Time until the Chronophage arrives: 50 minutes.
"Is that the best you can do?" X stood over Homura and Lowell, the both of them on their knees from her relentless assault. X had some injuries on her, but nothing compared to the two of them. Homura was the most threatening one, but even then, the Sword of Eden's wasn't able to accomplish much.
"Don't count us out yet." Lowell said while staggering to his feet. He stabbed his sword into the ground, creating a glyph that spread out around himself, X, and Homura, trapping all three inside. "You're not getting out of here!"
X was on the edge of this barrier, so when she moved back, she felt something burning her back. "Huh?"
"Excellent!" Homura was on her feet, stance shifting as she prepared an attack to finish X off while they were in this enclosed space. "Warrior Maid Single Sword Attack...!" Homura darted ahead, swinging her sword in an elegant fashion. "Kitsune Perfect Circle Strike!" The goal was to create an orb of ether so powerful that it exploded with her attack, but X just grit her teeth and instead...
"Vengeful Blade!" She swung at Homura's attack, malevolence pouring out of her sword. This evil ether spiked and surged, and this allowed X to dart forward, aiming multiple slashes at Homura and Lowell at once. The barrier around them shattered, they cried out in pain, and Homura's sword broke in the process. The two of them hit the ground, and Homura's Overdrive faded as the injuries were too much for her body to keep up with.
"I..." Homura's vision was weak and heavy, but she stared at her broken sword with widened eyes...
"I told you. You made me work." X grunted in annoyance.
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"GAAAH!" An explosion sent Jinn and Lluvi flying backwards until they hit the opposing wall. When the dust cleared, Nina was standing over them while punching the air. "Come on, don't tell me that's all you got!?"
"How is she so strong?" Lluvi coughed. "Her Ether Gear...it doesn't make any sense. She has three in one!?"
"This...is bad..." Jinn glared at Nina, who just looked like she was having the time of her life.
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Shiki and Casey stared at Alexei, who held the final Black Moon Star Shard in his hands. His expression wasn't that of triumph or anything of the sort. It was...emotionless. Shiki clenched his hand into a fist, glaring towards Alexei. This was the man he heard so much about. "So you must be Alexei...the leader of the Galactic Fleet."
"That's correct." Alexei nodded, giving Casey and Shiki a brief glance. "Shiki Granbell, the Demon King. Casey Aster, the Adaptive Captain. I would say it is nice to meet you, but this meeting is only meant to be kept brief. You have far more important things to worry about right now, do you not?"
"What do you mean?" Casey narrowed his eyes.
"As we speak, my fleet has this planet completely surrounded. As such, this means your crews have been ensnared within my trap. At any moment, the veil that shrouds my fleet will be released, and it will fire upon your ships, leaving you all stranded as the Chronophage comes to consume this planet." Alexei stated calmly. "If you wish to avoid this outcome, hand over the Shards you possess, and I will call off the attack, and give you the time to escape the Chronophage."
"Don't lie to us." Shiki said immediately. "I know what you did to the Midi Orbital Gate! You destroyed it so you could get your hands on a Shard! Why should we trust anyone who has a callous disregard for life with our own!?"
Alexei let out a quiet sigh. "I will do whatever it means to achieve my goal. Sacrifice is necessary. The way your voice raises and your anger spikes tells me all I need to know. It is the right decision to carry out with my goals. I was willing to give you a chance, simply because you are all outmatched, and time is short."
"Sacrifice is necessary?" Casey asked. He had no idea who Alexei even was, but even he could tell that the aura this man gave off was unnatural.
"The heart is weak." Alexei said simply. He snapped his fingers, and several people warped in all at once. Weisz, Percival, Jinn, Lluvi, Homura, Lowell, and G, all crashed down onto the ground, beaten and bruised to Shiki and Casey's surprise. X, Nina, and multiple Galactic Fleet soldiers soon appeared around them as well.
"Guys!" Shiki's eyes were wide.
"What happened!?" Casey shouted.
"T-They are...strong..." Homura winced. She was knocked out of her Overdrive, while X pressed a foot against her back to keep her from moving. X was only moderately damaged, but nothing that would keep her down. "M-My apologies..."
"Sorry..." Lowell grunted.
"T-Too many of them..." Weisz grimaced. Even if they could fight the soldiers, the sheer numbers prevented them from getting too far.
"Couldn't do it..." Percival groaned.
"These guys weren't that tough." X let out a bored sigh. "But they had to make me put in more work than I would've liked. How annoying."
"It was a gamble of a time..." Nina was grinning. She had some marks on her as well, but considering Jinn and Lluvi were down, it was clear she was the winner between them. "I haven't had a good fist fight since that OSI lady!"
"Damn..." G grunted. All of these soldiers, and to think, there were even more of them!
"What did you do to them!?" Shiki's rage started to build up. Seeing his crew beat up like this...!
"This is why I made you the offer." Alexei stated. "You cannot defeat us. I am not above the removing those who are in my way. I did not want to take the risk of you using your Shards against me for a fight. It would cause issues I would rather avoid. So I am offering you a chance to escape with your life, in exchange for the shards. I would take it. Even if you say no, the wheels of fate have already begun to turn. There is no avoiding what comes next."
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Casey spoke up first, his eyes blazing with anger. "You think you can beat my crew and order me around? I am the CAPTAIN of the Eclipse Ark! You hurt my crew and I'll make sure you pay!" Ether exploded around Casey as he entered his Overdrive; his hair turned black and his eyes turned sky blue, marks appearing all along his body to showcase he was activating his full power. Flames ignited on Casey's left hand and he threw it forward, sending a blast of fire towards Alexei. The blast of fire didn't even reach his target, and was instead deflected off to the side. "What!?"
"How many times has that happened?" X couldn't help but find it amusing. "Hey, Nina...they're about to fight. How long do you think they'll last?"
"Against the captain?" Nina was bouncing with excitement. "Not long at all."
Alexei waved his hand, causing the shard he was holding to vanish. Not only that, but X had a job to do, so she vanished as well. "I see you've made your choice. Very well. I will make you regret it before you die."
"I'LL CRUSH YOU!" Shiki exploded from his position, entering his Overdrive. He reared his fist back, Gravity surging strongly around the limb. "Gravity Fist!" He thrust his arm towards Alexei, aiming to punch the callous may square in the face. But to his surprise, Alexei caught his fist with ease. That wasn't the surprising part...it was the fact his gravity just vanished! "What?"
"I removed the space with your gravity occupied." Alexei then reared his fist back and slammed Shiki across the face, sending the Demon King flying back. Before Shiki could even hit the wall, Alexei used his Ether Gear to erase the space between them, effectively pulling Shiki back in. "Voyage!" This time, Alexei slammed a second, harder punch into Shiki's stomach. This one sent Shiki rocketing into the ground.
"W-What? How did he do that?!" Weisz eyes were wide.
Casey was moving next, leaping into the air thanks to the gravity he had copied from G earlier. With Lluvi's barrier he slammed his hands together and created a dome on top of Alexei. "You won't be worming your way out of this one so easily! Electric Dome!" He slammed his foot on the dome, causing an electrical current to course through the barrier, where it then exploded seconds later. Casey landed on the ground, peering into the smoke...
But that's when Casey felt Alexei's presence behind him. Casey turned, only to see Alexei behind him. That view didn't last long, as Alexei backhanded Casey across the cheek, sending him spiraling into the ground. "Your attacks will not reach me that easily."
"His Ether Gear must be some kind of warping power..." Lluvi surmised.
Casey spat out some blood, looking towards Alexei with an annoyed grin. "You think so? I think you've forgotten how my ether gear works!" The Adaptive Ether Gear: It worked by drawing in the Ether around it. When someone uses Ether Gear, they leave traces of that ether in the air. Casey draws that Ether in, allowing him to copy whatever is used for a short period of time. When he activates his Overdrive, there is no time limit to this copy ability.
"I know how it works." Alexei replied. "You would need to draw in any ether l leave behind. But my Ruler of Space...doesn't leave behind Ether. Ether fills the space, but I control space. So there is nothing you can absorb."
"He controls space!?" Lowell gasped.
"That's right. The boss is the strongest human around right now." X said with a haughty laugh.
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"Guns Harvest!" Hermit pointed her finger forward, multiple guns aimed at Hubert. These guns began to open fire. Without his weapon, they believed him to be an easy target. They were about to be proven wrong...
"I command you, defend." Hubert spoke to seemingly no one. But then, multiple panels from the walls began to form humanoid shapes in front of Hubert, protecting the Empyrean from Hermit's onslaught.
"What the hell!?" Sister's eyes were wide. "What do you think you're doing to this ship, you bastard!?"
"He can control inanimate objects...?" Hermit didn't like how that sounded.
"Correct." Hubert pointed his finger forward, and the solider constructed of Eden's Zero parts wielded a gun, beginning to open fire on Hermit and Sister. The two of them had to find cover immediately from this sudden onslaught. "This is a poor matchup for the two of you. Even if you are sentient, you've given me unlimited resources. This isn't so tacky as Machina Make. I can create whatever I choose from the soldiers I instruct."
"You talk a lot, you damned nerd!" Sister vaulted over the cover she was using, flipping around to slam her leg into Hubert's chest. This was a direct hit and Hubert was sent skidding backwards. Sister wasn't finished, as she drew her Paradise Whip beginning to let Hubert have it with several lashes. But she found that none of her attacks were doing as much damage as she would've liked. "Huh? What gives!? Most men would be whimpering and begging for me to stop right now!" Which she got off on, of course. She wanted to see this arrogant prick beg for her to stop!
"I am not like the small fry you've face in the past." Hubert responded while adjusting his glasses. He created another soldier from the materials within the Eden's Zero. This one had a watery sword and it slashed forward, catching Sister within the mini tidal wave.
"Shit...!" Sister grimaced, feeling herself short circuit from the impact. She grit her teeth, clenching one eye shut as she lay on her side.
"Water is a weakness of all androids when exploited correctly." Hubert stated.
"What is this guy?" Hermit attempted to do a quick analysis on Hubert, but it was no good. All she could figure out was that he had some kind of barrier around his person, due to an item on him. "His glasses? Maybe I can..." She paused, freezing for a second. She wanted to do something, but in a strange moment, she just...completely forgot what it was. "W-What was I going to do..."
"HERMIT!" Sister shouted.
"Ah!" Hermit looked up, only to see Hubert looming over her. His Runeblade returned fast, and it was in the form of a greatsword. He swung it down, cleaving through the floor of the ship. Hermit was just barely able to roll out of the way. She then pushed forward, focusing her ether within her arm. "Logical Arm Blast!" She punched Hubert square in the cheek, causing his head to tilt backwards as a result...but that was it. "...!"
"I commend you for hacking my runeblade, but unfortunately for you, that was your biggest mistake!" Hubert spun around, stabbing the tip of his runeblade into Hermit's body. "Denonation Bloom!" An explosion occurred from the point of contact, severely damaging Hermit's leg and knocking her down. "My runeblade runs an auto recovery program if it's hacked. You are the first person in a long time who's managed to do so, so for that, you have my respect. You are a dangerous one."
"Agh...!" Hermit cried out. Sister was short circuiting, and Hermit was down...
"I'll help...!" Moscoy was about to jump in, but he was stopped by X's blade suddenly appearing at his throat. "Eh!?"
"I wouldn't budge if I were you." X said coldly.
"But how...!?" Couchpo yelped from surprise.
"Another one!?" Hermit's eyes were wide with fear. "This...is..."
"Surprised?" X looked at Hermit. "Yeah, we've been waiting for this chance. There are three things we came to this backwater dump to do."
"Three...?" Hermit could still move. But she discreetly pressed a button.
"Grab the shards from this dump of a ship, and the other one." X shrugged, passing the baton to Hubert.
"And secondly, capture the Therion." Hubert said calmly.
"Blair!?" Sister, Hermit, Moscoy, and Couchpo all shouted at once.
"We've split into three teams to get this done. Our third team should be beginning their assault at any moment. The incoming Chronophage is quite an annoyance...but it simply means we have to work faster." He pointed his sword at Hermit, who began to sweat. "The elimination of the Eden's Zero and Eclipse Ark were not our goals, but you are merely collateral. I suppose Marshall will find some use for you two..."
Before that thought could go any further, Geno appeared in front of Hermit and Sister, much to the surprise of Hubert and X. Omega appeared from Geno's left arm and violently clawed Hubert, not leaving a mark, but it did send the man crashing into X due to the suddenness of it all. Geno landed on the ground, glaring at the two of them. "Get off our ship!"
"Megaman!" Hermit's eyes lit up.
"You sure took your damn time!" Sister coughed. She was feeling the movement in her limbs come back now.
"What the..." Hubert wasn't expecting an FMian fusion to appear!
"You crashed into me, idiot!" X snarled, pushing Hubert off of her before standing up.
"Everyone okay?" Geno looked back at the others, who nodded. "You guys...you're with the Galactic Fleet."
"..." X groaned. This was more work! "Are you serious? Who is this guy?"
"Megaman!" Geno said while pointing his arm cannon forward. "I won't ask you again. Leave our ship!"
Hubert then shrugged. "Gladly. After all...we got what we came for." When he said that, Marshall burst through the wall, holding the Black Moon Shard the Eden's Zero had on them.
"Found it!" Marshall grinned. But then he noticed Sister and Hermit, his eyes flashing pink for a moment. "Oh ho..."
"A third one!?" Hermit couldn't believe this. Their systems were compromised!
"We'll be taking our leave." Hubert said calmly. To ensure that they weren't going to be followed, placed his hand on the wall. This prompted multiple soldiers to appear from the walls, surrounding Geno, Hermit, and Sister.
"Damn..." Geno grunted. "Sorry I was too late..."
"You were fine!" Hermit exclaimed. "Sister, Moscoy, and I, can handle these things! You need to get to Ram Village right away and warn Rebecca and the others!"
"Warn them about what?" Omega asked.
Hermit, knowing time was short, had to cut to the chance. "They're after Blair!" And at that moment, a communications' channel opened...by Ano. "You...!?"
"We don't have a lot of time!" Ano said. "You guys have to listen to me...!"
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Shiki, Casey, and Alexei were flying about in the depths of the Temple of the Anicents, all while their crews were forced to watch. Shiki attempted to throw a punch at Alexei, but his Ruler of Space allowed him to repel the attack before it could come close. Alexei then spun around, slamming his leg into Shiki's stomach to launch him back. He then teleported behind Shiki, twisting his body to crush Shiki into the ground with a bicycle kick. Shiki hit the ground hard, causing a crater from the impact. Casey followed up, aiming a number of punches at Alexei, but his Ether Gear simply allowed him to remain perfectly spaced. "You can't hide behind your ether forever!" Casey grit his teeth, suddenly releasing a point blank burst of ice at Alexei, but it was all swallowed into space before it could get too far.
"Do you think your anger makes you stronger?" Alexei said while snapping his fingers, a rift appearing in front of Casey. This rift released the blast of ice Casey fired at him, nearly freezing him over as he started to fall from the sky. But Alexei didn't allow this. He swiped his hand, warping Casey on the ground, but also appearing in front of him. Alexei's fist was charged with Ether and he punched Casey in the gut, sending him flying into the nearest wall.
"Magimech Attack: Gravity Bullet!" Shiki clenched his hand into a fist, five spheres of gravity forming from his knuckles. He threw his fist forward, sending these condensed bullets towards Alexei to strike him with frighteningly high accuracy. However, with a flick of his wrist, these bullets vanished before they got close. Gritting his teeth, Shiki leapt towards the ceiling, and then proceeded to 'fall' towards Alexei with increased Gravity, attempting to crush him into the ground. "Gravity Comet!" Shiki was stopped hard by Alexei's barrier of space, but he was putting up a fight against it.
"Why do you resist so hard? What if I told you I was seeking to make the universe a better place." Alexei questioned.
"What sort of cosmos are you trying to make that sacrifices the lives of many!?" Shiki wasn't giving up.
"I'm erasing a sickness from this cosmos. A sickness that plagues the likes of you right now." Alexei lunged forward, grabbing Shiki by the face. In the next instant, they warped to the ceiling, where he then slammed Shiki right into the ground and jumped back. Casey once again tried to take advantage of this with an electrical blast, but Alexei's barrier stopped this. Alexei lifted his hand, and Casey created his own barrier to protect himself, but...that barrier was removed from space, and Casey had to eat a raw blast of Ether that sent him crashing to the ground. "The sickness of emotion."
"W-What?" Shiki had one eye clenched shut. Alexei was throwing them around like ragdolls, while they had yet to even land a meaningful attack on him.
"Emotion is a disease. The heart is weak for humans and androids alike. They give into their impulses, and what happens? War. Death. Destruction. For one reason or another, emotion is always that the crux of the matter. I have seen the same outcome happen countless times, and there was nothing that could change it. So I intend to erase it, to create a cosmos of harmony." Alexei folded his arms behind his back.
"That doesn't make any sense. That just sounds like you're killing the universe." Casey spat.
"Ziggy is attempting to cull the human race for one reason or another." Alexei said. "If I can erase emotion from the universe successfully, he will lose all reason to. The heart is weak. Fickle. Subject to change and waver at a moment's notice. It is unreliable. A cosmos where the heart is destroyed means peace for all living things. If I must destroy this universe to create a perfect one, so be it."
"This guy's insane..." Percival said with a dropped jaw.
Shiki and Casey looked at each other. They knew there was no way they would win if they weren't on the same page. They nodded. "The heart is weak? That's the biggest lie I've ever heard!" Shiki said while thrusting his fist forward. This seemingly did nothing at first, but...
"You wouldn't understand." Alexei went to move, but found that he couldn't. Gravity was pressing down on him, preventing him from moving as he would've liked. Before he could've had a chance to move, Casey flew in, slamming his fist into Alexei's face for the first real hit against him in this fight. "Gh...!?" Alexei's eyes were wide in surprise. As he flew back, Shiki was already in front of him, swinging for the fences.
'METEOR BREAKER!" Shiki put his all into this punch, wanting to make sure this was one that left Alexei reeling. With the force of a gigaton hammer, Shiki's fist hit Alexei's gut, sending him flying into the nearest wall with great impact.
"Nice!" Weisz grinned.
Alexei winced, noticeable bruises along his stomach and cheek from their attacks. "How did...you do that...?"
"You took away the space my gravity was filling...so I did the same to you. I put gravity in your space." Shiki said with a grin. "Gravity's all around us. It helps that this planet's gravity is just a little heavier than most. I figured you were using your Space powers to offset this..."
"If they work together, they might be able to..." Lluvi said.
"Nah." Nina cut that train of thought off immediately. "This fight's over."
"LET'S GO!" Shiki and Casey bolted off in separate directions, aiming to assault Alexei with their newfound momentum. However...
"I'm ending this here. We do not have time for such a farce." Alexei held both hands out, the lines of his ether gear shining brightly. His hair flared into a bright pink color as he entered his Overdrive. His eyes changed to the color pink, and on his back, multiple gemstones appeared, accompanied with angelic wings, but they were far from the heavenly kind. "Spacial Rend." Space itself proceeded to attack Shiki and Casey. It was such a strong and all encompassing attack, the pair could never have seen it coming. The best they could see were ripples in the air passing through them, causing them to stop in their tracks. Space overwhelmed Casey and Shiki, pelting them with invisible blasts that caused numerous wounds to appear on their bodies.
"GAAAAAAH!" Both Casey and Shiki cried out in agony. The others could only watch in horror as this attack shredded their otherwise powerful captains. When the attack finished, Casey and Alexei collapsed onto the ground, their eyes pure white to signify their defeat.
With their defeat confirmed, Alexei returned to normal, staring at the horrified expressions of the Eden's Zero and Eclipse Ark crews. "Do you understand now, why it is impossible to defeat the Galactic fleet? There is no force in the cosmos that can stop us now. The Black Moon...is within my reach."