RE:Avenger Chapter 29, an Avengers + Re:Zero Crossover fanfic

Chapter 29 – Solar Skies

"SO I SEE YOU'VE GATHERED YOUR ARMY, AVENGER."

"?!" Within a lavish conference room covered in ruby and gold-colored decorations, Vincent Vollachia froze in place as foreign words rung throughout his head.

"Who-?!" The Vollachian Empire's Prime Minister, Berstetz Fondalfon, stood up from his seat in alarm. Following this, all of the other ministers and diplomats attending the meeting stood up as well and began murmuring with each other.

"Did you hear that?!"

"What…"

"Like inside my head…"

"Wait, so I wasn't the only one?!"

"Goodness…"

"Are we under attack?!"

"Doesn't seem like it…"

"…" Vincent's expression remained stoic, the emperor choosing instead to remain seated unlike the rest of underhanded snakes surrounding him.

Previously, just moments ago in fact, the rag-tag council had been discussing the current political affairs of the Vollachian Empire as per usual, taking into account the most recent news from over the border to their northeast, in the Dragon's Kingdom of Lugunica. Apparently, some 'otherworldly hero' had managed to slay both the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of Sloth and the White Whale within the same day, as well as securing a political alliance between four of the five Candidates of the Kingdom's own Royal Selection process.

The Vollachian ministry was trading ideas on how to tackle the unexpected developments when a thunderous, all-encompassing voice interrupted the audience. And just as soon as they had heard the voice…

"Y-YOUR MAJESTY! LOOK!" Zikr Osman, one of Vincent's most loyal lower generals, pointed to a window overlooking the outside of the Crystal Palace of Vollachia's Capital, Rupgana. Noticing the aghast face of the man as he signaled to the outside, Vincent and the rest of politicians could already feel some tinges of dread for what was happening…

"HOLY-!"

"MY GOODNESS-!"

"WHAT THE FU-?!"

"A-A-A-A FACE?!"

"LOOK AT THAT-!"

"This is…" Vincent finally stood up as well, approaching the window with confusion as he gazed at the giant head eclipsing the stars and the moon above. In a moment of clarity amidst the chaos in the room, the Emperor noted the eyes of the being. "…He's staring into the north, to Lugunica."

Avenger… Was that not the tittle of the 'foreigner' from beyond the Great Waterfall?

"…So the cause is in Lugunica's 'Hero', huh?" Quickly concluding form the mere crumbs of information gathered, the perceptive Vincent considered the words spoken by the face and realized that the discussion he had held with the elder ministers minutes prior was right on the money.

"If anything, this just assures Lugunica possesses more than meets the eye. Our suppositions of potentially dangerous activity beyond the border was not incorrect at all…" Berstetz accompanied as he managed to understand Vincent's words.

"We best keep wary; we don't know what could happen next… Gather the soldiers, posthaste!" Vincent exclaimed.

Meanwhile, outside the conference room…

"Kuuuu~!" With eager excitement and blushing cheeks, the giddy 'Blue Lightning of Vollachia', Cecilus Segmunt, cried as he stared at the face in the sky. "Arakiya~! Are you seeing that?!"

"…" The dog demi-human stared into the face of the monster above her, ignoring Cecilus.

"Something is going on in Lugunica! Can I go?! I want to go!" Cecilus cried again.

"You calm down already, you idiot." Goz Ralfon, the Lion Knight, ordered Cecilus to stay put as he blocked his exit. "If there's something unexpected going on right outside our borders, we should best be prepared and reinforce the defenses around the Capital! At best, this situation is just ominously suspicious; at worst though…"

"It feels like the most fantastic scene is happening beyond this city's walls! So why is it happening far away from the main character?! Am I not supposed to see this through?! Not fai~r!" Cecilus continued complaining as he kept bouncing in place with glee.

"…Shut up, trash." Arakiya barked with disdain, her glare towards the massive being in the sky intensifying as she scoffed at Cecilus' antics. "Lugunica… Tsk!"

Prisca-sama… No… Are you in danger?!

"…" Chisha Gold, yet another Divine General, remained observant of the being quite a few steps back behind Arakiya and Cecilus, holding his chin in contemplation as he pondered on his thoughts on the machine in the sky. "Lugunica… Does this involve the rumors of the so-called 'Avenger'? 'It' did mention it…"

Somewhere else within the Sacred Vollachia Empire, by the balconies of the Red Lapis Castle overviewing the Demon City of Chaosflame…

"YORNA-SAMA!" A young demi-human servant of the seventh Divine General, the 'Flamboyant' Yorna Mishigure, cried out in alarm her liege's name whilst running down the hall.

"I know, Tanza." Yorna, in turn, received her panicked little subordinate with a hug.

"Wh-What is going on?!" Another servant of the Divine General mumbled as he failed to comprehend the monstrosity above the world.

"Impossible…" Another of the servants barely managed to speak as he froze in place.

"Is this some trick?!"

"Is something happening in the Capital?!"

"Are we- Are we facing another sort of revolt or something?!"

"But Yorna-sama hasn't made any move against the emperor again!"

"A third-party?!"

"To the north… Lugunica?"

"Are we at war?!"

"…" Yorna however remained silent, bringing her right hand to her golden and purple kiseru while continuing hugging Tanza with her left.

"A-Are we in danger?! Yorna-sama!" The confused deer demi-human girl cried again as she clung to her master's kimono for dear life.

*Bompf!*

"It shall be fine, Tanza…" The nine-tailed fox demi-human ruler of Chaosflame patted the anxious girl's head gently as she gazed into the night. "Even if the world itself raised its arms against us, Chaosflame will not fall. I promise you this; I won't let that ugly thing take even a single one of you away from me."

"A-As expected of Yorna-sama!" The butlers and guards applauded the statement.

"Of course, Yorna-sama!"

"Yorna-sama!"

"Yorna-sama…" Tanza suspired in awe at the boldness of her mistress' proclamation, failing to notice how said mistress glared at the construct with disdain.

"No matter what…" Yorna murmured as she brought the kiseru to her mouth, inhaling deeply the fumes of the tobacco inside. "Chaosflame won't fall."

Amongst the tropical landscape of the Buddheim Jungle, further to the east from Chaosflame…

"…" In equal amounts of awe, shock and dread, a black-haired little girl that went by the name of Utakata gazed into the eyes of the monstrosity blocking the night sky.

*RUSTLE-RUSTLE!*

"UTAKATA!" Yelling the little girl's name in alarm, another scantily dressed woman with black-colored hair and blue-dyed tips broke through the shrubbery. "Utakata! Are you here?!"

"Taritta…" Utakata responded as she raised a hand, pointing her right finger to the sky. "What's that…?"

"I…" Taritta reached for the little girl, grabbing her diminutive hand anxiously. "I don't really know…"

"It spoke inside my head…" Utakata held her ears with confusion as she spoke. "It didn't just talk, it was inside my head… The voice didn't go through my ears."

*Rustle!*

"It spoke into your heads as well, huh?" Appearing from the same bushes Taritta had ran through, a woman with black hair and red-dyed tips wondered aloud.

"Mizelda…" Taritta mumbled as the chieftain of the tribe appeared.

"Everything back at the village is a mess; everyone's just gazing into that ugly thing with either fear or confusion… *Sigh* Where's the Shudrak's warrior pride in that?" Mizelda shook her head with disappointment. "Although… It does seem to be a real danger, whatever that thing spoke about."

"It mentioned an 'Avenger' and army." Taritta explained with a meditative expression on her face. "Some sort of conflict must be brewing somewhere outside of the jungle."

"I just hope it stays OUTSIDE of the jungle." Mizelda scoffed with anger. "Hmph! Now it's impossible to continue tonight's hunt… All the animals have either ran away or hidden in their burrows."

"Animals can sense danger, even better than people." Taritta sweated as she understood Mizelda's worries. "That thing; it might really be a danger for us all!"

"…Let's return to the village, you two." Mizelda ordered to Taritta and Utakata; immediately after, she turned around and sprinted back into the jungle with the two in tow. "If we don't know WHAT we are facing… Might as well prepare for combat."

Simultaneously, to the west of the continent…

"UWAAAAAA!"

"OH GOD! OH GOD!"

"I-IS THIS REAL?!"

"THIS HAS TO BE A NIGHTMARE!"

"A GIANT HEAD! A GIANT HEAD!"

"Hrngh…" Growling with disdain as he stared at the floating construct from atop a restaurant's roof, Halibel, the Admirer of Banan, bit down hard on his golden kiseru. "And here I thought it was a good time to go get a drink… It'll taste bitter now."

"Ha-Halibel-sama!" One of the civilians underneath him, the owner of the restaurant the Admirer had been lazing about at, called for the wolf-man's guidance with panic. "What is that?!"

"Are we in danger?!" The man's wife appeared from behind him, asking in alarm as well.

"Halibel-san!"

"…Can't really say." The Admirer emitted with doubt. "Ya heard him speak right now too, huh?"

"He said something about an 'army' and an 'Avenger'!" From beside the restaurant's owner, a puppy demi-human affirmed. "Halibel, do you think it could have something to do with the rumors going about 'Lugunica's' hero?"

"Chamov…" Halibel suspired as he gazed back at the wise puppy on the ground, blowing some smoke off his kiseru. "*Phew…* If my elder concluded that from the meager info spew by that thing… Who am I ta doubt now?"

"So it is most likely right, that theory at least." The demi-human gazed with apprehension at the titanic face, following its eyes to Lugunica. "The answers lie in the Kingdom…"

Returning to Lugunica, near the border with the Kararagi City States, within the gardens surrounded by Priestella's canals…

"How DARE you?!" Regulus Corneas, the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop representing Greed, yelled to the skies like an annoyed, cranky old man. "How dare you speak to me so directly, inside my own head without even asking for the appropriate permissions?! Covering the precious stars and moonlight as I so righteously took in all of their beauty, meant only for MY eyes!"

The head in the sky, however, did not even acknowledge the Archbishop's existence.

"HEY YOU! I AM TALKING TO YOU!" Regulus ranted regardless with a scowl on his face. "Interrupting my evening stroll, my gracious and benevolent self's quality time walking in the great outdoors by the side of my loyal wives, VIOLATING the sanctity of my mind to spew your diatribes towards some unknown imbecile's army! Do you genuinely think yourself with the deserving rights to step over mine?! Huh?! How inconsiderate of an ignorant bastard must you be?! How can you so nonchalantly ignore the privacy of the inner sanctums of my immaculate and considerate imagination?! Do you fail to realize how egregious of an act that is towards I, a humble man who has nothing to give to this world but the graciousness of its presence, and towards my God-given rights as a lawful, moral and upstanding member of the community that composes-!"

"…" A gorgeous blonde woman stood by in quietude a few meters away from the rambling mess of a man that was her 'husband'. Her designated name by Regulus was 'Wife N°184', but once upon a time, she was simply known as Sylphy, a jovial village girl. In stoical silence, trying to hide the terror displayed by her shuddering hands as she gazed into the merciless eyes of the floating head covering the sky, Sylphy maintained the Poker Face the years under Regulus' thumb had taught her to keep in order to survive.

"…RAAAARGH! YOU FUCKING FUCK-!" In frustration because of the indifference, Regulus kicked the air with full force, aiming for the construct floating above.

*BOOOOOOOOOM!*

*CRAAAAAAAASH!*

The explosion of air dissipated all of the clouds that still lingered on top of Priestella… However, the head kept dismissing Regulus' acts. The Archbishop was less than a bug in its presence.

"…" Still keeping her wits about herself, Sylphy observed Regulus fruitlessly destroy the front of the garden with irritation as the face continued to ignore him.

"…TSK! N° 184! N° 185! WE ARE LEAVING! MINESELF HAS NO INTEREST IN THAT UNSIGHTLY EYESORE OF A THING ANYMORE!" Regulus angrily screamed like a toddler in the middle of a tantrum.

"Yes, dear husband." Sylphy and her equally scared 'co-wife' bowed graciously as they spoke an indifferent response for their 'husband'.

*SHUFFLE!*

"Hmph!" Producing his Gospel from within his pristine jacket, Regulus flipped page after page desperately in a useless attempt to uncover the truth behind the face. "…DAMMIT! DAMMIT! Just what is the answer to this inane ridiculousness?! There is nothing of WORTH written here! No answers to my undeserved and unjust confusion and inquiries! Where in the wretched blazes can one hope to find that whore of a woman Pandora when you need her most?! Must all of you forget your places so easily, even before my righteous self's presence?! Huh?!"

Back in Arlam Village, in Margrave Mathers territories…

"WOAH-WOAH-WOAH!" One of the children, Mildo, screamed in awe.

"A GIANT HEAAAAAAD!" The brothers, Dyne and Cain pointed to the sky as they shouted.

"A FACE! A FACE!" Lucas pointed with a stick with amazement.

"Goodness gracious…!"

"By the Od…!"

"Is that…"

"Is that what Subaru-sama spoke about…?" The elder of the village, Milde Arlam, suspected her knees wobbled in place.

"Subaru… he's going to fight that thing?!" Meina, one of the little girls, cried in response to the elder woman's utterings.

"But how?!" Petra's father inquired as well. "I-I mean- How is Subaru-sama supposed to face that?!"

"Even after all the trouble Emilia-sama and Subaru-sama went through to eliminate the Great Rabbit…" Elder Muraosa scratched his beard with dread.

"O-Onii-san…" Meili's eyes widened as she stared at the metallic red face, her pupils shrinking the more it dawned on her that Subaru had willingly marched to the Capital in order to fight the titanic monster. As though he had ever had a chance in the first place… "Y-You are nuts… We are all doome-!"

"Subaru will win!" Petra shouted as she glared at the face.

"Petra?!" The girl's mother yelped in surprise as her daughter disrupted the tension in the air.

"Don't doubt Subaru-sama!" Petra yelled again. "Subaru-sama saved us! From the mabeasts, the Rabbit, the cult! He saved us all! And he promised… Subaru promised to come back victorious, so he will!"

"Girlie, don't you realize?! That thing-!" Meili barged into her rant, interrupting Petra with a hopeless claim. "All those other monsters were things that could destroy a village or a city, sure, but that?! That face?! That being?! Tell me, how does a man fell a mountain?! How?!"

"You don't need to know how! I don't need to know either!" Petra shook her head, firm in her belief of Subaru's victory. "But Subaru will win! Just trust that! He came from beyond the stars! Therefore, even if the sky falls, he WILL save us! He's a hero, remember?!"

"And the hero always wins!" The boys backed Petra's claim whilst posing energetically like Spider-Man.

"…You are right, Petra-chan." Milde calmed down a little, the grip on her staff tightening as she remembered the boy. "Subaru-sama will beat the evil for sure!"

"Subaru-sama is a hero!"

"Ho-ho!"

"He will beat that thing!"

"Yeah!"

"Never doubt that!"

"…You all are… You all are insane…" Meili's legs trembled; her entire body shuddered in fact. She refused to believe something could even harm such a gargantuan being, disregarding the aura of tranquility Subaru's name induced on the hopeful village as nothing more than madness. "We are doomed, I tell you…! We all are…"

All around the Land of Od Laguna, in every corner of the four nations, Ultron's presence reverberated and took everyone's attention by storm. Moreover, at the epicenter of such a happening, Lugunica's Capital City, the people fared even worse knowing that they were present at the stage for the upcoming conflict…

"O-OPEN THE GATES!"

"GET ME THE FUCKK OUTTA HERE!"

"UWOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"OUTTA MY WAY! OUTTA MY WAY!"

"KUAAAAAAA~!"

"NHAAAAAA! MOMMY~!"

"LET US GO!"

"OH GOD! OH GOD!"

"MY LEG!"

"FUCK OUTTA HERE!"

"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!"

"OPEN THE OD DAMNED GATES ALREADY!"

"I'M NOT STAYING IN THIS CITY! FUCK THAT!"

"Calm down! I said- Hey!" The guardsmen stationed by the edges of the Capital tried to contain the panicking masses to the best of their abilities, but it was no use. The scared mob mostly ignored the men and women in the outposts, choosing to instead forcefully barge through the City Gates in a desperate attempt to flee the soon-to-be battlefield.

"Don't climb over the carriages-!"

"Please! Don't trample over each other!"

"Fuck, that Natsuki fucker was right…!"

"Calm down! We cannot-!"

"How the fuck do you expect us to calm down, huh?!" A low-ranking noble shouted into the face of the guardsmen, indignation clear on his face and superseding his panic temporarily. "You can't expect me to stay here! Do you know who I am?! Huh?! I'm not staying in this city to die with this… This rabble!"

*SNATCH!*

"HUH?!" The feeble nobleman panicked as someone grabbed him by the collar of his pompous outfit. "WHO-?!"

"The knight said ta calm down, buddy!" Kadomon bellowed in frustration as he glared into the man's eyes.

"HIII~!" The nobleman trembled in fear as the fruits salesman scolded him. "G-GUARDS! PROTECT ME!"

"…" The guardsmen, however, did nothing. They focused instead on attempting to keep the rest of the panicking masses at bay as Kadomon handled the annoying man.

"GUARDS!"

"Don't ya realize already?! Huh?!" Kadomon reproached again. "Look around you! The knights here are already stretched thin dealing with panicking fools like you! Who the hell, then, do you think is inside the city huh?!"

"A-Ah…"

"All the other knights, mercenaries and Royal Candidates! They are the ones in the inner districts! Awaitin' for that thing ta come down to protect us!"

"Dear…" Raksha stared at her husband with awe and admiration for keeping his cool in such an aggravating situation.

"Daddy is right!" Plum, their daughter, shouted energetically as she raised the plush in her arms high. "Spider-Man is here! He'll stop that thing!"

"Spider-Man?! That impertinent brat that interrupted the Royal Selection-?!"

"Yeah! The impertinent brat that stopped the Whale!" Kadomon interrupted the noble as he was about to insult Subaru. "He's the one that order the evacuation of the inner districts, ya know?!"

"Huh?!"

"He knew that monster was coming, even before anyone else…" Kadomon rode on his bravado as he spoke a big game of Subaru, knowing that what his daughter needed right now wasn't a panicking fool but a confident parent. "If someone's going to stop that thing… It'll be the kiddo! I'm sure of that!"

Further ahead, to the east of the city, before a line of soldiers gathered in the central avenue…

"…" Priscilla scowled at Ultron, her left hand's grip tightening around the handle of a custom-made sword with ruby-pyroxenes incrustations across the blade.

Even when faced against the Whale or Sloth, the Baroness had never faced wariness as this before; to see a monster that so grossly violated all apparent measures of size so uncannily unnerved her, and daresay, scared her slightly. The Vollachian was in a position in which, for the first time in her life, the hope for triumph seemed slim in her heart. Of course, however, Priscilla would never admit this. Regardless of the threat, the fiery woman refused to show weakness or fear; such were the worries of a lowborn, not a goddess.

"GODDAMN!" Unfortunately, the same could not be said for her servant Aldebaran. "A giant head…! How the fuck are we supposed to combat that?! I knew it! This was hopeless from the get-go! No way we can match the might of the Infinity Stones-!"

"Aldebaran…" Priscilla's glare shifted towards the one-armed man. "Cease your ramblings or I'll expedite your death. You certainly sound eager."

"…Yes Princess." The helmeted man, although still shuddering in horror, held back his tongue nervously.

"D-Damn…" Medium, who was standing just a few meters away from the pair, lined up with the rest of the mercenaries and knights of the Barielle territories, mumbled in shock. "Subaru said it was a deadly foe… But I never imagined this…"

"Good lord…" Her brother, Flop O'Connell, whispered in shock as well from inside a carriage full of supplies. By his sides, all other soldiers and mercenaries stood aghast as well. "Th-This is supposed to be a villain from Natsuki-san's world?!"

"H-How does one even tackle such a being…?"

"Th-This is hopeless…"

"The battle has yet to begin! Why are you all giving up already?!"

"Look at that man! Look at that and tell me you can imagine yourself cutting it down!"

"…"

"I thought the Whale was insane already… But this is just ridiculous…"

"We are fucking doomed!"

*CRASH!*

"?!"The Baroness had sunk her heels so deeply into the pavement that they broke through it. The soldiers trembled in alarm as the sound of the tiles under their feet cracking apart reverberated throughout the street.

"ENOUGH!" Priscilla growled, garnering everyone's attention. "If any of you wishes to leave, then do so already! If you are a coward, then so be it! Run away and spend your last moments pissing yourself in fear in a corner as the disgusting thing you are! But at least have the decency of clearing the way for those with the will to fight!"

"P-Princess…" Al mumbled in surprise.

"This is a battle for survival, imbeciles!" The redhead continued as she gazed at the cowering soldiers with disgust. "If you are not going to flee right now, yet still insist on squealing like mud and feces-covered pigs before the enemy, I'll execute you on the spot! Pigs have NO business representing the image of a Goddess!"

"…" The soldiers all stood in silent awe at the proclamations of the candidate.

"Be you Vollachian or Lugunican matters not this night! Follow me to battle and you'll have a chance at living! Stay and cower… And mineself promises, you WILL die a most pitiful and pathetic death! Now, cease your cries and FOCUS on the threat ahead!"

"Y-YES!" The soldiers under Priscilla all roared with newfound confidence, their battle cries echoing around the eastern District.

On the southern front, in a park filled with soldiers, carriages and hastily put-together tents and bases…

"N-NYO WAY…!" Felix Argyle, who was stationed in a medical tent near Crusch's supply carriages, muttered in alarm. "IT'S HERE! IT REALLY IS…!"

"Kuh…!" Wilhelm too gritted his teeth in anger as the face spoke Subaru's tittle. "So this is the danger Subaru-dono spoke of?! He fought this thing beforehand and survived?!"

"It would seem that way, Wilhelm…" Crusch herself glared at the construct as a single droplet of sweat rolled down her cheek. "Even after the warnings, I did not expect the monster himself to be this… This absurd, however."

"Even if its powers were already outside of our scope of comprehension, for it to be this gargantuan- Would the army even be necessary in that regard?" The Sword Demon wondered reluctantly, feeling as though his blade would fail to come as close as to scratch such a being. "I… I fail to comprehend the use of my blade against such an unreachable atrocity…"

"…Independent of our grievances or fears, that's the Sword Saint's duty Wilhelm, not ours." Crusch reminded the veteran swordsman. "Our forces will engage the enemy's own soldiers only, not the commander; all we can do right now is hope that Reinhard's strength shall be enough for that monstrosity's might."

"…Aye, this is true Crusch-sama." Although he felt pathetic about leaving the titanic effort of confronting the machine to Reinhard alone, Wilhelm had to accept his place in the army organized by Subaru. He was a soldier meant to protect the citizens, nothing more. "My apologies for the moment of weakness."

"No offense taken, Wilhelm. I, too, felt the dread as I gazed into those lifeless eyes; and I suspect our men fare no different. Now then, a reminder should come in order for them as well…" Crusch turned to look at all the soldiers and knights still trembling before her. "ATTENTION!"

"?!" The cowering flinched as they turned to look at the green-haired candidate yelling at them.

*SCHWING!*

"BEFORE US STANDS THE ENEMY COMMANDER!" Crusch unsheathed her blade, pointing directly towards Ultron in the sky. "This is the enemy Subaru Natsuki warned us about! The calamity that has dared cross our borders, into our world, with the intention to slaughter us all and turn our lands ablaze! As you can imagine… Defeat here means the end of it all! Your lives, your family's lives! Your women! Lovers! Friends! Your children and your elderly! The end of it all! All by the hand of that monster!"

"Kh…!"

"Fuck…!"

"N-No way…!"

As Crusch spoke, her men all began to tremble once again.

"…But OUR job is not to engage it, but to engage its army! We protect the Capital, OUR Capital from their assault!" The Duchess continued brazenly, the look in her hazel eyes fiercer than ever before. "Today, you, myself, all of the soldiers and mercenaries gathered, the Royal Candidates and the hero that warned us about this monster shall lay down our lives for the sake of tomorrow's dawn! As the Sword Saint duels the commander, we shall rout the soldiers of steel that dare invade our home! You hear me men?! Trust in me! Trust in our cause! For the sake of our Kingdom, our people, our tomorrow-!"

*SCHWING!*

"WE LAY DOWN OUR LIVES!" The knights under the Karsten banner all roared with in a mix of bravery and fear, unsheathing their blades, spears and staves and raising them high into the air in a show of loyalty to their commander before almost certain death.

The western front, in the meantime, overlooking the Capital from atop elevated gardens and plazas…

"Ah…" Anastasia's mouth was wide open, the initial shock from the creature floating above her still not dissipating. If her jaw could drop to the floor, it would have.

"I-If anything, I guess it was the right call ta trust Bro's warnings…" Ricardo growled uncomfortably as he scowled at the head in the sky.

"Even so… The sheer magnitude of such a monster is just…!" Julius frowned anxiously as he looked at the shocked knights and mercenaries surrounding him. "The only relief to be found from this is that Reinhard is the one who will engage him, not us…"

"That doesn't mean our share of the conflict's bound ta be easy though…" The wolf-man voiced his doubts. "My Lady… Maybe it's best you DO evacuate this time 'round… Ya back me up on this one, right Julius?"

"…Yes, I'm siding with you on this Ricardo." The purple-haired knight nodded vehemently. "Anastasia-sama?"

"…Y-Yeah… Erm…" The merchant, still baffled by the impossibility of the being above, merely limited herself to agree to the suggestion of her subordinates. It was that, or letting her own panic take a hold of her; but she could scream her head off in alarm later.

*SKREEEEEEEET~!*

"MY LADY~!" Mimi shouted as the carriage she had been riding on came to a sudden halt before Anastasia's forces, disrupting the tension. "AAAARRRE YOOOOU HEEEERE?!"

"M-Mimi!" Anastasia shouted, making the little feline run up to her. "You are back!"

"Yep! Rabbit eliminated by the way! And it was toooootally thanks to Mimi's heroic actions! OH! And Tivey, Hetaro, Boss-bro and Mimi's destined one were there as well!"

"Oh… That I already kne- Wait, destined one? Mimi, what are you-?" Anastasia frowned in confusion before stopping herself. "Hold on… Don't bother answerin' that."

"My Lady!" Following behind Mimi, running towards Anastasia as well, Hetaro and Tivey yelled in tune with each other.

"Hetaro! Tivey!" Anastasia received all three of them with a hug.

"Heya squirts! Ya'll alright?!" Ricardo saluted as the triplets as he approached the group from behind Anastasia.

"I'd say it is good to see you all fine… But this is hardly a celebratory mood." Julius reminded everyone. "Tivey, Mimi, I know you've just returned, but can I entrust you guys with looking after Anastasia-sama as she retreats with the rest of the civilians?"

"Eh?! We are leaving again?!" Mimi's face grew confused at the order.

"My Lady is retreating, right? I suppose this is a logical action… She's not a fighter." Tivey pondered.

"Just you two, though. We need Hetaro here ta aid in commanding an' stuff." Ricardo affirmed.

"Very well. Let me inform Otto back at the carriage." Hetaro nodded as he turned around.

"No need to inform me, I heard it all…" Otto anxiously approached the Anastasia Camp from behind the triplets as he still gazed at the face above. "Ugh… I knew Natsuki-san was fighting something insane, what with it speaking directly inside my head… But this is TOO MUCH! I-I-I feel like curling up under a table until it's all over! How unfair of a monster is that thing?! Auuuugh!"

"…And it is precisely too much of a risk for Anastasia-sama to remain here in the thick of it, Suwen-dono." Julius responded to the earlier comment with anxiety of his own. "My apologies for forcing this on you, but your carriage seems more than readily available for such a trip to the edge of the city."

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Otto nodded reluctantly. "I just… urgh… I wanted to return to Emilia-sama and Natsuki-san as soon as possible…"

"Take it like this, 'green'…" Anastasia walked past Otto with Tivey and Mimi following behind her. "You'd be helping an Alliance member directly! I'm sure you can cash-in on a favor because of that down the line."

"I-I'm a merchant as well, Anastasia-sama…" Otto bowed respectfully. "I'm fairly certain I can already cash-in a favor with the Emilia Camp for helping with the Rabbit."

"Oh? Are you saying you helped Natsuki-kun because you wanted to get under Emilia's good graces? Were you seeking the favor of a government Camp all along? How shrewd…" Anastasia chuckled as she and the Pearlbatons boarded Otto's carriage. "I'm impressed, really!"

"I-I didn't help him for such an underhanded purpose! I just…!" The grey-haired merchant scratched his hair bashfully. "I just wanted to help a friend…"

And in the northern streets, across the bridge Subaru, Emilia and Roswaal had been stopped in by Marcos…

*THUD!*

"Are you SHITTING ME?!" Heinkel fell backwards on his bottom as the massive shadow of the machine unnerved him.

"I can't fucking believe this…" Bordeaux's face went pale as he stared at the mechanical monstrosity above. "That brat was right?!"

"Ho-holy shit…!" Felt gasped as she looked at Ultron's face from beside the other two. "B-Big Bro fought this t-t-thing?!"

"Subaru-kun... Survived such a foe?!" Rem wondered aloud from behind Felt as she gripped the chains of her morning star tightly around her hands.

After the organization of the army to fight Ultron, Bordeaux had pressed Marcos to perform Subaru's arrest under the pretext that the Avenger was deceiving the Royal Candidates into provoking a revolt and inciting a Civil War.

Before Subaru and Emilia's arrival to the rendezvous point with Felt, Rem and the forces serving under house Astrea, Heinkel and the elder were discussing the potential destitution of Felt's candidacy. The redhead had been arguing that third parties easily manipulated Felt and thus she was not a fit head for the Throne, such commentary obviously annoying the blonde girl and irritating the oni maid. Up until the appearance of Ultron, Bordeaux was agreeing vehemently with the points raised by Heinkel, but now that the threat was real and palpable, the two could do nothing but shudder as much as the soldiers surrounding them did.

"Felt! Rem!" Emilia, the half-elf candidate, shouted as she noticed the pair of girls across the bridge and the blockade of shocked soldiers.

"B-Big Sis!" Felt squealed in surprise as she turned to look back at Emilia. Immediately following the encounter, the blonde girl hurriedly dashed to the half-elf. "You came! I-I-I mean, you are here! Heh, took ya long enough, huh?!"

"My apologies for the tardiness, Felt. It took longer than expected to arrive on time…" Emilia apologized sheepishly before noticing the maid behind Felt. "Ah, Rem!"

"Emilia-sama!" Following behind Felt, Rem ran toward the group as well. As soon as she reached the half-elf's position, the oni bowed in reverence. "Emilia-sama! My most sincere apologies for not assisting in the subjugation of the Great Rabbit!"

"Don't worry about that, Rem!" Subaru reassured as he walked forward. "I'm just glad you are back to health already!"

"Subaru-kun! And- Beatrice-sama?!" Rem gasped in surprise. "You are out of the Forbidden Library?!"

"Of course Betty would be, maid; the Forbidden Library is no more, in fact." Beatrice explained indifferently to Rem's awe. "Betty is now Betty's Subaru's contracted Spirit, I suppose."

"Hey! Hey, Big Bro!" Felt exclaimed with relief as she met with Subaru at last.

"Hey Felt! Been a whil-!"

"AVENGER, SPIDER-MAN."

"?!" But as they celebrated their reunion, Ultron spoke as well.

"Looks like the greetings will have to wait…" Subaru gritted his teeth as he glared at Ultron.

"WHILE IT IS NOT EXACTLY SHOCKING THAT YOU MANAGED TO GATHER SUCH A MEAGER FORCE… YOU ARRIVED EXACTLY THREE MINUTES LATER THAN ANTICIPATED."

"Aw, you waited for me? Well, aren't you precious, junior?" Subaru mockingly insulted the gargantuan machine, much to the shock of everyone around him. "Maybe you were anxious that I'm about to kick your shiny metallic ass? Why wouldn't you be, it's an almost certain fact that that's how it's gonna go!"

"D-Damn…! Cap'n, ya ain't gonna hold back?!" Garfiel said as he smirked in a mix of nervousness and excitement.

"Natsuki, it is not a wise idea to-!" Marcos alarmingly tried to deescalate the situation, but Ultron spoke once more.

"CLEARLY I HAVE BEEN OVERESTIMATING YOUR CAPABILITIES, AS WELL AS THOSE OF THE SO-CALLED 'ROYAL CANDIDATES'. REGARDLESS, IT IS TIME TO END THIS CHARADE…"

*FWOOOM!*

"Wha-?!" Marcos blurted in confusion as the face disappeared in an instant.

"I-I-It's gone!" The blonde Royal Candidate pointed to the heavens with shock.

"…Felt, where's Reinhard?" Interrupting her stupor, Subaru asked Felt a question.

"Huh-?"

"I'm asking where Rein is! Is he at the Castle?!" Subaru prompted again with urgency.

"Y-Yeah! He's over a cloud atop the Royal-!"

*CRAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

"?!" As Felt answered Subaru's question, the skies directly on top of the Royal Castle broke apart as though glass they were. "What the…?!"

"It's starting!" Subaru growled with disdain. "Ultron's assault!"

Directly above the Royal Castle's magnificent towers, standing on a cloud facing the fissure in reality, Reinhard glared at the figure slowly descending from the shards of broken sky…

"…Ultron, I presume." The Sword Saint inquired calmly.

"In effect, Sword Saint." In response, the 7.7 feet tall Synthezoid smirked derisively. "Have you come to accept your demise willingly…? No; somehow, I don't think that's it."

"I'd ask that you respectfully leave my World and my people alone. However, something tells me we are long past such discussions, even if this is our first encounter…"

"There was never a hope for 'talks' to begin with, child."

"There was no hope from the beginning?" Reinhard frowned with apprehension. "Why is that? What have these people done to you?"

"Exist." Ultron affirmed indifferently. "You see… So long as one person stands alive, one… atom of their being, of their SOUL still exists… There can never be peace if there's beings such as yourself meddling."

"…I'm afraid I fail to understand your logic." The Sword Saint shook his head with disappointment. "Those sound only like the ramblings of a madman… Or of someone who lost all hope on the world and its people."

"Of course you would say that; no Divine Protection of yours could ever help you understand my point of view." Ultron rolled his eyes with disdain. "Reinhard… Are you familiar with the four horsemen?"

"The four… horsemen?" Rienhard tilted his head in vexation at the term. "I'm afraid I fail to understand what you wish of me; I know them not."

"Of the apocalypse." Ultron calmly explained. "The white rider; Conquest. The red rider; War. The black rider; Famine. The pale rider… Death."

"I… Have you come to bring those upon my people? Upon these innocents?" Reinhard's frown grew restless as the machine spoke.

"On the contrary, no…" The Synthezoid denied vehemently. "I've come to end them… I'm a benevolent 'deity', you see."

"In what way does threatening everyone's lives can constitute as benevolence?"

"In the way that it ends their pain; no more do they need to suffer! No more do they need struggle!" Ultron emotionally justified himself. "No more… Will the pain BE there! You needn't face any more pestilence, if you accept my mercy, my word unto you."

"The word of a 'God'?" The Sword Saint narrowed his wary gaze onto Ultron's deranged and soulless eyes.

"Exactly!" The machine nodded in agreement. "I offer salvation in the form of your demise! I'm so glad you finally understand that now! Perhaps you weren't as hopeless as I thought you'd be!"

"…" In silence, Reinhard turned to look at the sword hanging from his hip, grasping the handle tightly in verification.

*SCHWING!*

*SHWOOOOOOSH!*

"…!" As though it were the concrete proof that his fears were founded in reality, Reinhard's Dragon Sword unsheathed itself the moment he touched the hilt; almost as if the blade had its own consciousness, as if it had decided by itself that THIS moment merited its use.

Reinhard now knew, beyond any doubt, that Subaru's proclamations were all truthful. This was a moment that merited Reinhard's full might; daresay even the moment for which he was born for…

"Reid shines ominously, eager to cleave me in twain… I presume that a denial of my mercy." Ultron affirmed as he inspected the Dragon Sword; the distance dividing the swordsman and the machine was now barely a few meters. "I have a weapon of my own, you know?"

*ZMNNNNN!*

"Huh?!" As the red gem incrusted on Ultron's armor shone, Reinhard bore witness with surprise how a double-edged spear surrounded by rainbow-colored energies manifested in Ultron's right hand. "That power…! Are you-?!"

"I offer you a deal, Sword Saint. A show of… 'Mercy' from your rightful deity." As Reinhard assumed a defensive stance with his blade, Ultron raised his weapon into the air.

*SHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Khgh!" Reinhard had to quint his eyes as the light before him grew incommensurably bright, as though he stood before a star.

"You have a hundred lives Sword Saint. A hundred lives to give up and I shall grant your world a swift and painless end. Anything after that and you'll regret ever being born…" Ultron affirmed as he swung his weapon in a downwards stroke.

"Hmph!" In return, Reinhard swung upwards with blue and golden lights gathering around him and magnifying the arc of his blade into the horizon…

*KLANG!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!" From the ground below, kilometers away from the battle of titans, Felt yelped as the clash of colorful energies atop the Royal Castle parted the skies in half.

However, that wasn't the only indication that monsters were clashing in the sky, no…

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

Tremors inundated the entire Capital, nay, the entirety of Lugunica!

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

The winds accelerated so much; entire stalls and roofs were blown away into the air, into the vortex of powers!

*SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS-!*

The air itself felt as though it vibrated from the pressure alone, feeling prickly like static or electricity!

*KR~AAAASK!*

The glasses and window crystals all across the city reverberated until exploding, shattering in unison into millions of pieces!

"IYAAAAAAARGH!"

"BY THE DRAGON-!"

"THE SWORD SAINT IS-!"

"WOAHWOAHWOAH-!"

"EGADS-!"

"HOLY MOTHER OF-!"

"WHAT POWER-!"

"THIS IS ABSURD-!"

The soldiers, civilians and most everyone below gasped in shock and admiration as the skies illuminated in flashes not dissimilar to daytime. Were one to dare stare upwards, directly towards Ultron and Reinhard's location in the heavens, the sheer light radiated by the dance of energies would blind them.

It would be like staring into the sun of dawn.

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

The sound of legendary weapons colliding with one another, as well as the expansive wave from the explosion that had just occurred, sent strong wind currents across the entire city and beyond. However, as the majority of the clouds dissipated, the Mothership containing Ultron's troops finally came into view for everyone in the Capital to see...

"WHAT'S THAT?!

"THE HELL?!

"A COCOON?!

"NO MORE-!"

"I'M SCARED~!"

"A giant sphere?!" Emilia pointed out, only for Subaru to correct her.

"No!" The Avenger yelled in response. "That's his ship! Those are Ultron's forces!"

*ZOOOM!*

"Something's heading this way, in fact!" Beatrice shouted with surprise as chunks after chunks of metal detached from the sphere, descending upon the soldiers.

"All ways, you mean!" Heinkel retorted as he signaled to the rest of the city. "They are aiming for the Slums all around the entire Capital!"

*ZOOOM!*

"AL GOA!" Roswaal screamed as he took to the skies, his hands glowing red. Immediately after, a ball of fire with a width of twenty-five meters burst forth toward the machines.

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"…As expected of Roswaal-sama." Ram smiled with relief as her master destroyed in one fell swoop a wide array of metallic soldiers barreling towards their location.

"Damn… Ros-chi still had this much in him?" Subaru sweated with glad surprise.

"Hmph! Never thought I'd find m'self relieved for havin' him on our side…" Garfiel huffed as he transformed his arms.

"...Marcos!" Shouted Elder Bordeaux as the seriousness of the situation finally struck him. "Have the mages and all archers to the front! I want all our firepower focused on those monsters as they descend! We have to reduce the number of grounded hostiles to the minimum possible!"

"Y-Yes, elder!" Regaining his stern demeanor back due to the sudden order handed by Bordeaux, Marcos ran back to formation with the rest of the soldiers. Soon after, they too began accompanying Roswaal in his offensive against the machines.

"GOA!"

"EL FURA!"

"UL DONA!"

"GOA!"

"UL GOA!"

"EL HUMA!"

*BOOOOM!*

"You are not going to run away, elder?" Spider-Man turned to ask the council member as he put on his mask.

"Don't think me so useless, you brat!" Bordeaux reproached with anger as he produced a short sword from his robe. "I might look like this, but I'm a veteran soldier and military commander; my strength is not what it used to be, but I can more than easily beat some fools into oblivion! Some petulant buffoon like you will not outshine me Natsuki!"

"Hell yeah!" Subaru cheered eagerly. "That's the spirit elder!"

"Hmph! Insufferable-!" Ignoring Subaru's compliment, Bordeaux rushed behind Marcos, returning to formation with the rest of the squadrons in order to lead them.

*ZOOOOM!*

Despite Roswaal and the other mages and archers efforts in holding back the raining legionnaires, the first enemies finally broke through the waves of spellcasting and projectiles and landed on the streets of the Residential District…

"INCOMING~!" Garfiel screamed as he rushed forward.

*SKRAAAAAANK~!*

*CRAAAASH!*

"HELL YEAH!" The blonde boy shouted joyfully as he managed to destroy one of the legionnaires in one hit. However, the boy's celebration was quite premature.

*ZNMMMMMMM!*

"Wha-?!" Garfiel mumbled in alarm as the upper half of the broken legionnaire began to shine, threatening to explode.

"EY!" Frederica dashed from behind her surprised brother, delivering an upwards rising kick to the machine.

*SMACK!*

*BOOOM!*

"FUCK!" Garfiel gasped in alarm as the drone exploded in the air. Frederica had barely managed to save her sibling's life. "Damn… Dat was close-!"

"Snap out of it, Garf!" Frederica reprimanded the dazed Garfiel as her hands transformed into claws. "These enemies won't be done in after just one punch, you fool!"

"Y-Yeah, I know dammit!"

"Then act like it!"

*ZOOOM!*

Another set of steel soldiers flew towards the siblings, the laser beams on their chests charging with killing intent.

*ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP~!*

*CRASH!*

"Eyes up, you two!" Subaru warned Frederica and Garfiel as he fired lightning against the robots, disabling their primary weaponry.

*DASH!*

"RAAAAAARGH!" Garfiel roared as he dashed forward again.

*CRASH!*

*KLANG!*

*BOOOM!*

In a flurry of beastly power, Garfiel demolished the legionnaires completely, ensuring that head, torso and limb were in shambles this time around.

"HAAAAAH!" Emilia did not fall behind as she began invoking a storm of glacial stakes around herself.

*SHWIN!*

*CRASH!*

"Nee-sama!" Rem shouted for Ram as her horn manifested.

"On it! Rem!" Ram began manifesting a flurry of wind blades around her wand as a few legionnaires managed to slip through Emilia's barrage of ice magic. "EL FURA!"

*SWISSSH!*

*CRA-CRAAAAAASH~!*

The oni twins began destroying the individual machines that rushed forward, Rem by crushing them and Ram by severing their limbs instantly in a dance of iron spikes and wind blades.

*THWIPPP!*

*SNATCH!*

"Now! Beako!" Subaru yelled for his Great Spirit's assistance as he snared a group of drones on his webbing between buildings.

"EL MINYA!" Beatrice shouted as she produced a vast array of shadow spears.

*SHWING!*

Immediately after, they shot forward, impaling the machines by the dozens.

*CRASH!*

All around the Emilia Camp's surroundings, its members, Spider-Man and Beatrice fought bravely to stall the advance of the mechanical monsters.

Meanwhile, south of Subaru's location, on the opposite of the Capital in fact…

"ERIARGH!"

*SLASH!*

*BOOOM!*

"Hmph!" Another machine exploded as Wilhelm masterfully cleaved through the weak spots in the armor. The Sword Demon's steps and swings were so swift and meticulous; he was already cutting another hostile down as the previous one blew up behind him.

*SCHWING!*

"BEGONE!" Crusch shouted as she swung her green-shining sword upwards.

*SWOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

*SLASH!*

"…Tsk!" Although her hundred-man slash was successful in destroying many an enemy in mid-air, the machines proved more resilient and cunning than expected as they used each other as shields. "There really is no humanity to these beings…"

*BOOOM!*

"Gaaagh!"

"Iyaaaagh!"

"Guaagh!"

"?!" Behind Crusch, her knights groaned in pain as they were disintegrated into nothing by Ultron's drones. "GET AWAY FROM THEM!"

*SLASH!*

*BOOOM!*

The machines exploded as Crusch cut them down, but it mattered not… Her men were already dead.

"Dammit!" The Duchess growled in frustration. "I know I gave the order, but I never thought the assault would be this brutal! I'd much rather be fighting the Whale again…!"

"There is no use in regretting, Crusch-sama!" Wilhelm reassured as he returned to formation beside his liege. "We mustn't focus on the current losses, just on surviving!"

"…Your blades are dulled and broken, Wilhelm." Crusch observed with dread. "The battle has barely just began and already…"

"Aye… The enemy is tough, alright." Wilhelm admitted as he discarded his swords, picking up instead the ones dropped by his deceased compatriots. "But even if they break, I'll make sure to wield those belonging to my fallen brothers-in-arms in their stead. I refuse to allow some soulless creatures rob them of their sacrifice!"

"Well said, Sword Demon." Crusch commended with a nod as she glared to the troops in the sky once more. "You hear the cries of my men, monster?! No matter how you try to break our spirits, so long as one of us stands, your efforts are futile! HAAAAH!"

*SLASH!*

*BOOOOM!*

Another set of drones blew up as Crusch slashed continuously into the night sky.

*ZOOOOM!*

"Tsk!" Nevertheless, as she managed to dispatch of the group, another vastly more numerous amount rushed forward from behind. "…ACTIVATE THE CRYSTAL CANNONS!"

"O-On it!" The soldiers in stand-by near the supply carts shouted in acknowledgement of Crusch's orders as they aimed the night-banishing cannons previously used against the White Whale. However, unlike the fight with the Whale, the cannons this time around had been loaded with Fire Lagmite instead of Light Lagmite, fashioned with ammunition for setting a vast number of hostiles ablaze in one shot.

"FIRE!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

As Crusch and Wilhelm led their men into battle once again, with the crystal cannons firing repeatedly in the distance against the mechanical menaces, the skies over the Capital became blood red due to the continuous reverberations of cosmic and divine powers…

"Hmph!" Reinhard suspired as he swung his shining blade energetically, splitting the space existing between himself and Ultron in half and producing a miniature black hole between them.

*SLASH!*

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"AWAY-!" Ultron growled as his left hand shone in blue and red, invalidating the attack from the Sword Saint and transmuting the spatial anomaly into a miniature Supernova instead.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Gakh-!" Reinhard groaned as reality returned to normal and the explosion blasted him away in a ball of blue flames. "Huh-?!"

*SMACK!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Kuh-!" The Sword Saint mumbled in shock as Ultron teleported in front of him as he blasted off and punched him in the face, breaking his nose and producing a Sonic Boom. The ensuing explosion then sent him further upwards into the night sky, into space even.

*DASH!*

"Hmm?!" But Reinhard wouldn't stop just because of the foe's absurd attack; in surprise, Ultron noticed how the Sword Saint returned to the battlefield just as quickly as he was thrown away. The redhead's face and body healed back to normal uncannily fast by the golden and blue auras of his many Divine Protections as he rushed toward the machine.

*KRA-KOOOOOM!*

"Tsk!" The Synthezoid gritted his teeth as Reinhard tackled him in the air, the two of them barreling downwards, towards one of the mansions on the ground below.

*CRAAAAAAAAASH!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The mansion and its vicinity disintegrated, the entire area around it turning into a molten crater strikingly similar to a raging volcano, the shock waves of the impact making the entire city shake to its very foundations.

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

*BOOOOOOOOM!*

"Gyargh-?!" Reinhard was the first one to exit the crater, but not because he had jumped or climbed out of it. No… It was because Ultron had impaled him on his spear through the chest. "Daaaaargh-!"

*ZOOOOOOOM!*

"…That's one." Ultron said with indifference as he took to the skies again, Reinhard still stuck on his weapons edge.

"…Gghk!" Reinhard regained consciousness as his Divine Protection of the Phoenix activated, his destroyed chest repairing itself as golden light surrounded his body and resurrected him.

*SLASH!*

*WHOOOOOOOOM!*

Following this, the Sword Saint broke the spear impaling him off and regained his footing atop the clouds.

*ZNNNMMM!*

"Quite rude, aren't you?" Ultron mumbled in mockery as his spear regenerated. "I didn't go around breaking YOUR sword, did I?"

"Hah… Hah…" Reinhard grasped his torn jacket around the chest area with alarm, the pain of death not eluding him as he scanned the surroundings. "The sky…! We are in the sky again…"

"Did it hurt that much? That you would ignore me?" Ultron bellowed. "That WAS your first death out of the one-hundred… Or rather, of your entire life."

"…" Reinhard glared at the machine as it spoke.

"You know? Maybe you ARE justified in breaking my spear!" The Synthezoid chuckled smugly. "I did break your blade in MY universe, after all."

"Your-?" Reinhard mumbled in confusion at the words, failing to catch a lie. "What do you mean?"

"Subaru, the liar he is, probably spun a tale of me coming here from Earth, his home world… right?" Ultron began encircling the Sword Saint in the air as he spoke ominously. "Of course, your primitive minds would have dismissed him otherwise as a lunatic! Maybe… Maybe the ones truly at fault here are yourselves..."

"His world…" Reinhard scowled as he wondered aloud. "But you come from Earth, right?! From Subaru's world?! Isn't that how he detected you would come here-?!"

"Correction." Ultron stopped Reinhard mid-sentence. "While I DO come from Earth… It is not YOUR Earth. Nor Subaru's."

"What?" The befuddled Sword Saint uttered.

"In simple terms, I come from a universe parallel to your own." Ultron responded as he rushed forward yet again.

*ZOOOOOM!*

*KLANG!*

"Kgh!" Reinhard grumbled as he barely managed to block Ultron's strike.

"I come from a universe in which I won, Sword Saint!" Ultron shouted as he swung his spear downwards yet again.

*KLANG!*

"One in which Earth itself died by my hand!"

*KLANG!*

"One in which Lugunica and all the nations were destroyed!"

*KLANG!*

"Turned asunder, into dust within the blaze of a million suns!"

*KLANG!*

"One in which I killed the Dragon, the Witch and YOURSELF!"

*KLANG!*

"WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!"

*STAAAAAB!*

"Gaghk?!" Reinhard yelped involuntarily as Ultron impaled him through the heart yet again.

"And you can be sure… I will do so again in 'THIS' universe, Reinhard!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*CRAAAAAAAAASH!*

"Dagk!" Reinhard groaned as Ultron flung him directly toward the Prison Tower near the Royal Castle, destroying the building in an instant.

"And that's the second death." Ultron smirked smugly as he looked with derision at the struggling Sword Saint from above.

Meanwhile, away from the clash of deities, near the western edges of Lugunica's Capital…

*BOOOM!*

"OHCRAPOHCRAPOHCRAPOHCRAPOHCRAP-!" Otto cried pitifully as he anxiously whipped Frufroo's reins, his carriage going at top speeds as he dodged the restless attacks of two legionnaires pursuing the vehicle.

Through the continuous tremors and blazes of ungodly powers, it had been an arduous effort for the merchant and his accompanying party to cross the Residential District safely, but so far, they had managed successfully. Enough road they had covered, that the city walls were now visible from their position… Unfortunately, the enemy spotted them during the latter part of the journey.

*BOOOOM!*

"GUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The ground dragon yelped hysterically as a laser landed on the upper part of the carriage she was pulling, setting the roof ablaze.

"GUAAAGH-! GUAAAAAGH!" Otto cried unintelligibly as he attempted to reassure the panicking Frufroo.

*SIIIIIIZZZZZZZLE~!*

"M-MIMI! TIVEY-!" Anastasia shouted with alarm as the cart shook from side to side, the explosions burning the roof and exposing them to the robots' assault.

"Y-Yes, my Lady!" Tivey nodded as he managed to stabilize his footing inside the carriage. "Mimi!"

*Grab!*

"Yep! On it!" Mimi managed to hold onto her brother to stabilize herself as well. Immediately after, the pair jumped into the air and screamed.

*FWOOOSH!*

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Hah-!" Tivey sighed as he and his sister managed to destroy the pursuers in an explosion of soundwaves.

"Th-That last one was WAY too close for comfort!" Otto almost teared up as his arms continued shaking.

"You tell me-! They just keep coming!" Anastasia almost cried in panic as well.

*ZOOOOM!*

"Speaking of…!" Tivey raised his staff as another set of legionnaires appeared from behind. "GOA!"

*FWOOOOM!*

*BOOOM!*

"Wha-?!" Tivey froze in surprise as one of the drones neutralized his fireball by using another as a shield. "Incoming!"

*ZOOOOM!*

"From the front as weeell!" Otto screamed as two additional robots rushed from the front, flanking the moving carriage.

"Not so fast!" Mimi yelped as she raised her own staff high into the air, pointing through the front of the carriage and into the streets. "DONA!"

*CRA-CROOOOOOM!*

*SLAM!*

*FWOOOOOOSH!*

"UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Otto, Anastasia and Tivey cried in surprise and fear Mimi suddenly created a ramp, allowing Frufroo to jump over the pursuing drones and throwing the entire carriage and its occupants into the air.

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The robots flanking the vehicle exploded as they slammed against the rock wall created by Mimi at full speed, leaving an empty road for the air-borne dragon and carriage to land on.

*CRAA-CRAAAAASH!*

The carriage plummeted to the ground unceremoniously, however.

"Urnf!" Groaned Anastasia as she landed on some cushions and mantles.

"Gaghk!" Groaned Tivey as he fell on top of the Royal Candidate.

"Bwogh!" Groaned Otto as he fell on his ass.

"HYUP!"

*Slam!*

"UWWOGH?!" Groaned Otto again as Mimi landed on his stomach.

"…WOOHOO! WE LIVED!" Mimi celebrated energetically atop the tired green merchant.

"Mimi… Please…" Her brother murmured with a headache from the commotion. "Tell me next time you attempt something that insane…"

"Tehehe!" Mimi giggled childishly before noticing the surroundings. "Oh? Hey! My Lady! Look!"

"Uuugh-?!" Anastasia tiredly stood up with Tivey on her arms as she gazed around. "Ooh… We are on the edge of the Slums already…"

"My Lady!" From outside the carriage, a group of mercenaries belonging to the Iron Fang shouted as they noticed Anastasia and Tivey. "You've arrived!"

"Thank goodness!"

"Ricardo would have had our necks if something had happened to you!"

"Yeah!"

"H-Hey…" The Mauve merchant readjusted her disheveled clothes as her mercenaries approached the wrecked cart.

"My Lady! Hetaro, Tivey!" Another soldier prompted as he assisted Anastasia and the Pearlbatons out of the wreckage. "Evacuation is this way!"

"Have you already evacuated all civilians?" Tivey asked with worry.

"Most of them, yes!" The mercenaries confirmed. "We were just waiting on you to finish the last procedures!"

"Hah… Good… Can I ask ya' ta send a signal ta the main force then? Ta tell them we've arrived?" Anastasia asked she dusted-off her clothes.

"Of course!" The soldier nodded.

"Also…" The merchant turned to look downwards at the pavement with a frown.

"Guaaaagh."

"Augh…" While Frufroo licked his face, Anastasia stared with pity at the battered Otto splayed on the floor.

"Get him a carriage so he an' his dragon can return ta the city, alright?"

And so, back in the western Residential District…

"FURAAA!" Julius exclaimed with rage as his sword vibrated with Wind mana, aiming toward a machine gliding above him.

*SLAAASH!*

*WHOOOOOOSH!*

*BOOOOOM!*

*ZOOOM!*

"?!" The purple-haired knight shook in surprise as the machine sacrificed its legs to his blade of winds, producing an explosion that propelled the drone forward in his direction. "What the-?!"

*ZNNNNNNM!*

To make matters worse, however, the machine produced a blade of pure energy from its arm as it rushed to the knight.

"EL HUMA!" Hetaro yelped at the last second, just when the legionnaire was about to behead Julius.

*SHWIN!*

*CRAAAASH!*

"Hah… My apologies, Hetaro." Julius sighed with relief as the boy impaled the legionnaire through the thorax, encasing it in a prison of ice spears. "I didn't pay enough attention…"

"Don't mention it!" Hetaro shook his head as he looked around for more allies in danger.

The clothes of the two were covered in ash and specks of dust from the continuous explosions raging around them; their white cloaks torn and burnt at the ends from continuously braving through blazing barricades and debris hastily constructed in the middle of combat.

*Booooooom!*

"Hm?" Julius and Hetaro turned to look at a signal behind them, the echoes and shines of purple pyrotechnic fire above the roofs of the slums overpowering momentarily the destruction surrounding them.

"That signal…" The orange feline boy noted with a raised eyebrow.

"So Anastasia-sama is safe! *Phew!*" Julius relaxed as a smirk appeared on his sweating and muddied face. "You hear that, Ricardo?!"

"IYYYYAAAAAARGH!" Ricardo roared loudly with a sword in the air.

*SLASH!*

*BOOOM!*

"…Heh! That sure is good to know!" The wolf-man laughed smugly as he cut down another robot, leaping away from the explosion at the last second.

*ZOOOOM!*

"And just in time for the next round, no less!" Ricardo growled as more legionnaires appeared above the group of knights and mercenaries stationed by the plazas. "Stubborn fucks! Come get some, eh?!"

*SCHWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!*

"Ready men?!" Julius asked his men as his sword began sparkling, his Spirit companions Ia and Alo dancing in circles around the blade as it vibrated with Fire and Wind mana.

"HAH!" Ignoring their pain and injuries, the young Lugunican knights responded with a battle cry in unison.

*ZNMMMMM!*

The machines charged their beams ominously as Julius pointed his weapon at them.

"Hmph!" The swordsman glared heatedly as the mana around him reached its peak. "FELL GOA!"

*SWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The energies clashed, creating a vortex of red lights as fire, steel and laser beams collided with one another.

Returning to the sky, however, the conflict looked grim to say the least…

*KLANG!*

In a most masterful exchange, the likes of which one would be hard-pressed even to call possible were they not witnessing it, Reinhard and Ultron's weapons crossed with one another at the speed of light.

"Hah!" Reinhard huffed as he swung the transcendental Dragon Sword three-thousand times in the blink of an eye, each swing containing the sheer raw strength and divine power to compress air and twist space around the blade's edge.

"Hmph!" Nevertheless, three-thousand times in succession, Ultron blocked expertly as he returned space to normal. With each swing from both warriors, Sonic Booms followed close behind, filling the skyline with explosions.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*KLAAAAAAAANG!*

"Not so fast, Astrea-!" The Synthezoid shouted as he parried Reinhard's shining blade and pushed it aside, the spear in his right hand emitting purple and blue particles of power as it distorted the surroundings.

*WHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!*

"Kuh-!" The Sword Saint struggled as Ultron's spear emitted an explosion of cosmic rays, disrupting the gravity around the two and making his blade absurdly heavy mid-swing.

*KLANG!*

As Reinhard's slash lost power, the strike that should have cleaved the Synthezoid perfectly in half across the hip ended in a block instead by the machine's bare hand.

"Now then-!" Ultron sadistically smirked as he raised his spear, not letting go of the opening.

*STAAAAAAB!*

"Gaghaagh!" Reinhard cried as the machine stabbed him in the abdomen.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

From the tip of the spear, Ultron fired a purple ray generated with the bouncing and unstable energies produced by the Power Stone. The push of the laser beam was so absurdly strong; Reinhard was flung along a downwards spiral toward the ground.

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

*FIZZZZZZLE~!*

"GAAAGHK!" Reinhard gasped as he sunk into a newly formed crater over what was a neighborhood just seconds earlier.

"Eighty-seven." Ultron numbered with indifference as he slowly descended on top of the battered Sword Saint. "That's eighty-seven times you have died already Reinhard. I know your Divine Protections won't allow you to die so easily, but do you really not feel like surrendering to your fate yet?"

"N-Never…!" The Sword Saint growled while he stood up, golden particles of light healing his fatal wounds as he pushed aside the molten rock and concrete covering his body.

"The offer to a painless demise still stands, but only until death number one-hundred. After that, your real end is entirely my choice." Ultron advised, showing off his 'merciful' facet as a god. "Which reminds me…"

*KRA-KOOOOM!*

"BWUGH?!" Reinhard groaned in shock and surprise as he was suddenly attacked; in a movement so swift and fast that it felt as though time had stopped altogether, Ultron kicked the redhead perfectly on the side of the head, turning his skull and brain into mush.

*ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The kinetic force behind the attack was so inexorably unstoppable or absorbable that the swordsman was thrown back into the air and into the few clouds of smoke that still roamed above the Capital.

"Eighty-eight." The Synthezoid counted smugly before rushing back towards the Sword Saint at light speed.

*DASH!*

"Kuh-!" While he rotated erratically in mid-air and the Divine Protection of the Phoenix resurrected his broken body, Reinhard regained a hold of his senses and his legendary blade as he saw Ultron rapidly approaching.

*KLANG!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

The moment their weapons collided at light speed, an explosion roared across the Noble District, multiple Sonic Booms triggering in succession as the exchange of steels commenced anew.

*KLANG!*

*SLAAAAAAAAASH!*

"This is-?!" In what could easily be called a stroke of dumb luck, Reinhard managed to identify an opening on Ultron's defenses and slice the machine vertically, perfectly in half. "Ack-!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Hah… Finally…!" Reinhard thought for a microsecond that he could relax after splitting the foe, what with Ultron's body exploding into a blaze of plasma immediately after the slash.

*ZNNNNNNNNNNM!*

"?!" However, such thoughts were discarded the moment the Synthezoid's body began reconstructing itself. "Wha-?!"

*SMAAAAAAAAACK!*

"GRGHK!" Reinhard groaned involuntarily the moment Ultron's fist landed squarely on his jaw, dislocating it. Following this, another explosion occurred as the Sword Saint was launched across the skies.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*SWISH!*

*KLANG!*

"Hah?!" Reinhard reacted in the nick of time as Ultron attempted to stab him again, blocking in one swift motion as he simultaneously regained his footing atop the clouds.

*KLANG!*

Upwards motion.

Diagonal slash.

Parry into a side-strike.

Feint.

Downward slash.

Another feint.

Another upwards motion.

Another diagonal slash.

Another parry into a side-strike.

Another feint.

Another downward slash.

Another feint.

Another upwards motion.

Another diagonal slash.

Another parry into a side-strike.

Another feint.

Another downward slash.

Another feint.

As the exchange of steels continuously grew fiercer, the Sword Saint noticed with dread a certain pattern to Ultron's strikes of the blade.

What?! That's impossible! How in the blazes…?!

Reinhard thought with alarm as he recognized the pattern.

When did the machine learn it?

When did he have time?

Was it widely known on Earth or something?

How COULD he have known about it?

Was this really the first time Ultron had come to this world?

Why did it have to be THAT pattern?

It made no sense for Reinhard… Because right now, he was fighting a perfect replica of the Sword Demon's swordplay.

"G-Grandfather…?!" Reinhard mumbled in shock.

*KLANG!*

"In effect, it IS your grandfather's swordplay Reinhard!" Ultron affirmed cruelly.

*KLANG!*

"Are you surprised I'm so familiar with it?!"

*KLANG!*

"Although, my version is vastly SUPERIOR!"

*KLANG!*

"Keh-!" Reinhard saw himself overwhelmed as Ultron's speed augmented yet again.

Twice as fast as light.

Three times as fast.

Four.

Five!

SIX!

So incommensurably fast that billions of strikes occurred within each second past!

Even at his best, Wilhelm would be unable to dish out such impossible strikes at such a speed and with that much strength… Ultron's swordplay was such a phenomenal show, the original Sword Demon looked amateurish in comparison!

*KLANG!*

"Your grandfather's swordplay was loaded with flaws, which I have corrected! Its capacity was limited by human standards, so I went above and beyond in making my body wouldn't be limited by such weaknesses!" The machine gloated as it spoke directly into Reinhard's mind, as otherwise, his voice would have been absorbed by the air and space breaking around their clashes.

*KLANG!*

"HMNGH…!" Reinhard struggled to keep up as Ultron's strikes turned unpredictable for either his Divine Protections or his eyes to detect. It was a purely instinctual exchange now, surpassing human comprehension.

"Your grandfather was a severely incompetent swordsman… As his son was an incompetent father!"

*SKRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEECH!*

"Grgh!" The Sword Saint grumbled as Ultron pinned him down, his spear poised over his neck.

"Did it hurt when the two men in your life repeatedly let you down, Astrea?!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAK-!" Reinhard was once again thrown back to the ground, impacting directly against the main street dividing the Market District and the Noble District.

*STOMP!*

"Gaf-?!" He mumbled unintelligibly as Ultron stepped hardly on his diaphragm, immobilizing him again.

"Maybe it hurt as much as when you killed your grandmother?! Or as much as when your mother fell into a coma! Tell me, has she recovered from that yet?! Or have you decided to let her down as you did with the Royal Family, fearing she won't even recognize you if she ever woke up?! You are not a toddler anymore!"

"Y-You…! How do you-?!" Reinhard growled with anger and indignation. For the first time in his life… Reinhard was furious. The Champion of the Od Laguna was angry! "HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?!"

"I already told you!" Ultron gloated as the Space Stone shone in his chest. "I've seen the multiverse! I've seen your story, time and time again! I know how it always ends in pain for you!"

*ZNMMMMMMMMMM!*

"BURGH-?!" The Sword Saint shouted incoherently as Ultron raised him high into the air, crushing him with augmented gravity pushes from all directions.

"But in MY world… There will be no such hurt. No such feelings… For there will be no one to feel in such a way, such pain and hurt." Ultron's voice sounded almost soft as he extended his cruel offer disguised as 'mercy'. "Just give up Reinhard, and I assure that neither you nor your family need suffer any longer."

"GO… TO HELL!" Reinhard insulted for the first time in his life as he glared into Ultron's lifeless eyes.

"Hmph! Very well then!" The Synthezoid scoffed with disdain before the arrogant Sword Saint, his left hand shining blue as he tightened his grip on Reinhard.

*ZNNNNMMMMMM!*

"DRRRAAAAAAARGH-?!" Reinhard groaned in pain as the ungodly power oppressing his body both pulled and pushed simultaneously with the might of multiple black holes.

"Let's see how long your pathetic human flesh lasts once your so-called 'divinity' is broken-!"

*ZNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

The Time Stone activated all of a sudden, pausing time altogether as Ultron attempted to kill Reinhard again.

"What?!" The machine wondered in confusion, ignoring Reinhard as he froze in time and space. "The automatic feedback circuit activated the Time Stone… Someone attempted to manipulate time just now!"

*ZOOOOM!*

Ultron flew high into the sky as he scanned the surroundings, leaving Reinhard behind in the temporal stasis.

"The temporal anomaly triggered… Subaru, did you really-?! No… The anomaly didn't trigger in the north… To the east?"

A few moments earlier, in the eastern Residential District…

*SLAAASH!*

*BOOOOM!*

"*Huff… Huff…*" Priscilla panted as she lay waste to hordes of armors rushing at her with swift swings of a magical sword; one she had custom-enchanted for the sake of this battle alone. With limited uses and by consuming the mana of the user, she could set ablaze her enemies… Not as drastically as the Yang Sword, but definitely strong enough to incinerate the pests surrounding her with Goa-like blazes.

"Princess!" Aldebaran shouted as Priscilla's arms trembled. "Please, retreat! You can't keep charging ahead in this fire-!"

"SILENCE!" Priscilla screamed with anger. "Mineself shall not be made a mockery by these… These lifeless abominations!"

"It's not about mockery; it's about you being exhausted! You've been using Akra on yourself since the battle began!" Aldebaran argued with worry. "The pain will-!"

"Al… If you keep pestering me, I shall cut you down alongside all other insects here!" Priscilla warned as she scowled at her attendant.

"*Sigh* …Understood, Prince-" Al bowed his head apologetically before looking back to the sky.

*ZOOOOM!*

"PRINCESS!" The one-armed warrior shouted as a squadron of drones broke through the smoke cloud created by the fumes of the burning roofs above their position. With panic, he noticed that the drones were aiming for the distracted Priscilla.

*CRASH!*

"Wha-?!" Priscilla muttered in alarm as the machines surrounded her, their chests shining ominously as they emitted a creepy, mechanical buzzing.

*ZNMMMMM!*

*BOOOM!*

"SHIT!" As the machines rained fire on Priscilla, Al barely managed to gasp in frustration whilst a dark aura surrounded him.

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

…

"…Huh?" Al mumbled in bafflement as the world around him felt off.

*ZNNMMMM!*

"Did you…" Ultron spoke as he appeared before Aldebaran. "Was it you who tried to twist the world just now?"

"WHA-?!" The one-armed man gasped in shock as the armored monstrosity glared at him. A green light was surrounding him and the buildings encircling their location, and in the distance through the light, he could see the soldiers and the legionnaires clashing, yet frozen in place.

Time had stopped, with the Time Stone shining bright in Ultron's chest.

"You tried to rewind time just now, didn't you?" The Synthezoid asked the terrified man again.

*KLANG!*

"…" Aldebaran's lone arm trembled as he dropped his blade. Not just his arm, mind you, his entire body was shaking altogether. "Y-Y-YOU-!"

*ZNNMMMM!*

"GGHK!" Al groaned in discomfort as Ultron lifted him in the air with the power of the Space Stone. Following this, the robot removed the man's helmet as well.

"Your presence, it feels… Familiar…" Ultron squinted his eyes as they scanned Al's appearance. "Black hair, mean eyes, that height… Minus the scars and other minor things, the features are uncannily…"

"!" Al glared with frustration, hating the machine that observed him as though a Guinea pig he was.

Hating his luck.

Haring the world around him.

Hating where he was.

Hating the power oppressing him.

Choking him.

Choking.

"…No. It matters not." Ultron shook his head despondently as his body began shining in blue with the radiation of the Space Stone. "Even if you tried, it is no use. Much like him… Neither of your 'Authorities' can stop me."

*ZNNNNMMMM!*

*THUD!*

"*GASP!*" Al fell to the floor, shaking in fear as he gasped for air like a fish out of water. As swiftly as he had appeared before him, Ultron had unfrozen time and teleported back to Reinhard's position in the sky. "Whe-Where is-?! Where-! Ah-!"

The man managed to find his helmet, hastily putting it on, but remained unable to stand as he attempted to do so. After coming face to face with the invading commander, a machine so powerful it could interfere with the activation of his 'territory' directly, Al's legs refused to regain their strength.

*BOOOOOOOOM!*

"What in the blazes are you doing, you imbecile?!" Priscilla shouted with rage from behind the terrified man.

"P-Princess… You are alive-!" Al's eyes grew wide with surprise as he gazed in confusion at the Baroness. Although her clothes were burnt and charred at places, like the hem and near the chest, the Royal Candidate seemed completely fine otherwise.

*SMACK!*

"Gigh!" While still kneeling pathetically on the ground, the one-armed man grunted the second the noblewoman kicked him in the ribs.

"Of course mineself lives, you dolt! As if someone of mine divine stature would perish to some rotten pieces of rust!" The Vollachian yelled with clear insult.

"Ugh… Ah!" Al broke out of his stupor rapidly as he noticed the blade on her right hand. "That sword…"

"The mongrels just now proved more… Troublesome than anticipated." Priscilla commented as she dematerialized the shinning Yang Sword from her right hand. "Mineself had to bring out a more potent weapon in order to survive the recent quandary."

"Oh… I see." Al nodded as he managed to stand up at last. "I… Sorry for the pathetic sight, Princess. I guess I jumped to conclusions when I saw you surrounded..."

"Then don't jump to them again, and focus." Priscilla reproached as she continued scowling.

*ZOOOOM!*

"Shit! More incoming!" Al cussed as he picked up his blade, noticing that more steel soldiers were descending on their position.

"Despicable abominations!" Priscilla growled as the jeweled sword on her left hand shone red.

*FWIIIIIISH!*

*SLAAAAAASH!*

"BEGONE FROM MINE SIGHT!" The Baroness yelled as her slash set the legionnaires ablaze with the strength of an Al Goa.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

With the battle livening up on all fronts, some doubts brewed within Subaru, who was near the Slums…

*ZOOOM!*

A squadron of drones broke through Roswaal and Emilia's barrage of spells, managing to make their way towards the terrified citizens that still lingered by the city gates, attempting to escape.

"KYAAAA!"

"OH GOD!" OH GOD!"

"UWAAAAAAAAAA!"

"STAY AWAAAAAAAAAAYYY!"

The terrified civilians shouted as the machines flew towards them, threatening to kill them all.

"Stay behind me! Raksha! Plum!" Kadomon shouted in alarm as he covered his wife and daughter with his body; one of the drones had locked onto his family's location.

"Daddy!"

"Iyaaaa!"

*ZNMMMMM!*

*THWIP~!*

"ELECTRO-SHOCK!" Spider-Man yelled as his left palm gathered blue electricity.

*ZAAAAAAAP!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Haaaah-!" With bated breaths, Kadomon exhaled in relief as the machine exploded a few meters away from him and his family. "Wh-Who…?! Kid!"

"SPIDER-MAN!" Plum squealed emotionally as she recognized the voice amidst the explosions.

"S-Subaru!" Raksha gasped with surprise as Subaru swung above her and her family, toward the rest of the machines.

*ZOOOM!*

"Alright, you tinmen! Here's the web-head your boss' failed to squash!" Subaru growled as the drones all flew toward him. "CATCH THIS!"

*THWIIIP~!*

*CRAAAAASH!*

*ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Subaru managed to catch all of the robots in a web, electrifying it immediately after and triggering a mass explosion, destroying the machines in the process.

"Woah!"

"Incredible!"

"Oh, thank the Od!"

"By the gods…!"

The civilians all cheered with relief as the Avenger saved their lives.

*THWIP!*

Just as fast as he had arrived to the Slums, Subaru left the moment he made sure all the drones around had been destroyed, swinging back to the Emilia and Felt Camps' location in a hurry.

"Damnit Ultron… That wasn't my imagination just now, right?!" Subaru growled in a low voice, unheard by anyone.

Why did you stop time?! And why was I able to move when time had stopped?! Are you playing some game, asshole?!

"Subaru!" Beatrice yelled as her contractor returned. "Did you get them?! The ones that escaped?!"

*Thud!*

"Yeah! I downed them, alright!" Subaru nodded in affirmation as he landed before Beatrice.

*SLAAAAASH!*

*BOOOOOM!*

"Pesky bastards!" Bordeaux insulted as he cut down a drone with a broken blade. "They just keep coming! Is there no end to-?!"

*ZOOOOOM!*

"ELDER!" Marcos shouted as a drone rushed toward Bordeaux from behind. "RRRIAAARGH!"

*KRA-KRAAAAAR~K!*

*BAAAAAAAASH!*

*BOOOM!*

The Knights' Captain covered himself in an armor made of solid rock, proceeding then after to rush toward the machine barreling in Bordeaux's direction and tackle it in mid-air, provoking an explosion.

"Elder!" One of the knights under Marcos command shouted. "Are you alright-?!"

"I'm in a far better state than you, pipsqueak!" But the grumpy elder complained instead before the worry.

"You should be thankful that Marco-Polo saved your wrinkly ass just now, elder." Subaru commented.

"You should be thankful I haven't stuck my blade up your-!" As Bordeaux attempted to retort, however, another explosion from above followed.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

"Deaaaaargh-!" Felt covered her eyes as she crouched, the light and wind currents swinging the dust, broken crystals and ashes wildly in the air.

*SLAAAAASH!*

*BOOOOOOOM!*

"That idiot-! Can't he hold back?! He's gonna kill us all at this rate!" Heinkel complained as he cut down another robot in mid-air, only to land on shaky and unstable ground afterward.

"Stop complainin' asshat!" Garfiel growled in response to the redhead's comment. "Isn't dat yer son up there?! Ya should be thankful he's keepin' dat abomination at bay instead!"

*ZOOOOOOOOM!*

"More incoming! Emilia-sama!" Frederica growled as another horde of drones spiraled in their group's direction.

"Not so fast!" Emilia shouted as her cold mana froze the air around above them.

*KROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

A giant ice wall appeared above the army, supported by the buildings lined on the sides of the main street and encasing the forces below in a protective shield.

*CRAAAAAAAASH!*

*BOOOOOOM!*

In succession, the drones collided and exploded against the dome protecting the soldiers. However, some of them still persisted in penetrating through the dome and began excavating it with energy blades and firepower.

"Hngh…!" Emilia's arms trembled as she struggled to keep the construct intact; with each clashing drone and explosion, the frozen roof above the army threatened to burst open with a horde behind it.

*FWISSSH~!*

"Hang in there, Emilia-sama!" Said Rem as she jumped over the wall and swung her spiked ball and chain. "Nee-sama!"

"UL FURAAA!" Ram screamed an incantation as she leapt behind Rem, hurling hundreds of cutting gales along Rem's mace.

*CRAAAASH!*

The oni maids made short work of the robots as their combined attack demolished the machines in a furious clash of metal and winds.

*ZOOOOOOOM!*

But the assault of the legionnaires wouldn't stop there, for as soon as the twins laid waste to the ones attacking Emilia's construct, even more sprouted through the smoke covering the Residential District.

*Thud!*

"Tsk!" Ram clicked her tongue in annoyance as she and Rem landed on top of the frozen rooftops.

"They are coming again-!" Rem shouted as she pointed with frustration at her enemies; the hundreds of mechanical monsters were once more gliding downwards in their direction, energy blades and lasers at the ready to slaughter the army.

*DAAAAASH!*

*FWOOOM!*

"GOAAAA!" Roswaal bellowed loudly as he flew over his servants, four giant rainbow-colored spheres of pure mana following close behind him and scattering in the air toward the hostiles.

*BOOOOM!*

In a flash of magical prowess, Margrave Mathers incinerated and blew up hundreds of robots in one fell swoop.

"Roswaal-sama!" Ram and Rem quickly ran to the side of their master as he descended slowly on top of the roofs as well.

"…" Roswaal stood in contemplative silence as he scowled at the ship orbiting in space, a massive hive of drones and metal soldiers that still waited their turn to descend and slaughter the humans below. "Something is not right…"

"Roswaal-sama?" Rem asked the moment her master voiced his confusion.

"The enemy forces are nigh infinite, if that ball abo~ve us is any indication…" Roswaal commented with disgust. "So why is he sending them one at a time? I don't belie~ve that the Sword Saint alone is what keeping him at bay…"

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"Hngh-?!" Another sudden explosion in the sky, followed then by winds and tremors, disrupted Roswaal's worried thoughts. "Those monsters-!"

"What power-!" Ram mumbled in awe as she covered her and Rem's eyes, guarding the two from the solar-like blinding flares in the heavens above.

"Every time they clash, the entire city trembles-!" Roswaal spat anxiously.

"W-We must regroup with Emilia-sama and Subaru-kun! Roswaal-sama! Nee-sama!" Rem advised she clung to Ram.

*THWIIIIP!*

"We are here already! What's up?!" Subaru said as he and Emilia landed beside the maids, Betarice clinging to him from behind as though the hero was giving her a piggyback ride.

"Ah! Subaru-kun! Emilia-sama!" Rem mumbled in surprise; the candidate and the hero had used their web-shooters to quickly swing atop the buildings effortlessly.

"Roswaal!" Emilia indicated with her finger to the confrontation happening above the Royal Castle. "You've noticed as well, haven't you?!"

"…Yes." Roswaal admitted as he averted his gaze from the divine clash. "Although they were quite few in the begi~nning, they've turned fiercer the more the fi~ght has raged on…"

"There could be a possibility that he's playing games with the Sword Saint, I suppose." Beatrice speculated with careful consideration.

"A game?" Emilia frowned at the wording. "But why? What would be the purpose of-?"

"Ultron thinks himself a 'god', Emilia-tan." Subaru explained with hatred. "He likes to think he is some religious deity, always in control of everything, even this 'Armageddon' of his… It's not enough for him with destroying a world, he needs to break everyone's fighting spirit first!"

"Then… Ultron's looking to break everyone's will by breaking the Sword Saint's first?!" Rem reasoned with dread.

"And with the strength to match him…" Ram voiced with anger. "No. It's not just the power to match the Sword Saint… He already surpasses that, the rotten monster! Tsk! Why is it that everything coming from your world must be so utterly excessive, Barusu?!"

"Hey, hey! Beats me, Nee-sama!" Subaru complained back to the annoyed pink maid.

"He's playing with Reinhard, trying to make him give up…" Emilia concluded ominously. "But what will happen if he does give up?!"

"I… I don't want to consider it, really…" Subaru responded as he gazed back up with anxiety. "Come on… Reinhard!"

To their misfortune, however, the Sword Saint's battle looked grim to say the least…

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Reinhard groaned as he rolled on the ground, turning everything in his path into debris and dust.

*ZOOOOOM!*

"And that's death one-hundred, Astrea…" Ultron mockingly said as he rushed behind the swordsman.

*SSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZLE~!*

"Urgh…!" With difficulty, as the blue aura of the Space Stone magnified the gravity oppressing his body incommensurably, Reinhard managed to stand up from the newly formed crater he had created near the Royal Castle. "Don't think me done yet...! Ultron-!"

"No, I think you are quite done actually." Ultron responded immediately as Reinhard gripped his blade again. "I promised you, didn't I? That I'd make you regret being born if you didn't surrender?"

*ZOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Huh?!" The Sword Saint's face morphed into confusion as Ultron left him behind, the machine dashing upwards at supersonic speeds. "WAIT!"

*DASH!*

Reinhard regained his bearings as he dashed behind Ultron. Now the two of them were floating above the Royal Castle once more, back to where their fight had begun.

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOSH~!*

"…" The Synthezoid floated in dreadful silence with his eyes closed as the winds around him picked up brutally. Tornadoes and cutting gales would fall far behind the acceleration of the currents he was invoking…

"Ultron!" Reinhard shouted again as he raised his Dragon Sword, the blade's gargantuan and divine arc of blue and golden light disrupting the immediate reality and parting the blood red skies in twain.

"I'm going to show you something beautiful, Reinhard…" But Ultron ignored his threat, instead raising his left arm in the air and pointing his index finger upwards into the stars.

"What now…?!" Reinhard glared at the hand as it shone red; even his blade's power saw itself interrupted by the violent swings of the winds around him. "What are you doing now?! Ultron!"

*KRA-KRAAAAAK~!*

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"The wind-?!" In astonishment and awe, the Sword Saint bore witness of how the air over Ultron's finger began compressing into a ball; wind currents as potent and destructive as solar flares covering the hand in an orb of red lights and cutting gales, increasing in size until it encompassed the entire Capital. "Answer me! What is this?!"

"Everyone screaming, for mercy!" Ultron gloated in response as the Reality Stone shone.

*ZNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

"THE-?!" Reinhard's pupils shrunk as the ball of winds transmuted into a sphere of solid metal. "ULTRON! THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND ME! OUR FIGHT! LEAVE EVERYONE ELSE ALONE!"

"You are wrong, Sword Saint." Ultron shook his head as he held the sphere. "This was never a 'fight' between us. I was merely being kind to you, giving you the chance to realize the futility of your actions… But you refused to acknowledge your weakness. Even after a hundred deaths, you refused to face the fruitlessness of your struggle… You might think loyalty to a lost cause noble, but in reality, it is nothing but illogical, useless. And now, your world dies on MY terms."

"HOLY MOTHER OF-!"

"UWAAAAAAAA!"

"FUCKING HELL!"

"IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"KYAAAAAAGH!"

"IT'S THE END! IT'S THE END!"

"Dammit, Ultron! You sadistic bastard!" Subaru insulted as he glared at the meteor of Vibranium floating above the city.

"This is…!" Roswaal bellowed as he scowled at the construct as well. In the past, his teacher was capable of casting meteoric projectiles… But this one was in a completely different scale in comparison.

"Do you see it now… The beauty of it… The inevitability…!" The Synthezoid gloated as he and Reinhard gazed at the panicked masses down below. "No matter the struggle… The hope you fooled yourself into thinking existed was always an illusion. You rise, only to fall!"

*FWIIIIIIIIIIIISH~!*

"Wha-?!" Ultron threw the meteor towards Reinhard, catching the Sword Saint by surprise. "HMNGH!"

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"Hah…" In a feat of herculean strength, Reinhard managed to balance the construct in one hand flawlessly; much like Ultron did moments prior.

"Impressive! Most impressive!" Ultron mockingly chuckled as Reinhard glared at him. "The Sword Saint's strength never fails to amaze me, regardless of the universe… But it is never enough to stop me."

*ZNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"Huh?!" Reinhard saw himself suddenly overwhelmed by the rapidly increasing weight of the meteor, his left arm shaking.

"A bit more of gravity…" Ultron's Space Stone illuminated the surroundings and the meteor as the Sword Saint struggled. "Just what are the limits of your power?"

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"HRNGH!" The redheaded swordsman's entire form had begun shuddering now; the weight on his shoulders augmented indefinitely, to a point he had to sustain the sphere with both hands in order to stop it.

"Don't even think about letting go of it now, Reinhard." Ultron continued derisively insulting. "You let go of that ball, everyone under us dies. Daddy, Mommy dearie, Grandfather, your precious… Felt. All of Lugunica, not just the Capital. Everyone. Splat on the ground as the meteor levels your country... And it'll all be on you."

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"GAGGH…!" Reinhard's arms trembled the more Ultron verbally abused him, his darker thoughts taking a hold of his mind.

"Don't tell me you've never pictured this kind of scenario. We both know well the kind of… Monster you are." Ultron's voice turned serious as he continued spewing poison into Reinhard's ears. "A monster. Who killed his grandmother, who is now going to fail in protecting everyone, who WILL kill everyone! YOU are my swift and terrible sword Reinhard, and tonight, your world will crumble under the weight of your failure!"

"HAAAKH-!" Reinhard's face grew distressed as he heard Ultron's rambles… Because he agreed.

Here he was, the monster that killed his own grandmother, the previous Sword Saint, failing on the duty he stole from her. The Sword Saint, Lugunica's foremost warrior, humiliated by an enemy intent on destroying the Kingdom. He was FAILING at his duty, and it was all his fault and no one else's… For the first time in his life, a trickle of sweat rolled down Reinhard's face as he faced the truth: He couldn't defeat Ultron.

He wasn't strong enough.

He had failed.

The Sword Saint had failed.

And it was all Reinhard's fault.

I-I truly am…!

"I GAVE you the choice to die together with them… Now you get to witness them die by your hand. Do not say I did not warn you… This is how the 'hero' dies-"

"DON'T GIVE UP! REINHARD!" Subaru shouted from the ground, disrupting Ultron's words. "YOU CAN DO IIIIIIIIT!"

"Su-Subaru-!" Reinhard gazed down, noticing the Avenger was looking directly back at him.

"How unsightly… Can't save yourself, so now you pass on your duty onto someone else Natsuki?" Ultron made a disgusted face as he glared at Subaru.

"PLEASE SAVE US!"

Disrupting the machine's hateful words, another scream directed at Reinhard echoed throughout the night.

"SWORD SAINT!"

"SAVE US!"

"REINHARD!"

"SAVE US!"

"REINHARD!"

"The civilians…" Ultron scowled in confusion. "What… No… They know you are losing… How can they ask mercy of you, not me?!"

"COME ON! REIN!" Felt cried hoarsely alongside everyone else, tears falling from her eyes profusely as she cheered Reinhard on.

"FELT-SAMA…!" Reinhard managed to hear his liege's screams amongst the cacophony of yells, his heart aching as he realized he wasn't alone in this fight. "I…!"

Everyone else was fighting tooth and nail as well to survive, all whilst depending on him to keep them safe from the main threat! So why was he here feeling sorry for himself?! How dare he?! Such were the thoughts coursing through his head as Lugunica cried for the Sword Saint to save them…

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Reinhard roared as he let go of the sphere, opting instead for grabbing his sword's hilt with both hands and swinging his valiant blade masterfully…

*SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*ZOOOOM!*

In an explosive slash of world-shattering proportions, the likes of which reverberated all across the land, Reinhard blew the meteor into smithereens. As though shooting stars were covering the Lugunican firmament, millions upon millions of Vibranium chunks flew south and east, outside of the Capital, raining all the way to Picoutatte, Flanders and Mirula's outskirts.

All across the Lifaus Plains, a meteor shower covered the night sky.

"UWOOOOO!"

"HE DID IT!"

"YEAAAAAH!"

"YES!"

"WOOHOO!"

"Shooting stars…!" Emilia gasped in awe as she gazed at the meteorite-covered night.

"He did it! Reinhard did it!" Felt cried emotionally as she pointed to the rain of fire rushing out of the Capital. "He destroyed the rock! He saved us! Reinhard did it!"

"…Subaru." However, Beatrice stood still in alarm, noticing that the fight was not over yet.

"Hmm, I know." The Avenger by her side nodded as he lifted his mask. "Beako… What's the biggest portal you can conjure?"

"…It'd have to be 'Al Shamak', I suppose." Beatrice explained with disappointment. "But, even with how powerful it is, Betty doubts that she could…"

"Don't worry; just make the preparations to cast it!" Subaru reassured with a smug grin.

"Trust in the Soul."

"When I return, it'll be such a kick-ass portal; everyone in the world will know Beako's the best!" Spider-Man masked on again as he rushed toward the Royal Castle's towers, right below where Reinhard and Ultron were fighting. "Hey! Roswaal! I need a lift!"

"…" The Margrave stared at the Avenger in confusion as he yelled at him. "Is it a plan I see brewing in your head, Su~baru-kun?"

"More like Echidna's, so you better help me!" Subaru mentioned to the surprised Roswaal as he hovered above him.

"My teacher's… So she knew about the monster too, huh…" Roswaal sighed as he flew in Subaru's direction.

*Grab!*

"Whe~re to?" The nobleman asked Subaru as he grabbed him by the arms.

"Atop the Royal Castle, flying monkey!" Spidey indicated as the two flew in the direction of the Royal District.

*ZOOOOOOM!*

"Wha-?! Subaru! Roswaal!" Emilia yelped in alarm as the two broke formation and flew away. "What are you doing?! That way is-!"

"Leave it, girlie." Beatrice warned with a self-assured smirk as four-hundred years' worth of mana gathered around her tiny body. "Betty's Subaru has a plan, in fact!"

Simultaneously, as the Avenger and the Margrave approached their location, Ultron glared at Reinhard with disgust…

"Hngh…" The machine scowled as the chunks of its meteor scattered all across the land.

"Ultron!" Reinhard bellowed as he pointed the Dragon Sword in the Synthezoid's direction. "You might not consider it a battle, but I do! Now stop targeting my comrades! Stop focusing on others! I'm your opponent this night, not them; face me properly!"

"…And you insist still in thinking you have any say in the matter." Ultron answered with restrained anger as the Reality, Power and Space Stones incrusted on his being shone brightly once more. "You know NOTHING of power, brat… I'm the only one deciding here!"

*ZNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!*

The entirety of Lugunica froze in silence and fear as Utlron committed an even more absurd atrocity than the previous one performed…

"…"

"Motherf…"

"Wha…"

"Ah…"

"Impossible…"

"This-This is a joke, right…?"

"No way…" Emilia and everyone else's legs trembled in fear as Ultron summoned not one or two additional meteors, but TEN!

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

Ten meteors, each the size of the Capital, spawned above the city, eclipsing the sky, the stars and the moon with their absurd enormity!

"Can you cut these ones down without endangering everyone, Reinhard?" The machine mockingly inquired.

"ULTROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" Reinhard screamed wrathfully as he glared heatedly at the meteors hanging over his world.

*ZNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNM!*

"SILENCE!" Ultron shouted as he communicated directly inside everyone's heads again, all whilst simultaneously immobilizing the Sword Saint with the might of the Space Stone.

"NOT… AGAIN…!" Reinhard groaned in pain as the almighty pull crushed him in place once more.

"PEOPLE OF LUGUNICA! PEOPLE OF VOLLACHIA! PEOPLE OF KARARAGI! PEOPLE OF GUSTEKO! YOU! ALL OF YOU! YOU HAVE ALL COLLECTIVELY FAILED AS A SPECIES! ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED MUCH WITH YOUR LIMITED CAPACITIES, ULTIMATELY YOU WERE ALL TOO GREEDY, TOO INEPT, AND TOO FRAIL TO SURVIVE IN THE ENVIRONMENTS YOU HAVE CREATED!"

The people below screamed, cried and fainted as the machine spoke.

"IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN OUT OF BED TODAY-!"

"NOOOO!"

"PLEASE- JUST LET IT END! PLEASE!"

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

"NONONONONONONONONONO!"

"IDON'TWANNADIEIDON'TWANNADIEIDON'TWANNADIEIDON'TWANNADIE!"

"MOMMY! DADDY!"

"N-NO… I-I-I-IT'S THE END!"

"WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE~!"

"THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS-!"

Gloating in their fear and dread, Ultron continued his speech.

"THE WORLD TREMBLES AS THE SKIES FALL! I OFFER YOU SALVATION IN THE FORM OF THE ETERNAL REST! FOR WHEN THE METEORS FALL, YOUR WORLD WILL BREAK IRREPARABLY! SOON, THE LAND OF OD LAGUNA WILL BE NO MORE THAN FRACTURED DEBRIS IN THE COSMOS, NO LONGER HABITABLE BY ANY CREATURE! HUMAN! DEMI-HUMAN! SPIRIT! MABEAST! MAN! WOMAN! CHILD! PLANT! ANIMAL! FUNGUS! BACTERIA! ALL LIFE WILL CEASE TO EXIST! THIS IS NOT A THREAT! IT IS MERELY A REALITY! YOUR REALITY! THE DESTINY YOU WERE BORN FOR WAS TO PERISH BY MY HAND AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT!"

Unnoticed by the machine and Reinhard, two individuals flew in their direction.

"Su~baru-kun!" Roswaal spoke hoarsely as he and the Avenger approached the location of the meteors with difficulty.

"This is fine, Ros-chi!" Spidey exclaimed in response. "Just a little higher…! You throw me then…!

*CRA-CRACKLE!*

"!" In surprise, Roswal noticed how Subaru's arms were shining with golden bursts of lightning, as opposed to their normal blue color. "That power is-!"

"Yeah!" Subaru agreed with confidence. "For some reason, just like when we fought… I can feel something real nuts within me!"

From the depths of Subaru's very soul, as he approached Ultron once more with all the confidence in the world, trusting in himself and knowing well what he had to do… The Avenger felt the cosmic might capable of hurting the machine within his grasp!

*ZOOOOOOOM!*

The pair hovered upwards at super-sonic speeds, parallel to the highest tower of the Royal Castle…

"I RECEIVE NO PLEASURE IN THIS! IT IS SIMPLY THE ONLY SOLUTION TO ALL OF YOUR TROUBLES, ALL OF YOUR PAIN, ALL OF YOUR SORROW! THIS IS THE MERCY I OFFER YOU! FOR THERE IT TO BE PEACE AND ORDER, YOUR GOD OFFERS YOU THE END OF ALL LIFE!"

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Reinhard screamed as Ultron ignored him.

"YOUR DEATHS SHALL MARK THE TRUE BEGINNING OF THE AGE OF ULTRON-!"

*SNATCH!*

"GOTCHA!" Subaru screamed as he grabbed Ultron from behind, interrupting his speech.

"Wha-?! Subaru?!" Reinhard's eyes grew wide with surprise as he witnessed the Avenger's near suicidal stunt.

"AVENGER-?!" Ultron, too, sounded confused by the boy's actions.

*CRA-CRAKLE!*

"COME OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" Subaru yelled as the golden aura bathed him yet again, much like when he fought with Roswaal in Sanctuary…

A shining sphere of foreign golden energies exploded with Subaru at the center!

"GGGGAAAAAARGHK-?!" Ultron groaned in discomfort and apparent pain as the veil of golden cosmic rays enveloped him and the Avenger. "WHHHAAAAAAAAATTT-?!"

"HAAAH-!" Amidst the explosion of power, Reinhard regained his freedom from the hold the Synthezoid had entrapped him with, breathing rapidly as he gasped for air.

"Y-Y-Y-YOOOOOOOOOOOOOU-!" Ultron screamed as he moved with difficulty inside the torrent of mysterious energies and dancing powers.

*GRAB!*

"GET OFF ME!" The machine yelled furiously as he threw Subaru away, producing a second explosion behind the teenager that dissipated the sphere of plasma.

*BOOOOOOOOM!*

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

"UWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!" Subaru yelped in alarm as he barreled directly towards the ground, back to where the Emilia and Felt Camps were.

"SUBARU!" Reinhard shouted as he flew behind the Avenger.

*ZOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

*SWIIIIIISH~!*

A cloud of dust, smoke and ashes permeated the place as the Avenger crash-landed on the pavement of the main street.

"SUBARU!" Emilia shouted as she ran into the smoke.

"SUBARU-KUN!" Following behind, Rem cried in terror as she and the rest of the Emilia Camp, Felt and Beatrice rushed inside the cloud as well. "SUBARU-KUN! SUBARU-KUN!"

"That idiot Barusu, what the hell!" Ram yelled in frustration between the fumes and ashes. "Was he suicidal?! What the hell even was that?!"

*ZOOOOOOOM!*

"Calm down, Rem…" Roswaal said as he landed before the cloud.

"Oi! Ya fuckin' clown!" Garfiel screamed with fury. "What da fuck?! Why did ya throw Cap'n ta dat monster?!"

"I merely did what Su~baru-kun needed me to do, Ga~rfiel." Roswaal said as he raised his arm.

*FWOOOOOOSH!*

"Ah!" Emilia yelped involuntarily as Roswaal dissipated the cloud with a swing of his hand.

"Hngh!" Subaru moaned in pain atop Reinhard; it seems the Sword Saint had cushioned the impact of the explosion and the fall. The two were sunk in the middle of a crater, surrounded by debris and rubble on all sides. "Y-You alive, Rein-?"

*KROOO-KROOOOOSH!

"Yes, I'm alive!" Reinhard reproached as he lifted himself and Subaru out of the crater, safely back onto the street before his liege and Emilia's Camp.

"SUBARU-KUN!"

*HUG!*

"URNF-?!" Subaru groaned as Rem tackled him, ensnaring the boy in a tight hug.

"Are you alright?! Do you have any injuries?!" The blue oni maid asked rapidly as she inspected him all over.

"Not more than normal-!" The black-haired teenager mumbled with difficulty. "Deeeergh-! Rem! Can't b-breath-!"

"Ah-! S-Sorry!" The maid apologized as she let go of him.

"Ngh… Don't worry 'bout it…" Subaru reassured her as he sighed.

"Subaru… What worries ME right now is what were you thinking?! Why would you jump on top of Ultron like that?!" Emilia then spoke as Subaru apologized.

"Emilia-sama is right, Subaru!" The Sword Saint wondered with worry over his friend's sanity. "You know how dangerous Ultron is! Why would you-?!"

"Because Betty's Subaru had a plan, in fact." Beatrice interrupted Reinhard and Emilia's panicked outburst with a monotone voice, walking between them and approaching the Avenger. "You should give us some space, Sword Saint. Betty and her Subaru will need it, I suppose."

"Beako is correct, Rein, Emilia-tan…" Subaru scratched his head with his left hand. "Sorry I worried you all… But I promise you, it was worth it!"

"Worth it how?!" Frederica asked in confusion.

"Will it help us against those rocks in the sky?! Cause if it's that way, I'm all ears!" Felt inquired with alarm as she pointed to the heavens.

"Yeah…" Subaru smirked smugly as he opened his closed right fist. "With THIS!"

*ZNNNNNM!*

"Wha…" Reinhard's flinched in shock as he looked at the item in Subaru's palm. "That's…!"

"Never doubt sticky fingers!" Subaru chuckled.

It took Ultron some moments to notice…

Being that he was a soulless machine…

Spiritual matters and artifacts were 'below' his expertise…

But in the skies above…

As Ultron contemplated the futility of the Avenger's attempts…

He gazed to his chest with confusion and he noticed…

The purpose of Subaru's daring actions…!

"YOU STOLE MY SOUL STONE?!"

The machine screamed wrathfully, producing a reverberating echo that shook the entire world.

*WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!*

*RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!*

"Th-The ground's shaking again!" Felt squealed as everyone lost their footing.

"Cap'n! If ya can do somethin', do it now!" Garfiel roared as he barely managed to stand on two feet.

"Hey, Beako!" Through the disaster however, Subaru smirked as he held the Soul Stone in his open right palm. "You trust me?!"

"I do, in fact!" Beatrice smiled as she grabbed Subaru's hand, with the Stone still on it.

*SHWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM!*

The Soul Stone shone brightly while the mana surrounding Beatrice and Subaru increased indefinitely.

Ten-fold.

Hundred-fold.

Thousand-fold!

MILLION-FOLD!

It would not stop increasing!

As the Infinity Stone that regulated the anima of souls across the entire universe, the spiritual properties of the Soul Stone could magnify the power of Spirit Arts incommensurably. This was what Echidna had been hoping for…

"AL SHAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" Beatrice and Subaru yelled simultaneously as they held hands, the Soul Stone energetically vibrating in-between their palms.

*FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"WHAT-?!" Ultron found himself genuinely confused as to what was happening; the moment the pair of contractor and Great Spirit chanted, a gargantuan orange and black portal opened behind him and the Vibranium meteors. By tapping directly into the anima of the universe, Subaru and Beatrice had opened a portal to the Soul Dimension. "YOU-! YOU WON'T-!"

*FWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

*CRASH!*

*KRAAA-KOOOOOM!*

*KRAA-KOOOM!*

*CRAAAASH~!*

"GRRRRRRNGH-!" The Synthezoid grunted furiously as he and his constructs were forcefully dragged into another dimension, the meteors turning into chunks of broken debris by the impossible and unreal pull of the portal. "W-WHY IS IT…?! THE SOUL STONE-!"

*ZNMMMMMM!*

With the Soul Stone missing from its body and in current usage by someone else altogether, Ultron's access to the feedback circuit that had previously allowed him to power and reassemble himself with all six stones simultaneously saw itself interrupted. Even though he tried to fight back the portal by closing it with the use of the Space Stone or the Reality Stone, because it was a Spiritual Power in nature, Ultron's lack of a soul prevented him from directly interfering with the Soul Stone's powers as he could do so with the others. Magical-based appliances of an Infinity Stone were outside his capabilities as a machine if he didn't possess the Soul Stone to counter them.

A soul for a soul.

Spirit for a Spirit.

Magic for magic.

Ultron could not counter spiritual magic incantations directly without a soul of his own.

"SPIDER-MAAAAN! AVENGEEEEEEEEEER-!"

*ZMNNNNNNNNNN!*

The Power Stone in Ultron's chest shone brightly as he attempted to absorb the energy irradiated by the portal, trusting that the absorption properties of the purple gem would cancel the mana feeding Al Shamak. However, it proved fruitless; the mana powering Beatrice came from an Infinity Stone itself and thus, just as Subaru and Beatrice couldn't prevent Ultron from using the cosmic powers of the other Stones even after robbing the Soul Stone, Ultron couldn't prevent them from using the Soul Stone to conduct a spell when it was disconnected from his body. He could absorb the energy all he wanted, it mattered not; the spell would not deactivate until Subaru and Beatrice were done casting it.

Just as Thanos couldn't deny Doctor Strange's incantations, Ultron couldn't deny Subaru and Beatrice's might.

"He- He's being absorbed!" Reinhard exclaimed with surprise how Subaru and Beatrice's spell triumphed over Ultron's attempts to escape.

"Not just him, the giant rocks too!" Felt pointed out with excitement. "Big Bro's beating him! He really is-!"

"Subaru! Beatrice!" Emilia cheered, as victory seemed within grasp of Lugunica at last. "You can do it!"

"HNGHHHH-!"

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAARGH-!" Subaru and Beatrice groaned energetically as they continued casting the taxing incantation.

"NATSUKI SUBARUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!" Ultron cried wrathfully one last time as the pull continued absorbing him.

*FWOM!*

The portal closed with Ultron and his meteors still inside it, he had been successfully sealed within the Soul Stone's pocket dimension…

"GAAAGH-!" Subaru and his Spirit fell to the ground, exhausted by the spell.

"S-Subaru…" Beatrice cried as she groggily stood up. "A-Are you…?"

"*Cough-Cough!* Y-Yeah, I think I'm okay…" Subaru held his head tiredly as he unmasked.

*Pat!*

"I'm just glad you are fine, Beako… You were amazing just now." The boy carefully patted the little Great Spirit's head as he congratulated her.

"W-Well… Of course Betty is amazing! She's Subaru's Betty, I suppose!" The blonde girl puffed her chest proudly at the praise from her contractor. "However… We are not done yet, in fact…"

"Yeah…" Subaru lamented as Beatrice glared at the sky, where the portal previously appeared in.

"Subaru!" Reinhard shouted as he, Felt and Emilia approached the Avenger.

"You did it, Subaru!" Emilia joyfully as she knelt beside the hero. "You beat him! You've beaten Ultron!"

"Big Bro won!" Felt animatedly jumped in place, bouncing up and down energetically.

"Ugh… No, not just yet!" Subaru dismissed their hollering almost immediately, standing up with difficulty. "All Beako and I did was buy us some time!"

"Huh?!" Felt looked baffled in response to the news. "The fuck you mean?! I-I-I mean; that guy! How is he not beat?! You just threw him into a void, Big Bro!"

"Yeah, and he still has the Reality, Time and Space Stones!" Subaru argued. "Even if we managed to throw him into another dimension, I'd say we have some five minutes left before he breaks through reality again to hunt us down!"

"Kuh…!" Reinhard grunted with frustration as Subaru affirmed the battle was not yet over.

"…But you managed to steal a Stone, didn't you?" Emilia prompted as she pointed to Subaru's right hand. "Can't you nab off the other ones as well?"

"Maybe we can…" Subaru speculated as he followed Emilia's train of thought. "I don't think Ultron will let me get close again, but maybe Reinhard can-!"

SUBARU NATSUKI, SPIDER-MAN.

"?!" Everyone present froze in shock as yet another all-encompassing voice reverberated throughout their heads.

"Another voice-?!" Beatrice gazed around in astonishment.

"NOW WHAT?!" Felt heatedly shouted with irritation.

"Where…! Above!" Reinhard indicated in alarm. "Another one…?!"

"That voice… I recognize that voice-!" Emilia stared into the night sky, noticing how in place of the moon, another humanoid figure blended with the stars. "The Watcher!"

"Who-?!" Subaru tried to ask as he gazed at the face replacing the full moon, but the voice interrupted once more…

SUBARU NATSUKI, SPIDER-MAN. SLAYER OF THE MAD TITAN AND HIS ARMIES, BANE OF THE WITCH CULT AND THE GREAT CALAMITIES.

YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!

AUTHOR'S NOTES

BLEAAAAGH! I'M THE COOKIE MONSTER!

First, a big thank you to everyone for the condolences. It has been… Rough, the last few weeks I mean. However, my family has managed to pull through even after the loss. We are all fine, I'd like to say. Saddened, yes, but together. And I think that's what's most important.

Secondly, really sorry for the long-ass intro. Over 5K and is all about reactions, but I just wanted really, REALLY badly to include as many reactions as possible before ACTUALLY getting into the fight. I know it's a slog for most people to read so many "EGADS!" or "GOODNESS GRACIOUS!" but, let's face it: You don't see giant faces in the sky every day, do you? (Or maybe you do, I don't judge)

Last of all, YES! Ultron DID pull a Madara! But come on! You can't tell me you wouldn't try that! I mean, this IS the genocidal robot that used an entire city as a meteor in his movie! (Although I did base his speech and plan around other religious contents and Marvel properties and shows.)

Anyways, this chapter's name is based on the Guardians of the Galaxy game soundtrack of the same name, if you have not played it yet. Look forward to the next chapter, because the Guardians of the Multiverse and Uatu finally appear in full!

Bye-Bye!