Infinite Justice: Beyond (Marvel,DC,DBZ X/Over, IC, Open)

[Scotatrova]

Rooftop on Chicago
5 Minutes Ago

The Knight chased a Woman in a red and blue suit, as she used her colorful ziplines to swing from roof to roof. The Knight chased her with a bloodlust, eager to finally catch her. "HaHa, neva gonna catch ME" she yelled to the knight as she ran. The Knight gritted his teeth, as he glided down, and rammed into the woman's back, smashing her face first into a wall. as The Woman groaned, The Knight flipped her over, the Blood a contrast to her suit, The Knight grabbed her by the throat.
"WHERE IS THE ARCHITECT JOLLY!?!?!?!" The Knight yelled at her, his voice older, but none the less meanacing. "I don't know, and It wouldn't be any use to you if I did". The Knight scowled, grabbign her ziplines from her,

"then you're no use to me...". The Knight grabbed her by the back of her suit's Collar, and tossed her off of the roof top. She yelled, screaming at he top of her lungs as she plummeted. until she finally hit the ground, with a sickening splant. The Knight shook his head, as he walked off.

Now, Back in The Knight's Domain

The Knight walked quietly in the shadow filled Domain, Until he heard someone yell, "Hey, yo Knight, Are you here?!". The Knight grew angry as he approached the figure.
------------------------------------------
Kalder stood in a darker, grittier, and Scarier Knight's Domain, One where weapons and other deadly tools were a normality. From the shadows to his right, a figure in a Red and Black Knight suit stepped out. "WHO ARE YOU" The Knight said, grabbing Kalder by the collar of his suit, "WHO ARE YOU" The Knight yelled, tossing Kalder over a table, causing it to fall onto it's side. The Knight walked over to Kalder, grabbing him with his left hand on Kalder's collar, and the right Hand ready to throw a hard punch. "How do you Know about this place?! TALK!".

War of Kings
Kalder

"Hey! Knight, calm down! It's me! Kalder! What's wrong with you!?"
Kalder was caught in shock, but he held his hand out of sight, and some energy was starting to form in case the Knight, or whoever this person was, tried to do anything. The Knight wasn't really one for nice talks, but this was someone totally different in their own.

---

Aquaman

"What are you doing Aquaman?"

"You attack Namor now and an entire army rises out of the ocean. I know this is crazy, but the only way Namor will take my words seriously is if I show strength commanding you to leave. In Atlantean culture-"

"Namor's already killed people Arthur."

"He flooded Gotham... Metropolis and New York. Families were trapped in their cars, and millions drowned. We gave you a chance, but-"

"Who are these air-breathers Arthur?"

"Keep your distance Namor."

Are you the surface dwellers king?"

"Black Bolt, what are you-?"

Suddenly, there was a blast of light and a sudden boom. Black bolt flew back and Crystal caught him.

"What was that?"

"It was Black Bolt, Crystal. He let out a small sound that resulted in a blast. It shouldn't hurt them, permanently."

Aquaman then made his way out of the cloud of smoke that was formed as a result of the blast.

"Fight him, and you're going to make things worse."

Aquaman then threw a punch at Black Bolt, and he was sent flying.

"You just did Arthur."

Aquaman felt something wrap around his neck, he looked and turned back to see that is was Medusa's hair.

"I'm trying to protect both worlds Medusa."

"If it was the Inhumans coming ashore to destroy this Cape Verde, I'd be fighting against them, instead of fighting my friends."

Aquaman was pulled towards her as he used her hair to pull him in, and they both encountered each other. Medusa was sent into the sand with Aquaman coming towards her. He grabbed her neck while also trying to get her hair from around his neck.

"I know someone has to answer for this, but if Atlantis comes out of the water, every single soldier, thousands, will fight until their dying breath."

"So will I."

Medusa propped herself up and punched Aquaman, sending him crashing into the sea. Crystal stood beside him as he wiped some blood from his mouth.

"I thought you understood Crystal."

"As best as I can Arthur, but if we work together, we can-"

Crystal then yelled as she was electrocuted by a trident that Namor was wielding. He grabbed her by the hair and aimed the trident at her face.

"These air breathers are fragile aren't they? A second charge should end her."

"No!"

"This surface dweller raised her hand to me, the king of Atlantis. It is my right to kill her."

"Atlantean law doesn't apply here."

"You confuse me Arthur. Has breathing air for so long damaged your mind? First you threaten me, then you attack those who threaten me, then you threaten me again?

"Listen to me, Namor. You're going back into the water and you're ordering the Atlanteans to go home. Do it now."

"I had believed perhaps this counterattack against your kingdom would be satisfactory retribution. Why are you trying to be simply be one of them? You're better than them. Atlantis would be disappointed, and I know I am. You've abandoned our world, and joined another. A world that did nothing but attack and poison us for centuries."

Medusa then put one arm around Namor's neck and the other on his head, putting him in a head lock.

"I don't want to hurt you. Surrender now."

"They hate us, you see? But we are done fearing the surface. For the entirety of this war, we fought in the oceans to reduce human casualties. But we are done living in terror."

Medusa then let go of Namor as she was stunned by an energy blast, coming from a gun wielded by one of the Atlantean soldiers, who began to rise out of the water in the hundreds.

"It is time for war!

---

The Flash

The Flash raced his way through London. The great capital of the United Kingdom was more deserted than it had ever been. In the past few months, as the war began to get even more destructive, many European governments decided to implement drills, to ensure the safety of their populations. After the Atlantean War wiped out cities in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, to which Europe lost Lisbon in Portugal, the European Union didn't take any chances. Now, several heroes are positioned in Europe to help make sure the populace is safe during these times. The Flash is one of them.

"Well, everything is all clear here in London, Superman. I got time, should I check the surrounding countryside, or even the rest of the country?"

"Negative Flash. You have your objectives. Now, just try and get back here. Green Lantern, Hawkman and several others are checking out a few more cities in Italy, France and Slovakia. With the Avengers taking it upon themselves to secure most of the cities in America, it'd be best for us to make sure our friends in Europe are also safe. Now, get home as fast as you can."

"I'll be there in a flash."

Barry then began to make his way back West when he suddenly got dizzy and nearly fell over. He stopped and shook his head. He looked up and could see the Scarlet Witch hovering above him. She smiled down at him.

"Feeling a bit light headed are we?"

"Oh great. If you're here, then I should also be expecting your brother."

Quicksilver zoomed into sight under his sister as he flashed a cheeky smile and waved.

"Well, at least this should be a very interesting fight, won't it be sister?"

"Oh it will indeed Pietro. Now, let's get to the actual fun part."

Wanda twirled her hands before she shot some hex blasts at The Flash.

[The Starlight]

As you come into this world, something else is also born. You begin your life, and it begins a journey towards you. It moves slowly, but it never stops, never wavers. Wherever you go, whatever path you take, it will follow. Never faster, never slower. Always coming. Inevitable. Unavoidable. You will run, it will walk. You will rest, it will not. One day, you will linger in the same place too long. You will sit too still or sleep too deep. And when, too late, you rise to go, you will notice a second shadow next to yours. The hairs on the back of your neck rise too slowly. Your life will then be over, for Death has caught you. It was written, in the books of all time, that this day was fated. And then comes that good night.

-Memoirs of Craig Thomsen

The Wrath of a Gentle Man

ARGUS Base #13, Surface Level
Henderson, Nevada

He was broken. Shattered. Lost. The one who had brought such joy, such love into his life was gone, taken before her time. That was the thing about death, no one, despite their bravado, would ever truly be ready for when it came. Some people, hardened by war might have said that she died a good death, but he rejected that. There was no such thing as a warrior's death, a good death. Death was death, and throwing adjectives in front of a word did not make it any better.

He wept again, bringing a hand mixed with his blood and tears to his face, rain from the clouds falling through the several holes in the ceiling, as if the sky knew his pain. Etla was dead and he had failed her. Etla had gone into that terrible night, and he had not been able to go with her. And now, her body was cold, and the artificer, looking up, as if noticing the rain for the first time, spoke to his armor, a silver cape emerged from the back of his cape. He never had really used it before, nor had he really understood while Valka had included it during the armor's design. He had never been a 'cape' person, thinking it worthy of only royals, or the mightiest of heroes. He had no need to use it like Batman, to cover himself in the dark. And so, he tore it off, wrapping it around Etla, in recognition of all that she was- Craig's thoughts still halting at the past tense.

He thought of how they had first met, with a planet in the sky, looming above them, the Rainborn running on a path of lightning, freeing the Fantastic Four. He remembered how he had been so, very angry with her. He remembered the first of many donuts she had eaten, their time spent in Asgard, their first kiss, in the Devil's Den that had nearly made him fall unconscious. And for the rest of his days, he would remember the terrible image of Etla's own sword protruding through her back, and that silent gasp of pain, her bright, glassy eyes going dim.

And so, that broken, tired man knelt reverently and picked up the body of the Rainborn carefully, and began to walk out. He heard footsteps, and he turned to see Ihra, her face shocked, that rainbow blade of hers disappearing. "Is that...my sister?" she whispered in shock, Craig giving the smallest of nods.

"She was trying to save me, but I couldn't reach her..." Craig remembered softly, trailing off as he recognized his own failure. Ihra carefully, hesitantly walked forward, uncovering Etla's face, tears running down her face. She sucked in a breath, too shaken by grief to speak, her palm touching Etla's cheek, flinching at how cold it was already. Craig looked up to the pouring rain and the grey heavens, and he felt like screaming at the sky. Instead, he simply clenched his fist, and cold, silver metal encased him, the metal mask shutting over him with a small thud. His eye slits glowed blue, as Craig accessed the Internet for the first time in a year, and for a moment, he was speechless. The events at Stamford, and now, the whole world was going to hell it seemed, with nations ready to battle each other over the Superhuman Registration Act. But that had been a week ago, and now, news was filtering in of a giant Kree battleship which had crashed outside of New York City. That was all he needed to know, and his eyes turned to Etla again, picking her up gently and flying away, Ihra following him. "Where are you going?"

"Home, Ihra. I'm going to take a shower, eat a doughnut, and bury Etla--" his voice catching on something at the end.

Ihra studied him carefully, but nodded slowly, Craig, grateful for her acceptance, nodded back and focused his eyes ahead, trying not to think of the weight in his hands. Suddenly he turned, looking back down at the base. "They shouldn't get to walk away from this, not when she didn't. No, I'm going to rain hell down upon with the fury of God's own thunder. But not now. Not today, at least," he said, glaring down at the ARGUS base, before wheeling away once more.


Thomsen Tech HQ
Northern Virginia

The artificer landed on the roof, no one else being there, hopefully, it being a Sunday. But just in case, he had opted to take the less obvious route. After a abruptly spoken command, the roof slid open, Craig flying in, just making it to his personal levels before he collapsed, gasping. His injuries were more severe than he thought, and he telepathically ordered the armor to scan its user as he dragged himself to the Imaginarium, still carrying Etla. That seemed too bright, too optimistic for the present times, but he had no time to contemplate a changing of the name. No, all he had was a bitter, rising, yearning desire for vengeance against the world for its many attacks against him, no matter how indirectly. Firstly, his mother, died of cancer, and then his father, killed by a drunk driver, and now, his first and only love. For too long he had been too gentle, too benign in his all-consuming crusade to fix this world. At first, he believed that the various problems and situations required the delicate hands of a surgeon. But now, he understood, that wrath like magma, bubbling to the surface before it spewed forth. The earth did not understand gentleness, or altruism, nor honor. It had spit on all three for millenium, and it would continue to do so. No, if he was going to save the world, it was going to be with a firm hand, and an ever harder hammer. His decision had been made, and now, his hammers needed to be forged.

The armor finished evaluating his injuries, speaking now without emotion, one of the beauties of technology. That ability to calculate, to convey information without emotion, without pain, was something he envied now. He began to wince, at the report though. His shoulder was dislocated and infected, not seriously enough to require an amputation(he shuddered at that thought), but bad enough. The ribs that were showing were the ones not broken, and it was becoming a bit hard to breathe, along with several other fractures. But worst of all, something was seriously wrong with his heart, which he had already known, and there were exactly 365 slices on his body, courtesy of his tortures, one knife slice, everyday, for the entire year. And he dared not touch his back, not wanting to know how many times he had been whipped by a scourge, not wanting to remember all the terrible things that had been done for him, all to make him relent to creating Capekiller armor and guns that could remove powers and kill heroes and villains alike. He closed his eyes, allowing himself a minute, to let all his grief and pain surface, the man glancing over to the Rainborn whom he had laid on the bed. He felt fear take over, his heartrate increasing, his breath becoming ragged. And then, when the clock struck sixty, it was all locked away, only cool logic showing out. And when fear threatened to overcome him again, he muttered, softly, "Fear is the mindkiller." But the fear and pain would not be defeated, not so quickly, and he growled this time, glaring at the floor, his voice raising in volume as he chanted,

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

And when he had risen, he hissed out to the monsters locked inside his head, "Pain is only a means to an end." And then, he walked, slowly, but confidently, to the desk, picking up an orb. It was an invention that he had started on a year ago, an invention intended to be able to treat any wounds. And, considering that he was in dire need of fixing, he set to work, finishing it in record time, naming it, The Orb of Restoration. And then, he put it to work on its first patient, himself. And when it had finished bandaging, stiching, and setting, he stood up again, and began to forge those hammers that would bring forth a new dawn. A dawn of peace, of health, of freedom. There would be resistance, there always was. But he was on the side of the righteous, and his cause was just.


3 days later...

One of the world's foremost news correspondents, Charlotte Baker, sat behind her desk, the cameras facing her, as she announced the night's news. "Following the crash of an alien battleship outside New York City, and the threat of this alien race called the Builders, Captain America and Superman announced simultaneously, their intention for the Justice League and the Avengers to go into space and fight this extremely powerful alien threat which they say is heading for our planet, to destroy it. And despite skepticism from world leaders, they have remained adamant, and reassured the U.N that the Earth would be protected. But one has to wonder, without our two greatest superhero teams, are we truly safe from other threats? This alien threat seems to have interrupted the debate and almost certain war over the Superhuman Registration Act passed last month by the U.N. General Assembly by an overwhelming majority. Our heroes are divided over this, and have made their opinions well known. One, must again wonder how this will effect the inner dynamics of both teams."

"In other breaking news, the multi-billionaire Craig Thomsen, founder of Thomsen Technology has reemerged, asking, or rather demanding for an audience with the United Nations. The General Assembly has acquiesced, and Mr.Thomsen will be meeting with them tomorrow. And in other developing news, our sources all over the world are reporting a dramatic decrease, if not eradication of diseases, epidemics, and illnesses, including cancer. We'll have more information for you all as this develops. I'm Charlotte Baker, and good night, America."


The Dark Side of the Moon

Upon the side of the Moon where the Sun reflected, there was the Watcher's outpost, where he watched, always silent. But on the dark side of the moon, there was only darkness. Darkness, a Mad Titan and his Black Order. They were 5, and they were mighty. Black Dwarf, brother of Corvus Glaive, his rocky skin unbreakable, his axe always sharp. Corvus Glaive, in an unlikely union of marriage with Proxima Midnight, the right-hand of Thanos, gatherer of tributes, and immortal so long as his glaive remained unbroken. Ebony Maw, the intellect of the Black Order, owner of a black tongue that spread mischief and evil wherever he went. Supergiant, a mental parasite able to devour the minds of her victims. And finally, but not least, Proxima Midnight, wife of Corvus Glaive, wielder of a spear that cannot miss.

"Does, this please you, Master?" said Corvus Glaive, opening the casket of Thanos' newest tribute, provided by the Agullo. "No. Earth...would please me." he growled, sitting upon a throne of bones and skulls.

The various pirate commanders of Thanos' fleet looked at each other, fear upon their faces. "Earth?" one asked, as if he had not heard his master correctly. "Madness," spoke another, shaking his head. "On Earth even the very best of plans fail and fade." The third mercenary spoke up, spitting upon the ground. "On Earth even the darkest night yields to day." Lastly, another began to back away,"Earth, last stop for the foolish."

"Enough!" snarled Corvus Glaive, his glaive cracking the ground, silencing the mercenaries. "Yes...We all know of that Earth. But this...this is an Earth more favorable than accustomed, an Earth changed...We have word of discord in the House Inhuman, schism between the Mutant Schools. War over a Registration Act. And now, the most favorable news of all..." a slow grin starting to spread over his pale face, the Black Order rising.

"Brothers. Sisters. Sharpen your teeth, prepare to consume a great meal."

"Earth, you see... she has no Avengers."

And at that, Thanos turned, a full grin upon his face, his pupils glowing midnight blue. It was time for the conquest of that insufferable mud ball to begin.

[The Republic of Atria]

Xander stepped through the Boom Tube with Otis, Naja, and the Masakis right behind him. The Motherbox took them right in the middle of The Celestial City: Home of the New Gods. Normally a quiet, peaceful place, but now it seemed to be on high alert and molbilzing it's armies. "Wow. Looks like we picked a bad time to visit." Otis commented. Fortunately, Xander's motherbox seemed to calm down once they got to New Genesis. Otis could tell since Xander dind't have the look in his eyes like he was going to take someone's head off. He actually looked relieved.

Then Orion decided to investigate the intrusion. He recognized Otis as the one who killed Darkseid, his hated father, but wasn't too happy to see Xander. The last time they met, Xander wound up beating his face in. Orion respected him as a warrior, but was more interested in Otis. So he pretty much ignored Xander. "I've heard of you, Slayer of Darkseid." He said. "I only wish I could have been there to watch you kill him myself. Darkseid was my father..."

"To be fair, it was mostly self defense." He shrugged and went pale when Orion mentioned that Darkseid was his dad. "Oooohhh... Please tell me you're not mad about that."

"Of course not. Darkseid was a menace. Nobody will mourn his death. By the looks of things, you've taken his Omega Effect for yourself? Even more impressive. You would be a valuable ally in what is to come."

"Can I get a rundown? I don't usually do a ton of fighting. They do." Otis motioned to Xander, Naja, and the Masakis. "I'm kinda just the backup. Which is cool with me. I'm a pacifist." He explained, not expecting the reaction Orion gave him. Which was to laugh. Otis was confused until he realized that Orion probably thought he was joking. He wasn't.

"You're serious?" Orion asked when he saw Otis wasn't laughing at him. "How can the killer of Darkseid and wielder of his power be soft?"

"Happenstance and coincidence? I didn't want the Omega Effect. I kinda had it forced on me. Then it kinda grew on me. I'll help you guys, don't get me wrong. If push comes to shove, I'll fight. But you guys are the harden warrior veteran guys. I'm just a guy who got really lucky. I was in the right place at the wrong time. Or the wrong place at the right time, depending on how you look at it. Anyways. I don't do most of the fighting. I usually do the healing and moral support." That wasn't what Orion wanted to hear. He wanted to hear how Otis was a vicious fighter. Obviously besting Darkseid meant he had some combat ability, and he wanted to see it.

So, Orion reluctantly turned to Xander. "I take it you're here for your malfunctioning Motherbox?"

"That was the original intent, yes." He said and the two men looked at each other, just waiting for the other to make even the slightest move towards the other. "But, if there's something going down. We probably should help. If it's got everyone here on edge, then clearly it's a genuine threat. I've got plenty of resources-"

"We welcome the Slayer of Darkseid. We don't need you, human." Orion snarled. Xander and he glared at eachother for close to ten seconds, before Otis broke the tension.

"You guys gonna kiss or what?"

[Tomia]

Serene and Darian
Serene listened to Etla and she talked about herself and Ihra, noticing there seemed to be a bit of confusion between them. She was impressed that neither of them seemed to be effected by the cold, despite not really being dressed for winter. Her brother however was not at as lucky and Serene frowned when Etla brought it up. "I'm... fine" Darian interjected between shivers. Serene frowned deeper and explained, "My brother, well... has a condition. The cold can be pretty difficult for him." Serene admitted, not mentioning the fact that the reason for that condition was that he was being possessed by an ancient evil.

After a bit longer of a march up the mountain, they came upon the entrance to a cave that seemed quite dubious and sketchy. So much so that Serene was about to walk past it when suddenly she heard Angel's voice, urging her forward, Fear not my child, the one you seek is within. The wise voice told her confidently. Serene was still unsure, but knew she should trust Angel. "Here, this is where we need to go." Serene told the others, sure that they would be quite confuse by her statement. The cave certainly didn't seem like any place they wanted to be.

Kandar
Marriac nodded to Soran and then asked a question, "What about the Princess and the civilians we wish to evacuate? Should we leave them here while we go off to battle?"

Togora merely shrugged at the Princess' words. "These Xyrixma have not yet felt the wrath of Asugar. They would never be able to stand against my father in combat." Togara assured, having not yet been humbled by age like the king had.

[The Fallen Jedi]

- Snip -

God of Nature Kazuko | God of Peace Shimura

At Otis' comment, Kazuko snickered, while Shimura simply smiled at the comment, there was still animosity between the Defenders of Earth and the Defenders of the Masaki Galaxy, but that tension seemed to wear off over time, It wasn't like Kazuko or Shimura to keep a grudge for too long anyways "My goodness..." Kazuko cut in with a smile on his face "You two seem to know each other very good, seems that you two have a rivalry, and trust me when I say that you've had a rivalry, myself and Asumar were once like that." Kazuko approached Orion with a warm smile on his face "But I've never met you before friend, my name is Kazuko Masaki, God of Nature, and Former Grand Warlord of the Old Masaki Dynasty." Kazuko extended his hand towards Orion, he was not aware of the customs of New Genesis, so all he decided to do was to show the utmost respect to the one who seemed to be the leading figure of New Genesis.

Shimura simply sat back and watched as Kazuko started intermingling with Orion, a peaceful expression on his face as on New Genesis, an immense peaceful presence enveloped his mind and soul, he never felt so one with himself, It was an amazing feeling that he felt "What a peaceful place, even though it appears as if they are preparing for war, this place still feels peaceful regardless." Shimura hoped that one day he would be able to create a realm of such peace and live out his days as a satisfied God of Peace, but he knew that true peace wouldn't be established, not in his lifetime at least.

[Siliarba]

DeeDee

"Hmm, disappointing but expected, next time just go with your instincts. I have no issue with things like that for all I care it's even in public. By the way you got any plans for Christmas? If not I'll take you to my club for a party. Also I'm curious how'd you get out of my dimension, did any favors for the demons? It won't be with a succubus I'm sure of that but plenty of other ones that could get you out."

(Sorry for short post, literally had no clue what else to say or do this time)

[The Starlight]

"Thank you." Spoke the empress as she got up, groaning. She was not used to being this frail. "Ever since I gave the royal Blood to my Daughter, I have been getting weaker and weaker..." She spoke. She looked around as her troops were holding off the first wave of Xyrixma. But the Empress could already see the reinforcements. The wave was scarcely finished and there was another group.

She turned to the two of them. "There's not much time." She pointed to a structure in the distance. A massive library made from gilded gold that was forged to be superdense. "There is where the artifact they want is." She then pointed at another, the Xyrixma's foothold. There there seemed to be some sort of makeshift camp. It seemed to be glowing with light. "They want a dagerous artifact from the library and my sources tell me they're summoning their god in the camp. Whichever one you go to, I'll take the army to the other. I can spare a few units to go with you, but not many."

"You'll have to choose."

Valveig nodded, looking at their two choices. If the situation would've been less dire she would've inquired about this Royal Blood, as she sensed there was an interesting story behind it, but that would have to wait until they survived. If they survived, that is. Erza, finishing her demolition of the Xyrixma, joined them, and Valveig summed up their choices. "Dangerous artifact, or summoning of a Xyrixma god?" she asked, getting straight to the question. Erza thought for a moment, before responding. "I don't like the sound of a Xyrixma god? I think we have to stop that..." she mused off, not liking the look of the glowing at all.

"I think you're right," Valveig responded. "But little time for subtlety and intelligence gathering. We've got to hit that tent with everything we've got, and keep hitting them. Mother has told me of what their queen can do, I don't want to see what their god can do." And, giving their decision to the queen, taking along the few soldiers she could lend, Erza and Valveig simply charged. A haphazard strategy, one might say, but there was little time for strategy, in their opinion. Trying not to alert to their presence, again, there were no battle cries, to the disappointment of the Asgardians. And so, they rushed toward the camp, Valveig running with the speed of the wind, adrenaline keeping the soldiers close behind.

[New Neros]

Starbreakers
Return to the Beyond Universe

Panning across a simple, circular table, the faces of Maxwell Morningstar's elite flashed by with their faces twisted into stern, menacing glares meant to intimidate and give reason to their reputation and name. These men and women were the Starbreakers, going from Maxwell's own clean-cut and square jawline to Valerie's soft features, continuing to the rugged landscape of Otto Godblessed. Those were the three founding members, but they professed equality with the other three who had joined later on, and now a new face would join their ranks.

The newer members of Starbreaker, from the disproportionately small head and narrow chin of Shatterstar and the beast-like face of Wildstar who was of nearly equal size to Shatterstar, and then to the soft and feminine features of Rebound, the Rubber Girl, whose face was more kind than the rest. Their eyes traveled to each other precariously, observing their allies closely, the first one to speak being Morningstar. "Glad to have all of you here with me, I hope you enjoyed your break."

Wildstar gave a scoff, but Maxwell ignored it, and continued. "I've called an assembly to discuss two major points. The first and foremost of which is the inclusion of another member into Starbreaker, who is being vouched by Otto. Myself, Val, and Otto have already met her, but Wildstar, Shatterstar, Rebound, I'd like you to meet Xala." He said, gesturing to the skiddish, more unknown face in the crowd, the members of Starbreaker turning to peer deeply at their new teammate. "She is a Xyrixma, her kind are slime-based and devour things within the universes they visit, each having a taste or preference for one or another. Xala in particular feeds on the energy of stars."

Xala raised her hand a little for a sheepish greeting. "H-Hello..." She said nervously, "It's a pleasure to meet you all..." She was greeted with silence initially, causing a moment of pure aniexty and heatbreak for the slime girl, until Rebound responded.

With her full lips turned into a broad smile, "It's nice to meet you as well, Xala. I hope we can work well together sometime, I'm Rebound, and I can stretch." Rebound said, with some sexual hints for some reason, those being lost on Xala, who simply enjoyed the response. "You may not get much out of he two brutes over there, but hey, they're big softies and they'll open up sometime." Rebound continued with a deep grin.

"Silence." A deep, yet raspy voice commanded at the round table, coming from the beast-like warrior known as Wildstar. "You know nothing of me, Rebound, do not tell our guest what I am." He growled, but continued, addressing Xala in a very direct, uncomfortable way. "Nice to meet you, Slime Woman. I am Wildstar - King of Beasts!" He said with triumpth and valor, "I operate with my own unit within the Forever Knights, so we will see each other only on occasion. Welcome to Starbreaker." He said, pounding his clawed fist on the table.

"A little much gusto, don't you think?" The colossal man next to Wildstar said, "Think little of it, Xala, but don't fully discredit Wildstar. He's absolutely earned his title, but I've also earned mine." He quickly cut his eyes to Xala, who felt a sudden rush of fear from this man, almost like how she feels around Morningstar, but different somehow. "I am Shatterstar. My brute strength and striking ability can wipe out suns, I gave the name to our group because of who Maxwell made me into. I am Shatterstar - Breaker of Stars." He said ominously, but ended on a better note. "Nice to meet you." Xala nodded with a slight gulp, feeling a bit intimidated by the three individuals she had just met, whose powers seemed to stack extremely high on the energy scale.

"Excellent..." Morningstar said, leaning back, "Everyone seems like they can play nice for a while. My next item to discuss is our...For lack of a better phrase...Freedom from servitude by the Living Tribunal." The three members of Starbreaker and Otto Godblessed gave shocked looks to Morningstar and gave him their full attention. "Our job is more or less complete, so we can go wherever. Myself and Val will be returning to our universe, and we would like for you all to come with us." He said casually, as if he weren't really offering them any alternative.

"Maxwell," Shatterstar said quickly, Max turning to look fully at the man. "There's not too many other places we can go. You hand-picked us from universes long gone, and even as we fixed them to how they should be, they aren't going to be the same as the ones we left behind."

"I understand, but there still other places you can go. You can try and fit back into the mold of your lives, you could join the Living Tribunal and aid him in his rebuilding projects, or seek out the Monitors to join the Eternal Guardians. I simply invite you to live with me back in the Beyond Universe." Maxwell said with sincerity, staring softly at Shatterstar, who looked at the table roughly, nodding slightly as the words began to make sense.

"I have no choice, there is nowhere I'd wish to go." Shatterstar finally said, "I will continue to serve Starbreaker."

"As will I." Wildstar thunderously proclaimed, "So long as I may lead the Pride."

Rebound smiled her dainty smirk, "Same story, you go, I follow." She looked over to Xala with those delicious-looking eyes, "As long as Xala can stay."

"Good." Morningstar said, standing up, "We have nothing else to discuss. As we spoke, I had already moved the Anvil to our new home." The others seemed to sour a bit, Maxwell having predicted their statements, acting without truly knowing if that's what they would have wanted. Regardless, the Anvil appeared out of the Nexus of All-Realities in a massive flash of light, the Starbreakers leaving the table to go to their quarters. Maxwell, on the other hand, stood before a massive array of windows, giving him a view of the starry night sky. A view of home.

Behind him, Xala watched precariously, hoping to not be seen, but he addressed her directly regardless, startling the slime girl. "Xala, I wanted to go meet the new wielder of the Omega Effect, but I feel something...Perverse in my reality. A ravenous hunger that would make Galactus weep. I can feel your kind in droves." He said quietly, Xala gasping and covering her mouth with a hand. Maxwell stood with his back to her, but he knew her reaction. "So, the Xyrixma are invading and seeking to devour my universe..."

"Max, I had no idea." Xala protested. " I didn't -"

"I know." He replied quickly, "We will stop them..."

"...Somehow."

[The Silhouette of Adventure]

Not even going to ask where the hell he's storing that kind of tech in Gotham. Boxer sighed. "We're going in quiet, Knight, not guns blazing. He pressed his hand against the wall, opening a hatch with twin customized pistols as well as a bulletproof vest and assorted other equipment inside. He holstered the two guns and began taking out the rest of it. "We need intel more than body bags."

"We need intel more than Body Bags", The Knight gave a stern face to the remark.

"I don't Condone Killling Boxer", The Knight paused as Boxer put on his equipment, The Knighbt opened up the small holographic display on his right gautnlet, beginning to search through some files. "The vehicular Support is armed with Nonlethal Munitions It wouldn't kill". The Knight began to search through the City's schematics, trying to find some of the Hideout's structure. "I'll try to find some Entry Points for us. ona note of getting there, should we take your trasnport or mine?".

Some civilians came to drag the bodies and assist the survivors, but one in particular simply stared at Len. "Medics? Who the hell do you think was in the hospital? We don't have any damn medics!" The civilian scowled. "We're doing the best we can, but we have no gear, no surgeons, no medevac, and no damn hope. You masks think you're so high and mighty! If it weren't for you guys, maniacs like the Joker wouldn't be around! This is your fault!" The civilian picked up a rock and threw it desperately at the Kryptonian with all his strength, not knowing it would do nothing, and not caring regardless. All that mattered was that he finally had an outlet to express his rage. The nearest people, with the exception of the ones dragging people out of the rubble, stopped and stared.

Len-El

Len stopped. He stopped doing anything. He turned his head to the civilian who threw stone at him.

"Don't you see what just happened? I AM TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE! Don't you ever understand? Why you always looked down at heroes? And do you think if there are no heroes, you'll be safe? Do you think Joker will let you live? Penguin? Two-Face? Huh?" said Len as he walked to the man, and stare him face to face.

"But you're right, this is my fault. I should arrive sooner. I should arrive sooner, so that I can," said Len as he thrust his fist to the man's heart, and then he pulled his fist back, the man's heart on his hand right now, "so that I can kill you. Zod was right, it is wrong to trust humans." as the man fell down.

"Anybody else?" and Len smiling happily.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then there was chaos. Screams filled the air, people running desperately to get away from the gruesome murder.

You see, everyone is afraid of a good villain. The Joker will forever strike fear into people's hearts, and the Penguin will always inspire hatred. This is simply how it is.

There is, however, one thing even more terrifying than a good villain- An inborn fear inherent the world throughout. All beings know this one, Omniversal truth.

In the evil man's eye, beware their fire and fear;
Yet always rest easy, a Hero is near;
But when dawn turns to dusk, and law begets death;
You have no other choice, but take final breath.

A bad man is the end of a life. A good man gone bad is the end of an era.

---

Rogue Kryptonian- Gotham General ruins! Boxer paled, looking at the text alert from his agent in the hospital camps. "Looks like our mission is... Dammit, it's on hold. Knight, I need the biggest, baddest tech you have at the remains of Gotham General now." He turned to the other Runners. "Get Gordon on the line, tell him to contact every Bat he can get his hands on. Officer Khal!"

"Yes, Sir?" A small, female Runner walked up to Boxer.

"Get out your damn RPG." He growled.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" She smirked, racing from the room.

Boxer grabbed a small box and punched in a few numbers, overriding the building's PA system. "Priority Alpha target. This is not a drill. Priority Alpha target- Live fire permitted. Gotham General ruins. It's a damn Kryptonian."

As soon as he said this, every officer in the building stopped for a moment and simply stared.

[Charmera]

"I'm no one's lackey Ephilia. War is no one's servant." She replied, parying the whip and wrapping it around her blade, which suddenly shortened as she Yanked thora her way, suddenly slamming a fist into the goddess gut, then one into her face. Then kicking her repeatedly untill she simply was knocked out. She had fed on the combat and rage here, putting her above the now unconcious goddess. But was it enough for Ephilia? "And I'd hate to leave a good battle half done." She then smiled.

"Come on Ephilia. Don't you want to say that you fought war herself?" She taunted. "I might even let you win if your fun enough."

Well that couldn't of been more anti-climatic. Thora was brutally beaten down until only Ephilia had remained to fight Akura. Ephilia wrapped her arm around her own torso and pursed her lips together as she thought about how to deal with Akura. It wasn't that Ephilia thought she couldn't defeat Akura, but there was just so many options at her disposal.

"Well, it's been a while since I've gotten my hands dirty." Ephilia was briefly consumed in a dark light that engulfed her entire figure. Upon its dissolution, the goddess was adorned in her personal battle armor. Not wasting anymore time mincing words, Ephilia charged towards Akura.

Akura managed to dodge, though it was a pretty darn close call. Only experience and skill saved her from whatever attack Ephilia was keen to unleash, since the greater Ilumni was faster than Akura. Though this did give Akura the perfect opportunity to counter. She didn't expect to do any damage, but she needed to buy time.

The Goddess of War formed a blade of the best Ilumni forging, then channeled her rage into an attack on her enemy. She swing upwards with the attack, an attack which most mortals could not hope to match, empowered by godly might.

[Confederation of imperial states]

Rogue Kryptonian- Gotham General ruins! Boxer paled, looking at the text alert from his agent in the hospital camps. "Looks like our mission is... Dammit, it's on hold. Knight, I need the biggest, baddest tech you have at the remains of Gotham General now." He turned to the other Runners. "Get Gordon on the line, tell him to contact every Bat he can get his hands on. Officer Khal!"

"Yes, Sir?" A small, female Runner walked up to Boxer.

"Get out your damn RPG." He growled.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" She smirked, racing from the room.

Boxer grabbed a small box and punched in a few numbers, overriding the building's PA system. "Priority Alpha target. This is not a drill. Priority Alpha target- Live fire permitted. Gotham General ruins. It's a damn Kryptonian."

As soon as he said this, every officer in the building stopped for a moment and simply stared.

"Looks like our mission is... Dammit, it's on hold. Knight, I need the biggest, baddest tech you have at the remains of Gotham General now.", The Knight nodded, walking out he passed by the two Swat officers before exiting onto the lower rooftop he arrived on. The Knight contacted Sanza, "Sanza, There are reports of a Rouge Kryptonian. Get the Destroyer AND The VTOL, and have them prepped with nonlethal Kryptonite Munitions", [right away sir, however they kryptonite rounds are in short supply], "then we're going to have to make every last one count". The Knight walked to the edge of the roof, pressing a button on his gauntlet he glided and dropped onto the drive way. The sounds of the Destroyer were heard in the distance as it drove up to The Knight, The Knight climbed in and drove off, The VTOL flying above the skyline.

The Knight arrived at the scene, The Destroyer stopped by the ruins, The Knight saw the kryptonian in the distance. Smiling Viciously, The Knight took a breath, Exiting The Destroyer The Knight spoke into his comms.
[Sanza, Is the Power Suit being readied?],

[Readying a model at the nearest Cryotech Facility, should be done within a few minutes]. The Knight knew a few minutes probably wouldn't be enough time. The Knight sent a message to Boxer's systems, hoping it would reach him.

Code: Select all

[I'm at Gotham General, Nonlethal Kryptonite Rounds prepped. get here, Soon]

.
The Knight pressed a button, having The Destroyer lock it's 60mm Cannon onto The Kryptonian, The Knight had The VTOL hover high above The Ruins, scanning for The Kryptonian's Signature. The Knight took a breath and climbed back into The Destroyer.

The Knight heard Boxer over his Comms,
"Priority Alpha target. This is not a drill. Priority Alpha target- Live fire permitted. Gotham General ruins. It's a damn Kryptonian".
The Knight pondered the situation,
'More People will die if you don't attack' The Knight took a last deep breath, before firing a Kryptonite Dust Round from The Destroyer's 60mm Cannon at The Kryptonian.

[Altito Asmoro]

Rogue Kryptonian- Gotham General ruins! Boxer paled, looking at the text alert from his agent in the hospital camps. "Looks like our mission is... Dammit, it's on hold. Knight, I need the biggest, baddest tech you have at the remains of Gotham General now." He turned to the other Runners. "Get Gordon on the line, tell him to contact every Bat he can get his hands on. Officer Khal!"

"Yes, Sir?" A small, female Runner walked up to Boxer.

"Get out your damn RPG." He growled.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" She smirked, racing from the room.

Boxer grabbed a small box and punched in a few numbers, overriding the building's PA system. "Priority Alpha target. This is not a drill. Priority Alpha target- Live fire permitted. Gotham General ruins. It's a damn Kryptonian."

As soon as he said this, every officer in the building stopped for a moment and simply stared.

"Looks like our mission is... Dammit, it's on hold. Knight, I need the biggest, baddest tech you have at the remains of Gotham General now.", The Knight nodded, walking out he passed by the two Swat officers before exiting onto the lower rooftop he arrived on. The Knight contacted Sanza, "Sanza, There are reports of a Rouge Kryptonian. Get the Destroyer AND The VTOL, and have them prepped with nonlethal Kryptonite Munitions", [right away sir, however they kryptonite rounds are in short supply], "then we're going to have to make every last one count". The Knight walked to the edge of the roof, pressing a button on his gauntlet he glided and dropped onto the drive way. The sounds of the Destroyer were heard in the distance as it drove up to The Knight, The Knight climbed in and drove off, The VTOL flying above the skyline.

The Knight arrived at the scene, The Destroyer stopped by the ruins, The Knight saw the kryptonian in the distance. Smiling Viciously, The Knight took a breath, Exiting The Destroyer The Knight spoke into his comms.
[Sanza, Is the Power Suit being readied?],

[Readying a model at the nearest Cryotech Facility, should be done within a few minutes]. The Knight knew a few minutes probably wouldn't be enough time. The Knight sent a message to Boxer's systems, hoping it would reach him.

Code: Select all

[I'm at Gotham General, Nonlethal Kryptonite Rounds prepped. get here, Soon]

.
The Knight pressed a button, having The Destroyer lock it's 60mm Cannon onto The Kryptonian, The Knight had The VTOL hover high above The Ruins, scanning for The Kryptonian's Signature. The Knight took a breath and climbed back into The Destroyer.

The Knight heard Boxer over his Comms,
"Priority Alpha target. This is not a drill. Priority Alpha target- Live fire permitted. Gotham General ruins. It's a damn Kryptonian".
The Knight pondered the situation,
'More People will die if you don't attack' The Knight took a last deep breath, before firing a Kryptonite Dust Round from The Destroyer's 60mm Cannon at The Kryptonian.

Screaming were heard, and people all running around here and there. Police officers attempted to firing at him to no avail and he shrugged off the attack, as he threw the rubble around. Of course no one was killed but it's the attempt that counted.

Above him, as he looked upward he saw a VTOL hovering over him. It's a matter of time before the heroes arrived and attempted to arrest him, but will they be able to win? That's still a question needs to be answered.

A round was suddenly fired at him, and he partially managed to dodged the attack. But the attack was fantastic, it was a powerful round, one that managed to lessened his abilities for awhile. "They are not something to be mess with. Nonetheless, they are still humans," said Len to himself. He started to ran towards the nearest body of water, and jumped to the water.

[Confederation of imperial states]

"Looks like our mission is... Dammit, it's on hold. Knight, I need the biggest, baddest tech you have at the remains of Gotham General now.", The Knight nodded, walking out he passed by the two Swat officers before exiting onto the lower rooftop he arrived on. The Knight contacted Sanza, "Sanza, There are reports of a Rouge Kryptonian. Get the Destroyer AND The VTOL, and have them prepped with nonlethal Kryptonite Munitions", [right away sir, however they kryptonite rounds are in short supply], "then we're going to have to make every last one count". The Knight walked to the edge of the roof, pressing a button on his gauntlet he glided and dropped onto the drive way. The sounds of the Destroyer were heard in the distance as it drove up to The Knight, The Knight climbed in and drove off, The VTOL flying above the skyline.

The Knight arrived at the scene, The Destroyer stopped by the ruins, The Knight saw the kryptonian in the distance. Smiling Viciously, The Knight took a breath, Exiting The Destroyer The Knight spoke into his comms.
[Sanza, Is the Power Suit being readied?],

[Readying a model at the nearest Cryotech Facility, should be done within a few minutes]. The Knight knew a few minutes probably wouldn't be enough time. The Knight sent a message to Boxer's systems, hoping it would reach him.

Code: Select all

[I'm at Gotham General, Nonlethal Kryptonite Rounds prepped. get here, Soon]

.
The Knight pressed a button, having The Destroyer lock it's 60mm Cannon onto The Kryptonian, The Knight had The VTOL hover high above The Ruins, scanning for The Kryptonian's Signature. The Knight took a breath and climbed back into The Destroyer.

The Knight heard Boxer over his Comms,
"Priority Alpha target. This is not a drill. Priority Alpha target- Live fire permitted. Gotham General ruins. It's a damn Kryptonian".
The Knight pondered the situation,
'More People will die if you don't attack' The Knight took a last deep breath, before firing a Kryptonite Dust Round from The Destroyer's 60mm Cannon at The Kryptonian.

Screaming were heard, and people all running around here and there. Police officers attempted to firing at him to no avail and he shrugged off the attack, as he threw the rubble around. Of course no one was killed but it's the attempt that counted.

Above him, as he looked upward he saw a VTOL hovering over him. It's a matter of time before the heroes arrived and attempted to arrest him, but will they be able to win? That's still a question needs to be answered.

A round was suddenly fired at him, and he partially managed to dodged the attack. But the attack was fantastic, it was a powerful round, one that managed to lessened his abilities for awhile. "They are not something to be mess with. Nonetheless, they are still humans," said Len to himself. He started to ran towards the nearest body of water, and jumped to the water.

The Knight furrowed his brow as he saw the Kryptonian run to the nearest body of water.

'We Can't let him get to the water'
The Knight thought to himself as he put The Destroyer in gear and drove forward, The Knight was away from the Police and Cops, he slammed into the kryptonian knocking him from his trajectory trying to get to The Water. The Destroyer swerved back around, facing The Kryptonian, The Knight spoke on The Destroyer's Speakers.

"Stay Down, Now!".

[Altito Asmoro]

Screaming were heard, and people all running around here and there. Police officers attempted to firing at him to no avail and he shrugged off the attack, as he threw the rubble around. Of course no one was killed but it's the attempt that counted.

Above him, as he looked upward he saw a VTOL hovering over him. It's a matter of time before the heroes arrived and attempted to arrest him, but will they be able to win? That's still a question needs to be answered.

A round was suddenly fired at him, and he partially managed to dodged the attack. But the attack was fantastic, it was a powerful round, one that managed to lessened his abilities for awhile. "They are not something to be mess with. Nonetheless, they are still humans," said Len to himself. He started to ran towards the nearest body of water, and jumped to the water.

The Knight furrowed his brow as he saw the Kryptonian run to the nearest body of water.
'
We Can't let him get to the water'
The Knight thought to himself as he put The Destroyer in gear and drove forward, The Knight was away from the Police and Cops, he slammed into the kryptonian knocking him from his trajectory trying to get to The Water. The Destroyer swerved back around, facing The Kryptonian, The Knight spoke on The Destroyer's Speakers.

"Stay Down, Now!".

"Oh, really? You're going to make me stay down?"

Len moved back from his current position, before blasting the car with his heat laser from his eyes and moved to the car at full speed with his fists on the direction of the car, pounded the car in the process. After the attack, Len stayed outside, and spoke, "Have you see what happened back there? I tried to helped them. And what happened? They threw rocks at me. They threw rocks at aliens like me. Don't you get it? People like me will never be accepted, no matter how nice or how good we are."

"So they deserved death, a painless one."

[Confederation of imperial states]

The Knight furrowed his brow as he saw the Kryptonian run to the nearest body of water.
'
We Can't let him get to the water'
The Knight thought to himself as he put The Destroyer in gear and drove forward, The Knight was away from the Police and Cops, he slammed into the kryptonian knocking him from his trajectory trying to get to The Water. The Destroyer swerved back around, facing The Kryptonian, The Knight spoke on The Destroyer's Speakers.

"Stay Down, Now!".

"Oh, really? You're going to make me stay down?"

Len moved back from his current position, before blasting the car with his heat laser from his eyes and moved to the car at full speed with his fists on the direction of the car, pounded the car in the process. After the attack, Len stayed outside, and spoke, "Have you see what happened back there? I tried to helped them. And what happened? They threw rocks at me. They threw rocks at aliens like me. Don't you get it? People like me will never be accepted, no matter how nice or how good we are."

"So they deserved death, a painless one."

The Knight flicked a few switches, The Destroyer was 65% damaged, 'well atleast this was a prototype model' He thought before opening the exit out of The Trunk. The Knight pressed a button which opened The Trunk, he grabbed one of the rounds out of The 60mm cannon's load chamber and exited The Destroyer. The Knight turned and looked up at The Kryptonian.

"I Know What it's like, Not being Accepted. We try to help but there are many who Throw rocks and shout at us. But that doesn't mean you should abandon your Morals, for the Discontentful being of This Planet".
The Knight took a pause, looking up at the Kryptonian, The Knight could see the Furstration and Hate in his eyes,

"Now I'm asking you, if you believe that you are Trying to help and are Good. Stand Down".

[Deminis]

Damian OcultJaxon ArediaJerimiah Carbio

Deep in the very center of the Earth, in a place secret even to the most powerful and influential humans and in-humans of the galaxy; a Seventy being of various races conspire with one another. In great forges fueled by the very core of the planet, seemingly breathing great mounds of steel drawn from the liquid metals and stone, great creation both large and small crafted by humans, Appelaxians, Monguls, Technarch', Betans, Dokris. Distinct members from these races have chosen to discard their races, their families, and their leaders to serve together under one purpose. Technology; The one thing these few share together is their belief that, in sharing their minds, they can live together away from the hurts and worries of the outside worlds.

These Seventy came together three years ago drawn by an unknown cause to find at the center of this planet, three young humans waiting for them. susceptible at first they listened to the pleads of the three and their worries were, for the first time in their lives, truly forgotten. The idea of living together with those so similar to you, despite physical difference appealed to even the most Xenophobic of the arrivals. As years passed their technology grew in great bounds and leaps surpassing the best of the best and brightest of all their own races. With the power they had created, they had surpassed the brutality of the world living simply for the comforts of a crafty mind with tinkering hands. Though, Even so they knew they worked to fuel a better world in the future rather than the now.

After three years, almost 3 months since the last Arrival, new creations still are created making life more and more interesting for them, when finally their leaders signal for a meeting. In the center of the work shops, in a great cathedral like structure these Seventy gather. At the front of the crowd three humans stand smiling at their friends, folks whom like them feared being controlled by fools and war-ish brutes. Damian Ocult tapped on his microphone,

"Greetings my friend, my new family. These past three years we have made wonderous advances that rival the powers of the Celestials and drawfs even the Green Lanterns source!"

He paused for a moment as the crowed cheered.

"We have gone farther through Time than any Betan craft, We have created machines smaller than atoms and we have created weapons that could destroy a galaxy in an instant!"

The Crowed cheered again, echoing impressively in the cathedral.

"And No Creature in this Universe of any other could hope to stop us from going further! And so Today We will finally begin the next step to our dreams, today, while i am glad to have met all of you I must say goodbye. For the year, you have a new task, Each of you is to go forth to your world or any other and return to us bearing one other who can share our dream."

The audiance quiets, they knew the day would come eventually, and they all know the requirement their selection must bear. Damian stepped down from his spot in the center as Jaxon Aredia steps into his place.

"My comrades, There are some of you who have used your gear in the world above, Whether to test its ability or to find more inspiration for our own world, There are those of you who have not, it is for those i must ask be strong and be steadfast. For there will be those who will stand in your way and they will want to know your quest. you must stay strong for the Technocracy and for your fellow man among you speak nothing of each other, nor what we do."

Jaxon holds his fist above his head at a 45 and shouts "FOR THE TECHNOCRACY."

A moment following the audiance follows, renewing their oath in their minds, remembering the code they follow. Jaxon steps down and motions to Jerimiah Carbio, whom steps forwards.

"My brothers... This day we may part, but we divide so that we might become stronger when we return. When you leave you will be given a smaller version of the same device we use three years ago to draw you here, use it with caution the first to answer it may not be the right choice. Give each planet time, the chosen may not be in the same area as you, they may not be able to reach you. They may not be on the planet at all. Choose with care my brothers, for the one you bring home is one we must all call a brother. Stay safe, and let technology guide you."

Jerimiah looked to his two friends behind him, both seeming to glow with confidence. he turned back to the crowd to see the same determined look in each one. This family gathered now, soon to grow. A family he had started.

"Go forth, and return with the second generation."

The audience gave a short shout of acknowledgment before heading to the door, where a tray of small wristband lay. As each one picked theirs they found their names engraved on the inside before quickly snapping on and heading for their crafts to depart. some waited a moment or to to speak with others, making rendezvous in distance galaxies at certain times. As the minutes passed the core was soon empty, each craft teleporting outside of earths radar ranges before blasting off on their own courses. Damian, Jaxon and Jerimiah all stood together, their own ships readied.

---

"Were will you go?" Jerimiah asked, "Andromeda perhaps?"

Jaxon answered first, "I was thinking of visiting the home world of the Symbiotes, see if there may be a mind willing to share with its host"

Damian quickly followed "I will be heading to Aedia, I don't think my Chosen will be there, but i figured it would be worth a shot, and its in the general direction of Krylor. What about you?"

Jerimiah looked up at the ceiling of the cavern for a moment before answering. "I think i'll go the Jensen system, I think Taur might offer a good chosen to me."

"Good luck to you both." Jaxon responded oddly, "I'm going to leave now, maybe I wont run out of music on the way there."

"Always in a rush," Jerimiah responded taking Jaxons hand before he could begin to board his craft, "I suppose you have every song on the planet loaded up don't you." He continued with a smirk.

"Not all of them, only the good ones." he responed, taking Damians hand next, "You stay safe, I expect to see you bother here next year."

"Of course, you as well." They each gave each other a last look before climbing into their crafts. Damian was the First to 'jump' out of the cavern, Jaxon gave Jerimiah one last smirk before 'jumping' away. Jerimiah settled in his seat, cracked his neck and set his hand on the controls for a moment. He looked up at the small green button and smiled pushing it inwards. He looked out into the stars, stretching out into the eternity, leaning back for a last glance at earth he pushed his throttle forwards and flashed out of sight.

[Altito Asmoro]

"Oh, really? You're going to make me stay down?"

Len moved back from his current position, before blasting the car with his heat laser from his eyes and moved to the car at full speed with his fists on the direction of the car, pounded the car in the process. After the attack, Len stayed outside, and spoke, "Have you see what happened back there? I tried to helped them. And what happened? They threw rocks at me. They threw rocks at aliens like me. Don't you get it? People like me will never be accepted, no matter how nice or how good we are."

"So they deserved death, a painless one."

The Knight flicked a few switches, The Destroyer was 65% damaged, 'well atleast this was a prototype model' He thought before opening the exit out of The Trunk. The Knight pressed a button which opened The Trunk, he grabbed one of the rounds out of The 60mm cannon's load chamber and exited The Destroyer. The Knight turned and looked up at The Kryptonian.

"I Know What it's like, Not being Accepted. We try to help but there are many who Throw rocks and shout at us. But that doesn't mean you should abandon your Morals, for the Discontentful being of This Planet".
The Knight took a pause, looking up at the Kryptonian, The Knight could see the Furstration and Hate in his eyes,

"Now I'm asking you, if you believe that you are Trying to help and are Good. Stand Down".

The man went out from his armored car, and to his credit, he has the kind of Batman-like suit, except more....I don't know, ancient, or futuristic? Nonetheless, he went outside with one of the rounds he used to fired at him. Or maybe a device or something.

"You may true, but this is not my planet, I should not even be here in the first place. It's only after I escaped from Phantom Zone that I am here, not without my last corps. Not without Zod. I'm alone. Superman never reached out, trying to find his own kin. As far as I know, I'm trying to be good but will never be accepted. I should abandon my morals at Siberia months ago, I was wrong to believe in humanity." said Len, philosophically but at the same time frustrated. It's like he's talking to someone that should not be his enemy, but more like...comrade-in-war.

"Now step aside. I'm not asking you to fight me, but if you insist, then we'll fight." Len said it again, this time however, he sounds calmer than before. Not frustrated anymore, but still has some sense of frustration.

[Confederation of imperial states]

The Knight flicked a few switches, The Destroyer was 65% damaged, 'well atleast this was a prototype model' He thought before opening the exit out of The Trunk. The Knight pressed a button which opened The Trunk, he grabbed one of the rounds out of The 60mm cannon's load chamber and exited The Destroyer. The Knight turned and looked up at The Kryptonian.

"I Know What it's like, Not being Accepted. We try to help but there are many who Throw rocks and shout at us. But that doesn't mean you should abandon your Morals, for the Discontentful being of This Planet".
The Knight took a pause, looking up at the Kryptonian, The Knight could see the Furstration and Hate in his eyes,

"Now I'm asking you, if you believe that you are Trying to help and are Good. Stand Down".

The man went out from his armored car, and to his credit, he has the kind of Batman-like suit, except more....I don't know, ancient, or futuristic? Nonetheless, he went outside with one of the rounds he used to fired at him. Or maybe a device or something.

"You may true, but this is not my planet, I should not even be here in the first place. It's only after I escaped from Phantom Zone that I am here, not without my last corps. Not without Zod. I'm alone. Superman never reached out, trying to find his own kin. As far as I know, I'm trying to be good but will never be accepted. I should abandon my morals at Siberia months ago, I was wrong to believe in humanity." said Len, philosophically but at the same time frustrated. It's like he's talking to someone that should not be his enemy, but more like...comrade-in-war.

"Now step aside. I'm not asking you to fight me, but if you insist, then we'll fight." Len said it again, this time however, he sounds calmer than before. Not frustrated anymore, but still has some sense of frustration.

"Now step aside. I'm not asking you to fight me, but if you insist, then we'll fight.", The Kryptonian was calm, some frustration but not too apperant.

The Knight surveyed the space between them, 5 feet at most, well within the range, however it was a hollowpoint meaning it would be more fragmentation then Explosive.
"I'm not going to step aside while you slaughter Billions", The Knight said before throwing the Round at The Kryptonian, as soon as it was within range, The Knight shot a Knight dart, detonating the Round.
The Round exploded, Hollowpoint round shards flying in all directions, The Knight attempted to shield himself with the Cape of the suit, though one of the shards ripped through the cape piercing his leg. to his credit the Kryptonite dust was within range of the Kryptonian. The Knight hit a button on his Gauntlet, the VTOL above targetted and shot a good burst of High potency Tranquilizers at The Kryptonian. whether or not they hit, or even worked would have to be seen.

The Knight dislodged the shard, hitting his comms, {I NEED THE DROP SANZA], [right away sir]. Around 15 or so feet behind The Knight, A large cylinder container dropped, The Knight quickly hustled over and placed his hand on the scanner. The Cylinder doors opened, The Knight stepped in as they closed and sealed.

[Charmera]

Kandar
Marriac nodded to Soran and then asked a question, "What about the Princess and the civilians we wish to evacuate? Should we leave them here while we go off to battle?"

Togora merely shrugged at the Princess' words. "These Xyrixma have not yet felt the wrath of Asugar. They would never be able to stand against my father in combat." Togara assured, having not yet been humbled by age like the king had.

"Don't worry. The princess has given herself the task of evaucation, hopefully with the help of your son. We did protest but she was quite insistent she help in that regard." Soran replied.

The Princess then frowned. "These things dismanted my mothers entire empire like it was a cake to be devoured." She replied. "Don't underestimate them please. They're very dangerous." She explained. Then moved towards the door. "Now we should get to work moving and protecting the civilians. We have a good deal of them ready to go already. We just need to find the ones trapped in the catacomb bunkers."

"Thank you." Spoke the empress as she got up, groaning. She was not used to being this frail. "Ever since I gave the royal Blood to my Daughter, I have been getting weaker and weaker..." She spoke. She looked around as her troops were holding off the first wave of Xyrixma. But the Empress could already see the reinforcements. The wave was scarcely finished and there was another group.

She turned to the two of them. "There's not much time." She pointed to a structure in the distance. A massive library made from gilded gold that was forged to be superdense. "There is where the artifact they want is." She then pointed at another, the Xyrixma's foothold. There there seemed to be some sort of makeshift camp. It seemed to be glowing with light. "They want a dagerous artifact from the library and my sources tell me they're summoning their god in the camp. Whichever one you go to, I'll take the army to the other. I can spare a few units to go with you, but not many."

"You'll have to choose."

Valveig nodded, looking at their two choices. If the situation would've been less dire she would've inquired about this Royal Blood, as she sensed there was an interesting story behind it, but that would have to wait until they survived. If they survived, that is. Erza, finishing her demolition of the Xyrixma, joined them, and Valveig summed up their choices. "Dangerous artifact, or summoning of a Xyrixma god?" she asked, getting straight to the question. Erza thought for a moment, before responding. "I don't like the sound of a Xyrixma god? I think we have to stop that..." she mused off, not liking the look of the glowing at all.

"I think you're right," Valveig responded. "But little time for subtlety and intelligence gathering. We've got to hit that tent with everything we've got, and keep hitting them. Mother has told me of what their queen can do, I don't want to see what their god can do." And, giving their decision to the queen, taking along the few soldiers she could lend, Erza and Valveig simply charged. A haphazard strategy, one might say, but there was little time for strategy, in their opinion. Trying not to alert to their presence, again, there were no battle cries, to the disappointment of the Asgardians. And so, they rushed toward the camp, Valveig running with the speed of the wind, adrenaline keeping the soldiers close behind.

They did not meet any resistance during the charge. In fact the camp seemed surprisingly empty from their distance. Erza frowned as they ran, suddenly having a very bad feeling about this. Could this be some sort of ambush? They pushed further into the camp, now slowing down their pace.

"This is a trap... They pl" Erza muttered. Then smiled. "So, these slimes have brains after all." She remarked.

"Actually I think you'll find they don't." One soilder spoke up. "We did auto-" He suddenly stopped when he saw Erza's raised eyebrow. "Oh. Figure of speech. Got it."

She smiled. "Don't worry warriors of Kandar. If they surround us, it just means we can fight in any direction we please."

Suddenly, as if fate itself heard her words, suddenly several Xyrixma came out from the ground itself. Each was as large as two frost giants, about twenty feet each. In all there seemed to be about ten.

"You didn't lie about them being big." Erza quipped.

"These are the small ones."

"Really?!" Erza replied with surprise. "Oh this should be fun."

"HEY! Who the heck are you calling small!" Shouted one Xyrixma.

"You slimeball." Taunted Erza. She suddenly grew herself. "Your going to be even smaller when I'm done with you. Small enough to fit in a grave."

The Slime roared as she attacked Erza, who shouted some unknown words, freezing the slime in place before she slammed her fist into it, cracking goo as it was sent flying back.

[Tomia]

Sam Grimm
Sam nodded a little solemnly at DeeDee's words, the problem was Sam didn't really know what she wanted. Did she want to be with DeeDee like that? Sam was certainly attracted to her, but Sam didn't trust very easy and wasn't sure she could trust DeeDee yet, the half demon seemed a little too aloof for Sam's comfort. Still she pushed those thoughts aside and answered DeeDee's question. "Well, that's a really nice offer DeeDee. I'll have to talk to my sisters though. I'm not sure if we have plans, but I know we'll want to be together whatever we do. As for how I got back. Well... I wandered around in a forest for a while until i found this really big demon that looked like an ogre. He said is name was 'Trugala' I think. He told me he'd get me back to the human world if I managed to beat him in a fight. And well... It took a while but eventually I froze him in a block of ice. I thawed him after a little while and even though he called my magic something in some weird language, he agreed that I won and he brought me home." Sam told DeeDee about her night.

[Confederation of imperial states]

Rooftop on Chicago
5 Minutes Ago

The Knight chased a Woman in a red and blue suit, as she used her colorful ziplines to swing from roof to roof. The Knight chased her with a bloodlust, eager to finally catch her. "HaHa, neva gonna catch ME" she yelled to the knight as she ran. The Knight gritted his teeth, as he glided down, and rammed into the woman's back, smashing her face first into a wall. as The Woman groaned, The Knight flipped her over, the Blood a contrast to her suit, The Knight grabbed her by the throat.
"WHERE IS THE ARCHITECT JOLLY!?!?!?!" The Knight yelled at her, his voice older, but none the less meanacing. "I don't know, and It wouldn't be any use to you if I did". The Knight scowled, grabbign her ziplines from her,

"then you're no use to me...". The Knight grabbed her by the back of her suit's Collar, and tossed her off of the roof top. She yelled, screaming at he top of her lungs as she plummeted. until she finally hit the ground, with a sickening splant. The Knight shook his head, as he walked off.

Now, Back in The Knight's Domain

The Knight walked quietly in the shadow filled Domain, Until he heard someone yell, "Hey, yo Knight, Are you here?!". The Knight grew angry as he approached the figure.
------------------------------------------
Kalder stood in a darker, grittier, and Scarier Knight's Domain, One where weapons and other deadly tools were a normality. From the shadows to his right, a figure in a Red and Black Knight suit stepped out. "WHO ARE YOU" The Knight said, grabbing Kalder by the collar of his suit, "WHO ARE YOU" The Knight yelled, tossing Kalder over a table, causing it to fall onto it's side. The Knight walked over to Kalder, grabbing him with his left hand on Kalder's collar, and the right Hand ready to throw a hard punch. "How do you Know about this place?! TALK!".

War of Kings
Kalder

"Hey! Knight, calm down! It's me! Kalder! What's wrong with you!?"
Kalder was caught in shock, but he held his hand out of sight, and some energy was starting to form in case the Knight, or whoever this person was, tried to do anything. The Knight wasn't really one for nice talks, but this was someone totally different in their own.

Knight's Lair

The Knight stared into Kalder's eyes, it wasn't the stare of the man he'd previously met. It was the Stare of a cold blooded murderer.
"great, another Arovean. Just what i need", The Knight said to Kalder's confusion as he activated a device, dissipating the shield.

The Knight then lunged at kalder, electrifying his gauntlets and began punching him back anf forth, The Knight stopped, throwing Kalder into a dresser on the far side of The Lair. "Marcus, Please Stop!" Kalder said, only infuriating The Knight in the proccess.
Kalder peered up at an old Photo, of Thomas, Martha, and Youn Marcus Branston. Kalder then finally realized as he peered at The Knight, as he grabbed him by the collar of his uniform.

"wait you......You're Thomas Branston".

[Siliarba]

Sam Grimm
Sam nodded a little solemnly at DeeDee's words, the problem was Sam didn't really know what she wanted. Did she want to be with DeeDee like that? Sam was certainly attracted to her, but Sam didn't trust very easy and wasn't sure she could trust DeeDee yet, the half demon seemed a little too aloof for Sam's comfort. Still she pushed those thoughts aside and answered DeeDee's question. "Well, that's a really nice offer DeeDee. I'll have to talk to my sisters though. I'm not sure if we have plans, but I know we'll want to be together whatever we do. As for how I got back. Well... I wandered around in a forest for a while until i found this really big demon that looked like an ogre. He said is name was 'Trugala' I think. He told me he'd get me back to the human world if I managed to beat him in a fight. And well... It took a while but eventually I froze him in a block of ice. I thawed him after a little while and even though he called my magic something in some weird language, he agreed that I won and he brought me home." Sam told DeeDee about her night.

DeeDee

I started snickering, not outright laughing but snickering definitely. "Demons physiology is way different than human and most humanoids, for example, demons usually don't mind heat or cold. You just happened to run in to the one demon in my realm that actually has an allergy to ice. He was probably cursing his allergy, or insulting you for using ice, next time I send you there be careful for him, there's a good chance he'll try to rip off a limb and call it even. After that he'll probably call you his buddy though once the score's settled and invite you for drinks." Maybe I should try to cool Trugula off or order him not to retaliate, then again, losing a limb is a good learning experience and a fun test. He probably still has my first left arm, he likes to keep a lot of trophies after all.

"I'm giving you a Christmas gift, and I'm not giving you the chance to deny it, I wonder if I can get you to go completely catatonic out of pure shyness. Regardless it'll be fun, I'll make sure you'll never forget that gift."

[Mavorpen]

A Tale of Life and Death: Epilogue
Earth

Leo walked out of the front door to his and his mom's apartment, locking it behind him. He then walked down the hallway until he reached the stairs. He walked down the stairs which lead to the bakery that was owned by his mom on the first floor. He looked behind the counter and saw his mom personally helping out, which was different than usual as of late. Since she'd been able to hire extra hands, she'd been focusing on training the new employees and managing the financial aspect of the bakery more than directly working alongside them. However, it was the holidays, and therefore they experienced significant increase in customers.

His mom noticed him out of the corner of her eye and turned to him. "Hey Leo, are you heading out?" She asked.

"Yeah." Leo said, stopping just as he was about to open the door to the bakery.

"We're nearly out of ice cream cakes here. Could you go get ten of them out of the back?"

"Sure, mom." Leo said, taking his hand off of the door and heading behind the counter and into the backroom. It was nothing special and contained the typical things one would find in the backroom of a bakery such as bakery racks, ovens, freezers, etc. He grabbed a small bakery rack and pushed it as he walked over to the freezer. He opened the freezer and proceeded to take out ten ice cream cakes and load them onto the rack. He turned around and glanced at one of the other racks, seeing a plastic container containing cupcakes and he walked over to it and took one. One of the best benefits of being the son of a bakery owner.

Leo took a bite and walked back over to the rack and began pushing it. The cupcake slipped out of his hand and rolled away on the ground towards the back right corner of the room. "Damn it!" He muttered as he walked over to the cupcake and bent down to pick it up. As soon as he grabbed it, he frowned and leaned in closer to the ground. "What the...?" He whispered to himself as he looked at the floor and saw that the floor was chipped and exposed a wire beneath it.

Leo frowned, and traced it up the right wall right next to the back corner of the room. There was nothing there that actually required the presence of this wire, which caused his eyes to furrow further in confusion. He placed his ear to the wall and began knocking on the wall in several different places. Suddenly, he knocked on an area that made an entirely different noise. It was almost as though there was something metallic behind the wall.

Leo placed the palm of his hand on the region, and suddenly it began glowing and formed a rectangle around his hand. He then heard a noise from his left and looked at the area of the back wall next to the corner. Suddenly, the wall began opening, forming an entrance the size of an average door. Leo hesitated for a second and then entered through it, coming across a flight of stairs. Lights lining the walls around the stairs began turning on one by one and Leo began walking down them.

Once at the bottom, he found himself in a room that was empty save for a control desk in the center of the room and some sort of strange looking door on the wall farthest away from the stairs. Leo walked up to the control panel and looked down at the various assortment of buttons and knobs on it. A large red button caught his eye and he shrugged and pressed it. The large black and yellow doors then began opening.

Leo approached the structure and looked into it, seeing a tunnel that extended back about 20 feet that ended with a hole roughly 10 feet in diameter. On the wall beside the structure was a square panel with two buttons, one reading "on" and the other reading "off." He pressed the "on" button and nothing happened. Letting his curiosity getting the best of him, he glanced at some sort of jumpsuit hanging to the right of the panel on the wall. The suit was white, save for the gloves, boots, and the collar. He put on the suit and then walked into the tunnel.

Unfortunately, unlike the stairs and the room behind him, the tunnel contained no lights and therefore decided to stick close to the right wall. He used his hands to feel along the wall as he walked deeper into the tunnel, when suddenly, he felt something. He instinctively pressed down on it, and the hole at the end of the tunnel began shining brightly, revealing that he had pressed another "on" switch that was built on the inside of the structure. "Why would you put a--" Suddenly, he felt an unimaginable amount of pain as the light turned green and quickly washed over him. Leo opened his mouth to scream, but for some reason, he couldn't hear it, as it was drowned out by ghastly wailing.

Leo weakly walked back to the entrance of the doorway and collapsed to his knees, gripping his sides through gritted teeth, his hair white, and the colors of the jumpsuit inverted as strange green energy leaked out of him. Leo closed his eyes, breathing heavily and wishing for the pain to go away. After a few seconds, mysteriously enough, it did, and he slowly stood up, his hair having returned to normal and the jumpsuit seemingly having disappeared and his normal clothes returning.

Leo had been far too in shock with what had happened to even notice the changes in the first place, and so he stumbled to the stairs and walked up them, holding his head and occasionally stopping to regain his composure from an occasional influx of dizziness. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he walked over to the area of the wall from before and placed his hand on it. It once again glowed, and the doors closed shut. He then walked over and picked up the cupcake off of the ground.

"What are you doing?" Leo's heart jumped into his throat and his ears were filled with the sound of his heart pounding. Still, he looked up as inconspicuously as possible as his mom, standing in the doorway of the backroom. "I told you to get me these ice cream cakes over 15 minutes ago, Leo!" She said, walking over to the tray containing the cakes.

"S-sorry mom." Leo said. "I took a cupcake and dropped it. I know how you feel about me sneaking out stuff during busy periods so I was panicking."

"For 15 whole minutes?" His mom raised an eyebrow. Then, she sighed. "It's fine, just...don't worry about something like that and tell me up front next time, okay? I'm more upset over you taking so long to get the cakes than you taking a single cupcake."

"Yeah. Sorry, mom." Leo said, looking to the side.

"Go ahead on out. The amount of customers has gone down a bit, so I'll just take care of the ice cream cakes myself." She said. Leo nodded and walked out of the room, going from behind the counter, and leaving the building. His mom waited until she heard the jingling of the bell above the front door and then she frowned and looked at the back right corner of the room. Then she grabbed the rack and began pushing it from the backroom.

Outskirts of the Milky Way

The crowd of members from various species from all throughout the galaxy parted as a figure walked through it. Some looked at the figure in disbelief and worry, though none dared to take more than a courtesy glance, else the figure might confront them over it. After all, few would dare even think of upsetting the mighty Thanos. After all, he was not called the Mad Titan for nothing.

Thanos walked through the street, paying no mind to the acts of crime and debauchery around him. Everything from the sale of dangerous and addictive drugs to prostitution and slavery took place in this region of the galaxy, and this planet was no exception. Frankly, such a dirty and grimy place was beneath him, however, he had a personal reason to come here.

Thanos found his destination to his right--a bar--and walked through the door. Though everyone in the bar continued about their business, it was as though a metaphorical collective silence had taken place upon his entrance. Thanos felt the piercing gaze of everyone in the bar upon him for a brief moment. He scanned the bar and then began walking to the right side of the room. He paused at a table that had a cloaked individual already sitting at, and he sat across from the individual.

"About time you showed up." The individual said, looking down his cell phone and tapping the screen.

"Would you prefer I not show up at all, Nova?" Thanos grumbled.

"Hey, hey! I'm covering up for a reason, y'know." Jamal sighed, looking up from his phone at Thanos. "In any case, I was honestly expecting you to not show up. It's making me question reality itself."

"If it's any consolation, I had no plan on coming either, initially. I suppose I let my...curiosity get the best of me. However, my patience is limited, so it would be wise to get to the point with haste." Thanos said.

"I just wanted to check on you. More specifically, how are things going since the break up?" Jamal asked. "Well, I say that as though there was an actually mutual relationship in the first place..."

Thanos was silent for a brief moment before answering. "To be forthright with myself, I feel as though a great burden has been lifted from my shoulders. The reality is that my obsession with with obtaining power has been, frankly, unbecoming of me. Furthermore, my obsession with Earth in particular has never quite made as much sense as I would have previously liked to believe."

"And any...y'know, 'Mad Titan' stuff lately?" Jamal asked.

"If you are asking whether I have actively gone out of my way to raze numerous worlds as has been a staple of mine for centuries, then no, I have done no such thing as of late." Thanos replied. "Still, it would be wise of you to not presume that I have 'changed.' Such a thing is not possible."

"Your father seemed to think so." Jamal said.

"Perhaps before the destruction of Titan and before I shunned his extended hand when I left him on that miserable rock." Thanos said. "Afterwards however, I can assure you, that all pretenses of my father having faith in me was quickly wiped away. After all, he was the one to ask my grandfather Kronos to create Drax the Destroyer in the first place."

"I wonder about that." Jamal smirked. "After all, at that point in time, you still believed that the Death you were following actually existed. You believed because you wanted to believe. I'd be willing to bet that it was out of sheer spite. You didn't want your father to be right. You were completely and utterly set on not admitting that you were just a fucked up kid."

Suddenly, a loud bang rang out through the bar as an alien across the room slammed his fist on the table in front of him. On the opposite side of the table was another alien who scowled at the first. "What part of 'no deal' do you not understand?! This is a prime female Skrull!" The first alien shouted, gesturing to the Skrull standing next to his seat clad in rags and chains, tears streaming down her face. "She can look like anyone you want. Naturally, she costs more than the average harlot."

"It matters not what my father believed." Thanos scowled. "What's done is done, and that will never change. I will never change, despite your incessant claims otherwise."

"There you go again, Thanos." Jamal chuckled. "Trying to justify your own laziness and refusal to try." He stood up. "Maybe if you put as much effort into trying to change as you do brooding and as you did taking lives, you just might surprise yourself. As for me, I've got work to do for right now."

"Forget it, you are wasting my time with your insulting offers. Come!" The first alien said, tugging at the chain in his hands. "What the...?" He said as he felt no resistance on the other line, and he held up the chain in front of his face, seeing that it was sliced clean through. "Who dares?!" He shouted, whipping around and immediately gasping--his expression conveying absolute horror as he saw Jamal in his Nova Prime uniform standing before him.

"Nova Prime here. And we're here to being some law to this lawless region." Jamal said and two other Nova Corps members dropped down through the ceiling of the bar.

Thanos stood up from the table and began walking to the exit. "See ya later!" Jamal called out to him with a grin. Thanos merely scoffed and walked out of the bar, looking up at the sky and seeing several Nova Corps starships hovering above the planet's atmosphere.

Earth
Leo

Leo walked through the second floor of a large mall that was covered to the brim in Christmas decorations . He looked down at his hands with a permanent frown stuck on his face. He turned them repeatedly, looking over every inch of them as he balled them into a fist and then relaxed them again and again. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he reached into it and pulled it out. He opened the text he received and read it.

Code: Select all

At the food court. Hurry up.

Leo sighed and proceeded to head to the food court. He found the person he was supposed to meet almost immediately. After all, she was pretty hard to miss due to how much she stood out. He walked up to the table she was sitting at and she looked up from the book she was reading. "Finally. You're 20 minutes late for fuck's sake, Leo." She sighed, watching him sit down.

"Sorry Evilyn, I... I saw some weird stuff at the bakery." Leo said.

"Like?" Evilyn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I... it's hard to explain.." He muttered. "Say... do you think my mom might be a secret agent or something?"

Evilyn stared him in the face for a couple of seconds in silence. "You know, I think you've lost any right to call anything else weird." She closed up her book and stood up. "Come on, let's go."

"Wait, we're not going to eat lunch?" Leo asked.

"Oh, I had lunch. You were 20 minutes late and therefore have absolutely no room to complain. Now come on. The earlier we finish, the earlier we can leave and you can eat." Evilyn said, proceeding to walk away without waiting for a response.

Leo rolled his eyes, stood up, and caught up to her. "Why the hell did I agree to come here with you anyway again?"

"Because you're a loser and you have no friends." Evilyn responded.

"Then that means you're friends with a loser." Leo remarked.

"...You do re--"

"Shut up, I know." Leo sighed. "So, any ideas about what your brother would like as a gift?"

"Hell no. That's why I didn't want to shop for his gift myself, why my mom had to force me to do it, and why you're here." Evilyn said. "The real question is what would you, as a guy, want? As long as it's within $200, of course."

"I guess video games would be the safest bet. Does he have any consoles or does he do any PC gaming?" Leo asked.

"Uh... he's got a PS4."

"Alright, that's a start. If it were me, I'd ask for Fallout 4, Witcher 3, and and Metal Gear Solid V. Let's head over to GameStop."

"Wow, look at you, being all helpful and stuff." Evilyn snidely remarked. "In all seriousness though, thanks for the help."

"Yeah, no pro--" Leo began, when suddenly he felt a chill which prompted him to shiver and a blue mist came from his mouth. He was then drowned out by the screams of a large number of people in the mall around them. Holiday shoppers were running towards them from the front and screaming as though their lives were at risk. "What the hell...?" Leo muttered as a bunch of them ran past Evilyn and him, knocking them both around. Then, through the approaching wave of people, he saw something large, green, and glowing chasing after them.

"Is that a...giant horse?" Evilyn asked. Leo grabbed her arm and began dragging her away from the creature.

"Don't just stand there, run!" He shouted. She complied and the two ran along with the screaming and fleeing crowd. While they ran, Leo suddenly realized that this was actually not the best plan for the simple reason that all of their possible escape routes would be extremely ineffective. They could try to get to the first floor with the elevators, but those would be easily filled, and it was too slow. The escalators were also too slow and too dangerous as people would be climbing over each other to run down them. And the doors leading to the parking lot outside of the mall would similarly be clogged up and stuffed to the brim which. "Evilyn, on the count of three, we're going to jump into the nearest store. Okay?!" He called out to her through all of the noise. Leo saw her nod and he began counting. "One...Two...Three!" He shouted, and the two dived into a female's clothing store.

Leo went to the right and Evilyn to the left. They then both crawled to the back of the store and hid behind some clothes racks where they could see each other but were obscured from anyone that would walk into the store. They both pushed some clothes apart far enough to watch the crowd and then the horse creature pass by. Evilyn began to stand up but Leo stopped her. "No!" He whispered. "Get back down, just in case!"

They waited about five minutes in complete silence, when suddenly, a green light began shining in front of the store's entrance. The horse creature appeared and entered the store. Leo silently cursed as the horse slowly began walking down the center of the store. Evilyn and Leo looked at each other, and Leo pointed forward, mouthing the words "go quietly." She nodded and the two went on the outer edges of the clothing racks, and began sneaking from rack to rack as they made their way to the entrance and the horse continued down the middle of the store. They were almost to the entrance when suddenly Evilyn knocked a couple of belts on a rack with her elbow. The clanking of the metal seemed to echo through the store, the horse paused, and it grew deathly silent. Then, the horse immediately turned and charged at her.

Evilyn screamed and Leo shouted "No, Evilyn!" Suddenly, his eyes glowed green and he felt a huge burst of energy course through him, and a circle encircled around his waste. The circle separated into two distinct circles and one traveled to his head and one to his feet. As they traveled, his appearance changed along with it until his eyes were green, his hair was white, and he wore the black jumpsuit from before. The horse suddenly stopped a few feet from Evilyn and turned it's head to face Leo. "Get away from her!" Leo charged the horse and punched it in the face, sending it flying above her and straight through the wall behind her. He knelt down in front of her. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice and face displaying deep concern.

"...What the hell happened to you?" She asked in complete shock.

Leo turned and saw a mirror about 20 feet away and looked at himself in it. "I...I don't kn--" He began when suddenly the horse cried out and charged at him. Leo quickly grabbed Evilyn and pushed her off to the side and the horse rammed into him. He wrapped his hands around the horse's neck and shouted out in fear as the horse continued running and suddenly took a left, heading out of the store, and taking another left. It bolted down the walkway at about 40 mph, quickly reaching one of the pair of doors leading out of the mall, and crashed through the doors, with Leo still hanging onto it's front. And then, it did something that Leo simply didn't expect. It flew.

Leo's eyes widened in horror as the horse rapidly accelerated to mach 1, and took off into the sky. He lost the grip of his left hand and he slipped off to the left side of the horse, barely managing to react in time to grab one of the straps on the left side of it's torso. "Stop! Stop!" Leo shouted as the horse traveled further and further. "Um...Woah?!" Suddenly, the horse grounded to a halt in the sky. The resulting force sent Leo flying forwards. He looked down at the ground and immediately closed his eyes "No no no no no no no!" He screamed. After a few seconds of not feeling any sensation of falling, he slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was floating about 500 meters in the air. "Oh. My. God." He whispered, his eyes and mouth wide open as he was spreadeagle.

Leo slowly brought his arms and legs together and he attempted to orient himself in a standing position. After fumbling in the air for about a minute, he finally managed to stand upright. He began laughing, feeling a mixture of confusion, happiness, and fear. The horse trotted over to him and nudged his face with its muzzle. Leo slowly reached out and touched the bridge of it's nose, prompting it to confidently snort. A small smile formed on Leo's face and he walked over to the side of the horse and willed himself to float higher. "Easy now..." He then wrapped his leg around. and sat on the saddle on the horse's back. The horse again snorted and began energetically taking a few steps forwards and backwards. Leo laughed. "Wait till Evilyn sees this!" All of a sudden, the horse neighed loudly. "Wait... you recognize her name?" Again, the horse neighed. "...Can you take me to her?" The horse didn't respond for a brief second and then the green energy emanating from it flared up and it reared back and neighed even louder. It then proceeded to sprint forward, descending to the ground at an angle.

The horse made it's way into the city and Leo recognized Evilyn's parent's car. They must have heard about the incident at the mall and picked her up. The horse quickly caught up to the car and descended until it was physically running on the ground to the left of the car. He saw her sitting in the left backseat and waved at her to try to get her attention. He frowned, seeing that she hadn't noticed him, despite the fact that he was riding a large green horse that could fly. He looked ahead and saw that they were riding directly into an oncoming truck. "Hey hey hey watch out!" Leo shouted. However, the two somehow went through the truck as though it wasn't even there. "Wow, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" He said, and the horse whinnied.

The horse followed the car until they reached Evilyn's house. She and her mom got out of the car, when suddenly she heard a sound. "Psst. Down here!" Leo whispered. She looked down to see Leo's head sticking from out of the ground beside her feet. On instinct, she yelped, prompting her mom to whip around.

"Honey, are you okay? Like I thought, whatever happened at the mall must have taken a lot out of you." Her mom said with a concerned expression.

"N--no, mom. I'm fine. I just remembered that I lost my book back at the mall. It was one of my favorites, so..." Evilyn said, glancing down at the ground and seeing Leo's head was gone. "If it's alright, I'm gonna stay out here and just get some fresh air for a little bit."

Her mom looked at her for a few seconds before sighing. "Well, alright. Don't take too long. I'll meet you inside when you're done." Her mom turned around, walked to the front door, opened it, and walked into the house.

Evilyn looked down at the ground and whispered, "Leo?"

Leo's head immediately popped up from the ground and looked up at her. "Hey." He grinned.

"How are you doing that?" She asked him, furrowing her eyebrows a bit.

Leo looked down. "It's okay boy, come on out." Leo began rising out of the ground further until both he and the horse were completely above ground. Evilyn stared up at him with her eyes wide and her jaw dropped. "I know, cool huh?" He grinned. Suddenly, a bright circle surrounded his waist and it separated into two circles, heading to his head and feet and transforming him back to normal. Then, the horse promptly neighed and bucked Leo off, causing him to fall to the ground. "Ow..." He said, gripping his head and watching the horse once again run away and take off into the sky. "Well that was short-lived..." He muttered.

"Okay, you've got to explain what happened, exactly." Evilyn said, reaching down and helping him up. Leo nodded and then explained everything to her, except for finding the hidden room in the back of the bakery, simply because he still had no idea what to make of it. He expected her to stop him halfway through and tell him that he was being rediculous--frankly he still couldn't believe any of it himself--but she simply focused intently on him, listening to every word he said. "So, like, are you gonna be a superhero or something?"

"I...I don't know about th--" Leo began when he heard the front door to her house open, and saw her mom walk out onto the front porch.

"Hey, Leo!" She called out to him with a smile.

"Hey, Mrs. Capanni. I just came over to check up on Evilyn and see how she's doing since the mall incident." Leo said.

"How sweet. What a great friend you are!" She exclaimed. "Would you like to come in?"

"Oh, no thanks. I was just about to head back home. Promised my mom I'd get back ASAP." Leo said. "It was nice seeing you again, though."

"You too." She replied. "Evilyn, honey, hurry up and come in." She said and she walked back into the house.

"Leo turned back to Evilyn and shrugged. "Well, see you later, then. I'll text you when I get home." She nodded and Leo turned around to head back home, racking his brain around just how to deal with what just happened with him.

Earth
Jamal

"Connect four." Jamal said, placing the red checker in his hand into one of the columns of the Connect Four board in front of him.

"Aw, come on, again? How do you do that?" Death of the Endless asked, staring at the four diagonally lined up red checkers on the board.

"I'm juggling about 500,000 different possible situations for the game, so it's really not that difficult." Jamal shrugged.

"Well that's not very fair." She protested.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to play Connect Fo--" Jamal began when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked across the room and saw Jessica standing in front of the stairs and staring at the two sitting at the sofa in front of the fireplace with a Connect Four board between them in utter confusion. "Wow, you really slept in."

"Good afternoon, Jessica." Death smiled.

Jessica's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" She asked, staring at Death.

"Oh, that's right. Jessica, this is Death. Death, Jessica." Jamal said, pointing back and forth between the two.

"Nice to meet you. We're on a date." Death smiled.

Jessica sighed. "So, let me get this straight. You're Death..." She said, pointing at Death. "...and you're on a date with him playing...Connect Four?"

"Yep." Death responded. "It's quite fun, even if he is cheating." Jamal simply shrugged at the accusation of cheating.

"I...I need a drink." Jessica said, walking over to the bar.

"So, I guess we should play a different game." Jamal reached over the sofa and began rummaging through a pile of boxes behind it containing various games. "How about some Monopoly?" He asked.

"Ooh, sounds fun!" Death smiled.

...

"Eh, I'd say my favorite color is red." Jamal said, lying next to Death in the middle of a field and looking up at the sky. They stared up at three of the five moons that orbited the planet. "So, what about you?"

"Hmm, I've never really given it much thought." Death said. "I suppose black, maybe? Wait, is black considered a color?"

"Erm... colloquially, yes. In terms of art or science, not really. So I guess it counts." Jamal shrugged. "My turn, now. What are you?"

Death laughed. "Woah, that's a heavy question out of nowhere. Well, it's not like it's a secret or anything... I guess I should preface everything by saying that even me and my family aren't exactly sure what we are, specifically. And along the same lines, we aren't exactly sure why we even exist. If you ask one of my younger brothers, Destruction, he'll tell you we're simply constants, or patterns. Which separates me from, say, Mistress Death. She's a personification. I am Death. Anyway, I'm the second oldest of the Endless, and we were born from our father, Time and our mother, Night. I was born when the first life formed, as we Endless also preside over our opposite halves. For example, I give beings life, and I am there when they are born."

"Well that definitely explains why you know everyone's name, outside of cosmic awareness." Jamal said.

Death chuckled. "True. You were quite the cute newborn, by the way. Anyway, as I was saying, my job is to give order to death. Again, I'm not merely a personification, I am Death. As a result, if I don't do my job, the universe goes quite wonky because it tries to compensate for it. We've created personifications to help lessen the workload, and the many gods that are worshiped throughout the universe also are a big help as well. Is that a sufficient explanation?"

"Yeah, I think I got it all."

"Good. My turn. Hmm..." She clicked her tongue as she stared up at the moons and pondered a question to ask. "Have you ever cheated on a significant other?"

"You... you know the answer to that question, don't you?" Jamal asked her.

"Isn't the point that I learn these things for myself?" Death snickered.

"...True." Jamal shrugged. "Well, I'm not really sure how to answer that one. Depends on how you want to look at it."

"Isn't that just a half-assed way of saying 'yes'?" Death laughed.

"Maybe. I guess. It was during my initial year in the Nova Corps. I was still a greenhorn--still young and naive. Anyway, at the time, I was dating Jessica--yes, that Jessica--and she was alright with the idea of possibly not seeing me for entire weeks while I do Nova Corps stuff out in space, just as long as I didn't do something stupid like cheat on her. And, well, I accepted that. Most wouldn't, I imagine, because dating a telepath is pretty intimidating. Anyway, one day, my team and I had captured this wanted female alien. Suddenly, I started having these...dreams at night about said alien. I didn't think anything of them, and just let them go on night after night for weeks without a second thought. Eventually, I returned to Earth, met up with Jessica, and she immediately started berating me, accusing me of cheating. Turns out, that alien was a mind parasite, and had taken a...liking to me so she'd inject herself into my dreams every night. Jessica could smell the lingering link a mile away, and it eventually led us to breaking up."

"Wow... that's rough." Death said.

"Yeah. I think she's gotten past it, though. Mostly. So, I gotta ask, were you always like this? You know, so... un-Death-like." Jamal asked.

"Oh, definitely not. It used to bother me when I was really young." Death sighed. "I used to think that I had the hardest job in all of my family. And, well, I guess the rest of my family would still argue that I do, but that's beside the point. Everything was fine in the beginning. In the beginning, both living and dying were new things, and like children experiencing something new for the first time, they were enthusiastic about them both. They were even pleased to see me, both at the beginning and at the end. Then when I'd meet them to take them away, they'd tell me all about their life with sheer delight. And then, it started to get harder. Eventually only a select few amount of people greeted me with relief--usually ones who viewed me as an escape of some aspect of their lives that they viewed as intolerable. The rest of them...they just wished I'd go away as though dying was some kind of admission of failure. It..." Her voice grew a bit somber. "It made me sad. Soon, I became sad all the time, and I thought about giving it all up and just walking away. And one day...I did."

"Wait, seriously? That sounds like something that'd be common knowledge if suddenly everyone in the universe couldn't die." Jamal said.

"You're probably thinking back to the whole Cancerverse stuff, but no, this wasn't like that." Death said. "This happened a long time ago, long before Earth even existed. But yeah, nothing died. From people and animals to bacteria. It was...chaos. The pain got really bad, and it only got worse. Eventually they sent a young man to see me. He found me after a long and strenuous journey and pleaded me to take a look at what I'd done. And so, I went back to work, even though I hated doing it--simply because the alternative was far, far, worse. After some time, I stopped being sad and I simply became cold and brittle. People were pleased to be born as if they'd done it themselves. Mostly they didn't. And then they got upset and hurt and shaken when they died, even when they did it themselves. And sometimes they did. It just...it infuriated me. And then, one day, a small girl looked at me when I took her with these vain and distant eyes. And she said, 'How would you like it?' That one sentence hurt me more than anything before, and it made me think. So, I resolved that every hundred years, I'd take a day to live to see how I liked it, and see what I could learn."

"'One day in every century, Death takes on mortal flesh. This is the price she must pay for being the divider of the living from all that has gone before, all that must come after.'" Jamal said, repeating what she had told him once before.

"Exactly. It only took one day. When I met me after the first day was up, I turned to me and told me that I was a coldhearted, stuck-up, frigid bitch--only I wasn't anywhere as nice about it. And I got the message. I had been doing it all wrong. See, when people die, they're usually a bit shaken, or hurt, or angry, or even worse. They not only deserve, but they need a kind word and a friendly face. They may not be ready for my gift, but it has to be given anyway. The sunless lands are far away, and the journey is hard, and hopefully most will be glad of the company of a friend. At the end, each of us stands naked. At the end, each of us stands alone. It's not particularly deep, but it took me a long time to figure it out and understand it." Death smiled. "And since then, things have been pretty good. I've met so many cool people and worlds and seen so many cool things. I've learned so much. I'd say I'm pretty lucky."

"Of course you're lucky, you have me."

Death laughed. "Gee, thanks for completely ruining the mood."

"It's what I do." Jamal said, sitting up and frowning. "I gotta go. Sun-Eater in a nearby sector."

"Alright. Don't die." Death grinned.

"You know, I can't help but feel like you're being sarcastic." Jamal grinne dback as he stood up. His Nova Prime uniform appeared over his body and he took off into space, with Death waving goodbye as she continued laying on the ground and staring at the moons.

[Altito Asmoro]

The man went out from his armored car, and to his credit, he has the kind of Batman-like suit, except more....I don't know, ancient, or futuristic? Nonetheless, he went outside with one of the rounds he used to fired at him. Or maybe a device or something.

"You may true, but this is not my planet, I should not even be here in the first place. It's only after I escaped from Phantom Zone that I am here, not without my last corps. Not without Zod. I'm alone. Superman never reached out, trying to find his own kin. As far as I know, I'm trying to be good but will never be accepted. I should abandon my morals at Siberia months ago, I was wrong to believe in humanity." said Len, philosophically but at the same time frustrated. It's like he's talking to someone that should not be his enemy, but more like...comrade-in-war.

"Now step aside. I'm not asking you to fight me, but if you insist, then we'll fight." Len said it again, this time however, he sounds calmer than before. Not frustrated anymore, but still has some sense of frustration.

"Now step aside. I'm not asking you to fight me, but if you insist, then we'll fight.", The Kryptonian was calm, some frustration but not too apperant.

The Knight surveyed the space between them, 5 feet at most, well within the range, however it was a hollowpoint meaning it would be more fragmentation then Explosive.
"I'm not going to step aside while you slaughter Billions", The Knight said before throwing the Round at The Kryptonian, as soon as it was within range, The Knight shot a Knight dart, detonating the Round.
The Round exploded, Hollowpoint round shards flying in all directions, The Knight attempted to shield himself with the Cape of the suit, though one of the shards ripped through the cape piercing his leg. to his credit the Kryptonite dust was within range of the Kryptonian. The Knight hit a button on his Gauntlet, the VTOL above targetted and shot a good burst of High potency Tranquilizers at The Kryptonian. whether or not they hit, or even worked would have to be seen.

The Knight dislodged the shard, hitting his comms, {I NEED THE DROP SANZA], [right away sir]. Around 15 or so feet behind The Knight, A large cylinder container dropped, The Knight quickly hustled over and placed his hand on the scanner. The Cylinder doors opened, The Knight stepped in as they closed and sealed.

"I'm not going to kill billions. Maybe thousands, or whatever left at Gotham. But obviously not billions, that's pros...pros..prospeterous, yes, that," Len replied, he didn't knew the right word so to speak. So after that, the man in suit threw something at him and then it exploded, pushing him several meters away from the battle scene. "Argh...that's one hell of an attack."

"And it certainly weakens me, human," said Len again. He's weakening by this point, and at the same time the man seemed to be unharmed. He went into his flying vehicle and fired another thing at him. It didn't do any harm except minor attempt to made him asleep which was failed. Len blasts another wave of heat laser to the man, before flying to sky, now hovering above the man in the suit.

The man in the suit went inside...something, he's not sure what it is. And then he flew to one of the taller building and stood atop the building, overlooking the man in the suit below.

[Tomia]

Kandar
King Marriac nodded, "Very well, let us be off then to find this weapon of yours. My son will stay back to help the Princess, though I can't imgaine he'll be too happy about that. He's a ferocious one my boy is." Marriac said as he headed off with Soran toward the transport shuttles.

Meanwhile the Togara stiffened at the Princess' suggestion. "You want me to go run off to clear some wreckage?" He asked, almost incredulous. "I am no common slave worker. I am Asugar's Hammer, and a warrior at heart. That work is beneath me." Togara said firmly. Though he had been ordered to protect the princess, he was not at all interest at doing search and rescue work when a battle was raging on nearby.