Forward unto Dawn

Chapter 2: His Return

There was the buzzing of a helicopter sounding across the otherwise quite bay. She sat aboard the chopper, doors opened, the strong cold breeze causing her black hair to flutter behind her. She sat on her transport, ready to touchdown in a few moments, in the corner of her eyes she could see a shining white tower. Her strengthened eyes told her that it was no tower at all, instead it seemed more like a titanic statue with polished surface reflecting the rays of lights that had been pointed at the being through spotlights mounted near the sea. From the distance she could see the remains of a first response fleet, shattered and broken, from the looks of it any chances for survival of the crew would be extremely low, after all there had been cases of normal humans getting killed by a Nova's freezing.

On the helicopter approaching the actual bay area Aoi Kazuha could not help but feel slightly intimidated at the prospect of fighting a S-class NOVA. She was ready, her training demanded her to be ready, but her heart was not ready at all. She was nervous, she was trained to fight the bane of mankind, but it will be her first time fighting against those monstrosities, she could not help it but feel slightly afraid. Shivering both from the wind and the prospect of fighting that white statue in a distance Aoi Kazuha lightly slapped her cheeks to bring herself back into attention, however she felt that her action did not really help her anxiety.

The helicopter landed only a few seconds after her little pep up for herself. She stepped off the chopper with light and trained steps, she was not ready, but she was ready. A paradox, but it described her predicament perfectly. See had the air of confidence, her long hair flying behind her, her yellow eyes opened widely and her expression stern. She was the leader here, she could not afford to show any weakness, she needed to remain strong.

Anyone watching her might have been intimidated. She was beautiful, that was for sure, her eyes were big and olive-shaped, she was not short, but at the same time not intimidatingly tall. Her long hair, her physique, and her face would have defined her as a classical Japanese beauty, but that was not all she was. Aoi Kazuha was a PANDORA, a human with a genetic makeup with a degree of similarity to NOVA, the bane of mankind. She like her fellow PANDORAs had stigmas, a crystallization of genetic material originating from NOVAs themselves.

Not only was the beauty named Aoi Kazuha a PANDORA, she was also the strongest PANDORA. A member of the elite platoon Numbers she climbed through the four people team into something akin to leader of the squad. Her beauty and her soft appearance was a deception, what laid within her was a heart of steel, one that was made in order to preserve humanity and ensure humanity's survival by fighting against the alien invaders that seemed to arrive every eight years.

She approached a group of similarly aged girls and boys. Each one was panting, bleeding, a few males in the group weathered a bit better, exhausted but not necessarily injured."Report status PANDORA Kim." A shoulder length brunette closest to her finally noticed a new operative joining their midst.

With a stutter she half stumbled towards Kazuha, "Thank goodness, Kazuha, your finally here, thank god." Kazuha was ushered in by a weakly smiling Yu-Mi Kim, an elite PANDORA also friend of Kazuha. Upon hearing Yu-Mi address the newest edition to the platoon everyone snapped to attention standing straight despite some of the injuries the PANDORAs had suffered.

Aoi's presence seemed to inspire confidence. What seemed to be a group of defeated and exhausted warriors immediately turned into a well-regulated army. The fighters stood in a semicircle formation surrounding Kazuha Aoi as the Korean PANDORA started giving their de facto platoon leader a briefing. "Twenty minutes ago a S-class NOVA materialized roughly thirty klicks out West in the ocean. Upon arrival the first response fleet along with two PANDORA operatives were instantly annihilated on contact. The freezing field produced by the S-class NOVA was classified as class-3 threat, according to the PANDORAs aboard the fleet before their termination the human operatives were instantly killed by the NOVA's freezing field." PANDORA Kim paused to let Aoi process the information.

'Instant death through the freezing field?' Kazuha was slightly worried. She never had a Limiter, never needed one, a field of that strength was not unheard of, from previous information it seemed to be equipped more on R-class NOVAs with more specialized purposes. They seemed to trade power and armor prowess for a stronger freezing field. Such a weapon was dangerous against weaker NOVAs due to their lack of PANDORA-mode, but for elite PANDORAs with PANDORA-mode the slow should be small enough to be neglected.

Even so such an evolution only showed that the NOVAs are changing, they are evolving along with mankind. It was a concern that the NOVAs are also progressing, they are already a bane of mankind that humanity needed to pull every resource together to counter, the fact that the alien race is also growing brought growing concern to the leaders of mankind.

PANDORA Kim continued with her briefing after giving Kazuha roughly a minute to process the information she had given. "Contact is in five minutes, we did try to engage the enemy NOVA before your arrival since we thought the ocean would reduce the mobility of the NOVA leaving it vulnerable, however, we were forced to retreat after four operatives were killed-in-action. The ocean did lower its mobility, but unlike previous NOVAs with class-3 freezing field this one's a S-class, its armor and offensive capabilities are still top notch."

Aoi nodded in agreement with her friend's response and action call. Engaging the NOVA in the ocean was a decent idea since the NOVA's massive body frame will cause massive water resistance, her call to retreat after four PANDORAs were lost was also a good decision. Any elite PANDORAs killed-in-action was detrimental to the safety of mankind in the future. "At east PANDORA." The Japanese beauty finally said with a tone of resignation. The situation seemed pretty bleak, but there has to be hope. She waved to dismiss the PANDORAs standing in formation in front of her as she turned to contemplate the crisis as well as observe the enemy and its movements from the previous engagement.

It was a monster, that was all she could say after watching a quick spotlight on the engagement with S-03, or third S-class humanity had faced. This of course did not include the first NOVA clash since the first clash was not well documented due to the fact humanity was in ruins from the first invasion.

What she saw worried her, a 150-meter monstrosity. It's freezing field was a problem, its huge size and thick armor was another problem, and the fact it seemed to keep moving forward without bothering with most of the PANDORAs until they got in its way was a problem. The analysts concluded that it was aiming to invade the bay and cause damage to the human city and surrounding areas. It was different from other clashes' invaders since they all tended to target the closest living thing.

The first response fleet had been ripped apart. They were ready since scientists tended to have hours of warning before the actual invasion. The fleet was there with all their big guns and missiles pointed in the estimated point of arrival, and the NOVA was on time and on target, but the fleet was still obliterated. From what Kazuha saw from the video upon materializing pretty much every human in the vicinity of the NOVA's freezing field dropped dead instantly. Some guns and missiles were fired, but not many, at least not enough to pierce the heavy armor that protected the NOVA. The two PANDORAs and their Limiters tried to fight the alien invader. They were ready as well with the Limiters instantly casting an anti-freezing field around their partner, but when the two PANDORAs engaged the two were instantly killed with a simple slap from the hand of the NOVA which was the size of a small house.

150-meters was a serious size, roughly equivalent to a forty-five floor skyscraper, that was pretty damned tall. Its armor seemed to be class-3, the strongest, there didn't seem to be any special offensive capabilities some specialized NOVAs used, but the size and armor by itself was a serious problem. Aoi Kazuha was definitely worried, the lack of information she and her team had before engaging definitely created an anxiety within normally confident self.

What was ironic about the battle was the battlefield itself. This was a historic place to Japan and the world, in fact, this gulf bay area had not been underwater roughly fifty years before, yes, this place had once been land, it wasn't even that long ago. The designated battlefield had been a moderately populated city stretching several kilometers, the site of the first NOVA clash.

The first clash had been severe in its impact on the environment, the fight between the NOVA and the humans resulted in massive destruction and craters. The city that once stood here was vaporized, the soil was weakened, and it collapsed after a few years by an earthquake. In fact, deep under the ocean laid the carcass of the first NOVA to invade humanity, it was never recovered since humanity did not have the resources to recover and study the NOVA due to the disarray the invasion caused.

This land was definitely cursed, it had been a city once, a wasteland afterwards, and lastly it became an ocean. It was a city that sank like the legendary Atlantis, a moderate city with no specialties except disasters; its name was Fuyuki City.

Standing under the moonlight made her seem like a goddess. The moon shone on her slick dark hair and reflected off the hair showing its smoothness. She stood there, thinking about her incoming battle, how she and her team will fight, and mostly, her victory. She thought of victory the most, she wanted to have the proper mindset, the mindset of a victorious warrior. She had to win, she needed to win, she carried not only the weight of her beloved brother's life on her back, but also the lives of this world, of humanity.

"Two minutes." The operator sounded from the headset she had on. It was a mechanical voice, but the voice brought out Kazuha's battle spirit, the operator will be the team's information relay. In the heat of battle anyone would find it hard to speak clearly and in coherent voices. The operator will translate jumbled speech into well-annunciated language. It symbolized the beginning of the battle. It was a battle Aoi had every mind to emerge victorious.

'I am the strongest.' Aoi thought to herself, 'I will not fall.' She clapped her cheeks again to focus. 'I will stand,' she cracked her knuckles. 'I am victorious.' She believed. Aoi was no stranger to a PANDORA's job, but it was her first time facing a live NOVA, but she was as ready as she can be. She repeated her mantra to herself several times to get her mindset right. She will not fail her brother, she promised him she will be home.

Her resolve was hardened, ready for battle. She needed everything her training had drilled into her. This battle will be putting her abilities to the ultimate test here, most PANDORAs only participate in one or two NOVA clashes, Kazuha Aoi was determined to survive her first. She was the ace of humanity, and she knew what she needed to do.

"Volt weapon: Nova Blood." She incanted as she threw her arms out. A blue light flickered with glowing hexagons inscribing the air immediately next to her outstretched arms. The bluish lights continued to expand into the shape of a large block, then it thinned. A flicker later the bluish tint in the air flared then all light was gone, instead of the shining display a fully solidified weapon laid in the hands of Kazuha Aoi, the ultimate PANDORA.

"Nova Blood…" Aoi muttered to herself as she tested the weight of the weapon in her hands. There was no problem, there could be no problems, after all every time she materialized her volt weapon it would be the same. It was within her, a concept, the crystallization of her beliefs to defeat NOVAs. It was a short sword, a sword that is too short to be a sword but too wide and long to be a knife. An irregularity, a brutal looking flat piece of sharpened steel used for the sole purpose of delivering violence.

She gave the thin sheet of sharpened steel an experimental twirl, allowing the moonlight to reflect off the broad flat of the sword. She found no fault as she always did, a habit she picked up when she prepared for battle, her ritual for her to perform to her highest capabilities.

She did not want to fight, she'd rather be at home with her brother Kazuya. She wanted to be at his side singing him lullabies, tucking him in, cooking for him. Kazuha Aoi loved her little brother very much, but she knew that the future of the world depended on her, rested in her hands. She was hailed as the strongest PANDORA, she needed to be here to lead her team.

"Thirty seconds until contact." The operator informed the group ready to pit their lives against a seemingly impossible enemy. The PANDORAs bid their Limiters farewell, each ready to give up their lives for the sake of humanity. The chances of each pair reuniting seemed low. Instead of having Limiters producing a field which would create a time limit for the PANDORAs causing unnecessary constraints, the killing ground had been prepared with anti-freezing machines already set up in the proximity covering ten miles perimeter.

Kazuha Aoi did not have a limiter to bid farewells to, she did not need one. She had a natural resistance against freezing, and her PANDORA-mode took care of the rest. She already talked to her brother before leaving the house, she was content, she was ready.

The mechanical voice resounded through each PANDORA's headset which was already filled with despair. "All PANDORAs prepare for combat, anti-freezing field established, operation is a go."

All sobbing and heartfelt goodbyes disappeared in a moment. The PANDORAs stood in a line, Kazuha in front of them all with her weapon drawn. She pointed towards the enemy NOVA approaching them but still a fair distance away. "Ereinbar Set." Multiple incatations sounded as Kazuha stared at her enemy. The other PANDORAs still synced with their Limiters so they can provide analysis during battle through the sense synchronization. The 150-meter enemy stood tall, dauntless, indomitable.

She was not afraid, Aoi Kazuha was not afraid. She pointed her blade at the NOVA, and screamed. "PANDORAs, charge." It was brief, but she go the message across. It was a war cry, and the whole platoon instantly disappeared in a flicker of blue light. The fight was on.

"Incoming left flank." Aoi's headset informed her as she and her team of roughly twenty PANDORAs all jumped up from the artificially frozen ocean to evade the incoming attack. The water surface had been frozen with a machine and abundant use of chemicals in order to stage a battleground for the PANDORAs who unlike the NOVAs needed something to run on. That being said if the NOVA stood 150 meters wading through the water it must be roughly 165 meters tall, the bay area was pretty shallow since it was once land.

The NOVA was huge, very titanic. The team of humans looked like ants in comparison with such a titan, its sculptured surface shining against the spotlights like polished marble. It had a face, or at least what looked like a humanoid face, but there was no expression, no feelings, no emotions, very much similar to a statue. Its body was disproportionate with long arms and a strange white headdress and tentacle looking things flowing around with their own erratic movements.

The NOVA was almost pure white, but on closer inspection there was a slight yellowish color adorning it, plates of yellow interlaced with the white majority protecting the NOVA. In the center of the creature was a turquoise orb that glowed magnificently in the darkness of the light. Despite the rays of light shining on this unnatural being it still had an aura of exotic beauty, like how one would appreciate a foreign dancer. It was also unnaturally skinny, almost frail looking, yet it stood strong as missiles of different sizes and bullets smashed against its armor.

From where Kazuha Aoi was, she could see the almost imperceptible hexagons outlined in black. These hexagons covered the entirety of the NOVA's armor, pieced together like a beehive and acting as scales. The scales all gleamed with unnaturalness, capturing the rays of light shining upon it, reflecting the light, making the light much more intense then it had been.

The NOVA by definition was a monster. There was no other word to distinguish such an existence, a monster that could withstand everything that humanity threw at it. The missiles exploded on impact not even creating a dent in its shell, the bullets filled with depleted uranium found no purchase within the hard armor merely dropping to the ground after impacting, not even scratching the hexagonal scales. The PANDORAs did not fare much better, the freezing field created by the NOVA already lowered their efficiency, and the damage dealt by their volt weapon was almost nonexistent. Class-3 armor did not define this NOVA's defense, the only reason this NOV had class-3 armor was that there were simply no NOVA with stronger armor, and it had reached the height of human classification.

Despite the NOVA's impenetrable defense the PANDORAs had not suffered any damage either. They were able to evade every attack the NOVA sent at them, but Kazuha knew something was wrong. It smelled like rotten fish, the NOVA ignored them, it must have a mission of some kind. In the course of twenty minutes the PANDORAs had been fighting the NOVA it only made half-assed attempts at their lives, and only if they were impeding its way. 'It must have a special purpose for being here, a battering ram? Did it want to target the city, probably not, the city didn't have anything worth destroying. But why was it so easy then?' The PANDORA with lustrous hair could not help but doubt the NOVA's intentions, her comrades were blitzing around the creature in accel turn, running the NOVA in circles, but neither side had sustained serious damage.

It kept moving forward, slowly, very slowly. The white and yellow alien moved forward with a one-track mind, wading through the tons of water that surrounded its feet and breaking the frozen surface of the water at every lurch forward. It was definitely hiding something, and frankly Kazuha did not want to find out what it was trying to do. "Regroup team."

"Roger that." "Copy that." Her headset immediately replied to her order.

The black haired swordsman stopped at a point which put a little distance between herself and the NOVA. Several flickers of blue light were visible around her as the eighteen PANDORAs circled around her as she motioned with a her raised hand waving in a circular motion.

"What's the problem boss?" a PANDORA with purple ponytail asked with a questioning tone. She did not doubt her leader one bit but the order to retreat well the fight had been going well was indeed strange.

There was a slight murmur amongst the team since they were all confused, but when Aoi spoke they were all silent. "It had been twenty minutes since engagement and we had not even lost one PANDORA, not even to injuries, this is the problem"

"Isn't that good though?" A redhead with short cropped hair asked in between the pause from her leader's explanation.

With a brief nod Kazuha agreed to her statement, but continued to elaborate. "Under normal circumstances I would agree with PANDORA Emily Hoover, but not here." There was a slight murmur amongst her audience but she silenced them with a raised arm. "No, it was going too well, the NOVA practically ignored us, this is wrong, a NOVA clash is not supposed to be like this, it must have a purpose, there is something wrong."

PANDORA Yu-Mi Kim nodded to Aoi's statement, "Indeed, that bastard seems to only slap us when we get too close."

"True." "Yeah, I noticed that." The PANDORAs agreed to their senior's assessment on the NOVA.

The Korean PANDORA continued, "It seemed to be moving forward, and only forward, Kazuha is right, something is wrong here."

Aoi nodded in appreciation at her friend's support, "Yes, PANDORA Kim is correct in her deduction, the S-class NOVA seems to only move forward, it must have an aim of some kind."

"There's no facilities in the city, and it's like miles from the nearest heavily populated area, what could it be doing?" A blonde PANDORA with a spear said from the audience.

At this Aoi looked a bit troubled, but at the same time the NOVA stopped in the distance. Then there was a rumble. The leader of the regiment sighed, "It seems that we are going to find out." She waved her arms, "Scatter, aim for the joints, may god aid us in battle."

"Copy that." "Got it boss." There was a flicker of blue light as the whole team dispersed once again at the NOVA's strange behavior.

Kazuha Aoi stared in horror as the NOVA in the distance howled into the sky. It was an ear piercing scream accompanied by a display of light unlike any Kazuha had seen before. There was nothing like this, no NOVA from the past ever did this, it was something completely new, and new is always bad when NOVAs are involved. The whole ocean was filled with light, pulsating with energy, the frozen surface of the ocean seemed to crumble as the PANDORAs were forced to retreat backwards to not sink into the water.

"Fuck is he doing?" Someone uttered on the intercom.

"Hell?"

"Regroup PANDORAs, prepare for unknown engagement." Now Kazuha Aoi really wasn't that sure of her survival. Engagement against unknown abilities tends to leave heavy casualties, sometimes a NOVA would roam for days before its abilities are finally countered and brought down.

Like they had previously done eighteen PANDORAs regrouped a distance from the NOVA where the ice remained solid. Seventeen of them circled around Kazuha Aoi in order to have a team conference. They were all scared, they had the right to be in the face of the unknown. Kazuha herself was shaken, slightly shivering in anxiousness. There was no telling on what was going to happen, like she had previously predicted that NOVA had a specialized purpose, whatever that purpose was it definitely didn't bode well for the PANDORAs. Even so, Kazuha knew she had to be brave. 'Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. I am the strongest.' Aoi thought to herself, 'I will not fall.' She clapped her cheeks again to focus. 'I will stand,' she cracked her knuckles. 'I am victorious.' She prepared her ritual again, and it made her strong.

"PANDORAs." She shouted out after preparing her mind for what was to happen next. "Today we face something unknown. S-03 had done something we have no previous records of." She paused a moment bringing her blade up glinting under the moonlight. "But we will not fall, think of those we have left behind." She let her energy course around illuminating the area surrounding her in a gentle blue. "We will not run, think of the others that reside in this planet besides us. We will not fear, for fear will grip us in the cold embrace of death." The light flickering around her intensified, pulsating energy into the ground and saturating the air much like what the NOVA had done. "Instead we will fight, despite the odds that stand against us. We will fight for those we left at home, those who we love and swear to protect. We will persevere. If our hands are removed we will kick. When our legs are dismembered we will bite. We will inch forward with everything we have. We have not only bear the weight of our loved ones on our back, but the weight of the entire world. Together we are strong, I promise you , my fellow PANDORAs, together…" Her eyes shone with the same intensity as her energy swirling around her in a maelstrom. "together…we will…be VICTORIOUS." Then her held in energy exploded outwards blasting a pillar of light into the sky rivaling the NOVA in a distance. "We will…be victorious." She pointed Nova Blood into the sky catching the moonlight on the edge of her blade. The PANDORAs surrounding her screamed in acceptance at Kazuha's words. Their leader has spoken, and they will follow her to the end.

"Tonight we may bleed, tonight we may sweat, but even in the darkest nights the sun will rise. Forward unto dawn." The normally timid girl roared allowing more of her energy to flow into the air. Her fellow PANDORAs screamed with her, their weapons held upwards the same way she held her sword. The atmosphere turned from being tense to overwhelming passion. They will all fight to the end in order to protect what mattered.

A second howl stopped the PANDORAs' passionate war cry. The PANDORAs all turned to face the NOVA and its field of light, what came next rained despair on their preparation for war. The remaining frozen surface of the ocean started to fracture, cackling, breaking apart. It was slow at first, then the shattering spread like a spider web, proliferating around the frozen plain.

Time seemed to slow down as a sharp white point protruded the cracked sheet of ice. It rose, ever so slowly, a sharp, white spike slowly rising from the ocean. It was a cone at first, with reinforced eyes the PANDORAs could see the same hexagonal pattern like the NOVA screaming at the sky. Then came something, something incomprehensible, something that inspired fear in the minds of the observers.

It rose, the cone with hexagonal patterning rose inch by inch out of the ocean and into the open air. Water crashed down from the displacement of an immense object leaving the clutches of the ocean. It was white, ivory white. It was big, very big. It had a face, the same emotionless face humans feared. It was a statue, a statue so big it made the NOVA next to it seem like a child compared to an adult. It had the same disproportioned body with long arms, skinny body, long legs, and a headdress with unmoving tentacles. In the center of its chest was an orb, a blank orb with no light.

The sound of a horn resonated through the silent night since the NOVA stopped screaming after its last howl. The blasting of a horn so clear it blared for miles. Every PANDORA cringed at the sound as it seemed to resonate with their very existence. The most unfortunate thing was, the horn sounded from the statue The monster of a statue standing 180-meters tall with parts of it still underwater.

The horn blared again, this time the statue seemed to whirl with life. The hexagonal patterns shined and flickered with seemingly random schemes, the orb in its chest became obsidian black, a paradox, an orb filled with darkness yet still shines like a sun. It face lit as well, the emotionless features being covered by a blue glow. The slits it had for eyes lit up creating a spotlight glaring forward, its whip-like attachment to its headdress writhing with life. The PANDORAs could see the drill like point of each individual feeler, just seeing the sharp point and twisted drill brought a chill down the PANDORAs spine. They knew one thing, this was going to be tough.

"Roarrrrrrr…" The second monster howled again, a sudden pressure pressing onto the atmosphere. Kazuha almost stumbled at the sudden weight put upon her, in fact, a few of her PANDORAs did fall, the pressure the NOVA emitted was indeed immense. It slowly rose from the water, then with another howl the ocean surrounding the NOVA was split. Instead of the water covering its legs there was now an empty crater, an invisible wall holding up the ocean as the being levitated in the air. It then turned to face the PANDORAs, and the PANDORAs gulped at what is to come.

"Shit, what the fuck?" "Another one?" "The hell?"

Kazuha motioned for the PANDORAs to spread out, and it was good that they did, light seemed to gather around the dark orb of the NOVA, then "Zammmmmmmm…." A beam of light speared from the alien's chest not a minute later, two shell shocked PANDORAs caught in the beam was instantly annihilated.

"Rosa, Anna." Emily screamed with her long red hair trailing behind her as she jumped as hard as she could. "Noooo…" Her spear was lowered as she turned to face the NOVA which repositioned itself to face the retreating PANDORAs, "You bastard." She felt a stream of tears run down her cheek as she readied herself for a charge. "You bastard, you bastard, you bastard, you bastard." Blue light enveloped her as she readied her stance to spring forward. "Fuck you." She yelled as she charged, only to be held back by Kim Yu-Mi. "Yu-Mi...what?" She yelled surprised.

The brunette with shoulder length hair slowly shook her head with a sad smile. She placed her hand on her shoulder and said with a soft voice, "No Emily, you can't, we need you now."

It was rare for the famed Kim Yu-Mi of Number to show affection and tenderness, but this was the first time she faced casualties and she too was shocked, she didn't know what to do. The redhead felt her tears stream from her eyes, she held her comrade's hand.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?" They heard a shout as Elize Schimtz suddenly grabbed them both and accelerated the trio out of another burst of killing light. "Don't just stand there, move."

Together the brunette and the redhead saluted to their green haired teammate. "Yes ma'am." Emily used her sleeve to wipe off the tears in her eyes and readied her spear. Kim Yu-Mi readied a spear of her own as they both dashed apart from each other to rejoin the fray.

Kazuha Aoi made a charge for the NOVAs, yes NOVAs, as in plural. This was the first recorded incident of more than one NOVA, and it was bad. She dashed with her upmost speed, only to sidestep as she almost go skewered by a blade. 'What the?' She thought to herself as she jumped back to put distance between herself and her assailant. What she saw confused her, it was a marine, the operative word being was. It was a marine, and it wasn't a marine.

It had a human frame, it had probably once been human. It wore the blue uniform of the Navy and had a hunting knife in one hand. He's other hand held a pistol, a Colt M1911, a classic from the olden times. What was different wasn't its shape or its weapons, but its feel. There was a different feeling wafting off this man, there were spikes protruding from his back, and his eyes were unfocused, his pupils dilated. 'What the?' Kazuha had no time to reassess the situation as the man suddenly lunged at her with inhuman speed causing her to sidestep on reflex and strike him, only to have him block Nova Blood with his hunting knife. It was fast, that was all Kazuha could think as it struck again with a flurry of blows forcing the long haired beauty on the defensive as she tried to parry every knife stab and slash. Her training kicked in as she deflected each blow thanks to her reflex and finally found an opening to kick the man in the stomach forcing him back. "Sorry." she muttered as she accelerated behind the man and stabbed forward right into his head and splitting it. 'What the fuck was that?' She asked herself as she proceeded to speed towards the NOVA with as much haste as she could afford well she dodged around the humans with spikes.

I opened my eyes, the darkness slowly dispersing from the edges of my vision. It was strange, why could I open my eyes again when I had already died. I remembered my death, very well in fact, I remembered the glory I had fighting the monster that appeared in this world. I was on solid ground, the place of my demise. But what laid in front of me shocked me; what was once my home Fuyuki City was now covered in water, in fact, it seemed like it had sunk since there was a sea in front of me.

Aside from the sunken remains of my home there were other things in the distance. With a bit of od entering my eyes I was able to reinforce my twin orbs to see further than what was humanly possible. It was strange, a colossal being of ivory towering into the sky, and next to it stood my adversary. Just seeing it made my blood boil, it brought an intensity of hatred into my glass heart, but at the same time I was filled with despair. It took my sacrifice to defeat that behemoth, my existence is close to that of a heroic spirit, it will be next to impossible for humans to even stand against that brute.

As a testament of my thoughts I saw blue flickers running around the two creatures. Upon inspection it showed the flickers of light as human, not magus for sure but humans using magecraft to a certain extent. They each held a weapon made primarily of od, it took shape in many shapes and forms: swords, spears, daggers, chains, and many other weapons even I have rarely seen. I would suppose they are some kind of counterforce against the creature, but from what I observe they are either having trouble or not very good at doing their job. They sped around the two creatures with extreme speed, speed that even I would need to "try" to catch up, they stabbed and hacked at their enemies but there was no damage. No damage whatsoever was dealt to the duo monstrosity.

Having fought the bigger one of the duo I knew those people were more than likely fucked. My nemesis hadn't even started fighting, where was the magic cannon it had when I warred with it? Where was the tentacles that shred everything in its path? Where was the bounded field that killed people just for being near it? These humans are lucky, it was probably just recovering from its slumber very much like myself, but I was a human, I was trained to fight, that thing needed time to get ready. It's now or never, it must be killed before it gets too strong.

Then my arch nemesis howled flooding the area with its magic. I remembered this particular technique, annoying and powerful. My allies and I had trouble against it, we called it "Everlasting March." What it did was erect some sort of bounded field with the creature itself as a epicenter, it pumps its magic into the bounded field saturating the area, then reanimates corpses into minions under its control. Minions, we called it minions but they were not really minions, they were not like weak skeletons summoned by Medea, they were more like ghouls with extreme physical capabilities, a perfect counter against most magi who relied heavily on ranged combat.

The people fighting my enemy would fare a lot better than my allies had, they seemed to be trained primarily in close combat, they will not be overwhelmed, at least I wish they wouldn't be. My blood was pumped, the fire igniting under my skin and inside my veins. I really should help them, after all, that creature was my enemy as much as theirs.

I closed my eyes entering my mindscape, the plain filled with swords and weapons. There were many things, halberds, spears, lances, swords of many variations. It was a world in perpetual dawn, in sunrise, a place filled with my hopes for the future, and a mean to gather that hope for the future I envisioned. It was my tomb, my final resting place that I had glanced within my future self's memories, I carried my death within me, it was my destiny. I also fell within a setting no different then what I have imagined. I met my match in a field skewered with blades, spears, and corpses of my enemies.

There were gears in the sky, rusted gears slowly turning. They worked and turned to produce my weapons, to forge my steel upon this hill made of swords. They were old, they were never new, they turned and turned, never stopping, grinding against each other making a familiar sound of steel against steel. This was my factory, my world, the source of my strength, and the source of my eventual demise. The perfect embodiment of my ideals, of what I hoped to become, it was my reality marble, my Unlimited Blade Works.

I reached for a certain sword, a blue blade with a beautiful gem encrusted in its hand guard and another in its hilt. There were several runes etched upon the blade itself, together they read something along the lines of "God grant me victory", but of course the original wielder of the blade was not a Christian, his god was something different, something more pagan by modern standards. I reached for it within my mind, putting its picture into a the metaphorical gun that was my spell. I saw everything that made this sword a sword. Its composition, its blueprint, and most importantly, its history. The history of the sword Caladbolg, the "Great Sword".

"Trace on," I muttered to myself finally opening my eyes. A black bow appeared in front of me right into my outstretched left hand. The picture of Caladbolg was still in my mind, its every aspect, I needed it for what I am about to do next. "Trace on: Alteration." Normally I could do this instantly, without uttering specific incantations, but this time was a bit different, I needed this sword to be a bit special, a bit stronger. A picture of a red lance flashed through my mind as I used the blueprints of that specific spear to alter the sword. "Trace on." my right hand pulled on my bowstring, there was a slight spark of light as my od was gathered for my magecraft. After the light subsided what was left in my hand was a brutal drill. Caladbolg II, but unlike its usual black drill this one was red. This is Caladbolg III, a mixture of Caldabolg II with Gae Dearg,the Crimson Rose of Exorcism. This should temporarily halt the Everlasting March and help the humans fighting that beast.

I pumped my od into the weapon in my hands. My magic caused the weapon to overload, to become unstable, to become fragile, to become broken. "My core is twisted into madness." I hollered finally letting go of the arrow allowing it to propelling forward. I was roughly two miles away from my target but my enemy was big, I had no doubt that I will hit.

My arrow sailed through the air cutting, drilling. It became even stronger for every meter it traveled. It continued as a red missile flying at close to supersonic speed. Then it impacted my enemy in detonated.

The fight was not going well for the PANDORAs, they were suffering greatly. Only seven remained from the original eighteen in the hit squad including Kazuha, Yu-Mi, Emily, and Elize. They were losing badly, and it wasn't getting any better. The two NOVAs were indomitable, they did not move, they did not have to. Their tentacles and feelers snaked around the plain launching its drilled point at its enemies, its particle beams tore everything its path apart. The two were not damaged, and they were covered by tens of soldiers that were just a bit weaker then PANDORAs. Physically they were more than likely superior, but they were like mannequins with less fight instincts so the PANDORAs won with skills against the enemies' brute force. But there were no victories, they faced casualties with no seeable improvement. The two NOVAs still stood there unhurt, and Kazuha Aoi was tiring, she did not know how much longer she can last.

Then there was a red missile flying straight at the NOVAs. At first Kazuha thought it would end up the same, not scratching the PANDORA's armor, but as it detonated she could tell there was a difference. 'What in the world is that?' The NOVA who got hit wailed and cried in what she assumed to be pain. The tentacles stopped hunting around, the spiked men suddenly stopped like puppets with their strings cut. But Kazuha was tired, she was on her knees with Nova Blood stuck into the ground supporting her weight. "Zaaammmm..." Her life flashed by her eyes as she saw the shining ray of death that speared toward her, then a movement and a figure stood in front of her. "Rho Aias."

It was perhaps the most beautiful thing she'd ever see in her life. The figure of a man with white spiked hair and black skin tight clothing. His back was turned to the exhausted PANDORA but she could see the tanned bronze color of his skin from the sleeveless shirt he wore, his well toned muscles not hidden. She could see a slight difference in color between his right and left hand but she ignored that in favor of greedily drinking this miracle sight in front of her. Aside from the man was the barrier separating the two from the killing laser from the NOVA. It was pink, a beautiful pink reminding her of sakura he had seen the previous winter. It even seemed like a flower with seven petals pulsing with a beautiful light. It held against the beam that wrecked her team, he held against the monster that she could not defeat, it was truly a miracle.

Then he spoke, in a deep raspy voice that resonated throughout the entire frozen plane. There was tenderness in his voice as he watched the havoc, but at the same time there was an unmistakable steel in his coarse voice. He shouted towards the two NOVAs, the one previously struck had come back to its senses and its minions started moving once again. "Our fates are tied, monster," he said with derision. "When you returned to this plane of mankind I also had returned. "He brandished a golden sword, holding the beautifully ornate blade with both hands. His stance was lowered, the blade edge pointing backwards as he readied a two handed swing.

Kazuha Aoi noticed the perfection of his stance, no openings, no wasted movements, whoever he was he was well versed in the ways of a sword. She could only stand there awed as the alluring broadsword in his hand wafted off power, glowed with an aura of pure brilliance, like a sun, like the rising sun. He continued to scream at the NOVA. "You are the bane of mankind, foul beast, but I am the bane of your existence. I will not rest until your armor is shattered, I will not stop until your body is broken. I will not stop until you lay dead on the ground. I will hunt you monster, for today, I am your executioner."

Kazuha Aoi could only stand there amazed at the passion and feeling in his words. The feeling his speech installed within her was infections. Whoever he was he knew what he was doing, and he will not stop until his job is finished. In concentration Kazuha almost squealed in surprise as he broke his stance and started moving.

It started as a quick walk, then a light job, then he broke into a speed well above a human's limits. He ran straight towards the NOVA, ignoring the converted ex-huans that stood between himself and his nemesis. He weaved and ducked, what he didn't dodge he shrugged off with no apparent damage. Two-hundred meters, 150 meters, 100 meters, he was unstoppable, he was fast, he was invincible. 50 meters from the white colossus he faced more resistance, but a miracle happened. It seemed as if all attacks phased through him, Aoi could only stand stunned as he was engulfed in an aura similar to that of his sword. It was soothing, it was peaceful, Aoi felt tears well up in the frame of her eyes as she sighed in relief at the tranquility the golden light inspired.

In no time the strange swordsman stood face to face with the NOVA. He had arrived to face the monster, Kazuha feared for him, feared he would meet his demise, she wanted to shout at him bur found herself unable to speak due to what happened next.

The NOVA cranked its head to look at its enemy, and the blades man looked back with great defiance through eyes that promised retribution to those who wronged him. "You have gotten weak, wretched creature, gotten weak in your slumber. But I have not, for I am human. You once wright great havoc onto these lands, scorched our Earth, killed our people, but this ends today, for you will meet your end here." The smaller NOVA moved towards its bigger brethren. The tentacles started reacting as more than three dozen feelers with drills on its ends rushed towards him.

A everything approached the silver haired man he cried out, screamed, and released all the pend up anger he had in a mighty roar, then he swung.

"Ex-calibur..." It wasn't exceptionally loud but for some reason Kazuha could hear what he said two hundred meters away. He only uttered one word, but he said that word with great confidence; he was sure in his victory, and against all rationality Kazuha Aoi believed in him too.

The golden light dancing around his sword intensified. It spread from the blade to the hilt becoming a cross of light. Its radiance was unbelievable, the energy it emitted was incomparable. There was steel in his eyes, an unmistakable steel from the many trials he had gone through to forge himself. For some reason Aoi thought she heard the sound of shifting gears but she dismissed it as a hallucination from this unbelievable scene.

He swung his blade upwards in a crescent slash without haste. It was slow and deliberate, but it had its effect. The cross seemed to lengthen as he swung and extend as he completed his swing. The PANDORA had to shield her eyes with her hands as the brightness spiked to rival that of the sun, yes, a miniature sun. There was a flash of bright light and a wave of heat, then all was quiet and gone.

When Kazuha Aoi finally removed her hand from her eyes a small sigh of relief escaped her. The damage was extreme and there was no sight of the white haired man with the strange sword. What laid where he once stood nothing, the two NOVAs that once stood in his way was promptly annihilated. Kazuha's Nova Blood dropped out of her hand as her mind could not comprehend the destruction that person dealt. The scene was something without description, an image in her mind that she would remember for all eternity.

Tears if relief fell down her face as the sun began to rise from the edges of the Horizon.

A/N:

Someone was asking what route my story took place after. All I could say is all of them. Someone said EMIYA is better than Shirou, well that's technically untrue since they are the same person.

This story takes place after all the shit of the Holy Grail War happened since Archer is technically a culmination of everything Shirou went through in alternate realities. The EMIYA in the prologue is what will become Counter Guardian EMIYA, I modeled the Shirou with Heaven's Feel ending since the arm would give him memories of his past selves.

As for Fate/Zero characters I don't even know if that's possible. The timeframe is too different. I kind of forgot but F/SN took place sometimes in the early 2000, and Fate/Zero 10 years before that. This story present time takes place in 2056 or the 8th NOVA clash, I probably got the date wrong but yeah, something like 205X. Everyone in Fate/Zero is most likely dead or a very old man, no, a very, very old man.

This is going to be the only fighting in a few chapters since what I feel from Freezing is that if they're not fighting NOVAs (once every like 8 years) they are training or living their lives to the fullest.

I took liberty with the 8th NOVA clash seeing that I never really finished Freezing or Freezing Zero, any discrepancies, well, don't correct me cause this is how it'll go.

Someone's probably going to ask why EMIYA ohko'ed the NOVA when he died fighting it at first. He kind of mentioned it saying that the NOVA was in hibernation and it is pretty big and it'd take some time for it to get ready, and during his fight with the NOVA a long time ago it was much harder since the Everlasting March had many more soldiers then a fleet of Navy that was probably small since everything is like mechanized in the future, or I would suppose they are?

Anyhow, I tried pretty hard for this chapter, any grammar mistakes, well, too bad? I was in a rush. I would like a beta of anyone's interested since I can't do hard edit with my own works. PM me if your interested.

Anyways, Read and Review as always, review make me happy, its mostly been positive so far. And yes I did make this chapter much longer than prologue.

Read & Review

-Wiltheavatar-

PS

I appreciate the Reviews and I reply to every review if you have something to reply to. "Awesome...Interesting", I do like those congratulations but I can't make a conversation based on 1 word answers, I do appreciate those reviews though but I'm just putting it out there that if you write a review that is "conversation-able" like a good many of them I have been getting I will reply. I'm not dissing on 1 word/sentence replies but I'm just putting it out there that I will take the time to reply to reviews.