Angus and Lela flew across the skies of Royal Woods, aiming to take out some sinister robots along the way. But Angus got his pet beast to stop in its tracks when he spotted someone familiar standing her ground below...
"MORAG! I wondered where you'd gotten to!" Angus greeted her.
"Well, anything beats serving 11 spoiled brat ghouls and being under the constant eye of that lizard!" Morag replied harshly, earning her a scornful look from Lela. "So, I made my escape the first chance I got!"
"To exact revenge against the Loud family, I'm guessing? Well, it looks like plans have changed. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it looks like you're actually HELPING them fight this robot army." Angus pointed out.
A slightly annoyed Morag said "It's only temporary. Once all this is over, it's back to being enemies as usual!"
"Well, nice to see your mellowing out, Morag. I'll catch you later." Angus jokingly replied before flying off as Morag sighed in irritation.
But her irritation didn't last long, as it quickly transformed into fear when she had to narrowly dodge an incoming blast from an attacking android.
The Loud's Finest Hour
Chapter Eleven: Madness Descends
Royal Woods had become a battleground between good and evil, between flesh and metal. Every street, every corner, every single part of the city was being subjected to chaotic warfare as the people of Royal Woods and Great Lakes City fought together in an effort to hold off the advancing army of mechanical monsters.
The people of Royal Woods needed every ally they could get for a battle as big as this. Fortunately, they were here to help. Among them was Lisa's pet monster, Trashy, which managed to move towards one of the grounded robots and absorb it. From there, Trashy then went to the dump with the robot still in its insides, went into the incinerator, and released the robot out of its interior into the fire. Trashy then continued roaming the streets to find other robots to try and do the same thing to.
The little T-Rex that Lisa had previously reanimated was also fighting one of the robots. He actually managed to chew one of their arms off with his razor sharp teeth, which he then spat on the ground before pouncing on the metal creature.
Crikey the Kangaroo was also fighting alongside the humans. He used his kickboxing skills and strength to confront one of the metal titans. His kick was actually powerful enough to send the robot flying into the nearest wall. Crikey then moved in on his opponent and executed several strong punches to the droid, further wearing it down. He then finished with a powerful spinning tail whip, which knocked the robot's head off.
Sid Chang was running away from a pursuing android that had her in its sights. She did her best to dodge its laser blasts, but then she tripped on a small pothole in the middle of the street and landed on her knees. She looked up as the robot stared down at her and prepared to fire. She sealed her eyes shut as she prepared to meet her end... but then help came in the form of an unexpected ally.
"Hey, Chang! Do yourself a favour and get back!" said the little blonde powerhouse, Becky.
"Becky?" Sid said, a little surprised.
Becky briefly grappled with the robot. While it was too heavy for her to just bring down, she was small and fast enough to climb around on top of it as it tried and failed to swat her off. She then noticed the robot charging up its wrist cannon. She then climbed right in front of its head and said "Go on, tin man! I'm right here!" The robot then fired its laser, but she jumped out of the way in time, causing the robot to shoot itself in the head.
"Way to go, Becky!" Sid congratulated her.
"It's cool. What are friends for?" Becky asked as she then ran away with Sid.
Some people weren't even fighting against the robots as much as evading their laser blasts. Jenna and the cheerleaders were adopting this tactic as they utilised their impressive acrobatic skills to dodge the attacks. While this didn't help with outright defeating the robots, it did distract a significant number of them, allowing the other nearby citizens to safely make their escape.
Of course, being the perky cheerleaders they were, Jenna's gang couldn't help but chant away as they dodged all the blasts. "DODGE! THE ROBOTS! DODGE, DODGE, THE ROBOTS! GOOO CHEERLEADING SQUAD!" they chanted in unison, slightly confusing their cold, metallic adversaries.
And the regional pageant girls, Jackie, Chinah, Claudette, and even Cricket Van Doren were all using the athletic prowess they had gained through their years of advanced pageanting to do the same thing, distracting more of the robots to allow the other townsfolk to get away with their lives.
The two Lucy's had regrouped with their fellow Mortician's Club members, and were in the process of performing a ritual that would summon their familiar ghost friends. "We call upon you, spirits of the past, to help win this battle, AND FAST!" Lucy chanted as she and her friends held hands in a circle. Their familiar ghost allies, Lady Emmeline, the Hipster Ghost, Buzz, and Shanks Bogey, all emerged from beneath the ground and flew up into the sky to confront the dastardly androids.
"Alright! Come at us, bucket heads!" Buzz taunted them.
The robots then fired at the ghosts, but naturally, the projectiles flew right through them.
"You metal creatures have absolutely no manners!" Lady Emmeline said in disgust.
"Now it's our turn!" Buzz said as he flew inside one of the robots, messed around with its machinery and wiring, and then possessed the droid so he could fire at the other robots surrounding him, successfully destroying them.
Lola and Lana were firing away at the robots with the weapons they had been given, but they suddenly had their guns shot out of their hands by the sinister titans. Just as they were cornered and seemingly done for, the cavalry came to the rescue in the form of Lisa's robots.
"Don't worry, Lisa's sisters. We are here to save you." spoke a robotic, monotonous voice.
"Todd?" the two sisters questioned.
And it was indeed Todd and his robotic comrades as they swooped in to save the day. They opened their chest units to reveal that Lisa had built-in especially powerful laser weapons for occasions exactly like this. They fired their lasers at Viribus's robots, terminating them, and more importantly, saving the two young Loud girls.
"Yeah, Lisa came through for us!" Lana said.
"Even from miles away, she can still find a way to show off." Lola joked.
However, Lana then heard a familiar sound coming from the distance...
"Yeah, well, she's not the only one." Lana then bragged.
"What do you mean?"
"Lisa has her robots, and I have my guys."
Lana's words quickly became clear to her twin once her "guys" in question arrived on the scene. Lana's many animal companions, from Hops, El Diablo and Izzy, to her other non-human allies she had made during her past misadventures, including the ones she made during the Tall Timbers Park incident, all arrived in the form of a huge stampede to help the humans defend the city against the armies of Viribus. They then let Lana join them so they could form the same lake monster structure that they used to scare away the bulldozer driver that one time. They then confronted one of the robots in this form and grappled with it.
Perhaps most notably among Lana's list of animal allies were the destructive duo of Jazzy and Snazzy, which when sufficiently angered, were a pair of very dangerous rabbits.
They actually managed to approach and engage in a fight cloud with one of the robots. In an impressive display of destructive prowess, they even managed to mangle it up into several pieces. They would prove useful allies of Lana's in the fight against the metal machines.
Meanwhile, a now lone and irritated Lola just muttered "Well, what am I supposed to do, then?!" before calming down and remarking to herself "Where's my princess car when I need it?"
Scoots was using her mobility scooter to frantically ride away from two pursuing robots that were firing at her. She was accompanied by her young hunk boyfriend that she had somehow managed to obtain, Tyler. Unfortunately, Tyler was proving quite useless in the face of a crisis, as he was clinging onto his girlfriend for dear life in a very comical display.
"ARGH!" he yelled as he feared for his life.
"Ugh! Stop hugging me and screaming like a dang weakling, Tyler! I can't see where I'm going!" Scoots bluntly complained.
Fortunately for them both, they were saved when the four oldest Loud sisters intervened and blasted the duo of droids down with the laser weapons given to them by Lisa-1.
"Yeah, that's what ya get when you mess with the Loud's, metal dudes!" Luna shouted in victory.
But her banter was a little premature, as ten more robots then descended from the sky to confront the four sisters. While they were armed, they were still outnumbered. It appeared their time was up, until suddenly...
"Not happening!" someone said as the ten robots were suddenly blasted by lasers from several different directions. To their pleasant surprise and relief, the four Loud sisters were saved... by their own enemies.
Morag and the other villains who were previously working with Viribus to destroy them had now just saved their lives. Understandably, the sisters didn't quite know how to react to this turn of events.
"Wow, erm... thanks." Lori said.
"Yeah, we were goners." Luan followed.
"I still can't believe you're all on our side." Luna stated.
"Hey, we can't believe it, either." Vic remarked.
"Don't think this makes us square!" Guy told them.
"Yes. As soon as we're finished here, it's back to plotting your demise for us!" Morag threatened.
"Yeah, don't think we haven't forgotten your little beating, either!" Anderson said.
"Even if it was a total fluke that you beat us!" Taylor claimed, to which Luna just let out a disapproving "Pfft".
"We'll never be friends or anything, this is purely a professional courtesy. Just remember that!" Joyce told them.
But Lori actually appreciated their brutal honesty, with her smiling as she replied "We wouldn't have it any other way."
Back at the villains' fortress, Lisa and Doctor Linnaeus put on the headgear that connected their minds together. They both stared each other down with confident and determined looks on their faces. Both geniuses wanted to defeat the other, and they both believed that they could.
"I'm going to enjoy bending and breaking your arrogant little mind, Lisa." Carol said. "When this is over, there will be no question who possesses the greatest intellect in Michigan!"
"Talk is cheap, Carol. Let's get it on!" Lisa said as Carol obliged and activated the machine.
The mind battle was on!
Their two minds were linked as they both shot powerful energy blasts at each other, generated by the intellectual power of their brains.
As their minds became interconnected, they began to communicate with each other internally as the battle ensued. While their bodies were almost motionless, their mental faculties were more active in that moment than ever.
"So, you think you're so impressive just because you got a PhD at age four? That's cute. What have you done since then?" Carol asked her.
"Plenty. I've accomplished many feats of extraordinary science at my young age." Lisa claimed.
"Ha, all child's play compared to the accomplishments under my belt, I'm sure. I've achieved things your primitive little brain couldn't begin to comprehend!" Carol bragged.
"Try me!" Lisa challenged.
While his robotic minions did battle with the citizens of Royal Woods and Great Lakes City, Viribus had noticed his former apprentice run into a damaged building in an effort to hide away...
...he just smirked to himself before following her in.
He walked around the wreckage inside as he tried to draw her out. "So, here you are. The strongest and allegedly toughest of all the Loud siblings... hiding away in here like a dirty little coward while all your friends and family stand against me outside." he mockingly stated. "Honestly, Lynn. You really are the living embodiment of disappointment." he told her.
But Lynn was still too afraid of him to come out for a confrontation. She just sat there, behind a pile of debris, trying desperately to control her sounds, even her breathing, in the hopes that he would just give up and walk away.
"Lynn, I know you're in here. If you don't come out in the next minute... well, I'll just have to collapse this whole building with you inside." he continued to goad her.
But still, Lynn felt too afraid to stand up and reveal herself.
Getting slightly annoyed, Viribus then stepped up his game. "Ugh! Seriously, kid, I thought you were the Loud that had a backbone! Come on, face down your old master. If you don't, well, I'll just have to settle for your brother, won't I?"
That last sentence made Lynn grow a shocked expression on her face. He just crossed the line. While she still maintained a lot of her fear, now there was an underlying layer of anger and rage mixed in. Her anger was then amplified when he followed up with "And I'm going to have so much fun with him. It will be so amusing as I break every one of his little limbs, one by one. Then maybe I'll go for the slow and agonising..." he went to say, but stopped once he finally spotted Lynn emerging from behind the debris.
"Ah, there you are. That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Touch my brother, and you're dead meat!" she told him as she did her best to compress her fear and sound more imposing.
But Viribus saw right through it, he even spotted her body shaking a little as she stood before him. "Oh, now that is precious. You're actually trembling. Honestly, I didn't think going through you would be this easy. Lynn Loud, so tough on the outside... such a screwed up little crybaby on the inside." he continued to mock.
But Lynn just continued to stand her ground and told him "I'm not kidding around! You leave my family alone, or you're gonna be sorry!"
"Oh, please. What could you possibly do to stop me?" he arrogantly asked her.
"You want to find out, huh?! Because they call me number one around these parts for a reason! I'm Lynn Loud Junior, and I don't..." she said as she tried to regain her confidence and intimidate him, but he saw right through it and cut her off.
"You know what, Lynn? Viribus said as he removed his bulletproof helmet for a moment. "As much as I'd love to stand here and listen to you try and big yourself up like you always do until the death of the very last black hole in about ten to the power of a hundred years... I literally have a billion better things to be doing right now. So, here's what I propose. I've removed my helmet, I thought I'd give you a sporting chance. I want you to hit me as hard as you can."
"What?" a confused Lynn replied.
"Come on, you know you want to." he continued to goad her. "I know people often take you for a rough brute who's too violent and mean all the time, but I know you better. If anything, I'm willing to bet you hold back your true strength. I'm right, aren't I? You never let yourself go all out. I mean, I've heard how you sometimes let your sisters, or Lisa's robots, or Bolhofner's pet get the drop on you, and honestly, that doesn't sound right. I know who tough you are. If you really did cut loose on someone, ha, you'd probably kill them." he said. "The rest of the world is just so weak and pathetic, isn't it?" he carried on with his condescending words. "But we both know I can take it, no problem. So, here's your chance to go all out. Come on, no holding back, show me what you've got, Lynn... hit me as hard as you can!" he then demanded.
Lynn tried to fight through her dread and began to clench her fist tight. She really wanted to do exactly that... but there was still an element of restraint and fear inside her head.
"Now, I don't want you to misunderstand me. I'm not asking you to hit with only half your strength, not some silly little percentage, no. I want you to hit me as hard as you possibly can! Am I clear?" Viribus then goaded her further.
"Do you think this is some kind of game, Viribus?!" Lynn angrily asked him.
"No, not really. If this were a game, I'd be having fun. Like killing your worthless little brother. Now THAT would be fun!" he said ever so menacingly.
And he knew that was exactly the sort of thing he needed to say to anger Lynn enough to make her obey his request. Lynn clenched her fist tightly, planted her feet, and then prepared to charge at her enemy with a rage of fury.
"Go on, then." he actually said with excitement as he wanted to see his former apprentice show her true might.
Lynn then sprinted towards Viribus and leaped in the air, throwing all her momentum and body weight into one truly thunderous strike.
*BOOM!*
The punch was powerful enough to ripple through the entire building, causing it to shake, and even a little more debris to fall to the ground. And yet it still wasn't enough to inflict any damage on Viribus.
Lynn stood back in fear as she realised her hardest punch, for as powerful as it was, still hadn't even slightly weakened her former master.
"That was impressive. If I were still human, that punch might have done some serious damage." he admitted. "But as you can see, I'm no longer human. I have ascended to godhood!" he then bragged before grabbing Lynn by the throat. "I could squash you like a tiny little cockroach right now!" he then threatened.
Lynn tried to get him off with her greatest strength, but it still wasn't enough. Viribus then temporarily subdued his cockiness and spitefully told her "I gave you everything. I made you stronger. Then you betrayed me!" He said it quietly and yet with a blatantly hurt and angry tone, as if a part of him still hadn't got over the fact that she betrayed him all that time ago. He tightened the grip on her throat as it seemed Lynn was done for.
But just then, he was distracted by the sound of footsteps. Lots of footsteps. The townsfolk had managed to catch up with him and follow him into the wrecked building. "THERE HE IS!" Scoots shouted as she pointed at him. "GET HIM!" Rosa Casagrande then yelled as she held her chancla in her hand and lead the charge.
Viribus just sighed to himself and said "Tedious." as he dropped Lynn to the ground, picked up his helmet, and resumed his battle with the townsfolk.
Lisa and Linnaeus continued their mind battle as they each tried one-upping each other with their accomplishments.
"I've managed to create artifical life forms in my time! Just look at all my robots, or my living trash monster!" Lisa said.
"Such juvenile efforts, Lisa! I've managed to create technology that can terraform entire planets by converting air particles!" Linnaeus shot back.
"I've created gravity fields!"
"I've invented rocket travel that operates at 99% light speed!"
"I've cloned dinosaurs using a DNA transfer device!"
"I've made power suits that can enhance the capacities of the human body! Viribus is even using one right now to destroy your loved ones!" Carol fired back, which riled Lisa up even more to beat her.
"I managed to crack the code to time travel! Here, take a peek!" Lisa said as she mentally fired a complex equation into Carol's brain, striking a mental blow against her mind in the process.
"Grugh! Not bad work Lisa, but I've managed to perfect multiversal travel! It was easy!" Linnaeus said as she returned the favour and shot an equally complicated equation back at Lisa, brusing her mind in the process.
"Oof! Nice try, but that wasn't even your work. You just stole that from Asherah! At least my research and experiments are original! Besides, I've travelled across universes, too!" Lisa said.
"Oh please, the originality card? All science these days is derived from previous theories and practices! Even yours! What matters is what I've accomplished, and I've had a lot more time than you to achieve many things! Face it, Lisa. You might be an impressive specimen for a girl your age, but I have years of experience over you. I can read your thoughts right now, I can see what you are. You're just a little girl living in a suburban home who still enjoys watching Dream Boat and dancing in your night clothes with your sisters! You're an ignorant child who can't compare to the likes of my scientific knowledge!" Linnaeus said as her mind power began to gradually overpower Lisa's own."FACE IT, LISA! YOU'RE OUTMATCHED BY MY GENIUS!"
She was starting to lose. But Lisa wasn't one to give up that easily. "It's true, doctor. You have years of experience over me, and yet in all those years, there's something you never learned! Something I understand! The human factor!"
"What?!"
"I may be accused of being too cold and clinical sometimes, but the fact is, deep down I have a heart! I understand emotions, the importance of family and friends, and the need to care for another's well-being. But you? You're an inhuman monster who experiments on others and tortures them for your own ends without any regard for their physical or mental well-being! And now you've sold out our species to help a madman replace us with artificial servants! That's where you and I differ, Linnaeus! You don't have an ounce of humanity, and that's where you're limited! THAT'S WHY MY MIND IS GREATER THAN YOURS!" Lisa told her as her brain power began to push back against Carol's. Now Doctor Linnaeus was the one struggling to push back against Lisa, though she still wasn't defeated just yet.
But then, all of a sudden the battle stopped.
The machine shut down and the headgear automatically disconnected itself from the particpants' heads.
Both Lisa and Doctor Linnaeus had reached their limits. Their minds and bodies were completely exhausted and overwhelmed by the mind battle that had just taken place.
Both combatants collapsed to the floor in exhaustion, neither of them able to move a muscle. After a moment of barely managing to breathe, Lisa was just about able to mutter the words "Dang it."
A few seconds later, Linnaeus was finally able to say "I guess we'll call it a draw."
Inbetween his scuffles with the people of Royal Woods, Viribus flew into the sky and searched for his trusted ally. However, she was nowhere to be seen. He quickly found ALT-Albert and asked him "Where is Doctor Linnaeus?!"
"She took a portal out of here! She said she had to take care of something personal." ALT-Albert replied.
"Why would she abandon us at our time of..." Viribus began to question, before stopping himself mid-sentence as he figured out the reason. "Of course! Those sneaky little vermin!"
"What is it?" ALT-Albert asked.
"She's gone back to the base to take care of whoever stayed behind! Those Louds must have some kind of plan!" Viribus deducted. "That means this whole battle is just a distraction!"
"What? So now they're just taking a page out of our book?" ALT-Albert questioned.
"Well, Carol should be more than capable of dealing with them. But just in case..." Viribus then said as he turned to face a group of robots that were flying past him. "Soldiers! Head back to Doctor Linnaeus's fortress! If there are any intruders spotted upon your arrival, exterminate on sight!" he ordered them.
"We obey!" one of the robots said as they changed direction and headed for the base.
After a few minutes of recovering, Lisa and Doctor Linnaeus mustered the strength to pull themselves back to their feet. "Not bad, Lisa. I will admit that didn't go the way I wanted, but I must give credit where it's due, your intellectual prowess is truly equal to my own." Linnaeus said as she pulled her pistol back out of her pocket and pointed it at the girl.
"But I guess it doesn't matter." she continued. "You've still lost, Lisa. Now that I've had my fun, all that's left is for me to terminate your existence. It's such a shame, too. A mind like yours would have been an excellent fit for our new mechanical world."
But just then, the monitor on the wall turned on and Asherah's face could be seen. "I'm sorry, Doctor Linnaeus, but I'm afraid there's been a change of plans."
"You?!" Linnaeus barked at the screen.
"Yes. I stayed behind to help with reversing the effects of your little multiversal project, along with the two incarnations of Lisa Loud. While you were distracted with Lisa, her other self and I went and hacked into your fortress's security systems." Asherah stated as suddenly a gun attached to the wall rotated around and pointed itself right where the sinister scientist was standing.
"What the...?!" a surprised and enraged Carol muttered as she lowered her pistol.
"Now, I suggest you drop your weapon and raise your hands in the air when I can see them. You don't have to be a scientist to figure out that not doing that would be a very bad idea." Asherah suggested.
Out of luck and options, Doctor Linnaeus did as Asherah said and surrendered.
"Okay, Lisa. Grab what you need from out of that room and join me and your other self in the basement. If we work together, we can get this machine made before it's too late." Asherah told her.
"Don't mind if I do." Lisa said as she walked around the room and took what equipment she felt would be useful to her.
She exited the room once she collected what she needed, but not before she gave her rival a cheeky eye wink as a form of subtle gloating, further angering the defeated evil scientist.
Lincoln was still holding his own, firing away at any robots that came near him as the battle continued. However, he was suddenly approached from behind by none other than Lord Viribus himself.
"ARGH!" Lincoln said as he noticed Viribus standing behind him and prepared to fire, but Viribus was too quick. He effortlessly swiped the weapon out of his hands and crushed it with his newfound power. Lincoln was now defenseless against him.
"So, Lincoln Loud? Do you remember what I said back on that farm?" Viribus asked the boy.
"Huh?"
"I said that if you dared to interfere with my plans... I will kill your mother, I will kill your father, I will kill each and every one of your sisters." he then told him with an incredibly sinister and menacing tone, scaring the young boy. "Even your infant sister, Lily." he then whispered, just for emphasis.
The fear he had implemented back on Liam's farm was now rushing back into the poor boy's mind. Brave and headstrong he may have been, but even so, the idea of every single member of his family being mercilessly slaughtered at the hands of this madman was enough to crumble his courageous mindset. The twelve year old was taken aback by his enemy's threat.
Tears filled Lincoln's eyes as he looked around at all the ensuing carnage and mayhem taking place around him. He, his family, his friends, and everyone had banded together in a heroic effort to defeat this threat... and they were failing. Viribus and his army were just too much.
He noticed his sister Lucy trembling in fear from a distance as she was hiding behind a dumpster, hoping to pick her moment where she could shoot one of the robots down, while just barely clinging to survival herself. He then spotted his friend Rusty running for his life down the street as two robots fired at him. He could see that if something wasn't done about it soon, his family and friends would likely not live to see the end of the day.
"So, which one of your sisters do you care for the least? Maybe I'll be nice and waste them first." Viribus then joked. "Eh, who am I kidding? I doubt you're even that close with any of them." he continued to mock, feeling more and more cocky and arrogant the closer he came to achieving absolute victory. Honestly, with how dysfunctional they are, I bet part of you would love seeing me end their pitiful lives, even if you don't want to admit it."
But Lincoln just ignored his foe's taunting. All he could think about was how he could possibly find a way to save the people he loved. He could see the destruction around him and just how close his loved ones were coming to their end. Growing fearful and desperate, he actually decided to try and beg for their lives. "Please, you win." he said sadly.
But these words actually caused Viribus to stop joking around and adopt a more aggressive and serious expression on his face. He actually looked somewhat insulted by those last three words. "What?!" he asked, surprised.
"Please Viribus, enough is enough! Call off the robots! We won't fight you anymore. The world is yours. Just don't hurt my family or friends!" he desperately pleaded with the man as tears formed in his eyes.
"Wow, really? Just like that? After all the hype everyone gave me about you, I'm kinda let down, kid." he said. "I mean, what was all that 'Loud's never quit' stuff earlier?" he then said, as if he was holding back some internal outrage from Lincoln's willingness to give in.
"I'm not kidding! I don't want you to win, but I also don't want to see everybody I love get butchered! So please, I'm begging you, round up your robots and tell them to stop firing at everybody! Royal Woods surrenders! Please just don't hurt them anymore."
"Seriously?!" Viribus asked him.
"I don't want to fight you. I just want my family to be safe. I don't care if that means you win. You can have this town, you can have this whole world. I don't even believe in fighting or crushing people to get my way, that's not how I do things. I'm not some brave hero. I'm just a little boy who wants his family to be safe. So for their sake, I'm just going to rise above it all and say that it's..." he then went to say, but Lincoln was unaware that his efforts to bargain for a surrender were actually doing more to anger his enemy than anything else.
"And there it is! You see that, right there kid?!" Viribus then angrily stared down at the boy and asked him. "That is what I hate about you the most!" he said through gritted teeth, much to Lincoln's surprise. "You know something? There are a lot of things I can say in criticism of the other people in this backwater town! Your sisters might be a chaotic mess, your classmates might be wimpy little dweebs, and the townsfolk might be scummy little lowlives, but do you something they all have in common? They stand up for themselves and fight for what's theirs! They know that society is a harsh, unforgiving place, and they do their best to fight against it! Right now, they're fighting for this whole world, and every worthless human fool living on it! But you? Honestly, you're an embarrassment!"
"Wha..? What do you mean?" a terrified and upset Lincoln trembled as he asked.
"I mean, how hard can it be to get an eleven year old boy riled up and pushed to his breaking point?!" Viribus then asked rhetorically.
"I'm twelve." Lincoln corrected him.
"Whatever! The point is... you have every reason in the book to lash out against the world for what's happened to you! You were locked out of the house for being unlucky! You've been pushed around by your sisters and school peers alike for years! Your own parents called you a life ruiner... I mean, come on! Where's your rage, kid?! Where's your self-respect!? You actually take pride in the fact that you're a little pacifist nerd who's so content with letting everyone else walk all over him all his life! That's what drives me insane about you!"
"Please, just stop." Lincoln spoke through his tears as he still tried to plead for his family's lives, but Viribus just grew more and more angry as a result.
"Why should I?! I have all the power in the world, and the will to do whatever I deem necessary with it! That's the difference between you and me, kid! You live your life with a smile on your face and an idealistic look on everything, and then you crumble into a little ball when that naive world view of yours is broken down and shattered into little pieces! Me? It took me a long time, but I did what I had to do in order to take back what's mine! The world doesn't bend and break me to its whim... I bend and break the world to MINE!" he gloated aggressively as he fully relished holding all the power and control of the situation.
A horrified Lincoln could only mutter "You've lost it, Viribus. You've gone completely insane." He realised begging and bargaining wasn't going to work at this stage. He could only back away in fear as he realised just what kind of man he was dealing with.
"No, boy. This is who I've always been! A man with both the vision and the will to force the world to change! Besides, I'd rather be an all-powerful being with a bit of arrogance than some wimpy little pushover like I once was... or like you."
But then Lincoln caught onto something. He figured out why Viribus hated him so much as his fear began to fade, being replaced by a sense of amusement.
Viribus then looked at the boy and actually started to laugh. "You know? All your enemies insisted to me that you were some kind of formidable foe to be reckoned with. Morag, the Millers, Joyce, even the school bullies, they all believed you were a worthy opponent. But looking at you now, I have to say... they all vastly overestimate you." he condescendingly told him.
But as he stared down at the white-haired boy, he was taken by surprise as Lincoln returned the favour and began chuckling at his expense.
"What are you laughing at, boy?!" Viribus asked him.
"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm only just now getting how weak and pathetic you really are." Lincoln replied.
Viribus scoffed and asked him "What? You, a scrawny little weakling, are calling me, a god amongst men, weak? Do you not know who you're talking to?"
"Yeah, that suit gives you a lot of strength, but you're still weak in here." Lincoln said as he pointed at his forehead.
"Ha! I'm not the one who lets everybody walk all over him!" Viribus retorted.
"And how long has it taken you to finally stand up for yourself? How old are you, anyway? Well into your twenties? Let me guess, the reason you hate me so much is because I'm just like you were when you were my age. Am I right?" Lincoln deduced and asked the man. "Like me, you barely ever stood up for yourself, and when you did, it just made things worse, didn't it?"
Viribus's blood began to boil as he was being verbally roasted by a physically helpless pre-teen child. Despite all his power, Lincoln was still managing to expose his vulnerabilities.
"The difference is, I think I've handled my hardships better than you ever did. Maybe that's your problem. Maybe you're just jealous." Lincoln then said as his voice adopted a more cocky tone.
"Me, jealous of you?! What do I have to be jealous of?! You're just a worthless little brat kid loser!" Viribus argued.
"Well, I have a family that loves me, a group of close friends, and a whole ton of great stuff in my life. You, on the other hand, have to surround yourself with tin toys and pretend you're a god." Lincoln sassily replied.
"I AM GOD!" Viribus roared furiously, only to make Lincoln laugh even more.
"Ha ha ha, and you call me weak and pitiful. That's a hoot!" Lincoln mocked as he began to get inside his enemy's head. "And yeah, you're right, life isn't all sunshine and roses, and sometimes my family can be a real pain in the butt... but I know they'll always be there for me when it really counts. But who do you have? Really?" he then asked his adversary.
"WHY YOU LITTLE...!"
A now angered Viribus advanced towards Lincoln and prepared to strike him down. But then...
"Get away from him!" Stella shouted as she and Lincoln's other friends all jumped onto the man and tried to grapple with him.
Rusty had a hold of one leg, Zach the other. Clyde and Liam each held onto an arm, and Stella tried to maintain a hold of his waist. However, for all their efforts, they weren't actually achieving anything.
"Let go of me, you little insects!" Viribus responded as one small flex was enough to knock all of them off him and send them flying in different directions.
But they weren't the only ones willing to stand between the boy and the conqueror. Some of the other townsfolk saw what was going on between Lincoln and Viribus and decided to intervene against the man. But with the advanced technology given to him by the brilliant if mad Doctor Linnaeus, it was basically the equivalent of an army of normal men trying to step up against a mighty Demigod.
"Get him, boy!" Mr Bolhofner instructed his pet Bobcat, Rocket.
Rocket was a small but incredibly strong feline, and he actually made Viribus step back a little on impact. However, his efforts were ultimately futile as Viribus managed to quickly grab hold of him with one hand.
"Vermin!" he said angrily before slamming the cat on the floor, which only served to enrage his owner.
"HEY! You leave him alone!" Bolhofner shouted before impressively managing to tackle Viribus to the ground.
But Viribus managed to overpower the aggressive teacher, lifting him up into a fireman's carry position. He then threw him into a small group of oncoming attackers.
*WHAM*
Bolhofner fell right into Kotaro, Stanley Chang, and Mrs Johnson, forcing them all to collapse to the ground.
Viribus then turned around to see Lisa's creation Dare-Bot moving towards him with a powerful laser weapon pointed at him, ready to fire. In retaliation, he extracted a laser of his own from the wrist of his suit and fired it at Dare-Bot, blowing it apart in the process.
But just then, Viribus received a sudden and unexpected kick to the face...
"Oof!"
"Sup, loser?"
It was none other than Babs Bestie, someone he had previously brainwashed, back for sweet revenge.
"Tell the doc thanks for giving me this suit, buddy. It'll come in handy as I kick your sorry butt!" Babs said cockily as she lunged towards the larger man.
But Viribus just smirked confidently before replying "As if, kid." while easily dodging her attacks.
"The problem for you is that not only am I a much stronger host..." he began to explain, before grabbing the young brute by the collar of her shirt, ripping apart her undervest's machinery, and throwing her into a wall. "...but this upgraded power suit is far more advanced than the primitive prototype model she gave you. Against me, you're as outmatched as the rest of these cockroaches, child!"
And just as he boasted about his new power level, Viribus heard some commotion raging on in the sky above him. He looked up to see some of his robots being smashed into by Lela the Dragon and her rider, Angus. Sensing this was the perfect opportunity to provide a visual demonstration, Viribus looked back at Babs and smugly told her "Let me show you my real power."
Viribus then began to rise to the skies with his suit's elevation capabilities. He flew towards the dragon and stood before it. "Woah, girl!" Angus said as he slowed Lela down just as she was about to collide with Viribus.
"Okay, so I take it you're the one responsible for causing all this ruckus?" Angus asked, before following with "If you tell your little contraptions to stand down right now, I might consider not setting my big friend here on you."
But Viribus just grinned deviously and stared down the Scottish man and his pet dragon, making it clear that he had no intention of surrendering.
"Very well, don't say I didn't warn you! NOW, LELA!"
The Loud's then gazed up into the sky and saw Lela blast an unholy amount of fire at their greatest enemy. For a solid ten seconds, Lela spewed out intensely hot flames at the self-proclaimed multiversal deity.
Lincoln stood there and looked on with tension and suspicion as he waited for the smoke to clear. His counterpart did the same as they awaited the outcome of Lela's attack...
...but then the smoke cleared, and their fears were confirmed.
The Loud's and the people of Royal Woods then all gasped in shock and terror as it appeared the dragon's attack had done no damage whatsoever to Lord Viribus.
However, now it was his chance to strike back. "My turn."
Suddenly, Viribus charged towards the beast in the sky at a truly phenomenal speed...
"Hey?!" Angus cried in shock, as Viribus was now suddenly levitating right behind Lela.
In a cocky but astounding display of might, Viribus grabbed the beast by its tail and began to spin it around.
"Woah! Woah! WOAH!" Angus yelled as he clinged onto Lela for his life as Viribus swung the giant creature around in the sky like it was a small plaything.
Finally, he let Lela go, and she and Angus were sent plumetting down to the ground below.
*SPLASH*
Fortunately, they had a relatively soft landing, as they landed in a big lake. Lela rested her head above the water, while Angus swam his way up to the surface and blew out a mouthful of the dirty liquid.
"Are you alright, girl?" he asked her, to which Lela nodded.
But while Angus and Lela were okay for the moment, it looked like nobody would truly be okay for very long, as it seemed Viribus was pretty much unstoppable.
He descended back down to the ground as he managed to lock eyes with Lincoln, who was about 200 yards away from him. Viribus shouted arrogantly towards the boy, "You see this power, Loud?! The might I have gained?!"
Lincoln tried to run away, but Viribus used his super speed to effortlessly catch up and stand in front of the boy. "To think kid, you spend all your time worrying about such mundane, trivial matters... like getting bullied on the school bus, or getting the sweet spot in the family van, or choosing between a day at the beach or a day at the amusement park. Constantly getting screwed around by your sisters, and your classmates, and your teachers... actually, come to think of it, all these people who are defending you right now? Aren't they usually the people who make your life a living hell? Ha ha ha!" he mockingly asked the boy, before grabbing him by the collar of his orange shirt and lifting him up with one hand. "I don't need to worry about petty, insignificant stuff like that. I've transcended humanity, boy! If anyone stands in my way, I just wipe them out of existence!" he then said menacingly, before then adopting a more jokey tone. "Honestly, life is so much easier that way."
"LET GO OF HIM!" Lynn yelled furiously as she tackled Viribus, causing him to drop Lincoln in the process.
"You again?! Seriously ponytail, you already had your chance! You're done!" Viribus said as he grabbed hold of the little jock, and lifted her above his shoulders.
Lynn-1 looked on and gasped in horror as she remembered when she was in that exact same scenario... and the bone crunching experience that was about to immediately follow.
Acting out of instinct, Lynn-1 dropped her crutches and frantically sprinted towards her counterpart. Just as Viribus was about to break Lynn's back with his knee, Lynn-1 swooped in just milliseconds before impact, and just barely managed to save her from being critically injured.
"Oof!" Lynn cried as she and her counterpart landed on the ground. "Thanks." she said.
"Don't mention it." Lynn-1 replied. "Still, that was the first time I've ran since... you know, what happened to me."
But they weren't out of danger just yet, as Viribus was stood just mere feet away. He went to attack them again, but he was suddenly ambushed and pounced on by a now enraged Lincoln.
"STEP AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" the younger brother shouted furiously, as Viribus's attempt on Lynn's life was sufficient enough to trigger Lincoln's inner rage mode.
A surprised and impressed Viribus told him "Well, looks like you have a backbone, after all. Congratulations." But his compliment ended there as he then smirked and said "But that still won't save you!"
Viribus then used his enhanced strength to pick Lincoln up as he got back to his feet. Lincoln's rage mode didn't last long as Viribus began to choke the air out of his lungs. "No rage mode will save the day this time, kid. Your strategies have failed, your efforts are useless, and..." before Viribus could finish his gloating, he was attacked once again by even more of Lincoln's allies and fellow citizens of the town.
"UGH! HOW MANY TIMES?!" he furiously roared as he was getting sick of people standing in his way.
Lincoln, now on the ground, slowly regaining his breath, smiled to himself as he saw that his point was being proved correct. He had many allies, and that was something that was giving Viribus a hard time.
But while the people of Royal Woods kept fighting with what energy and strength they had left, it all seemed futile, as the robots were still coming through all the portals, and at this point, it seemed the human race was fighting a losing battle.
Lynn Sr and Rita were stood nearby a TV store, and they looked inside to see a news report playing on one of the televisions, and it was bad news. "This is an update from Katherine Mulligan! More of these evil robots are appearing through the portals, and it's being reported that earth's militaries are being overwhelmed!" Obviously, this shocked and terrified the Loud parents as they could see footage of army tanks and aircrafts getting shot down mercilessly. "I'm sorry, but it appears that the day is lost." Katherine then regrettably announced.
But was there a little hope left as the climactic battle between man and machine reached its final stretch?
Author's Footnote:
So, here we are. One more chapter left. It will probably be a fairly long one, since there's still the final part of the climax plus the little ending bits following it to go. Still, hopefully all this has built up to a tense final showdown for you guys to anticipate for the next week.
While I have enjoyed working on this story, I will admit I will be glad to have it finished in 7 days time. I have a lot of other plans and things I want to move on to, so it will be nice to get this done.