NTHE END WAR – FAMILY
The Imperial Palace
Ashen uses golden 'ice' energy to freeze Petra's feet in position. Petra glares at Ashen with disdain, surely the Dark Dimension Empress doesn't believe this can keep her down. Shortly afterwards the golden 'ice' is covered by golden 'diamond', Safura increasing the strength of the restraints. The Empress and the Little Diamond stand smugly before the Puppet Queen. They each smile and prepare powerful attacks for the Queen of Fayoth. It seems that the fight is over.
"Remember, we're aiming to win, not to kill her," Ashen says.
"I know," Safura nods.
Petra looks at the two of them. They are the most remarkable traitors from the last war. The Head General who betrayed the people she fought for. The Empress who caused the downfall of her own empire. If the full scale of their treachery were known years ago they would doubtless have been the most hated people in all Homeworld. She was rewarded for her efforts in the last war. The idea that these two traitors who could control nothing are fighting her is an insult. She is the student of Furst Jonas, the first in line to the throne. She won't lose, not here, not to them.
"Do you honestly think that you could defeat me as easily as that?"
"I think that defeating you is inevitable," Ashen answers.
"Sabine, Swen, Nadia, the reason those fools have always been considered stronger than me is simple. That is because I haven't used my divine ability. It is a secret, reserved for use against the most powerful of opponents. I have never fought against my teacher, and I have never considered any of the other royals worthy. Now it is time to show you just what my divine ability does."
Safura shakes her head. Ashen has a powerful divine ability that she is not using as well. She doubts that Petra has held back all these years because she has considered opponents unworthy. That seems unlike the Puppet Queen who needs to control everything. She continues to prepare her attack for use against Petra and smiles while she does it. She is absolutely confident in their victory. But she shouldn't be.
"Safura down!" Ashen shouts.
It is too late for Safura to react.
Suddenly a golden 'diamond' attack flies towards the Head General. Her life flashes before her eyes. She has only ever met one other person capable of using golden 'diamond' energy, and that person is Ashen. She watches helplessly as the mighty attack flies towards her at great speed. At the last moment Ashen positions herself between Petra and the attack, taking the full brunt of it. She falls to one knee and cries out in pain, the attack hit her left leg.
"Ashen!" Safura encloses the two of them in a golden 'diamond' dome. "What just happened?"
"She attacked with 'diamond' energy. I don't know how."
"I know that it is a pain, but we can still fight back against that can't we? She may have one extra element at her disposal, but you have dozens, and you have your other powers. If we end up in the worst-case scenario you can use your own divine ability."
"I can't do that. Not with you here. Not with you here."
"I can—"
Safura's hand swings out to the side. She notices it is wrapped in gold and purple 'control' energy. Petra cannot control someone as strong as Safura to do anything significant, but she can exercise momentary influence. In that moment Safura creates a small gap in her golden 'diamond' dome. At first nothing happens, this concerns Ashen. The Empress of the Dark Dimension approaches the gap and decides that she will reinforce it herself with golden 'diamond' energy. She doesn't get a chance, her eyes snap open when she realises what is about to happen.
Golden 'fire' quickly bursts in through the gap in the dome, instantly filling it with flame. Ashen uses golden 'ice' to plug the gap. The fire is no threat to her with her bio-hardening, but with it being so omni-present it is a great threat to Safura. She fills the air with as much golden 'cold' energy as she can, quickly taking apart the flames. She notices that Safura has significant burns along the length of her arm. The Empress reaches over to her partner and begins to apply golden 'healing' energy to those burns when something remarkable happens.
Petra walks through the walls of the dome. The three of them now share the confined space.
Safura watches in amazement. "That is not possible," she tells herself.
Petra strikes towards Safura. Ashen reaches forward and grabs Petra's arm, saving the Little Diamond for a moment. Safura kicks Petra back into the dome. Petra bounces forward and kicks towards Safura. Ashen uses golden 'strength' on her arm and blocks the remarkably powerful kick. Petra uses golden 'control' on Safura, forcing the general to create a golden 'diamond' sword and stab it towards Ashen. Ashen blocks the sword with her bio-hardened hand. She snatches the sword away from Safura and swings it towards Petra. Petra ducks beneath the sword but is pushed back into the dome once again when Safura kicks her a second time. Safura makes a slight crack in the dome behind Petra and Ashen kicks the Puppet Queen through that crack, shattering the dome.
"Are you OK?" Ashen asks.
"I'll be fine."
"Petra! How did you do that?"
Petra smiles. "It is my divine ability of course. I am surprised that it eludes even you, the mighty Empress of the Dark Dimension. Can't you work out what it is?"
"Just tell me!"
"My divine ability is simple, but powerful when used against the correct opponent. My power allows me to copy an opponent's divine energy. If I fight my teacher I can use 'destruction' energy. If I fought Sabine I could use 'chaos' energy. If I fight against Safura I can use 'diamond' energy. But you Helion Ashen are my perfect opponent. You are the wielder of the Dark Dimension's crown, the user of every basic and transcendent element. When I fight you I not only use my 'control' energy, but all of those elements as well."
Ashen laughs. This fight is not as straightforward as it seems. If Petra's boasts are accurate then she may really be the most powerful of all the royals. A fitting opponent for the Empress of the Dark Dimension. However, while Safura is in close proximity Ashen is incapable of using her full power, it is too great a risk. Unfortunately, Petra knows that, she won't allow the former Head General to leave the fight. This is a challenge for the Empress of the Dark Dimension, perhaps one that only she can rise to.
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
Erik rushes towards Sasuke and Sarada. The Rinnegan helps to judge the speed of fast-moving objects, the Future Sight helps even more, but both are stunned by the raw speed of Erik. He uses a technique similar to Sarada's comet form but concentrates all of it on his feet. He leans forward and flies at them. When he arrives before them they have barely started to move. They each create a Susano to protect themselves, but that is not adequate. Erik uses golden 'cosmic' energy to smash through the Susanos hitting both Uchiha backwards at the same time.
Sarada 'creates' two paths between her and Erik. The first is made of flammable liquid, the second of flammable gas. She then 'creates' a paper bomb, throwing it a short way forward before turning her back. The paper bomb ignites the flammable substances, sending a flame travelling towards Erik. The Noble King swings his hand and moves the air at such speed that it extinguishes the fire. Sarada uses the cover of the fire to approach Erik. She places her hand over his face and begins to 'create' a special gas to put him to sleep. She holds on as long as she can and prays that it will work quickly enough.
It doesn't work.
Erik lands an uppercut to the underside of Sarada's chin, lifting her a short way off the ground. He then lands a spinning kick to Sarada's abdomen, sending back in the direction of her father. Sasuke ducks beneath Sarada, trusting her to regain control by herself. He rushes towards Erik and appears to throw a sword towards the king. Erik smiles and walks forward, passing through the sword, correctly deducing that it was an illusion. When Sasuke catches Erik he uses the Instant Escape to avoid the first attack, he then uses genjutsu to make Erik think he went the other way. But Erik doesn't fall for the genjutsu, he lands three clean strikes to Sasuke's head before throwing the Shadow 7th Hokage backward.
Sarada knows that must have done some damage, she begins to run towards her father, hoping that he is OK. She then sees a shooting star falling from the sky. The star is shrouded in golden 'cosmic' energy, clearly having been fired by Erik. She tries to move but finds that her legs are failing her, that she can't change course from the one she has already started towards Sasuke. Just as the shooting star is about to hit her it disappears, to the surprise of all three warriors.
Sasuke uses a genjutsu to trick Erik once again, this time putting an illusion of Naruto in front of the Noble King. Erik is frightened for a moment, staggering backward to try avoiding the illusion's attack. Of course the fake Naruto's attack does nothing and Erik easily avoids it. Sasuke was also using the illusion to disguise the throw of his sword. He swaps places with the aforementioned sword, appearing behind Erik. The King of Cheqitori sees through the attack, grabbing Sasuke by the arm and swinging him over his head into the ground. He finally kicks Sasuke towards Sarada, asserting his superiority over the two of them.
"Are you OK?" Sarada asks her father.
"I would be if I said it didn't hurt. But we have to win here. I am not going to let this insignificant pain stop me."
Erik arrives before the two of them with a burst of speed, but he doesn't attack.
"The last time I faced a pair of class 8 warriors it was different. That time I fought Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Boruto. I believe that you know them well. I understand that you are Naruto's student, Uchiha Sarada. I have also heard whispers that you are the teacher of Boruto, isn't that the case Uchiha Sasuke?"
"That's why you should be worried about fighting us," Sarada says.
"I am not. Boruto surpassed his teacher in every way. His movements were superior, his stealth technique was a thousand times more impressive than your illusions, and he struck with a power far greater than yours. Unlike the so-called Crown Prince, you Sarada have failed to surpass your teacher. Uzumaki Naruto is stronger, faster and more determined than you are. He must consider you a great disappointment as his student, you don't even come close to matching his power."
"You think it matters if we are weaker than them?" Sasuke asks. "Naruto and Boruto fought against you long before they were ready, and they survived. We are ready for this fight; we have been for a long time now. Naruto and Boruto could each defeat you effortlessly, we may not be able to do that, but we can still defeat you. We are the last of Uchiha, an elite clan of our pocket-world, the protectors of the Hidden Leaf. We are not, never have been, and never will be weak."
"You may be considered elite warriors in your pocket-world, but here you are not much better than a general of the Imperial Guard. If you think that the two of you can defeat me then go ahead, give it your best shot. If you would rather avoid a painful death then surrender now, I promise that it will be quick."
"You are responsible for my mother's death," Sarada says. "I don't know how, but I will find a way. I will make you pay for that. The last thing you ever see will be the vengeful family of Haruno Sakura. I hope you know during those last moments that she will be the reason you lost."
Nearby, the Imperial Palace
Hannah continues to assert control in the fight against Max. She has no interest in fighting it out with him in a battle of who has the stronger element. Her strategy is simple, it is the strategy he created her to be best at. She stands right in front of Max, avoiding every strike attempt, countering with her own. She hits him harder than he could ever hit her, wearing him down gradually. She avoids kicks, punches, uses of golden 'particles' energy, everything. Then when she finally moves for a final strike she senses something ominous coming her way and leaps back.
"It is typical that you would sense that. Your instincts are indeed close to perfect," Max remarks. "It is to be expected after all. I am your creator after all. I am your father."
Hannah still feels worried. Max is smiling. Suddenly a concentration of golden 'particles' energy appears in front of him. Hannah understands. Max cannot control energy on this microscopic scale in the same way Jonas can, but he can form his energy in tiny pockets and then bring them together to create one massive attack. He does this, bringing all his energy together and firing it towards Hannah. She can't help but admire the strength of the attack, Max certainly is strong when he wants to be. However, she is sure that she can find a way to avoid it. Only she doesn't want to avoid it. Somehow her instincts tell her that if she remains stood in this position, unafraid, she will be OK.
Hannah disappears!
The golden 'particles' attack misses her.
Hannah feels a hand on her arm. She glances down at it. The hand feels warm, kind, kinder than any she has ever felt before. She doesn't know if is her instinct talking, but she feels more at home in contact with this person than she has ever felt before. Before she even turns to look at them, she lets her shoulders drop and feels the beginnings of tears forming in her eye. She knows who it is, she has anxiously anticipated this moment for her entire life. She looks over her shoulder, not to see the man who created her, but to see her real father.
It is Head General Clyde.
"Hello," Clyde says.
"Hi," Hannah says.
"You are Hannah, right?"
"Yes. Are you uh…—"
"I'm your father."
Hannah loses control of herself. She hugs Clyde tightly. He pats her on the back, letting her know in his way that everything will be OK. The river cannot be held back anymore, she cries a thousand years' worth of tears as she holds Clyde tightly. The last time she met one of her parents was the worst experience of her life. Now she has been antagonised by the suggestion that Max is her father. That is not the case, this is her real father, and unlike before she can be herself in the face of her parent. She has someone she can show weakness in front of, someone she can cry with, someone she can be honest with no matter what.
"It's… it has been hard," Hannah says.
"I am sure it has. I heard that you have been travelling with Naruto. Has he been treating you well?"
"He is great. He helped me to get control. He let me choose my own path. He taught me how to fight, how to become stronger, not just as a fighter but as a person. He is my sensei. While everyone else wanted to use me as a weapon he just viewed me as a friend."
"He's good like that."
"Father… dad I… I killed her… I killed my mother."
"No, you didn't, don't say that."
"But I—"
"Listen, you just told me what Naruto did for you. You said that he helped you to get control, that he let you choose your own path. When you fought with your mother did you have that control? Were you choosing your own path?"
"Not yet."
Clyde smiles. "Exactly, every action you took before that point was because of how they made you. That foolish Max wanted to control you, to turn you into a weapon. He forced you to behave in a certain way, not giving you any choice in the matter. The bad things that happened before you met Naruto weren't your fault, they were his. The Science King bears the responsibility for all of them. Don't blame yourself Hannah. Trust me, your mother never ever blamed you."
"How do you know?"
"Because I spoke to her after your fight. She lived a short while longer. Her last thoughts were of you. She told me that what happened wasn't your fault, it was because of your divine ability. She asked me to help you. Your mother and I have done plenty of bad things in our lives, but you are something different. Helping to create you was the greatest thing either of us has ever done. Hannah, your mother and I both love you because you are what we could never be. You are a genuinely good person."
Hannah and Clyde are both lost in the moment, they fail to realise the danger approaching them. Hannah's emotion is too loud, she can't even hear the voices of her instinct anymore. It is not until she realises there is a hand on her shoulder that she reacts. That is far too slow. She has created an opening for a dangerous opponent. An opponent with a divine ability that he is just now activating. Hannah swings her arm out to the side, trying to catch Max with her strike, but he quickly leaps away.
The effect of Max's divine ability is immediately clear to Hannah as she raises her hands up in front of her face.
"What is wrong?" Clyde asks.
"Dad I… I can't see."
This is King Weiss Max's divine ability. The Sensory Steal.
Hannah is blind.