The Pain Of Loss Chapter 24 – The Darkest of Souls, Part 1
Me: GAAAHHH!!! I'M SUCH A SCATTER-BRAINED BAKAAAAAA!!!
Mayl: You mean the fact that you posted Chapter 23 while it was incomplete...?
Roll.EXE: Oh, give him a bit of a break, Mayl. Anyone could make that mistake!
Me: #Sulks in a corner, groaning# But I was the one who did this time. #Sigh# At least it explains why I've only gotten one or two reviews on it...
Lan: Hey, you posted the finished version, so there's nothing to worry about, right?
Me: ... yeah, I guess...
Megaman.EXE: Then quit complaining and write this chapter!!! Your readers are waiting!!!
Me: Y'know... Yer right!!! I got readers waiting for this chapter, and I ain' gonna let 'em down!!! ONWARD!!! #Charges to the keyboard#
Lan: Ya had to get him started...
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The dark figure whom Kali had created mere moments ago stood silently at the junction between Undernets 5 and 6. The final rite of passage to Kali was the ability to pass by him, the most powerful of her guardians yet. The figure chuckled evilly, his teeth representing fangs of a sort. A powerful black aura eminated from his being. That alone proved itself powerful, as it was annihilating any viruses that dared to even attempt an assault upon him. He grimaced, looking at the violet sword upon his right arm. "Soon enough, the true challenger will arrive..." He chuckled, then slashed at the air. Just from this one swipe alone, all the ground within 20 feet that lay before his swipe as upturned, and even annihilated in some points. His chuckle quickly broke into a demonic laughter that echoed through out the Undernet.
Protoman came to a halt suddenly, stopping the rest of the group behind him. Roll walked forward, a look of concern upon her face as she looked to Protoman. "Protoman... what's wrong...?" Protoman just stood there, his eyes narrowed beneath his black visor. He felt something disturbing in the air. He sighed, shaking his head as he continued to move forward. "It's nothing, just a chill..."
Moments later, the group came upon the junction between Undernets 5 and 6. They moved carefully around some upturned platforms, being careful not to slip and fall for fear of falling into already existing holes, or breaking through the already weakened path. Protoman came to a stop at the junction with Roll at his side, looking back over the ruined path as he thought to himself. 'A powerful Navi did this... There's still a lot of dark energy rising from this wreckage...' Roll glared forward into Undernet 6, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "... Kali's in here..." Protoman shifted his attention to Roll, looking right into her eyes. He could see anger, fear, and anticipation welling up within. He nodded, facing the next area with her. "Then let's..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by loud cries of pain, mixed with the sound of a blade cutting through the air and various different materials. Protoman and Roll turned quickly, only to see the rest of their allies laying on the ground, on the brink of deletion.
Roll shook her head, her hands covering her mouth. "H... how...?! Guys, hold on!!!" Roll did everything she could to shake off her fear as she rushed blindly towards her fallen comrades. Protoman's eyes shot wide, catching a faint glint in the air. "ROLL, NO!!!" Protoman reached out and grabbed Roll by the arm and pulled her back with great haste, mistakenly tipping her balance and knocking her down into a sitting position. Not even a single second after Roll was pulled back, a violet blade of energy came down, slicing a huge gash into the path. Roll sat there, quaking in fear. "Th... thank you, Protoman..." Protoman nodded quickly, walking forward as he formed his Hero Sword. "WHO ARE YOU?!! REVEAL YOURSELF NOW!!!"
The dark figure chuckled evilly, his violet blade pulsing from the corner he was standing in. "You should know exactly who I am, Protoman..." As he said this, the figure stepped forward from the shadows, revealing his full form. "After all, I AM you..." Protoman's eyes shot wide as he stood there, stunned by this new discovery. Before him stood another version of himself, but much more sinister in appearance and in attitude. Protoman growled, holding his sword forward towards the other. "Impossible!!! I am the only Protoman, and that's that!!!" The other Protoman came to a stop a mere 10 feet before his counterpart, chuckling softly. "Yes, you are the only Protoman. But I am you, and I am not you. I am your Dark Soul!" Chaud narrowed his eyes, swinging one hand in the air angrily as he gazed upon the darker version of his Net Navi. "Impossible!!! Protoman and I have only ever focused upon destroying your kind, not on ways to become more like you!!!"
The Dark Protoman nodded, crossing his arms, being cautious of his own blade. "Yes, I am very well aware. But there are other kinds of darkness in the soul other than pure evil. Protoman knows exactly what I'm talking about. Oh yes, the guilt that comes with accidentally slaughtering an innocent in the midst of a melee against hundreds of viruses, the anger directed towards those who would threaten his Net Op, and let's not forget all the jealousy and envy caused by every time that pathetic Megaman defeated him! Yes, they are only little baubles, no more than insignificant thoughts that were washed away by the pride of being one of the most powerful Net Navis in all of the world, but they still exist within you. And from those, Lady Kali allowed my creation... Being close to you for that brief instant before Quickman began his assault was enough for her to read into your soul and create a spare copy of your data."
Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard all of this. The fact that Kali was able to create Protoman's Dark Soul just by being near him frightened her to no end. She looked to Protoman, a remorseful expression upon her face. "Protoman, I'm so sorry... If I'd have known she could do that, I'd have never introduced her..." Protoman shook his head, clenching his left fist as he concentrated power into his body. "Relax, Roll. You didn't know..." The Dark Protoman laughed, then grinned evilly to Roll. "She apparently didn't know a lot of things. Thanks to her bumbling and naiveté, Lady Kali will dominate all of Net Society soon and bring a new age of darkness to this world!!!" Roll stood up, her eyes narrowed into a glare. Protoman looked to Roll out the corner of his eyes, speaking very coldly now. "Stay out of this. This is my fight..." Roll grit her teeth, then lowered her head, nodding.
The Dark Protoman held his sword up, immediately reaching his full capacity in power. "I'm not going to play with you. I'll delete every last one of you and bring the girl with me. Lady Kali wishes to take care of her herself..." Protoman grinned, reaching his own maximum as well. "Don't hold your breath. The only one who's going to be deleted is you..." Dark Protoman shook his head, putting on a more serious face. "Well then, I guess the only way we can find out is by facing off... Winner take all!" Protoman held his sword up, nodding. "Then let's go!!!" Immediately, the two warriors took off. Not even a split second passed before their blades made contact with one another. They were in a deadlock. Roll just sat on the sidelines, watching as the blades began to flash light. She put her right hand over her emblem, a look of concern in her eyes as she pondered to herself. 'No... Protoman can't do this. That copy may be at full power, but he's not fighting like Protoman...'
Dark Protoman chuckled, digging his feet into the ground. "I'm impressed... For a first show of power, you're holding your own very well with that little Hero Sword of yours...!" Protoman pushed forward, digging his feet into the platform as well. "I've only just started...!!!" Dark Protoman smirked, nodding. "Good, because just sticking with a regular Sword gets really old, really fast..." Dark Protoman jumped back, discarding his sword. He held his hand out as a green blade formed, attaching itself to his arm. "This is the Z-Saber!!! And no, it's not quite the same as that nasty little Zero Virus'. Our organization discovered this chip itself. Strangely enough, it's readings show it came from an alternate reality that's already 200 years in the future... I hope you're ready, because this will be your final battle!!!" Protoman slashed his blade at the air, then charged forward. "Even if you are telling the truth about this so-called "Alternate Reality", I WON'T LET A COPY BEAT ME!!!" Dark Protoman grinned, vanishing as Protoman slashed at him. Protoman stood still, his eyes wide. Dark Protoman stood behind him, holding his Z-Saber out. Blood was dripping off the blade. Protoman dropped to one knee, holding his side. Dark Protoman grinned, holding his blade before his face as he licked the blood off of it. "This battle is already lost..."
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Chaud: #Pounds on Death with a baseball bat# WHAT'S THE IDEA GIVING HIM THAT FAKE CHIP?!!
Megaman Zero: #Sweatdrops, holding a finger up# Eh, actually, it's real...
Whole EXE Cast: WHAT?!!
Me: #Groans, rubbing the lumps on his head# Yeah, jeez... You trade a Battle Chip into Megaman Zero 3 for the Z-Saber chip, and in return, in MMZ3 when you go into the Cyber World, you'll see enemies like Swordies and those things that launch the bombs that spread out 3 panels long...
Lan: Why didn't I ever know about this?!
Me: Uh, duh, alternate reality in which Dr. Wily gets funding for his Robotics Research instead of your Grandpa, Dr. Light, getting funding for his Internet research...
Airman.EXE and Air Man ( Robot Master ): #Nod together# That's how it works.
Megaman.EXE: Explains those two blocky guys that look like me...
Megaman and Megaman X: STUFF IT, SPANDEX BOY!!!
Me, Roll Light, Roll.EXE and Kali: #Sit on the sidelines and watch the brawl begin between Robot Masters and Net Navis#
Me: #Sighs# Well folks, I'm gonna be busy right into the beginning of next chapter cleaning this up, so, I'll catch you guys later!