Cigars are evil, you won't miss 'em, we'll find ways to simulate that smell! That's right, it's time for a trip to Robot Hell! Or...just...regular Hell. Anyway, it's been way too many months, and it's way past time for a bunch of reunions! This one will also be somewhat shorter than the last bunch of chapters.
Chapter 108 – The Dead and The Living! DREAM Goes To Hell!
"Hell...you mean, THE Hell?!" Koji exclaimed, echoing almost everyone's shock at the revelation of where their next destination was.
"That's correct," Iophiel replied frankly. "The realm where the sinful are punished...that is our only path to Heaven and Eden Vital."
"Man, talk about irony," Judau said with an awkward chuckle. "Do you think Metatron commands the Devil? Are we gonna have to beat HIM up first?"
"Actually," Janus chimed in, "this works out great!" Everyone simultaneously turned towards him, now even more surprised.
"Come again?" Murrue said warily. "You're saying you WANT to go back there?!"
"Believe it or not, I do," Neo Granlif's pilot said. "We'll find some more allies there - to help us in the final battles to come. Some of you might be familiar with them." It took a moment, then some of them remembered – Janus' escape had only been possible due to the aid of old friends they had lost long before they met him...what was more, perhaps they would see those who had perished more recently...
Seeing that everyone was more or less accepting of the path ahead, Iophiel flew to the center of the group.
"Before we go in," the angel-priestess said, "you all need to know this – both Heaven's and Hell's dimensional laws are hostile to creatures that lack the proper protection. Even in the safety of your machines, your souls could be ripped right out of your bodies upon entry."
"So how do we get the protection we need?" Kira asked.
"I can provide it," Iophiel said. "But I can't guarantee your minds will be able to handle the sensations they're about to experience."
"I'm sure we'll be fine!" Simon said. "I mean, we were able to make Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann through sheer force of will alone!"
"We'll do whatever it takes to save the worlds and people we love," Amuro said. "Tell us what to do."
"I need everyone to gather in a circle around Neo Granlif and myself. Those who can link hands should do so, with their mechs if necessary. Captains, please gather all of your crew in a convenient place so they can hold hands and form their own circle."
"This feels kinda tacky," Mucha quipped. His Universal Century counterpart nodded, even though they proceeded to follow Iophiel's instructions. Meanwhile, DREAM's various machines moved to hold hands. Before long, DREAM had formed a wide circle. Mobile suits were holding the hands of other mobile suits and of Super Robots, and even Dante, Fudo and Miki were in on this.
"Now, close your eyes and focus your minds on those around you," the angel instructed; "Open your hearts to them as much as possible."
"What, are we gonna sing 'Kumbaya'?" Boz quipped.
"Shut up and do as she says, Boz," Kouji said. With that, everyone closed their eyes and tried their hardest to keep their minds open. Iophiel somehow sensed they were ready, and turned to Neo Granlif.
"Janus, Tara, I need you to start increasing the Exogenesis Engine's output, and focus your awareness on your friends. We're going to perform the same kind of rite we used to restore the two Earths after Fourth Impact."
"Xemmey, Xengar, make it so," Tara said. The two AIs nodded and did so, causing Neo Granlif to begin glowing. Zig's children also formed a ring around DREAM, while Zig and his mate positioned themselves above and below DREAM. With that, they and Iophiel began to sing, the angel using words of an unknown language, causing both her and Neo Granlif to extend additional pairs of light wings from their backs. First, one pair...then two...then four...then eight...sixteen...every second, their wings were doubling in number.
Meanwhile, something was happening to the DREAMers' minds. They were all struck by a torrent of energy, and of images in their minds...
What...is this?! Amuro thought as he saw a younger version of himself fighting a familiar legless mobile suit, only to watch the cockpit blow up in his face...
These memories, Lelouch thought as he was assailed by visions of Suzaku, dressed as Zero, impaling him through the gut with an ornamental sword...
Thoughts such as these passed through the minds of various DREAMers as they were exposed to this sensation. They saw themselves in settings belonging to every known and suspected age in the history of the cosmos, and to remoter ages of earthly existence going beyond all knowledge, suspicion and credibility. They saw themselves in forms both human and non-human, vertebrate and invertebrate, conscious and mindless, animal and plant. More, they saw other versions of themselves that had nothing to do with Earth life as they understood it, but moving on other worlds, galaxies and realities, yet somehow all equally themselves. Some of these glimpses recalled dreams they had had in the past, and a few even had a horrible familiarity.
This all seemed to culminate in a feeling of supreme shock – their individual 'selves' were merely a part of something infinitely greater, and these other selves were...
Then, the visions stopped, and they regained their senses of identity, but somehow were able to hold on to this awareness. They then turned their attention to Iophiel, who was lying on Zig's back, her light wings gone and her body still.
"Iophiel!" Nia cried, echoing everyone's fears. To everyone's relief, though, the priestess slowly sat up, though it was clearly a struggle for her.
"It...is done," she panted.
"What did you do?" Char asked.
"Even I'm not sure how to properly explain it," Iophiel said as she finally caught her breath; "But the important thing is that you can now borrow strength from your infinite other selves from across the multiverse. Only those with such abilities can withstand being in Heaven or Hell and keep their body, mind and soul together. Call it 'evolution'...or perhaps 'Shinka' would be a better word."
Evolution, Go thought. He could somehow sense that Shin Dragon was pleased with this new development.
"You okay?" Kamille asked.
"I'm sorry," the priestess said; "But I'm completely drained of energy. That was the last thing I'll be able to do for you for the time being beyond simple advice."
"You earned a good rest, Iophiel," Bright said. "Thank you. All hands, prepare for dimensional transfer!"
Funny...I don't feel any different, Kouji thought as Neo Granlif opened a gargantuan rainbow Threshold for DREAM to pass into. Maybe I already reached this state. That explains how I was able to do that stuff before...
After what felt like an eternity and an instant at the same time, DREAM exited through the other side of the portal.
"Did we make it?" Paul asked. "It's definitely different from where we were before."
"It definitely is," Janus quipped, "but I was expecting it to be a lot more crowded." Indeed, the massive line of the dead awaiting judgment by Minos was not present. The eerie silence that pervaded the space now that it was bereft of all other activity was almost deafening.
"There are no souls here," Iophiel said. "Nor is the Judge of the Dead. This bodes very ill."
"Then let's not dawdle here," Ruri said. "If Janus' account of his travels here is correct, we must go deeper, past all of the Circles of Hell. There is where we'll find the gate to Atik Yomin's domain."
"We'll make a stop in the Sixth Circle," Janus said. "The allies I mentioned are waiting for us there." Several DREAMers felt their hearts race – if what their comrade had said was true, they would be reunited with some of those who had died in battle beside them...
Heaven was everything one might have expected of it – there were puffy clouds one could walk on, and a heavenly light like a golden dawn bathed everything.
But there was no heavenly choir singing the praises of any god. Here, there was great toil.
Countless souls were lugging metal of every sort up to higher and higher spheres of Heaven for a purpose they couldn't comprehend.
One of these souls, a Britannian man with brown hair, was struggling with several others to carry a particularly heavy sheet of golden metal upon to a portal. In life, he had been Joseph Fenette, Shirley's father. One of the unlucky victims of Tetsuya's Zonder rampage, he had dwelt here in peace until recently.
One of his fellow workers happened to be Miki Makimura's father – Noel.
Suddenly, Joseph's grip slipped, and he dropped onto a cloud, somehow exhausted. Noel turned to help his fellow up, while the rest of their compatriots continued on without them. Unfortunately, this caught the attention of a Power, who approached him with sword in hand...and this, in turn, caught Metatron's attention.
"What are you doing?" the angel shouted, his sword turning to a whip. "Get back to work!"
"I don't understand," the Britannian man cried; "I thought Heaven was supposed to be a place of rest, where no one is troubled by anything!"
"We were promised an eternal reward!" Noel said. "But this labor, it..."
But Noel was struck by the angel's whip and knocked to what passed for ground. The angel then raised his whip to strike Joseph, but his hand was caught by Metatron's. The low-ranking angel gasped and stepped aside. The High Seraph squatted down and met the weary Joseph's gaze.
"The cosmos is under dire threat," Metatron said, "and we must all do our part to see it saved. But once this is over, your reward shall be that of infinite bliss, more than you've ever experienced."
Joseph struggled to get back up, but the many-winged angel shook his head.
"No...you two can rest for a little while," he said gently; "You were good men in life, and have worked hard on this without question up until now. We shall find someone else to pick up the slack until your strength returns." Joseph smiled and laid back, while Noel closed his eyes and sighed. Satisfied, Metatron stood up and shooed the overseer angel away, only to be met by a Throne.
"My lord," the wheel angel spoke, "we have confirmed the destruction of the Anti-Spiral at the hands of DREAM.."
The leader of Atik Yomin nodded solemnly.
"I see," he said. "Is everyone in position?"
"King Minos is positioned at the gates to the Ninth Circle as you commanded," his subordinate said without hesitation; "The other High Seraphs have recovered from their injuries and are waiting for you at the portal leading to Eden Vital's core."
Metatron smiled.
"Excellent. I'll head there now."
With that, he unfurled his wings and rocketed upward. He looked down and saw the efforts being done – all for his sake.
So many souls working so hard, and throwing themselves in their path...all to buy me time.
The lack of attempts to retake Dis made the Flame of Hope wonder if their enemy had something big planned. But after the DREAMers who fell against the Anti-Spiral arrived, they now had a general idea of why this was the case. However, the majority of the Flame's rank-and-file – particularly those who had not been a part of the mission to bust Janus out - were not so confident that they would be able to do anything, and some had even considered following the exodus of the damned to see where it would go.
Kamina was certainly not among them. Even now he stood atop one of the city walls, gazing sternly and intently into the wastes for any sign of Janus' return, even standing on tiptoe.
"Excuse me," a voice came from behind Gurren Lagann K's pilot. Kamina nearly fell flat on his face with shock. But when he managed to regain his balance and turn around, he saw that it was Master Asia.
"Don't sneak up that, old man!" Kamina yelled. "I could've fallen off the wall!" The martial artist considered commenting about how they all were already dead, but thought better of it.
"Your vigilance in looking for Janus and the others is touching," Master Asia said, "but I highly doubt they will be coming here. Their enemy is in Heaven, not in Hell." Kamina frowned and got in Master Asia's face.
"First off, shut up," he said. "Second of all, I know Janus is gonna show because he made a promise to come back!"
"To who?" Master Asia asked. "Why in the world would he keep a promise to return to Hell, and why would he drag the rest of DREAM alo..." Suddenly, both men's ears perked as they picked up sounds coming from the distance – the rumbling of engines from a gigantic warship...one bigger than seemed possible. Both turned in the direction of the sound simultaneously, and were nearly floored by the sight that followed:
The moon-sized Chouginga Dai-Gurren, flying towards them from over the horizon, with Zig and his family close at hand.
While Master Asia stood in amazement at the sight of the vessel and caelceti, Kamina could only grin widely as he realized what this meant.
"Told ya, old man," he quipped as Lordgenome's gargantuan vessel stopped a few dozen miles outside of Dis, yet loomed impossibly tall over them...
Janus smirked as he brought his still-living friends toward the gates of Dis. He had a feeling that his friends from the Flame of Hope would be waiting for them just inside, and gleefully anticipated the look on everyone's faces when they were reunited with those whose deaths had shaped their lives in ways they hadn't imagined back then.
Sure enough, he was right – Kamina and Kittan were standing at the front.
"Looks like you guys made it in one piece," Kamina said. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from Team Dai-Gurren and their allies." Immediately, every one of the brigade rushed over to greet their old leader and their late comrade.
"Bro..." Simon said, overcome with a joyful disbelief. "And Kittan...you guys are actually..."
"So, where is she?" Simon's big bro said, slapping the digger on the back. "Where's the chick you broke through that 'Multidimensional Labyrinth' or whatever to rescue?" The digger blinked, surprised that Kamina knew about this, but he didn't get a chance to answer before Nia approached him.
"Hello, Mister Kamina," she said humbly. "I had never expected to say this...but it's nice to finally meet you." The ex-leader of Team Gurren smiled back.
"So you're the sweet bundle of sunshine who helped my little bro when he needed it most," Kamina said, looking Nia up and down. "The pleasure's all mine."
"It's been ages, Kamina," Viral chimed in. "You look good for a dead man." The former pilot of Gurren turned and met gazes with his former rival, and smirked.
"Well, if it isn't that Beastman who's been sitting in my old seat," Kamina replied, "if what Janus said is true...what's your name again?"
"Viral," the Beastman replied. "If you want it back, I..."
Kamina grinned and shook his head.
"Nah, you can keep it...seems like you earned it," the man said; "Besides, I've gotten a new ride all my own."
He then turned to Janus and Tara, allowing Yoko and Kittan to share an embrace – he knew that the two had shared seven years together.
"And here's the man who made this little meeting possible," he said proudly, slapping Janus on the back. "So, this must be the woman that gave you reason to claw his way out of Hell."
"And you're the source of about half of Janus' favorite sayings," Tara quipped back. "Well, he learned them from Simon."
"C'mon," Kittan said as he turned to his friends; "We'll take ya to our headquarters – the rest of the group's gonna be stoked to meet you all." With that, he turned and walked back into the city, keeping a hold on Yoko's hand...
No sooner had the group arrived at the Flame of Hope's headquarters than did they split off to find those who had gone before them.
Michiru and the Shin Dragon team hurried to find Musashi, and found him practicing his judo with one of the Flame's Devilmen – a spherical eyeball monster with two huge arms and stumpy, elephantine legs. He had the Devilman up over his head, and was spinning around.
"DAISETSUSAN OROSHI!" Musashi cried as he finally slammed his opponent into the ground.
"Musashi!" Kei cried. The martial artist looked up and gasped.
"Genki?! Izzat you?!" he exclaimed as his opponent rolled over and groaned. "So that's what that rumbling earlier was! If I had known it was you guys, I'd have come running!" Michiru, however, nervously approached him.
"You're...the Musashi of the Universal Century world, right?" she asked.
"Yeah, unfortunately," Musashi replied with a sigh. "You're the Michiru of the Celestial Calendar world, ain't ya. Never met the 'me' from your world." Michiru sighed as well.
"You...didn't happen to see Ryoma, Hayato or Benkei here, did you?" Gai asked. "The ones from our world?"
"I'd ask you the same thing," Musashi said, quickly noticing that the three Shin Getter pilots were missing as well. At this, the four living Getter pilots bowed their heads, but said nothing. Still, Musashi seemed to understand exactly what this silence meant...and seemed oddly pleased.
"Sacrificed themselves, eh?" he said with a chuckle. "In that case, I don't think they're really dead."
This came as a surprise to them.
"Really?" Kei exclaimed. "How do you know?"
"I don't," the martial artist said with a shrug. "It's just a gut feeling. I guess if I have to think of a reason, it's because those three have a way of escaping death that only those chosen by Getter can." He then looked over at Michiru. "Same goes for the ones from your world. They're just...somewhere else in the cosmos."
"I see," Go said, seeming to understand what Musashi meant. Kei smiled and turned to Michiru.
"Who knows?" she said; "Maybe we'll see them again before this battle is over, sis." Michiru smiled back as she thought about the Getter team from her world, and wondered what they would think of her now...
"How long has it been since we got here, I wonder," Hayato pondered out loud as Shin Getter 2 drilled through yet another shapeless horror; "How long have we been fighting this endless tide of foes from beyond all known and suspected dimensions?" The white Getter was surrounded by their allies, an armada of countless Getter Robos of every conceivable shape and size. This fleet was waging endless battle with a even larger horde of alien creatures and organic warships as horrible, if not more horrible than the Invaders. If not for Getter, the very sight of even one of these abominations would have driven them mad with terror.
"I dunno, but it hasn't gotten old yet!" Ryoma said. "These freaks from beyond time and space always know how to keep us on our toes!" As another amorphous horror came screeching at them, Hayato yanked on a lever to make the machine split into the three Get machines again. The horror turned to attack Benkei's craft, Shin Bear.
"But we really don't understand anything about them!" Benkei said as he made his machine somersault. "What are their motives, and if they're really the 'true enemy' that threatens the reality we came from? And the one Michiru came from?" Just then a glowing sphere of hyper-concentrated Getter Rays streaked through the void and slammed into the alien monstrosity, annihilating it.
"What's there to understand, Benkei 550-988-653-914UC?" a voice sounding somewhat like Akira Hibiki's came from Benkei's communicator. "This is a simple struggle for survival...the survival of everything we held dear before coming here!" The pilot of Shin Getter 3 looked and saw a Shin Getter 1 flying towards them.
Just then, something clicked in Hayato's mind as their three machines formed up into Shin Getter 1 as well.
"Hey, Ryoma," he said as the two Getters began to float back to back, tomahawks drawn as a horde of strange Invader-like monsters surrounded them, "didn't Michiru mention that the 'you' of her world sounded kind of like Akira Hibiki? The pilot of Raideen?"
Ryoma grinned as he realized it – the version of himself that had greeted them when they first arrived – must have sent this particular set of Getter pilots for a reason. As a trio of the Invader-like monsters rushed at them, Shin Getter cleaved one in twain with its tomahawk.
"You guys arrived here after your Shin Getter apparently blew up during a test, didn't ya?" he said to the Getter team addressing them as he avoided the second and third ones, then swept them both with a Getter Beam.
"...How did you know?" a voice belonging to the other Hayato exclaimed. "There's no way you could have known that! The supreme commander never mentioned anything about that when he told us to find you!"
"It could have been a lucky guess," the other Benkei said as their Shin Getter tossed its tomahawk, cutting another horror down the middle.
"We visited your world," Hayato said with a chuckle; "it's a very, VERY long story. If we ever get a break from this, we might tell some of it."
"Could you at least tell us one thing?" the other Ryoma asked. "Did...anyone survive the explosion?"
The Getter team from the Universal Century could only remain silent – but that was all the answer the Getter team from the Celestial Calendar needed.
"I suspected as much," the Celestial Calendar Hayato said with a sigh. "Our Shin Getter's reactor was far more potent than Getter Robo G's. At least Michiru was out of the country at the time. I guess it makes sense why Emperor would send us to find this one." Suddenly, a huge monstrosity with seventeen eyes, nine mouths, sixty-two wings and a single scythe-like blade hanging from its central mass came streaking at them, forcing the two Shin Getters to turn their Getter Beams on it...
Amuro and Char, having heard the story from Janus, had one shared objective at the moment – find Lalah. Her death had been one of the darkest moments of their lives – to see her again after what seemed like an eternity was an opportunity they had never dreamed of having...nor would they have again.
They found, however, that someone had found her before they did – Sayla, Chan and Haman.
"Speak of the devil," Sayla said almost nonchalantly. "We were just talking about you." The two ace pilots, however, almost didn't hear that comment. Both of them were stunned speechless at seeing Lalah really sitting there.
Lalah, of course, felt equally awkward about seeing them. She had learned much about what had transpired between them since her demise back then. You didn't need to be a Newtype to see that there were a million things running through the heads of that fateful trio.
"Char...Amuro..." she said nervously. "You're...looking well."
"You too," Char replied. "Considering...you know..."
From there, the three Newtypes could only express themselves to one another through sensations and feelings that words couldn't properly convey. Chan looked at Sayla and Haman, who seemed to be following the wordless conversation as well.
Man, and here I thought becoming 'Shinka' would awaken some sort of Newtype gift in me, but I guess it's different.
Finally, tears started to drip down Lalah's face.
"If only..." she wept; "If only I could have been there for you both all these years..." She got up and flung herself at the two men, wrapping both arms around them. At first, neither of them knew what to say. Then, Amuro found the words.
"Please, Lalah, you mustn't blame yourself," Amuro said. "You made a snap decision. No one can possibly foresee the consequences of a choice like that."
"But I..." Lalah whimpered. Finally, it was Char who returned the Neo-Indian girl's embrace – he had assumed that he would be the one in tears, and that she would be the one comforting him.
"Hush, Lalah," he said. "We're here now. We'll all get our closure once we've defeated this final enemy." Haman smiled.
"Indeed," she said. "If anyone is to blame, it is Atik Yomin and their meddling. We're counting on you to see it through with us, Lalah." The girl looked up, stepped away from Char and smiled a bit. The two ace pilots smiled back, basking in the warmth of her expression...
As much as Murrue Ramius wanted to see if Mu la Flaga was really among the Flame's members, she had to take stock for the fight ahead, and learn exactly what they were up against. To do that, she had to work with Medusa, who now stood next to Dante.
Suddenly, one of Medusa's Devilmen, the winged hyena from their first trip to Cocytus, burst in.
"My lady Medusa," the Devilman said, "Mu la Flaga has returned from his scouting mission! He has urgent intelligence for you! It's of the highest priority!" With that, he moved aside to let the ace pilot in – just in time for him to lock eyes with the Archangel's captain.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence in the room, save for the slight crackling of flame that pervaded the very atmosphere of the Sixth Circle. The hyena Devilman, sensing the tension in the room, quietly sidled away.
"You...had some intel for us, Mu?" Murrue finally asked, although she had a million other questions her heart wanted answered first.
"Yeah," the ace pilot answered. "I found Minos...and most of the other dark angels and tormentor demons. They've all massed around the gate to the Ninth Circle."
He then smiled as he smirked at the Archangel's captain.
"And now I know why."
With those words, Murrue allowed herself to cry as she rushed over to the dead ace and threw herself against him.
"Damn it Mu, why?!" she wailed. "Why did you have to..."
"Because if I didn't," Mu replied, "you and the rest of the crew would've ended up here before me. And who knows – maybe Creuset's plan would have succeeded."
"Mu..."
Dante was about to say something, but Medusa laid a hand on his arm, and silently shook her head. That was all the demon king needed to understand what she meant. The two demonic lovers watched as the two humans had their moment...
Iophiel was amazed at everything she had seen – the city of Dis, a land where the damned were supposed to scream in despair and never-ending torment, had become a place of hope, all because of Janus and his desire to reunite with Tara. Instead of screaming and wailing, the damned were preparing for war. However, she hadn't remembered every detail about Janus' adventure here, and was surprised to hear voices that she never thought she'd hear again as the young man gave her, Masakado and Tara a brief tour of the Flame of Hope's headquarters...
"Well, well, if it isn't Ryu and Lat's little one!"
Iophiel whirled around to see two human-like demons. While Masakado recognized the pair instantly, the former leader of Atik Yomin just stared at them in a confused manner.
"Kyosuke! Excellen!" Janus said. When she heard the names, she was overwhelmed with a torrential mix of feelings.
"Uncle Kyosuke...Auntie Excellen..." Iophiel exclaimed – joyful at seeing members of the Steel Dragons again, and horrified at what had happened to them.
"My, my, when did you get to be such a hottie?" Excellen giggled, making the angel blush for a second. She looked past the succubus and saw Elzam and Bian enter.
"Holy Szekhina!" Bian said. "You grace us with your radiant presence!"
"Magus-General Zoldark!" the angel exclaimed. "And you're here too, Elzam!" To her shock, Bian dropped to one knee, as if it were a reflex. Iophiel shook her head as the others followed suit, though more to please Bian than Iophiel.
"No...please, you mustn't!" she said, upset at still being regarded so highly; "It's because of me that you're all here in Hell in the first place! My beloved and I..."
"We know," Kyosuke said as they all stood up.
"And honestly, we don't care," Excellen added. "Even the tortures of Hell are easier to bear when you have friends with you, and you let the Winged Comets squad stay together." Iophiel teared up and dropped to her knees in tears as she struggled to find words of gratitude at being forgiven so easily...
The surviving High Seraphs – Uriel, Raphael and Gabriel - gazed down at a great blue Threshold of unbelievable size in a chamber seemed to change appearance from moment to moment - it would be like the inside of a hollow tree for a moment, the innards of a colossal fleshy organism the next, and a crystalline starscape with floating platforms after that. The sole constant in the room aside from its occupants was the Threshold, which was surrounded by a clearly defined border – a ring made of a metal that defied categorization, and shaped almost like a compass. Various lesser angels were carefully working on inscribing mystic symbols into the ring. Gabriel sighed and turned away.
"Something bothers you, Gabriel?" Raphael asked, sensing his compatriot's unease.
"Ever since Lord Metatron returned from the Chamber of Zakah," she said after a moment, "it seems like he has become a completely different person. Never in all of our eons together did he ever entertain the notion of seizing control of the cosmos for himself!"
"DREAM has shown, beyond all doubt, that the ultimate nature of all sentient life in the cosmos is exactly what he feared it to be," Uriel said grimly, shaking his head. "I bore witness to this myself – they rejected the very worlds they claimed to desire."
"Knowing that, the only way to change that is for someone with the power to become the will of the Great God," Raphael said. "And we must trust Lord Metatron."
"Even so," Gabriel said, "why go through all this? Why the elaborate setup? Why not just send every last member of our forces against DREAM at once? Why not let US defend the gates of Heaven rather than Minos and that so-called 'Great Emperor of Darkness'?!"
Suddenly, Metatron appeared through a smaller Threshold of his own making.
"Lord Metatron!" Gabriel exclaimed.
"To answer the question you three were doubtlessly pondering," the leader of Atik Yomin said, "it is because DREAM would still win anyway." Uriel and Raphael looked at each other, astonished that he already knew what they were talking about...more, it wasn't the answer they seemed to be expecting.
"My lord," Uriel exclaimed. "You're not saying that..."
"The defense we are preparing is entirely meant to buy time for the ritual," Metatron said frankly. "It will only slow them down."
"Forgive my impertinence, my lord, but what makes this lot different?" Raphael said. "We've defeated their likes before, thousands of times! How could they have driven us to desperation?"
"None of them have had the Exogenesis Engine on their side before," the leader of Atik Yomin replied as he walked through the center of the group; "Nor the aid of two who once sided with us." At this, Gabriel started to think again, struggling with feelings and thoughts she hadn't felt in what felt like eons.
The six-winged angel paused and smirked a bit, again sensing what Gabriel was thinking.
"Just forget about Iophiel," he said as he took wing once again; "Once I complete the ritual and become the Great God's will, everyone's problems will end."
"Yes...yes, of course," his subordinate replied. With that, Metatron swooped down toward the massive Threshold.
I'll let her indulge in doubt, he thought. It's not like she can do anything against me now.
While Iophiel was getting reacquainted with the Steel Dragons that had found their way into the Flame of Hope, Janus led Tara to one of the labs where Neo Granlif was being inspected, for a reunion the two had eagerly awaited and dreaded since they arrived, in more ways than one.
There, going over some data at a computer, were Gilbert and Haruhi Zifell.
"Mom," Tara said awkwardly; "Dad..." The two scientists instantly perked up when they heard their daughter's voice.
"Tara!" they cried simultaneously. The two deceased scientists rushed over and embraced their daughter, tears of joy flowing from their eyes like rivers.
"Oh Taraaaaa," Haruhi wailed; "You have no idea just how happy we are!"
But to their dismay, Tara pushed them away. When they looked at her again, they saw their daughter's sapphire eyes shimmering with a cold light – the cold gaze of judgment. Janus grimaced – he had half-expected her to react like this.
"Mom, Dad...I remembered it all," she said in an emotionless manner. "I remembered how you took me to Antarctica in the days before Second Impact."
The two scientists grimaced.
"You offered me up as a vessel for Seele and Atik Yomin to use for their plans," she said, her tone growing more angry. "My body and mind were shattered through tortures that should have killed me ten times over! The only reason I'm still alive and sane is because Iophiel, the one they were trying to unseal, healed my injuries and locked the memories away in the darkest corners of my mind!"
"Tara..." Haruhi whimpered.
"But you...you just stood by and watched!" she shouted, her fists clenched at her sides as her gaze lowered. "You didn't do anything! Not a loving word of comfort, not a gentle kiss...nothing!"
Tara's parents could only drop to their knees and bow deeply, their faces touching the floor as tears of anguish began to drop down their cheeks. But then, to their further surprise, their daughter took a deep breath, took a few steps forward, squatted down, and gently lifted their heads. When Gilbert and Haruhi gazed into her eyes this time, they saw that the cold gaze of judgment was replaced with a warm gaze of love and acceptance.
"But in spite of all that," she said; "I forgive you." Janus smiled – he too, had expected this. But Tara's parents nearly fell backwards in astonishment at their daughter's words.
"B-but..." Gilbert stammered.
"It's okay, Dad," Tara said as she helped them both up. "You don't need to apologize...you and Mom spent every moment you could spare after that day making it up to me, even though I had no memory of what had happened."
She then embraced them both herself.
"I've wanted to say this to you for so long," she said, starting to tear up as well; "Thank you...thank you for everything!" The two scientists let out wails of overwhelming emotion as they embraced their daughter back.
Just then, they heard the door creak open slowly. Everyone turned and saw Paul and Alia standing there.
"Um...cousin?" Paul asked.
"I hope we're not interrupting anything," Alia said.
"...Cousin?" Haruhi said, wiping away her tears. Tara smiled – this was something she had wanted to do...
Lelouch needed to talk to Akira Fudo, but couldn't seem to find him amid the bustle and activity going on throughout Dis as DREAM and the Flame of Hope prepared for the battles to come. As he searched, the prince noticed Miki leaning against one of the city's parapets by herself, seemingly lost in thought.
"Oh, Makimura," he said. "Have you seen Akira Fudo? I need to speak with him." Miki looked up, gasping as if startled.
"Oh, Commander Zero!" she exclaimed. "Sorry, you just missed him. Dante said he needed to talk with him...it was really urgent. Unfortunately, I have no idea where Dante is either." Lelouch nodded. Clearly, it would have to wait.
"Is something that matter, Makimura?" he asked. "As your commanding officer, I want to make sure your morale stays high." The statement was only partially true; he was curious about this girl's past as well. He had heard amazing things about this girl – how she had helped Akira Fudo retain (and regain) his humanity, and how she had been there at Tara Zifell's lowest point and kept her from crossing death's door when Lifthrasir's pilot had lost all will to live.
"I'm just thinking about my parents," Miki answered with a sigh, "and what they would think about all this." Lelouch grimaced as he recalled all of the things his mother and father had done to him and Nunnally.
"I was told that you had a loving one," Lelouch said, "until..."
"They were very religious," Miki replied with a sad smile. "Not in a dogmatic way...not like yours was. It was simple – love thy neighbor, turn the other cheek, and the like. Plenty of ritual, of course, but there was heart in it."
Shirley, Lelouch thought as he remembered Shirley's father...he too was a simple, honest man of faith. It was only when religion and politics got mixed together, as it had in the old Britannia, was when the former became corrupted. He barely heard the sound of someone approaching
"Still," Miki mused, "it makes me wonder what they'd think of me – having fused with a demon and now planning to siege Heaven, just like in the Book of Revelations."
"Except that accursed book fails to realize that it is the so-called heavenly host that will fall!" a haughty female voice proclaimed. Lelouch and Miki turned and saw two demons standing before them – a tall female demon with great feathered wings on her head and clawed hands and feet, and a pachyderm-like demon with two straight horns jutting out of its shoulders.
"You...you're Silene!" Miki exclaimed, recognizing them both from Fudo's description and Faim's memories. "And you're Kaim! Weren't you with the demons who tried to stop..."
"Don't worry," Kaim interrupted. "We're with the Flame of Hope now. Lady Medusa will vouch for us if you have any doubts." Lelouch sighed with relief, but Miki still leered at them.
"Just because Medusa accepted you doesn't mean I will – at least not so easily," she said. "I haven't forgotten how you nearly killed Akira." Miki then snarled as flames erupted from her body, her demonic power revealed. This startled not just Lelouch, but Silene and Kaim as well.
"And if you harm so much as a hair on his head again," Miki continued, only for Silene to suddenly squat down, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Your body is aflame," she exclaimed, making the flaming catgirl drop her hostile stance. "So, what Dorango said was true. Faim really did give her life to save Akira Fudo's beloved."
The bird demon then began to chuckle, and then laugh out loud.
"Silene?" Kaim exclaimed.
"How hilarious is this, my dear Kaim?" Silene replied; "Me, the beauteous Silene, lost the heart of Amon to a little girl!" Miki grinned and stuck her tongue out.
"Sorry, granny," she said playfully; "That's just the way it goes."
Silene's bemused expression turned to one of rage.
"GRANNY?!" she snarled, her teeth bared and her talons glinting in the hellish light; "You little brat...I ought to..." At this, Miki extended her own claws...she wasn't going to give up her Akira so easily.
This is bad, Lelouch thought anxiously as he took several steps back. If a fight breaks out between these two now...
"Silene! Miki Makimura! " Kaim suddenly bellowed. "This is no time to be fighting each other!" The two female demons relaxed their battle stances somewhat.
"Well," Silene said arrogantly; "I will not so readily concede him until I see some measure of her prowess, however limited it may be!" It didn't take long for Miki to think of just the way to show Silene her prowess.
"How about a race?" she suggested before turning to the wall and pointing to a distant peak. "See that mountain waaaaaaaaaay over there?"
"I see it," Silene replied. "I can see a hellfire ant crawling on a pebble from thirty miles away."
"First one there and back wins," the flaming catgirl said confidently.
"Very well," Silene replied with equal confidence. "I accept." With that, the two climbed over the wall and dropped to the ground dozens of feet below. Miki landed in a cat-like manner, but then assumed the runner's starting pose, bracing one foot against the wall. Silene, however, merely stood confidently...with her wings, she figured that she would leave Miki in the dust.
"On your mark..." Miki said with a cat-like grin; "get seeeeet...GO!"
On the word "go", the Devilman rocketed forward, nearly blowing Silene off her feet as she almost instantly broke the sound barrier. The bird demon screeched as she regained her footing and took off after Miki.
"This seems like a waste of their energy," Lelouch said as he and Kaim watched the two racers fade into the distance.
"You underestimate the endurance of us demons, human," Kaim said. "Besides, it's better than them trying to rip each other apart." As they turned to see the progress of the race, they saw a massive cloud of red dust approaching them like a great sandstorm rolling across the landscape.
It was Miki, kicking up dust as she skidded to a stop. By the time she reached the wall, she had slowed enough to daintily tap on it...
Rolo, Shinji and Akito were wandering around looking for certain people – their pace was one of urgency. As Akito rounded the next bend, he spotted the individuals they sought – Gai Daigoji, Jeremiah Gottwald, and Four Murasame, chatting it up.
"Gai! Four! Jeremiah!" Akito called out, waving his arms to get both their attention and those of his fellow seekers. The three dead pilots turned and saw their still-living friends.
"Oh, it's you!" Jeremiah exclaimed as the three young men approached them. "Glad to see you all made it in one piece! We had a feeling you and the others would come looking for us."
Rolo looked at the trio up and down, almost bewildered.
"Seeing you like this," he mused, "it's kind of hard to really wrap my head around the fact that you're actually dead. I mean, you've only been gone for what seems like a few hours, and you look perfectly well."
"It seemed like weeks to us since we arrived," Four said. "Then again, time doesn't really exist here, at least as we understand it."
"Besides, we're DREAMers!" Gai said proudly; "We aren't going to let a minor thing like our own mortal demise stop us!" He let out a hearty laugh. "And if you're here, that means you must have defeated that loathsome Anti-Spiral and rescued Nia - am I right?"
"You BET we did!" Rolo said excitedly. "It made Gekiganger III look positively tame! Our mechs got as big as galaxies, and the Anti-Spiral tried to use a blast as powerful as the Big Bang on us, but then Lordgenome..."
"What about Mari Makanami?" Akito asked, clapping his hand over Rolo's mouth to shut him up. "She isn't around, is she?" To everyone's surprise, it was Shinji who answered that question.
"That's not possible," the pilot of Super Evangelion 01 said. "Mari...didn't have a soul."
"She didn't?" the other pilots exclaimed in unison.
"Mari was kinda like those machines and people summoned up by the Spirit Emperor of Arubboth...I think they were called 'Einherjar' or something. So is most of the Wunder's crew – and the ship itself."
"Remnants of dead timelines," Four said sadly. "So the actual Mari Makanami..."
"Perished when her original timeline was destroyed," Akito said grimly. "The Mari who helped us is gone forever."
"But if she was called by a mass-production TZUM," Rolo wondered, "then why did she help us?"
"The cosmos is full of things we may never understand," Shinji sighed. "But one thing IS perfectly clear...you guys are holding everyone else up!"
"What do you mean?" Four asked.
"We're about to leave for Cocytus!" Akito said. "You didn't hear the announcement a while ago?"
"Yeah, that's why we came looking for you!" Rolo said. "But I guess it was kind hard to hear over the crackling inferno going on outside, and you were this far from our base."
"Even so, we'd better get our asses in gear!" Gai proclaimed. "We mustn't keep our other friends waiting!" With that, he rushed off toward the Flame of Hope's base at full speed. After a few moments, the rest of the group started walking briskly as well.
"So this is it," Four sighed; "after we beat Atik Yomin, it really will be goodbye."
"Indeed," Jeremiah said with a sigh. "The fact that you and I are dead means we will not be able to come home with you after we've achieved victory. That's our only regret, and I'm sure Yamada feels the same way."
"It won't be goodbye forever," Rolo said. "We just might meet again in some other lifetime."
"That would be nice," Four said as she quickened her pace into a quick jog. "But we can worry about that later! Let's hurry!"
The combined forces of DREAM and the Flame of Hope were a sight to behold – the Nadesico, Archangel, Ikaruga, Ra Cailum, Nahel Argama and Battle 7 all hovered above Chouginga Dai-Gurren and the caelceti. Meanwhile, a vast array of wildly varying mechs, demons and Devilmen surrounded them. At the vanguard were DREAM's core forces, with Neo Granlif at the very front. The ships themselves were also filled with those who could not fight – Gilbert and Haruhi Zifell among them.
"We've literally got the legions of Hell behind us, Jan," Tara mused as she looked out at the throng behind them. "Who would have thought that we'd be confronting Atik Yomin with anything like this?" Janus simply smirked and chuckled. Just then, their communicator crackled to life.
"Enemies approaching from 11 o'clock!" the voice said; "Their numbers are off the charts!" It belonged one of the Chouginga Dai-Gurren's operators.
The pair looked out in that direction and saw an even larger horde headed for them, even from dozens of miles away – a legion of foes so vast that they seemed to be moving like a great, slow-moving storm front. But as Tara zoomed in on them, she got a better look at them.
"Demons and angels working together...?" Tara gasped.
"Tormentor demons and dark angels," Haruhi explained. "They are responsible for the punishment of souls in Hell. Many demonic members of the Flame of Hope were once tormentor demons themselves."
Meanwhile, Janus glanced down and spotted a massive figure he recognized – a gigantic man with a massive snake-like lower body, thick corded muscles, a wild beard and blazing eyes.
"And there's Minos," he said. "Looks like he and this horde are our first hurdle."
"Hear me, rebellious demons of the Flame of Hope and worthless mortals who call yourselves DREAM," Minos declared, his voice somehow resounding throughout the layer; "I am Minos, Judge of the Dead! Some have called me Yama; others have referred to me as Osiris; still others called me Rhadamanthus or Aeacus."
"He is a composite being," Iophiel explained telepathically as Minos continued to rattle off names that DREAM did not recognize. "An amalgamation of souls with similar fates. Metatron and I made him from those souls to serve as one to determine fitting punishments for sinners."
"In the name of Atik Yomin and its servant, the Great Emperor of Darkness," the snake-like judge of the dead boomed, "I shall pass judgment on the lot of you!"
"Great Emperor of Darkness?" Tetsuya muttered. "Is this one related to Hades?"
"Minos, we have no quarrel with you!" Iophiel cried. "Please, let us pass into the Ninth Circle! If you don't, Metatron will..."
"Silence!" Minos boomed as he slammed his tail into the ground; "I will not be swayed - even by you, who made me!"
"Is that your final answer?" Janus asked. "You'll cease to exist if you allow his plan to go through."
"Who are you to question the righteousness of he who is one with the Great God, thief?!" Minos spat, recognizing Janus' voice. "He has decided the fate of all things, and I shall see that it is done!"
The harnessed pilot sighed and shook his head.
"Xengar, Xemmey. Ready the Exogenesis Cannon," he ordered.
"Jan?" Tara said, surprised at her beloved's choice to use such an overwhelmingly powerful weapon at this moment.
"Understood," Xemmey said. "Two percent power should be plenty. Please initiate TZIM/TZUM synchro."
"Tara, Minos is small-time in the grand scheme of things," Janus said. "We can't waste a lot of time fighting him. Besides, he clearly doesn't care about whether he continues to exist or not."
"I guess you're right," she sighed. With that, she focused her mind and linked her will with Janus'.
TZIM/TZUM system Synchro level MAX activated, the two other AIs said in unison; All enumerations, simultaneous activation...Exogenesis Engine, full drive...
Neo Granlif's chest opened up, revealing a trio of energy generating prongs, which immediately began forming a sphere that shifted between all the colors of the rainbow, and some colors that shouldn't be visible to the human eye.
"Quark-gluon plasma field generation complete!" Xengar bellowed. "Exogenesis Cannon output set to 2 percent!"
"The one who gave my lord authority over Hell has passed down his judgment on the cosmos!" Minos declared, his eyes closed so that he didn't see the growing sphere of light coming from Neo Granlif – nor did he notice the army of tormentor demons and dark angels at his back began to panic and scatter; "All must be cleansed and purified, so that it may began anew! For the birth of a new cosmos, I shall fight you with all my..."
The next thing the hapless Judge of the Dead knew, the ball of quark-gluon plasma was rocketing toward him, with no time for him to do anything – even scream as a ball of all-consuming light consumed him.
The resulting blast was enough to send his forces flying in every direction, and even blow much of DREAM's own force back, and forcing most of them to shield their eyes from the incredible light.
It was a full minute before DREAM and the Flame of Hope could look and see what had been wrought – all that remained was a perfectly smooth crater dozens of miles across.
Incredible, Medusa thought; they blew Minos and his army away like it was nothing! Is this Neo Granlif's true power?!
"Wow, overkill much?!" Judau yelled angrily as Janus let out a contented sigh, allowing himself to hang by his harness. "You could have destroyed us, too!"
"Xemmey and Xengar can calculate exactly how much power is needed to keep that from happening," Neo Granlif's pilot assured them. "But you're right, I guess I did go overboard...Minos was the one who tossed me into Hell in the first place, and part of me was itching for some payback."
"No, Olendra's use of the Exogenesis Cannon was ultimately the right one, in light of our current situation," Bright said. "We've already wasted too much time fighting the Anti-Spiral. We can't afford to be held up any longer than necessary."
"Let's go, everyone!" Dante proclaimed. "To the Ninth Circle...and Cocytus!"
"Not quite yet," Janus interrupted. "We need to make a quick pit stop on the way...there's a promise I need to keep."
That's right, Medusa thought. The Titans...he promised to break the chains on the Titans...
In the deepest part of Cocytus, the Great Emperor of Darkness sat in the cockpit on the Great Marshall of Hell in quiet meditation. Suddenly, his eyes flashed open as a voice sounded in his mind.
The preparations for DREAM's assault are complete, Great Emperor, it said.
Excellent. I've sensed the destruction of King Minos just now, he replied. The voice went silent, but it wasn't long before he heard a muffled and weak chuckling. The Great Marshall rose from its seat and turned to see Lucifer twitching inside his icy prison.
"What is so funny?" the Great Emperor snarled.
"You truly think that you will be enough...to stop them," Lucifer replied weakly. "After they defeated...the Anti-Spiral?"
The ruler of Hell scoffed, but didn't reply.
"You fool," Lucifer continued in spite of the fact that his body was slowly dying. "Metatron...knows you can...not win. All you're doing...is stalling for...time..."
At this, the Great Emperor laughed.
"You underestimate me, Lucifer," he replied. "I'll make sure that the last thing you ever see is your beloved Akira Fudo crushed beneath my heel..."
The Great Marshall waved its hand, and something enormous appeared behind him – a massive mecha with great shining wings of evil light.
"And by the very entity you placed so much faith in..."
Yeah, I didn't feel like writing out a long, boring fight for King Minos. Besides, I kept you waiting for too long for this chapter as it is. Next time...
-DREAM and the Flame of Hope head for Cocytus, where they know that the Great Emperor of Darkness is waiting! On the way, Janus stops to fulfill a promise he made when he escaped...to free the Titans from their bondage! But even their help may not be enough to challenge the ruler of Hell! Can they defeat the Great Emperor of Darkness and secure passage to Heaven?! Find out next time in Chapter 109: Blazing Battle In Frigid Temperatures! Defeat the Great Emperor of Darkness!
