You'd think I would have learned by now that simulteneous multi pov fights are a bitch. But no. I guess not.

At least, this time around I don't have to deal with and account for servant bullshit so silver lining I guess.

Days until Boros arrives: 7

Days until the end of the world: 37

She paused and frowned.

"My lady?"

Something…something felt off.

Stretching out an arm, she focused and out of the embrace of Mother Earth, her crown floated to her waiting hand, a moment later joined by that of her husband.

She stared, focused, and barely managed to hold back a gasp.

For the aura coming from her husband's crown, the thread synchronizing their crowns and connecting them to the greater whole and the seal…

It felt frayed.

Weakening.

"My lady?"

She ignored the squirming attendant and gazed upwards, trying to peer through the earth above.

My love, what new plight have you found yourself in?

Besieging the Great Mother, she began searching, hoping to find Yuha. To make it in time…

For she'd already failed him once…

"Yuha. Yuha!"

Reaching with a trembling arm, digging into the soft dirt and, ignoring the protest of her muscles, the ringing in her ears, the nausea and the flame coursing. Spreading through her veins, Tatsumaki, gritting her teeth, dragged her traitorous body forward.

Stretching her other arm an instant later, repeating the process, and ignoring the strutting blue-haired woman approaching with a hum and a smile, the woman that with hindsight, Tatsumaki should have dealt with long ago.

The muscles around her belly screamed at her. No doubt bruising already, courtesy of the bitch's earlier kick and punches.

But she wouldn't stop.

Couldn't stop.

For but a few feet from her, Yuha's body and head lay separated by scarcely a meter. And while on anyone else, this would be a deadly wound. The man she l—cared for. The man who first cared for Tatsu the woman and not Tatsu the heroine and the benefits her name could bring or Tatsu the 'legal loli'. That man, as the youth liked to often say, 'was simply built different'. So, if she could just get there on time and. And—

Her vision spun, and she tasted something vile rising from the back of her throat.

"Hrk!"

"Oh ho~ Is it finally properly kicking in~?" a voice she rapidly started to hate said.

"Gkh!"

Before a foot touched her, and, softly, in a parody of loving affection, gently flipped her over. Tatsumaki, back hitting the dirt, glared at Psykos.

"You…you…"

Psykos rolled her eyes. "Eloquent, my dear," she said, huffing and running a hand through her hair. "As for your boytoy, don't worry. His fate is already written, now, shall we write yours~?" a sadistic grin spread across Psykos face as the woman made a fist, raising it and—

A few seconds earlier:

Spittle flew from her mouth, but Grayfia didn't look at the grinning, provocatively clad ninja monster. Didn't care that his fist almost pierced through her abdomen, the skin around the fist already starting to bruise or that her back hurt from where it digged into the crumbling wall.

"Ah…"

The ninja, this…Sonic cocked an eyebrow and stepped back.

"Already broken then?" he shook his head. "How disappointing."

"Ah…"

For but a few dozen meters from her, the man who'd given her so much, who'd given her another chance at life. Who continued to stand by her and try to help her even when he had no reason to do so…

My Sun…

Yuha's head, with that disgusting thing still wrapped around him—

"Hmf. Don't worry, I'll make this quick, you weakling," Sonic said with a scoff and raised his right leg perpendicular to the ground, bending it.

"AHHHHH!"

Rage, fury, hate, sorrow and more filled her. Suffusing every inch, every corner of her body and Grayfia felt not the pain of the creature's prior blows anymore. Her arm shot upwards.

"Gkh! W-what's this?!"

She gripped the pest's leg, squeezing.

'Creak!'

"Arggh!" as around her taut, engorged muscles, her whole body really, a golden flame danced.

"Die!" she screamed, and with tears streaming down her eyes, her other arm shot forward, punching Sonic straight in the gut. And sending him flying, spittle mixed with blood flying from the wide-eyed man's mouth as he sailed through the air.

And Grayfia, still screaming, still roaring, trailed after him like a blazing golden comet.

"Gkh!"

Flying a few feet back, arms raised up front, holding his trusty bat, the bones in his forearms shaking and screaming in protest while steam rose from his trusted partner, the bat held in a diagonal position in front of him.

Metal Bat's feet scrambled for purchase, kicking up dirt all around the man as he finally managed to bleed off enough momentum to stop.

"Hoh? Impressive, young man, most impressive," the dark-haired, dark-skinned monster said, retracting his enormous clenched fist, crossing his arms in front of his chest and his black martial arts qi. The act helping accentuate the bone like spikes rising from the bone like growth covering his shoulders and around his wrists.

"Not many can survive a tap from me, much less repeatedly block my actual blows," the four eyed, sharp-eared creature said, the monster's lips pulling into a smile, causing the cross scar marking his chin to pull and stretch. "What is your name, young one?"

Well, Bat couldn't say that he'd been expecting to get into a conversation with a monster when he woke up today, but—

He glanced at Yuha's headless body and his heart clenched, his lips pulling into a momentary scowl. He faced the monster again.

Dammit!

The Rookie had held such promise too…

The bat creaked in protest and he relaxed his grip a tad, while a few meters to his left, the Maiko sat in a seiza position, her head slightly bowed, nigh pleading as she clutched her broken right arm, a result from an earlier testing tap of his bat.

Curious, he wondered. For it would seem that a monster with a sense of self preservation and a working set of instincts and, apparently, a functioning brain existed, but Metal Bat had bigger fish to fry or worry about at the moment.

And if the woman did not wish to fight any longer, far be it from him to try and change her mind. Unlike King, he could temper his battle-lust just fine. And one less combatant to deal with mattered quite a bit in his current circumstances.

"Metal Bat," he offered. Causing the creature to nod again.

After all, his companions' fights didn't seem to be going any better than his.

So, he needed to buy as much time as he could for either a lucky break or until reinforcements arrived.

"Hm, I see, I take it, then, that you are an S-rank hero?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Ah. Apologies, I did not mean to insinuate anything. You've merely confirmed what I've already suspected, young man. Namely, that only a hero above A-rank could hope to survive against me for any amount of time." The man offered a tiny nod. "And please, call me Gouketsu. Try to die well, yes?"

Metal Bat couldn't help it. A grin formed and, wiping a thin line of blood from his lips, grabbing his bat with hands again, he felt his fighting spirit kick in.

This bastard…makes me want to go all out!

The muscles in his legs tensed, ready to spring into action.

"Same to you!" he said, and with a roar jumped towards the man, his weapon sky high, ready to bash this Gouketsu's face in.

"Oi, you're just going to stand there and die?"

Groaning, Yuha opened bleary eyes. A hiss escaping past bleeding lips as the stream of information racing past her retinas nearly overwhelmed her, forcing her to raise an arm in front of her face in an unconscious bid to stop the stream.

And making her blink.

For her arm.

Metal?

The endless stream of data and warnings racing in front of her eyes.

As well as the man kneeling down next to her, flickering in and out of existence at his edges, as if but a mirage.

"Johnny... Cyberpunk…"

The sun-glasses wearing dark-haired ghost in the machine rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's my name don't wear it out, and no shit, of course we're cyberpunks, now, are you going to get up or are you going to let that bastard flatline us?" the man asked, jabbing the thump of his chrome arm behind him.

Pointing at the stomping figure approaching with an ominous slowness, the full borg's steps cracking the floor tiles with each step.

"Hmf. Just as I thought, nothing but a piece of fuckable meat, and soon enough you won't be good for even that much," the bogeyman of night city said, Adam Smasher's leering skull like visage staring down at Yuha. Before with a snort, Arasaka's nuclear option snorted and came to a stop, crossing his massive arms of myomer and steel, rifle flush against his body and glaring down at her.

"You've forced me to come deal with you, meat, so the least you could do is try to let me have some fun while you can still move, so, go on, get up!"

"Well, I can't believe I'm agreeing with him, of all people, but, do you need another invitation? Shall we perhaps roll out the red carpet for you?"

"Fuck you Johnny," she said with a groan, ignoring the signals of pain racing up her arms from her protesting cybernetics and as Yuha's many, many cybernetic organs and additions raced to try and repair her more machine than flesh body by this point, she gritted her teeth, spat to the side, the taste of oil mixed with blood lingering in her tongue and rose to her, only slightly, trembling feet, pushing herself away from the hole she'd made in the wall, pieces of steel, plastic, and plaster falling away from her.

"Hmf, your brain meat has already started to go, I see." The legend said with a snort, uncrossing his arms. "No matter, try to amuse me before you die, meat."

"Yeah, that's the spirit," the ghostly apparition by her side said. "Use that rage! And remember, if we don't make it out of here, you won't get to see that sweetheart of yours ever again. Why, before long someone else will come along and—"

"Shut up, Johnny," she growled and with a mental flex, a switch flipped and she activated her Sandevistan and Kerenzikov both. Yeah, normal Kerenzikov's didn't have an 'off' switch, nor could they be dialed down to something approximating a normal perception of time.

But, normally, even if it could be done now days, and something which still boggled Johny's mind for the man insisted that in his day this was flat out impossible. Normally, nobody stacked a Sandevistan and a Kerenzikov together either.

Yuha though…well legends became legends by trying flat out impossible shit and either dying or pulling it off.

And so far, she hadn't died, and she intended to keep it that way.

Still…

Thanks, Vic, I'll buy you a beer when I make it out of this and thanks for going along with my experimental somewhatcrazy of an idea.

The world slowed down to a crawl and suddenly the flies that'd been buzzing about froze mid-air, the sounds of the gonks down below, of weapons going off, of police sirens and the wind streaming in through the broken windows, everything else stopping, transforming into a uniform low grade continuous buzzing.

A smile split Yuha's face as the full borg gonk in front of her also activated his Sandevistan, uncrossing his arm, pointing his rifle at her, and she grinned.

For the man seemed so slow.

I'm faster choom! Time to die, you old fossil—

Stepping to the side and then towards the man through the world of frozen time, the skin on her forearms parted and blades climbed out of their sheathes within the cybernetic limbs and—

She blinked.

Stopping.

"Yuha, what are you doing?" Johnny asked, appearing in a hint of static, panic in his voice. "You're faster, yes. You can keep your Sandy-Kery combo active for far longer than you should, but still, this is not a good time to ponder and reflect! Don't tell me you've chosen now off all times to lose it?"

She stared at the blades in her arms.

Her arms.

'Voomp!'

A pendant with a slight hole in it appeared, hanging near the middle of her chest. It glowed.

Wait. This isn't right…

Yuha's arms rose as the memories flooded in and he grasped the pendant, closed his eyes, and focused.

The dream faded.

Something squirmed.

He blacked out.

"Stay still damn you!" Reptera roared as the frantic A-ranker weaved between the woman's blows, Kisha only catching glimpses of their fight out of the corner of her eyes, being somewhat preoccupied with the monster's very own sister.

"I'd consider it if you wouldn't skewer me like a fish the moment I did," Sneck replied.

"Graaaargh!" Causing the blonde monster's fury to rage as she redoubled her efforts to kill the man.

"Neh Neh! Sister's is having fun! That's great, is it not~?" Kisha's opponent and Reptera's sibling said.

Kisha gritted her teeth, taking gasping breaths while continuing to sweat buckets. Her arms trembling from the exertion.

Dammit! Give me a good book, a hot mug of chocolate and I can go all day! But this…I'm not a battle maniac like Nisha!

"Gkh!"

And speak of the rockworm…

Her sister stepped into, or rather tumbled and rolled into view, kicking up dirt everywhere as she came to a stop next to Kisha.

Making her cough and sneeze as some of it got in her nose.

"That bitch…" Nisha growled, leaping to her feet and making to dash towards the laughing monster in Bdsm garb busy toying with Charanko.

"Ah! More toys to play with~!" Raptora chirped, jumping towards them, causing Kisha to tense only for her sister to growl, and Nisha, with fury in her eyes spinned to face Raptora, sending her black hair swaying, stepping in front of Kisha, weaving under the reptile monster's first blows, before Nisha's own blow landed squarely in the middle of the monster's black bra.

"Piss off!"

"Eek!"

Sending Raptora tumbling backwards.

And with a huff, Nisha turned towards her.

"Stop playing with her and go help the hero, will you?"

"Err…" Kisha blushed and ducked her head. "I…I wasn't playing," she said, and her sister threw her arms up in the air.

"Oh, for the love off…" before something caught her eye and with a blink, she squinted to the side. "Wait…"

"Sister?"

But Nisha continued to stare.

"I can't believe it."

"What is it?"

Nisha inclined her head in the direction of her previous opponent, causing her to turn as well.

"That bitch, she is taking it easy on the brat. Going just hard enough to keep him struggling but fighting nowhere near as hard as she did against me. Hell, judging by how many openings the stammering fool has—"

A thunderous blow shook the floor, and their heads snapped towards the source of it, where Metal Bat and Goketsu continued to exchange blows.

Nisha frowned. Growling, before she stilled and Kisha stared at her.

"Sister?"

"…I have an idea."

The black-haired woman faced her. "I'll fight the weakling in your stead," she said, pointing with her thump behind her at Raptora who rose on unsteady feet. "You…you prepare and help Bat with the big one, yeah?"

What?!

She goggled at her sister.

What the hell, you dumbass? What do you want me to do about big, ugly and scary over there that your boyfriend or you yourself can't already do? It's not like I have the strength or the power to…oh.

An inkling of an idea sprung into existence.

If that's what you're thinking…then yeah, that could work!

"But what about the—"

Nisha waved her off. "Charanko can deal with her, as long as he continues…what's the word? Ah yes, as long as he continues simping over her, I suspect he'll be quite fine."

Kisha cocked her head. "'Simping'? What's that?"

And her sister sighed, the woman's shoulders slumping some. "Ask Bat's sister to explain it to you. Now, go!"

Nodding she turned and dashed a few dozen meters away, coming to a stop, facing the distant gigantic dark-skinned figure and stretching out her arm, her palm making a grasping motion as if holding a sword, or a spear, but, facing the ground instead of the heavens.

The earth rippled.

And Kisha chanced a glance at the distant figure of her King. Her heart filling with rage. The only thing helping her remain focused the fact that through the earth she could feel that her lord continued to live.

Keep fighting my Lord!

Fubuki, tears streaming down her eyes, alternated between glaring at the hag with an inhumanly wide smile and gazing with horror at the sight of her l-subordinate with the highest potential.

"Fufufu~ Yes, I've made up my mind," the monster said, nodding to herself and Fubuki cursed herself again for not having listened to Lily back then, the girl's instincts sharp as always.

But then again, as withered vice like fingers grabbed her jaw, turning her struggling head this and that way, in a manner similar to that of a prospective buyer examining a new horse—

Perhaps it is better that I did not.

For the monster holding both her and Lily…

The hag's strength almost made her shudder.

She must be a Dragon level, or close!

Back then…they would have died.

Not that they stood a much better chance now, but, Yuha at least could—

Her heart clenched.

Yuha…

She refused to believe it. The man couldn't be dead! After all, he'd survived much worse and besides, her nascent ki senses, weak as they might be, all but confirmed that the man still drew breath.

But.

For how much longer will he continue to do so?

She needed to somehow get out of this, find a way and then go and help her sister and Yuha both to, to…

A sob escaped past Fubuki's lips.

Oh, who am I kidding? Once again, when the chips are down and it matters most, I'm useless. Only this time…

This time, neither Tatsumaki nor Yuha could save her.

Some hero I am…

And her boyfriend had even granted her new powers and unlocked within her the potential to grow even stronger, and what had she done with it?

Nothing. Continuing to laze about and rest on her laurels. Content.

After all, Tatsumaki and Yuha would always be there to pull her bacon out of the fire would they not?

"You'll…you'll pay you bitch!"

"Tut tut!" the monster said, shaking her head in mock disappointment at Lily. "Such a foul mouth on that one," she grinned. "But no matter, you will learn. Both of you will learn your place underneath me!"

Heavens, even Lily had jumped into the training bandwagon with gusto. Eager to grow stronger so as to protect her, Yuha, and everyone else. The young girl ever eager to make up for her youthful mistakes, still guilty about that, and determined not to lose a second set of parents and make the old couple proud.

And what had Fubuki been doing?

Nothing.

The hag raised an arm.

"But, why not start with your education right now, mmh~?" the monster cooed and her palm fell towards the wide-eyed Lily.

And Fubuki squirmed. "No! Please!" but her pleas fell on deaf ears and she could do naught but watch as—

'Slam!'

A pair of green boots belonging to a set of feet clad in a pair of detached pants more similar to thighhighs than proper pants slammed into the monster, forcing the hag to break a chair with her face, said face burying into the stands floor an instant later as the owner of the pale feet stood atop the hag's head.

Making Fubuki goggle as the pale-haired woman in denim shorts and a brown crop top stretched upwards.

"Ahh! I made it in time and it seems the festivities are still going, dechi!" the green-eyed woman blinked and then looked over her shoulder, scanning the fighters, smiled and waved an arm while beneath her the hag growled. "Ah! Kisha! Nisha! Hello!"

"Help you idiot!" the brunette princess' voice came from down below.

Making the white-haired woman swivel about, feet still planted atop the hag's head and cock her head to the side, and some small delirious part of Fubuki screamed at the injustice of it all.

For she somehow could tell, having seen the woman's front and now her equally sculpted back, that the newcomer paid little attention to her diet and still maintained such a majestic figure.

If I, she glanced at Yuha. If we, survive this…I'll start to train seriously as well.

She had her pride, dammit!

"Dechi?" the newcomer said, raising a finger to her chin.

"You!" Lily said, drawing the woman's attention.

"Yes?"

"That's a monster you're standing on. A bad guy. And down below those aren't festivities but a fight."

"Oh! Then why didn't you say so?" she asked with a shrug, and before Fubuki could curse the air-headed woman, the newcomer stepped away from the hag.

And kicked her so hard that Fubuki winced and her ears popped, ringing as the woman's kick broke the sound barrier.

"Gkah!" sending the hag careening down below and towards Metal Bat and the rest.

The newcomer turned with a satisfied smile, rubbing a finger below her nose, chest puffed out.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Kuku!"

Fubuki half-laughed, half-sobbed.

Psykos, fist frozen in the air, stared. And continued to stare at the mayhem taking place all around her.

From the roaring Mosquito Girl, now fighting on even grounds with Sonic, the woman's Gray hair standing upright a golden aura blazing around her, one that even that sprung back into existence again and again despite some of Sonic's hits knocking her out off it.

To Metal Bat holding his own against the martial idiot, somehow.

And to the newcomer who sent a stab of terror through Psykos' heart and she dared not glance at her too much.

I can't path her at all. And it's not due to strength at all! She…she reminds me off…

She shuddered and, with an effort of will, her smile blossomed once more.

That's…that's ok, I never thought I'd need it, but, it pays to have backups for your backups and so.

Snapping the fingers of her free arm, she played her last card even as she kept glaring at Tatsumaki.

"You're up," she shouted. "Deal with the newcomer!" she ordered before punching the green-haired esper.

"Gkah!"

And up above in the stands, a figure stood, throwing off its cloak and revealing a black figure that, depending on your angle of view, looked to be shining gold.

I can't believe it's come to this!

Much as it saddened her, it would seem that Psykos would have to cut her fun time short.

Drawing back her fist away from the gasping esper, she glanced at Gouketsu, the hag, and Sonic.

"Deal with the heroes, and then, kill the other weaklings as well," she ordered, drawing gasps from the failures.

They would have to make their escape sooner than she'd thought, and Psykos did not make a habit of rewarding failure or carrying useless weaklings.