Part 59
The Worst Foe Lies Within The Self
By BobCat and Ash the Wanderer
Disclaimer: Most authors don't put disclaimers on their fics. You lawyers should be attacking them before you hit those of us who are more honest! So shoo, scat!
There were no words. No warnings, no attempts to dissuade the other from combat, no request of surrender. Both fighters realized that the other was unwilling or unable to change their point of view. The war of philosophies had ended, and was now a war of power versus power. And there would be blood.
Phil fired a bolt of Chi at Redemption, who batted it aside as casually as if it had been made of cotton. The blast was deflected out towards the docks at their feet. Chibi Ryoko barely had time to summon the Light Hawk Wings before everyone present was vaporized.
While Erik was concerned with the blast, Phil blurred behind him and placed a right hook into the middle of his back. The impact from the blow shook what remained of the ground below them, and shattered windows a mile away. Erik grunted slightly. Phil's eyes widened. Shit! That was my best punch!
With a speed that Phil would have had trouble matching at his peak, Erik spun around and drove his talons where Phil's torso had been a moment before. Now, Phil was flying up and towards the sea. Have to get him away from the civilians…
Suddenly, Erik was directly before Phil. Phil came to a halt, a look of shock and fear on his face. Erik's lips were in a feral grin. "Leaving so soon? The battle hasn't even begun in earnest yet."
Phil found himself on the defensive, struggling to block ever punch and kick. This was beyond even his Super Saiyan abilities, and after a few seconds, his jaw was given a rude introduction to Erik's right foot. Phil was concerned that he would break the sound barrier as he zoomed towards the ground. He struggled to slow his descent, but didn't seem to be making any progress. Then, the air rushed from his lungs as he hit a solid object. It wasn't as hard as the pavement and it let out an "oof" as they collided. He also felt strong, if small, arms supporting him.
Phil shook his head, attempting to clear his mind. "What the…" He looked over his shoulder, and saw Chibi Ryoko. "Thanks for the save." He disengaged himself from her grip.
The young girl grimaced for a moment. In an explosion of yellow light, she enacted her own Super Saiyan transformation.
This proved to be quite opportune, as Erik swooped down a moment later, placing his metal fist directly between her eyes. Had she been in her normal state, her head would have been ripped from her shoulders. As it was, Phil saw a large and ugly bruise form on her forehead even as she flew towards the ground. There was a loud crash, then an equally noisy splash, as she flew through a pier and into the water below.
"No!" Phil was about to fly down to help his pupil, but Erik blurred in front of him, blocking his path. Phil thrust his hands at Erik. "FINAL FLASH!" The massive bolt of golden energy washed over Erik, obscuring him from view. When Phil ceased his assault, his eyes widened. Erik had absorbed the damage with casual ease. He didn't even look like he had noticed the attack!
Erik cocked his head in a gesture eerily reminiscent of his wife and looked at Phil.
"What is wrong with you? Why do you, a Pure soul, fight so hard to protect those who have earned hideous death for their atrocities? I just don't…of course. This city. It is worse then I thought. It is not filled with evil people. It IS evil, a festering sore that taints and corrupts even the Pure into fighting for it. I cannot stand for this! I MUST DESTROY IT!!!!!!!"
As Phil floated in midair in stunned amazement at Erik's supposed "revelation", Erik took advantage of the lapse in control. Phil barely had time to block the right hook. He took the blow with his left arm. He exhaled sharply as the limb cracked. Isn't broken, but it sure as hell hurts!
Erik began another series of punches, kicks and slashes from his wings. Phil was having even less success than before. What galled him was that Erik was idly chatting with him.
"I've always been curious; shouldn't an attack named 'Final Flash' be some kind of finishing move? Or at least, it should hurt a little bit more than that."
"You want pain?" said a voice that sounded like two girls speaking at one. "I'm more than happy to oblige!" A small form appeared between Phil and Erik. She was a little over five feet tall, and looked somewhat deformed. She lacked any eyebrows, and where they should have been extended several inches from her skull. Also, her hair extended down to her feet. The demonic figure was subjected to a one-two combo, followed up by a spinning kick that caught him in the right temple. He flew a good distance through the air before he managed to catch himself.
Erik shook his head. "What the…" Whatever had just hit him possessed a great strength.
Phil was taking a quick breather as Omigo pressed the attack. He wasn't quite sure when they had worked their way to SSJ3, but he wasn't complaining.
Erik thrust his hands at Omigo. "Insanity Light!" The Fusion Girl swerved to avoid the attack, and summoned a massive Chi bolt.
With a grin on her face, she yelled, "Candygram for Mr. Mongo!"
As the ball flew towards Erik, he muttered, "Aw, how cute. You snuck out and saw Blazing Saddles too." He threw his arms up, firing a smaller bolt of blood red energy into the massive sphere. "Return to sender."
Erik's attack had his Omigo's blast at such an angle the blast was redirected towards Omigo. She didn't seem to be concerned in the slightest. This idea was reinforced by the fact that she was filing her nails.
At the absolute last moment, she seemed to finally notice the sphere of energy. Although the attack had enough power to vaporize a continent, she batted it away without a second look. The blue energy dissipated before it left the atmosphere.
Omigo adopted a hurt look. "What? I went to all of that effort to make that attack for you, and you just send it back? Well how about this one?" She assumed a crouching position and cupped her hands as a bright blue aura flared to life around her. "KA… ME…"
As the fused girl powered up her attack, Erik did the same thing. Except that he was faster on the draw, so to speak. "BURNING MISERY!" The red and black bolt flew out, striking…
Thin air, as Omigo blurred behind him. She slapped him lightly across the face. "Psych! Like I'd really leave myself that open."
Erik blurred from sight, and reappeared in front of Omigo, slashing down with his right hand talons. "LET'S FIND OUT WHICH IS YOUR BETTER SIDE!"
There was a VOOSH-HUMMMMM, and Erik found that his slash had been blocked by a yellow lightsaber blade. Omigo smirked. "Well, I've always been partial to my left, but I'm just so darned adorable it's hard to decide." She blurred away, placing her lightsaber in its proper place. Erik, who had still been applying force to the lightsaber's blade, was suddenly thrown off balance as all resistance to his blow ceased.
Omigo took advantage of this momentary weakness by flying forward at high speed in a classic Superman pose, catching him in the gut with both fists. Erik only took a moment to recover, then grabbed her by the shoulder, intent on flipping her away.
Omigo proved to be faster, halting her velocity while wriggling out of his grasp. She squealed, "Eek! That pedophile actually touched me!"
Before Erik could respond to the accusation or the attack, she had lashed out with a one-two combo followed by a double-handed blow to the top of his head that sent him flying towards the sea. Even as he was in mid-flight, Omigo thrust her hands forward. "Masenko!" A massive bolt of yellow energy followed the demonic figure through his descents, catching up with him before he hit the water. A bright flash filled the air, and several million gallons of seawater and a good chunk of the continental shelf were reduced to their component atoms. A great spout of water, taller than Bludhaven's skyscrapers, was forced towards the heavens by the explosion, then fell back to Earth to fill the new gap in the ocean.
Omigo didn't seem the slightest bit impressed by the display of raw power. She was currently looking at her watch. "5… 4… 3… 2…"
That was when a massive column of black energy exploded from the ocean below. Omigo blurred away to escape Erik as he flew straight through her afterimage. She reappeared, flying alongside him as he struggled to disperse the inertia he had built up. "Hmmm. Either you're tougher than I thought, or my watch is a second too slow." That was when Erik managed to come to a complete stop. She matched his maneuver.
Erik lashed out with his wings, intent on eviscerating the annoyance so that he could return to his proper target, i.e. Blockbuster. She danced around the attack, blurred behind him and boxed his ears. As his eardrums popped, Erik cried out. "Damn you! DIE!" He lashed out with a complicated series of punches, kicks and slashes. Omigo dodged every one of them as if he moving in slow motion.
Omigo's face darkened. "Looks like your ears aren't so damned invulnerable either, murderer." For that statement, the voice had only been Omi's. Suddenly, the cocky _expression returned. The sound of two talking in unison returned. "My, you're as powerful as all get out, but you're slower than molasses. Not overly bright, either."
Erik halted. "What?"
Omigo's mouth twisted into a predatory grin. "Haven't you been wondering where Phil's been?" She mouthed, "Behind you," and pointed over his shoulder.
Where Phil was floating, holding an incredibly large Spirit Bomb over his head. "Even though Omigo said it just a second ago, it needs to be repeated." He went into his windup. "CANDYGRAM FOR MR. MONGO!!!"
Redemption blinked. "Oh shit."
And then Omigo rammed into him from behind, sending him flying forward as Phil hurled the Spirit Bomb forward. As the two collided, Phil jerked the massive ball of energy upward as high as he could before it detonated. Even so, the explosion was so massive it nearly knocked the entire decrepit city of Bludhaven to the ground, and hurled Phil and Omigo backwards.
When the power finally faded, Phil and Omigo flew up to see what had happened, and through the trail they found, followed the result down to the ground: a seeming piece of smoking black metal.
Redemption unwrapped his wings from around him, trying to keep his feet steady. His eyes crackled with blood-red energy.
"THAT…HURT." He snarled, and reared back…
And then Omigo flew into him, driving her feet into his face so hard it sounded like a thunderclap and sent Redemption blasting and tumbling backwards across the docks.
"That hurt more." Omigo said.
Erik didn't hear her retort, as he was currently busy skipping along the water like a well placed rock. At his current velocity, each slam into the water was equivalent to hitting cement. After flying nearly a kilometer, Erik managed to halt his momentum. He snarled, whipping a trickle of blood from his mouth.
Before he could recover, Phil blurred in front of him, with Omigo slightly to his left. Phil smirked in a very arrogant and annoying fashion. Although Erik was too angry to notice, Phil had shifted from his Super Saiyan state, and was now surrounded by a red aura. "Had enough yet?"
"INSANITY LIGHT!!!!" A massive beam of red light flew out, exploding far out at sea. The light from the attack was visible miles away, and seismographs across the Earth suddenly detected a tremor running through the tectonic plates.
Phil dodged around the assault, blurred in and planted his fist into Erik's gut. He let out a "woof!" noise as the air left his lungs. The demonic figure lashed out with his claws, which Phil agilely ducked under, and then caught him across the face with an old fashioned one-two combo. Finally, Phil blurred behind Erik and brought both of his fists down on top of his head with a resounding CRACK.
Erik flew down below the waves again. Phil looked to his companion. "How much you want to bet he isn't unconscious?"
That was when Erik burst from the ocean, sending water in all directions. Phil somehow managed to avoid triggering his curse. As the Redemption flew from the watery confines of the sea, he let out a cry of frustration, letting loose twin bolts of energy. Phil and Omigo danced around the bolts, but it became obvious that the attacks were meant more to distract than to kill. Erik had bigger plans, from the looks of it. He had his fists clenched, and had his head resting in his chest, as if in deep concentration.
"C'mon Phil! We can beat this lunatic! Let's end this thing!" Omigo called, as if she was trying to create a self-fulfilling prophecy.
A low chuckle came from Erik.
"End this thing…?"
Then, Erik's head suddenly snapped up, and he smiled through bloody teeth.
"I AM THE END OF ALL THINGS."
And Erik cocked back his head and laughed as red lightning crackled on his form and suddenly exploded around him. Phil and Omigo were suddenly blown backwards and away as a giant dome of red and black power radiated away from Redemption, and then swirled back into his form.
Erik's two wings had become four, and sharp black metal armor that had formed down his spine ended in a snapping metal tail. Every blade he had before had seemed to have grown sharper and barbed, with metal points even extending from the ends of his waist length blood-red hair. Erik had called upon the full extent of the dark force that lived within him, and had become the ultimate Angel of Death. Omni-Redemption.
Red lightning crackled and lashed out, massive bolts that raked through the air, boiled massive amounts of water in the harbor and tore huge channels along the ground.
Ralph wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, he had managed to swim back to shore before Erik had transformed, thus keeping him safe from most of the power that was coming off Erik. On the other hand, the darkness that he felt in the air almost made him consider going crazy so he wouldn't have to deal with it. And the docks weren't that stable either, as he struggled to keep his feet as he tried to get another Hero-Dex reading.
"Omni-Redemption. The epitome of the dark force Erik commands. Threat level…"
There was no number. Instead, the screen filled with one flashing word.
DEADLY.
"Suggested course of action?" Ralph said.
Three new words appeared.
RUN LIKE HELL.
Phil, who had landed on what little remained of the docks, lay there and muttered to himself, "Of course he has another level. They ALWAYS have another level." Although he was still groggy from Erik's powerup sequence, he leapt to his feet and pumped up the Mystical Powerup to its maximum level. He looked sideways at Ralph. "Get the hell out of here. Take Celeste and Ecks with you. And try to find Chibi Ryoko; she went down pretty hard. We'll hold him off."
Ralph nodded. "Just watch yourself. And hurry up before he brings the Justice League running!"
"Wouldn't that be a good thing?"
"Yes, in the way that Superman could probably pound him into submission. Bad because he could very well kill some of the others before Supes did manage that! HURRY!"
Phil rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother. Don't worry 'bout this. I eat Archdemons for breakfast." Then, with a burst of light and a loud cracking noise, he was once again airborne
Of course, this bravado was completely unfounded. In reality, he was scared shitless. Erik's aura had been intimidating enough, the sheer bleakness of it telling every instinct in his body to run. However, the darkness of this new form's energy made the previous incarnation look like a spotlight.
However, Phil continued his flight, heading directly for Erik.
Omigo went through a similar process. The difference was that she had gotten there first.
Omigo gave a battle cry, attempting to drown out her fear with the noise. Her right fist connected with Omni-Redemption's solar plexus. A quiet grunt was the only response. What's more, her hand felt like it was on fire. "Auugh! What the hell?"
Omni-Redemption smirked. "That's pretty much it, actually." With Omigo still distracted by the unexpected pain, she was left completely open for what came next.
Erik's claws slashed out, slashing across Omigo. He slashed again and again, burning blows that rocked her. After eight or so slashes Erik reared back both his hands and placed them on Omigo. She blinked for a moment, and then Erik detonated a massive surge of power on them at point blank range.
"OMIGO!!!" Screamed Phil, as she flew up out of the explosion, covered in black fire. Erik's left arm slashed out and a burning brand of red energy lashed out and caught Omigo in mid-air. Erik then slashed out his right arm and caught Omigo with another burning red slash of destruction power, and then reared back and slammed his arms out and down. A geyser of black fire blasted upward from Erik's feet and caught Omigo, blowing her up in a spectacular final explosion.
"NO!" Phil somehow found more speed to call upon, and blurred into sight directly below the blast. As he had predicted, as the smoke cleared, Omigo fell from the sky, as gravity finally caught up with the fusion girl. He used a bit of Force to slow her fall, and caught her. He immediately placed a hand to her neck, and was relieved to feel a pulse, albeit a weak one.
That was when Erik blurred in from above, talons slashing down. Phil barely managed to dodge the assault in time, and the barrage of slashes that followed it. Phil judged that Erik's transformation had decreased his speed considerably in exchange for raw power. Unlike Future Trunks, this was not much of a liability, especially since Phil had to avoid dropping the wounded Omigo.
As he attempted to avoid the furious fusillade of slashes, Phil spat, "You bastard! You blab on about the importance of innocence and purity, then you deliberately attack a wounded party!"
"Once again, you're thinking of Vengeance. Besides, I warned you to stop annoying me. Repeatedly. Yet, you kept pushing. Now you've earned the ire of one who wields a power normally reserved for gods. And gods play for keeps." To emphasize his point, he lashed out with the previously unused tail. Phil was able to avoid having the tender flesh of his neck ripped to shreds, but was unable to keep Omigo safe. The metallic teeth of the appendage bit down, almost penetrating Omigo's armor.
Almost, because at the crucial moment before the compound shattered and left the vulnerable flesh open to attack, a bolt of yellow energy lashed out, striking Erik in the chest. He flinched slightly, more due to the unexpected nature of the attack than any damage. His tail disengaged in a reflexive response, though the teeth did rip fairly deep furrows in Omigo's flesh. The unconscious girl gave a pained cry as her blood flowed freely, falling through open space to be absorbed by the ocean far below.
Erik spun about, searching for the source of the attack. "WHO DARES?!" His aura grew larger, fed by his rage.
And there floated Chibi Ryoko. However, she looked significantly worse for wear. Her clothes were ripped in several places, and the large bruise in the middle of her forehead had turned a very nasty shade of purple. The rest of her face contorted into a mask of pain, and she was currently squinting through one eye. Also, despite the relatively low energy requirements of her last attack, she was visibly panting as her body attempted to force oxygen to her exhausted muscles. Also worth noting was that she had summoned neither the Light Hawk Wings nor her Super Saiyan powers.
Phil's eyes widened. What the hell is she doing!? Attacking Eric without any of her extra powers is suicide! Then, looking again at the pained look on face, it occurred to him. That punch must've given her a concussion or something! She can't concentrate enough to transform.
Such thoughts didn't enter Erik's mind. His only consideration was that one of his opponents was significantly weakened, and could be dealt with easily, thus making his mission much easier. He drew back slightly, then dove straight at the future girl.
Phil blurred directly on top of Erik, still holding Omigo. He landed atop the uber-demon, planting both of his feet in his back. His legs burned slightly, but he managed to force the pain from his mind. Although it was insufficient to halt his momentum, he deflected Erik enough to force him away from his target.
Erik opted for a more direct approach this time, sacrificing the novelty of the dive-bombing attack for less travel time. He blurred directly behind Chibi Ryoko, intent on running her through with his talons.
And was surprised to find that she had enough strength and focus left to keep him in front of her. She placed her hands in opposite from each other, the fingers spread apart. "SOLAR FLARE!" She winced, not being in a state that was assisted by loud noises.
Erik snarled and lashed out with his claws in an attempt to eviscerate the girl. But fate, or rather, Phil intervened. He flew from above and grabbed her, pulling her out of combat altogether. He concentrated his Chi into his eyes, launching twin beams of red energy at Erik. The bolts were enough to through him off-guard for a few seconds longer.
A few seconds was all he needed. He somehow managed to maneuver his hand to his forehead, allowing him to perform the Instant Transmission. He ended up next to Ralph. He tossed his charges to the ground and spun around, facing towards where he had left Erik, ready for a renewed assault. Chancing a look over his shoulder, Phil yelled, "I SAID GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, JEDI-BOY!"
Ralph retorted, "HOW? That nutcase fragged all of our equipment!"
Phil, seeing that Erik wasn't coming back any time soon, queried, "How's Celeste? She may be our only chance at stopping this thing."
Ralph was currently kneeling over Celeste's battered form. Ralph had evidently removed his cloak and laid her upon it. There was a brownish stain of blood near her wounded shoulder, but it seemed to be drying out. Also, no new blood was flowing. "Jedi healing and a couple of light spells I know managed to close the wound, but I can't do anything too fancy. Haven't memorized which muscles connect to which bone and nerve. Can't wake her up till I do that, since the shock might outright kill her. She's going to need a good dunk in a Bacta tank regardless."
Phil noticed that Ecks was also lying on a blanket that Ralph had summoned. She had a bandage over her forehead, which also sported a blood stain. Ralph sighed. "Took a bit of shrapnel from something destroyed by one of those massive Chi bolts you guys were flinging around. It was an easier job than Celeste, but she's out for a bit."
Phil nodded, understanding the implications. There was no way out. No backup was likely to come anytime soon. His team was down, and there were no senzu beans, which meant no easy healing. Ralph would be stuck playing medic.
He was on his own.
Phil placed his index and middle fingers to his forehead again. "Do what you can Ralph." Before the Jedi could protest, Phil had teleported several miles away, back to where he had left Erik.
Only to find Erik wasn't there any more. Suddenly, Phil realized what had been the whole point of attacking him, forgotten in the heat of battle.
"Oh no."
Roland Desmond had no idea what was going on. He had shot the girl, and then that blasted vigilante had…well, it was as if hell had come to the surface of the earth. Fortunately, those strangers had attacked him, and he was going to make sure he got away. Except getting away was pretty damn difficult with all the power that was being thrown around. A break had finally come, and he was running for the city, and hopefully safety as well.
Then suddenly the monstrous metal creature the vigilante had become was floating in front of him, and Blockbuster realized there was no safety, in Bludhaven or otherwise.
"Hello Rollie." Erik whispered. Blockbuster stopped dead and took a step back. Erik smirked. "So, you can still feel fear. I guess for your chemical strength and Faustian intelligence, you're still all too human."
"What the devil ARE you?"
"Something the devil you gave your soul too would flee from in total terror. I am a force that is older then life, older then memory, perhaps older then time itself. Evil like you awoke the force in me. And evil like you let me control it. I am the crop your deeds sow…and I am the blight that will destroy you and all like you. I am one with a force that has no name. I am the angel of death. I am…well, there's no point in going on. You're going to die in horrendous agony for hurting my wife now Rollie. BYE BYE!" Redemption said, and raised his arm.
And then Blockbuster was flying away with a yell of pain. Omni-Redemption arched his brow. What just happened?
"I figured hitting you wouldn't stop you in time, so I hit him. Far away."
Omni-Redemption spun around, even as Phil pointed the hand at Erik. "Special Beam Cannon!" Twin beams of energy, one heading in a linear direction, the other corkscrewing about the other, flew out. They struck dead center, catching Erik in his torso.
Erik grunted slightly, then blurred behind Phil, slashing down with his right hand. The massive talons passed through thin air as Phil performed a similar maneuver. The difference was that Erik didn't dodge Phil's kick.
Erik went flying for a fairly long time before he halted himself. By this time, Phil was on him again, fists flying. Erik was the one on the defensive this time, and unlike before most of Phil's attacks struck home. Phil finished the barrage with a solid kick to the gut.
Erik was sent flying upward by the assault. Phil blurred directly before him and thrust his hands towards Erik. "Mouko Takabisha!" A bolt of yellow energy flew down, engulfing the demonic figure. A massive explosion filled the air, and the ocean far below parted slightly from the impact.
Phil panted slightly from the exertions of his attack. As the smoke cleared, it quickly became obvious that Erik had survived the attack. What's more, it was as if the assault had never happened. With a bemused look on his face, Erik said, "That's odd. My very touch should have been agony. However did you manage to overcome that?"
It was Phil's turn to smirk. "Your touch didn't hurt because I didn't touch you. I surrounded myself with a small scale force field. It protected me, while probably making my punches harder." Meanwhile, Phil was thinking that it was nice to have finally found a use for those idle Juraian powers.
Erik nodded. "Impressive. Most impressive."
Phil shrugged. "But I'm not a Jedi yet." With that, Phil unsheathed the lightsaber from its holster, which had somehow managed to survive Erik's initial assault. He activated the saber, and a sulfurous yellow blade of energy sprang to life. "Yet I still get to play with their toys."
With that, the combatants went back to work. Phil was again on the offensive, the yellow blade of his slashing lightsaber contrasting with the black and red energies that surrounded Erik. Each worked to find some flaw or weakness in their opponent's attack, but such a weakness was not forthcoming. Thus, the stalemate between claw and saber continued.
From his vantage point below, Ralph thought that the warriors to be not so much physical beings as forces of nature, manifested by flashes of yellow and red light. For several seconds, each strike of red was matched by a bright flash of yellow. However, Ralph noted that the yellow flashes were becoming fewer and fewer. Finally, there was a small burst of light, and a small, glinting object fell to the ground at Ralph's feet. A quick inspection revealed the nature of the item.
It was the tip of Phil's lightsaber.
Quote Ralph: "Aw shit!"
Phil was thinking much the same thing. He dropped the useless remains of his lightsaber, summoned the force field around himself again and tried to wipe the smug smirk from Erik's face with a right hook.
Phil's shock was enormous when the energy field simply shattered when it came into contact with Erik. That shock caused him into inactivity for a single second.
And that was all the Erik needed. His left arm blurred, trailing red energy to mark its flight path. Phil was unable to do more than prevent the strike from decapitating him.
The sharp claws bit into Phil's chest and neck, even as Erik's horrendous power burned him.
"Why don't you understand? I am destruction itself. No one can stand before me, much less you. Now why don't you just lie down and let me destroy this city. No. On second thought, resist more. It'll be far more fun."
"YOU IDIOT! Don't you realize what you're doing?"
"I'm doing what I was born to do."
"Does that include endangering your wife?"
Erik was silent.
"That's right! Your wife! You turned into…this…because she got hurt…yet you didn't help her, you just endangered her more! You destroyed our healing agents, our transportation methods, everything that we could have used to get her help quickly! You blast the only guy who can help her into the water, at very high risk of killing him in the process, and then you start tossing around destructive forces like they were pennies! You're more of a danger to your wife then Blockbuster ever was!"
The look for a few more seconds, and then the last thing that Phil expected to happen did: Erik smiled.
"What makes you think I care about that pathetic little girl, when I…"
Phil blinked as the voice trailed off. It was Erik's, but it also…wasn't. There was a dark, violent undertone that wasn't there before, more inhuman and alien then anything Erik could have mustered. Indeed, Erik actually looked confused, as if he was wondering how he spoken that way.
That was all the time Phil needed, as he pulled himself backwards and thrust out his hands.
"KAMEHAMEHA!!!" Erik was forced from his musings as he detected the massive burst of energy. He analyzed the attack for a split second, and the look on his face was indecisive as he briefly contemplated the pros and cons of a counterattack or block. At the last possible moment, he decided to just weather the storm.
The bolt struck, and once again, the earth below shook again and was the victim of a massive tidal wave from the water displaced by the shockwave. After using a good dose of his flight power to keep from being swept away by the blast, Phil gasped for breath as the smoke cleared.
Erik didn't even have a hair out of place.
"What the hell was that?" he taunted, and knocked Phil from the sky with a punch that seemed almost… lazy. As if he were a cat toying with prey that was as good as caught.*
Phil hit the ground, bouncing across it a few times before coming to a stop. He let out a roar and blasted back up, heading for Erik. Erik took the punch on one of his wings and absorbed the rest using them and his face. Not getting anywhere, Phil blasted back and let Erik have it with a barrage of ki bolts, throwing thousands of projectiles that could have each taken out a skyscraper.
It didn't do a damn thing, as Erik flew out of the explosion and blasted Phil with a burning punch. He slashed Phil across the chest and face with his claws and tail, kneed him in the gut, and then reared back and clamed his burning hand over Phil's face, shoving him downward and into the ground. His hand glowed and then Erik literally blew himself out of the hole as he detonated a massive surge of power.
Erik slowly landed on a shard of rock that was pointing of the ocean. A few seconds later Phil managed to track himself out of the hole. He was now officially a bloody mess.
"Do you have anything with a little more "Ommpphhh?" Or do I have to just kill you right now?" Erik taunted.
Phil's aura instantly flared, taking on a dark purple hue. He brought him hands together, forming a sphere of power that surpassed his Spirit Bomb in pure size. As he powered up the attack, bits of rubble and debris lifted into the air, and the water far below Phil's feet parted in a very biblical fashion.
Into the ball itself went every ounce of hatred, depression and anguish he could muster. Hatred from his vast stores of loathing, both of himself for his many failures and of those who had toyed with him as a mere plaything for so long. Depression springing from how little control he possessed over his own life, despite the fact that he was the bleeding King-designate of England and one of the strongest men alive. And anguish in the form of that deep seated pessimism that said that it would never get any better. And the truly depressing thing was that it had been right all those years.
All these went into Phil's attack. He cried out, "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS! PERFECT SHI SHI HOUKOU DAN!"
And thus did the attack of emotional pain fly downwards towards Erik. Even the dark force that inhabited Erik was given a slight pause by the sheer power of the assault.
And then it struck. The purple beam of energy struck the demonic figure, who interrupted its path as well as a tin can stops a speeding train. Both Erik and the Shi Shi Houkou Dan drilled deep into the Earth's crust, causing yet another earthquake, this one of a magnitude rarely surpassed in the time of humankind. The water struck by the beam was instantly evaporated, and in some places split into its component atoms. The ocean in the vicinity of the strike boiled even as it flew away from the hole, sending another tidal wave towards the beleaguered shore. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the assault stopped. In a few moments, water was already flowing in to fill the hole.
Ralph slowly got to his feet, as he dissipated the Force Bubble he had used. The shock had awakened the various future girls, who were raising themselves up on elbows, muttering about the weirdest dream that they had just had.
"Do you think…that did it?" Ecks said.
"No."
Ralph and Ecks turned at the sudden voice, as Celeste dragged herself to her feet, clutching her shoulder.
"Celeste! Don't get up, you're…!"
"I've been shot through the heart Ralph. This caught me off guard. I can live with it. But there's something that has to be done, or we won't be living much longer."
"What? Your husband…"
"That's not my husband!"
Ralph could only stare.
"Even as Redemption…even at the peak of his power…my husband would never do anything that would endanger innocent lives. Including destroying an entire city. Which is why I know something's wrong, and it's the key to this whole mess. We've been manipulated like puppets, and if we don't do something quickly, our strings will be cut."
"What? Huh?"
"Tell me Ralph, do you know where the Redemption power comes from?"
"Uh…something about a dark force…"
"That's right. In my universe, in maybe all of them, this force somehow began to manifest itself in humans. I don't know where it came from, why it decided to do that, and all that…but it did. But you see, the force was too strong for most mortals. If it tried to manifest itself in a man, the body would be destroyed. Instead, the force worked on their minds, filled the men with evil that ravaged the world."
"Hitler?"
"Among many other infamous men and women. My husband was the latest…but he was different. You see, Vagane somehow learned of the force, found it in Erik, and decided to make Erik strong enough so the force could awaken without destroying Erik. That's why he turned him into a cyborg, and why he tortured him so badly. So Erik's mind would break, so the force would have an easier vessel to inhabit. When Erik rebelled, Vagane tried it again years later…by killing me…well, sort of. In any case, it worked. My husband opened himself to the force…but Vagane, and it, gravely underestimated his strength. What was supposed to happen was for the force to destroy Erik's mind and transform his body into the form you see. But Erik resisted, fought the force, and he defeated it, casting it back and stealing its power for himself. He used it to gain revenge…still does. But you see. The force in Erik was not destroyed. It was defeated…but it lives in him still. That is why becoming Redemption is such a risk, why using the full power, Omni-Redemption, even more so, because Erik opens himself to the force, risks his mind and soul…leaves a possibility that the force could attack again, and this time win. It would destroy Erik from within, and then it would use it's beyond ancient power on this world and all it could find, to do the only thing it knows: destroy. But my husband thought he had it under control…I looks like he was wrong."
"He's…?"
"Not yet. But it's happening, and this time he doesn't even realize it. Damn this city! This city was the fucking catalyst! Paul and Laura didn't know, they just sent Erik because he was the best trained in survival skills…and Erik found this. The force must have seen an opening…it's been working on him ever since, slowly making him shun his own personal code…if he…"
"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Erik exploded from beneath the waters, his aura expanded and filling the sky, as blood-red energy filled his eyes.
And Phil's shoulders slumped as the realization hit him: he'd failed again.
And this time, he wouldn't survive to berate himself.
"DAMN YOU! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! I'LL TURN YOU AND THIS ACCUSED CITY AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO OPPOSES ME INTO ASH!!!!!!!!!"
And then Erik raised his arms, holding them out, and then the ocean below him exploded away, vaporizing as the ground shattered and massive plumes of lava exploded from beneath him. The sky filled with black clouds that swirled around Erik. Even from the distance he was, the city of Bludhaven suddenly began to break apart, pieces of it rising up and disintegrating as power gathered around Erik.
Celeste's eyes filled with fear.
"Oh shit! He's going to use Oblivion!"
"Use WHAT?" Ralph cursed, as the forces rising from the ground and pulsing from the sky kept trying to pick him up and knock him down simultaneously.
"Men. They always need something that goes BOOM! Even bigger then their best BOOM! My husband developed the attack in VR training…I never thought he'd actually use it! Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, if Erik uses this attack, the battle will be over. He'll go back to his previous form and go into a coma for several days."
"Oh really. What's the bad news?"
"The battle will be OVER: Oblivion hits with the impact of 15 million tons of TNT."
"FIFTEEN MILL…!!!!!! THAT'S ENOUGH TO BLOW UP THE EARTH!" Ralph screamed.
"No, actually, you'd need something in the ballpark of a billion billion MEGA-tons of TNT to do that." Celeste intoned. "But don't worry about that. He's not aiming to destroy a planet, just your friend. Which means he'll only atomize Phil, the girls, you, me, Ecks, this city, and everything in a 10 mile radius. No, make that 15."
There were flashes of yellow and red as the future girls called upon their last reserves of energy.
Ralph turned and sent a frantic command to Phil and the girls: Do whatever you have to, just stop him!
The quartet of warriors were more than happy to oblige. In almost perfect unison, the four crouched in their various positions, each summoning a bright ball of blue energy, filling it to the brim with their remaining strength, and letting fly with enough energy to vaporize a small solar system.
"KAMEHAMEHA!!!" If the Earth had quaked under the power of the previous attacks, now it shook like a bowl full of jelly. There was, however, nothing jolly about the sheer amount of Chi raining down upon one spot. The four bolts of energy struck at almost exactly the same moment.
The quartet of Kamehameha waves seemed to merge into one, filling the air around Erik with a brilliant blue ball of life force. After a fraction of a second, the ball lost all cohesion, and let all of its energy free.
Initially, the light was too bright to bear looking to see if Erik had survived the assault. The shockwave, however, was more than sufficient to occupy their attention. Record breaking tidal waves pummeled what remained of the docks, washing it out to sea. The land past the normal beach was warped into the shape of an impact crater.
As this final titanic blast dissipated, it became obvious that once again the Grim Reaper was to be cheated Erik's soul that day. It appeared that the combined attack hadn't even impeded his progress in charging Oblivion.
Floating above the waves was a ball of swirling red energy. Within that force field, Ralph and Ecks looked on with horror and dismay. Celeste looked on with a look of apparent boredom, as if she had already known the outcome.
Ralph floated them to the nearest spot of stable ground and released his hold on the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.
Celeste continued her lecture as if nothing had happened. Which, as far as any effect on the outcome, it hadn't. "If my husband does this, it'll be over. He'll realize what he's become…and that'll be it. The force will take over. It'll wipe out any trace of Christopher Erik Damien Ravensky. Then I'll be free to vent its wrath on everything that offends it. And that's anything alive." Celeste said.
"Any ideas Ecks?"
"Pray?"
"There's one thing we can do: get me up there." Celeste said. Ralph turned and for the millionth time wondered if Celeste was crazy.
"And how, pray tell, are you going to get through that makeshift shield he's throw up, even if we COULD somehow get you up there?"
"The force is becoming more and more dominant, but Erik is still there. And he knows how destructive his power can be, so it has one lone weakness: It can't touch me. Literally. Erik spent more time on developing that aspect of it than anything else. Notice how none of those lightning bolts went near me when he transformed? The power literally can't touch me. Now get me up there before he uses Oblivion! That attack will come from the force, and it has no love for me!"
Before any of those below could respond, Phil blurred in behind Celeste, lifting her into a well supported hold in one swift motion. He then proceeded to fly forward at maximum speed.
Celeste sputtered, "What the hell?"
Phil looked grimly at the crusader turned butcher above their heads. "Saiyan hearing. Caught what you were saying, decided it was our last hope. Sorry to be so abrupt, but we don't have any time for pleasantries."
As he flew upwards, both Phil and Celeste noticed that his progress was becoming slower and slower, as waves of energy did their best to bat the Physics Policeman and his passenger from the air. Finally, they reached a point where Phil was forced to use much of his dwindling Chi reserves just to combat the waves of force. Erik was still beyond their reach hundreds of feet above. "Can't get any further. I don't suppose you can jump a hundred vertical feet, can you?"
Celeste gave him a look with her peripheral vision, jabbing at his arm with her index fingers. "These muscles can do more than punch. Toss me."
Phil nodded. He cocked one arm back, which Celeste shifted her feet onto while she bent her legs. "Fastball Special coming up!" Phil, with a form that major league baseball players could only envy, threw his passenger towards the demon even as she leapt away, giving her just enough energy to reach her target.
Omni-Redemption blinked. Was something climbing on him? He shifted and tried to see, and when he couldn't he sent force waves off his body. It didn't work, as the sensation traveled up his wings and over his head. Suddenly, his claws snapped out, and his arm jerked up halfway before it stopped.
A second later Celeste, barely saved from being sliced it half, flipped herself over Erik's head and came face to face with him. Before he could do anything, she reared back, and in an action that made Ralph and Phil's jaw dropped, slapped him. Hard.
"ERIK! SNAP OUT OF IT! RIGHT NOW!" she yelled, in the best Pissed Off Wife Phil had ever heard. It was almost on the level of Chi Chi.
"How dare…" Erik began.
Celeste backhanded her husband.
"THAT'S NOT YOU! I KNOW IT ISN'T! NOW SNAP OUT OF IT, NOW! Because the man that I love would never do what you're about to do, and if you fire that attack, you might as well kill me with it, because everything I love in you will be gone. I will not love a monster."
"But I…"
"Erik, if you fire that, you will just like Agony. Are you, in the end, going to become what you hate after all?"
"I…I…"
"I SAID, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Celeste roared, and slapped Erik again. "Now (SLAP!) calm down (SLAP!) and go back to the man (SLAP!) I love (SLAP!) or I'll kick your ass (SLAP!) and make you sleep on the couch (SLAP!) FOR A MONTH!" (SLAP!)
Erik blinked a few times, and then a fog seemed to lift from his eyes. He slowly began floating down.
"I actually…" Erik said, as the black metal parts on him began to smoke. "Find that couch rather comfortable…"
Phil and the girls watched as the parts began to dissipate, and then suddenly they heard a wail, of frustration and of a plan that had almost worked. Erik heard it too. It came from within him.
"I must admit, nice. It almost worked. But you obviously don't know the rules. And that is, the bad guys ALWAYS LOSE." Erik said. His feet touched down and with a final burst of black light he was back to normal.
"Actually, the bad guys win a lot." Celeste said.
"Not when they have women like you to support them. You're my salvation, raven. Remind me to never leave your side again." Erik said, and gave his wife a brief kiss.
There was a sudden noise, and then Blockbuster suddenly pulled himself from a pile of rubble that had collapsed on him after he had landed from Phil's blow. It caught Erik's attention, and he looked over. His eyes darkened.
"Roland Desmond…" he growled. Celeste grabbed his shoulders.
"No Erik! You can't kill him! And I'm ok! You don't have to kill him." Celeste said. Erik looked back at his wife, the glare going to love.
"You're right. I don't…I won't…" He said. He brushed Celeste's injured shoulder and some dried blood got stuck on it. He glanced at it.
"But he nearly blew your arm off…" Erik said, as Ralph and Ecks finally got close to the couple.
With a flash of brilliant light, the Redemption sword materialized in Erik's hand again, and he twisted away from Celeste as her eyes widened.
"SO I'LL JUST HACK OFF A LIMB!"
And Erik charged as the badly battered and bloody Blockbuster managed to get to his feet. In his state, he had nothing left to even defend himself.
"ERIK! You're incorrigible!" Celeste yelled. That didn't stop him, as he raised his sword and swung…
And Phil intercepted him from the side, smashing into the vigilante and interrupting the swing. Not fully though, but it turned a dismemberment into a deep cut before the sword flew out of Erik's hands and spiraled through the air, coated in Blockbuster's blood.
Ecks saw it coming towards her, and not sure what else to do, she raised her hands to catch it. It hadn't hurt Phil.
The blood on the sword turned black, as the blade fell into Ecks' hands…
"AHHHHHGGRRHHH!" Ecks yelled as she felt the hot jolt of pain rip through her hand. She pulled her hand away, looking in amazement at the deep wound in her palm. Blood flowed out, mixing with the still-hot blood that had been on the blade. How? Why…?
Then she recalled Erik, and she looked up to see, momentarily forgetting the pain.
Erik had finally stopped rolling, and he slowly got to his feet, looking up…
And Phil struck, swooping in and nailing Erik right in the torso with every amount of force he could muster. The blow devastated Erik, who slowly fell to his knees as Phil stepped back.
Erik cocked his head and looked up at Phil, who was ready to strike more blows if needed.
"Nice shot…Phil…"
And then Erik fell onto his side, finally out of it as he slipped into merciful unconsciousness.
Phil took a breath and let it out. Finally, it was over.
"All right Dad!" Omi cheered, as she landed next to her father. "You finally put that nutcase in his place!"
"As I said, squire. Your superior skill was finally revealed to be greater then all the glamours and demonic powers that cur could call upon!" Arthur said inside Phil's head.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Phil said.
"Erik!" Celeste yelled, as she ran to her husband's side. She checked for a pulse, and finding it strong, she looked up at Phil. "Did you really have to hit him so hard?"
"YES." Phil, Omi, GoChibi and Chibi Ryoko all said at once. Celeste gave them a dirty look and began fussing over Erik again. Love. Maybe it's more trouble than it's worth. Phil thought. Not that Ayeka or any of the Amazons care.
Ecks' remembered her hand again, and looked down. Her eyes widened in surprise. The wound was gone. Her hand was completely unmarred, clean even of any blood that had been on the blade. She looked at the sword, which she still held in one hand. It was clean as well. Maybe I just imagined it?
"Well, nicely done Phil, but just one question. How are we going to get home?" Ralph said.
"I've got one." Ecks' said, running over to the group. "Here, I got his sword."
Ralph took the sword while Ecks' fumbled in her outfit, finally producing a spare watch. 'One of the advantages of being too small to pay any attention to."
The portal opened, but before the group went through Omi gestured at something. Blockbuster was staring at the group, holding his new wound.
"Just because I'm curious, but WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?" he asked. Ralph smiled and everyone simultaneously pulled out sunglasses as Ralph pulled out the Neuralizer.
"We are just a figment of your imagination."
FLASH!
A little later, when a large cavalcade of superheroes showed up, all they found was ruins.
End Part 59
*(Note from BobCat: It's generally regarded as a bad sign when the villain starts quoting Brolli.)
