~~000~~

Tales of the Multiverse Bit 265

"I'm cool with being part of the Heroes Coalitions as long as that unpleasant sorcerer you call a duck isn't in it!"

Daffy Duck expressed what he thought about becoming part of the Heroes Coalitions but his remark got him a smack on the back of the head from Lola Bunny.

~~000~~


Back with Joash Ebony, we find him heading up the stairs to the seventeenth floor, with Fenice's talisman swinging from the right side of his pants.

"You know, I've got to say, hypnotizing Fenice was pretty impressive." Joash admitted, "But I know my familiar better than anyone." he stated.

When he finally reached the seventeenth floor, Joash spotted Lukz Ramzyse slumped against the wall and is out cold. Looking around, he noticed Gillian "Gill" Norman sitting on the ground in a sort of crunched-up position while rocking back and forth.

Joash whistled in amusement, "You really took him down by yourself?" he assumed.

Gill shook his head, "Nah, I had some help." he clarified while pointing to his right.

Joash followed the gesture and saw a figure leaning against the wall, and it was "Captain" Cesaro Barbossa, who gave him a casual nod with a smirk.

"Evening." Joash greeted, "And you are?" he inquired.

"Cesaro Barbossa." Cesaro replied while pushing himself off the wall, "But feel free to call me Captain or just the Spectator." he beckoned, "I'm with the Destiny's Empire." he added with a grin.

"I'm Joash Ebony and a Seer from Gospel." Joash introduced himself before turning back to Gill, "So, where's your buddy?" he asked.

Gill looked up while a bit frazzled, "He's up there." he answered, "I heard him yell just a moment ago." he shared, "I'm clueless about what's going on right now." he admitted.

Cesaro crossed his arms, "You're not gonna help him?" he questioned.

Gill nodded slightly, "Nah, I'd probably just make things worse." he confessed.

Joash took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled, "Looks like you're pretty comfortable putting yourself down." he said while raising an eyebrow, "Is the whole 'weakest' label really getting to you?" he pointed out.

Gill sighed in response, "I'm not gonna lie, it does bug me when people bring it up." he admitted, "But hey, that's just how it is." he pointed out, "I'll keep pushing forward." he stated.

Joash nodded in understanding, "If that's what you think." he acknowledged.

"And what about you, Joash?" Cesaro called out, "You're not gonna help him either?" he inquired.

Joash took another puff, "I'm not exactly his biggest fan but I reckon he can handle it now." he replied.

Cesaro chuckled in amusement, "Alright, if you've got faith in him, then I guess I do too." he conceded while picking up Lukz with a grin, "I'll go get all our friends who've been knocked out and take them back to the Training Camp." the captain stated, "I'll think of something to tell them about why they're all out cold." he added.

Gill nodded in response, "I know they were hypnotized and chances are they won't recall what happened tonight." he pointed out, "But there's always the possibility they'll remember bits and pieces in the next few days." he assumed.

"Don't stress." Cesaro reassured, "We've got a friend in the Training Camp who's an Oracle and she can wipe out their memories of this whole mess." he explained before turning to go down the stairs with Lukz slung over his shoulder.

Joash raised an eyebrow, "Destroy their memories?" he questioned.

"Yeah, our friend got that kind of terrifying power." Gill confirmed in dread, "Permanently, too." he added with a gulp.

Joash took a drag on his cigarette and letting out a stream of smoke, "Now, that's handy." he murmured with an impressed look.


(Play A Certain Magical Index Season 2 OST - Arata Naru Tatakai by Maiko Iuchi)

Back on the eighteenth floor, Buccaneer "Buckles" Murphy is depicted in a posture of combat as he confronts both the entranced Kanami Etou and Suzie Takahashi. In the vicinity, Michiru Honekawa is seen reclined against a wall, ostensibly in a state of slumber. Meanwhile, Ikaros Azaroth stands at a distance, observing the unfolding events with a discernible expression of amusement while Evanore Highmoon Wolfmoon is recumbent in a tranquil sleep behind him.

Initiating the offensive, Kanami, the first to advance, propels her blade towards Buckles with the intent to strike his thoracic region. However, Buckles' swift reaction results in the interception of the assault with his metal footwear, an unexpected defense mechanism given the shoes' origin as a relic from a past Halloween celebration and not intended for reuse.

Subsequently, Suzie enters the fray from an elevated position, brandishing her sword and aiming for Buckles' cranium. In a timely countermove, he redirects Kanami's blade upwards, effectively obstructing Suzie's descent. Following this, he delivers a blow to Kanami's left cheek, causing her to stagger backwards but maintain her balance.

Suzie, undeterred, recovers her stance mid-air and propels herself downward with her sword aimed at Buckles' head. He meets this onslaught with a deft backhand maneuver, which not only diverts the blade but also sets the stage for a powerful punch that launches her in reverse through the air. Despite the impact, Suzie demonstrates remarkable agility by executing an aerial backflip before gracefully touching down adjacent to Kanami, thereby maintaining her presence in the confrontation.

Subsequently, Kanami initiated the utilization of her illusionary magic, generating multiple duplicates of herself to confront her adversaries. In response, Suzie employed her own cloning technique, further complicating the combat scenario. Recognizing the potential for numerical disadvantage, Buckles considered the situation and retrieved a light bulb from his pocket. He deftly tossed it into the air and struck it with his fist, thereby activating a dazzling luminescence that emanated throughout the room. This radiant burst, empowered by the Fragment Smasher, effectively negated both the illusions and the clones, leaving only the true combatants visible.

Kanami, undeterred, launched another offensive, aggressively thrusting her blade towards Buckles. Despite her fervent attacks, the silver-haired young man managed to evade her strikes with exceptional skill. Eventually, he secured her blade in a headlock-like grip and exerting substantial force, pulled her towards him, culminating in a powerful punch that sent Kanami reeling backwards until she collapsed to the floor.

Suzie, not to be outdone, charged at buckles with her sword, alternating between swift, fencing-like thrusts and wild swings. Despite her marked agility, Buckles was adept at evading her offensive maneuvers. Seizing an opportunity, he took refuge behind a nearby sofa, causing Suzie to attempt a phasing maneuver through it. However, by placing both hands on the couch, Buckles activated the Fragment Smasher's capability to nullify her power, thus impeding her movement. Without hesitation, he delivered a forceful punch to her countenance, resulting in the flattening of her nose as she was propelled away from the couch.

Subsequently, Kanami initiated an aerial assault, descending with her weapon aimed at the pinnacle of Buckles. Despite his swift evasive maneuver, Buckles was not entirely successful in avoiding the blow as he managed to roll aside at the last moment. In a rapid sequence, the brunette-haired opponent attempted to pierce him in the thoracic region yet he was able to parry the onslaught several times before receiving minor injuries. With a well-timed leg elevation utilizing his metallic footwear, Buckles obstructed her weapon's trajectory and forcefully brought it to the ground with a resounding stomp. Following this, he executed an additional powerful uppercut, striking Kanami's mandible and causing her to recoil in reverse.

Buckles swiftly reoriented himself to evade a shuriken hurled by Suzie. She then invoked an array of ice spirits, resulting in a substantial volume of ice shards that she directed at him. Instead of retreating, Buckles evaded these sharp projections and found an opportunity to counter. However, she responded by summoning flaming spirits and propelled a multitude of fiery spheres towards him. Rather than retreating, Buckles charged ahead and met the fireballs with a series of punches, effectively neutralizing them.

Suzie's next stratagem involved rendering herself invisible but Buckles remained undeterred. He cast a sack of white powder in her direction, which upon contact with her visage, revealed her concealed form. Seizing this opportunity, he delivered a precise strike to her countenance, propelling her to the ground with significant force.

Ikaros chuckled while clearly enjoying the show, "Interesting, indeed." he mused, "I've gotta say, I like his fighting style." he admitted with a cheeky grin, "But, it looks like it's time to wrap things up here." he declared.

Before anyone could react, Ikaros conjured a bunch of chains that swiftly coiled around Buckles' legs and waist which immobilized him, "Crap!" the silver-haired young man exclaimed as he realized he'd been caught. He was just about to use his Fragment Smasher to break free when Kanami's blade stabbed through his chest and sending a spurt of blood flying, "Graaahgh!" he groaned in agony.

Then, Suzie dashed in with a pair of blades—Yorukaze and Shirasaya Wakizashi—and sliced through both of his arms at the shoulders and blood began spraying everywhere.

Buckles was frozen in place and his eyes wide with horror.

The room fell eerily quiet for a moment until Ikaros broke the silence with a low chuckle, "Hehehe..." which grew into a full-blown laugh, "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the laugher echoeing in the room.

Suddenly, another chuckle echoed through the air, stopping Ikaros in his tracks, "Hehehe..." it grew louder and everyone turned to see Buckles with his head thrown back while cackling like a lunatic, "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" and his laugh was mad and eerie, sending chills down everyone's spine.

"What the hell?!" Ikaros blurted out in shock, "How can you still be standing?" he questioned in confusion.

Buckles' laughter abruptly ceased as he fixed his gaze on Ikaros with eyes so wide and horrifying that the pupils had all but vanished while leaving only the tiniest dots in the center. His face was a gruesome sight, smeared with his own blood and a chillingly wide-demonic grin stretched from ear to ear. Despite the chains that bound him and the spear lodged deep within his body, Kanami held onto with all her might, he began to move forward in a slow, eerie shuffle. It was as if he were some kind of relentless zombie with Kanami being dragged along for the terrifying ride as he approached Ikaros.

"What the heck is up with this guy?" Ikaros yelled out, "Girls!" he called out, "Take him out!" he ordered and is really freaked out.

But before they could do anything, something weird happened.

A mysterious force, like nothing they've seen before, threw Suzie and Kanami in opposite directions. Kanami smashed into a bookshelf while Suzie slammed into the wall and both of them were knocked out cold from the impact.

"W-What's happening?!" Ikaros squawked in confusion and fear, "What was that?!" he yelled out.

Buckles, still standing there, talked to Seer with a nasty smile on his face, "You think you can beat me by cutting off my arms?" he said while taking a few wobbly steps closer, "You're dead wrong." he said, "My Fragment Smasher will keep going, even without my arms." he declared.

Ikaros was in full panic mode now, "N-No!" he shouted while trying to use his hypnosis on Buckles, "You've gotta die!" the Puppeteer ordered, "Stop breathing!" he added but nothing is working, "What?" he uttered in dread, "Why isn't it working?!" he exclaimed in despair.

Buckles then just kept coming closer, "Can't hypnotize me, huh?" he mocked, "Go ahead, try to boss me around some more." he beckoned with a terrifying grin.

"D-Don't come any closer!" Ikaros yelled in fear as he frantically tried to get away from the danger while using the large desk near the glass window as a barrier, "I can't be defeated by them!" he cried in his thoughts, "I'm one of the strongest seers out there!" he insisted, "I just can't lose!" he exclaimed with voice was filled with a desperate hope that seemed to be slipping away.

"You won't win against me." Buckles declared with a cold and unforgiving voice, and Ikaros's heart raced as he glanced up to see Buckles towering above him with a terrifying expression, "And by the way, my Fragment Smasher..." the silver-haired young man trailed, "... it's got a mind of its own." he shared with a hint of something eerie in his tone.

"Please, no..." Ikaros pleaded.

Buckles' grin grew wider, "You know, I think it'd like to introduce itself to you." he went on.

"This guy..." Ikaros thought to himself, "He's a monster..." he trailed.

And without warning, "THEY WANT TO MEET YOU!" Buckles roared and just like that, two dragon-like heads emerged from the sides of his arms, letting out earth-shattering roars that filled the room with terror.

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Ikaros shrieked in terror as the dragon crashed down on top of him and plunging everything into darkness.

All that remained were the sickening crunch of bones and the splatter of blood echoing in the sudden silence.

Bzzzzttt...

Three days passed since the chaos at St. Santiago Cram School and things started to feel pretty much back to the usual routine. The school had to be closed down temporarily because of Ikaros Azaroth's mysterious vanishment. The folks from the Heroes Coalitions who got hypnotized are now okay but boy, they're still nursing some sore cheeks from the good ol' fashioned wake-up call courtesy of Buckles. The aforementioned boy, Buckles is not doing so well either as he ended up in the hospital while getting patched up after his wild stunt. Dr. Carlos Jose San Juan had quite the job on his hands of having to reattach both his arms and fix the big hole in his chest. Poor fella's been in the hospital for three days in a row.

Meanwhile, we catch up with Gill and Cesaro chilling on the balcony of a cozy two-story cafe while just shooting the breeze.

"It's a relief everyone's acting normal again." Gill uttered in relief, "But I've gotta admit, it's kind of funny they're still aching after three whole days." he mused.

"Seriously, how strong are Buckles' punches anyway?" Cesaro wondered, "On second thought, maybe I don't want to know." he stated.

"Thankfully, Cocoa managed to erase everyone's memories of that wild night." Gill mentioned.

Cesaro nodded in agreement, "Yeah, especially Kanami and Suzie." he singled out.

"You know, if Kanami ever finds out she's the one who stabbed Buckles, she'll totally freak out." Gill said with a serious tone, "Her crush on him would make it so much worse." he added.

"What about Suzie?" Cesaro questioned.

"Oh, she'd be devastated." Gill replied, "If she ever learns about it, she'd be a crying mess." he assumed, "That Yorukaze blade of hers is a family treasure and it's supposed to be used against enemies, and not against friends like Buckles." he added, "Plus, it's never been stained with the blood of someone pure-hearted before." he pointed out.

"At least I cleaned the blood off her weapons." Cesaro said while taking a sip of his coffee, "Otherwise, she'd be asking questions we don't want to answer." he stated.

"You're a lifesaver." Gill expressed in gratitude.

As they continue on with their conversation, Evanore strolls by the cafe down below.

Bzzzttt...

Meanwhile in the Neo-City Hospital, we head into one of the rooms where Dr. San Juan is busy checking on Buckles, who's sitting on his bed with a couple of slings on his arms and a bandage on his head alongside another bandage on his cheek too.

"It's pretty amazing how well everything's connected again." Dr. San Juan uttered in bemusement, "Is your body made of some kind of fantasy material or what?" he inquired.

Buckles just looks at him and is not sure what to make of that, "You're the one who operated on me." he pointed out and like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, but you've been in and out of here." Dr. San Juan reminded, "I'm starting to think you might have a thing for nurses." he joked.

"What the hell are you saying?!" Buckles exclaimed in annoyance, "Do you really think I'd cut off my own arms for that?" he assumed.

Dr. San Juan shrugged his shoulders, "Well, you're still young." he replied, "You can go home tomorrow, so just take it easy, okay?" he advised before leaving the room.

Buckles just flops back on his bed, "What does that guy think of me?" he murmured to himself in annoyance.

Joash then strolls into the room while holding a basket brimming with fresh fruits, "Hmm..." he hummed out loud, "... that doc's not too shabby, I gotta admit." he commented.

Buckles does a double-take, "What the?!" he squawked, "How'd you end up here?" he asked at the unexpected company.

Joash shrugged in response and plunks the basket down on the closest table while pulling up a chair with a scrape, "Thought I'd swing by, check up on you." he replied while taking an apple and starts peeling it with a knife like he's all casual about it.

"Well, I guess that's nice of you." Buckles expressed in gratitude.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Joash interjected, "I'm not here to be your buddy or anything." he said, "I'm tight with Gill, though." he admitted while taking another apple and starts peeling it.

Buckles just looks at him, "So, what happened after that?" he asked in confusion.

"You don't know?" Joash lresponded.

Buckles shakes his head, "Not a clue." he replied, "I just woke up this morning and Gill hasn't been by yet." he explained.

Joash murmured thoughtfully, "So, Ikaros has lost his memories, his magical powers and his sanity." he listed off, "He is currently in a mental institution and he's going to stay there for the rest of his life." he continued, "And they've shut down St. Santiago Cram School too." he added, "I thought about thanking you but it just seems silly to me." he admitted.

"What the heck..." Buckled under his breath in irritation.

Joash then gently set a plate of apple slices on Buckles' lap, "There's something I've been meaning to ask..." the seer trailed, "What went down back there?" he asked, "You know, the place looked like a battleground, your arms all chopped off and Ikaros looks like he was mauled by some sort of creature." he described.

Looking down, Buckles spoke hesitantly, "Well, after I got stabbed and lost my arms, everything went fuzzy..." he trailed, ".. so I really can't recall that much." he admitted.

Nodding understandingly, Joash crossed his arms, "Ah, you went berserk without realizing it. " he concluded, "That makes sense." he acknowledged, "Let's not worry about that right now. " he beckoned, "We'll look into it later." he added.

Just as they were getting deep into their conversation, they heard Evanore's voice from outside the room, calling for Buckles and Joash glanced over curiously. Evanore barged in and her face etched with concern and she found Buckles staring at the open window while Joash had vanished. Evanore swiftly hopped onto his bed and moving in close.

"I've heard about it." Evanore uttered out loud.

"What are you talking about?" Buckles questioned in confusion.

"That you got yourself injured again and this time it was for Michiru." Evanore stated while eyeing him skeptically.

"Michiru?" Buckles repeated and his eyes growing wide in realization, "Oh no, I completely forgot!" he exclaimed in panic, "Where is she?" he inquired while sounding anxious.

"I'm right here." a gentle voice called out.

Buckles then turned to his right and spotted Michiru tucked away in the corner.

"Honekawa!" Buckles exclaimed in shock, "What on earth are you doing with Evanore?" he asked.

Evanore picked up a piece of sliced apple, "Well, I didn't see Gill around, so I figured I'd bring her along." she explained casually while taking a bite, "Plus, she was really eager to see you." she added with a smirk.

Michiru spoke up softly while catching both of their eyes, "Why?" she questioned while looking a bit guilty, "Why did you save me?" she asked, "We met only once in the restaurant." she reminded.

Buckles took a deep breath, "I don't need a special reason to help someone." he answered with conviction, "It just felt like the right thing to do." he added and this made Michiru's eyes grow a bit larger and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

Evanore spoke up, "After talking it over, the Gospel decided to take Michiru under their wing." she shared while the aforementioned girl approached the bedside.

"Is that so?" Buckles asked in surprise.

Michiru nodded in response, "They said they can find a way to control my powers." she shared.

"And..." Evanore trailed, "Michiru is going to stay with me and Mika in her apartment." she added.

Buckles cracked a smile, "I see." he uttered in acknowledged before turning to Michiru, "Once the Gospel figures out how to handle your abilities, you can live the normal life you've always dreamed of." the silver-haired boy pointed out, "I'm happy for you." he expressed.

Michiru returned the smile, "Yes, thank you." she replied gratefully.

A/N: Inspired from someonestupED, damnlastwords, Jamesdean5842, Hope the Victor and Ace Neptune. All OCs and concepts not created by moi were given permission for me to use by it's respected creators.