Vandread Fanfic - Slayer of God Duology Part 2: Together Forever
Chapter 12 - Sacrifice
Rating - G / Romance / Sci-Fi

Doesn't matter what people may say
What they say
No more live in chains
Hold your thoughts and you'll be fine

Get It All Right by Chilu


The battle got more intense after fleets from both Tarark and Mejale arrived. With the help from Super Vandread, they managed to reduce half of the enemies' battleships.

Erick too got his fair amount of action. He already slew more than a hundred of Earth's star fighter.

"Huh...they keep on coming..."

Erick then looked at Rick's white Vanguard X. It is trying to penetrate the barrier that surrounds the battle arena. Erick approached the Vanguard.

"Hoo boy. Hey, let me help you, okay?"

The white Vanguard X hummed. Erick gave a nod.

"Okay. Let's concentrate all our powers to break this thing"


The Super Vandread easily disposed another battleship.

"Oh yeah. Things are a whole lot easier now." Hibiki boasted.

"Took quite a while to figure out the controls but we're doing great." Jura said.

"Don't be overconfident. I sense something's about to happen..." Pyoro warned.

"That's right. We just can't be too sure." Dita said.

Meia didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at the battle arena and saw several explosions on it.

(Rick, I trust you. Please come back to us)


Raymond was busy managing requests from the pilots when Gasco contacted him from the supply ship.

"Hey Raymond. Are you done with the orders?"

"I'm just done here. I'll send the requests right away."

"Thanks a lot. You've been a great help."

"It was nothing."

"Hey, why don't we go out together after all these ends?"

Raymond grinned.

"Sure. Why not"


Another explosion can be heard from the engine room of Nirvana. This has made Parfet got even more annoyed.

"Another one? Paeksis, what's wrong with you?"

"Everything's fine but for some reason it behave rather strange..." Duero said after he inspected all the data.

"Just when I thought I understand all about it..."

"You're an expert, right? I'm sure you'll understand it in no time..."

Parfet flashed a smile.

"Yeah, thanks"


Anton finally regained consciousness and sees Aya sitting next to him. She cried and held him tight.

"Miss...Aya?"

"Anton...my father. What can we do about my father?"

Anton paused for an answer.

"Miss Aya, there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do now is to believe in him..."

"I want to, but..."

Anton smiled.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be fine"


"Bart! Can we fire the main gun yet?" BC yelled.

"No can do, ma'am. Still need time to charge up." Bart replied.

"How much longer?"

"I don't know. Seems there's a problem with the Paeksis."

BC sighed.

"At a time like this?"

BC turned to Axel. He was with Kahlua, watching the whole thing on screen.

"Dad..."

"Ax-chan! Don't worry about him. He's strong. I'm sure he'll win!"

Axel flashed a weak smile.

"Yeah. I hope so..."

BC kneeled before him. She pats his head.

"That's right. Like Karu-chan says, your father will be fine."

"Aunt BC..."

"He may not look like it but he's strong inside. Maybe he's stronger than everyone here."

Magno smiled upon hearing that.


After Rick released the 'forbidden power', the fight between him and Deus shifted to his side. Everytime his attack connects Deus, an explosion will occur. Deus could do nothing but groan in pain.

"Urghh!"

"C'mon, Deus! Fight, I say!"

Deus lies on the ground. Motionless. Then, he laughed.

"Hahaha!! It feels so good. I never feel this much pain for hundred of years."

Rick looked at him suspiciously.

"What are you up to?"

Deus smiled and stood up. He barely has the strength to stand.

"There's no way I can fight you even if I wanted to. You are now a perfect champion."

"You're giving up?"

Deus smirked.

"You may have the power of god. But you don't have its immortality."

"So...?"

"You will never be able to get rid of me! TITAN, ATTACK!"

Suddenly, Deus' giant robot unleashed a powerful beam attack. Rick was forced to block it. He was shocked of the power displayed by the machine.

(Damn, that thing is powerful as I am.)

"Slayer of God, you will witness the combination of a god and a machine."

Deus went inside the giant machine. Then, it threw a punch at Rick. The punch was so fast and Rick was hit directly, burying him in the ground.

"AAARGHHH!!"

Deus grinned in satisfaction.

"SLAYER OF GOD, YOU WILL DIE"


The battle is almost over with all of Earth's battleship destroyed. Looking at the situation, Hibiki smiled.

"We certainly won this one."

"YEAH! WE'VE WON!!" Dita shouted excitedly.

"No, not yet. I still have this weird feeling. Something big is about to happen..." Pyoro said.

"Look. Seems that Rick's in trouble." Jura pointed out.

Rick was forced to dodge all of Deus' attacks. From the looks of it, he was exhausted. Meia can't help but let out a scream.

"RIIIICK"


Rick was catching his breath after Deus' latest attack. Deus got nearer to him.

"YOU'VE LOST, SLAYER OF GOD."

Rick smiled.

"You're the one that's already lost. Look around you. All of your forces have been decimated."

"HAHAHA. DO YOU THINK I CARE? I CAN ALWAYS CREATE ANOTHER NEW, IMPROVED ARMY."

Suddenly, Rick rose slowly to the air.

"I will not permit that, Deus. As long as I live, you will never, ever disrupt the balance of the universe."

"YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DEFY GRAVITY? INTERESTING. BUT AT THIS RATE, YOU CANNOT WIN AGAINST ME."

Then, a voice came from above. It's Erick and the white Vanguard X.

"Don't you forget, you still have me to play with!!"

Erick unleashed a fireball attack. Deus was forced to block it. However, the danger is not yet over for Deus. He turned and saw Super Vandread slashed at him with its blade. Deus quickly jumped out of range.

"Hey, Erick! You forgot to mention us!" Hibiki shouted.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry."

"Rick, you're okay?" Meia asked.

Rick, who's already inside his Vanguard replied,

"Yeah. I'm okay. Now it's just him for us to deal with."

Deus taunted them.

"I can take the three of you at the same time. COME TO ME!"

"Huh. Let me take him." Hibiki said.

"Hey, are you sure?" Erick asked.

"It's better for the three of us to attack." Rick suggested.

"Don't worry. We can take him right?"

"As long as you're here, we can take on anyone!" Dita replied.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Jura said.

Meia nodded.

"Worth a try. Rick, please rest for a while."

Rick considered the option. He could feel the pain all over his body.

"Yeah, okay. Guess I'll back out with Erick and Barnette then."

"Heh. You had better kick his ass, kid. C'mon, cutie. We'll just let them dance, okay?"

Barnette slightly blushed.

"Oh, stop calling me that"


"Boss, it is confirmed. All enemies had been destroyed." BC informed.

"Good work everyone. Now, let's see how this war will end." Magno said, referring to the battle Deus and Super Vandread.

"Rick, are you fine over there?" BC asked.

Then, Rick appeared on the screen.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Are you sure? Your injuries seem a lot worse."

"Don't worry. I'll be just fine. Is Axel there?"

"Yes he is."

"Let me talk to him."

BC turned to Axel.

"He wants to talk to you. Go ahead."

He gave a nod.

"Dad? Are you...okay?"

Rick smiled.

"Of course I'm okay! I'm as tough as a brick wall!"

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we spend more time together in the future?"

Rick was touched. He finally hears the words he wanted to hear.

"Of course we can! Maybe we can go on a vacation or something after this"


The battle between Super Vandread and Deus' Titan were intense, with both sides almost evenly matched.

"That guy is incredibly powerful." Hibiki said, gasping his breath.

"Yeah, its defence is way too powerful." Jura nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Pyoro sounded a warning.

"This sensation...He's about to fire the red flash!!"

"WHAT?"

Deus' voice boomed in the air.

"Goodbye, Paeksis Plasma."

With that, Deus launched a red energy beam from its main gun. The blast was so fast that Hibiki couldn't steer the Vandread away. The blast hit its target squarely in the chest, causing it to disengage.

"Urrrghh!! I can't hold it!!"

"HIBIKI-KUN!!"

"Disengage, quickly! We can't afford another blast!!" Meia shouted.


Everyone aboard Nirvana stared helplessly when the red flash hit Super Vandread. Axel almost cried. Kahlua held his hand.

"MOOOOM!!"

"Ax-chan..."

Suddenly, Hibiki's voice broke the silence.

"Oy!! Did any of you guys think we're gone?"

BC stared at him in amazement.

"Everyone is all right?"

"Yeah. Thanks to both Rick and Erick."

When the dust has gone, both Rick and Erick formed an energy shield to cover Hibiki and the others.

"Phew. That was close." Rick sighed in relief.

"Good thinking, Rick. Or else we both have to fight that guy..."

"Heh. Hey, kid. Can you form the Super Vandread again?"

"We have to wait longer. Besides, we still feel the side effects of that blast."

"I see. Meia, you're okay?"

Meia nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I thought I was a goner back there. But are you okay? With your injuries..."

"Don't worry. I'm okay."

"So, what are we gonna do?" Hibiki asked.

Rick paused for an answer. He finally replied,

"You unite with Dita while I'm with Meia."

"But..."

"I know we don't have a chance against Deus. But two heads ARE better than one, right?"

"Hey Rick. What are we suppose to do?" Erick asked.

"You, Barnette and Jura will provide backup. Take a few shots if you have the chance."

"Yes sir!!"

"Okay, proceed with the plan."

"Dita, let's unite!!" Hibiki shouted.

"Yes!" Dita replied, excitedly.

Rick looked at Meia.

"Meia? You're...blushing?"

"Oh, stop that!"

"Okay, okay. Let's unite, okay?"

"Um."

With that, both Rick and Meia unite their Vanguard and Dread.


"Hey! You never told me that mom and dad could form a Vandread!" Axel complained to BC. She smiled.

"Sorry, Axel. But isn't it fun not to let you know something interesting?"

"Umm. Yeah. Guess so."

Magno grinned.

"BC, you really enjoy kidding around, don't you"


"Rick?"

"Yeah?"

"This only the second time we're in this kinda position."

"Yeah. I was really shocked back then."

"Do you...um, feel anything?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a bit...embarrassed."

"Heh. That's the reason why you're blushing?"

"RIIICK!!"

"Okay, sorry for being sarcastic. Anyway, it's fine by me. With you near me, I don't have to worry about losing you."

"Rick..."

"Okay. Let's get this thing going. I wanna get this over with and go home"


Now with two Vandreads against him, Deus was having a hard time dealing with them. Due to their speed and agility, he couldn't blast the red beam from the main gun.

"Stand still, will you?" Hibiki yelled at Deus as another one of his attack missed.

"Hibiki, we still need to be cautious. Don't attack him senselessly." Rick warned him.

"He's right, Hibiki-kun. We need to coordinate our move." Dita nodded in agreement.

"Dita's right. We should do this together." Meia added.

With that, both Vandreads attacked Deus simultaneously but nothing came out of it. This has made Deus rather annoyed.

"IS THIS THE BEST YOU CAN DO? HERE, IT'S MY TURN."

Deus formed a dark barrier around Vandread Dita. Realizing what will happen, Rick warned Hibiki.

"Get out of there, quickly!!"

"What?"

"Hibiki-kun! Internal pressure is rising!"

"The energy...it's squeezing us!"

"THAT'S RIGHT. I CALLED IT 'THE EMPTY WORLD'."

The barrier became smaller and smaller, squeezing both Hibiki and Dita inside.

"Dammit!! What should I do?"

"Hibiki-kun...this might be it..."

Hibiki looked at Dita. From the look on her face, he could tell that she already gave up.

"Dammit Dita! Don't you ever give up--!"

"But..."

"Stop it. I don't wanna hear it anymore."

He then Rick calling out to him. Because of the barrier, he could hear it faintly.

(Disengage! Disengage from her!)

Hibiki gave a nod.

"Dita, prepare to disengage"
-
Everyone sighed in relief after both Hibiki and Dita disengaged just in time from being squeeze by Deus' attack.

"Hibiki, Dita. Are you alright?" BC asked through the communication line.

"We're fine." Dita replied.

"Same here but we can't unite for now." Hibiki added.

"He is indeed powerful..." Magno muttered.


"NOW IT'S YOUR TURN, SLAYER OF GOD."

Rick smirked.

"Heh. You think you can beat me that easy? Then, you're wrong."

"DON'T YOU DISAPPOINT ME THEN."

"Okay, Hibiki. Let me handle this. Just sit there and watch."

"Hmph. I'll interfere if you failed."

"Okay. Got no problem with that. Meia, let's do it."

"Yeah. Let's go."

With that, Vandread Rick charged its energy and the flaming wings ignited brightly. It then produced a sword in the right hand and a claw in the other.

"INTERESTING. LET'S SEE HOW YOU BEAT ME WITH THAT POWER."

"ENOUGH! Take this!!"

Vandread Rick moved forward, thrusting its sword at Deus but he simply twists the sword away and threw a heavy punch at the chest. Both Rick and Meia grimaced in pain.

"URGGH"


Axel screamed for his parents when he heard their shout.

"Mom! Dad!"

Kahlua restrained Axel.

"Ax-chan, calm down."

"I can't! Why don't we help them?"

Magno, BC and everyone else remained silent. Finally, BC walked to Axel.

"Axel, you saw what Deus did to Super Vandread and Vandread Dita. He is way too powerful for us..."

"But....but...I still..." Axel stammered.

Kahlua looked at him.

"Ax-chan?"

"Yes, I have faith in both my parents. Once we have faith, we can do anything!"

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Even Magno blinked her eyes.

"Who said that to you?"

"Mom did. Whenever I feel so hopeless, I remember those words."

Bart, who has been silent all along voiced his opinion.

"That kid is right! We should at least have faith in them!"

Ezra stood up.

"The child is right. Even if we are to lose, we just can't throw our faith away."

Suddenly, the whole ship turned into an uproar. Gasco and Raymond, who were playing cards at the requisition office, smiled.

"Heh. Never thought I heard that from a six year old boy."

"I bet he'll be a great man someday... "


After numerous attacks from Deus, both Rick and Meia were barely conscious. Meia shook her head and turned to Rick.

"Rick, you're okay?"

"Uhh...what impact...Yeah, I'm fine."

"Leader, Rick. Are you there?"

"We're here, Dita." Meia responded.

"Hey Rick. Lets us help!" Erick shouted.

Rick gave a quick reply.

"No! Deus will wipe you out in no time."

"But..."

"Stop there, Erick. Should I fail, you can do whatever you want. That's all I can say."

"Still wanna be a hero, eh? Fine, fine."

"Erick?"

"What?"

"I'm gonna need you and the others to help me for this attack"


Aya was still at the infirmary, sitting next to Anton.

"Miss Aya, what's happening outside?"

"I don't know, Anton..."

Then, Paiway entered the room.

"Your father and Meia are fighting against Deus."

"How...how was it?"

Paiway paused. Then, she replied,

"Deus is too powerful. Even Super Vandread couldn't defeat it. We can only fear the worst."

Upon hearing this, Aya cried.

"Dad"


"The hell? You want us to be your shield?" Erick questioned Rick's suggestion about the next move.

"Yeah. I know this is selfish. I just need more time to utilize this machine's power."

"Fine, we'll buy you some time. But don't expect us to get killed that easy." Hibiki replied.

"Ha. I don't expect anything, kid."

"Okay, let's go. Because here he comes!" warned Jura.

Deus zoomed in at unnerving speed.

"I WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU!!"

"Go on, Leader. We'll try our best to keep him busy." Dita said.

"Thank you, Dita. And please be careful."

"Yeah. I will"


"Parfet, what's the situation down there?" BC asked Parfet through the screen.

"Everything's gone back to normal suddenly. In fact, it is better than the usual. There's an increase over 50 in energy output."

"I see. Bart! Is the main gun ready to use?"

"Lock and load. Ready to fire anytime."

"Good. Ready to fire on my command"


Rick and Meia were trying hard to utilize the Vandread's maximum power. Meia looked at Deus. He seems preoccupied by Erick, Hibiki, Dita, Jura and Barnette.

"Rick, are we there yet?"

"Just...a little more..."

Suddenly, Erick appeared on screen.

"Hey! Are you ready? We almost ran out of power here."

"I'm almost there, Erick. Keep Deus busy a little longer...THERE!!"

Suddenly, white flames engulfed Vandread Rick. Everyone looked in horror.

"What the--?"

"Meia! Are you there?"

"Leader!"

After a while, Rick gave a respond.

"We're doing fine. We finally managed to do it. This is the final form of this Vandread."

"We will not do this thing ever again. It's tiring." Meia added.

"Okay, okay. You have my word. Now everyone. Step aside and let us end all this."

"INTERESTING. LET ME SEE IT, SLAYER OF GOD."

"Okay, I'm coming!"

Suddenly, Rick disappeared. Deus turned around and threw a punch but Rick easily blocked it.

"NO! THIS CAN'T BE..."

"Better believe it, Deus. Your time is up!"

Rick twisted his hand and tore his arm. Deus groaned in pain.

"URGHH. THIS CAN'T BE...I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!"

Deus threw another punch with his remaining hand but once again, Rick blocked it.

"Reality does hurt, eh?"

Rick then tore the remaining arm. Deus backed away from Rick.

"DAMN YOU! MAGGOTS!"

"Call us whatever you want. You will pay for everything you've done."

With a blade in hand, Rick lunged forward and struck in the chest. Deus could do nothing but screamed in pain. Rick pulled out a black object.

"This is where you've been hiding, isn't it?"

"URGHH."

"This is the end, Deus. Time to cash in the chips."

The others who were watching the scene stared at each other in awe. Hibiki turned to Erick.

"Did you see that? He easily takes down Deus!"

"Ha. Better believe it."

"Does that mean...we've won?"

Suddenly Deus laughed.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU THINK YOU'VE WON? I WILL DRAG YOU ALL WITH ME!!"

With that, the black object that contained Deus emits a dark glow.

"What are you doing, Deus?" Rick asked.

"THIS IS ACTUALLY A TIME BOMB. ONCE IT EXPLODES, EVERYTHING WILL BE GONE. EVERYTHING WILL RETURN TO NOTHINGNESS."

"Nothingness?" Meia asked.

"Damn you!" Erick cursed.

Rick squeezed the object hard.

"YOU CAN'T DESTROY IT. UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE FASTER."

"Dammit! Hey, Bart. Can you fire the main gun at this thing?" Rick asked Bart.

"Yup. I can. Clear the area. This will be a chinch."

After Rick left the bomb, hundreds of energy beams fired by Bart targeted at Deus. However, it shielded itself from the attacks. Bart stammered in disbelief.

"No waaay..."

"Is there...any other way?" Meia asked.

Rick remained silent.

"This whole world...is about to blow up..." Erick muttered.

"Waaah! I don't want to die! There's so much thing I want to do!" Jura cried.

"Why does it have to end this way?" Hibiki hung his head.

Suddenly, Rick answered,

"I got it"


Aya was talking to Anton when her heart felt something.

"Uhh..."

"Miss Aya?"

"I'm okay. But I have a feeling something terrible might happen."

"Don't worry. I'm sure all is fine."

Suddenly, Aya called out someone.

"DAD"


"You said you've found a way? How?"

After a long silence, Rick said,

"I'm sorry, Meia."

"Huh?"

Without warning, Rick disengaged himself from Meia. He then used his powers to send Meia away towards Nirvana. However, Meia regained her balance zoomed towards Rick.

"Rick! What are you doing?"

"Meia, only I can stop this. Stay away from me."

"I WON'T! I WON'T LET YOU!!"

Suddenly, Meia was deflected away by a semi transparent shield formed by Rick.

"Rick, what are you going to do?" asked BC.

"I'll contain the force of the explosion using this shield. This should reduce the damage to a minimum."

"How about you?"

"I will..."

"...die?" Meia finished the sentence.

"Meia, I'm sorry. This is the only way."

"But there must be other way! There should be!"

Tears came down from her eyes. Dita looked at her sadly.

"Leader..."

"Meia. It's better for only one person to die. Rather than thousands."

"Rick..."

"To my friend Raymond. Thanks for staying with me all this time."

"Rick! Damn you! I should be the one doing that!" Raymond screamed through the speaker.

Rick smiled.

"Sorry you couldn't make the cut."

"Still sarcastic as ever, eh? Fine. Do whatever you want."

"Axel, I'm sorry for couldn't keep my promise I made earlier. But please take care of your mother. That's all I can ask..."

Axel stood there, trying hard to contain his tears but failed. Tears running down his cheek. Kahlua tried to console him. He looked up and said,

"Dad....I'll never cry again. I promise!"

"Okay, this is a man's promise. Aya, if you're hearing this, please take care of yourself. I know you can."

"Dad, I always knew you're gonna do things like this. It is exactly what Mom used to say about you. Caring but somewhat stubborn."

"WHAT? Your mom said that? Ah well. I think she's right. Okay, guess I gotta get this going."

Rick then approached the time bomb. He then held it tight with all his might.

"Dammit! Buddy, maximum output. Overwrite any warning and passcodes."

The bomb started to crack. Lights flickered from it. Rick smiled.

"Everyone, thanks for taking care of me. This is the least I can do to thank all of you."

"RICK!!"

"Meia, this is goodbye..."

A large explosion occurred the moment Rick broke the bomb. The effect was so devastating that the whole planet Earth and nearby stars were wiped out. However, with Rick's shield in place, Nirvana suffered just a minimal damage. Meia was the first to react when the explosion ends.

"Rick! Where are you? I know you're hiding somewhere. Come out!"

Erick approached her.

"Stop it. He's...gone."

"NO! I don't believe it! I..."

Meia finally broke down and cry.

"Why Rick, WHY?"

The others on Nirvana did nothing but hung their head low. After a short while, Ezra said,

"Nothing. No trace of him can be found. I'm sorry."

Axel stood there, motionless. This time he tried harder to control his emotions but still he failed. Small tears can be seen from his eyes.

"Don't worry, Dad. See? I'm not crying."

Aya was crying hard on Anton when she heard the news. Anton could do nothing but comforting her.

"Dad, I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

(Master Xero, you are my hero, our hero...)

Anton looked at the stars outside. One of them was shining brightly. Anton nodded.

(Thank you)


Can't stop things we start
You have got to move on
Don't look back, don't turn around
Better make it fast
When you lost in the dark
Try to remember when
You have a power to shine
Shining like the clear sky

Get It All Right by Chilu