Back at the Gates of Dis, the Devil Brigade and the Hero Alliance members continued to hold the line against the horde of Damien's forces attacking them.
"Man, all these daemons and other enemies just keep coming, don't they?" Galgali asked as he beat down an Exalted Daemonette.
"All…more…to eat!" Beam laughed as he ravaged the enemy horde in the form of a full shark, Yang riding atop his back.
"Warrior Maiden Ultimate Attack: Odin Strike!" Homura called, summoning an insurmountable number of Ether blades around herself and launching them upon a large group as they exploded on impact.
"Magimech Attack: Gravity Fist Frenzy!" Shiki called as his fists began to glow before he initiated a barrage of punches at another group, causing them to be thrown away.
"Grandy-Ray!" Weisz called, producing a laser from the forearm plating of his Arsenal suit as it fired a ray beam at more daemons, exploding on contact.
"Here goes… Spark Wave!" Takeshi said as he concealed a swarm of daemons in a ball of electricity and sparks struck all of the daemons inside.
At the same time, Andrew, heavily panting, fought off several daemons, culminating in him leaping up to a Lord of Change's neck and twisting it until it broke, causing the creature to fall over. "I'm not sure we can last much longer… We're going to have to fall back into the city."
"When will this end?" Zebei asked.
As another wave of enemies charged toward the defenders, a hail of laser fire suddenly ripped through them, reducing them to paste. Looking up, the heroes and Dark Hell members were met with the sight of a gunship lowering down towards them, the side opening up to reveal Saint Judas waving at them.
"Get in losers, you're all going to heaven!" Judas said with a salute and a smile.
Without delay, the group climbed aboard the gunship as it rose into the sky, its guns firing upon the Warpspawn and cultists below.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. Westwood, allies." Saint Peter nodded his head at the group.
"Thank you for saving us." Arthur said. "We have to hurry, reunite with the others, and-"
"We cannot." Saint James said. "The barrier between the Demon Universe and the Sky Universe is about to break. We must reunite with the Vainglorious Fleet, and head to Devaloka to prepare a defense."
"Wait, why Devaloka?" Galgali questioned.
"According to our sources, It can act as a spiritual lift that can take Damien and his army to Cream's Domain." Saint Thomas said. "If we don't hurry, then that world will be destroyed in the process."
"While Mastemon is powerful, I'm not sure how long she and the other Shadow Knights can hold the enemy back." Ace said.
"With how stacked Damien's Cabinet is, she probably won't last long, even if she's a powerful Digimon." Hope said. "So we'd better hurry and get over there."
"And we already know that Devaloka is the gateway to Cream. That's why we were on our way up there." Sakura said.
"By the way, I don't see Lord Superbia. Wasn't he with you?"
"He uh… had an errand to run. He said he knew a way to fix things, so we let him use the time machine so he could go to the past. No idea why." Glimmer said.
"I thought he would try using it to increase the Crusade's numbers." Catra said.
"Hmm…well, I'm sure he has his reasons." Saint Simon said. "For now, we must find other survivors. Then we make for the fleet."
"I hope the others are doing okay…" Ginseng said in worry as the gunship rose and started patrolling the fifth circle, shooting down any fliers that came their way.
Meanwhile, with the rest of the Hero Alliance…
"Alright, we've reached the Ninth Circle." Jet said as the group sailed across the frozen terrain.
"So, what's your plan? Are you just gonna waltz up to Damien and his cabinet and go all 'superpower beat down' on them?" Asa asked.
"Pretty much the plan. Hmm…" Jexi said as they saw a figure charging for their ship. "Seems he's not taking any chances against us trying to reach Devaloka before him."
"What's the order?" Jet asked.
"Keep the ship going the same course. David, Mark, we're going out." Jexi said.
"Right!" David said.
"You got it." Mark said.
"Should we stop and…" Gemini began.
"No. That's exactly what he wants. To slow us down. We can't waste a minute." Jexi said.
"You're right about…" Lucifer started before he noticed the figure doing something. "Wait…why is he speeding up?"
"Son of a bitch…he's trying to ram us." Jexi said.
Right as Jexi realized this, the figure leaped up towards the King's bridge, his form becoming clear as they all saw who it was.
"A Prime Soul?!" Lucifer realized, right as Sisyphus broke through the shield and bridge, grabbing the former Demon Lord by the head and continuing, breaking through every wall in between they reached the end of the ship before the Prime threw Lucifer farther than the horizon.
"You can't escape this time." Sisypus said as he landed back on the ground. "If even one of you attempts to run…I'll destroy your ship…" he began to call out before being socked right in the face by the three team leaders as they jumped out after.
"No one gives a crap what you think!" Jexi, David, and Mark declared.
Sisyphus slid back a few inches, and then looked at them; if they could see his mouth, they did not doubt that he would be smiling. "Now that's more like it!"
"Jet…damage report." Jexi said.
"He broke through several walls, but the ship's auto repair is already fixing all the damage." Jet said on the comm.
"Good. Keep going to the Sky Universe. We'll catch up after we share a few complaints about messing with others' property with the king of idiots." Jexi said.
"Got it." Jet said.
Thus, the Galaxy King continued on, as Sisypus Prime watched, not moving to attack it, despite his threat.
"Hm. I would have preferred to take you all on at once…but I suppose they will have to come next. That is, assuming that I can win against you three." Sisypus Prime said.
"Guess we're gonna have to see, won't we? Though if you try and go after our friends, getting a good fight will be the least of your worries." Jexi said.
"Hahaha! Go after them? You think me a hunter of the weak, do you?" Sisyphus Prime laughed in good humor. "No, I do not hunt. I challenge. Did you not see that from the legends they tell of me?"
"Well, we saw a man who was so scared of dying for his misdeeds, that he tried to control death…and failed miserably." Mark said.
"A fear of death? Bah, that is only a small part of it." Sisyphus Prime waved off. "The reason I insulted the gods…why I trapped death in a box…why I continue to rebel against Heaven. There is only one reason I exist: to prove that the impossible can be done! Never before has a Color God been struck down by a lesser being. But on this day… it has become possible! That is why I am here!"
"But why did it have to be Cream? We've heard of her and seen her thanks to Madoka. She's innocent. She's kind. She cares. She's no fighter. She may be a god…but she's just a kid!" Jexi said.
"Should children not be challenged in order to grow?" Sisyphus Prime asked. "Either she will survive this experience and learn from it…or she will die. Either way, it is no concern of mine. I am here to fulfill my selfish desire to attempt the impossible. No matter what her fate is, I will have obtained what I wanted."
(Cue: WAR - Ultrakill)
The three stood there silently, just glaring at the figure before them.
"...it was pointless…to try and reason with you." Jexi said.
"Indeed it was." Sisyphus Prime said, as he raised his fists. "Then we are all in agreement? One side of the fight will not leave this place alive."
"Yeah." Mark said, as the three powered up. "That's the one thing we can agree on."
"Then let us forget the thoughts of war and despair until the end." Sisypus Prime said, cracking his fingers and neck. "Come forth, children of men…and FIGHT!"
Horseman of War - Sisyphus Prime
"Well, since you asked for this." David said as he underwent Sapphire God: Armament Complete. "Wḩa͡t do ỳou s̶ay we ̶pick͜ up ̸whe͡re we lȩf͢t of̶f͜?"
Sisyphus Prime made the first move by teleporting above the three heroes and slamming directly downwards, creating a shockwave that the three jumped up to avoid.
David sprang into action and slashed at Sisyphus Prime with his claw-like hands.
"You don't know how long I've waited for this. Ever since our last encounter in Lyoko, I've been waiting for the day I could finally get my hands on you and your friends after you staged that retreat!" Sisyphus said as he traded blows with David.
"Wh̛a̸t,̷ ͘you w͘an̛ted͏ u͜s̕ t̷o let yo̧u͟ ̧toss҉ us ̷a̛ro̵ưn͝d͢ li͘ke ragdolls͠? Do͡n͞'́t m͡a͝ke ̴me la̕ug̶h!̕" David said.
"Nonsense! You are the greatest challenge I have yet encountered! I wished to test myself against your power, Ishihara!" Sisyphus declared as he preformed a roundhouse kick that sent David flying back, the boy slamming into a frozen mountain.
"Wèl̵l,̷ y̸o̕u̷ ͞w̕on҉'͟t b̀e ̕d͜isa͟ppo̵i͘n͏t͠ed ͜then. ͘So̴, g͢ȩt ́read̶y̴!͟ I͡'m not hold̀i͡n͘g bac̸k͝ this͝ t̕įm͘e͞!" David said as he charged at Sisyphus as he fired a blast of compressed ice at him.
Sisyphus punched the Ice away with one strike of his hand and then responded in kind by retaliating with a clap of his hands, creating a shockwave that sailed towards the Color Fighter.
David ducks down and uses his extreme speed to dodge Sisyphus' oncoming strikes before landing a kick right to the head.
Unlike in Lyoko, Sisyphus actually felt that hit, as he was knocked back a couple feet.
"You've gotten stronger in these past few months," Sisyphus said.
"Well,҉ ́it ̶he̵lps thąt ́I had a ҉very͘ ͘st̴ro̶n͞g t̡r͝ainin͏g par̶t̴n̕er b̶et͠w͏een͡ ̶j͢obs̸.̷" David said. "W͡e̡ļl,͠ ̧th̨at,̡ ̕aǹd͏ ͏someo͟ne͟ that joi̡ns up̢ wi͢th ̨us̶ ̸on̵ occasi͟o̕n͠ t̀hat ̴pųshes̀ me co̢nst͠antly, b̡ut͜ th̨at's ͘nei̕t́h҉er h̨eŗe̴ ͟o̕r͝ th̕èr̀é.̧ A͜n͏d̢ that t́hin̕g͜ wi͟t̡h Kàz͠u͠ya͝... There ͠we̶r̛e ͝a ͜lot ̨o̵f̴ tḩing̢s, ͟now tha̵t I t͏hi̴nk ͞abou͝t i̷t̨."
"You've had a very busy life it seems," Sisyphus said.
"Oh, ͘ýo̶u͝ have n̷o idea." David said as he and Sisyphus clashed fists again.
The two of them brawled all over the skies as the Galaxy King soared ahead. Neither of them had used all their power yet, and everyone knew it.
"Is that all you three have?" Sisyphus challenged as he released a large explosion from his body that created a massive, ten foot wide and deep crater in the ice.
"No͏pe. ̸I̧'m ͡ju̕s̶t g͞ett͏in̴g s̡tarted." David said.
"Hey, don't leave us out of it!" Mark said as he shifted into his Proto-Berserker Form, roaring as he charged towards the Prime Soul.
Sisyphus acted fast, breaking from David and charging at Mark head on, meeting the Angel of Wrath with a knee strike, creating a collision that shook the circle.
"Ah…you're much better than you were in Lyoko." Sisyphus said.
Mark simply roared as he grabbed the king's arms and spun him around, before flinging him into the air.
"This will hurt." Sisyphus declared, teleporting to Mark from his position in the air and charging up for a huge explosion.
"Don't forget about me….you stupid soul!" Jexi called out. "Ultimate Color….Cleaving Kick!" he called out as he cleaved the explosion in two as it imploded right into Sisyphus. "We're done letting you think you're top dog. It's time the three of us…sent that stupid ego crashing right down to earth!"
"On ̡that, ̢I ̨could͏n'̵t ag͝ree͢ m͏ór͘e. ̷I̵t'̵s t͞i͢m͡e ͡we ̀s̶t̡op̡ p͢l̕ayi̶ng arou̵nd." David said as he cracked his knuckles.
"YES! That's it!" Sisyphus Prime laughed as his body changed, as the soul now possessed long hair and a full beard, both stained blood red, as well as a red aura. "This is it! This feeling! THIS IS LIVING!" he declared as he charged the three heroes.
"How abơut ̷yoư do us a ̡f͝av́or͢..́.ąn̡d ҉just̛ st҉op t҉al͡king͜. L͜et҉ me s̸h͘a̕re with y̷ou a̴ bit of ̸w͜isdo͞m." David said. "Yo͟u'̵rè ͞free t̴o hav̷e̕ whatev̶er d̕elusions y͞ou ͟want́. Howe͏v͡e͠r, y͠ou'̷re͞ oņly ̶e̕mb́a̧r͢r͞assing ͜y͞oursel҉f̵ ̕by̷ ͞sh҉aring t̢he͟m҉.̢"
"And you…this living of yours….I know what it can be like. But…this is not the way to go about it." Jexi said entering Golden God Mode. "So…we're ending it…right here and now."
No more words were spoken as the four combatants met, trading blows between the two sides. While the three heroes accumulated damage from each blow, the one being damaged the most was Sisyphus Prime as he gained more and more wounds and showed no sign of stopping his pursuit. It wasn't before long that he was reaching his own limits, as were the other three, as Sisyphus Prime landed on the ground as the 3 heroes looked down on him.
(End song)
"Ah…it's been some time since I've tasted defeat." Sisyphus Prime remarked as he kneeled on the ground. "Congratulations, Ishihara, Anarchy, and Jexi…victory is yours."
Mark powered down from his Proto-Berserker Form as he staggered a bit. "Yeah…thanks." was all he said.
"Before I pass…allow me to offer something you do not know." Sisyphus Prime said. "The boy, Thorn, was ensnared by Chaos long ago. Though he leads the charge, this plan was not his own. It was those four Gods of Chaos that are to blame. And the destruction of a universe is but a part of their plan."
"What do you mean?" Jexi asked.
"Chaos hungers for souls." Sisyphus Prime said. "Moreover, they desire to spread fear of their power across the Multiverse. And your group is a beacon of hope for all. Thus…they have decided to hurt you, not just in body, but in soul. The people of your worlds - all of your worlds - will be summoned to Devaloka…to act as a sacrifice to Chaos. A petty display of dominance." he spat the last sentence out.
"I get it. So these Chaos gods can't know well enough to keep in their own domain, so they wanna make things horrible for everyone else." Jexi said. "Guess that goes to show ya…just how far you'll go to spite someone. I don't really have a set home in a homeworld anymore. But the others…" he said looking to Mark and David.
"Our families, our friends…" Mark said, sounding worried before his face became apocalyptic. "Okay. Chaos wants to play hardball? Let's play hardball."
"Ba҉stards... ͟Şi͠ck iǹ the hea͠d, àll o̴f ̸the͏m." David said with a growl.
"Make no mistake: many people will die on this day." Sisyphus Prime said. "Some of them, you may hold dear. But that won't stop you. You are stronger than the tragedy soon to come. You must save who you can…and avenge those you cannot."
Mark nodded at that. "...Y-Yeah. Thank you, Sisyphus Prime."
"Wh̶y a̸re you ͜t̨ell̢iǹg ̢u͠ś th̷i͜s?" David asked.
"Yeah…you could have kept quiet and died in silence. Why share this? This is technically betraying your boss." Jexi said.
"I have no master but myself." Sisyphus Prime said. "I told no lies before; I care only to challenge myself against the forces of a Color God. But…preying upon the weak, those who cannot put up a fight…it is beneath me. Besides, having the strong of your worlds perish at the hands of daemons leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And…I respect your group too much to keep you in the dark."
"Okay…good to know." Jexi said as he sprouted his aura wings. "You watch on from beyond the grave, okay? We're going to teach your idiot of a partner a lesson about leaving others homes be."
"Ahh… So concludes the life and times of King Sisyphus." the Prime Soul stated. "A fitting end to an existence defined by futile struggle. Doomed, from the very start… And I don't regret a SECOND of it!" he laughed as beams of light began to emerge from his body before it exploded, leaving behind a few particles of golden light that quickly faded.
Horseman of War: Sisyphus Prime
DEFEATED
"F͢a̧rew̴ell,̴ ̨Śisyphu̶s Prime. Ma͟y̕ ̶your soul f͞ińd p͢eace in whate͘v͝er a͜fter͝life yo҉u end up ͏i̢n͞." David said. "An̸d t̴ha̡n҉k͟ you, Coole҉r͏.͏.̀. ͏Y̧ou̕r t͘rai̶n͠i͠ng̀ r͟e҉al͏ly hel̢p͝ęd̶.͜.."
The solemn silence was soon interrupted by the sound of shattering.
"The barrier finally gave way. They're moving on into the Sky Universe. Hopefully the others on the ship had plenty of time to reach Devaloka." Jexi said as he took to the air. "Come on. We need to go."
"Right…hopefully there's still time." Mark said as the three flew away, towards the shattered barrier…and towards the next stage of the war.
A few minutes earlier, with Damien…
"The barrier is broken, Lord Thorn." a cultist of Tzeentch announced to his master as they gazed out over the many islands of Devaloka. "But the summoning of the populations…it is a daunting task, even for the Changer. It will require time. He sees a heavy resistance against us."
"Then we'll camp out in the realm of Chaos for a few hours." Damien said. "It'll give us more time for our additional forces to show up and merge with us. Besides…I prefer to have a dramatic entrance for Phase 2."
"So you say." The Chaos Kin rasped as it, Makima, and Trillion stood beside him.
"Huh? This is…" Makima said in surprise. "Thorn…Sisyphus…just died…"
"Wait, really?" Damien asked in surprise. "Like, for real, dead?"
"Yes. I can't keep track of his soul. He's truly no longer with us." Makima said. "Meaning…he lost the battle."
"Well, that's…wow, that's a shame. He was really looking forward to storming the gates of Cream's domain." Damien said, sounding a tiny bit genuine in his regret, before he recomposed himself. "Well, we can't cry over every broken egg. We'll just have to crush a few holy heads in his honor. For now, we need to go. The Alliance can't be far behind."
As the group continued onwards, Trillion paused for a moment, as she felt something.
"...Trillion?" Chaos Kin remarked, turning around to see her staring behind them. "What seems to be the matter."
"...They are in the battle." Trillion stated. "...To think that our fates would collide once more. It's almost… nostalgic."
With that, the many cultists of the Chaos Gods whispered forbidden words, as Damien's army all vanished into the Warp, just as the Galaxy King entered the area.
"What happened? Where'd they all go?" Eddy asked, scanning the place with his eyes for any daemons.
"Coward likely fled to the Warp." Sheer said. "The one place we can't reach right now."
"But why? He's got an army, the barrier is broken, and there's likely no resistance in Devaloka yet. Why would he head into the Realm of Chaos now?" Princess Twilight asked.
"I'm not sure, but…" Sheer said, before he noticed something above the barrier: large, ethereal, red numbers that formed a countdown.
TIME UNTIL PHASE 2:
23:59:50
"He's waiting for something to finish…" Sheer said.
"Whatever it is…it's undoubtedly going to be big." Bardock said, before he sighed. "Nothing we can do but wait and prepare."
"We need to get to Devaloka and help prepare the defenses there." Sheer said. "Mastemon is strong but even she can't handle an army of daemons."
"We'll all converge as a group there. We have less than a day before Damien makes his next move, so we have to work fast." Jin said.
"Then let's not talk about it and do it." Lei K said.
With Devaloka being the only thing between Damien and his army and Cream herself, the group rocketed off to Devaloka to prepare for Daimen's next phase of his plan. Tomorrow would be a historic day…and also a bloody one…