Existensia: TAB: Chapter 4: Dimension Alter

(Background Music: Majora's Mask Song of Healing)

How much of myself have I thrown away all of these cycles?
I wanted to protect the one I truly love, but each time I fail, I become colder and colder.
Still, I haven't aged a single day, and yet, it feels like most of my life have already passed by me.
I already knew that getting involved with alternative universes mostly ends with disaster.
After I had become strong to guard that which is important to me,
But it all changed when I meet that delusional undertaker.

Kiritsugu Emiya, he how would be the last one standing, when the world went down in flames.
He made me ask myself a very important question.

"Homura Akemi, how can you expect to save the one who your heart yearns for, if you can't even stop the end of the world?"

Even if I could hold my beloved Madoka Kaname again, would it be worth it to leave the world behind for just a few seconds of comfort?

This is a trail that I must face.
My one and only goal is to kill the Apostle, the One that will char the Earth and Incinerate all sentient life.

But, my journey to slay the Apostle became more perilous than I expected.
Even when I had prepared everything to stop the Apostle dead in its tracks, it slipped out of my fingers.
Perhaps out of pure arrogance, the Apostle allowed me to give pursuit into the wretched world it escaped into.
Just how twisted that world would be, I didn't know.
But, together with the wounded Kiritsugu, we took our first steps on our final journey together.

(Background Music: Sword Art Online OST - 28 Gracefully)

Homura slowly opened her heavy eyelids and she then started to look at her surroundings.
It became apparent that she had been laying on the side for some time.
What she saw was a room made out of sand-colored stones.
The floor was unusually warm, and Homura felt that her left cheek hurt from continued exposure against the floor.
She then looked towards her right arm, and she was partially shocked by what she discovered.
-Akemi, you will hurt yourself if you keep pressing your head towards this heated sandstone floor.
He stood with a splatter of blood on the right shoulder of his normally black and subtle long-coat.
Homura remembered everything very clearly, and she knew that the man, Kiritsugu Emiya, didn't have many hours left until he would have bled to death, after the intense struggle against the Apostle.
But now, he stood steadfast on both of his legs, with the same determined looked he had when he fought together with Homura.
-Emiya...said Homura sleepily.
She tried to help herself up on her feet, but her hands hurt when she put her hands on the floor.
Kiritsugu reached out his hand.
-Let me help you up on your feet again. said Kiritsugu.
As Kiritsugu tugged Homura up from the flooring, Homura saw something different in Kiritsugu's eyes.
They were usually were distant and focused on one thing at a time, but now, he looked concerned.
-How are you feeling, Akemi? asked Kiritsugu.
-If I include our paranormal circumstances, I nothing out of the ordinary. answered Homura slowly.
-I envy you, then. said Kiritsugu, who were now a little more easy-going.
Until you woke up, I have been busy almost coughing my innards out.
My throat has finally settled down now, though.
Homura.
-Huh?
-Don't start smoking. It's hell on your lungs. advised Kiritsugu.
He started to look in his black trench-coat for his packet of cigarettes, but none were to be found.
-Just my luck...
Homura felt stress walling up in her stomach.
-Emiya, you haven't forgotten about our mission yet, have you?
-...Remind me. said Kiritsugu, unsure.
-The Apostle. We have come this far to stop the Apostle. said Homura seriously.
Kiritsugu looked like he was lost in thought, but he opened his eyes clearly at his realization.
-That's right, Akemi. We have no time to lose.
Every single second we wait takes the Apostle that much further away from us.
Homura looked at Kiritsugu's bloodied shoulder.
-Let me take the final push in this struggle.
Emiya, you are badly hurt. warned Homura.
Kiritsugu examined the bloodstain on his trench-coat.
-You mean this?
It's just some dried blood. I am still ready to face the Apostle a second time. said Kiritsugu reassuringly.

Homura didn't know how she would handle this situation.
Kiritsugu Emiya were dying the last time she saw him, and now, in this oddly confined sandstone room, he was alive and completely restored from the injuries that he had received from his battle against the Apostle.
-We have no idea what awaits us outside this room, and my Contender is out of bullets.
Homura summoned her inter-dimensional storage shield and started to search through it.
-Got it. Kiritsugu Emiya, you will use this in the meanwhile.
Homura pulled out a medium-length machine gun with an unusual design.
-Is this a normal automatic rifle? asked Kiritsugu.
-Not in the slightest. said Homura.

(Background Music: Disgaea 4: Return BGM # 83: Machine Lab (Extended))  

-Kiritsugu, what you are holding right now is the illegal SD-AUTO SAIKA Problem Solver.
It has two barrels for mauling foes if they advance for a greater chance to hit the target, even if the user's aim is rusty.
Underneath the two main barrels are a cluster grenade launcher, fully loaded with three anti-infantry prototype grenades.
The bullets are 7mm and are meant to cut arteries in the target's body.
The Problem Solver's magazine can carry 256 bullets, an incredible achievement in managing small amounts of space.
This whole gun was built around the idea of keeping enemies stuck behind cover, and sustained fire can easily take down hidden enemies.
It is also very easy to reload.

Homura clicked out an empty magazine and easily snapped on a new one.

-The thin 7mm bullets can also be exchanged to thicker 10mm bullets, but they cannot be set to automatic fire, and the Magazine Size is decreased to 18, nine per chamber.
But the 10mm can easily stun the sturdiest of enemies, and a kill is guaranteed if you press the trigger twice.
In short, the 7mm are used for target suppression, and the 10mm are used for lethal force.
Any other questions? asked Homura with her usual cold tone.

(Background Music: Sword Art Online OST - 28 Gracefully)

-I have one. And it is pretty major. said Kiritsugu.
Your eyes almost sparkle when you speak about the various components and functions of a given weapon.
Someone so young like shouldn't be a mile near these weapons of mass destruction.
-That is none of your business, Emiya. said Homura, while sounding a little upset.
You are now armed to fight the Apostle, so don't question how you got your weapon.
-You're right. said Kiritsugu.
But after we kill the Apostle, I want you to confide every experience you have had with bloodshed with me, understood?
The world doesn't need any more killers like me...

Homura felt the weight of Kiritsugu's advice.
-I understand. You can council me for as long as you like after we have defeated the Apostle. said Homura.
-...Thank you. said Kiritsugu solemnly.

Now we just need to give pursuit towards the Apostle.
Kiritsugu knocked the sandstone walls in various places.
-I have found a weak spot in this wall's structure.
Stand back.
-What are you planning? asked Homura.
-Cover your ears. said Kiritsugu and aimed his new firearm at the designated weak spot in the wall.
Kiritsugu launched a grenade that exploded on the weak wall.
-We have no time to lose. said Kiritsugu.

(Background Music: NieR Gesalt & RepliCant ost - Temple of the Drifting Sands)

The dust cloud settled within seconds.
Kiritsugu's hunch that the wall hid something behind it was thoroughly correct.
With the wall gone from the small square room, a massive, multi-stage parlor made of sand stones and orbs of light revealed itself.
Homura looked with a small hint of awe in her eyes.
-This is not physically possible. stated Kiritsugu anxiously, as small streams of sand cruised past him.
Every pillar laid long shadows behind them, created from the light of the small golden orbs that floated around.
-Emiya, this room is very much possible in terms of physics. stated Homura with a certain staleness.
It's just that it isn't possible on earth.
Kiritsugu watched how a thin stream of glittering sand slowly waltzed over his palm.
Any bruises and scratches he had been inflicted with started to rewind, until his hand was completely healed.
-Kiritsugu, did the floating sand just recover your wounds? asked Homura curiously.
Kiritsugu examined his hands, and then slowly stroke his cheek.
-I do not know if this sand has any effect, but you are correct in that all the cuts I had before are gone now. answered Kiritsugu, who was shocked at his fast recovery.
Homura dug up a small bag from her shield, and opened it wide.
Streams of sand flew towards the open bag at a leisure pace.
-And now, if I close the bag, we should be able to store this recovering substance for later use, if my hypothesis is correct.    
Homura reopened the bag.
-Fascinating. said Homura as she gleamed at the insides of the bag.
-What is? asked Kiritsugu.
Homura pulled out a shining crystal out the bag.
-The dust has turned into a solid material. Its light isn't completely unlike the shining orbs around us.
If the sand that this mineral is created with has real curative properties, then we could use these portable crystals to treat any future wounds.
-If this mineral can heal a body as broken as mine was when we fought the Apostle...
The tides are turning in our favor. said Kiritsugu.
-Emiya, scoop up any and all sand you see.
We need all standing power we can get. said Homura.

Dungeon Game Explanation:

Kiritsugu and Homura are right now finding themselves in their first true playable section.
The Sandstone Temple is actually a deep derelict part of one of the Sanctuaries in The Dimensional Bridge, Existensia.
Homura and Kiritsugu doesn't need to contend with any normal enemies in the Sandstone Foyer, but exploration is rewarded with such items like: a Azurella Ribbon for Homura, and Gunman's Pocket Watch for Kiritsugu.
The whole Foyer also features light puzzle elements, based on Kiritsugu's ability to slow down time.
They are simple enough, and are there mostly so that players can test the alterations to their surroundings while time is slowed down.
Homura also has the ability to double jump, so she can bypass most of the obstacles Kiritsugu has to be sharp to overcome.  
The Foyer has three tiers of floors, and most Sandstone gates are closed, and solid enough to withstand C4 explosives.
In short, the Sand Stone Temple is a movement tutorial with pleasing ascetics and atmosphere, and a few hidden goodies.
Surely must this hidden temple have some deeper meaning?  

After much time freezing and stair climbing, Kiritsugu and Homura reached the highest plane in the foyer.
-After all that searching, we still haven't found any signs of the Apostle. said Kiritsugu with a deep sigh.
-It is foolish to give up now. If we don't know the way out of here, and no walls have been destroyed, how can we be sure that the Apostle has already escaped?
He must be somewhere on this floor. We simply need to search every nook and cranny. said Homura.
Both Homura and Kiritsugu were mentally fatigued after all the searching, and both of them were unconsciously assured that the third floor would be empty as well.
The Apostle had led them into a prison to drain them of all their energy.
Kiritsugu opened his eyes a little wider when he looked at the walls that he and Homura had carelessly ignored during the search.
-Homura, I found something important that we may have ignored. said Kiritsugu.
Look at the walls.

(Background Music: Dragon Age: Origins - Soundtrack 57 The Fade)

The shining orbs that surrounded Homura and Kiritsugu slowly retreated into the cracks, so that only faint lights appeared from the floor and walls.
Homura looked mesmerized at the wall.
The walls were covered in deep scratch marks. Hundreds of them.
The nails that had engraved the markings into the wall was that of a human, or at least a humanoid.
-Could this be the marks of the Apostle? asked Kiritsugu.
Did it try to escape before us?
-That is highly unlikely. answered Homura.
I believe that the Apostle would never show such clear signs of desperation.
This crazed engravings means... that someone besides us are here.
Someone that was needed to be imprisoned.
-Keep your guard up, Homura. said Kiritsugu.
We are most definitely NOT alone here.
The scratches on the wall did form words, on closer inspection.
Homura concentrated her sight on the letters.

E.S.C.A.P.E.
L.E.T.M.E.O.U.T.
F.U.F.U.L.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.....

The letter quickly descended into a crazed garble of lines as the text continued.
These messages repeated on many walls on the third plane of the Foyer, but they had only become visible when the orbs of light had retreated into the floor and walls.
The word LETMEOUT appeared most frequently.
Whoever wrote this had broken their nails an unbelievable amount of times, evident by some dried blood in some of the carved letters.  

-Does this mean... that we're stuck here? asked Kiritsugu with panic.
And we came so far, too!
Damn it all!
Homura grabbed Kiritsugu's arm tightly.
-Emiya, snap out of it!
There is still a chance that we haven't discovered the way out yet.
Our search just needs to continue a little longer.
-...You're right, Homura.
I can't act like a child now. We need to find a way out of here. said Kiritsugu.
Homura nodded and Kiritsugu readied his gun.
-Stay sharp, Homura.
Someone is gaining on us.
Homura and Kiritsugu stood still and listened to the ambiance.
Nimble footsteps echoed, time and time again.
-The sounds coming from behind. said Homura.
Kiritsugu quickly turned around.
-HISSSS! shouted someone.
An almost bug-like character crawled backwards.
Kiritsugu loaded his gun.
Homura did the same.
The insect-like character approached again, now with a visibly hunched back.
Its arms hanged towards the ground in a lazy and detached fashion.
-Show yourself. said Kiritsugu coldly.

The creature scampered cautiously towards Kiritsugu.
-People... Are you people? asked the bug-like creature.
The voice was one of a male, and it sounded nervous and erratic.
-Emiya, we have no time for this.
Let's go. said Homura.
The creature reacted to Homura's cold words.
-Wait. WaitwaitwaitwaitwaitWAIT!
How DID YOU get out? The cells, Those CELLS.
I tried to tear up those walls hours and hours on end...
My fingers gave up on me, but this cage won't let me die.
Every fiber of my skin I burn... It comes back.
Homura saw wide beady eyes on the character, glaring towards them.
They were partially obscured by a helmet with a full-moon emblem attached on the forehead.
-They... They threw me in here! THEY BETRAYED ME.
I... I'll... I'LL KILL THEM!
-He is out of control. said Homura with little concern in her voice.
-Get out of our sight. said Kiritsugu to the erratic character and pointed his gun towards it.
-Emiya... isn't that your name?
Did THEY send you to finish me off?
Kikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikiki...
The demented man slowly approached Kiritsugu.
In his left hand, he held a two-pronged blade in the form of a half circle.
On closer inspection, it almost looked like a metallic spine.
-Hehehehehe...
-Stand back, lunatic.
If you take one step closer, I will shoot to kill. said Kiritsugu.

The man leapt towards Kiritsugu without warning!

(Background Music: Sengoku Basara 4 OST - Theme of Gotō Matabei)

-Kiritsugu, watch out!
Homura took up an automatic handgun and opened fire towards the psychotic man!
-Ghihihi?! shouted the lunatic as at least thirty bullets passed through him.
He fell limp on the ground.
"COUGH"! "HARK"!
With an insane amount of twitching, the man rose up from the floor.
-WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!? shouted Kiritsugu.
-Kikikikiki...
You thought you made the jump on me?!
I'll tell you how this will go down...
That black haired daughter of yours.
The man pointed towards Homura.
-Yeah, her.
I... will claw her eyes out, and then I am going to tear out her delicate spine!
And then... I will use her spine to... Hmmm... YES!
SLIT YOUR THROAT!!!
KIKIKIKIKIKIKIKI!
As the effed up beyond all reason man laughed, his voice almost gave in.

Boss Battle:

Matabei Goto

Quick Info:

Nope, we got nothing on this guy, except for the fact that he has been imprisoned in the Sandstone Temple for Lord knows how long. His fighting style is as insane and unorthodox as he appears to be.

HP: 61,293

Matabei immediately tried to get back the advantage to his side by throwing his steel spine-blade like a boomerang!
Homura sidestepped the spinning blade.
-Pathetic. said Homura.
That barely qualifies as an attack.
Matabei, now without a weapon dashed towards Homura with his clawed gauntlets!
-Kiritsugu, cover me! ordered Homura.
Kiritsugu jumped behind Homura to get a good aim at the psychotic man.
Homura fired several rounds through Matabei, but he never flinched.
But Matabei still took a combined 3,503 HP damage!
Matabei grabbed Homura's right arm with surprising force!  
Kiritsugu aimed towards Matabei's head, as the Psychopath were distracted with breaking Homura's arm.
Homura hadn't experienced pain for a very long period of time, but Matabei's grip genuinely hurt her.
-Let go of her! shouted Kiritsugu and opened fire towards Matabei!
Matabei pushed away Homura and rolled to the side evasively.
Kiritsugu followed Matabei by the sight of his gun.
-Emiya, watch out! said Homura with surprise in her voice.
Kiritsugu swiftly turned around and saw Matabei's iron-spin blade fly towards him.
-GYAH!? shouted Kiritsugu in pain as the blade tore into his chest!
Kiritsugu took mortal damage!
-Kikikikiki!!! laughed Matabei maniacally as he slit out his blade from Kiritsugu.
You will regret trying to kill me here!
Both of you will be torn into tiny shreds, limb by limb!
-Homura, get away from him...! wheezed Kiritsugu.
-Don't give up yet, Kiritsugu. said Homura.
She opened the small bag she had used earlier to let out the small crystal she had created earlier.
She threw the crystal beside Kiritsugu, and the sandstone floor cracked it.
The shining sand poured out of the crystal and flew towards Kiritsugu's wounds!
The cuts that Matabei had delivered onto Kiritsugu mended themselves, and Kiritsugu felt very light in his body.
-Hey hey hey... I executed you! said Matabei angrily.
So lay down and bleed!
Waitwaitwait... Now you are alive to see the girl die!
Kikikikiki!!!
Matabei swung his iron-spine blade violently towards Homura!
-You won't claim anyone's head, madman.
Time Freeze!
All motion around Homura froze completely.
-(I have to do something quickly. My ability to suspend time in battle is limited at the best of times.)
Homura wrestled away Matabei's weapon from him and she then put C4 on the walls behind Matabei!
She threw Matabei's weapon towards him, like a boomerang, and then time began to move forward again.
-WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! shouted Matabei with genuine confusion.
His own weapon came spinning towards him, and Matabei reacted by running towards the wall closest to him.
He smiled with a disturbed smile and braced his arm to catch his spinning weapon.
With a quick swipe had Matabei reclaimed his weapon.
-Now, Kiritsugu. Shot the C4.
-Got it.
Kiritsugu shot the C4 on Matabei's both side.
Keh? said Matabei before the explosives detonated.
KABANG
-Hey hey hey. Is that the best you got, Kirmiya, or whatever your name was? said Matabei nonchalantly.
Look up. said Homura.
-Keh? Just as Matabei looked up, he noticed the the C4 had taken its toll on the Sandstone walls.
Cracks appeared behind him and in the roof above him.
-That's it? Sooo lame.
If you thought some fireworks would do me in, then you're dead wron-
A giant piece of Sandstone fell and crashed into Matabei!
-GAH?!
A cascade of falling stones fell towards him!
CRACKLE, SPLAT and other painful sounds were heard.

-Did we finally put that monstrosity down? asked Kiritsugu with a sigh.

(Background Music: None)

-Definitely. said Homura calmly and reassuringly.
After Matabei had been successfully put down like the mad beast he was, the lights stopped hiding in the cracks.
The pile of sandstone that Matabei had been crushed under had conveniently formed a set of unstable stairs to the hole in the roof.
-Homura, it seems that the explosives you used created away way out of this dead end.
My question is, why didn't we try to find a way out earlier with those explosives you carry around? asked Kiritsugu.
-That madman that was buried by the roof should provide you with all the reasons you need to use explosives sparsely. We are lucky that we were not buried like him.
With only Matabei's arm sticking out of the pile of stone and rubble, Kiritsugu didn't question Homura's course of action any further.
-Emiya, I am having a feeling that the Apostle is waiting just beyond the towering rubble.
Are you ready? asked  Homura.
-Any time now, Akemi. The Apostle will be my final target. answered Kiritsugu.
He sounded relieved. It didn't matter if he lived or died in the upcoming battle.
His days of killing would be put to an end, either way.
-Both of us are as prepared as we ever could be.
Let us not waste any more time obsessing about minor details. said Homura blankly.
Kiritsugu helped Homura climb up the pile of sandstone, and into the newly opened sanctum

(Background Music: NieR Soundtrack - Shadowlord's Castle Memory)

Homura climbed up on Kiritsugu's back, and then she reached towards the closest ledge that the broken stone ceiling had to offer.
She climbed up swiftly, and she then helped Kiritsugu up with a surprising amount of strength.  
The ground that they had climbed up on was cold, in contrast to the hot sandstone in the temple below.
The hole that Homura had created slowly repaired itself with similar sand to the one that recovered Kiritsugu's wounds down in the temple below.
-We can't back out now. said Homura.
Our fates are sealed from now on.
The hole that Kiritsugu and Homura had climbed up from had let them to a very otherworldly locale.
The ceiling was so far above Kiritsugu and Homura that it looked like it was part of a night sky.
The walls that led down from the ceiling to the floor were covered with colored glass.
The glass formed massive paintings.
One depicted two persons who strangled each other in a terrifying wasteland.
Another one depicted a burning, modern-day city with red clouds above.
A third depicted a man in black with a gun in his head. Around him lay piles of corpses.
The fourth depicted a bleeding earth and a shattered galaxy, with a black-haired girl having her back turned towards the chaos.
The fifth and final window displayed a massive hellfire with a golden angel in the middle, with green lines cruising through it.
Kiritsugu and Homura had entered this sanctum with no way of returning.

-Salutations, Children of Tellus. spoke a raspy voice that Homura knew too well.
From the ceiling descended a character with synthetic wings, still with several coffins attached.
You choose the road less travelled, the path of vengeance.
To discard the notion of normality and any semblance of order...
Even as I steel myself for the annihilation of your wicked domain, the Children still show such cruelty.
-Apostle! shouted Homura.
You have nowhere left to run from here.
The greatest mercy can grant you is a swift death.  
-No lives will be yours to claim. said Kiritsugu calmly.
My final bullets are marked with your name.
The Apostle descended and landed gently on the floor.
-Even with the option to die with peace and ignorance, you still choose to continue the destruction.
A man and a girl...
They are similar in many ways.
The man is an executioner who ends the lives of those he interprets as "Wicked".
His path is paved by the soulless corpses, ended by his personal vendetta.
The girl is a taskmaster, one who will abuse all methods to fulfil her goal.
Her path is paved by all the burning worlds she leaves under her feet when their use has expired.
Trough as the Apostle, the destruction of those who defile the very fabric of Existence are second nature, I, who was much like you Children once, ask:
Which villain are you trying to stop?
-You. said Homura.
Have you any right to talk about evil when you are the one who plans to destroy a whole planet?
-Your nonsensical preaching won't deter us after we have fought for this long. said Kiritsugu sternly.
I will become anything, no matter how heinous, if that allows me to kill you.

(Background Music: NieR Soundtrack - Shadowlord [HQ])

-So be it. answered the Apostle with a hint of disappointment in its voice.
The great irony of these heroic escapades is that, even trough you speak of good and evil, justice and chaos, hope and despair, they are all justifications for destruction.
What separates the Apostle of the Metatron from the foolish Children of Tellus is that the Apostle requires no justification for its actions.

The Apostle's wings started to illuminate with brown mechanic lines.

I am not a God. I am not a benevolent entity that protects.
I am not a Demon. I am not an all-destroying darkness.

The Apostles helmet started to cover its face, and the coffins started to open up, looking more and more like wings.

I am the manifested will of the Metatron.
I am the Apostle of the Charred Earth.
I spill no innocent blood, since nothing that possesses a self-consciousness is truly innocent.    

A vicious long spear slowly materialized in the Apostle's right hand as its burnt armor started to glow.

Children of Tellus, this will be your final tale.
The last chapter before you are put into an endless slumber.

The Apostle was now ready for a great war.

Kiritsugu and Homura braced themselves and took up their respective guns towards the Apostle.
Beams of light started to pass through the grand glass windows, which painted the pentagon-shaped room in glowing colors.

Boss Battle:

The Apostle

Information: None

HP: Unknown

(Background Music at 2:32)

The Apostle's wings unravelled several high-caliber turrets towards Homura and Kiritsugu!
-Homura, we have to spread out! shouted Kiritsugu as the Apostle was ready to rain down death on them.
The turrets unleashed a violent torrent of bullets towards Kiritsugu and Homura!
Homura managed to roll past the curtain of bullets, but Kiritsugu got hit several times.
He then fell seemingly limp on the floor.
-Emiya?! No, not here! We can't just fail after all this time! shouted Homura in despair.
The Apostle fired 5 missiles, all of which homed in on Homura!
Homura was about to shoot the missile out of the air, but they suddenly exploded without warning!
Kiritsugu had taken them down before Homura could.
-Kiritsugu!? How can you still stand up? asked Homura with dazzled eyes.
-Just like that madman we defeated prior to this fight, it seems that my body has become more resistant than any armor.
I know it is a convenient explanation, but we do not have the time to question it.
The Apostle started to spray hundreds of bullets towards Kiritsugu!
Homura jumped in front of Kiritsugu, and her shield that she summoned grew several white see-trough circles around it.
All the bullets that hit this bigger shield got suspended in the shield's circle.

-Struggle all you like, Children of Tellus, your writhing agony will soon come to an end. announced the Apostle.
The Apostle fired a spread of bullets, not towards Homura or Kiritsugu, but towards the glass windows.
As the bullets flew trough the glass paintings, loud crackling sound screamed throughout the room.
Kiritsugu jumped over Homura to protect her from the falling glass shards!
Kiritsugu felt several small, sharp objects piercing into his back.
Homura pushed Kiritsugu out of her way.
-Idiot, what are you doing?! You are only going to get yourself killed if you keep jumping in front of everything! shouted Homura furiously with worry in her voice.  
-You have that Madoka to return to, right?
It is better that the Apostle takes me, rather than you, if worse comes to worse. said Kiritsugu.
What lay beyond the glass window surprised Kiritsugu and Homura.
Beyond the shattered glass windows were identical pentagon-shaped rooms, like the one they were in right now.
-Our battlefield is much larger than I anticipated. said Kiritsugu.
We can clearly use that to our advantage.
Homura took up two sub-machine guns and nodded.
She jumped through the broken window that once depicted the Golden Angel and the surrounding inferno.

-All Stars in the Sky shall one day ignite and cease to be. That is the one truth of all that is. said the Apostle with a lamenting tone.
The Apostle suddenly flew swiftly towards Kiritsugu with its spear pointing towards Kiritsugu's chest!
Homura started to fire away at the Apostle with twin-submachine bullets.
The Apostle was sprayed with bullets and one wing got torn right off by five consecutive bullets!
It fell into the ground with a loud painful thud!
Kiritsugu started to unload his weapon towards the downed Apostle!
As the Apostle rose up, its rusted armor started to crumble from the constant fire, until one fragment on its chest fell off, revealing its thinner white padded armor underneath.
-Perhaps I gravely misjudged you. I retract any limits I may have imposed on my capabilities. said the Apostle calmly as it stood up again.
Without much warning, its left wing that had been torn of reformed itself into a heavily armored drone!
Homura redirected her attention towards the drone, while Kiritsugu kept his eyes on the Apostle.
The armored drone started to fire three streams of high-frequency towards Homura.
Homura protected herself with her shield, and soon after, several glass windows shattered into millions of pieces.
Kiritsugu began to drown the Apostle with a new twin barrage of bullets!
The Apostle retaliated by covering its whole body with its right burnt wing, which the bullets bounced off like rubber.
Kiritsugu decided to take a more aggressive approach.            
He took up a small combat knife and rushed towards the Apostle!
As Kiritsugu was about to cut the Apostle's wing, he got flicked away by a surprising force.
As Kiritsugu were about to hit the floor, the Apostle suddenly phased quickly towards him and  it threw a devastating punch into Kiritsugu's gut!
-Guagh!? shouted Kiritsugu in pain.
Meanwhile, Homura had suspended about fifty Stinger missiles around the armored drone.
As motion had returned to her surroundings, all missiles flew towards the unsuspecting drone at once!
It drowned in a cascade of explosions and shards of metal, weapon pieces and a green mineral flew in every direction!
The drone flew afterwards the Apostle, who was busy strangling Kiritsugu.
The Apostle looked up and got rammed by the big drone, and it got launched into another glass window!
Homura gave pursuit through the shattered window, towards the Apostle!
She immediately got thrown back by a big explosion from the crashed drone.
The silhouette of the Apostle slowly rose from the cloud of glass splinters and dust.
A slow clapping could be heard.
Kiritsugu helped himself up from the floor, with one hand covering his solar plexus.
The Apostle slowly walked out of the smoke-infested room.
Its remaining metal wing crumbled, leaving the Apostle bound to the ground, on equal terms as Kiritsugu and Homura.
-You have managed to clip my wings. A commendable effort.
But I, The Apostle of the Metatron, cannot die.
Not as long as the Evangelion is unspoken.

The Apostle unfolded its helmet, revealing its pale face, and then it lifted up its spear.
Even trough the punch that Kiritsugu had received earlier was barely enough to outright bust an organ, he had somehow recovered.
Homura took up a military-grade shotgun.
Kiritsugu aimed his rifle and fired its bullets towards the Apostle's head!  
The Apostle covered its face with its right arm as it charged forward.
The Apostle launched a piercing attack with its spear towards Homura!
Homura avoided the attack and plunged the shotgun into the Apostle's exposed cracks in its chest armor.
-You shall never claim a life again. said Homura.
Return to the crevice of Oblivion that spawned you.
Homura fired her shotgun and a loud splat was heard!
The Apostle flinched and took more then one step back.
Homura saw that the Apostle had no blood in its body.
Except for a few creepy blue veins, like those that decorated the Apostle's bald head, nothing of note was inside.
-What is... this alien sensation?
Pain, was it? The fragments passing through my husk of a body, it all feels nostalgic.
But the truth is, I cannot die. I can never die.
Not until all have been enlightened by the single truth.
The Metatron's truth. said the Apostle in a sombre voice.
Kiritsugu suddenly aimed towards the Apostle's head.  
-Everything dies one day, even you, Apostle. Your Evengelion will not be spoken to anyone! shouted Kiritsugu.
Kiritsugu tackled the Apostle and aimed the barrel of his rifle right into the Apostle's face.
-Be gone. said Kiritsugu as he opened fire.
Homura turned away, as Kiritsugu riddled the Apostle's head with bullets!
The Apostle didn't make any attempt to move whatsoever.
Kiritsugu then finished his brutal assault by sticking his combat knife into the exposed part of the Apostle's armor.
-Homura, you can end this now. said Kiritsugu.
Homura nodded. She opened her hands, and a black bow started to materialize.
-Madoka, grant me the strength to alter fate itself!
An arrow of light started to form in Homura's left hand. She pulled the bow string and aimed the arrow of light towards the Apostle!
-Mankind will never be for your taking, Apostle. You have failed. said Homura harshly.
Homura let go of the arrow, and it pierced the Apostle's chest armor and body.
The Apostle did not show any signs of pain or damage.
Homura were about to speak, but the Apostle slowly collapsed before she could say anything.

(Background Music: NieR Soundtrack - Dispossession (Piano Version) [HQ])

Kiritsugu just pointed his rifle towards the Apostle.
-I know how this goes. When will you get up? said Kiritsugu.
The Apostle stared upwards from its lying position.
It then looked towards Homura and Kiritsugu.
-Hmhmhmhmhm... chuckled the Apostle with a wry smile.
How far does the Children of Tellus' hate extend?
When I confronted you back in the facility on Tellus, I offered you peace in the few days you had yet to live.
Yet, you cling to your naivety. All Stars in the Sky shall one day Ignite and cease to be.
Why do you postpone your destiny so eagerly? In a world so disgusting, how could its population not welcome the embers of oblivion?
Homura gave the Apostle a bitter look.
-That is one thing I think we can see eye to eye with. said Homura bitterly, much to Kiritsugu's surprise.
-Earth is in many ways, terrible beyond words, and it is not a world I would sacrifice my life to save. But.
All of its inhabitants are not horrible. And it is one of them I am ready to die for.
So, stand up, Apostle. I will bring you down to the ends of time if that prevents you from hurting Madoka Kaname.
The Apostle slowly rose up again, now with its ruined face covered with its blank helmet.
-You are correct, daughter of Tellus, you will have to fight me to the ends of time.
The Apostle can't die. The Apostle will never die.
Kiritsugu stared with intense malice towards the Apostle.
-Homura is still young. She has a future. I will be the one to kill you once and for all. said Kiritsugu.
-Don't act like an idiot, Kiritsugu. You will die! said Homura seriously.    
-It matters little to me. said Kiritsugu.
You can meet your Madoka again, and I can finally die for something that matters.
Tell my-
-DON'T GO THERE. said Homura angrily and punched Kiritsugu.
If you won't leave, then we can both destroy the Apostle, together.
-Stubborn as a mule. said Kiritsugu with a smile.
Prepare yourself. said Kiritsugu and with a heavy huff reloaded his gun.
-I'm also ready. Do your worst. said Homura.
The Apostle took up its spear.

(Background Music: NieR Soundtrack - Snow in Summer [HQ])

The Apostle started to run on a limp leg towards Homura and Kiritsugu.
-The Evangelion... It will be heard by all! said the Apostle.
Homura suddenly tripped forward and Kiritsugu fell backwards.
The Apostle collapsed. The floor had started to shake violently.
Large cracks appeared throughout the pillars, the floor, and the sky-high roof.
The Cathedral that the Apostle had taken refuge in collapsed in its entirety.
Kiritsugu Rolled over to Homura and covered her from the cataclysmic destruction.

And after this battle, Earth knew peace, at least from the Apostle.
The friend that Homura and Kiritsugu left behind, Hal Emmerich, remained oblivious to their fate.
The destruction of the Sandstone Temple, which sealed of a big opening between Terrarium and Existensia, could mean that a new tumult era...

Outside of the ruins fell gray snow softly in the wind.
The Hermit walked slowly away from the shattered temple, with gray clouds dispersing behind him.
-For being a chess-master, you certainly lack subtly, Hisahide. said the Red Emperor.
Who knows what magnificent history that odd piece of architecture could have hidden?
It is gone now, surely.
The Hermit grinned.
-I managed to obtain what I desired in that grave of a temple. said the Hermit.
And since it was of no more use, I did what any wise man would do. Burn it to the ground.
This dying world has no place for superficial relics.
-What you desired? Surely you do not intend to cooperate with that rabid beast of a man? asked the Red Emperor.
-If that helps me come to the Truth, I will enlist the aid or shatter the ties to absolutely anyone.
Even you, Nero. said the Hermit.
-Hmph! He truly is a fool. said the Red Emperor as she brushed away some dust from her sleeves.

How would this impact the harmony that Existensia prospered in?