As of the time I'm writing this, I recently saw Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. And thanks to that, I've got a lot of ideas down the line for this story, which'll probably be seen more in the second half. And I know you'll love what I come up with. But for now, I'm really looking forward to what's ahead for this chapter.
I'm not gonna spare any more words, so I'll let Xiaomei take over from here. Enjoy.
SPACE
The Kaede War has begun. The planet Lendard is its epicenter. As Shiki, Elsie, Holy and the Omni Force's alliance has started their charge, they've discovered that Ziggy has gained yet another ally, God Acnoella, the Mother of Dragons. While having to deal with such beasts was troublesome, our heroes were able to break through to the planet below.
Now the goal is for them to reach the core, allowing for Rebecca to send out an Ether signal to summon the Chronophage. But Elsie has decided on other plans. She's gone to face Ziggy herself, as this planet was once her home, where she was a princess.
Fortunately, she won't be fighting him alone, as Katsuki Bakugo, Torunn Thorsdóttir and Megumi Fushiguro have come to join her. Their battle is about to begin. And a fierce one it shall be…
FLASHBACK
"Elsie plans to face Ziggy alone?!" Torunn exclaimed in question from the Edens Zero's briefing room, standing alongside Katsuki and Megumi as they faced Hermit, who nodded.
"That's what I've assumed from both her tone and demeanor when we've gotten in touch," she noted to the trio, "Obviously, we can't force her to not go after Ziggy," she pointed out, "In fact, it'd be good for us to keep him distracted," she mentioned.
"…But you don't think she can win against him, do you?" the jujutsu sorcerer guessed with narrowed eyes. The Shining Star lowered her head.
"Elsie… looked to Ziggy like he was a father to her…" she recalled, "I know how strong she is…" she added, clenching her fists, "but I'm not sure she'll be able to stomach taking him on by herself," she admitted.
"It's already going to be hard enough for Granbell to face him, I bet," Megumi presumed.
"Indeed…" Torunn agreed.
"So why are me, the porcupine-head, and thunder thighs here?" Katsuki inquired with a tilt of his head.
'Porcupine-head?' Megumi repeated inwardly as his left eye twitched in annoyance.
'Th-Thunder thighs…?' Torunn stuttered through her thoughts, looking down at her legs as she blushed.
"I think the three of you could be good matches to face off against Ziggy's gravity," Hermit answered, "Plus, with Elsie on your side, you'll have a better chance," she mentioned.
"Hm," Katsuki huffed out, "If it means saving Granbell the trouble of taking his gramps out, then I'm game for it," he affirmed.
"As am I," Torunn decided, grabbing the hilt of her sword.
"At the very least, we'll keep him from interfering with Operation Starbiter," Megumi promised. Hermit smiled.
"Thanks, you three," she said gratefully, "I know we can count on you to do your best," she mentioned.
END FLASHBACK
The trio of Omni Force members were ready to fight at a moment's notice. They had arrived on the scene, having been dropped off by Kris, Kleene, and Laguna respectively. Elsie was still surprised by their sudden presence at the castle. She sighed with a smile.
"No matter what I say now, you won't stay out of this, will you?" she presumed.
"'Course not!" Katsuki shouted, "Besides, I wanted to give the old fart a good sendoff!" he proclaimed with a wicked smirk.
"Well, isn't this funny…" Ziggy grumbled out, getting his foes' attentions, "That said, how will it help you now?" he inquired aloud. At that moment, he narrowly moved his head back to avoid getting his face cleanly cleaved off by Arnbjörg, which flew back to a lunging Torunn.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she roared, catching her blade and attempting to slam it down onto the Demon King. He moved back to evade her attack as she shattered the stonework of the steps below in a flurry of dust and lightning. What followed was Elsie dashing through the plume, now donning a tight suit, having gold-colored accents around her hips and lower legs with bulbs placed behind them, bands around her forearms, and her high-collar had two long strips that acted as a cape. The back portion had the insignia of the Skull Fairy.
Ziggy thrusted his right hand out at her. Instinctively, she flipped upward, evading the explosion of gravity that erupted on the ground below. She drew a katana as her Ether Gear markings expanded from her missing right eye. Coming down fiercely, she slashed mightily at the Demon King, exchanging a glare with him. The force of their impact sent out a powerful shockwave.
"Go," Megumi instructed to the werewolf-like shikigami beside him, enticing it to charge towards the deadlocked Oración Seis Galáctica members. As Ziggy forced Elsie off of him with a burst of gravity, sending her skidding back along the stonework of the courtyard, Totality lunged in and slashed across the android's chest. The claw marks weren't deep, but were enough to make the Demon King seemingly wince.
"Damn mutt…" he growled. Suddenly, he found himself ambushed by small but powerful explosions from behind, pelting him repeatedly. They originated from Katsuki, who had jumped down.
"How do ya like my AP Machine-Gun, you bastard?!" he inquired with a sadistic smirk. All of a sudden though, he was forced to the ground in an instant by the force of gravity, crashing flat on his stomach as he let out a grunt.
"Nothing more than a weak flurry of fireworks…" Ziggy grumbled out with his right hand held out. However, the Explosion Quirk user smirked again.
"You're not the first person to tell me that…" he pointed out, managing to plant his hands against the ground as sweat trickled down his body, "That android chick really knows her stuff…" he mentioned, causing his foe to perk up slightly, "I'm the perfect match for you, geezer!" he roared. His palms shined a bright orange. "LAND MINE BLAST!" he bellowed, uncorking a massive explosion that engulfed the area in smoke. Ziggy braced himself as he held his arms over his head, grimacing slightly. He then found himself taking a slash to his right hip from Arnbjörg, which flew by.
"Pathetic!" he yelled, extending his right hand out at the Asgardian blade. It turned around in midair, zipping back toward him. The smirk that crossed his face instantly vanished as the blade nicked part of his right arm and tore a gash in his cape, narrowly avoiding his entire limb getting lopped off. He looked back to see Arnbjörg be caught in Torunn's hand, who flew down as electricity crackled around its blade.
'Now I get it…' the Demon King uttered inwardly in realization, jumping back to avoid getting smashed against the ground, as a thunderous boom echoed through the courtyard with another flash of lightning. That sound was enough to prevent him from hearing Katsuki, who zipped in from behind and landed a strong, fiery explosion to his back, making him gasp out in agony. He whipped around to elbow the Explosion Quirk user off of him, followed by turning back to block off another attempted slash by Elsie with his left arm.
She gritted her teeth, flipping away and kicking him in the face, knocking him back slightly. He threw his right hand forward again, forcing her to suddenly crash against the ground on her bottom. Ziggy then severed nearby pillars in the courtyard, firing them out at the Space Pirate. She jumped aside to evade the first one, weaving around the next two. The fourth was bound to smash her face in, but was cleaved as Torunn landed in front of her, slashing it cleanly in half as the two pieces flew past them. They then charged forward, both landing powerful slashes to their foe's shoulders.
He winced, his body creaking ever so slightly as he glanced back at his foes. They grimaced themselves, having to had taken direct blows in order to land their own attacks. Their opponent chuckled.
"To think that the little girl I took aboard my ship back then would grow this strong…" he noted aloud, causing the pair of women to look back at him, "I'd expect nothing less of one of the Oración Seis Galáctica," he said, "You are indeed an equal to Crow and Acnoella…" he mentioned further.
"Hey, geezer!" Katsuki shouted from above, getting his attention as he saw the Explosion Quirk user coming toward him, "Not just them you need to worry about!" he roared, aiming his hands down and unleashing a fiery blast that seemingly engulfed him. However, it was instantly blown away as he had extended his arms out. He stood upright and turned to Elsie.
"So, is Shiki equal to you now?" he inquired of her. She narrowed her lone eye.
"…I wouldn't know," she admitted, "I haven't gotten the chance to spar with him in a while," she pointed out, much to the surprise of her colleagues, "But some months back, he was almost at my level," she recalled, "He showed me just how strong someone can be when they want to protect something precious to them," she noted on, tightening the grip she had on her weapon.
"I see…" Ziggy said.
"Shiki meant so much to you before…" Elsie pointed out, "I still can't believe you've changed like this…" she mentioned sadly with a shake of her head.
"That wasn't the real me," the Demon King said as his foes all gathered around him, "I lost my memories," he noted, "and without them, I was foolish enough to raise a threat to the cosmoses…" he added, lowering his head a little.
"A threat to the cosmoses?" the Space Pirate repeated.
"That's what you believe Shiki to be?" Torunn inquired on.
"He is the one who'll destroy the universe," Ziggy proclaimed in response.
"...I think we've heard enough," Elsie decided, charging forward.
"Indeed," Torunn agreed, flying after her. Huffing, the Demon King was prepared to force them to the ground with his gravity again. All of a sudden though, he buckled over slightly, faltering to his knees as Megumi skidded past, having slashed him from behind with his blade. That allowed for the pair of swordswomen to close in. But just before they could reach him, he flicked his left hand up, making nearby debris shoot and pelt them, knocking them down to the ground.
"Damn…!" the jujutsu sorcerer cursed, seeing the android rise to his feet.
"Now… I wonder what your true purpose in this fight is…" he remarked to him, causing him to grit his teeth. His shikigami lunged in, only to end up with its neck caught by Ziggy's right hand. He was about to crush the werewolf-like creature in his grasp, only for it to suddenly splash apart into a black liquid that spilled onto the ground. "Heh," the Oración Seis Galáctica member chuckled out.
"Bastard…!" Katsuki growled out, blasting himself over to his foe. However, he flew back just before he could get caught in another fiery blaze. "Grr…!" the Explosion Quirk user growled out in frustration, shooting himself after his foe.
"Katsuki!" Torunn yelled from below, spinning her sword before flying up after him. Elsie arose to her feet as well, grimacing a little.
"Ziggy…" she uttered, wondering just what madness was going through the Demon King's head…
X
Shiki, Rebecca, Happy and Rin were following the map leading them to the beacon that was set to where they were to meet up with their colleagues. Having calmed down from earlier, the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user was ready to do whatever she needed to for the sake of her friends' futures. But she was still scared, if only a little. Having the people she cared about around her made it a little better, though.
"We're almost there!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user confirmed.
"I hope Riri and Jaime made it down here okay…" Rebecca said as she and the others ran onward.
"Knowing them, they'll be fine," Rin assured, "I'm more worried about the others being brought onto the planet…" she admitted as the others looked over at her, "They're not as equipped to deal with something like androids," she pointed out. At that moment, they took notice of a familiar group of robots with their skeletal faces.
"Uh oh, it's the Skeleton Army!" Happy exclaimed.
"It's fine!" Shiki assured, making his Ether Gear markings expand along his arms, "Let's charge right through—!" He stopped himself upon noticing something. There were a few of the robots that were floating in the air thanks to what appeared to be boosters at the soles of their feet. Their right arms transformed into cannons, humming with a reddish energy that glowed ominously.
"They fly now?!" Happy yelped in shock.
"Ziggy must've upgraded them!" Rebecca realized with a grimace.
"No doubt with Ultron's help…" Rin added in conclusion, narrowing her eyes.
"Doesn't matter…" Shiki proclaimed, "Let's take 'em down!" he insisted.
"Happy!" Rebecca called out to the android feline.
"Aye!" he responded, transforming himself into the pair of blasters that she took hold of. Rin held her right arm out, forming a reddish-black ball of energy at the tips of her fingers. She fired out a rapid-fire succession of blasts, tearing through the robots ahead of the group. Rebecca joined in with shots from her blasters, while Shiki had gravity increase around them to keep them downed, including the ones in midair. More and more were converging onto the scene, making the trio grimace.
"We're not going to be able to hold them all back!" Rin warned, reaching into a pouch at her waist for something, being a topaz. She flung it forward, unleashing a burst of wind that blew back several of the enemy robots. However, more flew down, landing behind the group with their cannons aimed forward.
"Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall!" a familiar voice bellowed, followed by a massive wave of ice engulfing several of the Skeleton Army robots. The Omni Force members looked over and smiled to see Shoto there with Weisz, Homura, Pino, Azari, and Inosuke in tow.
"Over here, guys!" the Machina Maker Ether Gear user of the arriving group called out, firing off rapid shots from his rifle onto enemies that were still standing.
"We'll go through that door there!" Pino instructed, pointing towards an opening nearby.
"Hurry!" Homura yelled, using her conjured energy blade to deflect blasts sent her way by more of the robots. Azari charged in, equipping his Panther Habit as it instantaneously materialized over his body. He drew his claws, slashing and hacking his way through several dozens of the robots in his sights. Shoto followed up with another powerful wave of ice to engulf more.
"Hey, no fair!" Inosuke yelled angrily with his twin swords held up, "I wanted to chop them up, too!" he proclaimed in frustration.
"Calm down, boar boy…" Weisz insisted.
"There's bound to be more on the way," Shoto presumed, jogging over to regroup with the others, "Let's go!" he insisted.
"Right!" Shiki agreed. Moments later, they were inside the corridor, letting the door close behind them. "Huh…" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user exhaled afterwards.
"I knew we were in enemy territory, but that was a lot…" Rebecca noted aloud while letting Happy reform back to normal, "Sorry for all the trouble, everyone…" she apologized to her teammates.
"Don't worry about it," Weisz responded reassuringly.
"So, why this passage?" Rin asked after a moment, crossing her arms underneath her chest.
"Evidence suggests that it'll lead us to the planet's core," Pino responded.
"That means we're not gonna get to fight?!" Inosuke inquired angrily, growling with frustration.
"No, there'll certainly be enemies teeming these paths to such a vulnerable place," Homura replied to his surprise, "Though I doubt I need to tell you all that," she mentioned.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Azari suddenly asked, enticing the others to look over at him in surprise, seeing him walk down into the passageway as his helmet dematerialized, "Don't slow me down," he advised of the group. Hearing his tone, the others were somewhat surprised, Rebecca especially. She had heard rumors of why the Wakandan prince was so uptight these days, with the future as his country's ruler likely looming over him. But there was something else that bothered her about him now…
"Midoriya, your group is already taking point on the factory, yes?" Tenya inquired over the communication line through the earpiece in Izuku's right ear.
"Yeah!" he responded, leaping ahead as green sparks of bio-electricity crackled around his body, "I've got Silva, Nezuko, and Levin with me!" he mentioned. Following him was Noelle, who donned a suit of armor that was made of water. It included a breastplate, faulds, spaulders, vambraces, chausses, and a tiara. Wing-like ornaments covered her ears and two large wing-like ornaments hung off her lower back. In her right hand was a lance made of spiraling water.
Nezuko was riding aboard Devlin, whose appearance had changed. His form had become the shape of a Tetramand's, growing four arms and having the same kind of legs, torso and left eyes upon his form. His upper left arm had the appearance of a Pyronite's, while his right upper arm was like a Petrosapien's. He had the tail of a Kineceleran while gaining lower arms of a Vulpimancer, which also included his nostrils. Lepidopterran wings formed on his upper back, which had the pattern of a Galvanic Mechamorph. His face was especially changed as he obtained the lure, gills, and teeth of a Piscciss Volann, the right eye of a Galvan, and the eye track of an Ectonurite. All that remained unchanged about him were his shorts and ears.
"So, we're striking the factory in multiple directions?" he inquired of the One For All inheritor, flying after him and Noelle.
"That's the idea," he responded as he jumped ahead, "We've each divided into separate teams based on our inherit skills," he pointed out. Elsewhere, Tenya was leading Luck, Zenitsu, and Fumikage down a passageway. In the meantime, Kyoka was scouting the area with Natalie, Shirou, and Francis, while Momo peeked around a corner with M'gann, Magna, and Zora. Noel had Yuji ride backseat aboard her Broombuggy, while Ninny had Tsuyu. Ochaco, Eijiro, Klaus and Tanjiro were making their own charge for the factory, with the former having a serious expression upon her face.
"Depending upon how many of the soldiers we come across, some of us'll probably make it to the factory before others," Noelle pointed out.
"We also gotta find out where the Space Stone is," Devlin mentioned.
"I'm sure it's with Ziggy," Izuku said to his surprise, as well as the others.
"How do you know?" Noelle asked. The One For All inheritor clenched his fists tightly.
"Based on Ziggy's powers… and the fact that he's allied with Kronos…" he began pointing out, "I can't think of anyone more suited to hold onto the stone, if he really has it," he affirmed with a grimace. There was a brief silence between those of the group.
"Midoriya, come in!" Ninny's voice communicated into the caped hero's earpiece as he landed atop a nearby building.
"Spangcole, I'm here," he responded, putting his hand up to his ear, "Did you find the factory yet?" he inquired.
"Yeah… but there's a problem…" the witch confirmed in reply, causing him to blink in confusion. Both Broombuggies of the Wing Bind witches were trembling in fear as they hid in the shadows of a vestibule. Their riders were looking out in disbelief. The factory was massive, teeming with hundreds upon thousands of robot soldiers. But that wasn't all. There were Dragons lurking about, some larger than others.
"Izuku, it's clear that the factory's important to Ziggy's operation," Noel noted as he put her right hand over her comlink, "I think our best course of action should be to infiltrate it as stealthily as possible," she advised, "Between the robots and now the Dragons, it's not going to be easy to break right through," she mentioned further.
"Don't forget that we still have to deal with Ultron, too," Tsuyu chimed in, "He could be watching us right now, and we wouldn't know," she mentioned.
"Right, I got it," Izuku assured in response. He then turned to his colleagues. "Let's keep moving," he advised of them, leaping onward.
"By the way," Nezuko chimed in, getting Devlin's attention, "I noticed that you guys didn't have your team's leader with you," she pointed out.
"Huh…" the hybrid Osmosian sighed, "She doesn't really answer calls…" he pointed out, "In fact, the only thing she does is punch guys," he noted to the surprise of the demon-blooded girl upon his back, "And let me tell you, she punches hard," he mentioned.
"I guess when it comes to her, actions speak louder than words," the demon slayer remarked with a giggle.
"Yeah…" Devlin agreed, "Let's hope she does act," he said. Meanwhile, up in the smoggy Lendard skies, Katsuki was blasting himself after Ziggy, who glanced back to see him approaching. He turned and stuck his left hand out at him, trying to force him to a halt with his gravity. The Explosion Quirk user felt the sudden force crash onto him. But he countered it by unleashing a powerful blast to propel himself past the Demon King. He looked over at his foe.
'So, his explosions grow more powerful when under my gravity's pressure,' he noted to himself, 'And because he uses them to move around, he isn't affected by the strain of such force,' he mentioned inwardly, noticing how sweaty his foe was, 'That said…' he continued, moving aside to evade a sweeping explosion from his opponent, 'I can tell that he's getting exhausted…' he confirmed. At that moment, his barely moved his head aside, only getting his left horn lopped off by Arnbjörg, which flew by. Growling, he stuck his right hand out at it. However, it shot toward him again, enticing him to move aside, allowing for it to be caught by Torunn as she was floating nearby.
"I'm surprised you've yet to meet your match, Ziggy…" she admitted, gripping her blade tightly. The Demon King clenched his fists.
'And that girl's sword is unaffected by my gravity…' he added through his thoughts, 'They didn't come here randomly,' he realized, dodging another sweeping blast from Katsuki, followed by throwing his arm up to block off an attempted slash by Torunn. He looked down, spotting Megumi. 'So what is his purpose?' he wondered.
"Better pay attention, geezer bot!" the Explosion Quirk user bellowed out, getting his attention as he saw his enemy shooting himself over again, "This time, I'm not missing!" he proclaimed. Torunn was also closing in from the opposite side. Their foe's expression shifted into a smirk.
"Are you sure about that?" he inquired, suddenly disappearing in a blue portal that appeared underneath him. His foes gasped. Katsuki barely managed to fire off an explosion in time to maneuver himself over the demigoddess, who shut her eyes as she flew through the plume of smoke that resulted. When she opened them, she found herself caught in the grasp of Ziggy's right hand, which held her by her face.
"No!" the Explosion Quirk user gasped out upon noticing. Torunn tried to pry herself free of her foe's grasp, attempting to swing her sword at him. However, he caught its blade in his left hand. A smirk crossed his face again.
"I assume Shiki's shown you this move, right?" he presumed, having his green Ether Gear markings shine brightly, with an ominous purple energy coursing through to his right hand. The demigoddess in his grasp widened her eyes. "Magimech Attack…" the android began, uncorking a sphere of gravitational energy onto his target fiercely, "GRAVITY CANNON!" he roared. Torunn's crown was shattered as blood spurted from her head from the force of the impact. She fell backwards for a moment, but then her eyes flashed white with rage as a lightning bolt suddenly shot down from the smoggy sky, striking her blade as a shockwave erupted, blowing her foe back.
"You good, thunder thighs?" Katsuki asked as he blasted himself over to the demigoddess, who breathed heavily.
"My name… is Torunn!" she roared in response, flying after Ziggy. Down below, Elsie grimaced as she tightened her grip on her blade.
'That was Nero's Wormhole…' she realized, narrowing her eye, 'I knew Ziggy was capable of much, but I didn't think he could take other Ether Gears as his own…' she mentioned inwardly.
"Hey," Megumi chimed in, getting her attention, "If we're going to stop him here, then we to get him back on the ground," he advised of her.
"And why is that?" she asked curiously.
"Just trust me on this one," the jujutsu sorcerer insisted, clapping his hands together to imitate the shape of wings, "Nue!" he called out. From his shadow emerged a bird-like creature with orange feathers and a white mask-like face. It had large wings, two sets of talons and human-like teeth. "Go," its master insisted, "Get him down here," he instructed, pointing toward Ziggy. The shikigami flapped its wings, taking to the smoggy sky as it soared toward the midair battle. A crimson light shrouded Elsie.
"You have my trust," she confirmed to Megumi, "Be sure not to waste it," she advised firmly. Her ally nodded, watching her rocket off into the sky instantaneously. Torunn ferociously swiped her blade at Ziggy while having it coated in lightning, while Katsuki uncorked volleys of small blasts to rain down onto him. He evaded their attacks with ease, spreading his arms out to release a burst of gravitational energy, blowing his two foes away.
"I'm growing tired of this farce…" he grumbled aloud before noticing Nue closing in on him. He growled, closing his right hand into a fist. However, before he could strike the shikigami, Elsie zipped by, slashing him diagonally across the chest thanks to her katana. It left him wide open for the bird-like creature to swipe him with its wings, which discharged a purple-colored electricity onto him. "Ergh…!" he winced out as his body twitched, unable to move. Noticing, Katsuki grinned.
"You're finished, gramps!" he proclaimed, firing off explosions rapidly to propel himself in a circular motion, letting off barrages that were even more powerful. A tornado was created from the blasts, collecting oxygen and momentum as fuel. Ziggy could only glance back, grimacing as he had no idea what kind of attack he was about to take. "Howitzer Impact…!" his foe started to bellow, closing in and unleashing massive explosions that engulfed the Demon King, subsequently tearing through the metal walls surrounding the castle as well, "CLUSTER!" he roared. Elsie, Torunn and Megumi watched on in awe, wondering if that attack had done their opponent in already.
"That was commendable, boy," his voice chimed in, causing the Explosion Quirk user to whip around and see his foe's body emerging from a bluish portal upside down, "Had that state of paralysis not worn off, you could've very well destroyed me…" he admitted with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Katsuki, get out of there!" Torunn screamed, while the Explosion Quirk user growled.
"Magimech Attack…" Ziggy began, closing his right hand into a fist and rearing it back. However, he suddenly was snatched away from the rift by a crimson-glowing Elsie, who veered down and crashed into the ground with him in a flurry of dust. The two Oración Seis Galáctica members skidded back from the plume along the stonework of the courtyard. As the dust settled, they glared each other down.
"I suppose your lack of memories was what caused you to save me back then?" she presumed of her foe, while Katsuki and Torunn landed down on opposite sides of the courtyard, both breathing heavily with exhaustion.
"But of course," Ziggy answered, raising his right hand as several pieces of debris began floating up over him and his foes, who all widened their eyes in panic, "The real me would have never rescued a human girl," he affirmed. Elsie lowered her gaze sadly for a moment.
"…I see…" she said, "That's truly unfortunate…" she admitted. The android huffed, but then noticed Megumi holding his hands together in a peculiar way, with his thumbs pressed together and his index and middle fingers overlapping.
"It's ready," he confirmed, causing the Demon King to perk up slightly, "Domain Expansion…" he began, suddenly flooding the surrounding area with a thick, fluid, shadowy liquid. Encapsulating the courtyard was what appeared to be a black night sky, with no stars twinkling above. Elsie looked over at the jujutsu sorcerer in shock. "Chimera Shadow Garden!" he exclaimed.
'I get it now…' Ziggy realized, 'His purpose was to prepare an entrapment for me,' he noted to himself. Megumi smirked a little.
FLASHBACK
"Quick question," the jujutsu sorcerer chimed in with his right hand raised to Hermit, getting her attention, "Why send me out to fight Ziggy?" he inquired, "I understand Bakugo and Thorsdóttir, but…" he continued, lowering his head a little.
"Ziggy won't be able to fight back if he's trapped in a space that hinders his mobility," the Mind of Edens pointed out in reply, "And besides, Rebecca told me just how strong you are," she mentioned to Megumi's surprise, "It might seem like you're support, but that's only because you need a bit of time before you can really let loose," she affirmed. The jujutsu sorcerer gazed at the floor in deep thought.
"Three years ago, my body was taken over… and I killed my sister," he recalled, looking at his right hand, "Since then, I swore to myself I wouldn't let something like that hold me down, and I'd keep moving forward," he affirmed, closing his extremity into a fist. Hermit smiled.
"Then I know you can do it," she said, making him grin.
END FLASHBACK
'Gojo… Itadori… Rin…' Megumi listed off inwardly as he pulled his hands away from each other, while clones of him emerged from the shadowy liquid, 'Since three years ago, I've honed my cursed energy, especially with what was left over from Sukuna…' he noted to himself, taking hold of his blade, 'Now I'm going to put those experiences to good use!' he vowed through his thoughts.
"Ha!" Ziggy laughed, "You plan to trap me in the darkness?!" he inquired as he stepped forward, "How—!" He stopped speaking as he felt something crawling up his legs. Emerging from the shadows were several toad-like creatures, latching onto him.
"This is my domain of shadows," Megumi stated, letting off a sadistic smirk, "No matter where you go, they'll find you," he remarked confidently. Growling, stuck his hands down towards the toad shikigami crawling up his legs, blasting them off of him with his gravity.
"Magimech Attack… GRAVITY CENTER!" he bellowed out upon taking a sturdy stance, intensifying the gravity around himself and his foes. However, the dark, enclosed space didn't change in the slightest. More shikigami emerged, encircling him as he looked around in shock.
'This space…!' he growled inwardly, evading a pair of Nue before getting trampled by a swarm of rabbits, which he blew away with his gravity.
"Having trouble, old man?!" Katsuki roared in question, firing off another explosion to the Demon King's back, making him lurch forward into a slash to his stomach by Torunn's sword.
"We had a feeling you would consider Megumi as an afterthought!" she pointed out, "But in truth, he is likely the strongest of the Omni Force!" she mentioned aloud.
"Not stronger than me, dammit!" the Explosion Quirk user shouted out, uncorking another barrage of explosions onto Ziggy.
"Incredible…" Elsie uttered out in amazement, "To think that all of you would be so prepared for this fight…" she said, quite stunned still.
"It's not over yet," Megumi confirmed, getting her attention, "We might be in this space, but we're still technically on Lendard," he told her as she blinked in confusion, "That means your ability should still work," he presumed.
"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Katsuki roared, barreling toward the Demon King in an explosive wheel of fire. He narrowly managed to fly up and evade the attack before crossing his arms to block off another swipe from Torunn's blade, sending him hurdling back several feet. She dashed out at him again, only for him to disappear into a bluish portal formed at his left side.
"That trick again…!" she growled, preparing herself for wherever he would appear. She then heard a nearby thud, seeing him standing at the edge of the domain.
"What?!" he exclaimed.
"I told you, this is my space," Megumi said, causing him to growl as he looked over at the jujutsu sorcerer, who had several of his shikigami brought forth around him, "And you can't escape it," he affirmed on. The Demon King clenched his teeth angrily, followed by a pair of frog tongues wrapping around his legs and bringing him down hard onto the shadowy ground. He looked ahead of himself to see Elsie there, placing both of her hands on top of each other, with her right having only the index and middle fingers spread out.
"Seven stars, leave you mark!" she bellowed out. Seven light beams erupted from the ground around her, each seemingly striking the skull-faced android. "GRAND CHARIOT!" she roared. However, her foe reappeared behind her via another portal he had conjured.
"Evaded at the last second again, hm?" Torunn noted.
"Cheap move, gramps!" Katsuki shouted.
"Heh," the Demon King chuckled, "This space be yours to confine me, but I can still move as freely as I wish in it," he pointed out to Megumi, who grimaced, "All I have to do now is make certain that you're eliminated first," he decided.
"I think not," Elsie said, getting his attention. More lights shot out from the shadowy ground, converging onto Ziggy, who grimaced.
"This… is trap Ether?!" he inquired out of shock.
"I had it set up just as our battle started," the Space Pirate confirmed as she brought forth a katana with a crisscrossed-patterned hilt into her right hand. Her Ether Gear markings expanded as a crimson glow shrouded her body. "Star Drain: Lendard!" she exclaimed, gaining a rather revealing outfit that was essentially a black, two-piece bikini with gold trimming. She also had dark sleeves and a flowing cape, knee-high silver boots with thigh-high black stockings, and white gloves with black trimming. Upon her head were horn-like ornaments similar to that of a devil. "Taste the power of my planet!" she yelled to her opponent, swinging her left arm up, "TOTAL ECLIPSE!" she echoed, making all the surrounding lights converge and engulf Ziggy in a powerful blast.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed in agony. The Omni Force members flinched from the brightness, which was quick to subside. As it did, it revealed their foe falling to the shadowy ground, with pieces of his body crumbling off of him.
"This is it!" Megumi confirmed as he drew his sword, rushing out with his shikigami. Torunn and Katsuki were coming down, preparing to take out the Demon King once and for all. However, it seemed like they wouldn't get that chance as Elsie dashed out ahead of them, her katana in hand. She skidded to a halt in front of her downed target, ready to pierce him straight through with her blade. But then…
"Elsie… r-run…" he suddenly stammered, causing her to stop as she let out a little gasp, "Take Shiki… and his friends…" he instructed, "Go far away… please…" he pleaded to her.
"Ziggy…" she uttered out. Memories were flashing through her head of how the skull-faced android had taken care of her. The one she remembered most was the day he brought her aboard his ship, keeping her well-fed and cared for like she was his own child.
"Hey!" Katsuki yelled out in panic.
"Elsie, what are you doing?!" Torunn screamed. The Space Pirate hadn't even realized that her grip on her blade was lost.
"I…" she uttered out, not noticing the smirk crossing Ziggy's face. All of a sudden, her katana pierced through her abdomen, making blood spurt out. "AAAGGGHHH!" she exclaimed in agony.
"No…!" Megumi gasped out.
"ELSIE!" Torunn shrieked.
"A-Ah…" the Star Drain Ether Gear user stammered, sweat and blood trickling down her body.
"That's what it is… Elsie…" her foe said, rising to his feet, "That's humanity's weakness…" he affirmed.
X
FLASHBACK
Elsie didn't know where she was going. Blood poured down her face as she ran away from the castle she called home, whimpering all the while. What she had hoped would be a way to save her kingdom, it instead turned into all-out war. She looked back at the enflamed scenery of Lendard, hearing the screams and cries of her people. Gunfire rained about, and explosions were going off one after another.
The princess hid herself in an alleyway, ignoring the unbearable pain to her now missing eye as she covered her ears, trying to block out the sounds. Tears of fear built up in her lone eye, dripping onto the ground. Her body trembled as she couldn't bear any more bloodshed. She had seen far too much today. At that moment, a figure entered the alleyway, slowly approaching her. She hadn't taken notice due to covering her ears, but she turned to see who was there, gasping to find that it was Ziggy. She yelped, crawling back as she whimpered.
"It's alright," he said reassuringly, causing her to perk up in surprise, "I'm here to help you," he affirmed, reaching his right out to her as an offer. Elsie wasn't sure if she could trust the skull-faced android before her. But she found herself too weak to reply as she fainted upon the ground.
When next she awoke, she found herself in a bed, bandages over her missing eye and arms. She sat up, looking around curiously. At that moment, she spotted Sister entering the room through an automatic door.
"Oh, you're up," she noted upon seeing the alert princess.
"W…Where am I…?" she stuttered in question.
"You're onboard our ship, the Edens Zero," the Life of Edens answered to her surprise, "We had to hightail it outta there 'cause of all the fighting," she pointed out, "I'm sure you remember that, right?" she inquired of the crimson-haired girl, who clutched her bedsheets tightly.
"I…" she tried to say, only to lower her head with guilt. Images flashed through her head of an evil figure who slashed her eye out, making her wince. At that moment, her stomach growled.
"Sounds like you're hungry," Sister noted as Elsie blushed with embarrassment, "Come on, I'll take you to the kitchen," she beckoned. Moments later, the crimson-haired girl sat atop a crate with an apple in her hands. Gathered around her were Witch, Hermit, and Valkyrie.
"Go on, eat up," the Shield of Edens insisted of her. She seemed hesitant at first, but then took a bite of the fruit. She chewed and swallowed… and then tears started pouring down her face. But she was smiling.
"Thank you…" she whimpered gratefully. The Shining Stars all smiled, glad that the princess was feeling at home, more so than she ever felt while on Lendard. Ziggy watched on from afar with a grin.
END FLASHBACK
"Gah…!" Elsie gasped out as her katana remained pierced through her abdomen. With his right hand stuck out, her foe gravitationally removed it from her body, making more blood pour out and mix with the shadowy liquid at their feet. "GWAAAGGHHH!" she screamed in agony.
"ELSIE!" Torunn cried out.
"You bastard…!" Katsuki growled, blasting himself over in between the two Oración Seis Galáctica members before aiming his right arm at the Demon King. He pulled the pin of his grenade-like bracer, unleashing a massive explosion from the port of it that seemingly engulfed his target. However, he had evaded it by escaping into another portal, reappearing overhead.
"See what your naivety has wrought, Elsie?" he inquired of the Space Pirate, who dropped to her knees as she clutched her bleeding abdomen.
"Elsie!" Torunn exclaimed, landing beside her and crouching down, placing her hands onto her left shoulder.
"Damn it…" Katsuki cursed, breathing heavily with exhaustion.
'If it wasn't for whatever distracted her, we'd have finished this fight by now…' Megumi noted inwardly with a grimace, 'That said, it's not over,' he affirmed through his thoughts, with more of his shikigami appearing from the shadows, 'As long as my Domain Expansion stays intact, we still have a chance to win!' he proclaimed to himself.
"Bakugo, I'll try to keep him from moving!" he called out to the Explosion Quirk user, getting his attention, "That'll be your chance to take him down!" he confirmed.
"Got it!" Katsuki responded, blasting himself up after Ziggy, chasing him about the enclosed space with some of the shikigami.
"Thorsdóttir, I'm sorry," Megumi apologized to Torunn, causing her to perk up in surprise as she looked back at him, "I need you to look after Crimson," he advised of her.
"Understood," she replied, while the Space Pirate coughed up blood.
"You… three…" she weakly uttered out.
"We're not giving up on this fight," the jujutsu sorcerer affirmed as he readied his hands, "If we're this close, we might not get a better chance!" he pointed out. Emerging from the shadowy liquid ahead of Ziggy were several clones of Nue, each of which attempted to swipe him with their wings. He evaded them, either blasting them away with gravity or weaving around their electrically charged wings. Megumi grimaced. Only one of the shikigami needed to land a blow long enough for Katsuki to close in and strike. But Ziggy was making things more difficult than they needed to be.
'I can't rely on shikigami I've only barely managed to tame…' the jujutsu sorcerer noted to himself, 'But at this point, I might as well give it a shot!' he decided, shaping his hands to form the shadow puppet of an ox.
"Piercing Ox!" he exclaimed, bringing forth an ox shikigami that had human-like teeth with sharp tusks and horns, also having an array of dots upon its forehead. It charged out towards where Ziggy was heading, gaining momentum. The Demon King took notice of the shikigami too late as it managed to nick his left side, throwing him off balance long enough for a pair of Nue clones to swipe at him with their wings. The sudden discharge of purple electricity they exuded zapped him fiercely, causing smoke to waft from his body as Katsuki closed in, grinning sadistically.
"Now you're finished!" he proclaimed, forming a circle with his right hand over the palm of his left before placing it upon his stunned foe, "AP Shot…" he began to bellow, "CLUSTERRRR!" he roared, unleashing a concentrated blast that pierced straight through Ziggy's chest, followed by several other blasts that went off within his body.
"Ah… Aahh… Agggghhhh…!" he groaned out, falling towards the ground.
"That must've done it!" Torunn realized in delight and relief.
"We'll have to make sure we find out where the stone is, though," Megumi pointed out as he approached, "Hold on, I've got a shikigami that can patch Crimson up," he affirmed, about to shape his hands again. All of a sudden though, a bright beam of red light shot down and pierced through his left shoulder. "AGH!" he yelped out in agony, causing his colleagues to all widen their eyes in shock.
"What… was that…?" Elsie questioned weakly, still coughing up blood. The jujutsu sorcerer grabbed his bleeding shoulder, looking towards where the beam had come from. He noticed a small hole at the end of the enclosed space, widening his eyes upon seeing it be torn open to reveal both Ultron and his drones as they flew in.
"Ultron…!" Torunn gasped out. Katsuki grimaced. He looked back over to Ziggy, who seemed to be completely immobile from the barrage of explosions his body had to endure.
'When push comes to shove, I need to take this guy out before anything else…!' he told himself, 'I can't let him back on his feet knowing what he could do!' he affirmed inwardly, blasting himself down toward the Demon King, ready to fire off one last explosion to render his foe defeated. Ultron huffed upon noticing.
"Is that really all you have to offer, Ziggy?" he inquired of his damaged colleague. Without warning, the eyes of the skull-faced android flashed a bright blue. Katsuki gasped.
"Of course not," Ziggy said. A blue light emitted from the mouth upon his stomach. All of a sudden, the entire domain was blown apart by a shockwave of bluish energy, causing the shadowy liquid as those that were borne from it to completely vanish. It also knocked down everyone else within the enclosed space at the time, including dozens of his ally's drones. Katsuki was lying in the dried-up fountain upon his back, Megumi was still holding onto his bleeding shoulder while trying to force himself up onto his knees, and Torunn shakily rose to her feet, having shielded Elsie with her own body from the powerful burst of energy. She looked ahead and noticed the blue glow emitting from the Demon King's chest, widening her eyes.
'He… had the stone all along…?!' she inquired inwardly, clenching her teeth in frustration.
'Up until now, he hadn't even used it…!' Megumi realized, struggling to get onto his feet as blood kept pouring from his shoulder, 'At any rate, this is bad…' he noted on through his thoughts, 'Using a Domain Expansion expends a lot of my cursed energy…' he mentioned inwardly, 'If it were still up, I could've at least brought out Round Deer to heal us…' he affirmed to himself.
"You didn't just finish them off with the stone in the first place?" Ultron inquired of Ziggy as he landed down in front of his ally.
"I suppose I wanted to give them a fair chance at first…" he admitted in response, "Evidently, that was a foolish choice," he confessed on, "Seems some of my prior habits before I regained my memories are still intact…" he muttered out.
"ULTRON!" Torunn bellowed out, getting their attentions as they saw her stand up fully, holding Arnbjörg tightly in her grasp.
"What… are you doing…?!" Elsie gasped out in question, struggling to get to her own feet.
"Ah, the daughter of Thor…" Ultron noted, "From Universe-Three-Three-One-Six, correct?" he presumed of the demigoddess, who narrowed her eyes.
"My friends and I bested you once before…" she pointed out, "I have no doubt we can do it again, even if you are from a different universe!" she affirmed on.
"Shall we find out if that's truly the case?" the bulky android offered suddenly, rocketing out and taking hold of the demigoddess, carrying her away as she yelled.
"Torunn…!" Elsie exclaimed, while Ultron's drones followed after them. He glanced back at Ziggy.
"Take care of the rest," he advised of him. Nodding, the Demon King thrusted his right hand forward. His fellow Oración Seis Galáctica member was suddenly forced up against the castle wall, slamming into it as she gasped with pain.
"No…!" Megumi gasped, unable to bring himself back up onto his feet as he fell to his stomach, still bleeding. Katsuki was unresponsive. They were helpless as they could only watch their foe lunge out at Elsie, rearing his arms back.
"Magimech Attack…" he began, "GRAVITY INFERNO!" he roared out, unleashing multiple blue blasts of gravitational energy onto the Space Pirate, who was struck by all of them at the same time. With a flick of his fingers, her opponent sent her crashing down onto the ground. She coughed for breath, trying to crawl away as she winced. "Consider this death the fault of your own," Ziggy remarked, landing upon the wall before zooming down toward her at an incredible speed, "Magimech Attack…" he continued aloud.
"GET AWAY!" Megumi screamed out, but it didn't seem like Elsie would even be able to move with how injured she was.
"GRAVITY COMET!" Ziggy bellowed, zipping down and increasing his speed with the force of gravity, ready to smash his foe against the ground. But all of a sudden, a figure sped in while cloaked in a bright blue light, snatching the Space Pirate and carrying her away, just before the skull-faced android's right hand struck the ground, shattering it in a powerful shockwave that blew Megumi back.
"What?!" he exclaimed, looking over to see who or what had taken Elsie. It was Justice, who wore a high-collared coat, having four strips that fell from the sides, white pants, bands around his forearms, and thigh-high boots. On the back was the insignia of the Interstellar Union Army.
"Who's there?!" Ziggy questioned angrily, seeing his target being taken away. The Space Pirate batted her eye open.
"James…" she uttered out.
"Sorry, but she's my quarry," the Oración Seis Interestelar member stated firmly as he looked back at the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user, "I refuse to let you have her," he said.
"Crimson!" Megumi cried out, bringing himself up to his knees as he winced. The pair of Star Drain Ether Gear users vanished from his sight, much to his frustration. Elsie groaned.
"Of all the people to rescue me…" she grumbled out.
"Don't be absurd, I'm not rescuing you," Justice responded, "It's my mission in life to kill you," he affirmed, "And no one will take that chance away from me," he added seriously.
"You're still on about that…?" Elsie grumbled out as she winced, "And how did you find me…?" she wondered aloud, only to blink in realization, "Of course… Feather…" she said, "You must've wrung the truth out of her…" she confirmed.
"Those otherworlders will be dealt with as well," the Oración Seis Interestelar member vowed, "Since they're your allies, they're culpable as well…" he mentioned. Hearing that, the Space Pirate clenched her teeth.
"James, they have nothing to do with this…!" she growled out, managing to grab him by his collar, "They're trying to help us save the cosmoses!" she mentioned aloud.
"And yet, you're still evil scum," Justice retorted, making her grimace as they flew away.
"Damn it…" Megumi cursed out. Ziggy huffed, trotting over to the dried-up fountain where Katsuki lied immobile. He reached his left hand out to him, only to suddenly find a grenade at his feet, which promptly exploded in a small blast, veiling him in smoke.
With that, the Explosion Quirk user himself uncorked a strong blast from his hands, propelling him up into the sky. The explosion's force blew away the smoke, allowing Ziggy to see him rocket off in the direction where Justice had taken Elsie. He shot a glance back to the jujutsu sorcerer still on the scene, making him blink in realization. The Demon King glanced over… and saw his other foe disappear into the shadows of a nearby crevice in the walls. He growled in frustration, clenching his fists.
"Acnoella," he said. Atop the castle was the Mother of Dragons herself, as many beasts were suddenly swarming about the area.
"How may I help, Lord Ziggy?" she inquired curiously.
"Follow those three and end them," he instructed of her.
"Oh?" she uttered out, "But did you not say that you wished to finish Lady Elsie?" she questioned of the Demon King.
"I've lost interest," he responded, "Besides, I have more important matters to attend to," he mentioned.
"If I may be so bold," Acnoella began, "I'm no subordinate and won't take orders, even from you," she told her fellow Oración Seis Galáctica member.
"Hm," he huffed out, "Then consider it a request," he remarked.
"In that case, I'll be glad to do it," the Mother of Dragons assured, "But please do remember this," she advised on, "Should you betray me, my children will devour every machine on this planet," she declared.
"You are a difficult woman…" Ziggy grumbled out, heading off without another word. Meanwhile, Megumi peeked out from the crevice he was in, still clutching his bleeding shoulder.
'He's probably going to get himself repaired before getting back in the fight,' he noted to himself, 'Bakugo's gone after Crimson, and Thorsdóttir's dealing with Ultron…' he listed off inwardly, pulling out his MPG, 'The best thing I can do is make sure they have support on their side!' he affirmed through his thoughts while activating his device.
X
"High energy reading at two o'clock!" Hermit yelled from the bridge of the Edens Zero as they were approaching Lendard's surface.
"Then he's here?!" Sister presumed. Looking through the windshield, those inside widened their eyes.
"Oh my God..." Asta uttered in disbelief.
"He really is massive..." James noted with shaking eyes. Just ahead of the group was the giant, musclebound machine. He had a few lines going down his metallic face, mint green hair, and red eyes with green scelera. His neck had three bolts on each side, and he wore a fur collar with a gargantuan wheel on his back.
"Deadend Crow..." Hermit said, sweating a little.
"Evasive maneuvers, lads!" Connor called out, "Let's see how well this scallywag moves!" he advised, while Mosco mimicked his pose in the background.
"Right!" the Mind of Edens responded, "Activating shields for defense!" she confirmed as she typed away on the panel at her seat, "Pym! Chavez!" she communicated.
"Hermit!" the shrunken Avenger responded, buzzing through the air alongside America and the three starfighters containing Kris, Kleene, and Laguna.
"You in position?" the android asked of the group.
"Yeah..." America replied, "We can see the bastard's ugly mug..." she pointed out with a grimace.
"Backup'll be on the way in a minute!" Hermit promised. Meanwhile, Crow looked out towards his foes. He narrowed his eyes curiously.
"So that's supposed to be the Edens Zero?" he presumed, "On par with the One, right?" he guessed on as his eyes lit up, "Doesn't look like it to me!" he yelled, firing off laser beams towards the starfighters and the main ship.
"Yikes!" Henry yelped as he and the others evaded the rays.
"Fire!" Connor commanded from back aboard the Edens Zero. Rapid bursts of energy were unleashed by the ship, though they barely seemed to affect the Oracion Seis Galactica member as he let them strike. He was even unaffected by the bombing run from the starfighters.
"Dammit, we're not even scratching him!" Laguna pointed out.
"Zero's guns aren't doing jack either..." Sister uttered from the main ship.
"We're on our way to help!" Asta declared as he hurried off, drawing his Demon-Slayer Sword out from his grimoire.
"Yeah!" Yuno yelled, following his rival.
"We can't forget about Ziggy's robot army," Hermit advised seriously, "Rogers, can you take care of that with the others?" she requested of the Next Gen Avengers' leader.
"It'd be my pleasure," he replied, activating his shield generator before heading off himself.
"We best be makin' a plan to fire that main cannon..." Connor insisted of the group still in the bridge.
"Holy, are you all set?" Hermit asked through the communication line. The Oracion Seis Interstellar member was in a battlesuit, prepped for the fight ahead.
"I'm ready," she responded, "Though don't you think these suits of yours are a little too revealing?" she inquired as her outfit showed a fair amount of cleavage.
"Better than what you were wearing before…" the Mind of Edens remarked back over the line, making her smirk.
"You're right…" she agreed.
"Okay, the OS is fine-tuned just for you!" Hermit noted, "Now launching the Steel Sorceress Ninety-Four!" she announced as leaving the ship was another Knight Gear with the visage of Witch, wielding a spear in its right hand.
"Is this really all you've got to offer?!" Crow wondered loudly as he reared his left arm back, ready to swipe at the trio of starfighters.
"Uh oh...!" Kris gasped upon noticing. However, as the Oracion Seis Galactica member swung his arm out, it was suddenly repelled by a star-shaped shockwave.
"Huh?!" he exclaimed, looking over and spotting America floating beside him.
"Damn..." she cursed upon seeing her foe's unfettered arm, "Not even a dent..." she muttered out. She then looked over and yelped, flying aside to avoid getting struck by the titan's right hand.
"So there are flies with powers, huh?" he noted, narrowing his eyes and clenching his teeth slightly. At that moment, Henry flew above him and enlarged to his most massive size, coming down onto his head and making him stumble.
"Nice one, Henry!" Kleene complimented from her starfighter.
"If that lad keeps Crow distracted long enough, the main cannon'll be ready to fire!" Connor affirmed, "What's the charge on it?!" he questioned loudly aboard the bridge of the Edens Zero.
"About sixty percent!" Hermit responded, "Hold on a little longer, Pym!" she called out.
"Yeah... got it...!" the enlarged hero grunted out, holding onto the giant android with all of his might.
"...Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?" he wondered aloud, getting Henry's attention. All of a sudden, a pair of laser beams pierced through his torso, causing his eyes to widen. Those watching were horrified, seeing him fall off of the Oracion Seis Galactica member's head.
"PYM!" Hermit screamed from the Edens Zero. The enlarged hero shrunk himself down to his original size as he winced from his new, burning wounds. Luckily a rush of wind came by and caught him, belonging to Yuno as he brought the Avenger into his arms. He and Asta were flying beside each other, with the latter having assumed his Devil Union as a red-and-black darkness was spread about his body with wings and a tail, carrying his Demon-Slayer Sword in his right hand.
"I'll get him to Mimosa!" the Wind and Star Magic user decided, "You help the others, Asta!" he instructed of his rival.
"Right!" he responded, readying his weapon.
"More flies, huh?" Crow noted, chuckling a little, "Doesn't matter..." he proclaimed, clenching his fists, "You won't be able to stop me..." he declared.
"Hey, we need some more fliers up here!" America called out into the communication line, "There a way we can get someone like Tennyson down to help?!" she questioned, with her voice echoing through the Edens Zero.
"He's still with Jessica, Jaime, and Riri, dealing with those Dragons!" Hermit pointed out, "And we can't call back Torunn, since she's going after Ziggy with Bakugo and Fushiguro to back Elsie up!" she mentioned on.
"We'll be fine without them, America dear," Holy chimed in, getting the airborne hero's attention as she saw the Steel Sorceress approaching the scene with its pilot inside, "We just need to make an opening..." she noted confidently. Elsewhere upon the planet, Torunn gasped as she slammed against the side of a building, collapsing to the ground in a heap as her sword clattered beside her. She grimaced as she tried to push herself up, reaching for Arnbjörg as it slowly moved to her. However, before she could grab it, she was suddenly hoisted up from the ground by her hair as she yelped. She glared over to see that it was Ultron who grabbed her.
"You know, I shouldn't have expected much from someone who 'claimed' to have destroyed my counterpart on Three-Three-One-Six…" he admitted, tossing her aside as she slammed against the wall, "Then again, your father was the one who relieved me of my head on Six-One-Six," he mentioned as he walked over and stomped on her chest, "I suppose you could do the same with me, didn't you?" he presumed.
"Hah… hah…" the demigoddess breathed out tiredly. Ultron sighed.
"You're quite the disappointment, honestly," he told her, "It's one thing to not live up to the might of Thor, but it's another to be completely helpless," he noted on.
"…Who says I'm helpless?" Torunn questioned back, causing the android to perk up slightly in confusion, "I am the daughter of Thor, and I'll follow in his footsteps and relieve you of your head like he did!" she vowed fiercely.
"…Hmph," Ultron scoffed, making his right arm shine a bright orange as an incredible heat radiated off of it, "Not before I relieve you of yours," he decided, about to swipe at her. All of a sudden though, Arnbjörg flew away to their surprise. It was caught in the left of a figure above them, combining it with her watery lance to form a spear of electricity and water.
"Combo Spell…" Noelle began to echo, "Lightning Sea Dragon's Roar!" she exclaimed, manifesting the head of a dragon that crackled with lightning, heading down towards the group below. Grimacing, Ultron flew back, while most of his drones wound up unlucky enough to end up caught in the attack. They short-circuited as they were shattered to pieces, carried away by the raging torrent before it crashed into a wall.
"Noelle…" Torunn uttered gratefully, seeing the magic knight land down beside her.
"Are you alright?" she asked in concern, separating her lance from Arnbjörg before handing the latter back to the demigoddess.
"I'm fine now," she assured as a response. Ultron landed before them, taking notice of Devlin descending, with Nezuko hopping off of his back. She assumed her demon form, glaring out at the android. Jumping down in front of his allies was Izuku, whose bio-electricity crackled around his body.
"Fushiguro contacted us about what happened with Ziggy," he confirmed to Torunn, "Natalie and her team are on their way to meet up with him and Kacchan to get Elsie back," he told her. Hearing that, Ultron huffed.
'So Ziggy failed to finish her off…' he grumbled inwardly.
"Apologies for all this…" the demigoddess said, gripping her sword tightly, "If we had bested Ziggy, then maybe—"
"You're still alive, and that's what matters," Noelle affirmed, interjecting her.
"We can still take the advantage by finishing this one off here!" Nezuko mentioned, taking on a ready stance.
"Let's do this, everyone!" Izuku insisted of his colleagues. Their foe chuckled a little to himself, tilting his head slightly.
"How amusing…" he remarked.
X
"Surprised we haven't found anyone here just yet…" Shoto admitted as he, Shiki, Rin, Rebecca, Happy, Pino, Azari, Weisz, Inosuke and Homura continued down the corridor they had entered.
"I am not detecting any signals nearby," the little bot confirmed to the others.
"That's strange…" Shiki noted.
"I've got a bad feeling about all this…" Rebecca confessed nervously, while Rin glanced back at her. Meanwhile, Inosuke was grumbling quite loudly. Weisz groaned in annoyance.
"The hell's wrong with you, pig-head?" he inquired of the demon slayer.
"This damn suit's too tight!" he shouted in response, "I can't fight like this…!" he complained, grumbling on.
"I too share his sentiments," Homura admitted, "Weisz, may I ask you to change us back to our regular attire?" she requested of the Machina Maker Ether Gear user.
"What?" he uttered in surprise, "I know they don't look like much, but those battle suits are really strong armor," he pointed out, "Hermit and I tested them!" he mentioned emphatically.
"Yes, but I'd prefer to wear something with more flexibility and freedom of movement," Homura responded.
"Same here!" Inosuke exclaimed in agreement.
"While you're at it, you can change me back, too," Shoto chimed in, "I won't be able to fight properly without my costume's equipment," he noted.
"Yeah, this outfit's kinda tight on me," Shiki admitted as he looked himself, "I don't really like it all that much," he added.
"Ugh, fine…" Weisz groaned, taking out his phone and tapping a few icons. With flashes of light, he and most of the others were returned to their original attires.
"Ahahahaha!" Inosuke cackled delightedly.
"Ah, this is much better!" Homura exclaimed with relief.
"Yeah!" Shiki agreed with a bright smile, while Shoto chuckled.
"I suppose this works best for all of us, since we're so used to doing battle in these attires," Rin noted with her arms folded underneath her chest.
"While we're at it, Rebecca can wear…" Weisz began, tapping a few keys. All of a sudden, the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user was enveloped in a flash of light. When it dissipated, she looked down and blushed a bright red. She was wearing a cat-themed bondage outfit, equipped with gloves and a choker.
"AH!" she shrieked out in embarrassment.
"The bondage suit, designed by yours truly!" the Machina Maker Ether Gear user introduced, blushing with a perverted smile.
"Whoa…" Shiki uttered out as he blushed.
"How indecent…" Homura remarked, covering her mouth with her left sleeve.
"Is that supposed to make her stronger or something?" Inosuke wondered with a tilt of his head, while Shoto politely looked away.
"Hey, why me?!" Rebecca exclaimed in question, covering her barely-covered chest.
"Really, at a time like this?!" Rin shouted out angrily. However, Weisz cracked a grin.
"Least you're acting like your old self now," he pointed out, causing Rin to blink in surprise.
"Okay, fine!" Rebecca yelled in response, "Now change me back!" she insisted angrily.
"Actually, I like this one more," Shiki confirmed, tapping an icon on Weisz' phone to envelop the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user in another flash of light. Now she was wearing a skimpy maid outfit that included cuffs, fishnet stockings, and white frills around her bra and panties.
"Ooh, nice one!" the Machina Maker Ether Gear user complimented with a thumbs-up.
"I SAID CHANGE ME BACK!" Rebecca roared. Fortunately, Azari was quick to snatch the device from Weisz's hands, tapping a few icons. After a moment, the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user was wearing her usual attire. "Huh…" she exhaled with relief, "Thanks for that, Azari…" she said gratefully, "I know Weisz was just trying to help get me out of my funk, but—" Without warning, the Wakandan prince crushed the phone in his hand, much to everyone's surprise.
"H-Hey!" the Machina Maker Ether Gear user stammered out, "That was my phone!" he noted emphatically.
"You gonna stop screwing around already?" Azari questioned of him, taking on a dark expression, "We've got a damn job to do," he pointed out seriously as he walked onward. Everyone looked at him in shock. Sure, he was right, but things didn't need to go that far.
"You've changed a lot, haven't you?" Shiki presumed of the Wakandan prince, who continued down the corridor, "I heard about some of the stuff you're going through," he pointed out, "That doesn't mean you have to act like a jerk to the rest of us," he mentioned firmly. Azari stopped.
"…I'm just here to get the mission done and get that stone," he stated, "Instead of asking me to not take this seriously, you should stop goofing around," he advised of the group, walking off down the pathway.
"Geez…" Weisz muttered out quietly.
"He's changed quite a bit in three years…" Homura noted aloud.
"I had heard most of it was due to the last mission regarding an Infinity Stone…" Rin chimed in, "Though I didn't realize it affected him this much…" she mentioned further.
"Midoriya was on that mission with him," Shoto pointed out, causing Rebecca to blink in surprise, "From what I remember, T'Challa thinks it's his fault the stone they were after fell into Kronos' hands," he told the group. Hearing that, the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user clenched her fists tightly.
"Let's keep going," she insisted of her colleagues, heading off after the Wakandan prince. As they continued their trek through the corridor, they looked around at their surroundings.
"There's something… off about the machines here…" Happy said, narrowing his eyes a little.
"I agree…" Pino replied, "They don't seem like they were originally built this way," she pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Homura asked.
"I'm unsure as to how I can best describe it…" the little bot admitted in response, "But it appears that the machines themselves are growing…" she noted.
"Growing?" Inosuke repeated.
"Like plants or vines?" Shoto inquired on.
"Yes," Pino replied, "They grew into this formation over time," she confirmed while scanning the surroundings.
"Well, this is called a 'living' planet…" Rebecca noted.
"Which probably means machines were eating away at the planet and turned it into this," Rin inferred.
"If that's true, I wonder what it was like before…" Shiki said curiously.
"'The Chronophage ate its time… revealing the beautiful kingdom that once stood here'," Rebecca thought aloud, "That sounds nice, doesn't it?" she assumed.
"It makes you feel better about what's to come, right?" Rin guessed, causing her to blink in surprise before smiling gratefully.
"Aye!" Happy exclaimed.
"Eyes up," Azari suddenly warned, getting the group's attention, "We're heading into the open," he pointed out.
"He's right," Pino confirmed. The group exited the corridor, finding themselves in what appeared to a be coliseum, corroded by all the machinery that grew around it.
"Huh…!" Inosuke uttered out in awe of the location.
"What is this place?" Shiki asked.
"It looks like a coliseum," Shoto answered as he looked around.
"Like for medieval fighting?" Rebecca inquired.
"I wanna fight!" Inosuke exclaimed excitedly.
"Pipe down, would you?" Rin grumbled in request. At that moment, Homura spotted something nearby.
"We're not alone," she confirmed, enticing the others to look over. There stood the four Dark Stars. Wizard held his spear up, clanging its end against the ground.
"The fools who stand against Lord Ziggy," he noted aloud.
"Prepare yourselves," Brigandine advised.
"It's time for you to face us, the Demon King's Four Dark Stars," Killer told their foes.
"This will be where you meet your end…" Clown added, giggling excitedly. Azari huffed, stepping forward. He drew his Panther Habit's claws, letting his helmet materialize over his head.
"Bring it on then," he challenged.
"Ziggy's cronies, huh?" Weisz said, pulling out a rifle he had from behind, "Figures they'd get in our way," he muttered.
"But that also means we're closing in on the core," Homura pointed out as her Ether Gear markings shined upon her arms.
"All we have to do is tear through these guys!" Inosuke proclaimed, drawing his dual Nichirin Swords.
"Everyone, be careful," Rebecca advised of her colleagues, taking on a ready stance.
"I could say the same to you," Rin retorted, reaching into her skirt pocket to pull out what looked to be a topaz.
"Let's take them down," Shoto insisted as a cold aura wafted off of the right side of his body.
"Yeah," Shiki agreed, clenching his fists. The two groups stared each other down, about to engage in a ferocious battle.
END
And we've started the second quarter of the story with a bang! I'm hoping to really get a lot of content out of this in the coming chapters, with more battles and more time spent on certain characters that wasn't given in the manga. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Next time, we're finally up against the Dark Stars! See you all then!