Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction / Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Ginga GIRI GIRI! The Universe is in Danger! ❯ The Legacy of Izanagi ( Chapter 75 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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Ginga GIRI GIRI! The Universe is in Danger!
By SSJ Heero (http://animenext.knorf.net)
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---- Recap ----

[Chibi characters of the Crew minus Davis appear in the foreground as scenes from the last
episode play in the background. Though, you can't see 'cause this is text. Haha!]

SSJ: Last time on GINGA GIRI GIRI!

Amiko: So, everyone's happy because Rantmon's beaten, right?

Kensou: Wrong! Black Amiko and Shadow meet up with Nataku and Gouki of the Nishiten.

TM: Fight scene and stuff, and then Jallopsimon finds a Rood Inverse seal on his forehead.

Cindy: And then, we all run into Atma. So, on with the show!

---- Chapter 75: The Legacy of Izanagi ----

The Crew sat within TM's room, sheets messily thrown about and trash littering the floor.
The table was cluttered with magazines with attractive girls on the cover, and a large sack
of money lay in the corner. Atma sat upon one of the chairs by the table, turning it to
face the bed on the other side of the room. Amiko and TM sat on the end of the bed; Kensou
leaned upon the wall with his arms crossed, and SSJ and Momo sat by the window. They all
faced Atma as he sighed.

"It's best to begin at the very start of things," he muttered. He turned to each of them.
"You all know the history of the Rood Inverse, right?"

The Crew exchanged glances. Amiko turned to Atma and replied, "All we knew was that it
represents the Six Gods and is sometimes used as a seal."

Atma nodded. He then took a piece of paper and a pencil. He began sketching on it, the
scratching sounds filling the almost silent room. Finally, he put down the pencil and
passed the paper to TM. Amiko leaned over and saw what he had drawn. She passed it to
Kensou, who gave it a surprised glance before handing it to SSJ and Momo.

SSJ took it and saw the picture, Momo leaning in to see it. It was a heptagon, a
seven-sided polygon. Upon each corner was a circle with a symbol for an element. He looked
upon them. There was Light, Fire, Ice, Earth, Sky, Darkness... And there was one more. He
recognized the kanji within the circle. Death.

Atma began speaking again, "When the world was first created by Mauzel, she originally
created seven Gods. The seventh one, the God of Death, was supposed to look after the
humans she made upon Terra, and make sure they would enter the Underworld."

TM then interrupted, "So, why did it change? What happened to the Seventh God?" Amiko
kicked him for rudely interrupting. They exchanged glares.

Atma turned to him and answered, "Because of his association with torture and pain, the
humans came to hate him, though they never saw or understood what he did. Humans die
anyway, and he was the one that protected them after they died.

"However, upon the arrival of a certain organism into our plane, everything changed. Virus
invaded the Underworld. He had little power within the Underworld- the God of Death was
only a transport into there. Virus hid within there, waiting for the moment to rise.

"When Virus revealed itself, it absorbed countless souls until finally all the God of Death
could do was isolating it with a giant wall. The Gods brought down judgment upon the lone
God, who failed to protect the dead as well as allowing Virus, allowed the humans to hate
him and the gods, and finally let Virus grow powerful. They struck him down from their
existence and exiled him to Terra, where he became human."

Suddenly, Kensou interrupted, "And how do you know all this?" Everyone turned to him.
"There's no record of anything before three million years, when humans began to write. How
was this exact story known? Where did you learn this?"

Atma was silent for a bit, taking a deep breath and contemplating. Finally, Atma replied,
"It is because I wasn't taught this truth. I knew it from the start. I am the reincarnation
of the God of Death, Izanagi."

Everyone was silent, taken aback at this sudden, immense revelation. No one was able to
speak as Atma closed his eyes and continued his story.

***

Before Rantmon's quest to seal the Six Gods, before President Mishima spread the plague
among the people, and even before the extinction of the Asura, the world was not all one
nation under Solarice. The world was split into eleven nations. Solarice stood atop the
world, its technology able to surpass all the magic of the rival nations.

Naydis, Westerra, and Lunar were its allies as a war was taking place. With the
assassination of King Mercuria, Solarice demanded that Japan hand over the assassin. It was
widely believed that the assassin hid in Japan, yet Japan thoroughly refused to follow
through the ultimatum. It allied with the other nations, taking a stand against Solarice.

The great war came and went. Millions died in the war, and millions war would have died in
the aftermath. Had the nations not combined into one whole, millions of people would have
suffered. Yet, they joined not because of this crisis, but of a much greater one. As the
world escaped the frying pan that was the Terran War, it entered the fires of the Ragnarok.

***

The streets of Solarice were crowded as usual. With the war, everything was rationed and
everyone fought to get their fair share. Civility died in favor of survival instincts. It
was difficult to care about anyone else.

A boy with black, wily hair, mostly slicked back with a few stubborn bangs, walked through
the streets. When he came, his ice blue eyes shone clear to the crowd. The fighting crowd
suddenly was calmed. Everyone grew silent. They quickly shuffled to the sides of the street
and away from the boy, staring at him.

The boy looked left and right, wanting to make eye contact with each of them. None of them
returned his pleading looks. His eyes rested on the ground and he walked past.

The people whispered gossip amongst themselves. Though the boy didn't respond, he heard
them quite clearly. "It's that freak Japanese kid," some said. Others whispered, "I don't
know why he bothers living." The gossip never stopped. "No parents, brothers, or family of
any kind. The bastard's alone." He had gotten used to it when he was just four. "That damn
Takegawa kid."

They never said his first name. After all, they never respected him that much. The crowd
continued to quietly gossip, though not quietly enough. Not as if they really cared if he
heard. They all knew who he was. They hated him for that very reason.

He quietly stalked through the crowds until he was finally past the market, and the
activity resumed behind him.

"Haha, that was brilliant, my lord!" a rather deep voice said down the street.

Walking through Solarice that day was the new King of Solarice, Ryuuma Mishima, laughing
and joking with the aging form of Ichirou Kurosawa. They laughed amongst themselves as they
discussed how Solarice would lead the nations. Mishima spoke, "Of course! We can not let
Otaria try to overtake us! Their backwards, magical society can't stand up against the
power of human science!"

Before the two were Mishima's son, Gen Mishima, and his prearranged wife, Misato Akatani,
both at the age of 15. Gen whispered, "Geez, my dad is so loud."

Misato giggled and replied, "Well, that's just his way, right?" Gen just looked away with
narrow eyes.

Such high-classed citizens rarely walked amongst the common streets, especially so casually
after the Terran War. Yet, King Mishima always insisted on being personal with one's
subjects. Around the four were various men in black suits.

"What had you planned on doing before my dad found you?" asked Gen as they stepped down the
street.

Misato rubbed her chin, thinking of the possibilities. "I don't know," she answered. "I
didn't have anything in mind when I was alone. Good thing your dad found me!" Misato stayed
close to Gen, smiling widely as he happily grinned. Suddenly, they heard clicks from the
men in black all around. Mishima and Kurosawa stopped as well. Through the small gaps in
the men in black, they saw the lone boy walking through the street.

Misato knew him on sight. She had seen him pass by quite often, since she was actually a
commoner. She knew he was always alone, but never knew why. They had been heading to her
home when they saw Takegawa stepping towards them. The men in black gripped their guns,
quite aware of the boy. Misato knew not why.

The other three among her did. They sneered at the boy, who glared at them out of the
corner of his eyes in return. He walked past, saying nothing. He had gone a distance away
before the men in black holstered their guns. And they continued on. Misato looked back at
the boy. Their eyes met for a bit when Takegawa turned back to look at them. Misato turned
back as Takegawa stopped in his tracks.

No one had made eye contact with him like that before... Not even in his deepest memories.

***

Takegawa continued down the street, turning a corner and continuing into the slums. The
worst place in all of Solarice was in there. Food rotting in the streets was the best
anyone could get, if they were lucky enough. One set of clothes had to be worn from birth
to death. No one smiled or laughed. This was the only place that did not mind Takegawa's
presence. After all, they had their own problems.

Takegawa continued down, feeling rather happy that he made casual eye contact with someone.
At least, he believed it was happiness. He had never felt so good. As he was lost in his
thoughts, he accidentally turned down the wrong road. He immediately recognized the area.
The walls were the deepest shade of black. On the ground was filth worse than anything
else. The stench could overpower even the most hardened criminal. It was the worst place to
be in of the entire world.

He had passed the alley were he slept, and he turned to leave. But a voice called for him,
"Who are you, boy?"

Takegawa turned around. He saw a single man emerge from the darkness before him. What he
saw was the most frightening scene ever.

The man was barely alive, muscles deteriorated to a disgusting degree. His bones shown at
every opportunity, and his eyes were about to fall from their sockets. He crawled through
the puddles of filth, not caring about the flecks that splashed all over him. His clothes
were merely rags, dirty beyond recognition. Takegawa noticed the gray sores all over his
body. Takegawa tried to begin, "You're..."

The man smiled. Takegawa stopped as the man came up to him and looked him in the face.
"Well, isn't this nice. You have the same ice blue eyes."

Takegawa froze. This man knew him? Takegawa knew the man alright. The man was the murderer
of King Mercuria. It was the assassin that the country sought from Japan, yet he had been
hiding under their noses deep in a place worse than Hell. And the man knew him?

"H-how do you know me?" Takegawa asked.

The man smiled and turned away. He began to crawl back towards the darkness, "I know a
great deal about you, Izanagi." He crawled towards the darkness, Takegawa stunned at what
the man just called him. The man then paused. He turned to face Takegawa. "I know about
your troubles. Do you not hate the world that has shunned you?"

Takegawa was taken aback by the question. His eyes fell to the ground. He saw his
reflection within the puddles. He saw his face, hated by almost everyone in Solarice. His
face twisted in a glare. "Yes!" he shouted in reply as he looked at the man.

The man smiled. "We shall meet again, seeking the Ragnarok," was all the man said before
disappearing in the shadows again. Takegawa searched the alley later on, but never found
the man.

***

As the days passed, Takegawa stayed at the end of his alley, trash lying all around him. He
sat upon his bed- a soiled mattress he was lucky enough to find within a dumpster not to
far away. No one ever came to bother him, and for now he was happy about that. He pondered
what that man had meant by calling him Izanagi.

He had never heard the term, yet for some reason it sounded vaguely familiar. As he stared
at the sky far above, he saw clouds gather overhead. Slowly, clouds darkened the whole sky,
and he groaned as he felt the first drops of rain. He hoped his cardboard awning would stay
up, hoping at all the duct tape he used would be enough to withstand the force.

The weeks passed with unrelenting rain, and Takegawa had groaned when the makeshift awning
began leaking within hours. He hid within a dumpster with its side cut out, allowing him to
stare at the opposite brick wall as a wall of water separated him from the outside.

He didn't hear footsteps coming. With the rain banging atop the dumpster, he just lay on
his side, staring at the wall with his head supported by a bunch of old newspapers. He
didn't hear the puddles rippling as someone stepped through them. But he saw a pair of legs
appear before the opening of his dumpster.

The person crouched down, revealing herself to be Misato Akatani, holding an umbrella to
protect herself from the rain. Takegawa was completely stunned to see her. Misato weakly
smiled and asked, "May I come in?"

Takegawa knew not how to reply. He stiffened and sat up, allowing room within the dumpster
for Misato to hide under the lid. She closed her umbrella and set it beside her, and she
proceeded to straighten her messy, yet straight hair.

Takegawa said nothing, he just stared at her in surprise. Misato saw him staring at her and
smiled back. Takegawa immediately looked away. "Quite a comfortable place you have here,"
she finally commented.

Takegawa said nothing, staring at the brick wall before him. Misato then asked, "No one I
talked to ever answered, so can I ask you something?"

There was a long pause. Takegawa stared at the brick wall. He sat in the fetal position,
hugging his knees tightly. He finally answered, "Go ahead."

Misato cheerfully asked, looking too at the brick wall before them, "What's your name? How
old are you?"

There was another long pause. Takegawa contemplated her reasons for coming and asking. He
could find no ulterior motive in her voice. He answered, "Akito Takegawa. I think I'm 16."

Misato looked at him. "Think?" she repeated.

"I stopped counting when I was five. Since then I've seen about eleven Christmas trees, so
I guess I'm sixteen."

Misato nodded and looked at the brick wall ahead. Akito turned to look at her out of the
corner of his eye. He then spoke, "Can I ask you something?" Misato turned to face him,
nodding. "Why did you come here?"

Misato smiled and looked at the brick wall before them. "I guess I've always wondered why
everyone hated you," she replied. "The people my age only hate you because they acquired it
from their parents."

"And you?"

Misato's smile weakened. Her eyes turned to the puddles forming before the dumpster. "I
don't have any parents," she replied. "They died during the Great Winter six years ago.
Since then, Mishima-san has been very kind to me. Though I chose to live on my own, he
hires maids to help me and all. Even if it was so that I would marry his son, I can't help
but feel grateful. The day we ran into you was the first I saw him use that look."

Akito nodded, taking in the story. As he listened, he failed to notice the rain dying
before them. It was a brief lull in the rain. Akito stepped out onto the soaked ground.
Misato followed, getting to her feet beside him. She then caught sight of Akito, tears
streaming down his face. "Akito?" she asked.

And suddenly, she was caught in an embrace. Akito held his arms around her, holding her
tightly. She was taken aback as she heard him mutter, "You're the first person to treat me
so kindly..." Misato was silent for a long time.

Akito let go, wiping away his tears. Misato weakly smiled and said, "Sorry, but I have to
go now, Akito." She turned and stepped away, towards the exit of the alley.

She then heard Akito yell, "Wait!" She paused and turned around. "Will you come back?" he
asked.

Misato forced a smile. "I'll try," she said before she disappeared behind the corner.

***

Indeed, she returned again. She began going to Akito's alley quite frequently, sometimes
coming once a week. While this may seem rather infrequent to some, Akito cared little. He
had finally found someone who acknowledged him.

The years passed, and Akito learned more about Misato and her engagement with Gen Mishima.
The two were to be married when they turned eighteen, which was then a few weeks away. He
learned of how she wanted to be able to help everyone, despite being a commoner. She
genuinely loved Gen- he was sweet, caring, and very friendly with everyone (well, except
for Akito, of course).

She, too, learned a great deal about Akito. Akito had been alone all his life. He had no
parents or siblings, much like her. He had always been resented by the higher citizens
because of who he was. Everyone knew of what had been branded on his back, and at one
point, he showed her. Misato saw that upon Akito's back was the Blood Sin.

Akito was the heretic, the leader of the ones against the Gods.

Akito never did know of such a thing. He had the symbol since birth, not knowing why he had
it. Akito never mentioned being called "Izanagi" by the man, since he didn't understand it.
During those years, he didn't want to push the only one who understood him away. He wanted
it to stay like that forever.

***

Akito was eighteen when everything began falling apart. Misato had turned eighteen and
married Gen Mishima, becoming the princess of Solarice. In that instant, she had jumped
from commoner to nobility, and everyone in the streets happily greeted her. She was
beautiful, kind, and fair, and because so Akito couldn't help but feel sad when she came to
him a week after the wedding.

During their meeting there, she had told him, "Sorry, but I can't come so often anymore.
I'll try to come whenever." And she never came.

A month later, Akito stepped through the streets, ignoring the cold crowed as he stepped
towards the slums. He stepped into the place with the grimy walls and rolling trash. And he
noticed not a soul stirred. It was completely silent, no one moving anywhere. He realized
why. No one was there. They all had disappeared.

Suddenly, something stabbed into his shoulder. It was a shuriken. He looked up in surprise,
and there atop the brick buildings was a single figure, dressed in black. It was a ninja
who had come to assassinate him.

The ninja said nothing as he threw another shuriken straight at Akito's head. Akito ducked,
letting the shuriken speed over him, slicing off a lock of hair. Suddenly, something else
stabbed through his hand. He looked down and saw a kunai had torn through his hand and
embedded into the stone.

Akito's blood rushed from his face. He looked up, seeing the ninja upon the roof of the
brick building. No one could hear Akito scream. No one would come to his aide anyway if
they did. The ninja pulled a kunai from his pocket.

And suddenly, something tore out of the building. The ninja was taken aback as one thin arm
tore out of the building and grabbed his leg. He was suddenly lifted into the air and out
from the building came the man who had assassinated King Mercuria.

Akito stared at the sight. The ninja suddenly screamed as he tried to get free from the
man. The ninja prepared his kunai. The man slammed the ninja into the brick wall, stunning
him. The man immediately tossed him straight at the concrete ground. The ninja was
momentarily disoriented. It was just enough for the man to crawl down the wall towards the
ninja, saliva pouring from his mouth.

The ninja regained his senses as the man crawled over to him on all fours. The man's hands
shot forward, grabbing the man's face. It was pulled up and slammed into the concrete. It
was pulled up again and slammed again. It was not long after that the ninja's skull
cracked, and a steady flow of blood came from his nose.

Akito saw the man kill the ninja. He was stunned, forgetting the pain in his left hand for
a bit. It soon returned, and he was forced to tear the kunai out of his hand with much
pain. The man crawled over to him. "Come," said the man. "I'll let you see the truth."

Akito held his left hand tightly. The man pulled old bandages from his ragged clothes. "Use
them," said the man as he crawled along. Akito looked with confusion at the thin man, but
still bandaged his wounds.

***

Akito followed the man through the backstreets of Solarice. They traveled through the
alleys towards a single building. They sat below an open window, where low voices were
audible through. They sat on the filthy ground and leaned upon the grimy brick wall.

Akito heard a feminine voice say, "He has no weakness." He recognized the voice. It was
Misato. "He's just a lonely boy. What more is there to say?"

Akito's eyes were wide as he listened to the conversation. They were talking about him.
What were they talking about that had to do with him? He listened intently. "He was able to
kill one of our ninja," said a deep voice. "He's clearly even more dangerous than we
thought," Akito heard someone say. Misato began to speak again, but she was interrupted,
"Make sure he arrives at Central Park, somewhere with a clear shot from the garage."

Akito didn't want to listen anymore. They were talking about assassinating him. He shook
all over, feeling a gigantic pain in his heart. Misato was just acting. She never cared. He
felt his entire anger rise up at once. Akito turned to the man. "You said something about
Ragnarok, right? I don't care any more, I'll join you," he told the man. The man smiled.

The man spoke, "Then, stand still as I enter." Akito didn't know what that meant. He saw
the man hold out his arm. To his surprise, a gray matter appeared out of the man's ears and
mouth. The man gasped in pain suddenly as the gray substance crawled out of him and entered
Atma through his ears and mouth.

All the gray ooze had left the man. He fell to the ground, no longer strong enough to
stand. Akito felt the ooze crawl throughout his body, entering his brain and flowing
through his veins. He finally understood. The thing was Virus. He himself was Izanagi, the
reincarnation of the seventh god. He was the one exiled by the other Gods. They had caused
his pain. They had cost him his happiness. The truth came down upon him quickly, yet he
took it all.

Akito turned towards the frail man and put his foot on the man's head. Blood splattered all
over the walls as shards of weak bone littered the area. Akito felt power flowing through
him. He understood everything. The Blood Sin's power, his legacy, his existence, he
understood it all.

Akito turned away from the building, not bothering listening to the people arguing inside,
Misato's voice loudly shouting for something. He didn't listen. He didn't care.

***

Akito didn't hear Misato's protests on murdering Akito. He didn't hear her refuse to be one
of the people who would kill him. He was already heading away from Solarice, heading toward
the Red Mountains.

During this time, he amassed an army against the Gods. Within the Red Mountains, he forged
a weapon of celesium, using the few tools available to him by his army. It was completed
within a month, and with it he went to challenge the Gods.

He stood upon the highest point of the Red Mountains, and there he made himself known to
the Gods. He held his new weapon high and shouted his name at the Gods. His hatred emanated
throughout his army, who too had been abandoned by the Gods.

Suddenly, a bright red light came from his army. The men turned to look at each other and
saw Akito's unsurprised face. He was using them as a sacrifice!

Their souls were ripped from their bodies and brought into the sword. Their empty vessels
collapsed upon the mountain paths. Akito held his blade tightly and yelled, "I have
surpassed my body and can control souls! I am the new form of Izanagi! I am Atma!"

The world heard his cries then. The images of his soul stealing was broadcast around the
world, and everyone felt the weight of the world upon their shoulders. Atma's power was
felt throughout the world, the one man able to surpass the Gods. Atma headed for Lunar.

***

The world wasn't sitting about and waiting for Atma to reach his goal. Oh no, through every
television upon the planet, Ryuuma Mishima appeared. To the surprise of the entire world,
he called for everyone to cast aside their differences. The king of each nation was called
together, and the first ever Terran Council was held. There was Mishima and Kurosawa, the
other ten kings, a man known as "Icarus", and the ancestor of Kale West, Bartholomew West.

They agreed to cast aside their enmities and seek the defeat of Atma. Yet, that wasn't
enough for Mishima. Mishima called for the rest to give up the throne and let all the
nations assimilate into one. The kings screamed in protest.

Yet, Mishima persisted, yelling at those who were too worried about their image rather than
the fate of the world. Solarice led the world in technology, and of course would be able to
help the world better than everyone, so Mishima pleaded.

Days passed with Mishima insisting on the idea. And finally they all agreed and let Mishima
lead the world should he defeat Atma. Mishima's mind was blank, unable to think of a way to
defeat him.

It was then that a man arrived into the room uninvited. "How about we have the world help
in the Omega Flare?" Everyone turned to the new man, who seemed crazy to suggest using the
spell. He was the head priest of the Gods.

***

The world mobilized uneasily, afraid of another Terran War. As the days slowly trudged on,
the governments of the other countries were transformed into provinces of the one country:
Terra. The army was far from ready, and it would take a great while for them to face Atma.
Mishima assured them to not worry.

As Atma neared Lunar, a small band intercepted his path. One of them stepped forward to
face Atma. "We have been sent by Naydis to stop you," said the man.

Atma gave one quick glance at the man. Atma was surprised, but none the less smirking when
he said, "It's funny how such a immoral government is trying to protect the Gods." The man
twitched. "After all, toying with humans and playing Gods isn't exactly fitting for humans."

A shorter woman stepped forward and yelled, "You're human, too! Stop this!"

Atma drew his sword. "I am far more," said Atma. "I am not human, and neither are you
freaks. I won't hold back against anyone."

The man shook. "You dare call me a freak?!" spat the man. Atma said nothing.

"Shinsuke!" screamed the woman as a blade of bone tore out of the back of the man's hand.
Atma was surprised when the man sprinted at him, pulling the bone sword out of his body.
Atma blocked with his own blade, and he kicked Shinsuke away. The woman shouted again,
"Shinsuke-"

"ANYA, STAY BACK!" screamed Shinsuke at the woman, who froze in place. "I don't care who it
is. I will prove that I am not just an experiment!" In an instant, his arm extended and
reached Atma's neck. Atma cut through it with his blade and immediately was behind
Shinsuke. Anya screamed as Atma brought the blade down upon Shinsuke.

Shinsuke barely slipped out of the major danger, but he still couldn't avoid receiving a
gash from shoulder to hip. Atma muttered, "Tch," as Shinsuke fell to the ground. Atma
sheathed his sword and stepped towards Lunar, Anya screaming for Shinsuke.

But the short pause for the battle was all that the world needed. He saw a small fleet of
planes appear in the air, coming from Naydis. Atma swore as they landed and soldiers rushed
to the scene. They surrounded him quickly and aimed their guns at him.

Atma sighed and let out a war cry. He dashed at the nearest soldier. Atma tore through the
soldiers with ease. Blood flew everywhere and spilled amongst the grass all around. Nothing
but red was seen in the area, and screams filled the air. Atma was about to tear the last
soldier in two when it happened.

He heard footsteps behind him. He quickly wheeled around and saw Misato. He dropped his
blade in surprise. Misato came to him with tears in her eyes. "Misato," he barely managed
as she walked up to him. She threw her arms around him and let her weight fall on him. He
was taken aback.

"Please, stop," she pleaded. Atma stood there, eyes wide open, the wits surprised out of
him. "Please... I'm sorry..."

***

The priest stood within Solarice, looking towards Lunar. Around him stood Mishima,
Kurosawa, and the other kinds. Throughout the world, people kneeled within their homes and
clasped their hands together, wishing for the menace known as Atma to disappear. They felt
themselves growing weaker, feeling energy lead them. They saw a bright white ball of energy
escape from them and fly into the air.

Balls of light flew from every home upon the world, escaping into the air worldwide. From
space, the planet seemed to glow from all the light. The balls moved through the air,
heading en masse towards Solarice. They surrounded the city as a glowing Rood Inverse
appeared on the ground. The balls disappeared. The priest coughed in pain as he used all
his energy. Blood came from his mouth as he whispered, "It is done." He then fell on his
side, dead.

Gen Mishima dashed onto the scene too late. His father spotted him and was about to tell
him the good news, but Gen screamed, "Damn it!" He clutched a portable TV in his hand.
"Dad, Misato's out there!" Everyone was taken aback.

***

Anya and Shinsuke saw it. In the air, a single ball of light sparkled. Atma was taken aback
when he, too, noticed the light. He suddenly felt a searing pain. He screamed in pain,
shoving Misato away. His ear began to bleed. Virus tore out of his ear and formed into its
thin, crawling body. "What the Hell?!" screamed Atma. "What are you doing?!"

Virus shouted back to him, "Surviving!" And he dashed away. Atma screamed after Virus, who
sped away faster than Atma could follow. Atma turned back to the light, hovering just over
Misato. Atma dashed at Misato and held her tightly. Anya and Shinsuke were barely able to
set up a barrier of thick bone before the light burst.

A tremendous explosion tore through the area. The ground tore apart miles before the edge
of the ball of energy, tearing into Terra. The explosion raced throughout the land,
engulfing all in its path. Cities tore apart in its wake. Countless animals instantly
vanished. The ball of energy reached the water, quickly making it sublime. And finally, the
explosion stopped growing.

A gigantic ball of energy stood upon the surface of the planet, more than two thousand
miles in diameter. It cut into the polar ice caps, separated a small piece of land from the
mainland, and when the ball disappeared, left a gigantic crater.

The waters rushed into the deep crater, revealing land formations that had existed under
the water. The water level sank a great distance. The sky was filled with dirt, smoke,
steam, and ash. The world became covered in a cloud of black, thick enough to block out all
light from the sun. And in the middle of the destruction, the Atma weapon stood at the
bottom of the crater, later to be called the Rift. It stood proudly, embedded in the dirt,
even though its soul had faded away...

***

The darkness that engulfed the world was nothing compared to Solarician technology, so
claimed Ryuuma Mishima between heavy coughs. The man's health had deteriorated after the
Omega Flare's casting, but he persisted on leading the world through the crisis. He claimed
technology and faith would save the world from the winter that awaited them. And he was
right.

The darkness was cleared away by a group of alchemists. The clouds were the materials they
used in their alchemy. One particularly gifted one of them was a man named Lunn
Morningwood, who was able to see through the darkness.

When the darkness disappeared from the planet, the damage could finally be assessed.
Immense changes took place upon the world. The map had to be redrawn. The newly discovered
land had to be quickly changed. Mana was leaking from the center of the rift, and a great
deal of mutations in the animals took place. Mana had been drained, and magic had been
weakened. All that was left to rely upon was the magic of mankind: science. From there it
grew and grew, eventually becoming advanced like in Century City.

On Mishima's death bed, he drafted one final law. It decreed that no one could speak of the
Ragnarok or of the Terran War. All records of the two were to be destroyed, and history
should be falsified in order to erase the two's existence. Within two generations, all
indications of the war disappeared. The newly revealed land quickly was used for cities and
harbors. The Rift was said to be a natural landmark, since circles in nature were not so
uncommon.

Anya had miraculously survived the Omega Flare, but at a heavy price. Her body would always
duplicate her cells, even should she suffer a fatal blow. Not only that, but her body
stopped growing. In essence, she could never die. She was given the gloves that compressed
her body, and she wandered for a hundred years. Shinsuke had the same situation, and he
disappeared soon after Anya left.

Gen Mishima changed Solarice's government to a republic, suddenly not wanting to rule the
throne. He had never been the same since the Omega Flare, and everyone knew it was because
of Misato. But within two generations, all memory of the wars had vanished. The only
remaining hints of the war were the peculiar mana leakage in the Rift, a mysterious sword
found at the bottom of the said Rift, and two people who had survived the Omega Flare...

***

Atma was silent. His eyes fell to the ground. A great long silence fell upon the Crew. They
didn't know what to say or do. The Crew looked at one another, absorbing all the facts of
the story. All their questions got answers, but they didn't expect such a long one. They
never imagined the use of such a powerful spell. It was all unbelievable.

Atma spoke once more, "My soul met with the Gods, and they passed judgment to me. They made
me unable to die. My soul could not be reincarnated, so I wandered as a soul throughout the
land. But now, the Gods have allowed me to die, and I must throw away everything."

Atma stood up and stepped to SSJ. He held out his weapon. "We are both people of the Stars.
Take this and defeat Virus and destroy my legacy of hatred," Atma told him. SSJ weakly
nodded and took the sheathed weapon in both hands.

TM then suddenly got to his feet. TM started yelling, "Hey! How come he gets the powerful
weapon?!"

"A weapon is not powerful on its own," replied Atma. "Only the person makes a weapon
powerful."

TM was silent. Atma turned and headed for the door. TM then mustered the strength and
asked, "Do you know where that sword is? Izanagi's?" Atma suddenly stopped. He turned to
face TM. "I think we saw it in the Red Mountains, but it disappeared on its own. You see, I
have the Blood Sin now."

"I know," Atma replied. Atma turned away and said over his shoulder. "It has gone to where
Izanagi died. Look for the place where I died when I was Izanagi, somewhere in the Eastern
area of the Graveborn Marshes. If you find it, that will be great. It would be easier then
for everything related to me to finally be put to rest." With that, Atma headed for the
door.

Everyone saw Atma smiling as he pulled open the door and stepped outside. TM suddenly
realized how vague Atma's help was. He dashed to the door and yelled, "Wait a minute! Isn't
there a more specific-" He stopped. Atma was nowhere to be seen. TM looked left and right,
towards the ends of the hallway. Atma couldn't have gone that far. But he wasn't in the
hallway. Atma had faded from the world.

---- To Be Continued ----

- ENDING SONG: BLURRY EYES - L'ARC~EN~CIEL -

tooku no kaze wo
mi ni matou
anata ni wa todokanai
kotoba narabete mite mo
mata shisen wa dokoka
mado no mukou

kawaranai yokan wa tsudzuite-iru
ano hibi sae kumotte shimau

meguri-kuru toki ni
yakusoku wo ubaware-sou
kono ryoute sashi nobete mo
kokoro wa hanarete

(Your blurry eyes) ...your blurry eyes
(Your blurry eyes) ...kokoro wa
(Your blurry eyes) ...hanarete
(Your blurry eyes) ...yuku

---- Preview ----

[The instrumental version of "Eternal Blue" from the Lunar 2: Eternal Blue soundtrack plays
in background. The Crew minus Davis appear as chibi style, and random scenes from the next
episode play, though you can't see because this is text. Haha!]

SSJ: Next time on GINGA GIRI GIRI!

Amiko: TM leaves in search of the Izanagi as I am confronted with Black Amiko.

Kensou: SSJ is kicked out of the chapter and Amiko and I go with Black Amiko.

TM: Where do they go? What do they see?

Cindy: Find out next on GINGA GIRI GIRI! "Promise"

----