Main Event Right Hand of the Magic God

[Crow]

"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​

"..."

As Ben first allows all else to continue and proceed to attack Othinus first, he uses a spell - a spell with a similiar feel to Fiamma's Fairy Spell.

His eyes glow a bright pink with mana.

"Deus Metamorphos Xenosapien!"

If successful, it would distort and contort Othinus' internal physiology to the point that it could not even be considered to be of Earthly origin anymore.

He had merged the concepts of Othinus' world with his with this spell, basing it upon the theories - as well as fair extent reality - of certain gods really being mere extraterrestrials as found in various worlds. He had combined its core with learned magics based on an 'Atheist Onmyoji' he had read up on, someone who dispelled the occult and justified it as the natural and physical.

If Fiamma called his the Fairy Spell, this would be the Alien Spell.

Much like how Pagan gods and their abilities were attributed to being fairies, their feats were now being attributed to alien physiology and otherworldly advanced technology.

He knew that Othinus would shake it off very easily. In fact, weakening Othinus was not part of his plan at all. Changing her physiology, however, was.

If the spell was a success, the Omnitrix would scan Othinus and allow Ben to turn into a doppelgengar of her!

"I believe that the best way to comprehend you... is to look at things from your point of view, to walk your very shoes!"

Core, bare philosophies of the genetic donor were registered as instinct, no different from a spider spinning a web, in this new transformation.

"Othinus, let me understand you!"

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

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

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"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.

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"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.

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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​

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

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

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
​

"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​

"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​

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

"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.

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

"..."

As Ben first allows all else to continue and proceed to attack Othinus first, he uses a spell - a spell with a similiar feel to Fiamma's Fairy Spell.

His eyes glow a bright pink with mana.

"Deus Metamorphos Xenosapien!"

If successful, it would distort and contort Othinus' internal physiology to the point that it could not even be considered to be of Earthly origin anymore.

He had merged the concepts of Othinus' world with his with this spell, basing it upon the theories gods really being mere extraterrestrials as found in various worlds. He had combined its core with learned magics based on an 'Atheist Onmyoji' he had read up on, someone who dispelled the occult and justified it as the natural and physical.

If Fiamma called his the Fairy Spell, this would be the Alien Spell.

Much like how Pagan gods and their abilities were attributed to being fairies, their feats were now being attributed to alien physiology.

He knew that Othinus would shake it off very easily. In fact, weakening Othinus was not part of his plan at all.

If the spell was a success, the Omnitrix would scan Othinus and allow Ben to turn into a doppelgengar of her!

"I believe that the best way to comprehend you... is to look at things from your point of view, to walk your very shoes!"

Core, bare philosophies of the genetic donor were registered as instinct, no different from a spider spinning a web, in this new transformation.

"Othinus, let me understand you!"

@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 @Ver @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Alex Azure @Sark
@Everybody

Despite having died and been resurrected numerous times by now, Schala didn't let up... Forcing herself to step forwards... Approaching Othinus, not with hostile intent, but in an effort to reach out to her... Touch her. She wasn't sure if she was going to try and comfort her, or restrain her somehow, but... She just knew she had to make it there... Some way, somehow... Perhaps not physically, but at least mentally.

"... Othinus... What are you fighting for?... ... In fact... Why do you choose to fight us... In this way?!" She called, gritting her teeth as she began walking forwards again.

"It would have taken no effort... No effort at all to wipe our memories too... Make us forget our convictions, our will to oppose this paradise... Just like the others in the multiverse... ... But you couldn't... Why... ... Are we just souvenirs from a deleted reality?... Or... ... ... Is there something else you desire?" She asked, frowning a little as she recalled her question when the multiverse was first deleted, and the reaction it got from Othinus.

"... Without us... The way we are... Would... You feel... ... Alone?"

Suddenly, Schala was no longer shouting... Nor approaching Othinus... She was standing still, cautiously... Assessing the Magic God, trying to determine what was going to happen next.

Was the diety going to kill her again? Did the question actually strike a chord?

It was hard to say... But Schala decided to wait before making any sudden motions... Just incase.​

 

[Takumi]

"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​

"A quest, eh? You'll have to tell me about it when we see each other again, yeah?" Lindel spoke. Funny, when he didn't so much as do that in the last multiverse...

Turning his head to Libra, Lindel smiled, winking at the other. "You flatter me so, but you're a pretty admiriable man yourself, and don't keep trying to keep everything inside will you? We already have Chise for tha-"

In a rush of red and green, Chise ran forward and hugged Lindel, followed by Ruth in his human form.

"Woah there, children..." He blinked, before bringing his hands up to pat their heads.

"We'll see you soon." Chise muttered, a sad smile on her face.

"Hm, but of course." Lindel chuckled. Who really knew? She hadn't visited the Dragon's Aerie, but she'd have to some time soon if he was there. Or maybe send a message beforehand in case he wasn't there. Selkie would relay the message, she was sure.

Letting go, Chise stepped back, turning to the last person she had wanted to see. Thr last person she had said goodbye to back before this whole fiasco started.

"Elias." She spoke, and from Lindel's shadow he rose.

"Chise.." It may have been hard for others to tell just looking at him, but his happy tone was enough to see he was smiling if a bit saddened. "You're leaving?" He asked.

"Yes, on a mission with the rest, but don't worry, Ruth and I will be home soon." Her sad smile remained. This was similar to their last conversation, and that alone hurt.

Leaning down, the rather tall Magi nuzzled her. "Very well, come home soon."

"We will, I'll make sure." She smiled, the sadness still present. After a moment, Elias pulled both her and Ruth into a hug, before letting them both go after a brief squeeze.

"Elias...while we're gone...please tell rhe rest I'll see them soon." She spoke, and Elias titled his head.

"Alright Chise. Silver will be happy once you return, perhaps we can even have a nice dinner once you're back....Lindel and company invited" He responded, earning a playful and amused grin from the blonde Mage beside him, his free arm nudging the humanoid in his side. Chise looked down at her feet then.

"Yeah..." She muttered in response, before lifting her head, smile a little wider as she waved.

"I love you, and everyone else." She said, before turning her back to them, knowing if she looked any longer, it'd hurt far too much. Moving along with the rest, her sad smile remained, a feeling of tiredness weighing her down somewhat. Ruth returned to her side in his black dog form, giving her a tired, if reassuring smile.

"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.

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"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​

"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​

Magic energy flaring, but without any malicious intent or anger, Chise tried to think of anything she could do. Talking wasn't her strongest suit...but, she wanted to help the others try and get through to Othinus. She did it with Joseph in a way....well, she went saw his memories on purpose, but that wasn't important here, since that situation differed.

"Othinus...all of this part of some way to return to a happier time for yourself, in the end? To return to something or someone where you wished that happiness could have lasted forever, but was taken from you, ultimately? Right?" She asked.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Crow @Everyone

 

[Macy Moretti]

"Yeah, Phil, I wasn't speaking literally. I suppose that's good information to know, but it's not really rele-" Mason was cut off of his statement by the oncoming of another death.​

"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​

Schala Zeal
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@Everybody

Despite having died and been resurrected numerous times by now, Schala didn't let up... Forcing herself to step forwards... Approaching Othinus, not with hostile intent, but in an effort to reach out to her... Touch her. She wasn't sure if she was going to try and comfort her, or restrain her somehow, but... She just knew she had to make it there... Some way, somehow... Perhaps not physically, but at least mentally.

"... Othinus... What are you fighting for?... ... In fact... Why do you choose to fight us... In this way?!" She called, gritting her teeth as she began walking forwards again.

"It would have taken no effort... No effort at all to wipe our memories too... Make us forget our convictions, our will to oppose this paradise... Just like the others in the multiverse... ... But you couldn't... Why... ... Are we just souvenirs from a deleted reality?... Or... ... ... Is there something else you desire?" She asked, frowning a little as she recalled her question when the multiverse was first deleted, and the reaction it got from Othinus.

"... Without us... The way we are... Would... You feel... ... Alone?"

Suddenly, Schala was no longer shouting... Nor approaching Othinus... She was standing still, cautiously... Assessing the Magic God, trying to determine what was going to happen next.

Was the diety going to kill her again? Did the question actually strike a chord?

It was hard to say... But Schala decided to wait before making any sudden motions... Just incase.​

"A quest, eh? You'll have to tell me about it when we see each other again, yeah?" Lindel spoke. Funny, when he didn't so much as do that in the last multiverse...

Turning his head to Libra, Lindel smiled, winking at the other. "You flatter me so, but you're a pretty admiriable man yourself, and don't keep trying to keep everything inside will you? We already have Chise for tha-"

In a rush of red and green, Chise ran forward and hugged Lindel, followed by Ruth in his human form.

"Woah there, children..." He blinked, before bringing his hands up to pat their heads.

"We'll see you soon." Chise muttered, a sad smile on her face.

"Hm, but of course." Lindel chuckled. Who really knew? She hadn't visited the Dragon's Aerie, but she'd have to some time soon if he was there. Or maybe send a message beforehand in case he wasn't there. Selkie would relay the message, she was sure.

Letting go, Chise stepped back, turning to the last person she had wanted to see. Thr last person she had said goodbye to back before this whole fiasco started.

"Elias." She spoke, and from Lindel's shadow he rose.

"Chise.." It may have been hard for others to tell just looking at him, but his happy tone was enough to see he was smiling if a bit saddened. "You're leaving?" He asked.

"Yes, on a mission with the rest, but don't worry, Ruth and I will be home soon." Her sad smile remained. This was similar to their last conversation, and that alone hurt.

Leaning down, the rather tall Magi nuzzled her. "Very well, come home soon."

"We will, I'll make sure." She smiled, the sadness still present. After a moment, Elias pulled both her and Ruth into a hug, before letting them both go after a brief squeeze.

"Elias...while we're gone...please tell rhe rest I'll see them soon." She spoke, and Elias titled his head.

"Alright Chise. Silver will be happy once you return, perhaps we can even have a nice dinner once you're back....Lindel and company invited" He responded, earning a playful and amused grin from the blonde Mage beside him, his free arm nudging the humanoid in his side. Chise looked down at her feet then.

"Yeah..." She muttered in response, before lifting her head, smile a little wider as she waved.

"I love you, and everyone else." She said, before turning her back to them, knowing if she looked any longer, it'd hurt far too much. Moving along with the rest, her sad smile remained, a feeling of tiredness weighing her down somewhat. Ruth returned to her side in his black dog form, giving her a tired, if reassuring smile.





Magic energy flaring, but without any malicious intent or anger, Chise tried to think of anything she could do. Talking wasn't her strongest suit...but, she wanted to help the others try and get through to Othinus. She did it with Joseph in a way....well, she went saw his memories on purpose, but that wasn't important here, since that situation differed.

"Othinus...all of this part of some way to return to a happier time for yourself, in the end? To return to something or someone where you wished that happiness could have lasted forever, but was taken from you, ultimately? Right?" She asked.

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View attachment 3412
"-vant." Mason sighed and stretched his arms. He didn't bother summoning a weapon, instead taking a moment to sharpen his wit.

View attachment 3413
Macy, meanwhile, had already made a connection. "Halcyon days? Does that mean there's something in the past you want to return to? You're caught in the past and want to hold on to our memories. That's why we hold on to ours, and why you don't end it!"

View attachment 3412
Mason interjected, "It sounds to me like you need to grow a pair and move on. That's our test, isn't it? Surely, if us 'lowly humans' can move on from the truths you've created and abandon our past, you can do the same as a 'goddess'? The more we fight, the more you're justified in holding into your wrath! Even if we quit, though, you still won't change! That's where your heart is, in the past you want to return to!"

"Who hurt you, Othinus? Who stole your past and gave you an awful truth? Who destroyed those halcyon days?" Similar to Schala, Macy approached Othinus and reached out a comforting hand to merely touch Othinus.

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[Sark]

"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?

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"Fine" Toppo breathed in relief, welcoming his next death. Then the next one. And the next. And the next. With every coming strike he simply let the pain and the blackness engulf him, for he knew just as well as Othinus that resistance was futile. Why fight nature? Why fight instinct? If all are made to die, the least he could do was take the path of least resistance, and while it came, make the most of his final flickers of life. "If we might still be granted our last right... I do have a request" He bowed his and returned to his knees. His eyes remained closed in respect, not within to so much as stare at her shadow. Toppo had spent his life surrounded by Gods. He knew how to win one's mercy. "I am not the mortal you believe me to be, Othinus. I am a God in my own world... or at least, I am destined to be. Yet unlike you, my lesser Godhood does not allow me to create... only to destroy. I was a God of Destruction, doomed to kill and maim in the name of the greater good... a pain I am sure you know of. So as my final request, I ask that you allow me to wear the garments of a Kai. Let me die in the robes of the Creation God I could never be. May the outfit be perfect, from the Robes of the Supreme to the Earing of Portara. That is all I ask you, your Limitlessness. Let an Old Fool fulfill his last request"​

"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... ..."

"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..."

"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.
​

"I..." Jiren felt a burden rise from his shoulders, his spirit running free "I understand. I understand your pain and your burden... I take back all I had said before. We are kindred spirits, you and I... And your legend will live on the stories my daughter hears each night. I will tell her of the proud and noble Schala. The Woman who never lost faith. The Woman who stared death in the face and said no countless times. The Woman who endured enough suffering to last a lifetime and still stood tall, ready to defend all the good that still lived within her. Schala... Old Friend... your are twice the warrior I once was... And I thank you for all you have done for me..."​

"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.
​

"Thank you, Hero of Freedom" Jiren smiled, placing his own hand on Ben's shoulder. "It was an honour serving with you. Let your heart guide you. Trust in it. Embrace it's beating. Follow the past I ignored, for humanity... Humanity is the true key to survive. It's messy... It's dangerous... But through its embrace even the heartless can find... they can find hope. You cannot defeat Othinus. Her death is an impossibility. But if you chose to resist her... If you truly wish to defy her for an eternity... then take my energy. Take it all, boy. It will serve you more than it will serve me..."

"Farewell, Ben 10, and know that the Gods smile upon you"

"... 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.

Jiren held the stone across his heart, letting its golden light burn into the green of his robes. It felt like a Sunday morning. The warmth it filled him with seemed to bring him back to a moment of ignorance and bliss. A moment of freedom and light. In his trancelike state, he could only muster a single word

"Goodbye..."​

 

[Ver]

"Very well. Far be it from me to reject a fool's dying request, to perish the way he'd want!" Othinus exclaimed, granting Toppo's request and adorning him in the garments as he requested, only to just as quickly snap her fingers, causing every bone in Toppo's body to violently contort and break apart, killing him right there.

To the rest who attempted to reach her, she angrily hissed softly at them, neither exactly confirming nor denying their speculations on what she wanted. "Cease. I tire of your piteous attempts to understand! Just hurry up and realize the futility of your decision already! Return to nothingness on your own terms, and walk away!" Othinus exclaimed, rejecting their gestures -- Ben's and his powers included -- and swiped her arm at the air, willing the bodies of Schala, Ben, Macy, and Chise to contort and twist violently, breaking the many bones in their body and instantly killing them as well.

"Don't you dare presume to know more than I. How arrogant of a human to say such a thing...! Beyond that, it is you that chose to continue opposing me! That was the one choice I granted you in this world in which you could have lived out the rest of your existence, and yet you chose to further your own destruction!" Othinus then responded to Libra through gritted teeth, glaring him down, "And for what? To return to a multiverse that knew suffering abound? It is as though you wish for death..."

From there, she glowered toward Leivinia. "Understanding a human? Then answer me this. Even in the face of happiness, what epiphany drove you to reject it, everything you could have ever wanted? What led you back to me?"

As the Will of the Misaka Network had said before, it seemed that she was correct in that, as someone who lived "between life and death," she was not someone Othinus could have resurrected, but she was not entirely alive either, thus it was likely that her very existence fell under the god's radar. A one in a trillion chance that banked on the group.

Before anyone got the chance to promptly respond to Othinus's questions, the Magic God willed the rest of the group to die to the brutal display of their bones twisting fatally, breaking their necks, their limbs, everything.

And once again, they came back, just as easily as before.

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[Lucky]

Phil Connors

" You mentioned that you give us one choice and that we wish for death. But what about you? What is your one wish? Do you crave the death you can't have that you keep killing us? I'm sure you can break this loop and leave us for death or rewrite our memories to fit this world. But you don't. Why don't you? Why did you give us the power to stop you? Are you afraid of being alone?"

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[Yun Lee]

"Assume that I know more than you? Not at all." The brutality of this last death made Libra wince, but he did not back down. "It is you who assumes we know less than we do, are capable of less! I told you before, mankind is capable of so much complexity. How do you know that we wouldn't understand you? It sounds as though you are jumping to conclusions."

Figuring he would die again at any moment, he decided to take the chance to answer her question. "And whst kept me going...was a foolish thing. A simple hope inside of me that refused to die when the Multiverse shattered. It refused to die when everyone was against us, it refused to die when we failed to save anyone, it refuses to die even now. Hope in the face of hopelessness...that is something that has saved humanity time and time again. And perhaps this will be no different."

View attachment 3414

"Kill me as many times in as many ways as you want, Othinus. I have all the time in the world when you're ready to talk to us."

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[Donder172]

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.

"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?"

"This is not our home. This is a cheated version of our homes." Jordshan began.

"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.

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But she exploded and died before she could continue. She shivvered for a moment when she 'resetted'. "That nerfherding shit."

"Very well. Far be it from me to reject a fool's dying request, to perish the way he'd want!" Othinus exclaimed, granting Toppo's request and adorning him in the garments as he requested, only to just as quickly snap her fingers, causing every bone in Toppo's body to violently contort and break apart, killing him right there.

To the rest who attempted to reach her, she angrily hissed softly at them, neither exactly confirming nor denying their speculations on what she wanted. "Cease. I tire of your piteous attempts to understand! Just hurry up and realize the futility of your decision already! Return to nothingness on your own terms, and walk away!" Othinus exclaimed, rejecting their gestures -- Ben's and his powers included -- and swiped her arm at the air, willing the bodies of Schala, Ben, Macy, and Chise to contort and twist violently, breaking the many bones in their body and instantly killing them as well.

"Don't you dare presume to know more than I. How arrogant of a human to say such a thing...! Beyond that, it is you that chose to continue opposing me! That was the one choice I granted you in this world in which you could have lived out the rest of your existence, and yet you chose to further your own destruction!" Othinus then responded to Libra through gritted teeth, glaring him down, "And for what? To return to a multiverse that knew suffering abound? It is as though you wish for death..."

From there, she glowered toward Leivinia. "Understanding a human? Then answer me this. Even in the face of happiness, what epiphany drove you to reject it, everything you could have ever wanted? What led you back to me?"

As the Will of the Misaka Network had said before, it seemed that she was correct in that, as someone who lived "between life and death," she was not someone Othinus could have resurrected, but she was not entirely alive either, thus it was likely that her very existence fell under the god's radar. A one in a trillion chance that banked on the group.

Before anyone got the chance to promptly respond to Othinus's questions, the Magic God willed the rest of the group to die to the brutal display of their bones twisting fatally, breaking their necks, their limbs, everything.

And once again, they came back, just as easily as before.

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"This is not our happiness, not our world. Some of us has fought and bled for their happiness. Given up their lives for the safety of others. What you did was cheapen it. Taken away the fruits of their struggle. That's why I-" she never managed to complete her sentence as she was once again killed. Once again, shivering at the way she just died.

 

[Jeremi]

"Very well. Far be it from me to reject a fool's dying request, to perish the way he'd want!" Othinus exclaimed, granting Toppo's request and adorning him in the garments as he requested, only to just as quickly snap her fingers, causing every bone in Toppo's body to violently contort and break apart, killing him right there.

To the rest who attempted to reach her, she angrily hissed softly at them, neither exactly confirming nor denying their speculations on what she wanted. "Cease. I tire of your piteous attempts to understand! Just hurry up and realize the futility of your decision already! Return to nothingness on your own terms, and walk away!" Othinus exclaimed, rejecting their gestures -- Ben's and his powers included -- and swiped her arm at the air, willing the bodies of Schala, Ben, Macy, and Chise to contort and twist violently, breaking the many bones in their body and instantly killing them as well.

"Don't you dare presume to know more than I. How arrogant of a human to say such a thing...! Beyond that, it is you that chose to continue opposing me! That was the one choice I granted you in this world in which you could have lived out the rest of your existence, and yet you chose to further your own destruction!" Othinus then responded to Libra through gritted teeth, glaring him down, "And for what? To return to a multiverse that knew suffering abound? It is as though you wish for death..."

From there, she glowered toward Leivinia. "Understanding a human? Then answer me this. Even in the face of happiness, what epiphany drove you to reject it, everything you could have ever wanted? What led you back to me?"

As the Will of the Misaka Network had said before, it seemed that she was correct in that, as someone who lived "between life and death," she was not someone Othinus could have resurrected, but she was not entirely alive either, thus it was likely that her very existence fell under the god's radar. A one in a trillion chance that banked on the group.

Before anyone got the chance to promptly respond to Othinus's questions, the Magic God willed the rest of the group to die to the brutal display of their bones twisting fatally, breaking their necks, their limbs, everything.

And once again, they came back, just as easily as before.

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

"Can't speak for anyone else," Jolyne called out. "But I didn't get no epiphany or anything like that...I just did it so I could see that look on your face you're sporting right now." Hands on her hip and taking a defiant stance Jolyne continued. "Besides you're acting like this is some huge shock. Imagine if there was someone above you telling you what's good for you. Gets annoying really fast."

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[Ver]

"Shut up... Just shut up!!" Othinus yelled in an unrefined manner, angrier than she'd ever been seen before, mostly toward Phil and Libra. "I'm a god. I am the goddess of the multiverse. I have no fear of anything! You humans are beneath me, you could never hope to do anything! Every single world, every different universe, across the multiverse, you're all the same! Deceitful, destructive, and you would dare to wish to return to that hell...! You think that you're helping me, but truly, you are the one who rejected my gesture! You could have had everything you could ever want!"

Othinus began to move her arm again, as though about to kill everyone again, but then, something unexpected happened.

Instead, she let out what sounded like a pained grunt, and lowered her head, pressing her open palm to her temple, like she suddenly got a headache. Whether because it was a debilitating task to repeat the same actions over and over again, or because of the remaining effects of the Fairy Spell and the Ultimate Nullifier, who could say? But one could only hope that it was a sign that they were making progress.

"Nghh... Just... stop! Stop it...! Your words are empty, just as your resolve!"

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[Yun Lee]

"Then why do you keep letting us talk, huh?" Severa asked, her own sword sheathed. "You're a god, you said so yourself, we've all experienced you killing us different ways! You could just shut us all up if you wanted to! But you don't. Why not?"

Seeing Othinus in pain, Libra took a step forward. "There is no emptiness in what we say Othinus. I can guarantee that. You gave us a world where everyone understood each other...why not allow us to try and understand you? Why should being a goddess exempt you from that? Would you not want to be loved rather than feared? Why try so hard to make us fear you, hate you?"

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[Donder172]

"Shut up... Just shut up!!" Othinus yelled in an unrefined manner, angrier than she'd ever been seen before, mostly toward Phil and Libra. "I'm a god. I am the goddess of the multiverse. I have no fear of anything! You humans are beneath me, you could never hope to do anything! Every single world, every different universe, across the multiverse, you're all the same! Deceitful, destructive, and you would dare to wish to return to that hell...! You think that you're helping me, but truly, you are the one who rejected my gesture! You could have had everything you could ever want!"

Othinus began to move her arm again, as though about to kill everyone again, but then, something unexpected happened.

Instead, she let out what sounded like a pained grunt, and lowered her head, pressing her open palm to her temple, like she suddenly got a headache. Whether because it was a debilitating task to repeat the same actions over and over again, or because of the remaining effects of the Fairy Spell and the Ultimate Nullifier, who could say? But one could only hope that it was a sign that they were making progress.

"Nghh... Just... stop! Stop it...! Your words are empty, just as your resolve!"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody​

"It may be hell, but at least we have control over our own lives. No mortal likes to hear from others what to do. It has a price, but we're all willing to pay it. Because a life you have no control over is not a life. You could just as well turn us into a hive mind with equal results, besides no one complaining. I already have what I want. Friends, the means to help people. People who may accept it and they may not. It's their choice. Something you took away from them. And yes, it's tough and hard to work with. But I will say now, it's totally worth it." Jordshan said towards Othinus. "The people here, you changed their actions against their will. Doing what is best for people is not always the right thing to do. And to say that we're all the same is the same as condemning a whole species for the actions of a few. If you know me, you know that is not true. I have done what I could to keep innocents out of the crossfire. Going as far as to disobey a direct order. And it's ironic to think about it. Even with the knowledge, a goddess should have, you know so little about us."

 

[Crow]

"Very well. Far be it from me to reject a fool's dying request, to perish the way he'd want!" Othinus exclaimed, granting Toppo's request and adorning him in the garments as he requested, only to just as quickly snap her fingers, causing every bone in Toppo's body to violently contort and break apart, killing him right there.

To the rest who attempted to reach her, she angrily hissed softly at them, neither exactly confirming nor denying their speculations on what she wanted. "Cease. I tire of your piteous attempts to understand! Just hurry up and realize the futility of your decision already! Return to nothingness on your own terms, and walk away!" Othinus exclaimed, rejecting their gestures -- Ben's and his powers included -- and swiped her arm at the air, willing the bodies of Schala, Ben, Macy, and Chise to contort and twist violently, breaking the many bones in their body and instantly killing them as well.

"Don't you dare presume to know more than I. How arrogant of a human to say such a thing...! Beyond that, it is you that chose to continue opposing me! That was the one choice I granted you in this world in which you could have lived out the rest of your existence, and yet you chose to further your own destruction!" Othinus then responded to Libra through gritted teeth, glaring him down, "And for what? To return to a multiverse that knew suffering abound? It is as though you wish for death..."

From there, she glowered toward Leivinia. "Understanding a human? Then answer me this. Even in the face of happiness, what epiphany drove you to reject it, everything you could have ever wanted? What led you back to me?"

As the Will of the Misaka Network had said before, it seemed that she was correct in that, as someone who lived "between life and death," she was not someone Othinus could have resurrected, but she was not entirely alive either, thus it was likely that her very existence fell under the god's radar. A one in a trillion chance that banked on the group.

Before anyone got the chance to promptly respond to Othinus's questions, the Magic God willed the rest of the group to die to the brutal display of their bones twisting fatally, breaking their necks, their limbs, everything.

And once again, they came back, just as easily as before.

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

"Shut up... Just shut up!!" Othinus yelled in an unrefined manner, angrier than she'd ever been seen before, mostly toward Phil and Libra. "I'm a god. I am the goddess of the multiverse. I have no fear of anything! You humans are beneath me, you could never hope to do anything! Every single world, every different universe, across the multiverse, you're all the same! Deceitful, destructive, and you would dare to wish to return to that hell...! You think that you're helping me, but truly, you are the one who rejected my gesture! You could have had everything you could ever want!"

Othinus began to move her arm again, as though about to kill everyone again, but then, something unexpected happened.

Instead, she let out what sounded like a pained grunt, and lowered her head, pressing her open palm to her temple, like she suddenly got a headache. Whether because it was a debilitating task to repeat the same actions over and over again, or because of the remaining effects of the Fairy Spell and the Ultimate Nullifier, who could say? But one could only hope that it was a sign that they were making progress.

"Nghh... Just... stop! Stop it...! Your words are empty, just as your resolve!"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody​

"No, YOU Othinus, YOU stop it!" Ben exclaims. "You're hurting yourself more than you're hurting us! You see yourself as above us, yet you relentlessly destroy your own body via this stress? Your god complex is tearing your body apart!

And it's just as they say, Othinus - we want our own independent choices, autonomy. I'm sure you want it too. Let go. Let go of your prison then."

Ben has a legitimate smile as he places a palm on her shoulder.

"... there's always another path, there's always another way. You just need to find it - find it by straying from the standard road and into stranger ones - not alone, but with friends and allies."

@Ver​

 

[Crunch]

"Shut up... Just shut up!!" Othinus yelled in an unrefined manner, angrier than she'd ever been seen before, mostly toward Phil and Libra. "I'm a god. I am the goddess of the multiverse. I have no fear of anything! You humans are beneath me, you could never hope to do anything! Every single world, every different universe, across the multiverse, you're all the same! Deceitful, destructive, and you would dare to wish to return to that hell...! You think that you're helping me, but truly, you are the one who rejected my gesture! You could have had everything you could ever want!"

Othinus began to move her arm again, as though about to kill everyone again, but then, something unexpected happened.

Instead, she let out what sounded like a pained grunt, and lowered her head, pressing her open palm to her temple, like she suddenly got a headache. Whether because it was a debilitating task to repeat the same actions over and over again, or because of the remaining effects of the Fairy Spell and the Ultimate Nullifier, who could say? But one could only hope that it was a sign that they were making progress.

"Nghh... Just... stop! Stop it...! Your words are empty, just as your resolve!"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody​

"...I think I understand now."

Within the intense air cast between Othinus and Giorno, Jotaro Kujo took a step forward and looked up at the Magic God with tired, but knowing eyes. It wasn't a stoic, pensive or cold glare typical of the man who'd dared to go against the whims of those infinitely greater. Those fleeting times when people looked up to Jotaro Kujo as a leader - even a hero - crumbled away like an aging structure as this journey progressed. Never before has the man felt more... average. He isn't a god, nor does he have god-like abilities. He doesn't care too much about his past accomplishments, and he has no deep connections within this winding multiverse.

He's just a man. A father to someone, and a friend to others, but more or less, Jotaro Kujo was a man who piped up to the Magic God.

"All that crap you're saying about humans being deceitful, destructive, evil... well, I've already said my piece about that in Gotham to a certain someone. Convincing you that we're all heroes is a waste of time at this point. But this? Everything you've made here? It's bullshit."

"But it isn't bullshit to us. It's very real. I... I saw people, and I knew that they're real. They're happy."

"You're just lying yourself. You know that none of this is right. There's still a human being inside of you, and she feels guilt over never acknowledging how lonely she really is."

Jotaro looked to his daughter, remembering her words that he didn't respond to prior to this confrontation. She's done a lot of things that he never responded to, did he?

Jotaro shook his head, letting out another heavy sigh that translated into a release of his pent-up emotion. He took his daughter by the hand, gripping it tightly as if he thought Jolyne would vanish if he ever let go.

"I'm not a sentimental guy. If anything, I'm the last person who should be saying something like this... but any standard of life is worthless without sharing it with someone else. Human... God... none of that matters. It's a wasted effort if you don't have anyone to share it with."

"You've won. But what did it cost?"

"Everything."

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure@Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody

​

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

"Fine" Toppo breathed in relief, welcoming his next death. Then the next one. And the next. And the next. With every coming strike he simply let the pain and the blackness engulf him, for he knew just as well as Othinus that resistance was futile. Why fight nature? Why fight instinct? If all are made to die, the least he could do was take the path of least resistance, and while it came, make the most of his final flickers of life. "If we might still be granted our last right... I do have a request" He bowed his and returned to his knees. His eyes remained closed in respect, not within to so much as stare at her shadow. Toppo had spent his life surrounded by Gods. He knew how to win one's mercy. "I am not the mortal you believe me to be, Othinus. I am a God in my own world... or at least, I am destined to be. Yet unlike you, my lesser Godhood does not allow me to create... only to destroy. I was a God of Destruction, doomed to kill and maim in the name of the greater good... a pain I am sure you know of. So as my final request, I ask that you allow me to wear the garments of a Kai. Let me die in the robes of the Creation God I could never be. May the outfit be perfect, from the Robes of the Supreme to the Earing of Portara. That is all I ask you, your Limitlessness. Let an Old Fool fulfill his last request"​

"I..." Jiren felt a burden rise from his shoulders, his spirit running free "I understand. I understand your pain and your burden... I take back all I had said before. We are kindred spirits, you and I... And your legend will live on the stories my daughter hears each night. I will tell her of the proud and noble Schala. The Woman who never lost faith. The Woman who stared death in the face and said no countless times. The Woman who endured enough suffering to last a lifetime and still stood tall, ready to defend all the good that still lived within her. Schala... Old Friend... your are twice the warrior I once was... And I thank you for all you have done for me..."​

"Thank you, Hero of Freedom" Jiren smiled, placing his own hand on Ben's shoulder. "It was an honour serving with you. Let your heart guide you. Trust in it. Embrace it's beating. Follow the past I ignored, for humanity... Humanity is the true key to survive. It's messy... It's dangerous... But through its embrace even the heartless can find... they can find hope. You cannot defeat Othinus. Her death is an impossibility. But if you chose to resist her... If you truly wish to defy her for an eternity... then take my energy. Take it all, boy. It will serve you more than it will serve me..."

"Farewell, Ben 10, and know that the Gods smile upon you"

​

Jiren held the stone across his heart, letting its golden light burn into the green of his robes. It felt like a Sunday morning. The warmth it filled him with seemed to bring him back to a moment of ignorance and bliss. A moment of freedom and light. In his trancelike state, he could only muster a single word

"Goodbye..."​

"Very well. Far be it from me to reject a fool's dying request, to perish the way he'd want!" Othinus exclaimed, granting Toppo's request and adorning him in the garments as he requested, only to just as quickly snap her fingers, causing every bone in Toppo's body to violently contort and break apart, killing him right there.

To the rest who attempted to reach her, she angrily hissed softly at them, neither exactly confirming nor denying their speculations on what she wanted. "Cease. I tire of your piteous attempts to understand! Just hurry up and realize the futility of your decision already! Return to nothingness on your own terms, and walk away!" Othinus exclaimed, rejecting their gestures -- Ben's and his powers included -- and swiped her arm at the air, willing the bodies of Schala, Ben, Macy, and Chise to contort and twist violently, breaking the many bones in their body and instantly killing them as well.

"Don't you dare presume to know more than I. How arrogant of a human to say such a thing...! Beyond that, it is you that chose to continue opposing me! That was the one choice I granted you in this world in which you could have lived out the rest of your existence, and yet you chose to further your own destruction!" Othinus then responded to Libra through gritted teeth, glaring him down, "And for what? To return to a multiverse that knew suffering abound? It is as though you wish for death..."

From there, she glowered toward Leivinia. "Understanding a human? Then answer me this. Even in the face of happiness, what epiphany drove you to reject it, everything you could have ever wanted? What led you back to me?"

As the Will of the Misaka Network had said before, it seemed that she was correct in that, as someone who lived "between life and death," she was not someone Othinus could have resurrected, but she was not entirely alive either, thus it was likely that her very existence fell under the god's radar. A one in a trillion chance that banked on the group.

Before anyone got the chance to promptly respond to Othinus's questions, the Magic God willed the rest of the group to die to the brutal display of their bones twisting fatally, breaking their necks, their limbs, everything.

And once again, they came back, just as easily as before.

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

Phil Connors

" You mentioned that you give us one choice and that we wish for death. But what about you? What is your one wish? Do you crave the death you can't have that you keep killing us? I'm sure you can break this loop and leave us for death or rewrite our memories to fit this world. But you don't. Why don't you? Why did you give us the power to stop you? Are you afraid of being alone?"

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

"Assume that I know more than you? Not at all." The brutality of this last death made Libra wince, but he did not back down. "It is you who assumes we know less than we do, are capable of less! I told you before, mankind is capable of so much complexity. How do you know that we wouldn't understand you? It sounds as though you are jumping to conclusions."

Figuring he would die again at any moment, he decided to take the chance to answer her question. "And whst kept me going...was a foolish thing. A simple hope inside of me that refused to die when the Multiverse shattered. It refused to die when everyone was against us, it refused to die when we failed to save anyone, it refuses to die even now. Hope in the face of hopelessness...that is something that has saved humanity time and time again. And perhaps this will be no different."

View attachment 3414

"Kill me as many times in as many ways as you want, Othinus. I have all the time in the world when you're ready to talk to us."

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

"This is not our home. This is a cheated version of our homes." Jordshan began.


But she exploded and died before she could continue. She shivvered for a moment when she 'resetted'. "That nerfherding shit."

"This is not our happiness, not our world. Some of us has fought and bled for their happiness. Given up their lives for the safety of others. What you did was cheapen it. Taken away the fruits of their struggle. That's why I-" she never managed to complete her sentence as she was once again killed. Once again, shivering at the way she just died.

"Can't speak for anyone else," Jolyne called out. "But I didn't get no epiphany or anything like that...I just did it so I could see that look on your face you're sporting right now." Hands on her hip and taking a defiant stance Jolyne continued. "Besides you're acting like this is some huge shock. Imagine if there was someone above you telling you what's good for you. Gets annoying really fast."

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

"Shut up... Just shut up!!" Othinus yelled in an unrefined manner, angrier than she'd ever been seen before, mostly toward Phil and Libra. "I'm a god. I am the goddess of the multiverse. I have no fear of anything! You humans are beneath me, you could never hope to do anything! Every single world, every different universe, across the multiverse, you're all the same! Deceitful, destructive, and you would dare to wish to return to that hell...! You think that you're helping me, but truly, you are the one who rejected my gesture! You could have had everything you could ever want!"

Othinus began to move her arm again, as though about to kill everyone again, but then, something unexpected happened.

Instead, she let out what sounded like a pained grunt, and lowered her head, pressing her open palm to her temple, like she suddenly got a headache. Whether because it was a debilitating task to repeat the same actions over and over again, or because of the remaining effects of the Fairy Spell and the Ultimate Nullifier, who could say? But one could only hope that it was a sign that they were making progress.

"Nghh... Just... stop! Stop it...! Your words are empty, just as your resolve!"

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody​

"Then why do you keep letting us talk, huh?" Severa asked, her own sword sheathed. "You're a god, you said so yourself, we've all experienced you killing us different ways! You could just shut us all up if you wanted to! But you don't. Why not?"

Seeing Othinus in pain, Libra took a step forward. "There is no emptiness in what we say Othinus. I can guarantee that. You gave us a world where everyone understood each other...why not allow us to try and understand you? Why should being a goddess exempt you from that? Would you not want to be loved rather than feared? Why try so hard to make us fear you, hate you?"

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure@Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody​

"It may be hell, but at least we have control over our own lives. No mortal likes to hear from others what to do. It has a price, but we're all willing to pay it. Because a life you have no control over is not a life. You could just as well turn us into a hive mind with equal results, besides no one complaining. I already have what I want. Friends, the means to help people. People who may accept it and they may not. It's their choice. Something you took away from them. And yes, it's tough and hard to work with. But I will say now, it's totally worth it." Jordshan said towards Othinus. "The people here, you changed their actions against their will. Doing what is best for people is not always the right thing to do. And to say that we're all the same is the same as condemning a whole species for the actions of a few. If you know me, you know that is not true. I have done what I could to keep innocents out of the crossfire. Going as far as to disobey a direct order. And it's ironic to think about it. Even with the knowledge, a goddess should have, you know so little about us."

"No, YOU Othinus, YOU stop it!" Ben exclaims. "You're hurting yourself more than you're hurting us! You see yourself as above us, yet you relentlessly destroy your own body via this stress? Your god complex is tearing your body apart!

And it's just as they say, Othinus - we want our own independent choices, autonomy. I'm sure you want it too. Let go. Let go of your prison then."

Ben has a legitimate smile as he places a palm on her shoulder.

"... there's always another path, there's always another way. You just need to find it - find it by straying from the standard road and into stranger ones - not alone, but with friends and allies."

@Ver​

"...I think I understand now."

Within the intense air cast between Othinus and Giorno, Jotaro Kujo took a step forward and looked up at the Magic God with tired, but knowing eyes. It wasn't a stoic, pensive or cold glare typical of the man who'd dared to go against the whims of those infinitely greater. Those fleeting times when people looked up to Jotaro Kujo as a leader - even a hero - crumbled away like an aging structure as this journey progressed. Never before has the man felt more... average. He isn't a god, nor does he have god-like abilities. He doesn't care too much about his past accomplishments, and he has no deep connections within this winding multiverse.

He's just a man. A father to someone, and a friend to others, but more or less, Jotaro Kujo was a man who piped up to the Magic God.

"All that crap you're saying about humans being deceitful, destructive, evil... well, I've already said my piece about that in Gotham to a certain someone. Convincing you that we're all heroes is a waste of time at this point. But this? Everything you've made here? It's bullshit."

"But it isn't bullshit to us. It's very real. I... I saw people, and I knew that they're real. They're happy."

"You're just lying yourself. You know that none of this is right. There's still a human being inside of you, and she feels guilt over never acknowledging how lonely she really is."

Jotaro looked to his daughter, remembering her words that he didn't respond to prior to this confrontation. She's done a lot of things that he never responded to, did he?

Jotaro shook his head, letting out another heavy sigh that translated into a release of his pent-up emotion. He took his daughter by the hand, gripping it tightly as if he thought Jolyne would vanish if he ever let go.

"I'm not a sentimental guy. If anything, I'm the last person who should be saying something like this... but any standard of life is worthless without sharing it with someone else. Human... God... none of that matters. It's a wasted effort if you don't have anyone to share it with."

"You've won. But what did it cost?"

"Everything."

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure@Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody

​

Schala Zeal
@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @Ver @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172
@Everybody

Schala clenched her teeth, casting a cure spell on her body as she desperately tried to repair the damage done... But by then, it was too late. She was killed again, then revived.

Even still... She refused to give up... Holding onto her parting words, and the others that had opted to either stay in Avalon... Or simply didn't know better, no longer afraid of losing... Nor dying...

If she was trapped like this forever... If this was her fate... So be it... ... Even if it took an eternity to get through to Othinus... She would make it her only goal... Right here... And right now...

"Even if this is futile... Even if this amounts to nothing... It's better than standing by... And doing nothing... ... Because even if the entire multiverse was happy... Even if you wiped our memories too... And 'forced' us to live out the rest of our lives like the others in the multiverse... Happy... Yet ignorant of what had been sacrificed for us to make it this far... ... Where would that leave you... Even if we were truly happy... Would that satisfy you? Would that... Grant you happiness too?"

She once more attempted to move towards Othinus... To reach out to her.

"In the end... Was all of this... ... Really just for us...?"

Schala braved advancing forwards this time, not waiting, nor flinching in anticipation of potentially dying again... This time, she would reach out to the Magic God, as if merely touching her before she was killed was a kind of check point.

Honestly, she herself wasn't too sure what she wanted to accomplish by doing this, but... ... Perhaps... It was a 'landmark' of some sort... A goal to work towards... Something to focus on... To keep her going... Fighting... Resisting... Despite the odds stacked against her.​

 

[Ver]

"Nngh... No! Stop it! Don't... Don't you dare pity me! You don't get to be in that position!" Othinus yelled to everyone, stepping back away from everyone. With her powers, she willed for their death once more, invisible blades dismembering everyone violently.

And then they came back again, just like clockwork.

In the next loop, Othinus tightly gripped her own hair underneath her hat, keeping her head down as she shook her head, her legs shaking as though threatening to give way any moment now. "Why... Why do you try so hard to reach me?! For what purpose?!" She said with a cracking voice, giving away how she truly felt more than anything, before she sank to her knees, hugging her own body -- even with Gungnir still in her hold -- and shivering as though she felt cold.

"Stop it... Stop... You've... proven your point..."

A tear was visibly shed from her eye, before she went on again, letting her sorrows out freely. "I was... this close... to returning to the beginning. To an earlier phase of the world, where I had flourished. To the time that I was once human... And that was why I wanted to leave you here. I wanted to break you, to wear down your will through those different, shifting worlds, to compel you to be satisfied with your place there... but here I am, and I've already forgotten why I wanted to go back. Only now do I have to realize, not here, and not even back then, was there truly anyone for me to understand..."

"No matter where I go, no matter where I look, there is nothing..."

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody​

 

[Sark]

"Nngh... No! Stop it! Don't... Don't you dare pity me! You don't get to be in that position!" Othinus yelled to everyone, stepping back away from everyone. With her powers, she willed for their death once more, invisible blades dismembering everyone violently.

And then they came back again, just like clockwork.

In the next loop, Othinus tightly gripped her own hair underneath her hat, keeping her head down as she shook her head, her legs shaking as though threatening to give way any moment now. "Why... Why do you try so hard to reach me?! For what purpose?!" She said with a cracking voice, giving away how she truly felt more than anything, before she sank to her knees, hugging her own body -- even with Gungnir still in her hold -- and shivering as though she felt cold.

"Stop it... Stop... You've... proven your point..."

A tear was visibly shed from her eye, before she went on again, letting her sorrows out freely. "I was... this close... to returning to the beginning. To an earlier phase of the world, where I had flourished. To the time that I was once human... And that was why I wanted to leave you here. I wanted to break you, to wear down your will through those different, shifting worlds, to compel you to be satisfied with your place there... but here I am, and I've already forgotten why I wanted to go back. Only now do I have to realize, not here, and not even back then, was there truly anyone for me to understand..."

"No matter where I go, no matter where I look, there is nothing..."

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody​

"Then the path is clear" Toppo sighed, shaking off the pain of his last death "It's not too late for you. It's not too late for any of us. You can undo the damage you have done with thought. You reclaim your soul and live among men" With a slow, metronomic pace, Toppo drifted towards Othinus, the hand of a mortal reaching up towards a God "Its okay to be afraid. Its okay to be alone. These are the things that make us human. They are the things that keep us true and good. Regret. Fear. Guilt. Through them, we strive to be better. To do better. We can't replace them, Othinus. I know what it is like to be without them. I have shared in your pain before. Take my hand. Let us share it again. Let me halve your burden... Let me free you"​

 

[Crow]

"Nngh... No! Stop it! Don't... Don't you dare pity me! You don't get to be in that position!" Othinus yelled to everyone, stepping back away from everyone. With her powers, she willed for their death once more, invisible blades dismembering everyone violently.

And then they came back again, just like clockwork.

In the next loop, Othinus tightly gripped her own hair underneath her hat, keeping her head down as she shook her head, her legs shaking as though threatening to give way any moment now. "Why... Why do you try so hard to reach me?! For what purpose?!" She said with a cracking voice, giving away how she truly felt more than anything, before she sank to her knees, hugging her own body -- even with Gungnir still in her hold -- and shivering as though she felt cold.

"Stop it... Stop... You've... proven your point..."

A tear was visibly shed from her eye, before she went on again, letting her sorrows out freely. "I was... this close... to returning to the beginning. To an earlier phase of the world, where I had flourished. To the time that I was once human... And that was why I wanted to leave you here. I wanted to break you, to wear down your will through those different, shifting worlds, to compel you to be satisfied with your place there... but here I am, and I've already forgotten why I wanted to go back. Only now do I have to realize, not here, and not even back then, was there truly anyone for me to understand..."

"No matter where I go, no matter where I look, there is nothing..."

@Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody​

"It's OK big O," Ben sits beside the Magic God, patting her head as he reaches for underneath her hat for her fine, golden hair, "let it aaaall out. Let it aaaall out. Even I feel that way sometimes too, you know."

He has a resolution as he takes his jacket off and covers Othinus with it.

"So, it seems that you've forgotten your purpose, your reasons, your drives for your goals. Here's a suggestion from me to you - find something new to do. You say there's nothing, but you would have something if you had opened your heart for a start."

He stands up and reaches a hand out for her.

"I'm not saying that it's too late. In fact, you're just in time! In Jiren's name and my own name - I am willing to guide you, Othinus, guide you through your journey in finding the opposite of nothing. I'd even be willing to introduce you to some of my pals who'd never seen you before, fresh start and all - Astolfo herself does need some new friends... that rusty old Paladin just can't get enough..."

He looks to Toppo exchanging his words.

"That's two, and two is always better than one. Your call, Wizard Girl."

From Ben's jacket on Othinus, a flash of light popped up and materialised into the one Ben calls Buddy.

"Skree-ee..."

The young Pokemon begins to rub its fur against Othinus, like a cat, as it sits on her lap.

@Ver @Lucky @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody​

 

[Lucky]

Rita Hanson

Rita didn't care what anyone thought of what she was about t0o do, but even after defeating them and killing them multiple times, she slowly walked over to the Magic God and gave her a hug. " You did terrible things, but you still have us and you are not alone. I would be willing to be your friend and continue to try to understand you," she said to her.

@Ver @Yun Lee @Kaykay @Hahli Nuva @Jeremi @CrunchyCHEEZIT @Gummi Bunnies @York @Alex Azure @Crow @Takumi @Sark @Donder172 @Everybody