2023-12-10: Purgatory ~INFERNO~ - Life
- Log: 2023-12-10: Purgatory ~INFERNO~ - Life
- Cast: Mikoto Utsugi, Lucine Azul, Lina Lombardi, Alouette Pommier, TenRyuuJin Team, Renais Cardiff, Guy Shishioh, Lamia
- Where: Jupiter
- OOC - IC Date: 10 December 0097
- Summary: Even after defeating the Silverion Crusher, and recovering the remaining members of the Gutsy Galaxy Guard, two remain missing from their number. Simultaneous powerful Z0-similar readings come up. Mikoto Utsugi has turned her body into a Zero Core, and once again taken the form of Zonuda. 3G and their allies come together to save one of the last of their missing number.
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
The Silverion Crusher has fallen and with it, Conqueror King Ruin King J-Der. Kosuke Entouji, Liger Shishioh, Koutarou Taiga, Soldato J-002 and Tomoro-0117 have been recovered and purified. The division ships that make up the Crusher have been destroyed, the zero cores of the crew retrieved. The path to the Compressed Jupiter and the King of Ruin should be clear.
But not everyone is accounted for. Two most important operatives remain missing from the purified Zero Cores, as the wreckage of the Crusher drifts through space.
----
In the vacuum of space, a woman floats. She looks out at the wreckage. A diamond of light glows on forehead, as she reaches out to her last ally.
>>Todo-kun. We're the last one's left. We have to hold out until it's finished. I'm going to do the last thing I can.<<
Mikoto focuses the power of the Oath Over Omega into herself, and her body shifts. Her skin hardens, as she bypasses the regular transformation into a Zero Core. Her body remembers, after all these years. It remembers what Pasdar did to her, the day he crashed to Earth and killed her parents. It remembers the form she was made to take. The Primeval's last gambit.
It's all too easy to become it again. It's terrifying, the way it doesn't hurt. The way it feels familiar. But it's for the mission. It's for the sake of Cosmic Law.
Wordlessly, she drifts toward the wreckage.
-----
It's then the sensors aboard the Mizuha go off- and Swan White at the operations desk calls out. "We're getting two HIGH POWER Z0 similar particle readings!" She yells, to the Chief on the Bridge, Shigeru Akamatsu.
"Two? Where the hell are they!?" He yells. The pilots have had no time to rest- and not everyone's reported back in. But they can't afford to stop now. "Everyone get ready to sortie!"
"We've got visual on one, transmitting to main screen."
A chill runs through the room at what's on screen. Yang Long Li's eyes narrow- but Swan White cries out. "OH MY GOD! It's..."
A pink figure that every member of the Gutsy Galaxy Guard would recognize. A feminine figure, with metallic skin and large antennae, the size of a human.
And a cry crashes against the walls of the division ships, the 'voice' of the creature rolling through the ships. A cry, full of sadness, despair and resolution.
"ZONUDAAAAAAAA!"
The wreckage of the the division ships is magnetically pulled to Zonuda's body, transforming into something else as soon as it gets in range, crashing together into plates, reforming into armor- and in a few moments, it stands. A being that once nearly transformed the Earth into something else, now infused with the orange glow of Triple Zero.
~CONQUEROR QUEEN RUIN ZONUDA ROBOT~
"Send out everyone we've got!" Akamatsu yells. "If we don't stop that thing-"
"We can't! There's still the second signal!" Stallion calls back.
"Two teams, then! Everyone, get out there!"
In the vacuum of space, Zonuda waits. At the heart of the modified Zero Core, one person is at the front of Mikoto Utsugi's mind.
Guy... Stay away...
KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has deployed in Conqueror Queen Ruin Zonuda Robot.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
The Silverion Crusher has been stopped, five members of the Guard have been recovered. This was nothing but a overwhelming victory, but as Lina sits in the cockpit of the Nightmare, her mind couldn't help but stir. "I am a Brave." That's what she had told Yapool.
Brave.
In her short time with GGG, she had tried her hardest to mark that word into her heart. But what did it really mean?
Was a Brave someone who always knew the right thing to do? That seemed impossible. She thought she had been doing the right thing at Tokyo-3, but what was right to one was wrong to another.
Was a Brave someone who never fled from danger? She certainly hadn't fled from the church in Alba City, and she mostly got some broken bones and a month out of commission from it.
Was a Brave simply someone who never knew fear? Whenever she closed her eyes, she remembered Kamuy's face, burst open in a grotesque blossom of death. Algernon scared her. Triple Zero scared her. Yapool scared her. So many things scared her.
Before she can ruminate further, the alert comes out on comms. Two more Zeros...there were still two unaccounted for...She shakes her head and transforms into Battroid Mode, scanning around until she locks her sighs on the Zonuda. That must be...Mikoto, right? "Pleasure to meet you, Mikoto! Name's Lina! Promise I won't try to rough you up too much!"
KTS: Lina Lombardi has deployed in VF-171 Nightmare Plus <Battroid Mode>. KTS: EN Barrier activated! KTS: Alouette Pommier has deployed in Gatherway Guardienne Aviaire. KTS: Lina Lombardi targets Mikoto Utsugi with Micro-Missile Array Fire! KTS: Lina Lombardi's Biorhythm activates Alert! <Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
The Dianthus had been staying close to the division ships, playing the role of scout, and, if needed, a second pair of eyes. At least, that was the plan, as others moved in to recharge. Arguably, Lucine should have done the same, but the energy usage of the Dianthus, especially after Koji Kabuto helped revise and streamline the inner workings, are so much better. Besides, the Dianthus is physically minuscule in scale compared to the other suits and ships here.
Which definitely means Lucine can't afford to be the daredevil she sometimes is tempted to be.
Settling back into her cockpit, Lucine sighs and rests her eyes for a moment, letting the automatic piloting system take over for a few precious moments of quiet.
---- Duty. A feeling of love, towards someone else, above all else. Duty. A quiet wish. Sadness? Duty. Duty. Love. A wish for something that can't happen, something coming. An acknowledgment of approaching conflict. A love towards someone. Possibly heartbreak? Duty. Inevitable.
Sometimes, all it comes down to is a signal not meant to be heard, finding an unwitting receiver. A quirk of the universe like much of life itself, the sort of chaotic, fleeting randomness that stands as another tiny bit of evidence why this universe stands as an anathema to the Cosmic Law.
Lucine's first instinct is to narrow down on this unknown message, but she halts herself. The only people she would have sensed coming from that direction... would be agents of the Cosmic Law. Could infection be transmitted through emotions?
And what of the person at the center of that person's feelings?
Barely a moment has passed before the radio crackles to life, and Lucine's eyelids are finally forced to snap open. < "-- I'll see if I can get a visual of either!" > The view from her cockpit pivots around in search, but it's Mizuha that finds it first. Zonuda's cry translates through the void of space into something primal and audible through the ships, leaving no question of what those emotions had belonged to. "... Zonuda...?"
The pink being, looking like a cross between a fairy and a butterfly with expansive wings, is noticably small, but not for long.
< ".... Waiting on the others before enaging directly. Laying down cover fire." > Lucine's voice is distracted; her thoughts on the identity of the person this being (Zonuda?) is thinking of. Could that person be on this ship?
Would it be better to never know that someone still thought of you, even when their actions and thoughts were otherwise directed by a higher force?
Instead, she reaches out to Liam. < ".... Liam. I think I... registered some of the emotions Zonuda is feeling. They're still thinking of someone. If that person is on this ship..." > She breathes in. She had done that, once before-- found out about Kaworu being shot, and then, not telling Liam, in order to protect his night. Or was it just her protecting their night, in the end, without the veneer of selflessness? < "... I have to figure out who that person is, and tell them." >
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
The threat of Conqueror King J-Der and the Silverion Crusher he wielded has been subverted through the ingenuity and the teamwork of the Division Train, and the courage of its pilots. Alouette won't ever forget the tearful smile on Ikumi Kaidou's face as he left Gatherway Guardienne Aviaire to purify his friends - J and Tomoro. If she could do so much as get him there... she's satisfied.
There was plenty of reason to celebrate - they'd rescued almost everyone. But among the Zero Cores recovered from the J-Ark... two were missing. Mikoto Utsugi and Takeshi Todo... no, their battle against the corrupted Gutsy Galaxy Guard wasn't over yet.
Alouette hadn't even had time to rest since launching against King J-Der, and she was about to report back... by the time she gets word from the Order Room of two massive spikes of Z0-Similar emissions.
Her sensors pick up on a small, pink figure that she'd never seen in person... but she's done her research. And what comes next is... the New Machine Species Zonuda absorbing the wreckage of the division ships that was once the Silverion Crusher... and becoming a Conqueror Queen.
"Change of plans, Order Room! Gatherway Guardienne Aviaire's in position to deploy... so I'll do what I can." Alouette reports. "You can be certain I won't let this chance slip away."
She had done her research on Zonuda, sure, but even if she hadn't... "Mikoto... I see right through your heart. And if you think taking that form is enough to turn me away, then I'm afraid you're mistaken!"
The core of the Conqueror Queen, Zonuda might not even recognize the conviction in Alouette's voice. She should be nothing more than an ordinary girl, and Bujack proved that. But within Gatherway Guardienne Aviaire, she never so much as breaks eye contact with the Conqueror Queen.
"Say, Guy..." Alouette asides, as GaoGaiGar rushes in to meet Zonuda once more. "The Gutsy Galaxy Guard never did have a way to overcome the New Machines Species, did it?" She asks, hushed in tone. "By all means, it took a miracle and nothing less. Is that correct?" She doesn't wait for an answer. "Whether we need one or not... let's bring her home."
The New Machine Species' absolute sublimination is something to worry about, though. Even Program Ring-based technology would likely dissipate against Zonuda's barrier. "...Mm, don't attack carelessly, everyone. You saw what she did to those ships." Alouette warns, sharply. "But don't let her form fool you either... even she's still human."
KTS: Alouette Pommier targets Mikoto Utsugi with Shock!
KTS: Lucine Azul has deployed in Dianthus Mk. 3. KTS: Lina Lombardi's Biorhythm activates Focus! KTS: Lamia has deployed in Betterman Cataphract. KTS: Will Barrier activated! (But will not apply until relevant Morale threshold.) KTS: Lucine Azul targets Mikoto Utsugi with Argen-21 Beam Arbalest Arrow! KTS: Guy Shishioh has deployed in GaoGaiGar. KTS: TenRyuuJin Team has deployed in TenRyuuJin. KTS: EN Barrier activated! KTS: Alouette Pommier shocks Mikoto Utsugi, reducing her Morale significantly. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi successfully Intercepts Lina Lombardi's Micro-Missile Array Fire KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi blocks Lucine Azul's Argen-21 Beam Arbalest Arrow, taking 570 damage!
<Pose Tracker> TenRyuuJin Team has posed.
A battered, Dilanza Sol drifts in formation with the Division Train cars. The bright red NERV logo on its shoulder is gone, replaced by a molten-edged burn that still smolders in hard vacuum. In its cockpit sits Liam. He settles his helmet back in place, holds down the buttons, and waits until the telltale chime and hiss of repressurization. An empty CalorieMark wrapper floats nearby. He picks it up, and stuffs it into the underseat compartment.
A Z0 signature ignites on the radar. Swan cries out in surprise. Everything goes to hell again, and Liam--freshly out of ammo, and playing escort for the Division Train--is in no position to intervene yet.
Lucine's voice fills his cockpit, and his heart tightens. <"Please be careful,"> Liam says. People are still missing out there. Lucine can't become one of them. <"But we can't let it through to the Train, no matter what.">
<Pose Tracker> TenRyuuJin Team has posed.
Mikoto... it's here in there. It has to be.
It is. That she'd resort to this... I can't imagine...
TenRyuuJin aided in the recovery of several cores, including Dr. Liger Shishioh and Goldymarg's AI block. Almost all of GGG's missing personnel--their friends and comrades from that final, ill-fated mission, years ago--have been retrieved, and purified. This should be a time to feel triumphant.
Neither AnRyuu nor KouRyuu were around for Zonuda's first appearance, but they know the damage she caused. It took a literal miracle to stop her. Will they need a miracle this time, too?
"Mikoto." TenRyuuJin rises to meet her old comrade, taking up flanking position by Gatherway Guardienne. Her voice is calm, confident. Her body is lined with scars left by King J-Der's beam turrets. "Chief Taiga's home. Doctor Shishioh and Hyuuma and Entouji are home. This ends here, even if it takes another miracle...!" The MASER cannon at TenRyuuJin's shoulder flares to life--instead of a brilliant beam, it transmits broad, disruptive waves, meant to jam Zonuda's systems.
Both of her cores monitor Zonuda's reaction, updating their predictions. Alouette is absolutely right. They can't be careless.
KTS: TenRyuuJin Team targets Mikoto Utsugi with Jam! KTS: Renais Cardiff has deployed in GaoFighGar. KTS: EN Barrier activated! KTS: +defend (player or queue number) KTS: TenRyuuJin Team jams Mikoto Utsugi's sensors, reducing her accuracy.
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
GaoFighGar sits in one of the Division Train's mirror catapults, having undergone emergency repairs after the encounter with King J-Der and the Silverion Crusher. She's been... uncharacteristically quiet. It's understandable, really; coming face to face with the first person she'd been close to, not to mention having to face the same infection that took hold of her like this...
In some ways, it's like she's in the same place she was when she left Earth to begin with.
She sits in the cockpit, embedded into GaoFighGar's systems, silent... and then the alarms sound. Another attack. "GaoFighGar, launching," she reports coolly. GaoFighGar shines in its mirror coating, streaking out into the night. The coating melts away, and blue and silver are illuminated by the blazing orange of Jupiter...
Her eyes open wide. "T-that's-- mon dieu...!"
She's never seen it with her own eyes. The New Machine Species.
"... Utsugi." Renais' thoughts flash back to the Trinary Solar System. Mikoto coming to her rescue.
"I'll free you from this Hell!" she yells out, still powering toward Zonuda as a Program Ring ejects from GaoFighGar's chest, surrounding its left fist. "BROKEN PHANTOOOOM!" she screams, firing it toward the barrier, heedless of its supposed impenetrability.
KTS: Renais Cardiff has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Renais Cardiff targets Mikoto Utsugi with Broken Phantom! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Foresee Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi successfully Evades Renais Cardiff's Broken Phantom
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy is...anxious. Nervous. He's been working with Kaidou and Renais to contain and purify everyone they can - J and Tomoro, first, but then capturing the GGG members left behind. An entire car of the Division Train is now post-Purification triage, but...
Even after all their searching, Mikoto is still missing.
GaoGaiGar has returned to the Train, undergoing emergency maintenance while still Fused. His and Akamatsu's opinion are the same - this isn't over. Guy stands by a window, staring out into the sea of stars. She wasn't here. "Mikoto," he sighs, head dipping low.
But then he feels it, like a shot echoing across the Limpid Channel. An intention too dire to escape his thoughts. "No," he croaks out, and jerks his head to stare. He can practically see her with his superhuman eyes, a pink spot amid the darkness. The core - not of a Zero Robo, but of the New Machine Species. The enemy that nearly destroyed them all. "Mikoto...MIKOTO!"
Zonuda. An enemy too powerful to comprehend. Too powerful to imagine, to stop. An enemy that had nearly cost everybody their lives, the last time they faced it. HyoRyu, EnRyu, RaiRyu, FuRyu, they're all not here. Volfogg won't be much use to this battle. His teeth grit tight, grinding so hard his jaw hurts, but immediately he rounds on his heels, Evoluder powers connecting him to the internal lines. "I'm re-Fusing! Get GaoGaiGar on the Mirror Catapult!!"
As if anyone doubted that'd be the result.
*
GaoGaiGar soars out at full speed. They'd made the decision to swap GaoGaiGar to Steatlh Gao II for this; GaoGaiGo's current pilots were too tapped for a battle like this, and they needed Guy to have Star GaoGaiGar's full space maneuverability. Everyone...everyone's facing this with their usual courage. But only Guy knows what terrifying power the New Machine Species carries...
GaoGaiGar's fist balls tight. "Whatever you do, don't touch it. Don't even get close to it! Even before Triple Zero its matter sublimation turned a downtown neighborhood into a pile of scrap in seconds!"
Alouette asks him a fretful question, and... "No," Guy answers, earnestly. "Even at the end...the closest thing we had to an answer was to sacrifice GaoGaiGar to rip it apart and purify the core while it crumbled. In the end, we never did find out the principle of Matter Sublimation well enough to stifle it." ... "Focus on your bravery," Guy says. "The G-Stone's light is your best shield."
Can he truly say he believes that, right now? But. ...but she's in there. "Mikoto," he murmurs to himself, and charges on.
And, of course, because it's how Guy works, he charges straight the hell in and slams his fist straight into the Zonder Barrier at planetary travel speeds, roaring, "MIIIIIKOTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I'M NOT RUNNING ANYWHERE WITHOUTT YOU!"
KTS: Guy Shishioh targets Mikoto Utsugi with Broken Fist! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's Physical Wall L1 activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi blocks Guy Shishioh's Broken Fist, taking 600 damage! KTS: Guy Shishioh has engaged Mikoto Utsugi!
<Pose Tracker> Lamia has posed.
Fighting the King of Ruin will require conservation of strength from GGG and even the Somnium. Unfortunately, given that only a few Apostles yet remain, rest was never an option. Rationally, it stands to spread out the burden of fighting, as while there's no doubt that the Evoluder and his comrades could deal with the threat, sustaining too much preventable damage could lower their odds for the 'final' fight. Of course, rational thoughts are usually an excuse for Lamia, and this time isn't any different.
As Zonuda appears, a section of space tears open in response, revealing a flash of crimson that's immediately obscured as massive creature pours out of it. A monster of flesh and blood, and yet it rivals the stature and size of the King of Braves itself. The composite of multiple perfect creatures. It has one name, a name that's screamed across the Limpid Channel, drowning out everything on it for the briefest of moments as it makes its presence known.
BETTERMAN CATAPHRACT
"Last remnant of the Purple Planet..."
Laia trails off during his sentence, choosing not to follow up on it. There's nothing more to add, and to do so would only serve to ruminate on a system that has long since been lost to many.
Instead of doing that, the Betterman instead decides to focus on the future and, more importantly, the lives in front of him. Despite being in the void of space, the monster opens its mouth, letting out a scream that creates a noticeable shockwave and more importantly, can even be felt over the psychic channel. There's no real words to it, but its meaning is pretty easy to understand for those who hear it. A primal war cry that can be boiled down to one word.
FIGHT
KTS: Lamia: Will Barrier Activates. KTS: Lamia targets Guy Shishioh, Renais Cardiff, and Lina Lombardi with Awe. KTS: Lamia inspires awe, increasing Guy Shishioh's Morale! <Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
If Mikoto hears Lina's message, she doesn't respond to it. Nor does Zonuda even move to intercept the missiles. As they get close to Zonuda, the metal in them suddenly warps and changes, before coming an inert substance like that of a body of a Zonder- the missiles momentum arrested, and warheads dissolved, they simply stop.
The beam of the Arbalest meets a barrier wall, Zonuda again not moving, and only fragments of the beam make it through. The burn the Zonuda Robot's armour, but just as quickly, with the orange light of Dawn, the injuries heal as if it wasn't struck at all.
The Broken Phantom of GaoFighGar soars toward Zonuda, and it moves effortlessly to the side- into the path of the Broken Fist. Zonuda doesn't dodge, it's barrier bursting to life as the attack slams weakly into it's shoulder before returning on it's arc. Zonuda doesn't try to stop it. She just has to keep them busy.
But across the Limpid Channel, she feels it coming. The screaming presence of multiple somniums. Betterman Cataphract... She doesn't understand the Bettermen- just that they stand against the Aura of Dawn. Liger had some theories, certainly, but for Mikoto... they're just another form of life that has to be extinguished for the sake of Cosmic Law. She reaches out across the Limpid Channel to the joint consciousness.
>>I'm sorry. I can't let you stand in my way. It will all be over soon.<<
TenRyuuJin's waves crash over Zonuda, and the interference on it's systems- no, it's very eyes- form a problem. The New Machine Lifeform can see on levels that a human cannot- and the waves disrupt their vision. Mikoto can maybe hear the young braves- her former companions- but as they cannot hear the Limpid Channel, she cannot reach them. "Zonuda..." It speaks, before raising one of it's massive arms, and propelling it with electromagnetic energy towards the combined Brave Robo to crash into her body at full force.
The aura around Zonuda reaches out for Lina's Nightmare and the Dianthus, without Zonuda moving. The metal that makes up their units starts to change, the overwhelming power of Zonuda mixed with the Aura of Dawn ready to convert them into that Zonder like metal. It will take time, but there is an inevitability to it- but they still have a chance to get out of range.
Suddenly, Zonuda moves, it's barrier rising in front of it to smother Cataphract, ramming it with the shield She can't sublimate organic matter- the Betterman is safe from that- but the Barrier itself can be used as a ram, or to crush, very effective- and Zonuda has a lot of weight behind it.
Alouette's resolve is felt, and sorrow eminates from Zonuda. A very human sorrow, for the being at the heart of this machine. Inside, a cross of light appears on Zonuda's forehead.
>>Alouette-chan... I wish you could have stayed in that happy dream. Please... go back. I don't want to hurt you.<<
But she must, if Alouette stays in her path. She has to. Cosmic Law won't allow anything else. No matter how much it hurts.
>>Renais-san... you and J shouldn't be alone in your final moments. Spend what little time you have together, please...<<
Even if she must be parted from the one she loves most, can't J and Renais have some of that happiness?
And then she hears it. Guy's scream. Anyone who can feel others can feel it. The deep, deep happiness and the simultaneous crushing despair.
>>Guy... I knew you'd come for me. I knew... But you can't. I have one final wish in this world... Please hear it.<<
The Limpid Channel connection is silent for a few moments, before she 'speaks' again.
>>Please go back. Forget about me. Just live.... if even for a few hours, for a few more minutes... live.<<
KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets TenRyuuJin Team with Overwhelming Punch! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Guy Shishioh with Demoralize! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Alouette Pommier with Demoralize! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Renais Cardiff with Demoralize! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Lamia with Barrier Crush! KTS: Mikoto_Utsugi Changes attack to Lucine Azul and Lina Lombardi with Mass Sublimation. KTS: Lamia inspires awe, increasing Renais Cardiff's Morale! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi demoralizes Alouette Pommier, reducing her Morale drastically. KTS: Lucine Azul has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Lucine Azul successfully evades Mikoto Utsugi's Mass Sublimation KTS: TenRyuuJin Team has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: TenRyuuJin Team successfully Evades Mikoto Utsugi's Overwhelming Punch KTS: Lamia inspires awe, increasing Lina Lombardi's Morale! KTS: Lina Lombardi has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Lina Lombardi successfully avoids Mikoto Utsugi's Mass Sublimation KTS: Lamia has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Lamia's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Lamia blocks Mikoto Utsugi's Barrier Crush, taking 1050 damage! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has engaged Lamia! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi demoralizes Renais Cardiff, reducing her Morale drastically. KTS: [Spirit Defense] Renais Cardiff's activates, and her spirit endures. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi demoralizes Guy Shishioh, reducing his Morale drastically.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
Hearing Liam's voice, Lucine's gaze softens, as if she was looking straight at him in that moment. < "... I will, Liam. You stay safe as well." > The exchange brings with it its own line of thought: If she and Liam were in the same position, she'd want to know, wouldn't she? And Liam... Lucine imagines it would be the same for him. < "I love you." > She keeps her words casual, defying any note of finality that might cross in. There will be many, many more times she will say those words; this will not be the last time.
< ".... Mikoto is still in there." > Lucine tries to confirm aloud what Alouette knew already in her heart. < ".... I don't know her like the rest of you. But... there are emotions there. There's..." > She breathes, taking time to choose her words carefully. < "... She has someone on her mind. And she wishes that person--" > To stay away? To not see her? How do you translate it? It's not Lucine herself feeling those emotions, but translating them into things her mind understands.
Unbeknownst to Lucine herself as she struggles with words, Zonuda speaks directly to those on her mind.
< ".... I think she wants them to be safe. .... I think I can understand, a little, why all of you feel the way you do towards her." > Lucine's soft tone may make these words feel even harder; she wishes she could look into the future and see if it would have been better to be harder with them. < ".... But... she won't stop in her duty to the Cosmic Law, just like the others we've fought. So we need to not stop, either..." >
Lamia's primal shriek gets to the point that Lucine simply dances around; likewise, Guy's own willingness to charge in.
Lucine takes in a breath, and tries to embody some of that energy herself, letting loose a yell in the thankful privacy of her own cockpit. It carries through into the Dianthus's back petals, with unwind outsides in segments like flags, or sails for a wind. The translucent material glows red-magenta and charges, letting loose a wave of energy towards Zonuda.
KTS: Lucine Azul targets Mikoto Utsugi with Aure-019 System v.1 Howl! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Foresee Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's Force Wall L1 activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Lucine Azul rattles Mikoto Utsugi, making her next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi blocks Lucine Azul's Aure-019 System v.1 Howl, taking 300 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina clicks her tongue as her missiles just...well, they just stop being missiles, don't they? Guess that's the power of a Zonder.
"Ignoring me, huh? That's fine. Talking with you Ruin Apostles is like arguing with a brick wall anyway."
Her mind rumbles as Lamia's cry echoes through the battlefield and into her thoughts. And what exactly do you think I'm doing?! She fires back at him, not knowing whether or not her brain and his brain work the same way. While using her mind to snap back at the Somnium, she feels a flash. Something's wrong. Her controls shouldn't have...an aura. The metal around her is imperceptibly shifting and changing. She doesn't see it, but she knows it.
I have to get away from her.
Lina fires her boosters and pulls the Nightmare back, getting far enough away from the Zonuda to stop the change. Okay, so close combat is out of the question. And anything made of metal is a no-go, so no missiles.
So beams should be alright! The Erikon cannons in the Nightmare's torso light up and begin to fire multiple shots, hopefully intending to hit her faster than she can react to each one.
KTS: Lina Lombardi targets Mikoto Utsugi with Erikon Beam Cannons Rapid Fire! KTS: Lina Lombardi's Biorhythm activates Wall! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi blocks Lina Lombardi's Erikon Beam Cannons Rapid Fire, taking 1850 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
The fist withdraws from Zonuda quickly as it glances off, and she directs GaoFighGar's computer to run a quick diagnostic. She knows what Zonuda's capable of, and she'd rather not have a sublimated fist... she winces as the Cataphract's cry echoes in her skull.
They want to kill Guy. But... the enemy of her enemy is her friend, right now. And they're right. What they had before was far less than they have now. The might of Earth's protectors has only grown.
"To HELL with that!" yells Renais. "Utsugi, you know as well as I do that J would be ashamed of me if I retreated now! You're coming home with us! TenRyuJin! Alouette! Lina! Guy! Everyone! Focus your attacks! That barrier *can't* be indestructible!"
GaoFighGar moves closer, casting out both arms, each crackling with lightning. "PLASMA HOOOOLD!" Lightning arcs from the Queen of Braves' fingers toward Zonuda Robo--if she can't get through the barrier, she can at least hold Zonuda in place...!
KTS: Renais Cardiff targets Mikoto Utsugi with Plasma Hold! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's Force Wall L1 activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Renais Cardiff anchors Mikoto Utsugi, forcing her into close range. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi blocks Renais Cardiff's Plasma Hold, taking 480 damage! KTS: Renais Cardiff has engaged Mikoto Utsugi!
<Pose Tracker> TenRyuuJin Team has posed.
<"We can't do that again,"> says TenRyuuJin, as Guy explains what it took to stop Zonuda last time. The horrible risk he took to save Earth, and Mikoto. <"But there is a way. We simply have to find it.">
Zonuda lashes out with a mighty fist. For a tiny fraction of a second, both of TenRyuuJin's cores share a single thought, and that thought is blind terror. A memory bubbles up--Triple Zero coursing through them, remaking, overriding. Their reaction is absolute. The Dragon Sister jets back, accelerating at speeds that would risk immediate G-LOC if she were organic. Her eyes meet Zonuda's faceplate as the Zero Robo's fist races through the vacuum. It misses her by meters, and she can feel that assimilating force pulling at the substance of her body.
All it would take is just one touch.
<"Of course she does. It's Guy!"> A trace of exasperation creeps into TenRyuuJin's voice as Lucine, bless her heart, tries to tease apart their foe's motivations. <"--Right, Renais! Performing saturation fire! CHERBOURG RAIN!">
TenRyuuJin rockets up and over Zonuda, keeping well clear of her foe's body; AnRyuu's missile launchers swing open, revealing rows of warheads. Contrails streak out into vacuum, dissipating as missile after missile locks on and fires. Each one detonates in a cloud of expanding microchaff.
KTS: TenRyuuJin Team targets Mikoto Utsugi with Cherbourg Rain! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi successfully Intercepts TenRyuuJin Team's Cherbourg Rain
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Guy's answer is clear - they have no answer to the New Machine Species' matter sublimination, not then and not now. "I see..." She answers, frowning. There's no Key to Victory this time. Only their bravery, and the gleam of the G-Stone. "Then I'll do just that. Because... I promised I'd bring you together again, in life." She doesn't intend to sacrifice her memories for it this time.
"You're right, Lucine. She's waiting for Guy." Alouette answers the young Newtype. "Even though she's carrying out Cosmic Law... I think her desire to be with him is even stronger." She doesn't speak to Lucine long though, for...
Her eyes widen as she hears not the despairful wail of Zonuda, but the heartful words of the Mikoto Utsugi she knows. She thought she'd be overjoyed to hear Mikoto's voice again... but it guts her like a spear.
The replica GS-Ride's output begins to drop... dangerous when face to face with Zonuda. "I... I can't." Comes her reply. "A dream is something you wake up from, Mikoto. And... we were never supposed to reunite in just the world of dreams."
She keeps Guy's advice close to her... and she hears Renais's voice ringing in her ears, calling for an allout attack. TenRyuuJin's right next to her, too. And...
"Alouette Pommier," Kaworu's gentle voice sounds over Aviaire's commu lines. He is still sortied in Unit Beta, but he won't be joining the battle against Zonuda. After all: "I must face Takeshi Todo, so I will not be able to fight alongside you you to rescue Mikoto Utsugi.
"Nonetheless, you're no stranger to miracles, aren't you? So allow me to offer what little support I can." A beat. "Raise your voice. She will surely accompany you, here in the sea of stars."
"Merci, Kaworu-san," Alouette answers, quietly... before the line cuts to static. She silently wishes those fighting against Takeshi good luck... but right now, all her attention needs to be on Mikoto.
She follows the Limpid Channel, the same way she did when she reached out to Leina in the Banshee, Akane in Alexis Kerib himself... letting the song in her heart take hold. And on Renais's mark, she draws her rapier!
Renais's Broken Phantom may have proven that Program Ring energy is hard pressed to work, but she still has to try... extending that blade as far as it can go, hoping to pierce through Zonuda's barrier.
"Touche and point," she strains, flying away just as fast as she hit, to avoid that terrible sublimination. Alouette has her doubts they can win a battle of attrition forever. But she won't ever give up on Mikoto.
KTS: Alouette Pommier has activated the Rouse Spirit Command. KTS: Alouette Pommier has activated the Rouse Spirit Command. KTS: Alouette Pommier targets Mikoto Utsugi with Aile en Fleche! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi fails to Evade Alouette Pommier's Aile en Fleche, taking 4092 damage! KTS: Alouette Pommier has engaged Mikoto Utsugi!
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy leaves the exchagne with both arms, which is not usually how getting within a few kilometers of Zonuda goes. Going easy on them, maybe. He clenches his fist up tight again, thinking of how to approach, when Cataphract appears.
"So you're here, Betterman," Guy says...and finds himself mustering a combatant's smile. "If we ever had need of the race that evolves to face any threat, it's now. Whatever comes of us after this...please. That's Mikoto. ...please."
Their roar to fight gets his blood back up, and he punches his fists together. "RIGHT!"
But Mikoto has her own plea: Please go back. Forget about me. Live...for however many seconds more.
For a moment, the G-Stone dulls in answer, his face a mask of pain to hear those words. Leave her? Leave? The notion of the mission, the practical logistics, everything else isn't even a buzz in his empty thoughts. Leave?
Abandon Mikoto?
"I REFUSE!" he roars, spirit roaring higher. "Never again, Mikoto! I swore to you! I'M GETTING YOU OUT OF THERE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!" Then a deep, deep breath. "GOLDYMARG!!!"
The bridge lights up with the siren signals, and Ayame calls, "Gettin' request and approval from Chief Guy for Goldion Hammer!" as she reaches for her vest without waiting for anyone else.
Akamatsu glances to the side at Supervisor Yang. "Suppose after all this we'll have to stop letting him approve his own requests, huh?"
Yang hmphs. "If that's the level of our worries on return home, I'll owe you dinner."
Down front at the Mobile Operator displays, Ayame drives her keycard into the slot that has rotated into view on her terminal. "Goldion Hammer! Safety device, relieved!"
Pin pon. And an orange brick fires out of the Division Train, Goldy DoubleMarg already roaring, "SYSTEM CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANGE!"
Guy soars out and away from Conqueror-Queen Zonuda, driving GaoGaiGar's fist firmly into the socket on the Marg Hand. That hand connects rapidly, interlocks, and stretches wide just in time to grab on to the descending: "Goldion! DOUBLE HAMMEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!"
Fully equipped, GaoGaiGar stares down at Zonuda. "GaoGaiGar," Goldy notes from his position in the hammerhead. "Been waitin' for round two on this bird for years! Let's go!"
"RIGHT," Guy thunders, and then whips the hammer back, and HURLS one of the spheres attached to the hammerheads toward the Zonuda. It attaches on Protect lightning, smashing into the barrier, reeling back, and then returning to smash again. "CLACKERS!! HYAAA!!"
KTS: Guy Shishioh has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Guy Shishioh has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Guy Shishioh targets Mikoto Utsugi with Clacker Smash! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's Force Wall L1 activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi blocks Guy Shishioh's Clacker Smash, taking 1300 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Lamia has posed.
Zonuda's attack lands true, crashing into the joined Bettermen. It flies back, but a faint yellow glow around the invisible membrane that covers the creature seems to take the brunt of the attack.
>>You are correct, Evoluder. It will be over soon. But not for humanity, and not for you.<<
What exactly will be over, Lamia doesn't say. One could assume this fight, but his demeanor and tone doesn't seem to imply he'd make that sort of quip.
The flesh on Cataphract's back peels apart as it reaches behind its back, pulling out a massive blade of bone and sinew that it points at the Zonder robot.
It then grips the hilt of the newly formed sword with both hands, lowering its posture as it stares down Zonuda and, by extension, Mikoto. And then, in a flash, massive wings propel it through the vacuum, its scarf-like appendage flapping along as it swings the weapon at the New Machine's Species' side in an attempt to slice through its barrier.
>>Even if I wanted to, I cannot honor your plea. You and your King are all that stand between us and the Age we desperately seek.<< %
KTS: Lamia targets Mikoto Utsugi with Void Rupture Saber Rend! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi partially guards Lamia's Void Rupture Saber Rend, taking 5520 damage! KTS: Lamia has engaged Mikoto Utsugi!
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
The Zonuda raises it's barrier again, in time to stop most of the Dianthus' shot. Lina's barrage of beams gets through partially, but the impact on Zonuda's armour seems almost negligible. It's clear that damage is being done, but Zonuda seems to recover faster than other Ruin Disciple.
>>You have someone you want to be with, don't you?<< The message comes directly into Lucine's mind. >>You shouldn't waste your last moments fighting here. Go to them. I won't have to stop you if you do.<<
Lina, too, finds words pushed into her mind. >>You should leave. This universe is almost out of time. You shouldn't waste it trying to reach someone like me.<<
The Plasma Hold crackles around the Zonuda Robot, and it's movement IS impaired. But the damage is minimal, against an enemy this strong. The hold won't restrict her long, and Renais can already feel the New Machine Lifeform starting to strain the electromagnetic energy.
>>Renais-san... You know how what I have to do. We only just became friends... I don't want our friendship to end like this.<<
If it must anyway, surely they can choose the least painful route.
Once again, missiles rain towards Zonuda, this time from TenRyuuJin- and once again, they are turned into harmless metal scrap, drifting through space. Zonuda looks towards TenRyuuJin. "...Zonuda..." The pain is there, even if that one word is the only she can speak with the Dragon Sisters.
A dream is supposed to be something you wake up from.
>>We can't reunite, Alouette. I wanted to see you again... but a dream is the only place we could have met again.<<
The blade, however, cuts through a momentary weakness is Zonuda's barrier, and scores a solid hit, the program ring energy allowing it to drive into Zonuda robot's armour- but surely at this range, could she not be sublimated too?
But once again- just like he did every time- Guy refuses to give up. He refuses to give up on her. She should have known he wouldn't.
If only that didn't hurt so much.
>>Guy... Please... When this over... we can finally be together. Forever. So please...<<
The Goldion Clackers smash against and through the barrier, impacting hard on the armor-
But not as hard as the Betterman's blade, which cleaves through Zonuda Robot's chest. For a second, they can see it- the pink lifeform, the New Machine Species that stands against the Ancient Organic Life- before the wound seals closed to protect the being in the heart of it.
>>I'm sorry. What you want... can't happen. This world must end. It must.<<
She believes it fully, even if she wishes it wasn't true.
>>GET AWAY!<< Mikoto's 'voice' suddenly screams into the heads of Guy, Alouette and Renais. She doesn't want to have to kill them, if she can avoid it. The barrier forms, and Zonuda robot moves to shove all three of them as far away from itself as she can. >>Please! Don't make me do this!<<
A sphere of energy is generated at the tip of the Zonuda Robot's head- and it fires in all directions- toward Lina, Lucine and TenRyuujin, all three of whom are keeping their distance from her. They scatter, filling the space with a barrage of death in all directions. Even if Mikoto doesn't want to fight- Zonuda still remembers how to kill.
Cataphract- locked in melee, immune to the Sublimation barrier- has a different problem. Zonuda's knee flies up to smash into the Betterman, with all the force she can muster. This one is a threat she can't handle the same as the rest. This one she has to put down the hard way.
The same way she once nearly did GaoGaiGar.
KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Lamia with Crashing Knee! KTS: Mikoto_Utsugi Changes attack to Lina Lombardi, Lucine Azul, and TenRyuuJin Team with Scattering Zonuda Beam. KTS: Mikoto_Utsugi Changes attack to Alouette Pommier, Guy Shishioh, and Renais Cardiff with Wide Barrier Crush. KTS: Alouette Pommier fails to retreat. KTS: [Spirit Defense] Alouette Pommier's Wings of the Heart activates, and her spirit is adjusted. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi enervates Alouette Pommier, reducing her Morale significantly. KTS: Alouette Pommier fails to evade Mikoto Utsugi's Wide Barrier Crush, taking 4400 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Mikoto Utsugi's Miracle Sublimation activates, causing Designate L1! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Mikoto Utsugi's I Wanted You To Live... activates, causing Deject! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Mikoto Utsugi's Overwhelming Force activates, causing Nullify! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi repulses Alouette Pommier, forcing her to disengage. KTS: Lucine Azul blocks Mikoto Utsugi's Scattering Zonuda Beam, taking 3360 damage! KTS: Lamia has activated the Trust Spirit Command. KTS: Lamia's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Lamia blocks Mikoto Utsugi's Crashing Knee, taking 1320 damage! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has engaged Lamia! KTS: TenRyuuJin Team successfully avoids Mikoto Utsugi's Scattering Zonuda Beam KTS: Renais Cardiff's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Renais Cardiff blocks Mikoto Utsugi's Wide Barrier Crush, taking 2100 damage! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi repulses Renais Cardiff, forcing her to disengage. KTS: Guy Shishioh fails to retreat. KTS: Guy Shishioh fails to evade Mikoto Utsugi's Wide Barrier Crush, taking 3600 damage! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi repulses Guy Shishioh, forcing him to disengage. KTS: TenRyuuJin Team has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Alouette Pommier has activated the Rouse Spirit Command. KTS: Lina Lombardi has activated the Rouse Spirit Command targeting Guy Shishioh KTS: Lina Lombardi charges into the attack! KTS: Lina Lombardi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Lina Lombardi partially guards Mikoto Utsugi's Scattering Zonuda Beam, taking 2660 damage!
<Pose Tracker> TenRyuuJin Team has posed.
She's trying to reach us, isn't she...? That light on her brow--
The Limpid Channel. She can't even speak like that, can she?
TenRyuuJin can only guess at Mikoto's words. The others are speaking to her, but that's only half the conversation--not nearly enough data.
Also deeply distressing: the way Zonuda's effortlessly crushing each missile that dares approach her. TenRyuuJin's MASER is a force to be reckoned with, but it's only half of the Dance, and if she can't deploy the nanochaff--
'...Zonuda...'
"No," TenRyuuJin says, even as the New Machine Species starts to fill the air with beam fire. She jukes left, then right, then jets up into a twirling, flying pirouette as beams chase after her. "We're not losing anyone else, Mikoto!" They couldn't save their brother. They couldn't save Kamuy. There are pilots out there, still missing. The thought of losing Mikoto--who risked so much, and endured so much, in their fight to save the universe--is too much.
One last, jetting dodge to the right. Zonuda's last beam flies past TenRyuuJin's head, coming close enough to clip her right 'braid'. "Chief! Somnium! Smokescreen incoming!" AnRyuu's missile rack fires again, only this time, it's a hail of smaller warheads aimed at GaoGaiGar and the Betterman amalgamation. Each detonates as the earlier ones failed to do, when faced with Zonuda's terrifying machine-control, filling local space with sensor-distorting nanoparticles.
KTS: TenRyuuJin Team targets Guy Shishioh and Lamia with Scatter.
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
The Nightmare pushes through the Zonuda Beam, blocking the brunt of the blow with its arms as the glow of energy forces Lina to close her eyes. Of course, she can't help but steal a look at Guy's Clacker Smash, thinking back to the first time she saw him. It had been the Dividing Driver that had impressed her that time, she recalled. Must have been the first domino that brought her here, she figured. "3G's always got something up its sleeves with those toys of yours, huh?"
Lina's attention turns back to Mikoto, the Mauler Beam Cannons at the Battroid's head charging up with energy. "As if I'm going to give up here! If the universe's time really is limited, it's every second that I don't try to stop that that's the waste! GGG Charter, Article 5, Paragraph 12! A GGG member must, no matter how dangerous the situation, always keep humanity's future at heart! Paragraph 14! A GGG member must, in a dire situation, make it through by supporting one's comrades! And Paragraph 125!" The beam cannons begin to fire multiple shots, one after the other. She figured with that regeneration, the best option was to hit her, then hit her while she was trying to regenerate.
"A GGG member must, no matter how dire the situation, never give up!"
KTS: Lina Lombardi targets Mikoto Utsugi with Mauler Beam Cannons Sequential Fire! KTS: Lina Lombardi's Biorhythm activates Trick! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Foresee Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi blocks Lina Lombardi's Mauler Beam Cannons Sequential Fire, taking 3975 damage! KTS: TenRyuuJin Team scatters cover, making Guy Shishioh harder to target!
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
"Kh...! Protect Shade!" yells Renais, her hand going up as the wave repulses her, letting her bear the brunt of the shockwave. She hangs back, briefly, watching as Guy's attack is repulsed. She winces... but she can't help grinning at Lina's determination. Citing the charter's a bit cheesy, but she admires the girl's spirit.
"Branch Order Room! Requesting the Gatling Driver!"
"Understood...!" comes Hana's reply from the order room. "Gatling Driver... E-emission!!" the tiny girl yells out, smacking the mirror catapult's launch punch-button with both fists!
Just a few moments later, it's streaking toward Renais, and GaoFighGar matches its trajectory, docking with the tool, the head's vanes spreading as it spins up, and Renais barrels toward Zonuda.
"... I know, Utsugi. I know what you have to do. I felt the same things you're feeling now." There's a smile on her lips. "But I know you're wrong. And you *are* my friend. And that's why I'm giving it everything I've got. Not just for Earth. Not just for life, not just for Guy... BUT FOR YOU, MIKOTO UTSUGI! GATLING DRIIIIVEEEER!"
The Gatling Driver's head ripples the space around it as it activates, trying to 'grip' Zonuda Robo's barrier on contact... if she can just get through it...!
KTS: Renais Cardiff targets Mikoto Utsugi with Broken Gatling Driver! KTS: Renais Cardiff has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Renais Cardiff has activated the Spirit Spirit Command. KTS: Renais Cardiff rattles Mikoto Utsugi, making her next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi fails to react to Renais Cardiff's Broken Gatling Driver, taking 4400 damage! KTS: Renais Cardiff has engaged Mikoto Utsugi! <Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
TenRyuuJin's reply to Lucine causes the pilot's cheeks to flush. < "... o-oh! Sorry, I was afraid if I tried to figure out who it is, I'd decide the wrong person, and, a-ah..." > It could be a side effect of having been a part of the Nadesico, where misunderstandings and interpersonal communication hijinks run the gamut but to be fair, a majority of this is just Lucine being Lucine.
The content of TenRyuujin's message, however, sinks in just as Alouette confirms it more directly. Guy's own scream now takes on a new dimension. < "Mikoto and Guy.... that's..." > 'So adorable', she wants to say, caught up in the moment. < ".... It must be.. a kind of second chance..." > (And like that, Lucine is suddenly aboard TenRyuuJin's ship.)
As immersed as Lucine feels in this ongoing tale of love against Cosmic Law, she can't forget that Zonuda is as dangerous as any agent they've faced before-- even moreso, according to what the GGG members have been saying. Mikoto's earlier attack Lucine was able to dodge, having kept her distance, but the second leaves little room to dodge, especially because of what happens before it.
Lucine had acted like she was a helpful bystander, but whether she liked it or not, she was a part of this battle.
She physically flinches as she hears Zonuda's voice in her head. If someone had explained limpid channels to Lucine before, it probably didn't register until now. No longer was Lucine the one with the secret window into the mind: Zonuda had not only a window, but the ability to open it.
There's not even the chance to falter. 'As if I'm going to give up here!' Lina's words are already there, bolstering Lucine back up. < "You and Guy... deserve a better ending than that!" >
Like she had practiced in the hangar as Kaworu watched, Lucine directs the Dianthus's petals down the rail system hidden under its arms, folding the material up as a shield against Zonuda's blast. It's still a powerful blow; Lucine's teeth rattle as she pilots the Dianthus back. "... There's still more I can do!"
She concentrates, closing her eyes for a few fretful, dangerous seconds... and a few seconds more.
This time, Lucine contacts Guy directly. There are no words of encouragement-- just vague directions, for better or worse. < ".... attack coming at -2 degrees. Your trajectory should make it--" > They may make no sense but in Lucine's mind, or apply only to a singular situation.
Or--
< ".... I'm directling an Orion Shot at this spot to try to pierce the shield." > Lucine tries to keep her eyes on Renais's actions in turn, hoping this will compliment them as much as Guy's, trying to give his momentum the force she can, from afar.
Having deployed the arbalest and aiming it, the Dianthus shoots a shining arrow straight past the GaoGaiGar; even if all her instructions fail, her faith won't. < "I can't see into the future like that but-- if anyone can accomplish something like this... it's you and your team!" >
KTS: Lucine Azul has activated the Foresee Spirit Command targeting Guy Shishioh KTS: Lucine Azul has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus. KTS: Lucine Azul targets Mikoto Utsugi with Argen-21 Beam Arbalest Orion Shot! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi fails to Evade Lucine Azul's Argen-21 Beam Arbalest Orion Shot, taking 5301 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Lamia has posed.
>>You may scream and hate me all you want for prying you from your nightmare disguised as a dream, Evoluder Mikoto. But...<<
Cataphract matches Zonuda's knee with its own, blocking the attack with its armored leg as the force of the blow reverberates throughout its entire body, causing it to falter just a bit.
Letting out yet another roar, the Betterman properly counters, clasping its empty hand so tightly that its knuckles crack before delivering a powerful punch, backed by the entirety of its weight, aimed squarely at Zonuda's head
>>It must happen. For those who came before, and those who come after.<<
KTS: Lamia targets Mikoto Utsugi with Forte Punch! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's Physical Wall L1 activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi blocks Lamia's Forte Punch, taking 1120 damage! KTS: Lamia has engaged Mikoto Utsugi!
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Alouette somehow scores a hit through the Zonuda Barrier... whether it's from the ever-regenerating Program Energy or force of will, she cannot say. But it comes at a cost.
They cannot reunite, Mikoto says... then what was this all for? "I know we can't. Not as long as Cosmic Law wills it." Alouette answers her with a sad shake of her head.
The sublimination begins to take hold... it's a slow and inevitable thing. "But don't worry... I'm still just as selfish and prideful as you remember." Where she'd struck, the walls of Mikoto's heart reform anew.
"And... underneath all that armour, I know you're just as kind as I remember. So... please wait for me." That isn't wrong... is it? After all, that psychic warning rings in her mind. 'Get away'.
She trusts that voice enough to go with it instinctually, letting herself be pushed by the sheer force of Zonuda's will. Guardienne Aviaire's torn away from the sublimination. But she remains in Zonuda's sights all the same... and her armour isn't nearly what it was when she first engaged.
Alouette silently places her trust in Guy, as he attacks in tandem with GoldyMarg. But it's Renais, in GaoFighGar she seeks out... there's fewer people in the entire world she'd trust more to protect her.
As far back as Alouette remembered, things had actually been pretty hostile between Renais and Mikoto. But she remembers what Renais told her over tea... the two eventually became friends during their trip to the Trinary Solar System. And now she's seeing that first hand.
"You care about her just as much..." Alouette says, as Renais charges in with the Gatling Driver. "So we'll save her together, okay? I'll give you everything I've got - including my courage!" She might not be sitting in the Operator's seat... but few are better suited to supporting GaoFighGar, and she sends Renais everything she to make the Gatling Driver count!
KTS: Alouette Pommier targets Renais Cardiff with Dream! KTS: Alouette Pommier shares a dream with Renais Cardiff, increasing her SP! <Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
The Clackers return, more or less intact. Cataphract's intentions reach Guy via the medium of the Limpid Channel, thoughts pushing ominously into his. "Yeah," he agrees, quieter. "I know. There's a lot of battles still to fight. And they don't all involve the King of Conquerors, do they..."
Then, he turns his attention back to Mikoto. "I won't let you OR Galeon do something you can never take back! MIKOTO!!"
She pulses her barrier at him; he tries to soar away, but a Ruin-boosted Zonuda's range is vast, and GaoGaiGar is swept away, hurled into the distance by that force. He takes a deep breath. "Goldy, still with me?"
"Like a little love tap is keepin' me down!!" the Goldion DoubleHammer replies, Goldy's eyes flashing on the hammerhead.
"Yeah. Alright! Mikoto! That's not how I want to be with you, Mikoto! We've fought too hard together to let the world slip away! I won't let you OR Galeon do something you can never take back! CLACKERS!"
The orbs mounted to either end of the Goldion DoubleHammer hum and glow, and then so does the hammer head, and then...yes, just as Lucine engages her attack and Cataphract grapples with Zonuda: "Goldion SLIIIIIIIIIIIICEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!"
A wave of crackling golden gravitational force slices away from the Goldion Hammer. This is a new weapon, a more precise weapon than they ever had against Zonuda before. He's not sure the raw output can counter Zonuda's absurd Z0 rating, let alone boosted by the Oath Over Omega. But if it can punch through the barrier, just maybe, it can lop one of the limbs off, and leave the Zonuda injured enough for Cataphract or the others to capitalize!
"Mikoto. Please..." ...The Marg Hand clutches the DoubleHammer's shaft with increasing force. "Stop this, and come home..." he pleads.
KTS: Guy Shishioh targets Mikoto Utsugi with Goldion Slicer! KTS: Guy Shishioh rattles Mikoto Utsugi, making her next maneuvers more difficult. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi fails to Evade Guy Shishioh's Goldion Slicer, taking 4650 damage! KTS: Guy Shishioh begins a Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
TenRyuuJin's particle scattering warheads are going to give Zonuda problems hitting, at this point. The Nightmare's cannons score through Zonuda robot's armour, but Lina's quotations of the GGG Charter gets no response. It's hard enough for Mikoto already- expending additional effort on people who refuse to understand make it harder.
She knows the charter by heart. That's why she cannot give up on her duty.
The gatling driver grabs onto the Zonuda's barrier, tearing it open and driving through, crashing into the machine lifeform and driving her even further back- straight into the Orion Shot that takes advantage of the temporary opening, going through one of Zonuda's shoulders, leaving a clear path through to space behind it.
Until it heals again, the orange light of Triple Zero mending Zonuda to keep fighting.
The acknowledgement that Renais and she are friends is both heartening- and far too late. She just has to drag it out. Keep them all fighting. The King of Ruin will keep at it's plan, as long as Takeshi and Mikoto keep the attackers busy.
>>Renais...<<
If Zonuda still had tear ducts, they might be flowing.
The Zonuda Robot raises it's barrier- but not fast enough to fully block Forte's punch, which slams into Zonuda's conical head, bending it. The dents pop out and mend quickly, but Zonuda itself is forced back.
>>This isn't a dream or a nightmare, it's reality! There's nothing to wake from! All life in this universe has to end! It must!<<
Her 'voice' is strained. It pains her to speak it- but she speaks it nonetheless.
Alouette moves away from her, letting Zonuda push her away. For a moment, Mikoto hopes she's listened- but Alouette refutes that.
>>Alouette-chan... Please...<<
Her heart leaps, as Guy screams for her. Even as the Slicer cuts through Zonuda's barrier, through Zonuda Robot itself- she wants to come home. She wants to come home so desperately.
But she can't. She's a blight on this universe. She's the cause of so much suffering. She can't go home. Cosmic Law doesn't allow her.
>>I can't, Guy. I can't.<<
She's said it so many times, but the pain, the tears in her voice get louder each time.
>>This is the only way. This is our only chance. Your parents are waiting for us, Guy. We can see them together.<<
But there's no more room for going easy. The point of Zonuda's head glows again, and here, at point blank range, it is targeted directly at Lina's Nightmare, a beam of overwhelming power, something that made mock of GaoGaiGar's defenses so long ago.
Her body reacts automatically to the two severe threats, and the arms of Zonuda Robot raise, and fly forward- both heading first to crash into GaoFighGar- and then without a second's hesitation, the electricity arcs them towards the Dianthus. And yet, even without it's arms in the immediate vicinity, Zonuda is no less a threat.
Another of those full powered beams bursts to life, aimed directly at Cataphract's core- aiming to shoot fully through the Betterman's body. To put an end to it, as she knows she must.
The Sublimation Aura extends. If Alouette won't stop, if Tenryuujin won't stop- then she'll make them stop. If Zonuda sublimates enough of their units, they won't be able to fight anymore. The GS-Rides will survive. They'll live. Just a little longer. Then she won't have to kill them herself. They'll have a peaceful end. They can all have a peaceful end.
Zonuda moves suddenly, to crash into GaoGaiGar. To make contact- and sublimate it. It almost worked once. If she sublimates GaoGaiGar and Galeon, Guy can't fight anymore. He'll have to accept it.
He'll live until the end, as she wishes, deep in her heart. That's what she wants more than anything...
...Isn't it?
KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Enable Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Lina Lombardi with Point Blank Zonuda Beam! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Lamia with Point Blank Zonuda Beam! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Renais Cardiff with Dual Electromagnetic Punch! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Lucine Azul with Dual Electromagnetic Punch! KTS: Mikoto_Utsugi Changes attack to Alouette Pommier and TenRyuuJin Team with Mass Sublimation. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi targets Guy Shishioh with Contact Sublimation! KTS: Lina Lombardi has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Lina Lombardi has activated the Attune Spirit Command. KTS: Lina Lombardi has activated the Focus Spirit Command. KTS: Alouette Pommier successfully evades Mikoto Utsugi's Mass Sublimation KTS: TenRyuuJin Team scatters cover, making Lamia harder to target! KTS: Lina Lombardi retreats from the attack! KTS: Lina Lombardi successfully avoids Mikoto Utsugi's Point Blank Zonuda Beam KTS: Guy Shishioh successfully evades Mikoto Utsugi's Contact Sublimation KTS: TenRyuuJin Team successfully Evades Mikoto Utsugi's Mass Sublimation KTS: Lamia has activated the Trust Spirit Command. KTS: Lamia's Will Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Lamia blocks Mikoto Utsugi's Point Blank Zonuda Beam, taking 4500 damage! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has engaged Lamia! KTS: Renais Cardiff retreats from the attack! KTS: Renais Cardiff successfully evades Mikoto Utsugi's Dual Electromagnetic Punch KTS: Lucine Azul successfully evades Mikoto Utsugi's Dual Electromagnetic Punch
<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.
Lina's heart pounds at a million beats per second as the beam approaches her. Her vision flashes again, and the world seems to slow around her as she transforms the Nightmare into Fighter mode and performs a barrel roll to the left, the beam passing just under the belly of the jet as it make distance and transforms back to Battroid mode.
"I can do this...we can do this..." Her voice is running ragged between heavy puffs of breath, the stress and fatigue of two battles back to back beginning to get to her. The Mauler Cannons begin to warm up again, now focusing their entire power on a single point: Zonuda's head. She lets out a guttural cry as the combined beams shoot and converge into a single ray.
KTS: Lina Lombardi targets Mikoto Utsugi with Mauler Beam Cannons Full Focus! KTS: Lina Lombardi's Biorhythm activates Alert! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Foresee Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Foresee Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has activated the Trust Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi blocks Lina Lombardi's Mauler Beam Cannons Full Focus, taking 4275 damage! KTS: Lina Lombardi completes the Formation attack!
<Pose Tracker> Lamia has posed.
Zonuda aims to make quick work of Cataphract with one swift blow, and it takes a lot to stop it, as the Betterman raises its arms to block the blow, only for both appendages to be cleanly pierced through. The loss of muscle and tendon causes it to let go of the sword it had been holding onto, and it slowly floats back as if to assess the damage.
It'll take a while to heal, as while Cataphract has its own self-healing abilities, it can't compete with the pace of Triple Zero.
Not that it matters, though. Lamia had never planned to be the one that helped finish this fight. No. This is a fight between two Evoluder.
Despite the loss of motor skill, Cataphract returns on the offensive, crashing into Zonuda head first at high speeds not to deal damage, but to simply throw the mechanical off balance to give everyone else, especially Guy, the opening they need to do what needs to be done.
>>Finish it, Evoluder Guy. Show everyone the same courage from over a decade ago.<<
KTS: Lamia targets Guy Shishioh with Dream!
<Pose Tracker> TenRyuuJin Team has posed.
"<They deserve a future,>" says TenRyuuJin, to Lucine alone. "<A future, together.>"
"<Renais is right!>" That's to Mikoto, and to everyone. "<I was there, too. I felt the same, I knew it was what I had to do. And I was wrong. But the people I'd tried to kill were the very ones who welcomed me back, and forgave me.>"
Zonuda's sublimation field expands. TenRyuuJin feels its distant approach--like the roar of a shockwave, or the heat of a wall of fire. Even then, it's a near thing--she pushes the Space Gear to its limits as she accelerates up and away from her foe. Something damaged in the fight with King J-Der starts rattling uncomfortably in her shoulder. A bit of melted plating shears free from her leg.
But the pieces are in place now. In closing to melee with Zonuda, Betterman Cataphract and GaoGaiGar have acted as delivery vehicles for particulate nanochaff. "<Now, Mikoto, let me show you what I've learned! Your Zonuda is a terror, but it's not invincible!>" Big words, yes. But as grandiose as TenRyuuJin can be, they can back it up. The twin AI cores within her kick into overdrive; AnRyuu and KouRyuu plot courses through the quantum foam, using tiny reflective grains as relays. The MASER cannon gleams brilliantly. A single beam streaks through the void.
And the moment it hits that first particle, it turns into a dozen, then a dozen dozen, then an order of magnitude more, until Zonuda is being blasted from every angle with gleaming, brilliant death. The first volley is there to stress the barrier. The second to try and tear through as much of the Robo's mass as is possible. The rest...
That's up to Guy and Goldy.
KTS: TenRyuuJin Team has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: TenRyuuJin Team has activated the Strike Spirit Command. KTS: TenRyuuJin Team targets Mikoto Utsugi with The Dance of Light and Darkness - Entrechat! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's EN Barrier activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi's Force Wall L1 activates, negating 1000 base damage. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi fails to react to TenRyuuJin Team's The Dance of Light and Darkness - Entrechat, taking 6760 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] TenRyuuJin Team's Adaptive Targeting activates, causing Insight L1! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] TenRyuuJin Team's Advanced Probability Modeling activates, causing Designate L1!
<Pose Tracker> Renais Cardiff has posed.
With Alouette's help, Renais manages to find the perfect spot to punch through the barrier, and the gatling driver's blades swing back inward to tear into Zonuda, with the Orion Shot following immediately afterward. She doesn't let up until the machinery stops--and only then does she detach the Gatling Driver, which is rapidly succumbing to Zonuda's Sublimation Aura. As the New Machine Species launches its arms at her, she flips back and retreats, the rocket-punches narrowly missing GaoFighGar's chest, instead sailing overhead.
"Thank you, Alouette. But... this isn't enough. We can't just..." She sucks in a breath. "We need to finish this, now. Hana! We need the data on Zonuda's core from the original battle."
There's a chance she's shifted it this time, somehow... but...
Aboard the Division Train, Hana Hatsuno's eyes go wide. "Are you going to-"
"We don't have time for questions, Hatsuno!" comes Renais' reply.
"U-Understood! Sending it to you now!" Everyone receives the data from the original battle against Zonuda, showing exactly where its core was.
"... Follow my lead."
"HELL! AND! HEAVEN!" yells Renais, arms spread wide, glowing in pink and green. "Mikoto... I told you you were coming home with us, and I meant it." Her G-Stone shines bright, the GS-Ride at GaoFighGar's heart going into overdrive.
Slowly, she brings GaoFighGar's hands together, fighting a resistance as though they're magnetically repulsed, energy arcing between them. "Gemu Giru Gan Go Gufo..."
She locks fingers, fists joined, a shockwave of force rippling from where they meet. The vents on GaoFighGar's back open, and blast the Queen of Braves forward toward Zonuda. "VIIIIIITAAAAAS!"
Her arms, outstretched, aren't simply an instrument of destruction. They're extended to help--to pull Mikoto out of something she can't escape on her own. The same way Mikoto did for her.
Maybe now they can be even.
KTS: Renais Cardiff targets Mikoto Utsugi with Hell and Heaven! KTS: Renais Cardiff has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Renais Cardiff has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Renais Cardiff has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Renais Cardiff has activated the Alert Spirit Command. KTS: Mikoto Utsugi fails to Evade Renais Cardiff's Hell and Heaven, taking 7920 damage! KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Renais Cardiff's Defiance activates, causing Sparkle! KTS: Renais Cardiff has engaged Mikoto Utsugi! KTS: Renais Cardiff roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her vulnerable.
<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.
'Mikoto. Please... Stop this, and come home...'
'They deserve a future. A future, together.'
They call for Mikoto to come back home, of her future with Guy, or how they're here to tear her away from the dream that she's trapped in. Each wound they deal is healed back; Cosmic Law will not allow her to go gracefully.
============
It was what could be considered 'night', if they were to depend on a distant Earth's signal of days. Kaworu and Lucine sit on the shoulder of EVA Unit Beta, in the quiet of the hangar.
'This one... is about thinking of someone who is far away, and hoping for their happiness.'
As Kaworu explains the theme he's been pondering, Lucine takes a peek over at his notebook, where she sees a few lines. Her eyes soften as she reads, and she smiles. 'That's so sweet--'
============
".... Mikoto must have felt something like that, all this time," Lucine murmurs quietly to herself, in reflection.
She lines her next shot; a repeat of the first, in order to better support those here out of duty or love. It takes time to charge and properly align; from this 'safer' distance--
It's not safe at all. Zonuda's arms arc now arcing towards the Dianthus, forcing it to abandon its position and divert away. Settling on another point, Lucine begins the process all over again.
The angle is true, but the GaoGaiGar is in the way now, as Zonuba engages it. Lucine needs to reposition just right, flying the Dianthus sideways until the angle is clear-- "There!"
Another shot is fired; another proud beam. Lowering the arbalest, Lucine has a moment to realize that the Zonuba...
No, it wasn't trying to engage with GaoGaiGar, _it was trying to crash into it_.
Wasn't that similar to what nearly happened....?
Lucine watches in mute horror, as those closest to the two react, knowing full well what Mikoto may be intending on doing.
KTS: Lucine Azul has activated the Dash Spirit Command and has gained proficiency bonus. KTS: Lucine Azul targets Mikoto Utsugi with Argen-21 Beam Arbalest Orion Shot! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi fails to Evade Lucine Azul's Argen-21 Beam Arbalest Orion Shot, taking 5301 damage!
<Pose Tracker> Alouette Pommier has posed.
Mikoto pleads with Alouette to understand - above dream and nightmare lies Cosmic Law, that all life must end.
If only this were a nightmare, Alouette thinks... and immediately tries to shake off that line of thought. No matter what she's saying... she can't lose sight that it's Mikoto in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Mikoto." Alouette replies, apologetically, hearing the sheer strain in her voice. "I know I've made this unimaginably difficult for you. But you're so much more than an avatar of the end to me."
Her words are met with Mikoto's idea of a merciful death, engulfing Gatherway Guardienne Aviaire along with TenRyuuJin with subliminating aura. A quiet, peaceful death... could she accept an ending like that comfortably?
Not a chance. In the face of that aura, Gatherway Guardienne Aviaire instead throws her arms open wide in tandem with GaoFighGar, circled with two Program Rings. "Renais... I'm right by your side! Double-!"
"HELL! And! HEAVEN!"
One arm glows with the spiraling destructive power of the Broken Phantom, the other with the warping protective aura of the Protect Wall. The feedback loop of trying to force them together under the GS-Ride is terrifyingly powerful.
And Alouette is under far more strain than she was when she used this power to help Knight pry Akane out of Zegga. "Gemu... giru... gan... go... gufo!" She repeats, between breaths as Destruction threatens to throw Protection out of balance.
But it's not a strain she has to take on alone, as Renais charges in first. As even Betterman forces an opening. The rings merge themselves into an electromagnetic storm... and a long, thin blade in lieu of bare arms.
The UL-tech engines burns with a green glow as she completes the final part of the chant, forcing herself through the sublimation barrier. "VIIIIIIITAS!
"I wanted you to see how much I've grown, Mikoto." She whispers, her rapier locked in with Zonuda, only remaining through the power of a G-Stone... "But more than that, I just wanted to see your smile again."
Renais and Alouette didn't completely tear through Zonuda, but it's enough. And...
"Guy!!" Alouette pleads. "Now's your chance!!! Please... get her out of here!"
KTS: Alouette Pommier has activated the Trick Spirit Command. KTS: Alouette Pommier has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Alouette Pommier targets Mikoto Utsugi with Gatherway Hell & Heaven! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi fails to react to Alouette Pommier's Gatherway Hell & Heaven, taking 9100 damage! KTS: Alouette Pommier has engaged Mikoto Utsugi! KTS: Alouette Pommier roots her unit, coming to a standstill and leaving her vulnerable.
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
It's like knives in his heart. GaoGaiGar hesitates as Zonuda begins its next assault, and it's a critical, terrible moment for it. "...yeah," he croaks out. "We can." She's drawing closer. She's coming to him. She's...coming to him....
"OI!! GAOGAIGAR, WAKE UP!" Goldy roars at him, and Guy grits his teeth and jams StealthGao II's thrusters, sending GaoGaiGar rocketing away just before Zonuda would make killing impact. He can practically feel the handle of the DoubleHammer crunching in the Marg Hand's grip. "...but not like this!" he calls back. "Not...like this."
Renais and Alouette both charge in to thgrow all their powers against Zonuda and its barrier. Guy takes a deep, ragged breath, pushed to the edge. It's not the power making this hard. But...he must persevere. He must have her back. Nothing else matters before that. "That's not the way I want to be together with you, Mikoto. Goldy," Guy commands, and he gets a "HELL YEAH!!" in reply, as golden light bleeds out of the hammer and rushes up and around GaoGaiGar, coating the King of Braves in Goldion light. "Mikoto...just a moment longer...YOU'RE COMING HOME! HUAAAAAAAAAAH!"
He charges down, and reaches into the Marg Hand's wheel well to withdraw the Mirror Nail, roaring, "HAMMER HELL!!!" as he drives it down into the Zonuda core through main force, and then RIPS it out with the Hand's nail puller, calling, "HAMMER HEAVEN!!"
This didn't work, last time. But he believes in it, this time. He must. This time, Mikoto is struggling against herself. This time, the New Machine Species isn't a unified wish of death. That struggle has always been the weakness of Ruin GGG; the fact that they had to struggle mightily with themselves to match the objectives of Cosmic Law. So that means...
It might just work.
"Zonuda...RETURN TO LIGHT!!"
KTS: Guy Shishioh has activated the Valor Spirit Command. KTS: Guy Shishioh has activated the Valor Spirit Command. Set Hitpoints to 1? [Enter `yes' or `no'] Your Hitpoints are now 1
KTS: Guy Shishioh targets Mikoto Utsugi with Transform Into Light!! KTS: Lamia shares a dream with Guy Shishioh, increasing his SP! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi fails to react to Guy Shishioh's Transform Into Light!, taking 12350 damage! KTS: Mikoto Utsugi has been defeated! KTS: You're out of the fight. Consider using +eject to leave the battlefield. KTS: Guy Shishioh has engaged Mikoto Utsugi! KTS: Guy Shishioh roots his unit, coming to a standstill and leaving him vulnerable.
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
The Mauler Cannons crash against Zonuda's head, burning hole after hole through it. There are limits, even to Mikoto's incredible regenerative capabilities. The armour still attempts to patch itself-
And then Cataphract *rams* into Zonuda, sending it rolling backwards- only for TenRyuJin's resolve- and the Dance of Light and Dark- to pierce Zonuda Robot's metal form, piercing through it's armour, cutting more of it away-
A second Orion shot pierces through Zonuda's body, and for a moment it is stunned. Unable to escape.
Only for the Queen of Braves to surge forward, and drive her fists into Zonuda's side, through the barrier. The plunge deep into Zonuda, and from that side, GaoFighGar can start to tear out that armour that stands in the way between Guy and Mikoto.
From the other side, Gatherway Guardienne Aviaire's blade drives through Zonuda's other side. Between Renais and Alouette, Zonuda is held still.
And then it comes. The Mirror Nail drives into Zonuda Robot, and rips out the core that is Zonuda- and then all of Zonuda itself is burnt away to photons, by the power of the Goldion Hammer.
When GaoGaiGar opens it's hand, Zonuda stands there, just as she did a decade ago. But she doesn't stand there alone.
There is something in her hand. The 'last-resort device' as Yang Long Li had called. A means to destroy FuuRyu and RaiRyu to keep their information safe. Right here, right now, it sat in Mikoto's hand. With the power of the dawn...
It would have yield enough to destroy everyone here, in this battle.
>>I'm sorry, Guy. Don't come any closer.<<
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Zonuda's final trap wasn't Zonuda at all. The feed from GaoGaiGar makes Yang choke in shock. "That's...the last-resort device from GekiRyuuJin! How!? It should have been lost in the Trinary Solar System! No!"
"It regenerated," Stallion says, grimly. "Before we ever returned to this universe, it had already reformed. I REMOVED it myself," he says, slipping into English for a moment as he searches for words to speak through his shame and grief. "The cross-combination didn't have a space for it. But Chief Taiga determined there might be another use."
Yang Long-li, usually inflappable, draws a shuddering breath. "A final weapon against GaoGaiGar. Lure him and his team in, and then..."
Guy looks down at it... and then says, "Fusion Out."
GaoGaiGar's eyes go dark. And Guy Shishioh, long black Chief coat floating in space behind him, steps out into view in Galeon's mouth. The bright green of Purification Mode erupts around him. And thus, despite instruction, he gets closer.
"Mikoto..." he says slowly. This close... with this much on the line...now, he smiles. "Are you planning to die?"
He floats down to GaoGaiGar's open hand, standing across from the strange, silent Zonuda core. "Are you really okay with that? To return to Mom and Dad as spirits? You're right. We could be together in death. Here, this close to The Power's wellspring, it's likely we too would become eternal. If that is your choice...I would rather die together with you then continue living without you. If that is the only way forward, I want to go together with you."
Goldymarg mutters, "Chief, you real...?"
But Guy continues undaunted: "But that's not how I want to be with you, Mikoto. I don't think it's the only way."
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
'.... It must be.. a kind of second chance...'
'Finish it, Evoluder Guy. Show everyone the same courage from over a decade ago.'
'I was there, too. I felt the same, I knew it was what I had to do. And I was wrong. But the people I'd tried to kill were the very ones who welcomed me back, and forgave me.'
'I told you you were coming home with us, and I meant it.'
'I wanted you to see how much I've grown, Mikoto.'
>>We intelligent beings must be wiped out. That's Cosmic Law.<<
As much as she hated it, this is what Mikoto knew she had to do, in her heart of hearts.
Zonuda- barely bigger than a human- stands in front of Guy. The bright cross of the Limpid Channel glows on her forehead as she speaks, audible to everyone but TenRyuuJin.
>>I... I knew you would say that. I knew, even though I didn't want you to! I want you to live until the end, even for a day, for an hour, for a second longer...<<
The Last Resort device sits in her hand, as it trembles. It trembles in a way Zonuda could not. Her earnest, unfettered feelings clashed with the rule of Cosmic Law. All she had to do was activate the device. It could all be over. She and Guy could be together.
And yet...
BGM: https://youtu.be/ZWjx79FxtOg?si=1_9YaK3yytEXumu8
>>...Is it okay... for me to live...?<<
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Finish it, Lamia tells him. Show everyone the courage from over a decade ago. But it wasn't his courage that won the day, then. That was the day courage failed them. The day they ran into an enemy that defeated everything they brought to bear, until could only rely on their belief in each other, their love for one another, and their prayers.
"But I don't want to live without you," Guy says. "Not for another day, another hour, or another second."
Her plea...his smile splits into a bright, loving thing, eyes wet. "Mikoto...it means 'life.' Even after your parents left you, that name carries on a wish that not even the Oath Over Omega can take away. I'll be by your side the whole way, so..."
Finally, he closes the last gap between him and the Zonuda, and dares to wrap his arms around that dangerous thing of a Core.
"You should continue to live. Of course you deserve to. Nobody can take that away. In life, and to death, and to eternity. I'll come with you."
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
As Guy wraps his arms around the core, the Last-Resort device leaves Mikoto's hands, drifting away, ever so slowly. Ever so slowly, it goes out of Mikoto's range.
>>Life...<<
The wish that her parents made for her, even though they had gone long ago.
>>Ah...<<
Zonuda can't cry. But Makoto's heart is loud enough that the sob in her voice is audible.
>>Guy!<<
----
Ikumi Kaidou had spent a lot of energy purifying J, Tomoro, and the rest... But he was also one to know his cue. Flying through space, with rings of red light, he flew up behind Zonuda- taking the Last-Resort device- before shooting a silent look to Guy.
Somehow, he has enough tact not to ruin the moment.
"Temperum mundus infinitum redire!" He shouts, spreading his arms with the light of the Red Planet, that suffuses into the pseudo-Zonuda.
But one light isn't enough alone...
<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.
Guy sees the red light of J rising, at the same time as he hears Mikoto's heart cry out. One more time, he spreads his Purification Mode's powers, and places his hand to the Zonuda's cheek.
"Curatio...Teneritas...Sectio..Salus...Coctura," he breathes, and closes his eyes, and puts his head forward to meet its brow, overflowing with Purification light, bathing the whole hand of GaoGaiGar in red and green.
<Pose Tracker> Mikoto Utsugi has posed.
When the green and red light fades, Zonuda is gone. In it's place is a woman, in the uniform of the Gutsy Galaxy Guard, her long rabbit like bangs held up in place. No space suit, no protective wear. And yet, she seems fine, apart from the tears in her eyes.
For them, it had been months, decades, possibly fifteen billion years; the concept of time hardly described it any more. For the first time in an extraordinarily long time, Mikoto spoke to Guy not over the Limpid Channel, but with her human voice.
Here in the sea of stars, they had finally met again- looking upon each other with their own eyes, their own hearts.
Tearfully, Mikoto wrapped her arms tightly around the person she loved more than any other. The person with whom she would live- together- no matter what.
"I'm home... I'm home, Guy!"