The greatest in the Multiverse (Plural)

by Shinwashi

One year after the conclusion of the first multiversal tournament, the stage is set for the official follow-up. Everyone from last time have returned to fight for glory, personal goals or whatever reasons they have, but this time there's a new rule thrown into the mix. One that's gonna test the bonds they've all built over the last year...

7. Semifinals 2: To the right end

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Same warning as the previous chapter - this is a really long one. So unless you like marathon reading, I recommend reading this one in bits. Hope you enjoy!)

"WITH THAT SHOCKING ROLLERCOASTER OF A BATTLE BEHIND US, WE'LL SWIFTLY MOVE ON TO THE SECOND SEMIFINAL! AND WHILE IT MIGHT NOT HAVE THE PREVIOUS CHAMPION IN IT, IT MIGHT VERY WELL SHOWCASE OUR NEXT ONES! SO LET'S TURN ANY LINGERING FROWNS UPSIDE DOWN!"

You really had to hand it to Googlorp - despite the unexpected tragedy one round earlier, the announcer's words still kept the cheers from silencing too much. Of course, not even the most hype-inducing words could erase the stunned sorrow of what had just happened; Vuzrak's fate still left a lingering shadow on the event. Not only that, but most people would've agreed that this matchup just wasn't as exciting as the previous one. Nevertheless, the blue Plasmoid kept doing his job. Those action figures in the gift shop wouldn't sell themselves, after all.

"WELL THEN, LET'S KICK THINGS INTO HIGH GEAR! OUR SECOND SETS OF SEMIFINALISTS… LET'S GET THEM IN HERE! FEAST YOUR EYES ON THAT BLUE CORNER!"

Regardless of their excitement level, the massive crowd all did as Googlorp told. Soon they would witness the next team take the stage - two of the most capable and revered people in this part of existence.

"Oh screw it, why even bother? I can't do this, and I never will."

A vast majority of the contestants had a lot on their mind right now. And while most of them had done a decent job at keeping themselves in check, the same was not the case for John. The Tiefling's sour mood had been noticeable all day long, but it wasn't until now - right before the big fight - that it reached its lowest point. Everyone's composure had its limits; John's was just easier to hit than most others.

"Hey, come here. Tell me what's on your mind, and I'll listen. It's going to be fine, so try to stop shaking, okay?"

Luckily, John's possible breaking point wasn't gonna be reached today. Root's calming influence was still remarkable; mere moments after she'd put her hand behind his head, the pilot visibly regained a hint of positivity. The Genasi had had plenty of time herself to recover from her own breakdown, so helping a friend prevent something similar was something she now did without hesitation. But even so, his sunken eyes and deep sighs meant that he wasn't okay just yet.

"Here, lean against me. You wanna talk about it with me? I think it could help you out a lot right now, so don't hesitate if you're up for it" Root carefully requested.

Thankfully, it appeared that he was good to talk it out. John was done lying to Root, including about his feelings. If there was anything that helped him feel at peace, it was his druid friend's peaceful and understanding nature. Of course, the calming smell of moss around her helped a little too.

"Thanks, Root. But I just don't see what the point is. I mean, it's bad enough that we'll have to go up against those two of all people. You've seen how scary they are - I'm pretty sure Alva's arm alone is thicker than I am! But either way, it won't matter. 'Cause if those ladies don't kill us, the Absence definitely will! We're all gonna die in like a few hours; why in blazes haven't we all just ran yet?!" the Tiefling laid out.

"Everything is just… getting darker by the minute. First we hear about this unstoppable cosmic horror coming after us. Then there were your issues… sorry, didn't mean to remind you. And then Pulse's old man was taken away - that's hard enough for me, so imagine how she must be feeling. All before we're about to be smashed into pieces, only to be revived just in time to get erased from existence. Why even bother trying ANYTHING anymore?" John finished.

Root appeared to take a moment to process her friend's complaints. But whereas the Root of yesterday would've almost certainly ended up falling into hopelessness alongside him, the Genasi of today merely shook her head in reassuring disagreement. She simply put her arm around John's shoulder as she delivered her counterpoint.

"Because 95% of people are worth saving, remember? And that absolutely includes you. Not to mention all our friends out there, including a certain Drow and a little Genasi that both really want you to see that. There's so many of us that will not allow you to be erased, and the John I know won't allow us and the others of the 95% to be erased either. Your heart is too big for that!" the druid calmly assured John.

"And you know all those people you say can end you in no time at all? They're all lending their strength to the same goal as us. We're gonna have to face that Absence, sure. But when we do, we'll - sorry for my language - stand one heck of a chance! Either way, this fight is our last chance to have some fun before we all make our stand. And even if it turns out we can't win, we can still cheer up those of the 95% that are in the audience as best we can. Plus, we're already at least the 4th greatest team in the multiverse!" Root somewhat cheerily added.

Judging by his less tense shoulders and the returning life in his eyes, John appeared to get it. One would have to be either at rock bottom or completely convinced of their views to remain sulking after one of Root's speeches, and luckily he wasn't feeling quite that hopeless. Especially not now.

"Thanks a lot… again. For being yourself, I mean. Heh, how can I be feeling down after all that?" John silently replied.

The Tiefling still had a hard time believing that the naive girl from last year had transformed into the mature and wise woman beside him. She was a few years younger than he was, and yet she sounded as uplifting and sensible as the most experienced sage. At least to him, but then again that was enough. So after one more brief moment of grateful company, the pilot stood up to finally get going. Thanks to Root, he had once again shaken off the gloom holding him back.

"Right then, let's do what we can. And always keep our eyes on the goal, right?" John reaffirmed.

Root let out a relieved snicker as she joined her friend. As long as he was feeling good, so did she.

"Always. Help everyone be happy, us included!"

With that, Team Treeshade headed towards the battlefield in as high spirits as they could. And although they did spot the hidden grief behind the passerby Pulse on the way, they kept their eyes aimed forward. After all, that Drow was strong; strong enough to eventually bounce back, even without the likely unwanted reminder of what'd just happened. Right now, the two friends needed to give the audience out there all the joy they could bring.

"IN THE BLUE CORNER, TEAM TREESHADE RETURNS TO THE FREY! THEIR BATTLE WITH TEAM DOUBLE GEAR YESTERDAY MIGHT'VE BEEN WORRYING, BUT IN THE END THEY PROVED THEIR MIGHT - AND WHY THEY'RE CAPABLE ENOUGH TO STAND HERE TODAY! BUT TO ADVANCE TO THE FINALS, THE VOIDROAMER AND THE JOYBRINGER NEED TO OVERCOME THE TEAM THAT DEFINES SHEER POWER! WILL THEIR FRIENDSHIP BE STRONG ENOUGH TO VANQUISH THE WALL BEFORE THEM, OR WILL THEY BE SENTENCED TO A CRASH LANDING? CONTESTANTS ROOT AND JOHN WILL REVEAL THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION!"

As was the norm by now, the red corner's waiting room housed a fairly similar discussion. And also similarly to many times before, the reigning emotion was quite different. Whereas John and Root had spent their free moment preventing the former's hopelessness, Alva and Molly were anything but worried. About the fight, that is.

"I dunno… can we really afford this? Just keep fighting like there isn't a super deadly force coming to squish us like gnats?"

The colossal Half-Orc wasn't one to decline a chance to fight; barring the members of Team Full Power, Ashes and maybe the Dwarven sorcerer beside her, nobody loved a good scrap quite like Alva Morrison. But if there was one thing she valued more, it was the survival of those she cared about. Enough that she'd loudly contemplated escaping while they all still could, tournament or no tournament.

"I don't think there's much of a choice, babe. Other than running, but what good is that gonna do? Most of us voted to fight anyway" Molly sighed. "Let the big-brains worry about the evacuation plans - all we can do is put on one hell of a show in the meantime!"

The thought of cancelling the whole contest hadn't even entered Molly's mind. Was she worried about the Absence gobbling everything up as easy as one would a midday snack? Undoubtedly. Was she gonna let it continue doing that? Never. Which meant that she was going to wait for the horrid force to come to her… and then she and the others would stop it from erasing any more universes. And deep down, Alva completely agreed.

"Yeah, I know that much at least. You and me, 'till the end of everything" the huge warrior lovingly declared.

A smile crept up on Alva's face as she turned her thoughts back to the here and now.

"That said, if we want people to get fired up we'll need to trick 'em that our opponents stand a chance. So we'll need to hold back a whole bunch - it ain't gonna be any fun if I just one-shot them, would it?" the Half-Orc snickered.

This victory was going to be a cakewalk - Alva alone was more than enough to break John in half with one arm. At least, that's what the couple thought. They both knew better than to forget that anything could happen. Regardless, one quick kiss on Molly's head later and the duo were ready to rumble. For having such an encompassing threat looming over them, Team Hot Stuff were in quite high spirits.

"Aight, you ready to pulverise some bones?" Alva confidently asked.

"Hah, I think we're better off taking it easy on the lil' lady! But we're all set to win anyway!" Molly laughed.

With nothing else left to say, the duo quickly made their way towards the lit-up arena. Hand in hand, of course. They were ready to win this whole thing… and to put on a show while doing so.

"AND IN THE RED CORNER, IT'S THE GRAND RETURN OF TEAM HOT STUFF! YESTERDAY THEY COMPLETELY CRUSHED TEAM RIGHTEOUS BENEATH THEIR HEELS; TODAY THEY'RE ALL SET TO KEEP UP THE CARNAGE! BUT TO GET ALL THE WAY TO THE FINALS, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO BREAK THROUGH THE POWER OF NATURE, THE WONDERS OF SPACE AND THE BOND OF FRIENDSHIP! WILL THEY SHOW THAT THE POWERS OF THEIR MUSCLES AND MAGIC MATCHES THAT OF THEIR LOVE, OR WILL THEIR ANNIVERSARY END UP SOURED BY DEFEAT? CONTESTANTS ALVA AND MOLLY WILL BE THE ONES TO DECIDE THAT!"

As always, the giant crowd sounded very excited. But compared to all the previous rounds, something was audibly lacking. The volume and joy was there for sure, but so was the uneasy undertone. Root's earlier breakdown and Team Hot Stuff's brutality clearly hadn't been forgotten. And considering the determination plastered across all of the contestants' faces, they knew this. They knew, and they would stick to their goal all the way through. One way or the other, these folks would have a good time. But for now, it was time for the usual handshake and wishes of good luck… of course, neither Alva or Molly could resist squeezing John's hand just that little bit too hard.

"Aww, so sorry. Was that a bit too much for little old you?" Alva mockingly asked John as she made sure to loom over him.

Team Hot Stuff might've respected Root enough to leave her out of this, but seeing John literally cower in fear before them was just too fun to pass up. Even just a small flex was enough to make the Tiefling flinch - beating him was going to be the easiest thing in the world.

"Careful, babe. Don't give him a heart attack before the fight even s-"

Molly's gleeful taunt was interrupted by a disapproving glare, strong enough to almost bowl her over. Turns out that disrespecting a good friend right in front of Root wasn't gonna put you in her good graces. Even Alva visibly backed down away from Team Treeshade - Root might've been generally kind and understanding, but any sort of bullying could bring out an intensity that rivalled few.

"Apologies, ma'am. It won't happen again" Molly sheepishly mumbled.

Judging by Root's content nod, the apology was accepted. So as the Genasi made sure to comfort her anxious friend and Team Hot Stuff made sure to hide their embarrassed muttering, the two duos turned around to get into position. But once they did, they quickly returned to their previous states of mind. The pre-fight chatter was quickly put in the back of their minds; right now it was do or die time.

Molly waved away some magical embers in preparation. John mumbled some last-minute words of self-encouragement. Alva loudly cracked her knuckles. Root leaned her forehead towards the top of her staff while taking a deep breath. And whether or not the onlooking people were ready for what was about to come, Googlorp still said the words.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"BEGIN!"

And with that, the booming noise and lit-up skies signalled the start. The start of the second to last battle of the Multiversal Tag-Team Tournament.

"Come on then, bring it! See if you can even make us flinch!" Alva shouted across the field.

Glare or no glare, Team Hot Stuff's confidence remained at peak level. So instead of launching a fire blast or rushing in or whatever, they both remained standing right where they were. Taking their opponents' attacks head on, only to tank it and crack their hopes just that bit more… a simple strategy, but quite effective if it worked. Not to mention how it never failed to intrigue an audience, even such a cautious one as this.

"Well, you asked for it. Buddy, it's now or never!" Root answered in a somewhat uneven tone.

Between all the worrying and fears, Team Treeshade hadn't had much time to think of a plan. Which meant that now that the spotlight was all on them, they could only fall back on the one tactic they did have. Root started off by putting her hand on the prepared-but-still-terrified John, and a few seconds later the skin texture across his body had turned rugged and rough. So with the Barkskin spell backing him up, the Tiefling took off in an improvised dash. And with his two knives unsheathed and his directory clear, the plan seemed obvious - immediately try to gut Alva, the by far biggest physical threat on the field. So the confident Half-Orc simply snickered as she put up her fists as if to swipe him away… only for her counter to utterly miss as John darted around her. In perfect position for his real target.

[Shinggg!]

In one fell swipe, the pilot had slashed right across the hollows of the massive warrior's knees. But instead of a small stream of blood and loud yells of pain, all that exited Alva's barely wincing form was a tiny grunt. And as John realised exactly why, his fears came back in full force. There were no magical boons, divine blessings or hidden armour that had made sure his knives had just barely drawn blood. Alva's ginormous muscles were simply that robust. And worse, the shock of this realisation meant that the Tiefling was left wide open. So when Alva's solid backhand went straight towards John's left side, he was sent crashing to the ground without resistance.

"Eh, you get points for trying. I wonder if your adorable little buddy can do any better?" Alva snickered as she turned her gaze towards Root.

With John put to the floor and Team Hot Stuff's focus all on her, the druid made sure to swallow her hesitation and do just what her opponent said. So where John had rushed in to attempt melee combat, Root instead tried one of her signature long-range spells. In this case; a sprawling heap of vines and roots sprouting up around Alva's legs, slowly but surely wrapping themselves tightly around the behemoth. The Entangle spell - Root's personal favourite.

"Phew, that should hold her. Sorry miss Alva, but I'm gonna have to ta- what? What are you…?" Root stated, before the unnerving sight in front of her caught her off guard.

The plants from the Entangle spell were pretty strong. They were able to hold any average person with ease, and even an average bodybuilder would've needed a moment to muscle their way out. But Alva was far beyond that level. Root could only gulp in unease as the Half-Orc broke free from the many vines and roots by simply… walking. With only an almost negligible amount of effort, Alva was loose again. And as if to rub this casual feat in even more, the warrior almost nonchalantly stopped to pick out any thorns still stuck in her skin. After all, she could afford to drop her guard against these two. Especially since she wasn't alone.

"Hey now, don't forget about me! I'm here too, remember?" a growling voice shouted from Root's left.

In their efforts to accomplish something against Alva, Team Treeshade had neglected Molly. Exactly as the Dwarf had planned. So now that their attention was geared elsewhere, she could fire off a stream of embers towards them with one hand each. And unfortunately for the two friends, both streams hit home; John was knocked back on his knees right after he'd shaken off the backhand, while Root was struck square in the stomach. But while the spell was still pretty weak overall, the surprise factor had made up for it - John was mostly okay, but the less fire-resistant Root was left with a sizzling pain and a singed shirt. And with their own attacks being laughed off at best, the reality of their situation began to fully sink in.

"THE MATCH IS OFF TO A STRONG START AND SO IS TEAM HOT STUFF! EGGING ON THEIR FOES LIKE THAT WAS A RISKY MOVE, BUT IT SEEMS IT PAID OFF - TEAM TREESHADE LOOK LIKE THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGHT OFF A STORM GIANT WITH NOTHING BUT THEIR FISTS! MEANWHILE CONTESTANTS ALVA AND MOLLY LOOK AS FRESH AS EVER! IS THERE A WAY FOR CONTESTANTS ROOT AND JOHN TO TURN THE TABLES? IF THERE IS, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIND IT VERY SOON!"

"Okay then, you've gotten your chance. So I hope ya don't mind if I just beat you right now!" Molly grinned.

The sorcerer wasn't 100% honest. The spell she was preparing right now was a simple Burning Hands - painful and hot for sure, but not enough to finish her opponents off on its own. No, if she and Alva wanted to fire up the audience they needed to drag the show out a bit longer. But before Molly could launch the stream of fire from her hands, the sudden burning pain in her side forced her to dissipate it. In her haughtiness, she had forgotten about John's highly advanced ray gun.

"Actually, we do mind" John replied through fake composure. "Okay Root, think you can handle her now?"

The Genasi determinately nodded as she shook off the burning pain in her stomach. As long as her focus was on Molly alone, she knew her odds at winning were notably higher. So as Root started to mumble something under her breath and Molly turned to face her through gritted teeth, John hoisted up his knives again. Because since Molly was going to engage her fellow spellcaster, it only made sense that Alva had turned her attention back towards him.

"You really wanna go again? You've got balls, lil' guy; I'll admit that much!" the Half-Orc laughed.

John didn't bother with an answer. Right now, he needed to remain in the zone. Slashing through his opponent's legs hadn't worked at all, so he needed a less durable target. And luckily, every living being who has to breathe has such a target. So the Tiefling rapidly zigzagged in towards Alva again, daggers in hand, in order to target her throat. Closer, closer… until the opportunity revealed itself. Alva had tried to simply swat him aside, but such a massive arm couldn't hope to hit such a nimble - and prepared - target. Her arms were out of the way, and John was free to move in. Move in towards a throat that he, a Tiefling of about average height, could barely reach. And even if he reached that far… who was to say that Alva couldn't tank that too? Her muscles alone had already proven powerful enough to withstand everything from gunshots to punches as strong as cannonballs… what were his flimsy knives gonna do? How could someone as small as him… even think about getting close to this… this behemoth?

"Orrr maybe not, then. (Sigh), you really are a shitty opponent" Alva muttered.

John's cowardly nature had resurfaced at the worst possible time. His doubts and cold feet resulted in him hesitating more than long enough for Alva to simply catch his wrist, and with one light squeeze she'd forced him to drop his weapons. Now the Tiefling was completely at his opponent's mercy. But even though Alva could've simply ended the fight there as easily as one would crush an ant, she still held on to her previous mindset. No doubt the people would want to see more of this showboating; ending it now would do nothing good. So instead the Half-Orc forcibly tucked in John's limbs like a ball, before she began to literally toy with him. The onlooking audience watched on in awe as Alva did, in fact, start juggling her foe.

The huge warrior mockingly laughed the whole time, but John had no time to even get angry. All his energy went to simply keeping track of what was up and what was down. But eventually, the juggling stopped. Of course, the reason why was hardly any better - with one arm, Alva prepared herself to throw John to the ground by the tail. And one tearing stint of pain later, the pilot found himself flying uncontrollably through the air. Alva has only used one arm, and yet John had been thrown like he was nothing more than a rubber ball. And worse, she had aimed really well. The Tiefling gritted his teeth as the struggling Root turned to notice her teammate careening right towards her.

[WHAM!]

Root had been all too focused to keep Molly at range - she hadn't been prepared in the slightest for John to crash right into her. And now Team Treeshade were both lying on the ground in pain, with none of them having made much leeway in the fight at all. In fact, one could almost sense the complete lack of morale left in them.

However, the same was not true in the slightest for Team Hot Stuff. They were in complete control of the match and they knew it, and so did the audience. And judging by the louder and louder cheering heading almost exclusively Alva and Molly's way, the huge crowd were having a blast. All of this meant that the triumphant duo took their eyes off of their opponents to bask in the spotlight a bit, answering the loud approvals with waves, fist pumps and the occasional flexing. And whether they knew it or not, they had just given Team Treeshade a brief moment of respite.

"Owww… are you okay, John? Anything hurt?" Root groaned as she pulled herself back on her feet.

"No, not much. Other than my shoulder, right side, legs and tail, nothing except my pride and confidence. But seriously, how in the flying fuck are we supposed to stand a chance here?" John sighed.

"Language, John. But we're not out of the match yet. Believe it or not… I think I have a plan" Root whispered.

Those were the last words John had expected to hear. Not necessarily because of any doubt surrounding his friend's tactical sense, but rather since he hadn't dared hope there was anything they even could do. Regardless, right now he welcomed any sort of possibility. So after making doubly sure that Team Hot Stuff were still soaking in the spotlight, the Tiefling quickly leaned in with ears perched.

"Miss Alva is waaay too tough for us to overpower, and all in all she's the biggest threat. But we don't have to knock her out; this is a contest, remember? Not a regular fight to the end. We just have to knock her to the floor long enough to count her out! Then it's both of us against Miss Molly, and if we can ring out Miss Alva then we can definitely subdue her!" Root laid out.

"I might have a way to keep her down, but I don't really know a good way to safely get her there in the first place. Do you think you can find a way to knock her down? Maybe a feint or something similar?"

In John's ears, the Genasi might as well have asked him to go flip a skyscraper. But, surprisingly for especially himself, he actually did have a spark of a plan. It was very risky and might've been a bad idea, but it could perhaps work. A small hint of hope crept up on the Tiefling's face as he finalised the plan.

"Just one. She doesn't have any weak spots we can exploit, but I might just be able to make one. They still don't take us seriously, and we need to keep it that way - as long as they think we're not a threat, they won't expect anything effective. So here's the plan: You keep Molly busy, and when all eyes are on you I'll go after-"

That was as far as John got before a freezing missile just barely missed his head. Unfortunately for Team Treeshade, their opponents had decided to return to the task at hand; the only reason Molly's Ice Knife hadn't split John's skull open was his quick reflexes.

"C'mon, this is no fun! Throw some magic, try to slash me, anything! Fight back a little, will ya?" Molly loudly complained.

The dwarven sorcerer had a lot in common with her girlfriend, and that included a love of a good fight. And this wasn't a fight; it was a one-sided slog. But with that comment, Molly was about to change that. Root's gaze had narrowed in response, and the sheer determination behind it was about to make her opponent regret that taunt.

"Well, you asked for it. Don't say I didn't warn you!" Root stated.

The only specifics the druid had heard about John's plan was that she'd need to keep Molly in check. The Dwarf was also more than capable of defending herself, and she'd just proven conclusively just how little she thought of her foes. That was all Root needed to hear in order to start channelling the strongest spell in her arsenal - especially since her own plan against Alva had no room for it. Innumerable pairs of eyes turned towards the Genasi as bright particles began to light up her staff more and more.

"Oooh, fucking finally! So what's this gonna be? A cheeky Moonbeam? Or maybe a Wall of Fire? What do you have up your sleeve, lil' ray of sunshine?" Molly laughed.

But she didn't laugh for long. By the time Molly had finished her sentence, Root's staff had practically been eclipsed by the brightly shining orb that had gathered around it. Worse, the area around them had heated up something fierce. And at that moment, the sorcerer's confident mood made a complete 180. She finally recognised the spell that was about to come her way.

"Actually, that's exactly what I have. Sorry in advance, miss!" Root grunted.

With those words, Root's summoned magical sun went supernova. The glowing sphere unleashed a massive roaring beam of heat and light, quickly blasting through the tense air like a concentrated explosion. And as the Sunbeam spell came right towards Molly, the Dwarf could only say one thing.

"Oh shit…!"

The Sunbeam might've not been that fast, but Molly still only had a few precious seconds to react. And luckily for her, her instincts took the wheel. Those instincts told her to answer in kind in the form of her own most destructive weapon - the Fireball spell. So almost autonomously, the Dwarf quickly summoned a blazing ball of fire as large as her own torso. There was just one problem… the Sunbeam was right about in her face by now.

[THOOOMM!]

"MY GOODNESS, WHAT A FIERY SPECTACLE! THE TWO SPELLCASTERS SEEM TO HAVE TURNED UP THE HEAT ALL THE WAY TO THE MAX - IT'S A SEARING SUNBEAM AGAINST A FEROCIOUS FIREBALL! CONTESTANTS ROOT AND MOLLY MUST BE POURING EVERY OUNCE OF POWER THEY HAVE INTO THIS COLLISION, AND ONLY ONE WILL PUSH THROUGH… UNLESS THE UNSTABLE CLASH OF IMMENSE FIREPOWER BLOWS THEM ALL TO KINGDOM COME! EITHER WAY, YOU ALL WILL PROBABLY DO BEST TO KEEP FAR AWAY FROM THIS SPECTACULAR SCENE!"

At the last second, Molly had managed to prevent complete incineration. The sorcerer had moved the Fireball in front of her just barely in time, and now that was the only thing between her and the Sunbeam. But to keep it there, she had to push her own spell harder than ever before. If she let up even a little, then she'd face the full brunt of two incredibly powerful explosive bursts of heat. No way in all the hells she'd survive that. And so, Molly pushed. Steely muscles and turbulent magical reserves were both pushed to their limits as the Dwarf let out a guttural scream of defiance, all the while everyone in the arena watched in utter awe. And this included her worried teammate.

"C'mon, honey. Give her hell!" Alva mumbled through her teeth.

Every fibre in the Half-Orc's being screamed at her to rush in and help her beloved; yank Root away, shake the earth beneath her, anything. And yet, she remained merely watching. After all, nobody knew how stubborn Molly was as well as Alva. If she rushed to her aid now, odds were that Molly would never forgive her. So all she did was stay and watch, all focus on the massive clash of power lighting up the arena. At least until she felt the screeching pain in the back of her legs.

"AAARGH! W-what the fuck…?!"

Root's distraction had worked perfectly. He hadn't exactly planned for it to be this destructive and intense, but it had still given John all he needed. His earlier attack had been against a more or less prepared Alva; he had tried to slash her tensed-up leg muscles, which had been more than hardy enough to prevent any real damage. But another slash in the exact same spot, especially after catching her off-guard, had managed to open an actual wound. The sly Tiefling had finally drawn quite a bit of blood from Alva. Of course, while the sudden pain made the Half-Orc buckle a bit it was still not quite enough to make her topple. After all, she was still stronger and tougher than anyone else gathered here today. John could celebrate his feat later - right now he needed to get the hell away from the livid giant.

"You sneaky little bitch…! Get back here so I can beat the shit out of you!" the fuming warrior growled.

Given how John understandably did not want to have the shit beaten out of him, he made a break for it the moment Alva started her sentence. The Half-Orc wasted no time in following him, but it quickly became obvious that this was for moot. Alva might've been inhumanly powerful, but she was also about as ponderous as a fully grown grizzly bear - there was no reasonable way for her to catch up with the much lighter and nimbler John. This round squarely went to him. But before either of them could think up a new plan of action, both of their gazes went to the scene behind Alva. The fierce beam war had finally reached its breaking point, and whoever lost was about to face surely imminent destruction.

You had to give credit to Molly; despite her disadvantageous position, she had actually managed to push back Root's Sunbeam. Little by little, edge by edge, the Fireball had almost reached the middle point between the two spellcasters… and no further. Despite its sheer power, the Fireball spell was far too unstable to keep up for long. So it was with a roaring boom that the shining beam finally pierced right through the explosive sphere, detonating it as good as immediately. And with a fiery explosion along with a massive beam of searing light heading her way, the heavily strained Dwarf had at most two seconds to get the hell out of there.

[KATHOOOMM!]

Call it luck, call it survival instinct or call it quick thinking, but Molly had hastily thrown herself to the side at the last possible moment. So the good news was she was still alive. The bad news was that the meteoric explosion was large enough to catch her by the edge of it. Not enough to incinerate her, but enough to give her some sizzling burns and knock her down on her face. But just as she began to feel the pain and forced herself to get up… she realised she couldn't. Not because of any overbearing agony or even exhaustion, but because of the thick roots and vines that quickly encircled her. Root's true battle plan.

The Genasi was almost as tired as her opponent. Keeping up as powerful of a spell as Sunbeam took a lot of energy, after all. But in the end, her stamina had proven greater than Molly's. Though that didn't mean she had any time to rest. With some quick thinking, Root had seized the opportunity to get Molly out of the fight. And one solid Entangle later, the red-headed firestarter was left more or less completely immobile.

"T-there. Please don't resist, miss Molly. I don't want to hurt you any more than necessary" Root panted.

The druid took a moment to regain her bearings, all the while her target was left furiously trying to wriggle out. To no avail; the thick plants were wrapped too tightly. So she attempted to fire up some sort of spell instead. To no avail; she had no leverage for the necessary movements, not to mention how she couldn't move more than her fingers. And worse, the last sight that Molly wanted to see started to come closer. After all, she was left unable to move - if that remained the same after the cap-wearing fairy's countdown, then she'd be eliminated. So as the winged referee started his loud announcement, Molly fell back on her one possibility. Beneath all the foliage, her hardened muscles started to exert maximum effort.

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

The red-faced Dwarf could hear something tear, but whether that was her arboreal prison or a ligament she did not know. All of Molly's effort went into muscling out of her predicament - in her mind the entranced audience, Root's disbelief and the faraway Alva's panic just wasn't there. What she did know was that some thinner vines had already snapped from the pressure. If only she could do the same with the thicker ones.

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

Just a tiny bit more. Molly's strained bicep had uprooted some of the more troublesome plants, with her other arm not far behind. Her groans slowly sounded higher and higher as the countdown went lower and lower; one more surge of strength and she'd be free. Just… one… last… push…

"4!"

"3!"

"2-"

"HHRRRAAARGH!"

With a roar of defiance, the Dwarf's prison practically exploded. Torn roots and heaps of dry dirt burst out from around her, all while she ignored any and all strain to throw herself to her feet. And at that moment, everything went silent as emotions all over the spectrum surged through the air. Excitement from the crowd. Relief from Alva. Horror from John. Shock from Root. And most of all, triumph from Molly. Along with a greatly aching feeling from every muscle in her body, of course. But as the fairy called off the countdown and fluttered back to where he'd come from, another feeling took root in the exhausted Molly. That being a badly shaken feeling of barely avoided defeat.

"Hnngh… babe, we've made a big mistake! We can't afford to play around anymore - we need to take this seriously, now!" Molly yelled to her ally.

That had been way too close, and both members of Team Hot Stuff knew it. Besides, their opponents' sudden comeback had been more than enough to give the audience a good time - now was as good a time as any to finish things. Preferably before Team Treeshade got a chance to keep their momentum. So instead of fruitlessly chasing after the very careful John with her fists, Alva finally unsheathed her signature warhammer. All the while the heaving Molly rose to her full - which admittedly wasn't saying much - height to glare ferociously at Root, her fists once again ignited with magical flame. Team Hot Stuff was about to fight for real.

Their sudden reversal might've been successful, but the confidence was now quickly leaving both John and Root once again. The former was still chased by a fully alert mountain of a woman, completely intent on squeezing the life out of him. The latter was left weakened and exhausted after her strongest spell had failed, leaving her to face the literally steaming sorcerer alone. And almost in tune with their quivering bodies, the ground beneath them started to rumble. The thick concrete walls had finally made a reappearance. But as John quickly dove behind one in the desperate hope that Alva would somehow lose track of him, both his and Root's trust in their final plan started to ebb away. Team Treeshade was about to fight for survival.

Tensions were high across the battlefield, but they were somehow even higher up in the contestants watching area. Sure, the attention had been squarely on the battle during big moments such as the spell collision and Molly's near disqualification. But the rest of the time all thoughts had been on the Absence. It was to the point that the only sound that'd been made came from the battle-hungry Goh'ji and Prime's loud cheering and wild gestures. Otherwise it had only been worries, anxieties, hopes for survival and even processings of their upcoming demise. However, that was all about to change. Because in the middle of everything, a shapely red-headed figure finally made her entrance.

"Sorry I'm late, what did I miss?" Pulse meekly whispered.

Most people would have missed the hints at the inventor's recent feelings; Pulse's positive tone was about as well acted as it was fake. But unluckily - or perhaps luckily - for her, her chosen seat neighbour picked up on her true feelings. The reddened eyes, fast talking and refusal to look anyone in the eye… Pulse had definitely been crying. And for the bulky Tiefling in the wide-brimmed hat, that was more cause for concern than all the apocalypses in the world.

"Somethin' wrong, partner?" Ashes carefully wondered.

Of course, the Drow simply shook her head. On one hand she appreciated her friend's concern, but on the other the grief was still going strong beneath her fake composure. Besides, there were far more important things to consider over merely her own well-being.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks for asking, but I'm perfectly fine" Pulse lied.

That appeared to be convincing enough; Ashes didn't press the matter any further, and the others who'd listened in went right back to either watching the match or thinking over their internal worries. All except for the Tortle in the back. After all, Pulse was arguably the smartest among all of them - if anyone could add anything to their knowledge of the Absence, Gameron figured Pulse was the one.

"Apologies if I am interrupting, Ms. Cadwalader. But I do believe you'll want to hear this. The professor and I think we have deduced the nature behind the incoming cosmic force, and it's imperative that you take part of this knowledge as well" the wizard politely explained.

"Really? Well, that's fantastic! Please go ahead, and make sure you don't leave out any details!" Pulse answered.

And so Gameron laid everything out. His and Professor Suss' thought processes, their initial theories, their alarming conclusion… everything they'd explained to the others earlier, along with the scientific notes he'd left out that almost nobody else would've understood. Of course, Pulse nodded knowingly all the same as she hastily wrote everything down. And as soon as Gameron had explained every last detail, she went silent. You could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she put together all the facts. But eventually she stopped, right as she motioned for the nearby Abigail - and very reluctantly, Professor Suss - to listen. The brilliant inventor had reached her own conclusion, and judging by her anxious expression it wasn't much more promising than the previous one.

"This is about as bad as it could possibly get. It's bad enough that it's literally consuming the entire universe, but if my own theory holds any weight then…" Pulse muttered before speaking up. "Everyone, could I have your attention for a moment? And Abby, could you grab the two fanboys? They clearly didn't hear me."

As soon as Abigail had picked up Prime and Goh'ji by their gi's and made sure they were listening, Pulse presented her theory.

"Thanks. Gameron and the lizard wizard already told you about the Absence, so I'm not gonna recap you on that. But I did think of something that, if true, could change everything. Either for worse or, if we dare to pray, for the better. Anyway, I'm not gonna waste any time. First of all: Based on its strengthening pressure, we've already confirmed that the Absence is heading our direction. But with that in mind, take a look at the sky. Notice anything odd?"

Everyone barring the insulted Professor Suss did as the Drow asked. And although it took a moment and a small slew of confusion, someone made a discovery. A pretty concerning one at that.

"Calculation: The amount of stars visible has decreased by 42% since our arrival to this dimension. Furthermore, half of that amount creates a pattern that shows a straight line away from this position" Inferno calculated.

"Exactly. Nice observation, big fella. To translate to Common, the stars in the sky are rapidly going out. And the scary part? It's in a rapidly approaching straight line towards us. The Absence isn't just spreading out randomly… it's coming for us. For the only place with life in this entire pocket universe" Pulse translated.

By now, almost everyone in the stands had turned a few shades paler. But unfortunately for their states of mind, Pulse still had one more bombshell to drop.

"It is possible that it's automatic; perhaps it really is 'just' an interdimensional force that homes in on any nearby life to consume. But perhaps, the truth is a lot more chilling than that. And while I admit it's only a gut feeling, I can't help but think this is the case. What I'm trying to say here is that… the Absence might be consciously coming for us. In other words… it could be sentient" the Drow finished.

Even though the action on the field had started to ramp up again by now, the freaked out expressions of the contestants in the stands meant that it went unnoticed by anyone that wasn't part of Team Full Power. And now the desires to stay and fight were less prevalent than ever. Not just an apocalyptic catastrophe, but an apocalyptic catastrophe that actively knew what it was doing… how could anyone ever hope to survive against that? The times that Pulse was wrong were few, but right now almost everyone around her hoped this was one of those times.

"Of course, this is just an unproven theory. But there is a way to change that, though it could be risky. So before I even request it; is there anyone here who can check in on things from a distance? You know, like scrying? If there is a conscious mind up there, that's how we'll know it" Pulse added.

The purely martial members of the group didn't even bother to answer, while the magically inclined ones all answered no; none of them possessed that ability. Until one metallic philtered voice cleared her metaphorical throat.

"Well, I have yet to figure that out. But one of us can. A few months ago - while we were getting out of that cursed forest, Inferno - me and Root had a chat. And that's when she brought up she can scry to a degree. It might be a long shot and we might not have the time, but if anyone can Root's the one" Bastion revealed.

For a moment, there was a glimmer of something in Pulse's golden eye. It was brief, but unmistakable. A hint of hope. Without missing a beat, she proceeded to finalise her plan.

"Awesome. Thanks for telling me, Bastion. Right then; when the fighting is over, I'll go and check if Root is up for some scrying. Let's all hope she is: the survival of everything might just depend on it!" the inventor declared.

"Because if I'm right, we've got a chance to defy the end of everything."

"HOLY MOLLY- I MEAN MOLEY, THAT WAS ALMOST THE END! SUCH A GRAND DISPLAY OF MAGICAL POWER FROM CONTESTANT ROOT, AND SUCH AN IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY OF PHYSICAL POWER FROM CONTESTANT MOLLY! I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN SUCH A CLOSE CALL SINCE… EVER, REALLY! AND YET, THE MUSCLEBOUND MAGICIAN IS UP AND ABOUT ONCE MORE! LET'S SEE HOW THEIR FIGHT IS GONNA GO… AND IF CONTESTANT JOHN CAN STAY AWAY FROM CONTESTANT ALVA'S HULKING HAMMER! NO OFFENCE TO THE VOIDROAMER, BUT IF I WERE A BETTING MAN I'D PUT MY MONEY ON THE INDOMITABLE BEHEMOTH!"

If John hadn't been occupied by fleeing for his life, he still probably wouldn't have taken offence. Molly was back on her feet and ready to keep going, which meant that Alva's attention was fully on him now. His earlier hopes that he'd managed to elude her had of course been proven wrong, so now all he could do was dart around the various concrete walls until he'd find an opening. Which at this point was far easier said than done. But after a steadily more mortifying time of barely keeping out of Alva's reach, John finally got the breather he needed. Of course, the reason why didn't exactly put his mind at ease.

"MISS MORRISON! How about you stop terrorising my friend and go after someone who can fight back? Actually, I dare you to!" Root unexpectedly shouted.

None of the confidence in Root's voice was real. She was well aware of just how big a gamble this was - even if she wasn't exhausted from the Sunbeam/Fireball struggle, there was still the risk of Molly taking advantage of this clean shot. Still, the Genasi couldn't just let John keep struggling like that. But luckily for her, her dare actually seemed to work. Alva stopped in her tracks, and after a fierce grin she turned around to approach Root. Of course, the fact that she'd lost track of John during the two seconds she'd turned around probably helped matters.

"Godsdamn, I knew you got guts but this is just impressive! Dumb as hell, but impressive! Fine then, I'll take care of you first. Mol', leave her to me!" Alva chuckled, before motioning towards Molly to handle John.

As the Dwarf heartily ran off towards the walls that John was hiding behind, Alva hoisted up her giant warhammer on her shoulder. Quite the effective scare tactic; even now, Root was audibly gulping at the ease which Alva handled such a massive weapon.

"So what's the secret trick up your sleeve? 'Cause I know you ain't dumb enough to just try to smack me down all willy-nilly" the Half-Orc snorted.

But as Root's body began to change, a smile crept up on her face. And with the last words she could utter while she still had her regular mouth, she revealed her plan.

"Actually, that's exactly it" the druid answered in a steadily more gravelly voice.

Alva's smirk dropped ever so slightly as Root once again started to Wildshape. First she dropped to all fours as her rapidly heavier form widened, all the while a sturdy tail sprouted to even out her balance. Her clothes morphed into her changing frame as rugged bumps of solid bone began to jut out of her massive flat back, her heavily armoured head and especially the tip of her tail. And finally, as her reptilian body settled into its 7-metres long form, uneven scales finished coating her hardened frame. The young Genasi had rapidly transformed into nature's equivalent of a tank - the dinosaur known as Ankylosaurus. Fully prepared to face Alva in melee, and hopefully even match her.

"HAH! Oh, that's an ugly fucker you chose! But I'll admit, this is definitely something new! Fine then, 'fight back' all you want!" the Half-Orc bellowed.

One look made it obvious that Root's new shape was extremely slow and clunky, so Alva took her time to get her hammer into position. But as it turned out, despite the dinosaur's lack of speed it wasn't going to be easy to land a hit. The hammer didn't just have to get past a fused back covered in boney armour, but there was also the matter of Root's own natural sledgehammer - her unpredictably swinging club tail. That heavy piece of bone was strong enough to break the bones of a fully grown Tyrannosaurus, and thus definitely strong enough to bust through the Half-Orc. Therefore both sides slowed down to go on the defensive, cautiously waiting for the other to make a move. Until one contestant's patience finally wore down.

Perhaps not so surprisingly, Alva attacked first. Her plan was simple - land a hit on Root's rugged back, then use her inevitable shock to land a safe hit on her unguarded stomach. So just like she'd done against Pulse's shield last year, the warrior quickly readjusted the grip on her hammer. With her hands grasping the very edge of the weapon, she brought it down on top of the saurian druid while staying out of range of the club tail. And with a cocky grin, Alva moved in towards Root's soft belly - the plan had worked perfectly. With one slight mishap… so had Root's plan.

[Wham!]

Turns out that Root's defences were every bit as tough as they looked - the druid turned Ankylosaurus had taken the (admittedly flimsy) hammer strike like a champ. And the moment Alva had been confident enough to get closer, Root had seized her chance. It might've not been that effective due to only grazing her knee, but she had still managed to slam the tail into her massive opponent. But unfortunately for the transformed Genasi, she should've likely waited for a better shot; Alva was still standing, and in a perfect position to deliver a crushing blow.

"Hnngh… fuck, that one hurt. But not as much as this one will! Say goodb-"

[SHHHNK!]

That was as far as Alva got before letting out a stunned gasp. Courtesy of the erupting pain of having the back of her legs slashed open.

The moment the Half-Orc had lost sight of him, John had made liberal use of his stealthy movements. Whenever she or Molly had looked his way, he'd ducked behind the thick walls. When the latter had searched for him on her left, he'd silently dashed to a wall on her right. Up until he'd reached the wall closest to Alva's and Root's brawl, the former completely neglecting anything other than the Ankylosaurus that was her foe. And now she paid for it; a third heavy slash across the exact same spot had been too much for even her to handle. Her steadily worsening leg wounds finally overwhelmed the mighty Half-Orc.

[BAROOOMM!]

Right as Molly realised what her now-found quarry had done, her beloved had fallen right on her stomach with blood gushing out of her wounded legs. Alva wouldn't remain there for too long - she'd need a few seconds to push the pain away, and as soon as she was over it she'd definitely be able to stand back up. However, Root had other plans. The moment the giant warrior had hit the ground, the druid moved towards her fallen opponent… and then above her. And as Root placed her front legs on the opposite side of Alva, the Half-Orc reached an alarming realisation. There had been a damn good reason why Root had chosen the form of such a heavy animal.

"Gnnngh… GET OFF ME!" Alva furiously roared.

The underground champion of Universe 15 was stronger than possibly anyone else. Her muscles were about as huge as the laws of physics themselves allowed, and every bit as powerful. There had never been a feat of strength she hadn't been able to achieve, no obstacles in her way too immense… but lifting over 7 tons of armoured flesh was beyond even her. All the strength her mighty body could muster was enough to budge the steadfast Root, but no more. And that was when it hit her. It didn't matter if her legs had been intact, nor even if she'd had time to enlarge. She was completely grounded. There was no way Alva could get out of there on her own.

"Oh crap. Hang on babe, I'll get y- whoa!" Molly scrambled from halfway across the field.

Even if Alva's strength couldn't remove Root, Molly's magic was much more likely to do the job. But unfortunately for Team Hot Stuff, their opponents had taken that into account. Sure, Molly could've just blasted the dinosaurian druid with a blast of fire or lightning or whatever… but only if she could get the chance. And since John had just narrowly missed her with his trusty ray gun before she'd even finished her sentence, the odds of her actually getting that chance seemed low. The Tiefling flashed a disbelieving smirk; as long as he could just keep Molly away, his and Root's big plan actually appeared to work.

With no help on the way, Alva had resorted to wildly flailing around. And while she did land a haphazard elbow in Root's front right leg which hurt enough to make her flinch, all that led to was the druid crouching down even closer. Any more and she'd just lay her 7-ton body right on top of her foe, and Root was not willing to crush the Half-Orc's back in such an agonising way. But eventually the Ankylosaurus let out a deep relieved rumble, all the while her pinned opponent let out an angry denial. Because one of the fairy referees had finally reached the scene, and this time nothing was gonna stop him from doing his job.

The giant's fight was over.

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"TKO - Technical Knockout!"

The same second that the announcement was made official, the flailing Alva was surrounded by a peculiar sight. Not the field-encompassing healing light or its blue reviving counterpart, but rather a thin red magical bubble. And after a brief moment where her opponent's thrashing body flashed brightly, Root suddenly felt the tension lighten as the former disappeared. Alva had been warped to a shining force bubble on the other side of the field - just as Abigail had been after getting eliminated the day before - where the healing field rapidly worked its magic on the somewhat damaged Half-Orc. And right as she started to realise just what had happened, she was warped off the field entirely. Right into the stands among the other unprepared contestants. But as Alva's furious shaking started to indicate what her flared-up emotions were heading towards, the nearby contestants all reached the same wise conclusion. All of them wordlessly agreed to move as far away from the barely constrained behemoth… and as she quickly flew into a violent rage, it was just in time. They couldn't avoid her explosive language quite as well, however.

"MOTHERFU-"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT - SUCH A CLEVER PLAN BY TEAM TREESHADE! AND HERE WE ALL THOUGHT CONTESTANT ROOT'S STEGOSAURUS TRANSFORMATION WAS JUST HER MEETING BRUTE FORCE WITH BRUTE FORCE! YOU ALL SAW IT, AND SO DID I; CONTESTANT ALVA IS COUNTED OUT, LEAVING THE INDOMITABLE BEHEMOTH OUT OF THE BATTLE! NOW IT'S JUST CONTESTANT MOLLY LEFT ALONE AGAINST CONTESTANT JOHN'S SENSE OF STEALTH AND CONTESTANT ROOT'S TRANSFORMED MIGHT! HOW MANY IN HERE EXPECTED THAT TO HAPPEN!?"

Both teams had aimed to fire up the audience, and that goal had most certainly been reached; to use an old phrase, the crowd was going wild. Tons of bewilderment, joy, disbelief and anger were going around, but most of all pure unadulterated excitement. But nobody in the arena was as shocked as Team Treeshade. Even Root's rigid reptilian face could not hide her utter surprise, to say nothing about the much more emotive John. Their plan worked. Their plan actually worked.

They had successfully not just toppled the mountainous Alva, but found a way to non-lethally ring her out. It even reached the point that John practically threw his hands into the air, all the while turning to face his morphed companion. But as he did, he was met by a fearful expression. Something was clearly upsetting the druid; something behind John. Something that not only sounded like impossible fast footsteps, but the sizzling sound of burning embers. And as John reflexively turned around to face the sound, he only had a second to process his returning overwhelming horror.

"(GHACK!)"

It wasn't exactly a pretty noise that escaped John's lungs. But as a clawed hand was currently pressing down hard on his throat, it was a miracle he could even make a sound at all. And as he was forcibly dragged downward to look the hand's owner in the eye, the Tiefling realised he was gonna be in for a world of hurt. Because nobody took out Molly Mineshaper's girlfriend and got away with it.

"To be honest, that was hella smart. Almost so impressive that I can't even be mad. Almost!" the Dwarf snarled through a sharp grin.

On one hand, John was exhausted after running circles around Alva for this long. But on the other, he was left in disbelief how his attempts to break free of Molly's grip fell completely flat. He attempted everything from prying open her fingers to bash the arm away with his fists, only for nothing to even make her budge in the slightest. Molly was simply way too strong for him. And it was here, in the grip of the most muscular sorcerer he'd ever seen, that it dawned on John.

All this time… he'd been focusing on the wrong target.

"Fun's over, sneak thief. It's about time I teach you lot why I'm just as dangerous as Alva!" Molly growled.

She started to follow up on her promise by dragging John down to her eye-level, before slamming him back-first into the nearest wall. The pilot desperately tried to reach for one of his knives, but once again to no avail - Molly fiercely backhanded his arm, sending the weapon just out of his reach. That, and the steadily increasing struggle to get any air into his lungs, was enough to get John to stop resisting. But unfortunately for him, the sorcerer was far from done with him. She was about to subject him to a most noxious fate for taking down Alva like that.

A suffocating smell quickly filled the air, along with its source - the edges of Molly's mouth started to spout a murky green smog. And while the fearful John wasn't able to recognize this as the variable spell Dragon's Breath, he could guess its effects very well. So he simply forcefully shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable… which was when he realised something was up. Molly had him dead to rights - she could've finished him off several seconds ago. And yet she was still keeping the spell on standby, as if trying to scare her opponent as much as possible. Or could it be that she was really trying to… oh crap.

John's eyes quickly darted behind the Dwarf to confirm his worries, and sure enough there she was. The Ankylosaurus was gone, replaced by Root's regular Genasi form. Quickly running towards her friend to aid him.

"Hold on buddy, I'm on my way!" Root hurriedly yelled.

John once again tried his damndest to get any sort of sound out. But as the grip on his throat hadn't loosened in the slightest, all he managed to utter was another weak cough. He had no way to warn Root about Molly's true intentions… intentions that were just about to be realised. Just as the druid had gotten close enough to start casting another Entangle spell, Molly flashed as much of a grin as she could with the murky smoke still emanating. And then she turned around to open her mouth.

The air around Root's head quickly turned into a thick hellscape of toxic gases, all flowing out of her opponent's open maw. And this sudden burst of suffocating poison was more than enough to overwhelm the weakened Genasi; Root fell to her knees, gagging and clutching her ravaged throat all the while. In other words, Molly had her right where she wanted. The Dwarf followed up the deadliest belch in history by steadily dragging the captive John over to his compromised teammate. But to do that, she had to redirect her attention to the struggling Root. And that was all John needed to reach for his last shot at victory.

"See? I can use my head too! Anyway, this has gone on long enough. So I'm just gonna go ahead an- AARGH!"

Molly had barely dragged John over to Root before the sharp metal object pierced her lower back. She'd only looked away from John for a few seconds, but that had been more than enough time for the Tiefling to put his sleek tail to use. In this case using it to flick his dropped knife towards him, enabling him to grab it in order to deliver this sneak attack. And while the resulting wound wasn't enough to put Molly out of commision, it was enough to make her drop him. With her prey loose and her poisonous cloud dispersing, both of Molly's opponents were free again. On the ground and coughing something fierce, but free. And John wasn't gonna let that opportunity go to waste.

Without wasting a second, the wounded pilot pulled out his ray gun again. Root was the tougher one compared to him, and so she'd recover from her coughing fit earlier than he would. He just needed to get in one serious hit to give her the time. However, even that was easier said than done. Molly was still right in front of him, and his vision was getting blurry after that intense chokehold - getting to land that shot was anything but guaranteed. So when he finally managed to pull the trigger, the furious Dwarf successfully bashed his arm to the side. Which meant that the blast failed to go through her chest as John had intended; the searing shot merely grazed Molly's shoulder, along with a piece of her hair. A serious burn wound, all right. Just not serious enough.

"That's it! No more dragging shit out, I'm taking you out RIGHT NOW!" Molly snarled.

Luckily, Root had been given enough time to stand back up and regain some bearings thanks to John's blast. Unluckily, she wasn't gonna remain that way for long. Because right in between her and the similarly groggy John was Molly, and she had already started up her last spell. The sorcerer had crossed her arms, her tense body rumbling while emanating some sort of thin magical aura. But right as Root tried to make a run for it, Molly thrusted her strained arms towards both opponents. And as she did so, the aura pulsed outward in a domed shape around all three contestants… before rapidly contracting back towards Molly. With one not so tiny extra effect - Team Treeshade was pulled backwards with it. The Gravity Pulse spell had sent Root and John careening uncontrollably towards Molly's closed fists, with only just enough time to brace for impact.

[WHAM!]

A punch from Molly was painful enough as it is. But a punch from Molly after being thrusted straight into it at high speeds? Crushingly effective. To the point that even the hardy Root saw nothing but stars as her jaw just barely kept itself in its place, and the less sturdy John had broken it altogether. They were just about conscious enough to stand, and to realise one thing. Despite all their planning, despite successfully eliminating Alva of all people… their journey ended here. A prepared Molly was just too much for them to handle. Their battle was over.

"Wow. You're still standing, huh. I've gotta admit, you two were waaay more trouble than we thought. And since you say you're all about peace and pacifism and all that, I guess I can give you a quick and simple K.O. Good game, guys!" Molly admitted.

Only Root had been collected enough to hear that, but it didn't matter. Neither she nor John had the energy left to object. Frankly, she was just surprised they'd managed to make it this far. Not to mention how their goal of rejuvenating the crowd seemed to have been completely fulfilled. So as Molly grabbed a hold of the back of both her opponent's heads, Root simply closed her eyes in preparation for the final blow. Right as the Genasi had finished her mental apology to her teammate, Molly slammed their heads together as hard as she could. And that's when everything finally went dark.

The cheering finally reached its climax, but the battlefield itself was turning quiet. The impact of both of their heads slamming into each other was too much for Team Treeshade to handle, and so they'd unceremoniously fallen to the ground. Both unmoving, both fully silent… both completely out cold. The only motion seen on the field was that of the bruised and tired Molly breathing heavily, all the while still flashing that wild grin of hers. That, and the cap-wearing fairy that once again fluttered onto the field to deliver the decisive countdown.

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"Double K.O!"

"AND THAT'S A WRAP, FOLKS! IT SURE LOOKED LIKE THIS WAS GONNA BE A CAKEWALK FOR TEAM HOT STUFF - BUT AS WE JUST SAW, THAT WAS ONLY HALF RIGHT! THE POWER OF THE SUN, CRIPPLING SNEAK ATTACKS, STEGOSAURUS TRANSFORMATIONS AND SPACE-BORN WEAPONRY GAVE TEAM TREESHADE THE EDGE MORE TIMES THAN NOT, AND THEY EVEN GAVE US ONE HELL OF A SURPRISE BY TAKING DOWN THE INDOMITABLE BEHEMOTH HERSELF! BUT IN THE END, CONTESTANT MOLLY BRINGS HOME THE WIN FOR TEAM HOT STUFF! OUR SECOND TEAM OF FINALISTS HAVE BEEN DECIDED!"

The moment that the announcement was made, the battered Molly heard a strange wobbly noise among the humongous roars of the crowd. And as she turned to face it, her face lit up like a beacon. Team Hot Stuff had won, and that meant both members had to cherish their feat; Alva was back beside her girlfriend. A bit dizzy from the sudden warp, but otherwise thrilled to the maximum.

"That was awesome, babe! You're the best, you know that?" the Half-Orc eagerly shouted.

She almost reflexively lunged forward to pick up Molly in her arms, and given how tired the latter was she couldn't have stopped Alva if she wanted to. Of course, she most definitely didn't. She did have to ensure that her massive girlfriend toned it down a little, though; the Dwarf was wounded enough as it was, and she didn't exactly want to add any carelessly broken bones to the mix. Although this little issue was just about to be remedied. Like clockwork, the very familiar white healing field started to cover the ground. And while the contestants' wounds were far from as serious compared to earlier fights, Team Hot Stuff still had time to reflect before it ended.

"Just listen. Thousands of cheering voices, all of them having a blast thanks to you. Now when that Absence bastard gets here, nobody can say we didn't do all we could for these folks!" Alva reckoned as she leaned back against a wall.

Molly chuckled a bit in response, her positive feelings amplified by the sensation of her stab wound healing up. And by the time all the damage had been undone, she responded in kind.

"Let it come. The big-brains must've come up with a good enough evacuation plan by now. And given how hard we had to fight just now, it's gonna have one hell of a time against all 15 of us! I mean, you've gotta admit; this was anything but easy!" Molly answered. "I think we've had our share of playing around, so for the finals we'll need our A-game from the get go!"

By now Molly's singed hair had regained its normal texture, thus completing the healing process. So since the Dwarf wasn't broken anymore, Alva didn't hesitate to hoist her back up into her ponderous arms. The Half-Orc knew just what was coming up, but for now she could allow herself to simply enjoy the moment. She and Molly had stuck to their principles and won the battle, all the while accomplishing their goal of giving the audience a hell of a good time. So to celebrate a worthwhile and successful fight, they shared a heartfelt intimate moment just like they so often did. In other words, they kissed.

"Well, that wasn't surprising at all. I wonder why I ever thought anything different could happen…"

As the victorious team relished the results, the losing team quite unshockingly did the opposite. John hadn't even bothered to sit up from where he'd regained consciousness on the ground, only really moving to clutch his head as the crack in his skull had healed up. It seemed that unlike his body, his pessimistic nature had been left as intact as ever. But as the aches in his tail disappeared to signify the finished restoration process, the Tiefling cracked a small smile. After all, not everything was hopeless.

"Still, I've gotta say I'm shocked. We actually took one with us, and it was the one who can snap us in half with a pinky finger. Look at us, being all capable!" John chuckled.

About a metre to his right, the pilot heard a deep content sigh. The similarly fixed up Root might've had a few extra burn marks and bruises to recover from, but her spirit sure didn't need any fixing. The druid stood up before helping her friend back on his feet, and as she did she looked over the joyous crowd around her. A sight that the still optimistic part of her relished greatly.

"We always were, buddy. You keep forgetting that. I mean, just listen! I think if we wanted to give everyone a fun time before the coming storm, we absolutely did!" Root explained. "I dunno about you, but if losing meant that we got to hear this then I'm all okay with it!"

John couldn't help but agree. Team Treeshade hadn't just gone beyond what they'd thought themselves capable of, but they'd also succeeded in their goal. They had fought for a goal they believed to be a just one, and accomplished it. They fought to the right end, so to say. There wasn't much for even a negative Tiefling star pilot to feel down over. So to celebrate a worthwhile and successful fight, they shared a heartfelt moment just like they so often did. In other words, they hugged.

"AND WITH THAT, WE'LL THANK TEAM TREESHADE FOR A PERFORMANCE THAT UPROOTED ALL EXPECTATIONS! AND WE'LL CONGRATULATE TEAM HOT STUFF FOR A VICTORY MADE POSSIBLE BY A REMARKABLE COMEBACK! BUT NOW, PEOPLE OF THE MULTIVERSE… WE HAVE REACHED OUR FINAL STOP! ALL THAT REMAINS NOW IS THE FINAL BATTLE, AND WHEN THAT ENDS WE'LL KNOW WHAT THE STRONGEST FORCE IN THE MULTIVERSE IS! EVERYTHING COMES DOWN TO THIS FATEFUL MOMENT IN HISTORY! ONLY ONE OF THESE TEAMS WILL PREVAIL - THE LIGHTNING-FAST TEAMWORK OF CONTESTANTS PRIME AND GOH'JI: TEAM FULL POWER!"

All eyes, along with the spotlights, turned towards the grand viewing screen. The giant monitor had switched from the contestants still on the battlefield to clips of the two previous rounds, showing Prime and Goh'ji's greatest moments. Everything from their first successful hit on Team Academia to Prime's narrow win against Pulse - everything barring Vuzrak's untimely elimination, that is. Too many distraught emotions were attached to that.

"AND THE LOVING BOND THAT CAN INCINERATE FORESTS AND MAKE MOUNTAINS CRUMBLE BETWEEN CONTESTANTS ALVA AND MOLLY: TEAM HOT STUFF!"

Now the screen switched over to the all-star moments from Alva and Molly; from their domination of Team Righteous all the way to Molly's crackdown on Team Treeshade just a few moments ago. Of course, Alva's final blows against Owen and Alva had been blurred over. No use in traumatising even more children in the audience.

"ONE OF THESE LEGENDARY TEAMS WILL PROVE TO BE THE GREATEST IN THE MULTIVERSE! SO STAY TUNED WHILE THEY GET AN HOUR TO PREPARE THEMSELVES, AND THEN WE'LL GET TO SEE HISTORY BEING MADE YET AGAIN! GO TO THE BATHROOM, TAKE A WALK OR CHECK OUT THE GIFT SHOP IN THE LOBBY IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, AND WE'LL MEET UP HERE SOON! THIS IS YOUR HOST, GOOGLORP… SIGNING OFF FOR A MOMENT!"

The corridor towards the blue corner's waiting room was filled with almost optimistic chatter. Words about the most intense moments of the battle, lingering thoughts about the Absence and the occasional heartfelt moments between the two friends; Root and John had no real regrets. But as they approached the waiting room, John was the first to notice someone waiting for them. A certain red-haired figure quickly waved towards them as she leaned against the wall.

"Hi guys! I just had to give my regards - that was awesome! Congrats on doing so well out there!" Pulse cheered.

While both members of Team Treeshade eagerly appreciated the appearance of their friend, only one of them saw through the lie. Pulse might've been a pretty good actor, but she couldn't fool John's honed insight. Beneath that cheerful facade that congratulated her friends without a worry in the world… was still a devastated young woman processing the deletion of her father. Still, John knew full well that Pulse had more pressing matters to prioritise over her own happiness. Every one of them did. So as the much less analytic and much more empathic Root caught on as well, John wordlessly dissuaded her from bringing up Pulse's feelings. There was a time and place for everything, but right now was not it.

"Actually, there's something important we need to discuss. And I think you both know exactly what" Pulse uttered in a much more serious tone. "The wizards have caught me up on the Absence, and I might have a thought or two of my own."

That sentence was enough to drain all the levity out of the room. In its place was the feeling of dread that always accompanied any mention of the Absence… but also a faint hint of hopefulness. After all, both Root and John trusted that Pulse of all people knew what she was talking about. If anyone could figure out a plan to stop it, she was the one.

"The short version is that since it's heading straight towards us of all places in this dimension, it's likely targeting all the life 'signatures' or whatever it's sensing. Which means it could possibly be sentient. And if it is, then we have a small chance of fighting back. But we still need to confirm it, and to do that we need to try and scry on it. And that's where you come in, Root. Is it possible for you to do this?" Pulse bluntly explained.

It took a moment for all the new feelings - surprise, anxiety and hopefulness - to settle after this revelation. Of course, Pulse expected that. So she waited patiently for the Genasi to come to a decisive answer. And after just under a minute, Root delivered it in a somewhat subdued voice.

"Well… yes, I can. You're asking me to do something really scary and maybe impossible, but I'll see what I can do. Of course, it's gonna be difficult… I'm gonna need a really strong arcane focus, and I'm gonna need a while to get ready. And even then, I can't promise it's gonna work, but…" Root mumbled.

"I'm sure one of the wizards has a good enough focus you can borrow; knowing that Kobold, he wouldn't have anything but the fanciest for himself. And don't worry, we'll be right by you all the way. If it gets dangerous, don't hesitate to stop" Pulse assured Root. "And thanks, bud. I know what I'm asking, but I'm glad you're good with it. It might just be our only hope."

With that said, Team Treeshade and Pulse started to make their way to the others. They had a lot of preparation to do; finalise an evacuation plan and a possible battle plan, form strategies, convince Professor Suss to lend his expensive tools to some dusty commoner… each one a tall order, and steadily less time to accomplish them. And while not a single one of them were anywhere near prepared for all this, they were gonna do it anyway. They had to. For the fates of anything they'd ever cared for.

The finals of the Multiversal Tag-Team Tournament were about to commence, and so was the fateful moment. The moment that would decide everyone's hereafter.