Chapter 26: Evil Meets Evil
Hikaru, Kurumi and Neju left the Cross Realm Mall after two enjoyable hours. Enjoyable for everyone but Seina that is. He was weighed down by so many boxes and bags that if it weren't for his body enhancement he would have collapsed.
"So, where now?" Hikaru asked.
"I think we should head back to Command and hang the new cloths we bought. Seina, hand our stuff over."
"You got it," Seina replied with a very heavy sigh of relief. Then, just as he was handing the packages to Hikaru a massive explosion knocked them all flat. Hikaru turned and saw the shopping mall they'd had just left had been reduced to a smoking crater. "We've gotta get out of here!"
"Wait, look!" Hikaru called out. In the sky hundreds of portals were opening and from them poured hordes of Zerevire, Invaders, Magyar and other troops. "It's Derek's attack! Seina, Neju, get to someplace safe. Kurumi and I'll handle this." Both girls leapt into the sky as their wings appeared. They didn't have their armor, but that couldn't be helped. "Let's do it Kurumi!"
"Right behind you!" The Steel Angel replied. Together she and Hikaru cut a swath through the attacking forces, buying precious time for civilians to evacuate. The combat androids were now performing their duties, taking down a hundred enemies for every one of themselves killed, but it wasn't enough. There were too many. Already divisions were on their way from the base, but they were still minutes away.
"Lightning blast!" Hikaru called, firing a blast of lighting and bringing down a squadron of Jovian Grasshoppers. Kurumi simply flew through them, firing blasts of energy at other enemies. Suddenly she was hit from behind and found herself face to face with a girl. She had blue hair, red eyes and wore black armor. Two black feathered wings sprouted from her back.
"At last, a worthy opponent," the new girl said, suddenly moving so fast Kurumi could barely see her. She stabbed her serrated sword through Kurumi's shoulder. "Maybe not."
"You'll pay for that!" Kurumi cried, firing a volley of energy blasts, but Kiriko easily dodged them and severed Kurumi's left arm with a slice of her blade. Kurumi cried out as she felt blood pumping out of her.
"Kurumi!" Hikaru cried, teleporting to Kurumi's aid. She moved as fast as she could, blurring her form as the formed twin energy blades and slashed and hacked at her newest enemy. Kiriko managed to block Hikaru's blows but just barely. Then she turned her full attention to Hikaru, who suddenly found herself dodging blows twice as fast as her own. She received cut after cut but avoided any major lacerations.
Kurumi saw Hikaru was loosing to the new warrior, so she charged in, aiming for her throat, but Kiriko dodged and severed Kurumi's left wing. She fell toward the ground. Kiriko followed. Hikaru swooped in but Kiriko fired an energy blast that knocked her through three buildings. While she was distracted Kurumi managed to dent Kiriko's chest armor with a punch, but Kiriko kicked out and nearly twisted Kurumi's head off.
…
Hikaru picked herself out of the rubble. She healed her injuries with one of Washu's portable regenerators and got back in the air just in time to see the unknown girl stab Kurumi in the stomach. "Kurumi NOO!" Hikaru shouted. Kiriko moved to help but Kurumi motioned for her to stop.
"Stay away. You're no match for her," Kurumi said in Hikaru's mind.
"I won't leave you here!" Hikaru replied.
"I can't let you die here," Kurumi whispered. Then, just as Hikaru was moving to help, Kurumi punched her arm into her chest. "Time to say goodbye," Kurumi whispered to Kiriko. She threw something to Hikaru, and the light in her eyes died and her body exploded in a massive fireball.
"NOOOO!" Hikaru cried out. Then she saw something flying threw the air. She caught it and opened her hand. It was Kurumi's Angel Heart, covered in blood but definitely still functioning. Hikaru knew she had to leave. If that girl had survived she had to tell Washu and the others. She turned and flew toward the imposing tower of Cross Realm Command.
…
"All right, the Jurai fleet should be here in a few minutes, and the Steel Angel brigades and Ryokos are holding the ground forces at bay for the time being," said Washu, surrounded by dozens of virtual screens. Dozens of persocoms were wired into consoles, processing data. Washu's defenses were inflicting devastating casualties on Derek's forces, but they were taking losses as well. Suddenly Hikaru burst in.
"Washu, we've got trouble."
"Yeah? Where have you been? Derek's entire damn army's hitting us."
"Not that. There's a new girl, super strong. She kicked the crap out me and Kurumi."
"Where is Kurumi?" Saki asked. Hikaru lowered her head. A tear rolled down her cheek. Saki grabbed Hikaru by the neck. "Where is she?" Hikaru held up Kurumi's angel heart. Saki dropped Hikaru. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "No," she whispered. Washu's floating chair came over.
"This is no problem. Remember, a Steel Angel's angel heart contains their thoughts, memories… their soul. I've already got a replacement body built; I've just been waiting for a chance to use it."
"So she's not dead?" Saki asked. Karinka looked on as well.
"Of course not. Actually, Kurumi's new body will actually be a lot better than her old one." Washu too the angel heart and vanished into a side room. Just then Sasami, Mihoshi and Ayeka walked in carrying Tenchi. He'd been stabbed in the chest.
"Please, someone help Tenchi!" Sasami cried, tears staining her dress.
"Derek's armies have breeched the third defensive live," one of the data persocoms reported. A screen showed Derek's armies advancing. They were led by the same girl Hikaru had fought.
"It's her!" Hikaru hissed. Just then Washu emerged from the side room, a Kurumi with red hair following her. Her eyes found Tenchi.
"TENCHI! Oh Tenchi please be ok! What happened to him!"
"He was stabbed by one of Derek's warriors," Sasami sniffed. "I saw it!"
"We have to do something. They're breaking in!" Ryoko said. Washu's face darkened.
"Well, there is one thing we can do, but I'm not sure if it's worth the risk."
"Not worth the risk! Derek's armies are about to break on here and kill all of us!" Hikaru replied.
"Don't you think I know that?" Washu spat back. "What I'm proposing is that we use a device I created as a last resort. It'll make everyone here far more powerful than any of you can dream, but it has a side effect. It allows the darkest sides of us to take over. In essence, it makes us pure evil. So, are you sure you want to try it?"
"I'd rather be evil than dead," Ryoko said. Sasami nodded. Everyone else did the same.
"All right then," Washu said, her expression a mix of pride that her device was going to be used and fear of what it would create. She drew a black box out of a subspace pocket and pressed a sequence of invisible buttons. The box opened and a black wind rushed out. The girls felt the wind enter their bodies. Their power exploded. Then, in an eye blink, the wind vanished and the girls got to their feet, but they were different. All of them had black angel wings, and their eyes all had a crimson glint.
"Ah, now that's better," Sasami said. Her hair was now jet black, and her robes were black and crimson. She gave the other girls an evil smirk. "So, whos' ready to kick some butt?" Everyone nodded.
"I'll stay here and coordinate the defenses," said Washu.
"All right then, let's move out," commanded Kurumi, her black wings shimmering with crimson energy. "I've got some payback to dish out."
…
Derek watched proudly as his forces assaulted the main military base of the Cross realm. He knew a Jurai fleet was on its way and he had to be quick. He was just watching the main gate being broken down when a black arrow hit the ground and killed ten thousand of his troops.
"Who did that!"
"I did," a voice replied, and Derek saw a girl rise over the wall. She had brown hair and black eyes and was dressed in a school girl's uniform. Derek recognized her. She was Ruriko from the Gatekeepers realm. "So, how did you enjoy my Gate of Genocide?"
"Not as much as he's going to enjoy this," Sasami replied as she gathered the power of Tsunami and sent a wave of death across Derek's forces, killing nearly a hundred thousand. "I have the power of one of the three goddesses of Jurai. Now it's time for you to die!" Sasami extended razor sharp wings and leapt at Kiriko. "You'll pay for hurting Tenchi!"
Kiriko dodged Sasami's first blows, but her own attacks were deflected by Sasami's Light Hawk Wings. She fired tendrils of energy and snared Kiriko. She writhed as they cut into her.
"There's no escape now," Sasami whispered in Kiriko's ear. She was the exact polar opposite of her old self. Whereas the old Sasami had been kind and pleasant, the Dark Sasami was cruel and bloodthirsty. She traced her finger across Kiriko's face, drawing blood. Kiriko's previously hard eyes were now filled with fear.
"Please, let me go."
"Let you go?" Sasami asked. She formed a black Light Hawk Sword and severed Kiriko's wings in a spray of blood that washed across Sasami. "All right." She released Kiriko, who plunged five hundred feet to the ground below. "So," Sasami whispered to Derek, Kiriko's blood running down her black armor, "who's next?" Derek nearly fell from the sky in fright. He saw more figures emerging from the base. Kurumi and the other Steel Angels tore through his troops in a whirlwind of blood. His aerial forces were swatted from the sky by arriving Jurian fighters. Derek turned to retreat, but Hikaru was already behind him.
"Hi," Hikaru said, and plunged her sword into Derek's chest. "Consider that payback for what you did to me." She drew her sword back and blood pumped out of Derek's body.
"This…This isn't over! I will kill you, and become ruler of all the anime realms! HAHAHAHAHA!" Derek vanished, leaving behind the shattered remains of his once proud army.
…
Hikaru, Kurumi and Sasami approached the bleeding Kiriko on the ground. She tried to raise her sword but a slash from Kurumi severed her arm at the shoulder.
"Please. Please don't kill me," Kiriko begged. Tears and blood streamed down her face, and blood from her severed arm and wings pooled on the ground around her.
"What should we do?" Sasami asked, wiping a drop of blood off her eyelash.
"I don't know," Hikaru replied slowly. "We already have the means to track Derek, so we really don't need her. I say we kill-" Hikaru stopped as a wave of clear white energy spread from Washu's tower, enveloping the city, and all those injured were healed. The girls returned to their former forms. Sasami broke down and began crying.
"What have I done?" Sasami cried, looking in disgust at her blood covered hands. Hikaru held her.
"Shhhh, it'll be all right. Come on; let's get back to the tower. We need to track Derek down before he makes his next move. And bring the girl, we may need her."
As the girls dragged Kiriko back to the Cross Realm base, Derek materialized in a healing chamber in his castle. He sent a telepathic message to Dr. Satome, telling him to breed new troops as fast as he could. He had to prepare for his next attack, because if the anime realms struck now, he was powerless to repel them. But he would be victorious. He would rule the anime realms, and nothing would stop him.
So how was that? In the next chapter the anime realms will mount a final assault on Derek's castle. Will they succeed? What will be the fate of Kiriko? Stay tuned and find out in the exciting final chapter of A New Perspective. See ya then, and don't forget to review! The Emperor protects.
ENTILZA