Final -V- IC

"I see. Well then…" Iphigenia held up one hand, a pointed index finger sparking. "I'll be your glorified Energizer battery." Quickly making their way to the Styx Accelerator, the purple-haired girl powered Tian-Gui up with her natural reserves along the way.

Sprinting down the corridors with Jin-Sun and Gigakill, Iphie tried to pace herself. Being the least physically able of her two cybernetically enhanced allies, she unfortunately was the lowest common denominator this time around.

"Oh, bugger…" Of course, the massive abyssal beast had to notice them midway through their mad dash for the generators. "Who forgot to shut the blinds!?" Making a cry of discontent, she switched her focus onto dodging the monster's beam attacks, using the facility's metal walls and sides to electromagnetically dodge the attacks on a dime. In her focus of dodging, she nearly missed Jin-Sun's request. Wordlessly, she made the connection and did so, marking the power facility of the complex into his HUD. "Right there. Go, go!"

Panting and sweating a bit more than she would have liked, somehow Iphie made it up to the generator room. Not missing a beat, She glided over to the generation facilities. Using the mains power, she transferred its high energy through her, her body accepting its high energy as she absorbed and stored it.

"Tian, are you in position? I've got some juice headed your way!"
 
What everyone else saw was a light show of abyssal beams, tearing through walls as the titanic monster directed its fury upon them. What Tian-Gui saw were dozens of 'deaths', all lined up before an eradicating blast replaced the foreboding text. Slower than the others, and injured, he pre-emptively dodged them, each near-miss causing him precious energy that could have been channeled further into the massive lance. Bursts of flame kept him out of undodgeable situations, while pillars of gold ensured that he never ran out of footholds to leap off of.

His bones were turning into powder, but he pressed on, straining his body to continue dodging attacks that would spell death even to someone like himself.

Rolling into his own position, Tian-Gui looked up at the uncut ceiling and instinctively understood where exactly he was in position with the Abyssal Titan. He didn't need to see in order to aim, didn't need to second-guess. Runa's screams of agony could be heard. Jin-Sun's affirmations could be heard. Iphie's power could be felt.

For a single moment, Tian-Gui felt transcendent.

As if the sun itself resided within him, an unfathomable depth of power poured into him through his Flamestone.

It wasn't something stolen from a villain.

It was something given to him by an ally, a comrade.

He gritted his teeth until his jaw felt like it would break, and he lifted up his right hand once more, even as veins burst and blood flowed beneath his armor. This Abyssal sought to sing the Last Song of earth? Then for that black beast, the hero whose shield eclipsed even the sun shall sing an aria to drown out that worthless requiem!

"Ilu-yang arz Svallin zizzl…"

A baritone voice resonated with the Flamestone crystals that sprouted everywhere, ringing louder and louder as more and more crystals formed, as more crystalline growths were expelled to match the rate of the overwhelming power that flowed through his veins. With the crashing of cymbals, they broke apart, swirling in front of his fists. Rough diamonds smashed into each other within the tornado, dispelling more and more shards, each sliver forming a needle-like core.

This would not be a mere lance, nor a spear.

This would be an arrow, constructed of Flamestone that was condensed to the extent that it had a significant gravitation pull of its own. An arrow to save the world and slay any evil. An arrow constructed not just from the might and efforts of the Final Five, but from all those that supported him.

He drew back the divine construct, thrumming with arcane power.

And, at the very tip, another shard stood.

The remnant of Ling, the Idol of Destruction.

"Finale."

Wreathed in azure flames, the arrow became a ray of light.

The light to welcome another tomorrow.
 
Well, it looked like getting torn in half by a gigantic laser of fuck you would generally hurt pretty badly. By now the brunette had lost count of how many times half her body was already sliced in half before she used her one and only gimmick to escape complete destruction. Not to mention of being rather grateful that her sense of pain did not retain the 'memories' of being sliced in half either. At least it was pretty good reflexive training in a sense.

Why did that fucker woke up anyway? Initially that Abyssal had left them enough time to idly chitchat before. "HURRRRYY UUUPPPPP!" Kyouko complained to nobody in particular as she clumsily danced from right to left. It even send a shiver down her spine when Kyouko heard her tentacle-friend's screams of agony. Fuck. Maybe she needed...help? Kyouko was just about to yell after Runa when Tian finished his attack.

It was an Aria. A Song of Justice and Peace. A melody to save the world that all of them treasured. The very same world that Kyouko wanted to protect, make it better, so that Miku could return without worry. Tears rolled down the girls cheeks as she started the next verse.

...

Or so she thought, when suddenly, darkness surrounded her entire being. "Huh... did I...die?" Were Kyouko's first thoughts - or words if she had actually been capable of speaking.

It did not take the brunette long to notice that something was wrong and quickly turned around as her human senses told her someone was 'there*. It was the woman, again. The one she, and the others(?), had clearly seen earlier. The very familiar woman that Kyouko couldn't quite place. Still, with the warm smile she was giving off, the young Final Five member knew that this woman was not a threat.

"I have tried to speak with you for so long..." The woman started to speak as Kyouko's eyes glanced towards her pendant. It was... the same as hers...as Gigakill's. Yet, it was different. Somehow. It was the color... right? It... had to be. After all, Kyouko never saw such a color before, heck, she wasn't even sure what colour it was to begin with. It was like... a shade of Red? No. Blue? Maybe. The second Kyouko's mind had settled on a decision the color of the pendant seemed to simply deny any thoughts Kyouko could muster. Simply speaking, this woman's Pendant harbored all colours at once in a single space.

"Were it not for your distance from Earth, I might never have." The woman continued to speak as she stepped closer. If not for the genuine warmth she was giving out, Kyouko would have been creeped out by now. If anything, the most annoying part was Kyouko's incapability of responding to her.

"Time is... both the power at hand, and what is of the essence," Yes, Kyouko was rather aware of that. So why was this woman even 'keeping her here' like this? Even with the Woman holding up the Pendant for Kyouko to see better the Brunette already gave up on figuring out whatever was going on.

"Do your best, Key." With those words, the Womans own Pendant started to resonate with the one Kyouko was holding before she was promptly taken back to reality.

...

Apparently, no time had passed and with the giant Orb of Destruction falling down didn't give the small hero any more time to think more deeply about she just witnessed. She had to do what she already planned to do in the first place. Somehow, brimming even with more power than before Kyouko was confident enough she could turn back Miku alive - even with all the distance between them.

Fixating her gaze onto the Orb and stretching out her shiny arm, Kyouko whispered the words that would complete the art piece that the five, no, six of them, were singing.

Unlike Tian's attack or Runa's Black Holes Kyouko's attack wasn't anything flashy. Everything was going down to shit and hell anyways and her Arm was way too bright to even see properly. Yet, as the Orb was decreasing smaller and smaller in size, the brunette could swear she saw some sort of magical circle shenanigans in front of her.

"GET...FUCKING...DONE!" Kyouko motivated herself as she tried to get that Orb even less powerful, and thus, smaller. It somehow hurt and took her a serious amount of effort to even stay awake. For some reason, Kyouko felt rather heavy. Just... how long had this thing charging that attack and just how much 'time' did Kyouko revert? She didn't know. In fact, Kyouko did not even want to know as she tried to do her job. It was most likely a frightening number anyways.

"C'moooooonnnn just a biiiit...a biiiit...moooorre!" She mumbled as her arm felt like exploding. Despite having done rather good progress the Orb was very likely big enough to still blow up a good chunk of Mars - too much for Kyouko.

"STOP SUCKING ALREADY AND GET FUCKING GOOD." She continued to scream as she was near her end. With that, there was only one last act to do. One final note to be done with it. In comparison to the Miracle she was supposed to pull off just now that, on the other hand, was a piece of cake.

...
...

Neither of the other Final Five members knew what had just happened before it actually happened. All of them were swiftly transported back towards the Styx Accelerator. "Thank you for traveling with Kyouko-Express! The Bestest choice for anyone going back in time!" Was all that Kyouko could muster in an half-assed tone as she sought support to support herself to whoever was close. Right now all she wanted was get out of here before the orb hit ground, sure to reset his position as high as possible, they should have had enough time for someone more tech-savvy to initiate the escape.

Heck, she didn't even have the power to annoy Gigakill about the vision she just had.
 
One.

The gravitational anomalies of a thing that should not exist tore at Mars, cracking hill-sized chunks away from the terrain hidden further beneath. Redness, concrete, electricity, energy... It all coalesced into the singularities Runa struggled to maintain as laser after laser shredded away pieces of her body. The determination held fast, and held the Abyssal faster.

Two.

A cut. Not a mere linear separation, but a cut upon reality, it seemed. What had given Jin-Sun that momentary feat? It was so transient, even he could not fully dwell upon it after the fact. All that remained was an angular hole in the ceiling, and a perfect gaze upon the head of the Abyssal towering beyond.

Three.

The surge of energy reflected upon Iphigenia the true size and heft of the facility. Electricity coursed through her body like the collective storms of Earth, simultaneously burning her with righteous fury. Still, she released it without bodily harm, a beam of pure energy, glowing as if made of violence itself.

Four.

A flash of light followed the bolt, impact transpiring before Tian-Gui even had a moment to register he had released it. An explosion rocked the sky, and its shockwave slammed down upon the facility, through the hole. There was but a mere nanosecond before the collapsing roof smothered them in darkness...

Five.

Reality flickered. The previous scene before each member's eyes was replaced with a nondescript metal wall, but one they were all familiar with. There was no time for taking seats and buckling in; Gigakill immediately slammed his fist upon the engage button, and subsequently hurtled them "forward" at speeds faster than light. What had remained of the facility, of Mars... Perhaps they could visit an observatory back on Earth to know.

This Styx Accelerator pod is destined for an unknown location. The landing zone may not be exact. Please prepare for possible impact. Disengaging quantum locks in sixty seconds... a computerized voice stated plainly. Gigakill turned to the others with crossed arms. For a moment he was silent.

"I'm so proud of you guys. That was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Truly. Shanhu is in good hands, I'm certain." A light chuckle escaped Gigakill as, mysteriously, his body began to shine and sparkle. An unknown energy emanated from his metal form, growing brighter and obscuring him more and more. He made no mention of it, continuing to "smile" with those green eyes of his.

"Onto the next fight, then? Give it your all. Bah. Surely you will. What could anything on Earth be compared to what you'd just done? Tell me how it goes mmm... However you can," he laughed. Over time, his body disappeared from reality until there was naught but a single, glowing ember of light. Then, that too faded.

The shuttle began to shake violently.

Please ensure you are seated and buckled in. The shuttle will exit tachyonic velocity momentarily.

There was little time to register the chaos that blew up in the Final Five's faces. All at once the shuttle lurched as braking suddenly, and the air began to heat up quickly inside. The sound of violently rushing air outside could be heard.

They were back on Earth, and presumably hurtling through the atmosphere.
 
Runa was back on the shuttle, with the others. "Huh?" She blinked a few times, and checked her body for horrible injuries. "Wha- wha?" she looked around in confusion, before her gaze fell on Kyouko. "Is that how you work? God, that's freakin' weird. You don't even feel anything." She shrugs. "Beats, uh, needing to regrow some stuff, though."

And off they were back to Earth. They damn well better be aimed at the right general coordinates. Gigakill's disappearance was...unexpected and confusing. Runa basked in his praise while she could, however. "Yeah, uh, see you later too, big guy." Clearly trying to to choke up, she turned to the others. "I'm...gonna go take a look around outside." She rushed into the airlock before anyone could see her cry.

The shuttle briefly shook as the airlock cycled and opened, the sudden change to its airflow momentarily adding to the turbulence, as Runa leapt out like some sort of sky diver. She didn't free fall for very long before she was borne aloft by her familiar gravity well. Though, at this speed, she probably could have just extended wings. The view around her quickly did improve her mood from the more somber one the five had just shared in the shuttle.

"You are not gonna believe what's outside, guys," she said over the comms, her voice muffled a bit by the rushing wind. "But, uh, I hope someone knows how to drive that thing." They were absolutely surrounded by massive ships and mecha of all descriptions. If it wasn't the Thremont's fleet, it was something damn similar. The sudden appearance was probably enough to buy the shuttle a little time, but it was only a matter of time before it was a target, crossfire be damned. Runa banked on being a little too small and quick to easily track, but she still didn't take any chances and shifted a few extra layers of armor.

"It's gonna be a spectacular party," she said and giggled. There were plenty of targets, and not being as exhausted as she should be gave her plenty of room to show off. She held back just long enough to make sure the rest of the team was ready for it. No use getting a bunch of attention on them before everyone else was ready.
 
A destructive wave so all-encompassing that he couldn't even comprehend it, and then…

Silence.

His body was back to normal, or, at least as normal as it was when he had first came to Mars. The Flamestone armor remained uncracked, and he was even still in that Michelin Man-sized spacesuit, seated in a chair too small for his gargantuan form. As the world faded away into a dark dimension of FTL travel, all Tian-Gui could do was let out a long, long breath. All too lucky, that Runa lasted as long as she did, that the Accelerator's facilities had enough power to fuel the Finale, that Kyouko's strange power worked as well as it did.

Still, a hero was just as dependent on their luck as they were on the rest of their powers, and if it worked well, well, it worked out. This was all just a brief respite before they went off to deal with the Thremont's bigass mecha, and for that, Tian-Gui was happy. They had Gigakill, they just saved the world, and everyone was more or less intact. Turning to his gauntleted hand, he clenched it tightly, feeling the strength that was left in his body, before a grim smile surfaced on his face. This will have to be enough. After all, they were bringing back Shanhu's strongest wall. Gigakill, the nigh-mythological robot who surpassed his own origins! The legend that gathered four stars and fought back the Abyssals! Though it would be a bit weird figuring out what to call the Final Five once there were Six, Tian-Gui didn't mind. There was so much to talk about, so much to catch up on, so MUCH!

Tian-Gui couldn't even look in his master's direction as the voice began to fade, turning ethereal. If he did, he knew he'd make another unreasonable request of Kyouko.

He was Final Red, the protector of the living. Not the miracle worker who could bring back the dead. He couldn't offer anything except to uphold the legacy that Gigakill had left.

But there wasn't even a scrap of him left to remember by.

He was unmoved by the violent lurching of the shuttle, unmoved by Runa's departure, unmoved by the 'sudden' appearance of the Thremont's fleet. His body was still aching, his mind on the brink of…something. But still, there was a fight to be had, and he could not turn back.

"Brace for impact," he muttered. Too quiet. Who was he talking to? Stop being fucking weak! "BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

The shuttle SMASHED through the first ship, cleanly bisecting it. A massive explosion resounded afterwards, but it was irrelevant compared to the shuttle itself being destroyed by that same impact. Bursting out of vessel, debris splintered against Tian-Gui as jets of flame rocketed him through the skies. One gauntleted hand grasped onto Kyouko before she plummeted out of the reach of the rest of them, before confirming Iphie and Jin-Sun's own methods of staying afloat.

One deep, shuddering breath in the cold, thin sky around them.

The enemy that stood before them was the Thremont's colossus, the final target of Operation Cerberus.

One last push.

"THREMONTS! THIS IS AN ASS KICKING THAT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING! ARE YOU PREPARED?!"

Jets of flame created incandescent wings, reminiscent of the sun's halo.

"FINAL RED!"
 
No.
No. No. No. No. No.

Stop it!

What kind of bullshit was this anyways? This was so fucking cheesy. Something that only happened in crappy movies. So why, just why had it to happen to them?! This wasn't supposed to be.

Kyouko wasn't done with Gigakill. The World wasn't done with Gigakill.

Who the hell did he think he was anyways?! Sure, Kyouko may not have been the smartest but her guts told her that Gigakill knew something about that woman. Her guts also told her that she wasn't able to do work another Miracle. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

It was incredible selfish of Kyouko to wanted 'her Hero' only for her own thirst for knowledge. But did she care? No. He would have made so many people happy. So why? Just why.

Annoyed at her own weakness the time-messing girl got some tears out of her eyes - clearly something had gotten inside them!

By the time Kyouko calmed herself down the world around her was being torn to pieces. Literally. The Vessel the Five were in would very likely not survive the fall if what Runa told them was true. "Weren't we supposed to penetrate some sort of shield while going back anyways?!"

Before the young girl could get an answer however, everything started to spin as they crashed right through what seemed to be some sort of ship. It was a miracle Kyouko just didn't outright die there - though took enough damage that her mind drifted off regardless. It hurt. Everything hurt. Her vision became obscured by some red liquid... blood? Her blood. Just why couldn't she just? Right... her power was way weaker than before. It actually required effort. After all, back on Mars, the brunette literally did her shenanigans on instinct.

It required effort. Too much effort. The exploded ship did enough damage on the mortal girl that her consciousness was constantly drifting between here and there.

But did it matter anyways? Gigakill was gone, their ship was gone, they did not penetrate the shield as it was initially planned and now Kyouko was falling to her death anyways. Maybe... just maybe, after all this, she was finally allowed to see Miku's warm smile once more?

*Thump*

"....?" Something, someone... grabbed her. She wasn't quite sure but it was a familiar feeling... somebody that told her to 'keep going'. For now, however... she was allowed just a little bit more rest, no?
 
Wait, what the hell was going on? How were they suddenly back on the shuttle, even in their spacesuits? Had all that just been a hallucination? Or at least, that ran through Jin-Sun's mind before Gigakill gave them his last words. He stayed silent as the mechanical hero faded away. Jin-Sun closed his eyes for a moment, bowing his head in respect. But Gigakill's final words rang through his head, reminding him that the Final Five still had a job to do.

And then they found themselves in the midst of the Thremonts' sky fleet. Jin-Sun drew his blade and simply cut himself out of his spacesuit, judging that it would take too long to simply remove it. Right. This was it. This was what he'd been waiting for. What he'd wanted. Albeit he'd wanted his chance at the Thremonts with far less chance of collateral damage and risk to the world overall, but that simply made this all the more vital.

Jin-Sun cut his way out of the shuttle, following after Tian-Gui as he brandished his high-vibration blade.

"You all know what we have to do. Stop the fleet, and make sure the Thremonts face justice. Let's take those bitches down."
 
"…"


"…"


"…?"

Iphigenia blinked. Her mouth was briefly open in disorientation as the Final Five once again found themselves on the shuttle, as if time had reset itself. Only the physical presence of Gigakill told her that something else was afoot; instinctively, the purple-haired girl glanced for the most likely candidate of such a party trick. She was still swallowing the lump in her throat as the shuttle lurched forward at Gigakill's action.

Really, they truly were coming off on the top here. With disaster averted on Mars, the tech they needed to engage the doublecrossing Thremonts' fleet, and Gigakill as a healthy backup, Iphigenia thought that they had everything going for them. But a chill ran through her body as the robot spoke, for she realized it would likely be his final words.

So that was how he would go.

Meeting the disappearing Gigakill's eyes with her own, she made a wry smile. It was a shame…

Her thoughts trailed off as did his form, and the vibration of the shuttle finally took her attention elsewhere. A violent shudder, and they were back inside Earth's atmosphere, the rush of air being cut aside by the warm craft giving an unnerving sound to Iphie's ears. The pressure differential by Runa's sudden exit didn't help, and now the purple-haired girl was once again having quite a miserable time.

But she shouldered through. There were bitches to slap. And brace for impact she did.

On impact, Iphie immediately separated herself from the stricken shuttle and the poor remains of the ship that they had smashed through. Tumbling through the air, she repelled herself electromagnetically from the massive falling ship, latching herself onto the outer skin of a nearby vessel. Already, she began to work herself into the ship's electronics.

"Couldn't have said it better, Jin-Sun."
 
The explosion was spectacular, and they were traveling with enough velocity that even its violent rupture was passed by. A multicolored apocalypse of steel and energy boomed above them as the Final Five descended in the quickly-dismantled shuttle, dumping them out into a suspended field of sharp debris and flaming parts. Thremont ships on the way down turned like screeching cars out of the way of the death-path, save one...

Likely oblivious to the rain above, the ship drifted lazily on through sky below the Final Five, unawares that reentry-speed shrapnel was head straight for its guts. As the Final Five took their separate ways, the debris slammed into the drifting ship, jolting its body downwards several hundred feet, but nevertheless staying aloft. Still, its lift began to fade, and the ship sunk lower and lower into the cloudy sky.

Blue and white captured their vision, sprawling across the globe into the curved horizon. Above, the blackness of space meshed with a cold, icy blue color. Freezing temperatures threatened to bleed their throats. Given the shielding around the fleet, there was no way even a satellite could get inside, and so the mobilization of the fleet seemed almost instantaneous. Decks of flying aircraft carriers jetted out vehicles of every kind; supersonic jets with forward-swept wings and darting mecha took to the skies around them, followed by a burst of fire from the anti-aircraft cannons. Fortunately for the time being, the flagship seemed hesitant to use its own countryside busting guns.

Descending, swinging along the sides of the ships, or plain flying, there were plenty of places to hide briefly, but no respite... Only the interior of any one ship seemed truly 'safe'. One couldn't be sure if it'd be sacrificed to the rest of the fleet, however, simply to be rid of the surprise superheroes.
 
The thin air certainly didn't bother Runa for more than a few moments. If she could weather Mars' atmosphere just fine, this was certainly better to begin with. "I hate to be the one to bring it up, but...isn't it possible we're the bad guys here? We're just after them because they attacked us and all, so what if we end up just painted as self-righteous bastards? Like, abusing our power or something?"

The target-rich environment prevented her from further rambling on the Five's situation. She was quick and far more maneuverable than any vehicle could be, but that can only do so much good with enough firepower aimed against you. "I'll try to keep the small fry off your backs." She flew away from the others to engage one of the many groups of fighters and other small craft, and that part of the sky lit up with a crossfire of beams and tracer rounds as they attempted to intercept her assault.

She was still smaller, and had an advantage in evasion, particularly once she got in the midst of the formation and the enemy pilots had to risk a crossfire to keep shooting. The alien hybrid darted between vehicles, attacking by whatever means were available to her: blasting with concentrated force, shredding with tentacles, and striking with a blade formed from her own flesh. She pushed ever closer to the truly colossal flagship of the fleet as she moved from one group to the next, leading them away from Tian and the others, and doing her best to use the smaller ships as cover against the larger ones.
 
...
...
...

It hurt.
So comfortable.

"Neuanfang..." Kyouko whispered as her body was restored to a state that wasn't close to half-death. Right, even if not as strong as she was on Mars. Somehow, Kyouko felt stronger regardless. This wasn't the time to sleep. Not the time to rest. Not the time to give up. She had still so much mure to do. And despite her short moment of weakness. The brunette was completely back in action.

The young hero could feel fresh air all around her body as she was close to... Tian? His armored body holding onto her. While the brunette was pretty sure she could survive a fall from any height if she timed it right to set her acceleration back before hitting ground it didn't automatically mean she was able to fly...? Or was it? Even if, for now, Kyouko couldn't think of any way to use her powers in such a way.

Instead, Kyouko complained. "As awesome as it is to fly I am not made for aerial combat!" Yes, once again, Kyouko was utterly useless. Despite being supposed to be stronger, she was useless. "Weren't we supposed to get on board of their capital ship or something? Maybe... just maybe I can break through their shield if you can get me on board!" She did not want to be useless.

Right. Now it all came to her. Their original mission and the purpose they still had to fulfill.
 
Everyone was accounted for.

Good.

"Runa, Iphie," Tian-Gui shouted, his voice booming through the thin air, "I'll leave the rest of the fleet to you two! Jin-Sun, follow my lead!"

He looked towards the girl pressed against his chest next, the only one without the ability to truly maneuver in this groundless space. Blue eyes bored into her, before the Flamestone titan nodded. "Breaking through their shield is pointless if you're already onboard, Kyouko," Tian-Gui spoke as he checked his magical reserves, "But hang on anyways."

Without another word, the chest plates of Tian-Gui parted slightly, allowing Kyouko to fit in as if they were two parachuters conjoined. Their friendly neighborhood eldritch monstrosity was already grabbing the attention of smaller fighters, and as she drew them away, Tian-Gui cut off the jets of flame that kept them afloat. Plummeting instantly, he reached terminal velocity, falling below the rest of the fleet before activating it again. Blue flames shot him like a rocket in the shadow of the Thremont's vessels. A tapestry of bullets and beams trailed behind him, but the human rocket powered through, increasing his velocity more and more as Flamestone continued to build up on his body, gauntlets fusing into a drill. Descending from above, a squadron of mecha flew in to intercept, but by the time they came, Tian-Gui had already attained such a massive force that the military-grade defenses of the mobile suits were like paper. Without pause, he smashed through those that got in his way, their debris filling up more of the sky.

There was only one target: the Thremont's mecha, powered by the Abyssal Orb they plundered from the Final Five's headquarters. Beneath his helmet, Tian-Gui grit his teeth, as four more jets formed around the sides, causing him to spill. His mission was simple: enter the mecha and figure shit out from here.

They were so close.

He cannot break here.

"FLAMESTONE PIERCER!"
 
Being a cyborg, Jin-Sun was relatively unaffected by the freezing temperatures and thin air, and he followed after Tian-Gui with a nod.

As he aimed a Wire Spear at the nearest fighter in his view, Jin-Sun keyed his comms.

"Runa, keep in mind that the Thremonts are the reason I'm like this. Hell, I had to take out another cyborg that was experimented on just like me back in their headquarters. We don't stop them now, they'll keep using and experimenting on people." He snarled into the comlink before the Wire Spear landed, and he reeled himself in, slicing the fighter's engines out before aiming another Wire Spear at a different fighter jet and repeating the process.

As Tian-Gui simply smashed through the center point of the wave of mecha that launched at them, Jin-Sun followed up from behind, tearing through those mecha on the flank that had the sense to avoid the flaming ball of death that had shattered their front line.

"Tian-Gui, keep going!" Jin-Sun roared as he flipped off of a bisected mecha, reeling himself in towards the jets that were flanking Tian-Gui. "I'll keep you covered!" The cyborg held his blade in front of him as he closed in on the first jet, retracting his Wire Spear as the velocity he flew at combined with the sharpness of his blade led him to simply shear the fighter in half through momentum alone. Jin-Sun flipped around in midair, aiming a second Wire Spear at the next jet in line, and shredded it in short order before doing the same with the remaining two.

His work done, Jin-Sun reeled himself in to a piece of falling debris, using it to reorient himself before leapfrogging from it to a nearby carrier. "You're clear, Tian-Gui! Rip that thing apart!"
 
Unlike her cyborg or superhuman counterparts, biologically, Iphie was still a normal human girl. Thus, the thinner atmosphere was a tad bit troublesome, a problem that the purple-haired girl solved by blasting through the plating of the small airship she had attached herself to with an electromagnetic blast of middling power. With proper atmosphere, she quickly made herself concealed on the damaged deck, moving to find a terminal or network outlet where she could work her magic against the ship's computer and weapons systems.

Finding a communications port and a terminal tucked the side of a cabin, she worked her way through its defenses with determined efficiency, aided by a direct physical connection. Transferring control to herself, she turned its guns and cannons against the numerous targets that began to appear before them.

"Jin-Sun," Iphie hailed the cyborg via his earpiece, "I have control of one of the smaller ships, I'm sending you updated targeting data to your system. I'll try to cover yours backs, but I'd appreciate it if none of you knocked out me and my shiny new ship."

Cutting off the radio communications for the ship, her mind raced through the autopiloting subroutines of the vessel, forcing the ship to maneuver into a position to fire on its formerly friendly targets. Reaching its position, flames erupted from the ship as it launched its missiles and cannons at the other ships and the wave of mecha approaching her comrades, trying to sow as much chaos between the forces before she had to abandon it herself or fight off the crew on the ship she'd requisitioned.

"Tian, it's all yours!"
 
The air around one particular carrier had become a daylight fireworks display. Mecha detonated into clouds of multicolored smoke and energy while jets lost control and slammed into sides of ships, rocking them into trajectories that required sudden veers and drops to avoid hitting something else. A veritable sphere of fire surrounded the ship that Iphigenia had hijacked, obscuring the targeting systems of other ships. In the chaos, there seemed to be little inclination from sensible fleet ships to fire upon Iphie, chalked up to an unsurety that it had been hijacked or was simply losing its composure. Over the signals she was sending and receiving, bouts of terrified and angered shouts from other commanders ordered her ship to stop firing.

Ultimately, the peace would not last. Undoubtedly losing the patience to sit by, Iphie's ship was fired upon in a hellish volley by the others, peppering the surface of the carrier with massive shells. In an instant, the deck was made inoperable, and the ship seemed on the verge of losing lift and plummeting to the clouds below.

A second volley let loose, tipping the carrier down and throwing Iphie to the floor of the cabin. The room's interior shifted as well, sliding along the sleek ground to one end. Within a few seconds, it seemed to reorient itself, and the firing mysteriously stopped...

Ships halted their fire, and both mecha and jetplanes stopped their advance, flying off away from the combatants or hovering nearby in wait. The skies became quiet, save the roar of the ships thrusters, before a loudspeaker aboard Iphie's ship alerted them as to why. A seductive, feminine voice called out, a hint of irritation in their voice, even as their words conveyed a far more angry emotion.

"Why couldn't you have all just disappeared with the first five?" Mary, the eldest of the Thremont sisters... A flash of red appeared at the leg of the flagship, too distant to make out as anything but light, but bright enough that it caught the attention of those outside Iphie's ship. The red flash darted out into the sky, curving around until it soared straight for the ship. Like a reckless missile, it slammed onto the deck of the carrier, seemingly without further damage to its deck.

In place of the red streak stood a lanky, angry-looking mecha.


A beam sword in hand and numerous funnels at its back, the sheer color of the machine was evidence enough that nothing they had easily crushed thus far was of the same caliber. The loudspeaker was silenced, replaced by a emitted voice from the mecha itself.

"With heroes like you, the corporate world had to hold its breath longer than ever in history. No longer could we be quite so free," Mary continued, presumably from within the mecha's cockpit.

"Not even the temporal shield could keep you out of our business, it seems." The mecha's frame seemed to emit a short pulse of energy once, before it began to take a few steps across the flaming deck.

"We've avoided fighting you directly for long enough," she said, setting the stage...





Meanwhile, as Tian-Gui and Kyouko pierced the hide of the flagship-beast, the world suddenly became the narrow series of corridors they had become fond of on Mars. The interior of the flagship was massive in certain places, tiny and cramped in others. Their target was the Abyssal orb, of course, being the power source of the otherwise unsustainable flying ship. Surely, they would get answers along the way.

Eventually, Tian-Gui and Kyouko came upon a long and wide catwalk near the heart of the beast, following signs as best they could for the engine room. A final stretch to be sure, if they were any sense of genre-savvy. A few steps in and they had their own final boss to deal with.

Across the catwalk, two massive steel doors slid open to reveal a human-sized figure, clad in clearly advanced armor. The image of Jin-Sun came to mind, looking upon them. A green haze emanated from between the armor's metal pieces, evaporating into the air like smoke from dry ice.

"Indeed. This has been a long time coming," the figure said quietly to themselves. Valentine Thremont's voice. As she continued forward, approaching the two Final Five heroes from across the massive chasm, the room reverberated from a distant rumble inside the ship, followed closely by a muffled alarm elsewhere.

"What do you want from us so badly? The orb? What could you possibly do with it yourselves? That scientist of yours barely has a shanty for a lab," she jeered, "Or are you all not so merciful, filled with a need for revenge?"
 
Thrust into the massive mecha, Tian-Gui cut off the rockets immediately, tumbling through four more walls before denting the fifth from the sheer momentum of his dynamic entry. "You alright in there?" he called down towards Kyouko, before the Flamestone detached from her body, allowing the smaller girl to drop onto the floor. Looking around the darkened corridors of the flagship, his burning blue eyes narrowed slightly as he orientated himself once more, before deciding that going up was the best idea.

"Follow me!" he called, before running off, boots thudding heavily against the steel pathways. The Abyssal Orb had to be close now. He could sense his comrades' efforts, and he carried their wishes upon his back. Jin-Sun, Runa, and Iphie had all done their best to bring him where he was, and now, as Final Red, he will see Operation Cerberus through.

His bones rattled, another jolt of pain reminding him of his limitations.

But Tian-Gui pressed on, bulldozing through the innards of the titanic juggernaut in search for the engine room, until finally, they reached a catwalk facing two doors of mere steel. On both sides of the railing was a fathomless drop, and as those doors opened, revealing what looked to be a more advanced variation of Jin-Sun's armor, the Flamestone hero let out a deep breath.

"Valentine," he said, taking his own steps forward, until the two were in the center of the catwalk, a magical armor face to face with a scientific one. "There is, indeed, a need for revenge," Tian-Gui admitted, his white mane shimmering in the dimmed space, "But beyond that, there is a responsibility as heroes not just of Shanhu, but of the entire planet, to ensure that power does not fall into the hands of evil."

Piece by piece, his armor hardened, condensed, sharpened.


"Perhaps we could have come to an agreement if you discussed with us what you planned to do with the Abyssal Orb. But when your first action was to destroy our penthouse and harm our friends…"

White steam rose from the burning armanents.

"…it is as clear as day that your intentions are foul."

His gauntlet creaked, tightening into a fist.

"Now bring it on, Valentine," he spat, "Let's see if your might matches that of the Abyssal Titan on Mars."
 
With another swipe of his blade, Jin-Sun carved through another mecha before kicking off of its remains, propelling himself back towards the ship Iphie was controlling.

"Keep it up!" He roared over the comm. "We need to buy Tian-Gui and Kyoko time to finish this!"

As Iphie's carrier started to come under bombardment from the ships surrounding them, Jin-Sun grit his teeth, trying to determine which ship to assault first. But even as he came to a decision, he paused as the ships assaulting them seemed to back off, holding position as a familiar voice asserted itself.

The mecha crashed down on the carrier runway in front of him, and Jin-Sun gazed up at the four-story tall mecha, sizing it up.

"About time you started doing your own dirty work!" He called out towards Mary. "Would've preferred Valentine to come out first, though. Mind being a dear and calling her for me?" Jin-Sun taunted as he assumed a fighting stance, leveling his blade even as he activated his comm.

"Iphie, Runa, I'll keep her attention on me. Any ideas on how to take this thing out?"
 
Ultimately, there wasn't much Kyouko could do as she followed behind Tian's Shadow - being met with surprisingly low resistance as the duo made their way towards the heart of the fleet. The heart of the ship. The place where their stolen Orb resided. Truly, after having beaten a gigantic Abyssal on Mars was there even anything that could possibly match its power on earth?

Sure, alone Kyouko may have been, despite her unique and powerful ability, weak but as a team - as the five of them - there was nothing they couldn't beat.

As they finally arrived at their destination they were quickly greeted by one of the Thremont Bitches. Following Tian suit the girl pointed her finger towards her. "This is your last Chance to Surrender in the name of Justice!" Maybe... just maybe they could still avoid blood-shed, though Kyouko doubted that. Unlike Tian, a corrupt emotion like revenge did not beat in the pure heart of the young brunette.

"Don't worry about me." She said now more silently, only for Tian to hear. "I can protect myself." She reassured him. She had seen it over and over again, in movies, how the hero failed simply because the antagonist went for the defenseless heroine instead. Kyouko, however, was not defenseless.
 
Runa had wandered a good distance away from the others, but she could still easily see what was going on, as a red streak advanced toward Iphie's commandeered ship. "I'm gonna try something," Runa replied, on the ideas front. "God i hate fighting things bigger than me," she grumbled, probably still on the line.

Flitting around, Runa collected some of the nearby debris, and focused on it, crushing it under an intense gravity field until it collapsed into a small black sphere. As she reached out to grasp it in one hand, it elongated into a long shaft. Glowing wings once more burst from her back as the flesh of her free hand began to grow, essentially changing her arm into a twisted, living bow. She nocked her black arrow and drew back on the bow.

A blast of air rushed away from her and continued forward toward the menacing red mecha, as a tube for force formed, linking her and her target. She was not going to give it an easy chance to just get away. She loosed her arrow, and it leapt forward, tearing away part of the bow in its wake. A black streak etched itself across the sky as the super-dense projectile flew toward its target.
 
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