Happy 2021, all! Here's another battle I've been excited to write...the long-awaited fight between DREAM and the Great Emperor of Darkness! Plus, it's time for the Titans of myth to meet their doubles and descendants, the Evangelions!


Chapter 109 - Blazing Battle In Frigid Temperatures! Defeat the Great Emperor of Darkness!

As the Chouginga Dai-Gurren and Zig's family cruised across the Ninth Circle toward their destination, Kaworu, who was traveling on Zig's back with the other Angel children, turned to Iophiel.

"So, we're going to meet THEM, big sister?" he asked.

"Yes," she said grimly; "The Titans that are trapped here in Hell are the children of the White Moon from the Celestial Calendar."

"You look worried," the boy-Angel then said. "You don't think they'll join us?"

"I'm concerned about how they'll react when they see the Evas...especially Unit 01," the former leader of Atik Yomin replied. At this, Kaworu looked puzzled, but then realized something.

"That's right," he said; "you used Titans to protect the tomb containing your soul, and gave them a fragment of your power - enough so they could bear you away if Metatron tried to force you to awaken. But why is Unit 01 such a concern for you?"

Iophiel opened her mouth to answer, but then looked out and saw them from a distance...


Within the ships, everyone who could see the sight unfolding before them was overcome with awe – particularly the crew of the Wunder.

"Those look like...Evangelions," Misato gasped as she beheld the Titans; "Hundreds...no, thousands of them..."

"Are these the beings that appeared during Second Impact?" Ritsuko murmured. "These are all examples of the Giants of Light?"

"This is the place," Janus announced over everyone's communicators; "We'll need all of our Super Robots too...this is a job Tara and I can't do alone with the time we have." With that, he flew over to the Titan he knew as Hyperion.

"Understood," Misato said. "Send out the Evas!" With that, DREAM's Evangelions all deployed out of either the Wunder's hangar or the Chouginga Dai-Gurren's – as did all of the other Super Robots. The smaller mechs, like Knightmares, mobile suits and other smaller mobile weapons lacked the power to break the chains binding the Titans.

"King Hyperion!" Janus called to the four-eyed, bearded ruler of the Titans. The colossus turned and gazed down at Neo Granlif, which was already readying its Gran Claymore.

"You...are the one who made the promise to free us, correct?" he asked, not recognizing Neo Granlif, nor the voice of its pilot. The white robot raised his blade and brought it down on the chains keeping the king of the Titans in his prison.

Empowered by the Exogenesis Engine, the sword cleaved through the thick, divinely-tempered chains as easily as a hot knife through butter, much to Hyperion's amazement.

"Does that answer your question?" Janus replied with a smirk as he whirled the Claymore over his head and jammed it in the ground. Hyperion eagerly clambered over the well's rim. Upon making contact with the solid rock, the king of the Titans felt his strength return and let out a triumphant roar, flexing his arms.

"Sweet freedom!" he bellowed. "Oh, how I've missed the feel of our mother beneath my feet!" Meanwhile, the other Super Robots got to work breaking the chains binding the other Titans.

"KAISER BLADE!"

"GADGET TOOL...WILL KNIFE!"

"EMPEROR SWORD!"

"BREAST FIRE!"

"DOUBLE TOMAHAWK!"

"TENKUU-KEN!"

"GURREN BOOMERANG!"

Empowered by their newly attained gift of Shinka, the other DREAMers were able to shatter the bonds on the other Titans with almost as much ease. But as Super Evangelion Unit 01 sliced through the chains binding one of Hyperion's subjects, this particular Titan, a female with scraggly blue-black hair, stared in vague recognition at the armored figure.

"Prince Menoetius?" the Titan exclaimed as she clambered out of the well trapping her. "Is that you?"

"My name's Shinji," the Evangelion pilot said. "I'm not sure who the person..." But to his shock, the freed Titan lunged at Shinji, stopping him mid-sentence and knocking him to the ground with a massive punch.

"The Star of Death!" the female Titan screeched as she picked up a length of chain that was lying around, wielding it like a garrote. "You're a monster from the Star of Death!" But before she could attack him again, other Titans that Shinji had freed came to his rescue, grabbing their enraged compatriot. Hyperion, overhearing the attack, rushed over to see what was going on, as did the other Evangelions.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Hyperion bellowed. "You would attack one who came from the realm of the living in order to break the chains that have bound you here for ages?!"

"But this thing is a monster from the Star of Death!" the restrained Titan cried; "The black meteor that Armaros tried to warn us about! It's pretending to be your son Menoetius!"

"A black meteor?!" Asuka exclaimed; "You don't mean..."

"The Black Moon," Rei said affirmatively. Hyperion turned toward Super Unit 01 and gazed grimly at it. Shinji swallowed nervously.

"...So, Armaros was right," the king of the Titans said. Immediately, tension filled the air as everyone stopped and turned to see what was going on. After a moments, someone spoke up.

"King Hyperion, please understand," Iophiel said apologetically as Zig flew over to Hyperion so she could meet his gaze; "They had no idea until they first laid eyes on you that you were the ones who originally inhabited their world!"

"Iophiel?" Maya exclaimed.

"You! You were with the one who bound us here!" Hyperion roared, recognizing the priestess and glaring at her with hateful eyes.

"And I am truly sorry," Iophiel replied. "Though I don't expect forgiveness from you, especially since I was the one who separated you from Menoetius. I know that he alone made your torment here in Hell a little more bearable."

"So one of the four Giants was Hyperion's son," Misato muttered. "And if it was the one that Seele got a hold of, then the Evas..."

"However," Hyperion answered, relaxing his aggressive stance; "the one who promised us freedom has kept his word. Therefore, I shall suspend judgment upon you until after we have defeated the ones who trapped us here. If you truly oppose the servants of the great god, then we shall fight with you."

The other Titans nodded, and their gesture reassured DREAM a little bit.

"In the meantime," the bearded Titan rumbled, "you will tell us of what has happened in our world since we were trapped here...and since the Star of Death fell..."


The trip to the entrance of Cocytus was uneventful, and the Chouginga Dai-Gurren, now with the children of Adam on board, slowly descended into the massive ice cavern that Janus had arrived at during his escape, and it didn't take long for everyone to feel the chill here in the deepest part of Hell.

"J-J-J-Jeez!" Kallen cried out, her teeth immediately beginning to chatter. "I d-d-didn't think it w-w-w-was p-p-p-p-possible for anywhere t-t-t-t-to be this c-c-c-c-c-cold!"

"If it's th-th-th-th-this c-c-c-c-cold in our cock-p-p-p-p-pits, I'd h-h-h-hate t-t-t-t-to b-b-b-b-b-be the guys t-t-t-t-t-trapped in the ice here..." Chibodee said as his own pearly whites chattered, noting the countless souls trapped in the ice that made up the room's structure.

"My f-f-f-fingers are t-t-t-t-t-turning b-b-b-b-blue already!" Puru whined as she tried to get warm as well.

"At th-th-th-this rate, we'll all f-f-f-freeze solid or die of f-f-f-f-f-frostbite!" Hiyoshi said. "How c-c-c-c-cold is it out there?!"

"Ambient outside air temperature is -272 degrees Fahrenheit," Lordgenome reported. "However, this place is like the Super Spiral Space – thought here is given form and made reality with a sufficient exertion of will."

"So, let's t-t-try to think warm thoughts," Tara suggested as she rubbed her hands against her arms. "Maybe th-th-that was w-w-w-w-we won't f-f-f-f-feel so cold. It w-w-w-worked for me while we w-w-w-were t-t-t-t-trapped in the Orange S-s-s-s-s-Site."

Seeing no better idea, everyone in DREAM started to focus on warm things from back home – summer days, fireplaces in winter, and even some outright hot things, like saunas. To their amazement, their bodies stopped shivering, and their cockpits started to warm up as well.

"Wow, the temperature inside is climbing!" Mirallia exclaimed. "It's already up to 15 degrees Celsius!"

"Good," Murrue said. "Now, let's focus on finding our way to the Great Emperor of Darkness' throne room. Olendra, you've been here before. We're counting on you to guide us." Janus nodded.

"Xengar, you remember the route we took?" he asked his AI companion.

"Indeed," Xengar said. "But if this dimension is as mutable as it seems to be, Cocytus' entire layout could have been changed since we were here."

"Xengar is quite correct," Iophiel said. "The Great Emperor of Darkness can change Cocytus' tunnels at will while he is present inside it. It's not unlikely that the only reason Janus was even able to make it out in the first place was because the Great Emperor was busy fighting the Flame of Hope outside."

DREAM pondered this for a minute or two before Simon spoke up.

"Say, why don't we just dig a path ourselves?" the digger suggested. "I mean, we pierced the heavens and through time, space, and alternate dimensions! We can definitely break through some lame old ice!"

"That's my little bro for ya!" Kamina cheered from within Gurren Lagann K's cockpit.

"Duuuuh!" Tara exclaimed, slapping her forehead. "Why didn't we think of that, Jan?!"

"The Chouginga Dai-Gurren's drills seem more than up to the task," Dayakka said.

"Let's do it, then!" Yurika cheered. "We'll burrow straight to the Great Emperor's throne room!"

"Understood," Lordgenome said. "Please wait – searching for dimensional coordinates of target destination." But as the biocomputer began its search for the throne room, the sound of cracking ice suddenly echoed through the chamber they were in.

"What the heck was that?!" Boz exclaimed. "Is somethin comin'?!" As the group searched for the source of the sound, more ice began to crack – and it was only then that they began to realize what was happening.

"Scramble all available units!" Lelouch ordered. "The enemy is all around us!" Sure enough, thousands of entities, both mechanical and organic, began to burst out of the icy walls, floor and ceiling. Luckily, DREAM and their allies were able to meet the enemy and protect the Chouginga Dai-Gurren from attack.

Better yet, they didn't have to fight long.

"Target destination confirmed," Lordgenome said a minute later as a blip indicating the location of the Great Emperor of Darkness' throne room appeared on the ship's sensors. With that, the face on the bow of the ship opened its mouth and sprouted a huge silver drill, while the drill-tipped fins on the stern swept forward, and the ship itself slowly began to angle itself downward. Seeing this, Lelouch again called out to his fellow DREAMers after blasting a monstrous demon with three mole-like heads, the fins of a plesiosaurus and the tail of a wolf -

"All units," he barked as the ship lurched forward and began to violently drill through the ice; "follow the Chouginga Dai-Gurren! Cover its rear!" DREAM didn't waste any time – they quickly followed the burrowing ship, undeterred even by the cloud of icy particles it was creating from its digging. But as Dante started to follow, he noticed that Medusa and the various demons and Devilmen from the Flame of Hope weren't following them.

"Medusa!" he cried.

"You guys go on ahead," the Flame of Hope's leader said as she petrified a hydra-like demon with her gaze; "We'll keep these guys busy while you dig your little tunnel!"

"Don't worry about us, Lord Dante," the winged hyena Devilman added as he ripped a disk-shaped demon with twelve eyes in half; "We're already dead! Besides, this is nothing we can't handle!"

"Hurry!" Hyperion bellowed as he smashed a green Evangelion look-alike with his fist; "Or else all of our efforts shall come to nothing!" Dante grimaced, then turned and dove after the ship...


The Chamber of Zakah used by the Anti-Spiral wasn't the only one Metatron had access to. Indeed, Nadija was trapped in her brother's personal Chamber, bound to the empty space in the same way Nia and Janus had been. Nonetheless, she struggled against her invisible bonds while the brother she had come to hate was working on something, his back facing her. Meanwhile, countless eerily glowing lights swirled above them – souls.

He then turned to his sibling, approached her and stroked her hair gently. The girl shuddered as his hand worked his way down her body – there was no real love in her brother's touch now.

Rei, she thought; Is this how Gendo Ikari treated you too?

To her momentary relief, Metatron only stopped at her collarbone...but then he pushed his hand into her body, phasing through much like he had done with Janus. Nadija immediately began to wriggle even more violently as she felt something being bent inside of her.

"Don't struggle, Nadija," the leader of Atik Yomin said gently; "It'll only hurt if you struggle." After several seconds, he removed his hand, and with it another, smaller mote of light.

"Wha...what did you do to me?" Nadija gasped.

"I took a fragment of your soul," he said with a rather unnerving smile; "Just a tiny piece. But it's enough for what I want to do." With that, he raised the soul fragment over his head and chanted in a strange language. The mote of light began to shine more brightly, and rise up into the swarm of souls. The glowing spirits then stopped swirling, and instead started to grow and change...

Into girls who looked eerily like Nadija, save for wings of white light. And no sooner did they finish forming than did they drop slowly to the ground and immediately start fawning over him...

"Big brother..." "Big brother!" "I love you, big brother!"

But the Nadija whose soul fragment had awakened them could look on in a mix of dread and confusion as her brother reveled in the attention...


As the Chouginga Dai-Gurren came out of its long drilling dive, it came upon a vast chamber that Janus recognized. Amazingly, the gargantuan ship had gone completely unchallenged in its tunneling, even though DREAM and the Steel Dragons had protected the ship as it burrowed through the ice.

"This is it," he said grimly. "We've reached the lowest part of Cocytus."

"I can feel it," Fudo said. "There's something unbelievably powerful and evil here – no doubt that it's the Great Emperor of Darkness."

"So, you've finally arrived, DREAM!" a voice boomed from far in the distance, causing the numerous ice stalactites and columns to tremble; "Oh, how I've waited for this day!"

"That voice sounds kinda familiar," Kira said as the owner of the voice began to cackle. However, the Mazinger pilots, as well as the Mazinger Angels, all recognized who it was immediately.

"There's no mistaking that arrogant tone," Tetsuya said with a scowl; "It's Dr. Hell!"

"No way?!" Amuro exclaimed. "He's the Great Emperor of Darkness?!"

"The only way we'll know for sure is to find him is to get closer," Simon said. "I'm sure he's dead ahead, though. Let's go!"

With that, the Chouginga Dai-Gurren and DREAM's mechs started forward.

"Oh, you're approaching me?" the voice said with amusement; "Instead of running away in fear, you're actually approaching me? Me, the ruler of Hell itself, and one whose true powers are unknown to you?! Me, who wiped out sixty percent of the Flame of Hope with minimal effort?!"

"We have to get closer if we're going to really beat the crap out of you!" Kouji shot back.

"Besides, things aren't going to go the way they did last time!" Kamina said. "These guys beat the Anti-Spiral!"

"Very well then!" the Great Emperor laughed. "Come as close as you like! In truth, I'd much rather see the looks on your faces when I destroy you!"

In a surprisingly short time, DREAM arrived at the massive icy throne of the Great Emperor of Darkness. Sure enough, there sat the Great Marshall of Hell, its canopy enshrouded in wicked flame. And somehow, it was nearly as large as the Chouginga Dai-Gurren.

"He wasn't this big before," Excellen said uneasily. "Or is he somehow messing with our senses?"

"Show yourself, you old wrinkled coot!" Koji shouted as Mazinkaiser pointed dramatically at the evil machine. "We're not afraid of you!"

In response, the hatch on the Great Marshall's head opened, and the wicked flame dispersed, revealing the face behind it. It indeed belonged to Dr. Hell, though his blue skin was now tinged purple in places; his wild white hair and beard swayed and moved on their own; and his eyes still blazed with the freezing flame of eternal damnation. But there was one major difference between the Great Emperor and the other Dr. Hells DREAM had encountered:

"Holy crap, he's RIPPED!" Gai Daidou exclaimed. Indeed, the Great Emperor stood almost nine feet tall, and there didn't seem to be a single scrap of body fat anywhere on him – just a solid, statuesque wall of muscle. Truly, he was built like a Greek god. He wore nothing else aside from a grand red cloak and a dark blue bodysuit that showcased his nigh-flawless body while retaining his modesty.

"Okay, so he's buff now," Boss chuckled. "We beat him plenty of times already – what's one more?"

"Fools!" the Great Emperor bellowed; "I am not just a single Dr. Hell, but ALL of them combined! You might say that I am THE Dr. Hell!"

"Whaaaaaat?!" everyone except Iophiel exclaimed simultaneously – even Lordgenome. With a wicked sneer, The Dr. Hell began his explanation.

"Every time one of my infinite other selves was destroyed by one incarnation of Koji Kabuto or another," he explained, "their hatred and resentment for Mazinger, the Kabuto clan and Photon Power Labs prevented them from properly passing on to the afterlife! Instead, they gathered together, growing more powerful and knowledgeable with every passing defeat! Eventually, they formed...me!"

I know he's stalling, Fudo thought, but this is too wild not to hear!

"This form, filled with the knowledge of countless incarnations, plummeted into a dimension where Mycenae still existed," The Dr. Hell continued; "Using my unfathomably vast intellect, I was able to overthrow the Emperor of Darkness in that world, and claim Mycenae's power for myself! From there, I learned to control other versions of myself that I became aware of, but had not yet been defeated! In those worlds, I was able to defeat Mazinger Z and Photon Power Labs!"

Kouji sensed Mazinger ZERO fuming with anger at the very thought of losing to Dr. Hell.

"And in one particular world," the Great Emperor of Darkness chuckled, "I was even make that version hijack Mazinger Z just as its pilot was losing himself to its power!"

The Great Emperor and Great Marshall both opened their arms in a dramatic manner as the chamber's walls, ceiling and much of its floor suddenly began to crumble, revealing a void of swirling oranges, dark grays, reds and yellows that seemed to extend forever in every direction, with the odd icy platform breaking up the monotony.

"BEHOLD, THE RESULT OF MY EFFORTS!"

Mu grimaced as he and the others saw a massive hole open underneath the hovering Great Marshall of Hell, out of which crawled a dreadfully familiar colossus, which was loomed over everything except the Chouginga Dai-Gurren:

A even more monstrous version of Mazinger ZERO with wings of Photon Power.

"No way..." Kouji muttered even as he felt his own Mazinger ZERO's essence seethe with rage. The Great Marshall disappeared for a moment, then reappeared inside the cockpit of the colossal Mazinger.

"This is the greatest Mazinger of them all," The Dr. Hell cried; "Mazinger ZERO...JIGOKU MOOOODE!"

"This is the thing that wiped out sixty percent of us," Lalah said. "And it's even larger than before!"

"Bring it on!" Janus cried, summoning up all of his courage. "You're not gonna stop us!" The Exogenesis Engine revved up in response, causing every machine except Shin Dragon and the Chouginga Dai-Gurren to grow in size – enough to match Dr. Hell's machine.

"Foolish warriors!" the Great Emperor cackled as dozens of scaled up Mechabeasts, Mycenaean Warrior Beasts, Mechademons, tormentor demons and dark angels materialized around the enemy Mazinger ZERO; "I'll do more than just stop you! I'll crush you all, body and soul! Nothing shall remain, and you will NEVER taste the eternal bliss that my lord has promised to the rest of creation!"

The Great Emperor's Mazinger ZERO let out a roar that even pushed the Chouginga Dai-Gurren backward...


Even as DREAM and the Steel Dragons confronted the Great Emperor of Darkness, the Titans and the Flame of Hope (minus those who had gone ahead with DREAM) continued their battle against the army of Cocytus' newly-released prisoners. But to the Flame's amazement, the mighty Titans, the original masters of the Celestial Calendar's Earth, were doing tremendous damage. Not a single one had fallen, while the bodies of Hell's most fiendish residents were piling up around them.

We knew the Titans were strong, Medusa thought as she watched a Titan smash a colossal misshapen mech aside, but who would have thought they'd be able to hold their own against all these foes?

Just then Hyperion, his body caked with blood and lubricant from the foes he had defeated, strode up to the Flame's leader.

"Do you think that DREAM made it, Medusa?" he asked, nonchalantly bashing the face of what seemed to be the Devil Gundam's second form as it came up behind him.

"I can't say for sure, King Hyperion," Medusa replied. "We'd have to follow them into the tunnel...but there's still so many enemies left. I can't see this fight ending any time soon." Indeed, she saw that the enemy numbers were still in the millions.

But in the face of this, the bearded and four-eyed Titan grinned and turned back toward the front lines.

"Hear me, brothers and sisters!" he bellowed, causing the cavern to shake; "I believe we've had enough exercise! We must hurry to the children of the Black Moon's aid!"

At this, all of the Titans let out a ear-blasting screech simultaneously as they each extended wings of light from their shoulders, causing the fabric of Cocytus' spacetime to warp and distort. Then, the wings of the thousands of giants lashed forth, each one taking out dozens of enemies on contact. The eternal ice of Cocytus began to melt in the face of so much heat...


Mazin Emperor G cleaved through a copy of Ankoku Daishogun with one powerful swing of its Emperor Sword as Tetsuya worked his way toward the looming figure of Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode. Everyone else in DREAM was fighting to get close to the Great Emperor of Darkness with varying degrees of success.

As the copy of Hades' right-hand man disintegrated, Tetsuya saw an opening, and took it.

"Dr. Hell!" Tetsuya roared as Mazin Emperor G rocketed towards its target. "Finally, I get a shot at you!"

"Tetsuya Tsurugi," the Great Emperor replied as he turned to snatch his approaching foe; "There are numerous versions of me that remember clashing with you as Mycenae's Great Marshall of Hell!"

The Dr. Hell's attempt to grab Tetsuya had failed, but he didn't waste time ranting about it – he instead charged Photon Power into his Mazinger's eyes.

"The time has come for me to pay you back for those humiliations a thousandfold, and with the power of Mazin itself! PHOTON BEAAAAAAAAM!"

Tetsuya immediately dropped elevation to dodge the initial straight shot of energy, the beams suddenly changed direction and followed the smaller Mazinger. Even as Tetsuya juked and wove to avoid the beams, the Great Emperor's attack continued to pursue. Eventually, Tetsuya turned, brought the Emperor Sword to bear and held it up to block the enemy Mazinger ZERO's attack.

"For some reason, I remember them too," Mazin Emperor G's pilot grunted as he struggled to hold back the beams. "But I beat you back then without the power of the Great Mazin Emperor!"

Dr. Hell snarled and poured more power into his attack as a trio of Aerial Warrior Beasts came up behind Tetsuya. At the last second, the Mazinger pilot broke away, causing the beam to hit the Warrior Beasts instead. This allowed Tetsuya to ready the Great Mazin Emperor's ultimate attack.

"It's time to unleash your trump card, Emperor!" he bellowed.

After getting struck by a bolt of lightning, Tetsuya's machine was filled with energy. The feather-like extensions on its cape formed up into its wings as he fired up the rockets on Mazin Emperor G's backpack and feet, sending it rocketing forward. The Great Emperor's Mazinger ZERO tried to swat Tetsuya aside, but this initial charge was not the real attack.

"I know you're faster than this, Emperor!" Tetsuya said as Mazin Emperor G instead continued accelerating while looping back around for another pass.

"Witness the Emperor Aureole's power!" he cried as the heroic Mazinger dove down before charging straight forward. He then unhooked the jet pack and decelerated, allowing it to continue on its path toward the Great Emperor.

"EAT THIS! AUREOLE BOOSTER G!"

The attack struck home, carving a deep gouge in Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode's armor just between its chest plates before returning to its owner. But before Tetsuya could follow up, he came under attack by a pair of Pikudrones, forcing him to back off.

Next to approach was the trio of Hi-Nu Gundam, Nightingale, and Elmeth.

"Amuro Ray!" The Dr. Hell said; "Do not think I do not remember you and your accursed Gundam! I have suffered my share of humiliations at its hands as well! SOUTHERN CROSS KNIVES!"

Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of whirling shuriken-like blades made of Photon Power, sending them straight at the three mobile weapons.

"That's right!" Amuro said, protecting his two allies and himself with a souped-up I-Field barrier. "There were worlds where I teamed up with Koji to stop your schemes! And today, we shall repeat our victory over you!" With that, he accelerated towards the massive Mazinger, noting the damage Tetsuya had inflicted.

"Lalah, Char, match your timing with mine," Amuro said. "We're going to hit him with an all-range attack unlike any other!" With that, he sent out his Fin Funnels and sent several of them at the gouge Mazin Emperor G had created.

"Fighting alongside you like this," Lalah mused as she sent out her Elmeth's own bits, "it sure brings back memories, Char."

"Indeed," the leader of Zeon replied as he let the Nightingale's own funnels fly. "But this war isn't a squabble between Spacenoids and Earthnoids...it is a fight for mankind's very survival!"

With those words, the bits and funnels shrouded themselves in the green energy of a Psycho Field and rushed at Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode. The bits not only unleashed powerful beam blasts, but rammed into the wicked Super Robot, causing further damage. But as the three mobile weapons closed in for another attack, Amuro spotted a copy of General Birdler heading for the Ra Cailum, and turned to protect his old friend's ship.

Next to approach was Mu, who fired off the Perfect Strike Gundam's Agni Cannon, although the massive Super Robot almost reflexively avoided the attack by shifting its arm away.

"Crud, kinda hard to hit the broad side of a barn if it can move like that," Mu mumbled.

"Ah, Mu la Flaga!" the lord of Hell said with a chuckle as he turned to face the approaching mobile suit; "You escaped me last time, but you shall not do so again!" But as the Great Emperor took aim to unleash a powerful Rocket Punch, several more beam blasts hammered his evil Mazinger, this time scoring direct hits. He turned and saw the Strike Freedom, Infinite Justice and Archangel approaching. The two mobile suits were docked with their METEOR units already.

"Nice shooting, Yamato!" the Hawk of Endymion called out. "How about you show me the moves that beat Rau le Creuset?"

"You got it!" Kira said as he made the Strike Freedom accelerate; "Athrun, let's do this!" Athrun nodded, and followed suit.

"Provide supporting fire!" Murrue called out. The Archangel fired off all the weapons it could, allowing the two mobile suits to close in. The METEORs extended their beam blades as they passed, slashing deep gouges in the Mazinger's armor.

"Irksome Coordinators!" Dr. Hell yelled wickedly. "I'll teach you that your artificial evolution means nothing!" The evil Mazinger ZERO's eyes flashed as it fired a blast of Photon Power from them, incinerating one of the large beam cannons on Athrun's METEOR and nearly striking the Archangel. Athrun grimaced as he wheeled back around, seeing that he wasn't going to get another good hit.

But as they retreated, Genesic GaoGaiGar stormed in.

"Dr. Heeeeeeeeell!" Guy cried as he wound up a Broken Magnum. He then launched it, only for the evil Mazinger to smack it aside without even looking in his direction.

"Ah, the King of Braves," the Great Emperor said as he turned to face his opponent, even as the flying fist quickly righted itself and returned to its master. "It has been a long time since Hell Island. You tried and failed to defeat my Hell King Gordon...what makes you think that you can defeat Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode?" As GaoGaiGar rushed in to smash the evil Mazinger in the face, Dr. Hell raised the machine's arm to block the attack. But the Evoluder quickly followed up by jamming its drill knee into the limb.

"It's because you lack courage, Dr. Hell!" Guy proclaimed as he flew backward. "You hid behind Baron Ashura, who willingly gave up its life for your wicked ambitions!"

"Let's see the power of your so-called courage, then," his foe said with a laugh. But to his surprise, the God of Destruction backed off, only for a quartet of Knightmare frames to close in.

"Great Emperor of Darkness! I've come to see your end!" Lelouch proclaimed as he fired a pair of hadron blasts from the Shinkiro's arm cannons.

"So, you're still at it, Lelouch vi Britannia," Dr. Hell chuckled as he took the blasts and fired off more Southern Cross Knives. "I see you chose to reject the path of conquest. A shame – I have fond memories of working for you in some worlds. Yet so many of them perished at the moment of greatest triumph."

"What do you mean?" Kallen exclaimed as she dodged the blizzard of whirling stars; "Lelouch would never..."

"It's true," the prince said grimly as he blocked them with his Knightmare's barrier system; "Other versions of me were able to take over Britannia after killing my mother and father. I even recall one world where I hijacked Damocles and used it to rule the world. I then used it to become the most evil and hated tyrant in human history."

"However, that death was part of his plan as well," Suzaku said as he rushed in and slashed the palm of Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode's right hand. "Lelouch believed that by focusing all of the world's hatred on himself, his death would enable the world to become peaceful!"

"Bwahahahaha!" Dr. Hell cackled as he swatted the Lancelot Albion away; "Such nonsense! Any peace you would have obtained through that would have been fleeting! Hatred is not so easily extinguished!" But no sooner did Suzaku back off than did the Code Geass swoop in and quickly fired a point-blank energy ball, shattering the canopy on Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode's head.

"I'm glad that you didn't make such a wasteful choice in this world, big brother," Nunnally said as her brother flew inside and hovered over the Great Marshall.

"That's right!" Lelouch said. "I will shoulder the burden of bettering my world alongside those I cherish! But to do that, you need to get out of our way, Dr. Hell!"

The Great Emperor sneered as he sensed what the royal was about to do.

"And so," Lelouch said, revealing his Geass eyes; "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you..."

"BEGONE FOREVERMORE!"

Their eyes flashed as the power of Lelouch's Geass lashed out at Dr. Hell, only to fizzle out. The massive head of Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode lurched back as he moved to grab the Shinkiro, only for it to dodge out of the way at the last moment.

"It didn't work?" Lelouch gasped as he watched the canopy on the colossal Mazinger repair itself.

"Fool!" the Great Emperor cackled; "Your power has already affected me once before! Even the so-called power of The Zero cannot bend my will a second time!"

"Then we'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way!" Kallen said as she jammed the Guren SEITEN's energy claw into the back of Mazinger's head and pumped it full of radiation, causing the wicked machine to suffer several small explosions elsewhere on its body.

"You think that's enough to beat me?!" the ruler of Hell snarled as he reached back to grab the speedy red Knightmare, only for it to quickly escape.

"No, but this might!" a voice called out. Dr. Hell looked up and saw Genesic GaoGaiGar hovering above him, the Goldion Crusher already fully formed. Guy let out a heroic roar as he swung the hammer as hard as he could...

"GREAT EMPEROR OF DARKNESS...HIKARI NI NAREEEEEEEE!"

Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode raised its arms and caught the colossal energy hammer as it came down on its head, and strained to hold it back even as he struggled to keep regenerating the hands that were being turned into light. But before Guy could redouble his efforts, he was struck from behind by a copy of Gilgilgan, causing the hammer to harmlessly disperse and forcing him to back off.

Nearby, the Shin Dragon team saw an opening for their own attack as Dr. Hell stopped fighting to focus on regenerating the damage Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode had taken.

"Let's hit 'em with Shin Dragon's full power!" Kei said. "Sis, Musashi! Join up with Shin Dragon!" The two other Getter pilots turned, looked at each other and nodded. They dove toward the colossal Getter robot and melded into it. Almost immediately, Shin Dragon began to overflow with power as Getter Rays covered it like a raging green inferno.

"Shin Dragon's output has increased this much?" Go mumbled in amazement.

"It's on you, Michiru!" Gai Daidou called out. Michiru nodded and took a deep breath.

"GETTER...SHIIIINE!"

As she let out that cry, the wildly flaming Getter Rays steadied into a barely pulsating halo and burned even brighter. All five Getter pilots then let out a heroic roar as one...

"SHINE...SPAAAAAAAARK!"

The massive Getter rushed at Dr. Hell at incredible speed. Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode only had an instant to turn and hold back the attack.

"Not you...three again!" the lord of Hell growled as he struggled to repel the Shine Spark.

"It's not just us, Dr. Hell!" Kei called out.

"Musashi and I are here too!" Michiru yelled. The five Getter pilots let out another hot-blooded cry as Shin Dragon surged forward again, blasting through the evil Mazinger ZERO and annihilating one of its arms. In response, a pair of Gilgilgans rushed to their master's aid, forcing Shin Dragon to back off.

Next to approach were Simon and Kamina in their Gurren Laganns – combining with the Chouginga Dai-Gurren to become Chouginga Gurren Lagann was too risky in such close quarters. As Simon closed in, the Great Emperor turned and fired over a Photon Beam, which Gurren Lagann barely dodged. This gave the ruler of Hell time to regenerate his Mazinger's shattered arm.

"So, this is the man that defeated the Anti-Spiral?" Dr. Hell laughed; "He must have been weaker than I thought!"

"He was WAY stronger than you!" Simon retorted.

"Even if his methods were wrong and his thinking flawed, he was still trying to protect something," Viral added; "That's what made him so powerful!"

"Yet you seek to consume it all," the Great Emperor said with a laugh; "like the Devourers you are!"

"You're wrong!" Simon cried bravely; "We swore that we would protect the infinite realities, and prove Metatron wrong! So get out of our way, unless you want to get drilled through!"

As Dr. Hell sneered and readied a massive Iron Cutter, Kamina's Gurren Lagann flew over to and hovered beside the one he had once piloted.

"Bro! Viral! Let's do this!" Simon called out.

"You got it!" Kamina and Viral said simultaneously. The two machines immediately sprouted massive drills from their arms.

"BROTHERLY...!" Kamina cried as the two machines charged forward.

"DOUBLE...!" Simon yelled as they began circling each other like a double helix, even as Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode launched its Iron Cutter.

"GIGA DRILL...BREAAAAAAAAAAK!" the three pilots roared together as they rocketed at their foe, smashing through the Iron Cutter with surprising ease before drilling straight through the evil Mazinger's chest. Yet that wasn't enough – the Great Emperor of Darkness quickly forced his machine to regenerate the damage even as he signaled for a pair of Pikudrones to attack them. But it wasn't long before his next opponents closed in – Devilman, Miki and Maou Dante.

"Ah, Akira Fudo!" the Greater Emperor said with a sardonic sneer as he spun around to deliver a swift spin kick; "You came after all! Now I can destroy you right before HIS eyes!" Fudo was able to dodge the attack, but Maou Dante was too slow to do so, and was sent spiraling away for a short distance.

"Right before whose eyes?" Fudo exclaimed as he dodged a karate chop from the monstrous Mazinger even as Dante righted himself.

"When you find out, it will be too late!" Dr. Hell laughed as Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode opened its wicked mouth wide. "RUST HURRICAAAAAAAANE!"

The resulting hurricane of dust and acid seemed to hit Fudo with full force, and also instantly disintegrated many of Dr. Hell's own minions. But when the attack subsided, he saw that the massive demon lord Dante had placed himself in front of Fudo to protect him – and he was looking worse for wear – his body was singed and melted in a few places.

"Dante!" Miki cried in dismay. But as Dr. Hell prepared to unleash another Rust Hurricane, a rainbow-colored beam struck the ruler of Hell from behind – Grendizer.

"I'll be fine," the demon lord said, panting heavily even as Dr. Hell turned to face the Fleedian machine; "But you two must not perish here...if the one Dr. Hell spoke of is who I think it is, I will ensure that you meet him!"

"Even so, you're too wounded to keep fighting!" Miki said. "We'll get you back to the Chouginga Dai-Gurren!"

"We need you to lead the Demon Tribe so the people of the Gold and Silver Moons can live in peace," Fudo said." Dante sighed and grinned as he allowed the two Devilmen to lead him back to DREAM's massive flagship. Meanwhile, Grendizer threw his Double Haken at the Great Emperor's machine.

"I know of your ambitions!" Dr. Hell called out to Daisuke as he batted the whirling blade aside and fired off a Photon Beam at Grendizer. "My power as Great Emperor of Darkness lets me see into your heart!" Grendizer backflipped to avoid the blast before hurrying to retrieve his weapon.

"What do you mean?" the Fleedian prince said as he scooped up the Double Haken in time to block a massive punch from Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode. Daisuke snarled, but said nothing.

"You desire to bring the people of Earth under your rule!" Dr. Hell cackled as he delivered another gigantic blow, sending Grendizer flying; "Even if you disguise it with the pretense of saving humanity from itself, your thirst for conquest is clear to me!"

The Fleedian robot quickly righted itself as Daisuke replied with all the righteous fury he could.

"Be quiet!" he bellowed; "My ambitions have nothing to do with conquest! I only want to see the people of my adopted home learn and grow! And if you would prevent that, then I'll fight you with everything I have!"

Various panels all over Grendizer's body began to open as its engine's output was boosted to the point where it could have powered everything on Earth for a hundred years with a single second's output.

"DIZER TERA MAX!"

Grendizer's horns crackled with incredible energy as he reached for the control that would activate the Fleedian war machine's ultimate attack.

"SPAAAAACE THUNDEEEEEEEEER!"

The bolt of energy lashed out with tremendous force, striking Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode in the head, even causing the Great Marshall of Hell to start sizzling from the overwhelming influx of energy. The Fleedian machine, meanwhile, began to hiss, crackle and pop from the force of the attack.

"We've got this, Daisuke!" Janus called out as Neo Granlif flew by to take a crack at the Great Emperor of Darkness' machine.

"Getting tired yet, you old coot?" Tara taunted as their machine closed in. "You've gotta be, after taking so many attacks like that!"

"Powerful as you lot are," Dr. Hell snarled as he fired off an Iron Cutter; "You are no match for Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode! Not here, where I rule!"

"We beat you twice before, Hell!" Janus shot back as he let loose a huge array of Gran Bits; "And this will be the last time!"

"GRAN BITS...RIFLE MODE!" Janus then cried; "JUPITER HOLD FORMATION...GO!"

The bits turned inside out, revealing ports for small beam cannons. They zipped back and began unleashing steady streams of beam fire, pinning the evil Mazinger ZERO to the spot and stopping its attack, even as they began to orbit, slicing and dicing the machine to bits as Neo Granlif charged again, its chest plate crackling with energy – ready to unleash another move Neo Granlif had unlocked in the battle against the Devil Gundam.

"GRAAAAN NOVAAAA...FIIIIIREEEEEE!"

The white machine shot out a tremendous rainbow-colored energy blast from its chest, narrowly missing the bits. The blast tore at Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode, sending shards of Super Alloy Z flying everywhere, even blasting off a massive chunk of the evil Mazinger's head, as well as the Great Marshall of Hell's right arm.

But even so, the Great Emperor of Darkness was still not finished.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Dr. Hell roared with all of his countless voices simultaneously; "I'll crush you here and now with Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode's full strength!" With that, the ruler of Hell's mechs instantly regenerated all of their damage and began to grow even larger. In moments, he loomed over even the Chouginga Dai-Gurren – DREAM's entire force could easily fit in the palm of the now incredibly huge Mazinger's hands.

"Uh-oh..." Koji said uneasily. "Didn't really see this one coming..."

"Have you forgotten already that I am not just one Dr. Hell, but ALL of them?!" the Great Emperor said as he cupped his hands around the group and released an incredible storm of countless energy bolts that tore through DREAM and pinned them down; "As long as you are but single individuals, you cannot hope to defeat me!"

"Damn it...we've come so far..." Kouji growled. "We can't lose here..."

But unbeknownst to the rest of DREAM, an idea popped into Mucha's head.

"Hey, Boss," Boss' co-pilot said; "That Iophiel chick said that being shinka gave us the ability to draw strength from our infinite other selves, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," the ex-bully said. "Are ya suggestin' we..."

As if of one mind, the same idea popped into the heads of the other six pilots. With a grin, they focused their wills and began to draw upon a power they couldn't fully comprehend, yet had been given to them...

"NOW, PERISH!" the Great Emperor roared as he smashed his palms together – or rather, almost did.

In the middle of the group was the hypercharged Super Boss Borot – and it had suddenly turned a blazing gold and sprouted dozens of arms, all of which were keeping Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode from crushing them.

"What is THIS?!" Dr. Hell exclaimed as he watched the robot start to grow larger and larger and push the hands further apart. Inside the cockpit, there were no longer six pilots, but three. Somehow, the two sets of Boss Borot pilots had melded into one – their eyes blazed gold along with every other color of the rainbow.

"Muucha and Mucha!"

"Nuke and Nuuke!"

"Boss and Boz!"

"We are not just one Boss, Nuke and Mucha...but ALL OF THEM!" the three pilots cried together as their machine let go of Dr. Hell's machine, only to unleash a barrage of punches before finishing with a colossal uppercut using no less than fifty-four right arms.

"Behold, the amazing SUPER SPECIAL DELUXE GOLDEN DELICIOUS HYPER BOSS BOROT ZX!" the uber-Boss roared.

"Incredible..." Iophiel gasped as the many-armed mech caught the flailing Mazinger.

"This is the end for you, Great Emperor of Darkness!" Uber-Boss roared as Hyper Boss Borot ZX began to whirl around and its arms began rushing every-which-way; "SUPER SPECIAL DELUXE GOLDEN DELICIOUS HYPER MAGNUM...DAISETSUSAN BOROTOSHIIIIIIIII!"

Finally, they slammed the Great Emperor into what seemed to be empty space. For several moments, it laid there, not moving. But Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode got up and brushed itself off, although it was clearly cracked in several places.

"An admirable effort, I'll admit," the ruler of Hell chuckled; "But you forget that no matter what world you exist in..."

The monstrous Mazinger suddenly launched a world-shattering blast of Breast Fire at Hyper Boss Borot ZX.

"YOU'RE NOTHING BUT COMEDY RELIEF!" he cackled as the junk machine was consumed in unfathomable hellfire. When the attack dissipated, the robot that had put the evil Mazinger through the works seemed to be gone.

"Guys!" both Sayakas cried.

"We're okaaaaay..." Nuuke moaned. However, this display gave Kouji, Koji and Tetsuya the same idea.

"Hey, Tetsuya, other me," Kouji said to his counterpart; "Let's see if we can do the same thing Boss and Boz did!"

"I hear ya," Koji said. "If a powered-up Super Boss Borot could deal that kind of damage, imagine what it could do!"

"Say no more!" Tetsuya said. With that, the three Mazingers began to shine as they flew upward and towards one another, merging into a sphere of light at the spot where they met.

"Now what?!" Dr. Hell exclaimed. "More of this foolishness?!"

After several moments, Mazinkaiser reappeared, only it was different - it had a more demonic appearance, blue eyes, a great Z engraved on its forehead on a plate in front of the Pilder, and its Scrander resembled a huge pair of demonic wings.

What was more, there were only two pilots now – Kouji and Koji had become one, just as Boss, Boz and their cronies had. Their eyes blazed gold and with every color of the rainbow, and their bodies seemed to crackle with Photon Power.

"If God gets in our way, he'll get cut down!" Uber-Koji said, his words resounding with the words of infinite Koji Kabutos. "If the Devil does the same, then he'll get blasted!"

"The words 'hopeless cause' mean nothing to us!" Uber-Tetsuya bellowed, his voice mixed with those of infinite other Tetsuya Tsurugis.

"That's my pal for ya!" Tara cheered.

"Three demon gods become one!" the two awakened Mazinger pilots roared heroically as the new Mazinkaiser's eyes blazed blue; "We are...SHIN MAZINKAISER!"

"So, you think you can beat me with the same trick?" the Great Emperor of Darkness sneered as he entered a combat stance.

"You're right about one thing," Uber-Koji said, "Boss Borot is comedy relief."

"But let's see how you handle US!" Uber Tetsuya cried as Shin Mazinkaiser rushed at Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode.

Shin Mazinkaiser dashed forward, but with such speed that it disappeared from sight before reappearing in front of Jigoku Mode ZERO and bashing it in the chest with a punch that was backed by the force of countless Photon Power Engines. Dr. Hell's mech roared as it reeled and countered with a punch of its own, sending Shin Mazinkaiser skidding back.

The two Super Robots then dashed at each other at stupendous speeds, too fast for even the most keen-eyed of the group to keep up with. To them, they seemed to be boson jumping.

But this time, it didn't last very long – Shin Mazinkaiser scored a devastating blow to Mazinger ZERO Jigoku Mode's head.

"RUST STREAM!" the two Uber pilots cried as one as Shin Mazinkaiser unleashed a massive torrent of dust and corrosive liquid, eating away at their foes armor. It flew back and pointed its fists at its dazed enemy.

"TORNADO CRUSHER PUUUUNCH!"

The two fists flew at their target, one of them smashing off an arm, the other taking out a leg. As soon as Shin Mazinkaiser's fists returned, it began to charge energy into its heat sink.

"INFERNOOOO...BLASTEEEER!"

The machine let out a blast of heat and energy that would have quickly melted all of the ice in Cocytus. But when the attack dissipated, Dr. Hell's machine was still there, but was shattered and broken in numerous other places.

"Impossible..." Dr. Hell panted; "I..."

A surge of rage and hatred filled the ruler of Hell, his eyes blazing with all of Hell's torments and his mouth spewing hellfire and dripping demonic ichor.

"I WILL NOT BE DEFEATEEEEEEEEEEED!" he screamed with the voices of infinite Dr. Hells as Jigoku Mode ZERO's energy wings suddenly grew ten times bigger. He then rushed at Shin Mazinkaiser.

However, his two foes seemed to have anticipated this, and prepared to unleash their own final attack, pulling out the massive sword that Zeus had used.

"Shine in the name of Zeus!" the two Mazinger pilots declared in unison as their machine started to blaze gold; "And reduce all to atoms with your lightning!" Suddenly, several bolts of lightning millions of light-years long burst out of nowhere, converging on the sword, which the mech grasped with both hands.

"TAKE THIS! FINAL KAISER..."

"BIG BANG..."

"BLAAAAAAADE!"

Shin Mazinkaiser fired its fists off, and they began to orbit each other, causing the energy-charged blade to spin like a drill. It struck their foe dead dead on, punching straight through its head, even piercing the Great Emperor of Darkness himself. As the wrecked Mazinger's body began to break down, the chamber they had started the fight in re-materialized.

"Damn you...Juzo Kabuto..." Dr. Hell groaned as both his body and that of his machine began to break down; "Once again...you and those Mazingers...steal...everything from...me...just like...you always stole...her..."

Shin Mazinkaiser's pilots sighed deeply, and the godly machine's three components split up into their original forms.

"And stay down this time!" Kouji said.

As the last bits of Dr. Hell's Mazinger ZERO blew away in the frosty winds of Cocytus, a voice feebly spoke in Janus' mind.

Janus...so, you've returned...and you've brought...your friends...

"Jan? What's going on?" Tara exclaimed when she saw her co-pilot look around.

The voice spoke again, this time to everyone in DREAM.

You...must be DREAM.

"That voice..." Fudo gasped. Everyone turned toward the icy throne where the Great Emperor of Darkness once sat, and saw someone sealed in the ice...a twelve-winged angel with both male genitalia and full breasts.

"Satan!" Dante exclaimed. "It really is you!"

"Lucifer..." Iophiel gasped.

"Iophiel," Janus said; "You're the one who sealed him in there! Let him out!"

"Yes," the priestess said after a moment of thought. "I can do that much. He's been punished enough." She closed her eyes, and then mumbled some syllables in the same unknown language she had used to awaken DREAM's shinka state. The throne quickly began to crack and crumble, and in moments, the limp form of Lucifer was lying atop a pile of ice boulders. Fudo, Miki and Dante hurried over to the angel's side.

"Ryo!" Fudo cried as he carefully lifted his friend's body up. "Buddy, it is you!"

"Akira...you came," Lucifer said, smiling weakly even as tears formed in his eyes. "I'm so...happy." He then turned to Miki.

"And Miki Makimura...you're alive, just as I had planned," he said. "That's...wonderful." As he said this, his genitalia crumbled to dust, as did a few other pieces of his body.

"What's happening to you, Ryo?" Fudo gasped.

"I'm dying, Akira," the angel replied, his breathing getting weaker. "My body has been falling apart ever since...I opened the way for Janus to escape from Hell the first time. It seems that releasing me from my prison has only sped up the process."

"Why were you imprisoned, Satan?!" Dante asked. "Was it really for defying Atik Yomin?"

"It's...ironic," Lucifer chuckled; "Metatron and Iophiel...sealed me here as punishment...for meddling with other worlds in the...very way they ultimately started to."

"Not only was his body trapped in that ice," Iophiel added somberly, "but Metatron and I trapped his soul in an endless time loop where he was forced to kill the one he loved over and over again...until he understood what needed to be done to escape."

"Millions upon millions of tries," Lucifer said with a weak chuckle. "It took me millions of passes through that loop, Akira...but I finally got it right this time."

He tenderly reached up to Fudo's face with his right hand even as it disintegrated before his eyes.

"Akira Fudo, I loved you, and I still do," Lucifer said, summoning up as much of his waning strength as he could. "I loved you enough to destroy the world just to keep you safe."

Fudo gasped as his friend withdrew his arm and let the limb hang down.

"Only, everything I did to try and protect you would backfire," the angel continued; "You would die either fighting me or because of my foolish actions. And in every single case, your end would be the ultimate result of your beloved Miki's death."

"Ryo..." Miki mumbled.

"Finally, I realized what I had to do," Lucifer said; "I had to make sure Miki survived, so she could be with you. Only by letting you go could I save you."

"Oh, Ryo..." Fudo whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes as Neo Granlif drew closer.

"But there were...other things I needed...to do," Lucifer wheezed as his arms finally broke apart; "To not...only save you, but to...ensure Metatron's plans...could be foiled..."

The dying angel's strength finally seemed to fail him as his legs and wings finished disintegrating.

"Ryo!" Fudo wailed as he embraced Lucifer, who was now just a torso and head, and even those were beginning to disintegrate. The river of tears streaming from the Devilman's eyes didn't help much.

"I'm sorry, Akira," Lucifer said, his voice now barely a whisper; "I have...no time left. But now I can...be at peace...just knowing that...you are...still alive...and... ha...ppy..."

Lucifer closed his eyes for what seemed to be the final time. As Fudo continued wailing and sobbing, the rest of DREAM started to tear up as well. Janus, in particular, clenched his fists.

Not like this, he thought, tears starting to well up. We can't let him die like this! Tara, sensing what Janus wanted to do, made Neo Granlif bend down and hold out his hand to Fudo.

"Akira, give him to us," she said. "Janus and I are gonna try something." Confused but hopeful, the Devilman nodded and gently laid Lucifer's still-disintegrating body in the white machine's hands.

"Jan, Xengar, Xemmey...let's save Lucifer," she then said. "He still has a lot of questions to answer, doesn't he?" Janus gasped, then smiled before closing his eyes and extending light wings that seemed to be made of countless spheres. Tara extended her own wings as well as she directed the energy from Neo Granlif's power source.

The white mech's hands began to glow warmly as it channeled energy from the Exogenesis Engine into Lucifer's body. To everyone's amazement, the angel's form suddenly began to reintegrate, the dust that had broken off of him flowing back into place, as if the whole breakdown was being played back in reverse.

After a minute of this, the glow on Neo Granlif's hands subsided, and Lucifer looked good as new. A moment later, Lucifer blinked and slowly sat up.

"I...am still alive?" he muttered.

"Ryo!" Fudo cried joyfully, grabbing his friend in a bear hug and lifting him up. Miki smiled, happy to see her beloved overjoyed as well.

"Akira!" Lucifer gasped before looking up at Neo Granlif. "You restored me, Janus? Even after all I've done?"

"It was because of all the things you've done that we saved you," Janus said. "You don't get to die just yet. Not until you atone for the damage you caused."

"More importantly, you were about to say that there were other things you needed to save Fudo and stop Metatron," Tara said.

"Yes...I was," Lucifer said, unsteadily rising to his feet. "What I needed was something Metatron couldn't sense. A unforeseeable factor."

Tara gasped as she realized what Lucifer was about to say.

"And Janus proved to be that factor," the angel said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Judau asked.

"It is difficult to explain in terms mortals can understand," Lucifer replied; "What I can say is that I used Janus as an undetectable wrench in the gears of Metatron's plans...his presence, somehow, is cloaked against viewing from outside time. Therefore, his presence could never be foreseen."

"So what did you to him?" Domon asked.

"After Metatron removed the soul fragment from himself and gave it to Lordgenome, I appeared before Janus and gave him the means to escape a horrible fate. From there, his actions rippled through the timeline, changing them in such a way that would enable you to reach this point."

"So you manipulated our worlds too," Gai Murakumo said grimly.

"I only gave the one who could perform the miracles I needed the chance to do so," Lucifer replied. "But I was as equally blind as Metatron - I had no way of knowing whether my choice would lead to the intended outcome. All I could do was believe in him."

"Still," Ruri said. "How could anyone's actions not be seen by someone who can look over the entirety of a timeline from beginning to end? What could make someone invisible from someone who could see everything?"

Lucifer looked up at Neo Granlif.

"Janus, perhaps it's best if you tell them."

Janus swallowed nervously as he decided what to tell his friends - would he tell them that he was descended from an entity from Outside, not unlike the Invaders...or try to hide the truth and hope they accepted his answer anyway?

As he pondered his answer, spacetime rippled imperceptibly...


At last, the final battle approaches! But Janus' decision will give us one final route split of sorts!

-With the Great Emperor of Darkness defeated, DREAM prepares to confront Metatron on his home turf! But they'll still have to contend with Atik Yomin's generals one last time! But how will Janus' words affect the outcome of the battles to come? Find out what happens if Janus keeps mum in Chapter 110 (Normal): DREAM at Heaven's Door! Angels' Last Stand!