Crisis of Ivory
Chapter 35: Declaration Message
Location: Coastal Valley Mansion
Knuckles and Blaze walked through the garden of Gemini's mansion, massive bushes rising up on either of him as they curved around to make a large labyrinth. The two had walked through out of boredom, and based on what they know the entrance wasn't too far through the next few curves. The red echidna had now known what burden was placed on Sonic and Tails, and could how Silver was just in his position, but still a little naive. After all, he felt so much pressure on him, and there seemed to be no escape.
Sonic was off training, disappearing at most day hours with Chrono and Fang, with today not being an exception. Chrono didn't allow any. Everyone wanted Knuckles to push for a solution to figure out a way to save Tails, and no one knows what happened to Chaos or Metal. Silver and Marine still haven't returned from getting the Chaos Emerald, Team Dark won't respond to their calls, and Ragnarok is still waiting in the wings, and because they weren't so activate lately. Knuckles could only assume they were collecting their forces and becoming even more powerful, and there was nothing they could do until they revealed themselves.
"You should really stop thinking about all of the things you have to do," Blaze said, crossing her arms to cover herself as a breeze flowed through the passageways of the garden maze. "I'm still worried about what happened to Silver and Marine, but you don't see me killing myself over it."
"But I can't just put it on the side, not when all of those things are so important," Knuckles countered as they turned another corner. "So many people are placing their hopes in me right now. Why did Sonic have to do all of this training all of a sudden?"
"Because the idea that he can master his Chosen abilities can be the difference between the destruction or the preservation of this world," Blaze stated as they came around the bend, walking down the next corridor. "After all, the destruction of this world will be the destruction of the future and of my own dimension which I still care about. Besides, Tails just used logical facts to stay cool and Sonic just ran. You have to have your own outlet too, or you won't be a good leader. I had trouble with that back in my own dimension."
"I'll find something then, I guess," Knuckles promised as they turned around the last corner and the large gates to the garden loomed over them. He pressed against the gate, causing it to creek open slowly. "You know, I've been looking through some of the echidna lore, and I think that some parts of what these Ragnarok agents have been saying pertains to some things in it. I can't confirm anything, but it's something to think about. We know nothing about them really and we need answers."
"That's good," Blaze said as they walked through the gate. "Keep looking. You may find out a hell of a lot through that stuff."
"I will," Knuckles nodded as they stepped out of the garden and into the main plaza area, two sets of stairs curving around the large fountain in front of the mansion as they led into the front door. The area below had multiple pathways leading off to the meadows, gardens, and beaches below, showing off the beautiful sight that was Gemini's private resort. Knuckles looked out at the beach and did not see any figures; Sonic, Chrono, and Fang must be training off of the forest behind the mansion that day, and they probably wouldn't get back for a while. "Tell the heroes to meet up tonight; we have to begin making a move or Ragnarok will get the drop on us."
"Sounds good," Blaze said, walking away from Knuckles and up the stairs.
But as the echidna guardian watched her go up the stair, her eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks. Knuckles wondered what caused her to do that, but he suddenly felt the wave of pressure over him. Despite being around the Master Emerald, the greatest known source of chaos energy, and being around Chaos, a god, he felt that this source of energy wasn't only greatest than that of Chaos but it was also different. It felt like there was an ocean above the sky that crashed down upon them, though the energy had an eerie sense of light and calm. Moments after they felt the energy three whirling black and white vortexes tore through space and into existence, giving way to three Ragnarok agents.
The first was recognizable as the destructive lynx Havoc that Shadow fought at Rail Canyon, but the other one was new, at least they did not know who he was yet. The Ragnarok was a dark blue male wolf. He had a large, bushy gray tail, had a purple crest in the center of his forehead right above in between his eyes, and spiky, short cut gray hair. His bright yellow eyes glared down at the two heroes, while he had a long golden belt on which featured a sky blue sheath with dark blue waves outlined in gold at the ends.
In his hand was a long katana with blue thread like shapes running along the blade to its tip and to the top of the edge, and the hilt was a sky blue with golden markings woven into it and gold separating the guard and blade. There was no hilt at all, showing that only one who could properly use the blade could avoid hurting themselves. Knuckles recalled that weapon when he and Vector fought the mysterious figure who took away Gemini's memory, and Knuckles had a feeling this wolf was the very same person he fought.
The last figure had the same Ragnarok attire, but without sleeves, revealing orange limbs which ended in black fingerless gloves. This cloak was more of a coat with a hood, allowing the orange form underneath to be revealed as the buckles that replaced the zipper were undone. This last figure who stood in the center had long orange hair like spikes on the back of his head, along with swirling vermilion markings across his cheeks and red eyes with many rings within it. The figure had a very pale muzzle and he did not seem to have fur-instead his skin was a more metallic like surface while a long, thick spiked tail whipped out behind the figure, covered in orange and purple.
Save for the mechanical parts, this figure looked just like the other three "Nebulas" that Chaos fought in Apotos, and the energy was no different. Blaze leaped back down the stairs next to Knuckles as she summoned a swirl of flames around her body, ready to attack the three at a moment's notice.
"What are you here for?" Knuckles demanded, suddenly letting out a harmless green pulse of chaos energy out from his body and into the air. "I just sent a signal from the Master Emerald to warn the closest heroes, so you better have a good excuse!"
"It seems that Tikal has not arrived yet," the Nebula lookalike stated, staring past the heroes as if they weren't there. "That's a shame. When we're done here we'll just simply leave behind an Airborne or a Guardian. No matter how powerful her echidna magic is, she has just become tangible and so she will be taken care of before she can reveal anything."
"I don't think you should be threatening us, anyway," the wolf said, holding his sword out to the two as a challenge. "You have no idea who you're dealing with. Our Lord of Ragnarok will blow your mind!"
"He's the Ragnarok's leader?" Knuckles exclaimed, staring at the crimson eyed figure. "Why...why...are you here?"
"Cerebral is right. I am the Ragnarok's leader. To show you heroes how pathetically worthless you are in the face of Ragnarok's goal," the mechanized Nebula exclaimed, his tail whipping out behind him. "I will not let you vigilantes attempt to impede us any longer. When those injured futuristic heroes come back, we will take care of them too."
At that moment Amy and Luxi ran up through the pathway leading out to the cliffs on the side of the mansion while Repul and Tain ran out from the forest pathway and Gemini peered down from one of the large balconies to look down upon the three figures. The three Ragnarok members stayed still as the tension increased, all of the heroes completely on edge and waiting for the first attack. Knuckles looked down at the three Ragnarok members, and his heart sank as he gaged the other two's energies-Shadow was the one who could stand up to Havoc as the lynx had an extremely high level of energy, and that Cerebral was probably one of the more elite members, as his energy levels put those like Leo's to shame.
Not a word was said as the tension increased, each side waiting for the other to make a move. Knuckles began to charge up a Thunder Arrow in his hand as a diversion in desperation, the shining projectile sparking to life in Knuckles' hands. They all waited for the attack to unleash a call for the battle, but it stared preemptively as Gemini dropped down, his boots clacking against the floor of the outside of the main hall. Cerebral spun around and swiped his sword out in an arc, attempting to cleave Gemini's head off but he summoned a Dark Cutter to his hand and blocked the attack.
Knuckles quickly aimed his Thunder Arrow at Havoc and fired, but the lynx jumped back only to get slammed across the face by Repul's massive black metallic blade which knocked him past Cerebral and into the inside of the mansion's main hall. Gemini attempted to use his Dark Cutter to pierce Cerebral past his sword but the wolf spun around and slashed him up with the sword, sending him sailing through the air. The wolf chased after him to the mansion roof while Luxi followed to aid him, and Repul and Amy followed Havoc into the main hall, leaving Knuckles, Blaze, and Tain with the Mech Nebula.
"Deep Impact!" Knuckles shouted, launching forward at the Mech Nebula with Tain jumping above him and unleashing Tattoo Whips at the Ragnarok leader. Blaze followed up behind them with Fire Claws at the ready.
"You have made a foolish mistake attempting to oppose me," Mech Nebula chuckled, suddenly launching a rocket from his palm at the trio.
The contact let out a massive explosion which rocked the air and blew open the side of the mansion, with a force that would tear apart any normal person. On the inside of the whole was Knuckles, Blaze, and Tain, hiding behind cover. If it wasn't for Tain's save by pulling them away while using the smoke as cover, they all would be dead. Mech Nebula hovered using the jets on its back, it's right arm converted into a gatling gun as it surveyed the area with no emotion on its face while seeking out the bodies of its two targets.
"This isn't good," Knuckles whispered to Tain. "He's going to find us eventually."
"He's unusually strong," Tain said. "If it wasn't for his voice or that massive chaos energy readings, he could be a robot."
"But his presence was so full of life," Knuckles countered. "Funny, that feeling of his energy is one that I've definitely felt before. Something about this is eerily familiar."
"Come out, guardian," Nebula demanded, "it will only make things simpler for you."
"Do you have any ideas, any tactics on how to beat him?" Knuckles wondered. "Mercenaries would fight kind of like the way Rouge does, and she always thinks of that. I don't think we'll win against the Lord of Ragnarok with brute force."
"No kidding," Tain said. "He outclasses both of us easily. We're going to have to find a weakness first, or he's going to tear us to shreds."
"How are we going to do that without getting torn to shreds?" Blaze wondered, looking at the Mech Nebula through a piece of window glass lying on the floor. "He has a gatling gun and a jet pack!"
"I want to face you all at your true potentials," Mech Nebula stated. "Gemini will be pushed to the limit in a desperation to destroy Cerebral to get his memories back, and Repul will have to push to his limits in order to fight an opponent like Havoc. You three, on the other hand, will need a more emotional push. None of you will attack unless pushed, even those like Knuckles."
"Ignore him," Blaze urged. "We do not need to be provoked."
"I won't," Knuckles promised.
"I have a plan," Tain announced, pulling out one of his short swords and twirling it in his hand. "But you're going to have to give me an opening. Be careful."
"Do you want to know what happened to Chaos?" Mech Nebula questioned, surveying the open floor. "Maybe this realization will bring out your true strength. I will show you how futile you really are, no matter how strong you become."
"Wait for it," Tain warned, the heroes getting ready as the Mech Nebula continued to stare at the rubble, looking for signs of movement. "Blaze, look for signs of faltering."
"I was one of the gods fighting in the God War," Nebula stated. "Chaos worked against me and I chose to take revenge. I killed him with little effort, and you heroes are next."
"Thunder Arrow!" Knuckles shouted in anger.
The red echidna dashed out of cover, avoiding a few shots before unleashing the whizzing, deadly lightning projectile. The Mech Nebula looked in shock and quickly swerved to the side to avoid the powerful attack, only to find himself quite low to the floor of the level. Blaze charged towards him with Fire Claws in hand, almost ready to pounce but the Mech Nebula fired a round of gatling bullets which she dodged. The cat sidestepped the bullets before lunging out at the Mech Nebula with a Fireball in hand but the robot like Ragnarok slashed across her stomach with his tail, sending her flying into the wall.
"And this is why your efforts mean nothing," the Mech Nebula said. "Wait, where is the tattooed wolf?"
"Here!" Tain said, leaping up behind him. By the time the Ragnarok leader turned around the wolf stabbed the shirt sword deep into his chest, the tattooed anthro narrowing his eyes and pushing the sword in deeper.
Meanwhile, Gemini and Luxi fought against Cerebral on the roof of the mansion, but it was clear who the primary combatant was. The darkness wielding hedgehog charged again, determination flickering in his pale amber eyes as he rushed forward and fired a barrage of black bursts at the mysterious swordsman. The navy wolf chuckled to himself before swiping out of his sword multiple times, slicing each attack in half. Gemini slammed his fist against the sword, drawing blood as the edge cut through his glove. The rosy hedgehog backed off and summoned a Dark Cutter, slashing across Cerebral's blade multiple times to no avail.
"You won't be able to cut through Mindspeed, no matter how hard you try," Cerebral stated. "It was formed from the strongest metals combined with my own energy into a Chaos Alloy."
"Are you done rambling?" Gemini spat, suddenly splitting as his other body slammed down with a powerful kick aided by dark energy from above.
However, Cerebral hopped off of the roof and flipped backwards, kicking up a tile while landing which he used to block multiple lances that cut through the air. The wolf let the tile drop as he ducked, Gemini's Dark Comet sailing overhead as the very pressure of it rocked the roof under them. The wolf blocked a Dark Cutter swipe from behind as the Rose Casino owner then pushed off from the attack, his two halves fusing together again as he stared down his opponent. The wolf simply smirked as he surveyed his two opponents, his sword gleaming in the sunlight as his yellow eyes showed a sense of great pride.
"Someone's quite eager to fight me," Cerebral laughed. "What's the matter? Want your memories back?"
"You've caused me a lot of trouble, you little shit. If I don't get them back you're going to be as good as dead," Gemini hissed.
"Don't count on it," Cerebral sneered. "That would cause a bit of trouble for Ragnarok with you spilling our secrets. And besides, you killing me? What a joke!"
The black striped hedgehog charged forward, splitting in two as Luxi tossed a wave of lime energy pikes at the navy wolf. Cerebral leaped up into the air to avoid the weaponry before the two Geminis suddenly rushed up at him in two Dark Comets that spun together into an even more powerful attack. The wolf looked down at the two and smirked, touching a finger to his head before his sword suddenly glowed with a navy blue light for a moment.
The mysterious force traveled through the air and slammed into one of the Geminis' heads, suddenly causing both of them to drop out of the air and fall to the ground, clutching their heads. Cerebral smirked landed on the roof before charging at their sides with his sword ready to strike, but Luxi quickly got in the way, summoning a cleaver in one hand and an axe in the other. The rabbit tossed the axe at Cerebral which he caught off the edge of the axe and tossed back with impressive dexterity but Luxi then charged forward with the cleaver, swiping it out at the wolf's side.
The navy anthro growled in anger as blood spewed from his arm, which was sliced almost to the bone by the attack. The wolf quickly held his hand out to Luxi, causing her to unwillingly drop the cleaver as it sliced her leg on the way to the ground. The rabbit cried out in agony as she fell to the ground, her weapons dissipating. Cerebral simply smirked as he walked towards her slowly, his sword Mindspeed gleaming in the light as his yellow eyes filled with the smug confidence coming from his almost assured victory.
"My abilities are unique that I can completely control the neural signals in my body and those of others, effectively being able to read and control the minds and movements of others, and can boost my own," Cerebral stated. "You cannot fight me with just brute force, and so your powers mean nothing in the face of my greatness."
"Someone's got an ego," Gemini said, his two bodies fusing together as he managed to get himself to his feet, slowly regaining his strength. "All I know is you somehow took my memories out from my neural system, and I'm going to beat it out of you."
"Bring it," Cerebral dared, and the two charged once more, only to suddenly stop in their tracks as a massive rumble came form the downstairs hall.
Repul flew back from the source, grunting as he slammed through another wall and into the great dining hall. Maids screamed and ran in different directions as Repul crashed onto the table before finally falling off and coming to a stop on the floor. The ram leaped to his feet and held his hands out, pulling his metal cleaver through the air and grasping it tightly before he swung it out, causing the chandelier to fall from the ceiling and suddenly burst apart as a high powered laser of vermilion particles destroyed it in a blaze of energy.
Havoc stepped through the destruction, rage filling his eyes as the vermilion particles danced around his body. The lynx suddenly charged forward, spinning into a powerful drill as swirling helices of purple augmented his movements. Repul quickly raised his massive blade despite it being almost twice his size and blocked the Destruction Drill, before suddenly holding his hand out at his sword. The edge of the blade suddenly had the metal pulled off of it and replaced by a new one, the old edge being eaten up by the purple particles.
"You get my power now, don't you?" Havoc stated, suddenly firing threads of particles at him which he jumped out of the way of by kicking off of the wall.
"The particles eat up anything they touch, and you can move it with your will to create these attacks," Repul stated, leaping to his feet and holding his sword out, unleashing a barrage of metal bullets from his sword from the bottom of the stairs. "A powerful ability, but one easy to overcome."
"You damn heroes..." Havoc said, pulling up a shifting wave of particles to absorb and destroy the metal shots before they reached him. "Always trying to be on top of the world. I was one of your kind once, you know. But the crime would never stop, no matter how much I did. Well, I'm going to get rid of it once and for all, even if I have to destroy some of my own to do it!"
"One can still change the world," Repul promised, holding his sword up to block any other attacks which pushed him back enough to then have him leap on top of the dining table, "It may not be so easy though."
"Well, I'm not willing to wait for this world's redemption, not anymore," Havoc hissed, pushing all of his will into his next attack as giant whirling helices of particles surrounded him in a protective field which disintegrated everything else. "Ragnarok will accelerate the end for this world, ending its misery forever. And there is nothing you can do to prevent it. The Spring Equinox will be the final day of the suffering!"
"Spring Equinox?" Repul questioned.
"Destruction Release," Havoc stated, "This attack will destroy you all, but it is for the greater good."
"No it won't!"
As the attack released, Amy was suddenly behind him, swinging around and smashing him in the back as hard as he could when she realized his power's final weakness: Havoc was not immune to his own particles. The lynx was disintegrated as he fell into the storm of his own energy, his scream not heard above the helices suddenly expanding and whirling about to destroy every foundation of the building. From the outside, the smoking mansion suddenly rumbled, and then the sounds of explosions was heard as the helices ripped through the mansion, destroying everything.
As the energy released as the destruction particles covered most of the inner structures the mansion collapsed in a burst of smoke and flames, the impact of the collapse sending out a rumble which could be heard even at the outskirts of Eastopolis. The smoke and the flames concealed what happened for minutes on end, the sound of fighting dying down as the meadows burned and the forest filled with the sickly smoke. Havoc was no more, but the cost that his powerful technique made was clear as the Coastal Valley Mansion was left in ruins.
"Shit!"
Blaze hauled herself out from the wreckage, coughing as she tried to expel to scorching smoke from her lungs. The cat pulled free from the ruins, catching her breath for a moment before she realized that somehow she was alive, even after she felt all of that stuff fall upon her. The feeling of the air passing through her lungs felt good, and she took the opportunity to relish it. Right before the sound a jet pack died down and a figure was visible in the wreckage, the sound of a weapon being loaded ringing through the cat's ears.
"Havoc was always the reckless one," the Mech Nebula explained, his right arm converted into a missile launcher while his left arm was somewhat normal while blood dripped from the cut on his arm. "I just did not expect him to do that. Your ally Tain was right, this body may have the abilities of a robot but internally it is completely flesh."
"Screw you," Blaze said. "You will not escape here alive. It's seven heroes against you and the wolf, and it's a matter of time before the others return. The explosion was loud enough to be heard from the next city over past the small forest."
"I will, trust me," the Mech Nebula said, aiming the gun at her head. "Now, die."
"Grand Thunder Arrow!" Knuckles bellowed.
The Mech Nebula suddenly fell to the side, his red eyes filling with shock as the projectile slammed into him, unleashing powerful releases of chaos infused lightning upon impact. Knuckles stood proud, despite his arm hanging limp and blood covering the side of his face from a powerful blow as he barely managed to stay conscious. Blaze released a heavy breath as she believed it was the end for her, looking around at the scorched wasteland around them. To believe that only one Ragnarok member could do this...she would hate to see what the higher ranked ones could do at this full potential.
"This is over," Blaze said, looking at his shocked and mangled body. "You won, Knuckles. He's dead."
"Don't count on it."
Suddenly the Mech Nebula sprang to his feet, tossing a grenade down at the ground. Knuckles tried to fire off another Thunder Arrow, but the Mech Nebula already pushed off into the air, using a super jump with his jet boosters. The explosion tore at the wreckage even more, and though the other heroes began to pull themselves free the smoke prohibited them from seeing what was happening. By the time Knuckles looked up Nebula had him pinned under, the barrel of his gatling gun aimed right at his head.
"You now see how futile you are, even in the face of a fraction of Ragnarok's power," the Mech Nebula told him. "Now, tell Sonic that the time of our stalemate is erased forever. Consider this my war declaration. Cerebral, we're going."
"Yes, Master," Cerebral nodded, jumping to his side and snapping his fingers. The two stepped through the portal, leaving the shell shocked heroes behind as Silver and Marine stared upon the wreckage from the overlooking cliff and Sonic, Chrono, Fang, and the other heroes stared at it in terror from the forest on the other end of Coastal Valley.
The war had begun.
A/N: I continue to break my record for the longest chapter over and over again! Anyhow, so this chapter was full of revelations, including Ragnarok's goals being revealed in full and true war being declared. What does Nebula want from all of this? What is happening with Cyrus and how does he tie into all of this? You'll figure out in the next chapter which will have a very interesting betrayal and fight against the heroes, so hang tight for tat and drop a review by in the meantime!