Cosmic Wars Omega: The Multiversal War across the Infinite Frontier

by Darth Necron

In the aftermath of the Secret Wars a path to the Multiverse was formed. Decedents of legendary warriors Ben Auro and Doug Fitter, Michael Auro and Astra Fitter, now must unite the likes of Rachet & Clank, Sam Porter, MegaMan Volnutt, 2B, Mark "Invincible" Greyson, Tanjiro Kamado, and the other last hero's of the universe to stop the Negaverse from conquering all other universes.

12. Chapter 264: Freedom's Price-tag

Chapter 264: Freedom's Price-tag.

While Astra and a good chunk of the rest of Mike's allies were not sure to take the lanky man's word on things being under control, after Roll, Popola, and the SRX team all confirmed that Endless Illusion's moon was no longer on the verge of firing any rays of death down on the planet and even Astra had to accept that Mike managed to overcome the rouge Megaman unit.

After 9S, Clank, and James all triple checking that Star Dream indeed worked, Roll was given the clear to have the Flutter fly over to the Aerie, as the villagers were to terrified to even set foot after all the surprises and were just happy someone was taking care of things for them.

After making sure no one else like Juno was sleeping in the " Main Gate" the laboratory was searched for anything else that could help Mike's crew.

As the search was being conducted Mike returned to have a face-to-face briefing with the twins back at Kattelox Island. Despite all the twins had seen, even the de facto leaders of the planet were shocked to see the transparent reflection of their former leader greet them when the group returned to the library.

As the group returned mostly intact, James greeted the shocked twins with a casual wave." Popola, Devola, I'm so glad to see you twins are still out and about. My sincere thanks for keeping things together here...I know it can't have been easy."

The twins looked at each other before Devola sighed, then bowed." Master Elrond...I'm so sorry we had to meet again like this."

"Now then Devola no need to put yourself down. The very reason the original me created this was because we knew such dire options might have to be taken to ensure the survival of all we hold dear.

You have my sincere thanks for keeping things together for so long on Endless Illusion so that the right people awakened me."

Popola swept some tears from her eyes before nodding." We tried out best to ensure that Project Gestalt would keep going, that this planet would not fall into enemy hands, no matter how many enemies would appear. I'm glad you were found when you did though...if the enemies causing problems across the world kept multiplying who knows how long we can hold out."

Astra spat on the ground before she snickered." Have to admit you're not coming off like you two have much control outside the city here toots. Those demons were not much to brag about but they thought they owned the place. This Shadowlord running the shots or not?"

Devola winced before looking down." It's true that the Twelve Kizuki cartel under Muzan are getting stronger. It taking everything we can to keep them out of the village, resulting in them roaming around the planet itself more."

James looked troubled before the holographic man cleared his throat." Muzan...I know I heard that name before. There was a Muzan that was part of our staff yes? That...that's not the same person that is this" Shadowlord" is it?"

The twins looked at each other before Popola saw the shock of the native members of the group and took a deep breath." We don't discuss this with the villagers because it would do nothing but spread panic, but your correct Master Elrond. Muzan Kibutsuji, was a member of our staff, once upon a time.

At first, he was in a constant struggle to survive on account of his frailty. His heart stopped multiple times in his mother's womb, and when he first entered the world, he was deemed stillborn, having no pulse and not breathing. When he was taken to be cremated, he escaped death by releasing his first cries.

Throughout his young life, he struggled with illnesses and that led to his thanatophobia. As a young man, Muzan was diagnosed with a disease that would kill him before he reached the age of twenty. Knowing that heaven was broken, Muzan was even more horrified of death then most and joined you to try and find ways to fix the broken universe, and his own broken nature.

He was passionate at first, but right after the original you died, only a short time later his own illness seemed to be progressing faster than we all thought, and even magic seemed to not be able to do anything because it seemed like his own body was renouncing him.

A professor Kujyo tried an experimental formula to try and save him using the Blue Spider Lily formula. It did not seem to work, and a enraged Muzan killed him. For a while we thought he died shortly after, but when his grave was ruptured it turned out the formula did work, and had helped him acquire a strong body.

He left the planet shortly after, but are reports say that Muzan was found eating people, and that the sunlight harmed him. It was not what anyone expected, but Muzan ended up being the Gestalt."

Tanjiro had his jaw drop before he ran up." What...seriously? The man who had my parents killed, and has been terrorizing the island for as long as my parents lived was...someone who use to work with you?"

Grimoire Weiss sighed before adding," I can't help but feel disturbed that we were careless enough to let people who would become crime-lords work with such vital work."

Popola sighed before she looked at the sky." Tanjiro...I'm so sorry for all you had to endure but please understand things from are side. Muzan's origins would just spread fear across the island, and people are already hardly holding on to sanity as it is.

They know the " Shadowlord" is the enemy out to get them, everything else at this point of time just complicates things. And Weiss...I understand your concern, but Muzan did not seem like the type that would be a vicious demon lord when he joined us, just someone passionate about science who wanted desperately to make things better.

It may not have been ideal but, with how few people are even willing to believe in anything anymore we had to take a gamble, and we lost that one when Muzan was impatient to professor Kujyo's treatment. We had to make so many gambles to ensure that Project Gestalt would succeed."

Astra spat on the ground before snorting at the red-haired woman." Piff...despite looking like a soft ditz you're just a tool that only cares about the results, everything else be damned eh? Guess that's just like how the " Last Emperor" liked it."

Mike winced before he cleared his throat." I got to hand it to Astra, I know dad has spent centuries trying to keep the universe together but stuff like this and what that Juno guy was ranting about does not really do much to inspire confidence."

The twins looked at each other with alarm before Devola walked up." Please don't misunderstand, we don't share Megaman Juno's logic at all. He...he was programmed to help when the project started but was to rigged about what was acceptable.

We hoped he could be changed in time but are attention kept being distracted, and thus when you found him in the Main Gate he was even more unhinged then before. I'm just glad no one else died because of his insanity. Still, despite the risks Project Gestalt is vital for humanity's survival.

Gestalt means the essence or shape of an entity's complete form...in the end its the process of trying to find a way to evolve humanity into a state that can survive the universe post the Death Stranding. Kattelox Island was originally populated only by people who volunteered to try and take part or by criminals who had a way to atone for their sins, but as the process lasted across one generation to the next people or" Carbons" forgot why they were on Endless Illusion...because no matter how noble the case...such causes fade into the background if nothing changes."

Astra just snorted again before spitting out," If you can't deliver on what you promise then it's just a scam eh?"

Mike sighed before he looked down." I mean...no one got a closer look at how stressed out trying to fix the universe, so I get doing whatever it takes to try and pull it off. But...maybe it's because she's been yelling at me for a while now but I see were Astra...and people like her stand a bit to.

It's just that...we can't just say its important, we have to make people feel like they have more to work with then just going through the motions because of traditions yah know? I mean...any c...no any sells pitch in general that's worth a damn works cause people think it can work right?

If people don't think it's going anywhere...if they don't think they have any reason to have faith other than people shouting at them to have faith then it's a hell of a up-ward's climb yah know?"

As the twins looked troubled James sighed." I can understand both sides, but the young prince does have a point. I and your parents started Project Gestalt because we were realizing the odds of reverting the universe to how it was before Doug shattered heaven were looking slimmer and slimmer, and we had to find a way to ensure humanity would have a future no matter what happened. I never saw mutation the same way my Uncle Magnus did, but I and Magneto both saw evolution as the best hope for the future.

Still...it pained me deeply that as someone who at one point fought to save the universe from demons, ended up bringing demons back out of sheer desperation to find a solution. I know few would care for my intentions though. Your right Mike, no matter how noble a cause sounds, in the end actions speak louder then words, and are actions have not lived up to what they were suppose to be for some time.

I changed the end goal of Project Gestalt many times because I realized not bending my expectations would risk losing sight of things, but today made it clear just how easy it is for intentions to spiral into insanity. That's why, are intentions from hear have to be " On target".

Still...I admit while you told me some things, I'm not clear what your plan is from here. From what you told me Star Dream can open a portal to find allies in another universe?"

Mike let out an uneasy chuckle and gave out a sheepish shrug." Well to be honest there's a lot more to it than that. I had better luck the past few days then I had the past few years...but if the SRX team can't get it to work with their ship then we are kind of back to square one."

Before anyone could say anything a brash male voice unleashed a heart filled chuckle." Hey, come on dude, I know you been having a rough time but you got to keep thinking positive man."

Mike swerved around and saw Masaki stroll up into the room with Roll and a few of the others. The green haired man saw everyone's faces and gave a thumbs up." Sorry we could not help but your hunch was right Mike. Will take a bit to sync things in with are systems but won't be long till it works."

James saw the pilot of Cybuster looking confident before he raised a eyebrow." So...this is the man from another universe? Well...never know what to expect but...this was a lot less crazy than I thought it would be."

Kuro and Shiro were with the green haired man as well, and upon hearing James's remark Kuro laughed." Oh man...that's only because you have not seen Masaki worked up yet hologram man!"

Grimoire Weiss saw how causal the white cat quipped back before he floated in front of Shiro." Is that cat talking? What madness is this?"

"Seriously...the talking book thinks a cat talking is to much?"

Rachet snickered before adding," Seriously dude you say your wise and never heard of Lombaxes?"

Weiss glanced at the humanoid cat and sighed."Touché. Still...this I guess this fits expectations all the more. Still...if it is what it takes to get the job done then so be it."

Mike took a deep breath before he walked up to Masaki." So you can get things to work with your ship eh? That mean we can start finding that Multiverse Rebel Alliance?"

Masaki paused before letting out a sightly less joyful laugh." Whoa their dude...still got to find a few things first. We may be able to open a portal between universe's but still got to survive going through the portals right? To do that you need this stuff that among other things is called " Element X" "

As Mike raised an eyebrow and shrugged James looked at the Super Robot Pilot with confusion." We may need to come to an understanding on what you think that means. Do you mean the Nth metal used by the Thanagarian race?"

"Oh they are in this universe to? Cool that makes it easier. Almost, but beyond what you're thinking of. Some call it "Batmanium" cause I think in one universe this Batman guy came up with I remember is that its more or less by fusing Nth Metal and what most call Vibranium into this kickass fusion. It leads to steel badass enough to go through the impact of jumping from one universe to another like its nothing."

James looked troubled before he sighed." Is that so? Well...that's going to be a tad tricky then. Correct me if I'm wrong but while Vibernium was still found in planets under the control of the Wakandan clan, but the Nth Metal was lost when Thanagar and the majority of its race was wiped out. In the past Lacus or some of the angels could recreate such a thing, but that...that is a card we can no longer play."

Masaki saw Mike and some of the others looking stressed before he shrugged." Hey even if it's been through a hard time this Prime Universe is still really damn big eh? We gave that X dude a list of all the things we needed and he promised they would let us know if anything came up. Might take a while but at least we have time to."

The mech pilot was cut off as Data suddenly ran into the room. The robotic monkey ran up to Megaman and Mike before jumping up in the air." I just got an urgent transmission from Commander X and Diehard Man!

Their search for Nth Metal came up with only one known result, and it's on the planet Rena...and is in the shape of an object called the Renas Alma!"

Masaki saw Astra was the only one who did not have a confused reaction before he shrugged." Glad you guys work fast since we don't seem to have much time to waste and all. Still as much as I been around those terms are new to me so hope that's good news and not bad news."

Astra spat on the ground before she snickered." Well...could be worst but not great. Dahna is a world that's been enslaved by its neighborhood planet Rena for over three hundred years, and that's smack-dab in the middle of the Poseidal clan's territory.

To top it off its a planet where the head honcho of that clan likes to play games, that jackass Robert Reynolds, AKA the "Sentry". He may not be as all over the place as Homelander or as much of a hardass like Omni-Man but...he still is savage enough to have caused the other " Nahobino" to back off from his territory, even the Viltrumites."

James eyed Astra carefully before he sighed." So, you're saying that this " Sentry" has what remains of this Nth Metal on either the planet Rena or Dahana?"

The blond woman paused before she looked up." The way it's been working holo man, is that Sentry holds contests to prove who's worthy of overseeing his stuff. These "Crown Contests" are held to decide which among the five Lords in charge of Dahana is chosen to become the next Renan Sovereign.

And I guess that Renas Alma is made of the metal we need. Since he keeps giving those out he has it somewhere on there I guess. I think the Poseidal clan blew up Dahana's moon and made an artificial moon called Lenegis or something so odds are the metal could be there."

Mike eyed Astra carefully before he snickered." That planet's been occupied for over three hundred years eh? Seems like a planet that's long overdue for some equalizing by the so called Equalizers eh?"

"Been waiting to play that card for days now eh " Prince?" I told you the Sentry may not be as aggressive as some of the others, but he comes down hard on those who he thinks is trying to take his stuff, and he made an example of more than a few of the other Equalizers. But hell why did your "hero" parents never free Dahana for centuries either?"

As Mike winced, James sighed." I do remember planet Dahana was one of the many that had fallen into a state of repression. Ben and Lacus wanted to free it, but there were so many other planets also in trouble all over the universe, and sadly I can't deny even if it was subconscious we went for planets that we had more personal connections to at times.

Still...no time to atone for mistakes like the present yes? Still...unlike here, Dahana is fully controlled by hostiles and it seems it's a priority are enemies are not aware of are motives yet. Is there any locals in the planet that are rebelling against Renan?"

Astra paused before she nodded." Right before I did my own thing, I remember someone saying that the Dahnan resistance against the Renan occupation is currently divided into four independent movements spread across the planet: The "Crimson Crows" from the canyon like area of Calaglia, the "Silver Swords" from the cold area of Cyslodia, the "Gold Dust Cats" from the plain filled Elde Menancia and the "Dark Wings" from the more tropical Mahag Saar. There is also another area called Ganath Haros, but the lord there seems to be so uptight no one even can spit in his face."

Mike pulled back his hair before he shrugged." Hey at least we got room to work with right? If there are all these rebel groups then sounds like the Poseidal clan does not have as tight a grip on the world as they think eh?"

Mike's hopefully look morphed to dread in an instant when he saw Astra's expression sour." That's only because they let them think they have a chance at rebellion Mikey. The " Sentry" and the rest of the Poseidal clan have this whole Crown Contest thing as a game, so they whip up saps to think they can rebel, to make a game out of who can kill the most" Rebels.

To the assholes on the top of the hill they are so sure of themselves the very idea of their prey ever beating them is just a big joke to them. But hey...guess it's the" hero's" fault for making justice and all that nothing more than a joke eh?"

Mike took a deep breath before he chuckled bitterly." Well...not going to say like my old man that I can make the entire universe believe in his justice, but one way or another if we want to keep on living guess we better figure out a way to get the underdogs to come out on top and make karma catch up on this Sentry a tad eh?"

Astra rolled her eyes before clearing her throat." I know you feel good cause you managed to pull off something without screwing it up but get cocky and your gonna get us all killed.

Sentry is only a little weaker then Homelander or Omni-Man...and maybe with the firepower of the SRX team we can match him but it's still close...not to mention he likely has one of those stacks to give him a new body even if we do kill him. "

Mike's grin widened before he shrugged back." When you get afraid of making an asshole pay his due girl?"

The lanky man saw the blond woman's eye twitch before he put up his hand to stop her from yelling." Look...we either pull this off or we and maybe the whole universe or even the multiverse is screwed right? Not saying we just charge in without a plan but when it comes down to it we got to make sure are lucky streak does not break one way or another eh? How much time till this Crown Contest starts anyway?"

9S touched his Pod assistant and paused for a few seconds before he winced, and let out an uneasy chuckle." Unless something changed it might be just about to kick off. Meaning we better jump into hyperspace by the end of the day if we can get there in time."

Mike let out a bitter chuckle as he looked down." That so? I came up with cover stories in less time and all. In the end...the Sentry might be powerful enough to make my dad struggle but we don't have to beat him...just to con him. And if this guy has as much of an ego as the other" True god's of the universe" That's just a tad easier."

Popola nodded before she grasped her staff tightly." Prince Michael, Master Elrond, I'm so sorry we can't do more to help you but, we will do all we can to make sure your mission succeeds. Thanks to your efforts Kattelox Island is once more reconnected to the Chiral Network, and so we can keep in contact with what's left of the Bethal Kingdom."

Devola nodded before adding," Thanks to that, while we must keep Endless Illusion together, if we hear anything about the Shadowlord going after what you need or something like that we will let you know."

Mike was about to say something before Tanjiro walked up. The local swordsmen gulped before he bowed." Please take me with you on your journey. I know it's asking a lot but joining you all feels like it's the best way to find this Muzan, and avenge my family!

Since your power helped Nezuko, it feels like my sister's best odds are to be around you all. I know my fighting skills are still not as refined as some of you but I promise I would not be a burden!"

Astra rolled her eyes before she leaned forward." I know all about revenge dude but we don't have time to make everyone's wish's come true yah hear? It's not like the days of the Enji; we got a job to do that has dibs on everything else."

As the local demon slayer looked dismayed Mike shrugged." Maybe so but we are strapped for teammates in this all or nothing gig so I'd say can't hurt. Hey...at least we know he's motivated eh?"

As Astra rolled her eyes James nodded." I agree with Michael's' logic. And while Tanjiro may not be experienced Weiss can composite that with his wisdom."

Weiss saw Tanjiro's eyes light up before he sighed." And here I thought my handicap would be ending...joy. Lad...you better learn fast. Well...I'd say life is without mercy but I concede you already seem to know that. Sigh...just don't lose focus for the sake of both of us eh?"

As the local gave an eager nod, Kainé looked around tensely." Ugh, I'd hate to leave the planet at the mercy of more demons and thugs but, maybe going with you all might be the best way to avenge my comrades.

I just remember Gadved saying there was still time to meet up with "Comrade Koo" before I blacked out. Tsc...for all I know he was talking about his lunch."

Mike and Astra both shrugged in response, but just as Mike was about to remark a loud angry male voice cried out," Koo? That...THAT"S THE NAME OF THE CLAW!"

Van suddenly burst in so suddenly that he nearly hit Mike in the face. The man with the cowboy hat took a few heavy breaths before he looked like he was a dog ready to pounce on a bone and glanced at Kaine." You knew Gadved to? He, he was Elena's friend, she trusted him. But...he did nothing to help us when the Claw attacked...and when he killed her! I have to find him, and you guys are the best bet since he's not coming back here!"

Giyū ran in before the more experienced demon slayer looked annoyed." My apologizes...this mercenary has a one track mind."

Kaine saw how obsessed Van looked and rolled her eyes." Dude I already talked about this a month ago when I came around hear but you were clearly too drunk to pay attention!"

Astra just face palmed before leaning back." Seriously hothead this is not a ride where everyone that wants revenge on someone gets a free ticket damn it!"

Masaki saw Van's anger and shrugged." Eh...the Hagane is a big ship, so a backup pilot is not too bad as long as you can pull your weight tux man. Besides...seems you hate this Claw as much as I hated Shu Shirakawa when he killed Zeoroot for the sake of that damn Volkruss. That kind of hate can get a man lost on his own so...sounds like its good if you have someone who knows how it's been."

As Van looked at the green haired man in shock Astra shrugged." Eh...it's your ship he's taking up space in so if you are going to put up the effort for it then good for you."

As Masaki grinned, the girl Wendy that was helping the twins gulped before walking up." Um...excuse me? Would...would it be ok if I joined you all as well? I'm hoping that way I can find my brother Michael."

As the son of Ben and Lacus raised an eyebrow Wendy winced." Er...I meant my own brother, Michael Garret. I know the Claw kidnapped him but not much else. I promise I won't be a burden!"

Astra saw the teen bow before she moaned." Damn it all let's get going before everyone on the planet wants us to due them a favor!"

Mike could not help but chuckle as he let a half-lopped smirk." Hey...at least we did well enough that people have confidence that we can help them right? Guess...that's doing good in my book."

Astra eyed Mike before she groaned." Of course the "Savior's" son would say something like that. Sure...having a good cred is nice and all, but having everyone dump your crap on them is sure as hell a pain in the ass.

Just make sure you know how much you can carry, cause, if I have not drilled the point in you may not be a total screw up...but your still far from anyone's ace in the hole."

Mike just let out an uneasy chuckle in response." Man, you really can't let me have one moment eh? I know my own shortcomings more than anyone Astra, I'm just doing what I can here."

James saw his friend's son's lament and furrowed his brow before the floating crystal flew closer to the man who unsealed him." Don't feel overwhelmed Mike, like I said before I think I can help a bit but, I'll explain after we get things settled."

Mike nodded before the group said their goodbyes to the twins.

---

With a bit of discussion, Popola and Devola agreed for Van, Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Wendy to leave with Mike's group on the Flutter after another Mecha pilot friend of Jin, Mary Miyabi, came to take Van's place as a guard.

With one last round of goodbyes, the rag tag group of the universe's last stand refueled, and left Endless Illusion for the next phase of their mission. After a quick check up to make sure that the Bethel Kingdom was not about to collapse or be destroyed Mike took a nap after the vessel went to hyperspace.

As James chatted with Crash, Sarah Lance, Ratchet, and the members of the SRX team to get a better idea on what was going on Mike was able to get decent sleep since for the first time in a while he had some hope that things could work out.

By the time he was hungry enough to get back up, after meandering to get some breakfast, he went back to the command deck and saw James was still chatting to Ratchet and Clank, Tawna, Sarah, Wendy, and Ryusui and before he waved at everyone." Morning all, guess if I was able to make it to breakfast without alarms ringing then things are at least a little on track eh?"

Sarah snickered before the woman with the code name of White Canary flicked her hair out of her eyes." Don't get use to it, we are about to exit out of hyperspace.

If we just plop in around the planet this Sentry will huff and puff. Thankfully after checking around we are not completely lacking eyes on the ground."

Mike's eyes lighted up with hope before he grinned." Really? Bethel Agents managed to sneak in eh?"

"Not quite. Its men that belong to the man known as the" Butcher."

"Butcher eh? Sounds like a man not keen on nuance."

"Heh, and we are just getting started. Seems like this William "Billy" Butcher has no super powers but is hell of a resourceful guy since he managed to kill several members of the Vought Clan, even some who were in Homelander's inner circle like the Translucent Man. Problem is...the man's known as the Butcher cause he does not care about collateral damage.

Since Homelander killed his wife, his face has not been seen in public across the entire universe, he's just become a one track minded kind of guy who only wants to see Homelander and the other" Gods" squirm as payback. So, you can see how the guy's a doubled edged sword right?

He's worked with the Equalizers but is crafty enough to have even doubled crossed them and lived. A few other groups like the Aldecaldos nomad community worked with him but he's never in one place for long."

Mike saw the hologram of the bearded man and sighed." So, the guy's crafty enough to maybe do some damage eh? Sounds like we better make sure we are not in the crossfire and all that. Honestly not sure if trusting this guy to get us an " In" is a good idea if the front door blows up when we enter or something."

"Don't worry, we don't have to trust him for that at least. See, the Crown Contest, this year's one at least, allows " Sponsored" teams to take part. More or less, the Lords are allowed to hire mercenaries from other worlds to help them win."

Mike thought over what he just heard for a few seconds before he winced." Wait...so the plan is to go in to be one of those Lords hired killers? I...I know we have a big job but I mean...seriously that's are only play here?"

"Thankfully, we got a break here. One of the lords, the lord of Elde Menancia, Dohalim il Qaras, is not as keen as being a fascist as the other lords and tries to rule without a cast system and all that."

"And they just let this guy not roll with the program?" Mike answered curiously, to in response Sarah shrugged." Long as he's strong enough to keep the naysayers down seems that means he gets to rule his turf how he wants. Maybe it's just a front but honestly it's the best we got. Since Astra's a known Equalizer, her going in with a team seems like the best way to get the ball rolling on this."

Mike looked around at the holograms on screen before he let out an anxious chuckle." Well sounds like as solid as we can afford right now. I'll try and do my part winning him over, and hope anyone I might have to kick out of the way is someone I can get away with and all that."

James saw Mike's unease before he smiled." Don't worry, I'm going to help you have more options Mike. I'm ready to show you what I mean by being able to help more. From what I gathered it sounds like you have not pushed yourself as hard as your brother Richard, but that you do have latent potential in there, and we just have to bring it out."

Mike saw the hologram looked full of confidence before he cleared his throat." I mean...sure if I go through the crash course of fighting and magic and all I" m sure I can do more than I can now Master Elrond. But um...unless we go through one hell of a training montage not going to have a chance to pull that off before this next mission starts."

"That just means we have to give ourselves more time my friend."

"Huh? Wait...are you talking about using a room like my parents did where one day out here was a whole year to them? I thought the only place that still had that was back in Cornelia?"

"Sadly that is true, but there are other ways. I don't know how much your parent's went over the Namek race but the Elders of their kind knew magic that could unlock a warrior's hidden potential. It's not as effective as the Mystic Gates ritual that Doug's former master Gouken did in increasing one's power, but it still should be worthwhile enough.

Furthermore since I am a longtime friend of the Namekian race, I was able to train with them to learn how to do this spell. Even in the state I am in, I should be able to perform it on you."

"Really? That's epic m, that's great Master Elrond what do we need to do? "

"Just get alongside me and we will get started."

Mike paused before he saw the golden holocron float up and walked up. The crystalline object glowed before a glowing hand came out and put itself on Mike's head.

For a few moments nothing happened, but just as Mike was going to say something the hologram of his father's best friend glowed, and he felt pressure building up around him. He felt like he was expanding like a balloon for a few moments, and felt like he was going to collapse, before he felt stronger after a few moments.

The lanky man glanced at one of the screens, and noticed that a white aura was now radiating off his body. He looked at the energy coursing through his fingers and blinked a few times." This...is me?"

"Correct." James answered plainly." Don't get the wrong idea, you're not suddenly as strong as your parents or your brother but still...I hope you can feel the difference."

"That's putting it lightly man. Before when I used the Omega Morpher to fight, it was like switching places but, this feels like, well, like its mine you know? I guess it was something I did not realize I had."

"Heh, well you are the son of Ben Auro and Lacus Raystar Mike, the odds of such a scion having some potential were quite high. That's the thing about something that's yours, it's a lot harder for it to be taken away. Well, this won't solve everything but hopefully having a higher power level will give you a few more cards to play in the challenges ahead."

"Oh, I can think of a few things."

"Good. Now as my former master said, best to be mindful of the present, cause it seems like it's time for things to get underway."

Only a few seconds later the ship left Hyperspace. As it returned to real space, everyone saw a normal looking blue and green planet awaiting for them.

Mike saw some spaceships around the planet and noticed they were all coming from a giant round space station where a planet's moon would be before he took a deep breath. "Well…better figure out if we are welcomed here before it starts raining lasers and missiles on us."

Sarah checked for a few moments before she saw a notification on the computer and sighed." Well, we just got a message from agents of that Dohalim that they are going to hire us, or at least Astra.

We got to make sure that Lenegis does not decide to fire us as we land but for now get ready to land on, the "valley of the four winds", Mahag Saar, the capital of the Niez region. Get ready, not going to find many friends here."

Mike coughed a bit before he nodded." Well, then let's hope the guys down there have enough enemies to keep them preoccupied eh? Either way, its party time."

The lanky man tried to put up a brave face as he quickly made sure he had as many potions on him as he could fit before descending into planet and landing on Dahna, in the Adan Lake near the city.

To Mike's relief the Flutter landed without incident. Since the Renan people are well aware of the universe the non-human members like Crash, Ratchet, Tawna and more were eager to go out in public. Mike saw Astra was out of the ship and taking a drink by the time the curly haired man was out. He saw the detached look the blond woman before he smirked." Yo Equalizer…hope you can keep it cool while we try and pull off the score."

"Keep doubting me and see what happens stick." Astra spat out." Unless you're like my old man, you don't make it long running a solo gig if you piss everyone off. I sure as hell know how to slick talk the ones handing out contracts so you just stay focused on not screwing up."

"If that's the case then what you think about all of this?"

Astra paused before she snickered." I think this part's legit, cause its clear all the boss's dogs are eager to one up each other. You better hope your as good at reading poker faces as you say you are cause if things turn south, it could suck real quick."

Mike shrugged before he looked at the sky." Well, you're the one who's been dealing with these punks right? What's your take on them?"

Astra snorted as she looked around." Can't say I been to every damn planet but the Sentry knows he's not the top dog so he squeezes what he has tight, the whole the weak dog barks the loudest…only in this case the dog is a demi-god. So…his pack's all uptight and crap. All the more reason you slip up once and you might not get back up."

Mike flexed his muscle before he shrugged." Don't fret, Master Elrond used some Namekian spell to unlock my hidden potential so now no one can call me dead-weight anymore eh?"

Astra eyed Mike for a few moments before she leaned forward." Well I'll be damned…you really are above last place now eh prince?"

"Heh, just needed a, UGH!"

Just as Mike got confident Astra suddenly flicked him on the nose. It did not break anything but it did cause him to fall over. The blond woman saw the male below her roll around and groan before she rolled her eyes." Look maybe you're not completely at the bottom now Mike but that just means enemies are going to not ignore you got it?"

Mike coughed a bit before he leaned up." Alright I get it. I'm not just going to taunt the giant killer…monsters? Guess the reception is here. Does seem like they are trying to win us over at least."

The others saw where Mike pointed and saw a woman with long, blonde hair and amber eyes march up with other soldiers. She wore a black tight suit and various pieces of white armor with golden borders strapped to her suit with brown belts. The bronze piece on her chest plate bore a lion's head.

The woman welded a large shield in one hand, and a mace in another. The woman marched right in front of Astra before she saluted those in front of her." You're the woman known as Astra that's an Equalizer, yes?"

Astra saw the woman looked formal before she shrugged." That's me. And I guess you're the boss's errand lady?"

"I'm capital Kisara, the one in charge of Lord Dohalim 's security. On his behalf I thank you for accepting his request."

"Well don't be too thankful yet Kisara…still not sure what the hell it is we are doing. I'm no coward but I don't like being left in the dark so get us to his castle and let's get this over with."

Kisara cleared her throat before she looked around." Sorry for the misunderstanding but this is not Dohalim's territory. Almeidrea Kaineris is the Lord of Mahag Sar."

"Then what are we helping your boss take over or something?"

"More like prevent her from being killed. I know you have questions but please wait till you talk to Lord Dohalim to get the whole picture. For now, I'll say your assistance is require to keep the entire planet from falling to chaos." Astra saw some of the others looked uneasy before she spat on the ground." Well, if it's going to be a big pain in the ass the pay is gonna triple."

"That you will have to discuss with him. Alright time is of the essence so please follow me, Lord Dohalim is staying in an inn for "Guests" on the top of the lake. Follow me.

With one last check to make sure that they were not going to be attacked Astra, Mike and the others followed Kisara to the inn, which was a modest but well-made stone fort looking over the lake. Mike saw a few fluffy owls float around and saw some that looked like staff feed pigs with rabbit ears, called Rapigs were being fed by what looked like aides, Mike saw that one of them looked more regal.

Mike walked up to this man who had curly red hair, brown eyes, and dark skin, and wore a white, brown, and blue attire with a brown and blue cape over his left shoulder, while donning a bronze neck-armor and armguards as well as blue crystal earrings and several rings on his left hand that's look was completed with white boots with bronze feet and a bronze eagle on his chest look troubled before he smirked." Hey man, pigs are not digging the meal?"

Kisara raised an eyebrow before the man with red hair suddenly paused. He saw Mike's easy going look and chuckled." Entirely the opposite my friend, the Rapigs are the only ones at peace these days."

Kisara cleared her throat before raising her shield." I would show some respect if I were you, when you're offered a chance to."

"Its ok Kisara, they would not have known. I'm Lord Dohalim il Qaras, the one who governs Elde Menencia. I was supposed to meet you inside, but I confess the current situation has taxed my nerves. Still, thank you for accepting my request. I heard many things about the Equalizers, and your skills might be ideal for the situation."

Astra snickered before she shrugged." A lady likes knowing her work's gone noticed. Still…me and my…team are damn good at what we do but we can't make miracles out of nothing so best if we get to what this is all about."

Dohalim looked around, saw Grimore Weiss, Crash, 2B, and Ratchet looking at him, and smirked." I assure you I'm hopefully not asking the impossible. I seen your team is as varied as one would expect from your line of work. That's good as this will take…all kinds of aspects to see through well. Oh, are you the group's mage?"

Mike saw Dohalim was looking at him before he flashed a half-lopped smile." Oh me? I'm in charge of Sky Finance, you can call me the, manager of are rag tag group eh? You can call me,"

The prince saw Astra was eyeing him carefully before he cleared his throat." Name's Bosley Lord Dohalim, pleased to meet yah. I know a few tricks to defend myself but I do the managing stuff while "Charles Angels" here do the heavy lifting."

While Astra rolled her eyes at the response Dohalim smiled." Ah, I must image it be quite difficult managing such a…wild group eh? I sympathize as leadership has its burdens. One such difficult choice has brought me to this point, and I suppose its time we get to the point eh? To begin I need some understanding, how much do you know about what's going on this world?"

Mike shrugged and glanced to Astra before the blond woman closed her eyes." I know you got this crown contest going on where all you Lords see who comes out on top with all the unlucky Dahnan's pay the price. Spending the extra cash to come out on top Dohalim?"

"Heh…you made it clear where you stand…but I'm not what you think. Yes I want to win the Crown Contest, but I want to win for the prosperity of both Renans and the citizens of Dahna."

Astra saw the local lord's passion before she snickered." You talk a good game, but I been sweet talked by backstabbing jackasses before so just saying, there are stories about what happened to them after woulds."

"Heh, I can see in your eyes you're a pro my lady, I promise I would not dare double cross a warrior of your caliber. You can see if I'm legit in time but for now we have to see this through for that to happen. When it comes down to it I need your help to make sure my fellow Lord, the ruler of Mahag Sar, Almeidrea Kaineris."

Rachet paused before he chuckle." Wait let's roll it back a bit here. You're trying to come out on top right? But you're trying to save your rival? What is there points for bailing out captured lords or something?"

"Not quite…but I want to prevent the world from descending into chaos or everyone will suffer. If Almeidrea is publicly executed the other lords, Ganabelt, Balseph, and Vholran will lose all restraint."

Mike paused before he shrugged." So, what the" Enemy" team wanted to just get there hands on any top brass they could get and this Almeidrea is about to be punished for something she did not deserve?"

Dohalim winced before he looked down." That would be the most ideal situation but that's also quite not true. Almeidrea may be the most genocidal of all of the Lords, she's massacred entire villages solely to gain an advantage."

Astra whistled before she leaned forward." Well damn. If you ask me she reaped what she sowed."

Kisara winced before Dohalim sighed." I can't expect outsiders to sympathize with those that embody the worst of us. Even I can't deny Almeidrea must answer for her crimes…but I still want her to answer in the right way. If nothing else think of it like this…if she's brought to justice by her own people it will give the people of Dahna a chance to see there is a civil way out of this."

Astra snickered before she crossed her arms." Of course…if you really care about everyone then how about liberating the freedom they want eh?"

Dohalim winced before he looked down." Its not that simple. I can improve things for the entire planet if I take charge, but declaring defiance to the Sentry would…just bring ruin to this world. Gradual change would be better for everyone."

Mike saw Astra looked annoyed before he shrugged." Hey small changes are better then none, right? Well, if your legit then sounds good to me long as you don't leave us to dry."

"I assure you I'm a man who repays his debts sir Bosley, you will be rewarded soundly for your efforts."

Astra and Mike glanced at each other before the blond woman cracked her neck." Maybe…but if things get ugly it better be worth it. To get to the point, if we pull this off you can give us the Renas Alma."

Kisara widened her eyes before walking up to the blond woman." Hold your tongue, the Renas Alama is the most sacred item of are culture! Its irreplaceable!"

"Well, if every new lord gets a new one it can't be that rare. But its still something that's hard to find, and that's why we would be really grateful if you repaid us by giving it to us as a sigh of good will eh?"

As Dohalim looked shocked Mike let out an uneasy chuckle." When it comes down to it the rare metal your Renas Alma is made out of is something that could really help us. We can take it after you win the contest and all."

Dohalim saw Mike looked serious before he grasped his hands tightly." Its true that the Renas Alama is made of metal that seems rare across the entire universe, that's why its such an honor for the Sentry to bestow it to someone. Still…why do you need it?"

Mike flashed another half-lopped grin before he looked up in the sky." Let's just say we are trying to get someplace that we need enough protection to get the " Motherload" in one piece eh?"

Dohalim responded with a bitter chuckle." Treasure you say? Well…these days the only thing most seem to believe in would be what they can hold in their hand. Well, like you said, one step at a time. Before anything we have to get to that point."

"Fair enough d, er, lord Dohalim. Still, unclear if you want us to talk to these rebels to get your "pal" bailed out or fight them."

"Leave the negotiations to me, honestly your all just insurance that I have an edge."

Mike let out another uneasy chuckle before he glanced around." So just want to get a idea on what you have planned here. No disrespect but sounds like your fellow Lord's made a lot of enemies. You think your going to be able to talk these folks out of payback? Something tells me writing them a check is not going to be enough."

Dohalim chuckled bitterly before he nodded." Blood feuds rarely can be ended so casually, I admit some like, Dedyme, Leader of the Dark Wings resistance group that captured Almeidrea have been driven insane by hatred. Still, there are more level headed members of the resistance that I can hopefully win over such as Zephyr, leader of the Crimson Crows, and the" Infamous" Iron Mask."

Astra snickered as she leaned back." You got robots rebelling against yah to, eh?"

"Not quite. Iron Mask is a slave who has no known name, but is a symbol for the resistance. He seems to feel no pain, and can wield a blazing sword, and is very passionately about liberating this planet. Despite this he has a moral code so, many see him as a hero."

Mike smirked before saying," That so, sounds like the kind of guy my d…er…people down on their luck would love."

Astra rolled her eyes before muttering," Yah…so the hero does their dirty work for them. Whatever…I'm guessing your trying to reason with the" Hero?"

"More or less. This Iron Mask's partner, Shionne Vymer Imeris Daymore, is a t, is a Renan, so he seems to not be as driven by pure rage as some of the others. If, if we can get such a man, Zephyr, and some of the others that putting aside personal vendettas can lead to a better future to everyone then…it just might work."

Astra shrugged before she made sure her sword was clean." Well peace is what everyone say they want, but its sure as hell not what they get so hope your ready to deal with so hope your eyes are open to reality. Alright then, were's all the fancy talks taking place anyway?"

"At the arena. I'll make some preparations and we will be off. I'm willing to provide a meal if you wish to eat beforehand."

Mike, Crash, Tanjiro, and some of the others were about to take up the offer before Astra cleared her throat." Thanks but we ate just before we landed and don't want to get bloated before things kick off yah know?"

"Very well…then Kisara will let you know when we are departing."

Mike saw Dohalim and Kisara leave before he made sure the natives were out of earshot and shrugged at Astra." Well…I mean the dude seems on the level."

"Yah…seems like it "Prince". But I hope even you know that things sound to good to be true cause they are, eh? We don't have any better options but guys who seem like the most reasonable are the one's that are the most sadistic. Just keep your eyes open, there are no friendlies on this world to us."

"Sounds like that's how it always is for you eh?"

"Oh, you been waiting all week for that come back eh? It just how it is for are line of work."

"It does not have to be,you just can't have a fragile state of mind about the whole process...so to speak."

The group swerved around and saw the voice came from none other then Fragile. The woman porter was casually eating some sort of snack before letting out a casual," Something to eat?"

Astra snickered before she crossed her arms." Fragile? Hell I thought you got owned back at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe."

"I got away before the place fell apart. But that's here and there…for now. So...want something to eat?"

Sam eyed his fellow porter carefully before he cleared his throat. "You…why are you here?"

"Ask your boss man."

"No, I mean why are you "here?" "

"Got a delivery for a porter."

She threw a red ID card to Sam before she shrugged." You're gonna need this on the road ahead. This will ID you as an associate of Fragile Express. It's woven from my blood and chiral crystals. Think of it as a kind of bond. Preppers 'round these parts won't give you trouble so long as you've got it cause I been helping them and the "Rebels" on this planet for a while, so that just might let some of the rebels here trust you easier if they know I back you.

We were the only people making deliveries out here. This was our territory. Until Higgs screwed it all up. Me, the Express, our reputation—all of it."

"And now you want to screw him back? On your own?"

"If I did, I would not be talking to you right now eh Sam? I'm not on my own.. So far apart, yet somehow we keep meeting? All that BT country in between where I should've been caught in a voidout… Yet here I am. "

Sam saw Fragile casually twirl the umbrella in her hand around and saw black particle fall off it before he narrowed his eyes." You can use the Beach?"

"I have -a- Beach. You've got yours; I've got mine. I use it to jump across space. I can't conjure up BTs the way Higgs can, but I can go after him. Chase him to the Beach. Problem is, everyone's got their own way in. I'm only allowed to pass through the Beach I know and understand. And I use it to, ugh." Fragile suddenly coughed a bit before Astra winced." Did someone hit you Fragile?"

"No, its just, The jumps take a lot out of me. Suck my blood dry. You're going to try and smooth things over, right? Place is full of terrorists of all kinds of ambitions. But if you're dead set on it, then you're gonna have to deal with Higgs sooner or later. I know he's been causing all sorts of trouble around here."

Astra spat on the ground before she grasped her fist tightly." The hell does Higgs think helping jackass tyrants enslave people is equalizing anything?"

"He thinks the "Weak" don't deserve " True freedom" so he's doing his own tests."

"Well hell, no matter how full a plate we have I'm more then willing to kick his stupid mask in his own face if he tries to screw things up."

Sam sighed before he grasped his hand bitterly." Look, I don't know about the rest of you but I make deliveries. Killing monsters and terrorists, that's not what I do."

"Then how about I help you?" Fragile responded bluntly." We don't have to want the same thing to be on the same side. I could "send" you. Across my Beach. To any place the chiralium's thick enough. Any place connected to the chiral network."

"And what do you expect in return?"

"I expect you to think it over. Here. Call it an incentive. And call me if you need me. The ID card will keep us connected. This…this is too important to screw up."

Sam looked uneasy before he cleared his throat." Right… Look, I gotta ask. I've been hearing things. About you."

"She's in bed with terrorists. Don't trust her?" Fragile answered candidly before she grasped her fist. "She's just another dumbass Higgs screwed over." "She's a goddamn hero, that woman." Tell me, Sam. What does the Bethel Kingdom mean to you? Way my dad made it sound; we were something special. The glue that held it all together. More than a nation.

A symbol of freedom and hope. We could bring it all back, if we kept on making deliveries and connecting people… He was sure of it. I was a wreck after he died. That's when Higgs made his pitch. "Together, we can run packages all the way across the "Star Ocean"." Back then, he had a monopoly west of the universe.

We both stood to gain a lot from a partnership. Business was pretty good at first. But then, a year ago, when those fanatics started stirring up trouble…. bastards hijacked our system. Somehow, they got ahold of our security passes and used them to sneak into cities.

And just like that we're delivering guns and bombs instead of medicine and I didn't even know. We were just cogs in a terrorist machine. Higgs was behind it all. And on top of that, he got his hands on an old school nuke that I ended up carrying right into planet Centra."

As everyone looked on in shock Mike muttered," Wait so the one who caused that explosion to break out at Cosmo Canyon was,"

"Yah…it was me. "Fragile answered bitterly." I blew it up, I blew up people I saw as friends. Could've been different if I wasn't so damn blind… So, I did everything in my power to stop Kashyyyk from getting destroyed after I heard some of Higgs men taunt some Wookies.

I tried to get the nuke out of the wroshyr tree. But Higgs was one step ahead. He took his pound of flesh and then some. Some wounds, they don't heal. Whatever time I've got left, the rain took. So, there you have it. Everything's true, except for all the lies. I don't give a damn about Bridges or putting the Bethel Kingdom back together.

But I'm not about to let Higgs and some terrorists take my father's legacy and dump all over it. That's why I came to you. So. Trust me now? I don't know just what Higgs has planned, other than he wants to make all the plans around him turn to chaos, the only thing he thinks matters. Astra, Sam, I'll be there for you. All you have to do is call. See you when I see you."

Fragile went behind the tree, and did not come out. Mike walked up to see no one was there before he sighed." Man…figures nothing ever stays simple these days. So…what now?"

Astra spat on the ground before uttering a bitter," We already had to be on guard for all kinds of problems, just one more asshole to look out for" Bosley". Alright, lets do this."

Mike saw Dohalim and Kisara walk out before he gave Astra a weary nod. With one last look the last defenders of the universe followed the locals to Mahag Saar. After about ten minutes of walking across the Aqfotle Hills the group arrived at the capital city of the region, Niez.

Mike found himself impressed with the red colored trees that surrounded the city, but the awe quickly morphed to dread as he noticed all the dead bodies being carried out and all the hostile looks being seen at each other.

Tanjiro saw all the armored soldiers and men and woman with bloody emblems before he gulped." Hey…what were the bad guys suppose to look like again? You said this world is able to not have to deal with the Shades as badly? Then how do we know what the bad guys look like?"

Grimoire Weiss sighed before the floating book looked around." Not all enemies are clearly marked with sharp fangs lad. Sometimes you have no choice but to wait till the enemy strikes. Just be ready to move when the time comes."

Tanjiro gave an anxious nod and looked at the crowd before him. Some people bumped into him before he winced. As they walked past without saying anything he took a deep breath." Hey…excuse me! Eh…they looked like they were in a hurry. Well guess this place is, huh?"

The demon slayer paused before he shifted his nose a bit. He looked alarmed before he looked around." That scent…that's the same scent that I smelled in my house! Hey wait!"

Tanjiro shocked everyone by turning around and grasping the shoulder of the man who walked past him. The person he grabbed was a tall and muscular man, with an unnaturally pale skin complexion that could be easily confused as being unhealthy and sickly.

He had curly black hair, and sharp, almond-shaped eyes. His irises were cat-like in appearance and colored plum red. He also possessed sharp, blue nails on his hands and appeared to be in his early twenties.

He was wearing a white fedora with a red ribbon and a somewhat extravagant outfit. The outfit consisted of an embroidered black tuxedo and a white tie over a black dress shirt and white dress pants. He also wore black loafers.

While the demon slayer had a look of raw murder in his eyes, those eyes morphed to shock as the man had a small girl in his arms. The man with the fedora looked confused before he shrugged." Is there something wrong sir? No offense but my child is in a hurry to get to the shelter."

A woman in a white dress walked up before tugging the man's arm." Oh my…what's going on dear? Do you know these out of towners?"

"No…he must have mistaken me for someone else. Can't blame him, it's a very chaotic time right now? "

Astra looked at the man in the fedora before she raised an eyebrow." What's wrong?"

Tanjiro winced before muttering," He…he smells like,"

Mike groaned before he tugged Tanjiro's shoulder." Dude, I don't know what the customs were in Endless Illusion but you can't just bother someone cause you think they smell weird. No offense but it's a big universe so things can smell in a way you might not expect. Trust me on that one…I learned that the hard way myself. Sorry sir he's a rookie and all."

"No problem, it's a confusing time for everyone. Just…make sure you don't make a mistake that can't be corrected."

"Trust me I know that all too well."

Before Tanjiro could say more a new casual male voice cut in to say, "Ready to go Murrey? Its just about time."

The man in the fedora saw the voice came from a man with a patchwork face and gray eyes who's left eye was dark blue and his right eye was grey. He had long grayish-blue hair that reached past his neck and was sectioned off into three large strands with ties at the ends. Along with his face, the man had stitches all across his body that give him the appearance that he was sewn together.

The man in the suit saw the new man had a black shawl that was separated into three pieces on the left sleeve before he smirked." Yes Mahito. Sorry, but me my friend and my family were in a hurry to get to the shelter. After all it just feels like this city is about to erupt into carnage and that kind of stuff is something we would rather avoid."

"Sure, leave the carnage to us and all." Astra threw out candidly before she gave Tanjiro a dirty look." Kid do I have to leave you on the ship? Even the god damn Bandicoot has better social sense then yah!"

Tanjiro saw Crash shrug before he saw the family walk off, and saw Murrey whisper something to Mahito and sighed." Sorry, I thought the man smelled the same as the scent that was at my home when I got back and everyone was dead…but your right there is a lot about the universe I don't know. As much as I want to avenge my family, I don't want to dishonor them by causing sins in there name."

Mike pat the younger man on the shoulder and smirked." Its fine man, I thought me and my family had everything in the universe figured out and we still are learning things so lets focus on the problems we know we can solve eh? Just, promise you won't jump anyone in the meeting ok?"

Tanjiro was about to say something before a chipper female voice cut in with " Excuse me, can you give me your thoughts on the state of affairs Lord Dohalim?"

Everyone saw a curvy young woman who had blue eyes, fair skin, and wavy ash-blonde hair that reachrf to her waist, fashioned with a red clip on the left side of her head. A pair of triangle-shaped earrings hang from her ears along with a necklace displaying an image of a heart circling her neck. Her arms were covered by a pair of black and gold sleeves that only left her shoulder and hands visible; an intricate figure completes the article at the top. She wore a blue-collared, white jacket and is styled with a heart-shaped zipper hanging in between her chest; hugged by a simple white, sleeveless shirt underneath.

While everyone was shocked at the woman she just put out a mike as a flying blue cat held up a camera." Sorry to just cut in but, a mintue for your thoughts? I'm Rebecca Bluegarden, B-cuber from the guide Shooting Starlight and hope to get a quick interview."

The lord saw Rebecca's zeal before he raised a eyebrow." You want a interview? On behalf of who?"

"Myself!" Rebecca cried out shamelessly." No offense but covering the fate of a planet does great for leveling up as a B-cuber star you know? So please just tell me how you plan to bring peace to pepole that been fighting for centuries?"

"Er...I'll talk after this is over, if there is time. Sorry but time is of the essence. Lets go everyone."

Those around him gave an eager nod before the group hurried past Rebecca. After carefully trekking into the tower, they saw various men forming a defensive position.

In front of them was a tall, powerfully-built man who wore the scars of battle all over his body. This grey-haired man with a metal gauntlet on his left fist did not look as hostile as some of the ones around him, but looked like a beast ready to pounce as he saw the group approaching him and just nodded." Lord Dohalim…thank you for arriving on time."

Despite the hostile look Dohalim put a calming hand to Kisara before he smiled." Your Zephyr, the leader of the resistance cell in Ulzebek yes? Your just as the reports say."

"I am the leader of the Crimson Crows, thanks for paying attention. Of course, I'm here, lives are on the line. But I warn you, you're in an uphill battle trying to get your fellow lord off the hook. Thinking we can forgive someone who caused us so much pain is showing how little you understand us."

"I'm not blind to the situation sir, I'm aware that Almeidrea has caused much harm to many people. I just want you all to see that punishing her in the proper way will be best for everyone."

Mike saw Zephyr looked like he was pondering the red-haired ruler's speech before a angry female voice from above hissed out," Don't let this farce doom us all Zephyr! He may be more civil than some of the others but he's just another Re trying to kill us! Its just with words instead of blades!"

Everyone saw a red light had formed on the lord's forehead, and Mike looked up to see it came from a woman outside the window above the tower holding some sort of rifle. She had long strawberry blonde hair that she kept in a ponytail and blue eyes.

Her outfit included a white dress that revealed her legs in front, but covered them in the back with white lace sleeves and leggings, while wearing metal heels. She also wore bronze pauldrons on her arms, a bronze chest piece, a black choker, and a black garter with bullets in it on her left leg. This looks was completed with a red, spiky tiara.

Kisara had her shield up and got in front of Dohalim before crying out," You think you can get away with such deception?"

Zephyr winced before he glanced up." Put that away Shionne! If they think are word means nothing, then things will take a turn for the worst!"

"Damn it Zephyr you were supposed to be the one who saw things clearly so how blind are you? The Renan lords don't care what the Dahnans say already! Its all just a game!"

Astra just snickered before she drew her sword." I'm glad you're not one of those naïve twits' pinky, but I have a job to do so getting in the way of that is going to make things get ugly real fast."

Shionne just looked bitter before a calm male voice cut in with," Calm down Shionne, I know it's a risk but we have to take it. If it's a way to save lives among the way to independence we have to take a risk for as many people to be free as possible."

The pink haired woman paused as another man walked up next to Zephyr, one with neck-long white hair and a gray eye brimming with resolve, with a half-broken iron mask grafted to the other side of his face.

He was clad in full black armor with blue light clothes beneath it and a blue cape hanging from his waist down. Mike noticed this man had a blazing sword in his sheath before he raised an eyebrow." Huh? That sword…so you're this people's chosen one or something?"

The new arrival paused before he shrugged." I don't know about chosen, but I am a defender of the enslaved. My name is Alphen, and I take it your people from afar that the Lords hired as "insurance?" I bore no ill will, but I won't forgive anyone who helps enslave my people!"

Astra saw how serious Alphen looked before she whistled." Looks like we got a hardcore hero here, eh? Hey, wait, I thought they called you Iron Mask, not half mask!"

Alphen paused before he grasped the broken mask attached to his face." Half of my mask was shattered in an earlier fight; it helped me remember my name. I hope I don't have to show you why people are talking about me; I am serious about wanting to save lives if this is sincere. Still, even if your serious about peace I still don't see how the other lords will ever let us live."

Dohalim sighed before he closed his eyes." I can't promise anything Sir Alphen. But I will try to do all in my power to reach an outcome that makes both sides happy."

Alphen paused before Mike smirked." I get why your on-edge Mister Blazing Sword but hey we are here to try and prevent heads from rolling. Some of us did enough for people to have faith in us and all."

Mike motioned to Fragile's card, which caused Alphen and Zephyr to look at it with shock before the younger man eyed Astra carefully." You…you worked with Fragile? She…she's helped us get supplies even when we were in the middle of a battle. You better not have taken that from force."

Astra smirked before she leaned back." I mean I can call her if you really are that paranoid but feels like we are short on time here."

Alphen paused before he nodded." Well…we must make leaps of faith at times and all. This does seem like a lot when it would be easier to just send bombs. Well, sparing one Lord to save countless lives. Let's do this."

Just as things looked like they were going to go forward another angry voice cried out," Seriously? Your kidding right?"

Everyone saw an owl fly past everyone, before a young woman with jaw-length black hair and brown eyes. She wore a white and blue striped shirt, with the blue stripes reaching to the bottom part of her short black and blue shorts.

She wore a sleeveless blue coat with a hood with gold outlines. It was kept together by a large golden butterfly pin on her chest. She used sleeves on belts tied around her arms to partially cover them with blue material and she wore dark leather gloves. She covered most of her legs with blue socks and long, loose fitting boots, both with gold adornments.

The woman took a few labored breaths before she glared at Alphen." I thought we were just seeing what we could get out of the enemy? You're not seriously going to spare the woman who killed my parents are you?"

Alphen winced before he cleared his throat." Rinwel…I know how much she's hurt you but, we have to think of the bigger picture. Surely what's good for all the Dahnan people outweighs your personal wrongs right?"

Rinwel eyed at the group in front of her before she looked like she could barely contain herself before she yelled in frustration. Mike saw the anger in the local mage's eyes before he let out a bitter chuckle." Oh, this is going to be a fun talk alright."

Zephyr chuckled before he looked back." And you have not even meet the hardliners among us yet. But we will try and reign them in. But to do that we should get this underway."

Mike saw Shionne put her rifle away and nodded before going back inside. The lanky man saw Astra nod before they went inside. After going up a few sets of stairs they entered a wide meeting chamber.

Inside were a few more people, but the man that got Mike's attention was extremely large, muscular man who wore heavy armor that exposed his torso and wielded a large axe.

There was a large burn covering the left side of his face, and the large man was looking like he was about to pounce as he sat in the right side of the room.

To the left was a man in blade with jet black hair and an eyepatch over his face, and his eyes were equally filled with hate. As the group arrived the bald man entered before he snickered." Well…you got your circus after all Dohalim."

Dohalim saw the bald man's amusement and shrugged." If you're here as part of the negotiations then safe to say this has some merit to you eh Lord Balseph?

"Balseph glanced at Alphen before he rubbed his burnt head." Oh, I won't deny that, though I think we might see differently about what about this brings merit. But if you want to sabotage your own kind then go ahead, I'll just be here to win the Crown Contest when you fail."

"That's right…think this is all a game you beast." The man with the eye patch uttered sorely." It will make having your world come crashing down on you all the more enjoyable."

Just as everyone was looking tense a new more composed male voice cut in with," Mister Dedyme, if you and the rest of your "Dark Wings" are so eager to fight then we are more then happy to oblige."

From the other side of the room a tall man in a white outfit with a refined poise walked up.

While everyone tensed up Dohalim cleared his throat." Lord Ganabelt…I would hope you were here on good faith. If for nothing else then for the sake of one of us fellow Lords."

Ganabelt looked around before he gave a polite bow." Oh but of course Dohalim, all of the true lords of this world are a priority. Its just, I'm sensing a lot of hostility in the air and I'm hoping this is not a farce."

Zephyr crossed his arms before he smirked." Oh, we are serious about this, I guess we are going to see who is the most serious about there people eh?"

Ganabelt 's grin widened before he glanced at the leader of one of the rebel groups." Oh, you think its with you rebels eh Zephyr? I don't know, for as much of a reputation as the head of the Crimson Crowns has, word from my Bureau of Civil Observation is that as a family man you're quite lacking. But its not just my judgment on that, eh officer Law?"

One of the guards around him walked up, and took off his wolf shaped helmet to reveal spiky brown hair with pink streaks with a long bang on the left side of his face tied with yellow and blue beads and blue eyes.

Zephyr widened his eyes at the sight before muttering," Son? No…what are you doing?"

"Making sure you don't trick anyone else, like you did to mother and me!"

"Law…whatever you heard you can't believe it."

"Why should I when you never made it clear for me!?"

Ganabelt snickered before he sat on one of the chairs." As much as I love seeing stressed out Dahna family members tear each other apart, we did have a purpose here, yes?"

Alphen made sure his sword was at hand and nodded." Depends on how much you value your fellow lord."

Everyone went to there seats before Mike saw how many people were giving each other deathly glares before he let out an anxious chuckle." So, I'm new around here but what makes a good meal around these parts eh?"

"I think I'll avoid eating till we finish this." Ganabelt spat out." Less things to…jeopardize the negotiations. But to kick things off…how much do you think you can "Twist our arm?" Dohalim? You think you can use your mercenaries from off world to get us to "play nice"? And then win the Crown Contest by getting everyone to back down?"

The red-haired lord shrugged before leaning forward." I just want everyone to listen to reason, nothing more."

Dedyme snickered before grasping his hand tightly." Its reason to just let the person butchering my people go eh? Do you know the legend behind are resistance faction " My lord"?

Tsc, legend tells of how a tyrant was overthrown by a hero using a torch and his two friends, chosen by a black owl. Together, they formed the Dark Wings, and now I'm the one inheriting there will! And so, when the people want vengeance, what could possibly be worth more than revenge that they are due?"

"A chance for peace perhaps?" Dohalim answered plainly." Don't you want your people to have a chance at a better life?"

"Yes…and that life can only be had when the Renan lords no longer can threaten us!"

"Trying to aim for absolute will just make that dream a nightmare! Please, see the common ground before it collapses."

Balseph spat on the ground before a wild look in his eye." You had quite a lot of time to be a dreamer Dohalim. You been dreaming so much you really think the lord of all Renans will just let you go against his wish's?"

Dohalim took a deep breath before he sighed." I have no intention of defiance to the Sentry or to anyone in the Poseidal clan. If anything, this will make the planet more useful to are clan."

"Oh…so you think your better than everyone else eh dreamer?" Balseph spat out with disgust." Bah…almost sounds like this is the kind of crap from those scum in the Bethel Kingdom! What…did one of the" Last Emperor's" agents try and make a deal as a last attempt to save their pathetic order? All these foreigners are just agents trying to take over the planet!"

Mike saw both sides looking at him with annoyance before he tugged his collar." C'mon guys, can't a guy just take a job to make some cash to try and make it big in the universe and all that jazz?"

Astra saw people look even more annoyed before she slammed her sword's hilt on the table hard enough to shake the ground. As everyone looked at her the blond woman cracked her neck." Seriously comparing me to that asshole dude? Telling idiots what to do is so not something I dig.

I just want to get paid and kick the asses of anyone trying to take what's mine. Seriously, the time where outsiders in the clouds told everyone how things go down is supposed to be done despite what diehards keep saying.

So that means everyone can't just cross their fingers that some outsider is going to hand down a miracle to fix everyone's crap. Its up to you all to figure out how to get things to work, and if you can't well, then that just means you did not deserve what you could not make work."

Alphen sighed before he looked at his own sword." I…I want freedom more then vengeance. But I can't let down the people who depend on me. Nice sounding gestures don't do anything when it only means we are supposed to have faith in those who never earned it.

We are tired of having are lives be dictated by bright eyed scum who treat us as inferior!"

Astra saw the passion in the local hero's eyes and just snickered." Oh I get wanting to not let arrogant pricks push you around, but what I want to know is how badly you want your freedom? Cause freedom's price tag is not cheap.

The Bethel Kingdom and anyone else that acted like they were" Champions of justice" are to messed up to pull off the whole salvation thing, so again, you willing to see most of the planet dead to get that total freedom you all want or is a half assed deal with a cheaper cost better? That's the thing about cheap stuff, its not what you really want but its what you can afford. So…how much can your people afford "Iron Mask?"

Alpen saw how frustrated Rinwel and Shionne looked before he sighed." Its true that…to get everything we wanted might wreck the planet beyond repair. Dohalim…you think you can get to a place where we will no longer be seen as slaves?"

"Well…it would help if lord Vholran was here to so we could have a total agreement."

Ganabelt snickered before he closed his eyes." It would seem that the Lord of Water did not think it was worth his time to take part. Well, maybe it was justified, cause Dohalim…what is in it for us to let rebel scum live?"

Dohalim looked around before he sighed." There would have to be concessions on all sides. But, when everyone sees the gains made from stability I would hope it seems like the logical choice would be to agree."

While Zephyr and Alphen looked at each other, Dedyme snickered darkly." All of this seems to be on if any of us are willing to have faith that such things are even possible eh? A sheltered Rena fool expects us all to have faith when heaven it self collapsed because the dream of a "more gentle peaceful society"?"

Dohalim took a deep breath before he sighed." I'm not as naïve as you think. My position as a lord was not just handed to me as some privilege, it was given to me after I fought someone I saw as a close friend, to the death.

That's why I know how vital peace is, I know how easy it is for such important things to be lost forever. It won't be easy, but if everyone just thinks it over, I hope we can agree on what is best for everyone."

After a few moments Dedyme paused, before his grin widened." You say you want to give people freedom, but yet here you're trying to make some deal in the shadows. If you truly want to give people freedom, how about letting them decide for themselves what they want and put it to a vote?"

"What…what are you suggesting then?"

"Simple, I don't want to decide for myself what the people want, I think they deserve to decide if they want peace or justice more, so I'll put it to a vote! Its simple, follow me to the arena and we will all see if your as smart as you think you are. Torvin…get her ready, it's time to get the show on the road!"

Astra saw a few of the Darkwings leader's men run off before she narrowed her eyes." Sounds like you're all already deciding how this was going to go huh patchy? "

Zephyr saw the zeal in the other rebel leader's eyes and grit his teeth." What game are you playing Dedyme? You're willing to risk everyone's lives for such a game?"

"Heh, you got it all wrong Zephyr, or did you forget we are men of the people? Instead of deciding for everyone like a god or a lord I'm just willing to let them have a say in the matter. Follow me, we delayed this for to long as it is."

Astra saw Dedyme run out eagerly before she spat on the ground." Better be careful hothead, play crappy games and odds are good your gonna win crappy prizes!"

Alphen looked troubled before he glanced at Dohalim." I'm not an oath breaker, but I admit Dedyme has shown how much hatred he has to anyone that is a Renan. But I want this world to have a future, not just be consumed by the hate of the past, so I'll do what I can."

Shionne walked up, saw Astra's eyes were as harsh as her own, and sighed." Well…I want to see the Lords fall to…but that won't happen if some zealous fool goes about it like a blood thirsty dog. Let's see who's thinking clearly then eh?"

Rinwel nodded before she smirked." Then we just have to make sure it goes down so that all the right people pay! Let's see what's going on Hootle!"

Mike saw a small white howl that nearly looked like a white marshmallow hoot out in agreement before the two ran out. The curly haired man saw everyone running around before he sighed." Well…did not think this was going to be a picnic but this is heading south faster then expected.

Eh…if we need to wait to see who's on the level might as well get a meal in before the show starts. Easier to judge when not on an empty stomach eh?"

While Rachet, Megaman, Sam, Tanjiro, and some of the others looked like they were going to agree a course male voice cut in with a coy," I'd hold back on getting in on the local cuisine if I were you mate. Unless your so hungry you'd rather die."

Mike paused before he saw a middle-aged man in a trench coat with spiky black hair and a beard casually walk past him. The son of Ben Auro saw the man was casually looking out the window before he looked around, then cleared his throat." Oh…and what makes you say that? A little bird told you or something?"

The man looked at who was looking around before he rubbed his beard." Let's just say, it's the evaluation from a butcher."

Mike saw Astra raise an eyebrow before he got even closer." Would that be a Billy,"

The bearded man cleared his throat before retorting with a sharp," You really must be naïve if you're so casual about blowing things up eh your highness?"

Mike saw Astra draw her sword before he flicked his hair back," I get it you got ears on the ground, in the clouds and all across space but don't look like we got time so let's do the abridged version of this. Glad there's more people here with intel here, but is this all a sham or not."

The "Butcher" chuckled before he stroked his beard." If anyone ask's you were talking to William Monsieur Charcutier about the owls eh? And everyone lies "Bosley"…but it all comes down to who is the best hustler of them all eh? The gist of it is that a" Frenchie" gave me a tip to not drink anything around here. Since many did not get that tip, things are going to get nasty."

Mike felt a lump in his throat before he looked around." Then…then we should tell someone that."

Astra cut him off with a bitter chuckle before throwing in," And then everyone from all sides will know we know something and gun for us dumbass. The parties already started, we just have to see how to make the most of it. Don't be a hero if you want to make it to the end of the day, got it everyone?"

"Glad the chick is seeing straight, guess you guys are not completely hopeless. Good, this might go somewhere."

Astra saw the hunger in the bearded man's eyes before she cracked her knuckles." And what about you "William?" Is this chat a one-time thing or are we going to be able to count on your help?"

"I and "Die Hard-man" shared a few drinks, and I may have talked with him recently. Don't know what's going on but all I know is that you may be able to make some" Supes" bleed. If you can, then I'll help with what I do best. Just prove its worth it. Now if you don't mind, I got to feed some damn birds before the Renan cunt gets her due."

The Butcher pretended he was throwing some bird feed out the window before he walked off. Mike saw Kisara and Dohalim were still talking before he let out an uneasy chuckle." Guess a world at war for centuries was never going to be easy right?"

Astra rolled her eyes before she looked down." Nah, but if things blow up enough for the "Big man" to come down and clean house that will botch this real quick so we better make sure we can figure out how to get this under control. And…to do that we need to see what's going on so move it so we can get good seats."

Mike nodded before the group followed Dohalim, Alphen, and the others out of the tower. They quickly proceeded to the large stadium a few minutes away, and saw a large crowd was already inside. As Mike got in he saw Dedyme was in the center of a raised stage before he steeled himself." Yah…this is not going to end well."

Dedyme was shouting before he made a hand gesture, and a wide cross popped out of the ground. On that cross was a woman with wild red hair to her chest, and piercing green eyes, clad in dirty blue and white robes. Alphen saw the woman looked bruised all over before he winced." Is that."

"Yes." Dohalim answered gravely." Its Lord Almeidrea Kaineris."

Almeidrea winced, as if she was not exposed to the sunlight for some time before she whimpered." Please, stop! No good can come from such hatred! Stop or there will be no turning back!"

Her response was a woman in the front throwing a brick at her chest. As she yelled in pain Shionne winced." Is this suppose to be justice? Or just…taking their rage on whoever they can get their hands on first?"

Dedyme put up a torch in the air before his eye widened." Tell me everyone, some think it's a fair price for peace if we just let the woman who caused this nation so much pain get off free! IS that what you want or do you want justice?"

All those around him all cried out," Burn the witch!" Again and again before Zephyr ran up with a look of dread." Back down Dedyme! Just giving in to mob rule won't amount to anything!"

Dedyme snickered before he spat out," Your to influenced by those long dead Enji Knights and all the other clowns that use to be called hero's Zephyr! There is no better path, there is only whoever is strong enough to come out on top! The only way to show who's in charge, is to make those who stand against us pay! And that's why this " Lord" has to pay, cause there is no future for us worth a damn where we have to let those who wronged us get away! Just be grateful we are going to make your death quick and not let you get torn apart by your own zeugle's!"

Everyone around him kept shouting" Burn the Witch!" over and over again, looking more and more enraged before Mike noticed that steam was rising out a lot of the crowd's bodies. He saw particles of mana seeping out of there bodies before he raised a eyebrow." What's going on? They all wizards in these parts?"

Rinwall gasped as she looked around." No…I'm…I'm one of the few who can use Astral energy naturally…because Almeidrea wiped out the rest of my kind!"

Astra saw that many in the crowd had cups in their hands, and that the liquid she saw was sizzling before she tensed up." Damn…Butcher was not kidding that the drinks were spiked. But what the hell is going on?"

2B looked around before she grit her teeth." It would seem that the majority of the people around us are contaminated. But since this world has not been in the database for sometime its unclear what is" Normal" on this world."

Clank noticed something before tugging Ratchet's arm." Even so…I'm rather sure the majority of humans across the universe don't turn metal casually, yet that seems to be the case here."

The Lombax saw Clank's words were true, before Dohalim gasped." Wait…that…that reminds me of a curse I heard about, a curse brought form a fruit on are world called the Fruit of Helgan."

"Its not just a curse my lord, it's a nightmare, one that's about to cover the planet!"

Dohalim glanced to the right to see a tall man running to him. He had glasses, a brown beard, and was wearing a red and black jacket, and was looking pale. Kisara saw the man and widened her eyes." Brother? Migal…what is going on? You have not been seen in days!"

"That's because someone tried to kill me, and it was Kelzalik who did so."

"Brother…have you lost your mind? Why would the lord's quartermaster kill you?"

"Because I uncovered the plot he was making with Almeidrea! They…they were testing the Fruit of Helgan with other potions, then testing it on others! When I stumbled onto his scheme he left me for dead! I…I just managed to get here. You, you have to stop them! The Fruit of Helgan hollows out people! Emotions effect it…and makes the hollowing spread!"

Mike saw Migal's right hand looked metallic before he tenses up." Wait…what happens when you hollow out? You…you become a metal man, like what that Doctor Nefarious tried to do with his Bio-liberator?"

As Migal looked around in confusion Astra took out her sword." I think we can safely say that nothing good is going to happen Mikey! Time to cancel this, huh? Damn it!"

At that moment Deydme laughed madly as he shoved Zephyr off the platform and cried out," It's been decided! The people's verdict…IS VENGENCE! BURN WITCH!"

The leader of the Darkwings threw the torch at the female lord in front of him. Just as Mike's group ran at them Almeidrea yelled before she was consumed with flames. As she screamed the crowd around her yelled in jubilation, not even noticing that there bodies were turning grey. They kept yelling till blood came out of there eyes, till that turned grey to.

Deydeme laughed madly before howling out," YES! NOTHING BUT REVENGE WILL EVER BE ENOUGH! WE WILL…WE WILL….RHA!"

Deydeme's eye twitched, before he suddenly melted into a pile of sliver liquid. The crowd around him only had a moment to notice this, before the majority of them dissolved into the same sliver liquid.

Dohalim was one of the many horrified at this turn of events before he fell to his knees." No…I heard of the curse of the fruit of Helgan…but…it never was like this!"

Another yell got everyone to look to the right, to see that Kisara's brother Migal was also coughing out blood, grey metallic blood before crying out," BROTHER!"

"I'm sorry Kisara…the hollowing also spreads vie fear, and I was so afraid of what horrors were about to unfold if I did not, warn you. Please, help our Lord Dohalim make our greatest dream… a reality."

Kisara reached out to her brother, but the moment she touched his hand he dissolved into another metallic puddle. Dohalim saw his body guard touch her liquated sibling before screaming in horror before he turned pale." No…why…why is this happening?"

Before anyone could attempt to answer a mad burst of laugher cut everyone off. The liquid started to boil, before it all went down the drains in the chamber. Suddenly the fire was blown off from a massive force of energy, and Almeidrea looked ecstatic as she had an aura of dark energy around her. The lord licked her lips before she looked around." I warned you did I not? Nothing good can come from such hatred…for the likes of inferior beings at least!"

She raised her hand before a green orb appeared in it, and instantly started to absorb all the liquid. Rinwal saw a green symbol appeared on her head before the younger woman looked nearly consumed with rage." Not this time…you're not getting away with what you deserve this time no matter how tricky you are! I swear, I'll make you pay for what you did to my parents!"

Almeidrea paused before she glanced at the mage and looked amused." What do we have here? Could it really be that a Dahna witch survived for all these years? How pitiful. Honestly, I thought I wiped you all out before, how shameful.

For many years I devoted myself to mastering magic, the astral arts. But the knowledge I took from your family was truly enlightening. For that, you deserve a reward. I will allow you to taste the fruits of my labor!"

The sadistic woman snapped her fingers before a giant dragon like monster suddenly erupted out of the ground next to her. She saw all the hostile looks her way and merely shrugged." Rearranging life and death is what to form new hellish compositions in the form of new Zeugles like my Mesmald Dragon here is what I do best! Thanks for making such amusing test subjects!"

Dohalim was grasping his fists so hard that blood came out of them before he shouted out," Almeidrea! You…you fiend! You treated all of this like a game? You, you're a disgrace to the lords! You won't be forgive for this butchery!"

The red-haired man raised his hand before a green rod called Magnus Dominus formed in his hand. As he did Almeidrea snickered bitterly." You really are broken if you think I'm the disgrace! Dohalim…it was so pathetic that you thought you could make peace with inferior scum that we decided to make a game out of all of it."

Dohalim paused before his jaw dropped." All? Huh?"

The lord saw a flash, before lighting came down for him. Kisara got in the way and had a blue wall of energy come out of her shield to defuse it. As she landed on the ground another sicker came out." If you really thought we were just going to let you turn this world into one where Dahnan vermin had the same rights as their superiors then you're a even bigger fool then we thought!"

Everyone saw Ganabelt and Balseph march up to Almeria before the bald lord grasped his ax tightly." We decided it would speed things up to get all the idiots gathered in one place!"

Mike paused before he rubbed his head." So, wait…your all going to win the crown contest together?"

"Heh…I think not." Ganabelt hissed out." The winner will go to who gets the most deaths…we are just speeding things up and see who will kill the most scum! Vholran is going to greatly regret being lazy today."

Astra rolled her eyes before she grasped her blade tightly." More like you assholes are going to regret pissing to many people off. No matter how great you three are, you're going to, huh?"

The blond woman saw a shadow before looking up, and saw a giant blue warship flying over the sky. As she tensed up Almeidrea looked ecstatic as she grasped her hand tightly." Oh…I figured there might be a few extra pests that might have gotten lured along so I brought the Mobile Fortress Gradia along to teach everyone there place! Its time for a new era to arise!"

Astra only smirked as she saw dozens of mobile suit like machines fly out of the Gradia airship and got into a fighting stance." Oh…it may be a new era but its not going to be one dumbasses are going to live through."

Mike saw the three enemy lords surrounded his group before he let out a wary sigh." Don't have much choice but to agree with her this time. After all…can't let you racists smucks decide the future."

Alphen grasped his fist before he glared at the lords." You " Lords" think you can treat us forever like disposable trash? No...its time you felt are pain!"

The man with half his face covered suddenly grasped a red orb that appeared out of Shionnes chest, and pulled out a blazing sword. As flames surrounded him Alphen grimly looked at his enemies." All of you...will feel just how intense are passion for freedon is!"

As Mike and his new allies got ready for another fight, they were to distracted to notice that some of the spectators in the stands did not flee.

---

One of them, was the people Tanjiro bumped into earlier, residing in the stadium's booths.

The man in the fedora's family was gone, but the other man, Mahito was still with him, and upon seeing the fight the long-haired man with stich's on his face laughed." And in the end this is the so-called dignity of human reason eh? Looks like its going to be an even more enjoyable show then we figured…eh Muzan?"

The man in the fedora merely eyed everyone coldly before he eyed Astra keenly." If these really are the same individuals that disrupted my operations on Endless Illusion, and if the blond woman is who I think this is, then this just became a whole new game Mahito."

Mahito paused before he smirked." Oh? Then I guess that means the bets are going to triple eh?"

"More then that…it means we can push to get what we really are after…as long as things work out…eh Mister Higgs?"

Muzan glanced behind the booth before the man with the golden skull mask stepped out of the shadows. The chaotic Equalizer just gave a mock bow before replying with," The package was delivered mister Shadowlord…let's just say things are going to be mighty chaotic around these parts, so chaotic that even the big bag boss of this whole region of space might be swept up. Just have to play your cards right and you might shake things up without being punished, and there might be a new big bad ruler of this part of the universe."

Muzan snickered before he looked at his hand." No one's rule lasts forever, not even the rule of haven Only feelings are eternal and undying. That is true. I do not remember a single human being I have killed. Yet I haven't got any punishments. I have been forgiven for killing hundreds of thousands of humans. I haven't seen God or angels strike me down for so many years. But its not because of the will of god, it because of my will.

These so called" New gods" across the universe were just lucky. But they don't deserve that destiny, I do. That's why…before the time this is done…everything will be how it should be…and then I won't have to be just the lord of shadows. But till then…we must make sure the sheep are shepherd in the right spot. So go on sheep, show me just how good you can dance."

Authors Notes: Sorry for the delay was on a trip in New Zeland. For today for the new additions Mahito is one of the main enemies from Jujutsu Kaisen, Billy Butcher is from the Boys, and the Tales of Arise cast should hopefully be self explanatory.

Rebecca Bluegarden is one of the main leads from the Eden Zero series, as random as it might seem it will make more sense soon.

I moved things around a bit but hopefully this made enough sense in a way for the cast to get into the Tales of Arise plot in a way to deal with many things at once.

As always thanks for the reviews, hope some like what unfolds to leave more, till then till next time.