Chapter 12: Apocalypse, Part 5 of 5: Aversion

A small laugh escaped through Valoth’s groans of pain. A large shadow tendril emerged and surrounded Ryukai and Omicron. Sharp teeth emerged from it.

 “Make another move, and I’ll devour them.” he announced barely managing a smile.

“What do you want?” Mika asked.

 “Let me leave. All I want is to escape.” he said, clearly planning something.

 Mika looked down at Ryukai and Omicron. They might be able to escape with their natural DragonGuard power, but could she take that risk? She definitely didn't want to let Valoth go, but he was gravely injured. Tracking him down and finishing him off might not be that difficult.

 “Fine.”

 Valoth tried to smile, but the pain was too great. He slowly started walking away. The shadows extended so he could continue to hold Ryukai and Omicron hostage. He moved towards a large hangar door and pressed a button.

 The gate opened and he stepped through. The shadows dissolved and he quickly pressed another button. The gate slammed shut, and all the other exits in the room closed too. They were sealed in.

 “This is all so perfect.” Valoth yelled through the hangar door. “I won’t be at the center when the machine activates to harvest your energy, but that won’t matter. I’ll simply absorb it once all three of you and your Gundams are dissolved.”

Ryukai and Omicron ran for their Gundams. Without even thinking, they burst into blue flames and entered the Exarch. Omicron’s flame hit the suit and there was a flash.

***

Omicron walked into the GEARS auditorium. He did not know what was happening, only that an assembly had been called to address something. He sat down and a few minutes later Dean Warlic began to speak.

 “Students, staff, and administration...I regret to inform you that there has been an unfortunate disaster. Loreon Orbital Station 7 was destroyed yesterday. Many were lost and I wish we could mourn them, but we simply do not have time. LOS-7 was our last defense against the Shadowscythe. With it gone, an invasion is imminent. All of you here are the future generation of protectors, so after much thinking...I have decided to lock down GEARS. No one will be able to enter or exit starting immediately.”

Omicron was shocked. He knew the war against the Shadowscythe hadn’t been going well, but he never thought that the situation would be this dire. There was a lot of chatter among the students. He himself did not care about the lockdown, but he worried for Loreon.

***

 “Everyone ready?” Ryukai asked.

 “Yes.” Omicron and Mika responded.

 “Good, because we need to act fast. This room is completely sealed off and we have two objectives. Kill Valoth and stop this chamber from destroying us. Any ideas?”

 “I’m detecting strong energy currents running through the walls of this chamber, so destroying them to get out isn’t an option.” Omicron noted.

 “What if we go under them?” Mika asked pointing to the metal grating on the floor.

 “Excellent.” Ryukai said smiling. This chamber must have been prepared quickly. Valoth was probably in a rush and didn’t have time to make sure we couldn’t escape. “Mika, you search for a way to disable the power in this station. Me and Omicron will look for a way out.”

 Everyone agreed and immediately blasted away large sections of the floor and began to move through the maintenance tunnels. Valoth had caused them all so much pain, it was time to end this. That anger fueled their Gundams and they moved with incredible speed.

 Within a few seconds, Ryukai and Omicron found what they were looking for. The ground exploded underneath Valoth as they shot upwards and launched the monster into the air. Valoth’s pain increased a hundredfold.

 And it got worse for him. Sariel unleashed its Fangs while Phanuel launched DG missiles. Valoth’s flesh began to tear apart, and his body was brutally disfigured. However his screams reached his allies. The ShadowScythe came and helped him, blindly. Even though he was so close to death, Valoth still controlled all of them.

 The shadows fought as one, exploding out of their shells and into pure shadow. Sariel unleashed Souen, combining with the Fangs to create wyvern like constructs that shot blue flame at the shadows. Each shot ate away at the shadow, but it was relentless. The shadows felt no pain and continued to come, hoping to aid their master.

 Phanuel slid back all of its panels and unleashed a storm of missiles and lasers of pure light into the shadows. The pain that the shadows could not feel, was felt by Valoth. He was missing at least 1/4 of his body, and he couldn’t stand the pain. He couldn’t move. Even though a ship was so close...even though escape was so close...he couldn’t reach it.

 “He’s suffered enough.” Omicron announced.

 “No! He can never suffer enough!” Ryukai snarled. He remembered the memories of being ripped apart like Valoth was now.

 “We can’t waste the Exarch’s power on this!”

 “This is all that is left, Omicron!” Ryukai yelled as they continued to obliterate the waves of shadow energy. “Once he is gone...it is ALL over! All our pain and suffering...will finally be gone!”

 “Then end it now!” Omicron yelled. Phanuel charged up all its astral energy, and overloaded its systems. In one large blast, the shadows for a mile around them were destroyed.

 The astral energy filled the air, and removed the Souen from Sariel’s fangs. The Souen gathered around Ryukai, and he aimed his staff at Valoth. And in one single shot...it was over.

 A spear of finality burst forth from the staff. The crimes that Valoth had committed were translated into anger, which became power. The happiness they once had that was snatched away, became power. Their entire lives were destroyed, mutilated, their minds twisted. Pure rage was focused in the astral energy and the power was incredible.

 Unconfined, it would have destroyed everything. But Ryukai’s single goal gave the energy its own mind. It had one purpose, and all its energy was poured into that. As it pierced Valoth, it gave him no time to scream. And instead of going clean through the demon, it gathered inside him, and in a moment he was vaporized.

 An outside observer would see this as a quick victory. But to Ryukai, Omicron, and now Mika who was behind them...this was all their fighting. Time slowed down as they remembered, and when the astral spear struck Valoth....it was as if the universe exploded. 

 Everyone was silent. There was now time for emotion. There was time for victory, time to cry, time to laugh, time to be angry, time to be happy. And with so much time and freedom suddenly available...they had nothing to say.

And so the Exarch Gundams stood there. In silence. Their enemy, and the enemy of the world, was gone. They had freed every world...every world but one. And there was only one final resolution before their souls could truly rest. Valoth had brought disunity to each of them.

But now...is the time for unity. The time for Resolution.

Next Time on Gundam: Shadow- The first chapter of the Resolution chapters. Their journey is over, but their is one piece missing. When they freed the Darkness of Valoth's control, they freed everyone. And Valoth is gone everywhere, in every possible world...but one. One remains, a single world must reach its resolution to save everyone.