~NRK~
The ride towards the church had been done in a helicopter as more and more soldiers began to converge on the location.
Blockades, public announcements, and street barriers shot up as Parasoul's eyes narrowed on the location of the Church of Trinity.
"Are you all ready?" She asked the chosen many in the helicopter.
Marie nodded, body completely covered by her Skull Power Armor.
Cerebella frowned as she held her Living Weapon in her hands.
Annie nodded as she held her sheathed blade and Sagan, the Remote Parasite sat in her lap.
Squigly and Leviathan nodded as they sat there with the former-zombie now in her new 'combat uniform'.
Wearing a new dark purple dress with a normal-looking chest plate instead of a skull-based one, her lower half beneath it was covered by some thick tights and ballet flats, the former-zombie's eyes closing as she took several deep breaths while Leviathan coiled around her waist and rested his head in her lap.
Finally, Samson and Dog sat near Marie, the gruff Theon's eyes out towards the evening sky. The darkening hue ignited a feeling of finality that he glared at.
'She's not getting away this time,' Samson growled mentally.
Flying at the group's side, Big Band adjusted in the air as Ileum sat on his back.
Still bearing a big coat, the man's face was hidden by a black mask instead of a built-in respirator while Ileum's body was covered by a black tracksuit, boots, and her usual mask, not a hint of Salamander Shell to be seen.
"This will be familiar, won't it?" She asked her bigger comrade. "Ben…"
"It's gonna be a tough fight, we know that much," the man spoke, voice normal with only the slightest of reverb. "If this Parasite woman has been around for so long, she's had to have made some power moves over the years. And less said about a monster that even the Skull Heart relies on, the better. We're gonna be up against a lot of unknowns."
Ileum nodded, forehead pressed to his back. "I wonder what will come at the end of all of this, for us, I mean," what visible skin could be seen on her face grew a bit pink.
Big Band flinched, cheeks growing red as she giggled a bit.
Down below, Valentine followed the group with narrowed eyes in her usual combat attire, the ninja nurse scaling buildings and crossing street lamps with grace and ease..
"What's happening?" She wondered as her earpiece sparked to life.
-This is too sudden, didn't you say that the Uchiha compound got destroyed?- Brain Drain asked over the line.
"Yeah… You don't think…"
-High chance it's connected. The oddest part of all of this is that Obito Uchiha isn't following?-
Yeah, that'd been weird as well.
From their surveillance, they hadn't seen him around, at all. Crazily enough, she was sure she saw Marie in that Black Egrets helicopter with a badly disguised Parasoul.
So, putting those together… Her eyes narrowed. "Did Obito Uchiha get kidnapped?" She offered.
-That sounds ridiculous from what we've recently learned of him- Christmas said over the line, rapid typing reaching the nurse-ninja's ears. -... But if Marie Uchiha is in that copter, in a new form from your own reservations and sensory machines, that must mean this is important to her… This isn't good. Why? Or, really, how?-
-Both damning questions- Brain Drain said. -Valentine, do your best to stay out of sight but ascertain the situation if you can. The last thing I want to think about is someone using that man as a resource-
"Affirmative," Valentine nodded, turning it off. "If someone's taken Obito, that has to mean they know something about him or," the worst-case scenario?
They were stronger than he was, which was sounding bad all around.
But, they had something to use here. The former-Skullgirl, Anti-Skullgirl units, the Black Egrets led by the Princess, and more if Annie of the Stars wasn't just a TV star.
~NRK~
Obito's eyes narrowed as Horace kept him in his grip.
Ahead, Eliza & Albus did battle with the disgustingly transforming Double.
The long-living Parasite Host seemed to be a fighter of, surprisingly, good art as she wielded her scythe & its flames, her blood, her skeleton, and henchman like an artist.
Albus was the muscle she didn't have and seemingly more sturdy as Double's enlarged fists, wicked mutated giant jaws, and thin whips, all formed out of her disgusting flesh, seemed to do reduced damage.
Double, meanwhile, was as disgusting as he'd noted but he found worrying implications in her moveset.
'She's changing into people for each different move,' why? What purpose did that serve?
If this disgusting creature was around as long as the Skull Heart, at least, wouldn't she have realized how horrid such a fighting style was?
Or was that presumptuous? He didn't even know if 'Double' was a fighter in the first place.
'I need to burn the three of them at the same time,' as noted before, Obito had gotten some energy back but not enough.
The former Medici didn't have a lot for jutsu at the moment.
'And then there's this bird,' he thought with a glare he hid from Horace's gaze. "I don't understand why you all seek this. What purpose does this serve? If she wanted a date, she should have asked."
"Hmm, our lady's methods for courtship can seem odd, at times," the bird man said as Obito sweatdropped. "But she's always led us well, this is merely a 'kink' in the method."
"Why did you use that word specifically?"
"..."
"Oh my God," he had to leave now lest his 'chastity' be in danger. 'And the ground's full of energy,' odd energy that felt like SHP. 'Is this what an area that holds the Skull Heart for too long looks like?' Or was it a sort of incubation chamber made by Double?
He didn't know a lot about all of this and that couldn't be allowed to stay that way.
There was a large tornado of red flames that tore apart the ground, the strength in it strong enough to have the two men skidding back.
'She's stronger than most people in the city,' nothing on the level of Marie back when she was a Skullgirl but the woman had strength. 'She's almost as strong as Samson in his true form.'
When the tornado of bloody fire came to an end, his gaze narrowed as Eliza yawned into her hand while Double stood far away from her.
"Honestly, I haven't had to use skills like this in a while, Double," the Egyptian said with narrowed eyes. "I am a bit rusty but you're not exactly a grand fighter," Eliza teased smugly.
Double's form hissed with steam and bubbling flesh but nothing more, the abomination's many eyes narrowing onto the Parasite Host as Albus got up from his crouch beside his boss.
"She's a real disgustin' dame, ma'am," the jackal grimaced as his coat laid on the floor in tatters, body covered in marks and cuts but nothing too serious. "And she's not easy to catch off-guard, I guess that's a goddess for ya," he told her as Eliza hummed.
'I need more blood,' trying to fend off Double wasn't doing her any favors.
The woman's seemingly never-ending flesh, endurance, and power weren't to scoff at. If Albus hadn't had his little charms, this might have been going differently.
"... Ah, of course," Eliza grinned knowingly as she turned her back on Double, walking over to Horace and Obito, confusing the latter as the former made an 'ahh' sound.
"I see, please, partake, madam," the bespectacled bird man offered as he held Obito up, the human man on his feet and growing more worried by the second.
Obito balked as she stood in front of him, their eyes locked as she slid her hand around his bicep before it went up and cupped his chin. "...?!" Wait.
The blood-using Parasite was coming in close?!
Lifting his head a bit, she came in close with a chuckle. "I'm going to partake now, dearie," she smiled at him.
Obito's eyes narrowed as flames spilled from his lips as his doujutsu whirled-
Eliza's sclera burned blood red.
The former Medici's eyes widened in disbelief as something spread from her hand down his neck and around his body, a shifting number of scarabs that bit into his flesh and began to glow a blue hue.
His knees buckled as his eyes widened, Sharingan blazing before flickering back to his normal eyes.
"What?!" How?!
"Oh, honey," Eliza nipped at his neck and a horrified jolt down his spine. "I don't ignore the news," she whispered.
Before turning his head and cutting his lip with a long fingernail.
Obito grunted as she kissed him deeply, her tongue cold and 'sharp' as it flicked at his outer-lip before she pulled away with a small lick.
With eyes that burned like red stars and a body that wore an intense glow.
"I see," she hissed out, teeth sharp and inhuman as she grinned at him possessively. "You're not to be left alone, forevermore."
Obito was horrified by what'd just taken place. "Why?!" He tugged on his bindings, causing Horace to stumble before his body throbbed as more of those scarabs bit in.
Eliza cupped her chin in unmuted interest as some fell off, engorged and dead from over-eating.
"Hm, hm, hm, yes," she told him. "We'll enjoy a tenure I'd have only allowed Samson to have enjoyed, human," Eliza chuckled before bloody wings shot out of her back as her headdress grew alive and enlarged before dropping around her, its form curling to her whims. "I'm ready for some fun, you lackey," she told the meaty monster who growled vocally.
"You'll find your tomb, you witch!"
Four car-sized limbs shot out from Double's back before slamming, and slipping, into the veiny-blue ground below before it all trembled.
The area did and Obito's eyes narrowed before he began to lift off the ground via Eliza's hold on his waist.
Albus and Horace blinked in surprise at the giant red scarabs lifting them high into the air as their mistress flew with ease.
"His blood must be quite spectacular," Horace noted while he adjusted his glasses. "The madam's control over her subjects is usually not so intense."
Albus smirked. "She got a power-up, sounds about right for the guy she chose," he said as the older man chuckled.
Obito was feeling shame. 'I can't let this happen,' he thought with narrowed eyes. 'I'm giving her more power!'
He'd never become the reason for another world almost falling to ruin! Never again!
The scarabs around him buzzed with that blue glow and he could feel them siphoning his chakra… So, if that's what they wanted?
Time to feed them!
He remembered the mix of Yin and Fire Chakras from the day before, his body molding the two nature transformations into his energy before he slowly covered himself in a film of the mix.
The scarabs shivered and grew a bit more frantic as his body shivered.
'More!' He thought with clenched-shut eyes, body's spasms ignored as giant hands shot up from below towards the quartet.
Eliza jerked around with a grinning expression, the feeling of Obito's blood in her veins sending a cascade of newfound power throughout her being.
As she took herself and her henchmen out of the way of a trio of pincering claws, she grinned wickedly as two scarabs shot off of Obito's body before enlarging to the size of a large van.
They slammed into the oncoming fists and exploded on contact, sending hissing bloody stumps back into the ground as Double growled in pain.
"Hm, hm, I knew it!" She grinned as she shot around on flaming wings, bringing herself and Obito into a circling dive towards Double. "You're so SIMPLE!" Eliza roared as two more of her bloody insects shot at the abomination.
Double shot back with deceptive speed as explosions of red flames shot behind her, tearing up the veiny-looking ground and revealing gushy blue paste-like liquid beneath it all and more bones than one would like.
"Oohh~! That's interesting, you deceiver!"
Eliza's body floated above the shredded patch of 'ground' with intrigue before chuckling.
"Of course, why would I ignore the Incubation Chamber's power source of 'Life'! You make this too easy, puppet," the egyptian-based Parasite said with a sly smirk as she brought Horace and Albus down. "Once I'm done with you, there will be nothing to stop me-"
The area rumbled, all eyes going up above as dust fell from the vein-covered ceiling.
'We wasted too much time,' Eliza thought with narrowed eyes. 'I need to deal with her before that child comes here,' and those other curious individuals if the Host's hunch was correct.
Double, meanwhile, was now worried. 'If they find this place…' It'd be a catastrophe that couldn't be handled.
All her work, all her effort, gone.
All because of this vile WITCH!
Her many eyes narrowed in on the seemingly in-pain Obito.
And that one! He was a wrench in 'their' games and brought this fight into the current state of being drawn-out!
'He'd likely be a valuable source of energy,' from the increase in Eliza's abilities, Double could be sure that thought was correct. 'But can I get him from her?'
Eliza's own glare was emphasized by her newly blood-red sclera.
Then, Double's eyes narrowed as she 'snaked' out of a coiling snakes grip, the former-headdress hissing at her as Eliza smirked.
"Mere obstacles to your demise!"
~NRK~
Marie growled as she raised her hands into the air, blue aura shooting out above the church and forming large bone needles that shot down onto the church's roof.
They punched through the simple tile and stone as Annie placed her hands on hips at her side.
"So, they're in some incubation chamber below, right?" The former Eternal Girl asked the armored-up Annie.
"Yes!" The far-younger girl declared as she sent another volley inside.
"Hmph, then we know what to do," Annie said to Samson, Dog, Cerebella, Squigly, and Parasoul. "You sure you're up for this, princess? No offense but these two are likely gonna be 'out of your world' kind of strong."
"I'll manage," Parasoul said with narrowed eyes as Big Band floated beside them, Ileum standing up from his shoulders. "We have enough forces to keep his fight contained, hopefully," she added as Marie led the charge.
She jumped out of the helicopter into a hole she'd made.
"Alright," Cerebella frowned as she followed after her, Vice-Versa in her hands. "Hold on, Obito!"
"Who is she again?" The Renoir princess asked as Annie snickered.
"Unrequited," she said as she jumped in with Sagan on her shoulder.
"What?!"
"Uh, yeah, Obi's got a lot of admirers," Samson said as Parasoul's brow lowered. "Go easy on him, he ain't entertainin' nuthin!"
"Yes, Samson, I'm well-aware," Parasoul huffed as she jumped.
"My man, I hope I did ya some good."
Squigly giggled as he and Dog jumped in.
"Let's go, Leviathan," she grinned.
"To the ends of the earth, madam," the serpent Theon said with a grin.
~NRK~
Meanwhile, the battle down below had escalated.
Obito grit his teeth as he was dragged around at high speeds, the sounds of explosions, the strong scent of disgusting blood, and the amount of horrid-smelling meat all arising into a horrid mess for his senses.
'Focus on it,' he'd gotten half the scarabs off, thankful for Eliza's constant use of them to hide his efforts. 'My condition isn't helping matters,' Obito needed more energy to make this faster.
And the more these two fought, a victor was becoming clearer as he noted the lowering amount of Double's attacks.
As he burned more and more chakra, Eliza unleashed another volley of his restraining scarabs to tear apart the ground.
"Not much longer, lover," she whispered to him as they shot up and watched Double's form fend off Albus, Horace, and the headdress snake keeping her attacks down to a minimum. "She's not going to last against my forces."
Obito growled. "And, what? You'll take her place as an incubation chamber?" He snarked.
Eliza looked… touched, oh no.
"Oh, jumping ahead, well, I'm one who can date after a 'kiss'."
Someone get this crazy woman away from him!
And, as if to answer his pleas to the heavens, the ceiling cracked.
All combat came to a halt as it did, Eliza's eyes widening as blue and pink light filtered through the cracks before it exploded downward.
Obito's eyes widened as he caught sight of a single glowing-blue figure in the midst of the falling debris.
She turned her head and they locked gazes.
"GET AWAY FROM MY DAD, YOU BITCH!" She roared out as her power intensified.
Eliza flew in and around the large number of white bone spikes that formed around Marie and shot towards her, the Parasite's eyes narrowing as she swooped in and out of 'conflict' like a sparrow.
"Annoying!" She hissed as Obito grinned beneath his breath. "Attack!" Eliza ordered as more scarabs left Obito's body, enlarging and turning in blazing projectiles.
Only to be swiftly cut down by a series of slashes by none other than Annie, the former eternal grinning as she fell just in time to be in front of Eliza.
"CHEESE!" She called out as Sagan opened his mouth.
An intense flash of yellow light slammed into Eliza's eyes before she stumbled, the vampiric woman hissing out expletives as she struggled to stay up before being brought down by a hulking Samson.
"DOWN YA GO!" He shouted as he brought two enlarged fists of hair down on her back, the double blows sending her careening towards the ground with a shriek.
"MADAM?!" Horace's head snapped back as Albus growled, the ground shaking after their leader's 'dismissal'.
Obito looked resolute in the now single ring of scarabs' hold before blue flame-like power shot around him.
The scarabs hissed and screeched before they fell off, Obito finding his body free before he fell into the worried hold of Marie.
"D-Dad?" She spoke to him, helmet splitting away to reveal her worried expression as they floated in the air. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, are you?" Parasoul asked from beside them, floating in the air with Krieg's popped-out form.
"Yes… Whew," Obito grunted a bit. "But that vampire took some of my blood."
"OBITO?!" Cerebella called out, confusing him, as she floated besides the trio with her Living Weapon. "Y-You're not looking so hot right now," she said nervously and with concern.
"Cerebella, what are… Whatever, it doesn't matter right now. For now, let's get back to the others."
Marie nodded, giant skeletal arms forming out of her back and hefting up the princess and acrobat before they floated down to a waiting Samson and Annie.
"You doing hot, bud?" The actress asked.
"Half-drained and half-concerned due to Eliza's penchant for liking my blood," Obito admitted as the others winced, looking back at the getting-to-her-feet charity singer. "And she's obsessed so… Not my greatest interest."
Parasoul frowned deeply as Cerebella looked nervous.
"This is way above my paygrade," the acrobat muttered as Eliza's allies gathered around her with worried looks that quickly turned to glares that went their way. "U-Um, d-do we leave now?" She asked, paling before she hid behind Obito with a nervous peek around his side.
"We have to destroy them now," Marie declared as she floated at Obito's side, the man nodding with a glare of his own.
"They're too dangerous to let live," he echoed. "Not just that, that thing over there," their eyes went to Double.
Disgust ran rampant amongst the newcomers, most of whom turned green, at the mere sight of whatever the hell Double was.
"I-I'm gonna…" Cerebella covered her mouth and swallowed what wished to come with barely strong enough willpower, her entire being looking ready to faint in disgust. "O-Oh goddess."
Parasoul was reviled, yes, but the woman felt more anger than any disgust.
"T-That damnable monster," she hissed, fists clenched as Krieg's eye spots turned red. "Of course, she'd look as disgusting as she is as a monster."
Samson frowned as his hulking form settled by Obito's side. "Bud, you're really not doing so hot," he whispered in an impossibly soft tone, only Obito and Marie hearing him.
Marie looked at her father and truly noticed the haggard nature of the man.
"Dad?" She whispered, noticing the popping veins coming off his brow, neck, and chest.
"It's kind of been a day of no rest for me," Obito whispered back, raising a hand and clenching it to stop its shaking. "And she fed off of me while restraining me with those energy-eating scarabs. Samson, Marie, I am not in any condition for a long fight."
Double hissed at everything, reading the man's lips. 'I must take him and push him into the Pit,' the man was a veritable well of energy she needed if she was going to even have a chance in this fight. 'That bitch is ruining everything!' She boiled and steam visibly.
Eliza's eyes glared at the newcomers, eyes going to Obito's where she saw the man's own glare. 'I need to get him back,' and possibly get another kiss and suck of blood. 'His is too powerful,' Eliza was sure.
She'd be able to rule the world as was her right. But now they were in this situation.
Even now, her wounds stitched back together with such interest, she was truly laid bare to what her body's peak condition felt like. "... Horace," she whispered as her oldest subordinate nodded. "I need him, Horace, Albus. This man is the dividing line between us and where the world will be."
Albus cracked his knuckles at that. "Consider it done," the jackal hissed as he pulled a scale out from his pocket, the tiny item growing to such a size that he could heft it over his shoulder. "I'm gonna be tipping."
"Do it," the owl man said as he tightened his gloves, the articles of clothing glowing gold with a sun-like mark forming on the back of his knuckles. "This will require all our wits and strength, especially when dealing with the former-Skullgirl."
The jackal slammed his weighing weapon down onto the ground, the area around them shuddering as he did.
"What's he doing… O-Oh crap!" Annie began to wonder before she saw the weapon and recognized it. "Obito, bad fucking news."
"What is it?" The Uchiha man asked with a grimace.
"That's the Scale of Justice, a painful soul-weighing item," she grimaced as her sword began to leave its sheath. "Prepare for the most soul-crushing thing outside of a rejection in an open theater."
"Oddly specific."
"That's all that compares."
The two sides of Albus's weapons glowed white and black.
"Man, it's… Been a while since I've done this!" He grunted as his eyes began to glow white. "LET OUR SOULS BE WEIGHED!"
The difference was felt almost immediately as the air tinted gray before weighing down on the group.
"W-What?!" Parasoul grunted as she hit a knee, the feeling of disgusting veins and pulsing from below offending her. "K-Krieg!"
The Living Weapon's eyes glowed before her form was outlined by the golden-orange glow of its eye pockets, the princess letting out a sigh of relief.
Samson raised a brow at Eliza's scoff, the rest of the group looking unbothered… save for Obito. "Shit, you're the only one without an outside force to work with," he said as even Marie stood up in the face of the soul-altering weight.
Obito, meanwhile, struggled on his hands and knees at the feeling. 'This is my soul being weighed?' Against what? What was the trick?
His eyes snapped to Albus's grip on his weapon, the jackal man's glowing eyes confusing him.
"... Wait, is this the weight-"
"Of his soul," Annie said from beside him in all her glowing yellow glory, looking at him in concern as Cerebella sighed in relief behind them, her grip on Vice-Versa relaxing as her hat's arms came out in dual thumbs-ups. "You need to get out of here," she told him with a frown. "Our souls are being protected by our Artifacts or artifact power."
Marie kneeled to Obito's level and held onto his bicep, looking angered yet scared for him.
'What luck, am I right?' Obito thought with a hiss, body flickering with chakra. 'It's too weak, I can't even get up?' How pathetic.
"Dad, please, d-don't push yourself," Marie pleaded as the man looked down with a hiss… Before his shoulders went a bit slack.
"... Cerebella," Obito called as his former fellow gang member jumped.
"Y-Yo?! I, uh, guess I'm getting you out of here," the glowing-orange acrobat said quickly as one of Vice-Versa's arms came out and grabbed him, cradling the man in one of its large hands. "Geez, alright, I'm going," she told the others who nodded.
"That thing affects this space," Samson explained. "Get him out of the church and he should be good," he said as his eyes snapped to Double's form only to blink as the meaty being began to slip into the ground. "NOW! She's pulling some shit!"
Double hissed as she vanished, Eliza taking flight above while Horace charged the group.
And all three opponents came to a screeching halt as a large bony humanoid dragon arose from the ichor and blue liquid.
"No, you won't," Leviathan said as the ground behind Horace split. "Now, madam!"
The owl man jerked as a pair of hands gripped his ankle, his eyes snapping down in horror at the grinning Squigly.
"CHARMED!" The purple girl pulled and swung.
The strength in her body was alarming as the bird man went flying backwards, Horace tucking into a roll he crouched out of with a snarl.
"Harlots!"
"Well I never!" Squigly shouted back, very offended. "You're not gentlemanly at all!"
"Y-You brat!" Horace shouted back, looking just as peeved. "I am DISTINGUISHED!"
"As a glass of Strawberry Schnapps!"
The man looked horrified.
Albus's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the two arguing over one another's 'decor'. 'Why am I here again?' Oh, right, his lady.
He'd almost forgotten.
"I need a pick-up!" Cerebella called out as she ran away with Obito. "Now!"
Ileum dropped down from above before one of her arms latched onto the hole in the ceiling and extended.
Dropping near Cerebella, she nodded to her as her body glowed a soft red-pink.
"Pick-up?" She asked as she noticed Obito. "Let's get him out of here," Ileum's other hand reached out before wrapping around the duo, the three beginning to go back up with her other retracting arm. "You need to stay out of this fight, Mr. Uchiha."
"Trust me, I'll try," Obito grunted as he looked back down to see Eliza swerving through Leviathan's giant claws, the vampiric woman shooting towards them. "Where's Big Band?"
"Managing the outside exits," she whispered. "We don't want any of them escaping."
"Good."
Down with Leviathan, the serpent Theon's eyes narrowed as he kept trying to catch Eliza.
'Is Obito's blood so potent?' How was Eliza so agile? What had she done to their employer? "You won't leave here alive!"
His roar rocked the air around the flying woman who grimaced with a visceral hiss. "Damn you!" She struggled in the air only for a giant fist of hair to slam into her stomach. "KAUGH?!"
She was sent falling once more as Albus gasped.
"Ma'am?!" He cried out before twisting the center of his staff, detaching the bottom half as the top with the scales remained floating in the air. "You damn bastards!"
He lunged with his flat-headed 'hammer', slamming it into Samson's raised arms before the brutish Theon was sent flying.
"Gah?! What is he? That Super-guy?!" He tumbled before Annie ran towards Albus.
"It's the heavyweight part!" She called out before slashing at Albus's weapon with a glowing slash, the jackal man grunting as the ground beneath his feet crumpled. "You're well-trained!"
He folded as she kicked at chest, the power in the blow ridiculously surprising as he wheezed.
Annie followed up with an upper-cut filled with glittering power, the shining punch sending Albus flipping back before he hit the ground.
"Heh, a real knockout!" She lunged for him as he threw his body back to dodge the, mentally, woman chasing after him.
As those two locked weapons time and time again, Parasoul held up Krieg with a glare at the floor.
The umbrella opened before the eyes on it glowed orange, the princess swinging out Krieg and tossing out 'Teardrops' that exploded against the throbbing ground before releasing intense heat that brought the fleshy monster that was Double out of the ground with a hiss.
Parasoul's glare broke through the flames as the meat creature transformed back into her nun form, closed eyes' eyebrows furrowed.
"It's been some time, Princess," Double said as the shadows from the flames revealed her distorted shadow. "Last I saw you, you were but an ignorant little girl," her eyes opened to reveal their bloody glare. "I'm glad to know you haven't changed in the least."
"And you're the monster you fool everyone but yourself that you're not," Parasoul declared with gleaming amber eyes, her Living Weapon raised at the monster's head. "But only one of us will get the chance to change after today."
Double's eyes narrowed. 'Annoying,' she wasn't at full power right now.
The attacks, fighting off Eliza, blocking the blows of her minions, Double hadn't been at a 'full tank' in the past thirty minutes. In fact, she wasn't even at half-strength.
At present, this woman was actually extremely capable of killing her. A fact that made her face contort into rage that was only fit for the devil himself.
Parasoul's eyes narrowed before she raised a walkie-talkie?
She turned it on a Double felt a feeling of dread run down her nonexistent spine.
"Number 13-"
The monstrous mistress made to move back-
"FIRE."
Something 'popped' in the distance, something that confused her to end before a blossoming heat sprouted from her abdomen.
Double screeched as flames ate at her stomach, the creature's body distorting back into her real form before she was squishing at the hisses.
"AHH!" She struggled to claw at the injured parts and try to throw them away, the marks at her flesh causing more intense pain as she did. "DAMN YOU!" Double cursed Parasoul who shot her an apathetic look as Krieg's eyes began to glow again.
She sent out two slashes that carved trails of flames towards the hissing monster.
Up above, Cerebella sighed in relief as she carried Obito out of the church before coming to a nervous halt at the number of Black Egrets around.
"It's fine," Ileum told her with a kind nod, leading her and Obito out of the blockade towards Adam standing outside of a large armored vehicle.
Taking one look at the drained Uchiha, he frowned softly before gesturing inside.
As they got in, Cerebella sighed in relief and worry. 'What's gonna happen now?' Not only was she seen working with the Black Egrets, the princess's forces, the acrobat didn't know what to tell Vitale about Eliza basically being some crazy-ass vampire.
"My life took a crazy turn somewhere and I don't know how to make it stop," she said as she puffed Vice-Versa in her lap, the Living Weapon pleased with it.
"Hmph," Obito grunted beside her with a soft hiss, body resting. "Sorry about that," he apologized to her with a look her way.
She muttered something, rubbing her cheek as she looked down from him. "I-It's not your fault we're in this mess."
"My crazy stalker situation would say otherwise."
Cerebella rubbed the back of her head at that. "Um, I mean, it's kinda my fault she came with. I'm sure I could have come on by on my own but Vitale said she was hired help," she grumbled. "That turned out to be… Well, a sucky mistake."
Obito understood but also knew that this young woman was still rather 'on the Medici side'. Not by her own choice, not one she could have made, but by simple circumstance.
"Hmmm… I owe you a debt, Cerebella, I'll help you how I can," Obito let out a breath as he told her while their car began to move, the acrobat's cheeks burning as she turned her head to him. "I'm well-aware that my departure sent the entire freaking family into a tizzy."
"Y-Yeah, um, something else that you might want to know?" He groaned but nodded. "So, Lorenzo might have gotten a letter of challenge from the Emperor."
"Wait, what?" He'd not known of this. "I… Okay, so, let me be transparent, I knew about the Emperor preparing to attack Lorenzo," Cerebella blinked in surprise. "From my meeting with the River King. The point is, I knew but I was of the opinion he wasn't going to make a move until a few weeks from now."
"What should we do?" She asked, wringing her hat a bit before wincing as she pat Vice-Versa's head. "Sorry, bud, I'm just worried," Cerebella sighed.
"... Your worry is… It's from a good place," Ileum said after a moment or few of thought. "You seem to hold a great care for those around you," she added as Cerebella frowned, face contorting between two extremes of annoyed and yet hesitation.
"You don't believe the Medicis are all that great, do you?"
"... No, I'm not sure of the type of life you've lived," the older woman said softly. "I'm not you, I'm not aware of the kindness that a man like Vitale, or even Lorenzo, could have given you. I was only made aware of a kind Medici through your former comrade," Cerebella looked at her confused.
"Um, w-what did he do?"
"He healed my body. I was in a horrid accident that left me with disfigurement that couldn't just be called 'a lot'," she shook her head at the green look of horror on Cerebella's face. "I'm surprised but I'm right, you are a kind person," the younger woman blushed, looking down.
"..." Cerebella looked at Obito with a conflicted look. "Obito… Why'd you leave?"
Obito considered her for a moment before nodding. "Because we were not the good guys, Cerebella," he whispered as her hands tightened. "No matter how you look at it, as much as I'm sure Vitale did you a grand favor you sometimes can't imagine repaying, are you not fully aware of what actually goes on with the mafia?"
She flinched.
"We hurt people, so many people. I've gone around and helped many who were pained or harmed by my former father and brother's efforts. Marcus left to ensure his family could live without issue, did you honestly not think it weird that the man's oldest would leave the family?"
Cerebella bit her lip as her head fell.
"There's a girl you might have met before or after I got kidnapped," Obito told her, causing a drop in skin color from the acrobat. "Patricia, she's a young lady with a top hat?" He told her as she let out a small wheeze. "... Our men literally left her half the person she used to be and I apologized and gave her back as much as I could."
The youngest in the car trembled like a frightened child, eyes shrunken as Ileum let out a soft sigh.
She was pulled against the older woman's bosom before her quaking tripled, the woman smoothing out her hair gently.
Adam kept his peace even as he sighed. 'There's damage that the Medici cause even without trying,' this young woman would likely have led a life of blind belief until it looked her in the face and broke her. 'It's sickening,' everything about those people.
Why? What was the point of ruining so many lives?
He couldn't understand it-
There was a rumble from behind the car, the sounds of a large amount of sirens, beeps, and shouting people getting a grimace from him as he looked at his rearview mirror.
"SHIT!" He cursed before tossing the wheel to the side, the car skirting harshly around a corner and dodging a bloody scarab bomb. "WE HAVE ENEMY ON OUR REAR!"
Obito grimaced as he was pressed against the door by Cerebella and Ileum, the older woman holding onto the acrobat tenderly. "Dammit! It's Eliza!" He hissed as he looked out the back.
And saw an enraged bloody eagle? Well, not like she would have wanted her face seen, huh?
"Maybe," he just got an idea as Cerebella mumbled something into his side, their ride taking another wicked change in lanes. "Haa… We need to reveal her face," Obito told them, confusing the duo as the sight of Big Band came into view behind the bloody vamp. "She's not all-powerful, obviously, and she's clearly not going to let people know she's a Parasite Host."
"... Yeah, I… I guess so," Cerebella agreed, put out as Obito wore a solemn smile.
"I'm sorry you had to learn like this."
"You're not…" She looked unsure. "I wanted to know why you left. I couldn't understand it, I can't just keep on looking away from the obvious, huh?" Cerebella said with a humorless smile.
"If the time comes where you're sure of your decision, my doors are open," Obito said with a nod to the now-blushing acrobat, the young woman muttering some things. "?"
"Forget about it, what's the plan?"
There was the sound of tambourines behind them as they looked back to see Eliza dodging in and out of Big Band's out-of-the-back shakers, the noise from them crushing the area around the vampiric woman.
"Adam," Obito called out.
"Any plan is better none," their driver said as he made another sharp turn. "What's up?"
"Are there any guns?"
"... Obito, this is an armored vehicle," he emphasized as he pressed a button on his console. "Of course, there are guns."
All around the back of the armored car, the walls flipped around and revealed guns of all types alongside rocket launchers, riot shields, an enhanced baton, and a series of bombs.
Obito grinned. "Ileum, have you ever used one of these?" He asked the woman as he took a sniper rifle off the wall."
She shook her head, looking nervous. "N-No, I haven't!"
His Sharingan blazed, zapping information into her head.
"You do now," he said, handing it to the alarmed woman.
"I… What?" She rubbed her noggin even as she prepped the long-range weapon with an unsure skill. "How?"
"Life," he chuckled before patting Cerebella's shoulders. "Cerebella, right now, that woman's going to hurt everyone if she gets her way," Obito declared, surprising her. "No matter the side, alignment, or part of the law, Eliza's going to try and take over the world. We need your help."
She swallowed at that, looking behind at the scarab bombs landing beside the car. "... Let me help," she said with determined eyes.
"Glad to have you."
She found two large explosives by her feet.
"... Man, you are not subtle."
"No time for that," Obito smirked as he took an enhanced stun baton.
Meanwhile, outside of the vehicle, Eliza grimaced within her Bloody Coffin as she tried to lose that half-machine pain in her ass.
"Tsk!" She cursed as she shot up with Big Band behind her, the woman's bloody wings releasing a series of large red scarabs that shot towards him.
"Oh no, this tango is special," Big Band declared as he shot up, normal form revealed through the flaps in his trench coat along with the large metal plating on his back that pulled out a large drum. "Meet the Beat!"
The instrument thumped thrice, each heavy pound disturbing the scarabs before they exploded after he shot past.
Eliza snarled at that, flying around the music man with a slowly gained lead. 'I'm losing power!' Too much time dilly-dallying with that rabble made her timeframe short! "Damn you!"
"Ah, sweet tunes," Big Band taunted. 'She's clearly slowing down, her little boost of whatever must be dying out,' he'd catch up to her soon.
Then, there was something lunging from below, his eyes narrowing as he curved around a not-so-familiar-to-him headdress snake.
"What? She just as crazy as a cartoon?"
The serpent hissed before landing on a roof with a roaring cry that sent waves of green through the air.
Big Band's eyes narrowed as it shot over, and past, him before he shot towards the alarmed snake and slammed into it head-first.
The blow sent it flying before it hit the street and carved into it, coming to a stop within a cloud of dust.
"Hmph, this whistle of mine ain't just for blowing good tunes," he admonished it before shooting off towards Eliza's flying form, the woman's bloody cover falling away bit by bit as she grew slower. "Almost time to bring down the hammer."
Then, he raised a brow as gunshots, explosions, and sparks reached his vision from afar, the familiar sight of Cerebella, Ileum, and Obito getting a smirk out of him.
He sped up.
~NRK~
Double grimaced below Annie and Parasoul's sword & umbrella, Marie leaving through the hole in the ceiling.
Albus hissed at Leviathan, the enlarged Theon pressing down on him and crushing the ground around him while Squigly sat in the ground, at the ready.
Finally, Horace grimaced as he struggled to his feet, surrounded by bony spikes.
Samson scoffed at him with narrowed eyes.
"It's over," the gruff Theon told them. "When Sekhmet hits the ground, you guys are gonna go into the metaphorical slammer."
Parasoul frowned at that. 'She got away,' she hoped Big Band and Ileum could keep Obito and Cerebella safe. "Now, you," she hissed at Double's injured form, eyes cold.
Krieg glowed bright orange as Double screeched at her.
"You cur!"
"Uh-uh-uhh," Annie tutted her finger as the monstrosity squealed once more at her blade's growing-pink glow. "Nope, it's time to put you on permanent ice. Take it away, princess."
"I've longed for this day," Parasoul said as flames built-up. "Never show your face in this world again."
Tears spilled out at an impossible rate, covering Double's body from head-to-toe in their flaming glow.
Parasoul angled her Living Weapon down.
And pressed.
The ground beneath her and Annie's feet erupted into a towering display of orange flames that remained condensed and contained, Double's screams and screeches filling the air.
"DAMN YOU!" Double screeched, shadowy form stretching in the rising heat and trying to get as close to Parasoul as possible. "DAMN ALL OF YOU!" She screeched as her body began to burn away.
The embers reflected in the princess's irises as she watched her burn from start to end.
She let out a long breath as the last hint of Double's gaze began to burn.
"May you never find peace," she cursed her as she vanished, leaving behind scorched earth and a nodding Annie in her wake. "... Thank you," Parasoul said with a deep sigh. "I… I don't think I was prepared for this day to finally come but I'm glad it did."
"Hey, sometimes, The Day comes in our lifetimes," Annie said with a nod, dark green locks tied back into a low ponytail. "That's one down and three to go," she added.
Parasoul nodded as she pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Number 13, what's the status of the vampire?" She asked as the radio sparked.
-At present, she's in an aerial fight with Adam's armored car and Big Band. I believe Obito Uchiha has provided Ileum and Cerebella with ammunition and they're currently keeping her at bay-
Good, it was time to bring this horrid day to an end.
"We're on our way."
"What of them?" Leviathan asked as he tightened his grip on the coughing/growling Albus. "We can't just leave them here."
"We won't. Knock them out and bring them along, we'll detain them and then go after their boss," Parasoul ordered as she glared at the struggling henchmen.
"If you touch a hair on our Mistress's head, YOU. WILL. PAY!" Horace growled as Albus barked his own threat.
"You think I WON'T kill a princess? I've DONE IT before!" The jackal roared as Annie huffed.
"Tough it out, kids, you're in timeout," she told them as Sagan peeked over her shoulder.
Horace grit his teeth… Before he let out a sigh and held something tightly within his breast pocket. "Albus," he called, the younger man looking at him with a wince and confusion.
"W-What? We gotta get out of here!" He said as he struggled some more but Leviathan's eyes narrowed. "You fucking lizard!"
"Rather rude of you, dog."
"You bastard!"
"That's enough, Albus, we've served our lady well," the bird man declared as his glasses reflected Samson in their thickening lenses, Albus coming to a stop. "But we're not able to follow her into her coming Kingdom."
Samson's eyes widened as Horace grinned, the sound of something cracking resulting in the Theon's claw slamming into his chest and pushing him through his spiny prison to lock him to the ground.
"What did ya do?"He hissed at the chuckling owl as blood spilled from him lips, confusing the gruff Theon. "What the hell? How are you bleedin'?!" Samson grimaced as he removed his enlarged claw to see the oddest knife.
One made of tan bone that glowed a wicked red as it seemed to absorb the blood.
"O-Our Lady," Horace grinned a bloody smile as Albus spat out something before gripping it, Leviathan's attention taken by the bird man's words to his benefit. "Will rise anew!"
The jackal man slammed the bone shard into his chest, grinning through the pain as Leviathan's eyes snapped to him.
"She'll win!" Albus shouted as he and Horace glowed powerful reds.
And then vanished from beneath their captors, the others' eyes widening in horror.
Parasoul's walkie-talkie sparked to life, the woman grabbing it with haste.
"ADAM?!"
-THINGS ARE GETTING COMPLICATED!- The sound of roaring in the background caused her heart to drop. -Ma'am! Eliza has transformed into some… Giant BLOOD SPHINX and is tearing up New Meridian! We can't contain her!-
"We're on the way!" Samson grimaced as his follicle's exploded before he jumped up to the hole with everyone else in his grip. "Dammit, Obito!"
~NRK~
Things had been going so well, Obito should have known better.
They'd been locking the getting-angrier vampire into a rhythm that made it easy to block her off, startle her, and just keep her down for the sake of making a killing blow.
Even now, the woman was growling audibly as she kneeled in a crater caused by Big Band's cymbal shockwaves, at their mercy.
So, damn it all when her body began to release a red haze, her energy spiked something fierce, and her blood production had nearly quadrupled in a single breath.
So, he'd did what he could in a moment's notice.
He dropped his baton and grabbed Cerebella before jumping onto the armored car.
"DRIVE AWAY!" He ordered at the horrified Adam, the vehicle screeching down the street as Big Band shot by Ileum's perch to grab her and follow.
Just in time for the area behind them to become an eruption of blood, the stench powerful enough to get even Big Band to groan at it as they kept running towards the bridge.
"What the hell happened?!" Cerebella shrieked.
"Obito!" Adam called, holding a walkie-talkie out the window.
Taking it with a grimace, Obito sighed. "Parasoul?"
-We believe her followers sacrificed themselves to her- The princess told them, the sound of heavy thumps and claws coming from the background. -Tch, Samson, go above the buildings! Marie, we need your help!-
The former Medici frowned as he looked up- "Oh, fuck," Obito said in horror as Cerebella paled and held onto him.
As the group saw the sky turning blood red?
"That's not good."
-We can see it! The phenomenon doesn't seem to reach all over, it's following Eliza!-
Obito frowned at that, watching that bloody sphinx fly through the air with a glare. "... I don't think it'd be good to take her into the Kamui Dimension, she'd be near the Skull Heart. But if I can seal her, it'd be less of a pain," he considered.
-Samson? Is there anything we can use?- Parasoul asked.
-Hmph, sealing things was usually just by using the stereotypes. Despite her name for it, her 'Bloody Coffin' is just a skill. She HATES being in those things-
'A coffin,' the man considered the options. "So, she's claustrophobic?"
-Basically-
"Alright but we need to get her out of that sphinx."
"DAD?!" Came a voice from a streaking blue comet, the powerful 'star' shooting towards them before Obito perked up.
"Marie?" He blinked as he held out his arms.
His adopted daughter nearly slammed him off the armored car but Obito held strong, the young teen letting out a few quick gasps as she melted into his hold.
"Long time no see," Obito said gently as she looked up at him with a look of concern and relief. "It seems we're bringing this to an end together," he told her as they looked out at Eliza's catching-up form, the bloody tinge in the sky coloring the street. "We're going to bring her down here, my child. We need to take her out of that thing and lock her inside a densely-packed coffin of strong make."
"Coffin…" Marie frowned as Obito kneeled atop the car and put her down.
Marie raised her hands as her body burned with blue power before bones began to form in the air.
The glow seemed to coalesce together like spinning thread as the bones clasped together like chattering latches, each one forming a cocoon-like object that ended with a skull-like face at the top holding two crossing brooms over the front.
The coffin floated between them before Obito nodded. "Alright, we have the perfect container," he declared as Adam hissed.
"Everyone get inside!" The military man ordered as the back doors opened and released a small platform for them to jump onto as Big Band and Ileum lowered to their levels.
"That crazy cat lady's not looking for a jazzy time!" The ASG man shouted to them as, once the group on the platform went inside, they went as fast as they could. "You made a coffin?!"
"Yes!" Obito shouted from the open back doors. "We need to take her out of that monster and lock her inside!"
Ileum frowned as she looked up at the just-above-them blood sphinx. "We have to do something soon!" She called out. "She'll squash us!"
Obito considered that, frowning as he felt his body. 'I can get one good shot at this,' he had a jutsu element for this, actually.
Mokuton.
"Get us to the water!" Obito told Adam, the driver making a sharp turn that had them going along the bridge. "The moment we get to the center, I'm going to jump into the ocean!"
"D-Dad?" Marie asked, concerned, as Obito smiled for her and Cerebella.
"Obi, dude, you sure that's a good idea?" The acrobat asked with a wince.
"Yes, it's the best thing to do," he told her. "Water and blood don't mix well and I've got a technique, hopefully, for this!"
The closer they got to the center, the more chaos that followed as bloody scarab bombs shot down towards the group, rocking the bridge as filling the air with the stench.
"You'll NEVER escape me again!" The sphinx roared as she began to descend on them, the air screaming in anger. "I've put too much into you!"
Obito grimaced as he leaned out the door and looked out over New Meridian's waters towards another of the grand circular cities.
Midway, Obito grabbed the top of the back opening and flipped onto the roof, Ileum taking aim beside him.
"Don't stop running!" Obito shouted before jumping off the bridge.
"DAD?!" Marie shrieked as Cerebella swallowed.
"He knows what he's doing!" She told her over the blood explosions.
Big Band's eyes locked onto the disappearing man's eyes as he turned mid-air. "He knows what he's doing, Marie!" He told her as he flew backwards to watch Eliza. "We have to keep an eye out!"
Meanwhile, with the falling Obito, the man watched Eliza the entire way even as the air rushed past his ears.
'What's your plan?' He thought as his Sharingan burned and locked onto the woman sitting within the headdress of the sphinx.
Their eyes met, crimson-red eyes locking with crimson-red eyes… Before she kept her sphinx rushing towards the others.
"I knew it!" The former Medici slapped his hands together before flipping through handsigns as he reached the middle of a bridge beam.
His chest expanded as he locked onto the descending sphinx, Sharingan spinning into that familiar three-bladed pinwheels.
"Katon-!"
Ileum took aim as Eliza's sphinx was barely a couple meters away.
"Hopefully, I can pelt her from here," the masked woman said, mask slid down and allowing slit-pupiled pink eyes to look down her scope. "... Tsk!" Ileum took the shot.
The bullet slammed into Eliza's forehead, the Egyptian woman's head snapping back… Before it came back down with a pair of glowing rubies against dark sclera.
"... Don't tell the kids but fuck-"
"BAKUFU RANBU!"
A towering blast of spiraling flames shot skimmed past the bridge's support cables, the attack slamming into the side of Eliza's sphinx before sending the woman screeching down the other side of the bridge.
"Oh thank the goddess!" The sniper sighed in relief as Big Band chuckled.
"Don't want the kids to know you curse, aye?"
"B-Ben, please!"
Marie, meanwhile, sighed in relief at the Parasite's screams and smoking body. "T-Thank goodness!" She said before frowning as she looked out the side where Obito had gone. "M-Mr. Adam, what do we do?!"
"..." Adam considered their options. 'Whatever Obito's going to do, I have to assume it has to do with the water below,' still, how would they help-?
"Hah? Wait… Lab Zero?!" Ben's shout gained his attention, Adam leaning out of the driver's window to find a huffing Valentine on the roof. "... I guess even Brain Drain would notice this amount of crazy, huh?" The ASG unit said.
"It'd be hard to miss!" Valentine shouted as they kept going. "Why the hell did Obito jump off the side of the bridge?!" She asked in confusion.
"He has to have some plan!" Ileum shouted as she watched Eliza fall as much as she could.
Obito watched as Eliza's form hit the water before he did.
'Good,' he grinned as he was submerged, yukata shifting in the waters as he fell lower and lower, blazing red eyes watching the grimacing woman sink for a moment, her bloody sphinx releasing trails of blood into the salty waters.
Obito clasped his hands together as he molded the chakra he needed, eyes never leaving the coming-to Parasite's form as he released a powerful blue haze.
Sekhmet growled as her eyes snapped open. 'Damn them all!' She wanted to scream.
Every. Time. EVERY TIME! Those pathetic humans seemed to pull some trickery out of their pockets and ruin her plans!
She grit her teeth within the water's depths, her hold on her blood slipping.
'Their sacrifice will NOT be in vain!' She just needed to grab him, that 'trophy' of hers.
The moment she had him in her grasp, the Parasite knew she'd have to take him elsewhere and feed on him. She'd take everything out on his body and come back at full strength.
Eliza looked around just in time for her to see the powerful blue haze coming off of Obito's body, the former mafioso grinning at her as she recovered in the water.
'Attack!' Her eyes glowed as thick bloody pillars shot towards the glowing man as he formed the final handsign.
Those on the bridge looked over the edge, their running halted as they awaited the result from down below.
"Dad…" Marie muttered without her bone helmet, Cerebella looking at the waters with clenched fists.
"That vampire can't have attacked yet," Big Band said with a frown. "The waters wouldn't be such smooth blues, they're probably not fighting yet."
Adam frowned as he and Ileum trained their sniper rifles on the ocean's surface… Before it all began to rumble, Valentine frowning from atop the armored car.
-What's it looking like?- Christmas asked.
"Seems we're about to find out," the kunoichi said.
And as if to mock her sensibilities? Hell, all their sensibilities!
The largest, grandest, sprouting of wood shot out of the ocean's surface in a 'sea' of thick man-wide branches that spread over the bridge before spreading out in a wide circle.
There was a grunt and landing as Samson arrived- "The heck's going on NOW?" The gruff Theon asked in disbelief along with the others. "Uhh… That ain't normal… Wait, crap, did that Nature guy make it out from Before?!"
"Nature guy?" Annie asked with a curious hum. "I mean, in a weird way, there's no way there WASN'T a Theon based around nature and stuff," she said as she dropped down along with the others. "Alright, what's happening?"
"Um… We believe Obito might have done this," Ileum said, confusing them.
"Wait, duh, remember he has wood abilities?"
"But on this scale?" Adam asked, looking pensive before the weak smell of blood reached their noses. "And I'm going to believe that's Eliza's scent," he frowned as they looked across the branches to find a gasping Obito on all-fours in the distance and a big lump of melted-looking blood.
"OBITO?!" Parasoul jumped onto the branch connecting the bridge to that large platform of trees, the others following suit. "Dammit!" She cursed, eye on the large red lump that was Eliza.
By the time they made it over, Obito flopped onto his back with a groan, Marie kneeling by his side with Parasoul, Valentine, and Cerebella as the others minded Eliza.
"Mmmm," Obito groaned softly as his girlfriend looked at him with concern, the man wincing before he cracked open one eye. "I-I seem to be suffering… A lot."
"Yeah, well, back-to-back AOEs like that seem like it'd do ya in," Annie said as Sagan observed the man in her stead, the heroine watching Eliza. "Still, ya did good. She's clearly not wielding that stupid sphinx."
Helping the man up into a sitting position, he hissed out a breath as his body throbbed. "She's still…" His Sharingan flickered back into their normal state. "Still alive… Her power has condensed itself," Obito explained as Valentine frowned.
-Patty's already on the way, she's bringing her anticoagulants and Tearing Trident- Brain Drain informed them as Parasoul raised a brow. -All things considered, that should, hopefully, be the last bit of all of this. What happened to the monster in the church?-
Annie chuckled as Parasoul wore a relieved smile, Obito looking intrigued. "Handled. She's… She's dead," she declared as Christmas hummed. "Eliza's pair of henchmen also seemed to have given up their lives to empower her," she frowned. "So, she's all that's left."
Marie laid her forehead on Obito's shoulder as Valentine lifted his arm and looked down its length.
"You're suffering some, a lot of, lesions," the nurse said as she pulled out some medical supplies from a pouch on her back, dressing his arms and then chest. "Like, inappropriate time but nice chest."
"Excuse me?" Obito asked as Samson snorted while Cerebella blushed.
"C-Come on, let's focus on other things… He's taken anyway," she muttered as Parasoul's eyebrow shot into her hairline.
'What in the world?' How had her recent boyfriend become a chick magnet? "AHEM," she said as Valentine chuckled. "Cerebella is right in many regards, Eliza takes precedence."
"Yes, yes, princess," Valentine said as Squigly looked utterly baffled.
'T-The world's so vast!' She realized as Leviathan chuckled around her neck. "Levi, thihes is incredible," Squigly whispered in awe.
"Hmph, is incredible the word we're using?" The serpentine Theon smiled as she nodded rapidly. "Matters of the heart, madam, are always curious, you need to understand."
"Is that what it is?" Adam wondered with a sweatdrop. "I might need to study it more."
Leviathan smirked.
The bloody lump of a 'woman' began to wiggle before slowly expanding out into a familiar shape, one composed of purely bloody with her features.
Sekhmet the Parasite was officially beyond livid.
No, the Parasite/Host had reached beyond such a boundary gain a raging 'cool' flame of hatred and anger, all of it centered on the man who barely got to his feet with narrowed eyes.
"Humans? Theons? The unliving, the magic-users, the wielder of weapons beyond thought and comparison," she listed off as the group went on-guard. "There will come a day for all of your reckoning, every. Single. One of you."
The air filled with a bloodlust not born from a normal being, no, this feeling filled their throats and had their bodies preparing for her attack.
That never came, the woman's eyes going half-lidded as her body began to pulse. "Alas, truly, you've won this day," Eliza said as her body began to glow. "I shall own what is MINE in due time!"
The colored the air around them, the vibrations rocking past them. "Geez! What's next?!" Annie growled as she prepped Sagan. 'Will I need to go full power?' Perhaps, she should have already, Annie realized. "Sagan, at the ready."
Big Band frowned as Ileum's eyes peered at the bloody woman without a hint of fear. "We've fought more than enough scary women, lady, you don't rank in the top three," he declared as Eliza's mouth stretched before ripping flesh.
Revealing the black-'eyed' skeleton within her flesh, the sight startling all who didn't know and causing a wave of revulsion to pass them by.
"W-What?!" Cerebella hit her rear end as Valentine looked sick. "W-What the fuck is that?!"
The skeleton's hands pressed against the folds of skin before its jaw opeed to reveal a red nightmare.
The screech it released shook the air thrice over, each octave slamming into their sensibilities and rattling their brains before that red glow hit a crescendo.
Obito's eyes throbbed before he gripped Marie's hand. "Honey, I need power, now," he told her as the ground cracked and burst.
"I WILL RETURN! MY KINGDOM FOR MYSELF AND MY PEOPLE!"
The glow flashed.
~NRK~
Brain Drain's jaw dropped along with the others of ASG Lab 0.
At the eruption of blood that took out the inter-city bridge!
"Valentine?!" Christmas shouted through her earpiece, face pale. "V-Vally?"
The silence was damning-
-T-This is Valentin-Holy shit, we almost died- Valentine's voice came through, static sparking in their ears.
Brain Drain sighed in relief. "What the hell happened?" He asked, every other camera he could get into around the bridge simply not close enough.
-We're on the water below, turns out, Mr. Uchiha can make barriers, thank the goddesses-
"Goodness, have you seen Patty yet?" Easter asked, worried.
-Not ye-There she is- Valentine said over the line, the sound of splashing reaching the three's ears. -Easy, P, we're gonna have to fly to shore-
-Aye, what the hell happened?!-
~NRK~
Obito groaned on his back as Marie sat at his side, the former-Skullgirl looking at him with a concerned look.
"I'm not moving for a while," Obito told the group as Parasoul sighed in relief, Black Egret vehicles coming in from all over as a helicopter's spotlight sprung over them. "Ow," he closed his eyes as the princess pat his shoulder reassuringly.
"We'll get you the greatest medical attention we can," his significant other said as Oibito hummed.
"Well, excuse me, princess," Valentine said as Patty looked out over the waters with her red IV stand trident. "I'll have you know, we're quite capable."
"Platonic medical attention."
"... That's fair."
"Wow, okay," Samson said, back in 'Dog' form as the canine nudged Obito's cheek with his snout. "I know he's the man but, for the foreseeable future and stuff, he's her mans, gotta respect that," he added as Parasoul smirked while Annie chuckled.
"Very concise," the former-eternal said.
~NRK~
Marie nodded to Obito's phone, the whole group sitting within the Black Egrets medbay where Obito sat on a medical bed.
"Filia asked when you'll be good to leave," she told her adoptive father, the man rubbed the back of his neck.
"Likely not for a couple days or so," Valentine said. "He's not exactly doing so great but he's powering through on sheer willpower alone, right now," she added with a raised brow. "I'd say, the moment he's asleep? Don't expect him to be awake for a pair of days."
"I have an inkling that she's correct," Parasoul said as she entered the room in her usual attire. "I have to thank everyone in this room no matter their help. This isn't something that could have been done by us alone," she smiled. "You have my thanks, the Canopy Kingdom thanks you."
"We're just glad to put this to rest, for now," Ileum said from beside the large but normal-looking Big Band, the woman's mask in her lap and revealing her pale-white skin. "That woman will be back, one day. We can all only hope to be prepared."
"I've already created a task force for that horrid Parasite. Make no mistake, we will not be caught lacking."
"..." Cerebella looked down in thought as Adam cupped his chin while shooting her a concerned look. "... What do I do now?" She asked the room.
Valentine tilted her head as Patty raised a brow. "Aye, you are one of Vitale's 'folk', I was wonderin' why you were here," she said brashly as the acrobat frowned.
"I…"
"She wanted a talk about everything that was going on," Obito said as he rolled his shoulders. "It's a talk we had away from the church before Eliza's bloody head popped up. And, Cerebella, as for your current choices, I think you'll need to stay with us for a bit before I head back with you to speak with Black Dahlia and Vitale."
The teen's shoulders sagged in horrid relief. "T-Thanks, dude, I… I don't like thinking about what'd be said if I went back alone," Cerebella admitted. "Actually, what about your home? It got destroyed."
"I'll have to rebuild it. Eliza's damn swarm certainly didn't do the land value any favors but that should hopefully be easier to deal with."
"Hey, mister, you made a giant tree!" Peacock said, popping up on Obito's bedside.
"Hello, Patricia," Obito greeted as the others, unaware of the girl's eccentricities, jumped. "I'm glad you had enough discipline to stay away from that. It was definitely not made for a young lady."
"Is that how ya are gonna phrase it?"
"Yes," he said, patting a smiling Marie's head. "For now, I should probably get that sleep I've been denied for…"
"Three hours," Adam told him as he checked his watch. "It's bee-"
The man's unconscious form hit the pillows and let the military man without his target.
"Well that was rude."
~NRK~
When Obito awoke whatever amount of time later, he came to three conclusions.
One, his body felt so much better.
Two, it was early morning.
Three, had Marie slept on him the entire time?
Feeling a sort of 'set-in' weight from the girl's sleeping form on his chest, Obito even noted the blanket that she'd been given.
"Hmm," allowed his chakra to spread throughout his body and 'warm' up, Obito's cheeks bulged a bit before he released a small ball of fire that dispersed without harm while leaving his mouth hissing. "So much better than early-morning disgust."
"Ah, you're awake," came the voice of Molly as she peeked into the room. "How ya feeling, Obito?" She asked in a whisper.
"Pretty good, honestly. How many days has it been?"
She wore a grin.
"Four days."
The man's eyes bugged out as she snickered.
"I… That's more than I expected," Obito said, barely recovering from this fact. "Dammit, that's not what I was going for."
"It's fine, all things considered, you did get a few calls from some folk but that's about it," the technician said as she came in, closed the door, and sat down on his bedside. "You've gotten a message from a Dragonian girl by the name of 'Minette'."
"I know her."
"There was your niece and her friend who came by."
"I see."
"Black Dahlia sent a bunny girl here."
"Right I… What?" Obito blinked before his eyes went to the actually nodding Molly. "I… Okay, why?"
"She's apparently a big fan? She stayed for an entire day, Obito, I think you need to understand the kind of power you carry."
Obito's face conveyed the sputtering machine that had become his mind. "What? I don't… I'm learning a lot of women were, apparently, into me before I got with Parasoul. Why now?" He asked with a twitching cheek.
"I think it's that lioness effect," Molly chuckled. "You like someone but don't say something before they get 'caught' by another lioness and now you feel confident. It's a crazy thing with women, trust me."
"... I don't want to think about it. Anyone else?"
"A lot of old people came by but, besides them, ASG Labs 0 sent a missive and Annie gave ya an invitation to a shoot for Saturday."
Obito blinked at those two before shrugging. "Alright," he said, shrugging before groaning. "I've been in this yukata for five days, I'm not happy about that," the former mafioso grunted. "It's Friday so I don't have long for the shoot-"
"Um, dude, it's Saturday morning."
"... And the shoot is…"
"For 12 pm."
"Goddammit. Freaking, I have to get clean and be prepared in how many hours?" Obito asked with a frown, eyes going to the bathroom. "And does this place have showers and temp clothes?"
~NRK~
Annie shrugged as the press took pictures of her 'new hair', the former eternal wearing a pair of black slacks, brown loafers, and a white dress shirt with her real hair color falling down her upper shoulders.
"I guess he's recovering?" Her agent asked with a tilted head. "How did you even become friends with the man?" She asked as another pair of cameras flashed them.
"Hmm," Annie smirked with a cupped chin as a Black Egrets car pulled up. "Suspicion and emotional ties," she told the woman as a figure left the car, gaining the crowd's attention. "... Damn it, he cleans up well," the moss head cleared her throat, red in the face.
At the slick-back-haired Obito that walked over in a black suit, expensive-looking brand-labeled dress shoes, and a pair of black gloves that adjusted his tie as he walked over with a wave and shaky smile.
"I just woke up," the former Medici said, breath smelling of mint with a body that was scented with cologne. "Thank God I had three hours," Obito added as Annie chuckled before grinning.
"Time for some photos!"
"Why?"
"Because."
Obito's face went blank before he shrugged. "Alright then," he agreed as the celebrity cheered.
Her agent sweatdropped.
~NRK~
"You had a photoshoot?" Valentine asked in disbelief as Obito sat in one of their couches, still dressed from three hours ago.
"So it seems," the Uchiha said with a shrug, legs crossed and his hands folded over his raised knee. "I suppose you can call it more of a friendly outing," he admitted, shrugging once more.
"I never noticed he came from money before I saw his Piati-brand shoes," Brain Drain said, looking woefully inadequate. "I need to fix this, I can't dress like this in front of shoes like those," he grumbled as Christmas chuckled.
"So it seems," she said in amusement. "So, actually, we did want to talk but there was also a curious topic that came up," the redhead began, looking hopeful. "So, you fixed an undead, a Skullgirl, a former-immortal, and even Big Band & Ileum…"
"You want me to help Brain Drain, correct?" Obito asked, looking at the mechanical man whose brain was in a jar. "So… While I'm sure we could do something from just a brain alone and your soul, I might need Marie's assistance," he told the surprised robot.
"Ah, there are still limits to your power, I honestly forgot about Peacock," Brain Drain said, looking touched and yet relieved. "And, to be fair, you wouldn't just be working on a brain. I stored my injured body a long time ago in case we ever came across the power to fix it."
"We can try."
Meanwhile, Hallow nudged the blushing Valentine who growled at her. "Dammit, Hallow, I'm thinking."
"You mean ogling," the 'black' nurse chuckled. "Trust me, I get it, goddesses, that man knows all kinds of ways to clean-up."
The one-eyed woman reddened some more before grumbling.
~NRK~
"I'm surprised you didn't send a clone, sir," Minette smiled as she, Obito, and Nautilee spoke in the River King's Casino, the two princesses back in their formal wear.
"Honestly? I just felt like it today," Obito admitted with a nod. "Stretch my legs and go all over personally. Speaking of, good evening, did your father, or yourselves, wish to speak with me?"
"It was us!" Nautilee said with a red face, the drink in her hand barely noticed before she downed it without thought. "A-Ahem!" She smiled even as she gently slammed her glass down, confusing Obito. "Heheheheheheh~"
"Sorry about her," Minette said sheepishly. "But she is right, we called you because we wanted to get a rundown of everything that truly happened if that's possible."
Obito hummed, considering what he'd be telling her. 'Revealing Eliza's presence wouldn't be good but… What if she tried to sneak back in?' Obito wasn't sure where that damn nosferatu had gone but he was prepared for her eventual return. "... For the sake of both your safety, let's make it clear that this can't leave this table save for your father's ears, alright?"
Getting a pair of surprised young women for his trouble, they still nodded.
And so he spilled the truth of the fight from down below to the earth above, leaving out Double's existence more for their peace of mind than safety.
If that monster was dead, nothing to worry about.
Explaining the forces that had come together to only fend her off, the two were alarmed.
"E-Even with you there?!" Nautilee shrieked in a whisper, yes it was an oxymoron but it fit. "H-How?!"
"Was the backlash of your skills really that bad?" Minette asked, looking concerned for him. "Mr. Uchiha, I can't say that what you did was wrong, it did help in the end, but you should be more careful."
"Trust me, I know, it's just the fact that this was basically a perfect storm for her. I couldn't do anything from back-to-back usage and she had the advantage. From here on out, I'm not letting that happen again," Obito declared as the two relaxed a bit. "Besides," he smirked as they blinked. "I wasn't going to let her do as she pleased and tagged her. I can go and attack her any time I please, do you remember how I transported you that one time, Ms. Minette?"
She gasped as he nodded. "Y-You can tag PEOPLE?" Minette asked in shock, awe, and some bit of relief.
Because that meant more than it sounded at first. If Obito had truly been someone with malicious intent, he could have done anything.
She was glad he was such a good person.
"Yes, I can."
"Wait, so…" Nautilee gained a gleam in her eye. "Mr. Uchiha, you wouldn't happen to have tagged our dad, did you?"
"I didn't," Obito admitted with a smile as the young woman's head hit the table. "But, remember, I did vacation there some time ago," he said with a smirk as her head shot up.
"R-Really?! How close to the empire?!"
"A mile away from the River King's home."
Nautilee's grin said it all as Minette giggled.
"Not today, sister, come now, he'd also like to go home," she said with a teasing tone.
"H-Hey, he could rest in the palace! Why, I'm sure dad wouldn't mind if he likes his cooking as much as he says he does!"
Obito chuckled.
~NRK~
"Sorry about the inconvenience," Obito said to Amelia and Marcus as he, Cerebella, & Marie returned. "Just a couple days so I can sort out the plumbing."
"Please, brother, it's fine. You're the one who's had the most eventful last couple days," Marcus said with a nervous smile. "Is… Is everything alright?" He asked, looking at Cerebella with concern.
"S-Sorry for crashing here, I'm not… I'm more of an add-on than a guest!" The young woman said nervously, puffing out Vice-Versa before rearranging it on her head. "Just until Obi can come my way and we talk with some people in a couple days."
"It's fine, if my brother, here, can vouch for you, I have no issue with it."
Cerebella looked sheepish.
Going inside up to Obito's room, the young woman cleared her throat as she put down a bag of newly-bought clothes. "Thanks, Obito," she said gratefully.
"No issue. For now, just get some rest," the man said as Marie stood beside him by the door. "Though, I'd ask, are either of you hungry?"
The twin growls out of their stomachs got a chuckle out of him.
"Alright, let's eat."
~NRK Out~