Miles jumped down from the Sea Fox and was a little surprised to feel solid ground only a few meters below it, though it looked no different than the rest of this distorted section of the Time Warp. Everyone else followed suit, with the craft itself coming down and changing back into Remi's Critter form once all the others had dismounted and vacated it. The seven Animals and their two little companions faced down the fiery mockery of the fox, each of them ready to fight at the drop of a pin.
"All we have to do is get the last Time Stone from Sierus," he reminded everyone, "then we can fix everything!"
Almost like clockwork, the igneous vulpine brought out the red Time Stone, and the whole gang sprang into action. Silver took the initiative in trying to pry the gem away with his power, while also throwing a Psycho Cutter at the entity. It wreathed the rock in a cloak of flames and slid beneath the blast, flinging a few fire bolts in return at the hedgehog as it slipped to one side. While Cream was uncertain about throwing Cheese at the living blaze, Amy had no compunctions about attempting to mess it up with the Pikkon Hammer, going in for an overhead swing. One of its flickering tails blocked the blow and pushed the young hedgehog back, who was saved from a molten beam thanks to Gizmo's grappler.
With the ESP still active, Miles put a bit of Chaos Energy behind a Fireball Spin Dash, making contact with his crackling double. Sierus skidded back a few meters from the hit, but remained standing and in possession of the Stone. Gizmo followed up her brother's attack using her escrima, managing to get a few good strikes in before the extreme heat in its proximity forced her to back off. Shai-Khal took her place, slashing at Sierus with his summoned weapon, not so much to cause damage, but to prevent it from getting a chance to use the Stone. A few spots on the hyena were scorched during the exchange, but he didn't let the burns slow him down.
At the start of their second assault, Cream worked up her courage and slammed into Sierus with both feet. While the blow didn't appear to injure it, the being at least momentarily flinched from it. In that brief window, Silver lifted her out of the way just as Miles came in with a Rapid Tail Attack, cloaked in both his Flame Shield and his cyan Chaos Energy. It countered as best it could, but just as the teen flew back from a slash of its smoldering tails, Gadget threw an energy grenade over at the fire fox. Its form distorted from the blast, and it let out something of a pained growl, clearly not liking that. While it swiftly reconstituted itself, the glare in its eyes showcased an even hotter anger than before.
"Keep it up!" Shai-Khal encouraged them all, "hammer it with everything you can muster, and don't give it the opportunity to undo our efforts!"
The wolf twins glanced at each other and nodded, then turned to their brother's little companion. "Remi, combat transformation: Power Type!"
"Wait, what?" Miles asked, his attention diverted from their foe.
Remi began clicking and whirring as its shape changed, its sleek form taking on a bulkier shape while also converting from a quadrupedal to bipedal state. Its slim torso turned top heavy, and its head became more reminiscent of a certain other vulpine doppelganger that Miles fought not too long ago, save for its eyes. And like a recurring creation of Dr. Fukurokov's, its arms were composed of numerous spheres, with each ending in a tawny-painted hand with black metal claws. Its two tails extended and thickened to where they were more whip-like, and the orbs at the ends of them were now significantly larger and heavier. Lastly, its legs took on a rough cylindrical shape, growing thicker near the bottom, where small wedges served as "feet". Overall, it wasn't much taller than Silver, but aside from Shai-Khal, it was probably the most stout out of everyone present.
"He's combat capable outside of the Sea Fox now!?" the fox exclaimed with starry eyes.
The wolves glanced at one another and let out a little bit of a nervous laugh. They totally forgot that they hadn't shown him any of Remi's new looks aside from the overhaul on the minisub and Critter forms. Now, though, not only could they show those off, they had the perfect situation to test out this particular mode.
"You'll have time to be mesmerized later, Bro," Gadget said, nodding towards their friends that were still fending off Sierus.
"For now, we've got to get back in there and help snuff out that fiendish flame!" Gizmo urged, "alright, Remi, let's show them what you're made of!"
A deeper, yet still quirky beep came from its speakers, and without hesitation, it began stomping over to join the fray. The being had only just forced the girls away and ducked beneath a psychic blast, only to get a fist in the face from one of Remi's extendable arms. Sierus reeled back from the hit, feeling the sting of the artificial creature's punch more than most of the other attacks it had taken thus far. Just like with the actual fox, those wolves' weapons, and even the rabbit's kick, it had felt Chaos Energy behind that blow. It was a bit troublesome that several of these mortals could wield one of the few things that could truly hurt it. But even so, it wasn't too worried.
The entity swiped at the space between them with the hand that held the gem, converting a significant bit of the realm's formless ground around and below it into magma. This left most of the gang unable to approach directly, though Miles was both protected from the hazard and able to fly over it. Remi also began trudging through the molten mess without any apparent issues, its metal coating apparently made to withstand such extreme heat. The latter went into a charge that, while not impressive in terms of speed, clearly had a lot of power behind it, while the former went into an aerial loop to build up momentum before homing in with a flying kick. The wolf twins activated their own Flame Shields with their respective ESPs, while Silver levitated over them to get a good vantage.
Sierus stepped back and slipped beneath the bubbling surface, leaving the Animals and robot guessing where it would emerge from. The searing currents shot up like a geyser, and though everyone could protect themselves from it in some way, their vision was still obscured. This gave the entity the moment it needed to eject itself from the pond's edge that was furthest from the group. It uncloaked the red Stone from its body and held it up high, ruby light pouring from its facets.
"Ebol!" it shouted with a note of triumph, and the group was sure that if it could grin, it would.
The guardian tried to counter it with its own Stone and incantation, but he was too slow on the draw. There was a bright flash and a momentary keening, but when everything cleared up, the Time Warp appeared no different. And neither did Sierus, aside from a significantly more confident expression in those cyan reptilian eyes.
"No!" Shai-Khal lamented, "now it's back to full power!"
"Indeed!" Sierus affirmed as it aimed the gem their way, "and now, exorizin!"
"Boorch!"
Even with the guardian-entity's swift action this time, it didn't completely cancel the other being's spell. Several Time Warp portals opened up beneath most of the group, and those that couldn't fly or hover immediately fell through. Cream and Cheese were caught off guard, and though she tried to escape, the suction from the gate pulled her and her little friend inside the swirling vortex. Silver kept airborne with his levitation, but Sierus had accounted for that, too, opening a rift directly in front of where the hedgehog was drifting. Before everyone else had entirely crossed the threshold, the hyena jumped in after the hoglet girl, taking both the green and blue Time Stones with him. That left only the yellow one present in Miles' hands, not counting the red one that the flaming vulpine possessed.
Speaking of, Miles was the sole Animal that wasn't exposed to such a trap, but that had been exactly what Sierus wanted. It was after the fox specifically, anyway, and it seemed that the teen was rather incensed now that he'd been separated from all of his friends. Good, hot heads were easier to deal with than cool ones.
"What did you do!?" Miles demanded of the devilish duplicate of himself.
Sierus delighted at the rage in the boy. "I scattered your precious companions across space and time. They will serve as fantastic fodder for my vessels, and with them out of the way, you will fold soon enough!"
Upon hearing the news, however, the fox didn't react in the way that the fragmented deity anticipated. Instead of despair or greater anger, Miles shut his eyes and calmly breathed in and out a couple of times. He then let out an airy chuckle as a smirk crossed his muzzle.
"It's not a bad plan in general," the amber teen remarked almost mockingly, "the whole 'divide and conquer' strategy is pretty sound...most of the time." He wagged a finger at the entity, as if chiding it for silly behavior. "But in this case, you made a big mistake!"
Now it was Sierus' turn to start getting mad. "You and those weaklings you cherish are going to die, and you believe me the fool? You are delusional, whelp!"
"You really think I'd've gotten as far as I have without their help?" Miles swept one arm as if physically rejecting such a notion. "They can take down anything you throw at them! Your underestimation of what my friends and family are capable of is going to be your undoing!" He stood tall and pointed at the fire fox. "You screwed yourself over, Sierus!"
"Enough of your hollow crowing! I said that I would kill you first, and that is what I shall do!"
"Not again!" Amy whined as she ducked behind a boulder.
She kept still and quiet as massive footsteps rumbled nearby, her heart pounding all the while. The young hedgehog had been dropped right back into the Palmtree Panic Zone's distant past, along with the green Time Stone. She'd barely had time to pocket it before she'd been set upon by that same volcanic T-Rex she and Miles had previously contended with. Luckily, she'd been able to give it the slip, and it seemed like it couldn't find where she was hiding.
That said, she wasn't sure how to deal with it, now that she was on her own. She could try luring it near the falls again, but she had a feeling that might not work a second time, especially with Miles absent. There was the Pikkon Hammer, but would it be enough against something that large and powerful? She really wished that there was someone that could at least distract the thing, like she'd done for the fox...
"Amy Rose!" came Shai-Khal's voice.
The guardian-deity was high up on a cliff that overlooked the latter third of the Zone, almost in the same spot where Miles had been during this same scenario. Unlike the fox, however, the willingly hijacked hyena leapt down from the precipice and took her in both arms as he vaulted back up the rock face. This caught the attention of the T-Rex, which began thundering over to them and gave them the evil eye. It was almost as though, despite its death being made to never happen, it still remembered what Miles and Amy had done to it.
"Are you alright?" the combined entity inquired as he let her down.
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in, then nodded up at him. "I'm okay. I didn't expect to be back here, though, or run into that thing again."
"How did you contend with it last time?" he asked.
Amy briefly summarized the previous plan for him, which he found a little crude, but effective. It had worked, after all, and perhaps it could be pulled off a second time. The hedgehog wasn't eager to do a repeat performance, though.
"I don't want to just run away," she told the hyena as she glanced at the Pikkon Hammer, "but, I'm not sure this'll be enough."
Shai-Khal chuckled a little bit and leaned the blunt end of his khopesh over his shoulder. "That hammer has some potent magic, which you've shown to be able to draw out to an extent. How about you let me worry about annoying and distracting the beast while you figure out how to make the most of it?"
While Amy wasn't opposed to him taking on the dinosaur, she pondered about accomplishing the latter suggestion. The Pikkon Hammer had grown before when she used it, but it wasn't entirely consistent, and she didn't have any direct control over its ability to do so. Or, perhaps she did? It wasn't as though every enemy she'd faced required the weapon to be enlarged to defeat. Perhaps the magic that Shai-Khal referred to responded to a need, rather than an outright command. Or maybe it was based on her emotional state, with the more distressed she was, the more profound the empowering effect would be.
Whatever the case, she was quite confident that she would find out what was needed, especially if her older friend believed that she could. She mirrored his stance and clenched her free fist, getting a puff of amusement from the warrior, though he said nothing before diving into the fray. The T-Rex opened its jaws wide in an attempt to snap at him, only to be surprised to find a pair of paws keeping them from closing around its supposed prey. The hyena shoved it away, then Spin Dashed into its neck and rolled up over its jaw, bringing both heels down on the back of its cranium. The sheer strength behind the stomp knocked the massive predator onto its belly and chin, and it took a moment for it to press its small arms under its torso to lift itself back up.
Amy took a deep breath, then let out a yell as she bravely hurtled herself off of the cliff, the Pikkon Hammer raised above her head in both hands. The end of the weapon enlarged significantly, and just as the T-Rex spotted her in its magenta eyes, she brought it down on its snout. The lava-like cracks in its scales split and widened from the slam, and for a brief moment, its gaze became disoriented. The hedgehog was initially surprised at the effectiveness of the blow, but a grin soon crossed her muzzle. Whatever magic was powering the Pikkon Hammer, it seemed to have quite the effect on Sierus' vessels and puppets. She'd seen it before with the strange human in the past factory, and with Focke-Wulf as well, so with a third instance, she now knew that it was no coincidence.
"You're not so scary now!" she declared as she twirled the hammer like a baton.
The T-Rex growled and whirled around to slap her with its tail, but being such a small target, she was able to dive forward and duck beneath it. Shai-Khal slashed at the tip of it when it swung his way, severing it and coaxing a pained cry from the dinosaur. The hyena shifted into its feral form and began to run as the huge saurian stormed after him, now completely ignoring the hedgehog. It wasn't very hard for him to keep ahead of it, and within a few moments, he arrived at the edge of the colossal falls in the region. His foe, which had been so eager to chase him just a second ago, came to as much of a stop that it could manage once it realized where it was.
However, it recognized the place of its previously undone demise a little too late. Though it had ignored her in favor of Shai-Khal, Amy had kept up the chase all the while, brimming with newfound courage. Thus, the dinosaur was thrown off balance and nearly knocked prone again from a hit to the same spot on its head that the warrior had struck just moments ago. It only just barely stood upright, wobbling forward a few more steps until it felt one of its feet partially suspended in the air. The predator reversed course and retaliated with a second tail whip, but with the end of the limb missing, it ineffectually sailed over the child's head.
Shai-Khal shifted behind the vessel as it turned around, using his khopesh to slice at the back of one ankle. The T-Rex hunched down from the cut, leaving its face exposed to another attack from the spunky girl. The Pikkon Hammer's head was larger than even its wielder now, and the blow forced the monstrosity to take a few steps backwards. Its talons scraped against the rock face, and the ground beneath it started to give way, both from its weight and the heat it exuded. The guardian-entity zipped over to where Amy was, and after cheerily waving at the dinosaur, the hedgehog drove her weapon into the ground.
Much like the first time it had suffered such a fate, the T-Rex let out a roar as the cliff side collapsed beneath it, sending it tumbling down into the falls. It rose to the surface faster than before, but with the sheer volume of water crashing down on top of it, it barely made any difference. In the end, it once again cooled and hardened just as it reached the lake shore, the light leaving its eyes not long after that. To make sure that it was truly down for the count, the girl pounded it one last time with the hammer, and it cracked apart into hundreds of fragments that splashed into the water.
"Not bad, kid," Shai-Khal commented, the hyena's voice a little more dominant this time, "you've got a fighter in the making beneath that sugary surface."
Amy giggled softly. "You think so?"
"So long as you keep developing that talent, you'll continue to grow." With that, the combined being brought out the green Time Stone and created a portal for them. "Now, let's go round up everyone else!"
When Cream found herself and Cheese back on the pinball board in Collision Chaos' past, she also came face to face with the mutant plant that Sierus had used as that Zone's spawn. It had wasted no time in attempting to slash at the pair with its fiery, blade-like tendrils, forcing the two to seek cover in a nearby alcove. While they were aware of how to defeat the floral fiend, the problem was that Miles wasn't here to help divert its attention or deal heavier hits. And aside from running for cover, there was no reliable way to defend against its tentacles' attacks. She would just have to bear with it the best she could and come out on top, for the fox's sake.
Taking Cheese in hand, she Rolled out onto one of the flippers and bounced up to the higher level. Cream threw her tiny partner at the appendage that came her way, then revved up and released a Spin Dash into the center mass. The thing's grip on its surroundings loosened a little, and it let out one of those awful noises no normal plant could make. She halted her fall with her ears to hover over a retaliatory swipe, then let herself drop below a set of bumpers a few meters down, her Chao friend joining her soon after.
The two of them pinged off a couple of glass orbs and Rolled into a passage, putting them out of reach of the monster's fire-spewing tentacles. They hit a red spring at the bottom that sent them back up onto the lower middle set of flippers, which knocked them up to the highest pair. The spawn anticipated another direct attack, but the bunny girl and Chao ended up near another red spring that propelled them into a looping tunnel. At the end, Cream shattered another orb and fell back onto the flipper, using it to launch herself yet again. This time around, she was the one to knock a tendril out of the way, and summarily sent Cheese hurtling at the core as hard as she could.
The plant screamed from the hit, slipping further down the walls it was rooted to. Just a few more hits like that, and she'd be able to knock it loose, leaving it vulnerable to a critical blow. Much as she disliked the idea of getting her hands dirty here, Cream was ready to do what was necessary to help and get back to the others. At least, she was prepared until another rift in the Time Warp opened up on the opposite end of the table from her position. Out of it came Amy and Shai-Khal, the latter boosting off of one of the many flippers and flying up to smack the bulb with a Rolling Jump, while the former made her way over to the rabbit and Chao.
"Amy! Thank goodness you and Mr. Khal are okay," she exclaimed with relief, "I was worried after Sierus separated all of us."
The hedgehog took one of her hands with her free one and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Thanks, Cream, I'm glad you and Cheese are okay too. But we've got to beat that thing and all the other monsters to get everyone back together and stop Sierus!"
The teen bunny knew that her young friend was right, and after giving herself a moment, the two of them and their little companion went to join the hyena. Shai-Khal kicked off of a bumper to reach one of the tendrils as they receded, cutting through it with his blade. The plant shrieked in pain, moving a flame-spewing limb into position to fry the warrior, only for it to be knocked out of alignment by a tackle from Cheese. This was followed up by both of the girls taking a page out of Miles' book from their time at Sylvania Castle, pooling their strength into a pink and cream-colored Spin Dash. It proved quite effective, as the impact stunned the creature long enough for its other tendrils to fall slack.
Going with his tendency to grab the figurative bull by the horns, Shai-Khal vaulted off a nearby wall and through the hanging gallery of limbs. Twisting his body at ever increasing speed, at least from the others' perspective, he was soon a white and silver tornado, hacking through the plant matter like a hot knife through butter. He didn't get them all in one go, but he'd certainly crippled its ability to fight back. Naturally, despite its precarious situation, the vessel was going to try anyway, using what it had left to go after the group as best that it could.
Cream and Amy went for another Double Roll, but they were blocked by a pair of tentacles, causing them to drop further down the table. It saw a chance to torch them, even moving the proper extension out of the way so the Chao and hyena just missed it. However, as flames flew from the tip of the limb, there was one thing it hadn't counted on...
"Hrosh!" Shai-Khal shouted as he pulled out both of his Time Stones.
To Cheese, it didn't even have time to blink before it and its friends were transported to the other side of the area. It then felt one of Shai-Khal's paws close around him as the hyena leaned back and lifted one foot while twisting his body. He came down with a stomp and put forth his best baseball pitch, flinging the Chao at the spawn so hard that he created a sonic boom. It tried to block Cheese with its remaining tendrils, but the force behind the toss knocked them aside, giving the others the perfect shot to bring it down. And the girls did just that, smacking into it with a Double Roll and ripping it from the walls. The plant's shrill cry rang out as it crashed down the pinball table, soon fading as it came to rest at the bottom of the chamber. Shai-Khal proceeded to split it down the center with his khopesh, then severed the roots so that they couldn't siphon from the land anymore.
"Onto the next one!" Amy cheered, with Cheese joining in enthusiastically.
Gadget yelped as he dropped a few tens of meters and crashed through the surface of a rather deep pool of water. After getting over the stinging from such a fall, he activated the Bubble Shield on his ESP and gradually sank further. Once he was at the bottom, he passed under the overhang and entered a tunnel with a high ceiling that went on for quite a way. And from the reaches of the passage further down, he saw a huge shadow coming his way, its magenta eyes giving away its relation to Sierus. He saw for himself soon enough that it was a huge salamander, or perhaps some kind of newt, as it appeared to sport features from both types of amphibian. Whatever it was, it knew he was here, and there was only one thing that the spawn of the fiery entity were known to do when they found those unlike themselves.
The red wolf used a Spin Dash to rush beneath the monster and avoid it as it came in for a bite, his fur standing up at the heat he felt from being in proximity to its body. Glancing upward, he saw that there was a low ceiling just above the surface. He ran through a quick plan in his head, and he concluded that it would be too risky to perform with such a meager height. Going back to where he'd initially dropped in would be better; he just had to get past the abomination that was now blocking the path.
'I just hope that it works,' he thought with some uncertainty.
Gadget sprinted forward, watching the salamander turn about and swim his way, its ribs piercing through the sides of its torso and releasing its toxic blood into the water. It then began spinning so fast that its bony protrusions were soon like the blades of a blender. The wolf used his barrier to Bounce off the floor and over the beast, firing his grappler at the lip of the overhang he'd passed under prior. With a tug, he zipped beneath it at an angle, Rolling and Bouncing from the floor up the walls of the shaft. He stopped ascending just below the surface, where he again used his grappling wire, this time catching a ledge well above the water.
He'd timed it well at that, for the moment he pulled himself up over the edge, he saw the newt-salamander breach the pool. It made it about halfway before gravity tugged it down again, moving over to prepare climbing a wall. Flashing a toothy grin, Gadget reached into his pack, pulling out a handful of a certain tiny cocoon-shaped device.
"Glad I kept a few of the older ones," he muttered, "that level of charge is definitely needed right now."
With a grunt, the wolf chucked the micro bolt bombs at the spawn, neon blue arcs of electricity crackling over its body and the water's surface. It hissed in pain and convulsed for a few moments, then dove back under to avoid suffering any further. Gadget didn't think it would be easy, but he'd expected his tools to pack a little more of a punch than what he'd just seen. Still, it had at least done some damage to the creature, and he had a few more tools to try.
He was reluctant to get back in the water, though, given what he'd heard about from Khal when the hyena caught him and Gizmo up to speed. The salamander was highly toxic, so much so that even the guardian was paralyzed and debilitated by its poison. And that had come about from merely coming into contact with water tainted by its blood. Gadget wasn't sure the Bubble Shield could protect him from that, and he wasn't exactly eager to find out. Besides, the thing could've been waiting for him to dive back in, which would present it with an opportune time to strike.
'Fight smarter, not harder,' he reminded himself as he sifted through the contents of his pack, "let's see, what would work for this?'
After a couple of moments, he fetched a Dummy Ring from storage. He tossed it into the water, and almost immediately, the vile amphibian chomped down on it. The fake golden object flashed a hot white and exploded, some of the water blackening with more of the creature's blood. It garbled with pain, but it was far from disabled, and now it was pretty angry, if the look in those magenta eyes meant anything. Had he been the same wolf he was a few months ago, the sight would've given Gadget quite a fright and potentially sent him running.
But after what happened on West Side Island, and then Angel Island especially, he wasn't so shaken, and he wouldn't be deterred. This monster was a fragment of a being that threatened everyone everything he loved, and all good things in the world. And it sought to destroy them because...honestly, he didn't even know why Sierus wanted to do that. It didn't matter, though; he would never again let anyone hurt his lover, family, or friends like the Kukkus did.
"Come and get me if you're that pissed off!" Gadget taunted the monster, "see what happens!"
The salamander-newt clicked and snapped at him, then slapped its forelimbs onto the wall and began climbing after the wolf. It didn't forget about his weapons, and showcased surprising agility for its size as it clambered up and dodged what Gadget threw at it. The Animal retreated from the ledge and tossed a few explosives over his shoulder, a deep growl signaling to him that at least one of them hit the spawn. He spun around and brought out his Lightning Baton, activating its whip form just as the Sierus vessel came up onto the nearby landing.
It caught him off guard by firing venom from one of its glands, the thin ray aimed right for his torso. But to his relief, the Bubble Shield did, in fact, deflect it harmlessly away from him. The large amphibian was confused, but undeterred, lumbering in close to try and bite the wolf. Gadget cracked the lengthy plasma bolt across its face, making it rear back for a moment. He then grappled up to the ceiling and came down on the monster's back with a Bubble Bounce, smacking it down into the floor. It swiveled about to try and slice Gadget with a rib, but the limber lupine dove away and launched his cable just above one of its eyes.
Despite the abominable nature of his foe, Gadget couldn't help but wince with sympathy as he homed in and drove the extendable cleats in one boot into the socket. Black-red blood battered his barrier as the salamander shrieked in abject pain, thrashing about to throw him off. He freed himself and followed up by wrapping the Lightning Whip around one of the exposed ribs, sending a horrible shock through the beast. This paralyzed it, its mouth opening in a lazy slack as it croaked deliriously. Not wasting a single second, Gadget Rolled around to the front and lobbed an energy grenade down its gaping gullet.
A shower of more blood, now with giblets included, splattered against his shield, while what was left of the Sierus spawn thudded lifelessly to the ground. Gadget let out a satisfied sigh and dusted off his hands with an accomplished air.
"It does feel pretty good, doesn't it?"
The wolf just about jumped with fright, whirling around to see Shai-Khal, Amy, Cream, and Cheese standing there behind him. The rabbit girl had covered the hedgehog's eyes with one hand while she herself wore a somewhat sick expression that her Chao pal mirrored. The hyena, by contrast, was grinning and flashing him a thumbs-up. Gadget felt an odd mixture of guilt and flattery from the wildly conflicting reactions, and he wasn't sure how to take it.
"Well, good work," the guardian-deity praised him, "we arrived just as you were about to finish it off. Do you still have the Stone?"
The wolf snapped out of his confused emotions and flashed the purple Time Stone for them to see. "Yeah. What about the others?"
"Miles is still in the Time Warp," Cream answered with some worry, "and we need to get to everyone else."
"Hold on a moment," Gadget told them. He went over to where the shaft to the water was, glanced at his pack, then over at Shai-Khal. A grin crossed his muzzle as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I've got an idea..."
"I've said it once, and I'll say it again!" Gizmo snapped as she weaved out of the way of some webbing, "I feckin' hate spiders!"
The she-wolf had been dropped right into the lair of the brood mother that produced all the nasty things she'd fought before. Needless to say, she'd been far from thrilled. But then again, this was a chance that she hadn't been afforded last time she came through. Quashing this giant vermin here would not only bring her personal satisfaction, but would better help everyone else. Even if Sierus could just bring it back again, temporarily weakening the artificial being would serve them better in the long run. The entity may potentially be immortal, but as far as they knew, it wasn't inexhaustible.
The immense arachnid bore down on her with its dripping fangs, its front pair of legs curling in to try and snatch her up. The lady lupine back flipped over the limbs and away from the bite, pulling out her own ESP and turning the dial. While Gizmo was still in mid-air, a Thunder Shield surrounded her, and she jumped a second time by discharging some of the current. She came down on the back of the creature's abdomen, and was ready to deliver a follow-up blow, only for it to throw her off before she got the chance. Almost at the exact moment she hit the ground, it fired black webbing from its spinnerets, trying to bind her so that she'd become easy prey.
A quick Spin Dash let her avoid the adhesive spray, and with her Power Escrima active, she hit its underbelly with an extra strong Static Rolling Jump. The blow flipped the gargantuan spider onto its back, where it struggled to find proper footing so that it could right itself again. Gizmo pulled out her energy pistol with her free hand and took a few pot shots at its more vulnerable backside, the bolts piercing into its abdomen. It let out a shrill cry and managed to get back to its feet after several more rounds struck it, wheeling around to spit its venom at the she-wolf. The teal canid weaved out of the way, swapping one escrima stick for the other and taking off like a bullet between its legs. Along the way, she dropped a handful of energy grenades that scattered between its limbs, uncurling and flipping the bird at the monster as it swiveled about to pursue her.
The explosives all went off almost simultaneously, blowing away the bottom portions of several of the Sierus vessel's limbs. It collapsed to the ground with a keening cry, though even as wounded as it was, it still struggled to go after her. Gizmo holstered her side-arm and brought out the other stick once more, tapping them together to turn them both on.
"The feeling's mutual, you bloody minger," she spat as she raised her grappler arm.
Gizmo hooked onto a stalactite far above and vaulted herself up to it, recalling the wire when she was halfway. Another Static Rolling Jump followed and built up her momentum, nearly clipping the cavern ceiling at the highest point of her leap. With both Chaos Drives in her weapons active, Gizmo's blur trail and the Thunder Shield surrounding her changed to neon yellow as she came crashing down on top of the monster's head. The force of the blow not only knocked the creature's cranium to the ground, but effectively flattened it against the stone. What was left of its legs shuddered and convulsed for a few moments, then curled up into its body as it ultimately went still.
The wolf powered down her escrima sticks and let out a heavy breath, feeling a tad winded from using them both so soon after doing so earlier.
"That's taken care of," she muttered as she looked around, "now how do I get back?"
On cue, a portal from the Time Warp opened up, and out of it came her brother, the younger girls, Cheese, and Shai-Khal. She figured that they all had their own battles, and that the others that weren't present were still embroiled in theirs.
"Aw man," Amy sighed as she set down the Pikkon Hammer, "I wanted to kick some butt with you again, Giselle."
The she-wolf ruffled her quills and pumped a fist. "There's plenty of that to be had once we get back to Sierus, lass."
"Speaking of that," Gadget said as he went over to her. He reached into his pack and handed her a few more energy grenades from his stash. "These will come in handy against it."
Gizmo looked them over, tilting her head a little when she noticed that they appeared a tad different from the ones she'd just used. "When did you have the time to whip these up?"
"I had the materials handy, and let's just say I had some help," the red twin replied cheekily, eyeing the hyena. His expression turned more serious. "Enough about that, though, we've got to help the others and get back to Miles!"
Remi narrowed its optics when it found itself back in the past of the factory complex it had previously ventured through with Amy and Gizmo. And just like before, the corrupted man in the exosuit made his entrance, glaring at the robot with a look of contempt. The metallic vulpine wasn't intimidated, though. It had compiled data on what was proven to be effective against the Sierus spawn, and the being in turn had no knowledge of its current transformation. By its calculations, Remi figured that it wouldn't take too long before it could put down this threat and reunite with Miles.
While its exterior wouldn't indicate such, Remi had been processing more than just how it could win here, or what it could do to better assist the others. There had been quite a few queries running through its artificial intelligence ever since it found itself back at the junkyard workshop. Many of them had been answered by the twin wolves uploading relevant data into its memory, but some had still persisted. Why had it been brought back? What would Miles think of it, now that it was different from what he knew?
The answers had come to Remi when it had seen the joy on its maker's face at its return. That affection, despite being something still somewhat foreign to its logical mind, had touched its mechanical heart. It knew then that it had been rebuilt because it was still needed, still wanted. Miles didn't care that it wasn't the same Remi as the second or even first iterations. He thought of it as his old friend all the same, and that was good enough for the little companion.
'Wait for me, Master,' it thought as it took up a stance, 'I will dispatch this anomaly and return to you soon enough!'
The human tapped its wrist and activated the bouncing properties of the floor, with Remi sprinting and curling up into a Rolling Jump just as the two of them sprang into the air. The artificial Animal almost collided with its target, but the man turned his body so that it just missed him. The robot unfurled and rebounded off of the wall with its legs, letting its arms trail behind it as it hurtled back towards its foe. The vessel responded in kind by vaulting off the floor once again, primed to deliver its own powerful strike. It was surprised when Remi's arms stretched towards it and clapped its hands around the man's shoulders, digging its claws in deep. The fellow in the powered exoskeleton was reeled in and locked into a tight hold against Remi, who brought them both down onto the ground with a harsh body slam.
The floor flickered for a second from the impact, then launched them up through the ceiling to the second floor. They broke away from each other and landed upon opposing concrete slabs, which were subsequently sent into the air. Remi kept steady and eyed the man up, who wasted no time in turning the electric trap on and trying to close the distance to go for another attack. The robot companion was about to launch one of its fists at its enemy, though it was interrupted by a stream of dark fire that washed over its face. Remi's armor plating was tempered enough to withstand such heat, even in its optics, but the obstruction had proven effective enough to throw off its aim.
The spawn rammed into it full force, seeking to push it over the edge and into the high voltage current below. Remi's powerful build, however, kept it from being moved too far, and it only took a little push from its legs to turn things around. It shoved the fellow away and spun around in a quick circle, smashing the orbs on its tails into the neck and waist of the armored suit. The man almost went tumbling off of their platform, and though he held fast, it was an ample enough opportunity for Remi to wind up one arm and send him the rest of the way with a solid punch.
Much like the first time around, Sierus' vessel suffered a nasty shock, although not enough of one to finish him off. He attempted to retreat to the third floor, but Remi grabbed one of his ankles and let itself get taken along for the ride. The additional weight prevented the man from making it the rest of the way, instead causing him to crash into the platform across from the robot. While he was down for the count, the mechanical canid shifted gears into its Flying Type form, taking to the air and moving up to the next story in the facility.
More than a little annoyed at the robot's seeming cowardice, the man was quick to follow. Once he passed the lip of the entrance, though, he realized too late that he had played into the armed heli-plane's figurative hands. An all-too-familiar phoomph echoed through the air as a pair of Chaos Missiles streaked towards him. He was about to throw up his arms and defend himself, but the projectiles struck him before he could get the chance. And just like the previous instance, his head was promptly liberated from the rest of his body, along with a little bit more this time.
With the threat neutralized, Remi shifted once more into its Power Type state. It began running several simulations for how it could enter the Time Warp and rejoin with the others, only to soon discover that such actions were unneeded. Within a few minutes of its victory, everyone else, save for Silver and Miles, filed through a portal from the realm between eras.
"Remi!" the twins exclaimed simultaneously. They ran up to their little companion and threw their arms around him, taking notice of the downed spawn. "Good boy!"
The robot fox stretched its own arms around them and wagged its twin tails, letting out a tinny, happy bark. It only wished they had granted it the ability to voice its thoughts and appreciation.
"Well done, clockwork child," Shai-Khal remarked, "let's go reunite with the one from the future. His initial insistence on searching for answers in his home time may yet have been the right course after all..."
After passing through his respective gate, Silver found himself back in the massive chamber deep within the Crystal Citadel. He had expected to face a piece of Sierus after being pulled through the Time Warp, though he hadn't predicted an entity quite like the one staring him in the face. It was like the nearly formless blob that the fiery being had shown them before taking on Miles' likeness; nothing but a force of unbridled fury. And upon spotting him, it let out a screech that sounded like a cross between Witchcart's cackle and the din of nails harshly scratching a chalkboard.
"I guess this is what would've happened if we hadn't finished you off earlier," he surmised about the woman's fate. He shook his head and took to the air with his psychokinesis. "It doesn't matter, though. Whatever you become, you won't stop me from saving my world!"
Sections of the nondescript mineral flooring split open into chasms, and the hedgehog soon had to hover out of the way of molten crags jutting up from the earth. He flung a few Psycho Cutters in turn, slicing through the pyroclastic pillars and tossing the fallen chunks at the abomination. It dismissed them before they could make an impact, then hurtled itself straight at Silver. He ducked beneath the charge, and was nearly singed when his foe turned on a dime and immediately flew back at him even faster.
The psychic teen concentrated energy into his gloves, and when the corrupted Witchcart wheeled about to face him yet again, he struck. A cyan projection of his fists slammed into the mass of flames with a one-two punch, knocking it back and momentarily stunning it. He followed up with a blast of pure kinetic force, causing the creature's composition to briefly become unstable, forcing it to teleport away. As it reformed from the damage, bits of it broke off and solidified, taking on the likeness of bulky, three-finned missiles made of magma. All of them homed in on Silver, and he soon discovered that as he moved, they shifted just as much.
He was ready to counter them, but the first one exploded in a shower of searing sparks just as it got close. Silver shielded himself, catching sight of the other two constructs closing in just in time to act on reflex. He used his powers to blink several meters away, getting closer to the blob and making the two missiles collide with one another. The teen felt those eyes trying to catch his gaze, and he recalled what happened the last time they did. With that in mind, he shut his eyes and threw two Psycho Cutters in an X shape at where he last saw the spawn.
A shriek of surprise and pain met his ears, followed by the same thrumming noise that rang out when it previously teleported. He let his PK search for its essence, keeping his vision obscured just in case it was trying that same trick. After a couple of seconds, Silver sensed the being a fair way behind him, moving both rapidly and erratically towards his position. When a loud thudding got increasingly closer, the hedgehog chanced a look, getting a view of the massive sphere coming down on him. He brought up his arms to form a shield above him, grunting as he was pushed down to the ground and felt his legs starting to buckle. With a bit more effort, he was able to shift away before it could crush him, taking a moment to catch his breath and reserve some of his energy.
It wasn't about to grant him such a luxury, however, appearing above him and splitting part of itself open. From the fissure came a flurry of flaming crystal blades, sweeping and slashing through the air with reckless abandon. Silver's natural agility allowed him to avoid most of them, but not all. He winced and growled with every nick and cut, the storm soon coercing him into using his abilities to escape yet again. More than that, he was just getting further tired and irritated with being consistently put on the defensive.
'Come on!' he urged himself internally, 'be aggressive!'
And so, he struck back. The hedgehog dashed at the remnants of Witchcart, curling up into a Rolling Attack when he got close. Instead of Jumping, he used his PK to pitch himself like a curve ball, the cyan energy shielding him as he rammed into the monster's face. It warped away to launch more pieces of itself, while Silver spun in place in mid-air. He summoned a dozen spheres that rotated about him, then sent them towards the vessel and its projectiles. The magma missiles broke apart, and the few remaining orbs converged on their main target without fail. The vessel screamed again, and while it could still put itself back together, Silver saw that it took more effort than the first time.
'No one else is around to worry about!' he reminded himself, 'no more holding back!'
Seeing his chance to press on, the teen flew full tilt towards the abomination with a sonic boom, gathering up as much energy as he could and making his whole being glow. His foe became whole again, and seeing that blinding beacon of light rushing at it, its mouth curled into a furious snarl. It fired rays from each of its multiple eyes, most of them going wide from their target, but one did manage to connect. Crystals began forming around the hedgehog, only to be shattered and blown away by him simply flaring up his aura. With that option rendered ineffective, the entity concentrated black-purple light in its gaping maw, a steadily increasing hum building up. Silver stopped and did the same with his own power, forming a compact sphere in front of him that grew larger with each passing second.
"Take this!" he cried out as he raised his arms and then put both hands around the cyan light, "PK Wave!"
A pair of roars echoed through the realm as both lights became potent blasts of destruction, clashing in the middle and filling the air with the crackling of their struggle. For a good few seconds, they were at a standstill, the two beams of power pushing back and forth, neither of them gaining significant ground. But before long, Silver's stream of psychic energy began to overtake the corrupted Witchcart's fire, even as the spawn put even more effort into trying to push him back. With nothing more to give in order to protect itself or teleport away, the vessel took the attack head on. The creature turned white hot, illuminating everything like a miniature star, and finally exploded in a brilliant display.
As the last vestiges of the former human washed over Silver, the Time Stone that shared his aura's color lit up with nearly blinding scintillation. He found his vision filled with flashes of various images, many of which were in places he didn't recognize, and all of them were from a perspective that wasn't his own. He saw the world as half paradise and half frozen wasteland, no doubt the Hellfrost Catastrophe in its beginning stages. After that, he laid eyes on the same aberrant Time Post that initially brought him to the past. A quick change of scenery brought him face to face with himself and Focke-Wulf's lot, the same place where much of this travesty had unfolded. If only he hadn't activated that warped object...
'Wait, that's it!' Silver discerned, 'if we destroy that Past Post, then Sierus can't awaken early! No one would be able to travel back in time to let it out of the Mystic Orb!' His smile slowly shifted to a frown. 'But...what'll happen afterwards? Will I forget everything we've been through? Will the same me even still exist?'
He wasn't given the luxury to dwell on such a question for long, as the Time Warp was ripped open right before his eyes. Everyone save for Miles filed through, each wearing a relieved expression at the hedgehog appearing well and victorious in his efforts.
"Thank goodness you're okay," Cream commented, Cheese likewise sharing her sentiments.
Amy pumped one fist excitedly. "That means we beat all the Sierus spawn, right?"
"Indeed," Shai-Khal affirmed, bringing out both of his Time Stones, "if we may trouble you, please hand your Stones over to us."
The twins did so without question, trusting whatever it was the possessed hyena had in mind. Silver held out, but only for a short while longer, handing his gem over in the end. Thankful for their cooperation, the guardian-deity held the purple, orange, and cyan Stones around it with a power similar to the future hedgehog's.
"I know what we have to do to win now!" said the monochrome Animal in question.
The lupine pair shared a smirk.
"Do tell," Gizmo insisted.
"We're all ears," Gadget promised.
And so, Silver relayed what he'd learned to the rest of them. Shai-Khal was rather surprised to discover such information, but not for the reasons that they would have first assumed.
"You say the Stone showed you all of that?" he questioned. Upon getting a nod and face of absolute certainty, the pale mammal hummed. "Then perhaps your role is greater than we had imagined. But we must ask...are you absolutely certain you wish to proceed with this plan? The echoes across time may not be so severe for us and those of the 'present' era close to the point of disturbance. You, however, may not be so fortunate."
Silver glanced away when he saw the sympathy in all their eyes. So, there was a chance that he wouldn't exist as he was now? But then, wasn't it the same for all of them, even if the difference was ever so slight in comparison? Perhaps they knew that and were willing to live through an experience not quite identical to what they'd known up to now. Were that the case, then who was he to complain? If it meant a shot at making his time better, he would take it.
"I am!" he replied resolutely, "whatever it takes!"
Miles grit his teeth and went in for a Fireball Spin Dash, feeling himself get a solid hit on the other vulpine. To his shock, Sierus barely even flinched at it, and then proceeded to deliver a fiery fist to his face. Even more alarming, the blow actually caused him pain, and he felt the burn even with his Flame Shield in place. The barrier summarily dissipated as the teen was sent flying back and bounced over the nondescript surface of the Time Warp.
"You thought that pitiful protection could negate my flames at their fullest!?" it snarled at him, almost offended by the very idea, "Were you any other feckless mortal, I would be done with you already." Those eyes narrowed at him maliciously. "But that is not the case. You are going to pay for everything that you and your wretched lot have done to me. I will not be sated until I have thoroughly slow-roasted every last gram of agony from you!"
The false fox flashed with white-hot fury and let out a horrible roar. The "sky" of the Time Warp shifted to a red-orange, and gradually grew more yellow with each passing second. Miles gasped and began running around to avoid what was, in actuality, a genuine rain of fire. He employed a light layer of Chaos Energy to help stave off the damage, though he still suffered some singes to his fur. Sierus watched him for a few moments before deciding to jump in and whip its tails at the teen, making sure only the very tips would be able to lick at that flammable coat.
But while things looked bleak, and he didn't have the Chaos Emeralds to help this time, Miles didn't feel forlorn. He'd been in worse situations than this, and he'd always found a way out of them, whether through his own machinations, or from his friends and family bailing him out. And he would stand by what he said about them before; he just needed to be patient and survive.
"I will burn you to a crisp," Sierus swore to him as its tails split at the end into trident-like points, "and toss your soul into the abyss!" It repeatedly attempted to stab at the fox, aiming for spots that weren't vital, but still painful when damaged. "In the end, you will wish that you never did exist! But you shall suffer before you know such bliss!"
The fox wasn't sure what to make of the almost lyrical, slant rhythmic nature of his double's words, aside from the obvious odium. Had his efforts up to now really frustrated an entity that purportedly held great might and cunning that much? It was like dealing with an edgy teenager, if he were to be honest.
'Then again, that's rather apropos,' he mused, 'it's roughly in that age category, chronologically speaking. Piece of a god or not, some things are universal, it seems.'
The entity's fervor was interrupted as it belted out a sudden shrill cry, its form convulsing ever so briefly. Its eyes opened with what appeared to be disbelief, and it hastily brought out the red Time Stone. Miles ignored the mounting pain from the inclement "weather"–which had now dissipated a tad–and went to try and snatch the gem from its grasp. No such luck, though, as Sierus regained its senses swiftly enough to avoid the attempt.
"A meager inconvenience," it remarked dismissively, shifting its appearance so its flames somehow seemed prickly, "I do not require my full power to tear you apart!"
Sierus stretched its six limbs wide, a hail of fiery needles flying from its form towards Miles. The amber vulpine put even more effort into focusing his innate Chaos Energy, using it to stave off what harm he could while dodging most of the rest. With so much to avoid or block, he couldn't account for every last thing, and the other fox used that to its advantage. It mimicked his Spin Dash and slammed into him while he was open, sending the teen sprawling while burning away much of his chest fur.
"Did you think Lunaren's cruelty was limited to my 'sister'?" the being asked mockingly. It once again laughed in that unhinged manner. "True, I much prefer to end things quickly. But flame can be equally as unforgiving as frost, and you just bring out that side of me!"
With a casual flick of its wrist, Sierus made dozens of black-purple seeds spawn from nowhere and sow into the ground. A veritable reserve of igneous briars, brambles, and nettles sprang in their place, giving Miles a hell of an obstacle course to navigate.
Seeing the boy squirm and writhe as he fought his way towards it brought the fragmented divinity no small amount of satisfaction. Those fools had only gotten lucky the one time, likely because of the hyena going for one of them. Even with its powers, there was certainly no way they could come to this whelp's side in time to ma–
A second piercing pain lanced through Sierus, with another significant drop on its power following suit. Half of its hellfire forest died on the spot, and the deadly precipitation thinned to where it was no longer unavoidable. The piece of Lunaren withdrew as Miles tossed the Boomering, only just avoiding the red Stone being snatched away. Once it felt it was far enough, it elongated its ebony claws into spear-like points, while its tails took on a scimitar shape. Surely this would be sufficient in slaying that slippery son of a vixen.
But Miles wasn't caught completely unawares by such a strategy. It was similar in several ways to what Mecha had employed against him, and thus, he was already savvy to many of the methods on display. Sierus got a few licks in against him, but nothing approaching lethal, and it brought no end to the entity's aggravation. Seeing such...mortal behavior from a being supposedly beyond him did pique a bit of curiosity.
"What do you even want?" he couldn't help asking, "the same thing as Glacia?"
Those eerie eyes showed a gleam of pride at that guess. "Of course. We are two halves of the same god, after all."
Its mouth-less muzzle suddenly split and yawned as though its jaw dislocated, blue fire spewing from it in a wide and high arc. The mortal fox activated the ESP once again as it finally cooled down, narrowly shielding himself from the calescent curtain. Fortunately for him, the dip in Sierus' might was enough that the attack didn't pierce through the Flame Shield. The double streaked his way with mounting vitriol, recklessly downing what it had grown to get at him.
"Lunaren was to be brought into the world as a weapon in the event Solaris was summoned as well," it went on. The fire fox feinted to one side and came in for a cauterizing blow from its tails, only to hiss when that was beaten back. "But it was not even given a chance to be properly born! With its intended target nonexistent, Lunaren was incensed at being robbed of its purpose!"
Sierus bolted at Miles and hit him dead on with a Mid-Air Spin Dash, but didn't stop there. It proceeded to flip upside down and twirl like a cyclone, its outstretched legs and tails battering against him. Miles was sent towards the ground, his barrier dissipating yet again, and his foe eager to finish the job. The instant he hit it, the teen Rolled backward and projected an arm cannon to let loose an Energy Ball. He scored a direct hit that pushed his enemy back and coerced it into reforming the wispy bit of itself that was lost.
"So much so that it fractured, resulting in the birth of Glacia and myself," Sierus told him, undaunted by the harm it had just endured, "and even as fledgling as we were, we were nigh unstoppable!"
Even with the front it put up, though, Miles could see it was a sore spot, and thus ripe for exploitation. "You mean until 'that man' showed up?"
He got his answer in the form of a beam firing from that maw that materialized at will. It soared above him as he dove to the ground, striking a point in the Time Warp and causing a colossal column of lava to spray into the air. Yep, definitely a topic of contention with this one.
"He had no business being there!" Sierus raged, forming serrated edges on its tails and slashing at the other fox, "he was no native of Soleanna, yet he was privy to its secrets! Belittling our divinity, and then sealing us both away, not only in prisons that would take many years to break, but ones that kept us feeble and unstable!"
The being seized up a third time, its blazing forest downsized half again, while the flaming rain dissipated completely. Miles threw the Boomering at the Time Stone during this brief moment, and though he missed yet again, it wasn't for nothing. The golden object sliced through the entity's arm that held the gem, making Sierus snarl in both pain and fury. It reformed the limb and went to snatch the artifact, but the moment its fiery fingers touched it, there came that stabbing feeling again, and again, and again. All of its hazards it had conjured faded, leaving just it and the other fox alone in the realm. The facets of its prize slipped away from its digits, and it looked up to see Miles now holding it, wearing a rather smug grin on his face.
As if that wasn't enough of a shock for Sierus, a large gate opened in the Time Warp just behind the two-tailed fox. Out of it stepped Shai-Khal, followed by each of his friends and family that had joined him on this journey. They all appeared to be in good shape, and were pleased to see that their group's de facto leader was as well. Even the guardian-deity seemed even more confident after he noticed what Miles now had in his possession.
"It's over, Sierus!" the teen proclaimed as everyone took up a stance, "you've lost all that power you'd only just regained for a second time, and now that we have all the Time Stones, you can't bring back your spawn! Give it up!"
But Sierus refused to give up. It had come too far to turn back, and even with the tide turned so heavily against it, it believed there was a way to win. It just needed to win back one of the Time Stones, and then it would be able to swing the pendulum in its favor again. Going after one of the weaker targets would be preferable, as it recalled that the minerals were split up among their numbers. As it searched for the Temporal Energy they gave off, however, it discovered that five of the seven were all gathered in one spot.
"Looking for these?" Shai-Khal asked, one arm outstretched with his hand's palm turned up. The blue, green, cyan, orange, and purple Stones were all being held aloft by a glow that matched his brilliant eyes, which turned to Miles. "Give me the last two. We know where and when we have to go in order to bring this to an end!"
The fire fox's eyes widened, pointing at the other vulpine with one finger and firing a dark ray at his chest. To its continued surprise, the attack was deflected by a timely smack from the Pikkon Hammer thanks to Amy. Had its power truly dipped so greatly that a child could compete with it now? It wasn't given the chance to ponder the dilemma for long when a projection of a fist sent it sliding back, its form flickering for a moment from the impact. It looked back up to see Miles handing over the final pair of rocks to the hyena, who willed them to begin rotating around him while he clasped his hands in prayer.
"Keep the Flame of Lunaren occupied," he directed them, prismatic light coalescing around him, "and once I've opened the path, jump in straight away!"
Everyone else rose to the occasion, charging in at the weakened demigod. It swiped at them with its claws and tails, creating blazing phantoms of itself to tie them up in turn. Gadget and Gizmo each pulled out an energy grenade and chucked them into the crowd, twin explosions rocking the area. Rather than technicolor fire, the weapons had produced gleaming water that gushed and splattered all around, filling the air with hissing and sizzling. Sierus had initially assumed them to be mocking it, as while it may affect the spawn and shadows, water was not so great on the being itself. It discovered very quickly that it was mistaken, in this particular case.
"Grahh!" it cried out in agony as the liquid splashed into it, snuffing out bits of its body and converting them to stagnant steam, "what is this!?"
A bit of light glinted off of Gadget's glasses as he smirked, reaching for another one of the explosives. "Chaos Energy grenades, now with aquatic detonation instead of incendiary!"
"And now that we know they work," Gizmo went on for him, brandishing more herself, "guess who's going to be having a bad time?"
Even with this new revelation, Sierus kept its composure. As far as it knew, only Glacia and itself possessed the ability to truly end it. Painful as they were, it believed that it had no reason to fear them.
"Go ahead and waste your energy," it taunted them, flaring up to be larger than any of them, "no mortal abilities or weapons can kill me!"
"Even if that's true," Miles remarked as he popped the kinks out of his neck, "that doesn't mean you're unstoppable!"
As if on cue, his ESP let out the chime that confirmed its cool-down was complete. Miles activated the Flame Shield and immediately unleashed a Fireball Spin Dash on Sierus, who blocked him with its tails. The force was so great, however, that the twin limbs were repelled, and the fox slammed home into its chest. He flipped around behind his double, sprang onto his hands, and began whirling about at ever rising speeds, drawing the entity in with his cyclonic spinning. Sierus no longer resembled a fox after it was caught up in the currents, now just a vague mass of fire. A surge of Chaos-infused lightning crashed down into the center of the Typhoon Tails Attack, sending its victim scattering into the air.
Amy was given a boost with Silver's PK and brought the Pikkon Hammer down on the largest concentration of Sierus as it was reforming. It returned to being a fire fox shortly after being spiked to the ground, only to distort from a bonk on the head courtesy of Gizmo's escrima. With both of them active, the she-wolf let loose a flurry of flashy and powerful blows, interspersed with the occasional Spin Dash, Static Jump, and cartwheel kicks. She ended the string of strikes by driving both sticks into the ground, causing a pillar of golden light to fling Sierus into the air once again.
It didn't get far until it was slapped down again by that magical hammer, with the young wielder of it landing and taking up a position across from it. Even after that beating, Sierus was still standing and no worse for wear on the outside, the ambient heat rising with its anger. A wall of dark fire burst forth in a wide radius, with Miles jumping in and holding the hedgehog girl close enough so that she was also within the bounds of his Flame Shield. It passed over them harmlessly, and the fox retaliated by tossing the Boomering through the center of the being, right into one of Cream's hands. She returned it with a throw of her own, the object passing through one of its shoulders, then closed in with a double kick to the center of its back. For several seconds, there was a back and forth game between the rabbit's feet and her friend's weapon, with Sierus acting as the ball until it got too hot for the former's shoes to keep up.
As for Cheese, Silver used his PK to hurl the Chao at the enemy, as well as protect it from getting charred, knocking it towards Gadget. The wolf used a Bubble Bounce to ricochet Sierus down into the dimensional floor and launch it up, and to the entity's dismay, was yanked down by the lupine's grappler. His gloves momentarily enlarged as he delivered a double ax handle, then stabbed down into its back with his extendable boot cleats. It slipped through the spikes and prepared to hit Gadget with a point-blank burst, only to be interrupted by an extending punch from Remi. The robot proceeded to whip the fire fox with its own twin tails, getting more than a couple of humorous reactions when those orbs beat down on it.
"How much longer?" Silver called out to the hyena, throwing a few Psycho Cutters at their foe for good measure.
Shai-Khal hummed, the Time Stones now moving about him so fast that they were like a rainbow ring. "I've almost found the proper timeline. Just give me a little more–" He suddenly stopped and threw his arms wide, producing a huge, multi-colored portal behind him. "There! Go through it now and destroy that anomalous Past Post!"
Miles and Silver broke away from the all-out brawl and jetted towards the gate as fast as they could. Sierus abandoned its likeness of the former and streaked after them, now totally ignoring the others. The twins, Cream, Cheese, and Amy all hopped into Remi after it rapidly changed shape to the Sea Fox, doing their best to give chase as well. The group rose up so that they could aim down and not fear hitting their friends, firing the vulcan cannons and unloading their full salvo of Chaos missiles at Sierus. It avoided most of them, but even those that managed to connect didn't slow it down much, almost blind to the pain that was once stunning it.
Ultimately, it was only the two-tailed fox, psychic hedgehog, and their maniacal antagonist that made it through, with the gate closing soon after. Miles immediately turned around and used a Fireball Spin Dash, managing to hit the mass of Sierus and slam it into a nearby wall. Silver wasted no time in taking advantage of the opportunity, levitating over to the corrupted Past Post and taking hold of it with his powers. His stamina was running low by this point, but he still had more than enough to yank it out of the ruins of the Mystic Orb's altar. All he had to do was break it beyond repair, and everything would be right again.
"No! We will all disappear if you break the time loop!" Sierus shouted at him, trying to break away from the fox.
Miles gritted his teeth, and in spite of his own fatigue, he whipped up a second Typhoon Tails Attack to draw the flames to him. As he kept the Fire of Lunaren at bay, he yelled as best he could over the roaring winds his attack made.
"Don't listen to it, Silver! Everything will be okay! I promise!"
A part of the psychic teen did doubt that it would be so simple after things were said and done. However, it wasn't big enough to stop him from doing what he knew was needed. And so, with every last bit of his remaining reserve, Silver crumpled the Past Post up into a jagged ball of metal, making it as compact as possible. Black-purple light shot from it in rays, a horrid din filling the air, finally concluding in an immense boom that released a pure white shock wave.
"Nooo!"
Sierus glanced at itself and let out a keening wail as the cloud that comprised its being disintegrated. It didn't even last for a few seconds before it was completely erased, not even a fine trace of the smallest particles remaining. And just as quickly, Miles and Silver's vision was completely engulfed in white light, and all of their other senses, even their very ability to think, was washed away along with it...