~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chronicle Four - the RE-birth of God ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Arctic. That part of the northern hemisphere surrounding the North Pole; that which is arbitrarily defined as the region lying N of the Arctic Circle (66§ 32'N) or N of the tree line. And there was no Arctic continent. The greater part of the region comprised the Arctic Ocean, which was the world's smallest ocean. Arctic climate, fauna, and flora extended over the islands and northern edges of continental land masses that surrounded the Arctic Ocean (examples of which being Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland, Siberia, Scandinavia and Alaska). The region immediately at and around the North Pole was covered with rough sea ice, and the depth of the water at the North Pole itself was more than 3,658 m/2,000 fathoms. If truth be told, the whole ocean was covered over with sea ice, which varied in depth from 1.5 m/5 ft to 9 m/30 ft, with an average of about 3 m/33 ft. With all that in mind, the Arctic Circle region was not a good place for man to settle. However 85 years ago, the group Protocol employed over 32 large Russian submarines as well as 35,000 able men from around the globe, to build an artificial island in the middle point of the circle, an island which would later become known as 'Kyoga'. It was a large land mass considering the fact that it was built by mankind itself, at over 3.3 miles in length and 4.2 miles in distance. Eternally covered in snow, only a select few had ever seen the Kyoga. And so its existence was often rumoured as a myth in some critic circles outside of the Protocol Organization. There were some people who often called it the 'Second St. Helena', due to the rumours that a well-known cyber-criminal had been imprisoned there for his part in the spreading of a hyper-worm virus, which infected 2,500,000 computers worldwide. But what those few people could confirm, was that it was the home of a gigantic tower forged in the centre of the icy synthetic island. That tower was at a height of 23 kilometres and at width of 0.6 kilometres. The fact was, it could be seen from any distance upon the island. Anyone in the upper ranks of Protocolian sway knew that this place was the true HQ of the Protocol organization. It was called... Ix Nos Babel. And that was Terry's target. Across the deep layers of ice on Kyoga Island, a large red Meta Suit flew low across the ground, while light snow fell down from the grey heavens above. It was the Bishamon suit. But now looking far different than it did three weeks ago. Its frame had become smaller and sleeker, with extra power diverted to the thrusters as well as a completely new Energy Katana sheathed at its back. The suit was covered with all new polish which showed its upgrades. A faster, stronger version of the previous model of the same name. This was the Bishamon M-2. Terry's eyes hardened from the cockpit as he looked ahead through its cameras. In the distance there was a long line of armaments. Tall Amon-type Meta Suits standing guard alongside power generators. Those that had been created to sustain an invisible (to the human eye) wall of energy. In front of that energy wall were hundreds of ground-based laser cannons running on the same operating system as the power generators for the shield. Behind that wall of defence was the distant presence of that Protocol base, Ix Nos Babel, just two more miles inland. "...This must be the Second Defensive Line of the three, eh?" Terry commented, "looks tougher than the one on the shoreline. But now nothing is gonna stop me. Just you wait, Naam..." He poured more force into the thrusters built into the legs of the Bishamon. It propelled him at a harder rate towards the Second Defensive Line. A system of protection for the tower known as Ix Nos Babel. The Bishamon shifted its arm up. The red metal wrist of the mecha opened up in part. A compartment opened. A small but powerful wrist cannon, one running on Qi energy rather than bullets or plasmatic/thermal energy, rose from it. Terry aimed the crosshairs on his video screen directly for the chain of power generators behind the shield. Then fired. A thin but extremely high frequency blast of energy shot from the wrist cannon towards the shield, burning the air around it. The power beam struck into the shield violently and did its job. Breaking straight through it. The blast then hurtled into the power generators as the target. The following explosion echoed throughout the area. Metal and fire was tossed upwards as far as the eye could see. Then those nearby Amons were caught up in that combustion, flame spreading across the ground, too strong to be put out by falling flakes of snow. The Bishamon returned its wrist cannon to its wrist and then rushed ahead at the broken shield. It reached back and pulled out the long Energy Katana sheathed on its back. Once awakened, the sword began to charge itself up with bright streaks of powerful Qi energy, that of Terry, magnified by the strength of the Bishamon's Qi-Generator. By that time the Amons on guard were already flying up and leaving their posts to bring down the attacker. Terry snarled angrily at the Amons coming his way. "Bastards! You won't stop me!" He screamed, "I'll rescue Yumi and tear down that tower all by myself!" While watching the group of Amons charge him, Terry could not help but remember the point at which he had been given this new power... ~~~~~~~~~~ The Leviathan had been a quiet place after the escape from EDEN. So many things had gone wrong by now. The battle was poorly handled. All of the Meta Suits at the disposal of the defensive forces should have been deployed at once. But there were delays with getting to the launch bays, because of the survivors hiding there. There were hundreds of them and they had not been properly instructed into reaching the shelters. Thus delaying support troops from reaching the battlefield once the battle turned against them. Over 230,000 men, women and children had been killed. That figure was an estimate. Of the 0.95 million people living on EDEN, close to a quarter of them had been killed. The other three quarters were now prisoners. Once the battle reached the hour mark, it was a lost cause. People who had not been evacuated were jumping for escape crafts to get away. While the Leviathan and ships like it took in as many survivors as possible. By the time that Beatrix and the rest of the Chrysalis operatives had filled the Leviathan to its maximum capacity, it had to leave. Protocol had gotten inside. And the fire had spread down with them. What added to that nightmare, was the fact that Protocol had somehow captured Yumi and the Oriax. And her friend Chizuru was nowhere to be seen. EDEN was now in the hands of the enemy. As well as the 718,000 people still trapped inside it. That was two and a half weeks ago. The Leviathan had by now flown to a separate hideout in the Gobi Desert. It was called the 'Mouth of the Shenlong', and the 2,000 survivors that the ship had escaped with were now being delivered there. The Mouth of the Shenlong was far smaller than EDEN, with only a maximum number of 100,000 outsiders living there. But it had plenty of room. And most of all it was safe. Deep in the Leviathan was its large hanger bay. Walking through it was Lieutenant Terry Hennig along with Major Sophia Mariette. The Major looked over at the Lieutenant with pensive eyes. He had changed a little since the capture of EDEN. Terry's demeanour had become angry and unhinged. Both losing Yumi; the girl he had suddenly connected with, and facing defeat at the hands of General Naam; leader of the Divine Blade and killer of his parents, caused that deeply rooted anger to surface from his heart. Sophia only hoped that this might do him some good. He was the best pilot in Chrysalis, without a doubt. "Lieutenant, I'm sure you're wondering why I brought you here." Terry said nothing. Sophia sighed. "...I can't say anything to make this feel any better for you. But I think there might be something we can give you to at least help the situation." The pair of them stopped just before a Meta Suit that had been covered over with a enormous brown rag. Sophia signalled to the two men up above to pull the rag of the suit. With some effort they managed to do that. Terry's frown transformed into a stunned glare when he saw what was underneath it. A leaner, meaner, and tougher version of the Bishamon. Glistening in the moonlight that came through the launch doors. "...Bishamon...?" Terry uttered in disbelief, "you've restored it...?" Sophia nodded. "Yes. After our troops found you unconscious in it during the battle, they brought you back to the Leviathan, just as you know. But what you didn't know was that we also took the suit. It would have been simple to just repair it. But then I, with Colonel Beatrix's permission, ordered the engineering team to completely remodel it from top to bottom. The titanium ore we were able to synthesize after the battle in Shiratoo'i was used for it. The shoulder gatlings and operating systems are identical to the previous model, but everything else is new. In the wrist, a miniature beam cannon has been added, but it runs off the Qi-Generator rather than an energy cartridge. Also the horsepower of the thrusters has been overhauled. You can reach speeds of up to 700-mphs which will add much more power to your attacks during Zero Gravity Movement. This is the Bishamon M-2." Terry looked up at the tall, intimidating Meta Suit. "Bishamon M-2." ~~~~~~~~~~ The line of thirty Amon Meta Suits pulled up their large hand guns and began firing at the target. The Bishamon dodged past all that gun fire. It flew upwards and downwards at lightning-fast speeds, dodging and darting through all of the blasts. Manipulating speed and agility that the previous Bishamon couldn't have hoped to have achieved. Then it slashed downwards with the katana. A huge wave of Qi energy trailed along the movements of the blade and then was hurled forwards from it, coming down in a sweeping arc, in the abstract shaped of a bird of prey. The Qi wave sliced through the troop of Amons. It cut savagely through the first line of ten. Then the second line. Then finally the third. Vivid chain explosions of thirty followed the attack. Huge pillars of smoke and fire rose into that cold, cold air. Yet the Bishamon just flew through it. Then went about slaughtering the remaining seventy Amons that were directly in its way. The purple debris and black oil of the mecha littered the ground like flesh and blood, while the men piloting the Amons stood no chance against the Bishamon. "Yaaah!" Terry howled a war cry, his Bishamon's sword hacking through and destroying Amon after Amon, "D'you hear me, Naam!? I'm coming for yaaaaaaaahh!" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "...So you're finally awake...?" Yumi moaned softly from her lips. Her eyes still felt heavy and tired. But her body it seems was rejecting anymore sleep than what she had gone through so far. Her tired eyelids started to flutter open. And her eyesight was hazy. She must have been asleep for a while. The redness of her eyes and the matter around them was proof of that much. All the same, Yumi started to awaken. She opened her eyes fully, realizing that her head was drooping downwards. From that position she could see a long white dress on her body. While her bare feet dangled just a short distance from the ground. Then she noticed ache in the joints of her arms. She was chained to a wall with her arms reaching up diagonally. Forming her body into a sort of Y shape. The hacker tilted her head back up. Then looked forwards. A woman was standing before her by a metre. A woman dressed in a green Protocol uniform. That woman was the one who betrayed Yumi. The one who had supplied information to Protocol about the location of EDEN. The one who had monitored Yumi in secret. The one who Yumi felt she could really care about. Even now... it hurt Yumi's heart to know of her true colours... ...and that woman was Chizuru Matsubana. ...Or rather, 'Chizu Yagata'. The Protocolian spy. "...Chizuru," Yumi whispered, almost in a sob, "...why...?" The very serious and now prolifically non-ditzy Chizu crossed her arms. "...I'm just following orders, Miss Mishima. It's nothing personal, really. I've been tracking and monitoring you for years now. That was my mission. To watch you and observe the development of your powers. Once you entered college, you became more distant than usual. Living only through cyber-space. So I was forced to recruit myself in the same college as you. All for the purpose of getting close enough to observe your progression. While delivering information of the location of EDEN to Commander Celaph was not part of my orders, it was my duty to do so." "...B-but... I... thought..." "What?" Chizu prodded, "That I cared for you? I'm not heartless. I never once pretended to be your friend or a potential lover. I hold no ties to anyone but the Commander." Yumi's heart ached. She could hear the quiver in Chizu's voice when she spoke of her leader. "...The Commander...?" "William Ank Celaph," Chizu uttered coolly, "my fianc‚e." And that was the final nail in the coffin of Yumi's heart. Not only was Chizu as spy, not only had she betrayed Yumi, not only did she not have feelings for Yumi from the beginning, but she was in love with someone else. The same man who had probably ordered the attack on EDEN. A heavy sense of pain and betrayal infected Yumi's heart. There was no getting over something like this. She could stand it if everyone else had betrayed her. But not Chizuru/Chizu. That was the greatest agony of all. Yumi was utterly devastated. Chizu observed the white-haired girl for a brief moment, and then sighed. "...At least be thankful that you still have your life. Many on EDEN were not so lucky. Now that metal ocean city is under our control." A tear dropped from Yumi's cheek. "...How could you...?" "Very easily," Chizu answered, "it's my job. I was only following orders like I told you before, Miss Mishima. The will of Protocol must be upheld. As long as the people see that... then there is no need for bloodshed. If any losses were sustained as a result of the battle then it is the duty of the rebels to bear the responsibility. Our way at Protocol is not destruction but rather preservation. That is our wish. In the hallowed name of God, our righteousness will prevail. Insurrectionist militias like Chrysalis, heretics like Father Bartholomeus, and establishments like EDEN stand in our way. Thus they stand in the way of God. And we just can't have that." "...You're not the woman I thought... you were." Yumi said in tears. Chizu frowned. Then turned her back on Yumi. They were inside a circular room. One that was shaped like a large hexagon. It was of pure white. And Chizu walked towards the door. She pressed a few keys on the control panel and the automatic door opened. A man was waiting out there. Yumi could just about see him from that distance. An Englishman. Though Yumi couldn't quite hear what was said, the man walked up to Chizu and said, "Is she awake yet, Lieutenant Yagata?" Chizu nodded. "Yes. Are you going to speak with her?" "I will. By the way. An unknown custom model Meta Suit has just broken through the secondary defensive line. Send orders to the North Control Room. Have them station as many of the Baal-types as possible to bolster the third defensive line. Then we'll dine later on." Chizu saluted him. "Yes sir." The spy then went off to do as commanded, while the Englishman walked into Yumi's pure white holding chamber. The automatic door closed behind him. And he walked up to the restrained Yumi, his cape flowing behind him like a banner. The taller man stopped when he reached within a metre of her. Then crossed his arms and looked over Yumi. "So you are the infamous 'Yumi Mishima'," He commented, "a child female with the ability to not only steal programs from our own mainframes and pilot the Oriax Meta Suit... but change the world. Your Qi is enormous. Quite frankly I've never heard of anyone possessing a stronger Qi force than yours. Katsuragi was right about you all along." Yumi observed this man. "...Who... are you...?" "William Ank Celaph," He proclaimed, "Substitute commander for the Japanese forces of the Holy Protocol Army. I was commissioned to come here by our leaders for this. It's your eighteenth birthday today, is it not?" The hacker stared at the commander. This was William Ank Celaph. He was the man that Chizu was engaged to. Another member of Protocol. And he was the one who ordered the attack on EDEN. When Yumi did not reply to him, Celaph continued regardless. "...I imagine that this is all a shock to you. I suppose you should know that EDEN is now in our grasp. The ring leaders and main operatives for that group you had contact with, Chrysalis, are on the run. But it is only a matter of time before we find them. Your decision to submit rather than fight was wise. Please don't think I do not respect that." Yumi looked away. "...I don't want your 'respect'..." "Well I can see as much." Celaph replied, "but I can at least inform you of certain things. You might be a prisoner... but we only treat you so because of your exceptional powers. Those shackles you are restrained in are made from a particular kind of alloy. One that has a chemical agent mixed into it. That chemical blocks out Qi force. We must take precautions with someone such as yourself." Yumi rolled her head to one side, looking around. Celaph noticed this and spoke up once again. "Are you wondering where you are? This place is a holding cell in a structure known as Ix Nos Babel. It is our headquarters. The fact that you have been brought here must show to you... your importance to us." "...What is it... that you want...?" "From you? I suppose there is no harm in telling you this now. Ix Nos Babel is built over an artificial island in the Arctic Circle. It may seem odd to base our headquarters in such a strange place. However deep below the ice, on the sea bed of the Arctic Ocean, there are certain buildings. We call them the 'Ancient Ruins'. They are the last trace of the first ever human civilization on Earth. 78 years ago a Protocolian submarine was damaged and ended up very close to the Ancient Ruins. When our retrieval team went to save them, they stumbled upon those ruins. We spent the next 28 years excavating them. Which was when we discovered the Tablets of Destiny" Yumi blinked. "...Tablets... of Destiny..." "The last remaining piece of literature of that civilization. It detailed the events of the Seven Keys. And the results. You see... mankind did not evolve from simians. Homo Sapiens were an instantaneous creation of a God that came down from the stars. That perfect God, which we refer to as 'Novus Deus', produced an organism that we have called Bio-System. It was a very intricately designed life-form, that had an unmistakable need to assimilate information. Almost alike a computer. And it eventually began to divide itself as the knowledge that the Bio-System gained gave it the ability to do so. The Bio-System separated into multiple organisms that we call humanity. However... humanity may not have had a biological connection to each other anymore... but what it did have was a sustained psychological correlation. Our minds were still connected in a synonymous network not unlike the Internet. We call that the Interlink. Its power was so great that if one man died on one end of the world, another man on the other end of the world would know about it in seconds. All this was overseen by the Novus Deus, guiding its children. But then tragedy struck." "Tragedy?" "A sole woman attempted to manipulate all knowledge to herself using the Interlink to her own advantage. This caused the Interlink's breakdown. Forever dividing mankind into a thousand races, hearts, minds and souls. This event was known as the Second Sin. And it had a chain reaction. For now that the Interlink was broken, the Novus Deus had no means by which to sustain itself. It was polluted by the Second Sin, and died. Its corpse then halved itself into two forms. The Eros and the Thanatos. The Eros representing mankind's potential for life, and the Thanatos representing mankind's eventual passage into death. Those events took place within the space of seven days. Thus comes the term 'Seven Keys'. Eros and Thanatos, those two organisms, those offshoots of the death of the Novus Deus, became pivotal to the future of the world. Because they are drawn to each other through time and space. Destiny proclaimed that the Novus Deus would rise again, and that every 148 years, the Eros and Thanatos would find each other and mate, to produce a new Novus Deus. However. One would not be born until the impurities caused by the Second Sin had been 'bred out' of the bloodline. Consequently... if a particular generation's Eros and Thanatos still possessed too much of the evil of the Second Sin in its blood, an imperfect Novus Deus... a 'Vulnus Deus'... would be born. An imperfect God... eternally a trigger for tragic event. So far there has not been a perfect birth since the arrival of the original Novus Deus. Every 148 years the Eros and Thanatos mate and yet they have created only Vulnus Deus. These Vulnus Deus then die shortly afterwards, separating into two forms. Those two forms are embryos that hibernate and evolve into the Eros and Thanatos of the next generation, 130 years later. Once they both turn 18... they mate... and the cycle continues. And it will continue again and again and again until a Novus Deus is born." Yumi was shocked. She knew the general trend of that story from what Father Bartholomeus told her, but there was so much more to it. Celaph watched Yumi's reaction and said, "Since the Novus Deus died more than 6,000 years ago, it should be obvious to you now that there has never been a successful mating between the many incarnations of the Eros and Thanatos throughout time. But we believe... that this time will be different." "Maybe so," Yumi commented, "but what does ANY of that have to do with me?" Celaph smiled at her. "...Hasn't it sunk in yet? The reason we have monitored and kidnapped you so unceremoniously is because... you are this generation's Eros." Yumi's eyed widened. "...Me...?" "Correct," Said the commander, "that is the reason you possess such strong Qi force. And by now you may wonder what the Oriax has in connection to all of this. Because now you must have realized that it is not purely mechanical. It was created with the remains of the last Vulnus Deus. The creature you were spawned from. Its carcass was buried under the ice of the Arctic Circle, produced by two research workers in 2005. It was that Vulnus Deus birth that stimulated the nuclear war between Iran and the West. Which consequently gave Protocol the means by which to govern the world after the war ended. 30% of the Oriax and its brother mecha, the Raum, was created from the cloned cells left of the Vulnus Deus. It reacts well with you. In some ways... it was truly created for you." Yumi was stunned. So she was the Eros. "...I can't... believe..." "This is probably all very overwhelming," Celaph said, "but it is not an illusion, I assure you." "But... what do... you plan on doing... if a... perfect... God is..." Celaph finished her sentence for her. "...Born? You might think that Protocol is controlled by the Upper Council. But our true leaders are three prophets. Aherg, Ein, and Karahi. As a unit they are known as the Triad of the Inquisition. They are Protocol's unseen benefactors. And they have declared our fate. Once the Novus Deus is born... humanity will become as one organism. We will merge into a sole form, free from the divides of language, thought, race, sex, sexuality, creed and physical appearance. Humanity will be restored to its original Bio-System form. Novus Deus will breathe new life into the planet. We shall all become one." Yumi looked on with fright. "B-but that's... crazy..." "...Is it? You only think that way because of your imperfect individuality, Eros. That will be gone soon. Mankind will once again assume one form." The hacker lowered her head. "No... this isn't..." "You have no choice in the matter, Miss Mishima. Because you are a direct descendant of a perfect God. And today you will give birth to a second one." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ After the success of the Divine Blade forces in the attack against EDEN, their stationing at the Shinrai Complex of Meta Tokyo was officially absolved. In the three weeks after that day, the Divine Blade had been ordered to leave for Ix Nos Babel as soon as they got back from the EDEN battle. Commander Celaph had come with them at the command of the upper branches. No one, not even the leader of the Divine Blade, General Naam, knew what the reason was for it. But most suspected that it had something to do with the Meta Suit that had been re-captured. As well as the female pilot that had 'stolen' it from the Shinrai Complex. Yumi Mishima and the Oriax. Most members of the Divine Blade were happy to go. Ix Nos Babel was like holy ground for Protocol members. But ironically, the only one of the Divine Blade who did not share that jubilation was General Naam. Right now the haughty military genius stood in one of the thirty great hanger bays of Ix Nos Babel. He looked up, staring blankly at the presence of his knightly Meta Suit, the Bahamut. It stood with its broadsword between its hands, the tip on the ground. Naam crossed his arms and remained there... just staring at it. The damage it had taken during the battle had been repaired days ago. Now his forces were just waiting for orders from above. But Naam wasn't thinking about any of that. Though his eyes were fixed on Bahamut, his mind was picturing that red Bishamon suit. As well as the voice of the pilot that was inside it. General Naam scowled, whispering to himself. "...It's like a revival from the grave. They probably even look the same. His voice and his fire... just like... Heinrich." While dozens of the other Divine Blade soldiers around worked on updating and repairing their suits, there was one guy who didn't need to. And he walked over to the pensive general with a smile on his face. That man was the Swiss Pilot Kraepelin. The man who had taken in the Oriax Meta Suit. "General?" He said, "is everything alright?" Naam turned his head. "...Hm. It's you, Kraepelin. Enjoying your promotion to Captain, are you?" "Yes sir," Kraepelin replied eagerly, "it was something that my partners, Steed, Aria and Ry; always wanted for me. And it feels magnificent that I got this promotion thanks to capturing the girl who killed them all. They'll rest easy knowing that. And now that I'm a captain... it gives me all the perks of custom-built mechas..." Naam looked over at the Meta Suit next to his own. The one that had been given to Kraepelin as a symbol and reward for his promotion. It was a custom-built mecha known as Eon. The armour was painted black and gold. It had a leaner shape than the Bahamut but a stockier one than the Amons. Its main weapons were its wrist gatlings and that powerful flamethrower rifle connected to Eon by the upper right arm. Far more powerful than any Amon or Zagan-type suit. General Naam then looked back with a still face at the Bahamut. "Good for you." Captain Kraepelin twisted his face into one of confusion. "This isn't like you, General. You are usually the most driven of us all." "I met a certain warrior on EDEN," Replied the general, "I bested him in combat, but... I spared him for some reason. Fighting him was like fighting my past... I never thought I'd feel that way again." "...What's that mean...?" Naam sighed. "...Did I ever tell you about how I joined Protocol, Captain? I was born outside of the Meta Cities. In a German village called Eberbach. It was a sleepy local. I hated it. It was boring, plain, and simplistic. My fighting spirit was tortured from living there. But most of all... I would have done anything to escape the shadow of my brother. By the time I left... he had married the one woman I wanted to have above all else. I swore that I'd come back and take my revenge on my brother and Eberbach Village. So I joined Protocol and rose up in rank to become general. Then eleven years ago I decided to fulfil my destiny and destroy Eberbach. What better way than test out new mecha in a training program? It gave me total freedom. And I got my revenge. Killing a man I wanted dead since he was born... and 'killing' the woman... I did not want to kill. That boy I met was a survivor of that day... a survivor of Eberbach." Kraepelin had never been told this before. The young man ran a hand through his bangs and wondered, "Fair enough. But can I ask you something...? Why did you spare that kid?" "..." Naam said nothing. "Was he someone you knew before leaving Eberbach?" The General continued to look at Bahamut. Though his mind was clearly elsewhere. "...He's so much like his father..." Kraepelin tilted his head to one side. "Huh?" "...That boy... is my nephew," Naam stated, "and the next time I see him... I'll kill him." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The Bishamon M-2 blazed a trail across the snow. Its clear blue exhaust flowed from the lower end of its legs as it rushed forwards across the snow towards the mighty Ix Nos Babel. It was protected by three rings of military defence. The Defence Lines. The Bishamon had smashed his way through the previous two. Now as it came closer to Ix Nos Babel, the third line was coming into view. It had no barriers. Just pure military defences in its ranks. Twice the amount of cannons that the second line had and four times the amount of cannons that the first one had. But more than that, the third line had a different kind of mass-production Meta Suit guarding watchfully. A new model. Terry could tell because of the sheen, even in snowfall. Their armour was coloured an even lighter purple than the Amons, and their hand cannons seemed smaller in size. But equally new. They did not look ordinary somehow. But by this point, Terry was too consumed by rage to care about the capabilities of any new Meta Suits coming his way. But these were not quite Meta Suits. Because they were the Baals. And they did not rely on a pilot. They were controlled by an AI fighting system. A kind of brain to control an unmanned Meta Suit. The Baal was the first in a line of that which would come to be known as the Marionette. Terry pushed forwards, looking at the line up from the cameras of his cockpit. "...So. Saved the beef for last, eh? Just watch me, you motherfuckers! Bishamon and I won't be stopped by no half-assed drones!" The Bishamon, with his Energy Katana fully powered up, flew out to the third and final line directly. Where over 400 large ground based cannons and 70+ Baal suits were waiting for him. The frontal groups of those cannons swung around aimed in the direction of the attacking Bishamon. Before they got their shots off, Bishamon's shoulder gatlings made their appearance. The shoulder plates of the mecha's armour rose up and out came the turrets. It fired seconds later at a heavier rate of fire than the old Bishamon could muster. Hundreds of bullets rained down on three of the charging cannons, causing them to explode in a cluster of flames. Those flames spread from force of the explosion. But at a smaller distance than Terry had hoped for. His shoulder gatlings returned to their position under the plates. But then came the gunfire. The first eight of the cannons fired in unison at the target. A huge wave of laser-fire swept across the fields of snow towards the Bishamon. Blasted at a speed far higher than the cannons of the other two defensive lines. Bishamon kept up the pace of its flying until it was bombarded by that gunfire. That wave of cannon blasts stopped the process of flight dead in its tracks. Battering the armour of the Bishamon with tremendous destructive force, knocking the Meta Suit to and fro as if it were a tossed leaf on the wind "Aaaah!" Terry cried. The force of the numerous impacts knocked the Bishamon back. Hurling it out of that flight path. Terry's back slapped hard on the seat of the cockpit, causing a rough cough from his throat. But he toughed it out. Sweat dripped down Terry's face once the first wave of gunfire ended. The cannons stopped to re-charge for the next wave. But the results had been felt. Already the Bishamon's sensors were detecting damage. The right arm, left leg and right chestplate had been injured in the rain of energy. It was not serious damage but it meant that the sword wouldn't be able to be swung to the same degree of strength as before. By now some of the Baals were rising up from their positions on the snow and were now flying straight towards the floating (but un-moving) Bishamon. Terry watched them come, closing one of his eyes and pulling an angry smile, all the while his shoulders fell up and down from his tired, heavy breathing. "...Bring it on! I'll do whatever it takes to avenge my mom and dad. I'll fight all day and all night if I have to...!" One of the advancing Baal's pulled up its hand cannon and fired. The shot streamlined for the Bishamon. And that shot nailed its right shoulder. Metal was blown from its source from the force of that compressed blast. Damaging the Bishamon in one go. "...N-not bad..." Terry admitted, "...how's this!?" The Bishamon pulled up its arm and pointed at the incoming Baal type. The compartment with the wrist Qi-cannon opened. And it fired another powerful but condensed blast of jade force towards the Baals. The group of them flew apart like a flock of birds, darting to all sides in a uniformed pattern. The forceful blast from the Bishamon's cannon hit nothing but air. Terry's bleak grin widened, though his situation was nothing to smile about. "...Damn! They're faster than I thought they'd be..." The Bishamon activated its thrusters and locked on to the closest of the Baal sentries. The flames of Qi-energy around the blade of its katana were magnified. Then it vaulted forwards and slashed. The Baal was chopped straight into two flaming pieces of steel, which exploded once cut. Before the flames of the explosion ended a second shot then came from behind. The back of the Bishamon was struck hard by the savage force, fracturing part of the armour. Terry howled a scream of pain from the shockwaves of the attack. One so quick and so forceful that the Bishamon was knocked out of the air. It plummeted downward until it crashed loudly into the snow of that imitation atoll. The fifteen Baals who had taken it upon themselves to fight the Bishamon, flew around it and encircled. They all pointed their rifles at the downed Chrysalis mecha and fired. Chain blasts of vaporous golden energy blasted the machine ruthlessly. The soulless machines showed nothing of mercy and bombarded the Bishamon with as much firepower as their guns could produce. And so the Meta Suit of Japanese design was pinned down by the rain of laser fire. All the while its armour was slowly chipped down. Bit by bit. The polish of Bishamon M-2 was becoming a thing of the past. But Terry still held the controls defiantly, his head and ponytail jerking which each blast that the Bishamon sustained. Blood was now dripping from his forehead and how. But he wouldn't give up. He would not give up. "...Never... ugh! ...I'll never... ah! ...give up... gah! I won't... ugh! ...Stop fighting... gah! ...until I'm six feet under!" "SO YOU'LL SAVE YUMI AND AVENGE YOUR PARENTS BY CHOOSING DEATH?" Terry gasped when he heard a transmission come in from a different Meta Suit. Delivered by a voice that sounded quite familiar. Terry became alert when he heard the sound of an explosion. Not of his own Bishamon, but of the Marionettes that were flocking around him like vultures. He pressed a button on his control panel to allow him to use the rear view camera. And he could see a dark, winged Meta Suit slicing apart the Baal-types. His eyes widened with familiarity. It was the same suit that had challenged him on the day that he had met Yumi. The suit known as the Asmodeus. "What the hell is... that thing doing here?" Terry wondered. By now the Asmodeus was making sport of the Baals at a Qi reading that fast exceeded 12,000. The black-metal Meta Suit flew with amazing grace and speed between each of the Baal around the Bishamon M-2. From its wrist extended a Qi-generated Gauntlet Blade, much like that of the Oriax. But this one was of a bright blue as opposed to the Oriax's light green. The Asmodeus flew through the freezing air and slashed through the torsos of the attacking Baals. One after the other. Some of them attempted to fire at it. Once fire came it its direction, the Asmodeus moved out of its way, so swiftly that it looked like a blur. It vanished and reappeared before the remaining Baals. Then started hacking them down. After fifteen loud explosions, with mangled Baal parts littering the snow around the Bishamon, the cannons of the Third Defensive Line were ready to fire. Which they did. A second unified wave of cannon fire surged forwards in the direction of the seemingly defenceless Asmodeus. "Look out!" Terry yelled to the pilot. The Asmodeus spread open its arms, while its Qi-sparkling wings flapped behind it. As the unholy angel spread its hands apart, a circle of bluish Qi force grew from the action. The shield extended to a large size, dwarfing the overall size of the Asmodeus itself. Lengthening itself from three metres across to ninety metres across. Which both protected the Asmodeus and the Bishamon from the attack. The golden beams of gunfire hammered into the shield with increased frenzy. But did not break it. The translucent shield held off the cannon fire until they stopped to recharge. Once they did, the shield was dropped. The Asmodeus flapped its wings and flew up higher into the air, while its head looked down on the layers of armaments for the Third Defence Line. Now some of the 55 other Baals were coming its way, no longer seeing the Bishamon as a threat. The Asmodeus stopped flying upwards when it reached a certain height. Then its hands performed a certain set of gestures. These actions were so fast and fluid that they looked to have been carried out by biological arms, not heavy mechanical ones. A separate orb of energy manifested in front of the dark suit. An orb of over twenty-eight metres in diameter, created of Qi. Terry looked on, stunned at the reading that the Bishamon was giving him about it. "...No way! That thing has a magnitude of over 13,000 units of force!" The Asmodeus shot its hand out to elicit a command whilst hovering in the air. The spherical ball of sapphire Qi force before it was thrown directly at the attacking Baals and down towards the rest of them. And as the ball shot downwards it stretched out in its size. It passed through the leading Baals, callously burning them away, as effortlessly as paper to fire. The tough metal they had been made of was simply blown into dust by the incomprehensively forceful Qi of the attack known as the Genocide Orb. It then crashed into the middle of the third line. Then there was the explosion. A huge, tearing, consuming, rending, violent explosion that spread outwardly at a startling rate. The sphere of the combustion reached heights of over ninety metres. While its diameter widened to encompass over two hundred metres of snow. Everything within that blatantly devastating sphere, the cannons, the snow, the ground, the Baals; all of it was destroyed. Terry closed his eyes from the brightness of the sapphire light that shone everywhere as a result. The Bishamon was forced to grab onto the ground to prevent from being blown back. The people monitoring the battle from Ix Nos Babel were baffled as to how a Qi attack could be that powerful. And the Asmodeus just hovered over the blast, its arms crossed and its wings fully open, looking down upon its work like the Angel of Death. Gradually the force of the blast started to fade away. The smoke rose up. And it exposed a colossal crater. More than 220-metres wide. Still burning in certain places with sparkling blue Qi fire. The entire Third Defensive Line had been obliterated in little above the space of three minutes. All the Baals and Cannons were gone. In fact the only trace of the Third Defensive Line left was the remains of the Baals that were laying around the Bishamon. Terry, and the people observing the battle from the control rooms of Ix Nos Babel, were all astounded. The only difference between them was that the Protocol control teams knew exactly what the Asmodeus was and who was 'piloting' it. If such a term could be used in this case. The Asmodeus flew back down to ground level. Its metallic feet touched upon the snow. Just next to the Bishamon. "You're too reckless," The unknown pilot (now clearly female) said to the downed warrior mecha, "throwing yourself into suicidal rampages is not going to save Yumi. Nor will it be enough to defeat General Naam." The Bishamon slowly pulled itself out of the deep trench it had made for itself in the snow. While the Meta Suit was rising up, its pilot said, "...How do you know all of that? I don't remember seeing you at EDEN... were you the one who gave away its location?" "No. That was not my doing." "Well what are you doing here?" Terry barked, "Why did you help me out? The last time we met, you were looking to kick off a fight, weren't you?" The Asmodeus' pilot chuckled gently. "...Would you rather die?" "I don't care what happens to me. I'm gonna kill Naam. And I'm gonna rescue Yumi." The pilot of the Asmodeus took interest in that. "...You care for her, don't you? It's only been three weeks but you feel something for her." Terry grinned. "...I wouldn't have expected something like that to come from a shit-kicker like you." "The idea of me having power makes me seem incapable of understanding love? You still have some of your childish beliefs in that stubborn head of yours. It's time you started thinking more with your head and less with your heart, Terry Hennig. This anger will only take you so far. If you want to stop Naam and accomplish something... if you want to end their control over the world... then you will have to focus. And storming Ix Nos Babel alone will get you nowhere." The giant machine turned its back to the Bishamon, spreading its Qi-force wings out. "Heed my words, Terry. I could always... tell that you were special. You are one of the ones... who truly has the power to change the world. My power alone is nothing compared to that. I want you to fight sensibly. Seek to attain goals within your reach rather then straining for something you can't do. If you can know your limits... then I know you can find a way to surpass them." Just before the Asmodeus, left Terry called to the pilot. "...Wait! I only have one question. Who... in the world are you?" "...You will have to find that out for yourself," The Asmodeus then pointed in the opposite direction with its right arm, "...I think that those people will be able to help you." The head of the Bishamon turned to the right. In the distance, was the sight of the gigantic airship Leviathan. It was a ways back, but the Bishamon had more than enough fuel to make the journey. Then Terry heard the sound of hi-powered thrusters launching something into the air. It was the Asmodeus. The dark angel suit flew away into the cloudy grey skies, amid the light snow fall. The Bishamon looked up at the Asmodeus while it left. "...Thanks." Terry whispered, under his breath. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The time had come. Yumi had been moved from the wall she was chained to, over to a bed in the centre of the large room. She was now chained to that. And was unable to free herself. Even if she wanted to use her powers, she would not have been able to thanks to the chemicals woven into the metal of her shackles. Two scientists stood beside her on that simple white bed. One of them had a syringe in their hand. Though Yumi could not have known it, she was being watched by a select few people other than those two scientists. Those people were Commander Celaph and his fianc‚e, Chizu Yagata. Beside them was a young doctor who manned controls that read Yumi's life signs, as well her Qi level. They watched the prone Yumi from another room, the window connecting the two being high up the walls of Yumi's room. And of course the Triad of the Inquisition, observing the events from unknown locations and by unknown means. The automatic door on the other side of the room opened. Out stepped a young man of the same age as Yumi. Eighteen. His looks were not Asiatic, like Yumi's, but more western in origin. Of course that was nothing more than a consequence of development. This man was of the same biological origins as Yumi. The Thanatos of this generation, Freeman Ronove. He came up to the trapped Yumi and beamed a sheepishly dark smile at her. "...We two are as one... you and I..." "...S-stop..." Yumi strained against her bonds, knowing what was about to happen to her, "...you can't... do this..." One of the scientists nodded to the other. Then he walked over to Yumi. He held her by the arm and pressed the syringe to her skin. And then into it. A certain chemical was injected directly into her bloodstream. With effects that were almost instantaneous. By the time the scientist withdrew the needle from her arm, she was already heavily under the effects of its contents. Which did more than simply make her drowsy. It effected her enough to cloud and trick her mind. Yumi's eyes grew heavy. And she could only open them part of the way. Then the sight of Freeman and the cold white laboratory/bedroom went away. In her eyes, the two scientists went away. Being replaced by trees. The surrounding room disappeared and was replaced with the sun, sand and sea of Okinawa. And the sight of Freeman morphed into that of a bikini-clad Chizuru. Not Chizu Yagata, the cold reality of that girl, but Yumi's mental perception of the woman she thought Chizu was up until seeing her true colours. Yumi, stuck in this dreamed up deliria, shed tears of happiness from seeing 'her'. From seeing 'Chizuru'. The taller 'girl' came up to the shorter one and mounted the bed in the middle of this 'beach'. 'She' whispered, "...Don't be afraid. It is our destiny..." Though Yumi had no idea what 'Chizuru' was addressing, but did not care, either. 'Chizuru' leaned down and kissed Yumi against her neck. Dragging 'her' tongue around the hacker's collarbone and the indentation of her throat. 'Chizuru's' hands slid up underneath Yumi's white dress. 'Her' hands cupped Yumi's small, well-shaped breasts and caressed them, causing their pink nipples to harden. 'Chizuru' then kissed Yumi's lips while 'her' hands manipulated the girl's breasts, repeatedly and with increasing fervour. Yumi moaned into 'Chizuru's' mouth and a wetness spread from her vagina, moistening both her labial region and her panties. 'Chizuru' let one of 'her' hands slip from Yumi's left breast. It then stroked all the way down to her crotch. 'She' put 'her' hand under the thin protection of those panties, massaging Yumi's vulva. The eighteen-year-old Jap girl increased her moaning, though she wanted to embrace 'Chizuru' she felt something invisible restraining her hands. 'Chizuru' fiddled with the lower half of the bikini that 'she' was wearing. Then Yumi felt something press against the opening to her vagina. It felt awfully phallic, but since Yumi couldn't see or feel 'Chizuru's' other hand, she assumed that it was two of the dark-haired one's fingers. 'Chizuru' broke their kiss and whispered, "Be strong, Eros. This is the beginning of a new genesis for mankind... just the beginning..." Yumi muffled a slight groan of discomfort when 'Chizuru' pierced the thin flesh of her hymen with a thrust of 'her fingers'. But that slight discomfort was weakened when she felt the bliss of those two 'fingers' prising apart the sopping wet folds of her vaginal walls. Yumi gasped and breathlessly called Chizuru's name, while the 'girl herself' breathed heavily. 'She' started thrusting 'her fingers' in and out of Yumi, whilst strangely making light moans and grunts of 'her' own. As if 'she' were enjoying this as much as Yumi was. That thrusting continued until Yumi felt something hot and sticky shoot into her. She couldn't quite understand what that meant, but was concerned only with sating herself on the 'fingers of Chizuru' But in the real world, nothing like that was happening. Yumi lay out across the bed with a dreamy, euphoric expression, constantly murmuring the word 'Chizuru' over and over. Freeman groaned with his premature ejaculation, and pulled himself out of Yumi, his erect penis coated with his own semen, as well as traces of Yumi's vaginal discharge and blood. He stepped back and climbed off the bed, strangely tired. One of the scientists rushed over to him and helped him out of the room, through the automatic door. Moments after Yumi's penetration, she passed out, the chemicals in her blood stream forcing the action. The last scientist, Celaph, Chizu, their doctor/readings taker, and the Triad of the Inquisition watched with bated breath, yet not disgust. The semen of Thanatos had been implanted within the Eros. Now was the time for the birth of a pure, untainted God. A Novus Deus. Though she could not have known what was going on, deep inside there was a reaction. The sperm of Freeman had already made contact with her egg at a speed unknown to other men. It was already being fertilized. But fertilization and birth was far different to what it would be for a normal woman. That fertilized egg soon transformed itself into a mass of energy. The energy was not quite Qi... but held all the properties of it and much besides. That energy spread outwardly from her internal genitals, through to the rest of her body. It moved through her cells like a small but palpable wave of warmth and it expanded until her entire body, even her skin, was glowing a bright forest green. Everyone looked on with awe as that energy then lifted upwards from Yumi's body. The energy separated itself from the Japanese hacker. But it had taken on a humanoid shape. The glow from the humanoid-shaped body shone around the entire room, overwhelming the leering presence of white. Up above from his own room, Celaph covered his eyes and tried to see what was happened amidst all that green light. Chizu did the same, but with a far colder expression. "Is this... God?" She asked. Its body was formed exactly like that of Yumi. From the shape of her breasts to the length of her legs and the size of her small feet. The entity reached out with its transparent green hand (made purely of that foreign energy-matter) and carefully stroked Yumi across the cheek, saying, "...Mother...", in a ethereal, semi-feminine voice. The facsimile of energy stepped back from Yumi and the bed. It lowered its hands and tilted its head backwards, looking directly up at the ceiling. The glowing body of that 'God' rose up into the air and flew upwards until it phased through the stone ceiling of the room. The scientist, Celaph and Chizu (and the Triad of the Inquisition) watched it leave. It floated through each floor of the 300-floor tower, onwards and upwards, until five minutes later, it phased up to the roof of Ix Nos Babel. Once it got there it stopped moving. The being of pure energy opened its arms and pushed them forwards, its breast-like proportions swaying while doing so. It opened its mouth as if it was singing a hymn. But nothing happened. The expressionless entity looked downwards. A crack formed at its thigh. One that spread up from that point. Its glowing, crystalline green body started cracking in parts all over its limbs. It grabbed its face and opened its mouth once again, as if to express a painful scream of some sort, but no sound came out of its mouth. The creature rose up into the air with bits of its body matter dropping from it like broken pieces of pottery. From the satellite orbiting the area of space above the arctic ocean, the cameras of it were taking visual images of this. Ones that were beamed to the computer terminal in Celaph's room. He and Chizu watched with disappointment at the screen. The being produced soundless screams and writhed in what appeared to be agony. It was apparent that this was no Novus Deus, but yet another imperfect Vulnus Deus. A flawed attempt to recreate God. The (assumed) 41st Vulnus Deus, the child of Yumi and Freeman, crumbled away into nothingness. Its glittering particles of matter dissolved into the freezing cold air of the Arctic. As if were never there. Two remaining pieces of the Vulnus Deus were left. Those two pieces levitated from the surface of Ix Nos Babel's roof, and then converted into two pieces of light. They then shot away from each other at the speed of light, one going west, the other going east. They were the 'eggs' of the Vulnus Deus. The pieces of its carcass. They would go on to seek hibernation for the next 130 years. Then they would both transform into humanoid babies and become the next generation's Eros and Thanatos. In Celaph's room, the air was bitter with the stench of failure. "It... failed..." Chizu claimed. The Englishman Celaph stared at the screen blankly. "...There's still too much impurity in the bloodline... to produce a Novus Deus." ...But then there was a different reaction... "Commander!" The data-collector yelled by his computer, "there's an abnormal surge of Qi coming from the Eros!" Celaph looked out the window into Yumi's room. "...What?" Inside Yumi's room, the glow of green produced by the Vulnus Deus born from her womb was still there. It was not the energy of her child, but an unknown after-effect that was not planned by anyone. The least of which being Celaph. The emerald light enfolded Yumi's unconscious body until it became a spherical floating ball. A shell of force, in many ways. It was about two metres in diameter and it hovered over the bed of the room. With Yumi inside it. Celaph and Chizu stared with mystification at this orb. "...What is this?" Asked the Commander, "...the Tablets of Destiny never mentioned anything about further reactions within the Eros or Thanatos after conception... so... what of Freeman?" "His life signs are stable, sir," Replied the data collector. Chizu watched the orb through the upper window. "...So it's only Miss Mishima? What... in the world is happening?" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ There was a large hall of darkness within an unknown location, far from Ix Nos Babel. Inside that hall were the Three Wise Men; Aherg, Ein, and Karahi. The Triad of the Inquisition. The three mysterious hooded figures stood around a large circle which looked like a pool of water on the floor. But it was a window to the activities that had taken place moments ago. They had seen everything. The rise and fall of another Vulnus Deus. "...The bloodline remains tainted," Commented Aherg. Ein nodded. "Yes... we were wrong... to think that the time has come. It still needs more... time before a successful birth." "Will Man ever be one with God again?" Wondered Karahi. Ein bobbed his head. "Yes. We shall be. One day..." "...In any case," Aherg began, "this is a setback. Not a defeat. If we cannot save the world by unifying mankind... then we shall have to go to Plan B. We shall conduct the second holocaust. But this one... will encompass the entire human race."
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