Ch 54: To Fight WIth All Your Heart

Dr. Nova unleashing even more of his power, Amy and Richter are overwhelmed. Unwilling to watch his friends fight alone, Grey convinces Alexander that they must always stand together.

            Standing onboard the deck of his submarine staring out at Marsalia Isle, Count Ferid put away his cell phone as he muttered, “What is he doing?! This is all falling apart! First our dear Magus loses to those fools, then Fury betrays us, and now that arrogant buffoon is telling me to launch the Vinculus while he’s still on Marsalia Isle?!” Standing next to him, Rend said, “I warned Magus she should not have fought alone Master, but she would not listen. Forgive me, I have failed you.” Resting his eyes with a sigh, Count Ferid replied, “No, you’ve done well Rend. Whatever the case may be, we must simply continue as planned. Let us hurry to the Vinculus.” Bowing her head, Rend said, “Yes sir.” Then hearing the sound of an approaching hover engine, Count Ferid turned and looked out at the sea to see Gibolu’s hover transport coming across the water in their direction. Squinting at it, he said, “What is that coming towards us?” 

Grabbing Ferid by the arm, Rend said, “Quickly Master! Get below deck!” As Count Ferid moved to go inside the submarine, Ace’s voice came across the hover transport’s loudspeakers, saying, “Hold it right there Ferid! I’ve got a message for you!” As the transport was passing by the submarine, Ace’s voice blared, “DON’T SCREW WITH DAEMONHOLM!” From the window of the transport, Mythra fired a star of arcane magic from her wand, but quickly Rend swung her claws and met Mythra’s attack with a round of nature energy blades. Rushing below deck under cover of the explosion, as Rend disappeared from sight, the submarine descended into the water. Aboard the first car of the transport, sitting in the driver’s seat, Ace said, “Damn, they got away!” Leaning against the back of Ace’s seat, Serius said, “Leave them for now, we must go and rescue the others!” Nodding, Gibolu pointed out the front windows dramatically and exclaimed, “Yes, onward! To the battlefield!” Shifting nervously in her seat, Mana said, “I hope they’re all alright. Can you tell Serius?” The seriousness of his face was all the answer that was needed.

            Dr. Nova raised his injured arm and gathered EDE, and as a layer of Corrupted EDE spread from his hand, it wrapped around the injured area like a bandage. Balling that hand into a fist, the Doctor said, “I hate to use Corrupted EDE, that’s part of why I developed the teleportation device. Much more essence friendly. I’m afraid that since I haven’t used it in so long, I won’t know my own strength!” Taking aim as Amy rushed the Doctor from behind, Richter unleashed his Blast Fragment, firing shining, explosive crystal bullets at the Doctor. Yet a pulse of psychic energy radiated from Dr. Nova and the bullets halted in the air. Then as Amy leaped up high and used a blast of psychic force to propel herself down at him with a flying kick, Dr. Nova turned and stopped her foot with his corrupted hand, twisting his wrist in a motion that broke her ankle. As Amy winced in agony, the Doctor flew up into the air and spun like a top, giggling madly as he whirled her about and hurled her at Richter. As Amy collided with Richter, he was knocked off his crystal wall and they both fell back to the ground. As he touched down and meandered towards them, Dr. Nova gathered more EDE and called out, “I’d like to say that hurt me more than it hurt you, but to be quite honest, that didn’t hurt me at all!” 

Struggling against Alexander as he watched the battle begin to turn ugly, Grey shouted, “Amy!” Holding firmly to him as he struggled to heal, Alexander said, “We’d be done already if you would stop moving around and reopening the wounds! That injury will not stop her! She can deactivate pain receptors in any part of her body and reset the bone with a cast made of psychic energy.” Grabbing him by the collar, Grey shouted at him, “You b*****d! Do you care at all?! It doesn’t matter what she can do, she’s getting hurt protecting us! I made a promise I wouldn’t let that happen!” Alexander shouted back, “They are fighting to give us time to do what must be done! I’m concerned as well, but they are our comrades, and we must have faith in them!” Alexander could see the determination in Grey’s silver eyes as he said, “They’re not just our comrades! They’re our friends!” 

Sensing a massive power spark within Grey, as Grey’s wounds quickly healed, Alexander thought in wonder, “But how?!” Breaking free from Alexander and standing, Grey said, “I fight beside my friends!” A reminiscent look in his eyes and a sad smile on his face, Alexander thought, “Amanus… That day so long ago, I let my injuries hold me back and counted on your great power to save my brother. In that battle, my dear friend lost his life. Maybe there had been nothing I could have done, but I still feel as though I should have fought beside you…” Standing with a sigh, Alexander formed his sword and said, “The plan was to escape you know.” Forming his own swords, Grey smirked and said, “No way! With the four of us, we can’t lose!” Alexander smiled reluctantly and said, “Alright. Let’s do this.”

            Having reset her broken ankle with a cast of psychic energy, as Amy stood, Dr. Nova raised a hand at her and Richter as he said, “Seeing as you broke free from my prison of the mind before, I think I’ll have to use something more permanent to do away with you! Let’s see how my Psycho Laser works!” Sensing a large amount of Corrupted EDE, Amy quickly raised a large psychic barrier around Richter and herself just as Dr. Nova fired a powerful beam of psychic and corrupted energy from his hand. Amy poured all her strength into the barrier, but as Dr. Nova continued to channel the beam, cracks began to run through it from the point where the beam struggled to break through. Suddenly leaping over Amy’s barrier and into the fray, Grey came down on Dr. Nova with his blades shining with silvery True EDE, shouting, “Get ready for round two Nova!” 

Ceasing to channel his Psycho Laser, Dr. Nova raised his corrupted arm in defense, blocking Grey’s blades and shoving him away. Landing upon Amy’s barrier, Grey swung his sword horizontally and unleashed his Ein Soph Aur. Quickly Dr. Nova grabbed hold of the energy wave with his corrupted hand, and he went skidding backwards on his feet as the wave of power pushed him along. Straining to regain his footing, as Dr. Nova finally managed to bring himself to a halt, he mustered his strength and hurled Grey’s Ein Soph Aur aside. Turning his gaze to the skies as he heard chanting, Dr. Nova saw Alexander hovering in the air on wings of fire and ice, his Master’s Frostfire Edge enchantment glowing upon his sword as he held it above him and chanted, “Magistri Adhibitis, Septem Circuli…” 

Flying into the air at Alexander, Dr. Nova said, “Not so fast, old friend!” Yet as he soared into the sky, the multicolored bullets of Richter’s Radiating Shot rained up at him from below. Bullets grazing him as he turned and held his corrupted arm up in defense, Dr. Nova quickly unleashed his Psycho Reject, and as the bullets stopped in place, he quickly formed five orbs of psychic energy and merged them all into a single orb of power. Charging it with more EDE, as it became a massive orb of psychic power, he hurled it down at Richter. Flying into the air, Grey charged his foot with EDE and put all his strength into a single upward kick that sent the psychic orb sailing over him and the others, crashing into the ocean beyond the edges of Marsalia Isle. Dr. Nova looked up as Alexander finished chanting, “…Virtutem Invocat Auxilium Septem Spiritus, Ut Et Nos Cum Illorum Iungere Nostrae!” Alexander’s sword shined, and seven swords of energy separated from his sword and spread out in a circle above the battlefield.

            Flying up into the air with Amy riding on his back, Richter flying beside him on his crystal wall, Grey chanted, “Cesso, Catenas Signatorum Aere Daemon.” Then fusing his swords with his arms, Grey grinned and said, “Show time guys!” Meanwhile, staring up at Alexander’s seven energy swords, Dr. Nova said, “Just what are you up to now?” Flying higher into the sky, Alexander grinned mischievously as he called out, “I know what a sore loser you are Schwartz, but try not to cry too much once we defeat you!” Then Alexander chanted, “Cesso, Bestia Dei Fulmine Ferire Vocati Estis Ad Malum!” Glaring up at Alexander, Dr. Nova formed two handfuls of his Mind Spikes and shouted, “Must I repeat myself?! I HATE THAT NAME!” 

Dr. Nova threw his spikes up at Alexander, but opening fire as he circled the Doctor on his crystal wall, Richter shot the spikes out of the sky with the explosive crystal bullets of his Blast Fragment. Then Amy sailed into the sky above Dr. Nova using a burst of psychic force, using another burst of power to propel herself down at him with a flying kick. Raising his hand, Dr. Nova channeled psychic energy and Corrupted EDE into his hand and fired his mighty Psycho Laser at her, but layering a psychic barrier over her body, Amy plowed through the Psycho Laser and landed her kick in Dr. Nova’s face. As the Doctor fell through the skies, Grey moved as a blur of speed with his Accelerate and got beneath him, and slamming both fists straight into the Doctor’s back, he chanted, “Iacio!” Grey’s spell activated, and chains of air burst from the light green rune circles that appeared and wrapped all around Dr. Nova’s arms, legs, and body, binding him in place in the sky. 

Struggling against his binds, Dr. Nova exclaimed, “Now that’s just not fair!” Leaving the Doctor there, Grey sped up to meet with Alexander. Separating a sword from one of his arms, Grey said, “Ready?” With a nod, Alexander chanted, “Vis Fulmen!” As the seven swords of energy crackled with lightning, Grey and Alexander both took aim down at Dr. Nova and chanted, “Iunctura Iacio!” It was a spell that allowed Grey to replicate Alexander’s delayed spell, allowing them to both fire it at once, and adding to their combined assault further, Grey chanted, “Additio Verus!” The energy swords became empowered with True EDE and took on a silvery glow, and as mighty bolts of silver lightning shot at Dr. Nova from Alexander and Grey’s blades, the energy swords took aim and flew down through the sky at him as well. Dr. Nova’s eyes went wide as he watched it all rain down on him, and then he disappeared in a flash of silver lightning, blinding light radiating across the sky.

Just as Grey felt certain they had been victorious, the aftermath of their mighty attack was swept aside by a great shockwave of psychic power. Laughing hysterically, surrounded by a powerful field of psychic energy and Corrupted EDE, Dr. Nova called out to them all, “Absolutely astounding! You all have great potential!” Staring down in disbelief, Grey said, “No way!” Grinning up at Grey, Dr. Nova said, “Yes way! Did you honestly think that I, the Mad Genius, could be finished off so easily?!” Alexander clenched his teeth as he thought, “He’s had a thousand years to become stronger, and it seems he truly did not waste a second!” Staring up at the Doctor from the ground, Amy thought, “Oh no! Is he really too strong for us to defeat him?!” A bead of sweat rolled down Richter’s forehead as he stood upon his crystal wall staring at the powerful field of psychic and corrupted power, and taking aim at it, he muttered, “If only Matthews was here beside us…” 

Laughing madly, Dr. Nova began to unleash enormous amounts of psychic energy and Corrupted EDE into the air around him as he said, “Such a shame, you’d all be so interesting to study! Alas, it’s time to end this!” The EDE formed into hundreds of energy orbs, all floating in the air around the Doctor’s field, orbiting around it and awaiting his command. Dr. Nova wasted no time, motioning with his hands dramatically as he shouted, “Psycho Orbit!” The energy orbs shot out in all directions, and quickly Grey and the others defended themselves. Amy raised a psychic barrier around herself, while Richter formed more crystal walls before him, and Alexander defended both himself and Grey with a barrier of rune circles as he chanted, “Magistri Obex!” Yet the stream of energy orbs were not so simply dealt with, as instead of just flying off, those that didn’t explode against everyone’s respective shields simply began arcing around and circling through the skies around Dr. Nova’s field in erratic patterns. Seeing Dr. Nova generating new orbs for every one that detonated, and watching Alexander’s barrier weakening as it blocked blast after blast, Grey used a spell to create a six pointed star-shaper shield of light and began blocking the orbs that came from behind Alexander’s barrier as he said, “What do we do now?!”

            Staring up at the field around Dr. Nova, Amy thought, “We can still win! He’s got to be weakened by all this fighting! If we can just get through to deal one more blow…” Amy dropped her barrier, instead forming a lesser barrier around her body. Rushing through the rain of corrupted psychic orbs, evading as they impacted the ground and exploded all around her, Amy removed the golem’s memory shard and inserted Reaper’s shard. Jumping into the air, Amy gathered a mass of EDE and formed it into sword made from one of Reaper’s bladed arms. Grazing by orb after orb as she used bursts of psychic force to double jump up towards Dr. Nova, Amy made her way through the barrage and swung her weapon into the corrupted psychic energy field. Yet the strike was not enough to pierce through, and as she was repelled by the energy of the field, Dr. Nova grinned and raised his hand to unleash a Psycho Laser at her. Amy raised her sword to block, and as the beam of psychic power and Corrupted EDE passed through Nova’s energy field and struck her sword, it carried her back to the ground. 

Landing on her feet, Amy struggled with the beam as energy orbs rained down around her. Zipping through Dr. Nova’s barrage as a blur of speed, Grey charged his fist with Void Charge and shouted, “Leave her alone!” Dr. Nova stopped channeling his beam as Grey plunged his fist into the field, and as Grey struggled to break through, the Doctor raised his hand at him instead. Then he stopped and turned to look over at Richter, who cried out, “Over here! Blast Fragment!” Weaving through the Doctor’s bombardment on his crystal wall, Richter took aim and fired his explosive prism bullets into Dr. Nova’s corrupted psychic field. Not to be left out, Alexander appeared through a dark vortex to lend his aid as well, swinging his sword and striking the field hard with a mighty, frostfire enhanced impact as he chanted, “Signum Vulnus!” Leaping back into the air and through the rain of orbs, Amy launched herself into a spinning drill kick as she shouted, “You’re going DOWN!” Against the might of the four attackers, Dr. Nova’s field weakened and Amy pierced through. As her spinning drill kick landed in his chest, Dr. Nova’s field and his storm of energy attacks vanished, the Doctor himself plummeting to the ground.

            Collapsed on the ground, Dr. Nova thought, “They’re like cockroaches! It doesn’t matter what I throw at them, they just keep coming back for more!” Getting back on his feet, the Doctor staggered away as Amy came down on him with a downward flying kick. Dodging and ducking her close combat strikes, he finally knocked her away with a spinning kick, but then Grey appeared before him in a blur of speed with both swords drawn. As Grey lashed out at him, Dr. Nova formed a blade of psychic energy around his hand and started to block his strikes, barely keeping up. Enraged, as they locked blades again, Dr. Nova shoved Grey back and shouted, “You think you’ll best the Mad Genius?!” Then a pair of crystalline rounds struck the back of his left shoulder. As the Doctor clutched his gunshot wounds and glared back at him, Richter leveled his pistols at Nova and said, “Time to face justice Nova!” The three surrounded Dr. Nova, and as he landed and channeled EDE into his Master’s Frostfire Edge, Alexander said, “It would seem the tables have turned Schwartz.” 

Turning to grin defiantly at Alexander, who stood with his sword aimed directly at him, Dr. Nova said, “You always were quick to think you’d won! I still have a trick or two up my sleeve, old friend!” Flashing a grin of his own, Alexander said, “Everyone has limits, and I’m afraid you’ve reached yours. You won’t get off so easily this time, Mad Genius…” Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and as he struggled to keep his footing, Grey exclaimed, “What the hell is it now?!” Dropping to one knee, Richter said, “I sense no EDE from an attack.” Watching as the ground itself began to crack, Amy shouted, “An earthquake?!” His laughter starting out low, it began to grow and grow until Dr. Nova was laughing maniacally. Steadying himself with his sword, Alexander muttered, “This is your doing, isn’t it Schwartz?!” Holding his arms up dramatically, looking crazier than ever, Dr. Nova said, “Behold, the Vinculus!”

            As the ground split apart, the center of isle began to rise into the air as the secret hidden beneath it, the Vinculus, stirred from its slumber. Separated from Grey and Amy, who along with Dr. Nova had been standing upon the edge of the section of the isle that now was rising into the skies, as Richter and Alexander watched the monstrous air fortress reveal itself, they were both stunned for a moment. Suddenly hearing the sounds of an approaching hover engine, Alexander broke out of his stupor and turned to see Gibolu’s hover transport race onto the scene. Popping out of the second car door as it came to a halt, camera in hand and his cat on his hat, Rufus exclaimed, “Whoa, I gotta get a picture of thi-” Bowling him over as she burst out the door, Mythra exclaimed, “Not the time cat-hatter!” Hurrying out as well, Serius said, “Alexander! What happened to the others?” 

Gritting his teeth, Alexander turned to look up at the Vinculus as it continued to ascend, and quickly he flew into the air on his frostfire wings and chased after it as he thought, “Grey! Amy!” Yet as he drew near, panels opened on the lower section of the air fortress and EDE shells rained at him from its automated defensive cannons. Swerving between their fire, Alexander tried to break through, but then he failed to avoid a round of cannon fire and was struck dead on, disappearing in a mighty explosion. Falling out of the aftermath and plummeting back towards the ground, Alexander clenched his eyes shut and thought, “Damn! Have I failed to protect what’s most important to me yet again?!” Suddenly someone caught hold of his arm, and opening his eyes, he looked up to see Mythra flying there on her broom. With an angry look on her face, Mythra said, “What the hell are you doing?! Trying to get killed?!” Looking up at the Vinculus, Alexander said, “But Grey and Amy are…!”

            As the Vinculus became more stable, Grey glanced over the side to see they were already high in the skies above Marsalia Isle. Returning his attention to Dr. Nova, who was laughing again, Grey said, “What the hells going on?! What is this thing?!” Pausing in his laughter, Dr. Nova said, “This is the Vinculus my boy! When the war begins, the Vinculus and Noctivagus will be more than enough to wipe out any resistance from those who don’t wish to accept the Second Truth. Although the Vinculus itself will also serve another role! Combined with Alastor’s power and Deus Amictus, it will facilitate the merging of all three planes of existence, a process we’ve dubbed the Merge!” 

With a look of shock, Amy said, “The merging of the three planes?! You mean you’re going to combine Gaia, Teramis, and Mautau into one?!” Flashing a mad grin, the Doctor said, “Well, we’re technically only merging Gaia and Teramis. That process alone will open the way to Mautau. Mautau is a plane with two layers, the outer layer already existing connected to both Gaia and Teramis. The entrances are sealed against physical matter, and their locations are carefully hidden. Yet if we merge the two worlds together, the defenses around those entrances will interfere and subsequently overload, allowing entry to Mautau and bringing us one step closer to the gates of Last Remote, the forsaken inner layer of Mautau in which the legendary Throne of the Inanimate Dream resides!” 

Dropping into a battle stance, Grey said, “Yeah, well too bad for you! Deus Amictus is MY Grand Anima Weapon! Even I still don’t know how to summon it, and I sure as hell wouldn’t help you even if I could!” There was a malicious look Dr. Nova’s eyes as he said, “Oh don’t worry about us. I told you before, all we need is to do is kill you like we’ve been planning all along. Once we’ve accomplished that, we can unbind the weapon from your essence!” His blades shining with power as he channeled True EDE into them, Grey rushed the Doctor as he said, “Oh yeah?! Just try it!” Leaping at Dr. Nova with a jumping slash of his twin blades, as Grey brought down his swords, the Doctor raised both hands and caught the blades between his index and middle fingers. Both his arms and the wound on his shoulder now covered with a layer of Corrupted EDE, the Doctor simply grinned and said, “If you insist…”

            As Dr. Nova released a psychic shockwave from his body, Grey lost hold of his swords and went flying. Landing hard at the very edge of the risen isle, Grey groaned and muttered, “D****t…” Snapping Grey’s blades in two, the Doctor cast them aside with a grin and leaped after Grey, who rolled aside as Dr. Nova came down and slammed a fist into the place where his head had been. As Amy rushed to Grey’s aid, Dr. Nova turned and fired a Psycho Laser from his hand. Barely raising her arms in time and forming a barrier around them, the beam of corrupted psychic energy met with the barrier and exploded, sending her bouncing across the ground to crash into the side of one of the amusement park buildings. As Dr. Nova returned his attention to him, an enraged Grey drove a Void Charged upper cut straight into the Doctor’s chin and shouted, “B*****d!” 

As the Doctor reeled, Grey pushed him aside and rushed over to where Amy had struggled up to one knee. Looking at her, battered and bruised, Grey clenched his eyes shut in shame and muttered, “How could I let this happen?!” Kneeling down beside her, Grey looked at her again and said, “Are you gonna be ok Amy?!” With a depressed look, Amy said, “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying my best, but I just can’t seem to keep up. I guess I’m just a burden after all…” Suddenly Grey slapped her across the face. Clutching her cheek and looking at Grey in surprise, Amy was silent as Grey said, “Who said you‘re a burden?! No one said you had to do any of this in the first place!” Quickly Amy shouted, “It’s not because someone said something! I just wanted to help!” 

After a moment of silence, Amy continued, “Before my powers had developed at all, you and the others would go off to fight the enemy while I just sat around and waited. Even when I started to learn to use my abilities, I still wasn’t good for much of anything…” Suddenly looking at Grey with determination in her eyes, Amy said, “I don’t want to just sit and watch! I want to stand at everyone’s side! I want to stand at your side!” 

Remembering what he’d said to Alexander, Grey heaved a sigh and said, “Look, the idea of you fighting along with the rest of us scares the hell out of me. I made a promise to protect you, to make sure your mom’s prophecy doesn’t happen. The truth is though…” With a big grin on his face, Grey said, “If it weren’t for you, I would have been toast! You were really good back there!” Blinking in surprise, Amy sputtered, “W-what? But I thought… The way you were just talking…” Getting to his feet, Grey extended his hand in an offer to help her up and said, “You’ve never been a burden to me! Now c’mon, we’re not done just yet! How about we put an end to this?” Smiling, Amy took his hand with a nod and said, “Right!”

            As Grey helped Amy up, Dr. Nova called out, “Well isn’t that just the sweetest thing? Letting your little girlfriend put herself in harms way for you…” Forming a battalion of Mind Spikes in the air around him, with an evil look in his eyes, Dr. Nova said, “Well, at least that means you’ll die together!” As the Mind Spikes shot at Amy and Grey, Grey’s Flux restriction ability erupted around them and pulled the spikes into its flow, breaking them down into energy and absorbing them. The last of the spikes absorbed, the swirling storm of True EDE collapsed back into Grey’s aura, and Grey gathered a mass of EDE to form his swords once more as he said, “Whether Amy stands on the sidelines or fights by my side… No matter what happens… I WILL keep my promise!” 

As the mass of EDE shined with power, it took not the form of his swords, but started to form into Deus Amictus. The shining mass split into one mass that molded around his body and one at his right hand, and as they crystallized Grey was clad once more in his long blue coat. The other mass becoming the sacred blade, Grey took hold of Deus Amictus, and able to use Rune Swordsmanship without incantations, Grey activated the True Edge enchantment. The the hilt of Deus Amictus turned white and black, and the gems studded in the hilt and bottom of the handle, as well as the words etched upon the blade, began to glow red. When Dr. Nova saw the ancient writing upon the blade, his eyes went wide in disbelief as he thought, “Solum Vires Corde Somnium Inanimatis Figura?! Only the strength of heart shall shape the Inanimate Dream?! But that means…!” 

Clutching his face, Dr. Nova slowly went from quiet laughter to mad laughter. Gathering all the EDE he could for a final attack, Dr. Nova said, “To think, I’m likely about to die just as I finally found what I’ve been searching for all this time! How utterly ironic!” With a determined look, Grey began to channel great amounts of True EDE into the blade of Deus Amictus as he shouted, “Get ready Nova! This is our victory!” Giggling madly, Dr. Nova called back, “The Sealed Ultimate Power against the might of the Mad Genius?! What a grand finale!” Turning to look at Amy, Grey said, “Gimme a hand here, we’re gonna show this b*****d what happens when you mess with our friends!” Amy reached out and took hold of the grip of the sword as well, pouring all her remaining strength into it. 

Dr. Nova raised his hands and channeled all the Corrupted EDE and psychic energy he could muster through them, unleashing a massive beam of power that shot at Grey and Amy as he shouted, “Psycho Laser!” As the blade of Deus Amictus shined bright, Grey aimed it into the oncoming Psycho Laser, and together Amy and Grey said, “Ein Soph Aur!” A godly wave of True EDE erupted from Deus Amictus’ blade, tearing across the risen isle at Dr. Nova and plowing through his Psycho Laser. Staring into the wave as it finished breaking through his attack, the Doctor muttered, “You have the good doctor’s thanks, young heroes. It looks like my days of madness are finally over…” Dr. Nova disintegrated as the wave washed over him, continuing on over the edge of the risen isle and through the sky.