Chapter 7
written by Illuminet
DISCLAIMER: Same as always.
"Alright, now tell me, why has this Bureau been after me so much. You told me before that they hunt down the Japanese, those who can use Ki, and Gears, right? So why am I suddenly in the spot light?"
Sol asked as he eased into the chair more, to get comfortable.
"To be honest, I don't have any real knowledge as to why their interests have suddenly turned towards you. But I think they are curious: The victory over Justice has proven your power to surpass all human limits. The same goes for your victory over Dizzy..."
Sol looked at Slayer oddly.
"They don't know that I defeated Dizzy. They think that Chinese chick defeated her to claim the bounty..."
Slayer shook his head.
"I'm not talking about your first victory over her, I'm talking about the second one. Remember, she went berserk after falling off the May ship, if my memory serves me right, and the Bureau has all sorts of hired spies, so it was only natural that they track her as best they can. They didn't catch much, but they are aware of your victory none the less."
Sol rubbed his chin in thought.
'So they caught me defeating Dizzy, huh? Still, with my victory over Justice, they shouldn't be that interested, unless it really is just out of curiosity. Maybe they have nothing to do, but I seriously doubt it.'
"So, anything else you want to add to that.
Sol said simply as he took a long drag of his cigarette. Slayer smirked.
"Actually, one thing I do know for sure, they are making another Gear. This Gear is supposedly able to wield enough power comparable to two Dizzys. I know what your going to say: that such a feet is not possible. But I assure you, Sol, that with each day, technology will keep advancing. Even creating Gears with greater initial power levels than any other you might have faced before."
Sol whistled.
"Sounds like quite the challenge..."
Slayer grinned.
"Don't get to arrogant about the situation, yet. It get's worse. You see, this new type of Gear is supposedly able to charge up with the more damage it takes. That being said, if you were to damage these Gears enough, they could multiply their power almost six times more than normal. That could be comparable to fighting six Dizzys. Still confident?
Sol closed his eyes in thought for a moment.
"I still have the advantage. My powers have developed amazingly over the last few centuries of living. This should be enough..."
Slayer sighed at what Sol said.
"I wish I could agree, however, I still have my doubt. What if they are already being mass produced? Can you say for sure you could take them on without any outside help? Would you even go so far as to use your hidden Gear powers?"
Sol looked at Slayer.
"I see what you mean...but I should have enough control over my powers to use them effectively."
Slayer looked at Sol in all seriousness.
"Hopefully your right. It would be a shame to have a repeat of what happened last time..."
Sol growled at the older man.
"Shut the FUCK up! I've learned to control it, alright?
Slayer sighed.
"How about tomorrow we test your control? You can work on it as much as you please."
'Still doubtful...heh, should have known.'
"Yeah, sure. How about this same time tomorrow?"
Slayer nodded as Sol got up and walked out of the room. There was going to be a lot of hard work to be done.
'Better get some sleep.'
Sol walked down the narrow halls until he reached the stair way, where he proceeded up to the fourth floor of the castle. The place creaked every so often as Sol walked up the stairs. He finally was in another hall and proceeded to the end of it, reaching for the last room, and opened the door. The room was all red, similar in style to the one he had been in with Slayer. Sol took a chair and sat on it, looking at the fire place as wood burned in it.
'So...tired...'
Sol fell asleep soundly, still in his chair.
----
"The Robo Kys are useless."
Said the shadow within the dim light. Another turned towards him.
"I agree. Even with these new models, they proved insufficient to capture either Sol Badguy or Dizzy. We need a new approach..."
He was interrupted by a third one.
"Perhaps we should send in that new type of Gear. Her powers should prove quite useful. If we can locate Sol Badguy and Dizzy, she should be able to overwhelm them with her combat abilities."
"Are you so sure? Dizzy is a halfling Gear, but she is stronger than Justice was, plus, we now know that Sol Badguy is stronger than Dizzy, herself..."
"Heh, not to worry. For you see, the new Gear being developed has a special system to convert damage taken into power, and multiply it with her initial power. Only an extremely powerful Gear could possibly do enough damage to destroy her..."
He was then interrupted as another voice spoke up.
"To destroy her? how so? Does she not have regenerative powers?"
"No, not that, she does, however, she can only charge up a maximum of four times. I have no solid evidence on Dizzy's true power, but I believe I have judged it enough, where the new Gear has a power level comparable to two Dizzys. A maximum of four times is enough to give the Gear the power of about eight Dizzy's, yet, this Gear has not lived long enough to control such an overwhelming amount of power yet. So, say this particularly powerful Gear faces with her? She could go insane do to charged powers, or if she didn't, this anonymous Gear would still be able to over power her and kill her. As simple as that."
He explained with a snap of his fingers to enphasize his point. Another laughed.
"There is no Gear out there who exists in this world who wields that much power to destroy our new Gear. We would know about it."
"I agree. Well, are we in favor of sending our new Gear, once we track our target's once more?"
All shadows nodded before another spoke up.
"I have devised an easier system of tracking our target."
All attention turned to him.
"I have found a way to create a navigation system that can track the power signatures of Outrage weaponry. Sol Badguy, Anji Mito, and Ky Kiske wield three of the Outrage. By tracking down there weapons, we could find them a lot easier..."
"Are you certain? You know of a way to track Outrage? Why was this never brought up previously?"
The shadow held up a hand, signaling the other to stop.
"I've have recently developed this system of tracking. If it goes well, we can apprehend both the targets as well as the other two with the Outrage. With these final weapons, we can complete are long awaited project."
"Hmmm....That is true, and we can get the other Outrages very easily, too. It looks like we may yet have our masterpiece complete in a short matter of time. So now then, do we all agree to awaken our new Gear?"
All heads nodded as they began to laugh in delight.
'It is only a matter of time, now...'
----
Sol got up slowly. His muscles ached from sleeping in the chair all night. The fire was already out, as the room stayed in darkness.
"Ow...my body hurts all over."
Sol cracked all his joints audibly as he stretched to get the sores out of his body. When he was done, he walked out the room, deciding to leave the Fire Seal. Very little sun light came into the castle, save for some cracks in various places around the building. Sol made his way to the highest level, where a large balcony stood, overlooking tiny specks of the countryside. When he made it, he shielded his eyes for a moment, letting them adjust to the sun light. When he could finally see, he looked towards a small table, where Ky was sitting, drinking tea with a towering man with a slave collar. The man was ,by all standards, a giant, and the widest man Sol had ever known. Potemkin had an extremely intimidating look to him, but Sol knew him to be as gentle as a butterfly. The two looked at Sol as he stood by the entrance.
"Its you. I never thought I'd see the day you two would set aside your difference to survive."
Potemkin said in a heavy voice. Sol smirked.
"Whatever...why are you here?
Potemkin to a sip from the small tea cup, which looked even smaller in his giant hand.
"Slayer has been training me. Through him, I hope to become stronger than I ever was."
Sol scratched his head.
'He's actually taking the behemoth as an apprentice, huh?'
"How long have you been here, anyway?"
"Not that long I've been here for about a week."
"I see..."
Sol looked around and saw Baiken smoking from her pipe and having a drink with Johnny on the other end. Anji seemed to be practicing a dance of some sort, as he moved around a small area near the center of the balcony. Axl was talking to Bridget. May, Millia, and Dizzy were no where in sight.
"Did you sleep well?"
Sol heard Millia ask from behind him. He turned to look at her.
"For the most part. When I woke up, I had a fucking cramp in my entire body. And the right side of my face fell asleep, otherwise, just peachy, I guess. What about you?"
Millia shook her head.
"Its a little unsettling for me when I sleep in a castle that houses a real vampire, not to mention he was the creator of the Assassin Guild, which I was once a part of..."
Sol laughed.
"You should loosen up. Vampires ain't that bad, just really annoying."
Slayer emerged from the shadows.
"Am I really so bad, Sol?"
Sol scoffed.
"You really make my life a living hell, you know that?"
The man merely laughed at the fuming Sol.
"I'm sure you already know, but you won't be safe here for long."
Slayer said seriously. Sol nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Ky looked up.
"What do you mean?"
Potemkin answered for him.
"This castle disappears after about one weeks time for about a month or two."
Ky raised his eye brows.
"What? Are you serious? Why is that?"
Slayer straightened his tie."
"Well, Sir Kiske, it disappears for safety reasons, you see..."
Sol interrupted him.
"It's just to avoid detection. Stop asking so many questions, boy."
Ky growled at the older man.
"Sol..."
Slayer came between the two.
"Now, now. Just remember you all have until tonight, so you should prepare that air ship of yours and get going."
----
"Well, thanks for having us, Mr. Slayer."
Dizzy said as she bowed. The preparations for take off were already set. Sol was the last one to come aboard, turning to Slayer.
"I was hoping to relax a bit, but I should have remembered your castle doesn't stay visible for that long. Oh well. See ya."
As Sol turned to leave, Slayer stopped him.
"Just remember, you owe me for this, my old friend."
Sol gritted his teeth.
"Yeah, I know. But hey, I have all eternity to repay the debt, right?"
Both men laughed, while everyone stared at them oddly.
"What are they talking about?"
Ky asked himself. Potemkin, who thought the question was directed at him, shrugged his massive shoulders. Inside the ship, Johnny was waiting.
"Hey, is everyone on board?"
He asked through the inter com.
"Yes, captain, Sol just got on. Now everyone's on board, awaiting take off."
April said back. Johnny smiled.
"Time to hit the skies then."
----
Room of shadows
"Let us launch Violet. She should be ready now."
Said a shade as he looked towards his other comrades. They all nodded.
"Now, a true ultimate Gear has been born. She should have more than enough power to stop both the Gear Dizzy, and the human, Sol Badguy. Let us commence the operation."
All heads nodded once more.
----
Dizzy and May's cabin
Dizzy clutched a hand over her heart.
'Something is coming...What is this feeling?'
May looked towards her.
"Dizzy, is something wrong?"
Dizzy looked up at her, with a pained expression.
"I feel something powerful heading our way...May, please tell Captain Johnny..."
May nodded.
"I'm on it!"
As she left Dizzy stared out the window.
'Could it be?'
On deck, Sol was staring out over the skies. The clouds were turning black, as he heard thunder in the distance.
'A storm's coming...along with a birth...a birth of a damned weapon, a Gear...perhaps the most dangerous yet. She has just been released into the world. Tell me...is that why you came, Testament?'
Sol looked towards a rather large raven with a metal collar around it's neck. From behind him came a mass of red liquid as it splashed onto the deck, before revealing a pale skinned man dressed in all black, as his long black hair trailed in the winds.
'Gear Hunter, my only concern is her safety...I swore to protect her with my life.'
Testament spoke telepathically to Sol, as he stood beside him, grasping the railing as the raven perched on his shoulder.
"Testament!"
Dizzy and the rest of the crew came behind them, smiling at Testament. He nodded at her.
"Have you been well?"
He asked, his voice showing a little concern.
"Of course, but why are you here now?"
His eyes narrowed.
"A Gear is coming. I am here to fight."
Johnny raised an eye brow.
"Are you serious?"
Sol kept looking towards the sky.
"Hey, do you know of the place called the Grave?"
Johnny turned towards Sol, with a confused expression.
"You want to go there?"
Ky spoke up suddenly.
"That place is...no, it would be in our best interest to head there. It is secluded from all other civilization. If we are going to fight a Gear, it would be best to do so there."
Johnny looked towards Ky.
"...guess your right. Alright everybody, we'll all head to the Grave then."
----
Nirvana, ex-location of the Assassin's Guild
"It is almost time...you will be able to walk the Earth once more."
Said a hooded man to a giant beast chained to the center of the floor.
"Soon...all the Outrage will be ours..."
The beast growled through the binding chains that held it.
----
Grave, Justice's final resting place
The May ship was stopped near the edge of the Grave land, as there was too much debris in the area to land safely. Everyone headed towards it's center, to a place called The Stairway to the Heavens, where many mangled remains of Gears had fought in the Crusades. The place always had rain, which only stopped occasionally.
"This place brings back memories..."
Sol muttered to himself. When they all reached The Stairway, the rain started to pour even faster.
"So this is where the Crusades ended."
Millia said as she touched a giant statue head that laid on it's side. Dizzy shivered.
"This place...it seems so cold and desolate. So painful..."
Ky looked towards The Stairway.
"This is the supposed resting place of Justice, where he was killed in battle by an anonymous person..."
Bridget spoke up.
"Actually, it was Sol Badguy who defeated him."
Sol scowled.
"Shut up, squirt."
Sol then made his way up the long flight of stairs.
"What are you doing, Sol?"
Ky asked, but a hand stopped him.
"Leave him, Knight."
Testament said simply, as he made his way towards a broken statue and leaned against it, as Dizzy stood talking to him. Johnny and May leaned against another statue, while Bridget played with his yo-yo on the opposite side. Anji stood around shivering, as he did not have a shirt. Axl whistled a tune as he sat on the wet ground. Baiken stood up, sharpening her katana with a small, smooth stone. Millia sat on her hair, which she had solidified to hold her weight.
"It seems it is just us."
Potemkin said slowly to Ky as he towered over the young Knight. Ky simply nodded.
"Yes, I agree."
Sol finally made it to the very top. A large crystal hovered at the end of the Stairway, housing Justice, the first complete Gear. Sol implanted his sword into the ground before bringing his hands together in prayer.
'This is where it ended...The Crusades...and the Tournament...'
:::FLASHBACK:::
The two stare down each other. Justice strikes first, using his Gear powers to shift his arm into a powerful sword, slashing horizontally at Sol Badguy. The latter ducks under the blow. before bringing his right fist out, catching Justice in the stomach. As Justice kneels forward in pain, Sol brings out his left arm swiftly, making the Gear's head snap back as it crashes into the ground. Justice get's up quickly, striking Sol's leg with his tail, before bringing up his giant talons an slashing in an X like motion, tearing into Sol's chest. The man grunts slightly.
"Volcanic Viper!"
Sol slashes upward with his sword into the air, sending Justice upward in a haze of flame, before bringing out his foot and slamming the Gear to the ground. As Sol comes down, he slashes vertically at Justice, but is countered by it's tail, as it wraps around the man's arm and flinging him through the air. Justice then takes to the sky after Sol, and lashes out with an electronically charged tail, sending Sol into the ground as electricity surges through his body. As Justice is about to land on Sol, the man kicks to his feet quickly, hitting a statue as he jump kicks off it, solidly connecting with the Gear's back as it is sent through another statue.
"It is not over yet, Corrupted Flame..."
Justice rises, tired of this game. He has lost to Sol once in the Crusades, due to his overconfidence, but this time would be different. Justice crossed his arms over his large mechanical shoulder pads.
"It ends here."
Justice then released the safety clips of his ultimate weapon, the Gamma Ray. Sol merely smirked. A hot beam of concentrated energy blasted forth from Justice, heading straight for Sol.
"Tyrant Rave!"
Sol brought his right fist forward, sending a giant flame up to protect him. The two attacks met head on, as battle field shook with the immense power being generated from the two combatants. After a while, Justice could not keep his beam up any longer as it shrank, fading away as it left a trail of heat in its wake. However, Sol's massive shield of flame remained.
"Is that it, Justice?"
Sol asked before bringing his sword upward, striking at the flame and sending it in Justice's direction. Justice stared in shock, but then rushed toward the Flame in rage. He was hit head on, but brought his hand forward, grasping around Sol's head set, and ripping it off his fore head as Sol fell back on the ground. Justice lay still on the ground, in a pool of blood, as his armor was charred black in most areas of his body.
"It's the same...the same as that time, long ago..."
His arm grasped the head set tighter.
"Once again I kneel prostrate at your feet, Corrupted Flame!"
He spat the name out with infuriating hatred. Sol stood before him now, as Justice looked at his face, and made a gasping sound as Sol spoke.
"Right...I won't stop until all Gears have been wiped out of existence."
Justice looked at the man in shock.
"Why? How is this possible? You are a Gear just like me! The emblem on your fore head...it is proof that you are a Gear. How is it possible for you to disobey orders?"
Sol smirked at the Gear, his red eye now shining with an animalistic gleam.
"Why, you ask...let me ask you something...why should I do as you command...what binds me to you?"
Justice growled in frustration.
"I'm...Type-01...The first Gear to be created...the only Gear granted with full self-awareness...to have my own will!"
Justice began to breath heavily.
"Because of that, I command all Gears! Don't you understand...My word is LAW!!!"
Sol's eye gleamed even harder.
"Only Gears manufactured after you will obey your orders, because they have no will of their own, and thus, have no choice but to obey you. I can tell your still wondering why I don't obey you like some mindless doll..."
Justice interrupted him.
"Exactly! Why? How can you disobey?"
Sol lowered his head.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm the proto-type Gear. Type-00, a production model, and the blueprint for all other Gears."
Justice finally saw it.
"I see...now I finally see..."
Sol continued.
"We were forged by the will of greedy human beings, and so, were nothing more than symbols that show everything that's wrong in this world. For that reason...I won't stop until every Gear out there has been destroyed by me."
Justice spoke brokenly as his life began to fade.
"...So that's why...I...I seem to recall it...the Gear...Project...yes so long ago...yes that's right...I do remember you...How could I have forgotten you?"
He chuckled softly in his broken voice.
"If only...we could have all talked one...last time...just...the three of us..."
The ultimate Gear breathed one final breath, as he remained still, grasping Sol's head set. His words brought back a faded memory within Sol.
"Justice...? The three of us...that's right...the man who created us..."
So looked at his blood stained hands. He picked up Justice, and carried the dead Gear all the way up to the Stairway to the Heavens. At the top, he used his magic to solidify Justice's body within a crystal. He then brought his hands together and prayed.
"So long...sleep well..."
:::FLASHBACK:::
'It has been about three years since I last came here...and now...'
The Guilty Gear stared at the sky as rain kept pouring.
'Another Gear will arrive...to face my judgment...'
Note: Yeah, this was a pretty long chapter. Hopefully you'll like this one a lot, because I really did. I think it came out very well. Anyway, the flashback isn't quite the same, but I hope none of you minded.
written by Illuminet
DISCLAIMER: Same as always.
"Alright, now tell me, why has this Bureau been after me so much. You told me before that they hunt down the Japanese, those who can use Ki, and Gears, right? So why am I suddenly in the spot light?"
Sol asked as he eased into the chair more, to get comfortable.
"To be honest, I don't have any real knowledge as to why their interests have suddenly turned towards you. But I think they are curious: The victory over Justice has proven your power to surpass all human limits. The same goes for your victory over Dizzy..."
Sol looked at Slayer oddly.
"They don't know that I defeated Dizzy. They think that Chinese chick defeated her to claim the bounty..."
Slayer shook his head.
"I'm not talking about your first victory over her, I'm talking about the second one. Remember, she went berserk after falling off the May ship, if my memory serves me right, and the Bureau has all sorts of hired spies, so it was only natural that they track her as best they can. They didn't catch much, but they are aware of your victory none the less."
Sol rubbed his chin in thought.
'So they caught me defeating Dizzy, huh? Still, with my victory over Justice, they shouldn't be that interested, unless it really is just out of curiosity. Maybe they have nothing to do, but I seriously doubt it.'
"So, anything else you want to add to that.
Sol said simply as he took a long drag of his cigarette. Slayer smirked.
"Actually, one thing I do know for sure, they are making another Gear. This Gear is supposedly able to wield enough power comparable to two Dizzys. I know what your going to say: that such a feet is not possible. But I assure you, Sol, that with each day, technology will keep advancing. Even creating Gears with greater initial power levels than any other you might have faced before."
Sol whistled.
"Sounds like quite the challenge..."
Slayer grinned.
"Don't get to arrogant about the situation, yet. It get's worse. You see, this new type of Gear is supposedly able to charge up with the more damage it takes. That being said, if you were to damage these Gears enough, they could multiply their power almost six times more than normal. That could be comparable to fighting six Dizzys. Still confident?
Sol closed his eyes in thought for a moment.
"I still have the advantage. My powers have developed amazingly over the last few centuries of living. This should be enough..."
Slayer sighed at what Sol said.
"I wish I could agree, however, I still have my doubt. What if they are already being mass produced? Can you say for sure you could take them on without any outside help? Would you even go so far as to use your hidden Gear powers?"
Sol looked at Slayer.
"I see what you mean...but I should have enough control over my powers to use them effectively."
Slayer looked at Sol in all seriousness.
"Hopefully your right. It would be a shame to have a repeat of what happened last time..."
Sol growled at the older man.
"Shut the FUCK up! I've learned to control it, alright?
Slayer sighed.
"How about tomorrow we test your control? You can work on it as much as you please."
'Still doubtful...heh, should have known.'
"Yeah, sure. How about this same time tomorrow?"
Slayer nodded as Sol got up and walked out of the room. There was going to be a lot of hard work to be done.
'Better get some sleep.'
Sol walked down the narrow halls until he reached the stair way, where he proceeded up to the fourth floor of the castle. The place creaked every so often as Sol walked up the stairs. He finally was in another hall and proceeded to the end of it, reaching for the last room, and opened the door. The room was all red, similar in style to the one he had been in with Slayer. Sol took a chair and sat on it, looking at the fire place as wood burned in it.
'So...tired...'
Sol fell asleep soundly, still in his chair.
----
"The Robo Kys are useless."
Said the shadow within the dim light. Another turned towards him.
"I agree. Even with these new models, they proved insufficient to capture either Sol Badguy or Dizzy. We need a new approach..."
He was interrupted by a third one.
"Perhaps we should send in that new type of Gear. Her powers should prove quite useful. If we can locate Sol Badguy and Dizzy, she should be able to overwhelm them with her combat abilities."
"Are you so sure? Dizzy is a halfling Gear, but she is stronger than Justice was, plus, we now know that Sol Badguy is stronger than Dizzy, herself..."
"Heh, not to worry. For you see, the new Gear being developed has a special system to convert damage taken into power, and multiply it with her initial power. Only an extremely powerful Gear could possibly do enough damage to destroy her..."
He was then interrupted as another voice spoke up.
"To destroy her? how so? Does she not have regenerative powers?"
"No, not that, she does, however, she can only charge up a maximum of four times. I have no solid evidence on Dizzy's true power, but I believe I have judged it enough, where the new Gear has a power level comparable to two Dizzys. A maximum of four times is enough to give the Gear the power of about eight Dizzy's, yet, this Gear has not lived long enough to control such an overwhelming amount of power yet. So, say this particularly powerful Gear faces with her? She could go insane do to charged powers, or if she didn't, this anonymous Gear would still be able to over power her and kill her. As simple as that."
He explained with a snap of his fingers to enphasize his point. Another laughed.
"There is no Gear out there who exists in this world who wields that much power to destroy our new Gear. We would know about it."
"I agree. Well, are we in favor of sending our new Gear, once we track our target's once more?"
All shadows nodded before another spoke up.
"I have devised an easier system of tracking our target."
All attention turned to him.
"I have found a way to create a navigation system that can track the power signatures of Outrage weaponry. Sol Badguy, Anji Mito, and Ky Kiske wield three of the Outrage. By tracking down there weapons, we could find them a lot easier..."
"Are you certain? You know of a way to track Outrage? Why was this never brought up previously?"
The shadow held up a hand, signaling the other to stop.
"I've have recently developed this system of tracking. If it goes well, we can apprehend both the targets as well as the other two with the Outrage. With these final weapons, we can complete are long awaited project."
"Hmmm....That is true, and we can get the other Outrages very easily, too. It looks like we may yet have our masterpiece complete in a short matter of time. So now then, do we all agree to awaken our new Gear?"
All heads nodded as they began to laugh in delight.
'It is only a matter of time, now...'
----
Sol got up slowly. His muscles ached from sleeping in the chair all night. The fire was already out, as the room stayed in darkness.
"Ow...my body hurts all over."
Sol cracked all his joints audibly as he stretched to get the sores out of his body. When he was done, he walked out the room, deciding to leave the Fire Seal. Very little sun light came into the castle, save for some cracks in various places around the building. Sol made his way to the highest level, where a large balcony stood, overlooking tiny specks of the countryside. When he made it, he shielded his eyes for a moment, letting them adjust to the sun light. When he could finally see, he looked towards a small table, where Ky was sitting, drinking tea with a towering man with a slave collar. The man was ,by all standards, a giant, and the widest man Sol had ever known. Potemkin had an extremely intimidating look to him, but Sol knew him to be as gentle as a butterfly. The two looked at Sol as he stood by the entrance.
"Its you. I never thought I'd see the day you two would set aside your difference to survive."
Potemkin said in a heavy voice. Sol smirked.
"Whatever...why are you here?
Potemkin to a sip from the small tea cup, which looked even smaller in his giant hand.
"Slayer has been training me. Through him, I hope to become stronger than I ever was."
Sol scratched his head.
'He's actually taking the behemoth as an apprentice, huh?'
"How long have you been here, anyway?"
"Not that long I've been here for about a week."
"I see..."
Sol looked around and saw Baiken smoking from her pipe and having a drink with Johnny on the other end. Anji seemed to be practicing a dance of some sort, as he moved around a small area near the center of the balcony. Axl was talking to Bridget. May, Millia, and Dizzy were no where in sight.
"Did you sleep well?"
Sol heard Millia ask from behind him. He turned to look at her.
"For the most part. When I woke up, I had a fucking cramp in my entire body. And the right side of my face fell asleep, otherwise, just peachy, I guess. What about you?"
Millia shook her head.
"Its a little unsettling for me when I sleep in a castle that houses a real vampire, not to mention he was the creator of the Assassin Guild, which I was once a part of..."
Sol laughed.
"You should loosen up. Vampires ain't that bad, just really annoying."
Slayer emerged from the shadows.
"Am I really so bad, Sol?"
Sol scoffed.
"You really make my life a living hell, you know that?"
The man merely laughed at the fuming Sol.
"I'm sure you already know, but you won't be safe here for long."
Slayer said seriously. Sol nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Ky looked up.
"What do you mean?"
Potemkin answered for him.
"This castle disappears after about one weeks time for about a month or two."
Ky raised his eye brows.
"What? Are you serious? Why is that?"
Slayer straightened his tie."
"Well, Sir Kiske, it disappears for safety reasons, you see..."
Sol interrupted him.
"It's just to avoid detection. Stop asking so many questions, boy."
Ky growled at the older man.
"Sol..."
Slayer came between the two.
"Now, now. Just remember you all have until tonight, so you should prepare that air ship of yours and get going."
----
"Well, thanks for having us, Mr. Slayer."
Dizzy said as she bowed. The preparations for take off were already set. Sol was the last one to come aboard, turning to Slayer.
"I was hoping to relax a bit, but I should have remembered your castle doesn't stay visible for that long. Oh well. See ya."
As Sol turned to leave, Slayer stopped him.
"Just remember, you owe me for this, my old friend."
Sol gritted his teeth.
"Yeah, I know. But hey, I have all eternity to repay the debt, right?"
Both men laughed, while everyone stared at them oddly.
"What are they talking about?"
Ky asked himself. Potemkin, who thought the question was directed at him, shrugged his massive shoulders. Inside the ship, Johnny was waiting.
"Hey, is everyone on board?"
He asked through the inter com.
"Yes, captain, Sol just got on. Now everyone's on board, awaiting take off."
April said back. Johnny smiled.
"Time to hit the skies then."
----
Room of shadows
"Let us launch Violet. She should be ready now."
Said a shade as he looked towards his other comrades. They all nodded.
"Now, a true ultimate Gear has been born. She should have more than enough power to stop both the Gear Dizzy, and the human, Sol Badguy. Let us commence the operation."
All heads nodded once more.
----
Dizzy and May's cabin
Dizzy clutched a hand over her heart.
'Something is coming...What is this feeling?'
May looked towards her.
"Dizzy, is something wrong?"
Dizzy looked up at her, with a pained expression.
"I feel something powerful heading our way...May, please tell Captain Johnny..."
May nodded.
"I'm on it!"
As she left Dizzy stared out the window.
'Could it be?'
On deck, Sol was staring out over the skies. The clouds were turning black, as he heard thunder in the distance.
'A storm's coming...along with a birth...a birth of a damned weapon, a Gear...perhaps the most dangerous yet. She has just been released into the world. Tell me...is that why you came, Testament?'
Sol looked towards a rather large raven with a metal collar around it's neck. From behind him came a mass of red liquid as it splashed onto the deck, before revealing a pale skinned man dressed in all black, as his long black hair trailed in the winds.
'Gear Hunter, my only concern is her safety...I swore to protect her with my life.'
Testament spoke telepathically to Sol, as he stood beside him, grasping the railing as the raven perched on his shoulder.
"Testament!"
Dizzy and the rest of the crew came behind them, smiling at Testament. He nodded at her.
"Have you been well?"
He asked, his voice showing a little concern.
"Of course, but why are you here now?"
His eyes narrowed.
"A Gear is coming. I am here to fight."
Johnny raised an eye brow.
"Are you serious?"
Sol kept looking towards the sky.
"Hey, do you know of the place called the Grave?"
Johnny turned towards Sol, with a confused expression.
"You want to go there?"
Ky spoke up suddenly.
"That place is...no, it would be in our best interest to head there. It is secluded from all other civilization. If we are going to fight a Gear, it would be best to do so there."
Johnny looked towards Ky.
"...guess your right. Alright everybody, we'll all head to the Grave then."
----
Nirvana, ex-location of the Assassin's Guild
"It is almost time...you will be able to walk the Earth once more."
Said a hooded man to a giant beast chained to the center of the floor.
"Soon...all the Outrage will be ours..."
The beast growled through the binding chains that held it.
----
Grave, Justice's final resting place
The May ship was stopped near the edge of the Grave land, as there was too much debris in the area to land safely. Everyone headed towards it's center, to a place called The Stairway to the Heavens, where many mangled remains of Gears had fought in the Crusades. The place always had rain, which only stopped occasionally.
"This place brings back memories..."
Sol muttered to himself. When they all reached The Stairway, the rain started to pour even faster.
"So this is where the Crusades ended."
Millia said as she touched a giant statue head that laid on it's side. Dizzy shivered.
"This place...it seems so cold and desolate. So painful..."
Ky looked towards The Stairway.
"This is the supposed resting place of Justice, where he was killed in battle by an anonymous person..."
Bridget spoke up.
"Actually, it was Sol Badguy who defeated him."
Sol scowled.
"Shut up, squirt."
Sol then made his way up the long flight of stairs.
"What are you doing, Sol?"
Ky asked, but a hand stopped him.
"Leave him, Knight."
Testament said simply, as he made his way towards a broken statue and leaned against it, as Dizzy stood talking to him. Johnny and May leaned against another statue, while Bridget played with his yo-yo on the opposite side. Anji stood around shivering, as he did not have a shirt. Axl whistled a tune as he sat on the wet ground. Baiken stood up, sharpening her katana with a small, smooth stone. Millia sat on her hair, which she had solidified to hold her weight.
"It seems it is just us."
Potemkin said slowly to Ky as he towered over the young Knight. Ky simply nodded.
"Yes, I agree."
Sol finally made it to the very top. A large crystal hovered at the end of the Stairway, housing Justice, the first complete Gear. Sol implanted his sword into the ground before bringing his hands together in prayer.
'This is where it ended...The Crusades...and the Tournament...'
:::FLASHBACK:::
The two stare down each other. Justice strikes first, using his Gear powers to shift his arm into a powerful sword, slashing horizontally at Sol Badguy. The latter ducks under the blow. before bringing his right fist out, catching Justice in the stomach. As Justice kneels forward in pain, Sol brings out his left arm swiftly, making the Gear's head snap back as it crashes into the ground. Justice get's up quickly, striking Sol's leg with his tail, before bringing up his giant talons an slashing in an X like motion, tearing into Sol's chest. The man grunts slightly.
"Volcanic Viper!"
Sol slashes upward with his sword into the air, sending Justice upward in a haze of flame, before bringing out his foot and slamming the Gear to the ground. As Sol comes down, he slashes vertically at Justice, but is countered by it's tail, as it wraps around the man's arm and flinging him through the air. Justice then takes to the sky after Sol, and lashes out with an electronically charged tail, sending Sol into the ground as electricity surges through his body. As Justice is about to land on Sol, the man kicks to his feet quickly, hitting a statue as he jump kicks off it, solidly connecting with the Gear's back as it is sent through another statue.
"It is not over yet, Corrupted Flame..."
Justice rises, tired of this game. He has lost to Sol once in the Crusades, due to his overconfidence, but this time would be different. Justice crossed his arms over his large mechanical shoulder pads.
"It ends here."
Justice then released the safety clips of his ultimate weapon, the Gamma Ray. Sol merely smirked. A hot beam of concentrated energy blasted forth from Justice, heading straight for Sol.
"Tyrant Rave!"
Sol brought his right fist forward, sending a giant flame up to protect him. The two attacks met head on, as battle field shook with the immense power being generated from the two combatants. After a while, Justice could not keep his beam up any longer as it shrank, fading away as it left a trail of heat in its wake. However, Sol's massive shield of flame remained.
"Is that it, Justice?"
Sol asked before bringing his sword upward, striking at the flame and sending it in Justice's direction. Justice stared in shock, but then rushed toward the Flame in rage. He was hit head on, but brought his hand forward, grasping around Sol's head set, and ripping it off his fore head as Sol fell back on the ground. Justice lay still on the ground, in a pool of blood, as his armor was charred black in most areas of his body.
"It's the same...the same as that time, long ago..."
His arm grasped the head set tighter.
"Once again I kneel prostrate at your feet, Corrupted Flame!"
He spat the name out with infuriating hatred. Sol stood before him now, as Justice looked at his face, and made a gasping sound as Sol spoke.
"Right...I won't stop until all Gears have been wiped out of existence."
Justice looked at the man in shock.
"Why? How is this possible? You are a Gear just like me! The emblem on your fore head...it is proof that you are a Gear. How is it possible for you to disobey orders?"
Sol smirked at the Gear, his red eye now shining with an animalistic gleam.
"Why, you ask...let me ask you something...why should I do as you command...what binds me to you?"
Justice growled in frustration.
"I'm...Type-01...The first Gear to be created...the only Gear granted with full self-awareness...to have my own will!"
Justice began to breath heavily.
"Because of that, I command all Gears! Don't you understand...My word is LAW!!!"
Sol's eye gleamed even harder.
"Only Gears manufactured after you will obey your orders, because they have no will of their own, and thus, have no choice but to obey you. I can tell your still wondering why I don't obey you like some mindless doll..."
Justice interrupted him.
"Exactly! Why? How can you disobey?"
Sol lowered his head.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm the proto-type Gear. Type-00, a production model, and the blueprint for all other Gears."
Justice finally saw it.
"I see...now I finally see..."
Sol continued.
"We were forged by the will of greedy human beings, and so, were nothing more than symbols that show everything that's wrong in this world. For that reason...I won't stop until every Gear out there has been destroyed by me."
Justice spoke brokenly as his life began to fade.
"...So that's why...I...I seem to recall it...the Gear...Project...yes so long ago...yes that's right...I do remember you...How could I have forgotten you?"
He chuckled softly in his broken voice.
"If only...we could have all talked one...last time...just...the three of us..."
The ultimate Gear breathed one final breath, as he remained still, grasping Sol's head set. His words brought back a faded memory within Sol.
"Justice...? The three of us...that's right...the man who created us..."
So looked at his blood stained hands. He picked up Justice, and carried the dead Gear all the way up to the Stairway to the Heavens. At the top, he used his magic to solidify Justice's body within a crystal. He then brought his hands together and prayed.
"So long...sleep well..."
:::FLASHBACK:::
'It has been about three years since I last came here...and now...'
The Guilty Gear stared at the sky as rain kept pouring.
'Another Gear will arrive...to face my judgment...'
Note: Yeah, this was a pretty long chapter. Hopefully you'll like this one a lot, because I really did. I think it came out very well. Anyway, the flashback isn't quite the same, but I hope none of you minded.