Chapter 34: Skyfall
12:02 PM (Japan Time), Friday August the 23rd…
"… Time to resume where we left off last summer, Clark…"
"Snake! Did you like my raincoat?"
"What an innovating parody. Patent it…"
"Beware. Ms. Mikumo will steal your instant noodles…"
"Somehow, I wouldn't be surprised at that…"
Zataki made it to the rooftop.
He wore gray armor made of several plates joined together.
Two sword sheaths were attached to his black belt.
His arms and legs were also covered in plating.
He had gloves and boots made of the same material.
A purple cape hung from the back of the shoulders.
There was a round device with a purple "V" on his chest, too.
He also had a helmet protecting his head.
He carried a face plate with shades and a respirator in his hand.
He set it before his face, and it clicked into place.
"Time for my "Armed Phenomenon" time…"
"Save me the edginess and get on with it…"
Clark stood up and shook the dust off his raincoat.
He transformed into his battle form.
He formed two red blades.
"Xenmas says hi, Leon!" He chuckled.
"Very funny…"
Zataki drew his own blades, frizzling with electricity.
A "Dimensional Area" formed over the building and its surroundings.
"The Defenders of Earth have come?"
"Very funny. Where's Regal?"
"Looking through his scarecrows. Where else?"
"Fine. I did suspect that he wouldn't show up so easily…"
"Weren't you arguing with cousin about that a while ago, anyway?"
"Whatever…"
They both began their clash of blades.
"This is Cosmo Man. Engaging the man of the angels…"
"Very funny!" Charles grumbled.
"This is Yamato Man. The ronin bites…"
"For the last time! I'm not a ronin!" Enzan complained.
"This is Swallow Man. The Steel Sniper bites…"
"Engaging the enemy…" Raika drily countered.
"It's burning and raining!" Clark laughed.
"This is Cloud Man. The Demi-Fiend has come!"
"Save me the titles. Will you fight or not?" Netto challenged.
"As you can see, the party has begun…"
"And what of it?" He questioned.
Clark didn't reply and vanished in a cloud of smoke.
Several hums rang out behind the AC units.
A few seconds later, Clark reappeared.
"Was taking out the trash…"
"Hologram projectors? Regal sure bothers with the setup, too…"
"Is but a pale imitator…"
"Including your friend, the teddy bear?"
"Well, well. I'll be damned…"
Clark looked over his shoulder.
The infamous "Monokuma" stood there, holding up his right claw.
His right eye was glowing intermittently.
"You finally dared to bare your fangs at the Demon King, Legar?"
The bear jumped for Clark, but he merely extended his blade.
It pierced through the chest, and the bomb inside exploded.
Several more units dropped into the area next.
"These ones are data…" Clark guessed.
"Naturally…"
"Wanting to imitate the climax of Chapter 5 in v2, I see…" He smirked.
"You began it…"
"I know. Not like I care, anyway…"
A smaller "Dimensional Area" formed around both combatants.
"I set it up to stop anything else from materializing here!"
"Smart. Now we can continue without interruptions…"
"Also…"
A ring of energy spread from the smaller dome.
It erased all enemies upon hitting them.
"I set up a jammer field to stop them from coming!"
"What if they try to break the ceiling from beneath us?"
"I foresaw that. There's a shield in the gap between layers!"
"Good. I don't want that fool to ruin the moment, either…"
"Should we play a requiem for Regal while we're at it?" He laughed.
"Suit yourself…"
"Skyfall, by Adele!"
"Really. Thought that it'd be Snake Eater…"
"The fool isn't part of our "bloodline"!"
"Whatever. I couldn't care less…"
"This is the end… Hold your breath and count to ten…"
The song began to play.
"Or maybe you'd preferred Duel of the Fates?"
"I don't care…"
"Kitaro has influenced you! I can see that…"
"Suit yourself…"
Both resumed their sword clash.
"Feel the Earth move and then… Hear my heart burst again…"
"I'll warn you that my weapons cannot harm me!"
"Same over here…"
"For this is the end… I've drowned and dreamt this moment…"
"A mob of rioters is coming from all directions!" Freeze Man warned.
"Regal! That's his new tactic?" Clark hissed.
"So overdue, I owe them… Swept away, I'm stolen…"
"They're Navis, naturally enough…"
"Fire at them, then! Use the RAYs, Gecko and PMC soldiers!"
"Let the sky fall…"
"We're on it, sir. But they keep on spawning…"
"Means to overcome them with numbers, then…"
"When it crumbles… We will stand tall…"
"How do we contain them?"
"The fool must be accessing from somewhere. Hack them!"
"Face it together…"
"Delighted, sir…"
"Send them a bunch of PKMN to swarm them!"
"Let the sky fall…"
"Right away, sir…"
"Set up mines, traps, barricades, spikes… Slow them down!"
"When it crumbles… We will stand tall…"
"Yes, sir. I turned the floor into magma already…"
"Handle it on your own. I must focus. Don't meddle!"
"Face it together…"
"By your orders…"
"Eat these! Great Avalanche! Grand Tsunami!"
Clark formed an avalanche of boulders falling from the sky.
It was followed by a tsunami wave about 2 meters tall.
"Vicious Fire! Unending Cyclone!"
Zataki formed purple flames around his body.
They flew for the opponent.
They were followed by a cyclone.
The flames fused with it and leapt across the inner body of the cyclone.
Zataju ran through the tsunami and dodged the boulders.
He leapt into the air to enter the cyclone.
He began a close-quarters battle.
The dome expanded to accommodate the growing fight.
Explosions, yells and screams rang out from the building's grounds.
JSDF choppers were flying over the main dome as well.
"At Skyfall… At Skyfall…"
"Beware, onlookers! I can bring you down with my fingers!"
"Come on. Don't remind me of that scene in MGS4…"
"That sure was a huge "failure flag" scene!"
"Skyfall is where we start… A thousand miles and poles apart…"
"Whatever…"
"Despair!"
"Where worlds collide, and days are dark…"
"As if I would…"
"Witness my new tactics!"
Clouds formed over Clark.
Bird-shaped energy masses flew out from them.
They hit Zataki in a row over different spots of his body.
Clark drew closer, but Zataki recovered.
He crossed his blades to stop the foe's blades.
"You fused the attacks of your men!?"
"I can innovative, too!"
"You may have my number… You can take my name…"
"As I said in Shadow Moses… We're but nameless men!"
"Save me the poetry…"
"But you'll never take my heart…"
"If we have one to begin with…! Aren't we Nobodies?"
"I give up…"
"Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)…"
"As Obelix often said… The sky will fall upon us!"
"Make a blog about your collages…"
"I'm already doing it. It has a small group of hardcore fans!"
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me…"
"When it crumbles (when it crumbles)…"
"This is my new Fusion Monster! Cosmic Spears!"
Planetoids with spears emerging from them flew for Zataki.
He knocked one out of course but another stabbed his left hip.
He used the chance to stab Clark's right chest, too.
"We will stand tall (we will stand tall)…"
"My Fusion Monsters are scarier than Pegasus' freakish monsters!"
"Sure, sure…"
"Face it all together…"
"This dome also blocks vision from the outside…"
"So those in the choppers can't see what's happening inside…"
"Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)…"
"Let's hope that it doesn't fall upon them!"
"You're such a bully…"
"When it crumbles (when it crumbles)…"
"Dark Generator!"
"Finally…"
"We will stand tall (we will stand tall)…"
Clark was surrounded by energy.
A new layer of armor formed over his body.
A purple glow surrounded him.
His blades also became purple.
"Face it all together… At Skyfall…"
"We stopped the rioters, sir…"
"Good. Remain on standby to retreat to Point Morpheus…"
"Acknowledged…"
"Regal must be about to bite…" Zataki guessed.
"About time!"
A familiar voice laughed and echoed.
"Where you go, I go… What you see, I see… I know I'd never be me…"
"There you are!"
Clark looked towards the JSDF choppers.
One had opened the side door.
Regal was looking out from there and smirking.
"Without the security… Of your loving harms… Keeping me from harm…"
"You need that witch to pour love into you, Clark?" He taunted.
"You were saying? The mike is broken!" Clark shot back.
"Put your hand in my hand… And we'll stand…"
"Dark Synchro Chip…"
Regal held it out in his right hand.
"Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)…"
"… Or so you thought…"
He dropped it and laughed.
"When it crumbles (when it crumbles)…"
"I don't need that anymore…"
"Because you're a fake…"
"We will stand tall (we will stand tall)…"
"In exchange for that, try this out…"
The chopper turned and aimed its machine gun muzzles at them.
Energy attacks were shot in quick succession.
They pierced through the two domes and hit both combatants.
"Face it all together…"
"Shit! It's wrapped in energy to pierce the domes!"
"The fool hasn't been wasting time, I see!"
"Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)…"
"Bang! Bang!"
Clark aimed his right index and middle fingers at the chopper.
He acted as if he was firing a gun.
"When it crumbles (when it crumbles)…"
Alarms rang out from the chopper's cockpit.
It lost control and began to fall, spinning out of control.
"We will stand tall (we will stand tall)…"
Regal jumped out of it, surrounded by an energy bubble.
He dived through the main dome, making it to the rooftop.
"Face it all together… At Skyfall…"
A RAY unit shot its water cutter at the chopper, splitting it in half.
Both halves hit the ground in different locations.
"Let the sky fall… We will stand tall…"
Regal removed the parachute and shook off the dust off his clothes.
He drew a futuristic gun and pressed the trigger.
"At Skyfall…"
A laser shot pierced the second dome and hit Clark's chest armor.
It melted the armor, to his surprise.
Regal shot another shot, but Clark stopped it with the Diamond Blade.
He poured energy into it and fired the shot back at Regal.
The latter was running along the edge of the dome.
He shot more shots, aiming for Zataki instead of Clark.
Zataki formed several electrical bolts and trapped the shots.
"What are you, Kuzunoha Raidou and his Boogie-Woogie gun!?"
"Possibly…" He chuckled.
"Bang! Bang!"
Clark aimed at the other chopper.
It also lost control, but it dropped a bomb towards them.
Freeze Man flew towards it and sliced it with his blade.
Heavy, purple gas was released and soon fell to the ground.
"Too bad, Regal. This also acts as a gas mask…"
"And it proves that you're not a human, but a dummy!"
"Who knows?"
"You're not as crazy as Komaeda! That much is clear…"
"That was a fun show, truly!"
The gas was deposited on the ground.
"Gust!"
The box with the fan formed and blew the gas away.
"Wait, Freeze Man! It's a trap!"
"What!?"
"It's not meant for us! But for the humans inside the building!"
"Devil!"
"Ignite it!"
"Hell's Burner!"
The gas ignited and an explosion ensued.
Regal was blown out of the rooftop by it.
His body frizzled and reverted to that of a "Copy Roid".
A RAY smacked it with one of its arms and shattered it into pieces.
"I was careless, sir!"
"Don't mind it! Start the retreat!"
"At once!"
"Wait. What's this sound?"
A continuous beeping sound was becoming audible.
The RAY agitated and their "eyes" flicked between blue and red.
"That's it! MGS2! When the virus drives GW mad!"
"Regal! He was aiming for this moment!?"
"Maybe the Copy Roid was the "patient zero"!?" Freeze Man gasped.
"Wouldn't surprise me! Acts like he's Komaeda!"
The unit walked towards them, roaring.
"Too bad, though! I have contingency plans!"
A holographic screen and keyboard formed before Clark.
He inputted a series of passwords.
The RAY were pulled out of the area.
"They will delete 4.44 seconds afterwards!"
The lowing of cattle echoed next.
"Shit! The Gecko next!?"
The machines jumped onto the rooftop and opened fire.
But their attacks bounced off the dome.
"Shit. Meant for me to deploy these and then use them against me!"
"Too much scheming will be the schemer's downfall…"
"REEEGAAALLL!"
"My master is resting. Return to the grave where you crawled out from…"
A woman wearing mourning clothes and a veil appeared there.
"The wheelchair old man's spokeswoman!" Clark grumbled.
"My. A foolish defective demon claims to create a new world?"
An old woman also wearing mourning clothes and a veil appeared next.
"The little kid's spokeswoman!"
"Return to the abyss and wander it forever…" Both announced.
A "portal" formed beneath Clark's feet, and he was pulled inside of it.
"Skin shedding!" He roared.
The additional armor detached and was pulled inside.
He himself warped and reappeared outside of the dome.
The two women were gone.
He hissed and looked around for the enemy.
"Freeze Man! Any odd signatures?"
"No. But they're probably hiding right before us…"
"Did you warp the staff outside of the building?"
"Yes. And our men have pulled out as well…"
"Fine. Least Regal try to use them against us…"
"On the contrary! The jerk sent Laser Man copies to attack us!"
"That lousy fool…!"
"And copies of the Four Knights of the Apocalypse, too…!"
"To raid the Internet Cities across the world? Why that fool…!"
"Guess that he really wants to drag it to the next "season"…"
"Whatever. I accounted for that!"
"… This is Polo. The event is about to happen. You know the rest…"
"I am aware…"
"Good. See you around…"
Clark grumbled and shook his head.
"Those copies were lame. An attempt at collecting data!"
Clark turned off his blades and erased them.
He crossed his arms.
"I wished to bring out more, but that fool had to hinder…"
"Sure. Not like I expected much more…"
"I'll lurk below the surface for a while. To draw Regal to me…"
"Suit yourself. But I will also chase the man…"
"Naturally. The fool must be eager to outsmart you as well…"
Sounds of scuffles rang out.
"The jerk sent those "Fiends" to attack us, too!" Charles grumbled.
"The blood of the Demi-Fiend must be excellent!"
"Shut up, Mother Harlot!" Netto grumbled.
"Can you overcome my speed, Heaven's Angels?"
"Shut up, Hell's Angel!" Charles fumed.
"The blood of the ronin shall smear the arena!"
"Shut up, Matador…"
"I shall bring you salvation, pawn of the greedy fools…"
"I don't need to! High Priest!"
"Regal…! You'll soon hear from me again…!"
Clark hissed, not bothering to hide his anger.
"Better leave before he sends a buffed up Demi-Fiend for you…"
"I talk too much!"
"Reap what you sow…"
"… Our battle will continue!"
"That was obvious from the start. Novice scriptwriter!"
"I'll show you my true skill after I crush Regal's skull!"
Clark vanished in a pillar of red light.
"Less words. Prove it…"
Zataki sighed and shook his head, also annoyed.
"Omega. Retrieve me before the JSDF makes it here…"
"Roger. Retrieving!"
The "portal" opened behind Zataki.
He stepped inside, and it closed.
Regal emerged from behind an AC unit.
"What dull senses!" He mocked him.
He soon gasped as a blade pierced through him from behind.
Freeze Man smirked as he closed his left hand around the head.
He copied data from the dummy.
He pulled out the blade and the dummy dropped to the ground.
"You will tell us what you're plotting, Regal…!"
He flipped the blade with the hilt and thrust it backwards.
He stabbed another Regal that tried to attack with an axe.
He warped out of that location and reappeared higher in the air.
The four "CF" users made it to the rooftop, too.
"This neither victory nor defeat!" Freeze Man proclaimed.
"We knew that. Doesn't make a difference…" Charles shot back.
"It's the end of this season…" Raika added.
"And a break until the next one…" Enzan continued.
"Come anytime!" Netto challenged.
"So be it… Farewell!"
