Keith 1.2

The large meeting did not end as well as each of them previously hoped.

It was not a failure in any sense, but the aftermath of it all was just a bitter pill to swallow.

The realization poor Gallant had irreparably changed how much the parahumans and leaders within the meeting viewed him and his comrades. It was a grueling and nearly hopeless endeavor as arguments, accusations, and various heated words from both the villain elements and those heroic as well as rogue in inclination spouted against each other in the meeting. Mainly on them which was rightful in the sense of things…

Yet it hampered the feelings within the collective of defenders that Earth Bed still had.

Even dear friends, allies of old within the Protectorate and that of the PRT, the shift in behavior towards them was expected but still painful. The overall level of dispute, anger, and near rebellion over the truth being exposed was a severe realization of what a single lie could do to affect the world entirely.

Worse, had Gallant actually done more to say and talk about what he knew of Cauldron to those in attendance, he would doubt severely the probability of Earth Bet's humanity uniting. Even Dragon appalled and horrified as she was to the point of nearly betraying them, had Contessa not had the keys to her code, begrudgingly ascertained the full-on danger of telling the full truth of their organization to the wider world in this time of crisis.

She was as tight-lipped at it as the rest of them and despite her unwillingness to follow their already sinking ship, she voluntarily chose to keep that secret intact due to the direness of what such a truth would do to the rest of the world.

They needed unity, at least in some way or form for this gamble to work…

And try as Legend wanted to explain and say about the warning that Artoria had cast, nobody in attendance heeded his words nor did they trust him anymore in sort of fashion. It was… an expected outcome borne out of his own guilt of losing his family and being primarily selfish to the end.

Sure, he fought for his comrades to take the warning seriously, but he too doubted the stranger's warning along with his comrades and did nothing until the very end when it was now too late to say or even ask amends about it.

There were simply too many mistakes and ignorance on their part, and their flawed sinking ship had done too much irreparable damage to what chance they had left. Salvaging what chance there was however was a difficult endeavor due to the consequences of their actions…

Yet despite it all, even as the meeting turned into a heavy storm of debate and fingers pointing towards who to blame, it was not Cauldron or himself who had forced the meeting to a tentative standstill.

One that was now enforced on the full-on truth of their collective situations.

Dragon, the ever-present AI that had proved to be a powerful ally against the mountains of limitations brought forth by Oberon had silenced everyone on the simple basis of their inevitable threat of extinction.

There were dissenting opinions and thoughts still even amongst former allies, but nobody could deny longer the inevitable, near-total collapse of their world.

Had the rest not done anything about it, none would see a future where humanity and its legacies could still thrive. Even the largest of the egos involved were put into silence.

Yet even as the depressing nature of their fates lay in front of them, Dragon's drive, sympathy, and understanding of nearly everyone involved had her create a neutral ground to which everybody had listened. Even those in attendance who wished to leave the meeting altogether stayed.

It turned into a reminder to every single person involved on what the stakes were on a much deeper scale. Even as Dragon revealed herself to the world of her status as an AI, they listened.

Thoughtfully, even begrudgingly…

But none dared to counter her words nor the message she wished to yearn in order for them all to see another day into the future.

Everybody made mistakes that day, some like his were vastly worse than others, and like Dragon who admitted her own limitations and faults over her years of service were all united on one common, overarching goal.

Their survival.

Now, minutes away before they departed after Dragon had ascertained the location of Oberon through an intense surge of energy, Keith stood in watch as the hasty and flawed plan took shape.

Dragon had instructed the collective Tinkers present to use the unique frequency produced by Artoria's staff on Eden. With the limited use of hardware and technology, they would help the burdened Clairvoyant and Doormaker to open doorways much more accurately while also helping the other nations that were present to prepare their own exodus.

Yet those frequencies were only to be turned on once it was time.

The warnings were told and while many in the meeting did not deem to say anything to their own civilian population yet, they knew the consequence and what needed to be done in their own areas once those doorways to the new world were open.

They managed a small leeway into that earlier because Legend and the rest came from Cauldron's own isolated world instead of being on Earth Bet.

He was unhappy still because he knew most would not survive even with the diversionary tactic they intend to employ. His guilt was racked tenfold over that issue over and over in the past hour as time ticked down. It was… easy in the most horrifying of ways back then to sink those feelings of guilt down his own throat with the things he and his comrades did because the threat of Scion allowed them a controlled perspective on things and time.

This? Being here, forced out of their own positions, and making them actually think in desperation to both their own hindsight and recent acts was an eye-opening experience in itself.

Still, seeing what was left of their own defenders and leaders doing their best in haste had made him calm down, even if slightly. With many of his own proteges, friends, and comrades doing their best to prepare the civilian population to move allowed him some form of ease. Even some of the helpful rogues that had abilities enabling them to assist had done their part to alleviate the serious painful logistics surrounding Strider and the Tinkers doing their best to make it work.

The poor teleporter was already having severe pains in the head due to the over-taxation of his power and while the tinkers were doing their best to assist, they were similarly bombarded with problems.

Yet they all steamed ahead, determined and unphased despite it all.

A testament that would prove humbling and amazing on a normal day.

Alas, it was not… and as he thought about the hasty plans made by his and Dragon's direction on what to do for the diversion, he began looking at the parahumans and people present who volunteered for this operation. An operation that was more or less a suicidal one in nature.

Everybody, including himself knew that this was a one-way trip, and even if some did survive, once the exodus began all eyes of both enemies would turn to the innocent people running to safety…

And despite having plans to counteract Oberon and possibly in some way, Scion, there was nothing after should they even remotely succeed, because nobody knew in their hearts if they could, to begin with.

He sighed as he watched the people who would join him, numbering perhaps in the hundreds, if barely at all doing their preparations. Some talked with their families, their friends, their significant others…

While some prayed, stayed silent, or even tried to talk to relieve the tension.

But it was hard. Far too hard when all they could see on the horizon of Los Angeles far towards the East was the overwhelming shadow of the threat that was strangely waiting and buying their time to torture their souls in full stride.

Endbringer battles were worse enough, and this collective which was barely half compared to the defenders who chose to stay and try to protect the exodus were woefully unprepared as much as he was.

They were willing, possibly suicidal in the sense of this being their way of deciding how they would go out, but the absence of full-on morale was very apparent.

Ideally, a speech made by him was always a precedent to keep them all motivated, but with how the people who would join them, friend or former foe, looked at him, he knew that was merely a fantasy in the making. Trust was already broken and nobody in their right mind would listen to him.

Such was the person Artoria chose to carry that cinder.

He was already failing her and everybody else at that metric alone.

However, even as Keith thought about his own misgivings over the situation, he realized that despite that aura of fear, uncertainty, and depression… these people as well as those who would be left to defend the exodus were determined.

Even if it was simply that, he was thankful that it still existed.

He turned his head towards the East, where the great shadow loomed. Dragon's drones detected the energy burst, courtesy of old records being similar to that of String Theory's devices, and given the state of the Birdcage, the Fairy Queen was probably placed in a tussle with their new enemy.

Whether she was the reason this Oberon was halted partially remained to be seen.

Yet the time being allotted to them was good enough that it mattered regardless.

"I told you already! I'm going and nothing you say will stop me." A voice suddenly said out of the busy atmosphere and noise of his position. As he turned his head towards it, he saw a familiar face nearly begging her much younger ward to stay.

Miss Militia, or in this case Hannah was trying to talk Vista out of joining.

"Missy… you don't understand. If you go with them… you'll… you are never coming back." Hannah's eyes were filled with pure fear and absolute concern as the younger girl remained determined and even displeased at what was essentially her only living guardian.

"I know!" the young girl shouted. Prompting some to look at them until Hannah felt Missy's hands squeeze her own. "I know… very well what this means for me." Her eyes shifted to tears as she looked at Hannah who was similarly doing the same.

"B-But knowing I can be useful… that I'm… worth something is the one thing I'm not going to back out on." Missy's tone made Keith frown due to the lengths that even children, older than his son were now forced in this path.

"But you are worth something… you're a hero. You can… you can do something much more worthwhile, much more useful protecting the people here. You don't need to…" Hannah paused as the normally polite and professional woman started tearing up. Keith knew the reason why as he continued to watch. "… you don't need to waste your life when you still have so much ahead of you that matters."

"And what is that? Hannah? We're all probably going to die, at least I want to die knowing that I did something." Missy bit back as she released her hands from Hannah's own. The two stared into each other as Hannah, knowing that nothing was going to change her Ward's mind was simply left in pure guilt and tears.

But before she could say something to her, Hannah was surprised when the little girl put her into a sudden, tight embrace. No words were exchanged at that moment, and frankly, there didn't need to be.

And Keith suddenly recalled a memory of the very first time Hannah had met Rebecca.

It was… oddly striking how similar this moment was, which made him all the more in sorrow knowing that his friend, despite her many flaws, was still someone he missed very dearly.

Especially when she still had that spark of being a hero way back then.

The two separated, and Hannah seemed to reach for Missy's arms as she started walking away with a bitter smile on her face. Once Missy was gone, Hannah was left to her own muses and Keith, found himself walking towards her.

He stopped just enough near her as the woman looked at her. Scorn and a heavy sense of betrayal emanated from her form before she tried to hide those away in an attempt to be professional. Yet, the cracks were already too noticeable, and he was forced to only stay where he was…

"Alexandria would have been proud, of how far you've come." He said, trying to alleviate the tension only to receive a glance. He sighed and found himself nodding to save face as the woman clearly did not wish to talk to him.

He started walking away until Hannah called him.

"Legend…" he looked at her, surprised as she nodded to him. "…good luck."

Keith found his own lips quiver, thinking of a response as he smiled faintly at her and nodded.

It was time.

NOW…

Keith flew through the air at such speeds that he was not able to notice David trailing behind him nearly doing the same. The specialized tinker-tech comms on his ear were busy as commands, updates, and various other information were shared between the network and hub that Dragon established.

Holding their major advantage in his hands, he and David were tasked to get there early as the rest would follow through either transport deployed by Dragon and the tinkers, or through other means whether by limited teleportation or dimensional transport that the diversionary force had.

It would only take mere minutes to do so for him and David to arrive as they prepared themselves for essentially the battle for the end.

"Target has been spotted in the now destroyed town of Thomasville, Missouri. The singularity is 1560.32km away from said location, unchanged with its speed of consumption, and nearly stable in its current status. If no change occurs, we have an optimal window of fifty or forty direct minutes before we need to retreat from the effects of its event horizon." A voice from the comm line said, belonging to Armsmaster as he supervised from Los Angeles.

"Status on Scion?" David's voice said in a secure channel as others in the comm line started to exchange questions and answers as he and David approached the final few meters near the zone where they would attack the target.

"He is static. He hasn't moved since my drones detected him far off in Yelizovo, Russia approximately fifty-three minutes ago. We have no clue what he's doing and why he's seemingly frozen." Dragon said as Keith felt the pressure of this unpredictable news rack his heart, even through his breaker state.

Other exchanges of voices of their comrades from all over started spilling in and Keith found himself growing nervous as the hour now came. Even those who volunteered and stayed to defend the exodus had their voices distinctly shaky or serious about the coming calamity.

But there was no going back. This was it…

And Keith had spotted the charred remains of what was probably a town come into view.

"Operators… you know your designated jobs." Dragon's voice echoed as the comm line went silent. "Our strategy might be inherently flawed and hastily created, but what matters now is how much time we will buy for the rest to get to safety. As told, Legend, Eidolon will be the frontline directly the closest in terms of distance to our target along with supplementary blasters or flyers that can help. The rest on the ground are going to help set up and defend the Tinkers with their weapons supporting the front line. Should the front line collapse, you will be the final form of defense before we collapse back to the Los Angeles hub for the last stand."

A few responses were made as David and Keith stopped, seeing their target 60 meters away beside the Fairy Queen. The two nodded to each other as a bright light once again enveloped Keith and he now held the weapon given to him by Artoria.

David beside him chose his two other abilities ready as they both heard the roar of Dragon's drones behind them barreling full speed ahead.

"Operators, standby for the doorway signal to activate." Dragon's voice said.

"Ready." Armsmaster's voice said.

"Ready." Masamune intoned.

"Ready." Lord Waltson affirmed.

"Ready." Phir Se hurriedly said.

And it was followed by others all around the world who were able to use the frequency before Keith felt the surge in the weapon's energy grow.

"Dragon, update us on every move Scion makes once those doorways open." Keith reminded as the AI replied back in affirmation.

"This is it." A scared voice came out of the comm line belonging to one of the rogues as Keith took a deep breath and felt the audible increase in the glow and power of the weapon in his hands. He then raised the sword tip into the air and everyone who could witness it gawked in awe as a bright, powerful, and magnificent light manifested in such intensity, almost reaching above the clouds like a searchlight if it was a weapon of mass destruction.

Yet despite it being a terrifying sight to see, most of those who witnessed it felt different. A surge of willpower. A surge of belief. A surge of courage…

A surge of determination…

And best of all, a surge of hope.

A powerful rumble of a thunderous awakening seemed to rattle the hearts and minds of everybody involved into full renewed resolves.

The pillar of light parted the clouds like a divine message from the heavens finally answering their prayers and calls. Keith felt the surge of power barrel through his veins and body as his eyes glowed. Even David watched on in surprise until the pillar of light quickly dissipated as the sword tip of the weapon glowed so brightly that even Keith found himself being blinded by it.

But his mind was set clearly.

The enemy's position was even clearer as he aimed it as if it was an extension of himself and his power towards the aberration that had started the collapse of their world.

And like the judgment of the Egyptian Sun God Ra over humanity's folly, the bright light and aura of the Sword of Promised Victory laid its final call and order over the guilty.

THWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMM!

The bright light rampaged with all its might as its white color fought against the charred, burned-down land violently as if asserting its dominance. The power of the beam, vast and simply staggering had physically made the ground rumble and for the ground below to break and collapse as if a great hammer had fallen on it.

The beam, almost instantaneous in its discharge scorched a total of a hundred meters or so of a straight line. The ground surrounding the hit broke apart and was thrown momentarily into the air as Keith poured everything on the very first shot of the battle.

"All beacons to Doorways, you have permission to activate your signals!" Dragon shouted through the comms as it knocked everybody out of their collective gasps of awe from the beam Legend had brought to life.

"Exodus has begun. Ground operators, Blasters in the Front line, fire your salvos!" Dragon directed as the already loud thrum of Keith's attack was followed by a series of other noises that roared right behind him.

David or in this case, Eidolon, was chief amongst the many that followed suit and consciously curled his hands as a bright, cyan light manifested from the ground where Legend's beam was hitting as a circle with a large diameter around it exceeding 70 or more meters roared into light.

It brightened the entire battlefield further as the ground erupted into arcs of glowing electricity while it exploded due to the bubble of energy clashing with Legend's.

BRAKATHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Then, individual abilities from tinkers, blasters, shakers, and other parahumans in the classification that had powerful, long-range attacks hit the area simultaneously without fail. Some even screamed in full stride due to the emotions they were letting out…

All the while the burnt, destroyed area that once housed a town was reduced to beyond just cinders as Dragon's hastily upgraded combat drones, numbering in the high 80s number bombarded the chaotic discharge with her own energy-based explosives delivered by small but compact, concussive-heavy ordnance.

The high but concentrated yield of energy clashes would have made anyone even by just a hair of a distance completely deaf and concussed to death as the light show proved to be visible even outside of the atmosphere if one closely looked by.

The weapons in the Ground Operators which were further down behind them by a great distance from present Tinkers fired their salvos as well in a continuous fashion that the people supporting and protecting them braced themselves.

The deluge of such high-octane and destructive attacks continued for at least half a minute as the shape and state of the land around them started to change drastically. Their collective anger, frustration, and fear overtook their minds for a slight bit as they released it in the form close in appearance to soldiers unloading their weapons in a freak frenzy over an enemy they no longer saw before them.

Eventually, the deluge stopped as Keith powered himself and the weapon down, along with David who despite the amount of power being displayed had much more visible strain in his movements, even if slight. Dragon and the rest of the flying defenders behind them both fizzled out their attacks as well and the progressively firing Ground Operators several meters behind them started barking out their current status.

Yet much as the continued first blow of Humanity effectively created a trench before their enemy, the amount of smoke, debris, and ash in the air had temporarily created a smokescreen before them.

"Front line, requesting status of target!" Myrddin, who was left to be the chief defender of the Ground Operators said through the comm line as Dragon relayed the information.

"D-Did we get her?" one asked through the channel as many voices which made the entire line busy and noisy prevailed as a slew of worries, concerns, and elation were shared.

Keith then narrowed his eyes through the smokescreen as he tried to see where the enemy was.

"David, do you have any visual?"

Eidolon who had prepared a sensory power out of the three he currently chose looked around as the arcs of cyan energy danced around his fingertips and arms.

"I can't get any movement or vibrations through the blast zone. It's either that or she's displaced herself." Keith kept the thrum of energy humming within the weapon as he called out to Dragon.

"Dragon, what about you?"

The smokescreen, strangely flowing still without any sign of dissipating had silenced the comm line as the eerie silence and absence of anything had rendered everyone alert.

"I… I can't detect anything as well! I don't know if it's the sensors or her anti-technology and thinker field but I can't see a damn-

Then…

They heard it.

The smog, hiding most of the visibility before them had wrung a familiar and haunting tune. The ever-pervasive and heavy sound of a thousand vermin seemingly barreling towards them, after being hidden by the smog had alerted everyone into action as Dragon's Drones rushed forward and together produced a large shield that stretched forward like a barrier to hold everything off.

Then, as the smog dissipated slowly everyone in the front line had their eyes widen considerably in shock and horror as they saw a dark, heavy cloud of vermin hitting them like a Tsunami or Volcanic Ash violently produced by a Super Volcano unlike anything ever seen.

The nightmarish sight made everybody flinch as terror overtook them.

The heavy presence then slammed into the shield that the Drones were producing as the blue, electricity-producing shield that fired lightning arcs toward the enemy buckled audibly.

The Front-line fighters flew a few meters back as even the Ground Operators far behind looked on in horror and dread.

"EIDOLON! I CAN'T HOLD THIS ANY LONGER!"

"Get me a minute!" David shouted back as Keith rushed forward, turning into his breaker form through the shield and into the deluge, and felt the weapon and his own body glow tremendously in power. His form being surrounded by the sea of vermin looked akin to a Nebula still wrapping a bright, infant star around its wake.

Until Legend let the weapon in his hands surge a blinding aura around him.

The dark presence leaked Keith's blinding light around its center as the presence dissipated but fought back against his attempts like the fires of Gehenna purging Sodom and Gomorrah.

Keith kept the pressure up until his senses kicked in and he turned towards his right.

The weapon was right in his hands, as he came face to face with the Oberon herself.

CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANGGG!

"Where did you get this weapon?!" she muttered with pure intensity as Keith was taken aback by how much force the foe had when she rammed into him. The collective energy from the clash had just created a fairly large shockwave that dissipated some of the swarm around them.

The young girl's eyes, filled with animosity, alert, and subtle hidden fury intently stared down at him as Keith snarled. Energy abundant in his body and surging within the weapon glowed as the darkness overrode his surroundings and those that covered the girl tightly as the plague clashed.

Her eyes bore down on him before they widened.

"Y-you… you saw that little embarrassment?" the girl, no, the monster that was using the girl's face started to snicker into a disturbing smile as she moved closer in their stalemate as Keith wanted to retaliate and force her back only for her to further enforce the stalemate, they currently were in.

"She honestly chose you... you? The selfish, little weasel that knew of my coming arrival and did completely nothing to even stop it. It's embarrassing… and now you're here, holding that pretty little toy trying to fight the end that you and your friends oh so desperately failed at stopping." The amount of bite and hate in her words was so present that despite the overall pleased and amused tone, the depth of it bit back at him severely.

"LEGEND, DISENGAGE!" Dragon's words shouted into his ear as he made himself brighter and exploded into a gust of energy that rendered him back to his Breaker state the action created a powerful flashbang effect that not only blinded and burned his enemy but also broke off their stalemate.

As soon as he broke off, the barrier that the Dragon Drones created curled around the nightmarish mass of vermin like a powerful, energized net until Eidolon finally shifted his powers once more.

With exertion, the mass of vermin before them was destroyed on an atomic level.

FWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNGSHHHHHH!

The matter composing their bodies and mass disappeared violently, nearly instantaneously as the net shielding them all from it fizzled out.

Keith reappeared next to the Dragon Drones as the very potent attack his friend had cast should have literally erased the mass of insects completely out of existence permanently but a sheen of black, translucent smoke from its aftermath fell down in front of them like a cloud.

"What the hell?" he heard David's voice say in shock as Keith turned to Dragon.

The weapon in his hands charged again as he spoke to her. "Get the Ground Operators ready."

The closest drone nodded to him as the loud thrum of the sword staff blazed to life again until…

An ominous sound of the ground below them rumbling, crumbling, and audibly gaining momentum faster than they could meaningfully react to as Keith realized what was about to happen.

Within seconds, as fast as his already enhanced and doubled power could muster he aimed the sword staff downwards to the ground until the Earth below them violently burst.

KRAKATHOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!

Yet before the light of the Sword of Promised Victory's beam could reach its target, an unyielding, tremendous, and almost greater swarm of insects amassing in sizes both great and small for their normal natural forms had erupted from the ground like the first flash-heat and thunder of the Tsar Bomba.

Most of the combatants in the front line, who were unprepared could only haphazardly shield themselves from their positions in the air as the powerful and sudden deluge of biological matter rushed through them like a shockwave of an explosion.

Screams were heard throughout the comms as Dragon scrambled her drones to recreate the shield again below them but some torrents, far stronger than others burst through the holes within the seams while Eidolon who was similarly unprepared had his auto-defensive shield ability take the brunt of the attack, but it was so powerful that he was knocked off his position in the air a few several meters away from Legend as everybody else, who remained functional and conscious from the barrage were trying to defend themselves before they were summarily killed.

Significant meters away, the Ground Operators stood in horrified watch as the already dark and pale sky was overwhelmed by the presence of those attackers exploding from the ground like a volcano explosion. Its width being more than a hundred meters across dwarfed them entirely from their position as the shouts within the comm line turned chaotic.

The tinkers behind them rapidly fired and turned their weapons again alongside their long-ranged blasters and strikers but just the sight alone had made everyone nearly panic.

Those that were tasked to defend them grew nervous as the ground before them moving at a rapid pace was also starting to encroach on their position as Chevalier, one of the leaders present, activated his infamous cannonblade.

"HOLD!" he shouted as the wave, about to hit them smack dab was about to put them into combat…

Until, a little girl, a survivor from Brockton ran towards the frontline and raised her hands with as much concentration and exertion as she could cover around their position. Then the space before them where the fighters would engage the incoming enemy, warped.

Vista, or Missy Biron screamed as she folded space and physics in front of them to stop the incoming force from hitting them completely.

The shocked and surprised faces of her comrades did not last long as their reinvigorated will to fight returned.

Meanwhile, as tensions continued to flow into the Ground Operator's position, those in the frontline that took the brunt of the surge were being shielded by Dragon against the onslaught hastily until Keith who was still firing the massive beam into the chasm below where all of these vermin came from, forced more power and concentration into his head.

"ARGHHHHH!" he screamed as suddenly the beam of light he was firing began to split into multiple arching and rapidly moving beams around him in all directions like light refracting and breaking physics in the most absurd of ways.

The beams of light spread across the sky, the ground, and across all his comrades in a conscious move that essentially exterminated most, if not all of the attacking swarms in the process.

The display of power was so immense that whoever watched it from even half a mile away would be nearly blinded by the excess of light. The swarming beams even reached the Ground Operator's position, destroying most of the attacking force until the energy he was discharging started to overload.

That was until a mass of insects that were still emerging from the ground beneath them rapidly formed into Oberon. Holding a dagger-liked weapon formed from the vermin in her command she came from his right almost teleporting into existence as she rammed that blade into Legend.

THOOOOM!

The light show Keith had created was interrupted and halted immediately as the strike that would have killed him outright shattered against his chest as if his whole body was enforced in some way as a Brute would be. Still, the strike was so hard and innately powerful that it knocked him away several meters out of the air as Oberon lunged forward to hit him again…

Only to be met by swift resistance in the form of the nearest Dragon Drone, ramming their fist into her face. A second upgraded Dragon Drone grabbed her hair as the rest fired their weapons ranging from concentrated, high-yield energy blasts, as well as payload missiles.

Oberon, appearing to be resistant even as most of her body burned and bled through the sheer amount of cooperation and force behind the attack was trying to escape the Drone's grasp but was instead wrapped in the blue energy shield that the Dragon Drones produced and wrapped her into a pseudo net.

The lightning coursing through the net electrocuted her to the point that she was now snarling.

"HIT HER!" Dragon shouted.

One of the flyers, a rogue carrying a large Tinkertech mace then flew and lifted his hammer as some other defenders in the frontline who were not knocked off by the surge fired their various abilities and funneled enough energy into the mace that it glowed yellow.

Then like thunder rendering the size with its might, he slammed it into their enemy, the sound and dark skies almost roaring in anticipation as if the strike was from Thor or Indra themselves.

THRUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNGMMMMM!

Oberon's body blasted away from the sheer force of the attack that actually created a mini shockwave as the scorched land she was crashing to exploded into the air as dust and debris catapulted around her, creating a rather decently sized crater.

The surge of the insects still coming from the large hole coming from the ground was still attacking most of their comrades, some even succumbing and screaming to their deaths in the goriest fashion as insects tore their flesh and made them fall back down to the Earth like Angels having their wings clipped.

The scenario turned nightmarish even with the most powerful of heroes backing them rendering the scenery and environment hellish. Slightly far off, the influence and size of the incoming Wyrm still chugged on as more and more cities and towns were engulfed into its maw.

Nobody knew why the chief enemy who controlled it had allowed their ultimate weapon of mass destruction to continue to devour the continent slowly. For even as they were attacked on all sides, they were not accelerating the rate of the planet's destruction yet…

Meanwhile, the cloud of destruction still lingered against the battle as the crashed Oberon, without even having a chance to recover was quickly attacked by ten Dragon Drones quickly going into melee against her.

They rammed their fists into a flurry of attacks so loud and powerful that it rumbled the crater around them completely. The ground cracked with each strike as the overwhelmed girl had little time to actually do anything to retaliate…

Then, Eidolon who had recovered from being knocked off course then expanded his powers and with great exertion once again destroyed every insect on site that was surging from the hole with his matter destruction. Continuing on, cyan energy started to envelop his form as the ten Dragon Drones quickly flew away from the crater while the ground once again exploded into a bright and powerful surge of light.

The massive area of effect that Eidolon had done had destroyed most of the attacking insects great and small along with the crater Oberon was laying on. The blast had ruptured the land again as she was flung into the air.

The sky, the airspace now being filled with blackened ash raining down on them all like nuclear fallout painted an eerie picture as she was careening through it. Her peace was interrupted quickly as the eerily smiling Oberon narrowly dodged a weaponized forcefield about to cut through her body.

Her left arm was sent flying away, but she saw Narwhal alongside some of the Guild and a few other flyers come at her as they attacked her again on all sides.

The ferocity…

The amount of desperation, power, and strength his comrades had made Keith who had recovered from the attack earlier made him believe. He looked at the near-blinding quality of the sword staff in his hand and felt the aura of hope and determination flowing through it.

He then watched his allies again who were attacking their enemy fiercely and bravely and that's when he realized that every fighter, every soul living in that moment whether trying to fight the enemy alongside him now or defending the doors of the innocent people who were running to safety…

The moment he had unleashed that unyielding light, that bright and powerful surge of power into their enemy, it had ignited a spark. A wonderful, burning cinder that he was in the center of.

Seeing his comrades now, including David fight even as the World was effectively dying gave him a sense of calmness and determination.

The aura and smile of the little girl who chose to help them despite their world being the way it was gave him hope. It gave him meaning despite it all.

That same aura and burning cinder of hope was flooding into the daring defenders who were at their wit's end. Everybody now fought with the enforcement and second wind given through the aura of the sword that was now coursing through his veins…

A thing that while imperfect reminded him of Hero and the many they lost who were all trying to do the right thing. Perhaps in this moment, he was honoring them all.

Perhaps in this moment, he was simply doing his damnest to be the hero that many viewed him as. A symbol that he always tried to uphold with varying results.

He just hoped that it was enough. He cared not for any legacy, it was already a far-fetched dream with all the sins he had committed, but if he should die here, it would not be through cowardice or neglect, but of true determination to save what was left of Earth Bet.

Returning his focus back to the battle, the retaliating Oberon was eerily smiling calmly.

The various Tinkertech weapons on the Ground Operator's side who were still being attacked fired another volley as it blasted and blew away their enemy in the air in a rapid exchange of attacks while Keith flew forwards, at speeds that normally he needed building up to but due to the amount of power that surged in his veins, he arrived almost instantaneously towards his enemy…

And stabbed the sword tip into the chest of Oberon.

"AGHHKK!" she loudly groaned in pain as black, almost bile-like blood spat out of her mouth. the calm smile she was exhibiting before was gone as Keith pushed the blade into her further. The blade's light and aura burned and cooked her as the putrid smell came into his nose.

Unflinchingly, she tried to grab at him with her remaining arm, only to stop when she saw his intent. Her eyes, her pale blue eyes widened like saucers as Keith's unyielding and snarling expression blazed.

TTHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMM!

The sword staff once again fired the blazing glory of light it cast.

Violently, it had vaporized her completely in one blow as the straight beam went so far that it had hit the Wyrm so far forward near the edge of its maw. The thunderous song blasted forward as everyone heard the Wyrm itself groan in its haunting tone, its voice emanating and propagating through half of the world as if in pain.

Those who were rushing the civilians through the gateways even froze as they heard the ominous sound of the large world-ending entity that loomed over them all.

Back on the battlefield, the ominous sound made everybody nearly stop as well due to not knowing what was going to occur next. The ashfall which proved to be a misdirection before got Dragon to order some of their comrades in the frontline away as those strong enough waited.

Eidolon reorganized his powers once more and despite the fatigue and overexertion, he was still breathing normally even against his mask. Keith, watched on in full alert as he activated his comms.

"Dragon." He intoned as the AI understood.

"Scion remains static, the Wyrm, it… I don't really know what happened, it's still propagating. But… oh no." the AI suddenly stopped in realization as Keith quickly turned to the nearest Drone.

"What is it?"

"The Endbringers… they're-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!" a scream tore through the comms as they all turned to many of their comrades being beheaded, out of nowhere a rush of blood spewed across the air. Keith and Dragon were horrified as they saw a nearby comrade of theirs scream in full until a hand burst out of their chest before their body exploded into a gruesome burst of gore. The air around them was riddled with blood as Dragon quickly understood what happened.

"The ash! They're not dormant!"

But that was not the worst part, with each comrade of theirs dying, as their numbers dwindled what came out of the corpses and figurative rivers of blood were clones of Oberon smiling calmly at them.

What was left of the front line retreated far from them alongside Narhwal until multiple clones from all sides attacked them. It was… a sudden massacre of untold proportions.

Screams filled the comms, the air, and their surroundings as the rush of hope before was quickly turned into despair.

Despair brought forth by the calmly smiling Oberon as instead of insects, the mass of ash and vermin that once was her attacking force were now clones of herself.

"THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" Chevalier's voice said through the comms as Keith's horror deepened. The Ground Operators were being attacked. Everyone was being attacked simultaneously as he saw the Dragon Drones fighting back and trying to save those that were left…

Keith, infuriated at the sudden change charged the sword staff again until multiple clones rammed his body simultaneously as he was sent straight to the ground like a bright comet crashing down to the Earth.

"LEGEND!" Dragon shouted as the main clone that had jumped on him first punched him so hard that his landing was much more forceful than before. The loud crater to which the ground burst just near the chasm of their battle earlier had forced Keith to the ground with his limbs being held on and restrained by the clones bathed in blood who were all smiling at him.

He then felt it.

The screams. The despair.

Everything.

The defenders of the Ground Operators barely held on as poor Vista who was tantamount to the success in warding off the attackers was now being choked by one of the clones as Chevalier, Stonewall, and many others fought back trying to retrieve her.

Many had already been slain as ails and calls from the gateways asked of their status while Dragon's Drones, overwhelmed and nearly overpowered were losing their own fight as Narwhal and the remaining people on the frontline were similarly nearly broken out of their position they collapsed to.

David, who was the most swarmed out of all of them was screaming in anger as he tried to create space so that he could switch his powerset once more to handle the new threat.

Everything seemed to turn for the worst in just mere minutes…

And given what little time the entire battle started with, Keith's worry and fear had dropped to a new low. The futility and inevitable feeling of the end started to encroach upon him as the clones continued to smile.

One was standing over him as the rest held him down and tried to separate him from his weapon. The one standing over him then turned to the utter chaos behind her then returned her gaze to him. A larger smile then graced her features as she knelt towards him.

"Pity Artoria isn't here. She practically knew what my role was in this world, and yet she persisted." She then looked at the sword staff that he was still holding with both his hands as the clones (who were still smiling) continued to try and pry it off him. "That little toy would have worked had I not been given the power I have amassed… but now, it is merely a small dagger, trying to smite a Great Dragon."

He grits his teeth as she grins. "Realize, foolish tool… that once I'm done here, I will make sure what you and Artoria are hiding from me by doing this bold move will be supplanted the same as your world."

"Then... when everything's gone into the wind, perhaps I can end what's left." She then started to snicker. "In the most painful way possible."

"NO!" he shouted as power surged within him again but he only heard sinister giggles as a result.

Yet before he could blast away the surrounding clones around him…

A familiar voice through the comms and naturally in the air around them broke out.

"ENOUGH!"

Loud, powerful, and thunderous, Eidolon had finally got back into the fight.

BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUM!

A powerful shockwave blew apart the swarms that were surrounding David as he then raised both his arms into the air and a gray-like aura of fizzling energy activated.

SPLAT! SCHLICK! SPLART!

Multiple sickening sounds of something being stabbed were heard as Keith watched the clones around him and nearly everywhere had esoteric matter burst out of their bodies like swords or blades being teleported or created out of nothing within their bodies.

It had incapacitated all the clones as they all simultaneously screamed in anger at the sudden internal attack. It gave a window for Keith to break out as he immediately swung the sword staff in an arc around him…

FWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUMMM!

The wave of light surged forward and erased all the clones hit in its wake as the attack soared and expanded throughout the skies. It even visibly pushed back the Wyrm from the distance they were in as some of the remaining forces, seeing the opening once more capitulated on the newly created headway gave it their all.

Similarly, the Ground Operator's side was able to save Vista even with their casualties as the remaining artillery platforms of the tinkers present fired their volleys.

The decisive advantage continued on as Keith, once more carrying the remaining burning cinders of resilience and stubbornness to survive and fight on, did battle with the retreating and barely living clones that could still fight.

Yet despite it all, even with the powerful counteraction, Keith did not notice the expression on Oberon's face.

"LEGEND!" Dragon's voice shouted through the comms.

"KEEP AT IT!" Keith shouted as the adrenaline that coursed through his veins sundered while Eidolon who was also near him fought with the same ferocity. The comm lines, however, were being flooded by voices.

"LEGEND!" Dragon shouted again.

An Oberon clone blocked a strike from him with her scythe as the sword staff threatened to break and kill her, she was instead grinning at him. The clones who were being attacked fought back despite their injuries while the clone he was locked in combat with smiled almost joyfully. The clone leaned forward as she burned while Keith heard Dragon scream in his ears again.

But what he could only hear and understand at that moment was Oberon's whisper.

"I hope your dear friend likes my final gift for him."

Keith's eyes widened at her words as he finished vaporizing the clone in order to turn towards David. His focus was broken when the AI who was screaming into his ear finally caught his attention.

"LEGEND! LISTEN DAMN IT!"

"Dragon? W-What's going on?" he said as he rushed towards his friend's position who was fending off a group of clones…

Until one was able to grab both their hands on his head.

"LEGEND! THE ENDBRINGERS THEY'RE COMING THIS WAY!"

Then before he could respond, David who vaporized the clone holding his head earlier suddenly screamed so much so that the entire battlefield heard his cry.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!"

The remaining Oberon clone's laughs echoed as Legend who was overwhelmed with everything happening so fast felt horror as his dear friend's body glowed brighter than even the sword staff…

"EIDOLON'S BODY IS SPIKING IN ENERGY!" Dragon shouted. "GET EVERYBODY OUT!"

The next thing Keith experienced…

Was nothing but a flash of light.

As well as darkness afterward.

-09:57

Breath returned to his lungs as his eyes opened.

Keith immediately sat up as he tried regaining his bearings. Only to see the aftermath of their folly.

OOOWOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The sky, blood red and raging with thunder and lightning so powerful had razed the surroundings in all directions for perhaps kilometers or more. The land was scorched with magma and geological energy that was so radiated it bloomed within the trench they had carved earlier.

Energy was lashing across the environment as the familiar sight of the One-Eyed destroyer of cities was battling a wave of black smog from this distance.

Above, the eerie sight of the winged demented Seraph hovered over the battlefield like a messenger of the Rapture. Her wings, once incandescent and beautiful to the eyes were colored in near-bloody red and orange as the light reflected from the clashing colors in the sky hit her mostly albino form. Multiple floating objects, mechanisms, and various other properties were hovering in her wake as they fired, attacked, and changed the environment of space and time against the great Wyrm which looked double in size compared to the last time they saw it.

Strangely, the image of the last of the three, the One who Sunk Cities, was flying around with christened wings as in the distance a powerful rainstorm and hurricane-like winds manifested alongside a torrential, hard rain. The hydrokinetic was bathed in it even as he flew as they laid waste to the black mass that was fighting back with equal ferocity…

But, even with all of those abominations, apparently creating a scene that resembled the End of Days in the worst parts of every religion that believed in a doomsday, was ultimately dwarfed by the sight of a Prismatic and ultimately bright object in the sky which hovered as the laws of reality and the Universe were broken and cast aside to their leisure.

The light, no… the nearly alien quality to its otherworldly and Lovecraftian existence made his brain short out as even gazing at colors was so much even with his enhancements.

Yet Keith knew who that being was. Even as changed and monstrously powerful he was now.

It was David.

"Thine eyes do not jest, Coruscant Knave… blessed by the Stranger Beyond. Tis the High Priest hisself, now nearly as similar in power to the Great Progenitors to which the Fae are born from."

Keith immediately turned to the voice as he manifested the weapon into his right arm. He then saw the infamous Faerie Queen, sitting peacefully, watching as the world ended around them.

"Thy friend hath ascended into the power he craves. He lacks no such limits, hath he been allowed to grow this far, he could have the power to challenge and even destroy the great progenitor single-handedly." She said, dreamily with the tone she carried as her expression turned into a small curious smile.

"Yet… this is not what thou wanted, yes?" the Faerie Queen asked as Keith looked at her.

"N-No." he responded as he looked at his surroundings and fear ultimately came into his being, realizing how many of his comrades were lost…

And the ultimate state of the exodus they were trying to divert attention away from.

He ignored the Faerie Queen entirely as his shaking hands turned on his comms which were shorted out but remained intact from the sudden discharge.

"D-Dragon? Are you there?"

"Legend?! I thought you were dead! Where are you, what happened?"

"I'm intact, exhausted, but intact…" he then hesitated but he carried on. "…the others, are they…"

"I have lost contact with nearly everyone on the diversionary force." She said with a lace of guilt in her voice. "I'm currently flying some of my drones to recover the signals that are still asking for aid meters from your position, but that's unfortunately it."

Another heavy realization of the truth led him to almost sit in place while he stared at the blood-red sky and towards the weapon he wielded.

It… almost made him go into tears.

"Legend, if you can still fight, you need to get out of there quickly… we've lost contact with Eidolon, and nor do we think he'll still hear us… but the Los Angeles hub, where the exodus is still proceeding still needs your help."

Keith tried to slow and calm himself down as he thought about his failures…

But he needed to push forward, regardless.

"Status on those…"

"We have only six positions left around the world that still have the frequencies activated. The rest have gone dark… for reasons I don't know. But Legend… there's something you need to know."

"What?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

"Scion… we don't have an idea where he went."

-09:27

AN: Eidolon should have equipped Black Grail. Ending of Dreams scales way better with that.

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Anyway, the reason I released this pretty big chapter (which was rewritten at least two times) is because I think they end quite well as a cliffhanger, at the same time, this will allow me to double down to make the David chapter as good as it could being that it's the Penultimate chapter of this fic.

Haha… It will take more time since that one is pretty much rigorously written nearly thrice at this point. So, for now, have this…

I hope ye enjoyed… this chaotic mess of a chapter.