-Skull Knight and Void are outside the eclipse, facing off. Zodd tells Skully:
          Z: "I knew youd be here, youve opposed us for 1000 years. I knew you would not miss this opportunity"
        SK: "So you have been commanded as the gate keeper here, undead one."
          Z: "Never. Those kind of events dont interest me in the least. I live for combat, for the fight. You should know that, old rival."
        SK: "It has been fortold by fate that I will strike down Void. Shall  it be here? This time is as good as any."

-Their fight continues as we pan back into the eclipse. Here, we see that the Hawks are still in deep combat against the demons. However, it is clearly evident they are fighting a hopeless battle. Pippin gives Caska enough time to run away with Judeau, before he is taken down by multiple demons. Judeau and Caska attempt fleeing the scene. Judeau tells Caska that she is the most important one among them, for she is the general.

-We pan over to Corkus, who is fleeing demons. He is slashed across his back and then stumbles down a hill. He begins to deny his existence with the hawks. He convinces himself that those achievements couldnt be his. They were some dream. And this, before him, was just a nightmare. He then succumbs to his denial, by embracing a demon desguised as a beautiful woman. That is the last we see of Corkus.

-We pan back to Judeau and Caska who are still being attacked by demons. Judeaus arm is bitten by a demon, and Caska manages to slice the demon away. But Judeau is in horrible shape. His arm is nothing more than a stump. Caska begins to cower in fear, but Judeau tells Caska to: "fight on to the very end, as gatts would do"... Their horse is eaten by a demon from below them, and  Caska and Judeau fall to the ground. A demon with whip-like tentacles begins to attack them, but Judeau protects Caska, taking multiple blows to his back. Eventually, Judeau and Caska work together to destroy the Demon. Judeau has used his final knife. Judeau tells Caska to go on without him. But caska talks him back into moving onward, using his own words "Fight on to the very end" against him. Judeau thinks to himself that, "This is the end, and I was never able to tell you how I felt..." He tells Caska, "You cry too much...Are these to be my final words?" Then falls, limp In caska's arms.

-As Caska beckons Judeau, calling his name, she is surrounded by demons, all calling for 'woman...woman'. They gang up on her, but Caska attempts to strike them down, in a vain effort. They crush her weapons, and strip her of her armor. Caska is helpless in their power. We pan away from the frightful scene and turn to Gatts battle against the demons near the God Hand...

-Gatts is fighting in rage, using the exoskeleton of a slain demon as a sword. He is doing well considering his place in this, a human against demons. As the God Hand watch from above, Slann begins to speak:

       Slann: "Its a shame. As his will to live gets stronger and stronger, and the painful fight continues. All become a new source of llife for the darkness...Sweet Dreams, dear child of God. You, who was once the dream called Griffith...When that dream ends you will awaken, into the dream that shall never end."

-We pan over to Griffith, as he dreams, or is this his true vision? He is contemplating the death of his comrades. And he sees 'God'. 'Idea'.

-Gatts continues fighting, but eventualy trips, and falls over the edge of the cliff. Upon falling into a pool of blood, Gatts looks around and realises the fate of his comrades. They are all dead. Or are they? Gatts hears a voice, calling him. Its Gaston.

-Gaston tells Gatts that nothing feels real anymore. It feels llike when they fought the demon Zodd. Like when they were dealing with situations that were completely unknown. He tells Gatts that Griffith always felt different than them. Like he was looking at a portait of a hero from long ago... Gastons head explodes, revealing a demon, who squirms away.

-Gatts sees Pippin upon a cliff in front of him. Gatts cries out ti Pippin, but Pippin is sliced in half by a demon. His innards are revealed to have been carved out of him. (incidentally the demon that appears here is the same demon that Gatts will in teh future fight. It is the baron, from vol 2. Remember that guy? Oh sure you do)

- Gatts looks around him and realises that everyone is dead, but not only that.Their bodies are being disgraced by the demons. Gatts cries out in rage, and attemps to take them all on, his eyes burn white with fury. Then, when nothing else could seemingly go wrong, He looks up, and sees Caska, his love, being raped by demons. Gatts becomes something 'other' and he burns with fury, slicing demon after demon, attempting to rescue her. But soon afterwards, a demon catches Gatts by his left arm, and holds him there. Then...they hear a deafening sound from the Hand of God. It is a heartbeat. All beings, demon and human, stop dead in their tracks, and stare at the hand. the demons begin chanting, "the time has come! the fifth of the blessed lords has been born!"

-We pan over all of the God Hand: Void, Slann, Ubik, Conrad. They chant: "Our new kindred has been born. He will stand at our side, as the newly crowned demon lord. He is Femto- Wings of Darkness."

- Femto glides down to Gatts and stares at him. Gatts mutters : "Griff..." but then realises that his old friend is something else now. Femto then summons Caska, with his demons arms. He takes hold of her, and begins to display his power before Gatts. Griffith before, for years was a helpless cripple. He rapes Caska, as both a symbol of his newfound power, and as penance for his time as a cripple, helpless before Gatts. All of this time, Griffith had been jealous of Gatts clarity of Dream. But now, Griffith had taken back hold of his own dream, and the tides are turned once again. Gatts, tears in his eyes, eventually attempts to cut through the demon holdinghis arm. but it is futile, And soon Gatts hacks at his own arm,to break free. He finally breaks free after much trial, but he is determined. He leaps at Femto, but all was for naught, as Femto merely glances Gatts way and summons tens of demons to hold Gatts down.

- Gatts is held by the demons to stare at the visage of his love being raped, Caska looks over at Gatts and tells him " Dont...Look." Gatts, tears in his eyes, leans backwards into teh claws of the demons, as his right eye is punctured, he screams as blood covers his right eye, and for Gatts, all fades to Black.

-However, the scene is far from over. Skull Knight breaks through the Sun above them, and immediately attempts an assault on the God Hands leader, Void. Void and Skull Knight lock eyes but for a panel, as Void opens up a dimentional distortion, effectively blocking Skull Knights blade and forcing it back at its attacker ( There has been specualtion over the shape of the portal that Void opens up. The current theory is that the distortion is the 'Klein Bottle'. I will not go into detail over this scientific matter. But in brief, the Klein Bottle is a vision of the 4th dimension. FOr more information go to this informational site: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/7997/eric4.html  )

- Skull Knight realising that this is not the place that Void will be struck down, attempts escape. But not before Femto has his say. Femto summons a ball of demons, crushing them all down to a fine point, but Skull Knight merely hops away. As Femto raises his hand for a second attack against Skull Kniight, he catches a glimpse of Gatts and Caska upon Skullys horse. And for a brief moment, we see something in Femto's eyes that makes him hesitate.

-Skull Knight escapes and takes Gatts and Caska to Rickert, who is stunned to see them all. Zodd appears behind SK and tells him that their battle will have to be postponed until a later date. And that if they want to escape this place then they had best hurry up. Rickert asks SK what happened back in that 'tornado' ( eclipse, as seen from the outside ). SK tells Rickert " There is nothing left... of them" As all of them leave, Zodd stares off at them and says:

           Zodd: "So that man survived the eclipse...Splendid...We will soon see how a man like you will survive in a world enveloped by Darkness. For from this day forth, you will walk the deserts of the dead...You, the Branded Swordsman...



           That is as far as I will summarize. If you want more from vol 13, read here:     http://www.skullknight.net     then click on POST - ECLIPSE.


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