Kurz sat beside Shichimu as she slept in her bed, currently transferred to the Labyrinth away from the battle.
His sniper rifle sat behind behind him against a cave wall that had become almost completely crystal.
At this moment, like this while she slept, it almost looked like nothing had changed. However, she was no longer a light sleeper, the instincts and dangers that had created that aspect of her had been wiped out of her mind.
Someone tripped and spilled something metal across the floor and Shichimu slept on where the one he'd moved through Europe with would have already been awake with much less, not looking disturbed, but paying attention.
He held her hand loosely for a moment, head straightening as she tightened her grip on his and then released as she shifted about in the bed, very much the dreaming child.
The sniper glanced around the room and saw a number of Ni's reciting numbers. He recognized it for what it was, recitation of the dead.
Nimu and Sanya San sat in the back of the room quietly giving the Ni's there space until the little ritual was over and Kurz brushed back the girl's hair and stood up.
He walked out of the room, collected his rifle and a P90 for close work and walked toward another chamber where a circle had been drawn and a Japanese Ainur dressed in some sort of cheerleader outfit stood.
"I'm ready," he told the woman.
He tapped his own Ainur marks. Something that if he'd had a few weeks ago, might have given him something to save the Shichimu that he'd first met.
"And the rest of you?" Mariko asked.
"So say we all," a Ni said somewhere. "Ow! What did you hit me for?"
"She's a bit of a geek," Yonjuu said to Kurz.
*******************
"Are you ready for this, Kishi?" Bastet asked outside the warehouse. "This...thing has got to be awfully...familiar to you."
"She hasn't killed as many as I have," Kishimo-jin said with a quiet sad smile.
"That was a long time ago," Bastet said, patting her on the shoulders. "And you were never...what she is."
"Is there much of difference?" Kishimo-jin asked.
"You stopped," Bastet noted. "You've figured out how your going to do what needs to be done?"
"I've got an idea," Kishimo-jin said.
*******************
"Commander Mardukas, we are in the ordered position," one of the techs said.
"Good," he said. "Hold here until the signal is given."
In Tessa's personal quarters, Kali stepped out of a black cloth hanging up on the wall and pulled Naiki in with her.
"Tell her we're here," Kali told Naiki who nodded.
Okay, can you tell where you are? Tessa asked.
We're under the water, so yes, Naiki said.
Show me, Tessa noted.
Uhhh... Naiki fumbled for a bit and just focused on visualizing what she felt of her position in relation to the waves around her.
And that's where I want her to be, Tessa responded, satisfied and deeply relieved. Wait there.
"She says wait," Naiki said.
*************
"This isn't the time I wanted to do this," Leonard noted with more than a trace of irritation.
He knew Sophia's likely response. That is was now or never.
That might have been true for the ghost, but he had other options should this siege fail.
And it wasn't likely that this attack would fail. Tessa had a leak bigger than anything someone as softhearted as her could possibly expect to predict.
She had some advantages on her side, having allied with these Demons and Gods that had arrived on Earth. But the details of her defensive plans had come straight to him.
He knew her AS placements. He knew where the psychics and Immortals were setting up to defend Kaname Chidori on the psychic plane. He'd known the layout of Meridia for months.
And his forces had multiple lambda-driver capable ASes and a handful of useful psychopaths.
The fleet he'd managed to sneak into the area from many vectors may have seemed like overkill, and he was certain Mithril knew at least some were there, but his contact would make sure to downplay the danger.
However, his sister had become a significant danger to his plans and Meridia needed to be dealt with now, or else the whole conflict would just be prolonged.
*********************
"Ready, Kaname?" Tessa asked the blue haired girl.
"Uhh, I think so," Kaname said next to the Whisper of Souls.
She was really starting to wonder just what the hell was so important about her that all this was necessary.
The Norns, with the exception of Skuld, Mara, Ranma, Eija, Deimosu, Persephone, some other Demons and Gods she didn't recognize and they were all standing around her at set spots.
"Everybody who needs to be out of the way is in the Labyrinth?" Tessa asked Ranma.
"Right," Ranma said.
Kaname wondered about the woman with the glasses and paper sticking out all over, but decided not to say anything.
"Kalinin, has the DaDanan reported itself in position yet?" Tessa asked over the intercom.
"The DaDanan is clear of the engagement area and in the appropriate place," he said.
Tessa sighed and then nodded.
We have an answer, Tessa sent to Naiki. Neither of you have anything to do there.
"Then, if you please, Kaname?" Tessa said with a smile as she directed Kaname to go into Whisper of Souls.
Hesitantly, Kaname stepped into the tube and leaned down, watching as everyone around her got ready.
And then the tube shut closed over her.
*****************
It was the whispers, she'd felt and seen this before. The same overwhelming flow of numbers, symbols and flooding information that was never much better than a barely tolerable swirl at best and a wash of mind numbing sensation driving her to contemplate self-destructive actions.
Eija black form and glowing red eyes appeared swiftly at her side as the whispers around her slowly became coherent and separate. For her part, Kaname tried to move but felt herself tied down. The best she could describe it as was being in something like a roller-coaster ride set on a railroad.
Probably the process of the machine.
I'm here, Kaname, Eija's form said. It shall go well.
Kaname felt a sigh of relief at Eija's presence and let herself fall into the ride and sheltered from the mindscape.
As Kaname let the Whisper of Souls wrap her up in a shell of swirling information, something slashed out of the swirl of numbers and reached out toward the black form of Eija. At first she thought it was the ghost again, but it looked...nothing the same.
It had arms and a vague human female form with pale skin, but the legs twisted upwards into another form like a torso surrounded by arms and eyes.
Many, many eyes.
And mouths sewn shut, ripped off, hands covering them or simply erased from existence. All struggling pitifully and moving jerkily as if not moving of their own accord.
Another of the shapes curved around from behind Eija then, legs with its shoulders and one arm twisting off into the darkness.
All the particular component bodies were easily recognizable of a variety of ages and mostly similar appearances. Though there were a few that appeared completely different in look and shape now.
Eija dodged the second attack and called forth the blood red jian she had forged with Kaname's help to use against Poseidon.
Is this all that they have to set forth as defense? a voice asked.
Eija stepped aside of a third form darting in from behind her. The newest tendril of merged bodies slammed ahead into one of the first two, which shuddered, free limbs flying as if in pain, the third tendril whipping about to finish merging completely with it.
A black soul? the voice about her demanded.
Another couple of bodies erupted out of the unseen total of the mass the step forward wielding ribbons and clubs of fingers and hair.
I am the Black Rose! the voice shouted. Who dares come to me in this way.
I am Eija Satomi, she said proudly. I am Goddess of Blood and I will not let you hurt Kaname.
She reached out to feel the mass of screaming souls infesting the creature in front of her.
A keen rose up from the various mouths that first seemed to be Eija to be pain until it unified into a loud echoing sound.
OHHHHHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOO! the thing howled. HOHOHOHOHOHOOOOHHHHHHHOHOHOHOHOHOOHOHOHO!!
Eija stepped back dodging away but keeping herself between the attacking bodies and Kaname. She slashed out with her sword through one attack, the four tendrils of blood from her own weapon reaching out to interrupt others, but she wasn't inflicting any major damage.
The whole horrid mass of it was coming closer around Kaname and Eija then.
No wonder that old ghost was so demanding of help the creature was declaring. Do you seriously think I haven't faced a ghost whisperer before? Little 'Goddess'? These are living parts of me, not some dead ghosts for your amusement. It would take more than you to part them from me.
As the things almost playfully pushed Eija backward and moved to swallow up Kaname and Eija, she continued to cackle.
This is the perfect time to end this all, these Ainur, this Whisper of Souls! she declared. To hell with Leonard and his plans and promises, this planet and these lives are mine. Too bad you cannot join me, you won't get to share this immortality.
And then a circle of white light flared up around Eija and Kaname's shell. Two strong points on the edge connected through the middle by a line of energy. One of those two points flared brightly as a small sun, but the next crackled into a burst of lightning before forming into a humanoid form of crackling electricity.
Ah, I see, Kodachi noted spitefully. More of the spawn that redheaded tart begat out of my Darling's body.
Mom's a bit busy right now, Deimosu said. She sent us to deal with you.
And you think this will be enough? Kodachi demanded.
Actually, Eija said, as her soul flared brightly black before stretching out in two lines out from her.
One line stretched, moving from a sold, dependable and vibrant black toward a grey light of peace and determination that erupted into another miniature sun of radiant peaceful white light. The second line stretched outward from Eija shifting into a twisting line of green and brown swirling one on another in ever passing cycle.
Standing up from the white light Belldandy stepped forward bearing a long staff and from the green and brown stepped Persephone as a spear of wood shifting from living to dead held in her hand.
Around the triangle formed by them, another circle stretched out, encircling Kaname in now two lines of defense.
We thought it might be a fair idea to have a few more on hand, Belldandy said.
And then four points erupted around the outside of the mass of Kodachi's consciousness.
Smoke flared up in one corner, coalescing into Mara's form while bones flared up at the next corner and Hel limped out into position, glancing cautiously toward where Eija and Persephone stood nearby. The earth erupted in the third corner as a dark-skinned Japanese woman, Kishimo-jin, Demoness of Children, took her place. And the fourth coalesced into another thunder bolt showing the half-Demon Goddess Urd.
A red circle of heavy power erupted alongside the outer edge of the conflict.
The mass of Kodachis stared about, two lines of defense ahead and a wall closing her in from the outside.
Well, I am honored, she said before diving into her cacophonous laughter.
************
Ranma looked about as the various Gods and Demons settled into their trances except for the vaguely feline woman sitting her place and waiting eagerly for the chance to move in.
"Well, that's one trap," he said, looking toward Tessa.
"Yes, so it would appear," Tessa said, typing at a console. "Might I ask what the extra circles are for? They weren't part of the original design."
"No they weren't," Ranma said with a smile. "And those happen to be spirals."
************
Sousuke frowned in thought as the order to move to secondary positions came direct from Tessa over the com-link rather than over the radio, but didn't question it as he quietly moved the Arbalest into the declared position.
He was settling into the prepared position as the enemy showed itself coming up in a swarm of savages and supported by five of the new Shadows and two Venoms.
Immediately, a pair of rockets swarmed out toward each of the primary positions as the force pushed forward.
"And go!" Mao's voice called out.
Three M-9s opened up from their positions and tore through the mass of frog-like obsolete machines that had just found themselves the finger in the cigar slicer.
The Shadows rolled out of the way, only one taken out by the cross fire and two others damaged. As one stepped into cover and got ready to jump back into the fight, a pair of small forms leaped out of the brush onto it's back wielding smaller versions of the vibro blades carried by many ASes.
The two Sciroccos ripped into vital circuitry and parts, glowing the faint light many had associated with lambda-drivers to that point, only much weaker.
They leaped clear as one of the Venoms lashed out with a full lambda driver blast, only for that Venom to be cut cleanly in two as the Arbalest slammed down on top of it.
"Sgt Major, please be more careful," Sousuke noted as he moved to handle the next Venom, ducking fire from other enemies as he did so.
"Hey, this thing is faster than a grasshopper on speed," Mao called out. "No way this is going down. Focus on the plan."
As she spoke, an M-9 had a limb blown off by incoming reinforcements for the enemy.
Grimacing, Mao triggered the jump jet on her Scirocco and landed cleanly on the head of a savage, dropping an industrial charge into its chassis and leaping off before it exploded
Above them troop-carrying helicopters flew overhead.
"Incoming!"
********************
Kalinin watched in the distance as explosions erupted everywhere across the island, though in the wrong places.
They were not using his positions.
Eyes started to dart toward each other in disbelief behind him as some of the people with him read the inexplicable message they were receiving.
He wasted no time in drawing his pistol and shooting the security around him before they could move to act themselves. The techs in the room stared at him in shock.
"I suggest you leave now," he said calmly to the unarmed men and women. "Knowing Tessa, those were the first orders she gave upon realizing I was her leak."
"Traitor!" one of the women called out, Tessa's receptionist.
She dived down for one of the guns and Kalinin didn't hesitate to shoot her immediately.
Tessa would blame herself, he realized, for the tactical necessity of not letting anybody know. Of course, the blame was so far beyond her that it was sad. Nobody could be blamed for the insanity this world drove them to.
Very reluctantly, the remaining techs left the command center to Kalinin.
The Mithril traitor set all the communications equipment to reboot and then took one of the P90s and shredded the machinery before leaving for his own escape route a little early.
****************
"Command and telemetry just went out," Tessa said. "All units..."
Gunfire erupted outside her.
"That's sounding close," the feline Goddess noted.
"Yomiko, you're supposed to be my receptionist," Ranma said. "Receive."
"Already going, sir," Yomiko noted.
"All units, as you know, the pre-set plan is compromised," she said. "Objectives remain the same, Sciroccos move to reconnaissance and relay information and movements, do not engage unless necessary. Unit commanders operate under your own information."
"How many of those little jumper things do you have?" the Goddess asked.
"They designed one part by part, fabricated the pieces, put it together and programmed it over the course of three weeks in the backyard of a temple," Tessa said. "I gave them production facilities, technicians and a month. We have fifteen."
"Cat-lady!" Ranma sniped. "Pay attention, we have one more entity out there to wait for."
"You don't have to get into a tizzy over it," Bastet muttered.
Ranma watched Mara's body shudder.
**************
"We've lost command feed from Meridia," a tech said calmly.
"Then move, that's our signal," Mardukas said. "I want to find these enemy attack platforms and remove them now."
**************
Mara burst into smoke and ripped up around and over the attacking form of the thing she was fighting.
She'd never actually fought a devourer before, had only seen record of them in the histories on Nifelheim, and was currently glad this one apparently had no idea what she...it could do. With as many souls as she had, she shouldn't need a mainframe to engender category one power
When she reformed, she felt herself go down to one knee, a bit weakened by what was a barely avoided attack.
The surface of the devourer ahead of her rippled and a rush of arms reached out toward her. And then stopped with the keening cry of dozens of children's voices cascading in a ripple up the forms.
Urd zipped by and pulled Mara out of the path as Kishimo-Jin walked determinedly behind the three, psychic hand extended as she kept her eye on what Kodachi was doing.
Hel stood where the corner of the outer wall, the prison, sat immediately behind that of the walls about the shell where Kaname was.
Persephone, Eija and Belldandy held firm their defense ahead of the youngest of the group, here because every one there agreed, reluctantly, that the Demoness of Prisons was necessary to hold the outer walls firm.
A mass of arms and legs like a flood pushed into Belldandy's corner, threatening to shove her back as Urd, Kishimo-jin and Mara moved back into position. More articulate hands slipped out, wielding by cackling faces and holding weapons of psychic potential.
Persephone's spear lashed out through the outcropping as Eija walked up onto the shaft and slashed her jian and its own four flaying tendrils into mass, cutting off most of the attack on Eija.
Belldandy caught her breath as the fallen pieces of Kodachi dropped and were recollected back into the central portion as a renewed attack lashed out gripping the leg of Eija's black soul and started to pull her off into the mass.
The middle Norn whipped out with her own staff as Persephone reached out and the attacking portions were withered in pain and agony for six full seconds.
Eija came back to her feet in time to cover Persephone with Belldandy's help.
Ranma lacked the psychic ability to reach the mindscape, but was practiced in exorcism herself, and the small sun that seemed to represent her will in present rotated around Deimosu's form like a moon with free mind.
They were the circle that could rotate about within the bounds of the other two. Eija, Belldandy and Persephone had to remain around Kaname's cocoon and Hel. The Demons and Urd had to remain on the outside and maintain the wall.
Hel focused on keeping the four point demonic circle stable. Alone it would have been difficult. Demonic circles were inefficiently powerful, wasting a lot of energy if they had anything like enough. In addition the opposite points tore apart from each other over time.
Maintaining one of this power so long was difficult.
The Asgardians made it possible.
Persephone, Belldandy and Eija held Hel firmly within their three point circle. They were in easy position to support each other and acted as a buffer against Mara's point pulling at Hel's.
Meanwhile, Urd, half-Demon, and Kishimo-jin, an Asgard-trained Demoness, knew how to support each other and act in support of each other instead of in opposition without breaking the rhythm of a four point circle.
Deimmosu and his mother made full use of the flexibility and adaptability of a two point circle, rotating around and through the uncoordinated mass of Kodachi's spiritual form.
Hel had one other job.
And as a silent, still form wrapped in crystal started to form past their barriers against Kodachi she called out.
"It's here!"
Another point of light erupted in the field of battle and golden lines lashed out like a cat's tails to connect with Belldandy and Urd, and then on to Mara and Kishimo-Jin.
It wasn't a true five point circle, it was two three point circles with Urd forming a point on both circles. With Mara as the only one without much experience in three point circles, she presented a weak link, but they served their purpose.
Kodachi was forcibly separated from Kaname.
Sophia, meanwhile found herself materializing near Kaname as three strong death seers activated a new circle specifically around her.
It's time to go home, Persephone told the suddenly concerned ghost.
*********************
"Three Venoms sighted at sector A-3!" Mao called out. "Sousuke, get to position."
"Flank weakening here," another Scirocco pilot said.
"This is PRT unit 3 here," another radio noted. "We shot down one of the troops carriers, but we could use some help."
"Two Sciroccos, go!" Mao called out.
Sousuke listened to the chatter with one ear, but focused his thoughts on that night with the setting sun and the comfort he felt just sitting with Kaname and Eija as he moved toward the enemy lambdha-drivers."
Sousuke slashed down into the middle of the three as they collapsed a unit inward.
"Give me everything got, Al," he shouted.
"Affirmative, Sgt Sagara," the AI noted.
Sousuke blew one of the Venoms away before he could direct its lambdha-enhanced chi energy toward blocking him. Then the second pushed in and he raised a block that the enemy's attack pushed into, sending him spinning backwards over his ASs feet, lambdha-driver battle aura preventing major damage and letting him roll up to his feet in time to focus a block on another incoming blast.
**********************
Amalgam's soldiers moved from position, trying to crumple the stiff resistance of the PRT teams inward. Ahead of one group, two young women charged forward with dead and determined expressions.
They dodged from cover to cover, avoiding gunfire bursts before leaping over one barricade to bring down a lethal steel on the surprised soldiers in the position.
And then a burst of wind shoved them out of the way into the backfield, out of the line of fire where Amalgam could support them.
They returned to their feet to find themselves staring across at a tall, grim looking woman carrying a rugbeater. She had one arm, though the one shoulder looked like it was modified to handle an advanced prosthetic.
"Don't think the lack of my mechanical arm is going easy on you," Natsume said coolly. "It is fine for normal use, but it gets in the way on the field."
Yu Lan and Yu Fan exchanged a look and charged forward, swing their blades in at Natsume who almost casually, side stepped one and blocked the next, sending them sprawling head over heels.
They broke off as they returned to their feet and arched in, moving and coordinating as naturally as breathing.
Natsume didn't bother making any outward sign of watching them as Yu Fan tried to draw her attention. She merely stepped back into a donkey kick to catch Yu Lan in the teeth and then pushed off the grounded foot to flip in the air to pass over Yu Fan.
The two sisters nearly slammed into each other, Yu Fan's knife leading.
And then a gust of wind slammed them against the wall of one of the buildings.
"Your coordination is good," she said. "But I've seen it before, and better."
******************
The enemies pressing on the hangar with the Gods, Demons and others was a heavy push of attack, with the PRTs around it finding themselves facing attack almost on all sides and the frequent strafing runs of dueling helicopters, theirs and the enemies.
One helicopter came on an attack vector as most of the soldiers scattered for cover and only a single woman apparently dressed as a librarian stood in the way.
"Crazy secretary," the pilot muttered as she pushed up her glasses on to her face.
And then his view screen was filled with paper.
"What the hell is this?!"
From the outside, people watch as paper caked over the outer body of the helicopter, stopping the rotors cold and sending hurtling down into a cluster of Amalgam soldiers, still maintaining its basic shape. Immediately after it crashed, however, the entire paper-covered helicopter was crushed inward as if into a giant ball of paper, the small sounds and bursts of smoke of violent explosions unable to get out carried even through the gun play, and then the paper pulled away.
A rattling sound of automatic gunfire careened toward Yomiko's position as she raised a wall of paper around herself, though still catching one bullet scoring across her leg.
Spreading out the paper she had, she laid cover for herself and the Mithril soldiers to fall back to the hangar and found herself limping inside.
"Visitors coming, sir," she said. "I'm finding them rather persistent."
"Yeah," Ranma said. "I kind of expected that. Watch where you stand."
Tessa frowned and looked as the martial artist reached for one of the lines connecting the extra circles.
"Stay in the center, Captain," Ranma said.
The chi spiraled outward and erupted into an almost self-sustaining wall of swirling wind that tore the building apart all around them and left them safe and secure inside.
Beyond, in the first ripping explosion of tornadoes, several black sickle blades lashed outward cutting into the Amalgam troops closing in on either side.
"Wait, you can do that and the exorcism?" Tessa asked.
"Yeah, someone told me I couldn't," Ranma noted with a shrug as he turned his attention back to the flow of energies in the exorcism.
******************
"Damage report, Al," Sousuke shouted.
"Right arm at 82% ability, left knee at 76% mobility," the AI said. "Lamdha-driver reaching critical over heating due to coolant system damage. Torso armor at 65% coverage. Targeting system malfunctioning, accuracy suffering estimated 12% error."
Sousuke grimaced and put down another Savage that tried to get in his way.
"Shut down lamdha driver, Sergeant Sagara?" the AI asked.
"Not yet," Sousuke said.
"As you wish," Al said.
Three of the Shadows charged him and took shots at unusual targets, understanding the weaknesses of the lamdha driver apparently, but finding nothing substantial to exploit in Sousuke's defense.
"Venom at five o'clock," Al noted.
Sousuke grimaced as he raised a barrier that cracked as the enemy projectile struck it and the Arbalest lost a knee, sending Sousuke sprawling.
"Overheat imminent," Al said calmly.
"Shut off lamdha driver," Sousuke said, breathing a sigh of relief as the heat levels dropped off immediately.
Sensing a weakened pray, the Shadows pushed in and were surprised as the Arblest pushed itself up on it's left arm, pushing into the air and slashing around with its knife to take out all three and then toss the knife toward the prematurely relaxing Venom, penetrating through the cockpit to kill the pilot within.
"More enemy detected," Al said. "Recommend evacuation."
"Can't do that, Al!" he shouted, rolling his AS over to the down Venom to recover his knife and picking up a new gun. "Tell me when we can restart the lamdha driver.
He fired toward the oncoming next wave and then blinked as a small shape jumped up to the top of the rear AS of the formation.
Inside Mao, rapidly typed out commands and then put her hands back in the holsters before landing on the shoulders of a Shadow and destroying the head before hopping to the next in line.
She'd taken out three before a shot clipped her AS suit, sending hurtling into the brush, only kept from falling completely apart as the chi enhancers built in protected it.
"Damn it," Mao shouted over the intercom. "That's it, this AS is done."
******************
Leonard scowled at the tactical situation. This was going to be a lot more costly than he had originally thought it would. Apparently, Tessa had anticipated his acquiring the battle plans somehow. Well, she always was clever.
However, Meridia was one base and Mithril hadn't been convinced it needed reinforcing for this action. He was attacking with overwhelming force.
The outcome was predetermined. There was no way that Tessa could hold out to protect Kaname long enough for the reported duration of two hours.
"One of the transports just sank!" someone shouted.
"Struck by cruise missile, probably," Leonard said. "Of course the DaDanan isn't where it should be. Which wave?"
"Third," the tech reported.
"She's targeting the reinforcements," Leonard decided. "Triangulate position with the next two she kills."
"A...Aye, sir," the tech said.
******************
Naiki leaped out of the water and landed on the rear of one of the last ships in the small fleet that had gathered for this action.
Several of the sailors immediately turned guns toward her, but nothing enough to worry her.
"You know, spells aren't supposed to work," Naiki said. "But I actually KNOW this girl, so I think I have a pretty good chance to find her in the network. And what the hell, she can't be any more annoying than she is."
As the bullets, annoying as they were to Naiki, pelted her, she raised her hands high and gave a sharp toothed smile.
"Monster of the Norse Deeps!"
*****************
"She's casting my spell again!" Lusca shouted outloud in the middle of Akihabara. "SQUEEEEE!"
"Uhhh," Shinji said.
"What is that girl babbling about?" Issei asked.
"Wait.." Lusca said stopping suddenly. "Wait...no..no...no! She had Miss Geisthexe helping her last time! Let's see...Nidhog down I can't...but...she shouldn't have even been able....I have to try!"
"Try what?" Kyoko asked.
"Naiki Satomi, Demoness of Torrent, I call in a favor! Come spend the rest of the day with me!"
***************
Leonard stepped out of the bridge and looked back toward the rear of his fleet. He watched as several massive tentacles rose up out of the water and reached out to crush one of his ships, tearing it apart and tossing the debris outward into several other ships, severely damaging them as well.
And then the tentacles dissolved into water almost as quickly as they appeared.
****************
Naiki stumbled about, knees shaking heavily as she shook her head and gasped. It felt very much like she'd just trained herself into the floor. Everything felt sore and dried out.
And somehow, she was in the middle of Tokyo.
"Naiki, how'd you get here?" Kyoko gasped as she inexpertly limped over with her cane, almost hopping.
"I...don't..." she said gasping before she fell back to the ground.
And then Lusca was rushing to her side with a large armful of bottled water.
"I called in a favor," Lusca said. "But you still owe me one after that."
"Isn't....that...impossible righ...." Naiki groaned and took a heavy slug of the water bottles that Kyoko and Lusca were forcing on her.
"Yeah, Nidhog is up," Lusca said. "But I didn't feel it. Not funny. Not at all funny."
************
"ASW aircraft over our position!" a tech called out. "Splashes!"
"Brace for impact," Mardukas called out.
The depth charges slipped down into the water and shook the DaDanan.
"They've got to be kidding," a tech said. "We fought Poseidon."
"Depth Charge can still kill us, gentlemen," Mardukas said calmly. "Now, I believe this sub, unlike others, does have some anti-aircraft capability that doesn't require surfacing."
"Yes, sir," a tech noted.
"Deploy it," Mardukas said.
*************
"We've got a steady signal in morse code being dispatched from the target," the comm tech.
"Secured channel?" he asked.
"No," the comm tech said. "Decoding now...."
The tech paused and frowned in confusion.
"What's it say?" Leonard asked.
"You're playing the wrong chessboard, brother." the tech said.
"What does she mean by that."
******************
"All right!" Skuld called out. "Done here!"
"Looks good on my end too," Megumi said.
"Done!" Yaku declared pushing one final button.
"Finished here as well," Sarah said. "Starting up in fifteen..."
"So we can connect, but what about everyone outside the dimension?" Keiichi asked.
"That's what I'm here for," Yonjuu said.
"And Silmaril is active," Sarah said.
In a moment, the various Ainur across the Labyrinth felt themselves running through rapid fire, personal equations and number manipulations.
Once it hit Yonjuu, the connection flooded down into the World.
*****************
Ranma watched as Deimosu shuddered thinking it was another attack, but then blinking as a series of numbers rolled out of his mouth and the Ainur marks flared.
Tessa was next.
And it flooded outward from there.
"And that is checkmate," Tessa noted as her marks flared and her reciting stopped. "This is probably the easiest using Silmaril will ever be the next few minutes....use it."
Ranma was about to say something when he noticed a fluctuation in the intense fields of Mana and instantly worked to stop it.
From across all over, shrapnel slashed out at the meditating Gods and Demons as well as the resting soldiers and others. Paper stopped some, Tessa reaching out by borrowing Nimu's telekinesis stopped others and Ranma's chi manipulation caused still others to flitter out.
Only one fragment found its target.
And everyone could only watch as the one struck slumped forward.
Sousuke gasped as felt the Silmaril contact flood over him, empowering him tremendously.
And for a brief moment, he had contact with several minds and their abilities. It would never be so easy again, but for now.
Amalgam's troops hesitated as they watched the Arbalest stand up and draw pieces from the battle-field to come to full repair and combat readiness with a brilliant glowing corona of an aura.
*****************
The power within the circles flared suddenly as the Silmaril went active and flooded power through the circle that harassed and tore into Kodachi pushing at her in bits and pieces.
This is your move, Kishi! Bastet shouted. It doesn't matter how much we do on this end, she's too spread out to kill solely from a spiritual end without at least three full powered category ones who know what they're doing!
Get ready, Kishimo-jin said. Truce-killer! Pull back and pay attention, you're going to want to send what you hear to your friend.
I've got her, Deimosu snapped.
You've got her held, Mara said, leaning on Belldandy. We need her dead, and the best way to do that is at the body.
You really think that you can kill me!? Kodachi shouted out of many mouths. How demeaning and insulting, to be threatened by such ants!
Back off, Kishimo-jin shouted.
Grimacing, Deimosu stepped back, releasing his hold slightly on Kodachi.
You never said exactly what you were going to do, Bastet noted.
Kishimo-jin smiled at her and leaped into the morass of Kodachi's flaying bodies, being torn apart as everyone stared at her.
And then Kodachi screamed the cries of children killed, not just her own and others, but those killed over thousands of years by another who had once been a monster and now regretted it.
And those screams carried with them...places.
*************
"Got it," Yonjuu said.
More than a dozen Ainur, borrowing Shichimu's powers, keyed in on different locations across the Earth and other worlds.
"Let's go skin a baby-killer," Mariko said coldly.
"Gladly," Kurz noted.
**************
"Whoa!" Shepard said. "Talk about an Info dump. McKay."
"Yeah, yeah, working on it!" he shouted.
"Everyone get your targets and go!" O'Neil said.
***************
Sophia found herself lying in the examination room where she'd died so long ago, the doctors standing over her and cried out, sitting up.
What is going on here! she demanded as the doctors scattered from her into dust and she saw three figures standing around her.
It's time give up this, Persephone said.
I'm not simply going to drive you off this time, Eija added calmly. It's time for you to go.
I don't want to go! Sophia demanded. I don't deserve to go! Do you know what they did to me?
We watched, Persephone said stepping forward. It was terrible, so many terrible things done to one who should have been treasured.
Oh, I was treasured, Sophia snapped. I was treasured, I was treasured as a research subject, do you know what it feels like to be a...
Sacrifice? Eija asked. I have nearly suffered the very same fate.
An object? Persephone added. Yes. I have suffered such at the hands of my husband's own brother.
Hel limped forward quietly and Sophia looked toward her hatefully.
And what about you, do you think you've suffered as much as me? Sophia demanded.
I was literally thrown into hell, Hel noted. Why do you think it was named for me?
They have to pay! Sophia shouted.
That doesn't work! Hel shouted. I tried that and just killed someone else who didn't do anything to me.
This isn't your world anymore, Eija said coolly. We could seal you up, trap you for a time, but it wouldn't help.
But I can come back if I take a body! Sophia said. I can live again.
At the cost of another life, Eija said firmly. A life you can't have.
Life comes again, child, Persephone said. You'll have another chance at life again.
Can you guarantee that? Sophia demanded.
Yes, Persephone said stepping forward and taking the other woman's hand. And I can show you the way.
What? Eija asked. Grandmother?
Mrs. Dispater? Hel asked.
I'm sorry, Eija, Persephone said. But I need to go to.
Why?! Eija demanded. Did Kodachi?
It isn't important right now, Eija, the Iron Queen said, turning toward Sophia. I have lived millions of years, childe. And now it is over. Will you come with me to this next life?
Sophia looked up with confusion at the woman in front of her.
Will it stop hurting there?
Hasn't it already? Persephone asked. You'll find record of my affairs in the Norns' home, Eija.
But, Grandma, we just met, Eija said.
Everybody needs to go in their own time, Persephone said as she walked off into something neither Eija nor Hel could see.
Rapt expressions covered both her and Sophia expressions and then everything faded and they were in the mindscape as Kishimo-jin was being torn apart and Kodachi was screaming, with none of witnesses being able to do anything about it.
But Eija's red eyes had sight for only one thing. And she heard nothing else.
A form she'd only seen in images and reports.
Hecate, standing in the place where Persephone's spirit had stood.
You always were too weak, mother, Hecate said.
Even the part of Kodachi not caught in Kishimojin's last spell paused as the entire surrounding mindscape turned red.
Hecate felt...actually felt...Eija's jian slash through her, trailing a wave of red blood that swirled up in an ocean to rip her to pieces.
The ghost reformed immediately behind Eija and the wave of blood washed around Hecate's daughter and slammed her ghostly body into the floor which opened up to pull her down while Eija stood, as if it were a floor for the living Goddess and a clogging ocean of quicksand for Hecate.
Is nothing enough for you?! Eija shouted. Do you?! Are you amused by this? Are we just ants?! Do you wish to drown in blood?! Will I can do that for you!
In the distraction, Kodachi's spirit fled through the gap that had formed. It still screamed and still carried pieces of Kishimo-jin with it, though Kodachi could not assimilate the Demoness.
Belldandy fell back, he grip on the Asgardian Demoness's hand lost and the woman ripped away as the monster they were fighting fled away and the others turned their attentions to see Hecate struggling to climb up to the surface of the ever reaching swirls of blood that funneled around Eija.
She tried to say something but found her mouth filled with blood such that it pushed into her and out through the eyes and pores, adding to the quantity that dragged her further downward.
The ghost started to reach toward the shocked and startled Hel, but Eija coolly walked into her path and stood in the way.
No more! Hecate! she shouted. You don't get to bath in anymore blood! No more sacrifice! No more pain! Drown! DROWN!!
Hecate disappeared angrily down into the whirling blood which calmed only slowly as Eija took a breath and slumped to her knees.
Ranma watched Eija come out of her meditation and start crying out loudly to the sky, tears flowing freely. With the battle ended and other people waking up as well, she didn't hesitate to move to Eija's side and hold her tightly.
*************
Kodachi, one of several came back to her body, still reeling and hearing those awful screams in her head. She barely had any control of her limbs or even thoughts at the moment. It was as if her entire being was in rebellion.
A door slammed open and feet came into the room with her as she struggled to rise to some sort of defense.
A figure moved to squat in front of her and lift her face up.
"Hey, Doc," O'Neil said seriously. "Sorry this took so long."
"That woman is..."
O'Neil pulled the trigger on his pistol.
Around him his team was killing the other flailing and incapable Kodachis in the room.
***************
Mariko kneeled in the center of several more bodies that the monster had inhabited. She tenderly arranged the bodies of the women she had just killed and sniffed, fighting against more tears coming.
**************
Kurz Weber walked past the dead bodies of the woman's minions that he had killed in a spray of automatic fire as soon as he'd arrived.
"You don't really expect to kill all of me, do you?" Kodachi asked, pained. "I'm regaining control now."
"You know, Shichimu's still alive sort of," Kurz said. "She's sort of letting us borrow something of hers right now."
He shot the woman.
"She's looking back at you through us," Kurz said.
******************
Kodachi crawled back away from Nimu, feeling some sense of control returning to her as she vaguely registered various other bodies being burned, shot, electrocuted, poisoned and more. It seemed that, even if those of her escaped children weren't in the fight, most, probably all of their powers were.
"There is still more of me than all of you can attack at once," Kodachi said. "When this damn curse is done, I shall merely start over."
"Mother," Nimu said. "For the next little while, I'm a telekinetic with the power to see any place one of your bodies is."
"Ah," the creature said.
Blades rose up behind Nimu as Kodachi watched across every body that didn't have direct attackers. Paralyzed by the anguished cries of those that she had taken and revealed by the eyes of one of her daughters, she was about to be killed finally by yet another.
And what Nimu couldn't do herself, Kurz and others borrowing her ability filled in the gap.
"Yes," Kodachi noted. "That would do it."
And the blades slammed into her from all sides in all places.
****************
Kalinin heard the destruction going on above and assumed that the inevitable overwhelming of the forces of Meridia was well underway.
He was down into the empty docks looking for a particular boat to commandeer and leave with.
"Going somewhere?" a woman's voice asked.
Kalinin looked to see Kali walking out of a cloth tablecloth.
"Don't bother with the guns," Kali said. "I'm a war goddess, bulletproof."
"I suppose this is where I surrender then?" Kalinin asked.
"That would be the most convenient," Kali said.
"Convenient," he said idly. "Well, I would rather be facing young Satomi so my words could be conveyed directly to the Captain, but I suppose you'll have to do."
"And what words are those?" Kali asked.
"It's not her fault," he said. "The world is to blame."
And then he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.
Kali watched his body fall to the ground and sighed.
*******************
"We've lost contact with ASW," a tech noted. "And we're getting reports from the Island, all units being decimated."
"Probably by a handful of people," Leonard said. "Take us out of the engagement area, quickly."
He frowned toward the retreating horizon and crossed his arms.
"Wrong chessboard indeed, sister," he said. "You know you couldn't hold. You used Chidori to draw me out and ran your own timetable with your Silmaril activation. Made me think I had another hour and half than I did."
He shook his head, it was more than that. Even if Kaname had ascended, he could still have used her via his own version of Tessa's Whisper of Souls.
Now, everything was a waste, and he was sure to lose his connections via Amalgam over this. Though that was less than worrisome given their losses here. They pretty much only had Gates left for operatives.
No, he was going to have to go on his own now.
********************
Kaname woke up with tears flowing down her eyes as she felt Eija's sorrow hit her full force. And the first thing she did on getting out was to push through the soldiers to find Eija in a make shift infirmary.
Sousuke appeared at nearly the same time, following word and instinct that Eija was upset.
Eija Kaname asked, cautiously moving forward.
"Eija...chan," Sousuke tried experimentally, seeming to remember that the appellation calmed down some girls.
Tired and feeling drained, Eija stood up stiffly and walked over to the other two, grabbing their hands, one each and pulling them to her.
Kaname was relieved she wasn't seeing with her full death sight just at the moment.
Eija stared at the hands for a long moment and then leaned into both of the two Ainur, descending into quiet, wrenching sobs. She was far too tired to continue wailing.
Ranma looked on as Sousuke and Kaname each tried to comfort her daughter in their own way.