grumbled. "Many people are going to die, even though I don't really give a shit about them. All I want is to live in peace with Kohta, my family, and friends. If I can truly finish this, will I have that?"
"If you finish this," the Dragon Emperor replied, "You can have anything your heart desires."
"Well, that's all I want," Lucy said coolly. "Will you help me end this sordid business, my dragon friend?"
"Yes," the Dragon Emperor replied. "As the last of the Dragon Guardians, I've waited six thousand years for this day. I would not miss it for anything. I have your back, and so do many other souls you don't know about. But this is your fight. I will intervene only as a last resort to prevent Calidor from breaking open the Dark Dimensions. It is the price of being the guardian of the Nexus."
"So you will not help unless Calidor is about to win," Lucy growled disapprovingly.
"That is correct, milady," the Dragon Emperor returned. "I know it doesn't set well with you, but it is as I said. Only when the Nexus itself is threatened can I become involved; however, that doesn't mean those with me cannot help."
"Sounds like the same old shit we've been dealing with all along," Kohta declared. "But it looks like we'll have to accept it, Lucy."
"Yeah," Lucy hissed between her teeth, visibly angered by the Dragon Emperor's conditions. "Once again, we are hung out to dry by the ones I trusted. If you're not going to help, then don't get in our way."
"I don't plan to," the Dragon Emperor returned coolly. "Despite what you think, this is not a betrayal on my part. I have responsibilities to guard this sacred space, a responsibility placed on me by the Eternal Council. If I even suspect that Calidor is going to threaten this place in the upcoming battle, I will come to your assistance. So milady, the time for talk has passed. What will you do?"
"I will cut out this cancerous infection and send him back where the fuck he belongs, with or without your help," Lucy growled viciously. "Now is the time that I decide who lives and who dies, not that fucking Calidor, or you for that matter."
"Very well, milady," the Dragon Emperor answered. "There's one last thing you should know. Here in the Nexus of all Realities, anything is possible. Here the living and the dead can meet face to face, and fractured personalities can become real and time has no meaning. Know that your fractured personalities will take on corporeal form when you open the Collective. Make good use of them. Work as a team and you will triumph. Also, don't underestimate the power of Nyu. She has power comparable to your own because of her innocence and love. Moreover, do not be crestfallen when you see your worst nightmares come to life in front of you. Calidor will use your fears and nightmares to destroy you. I suggest that you not be shaken by that, but tap his fears and nightmares. Turn his power against him and destroy him with his own evil."
"You sound like Master Akira, great Dragon," Kohta declared. "Do you have any words of advice for me?"
"Believe in yourself, Master Kohta," the Dragon Emperor stated. "And don't doubt your capabilities. You have the military power and prowess of the entire diclonius race surging through your veins because of Lucy's gift to you. But don't let your anger and rage get out of control. If you do, Calidor will be able to take you, just as he took Rayden, so keep your cool in the heat of battle."
"Good words to live by," Kohta replied gratefully. "Thank you. Now Lucy, are you ready to do this?"
"Not really," Lucy admitted. "But at this point, I don't have much choice. We must do this to save Yuka and Rayden. So how do I get in, Ryu-Wo-Chin?"
"Attack the gate with your vectors," the Dragon Emperor instructed. "Use a concentrated cut to slice through the seal of the gate. When you succeed, the gate will open, and the Collective will collapse, spreading out over this entire island, just as Izanami designed it to do. What you saw in your dreams of the Collective will become real, particularly on this island, and so will your enemy. But the Collective itself will not spread beyond the dimensional rift zone surrounding this island; however, Calidor's influence will have free reign over the planet at that point. He will be able to inflame the darkness of every living being on this planet, so it's imperative that you deal with him before he can physically flee the island. Take your fight to Calidor and finish it."
"I intend to," Lucy answered, steeling herself for the attack. "What about my friends there? I don't want to see them hurt."
"They are here because they wished it," the Dragon Emperor said. "Besides, it's too late to send them away. There's no sanctuary from this fight, so I will endeavor to keep them from harm while you and Master Kohta battle the Chaos Lord."
"Thank you," Lucy replied gratefully. "Now let's do this!"
She turned to the gate of the Collective and saw Izanami on the other side, a shimmering reflection mouthing the words, "Break the seal and free us. Use the sword of my power."
Lucy's eyes grew wide as Izanami smiled at her. Kohta also saw Izanami and touched Lucy on the shoulder. "This is what needs to be done, Lucy. I'm with you. Let's end this now."
"Right," Lucy growled. She waved at Izanami, who vanished into the white clouds swirling beyond the gate. Closing her eyes and concentrating, Lucy summoned her diclonius power. Izanami's voice echoed in her head, telling her to use the Sword of the Collective to break the seal. With a grunt and nod, she clapped her hands hard. The sound echoed throughout the Nexus. Seconds later, the Sword of the Collective appeared in her hand out of thin air. A wry smile crossed her lips. She turned to Kohta and asked, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Kohta instantly knew what she wanted. "Absolutely; no vector attacks here. We're going to use the proper tools to open and cleanse this infection." Kohta concentrated and clapped his hands together, and then separated them. As he did, smoke arose between his hands that solidified in the sword of Izanami's father…the same sword she gave him after he helped Lucy reintegrate her pieces. "Nice," he chimed, unsheathing the blade and putting the scabbard in his belt. "Finally, I have a reason to use this blade for good."
"Oh my," the Dragon Emperor rumbled with surprise. "You are both well-equipped with the power of the Collective. Those blades should be more than sufficient to open the Collective. Now strike, both of you at the same time at the same point."
"Ready, Kohta?" Lucy asked.
"Let's do this," Kohta growled.
"On three," Lucy said. "…three!" At three, she and Kohta attacked simultaneously, stabbing the shimmering wall of the Collective using the very power Izanami bestowed upon them. The swords collided with the wall, puncturing it with a loud crash as if a window had been shattered. A pulse of brilliant light flashed from the hit, briefly blinding everyone. Lucy and Kohta pulled their blades back and they looked, seeing a large break in the wall with a bright light shining through it from the far side. Kohta rubbed his eyes, trying to get the flash spots to go away as he stepped back. Lucy, on the other hand, unsatisfied by the hit, shouted, "God damn it, open up!" and slashed with a powerful diagonal sword strike and a concentrated hammer-strike using a hundred vectors that contained all her anger and power. The shimmering wall exploded with a concussive blast that threw Lucy and Kohta to the deck of the platform. The Dragon Emperor moved quickly, shielding Lucy's friends from the blast. An eerie howl arose, like the howl of wind escaping a pressurized container. The white clouds of Izanami's side of the Collective rushed out with the dark clouds of the Fury. Within the blink of an eye, the Nexus seemed to vanish, replaced by the inside of the Collective. The shrine had reappeared with everything now in a dull grayish tone.
Deep in the Fury, Calidor suddenly looked back toward Izanami's side with a scowl. The collapsing Collective rattled like broken glass falling out of a shattered window. The howl of it escaping into the real world echoed like a demon screaming in torment. "What?" Calidor roared. "No! I'm not ready! They can't do this to me. I don't have the power to break the chains on the Dark Dimension yet! Fuck! They'll regret this." He raged and retreated to castle Neilfheim.
Deep within the castle at the same moment, Rayden and Yuka became aware of a strange harmonic tremor within their crystal prisons that grew until it shook the entire castle. "What's going on?" Yuka asked fearfully of Rayden.
"I'm not sure," Rayden replied. "But I think the Queen just broke open the Collective from the outside."
"What does that mean?" Yuka asked.
"It means the Queen and her consort are coming to get you," Rayden declared. "Your imprisonment here is nearing its end."
Yuka's heart and mind leapt with joy at Rayden's words. "Let's help them find us with the song, Rayden," she suggested.
"I couldn't agree more," he replied. With that, Yuka hummed Lilium softly while Rayden hummed it loud as he could to disrupt Calidor's evil influence and to provide a beacon for Lucy and Kohta.
Izanami stood with her legions on her side of the Collective and cheered as Lucy and Kohta broke open their prison. "At last…our time has come!" she crowed.
On the Chimera while the whale song and Lilium played through the intercom, Fargo stood next to Mayu's bed in the secured section of the infirmary when the Collective shattered. He turned instinctively toward the island with a concerned look as an eerie moan seemed to penetrate every corner of the ship, rattling nerves. Nana huddled with Mayu on her bed as they looked at Fargo, both of them trembling in fear. Myra, having just woke, heard the unearthly noise and asked, "Captain, what on earth is that? It sounds like someone being burned alive." Fargo held Mayu's hand and answered Myra, "The Collective just collapsed. I felt it when it did. What we're hearing is the Collective escaping into our world. The only thing is I can't figure out whether Lucy did it or the King did it. Either way, we must be very careful now. The King will now try to send everyone into a fit of madness to kill us all."
"I don't know," Mayu whispered. "Something isn't right here. If Calidor managed to break out, we'd all be tearing each other's guts out right now. What I'm feeling is not the dark madness I saw in the King, but a deep sadness. It's like the whole world is holding its breath."
"I agree," Nana stated. "I think Lucy and Kohta are doing this. We must believe in them, otherwise we're not going to survive."
"I agree," Myra mumbled. "My mind is still in a mud from what happened, but I do know that whatever is happening isn't messing with my mind yet. I don't have the irrational fear and hate washing over me that is characteristic of the Fury. I think the final battle has finally begin. We must pray for our friends and family that they win and make it out in one piece."
"That is sound advice," Fargo agreed. "Prayer is all that's left now. We'd best make good use of it."
Mayu looked up from her bed at Fargo, putting on a confident smile. "Lucy and Kohta will fix this. I know they will. We just need to believe, Captain. God is on our side and so is Izanami."
Fargo patted Mayu on the hand, amazed at the strength she had despite everything that had happened to her. Her words also gave him strength and hope, bringing a smile to his lips.
Across the globe beyond Collective Island's dimension rift zone, the shattering of the Collective rippled through the populations of diclonius and infected humans like a rock thrown into a pond. The ripples of Fury fog radiated out from the island, moving at incredible speed. Wherever the Fury Fog encountered people, it melted them into puddles of sludge. At the same time, glowing fogs of white appeared, protecting uninfected populations from the advance of the deadly Fury Fogs. Collisions of the two diametrically opposed fogs created supercell storms that obliterated anything near it. Uninfected populations of human and diclonius took shelter in caves and bunkers to escape the carnage and madness of a world locked in a genocidal endgame. Within two hours, the battling fogs had reached North America, spreading with as much speed as the initial release of the Fury done at the Institute. The President of the United States watched helplessly from his armored underground bunker with a diclonius named Samuel Wallace as the world descended into chaos. "Will we survive?" the President asked Samuel.
"Honestly, I don't know," Samuel replied grimly. "I can only pray that the Queen stops this chaos before it consumes us all."
Back at the Nexus where the gate for the Collective once stood, Kohta shook off the blast from opened gateway as he stood, shaking his head while clenching Mamoru's sword. "Whoa, what a hit; are you okay, Lucy?" The Shrine had reappeared with the breaching of the Collective, turning everything a dull gray.
"I think so," she said, rising to her feet with Izanami's sword in hand. She looked around and gawked, seeing the dull gray of the Collective coloring everything. "Are we now in the Collective? Did the Collective escape like Ryu-Wo-Chin claimed?"
"It most certainly did," a familiar voice called out from where the gate once stood. "I knew I could count on you to free us, my precious daughter. Now we can save your friend, destroy Calidor, and send him back to where he belongs."
Kohta's eyes grew wide, seeing none other than Izanami standing there in armor bearing a long blazing katana in her fist, ready for battle. "Oh my god," he breathed. "I'm not dreaming this time, am I? That's really you, isn't it, Izanami?"
"Yes, Master Kohta," Izanami answered. "You're not dreaming; not this time. Even though I've been dead to this dimension for 1700 years, I am still here. Only in the Nexus can the living and the dead stand face to face. Now we have much work to do. Calidor is not going to be pleased that you shattered the Collective before he gained enough power to break out, Lucy. He's going to come for us to gain the power he needs to leave this place and open the gate for his infernal brood. We must stop him."
"Just show us the way," Lucy growled. "It's time we finished this."
"Yes, let's set the balance right and link ourselves to the true Collective where we will not have to fight the Fury ever again," Izanami stated. "The Collective I created to contain our war mirrors this island. Calidor's dark fortress of pain, Nielfheim, lies to the west of here on the high ground of the island. Come, follow me; I shall show you the way."
"Right," Lucy returned with grim determination.
"Your Majesty," Izanami called out to the Dragon Emperor. "The humans chosen to witness this battle are in grave peril. Protect them from the darkness as you did all those millennia ago. They are Lucy's friends and family. You royals are to help protect them as well."
"It shall be done," the Dragon Emperor replied. "No harm shall come to them as long as I live."
"Yes, Izanami," Tao barked in obedience. "Your will shall be done."
Izanami nodded and waved to Lucy and Kohta. "Let's go," she ordered.
Lucy and Kohta followed Izanami out through Guardian's Way to the shrine's courtyard. When they reached the courtyard, Lucy and Kohta found themselves greeted by a sea of armed diclonius souls: minions of Izanami's light. Their numbers filled the courtyard, plaza, walls, and the mountainside all around the shrine. Lucy stared in awe at the countless souls who had come to her assistance from within the Collective. "My Queen," Izanami said, "say hello to our people. They are here to back you and Master Kohta up in the battle to come."
"Who are they?" Lucy asked softly.
"What you see is every pure diclonius soul since Rayden and I lived who entered the Collective not tainted by the Fury," Izanami declared. "They help me keep the Fury at bay, and now they stand ready to fight for the salvation of our race."
Kohta looked around in utter stupefaction at the army before him. Suddenly, he caught glimpse of two familiar-looking people walking toward Izanami. A gasp escaped his lips as he recognized Akira Nariko and Jin-Ryu Osabi. "Lucy, look!" he cried in great delight.
Lucy blinked as Akira and Jin stopped a few paces away and bowed to Izanami. "All is in readiness," Akira declared. "We only need the word to advance."
"Master Akira?" Lucy asked, not believing her eyes.
"Yes, my Queen," Akira stated. "It is I. I am now one with the Collective and Izanami, and by default, with you. We stand ready to give our power to you to destroy this evil."
Kohta rushed forward and embraced Akira, weeping joyously. "Oh Master Akira," he sobbed. "It's so good to see you again. Did I do what you wanted properly? Am I measuring up?"
Akira patted Kohta on the back. "Master Kohta," Akira cooed. "You performed my last rites flawlessly, and you have more than measured up. I am now just a deceased diclonius soul under Lucy's and your command. Don't be afraid to do what you know must be done. Am I not always with you?"
Kohta wiped the tears from his eyes. "Yes, you are. Please forgive my emotional response. When I saw you there, I lost it for a moment."
"It's quite all right," Akira stated. "But you must now steel yourself for the fight of your life. You mustn't allow yourself to lose control, even for a moment in what's facing us. Even a moment's hesitation or doubt could be disastrous for everyone. Remember what I taught you and you will be all right."
"Akira's right," Izanami stated. "You need to focus on the job at hand. We have a formidable opponent in Calidor. Steel yourself and keep what you're fighting for in the front of your mind and you will prevail. Now are we ready to take the war to Calidor?"
"Yes," Kohta returned stoutly.
"Yes," Lucy stated. "But first, I think I have an idea on a strategy."
"By all means, let's hear it," Izanami replied.
Lucy motioned for Akira, Kohta, and Izanami to gather around. For a few moments, Lucy laid out her strategy for dealing with Calidor and rescuing Yuka and Rayden. "Well, do you think it will work?" Lucy asked.
"You have grasped Calidor's weaknesses well, milady," Akira stated. "I think it has a high likelihood of success. I am with you."
"You've embraced your destiny, my precious daughter," Izanami chimed with pleasure. "I will wait for your signal and attack with the Lilium. Today we end this war and show the Eternal Council that the human race is here to stay."
"Sounds like a plan," Kohta said. "Let's get it done before that shit lays waste to the entire planet."
Izanami put her arms around Lucy and Kohta. "I infuse my link to every piece of the Collective into you both. Use it to access our Collective power and life when you need it most." Izanami sent a vector into Lucy and Kohta, implanting her link to the whole Collective into each of them. Kohta grimaced in pain as the linkage burned into his piece of the Collective, linking him to the Collective as a whole. He groaned as the surge of almost infinite power filled him before subsiding to a tolerable level.
Lucy clenched Izanami in agonizing pain, knowing the implantation of Izanami's linkage to the whole Collective was the only way. Her cry echoed over the assembled army. They willed their power to ease her pain and it did as Izanami's linkage fused into Lucy's piece. A great sigh of relief hissed from Lucy's lips as the pain ebbed away.
"It is done," Izanami declared. "The torch has been passed. Now you and Master Kohta are the keepers of the Collective, not I. I live to serve you both as every soul here does. Now let's finish this."
"Indeed," Lucy replied, feeling the power of the Collective surging through her now. "Let's go kill ourselves a fucking monster and save our friends."
"Aye," Akira chimed. Turning to the army of diclonius souls, Akira raised his clenched fist and shouted, "The Queen has spoken! Let's kill the beast and save our friends!"
A rumbling war cry rose from the horde, chanting, "Kill the Beast, Save our friends!'
Kohta felt a powerful chill race down his spine at the chanting war cry. A smile crossed his lips as he suddenly felt like a general commanding a vast army. He was no longer at the mercy of those more powerful than he was. No longer was he the helpless boy who saw his world mangled by the diclonius fury. Now, he was not just one of them, but their leader with Lucy. Moreover, he now possessed the power to fight for and protect those he loved. Lifting his blade to the featureless gray sky, Kohta shouted, "Let's show the universe we are not going quietly into the night! We will fight and show every living thing in this accursed universe that we humans are here forever and we chose life over death! Life!" A bone-rattling cheer rose from the multitude as they repeated his last utterance. Kohta stabbed at the sky with his sword again, shouting, "Life!" The army responded with a shout that shook the island, and maybe even the planet. "For our friends and family…move out!" he roared, pointing his sword to the west, towards Calidor's domain. Kohta instantly started walking with Lucy beside him on the right, sheathing his blade as he walked. A wry smile plastered Lucy's face as Izanami walked on Kohta's left with Akira and Jin right behind them followed by their army.
"A little over the top, don't you think?" Lucy asked Kohta.
"Maybe just a little, even a little cheesy," Kohta admitted. "I kind of got carried away. I've never felt so powerful before. For the first time in my life, I really feel like I have the ability to protect those I love. This is our day, Lucy. Today, we show everyone everywhere what we can do to protect those we care about. Calidor will go back to that pit that spawned him, and we'll get Yuka and Rayden back, along with every other diclonius soul Calidor's taken. Today we show the universe the true power of humanity: both regular human and diclonius."
"I really hope you're right," Lucy answered coolly as they walked out a side gate to the west.
"I know I am," Kohta stated. "For the first time in my entire life, I'm not afraid of what may happen. We will win and our people will finally have the peace they so deserve."
"You should pay attention to his words, milady," Jin stated from a discrete distance. "He has grasped our dilemma much better than I ever hoped he would."
Lucy cast a wary eye to Jin, having sensed his presence approaching. "So should you, Jin," she returned. "I'm relieved that you managed to make it to Izanami after that fucking shit you pulled on the Chimera."
"I barely made it," Jin admitted. "It was your hand that allowed me to enter Izanami's domain, and for that, I am eternally grateful. But it still doesn't make what I did right, even though I was possessed by the Fury."
"Wait a minute," Kohta interrupted. "I thought only those who weren't tainted by the Fury could enter Izanami's side of the Collective. You were gone, completely overrun by the Fury when Bandoh stopped you from killing Myra. How did you get here with the Fury on you like that?"
"I don't know," Jin admitted. "All I know is when Bandoh cut me in half, the Fury drained out of me with my blood and guts. I guess that hit must have driven the Fury from me before Lucy put me down. That's the only reason I can come up with as to why I ended up on Izanami's side…that and the fact that she snatched my soul from Calidor's slimy tentacles at the last second."
"Is that true, Izanami?" Lucy asked.
"Yes," Izanami replied. "We almost lost Jin to the darkness. But the power with which you sent his soul to me allowed me to grab Jin before Calidor could secure his grip on him."
"That makes him one lucky son of a bitch," a cold, vicious voice called out from off the path, a voice that sounded very familiar to both Kohta and Lucy.
Everyone looked, seeing Dark Lucy's scarred Frankenstein-style face glaring down on them from a boulder. She was clad in armor, with a strange-looking black blade sheathed at her side. Lucy and Kohta stopped, their eyes wide. Kohta quickly recalled the Dragon Emperor's words about Lucy's pieces taking on a corporeal form in the Nexus. A wry smile crossed his lips as Lucy continued to stare at Dark Lucy, flabbergasted at her physical appearance. "What do you want, little Fury?" Kohta asked bluntly.
Dark Lucy stood menacingly, her hand resting heavily upon the hilt of her blade. "You know exactly why I'm here, human," she hissed. "Now are we going to take this shit out or are we going to stand around and play patty cake? I'm ready for some demon blood, and maybe yours if you're not careful."
"That's enough of that, bitch," Lucy snapped, reaching out and slapping Dark Lucy down with a vector strike so fast that Dark Lucy didn't see it coming. "You know better than to speak to Kohta like that. I'm in charge here, not you."
"Of course you are," Dark Lucy grumbled. "I'm just itching to take that prick down that's caused us all this trouble. Are we going to end him or not?"
"Of course we are," Kohta declared. "But we aren't going to do it with brute force. We have to be clever with this fox and trap him before we can deal with him. You already know what we're going to do. Now are you going to help or what?"
"As if you need to ask," Dark Lucy chimed wickedly.
"Then stick to the plan," Lucy snapped. "And you aren't to harm Yuka in any way. Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am," Dark Lucy returned sarcastically.
Kohta snatched Dark Lucy with his vectors, immobilizing her and bringing her nose to nose with him. His nostrils flared as his eyes blazed. "Listen to me and let it sink into that thick skull of yours. If I hear one more peep of sarcasm from you, I will rearrange your brain so you can't talk. Lucy doesn't need your boorish sarcasm. She needs your help, as do I and every other soul on this god-forsaken planet. We aren't just fighting for justice, we are fighting for our right to exist in this cosmos. This is too serious a matter for you to be a pig-headed little girl who insults everyone when she doesn't get her way. Now shape up. We need you."
"Kohta," another voice called out from the left. "Put Fury down. Your lecture isn't needed. Fury knows what we need to do to end this."
Kohta looked to the left, seeing Kaeda and Nyu approaching through the crowd of souls, who parted for them. Both were armored and armed with blades. Nyu's bright eyes conveyed concern for Kohta. "Please no hurt Bad Lucy," Nyu said softly. "Bad Lucy talk not mean anything. It just how she is."
Kohta's mouth fell open as he realized he let his anger get the better of him again. He looked at Kaeda and Nyu, seeing Kaeda's solemn face and Nyu's pleading eyes. Sitting Dark Lucy down, he released her while looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. I let my anger get the better of me. Can you forgive me?"
Dark Lucy glared at him for a moment, and then slugged him across the jaw with her fist. Kohta's face jerked from the hit. He rubbed his jaw, looking at Lucy, who had a smug look of satisfaction on her face. "I deserved that, didn't I?" he asked humbly.
"You're fucking right," Dark Lucy snapped. "Next time I may do more than just slug you with my fists. Besides, I have bigger fish to fry. Calidor isn't going to play nice when we meet in battle. He's going to try to incite your anger, just like I did. Now if you have any brain cells inside that thick melon on top of your neck, you'll pay attention. You need to lock down that anger if you plan on tangling with him because he will try to drive you to rage. Once you lose control of your anger, he has you, so don't get into a rage. Remember what the Dragon Emperor told you. Keep that fucking anger in check! If you can't control it when I provoke you, how the hell are you going to control it when a Chaos Lord of Calidor's caliber provokes you? We can't having you fucking things up because you can't control your emotions."
"Fury is right," Izanami stated, having seen the entire episode. "She was trying you at Lucy's order to see if you'd lose your cool, and you did."
Kohta's face snapped to Lucy, who nodded. "That's right, Kohta. Better we know now than when I need you most," Lucy stated.
Kohta sighed. Everything everyone had said about him was spot on. "Thank you for showing me my weakness," he said. "Being a diclonius is harder than I thought. I can see how this power makes it incredibly easy to lose control. I understand better now how you feel, Fury. It's a hard lesson, but a good one that I will take to heart. It just goes to show that I'm still trying to figure out what it means to be one of you."
Dark Lucy smiled wickedly. "You'll never truly understand what it means to be one of us. But you have shown me another reason why the humans shouldn't be exterminated. If you can learn from your mistake, then so can the other humans."
"And so can we as diclonius," Kaeda stated. "Now let's finish this."
"Yes," Kohta agreed. "Let's kill the monster and save our people."
"On to Calidor's castle," Lucy barked. She turned to Izanami and said, "Stay out of sight as we approach his domain and wait for our signal."
"Yes, milady," Izanami stated. "We will be ready."
"Come on, Kohta," Lucy ordered. "Let's go say hello to the devil himself."
"And kill the lousy shit for all the trouble he's caused," Kohta added.
"Follow this path to the top of the ridge," Izanami ordered. "Calidor's domain begins just the other side of this mountain. We shall remain out of sight on this side and await your signal."
"Be very careful," Akira pleaded. "…both of you. Hide your power and fortify your minds against Calidor's evil as you approach him. He's crafty so you must be even more crafty. You have my prayers and the prayers of every diclonius that ever came to Izanami."
"Thanks, Master Akira," Kohta replied, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Prayer is always welcome. Just be ready."
"We will," Izanami stated. "Now go and may the gods grant us victory and justice today."
Lucy cast a slightly sour look at Izanami. "Come on, Kohta. Time is running out," Lucy stated coolly. With that, Lucy, Kaeda, Dark Lucy, Nyu, and Kohta moved on, following the path to the top of the ridge, leaving behind their army.
Kohta glanced back and saw the army melting away into the terrain. "Man, they move like ghosts," he commented.
"That's because they are ghosts," Lucy returned. "You, I, and Yuka are the only ones who are truly alive on this mountain. You need to remember that."
"I will," Kohta answered. When they topped the ridge, looking west, Kohta felt his heart sink into his shoes. Lucy grimaced at the bleak landscape confronting them. Just 10 meters down the mountain stood the edge of the Fury. But unlike the last time they saw it, this time the dark roiling clouds were not present down at the surface. The dark clouds stood five hundred meter over Lucy and Kohta's head, casting a deep shadow over the whole landscape. Eerie glows from rivers of molten rock lit the whole of the Fury in a hellish red glow. Off in the distance on the highest peak, they saw Calidor's castle of pain: a fortress seemingly carved out of the side of an active volcano that spewed rivers of lava. Shadows flitted amongst the rocks and glowing red eyes seemed to look at them from every rock and boulder in the wasteland between them and the fortress. "I didn't think hell really existed," Kohta whispered. "But now I believe. This god awful place has to be the realm of the damned."
"In a way, it is," Lucy said softly. "The damned of our people are confined here by Calidor. It's our job to go in there, destroy him, and rescue Yuka. Kaeda, Nyu, Fury…conceal yourselves now and follow us in."
"Right," Kaeda replied. She, Nyu, and Dark Lucy spun their vectors, vanishing from sight.
A rock tumbled from a nearby boulder, causing Lucy and Kohta to wheel toward the noise, defenses up ready to attack any enemy. They looked around until they saw a shadow moving just at the edge of the Fury. "What is that?" Kohta asked, blade drawn and vectors ready to pounce.
"I don't know," Lucy whispered, ready to attack this unknown if it became hostile. "I can't sense it at all."
The shadow slipped past the edge of the Fury into Izanami's side of the Collective, hiding behind the boulders. As it moved slowly toward them, Kohta straightened up with curiosity. "There's something familiar about that ghost," he said. Then addressing the mystery intruder, he called out, "You there, come on out if you value your life."
A vicious, bone-chilling laugh rose from the specter, a laugh Kohta instantly recognized, as did Lucy. "You can't kill that which is already dead, you stupid shit," the voice chided. "I knew you were stupid, but god damned. I thought you would have known better."
Lucy scowled and lashed out with her vectors, snaring the ghostly form, bringing him into the open. "And you still haven't learned to keep that boorish mouth shut, Bandoh!" Lucy snapped. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Same as you," Bandoh stated as Kohta stared at Bandoh's mutated form, just as he remembered the last time he saw Bandoh. "I'm hunting a demon. That fucking shit dragged me in here and I want out. But I don't have the power to do it on my own. That's where you come in."
"You mean that you're not controlled by Calidor?" Kohta asked.
"Fuck no!" Bandoh balked. "He has no power over me and never did. I'm my own man and that's the way it will always be."
"Do you know where Yuka is being kept?" Lucy asked.
"Of course I know where she is," Bandoh crowed. "And I know where the one called Rayden is being kept. We break Rayden out and the fuck that brought me here is in some serious shit."
"WHERE IS YUKA?" Kohta demanded.
"Calm down, Kohta," Bandoh replied. "Don't get your panties in a wad. The girl is alive, but she's encased in a crystal pillar in Calidor's throne room. The little bitch has caused him all kinds of problems with that little song of hers."
"What do you want?" Lucy asked bluntly.
"I want out of here," Bandoh stated. "If I help you get the girl, you help me get out of this bubble. After that, we never have to meet again. Besides, I want that shit to die or go the fuck back where he belongs. One thing I know for sure about this Calidor is that he is not of this world."
"All right," Lucy replied. "I think we can help you out after what you did at the Institute to hold him while we got away. Just show us the way in without being seen and together we can destroy Calidor. Have we got a deal?"
"Yes," Bandoh hissed, very pleased with the response he got from Lucy. "Just follow me. And conceal your presence. It'll make approaching the castle much easier." He started back toward the Fury area. Just before entering it, he looked back and saw no one. "Shit, they ditched me. Should've known not to trust that bitch."
A vector slapped Bandoh across the face as Lucy's voice snarled from thin air, "We didn't ditch you, you dumb shit. We're camouflaged. Now lead on. We'll follow right behind you."
"All right, damn it," Bandoh hissed. "Follow close. I know the back way into the castle." With that, he led them into the Calidor's domain.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Kohta whispered to Lucy.
"Yes," Lucy replied. "Trust me. This is going to work. Neither Bandoh or Calidor will know what hit them when we're done."
"I hope so," Kohta said softly.
A/N: The stage is set and the players are ready. Lucy and Kohta take a great chance by following the ghost of Bandoh into the heart of Calidor's territory. Will Bandoh turn on them or help them save Yuka from Calidor's fortress. Even more important, will Lucy and Kohta be able to take down Calidor and send him back to the Dark Dimension before he manages to eradicate all intelligent life on the planet? Keep reading to find out. The Final Battle for the soul of the humanity is on in the next chapter. As always, reviews are welcome. Be honest, but kind.
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