Heroic New Era: Strive for Overture
Chapter 4: To Convince a Magic Expert/Shodown of Samurais
The group found themselves teleported into a coastal area that seem to be the home of a large observatory, as the entire facility spanned across almost the entire size of the small island.
"Well, Welcome to the Ganymede Archipelago, I guess." Izuna remarked, before he then turned to the figure atop the observatory tower. "Doctor, we're heeere!"
"It's rare for you to bring a single guest, let alone an entire party of them." A old male voice was heard, as the group turned their attention to the figure, who seemed to be a avian-like dragon with green scales with a white underside, long antenna on the sides of his head, a mortarboard hat, as well as a large grimoire in his hands, that seemed to maintain a green spherical barrier around him.
"What is he? A bird…? A Gear?" Sol remarked, as Sin and Dizzy nodded in agreement to confirm his answer.
"Indeed, but you need to make a correction. I'm a dragon, not a bird." The dragon responded back.
"That can be easily told." Richard stated, before looking at Sol, who was about to say something. "Sol, I'm going to talk with him. Before you say anything stupid, do remember that we know exactly how to express the situation. So let's not commit any social gaffes and wane our host's patience, alright?"
Sol merely let out a shuddering sigh, as Richard walked forward to greet the dragon.
"So you're the magic specialist that Izuna was talking about…" Richard remarked. "...But I suppose that I have to admit, I already had a idea on how this was going to happen… Dr Paradigm."
"...How odd. You have the physique of a human… and yet, your very presence betrays the fact that you are neither human, nor Gear." The now-named Dr Paradigm. "I assume that plays into the knowledge of how you know about me and the current situation."
"I do, the paradise of the last remaining peaceful gears… Ganymede Archipelago." Richard remarked. "It is exactly what is needed for the surviving gears, a place where they can be hidden from the desires and prejudices of the humans elsewhere. But that's not important right now. I must ask a favor of you…"
"And it regards that girl Valentine… I see that you have another Valentine with you, but she is from the future, not the present… and loathe as I make a blind assumption like this often, she is not hostile, nor does she have ulterior motives. In fact, she is working to subvert her predecessor to end this matter."
"That's exactly right." Siege answered back. "Her, as well as Dizzy and Sin are part of the group that were displaced from the future itself. We are well aware that she is aiming for the annihilation of both Gears and humanity, although she has been working on the former. The initial reason why Sol and the others sought you, is because you are the only one who could break the binding seal around Ky Kiske… but Richard said that there is something else that you can assist with… and I have a good idea of what that is."
"And what is that?" Dr Paradigm questioned further, with a tense tone.
"...Stopping Valentine. And before you ask, we are aware of the conspiracy at hand… and why Sol is the centre of it. But that won't come up for a long time indeed. In fact, that's a story for the future… a future we're trying to sustain." Siege continued.
"Conspiracy, what the hell are you talking about?" Sol remarked.
"...Since we already know, we may as well be upfront with it." Richard stated. "The reason why Valentine is trying to make the Gears disappear…? Getting Gear cells. You know this, Sol, magic exists in an alternate realm that your people constantly tap into, the Backyard. The Backyard is the debug room of the real world: You could very well change the very laws of reality itself if you so please, with few limitations. So by monopolising the Gears, no one can tap into the Backyard, because making a program of magic that can access the Backyard has Gear Cells as a compulsory requirement. And as for the reason… It's very obvious where this is going."
"No, she's not going to…!" DIzzy exclaimed in horror.
"Once she makes certain that she's the only one who can get into the Backyard, it's bye-bye free will and humanity." Richard answered back, before turning to Dr Paradigm. "So, that about sums what you know, plus some extra, doesn't it, doctor?"
"Mn… I cannot deny that." Dr Paradigm responded back.
Jesse and her group had been doing their best to get their heads wrapped around everything, when Jesse heard a call on comms, and politely ducked away to answer it while the conversation was still going on.
"So, you in, Doc, or not?" Siege answered back. "...You better make your choice fast, we got a king to release, and prepare for what is coming next."
"At this point, the situation is more dire, thanks to the presence of malevolent forces other than Valentine, and That Man. So indeed, I will come with you, and so will the Gears that can fight." Dr Paradigm answered back. "They act as my servants to fight for our sake."
"We got a huge freaking problem now!" Jesse exclaimed, running back into the area. "So, not only, is Team 4 fighting off Shizuka, but now they have freaking Amakusa looming on them, AND they have Goku Black on the mix, which tells me that the whole reason those SamSho bosses are even here is because of Cataclysm Siege, or maybe Echo at this point! Moroha and Eruza went down quite a while ago, and Setsuna and Hitomi just dropped next, leaving Towa, Baiken, and Koyomi alone in the fight until they're back on their feet, so the situation is pretty damn dire over there unless we act!"
"Damn, I knew that we didn't have a long respite." Richard cursed. "But at the same time… we need to free Ky and get his forces moving to get to Valentine and put an end to this…"
"If I may make a suggestion. Can we not contact the rest of Teams 2, and 3, to get them over there? Shallot knows Instant Transmission and has locked on to energy signatures of Towa and Hitomi before, so he can transport them all over in a flash to fill up shoes quickly." Siege remarked.
"That can work." Richard stated with a nod, before communicating with the rest of their teams, who were still located within Illyria. "Shallot? Kaguya? Does anyone read this?"
"Big ol' loud and clear boss man! Rutega on the line!" The voice of Rutega answered back. "Whatcha need?"
"Team 4 got themselves in a bad situation, and they need some help. I'll get you their location quickly, but you're more than enough. As for us, we're going to free a king, and get to Valentine and deal with the mess ASAP."
"I was about to ask why you all couldn't do it but no need to send location. Locking on to their energy signatures now…" Shallot said as he quickly found Towa. "Got it! You deal with what you got buddy, we'll handle things!"
"Alright, express trip to the castle of Illyria." Richard remarked, as he tore a sukima open. "Everyone through, now."
The group immediately rushed through the sukima, as they found themselves within the throne room of Illyria, as they saw that Ky Kiske was locked within a binding seal, which shocked both Sin and Dizzy, as well as Ramlethal, considering Ky considered her as family as well.
"Alright, let's deal with this…" Richard remarked, cracking his knuckles, while he and Dr Paradigm walked towards the seal.
Meanwhile, with Team 4...
"Tch…!" Towa growled as she skidded back, multiple wounds on her body as she panted. "What the hell is it with you anyways!?" Towa yelled at Goku Black. "It was bad enough dealing with the two big bosses, now you stick your neck in on this shit!?"
"Heh, let's just say that my boss has a personal vendetta against all of you. And if I spill blood for him, he's more than satisfied." Goku Black cackled as he formed a ki blade. "Hehehe… are you prepared to die, mortals!? CHYAH!" Goku Black roared as he charged straight for Towa, Baiken, and Koyomi… when suddenly…
BAM!
"KAAAHK!" Goku Black yelled in agony, his eyes whited out with pain as he looked down, Rutega's fist buried in his abdomen.
"I have so looked forward to doing that to you yet again." Rutega smirked, before sending Goku Black flying into the other boss characters with a beam, as the rest of Team 2 and Team 3 mobilized into view.
"You… MAGGOTS!" Goku Black exclaimed in anger after he recovered, seeing the gathered army before him.
"Missed us so soon? We didn't miss you that much!" Kaguya remarked. "After all, we're going to need to put you down so that your friend won't have as many people to rely on for trying to beat us down!"
"Tch…! You insolent mortals are making this harder than I expected. But no matter! Shizuka! Amakusa! You see the lowly mortals before us. Crush them, obliterate them! Remove them from existence! We will not fail the task we were set out to accomplish!" Goku Black exclaimed.
"Pain… This pain… This worthless existence… It must be wiped… All of these worlds… And all within it… Will be extinguished before me!" Shizuka roared, as the patterned veil of her face flapped hard, not revealing her face entirely, as a storm of fans were summoned again, as they prepared to attack the group.
"With this great power… bestowed by the dark god himself, I will purge this world and create a new order to rule myself!" Amakusa remarked, as his master-ghost, a demon statue with bloodied marks began to summon samurai revenants as his servants.
"Bout time you all showed up…" Towa growled as she got back to her feet, as did those who fell in battle previously. "You guys just might be the rally needed to bring an end to this fight."
"Of course. We wouldn't let the odds be easily stacked against you guys." Mokou quipped. "But let's save the talk for later. We got an evil spirit to banish, a megalomaniac to smack down, and a pink bastard intent on wiping us off the face of the world."
"You're speaking my language." Sienna smirked as she readied her whip. "Let's take it to them!"
With the group rallied, they began pushing towards the ghosts and master-ghosts, as Goku Black growled at it all.
"Accursed pests! You all must be obliterated!" Goku Black yelled as he began charging a Black Kamehameha the moment the second ghost was gone. "Ka….me… ha… me…!"
"Ah crud! No one's in range to stop that!" Shallot yelled.
"BRACE!" Rutega yelled as everyone threw up their guards.
"HA!" Black yelled, blasting the entire group back with the large beam, as some of them hit the ground.
"Urgh, everyone accounted for?" Gus remarked, as he slowly rose back up.
"Accounted… but not exactly with bearings." Moroha groaned as everyone got up, slightly disoriented from the attack power.
"At this rate they'll overwhelm us… but none of us are in any position to mount a counter offensive… what the hell are we gonna do!?" Caulifla exclaimed in concern, when she noticed someone hiding in the corner, given away by the white ears of her suit. "...Eh? Who is…?"
"Eh? A mortal has evaded my attack? How amusing. I won't let it happen a second time." Black smirked, preparing an attack.
"Ah, the jig is up! I hope those other two are in position!" Exclaimed a familiar voice, as Elphelt Valentine jumped from her hiding spot, tossing in a round. "Time for an assault: Grandeur Rose style!" Elphelt yelled as she fired a shot that neared Goku Black and his two allies… before exploding when it neared them, dropping down and throwing roses before them…
As Charlotte Christine de Colde smiled, appearing before them. "Bonjour." She smiled before using her rapier to stab the trio with rapid rapier stabs, cutting up each rose a bit before another figure walked into view, his blue hair and samurai garb recognizable as Ukyo Tachibana, who drew his blade, before the screen blackened to a massive amount of slashes, as the trio was now suspended in midair.
"Grand Finale time~!" Elphelt smiled as while Japanese kanjis formed, she fired down one last shot, as Ukyo slashed it once, as it exploded on the trio, also obliterating their master-ghost.
DESTROYED
"And that's how to properly make an entrance!" Elphelt giggled as she landed with a wink and smile.
VICTORY
"Well that was certainly unexpected… I'm not complaining but…" Sienna said as she looked at the trio. "Definitely unexpected."
"Tch…! Insolent pests, just continue to come… Well, in the end of it all, we've actually accomplished our goal as it is. Stalling you all, so that he can prevent you from brainwashing the one key to his plan! You won't be so lucky the next time you encounter Valentine!" Black laughed before the trio retreated from the area.
"...Damnit, she got away…" Baiken cursed, seeing Shizuka run away. "That woman needs to be released from her torment."
"Wait, roll that back… Did they just mention the key…?' Kaguya remarked, before things clicked in her head. "...Oh no, no no no, this isn't good at all."
"What's wrong?" Hitomi remarked, nursing her wounds, having recovered from them. "Don't tell that we've been played hard."
"We have… but that can't be right… Richard's there, Siege's there… there's no way they could have possibly be telling anywhere near the truth… but Goku Black is so confident…" Kaguya continued. "...It can't be true… It can't be true!"
"Calm down!" Mokou shouted. "Get yourself together, what the hell is the problem!?"
"Spit out where you're coming from, already!" Elphelt would exclaim. "Normally I would get formalities out of the way but if you're in panic mode something is wrong and formalities can wait!"
"The key they were mentioning, it was Sin himself…" Kaguya explained, taking breaks to calm herself. "...The actual key itself is the cells of the first 'complete' Gear, the Gear that was considered to be the pinnacle of all Gears, Justice. Her cells were passed down to Dizzy, who passed it down to Sin. I don't know which one they managed to take… but neither is good… it's bad the same way!"
Before the group could ask for elaboration, the group heard a call from the other groups, as Gus picked it up.
"Whoever's calling us, we got terrible news to state." Gus stated through the comms. "The enemy managed to take the key… which we suspect is Sin Kiske."
"You're bingo on that." Yang remarked. "While we least expected it, that idiot ran off himself to deal with Valentine's dolls, who were trying to get in. He got taken while we were arguing with each other about certain matters."
"I can't believe no-one kept an eye on him… no-one!" Richard cursed. "Well, at least that leaves only one way that we can go from here."
"Can you at least tell us what's going on during that time?' Towa asked Richard.
"...Alright." Richard answered back.
During the battle with Team 4…
"Alright… so how are we getting Ky down from there?" Siege would ask.
"Basically, the binding seal runs on complex spatial curves." Richard explained, as he examined the seal with his magic. "There's a basis that serves as the root of the solution, and it runs on mapping across multiple axes… in fact, it runs at arbitrary axes.."
"And that means?" Siege answered back.
"It is a variant of the Ouroboros loop." Sol chimed in. "I'd recognise the chord habit from anywhere."
"Of. Freaking. Course. The Ouroboros loop, one of the hardest loops to crack. Considering, like Ouroboros is claimed, when part of the seal gets broken, the magic itself fluxes to fix the broken part, meaning, there's one of two ways to fix it. One, we stay here all day trying to decode this magical circuit while it rebuilds itself… or…" Siege said as he drew Dyrnwyn. "I try seeing what a Holy sword has to say about that seal."
"I wouldn't be so rash. There is a reason why your friend consulted me." Dr Paradigm answered back. "You need not wait long, I have the solution to that matter. You see, Ouroboros loops are built with flaws that can allow the cancellation of it."
"And that requires expanding the 'lens' so to speak." Richard answered back. "Let me do exactly that."
Richard then flooded the seal with magic, as Dr Paradigm quickly worked his magic on it, as the seal began to deactivate, as Ky collapsed on the ground, finally free of his statis.
"Where am I..? What happened to me…?" Ky asked, looking around, still trying to recover himself.
"...!" Ramlethal couldn't say a word as she looked at Ky with eyes that were nearly breaking away to tears at the pain he was in, trying to compose herself.
"You're useless as usual, boy." Sol growled, catching Ky's attention.
"Given the situation… I've once again sacrificed the lives of my people." Ky remarked with a sad tone, before looking towards the rest of the group. "...Wait, what is with all of these people… and why is… no, this can't be right…"
"I'm afraid it's as you see, husband…" Dizzy shook her head slightly.
"Wait, Sin, where the hell are you going!?" Jesse yelled when she noticed Sin moving from the group.
"Don't bother asking." Sin answered back with a low tone, as he began to walk away.
"Uhm, how about no. What the hell." Jesse glared back as she kept pace with Sin. "You're not even going to say hello to your own father!?"
"Can't do that. This version of my father still needs time to realize something's wrong with himself. Besides, I got a new mess to deal with." Sin answered back. "I doubt that Valentine's new friends are going to sit on their hands, while we undo their plans. You saw what they've done when Ramlethal showed. That imposter of your friend went ballistic. Who knows what's coming next."
"...Okay I see your point but… Shouldn't we…? ...Fuck it, it's better than sitting around and doing nothing." Jesse said, shutting off her communicator. "No one will know. Let's see if you and I together can turn the tide of this war in our favor."
"...Heh. You've got the spirit, I tell you." Sin remarked. "Besides, what's the worst that can happen…? I'm sure that it'll just be a quick walk around the block."
Sin and Jesse left, just as Dr Paradigm moved to speak with Ky.
"Sorry to intrude, but can you explain how this all happened?" Dr Paradigm asked. "I am Dr Paradigm."
"A Gear moving of its own volition.. Other than my beloved…?" Ky remarked with surprise. "So Gears like you exist?"
"They do, King Kiske." Richard answered back. "And to answer Dr Paradigm's question myself, to expedite some time… The low-down is that you were attacked by Valentine's army. And some extra malicious elements. And they're very much responsible for the disappearance of Gears all around."
"Wait, then how did my beloved become spared from this?" Ky asked, turning to Dizzy. "Right before you, she's the Maiden of the Grove, surely she must be their target right?"
"...She is…?" Dr Paradigm remarked, turning to Dizzy, who nodded. "...It seems that I have made a grave error in my initial judgment of you… I was so bewildered by the words of the unknown elements, that I let the notion that the Maiden of the Grove was standing before me… Unbelievable, it seems my years are catching on me."
"Don't feel bad, I'd forget a lot of things with how hectic things are." Heiwa assured the dragon. "Besides, our lord tend to have the same thing, and he was a great dragon like you… just not the wise sage kind like you."
"But that doesn't change matters." Dr Paradigm remarked. "In fact, it worsens it. If rumours are true, she is still the target of a bounty that is focused on a Gear for having both great strength and a sense of awareness. Shortly after there was news that it was destroyed. However, there were no remains to prove it, and the matter was never concluded."
"That's because Justice birthed Dizzy herself." Richard explained. "For that very reason, the King kept her here, for her safety."
"I sincerely doubt that. You lack a solid perspective on the matter." Dr Paradigm criticised Richard. "It's more like that she was detained."
"Detained? You're mistaken!" Ky exclaimed.
"Dr Paradigm, I assure you, there is no such thing-" Dizzy tried to explain.
"Am I? Then why have you been thrown here without freedom?" Dr Paradigm answered back. "If you wish to prove otherwise, then tell me, what counters the fact that you kept her for her value as a weapon."
"That's slander!" Ky exclaimed with outrage. "I would never use her for such a wretched purpose!"
"Can we all take a chill pill for a second here?" Siege would say, trying to defuse the tension. "Ky loves Dizzy with all his heart, why would he ever use her as a weapon? And what the failure to recognize here is that Dizzy isn't the only possible target they want now. Sin is another possibility because he has Justice's genetics as well."
"What… What do you mean!?" Dr Paradigm exclaimed, shocked at the sudden revelation. "...This King loved the Gear… and you say that Sin has the cells of Justice as well… Does that mean… This is.."
"The obvious should be clear to you, Doctor." Siege said. "Sin Kiske's father is Ky, no doubt. But his mother is the Gear standing before you, and as gene pools dictate in science, Sin got Dizzy's part of Justice's genes. Meaning the new enemies can bypass Dizzy altogether, and go straight to Sin to achieve their goal."
"WHAT!?" Dr Paradigm and Izuna shouted at the same time.
"That's right, I've loved her, my son is proof of that…" Ky exclaimed. "I understand your prejudice of humanity, but I have never put her underneath my duties, and I have never abandoned either my love or my duty!"
"King, that's not the problem here." Richard told Ky. "The main problem here is that Sin is likely going to go down the same path that happened to him before. And that's-"
"Speaking of him… Uhm… Guys…? Where did Jesse and Sin go!?" Yang would suddenly say, just as Richard was about to finish his statement.
"He… WHAT!?" Siege exclaimed.
"...Fuck me. I turn my eyes away, and Sin disappeared without a trace. It can't be because of Ky alone. But if he went through this once before… then he knew that there was going to be an attack, and he was going to carry it out. But even so…" Richard cursed. "...No, it makes sense, if Sin can play dirty… then the bastards can play even more dirty…"
"Uhm… I… I heard Jesse and Sin talking moments ago but I didn't want to say anything during the conversation!" Ruby apologized. "They both charged out with intents of 'turning the tide of this war in our favor'!"
"Those idiots! Just them alone!?" Weiss exclaimed, before trying to reach Jesse on comms… before finding nothing. "And Jesse deactivated her communicator! They didn't want us to know!"
"SON OF A BITCH!" Siege yelled. "We have to locate them, ASAP!"
Suddenly, there was the sound of explosions, as Richard looked outside, seeing that there were the forces of Valentine attacking the castle, as well as some yokai-like creatures that Izuna recognised.
"They're heading for the castle… And those are my friends that they're using!" Izuna exclaimed.
"Valentine left behind a nasty surprise for us. We can't afford to just walk away. We need to take down the invading force, and mount a search and rescue for the two." Richard stated. "...I suggest another split. I know where Valentine is likely going to take Sin, and I think that you, Siege, can make it there and be of more help than I will for the time being."
"Let us search for Jesse then." Ruby stated. "It's our fault, as members of her team, that she snuck away and we didn't inform you. We'll go out and start immediately."
"Allow Heiwa and I to come with you. The rest can handle the fight, I'm certain." Popol said, summoning and mounting upon his wolf mount.
"Alright, Richard, point me where to go and I'll dash there as fast as I can go." Siege stated.
"Bel Canto Valley, south of here. You'll know when you enter a valley within a gorge." Richard remarked. "Alright, who else is coming with? Dr Paradigm, what's your say on how Sol, Izuna and the King goes?"
"Fr- Sol and Izuna will go with your friends. This is a dire matter… but the Maiden of the Grove, Dizzy is a priority as well." Dr Paradigm answered back. "I shall remain with the King and the rest of you to repel the invaders."
'Then it's decided." Richard stated, as he opened a sukima to get the rescue group out of Illyria with a head-start towards their destination. "Dizzy, stay inside the castle, and mount up your own defense, in case someone breaches in through surprise."
"I'm staying with her… I must protect my family!" Ramlethal yelled as she summoned her swords. "Dizzy… and Ky… I won't allow anything to get past me…"
"Can't have it any other way." Richard stated, as he rushed right off the balcony, as the rest of the group followed, landing on the ground, before the castle gates. "Alright, game plan. Doctor, do you think you can undo the brainwashing of the servants? They seem to belong with you, with how different they are to Valentine's dolls."
"Impossible. I can't break it while they're raging like that." Dr Paradigm answered back.
"And if we rendered them powerless instead?" Ky suggested. "Please undo their magic as soon as we defeat them."
"That is something I did not expect to hear. You would show the hand of mercy to them?" Dr Paradigm answered back.
"Even if we were to obtain peace by killing them, we would end up having no one to celebrate that joy with…" Ky admitted. "...It's a feeling that I know all too well. And I'm sure that some of our allies could say the same."
"So I see… these people have done what I could not have in several decades…" Dr Paradigm answered back. "For so long, I've hated humanity, for their branding of us Gears as evil, while being hypocrites on their sins, refusing to change their ways. And yet, I have felt never so much more different, seeing these people.I suppose that is the boon of humanity after all… There is the potential of good, however dim it might be."
"That's exactly how it is." Richard remarked, as he drew his blades. "...No matter what, there is always someone who strives to be better, and Ky is one such person, despite his short-comings. But enough talk, we got an army to repel!"
The group then rushed into the fray, as they savaged Valentine's army, as they constantly knocked out the brainwashed servants, while Dr Paradigm began to work his magic on them, returning them to their original allegiance, even assisting the heroes with defending the castle from the enemies.
"Siege… Sin's counting on you guys now…" Richard remarked, as he swept another wave of enemy forces away with his magic.
Back to Present Day...
"Okay we get the gist by now." Towa said, interrupting the reminiscing. "So in the end you all repelled the army and Siege is still out there, while you guys are patching up Jesse, is that it?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Ruby answered for Richard.
"Alright so Siege is trying to free Sin… and I wouldn't put it past him that he is also attempting to work things out with Valentine, as well as dealing with our new enemies." Moroha pieced together.
"Either way, I've pointed Siege towards Bel Canto Valley. That's the location where Valentine will try to perform the ritual to open the way into the Backyard." Richard responded back. "A good part of our team came with him and I'm sure that the fighting has already started."
"How much of the team?" Elphelt would ask.
"As I can remember, Ramlethal was sent with him, as well as Shallot, Rutega, and Caulifla, as well as Sienna. Heiwa and Popol went too." Yang informed.
"And just where are you going!?" Charlotte would call from the background, the knight watching as Elphelt had already been running off.
"I'm going to join the fight with my sister! She can't fight this battle without me any longer!" Elphelt yelled.
"Hmph…" Ukyo simply huffed. "Come Charlotte, let's find Haohmaru."
"Now hold it. With Amakusa and Shizuka here, not to mention Baiken, this is our fight too, no?" Charlotte told Ukyo as he sighed.
"...I cannot argue there." Ukyo grumbled.
"Oh, yeah! Ukyo and Charlotte are with us." Towa informed Richard. "Was gonna tell ya sooner but the moment of time wasn't right."
"And with the fact that they are here, we might meet some more surprising figures." Richard answered back. "It's fine. Just make your way to Bel Canto Valley. We might be able to support the effort that Siege started. Although if he finished the fight for us… all the better."
"Richard… anyone… help…" A voice crackled from the other end as it sounded like Siege's voice.
"What the-!? Boss, speak to us, say something!" Moroha exclaimed in horror.
"...Sin… rescued… but… Ramlethal… she almost… broke through… but then… Cataclysm, he-" Siege was about to finish.
"You're still alive and kicking after that massive assault, eh? Hahaha! You're more resilient than I thought. Hm… perhaps someone who's stronger than a Gear will do just as well to finish this project. The only piece I need now is the final Valentine… Echo, find our little bunny Elphelt, would you?" Cataclysm chimed with a joyous tone.
"Well, if it'll confirm the process." Echo remarked from the other side of the comms. "Hey there, looks like you're in quite a pinch, heroes? I gotta say, your friend put a real fight. Took out the barriers himself before Valentine even knew what happened. Had we not been there, well, let's say that the plan was almost completely trashed as a result. Good thing we have a few counter-measures."
Richard was left deathly silent, as his hand was trembling with several forms of emotion.
"Do please come to Bel Canto Valley, I know that you have Elphelt one way or another." Echo chuckled. "If she doesn't come, we'll just take her under your noses, so your best chances, are ironically: Keep her close to your side. I'll be seeing how you handle this."
"Mark my words you slimy, conniving, piece of shit son of a bitch… I'm going to make sure your body is broken into a million pieces when I'm done pounding you into the ground so hard-!" Yang yelled.
"Oh, and one final request. One more piece of this puzzle is needed for full completion other than Elphelt. I'm going to require that Richard Liu lead the way… and bring Ky and Dizzy. From there you will bear witness to my plan in complete fruition! AHAHAHAHA!" Cataclysm Siege yelled. "Oh, and everyone else you sent with Siege? They're alive, and well. We'll leave you a fine trail of their mangled corpses as you arrive!" Cataclysm Siege cackled before the line went full static.
"You…!" Yang cursed as she wanted to punch something.
Richard slowly turned off the comms, as he began to open a sukima with a flick of his hand, all with a blank expression.
"Oi! You shut comms down on us!" Towa called, reopening the initial call. "What the hell, Richard!"
"...Forgive me, that was an accident." Richard responded back, as his tone was devoid of any warmth, yet there was no animosity beared towards Towa. "I merely got a little… heated."
"...Oh god… you… sound like you're going through a bad way right now." Towa said. "...Well… we heard it all… we'll be on standby for the Golden Blaze to pick us up… I guess this is the final stage then. For us here about to return Richard… give those sons of a bitches hell."
"We hope you find Elphelt. She ran off and no doubt she's heading to Bel Canto Valley…" Charlotte stated. "Ukyo and I have to locate Haohmaru. Baiken, come with us, we'll search together, so we can all get back."
"Godspeed, Richard…" Setsuna would say as well, sending her regards.
"...Thanks." Richard stated, with genuine gratitude. "Don't worry, I won't do anything I'll regret. Just make your way back. And take the rest of the team with you… I think that we'll be fine as we are right now."
Richard then turned towards Team 1, who were the only team that was with him, Ky, Dr Paradigm, and Dizzy, who heard the news, coming out herself to join the rest of the group.
"Let's go." He stated with a firm tone, as they entered the portal, heading towards Bel Canto Valley for the decisive battle.