Main Event Right Hand of the Magic God

[Yun Lee]

"W-What? Don't be daft!" Severa averted her eyes, unable to glare at Touma without her face getting red. It was out of anger, of course! Nothing else! "Those chains looked dangerous. And considering how it went last time you got that arm of yours hurt, it's best you're not a liability!"

---

It's a game. It's a game. It's a game. It's a game.

Convince yourself of that. You have to. You can't back down. You have to lie. Do it. Lie.

"That woman from the Faust Incident? I don't remember telling you anything about her. I suppose it is true that you use surveillance on your members, then?" Othinus knows about Luca? How does she know?

"But either way, no. That woman has nothing to do with me leaving. Honestly, I forgot about her." I still think of her, sometimes. Pray for her safety. You destroyed her, didn't you, Othinus? Along with everyone else in that world...

"I want you to know that I believed in this organization, Kyoko. I believed in the good that it did. I believed in its ideals." I still do...but I suppose I believe in the Coalition that was, not the one that is.

"But I was blind, on Ash. Ironically enough, the Faust Incident did open my eyes. Constantine told me everything." Another, gone. And Zatanna. And Etrigan. And Lindel. And Sumia. And Guts.

"I cannot work for something as corrupt as the Coalition. I thought it was different." It is different. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes.

"What happened to Mary was unforgivable." But I forgave it.

"That's why I took great pleasure in Makoto's death." He saved me from Marian. And this us how I repay him?

"You don't have to understand my motives." Survival. I need to survive. This is the only way I can do that.

"But this is the truth." It isn't. It's a game. It's a game. Gods...forgive me.

@Ver​

 

[Crunch]

"I'm right here... Ow," Touma grunted as Severa questioned where he was, rubbing his head briefly. "Were you really that worried about me?" He asked in a lightly sheepish manner, despite the gravity of the situation they were in.

"You think this is some sort of game?! Ambitions?! Fun?!" Doppo yelled to those who responded, notably Ben, Jolyne, and Giorno, whom Doppo had little context for what he truly meant, though Othinus only scoffed to the young don.

"Perhaps you are right. Perhaps the truth is what will always come out in the end. But you are forgetting one thing, Giorno Giovanna. Truth is dictated by the victors, not the ones locked in a cage," Othinus spoke haughtily.

"And I am the one who decides what is the truth now. And so long as I hold your Arrow in my possession, you are utterly powerless. Like an ant fighting the sun. Anything you do will be... What was it your father would say? Useless, useless, useless..."

Meawhile, Kyoko placed her gloved hand on the shield that separated her and the group, giving shaky breaths. "Mason... Libra... Schala... Why? Why did you do it? All of you? Killing Makoto... Defecting to the Revanchist... We know it's nothing to do with mind control or brainwashing, so... You all chose this path of your own volition," she spoke softly, looking down at the ground.

"Where did I go wrong? This... None of this had to go the way it did. What was it that I did that could have brought out such... hatred, such contempt, that you would do this to me? To the Coalition. Please, I have to know..." She put her hand to her chest, to her heart, as though wanting to know the truth more than anything. At least, what she perceived to be the truth here. Here and now, the Ultimate Detective could not fathom their "betrayal."

"Mason... Was it the civil war that jaded you to everything? Libra... Was it the woman you met during the Faust Incident? Did the Revanchist promise to save her in exchange for your betrayal? All because of our multiverse directive? Schala... What did you see on Ash that drove you to this kind of despair and nihilism? I... I have to know! Was it my fault?!" She exclaimed, displaying more emotion than she usually did in her words than ever before.

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

The don's glare upon the goddess was unfettered by her mockery.

"I suppose from where you're standing, that would be the case, wouldn't it?"

"But... hm, well... whatever I say will make as much sense to you as it will to the rest of them, won't it?" Giorno casually gestured to Kyoko, Doppo and Wanda, "Not because you're missing any information, but because you merely don't wish to acknowledge the 'truth' that you'll be annihilated."

"The righteous actions born of 'reality' is what gave me that Arrow in the first place... and even when those people were completely annihilated and wiped from the face of the Earth, their will is the only thing that survived."

"When the time of annihilation comes again - and it will - I ponder if even a god can escape it."

The don appeared lost in thought, casually ignoring Kyoko and Doppo's anger as he moved his hands from his back and crossed his arms, slowly treading across the room and kneeling against the wall. He looked up to Othinus once more, opening his mouth as if to make yet another taunt, threat or philosophical waxing.

"Othinus..."

"Do your new abilities extend to water bottles? I'm quite parched."

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

"That'll be enough."

A voice pierced through from the back of the horde. Splitting the sea of people before him, Giorno Giovanna breached the tide and emerged at the helm of the group, his arms laying motionless by his waist. The boy of golden hair stood next to Jolyne, resting a hand on her shoulder and shaking his head. His eyes were dry - practically lifeless, even. The ever-radiant, flaming suns of resolve that they once were has completely burned out...

... That is, if Jolyne couldn't tell that his expression was utter bullshit. But, she's a smart girl, isn't she? Giorno shot her a brief wink, before looking to Doppo and seamlessly transitioning back into a stony, malicious glare.

"We all have to make sacrifices to achieve our ambitions, Doppo. If you found out about all this earlier... maybe things would have turned out differently."

"...and wait for an opening," a second, deeper voice completed the sentence. Jotaro Kujo arose from the depths of the crowd, walking forward and joining his daughter and Giorno at the helm of the group, holding his hat and sighing. "Good grief... this only makes things harder for the both of us. But, really, I'm not worried."

"Even we know when it's best to, ah..." Giorno exchanged looks between Jolyne and Jotaro, "Admit defeat."

"For now, anyway," Jotaro's eyes slowly drifted up towards 'Commander Othinus'. "But, once the opening is clear... we'll still win, in the end."

"That is the test of our resolve. The 'truth' will always win in the end. It's impossible for any of you to understand it now... at least, in this reality, but..."

Giorno's voice rose high above the crowd, reaching out to everyone in the room like a message of sorts.

"We are on the side of Truth. Never forget that."

Giorno peacefully crossed his arms behind his back, while Jotaro dug his hands into his coat as the two Joestar's concluded their brief tirade in silence. Giorno and Jotaro silently stood before the Coalition like prisoners sentenced to hang.

Yet, as they patiently awaited for their 'execution', their contemptuous eyes remained locked on to Othinus; like daggers pinning a piece of paper to the wall.

Hope lives and dies, coming and going like a brief wind, but the Truth is on its approach. A train building speed, with no stops and no detours, rumbling on against the will of a Magic God.

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"I'm right here... Ow," Touma grunted as Severa questioned where he was, rubbing his head briefly. "Were you really that worried about me?" He asked in a lightly sheepish manner, despite the gravity of the situation they were in.

"You think this is some sort of game?! Ambitions?! Fun?!" Doppo yelled to those who responded, notably Ben, Jolyne, and Giorno, whom Doppo had little context for what he truly meant, though Othinus only scoffed to the young don.

"Perhaps you are right. Perhaps the truth is what will always come out in the end. But you are forgetting one thing, Giorno Giovanna. Truth is dictated by the victors, not the ones locked in a cage," Othinus spoke haughtily.

"And I am the one who decides what is the truth now. And so long as I hold your Arrow in my possession, you are utterly powerless. Like an ant fighting the sun. Anything you do will be... What was it your father would say? Useless, useless, useless..."

Meawhile, Kyoko placed her gloved hand on the shield that separated her and the group, giving shaky breaths. "Mason... Libra... Schala... Why? Why did you do it? All of you? Killing Makoto... Defecting to the Revanchist... We know it's nothing to do with mind control or brainwashing, so... You all chose this path of your own volition," she spoke softly, looking down at the ground.

"Where did I go wrong? This... None of this had to go the way it did. What was it that I did that could have brought out such... hatred, such contempt, that you would do this to me? To the Coalition. Please, I have to know..." She put her hand to her chest, to her heart, as though wanting to know the truth more than anything. At least, what she perceived to be the truth here. Here and now, the Ultimate Detective could not fathom their "betrayal."

"Mason... Was it the civil war that jaded you to everything? Libra... Was it the woman you met during the Faust Incident? Did the Revanchist promise to save her in exchange for your betrayal? All because of our multiverse directive? Schala... What did you see on Ash that drove you to this kind of despair and nihilism? I... I have to know! Was it my fault?!" She exclaimed, displaying more emotion than she usually did in her words than ever before.

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

Sighing, Chise lifted her head to tiredly look at Doppo, Kyoko and Othinus.

"Whatever game you assume we think it is isn't a fun one." She muttered to Doppo, while Ruth toom on his more human form. Looking just as tired as Chise.

"How long do you plan to stand there and question us?" He spoke to Doppo specifically, since Kyoko was busy speaking to Mason, Schala and Libra at the moment. They were going in circles, and this guilt tripping wasn't going to work. Not when Chise felt so tired and numb both inside and out, which effected Ruth's mood just slightly.

@Ver @Yun Lee

"Woah, he is something," Brainstorm says is response to Doppo's exclamations. "Well, let's move on, shall we?"

Brainstorm rises up, his arthropod feet tapping upon the floors and approaching the barriers of the prison to near Kyoko.

"I can tolerate people saying that about me, but no one says that about my friends and..."

Brainstorm scratches his head as he shifts to a light, heavenly smile for a short period of time.

"... friends.

I have seen Mason - even after the incident you have mentioned, he was still happy, jolly, filled with jokes and laugh.

Libra's faith is too strong to fall for that... isn't that right, Libra?

Schala... Schala is much stronger than that which you have suggested. mentally and physically. She has seen many things, I even saw them with her once. She isn't that much of a pushover, I will have you know. It's not easy to sway her just like that. And I...

You are correct, none of this had to go the way it did. I have to thank you for clinging onto your hope for my friends and I. You truly are a noble person, as my grandfather had said. But can you really handle the truth, Kirigiri Kyoko? Can you?"

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"W-What? Don't be daft!" Severa averted her eyes, unable to glare at Touma without her face getting red. It was out of anger, of course! Nothing else! "Those chains looked dangerous. And considering how it went last time you got that arm of yours hurt, it's best you're not a liability!"

---

It's a game. It's a game. It's a game. It's a game.

Convince yourself of that. You have to. You can't back down. You have to lie. Do it. Lie.

"That woman from the Faust Incident? I don't remember telling you anything about her. I suppose it is true that you use surveillance on your members, then?" Othinus knows about Luca? How does she know?

"But either way, no. That woman has nothing to do with me leaving. Honestly, I forgot about her." I still think of her, sometimes. Pray for her safety. You destroyed her, didn't you, Othinus? Along with everyone else in that world...

"I want you to know that I believed in this organization, Kyoko. I believed in the good that it did. I believed in its ideals." I still do...but I suppose I believe in the Coalition that was, not the one that is.

"But I was blind, on Ash. Ironically enough, the Faust Incident did open my eyes. Constantine told me everything." Another, gone. And Zatanna. And Etrigan. And Lindel. And Sumia. And Guts.

"I cannot work for something as corrupt as the Coalition. I thought it was different." It is different. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes.

"What happened to Mary was unforgivable." But I forgave it.

"That's why I took great pleasure in Makoto's death." He saved me from Marian. And this us how I repay him?

"You don't have to understand my motives." Survival. I need to survive. This is the only way I can do that.

"But this is the truth." It isn't. It's a game. It's a game. Gods...forgive me.

@Ver​

Schala Zeal
@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @Ver @Minerva @Lucky
@Everybody

Schala's expression wavered, placing her hand on the shield as well... Like she was reaching out to try and grasp Kyoko's hand, through the barrier itself.

"I did it... Because... ... I failed you... I failed all of you..." She said, no longer fighting the tears that were now streaming down her face.

"You'd probably think I was crazy... If I said I was from another reality... One where I failed the Coalition... One where... Everything was no more..."

She looked up, a sad smile on her face as she spoke, addressing Kyoko specifically.

"It wasn't your fault... It never was... You fought bravely... All of you... But in the end... We lost the war. My life... My hopes... My dreams... ... It's all become... An eternal nightmare..."

By now, Schala didn't seem to be thinking straight; she didn't care about what Othinus wanted, nor about playing this 'game'... She was so sick and tired... But alas, her resolve didn't waver... Something still stirred in her... Was it hope? Was it determination? Or perhaps it was acceptance... She wasn't sure... But... She remembered that conversation she had with Jiren a while back... During their fight in the vault.

What would she do if the roles were reversed? If it was Jiren's ideal universe at risk of being destroyed, in order to create the Universe she knew and loved... ... Would she do it?

... Her answer still remained the same.

No matter what reality she existed in... No matter what she came to be in that reality... She would remain true to her ideals... Her vow she had made so long ago...

"I wish I can redo it all... Turn back time... To undo all that happened... But that is a power I no longer have... ... But maybe... There's still hope."

Schala clenched her fists, closing her eyes as she opened them, committing to what she had said to Jiren back then... About how she would push aside her own feelings... Her own ideals... To preserve her friends... For the better or worse.

"Kyoko... In the light of my failures... I can no longer lend my aid to the Coalition, but you... You still can. Promise me... ... Promise me you'll defeat the Revanchist one day... ... Succeed where I have failed... Protect the multiverse... For all it is worth..."

Something hurt... A burning... Aching feeling in her heart as she uttered these words... But... It was the best she could do... Aside from succumb to the role she now had in this new reality... And truly become the very person she had sworn she would never be...​

 

[Crow]

"Schala..."

Brainstorm looks sadly at Schala, his pinsirs patting her back as she starts to break internally.

No more playing games. No more strategising. A great flash of green light engulfed Brainstorm, turning him back into Ben. Buddy, in the meantime, had successfully freed himself from Ghost Spider's webbing, jumping onto Ben's shoulders.

"Skree-ee-ee?"

"Back to business," Ben says. "Kirigiri Kyoko. I myself am actually unsure of what happened here too, but in light of these very failures my friends and I have become - my friends and I have performed, I want to make up to them. You continue to have hope in us, and I don't want to waste it."

Ben raises the palm he used to pat Schala on the back, clenching it into a fist.

"To make up for it, it's time for another betrayal. I have a deal with you, Kyoko, but no matter how many of us agrees to it - even if it's just me - you have to set us all free. But I warn you - I don't want any harm to come to those who stay behind, or Rath's gonna make you all pay, the next time I turn into him that is.

We, who work for the Revanchist for some reason, will fight the Revanchist by your side. Think about it - they'd never see this coming. It'd be like a Trojan Horse! The actual namesake, not the computer virus..."

Ben turns to Schala with a smile, placing a palm on her shoulder.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Schala. If my adventures have taught me anything, even the biggest tear on the pages of the universe can be solved with duct tape."

Ben slaps his watch down.

"Biiig Chill. And by duct tape, I mean hope. Hope that Kirigiri still has in us. We could all learn a thing about her, you know that?"

The cloaked being known as Big Chill phases back into the ground and phases out behind Kirigiri & Doppo, speaking in a chilly, frigid voice.

"See, I could've gotten out anytime. In fact, I can think of at least six more ways I could have - Ghostfreak, Jury Rigg, arguably Nanomech. And there's a whole load of guys in there who can totally kick Big Chill's butt. They, too, could've left anytime. But we didn't. Because we're not felons.

But seriously, though, no anti-ghost barrier? Those were kind of obligatory to have on standby back at Plumber Base."

Big Chill turns to Ghost Spider for a bit.

"You're not taking any offense to my recent sentence, right?

Anyways, you can count on me to not move a muscle until an agreement is met. Ooor I could just walk back in, anything goes I guess."

Big Chill crosses his cloaked arms, standing still.

They don't call him Big Chill for nothing.

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

 

[Ver]

"Oh... Right. I guess... I really haven't been much help during this mission after all..." Touma scratched his cheek with a self-depricating laugh as he responded to Severa, lamenting how helpless he'd felt this whole time.

"Hmm. Perhaps. What sort of game would you like to play, then?" Othinus asked Ruth, cupping her chin as though feigning deep thought, "After all, I've got all sorts of ideas for other scenarios in which to see you respond. One where everyone you've ever loved has been hurt, one where you've been completely forgotten by everyone. Testaments to the futility of how easily your life has been swept away in the greater scheme of things."

The Magic God said little to Giorno's words until he requested water, waving her arm slightly, and with that, water came as requested. However, instead of a bottle, it came in the form of a dog bowl on the ground, an arrogant smile still plastered on her face as it ever was. "I'm sure you thirst indeed. Thirsting for some way out of here. To find a way to beat me. But it's hopeless. By all means, if this is an attempt to outmaneuver me, go on ahead. Everything you do is useless from hereon."

"..."

Meanwhile, Kyoko only gritted her teeth angrily, biting her lip tightly, the once level-headed woman unable to hold back her true feelings. As Ben might have predicted, it didn't seem that she was able to quite handle the responses she'd gotten. The fabricated truth and the real truth that Libra and Schala spoke, seeming to contradict each other, but to little avail. To Schala especially, her words seemed to tick something within her, the lavender-haired maiden balling her hands into fists.

"What... What are you talking about? Are you mocking me? Even after all this, you can't even...!" Kyoko said with a sharp tone and an intake of breath that gave away her emotions. Even though her eyes were obscured by her bangs, the gleam of a wet stream rolling down her cheek became visible, as Kyoko Kirigiri shed tears.

Still, she kept pressing, looking at Libra in the eye, before going on again. "You say all that, but... Your eyes. They... They're in pai--" She began, before Othinus cleared her throat, suddenly prompting Kyoko to stop talking, strangely enough.

As Ben transformed again to appear behind the two Coalition leaders, the two of them said nothing, their eyes glowering at him without seeming to even consider his words. "You--" Doppo began with a venomous tone, but Othinus moved before Doppo could say anything more, as though deliberately sabotaging the prospect of an "agreement."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, Othinus held Ben in the air with one hand; even if she was a god, perhaps the image of such a slender girl lifting Big Chill up in the air by the neck might have been jarring, but it was more than within her capabilities. "But you did. And what would you do if they never intended to agree? Would you slaughter them all on your whim? Force them to bleed out to death helplessly?"

A smirk tugged on Othinus's lips.

"... That isn't such a bad idea, is it?"

Meanwhile, from inside the cell, Fiamma of the Right narrowed his eyes, his hand beginning to glow a faint crimson once again. "... Follow my lead. When the time comes. Understood?" He murmured to everyone inside, refusing to play along with the game, as though he'd managed to hatch a plan.

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

 

[Crow]

"Othinus, you dirty good for- guess there's no winning you in your own game, huh? You play to win, ahaha," Big Chill says, still being choked by Othinus.

"I've learned that these are real people with real stories... hack hack... to tell, Othinus. That's not how I do things - they're innocents. At most, I take out their consciousness, never their lives."

His alien eyes gaze upon the Magic God, in her single eye.

"This is like playing chess, except every piece on your side is Queens, and there's no King to destroy to begin with. Also I suck at chess, I guess. Good thing I've got others to make the checkmate for me."

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi@CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

 

[Yun Lee]

...oh Gawds. Why did she feel bad for hurting his feelings?! Why did she care? Ugh... "I mean...you DID save me from Kira exploding. And bought me chocolate." And helped her when she got shot...but talking about that one made her feel weird. "You're good to have around. So don't get yourself hurt."

A pause. "...sorry."

Libra caught a glimpse of Fiamma and nodded, grateful to distract from the strain Kyoko was putting on him. He looked away from her, unable to stand this much-being mean was hard. "I...I've saud my piece! It's over for me, anyway..."

@Ver​

 

[Lucky]

Rita Hanson

Rita simply nodded in agreement at Fiamma, wondering what she wasn't being told. She had a feeling that Phil had betrayed them and she wasn't surprised if that was the truth. If she had learned anything from her time looping with him, he either had a plan or had a mental break. She didn't know which was worse. If it was a mental break, it meant that his health was getting much worse and whatever had made such an asshole was being triggered from these incidents. If he had a plan, he hadn't bothered to tell anyone which was just as bad since the man was impulsive hell. To put it in perspective, he once told her directly ' I brought you candies, can I get in your panties?' on one of their many 'first' dates. It was kind of funny to think that everything that they were going to was bounded.. yet infinite. She just watched in silence for now.

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Crow @Everybody

 

[Ver]

"You're really difficult to read, you know that?" Touma grumbled lightly toward Severa, before sighing, his face softening up as he spoke, the girl's personality reminding him of someone back home.

That was, someone from his home world, in the multiverse that he once knew.

"But... thanks."

"Now!"

With Fiamma of the Right's voice, a portal opened up at the side wall of the cell and he leaped through. From there, another portal opened up right next to the captors' side, and Fiamma emerged from it, a glowing magical stake rising from his open palm. Rushing forward, he stabbed the stake into Othinus's body, eliciting a surprised gasp from her as it managed to stab through, before she was forced to step back, letting go of Ben and stumbling back.

"What...?!"

"I created this spell, specifically made for a Majin like you... My very own Fairy spell! If humans can't kill a god, then we'll have to manage against a fairy," Fiamma of the Right said, as Othinus seemed physically stunned, to the Coalition leaders' shocks, most of all Othinus herself.

"How did you--?!"

"As a full Magic God, it won't keep her at bay for long. Come on now!" Ollerus yelled as he leapt through the portal as well, but before he got very far, even as Othinus still leered away, Doppo drew his gun and fired a warning shot.

BANG!

To her side, Kyoko also drew a pistol. On the woman, it looked crude of her to wield a gun, having always been a calculating type instead of springing to action, but here she was, forced to brandish a weapon against people she had once considered allies.

"Don't move! You have nowhere to go!"

"Honestly, I'm starting to think killing them all is the right idea if the original versions meant so little to you all anyway," Ollerus spat, eyeing his adversaries and the rest of the group, "As we are here... You know there is only one way Othinus intends for this to end. But do any of you have the stomach to carry it out?"

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

 

[Yun Lee]

"Yeah, yeah, may as well get this over with," Severa said, drawing her sword. Not like she cared; she barely knew these people!

Libra, however, had a much harder time, especially with the prospect of killing Kyoko. "I...if there really is no other way..." He was unsure whether to draw his axe ir staff. Either way, he was still going to be an accomplice in slaughter.

@Ver @Everyone​

 

[Crow]

"You're really difficult to read, you know that?" Touma grumbled lightly toward Severa, before sighing, his face softening up as he spoke, the girl's personality reminding him of someone back home.

That was, someone from his home world, in the multiverse that he once knew.

"But... thanks."

"Now!"

With Fiamma of the Right's voice, a portal opened up at the side wall of the cell and he leaped through. From there, another portal opened up right next to the captors' side, and Fiamma emerged from it, a glowing magical stake rising from his open palm. Rushing forward, he stabbed the stake into Othinus's body, eliciting a surprised gasp from her as it managed to stab through, before she was forced to step back, letting go of Ben and stumbling back.

"What...?!"

"I created this spell, specifically made for a Majin like you... My very own Fairy spell! If humans can't kill a god, then we'll have to manage against a fairy," Fiamma of the Right said, as Othinus seemed physically stunned, to the Coalition leaders' shocks, most of all Othinus herself.

"How did you--?!"

"As a full Magic God, it won't keep her at bay for long. Come on now!" Ollerus yelled as he leapt through the portal as well, but before he got very far, even as Othinus still leered away, Doppo drew his gun and fired a warning shot.

BANG!

To her side, Kyoko also drew a pistol. On the woman, it looked crude of her to wield a gun, having always been a calculating type instead of springing to action, but here she was, forced to brandish a weapon against people she had once considered allies.

"Don't move! You have nowhere to go!"

"Honestly, I'm starting to think killing them all is the right idea if the original versions meant so little to you all anyway," Ollerus spat, eyeing his adversaries and the rest of the group, "As we are here... You know there is only one way Othinus intends for this to end. But do any of you have the stomach to carry it out?"

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"You're playing chess with pigeons, Othinus, pigeons that walk around and topple the entire board!"

Big Chill smacks the emblem on his chest. It seemed that his entire body was now red in hue, his frosty appearance turning into a more fiery one...

"Ultimate Big Chill!"

Any bullet that neared Ben's new form melted on the spot and fell to the floor in the form of slag. Ultimate Big Chill unleashed a great blast of flames at Doppo, Kirigiri & Othinus. These special flames did not exude heat, but rather absorbed all heat from that which they hit. As a result, the three leaders were now frozen in place, as was all the air around them, placing them in a humungous block of ice.

"Move it! Move it!"

Ultimate Big Chill didn't look back as he prepared to run with everyone...

"Everyone, get ready to evacuate!" Grandpa Max helped with evacuating everyone, putting every single person before himself.

"Skree-ee-ee!"

"No, Buddy, take a good rest," Ultimate Big Chill unleashed the very same spherical object he summoned Buddy from, causing the beast to retreat in a flash of red light, "I'll do the running for you, we'll need all the energy in this fight."

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

 

[Kaykay]

"I never had any personal ties to this 'Coalition' to begin with. Let's make our escape flashy!"

With Fiamma of the Right's spell, a chance had finally appeared. Leivinia was quite frankly a little disappointed in herself for not being able to come up with anything, even if it was against a Magic God, but for now they just had to move. Fighting the Coalition was just another part of that. As far as she was concerned, the Coalition were little more than a temporary ally to stop Othinus. With them now turned against them thanks to Othinus, that partnership had broken down.

They were now simply enemies.

With a twirl of her wand, Leivinia launched the wall of flames from her wand once again, filling in the gaps with her white summoned explosions. Quite frankly she wasn't the type to unload attacks that could potentially kill people for no reason, but retaliating against incoming gunfire was hardly "for no reason."

"I have no problem blowing these people aside, but where are we going to run to?"

That missing component of their plan bothered Leivinia. How much of the world had Othinus recreated? Just the Coalition? Her own world? The strange world of that hand-obsessed serial killer? There was no way to tell, but on the other hand it wasn't like there were a ton of options!

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

 

[Jeremi]

"You're really difficult to read, you know that?" Touma grumbled lightly toward Severa, before sighing, his face softening up as he spoke, the girl's personality reminding him of someone back home.

That was, someone from his home world, in the multiverse that he once knew.

"But... thanks."

"Now!"

With Fiamma of the Right's voice, a portal opened up at the side wall of the cell and he leaped through. From there, another portal opened up right next to the captors' side, and Fiamma emerged from it, a glowing magical stake rising from his open palm. Rushing forward, he stabbed the stake into Othinus's body, eliciting a surprised gasp from her as it managed to stab through, before she was forced to step back, letting go of Ben and stumbling back.

"What...?!"

"I created this spell, specifically made for a Majin like you... My very own Fairy spell! If humans can't kill a god, then we'll have to manage against a fairy," Fiamma of the Right said, as Othinus seemed physically stunned, to the Coalition leaders' shocks, most of all Othinus herself.

"How did you--?!"

"As a full Magic God, it won't keep her at bay for long. Come on now!" Ollerus yelled as he leapt through the portal as well, but before he got very far, even as Othinus still leered away, Doppo drew his gun and fired a warning shot.

BANG!

To her side, Kyoko also drew a pistol. On the woman, it looked crude of her to wield a gun, having always been a calculating type instead of springing to action, but here she was, forced to brandish a weapon against people she had once considered allies.

"Don't move! You have nowhere to go!"

"Honestly, I'm starting to think killing them all is the right idea if the original versions meant so little to you all anyway," Ollerus spat, eyeing his adversaries and the rest of the group, "As we are here... You know there is only one way Othinus intends for this to end. But do any of you have the stomach to carry it out?"

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"Oh man!" Jolyne lamented. "I had this great story about how the dude we supposedly killed faked his death so that we could've infiltrate...what was that organization? Revantits?"

"I think it was Revanchrist."

"God...who comes up with these names?" Jolyne groaned. "If we're supposed to kill them and that's Othinus plan well..." Jolyne opened her arms wide and started walking towards Kyoko.

Ermes looked shocked at what her friends actions. "Jolyne! What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Like I already said, I ain't going to play any bullshit games that the bitch has cocked up for us." The young Cujoh's eyes were transfixed on Kyoko as she slowly moved towards. "You bark a lot about being in pain but I ain't seen your bite yet. Probably because you don't actually have a goddamn clue about any of this. So come on, I'm the big bad right? Just shoot me and get it over with."

@Ver @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

"Schala..."

Brainstorm looks sadly at Schala, his pinsirs patting her back as she starts to break internally.

No more playing games. No more strategising. A great flash of green light engulfed Brainstorm, turning him back into Ben. Buddy, in the meantime, had successfully freed himself from Ghost Spider's webbing, jumping onto Ben's shoulders.

"Skree-ee-ee?"

"Back to business," Ben says. "Kirigiri Kyoko. I myself am actually unsure of what happened here too, but in light of these very failures my friends and I have become - my friends and I have performed, I want to make up to them. You continue to have hope in us, and I don't want to waste it."

Ben raises the palm he used to pat Schala on the back, clenching it into a fist.

"To make up for it, it's time for another betrayal. I have a deal with you, Kyoko, but no matter how many of us agrees to it - even if it's just me - you have to set us all free. But I warn you - I don't want any harm to come to those who stay behind, or Rath's gonna make you all pay, the next time I turn into him that is.

We, who work for the Revanchist for some reason, will fight the Revanchist by your side. Think about it - they'd never see this coming. It'd be like a Trojan Horse! The actual namesake, not the computer virus..."

Ben turns to Schala with a smile, placing a palm on her shoulder.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Schala. If my adventures have taught me anything, even the biggest tear on the pages of the universe can be solved with duct tape."

Ben slaps his watch down.

"Biiig Chill. And by duct tape, I mean hope. Hope that Kirigiri still has in us. We could all learn a thing about her, you know that?"

The cloaked being known as Big Chill phases back into the ground and phases out behind Kirigiri & Doppo, speaking in a chilly, frigid voice.

"See, I could've gotten out anytime. In fact, I can think of at least six more ways I could have - Ghostfreak, Jury Rigg, arguably Nanomech. And there's a whole load of guys in there who can totally kick Big Chill's butt. They, too, could've left anytime. But we didn't. Because we're not felons.

But seriously, though, no anti-ghost barrier? Those were kind of obligatory to have on standby back at Plumber Base."

Big Chill turns to Ghost Spider for a bit.

"You're not taking any offense to my recent sentence, right?

Anyways, you can count on me to not move a muscle until an agreement is met. Ooor I could just walk back in, anything goes I guess."

Big Chill crosses his cloaked arms, standing still.

They don't call him Big Chill for nothing.

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"Oh... Right. I guess... I really haven't been much help during this mission after all..." Touma scratched his cheek with a self-depricating laugh as he responded to Severa, lamenting how helpless he'd felt this whole time.

"Hmm. Perhaps. What sort of game would you like to play, then?" Othinus asked Ruth, cupping her chin as though feigning deep thought, "After all, I've got all sorts of ideas for other scenarios in which to see you respond. One where everyone you've ever loved has been hurt, one where you've been completely forgotten by everyone. Testaments to the futility of how easily your life has been swept away in the greater scheme of things."

The Magic God said little to Giorno's words until he requested water, waving her arm slightly, and with that, water came as requested. However, instead of a bottle, it came in the form of a dog bowl on the ground, an arrogant smile still plastered on her face as it ever was. "I'm sure you thirst indeed. Thirsting for some way out of here. To find a way to beat me. But it's hopeless. By all means, if this is an attempt to outmaneuver me, go on ahead. Everything you do is useless from hereon."

"..."

Meanwhile, Kyoko only gritted her teeth angrily, biting her lip tightly, the once level-headed woman unable to hold back her true feelings. As Ben might have predicted, it didn't seem that she was able to quite handle the responses she'd gotten. The fabricated truth and the real truth that Libra and Schala spoke, seeming to contradict each other, but to little avail. To Schala especially, her words seemed to tick something within her, the lavender-haired maiden balling her hands into fists.

"What... What are you talking about? Are you mocking me? Even after all this, you can't even...!" Kyoko said with a sharp tone and an intake of breath that gave away her emotions. Even though her eyes were obscured by her bangs, the gleam of a wet stream rolling down her cheek became visible, as Kyoko Kirigiri shed tears.

Still, she kept pressing, looking at Libra in the eye, before going on again. "You say all that, but... Your eyes. They... They're in pai--" She began, before Othinus cleared her throat, suddenly prompting Kyoko to stop talking, strangely enough.

As Ben transformed again to appear behind the two Coalition leaders, the two of them said nothing, their eyes glowering at him without seeming to even consider his words. "You--" Doppo began with a venomous tone, but Othinus moved before Doppo could say anything more, as though deliberately sabotaging the prospect of an "agreement."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, Othinus held Ben in the air with one hand; even if she was a god, perhaps the image of such a slender girl lifting Big Chill up in the air by the neck might have been jarring, but it was more than within her capabilities. "But you did. And what would you do if they never intended to agree? Would you slaughter them all on your whim? Force them to bleed out to death helplessly?"

A smirk tugged on Othinus's lips.

"... That isn't such a bad idea, is it?"

Meanwhile, from inside the cell, Fiamma of the Right narrowed his eyes, his hand beginning to glow a faint crimson once again. "... Follow my lead. When the time comes. Understood?" He murmured to everyone inside, refusing to play along with the game, as though he'd managed to hatch a plan.

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"Othinus, you dirty good for- guess there's no winning you in your own game, huh? You play to win, ahaha," Big Chill says, still being choked by Othinus.

"I've learned that these are real people with real stories... hack hack... to tell, Othinus. That's not how I do things - they're innocents. At most, I take out their consciousness, never their lives."

His alien eyes gaze upon the Magic God, in her single eye.

"This is like playing chess, except every piece on your side is Queens, and there's no King to destroy to begin with. Also I suck at chess, I guess. Good thing I've got others to make the checkmate for me."

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi@CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

...oh Gawds. Why did she feel bad for hurting his feelings?! Why did she care? Ugh... "I mean...you DID save me from Kira exploding. And bought me chocolate." And helped her when she got shot...but talking about that one made her feel weird. "You're good to have around. So don't get yourself hurt."

A pause. "...sorry."

Libra caught a glimpse of Fiamma and nodded, grateful to distract from the strain Kyoko was putting on him. He looked away from her, unable to stand this much-being mean was hard. "I...I've saud my piece! It's over for me, anyway..."

@Ver​

Rita Hanson

Rita simply nodded in agreement at Fiamma, wondering what she wasn't being told. She had a feeling that Phil had betrayed them and she wasn't surprised if that was the truth. If she had learned anything from her time looping with him, he either had a plan or had a mental break. She didn't know which was worse. If it was a mental break, it meant that his health was getting much worse and whatever had made such an asshole was being triggered from these incidents. If he had a plan, he hadn't bothered to tell anyone which was just as bad since the man was impulsive hell. To put it in perspective, he once told her directly ' I brought you candies, can I get in your panties?' on one of their many 'first' dates. It was kind of funny to think that everything that they were going to was bounded.. yet infinite. She just watched in silence for now.

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Crow @Everybody

"You're really difficult to read, you know that?" Touma grumbled lightly toward Severa, before sighing, his face softening up as he spoke, the girl's personality reminding him of someone back home.

That was, someone from his home world, in the multiverse that he once knew.

"But... thanks."

"Now!"

With Fiamma of the Right's voice, a portal opened up at the side wall of the cell and he leaped through. From there, another portal opened up right next to the captors' side, and Fiamma emerged from it, a glowing magical stake rising from his open palm. Rushing forward, he stabbed the stake into Othinus's body, eliciting a surprised gasp from her as it managed to stab through, before she was forced to step back, letting go of Ben and stumbling back.

"What...?!"

"I created this spell, specifically made for a Majin like you... My very own Fairy spell! If humans can't kill a god, then we'll have to manage against a fairy," Fiamma of the Right said, as Othinus seemed physically stunned, to the Coalition leaders' shocks, most of all Othinus herself.

"How did you--?!"

"As a full Magic God, it won't keep her at bay for long. Come on now!" Ollerus yelled as he leapt through the portal as well, but before he got very far, even as Othinus still leered away, Doppo drew his gun and fired a warning shot.

BANG!

To her side, Kyoko also drew a pistol. On the woman, it looked crude of her to wield a gun, having always been a calculating type instead of springing to action, but here she was, forced to brandish a weapon against people she had once considered allies.

"Don't move! You have nowhere to go!"

"Honestly, I'm starting to think killing them all is the right idea if the original versions meant so little to you all anyway," Ollerus spat, eyeing his adversaries and the rest of the group, "As we are here... You know there is only one way Othinus intends for this to end. But do any of you have the stomach to carry it out?"

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"Yeah, yeah, may as well get this over with," Severa said, drawing her sword. Not like she cared; she barely knew these people!

Libra, however, had a much harder time, especially with the prospect of killing Kyoko. "I...if there really is no other way..." He was unsure whether to draw his axe ir staff. Either way, he was still going to be an accomplice in slaughter.

@Ver @Everyone​

"You're playing chess with pigeons, Othinus, pigeons that walk around and topple the entire board!"

Big Chill smacks the emblem on his chest. It seemed that his entire body was now red in hue...

"Ultimate Big Chill!"

Any bullet that neared Ben's new form melted on the spot and fell to the floor in the form of slag. Ultimate Big Chill unleashed a great blast of flames at Doppo, Kirigiri & Othinus. These special flames did not exude heat, but rather absorbed all heat from that which they hit. As a result, the three leaders were now frozen in place, as was all the air around them, placing them in a humungous block of ice that stretched the corridor & ceiling.

"Ben! Quick!" Grandpa Max exclaims out of worry.

"Coming now!"

With that, everyone was accounted for as all entered the portal. Ultimate Big Chill didn't look back...

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"I never had any personal ties to this 'Coalition' to begin with. Let's make our escape flashy!"

With Fiamma of the Right's spell, a chance had finally appeared. Leivinia was quite frankly a little disappointed in herself for not being able to come up with anything, even if it was against a Magic God, but for now they just had to move. Fighting the Coalition was just another part of that. As far as she was concerned, the Coalition were little more than a temporary ally to stop Othinus. With them now turned against them thanks to Othinus, that partnership had broken down.

They were now simply enemies.

With a twirl of her wand, Leivinia launched the wall of flames from her wand once again, filling in the gaps with her white summoned explosions. Quite frankly she wasn't the type to unload attacks that could potentially kill people for no reason, but retaliating against incoming gunfire was hardly "for no reason."

"I have no problem blowing these people aside, but where are we going to run to?"

That missing component of their plan bothered Leivinia. How much of the world had Othinus recreated? Just the Coalition? Her own world? The strange world of that hand-obsessed serial killer? There was no way to tell, but on the other hand it wasn't like there were a ton of options!

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"Oh man!" Jolyne lamented. "I had this great story about how the dude we supposedly killed faked his death so that we could've infiltrate...what was that organization? Revantits?"

"I think it was Revanchrist."

"God...who comes up with these names?" Jolyne groaned. "If we're supposed to kill them and that's Othinus plan well..." Jolyne opened her arms wide and started walking towards Kyoko.

Ermes looked shocked at what her friends actions. "Jolyne! What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Like I already said, I ain't going to play any bullshit games that the bitch has cocked up for us." The young Cujoh's eyes were transfixed on Kyoko as she slowly moved towards. "You bark a lot about being in pain but I ain't seen your bite yet. Probably because you don't actually have a goddamn clue about any of this. So come on, I'm the big bad right? Just shoot me and get it over with."

@Ver @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody

Schala Zeal
@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @Ver @Minerva @Lucky
@Everybody

Schala looked relieved to see that Kyoko at least understood what was going on... And in fact, Doppo was beginning to.

Maybe they could figure something out... Maybe this could be resolved peacefully, but this was dashed by Othinus herself, who promptly caught Ben before he could proceed any further.

Looking up at Othinus, talking about killing the Coalition, Schala shook her head, a determined look on her face.

"There's always another way... No matter what you intend for us... For me... To do... I'll defy you every step of the way... No matter what..." She said quietly.

It was then that a portal opened... And both Fiamma and Ollerus shot out, amongst many others... Causing her to hesitate as she looked towards Kyoko and Doppo, an apologetic look on her face as Ben froze them all. It seemed that Othinus was temporarily disabled, allowing for a brief window of escape, but what Ollerus said chilled her to her bone, causing her to shudder a little as she turned towards Doppo and Kyoko while she still could.

"... I'm sorry... ... I promise... I'll find a way... I'll free you all... From this nightmare..." She said, closing her eyes for a moment as she placed a hand on the ice between her and her once captors.

Then, she was off, following Ollerus, Fiamma, and the others through the portal they had created.

Though she was escaping the facility, and opefully the influence of Othinus, temporarily... The least she could do was make sure there weren't any additional casualties...​

 

[Hahli Nuva]

"You're really difficult to read, you know that?" Touma grumbled lightly toward Severa, before sighing, his face softening up as he spoke, the girl's personality reminding him of someone back home.

That was, someone from his home world, in the multiverse that he once knew.

"But... thanks."

"Now!"

With Fiamma of the Right's voice, a portal opened up at the side wall of the cell and he leaped through. From there, another portal opened up right next to the captors' side, and Fiamma emerged from it, a glowing magical stake rising from his open palm. Rushing forward, he stabbed the stake into Othinus's body, eliciting a surprised gasp from her as it managed to stab through, before she was forced to step back, letting go of Ben and stumbling back.

"What...?!"

"I created this spell, specifically made for a Majin like you... My very own Fairy spell! If humans can't kill a god, then we'll have to manage against a fairy," Fiamma of the Right said, as Othinus seemed physically stunned, to the Coalition leaders' shocks, most of all Othinus herself.

"How did you--?!"

"As a full Magic God, it won't keep her at bay for long. Come on now!" Ollerus yelled as he leapt through the portal as well, but before he got very far, even as Othinus still leered away, Doppo drew his gun and fired a warning shot.

BANG!

To her side, Kyoko also drew a pistol. On the woman, it looked crude of her to wield a gun, having always been a calculating type instead of springing to action, but here she was, forced to brandish a weapon against people she had once considered allies.

"Don't move! You have nowhere to go!"

"Honestly, I'm starting to think killing them all is the right idea if the original versions meant so little to you all anyway," Ollerus spat, eyeing his adversaries and the rest of the group, "As we are here... You know there is only one way Othinus intends for this to end. But do any of you have the stomach to carry it out?"

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

Will jumped through the portal first chance she got, feeling a bolt of nostalgia rush through her at a portal being opened. She rmembered when she first started her training, and how just opening a simple portal was awe inspiriing.

Ollerus had asked the group a question, and at this point Will felt the best option was to be completely honest.

She had only been a member of The Coalition for a few months at most. She didn't know who this Makoto was, or why Libra, Mason, and Schala were being targeted.

"I don't mean to sound callous, but I don't have a problem disposing of The Coalition if it means we survive. This clearly isn't our universe anymore. Othinus is trying to turn the tables on us and I am not going to be so blind as to believe that simply talking to them will change their minds."

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Ver @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

 

[Ver]

As everyone managed to use Fiamma's portal to escape the cell and show up again on the other side, the struggle raced on.

BANG!

Doppo attempted to fire upon everyone, managing to even graze Ollerus slightly, but the short-haired man did not react notably, providing cover for everyone as they attempted their escape, snapping his fingers and creating small explosions in the air, mostly for the sake of creating a smokescreen to obscure everyone's sights.

Kyoko held the gun toward Jolyne, her arms visibly shaking. Whether for her inexperience with the prospect of even shooting anyone or the seeds planted in her mind by Schala's earnest words, it was difficult to tell. Before Jolyne could get her answer of if the leader of the Coalition was about to shoot her in cold blood, Ben seemed to put a stop to her and Doppo quickly with his power to freeze them in place. Of course, it had little effect on Othinus, who recovered just enough from Fiamma's strange attack to burst from the ice with ease, waving her arm horizontally and dispelling Ollerus's smokescreen, just in time for Leivinia's explosions to shatter Kyoko's and Doppo's frozen forms, not that it might have mattered either way with the Magic God.

"Truly, I'm getting mixed messages here," Othinus casually said through the chaos, walking toward the group like the slow-moving killer in a horror film, brandishing Gungnir intently, "Some of you want to preserve those ideals that you perceive as your own, righteous morals. Some of you have already managed to discard such ideals to adapt. And others... seem to have never had any to begin with. What corrupt, immoral creatures! Imagine that. Fancying yourself some sort of hero of justice, but having no hesitation to even kill anyone who opposes you."

"Leivinia and Jolyne are not heroes of justice!" Touma exclaimed under his breath as he backed away. They weren't quite who Othinus was talking about either way though.

Turning his back on Othinus to face the group, Fiamma of the Right continued speaking in a hurried tone. "That spell I made won't keep her back for very long! This base has some sort of vault, doesn't it?! Something where it keeps its most powerful weapons?! Surely, perhaps you can find--!"

BOOM!

Suddenly, Fiamma of the Right exploded, his entire body disappearing violently, by the will of Othinus, instantly killing him. Continuing to walk toward the group, she kept speaking. "How annoying. Perhaps if it meant so little to you anyway, I should go on with another little game, don't you think?"

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

 

[Yun Lee]

"Ugh, do whatever you want," Severa snapped. "It's not like we can stop you."

"You may see us as immoral, but really, it is more complex," Libra responded. "People respond differently to the same situation, depending on what they've experienced, who they are close to, and even traits they were born with. You cannot define everyone merely by what you observe."

View attachment 3357

"But really, does it matter? We are all insects in your eyes, after all."

@Ver @Everyone​

 

[Macy Moretti]

Spoiler: Replies

"You're really difficult to read, you know that?" Touma grumbled lightly toward Severa, before sighing, his face softening up as he spoke, the girl's personality reminding him of someone back home.

That was, someone from his home world, in the multiverse that he once knew.

"But... thanks."

"Now!"

With Fiamma of the Right's voice, a portal opened up at the side wall of the cell and he leaped through. From there, another portal opened up right next to the captors' side, and Fiamma emerged from it, a glowing magical stake rising from his open palm. Rushing forward, he stabbed the stake into Othinus's body, eliciting a surprised gasp from her as it managed to stab through, before she was forced to step back, letting go of Ben and stumbling back.

"What...?!"

"I created this spell, specifically made for a Majin like you... My very own Fairy spell! If humans can't kill a god, then we'll have to manage against a fairy," Fiamma of the Right said, as Othinus seemed physically stunned, to the Coalition leaders' shocks, most of all Othinus herself.

"How did you--?!"

"As a full Magic God, it won't keep her at bay for long. Come on now!" Ollerus yelled as he leapt through the portal as well, but before he got very far, even as Othinus still leered away, Doppo drew his gun and fired a warning shot.

BANG!

To her side, Kyoko also drew a pistol. On the woman, it looked crude of her to wield a gun, having always been a calculating type instead of springing to action, but here she was, forced to brandish a weapon against people she had once considered allies.

"Don't move! You have nowhere to go!"

"Honestly, I'm starting to think killing them all is the right idea if the original versions meant so little to you all anyway," Ollerus spat, eyeing his adversaries and the rest of the group, "As we are here... You know there is only one way Othinus intends for this to end. But do any of you have the stomach to carry it out?"

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"Yeah, yeah, may as well get this over with," Severa said, drawing her sword. Not like she cared; she barely knew these people!

Libra, however, had a much harder time, especially with the prospect of killing Kyoko. "I...if there really is no other way..." He was unsure whether to draw his axe ir staff. Either way, he was still going to be an accomplice in slaughter.

@Ver @Everyone​

"You're playing chess with pigeons, Othinus, pigeons that walk around and topple the entire board!"

Big Chill smacks the emblem on his chest. It seemed that his entire body was now red in hue, his frosty appearance turning into a more fiery one...

"Ultimate Big Chill!"

Any bullet that neared Ben's new form melted on the spot and fell to the floor in the form of slag. Ultimate Big Chill unleashed a great blast of flames at Doppo, Kirigiri & Othinus. These special flames did not exude heat, but rather absorbed all heat from that which they hit. As a result, the three leaders were now frozen in place, as was all the air around them, placing them in a humungous block of ice.

"Move it! Move it!"

Ultimate Big Chill didn't look back as he prepared to run with everyone...

"Everyone, get ready to evacuate!" Grandpa Max helped with evacuating everyone, putting every single person before himself.

"Skree-ee-ee!"

"No, Buddy, take a good rest," Ultimate Big Chill unleashed the very same spherical object he summoned Buddy from, causing the beast to retreat in a flash of red light, "I'll do the running for you, we'll need all the energy in this fight."

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"I never had any personal ties to this 'Coalition' to begin with. Let's make our escape flashy!"

With Fiamma of the Right's spell, a chance had finally appeared. Leivinia was quite frankly a little disappointed in herself for not being able to come up with anything, even if it was against a Magic God, but for now they just had to move. Fighting the Coalition was just another part of that. As far as she was concerned, the Coalition were little more than a temporary ally to stop Othinus. With them now turned against them thanks to Othinus, that partnership had broken down.

They were now simply enemies.

With a twirl of her wand, Leivinia launched the wall of flames from her wand once again, filling in the gaps with her white summoned explosions. Quite frankly she wasn't the type to unload attacks that could potentially kill people for no reason, but retaliating against incoming gunfire was hardly "for no reason."

"I have no problem blowing these people aside, but where are we going to run to?"

That missing component of their plan bothered Leivinia. How much of the world had Othinus recreated? Just the Coalition? Her own world? The strange world of that hand-obsessed serial killer? There was no way to tell, but on the other hand it wasn't like there were a ton of options!

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"Oh man!" Jolyne lamented. "I had this great story about how the dude we supposedly killed faked his death so that we could've infiltrate...what was that organization? Revantits?"

"I think it was Revanchrist."

"God...who comes up with these names?" Jolyne groaned. "If we're supposed to kill them and that's Othinus plan well..." Jolyne opened her arms wide and started walking towards Kyoko.

Ermes looked shocked at what her friends actions. "Jolyne! What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Like I already said, I ain't going to play any bullshit games that the bitch has cocked up for us." The young Cujoh's eyes were transfixed on Kyoko as she slowly moved towards. "You bark a lot about being in pain but I ain't seen your bite yet. Probably because you don't actually have a goddamn clue about any of this. So come on, I'm the big bad right? Just shoot me and get it over with."

@Ver @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody

Mason dashed through the portal, and Macy shortly thereafter. At his fingertips appeared the mimicry Arc Fusion Blades once more. Mason pointed one at Kyoko's neck, taking advantage of Jolyne drawing her attention. However, the blade did not cut her, held back by hesitation. He drew his hand back and attempted to slice with a handful of blades, but again his arm stopped before he could harm his former superior.
​

As everyone managed to use Fiamma's portal to escape the cell and show up again on the other side, the struggle raced on.

BANG!

Doppo attempted to fire upon everyone, managing to even graze Ollerus slightly, but the short-haired man did not react notably, providing cover for everyone as they attempted their escape, snapping his fingers and creating small explosions in the air, mostly for the sake of creating a smokescreen to obscure everyone's sights.

Kyoko held the gun toward Jolyne, her arms visibly shaking. Whether for her inexperience with the prospect of even shooting anyone or the seeds planted in her mind by Schala's earnest words, it was difficult to tell. Before Jolyne could get her answer of if the leader of the Coalition was about to shoot her in cold blood, Ben seemed to put a stop to her and Doppo quickly with his power to freeze them in place. Of course, it had little effect on Othinus, who recovered just enough from Fiamma's strange attack to burst from the ice with ease, waving her arm horizontally and dispelling Ollerus's smokescreen, just in time for Leivinia's explosions to shatter Kyoko's and Doppo's frozen forms, not that it might have mattered either way with the Magic God.

"Truly, I'm getting mixed messages here," Othinus casually said through the chaos, walking toward the group like the slow-moving killer in a horror film, brandishing Gungnir intently, "Some of you want to preserve those ideals that you perceive as your own, righteous morals. Some of you have already managed to discard such ideals to adapt. And others... seem to have never had any to begin with. What corrupt, immoral creatures! Imagine that. Fancying yourself some sort of hero of justice, but having no hesitation to even kill anyone who opposes you."

"Leivinia and Jolyne are not heroes of justice!" Touma exclaimed under his breath as he backed away. They weren't quite who Othinus was talking about either way though.

Turning his back on Othinus to face the group, Fiamma of the Right continued speaking in a hurried tone. "That spell I made won't keep her back for very long! This base has some sort of vault, doesn't it?! Something where it keeps its most powerful weapons?! Surely, perhaps you can find--!"

BOOM!

Suddenly, Fiamma of the Right exploded, his entire body disappearing violently, by the will of Othinus, instantly killing him. Continuing to walk toward the group, she kept speaking. "How annoying. Perhaps if it meant so little to you anyway, I should go on with another little game, don't you think?"

@Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky @Everybody​

"Othinus, why don't you just shut the hell up already?! We have enough chatterboxes as it is!"

Mason slashed at Othinus, but his blades harmlessly bounced off of a barrier made by Macy. Although it might protect her from outside threats, she attempted to trap Othinus inside, just as Scarlet Witch had done with the group earlier.

"Don't try to fight her here! Get something from the vault! I'll try to hold her off!"

In response, Mason turned tail and ran sprinting towards the vault.

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT@Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Lucky@Everybody​

 

[Lucky]

Rita Hanson

Rita bolted behind Mason to head for the vault. She wondered what Fiamma thought they could find here. The fact that Phil hadn't reappeared worried her, but where else could he be if not here?

@Ver @Jeremi @Takumi @CrunchyCHEEZIT@Alex Azure @Yun Lee @Crow @Hahli Nuva @York @Minerva @Alex Azure @Everybody

 

[Yun Lee]

"Do you guys have a death wish?! She literally just BLEW UP Fiamma for fighting her!!" Severa called out to the three resisting Othinus, but she was primarily talking to Macy. Why? Her brother already died, was Macy going to die, too?!

@Ver @Alex Azure @Lucky​