TTGLX: Brothers to the End.
Chapter 17: So, here we are at the end of all.
The deadly explosions that shook the galaxy were nothing more than background noises to Simon now. He stood, not really watching anything, his eyes staring off into the distance. Without any visible reason, his face changed to a wide grin. Laughing aloud, he turned to Vale.
"Kamina is finally here. Now the fun can begin."
000
Kamina shifted his weight within the confines of the cockpit. It felt good to be back in the pilot's seat of a mecha. The grapearl didn't have the same feel as a good old fashioned gunman but he wasn't about to complain.
The grapearl was a new model that was as close to Gurren Lagann as science could manage. It looked the part but Kamina could tell that it was still just an inferior rip-off. The vast powers of Lagann were yet to be accurately replicated.
He and the other members of Team Dai-Gurren were flying through the air, each commanding their own grapearl towards the capital ship where Rossiu and the other shinigami directed the galactic battle above. Rangiku, unable to pilot a mecha, chose to accompany Kittan, sitting on his lap much to his distraction.
They had left Earth's atmosphere and now sped through the vast darkness of space, distant stars all around them like a million tiny eyes glaring down at them. It was all truly beautiful. The explosions that outshone them all made it all the more beautiful to Kamina.
The screen in front of him flickered to life, revealing the chiselled face of Rossiu. Time had turned him into the spitting image of his father back in Adai village. Beside him was the stern featured Head Captain Hitsugaya.
"Kamina. What are you doing here?" began Hitsugaya. "When we left you were in no fit state to fight. Even if you had been, after what you'd done, letting you fight would be reckless. I left guards to ensure that you didn't leave the hospital."
Kamina shrugged. "All the good fighters came here." he said passively.
"I left fifty men."
"Like I said, all the good fighters are here."
"So on top of breaking out of prison and killing the King of Spirits you've also incapacitated fifty of my men?" sighed Toshiro, his tone a mixture of anger and weary resignation.
"You make it sound so bad when you say it like that." Kamina answered offhandedly. He laughed lowly. "Even had you left all thirteen captains to stop me from coming, I'd have still fought my way here. You know that nothing could keep me from this fight."
"Either way, it doesn't matter at this point." Rossiu interjected. "Our forces massively outnumber Simon and the Meta-Spirals but as you know, that means nothing to a man like Simon. His one ship is more than proving a match for the entire spiral race fleet. We need to get the upper hand fast before his spiral powers can escalate further."
Kamina nodded, knowing all to well how little numbers meant to Simon once he had set his mind to something. "Don't worry. I'll handle Simon."
"You are certainly are best hope, however much we may dislike it. That is why I am leaving combat command to you. Gimmy and Darry were meant to be our alpha pilots but they are too injured to be given that key role. If anyone can defeat Simon, then it is you."
Kamina looked around him, saw the fear in the men and women's eyes, the doubt and nerves barely in check at the prospect of fighting against the strongest man in the universe. The crew were scared, and that fear was limiting the ship's power levels. He smiled to himself. This was where he belonged.
"Lead the way." he announced confidently. "Don't worry about a thing. I taught Simon everything that he knows. I was the one who dragged humanity out of the dirt. I formed Team Dai-Gurren. I captured Gurren and created Gurren Lagann. I won us the Dai-Gunzan, defeated the general Thymilph and came up with Simon's signature move the Giga Drill Break in the process. After I died I became a shinigami, reformed an army out of the shattered remains of the Seireitei and killed the menace Aizen. I beat the Anti-Spirals in that world only to force my will back into this world to free Simon and the others from a mind labyrinth then provided the power to fuel the Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. You think Simon is stronger than me? I ask you one question: Just who the hell do you think I am!"
He left the room without a backward glance. The sudden charged sensation that sparked through the air was enough to know that his words had had an impact. It was all mindless bluster of course, but that didn't matter. If it helped with moral he would brag himself to the status of God.
Despite the battle, it was Rossiu who led the group of shinigami through the ship. Kamina looked around him in every room they passed but none of the faces looked familiar to him.
"Where is everybody? Team Dai-Gurren wouldn't miss this fight for the world." Kamina asked. He longed to see his old friends once again.
Rossiu smiled sadly. "You forget yourself, Kamina. Fifty years have passed since you were last here. We have all grown old while you have stayed the same. As we speak, Dayakka is on his deathbed, barely able to breath let alone fight. Leite is with us and hasn't mentioned anything but I know she too is falling ill and is near death.
Kamina's shoulders slumped slightly. "What about Yoko. Is she here?"
"Yeah. Yoko is on the ship. She doesn't want you looking for her though." Rossiu answered. "She wants you to remember her as she was, not as an old woman. It's just female vanity but it means a lot to her."
Kamina shrugged with a sad smile. "Yeah, that sounds just like that woman. I suppose after I've made her wait this long, she's entitled to make me wait a while longer."
Rossiu took them to an elevator which he said would take them straight to the core of the ship. As they descended he turned to Kamina. "You seem to be taking all of this fairly well. I imagined that you'd be a lot more…boisterous."
"Some things don't need big words." Kamina said with surprising calm. "I'm always the big talker who inspires others into action. I think that this time it will need something extra."
Rossiu nodded. He keyed in a code upon a bulky titanium door and the metal slid open, revealing a large chamber filled with a jumbled assortment of wires and cables. Hundreds of lights flashed and flickered, casting the room in an unstable glow. At the chamber's centre was a gunman the like of which Kamina had never seen.
Its edges were a constant flowing line, sleek and streamlined like some demon of the deep ocean. Snow white metal was inlaid with silver and gold, Kamina just being able to make out his flaming skull symbol and the names of every member of Team Dai-Gurren who had died. Many he did not recognise but far too many he did, his own included. The mecha's body face was a fanged devil, grinning like a maniac while its head was that of an angel with a serene expression. Curved blades extended out from bulbous shoulder pads while thickened sections of armour covered key areas. All of the joints were covered by fish scale armour so that no section was vulnerable yet still allowing smooth agility.
"Seinaru Gadian." Rossiu informed, offering a name to the miracle of technology. "It is the peak of spiral technology. Every scientist and engineer in the galaxy came together in the creation of this gunman. It is equipped with a energy skin shield, spiral dome shield, spirit blade, spiral round precision machine gun, speed boosters and spiral overdrive. It also has three resonant generators that take in spiral energy from the pilot and multiplies the power."
Kamina couldn't help but grin. "So this is what you came up with to rival Gurren Lagann? I can work with this."
Rossiu turned to the other shinigami. "There are other gunmen in the adjoining rooms, though they are more basic models. The Seinaru Gadian is hooked into the ship's command console but all of the gunmen can offer support by producing more power." He turned back to address Kamina but the pilot had already fought his way through the wires and was pulling himself into the mecha.
The gunman's monitors flashed on at recognition of his presence. Kamina eased into the seat and grabbed onto the handles. He did a quick run through of the controls before he was satisfied that the machine would be fit for purpose.
"Let's do this!"
The lights suddenly flickered off, not just in the Seinaru Gadian but in the entire ship. There was a moment of total darkness then the monitors flashed back on, all showing an image of Simon's face.
"Kamina. It's been a long time, brother." Simon said with a small smile.
Kamina keyed himself into the system, his face appearing beside Simon's upon all of the screens. "I leave you alone for five minutes and you slide into bad habits. Your pretty useless without me."
Simon laughed, a strange, hollow sound that seemed to rattle through the entire ship. "Maybe you're right. I am useless. It was my fault that you died after all. I killed Lordgenome which led to the Anti-Spiral invasion. I fought to save those that I cared for and in the end you all died anyway."
"Simon…" Nia breathed, her eyes watering as she gazed at one of the screens. Rangiku wrapped an arm around her reassuringly.
Simon shook his head, suddenly angry. "But do you know what? I did everything I could for humanity and was it ever appreciated? No! Nobody ever had my back outside of you and Nia. Back in Giha I was the best driller, I was the reason that we had so much room to live comfortably. Did anyone care? No, I was just dirty, smelly Simon. When we broke through the surface and formed Team Gurren in earnest did I earn any respect? Only you believed that I was fit to pilot Lagann while everyone else wanted me replaced with someone else."
"I messed up and you ended up dead. I was in a really bad place but everyone ignored me, left me to wallow in my own misery. I recovered with Nia's help and defeated Lordgenome, forged a new civilisation but the second that the Ant-Spirals appeared, humanity blamed me for everything. I saved them from the mugann and received hatred for my efforts. Rossiu imprisoned me, sentenced me to death! I saved you all time and time again, slowly loosing everyone that I cared for until I was alone in the world. Fifty years have passed and my name had been nearly forgotten!" he bellowed, his spiralling eyes glowing menacingly.
Kamina was silent for a moment. He understood Simon's words all to well. Those very thoughts had meandered through his own mind on more than one occasion. Maybe it would be better to start the universe fresh. That wasn't the way Kamina rolled though.
"So here we are at the end of it all. You really intend to go through with this? Those Meta got to you real good didn't they." Kamina stated in a calm tone. "Let's settle this like real men then."
"My thoughts exactly." grinned Simon. "Today I will finally step out of your shadow and burn it into oblivion."
Kamina keyed in a series of codes and the entire ship shook. He allowed his spiral energy to fill the Seinaru Gadian, felt his power grow as it bounced through the mecha's systems. The spacecraft morphed around him, the sleek ship design sliding into a humanoid form.
Arc Seinaru Gadian. The gunman strongly resembled the Seinaru Gadian but it also held features from other key gunmen from the old days. From each shoulder erupted bright golden spikes like those of the King Kittan. Over a fang filled mouth was a grill like visor that was usually sported by the Dayakkaiser.
Kamina flexed his muscles and the giant robot boxed the air. Without even waiting for further practice he threw the mecha into overdrive and darted straight at the much larger Super Galaxy Dai-Gurren.
Green light flared around the gunmen as it hit the Super Galaxy's spiral shields. Kamina may not have had Simon's drills to break through but he did have determination by the bucket load. He wedged the mecha's sword through the dome of energy and with a roar, carved a hole through the shield.
The Super Galaxy opened fire, hundreds of spiral rounds thundering into the Arc Seinaru Gadian's own hastily erected shield.
"Everybody!" Kamina bellowed into the fleet's communication channel. "Set you guns to target vector 2866194. Open fire!"
Space lit up with glaring light as hundreds of ships unloaded their weapons at a single spot on the Super Galaxy Dai-Gurren. The beams and missiles combined together midway to create one raging storm of superheated death. Kamina jerked the Arc Seinaru Gadian away and the beam passed straight through the pierced spiral shield before it had had chance to regenerate.
Metal melted on impact and fierce explosions burst throughout the Super Galaxy. A clear hole was visible that went straight through the planet sized ship. Cheers rose up through every com-channel as the allied forces celebrated such a decisive blow.
Simon's voice cut across the cheers, silencing every last man. "You always could utilise numbers to their max, Kamina. When you led we had plans and every person had a role to play. People always trusted you and you brought out the best in us all. When I took over we fought using raw brute strength. I destroyed everything single headedly while the others were merely support to take care of the cannon fodder. You relied upon others while I relied upon myself. Now we will see which way is truly best."
The Super Galaxy began to unfold, limbs stretching out from its insides, its hands bigger than the entire Arc Seinaru Gadian. Any damage that had been caused disappeared in a torrent of flexing metal until a pristine mecha stood glaring at the assembled army of relatively tiny ships. The Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann.
Lazily the star-shaded mecha lifted an arm. A neon green beam shot out from its palm and engulfed several of the ships before they could even react. The remaining fleet retaliated with a firestorm of missiles but a raised arm blocked them as easily as spit balls.
"We can't fight him like this." growled Rossiu. "We need to level the playing field or this will be over before we can even get started."
"Leave that to me." Kamina said, sweat already beading his forehead. He swapped to the general comm again. "Everyone, route all power to your shields and cluster the ships together."
"That is madness! We would be sitting ducks!" roared one of the many commanders.
"Madness? This is-"
Rossiu interrupted Kamina in a hard voice. "Do as he says."
The fleet began to move closer together, clustering around the Arc Seinaru Gadian like children around their mother. The Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann erupted with thousands of drills that each fired an emerald laser out at the assemblage of spacecraft. Hundreds of shields blared as the beams struck. Several were just too weak to hold, overloading and allowing the streaks of death to tear through the ships beyond. Most of the shields held though, every ounce of extra power fuelling them.
"What are you planning?" frowned Hitsugaya as he scanned the numerous monitors that listed off battle positions and statistics. "You can't possibly intend to-"
"We're gonna combine!" roared Kamina. His voice echoed through space as every speaker on every ship boomed out his words.
"We don't have any drills. How can you expect us to combine without Lagann?" snapped Rossiu.
Kamina laughed openly in his face. "Drills don't stem from a single robot, they come from a man's burning soul! With this many raging souls together, a few drills will be child's play!"
He watched as the spiral power gauge on his screen filled, growing every second as more of his power was forced into the machine. It filled completely then changed colour, filling the dial with a rainbow of lights that threatened to overwhelm the cockpit. With a strained grin he pulled at a lever and hundreds of drills tore out from the Seinaru Gadian, through its larger Arc version then out into space. Like homing missiles the endless drills snaked through the darkness, seeking out the other ships and slamming into them to connect to their mainframes.
The ships were all drawn to a central epicentre. More drills lashed out, wrapping and weaving through metal in once great latticework of parts. Metal slid and twisted, merging the fleet into a single vast silhouette.
The mecha was a complicated labyrinth of designs, colours and metals. It held a quality about it where, viewed from different angles, the mecha seemed to change shape. Just by moving your head the space robot seemed to flow around reality as though it were made from water.
"This is the essence of all spiral beings. A monument to manly spirits and the power of combining. This is the Ultimate Spiral! Just who the hell do you think we are!"
"Impressive." Simon chuckled over the speakers. "It looks like you haven't lost any of your determination to prove the laws of physics wrong."
"Laws are meant to be broken. Only honour can really guide a man's life." Kamina retorted. Metal slid across the planet sized mecha, centring upon its right arm until it extended yet further forward to form a sleek sword. "Honour and a good blade that is."
"I couldn't agree more." said Simon as the Super Galaxy's hands became encased within drills.
Both mecha shot through space and clashed blades with the force to shatter continents. Sword and drill battled for dominance in a series of vicious counters and riposte. Every movement shook the planets around them.
Kamina worked the controls furiously, all of his past experience flooding back with every impact. Simon had spent a lot longer piloting gunmen though and that refined skill was all to apparent as the two men brawled.
"This is getting out of hand!" Rossiu grunted from the command deck. "Kamina, we need to end this before Simon can gather any more power."
"The commander is correct." came a voice that Kamina recognised as Nemu's. "Simon's spiral levels are nearing their peak. The energy levels in the air are already hitting danger points. The Spiral Nemesis is mere minutes away at this rate."
"Damn." Kamina muttered. "I'd hoped for more time." He scanned the readouts and did some quick guesswork in his head. "It'll have to do." he concluded aloud. "Men and women of the united spiral races, how about you lend me a little strength. I'm gonna do something a little crazy but I need a power boost to do it. Remember, believe in the me who believes in you!"
"Sorry to do this to ya, Simon." Kamina said slowly. His eyes were set and sweat beaded his forehead as his grip tightened on the controls.
The head of the mismatched mecha popped from its shoulders, blaring blue energy bursting forth from the neck. Each limb broke away in a similar fashion, more energy gushing out in great torrents that coiled around the twisted metal of the Ultimate Spiral, wrapping around it until a plasma like cocoon had formed around it. The strange shell pulsed, growing with each heartbeat motion.
The Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann whipped into motion, lunging at the barrier with a giga drill break. As metal impacted with energy, the drill dissolved like ice thrust into a lit fire. Despite this, Simon's mad laugh echoed though every comm channel.
The view of the Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann shrank as the Ultimate Spiral expanded chaotically outward, smashing planets to dust and extinguishing stars with every passing second. Key systems were held safely within gigantic spiral shields but the power required to contain them was simply too great to hold for long.
"Tengen Hogo Ultimate Spiral." intoned Rossiu from the command deck as he surveyed the mecha. Silver armour in the style of old Earth samurai warriors floated through space connected by blazing blue energy. Entire galaxies orbited around the colossus as oversized joints flexed and cracked.
"Heaven Protecting, eh." grunted Kamina amusedly. Sweat drenched his entire body, dripping from every point onto the electrics around him. His hands shook but his cocky smile was unshakable.
Hitsugaya's voice rang through the speakers. "We have to strike now! Simon can't have time to gather his strength."
Rossiu nodded. "Everyone! Focus your power. Kamina, finish this!"
The Tengen Hogo summoned a katana that spanned several galaxies. The blazing blade glittered in the light of a million suns. Kamina grasped the weapon with practiced ease and with a single deep breath he charged.
The sword cleaved through space like a meteorite, dwarfing the tiny dot that was the Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann. The blade hit the dot and stopped with the sudden lurch of a car hitting a wall, throwing the crew around wildly. Cameras zoomed onto the Super Galaxy revealing the mecha to be holding the blade between the palms of both of its hands.
"Do not underestimate me!" came Simon's thunderous voice. "Don't forget that I have the Meta-Spirals as my crew, each of whom is as strong as your entire gathering. We are the next step of evolution. We are the Meta and we will forge a new universe of peace!"
Simon twitched the controls and the Tengen Hogo's katana shattered into a thousand shards that drifted through the depths of space like sakura leaves in a breeze. The power levels being emitted from the Super Galaxy spiked, charging the very void around it with bristling energy. Space its self seemed to crack and split around the mecha.
"He can't be!" stammered Rossiu weakly.
"He damn well can." Kamina snapped down the comm channel. "Simon managed to do it last time with the few members of Team Dai-Gurren and the help of my spirit. What he could do with even a handful of Meta I don't know."
"Spiral readings are at critical levels," came the calm voice of Nemu. "The unravelling effect on the fabric of the universe is becoming uncontrollable. I estimate that we have under an hour of existence remaining."
The Super Galaxy exploded outward in a tsunami of green energy. Tengen Hogo made a hasty leap back to avoid the wave but was still hit and sent somersaulting through the abyss. The energy condensed and reformed as a goliath sized humanoid of pure spiral power.
"We can't match that power," Hitsugaya growled. "And even if we did manage to, the Meta would just release more power and create something even bigger. They are playing with us like we are nothing but a mouse."
Kamina cursed underneath his breath. Hitsugaya was right. Kamina was confident that he could push them into super mode but that would be their max. Simon could push on indefinitely, especially with the Meta at his back. They needed a plan that would defeat Simon without relying on brute strength.
"Launch Bay Zero Alpha 229 is seeing activity." Nemu's voice cut through Kamina's plans. "A single Gunman has been launched without clearance. Its tag shows it is the Yoko M Tank."
Kamina's heart lurched. "Yoko…" He grabbed a hold of himself in a heartbeat. "What the hell is she doing? One gunman can do nothing here.
A few hasty clicks and his screen showed the squat, pink gunman closing the gap to the colossal mass of energy that was the Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. It wasn't even a pin head in comparison to Simon's vessel.
Kittan's worried face appeared in the corner of Kamina's screen. "She's trying to invade that monster! That means she must intend to kill Simon with her own hands. He is too strong for that. We have to stop her!"
"It sounds like a great idea to me." Kenpachi said with a feral grin. "I've had enough of sitting in a machine. I say we go there and rough him up the old fashioned way."
"No." Rossiu interjected firmly. "If the Tengen Hojo looses any more power we will struggle to keep this form, let alone survive against the Super Tengen Topa when it starts to attack. If anyone leaves, it is a death sentence for everyone onboard.
"But what about Yoko!" roared Kittan.
"She has made her choice."
"QUIET!" Kamina voice blared through every speaker. The mecha fell into a heavy silence. Now that he could think in peace, plans began to form in great cascades through his head.
"I won't leave Yoko. I owe her too much." Kamina began but Rossiu interrupted him.
"You don't make the decisions here, Kamina. I order us to-"
"Shut it, forehead boy." Kamina cut him off harshly. "I intend to sort out every problem we have in one move. It'll be a long shot, but I'm gonna create a shadow clone of this entire mech. That won't win us the battle but it should help keep everyone alive a bit longer. While Simon is tied up trying to hit two targets, I'll hop into a grapearl and help Yoko to cause some trouble inside the Super and hopefully throw off their aim a bit."
"I'm coming too," Kittan said determinedly. Kamina shook his head.
"I need you to take over this guy's controls. You are the next best pilot after all."
Kittan muttered something angrily but seemed as though he accepted Kamina's point. His image flickered away but was instantly replaced by the angular face of Kenpachi.
"You have no excuse for me, boy. I'll make you a deal, I deal with the Meta and leave the area clear for you to take on Simon."
Kamina nodded. "Head down to the hanger. If you can pilot yourself across the gap without getting lost then you're welcome to the fight."
"I am going with you," said a soft but resolute voice. Nia's face appeared, her eyes were set in a way that said nothing Kamina could do would stop her from going. "I need to see Simon. I…"
"It's okay, Nia." Kamina told her gently. "I understand. You can do whatever you feel necessary."
Nia's face lit up. She still looked worn and down trodden but it was as though a weight had been lifted from her. "Thank you, Kamina.
"I'll be down in the hanger as soon as I can. Just give me a few minutes. Make sure everything is ready to go when I get there.
"Okay." Nia confirmed before blinking off of the monitor.
Rossiu's face loomed large before him. "It will take too long for you to stop Simon that way. Without the three of you, we calculated that the Tengen Hojo will destabilise after twenty minutes. What then?"
Kamina wished he could punch the man though the screen. Hell, Simon could probably manage it. He had discovered teleportation to punch the man many years ago. "In an hour, there will be no universe left. If we haven't won by that twenty minutes you say, we are pretty boned. Remember though, these machines are our souls and work from our will to fight. Don't give up and you can push past that twenty minutes easily."
Before anyone else could argue, Kamina closed off his comm channel. Drawing in all of his remaining power, he went through the motions of what the hermit Naruto had shown him. Luckily for him there was plenty of excess spiral energy floating around him and by being at the heart of the great mech, he was connected to everything within it. It was a trouble to figure out how to extend the jutsu to the entire craft rather than just himself but the answers came to him with surprising speed.
"Shadow clone jutsu!" he yelled, feeling an instant swelling then depletion of power. His screen went wild for a moment then settled on a replica of the Tengen Hojo. Pulling up a new file, Kamina jotted down a series of notes then sent them through to Kittan's console. Happy with his work, he opened up the cockpit door and jumped down to the floor below. With his zanpakuto in hand, he set off toward the hanger. "I'm coming for ya, Simon. Let's make this a good one."
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A/N: Oh dear God, I'm sorry for how long this took to put out. If you are actually reading this then thank you so much for actually sticking with me for this long.
In my defence, a lot has changed between the last update and this one. I am now at University, I have a job and I've stepped up the writing of my work of original. Still an inexcusable length of time ignoring you all though. So again, sorry about that.
I'd like to make a special thank you to whoever gave me a tonne of reviews over the course of last month on both stories. I would have sent you a PM but since you signed on as a guest I couldn't. Cheers to everyone else who reviewed over my hiatus too.
I don't know when the next chapter will be out but I do intend to finish this story. Until then, enjoy.
-FWF