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

[Confederation of imperial states]

"The Ranger"

The VTOL of the Ranger hovered unnoticed to a rooftop of a rooftop along New York Avenue, he landed lightly with the VTOL blastng off. the Ranger walked over to the edge of the building to look down upon a crowd of people, one man stood infront od a sign that said "grady Inc", and what seemed to be news reporters trying to talk to him. "GIve me a run down, who is that?" [Owen Grady, Heir to the Grady Incorporated Technology industry and empire]. "Patch me into the the news reporter's Mics, i want to hear what he's saying" [Yes, Ranger]. Anna quickly patched into the Comms of the microphones.

"In light of the US Government's support of the Superhuman Registration Act, I have decided to pull our involvement. Grady Inc is no longer going to supply the government with our tech-no Supertanks, no fancy drones, no nothing. I will not allow my technology to fight the very people that keep this world IN ONE PIECE. And Grady Inc will take whatever power it can to fight this law. I am going to say that I AM a superhuman, and I don't care about any crap the government says. I will say one thing. I WILL NOT REGISTER. Come and get me, Tony Stark. You know my name and address already." Ranger then zoomed in to see Grady throw down a smoke bomb, and heard a small ambient noise of a motorcycle.

[should we go after him Ranger?] "no, we're not on either side of the War, but that dosen't mean this incident didn't raise tensions in new york higher than they were". Ranger took a knee by the edge of the building to see the frantic reporters trying to quickly race to be the first one to give the report, the civilians torn between outrage and grace, and the police trying to calm everyone down.

"this is going to be a long day..."

[The Rebel Alliances]

Daniel Carter/Bronze Sentinel-38 Yrs-Northern Virginia

The sight of the man called Craig, was just as bad as he appeared on television. Worse even, seeing this in person. The man was probably in his early to mid twenties. However, getting a read on his age was difficult in his condition. As I stood ahead of him, Mayla had turned white. Seeing just how bad things were, and having been retired for some time, she was no longer used to seeing such sights. I removed my helmet, allowing the man to see who he was speaking to, but the armor stayed on, and continued to be decorated in the bronze glow. Here, at the seat of his company, I could see that his company was obviously pleased to have him back, but I was surprised he returned here at all. The location of this place is public knowledge, and it wont be long at all, especially after that address, that they come to break his walls down. I suppose after being trapped so long in the dark, a man would want to return to where it is familiar. I then took a seat in front of him, as Mayla followed my lead in the chair to the immediate left of my own.

"My name is Daniel Carter and this is my wife Mayla, for a time my name and face have been public knowledge in this world, although that is not important." I leaned forward and closer to him as I proceeded to the part that was important.

"Your...address. You have done the right thing, but there will be fallout. A civil war, if you will. I am not originally from your own Earth, but there was a event similar to this in my own world. I will spare you the details, but I was at the center of that conflict, and it engulfed the globe, just as this one seems destined to do here." Mayla could see that my mind flashed back to the events that triggered that conflict.

The break up of Infinite Justice.

The formation of the Ultra Corps.

The genocide of a species...

The memories was reflected in my eyes, as they flashed in front of me. But, awakening from the past. I moved on to why I was here.
"Craig Thomsen, the causes are indeed different. The government's fears are...understandable..." But then if my eyes showed anything, they showed a determination.

"But they have sacrificed too much."

I then stood up, and took a final look around Craig's company, seeing the inventions. The public works, of a good man trying to save his world. The best way he knows how. And I replaced my helmet upon my own visage and spoke to him through it.

"I may not be at the center of this storm, that is where you stand. But I came here to make sure you know. That you have been heard...and we..." I said as I took my wife's hand in my own armored glove.

"Will be right where we should be. And that is between you...the metas and mutants of this world, and all who would seek to abuse them in the name of security." As my voice lowered, I knew that the world would need this man, Craig Thomsen healthy if it is going to make it through this storm.

"You can count on us."

Sabrina Carter/Star Girl-18 Yrs-New York City

The door opened, revealing the form of a african woman, about 24 or possibly 26. She had a very earth tone color scheme to her clothes and sounded friendly enough, offering a hand to shake. I paused a moment, and then finally shook hands with her in greeting. I actually giggled just barely when she mentioned the strong knock. "Yeah, about that. Kryptonian, strength kinda comes naturally." I explained, as she told me her name was Valancy Stirling, asking what she could do for me. I knew the answer, as I was here to join the team, but for some reason I needed to search for the words. "I well...heard about the Justice Queens here in New York and thought I would throw my name in the roster. Assuming you could use another heavy hitter, otherwise, I can keep looking."

[Quavv]

Ara exited the Quinjet, and said, "This is a lot bigger than what the Tribals have. We usually have just enough to sleep." She looked around the "base." It was all brand new to her. She remained standing. "I'll take first watch tonight."

Immediately, the wall behind her blasted apart. "Quite a noble gesture, cave girl, but I'm afraid that none of you will live to see the night," a voice said as the smoke cleared. It was the Mandarin, riding another one of the beasts. At his side was a T-rex ridden by a Hydra agent and a raptor on the other.

"Who are you and what do you want?" demanded Ara, fingering her spear.

"What's with all these dinosaurs!?" exclaimed Demon Blade, "I'm quite tired of them." "That's the Mandarin Ara," said White Lotus, "He's a villain from China who works with Hydra. I'm actually surprised he decided to grace us with his presence. "Ara," said Panda, "You deal with the raptor. Demon Blade and White Lotus, you two deal with the Mandarin and his monster. The other one is mine." "We're on it," replied White Lotus. She immediately grabbed hold of Demon Blade and teleported onto the monster's back, right behind the Mandarin. The two then pulled out their swords and rushed towards him. Panda approached the other monster with the Hydra agent riding on top and stood in front of it. "Your move," he said.

[Mundeo]

"The Ranger"

The VTOL of the Ranger hovered unnoticed to a rooftop of a rooftop along New York Avenue, he landed lightly with the VTOL blastng off. the Ranger walked over to the edge of the building to look down upon a crowd of people, one man stood infront od a sign that said "grady Inc", and what seemed to be news reporters trying to talk to him. "GIve me a run down, who is that?" [Owen Grady, Heir to the Grady Incorporated Technology industry and empire]. "Patch me into the the news reporter's Mics, i want to hear what he's saying" [Yes, Ranger]. Anna quickly patched into the Comms of the microphones.

"In light of the US Government's support of the Superhuman Registration Act, I have decided to pull our involvement. Grady Inc is no longer going to supply the government with our tech-no Supertanks, no fancy drones, no nothing. I will not allow my technology to fight the very people that keep this world IN ONE PIECE. And Grady Inc will take whatever power it can to fight this law. I am going to say that I AM a superhuman, and I don't care about any crap the government says. I will say one thing. I WILL NOT REGISTER. Come and get me, Tony Stark. You know my name and address already." Ranger then zoomed in to see Grady throw down a smoke bomb, and heard a small ambient noise of a motorcycle.

[should we go after him Ranger?] "no, we're not on either side of the War, but that dosen't mean this incident didn't raise tensions in new york higher than they were". Ranger took a knee by the edge of the building to see the frantic reporters trying to quickly race to be the first one to give the report, the civilians torn between outrage and grace, and the police trying to calm everyone down.

"this is going to be a long day..."

Randall Ordine: Conduit

Freedom, after all these years he was finally free, but a heavy weight still held him down. There are chains that still need to be broken. Tempered, hardened chains that can only be broken by one thing: Vengeance.

A cooling breeze wound its way through the street, making his flannel shirt flutter like a hero's cape. A hero, that's what they wanted him to be- no, they wanted him to be a weapon, a tool for their own desires. That's what he was trained for for the past ten years, and now they have what they wanted. Unfortunately, that weapon will be what brings them down, for he will have his vengeance, he will have his vengeance against him. He will have his vengeance against...

"...Tony Stark..."

The name pierced through him like a dozen cold needles, and he grew hot with anger. His gaze snapped into the direction of the voice that spoke his name. Tony Stark, a man Randall once valued, but it seems the Iron Man has gone rusty from the recent events. This silly civil war, it's all over the news. Supers are picking sides over some government law. Honestly, if he had to choose, since the truth is he technically is a super, he would side with the government. Something has to keep those damned Saiyans in line, and the Kryptonians, and, well, all of those big buff heros who can play tennis with planets, and create hurricanes if they ever get a cold. But of course, he had to be on the government's side as well.

That is apparently what's going on right now, some rival CEO to Stark Industry is being interviewed by some journalists. Apparently this guy is a super, and someone who definitely shares a grudge with Stark. He and Randall would get along great, he even taunted him. But no, once he finished he had to go all sneaky ninja and throw a smoke bomb to make a mysterious exit. The mystery was totally ruined by the motor cycle, though. Fortunately, that gave a way for Randall to look for him. He sensed the sound waves coming off of the motorcycle, a skill he is still getting used to, but it gave him a clear direction. Making his way through the crowd of civilians and cops, Randall started running after the sound, in hopes of making himself an ally.

[The Starlight]

-snip-

Valka Silverhand

Valka had helped Otto and Mir finish off the rest of their opponents, and then turned to the half-Asgardian. "It seems we will be facing Celestials next, and you must have the necessary power to survive for a blink of an eye at least," she said, pouring the Valkaforce into Draupnir until it was full. At least one of them should have the right to survive this, and if it came to a fight between her and Celestials she knew who would win, the end. She cleared her mind of that, and turned to the direction that Max had gone, striding off there.

She was late to the party, but she had not missed its opening acts and her eyes blazed with fury. A metal hand was placed on Max's shoulder, Valka telling him, "Save your strength," pressing two fingers to Val, speeding up the process of her healing. She moved forward then, glaring up at the Mighty Galactus, a small figure, compared to him, but with a might and power of her own. "Galactus. I would have words with thee. You stand there, the mighty Galactus, refusing to consider for even a moment that he might be right. You are a parasite, Galactus, a necessary one, but a parasite nonetheless. You have no right to bar him, and as the Midgardians say, this is the last straw," she said angrily, pointing towards Val. You could have stopped her with a wave of your hand, but you used possibly lethal force to the one who loves Morningstar. No more!" she said, flying towards his head. "I HAVE HAD..... ENOUGH!" the All-Mother boomed, bringing her head crashing down upon Galactus in a mighty headbutt with a clash of gold and purple. And Mighty Galactus fell, down to the planet below.

The All-Mother turned her head to Max, her winged helm broken, blood trickling down from the impact point, "Make for the Nexus." she fell to one knee, her right hand grasping Gungnir, weary beyond all measure, but defiant to the last. She looked up, meeting the gazes of the Celestials, "Who wants to taste my sword?"

-snip-

Craig Thomsen/Silverwing
A Good Man Goes to War - Realization

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He supposed that in the end, expecting everything to go back to the way it was had been foolish. Too many lines had been crossed for this not to end in blood. "There is an old nursery rhyme that my mother once told me..."

Demons run when a good man goes to war
Night will fall and drown the sun
When a good man goes to war

Friendship dies and true love lies
Night will fall and the dark will rise
When a good man goes to war

Demons run, but count the cost
The battle's won, but the child is lost
When a good man goes to war

"But you are right. I can't stay here, I see that now. They'll find some way to bring charges against me, or send those registered against me." He looked up at the couple, "Thank you. I can't allow those who work for me to be harmed. I'll have to shut the company down until this is over and put everyone on paid leave. Though, I am not entirely defenseless," Craig's psionic link with the Silverwing armor activating, the metal enveloping him. Disengaging it, and allowing it to return to a simple band on his wrist. "The ironic thing is that with this armor, I also have powers to. Technology manipulation is one. I could mass-produce any weapon I created, and believe me, I say this without arrogance that I know how exactly to create what they want. And that terrifies me."

"But, in the end, the point is that I am weak, in my current state. I remember hearing about you, Daniel, back during the incursions. A famed martial artist they said, who could match the best of them. No, I remember, you were the best," he said, smiling, about to laugh but refraining from doing so. "I'm broken and weak right now. Could you teach me, bring me to prime physical condition, with your permission as well, Mrs. Carter. I've found that I rely too much on my powers and armor. And then, I suppose I try to save the world from itself, not by creating weapons and nukes, but in the way of a good man. And if that all fails, I'll have to try something else."

"But there are a few things before we go, that is if you accept. Firstly, my heart is failing due to the torture, and I won't be long for this world, if it doesn't get fixed. Luckily for me, Etla," a smile on his face let the Carters know of the nature of their relationship, "has found a solution for that. Secondly, I need to take a shower. Thirdly, tell the employees, and lastly, make sure everything is as secure as it should be."

-snip-

Valancy smiled back, "Strong shake," she joked, before listening to the woman. "New members are always welcome," she said, "and it'll be good to have another heavy hitter on the team. I'll go round up the founding members, and we can reach a final verdict, but know that you have my vote." Leading Sabrina to the elevator, they went to the living room, Valancy poking her head through, her eyes widening at seeing Katie and Cora kissing. Stepping fully through, she cleared her throat loudly, "Uh, believe me guys, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have a potential new member," she said, motioning towards Sabrina.

[Turmenista]

Myosai - Empty Quarter, Arabian Peninsula
Near UAE

Myosai didn't know what to expect from Hiroshi. He niftily dodges all of the energy spheres that converged on him like missiles. Then he just disappears from plain sight?

A slight whizz sound was heard as Hiroshi fades away from existence. Myosai halted immediately, shocked at what had happened/ Until she realized what actually happened. In reality, Hiroshi had done the most basic combat maneuver- an instant transmission. Even Myosai could use those. She knew at any moment he could appear around her, so she had to anticipate where. Quickly thinking, she looked around the area like an attentive dog, before turning straight around.

Hiroshi had appeared out of nowhere, about to slam his arms down onto her back. Since she was facing him, she could easily lean backwards, out of the way, which she did. Hiroshi's arms swiped by her face, and she grinned, sweating slightly from the heat of his Aura.

She did not expect him to raise a knee and hit her in the back. This sent the light Myosai flying, where she reached an angle where she could pull of f a nifty acrobatic move, on the ground. Plummeting towards the sand, she sprung her arms out, summersaulting over a sand dune as she re-orineted herself to a level position where she could fire more energy waves at him. Myosai grinned, assuming her fighting stance as she leveled herself to Hiroshi's position. Still floating, she chuckled. "So, I'm guessing you've figured it out already, huh?" She mockingly flicked a hand through her 'hair', her aura burning at a much more intense rate and heat. "I primarily use ranged attacks, you know, right? You're the first one to figure that out.."

Her eyes stared into Hiroshi's. "That doesn't matter. We both are beasts in close combat. If you want me to get up close and personal, I'm fine with that."

This was different. She seemed a bit more snarky and playful this time. Was this a trap, or not?

Myosai's golden aura burned to a point where even smoke rose from the floor. She fired a small ki blast into the rather thick sand dune, sending a huge cloud of sandy smoke into the air, covering her maneuver. She dove into the Sand, speeding through the ground as her aura created a tunnel for her. Once she sensed Hiroshi's power, she dove up from the sand, kicking forth a large cloud of the dusty sand as a ki sphere appeared in her right palm. Using another one of this 'Nanashi' dude's moves, Myosai crushed the orb of ki in her palm, surrounding it in a purple, flame-like aura radiating with power. Although she was in nowhere near of a punching distance from Hiroshi, she could still stretch herself and use most of the abilities she was born with as a Majin. She swiped towards Hiroshi, her arm stretching to an amazing length as her fist, surrounded by the pink Aura, closed in on Hiroshi.

If he didn't dodge this, he'd seriously be in some trouble.

------

Satan City

Nanashi's afterimage faded away from hirudegarn's vision as the lower half of the monster swiped his tail towards his position. With the monster now having an open spot, Nanshi summoned a green-white ki sphere in his palm, crushing it promptly. This surrounded his arm with an aura that radiated energy from it steadily, highly concentrated into his fist to increase the damage output of a regular, devastating punch.

"Guys, he's open for attack!" Nanashi yelled as hirudegarn swiped his tail again, severing a building from it's frame and sending it toppling. "He's open for an attack from us while he's attacking! That's when he's vulnerable!"

Krillin, Yamcha, and Nanashi all charged at once, Krillin firing a Destructo Disc at the monster's foot to no avail as Yamcha steadily slammed a Spirit Ball into Hirudegarn's lower frame, to no visible affect.

With a swipe of the tail, Hirudegarn quickly took Krillin and Yamcha out of commission by slamming them into a building.

"For fucks sakes- why couldn't I take fucking Piccolo with me instead of these two idiots?!" Nanashi grumbled. He powered up and dive-bombed hirudegarn, Instant Transmissioning out of the way of an attack by the lower half of the Monster. He then dove downwards while he was vulnerable, shouting a battle cry as well as the name of his signature attack.

"Brick BREAKER!!"

Nanashi's fist collided with the central part of the Lower half of the monster, sending his body sliding through several tows of buildings. The sky grew dark as Hoi unleashed more of his dark magic, visibly affecting Tapion as he let out a painful scream.

Nanashi looked in awe and terror as he saw first the silhouette, then the whole body of the terrible upper half of Hirudegarn come forth from his body. Nanashi couldn't help but watch as the two parts of Hirudegarn merged, Hoi's maniacal laughter and lightning striking in the background as the monster bellowed a roar heard for miles.

"You fools! You are all dead men now! You shall now know to fear the name Hirudegarn!" Hoi cackled. "Now you all shall face the wrath of The Dragon!"

His maniacal laughter echoed through the entire city as Nanashi lowered himself down to Krillin, Yamcha, and Tapion's position. "I'm.. sorry, Tapion. I just couldn't kill you- I just met you and all, but, killing someone like you is.. wrong.. in my opinion.. You are our only hope, you know that, right?"

Tapion shook his head. "That's nice.. but you're wrong. You-" He weakly pointed a finger at Nanashi and the rest of the Z Fighters. "You are our only hope. You have the power to defeat him and you know it.. Embrace it and end this evil, once and for all.."

"Are you done with your sad little speech?" Hoi asked. "Or are you just sitting there to let Hirudegarn crush you like your worthless little brother?"

Tapion's eyes shot wide open as he gasped loudly, as if he were affected by Hoi's words. Nanashi balled his fist, sharing his anger and pain with the weakened Tapion.

He slowly unhooked his Sword sheath from his belt, handing it to Nanashi. "Take it. Make him pay."

[Altito Asmoro]

Salis was sitting in a derelict building and drawing up some plans when his phone buzzed. Looking at the screen, he saw a single message from one of his contacts. Tun on the news, it said. He quickly grabbed a remote and turned on his small T.V. and switched to the news to see Craig's story. Anger started to rise inside of him as he listened to what happen. Several clips played of ARGUS torturing him, scream's ringing out from the man's mouth. Salis knew who Craig was as he had looked into recruiting him, but had decided against it as he saw the man as an idealist. He thought he could fix the world through shields and armor, but that wasn't what the world needed. The world needed to be cleansed of those who would prey on others, and until Craig saw that he wouldn't be useful to Salis. That didn't mean he deserved torture though. While Craig's methods were wrong in his eyes, his intentions were clearly in the right place and what ARGUS had done to him was completely unacceptable. People would have to pay, and the price would be blood.

Salis stood and concentrated hard as he opened a portal into the area between dimensions. After using the Lazarus Pit, Ra's had set out to train Salis in how to utilize his powers for inter-dimensional and long range travel. It had taken awhile, but now Salis could travel much further distances if he put more effort into it. Soon he was flying through darkness, punctuated by exotic scenes of different dimensions and worlds. Eventually he found what he wanted to. New York, the U.N. headquarters. As he exited, several news crews that were surrounding the entrance of the building due to recent developments took notice of an unfamiliar superhuman appearing from nowhere. Salis moved forward and came to several guards who were holding back the wave of reporters that were swarming the building. Seeing a man in full armor holding a sword, they moved to draw their weapons. Salis quickly stabbed one man through the stomach mid-draw, then turned and slashed another across the chest as he took aim. Several shots rang out as a few more opened fire, but were quickly silenced as Salis redirected their bullets into their heads. The reporter's backed away from the sudden violence they had just witnessed. Salis motioned for them to follow him, he wanted the world to see what he was doing. They followed apprehensively after realizing that they would much rather not piss him off, and that this was obviously a story in the making. Two more guards approached the masked man as he went to the entrance of the General Assembly building. He quickly portaled forward and decapitated one before slashing the arm of another and knocking him out. The reporters continued to follow from a distance as Salis moved into the building and towards the main chamber where the Assembly was meeting. At this point enough word had spread that seven guards were standing ready for him at the entrance with more running towards it.

Finally, he thought, a challenge. Salis quickly portaled to the center of the group and slashed a man across his body before turning around to remove another's arm. Soon it was a whirl of blood and bodies as Salis moved like a storm through them. Bodies fell, limbs were lost, and blood stained the floor as he tore through them with ease. Soon it was just Salis standing there among a pile of dead bodies. Cleaning his blade, he motioned for the terrified news crews to follow him as he entered the room. Fear was evident on the representatives gathered there after hearing the commotion outside. Salis quickly put portals at all the entrances, blocking them off so that anyone trying to leave would simply appear somewhere else in the room before moving to the podium at the front. The Speaker tried to protest, but Salis quickly whirled behind him and slashed across the back of his knee's. As the man fell to the ground with a cry, Salis took the podium and started to speak.

"It has become painfully evident to me that this Assembly is inept, idiotic, and constituted of complete fools," he said, "First you force the very people that have helped you for years to reveal their identities and put those they care about in jepordy, but now some of the governments among you have taken the liberty of creating weapons to control them with. Well, you can see how well that turned out for you now, can't you," he said as he gestured to the Speaker who was lying on his side and breathing heavily through the pain, sweat on his face. "You tried to to control us so that you could use us, to try and keep us from turning on you. In your actions though, you have caused the very thing you feared to happen. We will not be your pawns, and we will not just sit here and take the atrocities you commit against us. So I ask all the superhuman's out there who are with me, rally together. Untie to take down these oppressors, for they have forsaken the very ideals they claim to protect." Done with his speech, Salis waved his hand and twelve representatives from the crowd, including those from the U.S., Russia, and Great Britain, were enveloped by portals and taken. "Take down the law, and you'll get them back. Continue with it, and... well you know what will happen." With that, Salis opened a portal behind himself and walked through to building on the other side of New York where he had put the representatives. Already they had been subdued, tied, and gagged by several members of the League of Assassins who were stationed there. One of them walked up to him with an angry demeanor.

"What is the meaning of this?" he said angrily, "You've brought major diplomats into one of our facilities! Do you know how damaging this could be?"

"Oh, be quiet," replied Salis, "I used portals, they have no idea where they are. Just be glad you didn't kill them. I need them for something."

"Are you going to share that something?" the assassin asked.

"With you? No. If Ra's comes asking then tell him I'm in Chicago. I'll tell him there." Salis quickly gathered his hostages up and went through a new portal. The message was sent. Now it was time to see the response.

Jonathan Pierce

Report incoming of the assault at U.N Headquarters, and it is like an ambush! No one knows the attack, but whoever attack it, they have to be from the resistance of the Act, but how come the attack came so fast? The Act still just born overnight...

No matter. Jonathan issued orders to the S.H.I.E.L.D units on the ground to go to the HQ and stop the assault as soon as possible. Few armored vehicles and couple of armed soldiers went to the HQ, while Jonathan and the rest at the HQ watched the report of new group of superhuman, and Naja. Naja attacked Stark.

So many problems. Seeing that there are already superheroes there, he guessed SHIELD won't be needed.

[Tomia]

Samantha Grimm/John Morgan
John felt the constant demand to tell the truth ease from his mind, and he was pleased to see that Sarah was satisfied with his answer, at least for no anyway.

Then Sarah began to get much more flirtatious, as she leaned closer to him, John had to admit it was tempting. He was certainly attracted to her, and in any other circumstance he would certainly engage her, but it felt wrong to do so with a known criminal. Still, he needed information from her, and getting close to her couldn't hurt.

"Well, if you think I've found my adventure, then who am I to disagree?" He asked coyly with a smart smile. Sarah then turned away from him suddenly when her sister Samantha returned. He was surprised at how quickly Samantha drew Sarah's attention, and John realized now how important Sarah's sisters must be to her. He sat back silently and decided to observe the interaction.

Samantha blushed brightly at Sarah's words but answered anyway, comforted by Sarah's promise not to embarrass her too badly. "Well, I learned a lot. Her name is DeeDee and she's the co-owner here. She's also an amazing magic user. She made that illusion outside the club, and she said she'd be willing to teach me what she knows." Samantha sounded quite excited about the idea of learning from another mage. To Samantha, developing her skills was quite important to her.

[Osnil]

Ara exited the Quinjet, and said, "This is a lot bigger than what the Tribals have. We usually have just enough to sleep." She looked around the "base." It was all brand new to her. She remained standing. "I'll take first watch tonight."

Immediately, the wall behind her blasted apart. "Quite a noble gesture, cave girl, but I'm afraid that none of you will live to see the night," a voice said as the smoke cleared. It was the Mandarin, riding another one of the beasts. At his side was a T-rex ridden by a Hydra agent and a raptor on the other.

"Who are you and what do you want?" demanded Ara, fingering her spear.

"What's with all these dinosaurs!?" exclaimed Demon Blade, "I'm quite tired of them." "That's the Mandarin Ara," said White Lotus, "He's a villain from China who works with Hydra. I'm actually surprised he decided to grace us with his presence. "Ara," said Panda, "You deal with the raptor. Demon Blade and White Lotus, you two deal with the Mandarin and his monster. The other one is mine." "We're on it," replied White Lotus. She immediately grabbed hold of Demon Blade and teleported onto the monster's back, right behind the Mandarin. The two then pulled out their swords and rushed towards him. Panda approached the other monster with the Hydra agent riding on top and stood in front of it. "Your move," he said.

Ara nodded, then looked at the beast charging her, then realized that it was one of hers. "Wait, Aza! Stop, it's me!" The raptor continued charging her. "Don't hurt my T-rex!" Ara yelled at Panda, as she dodged the raptors. The Mandarin laughed, using his rings to throw Demon Blade and Lotus off of his T-rex. "This is a new age!" he laughed, "the Age of Hydra. We will rule the world. After we get that girl." Several Hydra agents stepped toward Ara, only to find a spear in their hearts. "Touch me again," she warned, "and then I'll make sure that none of you escape."
NYC
Owen's cycle roared as the police chased after him. If this was evening, Owen would be able to win. Since it was afternoon, he was at a disadvantage. However, if he did this right, he would be able to win. Choppers circled in the sky ahead of him. Roadblocks were being set up. However, as a bonus, he knew this area of town probably better than them-dealing with crime at night. He was going to have to pull a stunt. He gripped his whip, then jumped from his cycle, swinging the whip on a flagpole hanging from a window, swung up, tipped his fedora, then jumped onto the rooftops.
NYC-Stark's Press Conference
Cyberlantern showed up at the conference. Stark was face down, being attacked by a being with a probable power level over nine thousand. Cyberlantern created a gigantic hand and slapped Naja with it, in the meantime, helping Stark up. "You save my life once. I'm returning the favor." He created a machine gun and fired at Naja repeatedly. "I guess we have to show them what happens when people don't register or fight against it."

[The Silhouette of Adventure]

It is no small thing to end the life of another. You must be willing to sacrifice your soul- Perhaps your very life- And watch their eyes slowly dim, their body slowly wither away into nothingness before you. Nobody can kill a man and come out unchanged. It breaks you, in such a way that nothing else does. It shatters something irreparably, transforms you into something else entirely. To kill one is to kill yourself, and from the death of two, a third rises from the ashes, inhabiting your body. A killer. See, that's why Heroes are so hesitant to kill- They know that if they do, they die. And nobody, not even them, can ensure that what replaces them isn't a Monster.

No More Heroes - Scorched Earth, part 2.
Wakanda- Once the gleaming jewel of the world, now a shattered crown atop a broken head. Dust caked every surface, the grim macabre of grey and black interrupted only by streaks of brilliant crimson. Very few would notice three solitary figures wandering through the debris- Fewer still would think that they could possibly be responsible for the destruction and death that now permeated this once vibrant city. None would try and stop Henry Pym, the Scientist Supreme- The Juggernaut and the Nuke were far larger problems. One by one, the reformed Heroes of Earth and their new followers fell. The two human weapons would be defeated, eventually, and most of the fallen would not perish.

Enough would, though. Enough would die to destroy the illusions of grandeur that they had developed here in Wakanda. Enough would die to make them need to retreat and lick their wounds, only to find there was nowhere to go- Nowhere safe from the Equation.

---

"Behind you, Stark!" Bruce Wayne called out, leaping over the Prodigy, throwing him off balance long enough to prevent him from killing Tony Stark.
"Right, yep, got him-" Iron Man replied, quickly turning around and preparing to blast Prodigy. Unfortunately, his suit was not nearly as advanced as his muscle memory was used to- He was forced to rebuild it from scratch after being given his memories back. He wasn't prepared for Prodigy blasting him with mystical energy, knocking him to the ground. "Nope, don't got him, don't got him!" He called out as he crashed into the ground. "I'm good- I'm still good." He groaned.
Batman shook his head. "He's too powerful- All of our heavy hitters are out right now, and won't get back in time. We need to pull out!"

"That's a negative, Bats." Peter Parker scowled, held aloft by modified versions of Doc Ock's tentacles from the old world. "I'm here." He raised his real fists, each of which wore modified and streamlined versions of Electro's gloves, and began firing at Prodigy. Meanwhile, each of the 6 arms not holding him aloft (which only two were) began attempting to hit Prodigy, occasionally holding goblin bombs. After regaining his memories of his days as Spider-Man, Parker realized he couldn't go back to being Spider-Man, not without his powers. As such, he used his superior intellect to replicate the iconic weapons of his greatest foes. Now calling himself Pinnacle, he wore a suit similar to his original spider-man suit.

"I designed the original Prodigy suit, Gilmore." Pinnacle scowled. "It may be altered, but I still know it better than you ever will." Prodigy cursed, barely dodging another electric strike before being slammed into the ground by one of the adamantium tentacles. "I know every facet, every crease in that suit, Gilmore." Three tentacles struck him at once, sending him spinning into the perimeter wall. Prodigy coughed, rising slowly, his fists glowing with arcane might. The rage in his eyes was matched only by the rage in the eyes of the Pinnacle. "You think you can beat me, Gilmore? You couldn't beat me as a Hero, what chance could you possibly have on the other side of the line?" He was struck back through the perimeter wall by an explosion from a goblin bomb. Around him, dust and debris from the wall piled. Blood dripped down his lip, visible underneath his torn mask.

"What are you.. Going to do, huh?" Prodigy spit blood out. "Kill me? We both know you "Heroes" don't do that."

Pinnacle paused. "Spider-Man spent years holding back- Making sure he didn't kill anybody. Peter Parker then spent fifteen years living in a war zone, unable to do a damn thing as Atlanteans and Immortals destroyed his home. Pinnacle? Pinnacle is going to make sure it never happens again." He lowered himself to the ground in front of the Prodigy, raising all six of his adamantium tentacles in front of him, aiming them at Prodigy's heart. Each pincer came to a point and began to lower itself.

"Everything went to Hell because we Heroes refused to kill. In our world- Maybe we had a chance, in the end. Maybe we would've eventually come on top. But here? No- No, here we were doomed from the start. We were killed before we even drew our swords. Now that we finally have our chance to take it back, we can't let that go. You're just the first, Gilmore. I am the Pinnacle of the Heroes- And I will end you all."

---

"We need to pull out!" The Batman scowled at Pinnacle's bravado, continuing to fight despite being ordered to retreat. "Everyone who can still listen- We don't have enough heavy hitters here to take out the Juggernaut. We need to retreat to the Palace and protect it. These two are a distraction- Wakanda is being destroyed."

"What?" Miss Martian turned towards the city. "No!" Her green skin seemed to pale in her shock, tears beginning to fill her eyes. Wakanda had been her only true home- After Mars was extinguished. While she was distracted, the Juggernaut grabbed her cape and ripped her out of the sky, launching her towards Artemis and the Green Arrow, who had been watching the battle nearby, looking for a shot. Knocking all three out, the Juggernaut laughed.

"You think you can defeat the Juggernaut? I'm unstoppable!" He brought his fists down onto the ground, knocking everybody back.

"We've lost the wall. The Palace! Now!" Batman barked, looking around to find Pinnacle.

No More Heroes - Red Sea, part 2.
The Ocean is blue. In a world of the ever changing, it is occasionally nice to have such a constant- Something that will never change, no matter the efforts of the most maniacal
villain or the most valiant Hero. At least, that is how it should be. In reality, it would only take a whisper by Doctor Strange, a glance by Fate, a wave of the hand by Zatana to permanently change one of the basic, fundamental facts of our psyche. This should terrify you. It should frighten you beyond reason. It should be a ghost in your nightmares, in the corner of your mind, at the edge of your thoughts, never close enough for you to think about, but just enough to give you a healthy fear of these Gods among Men.

Birth your fear tenfold, dear reader- Let your mind wander to places obscene and dreadful, let the ghosts of your most frightening dream possess you to cower in fear. From the blood of the King of Atlantis, spilled by the Emperor of Atlantis, Crimson fills the waves.

---

4 months ago
"Do it." Namor watched impassively as his scientists worked.
"There won't be any coming back from this." Fen said sadly. "There won't be anything to come back to after this."
"We have no other choice. He cannot win this war- He would doom us all." Namor replied easily.
"So you doom us all before he can? How is that victory?" She replied angrily.
"This is only for if-" He began to explain calmly.
"It always begins that way." She interrupted, suddenly cold and rigid. "It always begins as a last resort. Then slowly, you convince yourself that you're justified in having it, then you convince yourself that you're justified in using it as a last resort, then you convince yourself to use it the first chance you get."
She swam towards him. "You are going to kill everybody, Namor. You are going to watch the world burn, and you are going to feel completely and utterly right." Her grip tightened on her sword. "Well, here's something new- You aren't right, Namor. You are wrong- So utterly wrong, but you are so stubborn, you're going to kill everything before you admit it." She unsheathed her blade, brining it to Namor's neck. "A mother should never have to outlive her son- But it looks like I have no choice."

Namor simply sighed. "Do you truly believe you could kill me, mother?" He suddenly thrust his fist upwards, hitting the sword upwards and out of his mother's reach, while simultaneously knocking her several feet back with a blow. "You thought the King of Atlantis would be so easy to do away with?" He swam upwards, grabbing the sword and arriving in front of his stunned mother. "You honestly believed that you would be enough to kill me?" He thrust the sword into her dominant arm, almost bored, ignoring the screams of his only living family. "Even if you had killed me- Do you think they would have followed you?" He pulled the sword out, initiating a new bout of screams as his guards looked on just as impassively as their master. The scientists, on the other hand, were pale and fearful. "The answer is no. You do not have the strength to do what must be done, to utterly destroy the self proclaimed Emperor of Atlantis." He glanced around at his guards and the scientists. "Let it be known that nobody- Not even the blood relatives of the King, may betray Atlantis and live." They nodded solemnly, and he retired to his quarters shortly after.

"Did it work, my King?" Fen's voice came from seemingly nowhere.

"Remove the device, mother." He replied. "It worked. The rest of the Kingdom believes you to be dead."

In the middle of the room, a translucent form slowly began to appear, feet first. "Thank you for allowing me to escape the devastation you have wrought, my son. I only wish I could save our people." The last piece of her to for was her scowl and her furious eyes.

As she swam away, dead in name but vibrant with life, Namor sighed, and then smiled a weary smile, allowing himself such a rare break from his facade of emotionless decisions. "Don't worry, Mother." He opened his palm, revealing a single green vial. "Atlantis will live on."

---

Now
Even as the vial shattered, the red substance inside seemed to expand, as if it were a living being. Tendrils of crimson shot out towards bodies of mass, such as the guards of both sides and the support pillars, even as Aquaman desperately swam away. Even as he swam out of the collapsing building, he heard words behind him that made him shudder with fear.

Carnage LIVES!


No More Heroes - Empty Sky, part 2
The Kree Homeworld, aboard the ship, the Infinity.
"Are you ready, Ronan?" Genis-Vell, son of Mar-Vell, asked his superior. His brow was furrowed and he tapped insistently on the arm of his chair. "What we are about to face brought fear to the Intelligence. Are we truly strong enough-"
"Silence, Genis." Tsu-Zana, High Admiral of the Kree Navy, walked into the room. "Where is the Captain?"
"I'm here, High Admiral." Captain Mar-Vell, Hero of the Kree, entered the room behind her. "I was with my wife."
The High Admiral nodded. "Very well. I came to inform you that I shall be accompanying you on this journey." Those in the Bridge stared at her as though she were mad.
Ronan was, of course, the first to speak. "High Admiral, this is not-"
"A choice, Ronan the Accuser." Tsu-Zana interrupted. "Do not think I am unprepared- Before I was the High Admiral, I served as Captain of the Infinity. Mar-Vel was my First Mate, as his son is now his."
Ronan hesitated, but nodded. "Very well."
Mar-Vel sat in the Captain's seat and pressed a small button. "This is Captain Mar-Vel. Prepare for launch in twelve standard minutes. Approximately four standard minutes after our launch, the rest of the forty ship fleet we lead will launch as well."

Several hours of hyperspace later, they arrived to an empty sector, vacant of any life or even galaxy. For a silent moment, they stared at the vast nothingness, and knew in their hearts that something was wrong- Something disturbing indeed.

The End

Uatu and Acba watched as the Kree warship arrived at the emptiness.
"Something is wrong, Acba." Uatu observed.
"You feel it too, then?" Acba glanced upwards. "Something is missing."
"We are not to interfere." Uatu shook his head. "So we cannot investigate."
"Why can we not interfere? We are two. What gave us this directive?" Acba asked solemnly.
"And you strike at the heart of what is wrong." Uatu sighed. He turned slowly, his vast figure looking naturally towards Earth, his only true home. "It won't be long before the Universe summons its defenders."
"What can defend against this?" Acba questioned.
The last two Watchers of the Universe had no answer.

Wakanda
A translucent green form rose from a nearby pile of rubble an arm pointed in the direction of the Juggernaut. "I am M'gann M'orzz of Mars. You have attacked my home, butchered my family, and destroyed any remnant of normality that I clung so hard to. For that, you will-"
Suddenly, Miss Martian screamed in utter agony as a pillar of fire descended from the heavens. The screams of shock from her allies slowly turned into stares of fear as her agony shifted into ominous laughter.
"So... This is what they hid away all these years." Her voice was distorted, powerful beyond measure. She held the appearance, those around her saw as the pillar slowly burned itself out, of the fabled Burning Martians- The primordial race of evil and destruction that gave birth to the Green and White Martians of today. At the same time, however, the wings protruding from her back told those who knew of its power that Miss Martian now bore the Phoenix within her. She turned towards the Juggernaut. "I will come back for you. First... I have some old business to take care of." With that, she was gone, a trail of fire leading far away from the Earth.

Apokolips
Darkseid held out his enormous hand as the vast machine toiled. He had sacrificed every living thing on his planet to achieve this final, singular goal.
"The Anti-Life Equation... is Mine."

New Genesis
"Highfather- Are you sure?" Giddeon scowled. "Darkseid will take advantage of your absence."
"I must go to the Source Wall, Giddeon." Highfather replied, seeming distracted. "It is time. I do not know how I know- But the Life Equation is finally within my grasp. I simply have to reach out.. And take it." He gripped the air in front of him tightly. "You can run New Genesis while I am away?"
"Of course."

Unknown Space
Deep in the beating heart of the Sun of a distant world, the echoes of the challenges of Oblivion made a notable impact. Within the Sun, 7 Entities awoke, and within the planet, two more.

The Battleground
In a far flung galaxy at the edge of space, once bustling with life, Galactus and Imperiex were engaged in constant combat, and had been for time eternal. However, when Oblivion called for a challenger, each was all too happy to oblige.

The Universe
All throughout the Universe, powerful cosmic entities such as the World Eaters, the Equations, and the Lantern Corp awoke anew, called upon by the Universe as a last resort against the one foe that could truly kill it all.

The one foe that could finally win.

[Mundeo]

"What's with all these dinosaurs!?" exclaimed Demon Blade, "I'm quite tired of them." "That's the Mandarin Ara," said White Lotus, "He's a villain from China who works with Hydra. I'm actually surprised he decided to grace us with his presence. "Ara," said Panda, "You deal with the raptor. Demon Blade and White Lotus, you two deal with the Mandarin and his monster. The other one is mine." "We're on it," replied White Lotus. She immediately grabbed hold of Demon Blade and teleported onto the monster's back, right behind the Mandarin. The two then pulled out their swords and rushed towards him. Panda approached the other monster with the Hydra agent riding on top and stood in front of it. "Your move," he said.

Ara nodded, then looked at the beast charging her, then realized that it was one of hers. "Wait, Aza! Stop, it's me!" The raptor continued charging her. "Don't hurt my T-rex!" Ara yelled at Panda, as she dodged the raptors. The Mandarin laughed, using his rings to throw Demon Blade and Lotus off of his T-rex. "This is a new age!" he laughed, "the Age of Hydra. We will rule the world. After we get that girl." Several Hydra agents stepped toward Ara, only to find a spear in their hearts. "Touch me again," she warned, "and then I'll make sure that none of you escape."
NYC
Owen's cycle roared as the police chased after him. If this was evening, Owen would be able to win. Since it was afternoon, he was at a disadvantage. However, if he did this right, he would be able to win. Choppers circled in the sky ahead of him. Roadblocks were being set up. However, as a bonus, he knew this area of town probably better than them-dealing with crime at night. He was going to have to pull a stunt. He gripped his whip, then jumped from his cycle, swinging the whip on a flagpole hanging from a window, swung up, tipped his fedora, then jumped onto the rooftops.
NYC-Stark's Press Conference
Cyberlantern showed up at the conference. Stark was face down, being attacked by a being with a probable power level over nine thousand. Cyberlantern created a gigantic hand and slapped Naja with it, in the meantime, helping Stark up. "You save my life once. I'm returning the favor." He created a machine gun and fired at Naja repeatedly. "I guess we have to show them what happens when people don't register or fight against it."

NYC

Randall finally caught up with the guy, and he just Indiana Jones'd to a rooftop. He had a fedora, too, he had to make things more difficult. But he understood, it seems he earned himself quite the notoriety, as the entire damn NYPD was coming after him. After the stunt Randall recently pulled, maybe he should stay out of their way, too. A thin, faint light blue aura surrounded him, and he made a sprint towards the wall Owen just climbed. The perks of channelling kinetic energy, increased speed, agility, and athleticism. As he neared the wall, he put one foot against it and laucnhed himself upward, grabbing onto the flagpole before pulling himself upward. With another leap, he was on the rooftops. Seeing Owen, he reached out and shouted, "Wait!"

[Tomia]

Mars
Mars was expecting Rocket to be knocked out the sky, but suddenly a magical bubble formed around them. Suddenly he was protected and the enemies couldn't touch them anymore. He had no idea how this was happening, but he needed to take advantage of it. He smashed his fists into the enemies and scattered all of them as they couldn't touch him in return. "Attack the command ship!" He shouted to the others, not yet investigating the source of the bubble that protected him.

[The Republic of Atria]

"Yeah... Ow... She hits hard. And what are you talking about? She's registered. She also just happened to be pissed off at me for making sure her boyfriend follows the law. By the way, she's gonna be pissed and... She also happens to be one of the most powerful people on this planet. At least top 10." Stark said standing back up.

Naja smashed into the side of a building when the lantern hit her. It certainly didn't help her mood any. The bullets fired from the Lanterns construct bounced off her as she walked towards them, grabbed a parked cement truck, and slammed it on the CyberLantern. She then turned her attention to Stark, grabbed him-

Avengers Tower.

Tony didn't really knew what happened. One second he was in the middle of the street and the next his entire collection of alcoholic drinks was spilling all over his floor and armor. "Okay... This is gonna get old... Fast." He muttered and stood back up to see Naja floating outside his window. He let out the claw on her pointer finger and with one poke shattered the glass. "Okay. First of all, I'm billing you for that. Second of all. Ouch. Third. Calm down. It's just temporary. Once we get everyone registered, he won't even remember what happened. You two can go back to being lovebirds or whatever. And finally. Since when do snakes have claws?"

"You're going to change him back, right this instant. Or. I'm going to tear that tin suit right off and make you."

"Yeah... Not gonna happen right now. We need all the firepower we can get. He's big firepower. And besides. I've read your file. You aren't exactly the type to make threats and keep them. You're the good cop to his bad cop. Well. That and..." He said as several machines attached much different parts to him. "Cool huh? I got it from Asgard." He said and hit Naja right out of the tower and several more city blocks. When she finally stopped, she felt something going down her nose. She was bleeding. Not badly. But it was sore and Stark was coming right at her.

"Alright then." She said. "Knockdown drag out it is."

[The Silhouette of Adventure]

NYC
Trophy, on his way to the Baxter Building (Despite being completely lost), glanced up, far down the street, and scowled. A snake woman just hit the side of a building outside Avengers Tower. After the the two started coming his way, he drew his sword, charging it with electricity, and blasted it upwards. It wasn't nearly enough to attract the attention of either of the warriors, but it was certainly enough to draw civilian eyes. He put on his helmet and activated a voice amplifying feature.
"Stay calm and evacuate the area! Anyone in the vicinity of my voice is in grave danger! Each of the two combatants has the capability of wiping out a city block in an instant! Please, evacuate the area!"

[Confederation of imperial states]

"Yeah... Ow... She hits hard. And what are you talking about? She's registered. She also just happened to be pissed off at me for making sure her boyfriend follows the law. By the way, she's gonna be pissed and... She also happens to be one of the most powerful people on this planet. At least top 10." Stark said standing back up.

Naja smashed into the side of a building when the lantern hit her. It certainly didn't help her mood any. The bullets fired from the Lanterns construct bounced off her as she walked towards them, grabbed a parked cement truck, and slammed it on the CyberLantern. She then turned her attention to Stark, grabbed him-

Avengers Tower.

Tony didn't really knew what happened. One second he was in the middle of the street and the next his entire collection of alcoholic drinks was spilling all over his floor and armor. "Okay... This is gonna get old... Fast." He muttered and stood back up to see Naja floating outside his window. He let out the claw on her pointer finger and with one poke shattered the glass. "Okay. First of all, I'm billing you for that. Second of all. Ouch. Third. Calm down. It's just temporary. Once we get everyone registered, he won't even remember what happened. You two can go back to being lovebirds or whatever. And finally. Since when do snakes have claws?"

"You're going to change him back, right this instant. Or. I'm going to tear that tin suit right off and make you."

"Yeah... Not gonna happen right now. We need all the firepower we can get. He's big firepower. And besides. I've read your file. You aren't exactly the type to make threats and keep them. You're the good cop to his bad cop. Well. That and..." He said as several machines attached much different parts to him. "Cool huh? I got it from Asgard." He said and hit Naja right out of the tower and several more city blocks. When she finally stopped, she felt something going down her nose. She was bleeding. Not badly. But it was sore and Stark was coming right at her.

"Alright then." She said. "Knockdown drag out it is."

"The Ranger"

Ranger recieved a notification on his UI about a fight occuring near the center of New York, at Avenger tower. "Thats in the center of New York, they're going to get people killed", [Plotting a course now]. Ranger quickly hopped off the edge of the roof and grappeled to an opposite rooftop, pulling him forward, he detached his grappel mid pull and grappeled to the edge of asnother rooftop. Once Ranger had made his way to a nearby building at Avengers Tower, he saw the fight ensuing, with people nearby almost getting hit by the blasts. [Tactical Analysis, we need to get Civilians away from the Circumfrence of the Vecinity to limit casualties], "On It". Ranger saw a piece of rubbler falling twoards a crowd of civilians, Ranger quickly grappeled down to the ground, taking out his High Powered Sniper Rifle an and shoting an exolosive round at the rubble, breaking it into smaller pieces whih landed around the civilians.

Ranger turned to the civilians, "Get back from the Area, tell others to move back, Now!" Ranger said to the civilians who started to move away from Avengers tower. Ranger then grappeled up to a hole that Iron Man made in the side of a building, looking through to try and find the two heroes. "I'm guessing this is Stark's idea of a Safer, better world" [they're 3 bocks from your location, near the wall street stock exchange. Ranger quickly grappeled up to the roof of the building and began to quickly move over near the fight location.

[The Republic of Atria]

"Naja. Stop!" Stark said and stopped before Naja flew at him. "If you want to have a tantrum, fine, do it away from the civilians." He said.

Naja looked around to see everyone running from the fight. "Alright. Let's go." She said and smashed into Tony with such force that every window within a block cracked, and every car that had an alarm within 5 blocks went off. She flew him across the country until they came to the famous Utah Salt flats and axe slammed him to the ground. "No one for miles. Now lets-" She was cut off by Tony blasting her with an unusually powerful replusor blast. It actually knocked her down.

"Cool huh? I am not the biggest fan of magic. But those Asgardians really know how to make a suit of armor. Naja please stop. This is only hurting everyone else. I've read your file. You're about as strong as Superman. The amount of force you'd have to exert to damage this armor would flatten half the country. And probably create some pretty serious weather patterns. And while I have no doubt that you could do it, you're not willing to risk potentially billions of lives over him. At least I hope you're not. Don't make this into something it's not." Stark said.

Naja seemed to calm down a bit. She sat on her knees really not sure what to do next. Stark walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "If he's on your team..." She said and wiped the grime and tears off of her face and then grabbed Tony's armor. "Then consider my registration null and void." Naja said unusually harsh for her normal tone. "And just so we're clear." Her claws came out and she ripped the Uru plating off of Tony's armor like it was tissue. And then tore through the second layer of his armor and left him completely without anything but his shirt and pants. She gave him one last irritated look before shooting into the sky and heading back to the Justice Queen's headquarters.

"Jarvis. Two things. Update the file on Naja. Like big time. Yeah. Apparently she has claws now. Also. I need a new armor... She kinda... Broke this one."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Sarah noticed, very entertained, how Samantha's face turned red at her comment, but she said nothing more and simply listened. From her words, it seemed like that woman she had been talking to earlier, DeeDee, was the co-owner of the club, which she found rather amusing, considering it was also the woman that had somehow made Samantha take off her shirt and had embarrassed her quite a bit. Much to her surprise, though, it turned out that this DeeDee was also a magic user, and Samantha's new teacher apparently. She wasn't quite sure where that would lead, but she figured it couldn't hurt. She'd always thought that her sister would do well to live a little after all, though she'd still keep an eye on her. It was her duty as the eldest, after all.

"That's great, Sam. Maybe if you learn from her you can cast a spell that'll make Hanah stop being hungry all the time." She joked with a playful expression on her face, before flashing her sister a genuine smile. "I'm glad you're happy about it. You're a great mage and I'm sure you'll learn quickly."

Not a moment after, a waiter stopped by, carrying the sisters' orders, bringing Samantha's blueberry waffles, Hanah's bacon and sausage with eggs, and Sarah's bounty of desserts. The pale woman thanked the waiter and then turned to her food, not quite as ravenous as her youngest sister but still quite eager to eat already. However, she paused first and turned to John. "Since you didn't order anything, you can have some of this if you want. I can always order more." She offered with a polite smile, before turning back to her meal and taking a bite of cheesecake, her taste buds pleased with the input. Flirting could wait until she was done, she decided.

As she ate, however, she noticed something. The news were on in one of the TVs around the Superhero Cafe, and as Sarah happened to glance in that direction, she saw Craig's press statement, which spoke about the plans of the government, as well as the Registration Act and the torture that the inventor had been subjected to. Sarah shook her head, clearly displeased. "Stupid tyrants." She muttered before resuming her meal, her mood soured.

---

---

The enemies knocked around by Mars and Rocket didn't seem to be damaged too badly by his fists, or at all, in fact, as they seemed unscathed by the robot's attack, though they were indeed unable to retaliate at all for as long as they were inside the spherical attack nullifying area that was created by Kirisvala's Anthem of the Sanctum. Their projectiles were all absorbed by the magical sphere shield that seemed to costantly move so that Mars was always at its center, and even though they could go in and out of the bubble indiscriminately and would've been able to knock around Mars just like he had done with them if they had wanted to, they did not. Rantu hated melee combat, after all, seeing it as dishonorable. For the time being, Mars might as well have been invincible, though the drawback was that he himself was unable to attack while inside the bubble; he could still be useful depending on how he moved around, since he could use the bubble following him to protect others.

Meanwhile, back down on the ground, Kirisvala continued to sing with her siren voice, her pinkish red hair gently fluttering in the breeze, eyes still closed shut and massive claws still clasped in front of her as though she was meditating, giving her an air of absolute serenity as she sang her mystical anthem. The closed eyes and clasped hands served to increase her concentration and improve the energy efficiency with which the spellsong ran, allowing her to keep it up for a longer period of time and thus continue protecting Mars while he told the others what to do. The young Hadrian could feel the spellsong begin to wear out her energy reserves a bit, but she was unconcerned about this. It was only natural for her to feel it, as she had already kept another spellsong up for a while earlier, and she had vast reserves of energy anyway, so she could keep going easily.

However, what she didn't know, on account of her closed eyes, was that one of the few Rantu soldiers who were still on the ground and in fighting condition had noticed that her singing was the source of the magical shield surrounding Mars, who had been trying to attack and destroy the command ship. Knowing that this could not be allowed to go on, the Rantu trained his weapon on the unsuspecting Hadrian singer.

[New Rnclave]

Myosai - Empty Quarter, Arabian Peninsula
Near UAE

Myosai didn't know what to expect from Hiroshi. He niftily dodges all of the energy spheres that converged on him like missiles. Then he just disappears from plain sight?

A slight whizz sound was heard as Hiroshi fades away from existence. Myosai halted immediately, shocked at what had happened/ Until she realized what actually happened. In reality, Hiroshi had done the most basic combat maneuver- an instant transmission. Even Myosai could use those. She knew at any moment he could appear around her, so she had to anticipate where. Quickly thinking, she looked around the area like an attentive dog, before turning straight around.

Hiroshi had appeared out of nowhere, about to slam his arms down onto her back. Since she was facing him, she could easily lean backwards, out of the way, which she did. Hiroshi's arms swiped by her face, and she grinned, sweating slightly from the heat of his Aura.

She did not expect him to raise a knee and hit her in the back. This sent the light Myosai flying, where she reached an angle where she could pull of f a nifty acrobatic move, on the ground. Plummeting towards the sand, she sprung her arms out, summersaulting over a sand dune as she re-orineted herself to a level position where she could fire more energy waves at him. Myosai grinned, assuming her fighting stance as she leveled herself to Hiroshi's position. Still floating, she chuckled. "So, I'm guessing you've figured it out already, huh?" She mockingly flicked a hand through her 'hair', her aura burning at a much more intense rate and heat. "I primarily use ranged attacks, you know, right? You're the first one to figure that out.."

Her eyes stared into Hiroshi's. "That doesn't matter. We both are beasts in close combat. If you want me to get up close and personal, I'm fine with that."

This was different. She seemed a bit more snarky and playful this time. Was this a trap, or not?

Myosai's golden aura burned to a point where even smoke rose from the floor. She fired a small ki blast into the rather thick sand dune, sending a huge cloud of sandy smoke into the air, covering her maneuver. She dove into the Sand, speeding through the ground as her aura created a tunnel for her. Once she sensed Hiroshi's power, she dove up from the sand, kicking forth a large cloud of the dusty sand as a ki sphere appeared in her right palm. Using another one of this 'Nanashi' dude's moves, Myosai crushed the orb of ki in her palm, surrounding it in a purple, flame-like aura radiating with power. Although she was in nowhere near of a punching distance from Hiroshi, she could still stretch herself and use most of the abilities she was born with as a Majin. She swiped towards Hiroshi, her arm stretching to an amazing length as her fist, surrounded by the pink Aura, closed in on Hiroshi.

If he didn't dodge this, he'd seriously be in some trouble.

------

Satan City

Nanashi's afterimage faded away from hirudegarn's vision as the lower half of the monster swiped his tail towards his position. With the monster now having an open spot, Nanshi summoned a green-white ki sphere in his palm, crushing it promptly. This surrounded his arm with an aura that radiated energy from it steadily, highly concentrated into his fist to increase the damage output of a regular, devastating punch.

"Guys, he's open for attack!" Nanashi yelled as hirudegarn swiped his tail again, severing a building from it's frame and sending it toppling. "He's open for an attack from us while he's attacking! That's when he's vulnerable!"

Krillin, Yamcha, and Nanashi all charged at once, Krillin firing a Destructo Disc at the monster's foot to no avail as Yamcha steadily slammed a Spirit Ball into Hirudegarn's lower frame, to no visible affect.

With a swipe of the tail, Hirudegarn quickly took Krillin and Yamcha out of commission by slamming them into a building.

"For fucks sakes- why couldn't I take fucking Piccolo with me instead of these two idiots?!" Nanashi grumbled. He powered up and dive-bombed hirudegarn, Instant Transmissioning out of the way of an attack by the lower half of the Monster. He then dove downwards while he was vulnerable, shouting a battle cry as well as the name of his signature attack.

"Brick BREAKER!!"

Nanashi's fist collided with the central part of the Lower half of the monster, sending his body sliding through several tows of buildings. The sky grew dark as Hoi unleashed more of his dark magic, visibly affecting Tapion as he let out a painful scream.

Nanashi looked in awe and terror as he saw first the silhouette, then the whole body of the terrible upper half of Hirudegarn come forth from his body. Nanashi couldn't help but watch as the two parts of Hirudegarn merged, Hoi's maniacal laughter and lightning striking in the background as the monster bellowed a roar heard for miles.

"You fools! You are all dead men now! You shall now know to fear the name Hirudegarn!" Hoi cackled. "Now you all shall face the wrath of The Dragon!"

His maniacal laughter echoed through the entire city as Nanashi lowered himself down to Krillin, Yamcha, and Tapion's position. "I'm.. sorry, Tapion. I just couldn't kill you- I just met you and all, but, killing someone like you is.. wrong.. in my opinion.. You are our only hope, you know that, right?"

Tapion shook his head. "That's nice.. but you're wrong. You-" He weakly pointed a finger at Nanashi and the rest of the Z Fighters. "You are our only hope. You have the power to defeat him and you know it.. Embrace it and end this evil, once and for all.."

"Are you done with your sad little speech?" Hoi asked. "Or are you just sitting there to let Hirudegarn crush you like your worthless little brother?"

Tapion's eyes shot wide open as he gasped loudly, as if he were affected by Hoi's words. Nanashi balled his fist, sharing his anger and pain with the weakened Tapion.

He slowly unhooked his Sword sheath from his belt, handing it to Nanashi. "Take it. Make him pay."

Hiroshi:

Raising an eyebrow, Hiroshi narrowed his gaze and crossed his a DMs, his emerald eyes ur rowing into Myosais as he floated steadily in the air.

" Why so cocky? We've only just begun the fight. I dodged all of your Ki attacks and struck at you, while you haven't gotten a scratch on me yet." The Super Saiyan shouted, his voice coming out muffled by the shriek of his Super Saiyan aura.

Then it happened. Somehting about the way she tossed her hair, the air of confidence, yet it was unbearably teasing to the Saiyan. Swallowing, Hiroshi's eyes darted around her petite frame, noticing every curve of her body. His throat had tightened, his tongue dragging against the roof of his now dry mouth. A heat had begun to form in the pit of his stomach, the heat spreading throughout his frame and ending at the tip of his now unfurled tail.

Shaking his head, Hiroshi had mere seconds to notice the pink fist that slammed into his cheek, his head jerking backwards violently, a bruise exploding on the flesh. The momentum of the strike carrying him backwards, Hiroshi snapped out his leg, the heel of his boot impacting her abdomen, his fist arcing from the side, his knuckles snapping across her jawline.

[Osnil]

-snip-

Owen ducked another chopper, before hearing someone call him. He whirled around, whipping the shotgun off of his back and pointed, expecting it to be a cop. Upon sight of the stranger-obviously around 18-he put down his gun and said, "Look, kid. I really don't have time for this. The choppers are going to be here any minute, and I have to be gone by the time they come back. Unless you would rather talk while we run?"
NYC
Cyberlantern created a shield that prevented the cement truck from crashing onto him, then dived off of the platform before the shield dematerialized. He caught Stark before he crashed to the ground. "Top ten, huh?" Cyberlantern asked, "You said you needed all the firepower you can get. I want to offer my services. This is something that we need to do." He asked, "Which way do we go to get to your address?"

[Finland SSR]

Lucien Gediminid

Battle! Civil War Lucien!

---

The city of Warsaw looked as bland as it always did when I was flying over it. Grey five-story buildings for multiple families, boring, static and linear streets... You couldn't get even a single surprising thing to catch your attention if you decide to visit it as a tourist. Vilnius is far more beautiful. Neverthless, I always get a few missions here now and then, and often have to go alone. According to covert data, two dangerous superhumans have arrived to the city, and I have to get a hold of them. It was already deep into night, and I wanted to get a good sleep.

Much like the people here - I couldn't see anything in the streets besides street lights, nor could I sense anyone. Maybe it's a weak threat? Or maybe, I just am not searching in the right place. Whatever was the case, I found a nice place to land on, and then gracefully leaped for the air and swiftly landed on my feet. Nothing extraordinary sighted just yet. No cars, no pedestrians, not even a dog barking. Just me, the lights and the grey masses of cement around us. Although...

Huh? I heard something... And now I sense two power levels, heavily lowered down and somewhere to the left. It was like... a whisper? ... Wait, I hear it again! What is going on?

"Hehehe..." Someone, sounding like a child, tried to imitate a wicked woman's voice laughing, probably trying to create a creepy atmosphere. Normally, I don't deal with kids and their pranks, but this time, I turned my head to the direction of the voice. After all, it was two people who arrived, maybe it's them. The voice continued. "Looks like the little kid got in our trap..." Then it changed it's voice and tried to sound like a man with a deep voice:

"Now, the funny part begins..." Don't cringe, Lucien, don't... Don't spoil the fun.

"...Egh... Trunks, why do I get to be on the-"

"Shh... " Yep, they were children.

"You can come out now, the prank is spoiled." I commented. They didn't seem to care.

"Boo... May you fall under the curse of the DARK ONE!" Meanwhile, I sensed the objects they were on through the earth. They were on a dumpster, one on the other's shoulders. Heh... I can work with this. The dumpster they were on was made out of plastic. I clenched my fist, and it shot up a few meters, throwing the two on the ground below. The reactions were in.

"What... happened?"

"That... dumpster threw us down- AAH!"

The two kids screamed, and in the next second, I noticed them not in the alleyway they were in, but rather behind my back, cowering in fear and looking around me. That's where I got the glimpse if the two. One of them, a bit taller one, had purple hair and was wearing a yellow jacket, while the other one had them black, spiky and somewhat reminiscent of mine. He was also in an orange fighting gi. Them sitting behind me did not last, though, as they immedialely noticed who they were behind of and immediately zapped in front of me, standing and looking at me.

"Hey... You's just a child!" The older one quickly noted. "Oh, darn! And I thought we were about to scare an adult man... Hey, Goten, this kid looks a bit like you - maybe you know him?"

So, the kid with the spiky black hair is named Goten. He stared at me while seemingly thinking and holding onto his chin.

"No, not an idea." was his answer.

"So, I guess we should introduce ourselves. My name is Trunks, and my mom's a billionaire! The kid with me is Goten, and we're both Saiyans! Though, technically, only half..."

So they're the ones that the center command captured coming to Warsaw. With the Superhuman Civil War rampaging across the globe, my dad's been really wary of any new arrivals. So far, our nation is alright, and stable, but any wrong move and things may go terrible... I've never head of a 'Saiyan', though...

"You look like a Saiyan too..." Trunks continued. "What's your name?""

"I'm not a 'Saiyan', and my question is what are you doing here?" The two Saiyans looked at one another for a moment, then turned back.

"That's not a nice way to answer to a question." Goten replied first.

"I bet you're one of those overly serious kids who get bullied all the time at school!" Trunks added.

These kids... They're energetic and playful, but outright childish and even somewhat overly confident and cocky from time to time.

"What do you want here?"

"Hey, if you're going to try and pick a fight with us, I should warn you - me and Goten TOTALLY beat up Majin Buu!"

"Yeah! Me and Trunks destroyed him after becoming a Super Saiyan 3!"

What's Majin Buu? What's Super Saiyan? These were some of the questions plaguing my mind, but I was ready to take these kids down no matter what.

"Well, if you are talking about picking a fight, I will sure provide one!" After these words of mine, Goten and Trunks looked at each other, then nodded and slided back in near-perfect sync. I didn't know what to expect from them, so I kept my guard up...

Lucien Gediminid

Battle! Civil War Lucien

---

"HAAA!" Goten and Trunks screamed as they charged towards me with immense speed. Both flying right next to each other, and trying to do some rolls in the air to confuse their opponent, or maybe just show off. It was hard to determine. Either way, I could track their movement quite easily, and as they approached me, I raised my fists, and immediately moved my elbows to the sides, blocking both of the kids by them hitting my arms with their foreheads. I quickly moved to an offensive stance, and went on to tackle the weaker and younger one of the two.

Goten was bounced back and rolled on the ground for a few moments, before stopping with the best of his efforts and slowly standng up. In the meantime, I countered a strike from his friend with a sold hit to the chest with the knee, then grabbed him by the leg and threw him into a building, which collapsed almost instanly. Goten did not wait, and as I was throwing Trunks, he charged at me, with aura around him and struck me in the chin. It was a strong attack, I'll give him that. The black-haired child then unleashed a volley of furious blows.

Phew, phew... They are certainly something... but I'm still far above them! Goten tried to finish his combo with an energy wave, but I grabbed his arm and tossed him to a wall. It quickly collased on top of him, and I no longer saw him. Well, there's some civilian damage... but overall, I took care of them alright. Time to-

FLASH! What? In a split second, the two piles of rubble that used to be buildings were vaporized by a blinding golden light... Wait, they are still standing? I underestimated them. And what I saw after the flash proved my point. The two Saiyans were standing still, in a much more serious demeanor, with golden spiked hair and aura, and they were looking at me. Wait...

"You can do it too?" I exclaimed.

"Do this? It's called Super Saiyan, haven't you heard of it?" Trunks replied.

"Yeah! You may be stronger than us in base form, but you can't become a Super Saiyan, so we'll make you sorry for hurting us!" Goten added. He seemed oddly playful in this form. I merely smirked. Though, it's odd how an Earthling like me can achieve a state that, one would assume, only Saiyans could achieve...

"Well, at least I've learned that transformation's name!" I shouted as I clenched my fists and focused on my aura. Alright, now... In a single flash, I too transformed. The ground beneath me collapsed from the sheer power I was putting out, and I was in a crater by the time the transformation finished and the aura faded. I saw their faces. They were shocked. Terrified. Scared. All three.

"But... you said you're an Earthling, and then you become a Super Saiyan..." Trunks wondered, then an idea topped his mind. "You're a liar! Even more of a reason to beat you up!"

Liar? Liar!? Really? You have to be kidding me.

"I'm not a Saiyan, I'm not lying! My father is a normal human, and my mother..." My mother... When did I meet her? Dad never spoke about it... "I... it doesn't matter! I'll defeat you no matter what!"

"Trunks, this might be too much..." Goten was still panting from the fight he tried to put up. "We'll need to do fusion!" Fusion? What do you mean? I know it won't help trying to ask these questions to myself, but... Trunks nodded, and they both flew up and landed a few meters in front of me, both staring directly to what was at the front of them.

"Fu..."

Goten and Trunks both moved their fingers and arms away fromone anotger. I don't get it. Are they doing some kind of dance? The two kids were standing in a squat position, and moving towards one another while moving their fingers up in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction, depending on the position.

"...sion!" The kids stood up on their toes and moved the fingers back to their starting position.

"HAAA!" Moving back into the previous position, or at least it looked like. This looked like a ballet practice to me. Except, they touched each other's stretched out index fingers again. And then...

FLASH! The silhouette of the two boys went black for a moment, then faded as they heavily radiated light. The energy output was massive, and I even got to absorb some of it. It was... delicious. But when the light faded. I saw a completely different character. Having the facial features of both Goten and Trunks, still in Super Saiyan, with arms at the sides holding onto his waist, like he's showing off. And he smirk supported it. The attire was also odd, and the power... wow.

"Hehe..." the person spoke, then extended his right arm to the front and did a 'V' sign with his index and middle fingers. "Here comes the Hero of Tomorrow, Gotenks! Prepare yourself, baddy!" Gotenks... Like Goten + Trunks... Oh, so THAT is what they meant by 'Fusion'...

[Charmera]

August Carter-13 Yrs-Gotham City

As Chorus punched this...not girl in the face, I was somewhat taken by surprise. As I attempted to catch up with the events. Before realizing a very important fact. I am the bodyguard here! With that I decided rather than steal the show from Chorus, I would instead cooperate with her, after all, me and my dad had practiced coordinated fighting for when working with a partner a couple years ago. While Chorus slugged the girl across the face, I attempted to use a speed blitz and attack her exposed back. As I positioned myself several yards behind her, I did what I normally dont do, I threw a ki blast of moderate power at her, its not that I dislike ki combat, I just prefer to use it to enhance my own physical qualities rather than as attacks of themselves. It's just easier that way, of course mom says that better ki control comes in time.

The attack, did not have the desired outcome. Janice seemed to effortlessly disrupt the attack on some basic level, making it ineffective. Her arrogant smirk then found it's way to me.

"You really are a slow learner are ya brat? Energy attacks cannot hurt me, now, next lesson." She then used my own tactic against me, using speed to catch me off guard and slam her knee into my chin, as my smaller frame did not really require her to lift her leg very high. And I was sent careening into a brick wall, honestly doing a lot more damage to it than me, but the display was a learning experience.

Picking myself up I rubbed my chin.

"Lessons? Hey, I study hard in school! My mom really did not give me a choice..." I mumbled, as I took to the air, flying just over her head. As I adopted a new tactic. I began to assault her with punches and kicks, but from a aerial position. Giving me the height advantage, and allowing me far greater freedom to avoid her counter strikes.

It is a tactic my father taught me for dealing with larger and stronger enemies. Fight them while flying, and they will have to strike upward, weakening their blows and opening their lower sides to counter strikes. This also works ideally with a partner, because it is next to impossible to defend against attack from above and below at the same time.

Keeping my attacks fast and brief, instead of aiming for real damage, I aimed for simply keeping Janice occupied, so that Chorus can take advantage of the openings

Janice's eyes widened as she was suddenly met with fierce resistance. But she was still smiling. In fact she seemed to be enjoying this sudden twist, reacting to the attacks with lightning speed. She seemed to thrive off adversity and challenge. Although, she seemed to be put on the defensive by this, blocking attacks with her drumsticks, reinforced with sound they didn't snap like they would have before, and countering them with her arms.

Suddenly, Chorus took advantage of the opening presented by charging her opponent. Verse was sheathed, so she seemed to have gotten the fact this was now a fistfight. She didn't like having to fight like this, but she had been force. She aimed a punch at Janice's face again, managing to connect. Janice stumbled back, but then suddenly used sound to bost herself up, leaping on her groundbound foe, kicking off Chorus and sending her flying. Then with that force she hurtled and spun towards August, her two drumsticks, charged with sound energy, aimed at his face.

Meanwhile, Chorus recovered. She rubbed her head. She wasn't sure how many more like that she could take. Her body ached badly. How the heck do I beat her-

Wait... why did she put on her headphones before the battle? If it was cockiness, why didn't she take them off when she was fighting August and on the defensive? She paused, then narrowed her eyes. Once she saw another opportunity, she would take it...

---

Etla frowned as she heard her sister's words, still holding her in her embrace, though if ne didn't know better one would probably get the impression that Ihra was the one comforting her. The redhead was quite a bit taller than her, after all, and older as well, though such things held very little importance among Rainborn, since they were beings who never aged or decayed, raised in a place where time was an alien concept with no meaning or power.

As she listened, her anger continued flaring up, though she did her best to hold it back, knowing that what she had to do right now was comfort her sister and make sure that she'd be able to fix Craig's problem while he talked with... whoever it was he was talking with. She hadn't bothered to pay much attention to the visits he received when she left, but she likely wouldn't have recognized them even if she had paid them any mind. She had more important things to worry about than Craig's visits, after all, though she hadn't expected her sister to be one of them.

"I don't understand either, Ihra. Some humans can be really mean or stupid, or both. They can be really ungrateful and arrogant, and I don't know why they're like that. But you don't need to worry about them, or care about what they say." She said, breaking up the hug and then clasped her sister's shoulders to make her turn to face the room, looking at all the employees diligently working for the sake of their boss. "But there are some who can be really nice and attentive and kind, too. Those are the people you should care about, Ihra. The rest of them aren't worth a second glance." She said, smiling faintly as she thought of Craig. Hopefully, Ihra would be able to find someone like that out here as well.

"So don't bother thinking about what the red man told you. Once I'm done here, I'll go kick his ass again, and you won't need to worry about him." She sentenced.

Ihra paused, then absently nodded. "It's... hard to tell them apart sometimes." She replied. "I really wish I was as strong as you..." She added, then sighed. She shrugged. "You were always the one helping me back home, you and... Asra... And now your doing it here when I was supposed to help you." She chuckled. It was kinda ironic. She paused, then offered a weak smile. 'Thanks... You're the best sister a Rainborn could ask for." She remarked. "I... I think I might get used to this world yet Etla." She spoke, with a mild amount of confidence and optemism.

---

Sarah noticed, very entertained, how Samantha's face turned red at her comment, but she said nothing more and simply listened. From her words, it seemed like that woman she had been talking to earlier, DeeDee, was the co-owner of the club, which she found rather amusing, considering it was also the woman that had somehow made Samantha take off her shirt and had embarrassed her quite a bit. Much to her surprise, though, it turned out that this DeeDee was also a magic user, and Samantha's new teacher apparently. She wasn't quite sure where that would lead, but she figured it couldn't hurt. She'd always thought that her sister would do well to live a little after all, though she'd still keep an eye on her. It was her duty as the eldest, after all.

"That's great, Sam. Maybe if you learn from her you can cast a spell that'll make Hanah stop being hungry all the time." She joked with a playful expression on her face, before flashing her sister a genuine smile. "I'm glad you're happy about it. You're a great mage and I'm sure you'll learn quickly."

Not a moment after, a waiter stopped by, carrying the sisters' orders, bringing Samantha's blueberry waffles, Hanah's bacon and sausage with eggs, and Sarah's bounty of desserts. The pale woman thanked the waiter and then turned to her food, not quite as ravenous as her youngest sister but still quite eager to eat already. However, she paused first and turned to John. "Since you didn't order anything, you can have some of this if you want. I can always order more." She offered with a polite smile, before turning back to her meal and taking a bite of cheesecake, her taste buds pleased with the input. Flirting could wait until she was done, she decided.

As she ate, however, she noticed something. The news were on in one of the TVs around the Superhero Cafe, and as Sarah happened to glance in that direction, she saw Craig's press statement, which spoke about the plans of the government, as well as the Registration Act and the torture that the inventor had been subjected to. Sarah shook her head, clearly displeased. "Stupid tyrants." She muttered before resuming her meal, her mood soured.

---

---

The enemies knocked around by Mars and Rocket didn't seem to be damaged too badly by his fists, or at all, in fact, as they seemed unscathed by the robot's attack, though they were indeed unable to retaliate at all for as long as they were inside the spherical attack nullifying area that was created by Kirisvala's Anthem of the Sanctum. Their projectiles were all absorbed by the magical sphere shield that seemed to costantly move so that Mars was always at its center, and even though they could go in and out of the bubble indiscriminately and would've been able to knock around Mars just like he had done with them if they had wanted to, they did not. Rantu hated melee combat, after all, seeing it as dishonorable. For the time being, Mars might as well have been invincible, though the drawback was that he himself was unable to attack while inside the bubble; he could still be useful depending on how he moved around, since he could use the bubble following him to protect others.

Meanwhile, back down on the ground, Kirisvala continued to sing with her siren voice, her pinkish red hair gently fluttering in the breeze, eyes still closed shut and massive claws still clasped in front of her as though she was meditating, giving her an air of absolute serenity as she sang her mystical anthem. The closed eyes and clasped hands served to increase her concentration and improve the energy efficiency with which the spellsong ran, allowing her to keep it up for a longer period of time and thus continue protecting Mars while he told the others what to do. The young Hadrian could feel the spellsong begin to wear out her energy reserves a bit, but she was unconcerned about this. It was only natural for her to feel it, as she had already kept another spellsong up for a while earlier, and she had vast reserves of energy anyway, so she could keep going easily.

However, what she didn't know, on account of her closed eyes, was that one of the few Rantu soldiers who were still on the ground and in fighting condition had noticed that her singing was the source of the magical shield surrounding Mars, who had been trying to attack and destroy the command ship. Knowing that this could not be allowed to go on, the Rantu trained his weapon on the unsuspecting Hadrian singer.

Hanah
'What the resister people?" Hanah spoke, then she snorted derisively. "Those idiots don't know Telekinesis from Telepathy. Any person who reads comic books can tell you that trying to tell a bunch of people with superpowers what to do and they'll do the exact opposite. Heck. Same happens with regular people." To offset this suprising wisdom, she let out and epic belch. "It's why I like my transformations. Everything is much simpler when you become a werewolf, or a giant bear, or a panther girl, or a dragon." She explained, eating while talking.

She paused. then looked at John. Then cocked her head. Her wolf ears wobbled slightly. "And... I feel like I missed something. Who is this guy?"

---

Xyrixia
Xyri noticed the Rantu and frowned. She quickly reached out and grabbed him, popping off his helmet and then absorbing him like some sort of weird drink. She then smiled down at Kiris. "I got your back too." She explained, then looked at the whales. She was now fairly confident no one would yell at her or start hitting her if she absorbed them. As a result, she sprinted towards the huge tank, and then jumped in.

The water splashed outwards, though some of it was drunk by Xyri. She swam, grabbing each of the whales and drinking them into herself. She then stood in the middle of the tank, sucking in all the water like some sort of sponge. Soon she was in a tank with no water or whales, and then she exploded forth with size. There had been three whales, which had given her about 300 feet in size. Then a whole lot of water, which further boosted her to rediculous sizes. It gave her more than enough mass that she was about arm level with the ships that were left.

The only problem was, now they were all turning to her. Well.... all but one. The one Mars had decided to attack. That one released two figures. One white armoured figureand another in red with a sword.Both of them headed towards Mars at high speeds.

[The Starlight]

-snip-

-snip-

-snip-

Elena Galadera/Stormlight

She gazed up at the lightning, it was impressive, she had to admit, albeit grudgingly. She turned to Hal, concerned at the toll it had taken upon him. "Impressive, I must say, but try to use less costly spells in the future. They'll probably be less powerful, but you'll be able to perform more spells in the long run, that is if I know anything about magic, which is not much," she admitted, patting him on the shoulder. "But we're not done talking about those," she said, glaring at the booze and the cigar. His breath smelled terrible, and the damage being wrecked inside his body was too great for her to ignore.

"Storms!" she cursed, seeing Mars and Rocket all alone in the sky, surrounded by enemies. The plan should have been for them to take out the smaller targets together, and then launch a combined assault on the command ship. His individualism was going to get him hurt, Elena momentarily relaxing when she saw Kirisvala backing him up with a shield. However, Elena turning her head, eyes widening at the Rantu soldier, she had remained too focused on Mars.

She calculated the distance between herself and the alien, too far before he fired. She looked at the Batmobile, an idea sparking. Fishing out her remote control, she was about to direct the armored car to drive at the Rantu soldier, when Xyri took care of it. She sighed, thinking that too close, and turned to Hal again, "Watch your back," she warned, before striding off towards Kiris and Xyri. Mars' position wasn't looking so good. "I'll try and help out Mars, but you guys better take care of the rest of those ships," she stated, looking up at the sky.

Creating a few hard light lances, she launched them at the white-armored figure, and then flew into the air, creating a giant sword of light in one hand and a shield in the other, her sword clashing with the red figure, intercepting it before it reached Mars.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

The Rantu had been about to fire off his weapon towards Kirisvala, when suddenly he was grabbed by a slimy hand, only able to shout in surprise before being drunk by the giant slime girl and absorbed into her being. For the time being, the reddish-haired Hadrian girl was safe.

But Kiris herself had, naturally, been completely unaware of the great danger she had been in, since she had her eyes closed to boost her concentration, and so, it was only when she heard the Rantu's shout that she became confused and opened her eyes, just in time to see Xyri absorbing the soldier. Throughout this, she had continued singing, afraid to let the Sanctum zone around Mars to fade away, but when she heard the slime girl's comment that she had her back too, the young Hadrian blinked, thinking back to the Rantu, her mind putting two and two together as she slowly stopped singing, the barrier created by the Anthem of the Sanctum remaining for several more moments as the notes finished fading from the air.

"AHHH!" She shouted when she realized what had happened. She had been about to die and she didn't even notice! Having finally understood, she was having a bit of a belated panic attack, when she saw the woman who had introduced herself as Elena approaching them. She relaxed slightly, telling herself that there was really no reason to worry when she was surrounded by new friends, but when the Batgirl pointed out that she was going to try to help out Mars, Kirisvala panicked again. The Sanctum! She'd let it fade away! She looked up at the sky, fearful of what she'd see, but as it turned out, nearly all of the enemy forces were now focused on the gigantic Xyrixia, meaning that Mars was no longer surrounded by enemies. Instead, there were two of them in special armor, which she assumed meant they were stronger, but at least they were not so many. With Mars and Elena up there fighting them, she reasoned that the Sanctum was probably not what they needed, since neither side would be hurt as long as the barrier was around her friends (she knew this, but neglected such information earlier, as Mars' situation had seemed a lot more urgent then).

Making up her mind, Kirisvala looked around carefully to make sure there were no more Rantu soldiers anywhere near the ground, and then climbed up onto a nearby rooftop. That would be her stage, she decided, since this song had to reach the ears of her new friends in order to be of any use. Clasping her large claws in front of her once again, the Hadrian girl closed her eyes and began singing a siren song once again, one that was subtler than the Anthem of the Sanctum and the Hymn of Ruin. There was no immediate effect to be perceived by any of the warriors in the battlefield, but as she sang, louder than before but still with the same harmony, this time her song would undoubtedly reach their ears. And though it was in an ancient Hadrian dialect, impossible for any of them to understand, they would feel how it impelled them to fight with the fullest extent of their power, making their will truly unbreakable and driving them beyond their limits for that one battle.

The Hymn of Valor, the ancient spellsong said to be able to turn the lowliest peasant into a shining hero. That was the song now emerging from Kirisvala's lips, the song that she felt her friends needed for this battle. She regretted not being able to help them directly, as she could not fly like all of them seemed to be able to do, but if she could still help them out by making them stronger, then that was enough for her. She would gladly do it.

---

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Sarah glanced at her youngest sister when she chimed in, chuckling at her comments and then actually laughing out loud when she was finished speaking, though she calmed herself quickly. Hanah's table manners were terrible, but the eldest Grimm would be lying through her teeth if she dared say that she didn't find them amusing. Either way, once the wolf girl was done talking, Sarah took another bite of cheesecake before replying.

"I suppose you're right. You know, for a little girl you're pretty smart." The pale woman smiled at her sister, before glancing towards Morgan. "This man? Hanah, you really should start paying more attention." She said, shaking her head before continuing. "This is John Morgan, he's from Washington DC, but he's got a company here in Gotham, so he's visiting." She explained, before resuming her meal.

[Pygmalionia]

Sonja didn't even look up. She'd been sitting in her chair, at her desk, in the same suit, for hours now. Her makeup was stained and smeared all over her face, and the TV was playing. Some episode of some TV show about a young man named Clark. Wasn't there some famous reporter named Clark…Clark…K-something. Whatever. Who gave a flying fuck?

Or, as Laz heard it, "Who gives a flying fuck?" Sonja not realizing she'd spoken aloud, buried her face in her hands for a moment, thinking herself alone in the world.

As Hope saw Sonja, he quickly put his requests aside to try and talk to the woman.

"Jesus H. Christ." Lazarus remarked as he saw the state of the Knightstone Matriarch, picking up the remote to the television and switching the show to one of the many news outlets reporting the leak of Craig Thomsen's experiences. "I know you don't feel good about Aaron, but really I don't know why you thought asking him to do something like that would be a good idea. LOOK at this shit." Lazarus continued as the scene of violence fluttered on in the glowing screen. "Besides, he doesn't need monitoring. He's sane. He's stable. He does it for the money. He doesn't need to be kept in check by the damn government." reasoned the white haired man as he began wiping off the crimson from his clothes, ever so slightly hinting at his inner disorder.

"Explain to me why you're siding with the UN and I may just hear you out, Ma'am." Lazarus asked, looking to bring up his intention to sign up due to fear of his own capabilities.

[Tomia]

Samantha Grimm and John Morgan
Samantha grinned brightly at her sister's words of approval and praise. Though Samantha tried to play herself off as someone who is strong and didn't care what others thought, the opinions of her sisters were very important to her. She listened to her sisters talk about some kind of registration act that was on the television. Samantha didn't care much herself, but she listened to her sisters talk about it. She smiled at Hannah's analysis. It was so like her. She said something with wisdom and then reverted to her childish self.

Meanwhile John saw the TV as well and knew that he'd probably be called into work soon. John personally didn't think the law was a bad idea. After all, there were heroes who if they lost control would destroy the world and everyone in it. Was the average citizen just supposed to accept that?

This opinion didn't seem very popular here however so he held his tongue as to not compromise his original goal. Rather, he stayed silent and merely listened to the others speak.

Mars
Suddenly another Rantu warrior came charging at Mars but was incercepted by some kind of rotating disk that shined brightly. Then Mars and Rocket were suddenly filled with emense strength, and even though he still didn't know the source of these changes, he assumed it was one of the others that were fighting the Rantu as well. Right now he didn't care however and he just focused on fighting the Ratu leader. With his greatly increased strength, Rocket smashed his fist into the stomach of the Rantu, knocking it off balance and leaving it vulnerable to a knock out blow.