The Grand Crossover RP - Pathway to Origin [IC/PG-13/Moved to NCM for Finale]

[Reinforce]

Lyon

Lyon was surprised when their boss suddenly gave them each a ring, stating it was to protect them from the aura of the shadow realm. Shrugging, Lyon took off his left gauntlet so he could put the ring on, before returning his gauntlet back on over the hand. Looking around at the group, he saw a surprisingly familiar face, that of his fellow ice mage back on Lath, Ed. Deciding not to approach the only one from the group he knew for now, he instead walked over to where a small group of people were assembling together, amongst them a pair of girls, one very short and the other  blue haired girl with a staff, as well as a male who's hair seemed nearly uncontrollable. "Mind if I help out your group?" By this time, his ice layer around the armour had finished forming, giving it a slight sheen along with the bonus thickness.

 

-----

 

Ayame and Naomi

When they both got given a ring, Naomi quietly slipped it on, wondering if it would survive her changing forms, while Ayame pocketed hers, declaring "Why would I need a ring to protect me, my heritage should protect me from the corrosive effects anyway." Looking around to see how people were grouping up, she was surprised to see Jin walking towards them. "Jin." Naomi said in surprise, looking up from her own musing, "You were recruited too then." Ayame took over at that point, "We're fine, though it looks like you were recruited a while after us. I guess if we succeed in this, the time where you came from will change to include us again. Since everyone seems to be getting into groups, want to team up with us?"

[The Warden]

The ring appeared before Big Boing, and she allowed it to slide daintily onto her right index finger. She stared at it intently, but she wasn't, 'staring' at it per say. She was staring into the past, so long ago.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Big Boing was staring intently out of the window. Doctor Riddles was leaving again with Kiddo, apparantly another Book Owner had appeared and was reeking havoc, as usual. He was such a kind and stalwart man; and the best leader ever. His strategies were unmatched, and, to him, the Majestic Twelve was his family. And Kiyomaro of course; such a sweet boy, and Gash as well.

 

"So, did you hear?"

 

It was coming from nearby. Peeking through an ajar door, she found Rocket Foot and Fire Elbow talking. "Yeah, I heard that Doctor Riddles was thinking about proposing. And that the following event will really liven up the place" Fire Elbow said.

 

Big Boing held a hand to her mouth and she pulled away from the door. Proposing, that wouldn't be.. to... her, was it? No, it couldn't be. BB wanted to hear more, but she had strayed too far already. She'd just have to wait and see, and at least pretend to be surprised. She'd just have to wait.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And she will keep waiting, for Big Boing knew in her heart that the Doctor was the one.

[Jolta]

Social interaction. That's a first. A great confidence boost.

Gin then released a rare smile of 'hers', "Gin Furukawa. It is nice to meet you Eria. This is Tamae, my familiar."

 

He turned to the rest of the team.

"I believe that this will work out, do you not agree, Tamae?"

 

Tamae looked rather sad. "Well, I guess..."

 

"Very well then," Gin spoke as 'she' took out a pair of scabbard-covered blades from underneath her skirt.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Sora nodded. "Nice to meet you, Nero! Actually, I got the Keyblade about five years. When I got it, my island was under attack. As for who taught me, well, I kind of taught myself. I mean, I met this old sorcerer, Yen Sid, who taught me even more things." Sora caught himself, remembering the situation. "Sorry, you're from a different universe, right? What was it like for you?" Sora looked back, seeing Kenpachi and Yachiru. Without thinking, Sora grabbed Nero's hand and pulled him to Kenpachi and Yachiru. "Hey Kenpachi, guess what? Looks like I'm not the only one with a Keyblade here." He looked back at Nero, then looked around at the other people at the Counter Corps. The Keyblade was a powerful weapon, and it wouldn't do to have both wielders from it on the same team. Sora would have to point that out to Nero, but right now, he was more concerned with getting to know his fellow Keyblade wielder.

 

The Keyblade War Hero

 

"Taught yourself? That is truly an impressive feat." Nero said, he listened to Sora explain things. And Yen Sid? It was a name he vaguely remember, but he wasn't exactly sure. "Different universe...that would be the wrong idea, Sora. The same universe, on the count of the Keyblade. However, different time periods would most likely be the correct answer. You see..." he started, as he looked above at the gear work. "In my timeline, I took place in the war over a specific ultimate Keyblade...the X-Blade. And me and my allies...in fact, the Keyblade Masters that arrived on that world...they all lost their lives."

 

---

 

The Gunslinger & The Assassin

 

Tyson felt left out of most of the team "building exercises", at least he thought that's what they were. However, one specific person caught his eye: Matt Mercer. "Hey there! How come your not over with the others just chattin' and carryin' on?" Tyson asked, with a smile, as he crossed his arms, trying to look under Matt's hood.

 

"I could ask the exact same of you." Matt chuckled, as he noticed a slight quiet expression fall upon the gunslinger's face. "Unless, you came over here to start said chatting."

 

"Gah! You got me..." Tyson sighed, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Name's Tyson Hawks, otherwise known as "The Red Blaze". Been labeled an outlaw, but not like I'm killing innocent people. I have targets, but they aren't innocent."

 

Hmm, sounds like he's somewhat of an assassin too... Matt thought, as he nodded, extending a hand towards Tyson. "Matt Mercer. I'm a Master Assassin...its a pleasure to meet you, Tyson." he said, as Tyson's hand shook his.

[Merci]

"Er, you're right." Isamy nodded in agreement to Arthur's suggestion, and was about to stand up again when Richard spoke up, who instead suggested that she wait. "O-kay?"

 

In even more confusion than before, she decided to remain in her seat a little longer, unsure about what to do when Melvin charged in singing something that vaguely remembered an old Korean pop song. Even more than Sayer, his presence disturbed her greatly. Why she even took him out of his own universe was a mystery, she should've just let that universe's Zorc destroy the world and be done with it. Her eyebrow was twitching just as his sing came to an end, and then he greeted her as 'Nomelons'... Nomelons, Nomelons, Nomelons, Nomelons...

 

DO YOU WISH TO DIE THAT BADLY?

 

Isamy pursued her lips, on the brink of decapitating him where he stood and yelling out when Sephiroth and Arthur stepped forth. Oh yeah, everyone had already come, hadn't they? Then she had to maintain her composure. Already, she was setting a bad example for these people. She had never really been the leader type of person. Forcing herself to calm down, ignoring Melvin to the best of her ability, she stood up from her throne once more.

 

"Alright. Thank you all for coming, my fellow Divine. While some might have other reasons, I'm certain that most of you here for the one sole promise of the power the Door of Origin wields." The girl spoke in a clear voice, drawing out a dark-matter scythe from hammerspace with her right hand.

 

Gripping it tightly, she continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Isamy Maximus, Herald of Chaos and of Entropy, and I intend to use the Door's abilities to eliminate all despair from the entire multiverse, creating a perfect utopia of happiness."

 

Swinging her scythe around, Isamy took a step forward.

 

"In return for your services, you will all be given a small portion of that power in order to recreate your own universe as you wish. I do not know, nor do I care about your many differing ideals, as all that is required of you is to use your powers to defeat the Counter Corps. Once they're gone, I shall be able to find the Key without any interference, and you will all be free to do as you wish."

 

Then she clicked her fingers. "From here on out, Viligance will explain the plan. If you have any questions, direct them at him." Since it had been his plan to begin with, as she wasn't quite intelligent enough to formulate complex strategies and participate in wars involving anything other than brute force - but she didn't tell anyone this.

 

 

Bleach OST - Mysterious

 

 

The animated suit of armor walked onward from behind the gathered Divine, stopping and turning around once he was besides Isamy, before stabbing his sword into the ground and freezing still like a statue. Unlike her, Viligance's presence exuded nothing but a void. There was no compassion, no confidence, no worry or fear. Only loyalty.

 

"In a little while, we shall venture into the Shadow Realm, the location Counter Guardian Emiya is currently heading." Viligance began, in a surprisingly more humane voice than before, even if it was still a monotone. "For those who wish to know, it is..."

 

 

---

 

 

"...something that can only be described as the very shadow that the multiverse casts." Emiya continued, having taken a firm position. The others could continue their conversations while in the Shadow Realm.

 

"It exists in all worlds, in one form or another. Sometimes it is barely noticed, but in others, it tends to take a form of its own, sometimes even replacing that world's afterlife. There are many names for these forms, some of which you might be familiar with - Hell, Gehenna, the Shinigami Realm, the Underworld, the Unknown Regions, the Abyss, the End, the Other Dimension, Vhoorl (etc.)..."

 

It looked as if the others had already formed their teams without even needing him to order them to do so. There had been a few who bravely chose not to equip the ring straightaway, but perhaps after actually entering the place, they might end up having a change of mind. That way, he could differentiate between the truly brave and the simply foolish. Whatever the case, it seemed as though they were already prepared. All that was left now was informing the Counter Corps of what they were about to do.

 

"And most accurately, the Shadow Realm. These tiny world shadows, as you might call them, are all connected, and form the various layers that make up the massive entirety of the Shadow Realm. As we speak, the real me is traversing through it, making his way towards the core. You will all be taken directly into this core, the deepest root of the realm. Extremely powerful demonic entities and eldritch abominations once resided there, but they have all left since then. Compared to then, it has become rather lax, but still extremely dangerous by our standards."

 

After glancing around to see if anyone had fallen asleep or wasn't listening, Emiya went on.

 

"The core of the Shadow Realm is now the home of many twisted monsters, some of them born there as natural demons, others once innocent living beings that accidentally stumbled into it and ended up warped. For the latter, there is no saving them. The most merciful thing to do would be to end their pitiful lives and send them off to their proper afterlife." He avoided their gaze as he said this, but turned back once he was done with that particular part. "Needless to say, both shadow creatures will try to feast on you. They're of varying types, and will generally be attracted to you based on your power. The stronger you are, the stronger monsters you'll attract."

 

 

---

 

 

"Since these 'void creatures' - as I have decided to dub them - would be detrimental to the success of the Divine, try to remain within the Castle of Necrophades located there at all times to avoid the more powerful dragonic monsters. I have informed Isamy to prepare a spell that will allow you to control the lesser creatures residing within the castle, but it will require willpower on your part for it to be effective." Viligance continued on, though really, his mannerisms were like that of a robot since his body wasn't moving at all. "This is entirety optional, but recommended."

 

Isamy wasn't sure what to do, so she just stood there and pretended that this was all her amazing idea. Viligance is simply my servant, and all he's doing is explaining the grand strategy that I myself devised. They'll all think that, I'm certain.

 

"Emiya and his team of foolish Counter Corps shall undoubtedly split up and take the castle from different directions. In full confidence of your abilities, you will engage their separated members in fights, and annihilate them. Do not let anyone live. As for those who are wondering about the castle, it contains a certain something, and your primary mission will be to defend-"

 

 

 

---

 

 

"...Destroy that thing." Emiya said, with great emphasis on the word 'destroy'.

 

"As we all probably know by now, Isamy is immortal and cannot be destroyed by normal means. Even if someone manages to overpower her in battle, it means nothing if she can't die. Although I don't fully understand how her particular immortality goes, she's a kind of lich, meaning that she maintains her life by keeping her soul elsewhere. It's contained somewhere within the Castle of Necrophades, and should be like any one of the following things: a floating dark ball of energy, a seemingly ordinary but suspicious object with a dark aura, or an embodied monster of darkness that's probably chained up somewhere."

 

Waving his hand, the giant sword behind him vanished into thin air, leaving only an empty hill. But this provided Emiya the space he needed to create the portal that would take the team of soldiers out, and into the Shadow Realm's core once he arrived.

 

"Encounter any of the above things, and destroy it on sight. Our goal will be to end this right here and now, skipping all unnecessary drama, subplots, and dungeons, and end her life before she can open the door. Then, once she dies, all of the paradoxes she caused will unravel and inexplicably fix themselves, restoring the multiverse back to normal."

 

Thrusting both of his arms forward, space on top of the hill began to bend as a vortex was slowly being created, tearing through Unlimited Blade Works to create an opening outside. The air around them grew thicker, the sky turning dark as if an invisible sun had begun to set. As if remembering something, the red knight looked over his shoulder to face the entire Counter Corps.

 

"Before we go, there's one thing you must all know... Anyone here can die. If you're unwilling to risk losing your life, this is your one last chance to go back. Once you step in, there is no turning back."

 

 

---

 

 

In contrast to the Counter Guardian's great efforts, once Viligance had finished with his long explanation, Isamy rather casually whipped up a black portal with a swoop of her scythe, which leaded directly into the core of the Shadow Realm. She signaled for the warriors to step in.

 

"I will continue searching for the Key, while Viligance will accompany you all in. You're all free to team up with other Divine members if you want. Once you step into the spacial gateway, you should feel a slight tingling. If you don't want to have your own personal army of void creatures, just shrug it off."

 

Not waiting for the others, the animated knight jumped into the portal first without stopping, without even asking for permission first, acting like a glitchy NPC. Isamy's expression changed to one that was baffled by his action just then, but she quickly adopted a cooler look afterwards and pretended that that didn't just happen.

 

"Failure is not an option. If you have any questions, then ask Viligance. Now go."

[PikMan]

Bane decided it would be in his best interest to get to know some of the people he'd be working with. Hopefully, not ALL of them were like Xeta. He looked for someone he could associate with, so he made his way around the room. He passed what looked like a very tan, shirtless muscular Jack Sparrow impersonator, and said, "You there, with the athletic build. Would you be so kind as to kick the round one in the face?" He continued past him, not waiting for a response, until he saw someone else that looked like he'd been through circumstances similar to his. He wore what appeared to be a turban and a bandage covering the eyes.

 

He decided this would be the most likely ally he could find. He wasn't too worried abut betrayal, because many had tried to kill him in the past, and he was convinced that only heavy artillery could kill him. "If we're all working towards the same goal," he said politely, "I would very much like to know who I'm working with."

 

Before he could get a response, Ismay began to talk about their objective.

 

---AFTER THE INFODUMP---

 

Autumn let what Emiya said sink in. She tried to determine whether or not she should risk her life.

After a moment or two, she decided, "I'm going."

 

Adriel raised an eyebrow. "You're not the least bit intimidated?"

 

"Nope." Autumn shook her head. "My world was completely trashed, so if I don't risk my life for it, I won't be able to go back again, and I won't see my friends again... won't see Phantom again..." She paused for a moment. "So... I guess we'll talk more once we get into the Shadow Realm."

[Yosuke-kun]

Jin Akatsuki

 

Shingeki no Kyojin OST - Doa

 

Jin smiled as Ayame suggested the team up. That's what he wanted after all. "Well, yeah. I think it'd be better to work with someone I know, even if I haven't seen you in two years. Besides, we got some catching up to do." As he said this, Emiya demanded all of their attention. As he spoke, Jin followed what he was saying very closely. So this Shadow Realm is basically gonna be a larger more savage version of Hell? Sounds like something I can handle. Jin thought back to his first visit to Hell, and remembered the images of the world that Mammon had shown him. What she said was the 'true world that he was protecting'. At the time, Jin had just accepted it without really caring too much, only to be snapped out of it later by Masune and Lien. No matter what he saw in this alternate Hell, he was not going to go back to that again.

 

The giant sword that Emiya had summoned then disappeared, to be replaced by the portal that would take the Counter Guardians to the Shadow Realm. Before anyone went in, Emiya said one more piece

 

"Anyone here can die. If you don't want to risk losing your life, this is your last chance to go back."

 

That much Jin had known, and had already resigned himself to this fact. Taking that in mind, and with a confident and somewhat mischievous smile on his face,Jin looked directly at Emiya, and spoke. "I think we all knew that when we signed up. Besides, if we don't at least TRY to kill this crazy loli jabroni, then ours won't be the only lives lost, will they?" Without another word from anyone, Jin rushed into the portal, not waiting for the others to follow, making Jin the first one to cross through the portal. Yes, Jin HAD to win. So that his world would be rewritten with Ayame and Naomi in it, and so that he could see Lien smile again.

 

Cody Renner

 

"Anyone here can die..." Those words rang through Cody as the sudden realization finally struck him. Not just CAN die, some of us WILL die... Cody thought. Now he was not so certain of what he should do. If he turned back, he'd most likely have a higher chance of survival. Who cares if anyone judges him too. This was a normal reaction in Cody's opinion. Besides, they weren't even sure that Isamy COULD be killed. From the sound if it, Emiya was going off assumptions. That's when he heard the boy he'd considered partnering with earlier speak. 

 

If we don't at least TRY to kil this loli jabroni, then ours won't be the only lives lost, will they?

 

As Cody watched Jin charge into the portal, he thought about he'd said. He was right. That boy probably wanted to see his friends and family again as much as Cody did too. Besides, what would going back help? He'd be alive for the moment, but how long would that last? At least if he succeeded, then he'd have his friends back with him.

 

With this in mind, Cody looked at Eria and Gin, then hefted his shotgun with a confident smile. "Lets go. I got your back."

[TFfan1]

Autumn finished. "So... I guess we'll talk more once we get into the Shadow Realm."

"Very well." Adriel nodded, spreading his wings. He unsheathed Lux, flames rising from the handle.  "To the Shadow Realm."

 

---

 

The round one won't last long, easy to punt should need be. Mammon glanced at Xeta, looking to a tall white-haired man clad in black, who simply turned away. Mama's boy, though a powerful one at that. Could make a useful ally.

 

Isamy made her speech about the Shadow Realm, and Mammon strode into the portal behind Sephiroth. A personal army of void creatures, hmm? Just like back home. Oh, it would just be perfect if that little pigeon Adriel was on the Counter Corps. Well, we'll see...

[Dad]

"Hey Kenpachi, guess what? Looks like I'm not the only one with a Keyblade here."  Sora had found another warrior with a Key similar to his own.  It was good to see that someone had allies elsewhere; friends like them, who shared similarities and objectives.  Kenpachi cracked another smile.

 

"That's good news.  Means there's other strong people to spar with later.  Heh.  Well since you're here, Sora," Kenpachi said hoisting his Zanpaktou onto his right shoulder.  "Why don't you, Yachiru, and I, team up for old time's sake?  Speaking of, where is the little devil?"  Yachiru had run over to the other Keyblade wielder's shoulder, and began to 'examine' him.  She proceeded with her standard poking and prodding, fiddling with Nero's hair and ears, and of course, she had to taste the different Keyblade (as if metal had different varieties of flavors).  She giggled and climbed atop Nero's head.

 

"You're just like Spikey hair-kun!" she said giggling and pointing at Sora.  Kenpachi gave a nervous chuckle.  "She gives everyone she likes nicknames.  YACHIRU.  Stop your licking and get ready.  Emiya's about to speak."

---

 

Sure enough, Emiya addressed the Counter Corps.  He began to explain the Shadow Realm.  It seemed the Shadow Realm was more complicated than Kenpachi had thought, and he lost touch slightly but got most of the information understood.  Then he addressed the types of enemies they would face.  Monsters, demons, and everything in between.  Kenpachi noted that stronger party members would attract more of the Shadow creatures.  If Sora did accept his invitation, their group alone would probably attract a large portion of the Shadow Realm's hosts, and make way for other parties to fight through.  He wasn't sure, but he'd hope that's how it would work out.  It would give Kenpachi a chance to warm up.

 

Then, Emiya gave them all a cold look.  "Before we go, there's one thing you must all know... Anyone here can die. If you're unwilling to risk losing your life, this is your one last chance to go back. Once you step in, there is no turning back."  Kenpachi was prepared for this fact.  He had stared death in the face many times before, and even died.  But he was not willing to lose Yachiru.

 

Emiya's giant sword then vanished, and an eerie portal leading to the Shadow Realm took it's place.  Before they charged inside, Kenpachi took a knee and pulled Yachiru to face him.

 

"Listen to me little lady.  If anything happens to me--" Yachiru hugged Kenpachi in mid speech.  He smiled, and done something he had never done before.  He shed a tear.  He hugged her back and began whispering to her.  "If anything happens to me, promise me you won't try to save me.  You will fight by Sora's side instead, and carry on my life.  Promise me."  Yachiru said nothing, but instead punched Kenpachi in the forehead and knocked him over.  "Kenny you're silly," she said with her voice cracking.  She composed herself quickly and finished.  "No one can beat my Kenny.  No one.  Besides, you have to fight that stranger  when we come back," she said pointing towards Jin as he jumped headfirst into the portal.  Kenpachi composed himself as well, remembering the promise he had made to Jin to fight him when everything was over.

"Hmm.  That's right.  And I am a man of my word.  Heheha!"  He quickly climbed to his feet, and stretched a hand towards Sora.  "Well then?  What'd ya say?"

[Kingdom Xathers]

---

Counter Corps, UBW

---

"I missed you, too, Itsu," Alexander said joyously as he returned Itsu's hug, his smile practically overextending itself across his face in spite of the tears welling in his eyes. "I never thought I'd ever see you again." This was rather true; the last time he saw Itsu, Alexander had planned on bringing his dimensional adventures to a close and return to his home dimension for good. He never imagined that he would ever come across Itsu after that, even saying what he thought would be the last "goodbye" he would say to her.

Jeanne looked upon this scene and, in spite of thinking to herself how sappy it looked, she couldn't help but smile to herself at the sight. Or perhaps she was imagining a similar reunion between herself and Bayonetta. Either way, Jeanne eventually turned away from the scene, somewhat thankful that Emiya had begun to speak. Anything to take her mind off of anything emotionally sentimental. Alexander, too, released his hug so as to pay attention to Emiya's information.



Once Emiya had finished his speech, Alexander turned to Itsu and was about to continue their conversation when her caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye: a younger lombax, yellow in coloration and sporting brown stripes and green eyes, was making his way toward the direction of the portal, a small robot strapped to his back. "Hold it right there, Ratchet!" Alexander called out, giving a brief apology to Itsu before rushing to the youth....

[spoiler=A Few Hours Ago (a.k.a., FLASHBACK TIME!!!)]"Alexander, could you come with me for just a moment?" Emiya said to Alexander upon entering the lombax's temporary living quarters, a somewhat urgent tone in his voice.

Alexander's ears perked up quite a bit. "Have you found them?" he asked, hoping that the Corps Leader was successful in extracting Ratchet and Clank from their dimension.

Emiya nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I did manage to locate them. However... well, it's best if you see for yourself." He motioned for Alex to follow him to where he was keeping the young lombax and his robotic companion. Emiya led Alexander to what could best be described as a garage/small aircraft hangar. Inside were Ratchet and Clank, both frozen still in their running motion, both of their faces locked in a frightened expression. "They've been frozen by the temporal distortion that occurred in their universe," Emiya hypothesized. "In theory, if either of us were to keep steady contact with them for a while, we may be able to pull them out of their pause. I'd have done so myself, but--"

"That's okay, Emiya. Thank you," Alexander replied, still grateful to Emiya for at least finding Ratchet and Clank, but worried that the two would be stuck like this. Almost absentmindedly, Alex placed a hand on Ratchet's shoulder, staring the younger lombax in the face. "I hope you're right, Emiya," he uttered.

"If I am," replied Emiya, taking note of a distorted cry coming from Ratchet, quiet at first, but steadily picking up volume, "then might I suggest that you not stand so close in front of--"

Emiya was cut off by the sound of Alexander's surprised grunt as Ratchet, suddenly unfrozen, rammed right into the older lombax's stomach with a force rivaling that of a football offensive quarterback. The two sailed for about a couple yards, flying out of the garage before skidding to a halt.

"--him," Emiya finished, running out of the garage to check on the two lombaxes.

"Ugh... ow," Alexander sputtered, a bit dazed from the impact. He looked down at the younger lombax cradled in his arms. "Ratchet? You all right?"

Ratchet also groaned a bit, giving a slight cough before looking up at Alexander's face, his vision slightly blurred. "... Alister...?"

"Err, not quite," Alexander replied, a sort of frowning smile crossing his face.

Confused, Ratchet blinked a few times to help clear his vision. "... Oh! Uh, sorry," Ratchet blurted apologetically, getting off of the older lombax. "I, uh, thought you were *cough*... uh, someone else."

"It's okay, kiddo, it happens."

"... wait, are you really a lombax?" Ratchet said as he suddenly pulled out a blaster pistol, pointing it at Alexander's face

"See for yourself," Alexander calmly replied, motioning to one of his ears. Cautiously, Ratchet inched closer to Alexander, then slowly reached his free hand out towards Alex's ear... and quickly tugged down on it. "OW! Not so hard!" Alexander gasped out.

"Okay, so that answers question Number 1," Ratchet said as he let go of Alex's ear. "So then," he continued, lower his pistol a bit, "how exactly do you know my name, Alex?"

Alexander's ears perked up at this. "You... remember my name?"

"What...?" Ratchet was now thoroughly confused. "I... know your name already? But how...?"

Alexander picked himself up off the ground and walked up to Ratchet. "It's because you and I have actually met before. I know, it's rather complicated, but--"

"We've met before?" Ratchet repeated, giving another slight cough. "But then... I could have sworn I didn't know who you were just a few seconds ago--I mean...." He heaved a deep sigh to calm himself a bit before facing the older lombax and, with a calm, stern look, asked, "Who are you?"

With a smile playing across his face, one that was both happy and saddened, the older lombax looked at Ratchet with his emerald eyes and replied, "My name... is Alexander Abernathy."

"What?" Ratchet asked as he was stopped by Alexander, a confused look on his face.

"You're supposed to stay here, remember?" Alexander told the younger lombax, almost in a parental tone. "Emiya specifically order it."

"But why?" asked Ratchet. "My world got royally screwed, everyone else is going out there to fight for their worlds, and I'm just supposed to stay here and do nothing?"

"I know, Ratchet... I know," Alexander sighed sadly, kneeling before the young one. "You want to do all you can for your world, help to fix the damage that was caused by all of this. Believe me, Ratchet, were it up to me, I would rather have you join us in the fight... ... ... but, it's just not possible right now."

"Bull--" Ratchet began to utter under his breath before coughing.

"... and you're certainly not going anywhere with that cough."

"It's--*cough-cough*--nothing!"

Alexander gave Ratchet a sad smile. "Just promise me," he said, giving Ratchet a pat on the head, "that you'll behave while we're here."

"Alex," Ratchet replied, brushing off Alex's hand, "I'm 23. I'm not a little kid."

"I know, Ratchet. I know...."

 

The young lombax gave a small sigh.  "As long as you promise--*cough*... that you won't die out there before this is all over."

Alexander pulled Ratchet into a hug. "Okay, Ratchet. I promise."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

The Keyblade War Hero

 

Nero was reluctant to follow Sora, but he did so anyway. He met his friends, Kenpachi and the small girl Yachiru.

 

That's good news.  Means there's other strong people to spar with later.

 

"It would be...an interesting feat to see, Kenpachi." he said, as Yachiru then climbed on his head. "Um...t-thanks..." Nero was confused about this girl, but apparently she was a teammate of Kenpachi and easily listened to him.

 

But then Nero heard Emiya's speech, and the almost bone chilling words that followed as he brought it to an end.

 

 

Before we go, there's one thing you must all know... Anyone here can die. If you're unwilling to risk losing your life, this is your one last chance to go back. Once you step in, there is no turning back.

 

Go back? Nero thought, as he looked at the Keyblade in his hand. He chuckled softly, as he shook his head, his gaze returning up towards the sky of gears. Now way I can. Everyone in my timeline is gone...however... He looked over at Sora, who returned to talk to Kenpachi and Yachiru. He reminds me...of Ryuusaki. Heh, for his sake...I may stay. I've been lost before. Perhaps dying a second time won't be so bad... Nero made his choice, as he looked at the portal and began to make his way towards it.

---

 

The Gunslinger

 

Tyson's fists clenched as he heard Emiya's speech. He took Scarlet from its holster and stared at it for a moment. Taking a deep breath, he spun it around his finger, placing it back into its holster, as a huge grin appeared on his face.

 

No way I'm dying! I'm the descendant of Baxter "Fiery Red" Rockwell! His fiery red blood burns through my veins!! he thought, as he cracked his knuckles some. I'll survive...I'll make it back to TerraEremus...to my friends...and when I get back...kick "The Devil's Dealer" in his ass!

 

Tyson was pumped to say the least, as he too made his way towards the portal.

---

 

The Assassin

 

Assassin's Creed 3 OST ~ Main Theme #1

 

"Looks like he's all serious now." Matt chuckled a bit, as he watched Tyson walk off. He held his medallion from his necklace once more, as he too began to walk.

 

Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent... Hide in plain sight... Never compromise the Brotherhood... he thought, as he began to slowly pass people. The three tenants...heh, one for each of you three...John, Arn, and Jason...I ask you to watch over me. Don't worry Serina...I'll return safely to you...I promise. And I always keep my promises.

 

Matt let go of the medallion and now began to go at a full sprint towards the portal.

[Phantom Roxas]

Another boy approached Eria's group, offering to join. "Sure! That man with the torn cloak, and those boys with the Keyblades seem to be the best we got, so I think our individual groups will need all the help we can got. Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Eria, this is Gin, and that's Cody. Any you are?"

Before Eria could get an answer, Emiya announced to the whole of the Counter Corps what their plans were. They were to infiltrate the Shadow Realm, break into Isamy's castle, and destroy her soul. That last part disgusted Eria, but she understood the science of it all. Gagagigo has to be at the castle, I'm sure of it. She looked at her small party, happy with the new friends she had, and headed into the portal.

---

Sora smiled as Kenpachi made his promise to Yachiru. Looking around, Sora also saw one of the furry creatures, the lombax, giving a similar farewell to another one of his kind. Emiya's words reaffirmed Sora's confidence, and Sora held his Keyblade close. Whatever demons they had to face, he'd see them a threat like the Heartless or Nobodies. Was this Shadow Realm the source of darkness in his universe? It sounded like it was, and Sora was afraid that this could have been one of his greatest challenges yet. Of course, that was the sort of thing Sora had been told plenty of times before, so Sora was confident that he could get through this.

"Nero!" Sora called to the other Keyblade master. "Make sure you can use the Keyblade if I'm not around!" That was not a scenario Sora would like to think about, but he had to be prepared. Kenpachi approached Sora, asking if he was ready, and Sora nodded. "You bet!" Sora led the two Shinigami into the portal, prepared for whatever beasts would await them.

---

Arthur couldn't help but smile when Isamy approved of his suggestion, but he rolled his eyes as she changed her mind once that boy from earlier spoke. Isamy went back to having Arthur respect her when he flipped out when the lunatic with the spiky hair commented on her lack of endowment. Arthur looked around the room, and noticed that not too many people were happy with the display either. Perhaps if someone among the Divine were to die, it would be him, and not too many people would miss him.

Isamy explained just what she was, and Artur was a bit surprised that someone like her could be "The Herald of Chaos of Entropy". Arthur felt like spitting at that title, since it implied godhood, and Arthur had enough of those to last three lifetimes. Vigilance went on to speak for Isamy, and Arthur loved the professionalism the disembodied suit of armor exhibited. He certainly was more reserved in his speech than Isamy, at least. Arthur reasoned that Vigilance was only working for Isamy out of obligation rather than any real sense of admiration for Isamy. Arthur could sympathize with Vigilance for that.

MachGaogamon looked down at Jecht, who seemed to be getting all sorts of attention for other people, likely for his pride in his strength. When MachGaogamon bumped fists with the man, he could sense some real strength in him, enough to break even Arthur if he wanted to. Still, Jecht seemed interested in being friends with Arthur and MachGaogamon, and considering how suspicious most of the other people were, it would be good to have someone like Jecht on their side.

"You can come with us, if you want," MachGaogamon offered to Jecht.

Arthur looked up at his Digimon, then back at Jecht. The boy sighed, and held out his hand to the man. "If MachGaogamon wants you in our team, I'm not complaining. I look forward to fighting alongside you, Jecht."

[Dad]

"You bet!"  Sora happily accepted Kenpachi's invitation to join him, and eagerly pulled Kenpachi towards the portal as he bid farewell to his comrades.  "Ikimashou, Kenny!" Yachiru cheered as she hopped onto Kenpachi's shoulders.  As soon as they entered the portal, a roar of wind and thunder crashed around them.  The portal to the Shadow Realm was incredibly loud, almost deafening.  For Yachiru however, this was nothing.  She pointed out all of the many colors she enjoyed as they zoomed past her in distorted figure.  This portal was very similar to the Dangai of Kenpachi's world.  It was a gateway to the human world in Kenpachi's universe.  This portal was also a gateway, but he had never seen the likes of it before.  It seemed more powerful than the Dangai, and Kenpachi recalled that the Dangai was actually made of time and space.  Perhaps this portal was as time-dense as the Dangai?  Who knew, and who cared?  Kenpachi only knew how eager he was to find his first opponent.

[Love of Ghibli]

Dorian was pumped at the message from the leader. Who would have thought known that all was needed was a little provocation for her to start acting right. He was entertained with her title "The Herald of Chaos and Entropy." Hmmm aren't those synonyms he thought to himself but that was besides the point. This whole rewrite your own universe perk was just a very fun prize for the bad guys. It was then that mobile armor explained the first leg of their journey: The Shadow Realm. Coming from a world that specialized in card games based around this place Dorian did know some facts about it already. What was fun though was the concept of summoning his own Shadow realm minions. He saw the portal and noticed that some people were already proceeding and he simply shrugged. Its not like he had anything to lose so he and Butler stepped forth through the mystical doorway to darkness. 

 

Dorian and Butler went through to the other side and the pain they both felt was a tad unnerving. Dorian being a tad pompous wasn't used to this much strain but on the plus side this was nothing to Butler. When the two came out on the other side it seemed as if they were on the roof of Castle Necrophades. The dark ominous landscape had its own poetry to it. Too bad it wasn't to his liking. This place was morbid and definitely unsettling. Butler helped his master to his feet. Well I can see why the Pharaohs would sentence people to roam around in this place. While Dorian was looking at the scenery he noticed the shadowy "void creatures" outside the castle and this reminded him of the power he had accepted.  Oooh what type of creatures should I call forth Butler? Butler thought for a second and he realized that the Shadow Realm for them was duel monsters related sooo...How about bringing one of your cards to life? Brilliant! I don't need to copy any of my cards though. That would be insulting to them oh you know what? Let's honor my father! Dorian stuck his hand out and literally the shadows of the castle began to move and eventually he was surrounded by dark Valkyries riding on horseback. Oh yeah I can dig this. Come on Butler lets get situated. I'm sure that the others are going to be right behind us. We should at the very least get out their way.  He said with a very sinister grin. Butler and Dorian jumped down into the inner reaches of the castle just to see what else they had available. 

[Kōsuke Ueki]

Richard clenched his fist in annoyance because of this kid. And he calls him a kid because he's younger than him and that he let's having a guardian give him a sense of corruptable power over the creature. Werewolves were bad enough; he didn't need one armed and combined with unfamiliar yet deadly weaponry. But with it, that thing has limitations that Richard can overcome if necessary. That is, if he resorts to fighting the two. And considering what he has planned, it wouldn't be surprising.

 

Richard then walked over to Arthur and MachGaogamon, as he was called, and confronted Arthur before the supernaturally enhanced "man" named Jecht could respond to what they had offered. "Allow me to make a few things perfectly clear, boy!" he said in a stern tone. "Firstly, you should be wise to respect your elders. I know more than you could ever know. I'm older than you, smarter than you, and stronger than you. Even stronger than that Guardian you have.

 

"Second..." He then closed his eyes and clenched his fist. "...if you ever cross me, or stand in my way..." Richard's eyes glowed pure white and his voice changed. "...I will kill you in an instant!" His eyes and voice then returned to normal. "The same fate shall go with the both of you if you underestimate my power. Keep it in mind if you wish to live long enough to change your world." Richard then turned around and proceeded to walk forth into the portal and into the Shadow Realm. But before he did, he quickly spoke to Izamy. "I suggest not listening to that child named Arthur. He might as well be a hinderance to your plans. Just a consideration." With that, Richard walked into the portal, Isamy being right about the strange feeling.

 

But his was different. It was a temporary adrenaline rush of despair. He didn't bother looking at what lied within the Shadow Realm. All he saw, were flashing images of that fateful day in which his life changed forever. It was as if the realm was so advanced, it knew who he was, which makes sense in some regard, and played the one memory that would make him lose hope. The opposite was true. But he began to question what he was doing. It was as if he was blinded by his own wants that he can't see what he already learned.

 

But a special someone told him this would happen and can be overtaken by will. But it wasn't Izamy who told him this...

[Reinforce]

"Before we go, there's one thing you must all know... Anyone here can die. If you're unwilling to risk losing your life, this is your one last chance to go back. Once you step in, there is no turning back."

 

Lyon

The blue-headed girl, Eria, introduced the rest of the group and asked his name, which he was about to give when Emiya started talking again, telling them about this shadow realm they needed to enter. Taking in all the information about the mission, he heard the last part Emiya had said, and softly responded, not knowing if those near him would hear or not. "Death huh, that's something I've long since made peace with. For me, this is just another job." Speaking up so he was sure the group he was joining could hear him, he introduced himself to them with, "Lyon, that's my name. I'll do my best to keep you all alive."

 

Ayame and Naomi

Naomi smiled at him, happy to be getting to fight with Jin once more, and a stronger Jin to the one they remembered too it seemed. Then Emiya started talking and neither had a chance to say any more until he was finished again, with those words about no turning back once they advanced past this part. Naomi gulped, before setting her mouth into a grim line, and walked forward, not allowing her worries to stop her from helping her friends. Ayame watched this, as her oldest friend accepted that concept, one that the demon slayers had long since been taught to deal with. Death was common in the work of a demon slayer, and could just as easily move to take one of their own, as an enemy. With a smile towards her brave friend, she followed Naomi through the portal, wondering what the other side would be like, and just how well much it would resonate with her own demonic side.

 

Darcy

Darcy just rolled her eyes when this, admittedly handsome, blond-haired guy winked at her. Turning away, not really interested in that sort of thing at the current time, she looked on as Isamy started, paused and then started again to explain what their task was, before handing it over to the knight to explain the plan. During that time, she quite stubbornly ignored all the others around her, preferring to fight on her own if her sisters weren't around to fight with her. Stepping through the portal, she felt the tingling that Isamy had mentioned and, liking the sound of her own personal army, focussed on it, reaching out to figure out how to use it to subject several of the creatures to her will. Interestingly, it didn't seem that different to her usual way of controlling creatures, and wouldn't take much adjustment before she was controlling the inhabitants of this realm as well, causing her to get a sinister grin on her face.

[Merci]

Arc 1

 

Darkness. Pain. Agony.

 

For those who came in unprepared, they'd be hit with a sharp wave of these elements. Corruption unlike anything that they had ever experienced in their own world, threatening to twist their entities and warp their souls into beings as monstrous and unrecognizable as the creatures that inhabited the Shadow Realm, winged dragonic creatures, monsters that vaguely resembled humanoids wearing armor, and many other such creatures among them. The ground was dark, an infinite shadow covered everything - yet the sky was just about light enough to see, even if that light was a purple one.

 

The Divine would land on the rooftop of the castle, each and every one prepared, and the spell - had they accepted it - granting them protection from both the corruption and giving them the power to control the lesser creatures that roamed it. However, the larger ones that flew high in the sky would not obey them. It would take all their willpower to control just one, so the effort wasn't worth it.

 

From this height, they could observe the whole, infested grounds of the Shadow Realm's core, with dark cliffs and a mountain over to the right. As for the castle itself, it wasn't particularly big, having only two huge floors as well as four pillars extending from them.

 

"Spread out, and cover the castle grounds." Viligance ordered them with a sword in hand, positioned at the edge of the rooftop. "The Counter Corps shall arrive soon. Eliminate them on sight. And once they're all crushed... you shall all be granted the powers of the Door. Now go."

 

 

---

 

 

On the other hand, the Counter Corps had landed slightly far from it. A flowing river up ahead separated them from the castle, and it looked as if that there were humanoid creatures wandering along its shores, and there might've also been something along the lines of cannibalistic fish swimming inside. The equipped rings all glowed a dim, golden light as it shielded its wearers from the corruption while also preserving their sanity. For a normal human, the demonic monsters combined with the dim light would've driven them mad.

 

"Now, let's go." Emiya said, standing in front of the others.

 

Twin blades, black and white, were projected into his hands as he walked ahead of them. A twisted dragonic creature flew above, with mutating scales and tentacle appendages instead of wings, and it appeared to have taken notice of them.

 

"From here on out, we shall split up so we can avoid attracting all the void monsters all at once. The plan is simple; head towards the castle, defending yourself from these creatures, and destroy anything that might be Isamy's soul. If it explodes with darkness energy, that'll probably be it. Good luck - you'll need it, Counter Corps."

 

Leaving only those words, his steps broke off into a sprint towards the left, into a rocky area as the shadow beast dived down. As they were concealed from sight, all that was heard was a brief ringing sound and the distorted death cry of the dragon.

[a bad post]

Sheibra walked forward stirred out of her sleep by Isamy getting up, intending to get as close as she could to see their glorious leader. Only for her to sit back down again at the suggestion of another man. It wasn't long after thought that some spike-haired idiot came in singing about... something Sheibra didn't know about or care about, and then insulted Isamy's breasts. 

 

Sheibra's eye twitched. What. The. F***? After that Sheibra had no idea how to react, until Isamy finally spoke up, seeming to have finally gathered her back bone. 

 

"Sheibra you should kill her," Kyubey said getting its own bright idea after Isamy's introduction, "if she's the Herald of Entropy I can complete my mission if we destroy her." 

 

"Ummm... No." Sheibra replied flatly, "were here to end despair so entropy doesn't effect our universe anymore."

 

"If you say so." 

 

During the time they had been speaking Viligence began its own speech explaining the plan, and workings of the Shadow Realm. The speech was lengthy, but Sheibra did manage to pay attention not wanting to be left in the dark. Once Viligence was done a portal opened and the animated suit of armor stepped in. Not paying attention to commotion that began Sheibra stepped forward only stopping temporarily in front of Isamy. 

 

"I hope you can deliver Lady Isamy," the magical said almost inaudibly, "I've got a lot riding on your little plan." With that Sheibra stepped forward entering the portal feeling a small tingle and landing on the roof of the castle. Remembering Viligence's earlier words Sheibra reached out into the darkness feeling for the "void beasts". When she opened her eyes Sheibra saw three armored women before her. With that done Sheibra sat, waiting for the Counter Corps' assault. 

[Reinforce]

Ayame and Naomi

Naomi stepped out, instinctively feeling like this place was somehow wrong, and turned to look at her friend, who had followed her through the portal, concerned because Ayame hadn't put on the ring she had been given. Ayame wasn't feeling concerned when she stepped out though, she could feel the dark energies of the place, and could feel them calling to a part of her, boosting her powers as she touched them. As Naomi looked back at her, she was shocked to see Ayame's eyes briefly flashing a vicious yellow before settling back down into their normal green. Ayame walked up to where Naomi had stopped, nodding her head briefly to reassure her friend that she was fine, before they moved to rendezvous with the third of their group. Seeing the threat flying at them, they moved away from the draconic beast that was charging at the entirety of the Counter Corps, only to be distracted by Emiya and seemingly killed by him, if the shrieks were anything to go on.

 

Darcy

Ayame wasn't the only one to feel the dark power of the realm, on top of a different castle to the previous one, Darcy could feel the magic over the land rise up and respond to her touch, even with the spell protecting her from the corruption, and filling her up with power as well. Thrusting her magic out, she quickly used the power of the spell to subject some of the nearby creatures, and bring them together to await her. Hearing Isamy's orders, Darcy sat down on the roof of the castle where she was, settling into a meditative trance, and calling on one of her more powerful skills. In front of her, after a couple of seconds, another Darcy seemed to appear, wavering a bit as the astral projection skill she had finished setting up. The Astral Darcy dashed forward off the roof, leaving the other Darcy to remain seated, meditating as she controlled the projection as well as the group of creatures she had assembled. Bringing her magic up, she tried to touch the mind of one of the fliers above, only to recoil from it after realising that controlling even one of them would cost all of her attention, making her use of the astral projection spell worthless along with freeing the land creatures from her command. Instead, she thrust her power out further, searching for a few more to bring into the group she was assembling, and using a combo of the spell they were given and her own magical powers, she set the group under her orders to patrol around the section of the grounds she was in. At the same time, her astral projection flew up into the sky, watching out further to see what was around, and hearing a shriek in the distance from the death of one of the inhabitants of this realm.

 

Lyon

Lyon could feel the magic of the realm, thankfully dulled by the ring, but somewhat resonating with him as well, thanks to the early ancestors of his race, the Dark Elves. Inwardly, he wondered if a realm like this had something to do with the corruption of that particular group of elves, but that was a thought for another time. The dragon dove towards them and Lyon pulled out his sword, ready to defend the group if needed, but it seemed Emiya had got there first, drawing the dragon off with him, and by the sounds of it, killing the dragon once they were both out of sight. Looking around for the group he had found before going through the portal, he quickly moved over to them, keeping his sword drawn ready to fight if needed, but held loosely in the hand so as to preserve his energy.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

The Shadow Realm had begun making its effect on Sarah, who'd clutched her head since it was throbbing with pain. Already a part of her wished she wasn't so quick to throw away the ring that Emiya had given everyone. But it was too late now; the ring was long gone, probably having rolled away from the entire group before anyone had noticed it. Besides, if Emiya didn't make that "+5 Sanity Boost", then Sarah would've at least pocketed the ring in case of an emergency, rather than become so pissed off with such a stupid quirk that she suddenly decided she no longer wanted anything to do with it.

 

'Ugh... for funk's sake...' she thought, as she acted on the only idea she could come up with to numb the pain; crack open the half-full bottle of vodka.

 

Downing the whole thing in one fell swoop, Sarah tossed the bottle behind her, feeling a little better, albeit now a little tipsy. Still, could be worse; if she were any girl except herself, she'd be too plastered to fight right there and then. Sarah had start to walk into the far yonder, wanting to get this over with before that dreaded headache returned, and was compounded by the inevitable hangover. However, she knew she needed one person to have her back at the very least.

 

Her thoughts turned to the man in the military uniform and the woman beside him... and whatever creature was there with the two.

 

"Hey um... room for one more?" asked Sarah as she approached.

 

...

 

Riley immediately made to make himself a battle plan the moment Vigilance stopped speaking. He already marked the current positions of his comrades on the ground in front of him, and drew a great big arrow to represent where he was expecting the Counter Corps to try and attack from. Then, a whole series of lines going all sorts of directions and some recalculations later... the entire plan was just starting to turn into a confusing and complicated mess. Frustrated with this, Riley sifted the dust in front of him with his boot, effectively erasing what it was in front of him. He was never good with plans; he was more of a reactionary guy himself.

 

However, Riley did manage to collect himself a bunch of void creatures to act as meat-shields for the assault, thanks to the spell he had collected from Izamy. So far, there were only two or three, but there could be many more lurking around.

 

...

 

Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop.

 

Lerna's latest puppet was still trying to search for Izamy, the sound of high heels touching the ground as she walked being the thing to signify her presence. However, that search wasn't to come to fruition. Failing in this search, Lerna was quick to assume that the business executive that she used to infiltrate Izamy's castle was alone, and in turn, guided the executive's thought process to return her to the vault. There, the victim looked around once again... only to discover something that had she had never noticed before. Each of these artefacts was surrounded in a containment field that looked to be impossible to breach, leaving the victim no way to get her hands on Juubey.

 

The victim continued to wait inside the vault, pretending to observe the artefacts out of interest. However, Lerna was just starting to ravel her brain around what should be done next. If these containment fields were supposed to be opened via password, then she could stubbornly press every single button until she got the right combination. Or if they needed a key-card, she could have the victim find it. Whatever she was thinking, Lerna had best act soon, lest she lose her one chance.

[The Warden]

The Shadow Realm was a chilling place, a true hell on earth... if it had been on earth mind. Big Boing did not falter in the face of this evil however, she could not, for the sake of her world, the Majestic Twelve and of course, Doctor Riddles.

 

Her determination was worn across her face, but she did notice that many of the others were teaming up. Dividing their numbers seemed an unusual strategy, surely it would be more palpable for them to join together as one army and use overwhelming number to push aside the villains. But, it was Emiya's plan it seems, and he must know what he was doing.

 

So, really, Big Boing knew that she must do what she always did, defend the world from evil. She would aid all of the teams with her presence, and together the Counter Corps would fight against the Divine, and they, will, WIN! (Note: Big Boings steel minded determination is radiating. All those nearby will feel a sense of heightened and/or reinvigorated fighting spirit.)

 

---

 

Frankram, a man of magic, accepted the spell Vigilance offer. Though it was a sign of madness to delve into dark magic, Frankram knew that the cost to his body was worth the chance to correct his impure world. He would gladly offer up his soul to ensure the spirit of ~moe~ was made true.

 

And of course, he showed no fear as he dove right into the Shadow Realm, course, there wasn't much choice in doing so...

 

The evils of the Shadow Realm. Pah! Hapshiel was more terrifying than this place, and since it is so, it will not triumph over his heart. His glassed eyes turned skyward to the flying horrors, but, to keep his mind pre-occupied on the mission, he chose to dominate one of the lesser void creatures. The control was shaky at first. "Come to me!" he commanded.

 

The creature obeyed diligantly. It was an ugly sort, possessing tripod legs and a hard chitinous exoskeleton. But, it would be perfect for this job. Removing a Mimigar ZZZZZ from his cloak, Frankram crowned the horrible creature, and in an instant, it turned into a cute littl neko-girl with tiger patterned ears and a tail. Frankram melted at the sight, it was beauty beyond compare. A shaking hand lightly stroked the ears, such pretty ears. "Listen now my divine creature. Your perfection has one goal, infiltrate the Counter Corps. When the time is right, remove the headband and destroy them. Stop them from breaking the dreams of the many who cry out for an animal-eared world. Go, go and make my wish come true!"

 

The horror was absolutely confused, and had 0 idea what the hell this guy was going on about, but it had no choice but to obey. It considered leaping off the roof, but with this new form it would break like a stick, so, it chose to take the stairs down.

 

Frankram smiled at his success, but then turned his gaze to the battlefield. The enemies would come, and they will fall before the might, of ~moe~!

[Yosuke-kun]

Jin Akatsuki

 

Shadow Realm BGM (doesn't seem to have a name)

 

"So this is the Shadow Realm..."

 

Having been the first one to enter through that trippy portal that Emiya made, Jin had the longest time to observe the Shadow Realm, and with his Chaos Sight, he was able to get an even better view. It was less similar to Hell than Jin was expecting. Rather than multiple erupting geysers of seithr and flat lifeless crags, the Shadow Realm had been covered in an assortment of strange looking mutated plants. Some of these even seemed to be capable of moving themselves. One plant Jin noticed a multitude of was a type of flower that in place of petals, a cluster of eyes grew instead. These Eye Flowers, as Jin had named them, dotted the plains of the Shadow Realm.

 

Another difference that Hell and the Shadow Realm had, was the sounds. In Hell, it was impossible for them to have gone anywhere without hearing the constant screams of agony from the anguished sinners sentenced to endure that punishment. Here however, there was an eerie silence, apart from the occasional hunting cries of the Void Creatures.

 

Jin was surprised to see a river not far from where he was too. In the dim purple glow, Jin couldn't tell whether the river was water, or seithr, or some liquid unique to the Shadow Realm, even with his Chaos Sight cutting partially through the darkness. The area that he'd landed seemed to be a rocky area, perhaps in a mountain? He couldn't tell.

 

Suddenly Jin felt a strange feeling growing around him, and darkness began to edge around him, keeping it's distance, but never leaving Jin's presence. Weird. It feels like aura almost, but... There's so much murderous intent behind it... Is this pure evil itself? he wondered. A small portion of the darkness around him began to approach, and as it touched him, Jin felt a small shock, and the darkness recoiled. That must have been his Nephilim DNA coupled with the darkness aura protecting him. Jin smiled, feeling grateful once again for being born the way he was. At least I know for the most part that I won't need to worry about any adverse effects. Let's see if it lasts though.

 

By now, the others had joined him, taking their own bearings of the corrupted world they found themselves in. The rings that they were wearing began to glow gold and shield them from the evil of the Shadow Realm. At least he wouldn't need to worry about any of the one's wearing the rings. He did worry momentarily about Kenpachi, as he wasn't wearing his ring. Even so, he was sure that someone as powerful as Kenpachi would be more than capable of handling this world.

 

Ayame was the one that he needed to be worried about. She also refused to wear her ring, expecting her demonic heritage to protect her. In theory, she had the right idea, but Jin couldn't help worrying all the same.

 

As Emiya gave them their mission, as well as slaughtered a massive dragonic Void Creature somewhere out of sight, Jin turned to his two companions, also surveying the other groups and saying a silent prayer for each of their successes. That's when he thought he saw something about Ayame change. Her eyes, they definitely flashed yellow for a moment. As the two girls approached Jin, he quickly regathered his thoughts, focusing on the two of them. "You're both okay, right?" he asked. That was aimed more at Ayame than Naomi, since she had the ring, but he was certainly concerned for her as well.

 

"Anyways, we should get moving. Probably better not to stay in one place two long." Jin turned his back to the two girls, keeping his Chaos Sight trained on them, and was about to Enhance and fly off towards the Castle, but stopped. If I try to go there through the air, I'll only be making myself bait for those dragonic things. Besides, I don't want to freak out Ayame and Naomi either. When they left, they had no idea about my Nephilim heritage, so I should try to only Enhance if absolutely necessary. That aside, if they were to go through the air, then that'd mean that Naomi might have to fight some of those dragon demons.

 

Cody Renner

 

If Cody thought he was going to be afraid before, he soon realized that he had no idea what the meaning of the word was. As expected, the Shadow Realm was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Even in his darkest nightmares, he had never imagined such a place as this could exist. As he tried to set his fear aside, dark tendrils began to make their way towards him. Cody backed away slightly, but stopped as he looked down at the ring. A soft golden light emanated from it, and kept the black tendrils at bay.

 

He looked back to Eria and the others in his party, and waited for some kind of sign to move out. For now, any fear he had would need to be left behind. He had a job to do. "I think we should avoid the river." he said to the others. "If for no other reason than because the Void Creatures on the land might use it as a watering hole." Somehow, despite the massive level of fear that had risen in him moments ago, Cody was able to keep his calm composure as he spoke. 

[Jolta]

"Tamae, remember the plan..." Gin spoke. Next thing you knew, 'she' used the power of the undheathed Senbonzakura and Kago no Tori to create a solid barrier to protect his team from incoming void creatures, which dissipated in seconds.

 

"Huh?"

 

Just then, large tentacles from some sort of Eldreitch Abomination appeared. They began to wrap around Gin's delicate, tiny body. Tamae attempted to strike it down, but was only smacked away with powerful force in the process.

 

"Augh. A rather ancient tactic for cephalod-bodied species. I am no stranger to this method of low-handed combat... virtually impossible to escape, unless I-"

 

The tentacles on Gin's wrists squeezed harder, until 'her' twin diamond blades dropped.

 

"This... is not good..."

[Final Fantasy Revolution]

Kiotso Senju

He had been observing and listening as the plan was explained through the mouth of Viligance. For some there was a choice to make now; did they really want what they came here for badly enough? A question that Kiotso had already answered long before Isamy's plan had commenced. He stood from his position at the base of the pillar and walked into the portal without a word. He could feel the energy of the portal but he felt no pain from the travel. There were no memories to torture him with for he lived his madness every day. His mission now was to eliminate the enemy on sight and to defend this area. The offer of lesser creatures to control was appreciated but declined by Kiotso.

Matthew Supplex

Matthew knew a figure head when he saw one, not that Isamy wasn't in charge overall, but he knew that the battle strategy wasn't her own. Being an executive of a company, you learn a thing or two about hiding behind others. Not that Matthew cared, he wasn't in this war for the goals of someone else. The Shadow Realm sounded as though it was a truly inviting place for some of these guys, but if that was the destination then so shall it be. Matthew walked through the portal wordlessly as well, but unlike Kiotso, he had many secrets buried in his mind that were now at its surface. He arrived within the Shadow Realm on one knee, but his quick recovery would conceal the trouble of his journey.

[Phantom Roxas]

Arthur reluctantly accepted the spell, but shrugged. "I'd only need MachGaogamon, but expanding that to have a whole army sounds interesting." The other young man warned Arthur to respect him, and advised Isamy not to listen to Arthur. Arthur simply rolled his eyes when he threatened to kill him, confident that he could still take him in a fight. MachGaogamon looked away from Arthur, uneasy about Arthur's attitude towards the young man, but put it aside for the moment as the pair entered the Shadow Realm, thinking themselves prepared for what was to come.

 

Inside, Arthur stumbled, falling to his knee. He cupped his mouth, and was on the verge of throwing up. The imagery of the Shadow Realm stirred up some unpleasant memories, and Arthur was reminded of a great dragon, then the seven-legged beast that served as that dragon's reincarnation. MachGaogamon picked up Arthur, setting him on his shoulder.

 

"I'm fine, MachGaogamon," Arthur said.

 

MachGaogamon shook his head. "You don't sound fine."

 

"Whatever. Let's see what kind of beasts we could capture." MachGaogamon lept of the roof of the castle, landing on the ground of the Shadow Realm, the force of his jump creating a shockwave across the Shadow Realm. Arthur sighed. "Now you've done it."

 

A faceless creature with a pair of wings and tentacles in place of limbs looked at MachGaogamon, charging forward at the Digimon.

 

"Hang on," MachGaogamon warned.

 

Arthur smiled, taking out his crossbow. "Please, MachGaogamon. We've been doing this for how long?" Arthur four shots at the beast as it approached, bolts lodging themselves right at the center of its head. The beast spun out of control of its flight path, crashing into the ground. It got back up, spreading its wings, but MachGaogamon grabbed the beast, tightening his grip as its skulls was crushed, the bolts being driven further into its brain. "That's enough," Arthur said, and the Digimon let go. The beast dropped down, dead. "Next."

 

MachGaogamon stepped forward, and no sooner than he did, Arthur saw three beasts approach. They all had vaguely female forms, but they were mutated into different creatures. The first had green scales, no limbs, dragon wings, a tails, and a dragon's snout. The other two were more humanoid, relatively speaking, one having brown fur, violet demon wings, and a silver horn, its hands and feet decorated with claws, while the other simply resembled a fox.

 

Arthur shrugged. "They'll have to do." Arthur held out his free hand to the approaching creatures, and they stopped, crying out in pain as Arthur bent them to his will. They fell to the ground, writhing in pain, trying to cover their ears to make everything stop.

 

MachGaogamon took pity on all of them, particularly the fox woman, because of how closely she looked to a human, or even MachGaogamon himself. "You should stop."

 

"Why? If anything, the way you treated that beast was more brutal."

 

"That was a greater beast, it looked natural to this plane. These three, however, must have been humans transformed."

 

Arthur strengthened his control on the beast. "Then that just means they're easier to control." MachGaogamon reached for his shoulder, grabbing for Arthur. The boy turned and back against MachGaogamon's neck. "What are you doing?"

 

"Showing them mercy." The three creatures broke free of their control. The two with legs stood up, while the dragon girl slithered along on her tail. MachGaogamon knelt down, and looked at his partner in the eyes. "Try and make something out of this."

 

Arthur looked at the three creatures. "I think you'll understand if I say I have no love for shadow creatures." MachGaogamon continued to glare at Arthur, who sighed. "Fine." Arthur approached the three girls, putting his hand in his pockets. "My name is Arthur. As of this moment, you are now working with me." Arthur looked back at MachGaogamon, and the Digimon nodded. Arthur smiled, and looked forward. "Follow me."

 

"I'll check in on Jecht," MachGaogamon said.

 

"You go do that," Arthur suggested. MachGaogamon turned back to the castle, and Arthur looked the other way, heading towards the other side, looking for more of the Divine. "MachGaogamon needs to be honest with himself. If he wants to be with the Counter Corps, he should just say so." The three girls looked at their new master, sensing that he wanted some attention, but went back to following him as he led them onwards.

 

---

The other boy had introduced himself as Lyon. Gin, Cody, and Lyon joined Eria, who simply took a deep breath as she entered the Shadow Realm. When she arrived, she was reminded of the terror her village had undergone at the hands of the Dark Blade, but she knew that this would be a lot worse than that. The ring glowed brightly, and Eria felt a lot more calm. She analyzed her surroundings, giving particular notice to the river. With her magical abilities, it would theoretically be possible to manipulate the waters, but as the Shadow Realm was what it was, simply moving the water posed many potential risks.

 

Thus, Eria had her only solution: She held that staff up to the river, imagining the water frozen. The dark river began to turn to ice, although she was distracted at first by the roar of the dragon. When she heard Emiya take it down, she resumed focusing on the water, doing what she could to focus it, especially if it meant that the other creatures using it to hide could be frozen.

 

---

Sora entered the Shadow Realm like it was nothing. After the many worlds, the many things that promised to be "end of all things" or "the source of all darkness", this really did just come across as another one of those to the Keyblade master. His ring glowed so bright to the point that Sora had to shield his eyes, as if the ring knew just how ordinary this place felt to Sora by now.

 

"Look," Sora began to say to Kenpachi. "Is it really a good idea if we team up? It sounds like we're the two biggest people in the Counter Corps, so what about everyone who isn't so strong? Don't you think we should help them?" Sora felt really guilty saying this, especially after Kenpachi just told Yachiru to stay by Sora if something were to happen to him. "I mean, you have to wonder…"