The landing on Delta Ridge was entirely unexpected. A golden Knight Gear impeded the Eden's Zero's progress. Laguna, Kleene, and Jinn were shot down, while the actual ship was forced into the planet via a tractor beam. Homura was using the Warrior Maid 95 to combat the Golden Knight Gear, while Shiki, Rebecca and Weisz were on the planet in the middle of a forest, facing off against a trio called the Goldstones. Shiki's fist was blocked by Athena Goldstone's shield, the two of them staring at each other with opposite expressions – Athena, a smirk; Shiki, a scowl.

"Look at what we have here." Kamara said while letting out an exhale from her cigarette. The black smoke waved in Shiki's face, causing him to growl from the disrespectful action.

"Now that I get a closer look at you…aren't you a Galactica?" Athena asked Shiki, however…before he could respond, her shield let out a powerful pulse. Shiki's eyes widened and he found himself thrown backwards, but he was able to flip and land, shaking his fist. "We were told so much about you!"

"They know about us?" Weisz said while keeping his assault rifle trained on the Goldstones. "Then they must know about what's going on with this planet."

"We can ask them plenty of questions after we take them down." Rebecca said while getting her Happy Blasters ready.

Athena smirked at Rebecca's words. "You hear that, guys? The B-cuber thinks they're gonna take us down. Isn't that cute?"

"Pft." Max let out a condescending snort. "They really don't know what they're in for."

"Come on, guys." Kamara said. "We know better than to play with our food. We're getting paid to ensure this planet doesn't break free from Prometheus and Pandora. Furthermore, I think we'll be paid extra if we take out those on the Eden's Zero, based on what they told us about Ziggy."

"Wait…you're working with Ziggy!? But he wants humans gone!" Shiki exclaimed. How could these three be working under Ziggy?!

"The details of our contract are not for you to know." Athena said while flipping her long green hair over her shoulder. "All you need to know is that you are targets of interests. And the Goldstones never fail a mission."

Blair was looking out the window, raising a brow at the sight. Since the Eden's Zero was locked down, leaving or entering the ship was extremely difficult at the moment. "Oh shit…"

"What are you 'oh shit'ing for?" Sister asked with her arms crossed.

"Do you know who those guys are? Those are the Goldstones. Some of the most dangerous bounty hunters in this cosmos and any other." Blair explained. "Shiki and the others are gonna die down there."

"You have no faith at all." Sister said with a laugh. "Shiki is incredibly strong. How many real hits did it take for him to beat down that Jigan punk? Not many. He's recognized as an Oracion Seis Galactica. If anything, those Goldstones should be worried about themselves."

"Jigan's a punk compared to the Goldstones and he knows it." Blair scoffed. "They're real hunters. They've never failed a mission. I don't know what the hell they're doing here, but it's bad."

"I didn't think you were the type to respect other people like that." Hermit commented while trying to get the ship's power back online.

"I'm not an idiot. You don't get far in life underestimating people who've made hunting a living." Blair replied with a huff. She was taking this seriously, and with the Goldstones on the scene, the situation on Delta Ridge just got a lot more dire. "These guys know that pure power isn't the only way to bring someone down…"

.

.

In space, Homura was facing off against the Golden Knight Gear within the Warrior Maid 95. Their swords clashed, sparks flying as the two mechs fought head on. They flew about the upper atmosphere of the planet at high speeds. "You won't get away with what you've done to my friends. Who are you!?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The Golden Knight Gear replied, swinging an overhead slash at the Warrior Maid 95's head. But it was blocked by her own sword. "I am someone who believes that what Ziggy is attempting to do is correct. I will do anything it takes to ensure humanity is wiped clean from the cosmos."

"So you are an android!?" Homura surmised. She pushed the Golden Knight Gear back and pursued it once again, the two continually slashing at each other. It was an even match, however, they were damaging each other. Homura grit her teeth, grimacing as she felt the impacts of the opposing sword slash against her Knight Gear.

"Maybe, maybe not. You'll never find out." The Golden Knight Gear responded, forcing the Warrior Maid 95 backwards with a kick to the chest. Homura felt this impact and had to prevent from staggering around. The Golden Knight Gear then fired off several missiles towards the Warrior Maid to strike it from all angles.

Homura pulled a lever back, flying towards the incoming missiles and slashing through them with her blade. Numerous explosions occurred in space from this. She then flew forward, spinning around while slashing the Golden Knight Gear across the chest for a direct hit. "Contact!" But to her surprise, the Golden Knight Gear was extremely durable, withstanding that attack with ease. "What?!"

"This Knight Gear is made of a material that other Knight Gear cannot pierce so easily!" The Golden Knight Gear replied while slashing at the Warrior Maid 95, but that attack was parried. "Your Knight Gear will not defeat mine." The Golden Knight Gear then brandished a large assault rifle, shooting bullets towards the Warrior Maid 95.

"Space or not, bullets will not work on me!" Homura stated confidently. She was easily able to parry the bullets, using her momentum to spin around while in her Knight Gear, drawing her sword back. She was gathering as much energy as she could within her sword. "So let us see how you handle this! Warrior Maid Single Sword Attack: Dragon Flash!"

"Golden Gear Attack: Shining Slash!" The Golden Knight Gear's sword shone brightly with light ether. It flew forward, slashing across the Warrior Maid, as the Warrior Maid cut across it. The two flew past each other in complete silence, before a small explosion occurred within the Warrior Maid's left arm.

"Ngh!" Homura grit her teeth, noticing numerous system errors. "Serious damage sustained in the left arm. Using the sword will be extremely difficult at this juncture, however…"

Before the Golden Knight Gear could gloat about damaging Homura's knight gear…a slash mark appeared on its right arm. An explosion followed and a visceral cry of pain escaped whomever was piloting the Golden Knight Gear. "GAH!"

"Hm?" Homura took note of that. "The user of that Knight Gear felt pain?"

"Tch…" The Golden Knight Gear scoffed. "Unexpected injury. Perhaps I got too cocky…" Recognizing this, the Golden Knight Gear knew it was time to retreat. So it began to flee back down to the planet's surface.

"Come back here!" Homura shouted. But as much as she wanted to pursue, she realized that the crew of the Eden's Zero needed her help. The Warrior Maid 95 needed repairs. "Agh…I cannot contact the others. I must go down to the ship and aid the others!"

.

.

Shiki, Weisz, and Rebecca vs Athena, Kamara, and Max. The trio stood across the Goldstones with narrowed eyes, ready to fight at any moment. Athena lifted her hand into the sky, a brilliant shine emanating from it. "Magical Shine!" A flash occurred, briefly blinding the Eden's Zero trio from how bright it was. When that light faded, two things changed. Max was nowhere to be seen, and Kamara was rushing the Eden's Trio down.

"We'll take Kamara, you focus on Athena! Keep your eyes out for the dude!" Weisz warned. He and Rebecca could handle Kamara, and Weisz and Rebecca began by opening fire on the woman. Kamara showcased incredible dexterity and agility, leaping between bullets with ease, and slashing them down if they threated to get close. "Don't tell me bullets don't work on her either!?" Weisz said with a sweat drop.

"Bullets mean nothing to me." Kamara said while lunging towards Weisz, thrusting her sword forward to stab Weisz through the chest. She was clearly going for the kill right off the bat, but she was stopped by Rebecca springing forward with Cat Leaper. Rebecca nearly kicked Kamara in the cheek, but she was fast enough to step back and evade it. "Hm…"

"No way she reacted to that…!" Rebecca grit her teeth before firing her Happy Blasters at Kamara, but even at this close range, she couldn't land a single shot. "This chick is insane…!"

"I got her!" Weisz said while modifying his assault rifle into a flamethrower, pointing it in Kamara's direction. "Atlas Flame!" A gigantic burst of flame exited his new flamethrower to burn Kamara. They were in the middle of the jungle, so this fire would catch on if it spread, but it didn't. Kamara acted fast, swinging her sword against the dirt and flicked it upwards, sending a large wave of dirt to smother the flames before they spread, also blinding Weisz and Rebecca briefly. "Shit!"

Kamara pushed forward, slashing at the two of them with her sword, which shone an ominous purple aura. She appeared behind them in seconds in a crouched position. "Nightmare Slash." She turned around to see the results, only to be briefly surprised. Weisz donned his Arsenal Armor at the last second, which blocked the attack. Rebecca just narrowly dodged at the last second, however some strands of her hair fell to the ground. She had to use her Overdrive to avoid it. "…So, they can do it too." She said, looking at Rebecca.

"That was way too close." Rebecca said with a sweat drop.

"No kidding…" Weisz said. "But we still have the numerical advantage!"

Shiki was dealing with Athena, using his gravity to pull himself closer to her at fast speeds. Once close he lifted himself off the ground and spun in a clockwise rotation. "Gravity Windmill!" This attack struck Athena in the chest, Shiki's momentum making the eldest Goldstone stagger. He was going to continue riding this momentum and flew forward with a powerful kick. "And…Gravity Comet!" Shiki used his momentum to 'fall' sideways, effectively aiming a powerful drop kick towards Athena to knock her down, but she recovered in time to block this with her shield. "Tch…!"

"Don't you learn?" Athena asked. Her shield pulsed and Shiki's power was reflected at him, causing him to fly into the sky against his will. "You won't be making it past my shield that easily. She then lifted her hand into the air and snapped her fingers. "Angel Reticle!"

"Gah!" Shiki was flung into the air against his will, but he was able to recover easily. When he looked down at his chest, he noticed a target on it. Athena's hand released numerous blasts of light that flew towards Shiki and he started to use his gravity to maneuver away from them, but found that they followed him. "Seriously?" He was trying to outmaneuver them, but found it impossible after a few moments. So he instead used his gravity to create a field that pushed the light away and made it disperse.

Athena was waiting for this moment and snapped her fingers once more. "Got you. Light Pillar!" The reticle was still on Shiki, and one could deduce this meant her attacks would track the Demon King wherever he went. A pillar of light erupted from the ground directly under Shiki, consuming him while towering high into the sky.

"Gaaaaaah!" Shiki's cry of pain turned into a battle cry. He used his gravity to forcibly punch the pillar of light back down into the ground. When gravity was strong enough, it consumed even light, so this was a simple feat with his strength. He was noticeably injured from Athena's attack, but he wasn't going to entertain this fight any longer. He had the power to end it and he'd use it. Shiki entered his Overdrive state, black gravity swirling around him as he dove towards Athena with his fist reeled back. "Ultimate Magi Mech Attack: METEOR BREAKER!"

Athena held her shield up once again, this time actually taking a defensive stance. "Aegis!" Her shield shone brightly as Shiki's fist collided with it. A shockwave boomed throughout the forest, causing numerous trees to topple over. "That's some power you have there, Demon King! I can tell you're trying to break my shield and end this fight, but it won't be that simple! Ricochet!" The shield of hers shone even brighter before it doubled Shiki's power, only to bounce it back at him in the form of a gigantic pulse.

"OOF!" Shiki grunted as he tumbled along the ground. Shiki was strong and he felt his own power come back to him twofold. He eventually stopped on the ground, managing to land on a knee.

"Of course you're still standing." Athena wasn't surprised, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I could tell you were holding back with that punch. I understand that as a Galactica, you must be strong, and I know you know this. But do you really think you can underestimate your opponents and not go all out?"

Shiki was about to respond, but he felt something crawling up his leg. When he looked down…his eyes widened in horror. It was… "A-A bug!?" He began to panic, his fear of bugs taking over. He stood up and began to shake his leg, but the insect wouldn't come off! Even worse? Multiple insects were swarming him now! "G-Get them off me!"

"Shiki!" Rebecca turned towards Shiki, wondering what was happening. Complaining about bugs was natural, they were in the middle of a jungle! But when she turned and looked at Shiki…she didn't see any insects on him. "What!?"

"What's his problem!?" Weisz groaned, but his focus was still on Kamara. She was standing rather calmly despite this battle. "Dude, there aren't any bugs he…!" Before he could finish that statement, a bullet pierced through his armor ran straight through his stomach."….! W-What…how…?" He had Ether coating! How did a bullet…!?

"Ether coating is present in everything these days." Max's voice echoed throughout the forest. "You have to be prepared. Anti-Ether bullets are the way to go."

"You…" Weisz tried to stand, but he ended up collapsing in his armor with the serious wound.

"Weisz…!" Rebecca gasped. "He's in the trees…!" Shiki ended up returning to normal, passing out due to the insect swarm that only he could see, and Weisz was badly injured. Things weren't going well, but maybe if she used her power she could warn them! Rebecca was about to use Cat Leaper when a bullet hit her ankle, causing her ether to completely stop. She let out a cry of pain and collapsed to the ground. "Ngh?! H-How…!?"

Max jumped out from his hiding spot. Note, it was completely different than the location of the first two shots he fired, grinning towards Rebecca. "You didn't give as strong vibes as the other two…but my hunter's instinct told me you were the most dangerous. I don't know what your Ether Gear is exactly, but I wasn't about to chance it."

"W-Why can't I use my Ether Gear?" Rebecca said while gripping her ankle, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Anti-Ether bullets, like I said." Max said while tapping his temple. "Not only do they break through ether coating, but they also prevent Ether Gear from activating for a while. Not that you'll have the time to see it wear off." He pointed a pistol at Rebecca, kicking the Happy Blasters out of her reach. "I bet you're wondering what my Ether Gear is for me to pull off such impressive shots. You'll die never knowing."

"I told you…" Blair said while narrowing her eyes.

"Go help them!" Hermit shouted. How did Shiki get taken down when he didn't even take any real damage!? Questions for later.

"I can't even get out the ship, what do you want me to do!?" Blair shouted back.

"I'm working on it!" Hermit grunted.

"WATCH OUT!" Athena exclaimed. It was Weisz, mustering up what little strength he could to point his palm towards them. He didn't exclaim anything, but he did unleash a Mortal Crash upon the trio of Goldstones. A gigantic explosion consumed the three of them, but when it cleared, Athena was the one who blocked most of it with her shield. She was scorched in a few places, but the damage was ultimately negligible. "Oh, that was close."

"Damn…" Weisz said weakly. That bullet to the stomach had him hurt.

"I'll kill him." Kamara said while approaching Weisz with her sword drawn. It was still glowing that ominous glow. Before she stabbed Weisz, the sound of something crashing nearby caught her attention. The Warrior Maid 95 landed near the Eden's Zero, and from it, Homura came flying out with her swords drawn. "Who-!?" Homura swung her swords at Kamara, but she blocked the attack, sliding back from Homura's momentum.

Homura flipped back, standing in front of the downed members of the Eden's Zero. "I will not let you harm my friends."

"Holy…" Weisz felt so relieved.

"Homura!" Rebecca's eyes lit up. "Did you beat that Golden Knight Gear?"

"Unfortunately no. But I have more pressing matters to attend to." Homura replied, glaring down the Goldstones. "I'll take all three of them on."

"HAH!" Max laughed. "I like this one! She's got spunk! Let's see how long she can last." He took his pistol and aimed at the easiest target: Shiki. A powerful bullet flew from the barrel, aiming to kill the Demon King in his unconscious state.

"…! Shiki!" Homura reacted fast, intercepting the bullet with her sword and sliced it in half easily. This showed the Goldstones that not a single bullet would pass her. The moment she dealt with the bullet, Kamara attacked. Homura turned around, using one sword to clash with Kamara's. The two of them entered a fierce duel, their blades clashing, sparks flying with each collision. Homura shifted her stance and used her second sword to her advantage, thrusting it forward rapidly. "Snake Bite!"

Kamara was stepping backwards to avoid Homura's thrust. The final thrust was met with the flat side of her blade. The sheer blunt impact caused Kamara to stagger back, hitting a tree in the process. "Ngh…!" But she wasn't worried, because Homura would never have the chance to follow up. There was a pillar of light already erupting on her location.

"Huh-!?" Homura had no time to dodge, crying out as Athena's Light Pillar launched her into the air. She noticed the target on her chest, but she also noticed the bullets coming from the trees. She spun around, slashing at the bullets to parry them, and locked onto the angle they were coming from. "You're in the trees!" She threw a sword towards the canopy of the tree, but she didn't hit her target. Only a single gun fell from the tree. "What?!"

"I think your eyes are focused on the wrong target!" Athena was in front of Homura, slamming her shield into the Valkyrie's body. She cried out and tumbled along the ground, coming to a halt in a crouched position. Before she could even stop, Kamara was upon her with her sword, slashing down at Homura. Homura was barely able to roll away, but her back got cut in the process.

"Homura…!" Rebecca cried out worriedly. She was trying to crawl to her Happy Blasters, they were nearly within reach.

Homura quickly sprang up to her feet. "Do not worry, I will not let them harm you!" Just as she said that, Max fired a bullet at Rebecca, but she blocked this with her sword. She formed a second sword, leaping towards Kamara to attack her. When her swords came down, they hit Athena's shield. This completely threw her off balance, allowing Kamara to strike Homura with a fierce kick to her stomach. "Aaaaah!" Homura cried out while rolling around the ground.

"I don't know who taught you swordsmanship, but even in a one on one duel, you have no chance of beating me." Kamara said with a glare.

"Ah, there goes my little sister, feeling challenged by another sword users." Athena said in a teasing big sister tone.

Homura was panting heavily. She was barely able to defend herself against the Goldstones. She didn't even have a moment to rest when Max shot at her or one of her friends! Bullets were aimed at Homura once again, forcing her to defend. "Ngh…!"

"Pretty impressive that you can keep up with my shots." Max said, a little annoyed. "It's been a while since I've met someone I couldn't shoot directly. But that's fine, because I'm not gonna let you rest. You have no choice but to defend against my bullets!"

"Evil man…" Homura said. But she hit the limits of her patience, her body changing form instantly. She entered her Overdrive, much to the surprise of the Goldstones. "BUT TAKE THIS!" She used a sword as a baseball bat, deflecting one of the bullets back to where they came from.

"This one too!?" Max was shocked. First Rebecca, then Shiki, and now Homura!? Based on Max's reaction, the rebounded bullet came dangerously close to actually hitting him. Luckily for him, he was able to dodge in time.

"HAAAAAAH!" Homura summoned dozens upon dozens of crimson swords all around her, every single one of them pointing towards the Athena and Kamara. She didn't know where Max was, but she planned on cutting down this entire jungle just to flush him out. "This is the ultimate technique! ODIN'S STRIKE!" And on her command, every single sword flew forward with violently intent.

Kamara was about to act, but she stopped when Athena stepped forward. "I can handle this." She held her shield up, a holy white light emanating from the weapon. "Guardian Field." A barrier formed around the Goldstones. It was a large circular barrier, the radius giving away Max's current location, but she would protect her siblings. The swords of the Odin's Strike clashed against this barrier before they all shattered, leaving the Goldstones unharmed. "That could've been dangerous."

"They…blocked it…?" Homura was shaken, but she was still determined to save her friends. They needed medical treatment…

"She's gonna die…" Blair had no choice. Hermit wasn't done and they were running out of time, so she unleashed her Therion arm and ran straight through the closest window. Blair didn't feel like dealing with the Goldstones of all people, but at this rate…

"Even though you were vastly out skilled and outnumbered…it is a feat to even attempt taking on the three of us. Nobody's lasted as long as you have against even one of us." Athena clapped her hands.

Max jumped down from the tree. His location clearly didn't matter if Homura knew his location or not, since not a single bullet of his managed to hit her. "I'm impressed! This has been a worthwhile warm up, but…it's about time we end this."

Homura was panting heavily, standing in front of Weisz, Shiki, and Rebecca. "This sword is meant to protect my friends. I will not allow you to harm them further, even if it costs me my life."

"That's sweet." Max said, wiping away a fake tear. "But the price of your life is pretty high as far as we're concerned. So we'll take that pretty penny…" He squeezed the trigger of his pistol. The moment he fired, Kamara and Athena were going to rush Homura and finish the job. That was the plan, but an explosion in the distance caught everyone by surprise. "What the!?"

"Where was that?" Kamara whipped around, only to see some smoke southwest of their position. "…Damn it; we spent too much time on this."

"…!" Athena snapped her fingers. "We were supposed to ambush them and finish them off. They got one of the generators…"

Before Blair could even officially make her entrance to aid Homura, something else happened that nobody was expecting. A blue beam of energy crashed down between everyone, causing them all to go on alert. A young man wearing blue armor appeared, a red visor covering his eyes. "What the hell?" Blair said, slowing to a halt.

"Oh great, look who's here now…" Max said while rolling his eyes. "That annoying Blue Bomber…"

"…" The man dubbed the Blue Bomber didn't say anything. He just looked around at the situation. Wordlessly, his left arm turned into a cannon and it began to charge ether.

"Wait…I know you…" Rebecca stared at the Blue Bomber. She recognized him…this was the same person in the bad future of Mercurius! What was that person doing here…? She knew that something that happened in one timeline wouldn't change the outcome of what happened in another, but there was still one important question in her mind…

In this timeline, was he friend, or foe?