Heroic New Era: Fantasies of Heroism
Chapter 9: The Tower of Fantasy: The Final Push for a Bright Future!
Siege, Richard, Destiny, and Gus soon arrived within the inside of the Tower of Fantasy, however, there would be a different sight awaiting them instead of Valkyrie and her riddles/puzzles. Instead, a familiar laugh came on screen as Goku Black's face appeared on the main monitor.
"Well, I was wondering when you'd show up! Fashionably late but that never hurt anyone." Black cackled.
"What the hell…? What have you done to Valkyrie!?" Siege yelled.
"You mean that Angel of Clemency? Her tasks she had lined for you were boring, so I took the liberty of sending her soaring off the Tower unconscious! She's probably already long gone by now." Black laughed wickedly.
"Well, that puts a lot of plans out of the window…" Richard winced. "But you got a plan for all of this, don't you, Black? I expect at least that much from someone who decided to usurp the part of this tower."
"Of course. I plan to have CP4 and the Heirs of Aida goons assault all of you as you traverse up this tower! If you survive by some miracle and make it all the way to the top, I'll grace the both of you with a proper battle, but be warned: I'm not alone up here, so don't expect it to be a cake walk! I'll leave you all alone to scale the tower by your lonesomes, I've already unlocked all the accesses to allow you foolish mortals to scale the tower. Good luck! Oh wait, I mean bad luck!" Black laughed before he ended the transmission.
"This is Siege reporting to all units on the ground!" Siege exclaimed.
"We read you, what's the situation?" Lucia would ask.
"Be on the lookout for Valkyrie. Black's sent her soaring from the Tower so she could be anywhere in the surrounding areas, find her and ensure she isn't dead!" Siege exclaimed.
"Tch, I knew that things were going sour the moment that Cataclysm's gang popped their heads out." Kaguya's voice rang through the comms. "Don't let that distract you, we got the ground handled."
"Thanks, Kaguya." Siege said before signing off as the squad of four rode the transporter upwards, and ran through the open door to see that they would have to scale the Tower precariously on the outside of it. And what was worse, CP4 Agents and Heirs of Aida fliers were firing at them from range!
"Tch… Black wasn't kidding about this. You guys focus on scaling this, I'll take out the flying fucks." Siege growled as he brought out his dual pistols to start shooting CP4 and Heirs of Aida jetpacks and wingpacks respectively that were allowing them to fly.
"You heard him, keep up the pace!" Richard exclaimed, as the two of them immediately began to climb platform after platform with well-aimed jumps, cutting and smashing any enemies that got into their way, and using several elevators to find a path back into the tower itself.
Destiny was close behind helping them out, as Siege kept focusing on eliminating those firing from the outskirts. Soon enough, Richard, Gus, and Destiny reached an opening back inside the tower, as a group of CP4 Agents and Heirs of Aida, looking like elites, were prepared to fight them.
"Looks like we'll have to fight off the enemies while we wait for Siege to catch up, after he cleared the path of enemies." Gus remarked, before he then immediately created a wall of flame that he used to spread the enemies out, before he then coated his own blade with flames, and then striking down the elites with powerful single strikes, as Richard used his magic to keep the enemies on their toes, guiding them to be smashed into the ground or walls by Destiny's blows.
"That leaves one question… If CP5 is around here with a leader like Irelia… then there must be a leader of CP4 who is around here." Richard remarked, as he caught a Heir of Aida soldier mid-flight, and smashed her down, leaving a crater on the ground with increased force.
"The question is: Where would their leader be…?" Destiny asked, looking around for anyone overseeing the fight.
As the enemies were defeated, they thought that the silence meant that there were no more enemies at the moment… although Richard's senses told him otherwise.
"Someone is coming towards us, and they're not on the same level as the ones we just thought." Richard remarked.
Destiny took heed on Richard's words, before she then sensed a blade strike heading right for her, as she bent back to let the slash pass over her, as the slash extended right into the wall of the tower, creating a massive gash on the tower wall.
"You dodged that." The same male voice that Irelia spoke with remarked, as the trio turned around the face the source of the voice, which was a man with fairly long black hair that made him look fairly elegant, despite the immense amount of killing intent coming from his dark brown eyes, as he was dressed in the standard black CP attire suit, but he also had a pair of black gloves, and there was a black blade in his hands. "I expected that much. An ambush would not work on you, it seems."
"You're CP4, aren't you?" Gus asked the assailant.
"You think far too lowly of me." The agent remarked, before he then flexed his blade. "You seem to be looking for the leader of CP4, are you? Then you have your wish granted. Shin, CP4 commander."
"That blade… that's a black blade, isn't it?" Richard remarked.
"Quite astute of you. To be able to discern such a blade on a single glance of it." Shin answered back, lifting his blade, as it glinted under the light. "It is a shame that I did not have a Supreme Grade Blade to fight, else I could unleash my full potential, but my blade is still considered on the upper degree of Great Grade Blades. It's name is Kageboshi, the shadow star which oversees life and death."
"Will it decide ours then?" Richard remarked.
"I did not come here to lose. A mission to CP4 is a step in life. We succeed, or we die. There is no in-between. I have survived countless battles." Shin remarked, before pointing his blade at the group. "And I have emerged alive and victorious in each one of them. If you wish to pass and challenge the World Government further, then you will face me with the stake of your own lives."
"Interesting…" Richard remarked, before he then fired a lightning magic bullet right at Shin, who barely even moved himself, as his blade sliced right through the projectile. "And you're an aggressive one."
Shin did not even waste any more time speaking, as he charged Richard, pulling off Geppo at a speed that was almost too fast for the normal eye to track, although the trio were well accustomed to such speeds, as Gus rushed forward to clash with his own blade, although he felt the weapon budge from the force that Shin was putting behind it.
"Too slow, too late." Shin told Gus, before he then slid the weapon right along the length of the great-sword, causing sparks to fly, before he then brought the blade right down on Gus's shoulder, as he barely had the time to react, as it left a nasty cut where the blade landed.
"And you're not paying attention." Destiny would say.
"Exactly what I said!" Siege smiled as both were behind Shin, as Shin received double what Gus did from Siege and Destiny landing massive slashes at incredible, unseen speeds.
Shin moved back a few steps, as he felt the gashes, placing a finger to swipe against the wound and see the blood on them, as he merely scoffed as a result.
"Ambushing, only to be ambushed." Shin remarked. "...You are indeed worthy of having CP4 after you."
Shin then immediately leapt into the air, before he then rushed through the air, heading right for the group.
"Geppo: Dust-Cloud." Shin intoned, before he then immediately began to kick across the air rapidly in flashes of speed, as it forced the entire group to block from all directions, as the CP4 leader was shifting directions rapidly, making it hard to find an opportunity to counter temporarily.
Richard immediately waited for a moment to gather magic on his arm, before he then slammed it right down, creating an iron pillar right in front of Shin, who immediately cut through it… only to be in the path of a revolving slash from Gus.
"Eat this!" Gus exclaimed, before he then slammed the entire length of the blade, as Shin didn't have enough momentum to dodge the attack, as he was forced to block it, as his own blade rattled in his hand, before he himself was sent flying back into the wall.
However, before he landed on the wall, he immediately clenched his own body to activate Tekkai, as he merely bounced off the wall, although the initial attack damaged his own arms, which made him growl in a low tone.
"He's using Tekkai…" Destiny said in a soft tone. "...Siege, we have to kill him. There's no other way."
"I understand…" Siege said as he prepared to go for a finishing combination. "The quicker we end this fight, the quicker we end Sage's plans."
Destiny and Siege rushed right at Shin, who immediately noticed the attack coming, beginning to crisscross in confusing movements to make him unsure of who was attacking from where. However, Shin did not seem to be unsettled the slightest, as he immediately closed his eyes, and drew his blade slowly.
The two of them immediately attacked, as they attacked at an angle that Shin could not dodge at, although he used Kageboshi to block Destiny's blow, knocking her back slightly from the parrying force, while Siege's attack cut him right on the side of his chest, deep enough to seem to be lethal.
"How foolish of you to rush things." Shin mocked the both of them, before he then flexed his blade. "Kami-e: Nosu."
Destiny and Siege barely noticed the thousand of slashes that resulted, as both of them suffered several of the cuts, saved by their physique making each of them only just enough to draw blood, although the attack merely knocked them back slightly.
"To think that didn't kill you…" Shin remarked, before closing his eyes. "In that case… I will have to increase my strength."
Shin's killing intent began to flow through, although Siege merely smirked, slowly facing Shin.
"Kono tatakai… owatta…" Siege would merely say, before Siege's blow on him began to glow a purple hue, as Shin noticed the glow, before it then exploded, taking out a good part of his left side as a result, as the CP4 leader collapsed, unresponsive.
"...Well, that definitely took him down." Richard remarked. "And yet… why do I sense there's life in him."
The group were about to finish him off, before Shin then slowly rose to his feet, although he barely had the strength to hold his blade, as his eyes were dimmed.
"...How… How did you manage to…" Shin wheezed weakly. "...to be powerful enough to blow my own body faster than Kami-e: Junkan can relocate my own wounds… What manner of being are you, to be able to do such a wound and take on the likes of Kaido."
"I am nothing special, really. I'm a Saiyan, although I'm much more than that in the eyes of my friends. There's many techniques one learns as a blade master. Such as the one I gave you. Ancient Arts: Grisly Wound." Siege stated. "You are in no condition to continue this fight. If you wish to retain any honor of yourself for the loss of this duel, then I implore you that you fall not by my blade, but of your own."
"Ridiculous… there's no honor taking my own life…" Shin wheezed. "There is no value in death, only the advance of life matters. I would rather die by your blade, than to be given your pity and told to kill myself. I have survived, and this is what it accumulates to: to die by my own blade. You tell a sick joke, warrior."
"There's no point fighting. You'll die regardless with that kind of wound. What purpose do you even walk forward with?" Richard asked, with a stern look on his face. "Why would you rather die fighting than die on the ground?"
"Once you die, there is no value. When you become CP4, your life's only value is derived from those that you take from others." Shin remarked, before Gus glared at him, as if making a terrible assumption. "...I have slaughtered countless pirates, all claiming to be invincible, countless kings and queens who think themselves above the world order. And not a single one of them has proven a worthy kill. And yet, people hold them as if they have a legacy to share… How envious… we die in the shadows, and not a single tear is shed for us. But that's the life of a Slayer, the life of CP4."
Shin then began to channel his own killing intent right into the blade, as it turned a demonic red. "If you want me dead, then you deal the finishing blow. But you will take my last blow in response." Shin declared, as his eyes burned for a moment with determination that didn't seem natural. "And only if you take it, and survive, will I die a worthy death."
"Then allow me to administer the blow." Siege declared, as Destiny looked at Siege.
"Son…!" Destiny exclaimed.
Siege was about to attack, before Richard then placed a hand to stop Siege.
"Hm?" Siege asked.
"Let me." Richard stated, before he then summoned a magic blade right into his hands. "It's only right that I take his final blow."
"And why's that?" Siege asked with a tilted head.
"...Let's just say that I would rather put him down in a way that would grant him a measure of peace." Richard remarked, before he then charged the blade with blue energy, as Siege noticed what it was.
"Wait, you aren't…" Siege started, before Richard shot off.
Shin then raised his blade, as his eyes glinted red, as Richard rushed forward, as a aura of white surrounded him.
In a single instant, both sides traded their decisive blows, as the attack left Richard with a powerful gash to his chest, causing him to hack some blood from the extent of the wound, even with all of the protections. In return, however, Richard had his blade buried right to the hilt, through Shin's chest, as he was left completely immobile, although he felt a foreign sensation invade his body.
"This… This is…?" Shin remarked, as his expression softened, as if a great burden was released from him.
"My own way to send you off. A cursed warrior, you have been. I can see it in your eyes, and in your swordsmanship." Richard stated. "To be born from nothing, and return to nothing… such a pitiful fate. It would condemn you to hell… but I see something better in you."
"What…" Shin remarked, before he felt a tingling sensation in him, as if his soul was being purified. "This warm sensation… is this… what peace feels like?"
"That shows that despite your blood-stained appearance, you are a true man to his ideals. You cut down those in your path… but you never went out of your way to murder those who did not deserve it. A man of exact ideals… I would have respected such a man, if we weren't on opposite sides." Richard stated. "So, take my blade… Take my blade, and be given salvation, to purify your own soul for the next time you return to the living world, in another time, in another form."
"Aah…" Shin remarked, as tears involuntarily leaked from his eyes. "So… this is… death… Perhaps… there is value in it… after… all…"
Shin's head slumped, as the sword in Richard's hand faded, as all signs of life faded from Shin's body. Richard then turned around, and left.
However, Siege saw that Shin's blade was still out. The honorable death was not yet complete. Walking up to the blade, Siege would clean it using the inside of his elbow, before slowly sheathing the blade, until it clicked into the sheath, and laid it to rest next to Shin's body.
"...Rest in peace, Shin… may that peace be something you always deserved…" Siege said solemnly, as he rose and sighed.
"We're done here with the World Government." Richard stated. "...Out of all that the World Government threw at us, he was the toughest one we fought, before the Seraphims… and he was unmistakably human… I believe that he could be an equal to Rob Lucci… if he lived further."
"What now? We're all injured from the fight, and knowing that, we're at a disadvantage if we just head straight up to Goku Black and whoever else he has up there immediately. And we're running out of time!" Destiny exclaimed.
"...I have one more contingency in place for something like this." Siege explained to his mother. "But we'll need to banter when we get up top and stall for as long as it takes for the help to arrive."
"How do you expect it to get here? The space rift won't send up anyone else." Destiny stated.
"Perhaps… but who said they'd come through the space rift?" Siege stated before pulling out something Richard recognized.
A Digivice.
"Wait, what is this plan?" Gus asked, confused about the context.
"A Digivice… I assume that explains what you have been doing after that long break." Richard remarked. "It would be fitting, considering that they should be able to handle these odds."
"Wait, you know where he went?" Gus asked Richard.
"He was down in the Digital World, dealing with a malignant piece of metal who decided to become king of all Digimon." Richard answered back. "Made quite the team back there, and introduced me to some of them when he got back."
"The truth is, it wasn't my first time there. My team has known me for years, and I first made contact with them starting out my journey under Magina's tutelage." Siege explained. "Our first big opponent was actually a Digi virus trying to destroy the Digital World using Chrono Destruction Ray." Siege added. "Since then, they've been itching to get to the real world. This will be their chance." Siege said as he inputted coordinates into the Digivice, as the portal making process was underway. "There. The portal is being made. Now we just have to stall for it to finish downloading."
"Out of all of us, Gus is the least wounded. So if bantering fails, it falls to you to take the blows and roll with them." Richard told Gus. "You can handle that, right?"
"This wound might affect my ability to fight… but I can endure it." Gus nodded back.
"We should hurry up. If we delay our fight, Black could wise up or become impatient." Richard stated. "In either case, he'll come down, and see this, and our back-up plan goes up in smoke."
"Then let's not keep him waiting any longer." Siege stated as the four of them got on the transporter.
What awaited them up top was a triage of danger. First, Black himself, arms folded and a smile on his face. Next to him, the nanomachine enhanced Sundowner, with a smile of his own, and next to them…
The last Seraphim the World Government had prepared, an abomination that looked similar to Jexi, if not for some major differences, with eyes in the shape of spiral galaxies.
"Huh, so that's where the fourth Seraphim would be… hopefully, they don't have more for us." Richard remarked, as the Seraphim merely stared at the group at the time being.
"Well, the heroes of the hour! By the looks of things, your fight with Shin went splendidly! Just another Cipher Pol Agency closer to the drain pipe thanks to us!" Sundowner cackled.
"So not all CP4 is wiped out?" Siege asked.
"Unfortunately on our grandeur show we ran short on time, so some of the cast had to be cut. But not to worry, they'll appoint new elites and hire new people just as quickly as they lost them. You'd be surprised how many mortals are willing to throw their lives in the garbage bin." Black cackled.
"I like to see them create another Shin." Richard scoffed. "That man was a talent that was one in a million, even with artificial means. After all, he did his job well for you. Softened up quite well for someone who only got his blade and his own superhuman techniques."
"Well that's rather unfortunate you actually enjoyed the duel. But what the hell, you're having a blast, we're having a blast, it's a full on goddamn party!" Sundowner smiled. "Where's the pyrotechnics and music? We could call it a proper party then!"
"As entertaining as that sounds, you don't look ready to bust any moves." Destiny stated.
"Of course not. We're here to obliterate all of you and this pathetic world! Of course, Sage is going along well with the latter. He could be finished at any moment!" Black cackled. "The second Cataclysm will bring this world to ruin! A true purging of foolish mortals!"
"Not if we can help it… as much as we can." Siege winced.
"You actually think you have a chance in your sorry states? What heroic virtues!" Black smirked.
"Oh please, we can still handle this, even with your souped-up scissors-man and your cyborg." Richard growled back. "We handled worse odds, you don't faze us the slightest."
"Heh, well then, if you're so confident, I'll be happy to oblige in testing those odds!" Sundowner smirked. "Eat THIS!"
As Sundowner charged, something flashed and sparked from behind the group…
"Digital Portal Download Complete. Opening DigiFarm gateway. Gateway opened, proceeding with transfer…" Siege's Digivice would say in a female computer voice as…
"AWWWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAAAAH!" A male voice yelled as out of the portal came a dragon with multiple hi-tech enhancement, slamming a heavy flame fist into Sundowner and sending him flying, as the dragon came to a halt, revealing himself to be Shine Greymon. "Ya know, Siege, you could at least visit us on a more regular occasion instead of just leaving us for quite a while."
"Sorry Geo, I get busy, you know that." Siege chuckled as four other Digimon emerged: A Sleipmon, a Kuzuhamon, a Sakuyamon, and an Apollomon.
"Are you okay, father?" The Kuzuhamon asked as she took a defensive stance in front of Siege.
"Yes, Kuzuha, I'm okay." Siege smiled.
"Son? You're…?" Destiny asked.
"Adoptive. I'll explain later." Siege stated.
"What the hell is this…?" Sundowner asked as Siege smirked.
"I have friends in many places, Sundowner. Even in the Digital World. These are my friends, Ty, Geo, Fira, Kuzuha, and Sakura, and they're ready to cream in all of your skulls!" Siege smiled.
"For justice and for Siege, I will smite you down!" Ty the Sleipmon exclaimed.
"You're goin' down punks!" Geo the Shine Greymon exclaimed, pounding together his fists.
"For my father, I will fight. You'll not lay a hand on him!" Kuzuha exclaimed.
"I'll fight with Kuzuha and all my friends to stop you!" Sakura the Sakuyamon exclaimed.
"I don't care who the hell you three are or where you even come from, but you're messing with the wrong Tamer. I'm gonna crush you all to dust!" A female voice came from the Apollomon, who were usually male in species, which belonged to Fira. "Let's take em out, guys!"
"Right… Looks like the tables turn, Black…" Richard remarked, before he then readapted his own powered form, even though he is still weakened from the injuries he took. "Time for you to bow out, and let us get to the crux of the matter."
"Pah! It doesn't matter what the hell you send at us." Sundowner exclaimed as the trio prepared for combat, as Sundowner prepped his explosive plating. "In case you didn't know it, we're all very in touch with our inner child!"
Both sides readied themselves to fight, as the Digimon were on the front lines.
Cue: Red Sun - Cover by GO! Light Up!
Kuzuha would begin the fight, using Instant Blow to attack the trio of opponents at lightning fast speeds, before sending all three of them soaring towards Fira, as Fira roared and clawed them and punched them with brilliant flames, before grabbing Sundowner and suplexing him, not even fazed by the explosive armor blowing up on her, considering her resistance to flame attacks. Ty would jump high into the air, drawing back his bow with multiple arrows in it, as he shot down multiple ice arrows at Sundowner, Black, and the Seraphim.
The Seraphim then immediately charged its hands with a powerful fiery energy, as it fired a massive blast of fire right towards Kuzuha, only for Geo to literally absorb the attack. In response, the Seraphim was about to use a water torrent, as its hair turned blue for a moment.
"Oh no, you don't!" Richard exclaimed, before he then clapped his hands together, before generating a beam of destructive light that sent the Seraphim flying back, right into Fira's range. "Go get them, lady!"
"Let's work on that combo!" Siege exclaimed to which Kuzuha and Fira nodded, as Kuzuha blasted the Seraphim with Mega Napalm, and Fira unleashed Giga Breath to soften it up and send it into the air, as Siege landed between them, drawing a sigil around the trio while pulling out a spell in hellfire. "Declare Arcanum!" Siege exclaimed as the sigil retraced itself as he and his two closest Digimon flared in flaming brilliance.
"Flare Sign: GIGA NAPALM ASSAULT!" Siege yelled as Spell circles fired flames at the Seraphim, melting at its metallic parts, before Fira and Kuzuha both fired massive flames at the Seraphim as well, as the intense heat was just melting it down, the heat reaching incredulous temperatures, as the group saw droplets of liquid metal start to hit the ground.
"Stop them!" Black yelled as he tried charging, only to be whacked by Sakura's staff, as she suddenly took it apart, revealing some of the staff was actually a Rapier!
"Engarde!" Sakura exclaimed as she began stabbing and slashing with Holy Powers at Goku Black, while Sundowner was trying to fend off Ty and Geo at once.
"You ain't fuckin' invincible, asshole!" Geo yelled, bashing Sundowner with a Burst Tackle to break off his plating as Sundowner stumbled back, growling as he went into phase 2, his mask fully on and his scissor blades clipped to his arm.
"I'll bathe in your blood!" Sundowner yelled as he charged, only to meet Ty's shield.
"For justice!" Ty yelled, bringing out a broadsword and unleashing Fatal Cross, slashing Sundowner twice before he was caught in explosions of Holy Light.
"Wow… Siege, they're…" Destiny said in awe.
"Strong? Yep. I trained each of them to be that way." Siege stated proudly as he, Fira, and Kuzuha were still looking to melt the Seraphim.
The Seraphim glowered, before it then let out a burst of prismatic energy, before then throwing a beatdown right onto Fira, who guarded the blows well, although it hurt her own arms trying to withstand such a barrage. Fortunately, a combination between Gus and Kuzuha throwing a barrage of flames caused the Seraphim to flinch temporarily from overheating.
"Thanks!" Fira smiled before she kicked the Seraphim back. "Now allow me to pay you back in full!"
Fira slammed the Seraphim down with a flaming punch, her punches still aflame as she smashed it well with lefts and rights, before she leapt up into the air. "Meet my ultimate attack! SOLBLASTER!"
"Shit, cover your eyes, this is about to get bright!" Siege exclaimed as Fira shot down a fireball that looked literally like a miniature sun, straight into the Seraphim Jexi.
The Seraphim tried to resist, as it began to overcharge it arms, in an attempt to launch a sphere of pure spectrum energy, as it fired it off, although the small sphere merely clashed with the miniature sun, before it was literally absorbed, turning the sun bright blue.
"Huh! That's never happened before." Fira mused as the mini sun crashed into the Seraphim in a bright blue explosion of power, sending Goku Black and Sundowner flying from the sheer might, the other Digimon holding their ground as was Siege, Richard, Destiny, and Gus, as they all looked to the aftermath to see what was left of Seraphim Jexi.
"Jesus, total obliteration… And I thought that Seraphims were to be made tough…" Richard remarked.
"That's until you fight a Digimon trained to be based off a Roman God of the sun, pal." Siege smiled as Fira huffed, landing and looking back to Siege.
"Have you to thank for that, you know." Fira smiled gently. "Raised me since I was a little Sunmon, this guy."
"And I don't regret it at all." Siege smiled, as Black and Sundowner saw the disadvantage they had now been put at.
"Tch… you and your blasted contingency plans." Black growled as a portal opened, likely Cataclysm telling them to get the hell out. "Hmph. We'll get you one day, ONE DAY!" Black yelled as he and Sundowner retreated.
Theme End
"Siege! Great news!" Ruby called from down below.
"Go ahead, Ruby." Siege stated.
"We found Valkyrie, a little beat up from the fall but she's fine! She's given us the location of Sage within the Tower of Fantasy! Frigg and Numa will be there too, but you'll also have Aegis and Seele to keep you from getting the Time Machine destroyed before it powers up too much, hurry!" Ruby exclaimed as Siege received the location of Sage.
"I'd love to properly introduce you all to my Digimon, but we have no time for such pleasantries. We have to stop that time machine from powering up where destroying it could lead to being catastrophic." Siege explained.
"Alright, let's hurry it up." Gus nodded, as the group began to ascend the tower by flight, finding themselves at the very top in a room where Sage was waiting for them, with the four Angels of Clemency remaining standing at different posts, with Aegis and Seele standing between the group and Sage, and Numa and Frigg standing behind him.
"They're here, Sage." Numa would say emotionlessly, putting on the act as Siege and his group intended her to have.
"Ah, and so the Executors arrive." Sage remarked, before facing the group. "It seems that I should have prepared… a more fitting welcome for you all. And it seems that your trip was rough."
"Oh, believe us, there are other forces who want us dead, more than you ever wish." Richard remarked. "Too bad, in the end, they failed. It's a good thing that they're not your 'welcoming party'. Because if it was… I would have a fair amount of animosity towards you, and that's not healthy at all for you."
"You are not well in the know of what I intend to do." The Sage remarked. "What I intend to do.."
"...is restart the Cataclysm that ravaged this world once." Gus remarked, as the Sage fell silent. "You might not word it as such, but your actions will lead to that. This world barely survived one, and you intend to use another. This world will become still and dead if you succeed, and even if you restart the timeline… you've abandoned this future to die. And that… I will not allow it, no matter what justification you have."
"Where is your proof?" Sage asked as he looked at the group. "What basis do you have that is what will happen on this glorious occasion?"
"Because among them, Sage, is a product of someone who utilized a Chrono Gate." Siege stated as Sage looked at him with a tilted head.
"So you've been here before then…" Sage mused.
"Indeed. And I have something to show you. Something from my failed attempt in this world… something you yourself won't want to see." Siege stated as he shot up a holographic projector, a static recording of what happened last time, when Siege failed to stop the Sage.
"Foolish Executors, you have fallen today because you fail to see the genius of this project." Sage stated. "And now, it is time for completion. Now… the time machine can start!"
Sage pressed a button before alarms began blaring in the Tower of Fantasy.
"What…?" Sage asked.
"You idiot! The tech of this world can't handle the insane energy output you're giving! You're gonna blow this whole place up, I tried telling you that!" Siege exclaimed.
"Sage, he's right! The Tower's de-stabilizing!" Frigg yelled as the ground began to shake.
"I… I must shut it down! I must…!" Sage tried to do so before the time machine glowed, and in a last act of bravery, Brazera and Shirli threw themselves towards the machine.
"NO, DON'T-!" Siege yelled before static cut into the feed, after a bright explosion.
It turned back on as Siege was trying to collect himself, showing a ruined Tower, and soon enough, a dead Brazera and Shirli from their actions, and Sage, what life was left in him, looking at his machine and what it had caused.
"...What… what have I…" Sage realized too late… before he too collapsed and met his demise, as Siege lay on the ground in pain, and in agony and sorrow, as the feed cut out at last.
"That's where we're heading, if you allow this to continue its course. The Tower will overload, the machine will explode, and not only will you die, your Angels will die, and the world you sought to save will die." Siege explained in a firm tone. "I'm not doing this to say your motives are not just, in a manner. I'm not against you for trying to fix it. What I am against is you doing something you don't know the consequences of should it fail. What I showed you is the result. Knowing that result, are you still going to pursue your goal? Or stop it, and find an alternate means for what you wish to achieve?" Siege asked Sage, with genuine concern in his voice.
The Sage was left silent for a moment, before he then clenched his fist.
"No, I've come too far to be stopped…" The Sage remarked. "...Even if I failed before… it is far better than the alternative to do nothing."
"...Then we're done showing niceties." Richard closed his eyes.
"So we are." The Sage remarked, before Frigg suddenly swiped her blade right near Sage's throat, as she held him hostage.
"If that's the case… then I must ask you to take no offence from this… but if this is our outcome…" Frigg remarked. "Then I cannot accept it, even if it means treason against you."
"The same goes for me." Numa said as she aimed large cannons at Sage.
"Frigg, Nemesis… what is the meaning of this!?" The Sage remarked, as Seele and Aegis barely had the time to notice the sudden turn of events, on account of Fira and Kuzuha charging them.
"A bit of kind words goes a long way, Sage." Richard stated. "We tend to be persuasive when we put our hearts to it. And being saved from death tends to change one's outlook, especially when said savior talks with reason and logic. And then Nemesis, one of your trump cards, was never truly on your side to begin with, because Frigg made certain of that."
"Curse you…" Sage stated.
"I recommend we cease all of this, Sage." Frigg stated. "You have no other way of recovering from this situation. Even if I did not betray you now, the outcome would have been the same. My betrayal is for the sake of minimizing suffering and casualties, So I ask that you quietly tell your initiates across the lands to cease operations, before this becomes truly dangerous for all of us."
"...Your words mean nothing to me, traitorous scum!" Sage yelled as he was about to attack Frigg with a sharp object before he gasped, looking down to see he was impaled in the chest by a triage of light arrows, fired by Ty as Sage looked to his assailant.
"Bifrost. An attack that not a single soul has escaped from piercing them lethally." Ty declared. "In the name of justice, peace, and truth, I cannot allow you to live any longer. May your soul find rest as it passes to the afterlife of this world."
"In the end, even in the last moments, the Sage believed in his ideals." Richard stated, before sighing. "That's just how cruel life is sometimes. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, as both of us could say, eh, Siege. Shame it had to end this way for him, but that's just the price of being extremist without any people to hold faith in you."
"I sadly agree, Richard…" Siege sighed solemnly as all fighting stopped, everyone watching as Sage began falling to his knees, and before long, slumping to the floor completely. "Now. We need to shut down the machine. We still have some time to use the systems available and deactivate it." Siege explained.
"Right…" Richard remarked, before he then accessed the time machine from the consoles nearby, deactivating it, before it could finish the process, powering down softly. "There, the device is deactivated."
Siege was silent for a moment, taking in the quietness of the room now that everything had settled, even Seele and Aegis from not having Sage there to tell them what to do. Siege then let out a victorious yell, and laid flat on his back, hands on his head as he held a bright smile.
"Yes… it's done… we've done it properly!" Siege said as he had a huge wave of relief coming over him. Everything that could have gone wrong did not go wrong, and Siege had properly saved the world of Tower of Fantasy!
"Son? You alright?" Destiny asked.
"I'm better than alright. I'm ecstatic." Siege smiled. "I've spent this entire time stressing over what could go wrong with all the odds against us, and through it all, we stopped this world from being destroyed… I'm… I'm just basking in relief and victory right now. Okay?"
"It's well deserved…" Richard remarked, before letting out a sigh of relief, resting against a wall. "It's a win to all of us. The World Government lost their Seraphim prototypes, as well as two CP branches, which is likely to dissuade them from going after us for quite a while… We managed to get Hykros and fixed the lives of many an person here… and again, Cataclysm and his crew is sent packing for a while. We can say that this deserves some celebration."
"Perhaps we might get a chance to have one." Gus remarked. "After all, the celebration at Wano, as you said through your clone… was quite nice. Shame that Siege didn't stay to enjoy it."
"Then again, he was busy with this. And now that your worries are laid to rest… How about we crack a drink, Siege." Richard smiled at Siege. "We heroes gotta have one to commemorate the occasion."
"Yeah. I say drinks are on me back at the Golden Blaze." Siege smiled before Aegis and Seele approached.
"So like, uhhhh…" Aegis said as she scratched her head.
"What fun things are there for us?" Seele would ask.
"What she means is where do we go from here?" Aegis asked.
"Well, you're free to stick around." Gus stated. "We could find you two useful on certain occasions. After all, we do tend to pick up a few people here and there in our travels. Besides, you'll be able to do what you enjoy… even if they might be some questionable things."
"I like "questionable" stuff. You guys already seem like people I could hang around with!" Aegis smiled.
"Do stuff we enjoy? Fun things like fighting people?" Seele asked in a childish manner.
"You'll have a lot of that for sure." Destiny smiled.
"Okay! Seele will come!" Seele smiled.
Siege chuckled as he sat up. "This is a genuine surprise."
"Really?" Numa asked.
"Well, I had only intended to pick up 3 of you Angels of Clemency." Siege smiled. "And now I have you all… it's weird and yet… I'm all for it." Siege smiled before looking at Frigg. "And you started it all. Thank you for putting your trust in us throughout it all."
"It's just repayment for the kindness you have shown me. I thought that the world was a cruel place that needed strength and force to change it." Frigg stated, before a graceful smile appeared on her face. "But you've proven me wrong, and I am thankful for that. I will do all I can to assist you in your future endeavors, no matter how far behind I might be, compared to the rest of you."
"I think you'll find yourself pretty competitive in terms of strength. Now then, I do believe there's one more Angel of Clemency I need to speak to…" Siege would say.