Reviews:
Akira: A sister that holds up that her brother is still in there. Poor girl. As for the whereabouts of the seventh Prince of Helheim...we'll see what happens. For now, Angelo and Bragi face off on Earth while the girls are in space.
Guest: Yes. Not like she had much of a choice. At the time, she didn't know about Narfi. It was only until Hazuki told her.
Ryugen: Funny you should say that. I did base it a bit off of Vice. You're not wrong. Odin is more than meets the eye. Remember, even back in GX, we didn't know that he was using Hajime's father as a host. But you're right. If he shows up right now, everyone is dead. All the times has shown up, he humbled everyone. We'll see what happens to Hazuki. But you make a good point. He is a dreamer, a dreamer who wants to make the world as he sees fit and as the sole ruler.
nickseverino8: Yeah, I feel bad for Chris too. She wants revenge for Takeru. And Allister or Elsa are her main objectives. The others will try their best to convince her not to stain her hands. Well, we don't know much about the seventh member. No one wants to mention him for some reason. Also, that's a good question. I don't think it would destroy the river of souls, because Hazuki has it hidden. And I haven't decided about whether Hajime or Yosuke will win so no promises on that front.
SoutaAmetsuchi: Something like that. I'd say he's also a bit like Vice. Takeru wouldn't want her to take another life. Especially in cold blood. He'd be distraught to see her like that.
Lord Ri The Husbu King: I think Hazuki doesn't think but he acts. He says something but he doesn't think before he talks. He's trying to manipulate a little girl. He's truly disgusting. And that's his sister too. He has no limit to what he's willing to do for his goals. He joined because of two things. Once, SONG had like 6 Riders and 6 Symphogear and he was by himself. And secondly, he was attracted to Hazuki's emotions and curious to see where that would take him. But now, he's realized that Elsa was always everything to him, so he took Terunosuke's advice, and decided to take Elsa and his daughter away to at least spend whatever is left of peace before The Fall comes in the form of Ragnarok. As for Bragi, he didn't have a choice. As Genjuro said, they are at a disadvantage since they lost Jades. So they need all the help they can get. It's a gamble. But maybe it will pay off. You know...I think I also have MikuxBragi as my top 3 couples in the story. Braku? Migi? I wonder what name sounds better for their couple's name.
Tenzalucard123: Let's hope Setsuna stays strong and doesn't listen to Hazuki. Allister went to the moon to protect Elsa from Chris...but will he be safe from her wrath with the wound in his arm?
Chapter 135
The Condemned
"Damn it. Of course, Enki is after me. What a pain." Shem-Ha groaned in frustration, flying through a deserted rocky area while holding an infant in her arms. She glanced down at the toddler, and he blinked back unevenly with his 3 eyes. The baby was shining and his body was composed fully of electricity, making it hard to hold. Thankfully, Shem-Ha had gotten a robe to cover him and dampen the electricity flowing through his body."And of course, Loki had to disappear now of all times, leaving me with you, Narfi."
Narfi blinked, not understanding her words due to his age.
"But still, you are still a Custodian. So you have some value. If this works out, you can wipe out the race of Enki's lover." Shem-Ha smiled deviously."That will be your job, Narfi. I expect great things from you."
The woman landed down in front of a small ship, opening the door and placing the baby inside."This will take you to Earth. It should also teach you its basic language so you won't be completely lost. You'll be inside until you're old enough to move on your own. Thankfully, you are growing rapidly. Probably because of your giant genes. So you won't have to get impatient. Furthermore, it should disguise your body so you won't go around looking like a three-eyed freak. Seriously, why do you have 3 eyes...?"
She finished programming the ship, closing the compartment, and staring at the young Custodian inside."Make sure to give them hell. I can't wait to see Enki's stupid face when he realizes all of his efforts were for naught. The rocket will take off in 10 minutes. Enough for me to distract Enki so he doesn't notice. Now, go forth, my son. Destroy humanity."
"Or so that was the plan. But he ended up doing whatever he wanted." Shem-Ha groaned to herself, reminiscing of the past."Retched little bastard. He deviated from his sole purpose to fight like a barbarian. And that only got him killed, stuck to be reincarnated from human to human. What a pathetic end. I'm embarrassed even to say he's my child."
Narfi had become a problem, growing accustomed to humanity and seeking nothing but his own entertainment. Nothing how a Custodian should act. She had given him specific instructions and he ignored them. It made her blood boil in anger.
Shem-Ha started to cackle."No matter. The roots of the Yggdrasil have already spread to all the core locations of Earth. Even with whatever Loki is preparing, once the monsters finish their job, nothing will be able to stop me. Oh?"
The Custodian noticed her right arm tremble."I see you like to struggle. Are your feelings so strong as to bring about this miracle?"
She entered her mental landscape, coming face to face with Miku."Well?"
"Bragi-kun is coming for me." Miku muttered, refusing to make eye contact with Shem-Ha."You saw him yourself..."
"Perhaps." She acknowledged with a nod."And I know it'll take more than mere decapitation to keep him down. But I am not concerned. My subordinate will handle him. And if you think that the other one, the Godslayer, Hibiki Tachibana, will come as well, you're mistaken. Besides, why are you wishing to be saved? Were you not the one who took me in?"
"Huh?"
"You were the one who wanted to connect with others and let them know how they felt." Shem-Ha smiled smugly."You practically invited me in. Why are you acting like this isn't your doing?"
"N-no! That was different!" Miku shook her head."I didn't want this!"
"Oh?" Shem-Ha began advancing toward Miku, her appearance changing to her original form."My dear vessel. You were the first one released from the Curses of Balal. You and I are going to do great things together. Do not fret. For I am also going to eliminate Loki and his little dogs."
She leaned closer to her, licking her ear."You will thank me when you come to accept it. For now...you shall stay here."
"Don't...don't hurt Hibiki or Bragi-kun..." Miku said in a shaky voice.
"I am afraid that's not up to me to decide." Shem-Ha retreated to the darkness."My Godslayer is the one who will decide that. It's too bad. That boy never returned your feelings. But that will all change after he dies."
"No! L-let me out!" Miku thrashed around to no avail as more black bindings were placed on her body."BRAGI-KUN!"
Bragi tensed up upon hearing, or at least, thinking he heard Miku's voice. He roared, slamming his gravity-enhanced fist against Angelo's face, sending the demon skidding on the ground. Angelo kicked a tree in his direction, setting it on fire. Alternative smacked it away, drawing a card from his Deck.
Sword Vent: Slashdagger
He aimed the tip of his sword forward, spewing out blue flames from it. Angelo roared, slamming his fists into the ground before lifting the ground beneath, using it to block the flames. He used the ground as cover, shooting several slashes through and forcing Alternative to bounce them away with his gravity.
"Hellfire!" Angelo chucked his fireball at Alternative, forcing him to parry it with his sword before slashing the attack in half, creating two twin explosions down below.'So there's a cooldown everything he either repels or attracts. But he seems to be doing fine whenever he's flying around. Interesting.'
The Rider rocketed against Angelo's chest, burying his knee and making him gasp in pain. He followed by horizontally kicking him across the face, sending him flying. However, he had attached a wire around Angelo's ankle, hurling him across the forest.
"Wow! You got fired up all of a sudden, Bragigi!" Beelzebub commented."Not that I mind. I like your beating around Satan's host. But what happened?"
"I could have sworn I heard Miku-san's voice just now." Bragi frowned under his helmet."I have to finish this fight. I have to go save her."
"Alright. I can respect wanting to save your lady." Beelzebub grinned in approval. With that, Alternative chased after Angelo as the fight between them continued.
Meanwhile, the group of Riders were in the infirmary, still recovering from their wounds. Hajime sat on his bed, petting Andreas as the dog slept peacefully on his lap. Raiden was reading a magazine while Yosuke and Hamaguchi were finishing their food.
"I miss cooking..." Hamaguchi lamented, setting his bowl down."This is okay, but nothing I couldn't make. But better. Like a lot better."
"Stop complaining and eat." Yosuke chided him."You can make us something after all this is done. Sounds good? I do miss your cooking."
"Aw, thanks Yosuke-san!" Hamaguchi grinned joyfully."I love it when people appreciate my cooking."
"I bet Akatsuki compliments you every day," Yosuke said.
"Oh, yeah. Though, Shirabe and Raiden told me not to feed her too much." Hamaguchi glanced over to the bespectacled teen."They say she might get fat. Not that I see a problem with it."
"She's a young girl. She needs to watch her figure. You're probably only defending it because you have a weird fetish or something." Raiden quipped.
"N-no, man! I just love my girl, no matter how she looks!" Hamaguchi blushed, waving his arms frantically.
"Heh. I'm just kidding." Raiden chuckled."Think of it as payback for not shutting up about your damn flat earth theory."
"When Raiden wants to tease, he goes all out, huh?" Hajime smiled at his friend."Guess that after being teased you're finally learning."
"The only reason people tease me is because they tease Elfnein." Raiden huffed.
"By the way..." Hamaguchi smiled deviously."So how's the relationship?"
"Not this shit again..." Raiden groaned.
"What is he talking about?" Hajime tilted his head.
"He wants to know if I'm dating Carol since she's in Elfnein's body." Raiden rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I mean..." Hajime trailed off."Are you?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Why not, man? You know how many guys would love to be in your position?" Hamaguchi laid on his bed."You saw Carol's adult body."
"Because I only love Elfnein." Raiden hissed."No one else. If anything Carol is like...a sister-in-law I guess. I don't really talk to her so I don't know."
"Well, I guess that's okay." Hamaguchi shrugged."Imagine how weird that would be. You're dating a girl, who happens to have her sister inside her body. Then you're also dating that sister, who has a kid that's your nephew. But then that would also make him your son and-"
"Sometimes I don't know why I let you date my sister," Raiden grumbled in annoyance.
"Probably because only they have the energy to put up with each other." Hajime laughed hysterically."Hey! Those are some pretty valid questions, though!"
"Help! We're on the moon!" The voice from the Akuma alerted them. Hamaguchi grabbed it and answered the call and was met by Kirika's face pressed up against the screen."Hamaguchi!"
"Wow! What's going on, babe? Why are you freaking out-"
"THE MOON!" Kirika pointed the camera toward the ceiling, and they could see what looked to be the Earth.
"What the fuck?!" Hamaguchi gasped in shock."What?! How?! What happened?!"
"Akatsuki! Status report!" Yosuke commanded, grabbing the bear away from Hamaguchi. Shirabe chimed in and gave them a brief summary of what happened. Thankfully, since the Akumas were Relics from Helheim, they did not seem to have a problem communicating from the Moon to the Earth.
"So Noble Red teleported you all to the moon..." Raiden's eyes widened slowly."But then, that means-"
"We have to go!" Shirabe shouted as she hurled several buzzsaws at something outside of the screen."It's the ruins' defensive system! It's trying to get rid of the intruders!"
"We'll call you back-desu! We're trying to find the others as we speak, but these things just don't stop coming!"
Suddenly, the call ended as the girls focused on fighting the drones around them. Hamaguchi gritted his teeth, marching toward the drawer and pulling out his Deck.
"Where the hell are you going, man?" Hajime asked, stopping him.
"What does it look like?" Hamaguchi muttered in a cold tone."I'm going up there."
"Yeah? How?"
"I can blast myself with water. All I gotta do is make one gigantic geyser towards space until I can make it to the moon."
"Kuroiwa, be serious." Yosuke chimed in, grabbing his shoulder."Space is extremely cold. If you don't freeze, the water will. And then you'll have two choices. Either die by asphyxiation or fall to your death. None of those choices will help our case."
"B-but...I can't leave Kirika alone..."
"She's not alone." Raiden spoke up."The others are there too. We have to trust them. There has to be a way out. Besides...remember what Bragi said."
"I need you guys to be ready." Bragi had told them before leaving."I might need your help. So if it comes down to it, I need you to answer my call."
"That's true..." Hajime nodded."Wonder why he said that though...Do you think maybe he can't beat the demon guy?"
"Maybe. At any rate, we must inform HQ of this." Yosuke told them as they headed for the door.'Dienheim...What were you trying to tell us...?'
"There you go. That should stop the bleeding." Elsa sighed once she finished doing a tourniquet on Allister's arm. Fortunately, they had been teleported together along with Mona but the older girl decided to do something to stop Allister from continuing to bleed. The wound was deep since he hadn't expected Shirabe and Kirika's attack to be that strong, so he had gone in Survive thinking he could successfully take it."How do you feel, Allie?"
"I'm alright." Allister grimaced, staring at Elsa's rear."That attack..."
"It blew out my neuron connectors-de-arimasu..." Elsa grimaced, still carrying her suitcase."And destroyed most of my attachments. All I have left is my tail claw.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I can still fight." Allister shifted his attention to Mona."We'll get out of this. Don't worry."
"Why did you jump in like that?!" Elsa grabbed him by the collar of his shirt."It was reckless! And why did you bring Mona?! This is no place for a child-de-arimasu!"
"I'm sorry..." Allister muttered."I just didn't know what else to do. She couldn't say back there...Because Hazuki would use her to threaten me."
"Threaten? You mean...?"
"I meant what I said. I want the 3 of us to make our own paradise together. And that can't happen if I'm with the DDV. So...here I am."
"Oh, Allister..." Elsa leaned in for a hug, which he gladly accepted.
Mona smiled, happy to see them together despite their situation. However, she noticed several drones approaching them."Father! Mother! Look!"
"Shit. Both of you, stand back." Allister pulled out his Deck, immediately sliding it into his V Buckle and transforming into Kamen Rider Ouja.
"B-by yourself?!" Elsa gasped."You're in no condition to fight!"
"Don't underestimate me, dear. I am an assassin. These wounds won't slow me down. Plus..." Ouja drew two cards from his Deck, activating them.
Dupe Vent: Zolda
Dupe Vent: Scissors
The two Phantom Riders emerged from the ground, immediately engaging with the Drones while Ouja analyzed the situation.
"Those Riders..." Elsa muttered, earning a nod from Allister.
"Yes. Those are the Riders I've killed. One of which was Chris Yukine's significant other. Takeru Sakamoto, Kamen Rider Zolda."
"I see. So that explains why she's so adamant on killing me..." Elsa deduced."You killed her boyfriend."
"I did." Ouja nodded."I'm sorry...You're in danger because of me."
Elsa remained silent, hugging Mona to keep her safe."Are you going to kill her too?"
"If I can, yeah. They've all gotten stronger than we had anticipated. And with my left arm the way it is, it's going to be hard." Ouja turned to her direction."Our best choice would be to regroup with your friends. If we band together, we might stand a chance. Now let's go. And stay close to me."
"Right." Elsa guided Mona along."Stay close to me, Mona."
"Y-yes, Mother."
"You know..." Maria addressed Tsubasa as they walked down the corridors of the Luna Ruins, using Maria's pendant as a sort of compass to follow."I never pegged you as the reckless type."
"What else was there to do?" Tsubasa sighed."Yukine was going haywire. I had to stop her. That's why I intervened and went head-first towards the enemy. Tachibana showed me her courage. It's only right that as a leader, I show courage to my friends as well."
"I suppose you are correct. It's not like I don't understand her feelings, but..."
"Do you want revenge against Terunosuke Kuwana?"
"I do. I really do. But..." Maria clenched her fists."I know the answer now. Jades would never want that to happen. He died so we wouldn't have had to stain our hands. In the end, he thought of him as family. And...if what Elfnein said is true, it's very possible Jades couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to kill him and let himself be killed."
"Maria..."
"But still, the cycle of hatred...it has to be stopped. If I kill Terunosuke, that would just spark more bloodshed. Regardless of how I feel about him now, he was my brother at one point. He loved Serena. And Serena loved him. But Yukine doesn't see past that. And within reason, too. Her whole life has been revolving around conflict. From her time in Val Verde to Fine, to Ouja. And Takeru was her light. And the light that was taken away from her. However...Going after Elsa and that little girl...It's completely uncalled for. It would be like if I went after Terunosuke's parents for some kind of wicked justice."
"And we don't want that for her." Tsubasa nodded."Allister Albedo killed Goro. I wished him death for the longest. And yet, I ask myself. Can I end another person's life? With my own two hands. I came so close against my Grandfather, but would I really have done it if Yosuke wasn't there?"
"Our jobs are to protect." Maria said, closing her eyes."We are not judges or executioners. Taking justice into our own hands...At that point, we'd be abusing our powers. Where would we draw the line then? We must stop Chris from doing something that will mark her life forever. Hopefully, we can find her along the way..."
"What is it?" Tsubasa asked, looking ahead to where Maria was glaring at. A giant door stood in their way, blocking their path. However, as soon as they got close, it opened for them."It opened...?"
"We have no choice but to go forward." Maria insisted, marching forward with Tsubasa close behind."We have no concrete way of going back We have to make a leap of faith."
As they entered the room, they noticed a spherical device in the middle beginning to glow, illuminating the room.
"This must be the ruins' core." Maria deduced, gasping when the device stopped glowing, and in return, the holographic image of a man with blue hair appeared."That's...the same man I saw in my dream."
Suddenly, the man started to speak, but they couldn't understand a single thing he was saying.
"What's he trying to tell us?" Tsubasa wondered aloud.
Noticing they weren't understanding, he touched his throat before speaking again."Can you understand me now?"
"Oh. Uh...yeah." Tsubasa nodded."Who are you?"
"I am an operating system based on the mind of the original Enki." He responded.
"Enki?" Maria frowned."Okay, then what exactly is this place?"
"This is Observation Base Marduk, the core of the network jammer known as balal."
"Balal? Wait, do you mean...as in the Curse of Balal?!" Tsubasa gasped in realization.
"Let me briefly explain to you...what the Curse of Balal is." The copy of Enki said."Humanity's brains were developed in preference to their physical capabilities to enable them to function as a cluster of biological computer terminals for the planetary terraforming device known as the Yggdrasil System."
"So then...what does that mean for humans? Are you saying we were one big science experiment?" Tsubasa pursed her lips.
"I suppose you could say that. We first started this by creating two lives. Their names were Adam and Lilith. However, they were deemed as too perfect, with no room for growth. We did not want that for humanity. Unfortunately, Shem-Ha got ahead of everyone and discarded them."
"Adam and Lilith..." Tsubasa recalled their previous enemies.
"So then what happened next? You decided to make us all full of flaws?"
"Not flaws. But ways to improve. We promoted evolution and diversity. Something absent from our first 2 prototypes. However, we learned that Shem-Ha had become rather close with one of the Aesir Gods. The Aesir Gods stand outside of our jurisdiction and technically speaking, they hold higher power than we do. So it was bizarre to learn Shem-Ha had come into contact with them."
"Loki." Maria and Tsubasa said in unison."We're having our own problems with him. In fact, we just found out that they had a son named Narfi."
"So that's what it was..." The copy of Enki muttered."When the original Enki confronted Shem-Ha, he noticed she had been moving around the moon a lot. And was persistent in taking the fight away from where they started. To think a Custodian had a child with an Aesir God...But then...what happened to the offspring?"
"Our friend, Hajime Adachi, defeated him." Maria responded."But what was the point of Shem-Ha having a kid anyway?"
"If I had to guess, it may have been as an extension to her plans. Shem-Ha was known for having multiple backup plans. I imagine Narfi was one of them."
"One of them?"
"She suspected her defeat against the original Enki, so she transformed herself into language and was able to lurk within every system, rendering her impossible to destroy. It was believed that with Shem-Ha sealed, everything would be restored. Because received word of the Aesir Gods being wiped out from existence."
"Ragnarok." Maria grimaced."The event that ended a whole pantheon. So if Loki was dead, he couldn't have had contact with Shem-Ha, even if he wanted to. But where was Shem-Ha sealed? In the bracelet?"
"I'm afraid the answer is a little more difficult to swallow. You see...Shem-Ha exists as fragments of data that remain within all of humanity's genetic information."
"No way..." Maria's face was drained of all color."So...all of humanity is a cradle for Shem-Ha?!"
"Not to mention the Liangs and the Hyperions..." Tsubasa bit her lower lip."If Narfi went around mixing his essence into those families...But it seems like he didn't do it to the extent Shem-Ha did."
"If he's a reincarnation of the original Narfi, then it's similar to what Shem-Ha does. No matter how many times she is defeated, she will regenerate from whatever data fragments remain, making her, in essence, immortal. I assume that's the same thing for Narfi. Even if he's defeated, there is a good possibility he will be reincarnated into another body. Unfortunately, it seems that since his form of immortality is different from Shem-Ha, the Curse of Balal doesn't prevent him from being restored."
"What is the Curse of Balal? You have yet to explain that."
"The network jammer we named balal. It was used to separate humanity, which was united by its one language. This is was sealed Shem-Ha."
"I can't believe it..." Tsubasa ran a hand through her hair."All of the conflicts the Curse of Balal has sparked, and yet it was there to protect us after all...We have to inform the others."
"Is there any way for us to communicate with our friends and those back on Earth?" Maria inquired.
"Yes. I can establish a communications link between the ruins and wherever you need to contact."
"Then let's not waste any more time."
After Maria informed the copy of Enki of their plan, he helpfully created the communications link with HQ and everyone in the ruins. Apparently, Kirika and Shirabe had been in contact with HQ thanks to the Akuma they were carrying. They instructed the others to get to where they were before contacting HQ.
"This is Tsubasa and Maria!" Tsubasa yelled, hoping that the connection worked.
"Tsubasa!" She heard Yosuke's voice."Good. So Akatsuki and Tsukuyomi are still okay. What's going on over there?"
"And how are you contacting us?" Genjuro added."I thought only the Akumas could get a signal from there."
"Long story. But first, how are things over there?"
"Bragi-kun is currently battling Angelo, from Noble Red, and is buying us the time we need to go deal with the Yggadrasil since it's already activated."
"Already?" Maria and Tsubasa exchanged worried looks."Well, he's a summary of what we learned."
Maria and Tsubasa explained to the group what Enki had told them and what they learned about Shem-Ha.
"Shit! So Shem-Ha can't be killed then?!" Hajime gritted his teeth.
"Killing her wasn't much of an option, given how she's in Kohinata's body." Yosuke reminded him."However, if she does get rid of the curse, she can turn humanity into her weapons since she'll have full control of us."
"Thank God St. Germain and the others didn't destroy it before." Hamaguchi commented."We'd be screwed. Still, I don't know which is worse. Turned into a monster and used as a weapon, or be eradicated and be rid of my free will."
"All choices are bad." Tsubasa said."For now, all we can do is-"
"So my darling Angelo is handling that little devil back on Earth?"
The two idols turned to see Millaarc standing by the door, her two monstrous arms.
"Tsubasa!"
"Right!"
"Chris-chan, you have to calm down, please." Hibiki insisted, trying to catch up to the lavender-haired girl as she continued blasting through the drones.
"You need to hurry the hell up, dummy." Chris hissed, speedwalking ahead of Hibiki."He's here. And his little bitch too. I can't let this chance get by me."
"But...what are you going to do, exactly?"
"What do you think?" Chris suddenly stopped.
"To...do something you'll regret," Hibiki said firmly, her voice leaving no room for doubt.
"Regret?" Chris gritted her teeth."The only thing I regret is not putting one between that little bitch's eyes. I'm going to fix that mistake and make him suffer just as much as I have."
"Chris-chan, I can't let you do that. I can't let you condemn yourself like this." Hibiki stood in front of her."I'll...stop you, Chris-chan. I can't let you do this."
"If you dare to stop me..." Chris got up right in her face."I will never speak to you again."
"That's...fine. If I can make sure I can keep my promise to Takeru-san of looking after you..." Hibiki closed her eyes."I'll do it..."
Chris took a step back, her eyes softening."Hibiki...how would you react if Hajime was killed? Wouldn't you want revenge for him?"
"I thought about that, believe it or not." Hibiki managed a small smile."Back when Hajime was...not okay, I was taking care of him. There were restless nights when I would wonder what I would have done if Hajime had been killed by Bragard. Or by Chiaki Nakahara. I think...I would fight. But not for revenge. But to prevent any more casualties. I know Hajime would be very sad if I did something dumb for his sake. I don't think I could ever look at him in the eyes. I feel like Takeru-san would feel the same. He fell in love with you, Chris Yukine. The girl he knows and loves. If you kill Allister...it would change who you are."
"But...but I..."
Hibiki placed a hand on her shoulder."We'll figure it out. But for now, let's regroup with Tsubasa-san and Maria-san...okay? We can talk about this later."
"Alright..." Chris slowly nodded."Lead the way."
With that, the girls continued on their way to where the idols were.
"Seilen Coffin Airgetlam Tron..."
"Imyuteus Ame No Habakiri Tron..."
Millaarc lunged at Maria, who blocked her punch with one of her barriers. Tsubasa appeared from above, swinging her blade down toward Millaarc, but the girl leaped back in time to avoid it, forcing the girls to chase her.
"Not bad! Not bad at all!" Millaarc cackled, her other arm becoming monstrous as she leaped into battle again. She swatted Maria away and grabbed the bluenette's foot, spinning her around at high speeds.
"But there's one thing you haven't considered. They won't get here in time! How long do you think it will take them to get there?!" She threw Tsubasa against the wall."And humans need water. Unlike us, you won't last more than a few days. And guess what else..."
Millaarc flew towards Tsubasa at full speed."Angelo will have killed your little boyfriends back on Earth. No matter what happens here, they will all die!"
"They will not!" Tsubasa maneuvered around Millaarc before delivering a back-kick to her back, launching her to the ground. Maria came from above, slamming her fist against Millaarc's cheek, flinging her away.
Tsubasa raised her blade before slicing at the air, shooting a blue energy slash.
Blue Flash
"Open Bat!" Millaarc exploded into several dozens of bats, swarming the area.
"T-this is...!" Tsubasa's eyes widened.
"That's right! I took a note out of your boyfriend's book and copied his move! It's pretty handy, considering we're both bats!"
Once the swarm cleared out, Millaarc was now standing next to a replica of her."And I also copied another thing...the power of unison!"
"U-unison?!" Maria gritted her teeth.
"It's time for a tag team match, right here on the moon!" Both clones announced. They both dashed toward the girls, grabbing them by their heads and slamming them on the ground, breaking the ground below them. They flew around, kicking the rocks and squashing the girls in between them."How's that?!"
"Remarkable..." Maria grimaced, standing back to her feet."But we can do that too...Tsubasa, remember the first time we sang? The song that connected us."
"I know." Tsubasa glared at Millaarc."Noble Red...they destroyed my pride...and made Yosuke suffer. But I will use my passion to grow as a person and become better than yesterday!"
"Then let's see how you do against my full power!" Both Millaarc and her clone made their legs bulkier and kicked Tsubasa and Maria as they began to rotate around them, forcing them to continue blocking.
"This is for my love for those who were mercilessly killed! Reina, Psykos, and Amy! And even more for the ones I still have! Elsa, Vanessa, and my Angelo! All of my feelings are in this attack!"
An explosion went off, pushing Millaarc and her copy away, perplexed."What just happened?! I had them!"
Two golden spheres surrounding the girls cleared out the smoke, as they were now clad in the Amalgam forms. Tsubasa wielded her golden blade while Maria wielded a dragon-like gauntlet in her left arm. In an instant, they rushed into action, with Millaarc almost losing sight of them due to their sheer speed.
Tsubasa swung her blade, unleashing blue flames while Maria opened the mouth of her dragon gauntlet, firing a blast of wind and fire. Millaarc, panicking, used her Open Bat, dispersing into several dozens of bats. Some of them were destroyed by the initial explosion, but the girls quickly followed up to get rid of the rest of them.
Maria extended her gauntlet, forming an arc with it that created a net of electricity that destroyed the bats that went through it while Tsubasa fired more azure flames toward the ceiling. Their combined attacks created a huge explosion that destroyed all the bats in the room, leaving no sign of Millaarc.
Highest Good: Rose Cross
"Did we get her?" Maria asked, undoing her transformation.
"I believe so. Or at the very least, she might have retreated." Tsubasa did the same."Nevertheless, killing her was not our priority."
"That was awesome!" Kirika and Shirabe entered the room."We felt the impact all the way from outside-desu!"
"What happened here?" Shirabe inquired.
"We'll talk later." Maria smiled, happy to see her sisters okay."I need to report first. HQ, can you hear-"
"Damage to the port side from an external attack!" Came the panicked voice from Aoi."We're taking on water!"
"T-the Yggdrasil is everywhere! Not just in Kamakura!" Sakuya followed up."It's all over the world!"
"All over the world?!" All the girls in the room screamed.
Meanwhile, Angelo and Alternative kept clashing around the forest, with Alternative landing several blows to Angelo's body. Angelo shot out several Severs, but ALternative arched his back to avoid them and kicked Angelo in the chin, sending him flying toward the sky.
Shoot Vent: Psycho Fireworks
Armed cannons strapped to Alternative's shoulders as he immediately fired at the sky, creating an explosion.
Angelo hissed in pain, charging up his left arm. Bragi scowled, firing a dagger of dark matter toward Angelo. He avoided it, but Alternative had used it to erase the distance between himself and the dagger, teleporting above him and kicking him with a gravity-enhanced kick, sending him rocketing to the ground.
Once he crashed on a tree, he kicked the ground, to get back on his feet, but Alternative was right in his face."Dissect!"
However, Alternative swatted his arm away with his Slashdagger, sending the attack to the left and destroying a good portion of the forest.
"You know...They really don't care much about you, huh?"
"H-huh?! What do you mean?!" Angelo growled.
"They left you to die here. You can't beat me." Alternative said haughtily."Like I said. You're just a pawn in all of this."
"Why, you little fucking bastard-"
Angelo received a punch to the face, nearly knocking him out as he was sent flying away. Alternative got to work and drew a card from his Deck, scanning it.
Final Vent: Dead End
Psyco-Rogue appeared next to Alternative as it went into its bike mode for Alternative to ride. Using his gravity, he increased the speed of the bike as he began to spin around, forming a black tornado. As he crashed into Angelo, he increased his gravity, enhancing the attack and the force, earning a howl of agony from Angelo as a huge explosion went off.
Alternative was floating above the hole on the ground, grimacing."It's done..."
"That was oddly satisfying. You beat his ass thoroughly. That's my boy." Beelzebub stated like a proud father.
"And now..." Alternative stared off at the distance where the Yggdrasil was. And he could see Shem-Ha, clear as day, transformed. She smiled at him as if she were challenging him to approach her.
"What's the move here, Bragigi? We gonna fight her?"
"Yeah. That's the plan. But..."
"The one million yen question...How do we get her out of your girlfriend's body?"
"And can I stand on equal footing to a Custodian?" Alternative swallowed the lump in his throat."She's on a whole other league to Narfi, who the Boy Wonder barely beat."
An image of image flashed in his mind and shook his head.
"I can't doubt here!" Bragi flew towards the Yggdrasil at full speed."I have to save Miku-san! No matter what!"
However, something emerged from the ground, halting his flight."Wait...the Yggadrasil?! But how-"
Around the area, more roots continued to emerge, and unbeknownst to Bragi, all over the world.
"What the hell is going on?!" Bragi brought a hand to his helmet."HQ! Do you read me?! What is happening?!"
A huge explosion of flames went off behind Alternative, causing him to focus all his attention on it."What is this power surge all of a sudden?!"
From the flames, a silhouette emerged, sporting what looked to be 4 wings.
"There he is..." Beelzebub whispered.
"What?"
"I was wondering why he looked the way he did. And as expected, it appears his power was being suppressed."
"What are you trying to say, Beelzebub?" Alternative demanded, wanting him to stop being so cryptic and just tell him already.
"I'm saying that...from here on out, this will be a whole different fight. The Angelo you knew is gone. This...is Satan himself. Quick! Transform! Use my card! If I'm right, this bastard is on a whole other level than he was just now!"
Not wanting to question him, Bragi drew a card from his Deck. The card had a purple background with a black skull with horns. He scanned it through his visor and prepared to transform.
Nothing happened. He blinked, scanning the card again. And once more, nothing happened.
"W-what's going on?! Why isn't the Fallen Vent working?!"
"That...is weird..." Even Beelzebub was at a loss for words."How can that be? Why can't I use my power? I should be empowering you right now..."
"Could it be...that your Relic wasn't successfully activated?" Alternative gasped."That only your consciousness is what's active?!"
"Just our luck..." Beelzebub chuckled dryly.
The being emerged from the flames, revealing his new appearance. It had grown slightly taller, and adopted a more humanoid form, except it now had several red heads.
(If you want a visual representation, I picked Satan from Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse)
"I am Satan. The leader of the Princes of Hell, the Sin of Wrath." The many voices that came from his head said in perfect unison."Bragi Third Dienheim...I shall now show you, a pain greater than hell itself. Yes...it's time to die!"
Next chapter might take a bit for school reasons. Also, it's a fight. We'll be covering Satan vs Bragi.