Chapter 85: The One who is Torn Apart. The Search for the True Ben!
Last time, in Tales of the Cosmic Wars, the Enji Knights were finding themselves with a calamity exploding right in front of them! It was bad enough that Captain Kota lost his life in vain to try and stop Darth Idious, and even more so when the crazed warrior destroyed the entire planet of Taris with his Final Flash attack! However little did the ones that got away, Basch, Beatrix and Eugene realize that Idious would not let anyone get away from him and followed their trail like it was bread crumbs!
Deciding to forgo blowing up the capital planet to make his games more fun, the madman stealthily made his way to the entrance of the Enji Castle and was more than glad to give everyone in his sight a taste of his fury, especially when he ran into Brad! The "Unstoppable Juggernaught" was as sure of himself as ever, but even his extreme power was nothing but an annoyance to Idious, and the foe quickly put Brad in his place when he unleashed a move most Street Fighter fans know well. His version of the dark fighter Akuma's Shungokusatsu!
This attack at once brought Brad to near death and he was only thrown aside when Idious found the rest of the Enji alarmed to find the mad man knocking at their doorstep!
Despite being severely outnumbered, Idious was glad to show he had the power to fight off them all! And if that was not enough, he then summoned both a legion of Necrocalcous and his ally, the demonic Mega level Digimon Helldramon! With that, the battle to defend the Radiant Garden began!
Cloud, Ezan, Tifa and many others all tried to contain Idious, while Doug, James and the others fought Helldramon with everyone else dealing with the grunts. While Helldramon was an extreme threat in his own right, when Lacus and her squad arrived, they were able to turn the tide. James was able to prove his theory was right and with a well coordinated attack strategy they were able to shatter all of the dragon's Advanced Curse seal crystals and knock him out!
However, it was then when everyone found out a startling discovery, Helldramon was really a dark form of Hiryuumon the whole time! It seems Ben's partner had no idea of the actions of his dark form as the last thing he remembered was a broken Ben trying to absorb what he thought was the last Crystal Shard! With one revelation revived, the true tragic identity of Idious quickly dawned on Lacus and the others and they at once dashed to the battle!
Right around then it seemed that Idious just might have got more than he bargained for when Aeris, with her celestial power, Ezan, Cloud and the others managed to land some injuries on Idious. However, he seemed to take a page from the Incredible Hulk when the more pain he felt, the madder and, in turn, more powerful he became!
Just when it seemed that he was cornered, Lacus and co made it to the Great Maw to give their theory. That the mad Darth Idious before them, was none other than Ben!
And, as the foe's damaged helmet got damaged, that theory was , it seems that Ben is not just brainwashed, his pain over the betrayals of Rick, Larxene and Max, Lacus's rejection of him for Brad and Kira 's brutal training was so great on him that he snapped! What the Enji see before them is the manifestation into a violent alternate personality given control from the advanced curse seal crystals fused with his body! Now Ben's friends are in quite the dilemma. Can they prove to the Ben locked within the dark side that he has not been abandoned and that they are his real friends? Or is this the tragic end of the one chosen by the Star Sword? It's time to find out!
Our newest chapter begins with someone looking at the battle between Idious/Ben and the Enji, and that person is none other than Kira, on board the command deck of his flagship, the Eternal Justice. This outbreak has just gotten his attention and with him are Mara Hill,Tosen, Revolver Ocelot, Bask, and Master Chief.
Kira sees his apprentice fire a barrage of energy blasts at everyone in his sight and says,"Well, it seems that we have tracked down the disturbance at last. Looks like he is causing more chaos than even I thought possible."
Tosen then says, "It would seem Ben Auro was not able to contain his darkness. And now he is a major threat to peace."
Bask then checks a monitor on the ship and says,"Commandant, our scanners are detecting a major power level approaching the battle. Its power is even greater than any of the others. It's your father, Grand Master Myers."
Kira just calmly sits down on his chair and responds with a casual,"Ah, so he is once more trying to assert control. Ah father, you always had noble intentions. However, you simply can't phantom that your methods are obsolete and naïve. That is why I must clean up for your mistakes."
Master Chief then says, "Sir, what are your orders?"
Kira just chuckles and answers with a flat, "Is it not obvious? Order the fleet to make the fastest course for Corneria at once. It's time to bring justice to another fool who cannot let go of his selfish desires."
The Spartan solder salutes and issues orders. As Kira sees the ship begin to enter hyper space, he says,"Well, Ben Auro, it would seem that the hour of reckoning for you is at hand. Now we will see, just what your true heart is made of. And as for you,father, I suppose it cannot be avoided any longer. As tragic as it may be, it is time for you to realize what is truly needed to bring peace!"
The ship and all the other Titan's ships all enter hyper space to return to the capital planet, and they are not the only one racing to the Enji castle!
At the same time, Grand Master Myers is also flying at top speed to his home! When the battle between Idious and the Enji broke out he was at the White Castle with King Atem, about the recent disasters on Vjun and Taris, when all of a sudden he senses the massive dark power of Idious!
At once he returned to defend his order and at the present time he is almost there! He sees the field of mountains where the Enji Castle is hidden and sees many explosions break out of the area. And as he sees some of the mountains look a lot shorter he says,"I must be getting sloppy. How could I allow such a dangerous fiend launch an attack right under my nose? And what disturbs me the most is this energy. It feels familiar, but it can't be. I feel I have let things get out of hand lately, but now it's time I make up for my carelessness. Everyone hang on just a little while more!"
The Grand Master's magic aura flares up and he bursts at an even faster rate to his destination! And at the moment it seems his help would be most appreciated!
We now return to Cloud, Doug, James, Lacus and everyone else seeing Idious/Ben fully charging up his magic energy and releasing it as a massive shock-wave. Idious then looks psychotically at the warriors of light in front of him and gives a devious smirk before he says,"Alright boys and girls, this game has just entered the lightning round. And when I mean lightning, I am not exaggerating! Well, maybe a little, I think I'll throw in some other obstacles as well! Ready? DIE!"
Idious then waves his sword and a barrage of lightning bolts strike down around the area! It's thanks to a quickly created energy shield from both Lacus and Aeris that the group is able to escape electrocution! Idious sees this and then jumps into the air and fires a barrage of energy blasts from his hands!
Everyone dashes out of the way, as Idious' onslaught blasts apart the Great Maw! As he fires more and more energy blasts, he says,"Whether you run or defend, it's not going to do any of you vermin any good! Nothing you do can delay the coming slaughter! I'll smash through your powers and kill you all before the sun sets!"
Hiryuumon tries to run up behind him and yells out a panicked ,"Snap out of it, boss! You really want to blow up your friends? I know this is not what you want! Don't let whatever dark bozo is controlling you win!"
Idious at once turns around and his right eye twitches before he seethes out a icy,"Ah, I see they managed to convert you with their tricks. It's a shame, as Helldramon you gave such a fine image as the bringer of death and destruction. But alas, all infected ones, must be wiped out!"
He then has his large sword glow and jumps up high to try and smash his partner! However, James then grabs the Digimon and flash steps out of the way just as Idious smashes the ground with his blade, and shatters the entire area around him! Now a further distance away, Hiryuumon then says,"Ben, what happened to you? I can't believe this is you. I should never have let him get this depressed."
James pats him on the head and says, "Don't put all the blame on yourself. We all failed Ben as friends if we did not see he had this much anger and sadness in his heart."
Doug then gets into a fighting stance in front of them and adds, "Don't worry about are buddy, Hiryuumon. We may not have seen the depth of Ben's depression, but I swear I'll make up for it by dragging him back from the dark side, no matter what!"
Idious then descends into the air again and laughs, before saying,"How insulting! You think you can fool me? Fool me once, shame on you. Shame me twice, and you will pay! Seriously, it's pointless to bother and reach out to that worthless loser, there is barely anything left of him and there is no way that the likes of traitors will ever reach out his mind from the darkness!"
Doug then charges at Idious and his fury aura shines again as he snaps back with a annoyed,"Shut up, you freak! You're nothing more than some punk created out of a bunch of curse seal crystals feeding off of Ben's anger! Sorry Ben, but I might have to rough you up a little to save you! Shitenshuu!"
Doug then charges up a massive amount of magic energy and charges at Idious in a flash! However, he is shocked to find his fist caught in the hands of the warrior! Doug is shocked his ultimate attack was negated and says,"No way!"
Idious just laughs madly and says,"Oh, it's quite yes way! Fool, have you forgotten I have all the memories of that worthless coward? He remembers you talking about that Shitenshuu ever since you thought of it! And there is also the fact that I am much faster and stronger than you!
Face it, nothing you do will catch me off guard, I know everything you clowns can do! Huh? Oh please!"
He then sees James at his side and still in his Gineri Kojkyaku state. He then sees a moment later the Enji firing what seems like a endless barrage of energy arrows at him!
However, he just casually kicks Doug into the air and charges at James as the arrows bounce right of him! He then punches James right in the chest and the force launches him to the nearest wall! As the rocks fall on the Quincy, Idious just says,"Enough! You're not worthy enough to challenge me! Now it's time to die! Huh?"
He is surprised to see the rocks get blown away by James' power as he says,"We will never give up. It is our sworn duty as Enji to both protect the innocent and destroy evil. And now it's time to kill two birds with one stone! Steele Schider!"
James then fires off his most powerful type of energy arrow at Idious, only for the madman to casually slice it in half with his Akuma blade! He then says,"Have you not forgotten you're dealing with the chosen one? Yes, I was chosen after all. However, my interpretation is a little different than what you Enji Knights and that loser thought.
The way I see it this cosmos is fill of filthy ungrateful vermin! That is why I will use this power of mine to wipe out all those hypocrites! Even if it condemns me to hell, we will live till the end of this cosmos. And if this rotten universe will not come to an end,,,
I will just destroy it with my own hands! HAHahaha! It's so nauseating!
Everyone always preaches about how they are creating a better society for the good of all. But that is nothing more than more lies. Their real side, their ugly side is nothing more than slimy filth! It's been too long for anything to amount from humans. That is why the jury is out, and I am the one who has been chosen to be both judge and executor! You're all crazier than me if you think you can steer me of this path when you're all nothing more than a bunch of slicking posers! Oh?"
He senses someone charging and turns to the right to see Cloud charging again. The spiky haired warrior then has his sword split into two separate swords as he says,"
Then it's a good thing we are not reaching out to you, Idious!"
He then tries to slash his opponent with both swords, but Idious is ready and swings his own. As the force of impact creates another shock-wave, Idious smirks and says,"My, aren't we being stubborn? Give up and face the facts, you failed, Enji!"
Cloud unleashes more of his power to press harder against Idious as he says,"No! I will not let it end like this! Ben, I know you can hear us! You have to fight against the darkness! I remember when Sephiroth tormented me about the truth of my past, and how he then used me as his puppet to summon the meteor to try and destroy our world. He left me for dead and I was in a state of total despair.
However, it was thanks to Tifa and all my other friends that I was able to break free through the darkness. Ben, I know that you have been through a lot lately with your former best friend Rick betraying you, Lisa being Larxene and playing you along, and your mentor and cousin Max really being the one behind the mask of the dangerous bounty hunter Janus.
All of those betrayals would be hard on nearly anyone. And with all the constant battles and tough training Kira has put you through, the stress you have been feeling must have been unbearable. I am sorry we did not stand up to Kira; clearly he no longer understands what it means to be human.
Still, I am ashamed as your squad leader to have neglected seeing your signs for so long.
However, you have to see that you're not alone! We are all your friends here and are all here for you!"
Idious just laughs and responds with a cynical,"Blah blah, I keep telling you it's useless! He is already far too gone, I am now the dominant side for now and forever!"
Doug quickly lashes back with, "No way we are buying that! It's like Cloud said Ben; we all have your back! We all know the pain you are feeling, you have to fight it"
Idious seems to have had enough because now he is getting mad. His magic energy flares up and he shouts out a venomous,"You tools think you can feel our pain, our suffering? HOW DARE YOU!"
His energy then explodes and blasts Cloud, James, Doug, and Hiryuumon back and pins them all to the wall!
He then clutches his hand and says, "You understand nothing; none of you understand our pain!"
Our entire childhood, we saw how people so undeserving got away with things we could only dream of just because they were lucky or had a privileged position. Time after time, I saw Ben face betrayal and abandonment from his so called friends.
And all those other scum were just eyesores, however since our father and mother were such pathetic losers that were the entire town's stepping stones, I knew we would never be able to rise to power through our family name.
Bah, our mother was kind, but weak and had no sense of ambition. And our father, is the very definition of incompetent.
Yes, the only ways our lives would have meaning, would be through raw power and skill! That is why we trained under Max, to gain the power to crush those that so wrongly treated us! And soon we gained that power and the likes of that worm Nelson and others were nothing. However, even if we had the power the pain, did not go away.
Yes, even when Ben became the most powerful guy in his high school there was still that pain of longing. However, that's when we joined the Enji, to at last become a being worthy of respect and admiration! However, no matter whom we saved or who we crushed, nothing changed.
Everyone still treated us like their little pawn to be used however they liked! And the more it happened, the more Ben's resentment grew, which in made me stronger and stronger!
Yes, and as his metal energy, his spirit grew weak, my control grew until what you see before you is the outcome! And now by the end of the day I will have the power to erase that weak fool totally from his mind, and my presence will be permanent!
Ah, oh my. Looks like you caused me to go off on a rant. For that it will cost you extra!"
Cloud then gets back up and says,"Ben, don't give into him! You don't have to be alone in the darkness!"
Idious then begins spinning his blade quickly around using the chain attached to the sword and he says,"Oh really, that is rich, since the darkness is all I have! Now, time to shatter the tides of the past!"
He then prepares to fire another energy blast from his hand. However, as he fires it, another figure emerges in front of Cloud to deflect it, and it is none other than Ezan!
He gets into his fighting stance and as Idious sees the rival of Ben activate his Sharingan eyes he laughs and says," Ah, yes, we remember how you like to act so smugly, Ezan Kaiba! However, today we will break the smugness of yours along with the rest of your very being!"
Ezan's Soul Eater sword then glows with magic energy as he says,"I've had enough of this farce, you're nothing but an imposter, Idious. And I detest annoying fools from the dark side trying to case a commotion. For that, I'll end this quickly!"
He then flash steps in front of Idious and they both clash their blades.
Idious is able to dodge every attack Ezan sends his way and he then says,"You're almost acting like you care about the fate of my weak side, Ezan! I thought you always thought of Ben as nothing more than an annoyance? However, all of a sudden only now you act like you want to save him? Oh please, you think you can fool us, but we see you're just trying to lower our guard so you can destroy us! Tsc, everyone keeps thinking that they can play poor Ben along, but they will pay dearly for it!"
He then swings his blade down hard, but Ezan dodges it, as the sword shatters the ground where he stood! He then fires more energy blasts at Ezan, but the super elite Enji dodges it with ease and says, "Ben Auro and I may have our differences. But I will give him credit for being so persistent. He forced me to recognize his will, and I see none of that will in you, Idious. Answer me Idious, no Ben. What happened to your resolve to become the greatest hero? What happened to your dream of becoming the greatest Enji Knight in history?
Are you telling me now that those dreams you never stopped chattering about were all lies? Answer me, Chidori Nagashi!"
Ezan then fires off an electrical field around Idious and traps him within it! Idious is trapped in it and he is shocked hard. However, after a while he just laughs and says,"
Yes, that was our dream, for a very long time. However, that clown and I had different motives for that dream. I just want to have the power to crush anything in my way. But he, he just wanted the power to get people's respect and attention.
That fool was always a wuss. The one time he used the skills he had to give that unworthy scum who attacked us the beat down he deserved he was so ashamed when his parents yelled at him that he strives to only fight when needed. From then on he would do whatever he was told to do, and any anger or sadness he felt over bad situations would primarily be bottled up.
And while he stored it all up, it eventually took form into me! Yes, for far too long we played by the rules only to be unrewarded. And now, everyone will have no choice to play by the rules of Idious or be destroyed!"
He unleashes another shockwave from his magic energy to shatter the electric field! As Ezan is blown back, his opponent warps in front of him and launches a hard kick in the stomach, so hard he coughs up blood as he is hit back!
Idious shows no mercy and warps above the still hit Ezan and appears above him to land a diving kick that blasts Ezan through the ground! He then states,"I exists because Ben could no longer bare the pain, the sadness and hatred that drove him into insanity! There is no point for words any longer, all there is left is the true nature of life, death and despair!"
Cloud then charges at him again and says,"Is that all that is inside you, Ben? The will of total destruction? No, you're just the form of his rage grown out of control thanks to the curse seal crystals! And we will break him out of your grip! Finishing Touch!"
Cloud then performs his level three limit break and fires off a powerful cyclone at Idious, only for him to charge right through it! Idious gathers an enormous amount of power in his free hand and says,"Give it a rest, there is nothing to break anyone out of! Like I said, Ben as you knew him is dead! I am now the true dominant personality that lies in this body. And soon all that is left of that eyesore will fade away into nothingness!
It's as it should be, for it is the natural law! The strong are the ones who survive, and the weak will perish! Those that resist the laws of this dimension will have nothing but a painful death to await them! Hellish Outburst!"
Idious then tries to smash Cloud with his fist only for Cloud to dodge. However, Idious still smashes the ground with such force that the power creates an explosion that blasts both Cloud and Ezan back!
The two quickly regain their composure and Ezan says to Cloud,"It's odd, I never felt a magic energy so consumed with sadness. As odd as it may sound, it's almost like every attack of his is like him crying, or something."
Cloud nods and retorts with a solemn,"I know what you mean, Ezan. It's like Ben's trying to communicate his darkest feelings through his fists. I guess it's true what they say, that true warriors can communicate through their fists or there swords. Right now Ben is overwhelmed by the dark side and it's our duty both as Enji, and as his friends, to save him."
Idious just laughs madly again and has his fists gather more power before he ascends to the air and viciously grinds out,"You Enji are hypocrites to the end! Such a broken order is unfit to exist! And, that is why today, the Enji Knights shall be brought to the brink of extinction! Now, Final, GUH!"
Idious was about to unleash a massive energy blast, when, out of nowhere a sudden force blasts him from behind with a powerful light blast! As Idious is sent flying, he uses all of his power to break free of the attack!
He then sees the man who blasted him land near the others, and it's Grand Master Myers! Myers at once powers up and says,"
The Enji Knights will not fall, not as long as I have anything to say about it!"
Some of the group then runs up to him and Terra says, "Master Myers! You have returned!"
Myers gives off a solemn smile and says,"Sorry for not being here for the attack. I left as soon as I sensed a disturbance in the force from talking with King Atem. I am sorry for not getting here sooner. So, this is Darth Idious, what the, what is this? Ben?"
Idious laughs at Myers and responds with a sarcastic, "Ah, at last, the big cheese has arrived! Good, good! At last someone who can truly give me a worthy fight, and when I defeat you I will prove that my power is supreme!"
Myers has his primus blade glow and says,"Now I understand, this explains why you appeared right after Kira lost contact with Ben. So, you've taken control of Ben's mind for your own dark rampage? I will not allow it! Return Ben to us this instant or face oblivion!"
Idious gets into his own fighting stance and says,"Heh, the only way to get rid of me is to destroy this body! However, that will also mean the death of Ben! But then again you were all planning on making us a grand sacrifice anyway, so it's not like a major change in plans, huh?"
Myers just gives his enemy a deadly serious look as his responds is,"Foul demon, you will not win. "
Lacus then runs up to Myers and emits a pleading,"Please Grand Master, we have to be careful. It's not just the curse seal crystals on Ben that make up Idious, but his own dark emotions."
Myers then says, "Are you serious, Darth Idious is really a destroyer personality within Ben? I knew Ben was going through a stressful time, but I never imagined it would be strong enough to create another violent personality within him!"
Idious just says,"Are you really that surprised? After all, you're the guy who calls the shots. You knew handing over Ben to Kira would drive up the stress factor a LOT!
Did you really think it would go all peachy? Admit it, you knew Ben would end up broken, but you did not care! You just sent him off to be shaped into the ultimate tool of light to end the war!"
Myers looks ashamed and says, "I did agree to let Kira train Ben. But I only did it because I thought Kira could bring out Ben's, your true potential.
I knew Kira had a brutal training method; however he swore to me that he would not go too far. Perhaps I was foolish to believe he and I still had the same idea of what too far is.
But I assure you, I never attended for you to die, Ben. I value the life of all the Enji and I plan to have as many people as I can survive this war!"
Idious just says,"Shut up! You can talk all smooth, but we know how types like you work! We will never be tricked again! Now then, just why is another statement supposed to mean the truth from you?"
Myers then has his blade shine, as he says,"Because, it's my word of honor. The term honor may just be nothing but words to some, but I take it very seriously! That is why I will now stake my honor on the line, and will rescue Ben from within your grasp!"
Idious then uses his magic energy to break apart large rocks into boulders and have them fly around them. The ghostly skinned man gets even more angry as he shouts out a vicious,"I think it's time to shut you up!"
He then throws all the boulders at Myers, however he charges at them and says,"Don't toy with me, I am in no mood for games! Grand Divide!"
Myers then unleashes his own powerful sword combo to shatter the rocks in an instant and the attack even extends to Idious! The dark warrior manages to block, but the impact of the strike nearly blows him off his feet! He laughs from this and says,"Oh, you are strong, alright. Yes, destroying you will actually make me feel good! Now, be gone! Darkness Flare Slash!"
Idious surrounds his sword with power and lunges at the Grand Master.
He then parries Myers' sword and kicks him in the chin, before stabbing him in the chest! However, while it seems he hit Myers at first, all of a sudden his form turns into particles of light! Idious looks around and says,"A light energy substitution clone, huh? Pretty smart, but if you are already on the defense, then it looks like it won't be long before this battle ends. Now, were, huh? Gah! This light!"
All of a sudden, a large light shines from the left and it manages to blind Idious! Myers then appears and he says,"You're right, this battle will end soon. Kuzu Ryu Sen!"
Myers then charges at Idious so fast, he is a blur, and before the dark man can regain his sight, Myers hits him with a nine hit thrust/lunge attack with his sword and hits all nine vital points of Idious at the same time! While it seems to have no effect for a few seconds, just as Idious turns around, he screams out in pain as blood breaks out of his arms and legs and the force of the Enji leaders attack slams him into the wall!
Idious did not seem to feel amused about that one as he says,"Errgaah! Damn you, I won't, forgive you!"
Myers just looks saddened that he hurt Ben's body and says, "I am sorry to have used a move like that on you, Ben. I will make sure the next blow shatters those wretched curse seal crystals. Don't worry, you will be safe soon. What the, Whoa!"
All of a sudden, a massive shock wave blasts out of Idious and nearly presses down Myers, as its power shatters the rocks around him! He then has a look of pure insanity and he cries out,"ENOUGH! All of you are the same! You liars can't deceive us any longer! I'll rip you apart till there is nothing left!"
Myers tries to move through the energy Idious is releasing and as he struggles to push through he shouts out," Ben! You have to hear me! You have to trust me; you have to believe in all of us! While you have been betrayed in the past, you have to trust that we are all true friends of yours. Err, except, maybe Brad. Anyway, I know you don't want to be consumed by your despair, Ben. You have to fight it! Huh, what is this?"
He is shocked when he sees Idious' head glare at him, only while the left eye still looks inhuman and demon like, the right eye looks like Ben's normal eye! Myers then sees that the left side of Ben is looking furious while the right side looks sad, and Idious then says,"Trust you? You expect us to trust you? RAHHH!"
Idious then holds his head in pain and even more power blasts out of him! We then turn into Ben's own mind, where at the moment we have a glimpse of the real Ben trapped in darkness.
The area around him is the soul like chamber form before when he had the dream of all the villains attacking him. The only difference is that now vines of dark energy are wrapped around the images of his friends and the symbol of the Zannacross Empire is blazing above. Ben is crouching in the center and is entangled with chains of dark energy, while Idious is standing in front of his face. A sort of screen is showing what the body's eyes are seeing and both Ben and Idious hear the words of the leader of the Enji Knights.
Ben raises his head and slowly says,"Trust, can I really trust him? Are they really my friends after all? If they wanted to kill me already they could have done it in a combined attack. However, what if they are just trying to make me think they want to save me? And then they will kill me."
His pale alter ego laughs again as he controls the giant sword in the back that symbolizes the controls of the body.
He then turns to Ben and sharply says,"What do you think, loser? Let's go over when someone said to trust them in the past. Rick tried to turn your body into Swiss cheese for the sake of his lame Toxic Vultures. Lisa was ready to rip your heart out after playing you like the desperately lonely fool you are. And then our big mentor, Max, do I have to bother to explain? And don't forget all our childhood chums that so willingly threw us away for all those rich snobs!"
Ben then lowers his head and stares at the ground while saying,"That is right, they all betrayed me. They all want to hurt me; they all want to kill me. Even after I did what everyone wanted, it still was never enough. No matter what, it's never good enough for them."
Idious then glows, as the dark vines on the imaginary surface feed him more darkness, and he says, "So, are we going to let them trick us again!"
Ben then looks even more upset as he responds with a pained," No, never again. I will never forgive any of you!"
The place then glows and we go back outside as his body does the same!
Myers then sees that all the curse seal crystals around him glow as well, as Idious shouts,"We will never, ever forgive any of you! Suffocate from our despair, die by the true power of darkness!"
Cloud then reacts with a horrified, "This can't be, the curse seal crystals, are growing?"
Everyone is horrified as they see that the various crimson crystals are indeed growing around Idious/Ben's body and it's even branching out all over his body! Soon a pair of demonic crystalline wings form on the back of Idious and Ezan says," Could it be that, Ben's negative emotions are making the darkness in him even stronger? It's like its causing the curse seal crystals to gain power from his darkness, and in turn give him even more power! If this keeps up, the situation has the possibility of getting way out of hand."
Doug sees the right of eye of Idious return to match the left one and says,"No, Grand Master Myers will find a way to get those things off Ben! He has to! There is no way our buddy is going to become a slave to those freaks!"
Idious then summons his sword back into his hand and forms a spiked gauntlet of curse crystals form on his left and he gets into fighting stance and wryly says, "Now then, Grand Master, the intermission is over. Now let the second and FINAL round of today's challenge begin!"
Myers just closes his eyes before he responds with a calm, "As you wish, Idious."
The two then charge at each other and then move so fast they are like blurs of light and darkness, as they clash all over the area! Everyone can barely follow their movements and this exchange of rapid blades is broken when Idious dashes back and gathers a large amount of power before firing a massive blast in an instant at the Grand Master. However, the blast is deflected and is launched into the sky before it gives off a massive explosion!
Terra then says, "That blast could have blown away this whole area! Did Ben really have this power all along? It's shaking the entire planet!"
Lacus then looks at Idious laughing as he fires off blast after blast at the Grand Master, and she somberly says,"Ben, have you always had this anger inside you? I knew you had a lot of anger at those bullies when we were kids. But I never thought it was that big. I wonder, did me leaving you cause the inception of Idious? Did seeing me with Brad really drive you to insanity?
Is this your true side? No, out of everyone here, I know you the most. You never really wanted to hurt anyone.
Even those bullies you just wanted to make them stop picking on you. I still remember, how you once told me that you did not really like fighting. But, you wanted to become the best Enji anyway because you thought it was the only way to get people to notice you. Oh Ben, you always felt like you were not good enough. I bet you blamed yourself that I got hurt, and thought it was my fault that I left. I even wonder, if you think it's your fault that everyone betrayed you.
But, it's not your fault, none of it was. You did nothing wrong, they were all just cruel to you. And, I too, was cruel to you.
Even if I have to respect the wishes of my boyfriend, I see now that I should not have been so harsh like that. I did not mean for you to think I also betrayed you, even if that is how it appeared. Because Ben, even now, you're still someone who is close to me."
Yuna then turns to Lacus and looks exasperated before she responds with "You know, Lacus, maybe we would not be in this mess if you just told Ben that before he went crazy! Ah!"
They then see a large red blast head towards them, but Lacus at once summons a barrier to neglect it. She then sees that Idious is now firing blasts everywhere, and she says, "You're right, Yuna. I must apologize to Ben, for both being so cruel to him when all he wanted was someone to reach out to him, and for not being there when he needed me most. I have to show him, that he is not alone."
She then walks slowly forward and Collette then says,"She did not mean you have to tell him now! Come back, Ben can't even hear you now; he is totally being controlled by Idious! With his power level this high, he could kill you in one hit!"
Terra then adds, "She is right, Lacus, at this rate, only the Grand Master can safely handle him! There is nothing you can do now."
Lacus just turns and smiles warmly before she reacts with a resolute ,"Maybe, but I have to try and save him. It's partly my fault for all of this and I could never forgive myself if Ben died thinking he was all alone."
She then runs to where Master Myers is trying to lure Idious. At the moment, Idious has stopped blasting Myers and stands still for a second. He then hunches over and says,"Bah, this grows boring. You really are stubborn."
Myers then says, "Have you now seen that you cannot win, Idious?"
Idious just laughs madly and responds with a determined, "Oh, please, I am going to win for sure. However, I will give you credit for proving you're not the Grand Master for nothing. Your era is over, and mine begins now! You may be hard to kill, but I wonder how long you can last without air! "
He then begins to power up massively and gathers a large amount of energy in both hands! Cloud then remembers what he saw Idious do to Taris and he grows alarmed and says," No! He wouldn't, he is going to use that final flash attack to destroy the world?"
Myers then says, "No stop this! Ben! Do you really want to kill us all? You will have destroyed everyone you have fought to protect! If you don't stop this, I..."
Idious then puts his hands together and aims them on the ground as his eyes widen with a look of pure hate and insanity as he lashes back with," Or you will what? Hate me! Hehehe,hahahah! It's far too late for that to matter! There is nothing to lose, everyone already hates me, hates us! No matter what we do, it will never be good enough, no matter what we do everyone will always despise us! Guess its true...why lover when you can be feared If no matter what we do we will always be hated...then at least we will be so good at being feared that no one will dare hurt us again!
All there is left for us is to destroy, and so we shall do what we were fated to do. FINAL, huh? So, it's you."
Idious is about to unleash his Final Flash attack on the planet when all of a sudden something grabs his arm! He sees that his arms are being held by a certain energy ribbon and turns to the left to see it's Lacus! He then narrows his eyes in to lethal slits as he hisses out,"What is the meaning of this? You think you can challenge me, or did you just come here to die?"
Lacus just slowly walks forward and Ezan is baffled at this display as he reacts with a annoyed ,"What does she think she is doing? "
Aeris then lands besides him and responds with,"What she can do better than any of us, reach out to Ben, to the real Ben."
Lacus then suddenly reacts to her enemies question with a calm, "Will that satisfy you, Idious?"
Idious just laughs and quips out a crazed, "Good girl, at least someone has come to their senses! A little too late though to play the game just as it's ending!"
Lacus then smiles and reacts with a kind,"Ben, you were wrong before. Everyone does not hate you, in fact many people like you. You're not alone in the darkness, you have many friends. And that is why; I want to save you from this. Please, please return to the real Ben."
Idious suddenly looks outraged,"You, you're the worst of them all! Our entire life, everything we did was done so we could finally get you to look at us and not just through us like we were already a ghost!
But, you just treated us like a joke while you rewarded monkeys for doing tricks! And now, at the end you expect us to believe that you are really our, the loser's friend?"
Lacus just looks sad and reacts with,"Ben is not a loser, Idious, I never once thought of him like that. Ben, can you hear me? I have wanted to tell you something."
She keeps walking closer to Idious and Myers begins to realize what she is doing and says,"Lacus, be careful."
Lacus is nearly right up to Idious and he seems to hold his head in pain before breaking her ribbon and pointing his sword at him and says," You're just like all the others, thinking you can trick us, just like Larxene and."
Lacus suddenly cuts off the man in front of him with a determined"Before you do anything, please let me finish. Ben, I wanted, to apologize, about what I said the other day. Even though Brad is still my boy friend, I should not have hurt you like that. I did not mean to hurt you so badly. Ben, I know that this Idious is not the real you. I know that you're scared and in so much pain right now. But I want to tell you, that I will never let you suffer alone in the darkness. No matter what, you will always be someone who is dear to me. So please, let me help you free you from the darkness."
She is right up to Idious now and leans down, she then reaches out for him and she sees Idious dash back and as he clutches his head he says,"Enough! I have always been sick of letting that loser let you play us along! He may be willing to be your pawn forever, but I am not so idiotic! I'll kill you now!"
He then holds up his blade up in the air and prepares to bring it down on the head of Lacus! However, before he can bring it down, he freezes! All of a sudden he gasps in pain and holds his head! As his sword falls out of his hand, he says,"What are you doing? Don't be stupid, you can't defy us, I am the superior one! This should not be happening! Damn this girl, he is awakening! If I can just kill her then you will, RAH!"
Lacus is shocked as she sees Ben's normal eyes return and he then says,"No, never, I will not let you touch her, Idious!"
His right eye turns back to the inhuman eye of Idious and he says,"You're such a sap! Can't you see she is just using you, like Larxene did? It's not like she really cares about you! She just wants you to think she cares about your feelings.
She made it clear she will never love us; she just wants to destroy us! Now let me end our suffering! RAH!"
Ben's eyes turn to normal again and he says,"Never! I, would never harm, I will never hurt Lacus, no matter what! And I won't let you either! I won't break my promise to her!"
Lacus sees Ben's magic energy become unstable and she grabs his hands to help him and she says," That's it, Ben don't give up! I am right here, so please don't give up! I believe in you! "
The scene then goes back to inside Ben's mind, which at the moment is not a place anyone in their right mind would want to be in! Ben is grappling with Idious over control of his soul! Idious then says,"You worthless coward, can't you learn to just disappear! We are so close to having our vengeance! You dare stop us now! You have no hope of defeating me, Ben! I am your anger, hatred, and sorrow. Without me you're nothing at all! Huh?"
He then sees Ben begins to shine, as he says,"You're wrong, you're not the real me! I see it now. I thought I was alone, but I do have real friends! Doug, James, Hiryuumon, Master Myers, Cloud Sensei, even Ezan and all the others! And most of all, Lacus. I know that I can show her my true feelings someday. And to do that, I won't let you cause problems! Now, get out of my body! I will never be a slave to the dark side!"
He then punches Idious and sends him flying, causing his darkness to say," No way, this should not be possible. There is no way, that you can be more powerful than me because I am your power! Could, could your hopeless desire to protect her give you this much power!?
Huh, what is that? Ah, hehehe. Now you have done it failure. Now you woke him up!"The two then hear a large rumbling as the dark vines begin to shake violently! The symbol of the Necrocalcous above shines even brighter and Ben says,"What the, is this you Idious? No, this feels like, oh no! "
He then hears a large ominous laugh and the vines break away as the vines combined and form once more into the single giant red eye of Chaos Zannacross Necron! Necron glares right at Ben and says,"Hahahah, did you not forget when we last conversed, mortal? It is futile to resist the darkness; it is the true source of existence. At this very moment you are infused with my power, and that is why you are mine!"
Ben then says,"No, darkness is not the fate of everything! I was in despair before, but I know now that there are still things worth fighting for! You won't win, Chaos, you will never control me! AH!"
The giant eye fires a blast that consumes both Ben and Idious and he booms out a wrathful,"Insolent fool, you cannot defy me! If your own darkness is not enough to destroy the warriors of light, then pay the price for your defiance! If you will not be my knight, then you will be my pawn! I am many things, human, and now I shall act as the puppeteer! Watch helplessly in the corridors of your own mind as I use this body as a vassal to destroy your so called friends and use all of their magic energy to at last restore my body! HAHAHAHA!"
Back at the surface, Lacus sees the Curse seal crystals begin to react even more violently and begin to send electrical currents into Ben's body! Ben screams out in pain and Lacus says,"Hang on Ben, it's almost over! What is this?"
Ben looks at Lacus and she sees him smile as he says, "Lacus, thank you. Sorry for always causing you problems. Please, get away from me. I can't hold him back much longer!"
Lacus suddenly responds with a worried,"No, it's not Idious, it's Zannacross! He is, AH!"
All of a sudden, Ben begins to hover in the air and his body is covered in a bright red energy! He turns to face Lacus again and his eyes are bright red! He then speaks in a new inhuman voice and says,"Ah, enough games! The time is now for everything to be turned to nothingness!"
Lacus then says,"Ben?" Ben's body shakes and he clearly looks possessed as the crystals cover his body and he says,"You are a troublesome one. I can sense celestial power in you. Now I know who you are child! Yes, it's faint now, but I won't make the same mistake as I did last time! I will eradicate all possible threats to my supreme rule!"
Ben/Chaos then has several spiked lance like tentacles form over his wings and aim them all at Lacus! In an instant, Grand Myers flash steps in front of her and shatters them with his Grand Divide attack! He then says,"Lacus, you have done well. I am very proud at what I saw. However, leave the rest to me."
Lacus looks worried and says,"Grand Master, what is this? He is acting differently than before."
Myers then says, "That is because since Ben has so many advanced stage curse seal Crystals they have formed a symbiotic like hold on him in addition to Idious. And while the god of darkness is still sealed, since these crystals are his power, he is using them to control Ben's body directly! However, I will now sever that link at free Ben!"
Chaos laughs and his energy shakes the ground as he says,"That is right, strike me down and kill your precious protégé! It is futile Myers; you cannot save this boy just as you cannot save anyone! All you can do is wither and die along with the rest of the light!"
He then prepares to strike, but in a blur, Myers tackles him and slams him into the wall! He then says,"I will save this boy from you!"
Chaos laughs and retorts with a sadistic,"It's no use; his heart has been consumed by darkness. Even tainted as he is, do you think you can save him? You humans and your irrational emotions are so, amusing. ! "
Myers then snaps back with a resolute, "He is not as in your grasp as you like to think, Necron! Guh!"
The wings on Ben's back have spikes extend, right into Myers! His possessed body then says,"This boy is mine! You can not win, if my will is vanquished from this body, this boy's soul will go with itYou are doomed, Myers, you and your pathetic order are on their last days! You have no idea, how doomed you are! Death awaits everyone of you!"
Myers then looks determined and says,"No, you have no idea what power us mortals can produce! All things die in time, but now is not the time for any of us to go to the next world! The will to live is stronger than you think, and you will not win! We will, never let you return.
And now it's time you let go of this young man! Zannacross, I won't let you drag this boy down with your cruel madness! Supreme, Cleansing Divide!"
Myers then fires a powerful holy blast from his saber and it hits Necron hard! Everyone sees the whole sky light up as the grand master's attack lights up the sky! It seems to have an affect too, as Myers sees Ben scream in pain as the cruse seal crystals around him all begin to crack! The spirit of the supreme emperor of evil glares at Myers and says,"You impudent inferior being! Your suffering will be unending for delaying my destiny! You have no idea, just how much fate is against you. But you all will find out soon, and by then it will be too late! Until then, Enji! HAhahaha!"
At that instant, a burst of dark energy blasts out of Ben, and blasts Myers away! Lacus and everyone sees a flash consume them and Cloud says,"Did he do it?"
The light is so bright it can be seen all over the planet!
In fact, even Kira, leaning over his chair on the command deck and head on his arms can see it as his ship is approaching Corneria!
He then says, "Well, it seems like the battle has been decided before my presence was needed. The only question that remains, who was the victor?"
Lacus finds she can barley keep her composer as she emmits,"Oh no, what happened? Ben?"
She then sees the light fade, and Ben is in the air. However, all the curse seal crystals were destroyed by the last attack of Myers, and it looks like he is back to normal. A good sign is that his sword cracks and glimmers with light, until the Star Sword breaks out of it! It seems this whole time Ben was still using the Star Sword, only it was also transformed by his darkness.
Ben then falls to the ground, but Lacus catches him and eases his fall. She then lays him down gently and makes sure he is okay.
She then says, "The dark side is totally vanished from his heart. However, why is he not moving? Is he, oh?"
Lacus then sees Ben open his eyes and he looks dazed. He then sees Lacus and says,"Lacus? Am I still alive?"
Lacus tries to hide the tears in her eyes and smiles before saying,"No, you're still alive, Ben. It was close though."
Ben then says, "Ah, that's good, everything has been a blur the last few days.. Sorry to worry you. But, those visions. Lacus, I was not fully awake, but I had these visions of what Idious did.
And, it was horrible. I am so sorry I caused so much trouble. One minute I was about to get what I thought was the last crystal shard, and then I felt like a prisoner in my own body! I did so many, ah!"
Ben holds his chest in pain and Lacus looks concerned and says,"Don't move, you're still recovering. Take it easy, we can figure out just what happened later, but you need to rest. Don't worry, between Kira not knowing the true purpose of that shrine, and all the stuff that you had to go through, I doubt anyone will blame you much. And no matter what anyone says, I want you to know, that you can count on me."
Ben laughs and says,"Lacus, you really are my friend. Thank you."
He then falls asleep just as the rest of Ben's friends run up to them! Hiryuumon then says,"Boss! You did it, Lacus!"
Doug then chuckles before he adds," I knew our buddy was not going to let the dark side boss him around!"
Ezan then looks at Ben and says,"Tsk, I guess he was able to salvage his dignity after all. Next time he wants to act emotional though, I prefer if he not do so in such a hazardous way."
Cloud laughs and adds,"I'll agree to that, Ezan. Lacus, thanks for reaching out to Ben. I think you might have saved things from getting too extreme."
Lacus makes sure Ben is okay before standing up and saying,"Thanks, Cloud. But, I did not really do too much. It's really because of Grand Master Myers that Ben was able to be free from the spell. Speaking of him is he, oh no! Grand Master! "
Everyone turns to the right and sees Myers slowly walking up to them, with a large bleeding wound in his chest! If that's not bad enough, it's glowing with dark magic!
Aeris then looks horrified before she says, "Grand Master! That wound!"
Myers just chuckles and responds with a playful," Don't be concerned, I have survived worse than this. Ben, you really do have the will of a true warrior. While today we saw the extent of the darkness in your heart, no one is free of the darkness. What matters is that you have the will to contain the darkness in your soul and not let it consume you. I promised that I would save you, and I kept my word. And now, I have a lot of questions for a lot of people. But first, I think, I'll lay down. Guh!"
Myers then kneels right over and is unconscious by the time he lands! Everyone is worried, and Cloud says,"Grand Master Myers! Whether it was Idious or Necron, whoever was last in Ben's body, gave him something to remember him by! It's not just a normal wound, either. Aeris, can you heal him?"
Aeris deactivates her celestial armor and runs over to Myers. Also, Rose and Mint, who were healing the others injured in the battle, also rush over and they all try to heal the leader of the Enji. However, even working together the three women can't seem to make the wound go away!
Mint then says, "This is no normal injury. This was done by powerful dark magic. It won't be easy. If it was anyone else but the grand master, they would be already dead! And if we are not able to heal it fast then..."
James then says, "Are you saying that Grand Master Myers is going to die?"
Rose answers with a confident, "No, we can still save him. However, this will take a lot of time and power. We should move him to the medical ward. Come, let's gather all the wounded now and, what?" They look at the side and see all the remaining Necrocalcous that did not get destroyed yet close in on them!
Cyan then takes out his sword and says, "Such foul demons, does thee have no manners at all? Let's dispatch them quick!"
The other Enji nod and all get ready to fight some more when, all of a sudden, the beings of darkness get destroyed by a massive energy blast! The group looks up and sees that it came from the Eternal Justice in the sky!
Hiryuumon then says, "Alright, time he answers how he could let the boss and me get so messed up! I ought ah, what the? What are you, Whoa!"
Cloud quickly pushes Hiryuumon underneath a few rocks and says,"Not yet, I have a feeling you should stay out of sight for now. Just stay still, okay?"
As Cloud sees the large cruiser descend along with the other Titan's ships, he says,"Kira, so he just now gets here? For someone who likes to do everything to the last detail, he picked a bad time to be late. But oh well, I have a LOT of questions for him."
They all see the ship send out a shuttle that quickly lands down. A few moments later, Kira steps out of the shuttle, along with Master Chief, Tosen and a squad of Salvation soldiers. Squall and a few other Enji run up to them and Squall says,"
Kira! What took you so long? You could have prevented a lot of damaged if you showed up earlier."
Kira does not even look at Squall and says,"Not even I can move an entire fleet instantly, Squall."
Ezan then bows and says, "Commandant. We have confirmed that, huh?"
Kira rises his hand and says, "You don't kneed to explain the situation, my apprentice, I already know all of it. What is the status of Master Myers? Rose looks up and says,"
It's bad, but there is still hope."
Kira's face does not change at all and he just retorts with a calm,"He truly is stubborn. I suppose things never change. What is it,Cloud? You look like you have something to say."
Cloud can barely contain his anger as he says,"That's because I do, Kira! How could you send Ben to Bast Castle, the lair of Darth Vader, with completely false information! It's not like you to mess up Intel so badly, Kira. How could you not know that you were sending Ben to retrieve something for the Star Sword, when you really had him unleash a massive amount of darkness into him?"
Kira just looks annoyed and says,"It was a rumor, but I sent him there to conform if it was true or not."
Master Chief then says,
"Should I proceed with the procedure, Commandant?"
Kira instantly responds with, "You may."
Everyone is shocked to see four Salvation soldiers run up to the unconscious Ben and point blasters at him! As one puts energy chains on his limbs, Doug says," Just what the hell do you guys think you are doing?"
Tosen sneers at this before he responds with a cold,"Is it not obvious? Ben Auro is under arrest for both treason and the total destruction of planet Taris and all of his people, as well as many other deaths.
It's estimated that he will be given the death penalty."
Everyone is shocked and can barely believe this and Lacus turns pale before she reacts with,"Treason? No, you can't do this! Ben did not do those acts even if it was his body! He was being controlled by Chaos Zannacross Necron! Even if it was an alternate personality from within Ben that did those acts, that was still not Ben! You have to understand!"
Cloud then is so upset he grabs Kira's collar and says,"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Kira? You of all people knew Ben was at his limit! And now you're going to execute him for actions he did not have control over? Huh?"
Cloud then sees the rest of the Salvation Storm-troopers point their guns at him and Kira swiftly breaks out of Cloud's grip. He then looks at Ben and says,"
No matter what state of mind Ben was when he performed those acts, it cannot be denied that he did those actions. I may not have foreseen this, but it's his fault for being too weak to control his emotions. All people are accountable to the law, Cloud. And traitors must be brought to the justice they deserve. No acceptations!"
Talk about a series of dramatic events! After showing her true feelings, Lacus was able to reach out to the real Ben and break him free from Idious and the shin Emperor of darkness with the help of the others. However, it seemed to come with the price of a nearly dead grand master!
And now Kira is showing no mercy even to his own apprentice and seems to be fully willing to put him to death for the crimes of Idious! Just how will this be resolved? Only one way to find out, don't dare miss the next chapter of Tales of the Cosmic Wars!
In the next chapter, Kira shows just how serious he is about having Ben be arrested when he sentences Ben to be put to death by the powerful and painful Soukyoku device! If you're outraged at Kira now, you're not the only one. Cloud and the other Enji have all had it with Kira's heartless acts! However, even they have no idea just what Kira 's true plan is! With Master Myers out of commission, Kira takes on the role of acting grand master and goes to King Atem.
However what first seems like a harmless report turns in to a dark turn when Kira, with the support of a few of the subcommittee members makes a shocking revelation!
At last, the true extent of the grand master's son's ambition is shown, and his plans are about to turn the Lylat Kingdom on its head! Next time, the true face of Kira will be revealed in Chapter 86: The True path of Justice? End of Hypnoses. Before we depart for now, some more
Author's notes: If you're wondering why Idious would talk with we's sometimes and I's the other it's just because he talks irrationally, not because I wrote sloppily lol.
Also, to clear possible confusion, in the beginning Ben was being controlled from his personality of darkness Idious. However, when Lacus reached out to him Chaos Zannacross Necron himself took over his body using his power over the curse seal crystals. Its like how Nagato from Naruto controlled other bodies using his Six Paths of Pain Jutsu, though here the curse seal crystals were acting like how the black receiver rods controlled Yakhio and the others, though Ben was still alive.
Alright, till next time!