Chapter 10: Apocalypse, Part 3 of 5: War Through Reality

Chapter 10: Apocalypse, Part 3 of 5: War Through Reality

 “Wait...” Ryukai said. “This course leads...into Valoth?"

 In a great flash of blue the Gundams were gone. Before anyone could respond to Ryukai they found themselves in darkness.

 “I guess I’m back.” said a voice. Mika and Ryukai were surprised. The voice came from inside Exarch Phanuel. But it was not Zorbak.

 “Omicron?!” Mika and Ryukai exclaimed.

 “Yes. It’s me.”

 “How is this possible?” Ryukai asked.

 “This place, is a place that all the realities touch. Every single possible universe. And in most realities, I am Omicron and not Zorbak. We are the same person really, but this form is the one I am usually in.”

 “How do you know this?” Mika asked.

 “I don’t think I have time to explain. Right now we are at the center of everything. We are in the Shadows.”

 “My territory.” said a cold voice. The DragonGuard looked to see Valoth in his true form. It was the alien Shadowscythe form, not the form he took when he was pretending to be Omicron. All of their hate for him surfaced and they prepared for a fight.

 “You are truly at a great disadvantage here.” After he said those words, the shadows began to move. Shadow copies of SDF mobile suits began to appear. Thousands of them. Valoth disappeared as the mobile suits flew forward.

 Ryukai was the first to act. He knew in his new Gundam, Exarch Sariel, was designed for an attack like this. Sariel released its Fangs, which began to decimate the Shadow SDF’s. It only took a single shot to take one down. But for each one that was taken down, three more would appear from the shadows.

 This caused the others to act quickly. Ramiel leapt forward with its Radiant Broadsword, unleashing needles that destroyed nearby enemies as well as swinging at specific ones. Phanuel slid back many of its panels to reveal launchers of light, needles, and missiles.

 The sight of the battle was flashes of darkness and light. The enemies continued to swarm, and overwhelm them. They were fighting off the nearby enemies easily, but there were so many that they were making no progress towards Valoth.

 It almost felt like a battle they could not win. Until a voice spoke to them. “You fools! Unleash your full power. This is the final battle, there is no need to conserve your Astral Flame!”

 Each pilot looked towards the other, and together they agreed. Simultaneously they unleashed the full power of the Exarch DragonGuard. Ramiel summoned large wings of blue flame and fired waves of fire at the shadows as well as summoning tsunamis of the astral flame.

 More power was added to the attack as Sariel unleashed beams of light from its staff, that combined with Souen, created a grand moving web of flaming tendrils that pushed through the enemies.

 Phanuel finished off the attack by covering itself in an armor of blue flames. Combined with the large concentration of astral flame, the shield was greatly expanded and it thrusted forward slamming into the shadows.

 The range of the pure blue flame increased until there was a great crack. All of the shadow suits exploded and the area was lit up by the flame. Before them was a large set of red eyes.

 “Valoth?” Omicron asked.

“Do not confuse me with that monster. I am Darkness. All Darkness.”

 “That still makes you our enemy, doesn’t it?” Mika commented.

 “Fools. You mistake Darkness for your enemy. Your true enemy is Valoth, no one else. He stole the power of the Universe and has used it for evil. The Shadowscythe were not his to take.”

 “Are you telling us the Shadowscythe aren’t evil?” Ryukai asked.

 “They are Shadows. They are the result of my brother, Light and I. We are the Eternal Dragons that control this world. The Shadowscythe are a race of beings that used to inhabit this world alone. But then Valoth appeared from another world. He took them and rose against us. And now you are all that can stop him.”

 “When Drakath said that Valoth was the enemy of all...I had no idea this was what he meant.” Mika said shocked.

 “And he has trapped you here while he continues on with his plan.” Darkness said. “You must sever the tie he has created with me, remove his power, and then stop him in your world. I warn you though, this will destroy the bond that currently exists between all the worlds.”

 The DragonGuard could then see a chain connecting the Darkness to the Shadows. It was barely noticeable, but it was certainly there. Ryukai took the spear end of his scythe and cut through it easily.

 The darkness began to light up with the blue flame. It grew uncontrollably and began to devoureverything. The world began to disappear. They felt light, almost as if they were being consumed by the flame. And then..they felt nothing. They were gone from where they were a moment ago.

***

 “Welcome, new recruits to GEARS University.” Dean Warlic said with a smile. He was in the university’s large auditorium addressing the new students that had just gotten off the shuttle. “Before I begin with my opening speech, we’re going to make sure everyone is here. So please sign your name as the data pad is passed around.”

 The pad was signed by each student, one by one. Eventually it came to the last five students.

 “Artix” signed the first.

 “Lisa” signed the second.

 “Mika” signed the third.

 “Ryukai” signed the fourth.

“Omicron” signed the last.

Next Time on Gundam: Shadow of the Dragons

Apocalypse, Part 4 of 5: The Final Prison