Issue 10: Of Equal Hatred
The Chimera
Bruce Banner grabbed a cup of coffee, the Chimera kitchen active. Humming to himself, he sat down and took a sip, unaware of the angel leaning in the doorway nearby, "...Greetings, Dark Pit." Banner calmly greeted his ally.
"Where's the big guy? We kinda need him." Dark Pit questioned.
Banner narrowed his eyes, replying, "He's not here right now. I'd like to be around every now and then."
Dark Pit scoffed, "Yeah but he's more useful than your current state. So get big and help us fight Sephiroth."
Calmly putting his cup down, Banner stood up and walked up to Dark Pit, "...Care to run that by me again?" his eyes started glowing green, clearly agitated by the dark angel's comments. Banner closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, not wanting to start a scene.
"Coward," Dark Pit muttered.
Bruce grabbed Dark Pit and pinned him to a wall, a loud thud made as the scientist spoke, "Trying to make me angry? I'm not sure if you didn't get the memo already but… you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
Thor heard the sounds and stormed in, "Aye friend Banner, now is surely not the time to lash out."
Dark Pit retorted, "He better. I'm itching for a rematch and the Hulk can take him on unlike this guy."
"You dare tempt our ally's troubles? You are surely an immature angel." Thor mocked, "Even I understand the perils we face."
With a scoff, the dark angel replied, "So do I. That's why we have to catch Sephiroth by surprise NOW. Get as many of our heavy-hitters as possible and take him down. If he has none of his cronies, I think we can win."
Thor scowled, "A risky gamble, one that I am sure will not work."
"Feh. If you aren't gonna help, I'll just do it myself then." Dark Pit declared wandering off to find Sephiroth himself.
However his wings started to glow and he was forcibly yanked back by Palutena, who overheard him, "Where do you think you're going, Pitoo?" she asked.
Dark Pit sneered, "I told you NOT to call me that. And I don't have to answer you."
"Why? Is it because I'm not Viridi?" Palutena teased the dark angel.
The angel crossed his arms and huffed, "Tch."
Cloud could be heard in another room saying, "No need to lure him out."
"What?" Thor asked.
The ex-Soldier walked in, a scowl on his face as he spoke, "Sephiroth was seen scouring Battleworld, possibly a trap," he grabbed his Fusion Sword.
"Shouldn't we at least think this over?" Palutena asked the Champions.
"There isn't anything to think over, we beat Sephiroth, we can go home." Dark Pit scoffed.
Banner sighed, "If you two are adamant about going… then I'll lend a hand just this once to make sure you don't get killed."
Thor nodded, "Aye. There is strength in numbers after all."
"Just don't get in our way," the dark angel replied, grabbing his staff and looking it over to make sure it was in good enough shape for the upcoming fight.
Palutena rolled her eyes, "You might need a goddess' touch."
Banner knelt down, allowing himself to transform into the Hulk, "Hmph. If ya think it'll work then whatever." he smashed his fists together, "I just want to pummel that puny god." he stormed out of the room, a glare evident on his face.
Cloud sheathed his sword and said, "Let's mosey then."
"...What?" Dark Pit muttered.
Unknown
"Hmm, interesting," noted Dr. Eggman, looking over the Cabal's surveillance monitors.
"What has gained your attention, doctor?" Sephiroth questioned Eggman, annoyed that the development of the Genesis Engine had been halted.
Eggman turned around and explained, "It seems some of the Champions are out, ripe for taking out. I'm merely analyzing the situation before sending a squad to eliminate them."
Looking at the monitors, Sephiroth observed the small crew, then he noticed Cloud and smirked, "No need to send anyone, I shall assess this situation myself." he decided, his hands emanating an aura of darkness. He then turned around, one wing flaring and headed off to the Champions' destination.
Wily grunted, "Feh. I grow weary of being Sephiroth's toy builder."
Eggman nodded, "I agree, old friend. Our intellect is capable of so much more than being idle!"
"Indeed! So perhaps you and I should take advantage of the situation!" Wily suggested, proudly stroking his mustache.
"Ohoho! We shall! Prepare Metal Sonic and Bass! We will find the Champions' base of operations and gain the upper hand!" declared Eggman, laughing evilly before coughing and dropping to his knees in pain.
Wily crossed his arms, "You should really take some medicine." he joked.
"Grr, I'll be fine," Eggman replied.
Gerudo Desert
The desert from the land of Hyrule was among the locations pulled into the Battlerealm, a formerly occupied land now abandoned. The perfect spot for the upcoming duel. Hulk looked around and scowled, "…Empty. The hell is this place?" he wondered.
Cloud drove his Fusion Sword to the ground and answered, "The best spot to do this. Far away from the others and any innocents. You can never be too careful with Sephiroth."
Thor nodded, "'Tis a good call, ally Strife."
Cinder crossed her arms, "Why'd you drag me along for this?"
"We're gonna need as many hands as possible," Dark Pit admitted.
Cloud looked to the darkened sky and bellowed out, "SEPHIROTH! WE'RE READY FOR YOU! THIS TIME FACE US WITHOUT YOUR CABAL!"
A spiral of light and dark flames enveloped the area, converging to the ground in front of Cloud, who remained still, knowing his nemesis was going to arrive. The man took a single step forward and grabbed his sword, ready for the fight ahead.
"Hmph. Show off…" Dark Pit muttered.
A single hand appeared in the converged light and darkness. With a snap, it stopped, revealing Sephiroth at last. The man smirked, "Well well, it's not often you come to me, Cloud. Got bored standing by with the so-called Champions?"
Cloud gritted his teeth, "No, I just got tired of you still being around. I want you gone for good."
"You really think you'll be rid of me? A reminder, Cloud…" Sephiroth dashed forward and struck Cloud's Fusion Sword with Masamune, the smirk still on his face, "…I will never be a memory!"
Hulk grabbed Sephiroth by the hair and flung him down, putting him in a small body shaped crater. As the god got up, the Green Goliath cracked his knuckles, "No more toying around, this time I'm gonna pummel you six feet under." he declared, raising his fists.
Sephiroth opened his palm and shot a ball of darkness at Hulk, causing him to stagger back, "You fools truly believe I will be bested this easily? I am beyond a god!"
Thor swung Mljnoir upwards, hitting Sephiroth in the chin, "You will have to contend with this god first!" the God of Thunder shouted, flying after the One-Winged Angel and smashing him with his hammer once more.
"The God of Thunder means nothing compared to the powers of light and darkness!" Sephiroth said, shooting both light and dark beams at Thor, who deflected the assault with Mljnoir.
"Aye, but you should contend with the Goddess of Light first!" Thor told him, Sephiroth getting belted by Palutena's auto-reticle.
"You dare? Hmph, you're more persistent than I anticipated." Sephiroth chuckled.
"We didn't make it this far by doing nothing!" Palutena quipped, dueling with Sephiroth, staff in hand. Staff met blade in a stormy sky duel, light and darkness crossing multiple times.
"Explosive Flame!" Palutena yelled, shooting fire at Sephiroth, who blocked it with his barrier, Scintilla, the flames dissipating. Rearing his blade back, he performed his Octoslash technique, slashing through Palutena and landing a few cuts on her. The Goddess of Light got her bearings and used Auto-Reticle once more to blast the dark being back.
Palutena focused her staff on Dark Pit, lighting his wings. The dark angel grinned and took to the skies, smacking his named staff on Sephiroth's stomach. "About time I joined the fun." he joked as he shot a ball of magic at Sephiroth.
Thor hovered by Dark Pit and Palutena's side, saying, "Shall I aid you?"
"Go ahead," Palutena said.
The gods and angel dashed towards Sephiroth. Dark Pit used Electric Knuckle to punch through his enemy's barrier but was pushed back as a result. Palutena spun her staff vertically, getting a few hits on Sephiroth before using another Explosive Flame to burn him. Sephiroth returned the favor by snapping his fingers, surrounding Palutena in six dark orbs, each pelting her and causing her to lose concentration.
Thor gritted his teeth and lunged ahead. He grabbed Sephiroth by the throat and flung him upwards shouting, "MIGHTY TORNADO!" a powerful yellow gust of wind surrounded the God of Thunder.
The tornado did nothing to deter Sephiroth, who created a burst of darkness to bash through the assault, landing a punch directly onto Thor's chest, causing him to launch back and collide with a mountain.
Dark Pit clashed his staff with Sephiroth's blade, grunting, "I still got five minutes to bring you down!"
"Poor child, you will be lucky to see those five minutes pass," Sephiroth joked, blasting the dark angel down.
"Dark Pit!" Palutena gasped, hovering and bashing Sephiroth. He deflected her attack with a barrier, bringing her to the ground.
Cinder grabbed Sephiroth's limbs with her symbiote, casually walking forward with a scowl on her face, "I am not sure what your game is, Sephiroth, but I grow weary of this squabble. Perhaps we shall be the ones to stop you." she declared, finishing her transformation into Toxin and mimicking Eddie Brock.
The symbiote host leaped into the air and intended to claw onto the god, who sliced his way out of her bind with his blade. Cinder growled and dodged, removing her symbiote temporarily to toss a fireball directly onto the villain, who felt the force of the attack and was knocked back.
Sephiroth landed, blade dug into the ground to get his bearings. He chuckled while looking down, feeling a burn mark on his face, "Not bad. Pretty impressive if I am to be honest."
Cinder nodded, "Why thank you. But these compliments won't save you." she morphed back into Toxin as she said this.
Smirking, Sephiroth raised his head saying, "Oh, I know."
Sephiroth snapped his fingers, creating orbs of pure dark energy and surrounding Cinder in them. She turned her head, using whatever she could to deflect the attacks. Alas, the power of Dharkon overwhelmed even her and damaged her, the symbiote screeching in pain from the flames of the Shadow Flare.
Cinder fell to a knee, the Toxin symbiote wearing down to protect her. She panted, trying to fight him once more. "I can… still fight…" Cinder insisted, growling out each word and getting back on her feet defiantly.
"Interesting…" Sephiroth admitted. Cinder put her hands out, the symbiote grabbing his limbs once more. This time, the One-Winged Angel was unable to use Masamune to break free, leaving him vulnerable.
"Grah!" Hulk yelled, punching Sephiroth's chest and slamming him to the ground with Toxin's aid. "Hulk smash long haired man!" the green hero roared in Sephiroth's face, his anger overwhelming his mind once more.
Using the powers of Galeem, Sephiroth caught Hulk in a Solar Flare to temporarily blind the Green Goliath before he could continue his assault. The Hulk roared as he covered his eyes with his hands to recover, allowing the angel to be broken free from his symbiotic binds.
Cinder hissed, getting her sight back in time to witness Sephiroth slamming her away. "Tch. You Champions are making this too easy." Sephiroth shook his head.
"Sephiroth!" Cloud yelled, clashing blades with his nemesis once more.
Sephiroth smirked, "Ah so you still have some fight left in you, Cloud. Good. This will be fun!" The two leaped into the air, swords clashing left and right as they dashed and leaped all around the desert in what they hoped would be the battle to end their feud once and for all. The sworn enemies continued at this for moments until Sephiroth landed on one of the rock formations from their initial arena, where Cloud joined him.
"What are you standing there for? Let's finish this!" Cloud snarled, Fusion Sword now pointing at his nemesis.
Sephiroth shook his head and raised a palm, "This battle has grown tiresome. I intend to change things up, using the very same means you used to summon your new allies."
"What? How did-" Cloud muttered.
Sephiroth chuckled, "Please, it was quite obvious. If you can break the barrier that blocks Battleworld, then I have the power to do the same. Just watch."
"Oh no you don't!" Cloud yelled, lunging after Sephiroth. Alas, it was too late, with a snap of his fingers, Sephiroth temporarily broke the gate between worlds, gaining the power to summon an ally, whether that person wanted to join the Cabal or not.
Unknown Earth, Volcano
A man slid on the hot and rocky surface, trying to get his bearings as he raised his head. This man was no ordinary man, rather, he was seen as The Devil and at this moment he was entrapped within the very form that gave the public pause briefly. He gritted his fanged teeth and flared his wings out, ready for a fight.
Kazuya Mishima glared at his opponent, a familiar dark skinned man with dark red hair wearing a purple gi. His red aura covered his body as he scowled at The Devil.
"How many times must we do this, Akuma…" Kazuya growled, frustrated that his new rival intends to have rematches after their first bout was interrupted.
Akuma crossed his arms, replying, "I will keep facing you until the day comes where one of us is the undecided victor. I cannot be satisfied with a draw."
Grinning maniacally, Kazuya planted himself firmly into the volcanic surface, "Then we will settle this once and for all! With you melting here alongside my Father!"
"Do try, Devil," Akuma mocked, stomping a foot in front of him and clenching a fist, ready to fight once more.
Kazuya and Akuma reared their fists back, ready to collide and punch each other to initiate another round of their never-ending battle. But before they could, they were caught in a bright light, forcing them to depart from the empty region.
Battleworld, Gerudo Desert
Upon appearing in the new land, Kazuya and Akuma never faltered in their movements, their fists meeting and colliding hard enough to create a shockwave that caused the area around them to tremble from their sheer otherworldly might, Cloud fell off the platform, barely hanging on by impaling his sword into the rocky surface before he could hit the ground. Once they finished however, they noticed their new surroundings and stopped, immediately taking notice of the man standing before them.
"Who dares…" Akuma growled.
Sephiroth crossed his arms, "Pardon my summonings, but I have a proposition for you."
Kazuya depowered, not giving this stranger the time of day, "I do not care about your offers, strange man. Now leave us to our showdown." he turned away from Sephiroth, who was now annoyed.
"Oh I insist. You will love this," Sephiroth declared, throwing a Giga Flare at Kazuya's back to get his attention. Unfortunately, the attack was deflected by Akuma, who swiped it away with the back of his hand. The Master of the Dark Hado hissed and spoke with tranquil fury, "You made a mockery of my test of strength. And for that… I shall give you a taste of the Satsui No Hado."
"Hmph. You seek to be rid of him too?" Kazuya muttered, turning around to stand next to Akuma. He cracked his neck, saying, "A truce for now. And then we continue our final battle."
Akuma glanced at Kazuya, "…Those terms are fine."
Sephiroth smirked, "This isn't how I intended this to go, but very well. I could use a warm up before the Champions seek another match."
The Devil, The Master of the Dark Hado and the One-Winged Angel finally made a move, clashing for a battle unlike any other. The Champions found Cloud, who was already prepared to face Sephiroth and his new enemies.
Umbra Clock Tower
"So… anyone want to remind us how the heck we ended up here?" quipped Spider-Man, observing that he and his team were currently stuck on the falling face of a clock tower surrounded by Eggman's and Wily's robots.
Ruby slashed an Egg Pawn and aimed her scythe behind her, blasting another to pieces, "If you're looking for an answer from me… I got nothing," she admitted to her friend.
Mythra dashed through a Sniper Joe and cut it in half, turning her head and saying, "Doesn't matter to me at this point, we got ourselves a fight to win."
Swinging his cape to deflect a shot, Mario said, "We'll-a find a way out of here."
"Hey, is this a bad time?" called out Carina through the team's comms.
Peter put two fingers to his ear to answer, "…Yeah? Maybe? Not sure anymore honestly. What's up, Carina?"
"I think some of the Champions just up and left to do something… and the Domains detected a large energy surge in the Gerudo Desert region of the world." Carina pointed this out to the heroes.
Sonic uncurled from his ball form and landed on a knee, "…Somethin' tells me our old pal Sephiroth's behind that."
After shorting out a SWATBot with his Venom Blast, Miles replied, "Hopefully that didn't happen… last thing we need is for him to find help like we did…"
Gerudo Desert
"Is this the best you could muster? Pathetic," Sephiroth mocked Kazuya and Akuma as they tried to land a hit on him, Sephiroth's new abilities allowing him to keep up.
Gritting his teeth, Akuma focused and awaited the One-Winged Angel's next movement. When Sephiroth moved exactly where he predicted, Akuma drove his palm directly to his chest, catching the ex-SOLDIER off guard and giving Kazuya a chance to uppercut him.
Down below, Cloud landed and placed his sword down, watching the fight from above. Cinder grunted, "Great job. Now we have more on our plate."
"Let's see what happens. Maybe these guys can beat him to a pulp for us." Dark Pit hopefully suggested.
Cloud shook his head, "An optimistic assumption at best, Sephiroth was already powerful before but this… nothing these two do can match up."
Kazuya ducked and dashed back from Sephiroth's sword, lunging forward and hitting him with a fierce punch. The One-Winged Angel was taken aback by this attack and drew his blade down. Luckily the Devil changed form and blocked the blade with his arm.
"Impressive." Sephiroth complimented the Devil, wiping a few drops of blood off of his face, striking with a burst of light to daze Kazuya. Akuma lunged forward and hit Sephiroth's chest with his palm.
Akuma grunted, "You aren't even worth my full power. Take this!" he yelled, grabbing Sephiroth's jacket and flipping over his head, taking the demon with him and slamming him onto the ground.
Kazuya dusted himself off and cracked his knuckles
Hulk sneered, "That's it, I'm goin' in! RAAAGH!" he roared as he made a massive jump towards Sephiroth, the latter getting stomped on due to the distractions around him.
Akuma paused and took notice of the green goliath, "Hm. The one called Hulk. I did not expect you here."
"Ngh. Akuma… The hell are you doing here?" Hulk wondered aloud, recognizing the violent warrior.
"We were in battle when it seemed this… being summoned us to this wasteland." Kazuya elaborated, "Tch. Be prepared, he is ready to strike."
Sephiroth created an aura and made the Hulk jump back in surprise, the green Avenger landing next to the fighters. Akuma said, "We will have our rematch later as well, Hulk, I intend to break this man first."
Hulk smirked, "Now yer speaking my language. SMASH!"
Sephiroth stood up, no worse for wear. He grinned, "Go on and try again, warriors. I will simply best you again."
"Not with all of us here." Cloud declared, sword in hand, ready for a rematch. He stood alongside Cinder, Palutena, Dark Pit and Thor.
The One-Winged Angel grinned and simply said, "Very well."
Dark Pit struck first, using Palutena's magic to fly after the One-Winged Angel. He shot at Sephiroth with his staff, able to get a few hits in the process. He ascended, allowing Palutena an opening for her Auto-Reticle, blasting Sephiroth even more and leaving a puff of smoke with the aid of Cinder, keeping him temporarily blinded.
Akuma threw his Gohadoken at Sephiroth, making him stagger back as a result. He followed this with the Tatsumaki Zankukyaku, the deadly hurricane kick breaking through the One-Winged Angel's own defenses and leaving him open. Akuma then performed the Ashura Senku and dashed behind the angel, grabbing him and tossing him within the Hulk's vicinity. Hulk reared his fist back and punched Sephiroth as hard as he could.
While he was still dazed and confused by the events, Sephiroth felt his hair pulled by Kazuya, who used his grip to slam Sephiroth's face repeatedly onto the rocky surface below them. After a couple more slams, he tossed Sephiroth upwards and used Devil Fist to bring him down further and stun him, creating a crater where he once laid.
Sephiroth stood up once more, clearly angered. Before he could do anything however, Thor flung Mljnoir towards the One-Winged Angel and pinned him down for a moment, giving him time to strike thunder down upon him. Sephiroth grunted and got to his knees once Thor removed the hammer and gripped it once more.
Sephiroth leaped and struck downwards, but Thor blocked his attack. Swiping him with the blunt end of Mjlnoir. Sephiroth grunted and opened his palm, muttering, "Enough!"
"No," Cloud bluntly stated, getting the last hit in and driving his Fusion Sword directly through Sephiroth's chest. The Angel lowered his head… then raised it again, revealing a maniacal grin on his face.
"What?" Cloud asked.
"That was merely a warm-up, Cloud. I must thank all of you for testing my limits." Sephiroth pulled himself out of the sword, continuing, "It seems I can still very much feel your attacks, but the lot of you just simply aren't enough… but it was worth it to rip that fraction of hope you still yield." he mocked the heroes.
"Hm." Akuma mumbled to himself, crossing his arms.
Sephiroth spoke as he clutched his chest, "I must continue using these new gifts. Thank you for the rematch, Cloud. Next time you won't get the upper hand." with that, he vanished into a beacon of light and darkness as Cloud ran, barely missing him.
"DAMN IT!" Cloud screamed.
"Should'a grabbed him when I had the chance…" Hulk chided himself.
"All of you are reckless…" Kazuya shook his head, "I was sloppy, I should've ended him with my bare hands."
"Like I said, no good. We need more hands on deck… We need the emeralds if we are going to stand a chance," Cloud realized.
"Aye. I thought we could win this day… but alas." Thor lamented.
Akuma looked at the God of Thunder, "You are here as well… where the hell are we?" he asked.
Palutena explained, "Battleworld. A combination of various dimensions merged into one."
"Then new challenges await me…" Akuma realized, turning his back to the Champions, "If that is the case, then perhaps I'll remain."
Kazuya huffed, "And I must find a way to return home. Through any means necessary."
"So… what? You aren't going to kill us?" Dark Pit questioned.
Turning his head, Akuma answered, "You aren't worth the effort for now. I must save my power for any new opponents that deserve it." he kept walking and never faltered.
"And I don't care about whatever is happening here. If I find one worth the attention or any of you dare to get in my way… perhaps I will change my mind," Kazuya threatened the Champions before he also departed, leaving the team back to their own devices.
Cloud grunted, worn out from the stress and battle he endured, "This should've ended a long time ago…"
Palutena put a comforting hand on the man's shoulder, saying, "It will end, Cloud. As you said, we just need the emeralds, and it seems we have the upperhand on the Cabal there."
"…Right," he muttered.
"It better stay that way, I'm tired of being on the losing side," Cinder muttered under her breath.
Hulk said, "We ain't on that side. Never will be."
"Mmhmm," Cinder nodded sarcastically.
"Perhaps we shall depart back to the Chimera. Our allies may have another emerald in hand." Thor suggested.
Cloud agreed, "…Very well. Let's see for ourselves."
MJR Here: The full chapter is finally here. With this, we're about halfway through the story. Akuma and Kazuya will appear as occasional guest characters from here on out, neither of them have a stake in this conflict, which I felt was the best way to include them while keeping them in character. And yes, I know about Sora. He will not be appearing in this story however, there's a lot to work with as is, and Sora feels to big an inclusion to leave as just a last minute addition. We'll see how things go with him.
Next Time: Battle of Shadow Moses! The Iron Minister!