On their way to the domain of Slaanesh, the army set up camp to allow their forces to rest and recover. During that time, Hartwin was stringing his banjo, humming to himself, when he was approached by several alliance members. "Excuse me, mister Hartwin, sir?" Double D asked.
"Ah ah, Eugene will suffice, my friends." Hartwin said, setting his instrument aside. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, we remember you said that the story of how you fell from heaven was a story for another time." the sock headed boy asked. "If it's not too personal…"
"Not at all, it's not personal at all!" Hartwin beamed. "I'm sure you're all quite curious why someone like me would ever fall from Heaven. In truth, it's actually quite simple: it was because of my job."
"Your job?" Flora asked.
"Yes, my job." Hartwin said. "You see, I was an angel, yes. But I was given a special purpose. That purpose was to seek out those whose time was up, and help them get to Heaven. They even gave me a special title: The Angel of Death."
"Wait, you were the Angel of Death?!" Scarlet asked.
"The very first, in fact!" Eugene said. "But that all changed when Lucifer showed me a vision of the future. More specifically, he showed me that, one day, I would be asked to deliver death to a place known as Egypt. I'm sure you all know the context."
"...The tenth plague of Egypt."
"Correct. Now, it may surprise you all, but I have a soft spot for children. So, being asked to deliver death to many people, but most of all little ones…well, I decided I could not do it. So I sided with Lucifer and was cast from Heaven, changed into the form you see now." Eugene finished. "While I would like to go back to Heaven some day…I can't say that I regret my decision. Especially since I…" he trailed off, before he got quiet.
"Eugene? Are you okay?" Mark asked.
"...Well, I can imagine what the parents who lost their children felt, having been in their shoes." The octopus demon finished.
"You…You were a father?" Asgore asked.
"I was." Hartwin said. "But…my daughter isn't around anymore."
"How… How come?" FS!Rimuru asked with concern.
"It…It was the machinations of another demon." Hartwin said. "I had my daughter, Pearl, while I was in human form. I had any powers she would get from being half-demon sealed away, of course, but other, power-hungry demons didn't know that. A rival attacked my home, and during the struggle…she was lost. She would have been around 16 now."
"Oh… that is truly… something painful to see." FS!Rimuru remarked, as he couldn't help but tear up. "Neither of us should have to watch our children die before us."
"Well, that is the problem: I do not know if she is dead or not." Hartwin admitted. "Every year, I go around every afterlife I can find, looking for her, but to this day, I haven't found her. That means one of two things: either she is in Heaven, or she is still alive, somewhere in the Multiverse. That's why I hope to one day get back into Heaven."
"Hmm…well, maybe we'll run into her one day." Mark said. "What does she look like?"
"Ah, she took after her mother: green emerald eyes, and golden blonde hair." Hartwin described.
"Got it. If we ever find her, we'll let you know."
"The Multiverse is vast and full of people…but miracles have happened." Hartwin said. "Either way, I thank you for your declaration of assistance."
"No problem, Hartwin. After all, we're all friends now." Mark said.
The group had soon entered Slaanesh as it seemed to have corrupted greenery as the realm glowed a purple hue, as they could see the circular rings of land that represented the six levels of Slaanesh's land of vices.
"Well, so far nothing is happening to us." Randall remarked. "Is this level that we're on serve as a equivalent to purgatory to the dark hells that lie ahead?"
"Seems so." Gus remarked. "We have to be careful of what we face. Letting our guards down might not end well for us."
"We march. If any of you feel urges, speak up." Katarin declared. "If we are fortunate, there will be a way to snap you out of it if you are starting to feel the temptations."
The group began to traverse the realm, starting with the first layer, as they found themselves in a world of gold and gems, as the bounty in it was quite massive, rivaled by only a few known places that the Hero Alliance knew.
"Gold! Gold as far as the eye can see!" One of the more weak-willed Kislev lords exclaimed, as he was about to go for the gold.
"Hold up!" Eddy said, tackling the lord. "We're in the middle of Slaanesh territory, the turf of the Chaos God of desires, and there's a bunch of treasure lying about? Come on, I've pulled better scams in my sleep! This all has gotta be a trap!"
"The foreigner is right!l" Kostalyn growled. "As a man of the court, you are shameless to confess your greed before all of us! Be fortunate that we are to be lighter in the presence of them, or I'd have you flayed for your greed!"
"But… I… I understand." The lord answered back, as he slowly stopped resisting.
"Besides, who needs gold when we have a functioning nation?" Baudimon quipped. "I much prefer a sword of steel over a heap of gold."
The group continued through the land of gold and treasures, as they only had a few hiccups trying to deal with greedy people who tried to go for the riches, although they were either persuaded, or forcibly dragged back by the heroes.
Eventually, they found themselves in the circle's gate, which led them deeper into the realm, before they found themselves before a banquet table, as there was a massive feast placed, as the aroma of the meals was nothing short of divine.
"Why… do I hunger?" A Cathay Shugangun declared, clenching his own stomach. "I… I feel so terribly hungry looking upon this feast…"
"Stay strong! This is a trick of the mind by the Chaos Gods to fall to their temptation!" Miao Ying yelled forcibly.
"…Damn, I really want to eat something…" FS!Heiwa remarked, as she was salivating from her mouth, as she was about to reach for a perfectly roasted chicken leg. "Just let me have one bite-"
However, she didn't even get halfway, before FS!Popol tackled her, pinning to the ground.
"HEIWA! Don't let your hunger win!" FS!Popol exclaimed.
"But the hunger… it's beginning to hurt!" FS!Heiwa begged. "Please, just one bite! Just one!"
"Well, I never thought Heiwa would fall to this of all things…" FS!Richard remarked.
"Yeah, we have big eaters on the team, I think they'd be falling for this easy…" Hope said.
"Speaking of which, how are you holdin' up, Hitomi?" DW typed in inquiry of Hitomi. "Know you're more of a sweets girl in all cases, but this has to sir up the primal instincts, right?"
"I won't lie. This is kinda making me hungry…" Htomi admitted, it is practically taking almost all her will not to transform on the spot and stuff herself. But even she knew that would be for nothing. She could tell. The second anybody took a bite of this exquisite platter, they wouldn't be able to stop at just one.
"I bet Slaanesh's minions are watching us right now, waiting for us to give in. They're gonna put us through hell before we even get to the Daemon Prince or fight the Greater Demon in charge here." Kazuichi said.
"Hopefully, we will be sound of mind by then." Patchouli declared. "So far, we are relatively stable with only a few of us breaking out… but who knows how many of us are ready to give in at the end of it."
It took some effort to continue forward, as the group left the banquet table, and the many others that followed after it, until they were able to find the gate deeper into the realm.
However, FS!Richard paused for a moment.
"Hold for a moment." FS!Richard remarked. "…I'm sensing that there's going to be a lot of debauchery going down on the next layer. Just a fore-warning, because I know that there are at least one or two of you who got the… short stick of such things. If you're not prepared, cover your eyes, and get someone to cover your ears."
"Well, f**k." SoF!Siege swore, realizing where this was going. "…Mark, if you can't face what's down there… I'll get either Richard to help bypass this circle entirely. You don't deserve this after… after you-know-what."
Mark took a deep breath, exhaled, then adopted a stone-cold expression. "Just open the door, so we can get this over with."
"So sayeth the saint to the Yama." FS!Richard stated as if saying a verse. before he pushed the doors open, as Kanako was immediately blinded and defended by her two companions. "Let's proceed."
As the group descended down into the next circle, they found themselves in some sort of structure that would be the fantasy equivalent to a strip club, with countless scantily-clad beings of countless races, some even shameless enough to be nude.
"Oh wow, welcome to Slaanesh's fetish." UF!Richard remarked. "Now you see where they really get their rocks off on."
"Guys, whatever you do… Don't look directly at them." Sectonia said, trying her best to resist.
"Come now, my queen." An insectile prostitute remarked. "Would you not grace me with your beauty? I would do anything to be yours. Under your heel, if you wish."
"No thank you, I'm already spoken for." Sectonia answered as she hurried along.
"Wow, no wonder you got that warning, right-?" Eddy started to ask before he heard the sound of a Ki attack being charged up. "...Mark?"
Just then, a giant Ki sphere rose up into the sky, grew to the size of a sun, then crashed back down onto the ground, wiping out every daemon in a ten mile radius while leaving the army unharmed.
"...And now you know why I ask Goku to teach me the Spirit Bomb technique." Mark said flatly as he shifted out of his Proto-Berserker Form, walking ahead without missing a beat. "Let's go."
"Wow, you really didn't like that." UF!Richard stated. "Well, good thing that riled you… because it means that you can store it to turn whatever daemon leader is here into meat-paste , and also turn the prince into a pretzel to give us the chance to take the soul."
"Geez. Excessive much?" David asked. "I mean, I wouldn't want them on me like that either, but… That may have been a bit much."
"David, for the love of all that is divine…" SoF!Siege deadpanned. "Don't question this further. I would rather we not thumb Mark's berserk button more than we already have."
"I personally prefer that we don't thumb it at all." David said.
"Exactly." SoF!Siege grimly nodded back, as the trip to the next circle was fairly uneventful, what with the near-extinction of temptor daemons in the circle.
"I'm glad that was over quickly, though. We have a lot of people who can be swayed easily like that." Hope said.
"Especially Denji." Sachiko said.
"You are not gonna let that go, are you?" Denji asked.
"Hey, you were the one who said you wanted to have sex with them. That would've been on you." Sachiko said.
"...Touche." Denji replied.
"Such anger…where does it stem from?" Zhao Ming remarked with shock at Mark's deed.
"Trust me, you don't want to know what the world did to him." SoF!Siege firmly declared.
"Let's just say… He's been through a lot. So much that it would make a normal person take anger management classes." Leopardmon said.
"Or admitted to a mental institution." Crusadermon said.
"I… see." Zhao Ming remarked.
As the group descended down onto the next layer, they soon found themselves in a massive royal hallway, decorated with the banner of countless armies.
"What the hell is up with this circle?" Marisa remarked, as she counted the layers they have went through. "We had greed, gluttony and then lust… but this doesn't feel like pride… not yet at least."
"I don't know what this means-" Yuan Bo remarked, trying to analyze the surroundings.
Before any more words could be said, massive floods of people began to burst into the room. However, instead of trying to attack them, they all fell onto their knees.
"HAIL OUR SAVIOURS!"
"HAIL!"
"WE ARE SAVED!"
"LONG LIVE OUR RIGHTFUL RULERS!l
"What in the…" Randall remarked, as praise was being thrown by the tens of thousands from the innumerable horde of people who were gathered around them.
As the group were trying to make sense of what happened, a fairly wizened retainer walked up to them.
"Oh joyous days…we have found the worthy rulers that we have yearned for millennia!" The retainer remarked. "Please, you must claim the throne, and lead us to destroy the Chaos that has bound us here!"
The group then looked towards the throne, as it was fairly regal, with a golden sheen to it.
"Something's not right here… while their distress seems genuine… they seem too… too pristine to be tormented ones…" Baudimon frowned.
"Yeah. Something about this just screams betrayal." Ragna said.
There was a moment of silence, as the retainer looked at the group with a concerned expression.
"…Will you not take us as your subjects?" The retainer asked softly.
"Betrayal could be considered the worst sin a person could commit even if it's not one of the seven." Rime said.
"Yeah. The second one of us sits in that throne, we're bout to get a dagger in the back. Or thousands." Sachiko said.
"Our apologies. But we must refuse." David said.
"In other words…" Vegeta said as he flash stepped behind the throne, grabbed it, and pulled it off its foundations. "This is what we feel about your throne!" he said as he threw the throne to the ground, shattering it.
As soon as it did, the back-wall of the hallway, where the throne formerly sorted on, turned into a gate out of the circle.
"A-ah…" the retainer remarked with shock, as the subjects were stunned silent as well. "Why would you… we would never have…"
"It doesn't matter whether you really were loyal to us or not." Baudimon shook his head. "We shouldn't take people simply because they ask for our rule."
"But we have great men! We have the strongest of warriors with us!" The retainer pleaded.
"Is there any stronger than the Steel Knights, known to be unmatched in my land, and so many others?" Randall scoffed.
"Then our minds! The greatest minds that could help soar your intellectual capabilities to be beyond the gods themselves!" The retainer exclaimed.
"Nah, between myself and Leopardmon, I think we're good." David said.
"But what of your nations!?" The retainer begged. "Diplomats, stewards, spies, we have the best of them all in all of the lands! We have to have some worth to you! Please, don't cast us aside!"
"Perfection is flexible." FS!Richard shook his head. "To say you're perfect only means that you hit your peak, when the true one is much higher. Until we see proof, we cannot believe such claims. Let us leave."
As the group turned to leave, the retainer threw himself on his fours, as the subjects wailed as one.
"Please, don't go! I beg you, don't leave us without direction!" The retained bellowed with ugly tears. "We cannot thrive without a leader!"
"Well…there's tens of thousands of you, and only one leadership spot." Emo smirked. "Sort it out yourselves."
With that, the army marched through the portal, not paying any more heed to the followers, who stood around in confusion.
"Truly a most potent trap…" Aylanda lamented. "The virtuous and ambitious both would have fallen for such a ruse for their own reasons. A nation begging to be led…"
"Fortunately, cooler minds prevailed." FS!Hakurou commented.
"I almost felt sorry for them, to be honest." David said. "Almost."
"They could be real, but they're still pawns." UF!Richard sighed. "It's fine to pity their lack of guidance, but don't let that waver your conviction."
"Now, where the heck did we end up in…" Marisa remarked, before they found themselves in a garden of golden roses. "…Huh, that's a strange sight."
"Whatever the realm's temptation is, it's in the roses." FS!Richard remarked, as he walked over to one of them. "I'll act as a control sample. If I go mad, feel free to smack me over the head."
"Will do." Baudimon nodded back.
FS!Richard then plucked a rose from the ground, before raising it to his face, but not sniffing it, to avoid taking in too much of it in a single moment. As he let the smell naturally waft into his nose, he felt a itch on the back of his head.
"Why make yourself subservient to these 'heroes'? You are greater than them. Your heart is far more solid than theirs, and you have made such fools fall to their demise. You are the great shadow. The world bows and fears you. Let it return to you… the glory of being atop the world."
"Of course, I…" FS!Richard said as his eyes were unfocused, before they suddenly turned sharp, as he cast the rose away, and slugged himself hard enough to bruise his cheek. "No! No, I won't go back to this!"
"Richard!?" FS!Rimuru exclaimed.
"I figured it out. It's pride. Those roses are meant to sink your mind in past glories." FS!Richard declared. "Don't inhale their scent. The more you do, the more the inner voice of pride takes you."
"Past glories? Guess we're safe then, huh boys?" Eddy asked Double D and Ed.
"Cover your noses. We have to get to the exit before any of us are overwhelmed!" Sir Saiyan declared.
"Easier said than done, because something is kicking up wind in this place!" FS!Benimaru exclaimed, as a mighty gust blew across the entire circle, scattering golden petals in the air.
"Hurry!" Saint Peter exclaimed, before gesturing for his men to create a barrier to prevent as many of the petals from nearing the group.
As the group began to dash through the circle, some of them were afflicted by the petals that got through, as it slowed them down momentarily.
"Why remain a mere princess?" Adora heard. "You are many times Hordak Prime's
superior. You are righteous when he is not, and you are determined when he is weak-willed. You can be stronger. You can bring an eternal reign that none will challenge."
"You can surpass them." Todoroki heard. "Surpass All Might, Surpass Midoriya, even your own father. Slay your villainous brother. You could easily become the number 1 hero."
"Stop pretending you don't just want to change the world." Sabo heard. "Why let others issue the ultimatum for you? Make the change yourself. Embrace your title as Flame Emperor and stoke the fire Richard set. Burn the world to the ground in revolution and make the new era yourself!"
"Look at yourself." Vegeta heard. "You've completely abandoned your pride as a Saiyan. You can be stronger than any of these alliance members. Stronger than Frieza. Stronger than Kakarot. Embrace your pride as wield it as the weapon of a conqueror!"
However, one was much slower than the others, as Takeshi got hit by an errant petal under his nose.
"I know what you wish for, Toramoto. You too desire it, do you not? Power. Power most deep. You hate yourself for letting your sister go this deep in Flux's scheme. Because you are weak compared to the others. David, oh so powerful, never again had any troubles other than the loss of Eikichi. Give in to your wish. You know it is what you truly want under all of your pretenses of trying to hold honor."
"Takeshi, come on! We gotta go!" Mayumi said.
"You regret it, don't you? How your family fell apart, all because of a demon summoning gone wrong. Jun is comatose… Kurando is soulless… You wish to correct all of that, don't you? But you can't as you are now…"
"...B̵u̷t̷ ̵I̴ ̴c̴a̸n̴ ̶h̶e̵l̵p̸ ̴y̷o̵u̵.̷ ̸V̸o̵w̵ ̸t̷o̴ ̵m̶e̸,̷ ̷a̶n̷d̵ ̶I̸ ̷s̵h̴a̵l̶l̵ ̸g̶i̸v̸e̵ ̵y̸o̵u̵ ̸w̸h̸a̶t̵ ̵y̴o̵u̸ ̸d̵e̴s̵i̵r̸e̴.̸ ̴S̵w̸e̴a̸r̵ ̵t̸o̵ ̵m̴e̶.̷.̵.̶S̶o̶r̴c̴e̷r̸e̷r̴.̴."
With a grunt of minor annoyance, Mark raced back to where Takeshi was and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Damn it, now's not the time for listening to these hype plants! We're leaving!"
"Right…we have to go…" Takeshi said softly, shaking his head. "...Lead the way. I will follow you."
As the group managed to escape the field of golden roses, and into the next circle, they all took a moment to breathe in the petal-less air.
"Damn… and I thought the last layer was bad enough." Red Hood panted.
"Is everyone alright?" 2B asked.
"For the most part, yeah." Sachiko said.
"Hey, you good?" Mark asked Takeshi. "You looked a little out of it there."
"I'm…I'm okay." he said, getting out of Mark's grip. "We must press on."
"Okay…that's Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Betrayal, Pride…what else is left?" Yang asked.
"Of the progenitor sins, I think the only ones left are Envy, Sloth, and Wrath." David said.
"And this should be the last one." FS!Richard remarked, as he surveyed the fields, finding that the group were in some sort of white realm, with lush green hills and a disarming atmosphere. "Well, if I were to take a guess… this is the realm equivalent of Sloth."
"Then this should be a piece of cake, right Kanako?" FS!Heiwa said, before she then turned around, and noticed that she was not with her. "Kanako?"
"Wait… some of us are missing!" Keine exclaimed. "Everyone check your numbers! Has any of your people disappeared?"
"We were all together when we crossed over." Aelita said. "How can they just vanish?"
"Uh…I think I have a clue." Scarlet said, pointing ahead.
The others quickly looked to where Scarlet was pointing, seeing their missing teammates lying down on the ground, resting atop the hills.
"But how did…" Indivilia remarked. "It makes no sense. They would have immediately gone there while we were crossing… but we felt no such urge…"
"There has to be something about them that caused them to succumb immediately to this circle's vices." UF!Richard remarked. "…Check them first."
The group then walked over, as FS!Heiwa tried slapping Kanako's cheeks, only to find that there was no reaction from her, not even a twitch, although her breathing was completely stable. As the rest of the group tried various methods in trying to wake their teammates, they found that they all had no effect.
"It's like they're there, but at the same time they're not." Klonoa said.
"Does anyone have a way to access dreams? I think that it's the prospect of being able to find peaceful dreams that drew them like a moth to light." UF!Richard asked.
In the dream realm….
As Kanako came to, she found herself in a far more vibrant version of the grass-fields in the circle, as it was truly a beautiful place to rest within.
"Where… where's everyone?" Kanako asked, as she began to look around. "Richard? Popol? Heiwa? Anyone?"
She began to walk around, trying to find someone, although she was having little luck… until…
"My child…." A familiar voice remarked, as Kanako spun around, before she then gasped upon seeing who it was. "I'm finally glad that I can see you again."
"D-Dad!?" Kanako exclaimed with shock, as she found herself facing her own father, as the dark-furred Fox looked upon her kindly, with his two green eyes behind his glasses, a dark purple tail swishing behind him, and dressed in a green robe. "But you're…!"
"I know, my sweet Kanako." He answered back. "…Come, you must be so tired after everything. Let us rest against the mound."
Kanako was silent, before she did what she was told, as she and her father rested against the hill.
"My poor child… you truly miss me, don't you?" Kanako's father stated. "It must have been truly hard on you, to have suffered for so long as a Amalgamate, and living with the fact that your mother, my dear wife, is in such emotional pain."
"It is… it hurt both of us." Kanako sighed. "…Why did you have to die, dad? If only you held on… you would have…"
"Fate is cruel, my little kit." Her father shook his head with a sad expression. "But it's alright, you are safe here. Just lay back and let the peace take you somewhere comforting and happy."
Kanako looked up to the skies for a moment, before she then slowly pushed herself up.
"No… No, I can't." Kanako remarked, as there was a torn expression on her face.
"Why not?" Kanako's father asked back.
"…Because I still have friends to go back to. Clover… Martlet… Popol… Heiwa. And even… mom as well. If she is not here… then I can't leave her alone."
"But outside, you will be hurt so badly. Your SOUL is already cracked, despite all of the attempts to fix it." Her father told her. "You won't live long… and it only gets more painful. Is this not a better end, painless and comforting?"
"…I know that. I knew that, but only Magina knew as well." Kanako shook her head. "Even so, I can't be selfish. That's not how you raised me, dad. I love making friends, and I love playing with them. And I love mom so deeply, that I can't imagine leaving her alone. I don't want to die… but if it's with her and my friends… I'm ready for it. Just like you did."
Kanako's father was silent, before he then chuckled.
"I knew that you were a strong one the day you were born from Ceroba." He remarked. "….Go then, I cannot stop you. This realm tried to take you… but with the Determination that your friends have you… you fought back."
"I miss you everyday… dad." Kanako smiled, as there were tears in her eyes. "We'll see each other again later. And then… we'll be a family together again."
Suddenly, there was a cracking sound, as a cracked rift of white appeared ahead of Kanako.
"I'm going now, dad. Take care of yourself, please." Kanako stated, before she entered the rift.
"….The same to you… Kanako Ketsukane." The father answered back.
As Kanako jolted awake, she noticed that FS!Heiwa was standing over her.
"Kanako… are you alright?" FS!Heiwa asked. "You… you were crying, and you muttered your father's name."
"I… was?" Kanako asked, before raising a hand to her eye, as she felt the tears. "I was…"
"Thank god we managed to get you out. I don't know-" FS!Heiwa remarked with desperation, before Kanako hugged her.
"It's fine, Heiwa. I knew it was all just a dream. I can't stay there…. Not as long as mom is counting on me." Kanako gently said..
"You dumb girl… the worlds everywhere deserves more pure cuties like you." FS!Heiwa chuckled, as a single tear ran down her cheek.
As Kanako awoke, so did the rest of the team members, one after another.
"I… I dreamt of my past…" Sectonia remarked, before placing a hand in her chest. "…Do I truly miss those sweeter times so dearly for so long?"
"Last I checked, that's supposed to be a good thing, right?" David asked with a chuckle.
"Yes, of course. Now I have something to work towards. I-I want to see those times happen again." Sectonia said.
"And we'll help you get there, don't you worry." David said.
"Least we're out of those weird dreams." Denji said.
"Yeah…weird." J-Hack said with his eyes shifting left and right quickly.
"J-Hack?" Ace asked.
"I'm fine. Let's just get outta here." J-Hack said as he started moving while humming London Bridge is Falling Down, seemingly without him realizing it.
"Whatever he dreamt must've surprised him." Ajna said.
"Not to mention he's humming a nursery rhyme originating from London." Simon added.
"Wonder what that's about…" ZS questioned.
"Questions for later. We're almost there. Next stop…The Palace of Slaanesh."
"Thank god. We're finally getting out of this mind-bending deathtrap." Zan said.
"Oh no, that's Tzeentch. This is the soul-crushing deathtrap." Emo said.
"There's a difference?" some of the group murmured.
It didn't take long for the group to pass the last circle as they found themselves right at the palace. It was a tower-like structure that emitted a purple glow from within.
"Here we are. Slaanesh's palace of Pleasure. The Daemon Prince should be right inside." Adora said. "In order to even reach it, we had to go through the Six Circles to get to its entrance."
"Still can't believe we were able to get through all that with our minds intact." Bow said.
"But I'm pretty sure the daemons in this place were still enjoying the heck out of themselves." Makoto said. "Is everyone still good to fight?"
"I think that we better get this done in one go." Marisa grimaced. "My heads aching trying to fight all of this temptation."
"I think we can manage." Nami said, still a bit disappointed about not getting any of that gold from the Circle of Greed.
"We are ready at any time." 2B said.
"Okay, but let's watch ourselves. No telling when or where we may get attacked by the Greater Daemon in charge here." Hope said.
The group headed inside the Palace of Ruin, while the armies of Kislev and Kathay waited for them outside and stood guard.
Inside, they witnessed countless daemons, whispering and caressing those above them, while enslaved souls, to many to count, were either indulging their darkest desires, or being tortured in ways so depraved, the group couldn't bear to look at them for long.
It wasn't long before they were close to reaching where the Daemon Prince presided. Entering the room they found two inhabitants inside.
The first was an imposing and horrifying looking tall purple daemon. He had four arms, two normal, but the others very large and long, ending in giant crustacean-like claws. He had equine legs and hooves, and his face was the epitome of daemon, with a long tongue to match his horns and scary face. This could only be Slanessh's Greater Daemon, and his most faithful servant and greatest Keeper of Secrets, N'Kari, the Arch-Tempter.
The other was the Daemon Prince the heroes were looking for. They looked similar to Torgloth, but had light purple, unblemished skin, traits of both male and female bodies, and wielded a morningstar as their weapon.
"Welcome to my master's humble abode, heroes~. Did you enjoy the trek here?" N'Kari asked.
"Enjoy…isn't the right word." David said.
"You Slaanesh daemons really know how to roll out the welcome mat for outsiders." Ragna said. "You disappointed we didn't give in?"
"On the contrary…seeing how strong your wills are will make breaking them all the sweeter.~" N'Kari cooed. "Come to me, heroes.~ Partake in perfection! Give yourselves to the Dark Prince, and indulge in excess!~"
"I know it's kind of his thing, but… Why does he have to make everything sound so kinky?" David asked.
"You're preaching to the choir, David." Mark agreed. "That will be a firm no. Thank you, f*** you, f*** off!"
"We didn't come here to be your playthings. We want your Daemon Prince's soul so we can go save Ursun and get him out of this wretched place." Gus declared, drawing his blade.
"Ah yes… the Bear. It is tempting, isn't it? Many seek it…but only one can claim it." N'Kari said.
"And what about you? Do you want Ursun for something?" Hope asked.
"Nothing in particular. I simply wish to indulge in its suffering." N'Kari said. "And soon, sorrow will be all it feels~."
"Not if we have anything to say about it. Now are you gonna stand there talking sultry or do you know how to use that sword?" Ragna asked as everyone prepared to fight.
"Ah, but of course~." N'Kari said, leveling his blade at them. "I have no desire to feel the sensation of defeat today. Today…I am invincible. Be honored! Your soul will learn agony and ecstasy under the lash of the Dark Prince of Pleasure once I send it to meet him."
The Daemon Prince, for their part, roared as they smashed their weapon on the ground in challenge.
(Cue- Trial- Odin Sphere)
The Arch-tempter - N'Kari
The Courtesan - Aluthyla Daemonthirst
"Don't think we'll go down easy." 2B said as she held Virtuous Contract.
N'Kari made the first move and suddenly dashed in a blur towards the group, nearly catching them off guard as he prepared to swing his sword.
However, N'Kari's swing was blocked by UlforceVeedramon.
"You match my speed… interesting.~" N'Kari said.
"What can I say? I'm the fastest one here. Or at least, that's what I would say if there wasn't someone faster." he said.
"Oh?" N'Kari said before he was suddenly slugged in the face by Sonic.
"You say you're fast? As fast as what? A snail?" Sonic asked.
"Sonic, Veevee, can you handle him while we take the prince?" Noel asked.
"With pleasure." UlforceVeedramon said as he cracked his knuckles.
"Yeah. You guys gotta learn to have more faith." Sonic said as he started spinning and bouncing right off the daemon.
"I'm coming at this guy full force!" UlforceVeedramon said as he charged at N'Kari.
N'Kari pushed Sonic off him and snarled at Ulforceveedramon as the three of them engaged in a High-Speed duel that the others couldn't even keep up with.
"You are formidable…oh, yes.~ I can sense your needs. Your cravings. They are mine to extort!" N'Kari declared as he unleashed a spell that conjured a daemonic three-tailed whip that lashed at the two speedsters at speeds well over the speed of sound.
"Oh…that's how you wanna play? I'll show you a fun one." Sonic dodged a whip strike as he grabbed it before running around N'Kari and wrapping him up. "It's called…Tops!" he said, pulling the whip as the daemon went spinning towards Ulforce. "You're up, Veevee!"
"How about I add a few more scars? Hope you like it! Victory Sword!" UlforceVeedramon said as he slashed at N'Kari with his laser swords.
N'Kari escaped the trap by slicing through the whip, then quickly parried UlforceVeedramon's slashes, before he disengaged and fell back, turning his attention to Sonic. "You are quite the jester, aren't you? You will make a fine pet~! But first…we must do something about those legs." he said, conjuring another spell with a whistle.
Sonic then felt the bones in his legs jerk spasmodically, before they all snapped and broke, causing the hedgehog to fall to the ground.
"Where are your friends now, hedgehog?" N'Kari asked in taunt as he dashed towards the downed hero, preparing to land a lethal blow.
"First off, thanks for calling me what I actually am. Most villains go with rat or rodent. As for my friends…The one I really need right now is…" Sonic smirked.
"Still right here." Ulforceveedramon said, slashing downward on N'Kari.
"Hmm~. Seems your need to work on…" he began before his vision split in two. "What…?!"
"You waste your breath." UlforceVeedramon said. "Sonic, can you still spin at least?"
"Yeah, I can do that at least." Sonic said.
"Good, because I have been upping my tennis game." UlforceVeedramon said as he unleashed his X-Factor. At this Sonic performed a Spin Dash towards UlforceVeedramon, who used his leaser swords to bounce Sonic off of N'Kari for several shots before Sonic flew into the air as UlforceVeedramon hit Sonic's spinning form with his sword, sending him down towards N'Kari like a meteor.
N'Kari, still eager to inflict pain even as he knew the fight was reaching its conclusion, conjured one final spell that caused a mirror to appear above them, before it shattered causing glass to rain down. "Ah…such exquisite agony…~!"
"Sorry, pal. But the only one feeling anything…is you!" Sonic said as he spun right down the middle, furthering the slash Ulforce had made as N'Kari split in two and fell down upon the ground.
"Well? Did that feel good?" Ulforce asked. "Must've left you speechless."
"I don't believe it….N'Kari, Slaanesh's greatest keeper of secrets, slain!" Gerik said. "You truly have amazing allies, David."
"Yeah, they are the best I can ever hope to have." David said.
"Now let's go take care of that prince." Sonic said as he fell to the ground. "Uh…little help?"
"We'll uh…start patching him up." Chopper said.
"No worries. The Spell N'Kari cast on him will wear off eventually… right?" Scorpia asked.
"His legs actually snapped. Not a spell. Really broken." J-Hack said.
"Yeah. Those take time to heal. But he'll be back on his feet before anyone outside takes notice." David said.
"In the meantime, we are plus one for prince souls." Shadowheart remarked, as she walked from the cleaved remains of the Daemon Prince, holding the tainted pink soul on her hands. "Huh, now I understand why it has so much power, now that I have tapped into it with my senses."
"Oh sure. Do the easy part while we dealt with his lackey." Sonic said.
"Eh…he was still very entertaining." UlforceVeedramon said.
"Anyway, let's grab the daemon soul and get outta here before the big man…woman…thing takes notice." Eddy suggested.
As soon as the soul was grabbed, it began to pulse.
Ah! The knife…the street…the fog…it hurt so much…so wonderful…
J-Hack froze up upon hearing the voice coming from the soul. "No…it can't be…!"
London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down… isn't that right, Mr. Ripper? Ah, you had such a wonderful way of carving me up…
"Ripper? As in Jack the Ripper?" Jalter asked.
"No way…uh who is that?" Arven asked.
"He was London's most notorious serial killer. It wouldn't be a stretch to call him human history's most infamous serial killer." Aelita said.
"J-Hack…he was your past life wasn't he?" Simon asked.
"Yeah…before I became a demon. When I was still human." J-Hack sighed. "I…we probably shouldn't talk here."
We can't leave! I still want to be used, to be carved~! Don't take me away~!
"Yeah…no, we're leaving." Mark deadpanned as the soul was sent flying outside of the palace and into the Gellar Field Generator, increasing the shield's defenses.
"I had a feeling when I thought deeply on your name" FS!Richard remarked. "J-Hack, Jack the Ripper. The matter that London reminds you of something clinched the deal… But still, that doesn't explain how you came to be… it must be some story, if you're not quite keen on sharing it."
"No. You all are helping me get elected. I should at least share my story. But we need to get out of here first." J-Hack said. "I swear, I'll share the story once we're someplace relatively safe."
"Yeah. We still have two more Daemon Princes to claim. Only the ones under the service of Tzeentch and Khorne remain." Hope said.
"Indeed…" UF!Richard remarked, as his voice didn't show any relief, but instead concern, glancing towards Takeshi. "We should be quick. I worry that all of this is not doing well for all of us in terms of mentality, as the circles of this hell have shown us."
"Agreed. Let's get out, maybe snag some of that gold from the first circle, and get that next prince." Vector said.
"Yeah, uh… How about we NOT grab the gold on the way out?" David suggested.
"Oh, come on. Not everyone here is rich like you. Why can't you just…?" Vector started.
"The gold turns into maggots that burrow into your skin and start eating you from the inside out." Takeshi said deadpan as he walked past him.
"Ew, what…?!" Nami asked in disgust.
"You have your answer, lizard lips." Sister said.
"Maybe we'll just scrap a trash talking nun." Vector murmured.
"Mind repeating that?" Sister asked, grabbing his mouth shut.
"I wouldn't test her Vector. Sister told me once she's a 10-year removed ex-dominatrix." Hope said.
"Wait, seriously?" Mayumi asked.
"Yeah, there's these huge support groups for torturers who just…like their jobs way too much." Sister said.
"What kind of support groups are we talking about?" Magnamon asked.
"Have you ever seen anyone take anger management seminars or rehab?" Sachiko asked. "I'm guessing there are these kinds of seminars for those kinds of people too."
"Oh yeah. I've been free of being a dominatrix for 10 years now. But I'm always looking for an excuse to break that. Just give me a reason." Sister said as Vector looked pale.
"Uh…he would like that." Vector said, pointing to Hope. "He's into all sorts of weird crud."
"Whoa, hey, don't shift stuff like that on me!" Hope said.
"You really think I'd fall for that? I know Hope can be a punching bag for your antics, but he's still a good kid." Sister said.
"Well, he does have a habit of saying what's on his mind in the most inopportune times." Mayumi said.
"Tends to overhype the situations…" Yaoyorozu said.
"Okay, I get it. I'm not perfect. Who is?" Hope said.
"It's okay, Hope. We still love ya, even if you're a goofball." DW typed.
"Anyway, we're about halfway done, right? So, we should get going before any of the ladies in the third circle try to beg us to take them with us." David said. "Is what I would say if Mark hadn't killed all of them."
"Yeah. I don't regret that one in the least." Mark said.
"So which Chaos God territory should we attack out of the final two first?"
"The Forge of Souls is somewhere past Khorne territory, so we should save his domain for last." Adora said. "So that means we'll go to the domain just across from his."
"Tzeentch. Which did he represent again?" Jexi asked.
"Sorcery and Deception. He's all about change, and not the good kind." Adora said.
"Well if that's the worst he's got, we shouldn't keep him waiting then, should we?" Jexi asked.
The Domain of Tzeentch…
"They are coming to us next. As I foresaw." Kairos' right head squawked.
"Then we will prepare, brother. Change is inevitable." the left head said. "They will be cast down."
"Yes…and then…" the right head said.
"The past…"
"The future…"
"And the present…all will be revealed to us!" both heads said in perfect unison.