The battle was glorious. Blood spilled in every direction. Gabriel's sword screamed with overwhelming might clashing with Raiden's new sword. Whenever Gabriel was too distracted with Raiden, Minos would come out of nowhere to engage the fool and begin fighting him instead.

Gabriel would jump into the air to try and get his bearings, but Raiden would never give up the onslaught of attacks, preferring to leap up and grab the angel by the ankle, slamming him right back down to the floor with a splash of blood going everywhere.

Raiden jumped back, beckoning for Gabriel to come closer. The angel returned to his feet and dashed forwards.

"You shall die!" Yelled Gabriel, right as Minos came out of left field with another dropkick planted right into the side of Gabriel's head. There was a flash of light and something akin to a thunderclap before Gabriel was launched swiftly across the room, slamming into the fleshy wall on the other side of the room, chunks of gore exploding everywhere when he embedded into it.

"Not.. even.. Mortal!!" Gabriel yelled, standing up and shaking himself off from the bloody pieces.

With both his enemies standing ready right in front of him, Gabriel dashed right back into the fight. His sword swung in an arc through the air, narrowly missing Minos' neck, but only cutting mere thin air as the Prime soul dodged the attack.

Raiden leapt at Gabriel from behind, spinning his sword rapidly and sparks flew as Gabriel quickly brought his own blade forth to block it. With his free hand, Gabriel grabbed hold of the Raiden's elbow, struggling to break the cyborg's steel defence.

However, Minos had other plans, and Gabriel lost his footing alltogether after being suckerpunched in the back of the head.

Raiden immediately broke through Gabriel's block, batting his heavenly blade out of the way, and kicking him in the stomach with as much force as his CNT muscle fibres could muster, blasting Gabriel right the way back into the powerful, slow drumbeat of King Minos' oppressive offence.

Minos spun Gabriel around to face him, slugging him in the face once.

"For thy transgressions against my kingdom!"

Gabriel stumbled backwards, dizzy. Minos strook again, the force of his second punch creating a shockwave as it connected with the front of Gabriel's helmet.

"For thy transgressions against my people!"

Blood flew out of the angel's face. Minos launched yet another, stronger and more destructive punch into Gabriel's head.

"For thy transgressions against my corpse!"

Gabriel almost fell over, taking all of his strength to stay stood up.

Minos nodded at Raiden.

Raiden took this invitation of sorts and grinned, sheathing the blue blade.

He ran towards Gabriel and joined in the jumping, starting off by kicking Gabriel in the balls.

"OOOhff!!" yelped the angel.

Raiden dodged a clumsy sword swing from Gabriel, his right arm caught by Minos who slammed his glowing elbow into it, snapping the arm with tremendous power. Gabriel's sword clattered to the ground, his right arm going limp.

Raiden jumped back up punching Gabriel in the face, causing him to begin to stumble around, right into Minos' waiting headbutt, causing a powerful flash, which would make Gabriel double over from the pain, dazed and disoriented whilst Raiden jumped into the air, slamming into Gabriel's exposed back with his elbow, making sure to dig it in real hard.

Gabriel was not about to let himself continue being jumped. So he waited for Minos to charge his next punch, grabbing Raiden by the chin as he rose to his feet and span around - holding Raiden right in front of Minos' fist.

There was a crack, and a flash of light as it connected with the back of Raiden's skull, blood spilled in all directions, and Gabriel dropped Raiden to the floor like a ragdoll.

"Foolishness, Minos.. Foolishness." Gabriel taunted, walking slowly towards Minos.

"I will not let you make a mockery of the memory of my people whomst thou slaughtered!!" Minos bellowed, becoming enraged.

Gabriel teleported behind Minos, kicking him inbetween the shoulder blades, and blood showered from the blow, but it only forced the wise king forward by a few steps.

"Perish, like your foul kingdom!"

Minos turned and quickly punched at Gabriel, who had already disappeared.

The angel was dashing all around the arena, swifty and frantically in an attempt to intimidate his opponent. On any ordinary warrior, it might have worked. However on King Minos, the Prime soul, it would only be tolerated for so long.

Minos waited for the angel to teleport to somewhere near. It took a while of watching the dishevelled angel dart all over the chamber, but finally Gabriel had moved within arms reach - dipping his toes into the water to see how close he could get to make Minos bite.

And he did bite. Hard. He grabbed Gabriel's leg with both arms, yelling in immense strength as he suplexed Gabriel, slamming him into the floor right behind him.

As Gabriel hit the floor, blood spilled everywhere and the angel felt waves of pain begin to throb through his lower abdomen. His body had begun to waver.

"NO. Not now.!" Gabriel shouted, amping himself up as both he and Minos stood again.

The angel began to walk slowly towards Minos.

"I.. need more.. power!" He shouted, before suddenly the guitar music stopped. The room was silent. Gabriel froze mid pace.

The neck of a guitar had been rammed through his chest, dripping blood.

Gabriel clutched at the wound and fell to his knees.

"Wha- what's going on... how could a mere OBJECT cause this damage,.. To ME!?" He spluttered.

The man behind Gabriel let go of the main body of the guitar when Gabriel fell down. He walked out in front and looked down at Raiden sternly.

Raiden looked up.

"Gman?"

Gman wiped the angel blood off his hands.

"It seems that... you were in need of... my assistance, Mr. Ripper."

"Yeah. I guess. I was." Raiden sat up, blood covered half his face.

Gman made another unnatural attempt at smiling but gave up.

"So you've arrived... at the end... of this world... haven't you.."

"I have?"

"Indeed... I shall send you home... now... you.. may ske me a, few questions, of course."

Minos stood over Gabriel silently.

Raiden scratched his head briefly.

"So here's my first question. Who was hades? Where is he, I mean."

Gman chuckled.

"Hades was.. pure, fabrication..."

Raiden pursed his lips.

"And why am I being sent back home?"

"Ah, that is because... my employers no longer... see reason, for you... so you've.. been. disqualified..."

"I don't get it."

"That's just, too bad."

Suddenly, a mysterious wind began to mount in the room. A strange white, glowing rectangle opened right in thin air, in front of Raiden's eyes. The rectangle was mesmerising and ethereal, Raiden could hardly take his eyes away.

"This... is the portal back... to your home."

Raiden stood up shakily, aching pain criss crossing his body. He should never have asked Doktor to deactivate his pain inhibitors.

"So what you're saying is.. I'm being fired?" Raiden asked, walking toward the door.

"Well... it's more like... a temporary... layoff."

Raiden nodded, then looked at Minos, who stared down at Gabriel's wilting corpse.

"I cannot join thee on thy journey, bionic. For my place is here, as the Judge of Hell."

Raiden nodded, understandingly.

"Well.. goodbye Minos."

He said, stepping through the gateway, and disappeared.

"I know that thou art behind this somehow, stranger." Said Minos, not looking away from Gabriel.

"Behind what... my friend..?" Gman asked the soul before him.

"No man can display power such as this, so nonchalantly, yet be unmotivated by some goal, that's what I'm saying. What thy goal is, I do not know. But a fell aura covers thee."

Gman walked towards Minos.

"You're... actually quite right, ... Minos Prime.. just keep watching. There's going... to be a lot... of different people ... joining this story real... soon..."

Before Minos could question further, the strange, suited man was already gone.

"O Gabriel. Thy reckoning has dawned.." He whispered.

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MEANWHILE... on the surface world...

After V1 singlehandedly destroyed the US Navy at Christchurch, what small number of survivors were forced to pick up the pieces from the rubble. The fact of the matter is that every single person who refused to evacuate had been slaughtered.

It was late in the day. Smoke rose in columns from the city below. The sun was low in the west as it slowly set, bleeding crimson red into the sky.

Stanton and Lou had watched from afar when those battle ships began to barrage the coast, almost certain that would end the machine's rampage.

Lou's face went pale when they suddenly began sinking into the sea.

Stanton stared on in disbelief when the entire fleet five destroyers strong had been erased from the waters. As if they were barely an obstacle.. but instead-

"A stepping stone..." Stanton breathed under his breath.

"A what?" Asked Lou.

"That machine was using the ships as a stepping stone, don't you see? To get to the North Island."

"That's quite the deduction, Stanton."

"Well it makes sense."

Brent Dirt walked between Stanton and Lou, his precense and whiskey stench overpowering.

"Hello, Captain, I-"

"It's over! The United States has lost!!" Brent bawled, interrupting Stanton, "there's no hope left for us now but to sink into the sea... kaboom.." He continued, dropping his whiskey bottle on the floor for good effect.

Instead of shattering it just rolled away down the hill.

Stanton decided to try and console the American.

"Well consider that fact that when it reaches mainland USA, sir, it'll find it hard to go anywhere without being attacked by everyone."

"Whaddya mean WHEN it reaches mainland USA? Our fighting men won't ever let it near the coast!!"

"I guess you're right..." Stanton seceded. 'After all, the States are still the biggest naval power in the world.'

"So what now?" Lou asked.

"I think it's about time that we go down there and clean up the city. We'll go grab the Deputy first.." Stanton looked over to the Deputy's tent, and gritted his teeth, "for clearance purposes."

Stanton and Lou trunched over the grass towards the tent, its door flap waving in the gentle wind. Lou peeled back the flap to reveal..

"..nothing there."

Stanton blinked a few times.

"What do you mean nothing there?" He asked, incredulously.

"I mean it's empty, there's nothing there."

Stanton pushed Lou aside and knelt down, looking into the tent. There really was nothing there, apart from the bare ground and discarded lolipop sticks.

"Unbelievale! There's no way he's done that." Exclaimed Stanton, in denial.

"Done what?"

"Ran away." Said Stanton, darkly.

Lou couldn't think of anything to say.

"He, he wouldn't run away, right? He's our Deputy."

"Well, he's not here so what else did he do?" He snapped, causing Lou to cringe a little. Stanton regained his composure.

"I'm just saying, given your father's behaviour over the last week, I'm surprised his cowardly nature hadn't compelled him earlier."

Stanton sighed in frustration and rubbed his temple.

"Lou, I need you to gether as many officers as you can and order them to standby outside the main marquis."

Lou saluted.

"Yes, right away."

"Cleanup starts tonight. We haven't any time to waste."

Lou sped away, eagerly following the orders he was just given. Stanton watched him go and shook his head.

'Does he not know that he is a higher rank than me..?' At least there was some humour in the complete disaster that this entire operation had been.