[DISCLAIMER: These are merely Hololive characters playing a part in my story.
When I wrote this chapter, I was listening to Drakengard 3 OST. You all might want to give it a listen.
During the last scene with Moona, when you find out someone dies (sorry) I listened primarily to #31 Kuroiuta (International version). I hope that feeling comes across.]
Chapter Sixteen
The Mechas could only go so far to the entrance. The four would have to disembark.
"Well, so much for the giant Mechas," Miko commented, still thinking over the way Okayu sounded and knowing Korone was not in top condition. From the moment all of this happened, and the fiasco leaving the facility, and then realizing what they were facing looking out to the Primals. She wasn't sure they would live through this.
"Mikochi?"
"Yes?"
"Um…"
"Pekora, I know what I need to do."
"That's not it – Peko." The rabbit struggled with what to say until finally, "You're a good friend."
Miko considered her oldest friend.
"I love you too, Pekora."
She thought she heard a breath and a sigh and then Pekora answered after clearing her throat, "I'm going to call Okayu and Koro-chan."
Pekora, despite feeling the same, only pushed the button over the intercom to speak with Korone and Okayu.
Their faces came across the screen. Korone's eyes were darker, and it looked like she was half asleep. Pekora knew she was changing. They had spoken of this while deep underground, and she was amazed how the reporter understood. She was truly a god, deep down. She realized, she chose well picking the Inugami, Korone.
Pekora began, "The MikoBusterDam has a capability to dig straight down. I have the coordinates. We will dig down and it should take us directly to where we need to be for Mikochi to close the gate.
"Okayu and Koro-chan follow us down, and then Koro-chan will have to jump out and keep the creatures away from Mikochi as she performs the ritual.
"Okayu and I will keep the Mecha's in guard position – a defensive position, Koro-chan will be offense."
"By herself?" Okayu asked.
"She has been made for this - Peko."
"Pekora, what do you mean, made?"
"Yeah?" Miko added.
"It's okay." Korone could feel the creature deep inside. "I'm okay and I understand. Our objective is to save our island and make sure this stops here."
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Pekora punched buttons, as the PekoDam stood behind, and then the entire MikoBusterDam began to form a new set of armor, plates manifesting all around, so that it gave it a more cylindrical shape, like a long pill. The staff lifted and then pointed downward. It turned a red hot, as did the entire Mecha.
"Mikochi, it might feel warmer, but this won't hurt us. The outside is forming an encasement so that we can dig straight down."
"Sure, that's not scary."
"Okayu, be sure and stay back."
As the cat-girl watched from her end, she realized she didn't want to get near it. It was changing into a giant spinning top that would probably sheer anything that got near it into mush.
A loud buzzing sound came forth, and then it began to drill.
The Primals took note.
Some ventured forward, and were instantly swallowed and spit outward, as the cylindrical Mecha's exterior started spinning. Soon, the creatures realized they couldn't get near it. More attempted to attack, but were met with the same fate.
"Okayu," Pekora yelled over the speaker, "keep those things away. If one gets through it could mess this up."
"On it."
The PekoDam pulled down its sword and was swinging at the Primals, drawing attention to itself, as the other Mecha continued to drill faster and faster into the ground.
"Oh," Pekora added, "Follow down after we make a clear path."
"Got it!"
Korone watched it all, she held to her chest, her eyes blinking rapidly. Her mind. She needed to keep her mind intact. She couldn't let what happened earlier happen again. She closed her eyes, thinking over everything that had transpired.
Control… and then kill.
Her eyes opened, seeing everything more keenly. It was odd how she could hear and see so much, even Okayu's breath, as she fought Primals with the Mecha. The effort she put forth; her breathing; her sighs; her grunts; her effort.
"There's so many," Okayu whispered.
She could smell as the sweat gathered because Okayu felt overwhelmed. She was putting all of herself into making sure the Mecha was fighting the creatures that seemed to be multiplying as she fought.
"Okayu, you're good at this," Korone lightly laughed.
"Thanks," Okayu laughed with her.
"I love you, Okayu."
"Same."
"Okayu, they're at the center now."
Over the speaker, Pekora's voice came over, "Okayu, we're here. One more bit of earth and we'll be breaking through."
Okayu quickly glanced around, "How'd you know?"
"I just did," Korone felt she was watching someone else in the seat. She felt impatient. She felt lost, but also found. She felt a constant dichotomy within. And as her eyes changed to a deep red, she was prepared.
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Suisei, looked down at her device and then looked upward. The device was constantly updating optimum outcomes for her god to rise from the depths of Hell Realm.
"They're right on time." She turned to the creatures behind, "Meevcah bbec tee! Thbey scattecahr." And then to the para-military dressed in black, "Set the charges upon landing. It will negate the systems."
The call had already come across that the para-military unit she sent to gather the fox and wolf goddesses was a bust. She didn't expect the tenacity of the others. But she saw the report and it seemed they had a large Mecha that was fairly unstoppable.
It gave her enough time to realize that Pekora probably had other Mecha's and so she knew she'd be bringing it down to meet them.
Suisei was ready.
The area was lit with spotlights, and the large hole to the back where that creature was waiting to be awoken was further toward the back.
Moona watched, realizing they were moving away from the center where they'd place the diagram. She crawled to the bars, watching closely.
She had passed out for a while, and then woke. She was fading in and out. Being a moon goddess had its pluses in that she was hard to kill. But the part of her that was human was able to have pain and weaken.
"No, Pekora don't come here." She wished she could warn her. "They're waiting."
She looked up, after hearing the sound, the cave crumbling. She leaned back in the cage.
"She's breaking in from the top." Moona laughed to herself. "You really are a crazy bunny." Holding tightly to her side. "I hope you have a plan, Peko because I think they're expecting you."
Her eyes closed briefly.
The cage was being unlocked, and she turned to see two opening it. They walked in, knocking her down face first, and then handcuffed her, pulling her roughly to her feet. Moona was held up by her arms and dragged out.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
They didn't answer, pulling her across the area and to Suisei.
"What's going on?" She glanced across the area. "Where's… Iofi?"
The blue-haired woman didn't answer, only smiling.
"Where's my wife?!"
One of the men punched her hard, right where she'd been stabbed. Instantly, her legs buckled, and she fell to knees before Suisei.
Moona was being held up by the two men.
Suisei lowered in front of her, as she spoke, "She questioned our god and it was hungry."
Moona's eyes widened. "No."
"I don't think your Sachou understands what she's up against." Suisei grinned. "The world as she knows it, is changing."
"How could you do that?!" Moona lunged at Suisei, but she backed up and the doctor fell to the ground. She weakly held herself up, breathing hard, tears falling.
"You're lying."
"I don't lie."
One of the guards was about to hit her, but Suisei stopped him.
"No, she is mourning a loss. Let her lie there and gather herself. We have other more important things to take care of." And then more boulders crumbled onto the center. "Plus, our rabbit is here. Dr. Hoshinova is needed to put on a show for the Chairman."
The Mecha dropped and landed onto the sacrificial diagram.
"Oh my," Suisei laughed, "Chairman Usada brought her Mecha." She turned to the men at the control board. "Hit it."
Suddenly, the entire area lit up, static and crunching sounded.
The Mecha looked like it was surrounded in a ball of lightening.
After maybe a minute, it simply fell over. Looking like it had been killed. The Mecha wasn't moving.
Moona laid, looking over the controls and the guards, trying to figure out how to help and stop them.
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Inside the Mecha, the drop was expected, and so it braced, landing and then stood, ready to fight.
What happened next was unexpected.
The electrical current that went through the Mecha, ran up and into the suits worn by Pekora and Miko.
"Mikochi, brace yourself!"
Pekora knew the suits could take an electrical current, but it was disabling her Mecha. The controls were lighting up and the alarm went off inside.
She kept pushing buttons, but it was being shorted out and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She wanted to transfer most of the electrical current away from their suits.
Over the intercom she quickly relayed, "Okayu, stop! Don't…."
It was too much, the current and soon it was being felt by both Pekora and Miko.
They screamed in pain, as it both took out the Mecha and the two drivers. They passed out from electrical current. The only protection was the suits they wore, which guarded them from being killed, as the Mecha completely shut down, taking in the rest of the electricity.
It fell over hard.
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Outside Okayu and Korone were about to follow when the call came over, "Okayu stop! Don't…" and then nothing else.
Okayu pushed on the buttons. "Pekora? Mikochi?"
Korone felt it inside that monster. That monster that wanted to come out and fight them all.
"PEKORA?!" Okayu was yelling, "Do you hear me?"
"Go, Okayu," Korone yelled from behind.
"She told us to stop."
"It's okay. They need us."
Okayu wasn't sure what to do.
"If we don't this will all be for nothing," Korone said. "They're in trouble, and so we need to head down."
Okayu nodded, "yeah," and then shot an anchor into the ground.
The Mecha began its three-mile descent, rappelling downward. She really hoped Botan and the other Mecha was on its way.
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They pried open the doors of the Mecha, walked inside, yanked out the bunny and the shrine maiden, and dragged them to their leader. They bound them, and before stabbing through the shrine maiden, Suisei stopped them. "Wait. I want her to see. Handcuff her to the pipe back there, so she can have a good view of the awakening. I want her to see how hopeless her gods are."
She then held up Pekora's lifeless looking body, showing her to Moona. "This is your Sachou. Soon to be the one who opens the portal and awakens our god. Thank you Moona. You've served well. Her blood is the final ingredient and I don't think she even realized it. I guess she's not the genius you thought she was."
Moona watched, feeling it was all lost.
Memories of her early life meeting Iofi at the University.
Her smile, when they ran along the campus. She was always the smile at the end of her day. Moona was all studies, but Iofi never wanted to drown in studies, and preferred to enjoy life.
When she proposed Iofi cried so much and hugged her so tightly, and life she didn't think would ever get any better.
But Dr. Hoshinova always wanted to see how much further her inventions and creations could go, and was buried in her work. The work, that at times, weighed on their relationship.
Tears gathered, as she played over the past with the one, she felt was the love of her life.
She couldn't believe it had ended so quickly.
Iofi.
She then looked over Pekora, realizing that at some point she'd also fallen in love with her intensely hyper-focused personality that made her brilliant. Her mind was constantly making her smile, in a completely different way. She admired her so much, and in her eyes, delicate, and small, and lovely.
How could a soul feel so entwined to two people? And how could a soul lose two at once? It was an unbearable grief.
Pekora's eyes moved, opening slowly. There was the part of a goddess that awakens when near a creature, and that part of Pekora kept a strength within.
"Sachou?" Moona said, "Sachou?"
Pekora woke slowly, realizing her situation. Several para-military were around, two holding her at each arm, holding her up, as she slowly woke. Creatures were in the background. That evil CEO, Hoshimachi Suisei was watching her, standing in front. She caught the strange instrument that was at the end of her cane. It was an alien construct. That was what was controlling them. Of course, mind control.
Pekora moved slightly, her hands bound behind her. She considered that Miko was further back, unconscious, and handcuffed to a pipe. She could see Moona in front, wounded. She was wounded badly. She didn't look like it was going well on her end.
She had to seriously consider what the next move could be. Plan C was about to be enacted and she smiled looking over her subordinate.
"Moona," she said weakly, finally coming to, "I think you're fired."
Moona laughed, tears still at her cheeks. "Understood, Sachou…. Understood."
And at the moment, she realized Pekora did have a plan. And it's why she loved her so much.
[END NOTE: Yep, that's it for now. I appreciate those who read and comment. Thank you. Next chapter, God Doggo arises.]