Welcome back, everyone, and Merry Christmas! This is the one and only author of the MegaMan NT Warrior and The Owl House crossover story, Owl House: NT Witch, coming to you in December with a brand-new chapter for my story! It is so great to be able to get farther along in this story. I have a lot planned, and after seeing all the support you have given me, both in reviews and in the art I have posted to DeviantArt, as well as the added tropes for the TV Tropes page for this story, it really helps me to move forward with all that I have planned. Special thanks once again to Blackmetalzane22 and Cloud4012 for your reviews and feedback. It always means so much to me. Now, with all of that out of the way, here is my next new chapter, which is a different take on a canon episode. So sit back, and remember to review, rate, and as always, be sure to enjoy!
Chapter 8: Never Shall I Kneel…
At Hexside, Gus was walking with Skara to the front of a classroom. Floating next to them were their Scroll PETs, MirageMan looking to Gus and Melody with Skara. Beside them, they passed Bo and a few other students, all looking at items from the Human Realm.
Among the items was a cheese grater labeled as a nail trimmer, a blender labeled as a torture device, a bag of chips labeled with a flip phone as a whoopee cushion, an umbrella with leaves in it as a food bowl, a Rubik's Cube labeled, questioningly, as a weapon, a paper clip labeled as Pay-Per Clorp, and a dynamite detonator box labeled as a pogo stick.
"I gotta say, this is quite the display you have here," MirageMan said as he looked at everything before stopping at the alleged pogo stick. "Though I think you should double check what some of them do. How'd you get that?"
"I buy a lot from the Owl Lady," Gus said before looking to Skara. "Thanks for getting more members here, Skara. You're a real nice friend."
"I'm doing whatever I can to prove that I am just that," Skara said. "Melody helped in making me see that I'm doing well. I want to make sure I can always live up to it. Now, you'd better get ready… President." She said with a playful wink and a finger gun gesture.
Gus smiled before putting on a paper crown and making his way to the front of the room. As soon as he got to the table, he cleared his throat, getting the now significantly larger group of students to turn their attention to him.
"Behold, all the wonders of the Human Realm!" Gus announced, picking up a paper clip. "This one cleans out gunk and has wisdom embedded in it," he started before taking the dynamite detonator. "And this one… well, we all love pogo sticks. And while we still have yet to find the spring to this baby, its push is sure to pack a wallop!" he exclaimed, slamming it down.
At that moment, when Gus slammed it, a Coven Scout far away outside the window was sent flying into the air with a group of Darkloids, all sharing a shocked and confused look on their faces as Coven Airships were seen flying towards a fire from the explosion.
"Such stunning ingenuity," Gus said before looking to the rest of the students, with Skara carefully closing the blinds of the window once she saw what had happened. "Any questions?"
"Um…"
"Ah, yes. Our newest member," Gus said, looking to a boy with brown hair and a hood over his head. He had dark skin and dark-brown eyes, and while slightly disturbed by the random explosion (or so one would think), he had a bit more of a bored look on his face. "Mattholomule."
"Well, I had found this a while back," Mattholomule said, taking out a red box with a slot, a wedge across the bottom with yellow, green and red lights on it, as well as several cards in a pack next to it. "I didn't think much of it, but when that human, Luz, came and when she introduced the Scroll PETs, I felt like this could have come from the Human Realm."
"Whoa," Skara said as she and Gus walked over. "That looks… ahead of its time."
"Yeah," Gus said, looking at the box. "Seems a bit damaged. Did you try fixing it up?"
"Yeah, I'm in the Construction Track," Mattholomule said. "I patched it up as best as I could, but that's as far as I could get. I thought that the Scroll PET would be able to fit, but I'm saving for my own Navi to be commissioned."
"You know, I think you might be right," Gus said, holding out his hand for his Scroll PET to fly to him. He placed it at the slot, and its width reformatted to fit the slot. He placed it in, and waited for something to happen. "Maybe there's something here Luz might know. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Mattholomule."
"Hey, I'm in it for the science," Mattholomule said. "Things like MagiNet City and Navis always catch my interest. And if this can help us fight the Darkloids, I say we use it as soon as we can."
From the MagiNet, ShadeMan was watching. He narrowed in on the device and scanned it. As soon as the scan was complete, he looked it over before coming across some writing on the bottom.
"So, this device was created by Tadashi Hikari. The grandfather of the human NetOp of MegaMan," ShadeMan said to himself. "I had heard about GutsMan's rampage in NetCity the previous year, but I wonder… was this the cause behind his growth in power? If so, it's time we keep an eye on it for ourselves," he said before tossing out the Potions Dark Chip that once powered GrandeurMan. "Find the first Potions witch and imbue them. Then see what they can find out about this Hikari heirloom." He ordered. As soon as he said it, the Dark Chip vanished, leaving ShadeMan to look over the students of Hexside, now summoning a Dark Chip with the Construction Coven sigil on it.
At the Owl House, Luz was walking in her room, wearing her Cyber Contacts, earbuds and the Battle Chip Gauntlets. She looked to her PET, recording what she was doing before speaking.
"Within the few days after opening MagiNet City to the public, I see many of you have taken a grand interest in the world that our Navis reside in," Luz said. "And while you would only get to see MagiNet City through the use of one of my early inventions, the Cyber Contacts, I present you with a new way to fully feel and experience MagiNet City yourself alongside your Navis. If you have the Cyber Contacts and Sensory Buds in addition to the new Battle Chip Gauntlets, then you are all set," she went on before snapping her fingers, allowing MagiNet City to appear around her, with Azura walking up to her. "With all three, you will be able to experience MagiNet City for yourselves. You can be able to take in all of the surroundings, hear what happens, and feel the thrill of being among your Navis and the NetNavis of others," she said, walking as she did so. She came across NumberMan in a delivery run and held out her hand, to which he responded by high-fiving her before she and Azura bumped fists together. "This comes at no cost in the first week. A pack of all three required items will be announced afterwards, but for now, Luzura Incorporated encourages you to have fun in MagiNet City with your NetNavis!"
With that, Luz's Progress PET stopped recording, and Luz was now back in her room. Azura walked towards her and smiled.
"You're getting better at helping everyone here," Azura said as Luz picked up her PET, the two sisters now making their way downstairs. "MagiNet City is packed, NetBattles are becoming more frequent, and thanks to your safety features set in the Scroll PETs, they're not disrupting classes."
"Plus, from my recent sale, it looks like the Construction Coven is trying to set up NetBattle terminals in arcades, open market areas, and anywhere for others to get together," Eda said, currently knitting something in her lap. "Even Lily is impressed by what you've brought to the Demon Realm."
"Hey, that reminds me, what are you calling your little gang that helps you?" King asked. "You some sort of unofficial NetBattle Coven or something?"
"King, don't be silly," Eda said as Luz turned to her while Azura heard a knock at the door, going to answer it. "Besides, why go with that…" she started out before showing off a t-shirt she had made with her flying on it in a cool pose. "When it could be the Bad Girl Coven instead? Everyone can get a t-shirt when they join!"
"Oh, uh… tempting offer," Luz said before seeing Azura at the door. "We have a guest?"
"Yep!" Hooty called, opening the door and allowing Gus inside.
"Sometimes, I forget that he's the house." Gus said, shivering nervously while Azura tried to calm him down.
"Yeah, when things get rolling, we sometimes tend to forget he's stuck at the front too," Luz said as she sat down. "What's going on, Gus?"
"Well, you see, Skara and I were heading the Human Appreciation Society today with some human stuff, and we thought you could help in two things tomorrow," Gus said before turning to Eda. "Do you have any springs for the pogo stick?" he asked. "We have the pogo part, but while it's fun to press, it's still missing the spring."
"I can check," Eda said, unaware that a sonic wave was spreading from an explosion in the distance across the Boiling Sea. "Go on."
"What are the two things?" Luz asked before the sonic wave hit the Owl House, getting everything to reverberate for a minute. As soon as it stopped and everyone recovered, she turned back to Gus. "Whoa."
"Must've come from the Titan's Eardrum." Eda commented before adding the shirt she made to a large pile of several others.
"Well, we need you to help classify what we've got," Gus said. "Plus, there's this new member, Mattholomule, who has something that seems to work with a PET."
"Oh?" Azura asked. "That's a rare find."
"We don't know much about it, but I was hoping you could have some answers to it," Gus said. "Think you can stop by tomorrow."
"Well, we can try today," Luz said. "I've wanted to try out those coordinate warp points in the base for a while, and I think one of them leads to Hexside."
"Sweet! Skara and Mattholomule are still there! We can go now!" Gus exclaimed excitedly.
"Let's get moving then." Luz said, taking out her PET. As she did, Azura closed her eyes and returned to it before Gus and Luz made their way upstairs.
At that moment, Lilith came in, wobbling and leaning against the wall before making her way to a nearby chair.
"Edalyn… do you know anything about an explosion that went off at the Titan's Eardrum?" Lilith asked shakily. "Steve and some other scouts are setting up a soundproof barrier to lessen the quakes, but do you know if a Darkloid has become active?"
"No, can't say I do. At least, not today," Eda said. "Lily, I think ShadeMan got busy after GrandeurMan was Deleted. Your student and her Hecate Navi are off dealing with several new Darkloids, and it's a lot. Is the cult you're a part of gonna try and stay out of the way? I know that Pandora killed half of the squad sent to try and take her down."
"Emperor Belos actually sent me to see if your student is willing to agree to a business proposition ever since she showed off the Battle Chip Gauntlets. Is she here?" Lilith asked.
"Nah, she left with… Goops, I think his name was?" Eda replied. "Anyway, when I see her, I'll let her know that you wish to meet with her."
"In the meantime, after what happened with Pandora, I've been putting together a team of the strongest, smartest and most strategic Coven Scouts as part of a team to take on Darkloids. I call them the Maverick Hunters," Lilith said, getting Eda's attention. "Emperor Belos doesn't know about it, which gives us time to prepare our strongest spells to take on the next Darkloid that attacks."
"Lilith, listen to me, you need to be careful about this," Eda said cautiously. "If Viruses could kill and gore scouts like from the day before the Wailing Star, they might not be able to go up against a Darkloid."
"I know about what Pandora did, and I think that we can handle anyone who is not her or ShadeMan," Lilith said. "We are being careful, Edalyn. Head Witch Mason even made the scouts extra-strong armor, and in the event we lose a few members, we will be pulling back."
"How much do you even know about the Navis and the world that Luz introduced to our lives?" Eda asked.
"Yeah, there's a difference between Darkloids and NetNavis." King chimed in, walking over.
"I thought they were just made to serve whoever owns them—"
"NetOps. Luz says those with Navis are known as NetOps." Eda corrected.
"Right, thank you," Lilith said. "But when Azura stood with her, I started to see there was more to them than I thought, and even more so when I saw MagiNet City," she went on. "Your charges are still dropped until we can take care of ShadeMan, but ever since he attacked at the Covention, we are all being cautious of how to proceed, despite what Emperor Belos is saying. He's even restricted the scouts and anyone within the Covens from getting their own Scroll PETs and NetNavi."
"Just promise me that you'll be careful." Eda said.
"I will be, Edalyn," Lilith said as she stood up. "I look forward to seeing your student again." She said before walking off, now seeing an explosion go off, followed by a loud screech from Odalia Blight.
"Lots of explosions lately." Hooty commented as Lilith hurriedly flew over to see what had happened.
At Hexside, a warp step point appeared in front of the steps. From it, Luz and Gus spun out, holding their heads and propping themselves against the railings.
"Note to self, warp points have a bit of a spin to them." Luz said.
"Yeah, let's be more prepared next time," Gus said before seeing Principal Bump talking with a few students. "Let's let Principal Bump know why you're here."
"Why, yes," Principal Bump said, showing off a Scroll PET with a yellow and black color to it, with a symbol of a bee on the crest area. "WaspMan is quite the ally, though we have yet to try out any NetBattles. I hope to see you all doing well in those and your studies."
"Um, Principal Bump?"
"Ah, hello, Augustus," Principal Bump said, turning to Gus as the students walked off before seeing Luz walk up. "And Ms. Noceda. A pleasure to see you. Thank you again for my Navi and Scroll upgrade."
"Any time, Sir," Luz said. "I'm here because Gus wanted to show me something from his club. Also, I was wondering, while I will be a teacher here, I am still going to be taking an entrance exam to enroll and learn too, right?"
"You could, though it puzzles me why you would want to since you are already going to be teaching." Principal Bump replied.
"There's a lot for me to teach, but I also wish to learn, just like what I told you when we first met," Luz said. "That being said, while I do become a teacher, I wish to learn in addition. No special treatment. I want to be treated like you would treat any student and/or teacher."
"Wise as always, Ms. Noceda," Principal Bump said. "Very well. In order to make it through the Entrance Exams, you must demonstrate two spells. I have seen you use the light spell against ShadeMan, and I hope to see another new spell in the next coming weeks."
"Thank you," Luz said before Principal Bump walked off, letting herself follow Gus. "So, what's this thing your new member found?"
"Well, first, here's the HAS meeting room," Gus said, leading Luz to where the Human Appreciation Society had met, now with Skara and Mattholomule being the only ones inside. "You can clarify what each human item is tomorrow, but right now, I thought it best to show you what Mattholomule brought in."
"You must be Luz," Mattholomule said as Luz walked up to him and Skara. "Thanks for saving us at the Covention."
"Wait… weren't you the guy with the big head?" Luz asked, recognizing the Construction Track student. "And is there something shorter I can call you?"
"Yeah, that was me, and you can call me Matt," Mattholomule said before taking out the red box he showed before. "Maybe you can tell us what this is?"
Luz's eyes widened as she grabbed the box. "Where did you find this?" she asked, inspecting the device cautiously.
"From a trash slug that came to shore one day," Mattholomule replied. "I was about to throw it away, but then the Virus Attack happened, and we saw you in action at the Covention. When I saw the PET, I thought this might connect to it."
"Luz, do you recognize it?" Skara asked.
"Yeah, something from my world. It's called the Net Wrecker," Luz explained. "You're better off destroying this."
"Wait, something powerful called a Net Wrecker, and you think we should destroy it?" Mattholomule asked.
"I'm with Matt. Why?" Gus asked.
"Lan's former bully-turned friend, Dex Ogreon, found it one day, and used it to turn his NetNavi, GutsMan, stronger. As in, bigger, all from the Net Wrecker. It can reformat any NetNavi to gain extra power," Luz explained, showing off one of the cards from the back. "But each time the Memory Card was used, it made GutsMan go out of control. There was no way to stop the effects. My realm's NetCity was almost destroyed from his rampage, and Lan and MegaMan only got him to stop when releasing the effects of the Spice Battle Chip on GutsMan. The man who invented this, Lan's grandfather, Tadashi Hikari, didn't even know how to stop the effects. They would just have to wear off," she went on. "And I know Lan took it back home with him. Kim told me that he didn't get it to work, so he threw it away. I'm guessing it ended up here, hence how you found it."
"But what if we could remedy the flaws?" Mattholomule asked. "I know my way with stuff like this, I like to fix and modify them at home whenever my brother brings in something from the Human Realm. I could try and remove the flaws, and no one would have to go out of control! We could all get stronger to take on Darkloids—"
"I'm sorry, but this nearly destroyed NetCity, and not even as part of an evil plan," Luz said. "You are not, by all means, to use it for your Navis. Do you all understand?"
"Yeah, don't use it." Skara said quickly.
"You got it." Gus said.
"I guess," Mattholomule said reluctantly. "It was pretty busted when I got it. I don't know how Lan fixed it, but it wasn't in the best condition."
"Oh, so the repairs I saw were by you? Nice," Luz complimented as she handed the Net Wrecker back. "But still, do not use this. I mean it." She said before walking out.
"What about for tomorrow?" Gus asked.
"I'll be here, don't worry," Luz said before spotting the pogo stick. Her eyes went wide. "I really hope you haven't been pushing that." She said nervously before walking out of Hexside.
"Well, sorry about that, Mattholomule," Gus said before feeling his mouth. "I don't get what Luz was talking about."
"Yeah, I know how to make dangerous stuff safer to use." Mattholomule said, looking at the Net Wrecker again.
"No, not that!" Gus protested. "I mean your name. It's not that hard to say. I can only imagine what your last name must be to have her want to call you by a shorter name."
"But seriously, I could modify this thing to be safer to use. Remove all the side effects," Mattholomule said. "And if Lan's grandfather, probably a great man if he built this as a kid, couldn't work out the kinks, it could be an interesting challenge to finish what he struggled with."
"I'm not so sure," Skara said. "Luz know more about the history of these things from the Human Realm more than any of us. We shouldn't be toying around with this."
"Well, she said not to use it. Nothing about modifying it." Mattholomule pointed out.
Gus placed his hand to his chin, same with Skara. After a while, they looked to Mattholomule.
"Well, her words," Gus said. "I want to see how to handle this too."
"And I suppose I can see how it turns out," Skara said as her and Gus's Scroll PETs floated next to them. "Truth be told, I'm actually curious to see how this goes."
"Um, are you sure about this, Gus?" MirageMan asked. "This isn't something you're quite familiar with."
"Yeah, I'm with MirageMan," Melody said to Skara. "Even IF this can help us against the Darkloids, we are going against what Luz told us. I can't imagine she'll be happy."
"Don't worry. As soon as we see something about to go wrong, we'll call it off," Skara said. "We're not fools."
"Yeah, I'll stop as soon as something doesn't look right," Mattholomule said. "This'll be great! I join the Human Appreciation Society, and work on a project with the founders too!"
Back at the Owl House, Luz was making another live recording to the rest of the Demon Realm. She was holding a Light Glyph in her hand, which she activated, before placing a blank Battle Chip at the orb. When the light died down, a Battle Chip showing a CyberSword, only with a glowing light and a golden blade, appeared.
"I have listened to what you have suggested on the discussion boards in MagiNet City, and by popular vote, I bring you a new way to create your own Battle Chips, powered by the track or Coven you are in," Luz announced, showing off her new sword Battle Chip. "From my Light Glyph, I have created the Solar Blade Battle Chip. You have each been given blank Battle Chips with your starter Chip Collections. Power them with your chosen magic, and it can become a Battle Chip of your choosing. New Battle Chips made by you must be submitted, and you will be given a twenty percent royalty pay for contributing to the new world of NetBattling. I am Luz Noceda of Luzura Incorporated, and I wish you all the best of luck with the creation of new Battle Chips!"
Azura ended the broadcast and came out of her PET. "Good call with that, Luz," she complimented. "After dealing with that Net Wrecker, we really needed something to help the Demon Realm have more fun in NetBattling."
"Did Dr. Hikari get my message about the Net Wrecker ending up here?" Luz asked.
"No response yet, but once we get it, it'll be our first priority," Azura said before seeing Eda at the door. "You see what we broadcast?" she asked, getting Luz to turn around.
"Yeah I did, and I've got a ton of ideas," Eda said with a smirk. "But I also wanted to let you know that Lilith came by."
"What did she want?" Luz asked.
"Well, she was looking for you, Kid," Eda said. "Told me that Belos apparently wanted to discuss something with you. Well, him or someone to represent him."
"Tonight?" Luz asked.
"From what I learned," Eda said as King came over with a plate of nachos. "Come on. I'll fly you there."
"Luz, you never told me about this dish," King said as Luz and Azura walked downstairs. "It's so delicious, especially this Diablo sauce!"
"Wow, I did not know you were into Bueno Nacho," Luz said. "I can barely handle the sauces there."
"Ah, it's an acquired taste," Eda said as Owlbert flew to her. Now with her staff, she sat on it and let Luz get on, carrying King as well before Azura floated next to them. "Let's go."
Meanwhile, at Mattholomule's home, inside of a workshop, Gus and Skara, now in their normal attire, were watching as Mattholomule was looking over the Net Wrecker. He had papers showing the different inner workings of the device on a board next to him, with the memory cards laid out and labeled, either as with full charge or not.
"I did not know you were this smart." Gus said.
"Yeah, when you get into Construction Magic, you tend to learn a lot about how things work inside and out, how to put them together and take them apart, and how to improve what needs their kinks worked out," Mattholomule said as he looked to the Net Wrecker again. "This Tadashi Hikari guy, he was really ahead of his time. If this was a failed school project, then I can't for the love of all things awesome understand how this didn't win a prize."
"What have you learned from it?" Skara asked, having been sitting on one of the work tables. "We've seen you take it apart and put it back together, exactly as it was before, and you haven't said anything."
"Well, it's made entirely of stuff from the Human Realm, though there's some sort of part here that was able to tell what kind of PET can fit in," Mattholomule said. "And by using my own Scroll in the slot, thanks again, Gus," he said, to which Gus shrugged. "I'm able to see where the kinks could have happened."
"And?" Gus asked.
"Well, from the looks of it, while a Navi can have their, day-taw, I think Luz said, reconstructed to become stronger, it has a drawback," Mattholomule said. "You know how when you use flying shoes like the Banshees, they have a sort of… beginner feel to them? Like when you try to ride a staff, the ones you're given don't have the full power that most witches' staffs do."
"Yeah, my cousin's parents invented the winged shoes," Skara said. "They put in a beginner spell lock to make sure no one tries any of the advanced tricks too soon."
"Well, this seems to break that limiter," Mattholomule said. "I think that the GutsMan that Luz said had one, and while he was fine with one Memory Card swipe, more eventually broke the bypass, and if what Luz said was any indication, all that power that GutsMan had was too much for him to handle without the restrictions, and it made him into a mindless Navi."
"So, how would we remedy that?" Gus asked.
"This was something that an enby from my old school tried, a bit of Construction with Oracle, to be able to master mind over matter," Mattholomule said, spinning several spell circles at the Net Wrecker. "They taught it to me before I transferred, and if all goes well, this won't make a Navi bigger, but just give them a powerful boost of energy, which could last the same amount of time that each of these cards grant."
"Wow, mixing magic? That's a bit of a risk," Skara said. "You didn't seem like the Oracle type."
"Well, I'm Construction through and through, but I heard about some incredible feats that a trio of students did at Hexside before coming," Mattholomule said, continuing to work his magic on the Net Wrecker. "While my brother was busy with his own job, I would try out things that he wouldn't get a chance to pester me about. I would have been a different person if I didn't start branching out. But seeing that duel between Luz and Amity got me hooked into what kinds of things the Human Realm has to offer. I guess I have her to thank for this. I would've wanted to take over a club or something if she didn't show off CrossFusion and her NetBattling experience."
"Yeah, she has that effect on people," Gus said. "She changed Amity for the better, though it's still taking Willow time to fully trust her enough to start calling her a friend again."
"That won't be for a while, though," Melody said to MirageMan. "Skara shared a lot with me, including her point of view on why Amity ended her friendship with Willow. I know there's a bigger picture to this, but Skara and I would need to hear more from Amity about it first."
"And any word from her and Hecate?" MirageMan asked as a holographic screen of Skara and Gus came up.
"Nothing yet. She's requested two days off to investigate the new spike in Darkloids," Skara said. "Principal Bump allowed it, and I can only assume she's on some sort of deep case since she hasn't responded to any of us about anything. Not even her siblings know what's going on."
"Well, let's hope we can help tip the scales in our favor, then." Mattholomule said, now starting to use his own Construction Magic to work on the Net Wrecker more.
All three witches, however, were unaware of a new figure watching over what was happening from within the MagiNet. Their body hidden in the shadows, they could only smirk at seeing the Net Wrecker.
"Go and continue to work on that piece of work, kiddies," the new figure said as a Dark Aura surrounded them. "Then the slaughter can begin for me."
As this was going on, Azura landed near a bar, with Eda landing next to her, Luz and King getting off as they were having a conversation.
"What's the movie called again?" Eda asked.
"Vinnie Migrant against the Planet," Luz said. "I saw it back when my Dad was still alive. Basically, the main character, Vinnie, wants to date a girl named Cerise Blossom, but has to deal with her exes first, which include two French twins, someone whose power comes from committing to Eid, a bootleg movie actor and influencer, an Indian fighter with supernatural powers, a gypsy with swords for fingers, and a girl who, now that I think about it, sounds a bit like Amity."
"And this was based off of a book series?" King asked. "Do those even work out well?"
"Some do, some don't. But it all depends," Luz said. "Anyways, both were fun, but I heard that a Netflix adaptation is supposed to be more mature, and take things in a different direction than any of the other sources."
"I might have to watch it if I can get a DVD player working here," Eda said before looking to the bar, seeing only one table with a light over it. "Right here. Lily promised me that she's not even trying to get us to join any Coven."
Luz nodded before they all walked in. Once inside, they saw that there were several Coven Scouts, as well as someone in a golden mask with a robe that had the matching color. He also had a staff that had a single wing on it and a red gem at the end.
"Hello, Lilith," Luz said. "I was told the Emperor wanted to speak with me about something?"
"He could not make it. I am here on his behalf," the golden teen said. "Call me the Golden Guard." He introduced before sitting down.
Luz copied and sat down as well, with Azura standing with Eda and King to act as Luz's backup.
"Remember, do not do anything to provoke each other." Lilith said to both Luz and the Golden Guard.
"What seems to be the issue here?" Luz asked.
"The Emperor is grateful for what you have been doing, fending off against Virus and Darkloid attacks, and was most interested in your unveiling of the latest weapons against them, the Battle Chip Gauntlets, if I remember the name correctly." The Golden Guard started out.
"I run my company to help the people. Not to make money, but to ensure they are safe." Luz said, with Azura rolling her eyes at how many times Luz was forced to repeat that, not out of annoyance, but out of the fact that many thought that she was the kind of person who would weasel money out of others.
"And Emperor Belos now wants to make sure his forces can do that too," the Golden Guard said. "So, here is his offer. Name us the price you are willing to pay for the Emperor's Coven to commercially use the gauntlets, as well as any other weapon that can combat against the Darkloids, and we will gladly give it to you, as well as any other leisure or conditions you may have."
Luz narrowed her eyes at the Golden Guard. "Is that what this is all about, then?" she asked. "Well, then, I'm sorry, but you can't have them. I'm not that person."
The Coven Scouts murmured in surprise while the Golden Guard slowly reached for his staff, only for Lilith to place a hand on his shoulder firmly, shaking her head as he turned to her.
"Surely, there is something we can offer you…" the Golden Guard started out.
"These are for the people, not for an army," Luz said. "I don't care how many snails I would be promised, or even if Wild Magic were to be forever lifted. I will not have my weapons be utilized for militaristic use. They are for the people to use, to defend themselves and those who are unable to fight. If they are used by a higher power, then the wrong kinds of people would use it for different reasons… and trust me, not every reason is a good one when it comes to making sure everyone of any class is kept safe."
Eda looked to Luz and smiled a bit, even though she was turning down anything that could be offered to her.
"Guess I've been teaching you well after all."
"In conclusion, none of my products shall be used for your army," Luz said sternly. "No amount of money or promises will make me change my mind, and that is my final say in the matter." She said before walking out.
The Coven Scouts could only look on in awe at what Luz had shown, while the Golden Guard raised his staff and prepared to take aim. Before he could get the chance to lock onto Luz, however, Lilith pulled the staff out of his hand and tossed it aside.
"Even if she's not with us, we're all on the same side," Lilith scolded before turning to Eda. "Your student surprises me more and more."
"Yeah… me to," Eda said before smiling at Lilith. "Good luck with the Darkloids on your end." She bid before walking off, with King scurrying onto her shoulder while Azura teleported back to Luz's PET.
"Emperor Belos won't be pleased." The Golden Guard said to himself as Lilith exited, flying off in one direction while Eda flew her family back to the Owl House.
Within the depths of the MagiNet, a cloaked figure was wandering around an area with dark spikes erected from the ground. Dark versions of Canodumb Viruses were placed all around at the top, which the figure tried to avoid. However, the figure made a noise when hiding, causing the Canodumb Viruses to open fire while several others appeared on the other side of the hiding area. The figure covered their body with their hands, causing the cloak to blow away, revealing Hecate underneath.
"So much for stealth," Hecate said before taking out her staff, spinning it around and deflecting several blasts. She dashed forward and let out her blade. "LunaStriker Sword!" she called out, slashing through the Dark Canodumbs before the rest locked onto her.
"Abomination Tower, Battle Chip In, Download!" Amity's voice called out, getting Hecate to slam her hand to the ground with a lavender spell circle appearing around both of her arms.
"Abomination Towers!" Hecate called out, summoning several large Abominations. They all charged before erupting into geysers, making their way towards the Canodumb Viruses and Deleting them. Once they were gone, Hecate ran forward and dashed towards what was beyond them, which were several HeelNavis that had Dark Auras surrounding them.
"You won't take us without a fight!" a HeelNavi proclaimed, only for Hecate to raise her staff and cause lilac lightning to rain down, Deleting the attacker immediately and getting the others on the offensive.
"You served GrandeurMan," Hecate said, aiming her blade forward as Amity appeared next to her, wearing the Cyber Contacts and ear pieces. "And we know that ever since he was Deleted, there was a surge in new Darkloids. Tell us where ShadeMan set up his palace."
"Ha! You really think we'd betray ShadeMan?!" the second HeelNavi remarked.
"Here's a hint," Amity said, spinning a spell circle. Immediately, several Abominations arose and restrained the HeelNavis, hardening around their arms and legs as they tried to break free. "You're not the first we've gotten answers out from."
"Noceda will never destroy the Darkloid Army!" a third HeelNavi yelled.
"Instead of telling us where the Palace is… how about where to find the place where the new Dark Chips are being made?" Hecate asked. "Luz told us that ShadeMan needed resources back before he backed himself up. Has he gotten a hold of any resources here?"
"Better talk fast," Amity said, starting to bend her fingers into a fist, causing the Abominations to tighten their grips. "Everyone we've gotten answers from has been more uncooperative than the last."
"The… Titan's… Backbone," the de facto leader of the HeelNavis said. "That's all we know! We only meet outside of the palace, never at it! We just know that the Dark Chips were given to us and new Darkloids there!"
"The backbone?" Amity asked. "The area of eternal night?"
"Everywhere else that was told to us was a dead end," Hecate said. "Best we check there now that we've got an actual good lead."
"Then let's pull out, recover, and head there." Amity said as she removed her contacts and headset, leaving the MagiNet.
Hecate nodded and snapped her fingers, releasing the HeelNavis. She closed her eyes and started to digitize out through a purple spell circle.
"Hecate, Logging Out."
"ShadeMan's going to have our crests for sure!" the HeelNavi Gang leader panicked.
"Not before I do…"
"You!" a lackey HeelNavi exclaimed before several golden vial-shaped blades emerged and stabbed them all, Deleting them.
"Excellent work, Lurerre," ShadeMan communicated as a new Darkloid stepped from the shadows. "But now, we must act quickly before our newest facility is discovered. DevastationMan will handle Luz Noceda and her companions in the meantime."
The new Darkloid, Lurerre, had a blood-red version of GrandeurMan's Navi Crest on her chest. She had a face that resembled a gas mask, with exposed bloodshot eyes. Her color for her armor was mostly red with gold streaks, dual claws on both gauntlets, vials across the body leading from the Crest, needles sticking into her back, and syringes around her legs that were laid out to resemble magazine clips. Her hair was silver, with spiked ends to them, and her boots had heels in the shape of flasks.
"Yes, Master ShadeMan." Lurerre said before digitizing away, only not through a magic circle, but through melting like acid.
The next day, Mattholomule was finishing his work on the Net Wrecker. Gus and Skara were sleeping at different sides of the workshop until the sun shone through the windows, getting them to wake up.
"Are we done yet?" Skara asked.
"Yeah," Mattholomule said, showing off the Net Wrecker, which now had several patches on it. "Took some trial and error, but I got every single flaw worked out!"
"Good, now let's give it to Luz and show her," Gus said. "We did promise to now use it, so let's stay to that."
"How exactly does it work?" Skara asked. "Luz said she only heard about the capabilities of this from Lan's adventures, but we don't know what could happen if…" she started out before realizing what she was saying. "You know what? Let's not get any ideas. The last thing we need is for her to get mad at us."
"Yeah, best we just give it to her and be done with it." Mattholomule conceded before all three left the workshop.
At Hexside, Luz had arrived, now with another visitor's pass. She looked to the students as they were going about their business, stopping to wave at her. She waved back before coming across Willow, checking her Scroll PET.
"Hey, Willow." Luz called as she walked towards her first witch friend.
"Hey, Luz," Willow said. "You back for another visit to the HAS?"
"Yeah. Gus and Skara told me that their newest member had found something from the Human Realm, something that caused a lot of trouble for Lan last year," Luz said. "I told them not to use it, so there shouldn't be too much to worry about… at least socially."
"Yeah, I haven't heard back from Amity about her search," Willow said. "This is the second day, and she should be back today."
"Luz!"
Luz turned and saw Amity making her way over. As soon as she reached Luz and Willow, she stopped and leaned against the locker next to her, catching her breath.
"What's the rush?" Luz asked. "Did you find out where the new Darkloids are coming from?"
"No, but we got a tip at last," Hecate said as screens of Willow, Amity and Luz came up in the MagiNet, with Azura listening intently to Amity's NetNavi. "After a ton of searching, we think that from our recent lead, there might be some sort of facility hidden at the Titan's Backbone."
"Wait, it's always night there," Willow said. "Isn't that too obvious a place for the Darkloids to be hiding, a place of darkness?"
"I thought so too, but ShadeMan must be getting resources from somewhere," Amity said as a Hexside student watched on, one that lacked a mouth and was with the Construction Track colors on his uniform. "I was thinking of going there to see what was happening. I already asked Ed and Em to go ahead and scout before we got there. It's their way of making up for what they tried at the library on the Wailing Star."
"Hey, Luz! Check this out!"
Luz, Amity and Willow turned to see Gus, Skara and Mattholomule make their way to the girl trio, now with the modified Net Wrecker.
"Don't tell me. You tried it on either MirageMan or Melody?" Luz guessed.
"No, we fixed all the problems that this had," Mattholomule said, showing off the Net Wrecker before realizing something. "Though it was strange. This had parts that you would usually find here in the Demon Realm. Some parts from the Titan, a few pieces that hadn't been seen for ages… and don't get me started on Titan's Sweat being a part of what managed to get this to modify for different PET models."
"Wait, the sweat?" Luz asked, slightly disgusted.
"Yeah, it's supposed to change anything to suit the needs of whoever is using it, and whatever it powers," Amity said. "But all routes to that source have been blocked since the Savage Age."
"Why?" Azura asked.
"All our parents say is that using it is a way of controlling Titans, and Emperor Belos was told by the Titan himself to not allow anyone else to control him or gain his power," MirageMan said. "Anyone who did died, with only a few surviving its power."
"Wait… that message from Wily and Tadashi…" Azura realized, thinking back to the scrambled message that she and Luz found. "Luz, you don't think…?"
"How would they even have accessed it?" Luz asked. "Mr. Wily and Dr. Hikari Sr. would have mentioned it either in other logs or the book."
"Is there something we're missing here?" Skara asked.
All of a sudden, a gust blew, causing everyone and those around Luz and her friends to cover themselves. They turned to the source of the gust, and saw the Construction Student now with a Dark Aura surrounding him.
When the gust cleared away, the student no longer had any resemblance to a humanoid. His face was a metallic silver with green glowing eyes, claws with serrated blades on the ends, a shoulder cannon shaped like a crane, large legs with ends that resembled bulldozer blades, and a set of metal spiked balls hanging from the back. On six different locations on his body, which included the forehead, knees and shoulders, were a Navi Crest that had the fist of the Construction Coven on it, only instead of a lightning bolt-like slash across it, there was a mouth and eyes that were glowing bright red, the fist itself darker than the usual sigil symbol.
"What in the—?" Luz started before the new Darkloid shot forth a spike from his left shoulder. Everyone gasped and moved out of the way, but one of the memory cards from the Net Wrecker dropped, which was then brought to the spike like a metal to a magnet.
The new Darkloid pulled back the spike and roared, sliding it across each of his crests before glaring down at Luz, who had her hand behind her back.
"We've got to CrossFuse!" Skara called out as other students nearby took cover.
"Not in here! It'll cause too much damage!" Luz replied before running at the Darkloid. "But this should be enough to push you out!" she yelled, slamming ten Light Glyphs into the new Darkloid's face.
The new Darkloid screeched as he tumbled back, allowing Willow to summon some vines that made him trip until he fell down the stairs, with Mattholomule joining in by using his Construction Magic to send him further away from the school.
"Get up, DevastationMan!" Lurerre called out as she watched the entire battle unfold at the top of the school, getting some students to notice her as she clenched her fist. "Slaughter them all!"
"What the—?" Luz asked, turning once she and her friends heard the voice. "Great, another new Potions Darkloid!"
DevastationMan growled as the Memory Card dissolved away, its work now done. His eyes glowed brighter before he got into a feral position. The ground soon started to shake as witches, demons and items all around began to float. Willow and Amity immediately used their magic to keep everyone pinned down before they all took notice of what was fully happening.
Continuing to roar, DevastationMan grew until he was half as tall as the school. He glared down and shot a massive blast at Luz, but she took out her Shot Grip, attached it to her PET, and shot back. Both blasts collided for a moment before a wave spread after the collision burst.
"Now we CrossFuse!" Luz called out, taking out her Synchro Chip, getting Amity and Skara to do the same.
"NOW! SYNCHRO CHIP IN! DOWNLOAD!" Luz, Amity and Skara all called out, placing their Synchro Chips into their PETs.
Lurerre snarled and flew down, sending blasts at the three, only for their Navi Crests to appear and block the blasts, which were then sent back at her as she landed on top of a nearby flagpole.
"BEGIN CROSSFUSION NOW!"
Luz let Azura's armor manifest itself onto her outstretched arm as at the same time, her left arm started to gain her same gauntlets. Spreading them out, Azura's boots appeared over her legs, right as a purple over-shield appeared over her top chest. On her back, a set of two stars split in half appeared, acting as a pack for her, before she crossed her arms, allowing her Navi Crest to form and place itself on the center of her chest. As soon as it did, she spun around, her black bodysuit appearing beneath. She turned around and grinned, Azura's hat appearing over her head, followed by the sides of her helmet forming and placing a plate over her mouth. Holding out her right hand, the MagiBuster appeared, which she spun around before finishing her CrossFusion, staff held behind her, her left arm clenched in a fist facing up, and her left leg crossed behind her right.
Amity grinned and held her arms out, letting Hecate's Navi Crest pass through her, giving her a black bodysuit. As soon as it did, she thrust her right arm to the side while her left arm gained her Navi's gauntlet. The same happened for her other arm before letting Hecate's boots digitize over her feet. Raising both arms into the air, she brought them down, letting her helmet appear before the crescent moon chevron manifested itself. Spreading out her arms now, her Navi Crest flew onto her chest, followed by her hair being undone and coming out the back of her helmet as a ponytail, followed by her blue tailcoat falling around her legs. Spinning around, she ended her CrossFusion with both arms opened to the sides.
Skara flung out her Navi Crest before letting it pass through her. As soon as it did, she let Melody's gauntlets appear over her arms before performing a high double kick, letting her boots appear over her own. Spinning around, her clothes compressed to allow for her black bodysuit to manifest onto her before her Navi Crest flew onto her chest. Eyes closed, she bowed her head down and let Melody's helmet appear over her, followed by her visor appearing over her eyes as she opened them. Spinning once again, she summoned her lute before backflipping, playing a single note from it as her CrossFusion finished.
When the light died down, Luz, Amity and Skara were now CrossFused with their Navis. Lurerre narrowed her eyes and flicked her hand out, getting DevastationMan to slam down his fist.
"Heads up!" Amity called, creating a spell circle. Two Abomination fists formed from her hands, which then grew before she used them to push back. She struggled under the weight before throwing DevastationMan back, causing him to stagger as Skara leapt up.
"BubbleSide, Battle Chip In!" Skara called out, letting a BubbleSide blaster appear over her right arm. Aiming it out, she fired at DevastationMan, only for the blast to dissipate upon hitting him. "Okay, try this! OmegaRocket, Battle Chip In!"
Skara twirled forward before the OmegaRocket appeared underneath her. Now riding on it, she flew right at DevastationMan, crashing into him. However, she let out a gasp once she saw he had grabbed the rocket, right before his crane cannon swung and knocked her down, forcing her to AreaSteal closer until Luz and Amity caught her before she could hit the ground.
"Okay, is this the Dark Chip or a sample of the Net Wrecker giving DevastationMan this level of power?" Amity asked.
"My guess? Both," Luz said. "One Card couldn't do much, but with a Dark Chip, I'm betting that he was waiting to take the Net Wrecker and add it to his own, becoming this behemoth!"
"Have any experiences with stuff like this?" Skara asked, spinning spell circled to try and heal herself.
"Attack, eject, and reload with any of your strongest Battle Chips!" Luz ordered. "We might not have anything like this back in the Human Realm, but the least we can do is try and keep him away from Hexside!"
"Wait, I think I have an idea," Mattholomule said as he, Gus and Willow ran to join their friends. "I studied the Net Wrecker as I was fixing it, and just as it can give a Navi strength, I think I can use some of the code hidden within the device to take it back!"
"I thought you had to wait for it to wear off?" Gus asked.
"Well, you would, but unless you knew each of the ways the Net Wrecker worked, taking it apart and putting it back together again, like I do, you would know that there is a special spell embedded in the inner workings. A code that can retake the power that is given by the cards," Mattholomule said. He turned to glance at the Net Wrecker, seeing everything he studied on it in his mind before turning back and creating spell circles on the ground, creating carvings. "Give me a moment to get it down, and you'll be able to take down DevastationMan easily."
"We'll buy you time!" Amity replied, readying her LunaStriker while Skara ejected from CrossFusion to reload Battle Chips.
"Gus, I was gonna save this for a bit after you and MirageMan had NetBattled, but it's best you have it now so we can get some extra help," Luz said, tossing Gus a Synchro Chip, which he caught. "You, Skara and Willow be here to help Mattholomule, and make sure nothing hits him while he's doing the spell. Amity, let's go!"
"Luna Shot!" Amity called out, dashing forward and shooting several rapid blasts, all of which were deflected by DevastationMan before he struck back, slamming his fist at Luz and Amity.
"RockArm, Battle Chip In!" Luz called out, her fist starting to get powered by the RockArm Chip. Pulling it back, she slammed it into the ground, creating a wave that caused DevastationMan to stumble around for a moment.
"What are you up to?" Lurerre asked, narrowing her eyes at Luz and Amity before seeing Mattholomule carving runes into the ground. "A decoy!" she exclaimed, AreaStealing forward.
"MirageMan, I know we've had a few NetBattles so far, but I have to know. What makes our bond so special?" Gus asked as he looked from the Synchro Chip to his PET.
"Gus, we both share a desire," MirageMan said. "You wish to learn more about humans and spread their culture and ways to all witches and demons. And I am always going to be there to help you. I wish to learn all there is about witches and demons. To be a Navi Ambassador for both worlds, just like you. And while I may disagree with you on how to do things, know that I will always support your decision, I will always stand by you."
"I would too," Gus said, smiling before he took out some Battle Chips. "Our bond is good, so let's get this—"
"Look out!" Skara called, CrossFusing back. She took out her Lyra String harp and twirled it around, sending out sonic waves as Lurerre teleported in, using arm cannons shaped like vials as she tried to open fire. She dashed at Skara and let a blade appear from one of her arms to stab at her, only for her to create a spell circle that repelled her away.
"Skara, try this!" Willow called out, picking up the Battle Chip Gate from Luz's dropped backpack. "Static, Battle Chip In, Download!"
"Thanks, Willow!" Skara called out, aiming her hand at Lurerre as she tried to attack again. "Static!"
Lurerre held her hand back and sent forth several spell circles that countered the Static attack, but not enough to completely cancel it out before being forced to jump back, where several vines grew from the ground and held her in place.
"Quake, Battle Chip In!" Amity called out, letting the effect of the Quake Battle Chip set on her boots. She twirled around and slammed onto the ground, causing a quake that knocked DevastationMan back, right as he sent out several missiles that homed in on her and Luz.
"Starlight Style, activate!" Luz called out, using her Style Change transformation to block out all of the missiles. When the light cleared, she now floated in front of Amity, who looked at her in awe. "You got enough Chips for a Program Advance?" she asked.
"Yeah, I should," Amity replied. "But I don't think a double will be enough against someone this big."
"Depends on how we use it," Luz said. "And if Gus comes through, it'll be a triple."
"Right. I'll go low, you go high!" Amity called as she dashed forward, holding out her LunaStriker. "Lunar Blade!" she called out, summoning her sword while Luz flew back, using her Gun Del Sols to fire.
DevastationMan grabbed the crane from his shoulder and slammed it at Luz, who used her weapons to block it. Flying higher, she combined the Gun Del Sols into a rifle while taking out her MagiBuster again. However, before she could strike, she saw Lilith and several Coven Scouts appear from different hiding places, all sending out spell circles.
"Lilith, look out!" Luz called, flying back down.
"Human, don't worry. These are the strongest who have trained to take on Darkloids," Lilith said as Luz landed next to her. "In the midst of the growing number of Darkloids, I have assembled them to create this strike team, the Maverick Hunters. And we have managed to take down Virus after Virus, all to prepare to take down a Darkloid like this one!"
"This used to be a student!" Luz protested. "I know you're cautious, but you can't kill this guy! There's gotta be a way to turn them back into the witches they once were, but you need to stand down before you get hurt!"
"He was a student?" Lilith asked before DevastationMan struck at her. She gasped and lifted her staff, blocking the attack with a barrier, before blasting at him.
However, DevastationMan opened his mouth, and a light started to glow. Soon, a massive blast came out and fired all around. While several Coven Scouts helped to get other students to safety and out of the blasts, others nearly got caught in it while Lilith struggled to hold it once it reached her. Soon, she collapsed, and Luz grabbed her before firing at his mouth beam, cancelling out the attack.
"Is Ms. Lilith okay?" Amity asked, now underneath DevastationMan as he reeled in pain.
"I think so," Luz said, looking to Lilith as she nearly fell. She quickly used her staff to support herself as Luz set her against a tree. "You're gonna be alright. Just stay here. We'll take it from here." She said before leaping back into the fight.
Amity let out a sigh of relief before sensing something about to hit her. Quickly, she ducked, and saw the two spiked balls from DevastationMan's back, clanging around as they swung until they dangled underneath his legs.
"Uh… okay," Amity said, raising an eyebrow. "I did not expect you to have literal balls right there. That's… disturbing," she said with discomfort before turning back to the rest of her friends. "Mattholomule, how are we looking?"
"A few more minutes!" Mattholomule called back, each of his spell circles diminishing as some of the completed runes started to glow.
"Now or never, MirageMan!" Gus called, holding out his Synchro Chip.
"Let's do this!"
"Synchro Chip in! Download!" Gus called out, placing the Synchro Chip in. He noticed Lurerre breaking free and firing at him, but he held out his PET to deflect the blast before letting the light spread from it, CrossFusion now starting to come through.
"Begin CrossFusion!"
Gus spread out his arms as several illusions of MirageMan appeared around him. He opened his eyes, getting them each to slam onto his body. His gauntlets slammed over his hands before stepping forward, letting MirageMan's boots appear over his own. Kneeling down, the scabbard of his sword appeared on his back before getting back up, letting two orbs position themselves onto his shoulders, which formed into side plates. He looked up and grinned as MirageMan's Navi Crest flew onto his chest, giving him his mesh bodysuit, before his helmet appeared over his head. Letting the mouth guard appear over his mouth, he took out his sword and aimed it forwards, the blade glowing as his CrossFusion was finished.
"You think one more really makes a difference?! Think again!" Lurerre called out, breaking out of the vines holding her before charging at Gus, stabbing him in the chest.
"Gus!" Willow called out as Skara covered her mouth.
However, Gus disappeared in blue smoke, causing Lurerre to gasp before she was slashed from behind. She turned and saw Gus standing there, sword at the ready.
"Don't forget we like to add showmanship to our performance." Gus quipped.
Lurerre ran and slashed at Gus, only for him to split into two. She backed away and watched as more clones of him appeared before they all ran at her, slashing through her one by one until he floated at her, spinning into a blue blur.
"Illusive Stunner!" Gus called out, circling around Lurerre before more clones of him appeared. Each of them dashed through her before the real Gus slashed her forward.
"Now, Muramasa, Battle Chip In!" Gus called out, getting a purple glow from his sword. He charged forward and slashed Lurerre backwards, data starting to fall from her as she tumbled to the ground.
"Gus, Amity! Now!" Luz called out, flying higher into the air until she had DevastationMan in her sights.
"TRIPLE PROGRAM ADVANCE!"
"Bubbler, Battle Chip In! Bubble-V, Battle Chip In! BubbleSide, Battle Chip In, and Abomination Plus, Battle Chip In!" Amity called, letting her spell circles appear around her arms as she gained a cannon with a purple glow to it.
"BubbleSpread! Abomination Variant!"
"Blaster! CrossBlaster! Spreader, and MegaCannon, Battle Chips In!" Luz called out, gaining a large cannon from her rifle as it charged up, glowing bright with the Light Glyph appearing all over it.
"Powered Cannon! Light Stream Version!"
"CyberSword, Battle Chip In! WideSword, Battle Chip In! LongSword, Battle Chip In!" Gus called out, each sword chip getting his Illusion Blade to shine until a long blue blade shone from it.
"LifeSword!"
Mattholomule held his hands back as the runes he carved were completed. He looked at DevastationMan and grinned, slamming down two spell circles that glowed more brightly from the runes, which then spread to Luz, Amity and Gus.
"GO!"
Luz, Gus and Amity all sent forth their Program Advances at DevastationMan, each attack impacting him with great force. As the attacks made their marks, the runes started to sap away his stolen power until he was blown back, right into Lurerre.
"No, not like this! Not today!" Lurerre cried before DevastationMan crashed into her. "You haven't seen the last of us! We've got something that you won't have the strength to defeat!"
"Lurerre, Logging Out. DevastationMan, Logging Out."
Mattholomule panted as he dropped to his knees, the carved runes now fading away.
Willow helped Skara back up while Luz, Amity and Gus approached, with Lilith watching in amazement.
"Nice work, Gus." Luz complimented.
"What can I say?" Gus asked. "MirageMan and I are fast learners."
"I see now. CrossFusion and Navis are the true way to defeat a Darkloid," Lilith said to herself as she checked on the rest of her scouts, who were spread out and recovering as an Airship arrived. "There's a lot for me to learn now." She said before she and her team made their way back to the palace.
Later on, Luz was looking at the Net Wrecker in the Human Appreciation Society room, with everyone else with her as she inspected the device.
"How did you perfect this?" Luz asked. "The power that came to us couldn't have been the same that GutsMan got."
"Well, I don't know what GutsMan had, but this actually uses resources found here," Mattholomule said. "It sends Titan's Blood tainted with the sweat from the Titan to whoever is desired, granting them temporary Titan-level power. More subdued than the actual Titan himself, but still packs a punch."
"Wait, did you say from the Titan?" Luz asked.
"Yeah," Mattholomule said. "But then again, how could Lan's gramps have gotten a source from the Titan?"
"Well, until we figure that out, I say you earned your keep," Gus said, holding out a hand. "It'll be an honor to have you in the Human Appreciation Society."
"Thank you," Mattholomule said before turning to Luz. "You can keep that now. I think it's safer in your hands."
"Is it?" Luz asked. "Now I know GutsMan had Titan powers that day," she mused. "Well, another mystery. Still gotta figure out how to solve my problem with Chip demands and working with a single Custom Burn Disk."
"I can help," Mattholomule offered, getting Luz to look up. "Construction Magic lets me duplicate anything, so long as I understand what the material is made of, and it wouldn't matter how much I have to work with. They all would turn out equally the same," he explained before noticing Luz smile at him. "What?"
"You've just helped Luzura Incorporated in a big way," Luz said. "Say, did you ever get a Scroll PET upgrade?"
"Well, I've been saving up for that and a special NetNavi," Mattholomule said, handing Luz a paper that showed a block-like Navi sketch on it. "I call him BlockMan."
"Consider this commission and your upgrade for free," Luz said, looking over the designs before Mattholomule summoned his Scroll, which he held out to her. "And a place in my company too."
"Well, he's earned it." Amity admitted.
"Yeah," Skara said before her smile faded. "That Lurerre… what did she mean? Is there something bigger coming?"
"RRRAAAAAAAGGGGGHGHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The screech at Blight Manor days later nearly broke every window in the house. While Amity CrossFused to teleport away, her siblings snuck out in the opposite direction while in her office, Odalia tossed her chair out the window, with Alador using his Abomination magic to fix everything.
"Settle down," Alador said. "You're overreacting."
"Overreacting?!" Odalia nearly yelled, throwing down a Scroll Tablet with a news report on it. "Does this not fit the definition of my rage?!"
The report in question showed that Luzura Incorporated was now booming. There was a section about investors doubling in Luz's company following an extra boost in new Navis, Battle Chips, and royalty payments to all the witches and demons who were making their own new Battle Chips and submitting them to her. At the bottom of the screen of the report was a chart that showed several businesses and their progresses, with Blight Industries slowly descending to the bottom.
"That human has been making more in minutes than we have in days! And partly due to royalty pays?!" Odalia exclaimed, levitating her tablet. "Needless charity, and yet, she's still making a fortune! It's almost as if she's mocking me!"
"You haven't really made this company any better with the… CrossFusion experiments," Alador pointed out, swiping the screen to show an article of Odalia fuming while an employee with armor was being taken on a stretcher by the Healing Coven, the top of his body twisted a full 180° from his bottom half. "And this is the first of the three-strike warning before we are ordered to cease and desist all inventions to take on the Darkloids."
"Fine. No more inventions until we have a solid plan," Odalia conceded as she turned to her desk. "But that doesn't mean we resort to using those Navis. If only we could get a hand on those weapons that Luzura Incorporated makes from those chips, we could… yes…" she said with a grin, switching her tablet to show one-hundred and seventy-six new Battle Chips made by witch NetBattlers in the past few days. "Change of plans…"
At the Emperor's Palace, Emperor Belos was looking over the recording of the fight against DevastationMan and Lurerre. Focusing on the task force Lilith put together, as well as the end result for the Coven, he shut down the screen and turned to Lilith, who was standing before him with two navy-robed Coven Captains next to her, both with badges shaped after her Palisman.
"I must admit, these scouts you have put together have put up a better fight against these Darkloids than the previous squads did," Emperor Belos said. "But it still displeases me that the head of Luzura Incorporated has turned down our offer."
"It is her choice, Emperor Belos," Lilith said. "Money means nothing to her. It is only a moral mind that keeps her moving forward, and will fight for the people. Not the empire."
"Is that so?" Emperor Belos asked as Kikimora and the Golden Guard glanced at each other, both standing on either side of the Emperor. "Then you shall arrest her. If she does not serve me, she will serve time to regret her decisions."
Lilith looked up sternly, her eyes narrowed. "No."
There was a long silence. Other Coven Scouts let out silent gasps at this act of defiance, while Emperor Belos seemed slightly taken aback.
The Emperor regained his composure. "What did you say?" he asked.
"Luz Noceda is the head of the only enterprise known for having made the Isles a better place, and to combat Darkloids. The people stand by her, and if she is arrested, it will give them a reason to oppose you," Lilith said. "In addition, while she is not the main leading expert on all on the Cyberworld and Darkloids, she is the only one here with that knowledge, making her the one we need to have a chance against them. Either way, any attempt to have her, or her compatriots, arrested, will not be the wisest decision, not when the Darkloids are a bigger threat than anything. So I will not be doing your bidding for that command."
The silence resumed. Slowly, Emperor Belos returned to his throne and sat down.
"I applaud your defiance, and accept your logic," Emperor Belos conceded. "You may leave."
Lilith bowed and left the room with her two guards. However, as soon as she left, ShadeMan silently appeared in the shadows and readied a Dark Chip, eyes narrowed at Belos. Before he could act, he noticed a pile of destroyed Palismen, and when he turned back, he saw the Emperor breaking one and draining its power, causing him to gape while dismissing the Dark Chip.
"Your cruelty will not go unpunished." ShadeMan vowed before disappearing.
Reappearing at his own palace, ShadeMan approached Pandora and Lurerre, with dozens of new Darkloids sparring.
"Shall we proceed?" Pandora asked.
"Yes," ShadeMan said. "I have a different plan for the Emperor."
At the Owl House, while Luz was watching a soap opera with King on a crystal ball in the living room, Eda walked to her student's room, and saw the NetSavior. She narrowed her eyes and picked it up, looking at Tadashi Hikari's name on the bottom. She cast a spell circle and spread some dust at the bottom, revealing the name of Mr. Wily hidden underneath.
"One of these days… I'll tell her."
Author's Notes: Well, everyone, did you like my new chapter? This one was one of the ones planned out after I started my story, and I hope you like it, because for this holiday, I've got something extra special coming up next. Please review, rate, and as always, Private Message me on FanFiction for anything on the story. For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off. Merry Christmas, and see your real soon!