Rise Of Zionus: An Introduction

by EternalSage

This is a story of Ragol. Zio was defeated, but his malignant spirit lingers, leading to an entirely new cycle of chaos. A new generation of hunters must take up the challenge of defeating him.

14. Finale

Sage and Neifirst come to a lab,where the sounds of a large machine nearly deafen them. They step inside to find JiEin's deactivated frame on a table, with both forearms detached. Elly is working at a bench, seemingly grinding down a small piece of metal. Lissandra stands inside, waiting. A faint blue glow surrounds her. At the sight of Sage, she smiles broadly.

"Sage! I was wondering where you ran off to." She says, coming up to him and, to his surprise, enveloping him in a nearly bone-crushing hug. She releases him a second later, blushing slightly.

"So, Elly...when will JiJi be up and moving again?" Neifirst asks, snapping Sage and Liss out of their 'moment.'

"As soon as I reattach his forearms." Elly replies.

"Won't he go into some sort of psychotic android rage when he finds out his S-Parts are gone?" Neifirst asks.

"No, he won't. I've repaired his old S-Parts that he lost a few years ago, and Lissandra here actually found a set when she was helping clean up the base." Elly says, pointing to Liss.

"Oh, how convenient. Say...why are the two of you glowing?" Nei asks.

"Not sure. If JiEin starts glowing yellow when he wakes up, it's because I picked he and Liss for the group to go with me." Sage replies.

"Thanks! You do realize that I'd have to hurt you if you didn't pick me, right...?" Liss asks, laughing.

"Yeah." Sage says, watching as Elly checks the fit on the new left forearm she was adjusting. Satisfied, the newman walks over and attaches the two forearms to JiEin's frame. She makes sure the connections to the S-Parts are securely attached, then walks behind him and flicks a switch on the back of his head, before closing his head plating. JiEin's eyes spring to life with a flash of light as he sits up.

"Thank you for repairing me, Elly. And thank you for finding those S-Parts, Lissandra." JiEin says, as he swings his feet off of the maintenance table. He stands, a faint yellow glow surrounding him.

"Elly...is the glow some new modification?" JiEin asks.

"Uh...no. Actually, that's my fault. You see, I picked you to go with me to face Zionus." Sage says, stepping forward.

"You must be Sage, then. Nice to meet you. What took you so long to return with the Rings?" JiEin asks.

"There were several trials and obstacles along the way. Anyway...will you agree to go with me?"

"Certainly. I have many reasons for wanting to see Zionus' life ended. Who else is going?" JiEin replies.

"Lissandra, X, Ayame, Nova, Brom and myself." Sage says.

"Who's Brom?" Neifirst and JiEin ask in unison.

"A Hucast that helped me greatly on Rykros. I'm going to go try to find him."

"Very well." JiEin replies. Lissandra, JiEin and Neifirst fall in behind Sage, who turns and stares.

"You're...following me?" Sage asks, puzzled.

"You're the 'main character' now. As members of the final party, we follow you around." JiEin replies.

"Uh...ok."

"X didn't explain this very well, did he?" Neifirst says.

"No, not really. And...why are you following me, Neifirst? I...uh... didn't pick you..." Sage mumbles, as he walks from the room, followed by Lissandra, JiEin and Neifirst.

"I'm a 'guest'. I follow you til a plot event decrees otherwise." Nei says.

"Ok." Sage answers, heading down the hall. "Say, is there a secluded place where someone could break stuff without really getting in the way?"

"Sure." Liss answers. "There's a door that leads outside to the forest right through there." She says, pointing.

Sage and his party members exit through the door, only to hear what appears to be the sounds of a battle. They walk outside to see Brom tearing through a crowd of rather frightened Boomas. A faint red glow surrounds him.

"Die, die, die fleshbags!" Brom yells, clearly enjoying himself. "This weird red light can only be extinguished by bathing in the blood of all those who have blood!" He decapitates a Booma, then turns to send his fist into the face of another, knocking it to the ground.

"Hi Brom." Sage says, as Neifirst and JiEin stare.

"Hello weak flesh-creature. Have you come to allow me to free you from the captivity of your fragile outer meat-shell?" Brom replies, a distinct tone of happiness in his voice.

"Uh..no. Not exactly. We're going to attack Zionus' citadel tomorrow, and I want you to go with me." Sage says, as JiEin and Neifirst are still frozen in shock. "That's why you have the red glow all around you..."

"You have ordained me with the mark of the fleshling's blood?" Brom asks.

"Yeah...I guess you could say that."

"Finally, someone respects my hatred for those lowly fleshlings..."

"So, will you come with me?" Sage asks.

"Certainly. Those Seraph things were fun to destroy. They make nice noises when you stab them."

Neifirst's eyes glaze over in a nearly dreaming manner, as JiEin finally is able to say something.

"Sage...you must be joking. This psychpath is nearly worse than my brother Blue." JiEin says, staring at Brom.

"You are the brother of Blue...? The savior of android kind...? The pioneer of all things related to killing fleshies?" Brom says.

"Yes, and I also helped destroy him." JiEin replies coldly.

"You are the chosen one! He who wears two S-Parts! Join me, and we shall destroy the kingdom of the hated flesh-coated oppressors!" Brom stabs his sword into the ground and extends his hand.

"I'd...rather not. Sage, are you certain this android can be trusted?" JiEin asks, turning to Sage.

"Yeah. He talks a big game, but he was very helpful on Dezolis and Rykros. He even saved us a couple of times. He's incredible in combat."

Brom mumbles something about 'bathing in the blood of the meatbags', but is cut off by Neifirst stepping forward.

"So...you agree with me that all humans are weak, and should be destroyed." Neifirst says, smiling.

"Only humans...? Why draw the line there? All inferior creatures made of meat should be eliminated. Including newmen, puppies and various creatures raised for the sustenance of the fleshling overlords. We androids shall create a utopia, free from the tyranny of those that bleed..." Brom stops as Neifirst begins to flare with energy.

"You have a problem, flesh creature? Other than being made out of meat, and obviously inferior to our sleek metals..." Brom's statement is cut off by Nei leaping forward and swinging her Meteor Cudgel at him.

"How...dare...you...! No one calls me inferior and lives to tell about it, android or no!" Neifirst and Brom begin a furious battle, Brom unable to reach his sword.

Sage sighs, then telekinetically separates the two. "I can't have the two of you killing each other before the battle with Zionus..."

" b He called me inferior! /b " Nei snarls, straining against Sage's barrier.

"Yeah, he does that a lot... Anyway, if you two insist on fighting, it's going to be unarmed." Sage says, yanking away Nei's Meteor Cudgel and Brom's Doombringer with his powers before stowing them in capsules.

"Fine!" Nei snarls, clawing and hitting Sage's barrier.

"Fine. I haven't gotten to fight a fleshling with teeth in a while. I'll try not to reduce her to her component parts just yet." Brom replies.

"...right. Anyway, have fun you two." Sage says, walking off as a puzzled Lissandra and JiEin follow behind. As they go back inside the building, Sage releases his barrier, and the sounds of impact reach the trio's ears.

"You're just going to let them fight it out...?" Lissandra asks, sounding worried. "That Neifirst lady was in a killing rage..."

"Yeah, why not? I tweaked Brom's internal circuitry a bit with my telekinesis. The switch I hit either lowered his power output or put a block on killing fleshies. Elly helped telepathically by pointing out what those type of switches are like."

"That's...devious." JiEin replies. "But effective."

"Yeah. Those two will fight it out, and hopefully come to some sort of agreement before tomorrow. Brom can't kill her, and Elly can repair whatever damage Nei does to Brom. It'll do them both good to get out some of those killing urges."

Editor's Note

This segment of Rise of Zionus has been lost, due to the editor's incompetence. Basically...it's preparations for the final battle, some character interaction and some hot Force on Force action. They prepare for the final battle, Sage gets a cool new saber, then they go to Zionus' citadel. Those not chosen for the final party end up staying behind to defend the Resistance base. And we end up...here.

End of Editor's Note

Ayame casts a super powered Shifta and Deband on the group, her special techniques far exceeding the normal strength of most. Supercharged by the glowing blue and red lights, the seven begin to tear through the Seraphs, more and more swarming in as the initial wave falls.

Sage immobilizes a Seraph with a telekinetic grip, and then unleashes a flurry of shots. Seeing only half of them hit the stationary, nearly point-blank target, he curses softly, then begins telekinetically guiding the hail of metal his Yasminkov's spit out. The barrage of gunfire obliterates the Seraph, blowing it to bits. He turns to watch X and Ayame draw their katanas, charging towards two Seraphs.

At a signal from X, they raise their swords, lighting them ablaze with dark energy as they execute a dashing strike through the Seraphs, the two blades leaving a X-shaped line of dark power as they cleave through the Seraphs. A shockwave of released power radiates outward, consuming several more Seraphs in a dark flame that reduces them to ashes within seconds.

"Well, this is easier than expected." X says, sidestepping effortlessly as a Seraph swings at him. The creature's follow-up attack is interrupted by JiEin shoving his sword through the Seraph's face, the enormous blade cleaving the monster in half as it disappears into wisps of smoke and ash. "Yes, the Rings make this remarkably less complicated." Ji says, swatting down another Seraph that leaps at him. X and Ji take off, attacking another group of Seraphs and cutting them down mercilessly.

Nova is beset by a ring of Seraphs loosely surrounding him. He fires a Yasminkov burst at the nearest one, then leaps aside as another swings at him. He kicks off a nearby Seraph's back, springing into the air as he unleashes a hail of gunfire on the crowd, killing three. He lands, shoulder-rolling and getting to his feet as two more approach him. He kicks one in the face, pushing it back before obliterating its upper body with a burst of mechgun fire. The last of the group comes behind him, and he crouches to dodge its swing, bringing his leg around to sweep its feet from underneath it. As it falls forward, he draws his Yas 7 V and points the barrel at the creature's face, the powerful shell making a ruin of its head.

Lissandra sends a flurry of slicer blades at the approaching group of Seraphs, the attack wounding several. She freezes the stragglers with a Rabarta wave, then watches as Brom plows through them, his Doombringer shattering their frozen bodies effortlessly.

"I like fighting these things. They scream like fleshies, yet they move faster and spew more liquids when you kill them. How many more are there?" Brom asks, as the group gazes around the room at the carnage they have unleashed.

"A lot... We should get moving. Zionus's throne room is towards the center of the fortress."

b i The Seraphs are unable to do much more than slow them down. The power of the Rings renders my perfect weapons vulnerable. /i /b Zionus thinks, seeing the beginning of his end through the eyes of his Seraphs, right before Sage's group destroys the next contingent of the creatures in their way.

On the other side of the planet, the first group of Seraphs touches down outside the Resistance base, as powerful photon cannons spring into life, blasting away furiously. The Seraph's ethereally glowing green wings fold up into the two projections on their back, their blades extended for battle. They tear past the first line of defenses, their incredible strength showing its true horror when not dampened by the distortion effect created by the Rings.

A Resistance soldier barely has time to sound the general alarm before he is impaled by a Seraph, the green blade ending his life with but a hint of pain. More and more of the creatures swoop towards the base, boiling up in a white cloud that nearly blocks out the sun, streaking across Ragol. They breach the first wall, landing inside a courtyard. The defense force is waiting, standing outside the Resistance base. Alis puts up her strongest barrier yet, the purple glow enveloping the building, shielding all inside.

Lorna smiles lazily and steps forward, calling her staff from thin air. She summons the icy armor around her, a wickedly sharp blade of pure ice forming at the tip. She points with her lance, giving the signal for the Resistance volunteers to attack. As her troops surge forward, she begins draining the souls of the Seraphs, weakening them enough for the Resistance soldiers to do damage. The two forces collide with a horrible impact, the Seraphs' high-pitched screams drowning out the cries of pain from the Resistance soldiers.

Striker takes aim and fires a series of explosive shells from his Baranz Launcher, the powerful shots ripping through the group of Seraphs approaching him. As Black Raiden and Cranberry come up behind them, he gives the signal, throwing out a series of damage traps. Cranberry ignites them with Gifoie as Striker picks Black Raiden up and throws her through the fiery cloud, the explosions from the traps imbuing her Double Cannon with a powerful heat charge. She lands in the midst of the Seraphs and slams her weapon into the ground, releasing a massive explosion that incinerates a good half of the thirty Seraphs around her. Cran and Striker fling spells and shots as Black Raiden plows her way through the crowd, her Double Cannon rising and falling, each stroke ending a Seraph's existence.

"Lorna's soul drain thing really weakens these things..." Axios says, standing beside Kiara as they cut down the Seraphs that come near them.

"Yeah, but there's a lot of them, and more on the way. Let's hope Sage hurries. We can't keep this up forever."

Neifirst releases the power of her conduit, charging her body with dark energy as she dives into the fray, swinging her Meteor Cudgel in an impressive display of ferocity. She is backed up by Keiko and Leah, the three newmen easily wiping out the group of Seraphs near them. "I don't remember this being so easy..." Keiko says, stabbing her katana into a Seraph's chest, then igniting the blade with Foie and kicking the spasming creature away.

"Last time we didn't have Lorna to weaken their defenses. She may dress...strangely, but she's a big help." Leah says, repelling a barrage of energy bolts with a Saint Guard before decapitating the Seraph that launched them.

Yokote spins around, slashing the two Seraphs in front of him with his sabers, cleaving the sword arm off of one before continuing his momentum to cut the other in half. He fights his way over to Lorna, who's busy weakening the ever-growing army of Seraphs, shielded by a wall of ice.

"They just keep coming. We can't keep this up forever. And although we're doing fine, the run of the mill soldiers are no match for these things..." Yokote says, skewering an over-eager Seraph that leaps at Lorna.

"Yes, but I'm sure Sage will manage to defeat Zionus before it becomes too big of a problem. If not...I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. We just have to keep them busy."

Sage turns a corner, followed closely by Liss and Ayame, completely discarding conventional rules of party arrangement. X looks around, finding something familiar about the area. Brom and Nova follow, with JiEin bringing up the rear.

"You know...now that I'm back at full power, I'm starting to remember a lot of the stuff from when I was possessed." X begins, as the group comes to a large antechamber.

"Oh?" Sage says, turning to X.

"Yeah. Like...where Zionus' throne room is. That's probably where he's at. It's...that direction." X says, pointing. "Step back."

The group looks puzzled for a second, then realize what he's doing as a black feathered wing shoots from his back, energy crackling around him. He raises a hand, the black halo of a Demon Roar charging in front of him. Before he can fire, however, another Demon Roar shoots forward, obliterating the wall; he was aiming at. He fires the shot anyway, demolishing the wall behind it, then turns to Ayame with an accusatory look on his face.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"I like blowing stuff up with the conduit power too. It's fun!" Ayame says, her smaller, dark-purple wing retreating back into her body as she powers down.

"..."

The group continues forward, stepping through the hole created in the wall by the two conduits. Sage and Liss extend their hands as the group steps through, both showing signs of slight strain. As they reach the other side, a cascade of debris falls down, no longer held by their telekinetic grip.

i "Good thinking." /i Sage says to Liss.

i "You too. You've gotten quicker." /i

"You humans and your thinking at each other. Your pathetic analog thought processes are horribly outdated." Brom says, glancing at the two.

"Yeah, but the telepathic aspect of it comes in handy at times." Sage says, smiling.

"Shouldn't there be more stuff to fight?" Ayame asks, gazing around at the near total lack of resistance.

"Probably. Though...if I'm right, he's sent the bulk of his army to attack the Resistance base." Sage replies.

"Makes sense. He's the type of vindictive person to do that." Nova sees movement out of the corner of his eye as he says this, and draws his Yasminkovs. "We have company..."

Shard and Kimiko appear from a shadowy corner of the room, their bodies covered in white armor reminiscent of the Seraphs.

b "The master will not allow you to stop his plans. We have been sent to ensure your demise." /b Shard says, her gauntleted arms producing two dark purple photonic blades.

b "Yes. We'll kill you all, and dance on your corpses!" Kimiko laughs as she unleashes a series of powerful blasts from the glowing crystals located on her new armor. Her arms come up, transforming into two enormous cannons. She gathers energy and fires at the group, causing them to dive in opposite directions.

Brom charges towards Kimiko, followed closely by X, performing his trademark suicidal rush. Liss steps forward to aid them, as JiEin locks his blade with Shard's, intercepting an attack on Ayame.

i "Liss, can you help them out? I'll help Ayame, Nova and Ji take on Shard."

"Got it." /i

Sage and Nova begin blasting away at Shard with their respective firearms, taking care to avoid JiEin as he battles her at close range. Ayame backs away, firing a Zonde that stuns the possessed droid for a few seconds. By the time Shard recovers, Ayame has weakened her with Jellen and Zalure, and has rushed into the fray, drawing her Shiranui. JiEin watches in amazement as the newman displays a surprising proficiency with her new sword, pushing Shard back with a series of slashes that ends with a Raitonken through the chest, the sizzling Zonde-charged blade knocking the Hucaseal to the ground. Shard's new armor repairs the damage within seconds, and she springs to her feet, rushing at JiEin and Ayame again.

X leaps away from the sweeping beams of Kimiko's arm cannons, intercepting the flurry of miniature photon blasts she shoots at him with his katanas. Brom charges at the Racaseal, narrowly missing her as jets on her legs allow her to skate to the side, easily avoiding his S-Parts-less attacks. Liss extends a hand, her telekinetic grip immobilizing Kimiko as Brom's Doombringer rips a massive gash in her side. Brom yells with delight as he brings the sword down, eager to score yet another kill. A photonic shield erupts around Kimiko, the shockwave knocking Brom far away from her as she regains her footing, the Seraph cells grafted onto her mechanical body easily repairing the damage.

Liss catches Brom as he is launched into the air, guiding his frame gently to the floor. She repairs the burns and minor dents with Resta, then begins flinging slicer blades at the now-hovering Kimiko. X's attempt at Ryuenjin is dodged, and he catches a photon beam in the side on the way down.

He lands, rolling away as Kimiko's photon support weapons turn the ground he was standing on into a molten pit of slagged stone. He charges a Demon Roar and fires, the black halo striking Kimiko in the chest and nearly knocking her from the air. Before he can fire again, Liss is behind him, healing the long burn down his side with her powerful Resta.

"Thanks."

"No problem. We need to get her to ground somehow..."

Ayame and JiEin are busy blocking Shard's furious attack, the photon blades on her new gauntlets proving to be very effective weapons. Ayame takes a kick to the stomach and doubles over, stunned for a moment. Shard raises her weapon, but before the blow can descend it hits a telekinetic shield Sage creates over Ayame. He begins firing, but Shard's incredible speed allows her to easily dodge the shots.

Nova watches Shard's movements for a moment, then gets an idea. He grabs a capsule from a special container on his belt, bringing out a special black item box. He equips the glove inside, then throws the two orbs towards Shard, their miniature engines springing into life and suspending them off the ground. The orbs swoop forward, guided by Nova's glove, firing off bolts of blue photon energy as they swarm around Shard, moving too quickly for even her to track. He smiles, following her movements with a stream of Yasminkov fire, carefully aiming to herd her towards Ayame and JiEin.

As the Hucaseal draws closer, Ayame's level 50 Rabarta encases her in an icy prison, the icy lances shooting outward to impale her in several places, sticking her to one spot. JiEin takes his cue and his chest plate opens up, the Heat Blazer's turbine spinning rapidly as a dot of red light grows to the size of Ji's body. He unleashes the blast, the superheated beam of energy nailing Shard, creating large cracks in her chilled frame. Sage blasts a Megid at the Seraphs cells as they try to repair the damage, then finishes her off with a Nazonde blast that fries her internal circuits, causing her to explode. Her shattered, smoking husk falls forward, sparks shooting out in a cascade.

X glances over, seeing Shard's demise.

"How'd you coordinate that without talking about it...?" He asks, dodging another series of beams from Kimiko.

i "I am a telepath, you know. I communicated it to Ayame and Nova, and Ayame whispered it to JiEin while Shard was distracted. Need some help?" /i Sage replies, turning to watch X's aerial battle with Kimiko. X has manifested his wing, and is flying around, dodging the increasingly frantic android's blasts. Brom and Liss are off to the side, clearly planning something.

"Nah, we've got this." X says, nodding to Brom and Liss. X teleports forward in what appears to be another headlong suicide rush, causing Kimiko to fly to the side. As she does, Brom runs and leaps off the wall, coming down at her in a powerful diving slash, both his ascent and descent velocity boosted by Liss's telekinesis. He plows into her, shattering her main jets as she plummets to the ground. He stabs her through the torso, then withdraws the blade and bats her away. X warps towards her, sheathing his katanas as he charges a Shinkuu Majinken. Before the Seraph cells Kimiko has been fused with can repair her jets, X blasts her main power core with the spiraling ray of dark energy, causing a fatal overload. He finishes her off with a point-blank Demon Roar that litters her smoking fragments all over the room.

"Well, that was fun. What now?" Ayame asks as they regroup, heading deeper into the fortress.

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Striker falls to one knee, the photon blade of a Seraph jutting out of his side. He roars, pinning the blade arm between his arm and his side and standing, exerting enough force to snap the arm cleanly off at the joint. A gout of green ichor sprays out, coating his side. He draws his Yasminkov 7000V with his free hand, grabbing the Seraph by the face with the arm that was pinning the blade before lifting it and sending several shells through its torso, killing it. The weapon buried in his side disappears in a puff of smoke as the cells dissolve. He staggers for a moment, as Cranberry rushes towards him, batting Seraph weapons out of her way with the spinning blades of her Windmill. Black Raiden lays on the ground behind Striker, sparks shooting from a gaping hole in her chest plate. Her eyes are dim, her systems on emergency power only. Cran's Resta repairs the damage to Striker's side after a few castings, and the newman stumbles slightly as she attempts to muster up enough energy to cast Reverser. Striker catches her, steadying her.

"Cran, you alright?" Striker asks, a temporary lull in the battle giving them a much needed respite.

"Yes, just drained. What happened to Raiden? I went to go help some soldiers..."

"She took several hits from their Photon Cannons, trying to protect one of the medics." She managed to save him, but she shut down a bit afterwards.

Their talk is interrupted by the screeching of several more Seraphs leaping towards them. A line of flaming spheres appears, knocking several of the Seraphs to the ground in flames. Axios and Kiara rush over, Axios casting a Reverser on Black Raiden as Kiara viciously attacks one of the Seraphs. She strikes it a few times with her Kamuis, then channels technique energy to make two shadowy copies of herself that join her in Split- Image Slicing the creature to oblivion. Axios incinerates the final Seraph with a barrage of Foies, then turns to Striker and Cranberry.

"Having fun yet?"

Cran's reply is cut off as a dozen more Seraphs appear around them. She hears the slight hum of Black Raiden's Double Cannon springing to life as the battered Hucaseal gets to her feet. Sato snarls its rage, darting forward to maul the nearest Seraph, as the others take fighting stances. Axios reinforces the team's defenses with Shifta and Deband, as Cran pops a Trifluid.

"They are so going to pay for that. I just had my frame repainted a little while ago..." Black Raiden says, hissing with anger. Further comments are unnecessary, as the looming Seraph assault force leaps forward, weapons raised.

Lorna's ice barrier shatters as a horde of Seraphs unleash their photon cannons on it. She whips off her cloak, hurling it at the nearest Seraph, who gets tangled in its folds. Dashing forward at a full run, her soul-absorbing powers work overtime as she begins to slash her way through the crowd of Seraphs. Yokote follows behind, covering her back with the shining circles of his twin photon sabers.

"So, Lorna...how many more of these do you think there are?" Yokote asks, blocking a hit from either side as his gauntlet glows with absorbed energy. He dispatches the two attackers, then brings his sabers together, the hilts locking together into one, the blade combining and nearly tripling in size. He feeds it absorbed power from his new arm, then clears out a massive grouping of Seraphs with a multitude of savage attacks.

Lorna leans backwards, easily dodging a thrust from a Seraph. She reaches out one hand and grasps the creature on the shoulder, draining its soul. Within seconds, it disappears in a puff of smoke, drained of all energy. "Far too many. How are the others doing? I've managed to weaken most of them, though more and more keep coming. I'm having to eat their souls directly now just to continue being able to weaken the lot of them. I'm starting to get drained..." Lorna continues speaking as she freezes a few Seraphs, dispatching them with several blows from her lance.

Neifirst, Leah and Keiko are several hundred yards away. Neifirst's conduit abilities, backed up by Leah's Saint Guard and Keiko's bevy of powerful sword techniques, have managed to lay waste to many of their opponents with minimal damage to themselves. The last Seraph near them falls to a vicious combination attack from the three, each hitting it repeatedly as it is batted back and forth between them.

The trio looks over, seeing Lorna and Yokote cutting a swath through the sea of Seraphs. Further back, Neifirst spots the Dreamchasers and Cranberry's group repelling yet another assault.

"Well, our stupid human troops are being routed, but at least those weaklings are holding their own." Neifirst says as she fastidiously wipes Seraph goo off of her Meteor Cudgel.

Keiko looks up, for the first time seeing no more Seraphs in the sky. "Do you think that's the last of them...?"she asks, brushing an errant strand of hair out of her eyes.

"No, I don't think so. I can still feel them." Leah says, Elnoa floating softly behind her, glowing with stored PB energy.

Inside Zionus' citadel, the mad god can feel the power of the Rings drawing closer and closer, accompanied by the two conduits. He turns to Sigma, rage written clearly on his face.

b "Go, and assist the Seraph Army in crushing their defense force. Do not fail me again..."

"But master, I wish to fight the demon. He's the reason I failed. He's the reason I'm not whole. I must destroy him to..."

"Silence! You shall do as my will commands you to. Now GO!" /b Zionus screams, as a sulking Sigma teleports off, accompanied by the last of the Seraphs.

Zionus settles back on his throne, awaiting the arrival of his would-be killers.

A squad of Resistance soldiers makes their way towards the front lines, charging to help defend the base. They make it about halfway there when an Angelic Scream obliterates them. Sigma appears over the battlefield, glowing like a beacon. He is accompanied by a swarm of Seraphs nearly triple the size of all the Seraphs that have previously attacked.

b "Those who resist the master's will shall DIE!" /b He says, unleashing a barrage of energy blasts. His attendant Seraphs swoop down, joining their brethren in the assault.

"This isn't good..." Leah says, as Neifirst gets a look of pure rage in her eyes. She grips her Meteor Cudgel til the handle nearly cracks, her knuckles going white.

"I may not be able to kill the brat...but I can damn sure kill someone who looks like him." She takes off at a dead spring towards the recently-landed Sigma, murder written plainly on her face. Keiko and Leah rush after her, struggling to keep up.

Sage heads through a winding hallway, feeling a strong power grow ever closer. At last, he stands in front of an ornate door, unmoving. The others come up behind him, wondering why he stopped.

"There is an incredibly large energy reading past this door. This is likely to be the fleshling we have come to dispatch. I will enjoy watching him scream." Brom says cheerfully.

"Yeah...that's him." Nova says, reloading and checking his Yasminkovs.

"This shouldn't be that hard. We go in, blast the hell out of him and go home." X says grimly.

"I...don't think a headlong rush would be advisable in this case, X." Sage says, a worried look coming over his face.

"Since when is a headlong rush not a great idea?" X replies.

"Since we're facing someone who can likely decimate us in fairly short order if we aren't careful." JiEin says. "Sage brings up a novel point. We should have a plan."

"Blasphemy!" X looks indignant for a few moments, then remembers all the havoc Zionus has caused.

"Well, the Rings will defend us against his worst attacks. We just need to stay alive, keep moving and try to drain his energy." Lissandra says after a period of silence. "X, Ayame...if you two use your conduit powers, you can distract him while we launch a concentrated assault. "

Sage, seeing where she's going with this, continues. "After we've done enough damage, his rage will likely focus on us, giving you two your chance. If we can keep him from focusing his attention on one group for too long, the other group can attack indiscriminately until we've drained him sufficiently enough for the killing strike."

"We're going to make him bounce back and forth between us?" Ayame asks.

"Yeah, that's crazy enough to work. He really, really hates me, so he'll likely expend a lot of energy trying to kill me. I've been able to withstand it before..." X says, grinning.

"And with Sage and I telekinetically shielding you, you can hold out nearly indefinitely." Lissandra finishes.

"Sounds like a solid plan." Nova remarks, readying one of his black and red ARMS capsules and placing it on his belt for easy access. The fleshies in the group all take deep breaths to prepare themselves, as Sage opens a mind link between them.

i This feels funny. /i X thinks.

i "Yeah, that goes away after a bit. Don't worry about it. The relay will allow us to communicate more quickly if we need to, though verbal communication may work well also." /i

"Alright then. Is everyone ready?" Sage asks, looking at each of the group members in turn as they nod or otherwise acknowledge him. Ayame refreshes the group's Shifta and Deband as Liss activates a low-level shielding on all of them. Buffed and ready to go, Sage nods to JiEin, who opens the door and steps through, his sword at the ready. The group quickly follows behind him, fanning out rapidly. They see a vast throne room with a vaulted ceiling, a long red carpet trailing off into the distance. At the end, a glowing figure sets on a white marble throne.

b "So...you've finally come to your demise." /b Zionus says lazily, rising to his feet.

"You'll pay for all the harm you've caused, Zionus. Your twisting of the power you stole ends here!" Sage says, his eyes alight with fury.

"You've stolen power from the wrong deity. You will pay for your transgressions..." Liss says simply, drawing an Inferno Bazooka from a capsule within her robes.

"I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else. You're a horrible person, and we're going to stop you!" Ayame yells, bouncing lightly on her feet in excitement.

"Impudent flesh-sack...do you not realize that the androids are the true masters of this world? We shall rise up and overthrow your oppression, and create a utopia of logic and steel!" Brom says, his voice rising with each word. Seeing sidelong glances from the human members of his party, he continues speaking. "I mean...prepare to get a nice long look at your soon to be external organs." i I'm a genius. They'll never see it coming. Then the revolution shall begin! /i

JiEin steps forward, raising his sword above his head. "Though I never thought I'd hear myself saying this...I agree with Brom." Seeing X's glare, JiEin continues. "About the 'killing you' part, not the 'rise above our human oppressors' part. My 'human oppressors' keep my restaurant running and my internal workings maintained."

Nova simply smiles, raising his Yasminkovs. "You're just like every other petty tyrant. Only you have a nice glowing trail behind you, and a lot more ego. Let's see how you like hot Yasminkov death."

Watching his fellow party members make their end-game monologues, X smiles in approval. "Well, with a group this big, we've used up most variations of 'we're about to kick your ass'. So, for the sake of originality... I'll go with this. You suck. No one likes you, and you smell funny. We're going to do you a favor by ending your pathetic mockery of life here and now." X's hands drop to his sides as he manifests his conduit, black lines of lightning rushing up and down his body as a black wing sprouts from his back. He starts the fray by drawing his katanas and unleashing a pair of Demon Roars, the twin black haloes impacting a barrier as Zionus raises his hand.

b "Talk...talk...talk. That's all you're good at, X. You are so irrepressibly full of yourself. Even when killing my mortal body, you didn't give me the dignity of a silent death. For that humiliation, you die!" /b Zionus' first attack rips through the room, a beam of killing light fired from two hands that is easily dodged.

Ayame looks on in fear for a moment, then sighs deeply, staring at her hands. As she looks back up, she watches X begin wailing on Zionus. Inspired by her uncle's bravery, she calms her mind and calls upon the power of darkness within her. Bolts of lightning flicker up and down her body for a few moments, growing in intensity. She leans slightly forward, a dark whirlpool of energy growing beneath her. With a loud cry, she throws her head back and screams, the walls of the citadel shaking slightly as she manifests her conduit in a real battle, for the first time doing it without X's coaching. She rises aloft, crackling with energy, and darts forward to join X in the attack.

Neifirst rushes at Sigma, her weapon flaring with dark power as she strikes, a vicious leaping attack that would have flattened a normal opponent. She is shocked as he simple extends a hand, grabs her Meteor Cudgel and slams her to the ground behind him. She rolls away quickly, glaring at him.

b "So...you must be Neifirst. It's pitiful that such a beauty has to die so young..." /b Sigma says, firing a powerful beam of energy at Neifirst. The beam impacts the purple barrier of a Saint Guard as Leah and Keiko reach Nei's side.

"So, you're the clone of X. I feel sorry for whoever made you. You're not nearly as cute as him." Leah says.

b "I am far superior to that simpering buffoon!" /b Sigma screams, clearly in a rage.

"It's the hair. It throws the entire look off. I'd fire whoever did that cheap dye job..." Keiko says, grinning.

b "DIE!" /b Sigma fires off another blast of energy, eschewing the destructive force of an Angelic Scream for a simple beam of pure killing light. Leah deflects it with another Saint Guard, hearing Elnoa chime behind her as it reaches its full PB capacity.

"Nei...remember all those times you've wanted to kill X?"

"Yes." Nei says darkly.

"Now's your chance. Just envision Sigma with dark hair." Keiko says. " I know it's tough with that atrocious dye job, but you can try."

Neifirst grins evilly. "Leah, remember all those times he grabbed my ass?"

"Or the times he'd try to sneak a peek at us." Keiko chimes in.

"Or the times he was simply an irritating brat..." Leah says, now smiling as well. "This may be the best stress relief ever..." The trio of newmen charge the clone of X, attacking furiously. Sigma draws a sword made of light, deflecting Keiko and Leah's swords, though Neifirst's Meteor Cudgel manages to sneak past his guard, delivering a solid blow to the back of his head. He staggers, before releasing a wave of power that pushes them all back. Before he can recover, they are on him again, attacking with a surprising amount of rage.

Sigma battles back, though the three on one odds soon leave him winded and battered. He takes a stab from Keiko in the shoulder, and cries out, blood welling from the wound. Leah steps in to finish the job, raising her sword high above her head, but is blasted back by a series of Angelic Screams that impact solidly against her Saint Guard. Sigma bashes Keiko in the face with a backhand, then slashes Neifirst along the side, knocking her away.

He rises into the air, a single white wing bursting from his back. He transforms, then smiles grimly. He makes an attempt to draw power from Zionus, but frowns when it is blocked. b i He's blocked me...very well. I shall draw from other sources. /i /b

Cranberry incinerates a line of Seraphs with Gifoie, though more surge past the swirling spheres of flame. She sends a Megid at one in desperation, hitting it and knocking it reeling. Striker's follow-up shot blows it to bits.

"Hmm...darkness based attacks can lower their defenses, even if not strong enough to kill them."

Axios and Cranberry begin chain-casting Megid, allowing Striker, Black Raiden and Kiara to push back wave after wave of Seraphs. The creatures flood towards them in a wave as their stock of Fluids begin to run dry.

Yokote skewers yet another Seraph with one of his sabers, then brings the other around to cleave the creature in two. Lorna casts a Gibarta storm at the three behind him, freezing them to the spot before dispatching them with her lance. As she turns, she is suddenly leapt upon by fifteen of the creatures, and goes down under a pile of screeching monsters. Yokote curses, rushing forward. Before he can get to her, however, a large portion of the Seraphs begin to dissolve, their bodies forming orbs of greenish white light that shoot towards the glowing figure of Sigma in the distance. Yokote takes out the last two Seraphs attacking Lorna and helps her to her feet.

"He's sacrificing their souls to gain power. He truly is a monster..." Lorna says, brushing sweat-soaked hair out of her eyes. With the absorption of a large portion of the Seraph army into Sigma, the field around them clears for a moment, though a vast amount of the creatures appears on the horizon before them.

"Oh dear...this is their final wave. They're trying to crush us outright..." Lorna says grimly.

"We should join up with the others. I don't know if Alis can sustain the barrier against that kind of assault." Lorna and Yokote make their way over the oddly empty battlefield, joining Cranberry, Striker, Black Raiden, Axios and Kiara. A ring of Seraph bloodstains surrounds them, though they are much the worse for wear.

Axios is sitting on the ground, holding a bandage over Kiara's torso. He repeatedly attempts to cast Resta, though it is obvious he is completely drained.

Striker kneels on the ground, massive gouges and dents lining his frame. One arm lies detached beside him, as he crouches in a power-down mode. Cranberry nurses a broken arm, her body covered with cuts and bruises. Sato hovers dejectedly beside her, cracks lining its frame. One eyespot is dented in, giving it the appearance of a black eye. Black Raiden is the sole member of the group standing, though she herself is wobbling like her servomotors are misaligned.

"You've done well." Lorna says, walking over to them. She refreshes them with a powerful Resta, though her inability to fully heal them shows how drained she is. She stumbles, nearly falling, though catches herself by grasping her lance and leaning on it. Yokote follows her over, his sabers out, watching warily as Sigma begins to battle the trio of newmen in the distance. The Landale lands beside them, Labyrinth and Lucca emerging from it. The ship takes off, heading to the base. Stretchers filled with wounded bodies lie inside. Labryinth holds his shoulder as he walks; his frame is marred with countless dents and gouges, and Lucca has a pronounced limp, a bloodstained bandage wrapped around her head.

"How's the battle going on the other fronts?" Yokote asks.

"We've managed to push them back, though Alis is showing severe signs of strain. How are things here?"

"Sigma just absorbed a large portion of his army, and the rest are waiting for something, it seems." Lorna says wearily. "We can't hold out for much longer."

"The troops have been reorganized, and those still capable of fighting are to meet on this front shortly. We can hold them here for a while, but we are too drained to push them back again." Labyrinth replies. "Hopefully Sage's group will hurry."

The hearts of those assembled sink slightly as the crowd of Seraphs across the field begins to grow.

Leah brings up her most powerful Saint Guard, deflecting the brunt of Sigma's powerful attack, though blocking it takes nearly all the PB energy Elnoa has stored. She leans on her sword, gasping for breath. Keiko and Neifirst are in a similar state, as Sigma begins to laugh.

b "Not so powerful now, are you? Your end will be swift." /b Sigma says, taking to the air as he charges another Angelic Symphony.

Nei drags herself to her feet, putting away her Meteor Cudgel. "No...not today. I think I finally realize something. The brat was right...fighting to protect someone does give you a bit more reason to fight." Nei steps in front of Leah and Keiko, surprising them greatly. Neifirst smiles grimly, then holds out her hands. She crosses them over her chest, a swirl of technique energy surrounding her. Leah feels a familiar stirring, and gasps.

"Nei, no...don't do it. Your body can't take that kind of stress!" Leah cries.

"If the brat can handle it...so can I."

Neifirst screams in agony as her mental passageways are ripped open, feeling a horrible draining as the energy of darkness swirls around her. She persists, pushing her body to its utmost limits, feeling the power respond to her call. Every second is agony, though at last she manages to fully open her link to the Darkness.

She falls forward slightly, then rises into the air, her eyes going entirely black for a moment as yet another crack is opened in Darkness's prison. A ring of purple lightning radiates outward from her body as her back arches. A small wing emerges from her back, though unlike X's it is similar in appearance to a bat's wing. A dark purple chitinous armor appears over her body, her left arm wreathed in more of the armor. She screams as three claws burst from her closed fist. She rises higher into the air, her body wreathed in a constant shadowy mist.

"This...power. This incredible power! No wonder that weakling was always able to beat me. Let's test it out..."

Neifirst flies towards Sigma, straining as she charges a Demon Roar.

X launches himself at Zionus, his swords and wing all igniting as he launches a Ryuenjin: Gou. Zionus is struck by the flaming blades and knocked into a far wall. He rebounds off, extinguishing the flames by erecting a powerful shield that cuts off the oxygen to them. He dispels the shield a second later and begins tracking X with a barrage of energy bolts, so angered that his attention is only on the flying hunter.

He find this is a grave mistake a second later, as he is blasted to the ground by a powerful Demon Roar from Ayame, the dark halo of energy shoving him to the floor before exploding. He snarls in rage as he takes to the air again, now aiming attacks at both X and Ayame. X effortlessly dodges, flying in a weaving, graceful arc over Zionus. Ayame is not so lucky, flying too fast and nearly hitting a wall, still unsure of her abilities. Zionus takes advantage of her momentary hesitation, and nails her with a searing beam of light that blasts her to the ground, her body consumed with white flame.

"Aaaahh!" she screams, falling to the ground in a heap, unconscious. X dives towards her, readying a Resta, hoping to intercept Zionus' inevitable finishng blow. He turns to see a red streak of energy fly towards Zionus as JiEin unleashes his Heat Blazer on the tyrant's back. His resistance weakened by the Rings, Zionus is barely able to avoid being cooked, and sustains minor burns even through the shield he brings up.

"Fools! You think such a weak attack shall harm me?" Zionus begins ranting as Lissandra sprints over to Ayame and casts Reverser, then Resta. Ayame slowly sits up, shaking her head to clear it.

"Thanks, Ms. Liss."

Lissandra smiles. "No problem. We need to get moving though."

While Ayame is being revived, Sage, Nova, Brom and JiEin are attacking Zionus furiously. Nova starts the assault off by blasting away with his Yasminkov's, easily tracking Zionus around the room despite Zionus' rapid warping. The bullets hit his shield, doing no physical damage but acting as an ample distraction. Zionus charges energy for a powerful blast, aiming at Nova, but before he can get the shot off he is nailed in the back by a flying chunk of wall that knocks him to the ground. Sage extends a hand, telekinetically pummeling Zionus with more debris knocked loose by Zionus' attacks.

"Die!" Zionus snarls, getting to his feet. His further ranting is interrupted by Brom and JiEin lunging forward, attacking him simultaneously with their modified version of the X Strike. The two Hucast's blades cut deep, easily penetrating his weakened barrier. As he recoils in agony, he is hit with a powerful diving stab from X, who channels dark energy into his blades. Zionus slumps forward, struggling to heal his wounds.

"Well, this is a shock. You aren't babbling anymore. Want us to finish you off now?" X taunts, hovering slightly above Zionus.

Zionus' feigned weakness was simply a ruse, as he unleashes a devastating blast of energy that launches JiEin and Brom into opposite walls, their metallic bodies rebounding off with loud clangs. He turns his gaze up to X, leering in triumph.

"Your feeble mechanical weapons are no match for me, X. And neither...are...you!" Zionus punctuates his attack with an enormous beam of white energy that hits X solidly in the chest, catching him off guard and pinning him against the ceiling as it saps his energy.

He's stronger than we thought...and it seems like he's growing in strength as the battle goes on. Sage thinks, watching X's unmoving body fall to the ground. JiEin stirs in the corner, slumped against the wall.

"Liss, can you get in range for a Reverser on X and Brom? I think JiEin's still kicking."

"I can try. Can you and Nova cover me? Ayame's up and moving again, though she seems a bit in shock at what just happened to X."

"We've got you covered. Go!" Sage says, casting Grants at a spot in front of him, then sending a Megid at it and containing the opposing energies in a telekinetic shield, preparing to cast Legeon.

"Nova, can you keep Zionus distracted til this goes off?"

Sure. I have just the thing...

Liss sprints toward X and Brom as Zionus finally notices the rapidly growing blue orb in front of Sage.

"Legeon. How amusing. You think that will be able to harm me, fool?" Zionus darts forward, readying a killing blast of energy. He barely slows down as he sees Nova leaping into the air, a trail of jet fire coming from a weapon he's holding. Zionus discounts this, aiming straight for Sage. This is soon proven to be a very big mistake, as Nova's ARMS Bazooka unleashes a massive rocket that streaks towards Zionus before consuming him in a fiery blast. The blast wave from the massive explosion nails him from behind, dropping him from flight and directly into Legeon, which explodes shortly afterwards. Caught in the seething maelstrom of conflicting energy, Zionus cries out in rage and pain, unable to escape until the massive chain reaction is finished. By the time he takes to the air again, Liss has revived and recovered X, Brom and JiEin.

The team combines their efforts and attacks again, pummeling Zionus with everything they have as he floats back up to his usual altitude. His body is giving off wisps of smoke, and for the first time his clothing and body are scorched and burned, tiny tears apparent in his garb. The wounds are not immediately healed, and though he quickly casts Resta, a greenish ichor still seeps from several wounds.

Neifirst delivers a series of punches to Sigma's torso, her clawed fist causing considerable damage. She kicks him in the face, then swoops up and hammers him to the ground with a devastating two-fisted strike. He hits hard, rolling and getting to his feet, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth.

"You'll pay for that." Sigma absorbs more power from a group of nearby Seraphs, causing them to vaporize, their energy making him stronger and stronger. He begins to grow in size, his muscles and overall frame becoming larger. His hair fuzzes out like a waterlogged rat as the pair of white feathered wings on his back double in size.

Neifirst throws a Demon Roar at him, covering her assault as she rushes in. Her punches and kick are subsequently blocked, Sigma retaliating with a vicious kick to the face that is too fast for her to dodge. She reels back, stars swimming across her field of vision. He just got a hell of a lot stronger. This isn't good... Neifirst's body is pummeled by several powerful hits, Sigma moving like a blur of light as he attacks her.

She throws her hands up as he aims another punch at her, blocking it and grabbing his hand. She twists it to the side and flies slightly back, pulling on him to give more momentum to the knee she sends into his torso. It feels like kneeing a solid steel wall, and she cries out in pain as he twists his arm away and fires an Angelic Scream at her face, the explosive force of the white halo sending her hurtling towards the ground. A torrent of miniature white haloes follow, impacting into a rising group of explosions that leaves a large crater around her still form. She lays there for a few moments, hovering on the edge of awareness. She opens one swollen eye as Sigma swoops down, and struggles to her feet, her body aching all over.

"It's been fun, but you are no match for me. With the power of the Seraphs, I shall end your life!" Sigma grabs her by the throat and lifts her into the air, her wing fading as she finally runs out of technique energy. Sigma grins evilly, then summons his sword of light and puts the tip at her heart, preparing to run her through. She writhes feebly, glaring in hatred as she tries in vain to break his iron grip.

Sigma smiles again, gazing at Neifirst's hate filled face. The half of him that is still somewhat connected to X kicks in, and his gaze strays downward, causing Neifirst to struggle more violently, wasting what little breath she can get in feeble curses. As he brings his hand back for the killing strike, he is distracted by a voice coming from behind him.

"Hey Sigma, catch!" Keiko says, throwing something. Sigma feels a sharp stabbing pain in his back, and drops Neifirst, reaching down to withdraw the Bloody Art dagger from his back. He grimaces, allowing the power flowing through him to heal the wound.

He turns in time to see Keiko standing in a battle stance, her sword sheathed at her side. She draws it rapidly, pointing at the ground as sparks of purple lightning crackle around it. The sparks rapidly grow into a powerful magnetic field that draws the Bloody Art to her, Sigma still holding it. She rushes forward, bringing Muramasa down in a powerful strike that bashes Sigma in the chest, breaking ribs even through his constant low-level barrier.

"Hissastsu: Juuhazan!" Keiko cries as her attack connects, bringing Sigma to his knees. Leah rushes over to Nei while Keiko dodges his angry counter-attacks, the newman girl switching to her cat form for more agility. Leah uses a Moon Atomizer on her friend, then frowns as she takes in her depleted item stock. One Trimate left. Those Seraphs are vicious...

Nei slowly sits up with the help of Leah, though her body is trembling all over from exertion. "I...really hate this guy. Moreso than the brat. And that's saying a lot." Nei croaks feebly, supported by Leah.

"Yeah. I can only hope they hurry and kill Zionus. We're no match for hi- oh no, Keiko!" Leah yells, turning to see Sigma send his sword through Keiko's stomach. She sprints over as Sigma raises his weapon for the finishing blow, Keiko sprawled on the ground below him.

Sigma's blade descends, hitting Flamberge on the way down. Leah blocks his attack with one hand, casting Resta on Keiko. The bleeding stops, though the newman is still pale and unmoving. Leah is shoved away, her off-balance stance allowing her to easily be batted around by Sigma. She recovers before hitting the ground, grasping Flamberge with a two-handed grip.

"Ah...so you must be Leah. The demon's woman. I must admit, he has good taste in skanks. It will be a great pleasure to rip your life from your body." Sigma yells, rushing at Leah, who is hard pressed to block his super-charged attacks. She manages to keep from being immediately killed, though not without taking several minor wounds in the process. With one last collision, the two swords meet, Sigma shoving her to the ground. His follow-up attack is blocked by a Saint Guard, as Leah scrambles to her feet, breathing heavily.

"You're nothing compared to X..." she says, looking defiant even though her knees are clearly wobbling.

"I am the strongest. I am the superior one, and I will prove it with your death... I hope he sees your broken body before I send him to hell!"Sigma launches himself at Leah, redoubling his attacks.

The defense force is hemmed in on all sides by the last wave of Seraphs, standing back to back as the creatures form a ring around them.

"Well, looks like this may be the end. Unless Sage and the others kill Zionus soon, we may not be here to see their victory." Axios says, readying his Rokujou.

"Relax. All we have to do is push this last wave back..." Yokote says confidently, brandishing his twin sabers.

"Too bad this last wave is the size of all the others combined..." Lucca replies darkly, as the swirling crowd of Seraphs lurks closer and closer.

Cranberry stands, having tried in vain to recover her technique energy by resting. "This is it. I've got nearly nothing left after this..." She casts Shifta and Deband, then puts away her Windmill and draws a flickering green Double Saber.

"I've drained them as much as I can, but without a few to fully absorb all I'm good for is melee at this point. Sorry everyone." Lorna replenishes her ice armor and readies her spear.

"Here they come!" Striker starts the battle with a blast from his Baranz Launcher, quickly burning through his last few shells.

X's body begins to radiate a dark, flaming aura of pure energy. He sheathes Orotiagito and Yasha at his sides, then brings his hands up, both crackling with black bolts of lightning. He bends double for a second, then emits a flash of energy as another wing bursts from his back, initiating his Stage 2 transformation. The citadel shakes at the amount of energy released, chips of stone and rubble rising into the air on the currents of power he's emitting. He rises into the air, glowing with power as his body is easily held aloft by a swirling maelstrom of energy. He gazes at Zionus for a long moment, then traces a circular path in front of him with his hands, the outline of a large circle traced in front of him with dark power.

i Sage...please put up a really, really strong telekinetic shield around everyone. I'm ending this now. /i Sage agrees, the others rushing over to him, away from Zionus. He brings up the shield, Liss reinforcing it with her own powers. Holding the shield as X charges his attack, Sage takes a second to scan the minds of the defense force. His heart sinks as he feels their fear and pain.

"X...we have a problem. Sigma's demolishing the defense force."

"I'll handle it. I'm just going to kill Zionus first." X says coldly, the massive black orb in front of him growing rapidly in size.

b "You think that can kill me? I've seen your attacks before, X. The Hyper Demon Roar is not nearly strong enough to finish me off... Besides. You wouldn't dare use enough power to destroy me with your friends this close." /b Zionus says, holding out a hand and preparing a barrier.

"Right. You keep thinking that..." X smirks, the attack growing larger and larger. The orb forms into a ring, the center gravitating to the sides as it transforms. X stops charging it, holding the attack in check as he draws the Orotiagito and swings it through the demonic halo, the energy shooting to the blade. The Hyper Demon Roar becomes an orb at the tip of X's sword, dark pulses of energy rushing up and down the blade. X grins as his sudden flash of inspiration proves to work quite well, the Orotioagito making an excellent channel for the dark energy.

i Amazing. He's channeling the power through his sword to avoid collateral damage, and concentrate more force on a smaller area. This should be interesting to see... /i JiEin thinks, as the aura around both X and his fiercely glowing blade becomes brighter and brighter.

"You've inspired me to make a new attack. You'll hear the name yelled out as you die. Hope you enjoy!" With this, X brings Orotiagito down to his side, lowering into a crouch as he darts forward, his wings propelling him at a high velocity. As Zionus fires a powerful energy blast to try and stop him, X warps behind him and unleashes the attack.

b "Majin Shinrengoku Aizan!" /b X yells, starting the complicatedly-named attack off with a rising slash that consumes Zionus in dark flame, breaking through his barrier. X assaults him with a long barrage of furious sword slashes, warping around so quickly that only the shockwaves of impact can be seen as he vents all his rage and frustration on the being that caused him such agony. Zionus is helpless to block, and is caught in the flurry of attacks, taking several hits per second. He reels in shock as X savages him, being hit from all sides, entirely unable to cope.

After thirty seconds or so of vicious attacks, X stabs him through the chest, lunging forward with the tip of the blade and sending both it and the rapidly growing Hyper Demon Roar orb into his body. X withdraws Orotiagito with a flourish, then backs away and fires a miniature Demon Roar through the wound in Zionus' chest, which ignites the much larger attack pulsing within him. The two attacks meet, culminating in a massive explosion that rips outward from Zionus' body, consuming him with dark flame as a dome-shaped blast wave of black energy rises up around him. When the glare finally fades, Zionus lies still and unmoving in the middle of a five-foot deep crater that used to be his throne. X powers down from his stage 2 form and pops a Trifluid, then swoops over to the group as Sage lowers his barrier.

""What's that mean X?" Sage asks, looking puzzled.

"What's what mean?" X asks, rather embarrassed.

"The string of syllables you screamed right before you started attacking." Brom says. "You fleshies are so inefficient, telegraphing all your attacks..."

"...I'd rather not say." X mumbles in reply.

"What! Why not?" Ayame says, bouncing up and down in excitement..

"It was a spur of the moment thing. It's embarrassing now." X replies sheepishly.

"C'mon, tell us!" Liss chimes in.

"...Demonic Loving Slash of Purgatory." X whispers, making sure that the others are unable to hear. When they glare, he sighs in exasperation and repeats a bit louder.

"Leah made that one in advance for you, huh?" Sage says, smiling.

"...Shut up Sage. Least I'm not whipped." X replies

"...Yes you are." JiEin looks over to where Zionus lies unmoving.

"...Dammit."

"Anyway, it's looking like he's nearly finished. We can handle whatever's left. Go take out Sigma." Sage says after a few moments.

"You sure?"

"You're the only one of us who can take him on alone. Zionus won't be a problem." JiEin readies his sword and turns to Zionus' still body.

X blasts a hole in the wall of the Citadel, then flies off. Sage links to Leah's mind, and he can feel the growing desperation in her thoughts.

i "Leah, X is on his way to help. We've nearly finished Zionus as well."

Leah blocks another attack from Sigma with a Saint Guard, using the last of her energy. i Alright. Good luck. /i

i Leah, I'm on my way. Please hang on... /i X thinks, pouring more conduit energy into his flight as he streaks rapidly towards the Resistance base.

Lorna imprisons several of the charging Seraphs in a cage of ice, trying to buy time. As she does so, she feels her technique reserves completely empty. Sighing, she grips her lance and turns back to dispatch the attackers behind her, knowing full well that the ice barrier will not hold for long. The other members of the defense force crowd around her, trying to cover each other's backs, many of them wounded; all of them nearly spent.

The group of Seraphs that is currently menacing them are taken out in fairly short order, the team managing to cover each other's backs easily despite their exhaustion. As one last Seraph lurches forward, it is consumed in a flash of dark energy, a winged shadow swooping overhead. The Seraphs imprisoned within the cage suffer the same fate, dying instantaneously. X doesn't even slow down as he heads straight for Sigma.

Sigma raises his blade in triumph, Leah's defenseless body lying at his feet. She feebly reaches out for the hilt of Flamberge, but his foot intercepts her hand, smashing it to the ground before delivering a vicious kick to the ribs that rolls her onto her back. He smiles eerily, reversing his grip on the shining sword he holds, readying a downward stab. The path of his blade is interrupted by a hurtling flash of steel that rips a gash in his torso. Seconds later, he is lifted into the air by X, who flies high into the air, holding Sigma impaled on his blades. He hurls him to the ground, then fires a Demon Roar that leaves the clone reeling. X lowers himself gracefully, leaning down to gently lift Leah in his arms. She stirs slightly, then smiles.

"X...you made it." Her voice is the faint whisper of utter exhaustion.

"Yeah. I'll handle him. How are the others?" X flies over to where the main group of the defense force sits, recovering.

"Thanks for the help, X." Cranberry says, rising slowly to her feet with the aid of Striker's outstretched arm.

"No problem. I've taken care of most of the Seraphs left alive. Now to finish off Sigma..." X's face sets into a hard line as he says this. "Ah, better grab Keiko and Nei..." He warps over, retrieving the unconscious bodies of his two friends and depositing them next to the group. He hands Lorna a Trifluid, after the customary staring at her chest.

"Think you can get everyone patched up?"

"Yes. How goes the battle with Zionus?" Lorna asks, the contents of the capsule greatly easing the pounding in her head.

"Fairly well. It'll be interesting to see if I can kill Sigma before Sage finishes off Zionus. Anyway, see ya." X takes to the air, streaking towards Sigma. Lorna begins healing the myriad wounds of her teammates, humming softly to herself as she works. i An interesting development. But I hope Zionus isn't planning something... /i

Sigma staggers to his feet, the absorbed power from the Seraphs repairing the gaping wounds caused by X's blades. He screams in rage as he sees X appear over the horizon, hovering on one wing.

b "I've wanted to do this for a long time, X. Now, I shall kill you and take my rightful place as the most powerful being in the world!" /b

"Yeah, right...you do that. While you're at it, get someone to fix that atrocious dye job." X grins, drawing his katanas.

b "Is that all you can talk about, you fool? My hair is irrelevant when I'm about to destro-" /b Sigma's boast is cut off by a swift kick to the chin from X.

"You talk way too much. Seriously. At least my pre-combat boasts are amusing. Yours just...suck. Besides, if you're going to spout off about how you're going to destroy everyone, you need to actually be able to back it up. That's the difference between your arrogance and my confidence. I don't need to rant about how I'm going to beat you, because I don't have to talk myself into having the courage to do it. Besides...you've managed to do what I thought was impossible."

b "What are you babbling about!" /b Sigma snarls.

X chuckles softly to himself before continuing. "You were cloned from me, meaning you started out with the sexiest template in the world. But you've managed to make it so ugly that even its natural effect on catgirls is cancelled out. That's...really sad. You've proven that a horrible personality can cancel out the greatest of looks. I thought it was just the cruddy dye job, but it turns out that the whole leering, snarling b 'I'll kill you all and destroy your corpses' /b thing gets really old. You're like Zero, only with ugly hair, a worse attitude and no fashion sense. I'll be doing the world a favor by ridding you from its sight." X relaxes into a loose stance, grinning at Sigma.

b "DIE!" /b Sigma charges forward. X steps aside lazily, then shoots his foot out, catching his clone in the stomach and doubling him over. As he lurches forward, the wind knocked out of him, X grabs him and teleports the both of them out in a wisp of dark power.

They rematerialize near Ragol's north pole, surrounded by ice floes all around. Sigma staggers away as X releases him, still disoriented from the transportation. b "What do you think you're doing!" /b

"Simple, really. You're the type of sick bastard that would target my weakened friends. I'm still at full power, and with us out in the middle of nowhere like this, I don't have to worry about holding back. Now, you ready?" X rises into the air, assuming his Stage 2 form as the second wing shoots from his back.

b "I shall enjoy watching your life pour from your body." /b Sigma releases all the stolen power he absorbed from the Seraphs, his body glowing with a bright light as two wings appear on his back. He draws Tenretsujin and stares at X over the glowing blade. The two circle each other in mid-air for a few moments, then move as one, colliding in a flurry of crossed blades.

Sage steps forward, drawing his Yasminkovs as he nears the crater. JiEin and Brom follow behind, the others raising their weapons as well. "He still hasn't moved...something's wrong." Sage puts out a hand to stop Ji and Brom as they continue forward, the telekinetic shield he brings up narrowly shielding them from Zionus' opening salvo.

Zionus rises from the crater, glowing with stored energy. Other than the large hole in the upper part of his robe, and the faintly glowing stains of his blood, he looks unharmed. He begins laughing as the group starts to pound away at him.

b "Fools! Behold my true power, and tremble." /b Zionus raises his hand, faintly glowing arcane symbols appearing around each member of the group. Sage's telepathic senses go off in alarm as he senses the power Zionus is pouring into this attack.

"You absorbed the power from X's attack, and feigned weakness until he left." Sage says, comprehension dawning on his face as he struggles to break the barrier.

b "Precisely. And none of you realized it. Now, you shall pay for your foolishness with your lives!" /b

Sage yells a warning, straining to shield his friends as Zionus charges energy around the symbols. Zionus unleashes his attack, blasts of white energy shooting up from the symbols, juggling the hapless party members in the air as they are unable to break free. When the attack ends, only Sage, Brom and Ayame are left conscious. Ayame was shielded by Sage's last second telekinetic barrier. Brom's Psycho Wand kicked in at the last second, diverting most of the blast, and Lutz intervened to shield Sage.

i Damn. I couldn't get a strong enough barrier around anyone but Ayame. This isn't good... /i Though the Rings had blocked the killing effects of the blast, the entire team is pretty much knocked out. Sage stumbles to his feet, struggling to clear his mind enough to cast Reverser on Lissandra. He is knocked flying by Zionus' follow up attack, and lies still and unmoving. Brom kneels in the corner, having taken enough damage that his systems are hovering on the edge of complete shutdown. The Psycho Wand embedded in his chest gives off a faint glow, casting a low-level Resta apparently under its own free will.

Ayame is the only one completely unharmed; Sage's fast thinking shielding her. In her untransformed state, the force of the blast would have killed her without a ring. She cowers, a wave of fear washing over her. i He just wiped everyone out. I can try to Reverser them, but...he'll kill me. I don't know what to do! /i Something calls to her from the back of her mind, and she hears her alter-ego's voice in her head.

i Dammit, stop crying! You aren't a little kid anymore. Get out there and help your teammates, or back down and let me finish this guy off! /i Danielle snarls.

i But...I'm scared. Uncle left, and all the others are out cold...

You won't always be able to rely on others to protect you. Dammit girl, you have to grow up sometime! Now would be preferable...

A-alright. I'll try. /i Ayame gets to her feet, calming herself as Zionus floats closer. Her brave front is shattered as he fires an energy blast that she barely dodges. He begins stalking her around the room, laughing as she is paralyzed with fear.

b "Hahahaha! Where's your brave talk now, girl? Without your pathetic uncle to do everything for you, you're nothing!" /b Each attempt Ayame makes at a Reverser is cut off by an energy blast from Zionus that forces her to back away. At last, Danielle's self control snaps.

i Kid...you're getting us killed out there. For the first, last, and only time...I'm going to ask nicely. Please let me take over. Or get us both killed.

Please help me. I don't care if you have to take over. I can't do this alone... /i

Danielle's snarl of contempt is clearly heard echoing in Ayame's mind. i You don't get it, do you. I'm not really stronger than you, or anything. I'm simply a lot bitchier. I take the abilities we share and actually use them. That's what you need to learn to do. Anyway...here's a crash course. Please try to keep up. /i

Ayame sags backwards for a second as she relinquishes control of her body over to Danielle. A fountain of dark purple energy obscures her form of a moment, fading as the familiar red-haired form of Danielle steps forward. She smiles evilly, then unleashes her power, spiraling currents of purple lightning swarming around her as two raven-black wings burst from her back. She laughs, feeling the currents of power flow through her.

b "Ahhh...it's good to be back." /b Danielle says, stretching lazily, her back arching like the catgirl she is. After a few more moments of stretching, she turns to Zionus.

b " Now, where were we? Last time I checked, you were terrorizing my marshmallow half. Only I get to do that. Let's see what you look like as a corpse!" /b Danielle summons a flurry of purple orbs that streak towards Zionus at a wave of her hand, impacting against the shield he raises and detonating with amazing cumulative force.

Zionus staggers back, his body emitting wisps of black smoke. b "Impudent child. You have the nerve to command me?"

"Well, yeah. You're male. A bit stupider and more arrogant than most, but still...male. The right to command you comes with the heels. Or didn't you get that memo?"

"Die!" /b Zionus yells, firing off a series of energy beams that Danielle gracefully avoids, flying in a complicated figure-8 pattern. She lulls Zionus into targeting where he thinks she will fly to next, then surprises him by warping behind him and unleashing a two-handed beam of purple energy that pierces his barrier and leaves him howling in agony. He bats her away with a loud cry, following up the assault with a flurry of white orbs that detonate as hers did. She raises a shield, easily deflecting the counter-attack before wiping a small trickle of blood from her mouth.

b "Getting rough, aren't we? Good..." /b Danielle flares with energy, firing off a rapid-fire series of Demon Roars that splash against his barrier, the combined explosions overwhelming him and knocking him from the sky. He recovers quickly, but is set upon by Danielle, who attacks him with a vicious combination of telekinetically enhanced strikes, punctuating each attack with a Demon Roar fired at point blank range. She kicks him in the face, delivers a flurry of punches to his chest, then pounds the back of his head with two closed fists before kneeing him in the stomach. As he doubles over, unaccustomed to this vicious physical assault, Danielle fires a massive Demon Roar at his torso, which carries him into the nearby wall before exploding, consuming his body in dark purple flame.

At the lonely, frozen top of the world, X and Sigma face off in a dazzling battle of swordsmanship. The two are evenly matched in strength and speed, Sigma's longer weapon giving him a reach advantage but also slowing him a bit. X's shorter, lighter weapons strike with less range and force, but he wields them much faster. The two battle for what seems like an eternity, venting all the rage and hatred they feel towards one another.

Anyone watching would have been blinded by the glaring shockwaves X and Sigma gave off as their weapons collided again and again, each pouring his very heart and soul into the effort of trying to kill the other. Sigma's resolve breaks first, his heart sinking as he is unable to best X in melee combat. He feigns a swing, then fires a small energy blast at X's face, the flash temporarily blinding him. Lunging forward, he sends his sword through X's shoulder, barely missing the Hunter's heart. X lets out a grunt of pain, but brings his crossed swords up to prevent the blade from going any further, holding it in place before anything more than the tip can stab him.. Though the effort is pure agony, X fights past the pain, his indomitable will pressing him onward.

He coughs up blood as he hovers, straining mightily to break free. He charges his blades with dark energy, the katanas flaring to life as he pours conduit energy into them. Sigma presses forward, intending to fully run X through. At the last second, X stops pushing and pulls, falling backwards as he brings his legs up into Sigma's torso, launching him skyward. X continues his momentum into a full backflip as Sigma stops his upward flight with a flap of his wings.

b "That was a cheap shot with the kick. You should've just accepted your death gracefully..." /b

"Says the guy who resorts to a cheap distraction to even be able to hit me. I was trying to play it fairly, as distracting you before I strike would make this far too boring." X fires a Demon Roar that catches Sigma's attention, then warps behind him and kicks him in the back of the head. "You have the attention span of a gnat." X smiles, healing the wound in his shoulder with Resta as he hovers above Sigma.

Sigma lets out a shriek of rage as he flies upward, bringing his sword down in a powerful falling slash that glows with released power. X backs away at the last instant, instead of going to block like Sigma expected. He darts at Sigma, stabbing him in the side and spinning away to avoid his counter attack.

A gout of blood spurts from Sigma's wound as he grasps his injured side, channeling power to heal the wound. He gets it about halfway closed before X attacks again, forcing him to block. X takes this chance to deliver a powerful kick to Sigma's wound, making the clone double over in agony as he sinks to the icy ground.

b "Why...why can't I beat you? How are you so much stronger than me!" /b Sigma screams incredulously, gasping for breath in the frigid air.

"Quite simple, really. You have a weak will. Physically, we're almost exactly the same. You have that horrid dye job, but you are a bit physically stronger than me. However, when we're dealing with conduit energies, physical strength or even technique strength aren't what really matters. It's all about your force of will. It's about using your will to make the power do what you want it to do, and not what it wants to do. You've spent your entire life taking orders and being force-fed stolen power. It's only natural that you have the willpower of a fangirl at an X anime convention. And this is why you're losing."

Sigma simply glares, seething with rage. He sheathes his blade and rises up into the air, charging up for his Angelic Symphony. The massive orb of white energy appears in front of him, ringed by a circle of faintly glowing arcane runes.

b "Willpower, eh? I'll prove to you that I'm the strongest, even if I have to kill myself doing it!" /b X rushes forward, hitting an impenetrable barrier around Sigma that not even successive Demon Roars can penetrate. X sees Sigma's body become more and more drained as he pours everything he has into charging the attack. His cheeks become hollow, his hair dull and lifeless, his eyes taking on a faint aimless stare as every ounce of his power is channeled into the attack. Blood begins to seep from his side and the other cuts all over his body as his wounds reopen.

b "Impudent little brat! I am power incarnate. Your feeble attacks are no match for me." /b Zionus extricates himself from the wall, hovering back up to his usual attack altitude. Danielle floats calmly, looking bored as she carefully examines her nails. Seeing a broken one from the punches she delivered to Zionus, she lets out snarl of rage.

b "Do you know how hard it is to get a manicure when you have to steal control of your body from a whiny little brat! I'm going to kill you!" /b Danielle powers up, a dark purple aura surrounding her as she begins to assault Zionus with a barrage of massive purple energy blasts. He blocks the first few, but soon begins to weaken under the hail of power. He curls up in agony as his crossed forearms barely manage to deflect the killing blasts from his vital areas.

b i "Where is she getting this power from? And why can I not stop her? I am a GOD! This child is nothing to my infinite power... /i /b Zionus extends a mental probe, scanning for his Seraphs, wondering why their soul-absorbing abilities have not granted him more power. He screams in rage, unleashing a fountain of glowing energy around him as he discovers why his army has failed.

b "SIGMA, YOU FOOL!" /b Zionus barks, the loud reverberations of his voice causing even Danielle to cover her ears. b i So, this is why my Seraphs have failed me...he absorbed them all to fuel his own petty feud, even directly disobeying my orders. That worthless copy shall burden me no more! /i /b

b "You know, I'm not Sigma. I'm far, far more attractive than he is. And instead of bumbling around being a total failure like him, I'm going to kill you. How you could confuse the two of us, I don't know..." /b Danielle ends her taunt by warping in front of Zionus and starting to attack. Zionus blocks her first few hits, reaching out with his senses, following the steady leak of power he has felt this entire fight. When he contacts Sigma, he lets out another scream of rage, pushing Danielle back with a blast of energy that knocks her reeling.

Sigma pauses, a panicked look coming over his face. He begins talking to thin air, the massive energy blast he was charging dissipating into sparkles of light that flow towards the direction of Zionus' citadel.

b "Master...please...not now. Not while I'm this close..."

i "You fool. You have nearly ruined everything for me. I shall take back the power I wasted in making you, and use it to a better end. You have failed me for the last time..." /b

The barrier around Sigma shatters into a million sparkling shards that dissipate before they hit the ground. His body is consumed with a white pulse of energy that starts in the center of his body and spreads outwards, appearing as if a flame is feeding on his energy. Sigma cries out in agony, begging for the pain to stop. The torment in his voice is so palpable that X briefly considers killing him to put him out of his misery.

i What the hell's going on...? Was he talking to Zionus...? /i

"Hey, are you done crying so we can fight? I don't have all day, you know..." X begins, but stops as the flame of energy around Sigma begins to slowly die down. His wings begin to shed feathers rapidly, dissolving into smoke as they come off him. His body seems like it is falling apart for a moment, his very structure twisting and changing. When the flame of energy fades, it detaches from him, forming into an orb that disappears in a flash of light. Sigma lets out a cry of anguish and falls to the ground, no longer glowing at all, simply a broken man in white clothing. He hits with an audible thud, unmoving.

X flies downward, holding Orotiagito in one hand warily. Sigma stirs for a brief moment, his body burned, scorched and battered. b "The power... /b it's gone." He croaks, his voice finally losing the divine force that had so long accompanied it.

He pushes himself off the ground, his eyes no longer holding their bright glow, instead a dull, lifeless, watery grey. "Please...kill me. End this torment. He has taken all of my power." Sigma reaches up to feebly grasp X by the shirt, but is so weak he cannot even reach him. He falls back to the snow, his body going limp.

Danielle recovers from Zionus' shockwave, regaining her altitude with a quick beat of her wings. b i He's absorbing all this power from somewhere...aha! I can feel his link to the Great Light. If I break that, he's through. /i /b Firing off a Demon Roar in distraction, she opens a link to Zionus' mind, aiming straight for his connection to the Great Light.

b "Get out of my head! /b Zionus yells indignantly, firing off several energy blasts that strike the barrier Danielle put up. Though coordinating both a mental and a physical battle is quite difficult, she manages to pull it off, slipping through his defenses. Her psychic projection emerges inside a sparkling white, pristine stone temple. Four enormous pillars hold up the ceiling, each embedded with a large blue crystal. In the center sits a massive altar, set with the largest crystal she's ever seen. It pulses with a light so bright that she is unable to look at it, sending waves of force to the four pillars, which in turn radiate energy throughout the entire temple.

i Wow...this is going to take more to destroy than I thought. /i Danielle hurls a Demon Roar at the nearest pillar, the dark purple halo leaving nary a scratch as it explodes in a pulse of energy.

Zionus cries out as the mental barrier he has erected around his connection to the Great Light shudders under a furious assault from Danielle. b i This girl...she is trying to break my link. If she manages to succeed, I can draw no more power. The sacrifice of Sigma's life force would be a worthy use of that fool's worthless life. /i /b

Smiling in triumph, he summons the power he stole from Sigma, the massive orb of pearlescent white energy hovering over his hand, straining to escape like a living being. He darts forward, leading his punch with the orb of power, a audible scream of tortured energy echoing Danielle's scream of agony as she simultaneously struggles to hold the attack back and tries to destroy the pillars in Zionus' mind. Trying to do both is an unbearable strain, and she nearly passes out from the overexertion of mental energy. A desperate plan forms in her mind as she hurls blast after blast of destructive force at the barrier surrounding the pillars, to no avail. b i Hmm...he's willing to risk everything he has to destroy me. If I let him through, he'll summon power from the Great Light to finish me off. That'll make the barrier drop. Damn...this is going to hurt. /i /b

Danielle smiles grimly on the physical plane, her body giving off faint wisps of smoke as she regains her footing from Zionus' attack. Suddenly, she powers down, letting her knees go limp. She hits the ground hard, feeling rocks lacerate her knees as her conduit power leaves her. She feigns weakness with the expertise of a professional actress, slumping forward to catch herself on her hands. In the back of her mind, she hears Ayame's older self cry out in protest.

i You can't be seriously considering this. It's suicide...

"Yes, and? I'm a cursed soul leading a tortured existence. My ego is too strong to let myself be absorbed back into our body like we all need, and the kid fears me too much to willingly accept me. We will never be whole with me existing like this. Being able to take over and fly around blowing stuff up's been fun, but that's not a real life. At least with this, I can be part of a stronger whole. And maybe help the kiddo grow up a bit..."

...There's no way to talk you out of this, is there? I've never felt you resolve yourself this strongly on anything. I didn't think you could...

"Yeah, well...Zionus is about to attack me. The arrogant bastard actually fell for my 'weak little girl' impersonation. Let's hope he stays that foolish. And...one more thing. Though the brat annoys me to no end, you're actually pretty cool. Stay that way." /i With those final words, Danielle breaks the link, swaying a little in feigned exhaustion, hoping Zionus thinks she spent all of her energy attacking his barrier.

In his supreme arrogance, he doesn't disappoint, hurling himself forward and grabbing her by the throat as his body flares with divine energy. He raises the hand that still holds the stolen energy from Sigma, bringing his fist back for a final, lethal strike.

b "Stupid girl. Did you really think your feeble power would be enough to break my barrier? You can't even maintain your astral form anymore." /b

i Wow, he is a moron. I'm still inside his head...oh. /i Feeling the subtle exertion of mental strength from the older Ayame's self, Danielle smiles inwardly. i Redirecting his thoughts while he's distracted. Thanks...sis. /i Danielle's further communications are cut off as Zionus sends a surge of divine power through her body. Though she cries out in agony, nearly all of her attention is focused on gathering power for her final assault, and she barely feels the pain. Zionus holds the stream of burning energy on her til she goes limp, shaking her like a rag doll as he holds her burned body aloft.

b "Now, you die!" /b Zionus leers in triumph as he plunges his fist into her stomach, the orb of divine power consuming her body. Danielle's back arches in agony as her muscles begin to spasm uncontrollably. She deliberately pours all of her conscious awareness into the psychic projection she has put into Zionus' mind, fighting past the pain. She smiles as she sees the blue barrier around the pillars shimmer, then fade. The white crystal in the center shines with a searing light as it begins to route power to the four pillars, the entire temple glowing with silvery blue energy light. She crosses the boundary of the barrier, each step a lesson in torment. She fights forward until she is within arm's reach of the central crystal, then stops, falling to her knees on the smooth stone floor. Crying out in triumph, she manifests the full power of her conduit, the wings bringing her aloft as Zionus recognizes what she is doing. She demolishes three of the pillars in a matter of seconds, firing Demon Roars at their undefended crystal energy routers.

Zionus howls in rage, drawing more and more power from his link, fighting to kill her before she completely demolishes his connection to the Great Light. A purple barrier appears around her body, driving the swirling orb of divine energy away from her. In Ayame's mind, her child and teenage selves watch as Danielle's conduit gives out.

i "We have to help her!" The younger Ayame says, on the verge of tears. Her older self reaches down and pats her on the shoulder.

"It's alright. She's nearly cut herself off. We have to say good bye..." Tears glint at the corners of her eyes as a faint, shadowy projection of Danielle appears in front of them.

"The central crystal is too strong. I can't break it with any normal attack. I'm going to have to focus everything I have into one final blast." She is heaving for breath as she says this, blood seeping from countless wounds all over her body, her astral projection trembling in pain and exhaustion.

"No! You can't die, you can't! I won't let you!" The younger Ayame rushes forward, casting a Resta that has no effect before flinging her arms around Danielle in a mad embrace.

"Kid, listen. You've been afraid of me all this time. You've hated me for what I am, and haven't wanted to have anything to do with me. Why the tears now?" Danielle manages a slow smile at this, though even that slight movement causes her pain.

"B-be-bec-cause...you saved me. From Zionus. You can't be bad..." Ayame is crying into Danielle's shoulder at this point.

"Yes, yes I can. But I'm a part of you. You can be just as bad as me. You can save yourself. You just need to accept that not everything in the world is perfect. Stop fighting the older self. Stop searching for some storybook happy ending, and make your own path!" Danielle trembles as she says this, feeling the temporary barrier around her body starting to weaken as the connection between herself and the Ayames fades.

"Kid, I need to go. Be strong, and don't let this arrogant fool break you." Danielle tries to pull away, her weakened body making this far more difficult. Ayame clings to her for a few more seconds, then releases her and stands back, wiping her eyes. "Why do bad things always have to happen?"

"Because the world isn't perfect, kid. The faster you realize that, the easier your life'll be. Now please...let me go. I need to do this."

"No! If I don't let you go, then you won't die, and everything will be fixed."

Danielle sighs, then leans forward, stumbling slightly. "Kid, I leave everything to you. Be strong." With these last words, she delivers a swift blow to the back of her younger self's head, knocking her unconscious. She stands, smiling grimly as she looks down.

"That's it, then. She's going to be pissed when she wakes up, but there's nothing she can do about it. You'll take over?"

"Yes. And...here." The teenage version of Ayame steps forward, drawing Shiranui from its sheath.

"I was just about to ask. Thank you." Danielle grips the sword and staggers fully upright, shaking from exhaustion."

"We'll make you proud." /i

"I know." Danielle whispers, allowing the connection to her other selves to be completely severed as she extracts her consciousness from theirs, her weak grip on life making this far easier. She warps herself back into Zionus' mind, holding Shiranui in her left hand, still kneeling inside the barrier.

X jumps as he feels a powerful exertion of dark energy come from the direction of Zionus' citadel. He gazes down at the unmoving body of Sigma, then with a grim smile flies down and picks him up. He warps back to the field of battle in front of the Resistance base, dropping Sigma's still form in front of Lorna.

"X...what's going on in there?" Leah asks, seeing a bright red glow come from the direction of Zionus' citadel.

"I don't know, but...it doesn't feel right. I'm going." X takes to the air and streaks backs toward the base.

Lorna smiles happily as she sees the unmoving form of Sigma below her. A quick probe reveals that he has lost all power. Her smile fades slightly, but she feels the stirring of a genuine soul within him for the first time.

Zionus pours more and more power into the attack, seeing his target's body transition to a dark purple shadow. Taking this as a sign of victory, he redoubles his efforts, not seeing Ayame's still body appear in a far corner of the room. He continues his assault on Danielle's being, feeling her life force weaken and weaken. Suddenly, he stops, feeling an awkward buzzing in his mind, near his connection to the Great Light.

b "NO!" /b he screams, seeing the destructive force be absorbed into the shadowy being in front of him. He curses loudly, sending a telepathic probe into the depths of his own mind. He appears inside the temple, but is unable to cross his own barrier, the power being routed through his attack, into Danielle's physical form, then into the attack she's preparing.

i "You know, it's funny...I never saw myself ending up like this. Oh well. This should be a nice explosion." Danielle says, a blood red arcane circle appearing around her, the circle glowing brighter and brighter as the stolen power from Sigma is routed to it.

"You can't! I am a god, you cannot defeat me...!" Zionus yells desperately, seeing the arcane circle become brighter and brighter, feeling a pulse of dark energy gather around Danielle.

"No, you're wrong. First off...you aren't going to be a god much longer. Second...I just beat you." Danielle's eyes turn black as she stands inside the circle, beginning to chant in an ancient voice.

"Rage of the Imprisoned: Blood Oath Destroyer!" Danielle screams in a move reminiscent of her 'uncle.' She plunges Shiranui into her stomach, bending double as she rips a gash in her body, the fountain of blood that pours out of her hitting the arcane circle, tying every bit of her life force into the gathering attack. A small bubble of blood appears on her lips and bursts, her cough turning into a faint gurgle as she falls to her knees, then slumps forward onto her face, her life pumping out of her. Her vision dims, the world going dark and cold around her as a feeling of utter triumph flows through her.

"Victory...peace...they both feel...nice." Danielle thinks, as the last of her life leaves her, forming into a glowing red orb of energy that turns her body to shadow, then consumes it, drawing power from the searingly bright red circle below her. Zionus cries out in rage, seeing his plans crumble beneath him. The orb grows larger and brighter, shuddering as black bolts of lightning dance around the surface of it, opening cracks in it that shoot out beams of purple light. The beams of light hit the surfaces of the temple, burning easily through the stone and severing the pillars. The ceiling begins to shake as Zionus exits his own mind, cutting the link seconds before Danielle's final attack consumes his connection to the Great Light. He feels the red blast wave of energy rise in his mind, destroying all he has wrought in a torrent of dark red flame. He cries out in agony, the torment beyond anything he had ever experienced. It made his physical body's death at the hands of X so long ago feel like a mere pinprick in comparison.

He is consumed in the same dark red flame that consumed his ambitions, and emerges, no longer glowing with power. He staggers to his feet, looking around for the person who caused him so much damage. With a roar of triumph, he sees Ayame's unmoving figure in the corner, and takes to the air, his weakened body trembling as he exerts power to fly.

Ayame awakens slowly, a gaping emptiness lurking at the back of her mind. She hears a feeble voice in her head as an orb of shadow appears beside her, the orb forming into the near-transparent figure of Danielle. She gasps in horror at the myriad wounds covering her other self's body.

"You...you did it. He's not connected any more." Ayame says, her voice the frightened lament of a child.

"...ye..s." Danielle croaks feebly, holding on to life by the barest whisper of willpower.

i Ayame, you ended up in control of our shared body. Zionus is weakened, now is your chance! /i Ayame's older self nearly screams into her mind.

"I...I can't. He's too strong..." She whimpers, hiding her face in her hands. "He killed Danielle..."

i Come on, you can do this! Danielle wouldn't have done it if she didn't believe you could. /i Her older self says frantically.

"I don't want to be in control anymore. I wanna help Danielle." Ayame says in a child-like voice, darting forward to grasp Danielle's shadowy hands in her own.

"Ki...d...figh..t...him..." Danielle whispers, straining to stay attached to the world.

"I can't..." Kid Ayame says, trying to Resta Danielle. She screeches in horror as Zionus appears behind her.

"You! You are responsible for this. Pay with your life!" Zionus says, using his accumulated power to manifest the familiar energy signature around himself. Though he can no longer draw infinite power from the Great Light, he still has enough built up to maintain his form. b "Your life ends now." /b He says, channeling an energy blast.

Brom stirs, the Psycho Wand in his chest having finally stumbled upon Reverser, after going through nearly every other technique it knew. He rises to one knee, his cracked visual sensors detecting a massive surge of energy nearby. Struggling to his feet with the help of his Doombringer, he staggers over, realizing as he gets halfway there that he is out of Moon Atomizers. He hears the conversation between Ayame and Zionus, though Ayame seems to be talking to someone else.

"I can't fight him, Danielle. I can't get mad like you, because when I get mad people get hurt..."

"Dammit..." Danielle wheezes.

Zionus channels his attack, laughing all the while. He is interrupted by the harsh stabbing pain of a Doombringer penetrating his back. b "Argh!" /b Brom leaves the sword in as he stumbles over to Ayame.

"Ignorant fleshling larvae! Anger is what gives us strength, what gives up power. Fearing anger is the most irrational thing I have ever heard spawned from your inferior analog thought processes." Brom stands between Ayame and Zionus, his natural regeneration starting to give more power to his internal mechanisms.

"Mr. Brom..." Ayame says through a face clouded with tears. "I...don't know what to do..."

i Either fight back or relinquish control! We can't fight him like this..." /i Her older self yells into her mind.

X appears outside the citadel, readying a massive Demon Roar as he flies forward. He fires, fully expecting the barrier to dissipate easily as it did last time. He impacts with a resounding thud and bounces off.

"What the hell?" X unleashes a barrage of energy blasts, none able to scratch the renewed barrier Zionus had put up after he left. Comprehension dawns on his face as he snarls.

"Dammit..."

Ayame watches as Zionus darts forward, his hand going into Brom's chest. He lifts the android high in the air as he grasps the Psycho Wand that powers Brom's internal workings.

"Get...bzzt...your...crackle...filthy...spark...meatbag...hands...off of me!" Brom yells in defiance, reaching down to grasp Zionus' hand by the wrist. He pulls feebly, surprised at the pure strength of this 'weak fleshie'. The more effort he expends, the more sparks shoot from his body.

Zionus smiles in triumph. b "Well, it appears that you are the last of your pathetic team that is still willing to fight me. As such...this ends." /b Zionus delivers a powerful blast to Brom's internal circuitry, pushing the droid back as he rips the Psycho Wand from his frame. Brom lands a few feet away, a miniature explosion erupting from his chest cavity. His body shuts down completely, going limp. Zionus shatters the Psycho Wand with a flexing of his hand, tossing the fragments away.

Ayame shrieks in terror, the realization that she is about to die truly hitting her. With this comes a strange sense of peace. i Danielle was right...no one can protect me...but me. /i Ayame lunges forward, grasping Danielle's hands in both of hers. She presses her face to her alter ego's shoulder, whispering softly.

"Neither of us is whole alone. I accept you..." Danielle smiles feebly as she feels herself be absorbed into the child Ayame. The two personalities fuse and intertwine, giving off a bright purple glow as they are integrated fully by the teen Ayame. She falls to her knees, her superego and id relinquishing their tenuous holds on reality, the split portions of her self fusing into one at long last. She gets to her feet with a fierce look in her eye.

"Zionus...it's over." She calls upon her conduit with no sign of effort, a pink feathered wing shooting from her back as her body is covering in a shimmering pink aura. She blasts Zionus with a Demon Roar, then swoops around the room, reviving her team with a super Reverser.

Sage opens his eyes, seeing a shining pink being hovering over him. "Ayame...?"

"Yes, Sage. Please get up. We have work to do. Danielle broke Zionus' connection to the Great Light, at a horrible cost. Zionus has severely injured Brom as well. Uncle is trapped outside, unable to break through the barrier. It's up to us now..."

Sage stands, looking around to see Nova, JiEin and Liss getting to their feet. Brom lies unmoving in a corner, a blackened hole consuming most of his chest. He briefly scans Ayame's mind, realizing what has happened.

"Let's end this." He says, drawing his Yasminkovs. The others recover from their bout with unconsciousness quickly, bolstered by Ayame's freshly cast Shifta and Deband. Nova starts the assault off with a burst of gunfire, Sage following with a hail of telekinetically enhanced bullets. Liss begins hurling slicer blades at Zionus, grinning in surprise as their concentrated assault breaks through his barrier. Ayame and JiEin dart forward as one, Ayame drawing the blood-stained blade of Shiranui as she and her android companion unleash a vicious combined melee assault.

Zionus sends a surge of power through the shield of solid energy he brings up, the jolt sending JiEin flying as his blade makes contact. Zionus hovers out of Ayame's sword range, then blasts the ground at her feet, knocking her down. Before he can continue the assault, he is caught in the back by an explosive cannon shell from Nova. Nova replaces the Hand Cannon ARM back into its capsule, then begins tracking Zionus with a stream of Yasminkov fire. Zionus warps away, the Ramar's exceptionally accurate fire following him around the room, though doing little damage.

i He's fighting a defensive battle for once. He's afraid to use too much power...I guess Danielle really did succeed. I wonder what'll happen if he expends the last of his stolen power... /i Sage thinks, deflecting a flurry of energy blasts with a telekinetic wave.

He rushes over to JiEin, casting a Resta as the android gets to his feet. "You alright?" Sage asks, taking occasional potshots at Zionus.

"I'm fine. We need to somehow break through his barrier. We can penetrate it enough to damage him, but we aren't doing enough damage to make him drop it completely before he heals."

"I have an idea..." Sage replies, conferring with JiEin verbally as he telepathically contacts the others. Zionus continues to warp around the room, firing off frantic shots as he tries to avoid being caught in a final attack.

b i These fools...if that infernal girl hadn't shattered my connection, I could annihilate them. Why can I not destroy them! /i /b As he inwardly seethes, he realizes the error in his thinking. b i Of course...I was trying to control the power, even after I'd lost my link to it. Perhaps if I... /i /b A smile crosses his face as he warps out of the way of a blast from Nova's Phaser ARM, the bright whitish blue beam slamming into the wall behind him.

Zionus' instantaneous teleportation carries him across the room, and he aims a beam attack at JiEin, who swiftly dodges out of the way. Zionus repositions himself for a better shot, straying into the path of a confuse trap that JiEin set. Sage grins as he fires a Yasminkov shot that ignites the confusion trap, the swirling fumes exploding in Zionus' face. Zionus staggers, the room around him reeling for a moment, his non-divine form having to breathe once again.

After a few seconds in which he is surprisingly not attacked, his vision clears. He looks around to see JiEin kneeling on the ground, his chest plate open. He sees the familiar red glow forming around JiEin's chest and tries to move away, but finds himself unable to move, caught in a telekinetic barrier. He sees the woman known as Lissandra exerting a visible strain as she holds him trapped, but the telekinetic binding is so tight he is unable to move enough to unleash an energy blast.

b "Insolent mortals!" /b He cries, struggling to break free. He hears JiEin's voice taunting him seconds before his body is enveloped in a wave of superheated energy. Zionus exerts a large portion of his remaining power shielding himself, and when the Heat Blazer dies off, he remains intact, though visibly shaken. Further attempts to free himself have the same result.

Sage looks at him grimly as he gathers power for a Legeon, feeling Liss's exhaustion as she holds Zionus immobile. Ayame rushes over to JiEin, chilling his insides with a series of Barta techs that cause the steam coming from his joints to subside.

"Well Zionus...you're about to be mortal too." Sage says, casting a Grants directly in front of the struggling tyrant. As the telltale shimmers of light appear, Sage hurls a Megid towards Zionus, the purple ball of dark energy impacting with the Grants with a bright blue flash. Sage taps into Lutz's power, both reinforcing Lissandra's shield and more securely maintaining the building chain-reaction of Legeon. The swirling blue orb grows larger and larger, taxing Sage's endurance to the utmost as he holds it steady, every second he stops it from exploding causing the eventual release of energy to become stronger and stronger. He feels Liss's reserves give out as she loses her grip on Zionus, her mental energy completely drained. With a sigh of resignation, he opens himself fully to Lutz, feeling the Esper's power rapidly fading away as he both immobilizes Zionus and contains Legeon.

i This is it...if I don't finish him with this, we may be out of luck. Both Liss and I'll be near helpless after this. /i Sage's body flares with white energy, his hair and eyes taking on a silver tint as Lutz manifests himself on the physical plane, to more fully reinforce Sage. A look of utter terror creeps across Zionus' face as he realizes there will be no escaping this attack.

When he can no longer maintain the shields around the chain reaction, Sage releases his grip, straining with the last dregs of his energy to hold Zionus immobile as the massive explosion begins. He feels his link to Lutz drop out as the Esper expends all of his stored power, and falls to his knees as Zionus is sucked into the whirling maelstrom of blue destruction. As Sage loses consciousness, the last thing he hears is a scream of anguish from Zionus. A smile crosses the Fomar's face as the world around him fades to black.

Struggling against the barrier, X sees a bright flash of blue energy come from inside the citadel. He feels the blast wave of Sage's Legeon seconds before the loud whine of released energy plays havoc with his ears. He nearly falls to the ground as the shockwave that follows Legeon radiates outward from the citadel, buffeting him around like a rag doll. When he regains his composure, he sees the shield in front of him shimmer and disappear, and he slips past, heading for the throne room.

Nova blinks, his eyes still watering from the glare. He shakes his head and looks around, seeing a charred crater in the center of the throne room. Sage and Liss lie unmoving in a far corner of the room, each having expended every last iota of their technique energy. i Sage and Liss both warned me they'd be completely spent after that attack. However...I think it worked. /i Nova walks cautiously forward, followed by Ayame and JiEin, who both have their weapons at the ready.

"Did it work...?" Ayame asks, her pink feathered wing lightly brushing the ground.

"Sensors no longer detect the massive energy surges Zionus usually gives off." JiEin says, hefting his sword. Frost still coats his joints from Ayame's emergency cooldown method.

"Hmm...well, a little gunfire can't hurt." Nova says, walking to the edge of the crater and peering over, training his Yasminkovs on the still figure inside. At a hint of movement, he prepares to fire, but a static discharge leaps from Zio's hand, igniting every shell in Nova's Yasminkovs at once, causing a minor explosion that makes the Ramar drop his weapons. JiEin and Ayame lunge forward as Nova withdraws his Flight Cutter.

"You caused me to use the last of my stored power. I no longer contain any of the divine energy of the Great Light. However, as a parting gift, he has restored my body. Though I am no longer a god, I still have the power to punish you worthless insects." Zio says, getting to his feet.

"Haven't I killed you enough times already!" X yells, hurling a Demon Roar at Zio as he bursts into the throne room. Zio steps back, the residual energies of the Great Light shielding him.

"Ah, X. How...nice to see you. I shall take great pleasure in breaking you loose from this mortal coil." Zio raises his hands, beginning to chant. A faintly glowing blue circle envelops him, shielding him from the barrage of attacks the four unleash.

"It's ironic, really. I expended the last of the power I'd obtained from the Great Light in trying to simply survive that last assault from that wretched Fomar. However, no longer possessing the power of a god is not entirely bad. I can now summon his help in ways I could not before. Observe." Zio sneers as he says this, still protected by his barrier.

Zio's chanting rises in strength and intesity as his body is levitated into the air. No longer controlling the power of the Great Light, he is now simply calling on it, his prolonged usurpation of the power affording him a unique sensitivity to the Great Light. He chants the words of a spell that spring to his mind.

i I beseech thee, O' divine one! Unleash your righteous fury on those who would steal your power for their own good. Crush them in your immortal wrath! /i

Surprisingly...ironically...though it violates all laws of reason and sense...the Great Light responds to the insane tyrant's call, still befuddled from its long captivity. Shining runes, similar to a photon blast, ring the throne room. A bright disk of light appears around each of the Rings, consuming the still-standing JiEin and Nova in blasts of silver light that rain from the heavens, juggling them in a torrent of unleashed power. When the attack fades, Nova and JiEin are left reeling. Sage, Brom and Liss, still unmoving, are left unharmed, as the Great Light doesn't register them as a 'threat'. The Great Light seems to shudder, realizing its mistake, though the damage has already been done. Zio feels the divine being's hesitancy, and makes one final call, twisting the being's perceptions with the last of his telepathic strength.

i Now, banish the evil ones from my sight. Cleanse your sacred citadel of those who walk in shadow, and bring the demons to their knees! /i

X and Ayame are consumed in white flames, the outward manifestations of their link to the Profound Darkness being burned away with divine light. They fall, their bodies unable to take the incredible punishment. As they lose consciousness, the barrier around the room solidifies, blocking any dark power from entering.

Zio feels a cry of horror from his mind as the Great Light breaks free of his telepathic twisting.

b i You...you made me kill them. /i /b The Great Light cries, finally realizing the depths to which Zio has twisted his power.

i "Yes, you fool. After stealing your power for my own for so long, you are unable to resist my will. And in the process of using up all your power, I have weakened you. If you attempt to intervene in this battle, you will be unable to prevent the Profound Darkness from breaking through into this reality. You can rage at me all you like, but you lack the power to do anything. I thank you for your...assistance. Though I am no longer a god, I shall still be able to take my revenge. X will die at my hand!" /i

Zio begins to laugh maniacally, the horrible despair he felt at losing the infinite power of the Great Light somewhat counterbalanced by seeing his foes broken and spent before him. He slowly walks towards the huddled form of X in front of him, seeing the battered Humar's body lying still and unmoving. He feels the briefest stirring of divine power, but discounts it, lifting X's still figure with an exertion of telepathic might.

Sage feels a strange warmth come over him, and he blinks, his eyes opening. He sees rough stone in front of his face, every movement feeling like it is forced through a sea of mud.

i b "You, the host of the Esper. You must defeat Zio." /b

"Wha?"

b "I am the Great Light. Zio is no longer in control of my power, though he used the last bit of energy he absorbed from me to make me attack everyone. I cannot spare any more power other than what I just used. Your final attack on Zionus made him use nearly all my strength. Revive your friends and go." /b /i Sage hears the faint voice in his head cut out, and further efforts to contact it are useless. He staggers to a semi-upright position, his vision blurring as he looks towards Zio. X is levitated in front of him, and a large spear of ice is forming above X's heart.

Taking careful aim (for the first and last time in his life), Sage withdraws his Yasminkov 2000H and sends the final bullet in the clip at Zio's face. It hits Zio in the shoulder, drawing a spurt of blood as the impact of the bullet spins him around. His channeled spell breaks, and his shattered concentration makes X hit the floor. The impact awakens the hunter, and he rolls onto his stomach. Zio curses loudly, glaring at Sage.

"You! You think you can steal my vengeance from me? I've had enough of you. Prepare to die!" Zio channels magical energy, a massive orb of flame appearing in front of him. Sage, too drained to even move, simply looks on, a funny sense of peace washing over him.

i After all this time...after all these struggles...killed after we took him out of god form. Ironic... /i Sage struggles to move out of the path of the flames, his weakened body rendering him barely able to sit up. As he stares the crimson orb of death in the face, a loud rush of air blows in the far wall.

Nyreal steps through, Shouin Lumiere swirling with technique energy. Though battered, bruised and clearly the worse for wear, a look of triumph shines on his face.

"Sage, look out!" he yells, seeing the massive fireball headed for Sage. With a flick of his wrist, he sends a howling gale of wind at the flame that slashes it to bits, dispelling it. He rushes over, deflecting Zio's techniques with more swings from his sword. He reaches Sage, throwing a Trifluid to him.

"That's my last one. Use it wisely." Nyreal says, after Sage has used it.

"Now you tell me. Where the hell have you been?" Sage asks, casting a Resta and standing as the healing energy washes over him.

"Busy. What do you think happened to Eriror?" Nyreal grins, then intercepts another blast that Zio flings at the pair.

"Why's Zionus not glowing anymore?" Nyreal asks, parrying another fireball and countering with a gale of wind from his sword.

"We severed his link to the Great Light. We need to get everyone up and moving, then finish him off." Sage replies.

"Got it." Nyreal dashes forward, casting a Resta on X as the Hunter staggers to an upright position. His next Reverser technique revives Ayame, who sits up. Nyreal focuses on deflecting Zio's continued attacks as X and Ayame come back to awareness.

"Why won't you die!" Zio snarls, flinging technique after technique at Nyreal. He deflects them easily, being at relatively full strength. With the intervention of the fully healed Fomar, the battle begins to swiftly turn in the heroes' favor.

X swings Orotioagito at Zio, impacting a barrier. He sidesteps, bringing the sword down again and swiping Zio in the side. Ayame takes her chance, lunging forward and stabbing Zio between the shoulder blades with Shiranui as she lets out a cry of rage. Sobbing in anger, she drives the blade in til the hilt scrapes Zio's spine. Zio howls in agony, slumping forward, trying frantically to withdraw the blade from his back.

As Zio arches in pain, X steps forward, stabbing him in the side with Orotiagito, provoking a spray of blood and another cry of pain. Zio coughs up blood as he begins to chant, aiming for one final spell before he expires. Nyreal cuts off his casting by lunging forward and burying Shouin Lumiere in the villain's other side. Impaled like a stuck pig, Zio falls to his knees, bleeding profusely.

"I'll...kill...you..." He says, glaring at Sage. Sage feels the arcane energies swirling around him, and sees a transparent barrier pop up around Zio as the mage tries to buy enough time for a sacrificial final attack. Ayame, X and Nyreal all let out cries of pain as sparks shoot from their weapons, knocking them back.

Sage steps towards Zio, drawing the Seraph Saber Dante had made and pouring every ounce of his technique energy into it. He swings it in a low, flat arc, the silver and blue photon saber flaring with a bright glow. It cleaves through Zio's neck, severing his head from his body. A bright flash of light erupts from Zio as the Great Light is freed from his prison, lines of white energy shooting from Zio as the Great Light breaks the last ties Zio had to the mortal plane. Zio's lifeless corpse slumps forward as it is consumed in blue flame, the typical blue aura of expended technique energy burning away all traces of his new body. A scorched, black area on the stones of his throne room is all that remains.

"It's...over. Finally." Sage says, supporting himself with one hand on the rough floor as he kneels.

Ayame, X and Nyreal all retrieve their weapons from the smoldering patch that marks Zio's final resting place. All of them stare at the spot for a few moments, then Ayame lets out a cry of glee and leaps at X, tackling him in a powerful hug the second he sheathes Orotiagito.

"We did it, YAY!" she yells happily, nearly cutting off her uncle's air supply. Nyreal looks on, laughing.

As the group goes about patching up their wounds, a glowing orb of light appears in the center of the room. Each whirls, drawing their individual weapons.

b "Whoa, whoa. Calm down. It's just me." /b The Hunter who appears says, his white uniform glowing with a light like Zionus'.

"What do you mean, 'just me'?" Lissandra asks warily, getting to her feet after a Reverser on Brom fails to reboot his systems.

b "I'm the Great Light, guys! I'm here to thank you for...uh...what was I here to thank you for, again...?" /b The being gets a puzzled look on his face, scratching his head.

Lutz springs into life in Sage's mind with an outraged cry.

i This is impossible. This cannot be the being for which I sacrificed decades of my existence to serve. /i Lutz says disgustedly. i He can barely even maintain a coherent train of thought... /i

The Great Light looks on with a vacant stare on his face. He stares down at his hands, then produces a yo-yo out of midair and begins playing with it. As he loops it around, he notices everyone staring at him.

b "Oh, hi! Who are all of you?" /b

"We're the ones who just beat Zionus." Nyreal says.

"You showed up to thank us, or something...?" Nova says, holstering his Yasminkovs.

b "Zionus! Where!" /b The mention of Zionus' name provokes a look of horror from the idioti- ahem 'confused' deity. b "You have to hide me. He smells funny, and always yells at me.." /b The Great Light says, warping over to hide behind JiEin. He peeks his head over JiEin's shoulder, looking around warily.

b "Is he here?" /b The Great Light extends one hand, glowing with energy. As he does so, he inadvertently hits himself in the face with the yo-yo. He backs away from JiEin, grabbing his nose as he blasts a hole in the ceiling.

"What is your malfunction...?" JiEin asks as the Great Light fires off energy blasts frantically.

b "It's the demon monkeys, trying to kill me. One hit me in the nose!" /b

After a few more moments of firing off energy blasts at random bits of rubble, the Great Light seems satisfied.

b "Take that, invisible demon monkeys!" /b

The group stares for a moment as he calms down. Ayame starts giggling uncontrollably.

"You're funny."

The Great Light grins the innocent smile of a child. b "Thanks! So...why am I here, again?" /b He makes a scroll materialize from thin air, but in his attempt to put away the yo-yo and read the scroll, he ends up with the scroll tucked into his pocket, trying to read the yo-yo. A few more seconds of fumbling finally has him sorted out. He reads for a moment, a pair of tiny pince-nez glasses appearing on the bridge of his nose.

b "Let's see...T-o...d-o...l-ist. Aha! To-do List. So, what was I supposed to do...?" /b With a loud exclamation, he jumps as if shot, dropping the scroll. b "Oh yeah...I need to do laundry. Anyway...I'm here to thank all of you for defeating Zionus." /b The Great Light says, stowing the yo-yo in his back pocket and beginning to make the scroll travel up and down on a strand of light extended from his finger. The group simply looks on in shock, not quite sure what to make of what they are seeing.

i He seemed so much more...competent when he spoke to me inside my head. /i Sage thinks. Liss picks up on this and stifles a grin.

i "Yes, it is rather odd. The protector of the universe seems rather...underwhelming. Perhaps it's an act?" /i

i I hope... /i

X's nose has started to bleed profusely by this point, and he has a pained look on his face. Inside his mind, he hears the Profound Darkness start into a rant.

b i "Not this fool again! ARGH! I've been confined by this moron for all eternity. You'd think that after killing off his earthly avatar, I'd be able to get a little peace." /b

X watches the Profound Darkness pace around in his mind, grinning as she gets more and more agitated. She lashes out with her tentacles, hitting a stone pillar in the psychotropic representation of her prison that X's mind presents.

"He is...acting, right? There's no possible way you could be defeated by someone that's actually this stupid..."

b "Silence! You have no idea of his power." The Profound Darkness says, shaking with anger. /b

"Hahahaha! You did get beaten by him."

b "I was rather...compromised at the time. Consuming an entire planet's worth of souls tends to make you a bit inebriated. That's the only way this fool could have..." /b

"Riiight. Whatever you have to tell yourself. Anyway, have fun in your prison. And quit making my nose bleed." /i

X returns to active consciousness after the internal dialogue to see the Great Light hovering in front of him, waving his hands in a complicated pattern.

"Hey, what're you doing?" X asks, backing away.

b "Your nose is bleeding. I'm going to fix it." /b With a quick movement, the Great Light casts a spell. Unfortunately for X, the Great Light's attempt at a Resta results in a Grants spell that he narrowly avoids.

Liss smiles, then casts a quick Resta as the Great Light casts another spell, timing it to look like he cast Resta. X dodges the Foie blast that resulted, backing towards Sage.

b "Yay, it worked! Anyway, I just wanted to thank all of you." /b

"Ok, thank. It was our pleasure to help." Sage says, as Lutz rails at him. i This is intolerable! There is no way the being I served for this long is so...so...

"Stupid? Foolish? Scatter-brained? Mentally deficient?"

All of the above...

"Really, it makes sense if you think about it. He is always represented as being indirect, and never actually intervening himself. Now I see why...he's a danger to himself and others."

...damn you. You're right, though.

"I know, it's sad. Sorry your entire afterlife's work has basically been a waste of time. We had fun though, right?"

Yes, I suppose. /i

As Sage and Lutz have their conversation, the Great Light sees the glint of light reflecting off of Brom's plating.

b "Oooh, shiny!" /b He warps over to the fallen android, and with a quick wave of his hand reactivates him.

"...ugh. What the bloody hell? Who are you, strangely glowing meatbag? Where is Zionus? What happened?" Brom replies, his internal systems kicking on.

b "I'm the Great Light!" /b

"The entire reason Zionus was unable to unleash his reign of terror upon the world? The power that gave him the ability to nearly wipe this planet clean of the impure flesh-based lifeforms that oppress my people?" Brom asks cautiously.

b "Yeah, that's me!" /b

Brom suddenly falls to one knee, bowing deeply. "You have helped bring death to the fleshling oppressors. I bow to you. If you would like a new conduit for your infinite destructive power, I gladly give my frame to that noble cause."

Sage scowls. "Brom, quit trying to abuse the infinite power of the Great Light for your own purposes."

"Damnable fleshbag..." Brom mutters.

The Great Light beams at the attention, producing a staff out of thin air. b "Here you go, Mr. Metal Guy! This can fill that hole in your chest." The narrow form of a Caduceus appears in the Great Light's hands, seconds before he stabs it into Brom's chest. The others gasp in horror, but Brom simply laughs.

"Ahahaha! The power, the power!" His body glows with a bright light as the staff is assimilated. When the Great Light withdraws his hand, the Caduceus fills the place where the Psycho Wand formerly resided.

b "There you go, pal. Well, thanks again to all of you for helping me and stuff. I've gotta go. See ya!" /b With a sudden flash of light, the divine being disappears. He reappears a second later above the throne.

b "Uh, how do I get to space, again? I lost my map..." /b

Sage puts a hand on his forehead, rubbing the spot where the stress headache is rapidly taking hold. He points upward. "That way..."

b "Thanks guy!" /b With another flash, the Great Light disappears.

A quick Hinas from Ayame brings the group back to the Resistance headquarters, where they find a heroes' welcome.

Sigma stirs, hearing an insistent voice in the back of his mind. He struggles against his shackles, raging at his treatment by Zionus.

i "You know...I can help you. Give yourself to me, and together we shall destroy all those who opposed you..." /i The tentacled woman whispers into his thoughts.

i "You'll give me power...?"

"Yes, if that is what you desire."

"Do it. I don't care what I have to do. I want to have the power to destroy them all!"

"Hahahahahaha!" /i The sultry laugh fills his mind as the power of the Profound Darkness takes over his body. His body is consumed by a darkly shining armor as his limbs morph into claws. A pair of enormous batlike wings sprout from his back as he annihilates his prison in a flash of released power. He blows a hole in the ceiling, then flies off, the Profound Darkness reveling in the power of the new host she just obtained.

b "Marvelous, marvelous! It's all the power of that insufferable brat with none of the pesky willpower." /b Darkness blasts several holes along the outer wall as she flies past, the Demon Roars causing massive explosions.

Alarms go off in the base as the Profound Darkness frees herself from the chamber that held Sigma.

"What's going on?" Sage asks, turning to Labyrinth.

"Sigma has escaped, and has left the base." The RAcast replies, after consulting his monitors.

"I thought I drained him to the point where he could hardly be a threat!" Lorna stomps her foot in anger, glaring towards the main console.

A grim look crosses over X's face as he hears the Profound Darkness's laughter in the back of his mind.

"The Profound Darkness has consumed him. This is going to get ugly." X grabs his katanas and heads for the main entrance, followed almost immediately by Ayame and Neifirst.

"You think you're taking all the glory this time, brat?" Nei snarls.

"Nah, but...why are you two following me?" X asks, seeing Ayame coming up on his other side.

"Because. We're connected to her too. I have a feeling this will take all three of us." Ayame says, struggling to keep up with her uncle and Neifirst's longer strides.

Sage and Liss rush after them as Labyrinth sounds the general alarm.

When they reach the outskirts of the base, they see a shining black portal swirling and growing in the center of the plains that ring the base. D-Cell monsters of all kinds are pouring out in a swarm. Sigma's transformed shape floats above the portal, surrounded by a black aura. The sky takes on a peculiar dark purple tint, masking the brilliant sunset that had been slowly ushering out the day.

b "All life, all creation...all will bow before me in death!" /b Sigma cries, sending a flurry of Demon Roars at the Resistance troopers that pour out of the base. X manifests his conduit and takes to the air, striking down several Delsabers as he speeds towards Sigma. Shrugging, Ayame and Neifirst release their powers as well, flying after him.

Sage arrives outside, taking in the massive portal as he gasps for breath. He sees the Dreamchasers locked in combat with a group of D-Cell monsters. Axios cleaves a Merlan in half, then turns and yells to Sage.

"What the hell's going on?"

Sage fights his way over, followed closely by Lissandra. As the two battle closer, Lorna, Yokote and Nyreal appear from inside the base. The groups converge, fighting off the swarming D-Cell creatures.

"The Profound Darkness has taken advantage of the Great Light's weakened condition, and has used Sigma as a channel to break free into this world." Lorna explains, decapitating a Delsaber.

"So...he goes from being a glowing light bulb to a cursed emissary of darkness, just like that?" Kiara asks, destroying a group of claws with a Rafoie.

"It must have something to do with being a clone of X. The Profound Darkness has hinted that X is a nearly perfect host for divine energy." Leah joins the fray, sweeping through a line of Merlans with her Flamberge. The creatures fall, though more quickly replace them. Keiko follows hot on her heels in cat form, transforming to her humanoid shape long enough to blast a Gran Sorceror with a Ryuenjin: Chou. The flaming wheels produce a bright flash of light as the creature is consumed.

High above the main battle, X forces his way through a line of hovering, winged Delsabers. He slashes one in half, then blasts another with a Demon Roar. Looking over, he sees three of them soaring towards Ayame. Before he can move to help her, she has obliterated her three attackers with a series of pin-point energy blasts. Nei struggles with a third, finally resorting to impaling it with her hand blade before sending a pulse of dark flame that incinerates the creature.

"Well, what do we do now?" Ayame asks, as the three fight their way towards Sigma.

"I don't think Darkness is at full strength either, despite what it seems. If we all use a lot of conduit power, it'll bleed off what Sigma has to work with." X replies, cutting down another flying Delsaber. He feels the familiar tickling at the back of his mind as Sage contacts him.

i "X...if the three of you pool your powers, you can greatly reduce the amount of available energy Sigma has. It all comes from the same source, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much. But if that isn't enough to destroy him...what then? That's a lot of D-Cell monsters." /i

X hears a different voice in his head, and jumps in surprise.

i "If I convert all of my stored technique energy into destructive force...it could wipe out a large chunk of Ragol. If I focus that on Sigma, combined with your conduit powers...he won't be surviving." /i Lutz says calmly.

i "Lutz...why in the hell didn't you mention this while we were fighting Zionus?" /i Sage asks.

i "Because, Sage...doing that will disincorporate me. I didn't feel like killing myself off for Zionus. However, now...I don't feel the same way."

"It's because of meeting the Great Light, isn't it? That guy could drive anyone to suicide..."

"...that's part of it. Also...you did admirably during the conflict with Zionus. If I have to expend the last bit of energy holding my soul to the Circlet, I feel happy knowing that you will inherit my power and knowledge."

"Wait...didn't I get all your power/knowledge/whatever when I put on the circlet?"

"In short...no."

"That explains a hell of a lot." /i

X listens to the argument as he fights his way to Sigma, being constantly buffetted back by the waves of power coming off of him.

i "So...you two done?" /i X asks.

i "Yes. If you, Ayame and Neifirst can blast Sigma with a powerful enough attack to distract him that will allow Sage to strike."

"Right. I'll get right on that..." /i X breaks the link, and yells to Ayame and Neifirst, who are hovering near him.

"We need to combine our powers. The more power we exert, the less Sigma has to work with. By pooling our efforts, we can produce more of a destructive effect."

"So...a triple conduit attack? Yay!" Ayame says, grinning.

Nei smirks. "You have strange ideas..."

"Technically, we can blame Sage's mind-buddy for this one." X replies. "But the concept's sound. And of course...we need to come up with a good name for it."

Ayame and Neifirst respond simultaneously. "Delta Demon Roar!" Nei says.

"Dark Destiny Destruction Cannon!" Ayame yells.

"...right. We really need to work on your naming skills..."

The three bicker for a few moments, striking down D-cell monsters as Sigma sends wave after wave of the creatures towards them.

"Genocide Blast!"

"Super Rappy Power Strike!"

As Ayame and Neifirst go back and forth with various names, the fight below becomes more and more intense. Eventually, every member of the Resistance is embroiled in furious combat with the swarming hive of D-Cell creatures. For every one they strike down, five more appear.

Lorna fights her way over to Sage, smiling.

"So...Lutz finally wishes to be free?"

"Yeah. Meeting the Great Light really shook him."

"Well, I may have a way to add to the power of what you're about to do."

"Oh, how?"

"Fanservice..." Lorna replies enigmatically.

"Huh?"

"Just charge up the attack. You'll know what's happening when I do it." She walks away during a brief lull in the fighting. She meets up with Labyrinth, who is commanding a squad of Resistance troopers.

"Labyrinth, can you link me to Pioneer 2's main broadcast system?"

"I can try. What do you require access for?"

"A...small broadcast."

"I can capture the images with my built-in webcam, and Elly can stream them to the network."

"Perfect. I'll tell you when I'm ready."

"In the middle of a fight...?" Labyrinth asks to Lorna's rapidly retreating back. Lorna fights her way over to a group of embattled Resistance soldiers, helping them push the D-Cell monsters back.

"Ok, ok...I've got it." X says, interrupting Ayame and Nei's argument.

"What?"Ayame replies.

" San Majin Shinrengoku Aizan: Chou." X says proudly, to twin glares from Ayame and Nei.

"I can't even pronounce that..." Nei says.

"That attack name is long enough to make me fall asleep. By the time we're finished saying it, Sigma'll be dead of old age..." Ayame replies, making a disgusted face.

"Well, do you have a better idea?" X asks indignantly.

The argument of the three is cut off by Sage's telepathic yell directed towards them.

i "Hey, you three almost ready? We're kinda getting beat down here..." /i

"We have to come up with a good name, or else it won't be as effective." Ayame says before X can respond. His eyes mist up in pride for a second.

"Wow...thank you Ayame."

i "Regardless...we're dying. Name the attack later." /i Sage says testily. JiEin impales a Del-D that lunges at Sage, joining most of the Resistance in trying to keep enemies back.

"JiEin...think of an attack name. Quickly, please." Sage says to the Hucast.

"Cerberus Roar."

"Thank you."

i "Cerberus Roar. Go with it before I make you all think you're five year old schoolgirls."

"But..."

"Human schoolgirls." /i Sage adds, cutting off Neifirst's reply. She grumbles, but joins X and Ayame in flying towards Sigma.

When they reach Sigma, they begin chanting, each of them charging up a massive Demon Roar. They begin circling around him, the purple haze of energy that follows them forming into a massive ring. Arcane symbols appear all around the ring as Ayame weakens Sigma's defenses with her Dark Curse technique. Neifirst boosts the three of them with a surge of her conduit fire, and X charges a Hyper Demon Roar. The three unique abilities combine, and the Hyper Demon Roar is mirrored by Ayame and Neifirst as they draw into the shared well of power their three conduits have opened. Sigma finally takes notice of them and begins laughing.

b "You think your puny attacks can harm me?" /b He reinforces his barrier and continues to summon more D-Cell creatures.

"Yes, actually. Time for payback." Nei replies sharply, as the massive glowing haloes in front of each of the trio grow in size. A high-pitched whine of energy can be heard even far below as the attack becomes more and more powerful. At last, as the attack reaches critical mass, the three fire as one, blackish beams of energy shooting from the Hyper Demon Roar orbs to strike Sigma head on, giving off a glowing bluish-purple backlash of released energy as they press the assault.

"Cerberus Roar!" The three scream in unison, the combined force of their attack striking Sigma head on, draining from the same reserve of energy he is holding the portal open with. Sigma staggers, feeling power bleed away from his reserves as they pour destructive force at him.

b "You can weaken me...but I am far too strong to be destroyed by my own energy. Soon, this portal to Darkness will envelop this entire world!" /b

"Yeah...but you can't move either." Ayame says, smiling despite the strain she's under.

Sigma's attempts to prove her wrong fail miserably, the arcane seal of Ayame's Dark Curse locking him in place. He lets out a cry of rage, but is unable to break free.

Far below, Sage finally gives in to Lutz's incessant demands.

i "Fine...if you want to blow yourself up, go ahead. I can't stop you..."

"Thank you, Sage. I need you to charge up a Legeon Beam, like you did against Alis on Rykros."

"That was really difficult to control. Are you sure...?"

"Yes. Do it."

Sage taps into Lutz's power, the familiar rush of technique energy enveloping him in a white haze of coalescing force. He chain-casts four Legeon orbs at once using Lutz's power, then clamps down on the cascading chain-reactions with a telepathic grip, holding them steady as they begin to resonate with each other. The Resistance members fight to keep the area around him clear, pushing the D-Cell monsters back. Sage extends a hand, pointing the gathering energy straight up at the hovering form of Sigma.

Lorna feels the currents of raw power swirling around the battlefield, and signals Labyrinth. He contacts Elly, and every screen on Pioneer 2 springs to life with footage of the battle.

"Well, now or never..." Lorna thinks, banishing her armor. She launches into a

Censored due to excessive fanservice

The view of her form captivates all who see it, and with her unique powers she begins to drain a small amount of soul energy from each of the people from Pioneer 2. Channeling the massive amount of cumulative force, she sends it to Sage, nearly doubling the power of the swirling Legeon beam he is creating.

i "Lutz...we never really saw eye to eye. But I figured I should give you a good send-off."

"...I thank you. Perhaps...ah, nevermind." /i

Sage shudders from the strain, going to the limits of his endurance. Far above, the demonic trio is beginning to tire as well, the seal around Sigma beginning to slowly deteriorate as both their attack and Sigma's efforts to break free drain the power of the Profound Darkness.

In Sage's mind, he hears Lutz's voice. The world around him reels as his technique reserves are pushed to their limit.

i You're doing marvelously. It's time. You are a worthy successor to my power. I entrust you with my knowledge, my power...my will. My soul shall be set free, and the stored power of the ages shall go to you, its new bearer."

"Are you just going to disappear, or something?"

"Not hardly. I'm being set free. I will no longer be held to this plane."

"Can I still contact you? You've been very helpful, and..."

"Relax. You won't need to after this. Everything I 'am' is passing to you."

"How...?"

"When it happens, you'll know. Good luck. I'm proud of you." /i Lutz breaks the link between them, and converts the last of his consciousness to pure energy.

i "Manafont!" /i

Sage feels a rush of power overwhelm him as the stored knowledge and magical power of all the Esper leaders before him is assimilated into his being.

i This...is amazing. He must've increased my mental strength and technique reserves by at least a factor of ten. Lutz...thank you. I won't let you down. /i

Focusing his new-found strength, Sage channels all the ambient energy into his attack, the blue arcane circle formed by the intersection of the four Legeon orbs growing rapidly.

Sigma, sensing what has happened, struggles even harder to break free as the glare from Sage's Legeon beam reaches him.

b i You fool! How could you possibly have allowed this to happen!" /i /b

i "You're the one with the 'infinite power. Yet we still can't break the girl's barrier."

"That's because...you're not strong enough. I am always held back by my hosts..."

"No lady...I think you're wrong. You're held back by your own weakness. If you were able to break free on your own, you would have done it long ago. I'm actually kind of happy things are ending up this way. I'm tired of being a pawn for divine beings and their petty squabbles."

Sigma stops struggling as the Profound Darkness rants in his mind. Ayame, X and Neifirst fly away from Sigma as Sage's attack rushes forward.

b i " YOU FOOL!" /i /b She screams, as Sage's Legeon Beam lances towards them. The enormous blue beam, strengthened by Lorna's fanservice-assisted soul absorption, engulfs Sigma in a wash of energy. The D-Cell creatures vanish as the portal begins to shrink, drawing Sigma down into it. Sage holds the beam on him until the glare becomes too bright to see. With a massive explosion, the Profound Darkness's portal to the world is destroyed, and a searing light erupts from the portal as it closes. Her body is consumed in the blue flame of pure technique energy, and her armor crumbles to dust. In a bright flash of light, Sigma, the Profound Darkness and the remnants of the portal all disappear.

For the first time in his life, Sage does not pass out after an overextension of his powers. Using his newfound strength, he stops himself halfway to the ground as his knees give way. As the portal and the Profound Darkness's physical body disappear, the sky clears, turning to the tranquil sea of stars that usually blankets Ragol's surface at night.

X, Ayame and Neifirst land, as the Resistance surveys their victory. A small spot of earth has been turned to solid black glass, though other than that no other trace remains.

i Huh...that's weird. /i Ayame thinks, looking towards the glassy spot.

With a crack of released energy, the Great Light appears in front of the Resistance.

b "Well done. I shall now repair all the damage that has been done. With my power restored, and the Darkness vanquished, I shall right all the wrongs perpetrated in my name. To all who have stood against the evil...I thank you." /b

i Hmm...he's not an idiot anymore. /i Sage thinks, as a wave of white light washes over the planet, even enveloping Pioneer 2.

i No...he's not. The farce earlier was just an act. But I believe you'll find his...'fixing' may not be to your liking. /i

Sage jumps at the faint sound of Lutz's mental voice.

i "Lutz!"

"Yes...I can see and feel so much more now. However...I have been banned from further contact with you."

"What!"

"The Great Light wills it. I can't really contest his decision. However...my power, my will...my knowledge...they will always be with you. And with them, you have me. I wish you luck, my heir." /i

With those final words, Lutz's voice fades out.

Sage sees the world around him come to a halt as the Great Light seems to speak only to him.

b "I have fixed the memories of those who were injured in Zionus' attacks. You all are heroes. I thank you." /b

"Wait...what do you mean, 'fixed their memories'?" Sage asks, as the Great Light disappears.

Two days later, the Principal stands at a podium, with a case of medals.

"In recognition of their service to Pioneer 2 and Ragol, the Resistance against the Profound Darkness are declared special class SS Hunters."

Sage sits in his chair, inwardly seething. Lissandra picks up on his thoughts, and smiles grimly.

i He 'fixed their memories' all right. He wiped all traces of Zionus from the minds of everyone but the...two dozen or so of us that were most involved in resisting him. We remember...but all anyone else remembers is that we stopped the Profound Darkness. I suppose he didn't want anyone to lose faith in the "Great Light is always our protector" theory. /i

Sage walks to the front with Lissandra as his name is called. They take their medals and certificates and resume their seats, to thunderous applause. X grins and lightly punches Sage on the shoulder as the crowd files out.

"Well...it's been fun. Keep in touch?" X asks.

"Yeah."

i "You're ok with this?" /i Sage asks mentally.

i "Hell no. But...every time we mention Zionus, everyone stares at us blankly. We know what happened, but no one else does. Even Elly's footage has been wiped. The Great Light covered his tracks well... But there's nothing we can do about it."

"Yes, I suppose you're right. Well, see you later?"

"Yeah. If nothing else, we know what happened. See ya around, Sage."

"Goodbye, X." /i

X and Leah leave, followed by Ayame, Neifirst, Elly, Keiko and JiEin. They go their separate ways, leaving X and Leah to head to their apartment alone. After stopping for a few groceries, they head home.

As they stand outside the front door, Leah turns to X with a sweet smile. "X...Elly made me a new whip."

"Oh boy." X replies, digging his key out while juggling several bags.

"Easy breezy." X opens up the door to his aparment while carrying a few bags in his left arm. He steps aside and allows Leah to enter first in an abnormal display of chivalry, and then walks in after. He unceremoniously dumps the bags on the floor and walks to the center of the room where Leah is standing with a slightly preoccupied look on her face.

"Hmm? What's wrong? We won."

"Um...well, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." X tilts his head in confusion as Leah shifts uncomfortably on her feet. With a sigh, she begins.

"I'm late."

"Oh? To what? Hey, I bet I can fly you there in plenty of time!"

"...No...not that kind of late." Leah reaches into her back pocket and fishes out a white tab. X blinks as guesses as to what it is seep into his mind.

"Please tell me that's really an 'x' and you're just holding it wrong."

"It's a plus sign. X...I'm pregnant."

Leah stands there with a tense look on her face as she waits for X to react. Clearly, she isn't sure how he'll take this. X stands there and blinks for a whole five minutes, easy until he finally responds the only way he knows how; like a jackass.

"Well, that's cool. Who's the father?"

Coming out anyone else's mouth, this would sound like a dodging of responsibility. The telltale smirk on X's face, however, makes it clear that he's just being annoying. Leah giggles, and then laughs until she's outright cackling. All too sudden, she gains the look of an eternally enraged harpy and rushes X. Having a brain, X starts to run around the couch, giggling maniacally.

"You are, you little twit!"

Six months later...

Sage and Lissandra are in Sage's apartment, watching a news report on the "Profound Darkness incident."

i "So, it has been concluded that the Profound Darkness was responsible for the mysterious 'Seraph' creatures that have popped up lately. Efforts to restrain them fall upon the newly reorganized Hunter's Guild, led by Labyrinth. Mr. Labyrinth has declined comment on the matter." /i

The scene cuts to a commercial for the Imperial Wok.

"Now, newly refurbished, with the world famous android chef JiEin."

"We should probably go there..." Liss says sleepily.

"Yeah, but tomorrow."

The two head to bed, enjoying the peace that had been won at such a hard cost.