The final fight for multiversal championship was about to kick off any moment now. As usual, the screams of excitement, brightly coloured fireworks and high-strung tensions made one aspect clear as day - there were few places in this part of the multiverse with as much vibrant life and intense feelings. And yet, in the grand scheme of things even this site was merely a dim speck. The remaining incomprehensible reaches of even this relatively small pocket universe was nothing but cold space; a deep dark void with nothing except bright roaring stars, lifeless rock and antimatter. And yet, among this lack of life was something odd. Something that was colder and darker than even the deepest reaches of the universe. Something that did not belong.
A star is one of many incredible wonders of the cosmos. A ginormous sphere of incomprehensibly heated plasma, each one generating more energy than any sentient being could possibly match. Such as the shining yellow star roughly 10 light years away from the tournament arena, ever burning and generating bright light. At least… until it ceased existing. Mere moments after the impossibly fast, yet comparatively minuscule, shadowy tendril effortlessly pierced through it, the sphere's roaring surface began to dim. And in merely a few minutes… nothing. Only the coldest darkness imaginable left - darkness caused by a complete lack of being. What had once been a superheated ball of gas was now replaced by a complete absence, as if the star had never even been formed in the first place. And as the hole in existence slowly but surely started to expand all on its own, its cause kept drifting through the cosmos on its path of erasure.
To describe the thing's appearance would've been a moot point. After all, how do you describe something outside the constraints of logic? Calling it a surprisingly small cluster of pitch-dark antimatter would be a good start, and calling attention to its creeping tentacle-like offshoots steadily reaching out to any form of matter would be a decent continuation. But its ability to cause anything it touched to cease existing would strike fear into the bravest of hearts, and its relentless pursuit of that single dot of life in this universe would only make any remaining state of mind worse. And if anyone still possessed any sort of bearings after witnessing its dark effects, they would be left horrified out of their minds from what they'd see in its deepest essence.
Somewhere within the disaster, something appeared to be grinning.
"PEOPLE OF THE MULTIVERSE, THANK YOU ALL FOR WAITING! IT WILL ALL HAVE BEEN WORTH IT - BECAUSE THIS IS IT! THIS IS FINALLY THE END OF IT ALL!"
The grand audience still remained blissfully unaware of the calamity so far away. And given what was about to happen, nothing would be able to pry them from their seats. 6 intense tag-team fights, all leading up to this. The people had seen everything from clever subjugations to brutal fatalities, everything from blissful victories to great tragedies. Effortless stomps and narrow struggles, brilliant strategies and brute force… at one point they'd even seen a big robot fight a big dinosaur. And despite some heavy moments, right now those were put in the back of everyone's minds. Right now, the crowd was having a blast.
"YOU ALL KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED DURING THESE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, SO I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME TELLING YOU ABOUT IT! JUST THAT OUT OF 8 TEAMS, ONLY TWO REMAIN TO FIGHT FOR THE TITLE OF GREATEST! AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT WAITING FOR THEM BEYOND THE FINISH LINE IS A PRIZE THAT ONLY A CHAMPION CAN DESERVE! AND THIS WONDROUS OBJECT… WILL REMAIN A SURPRISE! SO FOR NOW, JUST KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE FIELD! THE GREATEST COLLISION OF THEM ALL WILL OCCUR ANY MOMENT NOW!"
Actually obtaining a Wish scroll last year had only been made possible by several miracles and even more resources, so this time the prize was something slightly less fantastic. As a matter of fact, it hadn't been shown to anyone barring the contestants themselves - whatever this secret surprise was, the tournament staff wanted to keep it that way. But while this was sure to annoy some members of the audience, it wasn't enough to deter them. They were as ready as ever, if not more so.
"LET'S DO THIS THING THEN! LADIES… GENTLEMEN… EVERYONE ELSE… THE WAIT IS OVER! LET THE FINALS OF THE MULTIVERSAL TAG-TEAM TOURNAMENT COMMENCE!"
"Hol' up, what do ya mean? Why not do it now?"
While the audience remained unaware of the Absence, the 15 contestants had gone through their counterplan against it innumerable times. All of them understood the plan perfectly by now… or at least the core parts of it. The brainiacs of the group had the strategy written down to a tee, but a certain bulky Tiefling farmgirl remained confused regarding the first part.
"Ashes, I told you earlier. He spent the last hour wherever that secret prize is being kept, and now that the match is on nothing could catch that guy's attention. We even sent Inferno on him, but I don't think he even noticed they were at the door. So since we should still have enough time after the fight ends, we - me, Root and the wizards - will aim to catch him as soon as the results are in. Hopefully even someone like Googlorp will understand that this is serious enough to finish everything as quickly as possible."
Pulse's patient explanation appeared to be enough; Ashes' confused undertone faded away to be replaced by understanding nodding. But even though the other contestants around her showed no other signs of confusion, Pulse still motioned towards them to listen. This plan involved the fates of hundreds of thousands of people - properly going through it one more time wouldn't hurt.
"Alright, let's go through everything in order real quick. Root, are you all set to scry on the Absence?" the Drow wondered.
She did fail to hide a nervous gulp, but Root still nodded steadfastly. All things considered she had managed to prepare remarkably quick - refamiliarising herself with her lesser used spells could take almost half a day, but since she only needed to prepare one it'd taken just about an hour. Not only that, but the professor had even agreed to temporarily lend the druid his prized arcane orb. Extremely begrudgingly and through overbearing protests, but he'd lent it. So with the first part of the plan accounted for, Pulse resumed her summary.
"Awesome. When you have a result, we'll decide our main objective; if it is sentient then we can dig for some mental weakness, if it isn't we'll just blast it. But before any of that, we grab Googlorp and see if we can get the staff to make sure the award ceremony goes through quickly. Then we hurry up and get everyone in here home safely. And when it's just us left… we wait for the Absence" the inventor laid out. "When it gets here we hit it with all we have, but the odds of us being able to stop it remain extremely low. So if it turns out we can't do anything, we escape to my universe immediately. No ifs or buts. Anything unclear so far?"
Overall the only answer Pulse got was clear headshakes and one or two "no, it's good". With one exception coming from a worried Root.
"Well… why are we even waiting? If this thing is as dangerous as it feels, shouldn't we just tell the audience about it and evacuate now?" the Genasi asked.
An excellent question. And clear enough that Pulse had an answer ready immediately.
"Because suddenly announcing the end of the world WILL lead to chaos. If we told everyone all the details, we're bound to end up with everyone panicking or even rioting. To get them home, we need everyone to remain calm and orderly - not trampling over each other. The staff can only keep one dimensional gate at a time open after all, so if we want everyone to get to the right universe we need to know where we have them" Pulse hastily explained. "So for now, unless something else happens we can focus on getting you through the scrying part. That, and enjoy the show".
With that, Root's question was answered well enough. But while the druid immediately put her hands on the borrowed orb after closing her eyes, the surrounding contestants remained tense. "Enjoy the show", she said. Easier said than done. But despite the doom that was to come, all 11 of them up in the watching area retained hope. These next minutes would determine if Pulse's plan could work, and therefore if they could stand a chance. Of course, not everyone worried exclusively about the Absence. Abigail quickly threw a glance over towards the spotlighted corridor - if everyone around her were this worried, then she could only guess what Prime and his rival would feel.
"This is it, then. Our greatest challenge yet; if we lose here, then it's all over."
Surprisingly enough, the blue corner's waiting room was quite still. No excited flails, no destructive sparring and not even any loud declarations of hype. Just like their friends above, Prime and Goh'ji were steadfastly contemplating the very near future. And their chances of making it out in one piece.
"That is true, Prime. We are both experienced fighters, and yet this challenge could be our last" Goh'ji agreed.
"Which is why we need to go all-out and unleash our full fighting spirit! We're gonna need it to surpass those two!" Prime suddenly announced.
The duo had, in fact, barely even thought about the Absence. For better or for worse, all that was on their minds right now was this upcoming match. The others would've almost certainly heavily chastised them if they heard about this, but since they didn't the two rivals kept focusing on the here and now.
"I still remember that sparring match, you know. Just us in our first fight together against one big Half-Orc, and we got beaten faster than you could say 'warm-up'! And now all of us, including that Mineshaper girl, are gonna go all-out in a proper match. Man, I am SO ready for this!" the robot practically giggled. "You know what this means, right? Those two have fought their way to the top of this tournament, just like we have. We've already beaten Pulse, so this is the biggest hurdle left to beat. If we win this, we can really overcome anything - we can really call ourselves masters!"
The ultimate goal of any martial artist - the title of master. Earning this honorific meant being recognised as someone standing atop their peers, having… well, mastered everything regarding the art of fighting. In other words, the culmination of everything Prime and Goh'ji had ever worked for. However, whereas Prime was excitedly daydreaming about this goal the same was not the case for his rival. Goh'ji decisively shook his head; he did not agree with the robot's statement.
"There's something my friends used to tell me - there is no such thing as a master. What I think they meant is that there's always more things to learn. 'One doesn't become a master from defeating the strongest fighter, but rather by deciding you've learnt all you can'. That's a quote I read in school once, and I still… what's the word again?" Goh'ji countered, before visibly losing track.
Upon hearing the Dragonborn's retort, Prime appeared to cycle through several emotions in the span of a few seconds. First a jolt of realisation. Then a moment of silent pondering. And finally a chuckle of endearment, leading to his answering of Goh'ji's question.
"A quote you live by, I'm guessing. And I've gotta admit you're right. The training never ends, because there will always be someone greater out there to overcome! And even then, you will always need to surpass your own limits - and fix old missteps!" Prime laughed. "Which funnily enough reminds of a quote I like to live by: 'Live and learn, from the works of yesterday'! Can't remember where I heard it, but it's something to stand by!"
The two rivals remained in their shared moment for a few seconds. However, their mutual peace was soon replaced by energetic restlessness. Right now they had a fight to win, and if they wanted to win they'd both need their everything. Which meant no time to sit around and philosophise. And as the duo grabbed their tools and headed towards the battlefield, they shared a quick fist bump. Team Full Power was ready, and their bond was as strong as ever.
"You and me, Goh'ji. All the way, always!" Prime promised.
"Indeed, my friend!" Goh'ji agreed.
And with that, the two started running. One last opportunity to express themselves awaited.
"(Please, just let me finish one of these things…) IN-"
One chance. One last chance to fully deliver one of his tenderly written introductory speeches. That was all Googlorp asked for. So when Team Full Power burst onto the scene with a giant leap capped off by a double three-point landing, coupled with an illusory explosion behind them, the Plasmoid announcer practically burst out crying in defeat. He was anything but surprised, but left in despair nonetheless. Of course, he had enough reasoning to break down away from the mic - that way nobody paid attention to it while Team Full Power stole the spotlight again.
"OUR FOES MAY HAVE DANCED IN FIRE, BUT THAT IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE FIRE TRAPPED IN THIS MACHINE! IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THEY THROW AT US, WE WILL FACE IT HEAD-ON AND FIGHT TO OUR FULLEST!" Prime yelled as he posed dramatically.
"ONE LAST BATTLE REMAINS, AND WE WILL WIN IT! WHEN THE FIGHT IS DONE, ONLY THE TWO OF US SHALL BE STANDING!" Goh'ji shouted while posing much less dramatically.
"THE METAL RANGER AND THE SCALE-CLAD THUNDERER… THE CHAMPIONS OF THE MULTIVERSAL TAG-TEAM TOURNAMENT!" both of them prematurely declared.
Yet again the martial artists finished their introduction with a flashy pose accompanied by an illusory explosion, but compared to last round's simple pointing this one was much more complicated. First came the cross-counter kick between them. Then the twirl into the elbow clash. And finally Prime's frontflip straight upwards, followed by him landing on top of Goh'ji's thick tail to raise his fists into the air… which, of course, led to them both clumsily crashing to the ground as Goh'ji failed to support the weight of his friend. An accident which failed to deter them completely; the martial artists still thrusted their fists into the air to finish their number from the pile on the ground.
"AHN-001 PRIME AND GOH'JI DAARDENRIAN - TEAM FULL POWER! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!"
This time the audience's reaction was that of humored laughter, but it soon turned to the usual approving screaming and waving. And this time, even Googlorp joined in on the positivity. Even if his reasoning was much pettier than the crowd's.
"HA, THAT'S WHAT YOU DESER- HRRM, I MEAN… TEAM FULL POWER MAKES ONE LAST DRAMATIC ENTRANCE! AFTER OVERPOWERING TEAM ACADEMIA AND SURPASSING TEAM OVERDARK, THE FULL-HEARTED FIGHTER AND THE CRACKLING MARTIAL ARTIST HAVE REACHED THE FINAL BATTLE! ALL THAT REMAINS IS THE NOT SO SIMPLE TASK OF OVERCOMING THEIR LAST SET OF OPPONENTS BEFORE THEY'RE CROWNED CHAMPIONS! BLITZING SWORDS AND THE SPEED OF LIGHTNING: CONTESTANTS PRIME AND GOH'JI OF TEAM FULL POWER!"
At the same time that Prime and Goh'ji had been discussing the meaning behind the title of Master, their opponents had been preparing themselves as well. And unlike their opponents, Team Hot Stuff shared the worries of their compatriots up in the stands. It wasn't easy to focus on just a fight when the end of everything was right on your doorstep, after all. But all things considered, the duo managed it pretty well. Enough to shift their thoughts to the here and now for a moment.
"Really? We're not getting a cheering squad? That's almost disappointing" Alva sighed.
Her words were meant to convey a teasing jab, but the jarringly kind undertone didn't fool anyone. The Half-Orc's girlfriend beside her wasn't fooled for a second - the lack of friends cheering them on, like she herself had done for Pulse last year, wasn't "almost" disappointing.
"You like these guys, don't you? I knew you were a big softie beneath all that muscle!" Molly teased.
The beefy warrior simply snickered as she shrugged her shoulders. She had nothing to hide from Molly, so there really was no use in keeping up pretenses. Besides, the sorcerer knew pretty much everything about her at this point anyway.
"Yeah, I do. People like this don't come around too often; we're pretty damn lucky to have 'em around, you and I" Alva admitted, before giving Molly a light jab in the side. "Don't you dare tell 'em I said that, though."
Molly didn't have to answer; the content grin on her face was enough confirmation. Instead she changed the subject as she leaned against her girlfriend's side, with the latter making no moves to resist in the slightest.
"Just one scrap left, then. All we've got to do is break those guys into pieces, and then we've made up for our losses last year. Man, kicking the Absence's ass is gonna feel so good after we've been crowned champions!" the Dwarf laughed.
On one hand, Alva could feel that eerie lump in her throat return. She was about as confident in her and Molly's strength as one could get, but Molly's level of bravery in the face of the Absence was worrying. For now, she decided to shake it off and attribute it to anxiety - Alva had never been one to doubt her girlfriend's confidence. If she said they could beat it, they probably could.
"Heh. Did I ever tell you that I've already faced down these guys? It was the first night last year, when they just scurried over and begged to spar with me. They never landed a single hit before I beat their sorry asses into the dirt! You and me together, holding nothin' back? We've got this shit in the bag!" Alva reminisced.
However, her jovial assurance quickly turned serious. Only by a smudge, but serious nonetheless.
"We'd better. That big audience out there sees us as unbeatable aces - we have one hell of a reputation to uphold today" Alva added. "We'd better not play around this time. So let's pound the boys into paste, become champions and then tear the Absence a new one! Does that sound like a plan, dear?"
While Molly got the hint, she still couldn't help but giggle in embarrassment. Being called "dear" was heartwarming and all, but at the same time it made her sound like a grandma. But she could chastise Alva later; right now they had places to be. So she settled for a snappy slap on the Half-Orc's thigh, before getting off the bench to head for the battlefield.
"Absolutely, honeypie. Let's go have some fun!" the sorcerer grinned.
As Alva let out something that sounded like a mix between a sigh, a groan and a chuckle, she joined her girlfriend as they followed the laughters courtesy from Prime and Goh'ji's little blunder. And as the duo threw one more loving look towards each other, they shared a quick fist bump. Team Hot Stuff was ready, and their bond was as strong as ever.
"AND IN THE RED CORNER, TEAM HOT STUFF JOINS THE FRAY ONE LAST TIME! SO FAR THEY'VE BROKEN TEAM RIGHTEOUS AND CAUSED TEAM TREESHADE TO WILT, AND NOW THE INDOMITABLE BEHEMOTH AND THE FEROCIOUS BLAZE HAVE REACHED THEIR ULTIMATE BATTLE! THEY MAY HAVE IMPOSSIBLE STRENGTH AND DEVASTATING MAGICAL POWER, BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO OVERCOME SKILL AND TECHNIQUE HONED TO ITS PEAK? TOWERING MUSCLE AND ALL-CONSUMING FLAMES: CONTESTANTS ALVA AND MOLLY OF TEAM HOT STUFF!"
Just like always, Team Hot Stuff stole the show with their entrance. Not quite to the same degree as Team Full Power's shenanigans, but enough that the massive cheers remained as resounding as ever. And as the duo eagerly answered the appreciation with waving, fist-pumping and the occasional roar right back at them, their drive to win turned stronger than ever. This reaction, this level of reverence, was why they still fought despite the looming apocalypse. And while their reasoning wasn't quite as personal, the approaching Prime and Goh'ji was about to prove that their drive was equally intense.
"Oh man oh man oh man, this is IT! We can finally have our proper match! Mark my words, ladies - me and Goh'ji WILL take you down! We're gonna prove all our training has been worth it!" Prime exclaimed while pumping his fists like an overexcited child.
The automaton had a way to spread his infectious joy around; Alva couldn't help but bust out a laugh, while Molly settled for a small grin. Of course, part of the reasoning behind their reaction was the perceived irony behind Prime's declaration.
"Hah! Knock yourselves out, boys! We're gonna do that for you either way, so don't get too confident!" Molly snickered.
"But honestly, don't you dare hold back on us! The big-brains are handling the whole Absence plan thing, so we're free to fight to the end! And we sure as all hells will!" Alva added.
Anyone else would've shown visible signs of fear at the Half-Orc's boisterous promise, but Prime wasn't just anyone. The notion of facing this living mountain and her explosive ally at their best wasn't just exciting to him, it was downright euphoric. Sometimes, Prime's love of the fight outweighed all common sense. Luckily, his rival was at least a tad more subdued in that regard.
"Of course we will, miss. However, we can't forget that we don't have much time. We need to be ready for the Absence, so even if I hate to admit it we all need to finish the fight quickly. You'll fight at full power from the start, and so will we!" Goh'ji reasoned.
No objections were made - it seemed that everyone knew the assignment. And so, the audience around the 4 fighters turned silent once again. This was it. The two teams had started to get into position, and that meant that the final battle would start any second now. Soon the position of greatest team in existence would be decided. The tension was high enough that one could slice right through it.
Molly sprinkled some embers to the ground as she slammed her fists together. Goh'ji crouched down into a readied battle stance. Alva slowly reached for the hammer on her back. Prime went down on one knee as if preparing a rapid dash. And in the announcer's booth, Googlorp flashed his equivalent of a bittersweet smile. He was about to deliver the last fight announcement of the tournament, and by Milil, he was gonna make it count.
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"FINALISTS… BEGIN!"
And with that, one last set of grand explosions lit up the starry sky. The battle to end all battles was on.
"Finally! Goh'ji, LET'S GO!"
Prime couldn't hold it in any longer. With a resounding scream of unbridled hype, the construct practically launched himself into a mad dash towards his opponents. And with a narrowed brow and a toothy grin, Goh'ji followed right behind his ally. Their target was obvious. Alva was leagues stronger and tougher than anyone else on the field, not to mention possessing considerable skill… but Molly was the one with ranged abilities. Taking her down meant removing Team Full Power's biggest disadvantage. So both martial artists gunned towards the sorcerer, swords drawn and palms electrified. Of course, Molly wasn't just gonna take it lying down.
"Oh, please tell me you're not really that dumb!" Molly growled as she thrusted her arms forward.
If Prime and Goh'ji was gonna start off with a brutish easily telegraphed attack, it only made sense for Molly to do the same. So the Dwarf did what she did best - she launched a huge destructive blast of searing fire. Not anything so violently explosive as a Fireball, but still a rather wide and intense Burning Hands spell. However, contrary to what the reckless Molly had expected, the attack didn't engulf the duo. Turns out that the martial artists were a bit more wise than she'd expected; they'd been at the ready to avoid a counterattack like this. In this case by leaping high above it… and in Prime's case, turning it into a much less avoidable strike.
"METAL… KICK!"
With a muted thud, Prime landed the first attack in the form of a jump kick straight in Molly's chest. Anyone with a basic understanding of dwarven physiology knows that while even the average Dwarf is quite resilient, a full-force iron jump kick in the solar plexus would knock the air out of even the strongest individual. Which meant that right as Molly registered that she'd been kicked, she was sent crashing down on her knees as her torso felt like it'd just imploded. Less than 10 seconds into the match and one fighter had already been compromised.
"Quick, Goh'ji! Before she gets up again!" Prime shouted as he landed on his feet.
The Dragonborn didn't need to be told twice. Molly was left on the ground wheezing for air, but she was still remarkably tough. If they wanted to eliminate her, they needed to move fast. So almost instinctively, Goh'ji charged in to deliver a strong chop to her throat - in her condition, there was no way she'd be able to get back up from that. But right as he started to get close, something much more pressing caught his attention. The rapidly expanding shadow that started to cover him, that is.
[BARROOOOMM!]
Thanks to his quick reflexes, Goh'ji just barely avoided being flattened like a pancake by Alva's warhammer. But even so, the effects of the impact alone were quite substantial - not only Goh'ji stumbled around thanks to the shaking earth, but so did the barely recovered Molly. And while the nimble Dragonborn regained his balance quick enough to fall back faster than one could say "close call", the much less agile Molly fell right back on her behind. By this point she'd recovered just enough to note how embarrassing of a start to the fight this had been. But this time, she had nothing to worry about. In order to stop Molly from getting back in the fight, Team Full Power had to go through the supermassive Half-Orc in front of her.
"Shoot, we almost had her! Come here Goh'ji, we need to regroup!" Prime exclaimed.
Goh'ji did just that, but not before ceasing his vacant staring at nothing - almost being crushed by Alva's warhammer had understandably left him a tad mortified. But no matter how little he liked it, he went along with Prime's suggestion. Team Full Power had to fall back on a necessary evil… they had to slow down and make a plan.
"We need to keep them busy; as long as they're side by side, we can't take 'em. So for now we handle one opponent each, and as soon as one of us gains an advantage we team up to take that one down. And if they prove to be too much, we save each other and fall back to make a new plan. Sound good?" Prime whispered.
The Dragonborn's close encounter with a hammer combined with his slow thinking meant that he just barely followed along, but he understood. So as Goh'ji quickly nodded to affirm, Prime finished his planning.
"Awesome. I'll handle Alva - I'm a bit faster and I've got my trusty swords, so I should be able to stay out of her range. You have your precision strikes, so you'll be good to keep Molly from firing any spells. Let's do this!" Prime hastily suggested, before darting off towards the approaching Alva.
By now Molly looked to be fully back in the game, so as Goh'ji turned towards the fiery Dwarf he narrowed his brow. He could tell with just a gaze - Molly was ready for him. Her sharp expression, confident grin and alert body language conveyed that perfectly. Just what he'd hoped for. So with a tense grin of his own, Goh'ji charged in towards his cocky opponent. It was high time to pit his Way of the Open Hand against Molly's devastating magic.
"Up top, pal! Let's see you handle this one!"
Prime had complete faith in his ally's ability to keep up with Molly - now to see if he could do the same with the towering Alva. What's worse, the Half-Orc was about as alert as she could be; any attack Prime made was gonna be laughed off at best and brutally countered at worst. Which was exactly what he counted on. Alva was leagues stronger and tougher than he was, and she knew it. Prepared or not, she wasn't expecting any serious hit. So Prime rapidly ran towards his opponent, swords at the ready. And as he got into close range, he tensed up as if to prepare a high jump. A manoeuvre that merely made Alva chortle.
"Oh tin man, you're an idiot. Going for my head's gonna be the last mistake you'll ever make!" the warrior grinned.
The automaton had more or less made divebomb attacks his main thing. Metal Kick, Iron Dive, Drill Break… predictable as all hells. So as Alva moved the handle of her Warhammer in front of her face, she made sure to yawn dismissively. An action she came to regret as a substantial pain took root in her newly slashed leg.
"Gotcha! CROSS SLICER!" Prime yelled triumphantly.
Years of constant fighting, inhuman struggles and a place in the finals of this tournament, and Alva still kept letting her guard down. Despite her immense toughness and remarkable skill, she lacked something that Prime had in spades. That being creative tactics. The robot had deliberately lured his opponent into a false sense of confidence, letting her think he was gonna slip up and do his usual tricks. Instead of jumping right up in her face, Prime had targeted the Half-Orc's left leg. A critical hit; not only had he opened up an open cross-shaped wound, but also worsened an old one from her and Molly's fight with the acolytes a few months back.
"Y-you little… now you ruined my favourite pants!" Alva growled.
The pain coursing through the warrior's leg was nothing to scoff at, and yet it had done not much more than make her angry. Prime had mostly confirmed what he already knew - it was gonna take a lot more than one good hit to get through all that muscle. However, during the second he needed to regain his balance the construct realised just how true that was. Alva had already pushed the pain aside… and now that giant leg was heading straight towards Prime.
[WHAM!]
"OUCH, THAT DID NOT LOOK PRETTY! TEAM FULL POWER STARTS OFF STRONG WITH A COUPLE HARD-HITTING FEINTS… BUT WHILE THEY CAN KNOCK CONTESTANT MOLLY DOWN, KEEPING HER THAT WAY IS GONNA NEED A LOT MORE OOMPH THAN THAT! AND SEEING AS EVEN CONTESTANT PRIME'S FAKE-OUT FAILS TO SLOW DOWN THE INDOMITABLE BEHEMOTH FOR LONG, IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET THE CHANCE!"
Prime was an experienced enough fighter to instinctively roll with the kick, but that could only lessen so much of the pain. He'd have thought of the saying "kicked by a mule" if that hadn't been a huge understatement. However, Alva was about to follow up with a blow comparable to an entire farm's worth of mules. The Half-Orc had reared back her gigantic warhammer, and Prime only had a couple seconds to avoid being sent to the scrapheap beyond the veil.
Thankfully for the Metal Ranger, his reflexes were faster than Alva's swinging speed - the hammer missed him by inches as he bent over backwards to dodge it. And almost as importantly, the momentum of the warrior's heavy attack left her open for a moment. Not for very long, but enough for Prime to land a quick counterattack. The same second he realised this he launched himself forward to slash open his opponent's other leg. A direct hit - the swords struck Alva's right thigh without issue. Except for one… the attack had barely drawn any blood.
"Yeah, no. No more lucky hits for you. I mean, I've already busted through that overly swole Dragonborn while you barely got through his skin! What makes you think you can cut me down, metal boy?" Alva boasted.
Even a solid hit in the Half-Orc's scarred leg had only served to make her stagger a bit, and after that feint there was no way she was gonna let that happen again. But despite her making sure he knew this, Prime merely laughed. He wasn't deterred in the slightest - as a matter of fact, this incredible challenge had the opposite effect.
"Because I'm not backing down until I drop! If I can't beat you like this, then I guess I'll just have to hit harder!" the automaton declared.
At that moment Prime's spiky holographic aura flared to life. But despite the effect merely being theatrical, it did accompany his next move. The Infinity Engine that powered him was hard at work, and a few seconds later the results showed themselves - Prime's otherwise normal blades suddenly started sparking with energy. And by the time the swordsman reared back to flash another dramatic pose, his weapons crackled with the same spiky yellow aura that he himself had just brandished. Except this one was very much real. Just like he and Goh'ji had done against Team Overdark earlier, Prime had powered up his swords with his own ki.
"Let's see you handle this one!" the robot yelled as he charged in again.
Alva raised a curious eyebrow before doing what Prime requested. She'd seen what an admittedly stronger version of this technique had done to Vuzrak just a bit over an hour ago, and she really didn't want to experience that herself. So she reared back her hammer again, before swinging it just as Prime got into range… only for the martial artist to stop and jump back. Yet another successful bait.
"Stop moving for one godsdamn second! All I need is one single hit, and then you'll be nothing but scrap!" the frustrated Half-Orc snarled.
Prime simply let out a thrilled laugh, before capitalizing on his opponent's missed strike. Loudly.
"METAL ARROW!"
With one dramatic motion, Prime threw his supercharged sword straight towards Alva. And for the first time in the fight, her confident expression fell apart just that little bit. The ki powering up the weapon had to have affected its trajectory - just like the attack's namesake, it soared through the air in more or less a straight line. And since Alva was currently dealing with the brief recoil of swinging her hammer, not to mention the fact she was way too huge and cumbersome to sidestep a projectile this fast, the Metal Arrow hit home.
[SHNK!]
The first slash had hit an unguarded weak spot. The second hadn't caused any injury worse than a small cut. But this gleaming sword that had lodged itself right in the middle of her gut, being the only thing keeping a stream of blood from decorating the ground? This one hurt. This one actually hurt. Right now it was hard to tell what hurt more - the deep puncture wound or the realisation Prime had the means to deal proper damage. But the robot was about to make both facets hurt much more.
With his opponent distracted by the shock, Prime charged in at full speed. And with a quick jump, he'd not only grabbed onto his sword, but also planted his feet on Alva's stomach. A dangerous position - all the Half-Orc needed to break him in half was one successful grab. So before she could come to her senses and do just that, Prime pulled. And with a boisterous flip backwards, the construct had kicked himself off of his opponent. With his sword in hand… and said opponent clutching her bleeding wound with a distorted snarl.
"One hit, you say? I know! Which is why me and Goh'ji will finish this before you two get the chance! So come on then, warrior - make me eat those words, if you can!" Prime declared.
Alva merely muttered a curse as she slammed her warhammer into the dirt with her free hand. She took a look at her hand, fully soaked in thick red blood. When was the last time before this tournament she'd seen her own blood again? As the Half-Orc recalled the memory of Pulse cutting her in half last year's tournament, she couldn't help but chuckle. These folks, these fighters from different realms, had challenged her more than anyone back home could ever dream of. She'd almost forgotten how thrilling that could feel. So it was with an eager snarl that Alva clutched her hammer tighter, before answering Prime's challenge with vigor. She couldn't wait to prove her latest challenger wrong.
Whereas Prime had finally started to make some leeway against his foe, Goh'ji had yet to do so. He was a close-range martial artist with barely any ranged options, Molly was a sorcerer with spells for days - he hadn't been able to close the distance between them at all. Not without risking a Burning Hands or worse in the noggin. So throughout the whole time Prime and Alva had tussled, Goh'ji had just focused on avoiding Molly's steady stream of Fire Bolts and occasional larger spell. Until the Dwarf finally slipped up.
"Grrgh… slippery little bastard, aintcha? Then slip on THIS!" the impatient sorcerer growled.
With her numerous but tiny Fire Bolts failing to do more than keep Goh'ji at bay, Molly stopped to cast the complete opposite. If countless blindly fired pellets didn't work, maybe a singular carefully aimed Ice Knife would. But as Molly launched the rapidly formed icicle from her hand, her Dragonborn opponent simply grinned. He knew she'd resort to something like that eventually. He couldn't do anything to stop the red-hot embers from before… but a corporeal ice shard was another thing. The surrounding audience all stared in impressed shock as Goh'ji caught the Ice Knife right out of the air. A feeling which only intensified as he immediately followed up by throwing it straight back at Molly.
"Ah, shit…!" the Dwarf hurriedly mumbled.
It was only thanks to her quick reflexes that Molly avoided having her throat impaled, and even then she only managed to haphazardly throw herself to the ground. Not exactly an elegant manoeuvre, but at least it worked. But as she looked back up to rise to her feet, she let out another alarmed curse. Because with his target successfully interrupted, the blindingly fast Goh'ji had already closed the distance. With only brief seconds before her opponent would be able to strike, Molly resorted to plan B. That, of course, being her fists.
"Come on, miss Mineshaper! Show me what you can do!" the enthusiastic Goh'ji requested.
Molly wasn't planning to do anything less. Before the Dragonborn had even finished his sentence, she had already thrown a solid right hook towards his lower jaw. A blow that the quick martial artist avoided easily. So she tried again with a gut punch, followed by a heavy elbow strike. With the same results. And that was when the Dwarf started to snap out of her frustrated improv to realise her mistake. She had really taken the bait completely, hadn't she?
"Are you finished? Alright then, my turn!" Goh'ji announced as he sidestepped a wayward slash.
In the same time that Molly had taken to throw a brutish punch, Goh'ji managed to land two quick palm strikes in her gut. With painful results; the sorcerer let out one or two agonized curses. So she quickly started to fire up her trademark blazing spells… which, of course, failed as well. The burning fire of the Dragon's Breath only just started to become visible through her throat, but the Dragonborn's rapid throat chop prevented anything other than a smoking cough to escape. With no opportunity to even launch a spell, Molly let out a livid growl as she threw yet another punch. And this one managed to land; straight in the prepared Goh'ji's open palm, that is.
"You are indeed strong, Mineshaper. Very strong. But you will not be able to hit me. Because despite all that power, you don't have enough skill to use it!" the martial artist laid out.
As if to punctuate his claim, Goh'ji rapidly dragged Molly by the fist to his right. One quick hoist later and she'd been turned around with her back towards him. In other words, she was left open for the crushing kick that crashed right into her upper spine. And to finish the assault, the martial artist spun around to slam his heavy tail across Molly's downed form. A crushing blow; Molly could practically feel the crack in her clavicle. And with that kind of pain and shock keeping her stuck motionless on the ground, there was nothing she could do to prevent Goh'ji from finishing her. She was done for… if it hadn't been for her following sentence.
"Gnngh… babe, a little help please?" the Dwarf painstakingly stuttered.
Alva might've been occupied with trying to land a hit on Prime, but Molly's sudden call for help immediately caught her attention. And the sight of her girlfriend beaten into the ground, just moments away from being finished, ignited her panic in a way Prime's attacks could never compare to. But with almost 15 metres between them, there was no way Alva could reach her in time. There was only one thing she could do to save her, but first Prime needed to go.
"Molly! Hang on!" the Half-Orc shouted, before quickly turning her head towards Prime. "Fuck off for a moment, will you?!"
Moving with speed she didn't know she could muster, Alva swept her right arm towards the attacking robot to deliver an improvised backhand. And to her surprise, it landed; Prime was sent crashing to the ground like a smaller meteor. With him accounted for, the warrior rapidly focused on activating one of her many runic abilities. And right as the glowing rune on Alva's belt began to shine, Goh'ji brought down his crushing axe kick onto the downed Molly.
[BWOOMMM!]
Molly had instinctively shut her eyes as Goh'ji delivered the big attack. But just like several other close calls across the tournament's several battles, the pain never came. The sorcerer had expected to have her spine shattered and to feel nothing but agony, but instead all she registered were two sounds. One was the sound of Goh'ji haphazardly falling on his back a metre or two away from her. The other was the brief, but familiar, deep sound reverberating around her. And as Molly opened her eyes to register the source of that sound, an appreciative smile adorned her face. Among her girlfriend's many runic abilities, the Runic Shield was among her favourites.
"IS THERE NO END TO THESE NERVE-WRACKING CLOSE CALLS? CONTESTANT MOLLY HAS HAD NOTHING BUT A ROUGH TIME IN THIS FIGHT, BUT LUCKILY SHE HAS HER BELOVED ALLY TO BACK HER UP! STILL, IT LOOKS LIKE TEAM HOT STUFF IS ON THE BACKFOOT… IF THIS KEEPS UP, THE TITLE OF GREATEST MIGHT GO TO THE FULL-HEARTED FIGHTER AND THE CRACKLING MARTIAL ARTIST! BUT YOU ALL KNOW AS WELL AS I DO - ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN! SHOW US THAT COMEBACK, TEAM HOT STUFF!"
"Thanks, honey!" Molly shouted as she got back on her feet.
Her appreciation was as genuine as possible, but it quickly gave way to rising frustration. Goh'ji had already shaken off the effects of his little tumble, which meant both he and Molly were back to square one. But whereas he simply narrowed his brow in preparation for another round, Molly's bared teeth and shaking fists told of a different reaction. Once again, the Dwarf's fiery temper began to flare up.
"Fucking hells, I'm getting nowhere like this! Just one clean hit, that's all I need!" Molly thought to herself.
On paper, her plan was simple. She just needed to keep Goh'ji in place long enough to land something like a Fireball, but at this rate she'd never even get the chance. Her odds at winning appeared to grow slimmer by the minute… but she would never allow herself to lose. After all, Alva was counting on her. They had promised to make up for their last loss, and once and for all prove what their relationship meant. Prove that their bond could overcome anything before them. So with those thoughts driving her on, Molly ignited her fists again. One way or the other, this scaly bastard was going down.
"Hah! I think I heard a grunt there!"
Prime had a bit more success than his companion, but only marginally. His surprise attack earlier had maybe worked a little too well; it had dealt some damage for sure, but that also meant that Alva was more observant going forward. Which meant she had warded off each one of Prime's heavier hits, and any smaller slashes were met by tensed impossibly tough muscles. In other words, the Half-Orc's skin was too thick to bust through. Prime even let out a small curse - it was just like fighting Owen all over again. Just with no way to weaken his opponent.
Of course, Alva herself was in a similar position. She had no issue overpowering Prime's defences; one good hit and he'd be done for. No, the problem was landing that hit to begin with. Turns out Prime meant every word about his strategy earlier. And with the sheer difference in speed between them, Alva was starting to fear that strategy might've just been working. But she had to do something. She couldn't just keep swinging blindly, only succeeding in making a fool out of herself… wait a second. Fool. That was the answer.
"Seriously, this is just embarrassing. You really can't do any better than that?" Alva sighed, making sure to play up the disappointment in her tone.
"Oh, you want better? I'll give you better alright!" Prime responded just like expected.
So far so good. The swordsman's eagerness and pride had been stimulated; now just to point it in the right direction.
"Tell you what. I want you to hit me as hard as you can. I'll just stand here and take it on the chin. Maybe then you'll realise how much you're wasting your time, metal man!" Alva clarified.
If she had Prime figured out correctly, there was no way he'd be able to resist such a challenge. And as it turned out, she was right on the money. A chance to fully test out his opponent's limits… how could he say no to that? The excited robot had taken the bait and swallowed it whole.
"Ohohohooo! Don't regret letting me do this, pal!" Prime laughed.
As soon as Alva had let go of her warhammer and spread her arms open, as if daring her opponent to come at her, Prime went charging right in. With both swords in hand, he quickly came to a stop in order to crouch down. And one thrust later he was airborne. In the middle of his jump, he turned his blades downward before letting gravity do the rest. And right as he came into range, Alva springed the trap.
"IRON… DI- HURGGH!"
Up until now, Prime's chest had been filled with burning excitement. Now it had given way to burning agony. He hadn't even reached Alva, or even the ground… because Alva's giant fist had reached him first. Such an honorbound fighter as Prime had fully expected his foe to keep her word and stay in place, but the gigantic Half-Orc had no such principles. So as Alva let her opponent fall to the ground, she couldn't help but laugh. This level of gullibility was just too much.
"Buddy, you might've misheard me! Not 'half as hard', not some arbitrary percentage. I want you. To hit me. As hard. As. You. Can. Are we clear?" Alva dared.
But as Prime forced himself to stand up, the excitement or fear that Alva expected wasn't there. Not only had she mocked his honor, but she'd straight up betrayed it. His intense scowl and clenched fists told all that was needed… the Half-Orc was gonna pay for that. She was gonna see just what Team Full Power could do when their wrath was ignited.
"Crystal" Prime growled. "GOH'JI! LET'S SHOW HER A THING OR TWO!"
It might've taken Goh'ji a moment to figure out what Prime was saying, but when he did he jumped into action immediately. But before he could help his friend he needed to do something about Molly; if he turned his back on her, he was all but guaranteed to take something like a Burning Hands to the neck. So he resorted to his secret, seldomly used weapon: the wooden flute stashed inside his gi. And right as Molly let up her latest barrage of Fire Bolts to let her hands rest, Goh'ji blew as hard as he could into the instrument.
The reverberating deep boom of the Thunderwave echoed throughout not just the arena, but practically everyone's eardrums as well. However, this wasn't the case for the spell's target. Molly had seen the attack coming as soon as the Dragonborn had pulled out the flute - she'd had plenty of time to cover her ears. She'd winced a bit as the loud shockwave struck her, but otherwise she was fine… albeit forced to remain in place long enough for Goh'ji to disengage. Before she'd be able to land a hit on him again, he'd have given Prime the aid he needed.
"DANGER FLURRY!"
As soon as he saw his rival getting closer, Prime let loose his own attack. Of course, even he knew it wasn't gonna accomplish much. Alva's skin was too tough for any of his minor slashes to get through, and the Danger Flurry consisted entirely of such minor attacks - all she needed to do was tense up to prevent Prime from getting any damage in. However, the robot was well aware of this. He kept up his relentless barrage of attacks… because he never planned to bust through Alva's defences.
That was Goh'ji's job.
"You're wasting time again, tin can! Just g- AGH! Wh-what the fuck…?!" the giant Half-Orc stuttered.
Where Prime excelled in speedy swordplay and relentless offence, Goh'ji was a borderline master at precise strikes and weakening his opponents. Either through disrupting their breathing via throat chops, knocking the air out of them with blows to their solar plexus… or in this case, nerve strikes amplified with his own ki. The Dragonborn had struck a couple vital nerves close to Alva's shoulders, and with the ki boosting his attacks he got the desired result. That result being both of Alva's arms going completely limp for a few moments. However, that was only half a job done. So before the warrior had even realised what'd happened, Goh'ji focused his ki into his knee. And with a carefully aimed attack, Alva could feel herself lose all the motor skills in her left leg. Along with her balance as a consequence.
"Great work, Goh'ji! Now it's my turn!" Prime grinned.
As his rival fell back to stay out of harm's range, the automaton once again leapt as high up in the air as his leg hydraulics allowed. The effects of Goh'ji's stunning strikes would keep Alva down for about 5 or so seconds, which meant that Prime had about that long to deal some decisive damage. And with such an opportunity, he immediately went for his most telegraphed move. As soon as he'd turned himself around with swords pointing straight at his target, he announced his technique to the world.
"DRILL BREAK!"
Two things were pierced in the seconds following these words. The first was the heavens themselves; Prime's rapid spinning appeared so intense that the very air was left sliced apart. Of course, knowing Prime it was more likely he'd thrown in another dramatic hologram. The second was Alva's back. And unlike the previous attacks thrown her way, this one finally did something; the rapidly spinning Drill Break quickly churned open a massive bleeding wound in the Half-Orc's back. The technique only lasted about 6 seconds - Prime had to stop and jump back on his feet as soon as he lost his momentum - but Alva's bone-shaking roars of pain kept going longer than that. Team Full Power had landed their combined attack, and with huge success.
"Hard enough for you?" Prime grunted.
"WHOA NELLY, IS CONTESTANT ALVA EVEN STILL ALIVE? TEAM FULL POWER'S COMBINATION ATTACK SEEMS TO HAVE TURNED THE INDOMITABLE BEHEMOTH TO JUST A DOMITABLE ONE! FORGET BLITZING SPEED AND MARTIAL ARTS - TEAM FULL POWER'S TRUE TRUMP CARD IS THE REAL SUPERPOWER OF TEAMWORK!"
Googlorp's delightfully corny comment had, for better or for worse, caught the attention of more or less everyone. This did not include Alva. Contrary to the Plasmoid's guess, she was very much alive. But losing that much blood, not to mention the sheer shock of the sudden combo move, had sent her state of mind spiraling all over. She desperately wanted to get back on her feet and to return the favour… but her still numb legs and the intense ringing in her ears kept her from doing that. And yet, something was pushing inside her mind. Something that kept her in the here and now. This feeling wasn't just simple fury or even survival instinct… it was determination. Determination strong enough to make her numbed limbs twitch.
"IT'S TIME! FINISHIIING MO- GAHK!"
With Alva compromised on the ground, she was wide open for Prime to deliver a decisive Shining Cross Slicer. Or so he thought. Through sheer refusal to go down, the Half-Orc forced her weakened leg to move. And so the grand finisher didn't amount to more than a surprised cough as Alva slammed her foot into Prime's right leg. A desperation attack that didn't only make his ankle feel like it'd just exploded, but also knocked him right down on his faceplate. However, the adrenaline pushing Alva on was still doing its work. With a sudden lunge, she reached for the warhammer she'd dropped after Goh'ji stunned her. And right as she punted the fallen robot with the weapon's head, a bright rune began to glow.
[FWOOM!]
At that moment the flames of hell broke loose. In the form of burning magical shackles locked down around Prime's limbs.
"AAARGH!" the automaton screamed.
While his lightning-fast reflexes had pushed him back on his feet about as fast as he'd fallen, that hadn't helped him at all. These sudden fiery chains weren't just tough and extremely painful, but extremely shocking. He'd seen Alva's every move - these magical constructs had been her doing. Not Molly's. Was there nothing this warrior wasn't capable of? And to make things even worse, his strained pulling and tearing wasn't working. He wasn't just being severely burnt on the spot, he was also completely stuck in place.
"Prime! Stay strong, my friend, I'll try to hel- AGH!"
Goh'ji had been equally stunned to see this kind of trick, but that train of thought was violently derailed by a similar feeling to what his rival felt. In this kind of chaos, Molly had once again been forgotten. And now Goh'ji paid for that crucial mistake - the sorcerer had taken the shot. A burning blast of Dragon's Breath had engulfed the Dragonborn's lower body, and the results weren't pretty. His gi was burnt and parts of it were on fire, while his left leg felt like it had been completely transmuted to pure charcoal. And to make it worse, Molly was about to rub it all in.
"HA! What was it you said again, Scales? Something about being super skilled? Well, too fucking bad for you! Because despite all that skill, you don't have the firepower to really use it!" the Dwarf snorted, turning Goh'ji's own words right back at him.
The martial artist just wanted to groan at this petty retort, but all that came out of his mouth was an agonized wheeze. He quickly shifted his eyes down towards his legs, and sure enough; they looked every bit as bad as they felt. The Dragon's Breath had left one hell of a charred mark. Which meant that finally, he was left at Molly's mercy; he couldn't do much more than meekly limp with that kind of burn wound. And the Dwarf's built-up frustration meant that she was gonna take no prisoners. But while Goh'ji was well aware how much trouble he was in, the same went double for Prime. Alva was just about to show just how much damage she could cause.
"Thanks babe, make sure you leave nothin' but charcoal!" Alva yelled towards Molly, before activating her final trump card.
With her foe trapped in the chains of fire, the Half-Orc could focus her energies into the elaborate rune appearing on her back. And as it slowly expanded and spread into red lines of runic phrases, her massive body slowly started growing even larger. A few seconds and over two metres later it was all done; Alva had unleashed her greatest weapon, and she wasn't about to leave anything to chance. This time, she was making sure Prime went offline.
"Righty then, I'm not gonna make the mistake of playing around with you! One full-strength hammer slam, and then you'll be sent to whatever scrapyard you believe in!" the supercharged warrior rumbled.
Prime didn't answer barring another strained grunt as he pulled against his shackles.
Maybe he could wear them down if he kept going, but so far he hadn't made any progress at all. Of course, he wouldn't get the chance - the approaching titan of a Half-Orc was about to finish him the moment she got close enough. But still he did not relent. Despite his odds plummeting with every step his foe took, Prime refused to give in. He and Goh'ji had made a promise. The two of them, all the way to the end. Despite facing down a towering demise, Prime pushed back.
And as for Goh'ji, he too was mere moments away from the end. His right leg could barely support him, but his left? Completely compromised. The Dragonborn couldn't move, but his fiery opponent had no such hindrances. And in between her hands was a steadily growing sphere of red-hot death. Soon that flaming projectile would be strong enough to snuff all life out of Goh'ji, and he could do nothing to avoid it. But still he did not relent. Despite his odds plummeting with every ounce of magic poured into Molly's spell, Goh'ji refused to give in. He and Prime had made a promise. Despite facing down a fiery death, Goh'ji pushed back.
The two teams' fates would be decided very soon.
And in the cold void of space, an even colder void turned its attention. The brimming life energy practically glowed like a beacon in this lifeless dimension, and now it was closer than ever. Just an insignificant moment remained before the eldritch force reached its destination. One insignificant moment before a ruinous drive would be fulfilled.
One insignificant moment… before everything would end.