TRIGUN MAXIMUM VOLUME 12 Chapter 1
The spaceship crews prepare for battle
Above the city, Vash looks down upon Octovern
He clutches his left arm, then looks forward
He thinks back over his past and remembers everybody who has helped him
Then he stands, gun drawn, directly in front of the ark.
The crew is assessing the threat the ark poses
Back on the planet, there is a 2-page spread of the enormous ark and Vash waiting for it
And then...the ark...IS GONE!
EVERYBODY FREAKS.
The ark has teleported...DIRECTLY OVER THE CITY!
From above, a melty Knives looks down with anger at a shocked Vash
Chapter 2
A light comes out of the space ship, towards the planet, directly aimed at the ark, but...the thing teleports right as it is about to hit its mark.
There is a huge explosion where the ark once was.
The people in the city shield themselves from the blast.
An arial shot of the huge crater created by the weapon and an unscathed ark several thousand meters away from the site of impact.
The situation on the spaceship looks BAD. There is no history of any type of being teleporting itself any distance.
Domina and Chronika talk
A panel of a very serious-looking Knives, then a shot of a disoriented Domina
Domina comes back to present and rejoins the conversation with Chronika and the general
Unbeknownst to anybody, however, one of Knives thin threads has wrapped itself around Domina's leg
Back in Octovern, the ark is directly overhead
Milly and Meryl knock over a soldier in their rush for a better vantage point
People start FREAKING OUT. Everybody with a gun fires directly overhead...
People are trying to figure out what the hell is going on
The girls look out over the crowd, then back at each other.
They notice the plant bulbs are resonating
They look up, wondering if the ark is attacking already
Back on the spaceship, Domina starts talking about things she couldn't possibly know.
Chronika realizes she's not really talking to Domina anymore
Domina has angel wings coming out of her! She has merged with the other plants!
Knives has taken over command of one of the fleet's destroyers!
And is USING IT TO ATTACK CHRONIKA'S SHIP!
Chapter 3
Chronika is torn between destroying the ship with her friend still on it and taking another hit from the destroyer
With the ship's shields compromised, the destroyer is about to attack using it's BIG ATTACK
Back in Octovern, the mayor and others try to get people to stop shooting straight up...
But the only thing that gets them to stop is all the bullets that rain back down upon them
Back in space, Domina's ship is about to attack. Chronika has decided to preemptively strike
Back to Vash at the top of the elevator, Vash begins attacking.
The smoke from his guns looks like...angel wings...
As each bullet travels, the bullet comes apart to reveal the stored energy inside each one
One of the bullets severs the thread controlling Domina
Without Knives' command, the destroyer begins to sink...
Chapter 4
A little angel-wing pincer intercepts the severed thread
Knives looks at it, then gravely looks back down
He sees Vash standing on a level of a detached structure
Vash puts his sunglasses on and smiles (obviously fake smile)
Knives doesn't know Vash's strategy, or how he is able to attack from such a distance
Back in Octovern, Meryl and Milly notice that everything has gone still, waiting for what is going to happen next
Vash realizes that Knives has decided to kill him
Knives launches his attack: out of a great big pair of jaws, balls of energy form...and rush towards Vash! But Vash starts SHOOTING!
It appears that the energy from Knives has turned into sickle-like shapes
Vash's bullet absorbs the blades in front of him, but the ground he is standing on is cut to shreds
Knives expects Vash to be cut to smithereens, but as the dust settles, he realizes not only that Vash is unscathed, but is still aiming right at Knives
Knives figures out that Vash has put his power into the bullets of his gun
Chapter 5
Flashback: Vash is young, has both arms, and is chained to a post as people around him watch
Further flashback: Knives and Vash are traveling through the desert. Knives has gotten ahead and is calling out for Vash to follow
A car pulls up and instead of following Knives, Vash takes a ride with a human
Knives looks shocked.
Back in the present on the spaceship, Domina is still in a bad way and Chronika is humiliated
Oh top of the city, Vash remains with his gun aimed at Knives
Conversation, Knives taunts Vash, knowing Vash won't shoot him in the head
Flashback to younger, chained up Vash. He is holding a gun to Knives' head
Knives looks unperturbed. He just saved his little brother from the humans...
BY KILLING THE ENTIRE TOWN!
Conversation
Knives threatens to leave Vash there while he annihilates the rest of humanity
Vash tries to shoot the chain that is still holding him, but can't
So Vash turns the gun and shoots Knives in the shoulder
In a rage, Knives cuts off Vash's arm
Back on top of the city, Vash and Knives converse
Vash drops his aim
Knives summons an energy ball
Vash shoots and neutralizes it
Knives summons several more energy balls
Vash is ready.
Chapter 6
A bullet hits one of Knives knife-like feather appendages
Knives looks surprised as the bullet spins, creating a vortex that draws other feathers with it
The energy balls Knives has summoned are all being shot through
Vash expells the spent shells in his gun, reloads with a speed loader, then snaps the barrel shut and resumes firing
Knives and Vash watch as the energy balls swirl...and disappear
One of the vortices created by the bullet continues to swirl, sucking in another of Knives' knife-like feather appendages
Knives CUTS the appendage off to avoid from being consumed
Vash and Knives converse
MEANWHILE, back in Octovern, several operators man a switchboard
They are trying to communicate with the plants...
Back to Vash and Knives, Knives is on to the humans' plans to communicate with the plants
Vash raises his left arm, asking Knives about the day he cut the arm off
Flashback to Vash, now armless and still chained to the post in the center of town
A girl shows up
Town's backstory
Back to Vash and Knives
SPEED LINES!
Knives attacks!
Vash attacks with his revolver AND his machine gun
The operators in Octovern continue to work
The plants react to something
Something hits Knives, distracting him
The plants begin to scream
Vash and Knives both look down to see cannons pointing straight up at Knives
FIRE!
The ark is assailed with bullets
Vash shouts at them to stop, but to no avail
The plants are freaking out at this point
Knives summons another energy ball, but is surprised when Vash shoots through it
The cannon bullets are fast approaching! Vash looks down...
And has to use his plant-powered bullets to take out the ones the humans just shot!
Now Vash is fighting Knives AND the humans
The cannons are ready for another volley, but...
Just then, a ship flies overhead, spreading THICK SMOKE the army can't see through!
They are just about to shoot again, when...
TWO TOMAS CARRYING TWO INSURANCE GIRLS BURST ONTO THE SCENE!
They run over the general
They run over some other guys
Conversation
Meryl pulls out derringers and starts shooting
This is all Vash's allies can do, but Vash is fortified with the knowledge that he doesn't stand alone facing Knives
Meanwhile, back on the spaceship, Domina's body is recovered, and it's sprouting angel wings all over...we're talking out of her mouth and her eye sockets even...creepy...
Chronika decides not to try to salvage Domina
Chapter 7
The smoke is clearing
Milly and Meryl turn to retreat
But Milly's toma is SHOT and throws her off as it skids to a stop
Milly's toma runs away as Meryl reigns in her toma, rushing to Milly's side
Meryl dismounts and goes to Milly
The whole army has their sights set on the girls
The general gives the order to kill them (??!??!?! OH NOES!)
Meanwhile, back to Vash and Knives. Knives is pummeling Vash with a relentless attack designed to waste Vash's ammo
Vash is injured from the onslaught, and looks at Knives gravely
Back on the ship, they are using Domina's resonance with the ark to monitor Knives' power usage
Back to Milly and Meryl, the army completely unloads at Meryl and Milly, but the bullets don't rush through soft insurance girl innards...but RUN STRAIGHT INTO A WALL!
A wall...HELD UP BY LIVIO!
Livio and Meryl have a brief conversation
Livio hefts the big metalic sheet/door/whatever up on its end, providing the girls with cover.
He then hops on top, meaning to face the whole army BY HIMSELF!
He asks where the general is.
A few soldiers look in his direction
Then...suddenly...LIVIO JUMPS! He's running in between soldiers!
He shoots guns out of soldiers' hands as he runs through the crowd
Then he BLASTS a few back. He skids to a stop
He quickly ducks, crossing his legs. He turns as he shoots, hitting the soldiers in nonvital spots like the ankle
Then, he uses his guns to VAULT off the shoulders of a fallen soldier and runs away by walking on a few well-placed soldiers' faces!
Back to Vash and Knives: Vash lunges to avoid an attack. He keeps his balance only because he catches himself by putting his gun on the ground
Vash's guard is down and he's completely open for attack
Knives forms another energy ball, but doesn't shoot Vash
Knives starts monologuing, but Vash cuts him off
Vash wipes his face with his hand, blood is running from his nose. He flings it away from him. He's in bad shape...
Neither brother wants to kill the other, but what choice do they have now?
Chapter 8
Chronika monitors monitors
A shot of Vash looking very alone
If the shots of the horizon are from Vash's point of view, it indicates that he may be swaying, trying to remain standing
Chronika communes with the plants in the ark. She appears to find something...BUT GETS DISCONNECTED! GAH!
Meanwhile, Knives is smiling...
Vash continues to fight off Knives' attacks
Behind Vash, we see the ground...covered in his blood!
Suddenly, blood BURSTS FROM VASH'S NECK!
He falls, he hits the ground
Bullets bounce away from him in different directions
Knivse picks one up
Vash is down for the count...
LIVIO! Stands victorious in front of a totally trounced army
He looks up at a building...
Back up top, Vash's finger is still on the trigger,
He comes to,
His vision...can he see?
He grips his gun and Knives takes notice
Vash struggles to get up again
Knives sticks a knife-like appendage straight into the ground by Vash's neck
Vash takes note, but can't do anything about it!
Suddenly, Knives notices something...and looks up...
LIVIO! He runs towards the building, but just as he reaches it, a huge NAIL goes through the doorway...
Back up top, Knives screams!
A BLAST OF ENERGY GOES THROUGH HIM!
Meanwhile, Elandira engages Livio
Meanwhile, Knives looks up at the ship, Chronika's gotten in an ALMOST direct hit
Meanwhile, Vash gathers his strength to shoot Knives one more time...
BUT IS BLOCKED! By...LEGATO!
Several people have several reactions to the turn of events...
Chapter 9
Flashback to Vash's imprisonment on the ark. He is talking to Legato. Legato is...a true believer...
BACK TO THE PRESENT: Knives floats up to deal with the ship while Vash is on his knees in front of a very able-bodied Legato
Vash looks up,
Legato looks up,
Vash sees...
THE SHIP IS ENTERING THE ATMOSPHERE!
Knives is DIRECTLY BELOW IT!
People on the ground are freaking out, praying
The girls look up and see Knives engaging the ship and assume the worst about Vash
Legato and Vash watch as the ship opens fire on Knives
Knives seems to repell the beam from the ship with his hand...
The beam is not penetrating the atmosphere!
Chronika looks down gravely,
Legato thinks of Knives and...has a flashback!
Legato is in a cage, he has inserted "threads" into the spines of everyone in the town
He looks down at the people below him
Legato's attempt at killing everyone, however, does not work out
And he is caught and strung up on a Y-shaped cross
Two men splay Legato's legs open
The man begins to rape him, but suddenly, he's sliced up into slabs of meat
Everywhere above him, there are threads slicing everybody to shreds
He alone sits amid the rubble of the town
Legato finds the head of the man raping him, and picks it up...it's still conscious...
Legato turns and sees...KNIVES
Knives is all...well well well, what do we have here?
Legato walks towards him, but Knives launches a sickle thing at his throat
Legato kneals
Knives begins cutting his throat
Legato smiles
Knives quickly pulls away the sickle, gooey blood sticking to it
Knives smiles, Legato follows, and the rest is history...
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