Heart of Melting Blood
Legend of the Moonlight
Written by:
Lone Wolf NEO
Conceived by: Lone Wolf NEO

Author's note: Guilty Gear is copyrighted by Sammy Studios whereas TPYE-MOON holds the right over all games under the company's label: Tsukihime, FATE, etc, etc, etc…. Lone Wolf NEO does not own any or all real-life features or whatever facts featured in this story. He does, however, own the copyright to all his original ideas in this fiction. The author would really appreciate it if readers do not plagiaries everything inside this story without his knowledge.

Chapter 27
Mayhem

"Hey, Dad."

"What?"

"Still remember the first day you met Mom?"

"What do you want to know about her?"

"Well, before the day you dumped both of us for the sake of… your quest for ultimate strength?"

Geese stared at Rock. Rock returned stare at Geese. Both the Howard fighters said nothing. Then Geese snorted and said "son, you have no right to know about your Mom."

"But mom always complaint about you," Rock interjected. "And that was a lot."

"Look, son," Geese said, not looking at the eager young blonde. "She was the one who constantly bugged me whenever I was around. Stupid glompylicious effect of Lone Wolf NEO…"

--At her mansion in Kiev, Mriya sneezed.--

Rock was more curious. "So?"

"So my answer would be no," Geese blatantly answered.

"Come on, Dad," Rock said and nudged his arm. "I know Mom was one hot woman in her younger years. I found that out after seeing her picture in your stash yesterday."

"Don't try me, Rock," Geese demanded.

"Oh, like I want to do that," Rock insisted.

"O RLY?"

"YA RLY!"

"O RLY DESU?"

"YA RLY DESU!"

"O RLY DESU-DESU-DESU?"

"YA RLY DESU-DESU-DESU!"

"STICK GOES WHERE?"

"O SHI- Dad, I demand this Internet meme to stop," Rock growled.

"Why not? I find it most entertaining," Geese chuckled.

"Our courage will be seen by all!"

Geese snorted. He turned his attention to the GLA rebels that --surprisingly-- found themselves in the confusion of Heart of Melting Blood. "Since when Heart of Melting Blood becomes a massive cross-over? I demand explanation for this stupidity," he uttered.

"Since Lone Wolf NEO rediscovered his old-time passion toward Command & Conquer, Dad," Rock answered.

The old man glanced at the youngster. The blonde-headed man gave the veteran of Howard Family a badgered look of 'what'. Geese replied with a sarcastic grin, in which Rock responded with a cry of blasphemy at his father. Geese laughed at his reaction and summoned dark gale out of his hand. Rock did the same, only the gale he summoned was a bit paler.

"No cause is too great!" the rebels shouted and charged at Rock and Geese. Geese watched at the soldiers and simply laughed, as he charged his dark gales to high levels. He waited for the soldiers to approach him. Then in a lightning-fast speed, Geese tossed a dense Reppuken and sent the rebels flying to the wall. Several individuals survived the projectile and pounced at Geese. Not exerting his best effort, Geese caught them with his uber-reversal and tossed them outside Archangel.

"Predictable."

Rock saw a group of soldiers attacking him from behind. He tossed a Reppuken, chased after the projectile and jumped over it. He tossed a variation of Shippuken at the advancing soldiers; all while Geese made a comment of it. "Copycat."

"I heard that," Rock replied. "SHINING KNUCKLE!"

x-x

"IYAA!" Hotaru cried aloud as she evaded all biomechanical tentacles fired by Metal Widow Mark 2, all while Doctor Getter crazily laughed on board the crawler. "BAKA HENTAI! SUKEBE! YAMETE!"

"Hotaru-chan!" Athena fired a Psycho Ball at the tentacles, only to find herself facing several unguided rockets fired at her. She summoned a Psycho Shield as to deflect the iron-tripped projectiles, and was knocked back tens of feet away. "The robot's too strong!"

Justine shouted a battle cry and charged at Metal Widow Mark 2. "Don't you dare hurting my friends!" she screamed and began her attacks. "Justine Punch! Justine Kick! Justine Tackle! Justine Roundhouse! Justine Summer Slam!" All the melee and throw attacks, with each of its strength equal to the force of five 18-wheelers crashing onto a concrete wall at top speed, was more than enough to demolish a 30-story building. Being a human did not stop Justine from showing off all her best in close combat. In fact, it is believed that Justine is more dangerous in her restricted from than she would be in Gear Queen form.

To her absolute dismay, Metal Widow Mark 2 was not affected. Not even a scratch or a dent was visible on its composite armour. Yet not even the strongest of shells could stop her, so Justine continued attacking, increasing the strength of her attacks by each passing second.

"Fool! Metal Widow Mark 2 is designed to absorb all attacks!" declared Doctor Getter. "Your futile efforts are useless against me this time! I am invincible!"

"NO WAI!" Justine cried out.

"YA WAI!" Doctor Getter pointed to Justine, shouted a battle cry, and in seconds barrages of rocket-propelled grenades were fired. The attack was too quick for Justine to react, and she was soon bombarded by thousands of pounds of high-density explosives. It was too much, and Justine was knocked out cold.

"Justine!" Athena jumped toward Justine and found her lying on floor unconscious, her battle outfit torn to pieces. "Justine! Hey, don't die on me! Justine! Justine!"

"AH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!" Arrogantly laughing, Doctor Getter ordered Metal Widow Mark 2 to undergo a transformation. From its crawler form into super robot mode, it took the machine an impressive 12 seconds to completely shape-shift. It later performed various battle poses at the end of its transformation and made a proud stand with hands on hips, all while Doctor Getter laughed like no tomorrow. "Now go, my brethren!" the scientist commanded with an open palm, in which Metal Widow Mark 2 imitated his movement. "Prove yourself one true, mighty, indestructible super robot! Show these lowlifes that our way is true! Go Metal Widow Mark 2!"

A fireball slammed on Metal Widow Mark 2's nape. The super robot was knocked off its feet and crashed on the ground. "What the hell is that?" Doctor Getter demanded. He saw a man donning white/red uniform, headband and carrying a broad sword standing at the entrance of the coliseum. The man was glowering at Metal Widow Mark 2, and flashed a middle finger.

"Fuck you," was all that Sol needed to say. The Corrupted Flame in his Holy Orders form took a deep breath, braced himself, Charged, cried out in Dragon Install and launched a Tyrant Rave Omega. The level-three overdrive knocked Metal Widow Mark 2 high into the sky, and Sol Charged for the second time before charging at the super robot in Storm Viper Level 3. Metal Widow Mark 2 was knocked back into the ground, and Sol landed next to the crashed machine beast.

"Who… who the hell are you!" Doctor Getter cried out.

Sol stomped a feet on Metal Widow Mark 2's head. He glowered at Doctor Getter, flashed another middle finger and said, "I hate tentacle monsters."

x-x

Mai frowned. It was the third time (make that four, since Lone Wolf NEO may actually forget anything about the encounter) she was pitted against her former Eternal Fighter Zero friends. It was also the third/fourth time it was set up against her will, and this time the girls were as vengeful as they were in the last time. Should she fight and defend her honour as a swordswoman? Should she just give away and surrender to the fact that she's helpless without Sayuri?

Misaki stepped forward. "You want the best, here I am," she said, quoting a certain hero unit of Zero Hour.

Mai could only look at her in shock. "Misaki?"

Misaki stared at her, sporting a somewhat naïve smile. "Do not worry, Mai. Everything is going to be alright," she assured.

"Misaki… you…"

Misaki simply smiled. She turned to the fighters, and the first opponent she faced was the naginata girl Mishio. "Hello, Amano-san," greeted the daughter of Geese. "How are you doing?"

"Kawane Misaki," Mishio pronounced the named and pointed the tip of the naginata at Misaki. "You left EFZ for the Howard Family. You are a disgrace to our master, and a traitor at worst."

Misaki chuckled. "My defection doesn't mean I've betrayed the league. As a matter of fact, it's inappropriate to label me as a traitor just because I saw a better prospect lying up ahead." With her smile intact, Misaki swayed her hair to the left and ran her fingers through its silky black strands. "Pity. We used to understand each other while we were still comrades."

"Enough! You're nothing but a speck of dusts in master's eyes!" So saying, Mishio and several other fighters charged at Misaki. Still swaging her hair, Misaki seemed to be oblivious of the fighters and continued her usual stuffs. Mai screamed out in distress and told Misaki of the impending danger when she signalled at her to stay.

"Misaki! You can't beat all of them!"

She just smiled. With arms dropped, Misaki was in ease. It was as if she was anticipating an attack. Then, speed neither Mai nor the league could follow, Misaki caught the attacking fighters, spun on her feet and tossed them to the far end of the arena. "To quote my father," she said and swayed her hair in wave-like motion, "predictable."

"Misaki! Behind you!" Misaki turned around and saw several more EFZ fighters pouncing at her. The girl braced herself, snatched them and slammed them hard on the floor. Then, Misaka Kaori charged at her, trying to land a screw uppercut when a Stun Edge cancelled out the projectile. The fighter jumped out to safety and glanced at the newcomer.

"Damn, why do I have to take care of you?"

Misaki smiled at the owner of the voice. "Kiske-san, looks like you want to help me," she said.

"You still owe me that battle, Misaki," Ky insisted.

Misaki chuckled. "Ah, you're asking for a rematch. How nice. Perhaps I can think of that," she said and tossed a Reppuken at Kanna, "after we're done with them."

"Good idea," Ky replied and charged out in lightning force. "SEIKISHIDAN OUGI!"

x-x

Talim shook her head. She wanted to deny what her eyes were seeing, but the sight was too true to avoid. The Azure Knight, the owner of Soul Edge, the corrupted entity who possessed the knight of honour Siegfried, the one who was known simply as Nightmare, was standing in front of her with all the hatred and all the anger. Her heart was aching; the dark force was too disturbing for her to cope with.

Nightmare said nothing. He simply shrugged, lifted his sword and pointed it to Talim. "You," he growled in low toe, "die."

Link stepped forward. He lifted his shield and squinted at Nightmare. "You," he uttered, "get the hell away from Talim."

Nightmare glowered at Link. He grumbled and pointed his sword at the elf warrior. "You," he spoke, "die first."

Link opened his stance. "Come on, Nightmare. I'm not afraid at you."

x-x

Shirou shook his head. Rin grumbled. Illiya trembled in anger. Sakura hid behind Rider. The Servants stood behind their Masters, waiting for their orders with weapons drawn out. It was the second battle they had against the Dragoon Society, and they had no choice but to finish whatever they had left back in Paris.

"Now what?" Shirou demanded.

Saber lifted Excalibur off her shoulder. "Looks like we have to fight again," she answered.

Rider nodded. She lifted her chained mace and turned her attention at the Dragoon soldiers. "Stand back, Sakura," she told the young woman. "I'll take care of them."

Archer shrugged. He withdrew his bow of light and aimed its arrow at the soldiers. "Just show them we're no easy push-over."

Lancer made a battle pose, spinning his spear as he did. "Let's kick ass."

"Yeah! Let's show them who we are!" Illiya exclaimed and pointed at the soldiers. "Go Berserker!"

The Dragoon soldiers screamed a war cry. "FOR GREAT JUSTICE!" they roared and charged at the FATE League. The Servants jumped forward and blocked the ocean of armour-plated people, enduring the thousands of pounds of force pushing against them. The Servants kicked the soldiers out of way and charged at them. The soldiers marched forward and attacked the Servants, and riot soon commenced.

"ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!" the soldiers cried out.

x-x-x-x-x

At the same time…

The command centre was in chaos. Lacus Clyne, being in charge for the whole ship, was trying to assess the situation while her assistants monitored the ship for damage. She knew the ship was breached from the reports she received, but she had no ideas of the culprits. Moreover, she knew the wedding ceremony was supposed to be kept secret from outsiders, so anyone who exposed the location of Archangel was looking for trouble with her.

"Lacus Clyne! Do you read me? Lacus Clyne!"

The Coordinator took control of the radio. She was surprised to know the person she was talking to. "Lone Wolf? What are you doing on our radio frequency?"

"I have no time to explain!" the voice replied. "Listen, there's a free-for-all inside your ship and it's going to destroy it. You have to land it on Sardinia; it's the only way to safe the ship."

"Wait! There's a free-fight on board? What happened? Who's in charge of the people?" she replied.

"Listen to me, Lacus. You have to land Archangel on the island, or you'll risk losing the ship," the voice replied. "We have no time for this argument. Can you spot any clear patch of land?"

"Hang on; my crews are looking for it." She turned her attention to her radar operators; they were checking the radar for emergency landing site. One of them found a location and informed Lacus. "Got it; there's an abandoned coliseum 10,000 feet from Archangel. Lone Wolf, what should we do once we land there?"

"Just land the ship. Leave the rest to me."

"Roger. Lone Wolf… what are you going to do after this?"

"I… I don't know. I just hope things won't turn bad."

She leaned into the chair. Lacus turned her attention to the surveillance monitors; they displayed the battle that took place inside the hall. She knew the fighters trying their best to keep the damage as minimum as they could.

She sighed. "Link me to Kira."

"Roger, Captain," a radio operator complied. She linked the radio to Kira who was, at that time, at the hall. "Kira has been linked, captain."

"I'll take it from here." She took a deep breath, nodded and pressed the radio button. "Kira, this is Lacus. Do you read?"

x-x-x-x-x

Logan was cornered. So did Hayabusa, as the men were surrounded by hundreds of warrior monks from all directions. Fully quipped and fiercely loyal to the cause, the monks were under direct order of Eiko to exterminate the two former Dragoon judges. This was no longer for the sake of the society, as the men realized, but was for personal reasons.

"Damn, we're outnumbered," Logan grumbled.

"I don't think the ship's environment is with us," Hayabusa spoke and withdrew a pair of kunais from his sleeves. "At any rate, we'll be fighting a losing war."

"And this ship doesn't want to cooperate with us, I think," Logan said. "Say, I haven't seen you using your ninja spells. Why don't you show me some?"

Hayabusa snorted. "Get the hell out of here. Why would I waste my time showing off?"

"You do that, and I'll give you some cover," Logan told him and holstered his battle-axe. "Deal?"

Hayabusa shrugged and clenched both his hands into a spell-casting gesture. "Hold on for 40 seconds," he said and began charging up his chakra. "This is one hell of a spell."

Logan laughed. "Just 40 seconds? Come on; I can survive for longer than that," he insisted and glared at the female monks. "Come on, ladies. Show me what you've got."

The monks cried out in a deafeningly loud battle cry. They pounced at Logan, and were knocked away by Logan's mighty whirlwind axe attack. Logan threw out another attack and knocked out several attacking monks and head-butting a monk that attempted a rough tackle.

Then it was Eiko's turn. Blessed with unmatched agility and speed, Eiko was the nimblest judge, able to outrun any opponent with ease and launching attacks before the enemy could counterattack. But only just, since this time the opponent happened to be her comrade. Logan's sheer strength made up for his lack of speed, and she was infuriated.

"You're slowing down, Eiko," Logan teased as he repelled one of Eiko's kicks. "What happened to you? Missed the old sparring days?" Eiko snapped in anger. She screamed in blasphemy and launched super-fast punches at Logan, all of which were effortlessly blocked by Logan's spinning axe shield. Logan laughed and kicked Eiko out of the way. "That was not impressive, Eiko! Where has your incredible speed gone to, huh?"

"Do not underestimate me!" Like an injured tiger, Eiko pounced at Logan and attacked him with all her might. Logan, instead, paid no attention to the monk's wrath and played it easy, as if he was playing with someone's daughter. "You must day for disgracing Dragoon Society! You must die for humiliating me! You must die!"

"TELEPORTATION TECHNIQUE! KUROKAMI NO KIBA!"

Hayabusa slammed his chakra-enveloped palms onto the floor. In an instant both him and Logan were engulfed by vortex of dark energy, which knocked Eiko and the rest of the warrior monks away. The vortexes disappeared in thin air, taking the two warriors along. Eiko screamed out in anger and ordered her minions to search the ship for the escapees.

A loud bang, followed by a massive tremble, shook across Archangel. The ship had landed on the coliseum its radar operators spotted, but it was a rough landing and had damaged Archangel's bridge. Almost all the fighters fell onto the floor and slipped toward a hole created from the crash, which led them to the coliseum. Now that they found a new battlefield, they took no chance and went to fight, engaging in a massive free-for-all.

"It seems we are the only one left inside this arena," Valentino uttered. He was fast enough to hold on his sword he plunged into the floor. He slowly stood up and pulled out the sword, chuckling at the sight of Alexander. "So, Lia, are you surprised to see your custodian here?"

Lia frowned. She dared not looking at Valentino.

Alexander stepped forward, blocking Valentino's view on Sion and Lia. "You may do whatever you want to at me, but don't involve Lia," he demanded. "She has nothing to do with us."

Valentino laughed. "Ah, so I see. I was thinking that you didn't know who gave away the information of this vessel's location to Dragoon Society," he uttered. "Very well. You'll know soon enough." So saying, he slammed his broad sword onto the floor and charged at Alexander. The black knight quickly withdrew his weapons and blocked Valentino's charging tackle. He kicked Valentino away and pounced at him, while screaming a battle cry. Valentino laughed out loud and repelled Alexander's advancing slash and counterattacked. Alexander was quicker and delivered a knee attack on Valentino's ribcage, before grabbing him on the arm and tossing him toward the wall.

"Your strength has weakened!" Valentino shouted. He cast his broad sword away and switched to his tonfa. He charged at Alexander and hit him with his devastating close-range attacks. Alexander was forced to block the attacks, even as he was pushed toward the hole. He pushed away from Valentino and jumped out of the hole, landing inside the coliseum where the free-for-all was already in progress.

"Come on, Alexander! I know you're stronger than right now!" Valentino taunted as he resumed attacking Alexander with his tonfa. "What's the matter? Are you still reluctant to fight? That reluctance will only lead to death! And death is the better option for you!" He kicked Alexander away and switched to his spear and shield. "That's why you couldn't afford to live the expectation of Lord Zato back there! That's why you had to abandon your sister behind! Because you're afraid to die!"

"I'm not afraid of death!" He charged at Valentino and struck his kodachi at him; the attack was blocked by Valentino's shield, and Alexander was stabbed on his waist. Torrents of blood sprang out of the wound and Alexander was knocked back by Valentino's shield slam. He refused to feel the pain and pounced back at Valentino, delivering high-speed sword attacks at the Dragoon lord. Valentino laughed and deflected the attacks, before stabbing his spear into Alexander's shoulder blade. Alexander cried out in pain, and was severely weakened by the injuries. Valentino did not hesitate and delivered a kick on Alexander's chest, sending him across the coliseum.

"I was disappointed at your decision to leave Assassin's Guild," Valentino uttered and withdrew his dagger. "you were everybody's hope to continue the legacy of the guild, and you chose to join the Knights of Holy Orders. You were Master Zato's hope to become the next leader of the guild, and yet you chose to become the servant of the people." He spun the dagger in his hand and aimed it at Alexander. "Look at you now. You are confused. You are trapped inside your own dream. In today's world where survival is determined by the fittest, you are nothing but a black sheep."

Alexander stood up. Despite losing many blood, he still managed to hold on. He glowered at Valentino with weakened eyes, and he was gasping for air. "If I'm what you just said, I would've died a long time ago." He grinned and closed his eyes. "I'm a dead man, if you want to know."

"Fine, then you shall die today!" Valentino tossed the dagger at Alexander. It was coming at him fast, and Alexander was bracing himself for it.

He opened his eyes. A blurry shadow appeared before him, blocking him from Valentino with arms wide open. He looked at the shadow, and saw a familiar face staring at him. Then he saw a smile; a sad, melancholic smile. A shock and horrified look was carved upon his bloodstained face.

"Lia!"

The owner of the name smiled.

"NO!"

Then the dagger struck.

"When the people die, so does the warrior. The failure of a warrior is when he or she fails to protect the people or the person they vow to serve. Without them, their existence in this world is nothing."

Blood sprang from her wounds like light from a lamp, a ruby fountain of liquid life. She wavered, firmed for a moment, and then toppled. Alexander snatched her on her arms before her body could hit the ground. He pulled out the dagger and put his hand on the wound, trying to slow the flow of blood.

"Lia, no! Don't die on me!" he cried. "Lia! Lia!"

"Brother Alex…" He coughing was pained; fluids of red colour were already choking her throat. "I'm sorry… for upsetting you… I'm so sorry…"

"Why are you doing this? Why?" he demanded, as tears already flowed down his bleeding cheeks like waterfall streaming down hillside cliffs.

Lia managed to cup his cheek with a bleeding palm. Somehow, she managed to smile at him, the man she was once forced to hate for the sake of something that was not hers. Somehow, she managed to let him see the very same smile she always gave him.

"I'm sorry, Brother Alex…" she spoke between her trembling voices. "I was responsible… for setting up this… it was my fault that your wedding has to be disrupted…"

"How could you!" Alexander objected. "How could you do this to me! Do you still hate me this much, Lia? Do you still hate me?"

"I'm sorry, Brother Alex…" she gasped and coughed for want of air; blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but she bravely went on. "I'm sorry for everything I've done until now… please forgive me…"

"How can I forgive you, damn it!" he scolded. "Mo… moron! Why would you do such idiot things like this? Lia, you idiot!"

She looked away. "Why?" Tears slipped free of her eyes all of a sudden. "Why did you call me stupid? What did I wrong that you must call me with such suffix?"

Alexander pulled the hapless girl into his arms, embracing her as tightly as he could. "You're my sister, for God's sake! I can't afford to lose you!"

Lia slowly reached for his body and enveloped her lithe arms around him. "Brother Alex…" Then she cried and buried her face beneath his chest. "I'm sorry, Brother Alex! The truth is… I don't want to see you married! I want both of us to live! Just… the two of us!"

Alexander frowned. It was now clear to him. Everything Lia had done against him --the atrocity, the Dragoon Society, the pain, the dark past, the expulsion-- was for him. Only now he realized that the young woman loved him wholeheartedly, more than how Sion loved him or how Dizzy loved him. "I'm sorry, Lia," he uttered. "I should've known…"

"No, it was my fault for hiding it from you," Lia cried. "I'm sorry, Brother Alex…"

Caster and Sion arrived. They were appalled by Lia's grave injury and told Alexander to hand Lia over to them. Alexander stared at them, then at Lia who refused to be treated for the injury. He shook his head and caressed her warm cheeks. "Hold on for me, okay?" he asked and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll finish this as soon as I can."

"Will you promise me?" Lia sobbed.

Alexander nodded. He signalled to Caster and Sion. The two women nodded and took Lia from him, before returning to Archangel where a team of field doctors was stationed to treat the injured. He silently bade farewell to them and turned his attention to Valentino. "I've told you not to include Lia in this argument, haven't I?"

Valentino snorted. "Hah, she was stupid enough to block my attack," he replied.

Alexander closed his eyes. "So be it." He marked an X on his cheek with his blood. The symbol sank into his skin and revealed a cross scar from it. Instantly blood retreated from his wounds and flowed back into his body. Then it burst out of the wounds and enveloped Alexander as a whole. It was a living entity; pulsing with self-conscious and vibrant with life, it slowly materialized into body armour and clung onto him, never letting him go.

Valentino was in shock. "It's the Forbidden Beast! How did he…" Then he cursed. "So that's why Master Zato wanted him to lead the Assassin Guild. He possesses a Forbidden Beast. Why didn't I know about this?"

The transformation was complete. The assassin knight was standing in his new look, silhouetted by the silvery light of the full moon, blocked by patches of cloud. It was nothing like before. Never before in his life would Alexander Hahn, the self-righteous Lone Wolf of Holy Orders and the Shadow of Assassin's Guild, display such a mysterious being. And now he was emitting the same, suppressive aura of a killer that struck fear into every enemy's heart.

Alexander opened his eyes. He looked all over him; the body armour, the organic matter that fused his hands with the twin kodachi, the whole entity. "A gift and a curse… discovered by Master Zato himself… and suppressed until now. I can feel it crying for mayhem." He turned to the trembling Valentino, grinned and pointed a kodachi at him. "Now you know why I'm feared for my Warrior's Amok. Prepare yourself, Valentino, for the midnight carnival starts."

The clouds dissipated. The moon revealed itself in its full form, shining all of its celestial silver light across the land. It caught Alexander, as if it was focusing on him. As if he was the star of the show. As if he was the lord of the carnival.

"Now."

To Be Continued