AN: I hope you guys liked 'Grand Revival of the Messiah'. Judging by the reviews, two people either didn't get the joke, or did and didn't find it funny. Oh well, it was a fun little experiment. Here's a Final Fantasy VII variation:
Aerith died and Cloud was sad. Then the Lifesteam brought her back to life and Cloud happy and they went to the Gold Saucer and rode Gold Chocobos to S Class. The End.
With that aside, here's Chapter 74! One more chapter and this arc is over. Then I'll be on holiday for two weeks, so you'll have to wait a while for Arc 8 to begin! Thanks to all my reviewers, followers, favouriters, and readers. Enjoy!
Chapter 74: False Revival
|October 10th|Farawell - Warehouse|18:40 pm|
It was another week, and the group had decided to go and get in some training. However, while everyone else had arrived on time, Karl was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Karl?" Serena asked, looking around. "Are you and him still fighting?"
"It wasn't really a fight..." Zao said. "We both said stuff we shouldn't have. Maybe he won't turn up."
"Zao, as unpleasant as this fight might have been, you can't avoid this." Nathan said. "Karl will arrive very soon. If you don't resolve your issues, how do you expect to co-operate in battle?"
"Dude's right." Blaine said. "Come on, Karl's still your buddy. Me and Dan have fallen out over a lot worse, believe me. Hey, there he is!"
Karl was approaching them, with his hands in his pockets and a pair of boxing gloves around his neck. Zao looked away, but he had a sad, distant look in his eyes. The harsh comments of the night out still stung, and Amara could see it.
"Uh...hi." Karl mumbled. "I got away as fast as I could. Sorry. Are we ready to go?"
"Yes." Amara said bluntly. "Onward, everyone."
Everyone ventured inside the warehouse, without another word.
|Secret Base|18:44 pm|
"...has been closed since 7am this morning. The amount of time this refurbishment will take place is indefinite."
The group had arrived in the base, to the sight of everyone huddled around the monitor. Amara couldn't see the screen, yet she knew something big was going on.
"What do you think, Seraphina?" Kyle asked.
"...I do not know, Sir Kyle." Seraphina said apprehensively. "Ah! Our otherworldly guests! Forgive us! We were analysing the situation!"
"What situation?" Karl asked. "Something about a building being closed?"
"Not just any building." Aimee answered. "The Legarte Aeternus Supply Centre! Without it, the people of Legarte will have to spend exorbitant amounts to get the Ornatu Legion to deliver their supplies, or try to get to the other centres!"
"We already tried to look into it. Thing is, the entrance is sealed shut. The Ornatu Legion are constantly outside, trying to keep the crowds away and stop anyone from trying to get in." Roger said. "And the NDDs inside have been switched off, so no getting in that way. Only thing left is the power tunnels."
"So how about it, then?" Zao said, twirling his weapon in the air - nearly hitting Tara in the face. "We'll go in, check out what's going on, and save the day! Easy!"
"You idiot!" Lucy said. "We don't even know why the place is shut! How can you be so stupid, Zao?"
"Don't you call him stupid!" Amara shouted. "Okay, it won't be that simple to get inside. But I have a feeling something weird is going on, something we need to check out. Right, Seraphina?"
"You are...correct, Lady Amara." Seraphina said melancholically. She shut her eyes, and Sophia emerged to sense the air. "Dark power...torn from all love and hate...nothing remains..."
"Huh?" Shirley asked. "What's this?"
"Below the surface...a secret hidden away..." Seraphina said dreamily. "Those who have fallen...a dark reprisal...they are drawn to the of the dark power...for they all remember nothing...of love and hate..." With that, she painfully dismissed Sophia, and clutched her head, groaning in pain.
"Seraphina!" Other Amara said. "What was all that about?"
"Do you not understand?"
Out of nowhere, two people had appeared. The other Archibald and Nina, who seemed anxious. There was an uncomfortable silence, whilst everyone pondered Seraphina's premonition.
"We have seen this day before." Nina said. "Zao Yuria, of the Fool. You know what 'dark power' Seraphina spoke of, don't you?"
Zao gasped. He started trembling, and shuddered. "No...n-not...the other me?!"
"It is as you fear." Archibald said. "The other you, Zao, has been stripped bare emotionally. Nothing that made you is in him anymore. Your strongest affections, your deepest fears, and burning hatred have all been taken away, all in the foolish goal of science. That was my wrong doing."
"Was?" Kazuya asked. "Wait, how have you seen this day before? Are you guys like Seraphina?"
"Her power is different from ours." Nina said. "Zao. Others may call you a coward from not feeling the courage to face your dark shadow, but it is not your personal failing. It is but a human failing, one that should not be mocked or derided. You must cling to your humanity, Zao. So you can cast aside any shadows that put a stop to the future."
"So what, are you encouraging him to be a wimp?!" Karl shouted. "What about us? It's us that have to fight him while he runs away and cries like a baby!"
"Fighting your own friend is painful. We learned that ourselves." Archibald said. "Yet you have already overcome many trials. Tonight is yet another. Now, go. You will only get one chance."
With that, Nina and Archibald disappeared. The others stared around in confusion - they still did not know what these two were trying to accomplish. The way they spoke did not feel right to Amara at all. Why not try to encourage Zao to face what his other self had become? In her opinion, he should face her fears - not run from them. No matter how 'human' that fear was.
She went over to the NDD, and turned it on.
"We're going."
|Legarte Aeternus Supply Complex|18:55 pm|
The closure of the Supply Complex had been met with immediate outrage. The people of Legarte had no other reliable means to procure their necessities, and Aeternus had offered no alternative. Thus, the Ornatu Legion had the Complex on heavy guard, inside and outside.
"I repeat!" A ginger woman shouted over a megaphone. "The Legarte Aeternus Supply Complex has been closed for the foreseeable future! Due to electrical faults and the threat of Shadows, entering would put you all in grave danger! It is our duty to protect our people! Thus, we will work to ensure the Complex is restored to normal! Please, turn around! We are working at our best to resolve the issues so you can shop here in peace!"
The crowd was unpleased. This was the fortieth time today the Ornatu Legion had to repeat the same message, and it was difficult to be heard over the irate civilians. If the situation was this bad today, then in a week there would be blood.
"My baby needs medicine! Let me right this minute!" An hysterical woman cried
"What about my insulin?! I've nothing left!" A middle-aged man screamed. "Do you want us all to starve to death?! Or are you trying to get us killed on the way to Saragel?!"
"Oh, screw this. I don't need that muffin anyway." A nonchalant teenager said, and walked off.
"I repeat..." The ginger woman began all over again.
Inside, the situation was just as tense. The Ornatu Legion had been instructed to guard the entrance, as well as the hatch that led to the power tunnels. Yet despite their vigilance, they had noticed nothing out of the ordinary. The Ater Vox stressed the importance of this operation, but had refused to divulge anything. Keisha had been stationed to be inside the mall, and was sitting on a bench drinking a milkshake.
"What's going on?" A brunette girl said. "There's nothing wrong with this place!"
"I know. This is stupid." A boy with green hair said. "At least Atiqah's team get to fight Shadows in the tunnels. We're stuck here twiddling our thumbs. If that wasn't bad enough, we can't help ourselves to anything!"
"It's not that bad." A black haired man said. "We just get through this, and go home."
"I guess...but I feel weird..." A purple haired boy said. "Like...did I eat something bad last night?"
"Actually, I feel strange too..." The girl said.
"Just what do you all think you're doing?" A woman had shouted.
The Ater Vox had arrived at the top of the stairs. Nihane was not present, but the five of them made for an imposing group.
"Lady Josephine!" The green haired boy said. "How long is this going to take?"
"As long as it takes!" Josephine said. "Are you not content with such a simple task?"
"Well, not really. It's boring as hell." The purple haired girl said. "Can we go on our break now?"
"You're not here to fool around. Go back to your duty!" Archibald bellowed.
"What about her?!" The black haired man said, pointing at Keisha. She paid no attention to the argument, and kept drinking the milkshake.
"This is good." Keisha said. "Maybe I'll have the banana flavour next."
"She's off duty." Nina said. "You won't be done until we say you're done. Is that understood?!"
The Ornatu Legion nodded, and went back to work. With that, the Ater Vox continued towards the third floor, and entered the secret room.
"It has been a while." Archibald said, looking at the empty tank. "Tomas assisted me on the SD01 project. The entire time, he was up to no good - in more ways than I imagined."
"I can't believe Tomas constructed something this big under our noses." Carlos said. "How could we have treated him so leniently?"
"We were all careless." Josephine said. "That changes here. Now, we trust no-one but ourselves."
"Exactly! And soon enough, there won't be anyone but ourselves left! Isn't that amazing? One Divine Spark, and it's all over! Each of us, with a dream world!" Pierre said, exuberant.
"Pierre, the Divine Spark may not be for a while yet. We should be prepared for anything." Nina said. "Tomas left this behind as a gift. Therefore, we take it. I'm sure he's spinning in his grave!" She and Pierre laughed, whilst the others got to work and went to the terminals.
"By the way, where is Nihane? Does he not want to see this place at all?" Josephine asked.
"It seems even facilities like these can't interest him." Archibald said, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter." They all finished entering commands into the terminals, and one by one, all five locks were disengaged. The far wall opened, revealing a door, and behind it, four more. Once all of them had disappeared, there was a long metal staircase, leading downwards. Carlos stared at the many steps, and laughed out loud.
"How did Tomas find the time to build this? He mustn't have slept a wink!"
|Power Tunnels|19:00 pm|
The team had entered the power tunnels, and they were as unpleasant as ever. It was like being in a 'cyber punk' sewer, as Serena had described it. While it was far more sanitary than a sewer, it was much warmer, and here you could happen upon some rather nefarious Shadows. Tonight, however, Amara had discovered something else.
"Holy crap!" An Ornatu Legion soldier said, as she stood up ahead. She had blue hair, up in a large ponytail, and pink eyes. She looked somewhat Asian, despite the bizarre hair and eye colour.
"Wait! I know her!" Serena said. "That's Cu Cu X! The singer Kyle fancies!"
"I do?" Kyle said, confused. "She is kinda pretty..."
"Queue Queue Ecks?" The young woman said. "No, that's not it at all! My name is Cuiling! Pleased to meetcha! So why are there so many of you? Are you some kind of acapella band?"
"Yes, that's why we're all carrying weapons." Karen said. Cuiling sneered at her, and sulked. "Now it's our turn for questions. Why is the Supply Centre really closed?"
"H-Huh?" Cuiling said, surprised. "Why are you asking me? I don't even know. No one told us anything other than to keep everyone without permission away!"
"So there really is something strange going on there." Alastair said. "Something Aeternus wants to stay hidden..."
"Yeah, basically. I don't really get it, but - wait, you guys are the rebels we were told about! Uh...bye! It was nice talking with you!" Cuiling turned around and fled, running as fast as she could.
"Well, at least she knew when to run away. And I must concur with Kyle. She was pretty." Kaman said. Kyle looked at him strangely, but shrugged. "But there's bound to be more of them ahead. You all better be prepared."
"Of course we are." Priscilla said. "The Ornatu Legion have fought us many times. We're not going to be beaten by them now."
Twenty minutes later
Strangely, the tunnels had been quiet. Very few Shadows had appeared, and apart from trash on the floor there was no sign of the Ornatu Legion.
"Just a little further!" Kyle said. "Then we're - oh crap."
To Amara's horror, Ornatu Legion soldiers were ahead - almost one for each of them. Cuiling was there, sticking her tongue out, and next to her was a Malaysian woman with brown hair, dark skin and green eyes, and two young men.
"Halt!" The Malaysian woman said. "You really are the rebels, just as Cuiling said. I am Atiqah of the Ornatu Legion! I am in charge of the Power Tunnel unit, and we cannot allow you to proceed!"
"Whatever, lady. Are we gonna fight or what?" Other Serena said, pulling out her whip.
"The hell?" The blonde man said. "Aren't we supposed to scare them off?"
"Shut up, Sidney!" Cuiling said. She took out her iron claws, and grinned. "This is just what we need to liven things up! Go ahead and try to get past us!" Atiqah took out her whip, and yelled at 'Bruce' to do the same. Sidney reluctantly took out his own pair of claws, and one by one the other soldiers readied their weapons.
"You're not getting in the Supply Centre!" Bruce shouted. "Here we go! Yatsufusa!" He summoned his Persona - a strange white canine with floating coloured orbs around it, whilst Cuiling summoned Suzaku, a beautiful vermillion bird not unlike a phoenix. Atiqah summoned Asherah, which was a strange white woman with black square markings and long blonde hair, and Sidney summoned a purplish snake called Yurlungur.
"Oh yeah! This is way more interesting than finding out how many ways there are to kill a Shadow!" Cuiling said, sticking her tongue out. "I'm all fired up! Let's have some fun!"
"You will not survive!" Atiqah said, striking the ground with her whip. "Be warned, we will have no mercy!"
"Karen, Roger, Lucy, Shirley, you take down that team!" Aimee shouted. The four of them got into position, whilst the others divided up and took on groups of soldiers as well.
Atiqah chuckled, and began the fight with a potent Virus Wave. Not only was it quite fierce an attack, it caused Shirley to feel rather turbid and stagnant. "Ha!"
"Take this! Bufudyne!" Karen cried. Cuiling shrieked in pain as she was hit by fierce ice, and she slumped to the ground. Bruce, angry at the sight of her in agony, ordered Yurlungur - and the team was struck with Mazionga.
"Ouch!" Roger cried, shaking all over. "That was...sore..."
Lucy began firing wildly at the team, and every one of her bullets missed and landed either in the wall or on the floor. Shirley shook her head in exasperation, as she dodged a swing from Bruce's claw.
"Flame Havoc!" Lucy cried. Bruce got ready to dodge, but his roll to the side was useless, as the flaming axe of Inanna hit Atiqah instead. "Ha!" She gleefully shot Bruce while he was shocked, and then Shirley kicked him into the bullet-ridden wall.
"That seems somewhat...cruel." Karen said.
"But they're trying to kill us!" Lucy said. "There's no room for mercy!"
"Yeah, that's kinda right. But you're not getting away with that again! Suzaku! Fire Wall!" Cuiling twirled on tip toes as Suzaku shrouded the injured Atiqah with a strange wall of red light. "You'll be fine now!"
"I could have used that earlier, Cuiling..." Atiqah grumbled. Cuiling blushed, and giggled.
Shirley was busy trying to kick at Sidney, who was trying to hurt her with his whip. Eventually, Shirley beckoned Rhiannon to slash through him with the ghostly Phantom Edge.
"Ouch!" Sidney said. He regained his balance, and tried to smooth down his hair. "Atiqah, here's something else! Tetraja!" The enchanted bestowed upon her was one rarely seen, and one that Shirley herself could use - yet hadn't found an occasion. With Tetraja active, Atiqah could not be conquered via Hama or Mudo - for one occasion.
"Smart kid!" Roger said. "Shame we gotta do this, but it has to be done. Malaques!" Kanaloa gathered his power, and sent forward crashing waves of water. Everyone winced in pain, except Sidney, who shrugged and brushed the water off his hair.
"Dude, it took me ages to style this! Don't ruin it!" Sidney complained. Atiqah began to laugh, yet not at Sidney. Rather, at the power Asherah was about to unleash. The rather unattractive female Persona began dancing, hunched over, as strange red energy patterns occurred around the room.
"Valiant Dance!"
When it was over, everyone seemed fine - yet Karen looked absolutely berserk. Growling, she held her katana fiercely in both hands, and leapt forward and slashed Sidney with enough ferocity to hit him into the wall, like with Bruce. She then turned her attention to Cuiling, who did a black flip, laughing, to get away.
"You won't be getting her out of that temper for a white." Atiqah said, smugly. Bruce, giddy from the excitement, cast Elec Wall on Sidney. However, his companions rolled their eyes.
"Huh? What'd I do?" Bruce asked.
"None of them can use Zio spells!" Cuiling said. "So you just wasted your power - ah!" Just after she said this, Inanna had blasted her with Agidyne, under Lucy's orders. Yet, Cuiling was barely affected. Lucy gasped. "You idiot! I have Suzaku, and it can't be hurt by flames! Here's something that will hurt everybody, though! Energy Rain!"
Suzaku flapped its wings, and rain started to fall - in the form of energy raindrops. Lucy swore loudly, and tried to slap Cuiling across the face. She missed, due to Cuiling's acrobatic leap to the side.
"Shirley, do something!" Lucy cried, as Sidney tried to whip at her. Atiqah struck Lucy with her own, and she cried out in pain, as it hit her right across the face.
"That's my friend, you jerk!" Shirley shouted. She grabbed Sidney, and kicked the living daylights out of him, and threw him into the air. "Grieving Rune!" Rhiannon bombarded him with her runic power, and he came crashing down to the ground in immense pain. "How do you like that?"
"You're...hella strong..." Sidney moaned. "But so am I! Aquadyne!" Yurlungur hit Shirley with a powerful wave, and she landed backwards onto the ground.
Cuiling bounded all over the area, slashing Lucy and Karen with her claws, and dodging Karen's ferocious strikes. With a somewhat cute smile, she pounced forward, in a manner akin to Acolnahuacatl, and struck Roger hard across the chest.
"Hiyah!" She cried. "Pretty strong, aren't I?"
"You're okay, little girl. Too bad you're not one of us. Kraken Lance!" Roger cried. Kanaloa thrust his spear at Cuiling, stabbing her many times, each with violent force. She cried, and hopped away pitifully. It was like seeing a tiger turning into a rabbit.
Karen attempted to attack Bruce, still berserk - but she slipped on the ground, and her sword landed in the ground. Bruce jeered at her, and slashed with his claws.
"You'd better die!" Atiqah screamed. She whipped Karen hard, laughing cruelly each time. "Asherah! Vile Assault!" The repugnant alabaster woman took her strange weapon, and bashed Karen over the head with it. She was now in a daze, clutching her head in agony.
"Nice work!" Cuiling cheered. Roger, infuriated, tried to stab at Atiqah with his weapons, but she used her whip to block every strike. "Aww, did that get you angry? Then this is gonna make you really mad." Cuiling said. "Agidyne - HEY!"
Shirley had kicked her to the ground, yet it was too late. Suzaku, one of the four Ssu-Ling, had a fire affinity - and thus, Karen was struck with intense flames. She collapsed, unable to move.
"You bitch!" Lucy shouted. "Let's see how you like it!" Atiqah was subjected to Lucy's own fiery rage - but unfortunately, Cuiling had already seen that coming, hence the Red Wall. "Damn!"
"Bright Fear!" Shirley shouted, glaring at the knocked down Cuiling. Rhiannon's eerie light that pummelled Cuiling was blinding, and it emitted a sound that echoed a banshee. After the light faded, Cuiling looked petrified, and scurried behind Bruce.
"What? You're scared? We've got this team on the ropes!" Bruce said, laughing. "Watch, I'll take out the old guy. Magnadyne!"
Roger glared at the roughish Bruce, as Yatsufusa summoned earthen power to strike Roger. It was considerable in power...yet he wasn't about to give in. With a look of absolute hate, he was able to make Bruce flinch.
"Kanaloa." Roger said, stoically. His Persona tapped the ground with its trident, and a whirlpool of clear water lifted him up into the air. "Waves of the purest rage! I claim mastery over the demons of the sea!"
"The fuck?" Sidney said, confused. He rolled away from Lucy's gunfire, then let off a Malaques. While it hurt everyone else, Roger was entirely unaffected. "What's he doing?!" Sidney, fearing the worst, bolstered himself with Rakukaja - yet did not offer the same to his team, prompting a harsh gesture from Bruce and Cuiling and dirty looks from Atiqah.
"Be battered by my storms and never darken our doors again! Kai E'e!" Roger bellowed. His throat hurt from shouting so loud, but it seemed to do the trick. Kanaloa was raised sky high by the whirlpool, which spread out and trapped all four adversaries in it's wrath. Sidney was screaming for dear life, trying to swim away, but there was no escaping from Roger's anger. Then a heavy rain started to fall, and every drop that hit the whirlpool was akin to an explosion. Finally, the whirlpool crashed onto the ground, sending every victim to the floor in a collapsed heap.
"That was awesome, Roger. I think we might just have won!" Shirley said. However, she was wrong. An absolutely irate Atiqah stood up from the puddle that remained, and so did a weary Cuiling and a weakened Bruce. Sidney, however, had given up the ghost. Yurlungur turned into a ball of dark mist, and faded away.
"One down each..." Atiqah said, hatefully pointing at Roger. "Do you think you're getting away with that?!"
"Since none of you can use those moves, yeah." Roger said, playfully smiling. "Let's finish this!"
"You will regret mocking us, you terrorists!" Atiqah shrieked. "Tempest Slash!" Asherah graced everyone with her unappealing presence, and spun her weapon around fiercely. Everyone was knocked back by the velocity of her 'blade', which was more like some sort of stick.
"Ngh..." Lucy whined. "Huh - Karen?!" Slowly, Karen got to her feet. Asherah had completely missed her, and Atiqah swore.
"Did you think...I was defeated already?" Karen asked. "You should reflect more on your failures! Like so. Cursed Image!"
Aeshma had utilised this move once before, to dispatch a particularly irritating Shadow in Inanis. As with that encounter, Aeshma's mirror went in front of Yatsufusa - and turned dark. Then she slapped Bruce with it, with minimal effect.
"What the hell was that?" Bruce asked, shrugging. "Whatever, you crazy lady! I'll just have to make you stay dead! Hamaon!"
Lucy gasped - then she realised everything was going just as Karen planned. Before the spell of fatal light could take Karen, a larger Yatsufusa burst out of the mirror. The dog crashed into Bruce, scratching him sharply, until he couldn't take any more. With a pitiful whimper, Bruce passed out, and both forms of Yatsufusa disappeared into nothingness.
"What?!" Cuiling shouted. "How?! This can't be happening! We're in the first class of the Ornatu Legion!"
"Is that really an achievement?" Shirley said, amused. Cuiling was incensed with fury. Soon enough, Suzaku's flames burst out, burning everyone. "Argh!" Karen fell to the ground, in terrible agony.
"Don't you dare make fun of us!" Cuiling shouted. "Do you know how many people in the Legion have died, protecting our citizens? My friends are all gone! So if you think I'll just let you talk trash about us, you're dead wrong!"
"Oh, put a sock in it." Lucy said nonchalantly. "Passion Ablaze!" The flames of romance, generated from Lucy's heart, tried to consume Atiqah - however, she had expertly avoided the fire, and struck Lucy across the face with her whip. "Ouch!"
"My siblings gave their lives to stop the city being run into the ground by the likes of you! So I will NOT yield!" Atiqah barked.
"I'm sorry about your family." Roger said sincerely. "But we care about this city just as much as you do! Forgive me...but I have to do this to save it! Ocean Malady!"
Waves from all directions came crashing upon the two enemies. While far from the torrential strength of Kai E'e, this was still a brutal onslaught. Cuiling dropped her claws, and fell onto the ground face forward.
"Sorry...I can't...see ya...at dinner..." Cuiling moaned. Suzaku dissipated, leaving Atiqah and Asherah the only foes left.
"I never thought I'd be the last one standing." Atiqah said. "Will you stop at nothing until this city is a Shadow-only zone?!"
"Well, you're right about the first part. Only thing is, we want to make this city a human only zone." Shirley said. "Rhiannon! May the darkness of the night strike fear in the hearts of your foes! Bring them despair, more than they will ever feel in a lifetime! Doom awaits them! Noson o Anobaith!"
The area around them suddenly got dark, causing confusion in the other altercations happening simultaneously. The Rhiannon appeared, with a pale moonlight shining on her. As she seemed to laugh, Atiqah held onto her whip tightly, gazing at the dark figure in front of her. However, her bravado ended right there, as she began screaming at the top of her voice - for she had been flung into the sky. Rhiannon swung her scythe around at great speed, each swing generating a trail of red light. Eventually, this red light formed a glyph of energy, that exploded - and Atiqah's body collapsed onto the ground.
"Shirley, you rock!" Lucy cheered, hugging her.
"Phew." Shirley said, as Asherah was no more. "They weren't as pathetic as usual."
"Agreed. I'd rate them as 48.43% mediocre. A 32.72 upgrade from the idiots I fought on that boat." Roger said, dusting off his clothes. "Karen, are you okay?"
"Yes, Roger." Karen said. "Those were...some tenacious foes."
"Thank god that's over with! Looks like everyone else is done, too!" Lucy said, looking around. Raymond, Sanjana, Vincent and Esther had just fallen at the hands of Kyle's Sacred Forge, whilst Dan, Seraphina and Priscilla looked out in admiration.
"Since when did Kyle get so...dangerous?" Priscilla asked.
"Duh! He's taking after me!" Dan said, grinning. "Ain't that right, Kyle?"
"Well actually...uh...yeah, sure." Kyle said, upon consideration. "You know, if we leave these soldiers lying here unconscious, they're easy pickings for the Shadows. And even if they wake up, they've already lost their Personas."
"We don't have time to get them to safety. If we do, they'll find out we beat them and put more soldiers down here. Or worse, the Ater Vox will meet us personally and kick our butts." Kaman said.
Aimee trembled, and wiped a tear from her eye. The look of all these soldiers, thoroughly beaten, had gotten to her once again. Is there really nothing we can do? Without their Personas, we can't use any of our healing magic on them, and they can't defend themselves...
"It might be okay. They said they defeated a lot of Shadows, right?" Amara said. "So the area might be safe until they wake up. Come on, if we're fast, we can save them after we're done at the Centre!"
"...She's right." Karl said. "Aimee, are you okay? Should we take you back -"
"No! I'm fine...let's go." Aimee said forcefully. She marched on ahead, and the rest of the group followed, leaving the Ornatu Legion behind.
Ten minutes later
"You know, this place is just as bad even when I'm not kidnapping people." Other Blaine said.
"...That's not much of an ice breaker." Other Nathan said.
"Ah, shaddup." Other Blaine said. "Look, there's the door to the complex. Man, I hope we're not took late -"
Just as he said this, distant noises could be heard. It was hard to make them out, but people were screaming, and there were some very loud noises of glass shattering and other items being smashed. Everyone's eyes lit up, shocked.
"Oh god, no!" Bianca said. "What just happened?"
"Maybe the shoppers finally got in and are looting the place!" Matthew said. "Or...no, don't tell me -"
"Shadows!" Alastair said, alarmed. "We have to get up there, right now!"
|Legarte Aeternus Supply Complex|19:42 pm|
The scene that lay in front of them was chaos. Every Ornatu Legion soldier around was unconscious, and the main entrance had been completely smashed up by the crowds. Looters were roaming through the place, stealing anything that suited them - and even from the pockets of the unconscious soldiers.
"The hell is this?" Richard said. "I thought the Legion had this place under guard?"
"Look. They're all on the ground." Kazuya said. "How did that even happen?"
"Guys, be careful!" Aimee said. "We've got to keep those people out of trouble!"
A middle aged man was satisfied with his ill-gotten gains, and began to flee - only to bump headfirst into a Shadow. His screams pierced Amara's ears, and the Shadow - a Knight - seemed eager to strike.
"Get lost, you freak!" The man said. "You won't kill me! If you try it, you fuckers, the Ornatu Legion will - huh?" He realised, at last, that the Legion had fallen. "...Shit! What the hell do I do now?"
"Oh no!" Amara screamed.
Just as the Shadow was about to eviscerate the male looter, Amara bisected it with Hathor's Force Sabre.
"Whoa. Now that was cool." Zao said, in awe.
"Sir! You have to get out, now! Same for all of you!" Nathan said. "This place is going to get even more dangerous!"
"What?" Shirley said. "What do you mean by that?"
"The museum, Shirley!" Dan said. "What happened there...will happen here!"
"...You might be right! Look, all those soldiers are unconscious." Aimee said, aghast. "No...it can't be...a Divine Spark?! Here?!"
"No!" Other Amara said. "If that's the case, we're doomed! This place, the city, the whole world are gonna disappear!"
The man ran out of the mall, screaming, but still furiously clutching his box of supplies. However, the other citizens were still busy looting, having paid no attention to the man who could have been torn in half.
"Commander." Alastair said, sternly. "As we are no longer under your orders, we shall take our own initiative."
"Huh?" Other Blaine said. "What are you saying?"
"We, the Holy Cross, will take it upon ourselves to protect the people here!" Alastair said. "Right, everyone?"
Bianca, Richard, and Kazuya nodded. Other Blaine smiled, and gave them all a thumbs up.
"Good work. But you're taking one more order from me. You're all gonna come out of this alive." He said. "Get to work, you maggots!"
"Aye aye, sir!" Richard cheered. The Holy Cross charged into battle with the Shadows, unleashing powerful attack one after another.
"They're strong..." Nathan said. "Nothing like the people we fought in our early days."
"Right." Amara said. "I think they'll be just fine. But now we've got to figure out what Seraphina's reading was talking about!"
"When we were here many moons ago, we encountered a figure wrapped in bandages. At the time, I knew nothing of the man or his condition. Yet when I realised it was Sir Zao, I was dismayed. Now we must go to the room where SD01 was born and Zao Yuria died!"
"Huh? But I wasn't with you guys when that happened!" Zao said. "Oh, the other one. Let's...go find this room. Now!"
The group, sans the Holy Cross, made their way up to the top floor- where Alastair had confronted them in June. To think that bandaged man would be Zao...it made Amara sick. If they came here, perhaps they could find a way to save him...
"Huh?" Serena said. As expected, the tank where Other Zao had been was empty. "There's nothing here! Just a bunch of computers!"
"Let's have a look." Kyle said. He wheeled himself to one of the machines, and with Dan's aid, got onto one of the swivel chairs. "Huh? What's this?" He looked at the screen, and frowned
"What?" Aimee said. She went over. "Does anyone know what these mean?"
Welcome to the [AETERNUS SUPPLY COMPLEX] of the [FARAWELL DISTRICT] AETER-TERMINAL
Copyright 2004-2012. Aeternus - Connecting You Eternally
[A]: Shadow Distributor
[B]: Power Tunnel Map
[C]: Finance Update and Restock Client
[D]: TOP SECRET - SD CLIENT
[E]: ILC ACCESS - TOP SECRET!
"Okay, I think I get what the first three are about." Roger said. "And that SD Client must have something to do with Zao's other self."
"Yeah...maybe Adrian too." Tara said, distantly. "But what about ILC? What does that mean?"
"I don't know..." Kyle said. He tried to select [E], but a prompt appeared on the screen.
PLEASE ENTER LOG-IN AND PASSWORD FOR THIS TERMINAL
ALL FIVE TERMINALS MUST BE AUTHENTICATED TO ACCESS COMPOUND
"Compound?" Blaine said, confused. "What, there's something else below this place? What gives?"
"This is stupid! How are we supposed to find out the password before the Divine Spark happens?!" Lucy said. "This might be it for us..."
"Why do you give up so easily?" Seraphina said, angrily. "Do not doubt our skills! Sirs Kyle and Roger will learn all the information we need within time!"
"Yeah!" Roger said. "...Oh, me too?" Karen nudged Roger sharply in the rib, and nodded. "Ouch! Okay, I better get to work then! Here goes!"
It took nearly ten minutes, but the two of them seemed to have found all five passwords: When Roger and Kyle read them all out loud, Amara noticed something off about them.
"Wait. They're all anagrams of each other." Amara said. "Like that last one. OWETMSKINAE. And TAEKNSMEIOW. Doesn't that seem weird to you?"
Shirley looked over the passwords. "Let me try something." She said, then took out a pen of paper, and wrote every password down. Then, she looked carefully, and after deep reflection, wrote down: TOMASWEIKEN. No...
"...Him?!" Lucy shrieked. "This ILC is HIS doing?!"
"Even beyond the grave, that man torments us." Priscilla said. "Whatever that man has down there, we must investigate!"
"Right!" Other Amara said. "Tomas won't have his victory, not now, not ever! We'll deal with this compound right now!"
"The broken soul who has dark power in place of heart and mind...he is down below." Seraphina said, anxiously. "And so are those who call the Shadows. They may decide to seize what Tomas left behind for malevolent gains - we must not let them have their glory!"
Quickly, Kyle, Roger, Other Serena, Karen, & Matthew typed in the five passwords. Once they were done, the doorway appeared, and the entrance was clear.
Amara led the way down many stairs, until they found an archway. Inside was a place far beyond their expectations.
|'ILC'|20:01 pm|
This place was a metal fortress of darkness, cold steel forming walls, floors, and ceilings. On the floor was a giant red painted logo, with the stylised letters ILC. The walls had many glowing green lights, and various purple cables all around the side that led into black boxes at the top of the cylindrical room.
"Okay, this is...weird." Karl said. "It's like some evil secret lab from a kid's show. What is going on here?"
The door in front of them opened, revealing a long hallway. Uneasy, the group moved forward - and noticed the 'hallway' was a large metal platform, with a glass floor to the right and left, over a bottomless pit, with seemed to have a black and purple haze coming upwards. Also, there were twelve strange capsules, roughly the size of a public phone box, lining both sizes, each one of them connected via more wires to a giant power generator.
Lucy shuddered, as she stared at the capsule closely. It was a dark gray, with green lights on it, and the glass door to it tinted black to obscure whatever was inside. She shrugged, and walked back to Other Blaine. Yet she couldn't help but shiver at what she was seeing.
"Hmm?" Other Blaine said, looking at her. "Don't be scared...I'm here with you."
"Thanks..." Lucy murmured. Just as they got closer, the door leading to the next room automatically shut. She screamed, and Other Blaine frowned.
"Fuck! What's going on?" Dan said. "Wait, the capsules -"
Their lights had changed from green to red, and they were making loud whirring noises. Eventually, each one opened. Amara took her sword out, preparing to attack - yet when she saw what the capsules contained, she faltered.
"Huh?!"
Out of each capsule was a human. Or rather...they were human. Yet their eyes were distant and emotionless. Their uniforms were like the Ornatu Legion's, but a pale blue. They made not a single sound as they faced the group. Amara caught a glimpse of one brunette girl, and recoiled in shock.
That's...Michelle!
When Amara was at art college, she bonded with another student called Michelle, Lately, the two of them had lost touch, due to the latter's relationship with a man she met in Ecuador. Michelle had spent so much time with her boyfriend, Amara wondered if she was ever coming back. Yet here she was...
"Hang on!" Karl said. "That guy with the red hair! That's...Tristan! And I think - yeah, that guy with the black hair! It's Liam!"
"What?!" Kyle said. "You know these people? But why do they look so strange?"
"I'm not sure, but...that girl..." Aimee said, shocked, pointing to a blonde female near the right. "She was killed...during that war between the Freedom League and the Angelic Vanguard!"
"Wait, I know her too!" Serena said. "She works at Solar Ray Mall! I think her name is Brittany!"
"Seriously? What on earth is going on here, then?" Priscilla asked. "Tomas resurrected these people, somehow?"
"Look at them...they're like...the other me..." Zao said. "Everyone, we have to fight! Now!"
Rashnu appeared, and all twelve adversaries summoned their Personas. They did not speak, or even breathe. Michelle looked more like a doll than a person, with her eyes glazed over, and her body moved as if it was being posed like a figurine. It made Amara sick - and she wasn't going to tolerate this. Tomas had gone too far...
"Hathor!" Amara screamed. Karl, Aimee and Zao ran to her side, and soon, all five of their Personas were summoned.
Michelle summoned Titania, a pretty fairy queen with blonde hair and a green dress, straight out of A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare. Brittany beckoned an obscure goddess of sorcery and witchcraft named Volvo, which had the appearance of two white skinned, mohawk -bearing female torsos on one pair of legs. Liam summoned Paimon, a strange demonic king with yellow skin and fleshy crown and armour sitting atop a purple camel-like beast. Lastly, Tristan summoned a green dragon formed out of wind itself called Illuyanka, a serpentine dragon of Hittite mythology.
"Agidyne!" Amara shouted. Right after the flames hit her, Michelle dashed forward, and clashed swords with Amara. They swung and swung, but could not break through the other's guard. "Urgh..."
Eventually, Michelle did a somersault to the side, and used Rakunda - on Karl. Because of this, he was at the mercy of Liam's own sword attacks. Then, Paimon drained some of Karl's vitality, sending it to Liam.
"Shit!" Karl exclaimed. "I better get into gear...Hero's Steel!" Now augmented, Karl punched Liam as fast as he could, executing a strong combo. With one final uppercut, Liam's 'body' fell to the floor. "Gotcha!" Aimee smiled, and kept back. From what she saw of the other battles, everyone was doing well.
Brittany and Volvo, however, were not content with standing guard. They blighted their more lively foes with Matarunda - much to Zao's chagrin.
"Oi!" He cried. "How am I supposed to fight at full power now?"
"Just attack, doofus!" Karl barked. Zao groaned, but spun his weapon, striking Brittany backwards. She fought back, with deadly axe swings. After narrowly dodging a final slash, Zao grinned.
"Starfall!"
Rashnu's astral rain fell upon the wraiths that were once human beings. Despite the sheer energy released by this manoeuvre, they were not overcome. Rather, Tristan wordlessly used Marakunda - the second ailment to strike the team. Grinding her teeth, Amara readied her sword, and turned her attention to Michelle again.
Even if we never speak again...I hope you never go through this back home, Michelle.
"Tefnut's Raze!" She roared. Hathor faithfully incinerated Michelle, and despite the roaring heat generated by such power, her face remained completely skill. These were not people. They were monsters. In honour of their progenitors, they had to be destroyed.
Titania, under Michelle's silent command, healed the team with Mediarama. Aimee grimaced, but watched anxiously as Karl turned his eyes to Tristan.
"Karl, be careful!" She shouted.
"I will. You too!" Karl said. "Here we go! Mighty Braver!" Alexander held his sword firmly, with both hands, and slashed Tristan fiercely, causing him to crash onto the floor. Meanwhile, Blaine seemed to be struggling with a girl who was once Tess, and Kaman was dodging bullets from a Japanese girl called Miharu.
Liam, whenever Amara had seen him in the sports pages, usually had a warm smile, or an angry glare, depending on how his game had went. Yet now there was not even a glimmer of that. This time, Paimon's unholy power took hold of Zao, via Makajam - inflicting silence.
"Huh?!" Zao cried. "I can't...Rashnu's not moving! Help!"
"Hold on, Zao..." Aimee said. Irene finally had something to do in this battle - she called upon the restorative blessing of Amrita. Now, everyone would be cured of their ailments, and Zao was free to act.
"Aimee, are you sure that was wise?" Karl asked. "You don't want to burn through your magic, like he does!"
"Karl, now is NOT the time to criticise Zao!" Amara shouted. "Shut up and fight!"
"Yes, Madam." Karl said obediently. He punched at Brittany, yet her axe caught him and struck him across the side. "Ouch..."
Brittany, from what Amara remembered, was close friends with Colette. Yet she had only met her once. Even so, it was strange seeing these soldiers completely devoid of any feeling. Just like Other Zao, they did not speak, or even breathe. Their eyes did not blink whatsoever. Brittany, without making a single sound, used Volvo to cast Megido. Then, she did a somersault to avoid Zao's glaive, and hit him back with her axe.
"Nice try, cutie!" Zao said, cheerfully. "Now then, Michelle! Here's a little present for ya! Life Lock!" Amara grinned with pride, as Rashnu managed to cover Michelle's body with a peculiar pink aurora. "YES!"
"What exactly was that?" Karl asked. "Aimee, is what he did particularly awesome?"
"Considering it'll stop her from healing, yes." Aimee replied. "Don't stop and chat! Attack!"
Tristan had been biding his time. Yet now, he cast Garudyne on Amara, and whilst the winds were ravaging her, he slashed repeatedly with his glaive.
"You..." Amara said, glaring at him. She slashed him across the face, then stabbed at him. Then, she saw Liam about to strike her. "Yeah, I don't think so. Force Sabre!
Liam crashed into a capsule, causing it to nearly fall to the ground. Yet he was not beaten yet. He slowly got to his feet, and tried to attack Aimee, who leapt back with fright.
Titania was far more emotive than Michelle, yet she offered no words. Yet with a twirl, as she held up her beautiful dress, she sent forth a mighty Mahama. The cards of holy banishment appeared around everybody - yet when they vanished, Amara felt nothing. Neither did Karl or Aimee, it seemed. Yet Zao had collapsed, dropping his weapon.
"Dammit, Zao." Karl said. "AH!" He had to roll away to avoid Brittany's fierce swing, and nearly bumped into Other Serena, who was using Aquadyne on a man with green hair.
"Are you guys okay?" She asked, whipping the man and dodging his sword attacks.
"Yeah, we'll be okay! Focus on your own team!" Karl said. "We can handle this...here goes! Shining Blade!" Alexander's sword, true to the ability's name, began to shine brightly. Then the gallant Persona brought down his sword, slicing through Brittany. Any normal person, or even a Shadow, would have let out a cry of pain. Yet these atrocious beings emitted no reactions.
Aimee gulped, looking at Zao's body. Before she could do anything, Ziodyne from Liam's Paimon struck her. "Argh!"
"Aimee!" Amara cried. "You little prick! Eat this!" She laid into Liam, slashing him all over, then she kicked him in the crotch. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this didn't have the usual reaction. "Worth a shot."
"Thanks, Amara." Aimee said. "Irene, please save Zao! Samarecarm!" With angelic light, and the sound of a holy choir, Zao was soon back on his feet, leaping up and down.
"Woo!" He cheered. "That always feels good! Now, what should I do...I know!" Brittany, undeterred, used Mind Charge upon herself. Whenever that happened, the next attack would be deadly. Yet Zao laughed. "Here's some real magic! Helios!"
Neither of the ghostly soldiers seemed afraid, as Rashnu's ravaging fireball rolled into them. After the bonfire disappeared, the team looked a little worse for wear. Tristan and Michelle seemed sluggish, whilst Brittany and Liam seemed uneasy holding their weapons.
"Okay, now that was good." Karl said. Zao's face lit up, and he raised his fist in the air triumphantly. "But watch out!"
Unfortunately, Karl was too late. Illuyanka flew up high in the air, and landed on him with a brutal Megaton Press. Zao wailed in agony, and tried to stand up, but the pain was too much.
"Right, that's it! Give it all you've got, everyone! It's time we stopped these idiots!" Amara shouted. She thought she saw Nathan giving her a proud smile, but immediately, he became more focused with attacking a redhead girl. "Maragidyne!"
Roaring flames burst out of Hathor, and Michelle barely had time to cast Malaques before she was hit. The fire burned with supreme heat, sending smoke all over the area - which also may have been because Lucy was fighting another girl with Passion Ablaze.
"Good work." Karl said. "Now, c'mon! Mighty Braver!" With another mighty swing of his sword, he hit Liam, with titanic strength. The Vicious Strike Paimon used in retaliation did not even compare. "Ha! You need to get back into training, buddy!"
Aimee was overjoyed. This battle was nearly over, she could feel. To give everyone a better chance, she healed them all - with Mediarahan. Their wounds were fully healed, and the enemies were unable to do anything about theirs. Thus, the battle would be over in minutes.
Brittany, however, was not through yet. Volvo's dark magic manifested in the form of her own Maragidyne - the scorching heat pummelled everybody, and flames danced all around the area. Tristan, meanwhile, tried to get Aimee again - this time with an icy Bufudyne. She cried, shivering, and she ran back - behind Zao, this time.
"Aimee..." Zao said, cracking his knuckles. "I've just the move that will finish this fight! Check this out!"
"What?" Aimee asked. "Which one is this? Zao, are you sure you have the energy left for it?"
"Nope! But I'm gonna give it my best damn shot anyway!" Zao said, exuberant. "Here we go, you freakish fuckers! A parting gift, courtesy of Zao Yuria! Delivered by Rashnu! Heartful Cry!"
Rashnu struck a 'heroic' pose, clenching his fists and holding his sword up high. Then, from his heart, came a radiant blast of what could only be described as pure power. It grew bigger and bigger, brighter and brighter, until it ended with a final bang. When it was over, Tristan, Brittany and Liam were gone. Michelle was the sole survivor, and Titania had grown pale and dim. One more attack...and Michelle would be free from pain.
Amara drove her sword through Michelle, and she immediately fell to the ground. Then, it turned into a sphere of dark power, and flew into the capsule from whence it came. Then, the capsule's light turned to a dim orange. So did the other eleven.
"Zao...well done." Karl said. "Everyone did well!"
"Thank goodness we won!" Tara said, relieved. "That fight was..."
"Is everyone okay?" Matthew asked concerned. Suddenly, there was a loud buzzing noise. "What now?!" Holes suddenly appeared beneath the capsules, and they fell down onto a strange conveyer belt like device, which immediately began to roar with life. The capsules moved to the right, out of sight, beneath everyone's feet.
"Sophia tells me those souls will constantly be reborn - until we deactivate the control systems." Seraphina said, looking grim.
"No!" Other Serena said. "How is this happening? What did Tomas do?!"
"I fear we will learn the gruesome details soon enough. We must end this, for the sake of the dead - and the living! There is a computer in the next room with a detailed map of the area!" Seraphina said, looking at Dan.
"Oh, you want me to break through? Sounds easy!" Dan said. "Tezcatlipoca! We need ya!"
He looked rather bored as he fired the destructive laser from his rifle, which tore the door to pieces. Everyone ran in, as they continued into the darkest dungeon they had ever been cursed to venture into.
|ILC Control Room F-Spandarmad|20:15 pm|
This was a smaller room, and thankfully there were no transparent floors or walls. Yet this was still an eerie place. Amara pondered how Tomas could have built this location - did he create those soldiers to do it? The sweet man she knew from childhood had truly fallen far, much more than she realised.
"There we go." Kyle said, moving over to the computer. Luckily, he didn't need to sit in another chair this time. "Let's turn this on and find out what's going on here." He looked through the computer, and found a large document. "This is..."
INTERITUS LEGION PROJECT NOTES
-Written by Tomas Weiken -
If anyone is caught reading this document, they will be neutralised. No exceptions.
"Interitus Legion..." Shirley said. "I've never heard of that before. What does 'Interitus' mean? I never even found out what 'Ornatu' meant."
"Ornatu is a Latin word that means 'mask', if I recall." Nathan said. "I...searched for it online."
"This is getting crazy. Listen to this!" Kyle said.
The aim of this project is to gather Shadows that have consumed Ornatu Legion soldiers, or at least descended from those that do, and recreate the soldiers to form the Interitus Legion. The results from this experiment will determine how much of the individual's psyche will be present upon revival.
"As I thought..." Serena said. "I remember hearing that if the soldiers keep their Personas too long, it'll kill them. But..."
"With a fake Persona, soldiers are being subjected to a psyche that is not theirs. It will slowly, but surely, cause mental and physical atrophy." Seraphina said. "Ultimately, unless the Persona is forced to escape their host, they will regress into a Shadow and absorb the human body - and their mind."
"That's awful!" Amara said. "So that's what Tomas was using?!"
"Yeah." Kyle said. "There's more..."
It has been concluded that this project is unsuccessful. While the Interitus Legion are clearly stronger than the Ornatu Legion, as proven in detailed battle tests with live subjects -
"I should have known it'd get worse. Thanks a lot, Tomas, you fucking creep!" Lucy said. "If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him!"
- they have no psyche whatsoever. They merely summon their Persona without any urges beyond self-preservation. Nothing whatsoever will incite any stimulus of any kind. Therefore, putting oneself through this experiment would result in the complete destruction of their mind and will.
"So that was his plan." Other Nathan said. "Turn himself into one of those freaks to give himself power..."
"Good lord!" Priscilla said. "How many lives did he take to complete his research?"
"There's one more thing." Kaman said. "If Tomas abandoned the Interitus Legion project so he could use those thieves, how come all the machines are up and running? We didn't turn anything on!"
"Then someone else got here first." Dan said. "...Who?"
"We're going to find out." Tara said, gazing around. Her hands were still shaking from their previous encounter. If they had to go deeper into this labyrinth, more unpleasant battles lay in store. "Kyle, how do we shut this place down?!"
"Well..." Kyle said, reading the document. "It looks like there are four other rooms like this one. From here, we can shut down any power going to the capsules - which have already been taken to other areas. So our objective would be to go to each room and deactivate every capsule. Once we do that, any soldier that's defeated will stay defeated."
"Alright, then listen up!" Aimee said. "We're splitting up into four teams, one for each control room! It'll be faster than going round each one individually, of course." Quickly, she divided the teams into groups. Amara, Nathan, Serena, Blaine, Zao and Karl made up one team, prompting the latter two to grimace. Then it was their counterparts, with Aimee. Seraphina, Priscilla, Kyle, Dan, and Matthew made up the third team, and lastly were Roger, Karen, Shirley, Lucy, Kaman and Tara.
"If that's everything, we need to consult the map. From the next room - which I'll open up in a second - there are four ways we can go. There's two staircases leading downwards, and some long hallways filled with capsules leading to the control rooms. On the ground floor, there's a straight forward path for quite a while, then there's an elevator below the control room. I can't tell why. Finally, there's a staircase to the upper floor, which will take us on a similar path without the elevator." Kyle said. "Are we ready to go?"
"Yeah!" Zao said. "We're gonna put a stop to this, once and for all! If the Ater Vox get in the way, we'll thrash them!"
"Zao, you have to stop being so naïve!" Karl grunted. "This is not some kind of game! If we do something wrong, a lot of people could get killed! There might be a Divine Spark tonight, in case you forgot!"
Zao gulped. His eyes watered, and he looked down at his feet. "I...I'm sorry -"
"Don't you realise just how much you hold everyone back? You're too scared to do anything without our help! Before you learned those new skills, you were useless in fights! Even now, you just waste your energy!" Karl roared. "Zao, you have to think smarter, if you want to survive! This isn't like when the three of us played as children. We're in a real life or death situation! If you want us to work together, you're going to have to take it seriously. Understand?!"
"Y-Yeah." Zao mumbled. Amara grabbed his hand, and she and Karl exchanged fierce glares. Never before had she wanted to thump him so much - but now was not the time.
"...Okay then." Kyle said, awkwardly. "I'll just...open the door, then. Better shut down the power in the last room, too..."
|Interitus Legion Compound - Central Room|20:22 pm|
"We need to decide who's going where." Aimee said. "Can the team from the other world take the ground floor control room? Mine will take the upper one."
"Perfect. Then we'll go to the left." Other Blaine said. "Roger, you guy go to the right."
"Then...good luck, everyone." Lucy said. "Blaine..."
"You'll do just fine." Other Blaine said. "You did great when you had to fight alongside Josephine! So don't you worry about a thing. Guys, you'll look out for each other, won't you?"
"As long as everyone here does." Roger said. "If that's everything, then..."
"We better all make it out of here alive." Zao said. "That's a promise! Right!"
"Right." Seraphina said. "We will do our best. Off we go!"
|Legarte Aeternus Supply Centre|20:25 pm|
At this point, the situation was getting rather grave. Few people had escaped successfully, and most of them were cowering behind anything they could find. The Shadows were on the hunt, and whilst the Holy Cross got to most of them, a handful of citizens were slain in the melee.
"No..." Bianca said, morose. "How are we going to save everyone?"
"I don't know. We have to keep trying!" Kazuya said. "If we had just gone on ahead with everyone else, a lot more people would have died!"
Alastair expertly destroyed a Jotun Shadow with Michael's heavenly light. However, he was knocked aside by a powerful Primal Force. "Argh!"
"Crap! Alastair!" Richard shouted. "Hang on, I'll help -"
Just then, everyone heard a flute melody. Immediately afterwards, Alastair was shrouded by a pale blue energy, and he stood up, refreshed. He looked around, confused.
"What was that?" He asked. Richard smiled smugly, and pointed to the top of the stairs. Floating above them was Euterpe, the flute still on her lips. And beneath her was Keisha, who grinned wildly.
"Where did she come from?" Bianca asked.
"Never you mind. It's time to play some music!" Keisha cheered. She leapt down from the stairs, weapons in hand, and Euterpe glided behind her. Now, the fight could truly begin.
|Interitus Legion Compound - Outside Control Room T-Ardwahist|20:27 pm|
"Go!" Matthew shouted.
Acolnahuacatl pounced on another soldier, and slashed it into oblivion.
"Yeah, that's it! See that, guys!?"
Dan and Kyle gave him a thumbs up each. Then, they focused on a female soldier, who was trying to attack with her strange Persona, Persephone - Demeter's mother in Greek myth. The latter attacked with Soaring Phoenix, the latter used his new favourite Grim Embrace.
Two more were running at them in hot pursuit, but just as they were behind, Priscilla's Blizzard crushed them into dust.
"Excellent work, Lady Priscilla." Seraphina said. "Now allow me. Wonder Star!"
Sophia bonked an Interitus Legion soldier on the head with her sceptre - then there was a gigantic supernova effect of purple, blue, and white. The soldier dissolved into nothingness, and after Kyle slashed the remaining one, all the enemies were gone.
"We should not stop." Seraphina said. "Our enemies will regenerate with time, until we reach the control room. Then, we will make our way to..."
"To where?" Priscilla asked. Seraphina shook her head, and with a sad look, turned around. "Seraphina! What are you saying?"
"Please...do not make me say what I know." Seraphina said. A tear streamed down her cheek, and she wiped it away.
"Yo, you alright?" Dan asked. "What are you so upset for?"
"Did you not hear me?" Seraphina said, wiping her face. "If I were to tell you, I would lose your trust immediately. For withholding such secrets is unforgivable. Even so, it would be futile. Nothing we say or do will change anything."
"What the - you're scaring me, Seraphina!" Kyle said. "Why would we not trust you?"
Seraphina opened her mouth to speak - however, the ground began to shake. Then, manifesting out of darkness and evil energy, came two familiar foes. What was once withered looking tree was now a healthy, tall one with a light red bark, adorned with strange orange amber inside of it. In the very centre was the Emperor Mask. Its branches were half periwinkle, half turquoise. The roots were sharp and spiky, and were poking out from the ground. This was once the Tainted Yggdrasill - yet now, it had become Purified.
"Not now!" Priscilla cried. "At least it's not with the bird -"
As if on cue, a large bird caw could be heard. Flying into the area was a gigantic eagle, even more colourful than it once had been. It had a gold and sapphire crest that was shaped somewhat like a sword, and right beneath it was the Hierophant Mask. It's body was a dark blue, with cyan tipped wings with strange red circular emblems on each feather. The tail was similar, with a large peacock-like plumage. The Akashic Vidofnir, now a Sentinel.
"So we're doing some weeding and dealing with birdbrain over there." Dan said. "Awesome. Seraphina, you're gonna tell us what's up once we're done. Right?"
"I...will make no promises." Seraphina said. With tears still falling, she called upon Sophia. "These Trauma Shadows were strong enough during their first encounter. Now they are together, we must be prepared for a true test of our potential!"
|Interitus Legion Compound - Outside Control Room NA-Wahman20:28 pm|
Even if they were not actual corpses, the Interitus Legion seemed like them. Not a single flicker of emotion in their dead, cold eyes. They were truly monsters, cursed into existence where they could feel neither love or hate. And what hurt the most was, all of these soldiers must have died horribly, as their minds and bodies both were absorbed into the abominable Shadows.
The team had been silent during combat. Serena diligently healed most of the time, and if not doing that, then blasting the soldiers with Aquadyne. Nathan and Blaine co-operated extensively, combining their spear and hammer attacks for devastating blows. Karl mostly fought solo, using Alexander to cut through the undead soldiers. As for Amara, she was conjuring up ferocious flames, burning as many Interitus Legion soldiers in her path as she could.
"Yo, Karl! Wanna combine attacks?" Zao asked. Karl ignored him, and focused on defeating a ghostly fighter with Mighty Braver. "Whatever...Mass Destruction!"
With that, the Interitus Legion soldiers were vanquished, their bodies metamorphosing into a gaseous state and being sealed inside the capsules. The group could press onward - yet the silence was deafening. Amara wanted to say something, anything at all, but couldn't. Karl had made his feelings perfectly clear.
"Hey!" Zao pointed ahead. Right in the centre of the next room was a giant glass elevator, and standing in front of it was yet another soldier - or so it seemed at first. But its blue hair and eyes were none other than Zao's. "You..."
"Just like Seraphina said. He was here all along." Serena said. "Zao, stay back -"
Zao clenched his fists, raised his weapon, and charged forward. His other self did not react, as usual. He just stood there, with his weapon in his hands.
"Guys, I..." Zao mumbled.
"What are you doing?!" Karl shouted.
"I'm fighting!" Zao roared. "Everyone, you've got something more important to take care of! You won't need me to deal with the control room, right? So come on, let me take care of this freak. It's about time we went face to face, anyway."
"Are you sure...?" Blaine asked. "You really think you can face it?"
Zao nodded. "Blaine, I always wanted to be as badass as you...but I'm my own kind of badass! Just you wait, I'll have this guy down in five seconds flat!"
"You sound rather confident." Nathan said. "Zao, good luck. We'll be there if you need us."
"As great as all those fancy laser heart fire attacks are, you forgot to learn a healing move! What am I supposed to do with you?" Serena said, pouting.
"Sorry, Serena. I'll try and learn one mid-fight. I might just do it!" Zao said, grinning. "Alright, let's go!"
The Other Zao ran through the elevator, and pushed the button, Zao gasped, but he leapt through just as the door closed, and the elevator descended rapidly to the lowest level.
"Shit!" Amara cried. "Zao, you better be safe!"
"...What should we do?" Karl asked. "Should we really leave him be?"
"Let's get the control room first." Nathan said. "Zao is a lot stronger than you think. And this time, our courage has rubbed off on him."
"Yeah. We really put him through some tough training. He'll probably be done by the time we've shut down that control room, taking a nap." Blaine said, with a slight smile.
Serena giggled. "I'm just glad to see him be brave for once! Anyway, hurry up! It's right over there-"
"Did you really think we'd let you take away our new toys, sister?" A familiar voice said.
The door to the control room opened, and out came five faces Amara did not want to see. Archibald, Nina, Josephine, Carlos and Pierre.
"You!" Karl said, glaring at Pierre. He chuckled, and swept a hand through his red hair.
"Oh dear...did you think we had developed an odd friendship since last we met? I'm sorry to have to disappoint you..." Pierre jeered. "But you're still our enemy, Karl Davenport!"
"I didn't expect you to get inside. Clearly, we have a habit of underestimating the rebellion." Archibald said. "What do you make of this Interitus Legion?"
"It's disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!" Nathan said. "Tomas clearly had too much time on his blood-stained hands!"
"Perhaps so, Nathan." Josephine said. "Yet with this facility, we could replace all the Ornatu Legion soldiers who have perished in combat. A fully effective army, ready to be deployed at the first order. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"There's another feature of this building, however." Pierre said, smirking evilly. "Did you know about the lowest floor of this building? Where Zao and SD01 are headed? Tomas planned to use the equipment down there to create a Divine Spark by himself!"
"No..." Serena said. "Then, that naval base in the book was here all along! This IS the place! The last Divine Spark happens here!"
"Well done, sister." Nina said. "What now? Are you going to try to stop us, and shut down this facility? Then poor Tomas' work would have gone to waste!"
"This work never should have been started!" Amara said. "We're going to put an end to this compound. And if you don't get out of our way, to you as well!"
"You're energetic as always." Carlos said. "If you want a fight, we'll give you one." He cracked his knuckles, and his comrades took out their weapons. Archibald raised his fists, and the gems on his gloves started glowing.
We have to win this! For the sake of the city!