User blog:Seieireppa/God Eater:Universitas, chapter 47: Wings Towards Tomorrow (Arc 2 final chapter)

Sigma barely realized what was going on before the shot came.

Without enough time to turn to face the newly risen Lyrr, he could only raise up a shield behind him, barely managing to complete the barrier in time to block the shot.

And as he whirled around before Lyrr could fire, he beheld a sight that sent a shiver down his spine.

There stood Lyrr, his head very much still on his neck, with blue flames joining the two together, fiery tongues licking at the wound and stitching it back together.

Without waiting to see what would happen when Lyrr was entirely whole again, Sigma shifted his God Arc to its gun form and fired a single shot, a malefic bullet suffused with Oracle energy that blew apart Lyrr’s arm. However, much the same thing happened here as well—as the arm fell, blue flames ignited at the wound on either part, reaching out to join themselves together and stitch the wound closed.

“What the…” Sigma began. “Is this… the Horizon’s power?”

“Seems like it,” came Lyrr’s reply. “I guess the Horizon called out to my desire to just keep going… my desire to see you dead. Thanks to that, well… I guess I can’t quite be killed anymore. I mean, I imagine being completely atomized by something on the level of a nuclear bomb would do the trick, but…”

Lyrr paused.

“Oh, and you might want to watch out behind you.”

Before Sigma could react, he found his arms immobilized by Blake and Jack grabbing him from behind.

“Lyrr’s made it in earnest,” came the voice of Blake, his grip immovable, “so how about we give it our all as well?”

“Lyrr…” continued Jack, staring the latter square in the face. “You know what you need to do.”

Lyrr merely nodded in response, steeling himself for what he was about to do.

With a grim expression on his face, he loaded his God Arc with the most powerful bullet. With this… he’d be able to end it.

But Sigma wasn’t about to let that happen.

With nary a thought, countless blades shot out from Sigma’s body, piercing Blake and Jack through and through and staining their clothes with blood—but they did not let go. They held fast, knowing the price that had to be paid to accomplish their goals.

“If we’re… going to get the Horizon’s power…” gasped Blake, blood dripping from his mouth, “then… something like death won’t be enough to stop us!”

Jack tightened his grip on Sigma’s arm. “You might be… a powerful ally, Sigma…” he began, “…but here, you’re… you’re an obstacle… that we need to overcome. For our own sakes… and for the sake of the future… you need to fall here!”

He turned to face Lyrr once more.

“LYRR!” he called out. “DO IT NOW!!”

Lyrr nodded… and let loose his final bullet. This would cause a massive explosion, vaporizing Sigma and likely killing Blake and Jack in the process… but all three of them knew what had to be done.

But as the bullet zoomed towards Sigma’s heart—

—time ground to a halt. The bullet hung there, in the air, mere centimeters from its target.


 * Blake and Jack Johnson…

Oh man, Lyrr thought. There was that voice.


 * The two of you have demonstrated unmatched resolve to cast your lives aside to save the future… so now, you will walk down that path together.  Do whatever it takes to turn the darkness away and walk towards the light, the light of a new tomorrow for all mankind.

And in that instant, time unfroze… and began to run backwards. As though someone had pressed the rewind button on a remote control, the events that had just transpired played back in reverse, the battle against Sigma unfolding in reverse as time sped quickly backwards towards the point where the five of them—Sigma, Idenn, Blake, Jack, and Lyrr—first arrived at the Horizon…

…and then it stopped, just as suddenly as it had begun.

“Do you think…?” Blake began, looking directly at Jack.

“I do,” came Jack’s reply. “It would appear that we have been given the power to rewind time. To reverse events so that we might take a different path towards the future… how appropriate, wouldn’t you say?”

Sigma stepped forward. “It is certainly reassuring not to be dead,” he spoke, his words accompanied by a light chuckle, “but we have better things to do. Now, all the members of the anti-Feldman task force have obtained the Horizon’s power. We have to get back and prepare for the final battle. Blake, Jack, come close to me. Idenn, you know what to do.”

Idenn nodded, approaching the group of Sigma and the three others as they all linked hands.

And with a flash, the five of them were gone—

—and the decisive battle to decide the fate of the world—and of the future—finally began.

-

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