Chapter Eight: Frontal Assault!

The night air was filled with smoke and tensions. Previous, the Gems had fought a horde of monsters whose mission was to drag the humans of Beach City back to the Clockwork Citadel for the Forged Warriors' nefarious purposes! Then, they to fight of monsters they had previously encounter and defeated them! But the Gems now had a new problem…the Forged Warriors had arrived and almost immediately brought out their Full Armored Forms! Now the Gems and Lion were faced with fighting the equivalent of three Gem Fusions…at the same time!

Silence gripped the field as the two sides observed each other, waiting for the opening move. The Gems did not have to wait long as Ferrum brought his hands together in front of him, forming the sign of the Tiger(1), breathed in through his nostrils, and fired what could only be described as a beam of heat from his third eye!(2) The Gems jumped to avoid it, recognizing the technique, while Lions only warning was a series of 'pops' in the air until…

THA-DOOM!

Lion was hit by the full force of the explosion occurring right in front of him! The concussion of the blast threw Lion back nearly twenty feet, plowing into cars left on the street! He came to a rest in the wreckage of the Mayor's private limo, bent around the middle! The Armored Warriors wore savage grins which revealed pointed, carnivorous teeth! Then, quicker than the eye could see, the Armored Warriors launched an attack on the Crystal Gems!

Ferrum reached Garnet first, leading his attack with overhead kick, which Garnet narrowly avoids! The kick reduces the pavement beneath it into lava, revealing the intense heat surrounding the Armored Warrior! Garnet looked like she was fighting in a burning blaze, sweating profusely, while her Gem Fists were glowing from the heat whenever her blows connected! Ferrum, on the other hand, was looking like he was having the time of his life as he unleashed a blinding series of blows, which Garnet was narrowly able to avoid, where as he did not seem to feel when Garnet was able to strike him! It looked to anyone seeing the fight as if Ferrum was…playing with Garnet!

Electrum had taken a different route to find Pearl, by leaping into the air and soaring like an eagle! Quickly spotting Pearl, the Armored Warrior plunged to the earth, to dive bomb pearl with sheet of frozen feathered blade! Pearl was barely able to jump to the side and watch as Electrum soared past her! Pearl was in the same position as she was in the first fight with the Bejeweled Bee!(3) Only this was an intelligent opponent who knew Pearl for years, meaning it was just a matter of time…

Quicksilver chose to use his water tendrils to search for Amethyst, using their near-unlimited range to scour any hiding place. Plus, he could send electricity through, causing wonderful explosions to clear out any hiding place! Amethyst hid behind a shop window, trying to come up with a plan to deal with the now Armored Warrior. Unfortunately, Quicksilver used his water tendril arms to smash through the window, spotting Amethyst and snatching her! Now, he began to electrocute Amethyst, while laughing like a maniac!

Steven was forced to watch helpless in shock at the turn of events! "What the heck?! What's with these guys?!" exclaimed Steven rhetorically, not expecting an answer…especially from the one who was standing right next to him!

"They're in Full Armored Form, basically the Warriors' answer to the Crystal Gems' Fusion ability. It supercharges their powers and gives them control over their related element. Unfortunately, it also can leave them a bit…unhinged." Explained Connie, without thinking. Steven stared back at Connie, surprised at her comment before she elaborated, "The ritual also transferred some basic knowledge of the Warriors' abilities, as well as my own. Nothing any Gem wouldn't know!"

Steven thought over what Connie said before he asked, "Is there any…I don't know…weaknesses for this form they got?"

Connie thought it over a bit before replying, "Well, other losing some of their self-control, they're also quick to anger. Other than that, if they take enough damage or use too much energy, they'll revert back to normal exhausted."

Steven pondered what he had just learned. There seemed to be nothing the Gems could do to hurt them, so why not… Steven immediately leapt from his perch, despite Connie's objections, and rushed towards the field of battle! Stopping and hiding from sight behind pieces of rubble, Steven slowly made his way towards the street Electrum was dive-bombing Pearl! Looking around from his hiding spot, Steven spotted what he was looking for: one of Electrum's frozen feather blades!

Grabbing a piece of cloth off from the ground, Steven wrapped his hand in it and quietly walked towards the blade! With a light tug, he was able to free the blade from the ground…and nearly dropped it from the intense cold! Quickly as he could Steven ran towards where Quicksilver was sadistically electrocuting Amethyst! Taking careful aim, Steven held the blade back…and threw it towards Quicksilver's butt!

"YAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" shrieking from the sudden pain and cold, Quicksilver dropped Amethyst and looked around! Steven had already hidden himself behind a car leaving the only person in sight to be…Electrum soaring through the air! Snarling, Quicksilver rushed over to Electrum, completely forgetting about Amethyst, laying ten feet from him! Steven ran over to help Amethyst, smiling that phase one of his new master strategy was working!

Electrum was busy herding Pearl out into the open, by bombing every hiding place she had! Soon, Pearl tried to stand her ground in the street, with Electrum leering down from the sky! Electrum readied to unleash a full barrage of frozen feather blades, enough that Pearl could not possibly deflect them all…when he feels an electric zap from behind him!

"HEY!" shrieked Quicksilver, still mad about the blade to his butt, "Get down here!" Electrum complied, annoyed but willing to work out whatever was wrong while Quicksilver continued to rant, "You'd better explain this feather that got lodged in my ass!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." said Electrum truthfully, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to complete a mission!" With that Electrum prepared to take off into the air.

"Oh, you are not getting off that easy!" shouted Quicksilver as he used his water tendrils to grab Electrum, shock him, and then slam him into a wall! This apparently was the final straw as Electrum responded with a feather blade barrage he was saving for Pearl! It quickly descended into a full-out brawl on the street before Pearl's shocked eyes!

Ferrum was not oblivious to this change in fight dynamic! He had previous wrapped his tail around Garnet and was slamming her into the ground! However, after hearing the brawl Electrum and Quicksilver had gotten into, Ferrum snarled in annoyance, dropped Garnet and proceed to leap towards the sight of the brawl! By the time Ferrum had arrived, the street was cracked and covered in frost, the cars were scorched or melted by the amount of electricity flying in the air, and Electrum and Quicksilver were a mess! Pieces of their armor had fallen off, hair had been torn out, and bruises and scrapes were all over their bodies!

"ENOUGH!" exclaimed Ferrum as he reached over and grabbed the two, keeping them as far apart as possible, not that they notice, "You two are brawling like school children! We have a mission to complete or don't you remember it!"

"Butt out!" screamed the dueling pair as they elbowed Ferrum in the face, causing him to drop them. This proved to be a mistake as Ferrum's temper was already close to boiling! With a primal scream, Ferrum shot fire from his mouth at the rambunctious duo! Recognizing a new opponent, Electrum and Quicksilver turned their attention to Ferrum, escalating the fight into a three way brawl on the street!

The Gems had recovered from their respective beatings and gathered at a safe distance to watch the…display! Steven had explained his idea to get the Armored Warriors to fight each other, and it looked like it was working! Unfortunately…it was working a little too well!

"We have to put an end to this now! Before they destroy all of Beach City!" exclaimed Pearl, seeing the catastrophic amount of damage the Armored Warriors were doing.

"I donno…we could probably sell tickets for this!" Amethyst stated with a mouthful of popcorn. Where she even found popcorn in the deserted city was a question for another time. Garnet surveyed the field looking for anything that turn the tide! Suddenly…she spotted a tanker that somehow had escaped the destruction of the brawling titans…and they were getting extremely close to it!

"Pearl, can you hit that tanker from here?" asked Garnet. Pearl had a puzzled expression before readying the label on the side of the tanker! She summoned her Spear, held it like an Olympic javelin thrower, and launched it at the tanker! She managed to pierce the side of the tanker facing the Armored Warriors, dousing them with its contents! Only Ferrum was in a position to read the label on the tanker: GASOLINE!

KA-BOOOM!

The explosion of the tanker of gasoline took out what remained of the block…and sent the Warriors flying through the air! Crashing to the ground the Warriors are shown having reverted to their original forms, with the bruises, scrapes and burns to show the damage! Groaning, they slowly manage to lift their heads up to face the Gems, who, while ruffled up, still had the energy to fight!

"ENOUGH!" came a shout from behind the Warriors. They turned around to see...Lord Titanium! And boy did he look mad! "I guess it's true what they say! Never send boys to do a man's job! Now get back to the Citadel and heal! It seems I have to clean-up this…mess!"

The Warriors crawl through the portal looking like beaten dogs! First because they lost to the Gems because they were fighting each other! And also because they disappointed their teacher/leader/father figure! Once they had left, Titanium looked at the Gems (who had lost some of the confidence the Warriors' defeat had given them, but none of the defiance) and smirked! With but a single finger thrust, Titanium used enough force to hurl the Gems' back twenty feet! Climbing back to their feet, the Gems were greeted to the sight of Titanium giving them a slow clap!

"Bravo! You have proven more of a hindrance to my plans then I previous estimated!" stated Titanium as he dropped into a fighting stance whilst also bringing out his Warhammer from behind his back, "You now have my undivided attention!"

Enacting a plan they had when they first suspect the Warriors of returning, Garnet and Amethyst performed their Fusion Dance in order to become…Sugilite!(4) Summoning her Meteor Hammer, Sugilite used Garnet's focused nature to work out a strategy using Amethyst's out of the bow thinking. Suddenly she threw the Meteor hammer to wrap around Titanium's Warhammer and give a mighty pull! Unfortunately…she overestimated her physical strength in this instance!

With the barest tug, Titanium reversed the situation, causing Sugilite to come flying at him! As she approached, Titanium swung his Warhammer down to deal a massive blow to Sugilite's head! This was followed by a front kick, which caused the Fusion to split back into Garnet and Amethyst! Garnet flew into a shop window, while Pearl managed to grab Amethyst and bring her back gently to the ground! Titanium just stood there, waiting for the Gem's next move!

Amethyst and Pearl immediately did their own Fusion Dance becoming…Opal! Pulling out her bow, Opal began to draw it back for a shot, which Titanium was prepared to dodge. Suddenly, Opal surged forward catching Titanium by surprise! Kicking up a cloud of dust, Opal suddenly disappeared with a quick burst of speed! Looking around, Titanium was unable to see Opal prepare a full-powered Energy Arrow, right behind him in the air…until it was too late!

BOOM! A massive explosion occurred when the arrow struck him shattering the surrounding windows! Opal knew that it wouldn't be enough to finish, so began to look for Titanium as the smoke cleared. Only…he wasn't there! Shocked Opal turned around, only to receive a blow to her midsection from his Warhammer, which would have pulverized the ribs of any normal being! Opal split back into Pearl and Amethyst…only there was no one to catch them as Amethyst hit the pavement and Pearl into the same store Garnet landed!

Knowing there was at least one Fusion left, Titanium gently floated to the ground and waited. He didn't have to wait long, as a flash signaling a Fusion came from the store Garnet and Pearl had landed in, and out of it burst…Spessartine! Wearing a brownish-orange jumpsuit similar to Garnet, this four-arm giant had a pale complexion with auburn flowing hair atop her head. Brown dueling gloves graced her upper hands and brown riding boots on her feet. She summoned Garnet's Fist and Pearl's Spear, then fused them together to form…a Dueling Sabre! Swiftly saluting with the Sabre with her upper right arm, Spessartine dropped down into a dueling pose, getting ready to combat Titanium!

Unlike the previous Fusion that he brushed off nonchalantly, Titanium study his opponent with a critical eye. "It's been a while since I've seen this Crystal Gem!" observed Titanium, talking as if Spessartine wasn't standing in front of him, "I wonder if this one even remembers how to fight!"

Spessartine smirked, understanding the taunt for what it was and replied in a deep, melodious voice with hints of a medieval accent,(5) "Childish taunt do not work on me, knave. Let us dispense with the games and have at it!"

Titanium laughed quietly and nodded. The first move was Spessartine as she lunged forward with a series of strikes almost too quick to see! Unfortunately, Titanium calmly and easily parried the blows with his Warhammer's handle! Then, unexpectedly, Spessartine summoned a second Sabre in her lower left hand! The sword cut into Titanium's armor, shocking him from his confidence!

Spessartine smirked at first blood, before Titanium dropped his Warhammer and unleashed a series of hand strikes unto Spessartine's undefended torso!(6) The force of the final blow knock Spessartine back as she split into Garnet and Pearl, both landing in a heap in front of Amethyst! Steven couldn't believe it…all the Gem Fusions he knew about or suspected had been used, and all they gave Titanium was a scratch! And he hadn't even used his Full Armor Form yet!

"So guys 'cough' how we doing?" Amethyst asked as she slowly got up from the pavement.

"Not so great. It looks like Titanium's skills weren't as rusty as we thought they were." explained Pearl. The Fusion plan had been based on the hope that Titanium had not kept his skills up in the years he was imprisoned. Boy was that total wrong! They had hope to at least have him at FAF by now, when they would be forced to use a more…unstable fusion!

"Steven! No matter what happens next…run!" demanded Garnet, in between groans from her injuries.

"But…?" began Steven, worried about what the girls had planned.

"Don't worry Steven! It'll be all over soon!" stated Pearl in a reassuring tone, unaware of the ominous ring her words had on Steven.

"Yeah get of here kid! You're cramping our style!" exclaimed Amethyst in a playful tone, though even she wasn't sure about what would happen next. Steven still looked at the Gems with concern, while Connie ran over to Lion, woke him up and brought him to Steven. At Connie's urging, Steven got up onto Lion and the kids rode off to safety! Though Steven could not help but look back at the batter Gems about to face a more or less physically fit Warrior Lord!

The Gems stared at Titanium, determined to hold off the villain with their very lives if necessary! "So you want to go first or…?" asked Amethyst in a serious tone.

Titanium, on the other hand, look like he was about burst with anticipation! "No, no! Ladies first after all! Besides…I've been waiting for this fight for more than a decade! I enjoy the other Fusions, but really…I can only cut lose with a Tri-Fusion or more!" exclaimed Titanium, equal parts polite and eagerness for battle in his tone. The truth was, there was a danger for the Gems going out of control in a Fusion of three or more! As they performed the Dance, each Gem kept one thought in their mind to help control the upcoming Fusion: protect Steven!

At the end of the Dance, a more powerful flash appeared, greater than the previous Fusions! The ground shock, the clouds part as the flash subsided and revealed…Moonstone! Standing even taller than the other ten foot Fusions (at somewhere between twelve to fifteen feet), this silvery-blue colored Gem with silver flowing hair had six pairs of arms! On her forehead, chest and uppermost pair of hands were her namesake gem! She wore a light blue jumpsuit with fingerless gloves on her hands and silver thigh-length boots! Her facial features were a mixture of the Gems that formed her: the sharp nose of Pearl, the full lips of Amethyst, and behind mirrored glasses, Garnet's steely gaze!

Hold her six pairs of hands in front of her, Moonstone summoned her counterparts' weapons: Garnet's Fists. Amethyst's Whip, and Pearl's Spear! In a bright flash, the weapons fused together to form…a War-Scythe! The gleaming white pair of blades were pointed forward, the shaft darkened to pure black, the purple cord of the whip appeared at the top with a weighted red spiked ball! Altogether, a fearsomely powerful weapon! Moonstone grabbed it with her uppermost right hand and her middle left hand, leaving her other hands freed for battle, as she silently took her opening stance!

Titanium watched with a critical eye before stating, "Well I guess it's my turn then!" Taking the horse stance, Titanium brought his hands in front of him is a pyramid of power! Slowly he breathed in and out, as his Warhammer disappeared in a flash of energy, enshrouding him! As time pass, the ground shook toppling building behind Titanium, thunder and lightning crashed despite not a cloud being in the sky, and his mystic glow grew brighter and brighter! Then a shape of a lion appeared around him and gave a mighty roar as lightning crashed down upon Titanium!

Moonstone did not flinch, expecting this to occur, waiting for the dust and smoke to clear. And there he stood...Lord Titanium in Full Armor Form! His armor had shifted taking on the features of a feline standing as a man! His gauntlets and boots, reshaped to resemble the paws of a great cat! A tail could be seen swing behind him, grey with a tuft of dark grey fur! He wore a helmet in the shape of a lion's head, complete with a dark grey mane, only his closed eyes and mouth with beard were visible!

And his eyes open to reveal…a wild lust, like a Lion stalking his prey! He grins revealing a mouth filled sharp teeth as he said, "Now, then…shall we begin?" And with that the two titans dove towards each other; one to protect and one to conquer! Who would win?!

Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe or any characters or elements that are contained in the series. I only own this story and the original characters (i.e. villains and monsters) and concepts that go with it. This is a fairly long chapter, which is why it took so long! Now all that's left is the last chapter and the epilogue…as well as hints to coming attractions! Can't wait to see the half-hour special! Read and Review please!

1 Anyone who knows the hand signs, or Seals, they do on 'Naruto' understands I'm using 'Tora'.

2 This technique is the same as the Combustion ability found on the 'Avatar' series, both original and Korra.

3 As seen in Chapter 1 "Testing…"

4 To be perfectly clear, this is my Sugilite but it uses the show's dance! I truly have a problem with the Canon Sugilite, she's too out of control! It did like the fusion dance, like a glow-stick party!

5 I would imagine the best voice for Spessartine would be Gwendoline Christie, voice of 'Game of Thrones' character Brienne of Tarth. She was one of my favorite female characters in the show!

6 Similar to the Hyuuga "Eight Trigram Sixty Four Palms" technique as seen on the 'Naruto' anime series