Twin flashes of light intercepted the beam, which impacted against them and failed to reach its targets.
When the light and beam faded, Ryu saw three figures before him. Two had interposed themselves between the beam and the Gun Phoenix Striker. One he immediately identified as Ultraman Mebius. The other, however, was new. It resembled Hunter Knight Tsurugi—but the heavy armor was gone, a color timer lay on his chest and most importantly
his eyes were open.
“Captain Serizawa?” Ryu later cursed himself from uttering.
The third figure had caught Jack’s F-302 in its hands—it was the RahXephon. The wings on its head had not moved from its resting position.
“How the hell did that get here?!” Cameron scowled at the machine.
Jack was no longer inside the cockpit of the F-302. Instead, he found himself inside the cockpit of the RahXephon, though not in the pilot’s seat. He instead found himself on the water-filled floor. A quick appraisal of the situation led Jack to look down at his feet. The water lapped against his ankles, but he saw Reika floating below him.
On instinct, Jack went to his hands and knees. The floor remained solid, but he pounded on it anyway.
“Are you sure you want to wake her up?” A voice reverberated through the chamber, sending the hairs on the back of Jack’s neck up, “She looks so much more peaceful like this, don’t you agree?”
Jacks scowled, but didn’t bother looking for a source of the voice, “Okay, who the hell are you?”
Jack’s reflection in the shallow water shifted and morphed into a shape that could only be vaguely called humanoid. It had short antennae, glowing eyes and nearly cubist head. Its body was covered in spines and jagged bumps.
“
I am Yapool,” It said, “And I do hope you appreciate my handiwork. It’s much safer for everyone this way.”
“Safer?” Jack spat.
“Do you really think that putting the fundamental building blocks of reality:” Yapool stroked his chin, “the tools and aspects of both the Outer Gods and the Endless, in the hands of a lovesick teenage girl is a good idea?”
Jack’s scowled slightly as he thought. This thing, whatever it was, did have a point. There was something definitely off about her—but the way Yapool referred to her, the way he referred to her now.
She was not human. Yet, now both of them were talking about her as though she was.
Jack dug his hands into the water, pushed through the floor as though it were thick mud and grabbed Reika’s hands.
“What are you doing?” Yapool roared, “If she sleeps, she cannot destroy the world. I thought the world would be important to you?”
“Oh, shut up!” Jack snapped, “Like I believe anything you’d say! You’re a goddamn reflection!”
Jack pulled with all his might against the sucking pressure of the "mud" beneath him, his feet remaining on a solid surface--aiding his efforts.
"Besides," Jack added, "what she wants is for this world to continue. Why would she destroy it?"
“There are way, Jack O'Niell, there are ways. Perhaps a different reflection would convince you?” Yapool smirked as much as his stagnant facial features allowed him to as his form shifted to one he had not seen for years. Another extremely dangerous machine he had encountered and one that he had shut down—no—killed.
Reese, the “Mother” of the Replicators.
“The way I understand it,” Yapool’s voice echoed, “You’ve faced this problem before and agreed with my conclusion. You’ve already made your choice.”
Jack looked at Reika, cold and silent in her prison, and back at the image of Reese.
He steeled himself and continued to pull, but he didn’t understand why he was pulling. It made no sense. This girl was as much of a threat, if not more, to earth as Reese was. What was he thinking?
“Interesting choice,” Yapool said, “I will make sure you share her suffering next time.”
Yapool’s image and the image of Reese faded to Jack’s normal reflection as Jack hauled the wisp of a girl out of the gelatinous substance beneath his feet. When Reika’s head passed the water’s surface, she let out a frightened, pained gasp and latched onto Jack with all her strength. Jack stood up and tumbled back, finally pulling Reika free of the prison.
Jack scooped her up in his arms. She never let go. Nor did she stop repeating one phrase over and over again, whispered between her shivering, she only said one thing: “I’m sorry.”
And though she was cold, damp and shaking, Jack believed that she actually
felt human.
Outside that little room, the RahXephon landed with only a few token hisses to its name and rested on all four limbs.
By then, the accomplices of the Bogal had made their presence known—nearly a dozen of creatures rose to the surface, snarling with eyes defined only by hunger. They were half the size of the minor Bogal, four footed and had armored ridges going from the left to right down their backs and tails. A single horn protruded from the center of their faces, just over their fanged mouths. On all fours, they appeared even smaller. These were Baragon.
The two Ultramen dove towards the Bogal and tackled them off Godzilla. With the pain greatly reduced, Godzilla focused on the Bogal gnawing at his arm—by raking his free claw over his assailants face.
It howled in pain and, distracted, was easily slammed by Godzilla’s tail. On its back, Godzilla plodded over and repeatedly stepped on the creature. The sound of granite-hard bones snapping under Godzilla’s feet was accompanied by the blood-choked screams of the Bogal.
Godzilla then grabbed the monster by the tail and hammer tossed it into the air, only to blast it down with atomic fire. The creature crashed to earth with a painful shriek, which was quickly drowned out by Godzilla’s roar.
Godzilla then turned his attention to the Baragon scurrying after the Super Robots.
Mechagodzilla attempted to kick one of the creatures, but had it leap over the leg and onto Mecahgodzilla’s chest.
Kara’s fast reactions allowed her to catch the multi-kiloton reptile as her machine’s foot fell to earth. The creature wriggled and struggled gamely in her grasp, casing some strain on the control system to keep it there.
“Always aiming for the goddamn chest,” She murmured as the machine threw Baragon away—but then caught it again, but not in her hand. From her wrist, Carter launched a bladed chain weapon dubbed the “Shock Anchor”. Once it imbedded itself in the Baragon’s hide, an electrical current shot through the cables and into the monster.
It convulsed and quiver uncontrollably, hardly uttering a sound as it fell to earth.
Kara did a quick scan of the environment visually, her eyes catching Ultraman Mebius wrapped up in the three-pronged tongue of one of the Bogal—it’s mouth expanding over 25 meters in anticipation of the meal.
“Release the cable on my signal!” Kara said as she whipped the Baragon into the air.
She leaned her machine back and began to spin the Baragon around before shouting “NOW!”
Carter released the shock anchor and sent the quivering Baragon into the Bogal’s massive head, but from behind. The Baragon detonated on impact, knocking the Bogal back and severing its tongue—thus freeing Mebius.
Ryouma and the Getter team were in their element. Fighting dinosaurs from the center of the earth was what Getter Robo was built for. Baragon were old hat. A tomahawk slash and getter beam here; transform and let Hayato go nuts with the drill; transform for a typhoon and missile bombardment over there—they hadn’t had a fight this easy in years.
Baragon could stand 25 meters tall when on their hind legs; just enough to pear over Great Mazinger, but just short of Grendizer’s shoulders. Mazinger Z was the shortest of all of them, and against the Baragon, he was at a disadvantage in size.
Koji’s only advantage was his flight—and that was limited as each one’s powerful hind legs could propel it over a quarter of a kilometer per leap.
Looking down on one Baragon which eyed him hungrily, Koji had Mazinger punch its own chest,
“Give me your best shot!” he sneered.
The monster leapt into the air, its mouth agape.
Mazinger raised its arms as Koji shouted “Breast Fire!” but instead of a red beam of heat, the chest of the robot simply exploded out, knocking Mazinger out of the air.
The Baragon missed his target, but landed safely, unlike Mazinger, who landed on its neck with enough force to dislodge the plider atop Mazinger’s head.
Koji saw stars and blurs upon impact. When his vision cleared, he looked through the clear plastic bubble and saw the Baragon knowing futilely at Mazinger’s arm. Then the face of another Baragon blocked Koji’s vision. It tilted its head and drool dripped down from its maw.
Koji sprung into action and launched a pair of missiles at the monster from the forward part of the Plider. The missiles screamed towards the Baragon who pulled its head back instinctively—but not fast enough.
And Koji lucked out—the missiles traveled up the Baragon’s nose before detonating—blowing out a good portion of its face.
It reared away, howling in pain and clutching its face. It fell backwards and rolled on the ground as red blood poured out of the hole in its face until Great Mazinger’s sword blade imbedded itself in its brain. Tetsuya turned Great Mazinger towards the other Baragon and slew it with a well placed Thunder Break.
“Thanks, Testuya” Koji said, wiping blood from his mouth.
“Are you okay?” Tetsuya asked.
“I’m good, how’s Mazinger?”
Testuya paused, staring at the hole in Mazinger Z’s chest, unable to tell him as Grendizer’s double-harken scythed overhead and through another pair of Baragon.
Nearby, Gamera incinerated another Baragon before turning his attention to the two Ultramen as they battled the last remaining Bogal.
The two Ultraman punched and kicked the creature back and forth between them, knocking it off balance until it threw black spheres of burning energy at the two Ultramen—who dodged them effectively.
Gamera saw his opportunity and spat a trio of fireballs at Bogal, but only two hit their mark. Distracted, it turned to face Gamera only to be hit by a pair of flying kicks from the Ultramen. They continued to fly, however, looped back and hit him again—and again, and again.
Their bodies blurred slightly, creating a double loop between them—almost a sideways figure eight or infinity loop. When the Ultramen stopped, the creature was left stumbling where it stood in a desperate attempt to stay upright.
Observing their handiwork for just a moment, the blue Ultraman raised his right arm in the air, gathering lightning-like energy in it as Mebius slid his hand over the bracer on his left arm before raising his hands over his head.
They then brought their hands together in a ‘plus’ position, Mebius’ left hand in front of his right and the other with the right hand in front of his left—but still in the same positions. Beams of light—one gold, the other silver—shot out from the sides of their hands and struck Bogal in the chest. It did not take long before it exploded into tiny fragments.
Godzilla snarled--the bodies of several Baragon lay at his feet unmoving. He stood at the center of the others: Getter Robo, Grendizer, the Ultramen, the Gun Phoenix Striker, Gamera and Mechagodzilla had him surrounded.
So he decided to attack first. His dorsal spines burned red for an instant before he unleashed a burning red, spiraling beam towards Mechagodzilla which had such force that it knocked the machine up over the ground and depositing it unceremoniously in the ocean. Inside, Kara and Carter screamed as several shorts cascaded through the machine before it even touched the ground again.
This did not prevent Carter from firing off the Plasma Grenade—a massive beam cannon located in the machines belly region—before Mechagodzilla fell.
The orange blast covered nearly a quarter of Godzilla’s body, easily bowling him over. As Godzilla stood up again, he was greeted more pain as Grendizer’s space thunder struck his back, as did a trio of Gamera’s plasma fireballs.
Godzilla stumbled forward, only to be smashed in the chest by the Ultramen’s two beam attacks—this time, they combined a few dozen yards away from Godzilla’s chest and combined into a single rainbow colored beam before striking.
As Godzilla suffered, the Gun Phoenix Striker became encased in gold as METEOR burst into action.
"Invincible Phoenix, Power Maximum!" Ryu shouted before the golden energy encasing the Gun Phoenix Striker leapt off ther machine and soared towards Godzilla--exploding on contact. The blast elicited another pained roar from Godzilla.
Over their cover, Ryouma called out to his fellow crewmen, “Remember, our timing has to be exact.”
“I know,” Hayato smiled.
“Let’s go!” Benkei cheered.
All three pressed on peddles at their feet as Ryouma shouted “GETTER SHINE!”
Getter Robo was encased with white hot energy as it held its arms out to the side and took to the air, taking the energy with it.
Diving down to the target, Ryouma shouted “SHINNING SPARK!” as they pulled up at the absolute last moment, letting the white-hot ball of energy the size of Getter Robo strike Godzilla full on in the chest.
Godzilla shrieked in pain as he was engulfed in a getter-fueled explosion, blinding light emanating from it for the instant of the explosion.
{{Battle Mastery Earned}}
“He’s been knocked into the ocean!” Kara announced, her eyes seeing through the smoke and din with ease, “Make sure he’s down!”
When the smoke and light cleared, the heroes moved in to the churning froth 40 meters from shore.
Getter Robo switched to its Poseidon formation and headed into the water for a deep search, but the water barely lapped at its ankles when Godzilla exploded up from beneath the waves with a mighty roar.
Blood dripped from his maw, as well as several wounds on his chest. The entire body was covered in burns and boils—one of the dorsal plates even appeared melted and Godzilla’s left eye was held tightly shut. He stood surrounded by scalding steam from the eruption, but he stood ready to fight.
“We got him on the ropes now!” Hayato smirked, but before anyone could move in for a follow-up, a massive gust of wind nearly threw them all off balance.
The cascade of jagged yellow bolts from the sky did that for them. Along the wind, small glittering flakes filtered down from the overcast sky.
“The hell is that?” Daisuke asked aloud, just before his instruments went haywire.
"Whatever it is," Carter said as she furiously worked the controls, "It's acting like electronic chaff and playing hell with the radar."
Godzilla growled as the heroes fought the torrent of wind before he slipped beneath the surface.
“God damnit!” Captain Gordon slammed his fist onto the arm of his chair, “Keep him within visual range!”
“Sir,” One of the crewmen turned to him, “the visibility is already too low. He’s gone.”
Gordon cursed again.