Hey folks! Welcome back to "Space"! A lot happened from the last chapter, and this one's gonna be no different. We're entering some climactic battles, especially with our heroes seemingly close to winning the entire fight. But are things as close as they seem?
Well, it's time we find out! Take it away, Xiaomei!
SPACE
Have you ever heard of a paradox? An impossibility that should never occur under any normal circumstances? A contradiction? Something that shouldn't be true… yet may very well be?
Our heroes' battle against Ziggy, Ultron, Crow, Acnoella, and even the Interstellar Union Army has come to a head as things have grown far more chaotic. Shiki and Ziggy are tearing across the planet as their gravities threaten to crush each other. Riri and her friends seem to be on the cusp of defeating Ultron once and for all.
Meanwhile, Natalie's joined by Katsuki and Devlin in attempting to thwart Acnoella, while Shirou's fending off Justice as his colleagues search for Elsie, who's been taking captive yet again. And as for Crow, the battle there seemed to be in our heroes' favor… until he took Holy into his body, thus preventing the Edens Zero from attacking at risk of her safety. To make matters worse, Crow not only bested the likes of Asta, he's downed the infamous battleship.
And in the meantime, Holy found herself trapped inside of the Eternal Titan, unable to use her Ether Gear as he tormented her, making her relive the memories that sowed her hatred of him. But though things seemed lost, a glimmer of hope's shined through as the figure of Yuta Okkotsu's arrived to save her. Things may not look so good for the moment… but they can surely change if someone fights for it.
"Agh…" Asta groaned as he weakly batted his eyes open. Blood dripped down from his head as he was sitting up, his vision blurred.
"Asta, can you hear me?!" Torunn's voice shouted, trying to get his attention as she sat beside him. He didn't respond, her voice drowned out thanks to the ringing in his ears. She grimaced.
'Without Asta's help, I don't know how we're going to be able to fend off that giant…' she noted inwardly, 'If Mimosa were here, then maybe…' she started to presume. At that moment, she heard footsteps, enticing her to take hold of her sword.
"Who goes there?!" she yelled, only to blink in surprise. Meanwhile, Kris was hurriedly soaring across the skyline toward the downed Edens Zero, seeing the smoke and dust billowing around it. Thanks to its shields, it hadn't been severely damaged. But it was very likely that with the single hit it took from Crow, those shields couldn't be used again.
"Hermit, are you all alright?!" the Wind Rage Ether Gear user inquired through the communicator in his left ear, "Can anyone hear me?!" he questioned on. His response was a crackle of static.
'Comms are down…' he noted inwardly with a grimace. At that moment, he noticed one of the starfighters flying over alongside Jessica. Inside the vessel was Laguna.
"How's Asta doing?" the Green Lantern asked of Kris as she soared to his left.
"Not great…" he replied, "He's going to need someone to patch him up before he can get back into this fight," he pointed out.
"It's bad enough that he's the only one leaving lasting damage that doesn't get healed off as quickly…" the Tears Lover Ether Gear user mentioned grimly.
"What about the others?" Kris asked.
"They're good," Jessica assured in reply, "Jaime and Pym are gonna try and trip up Crow from below with Kenny," she told him, "But there's another problem…" she mentioned.
"And what's that?" the Wind Rage Ether Gear user inquired.
"Crow's got an Ether Jammer," Laguna answered to his surprise, "If we get too close, our Ether Gears will get shut down," he explained, "It's already affected the Ether Drive of the Edens Zero for the moment," he mentioned further.
"Then how are we supposed to fight him?" Kris wondered aloud.
"That's where your sister comes in," Jessica responded, causing him to blink in shock.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" America roared as she clocked Crow at the back of his head with her right fist in a star-shaped shockwave, making him lurch forward. He turned and growled at her, making her grimace.
"Wind Spirit Creation Magic…" Yuno began as he flew in, forming a large, two-handed sword of bright green mana that he took hold of. Wings formed at the crossguard with a radiant halo in between. "Saint Spirit of Zephyr!" the Golden Dawn mage exclaimed, about to slash at the Oración Seis Galáctica member's neck. He chuckled, swinging his left arm out in an attempt to swat him away.
'Whoa, he's fast…!' America noted inwardly with a grimace. However, Yuno wasn't deterred.
"Conjunction!" he yelled, suddenly disappearing as Crow swiped at nothing but air. He gasped, followed by taking a powerful slash to the right side of his neck by the dual-magic user. Above him was a bright, shining star.
"Nice one!" America complimented, landing another heavy punch to the Eternal Titan's head. The Golden Dawn mage narrowed his eyes.
'Without Asta, any damage we deal from the outside won't last long…' he noted to himself, 'and obviously, Never-Never Land won't last forever,' he mentioned inwardly, 'We have to find a way to help Holy from out here while also trying to keep Crow from regenerating!' he concluded through his thoughts. At that moment, he started noticing the Ether lines peeling away from the titanic android's body. Rather, they were being pulled by a familiar wind coming from a starfighter that flew by, with Kleene inside.
"Kleene?!" her boyfriend yelped out.
"Don't worry, Yuno!" she assured with a grin, "My Wind Snatch should take away his excess Ether flow and stop that jammer he's using!" she affirmed confidently.
"Jammer?" the Golden Dawn mage repeated in confusion.
"Must be something that stops other Ether Gears from working," America assumed as she flew over to his side, "That explains why the ship's outta commission…" she mentioned.
"In that case, let's give Kleene cover!" Yuno advised, earning a nod in reply from his airborne colleague before they flew off after the Wind Snatch Ether Gear user. Meanwhile…
"YOU'RE RISKING MY SISTER'S LIFE TO STOP CROW?!" Kris shouted angrily in question, making Jessica flinch.
"Don't shout…" Laguna grumbled, "Remember, all of us accepted the fact that we'd have to take risks in order to win this fight," he pointed out seriously, "I'm sure Kleene knows that better than anyone," he affirmed on.
"Yeah, but…" the Wind Rage Ether Gear user tried to say.
"The idea is if she disrupts his Ether flow by stealing it, he won't be able to patch up that hole in his gut," Jessica told him, "Not to mention, it'll let your Ether Gears work when you're near him," she added.
"Our job now is to support Holy and whoever else managed to get into Crow," Laguna told his green-haired friend, "We stop him, there's one less problem for us to worry about," he mentioned.
"…Right," Kris agreed, taking on a determined expression, "You keep Kleene safe," he insisted of the Green Lantern, who nodded before flying up to join America and Yuno in battling the Oración Seis Galáctica member. The Wind Rage Ether Gear user landed upon the starfighter. "We won't know if our Ether Gears will work once we get close," he pointed out.
"Even if that's the case for the moment, they will," Laguna assured, flying the ship toward the hole in Crow's stomach, "Let's get this done quick," he advised.
X
Holy's tears were still pricking her eyes as she looked out at the remains of Crow's avatar, completely torn to pieces thanks to Rika. Though she had been saved, memories were flooding her head. She could see several flashes of her life growing up, from when she lived happily with a handsome man that had short purple hair and little girl whose hair was messy. They did so much together until one day when things were all taken from them… by the very monster she was inside.
"Miss?" Yuta's voice echoed, snapping her away from her memories as she blinked, "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked kindly of her, putting a hand onto her shoulder. She shook her head, trying to alleviate any bad thoughts plaguing her.
"I'll be fine…" she affirmed. A low hiss caught her attention as she turned and saw Rika beside her. "AH!" she yelped, falling backwards onto her bottom, "S-Sorry…" she stammered in apology.
"Rika, don't scare her," Yuta advised of the cursed spirit beside him, getting her attention.
"Sorry…" she apologized sadly, "Do you want me to go away…?" she asked of him.
"No, there's still trouble around," he confirmed. Holy blinked in surprise. Emerging from the wires and cables were more avatars of Crow, though they looked more like generic robots. However, one did resemble him.
"Heh," he chuckled out, "So this is the power of an otherworlder, huh?" he presumed, enticing Yuta to take on a ready stance, "Not sure what you're thinking of doing now, but I'm warnin' ya…" he continued, "there's no way you're gettin' any further…" he proclaimed.
"Is that right?" another voice echoed as a wind breezed into the area, causing everyone to blink. All of a sudden, a crescent-like blade of air hacked off the main avatar's right arm.
"The hell?!" he yelped out. Holy and Yuta looked back to see both Kris and Laguna there, with the former of the pair having his Ether Gear markings shine brightly.
"Wh… How?" the Oración Seis Interestelar member uttered in confusion.
"So someone else did make it into Crow with you after all," the Tears Lover Ether Gear user noted upon spotting the jujutsu sorcerer there.
"Hold on…" Crow's avatar uttered, noticing the Ether lines formed along Kris' arms, "How the hell can you use your Ether Gear in here?!" he questioned angrily.
"We took notice of your little Ether Jammer," Laguna answered, "So we responded in kind with a canceller of sorts," he told the Oración Seis Galáctica member, who gasped.
"Technically, we're just absorbing the jammer's electronic signal," Kris corrected as he stood up. Outside, the Ether lines upon the titanic android were still being drawn into Kleene's wind as she flew about him. He tried to swipe at her, but found himself thwarted by the star-shaped shockwaves with each hit from America.
"With my Wind Snatch, we'll steal victory from you in the end, Crow!" the green-haired woman proclaimed determinedly. The Oración Seis Galáctica member attempted to swing his left hand out at her, but found his wrist bound by a giant green clamp construct that was conjured by Jessica. That allowed for Yuno to fly in, roaring as he slashed mightily at the titanic android's face with his two-handed energy sword.
"Connor, how're we looking?!" Hermit inquired frantically from the Edens Zero, quickly typing commands on the holographic monitors around her upon the bridge. Several screens flashed on.
"Shields are back online!" the portly captain confirmed, "We're taking off again!" he declared. The battleship arose from the ground, soaring off from the scene.
"Comms are restored, too!" Hermit mentioned, "Kleene, nice work!" she complimented of the Wind Snatch Ether Gear user over the line.
"I wouldn't have done it without your idea, Hermit," she responded with a grin.
"Now that comms are back, we can coordinate better!" Jessica confirmed over the line.
"How's Asta doing?" Yuno asked in concern.
"No word yet, sorry…" Hermit apologized as a reply, "What about Jinn and Laguna? They get inside?" she inquired quickly.
"Yep, they're both in," Kleene confirmed.
"Now let's wallop this sucker!" America insisted.
"Okay, the others are getting into position!" Hermit confirmed, "We can't get in touch with those inside, unfortunately…" she mentioned aloud, "but we can at least give them support!" she affirmed, "Let's take Crow down!" she yelled.
"Right!" everyone responded over the communication line. Back inside, the avatar of the Oración Seis Galáctica member was in disbelief.
"You have someone that can absorb electronic signals…?" he questioned, "Just what kinds of monsters are part of your crew?!" he inquired.
"NO ONE TALKS ABOUT MY SWEET, ADORABLE SISTER LIKE THAT!" Kris bellowed angrily.
"True," Laguna agreed, "Kleene is very cute," he mentioned nonchalantly.
"YOU DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO THINK OF HER THAT WAY, EITHER!" the Wind Rage Ether Gear user shouted to him.
"You really do have a complex…" he muttered with a sigh.
'Sister…' Holy uttered inwardly, thinking of the little girl she remembered earlier as she stood up.
'Sissy!' her voice exclaimed happily in her memory, making her wince with sadness for a moment.
"Tch," Crow's avatar scoffed, "Even if you've got some damn canceller or whatever, it means jack if you can't beat the real me!" he proclaimed, ready to lunge forward alongside the other manifested avatars. Kris and Laguna took on stances, prepared to battle. However…
"Don't move," Yuta's voice echoed. All of a sudden, the avatars completely froze in place.
"Wh…What?!" the main one grunted in question. The Ether Gear users looked over to the jujutsu sorcerer, blinking in surprise. He had markings near his mouth and upon his tongue that resembled both snake eyes and fangs. Realizing that she had been given the opportunity, Holy extended her left arm out. Her Ether Gear markings appeared, shining brightly along her arm. Crow's main avatar widened his eyes as he and the others were starting to find their bodies melting down.
"HRAH!" the Oración Seis Interestelar member yelled with a swipe of her arm, making all of the avatars melt into goop. The main one bellowed with agony before becoming nothing more than a puddle upon the ground of cables.
"That's a pretty diabolical power," Laguna commented.
"Look who's talking," Kris retorted. Yuta then approached Holy, who exhaled with relief.
"What was that you just did to stop them now?" she inquired curiously, noticing that the markings the jujutsu sorcerer had gained were now gone.
"Cursed Speech," he answered, "Though it's not my main ability," he noted, turning with a smile to Rika, "That's where Rika comes in," he told the group, "She's like a storage unit for all my cursed techniques and cursed tools that I've come across," he explained further.
"Do you need anything else, Yuta?" Rika asked of him.
"Not for the moment, but thank you," he replied gratefully, allowing her to disappear into the shadows.
"A storage unit…" Laguna said, "That's not how I'd describe whatever that was…" he admitted with sweat trickling down his head.
"I don't remember meeting you at any point during the time I was aboard the Edens Zero…" Holy noted to the jujutsu sorcerer, getting his attention, "I would've assumed every member of the Omni Force outside of this world would've convened prior to the battle's start," she pointed out.
"It was part of the plan to make certain that other Omni Force members couldn't be detected if they were needed for the battle," Yuta explained in reply, "As of now, we're all on the move," he mentioned, "In fact, I'm not the only one that's in here," he added further.
"Huh…" the Oración Seis Interestelar member sighed out, "I suppose whoever that may be, they're further along…" she presumed, turning to the Kris and Laguna, "Why didn't you fire the main cannon when you had the chance?" she inquired of them, "I gave you the opening for a reason…" she pointed out seriously.
"We're not going to pull the trigger on our crewmates," the Tears Lover Ether Gear user responded, "It doesn't matter what the circumstances are," he added firmly.
"I'm not a part of your crew…" Holy grumbled as a retort, exhaling another sigh.
"Agreed," Laguna concurred, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "I never thought of you as one of us, either," he admitted, "Neither has Jinn," he added, glancing over to the cyborg beside him.
"However, Shiki considers you a friend," he pointed out, "And we respect his wishes," he affirmed on, "That's all," he said. Holy was somewhat taken aback by their words.
"All right, you have my thanks," she concluded gratefully, "What's happening outside?" she asked curiously.
"As of now, the Edens Zero's focused on defense," Laguna replied, "The Omni Force members are protecting Kleene while she takes away Crow's jammer," he explained further.
"We should focus on taking out whatever power source he has," Kris advised, "That'll slow him down at least," he mentioned.
"Right," Holy agreed, "Let's get moving," she beckoned, walking down the ground of cables as the others followed. Yuta trotted beside her.
"I bet we'll be running into more of those avatar things…" he pointed out.
"Like an immune system fighting a virus…" the Oración Seis Interestelar member grumbled, "So where's this other Omni Force member who came in with you?" she inquired of the jujutsu sorcerer.
"Ah, well…" he began, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "We didn't come in together, so I don't know…" he admitted, "In fact, I don't know who they are, either…" he mentioned on.
"Well, whoever they are…" Holy began as elsewhere, several avatars of Crow were lying pounded in pieces thanks to a figure wielding a pair of heavy gauntlets standing amongst their remains, "I sure hope they're strong enough for what's ahead…" she said.
X
"Okay, that's the last one…" Weisz confirmed as he came down with the vat containing Laguna's mother from the planet's core, "Still no way to get the MPGs working?" he asked of his colleagues.
"I'm afraid not," Rin responded as she checked her device, tapping its center with her thumb, "We're on our own," she confirmed as the Machina Maker Ether Gear user let his armor peel away and recede back into the watch-like contraption at his wrist.
"What about the Knight Gear?" Happy asked.
"It'll be arriving shortly," Pino confirmed in reply, "Homura and Mister Inosuke were able to get to it without difficulty," she mentioned.
"Good," Nezuko chimed in, "After all they went through, I don't think they're up for much of another fight," she pointed out.
"Aye…" Happy agreed. Meanwhile, Rebecca stared out at the vat containing her mother. All this time, she never really cared about the fact that she even had a parent. She met Happy, then Shiki, then all of her other friends across the cosmoses and beyond. Her whole worldview felt almost shattered by the revelation.
"Once the Knight Gear arrives, we need to get ready to move at a moment's notice," Shoto advised, "Bluegarden will do whatever she needs to in order to summon the Chronophage, then we leave," he instructed further.
"Hold on," Izuku chimed in, "We'll still need to confirm that Shiki's stopped Ziggy," he pointed out.
"And taken the Space Stone from him," Azari added from afar.
"Not to mention all the other crap with Crow, Ultron, the Dragons, and Acnoella," Weisz listed off, "And the government, too…" he mentioned grimly.
"I'm sure the others are faring just fine," Rin affirmed with confidence, "My biggest concern's still about Ziggy… based on what you told us, Ochaco," she noted over to the Zero Gravity Quirk user, who was standing off to the side while holding her left arm gingerly, "I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it…" she admitted.
"Same here," Weisz chimed in, "Like how is that even possible?" he wondered aloud.
"When you are in a multiverse, anything seems possible," Pino noted as a reply.
"But this sounds really out there…" Happy pointed out.
"This whole situation's messed up…" the Machina Maker Ether Gear user muttered, walking over to the vat containing his mother. He stared at her longingly for a moment, lowering his head.
"Weisz… are you okay?" Rebecca asked worriedly of him.
"Uh, yeah…" he responded, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "Just… kinda awkward to see my mom naked, ya know?" he noted.
"Did you really have to point that out…?" Rin muttered in question.
"She died back on Norma a long time ago thanks to what Drakken did…" Weisz noted as he looked back at his mother, "I thought she stayed buried there…" he mentioned, "but here she is, still in one perfect piece," he remarked on.
"I wonder how Homura feels about seeing her mom again…" Izuku chimed in, approaching the vat containing Kurenai's body.
"Probably not much considering what she did," Azari responded bluntly.
"I sure hope so…" Rebecca said, looking off into the distance. Elsewhere, the Warrior Maid 95 was soaring across the skyline to the core, with the Soul Blade Ether Gear user piloting it as Inosuke sat behind her. She was thinking about seeing her mother for the first time again in years. She was a cold, calculating woman, one who abandoned her daughter in order to scheme her way into getting the riches she so desired.
'I humbly request, with all my heart, that you stay out of life,' Homura remembered saying to her after her schemes were ruined thanks to her friends. She was the reason that her mentor had died, the reason she lived a life without a biological mother.
"Hey, Homura?" Inosuke said, getting her attention as she blinked in surprise.
"Y-Yes? What is it?" she asked.
"You doin' okay?" he asked of her, "You're bein' pretty quiet…" he pointed out. She blinked again, followed by turning her head away and sighing.
"I suppose I am…" she concurred, gripping the throttles of her Knight Gear tightly.
'Mother…' she uttered inwardly, 'We each walked a separate path…' she noted to herself, 'but the fact remains that you endured painful labor to give me life,' she concluded through her thoughts, 'I hope you may rest in peace…' she continued, trembling a little, 'for there is far too much death around me…' she finished through her thoughts. Back at the core, Rebecca sauntered about. The various mothers she saw entrapped in vats frightened her.
'So many mothers here in this place… and Ziggy was using them all…' she noted through her thoughts, 'I don't know how he brought them all here…' she kept going, 'but every single one of them had a child…' she mentioned inwardly, 'He ripped away a piece of their family…' she added on, clenching her fists tightly, 'I can't… put things back the way they were…' she realized, 'But I can stop Ziggy from taking advantage of you all,' she affirmed inwardly, 'Shiki… you have to beat him!' she insisted through her thoughts. Meanwhile, Ochaco lowered her head with shame as she looked down despondently.
"Uraraka?" Izuku chimed in, trying to get her attention, "You should sit down," he advised of her, putting a hand onto her shoulder, "I'm sure that what you learned from Ziggy was a lot to process, and—"
"That's not it…" the Zero Gravity Quirk user interjected to his surprise, "It's the fact that the me from back then…" she continued, tearing up, "If I stopped him, then maybe…" she started to suggest, whimpering as her body trembled. Not wanting to further stress her, the One For All inheritor gently brought her into a hug. Rebecca took notice, realizing that the situation was probably the toughest on her. She hoped again that Shiki would put an end to everything.
X
"…Huh?" Shiki uttered as the skull-like face of his grandfather crumbled away. He could hear his own heart beating in his chest as sweat trickled down his face. He was disbelief… seeing what looked like his face, albeit older, upon the android. "You… look like me?" he inquired while shaking. Ziggy grinned, his left eye flashing with black sclera and a white pupil. A seam line ran over it. "Wh-What's going on?!" the human Satan Gravity Ether Gear user stammered in question.
"Everything is connected," his opponent responded to his confusion.
20,000 YEARS LATER
EDEN
"We have recovered two human bodies discovered in the Aoi Cosmos."
"Human?!"
"Impossible!"
"We have confirmed that the woman is dead. We will remove any and all radioactive material and begin the autopsy."
"The man is alive…"
"A living human?"
"Only authorized personnel beyond this point." In wake of the robots' discovery of the two humans they recovered, they returned to their base upon the planet of Eden. Needless to say, the base itself was abuzz with commotion thanks to the news. Having recovered human bodies was one thing, but one of them was still alive.
Bubbled billowed from the vat in which that very man resided. His body was littered with wounds, with several tubes attached to his body in order to help keep him alive. Stitches also littered his body.
"These are some severe injuries…" one of the robots surveying him noted, "Are we sure he's actually still alive?" he inquired of his colleague.
"We are getting life readings," he confirmed in reply. The young man's mouth opened as he took a deep, weak breath. The robots could hear the beeping of the heart monitor go somewhat faster. They noticed his mouth move, but no words exited.
"He's trying to say something!" one of the robots exclaimed.
"Raise the Ether saturation to seventy percent!" another advised.
"Give him some protein, too!" one more added in instruction. The head of the research team approached the vat as the others worked to revitalize the man's strength.
"Do… you understand our language…?" he inquired curiously. The man still wasn't able to respond. "What is… your name…?" the robot questioned on.
"…Kiii…" the man weakly uttered after a moment, much to everyone's surprise.
"W-Wait, what did you say?! I couldn't hear you!" the head robot yelled out, sounding amazed at this breakthrough.
"Ji… gyy…" the man tried to say, "Shi… zi… ki… gyy… gyy… gy…" he kept going, sounding as if he was struggling, "Zi…ggy…" he finally said. Though inside the vat… was Shiki.
20,000 YEARS EARLIER
"I am from twenty-thousand years in the future," Ziggy confirmed to his shell-shocked grandson, "I'm you… Shiki," he said. The human Satan Gravity Ether Gear user could hardly believe his eyes.
"You're… me?" he inquired, "From… twenty-thousand years in the future?" he questioned on, trembling with shock and disbelief all the while, "Wh…What are you talking about?" he stammered out.
"To be more precise, I am a Shiki from an alternate timeline," his fellow Oración Seis Galáctica member responded, "You are the Shiki of Timeline Three," he told his counterpart.
"Alternate timeline…" he repeated aloud, "That's what… Rebecca was talking about…" he recalled.
"And before you ask, the Shiki from Timeline One was killed by Drakken," Ziggy noted, "Do you remember the explosion on Nero Sixty-Six three years ago?" he inquired of Shiki, who took to his feet and blinked in surprise, "That's where it all began," he confirmed.
FLASHBACK
Rumblings went all throughout the building as the countdown began ticking down. Though Shiki had managed to take down Poseidon Shura and prevent him from activating the All-Link System that would've wiped out every android in the Aoi Cosmos, Ziggy had taken advantage of his grandson's moment of victory. He activated the twenty-thousand anti-matter bombs that had been teleported onto Nero 66 in advance. And now there looked to be no escape.
You had the choice to "run from" or "stop" the explosion.
"What do you mean, bombs?!" Shiki yelled in question to his grandfather, who had just communicated the news to him and his friends in the command center.
"They must be the ones Nero and Shura were talking about…" Rebecca realized.
"And there are twenty-thousand of them upon the planet as we speak…" Pino mentioned.
"DETONATION IN T-MINUS TWENTY MINUTES," a voice over the intercom confirmed.
"Uh oh…" Ochaco uttered with a grimace.
"We gotta hurry and get outta here!" Happy insisted.
"Wait, can't we stop the bombs?!" Shiki inquired aloud.
"It would be impossible, I'm afraid," Pino responded, "The main terminal is down," she noted, "And Ziggy used the independent All-Link System to activate them," she mentioned.
"Well, what's gonna happen to the planet?!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user questioned worriedly with panic in his tone.
"…I estimate it will be destroyed," the little anti-bod android replied grimly, lowering her head.
"But… there are lots of people on this planet!" Shiki pointed out, "We can't let them die!" he added vehemently.
"Shiki, I get how you feel, but there's really nothing we can do!" Rebecca argued, "Happy's right, we should get out of here!" she insisted.
"No!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user refused, turning and hurrying off, "I'm gonna stop it!" he decided.
"Shiki!" Ochaco yelled, grabbing him by his right arm to make him stop, "You have to think about this!" she advised seriously, "I know you don't want Ziggy to cause any more suffering, but it's not worth risking your life over!" she noted on, "We can warn everyone we can to get away!" she affirmed, holding his arm tightly, "And…" she continued, tearing up as she whimpered, "I can't lose you again…" she sobbed out. Shiki blinked in surprise.
You are the Shiki who chose to "get away." I am the Shiki who chose to "stop the explosion."
"No. I'll stop it," the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user vowed, much to Ochaco's shock as he slipped free from her grasp, running off.
"SHIKI!" she screamed in panic.
"Oh geez…" Rebecca muttered, "Pino and Happy, you two stay with Ochaco!" she advised of the two androids, "Call the others and let them know what's happening!" she insisted on, hurrying off after Shiki.
"Rebecca!" Pino exclaimed.
"What are you gonna do?!" Happy asked in panic.
"I'm gonna try and get Shiki outta here, if not help him…" the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user responded, "If things look dicey, get outta here with Ochaco!" she yelled, turning a corner.
I used my gravity to compress the power of those twenty-thousand anti-matter bombs… in an attempt to destroy them. But then… something happened. Something that we couldn't have foreseen…
"Ergh…!" Shiki grunted, clenching his fists tightly as his gravity swelled around the explosives, all while Rebecca watched on nervously. She didn't know how much time was left.
"Shiki… this is way too risky…" she pointed out, "What if you end up setting them off by mistake?" she inquired.
"That doesn't matter!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user proclaimed fiercely to her shock, "I can save them!" he affirmed, "I will save them!" he declared on, "I have to… or Ziggy wins!" he mentioned while sounding strained.
"Shiki…" Rebecca uttered. All of a sudden, she noticed a glow from her legs, seeing her boots rip off as the wing-like markings of her Ether Gear had appeared. "Wh-What the?!" she yelped in surprise. The luminosity brightened around both her and Shiki, as the latter concentrated intensely.
When my gravity was compressed as far as it would go… it resonated with Rebecca's power to jump through time.
All of a sudden, the green glow of gravity shrouding the anti-matter bombs expanded, enveloping both Shiki and Rebecca as they yelped in surprise, bracing themselves.
It caused a space-time distortion. And in that distortion, I, Rebecca, and the twenty-thousand anti-matter bombs… ignited an inexplicably large burst of power.
Every anti-matter bomb that went off… had enough energy to jump forward one year ahead in time. And so, Rebecca and I were thrust twenty-thousand years into the future.
END FLASHBACK
"You… really expect me to believe all that…?" Shiki inquired of his counterpart, who kept his grin and huffed.
"I'm sure you don't," he affirmed in response, "I didn't believe it myself," he admitted on, "But I had no choice but to accept reality, just as you will…" he noted.
X
"It's over, Ultron," Riri proclaimed, aiming her right hand out at the android she and her friends were up against, "Do us a favor and make this easier for all of us," she advised. Her foe growled. He was completely cornered. Noelle and Eve lurked above, Megumi had Mahoraga by his side, and with his drones able to be easily thwarted, he had little chance of escape.
'I suppose I will have to do that after all…' he realized, 'A last resort meant to secure total victory…' he affirmed inwardly, 'But first, I need to make an escape…' he noted to himself, making his eyes shine a bright red.
"Here he comes!" Rachael warned. Several ports opened upon nearby buildings, with multitudes of drones pouring out. Eve was quick to act, conjuring crescent-shaped blades of pink energy that she backhanded to slice through dozens of the robots. Noelle followed by thrusting her watery lance out to pierce through others, roaring as she slammed them up against a building.
"Mahoraga!" Megumi yelled commandingly, enticing the shikigami to lunge out toward one of the taller buildings where several of the drones were coming from. It protruded a double-edged blade from its right forearm, landing upon the building and hacking through it in an instant, also slicing up some of the drones that had come out.
'He's resorting to trying to overwhelm us with numbers…' the jujutsu sorcerer noted inwardly, 'but he should know that won't work since Wilkins is here,' he mentioned to himself, drawing forth a sword from his shadow to slash apart a drone that attempted to ambush him.
'So he's stalling…' Riri realized as she fired off mini-missiles from the ports that appeared upon her shoulders, taking down more drones, 'But for what?' she wondered inwardly. All of the sudden, the villainous android started flying up.
"Twenty percent complete," he confirmed.
"Hey!" the armored Avenger yelled as she rocketed after him, "You and I aren't done yet!" she shouted out, only to get tackled away by a pair of drones, crashing into another building.
"Riri!" Denki screamed.
"Hmph," Ultron scoffed, "Sorry, but I'm no longer interested in dealing with an Iron Man wannabe," he affirmed, ready to head into the distance. However, an arrow suddenly flew by and struck the right side of his neck, making him gasp. From afar, Francis smirked.
"Don't think I'm not gonna pass the chance to stop you again…" he remarked. A powerful electric shock went through the arrow, zapping the villainous android as he struggled to stay airborne, starting to fall toward the ground.
"Nice shot, Hawkeye…!" Riri grunted out as a compliment before blasting the pair of drones pinning her to the wall with her repulsors. She flew over and clocked Ultron upside the head with her armored right fist. In that same moment though, the arrow lodged into his neck came out, ending the discharge of electricity. His eyes flashed red.
"Thirty-five percent complete," he confirmed again before soaring off.
"Shit!" Riri cursed, flying after him. Rachael began pursuing them herself, enveloping her body in a flash of golden light. When it dissipated, it revealed her wearing a black armor, which sported some silver trimming. A distinctive feature of the armor was its pair of wings, which were reminiscent of those of a dragon or a bat. Around her neck was a guard decorated by several gems, and her long red hair was tied up in a high ponytail, with two bangs framing her face. Her large shoulder pads, each composed of two silver-edged plates one over the other, sported silver crosses on them as well and flanked the high collar, whose shape was reminiscent of that of a dress. The silver-edged breastplate revealed a fair amount of her cleavage and belly, with plates flanking her hips and reaching down to her very large waistguard, composed of very long, silver-edged plates shaped like feathers and decorated by silver crosses. The waistguard left the front of her body exposed, with her groin being covered by a dark indument. The slim gauntlets came equipped with prominent protection for her hands, each sporting silver patterns. The plates guarding her legs were sliver-edged on her thighs and knees, but pitch black dark on her metal greaves. The wings of her armor flapped as she hurried after her colleague.
"Forty-seven percent complete…" Ultron echoed as he kept flying along. Riri closed in, tackling him again before they crashed up against a building. Her entire helmet shattered off of her head as she held onto the villainous android, who was desperately trying to shake her off.
"Riri!" Rachael cried out from afar, quickly summoning forth a sword that had an intricate design with a multicolored purple and silver blade accompanied by two red diamond shaped gems, equally spread apart on the sword's blade. Along with that, it also had a brown hilt with a golden hand guard. She dashed over and slashed at Ultron's left leg, hacking it off as it fell toward the ground.
"Sixty percent complete," his voice confirmed, much to the surprise of his foes. His lone booster suddenly expelled a stronger burst of energy, allowing him to streak across the skyline. Riri held onto him for dear life, gritting her teeth.
'I'm not… letting you get away…!' she declared inwardly, morphing her armor's right arm into a cannon. She pressed it against the villainous android's back, firing a blue blast of light that pierced straight through him.
"S-Se-Seventy-seven percent… complete…" his voice echoed again as he started descending. He elbowed Riri squarely in the head with his right arm, knocking her off of him as she tumbled away. Luckily, she engaged the repulsors at her feet, keeping herself airborne.
"ULTRON!" she roared, rocketing after the Kronos Alliance member.
"Eighty-three… percent…!" he confirmed before the armored Avenger tackled him. She was thinking about all of the stories she learned, the millions of lives Ultron had affected in other universes where he existed. In some, he was vanquished before his grand conquest. Others had only been able to stop him after.
"This time… you're not gonna win!" she proclaimed, slamming him straight into a building and crashing down onto the metal floor. Pieces of his body were scattered about only his head and torso remained intact. Riri groaned as she pushed herself up from the floor.
"Nine…ty…seven…" Ultron's voice slowly echoed, causing her to perk up in surprise. She quickly ran over and stamped down on his torso with her right foot, having materialized a ram over it for more impact. It crushed through the metal of the android's body, with his red eyes flickering before finally dying out.
"Huh…" the armored Avenger sighed as she sat down on the floor, her armor materializing back to normal, "Friday… how we looking?" she inquired of her A.I.
"Ultron's body is no longer operable," it responded, "As for the armor, it's at five percent integrity," it mentioned. Riri let out a chuckle.
"Five to spare, huh?" she remarked, while Rachael flew in and landed down behind her.
"You okay?" she asked in concern.
"Think so," the armored Avenger responded, standing up, "Pretty sure I stopped Ultron from making a transfer to another body," she added, looking back at the remains of the villainous android.
"Wait…" Rachael uttered, "aren't all of Ultron's drones coded to him or something?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow, "Couldn't he have just… made the switch the second he knew he was gonna lose?" she inquired on. Riri widened her eyes.
"Yeah, you're right…" she responded.
'When Izuku and Torunn took him down earlier, he made the transfer the second he knew that body was gonna be destroyed,' she recalled inwardly, 'He was so concerned about getting away and buying time…' she mentioned through her thoughts, 'It wouldn't make sense…' she noted to herself, 'Unless…' she continued, only to yelp at a sudden rumble that went throughout the building.
"What the hell?!" Rachael exclaimed. Back where the others were fighting the drones, they too felt the tremors.
"The heck's that?" Mina wondered aloud, "An earthquake?" she guessed.
"Hope Riri's doing okay…" Denki said while zapping down a pair of drones. The tremors were felt all throughout Lendard. Ziggy perked up upon noticing.
"So… he's gone ahead to make that last resort…" he realized, causing Shiki to blink in confusion. Riri and Rachael jogged back outside of the building, feeling the tremors die down. And then…
"I commend you for all of your efforts thus far, heroes…" Ultron's voice echoed, causing everyone around the planet to perk up in surprise.
"The hell?!" Katsuki exclaimed as he and Devlin were battling Dragons, while Natalie continued to fight against Acnoella.
"That was Ultron…!" Megumi realized, letting off a grimace.
"So Riri couldn't stop him in time?!" Noelle presumed out of shock.
"It's okay!" Eve assured as she floated over, unleashing a pink arc of light to cut down more drones, "We just have to find his real body and take it out, right?" she presumed.
"That may prove troublesome now…" the villainous android's voice echoed again, much to everyone's surprise, "I didn't just transfer to a different body," he noted, "My consciousness is now one with the planet itself," he confirmed. Riri widened her eyes with shock.
"Wait… does that mean…?" Rachael started to ask, looking over to the armored Avenger, who grimaced.
"Ultron is Lendard now…" she confirmed in reply. Things had gone from good to bad in an instant. And it was only bound to get worse.
X
The wind whistled lowly around Ziggy and Shiki, as the latter stared at his counterpart. The revelation of learning who he was certainly was jarring. But now the situation was becoming stranger, especially with Ultron's sudden announcement across Lendard.
"Ultron… became the planet…?!" the human Satan Gravity Ether Gear user exclaimed in question.
"Hmph," Ziggy huffed, "Those otherworlders are special after all, forcing him to make such a move…" he admitted aloud. Shiki lunged out at him, attempting to strike with his right fist. However, he found himself stopped as he suddenly dropped onto his knees.
"Wh…What the…?!" he gasped out.
"We weren't done with our conversation, Shiki," his counterpart noted, "Even if you don't understand, you still need to know exactly why this is how things are now…" he mentioned seriously with a grin. The human Satan Gravity Ether Gear user grimaced.
"What happened to you?" he asked. Ziggy smirked.
YEAR X20942
EDEN
"Ahh… ahhh…" Ziggy uttered, trembling as he looked at his three-fingered hands. His body had been too bad in shape to be properly restored, thus resulting in his consciousness needing to be transferred. "I'm… a bot now…" he noted, still in disbelief, sitting up on the operating table.
"You're awake," one of the robot doctors chimed in, getting his attention, "Please be patient," he advised, "The operation isn't complete yet," he pointed out.
"What… operation?" Ziggy asked, "What happened to my… body?" he questioned on.
"Please calm down, Ziggy," one of the other bots requested.
"No… I'm not… Ziggy…" the android upon the table proclaimed, "My name is… Zi…gii…" he tried to say, sounding as if he was struggling to speak, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he bellowed suddenly to everyone's surprise.
"Calm down!" the bot beside him insisted.
"Ah, he wasn't ready to be activated!" another realized.
"Quickly, shut him down!" the lead doctor advised.
"Where am I?! Where is everybody?! Where are my friends?!" Ziggy asked frantically, right before the cable plugged into his back was yanked out. His eyes went dark as his head drooped lifelessly. Hours passed. The newly-made android sat up against a wall in an isolated room. He stared at his body, still trembling. His human life had become that of a machine's.
"Once we're able to acquire better parts, we can rebuild you even better," the lead doctor affirmed, standing before him, "You'll put up with what you have for now, though," he mentioned.
"I…" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user uttered, "I can't… remember anything…" he noted to the doctor's surprise, "Was I… human?" he inquired.
"Yes, originally," the android in front of him confirmed in response, "But your body was too heavily damaged to try and salvage," he pointed out, "We had no choice but to replace it in order to keep you alive," he added.
"I'm… a bot…" Ziggy said, burdened with trepidation and guilt, "I feel like… there was someone else…" he mentioned curiously.
"You must be recalling the woman who was with you," the lead doctor realized, causing him to gasp in surprise, "Unfortunately, she was too far gone compared to you," he noted, "Try as we might, we couldn't revive her," he confirmed sadly.
"Rebecca!" Ziggy exclaimed as he shot up to his feet to the doctor's surprise, "It's Rebecca! It's Rebecca!" he repeated frantically, "I remember! Rebecca! She's my friend!" he affirmed.
"Please calm down…" the android before him advised as others ventured into the room as a precaution.
"Where is she?! Let me see her!" Ziggy demanded.
"Well… as I said, it's—"
"She won't care if I'm a robot!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user proclaimed, "She said it doesn't matter if you're human or machine! You can be friends with anyone!" he shouted out frantically. The other androids looked to each other, wondering how to best proceed given the state of their revived patient. "WHERE IS SHE?!" he asked again. The lead doctor sighed.
"Very well," he said, turning around and walking toward the door, "This way," he beckoned. Ziggy followed him down the hall before they arrived at another entryway. It opened up. If he could, the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user would've widened his eyes. Before him was Rebecca, held up by cuffs at her wrists and with cables plugged all across her naked, dead body. He trembled at the sight.
"No…" he uttered out.
"She was in even worse shape when we found her," the lead doctor noted, "We thought we could at least repair her exterior," he mentioned on.
"No… it's not true…!" Ziggy whimpered out, "It's not… No! It's not true! It's not true!" he yelled on repeatedly, taking a step toward his deceased friend. All of a sudden, turrets nearby were deployed, aiming at him.
"Please don't approach," the lead doctor advised, "Even though she's dead, she's a valuable research specimen," he pointed out, "Her body's been emitting an unknown Ether signal, something no ordinary being could do after death…" he added curiously. Ziggy trembled. Smoke was emitting from his head.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO REBECCA?!" he roared out frantically, "DON'T WORRY! I'LL SAVE YOU!" he vowed, ready to run toward his deceased friend.
"No, stop him! Shut him down!" the lead doctor ordered as a couple other androids came in and tackled Ziggy to the floor, saving him from being shredded from the turrets' gunfire. He reached his left hand out to Rebecca, whimpering all the while.
"Re…becca…!" he gasped out before shutting down again.
20,000 YEARS EARLIER
"I'm sure you must be surprised…" Ziggy noted to his counterpart, who got back onto his feet with sweat trickling down his face, "Twenty-thousand years in the future, the human race is extinct," he told him, "It's a world of machines who all believe in Mother," he mentioned, "A few decades passed," he continued, "I almost completely forgot who I was… and I lived like other androids upon that planet," he explained, "And then… one day…" he kept going.
20,000 YEARS LATER
Ziggy's body had become completely refurbished. Instead of a simple model, he now possessed a bulkier form, including his skull-like face and horns. He stood in the form where Rebecca was, staring at her curiously.
"After all these years… you haven't changed…" he pointed out, "I can't even remember who you are anymore…" he admitted aloud, "But I'd like to see you alive…" he affirmed, letting out a mirthless chuckle, "I heard that you and I were friends in the distant past…" he mentioned, "I apparently used to be human, too," he added on, "But… I don't have any memory of that now…" he said. An image briefly flashed through his head of a girl with flowing brown hair and a beautiful smile. He gasped, grabbing at his cranium. "Wh…What was that…?" he wondered aloud, looking back at Rebecca, "That… wasn't you…" he realized.
"Ziggy," a voice addressed, getting his attention as he turned to see an android at the entryway, "The Elder Five have requested your presence," he told him.
"The elders?" he said out of surprise. Moments later, he stood at the other side of a long, interactive table in a room that resembled the starry space of the cosmos. Across from him were five androids that were unique different models and makes. They explained to him why he had been summoned, and he lightly gasped. "T-Time-traveling Ether?" he stuttered out. The bot with a cloak over his body nodded.
"As a result of our decades' worth of research on that woman's Ether," he began, "we've determined that she has the power to not only distort space-time, but also travel through time," he told the skull-faced android.
"This means there's hope," the bot to his left confirmed with crossed arms.
"We had always attempted to come up with some sort of plan," his colleague beside him noted, "But now, we maybe can accomplish it," he mentioned on.
"Wait… what are you all talking about?" Ziggy asked, lost on the conversation.
"Ziggy," the android at the center of the group in front of him echoed, getting his attention, "you are a big part of all this," he pointed out to his surprise, "The cosmoses have lost Mother and are on the path to total destruction," he told him, "Eventually, the remaining Ether that exists will die out," he continued, "and the life functions of every android across the cosmoses will cease," he confirmed grimly, "As is our solemn vow, we must restore the cosmoses to what are they meant to be," he noted on.
"A world where Mother exists… and where humankind flourishes," the robed android at the right end of the table mentioned.
"Humankind?" Ziggy repeated in confusion.
"Yes," an android with horn-shaped apparatuses on both sides of his head responded, "We think the extinction of humans led to the loss of Mother," he said, "Without her, the cosmoses Ether is diminishing…" he pointed out, "And now we androids, too, are nearing our end," he added.
"I still don't quite understand what you're saying…" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user admitted.
"Ziggy, have you heard of the power called 'The Eye of God'?" the center elder inquired, making him perk up slightly, "It is the power to observe alternate worlds… parallel timelines," he told him, "Other worlds, different from our own…" he added, "Different worlds… we call timelines," he said. The skull-faced android was still confused. Again, the image of the brown-haired girl he saw flashed across his mind. He grabbed at his head.
"Are you alright, Ziggy?" the android at the end of the table to his left asked in concern.
"Yes…" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user responded after a moment, "Please continue," he requested.
"There appear to be an infinite number of timelines that exist," the center elder noted, "and we have been observing them for more than ten-thousand years," he mentioned further, "But… humans go extinct twenty-thousand years ago… and the cosmoses Ether dries up… in nearly every one of them…" he explained grimly to Ziggy's shock, "That is… every timeline except Point Zero," he corrected.
"Timeline Zero," the android to his left confirmed, "That is the world where all time converges," he told the skull-faced android.
"Even with our technology, we cannot observe it," the center elder pointed out, "Thus we may presume that it is the only world with the potential for a better outcome," he inferred on.
"There is a strong possibility that the events in Timeline Zero affect those of all other timelines," the android at the right end of the table noted.
"And that, Ziggy, is where you come in," the bot at the left end of the table said, "You are to use the woman's Ether to travel to Timeline Zero, twenty-thousand years in the past…" he began explaining, "and prevent the extinction of the human race," he stated.
"W-Wait!" the skull-faced android stammered, "A mission like that… it's… I couldn't…" he proclaimed, quite shocked by the plan.
"Only you can do this," the android on the far right affirmed.
"You were a human that lived twenty-thousand years ago, and now you are an android," the center elder pointed out, "You have the heart of both kinds," he said.
"But I have no memories of even being a human!" Ziggy exclaimed.
"Don't worry," the android beside the center elder said reassuringly, "If anyone can do it, it's you," he affirmed.
"But then… how can I travel twenty-thousand years into the past…?" Ziggy wondered aloud, still uncertain of the plan.
"We will build a ship," the center elder answered, making him perk up as he saw him set down an object onto the table. It was the cube-shaped object that the bots had recovered along with the two human bodies. And engraved upon it… were the words 'EDENS ZERO'. "A ship that shall travel across space-time, allowing to reach Timeline Zero," the center elder stated, "Its name shall be the Edens Zero," he confirmed.
"Edens… Zero…" Ziggy repeated in awe.
X
"COSMIC LIGHTNING!" Wizard bellowed, unleashing a powerful discharge of electricity from his polearm by the factory. Weaving around the bolts of lightning that rained down as they closed in on him, Yuji and Tanjiro both steeled themselves. The former's right fist swelled with cursed energy, while the latter took a great inhale. They both lunged for the prime Dark Star, making him grimace. Fortunately, he was saved thanks to a Brigandine jumping in, taking the powerful punch and slash to its body before falling to pieces.
"Recipro… TURBO!" Tenya yelled as blue flames expelled from his exhausts, speeding around and kicking apart more of the duplicate androids. Fumikage and Luck joined him in helping tear through others, while the rest of the Omni Force members were waiting from afar.
"Taking out the rest of these rust-buckets shouldn't be too hard…" Zora noted confidently, "but I really don't like the idea of that Ultron freak taking control of the whole damn planet…" he mentioned with narrowed eyes and sweat trickling down his head.
"Nor do I…" Momo concurred with a heavy breath.
'It makes sense, given that Lendard is a planet made up of machines…' she pointed out to herself, 'But then… why didn't he take this action earlier?' she wondered, 'Is this a last resort?' she presumed through her thoughts.
"CRIMSON RED… GAUNNNTTTTLLEEETTTTTT!" Eijiro roared, slamming his hardened and Haki-covered left fist into a Killer, smashing it to pieces that crumbled onto the ground.
"Lightning Magic…" Luck began as his body became covered in teal electricity, crackling mightily like the sound of thunder. He had thigh-high boots and clawed hands, growing two horns from his head, two lightning-shaped protrusions from his shoulder blades, and a lightning-shaped tail from his lower back. His pupils became vertical slits, and two lightning bolt markings appeared on his cheeks. Eight balls of electricity floated in a circle behind his back. "LIGHTNING BATTLE FIEND!" he bellowed, blitzing through even more of the duplicate Dark Stars.
"We can worry about this Ultron after we've dealt with the rest of the bots here," Klaus affirmed, "There aren't that many left," he pointed out.
"In that case, we can take them all out simultaneously," Noel noted as she spun her Witch Kit into a firmer grip. Everyone looked to her in surprise.
"Hold on… you're not gonna use that, are you?" her fellow witch inquired.
"Shouldn't I?" she questioned back, "It's better not to hold back," she pointed out. Ninny groaned, rolling her eyes.
"Sure…" she grumbled out, "You just wanna impress Yuji, huh?" she presumed. Noel let off an uncommon smirk.
"As his girlfriend, why shouldn't I?" she questioned back, causing her fellow witch to groan with annoyance again. Meanwhile, the wind continued to whistle by both Shiki and Ziggy as the stood off from each other. The former was still shell-shocked by his foe's story. He… was essentially another version of him.
"The Edens Zero… can travel through time?" the human Satan Gravity Ether Gear user asked of his counterpart.
"Indeed it can…" he responded in confirmation, "We extracted the Ether from Rebecca and amplified it, creating an energy source that would provide the ship with capability to travel through space-time," he explained, "Called Code Three-One-Seven-Three… Etherion," he said.
"Etherion…" Shiki repeated, sweat trickling down his face.
"The Shining Stars thought it was just a weapon," Ziggy noted, "That's what I told them, of course," he mentioned with a chuckle.
"Then… the Edens Zero brought you here from twenty-thousand years in the future?" his counterpart inquired.
"To be more specific, I was brought from twenty-thousands years in the future of Timeline Three-One-Seven-Three," he answered thoroughly, "In that timeline, I don't exist," he pointed out, "But Shiki sets out into space and takes part in the Aoi War," he mentioned, "Then he's flung twenty-thousand years into the future by the anti-matter bombs on Nero Sixty-Six," he added on, "That is a fixed point in time in almost every timeline," he told Shiki, "After that, I am born…" he stated, "and that affects the course of events in all timelines," he finished.
"…I don't understand a word of what you just said…" the human Satan Gravity Ether Gear user noted, clenching his teeth together.
"Did I ever say you needed to?" Ziggy retorted in question, "Right now, this is Timeline Three," he told his counterpart, "A world that exists outside the wheel of time," he noted on.
"Wait…" Shiki uttered in realized, "if you're some hero from the future who went out to save the human race," he continued, "why are you trying to wipe them all out?" he asked. The android sneered.
"Again, do you really need to understand?" he inquired back rhetorically. The human Satan Gravity Ether Gear user lowered his head in contemplation.
"So you won't answer the most important questions…" he realized, "The idea that this is something I could've turned into in the future makes me really sad…" he admitted, "But even so…" he continued, clenching his fists tightly, "I will never be you," he stated firmly, "Actually, you're just not me," he corrected. Ziggy chuckled.
"Of course not," he concurred, swiping his left hand over his face as his body started to transform, "I was Shiki, that's all," he noted, "Now I am Ziggy, the Mechanical King," he declared, taking on his robotic voice once more, "And it's about time I showed you what a real king can do…" he decided. His appearance had changed drastically. Not only did he regain his skull-like mask, he also had larger horns and armor plates that resembled demonic claws. He seemed much more heavily armored.
"Overdrive?!" Shiki exclaimed in surprise.
"You're nothing more than a ghost of my past," the android proclaimed, "And once I wipe out every last trace of you…" he continued as his counterpart took on a ready stance, "Etherion will be mine," he declared. Meanwhile, the Edens Zero was still flying away as Crow pursued it, even while being hindered by Kleene's wind and the attacks of Jessica, America, and Yuno. Charging in from below were Henry, Jaime, and Kenny.
"We gotta trip him up!" the Avenger of the trio yelled to his colleagues, shrinking down and flying ahead. He shot out a few blue-glowing discs, striking some of the buildings in the titanic android's path. They suddenly grew to massive sizes, causing him to crash right into them as the Edens Zero kept soaring off.
"Nice work, lads!" Connor called out from the bridge, "Once we get Holy and those others outta that beast, we'll fire away and put an end to him!" he assured, "Hermit, let's give them support with some ammo!" he advised of the Shining Star present with him. She appeared to be lost in thought. "Hermit!" the captain shouted out, getting her attention.
"R-Right, sorry!" she stammered in apology, quickly typing up commands across her holographic keyboard, "Firing rear missiles!" she confirmed. The Edens Zero had several ports at its stern open up, unleashing a barrage of missiles. Just as Crow smashed through the enlarged buildings, he was bombarded by the projectiles in a multitude of explosions. What followed was him suddenly getting his right leg slammed into from below by the combination of Jaime with his arms transformed into battering rams and a hulking, broad-shouldered alien covered in natural, yellow armor plating on his back, shoulders, and the backs of his arms. He was mostly white with black on his upper half and had four claws on both of his hands, having a color scheme and claws similar to that of a panda. He also was covered in fur across the thickest parts of his body, while every other part except for his elbows and knees was short fur. He had rolled up into a sphere beforehand, rolling mightily against the titanic android's leg with his colleague, trying to trip him up. Back aboard the ship, Hermit was trembling a little.
'Sister, did you catch Shiki and Ziggy's conversation…?' she inquired over a communication line between her and her fellow Shining Star, who was in the infirmary as her repairs had just been completed.
'Hard not to…' she responded, 'I can't unhear it now…' she added in frustration.
'What do you think?' Hermit asked.
'Think?!' Sister repeated in exclamation, making her fellow Shining Star flinch, 'Nothing but how freakin' bizarre this all sounds!' she yelled on, 'I can't make heads or tails of it…' she admitted.
'Yeah… I agree…' the Mind of Edens replied, 'Even if what Ziggy said is true, there're too many contradictions…' she pointed out, 'For example, if Ziggy didn't exist in Timeline Three-One-Seven-Three…' she continued, 'the Edens Zero shouldn't have existed there, either…' she concluded, 'And then there's Rebecca's B-Cube, with the words 'Edens Zero' carved into it…' she mentioned further, putting a hand onto her chin, 'Why would it have those words…?' she wondered on.
'Hermit, don't stress over it right now,' Sister advised, exhaling a sigh, 'Too bad we didn't snag one of those Dark Star punks…' she mumbled, 'Maybe we could've gotten some answers…' she suggested, 'Anyways, what about the whole Ultron 'taking control of the whole planet' shit?' she inquired.
'I think we're gonna have to worry about that later…' her fellow Shining Star responded, 'You're right, we can't stress over this right now,' she concurred, ending the communication between her and the Life of Edens.
"Huh…" she exhaled.
'If Ziggy and the Edens Zero don't exist in Timeline Three-One-Seven-Three…' she began inwardly, 'that means that we Shining Stars didn't exist, either,' she noted to herself.
"What… were we created for?" she wondered aloud.
X
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Crow bellowed mightily, trying to push through both Jaime and Cannonbolt while also needing to deal with Jessica entrapping him with green energy chains, America and Yuno constantly bombarding him with attacks in spite of their ineffectiveness, and Kleene's wind continuing to pull away the jammer signal he had. At that moment, Henry suddenly enlarged in front of him, kicking him squarely in the gut to make him step back.
"Nice shot, Pym!" America complimented.
"We still need to keep him away from the ship!" Yuno called out to his colleagues, "Do whatever you can to slow him down!" he advised of them.
"Right!" they all responded. The titanic android groaned angrily at his foes' persistence, even at this stage of the battle. Inside of him, Yuta led the way as he, Holy, Kris and Laguna ventured further along the path of cables laid before them.
"Looks like a lot of careful work went into building this bastard…" the Wind Rage Ether Gear user noted as he glanced around.
"Yeah…" his blue-haired colleague agreed, "It's almost like we're actually in a human's body," he mentioned in admittance.
"Miss, do you happen to know where we should head?" Yuta inquired of Holy as the group came to a stop for a moment.
"Not likely, I'm afraid…" she replied, holding onto her broken arm, "I'm not even sure he has a power source at this point…" she admitted. At that moment, she winced as she keeled over slightly.
"Ah, Miss!" Yuta yelped, reaching out to her.
"Seems like that hurts quite a bit," Laguna commented as he approached, getting their attentions, "Would you mind crying for a sec?" he requested of the Oración Seis Galáctica member.
"…Huh?" she uttered in confusion with a blank expression, while the jujutsu sorcerer blinked in surprise. They watched as the Tears Lover Ether Gear user pulled out a peculiar onion. Its stench made Holy flinch. "Wh-What are you doing?!" she stammered out.
"It's an Oedo Onion," Laguna said, "Come on, don't fight it," he insisted of her. She found herself unable to compose herself from such a putrid stench, with tears pricking her eyes. Seeing that, the Tears Lover Ether Gear user let markings appear underneath his left eye, making her right arm splash apart into water. It then reformed instantly, dripping with liquid still. Cautiously, she flexed it.
"Wow…" she uttered, "It still hurts a fair bit, but it's no longer broken…" she noted, moving it about.
"That's amazing!" Yuta complimented.
"Quite the impressive Ether Gear indeed," Holy added with a little smile.
"Compared to yours, it's nothing," Laguna argued, "Your Melt doesn't seem to have any preconditions," he pointed out.
"Ah, so that's why you needed me to cry…" the Oración Seis Interestelar member realized. At that moment, she and the others heard rustling nearby. The cables above them shifted slightly.
"Looks like we're about to have company…" Yuta noted as he grabbed his katana's hilt. Dropping out from the cables were more avatars of the titanic android, resembling generic robots. They surrounded the quartet.
"These guys again, huh?" Kris said, taking a ready stance.
"Extensions of Crow, like an immune system fighting a virus…" Holy grumbled out.
"But the fact they're standing in our way now…" Laguna began as droplets of water dripped from his right hand, "means we're getting close to something he doesn't want us to find!" he proclaimed, swiping his arm to unleash a wave of water, washing away several of the avatars. Yuta charged in, slashing more apart. Kris blew others back as he rushed in with a gust of wind, while Holy held her arms out, melting down more.
"GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" one of them roared as it closed in on the Wind Rage Ether Gear user. He grabbed it by its throat with his right hand, slamming it down onto the bed of cables. More avatars dropped from above.
"There's more of them?!" Laguna exclaimed. Yuta dashed ahead.
"Rika!" he called out. Appearing beside him was the cursed spirit, who went ahead and hacked through those that were dropping down. "We'll clear a path to wherever we're headed!" he assured to his colleagues.
"Much obliged!" Holy responded gratefully, kicking back a melting avatar. More closed in. She stuck her hands out, but then noticed something. Her Ether Gear markings had disappeared. "What?!" she yelped. Kris found himself needing to throw his left arm out to block a punch from another avatar, seeing that his markings were gone as well.
"What's going on?!" Laguna asked, almost getting tackled by another avatar, only for Rika to slam it down.
"We can't use our Ether Gears…" Holy realized. Hearing that, Kris widened his eyes.
"But that means…!" he started to gasp out. Outside, his sister's starfighter had been caught between the fingers of the titanic android. She grimaced as the glass dome surrounding the cockpit was starting to crack.
"Finally caught you, ya little squirt…" Crow said, grinning sadistically as he was ready to crush the small ship in his hands.
"KLEENE!" Jessica screamed as she and America flew over. Unfortunately, the Oración Seis Galáctica member took notice of their approach, swatting them away with his left arm. Henry leapt up to catch them both before falling to the ground. Thanks to their distraction, the Wind Snatch Ether Gear user was able to eject herself from the starfighter, just as it was crushed. She went up into the air, only to meet Crow's sight. He clenched his left fist, rearing his arm back.
"YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME!" he bellowed, ready to strike. Gasping, Yuno flew over as quickly as he could.
"KLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEE!" he cried out.
"Everyone…" the Wind Snatch Ether Gear user uttered out, seeing Crow's massive fist close in on her, "I'm sorry…" she apologized. The Oración Seis Galáctica member struck, sending her crashing mightily to the ground through a building, all while everyone else could only watch helplessly.
What a grim way to end this portion of the story. But I'm afraid we'll have to wait until next time to find out what happens. With Ultron taking over Lendard, Shiki learning the truth of who Ziggy really is, and battles raging all across the planet, it's only natural that we'll be reaching the zenith very soon.
And as such… some exquisite conclusions to these battles will also come about. Until then, everyone.
END
Phoo! I thought this chapter was going to be a lot longer, honestly. That said, I'm really happy with what I've been able to do thus far. We've got seven chapters left to go, and things are bound to start heating up more. Thanks for reading, everyone!