So, you saw Getter Robo Daikessen as part of the list of new source material? Well, I think any Getter fan knows what's coming today! Shall we find out if that's true? Also, a certain lady in purple gets to do a lot of stuff!
Expansion Scenario Chapter 4 - Dragon's Dawn! Attack on The Science Fortress Lab!
Tara's return home the next day was a relief for Janus, but when he heard that Cobray wanted to speak with him, Kurou and Al about something important, he decided they should go and talk with Demonbane's pilots themselves. The pair walked up the stairs to the manor's third floor, and found the door where the two were living.
"Anyone home?" Tara said as she knocked on the door. "It's me, Tara!" After a few moments, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from the room beyond, and then the turning of a latch. The door opened, with a rather sleepy-looking Kurou, still in pajamas, rubbing his eyes.
"G'mornin..." Kurou said.
"Oh, did we wake you?" Tara exclaimed. "I'm sorry!"
"He's always like that before he has his morning coffee," Al said from behind her co-pilot.
"Tekeli-li," something else behind Kurou piped up as if in agreement.
"Wh-what was that?!" Janus said uneasily when he heard this unexpected noise. "Is something wrong with the plumbing?" He and Tara stepped inside to see something even more unexpected – Al lying on top of Dunsany in an uncomfortably provocative manner. The two stared speechless at the lounging girl, who stared back, wondering what they had just walked in on.
"Um, Al," Tara finally said after a few moments. "Are you having some sort of mold problem? You should have said something instead of..."
"Oh, this is no mold," Al said as she got off the yellow blob. "This is Dunsany, my shoggoth. Say hello, Dunsany."
"Tekeli-li!" Dunsany piped up cheerfully, hopping once.
"Sho...ggoth?" the manor's landlord said, unsure of what to make of this strange blob of protoplasm.
"They're creatures that can mold themselves into any shape on command, or at will," Al said. "They were used by a race of highly-advanced beings to form their incredible cities, among other things."
"Tekeli-li!" the shoggoth chirped, shifting his mass to form a comfy-looking chair that Al proceeded to sit down on.
"He's actually kinda cute," Tara said, her initial unease at Dunsany fading.
"I suppose he is," Kurou said, "once you get past the fact that he's a living blob of nightmare goo." Dunsany's single eye opened wide as if he were about to start crying.
"Tekeli...tekeli...LIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
As the shoggoth cried, he seemed to melt into a puddle, depositing Al on the ground. She glared at Kurou with an angry pout as she stood up.
"You hurt Dunsany's feelings, Kurou!" the grimoire-girl scolded, pointing to the wailing blob. "Apologize to him!"
"Yeah! Say you're sorry!" Tara said, half-agreeing with Al and half-amused at Dunsany's surprising ability to express emotion. Kurou sighed, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was doing.
"Sorry, Dunsany," he grumbled. The shoggoth immediately sprung back into a more solid form, and its eye seemed to indicate that he was pleased.
"Tekeli-li," the blob piped.
Geez, he's such a drama queen, the sorcerer thought.
"So you...actually sleep on him?" Janus asked to Al as he and Tara approached Dunsany.
"He's actually extremely comfortable," Al replied, patting the shoggoth like one would a pet dog or cat, "more than any normal bed. I keep insisting Kurou try sleeping on him, but he always refuses. Of course, you're welcome to try." Her curiosity piqued, Tara bent down to meet Dunsany eye-to-eye.
"May I lie down on you, Dunsany?" she asked politely.
"Tekeli-li," the blob replied and shifted his mass in preparation. The young woman gently eased herself onto the shoggoth, and quickly found that Dunsany immediately accommodated to every inch of her body.
"Wow," it's like lying down on a cloud!" Tara exclaimed; "And he's smooth...almost like silk. I guess he can change his texture as well." She rubbed her hand on the blob, and it was completely dry.
"And not a drop of slime either!" she added.
"Tekeli-li!" Dunsany piped proudly. Tara found herself leaning back happily while Kurou and Janus watched.
"She's really taking this all in stride," Kurou said. "By the way, what did you want from us?" That question made Janus recall exactly why he and Tara had come in the first place.
"Oh, that's right," the young man said. "Cobray wanted to talk to the four of us privately in the tea room."
"Got it," the sorcerer said before turning to his companion. " Al, Janus says that Cobray wants to meet with the four of us in the tea room."
"You three go on ahead," Tara said with a contented sigh, "I'm gonna relax here on Dunsany a little bit longer." Al sighed and snapped her fingers. The shoggoth unceremoniously shifted its mass to make Tara slide off him and onto the floor. The manor's landlady grumbled, but got the message...
The throne room of Zilkhstan's royal palace, built into the side of a cliff, would have been beautiful to behold if it was better lit. The only lights in this chamber, aside from the sunlight that was allowed to flow through the open doorway, were the four electric torches that glowed near the top of the columns that held up a red canopy. Shamna was seated underneath this canopy - not upright on a throne, but reclining on an elegant sofa, more befitting a ruler of a Middle Eastern nation. Flanking her were two columns of three veiled women in white outfits that stood to attention like guards. She was speaking with a tall man with olive hair and green eyes, who sported a dark-red outfit and had a jeweled, curved scimitar at his hip. While not being well built, this man was still athletically capable, as he well should have – he was Shesthaal Forgnar, the captain of her elite guards.
Unexpectedly, someone strolled into the room – a dark-haired woman with glasses and a dark purple outfit. She was dragging an unconscious person with her.
"Greetings, oh great queen of Zilkhstan," the newcomer said pleasantly, but with a sardonic tinge in her voice. Shesthaal immediately turned and drew his weapon in order to protect his sovereign.
"Who are you?!" Shesthaal exclaimed angrily, not immediately seeing the person the woman had brought; "How dare you barge in here and interrupt Her Holiness?! For that, you must..."
"Hold!" Shamna suddenly ordered her guard captain as she got to her feet – the priestess had immediately sensed that this woman was connected to Keisar Ephes somehow - and from where she sat, she could clearly see that the newcomer had brought someone.
"You can call me Nya," the woman replied, not offended by Shesthaal's intention to attack her as he sheathed his weapon. "I come bearing a gift for you and your noble brother. I hope it is to your liking." With that, she dragged the person toward the sofa and then placed him at Shamna's feet.
It was a person she immediately recognized.
"This man," the priestess gasped; "he is..."
"Suzaku Kururugi," Nya said with a smirk; "the greatest warrior in the world. Perhaps King Shalio can extract his secrets?" Shamna smiled back and nodded.
"Yes, this gift is very much to my liking," she answered. However, Shesthaal was clearly not amused by this – he got right in Nya's face, grabbing her by the collar.
"Do you really think," the guard captain snarled, "you can gain Her Holiness' confidence simply by..."
But as he glared into Nya's eyes, he was suddenly overcome with the sensation that he was staring into a starry void, populated with creatures too maddening for his mind to fully comprehend. As he was suddenly overcome with fear, Shesthaal released the woman and took several steps back.
"Forgive my guard captain," Shamna said. "He doesn't fully understand what significance this man has for my brother. Now, do you wish for me to do anything for you in return?"
"The ones I represent have taken an interest in you," Nya replied as she got closer to the white-clad queen of Zilkhstan, her red eyes meeting Shamna's blue eyes. "And would like me to observe you and your brother, and provide you with advice as they see fit. Is this acceptable?" As the priestess gazed into the purple-clad woman's eyes, she was met with the same vision as Shesthaal. While she felt her body tremble with terror, that fear also came with a realization.
So, this woman must be like Keisar Ephes, the priestess thought, taking a step back and looking at Nya up and down. It would be extremely unwise for me to decline. Besides, who knows what wisdom she has?
"Very well," Shamna said after a moment. "For the sake of our kingdom, I welcome you into the court of Zilkhstan." Shesthaal grimaced, but said nothing as Nya stepped back and bowed. Moments later, two individuals rushed through the door: Dr. West and Elsa.
First this Nya, and now these two, Shesthaal thought as he turned to face the scientist and android; Are the palace guards so incompetent?!
"Audience!" Dr. West cried. "I would have audience with the ruler of this land!"
"Now is your chance, Lady Nya," Shamna whispered. "Advise me. Do I grant these two audience?" Nya glanced knowingly at the two intruders, then back at her new liege.
"They...could be useful," Nya replied with a smirk. "I'll just step out while you deal with him." With that, she walked past Dr. West and his android companion. As she passed, she whispered into the mad scientist's ear:
"Good luck, Doc."
The scientist suddenly looked around as if he had not seen who had just wished him luck...
Amuro Ray let out a great yawn as he came down the stairs to the kitchen. There, a heavily pregnant Chan was working at the kitchen counter. The two had settled down in New Von Braun, a lunar city which was in roughly the same place as the old one had been. With the help of the Lunar Kingdom and the Demon Tribe, it had been constructed on the surface of the true moon in the two years following the conflict with Atik Yomin – the Chouginga Dai-Gurren, which had once been the old moon,had been moved to a pocket dimension so it would not interfere with the solar system.
"Good morning, Chan," the Newtype said as he rubbed his eyes.
"Good morning, Amuro," his wife said as she cut up some vegetables. "You missed a particularly lovely Earth-rise. I'm just getting our work lunches prepared.
"Just make one for me," he said as he sat down to his breakfast. Chan did a double take when she heard this.
"Come again?" she exclaimed as she whirled around while her husband started to eat.
"You're off from work starting today," Amuro replied after swallowing his bite of food, "and for the next two-and-a-half months."
"When was this decided?!" Chan said angrily, putting her hands on her hips.
"It's too late," the Newtype replied sternly, "I already convinced Mr. Carbine to give you maternity leave."
"Aw, Amurooooo," his wife groaned; "And we're so close to meeting the deadline, too!" But Amuro shook his head. He stood up and gently placed his hands on his wife's belly. From the moment the baby was conceived, the Newtype could sense his child's thoughts, as rudimentary as they were.
"I don't want you to risk our baby's life and health just to finish the experimental mobile suit," Amuro said; "Besides, I can pick up your slack."
"I'll go crazy if I stay home," Chan cried. "You know that!"
"I'm not making you stay home," the Newtype replied. "I just don't want you going in to work or doing anything too strenuous. Please, Chan." The woman looked down at her belly, then into her husband's eyes. He was giving him a look that she knew all too well – even someone without Newtype powers could feel him gazing right into their soul.
"All right, all right," she said with a sigh. Amuro smiled, then turned to check a nearby computer. His smile suddenly turned to a frown.
"Bad news again today?" Chan asked.
"Another terrorist attack in Side 4," the former leader of Londo Bell replied. "This is the third one in as many months – apparently the perpetrators attacked a building housing Earthling refugees this time. They killed forty, mostly women and children."
"Monsters," Chan said, unconsciously putting her hands on her belly. Amuro remained silent, quickly looking through the article, then stared at the page for another minute or so.
"Something else bugging you?" she asked as she put the finishing touches on her husband's lunch.
"The last attack was exclusively against Spacenoids," Amuro said thoughtfully as Chan sat down to eat her breakfast; "and the one before was exclusively against Earthnoids. It's like the perpetrators are intentionally trying to rekindle the flames of hatred between the natives of the Sides and the Earthnoid immigrants."
Chan snorted contemptuously.
"So what else is new?" she said.
"I can't help but feel that all of these attacks are connected by a common thread," the Newtype said, shaking his head. "Something, or someone is intentionally trying to cause chaos, and that the masterminds behind these acts aren't of this world..."
Perfectio sat quietly on his throne, as if sleeping or meditating. His two guards were elsewhere, `leaving him alone in the dimly lit cave. Suddenly, he heard someone speak to him.
"Hello there, King of Ruin."
Perfectio opened one eye first, and saw Nya strolling towards him, her hips swaying seductively and her eyes filled with lust. The King of Ruin, however, did not seem pleased to see her.
"Oh, it's you," Perfectio grumbled as the woman strolled up to his throne.
"Come on now," Nya asked with a slight pout as she sat down on his lap and pulled her legs up so she could turn sideways; "Is that any way to speak with someone who knows you as well as you know yourself?" She then draped her arms over his shoulders and began to kiss him deeply, even sticking her tongue in his open mouth.
Perfectio sighed and closed his eyes, allowing the woman to get her fill of his lips and mouth, eventually embracing her back. He didn't flinch as he felt his tongue being gently nibbled by a second mouth underneath Nya's own tongue...and he even started to smile with enjoyment.
"Such a good kisser," the woman said with a great deal of surprise as she broke off the kiss. "A thousand times better than your last host. Tell me, how did you find this one?" Perfectio smirked as he lazily twirled a finger through one of her stray hairs while beginning his story.
"I found his soul floating in the outer void," the King of Ruin said; "Apparently he was set adrift, forever disconnected from his cosmos' cycle of souls." Nya laughed in dry amusement.
"How funny," she replied; "There are quite a few humans that believe escape from that cycle to be a good thing."
"I can't remember tasting a despair as exquisite as his," Perfectio chuckled before licking his lips; "What's more, his mind was so utterly shattered that he put up absolutely no resistance when I made him my vessel...not that there's much that can resist me."
"Even so, you can't bring your true body into this reality without a gateway," Nya replied. "Have you found something that can open one?" The King of Ruin frowned.
"As a matter of fact, I have," he said. "But it may prove troublesome to obtain."
Nya smiled and patted Perfectio on the cheek.
"I already know what you have in mind," she said. "And I've been waiting for just the right moment to get it for you..."
Kenzo Kabuto wasn't the only one studying Getter Rays – Dr. Shikishima, who had been on Tower during its tenure as flagship of the Invader Extermination Division, had survived the war from two years ago. He now worked as head of Getter research for the New Photon Power Institute, with Michiru Saotome as his assistant – it was in this manner that the Saotome Institute and its studies of the mysterious Getter Rays lived on.
But Shikishima was most intrigued by the revelation that Photon Power and Getter Rays were different aspects of the same divine energy – and today he would see what applications there could be for combining the two powers. In one of the Science Fortress Lab's underground hangars, Kouji sat in the cockpit of Mazinger Z, while Go, Kei and Gai sat inside the cockpits of a combined Getter Dragon, while Shikishima, Kenzo, Minerva X, Michiru and a team of Institute staff monitored the two mechs. The android, however, couldn't help but keep glancing over at one of the crew members – an unusually busty woman with glasses.
"I see...very fascinating," the old scientist said, stroking his chin as Kouji focused on channeling Photon Power while numerous monitors measured various parameters only he seemed to understand; He nodded to Kenzo, who spoke into a microphone.
"Getter Team, raise the output another 0.62," Kouji's father said.
"Understood," Go replied. He and his fellow Getter pilots focused their wills, causing a different set of numbers to appear. Shikishima grinned as his mind interpreted this new set of numbers.
"Well, what do you think, Dr. Shikishima?" Michiru asked.
"The wave-forms of the co-marginal axes do look promising," the scientist replied. "But we still need a few more..."
He was suddenly interrupted when alarms started going off all over the facility...and everyone in the facility dreaded this particular set. This fear was made all the more real when the hangar began to shake.
"It's an attack," one of the staff exclaimed, "we're under attack!"
"Get us a visual from above!" Kenzo ordered the unusually busty woman. But it took him a moment to realize that the crew member in question was gone. Or rather, she had somehow reappeared inside the hangar where Mazinger and the Getter Dragon were, and was in a dark purple outfit.
And Minerva recognized her, even if she knew her as someone else – the woman who was somehow affiliated with the forces of Outside...and who had hinted that she knew about Mazinger ZERO's existence...Nya.
"Miss Naya, what do you think you're doing?!" Shikishima exclaimed.
"A certain someone desires the god of demons that sleeps within Mazinger Z," Nya said. "And I'll be taking it now." With that, she levitated up toward Mazinger Z's chest and reached into its body via a rip in spacetime. Neither machine could do anything to stop her, since both were in Super Alloy Z restraints that would prevent them from wreaking havoc in the event that they went berserk.
Damn it, if only this wasn't such an enclosed space, Kouji thought as he heard Mazinger cry out in his mind and felt it try to move its limbs. After a few moments, Nya extracted a black, red and gold flame that hovered over her flattened palm. The flame flickered in ways that made it seem like it had a face – one that resembled Mazinger ZERO's. She turned to the stunned onlookers, winked, and disappeared with the flame...
Outside, chaos was reigning in the city of Sodom – a small army of strange purple creatures were wreaking havoc. These creatures all had three holes in a triangular formation on their bodies, vaguely resembling eyes and a mouth, while three black blade-like protrusions in a triangular formation – one on top and two on the bottom. However, they were no demons or aliens native to the Universal Century dimension...they were Lamalices – and they were the reason that numerous demons, Devilmen and mechs that served as the city's defense laid dead or demolished on the ground. Other machines and demons were still fighting.
In the midst of all this was a machine that was carrying a comparatively intact Ichinana. This machine, a humanoid mech, was so dark-blue that it was almost black – it only had a few spare green and orange accents and lighter-blue vents. It had a wide orange visor for eyes, great wings on its back and two huge blade-like shields on its arms. Its pilot was quite a bit more human-looking – he had golden-yellow eyes that radiated menace, wild silver-purple hair and wore a white coat.
As the pilot of this machine quietly scanned the chaos going on around it, Nya appeared before it.
"I'm back, Ventos," she said to the machine's pilot. "And I've got the god of demons."
"Good," Ventos said emotionlessly. "My Studium is not meant for carrying heavy loads." He nonchalantly dropped the mass-production Mazinger to the ground. Nya then floated down to the prone machine and thrust the flame bearing Mazinger ZERO's visage into it.
The Ichinana's body grew taller and more muscular in appearance as its body twisted and warped, and its visor began to glow red. It also let out an unearthly moan that seemed to resonate across space and time as its body morphed into an awfully familiar shape. Nya smirked and disappeared again as ZERO's new body finished changing, resuming the shape it had assumed when it was a part of Mazinger Z.
But it didn't get much time to adapt to its new host – a God Scrander-sporting Mazinger Z and Artemis A launched out of the labs' hangar, and were quickly followed by the Getter Dragon that the Shin Dragon team was in, and a Getter Liger, piloted by Michiru.
"No, we're too late!" Sayaka cried in fear when she saw the god of demons formed once again on the enemy's side. But her attention was quickly shifted to the Lamalice, who began firing beams of black and dark purple energy that she was quick to dodge.
"It's weaker than before, though," the AI Juzo said as Mazinger Z smashed one of the Lamalice with a powerful kick. "Probably because it's using an Ichinana as a body rather than Mazinger itself."
"But even without the Black Boxes," Kouji said as he turned to face the god of demons, "Mazinger ZERO is still a huge threat!" With that, he prepared to unleash Z's Big Bang Punch. The over-sized fingers on Mazinger's back folded forward while its two arms transformed into fingers as well, and the wings folded into the body. Once the transformation process was over, it had transformed into a gigantic metal fist, which immediately turned gold.
"THIS IS THE FIST THAT SPLITS THE EARTH, PARTS THE SEAS, AND CREATES ALL THINGS!" Kouji roared as Mazinger Z rocketed forward; "BIG BANG...PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!"
But before he could make contact, something sped into its path – the Studium, changed into a form resembling a sleek mechanical wyvern. It immediately swung the blades at the golden fist, somehow slicing through the God Scrander and sending Mazinger crashing through several buildings.
"Kouji!" Sayaka cried when she saw this.
"The god of demons shall serve the King of Ruin, and bring chaos to this world," Ventos said. "Until its role is fulfilled, it must not be harmed." A rip in spacetime opened, and Mazinger ZERO flew into it. Michiru's Liger tried to fly after him, but several Lamalices got in her way, and the portal closed before she could reach it.
"Damn iiiiit!" Kei yelled. "You punks have really done it now!"
"If you wish to fight me, Kei Kurama," the Studium's pilot said; "By all means, come at me. But know that you cannot catch the wind." Kei snarled, too angered by what has just happened to wonder why Ventos knew her name.
"Go, Gai, sis, let's teach this punk a lesson," she said to her fellow Getter pilots as she yanked on her lever. "Open Get!" Getter Dragon split up into its component machines, and started to form up into the arrangement to make Getter Liger.
"Sis, let's show 'em the speed of two Ligers!" Kei said as the machines started to combine – only for a pair of Lamalices to interfere by blasting the Poseidon machine with beam shots. Luckily, Gai was able to dodge in time, and the eldritch horrors were quickly destroyed by Artemis A's energy arrows and Getter Liger's missiles.
"You're not interfering with a Getter's combination sequence!" Sayaka said. "Not as long as we're around!"
"Try combining again!" Michiru cried. The three Getter G machines again formed up, and succeeded this time thanks to covering fire from the two women. The two Getters and Artemis A soon began a combined assault on the Studium, forcing it to take evasive maneuvers. Meanwhile, several Lamalices turned their attention to Mazinger Z and charged at him.
"Damn it, Mazinger can't do anything to the enemy leader from here on the ground," Kouji grunted as he smashed an approaching horror with a Rocket Punch. "Dad, can you send out the Jet Scrander?!"
"Already on it!" Kenzo said. "We've also gotten word that reinforcements are on the way from Kamina City!" Mazinger Z's pilot sighed with some relief – hopefully they would include Gurren Lagann...
The Photon Power Labs of the Celestial Calendar was also facing an emergency, but of a very different sort. A few members of that institute's staff looked anxiously at a pair of massive vault doors as Koji and Professor Yumi rushed over to see what was the matter.
"Professor Yumi! Head Assistant Kabuto! Thank goodness!" the staff member said with relief.
"What's the matter?" Koji asked anxiously. "Are terrorists attacking?"
"No," one of the assistant said, "but our systems picked up a high-level Photon Power reaction from Mazinkaiser's vault...and now there are these dents!"
"Based on our infrared camera footage," another said, "Mazinkaiser has started up on its own!" Koji and Sayaka's father looked at each other in shock.
"It can't be," Mazinkaiser's pilot exclaimed. "Even when it first went berserk back then, I was in the cockpit!"
"You were unconscious, though," Professor Yumi said as he looked up at the vault doors, which were getting more and more dented with each blow from the other side; "Even so..."
Suddenly, something punched two great holes in the heavy metal door – Mazinkaiser's hands. They then grabbed the edges of the two holes and slowly began to force the sliding vault doors open. After a few moments, it was able to force them open completely, and it strode out of the vault, eyes glowing fiercely. Koji looked up and saw something was different.
"There's nobody in the cockpit!" he exclaimed.
"Incredible," Professor Yumi gasped; "Mazinkaiser DID start up on its own!" But instead of going on a rampage, the ultimate Mazin of light bent down on one knee and laid its hand on the floor palm-up in front of Koji. It then made a number of low, near-infra-bass rumbles that its pilot somehow understood.
"You want me...to pilot you?" the young scientist gasped. Kaiser made another low rumble to affirm this. But Koji shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Kaiser," he said, "but I can't. I don't know why you started up, but your power isn't needed right now."
He put a reassuring hand on the robot's finger.
"Please, go back to sleep," Koji then said. "If your power is really, truly needed, I'll promise to come wake you up." The robot didn't move for a moment, but then rose back up, turned around and returned to the vault. After a few seconds, its glowing eyes went dark.
"Mazinkaiser is truly an incredible machine," Sayaka's father said. "But I wonder why it started up?"
"This is my fault, Professor," Koji answered humbly. "I should have listened to you back then when you said that we should remove the Pilder from Kaiser's head before putting it in storage." The Photon Power Institute's head smiled and shook his head.
"What's done is done," he replied amiably. "Besides, the only thing that was harmed was the vault door. In the meantime, we'll go ahead with removing the Kaiser Pilder and storing it elsewhere..."
The call had gone out to Kamina City – Sodom and the Science Fortress Lab were under attack, and they needed reinforcements. Thankfully, the city's government was more than willing to provide it in the form of Gurren Lagann and Forte Gigas.
As the two mechs flew over the demons' capital, they saw the chaos going on below – but their attention was quickly drawn to the Studium, which was engaged in combat with Mazinger Z, Artemis A, the two Getters, one of which had changed back into Getter Dragon.
That machine, Rim thought as she laid her eyes on Studium; I know I've seen it somewhere before! Joshua quickly made Forte Gigas dodge an attacking Lamalice and then counter with its huge beam sabers.
"Focus on the battle, sis!" he said. Suddenly, he saw Ventos' machine break away from the four Super Robots and start making an arcing attack run on Forte Gigas.
"That machine is loathsome in the King of Ruin's sight," Ventos said as he unleash a volley of curving green beams as it flew. "I shall annihilate it and you." But the beams didn't reach their mark – numerous drill missiles flew into their path and were destroyed, but achieved their purpose of stopping the blasts.
"The King of Ruin again!" Gimmy said. "So this guy's working for the same creep who convinced those demons to attack Kamina City!" He growled as he fired off more missiles, which Studium was able to dodge. Meanwhile, Forte Gigas started to drop to the ground as Rim grabbed her head.
"Rim, what's going on?!" Joshua cried. "If you don't focus, we can't pilot Forte Gigas!"
"That voice," she cried. "I know it! I know it! We can't hurt him! He was..." But before she could finish her thought, Joshua pushed a button on his control panel, causing Forte Gigas to split into Ganador and Strega again.
"Sorry, sis, but we can't get distracted," her brother said as Ganador rocketed upwards towards the Studium. However, Ventos seemed to notice this, as a pair of spacetime rips opened on either side of him. Each of these spat out one of a new kind of Lamalice – the Lamalice Cana.
This variety, which was somewhat smaller than the Lamalice Ida, was vaguely diamond-shaped with several screaming mask-like faces on its silver body. The body had purple, gill-like ridges all along its sides while ten tentacles grew from it – three wriggling on its left and right side, and four hanging limply from the bottom.
The two menacing horrors opened up a pair of faces on their bodies, which extruded small turrets. These turrets then fired off balls of dark purple energy, which flew for a distance then exploded, raining a downpour of the energy onto their foes. These smaller energy bolts somehow smashed through Mazinger, Artemis, Gurren Lagann and Ganador with terrifying ease. The two Getter Robos were able to avoid the worst of it, though the Dragon was struck in one of its arms. To Rim's surprise, the bolts seemed to miss her entirely.
Kei grunted as she was able to steady herself after the Lamalice's attack. But the machine wasn't able to get to its feet - Studium managed to instantly close the distance between itself and the fallen Getter, then impale it in the chest with a beam blade, narrowly missing Go.
"Keep your hands off of my family!" Michiru cried as she rushed at Studium once more. "DRILL...AAAARM!" The drill spun rapidly as it tried to pierce its body from behind, only for numerous smaller Lamalices to appear and swarm the speedy blue mecha and pull her toward a building.
"Sis!" Kei cried as the Getter Liger crashed into the ground and slammed into the structure. But her attention was returned to Studium as it prepared to deal with the final blow.
In Zifell Manor's tea room, Cobray was filling Janus and Tara in on his origins and his connection to Keisar Ephes. Kurou and Al listened in as well, as they had not heard about the Time Diver's connection to the mysterious entity until now.
"So, you fought against Keisar Ephes once before, in your original universe," Tara said. "Alongside versions of the people Janus and I fought with?"
"Correct," Dis Astranagant's pilot said; "At first, I merely assumed Keisar was the Spirit Emperor of the Ze Balmary Empire. His defeat in that future age, 12,000 years after we departed, should have been the end of it. But during my tenure as the Time Diver, I discovered that he's actually something far worse."
"A being from Outside?" Janus asked.
"One of the most powerful of such beings, in fact," Cobray said. The four others looked at each other.
"...An Outer God!" Kurou exclaimed. "Maybe he's mentioned in the Necronomicon!" He turned to his companion, who nodded and closed her eyes. The others watched intently and with curiosity.
"Al?" Cobray said after a minute or two.
"Nothing," the grimoire-girl said. "The Abdul al-Hazred who wrote me had no knowledge of such an Outer God...if he did, he did not write anything about it."
"Really?" Janus exclaimed. "I though the Necronomicon was the ultimate grimoire, and it contains everything one can know about the Outer Gods and other creatures of Outside."
"In our travels," Kurou said, "we have discovered that the contents of even original Necronomicons vary from world to world – most likely because its author had different experiences."
"Then let's try the copy at Miskatonic," Janus suggested. "Maybe the one from this world has information on him."
I've absorbed the contents of countless different Necronomicons, Al thought, and based on that knowledge, I think I can make an educated guess about who Keisar Ephes really is...
As Studium had Go, Kei and Gai at its mercy, one of the staff at the Science Fortress Lab noticed something extremely abnormal coming from the depths of the facility.
"Doctor Kabuto, Professor Shikishima," he exclaimed; "Getter Ray levels just spiked on Sublevel 7!"
"But that's where the Getter Robo Gs are being stored," Kenzo exclaimed when he heard this. "Did they all start up simultaneously?! Get us a visual!" The staff member nodded, typed in some commands, and brought up an image of the vault containing the hundreds of remaining Getters and the thousands of extracted reactors.
Every single one of the machines was glowing a brilliant green. While Kenzo stared dumbfounded, Shikishima seemed to understand exactly what was going on.
"Release the reactors completely!" the haggard scientist commanded; "Let the Getter Rays escape!" The other staff gasped in shock.
"I'm sorry, but have you lost your mind, Professor Shikishima?!" another crew member cried, appalled at the idea; "The energy would devastate the Earth as it did years ago!"
"Not this time," Professor Saotome's old colleague said frantically. "The Getter Rays are more than mere energy! They know that the holy child needs their help!"
Kenzo didn't need to think too hard about this – the data compiled by Dr. Heaven and his own studies over the past few years have all pointed to the apparent sentience of Getter Rays. What was more, he remembered how that energy was used to give the Ultimate Gundam its ability to self-evolve.
"Do as he says," the head scientist ordered.
"Sir?" the protesting crew member said.
"Do it!" Kouji's father barked. "Now! The lives of everyone in this city depend on it!" The crew nervously turned to follow that command – one by one, they used the lab's computers to completely open up the Getter reactors. As they expected, the energy quickly flowed out and up to the ceiling, causing the entire chamber to glow the same brilliant green...
Just before Studium could deliver the final blow to the Getter Dragon, Ventos stopped and gazed at the lab in bewilderment. The rest of the group also stopped and looked, awestruck. The entire building was glowing emerald green, almost as if it was engulfed in verdant flames.
Ventos grimaced as his machine was bathed in the energy of Getter, while the remaining Lamalices shrieked in agony.
"The Science Fortress Lab is glowing!" Kouji gasped. "Glowing with Getter Rays!" The energy somehow invigorated him and his machine, allowing it to stand up. It also let out a series of low rumbling sounds as if speaking to him.
"You want to send Photon Power to Getter Dragon, huh?" the Mazinger pilot grunted. "Okay, let's do it!" Mazinger's reactor began to go into overdrive.
"MAZIIIIIN...POWEEEEEEER!"
Six lights flashed on Mazinger's chest, causing it to transform into the shape it had used against Hell King Goldon two years ago. Its eyes began to glow golden-yellow as Photon Power seethed within it.
"Go, Kei, Gai! I'm gonna lend you some of Mazinger's power!" Kouji cried. Mazinger fired a small Photon Beam that struck Getter Dragon, causing it to glow gold with the energy. As that were some sort of signal, the Getter Rays that had engulfed the Science Fortess Lab started to stream out of the facility like a river...and straight into the Getter Dragon.
"A ton of Getter Rays...are entering our reactor!" Gai exclaimed. "It's all the energy that was in Shin Dragon!" As the energy continued to flow into the red mech, it soon gave off the same green aura as the Science Fortress Lab had earlier.
"What's going on?" Kei said as everything in her sight seemed to be swallowed up in the green fire. Ventos, however, knew exactly what was going on.
"I must destroy it now," he grunted. "I mustn't allow it to finish evolving!"
"Not happening!" Kouji cried as Mazinger Z fired a Reinforced Rocket Punch. The fist struck Ventos' machine, knocking it off balance and preventing it from firing the beam. This also allowed the Getter robot to finish evolving, allowing it to force Studium off it.
When the green light faded, the Getter Dragon had changed into something new – its upper body resembled Shin Dragon's main body, except it had legs resembling Shin Getter 1's. Meanwhile, its arm blades, now four in number per limb, had grown longer and crooked, and it had long protrusions sticking from its shoulders.
As Go, Kei and Gai looked at their controls – which resembled a cross between the old Getter Dragons and the chairs used in Shin Dragon, they heard a familiar voice in their heads.
This, holy children, the voice said, is the next stage of Getter's evolution.
"Dad!" Kei exclaimed, recognizing the voice of Professor Saotome. "But how?!"
When my body was destroyed by Shin Getter's Stoner Sunshine, he explained, my consciousness was scattered amid the countless Getter reactors that powered Shin Dragon. But thanks to Photon Power and the union of this energy, I can speak to you once more.
"What's going on, old man?!" Gai said. "Did Getter Dragon really evolve?"
Know this, holy children, the scientist said; As powerful as Shin Dragon was, it was not a true Getter Robo. The reactors were linked, but the energy within was still housed separately! Only when all of the energy is drawn from a single reactor can it be used to the fullest...only then can something be a true combination!
"A 'true combination'?" Go muttered.
True combination, Saotome said, is the absolute melding of disparate parts to create something greater than the sum of those parts! The Getter Rays, in response to the threat posed by the enemies before you, have combined with the miraculous Photon Power and given birth to a true combination...a TRUE successor to my Shin Getter Robo...
The new Getter's body blazed with a gold and green aura, a union of Getter Rays and Photon Power.
...SHIN...GETTER...DRAGON!
"Shin...Getter...Dragon," Kei muttered.
My dear daughter Genki...no, Kei, Saotome's voice said; As long as you have Shin Getter Dragon, I shall watch over you.
"Dad..." his daughter whimpered happily before resuming her usual confident, hot-blooded manner. "Let's go, Shin Getter Dragon!" The newborn Getter let out an infra-bass roar as a wave of Getter Rays and Photon Power washed over the area. It then rushed at Studium and slugged it in the chin, sending it flying.
As it flew, a pair of handles sprouted from Shin Getter Dragon's shoulders, and it pulled out a pair of large tomahawks.
"TOMAHAWK...BOOOOOMERANG!" Go cried as the machine lobbed the two axes at their foe, cutting deep gouges in its chest. Ventos righted his machine and formed two extremely long beam blades, flailed them around a bit, then charged forward again.
"We'd better split up," Gai said. But when he pulled the familiar lever that split the machine up, he found that it was not working. Kei did the same, and also found hers did not work either.
"We can't Open Get?!" she cried.
"There is no need," Go said calmly. "Dragon, Liger, Poseidon...they have truly combined, just as Professor Saotome said. All of their abilities are available to Shin Getter Dragon at the same time. Pulling the lever merely switches who has control."Kei uneasily glanced over at her controls, and spotted the lever that activated Getter Liger's drill arm. Figuring she had nothing else to lose, she pulled it.
The machine responded by retracting its hands, and sprouting a drill arm on its right hand, and a chain arm on the other. The cape on Shin Getter Dragon's back also morphed into a pair of huge rocket engines.
"Awesome," she said. "Okay then, leave this to me!" With that, the rocket engines blazed to life and made the Getter shoot away from Studium's attack with incredible speed. It then darted around rapidly, striking Ventos' machine with its drill arm with each pass.
"Look at it go!" Gimmy exclaimed as the red mech suddenly stopped and fired off its chain arm. "That thing's really an improved Getter Robo!" The spike at the end of the arm pierced through one of Studium's wings and sending it crashing to the ground.
Ventos grimaced and made his machine point at Shin Getter Dragon. The two Lamalice Canas responded by turning into masses of purple mist, and flowing toward the red mech from either side. Once they had gotten into range, they sent out tentacles at the red mech, impaling it with them. They let out awful moans and started to drain energy from the new Getter.
"Trying to suck us up, eh?" Gai said. "Well, you're not winning a strength contest against us...not with the power of Poseidon on our side!" Gai pulled his lever to assume control of Shin Getter Dragon. Its original hands and cape returned, thought the hands were quickly replaced by Getter Poseidon heads. Meanwhile, the arm blades on Shin Getter Dragon's forearms suddenly shifted positions to form fan blades of sorts.
"I'll blow you away!" the mechanic bellowed as he pointed each arm; "GETTER CYCLONE!" The fan blades began to spin as great blasts of air blew out, catching the Lamalices and send them spiraling. It then moved its hands together, pulling the two eldritch abominations along with it.
"FINGER NET!" Gai then cried as Shin Getter Dragon retracted the Poseidon heads and shot out a pair of thick black cables. It then quickly whirled them about, wrapping the stunned Lamalices in a net.
"Gai, throw it out of the city," Go said. His fellow Getter pilot nodded and pulled the trapped eldritch horrors away from the city. Once he felt they were safely out of range, Shin Getter Dragon began to spin around and around.
"AS PASSED DOWN FROM MY MASTER," Gai then roared as the red mech started to slam the Lamalices to the ground almost sixty miles from Sodom; "...DAISETSUZAN OROSHI!" The impact smashed the creatures into the dirt, creating a deep crater.
"It's still not enough!" Kei exclaimed as she saw them squirm and wriggle in the crater.
"We'll blow them away with this next attack," Go said. "That's why we had to get them out of the city." Kei and Gai nodded, somehow sensing what attack they were about to use next. Shin Getter Dragon started to rise up again.
"Kei, Gai, push the pedal by your right foot on my mark," Michiru's clone said as he placed his foot on a pedal. The two young Getter pilots did the same. They then pressed down on it, and the red Getter spread out its arms as Getter Rays and Photon Power blazed around its body.
"GETTER...SHIIIIIIIIIIINE!" Go cried as the machine converted the twin energies into a sphere of pure white energy around it. Then, he let out a familiar cry:
"SHINE..."
The next word was bellowed by all three Getter pilots at once...
"SPAAAAAAAARK!"
Shin Getter Dragon rocketed forward for several miles, then suddenly hit the brakes – but the energy sphere kept going and struck the two crippled Lamalices dead on, causing a titanic explosion to engulf them and everything in a fifty mile radius, deepening the crater further. But even as the echoes of the explosion died down, the Photon Power and Getter Rays in the air somehow awakened another special system within both Ganador and Strega - and that, in turn, awakened memories within their pilots.
"That did the trick!" Sayaka cheered. "In your face, freaks!"
Ventos, meanwhile, grimaced as he realized he was now in trouble. With one of his wings damaged, Studium could not fly like the wind – and if it couldn't do that, it was little better than scrap metal. But as Shin Getter Dragon turned its attention to his mech, something he didn't expect happened...
Strega got in its way.
"Stop!" Rim cried. "Don't hurt him anymore!"
So, you remembered more too, Joshua thought. If he's here, then his master must be too...
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Kei yelled. "Why are you defending this guy?!" Sensing an opportunity, Studium suddenly activated one of its beam blades and lashed out at Rim, only for the yellow mech to whirl around and catch the blade with one of its hands, which was covered in disruptive electricity.
"Ventos," she cried, "it's me, Rim! Why are you with the Ruina again?!" She then tried to project her will toward the Studium's pilot, causing Ventos to grunt as memories stirred within his own mind.
"The Sympathia..." Ventos muttered as he tried to shake off these reawakening memories. "It's...I must..."
Retreat, my Melior Esse, Perfectio's voice echoed in his head; You have accomplished your mission. No need to risk yourself any further. Without another word to either his master or his foes, Ventos and Studium suddenly warped away, finally bringing the battle to an end...
Nunnally sighed with disappointment as she checked her latest text message – it was just Toji Suzuhara asking about the latest homework assignment. As much as the princess secretly liked having some distance between her and her brother, she couldn't help but be deeply concerned about Lelouch's welfare. The brother who had challenged her father's empire to change the world...the last time she had seen him, he had been reduced to a whimpering, infantile shadow of his former self.
And it had been almost two months without any news from C.C. - the immortal witch would occasionally send Nunnally text messages with pictures of her travels with Lelouch, and of any clues about a way to bring Lelouch back. But now the two seemed to have completely dropped off the map.
She wanted news – any news at all!
Suddenly, the princess heard her doorbell ring. As she got up from the table to see who it was, Sayako somehow managed to get to the door from the kitchen in the time it took the princess to stand up. The maid opened it, and saw a dark-haired woman with dark sunglasses and a dark purple outfit standing there.
"Is this where Nunnally Lamperouge lives?" the woman asked. "I'm with Britannia's OSI."
"May I see your identification?" Sayako replied. The woman pulled a photo ID card out of her pocket and presented it to the maid, who then took it and held it up to the light, in search of certain identifying markers that could only be seen when held under lamps. She found such markers and returned the card to its owner.
"This is indeed Nunnally Lamperouge's residence," the maid then said. "What can she do for you?"
"I have a message for Miss Lamperouge from a certain someone," the OSI agent said, presenting the maid with a white envelope. "I was not briefed on its contents, but I do know it's for her eyes only."
Nunnally gasped as Sayako bowed and closed the door – it had to be a message from C.C.! As her maid returned to the table, the princess snatched the envelope and tore it open – it was indeed a letter - a handwritten one, no less...
Nunnally:
I'll cut straight to the chase – I've found out why Lelouch is acting the way he is. And more importantly, I've also found a way to bring him back!
Apparently the majority of Lelouch's soul is lost somewhere in Eden Vital, and only a tiny fragment remains with him – enough to keep him alive, but that's all. In order to access Eden Vital again and find the rest of his soul, I need a working Thought Elevator.
Amazingly, there's actually one in the Kingdom of Zilkhstan! This Elevator, known as the Aramu Gate, apparently went unused in Charles and Seele's Human Instrumentality Project. But in order to use it, I need not one, but TWO working Codes. Since my clone Nemo sleeps inside you, you can help me open it. If you want to bring Lelouch back as much as Shirley and I do, then please come to Zilkhstan as soon as possible.
Your friend,
C.C.
P.S. I apologize for contacting you in this manner, but I lost my cell phone. This was the only other way I could do it without attracting unwanted attention.
Nunnally put down the letter and looked at Sayako.
"Sayako, please tell my teachers that I'll be out of the country for a while," she ordered. "You can say I was called to the Principality by Her Majesty."
"My lady, you're not thinking of going by yourself, are you?" Sayako said, understandably concerned for her mistress' safety. "I cannot help but feel that this is some sort of trap."
"Even if it is," the princess replied bravely, "it must also mean Lelouch and C.C. are really in danger! I can't stand sitting around doing nothing like I used to, and Euphie is too busy trying to govern in the homeland. Besides, I still have the Code Geass inside me."
"Then at least let me go with you," her maid said. But Nunnally shook her head.
"The answer is no, Sayako," she replied sternly. "This is something I have to do myself." The Japanese maid sighed, seeing that she could not make the princess see otherwise...
Miskatonic University's library was abuzz with activity now that classes were in session – though that buzzing was understandably little louder than a whisper. Not far away from this quiet activity, Henry Armitage was busy as always with his duties as head librarian, though he felt like an idiot as he sat scratching his head over the school's computer systems, even with all of the references his fellows had made for him and were posted around his office. On the left wall was a bulletin board with a large map of the Earth on it.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on his door.
"Come in!" Armitage said cheerfully, not turning from his work for a moment. But when he did turn, he saw Janus, Tara, Kurou and Al entering, and leered at them.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Armitage," Tara said respectfully, remembering her less-than-friendly first encounter with the old man. Kurou closed the door behind them.
"What do you want?" the old librarian snapped; "You should know I'm very busy."
"We need information from Miskatonic's copy of the Necronomicon," Janus said. "You're the only one who can safely access it." Armitage turned deathly pale for a second, but quickly regained his composure as he got up from his seat and approached Janus. Then, to the others' surprise, leaned forward a bit and sniffed the air near Janus.
"Do I smell that bad?" the pilot of Granlif Ceadei exclaimed before taking a quick whiff of his armpits. "I know I forgot to put on deodorant earlier, but..."
"I knew it!" Armitage said with a look of pure hatred in his eyes; "You're just like HIM!"
"Him?" Tara echoed.
"I know the scent of a hideous spawn of an Outer God when I smell it," the librarian snarled; "It's faint, coming from you, but this nose never lies!"
So, he knew after all, the Knight thought. But how could he tell just by Janus' scent?
"You've...met someone else like me?" Janus exclaimed. He vaguely understood that his father Yog-Sothoth had spread his seed over countless worlds, but that the Outer God had also done it here in Tara's own world was not something he had considered.
Could this world have had a version of Wilbur Whatley, Kurou thought, recalling his own experiences; Or even its own Master Therion?!
"We don't know who this other person was," Tara said angrily, getting between her beloved and the old librarian, "but I assure you, Janus is nothing like him as a person!"
"Our mission is not to destroy this world with the Necronomicon's knowledge," Al finally said, gently pushing Tara aside, "but to save it. The four of us are all too familiar with the Outer Gods...but we may not have all the knowledge we need."
Armitage was about to retort, but then looked into Al's eyes. His deeper instincts suddenly told him that this girl was something as equally unfathomable as the Outer Gods, but at the same time, had only benevolent intentions.
"What is your name, girl?" the librarian asked.
"Al Azif, sir," Al replied. "My father was...very eccentric." Armitage nodded grimly as he turned his back to the group.
"Know this, Al Azif and friends," he said. "The cause of the madness is almost certainly related to the return of the elder faiths."
"Elder faiths?" Janus asked. "You mean cults of the Outer Gods?" No one except Kurou noticed that Al had suddenly closed her eyes, seeming to focus on something.
"Indeed," Armitage said darkly. "And their resurgence is due to Euphemia's policy of religious tolerance. And that policy was only possible because DREAM placed her on the throne!" This statement angered Tara and Janus to no end.
"You're saying that DREAM is responsible for this?!" the Knight of Five shouted. "You're saying that the madness of the cult killings and terrorist attacks is DREAM's fault?!"
"The Church of Eden Vital did everything in its power to stamp out the corruption of the elder faiths," the librarian replied. "Now that the church's political influence is limited, and the Office of the Inquisition is no more, those murderous cults are once more free to bellow, prance and slay around idol-capped monoliths in lonely places!"
"You don't think we CARE?!" Janus roared, briefly generating a wave of overwhelming mental pressure and nearly breaking Al's concentration.
"Jan, take it easy," Tara said, her own anger dissipated by her beloved's outburst. But as Armitage gazed into Janus' eyes, he got a similar feeling that he did when he gazed into Al's.
"Tell me," Armitage said, "how far are you willing to go to oppose the elder faiths, child of the Outer Gods?"
"As far as I have to," Janus answered bravely. The old man then sighed as shook his head.
"Then I'm afraid I cannot help you," he replied, making everyone's jaws drop, except Al's.
"What?!" Janus exclaimed loudly. "Even after I said I'd..."
"I only said that I cannot help you," Armitage said with a knowing smirk. "But I know of people who can." He walked over to his desk, pulled out a small scrap of paper and wrote something down on it, then handed it to Tara. She looked at the old man's writing, and saw that they were geographical coordinates.
"If you would truly stand against this madness, then seek out the ones who live in the area centered at these coordinates," the librarian explained; "You will find them in a complex of old buildings there. When you arrive, tell the person at the gate that Brother Armitage sent you." With that, he returned to his desk. At this point, Al opened her eyes.
"Now, unless you have other business," he said, "I must ask you to leave." He then turned back to his computer.
"Of course," Al said. "Have a good day, Doctor Armitage." With that, the four opened the door and left the room.
As crews worked to rescue any people harmed or trapped in the battle between DREAM and the King of Ruin's forces, the heroic pilots who fought against the Lamalices and Studium sat around a small table in one of the rescue vehicles with four holographic images – Rossiu, the bio-computer Lordgenome, Kenzo Kabuto and Maou Dante.
"You once again have my gratitude, Governor," Dante said. "As do you four. If not for the arrival of Gurren Lagann and the two newcomers, even more damage might have been caused."
"It was Go, Kei and Gai who did most of the heavy lifting," Gimmy said humbly. "Sure, we beat some of the little mooks, but their Shin Getter Dragon was the real MVP here." Kei and Gai blushed with embarrassment.
"True," Rossiu said. "However, what is important is that Forte Gigas' pilots claim to have regained more of their memories...and they may be relevant to the enemy that has suddenly appeared."
"What did you remember?" Kouji asked. "We know that you kinda fell from the sky from who-knows-where, but that's really about it."
"Well," Rim said, "we remember that we fought alongside some DREAM members - other versions of them - in our original world. We don't remember exactly how it all happened, but we remember that it happened."
"We remembering fighting against groups like the Invaders and the Vega Empire," Joshua added. "But most significantly, we fought against the Ruina...Ventos, who we encountered, was one of their generals. That likely means that believe the 'King of Ruin' is the title for their leader."
"Were those creatures that appeared alongside Ventos members of the Ruina?" Kenzo asked.
"No," Joshua replied. "They used mobile weapons as well - I've never seen those creatures before."
"Lordgenome," Rossiu said, turning to the disembodied head of the Spiral King, "what do you think about this King of Ruin and those creatures?" The bio-computer closed its eyes as it searched through its vast data banks, then opened them again after several seconds.
"It seems I already have experience related to this entity," he said.
"You do?!" everyone else in the room exclaimed. Lordgenome cleared his no-longer-existing throat as he began to explain.
"Soon after I implanted Metatron's soul fragment into Janus Olendra," he began; "I received reports from my spies of isolated villages coming into contact with unknown entities that I can now conclude were beings from Outside – possibly Outer Gods or their servants."
"So it wasn't just Nyog'Sothep who tried to corrupt this world," Dante said grimly.
"This contact seemed to result in the formation of cults that worshiped such entities," Lordgenome continued; including one known as 'Perfectio, the King of Ruin'."
"Perfectio..." Rim muttered.
"Atik Yomin did not enlighten me as to their true nature," the bio-computer continued; "but they warned me that if these cults spread too far, the Anti-Spirals would deem humanity a threat to the universe and activate the Human Extermination System."
"So what did you do?" Kei asked.
"I ordered my Generals to completely wipe out any and all villages where cults worshiping such forces had taken root," Lordgenome answered; "No matter how much or little influence it exerted over their populace." This understandably appalled everyone present, though Rossiu didn't appear to show his disgust.
"Completely?!" Kouji exclaimed. "Even if there was only one person who..."
"What mattered was stopping the corruption before it could spread," Lordgenome said. "I do not deny the brutality of the act, but it was the only way I could think of to protect mankind and my fellow Spirals at the time."
"Yet people are worshiping the King of Ruin again," Rossiu said, "and it's obvious that those who serve it don't care about other people's lives. Therefore, anyone who knowingly and willingly works to further Perfectio's interests must be dealt with – even if it means killing them."
"But we won't really know who's working for him until they strike," Gai said. "And if we just go around arresting and killing people at random, we'll probably end up wronging innocent people!"
"Indeed," Dante said, "we'll be no different from the Demon Busters. But still, we have to do something, especially now that Perfectio's servants have Mazinger ZERO under their control." Joshua nodded in agreement. The assembled group was silent for a moment.
"Let's just focus on finding and defeating Perfectio himself," Rim suddenly suggested.
"Rim?" her brother said.
"If we don't find him and defeat him soon," she said grimly; "he WILL enter this world fully." This suddenly made Kouji gasp as he realized something.
"Just like Nyog'Sothep," Kouji exclaimed. "This Perfectio punk is probably gonna use Mazinger ZERO to let him completely into our world!"
"Who's Nyog'Sothep?" Joshua asked, unfamiliar with the name.
"An Outer God DREAM defeated two years ago," Go said.
"If Perfectio is also an Outer God," Lordgenome said grimly, "then this world - and possibly all worlds in this multiverse - likely face annihilation once more."
"Then how do you suggest we defeat Perfectio, Lordgenome?" Joshua asked, but it was Kei who answered him.
"Simple," she said with a grin, clenching her fist excitedly; "We get DREAM back together and smash that jerkass with our combined power!"
"So, what now?" Tara said as she, Janus, Cobray, Kurou and Al reconvened in the tea room, as was becoming a habit. "We have a lead, but we didn't get a look at Miskatonic's copy of the Necronomicon,"
"Don't worry, I was able to read it," Al said after taking a sip of her tea.
"You did?" the Knight exclaimed. "But how? We were only in there for a few minutes, and we don't even know where the vault containing the book is."
"I was able to find it with a simple locator spell," Al said proudly, ""And projected my spirit to it with an astral projection spell."
"Being able to violate the laws of nature sure must be convenient," Janus said.
"Magic is not supernatural," Al replied. "It simply requires an understanding of natural laws that 'conventional' science can't yet understand. Anyone can master magic if they take the time to study it. Just ask Kurou."
"Don't remind me," he groaned as he recalled a number of less-than-pleasant experiences from his early days of learning sorcery from Al.
"But I'll admit," the grimoire-girl continued, "anyone without magic would have had a hard time getting it, especially without being noticed. The vault door was eighteen inches thick and locked by three different biometrics - and anyone who forced it open would have been gunned down by a turret the moment they stepped inside."
"Okay," Janus said. "But how did you read it so fast?"
"As a grimoire spirit, Al is essentially an entity made of the information within the Necronomicon," Kurou answered. "With magic, she can 'download' written information from books into her mind without having to actually read it."
"Wow," Tara said. "So you just touch a book and copy the information?" Al nodded.
"Did you find anything related to Keisar Ephes?" Cobray asked. To the group's dismay, the grimoire-girl shook her head.
"Not much," she said. "His name appeared in a list of Outer Gods, but that was it. The copy also showed signs of being incomplete, which is unusual. In fact, this is the first time I've ever run into an incomplete Miskatonic copy!"
"Well, we know that Keisar Ephes is an Outer God," Janus said. "And that makes him a threat on the same level as Atik Yomin was."
"Janus," Tara gasped, "you're not suggesting..."
"I am," he replied. "We have to get the team back together...from both worlds."
That's right! We've got a route split coming up, which means an Interlude is up next! Here's a preview:
-The heroes of both the Celestial Calendar and the Universal Century quickly come to realize just how much of a threat Perfectio and Keisar Ephes pose! But the solution is obvious – unite once more under the banner of DREAM! However, Janus realizes that Granlif Ceadei may not be able to redeem itself in the Celestial Calendar people's eyes, and decides to return to his home reality to recruit his old friends! Can the two halves of DREAM come together once more? Find out next time in Expansion Scenario Interlude 1: Unite By Separating! DREAM's New Battle Begins!