All rights are reserved to their respective owners. I own nothing in this piece of fiction except my OCs and the story itself.
"Your sisters have been doing their best to maintain your nations while you were captured, but they've been feeling the pressure," With a contemplative gaze, Nebula addressed the CPUs.
The goddesses also pondered upon his words before the shortest of the pantheon opened her mouth.
"I hope Rom and Ram are doing okay. It's been too long since I've seen their faces." Blanc reflected on the times they spent together.
"Uni should be able to hold things down, but I shouldn't have left her alone for so long..." Noire looked down in regret.
"I'm sure Nepgear's doin' her best. She was the more responsible of the two of us, anywho." Neptune had a lax tone to her expression, despite her hidden concern.
Gris silently observed their responses, as Accelerator focused on the blonde CPU who didn't respond.
"Uhm... Lady Vert? You didn't say anything." The defector pointed out.
"Oh." The Leanboxian goddess blinked. "It's just that I don't have a sibling." She told the former ASIC employee.
Nebula and Gris gave each other a knowing side eye, before gazing at the blonde bombshell that was Leanbox's patron goddess.
"Right. Vert's an only gal. Well, you have your Oracle, right?" The pudding goddess referred to Chika in an attempt to look on the bright side.
"Yes, Chika... She should be alright. Although it would've been nice for me to fret over an imaginary sister like you all." She sighed.
"Technically, you should be glad since it means no one has been starved for your attention..." Nebula began, but Gris continued to give him a bland look.
"You're still describing her self-proclaimed sister." The assassin reminded the meme lord of the green-haired Oracle.
"Shit." The GPU sweat dropped.
"Weird. To think arguably the goddess with seemingly the most maternal disposition is siblingless." Accelerator muttered, putting a mental note on the matter.
But then a memory flashed before his mind, that of a similarly tall, blonde warrior that eerily reminded him of the woman he walked next to.
"I won't take this lying down!... That arsehole is not going to get away with this!"
GLOW...!
"ACCESS!"
PILLAR!
"Wagwan, battyboy. Rassclaat, that right there was proper pussyhole behavior, bumboclaat. You'll be lucky if you get to steppin' after I shank you with my lance, fuckin' pussybwoi. ASIC opps don't fly around here, yeah? The boys are gassed for making sure you and your mandem end up clapped, big man ting."
"Mad bait that I took so long, innit? You've been pared, silly wasteman. This fight here is my endz, bruv." He narrowed his eyes, any emotion that wasn't blatantly unreadable faded as he glared.
"... I don't know what demon you summoned, but I'm going to kill you now."
Upon further reflection, he could transform like Neptune, Nebula, and Gris. So it wouldn't be a far stretch to assume that he too was a CPU or GPU.
"Or is she." Accel blurted.
"This caused the group to look at him, with some uneasy faces from Nebula and Gris.
"What are you implying?" Blanc was the first to speak, her brows lowering at the white-haired esper.
"While I was still working in ASIC, I fought someone who might as well be the gender-bent version of Vert." The vector user told the kuudere.
"Is that so?" Vert became intrigued with the prospect. "I suppose he must be quite charming if he is anything like me~." She daydreamed of what this fellow could look like.
Gris snorted at that prospect, while Nebula made a so-so gesture with his hand.
Noticing these reactions, the Lastationite goddess turned to the two.
"What's so funny, mister?" She turned to the manslayer. "And that hand gesture... Don't tell me you two know this guy too?" Before her eyes shifted between the two GPUs as she blinked.
"Know him? We helped him save Leanbox." The meme lord told the group, causing a gasp to expel from Vert's lips while the other CPUs gained surprised expressions.
"I prefer to use the term 'carry', but he did get the kill credit." Through his clarification, Gris backhandedly acknowledged his efforts.
"So who is he? Is he a pseudo-gary-stu like you two? Does he have a stupidly overpowered transformation that makes every girl in his vicinity swoon? Is he trying to date our sisters?" Mirth sparkled in the protagonist of protagonist's eyes.
"W-What?!" Noire sputtered with her sister now on the theoretical CPU's radar.
"Oh please, he's not focused on romance right now." Nebula scratched the back of his head.
"Yet when I call him Virgin, it pisses him off. Make it make sense." Gris gestured to his mocking epithet. "Besides that, the kid's proved himself to be extremely adept in battle throughout what we've seen." The assassin gave the time traveler his props.
"How so?" A brow rose from the blonde goddess.
"Considering that I was on my toes the entire fight counts for something." Accelerator chimed in, a stern tone showcasing his begrudging admittance.
"And the whole blowing-up-a-vampire-to-kingdom-come while defending Leanbox thing. Verified by yours truly!~" The blue GPU rubbed under his nose, with a snaggly grin.
"Sounds like your lookalike has decent credentials, Vert." Noire seemed impressed with what she heard, considering who she heard it from.
"To be expected from someone cut from the same cloth." A proud smirk made its way onto Vert's lips.
You don't even know that Vert. I haven't even heard that this guy can transform. Maybe he's just someone with the genetic composition to look like you." Blanc provided a reasonable explanation.
"Then that simply proves even nature admires my form, in all its splendor~" She puffed her chest with a refined expression, causing the Loweean goddess' eye to twitch at the jiggling of hardware she did not possess.
"Don't start with me, Thunder Tits! Now you're just showin' them off!" A tick mark appeared on the brunette CPU's head, accusing her divine peer of flaunting her assets.
"Er... Are they always like this?" Nebula whispered to Neptune.
"Oh yeah, it's like a comedy routine at this point. Blanc's boob envy wrapped in a ball of volatile discontent when teased by Vert." The pudding goddess briefed the meme lord on the situation.
"You think she'd either ignore it or rib Vert back by now..." The blue GPU sweatdropped.
"Unlikely, because her chest's constant concavity is what burns her will. If she doesn't learn some body positivity, Vert will always hang it above her head." Gris joined the conversation.
"I think it's a waste of time to pick at each other's boob sizes when we should be worried about our sisters!" Noire joined in the whispering before her voice gradually became louder until it crescendoed to a shout.
"GAH!" Blanc and Vert gained comical white plates for eyes and promptly shut up.
"Jeez. You two can't be seriously going back and forth about that. We have bigger fish to fry, remember?" The tsundere deity looked between the two goddesses.
Their bickering ceased before it got too rowdy, amid ther embarrassed expressions.
"Hm?" The bored expression of Accelerator became piqued with interest, noticing something flying to their vicinity through the air.
His brows furrowed before raising, a slight bead of sweat forming off the side of his face.
"Is that a child falling from the sky?!" Eyes widened, as the rest of the group turned to where the esper called out.
Up in the sky, Ram was heavily injured holding a fading Rom as they flew at full speed to the group.
"HELP! HELP!" It screamed, her voice sounding familiar to everyone sans the former ASIC employees.
"Who the hell?..." The defector was lost, not expecting what his eyes were showing him.
"Ram...?!" Blanc's eyes shrunk in shock, soon replaced by concern.
DESCEND!
"Big sis...!" The pink CPU Candidate sniffled, before facing her oldest sister on the verge of tears.
Many emotions bubbled up within the small child, from joy to sorrow, fear, and relief. Yet the palpability of the feelings running through her mind was hard to explain, and even harder to show.
"Ram! It's so good to see you! But... What happened to Rom?!" A sense of dread and fright took over the CPU as she turned to her middle sister.
"There was a guy, and he was really tough! Rom, Domio, and I tried to take him down, but none of us could do it!" Ram hurriedly explained.
"Then he did something to Rom, and now she's like this! Domio told me that only Nebula and Gris can fix her so please!..." She begged the GPUs, crying in desperation.
The group faced the two deities in question, who walked up and inspected the fear-inflicted goddess.
"Fear energy, no doubt about it." Gris' expression hardened.
"Give her to me, Ram." Nebula gestured, as he was handed the ailing CPU Candidate.
CLENCH...!
Blanc remained quiet with a concerned expression, holding her fist to suppress her nervousness. The other CPUs gained unreadable expressions as they silently observed alongside the esper and the defector.
"This fear energy isn't something foreign. We've dealt with it before." The GPU spoke. "Back in Lastation... Oh no." His eyes widened in abject horror, bursting into a cold sweat upon realizing whose fear energy it belonged to.
"It's him, isn't it?" The assassin gritted his teeth, becoming standoffish at the implication alone.
"Who?! We wanna know too!" Neptune was the one to shout with comical white circles, causing the two gods to snap their heads in her direction.
"Stop leading us on and just explain yourselves already!" With sweat on her cheeks, Blanc accompanied her flat peer in her outburst.
"Xero. He's a VPU and the reason Rom is like this." Nebula revealed.
"VPU?" Noire's brows narrowed in confusion.
"Viral Pernicious Units. They propagate among realities and devastate civilizations everywhere throughout space and time. Their terror exceeds all others and knows no limits, making them far more dangerous than ASIC. In their quest to utterly subjugate all souls, they obliterate all life and oversee the destruction of creation itself." Gris provided a grim explanation of the VPUs.
"Heavens! What are ruffians of that nature doing in Gamindustri?" Vert was taken aback by the explanation of the VPUs, her eyes shrunken with worry.
"We still don't know," Nebula admitted, before beginning the cleansing process of Rom.
GLOW!...
The goddess' body was softly illuminated, giving off a light blue aura of shared energy as the color slowly returned to her skin.
"But dealing with them and ASIC puts us in a difficult situation. This is why we need to take them down more than ever before they destroy us!-" Nebula's voice strained, outputting more shares into Rom's form.
CLEANSE!
A murky aura was expelled from Rom, her eyes brightening almost immediately.
"There. I forced my shares through her circulation and flushed out any of Xero's... fears? Fear energy, in other words." Putting the goddess on her feet, Rom shyly looked up at Nebula.
"T-Thank you, Nebula." She flashed a small smile as the blue deity patted her head.
"Anytime, Rom. Now go hug your sister." A soft upturn of the lips was reflected before she ran and wrapped her arms around Blanc.
"Big sis!..." The blue CPU Candidate squeezed her kuudere sister, who promptly hugged her back. Ram quickly joined the embrace, before all three shared a heartwarming moment.
"I'm so glad you two are safe! If anything happened to you, I..." The CPU stopped herself before looking at the blue GPU.
"...I can't thank you enough." The Loweean gave her gratitude to the meme lord.
"Don't sweat it. It's kind of my job, too. I'd do it for any of you, to be honest." He looked around to meet the gazes of the other CPUs.
"But how did you find us? The two of you don't have energy sensing of any kind. You can't even sense shares, can you?" Gris asked the twins after they let go of their sister after a long embrace.
"I flew into AL. He pointed us where you were before flying off to help Domio." Ram briefed the party.
"AL...?" Accelerator rose a brow.
"You wouldn't know him, although he's pretty strong. If he gets there in time is the real question." Nebula looked off into the horizon.
"So what are we waiting for? We need to get there, too!" The defector reminded the group.
"Go back to normal, you two. Conserve your strength for when we're face to face with Xero again." Gris told the twins who nodded silently.
REVERT!
REVERT!
The twins in ther human form were noticeably banged up from their encounter as the damage carried over.
"It's hard not to feel sorry for the tykes, huh?" Neptune voiced her thoughts, albeit with melancholy.
"Certainly. It means we're on the clock to find the others who have come to aid us before Xero locates them." Vert showed determination in her eyes.
"So no more talking. Let's be on our way." Noire rallied the group.
THOOM!...
...SHUDDER!
WHOOSH!
The gang saw a spherical explosion, several thousand meters away from the epicenter before the ground shook with a gust of wind causing them to shield their bodies from the reactive winds.
"That power...!" Accelerator recoiled.
"It's Domio! that's the direction we flew from!" Ram shouted.
"If he's outputting that much mana, Xero's got him on the ropes...!" Gris ascertained the idea.
"Then we don't have much time."
RUSH!...
Nebula narrowed his gaze before hovering slightly off the ground, ignoring the environmental status.
STEPS!...
He zoomed ahead before the rest of the group quickly followed.
"Hah... Hah... Hah...!"
Domio's chest rose and sank, visibly exhausted from using his EXE Drive with the magnitude of his new power.
The section of the graveyard around him was frozen over, becoming a glacier from the widespread effect of Kältenkatastrophe. Frigid winds blew in wild directions, and thunder raged above, in the previously hectic battlefield, which had grown tepid with the halt of combat.
"My strength... has faded!" Domio spoke, his voice returning to how it was before, filled with the shock of realization as opposed to the monotone and chilled octave he held before.
"But I don't sense him." Quickly shifting on his feet, he desperately tried to locate Xero, who was nowhere to be felt despite his stool-shifting levels of fear.
Yet he felt nothing.
...CRACK!
A distinct fracturing of ice drew Domio's attention, causing his head to twist in the direction it originated from.
CRACK!
Another crack set the teenager on edge as he desperately tried to locate the sound of a different origin.
CRACK!-
SHATTER!
The ground below the warlock broke, revealing a blitzing Xero who was visibly scathed yet persistent in his will to kill the youth.
UPPERCUT!
Smashing his fist into Domio's chin, the VPU took advantage of the startled state of the ice user, sending him sprawling.
His mandible rattled with pain, the warlock's pupils turning white from shock as his body ascended in the air.
FEAR BURST!
Xero stayed on his victim, his aura roaring to life before chasing after the hit-stunned teenager.
SLICE!
"Gah!-"
He closed the distance before ripping his sword into Domio's flesh, causing a large gash to spurt blood.
STRANGLE!-
-STAB!
The VPU quickly snatched the warlock by the neck before driving his sword into the Loweean's stomach.
GRIP!...
RAISE!-
Grabbing the hilt with both hands, Xero rose his blade, ready to bifurcate the boy in a gory display of savagery.
CHILL!
Despite that, a pule of hope radiated through the overwhelming fear and pain that Xero inflicted on Domio's body.
The ice user was able to perceive the fatal blow and act accordingly.
FREEZE!-
DRAG!...
Creating one side of his ice wing, the aerodynamic drag yanked Domio's body away from the otherwise lethal sword slash Xero narrowly missed.
CRASH!
"Urgh!"
Although sudden death was averted, it was exchanged for sudden discomfort as the warlock smashed into the side of a cliffside from the uncontrolled sprawling of drag force.
ABSORB!...
Domio felt a lingering cold spread throughout his body, converting the expenditure of his ice wing into reserved mana.
SLAM!-
SKID!...
Slamming on the floor, the warlock used the side of his body that made contact to create a thin sheet of ice to create a smooth transition of direction without the pain of impact.
SMASH!-
HALT...!
Bringing his fists to the ground, the force sent his body upright before gradually coming to a stop.
Domio's frame was exhausted and direly injured, yet he knew he couldn't give up.
Not when he didn't know whether the twins made it.
But he barely felt any strength left in his bones.
"The last cold feeling I want to welcome is the embrace of death." The Loweean fell to a knee, holding himself up with an arm.
ZOOM!
"GAHAHAHAHA!" Xero cackled, quickly approaching the kneeling lad.
"But I'll need to skate on its edge just for a little while," Domio spoke to no one in particular.
MELT...!
The ice that coated the surrounding battlefield gradually melted.
FREEZE!...
Inversely, Domio's body dropped several dozen degrees in temperature, his skin becoming a ghostly pale color. His eyes retained their light blue hue, most likely becoming a constant thanks to the dynamic magical distribution through his body.
Breathing drew mist, indicating that his insides were no warmer than what was shown at the surface of his dermis. Even his heartbeat slowed to a crawl, beating once every few seconds to facilitate just enough blood to his body.
His hair stood on its ends, making it spiky and resembling a group of stalagmites on his head while maintaining his brown pigment. SP spread throughout his body, becoming too dispersed to conjure any concentrated spells.
...!
Whatever fear lingered within his wounds became numbed, to the point he could forget its existence.
Even the nerves that signaled to his brain of damage to his body grew silent.
DASH!-
-CRASH!
Which allowed him to evade the overhead slice of Xero quickly.
"Even now, you're still standing!" The VPU shouted, looking to where the boy stood.
"..." Only the huffs of mist were returned to the warmongering dimensional anomaly.
"What's the matter? You were talking a lot more than you are now, brat. Scared stiff already?" Xero poked fun at the Loweean's silence.
Domio narrowed his eyes at that statement.
"It doesn't matter if I'm scared or not. If anything, you should be on your toes considering the fact a child managed to cause you to stumble on your warpath!"
"You stinking brat!" Xero snarled, his aura flaring.
DEPRESS!
The ground flattened, and any natural bumps flattened from the impulse of fear energy.
...
Yet Domio's body stonewalled the urge to flinch.
"What? Why didn't you flinch!" The VPU couldn't believe the stonecold face he had, twice in a row from the exposure of his fear energy considering how many times he was beaten and stabbed.
"I'm too cold for sucker shit like fear. Maybe you'll understand when your body can't differentiate between life and death." Not giving away how he did it immediately, he gave just enough info to piss the deity off.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THAT STUPID MOUTH OF YOURS!"
SWING!-
Screeching with bloodlust, he swiped his blade with tremendous pressure.
DUCK!-
SLICE!...
Narrowly dodging, the rocks and piles of junk behind him were obliterated without any resistance, almost as if someone had pressed control and Z.
'I can't fire any offensive spells back at him as I am.' Acknowledging his state's toll on his magic arsenal, he quickly rose to face the VPU.
'I'll try to stall until AL arrives since he's probably the only person who knows my situation thanks to Rom and Ram.' Domio internally monologues before preparing himself for the hardest one-hit challenge in his short life.
"IF YOU THINK BECOMING A WALKING CORPSE WILL SAVE YOU FROM BECOMING AN ACTUAL CORPSE, THEN ALLOW ME TO TURN THAT IMPERSONATION INTO PERSONIFICATION!"
CHARGE!...
Raising his egregious blade to the heavens, a single hand pointed it to the sky with his deterring aura coursing from the dastardly weapon in waves.
THUNDER!
S-S-SHUDDER!
"I'LL MAKE SURE YOUR LAST MOMENTS ARE IN PURE AGONY!"
-RUSH!
Not wanting to remain stagnant with an attack capable of rupturing the ground and agitating the skies, Domio hit the ground sprinting.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! All that talk, and when it's time to face off you run?! GAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Beside himself with laughter, Xero couldn't help but mock the fleeing teenager.
SPRINT!...
Even as Domio's legs allowed him to haul his body at speeds that caused the details around him to blend from velocity, the constant pressure of Xero's fear energy lingered despite the meters upon meters his feet carried him from ground zero.
LEAP!
LEAP!
LEAP!
Even going to the extent of jumping sporadically to increase the distance that Domio mustered between himself and Xero felt inconsequential to the radius of fear the sword let out.
"BURN IN HELL!" Xero shouted, before bringing down his sword.
SLASH!-
THOOM!
An arc of fear energy exploded from the sword, ripping the immediate area to shreds before an exponentially growing slice of energy rushed ahead in Domio's direction.
CRASH...!
CRASH!
CRASH!-
Rending the sky, annihilating the ground, and spreading through the air was a black mass of unspeakable power hunting its target without discrimination for the unassociated collateral damage.
Despite the warlock's best efforts, he could only dread the incoming construct of fear energy that moved faster than he liked, vastly stronger than he hoped.
ゴゴゴゴ...!
With this information, the lad knew that going in a straight line ensured his painful demise with the fear energy's expansion the longer it persisted in his direction.
"O-Oh no...!"
Turning around, his eyes shrunk from awe.
...
...!
¿̷̢̧̧̧͍͔͚̻̗̲͕̱̗̺̤̻͙͇̩̘͇̳̱̲̙̤̪̳͍̌̂̒̋̎̈́̀͐̈́̄̏͆͊̀̏̋́̿̕?̴̧̨̢̛̭̺̞͖̝̦̜̼̫͍̼̫̗̭̮̠͉͙̙̩̟̽̃͂͆͌͗̉̉̊̌͘¿̶̧̡̨͙͇͓͕̲͖̤̞͙̼̜̗͕͉͉̠͛́̌̌͝?̴̢̡̛͈̙̗̝̠̞̰̣͓̣̳̤̤̗͇̰̻̰̘̪̫̙̬̰̣̃̃̑́́͂͐͗͋̈́̎͊͜͝͝¿̵̧̨̭̘̘̘̱̯͍̱̳͛̎̽̅̇́̓̏̒͋̈́̐̊͌͝?̸̢̡̢̨̱͎̞̗̻̯͎̙̜̰̩̪͇̈́̑¿̸̨̛̛̛̰̩͖̙͙͖͖̘̥̮̙̪̣̼̯̟̳̹̺̻̼̜̣͕͍̀̾̈́̏̇́̈́̈́͂͛̄͌̍́͋̅͑̊͆͒͘̚͘͜ͅ?̶̼̟̳͖̼͚̠͍͓̘̯̮̠̹̼̲̺̰͉̯̤̭͎͔̹͗͐̀̎̽́́̈̉͂͊͋̓̀͆̄̓̂̚͜͝ͅͅ¿̸̛͔̮͆̊̆̈͂̉͛̽̉̂̓͛̉̈́̈́͊̓̉͝?̸̝̭̠̣̥̬̂̊̈͐͗͛̀̄̈́̍̌͝͠ͅͅ¿̶̨̜̞̮̳̙͎͈͙̪̝̦̯̻̜̼̲̣͊̆̾̌͂̉̈̑̌̔̽̑̍̿̈́́͐͝͝ͅ?̷̢̗̩̟͙̻͔͙͔̬̻̭̘͕̟̣̯̻̤̺̯̜̭̩̓͜ͅ¿̴̤̟̜̹́̓̄̑̏͂̒̋̀͂̒͛̎̓̀͑̏̌̿̓̋̾̂̄̓̌̕͝?̵̖̖̒͋̓͊̉̽͋͛͆͛͑̀̍́͗̂͊̽̚͘͝¿̶̢̲̼̩̘̰̱͙̞̩̞͕͔̫̺̲̺̤̮̞̗͓̞̦̾͑͒̓̎͑͒̄͗͆̏̄̑͊͊͂̎̚͘͜͜͝?̵̜̈́̈̉̅̑͆̑̓̈̎͌́͐͂͐̇͘̕͠͠¿̸̧̨̺̼̪̼͙̖̪̹̺̹̖͖͔̋̈́̒̾̒̄̆̎͜͜ͅ?̵̨̧̨̡̛̘̞̭̼̮̗͍̫̰̟̰͔͋̽̄̀̈͌͆͐́̓̾̅̊̌̾͗͋͑¿̸̨̧̧̛̞̗̟͓͔̠̘̯̺͍̃̓̀͑̒͐͗͐̐̐̊̅̿?̷̨͙͈̼̹̦̟̂̉͒̄͐̇̌̄͗̎́͗͒͛̄̌͐̈́͋͋̋̂̊̈͠¿̵̨̢̘͎͓͔̤͈̝̣̼̝͈̼͎̝̟̪̬̋̎͗̈͒̊͗̄̈́̂̉͒͊̀̍̃̋̉͐͆͋͝?̸̛̹̦̼͎̀͋̄́̒́̑̏̎̾͑̃̂̃̂́̑͒̾͌̏͆̌͂̚̕͝͝¿̴̛̻̠̼̠̈́͆̈̍̽̇͌̑͛͑͒͗̂̄̓̀̋͘͘?̶̯̙̭̝͉̤̱͉̫͚̤̖͙̦̟̹̫̭̯̮̾͗̽̆̈́́̽͂̌̍̋̓̍̿̄̍͜¿̶̺̀?̶̨̠̥͓͍̪̣̘̾͂̏̉́͋́͒̈͘¿̸̢̧̱̰̩͍̬͎͕̘̠̭̬̹̠̰̜͖̲̭̱̳̥͕͚̣͐̄̎̆̓̾̅̈́̓̂̒͒͜͝͠͝ͅͅ?̷̧̡̰̫̖̭̻̱͚̙͖̜̘̖̤̱̙̘̟̪̱̘̀̈́́͆̔͊͛̃̾́̔̌̈́̊̀̃͋͌̽͑́̕͝͝¿̶̨̧̡̺̝̺̟͚̮͎̺̬͓̲͓̝̞̙͙̞̦̹͈͙̰͖̘̠̎͑̀͆̀́͊̉͗̈̈́̃̂̈́̈̅̉̒̋́̇?̸̨̧̲̞͈̰̘̯̰̫̹̣̝̹̩͕̱̀͒̌̂͆̐͛͛̄̌̀͑̔̄̈̋̀͋¿̴̮̝̟̹̘͔͎̮̹̂̅̇͌̀̓͒͑̄͂̑̋́͒̕͜͜͠͠͝͠?̷̡̨̛͓̬̮̣͚̬̟͙͖̻̹͖̺̭̖͒͒͒̇̀̃͂͊̌͂́͝¿̸͇̠͇͇̺̜̠̥̦͔͎̩͖̦̖̣͔̬̞̫̲̩̤̬̗͍̩̱̈́̾̇͐͗̿̍́̀̕͜͠͝?̴̢̢͇͚̝̥͓̔̾́̎̄̿̉̎̍̌̌̈͠͝¿̸̡̭̘̫̞̼̰͙̮̜̘̞̘̤͓̟̫̜̞́̌̐̈́̂̂̀́̀̔̊͗̕̚͝ͅ?̸̬̆̀̈́̆̈́̔͜͝¿̷̢̧̮̙̞̜̜̠͍͖̣͕̫͕̙͚̰̟̼̙̳̟̇̓̀͊͜
!...
...
A sea of fear energy was released after Domio, the mass of destructive force proving inescapable from any cardinal direction.
Which left him with one option.
THUNDERCLAP!
Slamming his palms together, he began an abrupt ascent.
THUNDERCLAP!-
THUNDERCLAP!-
THUNDERCLAP!-
A round of applause for his survival became Domio's prerogative, quickly ascending in successive counts to avoid the cruel fate of being swallowed by all-encompassing fear.
THUNDERCLAP!...
THUNDERCLAP!...
THUNDERCLAP!...
Using all his might, the warlock made his way up into the sky, scaling the height of the approaching slice without any lateral movement, putting all his chits in a vertical escape.
Right when it seemed as if he'd pull himself out of the jaws of peril...
SINGE!
"AAARGH!"
The Loweean's hand grazed against the overwhelming fear energy, the appendage scorched from the sheer concentration.
DESCEND!...
SMASH!
Plummeting as fast as he ascended, the warlock collided with the ground as gracefully as a sack of potatoes.
Heaving his body, he observed the aftermath of the attack.
A large expanse of what was the Gamindustri Graveyard became a smoldering plane.
Several mountains and cliffsides were obliterated, and piles of garbage were sent to Celestia, with unearthly red static being the only remnant of such a powerful attack.
The damage stretched as far as the horizon, a pit stirring in the warlock's stomach from what could have been his fate.
After a thorough examination of his body, the ice user hastily checked his arm. The geometric veins glowed on his hand where the fear energy made contact.
SHATTER!
Yet despite resisting, the potency of fear overpowered it, causing his hand to explode with blood shards due to the crystalization of his hemoglobin-carrying cells.
"What?!"
CONSUME...!
Domio's fingers soon caught themselves engulfed in the murky fear energy, before it started eating away at his flesh.
Skin and keratin became muscle strands, then muscle became bone before the very calcic structures dissipated entirely.
The Loweean's arm was being eaten away, from nothing more than a T*uh*u graze.
-PHASE!
Xero soon appeared from thin air, his speed mimicking teleportation from the warlock's point of view.
"First time I see someone clap their way out of certain death." The VPU remarked.
"Was it your asscheeks quivering out of fear?" The deity poked fun.
"Ha ha. Not like that joke can get any funnier considering my arm is rotting away."
DISSIPATE...
The warlock's gaze flashed across his moderately corroding arm.
"Right. I can speed up that amputation process for you."
RESONATE!
"?!-"
Stretching out his hand, the fear energy on Domio's hand flared before eating away his forearm at a rapid pace, nearing his elbow.
"Looks like your time is nigh, little shit. Death by chip damage! GAHAHAHAHAHA!" Maniacally cackling at the warlock's predicament, Xero spared no sympathy.
"...!"
'FUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK-'
Domio's expression remained calm, yet his mind raced with concern and hysteria at the sight.
'This shit is gonna be the end of me, I need to get it off!' The teenager almost instinctively grabbed the fear energy.
Stopping his hand, he realized the implication of touching the thing erasing his arm.
'NO! That's fucking retarded! I'll have to...' He didn't want to go through with his resort, but it was either that or death.
CLUTCH!...
Taking a deep breath, Domio gripped his bicep with his thumb and forefingers digging into his tricep.
"Putting your other arm in the crossfire? I can't tell if this is incompetence or suicide." Xero remarked.
"Tch!... GRAAAAAA!-" Ignoring the snide comment, Domio continued.
PULL!-
Forcing out a grunt, the warlock screamed before yanking his arm HARD.
T-TEAR!
SHREEED!...
The graphic sound of tendons and muscles ripping and snapping from the seams was heard.
Dislocation and displacement came to pass before the final indicator of the crystalline blood leaked from the wound.
-SNAP!
"-AAAAAAAAAAAAH!.." The Loweean shouted through the entire process, the sound of his arm being manually amputated in its gory glory going unnoticed.
Even if the physical pain was nulled, the mental scarring needed to be glossed over by incomprehensible screams.
THUD!...
Tossing his arm to the ground, the disarmed youth breathed heavily before grabbing his wound with his remaining arm.
DESTROY...
Fear energy quickly destroyed the appendage, leaving nothing but a memory of his lefty.
Xero silently took in the rash decision that ultimately saved Domio's life.
"I'm beginning to understand why Vergo loathes your existence." Still gripping his wound, the temperature of the blood rose when outside of his body, causing his fingers to be bloodied by the liquid state of his vital fluid.
"That blonde wuss? Yeah, too bad he's not here to say it to my face. But I can skin yours off your skull to mention this conversation to him." Unnerving seriousness was sewn in Xero's words without pause.
'I'm not in the best state to fight after that stunt I pulled. I'll need to drag this conversation out with someone who picks fights as easily as he breathes. Scheiße...'
"Who the hell did they send you to kill anyway? I remember your sister trying to fight us after Nebula kicked your ass, but I don't think you'd come back just to struggle with a teenager." Domio packaged the question in a provoking manner.
"Hah! As if you're important enough to fight for a mission. Your 'daddy dearest' and his rag-tag group of bums are who I need to clean, specifically the edge lord and the black one."
"Aren't they the same person?" Domio raised a brow, acting more daft than he ought to.
"No the one who wears black is Gris. The one who IS black is AL. Did I hit your head against the wall too hard or something?" Yet it worked in his favor, Xero carelessly divulging information at the teenager's expense.
"Even if I did lose brain cells, my brain isn't smooth enough to rattle the names of all my targets. If Gris were here, he'd laugh his ass off." Domio put a snigger on his mask.
"Grr! Shut up! As if you're in any place to talk to me about brainpower! That cold body of yours stopped all brain activity in that skull far before anything came out my mouth!" Xero retorted.
"That just means you're more stupid than someone medically classified as brain dead." For someone whose body temperature cruised in the sub-zero, the words exiting his mouth were nothing short of infernal.
"GRRR! I'LL MAKE YOU DEAD DEAD!"
"Then you'd be dumber than a corpse." Domio could not help himself.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE!...
EXPAND!-
Fear saturated the immediate radius, engulfing the warlock in a sea of darkness.
...ゴゴゴゴ!
Upon natural light returning to Domio's pupils, what stood before him was far worse than anything he faced up until that point.
"The first thing your father will see is your mangled corpse hanging over my shoulder. Enjoy those legs while you can, brat!"
FLARE!...
Xero's hair also spiked, growing slightly longer than its original hairstyle. His yellow irises were replaced with glowing crimson orbs, with black upside-down power signals. Deep red highlights were apparent on the tips of his hair, giving the illusion of a bloodstained haircut.
PRESSURE!-!-!
Besides the physical, fear energy concentrated around his being, he was turning the atmosphere overpoweringly dense.
'Mutterficker! I wanted to stall for time, not rile him up a notch! That's the same form his sister took!' Remembering Demigod Divinity's appearance, the Loweean knew he would have a bad time.
'I wanted someone to bail me out, but I'm out of time.' Domio gazed dead ahead at the powered-up VPU.
'This fear feels unreal, even worse than Vhestora's. And even if I managed to live, Citadel who's stronger than both of them is around the corner.' Looking around, he saw the floating VPU senior wordlessly spectating the struggle.
"YOU'RE SO FUCKED!"
ZOOM!-
Crouching, the destroyer deity concentrated the power into his legs, before springboarding off the ground with full intent of ending the boy's life.
'Is this it?!...' Domio braced for impact, using his remaining arm to shield his face.
-SLIDE!
Lowering his stance, Xero's heightened state switched its positioning within a moment's notice. Stopping his rush, his feet slid on the ground, preparing himself with a wound-up fist.
UPPERCUT-
GLOW!...
-SHATTER!
As it tore through the air, the VPU's knuckles made contact with the warlock's chin. The geometric veins attempted to mitigate the damage, yet they were simply bypassed by the sheer concentration of fear.
DROPKICK!
"GRAH!" The VPU yelled in shock.
Yet Xero's attack was interrupted by a flying foot that felt as if a double heel kick struck him.
"A-Ah?" A dumbfounded sound escaped Domio's lips, the realization that his head was still attached to his shoulders before owlishly blinking.
TUMBLE!-
SKID!...
"FUCK! Who in their right mind...?!" The harbinger of destruction sprawled out from the blow before swearing profoundly as he got to his feet.
"Are you alright, Domio?" The voice that was all too familiar asked the Loweean teenager before landing in front of him, the tall, broad-shouldered savior inquiring with a reassuring tone.
A spiky fro, dark bronze skin, and a goofy facial expression all being signature expressions of AL who stood tall against a familiar foe while looking back at his buddy's kid.
"AL! It's really you!- Ack!..." Domio started to speak, before wincing in pain.
Fear energy coursed through the mandibular fracture the ice mage sustained from Xero's knuckles brushing against his chin. Clenching his teeth helped him take his mind off the pain, yet the otherworldly energy persisted beyond his body's current resistance to it.
"...Holy shit." Doing a once over on the boy, AL smile fell with the countless injuries he sustained all over his pale skin, not to mention his shredded clothes, busted jaw, and ripped-off arm.
"I'll be fine- ow." Blood started to leak from the bottom half of his teeth. "Did you see Rom and Ram?" Domio gargled.
"Yeah. They should be with Nebula and Gris by now. I'm just glad I made it in time to save ya." AL breathed a sigh of relief.
"So those little shits ran back to my opps? Figures." Listening in on the conversation, Xero interjected, upside-down power signals glaring at the flame user. "After I'm done with you two I'll stomp the life out of the snot-nosed fuckups!"
"In your wildest dreams."
IGNITE!
AL's hair went from an unassuming dark shade to glowing yellow before settling on a bright orange hue. His eyes combusted into focused embers alongside his flaming eyebrows. A large fire permeated across his chest, swaying with energy before he continued speaking.
"We're gonna settle this shit right here, Xero!" Widening his legs, he got into a stance. As he did that, a mental communication took place.
'Domio. I need you to get to Nepgear and the others. Compa should be able to get you patched up for what it's worth with the added benefit of explaining the situation with Xero to the more cautious members like IF. I cannot in good conscience keep you here given your condition.' The flaming warrior telepathically communicated.
'But where are they?' The warlock kept his eyes on the VPU, who was speaking, yet only listened to AL's words.
'If you keep going a little to the left behind Xero, you'll find them. I'll give you a distraction and you bolt as fast as you can, got it?' AL instructed.
'...On your mark, AL.' Entrusting his well-being to his honorary uncle, Domio took a deep breath through his nose, mist expelling from the frigid nostrils.
"-So whatever you do, I'll still shit on you so hard the methane from my farts will make you spontaneously combust, bitch! GYAHAHAHAHAHA!" Entertained by his tirade of vile insults and threats, the VPU laughed maniacally.
"Keep that same energy when you're burned out, asshole"
SUMMON!...
bad to the bone sound effect dot mp3-
「Fighting Fire With Fire」, or 「F2WF」 for short was brought into the world in its skeletal glory, unbeknownst to Xero.
Yet Domio felt a chilling presence from the stand's summoning though unable to pinpoint its exact location.
STEP!... STEP... STEP!
The flaming phantom approached the confident VPU, some meters ahead of AL as its range was utilized silently.
ドドドドドド!
The skeleton closed the gap without the VPU noticing the incoming threat as F2WF clenched its fist.
"SORA!"
BAM!
"GAK!" Xero guttered, flinching from what could be seen as nothing from his perspective.
With a valiant cry, the stand clocked the unguarded VPU in the face, his cheek collecting a bony fist of malintent.
'NOW!' AL internally shouted.
SKYROCKET!
Domio kicked off the ground with all his might, blasting into the sky with AL's word.
PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH
PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH!
Before Xero could turn his head to spot the fleeting warlock, the VPU was bombarded by an invisible wall of fists that terrorized his frame with relentless speed and considerable force.
"SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA
SORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORASORA!-"
All with the tongue-twisting cries of the phantom manifestation as it softened the flesh of the VPU with violence and prejudice fit for a target like a VPU, evident on its flames burning wildly in tandem with its beatdown.
LAUNCH!-
THRUST!
Stomping off the floor himself, AL's leg strength was further augmented by a second bout of propulsion, his soles and palms adding speed to his already incredible velocity.
-SMASH!
"!" Xero's breath hitched, with the invisible force's attacks ceasing to allow the martial artist to land a resounding knee to his forehead.
"JUMP HIS ASS!" The fiery fighter screamed.
"BY WHAT, YOUR FUCKING IMAGINATION!- ARGH!"
KICK!-
ELBOW!-
BAM!
STRIKE!
-POW-POW-POW!
-THRASH!
A forward kick from AL, sandwiched by F2WF's elbow to the spine. Quickly extended by a high back kick to the chin that sent Xero into a nasty ax handle from the phantom menace to a Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku spin-kick that laddered the VPU in a three-hit combo to be spiked by the stand's diving elbow drop.
FLIP!-
The brazen martial artist aimed for a backflip kick to send the VPU back into the air again.
GRAB!
-SLAM!
"Guh!" AL guttered, as the plan was grounded by Xero twisting his body to grab the flaming fighter's foot before yanking him to the ground with the deity simultaneously.
STOMP!
"MOTHERFUCKER!" Xero shouted with the bony stand double-heel kicking him in his scapula, forcing him to let go of AL's hand.
SWEEP!-
THWACK!
Pushing his body off the ground, AL swerved his legs around to sweep kick the VPU away, before raising his legs, pushing off the ground into several flips, and landing on a knee.
STAB!...
"SHOWOFF!" Xero snarled, winding back his sword.
-HURL!
With a mighty swing, the blade went flying, spinning numerous times through the air to AL's position.
J-JAR!
"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK!-" Xero's brain would be steaming from trying to comprehend how a sword HE threw just happened to stop listening to physics the time he didn't use fear energy to violate it.
Unnoticed by the raging god, F2WF held the sword with his hand before curiously inspecting the blade.
"Hmm..." AL's eyes narrowed before a devious smile widened across his lips.
GRIP!
The stand's fingers held tightly onto the blade, causing it to decrease in temperature exponentially.
The blade became brittle, its edges chipping from the staggeringly decreased temperature with the weapon vibrating abnormally from the stand's ability taking place.
WRENCH!
CRACK!...
The sword declined at an alarming rate in Xero's eyes, suddenly embrittling at a pace he'd never before witnessed.
FRACTURE!...
...SNAP!
The sword continued to deteriorate before its temperature reached low enough that it could not keep itself together. Henceforth, the abnormal blade was snapped in twain.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME! IT BROKE IN MID-FUCKING-AIR!?" Xero was an oomph away from foaming at the mouth with how asinine the turns of events became in such a short period out of his favor.
It was downright bizarre, even for a madhouse like Hyperdimension.
"Skill issue, my not-so-friend." AL smiled at the VPU's expense. "Already different from the first time you got your ass handed to you, no?" The fire warrior reminded the deity.
"ENOUGH!"
FEAR ARUA!
"S-Shit!" The stand user cursed under his breath, crossing his arms in an X-formation.
The battlefield darkened, fear energy encumbering the natural atmosphere. AL's body, while resistant while already encountering it before, was still under immense pressure from the ascended Xero's saturation of the abominable power source.
"Let's see if you can keep talking after THIS!"
BOOM!-
"?!"
Xero's body acclimated to a speed that allowed him to seemingly warp in AL's eyes, the surrounding air rippling violently as he flinched from the sudden proximity.
KICK!-
THOOM!
"GA-"
The VPU's foot swung back before driving itself through the ground to smash into AL's family jewels with utmost precision and extreme prejudice. On AL's end, the pain overloaded his ability to gutter accordingly.
FADE!...
Even F2WF faded from the pain that its user endured in that instant.
WHOOSH!
On top of the fact that the kick had enough force to send him flying, in his stunned state.
SLAM!-
-R-RUMBLE!...
Flying to reach the dazed pyro specialist, Xero dropkicked the martial artist in the gut with enough force to cause a shockwave that made the ground shudder slightly.
GRAB!-
CRASH!
Before clutching AL's skull and smashing his head into the ground with enough pressure to cause giant fissures and a large crater to form on the landing zone with several piles of junk and rocks sent flying.
"Devastation."
CHARGE...!
Through his flinching, the brawler's eyes opened from the utterance of the apparent SP Skill before he felt an ominous amount of light concentrate on top of his face.
EXPLOSION!
From point blank, a powerful eruption of black and red fear energy expanded in an unstable expulsion that obliterated all of the debris in the immediate area, darkening the surroundings.
PHASE!
Xero reappeared outside of his attack, spectating his handiwork with the skill beginning to subside.
EMBLAZE!
"The fuck?" Xero's brow raised, seeing the fear energy dissipate with bright raging flames replacing their presence.
"Gonna have to try harder than that, Xero." Walking out of the dispersing flames, AL walked with scathing wounds, yet he felt several magnitudes stronger.
'Already at two-hundred fold? This guy hits hard, I'll give him that...' The fiery warrior silently admitted before coming to a stop.
"Heh. Didn't know VPUs gave love taps." A dry laugh escaped the dark-skinned man's lips. "No wonder you couldn't kill some kids if this is the best you got." His demeanor became hostile, eyes narrowing with embers brightening.
BLOW!
Exhaling, the burning fighter sent a large stream of smoke in the VPU's direction. Xero didn't flinch upon realizing there was no imminent threat, yet that would be to his detriment.
INFLAME!
"Grr!"
When the smoke was replaced with streamlined flames, AL's Flamethrower burned all in its path including the unassuming VPU!
"FUCK OFF!"
SCATTER!
Using his voice, Xero dispersed the flames with nothing more than the strength of his vocal cords.
REEL!...
Yet the clearing smoke revealed AL, who had forgone his previous position to get the jump on the VPU from his side.
"Vulcan Knuckle!"
FWOOSH!
Aiming for his liver, the fiery martial artist ignited his fist for a staggering blow.
GRAB!-
THROW!
Yet Xero was quick enough to clutch the man's fist after coating his hand in fear energy, before tossing his entire body in front of him as the flames were neutralized.
-BOOST!
"Scorching Schneider!"
Not leaving his assault on a loss, the human quickly recovered before propelling off the floor with flaming propulsion and using its torque to execute a blitzing high kick.
DODGE!
A sidestep from the VPU left the attack to whiff harmlessly, only increasing the heat near the harbinger of destruction.
THRUST!-
BOOST!-
-KICK!
"Argh!"
Sending a propulsive force on the toes of his overextended foot gave him the countering torque necessary to twist his body to the side while boosting the heel of his other foot to land a solid kick to the side of the VPU's head.
SLIDE!...
DASH!
Xero slid from the impact as AL twirled horizontally before landing and continuing his offensive maneuvers.
"Vulcan Hammer!"
IMMOLATE!...
Clasping fists, the flaming fighter prepared a devastating axe handle.
CHARGE!...
SHOVE!-
Gathering fear energy in his palm, the edgy VPU thrust his hand forward with the unearthly power at the human's attack.
KA-BOOM!
-PHASE!
Cue another obnoxious explosion, with AL spinning vertically from recoil as Xero barely managed to keep himself grounded before rushing the stance-broken warrior.
REAPPEAR!-
PUNCH-KICK-ELBOW-HOOK-HEADBUTT!
A flurry of strikes; a jab that a front kick, left elbow hook, right hook, and a headbutt to the nose followed materializing from the VPU.
B-B-BARRAGE!
Before it evolved into a relentless combination of different blows that caused AL to convulse wildly from the allocation of damage throughout the blows.
"RAAH!"
COMBUST!-
Briefly summoning his flame armor, it was enough spontaneous force to shove the fists and feet of Xero off of the beaten mortal.
'SHIT! I-I'm at five-hundred fold my base?! I gotta start laying some punishment or else I'll cap before this guy even bleeds!' AL grew wary of his current condition amid his breather.
CHARGE!-
-IGNITE!
"Flaring Blazar!"
KI and flames collaborated to create a large sphere that swirled with fire yet pulsed with fighting plasmic qualities.
BLAST!-
UNSHACKLE!
The blast of energy approached Xero as he yanked his hand, lengthening the chains previously shackled to his arm.
SWING!-
-DEFLECT!
The fear energy that coursed through the chains allowed Xero's arm to smack the blast out of his vicinity.
...THOOM!...
-GUST!...
-RUMBLE!...
"H-How!" The martial artist mouthed.
With a resounding detonation powerful enough to cause a severe gust to blow over where they stood, hair and clothes flapped wildly with a shocked face on AL's visage.
"WEAK!" The VPU shouted indignantly. "You're tougher than those kids, but what the hell was that supposed to do, give me sunburn?" A cocky brow rose.
"I'll show you sunburn! You'll go from UV rays to IV drips in a sec!"
BURST!
SWIRL...!
Cupping his hands, AL focused energy into his palms as a fiery aura encompassed his frame.
"Go ahead, was looking forward to a tan." Folding his hands, Xero expected nothing much from whatever AL was planning.
"I'd suggest you move if you value your life." AL cryptically warned.
SUMMON!...
...INFLAME!
-COMBUST!
Fighting Fire With Fire reappeared, placing its hands inside the ball of blue energy that soon turned a harsh orangish-red, AL's flames added and augmented into blistering white embers.
"Because this will give you a taste of what's waiting for you in hell!" The human shouted, his attack near completion.
"I doubt that." Xero checked his imaginary watch.
"SHIN SHANKUNETSU...!"
The first words were spoken with conviction.
"HADŌŌŌŌŌŌŌKEN!"
FWOOSH!
"Is that- SHIT IS HUGE!" Xero's tone switched upon seeing what was approaching him.
Throwing his hands forward, AL sent a behemoth's worth of flaming KI in Xero's path. Large enough to dwarf several-story buildings, the VPU's face of dismissal became that of surprise.
INCINERATE!
Several remaining objects whether debris or mountainous formations were reduced to melted sludge if not evaporated by the size of the wave, and even those in reasonable proximity were still burned significantly.
FSSH...!
The flaming blast died down, leaving a smoldering wasteland in its wake.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
What was once icy from Domio's EXE Drive was now a steaming mess from AL's stunt, with the perpetrator collecting his breath in the same pose he released the attack in.
"Think you burned a nose hair." The smoke clouds revealed a relatively unharmed Xero, despite some of his clothes being burned off and his hair slightly ruffled. Said VPU was picking his nose, and found soot within his nostril.
"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding..." Beads of sweat collected on AL's face, seeing with his eyes that Xero managed to tank an attack like that without much effort.
"Me? Kid? I kill those. Whatchu talkin' bout?" Cracking his neck, the VPU stretched out his hands before clutching the air.
WRAP!
WRAP!
"O-Oi!" AL shouted as ebony chains sprouted from the ground, wrapping around the martial artist's legs.
AL struggled to free himself with his legs not budging one bit, only the helpless jingling of Xero's chains showing any signs of movement from the shins down.
"Now it's my turn, hothead." A sinister snigger made its way onto the VPU's lips as his red eyes glinted with glee.
DARKEN!-
-AURA!
The atmosphere grew dimmer before concentrating its hue on Xero creating a considerably powerful aura surrounding him.
"OUT OF THE FRYING PAN...!"
Closing his demeanor, the harbinger of destruction crossed his forearms and brought them to his chest, slightly hunching over before tucking his knees and bowing his head.
GLOW!...
"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!-"
S-SHACKLE!
Soon, his entire body glowed bright red as AL's struggle became desperate to free his legs from the incoming devastation.
"...AND INTO THE FIRE!"
BLAST!
R-R-R-R-RUMBLE!
The absorption of fear energy was discharged instantaneously after Xero's words, engulfing AL and the battlefield in an encompassing dome of unadulterated dread made manifest.
The ground shuddered with fright, as the air greyshaded from the saturation.
FLASH!-
-...THUNDER!
Even the environment reacted adversely to the unleashing of the VPU's energy, with lightning appearing red when flashing and thunder resembling a beast's growl.
EXPLODE!...
Upon persisting for several seconds, the fear energy detonated, creating a gargantuan explosion that dealt even more damage to the martial artist before the attack ended.
GUST!
Xero flexed his aura before dispersing it, clearing the smoke and dust that collected through the attack's aftermath to see what state AL was in.
"..."
Several smoking wounds, scratches, and cuts were present on the fiery warrior's body. Heavy breathing confirmed his status as alive, yet the look in his ember for pupils was painfully conscious despite the perceived growth in strength.
'E-Eight hundred times base...! From that alone!...' Barely managing a thought, the strength he gained felt as if it was necessary to survive that attack, rather than thrive on the battlefield.
"So you're not dead yet. Good, very good." A malignant smile graced the VPU's features.
...DRAG!
The chain on Xero's arm loosened, leaving a trail of fear-infused metal dragging behind the deity as he sauntered to the martial artist.
-WHIP!
"GAGH!"
The sound of fabric and flesh being ripped from AL's side accompanied an echoing strike as Xero yanked his hand to damage the stationary stand user.
"Because it'll be a shame if you died before I could see the look of agony on your face!"
WHIP!...
"Ptoo!"
SWING!...
"Ghk!"
YANK!...
"Hnng!"
Using the same arm, the VPU repeatedly abused the bound warrior with his elongated chain, striking him in the face before moving on to his torso and his restrained legs.
...BLOCK!
AL could do nothing but endure, receiving chain strike after chain strike with only the solace of guarding with his arms.
"NO BLOCKING!"
SHOCKWAVE!
"GAAAH!-" Screams of agony escaped AL's lips.
Yanking his other arm, the chain quickly extended to strike his liver, causing his stance to significantly degrade within moments at a hit strong enough to illicit a harrowing shockwave.
"Just for that..." Xero's expression darkened.
"CHAIN MASSACRE!"
GLOW...!
The VPU's chains glowed black with red outlines, before floating off the floor. Reeling both hands, the destructive deity prepared to unleash havoc.
-WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP! WHIP!
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Dozens of attacks piled on the bronze-skinned warrior, clothes shredding with skin and blood flying in all directions with the chains remorselessly skinning AL alive with nasty lacerations and sickening cuts from the depth of their strikes.
His screams of torment reverberated through the desolate and stormy background, each whipping strong enough to cause slight tremors to the constant pace of tireless beatings from Xero.
"SHA-RYA!"
THOOM!
Swinging his chains simultaneously, the VPU's bonded weapons smashed into the fiery warrior's ribs. Most likely obliterated from the impact, the embers within AL's eyes dimmed to a dangerous extent with the pyrokinetic barely holding onto consciousness.
UNSHACKLE!...
The chains that tied AL to the floor were released, and his body was brought to his knees unceremoniously.
His power coursed off his body, indicating his multiplier achieving its ceiling.
"What a weakling. I whip you into shape and you're ready to roll over and die? Fucking pathetic." Looking down with a dissatisfied scowl, Xero folded his arms.
...TENSE!
"N-No..." Before his upper half slouched over, the martial artist held himself up.
"Oh?" A brow rose on the demented deity's face.
"I'm not done yet...!" The embers in AL's eyes slowly brightened, the vigor to continue swelling inside his lacerated body.
HEAT!...
"I'M NOT GONNA GIVE UP! ESPECIALLY NOT TO SOMEONE LIKE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
BURST!
Flames spiked from all directions before flailing wildly, AL's aura raging as he screamed bloody murder.
ENVELOP!
An armor of fiery properties wrapped around his torso and legs, before the vulcanizing protection covered his head, leaving his hair to sway excitedly.
"Looks like you still got some fight left in ya."
...FLOAT!
Xero ascended into the air upon his target's revitalized state, albeit from gusto rather than recuperation.
"Hell yeah, I do! Just try and take me down!"
IGNITE!
Summoning fireballs in his hands, AL clenched his fist before they permeated around his hands to create a flaming aura around his mitts.
"No need to try when I'm this strong." Sticking out his hand, the VPU prepared for battle.
"Diabolical Douser."
-FEAR BLASTS!
With tremendous speed, countless fear shots poured from Xero's hand and headed for the ground.
BOOST!
Launching off the floor, AL took to the air as he rushed the VPU despite his widespread attack with the projectiles closing in on the fiery fighter.
FWOOSH!
Maneuvering his body around the blasts, the martial artist contorted and twisted whilst deactivating and reactivating the flaming thrusters of his palms and soles to accurately avoid several of the myriad of attacks heading his way.
Xero increased the ante after observing how easily his opponent evaded his blows.
GLOW!...
The pausing of his SP Skill caused the chain on the arm he used to launch his blasts to glow an unsettling black.
ZOOM!
The lack of danmaku blasts prompted AL to rush ahead, taking advantage of the lack of threatening entities heading toward him.
It was not until the flaming fighter was upon the VPU that he realized the maniacally grinning Xero and his glowing chains.
"Ebon Pike."
"Wh-" AL was interrupted.
RUSH!-
The blackened chain lunged for the unprepared human, his senses barely registering the object vibrating out of existence from pure velocity.
SLICE!
"G-Gah!"
Too slow to completely evade, the chain nicked the warrior in the shoulder, narrowly missing AL's head with blood and flames flying from the fresh wound that managed to bypass both his armor and constitution.
-SWIVEL!
The chain extended for a small bit before making a curved yet curt U-turn to attempt to strike the martial artist from his flank.
BLAST!
Using his hands, AL sent a large expulsion of fire to his right, shoving his body inversely to the left.
-TURN!
Yet it did nothing to shake the chains, that simply adapted to his change in position with extreme prejudice.
FWASH-FWASH-FWASH!
-EXPEL!...
Switching to his feet for propulsion, the martial artist sent fireball after fireball at the chains, which did nothing but be dispelled by their mere existence thanks to Xero's fear energy.
CHARGE...!
...BURN!
Stretching his hand to the sky, AL concentrated KI into a spear-like manner before enchanting it with the flames of his body.
"Infernal..!"
BURST!
The martial artist's aura flared as the spear brightened with the intensity of his energy.
"...SPEAR!"
THROW!
Firing his EXE Drive at the chain, it tore through the sky. Briefly turning orange from its luminosity, the underside of the clouds and ground shined a yellowish-orange as it raced ahead.
-KA-BOOM!-
A thunderous shockwave emitted from the blast radius, AL covering his face due to the force of the clash between the two combatant's attacks. Wind rushed in all directions with the flames that propelled the fire user struggling to maintain their position.
The winds became calm, as AL remained vigilant for signs of the chains that could stem from the large smoke cloud left behind.
"..."
Narrowing his eyes, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.
"Negative Velocity."
"?!" A gasp from the fighter's lips.
Twisting his torso, AL met with the origin of the voice he heard, none other than Xero floating beside him.
BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!
In a single moment, a thousand blows were delivered to every portion of his blazing body from every direction.
DISPERSE!...
The flames that shielded him were scattered, eyes completely white with the previously tensed warrior reduced to a thoughtless state.
But it was not without the psychopathic grin that became a trademark of Xero's face.
A/N:
Chapter complete!
The CPUs and GPUs are on their way to assist Domio after feeling Xero's intense and malicious energy with Rom and Ram's notification! Yet Domio has already left for the remaining CPU Candidates at AL's behest after a miraculous twist of fate! After taking the mantle of fighting the insurmountable VPU, even the likes of one of the strongest humans in the party struggle to keep his life!
Will the gods and goddesses make it in time?
Can Domio alert the others of his and AL's condition?
And finally, will AL be able to keep up against the eldritch power of Xero?
Keep watch for the next chapters of Omnidimension Neptunia: Infinite Memes!
Read and Review!
Arrivederci.