.hack/EVA: Catharsis: Withering Enchantment
Disclaimer: In this universe in the quantum foam, I do not own or in any way shape or form hold a claim to the .hack series or Neon Genesis Evangelion.
" " denotes speech
'italics' denotes thought
'bold' denotes location names
'bold italics' denotes skill use
Undisclosed Location
The Wanderer strode on alone through the desert wastes, tattered grey cloak flapping behind him in the wind. With each step he took, feet sinking lightly into sand, the wind picked up speed and malice, howling as if beseeching him to stop where he stood and repent of his many sins. But he kept on, dual Deadly Fearblades in hand, bloodshot eyes glaring into the distance as if to dare the world itself to stand against him as he walked unto a field of blades.
Like an vengeful wraith seeking succor from the badlands, he would not be dissuaded from reaching his goal, even if in his wake was littered the corpses of the countless dead, devastation trailing him like hyenas having scented blood.
"The Dark Evangel rises," came whispers from the hazy distance, from huddled survivors of his dreaded wrath. "The Apostle of the Shadow stalks the world anon."
His mane of blue-silver hair steaming behind him like the tendrils of spirits past, a flock of rifts in the fabric of space-time following as if enslaved to the soulless rage within the Harbinger of The End. Twin swords unbound by sanity's shackles, wordlessly howling a song of battle and madness, the Dark Evangel pressed on towards his final resting place.
His will was the edge of his sword, uncaring steel his body, the fires of wrath his blood. A demon's taint urged him on in forging a sea of thorn infested shades, unknown to death, nor known to life. Withstanding the pain of loss and utter desolation, he called to his side a thousand weapons, with hands cursed to never hold anything.
His only prayer, destruction, his only wish, revenge, he walked beneath the crimson sky, searching out his hated foe.
A mocking laugh as before his eyes emerged a shadowed form, who only laughed to see the wanderer.
"Fiery the angels fell," intoned the mocking foe. "Plagues creep on the burning winds, when pitying messengers lust for tears, and fan themselves with sighs. Deep thunder rolls through cityscapes burning with the fires of needless war. Falling into deep sublime, as wave of shadow strikes the shore, fragrant spirits frozen in an empty shell."
"You," snarled the Dark Evangel, baring his teeth and leaping high to cleave in twain his foe with blades summoned forth by ancient rage—
—as a shaken Child wakened from his dream.
NERV Medical
In the cold metallic room in which the body of the First Child rested, the Third Child stirred, waking to the soothing strains of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." Still groggy and wondering just what had brought on the vagaries of his half-remembered dream, the brown-haired boy blinked the weariness from his eyes, swiveling his head towards the source of the unexpected sound.
To his surprise, there was someone else present by Rei Ayanami's bedside, someone peering down at her sleeping face as if drinking in the details for future reference. It was a young boy about his age, albeit one whose features near mirrored the blue-haired girl's, sharing the same alabaster pale skin, piercing crimson eyes, and oddly-colored hair. Indeed, this stranger was possessed of the tousled grey hair he had only seen once before: on a little boy within The World, the personification of rumors.
"Eh?" was the Third Child's overly intelligent reply as he regarded the newcomer quizzically.
"A song is good, is it not?" the other asked. "A song can bring us joy, and thus is it not the highest form of culture that Lilims have created, Shinji Ikari?"
Shinji was momentarily taken aback, wondering just how it was that so many people knew his name without having met him in the past. Ever since he'd come to NERV it was if he was some underground celebrity, sans the exorbitant sums of money and publicity that would traditionally come with that role.
'I don't really want more attention that I don't deserve,' he mused, 'but maybe I should ask Misato about the pay, since I am risking my life…'
"You know my name?" the brown-haired boy asked half-suspiciously. Was there a file on him being passed around? If so, he understood how Kaji would have known, since Shinji had to admit that piloting Eva in combat without training and achieving the highest kill count of Angels might inspire some military fandom.
"Everyone knows your name," the other replied with a distant expression. "You should be better aware of your position!"
"Is that so?" the Third Child rebutted, a hint of skepticism lacing his tone. "Well, who are you? And what are you doing in NERV Medical?"
The other straightened, his gaze coming to regard the brown-haired boy fully for the first time, emitting a soft "hmph" as he did so. Oddly enough, it seemed that the stranger was wearing the long-sleeved shirt and black slacks that were the uniform of the school he attended, a sight which set off warning bells in his mind when coupled with his presence here.
"I am called Kaworu," voiced the mysterious silver-haired boy. "Kaworu Nagisa, the shore on which the wave may come to rest at last. I am the Fourth Child."
"Fourth Child?" Shinji repeated in shock. "You? But…aren't there only three Evas?"
"This is true, but consider the First, she who is the same as me," Kaworu murmured, turning once again to regard the comatose form of Rei Ayanami, reaching out to stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Her path flagged with grey-browed snows, she descends weeping into dismal howling woe, clothed in tears & trembling in shuddering cold…she will not soon awaken."
Shinji felt a sudden pang of anger mixed with jealousy, his emotional hedgehog spikes bristling as he saw how intimately the Fourth Child was touching the First, almost as if they were lovers.
"Don't talk about her like that," he snapped frostily, "she'll wake up soon, I'm sure of it. And I know she won't like you touching her like that, Nagisa!"
"Oh? How foolish…the destination of people is eternal separation," Kaworu sighed, almost as if reciting lines given to him, all the while leaning closer to Shinji, "like the shadowed ones who quest for the Twilight Dragon to save their land, knowing they are never to return. So is the First like Plaird of the Seven Sisters, falling in love with a human and gaining a shadow, even when living is painful, with the shadowed heart fragile like glass. Her hope is but a thread of sadness, for do you not love another, Ikari-kun?"
The Third Child paled, blood draining from his face as he finally understood how strange the Fourth truly was, and how he knew altogether too much. That he was an Eva pilot, he could accept, his name, he could accept, but…
"…Just who are you, Nagisa-san?" he whispered, looking away into the corner, eyes blazing in the darkness. "Why do you quote from the Epitaph of Twilight? Why are you trying to get close to me?"
"Because I might have been born to meet you," replied Kaworu of the Shore, "Anyway, call me 'Kaoru', Ikari-kun."
"…"
Shinji did not reply, and when he finally looked back at where the silver-haired boy had been, he was gone.
'What? But I didn't hear him move, and the door didn't open…though if I had to hear any more, my hair might have turned white out of shock!'
Glancing around the room to see if the Fourth was hiding, waiting to jump out at him from the shadows, his eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary—nothing, that was, save for the vase of thornless blue roses resting on the table, the one spot of color in an otherwise drab room. It suited the gentle Ayanami, as blue roses meant mystery, the impossible…and as much as he didn't want to admit it, the hope for unattainable love.
'I should be grateful to Reimeiki-chan…since she helped me dye the roses this color…'
Sighing, he said his goodbyes to the blue-haired girl, promising to visit on the morrow. And without another word, he left.
It was funny how he didn't notice that one of the roses had withered away…
Asuka Langley Soryu's Residence, NERV HQ
When one stepped back and thought about the situation, it was only natural that the great Asuka Langley Soryu had been chosen as an EVA pilot. After all, she met all the requirements: a mother whose soul had been captured by the machine, an iconic catchphrase ("Anta Baka?"), and of course a layer of emotional armor around her heart that both protected her and restrained her. And like an Eva, it was difficult for just anyone to synchronize with her, as she had the strange tendency to go berserk with merely minor provocations.
'I'm strong…I don't need anyone else' was her refrain much as the Third Child's was 'I mustn't run away.'
So then why couldn't she get the Third Child's face out of her mind? Why hadn't she pummeled the him into submission after he dared to steal her first kiss?
"B-Baka!" she raged, slamming a fist into the wall of her living quarters. 'I mean, he isn't as dull as I thought he'd be, but—NO, I can't think like that. I don't need anyone, much less some housebroken male.'
To stand out, to surpass anyone who stood in her way, that was her goal. To be the best Eva pilot, revered as the savior of The World, whose light shines more brightly than any other. Yes, to be a lightbringer, filled with pride and talent that would dazzle even the distant Commander of NERV. Since the First was now in a comatose state (which the Second Child was unduly happy about, even going so far as to say that the doll got what she deserved at last) and the Third was more morose than usual about it, obviously the half-German would be the only competent pilot remaining, right?
'At least, I'll be better than that verdammen playboy baka hentai!' she thought vehemently, glaring at the direction of NERV Medical, where undoubtedly the Third was taking advantage of the First's doll-like nature to do perverted things with her body. 'And instead of stopping in shame when I call him on it, he has the gall to defile my lips. And doesn't he already have a girlfriend…I really won't forgive him this time…does he really like dolls that much?'
Said girlfriend (and one of Asuka's only friends in Tokyo-3) was Reimeiki Hakubo, the silver-haired girl of class 2-A, had once jokingly described the strange relationship between the Second and Third Children as the mating dance of hedgehogs. Every time the redhead looked at her friend, she was reminded of how her mother had turned her affections to a doll, just referring to her as that girl, even when her mother committed suicide.
'That day I promised myself no more tears, that I would swallow up emotion and use it to grow stronger…in this world or in others. That's why I'm a Chaotic PK, to show those worthless perverts and dolls in The World how useless it is to depend on others, because to trust someone only means they'll end up hurting you. Better to taste a bit of pain at the edge of my blade than to have someone you care about stab you in the back and replace you.'
Replacements. Just as she thought, the First had been replaced with another unnatural being, a porcelain doll Wondergirl traded in for the male version. Did the Commander have a fetish for dolls, being the dirty old man that he was? Asuka would not have been surprised if it were so, since the much-hated blunette had obviously been the old man's favorite. Sometimes it seemed that the whole world liked pliant dolls more than people who actually stood up for themselves.
As for the great Asuka Langley Soryu, the only 'doll-like' person she tolerated even a little was the silver-haired Reimeiki, and that was because she was the only other German she knew of in the city. It was nice sometimes to be able to speak in the mother tongue when she didn't want that nosy, dictatorial Class Representative listening in on her conversations.
'That Hikari Horaki really isn't normal…who does she think she is, opposing an Evangelion Pilot? She reminds me way too much of that Tomoyami shadow bitch who always interferes with me in The World…heh…'
Ever since the pigtailed girl had stood up to her, defending that hormone driven monkey boy on the deck of the supercarrier Over the Rainbow, Asuka had found herself unable to put aside her hostility in her dealings with the class rep. So for now the two found themselves in a Cold War situation, always playing at a game of brinkmanship as they came closer and closer to provoking the other to some overt act of aggression.
If Reimeiki hadn't kept them apart…
'Heh…that Idiot Duo would have found a way to film the fight and sell the tape for money…'
Shaking her head in derision, the redhead found that she needed a way to vent her frustration. She could go visit the doll again and hurl insults at her unresponsive form, but that wouldn't be any fun. So instead, she decided to extend her reign of terror, walking over to her desk and logging into The World.
'Is that the smell of ozone in the background?'
Δ Server Eternal City Mac Anu
When the Edge Punisher Eris materialized once again in Mac Anu, she felt revitalized, as if this was her true seat of power. Hated she might be, feared she might be, but always respected, especially since to see her in a field was to know certain death—or so at least the rumors said. The "Bringer of Strife" indeed, she had technically met no equal in combat since the time of her ascendancy.
And while she still had minor misgivings concerning the strange black and silver Macabre Dancer called Siarl of the Seven Eyes, she was fairly confident that after having mastered the power of the shadow, he would be no match for her. If even that strange androgynous blunette Endrance, who supposedly wielded one of the eight avatars of The World's divine power, had fallen to her might, then was she not invincible?
With a mirthless chuckle, she moved to unsheathe her beloved Heine's Shadow, thinking to mow down all those hapless newbies clustered outside the Chaos Gate arrival area, only to remember too late that the Root Towns were places weapons could not be drawn.
'Heh…well if I can't kill them, I'll scare them half to death with my new body…'
After absorbing the powers of the AIDA seed, her character's form had changed dramatically. Granted, half of her was still the voluptuous leather-clad double of her real-world form, but her other half was demonic, shot through with crimson and noir, the shadows themselves casting a strange aura around her, so that she resembled a vengeful wraith of darkness.
Her senses seemed heightened, as players of all levels, all classes, glanced quickly at and away from her, as if afraid of incurring her wrath.
"…It's her," came a whisper from the shadows. "The Bringer of Strife"
"She looks like a demon," another voice hissed. "...what happened to her…just looking at her is giving me the creeps."
Ignoring them, she narrowed her eyes as a figure threading his way through the milling crowds caught her attention. 'Twas an unshaven Steam Gunner with fair skin and black hair bound up in a ponytail, wearing orange sunglasses, a blood red tunic, black trousers, and a flowing black overcoat, who looked very much like
'Kaji?' she thought in surprise. 'But why would he play The World? That gunner's name is Gendor…maybe it is him…'
But before she could act, the other player was already gone, and in his place, the sea of murmurs intensified, amplified by the doppleshift of characters passing by.
"They say Taihaku hasn't returned to The World since he lost against Eris in the Holy Palace Tournament."
'Heh, that overdressed nobleman? Serves him—'
"They say he's in a coma, just like that weird player Endrance…and anyone else who gets PKed by her,"one said worriedly. "What if she comes after one of us?"
"It's just a rumor…there's no way someone could fall into a coma from being PKed, unless they were just too ashamed to face the world again," another voice quipped, causing a round of chuckles.
"But…the Unreturners—Doll Syndrome—"
"Besides," continued that first voice, "hasn't she sworn to slay the Dark Evangel, that enigmatic PKK and Arena fighter?"
"Yeah, well, good luck with that—you remember what happened when that mob of 50 PKs ambushed him, right?" laughed an annoyingly familiar voice—one belonging to the Tribal Grappler Aruna. "He took down every single one of them, without retreating a single step. After losing his partner Skadi, he's defeated everyone who comes at him, with a mysterious power protecting him."
'Power? The "Dark Evangel", eh?' Eris thoughts, her lips widening to a Cheshire grin. 'Well then—I'll just have to show him how weak he really is when next we meet.'
Making a quick about-face turn, the mighty Bringer of Strife walked back to Chaos Gate, and warped away to parts unknown.
Coin Laundry, Tokyo-3
In the fortress city of mankind against an apocalyptic threat, one might not expect to hear the sound of children laughing, innocents idling away their weekends unaware of danger lurking round the corner. Nevertheless, in any city there are families, and where there are families, there is youth making merry, whiling away the short moments before the onslaught of unending ceaseless toil, or worse, before oblivion itself came to snatch away the coil of their mortal lives.
Along with youth came age, and with age the tedium of work and household chores. Unsurprisingly, the defenders of man did not have too much free time in which to ignore the rule of cleanliness, so it wasn't too large a surprise that several NERV personnel were gathered in a local coin laundry. Today, the crowd consisted of Ryoji Kaji, NERV's resident Special Investigator (and would be ladies man), and two of the bridge bunnies: Makoto Hyuga (lover of manga, formerly a hacker known by the codename Bith the Black), and Maya Ibuki.
"Cleaning doesn't come cheap..." mumbled the glasses wearing Makoto, munching on a hamburger and reading some manga series about teenagers piloting giant mecha against an elder alien race determined to exterminate humanity.
"Speak for yourself," Maya chimed in. "I'd at least like some time to do some washing myself, don't you think?"
Feeling a somewhat unwelcome presence, she turned her head to see that the unsavory Kaji had sidled up next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"So little time off indeed…not enough to spend with beautiful women like yourself," murmured the unshaven spy. "NERV is such a strict organization, isn't it?"
"Because Commander Ikari is like he is," Maya harrumphed, pulling away from the would-be Casanova. 'And between my work at NERV and my other life, I barely have any time for more routine things…it's a bother sometimes.'
"And what about you?" Kaji pressed, leaning close so as to nibble at her ear. "What are you like outside the office?"
"Is this…really OK, Kaji?" the mousy brunette asked hesitantly. "I'll have to tell Katsuragi-san and Sempai about this."
"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head," the spy urged smoothly, "Before you talk, I'll cover your mouth—"
A violent shove sent him away as the petite bridge tech blushed.
"No! At least…not here," she whispered, looking down and seemingly embarrassed. "How is your work going?"
"Oh, well, normally," the Special Investigator replied, intrigued by how Ibuki was playing hard to get. "Just some of this and that each day, completing the errands I'm sent on."
"Heh…I had a job like that once," the glasses-wearing Makoto broke in, looking up from his hamburger and blinking at the awkward situation the other two were in. "But that just something a few years back before I joined NERV."
Two things excited Ryoji Kaji: women, and information that might get him closer to the truth. This sounded suspiciously like the latter.
"Ah, let me guess, you carried out orders under an alias like Ichiro Sato or something?" the unshaven man asked flippantly (Ichiro Sato being the Japanese equivalent of John Smith or some other obvious pseudonym).
"Perhaps," was Makoto's reply, as the otaku put down his manga and checked the timer on his laundry. "But of what use would knowing a name be anyway? Names are just a combination of symbols used to distinguish oneself."
'Ah, so you're still much the same, even if you've picked up a new hobby,' thought Maya with a faint smile. 'I may have a use for you later on, I suppose.'
"Someone told me something similar recently," NERV's triple-agent recalled, "a certain player of The World, actually."
'And she recruited me to work for her in exchange for a key to the truth that I seek…I do wonder how Helba knows of me,' the spy kept to himself.
"You mean the MMORPG?" Maya asked, seemingly surprised. "Somehow, I doubt this is an order from Commander Ikari."
"Heh…that's right, a man has to have some hobbies, right?" Kaji asked with a grin, now on the trail of an apparent weakness in her emotional armor. "Care to show me how to improve my skills in the other world?"
"Oh? And what player might that be?" Makoto asked, taking another bite of his burger. "And although I can't say anything about your private life, Inspector, please don't seduce young girls in this situation."
"You've probably both heard of her, since she's as well known in her field as the Third Child is in his," quipped the now-amused spy. "Does the name Helba mean anything to you?"
Makoto only raised an eyebrow in reply.
"They say that she is the greatest hacker in the world, yes," Maya answered. "That she was somehow involved with the events of the Second Network Crisis. Why, do you know something about her?"
"Oh, I could tell you," the spy countered in a deadpan that left the others wondering if he was serious, "but then, I'd have to kill you."
The three chuckled at what had not really been a joke, though they'd chosen to think of it as such, and fell silent once again.
But nature abhors a vacuum, so after a while, another broke the awkward silence.
"Someone like that would have incredible power in Tokyo-3, since the MAGI are the ones who run the city," Makoto said to no one in particular. "Since this is an era where technology is all-pervasive."
Δ Hidden Forbidden Bulwark, Morrigu Barrow Wall
In the backstory of The World, humanity had destroyed the gods by capturing the goddess Aurora and channeling her power into a Crest Gun used to attack heavens, the resulting blast annihilating the divinities in one strike. Only one remained, the god of judgment Folset, who stood watch not in heaven but on Earth, guarding the Morrigu Barrow Wall, the fortress protecting the grave of the gods. And once, it rumored that humanity had used the One Sin in an attempt to breach the barrier and enter the gates of heaven, only to find their trial a resounding failure.
But no one sought to break through today, with the Tribal Grappler Lycoris and Adept Rogue Skari in the field having been transported there by a haze of crimson light. It was no surprise that they were disoriented, as they had originally been dispatched to investigate a data anomaly in Wailing Capital Wald Uberlisterin, located at Θ Hidden Forbidden Hades. There,they had discovered a strange three-edged marking forcibly carved into the granite earth, which upon Lycoris touching it, had pulsed with life, forcibly warping them to another field.
"Strange…so that is the AIDA's method of transportation within The World?" inquired Skari, the Dark Evangel, who despite his strength was not quite up to par with his companion in understanding the complexities of the Shadow.
"So it would seem," murmured the silver-haired Child of Twilight, golden eyes taking in the situation. "Such markings have been found in Lost Grounds and various areas in The World R:2, though I suspect they are the work of an AIDA-PC."
"An AIDA-PC…a player infected by AIDA?" the Adept Rogue repeated, "How would one recognize one?"
"Just so," Lycoris replied, tilting her head thoughtfully. "It is said that AIDA corruption can be expressed in two ways…either by the appearance of black spots or by a character's appearance becoming corrupted by veins of black and red."
"I see," Skari acknowledged, tensing as he caught sight of a figure in the distance, a silver and black-clad Macabre Dancer playing with liquid shadows as he spoke. "Is…that…an AIDA-PC?"
"…Yes, we should approach cautiously, as his capabilities are unknown," his companion replied, glancing at the Adept Rogue and back to the distant figure, whose voice carried to them on the wind.
The duo moved silently ever closer, coming into range of the speaker.
"…an escape, or but another prison, is The World?" the Macabre Dancer mused out loud, liquid darkness dancing around him as if a veil to another place. "Like the light of the soul, the great Wall rings about The World, but what is truly trapped, that without or that within? Hedgehogs all within their dance, imprisoned within physicality. But perhaps I dwell on this too long, for another pair approaches ere the twilight of the gulls."
While still too far away for any expression to be made out, the black and silver figure looked up and warped away. And in his wake—
A in the Fifth Octave, A above middle C.
—emerged two strange bioluminescent lifeforms like a complex protozoan, a pale blue-green creature with glowing orbs within leaking darkness from its core— the AIDA(Gatekeeper) and AIDA(Anna)
With a determined expression, Lycoris quickly interposed herself between the AIDA and her companion Skari, staring down the primal shadow born of error, as the space around them distorted, changed, all replaced by an endless twilight sea: Avatar Space.
All three now floated in the vast expanse, one Skari was only now seeing for the first time.
"What is-?" he began, but Lycoris cut him off.
"There's no time, we'll talk later. Skari, normal attacks are ineffective against these creatures. Summon your Guardian," she ordered, launching herself towards the larger of the rogue data lifeforms and crying out an attack skill. 'Ineffective, that is, unless one has a strange power within.' "Loving Boomerang Hook!"
In self-defense, the AIDA(Gatekeeper) shot out Kobold Bullets, hurling forth orbs of plasma at the silver-haired girl in the fluttering red dress. And while she concentrated on one, the disengaged AIDA(Anna) launched a flurry of Kobold Bullets of its own.
"Lyco!" Skari called out in warning, moving to act before freezing at how his companion simply batted away the projectiles with her naked fists. 'She really was holding back before…but even she can't take two on one odds, not against AIDA—ok, I'll summon the Guardian.'
The sounds of battle raged on, with the dual AIDA using the Algol Mazer and Algol Laser skills in an attempt at point defense, firing a barrage of laser beams that were all nimbly dodged by the Child of Twilight. As was shown here, there were definite advantages to possessing a small frame.
The sister of the Goddess hurtled towards the protozoan with glowing fists outstretched, her ramming attacking blowing AIDA(Gatekeeper) backwards before it could react. But it seemed that this foe would not be as easily defeated as a lesser AIDA, as it countered with a hail of Kolbold Bullets, one of which caught her off guard and knocking her away, with the AIDA(Anna) in pursuit.
Not that Skari was going to simply float in Avatar Space while his girlfriend did all the fighting for him. No, that would be running away, and he couldn't do that, for the silver-haired girl was counting on him. So, while Lycoris and the Gatekeeper were locked in combat, the Adept Rogue closed his eyes and focused, clenching his fist as he mumbled under his breath.
"Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain," he chanted, picturing the guardian in his mind. "Waiting for one's arrival…come!"
The warbling cry of whalesong signaled his success, as before him appeared the golden dumbbell monster that Morganna had gifted to him, its gelatinous surface ripping with the sound of its call.
"Go forth, protect Lycoris!" he ordered, willing it against the AIDA(Anna) with his mind.
As if sensing danger from another front, the AIDA(Anna) took evasive action, dashing through the twilight sea hither and thither, bobbing and weaving with Twilight Guardian moving to quickly intercept, tendrils of golden ectoplasm shooting from its molten balls to strike the cornered AIDA. And AIDA(Gatekeeper), without the benefit of numbers, found itself at a disadvantage, the silver-haired girl closing in and delivering another powerful Loving Boomerang Hook.
But evasion was not the only way to clear an enemy from one's path, as the Anna unleashed another Algol Laser at point blank range, taking the gelatinous dumbbell unawares, as it screamed in apparent agony. Quickly, to take advantage of the seconds it had bought, the oversized protozoan fired off a Kobold Bullet storm before slamming its foe with two overhead blows from its protruding tentacles. Locked on now and unavoidable, they crashed into the dumbbell from all angles, sending it reeling.
Seeing the Guardian in a bad situation, Skari thought quickly, drawing his Gun Bead and taking aim at the AIDA(Anna). Perhaps he could not hurt it, but he could at least draw its attention.
Crack! Crack! Crack!he fired, launching a volley of bullets of his own, causing the smaller of the two AIDA to turn and rush recklessly at him.
"Now!" he called, "Intercept and attack!"
Perceiving that its master was in danger, the Twilight Guardian tackled the AIDA(Anna) out of the way, launching innumerable tentacles from its form to tear into the protozoan and immobilize it.
'How to finish it…yes…that's right'
"DATA DRAIN!" two voices cried in unison.
A thin tendril shot out from the bracelet of the Guardian, piercing the main body of the AIDA(Anna), as a hail of 1s and 0s surrounded it, form and content draining away, leaving only a data seed.
The girl in red stretched out her right hand, as the AIDA(Gatekeeper) turned to flee, but could not evade the sight of the giant eye forming before Lycoris, three crimson petals formed from hexagons flickering into existence as a terrible light charged within her hands. It lanced through the darkness, tearing the Gatekeeper into nothingness.
Avatar Space dissolved, leaving the Guardian floating above Skari's head, and a strange item in Lycoris' hands: "Siarl-00"
"Good job calling your guardian! I have to report our findings to the Queen of the Dark," the silver-haired girl sighed with a tired smile, "but when you log off, come over, ok? It's been a while since we spent some time together, since you're visiting the hospital every day."
"Will do," the Adept Rogue replied, watching as golden spirals of light whisked his love away to a place outside The World.
As for Skari, he stood in the light of sun, shivering at how deadly his first AIDA battle had been. Since he knew that if he lost, he would fall into a coma, the stakes had been much higher than usual.
'Almost like piloting EVA in some respects. And hey—I stood my ground this time.'
"HAHAHAHA, so it's the baka hentai, the Dark Evangel!" cackled a voice from behind him, one that was all too familiar and sent shivers down his spine. Whirling, Skari narrowed his eyes upon seeing that this was indeed the figure of his nightmares, the Chaotic PK known as the Bringer of Strife. "And this time, you're no longer with your partner Skadi, that little blunette bitch. How interesting - I even hear that that little doll of yours is never coming back, is she? Heh...who'd want to work with a dummkopf like you anyway?"
The demonic wraith of darkness stood at a distance, mocking him in poisonously honeyed tones tones, grinning at his pain as she dared him to attack.
"What did you say?" asked the Adept Rogue, his tone chilling enough to outdo liquid helium. "Skadi—"
"—is never coming back, right? And it was all your fault too, I'll bet," Eris taunted, drawing her Heine's Shadow to hand, ready to strike. "So what are you going to do, Skari? You know that you have no chance against me, even if some mystical force protects you. So why don't you just run away?"
'Run away…Eris knows Skadi is gone…hates dolls…Eris is…Eris is…'
It normally took a lot to get Skari angry, but once he was…well, suffice it to say that there was a reason he was called berserker.
"You…BITCH!" he roared, switching his Gun Bead for his wickedly curved chainsaw daggers, Heine's Invasion, and revving them up to full power at once. "It was you who killed Skadi!"
With a howl of unstoppable rage, he rushed forward, mentally ordering the Guardian to attack. Metallic tendrils shot at supersonic speed towards the Edge Punisher, only to be deflected by innumerable clawed hands, sallying forth at their mistress' call to deflect and counterattack.
But Skari kept on, leaping left, right, left, whirling his blades about in a spiral of death at Eris' neck and stomach, only for his demonic blades to meet hers with a mighty Clang!, sparks flying as each warred momentarily for dominion—
—just as Tokyo-3 suffered a massive power outage, and both characters disappeared from the field.