"Don't be stupid!" Hugo spat. "You saw what that thing did to Core Genesis!" The Mettaur glanced up at FINAL now, screeching as its power corrupted the Eternal Sanctuary. "What makes you think you can take it down?"

"I don't see anyone else stepping up to the plate," R.D. replied, keeping his eyes locked on Dragon Drive FINAL, "I'm willing to bet that this place isn't the only place being affected by him. If we want to succeed in keeping the Multiverse in one piece... I have to try and stop him."

R.D. was a fucking idiot at times.

He couldn't win. What the hell was he thinking?!

Even if leaving this place doomed them all...

What could they DO?

For once, Hugo was unsure of his next course of action.

At last, he finally decided.

"...don't you die on me."

Throwing fate to the winds, Hugo turned around and ran toward the end corner of the island, to get as far away as possible.

Don't you fucking die.

Despite the odds being terribly stacked against him, R.D. had to smirk. "I don't plan to."

I promised her I'd come back for her.

The smirk died, and his face became a cold, expressionless void. Blood leaking down his face from the various cuts he had gained at Core Genesis's hands, R.D.'s eyes narrowed as he crouched down into a battle stance. His hair moved slightly from an unfelt breeze, and he seized the Fifth Cipher energy.

Light and energy flared around him, engulfing him in an electric blue aura of power, causing the island to rock as it sprang into existence. He was sure to have caught the attention of FINAL now.

With a single movement, R.D. drew and activated both Phase Blades, holding both at his sides. He stepped forward and pushed off, rocketing into the air towards FINAL at what was, considering the situation, suicidal speeds.

The Phase Blades flashed out at Dragon Drive FINAL, and battle was joined.

Claws lashed out, catching the Phase Blades evenly between the two. The catch was close enough for Dragon Drive FINAL to glare hatefully at R.D. up close, with those red, featureless eyes. Accusing. Deriding. Denouncing.

Releasing a blade, its right fist smashed into R.D.'s abdomen, with a blow far beyond anything Matt had thrown.

Pain blossomed through his mind like anything he had ever felt before. It was a wonder his armor held up under the power within the attack. His second Phase Blade was dislodged from FINAL's grasp by its strength, and R.D. fell back. Descending through the air, R.D.'s torso cannon activated, drawing in energy for a brief moment before launching a wave of plasma half as large as himself.

Having fired the shot, R.D. spun around while deactivating the Phase Blades and combining them into the Phase Scythe. The large blade extended out and gleamed, and R.D.'s foot touched a crystal island. He immediately shoved off backwards, trying to catch sight of Dragon Drive FINAL.

The cannon blast streaked upward, slicing through the air that FINAL had previously occupied. From nowhere, FINAL appeared from the left, charging in with the aid of the boosters on its wings. It brought its right knee in to strike R.D., brandishing a spinning drill of energy that aimed for the teen's armored chest.

R.D.'s eyes widened in shock as Dragon Drive FINAL was suddenly attacking from his side, and he barely managed to get his left arm up to deflect the drill. Sparks flew as the weapon's edge ground against the gauntlet, and R.D. pushed himself away from FINAL, pivoting around and leaping into the air.

Flames gathered into his right hand, and R.D. flung the blaze down at FINAL, causing it to explode forward into Dragon Blaze. The flaming dragonhead opened wide as it attempted to bite into FINAL's left wing.

FINAL's claws tore the air in front of it, raking waves of violent energy that surged foward and impacted with the Dragon Blaze. It reared back, gathering power with both spread hands as the energy claw struggled to overcome the flame.

R.D. reached the apex of his jump, slowing rapidly before falling downwards again. He readied the Phase Scythe in his hands, roaring as he slashed downwards through the exploding Dragon Blaze at Dragon Drive FINAL.

Throwing its hands foward, Dragon Drive FINAL launched the same high-powered Kaiser Wave it had used on Core Genesis. Without hesitation, it tore through the Dragon Blaze, heading straight for R.D..

He cried out as the Kaiser Wave smashed into him, tearing bits of armor away in the blast. R.D. kept a strong grip on the Phase Scythe as he was thrown back, and through one eye, R.D. aimed his left arm cannon at FINAL and fired a large bolt of lightning at the entity.

This is getting me nowhere, R.D. thought frantically as he landed, firing a barrage of Annihilator Beams at FINAL.

FINAL wasted no time in launching its next attack. A green aura surrounded its form, and it shot into the ruined rainbow sky, a long stream of emerald light trailing behind him. The Annhilator Beams rebounded off the aura as FINAL charged in, wings spread, to drive into R.D..

R.D. dove out of the way, rolling forward before righting himself and leaping through the air to the another crystal island. Light exploded around him as he activated the matter converter, and the evolved Shell Bullet Burst formed around his arm.

Light spiraled into the dragon-wing propeller on his back, and R.D. pivoted around as silvery-blue extensions of metal were fitted above and below his right eye. The gauntlet split down the middle and around the energy accelerator as he gathered energy into it, charging up for the next attack.

Edited by RisingDragon on September 11, 2007 at 20:49:30.

Turning on a point, Dragon Drive FINAL streamed toward R.D.. Flattening a set of claws, it beared down on its opponent, stabbing toward R.D. with a flash of movement.

With a loud roar, R.D. shoved off the ground straight towards Dragon Drive FINAL. As the two neared, R.D. swung out with a shining fist, slamming the Shell Bullet Burst into the flattened claws. The hit with a crash of thunder, and rays of golden light blazed outwards from the armored fist.

Hugo stared at the ensuing melee with his single good eye, unwavering as Dragon Drive FINAL and R.D. simultaneously struck each other, emitting golden light with the attack. He wasn't sure he could fully comprehend the dramatic heights of FINAL's power...it was just too incredible to behold.

Come on, R.D.. Kick that thing's ass.

Dragon Drive FINAL's blow was faster, more powerful than Shell Bullet Burst. Cracks erupted along the knuckles of R.D.'s powered arm, and FINAL pressed its attack, activating its wing boosters.

By now the propeller had activated, spinning rapidly while issuing a blazing silver stream of energy behind R.D.. He was growling angrily as he pressed his attack, his arm vibrating like mad as attempted to hold off the lethal claws of Dragon Drive FINAL.

He knew it was hopeless in an all out test of strength--if he pressed on, it'd suffer just as he had when he contested with Kalmar. Instead, R.D. began forcing his weight downward, pushing both his fist--and FINAL's claws--into the crystal ground. The combined force in the two attacks slammed the floor, and the power ignited. A rising pillar of light and flame erupted upwards around the two combatants, blasting out whipping and lashing gales of wind.

After a frightening moment, R.D. veered out of the flame, looking at the pillar as he flew backwards. Scorch marks lined his armor, and the Shell Bullet showed even more cracks and fissures in it.

Meta shot an angry glare at Hydro. "So, decided to change forms?" She said. "Heh, fine by me." She uttered, shrugging. From her limited observations during the fight with Electra, she had concluded that wounds taken in one form did not just disappear upon shifting forms, they stayed. So that vein I cut must still be damaged. Meta thought to herself. That's gonna impede him somewhat.

It was then that she heard someone speak behind her. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder -- not willing to take her eyes off Hydro for too long -- and noticed the being Sin. She quickly judged him, thinking him to be little harm to her at the current moment, and fixated her gaze back on Hydro immediately. "I wouldn't get up too close." She said over her shoulder as she kept her eyes on Hydro, adressing Sin. "You might get hurt as badly as this guy is about to get."

The pillar of flame continued to burn for a few seconds.

Suddenly, from within, it ruptured in all directions, spreading bolts of heat through the Eternal Sanctuary. Dragon Drive FINAL shot foward, aura burning about it with increased strength, as it launched a straight kick at R.D..

This time, R.D. was prepared for the attack, and swung his right arm to meet the kick. There was a loud crash as the kick tore off a large amount of the Shell Bullet, knocking R.D. back quite a ways before he gained control of his movement.

He pivoted in a circle and shot straight up, glaring down at Dragon Drive FINAL. He slammed his fist downward, sending a shockwave of power down at the entity using the remains of Shell Bullet Burst.

"Think you're so damn tough!" he yelled at in frustration as he attacked. Landing, the amnesiac teen thrust his left arm out and channeled lightning energy into a compressed, erratic sphere, and then heaved it high up into the air with all his might. It flew upwards for several seconds, and exploded into Plasma Rain. Large, bluish-green bolts of lightning blasted down towards the occupied island and FINAL.

Wings growing in size and length, they surrounded FINAL, protecting it from the assualt of lightning bolts. The wings seemed to be absorbing the attack, flashes of green swarming through the wings toward the back where they connected with FINAL.

When Plasma Rain ended, FINAL threw out its wings, discharging violet electricity erratically off of its body. Thick, powered bolts of dark lightning shot from the sky, striking many random spots at a time. Inevitably, several bolts arced toward R.D..

R.D. swore as his most powerful lightning attack to date was blocked by FINAL with such ease. He leapt backwards as a bolt came down at where he was, sending electricity across the surface of the island slightly. Four more times was he forced to dodge the lightning, and he had enough.

Light and darkness gathered into his left arm cannon, trailing in two streams of particles that gathered into rippling light. The ten pistons slammed down into his arm, firing a large Disruptor shot at Dragon Drive FINAL's wings, hoping to break through.

The blow smashed, unimpeded, into Dragon Drive FINAL's left wing. The blow was enough to knock it astray, momentarily impeding its balance.

"Yes!" Hugo shouted. "Get him! GET HIM!"

He yelled as he leapt up, the remains of Shell Bullet opening up and absorbing torrents of the Sanctuary's power. The propeller on R.D.'s back began to spin rapidly, unleashing the silver wave of energy and propelling him forward towards Dragon Drive FINAL.

His body spun around rapidly in the air as he was propelled, still gathering energy as he flew. The charge completed and the gauntlet shined golden.

"Shell Bullet BURST!!!"

The blazing fist swung out at the disoriented Dragon Drive FINAL, aimed straight at the head.

Claws shot out and grabbed Shell Bullet Burst's powerful fist.

FINAL had managed to recover in time-as its grip dub into Shell Bullet, it drew back its left claw, curling it into a fist.

"Damn it!" Hugo wanted to shoot at FINAL so badly, but he knew it wouldn't do anything. "R.D.!"

Dragon Drive FINAL smashed its fist into R.D., and as it did so, pistons extended from its massive armored arm. They all slid back into the gauntlet at once, forcing out a tremendous blast of air that added a secondary impact to the blow that sent R.D. flying. FINAL's aura flared into life as it pursued R.D., leading the way with a straight kick.

There was really only one line of thought that summed up the situation when FINAL grabbed the Shell Bullet by the fist.

Oh hell.

The wind was knocked out of him, and R.D. nearly doubled over from the strength of the blow. He cried out in pain as the gust of air burst out of FINAL's claw, shredding through the Shell Bullet as he was thrown back, the hand portion of the enlarged gauntlet completely torn away as he was sent out of Dragon Drive FINAL's grasp.

The rest of the evolved Shell Bullet disintegrated as he was flung back through the air, end over end. Gathering wind energy quickly, R.D. halted his backward flight with a wall of air. Only to get hit by FINAL's kick once more.

This time he screamed as it struck, and energy exploded out of the beast's foot, streaming in extravagant trails behind Dragon Drive FINAL. R.D. held off the attack the best he could, his cuirass barely holding up against the strain of the kick without losing integrity.

"Whatever." Meta said to Sin over her shoulder, her eyes still on Hydro's blue-clad human form. "As for you," She said the beastly being, "I wouldn't be warning others for overconfidence if I were you, seeing as how some like you have fallen because of it." Meta's eyes seemed to light up for a moment, and she reached out with her free hand to unsheathe a second blade. "But if you are so willing to convert, be my guest." She said to him, tauntingly, and gestured with one of her swords at her opponent. "Come on, let's dance."