Resistance of steel
Chapter 4: Moon Knight
Both Spike and Luna were a little scared as they went through the portal. Luna wondered, if she would ever see her sister again and a small tear ran down her face. Spike wondered if Twilight got here safely and when he would meet her again. Both however, wondered what this world would be like. The flash disappeared, leaving only the Vorlent in the air.
The two pilots observed the situation. It appeared to be evening and they were floating over an ocean. Spike immediately activated the thrusters on the Volrent to make sure it stays that way. First they would have to get a sense of direction. Luna made the machine turn around to see, if there was any land nearby. Indeed she could see some lights in the distance and decided to head there first.
As the two of them got closer however, something seemed to be off. At a closer distance, they could see columns of smoke rising from the buildings and something seemed to be moving. Without a doubt, something bad was happening there right now. Luna did not know this world yet but she would surely not just fly away if anypony needed help. Even though she was not sure if there were any ponies here, besides herself and the element bearers.
At first the two of them thought they were just dizzy from the teleport but as they got closer, there was indeed something moving in that city. Gigantic statues seemed to be attacking the city. Those statues were about the same height as the Vorlent. One was still in the city itself, the other was walking towards a mountain. As they almost reached the shore, they saw something else too. From the rubble of what looked like it used to be a mansion rose another giant.
A strange feeling went through Luna's body. There was something strangely familiar about that giant robot. She couldn't help but stare at it for a while, trying to figure out what was so familiar, until Spike shook her shoulders. "Luna, wake up! We have to do something." Luna was taken out of her thoughts as they almost reached the shore now. The statue attacking the city was still standing in the water.
"Right, let's go. Spike, prepare the orgone blade." Spike nodded and went behind his own console again, rapidly pressing a number of buttons. It was a strange sensation, piloting this robot as if he hadn't done anything else his entire life but right now it was just a blessing. The right arm of the Vorlent glowed in a green light and a blade that appeared to be of an emerald-like crystal was formed, coming from the wrist.
Baron Ashura, a strange creature that was half man, half woman watched the familiar form that rose from the rubble of the mansion. Ashura looked like the right side of a man and left side of a woman were sewn together, split clean in the middle. Seeing the form in front, it remembered the day that the god Zeus has betrayed the other gods and sealed them behind that accursed door. Rage like some could only imagine burned inside of the creatures mind, even blinding it from the other attacker.
The giant statue that attacked the mansion crumbled as a giant, black fist punched right through it's head. Kouji Kabuto has managed to pilot the steel giant his grandfather calls Mazinger Z. It started for him, when those statues attacked the city. He wanted to get his brother and grandfather to safety as a flying machine was sent to him by his grandfather, the Pilder. Since the controls of the Pilder were similar to his motorbike, he quickly learned how to fly it, making his way back to the mansion. That is when his grandfather gave him another present, the Mazinger.
Even though the statue was already there and interrupted the first docking attempt, Kouji finally managed to dock the Pilder with Mazinger Z and as if on instinct, he managed to activate the first weapon, the rocket punch. The fist of the black robot was propelled through the head of the statue and through the air before it returned to the arm it belonged to. "This is the Mazinger Z? What an amazing power." He marvelled, as he looked towards the ocean.
At first, Kouji thought that there were enemy reinforcements as the other robot flew towards the shore, he got ready for battle. To his surprise, the glowing, green blade sliced through the neck of the other statue, still standing in the water. "Is this a new army robot? How did they get here so fast." His little brother however didn't care as long as somebody was helping them. "Who cares? The military is here and this robot is so cool, almost as cool as this Mazinger." His fear was now as good as gone after he saw both of the giant statues decapitated.
"Alright, let's go then. I'll just need to make it clear that I'm not with those goons." He wanted to go on greet this soldier, as he saw something else approaching. It was much smaller and easy to miss. "Brother, there is something approaching!" Warned his little brother, as the object came into view. This strange cross between man and woman was running towards the Mazinger at an insane speed, jumping high into the air.
Normally this should be no problem but there was something about this thing, it's strenght was enourmous. When it slammed into Mazinger Z, the giant robot staggered backwards and fell over. Kouji couldn't believe what he saw. One person toppled over such a powerful machine. He got a good look at it, while it stood on the Mazinger's face, repeatedly pounding on it while yelling something about Zeus. That's right, Kouji has seen old pictures of the god Zeus in some of his grandfather's books. Mazinger Z looked a lot like Zeus.
From the forests surrounding the city, a lone figure watched. Sayaka was one of the pilots of the photonic power labs and pilot of the Aphrodite A, their currently most powerful robot. When she heard of the attack on the city, she first assumed that the Britannians are trying to invade but was shocked, that there were completely unknown enemies. While waiting for reinforcements, another unknown unit appeared and attacked one of the statues.
Aphrodite was a very feminine-looking robot in appearance, going from form to face. Even the head looked a bit like she was wearing a tiara with the cockpit as centerpiece. From this reinforced glass dome, the pilot had a good outlook on the surroundings.
"Father, the situation has gotten more and more complicated, several unknowns are in the area and they all seem to be on different sides. What am I to do now?" She asked, while her father assessed the situation. He was the head researcher of the photon power labs, which just recently begun providing the rest of Japan with energy. They hoped, this alternative to Sakuradite would give them the edge they need to beat the invaders back. Now it seems, he will have to concentrate on a new enemy.
"Sayaka, contact the unknown pilots, which defended the city. If they are potential allies, we will have to combine our forces. Also, keep away from that person attacking the demonic-looking mech." If that mech could be taken out so easily, then Aphrodite may be outclassed too.
Her father was right, alone she could probably not do too much, not with everyone else patrolling the borders right now. That unknown pilot though might just give them the edge. "Alright father, I will sneak into the town and try to get some allies." With that, she slowly moved her Aphrodite through the forest, keeping her head low. From afar she could see more of those statues rising, just as the mech with the green energy sword went into the city.
At the shore that mech would have had no problem dealing with them but there were still people in the city and with superior numbers, the buildings would give them room to lay an ambush. Suddenly, Sayaka noticed something. "Wasn't Dai-Guard at the expo at the bay today."
It was true, the mascot of the twentieth century security corporation was displayed at the expo earlier. Dai-Guard was an impressive mech at the time, when the Heterodynes still attacked. At first, Dai-Guard was a mech designed to fight them back but they disappeared and the project was cancelled, even though it was fully operational. Since it still belonged to the corporation, they kept it and used it as a mascot.
As she reached the city, her pace quickened and she moved through any side street big enough to fit through. If her guess was right, the unknown would head towards the mountain and therefor take the most direct route. She just hoped this potential ally would not be ambushed beforehand.
Luna decided to take the route through the city instead of flying over. Not only did she want to keep the element of surprise, in case the other enemy didn't notice her but she also wanted to get a closer look at the creatures living here. There was no such luck though, they were all cooped up inside of their homes. Still, everything here seemed way too artificial with all the steel, stone and concrete. Only the few odd trees stuck out.
As she rounded a corner, she came face to face with another statue. It seems like the enemy reinforcements have arrived. Spike gave Luna a worried look. "I know you wanna help Luna but I don't think we should meddle in here too much. We don't even know who we are fighting." The baby dragon was right, Luna did not even really know why she immediately went for the attack.
"We are sorry Spike, you are right. Just take on the ones in the way, then we will flee from the battlefield and look for the others. Let us try the beam rifle." Spike nodded and activated the weapon in question, while Luna took aim at the approaching statue. The Vorlent's arm, holding the rifle, rose. A green glow came from the barrel of the gun, just before a beam of energy shot out, hitting the statue right in the chest.
It was thrown back and skidded along the street, right towards a large building. Luna now realized, that it might crash into the building and hurt the ones living inside. Quickly she flew over to the skidding statue and stomped on it, making it stop just before the crash. With a sigh of relief, she prepared to leave now, as her movement was stopped. Too late did the pilots realize, that the statue was still functional and grabbed the Vorlent by the ankle.
The Vorlent crashed down, face first, as the statue tried to rise up again. Luna and Spike were slouched over their consoles, almost thrown out of their seats by the crash. Rolling to the side and looking back, they got their bearings and aimed at the statues head, before it could attack. Another energy beam shot out of the rifle, hitting it in the head. This time, the statue did not rise up as the head was shattered into pieces.
As some of the rubble was thrown against the building, Luna and Spike feared for the people inside but luckily the damage seemed to be superficial. "Whoever they are, they build very sturdy homes. A tower back in Canterlot would have taken more damage." She observed.
"We are going to take more damage if we don't get out." Urged Spike, whose young mind was already experiencing too much. Even though he had his fair share of excitement because of the adventures Twilight and the others always went through but he was still a baby dragon. Stress was not something he could handle too much of yet.
"Yes, we are sorry, we should have been more careful." Maybe they would need helmets or something else to pad themselves with. During the crash now they could have been seriously hurt. It was almost a miracle that neither of them had crashed the console with their heads. Slowly and carefully she tried to get the Vorlent to stand again. From the corner of her eye, she could see something moving.
Spike sunk back into his seat, it was another one of those statues. Luna quickened the pace and looked towards the other direction. A second one was closing in. This wasn't good, they were on the ground an in a pincer, if they didn't get up right now, this might be the end for them.
The statue ahead was walking towards them and Luna and Spike still had to pry off the hand that grabbed the Vorlent's ankle. As it went past a cross section though, a giant fist collided with the statues face. "Who is that?" Wondered Luna, as the giant form came into view.
It looked a little bigger than the Vorlent with a red chest, shoulders and helmet. A grey plate marked the face and what looked like a golden star on its forehead. Its hands and feet were black in color. The statue crumbled under the force of that punch and fell to the ground, as their savior stood before them, steam coming out from some vents on its chest. "Do not worry, Dai-Guard is ready for action." Announced an energetic sounding male.
While this new arrival was a big surprise, the two pilots of the Vorlent were also glad for the help. From behind Dai-Guard, a shadow appeared and ran towards the red giant. At first, Luna wanted to warn her savior of an attacker but instead of receiving a blow from behind, the form leapt into the air and over Dai-Guard. This robot looked even stranger than Dai-Guard with its Tiara and those weird mounds on its chest. Luna wondered what they were good for, maybe they held a weapon.
Feet first, the second helper jumped onto the other statue, hitting it square in the chest. The giant form skidded along the ground for a while, before coming to a halt. The statue was still moving but a foot to the head quickly silenced it forever. "Wow, the Aphrodite from Photon Power Labs, about time you guys showed up." Came the male voice again.
Inside the Vorlent's cockpit, Luna was talking to Spike. "Alright, they are speaking the same language as we do, so we should be able to explain our situation. Although we should probably not tell them too much, too soon. They might want to confiscate the Vorlent. But for now, they are our only allies, so let's greet them." Spike nodded in agreement and opened up a communication channel.
"Greetings, I am Luna, pilot of the Vorlent. With me is Spike, my co-pilot. Thank you both for your assistance. We have just been travelling through, when we noticed the attack on the city." She greeted them, hoping that they would hold off any questions for now. The first reply came from the Aphrodite.
"My name is Sayaka, my father is the head researcher at Photon Power Labs, nice to meet you and thank you for helping the city out." Sayaka was still wary of these newcomers. Luna and Spike, that sounded like Britannian callsigns, maybe they were spies. She did not want to jump to conclusions though, Britannians wouldn't risk their lives and expose new military robots to save their enemies.
Next came the reply from the Dai-Guard. "Hi there, my name is Akagi. I was working at the expo today. When these weird statues attacked, me and my friends Ibuki and Aoyama decided to use the Dai-Guard to fend them off."
"What are you talking about? You decided to use Dai-Guard and then you dragged us into the cockpit." Came a female voice, laced with annoyance. Luna and Spike giggled a little as they heard this. As strange as the circumstances were, this little laugh helped them a lot, coping with the situation.
Luna and Spike felt some kinship with the four pilots around them already, maybe they will even be able to make some friends in this world. If she was to stay here, Luna will be in dire need of some friends. The thought bittered the mood a little for the Princess as she remembered, that she might never see her sister again.
Suddenly, a cold feeling of dread washed over them. At the horizon, a wall of dark clouds moved in on them. The strangest part however, was the humanoid shape that could be seen in the clouds. "This is enough. Baron Ashura, retreat for now."
The cross creature between man and woman looked up in fear at the huge shadow of its master, Dr. Hell. Baron Ashura feared, that it disappointed its master. The punishment for failure was always severe. "Please master, just let me try to get Dr. Kabuto on our side. He will see that there is no point in resisting." It pleaded, pointing at an old man with a really ugly scar over his face, running through his right eye.
Dr. Kabuto was sitting there, together with his grandsons and a detective, who was investigating his activities, due to a series of murders. He knew the truth though. Before Professor Saotome requested his assistance for a special project, that kid that Tsubasa took under her wing, Jin Hayato got rid of some of Ashura's spies.
For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder what would have become of Jin without the Kurogane house. That kid had such a temper and fighting spirit but not an ounce of care for others or discipline. Better not to imagine such a possible catastrophe when another one was happening right in front of them.
Kouji and his little brother were sitting right next to their grandpa. They were not only faced with this insanely strong creature but also an entire troop of soldiers with strange, golden colored helmets. After the Mazinger has been downed, this Ashura guy tore the cockpit of the pilder open and dragged them out. Both brothers were still shocked, that such monstrous strength even existed.
The strangest part however was, when this Baron Ashura bowed down in front of their grandpa, as if he was it's master. While the other mechs battles against the remaining statues, Baron Ashura tried to get his grandfather to join him and his master, Dr. Hell. When grandpa remained stubborn however, it even tried to coerce Kouji, promising him a position as general of Dr. Hell's army.
Then the shadow came and while the detective and his little brother were shaking in fear, his grandfather only narrowed his eyes. "An even bigger pain in the ass just showed up." He exclaimed, as the silhouette stared down at them.
"It's been a long time." The silhouette of Dr. Hell greeted him, as if they were old friends. Juzo however, felt no kinship towards the owner of the giant shadow. "By far not long enough. I see you haven't given up on those world domination plans."
A deep laugh filled the air around them. "Indeed, it is as the Britannians say, the world belongs to the strong and I will prove to be the strongest. You can choose your side now Juzo, do you wish to be on the winning side in the coming war or do you want to be an obstacle? You didn't build this robot for no reason, you surely must have an answer."
All eyes were on Juzo Kabuto now. The detective, Ankokuji wondered if the old man was really some maniac, bent on world domination while Kouji wanted to know, what exactly grandpa wanted him to do. Finally he opened his mouth again. "I made a promise to my good friend Aoelia Schenberg, that I would never use my technology for evil purposes."
Detective Ankokuji was taken aback, this old coot was friends with Aeolia Shenberg? The man who earlier returned from presumably being dead to the leader of this shadow organization Celestial Being? "Wait, what do you know about Shenberg and Celestial Being?" He demanded, before one of Baron Ashura's soldiers knocked him back down. "Silent you worm, the professors work is too big for you to even understand." Demanded Baron Ashura, while Dr. Hell started to laugh.
"Ah yes, Aeolia Schenberg. That old fool who wishes for world peace through superior firepower. Tell me, am I so different from your dear friend? You know, once all nations are united under me, there will be no more wars." He reasoned. "But if you decline, I will have no choice but to destroy you and the Mazinger the choice is yours." After these words, the dark clouds dispersed and Dr. Hell disappeared from the scene. Baron Ashura looked at Professor Kabuto. "What will your choice be?"
Everyone's eyes were on the old man as he sat there, deep in thought. "It would be unreasonable, not to at least listen to you won't it?" Kouji and Shiro went pale as they heard this, was their grandfather really going to help that madman? Kouji's hands trembled, wasn't he going to pilot Mazinger to put a stop to this? Would he now instead pilot it in the name of Dr. Hell? "Grandpa, you can't possibly be serious! Are you just gonna let that insane idiot order you around?" He tried to stand up but Baron Ashura was quick on his feet and punched him down again. "Don't you dare insult Dr. Hell like this!"
A hand touched Ashura's shoulder, as Juzo Kabuto gently pushed it away from his grandson. "Calm down Ashura, let's sit down so you can tell me all about it. Kouji, I want you to take Shiro and go back to the Mazinger. Let the adults talk." Baron Ashura laughed and gestured to his soldiers. "Lead them, they are soon going to be on our side. You will like it boy, being a general of Dr. Hell's army will hold great benefits."
The professor looked back at his grandson. "Maybe you can use Mazinger to get rid of those others down there, might gain a bit of favor." He pointed his thumb down at the city, where the other mechs were still standing. "It's always a good idea to keep an ace up your sleeve." Kouji wanted to protest at first but then he thought about his grandfather's words. Always an ace... of course. "Alright grandpa. I will do as you say."
Ashura grinned, this day could not have gone any better, now this cursed machine that looks just like that traitor will be on their side. "Clever boy, just go along and your reward will be great." Shiro however could not understand why his brother would do something like that. "Bro, Gramps, you can't be serious."
Kouji forcefully took his brothers hand. "Come with me, you will be safer that way." The soldiers herded the two of them back to the Mazinger. Kouji could only hope that he was not mistaken. Professor Kabuto then sat down and patted on the ground beside him. "Now, come closer and sit down. I wanna hear everything about your plans."
At the foot of the hill, the three mecha stood, their pilots discussing the situation. "Who was that creepy dude?" Asked Spike after he finally calmed down. Not even Nightmare Moon was that scary at her first appearance. Not that he would mention her near Luna.
Akagi heard that name somewhere before, wasn't sure where though. "I know I heard of him before. Sayaka, do you know who that was?" He asked the pilot of the feminine robot. Sayaka indeed knew who that was. "That was Dr. Hell, a renowned scientist in the field of biochemestry, his skills were legendary. Some say, he could even bring back the dead. I don't understand, why would a biochemist try to take over the world? And where did he get those statues from?"
Luna and Spike remained quiet through this explanation. They did not even know what a biochemist was supposed to do. Spike was still a baby dragon, while Luna did not catch up entirely about modern times, so a lot of scientific fields developed without her being there to witness it. Frustration rose in the Princess of the night. Hearing something like that made her feel stupid. "Anyway, we should now look for the other robot."
The others agreed and together, they made their way towards the mountainside, where the robot from before has fallen. On their way, Luna thought about the whole situation. Was she even safe in this dimension? She has been here for not even a day and already, she was being pulled into a battle. She sighed, as the exile now sounded completely pointless to her.
A loud explosion shook her out of her thought though, as a bright flash of light could be seen at the mountainside. "What was that? A bomb?" Wondered Sayaka, quickening her pace. Dai-Guard was following closely, while Luna was distracted by something else. On the screen of the Vorlent, a strange energy reading came from behind. She quickly turned around but only saw a large cloud.
At first she was ready to dismiss it but then she remembered something. "Wait a minute, the sky was perfectly clear a few minutes ago!" Luna now took a closer look and saw a shadow inside of that cloud. "Everyone, look, there is something in that cloud."
The other two turned around, eyes on the sky, as something emerged from the cloud. It was huge, with a demonic face staring down. A large fin was attached on its back and on both sides like wings. It could only be described as a flying fortress. The most shocking thing however, was who was standing on top of it. In a military uniform stood a man, grinning wickedly down at the city. Everyone looking up gasped, as they noticed that this man's head was not attached to his neck, instead he carried it in his arms and still seemed to be alive somehow.
"Baron Ashura, it seems you have failed in your task. Now, this machine, as well as our other guests, are not allowed to stand in Dr. Hell's way. I, Count Brocken have been sent to take care of this problem. If you are still alive, I suggest you get away soon." The man announced. "The bombing beast, Groizer-X10 will make sure, that this city will be completely wiped out."
Luna gasped as she heard this. Wiping out the entire city? She looked around at all the tall buildings around here. Those beings living here, they must be more numerous than ponies, this city was bigger than Canterlot. She had to imagine what it would be like, if Canterlot was suddenly wiped out and the mental image made her shiver.
A hatch at the belly of the mechanical beast opened up and something fell out. It was looking rather rotund from down there and quickly descended. It was hard to make something out but it looked like the object had both legs and wings. Sayaka and Akagi were frantically trying to think of something they could do but sadly, Aphrodite and Dai-Guard were not meant for flight or long range combat. By the time this thing was in range, it would be too late.
Spike was also imagining how Ponyville got wiped out by something. Imagining the town he grew to love so much burning almost broke his heart. He and Luna were determined to stop it somehow and they already knew what to do. "Spike, redirect all energy towards the beam rifle, we are going to shoot it down."
Luna aimed upwards while an incredibly large amount of energy was pumped into the rifle. Luna had no idea if this would work but she had to at least try. The excess energy was dispersed from the mech in a fine, green steam from vents at the chest, knees and back. Finally, Luna fired and sent a brilliant beam of emerald up at the falling mechanical beast.
From above, Count Brocken laughed as he saw them. "Fools, once it starts it's descent, Groizer-X10 won't go anywhere but down. There is absolutely nothing that can stop it." As the beam impacted with the mechanical beast, it only seemed to slow down for a while, before continuing it's fall.
Neither Luna nor Spike were ready to give up though and they fired again. This time, Groizer seemed to stop entirely for a moment. This caused Count Brocken to take a closer look. A lot on energy would be necessary to stop Groizer like this, if this weapon could produce such energy... he decided, once this was over he would check the wreckage. Dr. Hell would surely reward him for delivering such a strong weapon.
Still, what's done is done, Groizer would fall for sure and he could only hope that enough scrap metal would be left over to salvage. Count Brocken could see another energy beam coming up. He wondered, what effect it would have this time.
As the emerald energy collided with Groizer, the beam just wouldn't let up this time. On the ground, large amounts of orgone energy were pumped into the beam rifle. Under the unending barrage of the Vorlent, Groizer did not only stop this time, it almost seemed as if he was pushed back up. Count Brocken was in shock, this should not be possible. "Amazing, this energy source would need to be almost as potent as an entire photon energy reactor."
Everyone watched with bated breath as the falling beast was pushed back up. Even at such a long range, the Vorlent's weapon was incredibly powerful. From underneath, they could even see how the hot energy was slowly melting the armor of the mechanical beast and it would not take much longer to destroy it. "Come one, just a little longer." Muttered Luna, hoping it would be enough.
"This is it Princess Luna, we almost got it." Exclaimed Spike, excited and glad, that they could put a stop to it. But just as the energy beam almost tore through the Groizer, a warning sounded in the cockpit. The energy ran out. "No no no NO!" Screamed Luna as she desperately tried to get just one more shot.
The two pilots started to panic, along with their new friends in the Dai-Guard and Aphrodite. "Can't you get any more power?" Asked Akagi.
Luna frantically tried to but all systems that were not essential already shut down due to the power shortage. "I can't, if I used any more, I wouldn't even have enough energy left to pull the trigger. And even if, it wouldn't be enough." Spike meanwhile tried to up the generator output somehow, hoping they could get enough before the bombing beast fell.
Groizer X-10 was already plummeting down again, already halfway down to the ground. All the pilots there were in panic, unable to stop it now.
Suddenly, they could hear something. As they looked, a large number of soldiers in strange, golden helmets ran past them while thunderous footsteps came closer and closer. Whatever approached, it was gigantic. Finally the source of these footsteps came closer and the lumbering giant became visible.
For a moment it just stood there, before the pilot inside let out a loud roar. "Out of my way! I will not let these bastards escape. They will pay for the death of my grandfather!" From the voice it was clear, the pilot was more than furious, he wasn't even paying any attention to the situation, just jumping to the first target he could see.
Sayaka approached him, they need him to calm down. "Wait, there is a bomb falling, we must stop it before it destroys the entire city." A giant, black fist shoved the Aphodite aside, crashing her against the side of a building.
Dai-Guard took a battle stance now. "Hey idiot, if that bomb falls you're gonna die too." Yelled Akagi. His co-pilot Ibuki tried to reason with him. "Please, I am sorry to hear about your grandfather. I lost my own father a long time ago but you must calm down.
The black mech raised his fist in front of itself, before a rocket engine propelled it forward. The street did not give the Dai-Guard any room to evade, so the flying punch collided with it's face, sending it falling backwards. The Vorlent was also hit by the rocket punch and they did not yet have the energy to duck fast enough, causing the Vorlent to be knocked against a building, just like the Aphrodite.
Luna and Spike held onto their seats as good as they could as they fell. As they opened their eyes again, the black giant was running past them, pursuing the fleeing soldiers. Luna pushed a button on her console. With the last bit of energy, the Vorlent's cockpit opened up. "Where are you going Princess Luna?" Asked Spike.
"I am going to make this pilot listen." She answered, before she took to the sky, flying after the mech. Sayaka, Akagi, Ibuki and Aoyama were looking towards the Vorlent, as the cockpit opened and something emerged. As Luna flew after the other robot, all of them had a look of shock and surprise on their face. "Is that... a winged unicorn?" Wondered Ibuki, silently worried that the crash may have caused some brain damage.
Anger was all that Kouji could feel now. He knew from the tone of his grandfather that he had something planned but detonating a bomb to try and take this... thing out? The guilty party was clear, if these soldiers hadn't appeared this would have never happened and his grandfather would still be alive. His last words echoed through his mind. "Kouji, Mazinger Z has the potential to either be god or devil, you decide what you wish to do with this power."
Right now there was only one thing, revenge. He was preparing whatever weapon this robot may have, he wanted to annhihilate every single one of these bastards. He almost had a group of them, when something landed on top of the pilder. Kouji looked up, hald expecting this Baron Ashura again. Instead, it was a horse. A small, purple horse with a blue mane was standing on top of the pilder and it had wings and a horn.
All rage momentarily forgotten, Kouji, his little brother Shiro and the detective they picked up before grandfather died were staring at the figure above them. "Wait, what is that? Some kind of monster?" Asked Detective Ankokuji.
The horse then began to speak in a loud voice that rattled them, even in the pilder. "CALM YOURSELF! EVEN WITH THE TRAGIC LOSS YOU MUST THINK ABOUT THE OTHERS. IF THAT BOMB FALLS, MANY MORE GRANDCHILDREN WILL LOSE THEIR GRANDPARENTS, MANY GRANDPARENTS THEIR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. DO YOU WANT THEM TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PAIN?" She shouted at him, so that Kouji's ears started to hurt.
"I don't know what to do. Grandfather built this Mazinger Z but I still don't know how to pilot it properly." He looked up. If Groizer fell down any further, the city would be damaged, even if he somehow shot it down. "I don't even know if I even have a long-range weapon."
"Giving up so soon?" Asked a new voice. They all turned their heads towards the newcomer, a woman wearing a kimono. She had short, brown hair and Detective Ankokuji noted that this woman was very pretty. "Listen well, Mazinger Z is invincible."
It was a bold claim but this machine was truly powerful. She pointed at the sky, directly at the falling bomb. "Photonic Beam." She said. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and fire the photonic beam." She ordered.
The Aphrodite and Dai-Guard also arrived on the scene. Sayaka was shocked to hear this, that machine ran on photonic power and could even fire a beam of it? She remembered well, how that energy was discovered thanks to the Japanium ore they found beneath the earth where the photon power labs stood now. It is said that photonic power was even stronger than Sakuradite.
"What can we do? How do I activate the photonic beam?" Asked Kouji. He hoped this weapon was not too complicated, he needed to act fast. "The left side of your weapons panel! There must be a switch you haven't used yet right?" Shiro momentarily forgot his grief and reached over his brothers shoulder. "This one right?" He flipped a switch and the panel split open, right where a dial was attached.
Out of curiosity, Kouji pushed the dial and Luna flew away, as two small beams of energy came out of the Mazinger's eyes and flew towards a rock out in the ocean. An explosion could be seen, as the beam hit. Everyone was impressed by the power of the beam but still had doubts it would be enough.
A compartment in Groizers wings opened up and a number of bombs flew down. Explosions rang all around the three mechs as Luna used her magic to deflect some of them. "Idiot, you fired too fast and they noticed us. Now do as I say. You two..." She pointed at the Dai-Guard and Aphrodite. "Help the Mazinger to stay steady. Kouji, get into a stable position. Set your hips and take a stance."
While Kouji got into position, the woman took a thin, long pipe out of her kimono and started stuffing it. "Like this?" He asked, while the others were holding the Mazinger. "Yes, now turn the dial without pressing it."
Kouji did as he was told and large amounts of energy were pumped into the Mazinger, glowing out of the joints. "Now take aim." Luna flew away from the pilder as Kouji locked his look onto the Groizer. He had to shoot now or else the city would be destroyed. "Now, keep dialing until the color on the energy bar changes to red, then press." Instructed the woman, as she calmly smoked her pipe.
Kouji quickly dialed the power up all the way, until the color changed to a crimson red. Now was the time to fire. "PHOTON BEAM!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, as he pressed the button. Two large beams, glowing with enormous energy shot into the air, spiraling around each other in a helix. Luna gasped as she witnessed this huge amount of energy.
Finally, the photon beam hit the bombing beast, pushing it up again without any difficulty. Now Luna was in real awe of the power. She thought the Vorlent was impressive but this was another class altogether. The last pieces of armor were melted off of the bombing beast and an enormous explosion shook the sky, as the Groizer X-10 exploded under the assault of the photonic energy.
Luna could only see that the flying fortress retreated after this loss but she was too glad to care, the city was saved, the enemy retreated. She flew back to the Vorlent were Spike was watching the spectacle, his jaw almost hitting the floor. The two embraced in celebration before the weariness of their journey and the fight took it's toll on them and they fell asleep inside the cockpit.