Unmei Force Shattered Heroes: Dawn of Despair
Epilogue: The Continuation of Worlds
You know, there's something funny about what true hope feels like.
One could say that it could be born from the greatest of griefs.
Nier began to set down a basket of flowers, as Yonah greeted her brother with a smile, as the both of them were sitting on the edge of a cliff, where the Shadowlord's castle once resided, as there was not even a ruin to indicate that it ever existed.
"Isn't this nice, brother?" Yonah remarked, as the land was able to return to its peaceful state, especially after all that had happened. "The Gestalts have been turned into actual humans… and they no longer will regress due to the dissonance effect."
"Well, most of them, that is." Nier sighed, before seeing several Gestalt wolves playing with a human child, as the shadows wolves seemed to be docile enough for the child to enjoy their company. "Some people chose to remain in their Gestalt forms. I guess that means that we'll have three races of humans. We of the Replicants, who are living clones who earned humanity… The Gestalts, who are living spirits turned into shadow beings with their human soul and nature, and the true humans themselves."
"And all of them are living happily together. Even the Replicants have been granted the power to reproduce at last, meaning that our race won't end up extinct." Yonah smiled. "...And it's all thanks to both Richard's efforts, as well as that white-skinned boy who changed the world when he arrived."
"I guess so." Nier remarked, before thinking back to how Richard sacrificed himself to save his life, so that he could see a bright new world before his eyes, and live the rest of his life with Yonah as brother and sister. "I suppose we have many people to thank for this."
"Hey! Nier, you done lounging around?" Kaine growled, as Nier turned around to see that Kaine had her blade by her side. "Just because everyone made up with each other, doesn't mean that we got a perfect world. There are still assholes from both sides who want to ruin other people's lives and also fuck all of this up. Thankfully, we're not going to be alone."
Several people flocked behind Kaine, as they were wielding various weapons from Nier's arsenal.
"We await your command, Captain Nier!" One of them declared. "For the sake of making sure that everyone's wishes are fulfilled, we will lay our lives for a better world!"
Nier turned back to Yonah, who nodded, as Nier smiled, before getting up.
"Let's go." Nier declared, drawing his great-sword through Grimoire Weiss. "Together with Weiss, we're going to make sure that everything that Richard and his band has done for us will not be for nothing."
"I must say, don't get cocky, Nier. You never know what could come next." Grimoire Weiss remarked.
Nier could only smirk, as the group departed from the village itself, on an expedition to slay the evils of the world that was left behind for them all.
And it could also be said that the meaning of hope is learned through faith itself.
To seek enlightenment is to find the glimmer of positivity in the sea of negativity.
"So, everything ended up going well, didn't it?" Fox asked Gus, as the both of them were passing by one of the corridors leading to the central hub of the fortress, where there was a large amount of people moving about. "Richard's back to his normal self, and he's been pretty much fixed after all of the stuff that he went through."
"I suppose that would be a reasonable way to put it." Gus remarked, before summoning a rainbow flame. "And Yukari's gifts have left me stronger than before. While I cannot use the RESTORE Button, since I returned it to Yukari, lest any reality manipulators exist for her to combat against with this weapon… The power it came with is still clearly mine."
"Proof that you deserve your mantle as co-leader of the Unmei Force." Fox smirked. "I must say, I thought that it was either going to be Richard or you on the top there. Never thought that he would suggest the both of you work together. Still, Kaguya becoming the acting commander of the UGF over Richard…"
"She deserves it. She's more talented than you think, especially with the results she brought from the Outside War in all phases of it." Gus answered back.
Eventually, Gus would bump into a familiar pair of green-haired girls, both of them seeming to be sisters to each other, while they were being dragged around by an older woman with red hair and sharp eyes.
"Quit it, big sis!" The younger one, who had flowing curvy hair, complained. "Don't drag us around like this!"
"Behave yourself, Mido." The older sister remarked firmly. "We need to find the commander of the UGF, or a ranking officer, so that we can be conscripted into the army. It is said that they are in need of potent pilots at the moment. And who better than us?"
"Our older sister has a point, Mido." The other sister, who had short hair, and a pair of earrings on her ears. "We need to make good use of our talents, for the sake of peace across the multverse. After all, the Universal Police conscripts men and women from all worlds as well, and so do the UGF, what's the issue with joining them, little sis?"
"Well-" Mido tried to complain, as Gus froze, before rushing over to them.
"You… you three are…" Gus remarked.
"Hey look, it's Major Gus Campbell!" Mido exclaimed. "I heard that he's been deemed a successor to Commander Richard, and that he's been managing a lot of things lately."
"Forgive my sister." The red-haired girl remarked. "My name is Akai Oren, and these are my sisters, Mido Oren, and Dori Oren. This hyper-active idiot of a little sis is Mido, and the older and more composed one is Dori."
"Nice to meet you, Major." Dori smiled in a daring manner. "I look forward to working alongside you."
"Mido… Dori…" Gus remarked, as tears ran down his eyes, remembering what happened to them in the past.
"Major? Is there something wrong?" Mido asked, suddenly concerned at Gus's crying. "Please don't cry, I promise you that we don't stink that bad."
"You idiot!" Akai growled, bonking Mido on the top of her head with her fist. "He's not crying because of that, it must be something that we remind him of."
"Yes. Yes, you do." Gus remarked, as he wiped his tears away, before smiling warmly. "...You remind me of a trio of sisters who fought to save an entire universe, no matter the odds and no matter what despair faced them."
"Really, we remind you of such cool people!?" Mido remarked, as her eyes sparkled with joy.
Gus nodded, before gesturing for the group to follow him.
"I will need to run you through some tests. But I'm sure that all of you will qualify. The UGF isn't picky about its members." Gus told the three of them. "Still, I wish you all the best of luck."
The sister trio followed Gus out of the hallway, leaving a fairly confused Fox, who shrugged, before continuing his walk alone.
Within the computer room, Erika was working on enhancing the network security of the fortress, to prepare for the backlash that Richard's own speech in the near future would cause, in preparation for espionage aimed towards them. Beside her was Nitori, who was working hard to ensure that her engineering expertise could be used to enhance certain hardware devices on Erika's suggestions.
"And there." Erika remarked, pressing the confirmation key on her keyboard, as the network test operated efficiently, with all countermeasures working optimally. "With the simulated Digimon serving as an extra active defense layer for the fortress's network, it should be almost impregnable to anything but the strongest of digital infiltration techniques."
"My, I'm starting to think that I'm falling for you." Nitori joked. "I think that people like you and Isara are geniuses that are one in every few generations in a large number of worlds. I think that I was lucky to have you all working alongside me."
As soon as she finished, Erika noticed that something was slipped into the network itself, as she immediately went to investigate it, as she opened the packet, after running through scans, indicating that it was some sort of AI that requested communication with any of the UGF.
"Is there… Is there someone there?" The AI remarked, as there was a familiar circular symbol on the program itself.
"You are an interesting one… a living digital entity." Erika remarked. "But you're not Digimon, nor anything that I have seen before. What are you?"
"I… I am an AI, and my name is Erasure…." The AI answered back.
"Erasure…" Erika declared, as she examined the sentient AI for herself.
It could be even said that it is one's imagination that creates that spark of hope in one's soul.
After all, what better way to hope than to strive for something ahead of you?
On another part of the GFS Ryujin, Heiwa and Popol awaited for a certain transport ship to arrive, as out of it popped Boki Lamira herself, this time in the flesh, as the feline girl tackled both Heiwa and Popol down with a double-hug.
"I'm so glad that I can get to see you myself!" Boki exclaimed. "I missed you both so very much…!"
"So did we." Heiwa smiled back, before wrapping an arm around Boki. "I knew that you would come and find us. We can be friends who get in touch with each other."
"I think that she'll be more than just a friend for you both." Savant declared, floating towards the three. "In fact, I managed to strike a deal with Miss Yakumo. Boki will become a part of the Unmei Force, in order to be able to better use her talents, and learn her true strength."
"Really!?" Popol exclaimed.
"Yeah! You won't believe it!" Boki shouted back with passion. "It's the first time that I'll get to do some real hero-work! Sure, I might be trained harshly by the other members, but there's so much I can learn, and so much I can do. I'll be able to spend most of my time with you guys!"
"That's… that's so GREAT!" Heiwa exclaimed, before tackling Boki down herself, and nuzzling cheeks. "We'll get Chen and Hattie together, and we can go on all sort of adventures together, and help other people! It'll be the greatest thing ever!"
"Did someone call for a cat?" Chen quipped, before she then appeared, before seeing the scene. "Oh. Oh my, Heiwa. Looks like another cat has caught your eye, hasn't she?"
"W-Wha!?" Boki exclaimed, as her cheeks lit up, while Heiwa blushed her own face red.
"Cheeeeennnnnn!" Heiwa whined loudly. "Don't say it like that."
"What can I say? I love teasing my little kitsune friend." Chen grinned slyly.
As Heiwa and Chen bickered back and forth, while Popol comforted a dazed Boki, Savant merely watched the scene, as there was a warm smile on his face.
"Yes… this will indeed be for the best for Boki, for her to be safe from the dangers lurking in all of the worlds… and to do good for everyone." He declared to himself.
One could say that conflict is a source of great hope and great despair.
It could be said that even after the worst of wars, the hope of a new tomorrow lingers in the horizon.
As the years passed down in the war-torn world where Brenner's Wolves had prevailed against all odds, the end of the Creeper threat and Caulder himself, served as a prelude for the peace to follow, as the world began to heal, with greenery finally returning to the world once again.
"Another cloudy day…" Will sighed, looking at the clouded skies. "Let's see how everyone is."
Will then began to trek through the field, seeing that new building were being made, including an active windmill, as Caron, who had grown up slightly, greeted Will.
"Hey Will, take a look!" Caron declared, before pointing at the fresh crops ahead of them. "We finally got some crops to grow! It's not much, but…!"
"I know. That's a wonderful thing. I know it wasn't easy for it to work." Will assured Caron.
"The scientists say that the meteor fertilized the soil… but, will there be sunlight again? Plants still need it…" Caron remarked with sadness in his face.
"Don't give up! Keep at it! Remember, where there's life-" Will declared.
"-There's hope." Brenner finished his own saying, as the former commander had settled himself into a farmhand's clothes, complete with hoe over his shoulder, as Will smiled. "We are all in this together, Will. No-one will have to be alone, especially not the children who were unfortunate to live for so long in this dark era."
"Mr Bear loves the fields!" Penny declared, as she was swinging her teddy bear around. "Mr Bear wants to play hide and seek."
"Hi Penny." Will greeted the young girl.
"Who are you? How do you know Penny's name? …Did Mr Bear tell you?" Penny asked curiously.
"I'm Will. We talked yesterday, remember?" Will told her.
"No! Remembering is hard! And you smell of cheese." Penny pouted at him. "Come on, Mr Bear, let's go away from the stinky cheese man."
"Don't worry, Penny. You'll remember someday." Will encouraged her.
"Daddy went BOOM! Mars went BOOM! Sister went… Sister went…" Penny remarked, before trying to think. "No good! Mr Bear doesn't know. Do you know?"
"We think Tabitha's still alive. We just aren't sure where she is." Will stated.
"She IS alive! We can feel her. Sister and Penny and Cyrus and Mr Bear! All one big system! Whrrr! Click! Boooomm! Tee hee hee!" Penny declared, waving her arms around in motions.
"...Really? Huh. That must be what Caulder meant by one person controlling an entire army." Will remarked.
"Sky!" Penny exclaimed, as Will was confused.
"What?" Will asked.
"Sky! Black! Black sky! Other sister wanted to look at the sky! We looked! ...It's dirty. Mr. Bear hates it. Then Mr. Bear was bored, so we left. How much is that sandwich?" Penny declared. "Trees! Big Trees! Tee hee!"
"Sorry, Penny. You lost me." Will sighed.
"Tee hee! Stinky cheese man is funny." Penny giggled to herself, before turning to leave. "Come on, Mr Bear!"
Penny then left, as Will watched her leave.
"Well, at least she seems happy." Will remarked.
"It still angers me to this day how Caulder is so cruel to his own flesh and blood." Brenner declared, as his free hand was clenched tightly, and his face stony. "A girl like Penny should never have such broken minds. I hope that one day that she will be able to recover from the psychological abuse."
"We can only hope…" Will sighed. "We can only hope.
Meanwhile, deep in an abandoned IDS lab, Cyrus used a combat knife to hack his way through the countless vines that were in his way, before he then managed to find a door that led him right into a pristine cloning room, as if it had been maintained well for so long by someone, as there was even automated robots that cleaned the entire room.
"What is this…" Cyrus remarked. "Why would Mars have preserved this room…?"
Cyrus then noticed that there was a single pod that seemed to be occupied, as there was a disc stuck right on the pod itself, as Cyrus took the disc off, and then saw a nearby disc player, as he inserted it in.
As the contents of the disc started, the screen showed Mars sitting in a secluded room, as the recording was fairly choppy.
"Well, it seems that we meet again, Cyrus, brother of mine." Mars declared through the video. "...Although by the time this is playing, only one of us is alive, and it for certain won't be me."
Cyrus then sat down, as he let the video play out.
"You know, the IDS didn't start with our father… No, I think that he no longer deserves to be called such, let alone a sperm donor." Mars remarked, before shaking his head. "Ahem… as I was saying, the IDS did not start with Caulder. It used to be far better than it was. Sure, it was a company of military hardware and software alike, but they were merely suppliers for everyone, not some deep dark PMC. Unfortunately, when Caulder made his hard take-over… that didn't mean shit."
Mars then leaned forward.
"So ever since I came to that conclusion, I've been thinking… is there a way for it to return to how it was, after Caulder kicks the bucket?" Mars declared. "It's possible… but who could do it? Tabitha would rather die than disobey her 'father', Penny is too young and too broken to take that role, you would be far too soft… and me? Well, do you even need an explanation for that?"
Cyrus could only wonder where this was leading to, in terms of why there was a cloning pod that was still active.
"So I decided to take a page from Caulder's book. If he can create more of himself through us…" Mars declared, raising a finger. "...Then I can create more of myself."
Cyrus's eyes widened, before he then realized what was going on, as the cloning pod let out a shrill beep, as the pod opened, to reveal a young 2-year old boy, with the same blue hair as the entire clone-line, completely naked, with a blanket by his side to wrap him around with.
"It's so easy to trick Caulder. His pride makes him overlooked things, and I have fooled far more clever people than him." Mars declared. "I made this clone, whose name shall be Orion. And untainted by the bastard who ruined our lives, he shall be the successor."
Cyrus rushed over, as Orion began to cry, before Cyrus instinctively rocked his younger brother, who slowly calmed down.
"And now, it's up to you to decide who Orion shall be." Mars declared. "Will you teach him to forgo the ways of war like you have? Or will you teach him the necessity of war, using the fellow officers who have won the day as exemplary idols for him? Whatever path you choose for him, I know that you'll choose well for him, and that he'll grow up to be something greater than Caulder could ever hope to be."
Mars then stood up, as he then bowed.
"And with that, I bid my final farewell to you, Cyrus." Mars declared. "...May you live a long and fulfilling life in my place. You deserve it after everything that you've been through. Take care of Lutaria, and ensure that she never suffers ever again."
The video then ended, as the disc player shorted-out, as if something in the disc caused it to do so, while the cleaning robots suddenly came to a halt.
"Mars…" Cyrus remarked, before looking at Orion, before wrapping him in the blanket beside him, as he turned to leave the lab.
He then took several shuddering breaths to calm himself down, trying not to cry after hearing his brother's final heartfelt message, before he then continued on.
'I promise you, Mars… Orion will indeed grow up to be better than you and Caulder were.' Cyrus thought to himself. 'It's the only thing that I can do to honor your wishes."
And anger? Anger itself, despite popular belief, is a necessity to create hope.
Our own discontents of the wrongdoings in the world is what created heroes, who would later become beacons of hope.
In the Paldea region, an aspiring trainer has finally arrived in one of its airports, as she seemed to have a familiar long-haired hair-style, as she was dressed with a woolen cap that she took with her, as well as wearing a fairly traditional attire, with her dress having various woven patterns on it.
"So this is the Paldea region…" The girl remarked, as she began to pull out a Pokéball, as she then summoned a Tinkaton. "Come, Suika!"
The Tinkaton hummed gently, waving its large hammer around, as it trotted all around her trainer.
"I do wonder sometimes… why would I call you that name…?" The trainer remarked to herself in a thoughtful manner. "Is it the same as the feeling… when I saw Mark Anarchy's Pokemon in the second Perfect Link Tournament?"
She then closed her eyes, as she thought back to the day that the second PLT tournament was broadcast, as each of Mark's Pokemon seemed to trigger some sort of familiar feeling in her.
"Regardless… I hope that one day I'll be able to meet them myself, and find out the truth." The girl remarked, before she then opened her eyes and smiled widely. "Look out, Paldea! Aria Shio is here to become an Ace Trainer!"
Suika immediately lit up, as the two of them began their journey in Paldea.
And of course, who could forget love itself? The feeling of bliss that it brings?
Surely, to most people, the feeling of loving and being loved is a source of undying hope for them.
In the new world created by Kaguya's wishes, the Tokyo Station was bustling with people once more, as all the dead had been brought back to life.
"Hey, you've heard about the latest game?" Dazai remarked, having an arm wrapped around Johei. "Mahou Taisen VI is about to come out! It's the hottest game series to come out."
"I… will confess that I played a bit of it in my break." Yuzuru admitted, shifting his glasses slightly to hide his embarrassment. "It is something that could be said to be from another world."
"I did have Mahou Taisen V with me." Johei remarked, before easing Dazai off him. "I'm not exactly brought into the idea of having such a small party.. But seeing gods, goddesses and demons fight for you… that's got some appeal to me."
"I always dream of Egyptian gods for some reason." Miyazu remarked with a wistful look in her eyes. "...Think it's because I beat several of these games with a party of them?
"Geez, it's as if you have some sort of fetish for those animal-like gods or something." Sahori teased with a grin.
"Do not!" Miyazu puffed her cheeks up, causing Sahori to laugh.
"That's enough about Mahou Taisen." Tao told the group. "We should be more worried about the mid-term exams coming up. They're only a few days away."
"Ah crap!" Ichiro exclaimed, clutching his head with a horrified expression. "I didn't study enough for my English classes! I'm going to bomb my grades."
"You can always study with me." Miyazu sighed.
"Really!? You'd do that?" Ichiro exclaimed with a shine in his eyes.
"As long as you don't cause a mess, you're welcome to come." Yuzuru declared.
"I swear to god that I won't cause one." Ichiro declared with hand over his chest.
At the same time, Tao and Johei received some sort of message on their phones, causing them to turn to the rest of the group in a hurry.
"Sorry, Tao and I got something coming up." Johei told them. "Mind if you excuse us?"
"We'll see you at the dorms." Yuzuru declared.
Johei and Tao nodded, as they began to run forward, as they passed by a trio of girls that were sitting on a bench, as no-one seemed to notice them, as if they weren't meant to exist. They were the old Miyazu, Tao and Sahori, all of which were in their original human forms.
"I must say…" Miyazu remarked. "...I'm almost envious that my new self is able to be more open with her life, now that she never had that disease to begin with."
"Really? I'm happy with how things are. Everyone in the club is actually good to me, and I got people who I can truly consider friends." Tao declared. "Sure, I mean… it's not me in the literal sense, but figuratively with this new me. And that's enough to keep me happy."
"What Kaguya did for this world…" Tao remarked. "...The Netherworld still exists, but it exists like a fantasy realm, rather than a desolate realm that is hostile to outsiders. Good and evil demons lie about everywhere, and Johei and my alternate self are investigators into this new realm… I wonder, what kind of adventure will they stumble upon?"
"Who knows?" Tao smirked. "Whatever it is, we can only watch until someone decides to ruin this nice world."
"And we will ensure that they will not succeed." Miyazu declared, rising up to her feet with a stern look in her eyes. "That is the cause they Kaguya left behind for us… to ensure that this peace will last as long as it can."
"Don't worry. As long as the three of us work together… and that there are people like Johei and Kaguya… the world will continue to strive for peace." Tao remarked.
The three of them then shifted into their Nahobino and divine forms, before they then disappeared from the bench, just as several people began to sit on the bench where they were a moment ago.
But most important of all: Do not forget the existence of despair itself.
For what is hope without despair? A coin must be of two opposing sides, for either concept to be distinct.
Despair is what motivates people to seek hope.
Several days later, after Richard had recovered from his injuries enough to be able to stand on his two feet, In the hangar bay of the GFS Ryujin, he bid farewell to his X-verse family and the other residents, as they were assigned a transport ship that would allow them to travel through the worlds on their own pace, with only Gus watching over him.
"So… this is goodbye for now, right?" Richard told them.
"Only for a while." X-Asriel smiled to try and comfort Richard. "We'll meet each other. I know we will. You're family, remember? I wouldn't leave my own brother alone, would I?"
"But even so…!" Richard tried to start.
"It's alright." X-Asgore placed a hand on Richard's shoulder, with a gentle look in his eyes. "...We forgive you for what you have done, and you forgive us for how we have hurt you. We settled our problems as a family, and remained one. It's just that… both sides know that it's best that we leave."
"Yeah…" X-Muffet sighed. "...Someone's gotta keep an eye on this dweeb."
"Hey! I thought we were done with that!" X-Chara complained loudly.
"Well, if you didn't cause this ruckus, we would be more trusting." X-Undyne sternly told X-Chara. "And besides, you should be happy that there are people who are willing to listen to us rather than just write us off as lost causes, like those Universal Police dudes."
"We will have much to do." X-Alphys declared, adjusting the files in her hands. "It will be a long path before we can be able to find a place that we can truly belong to… and find a purpose along the way. But if the Wanderers could do it with so few in number, we can do it as well."
Richard was silent, as Gus placed a hand on his shoulder as well, just as X-Asgore withdrew his.
"Richard. We'll still be able to be in contact with them." Gus declared. "If they're in true danger, then you'll always have the chance to come to their help, and they to yours… if the need arises for some convoluted reason."
"Yeah…" Richard sighed. "I suppose… I'm worrying too much."
"No, you worrying this much for all of us proves that you truly love us as your family and friends deep in your heart." X-Toriel declared, with a smile on her face. "I'm glad to have such a determined child in my own family, even if you are a foster child, moreso than Frisk and Chara."
"Take care, won't you, brother?" X-Frisk remarked, offering a hug with a gentle smile.
"...Take care." Richard declared, before hugging X-Frisk and X-Chara both. "Frisk and Chara, my dear younger brothers."
"To be called that once again…" X-Chara stated, as there was relief in his voice. "...It's the most beautiful thing to hear in these dark times."
"I'll make sure that no-one will end up your way, Richard." X-Sans, or Cross, as he decided to call himself, declared with resolve. "And this time… I'll make sure that I'll listen before I act… because it was also my fault that… that you…"
"WORRY NOT, BROTHER. RICHARD HASN'T TRULY FORGIVEN YOU YET, BUT HE IS STARTING TO." X-Papyrus assured his brother. "IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME. BUT ONCE HE SEES HOW MUCH YOU'VE CHANGED, HE'LL WELCOME YOU BACK INTO HIS HEART WITH OPEN ARMS."
"Heh. You just know how to cheer me up." Cross chuckled.
"I'll be watching you, kid." X-Undyne declared with a grin. "I know that you're going to be one hell of a leader, now that you've faced your own inner demons, and became stronger. I can see it in your eyes."
Richard could only smirk back, while X-Mettaton looked towards Richard, before giving him a respectful nod.
"I think that we've talked for long enough." X-Toriel declared, before she then opened her arms. "Let me hug you before we go. I remember that you loved our hugs in the past timelines."
Richard did so, as he fell right into X-Toriel's embrace, as she wrapped her arms around him, while Asgore hugged Richard from behind as well, as Richard let himself rest in the warm fluffy embrace of the king and queen of the Underground.
"...I'll miss all of this. I can't forget all of this." Richard softly said, as tears fell from his eyes. "I refuse to forget everything that you have done for me when we were still a family who were untainted by all of the suffering each of us had to go through."
"And we will never forget that we had you as our child." X-Toriel declared, as several tears fell from her eyes as well. "Be good, my child."
"...I will." Richard responded back in a whisper, before X-Toriel let him go.
As the X-verse residents boarded the ship, Richard stood still, as he watched the transport ship fly out of the hangar, and right into outer space, as it slowly left his line of sight, disappearing into the horizon.
"...You're far more stable than I thought you would be." Gus declared. "I thought that you would be a crying mess at this point, honestly."
"...I come to terms with it." Richard answered back, before wiping his tears off with his fore-arm. "This is the best for both parties. It's not a farewell… but a long-term 'see you later'. That is why… I refuse to make a fool of myself right before them."
"You know that you need to prepare the speech in several hours." Gus declared, before he then took a deep breath. "...Richard, are you sure that it's a good idea to have me as a fellow leader by your side?"
"You deserved it for keeping the Unmei Force together in my absence. The Onigashima raid was proof of that. It was not my alternate self who truly rallied the Unmei Force and the men of UGF to war… It was you." Richard declared, before turning around. "...I know that my judgment isn't wrong."
"If you say so." Gus nodded.
But in the end…
As the people were gathered, Richard immediately began to step upon the balcony that was overseeing the entire UGF army, with all of the members of the Unmei Force, as he was accompanied by Kaguya and Gus, who stood by his side.
"Men and women of the UGF, of all races, of all worlds." Richard declared with the authority befitting of his leading role. "I stand before you today, having finally returned to active duty. Before I make my own announcement, I have a confession to make, for it relates to my own failings."
Richard then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them, prepared to declare the truth.
"What happened several days ago… I take full blame for it." Richard declared. "You have been lied to, all of you dutiful men and women, by being told that I was absent on account of a classified mission. But that was a lie devised by Yukari Yakumo, for justifiable reasons that I shall get to. It was meant to protect me, to protect the UGF from being considered head-less without the leader that led it strongly to have a foothold in this reality."
Richard then cleared his throat.
"When I was down on a mission, I was classified as MIA, due to the fact that I disappeared." Richard declared. "Where I went, was a place that none of you would know. It was seemingly paradise, a world of peace and tranquility, where all races co-exist. However, hidden underneath that is the same kind of hell that caused the Gensokyo Destruction incident, and instead, I was left dead, until Yukari managed to retrieve my body. After then, the Unmei Force went on separate missions to restore my soul and mind. It was successful, and it was agreed that Gus would lead you all in my stead."
Richard then slammed his hands on the rail of the podium, as there was a self-loathing expression on his face.
"After I came to, I was stricken with insane rage, which is why Yun ordered an Alpha-class alarm in the sector where I was located. I couldn't tell friend from foe, and I had only one desire: To destroy the hell that tormented me so." Richard declared. "But however, that would be a grave violation of my own position as your leader, and I have truly failed you all on that. I proved to be too fragile-hearted to be able to handle the same horrors once again, and so many people had to pay for it."
Richard then slowly lowered his head.
"And that is why I shall declare that I will ensure that this will never happen again." Richard declared. "You will have a leader that you have truly been looking up to. No longer shall I let the burdens of my own solitary protection of all that I care for, down to even simple men and women like you, crush me and leave me shattered like this. As your leaders have trusted you, I shall trust them to be able to share my burden, and help me in my most troubled of times. I will not lead out of a fear of losing what is precious to us… but lead out of a desire to ensure that all people will have the strength to be able to protect others, and what else they hold dear."
Richard then leaned back, before gesturing at Kaguya. "...Which is why, I shall step down from my role as acting commander of the UGF, and by the order of Supreme General Yukari Yakumo… shall have Kaguya Houraisan to be instituted in the position." Richard announced. "Her exemplary acts in the Outside War as one of the faction leaders, proves that she is befitting of this role, and she has also gained both power and knowledge in her recent ventures, all which have earned Yukari's recommendation. While her tenure may not last long, depending on future events, I wish that you will take her leadership as you did with my own before all of this happened. She will lead you well, and she will be honest, more than I have been to you all."
Richard then gestured towards Gus. "And while my decision to relinquish my command of the Unmei Force has been vetoed by almost all of my fellow members, I have reached a compromise that shall ensure that there is someone who shall guide me to be better." Richard continued. "Gus Xander Campbell shall be named as co-leader of the Unmei Force, with all of the rights and privileges that I have had, in full effect. This will not matter much to all of you, as the army and the organization are mostly independent from each other, but it will mean that Gus's words shall have impact in what becomes of our collective futures, and I have belief that he shall lead it better."
Richard then slowly walked back, as the two newly anointed leaders addressed the army with a nod.
"And with that, I shall enter a period of recovery, where I shall recover much of what I have lost. My powers, my own ideals, even my own understanding of self." Richard declared. "But when it is done… I promise you, I shall not fail any of you once again as I have before. We are still standing strong against the evils of reality, despite the countless attempts to undermine. We are the protectors of our worlds, and the ones who blanket them with the care and kindness of countless races, and I hope that none of you will forget that, for you are all heroes of your stories here!"
The army then entered an uproar, as Richard began to leave, as there was a smile on his face, proud of what has become of his own friends, free from his own overprotective nature.
…Hope always springs eternal, as they say. And I believe that well and truly.
-Richard Liu, recording after the X-verse incident.
Meanwhile, in a realm of void…
Deep inside the void, the same man that the Hero Alliance met in Odio's Realm, watched the proceeding from a dark orb, before he then let the vision wink away.
"Oh, Richard, you poor little rabbit." The man remarked. "It's almost pitiful that you think so lowly of yourself… when you can be so much better."
A cruel grin crossed his face, as he clenched his hands in fists.
"Yes, this is the coalescence of countless tormentful experiences to create something that I have been craving all of this time." He spoke. "Something better than that useless four-eyes who thinks that he can just play with deities like us who are so far, far behind his comprehension. And far more better than that useless blubbering fool who thinks that he can fix everything."
The man began to cackle, as the entire realm of void began to rumble.
"Oh yes… I wonder how this little sleepy reality will handle the existence of a true Outer God in the body of a mortal like Dicky!" The man cackled. "It shall be interesting. It shall be truly interesting, once I wake that can of incomprehensible horrors in my own way, and the sweet part is: Dicky's going to be the one to do it willingly, because he'll know that there is no way forward. He'll learn that the only choice he has is to make whatever attempt he can to decide what path he'll take upon learning the truth. And no one is going to stop me. Not a single being."
The man then finished laughing, as the laughing died in his throat.
"Anyways… I'll be seeing you soon, Dicky…" The man remarked.
"Because here comes the Seven Trials of HABIT, Multiverse Edition."
Unmei Force: Dawn of Despair
-End-
Unmei Force Volume 3: Shattered Heroes
-CONCLUDED-
Next up is:
Unmei Force Volume 4: The Seven Trials of HABIT