Mikhail recovered, and sent an enormous bolt of energy that took two hands to fully control at Kurumi. Zataku was blown backward in a flash of light, and could not see what was happening.
When all had settled, Kurumi laid in the center of a crater. Zataku whispered," no. Kurumi, you can't be dead. You just can't be"
"Rest in peace, Kurumi," Mikhail said, somber yet again. Suddenly, the pink-haired angel opened her red eyes, and focused a laser blast at Mikhail. It was strong enough to blast her to ground level even!
"Such incredible power. I'm so proud," Zataku thought as he wiped away a tear, maybe from pride, or maybe from his love of carnage. Then, Kurumi picked up a fallen tree trunk, and threw it at her opponent spear-style. She grunted as she was blown through several trees. Amazingly, she was still breathing. As Kurumi leapt in with her laser fist ready, Mikhail timed it perfectly, and kicked her in the stomach, and, thus, sending her flying backward. Then, both angels prepped a blast, and sent them at each other at the same time.
Zataku had backed off a little, and had used his powers to... microwave some popcorn for while he was watching the battle. Yes, he is, indeed, a very strange demon. Dust cloud after dust cloud erupted from the battleground as the two angels went at it.
"Woo!! Cat fight, yeah!" The rest of the battle was pretty much an exchange of energy blasts. When they did attack one another, they used their power to enhance their blows.
At last, Kurumi decided to end the battle. She leapt upward, and came back down, encased in energy.
"Kurumi! No!" Mikhail cried right before she hit. The result of the dive bomb was that nearly everything around was blown to pieces.
Nakahito yelled," Holy cow!" But Zataku yelled," Aw, man! They blew up my food! That pisses me off!" When everyone could see again, they looked for Kurumi and Mikhail. This wasn't easy due to the massive amount of dust Kurumi attack had kicked up. "Damn! I know she wanted to win, but did she have to blow up the place too?"
"Shut up, Zataku," Nakahito said," Kurumi could be dead, and all you can is make quips?"
"No, you're wrong on both accounts. I thought about my food there a minute ago, and I also know for a fact that Kurumi is much too strong to be beaten by Mikhail. Case closed" he replied in his "I-kicked-your-mental-ass" tone.
"I can see them," Nakahito breathed, looking deep into a cloud of smoke.
"Naked?" Zataku asked, squinting only to be hit upside the head by Karinka. They all watched as Mikhail dropped to the ground in front of Kurumi, defeated. "Kurumi, baby!" Zataku said, as he walked through the dust to complement her. "Kurumi?" he asked again. Then, black wings extended out of her back for all to see. She turned toward him, and looked at the demon god with red-piercing, glowing eyes. Her hair had turned from a shade of pink to a dark color of violet. Lilac might be a better word though. She fully unfurled her wings, and looked at her friends emotionlessly. "Okay, this is bad. I vote we run," Zataku said, backing off," I can feel it. She's so powerful. Too powerful. My god, Kurumi, what's happened to you?"
"Kurumi?" Nakahito asked, unsure of what exactly he was talking to. Suddenly, her eyes flashed brilliant red for a moment, and she moved her wings up until they touched. At the apex, she formed a ball of energy.
"Oh shit! Get down! It's gonna be big!" Zataku yelled, getting in front of them. The ball suddenly contracted, and shot out towards them. "ARMOR OF PURITY!!!" He yelled, moving his arms to his shoulders and then to his sides. A white barrier sprang up in front of him, and stopped the ball. He grunted as it moved him backward, never dissipating or showing signs of weakness. When he could, at last, no longer retain the shield, the ball flew at him at high speed, and blew him back with a spray of blood. The angels ran to him, and saw that he was barely alive. His right arm had been completely severed, and was pouring out blood. His healing abilities were doing the best that they could to stop the bleeding, but, so far, were unable.
"What's happening to you?" Saki yelled, her heart filled with pain. Before she could attack again, several turrets came out of the bottom of the floating academy base towers, and pointed towards Kurumi. They fired a stream of clear energy that caused the rock around her to crack, and even Kurumi herself to bed her knees slightly under the massive force. As a side note, the academy base uses anti-gravity fields to stay hovering twenty-four-seven. Then, she encased herself in a solid black shield, and flew upward to be at the same level as the academy base. Her shield flashed in several places, and then shot out a black beam that passed diagonally through the academy base. It left a red line as it traveled, and then, at least a second later, that line exploded in a chain of detonations.
"Oh my..." Saki breathed.
"Technique imitated," Zataku said, pulling himself to a sitting position.
"No, Zataku, you mustn't move! You lose a lot of blood and one of your arms"
"Feh! Only a flesh wound. Spirit of healing light, restore that which is mine" His arm healed itself at an incredible rate, making a suction sound as it went. Unfortunately, due to Kurumi's mad attack, it began to rain rubble. Saki and Karinka picked up the two human-like mystics, and leapt to safety. Then, they looked up. A rock the size of Zataku's dragon form was coming down at them. He said, as though it was just another thing of life," You know, I can't block that" Just when they thought they were all going to be crushed, the boulder stopped at the last moment, and hovered over them. "Hey, what the..." the demon god breathed, and then said," What's going on here? Who saved us?" The boulder moved to the right about twenty feet, and then landed with a satisfying thud.
"Oh wow," Karinka said," Maybe freak show here isn't as bad as he looks"
"I didn't do anything that would have stopped that boulder, and you're going to pay for that once we get out of this mess, Karinka"
"Nakahito!" A familiar voice called," Are you alright?" They looked to the source of the voice, and saw that it Kamihito who appeared from earlier!
"Kamihito!" the boy cried, happy that his brother was fighting with him.
"I had a dark revelation, and knew I had to come to you"
"Now, uh, priest? Would it be too much to ask to do something about that gigantic scientific fortress that's about to hit the earth and give off an eight point two tremor?" The academy hit the earth as hard as Zataku said, and slid for a good five hundred meters. "Damn, that was impressive!"
"Can I knock him out? Please?" Karinka said through gritted teeth. Kurumi sank back down to ground level enclosed in her barrier, and looked as though she was merely sleeping peacefully.
"Uh, I think we might need a little bit of help on this one," Zataku said, a sweat glob running down the back of his neck," Anyone have an idea? Hands? Anyone?"
"We go to the academy. That is the best place in our situation to regroup and figure out what course of action to take," Kamihito said.
"Okay then. Off we go," Zataku said as he preformed various magical gestures and mumbled spell words. His body transformed into a dragon again, and, with slight accusatory remarks from Kamihito, they flew off.
At the bridge, they found Ayanokoji and another man with blonde hair and a monocle in one eye arguing with each other.
"I told you, didn't I?" Ayanokoji yelled," I told you not to make those two steel angels fight each other!"
"Don't you dare blame me for your actions! You were the one who disobeyed academy orders and created this situation in the first place!" the blonde man said, angrily.
"I opened the gateway and applied the energy of the energy of the demonkind, and that increased the power of the angel hearts! And that's just what we needed at the time!"
"We needed?! Look around you, doctor. Do you think we needed this? A weapon so powerful that we can't control it?! We can't shut it down! You're a pompous renegade who thinks only of your own glory!"
"How dare you!" Ayanokoji said, grabbing the blonde man by the collar of his shirt," you listen to me, you son of a bitch..."
"Oh! Impressive vocabulary, doctor. Now, if you two ladies are done with your little love affair, maybe we could get down to the business of stopping that sweet little angel of death hovering out there, shall we?"
Ayanokoji glared at Zataku, released the guy he had around the neck, and said, quite calmly," Steel Angels have souls just as we do, and you never understood that. And because you never believed that, you felt it was your right to use them in any way you saw fit. When you made them fight each other, the angelic element within rejected the host vessel. Forced to fight her own kind to save herself, the angel part of Kurumi closed her heart, and the demonic energy was free to take over. This was your doing, Walski. You allowed darkness to overtake light not once, but twice in this world's history! She is no longer a steel angel; she's a dark angel. And not even the incarnate, which I went through so much trouble to summon can control her now!"
"Even if you're theory is correct, you neglect it was you who created this situation in the first place! You are the maker of the demons," Walski said, smugly. Ayanokoji scowled, but had nothing else to say.
"Okay, we need to keep our heads on strait, and not let emotion interfere with our search for a solution. Since we all need to cool down somewhat, I think that we should reconvene here in twenty minutes, agreed?" With no objection, Zataku smiled, and said," Good."
Twenty-five minutes later, Zataku sat down at the meeting table, and put his feet up and his hands behind his head. He asked," So, what's my sweetie's status?"
An mechanical voice said," At present, there has been no change in the subject itself. However, the demonkind wave reading continues to give stronger resonations. And this barrier globe, this cocoon, has regenerated to roughly fifty times its normal size"
"I see," Walski said," Continue monitoring her"
"Yes, sir"
"If Kurumi is already at greatest size, then we only have two hours before she fully regenerates," Brandow said.
"You gotta be kiddin` me!" Zataku exclaimed," If she comes out of there all nice and healthy and still really pissed off at us, then we're screwed!"
"But we're not yet out of time. We cannot bring into this era the same fate as we suffered. That was not our goal in coming here. Everyone is expendable. Everyone in this room; everyone in this base; even the academy itself" After a long time of discussion, and suggestion, Walski asked," So no one has any other suggestions?" Then, Saki and Karinka walked in.
Saki asked," Kurumi. How is she?"
"Sleeping peacefully," Brandow answered," And energizing. When she awakens, she will have powers unimaginable, and we will have no weapon against her"
"Seriously," Zataku said, as though still thinking hard," I mean, if she comes out all healthy and stuff like that, even I'll seem like a child's play toy compared to her!"
"She has surpassed energy projections. You three understand what this means, don't you?"
"No, what? What does that mean?" Saki asked. She got silence in return.
"Jesus!" Karinka snapped," Will you cut the drama crap and tell us what you're gonna do?"
"There is only one thing to do," Walski said," Reverse the phase of the power reactors and divert all non-essential system power generators to stop Kurumi. Hopefully, that will be enough to annihilate her existence"
Zataku, who was drinking a cup of coffee instantly spat it out, and said," WHAT?!?!"
"Brandow, alert all decks to begin cons..."
"No! I can't let you do that!" Zataku said," I can't allow you to kill her! C`Mon, doc? You have some idea on how to stop her, right? I'll sacrifice myself if necessary! There's gotta be another way!"
"Dr. Walski, something's happening," the mechanical voice said.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Kurumi's barrier globe is expanding suddenly. Rapidly, sir."
"On screen!"
"Demonkind wave readings approaching the level of the demon incarnate... and beyond"
"Oh no. Kurumi, what have you done?" Zataku breathed in shock.
"She can't. It's too soon" Walski said, wide-eyed.
"Temperature inside barrier globe is rising. Ions in the surrounding energy field are rising as well. And focusing"
"Oh shit! Brace yourselves!" Zataku yelled. The same black beam as before streaked across the fallen academy base, leaving another red line. There was a moment of silence, and then the air was filled with a deafening chain of explosions. Zataku picked himself up from the floor, and mumbled," Pain. We meet again. Ouch"
Zataku, Saki, Karinka, Amagi, Ayanokoji, Walski and Brandow made their way to the bridge to get a damage report, and let me tell you, it was nothing short of a ten-page matter.
"Block eight system has dropped to level three," Brandow read off," Backup not responding. Solar power generators eight, seven, and thirty six down. Block fourteen closing circuit valve now. D7 circuit firewall noncompliant. Fires reported on multiple levels. Cooling levels operating at only half prior power levels. Auxiliary power units one, three, and five are entirely inoperable, doctor"
"And the estimated time to repair them?"
"With this amount of damage, three hours"
"We don't have that much time. Soon, Kurumi's barrier globe will reach full regeneration. You've got one hour"
"It is technologically impossible to complete the necessary repairs in one hour"
"We've got to buy more time," Walski sighed.
"I can help," Kamihito said," Let me and Zataku try to slow down the regeneration of the barrier globe that surrounds her. You work on the damage done. We'll take care of the one responsible for it"
Both priest and monster went outside through a reinforced hatch, and took a good look at Kurumi's barrier globe. She was barely visible inside it, but, to Zataku, she still looked as beautiful as ever. Kamihito took a sort of mirror out of his robes, and placed it in the air in front of him. Surprisingly, it hung there without any support. Then, he put his hands together, and chanted," Supreme gods, bless us so that calamities do not befall us. May there be peace and happiness and long life, and may our descendants prosper and become notable. Not through fortune or fame, but through love and deed..."
Then, Zataku began his work. He changed into his true form. His skin grew black and his eyes glowed as red as fire. Black wings like Kurumi's came out of his back, and his body became coated in a sort of heavy armor. His claws grew twice as long, and his fluffy tail morphed into a long black tail like that you would find on a reptile's. He went into a spell casting position, and yelled," BRING PEACE, SLEEP OF ATONEMENT!!!" A blue ring extended from his hands, and grew ever wider as it went. When it hit Kurumi, her barrier was covered in ice, thus stopping its growth. Instantly, the globe shrank back quite a bit, but neither priest nor monster took notice, as they had to devote their full concentration to the task at hand.
"Kurumi's barrier globe has stopped expanding, doctor"
"Good. Begin the necessary repairs at once"
"Yes, sir"
While all this was happening, Nakahito hung back at the infirmary. In the attack that severed Zataku's arm, he had taken a shock to his shoulder, and had to have a piece of shrapnel removed.
"Kamihito said that there was something I could do. He said I had the power. But I... I'm useless," he thought, fighting back a tear. Then, he rolled over onto his good shoulder and tried to get some sleep.
Back at the bridge, Brandow's console lit up like a Christmas tree suddenly.
"What's? Oh no," he said.
"What? What is it?" Walski asked.
"There are three areas of the central power reactor that are completely irreparable. The most we'll be able to generate is sixty percent of our full capacity"
"Sixty?! That's not even enough to begin to invade the barrier globe. For several minutes, Walski suggested things while Brandow told him why they weren't going to work. When he was out of ideas, he slammed his fist down on the table nearby and said," What're you telling me? That we've run out of options? That there is nothing left we can do?" Then, the sliding door opened behind them with a slight depressurization noise.
"Doctor," Kaga said as she walked forward," I've been appraised of the situation. You can generate enough power if you use our energy. Remember, the steel angels are equipped with a system that allows us to convert our own energy into different forms of power. Can you not use this power to compensate for the lack of power you're experiencing?"
"Don't be foolish!" Ayanokoji said," If you convert the amount of energy we're going to need, it will kill you"
Walski sighed, and said," Perhaps Kaga is correct. If we merge the power of the steel angels with the reactor, we'd be able to increase the power output over one hundred percent. However..."
"Doctor," Kaga said," A steel angel's duty is to protect mankind. It's why we were created. If our lives will accomplish that, we would be honored to do so. The angels have discussed this, and we all agree. You have no options"
"No, we don't," he said at last.
"Consider it done," Kaga said before turning around and walking towards the exit. As she walked past Karinka and Saki, she said to them," And what about the two of you? I will not force you" Then, she walked out leaving behind a very guilty feeling Saki and Kurumi.
Walski sat down at the main chair, and said," Brandow, begin power implementation procedures"
Moments later, Brandow said," Power conversion system is up and operational"
"Excellent. Begin activation of the mass generator system at once. Rotate the graviton vectors and then increase the mass from point zero to point four"
Meanwhile, the priest and monster constantly chanted, trying to keep a fallen angel from striking them both down. Kamihito had been chanting constantly, and Zataku had been performing various rituals to strengthen his enchantments. He even had a small pentagram under his feet alongside several candles if one were to walk near it; their life energy would be instantly sucked out and added to his own. Suddenly. Kurumi's barrier globe grew slightly, and energy crackled along it. Nakahito's mirror was cracked while Zataku was given an electrical shock of feedback. He screamed for a moment, but then went back to his rituals.
Back at the bridge, they keenly watch Kurumi and the expansion of her barrier globe. Saki and Karinka looked at each other as if to ask," What do you wanna do?" Then, they ran off down the hall to give their own energy to the cause of defeating Kurumi.
Along the way, Karinka paused for a minute outside of Nakahito's room. Then, she walked inside to give one last good bye.
"Hello, Nakahito," she said, sweetly," How are you feeling? Are you still in pain? Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay," Nakahito replied, obviously angry about something," Something terrible is happening to one of my best friends and my brother. I saw it coming, and I can't do anything about it. And I can't do anything about it now"
"Don't say that," Karinka whispered, as though on the verge of tears.
"Why not? It's true. I'm just not good enough to have friends like a god or a priest or an android"
"Stop it. Stop being... STOP BEING AN IDIOT!!! Just stop feeling sorry for yourself, will you?! It kills me to say this, but I liked you. I really liked you, and all you could do is ask Zataku to fry me or something. How dare you. How dare you give up on them like this when they need you most!"
"Karinka!" Saki cried after her. She stuck her head in Nakahito's room, and said," Nakahito, don't. Don't do this to yourself" Nakahito sat up in shock of what he just heard. However, this moment still was not the worst.
The worst was at sunset. That was when it really hit the proverbial fan. Kamihito constantly chanted, and Zataku's site looked more like a Wicca church without walls than anything else. Incense floated in mid air, the ground was covered with big and small pentagrams branching out in every direction. Nakahito's mirror was cracking all over as he started to loose his focus, and then it shattered all together. He collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Then. Zataku's binding spell came unraveled, causing massive feedback, and making him scream as the entire area round him turned inverted colors as he reverted back to his weaker human form. Then, he fell over, barely alive for the second time that day. Kamihito ran to him, and said," Zataku! Zataku! Are you alright?"
"Mommy, can I have some pancakes for breakfast today?" he said, dazed, then shook his head to clear his mind." Hey, Kamihito, get back to maintaining my binding spell, you idiot!"
"Too late, it failed"
"Oh no. This is bad. I vote we run" They started back to the academy, but, when Zataku looked at Kurumi, he started having second thoughts about abandoning her. Her eyes opened, and shined more evilly than anything Zataku had ever seen. She spread her wings, and expanded the globe even further. She looked so dark, but so beautiful.
As he started toward Kurumi, Kamihito grabbed his shoulder, and said," I'm sorry, my friend, but there is nothing more we can for her. The academy is powering up their main beam cannon. We have to get clear"
"Of course..." He started back with Kamihito but he heard Kurumi's voice in his mind just as the doors deigned to resist massive amounts of punishment were closing" Master. Help me, please. Help me, master..." she said. He ran right in between the doors just as they closed, and got out into the crater.
"Zataku! Zataku, no!" Kamihito yelled as he realized that there was nothing he could do to save his friend.
Behind him, Zataku noticed that the main beam cannons were opening. He knew he wasn't going to get to Kurumi fast enough, so he tried a new spell that he was still testing. He thrusted magical power underneath hum, and yelled," LEVITATION!!!" His feet left the ground, and he flew at very high speeds towards the barrier globe. The terrain was nothing but a blur until he entered the globe. Kurumi seemed to recognize him, and let him through. Inside was nothing but darkness and these strange green stars. They didn't bond with his skin, as Zataku thought they would, but they didn't harm him either. Then, he saw Kurumi herself. She looked some peaceful just floating there, and so beautiful. Her wings were at her sides, and the path to her was clear.
Zataku directed his power so that he flew towards her, and, when he was close enough, he wrapped her in embrace.
"Kurumi. I never really told you this enough during our lives, but, I, demon god Zataku... I... I love you so very much. I love you with all my heart and soul. I love you with every part of my being. I would do whatever I could to protect you. But, now, it seems that the only thing we will be doing now is that we will die together. And, if I can be with you, I don't think death will... be so bad really." Zataku smiled as he closed his eyes, and kissed her.
When they broke the kiss, Kurumi smiled and said," Hello, master"
"Hi, Kurumi. You look so beautiful. So beautiful indeed" Then, he felt the barrier beginning to give way under the massive power of the beam cannons. He knew that even if he had time to set up one his own shields, it wouldn't be enough. As they were enveloped in light, he had time to say three last words which were," I love you"
Then, Zataku woke up in white light. No, that wasn't right. He was surrounded in light. He then saw that Kurumi was at most a few inches away from him, and he was deep in a an affectionate kiss.
She said," Master. Thank you so much for coming for me, master. You saved me"
"I had to," Zataku said, smiling.
"I didn't think we'd ever see each other again"
"I just wanted to see you so badly. I love you. I really do"
"I know that" She said. Her hand was in Zataku's, and they kissed one again. This time, something happened. Blazingly white wings erupted from her backs. However, these were not the wings of a demon, but of an angel.
From inside the academy, Brandow said," My screen is going haywire" The view port, which the academy high faculty used to keep an eye on the battle, was filled with white light and small beams of it were shooting off in random directions. The light pierced right through the base, but instead of harming it, it healed it. Repairing various systems, amongst other things, until it got to reactor core where all the angels hung from electrical transfer circuits. They were drained of their energy; dead in a sense. The healing energy reached them, and, one by one, they returned to life! They were all very confused on why and how they were brought back, but they weren't bitter, that's for sure.
"Wow, I'm back," Karinka said as she too returned from the outer realms," I didn't die after all"
Saki said," I feel so warm. I feel... Kurumi!"
At the bridge, Brandow said," Doctor, you're not going to believe this, but every steel angel's reading is coming back full power. Not only that, but Kurumi's wave patterns shows no sign of demonkind energy."
On the screen, the cameras that were not damaged zoomed in on Kurumi and Zataku. Yes, they were still making out, but, as the writer, I have to say' what's wrong with that'? True, it may be a bit much and a bit sappy, but I really don't give a damn! This is good work here. But, I digress. (Ahem).
"I love you so much, Kurumi," Zataku said, holding her close.
"I love you too"
Ayanokoji said, as though amazed," That's it. I was sure we thought of everything. I can't believe we missed something so important"
"What did we overlook?" Walski asked.
"Neither the mystical powers nor the strengthening of the angel heart itself mattered. There was only one thing that was important to a steel angel like Kurumi. It's the relationship of trust between herself and her master"
"A relationship of trust?" Amagi asked.
"You're right. I believe a more apropos term to apply would be the word love"
"Love is the strongest spiritual power, doctor," Kamihito nodded.
"I believe that. And believe me, I won't overlook that fact ever again"
"Love, huh? Yeah. I guess you could it that. Oh well, whatever the hell you want to call it, I have to say it kicks ASS!!!!" Zataku thought as he picked Kurumi up, and carried her back to Academy base for a few repairs.
"Look, master! It's the first star!" Kurumi said.
"You know what they say, Kurumi. If you see the first star of the night, you're guaranteed happiness"
"Oh, I don't believe that"
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because. I've been extremely happy a long time before I saw any old star"
"Yeah. I'll go with that. Now, how about after you're all fixed up, you can show me all those Aibiki spots you were talking about?" Zataku asked, and then thought," What? You thought I was going to end it here? Yeah right! This girl is one in a million" But there was one more problem. There was a mile wide crater and a down floating base from the future. Who the hell is going to clean all this up?!
"Not me"
When all had settled, Kurumi laid in the center of a crater. Zataku whispered," no. Kurumi, you can't be dead. You just can't be"
"Rest in peace, Kurumi," Mikhail said, somber yet again. Suddenly, the pink-haired angel opened her red eyes, and focused a laser blast at Mikhail. It was strong enough to blast her to ground level even!
"Such incredible power. I'm so proud," Zataku thought as he wiped away a tear, maybe from pride, or maybe from his love of carnage. Then, Kurumi picked up a fallen tree trunk, and threw it at her opponent spear-style. She grunted as she was blown through several trees. Amazingly, she was still breathing. As Kurumi leapt in with her laser fist ready, Mikhail timed it perfectly, and kicked her in the stomach, and, thus, sending her flying backward. Then, both angels prepped a blast, and sent them at each other at the same time.
Zataku had backed off a little, and had used his powers to... microwave some popcorn for while he was watching the battle. Yes, he is, indeed, a very strange demon. Dust cloud after dust cloud erupted from the battleground as the two angels went at it.
"Woo!! Cat fight, yeah!" The rest of the battle was pretty much an exchange of energy blasts. When they did attack one another, they used their power to enhance their blows.
At last, Kurumi decided to end the battle. She leapt upward, and came back down, encased in energy.
"Kurumi! No!" Mikhail cried right before she hit. The result of the dive bomb was that nearly everything around was blown to pieces.
Nakahito yelled," Holy cow!" But Zataku yelled," Aw, man! They blew up my food! That pisses me off!" When everyone could see again, they looked for Kurumi and Mikhail. This wasn't easy due to the massive amount of dust Kurumi attack had kicked up. "Damn! I know she wanted to win, but did she have to blow up the place too?"
"Shut up, Zataku," Nakahito said," Kurumi could be dead, and all you can is make quips?"
"No, you're wrong on both accounts. I thought about my food there a minute ago, and I also know for a fact that Kurumi is much too strong to be beaten by Mikhail. Case closed" he replied in his "I-kicked-your-mental-ass" tone.
"I can see them," Nakahito breathed, looking deep into a cloud of smoke.
"Naked?" Zataku asked, squinting only to be hit upside the head by Karinka. They all watched as Mikhail dropped to the ground in front of Kurumi, defeated. "Kurumi, baby!" Zataku said, as he walked through the dust to complement her. "Kurumi?" he asked again. Then, black wings extended out of her back for all to see. She turned toward him, and looked at the demon god with red-piercing, glowing eyes. Her hair had turned from a shade of pink to a dark color of violet. Lilac might be a better word though. She fully unfurled her wings, and looked at her friends emotionlessly. "Okay, this is bad. I vote we run," Zataku said, backing off," I can feel it. She's so powerful. Too powerful. My god, Kurumi, what's happened to you?"
"Kurumi?" Nakahito asked, unsure of what exactly he was talking to. Suddenly, her eyes flashed brilliant red for a moment, and she moved her wings up until they touched. At the apex, she formed a ball of energy.
"Oh shit! Get down! It's gonna be big!" Zataku yelled, getting in front of them. The ball suddenly contracted, and shot out towards them. "ARMOR OF PURITY!!!" He yelled, moving his arms to his shoulders and then to his sides. A white barrier sprang up in front of him, and stopped the ball. He grunted as it moved him backward, never dissipating or showing signs of weakness. When he could, at last, no longer retain the shield, the ball flew at him at high speed, and blew him back with a spray of blood. The angels ran to him, and saw that he was barely alive. His right arm had been completely severed, and was pouring out blood. His healing abilities were doing the best that they could to stop the bleeding, but, so far, were unable.
"What's happening to you?" Saki yelled, her heart filled with pain. Before she could attack again, several turrets came out of the bottom of the floating academy base towers, and pointed towards Kurumi. They fired a stream of clear energy that caused the rock around her to crack, and even Kurumi herself to bed her knees slightly under the massive force. As a side note, the academy base uses anti-gravity fields to stay hovering twenty-four-seven. Then, she encased herself in a solid black shield, and flew upward to be at the same level as the academy base. Her shield flashed in several places, and then shot out a black beam that passed diagonally through the academy base. It left a red line as it traveled, and then, at least a second later, that line exploded in a chain of detonations.
"Oh my..." Saki breathed.
"Technique imitated," Zataku said, pulling himself to a sitting position.
"No, Zataku, you mustn't move! You lose a lot of blood and one of your arms"
"Feh! Only a flesh wound. Spirit of healing light, restore that which is mine" His arm healed itself at an incredible rate, making a suction sound as it went. Unfortunately, due to Kurumi's mad attack, it began to rain rubble. Saki and Karinka picked up the two human-like mystics, and leapt to safety. Then, they looked up. A rock the size of Zataku's dragon form was coming down at them. He said, as though it was just another thing of life," You know, I can't block that" Just when they thought they were all going to be crushed, the boulder stopped at the last moment, and hovered over them. "Hey, what the..." the demon god breathed, and then said," What's going on here? Who saved us?" The boulder moved to the right about twenty feet, and then landed with a satisfying thud.
"Oh wow," Karinka said," Maybe freak show here isn't as bad as he looks"
"I didn't do anything that would have stopped that boulder, and you're going to pay for that once we get out of this mess, Karinka"
"Nakahito!" A familiar voice called," Are you alright?" They looked to the source of the voice, and saw that it Kamihito who appeared from earlier!
"Kamihito!" the boy cried, happy that his brother was fighting with him.
"I had a dark revelation, and knew I had to come to you"
"Now, uh, priest? Would it be too much to ask to do something about that gigantic scientific fortress that's about to hit the earth and give off an eight point two tremor?" The academy hit the earth as hard as Zataku said, and slid for a good five hundred meters. "Damn, that was impressive!"
"Can I knock him out? Please?" Karinka said through gritted teeth. Kurumi sank back down to ground level enclosed in her barrier, and looked as though she was merely sleeping peacefully.
"Uh, I think we might need a little bit of help on this one," Zataku said, a sweat glob running down the back of his neck," Anyone have an idea? Hands? Anyone?"
"We go to the academy. That is the best place in our situation to regroup and figure out what course of action to take," Kamihito said.
"Okay then. Off we go," Zataku said as he preformed various magical gestures and mumbled spell words. His body transformed into a dragon again, and, with slight accusatory remarks from Kamihito, they flew off.
At the bridge, they found Ayanokoji and another man with blonde hair and a monocle in one eye arguing with each other.
"I told you, didn't I?" Ayanokoji yelled," I told you not to make those two steel angels fight each other!"
"Don't you dare blame me for your actions! You were the one who disobeyed academy orders and created this situation in the first place!" the blonde man said, angrily.
"I opened the gateway and applied the energy of the energy of the demonkind, and that increased the power of the angel hearts! And that's just what we needed at the time!"
"We needed?! Look around you, doctor. Do you think we needed this? A weapon so powerful that we can't control it?! We can't shut it down! You're a pompous renegade who thinks only of your own glory!"
"How dare you!" Ayanokoji said, grabbing the blonde man by the collar of his shirt," you listen to me, you son of a bitch..."
"Oh! Impressive vocabulary, doctor. Now, if you two ladies are done with your little love affair, maybe we could get down to the business of stopping that sweet little angel of death hovering out there, shall we?"
Ayanokoji glared at Zataku, released the guy he had around the neck, and said, quite calmly," Steel Angels have souls just as we do, and you never understood that. And because you never believed that, you felt it was your right to use them in any way you saw fit. When you made them fight each other, the angelic element within rejected the host vessel. Forced to fight her own kind to save herself, the angel part of Kurumi closed her heart, and the demonic energy was free to take over. This was your doing, Walski. You allowed darkness to overtake light not once, but twice in this world's history! She is no longer a steel angel; she's a dark angel. And not even the incarnate, which I went through so much trouble to summon can control her now!"
"Even if you're theory is correct, you neglect it was you who created this situation in the first place! You are the maker of the demons," Walski said, smugly. Ayanokoji scowled, but had nothing else to say.
"Okay, we need to keep our heads on strait, and not let emotion interfere with our search for a solution. Since we all need to cool down somewhat, I think that we should reconvene here in twenty minutes, agreed?" With no objection, Zataku smiled, and said," Good."
Twenty-five minutes later, Zataku sat down at the meeting table, and put his feet up and his hands behind his head. He asked," So, what's my sweetie's status?"
An mechanical voice said," At present, there has been no change in the subject itself. However, the demonkind wave reading continues to give stronger resonations. And this barrier globe, this cocoon, has regenerated to roughly fifty times its normal size"
"I see," Walski said," Continue monitoring her"
"Yes, sir"
"If Kurumi is already at greatest size, then we only have two hours before she fully regenerates," Brandow said.
"You gotta be kiddin` me!" Zataku exclaimed," If she comes out of there all nice and healthy and still really pissed off at us, then we're screwed!"
"But we're not yet out of time. We cannot bring into this era the same fate as we suffered. That was not our goal in coming here. Everyone is expendable. Everyone in this room; everyone in this base; even the academy itself" After a long time of discussion, and suggestion, Walski asked," So no one has any other suggestions?" Then, Saki and Karinka walked in.
Saki asked," Kurumi. How is she?"
"Sleeping peacefully," Brandow answered," And energizing. When she awakens, she will have powers unimaginable, and we will have no weapon against her"
"Seriously," Zataku said, as though still thinking hard," I mean, if she comes out all healthy and stuff like that, even I'll seem like a child's play toy compared to her!"
"She has surpassed energy projections. You three understand what this means, don't you?"
"No, what? What does that mean?" Saki asked. She got silence in return.
"Jesus!" Karinka snapped," Will you cut the drama crap and tell us what you're gonna do?"
"There is only one thing to do," Walski said," Reverse the phase of the power reactors and divert all non-essential system power generators to stop Kurumi. Hopefully, that will be enough to annihilate her existence"
Zataku, who was drinking a cup of coffee instantly spat it out, and said," WHAT?!?!"
"Brandow, alert all decks to begin cons..."
"No! I can't let you do that!" Zataku said," I can't allow you to kill her! C`Mon, doc? You have some idea on how to stop her, right? I'll sacrifice myself if necessary! There's gotta be another way!"
"Dr. Walski, something's happening," the mechanical voice said.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Kurumi's barrier globe is expanding suddenly. Rapidly, sir."
"On screen!"
"Demonkind wave readings approaching the level of the demon incarnate... and beyond"
"Oh no. Kurumi, what have you done?" Zataku breathed in shock.
"She can't. It's too soon" Walski said, wide-eyed.
"Temperature inside barrier globe is rising. Ions in the surrounding energy field are rising as well. And focusing"
"Oh shit! Brace yourselves!" Zataku yelled. The same black beam as before streaked across the fallen academy base, leaving another red line. There was a moment of silence, and then the air was filled with a deafening chain of explosions. Zataku picked himself up from the floor, and mumbled," Pain. We meet again. Ouch"
Zataku, Saki, Karinka, Amagi, Ayanokoji, Walski and Brandow made their way to the bridge to get a damage report, and let me tell you, it was nothing short of a ten-page matter.
"Block eight system has dropped to level three," Brandow read off," Backup not responding. Solar power generators eight, seven, and thirty six down. Block fourteen closing circuit valve now. D7 circuit firewall noncompliant. Fires reported on multiple levels. Cooling levels operating at only half prior power levels. Auxiliary power units one, three, and five are entirely inoperable, doctor"
"And the estimated time to repair them?"
"With this amount of damage, three hours"
"We don't have that much time. Soon, Kurumi's barrier globe will reach full regeneration. You've got one hour"
"It is technologically impossible to complete the necessary repairs in one hour"
"We've got to buy more time," Walski sighed.
"I can help," Kamihito said," Let me and Zataku try to slow down the regeneration of the barrier globe that surrounds her. You work on the damage done. We'll take care of the one responsible for it"
Both priest and monster went outside through a reinforced hatch, and took a good look at Kurumi's barrier globe. She was barely visible inside it, but, to Zataku, she still looked as beautiful as ever. Kamihito took a sort of mirror out of his robes, and placed it in the air in front of him. Surprisingly, it hung there without any support. Then, he put his hands together, and chanted," Supreme gods, bless us so that calamities do not befall us. May there be peace and happiness and long life, and may our descendants prosper and become notable. Not through fortune or fame, but through love and deed..."
Then, Zataku began his work. He changed into his true form. His skin grew black and his eyes glowed as red as fire. Black wings like Kurumi's came out of his back, and his body became coated in a sort of heavy armor. His claws grew twice as long, and his fluffy tail morphed into a long black tail like that you would find on a reptile's. He went into a spell casting position, and yelled," BRING PEACE, SLEEP OF ATONEMENT!!!" A blue ring extended from his hands, and grew ever wider as it went. When it hit Kurumi, her barrier was covered in ice, thus stopping its growth. Instantly, the globe shrank back quite a bit, but neither priest nor monster took notice, as they had to devote their full concentration to the task at hand.
"Kurumi's barrier globe has stopped expanding, doctor"
"Good. Begin the necessary repairs at once"
"Yes, sir"
While all this was happening, Nakahito hung back at the infirmary. In the attack that severed Zataku's arm, he had taken a shock to his shoulder, and had to have a piece of shrapnel removed.
"Kamihito said that there was something I could do. He said I had the power. But I... I'm useless," he thought, fighting back a tear. Then, he rolled over onto his good shoulder and tried to get some sleep.
Back at the bridge, Brandow's console lit up like a Christmas tree suddenly.
"What's? Oh no," he said.
"What? What is it?" Walski asked.
"There are three areas of the central power reactor that are completely irreparable. The most we'll be able to generate is sixty percent of our full capacity"
"Sixty?! That's not even enough to begin to invade the barrier globe. For several minutes, Walski suggested things while Brandow told him why they weren't going to work. When he was out of ideas, he slammed his fist down on the table nearby and said," What're you telling me? That we've run out of options? That there is nothing left we can do?" Then, the sliding door opened behind them with a slight depressurization noise.
"Doctor," Kaga said as she walked forward," I've been appraised of the situation. You can generate enough power if you use our energy. Remember, the steel angels are equipped with a system that allows us to convert our own energy into different forms of power. Can you not use this power to compensate for the lack of power you're experiencing?"
"Don't be foolish!" Ayanokoji said," If you convert the amount of energy we're going to need, it will kill you"
Walski sighed, and said," Perhaps Kaga is correct. If we merge the power of the steel angels with the reactor, we'd be able to increase the power output over one hundred percent. However..."
"Doctor," Kaga said," A steel angel's duty is to protect mankind. It's why we were created. If our lives will accomplish that, we would be honored to do so. The angels have discussed this, and we all agree. You have no options"
"No, we don't," he said at last.
"Consider it done," Kaga said before turning around and walking towards the exit. As she walked past Karinka and Saki, she said to them," And what about the two of you? I will not force you" Then, she walked out leaving behind a very guilty feeling Saki and Kurumi.
Walski sat down at the main chair, and said," Brandow, begin power implementation procedures"
Moments later, Brandow said," Power conversion system is up and operational"
"Excellent. Begin activation of the mass generator system at once. Rotate the graviton vectors and then increase the mass from point zero to point four"
Meanwhile, the priest and monster constantly chanted, trying to keep a fallen angel from striking them both down. Kamihito had been chanting constantly, and Zataku had been performing various rituals to strengthen his enchantments. He even had a small pentagram under his feet alongside several candles if one were to walk near it; their life energy would be instantly sucked out and added to his own. Suddenly. Kurumi's barrier globe grew slightly, and energy crackled along it. Nakahito's mirror was cracked while Zataku was given an electrical shock of feedback. He screamed for a moment, but then went back to his rituals.
Back at the bridge, they keenly watch Kurumi and the expansion of her barrier globe. Saki and Karinka looked at each other as if to ask," What do you wanna do?" Then, they ran off down the hall to give their own energy to the cause of defeating Kurumi.
Along the way, Karinka paused for a minute outside of Nakahito's room. Then, she walked inside to give one last good bye.
"Hello, Nakahito," she said, sweetly," How are you feeling? Are you still in pain? Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not okay," Nakahito replied, obviously angry about something," Something terrible is happening to one of my best friends and my brother. I saw it coming, and I can't do anything about it. And I can't do anything about it now"
"Don't say that," Karinka whispered, as though on the verge of tears.
"Why not? It's true. I'm just not good enough to have friends like a god or a priest or an android"
"Stop it. Stop being... STOP BEING AN IDIOT!!! Just stop feeling sorry for yourself, will you?! It kills me to say this, but I liked you. I really liked you, and all you could do is ask Zataku to fry me or something. How dare you. How dare you give up on them like this when they need you most!"
"Karinka!" Saki cried after her. She stuck her head in Nakahito's room, and said," Nakahito, don't. Don't do this to yourself" Nakahito sat up in shock of what he just heard. However, this moment still was not the worst.
The worst was at sunset. That was when it really hit the proverbial fan. Kamihito constantly chanted, and Zataku's site looked more like a Wicca church without walls than anything else. Incense floated in mid air, the ground was covered with big and small pentagrams branching out in every direction. Nakahito's mirror was cracking all over as he started to loose his focus, and then it shattered all together. He collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Then. Zataku's binding spell came unraveled, causing massive feedback, and making him scream as the entire area round him turned inverted colors as he reverted back to his weaker human form. Then, he fell over, barely alive for the second time that day. Kamihito ran to him, and said," Zataku! Zataku! Are you alright?"
"Mommy, can I have some pancakes for breakfast today?" he said, dazed, then shook his head to clear his mind." Hey, Kamihito, get back to maintaining my binding spell, you idiot!"
"Too late, it failed"
"Oh no. This is bad. I vote we run" They started back to the academy, but, when Zataku looked at Kurumi, he started having second thoughts about abandoning her. Her eyes opened, and shined more evilly than anything Zataku had ever seen. She spread her wings, and expanded the globe even further. She looked so dark, but so beautiful.
As he started toward Kurumi, Kamihito grabbed his shoulder, and said," I'm sorry, my friend, but there is nothing more we can for her. The academy is powering up their main beam cannon. We have to get clear"
"Of course..." He started back with Kamihito but he heard Kurumi's voice in his mind just as the doors deigned to resist massive amounts of punishment were closing" Master. Help me, please. Help me, master..." she said. He ran right in between the doors just as they closed, and got out into the crater.
"Zataku! Zataku, no!" Kamihito yelled as he realized that there was nothing he could do to save his friend.
Behind him, Zataku noticed that the main beam cannons were opening. He knew he wasn't going to get to Kurumi fast enough, so he tried a new spell that he was still testing. He thrusted magical power underneath hum, and yelled," LEVITATION!!!" His feet left the ground, and he flew at very high speeds towards the barrier globe. The terrain was nothing but a blur until he entered the globe. Kurumi seemed to recognize him, and let him through. Inside was nothing but darkness and these strange green stars. They didn't bond with his skin, as Zataku thought they would, but they didn't harm him either. Then, he saw Kurumi herself. She looked some peaceful just floating there, and so beautiful. Her wings were at her sides, and the path to her was clear.
Zataku directed his power so that he flew towards her, and, when he was close enough, he wrapped her in embrace.
"Kurumi. I never really told you this enough during our lives, but, I, demon god Zataku... I... I love you so very much. I love you with all my heart and soul. I love you with every part of my being. I would do whatever I could to protect you. But, now, it seems that the only thing we will be doing now is that we will die together. And, if I can be with you, I don't think death will... be so bad really." Zataku smiled as he closed his eyes, and kissed her.
When they broke the kiss, Kurumi smiled and said," Hello, master"
"Hi, Kurumi. You look so beautiful. So beautiful indeed" Then, he felt the barrier beginning to give way under the massive power of the beam cannons. He knew that even if he had time to set up one his own shields, it wouldn't be enough. As they were enveloped in light, he had time to say three last words which were," I love you"
Then, Zataku woke up in white light. No, that wasn't right. He was surrounded in light. He then saw that Kurumi was at most a few inches away from him, and he was deep in a an affectionate kiss.
She said," Master. Thank you so much for coming for me, master. You saved me"
"I had to," Zataku said, smiling.
"I didn't think we'd ever see each other again"
"I just wanted to see you so badly. I love you. I really do"
"I know that" She said. Her hand was in Zataku's, and they kissed one again. This time, something happened. Blazingly white wings erupted from her backs. However, these were not the wings of a demon, but of an angel.
From inside the academy, Brandow said," My screen is going haywire" The view port, which the academy high faculty used to keep an eye on the battle, was filled with white light and small beams of it were shooting off in random directions. The light pierced right through the base, but instead of harming it, it healed it. Repairing various systems, amongst other things, until it got to reactor core where all the angels hung from electrical transfer circuits. They were drained of their energy; dead in a sense. The healing energy reached them, and, one by one, they returned to life! They were all very confused on why and how they were brought back, but they weren't bitter, that's for sure.
"Wow, I'm back," Karinka said as she too returned from the outer realms," I didn't die after all"
Saki said," I feel so warm. I feel... Kurumi!"
At the bridge, Brandow said," Doctor, you're not going to believe this, but every steel angel's reading is coming back full power. Not only that, but Kurumi's wave patterns shows no sign of demonkind energy."
On the screen, the cameras that were not damaged zoomed in on Kurumi and Zataku. Yes, they were still making out, but, as the writer, I have to say' what's wrong with that'? True, it may be a bit much and a bit sappy, but I really don't give a damn! This is good work here. But, I digress. (Ahem).
"I love you so much, Kurumi," Zataku said, holding her close.
"I love you too"
Ayanokoji said, as though amazed," That's it. I was sure we thought of everything. I can't believe we missed something so important"
"What did we overlook?" Walski asked.
"Neither the mystical powers nor the strengthening of the angel heart itself mattered. There was only one thing that was important to a steel angel like Kurumi. It's the relationship of trust between herself and her master"
"A relationship of trust?" Amagi asked.
"You're right. I believe a more apropos term to apply would be the word love"
"Love is the strongest spiritual power, doctor," Kamihito nodded.
"I believe that. And believe me, I won't overlook that fact ever again"
"Love, huh? Yeah. I guess you could it that. Oh well, whatever the hell you want to call it, I have to say it kicks ASS!!!!" Zataku thought as he picked Kurumi up, and carried her back to Academy base for a few repairs.
"Look, master! It's the first star!" Kurumi said.
"You know what they say, Kurumi. If you see the first star of the night, you're guaranteed happiness"
"Oh, I don't believe that"
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because. I've been extremely happy a long time before I saw any old star"
"Yeah. I'll go with that. Now, how about after you're all fixed up, you can show me all those Aibiki spots you were talking about?" Zataku asked, and then thought," What? You thought I was going to end it here? Yeah right! This girl is one in a million" But there was one more problem. There was a mile wide crater and a down floating base from the future. Who the hell is going to clean all this up?!
"Not me"
