Chapter 47 The end of Red girls and leaving the world
(A/N: Sorry for being late! (っ´Ι`)っ Nier automata world have finished now and Cross Ange world is coming.) ~(￣▽￣)~*
*Tang!*
*Swing*
As the two metallic weapons collided, sparks scattered in every direction. A red-haired girl with a ponytail and a blindfold swung her sword horizontally at a short-haired male with a white hair color. The male blocked the attack with a two-handed sword, obtained after sneak-attacking one of the girls. The girls were YoRHa soldiers, and the boy was a humanoid machine life form named Eve.
Eve acquired the sword after ambushing an android girl who guarded the entrance of a building from inside. The android girl fought against machine life forms, attempting to prevent them from pursuing her team, which was headed to the control center of the machine network building. She fell victim to a surprise attack while engaged in combat with the machine life forms.
Despite being enhanced with corrupt energies, they couldn't control the energy cores inside them as efficiently as Lucia's wives, who had mastered the control. This vulnerability allowed Eve, strengthened with maso energies, to successfully execute a sneak attack and steal the weapon.
When Eve was on the verge of delivering a fatal blow, another android, A5, intervened and blocked the attack. A5 had a red medium ponytail and was dressed in YoRHa's casual uniform, wearing a blindfold. After successfully blocking the attack, she redirected Eve's sword path and countered with her tachi, a long katana.
Eve stepped back to dodge the counter, but A5 pursued him, relentlessly swinging her tachi.
"Hahahaha, this is really fun. Are you all playing like always?" Eve taunted.
A5 remained silent, refusing to engage in banter, and continued her assault.
"Come on, talk or something."
Still, A5 stayed silent, focusing solely on her attack.
A5 swung her sword downward, and Eve, anticipating the attack, prepared to block with his own sword. However, A5 moved swiftly, changing the trajectory of her attack from the side instead of above. Eve, caught off guard, attempted to dodge, but the attack was too fast and deadly. The blade cut through his ribs, and red fluids spilled from his flesh, painting the floor as they dripped to the ground.
Simultaneously, another android fought with machine life forms attempting to re-enter the building. This android had her sword stolen but continued to engage the machines with bare hands. Soon, Resistance androids and a few additional YoRHa androids arrived to provide assistance. Moments later, more YoRHa members rushed to Eve's side, aiding A5.
*Tang!*
*Tang!*
Eve swung at the android, but his attack was easily blocked. A5 then stabbed Eve's chest, and another android kicked him in the head. The impact caused Eve to drop his sword as he was sent crashing into the wall. The building's wall cracked from the impact, but it held firm due to its hardness, preventing Eve from embedding into it.
Stunned and unable to react, Eve found himself under a relentless barrage of attacks from the three YoRHa androids. The odds were against him, and he realized he was on the verge of defeat.
Suddenly, he observed a black energy pillar shooting into the sky, causing the ground to tremble. The power of the attack was evident to everyone. In that moment, Eve noticed that the signal of his beloved brother had disappeared.
"!!"
"Niisan…"
Tears dropped from Eve's eyes as he stared at the slowly disappearing black energy pillar. Three swords headed toward his neck, but his body seemed immune to injury, as if a protective barrier had been placed over his skin.
*Tang!*
*Tang!*
*Tang!*
"Arrrggg! Why!!"
Eve roared in anger, forcing out maso energy and creating a shockwave. The three android girls were thrown to a distance by the powerful force. The building trembled again, not from Eve's shockwave, but from the destruction of the machine network server. Suddenly, many machine life forms became lifeless and fell to the ground, as if they were dead.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Eve laughed madly, his eyes glowing as he forcefully took control of the machine life forms. Outside the building where Adam was killed, a machine core dropped to the ground, and 2B picked it up, observing the machine life forms that had stopped moving.
{Warning. Goliath type machine life form signal detected.}
2B was puzzled. The machine server had been destroyed, and all the machine life forms had stopped moving. Why was there a signal for a Goliath type?
"Pod, scan the area."
{Understood. The signal is detected from the building.}
2B looked at the building and noticed that many machine life forms were suddenly moving again. However, this time, they didn't attack the androids; instead, they headed toward the building.
Seeing her teammates and Resistance androids rushing out from the building, 2B soon faced a giant machine life form. She and the rest of the androids engaged in a fierce battle. After some time, Eve was also destroyed by 2B and the others.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"So, this is the last one?" Lucia asked.
"Yes," White replied.
"Hmm… then I will-"
"Wait."
Before Lucia could continue, Lily interjected, and everyone turned their attention to her.
"Umm… can I destroy it?" Lily asked.
"…are you sure? There were many machine life forms," Lucia asked, pointing at the screen they were observing from Babylon. Inside the screen, tower-like buildings were constructed, and they could see numerous machine life forms when zooming in.
Even though Lily had been strengthened with corrupt energies and could control them as Lucia's wife, she couldn't destroy the entire city and all the machine life forms on her own.
"N-no… I will destroy it with Babylon. Actually, I wanted to shoot it with the 'Railgun,'" Lily explained.
"Oh…"
During these days, Lily, Anemone, and Rose had been influenced by stories and movies, leading to a more relaxed and fun atmosphere. Even Popola and Devola were starting to enjoy themselves. Lily had seen laser attacks in movies and wanted to try them. She knew that Yuriko had installed offensive weapons, including a Railgun, on Babylon. Lily wanted to experiment with that now, anticipating its potential use in the future.
"Sure," Lucia agreed with a smile, observing Lily's excitement.
Lucia checked back on Babylon again, ready to oversee Lily's experiment.
Lily approached the control panel of Babylon, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She had been inspired by stories and movies and was eager to try the offensive capabilities of the hanging fortress. Lucia observed, intrigued by Lily's enthusiasm.
As Lily operated the controls, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a flying fortress modified into a fantastical city, responded to her commands. The structure, once used by Semiramis in Fate/Apocrypha, now served a different purpose under the influence of Lucia and her companions.
The anticipation in the air grew as Lily prepared to unleash the Railgun, a formidable weapon installed on Babylon. The city-like fortress hummed with energy, and everyone watched with a mix of curiosity and excitement.
Lucia examined Babylon's additional functions, recognizing the considerable cost associated with these installations. Yet, with the fortress now equipped with powerful capabilities, she could potentially bring entire kingdoms to the ground. The prospect was both thrilling and enjoyable. Yuriko had even incorporated a teleportation system for swift and distant travel.
As Babylon approached the last machine network building, a formidable sight awaited them. Small and medium flyer machine life forms marched toward the fortress, followed by Goliath flyers. Beneath them, Goliath Engels headed in Babylon's direction.
One of the Goliath Engels came to a halt, its mouth opening as maso energies gathered towards it. A red energy ball slowly formed, and then, with a tremendous force, it unleashed a massive laser beam towards Babylon. The situation grew tense as everyone on board braced for the impact.
*Bang!*
A massive shockwave spread, accompanied by the loud impact of being hit. However, as the laser beam disappeared, a relief washed over those on Babylon. Transparent, triangle-shaped shields became visible, gradually fading away. These were anti-magic shields capable of blocking S-rank offensive attacks, and they had successfully nullified the Goliath Engel's laser beam, which wasn't even close to A-rank in strength.
Undeterred, the Goliath Engels persisted, attempting to launch another assault. This time, multiple Goliath Flyers in the sky joined in the attack. Despite the onslaught, the anti-magic shields held strong, blocking all incoming strikes
Shortly after, two tall buildings at the center of the city section of Babylon began to glow. These structures were closely connected and featured multiple bridges spanning from the middle to the lower parts. As the buildings radiated with light, dark and light-blue flashes resembling electricity sparked intermittently.
The two tall buildings continued to glow, and between their upper parts, dark and light-blue energies gathered. This was the Railgun, and the energy for its devastating power was harnessed from the corrupt energies of the Abyss realm.
As the energy reached its peak, it shot toward the sky. A pitch-black energy mixed with a light-blue laser beam ascended into the atmosphere. Just as it approached the upper clouds, the direction of the beam changed, now aimed directly at the machine network building. This precision was achieved through the combination of rune magic and advanced science, creating a Railgun that merged both magical and scientific principles.
The laser raced towards the machine network building with incredible speed, annihilating any machine life forms unfortunate enough to be in its path as it struck the target. The destructive power of the Railgun was unleashed, tearing through the defenses of the machine network building.
*BOOOM!!*
The earth shook violently from the powerful impact, resulting in the destruction of numerous Goliath-type machine life forms. The machine network building crumbled, leaving the ground ablaze with flames and presenting a fractured, lava-like landscape. Flyer-type machine life forms plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the scorched ground. The once chaotic environment filled with lasers and attacking sounds fell silent.
Amidst the aftermath, a large crack appeared on the ground, transforming into a wormhole where the destroyed building once stood. Emerging from the wormhole was a figure of a woman, unclothed and lacking any discernible sexual features. White, flowing hair trailed behind her as she hovered with anger-filled red eyes fixed upon Babylon. The ground trembled intensely, as if the very world itself resonated with fury.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few minutes earlier, the Red girls had sensed the imminent threat to their last machine network base. Recognizing the potential danger, they hastily began creating their physical bodies, knowing that as long as they survived, they could rebuild even if the base was destroyed. In a desperate attempt to fortify their bodies, they tried to drain more planet life force from the machine nest.
Unbeknownst to Lucia and her companions, the Red girls manipulated the machine nests to forcefully drain massive amounts of planet life force. This unanticipated action caused the entire world to tremble, unleashing natural disasters in various parts of the globe. Lucia and her team remained unaware of these events, and by the time they realized the severity of the situation, the world's life force had been depleted, bringing it perilously close to its end.
Lucia and her team listened in shock as A2 described the sudden calamities that befell the world. The once-clear weather had turned tumultuous, with lightning striking from the sky without warning. Large cracks appeared in the ground, swallowing up many androids. A sense of urgency filled the air as they learned about the disasters unfolding.
White, who was also connected to the telepathic communication, quickly checked the locations of the androids on her transparent tablet. The signals of many androids had vanished, indicating the severity of the situation.
G16's voice joined the conversation, revealing that mutants were pouring out from the dark forest, adding another layer of crisis to the unfolding events. A2 and her team were en route back to base with Resistance androids, but the scale of the disasters seemed overwhelming.
Concern etched on her face, Lucia realized that the world was in chaos, and they needed to act swiftly to address the multiple threats converging on them.
As Saya shared her analysis of the dire situation, a somber atmosphere settled in the room. The girls listened attentively, their expressions reflecting a mix of concern and realization.
"If my guess is correct, the world is coming to an end soon," Saya concluded, prompting a moment of silence.
"Really?" Shizuka questioned, seeking further clarification.
"Just think about it. Android signals have disappeared worldwide, the weather has become dangerously unpredictable with natural disasters, and we've already witnessed the machine nests draining planet life force," Saya explained, her words sinking in as the gravity of the situation became increasingly apparent.
Nods of understanding rippled through the room as the harsh truth dawned on them. The world, once filled with life and stability, now faced an imminent and catastrophic end.
As the group processed the grim reality of the world's impending end, Saya offered a hypothesis about the events unfolding. She pointed out that the photos taken by Lucia and Esdeath in the dark forest revealed a structure resembling a machine nest, suggesting that the world itself had initiated a response to protect itself by destroying a visible nest on the surface. However, Saya speculated that the true machine nests, as known from anime, were likely located underground, hidden from the world's detection.
Lucia connected the dots, understanding that the machine life forms had orchestrated these events to conceal the true locations of the nests. Saya further explained that the black snake being guarding the nests was likely influenced by the world.
Determined to take action, Lucia made a decision. "I will go and deal with it. Please save the rest and bring them into Babylon," she declared, receiving nods of agreement from the other girls.
With a sense of urgency, Lucia prepared to confront the humanoid machine life form guarding the hidden nests, hoping to thwart the imminent destruction of the world.
As Lucia confronted the humanoid machine life form, the urgency of the situation weighed heavily on her shoulders. The girls, in the meantime, were actively working to save as many androids as possible, recognizing the gravity of the impending end of their world.
For YoRHa androids, the prospect of revival after death offered a glimmer of hope, but the Resistance androids faced a different fate. Without access to the YoRHa network, they couldn't upload their data and enjoy the benefits of revival.
In the midst of this chaotic scenario, Lucia remained focused on the task at hand. She rushed towards the female-shaped humanoid machine life form, utilizing her fly magic. The humanoid machine life form responded in kind, donning a red dress formed by radiant strings of light that wrapped around her body. The confrontation between Lucia and the machine life form unfolded with the fate of their world hanging in the balance.
As the confrontation unfolded, Red girl expressed her anger towards Lucia, accusing her of thwarting her plans. Lucia, however, remained calm despite the surprising revelation. She quickly deduced that the humanoid machine life form before her was none other than Red girl, the mastermind behind the machine war.
Lucia couldn't help but acknowledge the aura of power emanating from Red girl. With the destruction of the machine network, Red girl stood as the sole remaining machine life form in the vicinity.
"I was surprised that you drained the planet's energy so much," Lucia remarked, reflecting on the extent of the devastation caused by the machine nests.
"Do you think I would do that if my plans worked?" Red girl retorted with frustration, revealing a glimpse of the disrupted schemes she had envisioned.
After all, if her plans work she doesn't need to drain the planet's life force and fight with Lucia like now. But they need that energy now as without it they would die. Even now, almost all machine life forms have been destroyed and they can't be recreated again as the machine networks are gone.
"Yeah right. Anyway, you want to experiment my wife and I want to kill you. So, let's just kill each other."
"…"
They don't talk any more reason as they can't coexist and start to fight. The red girl disappeared from her place and slashed with the sword that she just created, Lucia dodged the attack but her cheek was injured slightly.
As the battle intensified, Lucia's movements became a mesmerizing display of agility and precision. She countered Red girl's attacks with a combination of swordplay and magical prowess. Red girl, fueled by desperation and anger, unleashed a barrage of energy projectiles, attempting to overwhelm Lucia.
The landscape bore the scars of their conflict—cracks in the ground, scorched earth, and the remnants of Red girl's destructive power. The air crackled with the release of magical energy as the two powerful beings clashed with relentless determination.
Lucia gradually gained the upper hand. The red girl, realizing the tide turning against her, pushed her abilities to the limit. She conjured illusions, attempted to manipulate the environment, and launched relentless assaults in a last-ditch effort to turn the tables.
The outcome of this monumental battle would not only decide the fate of Lucia and Red girl but also determine the final destiny of a world teetering on the edge of annihilation. The echoes of their conflict resonated through the desolate realm, marking the climax of a war that had raged for far too long.
As the battle unfolded, Lucia couldn't help but be surprised by Red girl's formidable strength. Even without using any special abilities, Red girl's attacks were able to reach Lucia, showcasing the incredible power of her newly formed body. Lucia, at level 89, was no slouch in terms of strength, but facing an opponent with such an overwhelming physical prowess raised the stakes of the battle.
Realizing the potential threat posed by Red girl's strength, Lucia understood the urgency of ending the confrontation swiftly. The longer the battle dragged on, the more risks it posed to her, given the seemingly unparalleled physical capabilities of her adversary. Determined to protect herself and the world, Lucia steeled herself for a focused and decisive assault against Red girl.
In the midst of the chaotic battlefield, Lucia and Red girl engaged in a fierce sword duel. Lucia's katana, "Sakura," clashed with the myriad of red energy-infused swords created by Red girl. The exchange of sword strikes left behind traces of red energy in the air, a testament to the intensity of their conflict.
As the battle raged on, the very fabric of the world seemed to respond to the clash between these powerful beings. Ominous clouds gathered overhead, casting an eerie shadow over the battleground suspended between heaven and earth. The ground itself began to crack and fissures appeared, releasing streams of lava that added to the tumultuous environment.
The sea, affected by the world's life force being drained, churned violently, giving rise to massive waves that swelled and crashed upon the unstable ground. The once serene landscape had transformed into a tumultuous arena, mirroring the gravity of the battle that unfolded between Lucia and Red girl. Each sword strike reverberated through the air, echoing the high stakes of this final confrontation.
The clash of swords and the dance of combat continued in the tumultuous sky. Red girl relentlessly attacked Lucia, manifesting a barrage of energy-infused swords and closing the distance between them with incredible speed. Lucia, equally formidable, swiftly sheathed her katana, "Sakura," in a mechanical scabbard, preparing for a decisive counter.
With a fluid motion, Lucia drew her katana from the sheath in midair, executing a precise and swift katana drawing technique. The air itself seemed to resonate with the speed and power of her movement. As Lucia and Red girl crossed blades, the clash of their weapons sent shockwaves through the sky, leaving behind trails of energy.
The intensity of their battle reached new heights as the surroundings continued to crumble under the strain of their incredible powers. The two lights, representing Lucia and Red girl, danced through the chaotic sky, each striving for victory in this monumental confrontation.
The battle reached its zenith as Lucia unleashed the full extent of her power. With the precision and speed of her katana drawing technique, she effortlessly deflected the barrage of swords that Red girl sent her way. The circular sword traces surrounding Lucia served as a testament to her incredible skill and mastery over the blade.
When Red girl closed in for another attack, Lucia's swift and precise movements came into play once more. Blocking Red girl's sword with the hilt of her katana, Lucia effortlessly kicked her opponent away, creating distance between them. In that momentary pause, Lucia seized the opportunity to execute the devastating "Abyssal Slash."
With a single, incomprehensibly fast motion, Lucia drew her katana, slashing through the fabric of reality itself. The invisible sword traces left in its wake resembled shattered glass, marking the paths of destruction. As Lucia resheathed her katana, the mirrored shards dissipated, revealing the fragmented form of Red girl falling to the ground.
The battlefield fell silent, the chaotic sky and crumbling surroundings now witnessing the aftermath of Lucia's decisive strike.
"No--way---" Red girl fell with disbelief, her life extinguished in an instant. Lucia sighed, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle in as the battle concluded. If she hadn't unleashed her full power, defeating Red girl might not have been so swift.
[Mission (2): Destroy all machine life forms has been completed!]
[You have received 500,000 Coins!]
A light-blue, transparent panel appeared in front of Lucia as the mission was complete. Mission (1) had already been accomplished when she expelled Red girl from the YoRHa network, and now, with this, all missions were complete.
Initially, Lucia only intended to rescue the YoRHa soldiers and leave the other androids in this world. However, due to Red girl's actions, the world was now on the brink of destruction. So, she had no choice but to bring all the androids to the next world.
"Lucia!"
"Hey, White, is everything all right?" Lucia heard White's call and responded, weariness evident in her voice.
"Yes, but I think the world is on the brink of ending soon. We found a portal-like thing beneath us."
"Okay, I will come there."
As soon as Lucia teleported to White, she found herself surrounded by all of her wives. They were now inside the military building where the YoRHa androids were stationed.
"Lucia, we saw this portal under us," White informed her.
Lucia looked at a large screen displaying the portal. It had a pitch-black center, surrounded by slow, undulating waves. It resembled a space tunnel.
"How did it appear?" Lucia asked.
"It just appeared out of nowhere, as if that place distorted, as if the space itself was twisted," White replied.
"Hmm… I think it's because the world has become unstable," Yuriko speculated.
"Yes, it might be, and it looks like a portal. Similar things happen in anime and manga after all," Saya added.
"What do you think? Should we go there?" Lucia asked the girls.
"Well, we can't leave the androids here, and you can't give a 'world traveling ticket' to all the androids, right? There were slightly over 300, including us," Saya pointed out.
"Just over 300, including us? Oh… they must have died when the world's disasters appeared," Lucia thought.
"Right. Okay. Prepare defensive magic; we will pass through that portal or tunnel with Babylon," Lucia commanded, and the girls nodded as they prepared, heading into the portal.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------