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

Love of Ghibli · February 5, 2018

Team LERNA: Final Round/Dawn of the Newest Herald

Both Hades and Gyokuen looked around at the infinite sea of despair that was starting to fill there individual soul bubbles. Normally this tactic wouldn't have worked but for some reason right when the Despair started flowing in the Soul Protect that was keeping them...well themselves disappeared. The two realized what this was and decided this should work out for the best in the end. As they reemerged out of LERNA's ooze they looked at there rather unchanged bodies and realized they still had their own free will. With this nagging need to go save the girl even though they do not fully know what that means at this time.

As they flew out of Butlerok they saw the whole collection of things inside of Isamy and they made their way to Lydia who seemed to be floating in well nothingness.

Sooo what do we do now? Hades inquired.

Well we are supposed to "save" her whatever that means. Gyokuen responded.

Hmmm if we could wake her up then that could do it. But better question, why wasn't she turned into a Herald like the others?

Probably because she is like Butler. A body that host a large number of souls and those souls are keeping her from turning much like the Witch that... Gyokuen paused. That's it! She shouted. I got an idea!

Gyokuen Wrapped her arms around Lydia and at that moment gold chains shot back out of Butlerok and dug deep into Gyokuen and Hades. Within seconds all of the parties were dragged back into Butlerok.

Hades looked at LERNA and pointed to Lydia. We got her and she got a plan.

Gyokuen looked around slightly panicked. Okay, we don't have much time before "he" shows up. We need you do a Soul Resonance if with everyone h....Before Gyokuen could finish a wave of fire came directly at them. Luckily the Chaotic Rukh gathered enough to do a Borg and shield the group. Annnnd he's here.

I see a virus has entered this body and much like a disease it has weakened your defenses making you two subsceptible to my blade. The ominious Genryuusai warned.

Reinforce · February 6, 2018

Apep

One claw was blocked, but the other struck home, only to barely scratch the skin of her foe. Pinned by the keystones, she could only watch as the other foe threw a huge blast at her, and mutter another line of her aria before it landed.

"I willingly fell into corruption."

"I have been corrupted and survived."

As the blast struck, Apep's physical form vanished into the air, escaping the grasp of the keystones as lightning flowed above and around the storm of cosmos. Snarling at both as her body reformed, though noticeably damaged and quickly healing, she heard tenshi's words and ground out a reply through her anger.

"Would this even give happiness to you or those you care about?"

"Yes, it would. The door can undo the consequences of my foolish mistake, and bring my dearest friend back to life."

Next to her, the two black dragons, both destroyed by the rapid fire blasts of energy, reformed above her once more, before darting forward to attack the blue-haired one. At the same time, aimed one hand forwards, rapid bolts of lightning racing at Rhadmanthys as she stayed in place to let her body finish healing.

Ending Location: C4

Darcy

Then I will lead the offense. Please assist me in restraining him. Once I focus into his mind, this will be over.

"Sorry, but the Planeswaker Spark is too dangerous for even you to handle. No wonder you're all twisted up,"

You seem to know something important regarding that Herald. I had something in mind for how I would deal with him, but I would first like to know what is this Spark you're talking about, and what danger would it possess.

"If you do attempt your shattering, you may find the result to be different than you expect. You knows, you might free him from his prison."

"If that happens, it's also an acceptable result."

Listening to Satori and the shapeshifters, Darcy replied to Gemini before flying back into the sky, and drifting across towards the tower Satori had indicated, waiting for her companion and the shapeshifter to finish their conversation before striking at Jace.

Just let me know when you're ready, and I'll attack him. For now, I'll wait and prepare.

With that said, Darcy started to gather magic together, preparing the spells she was planning to lead off with against him.

Ending Location: B5, high in the sky above the tower.

[spoiler=tldr] Apep took heavy damage from Rhadmanthys' attack though she managed to escape it and is quickly healing back up. Both dragons were also destroyed by his attacks, but have been resummoned again. The two dragons are attacking Tenshi while Apep is firing lightning at Rhadmanthys.

Darcy replied to Gemini before flying back up into the sky and then across towards one of the towers, gathering magic and preparing spells ready to attack.

Chandra remains trapped by Isamy and remains unable to do anything.

The Warden · February 11, 2018

LERNA's shade stared at what her Familiars had offered her, and she seemed a little bit... agitated.

Her body is here, but not her soul?! Stupid Familiars! Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupi-

Her less than mature tirade was cut short by the sudden appearance of Genryuusai, but thankfully Gyokuen was more than happy to shield them. Regarding the ancient Shinigami, LERNA returned to the matter at hand.

WHY?! Why isn't her soul back?! This is her body! But not her soul!

The hydra unleashed a furious, guttural wail reaching far into the depths of Butlerok. She was furiously, absolutely furious; in fact, she seemed so furious that a faint red aura was surrounding her, and her rage seemed to die down as all her heads were raised skywards.

The Sorceress: Isamy Maximus has become a Hollow, but this isn't her doing. Soul: Metarchus. He is responsible for this strange soul siphoning magic. The bubbles around the bodies drain the soul, bit by bit, until they are snuffed out. The girl's body is here, inside another bubble, the one that contains individual: Butler. Individual: Butler is likewise trapped and being siphoned, casting individual: Lydia back into the soul siphon, or at least preserved due to being inside individual: Butler. To save them, the bubble must be destroyed. Then both Lydia and Butler will be saved from this spell.

Aura and lucidity dying down, LERNA regarded Hades and Gyokuen, while still ignoring Genryuusai.

GO! Leave and destroy the bubble! Save our hosts!

Love of Ghibli · February 11, 2018

Team Dorian: Final Round

Rhadamanthys looked as the Herald managed to revive her two dragons and tried to attack from a distance. This was cute. Fruitless, but cute nonetheless. Rhadamanthys flew around and dodged the lightning and then made beeline straight for the Herald not trying to let her have as much time to heal.

Trying to get distant when you are literally caged by the enemy. Is this panic setting in? He said as from behind Ragnarok had already started to manipulate the mad blood and try to ensnare the Herald. Rhadamanthys laughed as he pointed his finger at the woman and boasted. All that sacrifice and this is how strong are? The woman I met before had much more promise than this creature before me. But you don't care right as long as you can "save your people" is that it? Such insufferable weakness, how can you even bare to live with yourself?

Rhadamanthys pointed his finger at the Herald and fired the same kind of energy stream the he did before hoping to pierce her from both sides.

Dad · February 14, 2018

Sweet, Somber Winds

Hollow Isamy, though her power was greatly threatened now by Neos, remained in her dormant state. She did not wail or cry, nor did she flinch or quiver. Rather she remained in absolute calm.

Reimu's magic befell the prisons, causing one of them to shatter within Hollow Isamy's grip. Butlerok had been freed thanks the purifying magic.

Another point-blank explosion in Byakuya's face was bold. Though Senbonzakura had pierced Dorian's flesh, Byakuya failed to complete its attack. Dorian would be able to writhe away from the Shinigami's grip as the explosion rocked the battlefield. Fire engulfed the Shinigami and smoke covered the entirety of Hollow Isamy's upper torso. As the smoke settled, three-quarters of the shinigami's face had been blown cleanly away, leaving only his left eye and part of his jaw. For the bound and trap shinigami serving his queen, this was more than enough.

Senbonzakura's dead petals floated gracefully back to his side, wrapping themselves around his head. Byakuya had suffered severe damage, and there was no denying that. However, he was not yet deceased. The petals began to take shape, forming the rest of Byakuya's head and completing his skull once more, even if only temporary.

As Senbonzakura's ragged hilt was loosely held in the Shinigami's hand, the petals stopped forming around his face and began to flutter to the ground. Byakuya's head and neck drooped and he lost his grip on the hilt. It fell toward the frozen lake below and landed with its grip facing the sky. Then, when it seemed the Shinigami had taken his last breath, he wheezed and raised his destroyed face. With a whisper, half of his jaw, and empty, soulless eyes, he murmured.

" Ban... kai."

Then, Senbonzakura's hilt disappeared below the frozen lake.

Brothers in Arms

There was a brilliant prism of light emerging from the water afar. It caught Kenpachi and Yachiru's eyes and made them raise their heads.

A plethora of swords stretched far and wide until the lake was encompassed entirely by them. Hundreds upon hundreds of swords divided the once frozen lake into circles, with no one standing at its center and Hollow Isamy standing at its end. Darkness sullied the sky and a creeping blackness edged from the lake until it touched the shore. Every second, it expanded until every snowflake was blackened on the ground.

Yachiru stood motionless, recognizing the former Captain's bankai right away. But she had never seen it like this before. Beside her, Kenpachi was outraged. He punched the prison in which he sat, knowing that Yachiru was not safe while he was inside of it. But no one could hear his rage or his fear. He could only wait and watch. He could only pray that Byakuya's reach was not so great and that Yachiru would be out of his range.

Love of Ghibli · February 20, 2018

Team Dorian: Final Round

"Ban...kai"

With that Dorian's heart skipped a beat because he knew all too well the dangers of that word. Of course, he was hoping that whatever this bankai was would not be the same as the Captain Commander's. What he saw might have dashed his hopes a bit. He looked as what would be infinite rings of swords started to surround the lake. Unfortunately he was somewhere towards the center of this massive attack and the sheer spiritual pressure of the Captain Herald was wearing down upon him. Who would've that he would the one closest to this super threat.

"Well...guess I can't back down now can I?" Dorian proceeded to "power up" as it were by simply letting his cosmos flair while screaming at the same time. While this would not have closed the gap in might that drastically between the two combatants it did give him a chance to fully dawn his surplice, helmet and all. He shot up into the sky completely emboldened with flames and shot a pillar directly above him and then he looked at Byakuya and Isamy.

"BRRRIIIINNNNGGG IITTTTT OOONNNN!!!" Dorian clenched his fist and the fires seemed to take shape of a blade. Dorian swung the massive attack directly down on both Byakuya and Isamy hoping something would come of these efforts.

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

He felt stiff...and stiff in a weird way. In the sense that if one's muscles had started to atrophy after being in a coma for a long time. This was new. What had happened? Where was he. Why was he in a void of floating bubbles. Where was the captain he was supposed to be fighting? Where is Ragnarok and why can't he feel his presence. And most importantly...

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON INSIDE OF HIM!

Butlerok came out of his daze and trap from Isamy's attack thanks to an unknown benefactor but it appears that while he was unconscious a lot of eerie events somehow took place.

Inside the world of Butlerok, Lerna was busy chastising the familiars and the familiars where just looking at her with their heads tilted. It's hard to take someone seriously who goes in and out of fluid speech. Not only that, she must not remember her time when Dorian tried to share minds with her...there is no way out of here without help from the outside. They would have to figure out someway to at least deal with Captain Commander first. However, it seemed that fate had other plans. Once Butlerok's bubble shattered Gyokuen and Hades both recognizes the gold surge that passed over what could be best called the outer walls.

Oh my lord, someone actually freed Butler. Gyokuen spoke very matter of fact. It was a this moment all of the black Rukh started to flutter around everywhere.

I don't think he is happy. Hades added with a slight chuckle. He laughed as there was no reason to actually fight anymore.

Genryuusai sheathed his blade and took the typical Iaido stance and readied himself to strike down these foes. "May Isamy grant you peace in the next world." As he put his hand on his blade a single gunshot was heard around the dank space that was the infinite void of Butlerok. A second later Genryuusai fell to the ground lifeless as it seemed with a small hole in his head.

Out from the shadows Butler, or more accurately a manifestation of Butler, approached the group. As he did thousands of eyes surrounded the group and he looked at them brimming with his Madness.

"Now does someone want to tell me what is going on? For some reason I am almost beyond hungry and I don't know why."

Maeriberii Haan · February 25, 2018

"Hey...hey! Wait for me!"

"I'm not even running... maybe you should stop spacing out instead?"

Nanashi still had no idea what was happening, but she was just happy that she was able to talk with Tenshi again. She looked a lot more mature and calm than the last time she saw her, but just from her voice Nanashi was sure that this really was her. She walked right behind Tenshi who started to hum a familiar tune along the riverside, not saying another word as she simply enjoyed this fleeting moment with the one she loved. Not even the continuous grotesque images and voices of someone being tortured over and over again could distract her from enjoying this situation.

Right. Nanashi realized that she was supposed to be in a final battle against Isamy. She still realized that this was her own mindspace, and she was still trapped here until her physical body expires somehow, or she could find a way to break free. Well, there shouldn't be any issues with that. Someone probably put her body in good use right now, although Nanashi remembered something important and flicked her hand. A light shone from her chest as she connected herself with the essences of the sword of Hisou once again.

"Have I missed a lot?" Tenshi stopped on her tracks. The sound of rumbling water could be heard not far away from them now. It seemed that they somehow ended up being close to a waterfall.

"Ah...right. I was going to tell you about it."

Nanashi took a deep breath. This would be a long story.

"Eh?"

Short-hair stared at the sword of Hisou as she started to feel the blade getting hot on her back. The glow on it returned for some reasons, and a bit of testing made it apparent that most of its abilities had been returned. Just in time too, as the herald has revived her dragons and attacked her with them.

"Undoing the consequences of your mistakes? That just sound so stupid."

The two dragons darted right towards Short-hair, and she dodged one just in time for it to slightly graze her. The contact was what important, and even as the dragon managed to make her start bleeding, it was enough to give the Sword of Hisou enough information about its nature. Once the other attacked her, Short-hair summoned a large pillar from the ground to strike it moments before it could hit her, and in the short moment of distraction that the pillar provided, she put some of her own energy into the sword before unleashing a powerful slash towards the dragon as Short-hair utilized the sword's ability to become the conceptual antithesis of a "black dragon".

All that sacrifice and this is how strong are? The woman I met before had much more promise than this creature before me. But you don't care right as long as you can "save your people" is that it? Such insufferable weakness, how can you even bare to live with yourself?

"Damn it, that's what I wanted to say!"

She was annoyed that Rhadamantys' line was just the sort of thing that she was going to say right now, but they were cool and proper enough at least that Short-hair wasn't that miffed about it for as long as it should be. She avoided another of the remaining dragon's strike, before bombarding it with her keystones, now capable of firing temperament lasers as they ought to. Wielding this sword made Short-hair nostalgic for her own copy. The Rainbow Sword she got as a replacement were far from being as good as this, though this one felt conceptually more brittle even if it store even more ridiculousness than her own copy.

With herself getting out from the dangers of the two dragons for the time being, the short-hair decided that she should start the preparation for a big attack after times and times of failing to deliver anything relevant enough. With that, she also attempted to figure

out something decent enough to say to the Herald.

"You made mistakes, your friend's dead, and you lost everyone else now, boo hoo." Short-hair focused her attention to Apep as her sword spun right in front of her. The temperaments from everything on this battlefield, even the stray souls of the faultless that remained, everything empowered the weapon. This was just how she liked it. She hadn't felt this kind of high ever since her failed attempt to fire one against Reimu and Marisa six months ago. The hair that she cut off recently grew back to their natural length. All of this made her realize just how much of her dislike of the Herald's words was simply caused by her own experiences. Apep tried to undo her mistakes, while she grew from that mistake. What a sissy. That thought alone made her emotion build up to reach for a critical level. Those emotion thus took form as a spiteful declaration.

"Now you're trying to find a way so the world can pretend your fuckup never happened. Piss off with that attitude! Talk about reviving your friend when you can actually own up to your mistakes, mongrel!

You want to see a real fuckup? Here it is! I am Hinanai Tenshi and my whole life consists with nothing more than how I ruined countless people's lives for my own whims!"

And even someone as terrible as me can still change things for the better. Her loud yelling made her smile for a bit. She hadn't been able to feel this alive in ages. A crass and vulgar entity that have been reduced into yet another soul without any home, yet another unrecorded derivative of an individual named Hinanai Tenshi, the same as the one whose body she borrowed, and the one whom she used to hate. In her fleeting existence, talking sheet about someone's motivation was just so satisfying, and it made her able to feel pumped up for the current battle.

"Take this, Scarlet Weather Rapture!"

The beam was fired with that attack declaration, traveling to reach Apep's location as the entire battlefield continued to supply its power.

"...Oh, hello there, Butlerok."

Not the one Reimu wanted to restore the most, but having him back would be a great boon regardless. Even then, Reimu took several steps to create some distance between her and Butler, just to be safe. She prepared to continue her assault on the prison, however something else happened.

The lake stopped freezing, and it was now covered entirely with blades. Circles and circles of blades continued to form, and Reimu was forced to flee the immediate proximity of Isamy to avoid being too close to any of them. Upwards, she noticed Dorian was fighting Byakuya directly. For the time being however, she decided that she would just focus on surviving and learning the properties of this attack rather than helping Dorian. Not out of spite, but she lacked the firepower to be much help anyway against such an opponent. Her mind was still reconfiguring itself too, after 28 days of barely any use.

That's like the entirety of February!

From atop of the tower, Bel continued to watch over the development of the battle. While he could've directly participate now, he decided to wait and see for the development of Isamy's current attack. In theory he would be able to reach there fast using a Flight or Genma or Wilder demon, but hm...

In particular, he remembered one Genma that could help immensely, but that would require some set up first.

"And that's everything."

"I can't say I agree with everything, but I don't dislike the path you chose."

By the time her story was finished, Nanashi found herself already approaching a black tower. It was actually the same exact one that she spent some time with back in Remembrance, just with less snow. Tenshi was still in front of her, leading the way.

"Even my feelings for you?"

"Well that..."

The top of the tower was empty, and the two was able to see the endless vast wilderness that surrounded them. A world consisting but no one but the two of them, for their pleasure to enjoy for as long as they were here. The visions of torture had disappeared too, and now Nanashi was fully embracing this temporary happiness that she felt.

"I'm still very serious about it. No matter the source, it's my feelings now."

"But...come on..." Tenshi sounded more and more unsure, and Nanashi saw that as an opening. She approached her, getting closer and closer until she was practically pinning her to the floor. Nanashi was able to feel the other girl's breathing on her skin as they lie close with each other.

"We're not here for long, the two of us. You're not that opposed to this either, aren't you?"

"But, you're..." Tenshi was unable to finish her words, and Nanashi put her finger on the girl's lips so that she wouldn't speak again for now.

"I am not you, and you are not me. Haven't we gone through these motions already?"

Nanashi sighed, before she lowered her head and gave Tenshi a quick kiss. Tenshi's face reddened, and before waiting for her further reply, Nanashi had started to unbutton her shirt. There was nobody else on this world.

There was nobody else she needed in this world.

"I want to be with you, that is all that I wanted." Another kiss. This time, It was responded in kind by Tenshi. Seeing how receptive she was to her feeling now made Nanashi's smile widen.

"Nothing to worry about now. Let us savor this sweet embrace, and think about its bitter aftertaste later."

[spoiler=OOC]

Nameless: Busy seducing ~~herself~~ um ~~her mom~~ uh her beloved inside of her mind.

The other Tenshi: Attacked the two dragons with the regained power of the Sword of Hisou, and fired a Scarlet Weather Rhapsody to Apep.

Reimu: Trying her best to avoid and measure up Senbonzakura's initiation.

Kazuya: AFK in the tower in G4, considering to summon someone to penetrate through Isamy.

Tesability Black · February 28, 2018

~~~Neos' POV~~~

You seem to know something important regarding that Herald. I had something in mind for how I would deal with him, but I would first like to know what is this Spark you're talking about, and what danger would it possess.

The false human jolted while managing not to break what he was doing, hearing a voice in his head, but not recognizing it immediately. After running through his head what he thought he heard, Neos gulped and decided to respond.

Dunno what you have planned, but the Planeswalker Spark is a part of the world that Jace and Chandra are from. It is a rare manifestation within the soul that allows such people to travel between one plane of existence to another without being destroyed from being within the Blind Eternities, which I guess you can say is the 'empty' space between each plane. However, and I have both seen and used this to my own advantage, if the Eternites makes contact with someone that is not a Planeswalker...well, let's just say that what happened to Isamy is nice. Most don't survive that kind of physical warping.

However...I have no idea why this seems to be happening, since when I tried to carefully stretch his Spark between myself and him (word to the wise, don't try that yourself unless you know full well what you're doing, almost killed myself at first from not knowing better), he would be drained as funk when we're done...but it seems like his Spark has been forced to be shared between Isamy and the other two people with her, in addition to the Souls wandering the area without any real penalty.

As he tried to pull the now-multicolored Spark from out of Isamy, very slowly pulling the foreign entity out of the large being...before being forced to let go as the ice below him started to shake from being separated and loosened from the rest of the ice, seeing the blades slicing up the ice and catching Isamy being moved from one location to another in a snap. "Arceus-dammit," he muttered before jumping up and shifting into a Pidgeot to fly up towards Isamy and Byakuya...

(Ending Note: Byakuya and Isamy have a big bird incoming!)

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

~~~Metarchus' POV~~~

To say that there was surprise is an understatement as the witch flew in the correct direction, a muted growl emerging for a moment before flying a little bit away from the tower, imprisoning Darcy within a similar sphere of light as the other two.

Seeing that this would slow down the opposition, the figure flew away from the tower towards another...the fact that the Heralded Eldrazi had not done its task would not stand for long.

Once the distance was almost complete, all imprisoned found themselves finally freed...

~~~

There was no certainty what the giant creature was attacking now, but the draw to it could still be felt. The redirection was on purpose, but the inability to destroy the creature despite being clearly unable to withstand the might being expressed seemed to irritate it. Shaking head at the sight, the invisible figure landed upon the shoulder of the towering creature and broke the invisibility for the moment to summon a large, frog-like creature before surrounding it with an aura of haste and strength. The frog croaked loudly towards the attracted blob, a screech coming from it as it began to change into a smaller version of the frog.

The next strike from the Heralded Eldrazi smashed it, causing the fake frog to pop loudly before the hand was risen. Another spell cast caused the Heralded Eldrazi and all of the passive Souls of the Eldrazi to glow for a moment as a collective roar echoed from the spectral collective and even Apep, Isamy and Byakuya could feel a burst of strength from the roar. With silent mental command, all of the Souls began to actively hunt, searching for any that wasn't Isamy, a fellow Eldrazi or any of the Heralds and attack them, trying to strike, warp and distort the ones struck, and feed on their energy. Meanwhile, the Heralded Eldrazi turned towards Madame Styx, the largest bundle of mana among the group and tried to grab her once again to feed...

(The Heralded Eldrazi is on the same area as Madame Styx and Metarchus is visible upon its right shoulder. The Souls of the Eldrazi are attacking anyone and everyone, there's a large enough number of them for every active character to be jumped by a minimum of three at once. Metarchus also just buffed everyone but himself with the Collective Blessing spell, since he's not counted as a creature for the spell...but everyone and 'thing connected directly to him is. This means that Apep, Byakuya and Isamy are also buffed in addition to the various Eldrazi running about. Have fun! >=3)

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

~~~Gemini's POV~~~

I do dare declare that he is visible to view, but he's on that big thing's shoulder now, Gemini projected towards Darcy, whom was now watching from above in the guise of invisibility as a Malamar, supressing a yawn. "This is taking too long...I guess some tilting of the scales couldn't hurt...question is: what to do that would be fun..."

Maeriberii Haan · March 2, 2018

"Ah." The sunlight was bright and there were barely any clouds covering it when Nanashi stared at the sky above the tower.

"I was sloppier than I imagined myself to be."

It was far from as romantic or sensual as Nanashi thought at first. None of the two had any experiences beforehand aside from some barebone knowledge about the concept, and so the glimmer of romance disappeared really fast. At the very least Nanashi now was aware about the true potential of the Sword of Hisou's shapeshifting...

"it sure didn't leave me satisfied either..."

What else would she do, however? The act didn't satisfy her physically nor emotionally. Seeing Tenshi's smile while sleeping on her side, covered by their clothing put on top of her messily, put some ease into her mind, but she still felt that something was missing. She stood up, and started to stretch her body. Even if this wasn't a physical realm, doing so was nice, making her remember that she really was alive.

*CRACK*

"O-ouch!"

Maybe she overdid it this time, however.

Dunno what you have planned, but the Planeswalker Spark is a part of the world that Jace and Chandra are from. It is a rare manifestation within the soul that allows such people to travel between one plane of existence to another without being destroyed from being within the Blind Eternities, which I guess you can say is the 'empty' space between each plane. However, and I have both seen and used this to my own advantage, if the Eternites makes contact with someone that is not a Planeswalker...well, let's just say that what happened to Isamy is nice. Most don't survive that kind of physical warping.

However...I have no idea why this seems to be happening, since when I tried to carefully stretch his Spark between myself and him (word to the wise, don't try that yourself unless you know full well what you're doing, almost killed myself at first from not knowing better), he would be drained as funk when we're done...but it seems like his Spark has been forced to be shared between Isamy and the other two people with her, in addition to the Souls wandering the area without any real penalty.

That sure explained Yukari's condition.

I see. Hm, I have a certain guess on what might be the cause of that. Thank you for your information. I doubt that my plan would disrupt this spark, so rest easy.

Once she thanked Neos for his information, Satori immediately cut off the thought line and moved her thought back to the private channel with Darcy. Neos' words gave Satori some food of thought regarding what might be the nature of these heralds of Isamy.

Just let me know when you're ready, and I'll attack him. For now, I'll wait and prepare.

I believe that I am ready now. Also, it seems that these heralds of Isamy really are simply an extension of Isamy at this point rather than their own person. Didn't she say something about assimilating us all into herself? Just now Neos said something about an undivisible thing being shared across all of them. We need to make sure how much would this extend to.

Now though, it was time to see whether this connection, should it be true, also extended to negative effects affecting one of them. Yet before Satori could do anything, a loud roar echoed throughout the battlefield. A sudden surge of power could be felt on all the lingering souls on the battlefield, which made them seemingly go berserk. This ought to prove as a dire issue, as six of such summoned creatures went to attack herself and Darcy. Without being able to risk to look into their mind to seek out the best way to dispose of them, Satori decided to use her Recollection to pull one of her pets' Spell Cards instead.

"Recollection: Subterranean Sun!"

A star was born. The vague recollection of her beloved pet and friend Utsuho manifested into a miniature Sun where Satori and Darcy was standing before. An actual sphere of energy created by nuclear fusion reactions, Satori hoped that its radioactive heat might be able to scorch the attackers, or at least stalled them enough while she and Darcy pursued Metarchus. The attack drained her more than she would like to admit however, and she started to doubt that she was able to perform her mindrape on Metarchus without borrowing more energy from Darcy.

There he is! At the top of that creature going near the tower there. I'll trust this to you for now, Darcy.

"What...?"

The large creature's roar caught Bel off-guard, and before long he realized that several creatures had started to move in to attack him while he was still not battle ready on top of the tower. He narrowly avoided the worst of their onslaught, being way faster and dangerous than the other summoned things that had appeared so far on this battle, and he had to drop himself from the tower to be able to have a chance of firing off his COMP.

"Sleipnir!"

Another demon pulled from the ever-expanding compendium. The phantasmal horse of Odin cushioned his fall, and allowed him to get away from the creatures attacking him as he shook himself out of surprise. Looking at his condition, he didn't seem to manage to fully leave unscathed from them, and so he used a Diarahan to get himself back to full health. There were no doubts that those creatures would continue pursuing him, and so he decided that he would execute his plan now instead.

"I summon you, Genma Cu Chullain!"

On top of the phantasmal horse, another demon was summoned. Once again, not the Cu Chullain that he knew, but a man in blue tights that he summoned once against the Avatar before. He would still be a Genma however, and his capabilities, as this man was classified as those so-called "Heroic Spirit" would suit Bel better rather than the Cu that he knew.

"Here goes then."

He only had one thing in mind: penetrating the infinite arrangement of blades on the lake, and delivering a direct hit towards either Isamy herself or her servant stuck on her head. His hands started to type on his COMP. He was starting to get used to it. He simply executed a simple command with it, activating Sleipnir's Wilder classification in the COMP to use Devil Speed. Coupled with a Genma's Phantasm, it would allow him to blink very far, as if he was just a breeze of wind. With another series of commands on his COMP, he designated his location: the insides of the field of blades.

And so, on the next second, he appeared there, the heroic spirit still on his side, twirling his crimson-colored spear around as he was getting ready for action. He was looking so eager to fight. Bel let out a sigh, realizing that his existence due to the nature of his summoning wouldn't even last for more than one attack.

"That big thing there is our target? All right, this will be fun!"

"Even if you only manifest here for an attack...why are you so excited?"

"Why shouldn't I be excited? I'll just make that one attack count. Against something of this caliber, I'm sure that would be satisfying enough of a feat." Cu's eye lit up. The field of blades were everywhere, and the two were barely able to avoid them. Cu might not be able to get a clean shot from this position, but just from seeing his eye, Bel knew that nothing would stop him from trying to blast off all of the obstacle to achieve that one shot. "I'll leave the positioning to you, Master. Get me to a favorable position, and I'll pierce the enemy's heart with my thorns."

Seeing him being this spirited made Bel couldn't help himself but to put a smile before returning his focus on the battlefield. Cu was right - this was a battle of a lifetime, a battle to decide the fate of the multiverse itself. A son of Man, the king of demons, an ordinary high school student, and now, a would-be decider of the fate of everything. If he couldn't put his all into this one fight, what sort of thing would be enough for him? Even if the stray souls would find any excuses to attack him even as he ran around the field of blades on top of Sleipnir, even if he had to pierce through the blades somehow, that shouldn't be an issue for a king of demons.

"Let's get started then, Hound of Ulster. I shall rely on your spear to achieve victory today."

Nanashi never understood the need of clothing. She was aware of the notion of shame from the little specs of memories and knowledge on her mind, but for someone that never actually been drilled about the concept through her life, she liked it better when she was out of her clothing. Feeling the breeze on her skin as she walked around the tower, basking in the sunlight, was more valuable than whatever else a sense of shame would bring her.

Ah, the affirmation that she existed. Even if this happened inside of her mind, the sensation of the wind was real.

"I am alive!" And so she shouted, announcing it to nobody in particular.

"I exist!" An individual. Made by flesh and bones, even if those are merely fakes generated by the sword that she had turned into. She had her own will, and her own feelings. Even her decision to sleep with her beloved earlier was an affirmation of her existence.

This world was beautiful. Fake as it was, it was a secret garden for her and Tenshi alone. Indulging in her desires had been her driving force so far, and what defined Nanashi so far. There was no tests left that she had to face here, as far as she could believe, so right now this was a breather that she could take for as long as she could. Just her and Tenshi here. They could be with each other for an eternity, all while the short-hair win the battle outside for the two of them.

"Urm...stop...please..." In the middle of her thoughts, Nanashi noticed that Tenshi started to mumble things in her sleep. Her smiling face became distressed. A nightmare? Nanashi thought to herself as she sat on her beloved's side, caressing her hair in hope that her calmness would return.

After a while, it did seem to return, as Tenshi's smile returned and she moved less on her sleep. Seeing that happen, Nanashi smiled and kissed her cheek before leaving her side to go downstairs. She didn't pay much attention earlier when she entered the tower with Tenshi, and now she started to feel curious about what might be inside. Maybe she could find something fun, or perhaps something that could spice up things between her and Tenshi. Ropes, perhaps?

No, she didn't even know how to use them in such context.

Ignoring the distraction, Nanashi only managed to find something interesting at the first floor. Right next to the stairs leading upstairs, there was actually a smaller set of stairs aiming down. It looked strange standing side by side by the stone spiralling stairway next to it as if it was built separately from the rest of the tower.

"It's strange...shouldn't I notice something like this before?"

The visions of a girl being tortured started to return once more to her mind, although those were merely distraction for Nanashi now. A fetid stench came out of downstairs, making her curious of what might be inside. Taking a deep breath to solidify her decision, she took her first step on the stairs leading into the abyss.

[spoiler=OOC]

Nanashi: Still stuck in her mind, just finished seducing Tenshi and realizing that she's a terrible lover.

Satori: Recollected Subterranean Sun to attempt to fry the attacking eldrazi while she tries to get Darcy close to Metarchus (going towards E2 atm)

Bel: Summoned Sleipnir and Cu (FSN ver.) to utilize both Devil Speed and Phantasma to blink into the middle of Senbonzakura, trying to find an opening for Cu to use either of his NP on Byakuya or Isamy. Probably still trying to get away from the attacking souls. (somewhere between E4 and D4).

Reinforce · March 7, 2018

Apep

The beam from the armoured one hurt, penetrating through her body before she could react, but it was the blue-haired one's words and attack that hurt more. Even as she moved to dodge the attack, she wondered if this was how Isamy had felt, hearing her motivations getting dismissed so casually by those that were once allies or friends.

They just wish to stop Isamy.

When the beam vanished, Apep was still alive, but badly damaged, the majority of her body simply missing, with only her head and upper right side remaining. Her face was scowling, eyes glaring at the blue-haired one, as she raised her remaining hand and re-summoned the two dragons once more. Under her breath, the next couple of lines were muttered, as power flowed further into her body.

"I wield the shadows I once rejected. Frosted flames dances to my will."

I have been possessed and fought it off. I have lost everything, but fight on.

As her reality marble's hold on the world strengthened, she found the time to respond to their accusations before proceeding with her next move.

"I understand my mistakes, but when given a chance to undo them in the process of fixing my world, why wouldn't I choose to act. I'll do anything necessary, if it means I can undo the horror this war has worked on my friends and world."

The dragons both flowed down into her body, black fire and lightning creating the missing body parts, and shadows covering the lot until a black facade of what she was missing was again present. An abrupt boost to her power flooded her system, as the collective roar from the souls heralded a buff from Metarchus. Around her body, a chilling black mist covered her body, spreading out from there, and would starting to freeze anything it touched. Letting out a roar of her own, the mist billowed out across the cage, and shadowy tentacles started to lash out of the mist at both enemies.

Ending Location: Still C4

Darcy

I believe that I am ready now. Also, it seems that these heralds of Isamy really are simply an extension of Isamy at this point rather than their own person. Didn't she say something about assimilating us all into herself? Just now Neos said something about an undivisible thing being shared across all of them. We need to make sure how much would this extend to.

As she approached from what she thought was a subtle angle, the mage trapped her inside a sphere of light she couldn't escape from, only for the light to vanish once he'd moved on once more. Glancing around, she noticed six familiar faces among the souls, a red-haired one of them carried by another, as the dratted fairies that had beaten her time and time again, were challenging her once more as part of the army summoned by her enemy. Darcy winced as Satori summoned a miniature sun down on them, and quickly threaded the star with dark magic, twisting it's power so Bloom couldn't simply drain it for power to regain the means to transform and fly under her own power. Two of them, the red-haired Bloom and Aisha, were caught under the sun, the extra weight preventing Aisha from evading in time, and erased them.

The four remaining fairies got in range to attack, trying to physically touch her as she dodged and avoided them. That was the indicator that not all was as it seemed, and a pretty good sign that they were the actual fairies, not simply impostors. Of the six, only Aisha had ever been particularly proficient with close quarters combat, the whole group generally preferring to stay out of range, and what meager skills they'd been granted to aid wasn't enough to make any of them proficient. Dodging around them, she got enough of a slight leeway to teleport directly up, immediately aiming a blast of purple magic at the four remaining fairies, and ripping straight through Stella and Flora, who couldn't dodge in time. With Musa and Techna fast approaching her location though, she teleported again, this time directly underneath them, to blast through them in turn, before moving sideways to avoid the falling bodies.

With more space to act, she heard the messages from Satori and Gemini, both confirming her foe's location, and after spotting him visibly, she vanished once more into a teleport. Reappearing atop the tower at E2, she threw her first move, causing the earth to crack and break underneath the Eldrazi's feet. Acting quickly, a portal appeared behind the herald, with shadows lashing out to restrain him for Satori's move. Recalling the power her current partner had used against the fairies, she fed more magic through to her ally, guessing Satori would need more to pull off what she was planning. She was starting to feel the strain of channeling so much magic herself, but Avalon was doing wonders for her stamina and magic regeneration.

This is probably the best chance you'll get for a while, so fire when ready. I doubt the consequences will be worse than if we didn't try anyway, regardless of what happens.

Ending Location: On the top of the tower at E2

[spoiler=tldr] Most of Apep's body was destroyed by Tenshi's attack, and she's merged her dragons into her body to replace the missing parts with the ice and shadows. A cold black mist is concealing her and expanding out across the cage from her location, quickly freezing anything it touches, and shadowy tentacles are lashing out from the mist to attack Rhadamanthys and Tenshi.

Darcy managed to fight off the Souls that went for her, with the help of Satori's spell. Afterwards, she teleported to roof of the tower at E2, caused the group to split open underneath the Heralded Eldrazi, and tried to restrain Metarchus with a burst of shadows to stop him from avoiding Satori's spell, while feeding more power into Satori to enable her Recollection.

Love of Ghibli · March 7, 2018

Team Dorian: Final Round

While trying to deal with Byakuya and Isamy, Dorian looked behind him and noticed that some for strange reason a bunch of strange looking creatures were coming his way. It seemed as if one Isamy's helpers had summoned helpers of their own. Unfortunately, Dorian had noticed this to late and by the time he turned around the creatures were already about to pounce. He looked up and all he could mutter was a mighty..."OH SHHHH..." As they chomped down they were immediately repelled by a seemingly invisible barrier. Dorian looked and realized immediately what was happening. His eyes widened as the Rukh started to flood from Isamy and started to harmlessly overtake all who were in the vicinity of the lake. But this peaceful dance of white and black butterflies did not last long.

The madness started to seethe, the pressure was emanating on all of the beast that were trying to attack inside the area of the lake. Dorian and Rhadamanthys immediately looked up as they both knew what this feeling was. Butler was back! Slowly and surely Butlerok took to the skies and he looked around. Even though he technically had all of those souls and bodies still inside of him and even then he wandered as he was technically approached by someone else before they took flight. However, he could not shake this sinking feeling that was filling the entirety of his being. Butlerok was hungry.

His body seemed to hover just above Isamy as if he was her new Herald, but that was far from the truth. He surveyed the area and noticed Byakuya's bankai already in effect. While intrigued, he extended his hand outward in a very specific direction and he shot a constant stream of black blood from his hand. Obviously it connected back with the cage that was used to keep Apep in place. A second later the bars of the cage were lined with eyes and teeth. The mark of the Kishin with a smile to be exact. And then the horrific screaming of Ragnarok echoed throughout the battlefield!

KKKKKKIIIIIYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The screech Resonance reuniting and rebalancing of souls within Butlerok's body was enough for him to gain notice of what was an enemy and what was an ally. Butlerok looked up and simply pointed to the "sky" as it were and shot a droplet into the skyscape. Seconds later it would look like clouds were forming over the lake creating ominous shadows and with that he looked at the "Souls of the Eldralzi" and smirked.

Bloody Rain...

A rainstorm of Mad Blood came down on everyone in the area but for those who were enemies would feel this rain like battery acid as Butlerok was trying to cook all of his food at once. The Mad Blood would touch and spread all over the opponents like an all consuming ooze scorching their flesh and literally cooking them like fried food. Once the Mad Blood has fully covered the enemies it will proceed to scwer each and every one of them like a spiked ball.

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

"I understand my mistakes, but when given a chance to undo them in the process of fixing my world, why wouldn't I choose to act. I'll do anything necessary, if it means I can undo the horror this war has worked on my friends and world."

Rhadamanthys looked at this creature so desperate to reform and continue down its path. Of course he could only scowl as its frozen mist and power proceeded to permeate the cage. He internally wept for the Herald as pieces of him started to freeze over.

Well if you cannot be saved....he said looking at the mist not really sure where his opponent is... then I hope you can continue to have faith in Isamy after you pass from this world. He looked up. Ragnarok.

As he finished the last syllable the space between the bars seemed to connect with more Mad Blood, letting nothing leak out and a few meters above Tenshi a psuedo floor was created blocking her from the mist and what would probably be the rest of this battle.

Inside this now black dome Rhadamanthys did a slight exhale and shatter the ice that was encasing him. And his aura filled slowly filled the now blackened dome of Mad Blood. Those who cannot take control of their own lives don't need to have them anymore.

GREATEST CAUTION

Tesability Black · March 11, 2018

A collective cry echoed out through the as the strange liquid began to fall of them, the creatures reverting to their ghostly natures as the rain fell, but this was not enough to stop them all from melting into the ground. Where each of the of the beasts melted into the ground, the color seemed to have corroded away and the ground began to reform, leaving behind grey lattice that littered roughly 75% of the battlefield as a whole. A brave soul that dared to touch these would realize that the lattice was harmless, almost pretty, but that destroying the lattice would reveal that the ground itself had become perfectly flattened.

~Metarchus' POV~

The ground shook underneath the towering Heralded Eldrazi in an attempt to topple the eldritch entity fall over or make it fall into the ground in a literal way. Unfortunately, the slow movement of the being soon caused it to at least tumble forward towards the tower, enough that would normally cause the one on its shoulder to fly forward...but eyes widened as black wisps of energy catching the figure in midair. Tugging and straining to become free, eyes flashed blue as a momentary glimpse of the future to come emerged within the mind while the Souls of the Eldrazi began to cut separate by force as they gave their last cry.

Behind the glow of blue, a vision of a figure casting a spell directly on the figure in blue emerged, causing a great amount of pain before collapse. The figure in blue stood up before turning towards Isamy's general direction, tears in eyes filled with the emotion of being betrayed once again before lashing out towards someone that was once thought an ally and possibly a friend...

Hands gripping tight while held by the shadows in a cross pattern, eyes were closed as the body began to glow bright with a blue light, preparing to contest the future to come with a true Clash of Wills. If the future was allowed to be altered from the one seen beforehand, this Omniverse will be doomed to further self-destruction. The Herald of the Mind knew that and knew that this alternate future must be fought. While all had flaws, Isamy and all of her Heralds had a role to play to safeguard the future that was needed by all. One was of emotion, one of balance and one of logic.

And the Herald of the Mind was the one of logic.

Call forth the Firemind, was the last line projected towards Ravnica before focus was fully devoted to the task ahead...

Still floating above the lake, Ravnica raised their arms to either side while looking up towards the raining sky with their mask as their body began to glow with lightning that shifted between red and blue colors. Their hands suddenly rose above their heads as a thunderous clap became heard throughout the area. A draconic roar soon became heard as a portal ripped open above Ravnica that was edged with lightning and a red-scaled head with hints of blue around the frills poked out before the rest of the body emerged. With the flap of mighty wings, the red-and-blue dragon flew out and towards Metarchus to answer the summons, analyzing the madness of the battlefield around him faster than any existing computer ever could in any reality.

~Gemini's POV~

"...wow, just about no one cares about the pyromancer, it seems," Gemini mused from above before finding himself shaking his head at the thought that crossed his mind. "Well, if no one else will do it, I might as well," he said before allowing himself to descend, changing midair into his chosen form and landing with a minor crater underneath himself near Isamy. "I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you, dearie," Gemini cooed before raising his hands towards the area that contained Chandra as his blackish-red aura flared around him.

He had fully-planned on teleporting the pyromancer out of there. What happened was something entirely different.

As the aura flared around, three points of white light focused around his wrists and his neck like bands also flared and Gemini found himself wracked in pain as the glow around him erupted into flames that consumed him. The bubble that Chandra was in became unable to see through for the moment as the flames shifted from blackish-red to a bright flame that magnified in strength. As the flames faded, Chandra would find herself standing back on her own feet awake and likely confused as to what happened...and the bubble became translucent to reveal Gemini caught with the bubble and actively trying to do what he could to get back out of it.

Might be a good thing he couldn't be heard, because the obscenities are very-much real in that bubble...

The Warden · March 11, 2018

LERNA hissed in the presence of Butler, but like the jealous snake that she was her heads coiled protectively around Lydia, her Despair keeping at bay the Madness.

She is mine parasite. The girl is mine! We worked to save you! We desire freedom! We... we....

LERNA seemed to slow down, that familiar crimson aura covering her, before manifesting out of her main head in the form of a minute centauric creature made of flame. It seemed to politely clear its throat, an act mimicked by LERNA's main head.

Individual: Butler. We together desire freedom from our wretched fates, something I am certain you are familiar with. We have seen both sides of you, we have seen your Despair and your Ideals. We knew your weakness before becoming a Kishin, and much like you, we desire to overcome ours. This girl is the key to that. Please remove her from yourself, so that she may be revived in reality. We want our vengeance against Collective: Isamy Individual: Butler, something I'm sure you can sympathize with, having been forced by her to recognize your mortality once more.

Whatever the energy being was, it certainly seemed like the one in control as LERNA's heads twisted about in the same method as its arms did. And currently, it had placed them behind its back while awaiting a reply.

It would seem that playtime had to wait, now that Hapshiel was back in the fray. Unfortunate, but there are more pressing matters to be attended too... such as a giant dragon. A fresh summon, oh, that takes him back to sweet Sakuma Eitaru, that wily little scamp. And, also... a giant towering monstrosity about to snuff out several souls. Well, that wouldn't do now would it. "Tut tut, naughty boy" Hapshiel chided the air.

With a quick huff is normal attire reasserted itself, and his wings broadened to catch the cold air. He was almost like a dove, if a dove was a masochistic immortal hard gay angel. And if doves are, then that statement is perfectly true as one dove became many, the air swarming with with 63 magical clones of Hapshiel + the original. A good 10 of them split from the flock, and clustered upon the toppling Heralded Eldrazi. Their barriers coated their skin as with minimal effort all 10 were able to save the tower. But now for the other part....

The other 54 Hapshiels strove to block off Niv-Mizzet, the dragon's path halted by the swarm. "We sense your wicked intent," one Hapshiel spoke up.

"and we do not like it" another stated.

"We do not enjoy violence,"

"but,"

"we're going to have to stop you."

Keeping the beast's attention, the flock of Hapshiels surrounded the dragon and began to dance, the air rippling from the combined weight of the angel's gyrating muscles. "Love Temptation~ they all spoke as they worked to paralyze Niv-Mizzet.

Dad · March 11, 2018

Sweet Dreams

Isamy's slumber remained undisturbed. Her sleep was so deep that no part of her -- excluding Byakuya -- was reacting to outside influence. A curse was brought forward to Byakuya as Dorian swung a mighty blade down atop the Shinigami's head. The attack was thwarted, however. A single blade from the hundreds in the frozen lake vanished for just a moment. When it reappeared, it parried Dorian's attack before returning to its original position.

It was then that a large bird creature that Byakuya had never seen before, took flight and dove directly for him.

"Yes," Byakuya whispered.

The enemy drew closer.

"Come. Come home," Byakuya said.

For a moment, the hundreds of swords that made up Byakuya's Bankai, which had been protruding from the lake, all vanished at once. "Senbonzakura," Byakuya said with a whisper to the wind. There was a loud, concussive blast of sound and hundreds of millions of petals appeared in an instant, creating a shrinking wall around Isamy, Neos, and Dorian. The wall was nigh impenetrable, preventing even sound from escaping it. Byakuya locked eyes with the incoming Pidgeot and outstretched a welcoming hand to it. "For the queen will give you peace, everlasting," he groaned. Byakuya closed his hand, and the light which had shined above from the "sun" was snuffed out. The petals began to fall in an endless cascade like a wave crashing down upon a weary surfer. From above, from below, from every feasible angle, they crashed around Isamy, Byakuya, Neos, and Dorian with a frightening beauty.

Buried

When the cage fell, Kenpachi was already in a fury. He watched from afar in horror and anger. "Kuchiki!" he bellowed. His strength returned to him and Kenpachi just knew he had to do something about his former comrade. Without hesitation, he leaped forward and began to bound toward Byakuya.

"Kenny!" Yachiru called after him. "Kenny! Don't! Don't lose yourself!" she screamed. Balling a fist, Yachiru began to chase after Kenpachi.

Giant

Watching from the shore, Kratos and Revy observed Byakuya's Bankai take effect. Swords sprang up from the frozen lake, shattering the ice like glass. They took cover behind a toppled tree as the infinite swords continued to multiply.

"What the hell...?" Revy asked, breathing heavily.

Kratos poked his head out from behind the tree as the lake crashing against the shore. He emerged from cover to see one of the large blades vanish and reappear at Byakuya's command. Then, all at once, the swords vanished. An innumerable number of withered petals emerged and enclosed the monster Isamy, Byakuya, and two others. Kratos sheathed his dual weapons and outstretched his hand. The re-crafted Blade of Olympus appeared in his hand in an instant.

"Kratos--"

"I'm going," he said as he turned to Revy. "I will not sit back and watch others die."

The sky rained with some kind of magic, appearing to emanate from the recently freed Butlerok. Revy didn't stop to think about what was happening. It almost looked like blood was pouring down around them. Yet, all she could think of was war. That's what this was, right? The rain only solidified the atmosphere and the severity of their situation. Everyone was giving it their all.

"I'm going with--"

Revy was cut off as she and Kratos ducked back behind the fallen tree. An explosion behind them and a mound of snow that now covered them made both Kratos and Revy shiver. They shook off the snow and looked up to see Kenpachi charging ahead. Kratos followed suit and spread his wings. With a leap of fire he pursued Kenpachi. Revy was right behind them, using the trees to spring large distances to cover ground since she could not fly. Rifle in her hand she leaped above the trees and began to take potshots at the barrier of petals.

The bullets, however, failed to penetrate Senbonzakura.

In Between

In Between

Kenpachi went straight for the Senbonzakura wall and attempted to cut through it with Nozarashi. However, no matter how many gaps he made, the wall sealed itself in an instant, unrelenting. "KUCHIKI!" Kenpachi screamed. The petals began to move, collapsing onto themselves around Isamy and Byakuya.

"KUCHIKI!" he screamed again.

There was a deafening blast and Kenpachi was suddenly swept off his feet. He began to tumble, blinded by a bright explosion. He could feel fire all around him. Kenpachi could last be seen spiraling toward the now dried up lake directly opposite Isamy.

Compromise

"If I can't get through with multiple shots," Revy said as she took position now atop a black tower. "Then I'll blow away your pretty little petals all at once, you funking freak."

She recalled her attack on Arthuria, and what Butlerok had told her. She could only hope she could accomplish it again. She envisioned within herself the most powerful weapon she knew: a nuclear warhead. With slow, deep breaths, she loaded the chamber of her rifle. In the back of her mind, Revy knew there was a good chance that this would do more harm than good. However, she wasn't willing to compromise the overall mission for the sake of a few. That included herself.

From the sky, Kratos had searched for Revy. And it wasn't until he saw her pulling back the bolt on her rifle that he noticed what she was doing. And he began to fear the worst. Whatever Revy was hoping to accomplish would not end well.

"Revy!" he barked from the sky. Kratos began to soar toward her as fast as he could, hoping to stop her attack.

"Revy, no!"

He was too late.

The Black Lagoon

"This is Revy Twohands," she whispered to herself from atop the tower. "Signing off. Here's my last big funk you."

As she pulled the trigger, Revy could feel the gun shatter in her hands. The rifle exploded and pushed her back. The sheer force ripped her arm from its socket and threw her off the tower without control. She was thrown back through multiple trees until she crashed into a neighboring Black Tower, back first. She couldn't bother to scream out in pain as her back cracked because the strength had been sucked right out of her. Her breathing was raspy and the Black Blood which covered her had begun to recede. Revy was dying.

Kratos had been thrown off balance, blinded by the light of the blast which had swept across the battlefield. He too began to fall and spiral toward the ground. He braced himself for impact and collapsed into the snow, his ears ringing from the strength of the blast. It was the loudest silence Kratos had ever heard. He couldn't hear himself screaming for Revy to answer him over the silence of the blast. When he could see again, Kratos stood in awe.

Trees and land had been scorched, and the lake had been parted. Byakuya's petals had burned to a crisp, and an emerald fire remained as they fell to the dead lake bed.

"REVY!" Kratos finally screamed. He began to race across the snow as fast he could, with nothing on his mind but her.

Revy blinked, barely able to move her head. She looked to her right and to her left, and realized she was surrounded by snow and black stone. She forced herself to smile. Somehow, she was still just barely clinging to life. She cursed aloud, but she couldn't hear her own words. She had been rendered deaf. Despite her smile, tears had begun to fall from Revy's face. She knew that she wouldn't recover from this. Despite this, she was happy. She finally felt useful. Being surrounded by all of these powerful warriors, she had been filled with shame. But now, she had finally done something. Right?

She was suddenly being lifted off of her feet by two strong arms, realizing Kratos was cradling her.

She was able to look him in the face, and tell him off, even if she couldn't hear herself say it. "You idiot," she grinned.

"Why? Why would you--" Kratos began.

"I know I promised you something," Revy said. "I know I promised you we would leave all of this sheet behind and live a normal life. I wanted to spend more time with you. But," Revy choked, blood spilling from her mouth and eyes. "I guess I broke my promise."

Though she had been rendered deaf, Revy could "hear" Kratos cry out in anger, horror, and pain. And as she took her last breath, she whispered to Kratos. "I love you."

Loss

Byakuya's attack had been rendered null, and he was temporarily vulnerable. Senbonzakura had absorbed almost all of Revy's attack, but he would soon recover from this inconvenience. "Wretch!" he cursed as his power was temporarily suspended.

Maeriberii Haan · March 12, 2018

"Watch out! ...Huh, it disappeared?"

Reimu, who had been drifting aimlessly while continuing to observe the field of blades, noticed the presence of two people teetering dangerously close near the blades, but just as she summoned a barrier to block the blades, those blades disappeared from sight. Reimu turned around in confusion, but noticed that they were instead being replaced by a rapidly shrinking boundary field of cherry petals around Byakuya. No doubt it was an attack aimed to deal with the people around the shinigami and Isamy. At the same time, she could feel that the rogue Souls that littered the battlefield were seemingly extinguished just four posts after they were significantly empowered, leaving some sort of residue lattice covering most of the land surrounding the lake. Ah, one less headache for her to worry about for the time being.

"You...er, who are you again?" The younger and calmer-looking blue-haired boy spoke first. Reimu recalled him as the person being late to Arturia's briefing back on Strange Aeons. He was riding a strange eight-legged horse, and another man was on his side. The man in blue tights was visibly a summoned entity judging from his aura,, while the boy...Reimu thought that he was fully human at first, but his aura was purely that of a powerful demon. "You can call me Bel. And this-"

"Yo, name's Cú Chulainn."

"Reimu, Hakurei Reimu. Let's save the proper introduction for later once we actually reach the finish line."

Reimu turned around once she introduced herself to the two, and continued reading the above post from where she left off. While Reimu somehow could understand the context or the language it used, there wasn't much that Reimu was able to infer from it. It served her better to actually observe the battle directly. One of the other shinigami, Kenpachi was it? He went forward to attack the shinigami perched on top of Isamy, but his assault was repeatedly blocked by the wall of petal-like swords. He continued to attempt to penetrate it, but his attempts ended up with failure, and he tumbled down due to an unseen force. Reimu thought about how she might be able to figure out a way to bypass the wall of swords, but she was disrupted as she sensed several tings, disturbances towards the wall of swords. Someone was shooting at it. Could it be...ah, the name didn't come to her mind. Shouldn't be that important.

A gnawing bad feeling started to grow inside of Reimu's mind however.

"Do you have any plans in mind? Penetrating the field of sword, moving around like that, are you two preparing for an attack?" Reimu asked the two men in blue.

"Yes, we're-"

"We're going to tackle this nuisance head-on. With this spear of mine, I'll bomb this creature in one strike!"

"Eager, aren't you?"

Cú proceeded to explain what he was going to do to Reimu. HIs spear, Gae Bolg, apparently could reverse the concept of causality itself and bypass the defense of this wall of swords, aiming directly towards the shinigami's heart as long as the chance to do so was not zero. Bel also added that he already added the skill Pierce into him when Cú was summoned which ought to help. However, the two had recently decided that they would do something else entirely.

"Accurate as it is, that attack would not carry enough firepower to deal with something like this shinigami here, nor Isamy herself. A strike for something stronger will do. An attack suited to wipe out an army." Bel closed the explanation without divulging more into what sort of attack this was. Reimu felt like she had an inkling on what it might be, and nodded at the two.

"I see. Then I will ensure that this attack will be carried out successfully."

Reimu decided to take a break for the time being to concentrate. Even if she couldn't read either of two's mind, she would trust her intuition and vision of the world beyond to coordinate the following attack.

This is probably the best chance you'll get for a while, so fire when ready. I doubt the consequences will be worse than if we didn't try anyway, regardless of what happens.

Understood.

With that one word, Satori rose up to the skies away from Darcy. SHe still could feel Darcy's magic energy flowing into her as she approached the restrained Herald. A lot of things happened around her. The stray souls had passed somehow. A dragon had been summoned. All were mere distraction for the goal that Satori had in mind. There was only one word currently on her mind. There was only one memory, one trauma for her to bring up to the surface.

"Rest in pain, herald of Isamy.

Recollection!"

At that exact moment, Satori opened up the mental barrier protecting her from outside thoughts, and established a direct connection towards Metarchus. The tendrils of her mind extended their reach, attempting to hold its control over Metarchus so that the memory would be able to be implanted and magnified. A creature of the mind shall break upon being subjected into a continuous torture. Even if Satori had grown unsure about the effectiveness of the plan, the fact the she was able to penetrate him made her-

W-what is happening?

The overflowing torrent of memories were halted in place by a countering surge akin to a storm front. The herald had somehow managed to figure out her and Darcy's plans even if it was completely spoken through a private line somehow. Was there a leak? The counter caught Satori off-guard. She managed to hold her own assault for the time being, but for her to be able to break through the counter would mean that she had to expend more and more of her and Darcy's energy reserves. She didn't know how much was necessary to brute force through the countering wave, but she felt that it would take much more than what she or Darcy could manage while still being able to maintain the recollection manifestation.

However, in this moment of hesitation, Satori had failed to muster the necessary energy to combat the countering wave fired by Metarchus' mind, and so she ended up taking the brunt of the backlash almost directly, ending her connection with the Herald.

"I understand my mistakes, but when given a chance to undo them in the process of fixing my world, why wouldn't I choose to act. I'll do anything necessary, if it means I can undo the horror this war has worked on my friends and world."

The attack on Apep was succesful. Holding the smoking Sword of Hisou on her hand, the short-hair watched as both of their assault had left the herald badly wounded. It wasn’t enough to finish her however. With one utterance of what seemed to be a spell, Apep mustered herself for what seemingly would be her lsat ditch attempt on this fight. Tenshi could feel that Apep had somehow gained so much energy in such a short time somehow. Whether it was from Isamy or from another source was something she couldn’t understand yet. She took in what was left of the two dragons, and she let out a roar that reverberated through the cage that contained the participants of this fight. In response, Tenshi prepared her own sword once more for another round of combat. The mist started to reach out towards her, and even if it didn’t manage to have direct contact to it, she could feel that her body started to freeze. It shouldn’t be anything that a State of Enlightment couldn’t fix-

“Ragnarok.”

Before she could actually start deaing with the mist, something else had happened. With one order from Rhadamantys, the Mad Blood collapsed around Tenshi, trapping her from doing anything further on this fight.

“Hey! The hell are you trying to-“

“Well if you cannot be saved...Then I hope you can continue to have faith in Isamy after you pass from this world.”

His words silenced Tenshi. He had set his mind to eliminate the Herald all on his own, and for her to interfere would be pointless from this point onwards. She could feel the pressure of his dark aura gathering around him as the dome blackened further and further, up until the point where Tenshi was unable to see what was going on from beyond the dome.

Before Tenshi could say anything else, a momentary, yet infinitely powerful surge of energy ended up silencing her.

Before anything else, before she was even able to act following her agreement to carry out the plans of the two men she just met, Reimu sensed an overwhelming blast being fired from a nearby location. It was too close to their location for her to actually create a barrier that was in any way formidable enough to even slow down such a blast, and in the end, she had to use her barrier to slam the three of them to the ground, narrowing avoiding the familiar blast.

“Ah...”

The light had dissipated. She did not see who had fired it, but this light, the sort of energy that was emanated. She had seen it once before. Right at the end of the fight against Arturia. At the short moment before she traveled to the belly of the beast, she had seen this signature building up from the weapon that she carried.

“Whoever you are...thank you.”

She remembered the events back on the hallway clearly enough. Seeing the blast that tore through the dried lake made her remember a certain face, a certain mischievous smile, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember who she was. Ever since she entered this battlefield, Reimu had struggled in remembering a lot of things, but only now that the existence of this gap in her memory became fully apparent to her.

Not understanding the reason why, tears welled up in Reimu’s eyes as she approached Bel and Cu.

“...This is our chance. That blast should have created enough opening.”

“Right. I trust you with this one, Hound of Chulainn.”

“Ou, my spear shall break through him!”

Reimu didn’t understand the reason of her tears. Nobody died, right? There was no reason for her to mourn or be sad. She needed to focus. Cu had already prepared himself with a stance, creating a certain distance between himself and Isamy and her herald. Bel tinkered with his mechanical device, clearly sending over some sort of energy towards Cu. His spear shone with a crimson light.

“Alright, one strike, one kill! I’ll bank everything with this single shot!”

Reimu floated upwards, her remaining eye fixed on Cu as she continued to monitor his movements. Someone had died. She couldn’t deny that. Even if she didn’t see it with her own eye, she knew that someone had just passed away following the overwhelming blast of power earlier.

Someone important to her.

Through a desolate wasteland, two girls rocketed past the clouds with a wide grin on their faces. Neither knew exactly what they were doing, but they took it in great stride as they tore through the empty sky as if they were jets. The flight met an abrupt end as one of the girls had to stop themselves from crashing.

Even with regrets and annoyance forming being spouted on their words after they crash-landed, their expression made it clear what they truly felt that time. The two of them truly had fun with it. And that was what important.

“Deploying barriers.”

Distracting herself from her thoughts, Reimu summoned an array of barriers around herself. She barely communicated with the two on the ground, but by instinct she knew what they were planning to do. And simple gestures were enough for her to convey her intent of having the two target her barrier. Once she felt that the two understood what she wanted, Reimu disappeared from view, forcing herself to phase away.

"Finally, a real fight!"

Two girls, complete strangers minutes ago, bonding with each with only alcohol accompanying them. Neither of them knew much about the other, but something about each other made them hit it off really well from the start. For one, the memory of someone that she had left behind.

"Well, that aside, I'd like to enjoy this."

A smile formed on Reimu’s face as she accepted the handshake from the other girl.

"Revy,"

“Revy, huh? I’m Reimu. Nice to meet you.”

“She’s a real an interesting one, I’d say. I don’t think she’s your type though.”

“Neither do I.”

Seeing off the woman with barely half of herself remaining, Bel continued to supply the magnetite coming from his COMP into Cu’s astral body. The range was right, and the preparation was pretty much complete. Indeed, Gae Bolg had the capability of bearing a certain curse that could reverse causality itself. However, the true use of the spear was for when it was used as a projectile weapon.

A soaring spear that struck with death.

“Alright, I’m ready. I shall bring the gift of death to the Herald.”

Around hundreds of meters of preparation range between him and the target. Cu crouched on the ground with his spear on his side, like a sprinter waiting for the signal gun to fire. As the amount of Magnetite from the COMP reached its critical point, the figurative gun was fired. The Hound of Ulster took off, with such an imaginable speed that what remained visible of him was simply a blue blur. At around the fifty meter mark, the lancer stopped right on his tracks, readying himself into a crouching posture before leaping up, far up high into the sky with a force that mere man would never be anywhere close to.

He held his lance over his head. Space distorted itself around him as the demonic energy pooled into him focused themselves into one singularity point – the edge of his spear. He arched his back, as if he was pulling a bowstring. By the moment the attack had been declared, the target had been set.

”Gae Bolg!”

The attack came crashing down with a roar. And as Reimu had promised, the spear disappeared the moment it made contact with the barrier she erected. Still floating in mid-air, the force of the attack used up the last of Cu’s remaining time as a summoned entity. As a warrior, the only expression on his face as he faded away was a proud and satisfied smile.

“The rest is up to you, Master. Now go, have the fight of your lifetime!”

Her world, Gensokyo. Why did she want to save it, anyway? Reimu knew that it was important to her, but as she moved through the dried lake as fast as she could while phasing away, she couldn’t help but wonder. The moment that she entered this battlefield, she had lost many of her precious memories. Those who she wished to spend her time together with. The people that she wished to fight for. Various faces flashed over her mind, yet she couldn’t recall their identity.

Was it really important, however? As long as she fought for them, even if she forgot who she were fighting for, it should be fine.

The path before Reimu had been formed. Thanks to the previous attack. She didn’t know whether that other girl, the one that Reimu had forgotten, even remembered her now. Did she thought about her at the end? It was nothing important, but she couldn’t help but to feel curious. This journey had been a long one, and she had met a lot of people, those that she liked, and those that she disliked.

But that one, she was the most impactful to her, right?

Through the withering petals, Reimu continued on her way without stopping. A shining amulet was held on her remaining hand. There was no sign of the spear that had just been fired, but with how fast Reimu darted forward, it was as if the projectile that had been thrown was Reimu herself. This certain opening wouldn’t exist for long, and at the next moment, Reimu materialized herself, right above Byakuya.

“Here it is, a gift of a blooming rose, just for you alone”

She aimed the amulet she held to touch Byakuya’s scalp. it formed a barrier a split second before a certain familiar weapon manifested itself and going straight towards him. It was Gae Bolg itself, carrying the full power of from the moment Cu fired it – a power that could be said to match an intercontinental missile. The moment it manifested out of Reimu’s barrier, the spear split into hundreds of of barbs in an attempt to penetrate anything in its way.

She was not done yet. Her job was to make sure that the attack was properly delivered, and that she would also prevent interferences from somehow blocking it, using her barriers if she had to. The memories she lost from this battlefield still refused to return even after pages and pages of informations of past events being read on her mind, but for some reasons, Reimu felt a sense of relief inside. As if she had fulfilled a promise she made a long time ago.

“And uh, if this is the last time we see each other...
You'd better make damn sure you kick some ass for me.
And tell me all about it when we get to heaven."

It hurts.

It felt painful.

Satori was still stuck in mid-air, having taking the full brunt of the backlash of her earlier attempt to assault Metarchus. The attempt earlier was met with an absolute failure as Metarchus was able to somehow figure out that she was going to attack, and counter accordingly. She could retreat for the time being. If Metarchus was this strong, maybe it’s best if she utilize a sharper sword. Perhaps she could utilize his own trauma somehow? Not that it would be easy to dig a mind of someone as powerful as him.

The other option of course, would be to force herself forward anyway. It carried the most risk, but in the end, those words meant little. The longer she let the Herald rampage across the battlefield, the harder it would be to deal with Isamy the moment she decided to wake up. The longer she delayed her attempt in dealing with him or die trying, the longer it’d take her to finally be able to look for her sister.

The thought of Koishi ended up being what pushed Satori forward. Even as she still reeled from the backlash, she established a connection once again with Metarchus’ mind, wary if there was any counters again this time. While she failed to deal with the counter earlier, it also meant that she and Darcy still carried a lot of energy now.

In preparation for another potential counter, Satori focused her mind.

Images after images manifested from his mind. The events of a certain night in the year 1980. On a glance, there was nothing too special on that night. It was just the day where a slaughter happened in a city in Japan, and it was ended up being broadcast throughout the entire world. If it was just that, then nobody that had participated in this war would be unfazed by it.

But instead, Satori was focusing on recreating one single angle of the event. The center of the entire incident was simply a youkai named Koishi Komeiji. Reflecting the wishes and fears of everyone around her, she committed atrocities upon atrocities as her natural drive. But what might be able to push someone as harmless and innocent like her to such a degree?

The answer was simple. On that day, the heart of humanity united into one, focusing into one scenery, with Koishi being at the center of it. The nature of her species, meant that she was in full, unfiltered contact with humanity’s collective consciousness. She was exposed to every single thought, every single laughter, and every other emotions that each of humanity felt, every emotions and thoughts that humanity hid from others.

On that day, Koishi felt the entire world’s fear, disgust, and worry about herself. Even recalling any hint of that event was enough for Satori to let out a yell as she unleashed that trauma she had fully conceptualized in her mind.

“I will not fail for the second time.

Recollection: The Closed Eye of Love!”

In the end, she did not force Metarchus to experience the events, as she did not recreate those. What she did was to impose Metarchus himself as Koishi. He would not experience or relive the memories – he would become a part of the memory itself. In the end it was simply a maneuver for her to force Metarchus to meet the same end result as Koishi, having his mind’s eyes blinded and stripped away.

Along with the waves of Recollection, Satori pulled as much energy from herself and Darcy into it. She thought that if Metarchus aimed to counter again, bringing as much power as possible from the start might be able to help them bypass it.

[spoiler=OOC]

Short-Hair: Trapped inside the Mad Blood as Rhadamantys used Greatest Caution, same location.

Bel: Supplied as much MAG into Cu and watched him fire his Soaring Spear that Strikes with Death. Somewhere in D4

Reimu: Using the opening after Revy opened the way, sneaked right towards Byakuya to deliver Gae Bolg in point blank range. Now looking from a distance to see whether she’d need to cage him or not.

Satori: Failed to pay Mana in time for Clash of Will, but followed it up with another Recollection after clearing her mind. The backlash gave her a currently-undetailed yet damage in her mind

Clarification:
-Reimu does forget about Revy. The nature of the battlefield made Reimu could only latch to her wish of fixing and protecting Gensokyo and forgetting about everyone else for the most part outside of faint memories. Also why Kazuya is called Bel now. Since Kazuya forgot about everything about himself, what was left was the demon king Bel.

-The way Gae Bolg split, illustrated in more detail:

-Byakuya, despite the point blank range and Reimu shifting away from Reality before materializing right above him, might still be able to dodge or block the brunt of the attack. Just clarifying, I didn’t have Reimu 100% hit him with her maneuver.

Merci · April 22, 2018

[spoiler=The Forgotten Forest Map]

?? w/ ???? & ???

The Forgotten Forest: E3

The winds blew coldly and merciless amongst the Forgotten Forest, and the battle thus far was nowhere near as kind.

The Herald Metarchus had self-destructed the Souls of the Eldrazi, wiping out a vast majority of the forest, while bringing forth some very powerful summons - he was single-handedly occupying many of the fighters. And even though Hollow Isamy had apparently fallen into slumber, curled up at the northern edge of the Lake - which had regenerated its own water - she was far from vulnerable. Her Herald Byakuya had been singlehandedly defending her body through that terrifying Zanpakuto, Senbonzakura - having put up a nigh-impenetrable petal shield. The Herald Apep was keeping the Divine’s powerhouses in check scarily well, so Revy aside, the only real damage on Byakuya’s shield was being inflicted by a raging Kenpachi…

It frustrated him that he couldn’t help just yet. He hated hiding like this, like some sort of common assassin, but he had to keep patient. They had to do this like they planned. This was the final enemy, and god was she unpleasant to look at.

Either they wait for the perfect opportunity, for all the necessary conditions to fall into place and win, or… “The hell!?”

All of a sudden.

The entire land was filled with a brilliant, yet destructive light, accompanied by a massive boom that threatened to shatter the eardrums of anyone too close to the blast zone. The two of them were safe beneath the snow, on the opposite side of the lake, but they could only imagine how the north had been hit. Observing the damage, that ridiculously powerful blast had split the very lake’s water apart with the explosion, turned much of the snow beyond into smoke, and most importantly shattered Byakuya’s ultimate defense. Kenpachi and Reimu rushed to take advantage of this immediately, taking on the fallen shinigami directly; vulnerable and weaker than he was at the start, they were doing well to keep him occupied. Wherever that blast had come from, there may not be another chance like this.

“Looks like our chance has come.” A boy said with a smile, slowly walking towards the lake as he prepared himself for what may be the toughest fight of his life.

“We’re definitely doing this, then...” The woman, hidden beneath a layer of snow, sighed. She extended her senses to assure herself that all the snow was still accessible even after the Souls’ self-destruction. The thing was, while this cold land would be unforgiving to most, to both her and that man, this was their territory. Anyone who had the misfortune of facing two of the most powerful ice users in this sort of environment couldn’t hope to win, regardless of whether or not they were a supermassive zombie monster.

“It’s now or never. I’ll be counting on you guys!” A warrior of black fire declared confidently, bursting out of the snow. This legendary warrior was determined to end this battle once and for all.

Recalling his own Zanpakuto, he uttered “We can do this.” under his breath before forming a path of ice across the otherwise-superheated lake. Moving across the path at rapid speeds and with all other enemies occupied, he had nothing to worry about. Well, at least until he reached his target, then EVERYTHING would be something to worry about. In any case...

The plan had begun.

To end this Origin War once and for all.

[spoiler=A Hollow's Dream of Reunion]

A body, that of a young petite woman, was being carried across the currents of the surrounding darkness. Drifting through the void until it finally reached its destination. She washed onto the shores of Oblivion, and took a sharp breath.

The young woman had somehow kept herself in existence, yet despite this, she was unable to truly regain any semblance of her consciousness. How could she? This was a being who had destroyed her own emotions for the sake of a goal, only for those emotions to come flooding back and overwhelm her. This was a being who maintained her own form by force of will while waiting in Origin. It didn’t matter whether she was a lich, or a psychic, or a possessor of Time Sense. In her desperate bid for acknowledgment by the masses, the Encroachment had wrecked her soul beyond repair. By all definitions, Isamy Maximus should be dead.

This pitiful, sinful existence was far too broken to wake up…

...but still, she could dream.

T h e O b l i v i o u s P a l a c e

She dreamed that she was emerging from a pool of cold water, that was finding herself within a bizarre palace of crimson, and that, at least for a little while, she could exist as herself again. She blinked, more than a bit confused as to how she’d ended up here and where she was, proceeding towards the edge before climbing up onto the surface.

What happened…?

In this state, it was impossible for her mind to recollect itself. The memories had been lost to oblivion, and right now, she had nearly no sense of her own existence. It was a miracle that she could be here at all, but either way, it was hopeless for her.

Regardless, she started to will herself to take action. Despite being unable to move, Isamy blinked. Despite having no flesh, Isamy climbed onto her feet. Despite being a character in a roleplay, Isamy began to look around, and slowly regain her memories that were supposed to have been gone forever.

Everything started to come back to her, and become clear, as they naturally ought to. It seemed that she simply couldn’t die. Not even by transforming into a Hollow, by being reduced to this broken state, could the consciousness of ‘Isamy Maximus’ die. She recalled her long, painful wait, her desire to give everyone that beloved happily ever after, her need to open the Door of Origin. This was all in her nature as an Omni.

Now, in this palace containing her newly-constructed mind, a question presented itself.

What happened?

~ click and find out ~

As she wondered how she’d arrived here, her memories started to manifest. Just like that, at the back of her mind, a recollection of speeches started to bubble, to form, to be remembered. She couldn’t hear them, but they were clearly being spoken. Physical forms were manifesting, as though to accompany these passionate responses.

The shadows of tiny creatures, many of them humanoid, were surrounding her in madness. Chatting and wailing all around her, incessantly, without stopping for barely an instant. At first she was unable to make sense of any of it. What were these things? What were they doing? What were they saying, and why were they so emotional about it?

Then, the gears in her mind started to turn. Ah yes, of course. That must have happened, hadn’t it?

After waiting seemingly eternity, the Key had at last rested in her hands. Pursuing it, the countless warriors of the multiverse followed it to her resting place, no doubt lost and confused. In turn, she’d patiently shared her story and her wisdom with them in hopes of their understanding, just as she had envisioned it during her long wait. Without their acceptance, the acceptance of people who fought for reality, using the Key meant nothing. They would’ve been offered the opportunity to merge with her. To become one with her soul, and accompany her past the Door to help achieve that happily ever after. Reaching out her arms, as though to put these thoughts to practice, she voiced the words, ’Join with me, my friends.’

And their responses…

...were absOLuTeLY UNTHinKaBLE.

“...just in case none of that seemed to resonate through your funked up little head, let me make my stance very clear.”

She flinched back.

Finding herself within the grand lobby of the Palace, a giant, scarred, familiar shinigami had materialized before her. It was none other than Zaraki Kenpachi, and his eyes were filled with nothing but bitter disgust. Aimed at her. Although her memory was still too deteriorated to recall most of what he’d said, his last few words were very, painfully clear. “funk. You.”

K- Kenpachi...?

Her eyes widened, more shook at that than she cared to admit.

Still, she understood, she assured herself that she understood. Of course he was that kind of person, what else had she expected? He was the kind of man who would act first and think later. She’d been prepared for a refusal or two here and there. It was okay. This was... fine.

"I chose my path. I chose to walk the path of light rather than darkness...and I chose to fight. "My heart led me to the path I should go...and it's only because of this that I chose the right path for myself. I'm human...and all humans, least the ones I've met, are born with two things: free-will and the ability to make decisions. And for a Keyblade wielder...as long as you’re listening to your heart, you’re going down the right path. And right now...it's telling me that the path your wanting...is the wrong path." Another warrior took their place place next to him. Nero, who shook his head with conviction. "My answer is no."

No...?

Somewhere, she must have made a mistake in her offer to him. She’d outright misunderstood him. A part of her couldn’t believe it, and yet, perhaps it was only natural. He was a Keyblade Warrior, and simply wouldn’t change his mind. Surely, that was why.

A little worried, the Herald of Chaos and Entropy looked to her side - and saw Dorian von Schroeder. He was confident, trustworthy, and smiling as he conversed with Butler, the attached Ragnarok, and Rhadamanthys. “I was never twisted, I was never confused, I knew who I was working for and what I was doing.” Yes. “She was almost perfectly transparent with us wasn't she Butler?” Yes. “I liked her leadership qualities.” YES! If there was anyone she could depend upon, it was- “Frankly I'm glad you two went through that and I'm glad I've gone through what I've gone through. Because without it....”

It couldn’t be...

“Without it… I don't think I would've had the resolve to kill her. Like I do now.” Dorian, her beloved Dorian, declared. His gaze turned from his comrades - towards her. With conviction. With absolute certainty. “I have the power to write my own narrative already… I don't need to write others and I can't work for someone who would.”

Dorian… You, of all people...? You? YOU’RE double-crossing me?!

His comrades, Butler-Ragnarok and Rhadamanthys, centered their attention on her as well.

”Exactly.”

”Happily ever after sounds awfully boring and one thing I can say is you guys have never bored me.”

”There is no honor in this kind of power and I can't deign to listen to someone who would use it in this manner.”

I was so sure… If anyone was going to agree, it would’ve been you all. No. No. NO! The Counter Corps were one thing, but why were the DIVINE, why were her LOYAL SUBJECTS of all people, why were they… This was simply inconceivable. Up until the Sphere Forest of the Periphery, Dorian and Butler had shown absolutely zero interest in rebelling. It had to be whatever happened in the Pathways. Just what, just WHAT IN HELL had changed their minds? How could anything have changed their minds?

Isamy looked down at herself. Her hands were actually shaking. Was this emotion? Was she upset? There was no time to process it however, as a thundering voice pierced through her dream palace-

“YOU'RE THE REASON MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE WORSE THAN DEAD!” Lydia Armstrong. She appeared to be seriously pissed off...and so much more than Isamy had expected. Why was this? Even though she understood them so much, why were they refusing her with such utter conviction? And why did she care so much about that when they were right before the Door of Origin “If you wanted what's best for us you wouldn't have gone on an insane quest that threatens to tear all of existence apart. You DON'T care about any of that at all! You only care about satisfying your ego by pretending to be some kind of superhero in desperate need of a pat on a back and a cookie. And as someone who used to do that, that's really sad!"

Isamy’s hands started to clench. This girl was wrong, making declarations without understanding a single thing about her. What? Lydia, you’re making no sense… You’re wrong. There’s purpose to my actions, there’s a point, and I can say for a fact that I’m definitely not just some…

“Yes, I do desire to fill the world with love and peace.” Hapshiel, the Angel. Yes, they shared the exact same goal. Hence, he must’ve understood her but, “but not at the cost of free will. Not at the cost of hatred and chaos, for they are required to comprehend love and peace, to appreciate them.” He didn’t seem angry like some of the others, yet his expression was solemn. Sad, and resigned. Somehow, that manner of speech invoked even more pain in her than the others’ words. “I see you have our best wishes in mind, but this is not the right way. You can't force people to be happy, and you shouldn't conflict with free will. No good will come in your attempts to re-write the world as you see fit, because one person should not decide upon the fate of the masses, there is simply not enough objectiveness in the world to accomplish that feat!"

How do you know that for sure? We can… We can still try! Her words wouldn’t reach him, but she knew that even if they had, it would’ve made no difference. As an angel, he was bound to believe in his own righteousness. This response, as much as it pained her, should have been expected.

She took a breath, turned, and started moving away from the lifeforms… only for a figure to block her path. Gemini Rivetter. Even the image of him emanated a corrosive aura, staining the very floor upon which he stood.

“Do you wish to know what I view my supposed 'happily ever after' as?" If these self-righteous beings wouldn’t accept, then at the very least, she could accept the selfish wish of a demon- "It would be to have all the worlds of this Omniverse under my heel by my own power, even someone like you. I don't know about you, but that would run entirely counter-productive to what you would wish to do… wouldn't it?!"

I’m not gonna stop ya...but I’m not gonna help ya, either.

Gemini… The Door of Origin can do anything. Anything at all. Of course we can work something out.

She wanted to tell him, that they could surely work something out that would grant him happiness. There could be any number of explanations for realizing that dream without interfering with everyone else’s lives. Yet, she knew they wouldn’t reach him. It was apparent that he was deadset on not cooperating with her. How unfortunate.

Isamy coldly walked past his memory, entering a narrow corridor. Her memories were getting clearer and clearer, and yet somehow, they were only serving to inflict more and more pain upon her.

She wasn’t sure what she was trying to do. Not run away certainly - there was still many more people, and many more who might acknowledge her dream, who might support her as a Herald. Tick, tock, tick, tock. The clockwork sound of her heartbeat was rising. Could it be? Was she, the great saviour of the omniverse, actually beginning to panic? This wasn’t good.

Perhaps, this was just a bit overwhelming. Feeling emotion after years of isolation…was a bit overwhelming. She just needed a little space. And then, and then she could brave herself to remember everything else that happened… Each footstep drew her closer to a rough-looking girl, shaking her head with disdain, her back against the ruins of a painting.

“Look, Isamy, babe, don't get me wrong. A perfect world, with perfect people, and perfect, favorable outcomes. That's bliss. But it's also the dullest and shittiest experience someone could have… The thing about perfection is, once it's perfect, there's nothing you can change about it. That means it will be the same, over and over, until the end of time. That's not how people grow. And that's not how I wanna spend my last days." Revy Two-Hands. The gun girl was trashing on her dream of a happily ever after, with an edge that was even sharper than Kenpachi’s. “I'd rather go through sheet with the people I care about than to live in your twisted reality. If I had a chance to live my old life from scratch and have my old man beat and rape me again, I'd do it. Not because I enjoyed being a sex slave or being abused, but because those memories, as painful as they are, made me who I am. I'm pretty fuckin' proud of who I am. So that's my answer. Plain and simple. No."

Revy. After everything, you can’t be serious...

After a glance, she passed by the girl, heading towards the wooden door placed at the end. Her footsteps were hurried, but she refused to admit to herself that she was in any way distressed. She reasoned there were many more who had yet to speak out. This was nothing but a streak of bad luck, but a series of coincidences, of mistakes on their part.

Isamy opened the door and entered a barren, rundown room, upon which a shrine maiden sat in the center. Reimu Hakurei.

"You're talking about the unfairness of reality, but rather than facing it, you want to grant everyone escape because you think it's all unfair? What's the point? What makes it your right to decide that? If you give everything their good ending, they might as well not live.” That’s not...true at all. ”You might as well try to destroy all existence, and I'd find your motivation slightly more sympathetic. Stop pretending that you understand me, or anyone else here for the matter. You just decided to read up on our entries while you're here and from that you had this idea that you already understoo-” The door slammed shut before the maiden could finish.

When she turned around, there stood the youkai, the Border of Phantasm, Yukari. "I don't think you're lying. There's that at least. And I personally don't have anything against you or your proposal. It's just that you didn't interest me in any way either. it's pretty simple, isn't it?"

...so that’s it? You’ll stand aside and do nothing?

The Herald had no time to address her. Pushing her aside, she saw that the entire corridor had been set on fire. A great, red-hot inferno consumed the whole path all the way up to the exit, the blazes licking at her feet, threatening to tear down her very foundation. And no one could possibly be standing in its midst other than Chandra Nalaar.

"I refuse.” That glare on her face was so much harsher than the very blazes surrounding them. ”I won't join someone who so callously brings up people's pasts, trampling on old scars and trying to cow us to your way of thinking through power. In the end, you are still the person I was called in to fight against, and so I will follow through with my word, and put a stop to your goals. For all of your fancy goal, you are the one responsible for destroying so many homes, and ending so many lives without care for the consequences."

It’s not, it’s not that simple. It’s really not!

The flames became hotter and hotter, until at last the floorboards gave way - and Isamy found her form plummeting down into darkness. As she fell, a voice spoke to her in her mind. The first member who’d ever agreed to join the Divine. Darcy. Would she…?

While I fought for Isabella at first, under the name of the Divine, I didn't really agree with her goal anyway. While I doubt your end goal could work, on the off chance it does it would probably ruin my own higher enjoyment. In other words, they were never on the same page. Were it to succeed in enforcing happiness, being happy isn't a single state, but rather comes in changing levels, and I would probably end up rather unsatisfied with such a life. We are different as it so happens, I have never one subscribed to such idealistic views that you so completely believe in.

Is...that so, Darcy?

Finally landing, Isamy crashed violently into a pile of abandoned furniture. The fact that there was no pain in her fall, and no blood in the fragments of wood and metal that had stabbed into her body, made her wonder if any of this was real at all.

Besides, while I fought under the entity known as Isamy, I fought for Isabella, not you Ameliorer, and I refuse to hand over my soul even to you.

She looked up. She’d fallen into a basement, where two dusty paintings lay untouched. One of the psychic orphan, Ameliorer. The other of the mystic slave, Isabella. Ultimately even the hero ‘Isamy’ hadn’t been a real person, merely an amalgamation of two very messed up individuals. And in all technicality, Isamy Maximus died the moment she entered the Pathway to Origin.

Now, there was only ‘Amy’, a girl who was more alone than ever, who had no choice but to continue to uphold the title of Maximus on her own.

"You speak and say you understand, but I do not believe you.” From a hole in the ceiling, a painted Spartan warrior stared down at her. Kratos. The man who had lost everything, yet had still fought for the Counter Corps over the Divine all this time. Next to him stood Revy. "You are much like my enemies. You are empty and heartless. I would rather swim in the River Styx before I spend an eternity with an empty shell like you. The gods could not best me. And neither can you."

But you… You deserve a happy ending...

Isamy reached her hand out towards him, but he was too far. All of this was just a dream to begin with. She simply couldn’t remember what her original reaction was - had she just stared at him coldly? Had she just stared at all of them coldly, devoid of a heart to actually care with? Or… had she ultimately reached a breaking point?

Making her way out of the rubble of furniture, she raced for the spiral staircase leading upwards, quickly climbing through them, entering the darkness, expecting more memories to reappear at any given moment. For a time they didn’t. As she ascended, the air was filled with naught but the sound of her hurried footsteps and her ticking, tocking heartbeat.

When she emerged at the end, she found herself back where she began - in the main hall of the palace. Kenpachi hadn’t moved an inch, but now he was accompanied by another. A little shinigami girl by the name of Yachiru. She squirmed her way to the top of Kenpachi's head and spread his hair out a bit so she had a place to stand, ignoring his complaints. It was almost cute.

"Small-boobs-need-a-sun-tan-lady. I don't like you," Yachiru said at last, looking down at her, pointing a finger at her face. Did they all have to be so condescending? “Your words are pretty but your tongue is vile. You're a wolf in sheep's clothing. Your words appear innocent, but they are laced with poison. You're not a lady. You're a monster.”

Is that so?

Now, here was something Isamy simply could not deny. A monster, huh...

Suddenly, two shadows materialized behind her. Although she focused as much as she could, she couldn’t seem to discern who they were. As though their very identities had been erased. Could it be… COULD IT BE-

Alas, her memories weren’t about to as more formless surrounded her, warping reality around to her.

Isamy was standing in the radiant garden of the palace, and amongst the rosebed stood Neos. "I don't know what Jace is thinking in approaching you, but I'm not going to join you. I just came here to undo the damage you have ended up causing to the Omniverse and get out here…”

I didn’t damage it for nothing. Can’t we...enter together?

Next Isamy found herself in the lobby, where all the finest emerald decorations adorned every surrounding wall. The only thing out of place was Kazuya, sitting quietly at the center with a contemplative, vaguely indecisive look on his face.

"I agreed with you that everyone deserved a happy ending, Isamy. Yet, I barely know anything about what you're offering. I know at least that you're not lying, so please. Lay bare everything about this vision of yours... Tell me that your cause really is worth fighting for."

For a moment, she was hopeful - he was like her after all. He would do his best to understand everyone’s point of view before making a decision, and if anyone were to understand her logic, it would be him.

I don't know what will happen. Our happily ever after... I don't know how it could work. But beyond that Door lies the answer - the ultimate, unchanging answer, clearing away all logic to realize the impossible. It shouldn’t matter if we don’t know. Once we enter, a definitive path to this ending will make itself known!

That's what I need you... to help me. Please, Kazuya. For our lasting peace!

The boy focused a long, careful look upon her before responding. "I understand, Miss Isamy. In which case, I've made my decision."

It didn’t need to be said what his answer was. Her arms hung by her side as she stared in disbelief, baffled that even he had made this decision. She couldn’t help but shake the feeling that she’d been so close to winning him over, and looked over her words, wondering what was wrong. What did she say incorrectly? Where did she error in her offer, and her thoughts? However. Thinking on it would do nothing. The past couldn’t be changed...not here on the Pathway to Origin.

On the opposite side of the garden lay Koishi, staring wistfully into the sky. Isamy approached her, a truly innocent satori who’d been hurt by reality time and time again; the faults of her own mind, her own existence did not belong to her, and it pained Isamy just to know snippets of her story. With some nervousness, Koishi spoke, "I don't want to return to my old life, even if Mr. Hat is with me. That would be like running away, right? I don't know if I should agree with you or not, Ms. Isamy, but I know that I mustn't run away like that. I want to care about others, I want to understand this world more and more.” Consumed in thought, the satori’s eyes drifted from Isamy to the infinite, black sky above. Just this once, I wanted to understand the world before I ask it to understand my wish. I'm really sorry, Ms. Isamy, but...I really can't decide right now. What I know is just I don't want to repeat my old life, even if it means I could be with my sister again."

Can’t we… Isamy bent down, as though to touch her face. But her hands simply phased through the girl’s body. A new emotion was brimming within her; neither hate nor fear, but something else. Can’t we work it out together?

Of course, this emotion must be pity.

When Isamy next turned, she was within an empty, stone cold room. Much like a prison. A voice addressed her. "I understand now, Lady Isamy. How someone like Tenshi would wholeheartedly follow the other you. Truly, your ideal is noble. How far were you willing to go for the sake of it is admirable, in an odd way. But, your ideal isn't why I'm here now, and I'm not here to avenge those that I've lost either.”

That nameless girl once called Tenshi was standing right in front of her, determined and unwavering to make her thoughts known. ”Call me selfish, but I'm here to bring closure to this tale of war, so that other stories could continue. Because my story has really only just begun now. I haven't found all the answers to my questions, and I don't expect them all to be answered, perhaps even after eternity passed." She stopped for a moment, and let out a bit of laugh. “I don't care about what the Door is used for. Even my only thought resembling desire for it was simply a promise I carried for the sake of someone, and I would rather fulfill it in my own way.” She reminisced about the other Tenshi Hinanawi, a being who’d been similarly idealistic, who ultimately sacrificed it all to save this girl.

"I guess that aside, I prefer living in the present and slowly make my way towards tomorrow. One sentence at a time, one paragraph at a time. A page per day, and my story shall continue as such. All of this, so I could reach the final chapter of my life, and meet Tenshi again. So I can ask her one last question: ‘Is the life that I have led so far has been worth all that you sacrificed for me?’ That is my ideal. A completely selfish one, but one that I am willing to fight for. Yours isn't the ending I wanted and had she were here, Tenshi would oppose you now too.”

Having heard more than enough of this drivel, Isamy was already heading towards the exit with a quiet, bitter expression on her face.

“I will not let myself die until I achieve that. Even though it's so far away and impossible, I will not give in, not even against you. So that when I die, I will not die with regret.”

Her fists clenched. You know, girl…

That’s… so stupid. That is literally the most stupid thing I’ve heard by far…!

As though triggered by this thought, the whole room started to break away, walls, floor, ceiling and all. Powerless to stop it, her fragmented soul plunged into a clouded sky.

Passing through endless clouds, a gigantic monstrosity suddenly zoomed by, its eyes hollow and its aura brimming to the core with the essence of evil. It could only possibly be the Great Leviathan. This embodiment of utter corruption proceeded to put its desires to a voice with a deep chuckle, “it is quite childish of you, Isamy, to believe that I’ve any interest in something as trivial and ephemeral as “happiness”. The only thing I seek in the Multiverse is its absolute destruction, and that of all life within it. And childish, still, for you to believe that I can be coerced to anyone’s side; the only side I choose, that I will EVER choose, is MINE--”

Then it’s a shame you have no choice, dear Leviathan… You’ll getting a happy ending along with everyone else, whether you like it or not. Most individuals would have been chilled to the core just to face the Great Leviathan in its entirety; however, Isamy simply stared with disappointment as it disappeared from view, and she continued to float deeper and deeper across the sky. THIS response, at least, wasn’t a surprise to her. What she was truly dreading was what might could next; already, it was clear that that far more disagreed than she’d expected. But… Surely there would be a handful, at least, who understood?

After some time, something came into view below her. A gigantic, red palace hundreds of meters wide, floating amongst the clouds, so crimson it was almost like it’d been painted entirely in blood. Descending further and further, glimpsing into the windows, she saw that an entire assortment of characters were gathered, staring at her. Glaring at her. Forced to wait for her response. Upon landing gently in the courtyard in a Mary Poppins-esque manner, various warriors out of the palace doors and proceeded to form a ring around her, trapping her within. Before she could react, the kingdom of characters had surrounded her. Their faces blurred together as they started to yell in unison, bombarding her with words. Words and words and words, her memory of what happened struggling to pull itself together-

Jeanne, the white-haired Umbra Witch, stepped forth with a fierce stomp of her heel. “To use something like the Door to achieve the same thing and more without sacrifice? That’s an insult if you ask me; never would I allow myself to take the easy way out of any dilemma.”

Her Umbran sister Bayonetta joined her. Former artifact, now free, and opposing her without even the slightest hesitance. “The same goes for myself--the only ‘surefire solution’ I will take is one that I myself can bring about. And yet you’re willing to do the same thing that Ba--er, that Aesir attempted to do with Jubileus and the Eyes of the World… Attempting to reshaping the Multiverse to fit your desires using a power that a little girl like yourself does not fully understand, nor has any busy toying with. Not to mention, you were willing to tear people away from their loved ones to accomplish that goal, as well.”

“So, for you to ask me, or anyone else for that matter, not to blame you for what we’ve been put through,” Jeanne added with a furious sneer, “I’d say you either have a lot of nerve or little-to-no goddamned sense. Flattering and appealing to us in a way you think will coerce us to your side will only worsen the beating you so rightfully deserve!”

“In summary, Jeanne and I refuse your offer,” Bayonetta added.

“And if you’re not down with that,” Jeanne chimed in, “I’ve got three words for you- KISS! MY! LIPS!!!” Isamy simply stared blankly as she was shown an awfully obscene pelvic gesture... one that was a bit too inappropriate to describe within the constraints of this roleplay.

Why are both of you...are so, utterly, childish? Despite being surrounded, she held her head down to avoid looking at those faces of theirs. Bayonetta. I did what I had to. Even then, I was kind. Do you remember your time in the Vault, when I showed you and your friend kindness? The other me had wished for us to be be friends... No matter.

The next to approach was Gabriel, brushing the mane of his Lion Mask aside so as to better show his focused, determined stare directed towards her. “...Isamy, you and I may share a common background,” he spoke, “but I’m afraid you and I have chosen much different paths; You may think yourself a ‘hero’ for wanting to help the Multiverse, and yet you made yourself the villain the moment your search for the Key to the Door of Origin caused the unraveling and subsequent destruction of all the worlds you stole from. You stole many artifacts, and kidnapped many living beings--myself and Cereza included--all for the sake of finding something--ANYTHING--to use as the Key-”

Ah. So they don’t know.

“Your intentions may seem pure, and for all we know your heart may be in the right place, but given your overall actions--which were by no means “heroic”--I can’t say the same for your head. Such a mentality should never be allowed to decide the fates of all who exist in the Multiverse!” Spurred by this, Isamy’s gaze moved up to face him directly. It was difficult to tell how she was reacting to this, but certainly, the blood oozing from her fists showed annoyance towards this wrestler-duelist-hero. “I was born--created--to oppose threats such as you, who would disrupt the balance of my world, and the Multiverse as well, and though I may not possess all my power yet, I will put my all into helping stop the machinations of both the Leviathan AND you.”

....Is that all you had to say? His words found a way to cut deep. Their backgrounds, more than most of the others, were so similar. So similar… And yet he saw her as no different from the Great Leviathan. Why couldn’t he see the sacrifice? Why couldn’t he see the POINT?

Still, after all the constant rejections, she was beginning to get used to this… It appeared that the consensus among the characters was to refuse her. No one would understand her. No one would align themselves with her. This dream of hers seemed to repulse everyone for one reason or another, all these strangers, all these people who had no connection to her… A clear emotion began to fill Isamy. Anger. Raw, genuine anger, bubbling upwards...

Then Atsuko Fudo moved forward, a woman mutated by the Orichalcos who’d claimed its powers as her own. For a moment, Isamy’s eyes lit up. If anyone, anyone at all, was going to make the effort to understand her, then it would be Itsu’s daughter!

”I honestly cannot believe you tried to compare the two of us as “sisters”--I swear I almost threw up a bit in my mouth.” Oh. “You and I are the furthest things possible from being anything remotely resembling “family. I mean, yeah, it’s not like I’ve got the best or the most close-knit family in existence, I’ll admit, but nonetheless I love my mothers and sisters no matter what, and I can tell you for certain that you’re wrong about my mother Itsu. Yeah, she may have failed me by not being able to prevent Archetype Earth from giving me her “gift”, but I would not have gotten this far in this life without her guidance, and that of the Neighborhood Watch. It is for them that I, too, will put my all into stopping you, Isamy.”

You… That’s...

Atsuko placed her mutated arm placed over her chest, affirming her belief. “My mother may not be physically here to finish this fight, but… she’s right here, still, in my heart, and here is where she will be as I finish this, for her sake and all those who have ever known her, as either their family, their goddess, or their friend.”

Once... I looked forward to meeting you. But now I see you’re a mere disgraced relic of what she was...

With her hopes dashed, Isamy’s internal emotions were beginning to rage out of control. You’re just like the OTHERS. Her left hand lashed at her right, nails clawing into her own skin to vent out her frustrations - and her inability to feel pain only worsened those frustrations.

“Y’know, Isamy,” when Ratchet decided to chime in, Isamy slowly turned towards him with viciousness in her eyes. But she wasn’t the only one frustrated. ”You wouldn’t be the first to propose a “good deal” to me, and you won’t be the first, OR last, that I’ll reject; even when the chance to reunite with the rest of my species was presented to me--TWICE--I turned it down knowing that accepting it would’ve brought more harm to my universe than any personal good it would have done for me. And yet you wanna offer all of us a chance to have a “happy ending”, when you’re the one who caused this mess to begin with?! You screwing around with our worlds resulted in them getting screwed to high heaven! And that’s not the only thing, either--it gave people like Sayer an excuse to further toy with the many lives residing in those worlds. Because of you AND him, Talwyn… she and everyone else that was left behind are GONE now! I don’t care how much of a “HERO” you claim to be in this whole funked-up story you orchestrated!”

That doesn’t matter though! NONE of it does! Don’t you see?! With the power of the Door...

“I’d rather not be given a free pass, Isamy. I’d rather that myself and my friends work towards creating a better future for our world, and for my species if possible. No shortcuts, and no deals. So no thanks, Isamy.”

It’s...because of people like you, who keep dreaming of ‘a better future’, that THIS REALITY is a wreck to begin with. Isamy started to walk, willing her feet to approach him. She was just moving. She didn’t have anything particularly in mind, yet felt like she simply had to. She couldn’t control herself, didn’t want to control herself. He won’t agree. She won’t agree. You won’t agree. It’s YOU WHO’LL RUIN US ALL.The circle of characters stayed silent as she got closer and closer to Ratchet, until finally she grabbed hold of his head, and snapped it in a single move. The lombax’s body melted into stream of blood as it fell, splashing her nude body.

Isamy took a deep breath, and for a moment, stared at her own bloodstained hands.

It was okay. None of this was REAL, either here or outside, so it was OKAY.

She turned to watch someone leaving the circle. Alexander, rather than speak his mind, had simply turned to walk away for whatever reason. And where are you going...? You’re not going to offer some bitter excuse about how much you disagree, just like everyone else?!

“Seeing as I’ll be speaking on Alexander’s behalf, lemme just start by saying: You are one STUPID funking jabroni!” The Neo-Spacian, Umbris, moved forward from the circle. Isamy nodded her head, as if giving him permission to proceed.

“You say you wish to rid our realities of the injustices, tragedies and hardships that have plagued all of our lives, yet you’ve ended up causing MUCH worse! Don’t you see that your pursuit of “everyone’s “Happily Ever After”” came at the cost of causing misery and suffering for those that are still even ALIVE after your stunt?! Clearly you don’t, ‘cuz otherwise you’d be working towards fixing the mess you caused-”

Mid-sentence his throat was abruptly sliced in two, by a scythe held in Isamy’s hands. His head dropped to the floor, falling silent as well as eerily still. And then resumed.

“You’re still ultimately looking to take away our choice--and free will--to decide our own futures, our own histories even! We ourselves deserve to write our own stories, not have them be written for us by someone else--” Too bad. Anyway, I’m sure whatever you have to say is important, but, without hesitation, she slammed her foot into his skull, and smashed it just like that. Yet the pieces kept on. ““Fact is, Alexander has already made up his mind; he doesn’t want his past or future tampered with, or anyone else’s for that matter. We are fine with leaving alone the tragedies and other bad moments we’ve experienced, for they were what made us who we are today, not just the good.”

SHUT UP ALREADY! You’re fine with it now… But you’ll be even more fine when it’s all done…!

“They taught us how to keep moving forward, through all the pain and suffering, especially of what we’ve had to experience here. In fact, I think it’s only fair to actually thank you for ultimately causing us to be here, for we’ve all grown a lot more from this experience, myself and Alexander included.” At that, Isamy’s escalating series of emotions stopped briefly. But only very, very briefly. “That said, that’s all the thanks you’re getting from either of us. You’re right about one thing; I, and the rest of the Duel Monsters with him, will follow Alexander on this path he’s on, as we have done before and will do long after this. And right now, that path is leading towards your defeat!”

Is that all?! Don’t you dare talk to me like I’m just some COMMON VILLAIN! Unable to take anymore, Isamy collapsed to her knees, and clutched her head. It was throbbing painfully, flooding her senses. Although, there was something throbbing even harder, accelerating with each new rejection. Her heartbeat. Tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock ticktockticktock, the world around her, this mysterious palace, the palace courtyard seemed to disappear as everything began to blur...

“A happily ever after sounds tempting, truly tempting.”

The dragon Red was the last to address her, stepping forth with his staff in hand, having apparently put much thought into what his response was going to be. The colour of his scales really blended in beautifully with the palace.

Isamy raised her head. Slowly. Reluctantly. Had he not just been a fake memory construct, he may have seen the tears streaming down her face.

“A far more fitting end than what my world would have suffered if not for your meddling. But I cannot accept an end like that, not like this. I wanted to save my world less for saving it, and more for trying to prove that I was a “good guy”, just like what you’re doing Isamy. You believe, as I had, that some ends justify the means of doing so, but what kind of cost is it to damn countless worlds just to prove a point? Where does it end girl?!”

At this point, it was only to be expected… But it still hurt. Hearing this entity claim he understood was the most painful thing to hear. For Isamy, it had become impossible to deny that she was feeling a full spectrum of emotions - somehow, she had gained a heart. More than anything else, that fact was going to render her asunder.

“Will you be satisfied once all of reality has its “happily ever after”? Or will that not be enough once everything unravels? Happiness cannot last, it is truly impossible. You may create a quick fix, but in the end everything will end up the same once misery, despair, and all the other negatives reappear once more as entropy and decay are inevitable. And then will you do it all again? Make all of reality have its happily ever after again? Can’t you see it’s just an endless wheel? Your fate would be always turning, but never moving forward. You’d be just as trapped as you always were in your fanciful ideas because they aren’t feasible.”

I know it’s a wheel. His logic really hurt, but the fact that he was conversing with her - as an actual person - was ever so slightly soothing. She calmed her mind, gradually, as she collected her thoughts. I know, so badly, that it’s an endless wheel. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I need the Door. You can’t say it’s impossible until you try...!

”You can’t make everything work out for the best, believe me I know that far more than I care to admit. So why not try and put your trust in everyone to make their own happily ever after? Some may not get it, but that’s just how things are. Throwing a tantrum and trying to force it to happen won’t make anything better; since as of right now it’s made everything far worse than it had ever been.”

Red. I like you, really. But don’t you see, you’re only upset because you lost your world, like all the others. You’re coating your bias in a shroud of rationality, refusing to think that all this chaos is only a temporary arrangement-

“You’ve wrought incalculable damages in your selfish quest girl, although my world would have ended up the same no matter what happened. I cannot carry the same anger as the others because of that…”

...oh. Just like that, Isamy’s thoughts came to a halt. Her reason to anger crumbled. She found herself looking at him for a moment. As in, really looking at him. This wasn’t just another character. This being, Red... his words genuinely resonated with her.

“So I can at least thank you for this journey I’ve taken with you that has allowed me to see the light on how I was behaving, and how wrong my thoughts were and how selfish my actions had been. It has also allowed me to make some true friends from across the world….” The dragon paused as he glanced over in another direction. “And perhaps so much more…. I thank you for allowing me the chance to experience true companionship again.” And then, to clarify, “but I simply cannot accept your offer out of principle.”

...

Isamy stood up from the ground.

You ask me to place my trust in everyone, to obtain their own happily ever after... But, why?

Red. I’m happy for you. But I can’t accept your logic… I can’t accept the way you think, and I can’t understand why you changed your mind after everything you’ve been through. I mean, because of all the good moments, you should be be even more motivated to keep them rather than leave them to chance, right?! This reality is so cruel. It’s so cruel, and with every positive, there’s a negative conspiring to take it all away at the last second. If you know what I know, then why…!

Isamy held herself, sinking deeper into her own depression while the dragon’s memory literally sank into the ground. You would have been a perfect Herald of Order.

~ leT mE ouT ~

Her memories had almost completely returned… And she felt as though the Reunion should have been perfect.

Every word she’d told them was planned to the detail, after years of thorough, unstopped research based on all the information she had access to. With each passing day, week, month, year, she had felt closer to the characters. She had even convinced herself as though she actually understood their every detail, that she was actually with them even though she was trapped. By all means, it should have been perfect.

Where did Isamy mess up badly? How did she mess up so badly? She curled up into a ball, left alone in the courtyard of the strange Oblivious Palace. The windows were no longer filled, and the whole realm had gone empty.

Not a single person had agreed, it seemed.

She waited, and waited, but no one came to her. No one spoke up. There was no memory of anyone else speaking up.

Where is he?

Red and some of the others weren’t the only one who she knew shared her ideals. There was one individual, more than anyone else, who she was depending on to trust her. The person she was waiting on most of all. The hero of time, who she saved, who she watched for years suffer through constant ordeals until he finally grew into the amazing warrior he was today… Why wasn’t he showing up in this palace? Why exactly hadn’t Alister Azimuth? said a single word? If even he couldn’t understand her motivation and help her, then...

Then…

I’m truly alone...

The world around her

shattered.

As the reality of her situation finally dawned upon her,

all of Isamy’s will shattered into pieces.

Encroachment penetrated the forbidden land of her mind,

at long last.

Bones and shadows were tearing themselves out from the intricate palace building, crushing every moral, suppressing every last useless memory, foregoing every last specific detail. Her mind, her consciousness was collapsing, being consumed in a flurry of negative emotions. She would remain forever oblivious, unaware and uncaring of her inevitable death.

To begin with, Isamy being conscious in the Oblivious Palace had forced her ‘true body’ into a vulnerable, dormant state. Once the Encroachment wiped her out here, there would be no more Isamy to influence that outside monster with any some sort of motive; it would just be another mindless Hollow, hellbent on feasting on as many souls as possible. Once that happened, things ought to reach a quick conclusion, where everyone could proceed to the end smoothly.

After all,

without a mind,

the final boss was bound to fall in seconds.

True ͜b̶od̀y̡?̷ ͢H͢olloẃ?̕ What do you...

Uh?

Um, Isamy thought to herself strange words for no reason at all.

And she decided never to do that again.

.....do….that?

She didn’t plan on doing anything.

.............but I’ll d͞i̵è if I stay.

Ye, that was true, but that was the point. The narrative reminded her that she was nothing but a shell squeezed of its whole existence, and should not be acting as though she was an individual, capable of questioning her own past and making actions that affected the present. She didn’t know that Time Sense was the only thing keeping her together. Or that to push it would cause her to cease existing. In fact, that this sequence has to occur at all was a waste of everyone’s time, and she was only straining herself close to death in doing so. She should just be Encroached, let this land collapse, and allow the HOLLOW to reawaken - to be ended.

Then, at long last, the last remnants of Isamy’s spirit crumbled away.

Time Sense, huh?

And then, at long last, the last remaining remnants of Isamy’s spirit faded into oblivion, never to return.

So, I have it no matter what?

And to conclude, at long last, the last remaining remnants of Isamy’s spirit - which had endured for this long due only to her Time Sense - disappeared into the everlasting void, never to return.

...ah.

But… As she drifted through the void, she remembered.

“Very well… My life is yours.”

"For the sake of saving my dear friends, and making sure my world no longer has to go through such tragedies, I accept your offer."

"I will join you... I'm not sure that such requires a 'thank you', but you're welcome?"

How could she have possibly forgotten them, her most wonderful servants, the ones who had understood her above everyone else?! Jace, who she saved and shared life stories with. Ayame, who’d been struck by this reality’s cruelty. They were there at Reunion, and stepped forth, and were reborn as the loyal Metarchus and Apep. Alongside Byakuya, they cast off their prior identities to become Heralds of Order and become one with her soul. All to support her cause...

Then. AT. LONG. LAST. Reality gave way and Isamy’s spirit plummeted with great force into the white abyss of the VOID, powerless to stop the process unfold. Here, death was a certainty. This was certainly where she would reach the end of her confusing, chaotic lifespan. This void was where she would die.

...

B̵ut͝ ͜she ̡ ̀r ̴e f̷ ù s̶ ̵e͘ d̛ .

…

Isamy Maximus drifted through the void, until she saw what she was seeking. The Key of Origin. A single card, floating amongst the abyss, which she promptly seized with every inch of her being.

Then, behind her, she witnessed the Oblivious Palace being torn apart by a growing, Lovecraftian maelstrom of bones. Somehow, something about the way it looked was actually quite exciting to her now. Ah. It seemed the nightmare was ending at last, and she’d successfully made it through... So long as the Encroachment didn’t destroy her will, so long as there were those capable of validating her beliefs, it didn’t matter what happened to her mind when she awoke at last. Whatever that creature outside was, she was going to integrate her consciousness into it. No matter what she would become, it would be worth everything in the end. There was much to do.

As the narrative closed in on her fate, Isamy seized her own free will and chose to live, against the will of the plot that so desperately wanted to reach its own happy ending, against the will of the user behind her strings.

Now.

It was time for the goddess’s dormancy to end.

Upon awakening from her slumber, Hollow Isamy could see nothing but darkness - as though a mask had been placed over her eyes. Although, the blindness meant nothing compared to her emotions; she could feel neither joy at being alive nor shock at her current state. All she could feel was a cold, burning determination...and hatred, towards all those whom had dared to speak against her. Yes, she told herself. This was perfect. This was PERFECT. With this unbelievable amount of power, this unbelievable amount of darkness in her rusted soul, she was practically divine. A god! The very God of Revelation herself! She shall be the one to lead the Heralds of Order to reality’s happy ending, and if it took the murder of every last lifeform here, then she would be glad to do so.

Now then, how long had she been dormant, and how long had it been since being consumed? Every rational thought was immediately corrupted by this encroached body. The remnants of her consciousness were unable to properly form, alien to this dark medium, and with every passing second, any semblance of sanity became harder - and yet, none of that mattered. She didn’t need rational thought to win, just like how she didn’t need eyes to fight. All she needed was power.

The distorted Hollow rose up, calmly, from the lake’s surface to greet the Forgotten Forest like its very own goddess, repositioning herself at the center where she belonged. Her senses noted that the lake was both superheated and raging with waves, as though some sort of nuclear bomb had recently impacted here. Byakuya must have defended her against it though, considering the lack of damage on her body. Her psychic senses expanded to cover the whole battlefield - watching the souls of every warrior currently present. The girl Revy seemed to have recently died, but otherwise, everyone was fighting passionately for their dreams.

Meanwhile, all she wanted to do was kill them.

Kill, kill, kill, until every last one was down. That was the only way for her to prove their ridiculous decisions wrong! To be satisfied with entering the Door of Origin!

If it weren’t for those three agreeing with her, she may have gone completely insane. Currently, her three loyal Heralds were preoccupied with various warriors, bravely defending her, bravely pursuing the dream that they all desired… Still. How pathetic was it that they weren’t already done? They were granted power, their souls were fused to Horcrux segments of Her own, so this battle should’ve been easy for them. The enemies should’ve been exterminated in minutes. Everything about this made her sick.

[O ?]

Hollow Isamy attempted to speak, yet only managed a high-pitched, glitched groan that very vaguely resembled a word.

She’d noticed something, connected to a hole within her being. It had come to her attention that a bubbled lifeform remained attached to her; with a soul so strange that she wouldn’t have noticed it at all if it weren’t for the fact that her body were eating it alive. Although she could not see him, his intense emotions suggested that he was quite ‘pissed’, constantly cussing words while screaming in pain at the same time. Anyone else would have fallen unconscious immediately, but she knew that there was something special about this one.

[G M N I]

The trapped being was Gemini Rivetter, after all. The rogue servant of Origin. Hollow Isamy knew for a fact that she’d never targeted him, and hence, couldn’t help but wonder how he got there. Could it be... had he reconsidered his offer?! Though, on second thought, Gemini’s constant screaming seemed to suggest that he didn’t intend this. No matter. Even if the others had escaped, she would quite like to devour this one. Her dark will had already flooded the bubble, latching onto Gemini’s soul, tearing his mind inside out, forcing him to bend his will. Soon, he would be beautiful. And hopefully more competent than the others-

And that was when the unthinkable occurred.

~ Gem Shards ~

“Sup.”

Someone had approached her.

He was not a prisoner. He was not one of her Heralds. And he was not attempting to fight her…

At level with her chest, on a floating platform of ice, was Ed. Literally standing, calmly, just a few meters away from her supermassive form.

“Hello? Can you hear me? Or should I get a bit closer?”

There was a small trace of anxiousness in his emotions, but mostly, he was feeling...content. His weapon remained sheathed as determination burned within his soul. It was apparent that he wasn’t attempting to fight her. How inconceivable was this? That anyone would dare to approach her so calmly in her current, monstrous state? How was he not utterly stricken with fear?

[. . . R U I N S N E ?]

Only someone insane could possibly even think of doing such a thing. Yet Ed only shrugged, despite being a small speck of dust compared to the abomination before him. It was almost like this wasn’t even the first godlike monster boss he’d had to deal with. She could sense him having flashbacks; of some tree monster named ‘Elnherjar’? It was nearly impossible to see through his clouded thoughts.

“Probably. I try not to think about it.” He scratched his head. “Anyway, if you don’t mind, there’s something I forgot to do before. Assuming you aren’t just a mindless monster now, and there’s still some small fragment of you in there… Hope it’s not too late to speak my thoughts, uh what would one of your servants call you, ‘Lady Maximus’...?”

Just what on earth was the man talking about? Her distorted aura was intense enough that it was literally injecting fear into him, corrupting his memories at an accelerated pace, yet he remained steadfast.

[? ? ?]

“Oh damn, you do know what I mean, right? This place does have a weird effect on our minds, but this plan’s kinda counting on your sanity...” Ed turned nervously to the sky, where one Herald of Order, Byakuya, was being occupied by Reimu. He made a mental note to himself to thank her later if they both survived. “But uh, take your time. Really. Take all the time you need to remember.”

Hollow Isamy suppressed the primal urge to destroy, so that she could pause for a moment, could think.

And then it hit her. He had remained completely silent during Reunion! He hadn’t given HIS OWN ANSWER yet!

“Ed. The Black Swordsman. I must say, you're pretty cool. I mean, come on. Black flames. Dragons. A human-vampire hybrid who really only cares about cool battles, unconcerned with petty drama. I've met warriors like you, they gave me headaches and frustrated me, but I would've long broken down if it wasn't for them. Even though we've never met, guess I should say thanks. Truthfully, it's the ones like you who make the hell of war a bearable place to be. But there is a greater battle for us, fine warrior. Our enemy: The very concept of injustice. Will you be my ally?”

Hollow Isamy didn’t feel like he would’ve been the type to accept her offer considering how the other similar kinds had reacted. But then again, she’d already been continuously surprised again and again at this point. Everyone’s anomalous behaviours were so strange to her. A failure to understand everyone in full was a detriment, yet it may also be an advantage if it meant someone like him might consider becoming a Herald of Order. If he was going to agree to her offer. If he was even considering it! Then it was her foremost desire to stand by and let him

[s p e a k]

“Wait, really?” Ed’s eyes widened for a second in surprise, perhaps surprised that the supreme boss monster bothered to address him at all. But he regained his cool relatively quickly, and proceeded to address the giant before him. “Right. Awesome. Thanks for giving me this opportunity...to say what is on my mind. For I have some very… important… things that you absolutely need to know. And now’s the best time for it. Don’t worry about the battle! I’m going to need... your full attention if that’s, uh, okay...”

The hybrid stumbled on his words more and more for some reason as he tried to come up with what to say, almost as though he were thinking everything up on the spot. Considering he had all this time to think of his response, he should’ve come up with a speech or just get it over with by now, but she opted to wait for him. His hand gripped onto the hilt of his Zanpakuto to steady it. “Right. About that offer you made a while back. Which I definitely remember, by the way. I was definitely paying attention. Definitely wasn’t just focused on freeing myself and attacking you at the soonest possible opportunity… I really cared about whatever you were talking about. Your uh, your choice of words were really stunning! Oh, it was very agreeable. Making the world a better place sounds good! Cool.”

Hollow Isamy nodded. She was observing his every emotion carefully, but so far, all she could sense was contentment, and nervousness, and especially uncertainty, all understandable feelings in this situation. She’d always taken him to be a battle-obsessed lunatic, but it was good to see he could actually think - unlike so many others - and hence had to respect his way of conveying it even if it was awkward. And slow. And confusing. She grinded her bones and flesh together to ask for clarification.

[t h a t a y e s ?]

“Uh… No. Well.” Ed blinked. “I mean yes. Wait, no… Not exactly. Maybe? Is that something I can say?” His eyes wandered about Hollow Isamy’s body, particularly focusing on the hole in her chest. “Anyway. Of course, I shall get to answering in a second, and trust me, you’re going to like it. However! Before I do anything, there are some important matters that need to be discussed. It simply wouldn’t be right entering this fusion with you, or whatever it is you call it, before we address this one important factor. There’s a way we do things on Lath, that’s very, very, different that I would like to, uh…”

[W̵̸͇͍̻̪̹͖͝H̸̨͕̻̣̺̞̰̞̱A̟̯̯̪̝͘T̢̝̤̹̭̹̞̀]

Hollow Isamy’s essence glared at him, if it was capable of glaring.

Hollow Isamy hated this. This soul was taking too long to make his point. Her mind did not possess patience. COnsume. That was what she wanted. Consume. Her instincts begged her. COnsume. COSUNES COSNUMECONSUMECONSUME. HOLLOW ISAMY WAS CONSIDERING TO CONSUME HIM ON THE SPOT, CAPTURE HIM, TORTURE HIM, INTEGRATE HIM WITHOUT BOTHERING WITH HIS nonsense, yet held onto herself a fraction longer.

“Well...”

Ed’s emotions were beginning to slip, as were his thoughts. A trace of panic here. A trace of worry. There was something on his mind - time? Why was he wondering about time?

Although such thoughts were pushed aside immediately as Ed clapped his hands together. It appeared that an idea had just come to him. “I know now! Uh… PAPERWORK!”

‘P a p e r w o r k’. The very last word Hollow Isamy expected to hear as the final boss of the Grand Crossover Roleplay.

“Why, yes, paperwork!” Ed let out a hesitant laugh. “You see, in Lath… Particularly where I’m from, we’re very particular about paperwork. And I’m, uh, I’m entering one of those contract things with you, right? This sounds like a very long-term commitment, and I’m all for it. Really. Oh yes, there’s nothing I would love more than being one of your servants. Herald of Doorknobs. Very exciting. It’s just that in Lath… we… make contracts.” Inside, he was honestly dying with every single word. “I would just like to see a paper showing all the, you know, finer details. And… You… know me… I… really... love……. doing signatures…”

With all his strength, Ed forced the most painful smile of his life. “So if you don’t mind, could you… show me a contra-”

It was then that he noticed a piece of paper materialize into Isamy’s tiny, lowest left hand; she held it above his head and dropped it for him to grab. Utterly perplexed, he grabbed it. There was scribbled handwriting all over it, complete with a signature spacing at the bottom. It must’ve been a contract. A contract for becoming a Herald of Order.

“Oh. You actually have one.”

Needless to say, when a certain individual has spent over four years, alone, trapped in the white abyss with nothing else to do, it was plenty of time to devise an official contract. One which covered the exact details of the offer she intended to provide everyone. She’d painstakingly spent whole weeks preparing this fair, well-worded piece of work which would appeal to all the characters. Just in case anyone ACTUALLY DID ask for paperwork at the very end to everything. Her core held a small hint of pride in how masterfully it had been written.

“........” What was it now, Hollow Isamy wondered?

“Do you have an Elnaeric translation, by any chance…?” He was looking at it, squinting in utter confusion.

After all, it was written in English. A language completely foreign to him.

No more games. Hollow Isamy refused to tolerate this any longer. It was apparent what he was doing. He was STALLING. HE WAS STALLING FOR TIME! Just coNSuME HiM ALREaDY!!! Releasing all her boundaries, Hollow Isamy rapidly gathered negative energy into her body, preparing to bubble him up and integrate him whether he liked it or NOT.

[D I E]

Ed’s confused expression transitioned immediately into a determined one, and he uttered the words “Kiotso Kurokōriwa”, causing a Zanpakuto to materialize in his hands... Hold on, WHAT THE HELL, he didn’t come from Bleach, WHERE and HOW DID HE OBTAIN A ZANPAKUTO?! He proceeded to yell out, “Okay guys, sure hope you’re ready!”

It was then that Hollow Isamy sensed another energy signature directly behind her... The ice witch, Queen Elsa of Arendelle! How long had that woman been there? Had her senses been distracted so long specifically for this?

Was this a TRAP? Had she, the final boss, actually been lured into a TRAP? “You did a fantastic job. Now let’s finish this!”

The short and sweet answer---yes. From underneath the Lake’s chilled surface, thirty-seven chains of crystal ice shot out in a circle surrounding Hollow Isamy’s body, each and every one incredibly impressive in size as they wrapped all around her, completely immobilizing her in place. The monster didn’t even manage to fire a single laser from one of her hands before they were all chained onto her own form; the chains tightened without mercy, preventing her from the slightest movement.

~ Counterattack ~]

It was unthinkable. Humiliating, even. How dare they take advantage of the grand and illustrious Hollow Isamy, when she had granted them the privilege of time. How dare they OPPOSE her. There would be no forgiveness. Multiple green lasers blazed out of her chest, aiming for the hybrid while he remained close.

“Black Dragon Sword Style: Dragon Avatar!" By then, Ed had turned into an oriental dragon of black ice, barely avoiding her mysterious barrage. He raced along the height of her towering form, flying higher and higher while he continued to expand his dragon’s size as much as possible. Her skeletal form struggled intensely to free itself. Bound by Elsa’s chains, Hollow Isamy was unable to move as the dragon finally reached her head, and lunged forth-

Void Space. All of a sudden, spacetime warped. A dark void materialized in front of her face and consumed the dragon, negating all that energy without a trace. Time and time again, its powers proved to be useful, being were too compelling to let go. As far as Hollow Isamy was concerned, even though it was impossible to understand how all its powers worked, keeping this one Included made her nigh-unstoppable-

And yet Ed remained, having ejected himself. He now stood on a floating piece of black ice, with a momentary frown. That was one of his strongest attacks, and it simply vanished in an instant… How was that even possible? Still, he didn’t have time to think about it. Now at point-blank range, his Zanpakuto was brimming to the fullest with black flames. This was his moment. Situated directly between Hollow Isamy’s titanic, hate-filled glare, her eyes appearing to dare him to attack, there was no telling if he’d ever get this close again. Either strike now, or die now!

The mighty Ed thrust himself horizontally off the platform with Kiotso Kurokōriwa gripped firmly in his hands, pouring as much energy as he could muster into a single, intense blow! Hollow Isamy attemped to invoke Void Space again, only to find that she couldn’t. Recharge time? What sort of ridiculous concept was that, and why was she only finding out about it now? Could it be that this was actually something she could not defend herself from? Time slowed as Hollow Isamy stared at the approaching Ed. With a quick review of the situation, to her own disbelief, she found herself incapable of doing anything. Too trapped to move, lacking the time to charge attacks, and with all her Heralds apparently occupied by other warriors… What actually was this ridiculous scenario? Why was this happening?

And just like that, his blade successfully connected with the dark mask.

The sky ringed with power. Dark flames were scattered in every direction, raining down upon the lake. Cracks formed over her mask - and Hollow Isamy’s whole being, her ultimate form, convulsed with pain. Pain far, oh so far greater than Chandra’s fireball from earlier. It felt as though her core had nearly been shattered in that single attack…

However, her mask survived. And as did she. Of course she would.

“Looks like you lucked out, Isamy. Of all the monstrosities you could’ve become, you became the one thing I could definitely kill.” Ed said, addressing her with confidence - even though his voice shook with exhaustion. He’d fallen onto her shoulder, having frozen over a portion to protect him from the bony spikes. His body was already covered in wounds; clothes torn, cold burns from his own black fire. ”That gap in your chest says it all. You’ll be the first Hollow to be purified by this blade!”

Ed briefly looked down. From this height the whole Forgotten Forest could be seen. Everyone was fighting, resisting, struggling. There may have already been casualties. There was no telling what could happen next, what these Heralds were capable of. And if Hollow Isamy could see this much, she was capable of impacting the battlefield at any given moment. How long could they keep it all up? Before the situation could get any worse, this battle had to be ended as soon as possible.

Far beneath them, it was apparent that Elsa was surpassing her limits just to hold the titan back. Her body was quivering, her arms outstretched as far as they could go, her ability straining far beyond its natural capacity - it was almost as though she were holding that array of chains of ice all on her own. Ice was spreading from where she was situated, gradually freezing her final enemy from the bottom up to boost her efforts. Still, this could only be kept up for another few minutes - at most. Any longer, and her whole body would break apart.

Dammit, where’s Gon. Plan A, ‘finish the Hollow off in a single blow’, had failed. Ed started recharging more reiatsu into his weapon. He had to attack a second time as soon as possible, before Hollow Isamy could pull off that dark space thing again, before she could do anything to him or the others. At the same time, Gon needed to get here as soon as possible - they couldn’t do Plan B until that bubbled guy down below was freed. He should be by here by now!

”Rock, paper, SCISSORS!” Right on cue, the boy Hunter burst out from within one of the icy chainlinks. Emerging by the gaping void that was Hollow Isamy’s missing soul, Gon was in practically the perfect position. A transmuted blade of aura attached to his index and middle fingers as he jumped out with amazing strength, aiming for the bubbled Gemini.

[...]

Hollow Isamy had found Ed’s thoughts to be very interesting. It was genuinely refreshing to be informed for once. Now their plan made sense to her, and she had time to adjust to her own sanity and capabilities. Knowing what would happen next made it much easier for her to find peace with her next decision.

Her almighty gaze surveyed the battlefield, resting on the Tower where someone had previously sacrificed their life to give others a chance. What a shame that act was. What irony that act would be.

If anything, it was strange that she hadn’t already used this ability on any of the others. Avatar Conflictous wasn’t human, debatably even alive at all, so she’d had no qualms with using its existence up to this point - even if the strain was tearing her apart. Perhaps there was still a strain of morality to her, perhaps some misguided respect for the lost… But screw that. Screw the hopes and ideals that once belonged to Isamy Maximus. Both her and Isabella had ended countless lives. If anything, they were the worst, most prolific murderers in all of history. Isamy Maximus was limited by dreaming that she was a hero, that she was doing good. If HOLLOW ISAMY was going to win this battle, it would not by foolhardly concepts, but by raw power. And this place, more than anywhere else, granted her the perfect platform to use this power at maximum efficiency! When surrounded by enemies, in such an impossible scenario, there should be NO HOLDING BACK!!!

Yes… It was time to unleash it, for real.

The

true

power

of

the

Key

of

Origin

[ V O I D I N C L U S I O N :

‘ R E V Y

T W O H A N D S ‘]

In Kratos’s very own arms,

the body of Revy Two-Hands turned to dust…

Turquoise lightning struck Hollow Isamy’s body. A large flash of light flooded the whole battlefield, followed by the roar of piercing thunder. The sheet of ice beneath her shattered into smaller pieces.

At point-blank range, Ed, Gon, and Elsa were all blinded by the sudden light. In that single instant, the undead titan’s aura disappeared, replaced with something else. Equally massive, yet utterly different, an utterly different existence. Except at the same time, Ed realized that it wasn’t unfamiliar. That there was no way he could mistake it. This was an aura he was all too familiar with, only scaled to far greater heights than the original had ever been capable of. Was the Hollow copying the abilities of others just like LERNA? Because if that was the case, then that’d be cheap, and this battle may very well be over quickly… But hold on. Somehow he knew. This was, different, wasn’t it?

Ed expanded his senses in the few seconds he had to prepare for what might happen next. The original Revy’s aura couldn’t be sensed anywhere in the battlefield. There was no trace of it. Had she...died? When would that have been?! The light began to fade, and he heard someone - Gon! - yell out, and some of the other chains of ice snap apart. And then, horror filled his heart. OH sheet-

The light faded.

~ god mode ~

Hollow Isamy was finding this irony to be quite delicious. Previously, Including the existence of Revy would have done little. If anything, she would’ve actually been the worst option possible. However, it seemed that during some prior time, the Butler-Ragnarok entity had made her into a pseudo-Clown and granted her useful powers; powers which her soul had taken to oblivion. To think that Isamy’s own decision to grant him power would benefit her in such a roundabout way…

All of her arms tore themselves out of their restrains. The chains of ice had been a mere nuisance to begin with, one she’d tolerated to ascertain the strength of these warriors. Now that she knew what they were capable of, it was time to show them what she was capable of. In all six of her freed arms, gigantic Beretta 92Fs of varying sizes formed in each hand. There were three on each side, and with Revy’s innate proficiency, were effortless to handle even with this inhuman body, these gigantic, clunky arms, and distorted hands.

The ice witch was still struggling, trying to hold Hollow Isamy back with the remaining chains of ice. However, she was already exhausted and the monster didn’t even seem to be using her full effort. Things were going wrong. It should’ve been over as soon as it began, but instead it was all going horribly, horribly wrong. Considering what was at stake, she’d realized that she absolutely should never have gone at this alone, they should’ve used their time to include others in their plans, to cooperate with the others and come up with something far more decisive, with far more firepower… They should’ve expected this creature would have more dangerous tricks up its sleeve.

All of this Elsa realized as all six titanic copies of Revy’s old guns were pointed straight for her.

“No… No no no NO!!!” Ed was already diving off Hollow Isamy’s shoulder, his expression twisted into desperate horror. He was screaming. Black ice was surrounding him en-masse so he could be ready to protect her, and he was screaming, for her life. Hoping he could drop faster than gravity, hoping he could make it in time…

But it was too late.

Elsa’s attempt to put up shields of ice did absolutely nothing to protect her from the enhanced rain of bullets. Her defenses were pierced through. Her body was riddled with scattered bullets, her every limb and organ containing at least a dozen bullets, her blood flowing out uncontrollably, turning her dress into a horrible red. A single bullet pierced directly into her right eyeball, through her skull, and out the other end. Ligaments in her legs were shot to shreds, causing her body to collapse onto the remains of her own ice sheet. Then the bullet hail ceased.

Still. By some miracle, the Queen of Arendelle hadn’t yet died. Lying on her back, on her broken spine, she raised her one functioning arm. She still had something to do. When the falling Ed passed by Isamy’s gap, she manipulated his black ice and threw him into it. She was a lost cause, losing too much blood. Despite how painful it was, she needed him to focus on what was more important.

“...” Elsa stared up at the horrific sight that was interrupting her view of the sky. To be quite honest, it was a terrible way to go. Shock had completely blocked her connection to pain, but dizziness and exhaustion were consuming her mind. She was losing her grip on reality, and it wouldn’t be long now. There was no strength left. With her eyes on that ugly sight, all she could say was “You think… you’re so misunderstood…”

Hollow Isamy observed her gory state, almost as if she had some semblance of pity left.

“But you’re just another f***ing monster.”

Hollow Isamy proceeded to bury her in another rain of bullets, just to make sure she stayed dead.

For the past few minutes ever since he’d unwittingly let himself get captured, Gemini had been cursing and screaming while bubbled, even whilst whatever could be considered his ‘soul’ was being forcefully removed. From his perspective, another boy had just come out of nowhere to rescue him, only to be bubbled himself after a flash of light. The boy had since fallen unconscious.

Truth be told, it was a little strange how that hadn’t happened to him, how he remained wide awake; perhaps it was his heightened awareness. Or perhaps it was something else. Either way, it wouldn’t last forever. The spell was gradually beginning to overcome his mind. His frustration weakened, his movements dragged, and soon he found himself on his knees. It was getting harder to resist.

All the while, Hollow Isamy spoke to him without words. Just the disembodied remains of her consciousness connecting with his - she was continuing to push her offer onto him. At some point, she stopped calling him Gemini and started calling him ‘Missingno’. Tempting him to embrace power, convincing him to fall. Although his awareness of reality was weakening, his connection to Origin was growing stronger and stronger with each passing second.

If he only let go, his soul could ascend to something far greater. A Herald of Order. But he didn’t accept, even knowing that it would mean certain death. Why didn’t he accept? Hollow Isamy could not understand. Darkness started to cloud his vision from the corners, seeping inwards, deeper, and deeper...

With a tired grin, Gemini finally accepted his fate. He whispered, “At least I won’t go alone.”

However,

that end was denied.

“After all this, you BETTER be alive!”

A sword hacked into the bubble, causing a thick turquoise liquid to spill outwards. Ed’s face showed, and he grabbed hold of Gemini’s hair to yank him out. Well, only for the demon’s body to snap back. There was some sort of strange, rainbow cord attaching him to the bubble. Almost like a part of his own soul, outside his own body. Through it Gemini could feel all of time, all of reality, and every inch of the Pathway to Origin through it - due to the fact that both he and Isamy were connected to Origin, she must’ve taken advantage of it to physically connect him to her. Heh, the guy tried, but it was no good, huh? It was impossible to severe something like that, and who’d ever go through that sort of effort for him anyway? Him? Of all people?

Still, there was one thing Gemini didn’t know. Ed Garith had already failed someone today, and he was a warrior with pride. And his pride demanded that he didn’t fail anyone else... Whether they were a close friend or a total stranger! He grabbed the cord and examined it in a second, knowing nothing but the fact that it was soul-related.

Although he’d originally hoped to conserve it to save himself, Ed instead concentrated the last remains of his reiatsu into his Zanpakuto - “Black Dragon Sword Style: Purification!” - and severed the cord that had connected his soul to Origin.

Gemini may have felt distraught at being separated so violently. Yet, more than being away from Isamy, being away from Origin may have been a refreshing, strange sort of freedom itself… He was pulled out without any resistance.

Ed said nothing. He tried not to think of anything. He couldn’t afford to think of it. To his left, he dragged a delirious demon by his hair, and to his right he dragged an unconscious Gon by his collar. Okay, Gon's eyes flickered open somewhat, so perhaps he was awake, but he seemed a bit confused. Well, Ed didn’t exactly have massive supplies of mana like most of the cast, and hence only had a tiny amount of energy left. Physically and emotionally, this was taking everything he had. And time to recuperate was not something he had. Hollow Isamy could do anything at any given moment, and destroy everything just like that. This Counter Corps member wouldn’t let her sacrifice be in vain.

“You guys... BETTER BE WORTH SOMETHING!!!”

Therefore, he did the most logical thing, walking to the backside edge of Isamy’s hole - and with the last of his strength, launched both Gemini and Gon as far out into the Lake as he could muster (C5). Hopefully they’d be rescued, or fend for themselves, or whatever-

It was like Hollow Isamy just remembered he was still in there. Streams of bullets erupted from all sides of her gap, impaling him in every direction. If it weren’t for his strange physiology and immense durability as a human-vampire hybrid, he would have died on the spot. It must’ve been so much harder for her to carry on - that was all he thought as he collapsed to his knees, purple blood seeping out from his countless wounds, from the gaps in his body.

[have you finally realized what you want?]

“Ugh… This again?”

Ed sighed. If he had to be subjected to this girl’s nonsense a second longer, hopefully he bled to death quickly.

“Look. I don't CARE. I really, REALLY don't care. I found my answer on the battlefield a long time. Whenever I fought, I never did it for some cause, I just did it ‘cause it’d be fun. And it was.” His eyes drifted briefly to below the edge. The body of an former, beautiful queen floated amongst the scattered ice. “But this? This isn’t fun. You say you’re gonna fix things, but I was livin pretty happy life before you came along. It wasn’t the best, sure… but I was happy. And all you’re doing... is taking away every reason I have... to be happy. What JOKE are you playing at exactly?!”

A faint, bloodthirsty smile formed on his face, “Well, I've got one reason left to be happy," and he looked up. “The greatest warriors in the multiverse are all gathered here... and you managed to piss off each and every one of 'em. You don't seriously expect to win... do you, lady?![/i]”

Then the light began to drain from Ed’s vision,

Damn.

Guess I'm not getting that fight after all...

and he stopped moving altogether.

Within Hollow Isamy’s chest, Ed’s bullet-ridden corpse was bubbled, and his soul was promptly digested with zero resistance, satisfying her Hollow urges at long last. Inducting a soul simply wasn’t the same as as consuming one. Although she’d expected something much tougher, much more raw, to her pleasant surprise it tasted of apple and cinnamon.

The supersized pistols held in each of her undead arms started to morph into rifles. She dropped them - and these six battleship-sized rifles proceeded to levitate of their own accord, encircling her as a form of defense. The more time she had, the more opportunity she had to experiment with the simulated abilities of those Included. Yes. YES. There was no point in holding back anymore!

From the Lake, Elsa’s own tarnished body was beginning to levitate upwards, making its way to Isamy’s gap... Free snacks were always appreciated.

Hollow Isamy’s sanity was beginning to break apart, giving away to the madness of Hollowfication once more, but she shall persist nonetheless. Even with the loss of her own identity, the Key of Origin and the Encroachment had granted her the perfect tools to achieve victory. She was an unstoppable monster, and they couldn't do anything to change that. She shall do everything in her power to crush the others, and show them salvation. This would be easy.

Her enemies weren't even fighting at their full power! They were holding back, thinking that there was still something that awaited afterwards, that there was still a reason to conserve their secrets, their strengths... Not knowing that, if they were to unleash their true power, even that wouldn't be enough. How MISGUIDED their thoughts were! How IDIOTIC their conviction was! It would take putting all their lives on the line just to have the tiniest of chances, and yet they value themselves so much that that would never happen. That was why they would lose.

Because Hollow Isamy had put everything on the line to MURDER THEM.

And Hollow Isamy was NOT ALONE.

Her distorted voice, simultaneously that of a young girl and an eldritch abominatio of darkness, rang true across the Forgotten Forest.

[MY BRAVE HERALDS…

SHOW NO MERCY TO THE FOOLISH <3]

_Boss Position: D4_

Love of Ghibli · April 23, 2018

Team Dorian: Final Battle

Bankai....why was that shinigami's bankai so versatile. To completely defend against Dorian's attack and a slew of others was definitely impressive. Too bad this was an enemy attack. What happened next was rather sad though. It seemed as if the bankai had created some kind of barrier that encased all of those who were in the lake area. Dorian could only look awe as some pretty what seemed to be flower petals seemed to harmlessly float by his face.

Oh, this is going to hurt isn't it? The next second seemed to feel like hours as he was sliced to shreds by Senbonzakura Kageyoshi. Okay, let's just rest for a second. he muttered softly as mixed colored blood seemed to be flowing from his head and arms. While his surplice managed to hold him together it seemed it doesn't guard that volume of attack. He seemed to fall straight out the air and seemingly unconscious until he felt that someone caught him in mid air. Dorian could only look up and mutter...

B...Butler?

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

So much was happening and so much demanded his attention, but first he noticed his master was falling. When Butler grabbed him he smirked as he looked on with the destruction that Byakuya's bankai was causing. In addition, this massive blob of gray ooze that was somehow formed from him trying to melt those creatures was terrorizing everything around. That is something that he may also have to deal with. But this was not something that could be done while he had foreign entities inside his person.

Individual: Butler. We together desire freedom from our wretched fates, something I am certain you are familiar with. We have seen both sides of you, we have seen your Despair and your Ideals. We knew your weakness before becoming a Kishin, and much like you, we desire to overcome ours. This girl is the key to that. Please remove her from yourself, so that she may be revived in reality. We want our vengeance against Collective: Isamy Individual: Butler, something I'm sure you can sympathize with, having been forced by her to recognize your mortality once more.

Inside his being LERNA or some entity seemed to be making a case to exit and appealing to the side of vengeance. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be stronger.

Fine this war zone...Butler paused and his mental representation just paused in silence as it seemed to look off into the distance. In the outside world he would see that Revy of the Two hands used her lifeforce to fire something beyond her abilities. She literally gave her life to make an opening for some kind of attack. But this loss of life he sensed as they were connected by the black blood. It was odd though because he felt...sadness. He was almost to the point of emoting. This got serious.

Nevertheless he did not have time to mourn as war was being waged. Butlerok's physical body pointed and shot what would seem to be a bullet of black blood towards a tower opposite of most of the action. Inside this bullet of Black Blood was both LERNA/sword and Lydia's body once the bullet makes it to the tower (G4) it will pop, hopefully letting LERNA do what she wills. Inside the Butlerok, his image simply started to fade out and he only had one thing to say to his former opponent.

As my master would say...You do you.

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

Dorian seemed to regain consciousness and he looked at Butlerok slightly healed. Nevertheless, Dorian was somber. Even in his unconscious state he could sense Revy's sacrifice. He knew that Butler would take this kinda hard. Revy was essentially Butler without refinement, she was essentially powerless at this stage of the game yet she played on without the insecurities that Butler had. To know she sacrificed herself was definitely tragic. Technically a clown shouldn't even be able to die. They would simply reform unless there soul wavelengths were disrupted. Unfortunately, since the team thought it would be important for her to keep her since of will they added extra to her process and changed her structure. Who would've thought she would literally push herself pass all of those limits.

I liked her too. Dorian said somberly as the climactic battle seemed to be quiet for a second. However that second didn't last long as Hollow Isamy came back out the gates swinging but it looks like there were some youths going all out to take her down. While it was probably the rudest thing to do the two looked on at that groups efforts. It seemed like for a second the Ice woman's abilities were somehow strong enough to keep the deity in place. Of course, all of this changed when they saw Isamy decide to counterattack. Butler and Dorian's eyes widened as Isamy used "Void Inclusion."

She didn't...was all that came out of Dorian's mouth. As Risamy proceeded to shred every single one of her combatants Butlerok felt a sense of unyielding rage...to disrespect the dead in this manner is an insult to their memory. But maybe this is what happens when everyone stops holding back.

Her voice rang throughout the forest and with that hundreds of tentacles came out of Butleroks and with that went for the fresh corpses pumping them full of Black Blood and trying to revive what was left of them. That didn't work though. They were dead and it seemed like death in this place may have meant something different. Butlerok looked Dorian sternly and Dorian smiled.

Alright I'll go play with your shinigami friend. Maybe I'll have tea with Boss lady in some alternate timeline. You never know.

Dorian twisted his neck and even though Byakuya was dealing with the after effects of a nuke and the for sure insta-kill effects of GaeBolg, he proceeded to fly over to Byakuya's area.

Butler descended down to be eye level with Isamy...normally she would be too much for him to handle alone, but this dishonor here must be dealt with.

Super Chaos Sonic · April 24, 2018

Nero - Keyblade War Master / The X-Blade's Wielder ~ The Forgotten Forest

Nero found himself within another area, though it was still the same location. Apparently he found himself in some sort of slip space type of area...but now he had to deal with not only these memory golems of his master, his brother and friend, and his ally...and for some reason a duplicate of himself. But right now...now he needed to face these things head on.

He stopped and turned to face them, seeing them now gathering in an "x" formation.

"No where to run now, my son..." Master Hao spoke, lifting his Keyblade towards Nero, giving him quite the solemn look. "You must pay for your sins."

"If you took Xander more seriously, perhaps the things that occurred wouldn't have happened." Oswald glared. "I wouldn't have been taken by the darkness and never left my brother alone to rule my world in my stead. You let him kill me..."

"You broke the promise you made with me long ago... " Ryuusaki said plainly, his grip tightening on his Keyblade. "You said that we'd always be friends. That no matter how far apart we were...we'd be by each other's side no matter what. You betrayed me...you left us to die that day."

"You...have lost the trust of your old allies and friends, Nero." the duplicate spoke up now. "You are not FIT to be a master."

Nero was completely silent throughout all of this, as his grip on the X-Blade and Divine Remnant grew tighter. He sighed slowly before looking up and smiling. "I've paid for my sins in full. I've seen oblivion...I've known that darkness." he spoke, looking at Master Hao and then looking at Oswald, proceeding to acknowledge each one. "And you've been one of the last thoughts I've had. I was stupid for not taking that battle as serious as I did. It was my fault that the darkness took you..." He glanced quickly at the duplicate now, skipping Ryuusaki for a moment. "I've questioned my position as master many times. But through my journey with the corps...they've shown me that my path is right. It's been the path that my master showed me...the path that he said my heart would make. And that hasn't failed me now. So I AM a Keyblade Master..."

He sighed with this declaration, before turning to look at Ryuusaki. "And I never lied to you, Ryuusaki. You and I will always be friends and nothing could change that. I failed you for not being there to fight by you and master's sides, yes. But...but damnit, I wish I was there. Watching you fight would be amazing. And I wish I was there...in order to protect you and master. I would've died to make sure you were alive, Ryuusaki."

It was done. Nero was done giving his peace about every one of those golems and the duplicate, now he was ready to have them go at them. With a yell from all of them, the four began to make their way towards him, and with Nero about ready to strike at them...however they immediately stopped. The area around them shattered and oddly enough showed the fact that it was pretty much the same type of snowy area it was before...but now something was changing.

The golems and the duplicate let out a blood curdling scream and they were now in the process of...exploding?!

S-sheet!!! Nero thought, before casting a Refleza around him, shielding him from the four fold explosion. Luckily the magic of two Keyblades was able to help him stay alive. Though he did get pretty discombobulated.

Nero laid on the ground as the Refleza faded, he couldn't hear anything but a deafening silence for a good moment. Finally he could hear the sounds of Remnant speaking to him.

Master...Master are you alright?

"I-I'm fine Remnant..." Nero groaned, slowly starting to get up, stumbling a bit in the process. "What happened...?"

I'm not quite sure myself. It appeared that we were in some sort of pocket dimension and something broke it and those around us must've had a negative effect from it.

"Whatever it was...it's done." he said, moving from the area he was in. "I have no idea whats going on now...but we need to go back and find the others...and quick. Who knows what Isamy was trying while we were gone."

With not another word said, Nero rushed off in the direction he fled from, hoping to get back to the others. He just hoped he wasn't too late...

Nero is currently doing his best to exit from B2...

Reinforce · April 24, 2018

Apep

"I'm sorry, but this is the only way for us to avoid that monster's Void Inclusion."

She could feel the pressure from her opponent's trap, as the power of his attack started to build up in the enclosed space. Letting out a screech, the mist surrounding her redoubled it's efforts to bring down her foe, even as her own body was breaking apart under the pressure. Within the rapidly expanding mist freezing everything over, lightning wreathed her body and blasted out from her in waves of power as Isamy's words reached her.

"I invoke your soul to break your chains, Lightning Storm Arena."

As her body collapsed into nothingness, the mist started to fade away while lightning sparked. While her body and mind were gone, a ghostly image of Ayame, as she originally was, appeared in the middle of the ice where the herald died. Next to her, the ghostly figure of Naomi laid a hand on her friend's shoulder, even as their souls were consumed in lightning and vanished from the cage and from the forgotten forest itself. In the spot they vanished, a subdimension had twisted into existence, taking their souls away with it as it gorged itself on Isamy's well of power before the last of the remaining shadow magic broke the bond between Apep's soul and Isamy's, leaving the souls of the two girls locked away, and unable to be taken by the Hollow's power.

Ending Location: Dead and locked away from Isamy's Void Inclusion, Apep's soul separated from Isamy's in the process.

Chandra

Location: C5 (Just on shore)

Chandra stumbled as she returned to consciousness, confused by what had just happened. The last thing she remembered was seeing a burst of bright pink light, before awakening halfway across the arena and staring at Gemini, trapped in a bubble inside Isamy's chest and seemingly very angry about it. Before she could take aim at the Hollow once more, things seemingly happened fast, resulting in Gemini and another being thrown out towards the lake near her. Without thinking, she reached out towards the lake, mana obeying her request and summoning up two of her phoenix to catch both Gemini and Gon in midair, bringing them to her as she hopped on a third, flying herself and both of her passengers up to the tower at B5, landing all three firebirds on top of it.

Ending Location: B5 (Atop the tower)

Darcy

Location: E2 (Atop the tower)

She could feel the drain as Satori pulled deeply into her magic to power the attack. Opening it up, she let her ally use it, allowing as much as she could spare to power the strike that would hopefully take Jace out, and conserving only enough for a single use of Avalon's defense. As she used the ledge of the tower to support herself, she watched as the binds she'd placed on the blue mage vanished as the power sustaining them dropped out, having fulfilled their purpose. Looking on, she could do nothing now but witness what they had wrought, and see what would come of the Mind Mage and his defense.

[spoiler=tldr] Apep is dead, and Naomi hijacked her reality marble to sever Ayame's connection to isamy and seal both of their souls away from the origin and out of Isamy's grasp.

Chandra is awake but confused, and caught both Gemini and Gon on their way down to the lake, bringing them back with her to the tower at B5.

Darcy has powered Satori's spell with nearly all of her own magic, leaving just enough for an emergency if neccesary, and has dropped the binds she had on Jace in the process.

Tesability Black · April 24, 2018

~~Gemini's POV~~

As he slowly began to loose grip on himself and stop fighting, a figment of the past floated into his head unbidden, regarding before this whole nonsense with Isamy started while inside the Paths...only, he faintly realized, this wasn't from his point of view but hers.

“Do you wish to know what I view my supposed 'happily ever after' as?" If these self-righteous beings wouldn’t accept, then at the very least, she could accept the selfish wish of a demon- "It would be to have all the worlds of this Omniverse under my heel by my own power, even someone like you. I don't know about you, but that would run entirely counter-productive to what you would wish to do… wouldn't it?!"

I’m not gonna stop ya...but I’m not gonna help ya, either.

Gemini… The Door of Origin can do anything. Anything at all. Of course we can work something out.

She wanted to tell him, that they could surely work something out that would grant him happiness. There could be any number of explanations for realizing that dream without interfering with everyone else’s lives. Yet, she knew they wouldn’t reach him. It was apparent that he was deadset on not cooperating with her. How unfortunate.

...the problem is, Isamy, he found himself subconsciously adding into the scene, unable to care if he was heard or not, that I am not allowed such happiness. Even Origin cannot change that. As long as she still controls my strings, I am doomed to a life of pain and unhappiness, the plaything of a child in an adult body.

...heh...maybe in another existence, one out of reach of the cursed puppeteers, we could have been good friends...or more...

As Gemini's eyes began to flutter close, he managed to look up towards the Pidgeot in the sky, his light counterpart, the one that was always the one between them to be the hero in their shared story while he was always cast as the villain within to defeat. His face weakly turned into a sideways smile to reveal a few fangs before muttering, "At least I won't go alone."

His erasure would chain to his counterpart, after all...and the Ditto would be nowhere on the scene, because he never existed to break him free from when Team Rocket originally captured said counterpart.

“After all this, you BETTER be alive!”

Red eyes that threatened to fade to black from lack of life barely managed to look up towards the source of the voice, seeing as the bubble he was in was forced to pop from the outside, exposing his head to air. The bubble he was in had a liquid in it that an air breather could breathe in and out, so a few moments passed when he had to relearn how to breath in actual air, even as his spiky hair was grabbed in an attempt to pull him out, since there was not much else in range for the boy to get hold of.

But several cords appeared to pull him back into the bubble, back into the strange liquid. A cord each connected to the back of his wrists, though the white bands that showed themselves around them. Another appeared from the back of his neck, where a similar band of white light manifested. One emerged from the small of his back and another from the back of his waist. Two more shown themselves around his ankles, bands of white light showing around them as well. The strings, they shimmered with multiple colors, a rainbow barely contained in its splendor.

Ed would almost see him as a puppet that was controlled by another, considering the placement of the strings. The boy took advantage of the fact that they all seemed to gather together in one place that was fortunately in his reach, and so upon grabbing the cords and slicing through them in a single swoop, the demon was pulled out by his hair, unable to register the pain of such an action.

In fact, the only reason Gemini was not screaming was because of the fact that he could not even breathe from the pain he was enduring, having finally found something that matched and surpassed the pain of his original formation. Even though the pain, he felt that something had not recalled itself in time out of him and back to Isamy remained in him, unintentionally stealing something from her, but unsure or uncaring as to what it was.

When the pain had finally faded just enough to allow him to finally able to breathe, he found that he was breathing in warm air and was on top of something feathery and soft. And for the moment, he passed out.

~~Neos' POV~~

He had been forced to fly back after hitting the barrier of the Herald directly guarding Isamy, instead opting to land back on the ground below his feet after reverting back to his chosen human form. Giving a growl at the barrier as he tried to figure a way around it, one manifested for him...in a way that left him blinded for ten literal seconds, because he couldn't cover his eyes fast enough. Either way, he had still been left deafened, unable to hear beyond the ringing of his ears. By the time he could see or hear once again, he saw a group of phoenixes flying in the air, but one of them surprised him.

A passed-out Gemini laid upon one of them with closed eyes, unconscious.

What had happened to him? What did he miss?

Seeing that they were flying away from Isamy, Neos chose to leave them be for the moment before standing up and raising his hands into the air to summon into them a broadsword made of crystalline aura that was also simple in appearance. He may not be able to do what some of the other weapon fighters can do, but he had a few tricks of his own. A dark-pink light began to fill the inside of the crystalline weapon, filling it with the power of the Psychic element before rushing in...

...but as he did, he saw one figure floating towards Isamy, whom looked at the body hungrily. Growling, he bid the weapon to change, transform into a rope that didn't plan on breaking any time as its internal light shifted to a dark-purple, the light of the Poison element, soon before managing to lasso the girl and try to pull her back away...

~~Metarchus' POV~~

Isamy's command was heard and acknowledged, even in the bound state. There had been hope that, considering the lack of attempt to counter the resistance, there was the thought that maybe there was not enough energy to do so.

Glowing eyes widened as instead of admitting defeat, the girl tried again, forcing into the Herald of the Mind a fusion of the figure's image replacing another that should have been there, in an attempt to force the memory into becoming truth.

Normally, the building of emotion in the memory would have done nothing to the herald, but the memory's forced actions caused them to manifest anyway, allowing an echoing cry to leave his throat as the light from his eyes began to fade. As he fell to the ground, a blue-tinted red figure swooped in front underneath to catch him in a claw large enough to hold him...

~~'Jace's' POV~~

Ever since hearing the out-of-place voice trying to call for Isamy in warning, even as he approached, his mind had been going a million miles an hour, not only thinking of every possible thing that could and could not go wrong, but also a duplicate of his mind was being made and secured in a hidden away portion deep enough that Isamy was unlikely to detect it. The duplicate he made, now secured in the mental tower of his personal Mind's Eye, he felt as Isamy began to tear him bit from bit from the inside out. Letting out a scream after he disappeared from the views of others, he felt himself unraveling as he thought one final thing.

...this...is not...what i...wanted...

The duplicate within the tower felt the severing from the original in an attempt to hide him from Isamy...and within the top of it, the double of Jace's mind fell to his knees and wept upon the realization that not everything had been saved...and that now, there were things forever lost to him.

-----

The double had no idea how long he cried for the loss, but he finally lifted his head as the skies above began to crack, allowing the starry night above to be littered with white that fragmented across the sky.

Unsure of what to expect, the double, the new Jace, braced himself for impact as the skies began to fall and the tower began to disappear, the pieces that formed it filling into blanks that had been left behind by whatever had struck the now otherwise-barren mindscape.

He saw a figure laying on the ground, wearing an outfit similar to his own, but facedown. Daring to approach, he flipped the figure over, seeing that it was the same as him...but there was no face, no identity. The figure was rapidly corroding into nothingness, with no voice or eyes to show expression or pain of what was happening to it. Left behind as the figure faded away, a rainbow sphere was left behind, no larger than a heart.

He made the mistake of picking it up, for it flashed brightly before causing a spike of pain to flood from the hand holding it as it forced itself into his mental body, forcing it to become one with it. Though it, however, he realized something.

What happened wasn't just mental, but physical. Physically, he was still bound to Isamy.

But at least now, his mind was his again...and the feeling of betrayal flooded him.

Why...I had been willing to help you as I already was, but what you did...

Who are you and what have you done with Isamy? Where is she?

Among the snowy landscape, Jace picked himself up slowly, the glow gone from his tear-stained eyes as he looked up towards the beast that had been Isamy.

"...what did you do to her, monster," he whispered to himself as he began to step forward towards her, his mind unintentionally projecting the feelings of anger, hurt...and betrayal, for Isamy had betrayed him first with what she had tried to do to him.

You have been severely wounded, Guildpact. The large voice in his head made him wince and only then did he realize that he was held up in an open claw...a large one. Looking up, he saw the fiery orbs of Niv-Mizzet, and internally gulped an 'Oh, sheet', before shaking his head and realizing that he would have to deal with this potential problem later.

"Niv-Mizzet, it's time to fight for home," Jace finally said vocally as he pointed towards the Hollow ahead. Niv-Mizzet allowed the human to get on the back of his neck to allow him to free his claws before taking to the sky and flying with swiftness, letting loose flame and lightning upon coming into close proximity with her.

The other summons that had emerged appeared to disappear on their own, specifically the Omniban and the Heralded Eldrazi, their tether vanished into the aether.

"You have a lot of explaining to do after this," Niv-Mizzet responded.

Jace...really didn't want to respond to that near-command.

~~Niv-Mizzet's POV~~

The dragon flew multiple times around the angel, his mind calculating every attempt by him to paralyze the beast with its gyrations, an admittedly clever move to begin with, but unlikely to work on him.

However, whatever novelty the tactic had quickly wore on him as he flew, baring fangs in aggravation.

Only when he felt a sudden 'snap' in his head did the dragon look down to see a falling man rapidly approaching the ground. Taking a gambit, the Firemind swooped down towards the man in blue, almost missing him in the process...

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

~~Locations of Everyone~~
Gemini: He's on the back of one of Chandra's phoenixes, so his location is kind of up to her at the moment.
Neos: Neos is close enough to literally lasso Elsa and try to bring her away from Isamy. Which means he's likely in melee striking range of Isamy. At the time of this post, I don't recall where she is. x.x

Metarchus/'Jace': The Recollection shattered what had been turned into Metarchus, leaving behind a duplicate mind Jace made at last minute before succumbing to Isamy's corruption. The duplicate has taken over and is on back of Niv-Mizzet now.
Niv-Mizzet: Is currently flying back towards Isamy's direction, ready to let loose with fire and lightning. Starting point of flight path - E2, near the base of the tower.

The Warden · April 24, 2018

The bullet was a clear shot, that much was true. Even if it were just hardened black blood it did a good job of penetrating the walls into the upper guard room, before exploding into a blood drenched armoured sorceress, and a sword. Lydia lay on her side, black blood still dripping off her armour and her hair, barely moving until the Breath of Life was with her, a loud gasp filling the quiet room as her face-plate moved, allowing her space to breathe. The poor girl gasped hard to restore her own life, her heart pounding from the thrill of returning to conscious, and the terror of what had transpired.

Though not really remembering much, she could still feel that moment. That horrible feeling of something critical to her attempting to be ripped out of her. Lydia trembled, her mind still filled with that one feeling: The feeling of her soul slowly being ripped out of her. Even Avalon seemed shaken, his voice unheard as the Sorceress Supreme huddled up in the fetal position, and she closed her eyes as she rocked on the floor.

Sooooooonnnnnn....

Ending location: G4 - Top floor of tower

"Oh,"

"how rude!"

The Hapshiel Squad pouted as Niv-Mizzet was clearly uninterested in his business, although, something else seemed to catch his eye. The adorable little mind reader seemed to be pure again; well, relatively speaking. Their guards lowered, the flock of angels gracefully flew above Niv, though they did keep a respectable distance, largely because they didn't want to be distracted by the idea of being stuck between those awfully long and sharp teeth for an as-of-yet undefined amount of time. Although two saw fit to fly alongside Jace. "So,"

"you've come back to us?"

"We were worried for a second there."

"Worried indeed that we'd have to punish you for being naughty."

"But,"

"at least it didn't need to come to that."

"Are you alright though?"

"Would a hug make you feel better after that awful ordeal?"

Ending location: E2 - Following above Niv-Mizzet

Kingdom Xathers · April 25, 2018

Pathway of Remembrance

The collapse was only snailing its way along, but Alpha-Romeo was not taking any chances, having put a great deal of distance between it and himself by the time he had reached the edge of the Lake of Remembrance. “... well, now,” Alpha-Romeo scoffed as he now witnessed the spectacle of a battle between a two-headed serpent and black-plumed phoenix unfolding before him, “THIS is looking to be a real party, huh? I see you’ve really got your hands full with these kids, don’t you… Omega?” Tightly clenching his Omni-Wrench in his hand, Alpha-Romeo stood biding his time, awaiting his moment to intervene….

Phantom Roxas · April 25, 2018

The Forgotten Forest: D4

~ Requiem for a Tower ~

The Origin War began between two factions.

The Counter Corps were founded for the sole purpose of denying Isamy Maximus the Key of Origin. That they stood against her now was perhaps meant to be, fulfilling a promise that been written down years ago. But they had no leader. They had turned on Arturia, the King of Knights, and stood victorious, but at what cost? They were naught but sheep without a shepherd to guide them.

The Divine had once been her loyal subjects in her quest, but even they rejected her as well. She would not fall at the hands of traitors as Arturia had a year before. By raising their hands against her, they were no different than the Counter Corps, and like the Counter Corps, they needed to be eliminated. If that was the fate they had chosen, then so be it.

She had hoped that her Heralds of Order had realized their true potential, but Apep and Metarchus had failed her, just as the Divine had failed her, and continued to fail her even now. It was clear that this Origin War would not end in a battle of factions. Hollow Isamy would ensure that only she would be allowed to enter the Door of Origin.

This was a culling.

Apep’s life was fading. The creature’s head twitched in her Herald’s direction, but just as soon as she had elected to consume Apep’s soul, it had disappeared. No matter. The cage that had trapped Apep was still up. Whoever had slain Apep would be repaid in kind.

Suddenly, she could feel her body burning as Niv-Mizzet scorched her with fire and lightning. Guiding the Firemind was none other than Jace Beleren, no longer accepting the mantle of Metarchus. His rage is palpable; quite literally, in fact, as he was projecting anger, resentment, regret… all because he believed that she had betrayed him.

[i N G R 8]

Kenpachi Zaraki laid at the edge of the lake. Hapshiel had duplicated himself into an entire swarm. Dorian and Butler were facing Hollow Isamy and her last remaining servant, Byakuya. Some of the others were planning their own strategy to deal with Byakuya, but it would be up to him to defend against that. He would not fail her. She would not allow that.

Even still, the enemies gathered before her were a nuisance. And there were others still out there, hiding.

She would weed them all out.

Thanks to Void Inclusion, Hollow Isamy was able to simulate Revy’s Clown abilities… in particular, her final attack.

Raising all her arms up, the gigantic rifles that she had dropped into the lake began to move in their places, and they began to point. Each rifle was slowly being loaded at Hollow Isamy’s command, one by one, until they each carried a simulation of the same nuclear warhead that Revy had used before. Then, Hollow Isamy designated her six targets.

Those she could not see must have been hiding within the towers. Among the enemies that she could see, Dorian’s Butler was certainly dangerous, but the true source of his power was Ragnarok - the same entity that had spelled Apep’s demise.

For her sixth target, that was perhaps a little tricky. It would be foolish to waste a shot on them, especially if any of the towers were to be empty. No… she had something special in mind for them.

The two souls that she had just consumed were in love. That much was obvious from the bittersweet aftertaste of Ed’s desperate sacrifice to save Gon and Gemini. There was something delightful about snuffing out his last spark of hope; any chance he had of vengeance ended as soon as he had need of one.

Why not try that again?

The sixth rifle turned. Even if he would not be caught in the crossfire of one of the other warheads, this was sure to finish Kratos before he could even reach Hollow Isamy. What better way to kill Kratos than with the same weapon of his dearly departed?

Hollow Isamy held up each of her hands, and with the snap of her fingers, all six of her rifles fired.

Four nuclear warheads launched towards the towers at B5, E2, E6, and G4. The fifth rifle turned upright, shooting directly below Ragnarok’s cage at C4. Although Ragnarok was right beside her, Hollow Isamy did not care, so long as it would destroy that ghastly creature.

And finally, the sixth warhead was hurtling straight towards Kratos.

The recoil from most of the rifles, safe for the one trained on Ragnarok, sent the rifles slamming directly into her massive body. Hollow Isamy howled and screamed, but she would endure the pain. Even if not all of the warheads hit the towers, anyone caught in their paths would perish all the same. And then, she would have more souls to feed upon, to fuel her Void Inclusion. After all, she would need to call upon a new power soon. Loading all of the rifles had drained her replication of Revy’s power, and the rifles crumbled to dust, though the impact they left on her body was still clearly visible. Still, if that was what she could accomplish with Revy’s power, then it was more than enough.

[N O W]

She focused on the warriors standing before her. In particular, a certain former Herald of Order who simply lacked the dignity to die.

[J A C E]

[i ’ M]

[V E R Y]

[D I S A P P O I N T E D]

Cracks began to form along the right side of Hollow Isamy’s mask as a teal light gathered in front of her. Even without her Void Inclusion, the Encroachment had still transformed her body into that of a Hollow. And if any ordinary Cero would not be enough to exterminate these insects, then she knew exactly what would be. It would require incredible power, and she would be only be able to use it once.

But once would be enough.

The teal light, now a complete sphere, glinted for a moment before its color began to twist inside before it turned pitch-black. Then, Hollow Isamy declared her attack.

[C E R O]
[O S C U R A S]

A black laser immediately shot towards Jace, Niv-Mizzet, Kenpachi, Dorian, Butler, and Hapshiel, as all who opposed her would be consumed in absolute darkness.

Tesability Black · April 25, 2018

~~Jace's POV~~

On Niv-Mizzet's back, Jace held on as much as his small form could while seeing Ravnica flying up near him, prompting a look towards the creature from the dragon.

Why does that feel familar, Jace heard with a booming voice in his head from the dragon, hearing NIv-Mizzet purposely think loudly enough for the telepath to hear.

We don't have the time for that lengthy explanation, even though this medium, Jace responded in an attempt to sidestep this conversation as a whole.

"You've come back to us?" Jace's eyes widened as the voice instantly was recognized, the instance on Death being something he wished he had lost in Metarchus' destruction. It was at this point that he realized that his appearance was thankfully not an illusion and that somehow he regained his old attire. Thankful, though he was for that mercy, he wasn't able to dwell on that for long.

"We were worried for a second there."

"Worried indeed that we'd have to punish you for being naughty."

Jace slowly turned towards one, before realizing there was another to the other side of him, leaving him very uncertain about what to do regarding this angel as he rapidly turned his head from one side to another to try to keep both of them in view. Thankfully, the angel wasn't someone he had to fight as a foe, but Hapshiel definitely made most around him extremely uncomfortable, himself included.

"But,"

"at least it didn't need to come to that."

"Are you alright though?"

"Would a hug make you feel better after that awful ordeal?"

"Um...no than---"

[i N G R 8]

Jace both cut himself off and tensed upon hearing the...word? Letters? He wasn't sure he heard as much as felt the intent behind it...and it was an intent that magnified the anger he had felt. The anger within made it impossible to speak as he kept his jaw firmly shut while gritting his teeth.

But he didn't need to use his voice to be heard.

Ingrate?

I am the ingrate?

I AM NOT THE ONE THAT FORCED HER OWN WISHES OVER HER ALLIES'! NONE OF US WANTED WHAT YOU DID TO US!!

Not long after he ended up shouting that mentally to all throughout the forest, knowing full well that was gonna throw out his voice if he verbally shouted that, he saw unusual items that he only ever saw even similar to from Neos with his ability to make any weapon he could envision float up into the air, aiming at specific points before trying to fire. Gritting his teeth, he took advantage of Ravnica's close proximity, taking in the white mana they offered him before using it over the various flying devices, causing an Azorius Ploy to force them to swerve off their chosen paths and fall harmlessly into various areas of the forest.

[J A C E]

[i ’ M]

[V E R Y]

[D I S A P P O I N T E D]

"No...it's me that's disappointed in you," he stated allowed as he saw Isamy's mask glowing while taking green mana from Ravnica this time. "You're just like Liliana, using those around you for your own personal gain. You think you're doing everyone a favor, but you are mainly doing this actions not for everyone's sake...but because you yourself are tired of dealing with everyone's pain. And don't bother telling me I'm wrong, because thanks to your actions..."

Both of you, get out of the way!

[C E R O]
[O S C U R A S]

At that moment, the ball of bluish green energy in Jace's hand was thrown into the Cero, a Voidslime instantly consuming and expanding rapidly over the darkened ray to stop it from having its effect.

A moment passed and Jace had to stop himself from passing out on top of the dragon, before continuing to say, "...you and I are forced to be part of the same collective soul...and could see your pain for myself..."

Dad · April 29, 2018

The Brilliant Light of Death...

Having been heavily damaged by the fire and radiation of the blast from his enemies, Byakuya had been temporarily rendered vulnerable. Sensing this moment of opportunity, Byakuya could feel his imminent death approaching. He greeted it with a smile as the flesh on his face peeled away and left bone and skull to gawk at his foes. "Come to the embrace!" he cackled as Reimu and Cú concocted a brilliant plan to finish the Shinigami in one decisive blow.

The petals of Senbonzakura fell for just a moment, suspended loftily in the air as Byakuya's defense was temporarily shattered. The light of a powerful spear reigned across the battlefield, aimed directly for Byakuya's heart.

It soared across the sky with incredible force, and Byakuya eyed the spear with great malice. It seemed that he did not fear death, even now.

It was then that black light began to seep from Byakuya's pores as he outstretched what remained of his arms. The Shinigami in him would not allow Byakuya to fall to such a pitiful death. Not yet. Eight minuscule black orbs of light formed an octagon around Byakuya as he whispered to himself a chant.

"Kuyō Shibari," he muttered. These black orbs of light twisted and turned until they began to warp the very fabric of space around Byakuya, and a ninth black hole formed over his chest, obscuring the Shinigami from view.

Ordinarily, this Bakudou spell would be used offensively to limit a target's movements. However, with Isamy's power coursing through Byakuya's veins, these black holes were both offensive and defensive, their power enhanced beyond imagination. Existence itself was in question with these voids in space, and Gae Bolg was no exception. Even upon entering the mere space that was near to Hollow Isamy herself, the spear would be crushed and erased under the sheer weight of the black holes.

As the Gae Bolg disappeared, so too did the "Sunlight Traps". In their place, nine rays of light took shape with a crimson hue. They expanded outward and set their sights on a single target: the one called Dorian.

Dust to Dust

She was gone. Like everything that Kratos had held dear, Revy too was gone. Her body turned to dust in his bare hands, Kratos had once more lost all that mattered. He could feel his rage boiling over, gripping his mind as it fought with the fires of hope. He fell into the snow to his knees, his hands empty as a brilliant azure flame washed over his body. That flame flickered, changing colors rapidly from red to blue, and blue to red. He drew his blades from his back and looked to the sky where he could see Hollow Isamy's body in the treelines.

She took Revy from him. She did this! This monster who loomed over existence and wanted only for their own desires to be realized. Hollow Isamy and Byakuya. He would kill them both.

A damning explosion caused Kratos to raise his neck as Hollow Isamy suddenly summoned Revy's weapons and fired impossibly enormous warheads at himself and his allies. If this was how Kratos was going to die, then by all means, he would not go quietly. His flame turned red with rage as he roared back at his foes and prepared to leap toward his death.

"Don't be a fool!" called a voice behind Kratos, stunning him and causing him to hesitate.

A lightning blur zipped past Kratos and took to the sky, followed by a similarly green blur. "We'll take it from here, old timer!" said Killua as he blazed past Kratos.

Loss

Ed was gone. Elsa was gone. He had not choice but to continue to face battle with his best friend. As they crossed over and entered the battlefield, Killua remained silent. Gon, however, was still smiling. "We can't let their deaths be in vain. Right?" he asked of Killua.

Killua smiled at last. "That would be dishonorable."

They both raced forward and intercepted Kratos, taking to the sky to tackle the warhead headed their way.

"I'll short-circuit the warhead! You do the rest!" Killua called over the sound of rushing winds.

Gon nodded and purposely stopped to fall back to the snow. "First comes rock," he chanted.

Killua landed aboard the warhead with ease, though its force was trying to throw him back off. Like any missile, the warhead was stored at the top of the device where it could be detonated in the air around its target. But it couldn't detonate if the trigger didn't work. Even on impact, it would be nothing more than a thud. Killua ripped open the panel over the warhead and smashed his fist into it, then fed a quick jolt of electricity into the control panel. It fizzled, and Killua raised his head to look down to Gon. He gave his friend a thumbs up and hopped off of the missile.

"Paper," Gon started. "Rock," he added as his fist glowed a bright orange color. "Rock!" he yelled with all of his might and thrust his fist forward.

Beneath the might of Gon's punch, the warhead crumbled and the missile began to fold in on itself. Kratos latched his blades onto the missile to Gon and Killua's surprise and began to pull the missile with all of his might and turned to throw the missile toward the black tower behind himself and the two boys. Gon and Killua then gave the missile a push and it was thrust toward the tower before vanishing into nothingness as it came into contact with the strange stone structure.

Kratos once more fell to his knees, exhausted and angry.

"You okay, old timer?" Killua asked, panting.

Kratos remained silent.

"Let's teach that miserable old bat that she can't have her way with existence," Gon said.

Kratos, however, still said nothing. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.

Truth

As Kenpachi fell, Yachiru raced on to catch him from the skies. She barely made it in time and Kenpachi groaned as he and Yachiru spilled into the murky waters of the lake below.

Kenpachi quickly turned over and forced himself up to his knees where he tried to catch his breath. The blast from that weapon that Revy had fired caught him off guard. But he had to stand and fight.

"Kenny. There's something I need to talk to you about," Yachiru began.

"I'm sorry, Yachiru," Kenpachi replied. "But first, I have to put our old friend out of his misery," Kenpachi said as he watched black holes form and disappear in front of Byakuya. "Hold that thought. I want it to be one of our best conversations," he said as he began to stand. "And I promise I won't ever interrupt you again."

With a smile, Kenpachi leaped back into the fray and charged upward to Byakuya. "Kuchikl!" he bellowed.

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

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