A/N: I had initially intended to include a whole lot more into this chapter but the fight drew out longer than I had anticipated. This fic is really taking up a whole lot of time for me. I had intended this to be the second last chapter, but it seems to me that this will be the third last chapter? It's really tiring because even though I have the plot set out right in front of me, I just can't seem to make transform them into words.
Because I split the fight, the next chapter should be quite short. Shorter than this one at the very least.
From here on out, there is a lot of philosophical stuff flying about. Well, my stories usually have a whole lot of that sort of stuff in it. Also started up a starcraft fic. I think after this Angel Beats fic, I will stay away from the anime section and go back to the games section for awhile. I still have my Strike Witches story though... maybe I'll update that one from time to time.
Angel Beats!
What We Live For
Operation 57
True Wrath
The Armour of Wrath, SATAN, was very much like its namesake. A thick pitch black armour that covered her body. Plate upon plate that lined like scales. An dark overcoat that went over and two Dragon skull shaped pauldrons covering her shoulders, her metal gauntlets sharp and lined with 'claws'. It was unlike any armour known to Rei as it was made from pure hate and suffering. It was an armour that embodied the will of its user, the dark despair of a life that suffered. The armour of the Dragons, the sword of Wrath, the wall of thorns. With it, Kou was nearly unstoppable. She had become a dragon herself. Dragons are common mythology across the World, the ancient imaginations of humans sparked by either finding bones of ancient beasts or by word of mouth. Dragons varied from nation to nation, some representing good fortune, and others representing it with evil and death. The dragon is seen most commonly associated with wealth, intelligence and power.
But what those were related to were as varied as the stories told of them. Dragons symbolised power, be it good or bad, and they wield unmatched strength against any and all. They were the pinnacle of the wild and acted on pure emotion. They were seen as greedy, hoarders of gold. They were seen as evil creatures who lusted for the taste of virgin women. They were seen as creatures who stood themselves up as having no equal. They were creatures with insatiable hunger. They would be seen as creatures who could sleep through centuries and not stir. They were creatures that stood as the full fury of absolute might. They were 'Sin'. A creature born out of the minds of humans, the representation of both good and bad. A creature so profound yet so simple that it is a legend unto itself. This was Wrath, the fury of Sin.
The purest of all sins and the one that can never be controlled. Wrath is not something to be controlled. It can be hidden, be covered up with something else but in the end, it was something that would never go away. Humans are born with Wrath within them, made up of three forms: Spite, Hatred, Violence. Spite would lead to Hatred, and Hatred would lead to Violence. The aftermath of Violence would only lead back to Spite. The eternal cycle of retribution. An eye for an eye. Humans are born with such a mentality that they cannot see anything else. They cannot believe that such a thinking can only lead them to ruin. And even if such a hatred was born thousands of years ago, the hatred will continue on, passed on from generation to generation. From father, to son. For in the eyes of many, the child of a murderer is a murderer. The wound inflicted upon their ancestors is the same wound that is inflicted upon them. And so they will turn their blades against one another.
Humans are sad creatures, unable to see anything past their own history and present. A species of creatures that had progressed so far in such a short amount of time, only to destroy themselves over petty squabbles. For it is within the nature of humans to fight, to wage war and to kill. Wrath is special amongst the seven Sins as it is common across all creatures. The instinct to hunt, to protect ones own territory or family, to eliminate any competition that may hinder its own chance to continue its own lineage. But humans... humans take Wrath to another level. Humans have the ability to 'create' Wrath. To make things that is not necessary for survival and build hate upon it. Wrath... is a Sin that shaped humans into what they are today. Wrath... is the Sin that shall destroy them all.
As with all things, Wrath would change anything it touches, resulting in the twin swords, Kurenai and Hikari to be twisted into darker versions of their former selves. Their blades and guards became sharper and had the heads of Dragons on them. Her scythe grew larger, and it too had transformed to have draconian features. Infused with her SIN, Kou was more powerful than before. She no longer had the same disadvantage of her endurance as before, the power of Wrath enabling her to keep fighting beyond what her body is capable of for Wrath is in itself a driving force of wills. Kurogane Kou, the most powerful being in the SSS2, was now even more powerful.
"Isn't this too much?"
Katsuragi Rei was having an odd feeling that he could have possibly picked the shortest straw when it came to this entire climbing tower fighting division leader sort of event, if it could even be called an event. In the first place, why was it so common to have such a shounen style type of fighting? Why was it necessary for each person to fight another one on one? That did not happen for the first three division leaders, did it? So why change that? Rei really wished he had some form of back-up right about now.
"Why... are you not bringing out your all?"
Kou asked, pointing her weapon at Rei.
"What do you mean 'my all'?"
"... If you will not fight me seriously... then I will make you."
Kou suddenly disappeared from view and only through Rei's instincts did he turn around and bring up his sword to block Kou's attack from behind. He just barely managed to stop the attack, with Kou's scythe just a hair's breath away from his face. And not only was Kou faster than before, she was also much stronger. Rei could barely hold the attack back and was forced to jump to one side, deflecting the attack away. But Kou disappeared once more, reappearing right next to Rei. This time Rei was not able to react as quickly as before, and Kou's attack hit him square in the abdomen, sending him flying through the air and crashing some distance away.
[Katsuragi Rei receives 100000 damage]
Rei struggled to his feet but even before he could stand up straight, Kou reappeared right in front of him. Without warning, Kou used her scythe's broad side and slammed it into Rei, making him sail through the air once more and crashing into the ground.
[Katsuragi Rei receives 100000 damage]
"... Why are you not trying?"
Kou demanded, reappearing next to Rei again. Rei struggled to get up from the floor but the pain that wrecked his body was excruciating to the point where he could not get up from all fours.
"Is it... because you cannot fight me?"
Kou asked, using her boot and stepped on Rei's back, pushing him down back onto the floor.
"Such a weakness... such foolishness... If you cannot fight... you will die."
"Why did you go ahead and create such things?"
Kamiya Yuzuru demanded to know from his 'other half', Otonashi Yuzuru. The enigmatic 'leader' of the Afterlife merely turned and smiled.
"'Such things'? You sure like to ask pretty vague things."
"Don't play games with me."
Kamiya narrowed his eyes at Otonashi.
"Are you talking about my NPCs?"
Otonashi pointed to where the two Kanades and their massive number of clones from 'Harmonics' were fighting one another in one massive display of carnage.
"Hmm... moe carnage."
Otonashi mused.
"Don't change the subject! You're playing with things that caused further disruptions in this World! You're playing God!"
Kamiya snapped. Otonashi smiled at that remark.
"'God'? 'Things that caused further disruptions'? You seem to get it all wrong, my dear 'half'... I am not playing God. I am merely creating the means to an end."
"What are you-"
"It may have been my mistake to create them in the first place but in the end, it is through 'him' that this will all end."
"'Him'? You mean-"
Otonashi smirked at Kamiya's deduction.
"Yes... my ultimate creation. Katsuragi Rei."
Rei coughed and wheezed, unable to find the strength to get up. He could not fight against Kou. How could he? He had tried to steel his resolve back then but it was too much. Kou's strength, her power was overwhelming. She had become a 'God of War', and he was unable to match her in combat. What's worse, he could not make himself strong enough to fight her after those words. Rei was in love with Kou, he wanted to save her and protect her, but he had doubts. He doubted that such feelings would reach her for he was the enemy. Her enemy. His existence caused her much pain and so it was the right thing to throw aside his own feelings and free her. For her sake.
But Kou did feel the same about him. Kou felt herself connect with someone for the first time in many years. From Rei always protecting her, to being the bearer of her brother's soul. He would always be there whenever she felt her madness reach its peak. His words were always the ones that she needed to hear the most. Was it all planned? Or was it all coincidental? Kou could never tell and to her it did not matter. And it was because of all of this that Rei felt his indecisiveness grow. He should complete his mission, to help Kou break free from her madness, to sever the bonds she had with her Sin and to make her pass on. That is suppose to be his duty, but he could not. How could he bring his blade down on her?
'You can not keep your promise to me if you keep this up.'
A familiar voice sounded in his head. This voice is-
"..."
Kou seemed to have noticed it.
'You promised to protect her, but you are doing her more harm by not doing anything.'
The voice said, making Rei realise the facts.
'So what are you doing on the floor? Get up!'
Kou narrowed her eyes as she knew who it was that she was sensing.
"... Onii...san."
"You see, he is more than just some NPC with a human soul in him. He is a being that will transcend all. He is a being born from perfection, brought up through wars and hardships, and will mould into a being that will be beyond the concept of 'Gods'. A 'God' is a static being, unmoving and unchangeable. They are beings that are 'born' as powerful, from the minds of humans they are seen as 'almighty', but they are only as powerful as the humans who worship them believe them to be. They cannot grow, they cannot change. They are static. But what I have created... is far more than just 'static'. He is able to change, to adapt."
'Get up!'
The voices of his comrades.
"He can learn to overcome obstacles."
'How can you protect her if you do not even try!'
The voice of the one who gave him the chance.
"He will grow."
'Get up and fight!'
The voice of the ones who never gave up on him.
"He will transcend."
'Fight! Katsuragi Rei!'
The voices of all.
"He is a 'Zero' (Rei). He is a 'Void'. For nothing is also everything. And so I am not playing 'God'... I have created... a 'God'... no, a being beyond 'God'. I have created... 'TRUTH'."
[Angel Program access granted]
[All Systems access]
[Re-routing power]
[Levels critical]
[Subroutine access]
[Additional power supplemented]
[ARC_ANGEL; Operational]
[HYBRID; initiated]
[DEUS_EX_MACHINA; activate]
'TRUTH', is defined as 'fact', as an actuality, an event or situation that occurs before the eyes of people. It must be able to be repeated under the same or similar circumstances in order to provide 'proof' that it is 'real', and thereby establishing it as 'TRUTH'. 'TRUTH' starts out as a thought, a simple process that begins in the mind with no tangible form. It is said that if only one is able to 'perceive' it, it is a 'delusion'. Until another is able to 'perceive' it, it would merely remain as a 'delusion' and eventually fade away into nothing. However once another is able to 'perceive' it, it no longer becomes a 'delusion', but rather becomes a 'possibility'.
A 'possibility' would then become stronger the more people are able to 'perceive' it as such. It only becomes 'TRUTH' when a large number of people are able to perceive it, and are able to replicate the results with the set circumstances or are able to 'see' the process occur for themselves. But the number of people who need to see it in order for it to be a 'TRUTH' is undetermined. It can be a 'TRUTH' to the sole person who perceives it but to others it is simply a 'delusion'. And 'TRUTH' has as many sides to it as the number of people who are able to 'perceive' it.
'TRUTH' is not a single faced entity, nor is it something that is able to exist without multiple 'delusions' of many. 'TRUTH' is considered to be an absolute law as it takes into consideration the thoughts of the 'majority'. If an event were to occur with only one witness, the 'TRUTH' of that event will only stay with that one individual while others will merely create their own 'TRUTH' through theories, deductions and through speculations. Therefore the 'TRUTH'... is what people make it to be.
However.
This does not mean the power of 'TRUTH' is weak, rather this makes it strong. 'TRUTH' is based upon the beliefs of people and the more people believe, the stronger 'TRUTH' will become. 'TRUTH' becomes something greater than all else as it becomes certainty.
[Truth of the World; LAW]
[First unblessed saviour]
[Katsuragi Rei]
[Judgement; Activated]
[Deus Ex Machina equipped]
[Alignment: Lawful Righteous]
[Level: 1000
HP: 1000000000000000
MP: 1000000000000000
Strength: EX
Agility: EX
Endurance: EX
Luck: EX]
[Weapons List:
- Blue Gear (Rank SS)
- Heaven's Veil (Rank SS)]
Deus Ex Machina is literally translated as 'God born from Machine', or 'man-made God'. And in this case, Katsuragi Rei is indeed, the 'Deus Ex Machina'. Becoming something more than a normal Angel, more than a normal human being, he has become 'TRUTH' of the Afterlife. He would serve to change the course of the dark end of the SSS2, seek to save them and let them all pass on. Perhaps this was the power that Otonashi had wanted Rei to understand on his own. Why did he make Rei? Why did he task him with infiltrating the SSS2? Why not simply force them to submit and pass on? Because they wouldn't. Otonashi knew that to force someone to pass on will only make things worse, and to fight the Division leaders, Katsuragi Rei would need to become someone who is able to stand above them, to make them see the errors in their ways.
He would have to become 'God'... and surpass even that. What Katsuragi Rei must become is something that is beyond the comprehension of what normal humans can achieve. To understand what sort of 'TRUTH' Rei became is to understand about life, death, everything and nothing. Similar to obtaining enlightenment, to become absolute and abstract at the same time. A dark blue tunic with dark pants to represent the calmness and serenity of all, armed with silver armour to be the protection of pure, it was a standing beacon of hope. The pure white 'Heaven's Veil' draped over his shoulder, Katsuragi Rei was now ready to face the darkness. To reach it is to reach the 'Truth'. Not all the 'truths', but rather a single 'truth' that encompasses all others. The 'Truth' is a singular and a plural. It takes into account everything and nothing. It is the status quo.
"And to maintain that status quo, I will have to defeat you."
With his renewed strength, Rei drew his sword, Blue Gear, and found that it responded to his new abilities. Humming with new life, the sword now gave off a distinct blue glow. Along the blade a faint blue line etched itself along the length of the blade, giving off a sense of empowerment that Rei had never felt before. He looked up to Kou, who stood there, silently watching him. Why didn't she do anything all this while? Was she not able to do anything? No, it was not that she could not, she did not want to. Now that he was ready, Kou raised her scythe.
"Now... we will face one another... once more."
Kou muttered. Rei knew that this was what he had to do.
"... To save you, I must defeat you."
He answered, raising his sword.
"You can never... save what cannot be saved."
"That does not mean I cannot try."
The two rushed at one another, bringing their swords to clash against once another. The blow from their weapons hitting one another sent wild energies lashing out in all directions. The sheer pressure from the two sides caused the very ground they stood upon to crack and buckle beneath their feet. Kou spun her scythe, bringing the other end of her weapon up from underneath but Rei jumped back and avoided the attack, before rushing in once more, bringing his weapon to swing from below. Kou drew her sword with her free hand, deflecting the attack before bringing her scythe down at Rei. The cloth that Rei kept around his neck shot out and wrapped itself around the scythe, 'guiding' the trajectory of the scythe away from him.
If Kou was red, he was blue. If Kou was a raging fire of hate, then he would be the calming stream of acceptance. The two who held conflicting beliefs, the two who stood at opposite ends of the field. The two who will always come into conflict no matter how many times history repeats itself. The power of their blows was only matched by the magnitude of the beliefs they held. And with each blow, their thoughts, their words were conveyed like echoes in the wind without their mouths ever saying a single thing. Their convictions sounded throughout the Afterlife, heard by any and all.
"Humans are not equal."
"And yet they are born as equals."
"There are limits to what each individual can achieve, and that creates disparity and a sense of unfairness."
"But they in turn can excel in something that others cannot."
"They will always long for that which they cannot have."
"And they will learn to cherish that which they already have."
"Humans have become corrupted."
"Yet they still are able to change for the better."
"Humans are creatures that learn to hate more than they learn to love."
"Yet when they learn to love they will love it whole heartedly."
"Humans will always see the bad, sometimes ignoring the good."
"But there are those who will fight to the end for that single strand of good."
"Humans brand anything that goes against their wishes as 'evil'."
"But in doing so they are able to produce good."
"They cannot accept differences."
"They can learn to understand such differences."
"Humans deserve the be wiped out."
"Yet they are still capable of earning respect."
"Humans are beings driven by their desires, they cannot change what they have become."
"Humans have a choice. They always did. They always will."
The two traded blows constantly without pause, without rest. They moved in perfect synchronisation despite their desire to defeat the other. They were two sides of the same coin. Opposite yet the same. They fought one another because they were different. Yet they longed for one another because they were the same.
"The hatred of the World of men will never disappear."
Kou spoke with her own voice as she jumped back to herself distance.
"As long as man exist, as long as man had free will and the ability to think, they will always hate one another. They will always know that there will be differences, disparity and imbalance. From those, humans will give into their lust, devour themselves through gluttony, lose themselves to sloth, fuel themselves by greed, learn to envy, hide behind their pride and they will live off wrath. Humans will never accept differences. Because they cannot accept differences, they will destroy one another."
"Humans do not need to accept differences."
Rei countered, raising his sword again.
"They just need to understand that such differences can and must exist."
"They will never understand. They refuse to understand, like how the poor will never understand the rich. The privileged will never picture themselves in the shoes of the desperate."
Kou stabbed her scythe into the ground next to her as she drew her other sword. With her two swords in her hands, she raised them high and slashed them downwards into the ground, causing them to be stuck at an angle. Picking up her scythe she swung it horizontally across the space in-between her two swords, causing a red streak to appear in mid-air, like a tear in the very air.
"The good of one is the evil of another. The heroes of one are the villains of the other. The law of one is the crime of another. That is how the World of Man works, and that... is how it shall end."
Kou swung her scythe down across the red tear in the air, causing a second tear to vertically appear, combining with the first to form a red cross and split the air open. From the tear came forth swords. Thousands of millions of swords shot out like a hurricane, flying towards Rei. Rei jumped out of the way but the torrent of swords turned and gave chase. Like a snake made of millions of bladed weapons, the swords hounded after Rei, who constantly jumped out of the way of the attack, only to have it continue to change its direction and continue its pursuit, growing longer and longer as more blades continued to fly out of the tear in space.
"Each of these weapons is the physical accumulation and manifestation of a single person's hate, despair, sin and darkness. From past, to present, and future. As long as humans exist, these dark feelings will never disappear and so, I have at my disposal, an unlimited storm of blades (Wrath)."
He dodged the last attack but the torrent of blades turned sharply, attacking him from behind. Heaven's veil rose up and 'guided' the torrent away, scattering the blades that touched it all over the place, creating a large graveyard of blades. Some blades that were thrown off remained in mid-air, hovering as though suspended by strings, waiting. Watching. The wave of weapons stopped, rearing back like a snake, allowing Rei some rest. Heaven's veil had taken a heavy blow and it was starting to show, its pure white surface showing dullness and fade.
It was easy for the pure to be tainted but it was hard for the tainted to become pure. This was the forbidden fruit of Sin. This was despair, and like a plague it will only spread without pause or rest. 'Truth' was the same, if one is able to cast doubt on 'Truth', it will lose its strength. And doubt can only grow until it completely overwhelms 'Truth'. He did not have enough time to face Kou for a prolonged battle and he knew it. She knew it as well. She knew it because she too would not be able to hold out for long.
"! ! !"
Kou covered her mouth as she gagged and coughed on her own blood. The reason why the torrent of weapons stopped was because she lost her concentration.
[Kurogane Kou receives 10000 damage]
"Kou!"
Rei noticed her sudden drop in health but Kou raised her scythe at him, stopping him from taking another step towards her.
"... Do not... stop..."
Kou said, blood dripping from her lips.
"But-"
"We are... enemies... you must not show... any weakness... finish what you started... Katsuragi Rei..."
Kou warned him, but Rei felt that something was wrong. Why was Kou in pain? Why was she suffering for using her powers?
"Never stop... it is weakness... it is... death."
Kou suddenly swung her scythe once more and the torrent of weapons charged once again towards Rei. But he knew something was wrong. He grabbed Heaven's Veil and threw it at the torrent of weapons, scattering the torrent head-on as he raised his sword, Blue Gear, and stabbed its point straight in the middle of Heaven's Veil. The cloth was an item that did not allow anything to touch it for it was a pure conceptual weapon. As a conceptual weapon, it was born from pure thoughts and would not be harmed by physical harm though the darkness from the hate still affected it.
Rei's Blue Gear, the embodiment of human society's perfection, would serve to empower the Veil, and the cloth itself wrapped and coiled around the blade, giving the blade more power as Rei stabbed straight through the torrent. An explosive light burst forth from the cloth and blade, destroying the entire torrent and erasing away the cross rift that created and supplemented the torrent. The weapons that remained surrounded them on this platform. Kou dropped to her knees, clutching her chest as she coughed out more blood.
"*cough* *cough* ! ! !"
"Kou!"
But Kou would still not let him close to her. Releasing a wave of dark energy, Rei was forced to stay back as Kou struggled back to her feet.
"I... am running out... of time..."
She muttered, wiping the blood from her lips.
"Why... Why are you doing this? !"
Rei demanded, making Kou narrow her eyes at him.
"Because... I have to..."
"You are taking in all of the hate in the World! That is not something a human being is capable of doing!"
Rei knew that if Kou continued using that power, it will eventually consume her.
"You... are always... too kind."
Kou smiled, a rare sight for it was smile that contained sadness beyond any form of sadness he had seen before.
"... And that part about you... your kindness... your smile... your determination... Everything about you that I fell in love with... I have come to hate. Why? Why must this be so?"
"Hate? You came to hate?"
"I cannot bring myself to love what is the pure opposite of what I am, what my nature is... Solitude... Darkness... Despair... And so I have come to hate."
Kou's eyes showed her loneliness as well as her resolve. She will not stop, no matter what Rei did or said. The sky above them started to darken as dark clouds similar to the ones during the Apocalypse program started to gather. Kou looked up, her smile dropping.
"... It is now... too late... The end... is here."
Rei had never felt such darkness, such madness being gathered. It was far beyond anything he had known and far beyond what he could even imagine such darkness to be. Its power far outstrips the Apocalypse program to the point where it would not be an understatement to say it was the very essence of destruction. Inhuman screams and curses echoed in the winds, speaking not words but poison that made his ears hurt. The winds themselves were cold to his skin yet burned it like fire. The air was filled with a scent of sickly sweetness, the stench of death and decay. The sky became so dark that no light could ever break through and it would seem that the darkness itself had completely consumed the light.
"T-this is-"
"The darkness of the World that I had called forth."
Kou finished his sentence, closing her eyes.
"It will consume everything... it will not rest until all is gone... It is too late to change it... too late to stop it..."
"It is not too late!"
Rei shouted, making Kou open her eyes and look at him strangely.
"This is the accumulation of all of man's despair, all of his madness... you cannot hope to stop it... or stop me."
Kou said, but Rei would not give up. Not when he had come so far.
"Do not give up so easily! I swore that I will save you, no matter what!"
Rei's words seemed to take Kou by surprise, a look that Kou had not shown in a long time. Her eyes soften as that same sad smile crept up on her lips.
"... Can you really help me?"
She asked weakly. His resolve did not falter as he proudly stepped forward.
"I can and I will!"
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she lowered her head, preventing him from seeing her face. When she looked back up, her teared up eyes seemed to smile.
"... Then find me... find me in the darkness of madness and Sins... Find me... save me."
Without warning, Kou drew her twin swords from the ground, raising them high and-
STAB
She plunged both swords into her own abdomen, gritting her teeth as she endured the pain that went throughout her body.
"KOU!"
"The greatest... form of Wrath... the true path... of Sin..."
Kou muttered, coughing up more blood as she reached out and grabbed her scythe. She took it and threw it into the air.
"The greatest Sin... is violence... against ones own self."
Her scythe flew high before spinning back down towards the ground. Kou opened her arms wide and her scythe came down on her chest. But the moment it touched it, an explosion erupted from that point. The dark clouds from above came swirling down violently, being sucked into the point where Kou once stood. Like a vortex of pure energy the dark clouds went in a powerful circle, preventing Rei from getting any closer and soon, all of the clouds were drawn into the centre where Kou now stood. But unlike before, Kou was now completely different. She no longer wore the armour of wrath, now having mere pieces of ragged cloths covering parts of her body.
Belts and chains were tied all over her to keep the cloths in place and her shoes were thick and lined with spikes. Her eyes were black with blood red pupils. Her face covered with black lines that marked her face like spikes. Her long hair, once as dark as night, now was pure white as snow, the tips danced in the air like being played by the wind, each having a small visible amount of dark energy hanging there like decorations off a tree. Her skin was pale yet coursed with black veins. It was not Kurogane Kou, not the symbol of Wrath any longer. This was something else entirely. This was SIN.
[TRUE BOSS FIGHT]
[TRUE WRATH: SIN;CHAOS]
[Alignment: Pure Chaos]
[Level: Unknown
HP: Unknown
MP: Unknown
Strength: ?
Agility: ?
Endurance: ?
Luck: ?]
[Weapons List:
- Heaven's Key (Rank EXX)
- END (Rank ?)
A/N: Okay, I borrowed a HELL lot of stuff from Type Moon. They are one of my favourite companies and their stuff is just so complex and intricate yet still makes sense if you take time to read it all. Well, stick around for the final fight.