The Coming Darkness
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"So there they are. They look so different…but I know every one of them. So many people on this world…and it should never have been."
Hands tented in front of his face, the Walker floats in the ether that he calls his home. Behind him, the towering Weltall waits for an order from its master…and the master that lies inside it.
"This is enough," the Walker says, "Enough of this abomination. Come. Let us end it, and wipe it clean from the Omniverse."
It begins in Times Square.
The indentations appear in the ground, foot prints of a massive beast…and then the metal feet appear, the light trailing up to reveal the rest of the metal giant.
Arms tightly crossed over its hunched face and chest, a slow, mechanical growl escapes with the hiss of steam from the chest and head vents. Snapping its arms out, one fist slamming into the Jumbotron, four wings of green energy snap out with such force that glass cracks in the buildings surrounding it.
"People of Earth!" a voice announces, "Look upon me and despair!"
"He's here," Protoman says.
Titenin nods, summoning a spellbook in his right hand, an amulet in his left. Roll turns from the metal giant to her brother and his mentor.
"Who is?"
"Someone very bad," Protoman responds, "Someone we hoped was just a rumor…"
With an explosion of violet light and a rush of air, the floating figure of the Walker appears above his robot servant. Eyes glowing behind his glasses, lines of power covering his eyes and face, he floats above the populace.
"I am He Who Walks Between Time and Space like a God," he bellows, "Know that in the eyes of the One who Stands Above All, your very existence is an abomination, one that I have come to correct! My legions are many! My power is vast! Look upon the face of your savior and know that your end has come!"
Hands glowing with power, he extends his arms outward, forming a dome around Manhattan.
"This shall be the first example of my power," he whispers, "Weltall. Wipe them out. All of them."
There is hesitation in the movement of the giant, before its hand snaps out and shatters the top half of an entire building, its eyes glowing like emeralds in a fire. It begins walking like a classic movie monster, lurching forward as the landscape seems to devastate itself in its passing, its very presence ripping up pavement and reducing streets to rubble.
Weltall pauses in mid step, red flame surrounding it like an aura, half of Times Square lurching backwards in its presence. Its chest glows, green light lurching from it…
Giving it enough pause for a blast from the now-flying Roll and Bass to impact, ripping metal and causing the giant to lurch back.
"Keep it busy!" Protoman yells, teleporting atop the ruined Jumbotron with Zero, "We'll deal with the Walker!"
Upon hearing his name, the villain turns. Leveling his gaze onto Protoman, their eyes meet…and Protoman scowls, forming a circular, gold-lined shield on his amulet bearing arm.
"How far you've fallen," Protoman says, "And to think I looked up to you."
"We all make mistakes," Walker responds, "Letting me live this long was yours. Sadly, a fatal one to."
The Walker extends a hand towards them, and a blast of violet force strikes out, blasting apart the screen and ruining much of the building behind it, but not before the two could leap off.
Zero leaps towards Walker, grabbing the hilt on the back of his now-revealed crimson and black armor, yanking it out and revealing the green beam sabre…
And Walker snaps out his hand, a silver-black hilt falling from his sleeve into his right gloved hand, and igniting into a blue energy blade.
"You first," Walker says, flying through the air at Zero, swinging into the blocking blade…and hitting air as Zero disappears in a flash of magic.
Walker scowls, turning as Protoman floats out of the smoke and debris, arms out and blazing with power.
"Your quarrel is with me," Protoman says, "Boy."
"Whatever you say, old man."
White magic clashes against ebon power, lighting the sky over Manhattan and ripping swaths into the ground below. Spells are cast, curses roared, as the apprentice of the Magus battles against the time-walker.
Through the smoke and debris, through the blinding light, the globes of force press against each other, as neither gives nor takes quarter, seeing each other only through a haze of hate…
The eyes of Weltall glow once more, the giant levitating as Roll and Bass fly circles around it, blasts of plasma rending armor which instantly fixes itself, their speed-blitzes doing little but make it tilt.
"This is insane!" Bass yells, "This thing is like Gamma!"
"And frontal assaults never worked on that thing, from what Rock told me," Roll responds, "The head! You focus on one eye, I focus on the other! If it's blinded, we can concentrate on finding a real weakness!"
Bass nods his agreement, flying in an ascending circle around the now statuesquely still beast, Roll taking off in a Nova crash under its arm and rising up to its face…
And the center of its face grill parts, steam hissing out, a slow rumble coming from deep within…
"Dear God, what are you," she whispers, "Bass…what is this thing?"
"Don't think, just shoot!"
Bass pushes her aside, phased plasma charging for a moment in his right arm cannon before firing off like a lance into one of the glowing green eyes. Glass shatters, optics burn as the blast flies in the eye and out the back of the head…
And the Weltall screams.
Zero appears on the roof of an apartment building within seeing distance of the battle. He turns, as Sarah, Titenin, Gutsman, and X appear in a similar burst of magical light.
"Good," Theadore says, walking past the confused Zero, "Blues teleported you here. The plan is going well enough."
Zero turns back to the battle as Weltall's scream echoes…and shudders at the sudden chill.
"My God…that thing's alive, isn't he?"
"In a definition, yes. With luck, Blues can best the Walker…but if not, I have activated my trump card."
"No," Sarah says, marching over to Titenin and grabbing his shoulder, "Tell me you were joking. Tell me that is a sick joke!"
"I am afraid it is not. It is time. The Cycle is coming to a close. Sooner or later he has to face his destiny."
Grabbing her hand and taking it from his arms, for a brief moment his eyes glow a soft blue.
"Now is as good a time as any."
The Walker's gauntleted hands have wrapped around his throat, Blues realizes a moment after it happens. The Walker, despite a lower level of skill, is exponentially his superior in terms of raw power…and he simply strode through the magick shields set up to repel him.
"Let me tell you what I will do," he says, "I will squeeze. And squeeze. Until the life fades from your eyes, and then I will erect your broken body as a monument to warn people of the perils of defying me. Can you hear me, old man?"
"Well…enough…"
His right hand collapses into his wrist. Bringing his arm cannon up, a blast of white plasma expels itself into the Walker's face…and does nothing.
"Plasma?" the Walker asks with a laugh, "You old fart, I could EAT THE SUN."
Raising one hand high, violet energy gathers at his fingers.
"Let's start with the eyes."
The Walker brings down his hand to strike…and a pillar of blue light rises the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Absently, the Walker drops Protoman, who's teleported away in a magick nimbus by his mentor…
And he scowls, narrowing his eyes.
Zero catches Blues as he falls from the portal to them, laying him on the ground.
"No shame, son," Titenin says, crouching next to his apprentice, "The Walker cannot be beaten by force…at least, not yet, not by you."
Smiling, the wizard stands, turning to the pillar of light…
"What is that?" X asks, tilting his head in confusion.
"Tell me to," Gutsman says, scratching his head, "Not to be a downer, but any chance we're surviving this?"
"Very high chances right now. The Templar Knight has awoken."
Turning with a flourish, gold trims manifest on Titenin's cloak…and he grins, an amulet appearing on his clasp and in both hands.
"Now, as our new ally faces the Walker, shall we get to my master stroke?"
The sky scorches in his wake.
The ground rumbles as he passes, emblazoned by the same energy that makes the pillar.
He is a blue and black blur. Aloft on wings of azure light, flying high in the air, he bears down on the Walker.
A figure, tall and built, clad in blue armor and black mail, the light reflecting off the metal of his torso, lower arms, legs and flared shoulders. On his high-set, emotionless face, twin lines of black like tears trail from his eyes to his cheek, his long black ponytail set in place by a blue, gem adorned headband.
"The Soul Blazer," the Walker says, "We meet at last."
"And you're the Walker," the new arrival says in a deep, reverberating voice, "Let's dance. I'll lead."
"Another cliché. God, I feet young again!"
Igniting his beam sabre, the Walker flies at his foe, meeting a silver blade that blocks. In a flurry of speed faster than the human eye, the battle is joined. Blow lands against block, return parried, the only evidence of their passing the blue swaths and silver sparks.
The Soul Blazer flies up, pointing both hands down and releasing a burst of energy. Grinning, the Walker flickers out of existence, the blast continuing to the terrified city below…
And the warrior brings up his hands, the blast swerving up and striking the Walker as her materializes, drawing black blood.
"Damn you," he growls, "Well…looks like the swordfight is over."
The beam sabre flickers away. Flying back, the Walker swings a hand at Soul Blazer. The invisible wave of force strikes him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and knocking him from the air.
"Idiot! You may have power, but no skill! I have had decades to hone by craft, and let me assure you that I am quite able!"
He appears above the Soul Blazer, gathering power in his palm…and sees a glint in the Soul Blazer's eye.
Flying like an arrow straight up, he slams shoulder first into the Walker, knocking him back through the air. Blurring as he pours on the speed, he takes off in a burst of blue after his foe, catching him as he passes between the struggling Weltall and the watching Titenin, grabbing him by the arm and locking his arm behind him.
"Give up! You're out powered here!"
The Walker growls, struggling…and he laughs.
A globe of power appears around him, forcing Soul Blazer back.
"Power? You want Power, you sniveling lackey?! Then let me show you…"
He raises a gloved hand, runes beginning to write themselves upon its back.
"And watch closely," he chuckles, "Because I'm only doing it once. My hand is the Divine Judgement. Blossom, O Fallen Seed! Call forth upon thy Hidden Power!"
Raising his free hand to the sky, a swirling mass of power, a cloud of darkness blocking out the sun appears above him as he extends his hand towards Weltall.
"Let the cry of the newborn Darkness echo in the Hearts of the Light…and herald the coming of the glorious MOTHER OF DESTRUCTION!"
The power lances out, striking Weltall.
The machine rises into the air, arching its back…and what was blue metal becomes red. Fingers extend into claws, green eyes turning black as night. A sphere of green, pulsating power appears in the cavity in its torso, sheets of metal raising as spears on its knees. Six wings of green light extend out, the very power the monster now emitting ripping up the buildings around it in a whirlwind of force, throwing Bass and Roll into the distance…
And it roars.
Not the mechanical roar of pain. Not the groan of acknowledgement.
But a high-pitched, rumbling, multi-toned roar. Like a lion dominating a pride. Like a dragon challenging the knights.
Like a Prometheus unchained.
And watching, Zero lets his mouth fall open at the sight of the crimson True Weltall…and he hears another scream. That of a scared child, trapped against her will…
And from inside Weltall.
"So, you heard it," Titenin says, "Good. You must get inside Weltall's cockpit and rescue the child, and then we can focus our attack on the Walker."
"But…how do I get into there?" Zero asks, re-igniting his beam sabre, "I can't fly!"
Gutsman's heavy hand falls onto the protoreploid's shoulder.
"Thought you'd never ask."
Screaming, Zero flies through the air, on a direct trajectory towards the beast's cockpit.
Gathering his courage, straightening himself into a jackknife dive towards the machine now gathering its senses towards its own power, he grips the beam sabre with both hands…
And drives it into the metal of its chest, landing on its right pectoral as the monster yells.
Running along its chest, he runs under the glare of the two restored eyes, towards the glowing sphere…
Or more particularly, the metal plate above it.
The Walker has seen him, Soul Blazer intercepting him before he can give Weltall the order…and Weltall does nothing as Zero slashes the plate off, the black plate underneath sliding open upon him touching down on the small ledge…
And revealing a naked, green haired girl, her skin pierced by crimson wires, her body shuddering from pain and fear.
Reigniting his sabre, he slashes away the prison, lifting her up…
And her hair swirls around her, becoming a dress…and Weltall begins to list.
The light in its eyes fade. The crimson metal becomes its normal black and violet.
Leaping from the cockpit, Zero lands with the girl on the cracked roof of one of the targets of the Weltall's rage, as the demon collapses onto 5th Avenue, leaving a long trail of broken cement and dented metal where its hand drove into Sachs…and then, with a small murmur, it goes silent.
Leaving Zero to the attention of the quivering girl, who looks up to her savior…and her form becoming like water, ages from a girl to a woman his age.
"Who are you?" he asks, his breath rattling in his throat.
"My name is Emeralda," she says, her deeply accented voice like a whisper, "Thank you for freeing me. Are you of the Animus, to?"