Main Event Right Hand of the Magic God

[Yun Lee]

Just as Severa said, saying her goodbyes was gonna be easy. She didn't need to say any! Kjelle, Noire...pshaw. They'd be fine! ...okay maybe not Noire as much, but whatever. Things would be fine.

But rather than say any goodbyes, Severa did want to talk to one person in particular, someone she felt needed to hear from her. She approached Touma Kamijou at the moment he was alone, drumming her fingers on her thigh as she readied to say her piece. There had been a reason she had stayed quiet initially, when he had broke down in tears earlier, and he was going to find out why that was now.

She put her hand on his shoulder to get his attention, and almost immediately her own resolve started fading. "...hey." Even just that one word made her feel awkward. Ugh. Why was all this emotional junk so hard?! No wonder Phil shot her... "Okay. This will be the ONLY time I say this, so listen up. Got it? Good." She took a deep breath. "Okay." How to start this...

"...look. I...I know you probably feel like a huge steaming pile of mule dung right about now. And I get it. This whole thing just sucks! I mean, I only signed up for this group to get off Avalon, and now I'm trying to save the entire MULTIVERSE? Give me a break!" You're making it about you, Severa. Back up... "...but yeah. I get it. Taking the happiest possible world away from everyone you've ever cared about...that's horrible."

Okay, here we go... "But I don't want you thinking less of yourself for what you're going to do here, okay? We're freeing tons of billions of people from the rule of a tyrannical child...even if it takes away all this perfect peace. And...um..."

She sighed, bracing herself for the hardest part of this speech...for her, anyways. "Don't you dare think of yourself as cruel and awful for this, got it? You're literally the nicest guy I've ever met. You've been so kind and generous with me, even when I didn't really deserve it. Everything you've done up to this point, and heck, even this decision...it's never been about what YOU want. You put others before yourself at every opportunity, and I bet if these people could remember that...you would be hailed as a hero. This wasn't decided lightly, and I think...I think you made the right choice. So, don't be so hard on yourself, okay? You deserve better than that."

As if all of that mushy-gushy crap wasn't bad enough, at that point Severa realized that her grip on his shoulder had tightened. Oh, come on!! She quickly let go, trying not to turn red, and coughed. She also eyed him with a look that made it clear he was not to tell anyone about this, EVER. "Ahem! Right. So...let's go, y-yeah? We have some Magic God rear-end to kick."

@Ver​

 

[Ver]

"Uh... huh?" Touma blinked in surprise at Severa's heartfelt talk to him, his cheeks even threatening to go pink in embarrassment.

It struck him so effectively that he was rendered silent for a good moment or two, unable to determine what to make of the girl's speech as it almost seemed like a 180 on her attitude, but... then he smiled. Though there was some pain and doubt visible on his expression, it now clashed with the resolve he had gathered for himself to restore the multiverse, even if it was something someone could call a selfish gesture.

"Thanks... That... really means a lot to me, Severa. I don't know how I'll feel after all this is over, but I know that it's something I have to do now, regardless of whether it's because I wanted to return to my own world no matter what, or from some idea that this is how things are supposed to be. But... I think it'll be okay in the end. And I'm glad to have someone like you by my side at a moment like this."

As Severa motioned that perhaps it was time to get a move on, Touma nodded with a soft chuckle. "Yeah... Let's get going then," he spoke, before calling out to the rest of the group, seeming to have settled a bit more comfortably as the group's guide in the absence of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right.

"We're all done here now? Then come on. She's waiting," Touma said to everyone, and with that, began to leave for the edge of the city, where Othinus promised she would be waiting should the group resolve to continue opposing her even after everything.

...

By the time they reached the edge of the city of Avalon where Othinus promised she was waiting, the witch herself finally came into view, her cape and hair flowing in the cold wind, night had already fallen, and the full moon was on full display, a dramatic scene to say the least, but it seemed even gods could have a flair for the dramatic.

View attachment 3408

"And here, I went out of my way to provide you all with a convenient place to sit down and forget forever. But I see that even though, you rejected such a world," Othinus spat with irritation, clutching Gungnir tightly, "Are you not even a little ashamed that you are taking away everything you and everyone you love could have ever wanted?"

Touma said nothing, pursing his lips and clenching his fist tightly, so Othinus continued.

"So then, are you here to, in your own unfortunate, tragic views, save the multiverse from the whim of fate itself?"

"It's not about saving the multiverse, Othinus. It'll be about saving you, and breaking through this illusion you conjured about your ideas of humanity, even if it means overcoming your will with our own!"

That was what he resolved, what he promised to himself and the Will of the Misaka Network.

"I am sick of this charade, so I'll only ask once. Have you any last rites?"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Yun Lee]

"Last rites? Yeah, I have 'em!" Severa pointed her sword at Othinus, a cocky smirk on her face (that TOTALLY was not influenced by Touma's response to her speech in any way). "But I won't be using them until I'm old and gray, because right here, right now? We're gonna talk some sense into you, even if we gotta beat it into your head! And believe me, I've been itching to do THAT for a while."

"Indeed. We are not afraid of you, Othinus." Libra readied his staff. He was still unsure, himself, but Othinus had to be stopped...hopefully, saying goodbye to that perfect world would help him in this.

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

❝ Not at all... There is still something that we need to situate, and probably should've been dealt with in the first place. ❞ Willard ran a hand through his hair. Given the unfinished business that they still had, he knew that this was the course of action they all decided to go with, and only their efforts could unravel the missing piece to it all.

❝ ... we made our decision, and thus we are ready. You must be ready as well, Othinus. ❞ Dlanor spoke in a calm voice, not as monotone and firm like her usual voice. A hint of regret still tainted her mind, but she was aware that by doing this... there wasn't any going back.

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Crunch]

"Uh... huh?" Touma blinked in surprise at Severa's heartfelt talk to him, his cheeks even threatening to go pink in embarrassment.

It struck him so effectively that he was rendered silent for a good moment or two, unable to determine what to make of the girl's speech as it almost seemed like a 180 on her attitude, but... then he smiled. Though there was some pain and doubt visible on his expression, it now clashed with the resolve he had gathered for himself to restore the multiverse, even if it was something someone could call a selfish gesture.

"Thanks... That... really means a lot to me, Severa. I don't know how I'll feel after all this is over, but I know that it's something I have to do now, regardless of whether it's because I wanted to return to my own world no matter what, or from some idea that this is how things are supposed to be. But... I think it'll be okay in the end. And I'm glad to have someone like you by my side at a moment like this."

As Severa motioned that perhaps it was time to get a move on, Touma nodded with a soft chuckle. "Yeah... Let's get going then," he spoke, before calling out to the rest of the group, seeming to have settled a bit more comfortably as the group's guide in the absence of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right.

"We're all done here now? Then come on. She's waiting," Touma said to everyone, and with that, began to leave for the edge of the city, where Othinus promised she would be waiting should the group resolve to continue opposing her even after everything.

...

By the time they reached the edge of the city of Avalon where Othinus promised she was waiting, the witch herself finally came into view, her cape and hair flowing in the cold wind, night had already fallen, and the full moon was on full display, a dramatic scene to say the least, but it seemed even gods could have a flair for the dramatic.

View attachment 3408

"And here, I went out of my way to provide you all with a convenient place to sit down and forget forever. But I see that even though, you rejected such a world," Othinus spat with irritation, clutching Gungnir tightly, "Are you not even a little ashamed that you are taking away everything you and everyone you love could have ever wanted?"

Touma said nothing, pursing his lips and clenching his fist tightly, so Othinus continued.

"So then, are you here to, in your own unfortunate, tragic views, save the multiverse from the whim of fate itself?"

"It's not about saving the multiverse, Othinus. It'll be about saving you, and breaking through this illusion you conjured about your ideas of humanity, even if it means overcoming your will with our own!"

That was what he resolved, what he promised to himself and the Will of the Misaka Network.

"I am sick of this charade, so I'll only ask once. Have you any last rites?"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

Giorno Giovanna and Jotaro Kujo stood before Othinus - or rather, Jotaro was standing off to the side and shooting a pensive look between the young don and the Magic God herself. The dim moon hanging in the ebony sky overhead did make the scene quite dramatic, and Giorno did have a taste for dramatic flair, even if he wasn't a god. Gold Experience Requiem was hidden, instead appearing as the golden aura wreathed around Giorno's body.

"..."

Giorno said nothing, only gazing into Othinus' eyes with a knowing look.

He waited for her move.

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody
​

 

[Sark]

"Uh... huh?" Touma blinked in surprise at Severa's heartfelt talk to him, his cheeks even threatening to go pink in embarrassment.

It struck him so effectively that he was rendered silent for a good moment or two, unable to determine what to make of the girl's speech as it almost seemed like a 180 on her attitude, but... then he smiled. Though there was some pain and doubt visible on his expression, it now clashed with the resolve he had gathered for himself to restore the multiverse, even if it was something someone could call a selfish gesture.

"Thanks... That... really means a lot to me, Severa. I don't know how I'll feel after all this is over, but I know that it's something I have to do now, regardless of whether it's because I wanted to return to my own world no matter what, or from some idea that this is how things are supposed to be. But... I think it'll be okay in the end. And I'm glad to have someone like you by my side at a moment like this."

As Severa motioned that perhaps it was time to get a move on, Touma nodded with a soft chuckle. "Yeah... Let's get going then," he spoke, before calling out to the rest of the group, seeming to have settled a bit more comfortably as the group's guide in the absence of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right.

"We're all done here now? Then come on. She's waiting," Touma said to everyone, and with that, began to leave for the edge of the city, where Othinus promised she would be waiting should the group resolve to continue opposing her even after everything.

...

By the time they reached the edge of the city of Avalon where Othinus promised she was waiting, the witch herself finally came into view, her cape and hair flowing in the cold wind, night had already fallen, and the full moon was on full display, a dramatic scene to say the least, but it seemed even gods could have a flair for the dramatic.

View attachment 3408

"And here, I went out of my way to provide you all with a convenient place to sit down and forget forever. But I see that even though, you rejected such a world," Othinus spat with irritation, clutching Gungnir tightly, "Are you not even a little ashamed that you are taking away everything you and everyone you love could have ever wanted?"

Touma said nothing, pursing his lips and clenching his fist tightly, so Othinus continued.

"So then, are you here to, in your own unfortunate, tragic views, save the multiverse from the whim of fate itself?"

"It's not about saving the multiverse, Othinus. It'll be about saving you, and breaking through this illusion you conjured about your ideas of humanity, even if it means overcoming your will with our own!"

That was what he resolved, what he promised to himself and the Will of the Misaka Network.

"I am sick of this charade, so I'll only ask once. Have you any last rites?"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody

"I pity you, Othinus" Toppo smiled from beneath a sea of fur "I truly do. After all those years of searching, you've finally found the prize you were searching for. You're a God. Congratulations" His large paddle hands began to clumsily clap, his loose gloves slapping together like a paddle against water. "But after all the blood, after all the sweat and after all the tears it has cost you... It's still not enough to make you happy. It's still not enough to make you content. And now... Now I think I have you all worked out"

"You're not unlike Jiren, are you?" He raised a dry eyebrow "All this power has been a means to an end. He wanted vengeance. You just want to be whole. That little quest of yours gave you a purpose and it gave you a distraction, but now that its over, there's nothing to distract you from the void inside. It's gnawing away at you. The prospect that after all you've done you will still never be happy, and all because you have nothing worth fighting for"

Toppo remained passive, refusing to return to a futile guard or take a stance of protest. Instead, he stood calm, balanced, and relaxed in every sense of the words. He had found his centre, the one thing Othinus lacked.

"The Arrow was your drug. You had to get it to keep that burning withdrawal away. Mine was justice. It kept me focused... Kept me from questioning the grey that thrived between my black and white. Without it, what was I but a powerful fool, grasping at the straws of meaning? I was empty... Before those who stand beside me fought to make me whole again. And how they succeeded!"

"And his did they succeed? They sang to my mortality. They sang to my humanity. They sang to the very things you have surrendered. The things you can never win back, no matter his strong you become"

"So instead of surrendering your power in search of a new goal, you sought to keep us alive! You sought to live out your mortality through us. You sought to live through our struggles. You sought to feast off of our enduring and spirit. You dont see yourself as a hero. You're a monster. A powerful, scary old monster you dreamed up to keep yourself awake. And you've bred a generation of heroes to come to slay you too. A dozen powerful warriors united to oppose you. To end your story. To let a new one begin"

"That's why you will lose today, evidoer. You'll lose because deep down you want to lose. You want to book to close. And you can't do that without the final chapter"

"So I say thank you, Othinus! Thank you for giving us the Arrow! Thank you for allowing us to give you your final rite. Thank you for Ben, and for Schala and for all the others your scared soul has saved. We'll give you what you want - don't you worry. As the ruler of space and direction, you of all people should know that tonight...

"Tonight is Hero Time!"
@all @mobilepost​

 

[Macy Moretti]

"Uh... huh?" Touma blinked in surprise at Severa's heartfelt talk to him, his cheeks even threatening to go pink in embarrassment.

It struck him so effectively that he was rendered silent for a good moment or two, unable to determine what to make of the girl's speech as it almost seemed like a 180 on her attitude, but... then he smiled. Though there was some pain and doubt visible on his expression, it now clashed with the resolve he had gathered for himself to restore the multiverse, even if it was something someone could call a selfish gesture.

"Thanks... That... really means a lot to me, Severa. I don't know how I'll feel after all this is over, but I know that it's something I have to do now, regardless of whether it's because I wanted to return to my own world no matter what, or from some idea that this is how things are supposed to be. But... I think it'll be okay in the end. And I'm glad to have someone like you by my side at a moment like this."

As Severa motioned that perhaps it was time to get a move on, Touma nodded with a soft chuckle. "Yeah... Let's get going then," he spoke, before calling out to the rest of the group, seeming to have settled a bit more comfortably as the group's guide in the absence of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right.

"We're all done here now? Then come on. She's waiting," Touma said to everyone, and with that, began to leave for the edge of the city, where Othinus promised she would be waiting should the group resolve to continue opposing her even after everything.

...

By the time they reached the edge of the city of Avalon where Othinus promised she was waiting, the witch herself finally came into view, her cape and hair flowing in the cold wind, night had already fallen, and the full moon was on full display, a dramatic scene to say the least, but it seemed even gods could have a flair for the dramatic.

View attachment 3408

"And here, I went out of my way to provide you all with a convenient place to sit down and forget forever. But I see that even though, you rejected such a world," Othinus spat with irritation, clutching Gungnir tightly, "Are you not even a little ashamed that you are taking away everything you and everyone you love could have ever wanted?"

Touma said nothing, pursing his lips and clenching his fist tightly, so Othinus continued.

"So then, are you here to, in your own unfortunate, tragic views, save the multiverse from the whim of fate itself?"

"It's not about saving the multiverse, Othinus. It'll be about saving you, and breaking through this illusion you conjured about your ideas of humanity, even if it means overcoming your will with our own!"

That was what he resolved, what he promised to himself and the Will of the Misaka Network.

"I am sick of this charade, so I'll only ask once. Have you any last rites?"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

"Yes, Othinus. I have a last request," Macy said, bravely stepping forward in between Touma and Othinus. She closed her eyes and wrapped her hand around the pendant that hung close to her chest. A deep breath circulated through her body. She pulled on the necklace, lifting it and dragging its chain through a tangle of blue locks. She removed it from her neck and placed it inside her purse. Replacing it in her hand was her Thunder Rod. She tossed the purse aside and held the magical rod with a tight grip. It sparked and glowed with and electric aura, but remained by her side. She wouldn't dare be the first to point a weapon at the Magic God, but she would point her gaze upon her. Meeting her eyes, she spoke confidently, with a touch of care and a hint of malice in her voice.

"I want to understand you. I want to hear the voice of your heart. I don't understand your motivation, nor your emotions. You seem devoid of them, but I know that must be an act! You surely care for people and for the multiverse! You have hopes, dreams, and fears! There's a heart inside you! If I can, I want to see it broken through with words. However, there are plenty of us here who are willing to find that heart by carving our way there. Severa, Ben, Touma, Giorno, and surely my brother would take that route."

"My wish is this: before one of us dies, I want to see what part of you is still human. That might not be long."

Standing a few feet behind Touma and Macy, Mason's body appeared to be covered in a sea of purple flames. His aura was burning bright and getting to work. In front of him, the loose shape of an object beginning to form. It was going to be something big, and take awhile, and he wasn't going to waste time confronting her with words.​

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Ver]

"Cease. You know nothing, old man," Othinus spat distastefully toward Toppo in particular, as though his words had struck a chord in her, notably when he remarked on her "wanting to be whole." She only slightly shook her head, before speaking again. "If that is all you have to say, then I can only say that it is a shame to waste your breath on such irritating words."

To Macy, she only let out a deriding laugh. "Is that what you say to justify taking away the happiness of everyone you've ever known? Sacrificing everyone else's just for the sake of the villain's, in your eyes? How droll. But I think you're misunderstanding just one thing, Macy Moretti. You say "before one dies" but here's the thing."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, what looked like a rain of arrows hailed from the sky, like an army of archers had fired their shots. The arrows flew at such speeds, held such power, and were so high in numbers, that it was hopeless from the start, and the arrows penetrated the entire group, stabbing through their bodies and instantly killing them!

SHHHK!

"This is the fifty-fourth time you have already died."

. . .

For the briefest of moments, everything went black. And then... everything was back the way it was before. Everyone would find that they were suddenly well and alive again, with no sign of any arrows ever being fired. But it was unmistakable that they were definitely shot at and killed, and yet, here they were, alive once again in the same exact spots where they were standing.

"H-Huh?!"

"I've been easily killing you without any difficulty fifty-four times over now, just to see how many times you'd try to come after me as you are. After all, you only continue to live despite your deaths because of Giorno Giovanna's power," she said, pointing a finger toward the young don, as though outing him, "Clever human to enforce a loop just so you could have a convenient restart every time you lose, but I suppose I've been too lenient with you anyway by not letting you remember the rest of your deaths."

"But I've realized... Just as continuously losing a game would make one tired of playing it, surely, continuously dying would ward you away from trying to interfere with me eventually, no? So now, I'll let you remember every excruciating detail of every of your deaths. That is, if you still intend on going against me."

In essence, you were all stuck in a loop -- just like before with Kira -- that involved endlessly dying, but it was by the will of Giorno's power ever since he had used the Arrow on himself to reawaken his ultimate Stand, Gold Experience Requiem. But it was only now that you were able to remember dying at all.

So it begged the question.

How long would this be able to go on?

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Crow]

"Uh... huh?" Touma blinked in surprise at Severa's heartfelt talk to him, his cheeks even threatening to go pink in embarrassment.

It struck him so effectively that he was rendered silent for a good moment or two, unable to determine what to make of the girl's speech as it almost seemed like a 180 on her attitude, but... then he smiled. Though there was some pain and doubt visible on his expression, it now clashed with the resolve he had gathered for himself to restore the multiverse, even if it was something someone could call a selfish gesture.

"Thanks... That... really means a lot to me, Severa. I don't know how I'll feel after all this is over, but I know that it's something I have to do now, regardless of whether it's because I wanted to return to my own world no matter what, or from some idea that this is how things are supposed to be. But... I think it'll be okay in the end. And I'm glad to have someone like you by my side at a moment like this."

As Severa motioned that perhaps it was time to get a move on, Touma nodded with a soft chuckle. "Yeah... Let's get going then," he spoke, before calling out to the rest of the group, seeming to have settled a bit more comfortably as the group's guide in the absence of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right.

"We're all done here now? Then come on. She's waiting," Touma said to everyone, and with that, began to leave for the edge of the city, where Othinus promised she would be waiting should the group resolve to continue opposing her even after everything.

...

By the time they reached the edge of the city of Avalon where Othinus promised she was waiting, the witch herself finally came into view, her cape and hair flowing in the cold wind, night had already fallen, and the full moon was on full display, a dramatic scene to say the least, but it seemed even gods could have a flair for the dramatic.

View attachment 3408

"And here, I went out of my way to provide you all with a convenient place to sit down and forget forever. But I see that even though, you rejected such a world," Othinus spat with irritation, clutching Gungnir tightly, "Are you not even a little ashamed that you are taking away everything you and everyone you love could have ever wanted?"

Touma said nothing, pursing his lips and clenching his fist tightly, so Othinus continued.

"So then, are you here to, in your own unfortunate, tragic views, save the multiverse from the whim of fate itself?"

"It's not about saving the multiverse, Othinus. It'll be about saving you, and breaking through this illusion you conjured about your ideas of humanity, even if it means overcoming your will with our own!"

That was what he resolved, what he promised to himself and the Will of the Misaka Network.

"I am sick of this charade, so I'll only ask once. Have you any last rites?"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

"Cease. You know nothing, old man," Othinus spat distastefully toward Toppo in particular, as though his words had struck a chord in her, notably when he remarked on her "wanting to be whole." She only slightly shook her head, before speaking again. "If that is all you have to say, then I can only say that it is a shame to waste your breath on such irritating words."

To Macy, she only let out a deriding laugh. "Is that what you say to justify taking away the happiness of everyone you've ever known? Sacrificing everyone else's just for the sake of the villain's, in your eyes? How droll. But I think you're misunderstanding just one thing, Macy Moretti. You say "before one dies" but here's the thing."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, what looked like a rain of arrows hailed from the sky, like an army of archers had fired their shots. The arrows flew at such speeds, held such power, and were so high in numbers, that it was hopeless from the start, and the arrows penetrated the entire group, stabbing through their bodies and instantly killing them!

SHHHK!

"This is the fifty-fourth time you have already died."

. . .

For the briefest of moments, everything went black. And then... everything was back the way it was before. Everyone would find that they were suddenly well and alive again, with no sign of any arrows ever being fired. But it was unmistakable that they were definitely shot at and killed, and yet, here they were, alive once again in the same exact spots where they were standing.

"H-Huh?!"

"I've been easily killing you without any difficulty fifty-four times over now, just to see how many times you'd try to come after me as you are. After all, you only continue to live despite your deaths because of Giorno Giovanna's power," she said, pointing a finger toward the young don, as though outing him, "Clever human to enforce a loop just so you could have a convenient restart every time you lose, but I suppose I've been too lenient with you anyway by not letting you remember the rest of your deaths."

"But I've realized... Just as continuously losing a game would make one tired of playing it, surely, continuously dying would ward you away from trying to interfere with me eventually, no? So now, I'll let you remember every excruciating detail of every of your deaths. That is, if you still intend on going against me."

In essence, you were all stuck in a loop -- just like before with Kira -- that involved endlessly dying, but it was by the will of Giorno's power ever since he had used the Arrow on himself to reawaken his ultimate Stand, Gold Experience Requiem. But it was only now that you were able to remember dying at all.

So it begged the question.

How long would this be able to go on?

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

---

"Yooo! Big O! 'sup!"

Ben waves towards Othinus as they arrive, before dropping off from his grandfather's sizeable RV.

"Well Othinus, I have to answer you with a question - do you have any shame in taking away the emotion & atonomy of the ones we love? To achieve a concept percieved as so perfect that no one will attempt to evolve it? To advance it? To change it? A world destined for stagnation?

I appreciate what you've done to a good extent, Othinus. This reign of terror ends now - not the one upon this realm, no, that doesn't exist, but the one overshadowing you. As you serve as its deity, you are making this your prison - layering over another prison - your mind."

Ben Tennyson crosses his arms.

"I refuse to fight unless you make the first move. We aren't here to battle, Othinus. We're here for a long, long talk that may or may not result in a battle.

And for the record, I'll be making many more rites. Let me share it with you anyways."

The last two words of this seemed to be in unison with Toppo's as Ben pops the dial of the Omnitrix.

"...tonight... Tonight is..."
"Well then... It's..."

"Hero time!"

But then, Othinus threatened to make them all remember all their deaths within a great 54 loops, that is, after raining arrows upon them.

"... make it 55, Othinus. 56, hit the triple digits. Make me recall. I'm not the type to just give up and give in that easily because of such methods."

Ben begins to walk towards Othinus. Even though his Omnitrix dial was popped up to Alien X, he showed no intention of activating the transformation.

"... I don't believe you know what you yourself are saying, Othinus."

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Yun Lee]

"BRING IT, WITCH!!" Severa gritted her teeth, furious. "I'll die a MILLION times if it means stopping you!!!"

"I can assure you, after all you have already put us through, remembering 53 deaths is nothing more than motivation to keep fighting!" Libra refused to believe this was hopeless. He had given up too much to stop here!

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure@Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Lucky]

Rita Hanson and Phil Connors

Rita looked up and even if she had died, she wasn't giving up on Othinus humanity.

"I want to know who you are. All you have told is that you see as ants, but I think there is a person under all the bravado. Someone who would create a world where everyone worshipped her, a world in which you made us the world and a world where everyone is happy. Those two are worlds apart. What are you searching for? What makes you hurt? What makes you feel betrayed? What or who do you want to bring back? Who hurt you I dare to ask," she asked her.

Phil looked at her and had to laugh. " 10,054 would be the number now. Or something close to that. You think after killing myself that many times, it would grow stale or lose its charm. But there has always been something fascinating about each and every death and remembering each of them. You become desensitized to it. But if I learn one thing from that experience is that I never give up. Doesn't matter what stunning stasis you are in, you never give hope or give into sorrow. There's always a tomorrow and you stay sane through it all. So, killing us a million more times and in a million different ways, I won't give up on trying to break through to you or trying to stop you. I learned that sometimes the right thing and the best thing to do aren't the same, but I don't plan on stopping trying anytime soon."

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Everybody

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

Mason's head drooped down, hiding his face behind a mop of orange hair. He placed his thumb and and forefinger on his temples. He listened to the conversation quietly, only providing hums and massaging his temples. With the Will of Misaka posing her questions, Mason found a response.

View attachment 3403
"You know what? You're right. I don't really care for Othinus treating the multiverse like she owns it! She's just another goddess who considers herself above everyone. It's no different than any god up on Olympus or Asgard. And I'm not gonna let her do this. When have I ever let fate pull me around?"

"Never!" Macy cheered.

"Does she have the right to play with our lives? Is the world she created right or just?"

"No and no!" Macy fed his enthusiasm. He raised his head and pounded a fist into an open palm. He brought back his signature bright smile and heroic spirit. Inside his heart was turmoil, still catching up in the process of understanding what their next move was. However, optimism struck down worry and planning.

"Let's go! No more moping, not for us at least! There's still a human heart and human fallacies somewhere inside the Magic God. If we can play to her fears, that the multiverse is still against her and unwilling to change, maybe we can wear down her resolve instead of her strength. We gotta keep fighting, no matter the power she shows. These worlds didn't ask to be changed, and it's our responsibility to fix it back, even if it does mean we break this false utopia and leave behind our hopes. Am I right?"

Macy stood beside Touma as well and offerred a shoulder to cry on instead of a wall. She looked almost ready to cry herself. "Touma, it's okay to mope a little longer. Misaka has brought up some tough stuff. We all have somebody we don't want to leave behind. Penny for your thoughts?"

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Everybody​

The Will of the Misaka Network listened quietly. She silently accepted the many words that gushed from Kamijou Touma’s heart. They were not beautiful sentiments in her eyes; in fact, even if they believed they were right, logic might have dictated they were "wrong" instead. Being correct does not make one right, one might say. And yet, if such freedom to decide what was right and wrong was something they wanted to restore in the first place, then...

"I see /return. So you've made your decision, even if it might be hopeless, even if it might be determining this for other people without their knowledge /return. To accept the difference between what was correct and what was the right thing to do /return. I was almost afraid that I was wrong about humans for a moment /return."

To Schala, the Will of the Network shrugged her arms, pursing her lips slightly. "What Othinus wants to maintain, create, or destroy, that's something you have to drag out of her yourself /return. Only she can say what she ultimately wants /return. As I said, even if it takes you forever, even if it costs you a hundred lives as you go after her over and over again, you have to keep trying to reach her no matter what if you want to change anything /return. That's your new objective now; you understand, don't you /escape?"

"You have to show a god what it means to be human, to your heart /return. Do you understand?"

Touma meanwhile looked out the window, pressing his arm against it as he looked outside, observing the happiness of the people strolling across, tears still drifting down his cheeks. "Of course it bothers me. Of course it bothers me...! What the hell was I doing all this time? I never wanted any of this -- for us or them. Othinus saved every last one of those people in the multiverse to make suffer suffer. There’s something seriously wrong with her sense of scale," he cursed, clenching his fist tightly, "Why the hell do we have to go through all this? What was I calling misfortune all this time?" Touma went on, letting out a self-deprecating laugh through soft sniffles, "Of course it bothers me. She stole all their lives and reshaped them, and she did it so easily like it was a game that I feel stupid for even complaining! I could never create anything better than this, and to have to destroy it, to return home and look at everyone in the face... I don't know if I can bear that weight...!" The boy sank to his knees, pressing his forehead against the glass tightly.

"If my path doesn't end here, that means that I have to cut through everyone else's for something we alone decide here. Could we all really bear that sin as we are?"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

"... I feel the same way too, Schala - parting with our happy, harmonious friends and family that have had differences with us and each other in the past world... to just up and leave them... it's always hard, no matter what colour the world is painted in. The fact that we possess feelings that retaliate in response to loss and seperation, it's evidence that we're instinctively following a full set of emotions - a concept that belongs to and defines a world of colour - the old world we left behind."

Ben, having appeared beside Schala, turns to Jiren with a wave.

"Oh hey Jiren. Good to see you again. Remember me? Slimy, creepy, fast, strong, every shape and size?"

Ben ponders.

"Hold your horses, Mason. I'm as eager to take this mission on as you are, but maybe we should all do a teeny bit of dillydallying before we go off for the destination. We have to leave this world behind, whether we want to or not, so I think the least we can do is greet and say goodbye to every one of our friends first.

I know where Marian is, Jiren. But, for the record, in this world, she's... uh..."

Ben moves his head forward to Jiren's ears and whispers.

"... married, so you might wanna be a bit more careful with the interaction..."

He turns to Touma, looking at him directly.

"..."

He looks away and, taking the initiative, he walks for the exit, exchanging a few vague words in response to the enquiry that some might recognise as his signature catchphrase, albeit said in a manner with less joy and more seriousness.

"... it's hero time."

@Ver @York @Lucky @Sark @Alex Azure @Takumi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @etcetcetc​

"No...Don't look at me like that" His words were weak and tired, with flashes of fear clinging to everything he said "No... I don't derve that look... I don't deserve your... pity"

"Then I was right. I did this. It was all me." He scrambled to futilely repair his facade of strength, but his image had already fallen apart at the seams. The Powerful Jiren, the warrior how had conquered all foes, even those within his own spirit, had died with his old world. All that remained was the fragile husk of a hero, held up by false memories alone and doomed to perform in a play of lies. He said his lines as if reading from a script, his soul completely detached from his lips "For heaven... this place feels a lot like Hell. The man I was... I like to think he'd be stronger than this... and I think he'd like to think that too. But I lack his power... his will. All I see... All I feel around me... is death. Death in a world that will never die, doomed to suffer a false truth. It's not grey... its black..."
​

"Even after... Even after doing all I have... All you have told me I have done... All I Remember... I can't leave this behind" The world around him, void of perfection, still danced upon the borders of greatness. There was no war. No hate. No fury. For the first time in Multiversal history- for the first time in any timeline in any world- perpetual peace had finally been found. And in its absence, the people could live. They thrived. They found things worth loving, and they lived. He had done so with his tribe. His Teacher had done so with his students. Belmond remained asleep. Khai continued to create in his absence. The natural order had been re-penned, and it had been re-penned to what he could only describe as a world of sense and spirit: perfection.

Was the Grey. The Grey he had fought for. The Grey he had died for, albeit born with Othinus' own unique spin. Even if it wasn't real, it was more than enough for him. It would have been so easy for him to slip back off into his dream. He could return to his fake life, live out the rest of his days with his fake family, then die a meaningless but content death. Yet something held him back: nagging ache deep with his heart held him in place. Now that he had woken up- now that those razor blades of sunlight had parted his eyes- he could not go back to sleep. He couldn't force the sun back behind the horizon.

"Stay here with me, Schala. Stay with my tribe and my people... this world does not make sense to me... then again, none ever has. But it could be the foundation for something more. Gods or no Gods, every prayer has been answered. We don't have to carry our burdens anymore... we can live our lives- we can all live our lives- free from the evils we have all created. Isn't that what you have always wanted? To protect your Kindom today to let it fall tomorrow? Or to find a way to protect it so that it will never need protecting again?"​

"I... The Burden of Truth kills me. Everday. Every day of my life I wake up. I live. I sleep. I wake up to live again. But my cycle is... disturbed. My very being is plagued by the foulest nightmares. Guilt. Regret. Hate. Sin. I believed them to have been evils left behind by that world gone mad. But Schala, you have shown me that they were simply traits that lived within me. Guilt drove me to strength. Strength drove me to regret. Regret drove me to loathe myself, and in my attempts to undo that loathing I sinned. And how I sinned! I killed. I ravaged. I destroyed all that was good in an infected world in the name of a cure"

The dam broke

"I once believed myself to be the last angel in that Hell of a World. I believed that evil had overcome it completely. I saw the sins of man eat away its own saints and heroes. But I had to be sure. I had to be sure that somewhere, out in the mess of stars and spirits, that there was a tide. I had to find that turning point. That moment when the good would reclaim what they were owed. I prayed the underdogs would rise to the challenge, no matter how outnumbered they were. But they couldn't defeat the Old Grey Dog. They couldn't change the ocean's flow. Evil won. The board was reset for a new game.

But even once the pieces were put to the side, I learned the truth I had fought so hard to deny. The evils I had fought to conquer- all the maniacs, madmen and villains- they didn't hide in the heavens or in Knowhere. They lived in me. I was the very thing I needed to destroy. I was passion unrestrained. I was evil. I am evil. I am a villain. It's a fact I cannot ignore. A truth I cannot deny. It is who I am.

Who I was.

Othinus helped to change me. She gave me life anew. She gave me a purpose. A family. Everything I had lacked. And for my service, she took away my pain. All those sins were washed away. Everything I could ever want. Everything I could ever need. She placed it within my fingers... and now... after 60 long years they have been ripped away from me again. 40 years with her. Just 3 with my child. Mere seconds to a god, but a lifetime to me. 60 glorious years... turned to dust with a single epiphany.

I've raised a phantom. I've fallen in love with a phantom. I woke up beside a phantom every day for 40 years and felt her smile warm this old fool's heart. But that's all they are, right? Phantoms. Shadows behind the candle of the old world... Perhaps now that I've woken up for properly, they'll fade away too. My price ripped away from me by my own selfish curiosity.

Know this, Old Friends. I destroyed your world. I may not have pulled the trigger. But I loaded the gun. I aimed it. I cocked it. I helped set up the dominoes and I watched them fall from deep within Hell. And now that the veil has been lifted, I will have to live with that guilt with every moment of my miserable exitance, in this world or yours. Your world is dead and gone now. It's been replaced. Even if this Heaven isn't real, even if it is a world of lies or phantoms, you will have to carry the burden of its destruction too. Every life the world has created. Every moment of happiness born from this rewrite will be stripped away by you, and you will do so in the name of familiarity. You don't consult the people of this world before you destroy her, just as I didn't ask for your permission before I helped to destroy yours. Nobody wants to die. Greed- yours and mine- will cost an almost infinite number of lives before our lives flicker out again. When that moment comes, I won't stop it. I won't fight you again. But know that the stolen decision you have made is not without confidence. It's not about love. It's not about heroes. It's about survival. It's about choosing your poison.

I've chosen mine, and I'll stay here, with my ghosts and my phantoms. I pray some of you will join me"
​

"Ben... I'm... glad you are alive" Jiren nodded with a heavy heart, sharing the only compliment he knew. "I had hoped we would have a chance to finish our fight here. I had hoped we could settle things with honour, man to man. But the situation has robbed us of time. Know that no matter your choice, I do not and have never hated you. You stood with your faith. I stood with mine. You're convictions were and are admirable. Yet as I said- I am separate myself from your coming campaign. There won't be an all-star revolution" He bowed his head, speaking without malice of intent. Even in the heart of his speech, he tone had never wavered from peaceful. He no longer had a goal or motive. He no longer sought recruitment or surrender from the Survivors. He only sought for them to listen. He smiled the smile of a dying man "I stand by my faith in the grey. This world isn't what I fought for... and I have been fooled into living a lie. But I have no intention of surrendering what Othinus has given me. The joys the people of Avalon feel are real to them, and I do not wish for you to have to endure all I had to. I won't dabble in the manipulation of worlds any longer... I'll work with what I have left. But I wish to leave you with one last request: If, when the time comes, you gain enough power to overcome Othinus, be kind to her. Show her mercy. She has made the world she promised, even if doesn't last forever. Fight with the honour of your Grandfather. Do not sacrifice your spirit in the pursuit of strength. Do not make the mistakes I have"

"Marian... now that is a name I haven't heard in a long time. I am... pleased that Othinus has returned her to this world. She was always a friend... the greatest friend I have ever had... besides that Old Orange Fool. I won't complicate her paradise by invading it. She has given her ending, and I have been given mine... What I am trying to say is that I am glad she is happy. Perhaps all the chaos we caused paid off after all..."
@Ver @York @Lucky @Sark @Alex Azure @Takumi @Kaykay @Yun Lee​

View attachment 3404
"You're not bearing those sins alone, Touma. We're all here, and we're all making the choice. The thing is, this world isn't something we would create because it lacks that human touch. When a human crafts something, ot has theze tiny imperfections that make it uniquely theirs. You can't make the same painting twice. This Avalon isn't craftsmanship. It isn't art. It's dull and emotionless. The 'happiness' around us drowns out any real emotion."

"I think Othinus can't replicate us. She can't remake our lives and our hearts. Everyone we've seen has been off when Othinus has recreated them, and we've only seen true emotions from those who have slipped through the cracks. Those cracks show that there's some humanity left, and it's unfortunate that we have to make more cracks."

"We're what's left of being human, what Othinus is scared of erasing in case she forgets. I don't think it's a sin to make this decision if that's what we're here to do. Whether it's Othinus, or the Great Spirits, or simply fate, we're here. We were handed the tools to forge our own path."

View attachment 3405
"This may be wishful thinking, but I think the wills of everyone who was erased and rewritten would be for us to challenge Othinus. Nobody wants to be erased. Nobody wants to abandon free will. It just isn't human. Even those who want to die wouldn't want this utopia at the price of their freedom. So, we're making a refund. Return the utopia, restore freedom."

"All the people you're worried sbout harming, wouldn't they feel the same way if our lives were at stake?"​

View attachment 3406
"Sorry Ben. Guess I'm getting a bit carried away. I had everything taken from me once before without me getting a chance to say goodbye. Even when I recieved goodbyes, I never sent any back. Guess I never really learned. I left the Coalition without goodbye. I left the dark place without goodbye. I entered and left the Cell Games without goodbyes on either end."

"Maybe if I don't say it, then I don't have to believe that I'm leaving. I don't want to give my loved ones up again. So I don't think I'll be saying ciao to a world that might just get erased again."

@Ver @York @Lucky @Sark @Alex Azure @Takumi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @etcetcetc​

"Jiren..."

Ben grasps upon one of Jiren's hands.

"If this is your true, ultimate decision, if you have selected this path with no conflict in your heart, if there is absolutely no way to sway you from it, then I do not wish to rob you of this world you wish to live in. If you truly wish to sit this out, then all I request from you is to live your life out here - live it well and live it healthily. You will be remembered. You will not be forgotten. I will tell of your tale to those who succeed me.

In return, I will heed every one of your mentioned requests. If Othinus is to be labelled as a hero, then I will indeed pick the path of mercy towards her. Unfortunately, there may be one part I cannot comply with. I do need to pursue strength to meet Othinus face-to-face..."

He points to his watch and the light muscle he has on one of his arms.

"... not the strength here..."

He then points to his heart.

"... but the strength right over here."

He briefly turns to Mason.

"I, for one, have to say my goodbyes to Gwen & Kevin. And my Necrofriggian babies. And Noembelu. And Lindel- a lot of people. I will have to tell them that I'll be off an a bit of a trip...

... and that I will see them all very, very soon."

@Ver @York @Lucky @Sark @Alex Azure @Takumi @Kaykay @Yun Lee @etcetcetc​

"Aha... What a cruel thing for us to do. But... If this is how we're supposed to save the multiverse, better than Othinus ever could with Gungnir by her side, then I guess we really don't have a choice," Touma said with another self-deprecating laugh, though at least it seemed Macy's words managed to help him accept what had to be done. The boy rose to his feet again and wiped away the tears with his sleeve, lifting up his head to face the window in front of him, and the reality he was going to have to reject. The illusion he had to break.

"It'll be difficult, you know /return. But /backspace then, every important decision always is, isn't it /escape? But if that's what you resolved, then take care not to stray from it /return. Clench your fists, hold your heads up high, and restore the multiverse then /return."

Leaning forward, her hands still crossed behind her back, The Will maintained her smile, ever-present, now like a reassuring older sister. "Regardless of your success or failure, I don't think we'll meet again /return. If you succeed, order will be restored, and I'll no longer be in Avalon /return. If you fail, Othinus will realize her mistake and rewrite people like me -- who exist between life and death -- to be unable to help you anymore /return. You're on your own now, and all someone like I can do is support you from afar /return. Off you go then /return. Bye bye /return."

The Will gave a wave to everyone, and in response, Touma simply nodded, taking a composing breath.

"Let's go, then. If this is the only way our paths will lead down... then we don't have a choice. There's still more to it all yet..." Touma resolved, clenching his fist tightly as he marched to leave the room, and the hotel by extension, not looking back as he accepted to himself what they'd all have to sacrifice, to leave behind.

As Touma led the group back out of the hotel and toward the courtyard again, where the peaceful populace spent their idle time with each other, smiling, laughing blissfully, the boy sighed shakily.

"Okay... I guess if this is the last chance you all get, then you should all say your goodbyes. To the people who aren't supposed to be alive anymore, the people who can't bring themselves to smile back home..." Touma said sorrowfully.

This was your chance now to say goodbye to this world.

Turning to Giorno, the young man with whom Fiamma of the Right and Ollerus had recruited and proven to be one of their most important allies. "Giorno... Whatever that Arrow does to you, I guess it's time to use it now before we go off to fight Othinus. Are you ready?"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

"Jiren," Grandpa Max smiles at the Grey, "you go live your joys to your fullest."

Meanwhile, it was time for all to say their goodbyes.

"Ben! There you are! We were looking all over for you!"

"Gwen! Kevin!" Ben exclaims. "Good to see you again! Just in time to send me off."

"What for, Tennyson?"

"A trip, a looong trip. Mission, something. You know, the usual."

"Any reason we can't go along?"

"A reason I can't tell you guys - but just know that it won't be a long one. I'll be back before you know it. Grandpa's coming with me, so don't worry too much, OK?"

"The old man, huh? Take care, alright, Tennyson?"

Ben turns to all his other friends.

"Noembelu, Birdie, Lindel, Mrs Libra, Ms Aozaki, SeeU... everyone. I'll be heading off into the horizon for a quest. I'll see you all very soon. Take care, OK?"

He turns to Jiren, a bit teary-eyed.

"Once again, you will be remembered, no matter what."

Soon, he was smothered by the little moth creatures once more.

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

"Ahahaha! Easy there, little guys!"

Soon, it was time to go.

"Come on Ben," Grandpa Max arrives with an RV by his side, "we're taking the Rustbucket there!"

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Everybody​

"Uh... huh?" Touma blinked in surprise at Severa's heartfelt talk to him, his cheeks even threatening to go pink in embarrassment.

It struck him so effectively that he was rendered silent for a good moment or two, unable to determine what to make of the girl's speech as it almost seemed like a 180 on her attitude, but... then he smiled. Though there was some pain and doubt visible on his expression, it now clashed with the resolve he had gathered for himself to restore the multiverse, even if it was something someone could call a selfish gesture.

"Thanks... That... really means a lot to me, Severa. I don't know how I'll feel after all this is over, but I know that it's something I have to do now, regardless of whether it's because I wanted to return to my own world no matter what, or from some idea that this is how things are supposed to be. But... I think it'll be okay in the end. And I'm glad to have someone like you by my side at a moment like this."

As Severa motioned that perhaps it was time to get a move on, Touma nodded with a soft chuckle. "Yeah... Let's get going then," he spoke, before calling out to the rest of the group, seeming to have settled a bit more comfortably as the group's guide in the absence of Ollerus and Fiamma of the Right.

"We're all done here now? Then come on. She's waiting," Touma said to everyone, and with that, began to leave for the edge of the city, where Othinus promised she would be waiting should the group resolve to continue opposing her even after everything.

...

By the time they reached the edge of the city of Avalon where Othinus promised she was waiting, the witch herself finally came into view, her cape and hair flowing in the cold wind, night had already fallen, and the full moon was on full display, a dramatic scene to say the least, but it seemed even gods could have a flair for the dramatic.

View attachment 3408

"And here, I went out of my way to provide you all with a convenient place to sit down and forget forever. But I see that even though, you rejected such a world," Othinus spat with irritation, clutching Gungnir tightly, "Are you not even a little ashamed that you are taking away everything you and everyone you love could have ever wanted?"

Touma said nothing, pursing his lips and clenching his fist tightly, so Othinus continued.

"So then, are you here to, in your own unfortunate, tragic views, save the multiverse from the whim of fate itself?"

"It's not about saving the multiverse, Othinus. It'll be about saving you, and breaking through this illusion you conjured about your ideas of humanity, even if it means overcoming your will with our own!"

That was what he resolved, what he promised to himself and the Will of the Misaka Network.

"I am sick of this charade, so I'll only ask once. Have you any last rites?"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

"I pity you, Othinus" Toppo smiled from beneath a sea of fur "I truly do. After all those years of searching, you've finally found the prize you were searching for. You're a God. Congratulations" His large paddle hands began to clumsily clap, his loose gloves slapping together like a paddles against water. "But after all the bloody, after all the sweat and after all the tears it has cost you... Its still not enough to make you happy. Its still not enough to make you content. And now... Now I think I have you all worked out"

"You're not unlike Jiren, are you?" He raised a dry eyebrow "All this power has been a means to an end. He wanted vengeance. You just want to be whole. That little quest of yours gave you a purpose and it gave you a distraction, but now that its over, there's nothing to distract you from the void inside. Its gnawing away at you. The prospect that after all you've done you will still never be happy, and all because you have nothing worth fighting for"

Toppo remained passive, refusing to return to a futile guard or take a stance of protest. Instead, he stood calm, balanced, and relaxed in every sense of the words. He had found his centre, the one thing Othinus lacked.

"The Arrow was your drug. You had to get it to keep that burning withdrawal away. Mine was justice. It kept me focused... Kept me from questioning the grey that thrived between my black and white. Without it, what was I but a powerful of fool, grasping at the straws of meaning? I was empty... Before those who stand beside me fought to make me whole again. And how they succeeded!"

"And his did they succeed? They sung to my mortality. They sung to my humanity. They sung to the very things you have surrendered. The things you can never win back, no matter his strong you become"

"So instead of surrendering your power in search of a new goal, you sought to keep us alive! You sought to live out your mortality through us. You sought to live through our struggles. You sought to feast off of our enduring and spirit. You dont see yourself as a hero. You're a monster. A powerful, scary old monster you dreamed up to keep yourself awake. And you've bred a generation of heroes to come slay you too. A dozen powerful warriors united to oppose you. To end your story. To let a new one begin"

"That's why you will lose today, evidoer. You'll lose because deep down you want to lose. You want to book to close. And you can't do that without the final chapter"

"So I say thank you, Othinus! Thank you for giving us the Arrow! Thank you for allowing us to give you your final rite. Thank you for Ben, and for Schala and for all the others your scared soul has saved. We'll give you what you want - don't you worry. As the ruler of space and direction, you of all people should know that tonight...

" Tonight is Hero Time!"
@all @mobilepost

"Cease. You know nothing, old man," Othinus spat distastefully toward Toppo in particular, as though his words had struck a chord in her, notably when he remarked on her "wanting to be whole." She only slightly shook her head, before speaking again. "If that is all you have to say, then I can only say that it is a shame to waste your breath on such irritating words."

To Macy, she only let out a deriding laugh. "Is that what you say to justify taking away the happiness of everyone you've ever known? Sacrificing everyone else's just for the sake of the villain's, in your eyes? How droll. But I think you're misunderstanding just one thing, Macy Moretti. You say "before one dies" but here's the thing."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, what looked like a rain of arrows hailed from the sky, like an army of archers had fired their shots. The arrows flew at such speeds, held such power, and were so high in numbers, that it was hopeless from the start, and the arrows penetrated the entire group, stabbing through their bodies and instantly killing them!

SHHHK!

"This is the fifty-fourth time you have already died."

. . .

For the briefest of moments, everything went black. And then... everything was back the way it was before. Everyone would find that they were suddenly well and alive again, with no sign of any arrows ever being fired. But it was unmistakable that they were definitely shot at and killed, and yet, here they were, alive once again in the same exact spots where they were standing.

"H-Huh?!"

"I've been easily killing you without any difficulty fifty-four times over now, just to see how many times you'd try to come after me as you are. After all, you only continue to live despite your deaths because of Giorno Giovanna's power," she said, pointing a finger toward the young don, as though outing him, "Clever human to enforce a loop just so you could have a convenient restart every time you lose, but I suppose I've been too lenient with you anyway by not letting you remember the rest of your deaths."

"But I've realized... Just as continuously losing a game would make one tired of playing it, surely, continuously dying would ward you away from trying to interfere with me eventually, no? So now, I'll let you remember every excruciating detail of every of your deaths. That is, if you still intend on going against me."

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

---

"Yooo! Big O! 'sup!"

Ben waves towards Othinus as they arrive, before dropping off from his grandfather's sizeable RV.

"Well Othinus, I have to answer you with a question - do you have any shame in taking away the emotion & atonomy of the ones we love? To achieve a concept percieved as so perfect that no one will attempt to evolve it? To advance it? To change it? A world destined for stagnation?

I appreciate what you've done to a good extent, Othinus. This reign of terror ends now - not the one upon this realm, no, that doesn't exist, but the one overshadowing you. As you serve as its deity, you are making this your prison - layering over another prison - your mind."

Ben Tennyson crosses his arms.

"I refuse to fight unless you make the first move. We aren't here to battle, Othinus. We're here for a long, long talk that may or may not result in a battle.

And for the record, I'll be making many more rites. Let me share it with you anyways."

The last two words of this seemed to be in unison with Toppo's as Ben pops the dial of the Omnitrix.

"...tonight... Tonight is..."
"Well then... It's..."

"Hero time!"

But then, Othinus threatened to make them all remember all their deaths within a great 54 loops.

"... make it 55, Othinus. 56, hit the triple digits. Make me recall. I'm not the type to just give up and give in that easily because of such methods."

Ben begins to walk towards Othinus. Even though his Omnitrix dial was popped up to Alien X, he showed no intention of activating the transformation.

"... I don't believe you know what you yourself are saying, Othinus."

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

Schala Zeal
@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark
@Everybody

Schala considered Jiren's offer for quite some time, but... Even though part of her did not agree with her answer, she ultimately shook her head, a sad smile on her face.

"I had a chance to act... When my Kingdom was still alive... A chance to stop my mother... Before her quest for power drove her mad... But... I was afraid to... I wanted to desperately to believe it was an eternal paradise... ... Perhaps if I had acted sooner... Perhaps if I had stopped my mother before it was too late... It wouldn't have... ..." She trailed off, clutching her pendant.

Exhaling softly, gathering her thoughts, she continued soon enough, casting a longing gaze at her surroundings.

"I'm sorry Jiren... ... I have a duty to uphold... ... A balance I must restore... ... But... It doesn't mean I won't show Othinus mercy in the end... ... Even if I die a thousand times... To restore the multiverse to what it once was..." She said, that same conviction she had... Back in the vaults in her voice once more.

Of course, it wasn't going to be easy on her conscience sacrificing everyone's happiness here... In exchange for the balance the previous multiverse had back, but it was better than standing by, and watching the feeling decay overtime... Before everything is reset, over and over...

Though, before she left... She gently lifted the pendant she had worn around her neck ever since she had been cast from her own homeworld. It's chain was made up of some kind of sturdy, gold material... But the actual pendant, though surrounded by that same gold material, was a mysterious, blue gem... Pulsing with a faint, arcane energy.

She offered it out to Jiren, as a kind of parting gift.

"This pendant is all that remains of my fallen Kingdom... ... I once used it to operate the technology that existed there... ... And the machine that destroyed it all... ... But now... ... I no longer have any use for it. It's... Merely a memory of the place I lost."

For a long time, she had believed the pendant was her key to access portals throughout the multiverse... But now... ... She realized she didn't need it anymore; the ability she had used a few times didn't originate from the pendant, but instead... Within herself. Was it a 'gift' from Lavos? Some higher power?

Perhaps she would never know, but this no longer bothered her... As it was very likely the choice she had committed to may never reach the end result she desired, but even then... She felt it was better than standing by and letting things take their course.

"... Jiren. If I fail... If I get myself trapped in a loop... Dying over and over... ... Take care of this pendant for me... ... Take care... Of the little of my Kingdom I have left... ..."

She smiled, but her expression wavered somewhat, despite her efforts to remain calm. It was only natural after all that she was nervous, given the weight she had to bear on her shoulders.

Though whatever happened next, whether or not the pendant was taken, Schala looked back... Casting one last look towards Jiren, and the others that she was about to leave behind.

"Goodbye... Jiren... Marian... Yulia... ... Kyoko... ... It was nice meeting everyone again... In a time of peace... And happiness... ... I can only hope you'll forgive me... For what I'm about to do..." She said, and despite her efforts to blink them away, she couldn't stop a couple tears from slipping down her cheeks, which she quickly wiped away once she turned...

Taking her leave, but lagging behind the others as she headed towards Othinus.

...

Standing before the Magic God again, Schala thought carefully about what to say, but unfortunately her hesitation cost her precious time... Allowing Othinus enough of a moment to strike her down, along with everyone else, but yet they were revived again... Here... In front of her... Again.

It became clear what Othinus intended to do, and despite her words, Schala was no longer afraid... Not to act... Not to speak... ... She had nothing left to lose.

"Even if I die here countless times... Even if I'm stuck like this for eternity... I don't mind... ... Not as long as I can speak with you... Reason with you... Somehow..." She said, pausing a little as she assessed the Magic God, preparing to be struck down again before she continued.

"But... Before you strike me down again... I must... Ask you one thing; you say you brought happiness to everyone in the multiverse... But yet... ... The way you did it... The way you created this paradise... Does it make you happy?" She asked, almost as if challenging the very concept of Othinus' end goal, or at least the one that she claimed to have.

As The Will said... There's a reason they reained their memories... A reason they were kept... Perhaps as reference points from the previous multiverse... Or maybe... ... Because Othinus felt lonely...

In either case, it was an answer she sought, no matter how long it took.​

 

[Macy Moretti]

"Cease. You know nothing, old man," Othinus spat distastefully toward Toppo in particular, as though his words had struck a chord in her, notably when he remarked on her "wanting to be whole." She only slightly shook her head, before speaking again. "If that is all you have to say, then I can only say that it is a shame to waste your breath on such irritating words."

To Macy, she only let out a deriding laugh. "Is that what you say to justify taking away the happiness of everyone you've ever known? Sacrificing everyone else's just for the sake of the villain's, in your eyes? How droll. But I think you're misunderstanding just one thing, Macy Moretti. You say "before one dies" but here's the thing."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, what looked like a rain of arrows hailed from the sky, like an army of archers had fired their shots. The arrows flew at such speeds, held such power, and were so high in numbers, that it was hopeless from the start, and the arrows penetrated the entire group, stabbing through their bodies and instantly killing them!

SHHHK!

"This is the fifty-fourth time you have already died."

. . .

For the briefest of moments, everything went black. And then... everything was back the way it was before. Everyone would find that they were suddenly well and alive again, with no sign of any arrows ever being fired. But it was unmistakable that they were definitely shot at and killed, and yet, here they were, alive once again in the same exact spots where they were standing.

"H-Huh?!"

"I've been easily killing you without any difficulty fifty-four times over now, just to see how many times you'd try to come after me as you are. After all, you only continue to live despite your deaths because of Giorno Giovanna's power," she said, pointing a finger toward the young don, as though outing him, "Clever human to enforce a loop just so you could have a convenient restart every time you lose, but I suppose I've been too lenient with you anyway by not letting you remember the rest of your deaths."

"But I've realized... Just as continuously losing a game would make one tired of playing it, surely, continuously dying would ward you away from trying to interfere with me eventually, no? So now, I'll let you remember every excruciating detail of every of your deaths. That is, if you still intend on going against me."

In essence, you were all stuck in a loop -- just like before with Kira -- that involved endlessly dying, but it was by the will of Giorno's power ever since he had used the Arrow on himself to reawaken his ultimate Stand, Gold Experience Requiem. But it was only now that you were able to remember dying at all.

So it begged the question.

How long would this be able to go on?

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

---

"Yooo! Big O! 'sup!"

Ben waves towards Othinus as they arrive, before dropping off from his grandfather's sizeable RV.

"Well Othinus, I have to answer you with a question - do you have any shame in taking away the emotion & atonomy of the ones we love? To achieve a concept percieved as so perfect that no one will attempt to evolve it? To advance it? To change it? A world destined for stagnation?

I appreciate what you've done to a good extent, Othinus. This reign of terror ends now - not the one upon this realm, no, that doesn't exist, but the one overshadowing you. As you serve as its deity, you are making this your prison - layering over another prison - your mind."

Ben Tennyson crosses his arms.

"I refuse to fight unless you make the first move. We aren't here to battle, Othinus. We're here for a long, long talk that may or may not result in a battle.

And for the record, I'll be making many more rites. Let me share it with you anyways."

The last two words of this seemed to be in unison with Toppo's as Ben pops the dial of the Omnitrix.

"...tonight... Tonight is..."
"Well then... It's..."

"Hero time!"

But then, Othinus threatened to make them all remember all their deaths within a great 54 loops, that is, after raining arrows upon them.

"... make it 55, Othinus. 56, hit the triple digits. Make me recall. I'm not the type to just give up and give in that easily because of such methods."

Ben begins to walk towards Othinus. Even though his Omnitrix dial was popped up to Alien X, he showed no intention of activating the transformation.

"... I don't believe you know what you yourself are saying, Othinus."

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

"BRING IT, WITCH!!" Severa gritted her teeth, furious. "I'll die a MILLION times if it means stopping you!!!"

"I can assure you, after all you have already put us through, remembering 53 deaths is nothing more than motivation to keep fighting!" Libra refused to believe this was hopeless. He had given up too much to stop here!

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure@Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

Rita Hanson and Phil Connors

Rita looked up and even if she had died, she wasn't giving up on Othinus humanity.

"I want to know who you are. All you have told is that you see as ants, but I think there is a person under all the bravado. Someone who would create a world where everyone worshipped her, a world in which you made us the world and a world where everyone is happy. Those two are worlds apart. What are you searching for? What makes you hurt? What makes you feel betrayed? What or who do you want to bring back? Who hurt you I dare to ask," she asked her.

Phil looked at her and had to laugh. " 10,054 would be the number now. Or something close to that. You think after killing myself that many times, it would grow stale or lose its charm. But there has always been something fascinating about each and every death and remembering each of them. You become desensitized to it. But if I learn one thing from that experience is that I never give up. Doesn't matter what stunning stasis you are in, you never give hope or give into sorrow. There's always a tomorrow and you stay sane through it all. So, killing us a million more times and in a million different ways, I won't give up on trying to break through to you or trying to stop you. I learned that sometimes the right thing and the best thing to do aren't the same, but I don't plan on stopping trying anytime soon."

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Everybody

View attachment 3409
"Fifty-four... Fifty-four... I think that puts me at about sixty deaths even? Maybe sixty-one? And Phil has me topped when it comes to death count. I don't have the same fetish for death he does. Death is losing its sting for me, though."

The returning memories from previous deaths deterred the creation he had started. He wasn't going to finish it. He let what would have been a giant laser-blasting skull disappear into smoke. Despite this resignation, he wasn't ready to quit. He seemed just as fired up as before. His aura burned brightly still, unafraid of death.

View attachment 3410
"Have you never played a video game, Othinus? Dying over and over to the same challenge doesn't always mean defeat. Especially if it's the final boss. With one final obstacle in our way, we can't quit now! Life after life, death after death, I'll keep pushing on! I may not be strong, but I'm stubborn as hell!"

He held his arms out, drawing an invisible. Bow, string, and arrow formed as he moved. With his left hand by his cheek and his right pointing towards the Magic God, the weapon solidified just in time for release. He fired an arrow at Othinus, mocking the most recent death she sowed.

View attachment 3411
Macy, however, continued her attempts to reason with Othinus. "If you're so bored with killing us, then you're the one who can end this! All we need is a forfeit from you and this loop can end! You already know what comes from combat! Why not discover a new outcome?"

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Hahli Nuva]

"Cease. You know nothing, old man," Othinus spat distastefully toward Toppo in particular, as though his words had struck a chord in her, notably when he remarked on her "wanting to be whole." She only slightly shook her head, before speaking again. "If that is all you have to say, then I can only say that it is a shame to waste your breath on such irritating words."

To Macy, she only let out a deriding laugh. "Is that what you say to justify taking away the happiness of everyone you've ever known? Sacrificing everyone else's just for the sake of the villain's, in your eyes? How droll. But I think you're misunderstanding just one thing, Macy Moretti. You say "before one dies" but here's the thing."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, what looked like a rain of arrows hailed from the sky, like an army of archers had fired their shots. The arrows flew at such speeds, held such power, and were so high in numbers, that it was hopeless from the start, and the arrows penetrated the entire group, stabbing through their bodies and instantly killing them!

SHHHK!

"This is the fifty-fourth time you have already died."

. . .

For the briefest of moments, everything went black. And then... everything was back the way it was before. Everyone would find that they were suddenly well and alive again, with no sign of any arrows ever being fired. But it was unmistakable that they were definitely shot at and killed, and yet, here they were, alive once again in the same exact spots where they were standing.

"H-Huh?!"

"I've been easily killing you without any difficulty fifty-four times over now, just to see how many times you'd try to come after me as you are. After all, you only continue to live despite your deaths because of Giorno Giovanna's power," she said, pointing a finger toward the young don, as though outing him, "Clever human to enforce a loop just so you could have a convenient restart every time you lose, but I suppose I've been too lenient with you anyway by not letting you remember the rest of your deaths."

"But I've realized... Just as continuously losing a game would make one tired of playing it, surely, continuously dying would ward you away from trying to interfere with me eventually, no? So now, I'll let you remember every excruciating detail of every of your deaths. That is, if you still intend on going against me."

In essence, you were all stuck in a loop -- just like before with Kira -- that involved endlessly dying, but it was by the will of Giorno's power ever since he had used the Arrow on himself to reawaken his ultimate Stand, Gold Experience Requiem. But it was only now that you were able to remember dying at all.

So it begged the question.

How long would this be able to go on?

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody
​

A blue portal opened, and a torrent of Quintessence Bolts blasted out, striking at Othinus. Even if they didn't do anything, the body flying out of the portal at extreme speeds slammed into Othinus with the might of a fellow God.

Will's eyes burned with rage as she gathered fire and lightning into her fists and slammed them into Othinus, hoping to at least cause some damage. She didn't know what the others were doing here, and frankly she didn't care. Even if she 'died' a thousand times over, she would keep coming back, over and over.

"No more! This is OVER!"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody

 

[Lucky]

Phil Connors

" Fun reminder, I was extremely suicidal and depressed and thought I was the worst human being ever and still do, pretty much said that earlier back when I first betrayed the other group and neither of them has really changed, not so much a fetish with death as trying to break a loop or end one. Didn't quite work out for me, but hey, I'm trying to get better... not succeeding but trying. But Macy does present a fair point, if you are getting bored with this game, why don't you try talking to us instead of killing us?" He asked.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody

 

[Crunch]

"Cease. You know nothing, old man," Othinus spat distastefully toward Toppo in particular, as though his words had struck a chord in her, notably when he remarked on her "wanting to be whole." She only slightly shook her head, before speaking again. "If that is all you have to say, then I can only say that it is a shame to waste your breath on such irritating words."

To Macy, she only let out a deriding laugh. "Is that what you say to justify taking away the happiness of everyone you've ever known? Sacrificing everyone else's just for the sake of the villain's, in your eyes? How droll. But I think you're misunderstanding just one thing, Macy Moretti. You say "before one dies" but here's the thing."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, what looked like a rain of arrows hailed from the sky, like an army of archers had fired their shots. The arrows flew at such speeds, held such power, and were so high in numbers, that it was hopeless from the start, and the arrows penetrated the entire group, stabbing through their bodies and instantly killing them!

SHHHK!

"This is the fifty-fourth time you have already died."

. . .

For the briefest of moments, everything went black. And then... everything was back the way it was before. Everyone would find that they were suddenly well and alive again, with no sign of any arrows ever being fired. But it was unmistakable that they were definitely shot at and killed, and yet, here they were, alive once again in the same exact spots where they were standing.

"H-Huh?!"

"I've been easily killing you without any difficulty fifty-four times over now, just to see how many times you'd try to come after me as you are. After all, you only continue to live despite your deaths because of Giorno Giovanna's power," she said, pointing a finger toward the young don, as though outing him, "Clever human to enforce a loop just so you could have a convenient restart every time you lose, but I suppose I've been too lenient with you anyway by not letting you remember the rest of your deaths."

"But I've realized... Just as continuously losing a game would make one tired of playing it, surely, continuously dying would ward you away from trying to interfere with me eventually, no? So now, I'll let you remember every excruciating detail of every of your deaths. That is, if you still intend on going against me."

In essence, you were all stuck in a loop -- just like before with Kira -- that involved endlessly dying, but it was by the will of Giorno's power ever since he had used the Arrow on himself to reawaken his ultimate Stand, Gold Experience Requiem. But it was only now that you were able to remember dying at all.

So it begged the question.

How long would this be able to go on?

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

Giorno Giovanna smiled.

As reality shifted back for the fifty-fourth time, the boy stood at the epicenter of the receding blackness. Gold Experience Requiem emerged from his crackling aura like a spirit, glaring down the Magic God as it wrangled time back like a wild animal. Giorno kicked off the ground, floating upwards and hanging in the air with his arms spread outward in some kind of messiahesque pose. His eyes were now meeting the Magic God at her level.

She was no longer looking down upon the don, but rather she was looking directly at him. Eye-to-eye level, as it were.

"You're right... I mean, I wasn't trying very hard to mask it. It took me years to understand, but now I can explain this phenomenon."

"What you see is indeed 'reality'... killing us will naturally occur because you've done it, but I've been 'rolling back' this change in reality to a state of 'zero'. I haven't erased the outcome, but I've simply been barring it from occurring. That 'reality' you're creating will never occur in my presence... and the multiverse will not move forward as long as I continue returning this change to the zero-state."

"Thus, here we are. You and us, stuck in an infinitely looping reality that I've created ever since I pierced Gold Experience with the Arrow."

"That is the power of Requiem."

"...Though, this isn't a true stalemate, is it?"

Giorno cupped his chin, shaking his head nonchalantly as he continued to defy gravity. "Even with Requiem's power... even with the enhanced properties of my Arrow... you can still easily break free of this loop, can't you? I mean, that's what you did with Diavolo, right? You knew I was creating a loop and could've easily overwritten it. But you didn't."

Giorno tilted his head. "I don't mean to mock or threaten. Consider this an honest question."

"Why do you allow this loop to continue? What else are you getting out of this? Is it a test of our resolve, or are you stalling for something?"

The boy softly laughed. "That'd be ironic. If anything, I'm the one doing the stalling."

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody
​

 

[Ver]

"Such brave words, but I wonder just how long it will go on before you give in," Othinus tutted to those who continued to defy her, letting everyone keep on coming, nonplussed as Will suddenly appeared, the first to die in this next loop as Will's body suddenly exploded the moment she even touched the Magic God, just as Mason's arrow harmlessly was deflected off her body.

The only thing that seemed to effect her were those who challenged her, not physically, but ideologically, causing Othinus to grit her teeth mildly in irritation. "What I wish... What I want to do... Why I'm doing this... It is not your concern! Mere humans like you could never understand the whim of a god!" She exclaimed, clenching her free fist tightly, "I went out of my way to provide you with an easy way out, a convenient, happy end to close off your story before I started it all over again and returned to the stories of the past, to those halcyon days...!"

As Giorno spoke directly to her, she sneered harder. "Think of it as a test, think of it as the hurdle you could never overcome no matter what, the trial that makes you realize your limit and resign to your fate! It matters not to me either way!"

"Humans might never be able to truly understand each other, much less a god, but it's as Macy says! I'll drag that part out of your heart that you call human if it's the last thing I do!" Touma exclaimed, leaping right at Othinus!

And with a swing of her arm, everyone's bodies exploded, killing them instantly.

Then, as a result of Giorno's power, they came back once more, resetting the timeline to "zero" again as everyone was reset into their original position, reviving them once more.

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Yun Lee]

"Can you perhaps tell us what it is you are trying to achieve?" Libra asked. He put his staff away, realizing what seemed to really affect Othinus. "You can say we would never understand, but you cannot know for sure unless you try. We are more than willing to listen to you..." He glanced at the few hotheads among them more interested in satisfying their own selfish bloodlust than actually solving anything rationally. "...most of us, any way. This constant killing of our numbers, subjecting us to reality after reality where we are hated and failures...naturally it would bring out the worst in us, turn us against you. Do you truly desire that we oppose you? Why do you want to be our foe?"

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

 

[Hahli Nuva]

"Such brave words, but I wonder just how long it will go on before you give in," Othinus tutted to those who continued to defy her, letting everyone keep on coming, nonplussed as Will suddenly appeared, the first to die in this next loop as Will's body suddenly exploded the moment she even touched the Magic God, just as Mason's arrow harmlessly was deflected off her body.

The only thing that seemed to effect her were those who challenged her, not physically, but ideologically, causing Othinus to grit her teeth mildly in irritation. "What I wish... What I want to do... Why I'm doing this... It is not your concern! Mere humans like you could never understand the whim of a god!" She exclaimed, clenching her free fist tightly, "I went out of my way to provide you with an easy way out, a convenient, happy end to close off your story before I started it all over again and returned to the stories of the past, to those halcyon days...!"

As Giorno spoke directly to her, she sneered harder. "Think of it as a test, think of it as the hurdle you could never overcome no matter what, the trial that makes you realize your limit and resign to your fate! It matters not to me either way!"

"Humans might never be able to truly understand each other, much less a god, but it's as Macy says! I'll drag that part out of your heart that you call human if it's the last thing I do!" Touma exclaimed, leaping right at Othinus!

And with a swing of her arm, everyone's bodies exploded, killing them instantly.

Then, as a result of Giorno's power, they came back once more, resetting the timeline to "zero" again as everyone was reset into their original position, reviving them once more.

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody​

Will didn't even seem to be affected by Othinus' power or Giorno's looping. Instead, she instantly flared up Quintessence once more, eyes flashing blue like thunder.

"Tell me, Othinus. Does this make you happy? Offering us a shit version of our old world was never going to work! When will you admit that you don't know what you're doing?"

The Keeper scoffed tiredly and shook her head. This was really grating on her nerves.

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark @Everybody

 

[Kaykay]

"Hahaha..."

A quiet laughed came from the young magician. She'd apparently died fifty-five times along with the others, yet Leivinia's first reaction was to laugh. The realization that she'd not only died, but done so so many times might have made one think she'd gone crazy, but the truth was anything but. If Othinus was speaking the truth...

"A test? The whim of a god? What are you saying, while you get so worked up about us humans! You say it matters not, but aren't you the one who wants to understand like a human most of all, Othinus?"

She laughed because she realized just how contradictory Othinus behaved. The fact this time loop was being allowed to stay only supported it. After all, the time loop was of no benefit to Othinus, who could erase all of them so easily.

Leivinia waved her wand and attacked with a summoned explosion, knowing full well how meaningless it was. It went beyond simply understanding the difference in power. If Giorno was to be believed, the outcome wouldn't change from the very nature of his power. All that would be different was what led up to that outcome. The cause of their loss would be different each time, even if they were fated to lose no matter what.

In other words, they would seek out new strategies over and over. Meanwhile, Othinus would simply crush them effortlessly over and over. If there were two people, one who tried their hardest to solve a difficult puzzle for a long time and one who effortlessly solved the same easy puzzle for that same amount of time, whose willpower would normally give out first?

As long as the situation was like this, a battle of willpower, their side would absolutely come out ahead. The magic cabal boss reveled in this, ready to try all sorts of new things against an unbeatable foe whom she had unlimited retries against.

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