Chapter 3

Urd leaped out of the way as a lightning bolt crashed into the porch were she had been standing. As she leaped, her outfit flashed and changed into her battle outfit. She landed on her feet and turned to face the woman in black. The women raised her right hand and brought it down. Urd rolled out of the way as another lightning bolt slammed into the earth.

"What the hell is going on?!" Keiichi was now standing on the porch.

"GET BACK INSIDE!" shouted Urd as she sent a lightning bolt of her own at her attacker. The attacker jumped out of the way, her skirt billowing behind her, she then rolled back onto her feet and brought down two more lightning bolts. Urd dodged both as best she could, but was clipped in the arm. Urd fell to the ground stunned.

"So it ends.." The woman began to raise her left arm, pointing it at Urd. A force bolt slammed into her, knocking her off-balance. She rose and turned to see Belldandy standing before her in full battle outfit. She held her staff steady in the face of the attacker.

"Who are you?" asked Belldandy, "And why are you attacking my sister?"

The attacker slowly rose to her feet. She simply stared at Belldandy who tracked the attacker with her staff.

"Why don't you answer me?" shouted Belldandy.

"Forgive me.." The attacker said quietly. She quickly grabbed hold of Belldandy's staff and spun, pulling it from Belldandy's hands. She continued her arc, bringing the end of the staff around and into the side of Belldandy's head. Belldandy flew several feet before landing hard on the ground.

"BELLDANDY!!!" Keiichi ran to Belldandy's side. He then glared at the attacker. The attacker dropped the staff and started to head back towards Urd.

"HEY YOU!! EAT BOMB!!"

Though 18 years old now, Skuld still tended to rely on her explosives. She tossed her bomb at the attacker who caught it easily. To Skuld's shock, the attacker pulled out a wire, disabling the bomb.

"I don't have time for this..." the woman crushed the bomb in her left hand and dropped it.

Skuld was stunned. Not only had the woman disabled her bomb, she had crushed it with her bare hand, something no one should have been able to do. Urd was by now regaining her senses. She looked up to see the woman coming back towards her.

"I'm really sorry." the woman said, "but I'm afraid this is the way it must be."

Before Urd could say anything, there was a loud clang and she felt a breeze from in front of her, as well as something racing past her head again. She blinked and opened her eyes to see the woman, her left arm pointed downwards with part of an ax buried in her forearm. Holding the Ax was Lind.

"Your attack here has come to an end." said Lind quietly.

The woman looked at Lind, and then back at her arm. Strangely, she did not seemed to be bothered by an Ax literally cutting her arm in two.

"Perhaps," the woman said, "perhaps not." The woman pulled her arm off of the Ax and brought her right around. As she did, a ball of light appeared within it. She shoved the ball into Lind's stomach. The ball exploded, tossing both to the ground. The woman stood up slowly, glaring at Lind. Lind rose to her feet and looked about for her fallen Ax.

"This is not your fight Lind." the woman said, "It's between me and Urd."

"Not anymore." said Lind, "You'll have to get through me before you touch Urd."

"You wouldn't last 3 seconds against me."

A frown appeared on Lind's face. She then charged at the woman. Lind threw a series of punched and kicks at the woman who easily blocked them. She then grabbed hold of Lind's arm with her left, bending it back. Lind let out a cry of pain. The woman leaned in close to Lind's ear.

"You have nowhere near the experience I have had." She then brought right fist into Lind's face, knocking the Fighting Goddess out. The Woman dropped the unconscious goddess and started back to Urd. She raised her left hand at Urd.

"Good bye Urd."

Urd closed her eyes and waited for the end. Her eyes remained closed for several minutes, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see the woman still holding her arm on Urd, only it was shaking badly. The woman took a deep breathe and tried to steady her arm with her right, but failed.

"Dammit...I....can't..." The woman collapsed to the ground, crying. "I just..... can't....."

Urd stood up and moved to the side of the woman.

"Who are you?"

The woman looked up at Urd. Urd could just barely see brown eyes hiding behind the visor, eyes full of pain.

"I..." suddenly the woman was on her feet. She ran towards a small reflecting pool on the temple grounds. She dove at the pool. As she did, a circular gate flashed into existence and she vanished into it.

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With a roar, the 1st burst out of the bathtub of an abandoned apartment. She stumbled over to the mirror, removed her helmet and looked at her reflection. She frowned at what she saw.

"I HATE YOU!!!" she screamed, throwing her helmet at the mirror, shattering it.

"I hate you." She repeated softly.

She stalked out of the bathroom and then collapsed on the carpet of the living room.

"I just can't do it.." She said quietly.

"I can't kill my sister."

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"She appears to have been a Goddess." said Lind.

Lind, Belldandy, Keiichi, Skuld, and Urd all sat around the dining room table.

"A Goddess?" asked Keiichi, "I thought she was a demon. Why would a goddess want to attack Urd?"

"Whoever it was wanted me dead." said Urd.

"That much was obvious." said Lind.

"But she held back. When she finally had the chance, she didn't follow through with it. Why?"

"We'll know that when we find her."

Keiichi looked over at Lind, "You're going after her? After what she did to you four?"

"That is my job." said Lind, "Goddess or Demon, I will do what it takes to stop her."

"Even killing her?"

All four Goddesses looked at him. Belldandy then looked down at the table, while Skuld and Urd looked off in other directions. Lind finally answered.

"If I cannot stop her by normal means.....yes."

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"Ma'am?"

Peorth turned from the terminal and looked at Chronos. "Hmm?"

"Lind has arrived on the surface. She arrived in the middle of a battle between Goddess Urd and the unknown."

"Hmmm." Peorth turned back and looked at the screen in front of her.

Chronos glanced over Peorth shoulder, "What is that?"

"The scans Skuld made of the location. It's an Yggdrasil power signature."

Chronos stared in shock, "Yggdrasil? But....We have no evidence of any gates opening, no traffic either way at the time. It couldn't have been Yggdrasil."

"There's more." Peorth pointed to a section of the monitor, "You see that? Its chronotons."

Chronos frowned, "What is a chronoton?"

"Besides having a similar name to you," Peorth said with a smile, "they were thought to be theoretical. I had Yggdrasil digging deep in its files to figure it out. Chronotons are particles that are left behind after time travel. Apparently, our mystery guest is a time traveler."

"But from where?" asked Chronos, "The past or the future?"

"I'd guess the future. The amount of power required to pull this off would involve the full use of Yggdrasil, with nothing left to run the universe." Peorth frowned. "Whatever she here for, to risk the entire system on a jump through time, it had better be important."

The screen flickered and went bright red as alarms went off all over the building.

"What?" Peorth looked at the screen, "Again?"

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The 1st was asleep, still laying where she fell. Her face for once seemed peaceful and content. That peace was shattered when a frown appeared on her face and her left hand began to twitch. Suddenly she sat up, fully awake.

"They're here." She said softly.

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"Where are we?" asked one of the demons.

Akuma, the leader of the group, looked at that demon. "We appear to be in Japan, before our...improvements."

Another demon walked over, carrying a newspaper. "Sir, the date..."

Akuma glanced at the paper. A grim look appeared on his face. "We are before the ascension."

"But what could the Goddess come here for?"

Akuma glared at the demon. "Isn't obvious? She wants to prevent the ascension and change the future. Without it, our Queen no longer rules hell and our great victory will never happen."

The other demons began to nod as understanding finally got into their heads. Akuma sighed.

"With you idiots around it's a wonder that we did win." He muttered. "Move out. We must find that Goddess. Ignore the others for now."

"And if we find her?"

"Our orders are to bring her back. The Queen wishes to deal with her."

"And if she refuses to come?"

"Then she will die here."

The 6 demons nodded and immediately flew off.

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"Well?"

Lind hung up the phone and turned to Urd. She then motioned for Urd to follow and walked into another room. Urd followed, closing the door behind her.

Lind turned and faced Urd. "Peorth said that another signal was detected."

"Great..." muttered Urd, "More demons...."

"Peorth analyzed the readings Skuld took. She said it was an Yggdrasil power signature, possibly involving time travel from the future."

Urd crossed her arms and stared at Lind, "More Goddesses from the future trying to kill me?"

"No. These teleported away shortly after arrival." Lind got a very serious look on her face. "They used a demon gate."

"Oh crap..."

"There's more. I didn't want to worry the others." Lind pulled out her ax. She held it up for Urd to inspect. There was a dent along the blade. "You see it?"

Urd frowned, "This blade was forged in the heavens, how could it get a dent?"

"It happened when I fought that Goddess. It should have gone through her arm without stopping, yet it only went halfway, and she acted like it was nothing." Lind put her ax away. "She was able to defeat me in hand to hand combat, after receiving a wound that should have broken her concentration, as well as left her crippled." Lind looked over at Urd. "There is more to that goddess then meets the eye."

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"I don't see why we had to come here." muttered one demon, "It's only one goddess."

The two demons sat next to each other on top of a building

"That goddess is the last 1st Class Goddess," replied the other, "She is also related to our Queen."

"The Queen has a Goddess in her family? Is that why she wants her back so badly?"

"Not exactly."

"But why would she come here?"

"Like the Boss said, to change the future."

"He was right." interrupted a female voice.

The two demons whirled about to see the 1st standing behind them. One demon immediately went down as a disk slammed into his face. The other went flying as a force bolt slammed into his chest. He quickly got back up. The 1st stood quietly nearby with her arms crossed.

"You're all by yourself now." said the 1st, "You can't defeat me on your own and you know it."

The demon smiled, "I brought help." He waved his hands and four more demons appeared. "You're coming with us."

"I think not."

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It was all over 5 minutes later. The 1st was leaning against an air vent, breathing heavily. Around her lay the bodies of the 6 demons.

'Damn,' thought the 1st, 'I used a lot of power. I need a recharge.'

She stepped away from the vent and stumbled into a nearby puddle. Stepping out from the shadows, Akuma looked over the scene.

"Idiots." He muttered. "The Queen isn't going to like this."