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

[New Neros]

Forever Knights
Road to the Anvil

The massive space station came into view for the Xyrixma, it's pulsating energy simply captivating and enticing her. Xala cast a weary glance to Otto Godblessed, his rugged yet soft facial features luring her into a sense of security and belonging, allowing her to forget the stressful experiences of her mission. Otto in turn looked back, a sweet smile as his face, Xala quickly looking away and turning a few shades of red. It tickled Otto to no end, finding Xala absurdly adorable, especially when she tried to hide her infatuation with himself. Despite that, he began a different subject, one with the space station in mind. "That there is our flagship. Our home away from home, of sorts." Otto began, gesturing toward the Anvil. "It's called the Anvil of Stars, and more often than not, it is our home."

Xala blinked for a moment, looking from the space station back to Otto, "Wait, so you, Val, and Max all live on that colossal vessel?"

"Ah, oh, no." Otto answered quickly, "We carry a large citizen base and members of Max's personal guards."

"Funny that a guy like that needs guards..." Xala sourly returned.

"I know, but it's their choice, not his." Otto explained, "They are known as the Forever Knights, and they serve as our military force when our presence is not needed or warranted."

"Mmm..." Xala hummed, "A rather...interesting name, no?" She asked, but then looked toward Otto once more, "So you, Max, and Val are not part of these Forever Knights, then? What do you call yourselves?"

"Tough question..." Otto said, the space station sending out a small vessel to come and retrieve the duo - Both Xala and Otto watching it speedily rush towards them. "But simple enough, I suppose. Maxwell has a team of super-powered individuals, of which, I and Val are apart, as are some others. That team is known as the Starbreakers." The transport craft made a sudden stop in front of Otto and Xala, it's underbelly opening up to reveal a short ramp leading to a chamber in it's innards. Climbing aboard, the doors hissed close behind the two and steadily applied atmospheric pressure, allowing the two to move freely about the cabin.

Otto greeted some of the men present, some of which were dressed in sharp, military-esque uniforms and seemed to be rather delighted to speak with Godblessed, but Xala's eyes looked elsewhere, noticing a flash of metal now and again pass her by or stay just outside of her line of sight. The slime girl grew curious, looking at first to Otto to ask him about what she was seeing, but found him in the middle of a deep conversation with some other uniformed officer. She sighed a bit, separating herself from Otto bit by bit until he and his conversational partner went around a corner, allowing Xala to quickly slip away down another hallway. She moved quickly and with intent, searching for whatever she had just seen.

Xala rounded a corner and stopped dead in her tracks, almost running into a suit of metal, his head mere inches from her own. Like a child caught doing something wrong, she felt a rush of embarrassment, but the man held up a hand. "Can I help you find something, Miss?" He asked politely, his voice a bit mechanical speaking through the suit. "I am Knight Reeves, and I am to escort Otto Godblessed and his companion safely to the Anvil. If you would please follow me, we will join them at the command center."

The Xyrixma nodded softly, still wondering if this was the man she had seen snooping around, trailing her even. She peered over his shoulder as she followed him, the man moving briskly and without hardship within the metal suit, the armored man stopping suddenly, Xala stopping as well. Knight Reeves turned his head to his shoulder, Xala knowing that he was peering at her through the corners of his eyes, studying her, scanning her, or something like that. "Um..." She began, growing a bit weary of this individual.

"I am a member of the Forever Knights." He began, walking forward once more, this time talking with Xala as he did so. Perhaps he realized that she just wanted answers to sate her curiosity, but he delivered those answers with an almost threatening amount of information. "I was asked personally by the Forever King to accompany this vessel...In order to assess the threat level of her passengers." Reeves said bluntly, Xala almost taking offense, but quickly remembering that her first meeting with the Starbreakers wasn't very diplomatic in nature. Before she could protest, Reeves waved his hand slightly as they approached a door, it sliding open on that gesture.

Turning to greet them was Otto and the man he was talking with, a grin on his face as he saw Xala and Reeves. "Got into some trouble, huh?" He asked sweetly, walking over to the Knight and Xala. "Well, that's no problem, we'll be at the Anvil soon anyways, so why don't we -" Otto continued, attempting to walk past Reeves, but stopping as the Knight extending his arm between Otto and Xala. Godblessed cast a glance towards Reeves, who returned his gaze.

"Do not let her wander my halls again, Godblessed."

"You were the one trying to spy on us and drew her attention, Knight Reeves."

"Unimportant. She is a liability until proven otherwise. I will not allow danger to befall the Anvil of Stars on my watch, are we clear?" Reeves said harshly, Otto growing a half-smirk of both frustration and arrogance. Reeves stared on at the Asgardian, unafraid of his wrath, politely informing him of so. "You may have the King's ear and his right hand, Godblessed...But we are his fists, and we will defend him and his flagship from threats foreign and domestic."

With those words, the tension in the room grew by the second as the two men stared the other down, Xala bringing her tentacle to her lips nervously, knowing she had accidentally caused this scene to unfold. Otto laughed loudly, though, breaking the silence and startling damn near everyone. "Ahaha, Knight Reeves, why don't you lighten up sometime? I understand you have some sort of...animosity towards members of Starbreaker, but that doesn't mean that I don't have the best interests of Morningstar at heart. If she is a threat, then I can handle it. With or without your help." Otto said devilishly, lowering his chin and narrowing his eyes at the Knight. Reeves straightened himself up a bit, but pivoted on his heel, turning around and walking past Xala without a word.

Xala looked around feverishly,upset that she caused such a ruckus, but Otto reached out and touched her shoulder, calming her immediately. "Hey now, don't worry about him." Otto explained, "Reeves is one of our best Knights, but he has issues with beings that go beyond human, and takes his job very seriously. Nothing against you or me, it's just the way he is." Otto said with a smile, Xala returning it, but thinking back on the Knights' words, how Xala could be deemed a threat. "Besides, we're already here." Otto informed her cheerfully, Xala feigning excitement at the prospect.

---

Starbreakers
The Anvil of Stars

A fearsome king sat upon his throne, watched over by a sculpture of the Celestial Madonna, his body lazily lying upon it's soft velvet as he overlooked his court. Before him was two rows of men clad in matching sets of armor, standing motionless as they formed two walls, one point ending at Mad King Morningstar, and the other leading to the door of his throne room. At his left side was a slender, more compassionate armored ally - wearing the armor of Val Valentine, the two and their Royal Guard patiently awaiting the arrival of Otto Godblessed and his companion, the Xyrixma scout known as Xala.

The door to the Mad King's chamber creaked open, revealing the masculine form of Godblessed, a more amorphous blob at his side. Their entrance caused the Royal Guard to quickly tense up and stand at attention, awaiting orders from their sovereign, greeting his guests with a show of force. Morningstar raised his open palm, holding his fingers tightly together as he motioned for his Guard to be at ease, Otto casually walking forward between the rows of soldiers, Xala scurrying behind him with eyes wide and almost fearful, witnessing the amount of power Maxwell could possess.

"Maxwell," Otto began, approaching his throne and standing with one foot at the steps leading up to it, staring intently at Max's faceless helm, both the Mad King and his Queen casting their own glances back down towards the Asgardian. "I have brought Xala with me as promised. I come to you asking a favor, though." He said passionately, looking at Xala and then back to Maxwell, "I wish for her to serve alongside us in the Starbreakers." Xala looked a bit shocked, casting her eyes to the floor, looking at her feet as the weight of the favor sank in. To Xala, it meant just...abandoning her race, and it seemed almost unfathomable. But, she looked up at Otto, and smiled to herself, knowing that she'd much rather be at his side than alone again.

Maxwell didn't seem to react too much, limply rolling his wrist to place his palm skyward. "Have you discussed this with Wild Fang? Or Shatterstar?" He asked, his voice carrying heavily within the room, thunderous in its delivery despite its simplicity.

"I have not." Otto replied, "But I seek your approval before introducing her to them."

"In Starbreaker, I look for very particular material." Maxwell said, rising from his throne and walking down its steps in a fluid motion, continuing his speech as he did so. "I want men and women with gifts that can tear apart suns, Otto, you and I both know this. I ask of you though, where do her loyalties lie? Can she be trusted to the utter brink? To follow me and her comrades into oblivion and back?" Maxwell was now standing before Otto, the two men locking their eyes - Max's hidden behind a helm, Otto's revealed fully. "Starbreaker is as much of a family as it is a team."

"I..I don-" Otto began, before being cut off by Maxwell.

He suddenly turned his gazed towards Xala, "You, Xyrixma." He said harshly, causing Xala to perk her head up, scared as the demon spoke directly to her. "You are a scout for your kind, no? One sent to find universes to devour?" Max pressed, Xala surprised at his knowledge of her race. "If you've grown tired of this life, and tired of finding nothing but dead universes in your wake, then you are welcome in my home." The words shocked Xala, finding that level of empathy in such a harsh tone to be, well, weird. "You will serve in the Starbreakers, my elite, should you choose to accept my offer. I will feed you the stars themselves, so long as you serve me."

"I...I..." Xala began, looking wildly around the room as she was put on the spot, she felt a panic attack growing inside of her, and she was ready to shut down and cry. Yet, her eyes found themselves latched onto Otto, a faint smile on his face, the calm in the storm of her mind. Xala deeply inhaled, closing her eyes as she abandoned her pride as a Xyrixma, forsaking her superiors, and finding a new life with Otto. She dropped onto her knees, eyes still closed, and accepted. "I will do as you ask, Morningstar."

"Then rise. You need not bow before me." Maxwell answered, Xala opening her eyes and rushing to her feet quickly, almost embarrassed at the humiliation. "Those who serve in the Starbreakers are not my subordinates, they are not my inferiors." He said, turning around and walking back up towards his throne. "The members of Starbreaker are but equals and allies. I am their leader, but they are there by choice instead of faith." Maxwell sat back in his chair, lazily and relaxed, "Make no mistake, I have placed my trust in you, do not betray it. If I trust you, then you must trust me. There is one thing I require of anyone who claims to be my ally, and that is loyalty."

Xala nodded her head fiercely, "Yes, I shall be loyal. I left my people...In order to find my home." She admitted, blushing and trying to hide her face, Morningstar smiling greatly behind his helmet.

"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." Max informed her, "Welcome to the Starbreakers."

[New Neros]

Homecoming
The Anvil of Stars

Life aboard the Anvil was a calm and civil affair, militaristic yet homely for it's inhabitants, their Forever King active in their politics and assemblies to ensure their smooth operation. But today was a special day, despite the lack of proper time in universes, days were still kept track of as if they were still orbiting Sol - This day happened to be Christmas Eve. As King Morningstar finished his last touches on the infantile universe, he slipped into casual wear and retreated to his private chambers, issuing a do not disturb order for all of his subordinates and allies, giving his Guards and civilians the day off to celebrate - their labor replaced with momentary automatons. One of his allies would violate his order, which would usually entail a vicious tongue lashing, but exceptions had to be made for Maxwell's consort, the ever-so lovely Val Valentine.

She too was dressed down to causal wear, sporting a pair of soft blue pajama bottoms and a tight, yet comfortable gray tank top - Her hair hanging short and a bit unkempt, having not run a brush through it. Val knocked quickly against Maxwell's private chamber, the woman hearing an audible, loud groan from within, the thundering voice of the Mad King roaring like a wild lion following the groan with a booming, "Who dares?!"

Smirking at the response, Val cleared her throat and tried her best to imitate Maxwell's own tone and speech pattern. "It is I! Valerie Valentine, sole consort of the Forever King! Despoiler of the Cosmos! Celestial Madonna! Beyond and Forever After!" She smiled as she spoke, banging on the door harder as she giggled, poking fun at her boyfriends' expense.

"...Okay." The voice of a defeated man said, opening the door to his man cave to allow his lady within. It was an uncommon sight for the Mad King, a simple white t-shirt stretched across his broad chest that hung more loosely towards the torso with a pair of black mesh shorts to match, complete with brown sandals for use as house shoes. Val smirked at Max, his posture a bit lacking since he was supposed to be relaxed, always finding it funny to see what he does in his free time. "Come in..." He said normally, stepping aside to let Val into his little sanctuary.

"Ooh..." She said omniously, looking around at Maxwell's decor and set up, something you'd never expect of a man who was once a God, and currently a Multiversal King at that. The walls were adorned with posters of his interests, several movie films and silly ones as well, video games and anime making up a great deal of them, however. He had a massive screen that took up an entire wall, or almost did really, with the side walls filled with movies, games, and various things to pass the time that Max enjoyed doing - several game systems to boot, Val curiously looking at one from Thomsen Tech. In the center of it all, though, was a massive pile of pillows, blankets, beanbags, and the like, allowing him to utilize any position to view the television. "I expected...More of a gym or a mediation room, ya'know?"

Max smiled, closing the door and walking past Val, squeezing her love handle as he went past her, jumping into his nest of pillows face-first. "I work out three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I meditate before and after. I play video games and watch my shows any time in-between that." He informed her, Val nodding along at the schedule, but sneaking up on Maxwell in the process, jumping onto his back in the process. "A surprise attack?! You have no chance..." He said playfully as Val latched onto his neck, giggling madly all the while.

"Give up, you Mad King! Your reign of terror is..." She said, trailing off, looking up at Max's screen as he struggled to remove his girlfriend's arms from his neck. "Hey, whacha watching? Some little Japanese girl cartoons?" She teased, smiling wide at Maxwell, "You big nerd." Val teased some more, Maxwell trying his best to explain his point through a collapsed windpipe. "Oh yeah...I win!" Val declared, releasing Maxwell and scooting away, a devilish smile adorning her face as she proclaimed victory. Max flashed her a devious look that implied payback was coming, but Val's insult to anime was to take precedence.

"Oh please..." He said cautiously, "It's only anime, a superior format of storytelling popular in Japan and pretty much all of Earth right now." He said in a rather condescending way, intending to annoy Val. He shrugged, "I'm surprised you haven't heard of it, it's so widespread and just plain good."

"I know what anime is, jerk!" Val snapped, snarling at Maxwell, who only gave her his exposed tongue as a retort. "Ugh! I meant, what anime are you watching?"

"I have discovered the perfect entertainment," Maxwell began, "One Punch Man."

"One pun...?" Val started, only to be interrupted by Maxwell.

"I find One Punch Man glorious." He said with utter excitement, "Imagine a small man who, in the face of sheer boredom and death at the hands of a Crab Man, finds the will to become the greatest hero the world has ever seen." He continued, staring off into the television, paused on some bald-headed character, "Who, by his own potent and nearly-unstoppable willpower and rigorous training, becomes the strongest being to ever walk the Earth. It is as if they were filming a documentary about my life, Val!" Maxwell said with sheer passion and devotion, Val a bit skeptical on the whole thing.

"Okay...Well, uh, lets watch some, then." She said, scooting close to Maxwell, who smiled brightly at the thought. Laying back against a wall of pillows and grabbing the remote, Maxwell threw another arm around Val, unpausing the scene and continuing where he left off. "Don't worry, it might not make sense at first, but it'll get better with time. Right now I'm in the middle of the second season, I managed to find a reality where it was created just to watch it."

"Mmm..." Was Val's response, watching the antics of a bald hero who just...destroyed everything in just one punch. It wasn't really her cup of tea, but looking up at Maxwell's beaming face as the show progressed, she found comfort in his smile, enduring it so that he can have his little moment of joy. Snuggling against him, Val and Max embraced as they watched the anime, Val trying to pick up the story at some point. Without warning, though, the television went black, the duo both perking up at the interference.

"The fuck..." Max mumbled, raising up from his position and staring into the dark screen, the faded image of the Living Tribunal coming quickly into focus. "Oh...Tribunal." He said quietly, lowering his head and keeping his tone respectful. "To what pleasure do I owe a visit from your presence?" Maxwell said, Val looking on, withholding her own words, knowing that the Living Tribunal had come to seek audience with Max.

"I come with a gift, Morningstar." It said with tremendous volume, Max comically turning the TV down a bit, "You have served me well, the Multiverse is in your debt. This universe was the last that I will ask of you to do. I will stand guard over the rest and those unfinished, but your service to me is complete. You may return to your reality, or wherever you wish to settle in the Multiverse."

Max stood there, shocked, almost out of words as he stumbled through a sentence. "I, um, wow, thank you." He said quickly, "But what about the Monitors? Their role..."

"Will be filled, perhaps some may yet live, I will raise their corpses from the star ways. Until then, you need not worry. Enjoy your life, Morningstar, for I saved it and all of your comrades after the Ragnarok War from true oblivion. Had it not been for me, you would have no way to return to the world of the living. I have given you that gift and now this one, freedom. Farewell." The Tribunal said, phasing out of the screen, and returning to the anime Max and Val were just watching. Max jumped up with excitement, however, bringing Val up with him as he did a little dance.

"Val! You know what this means?"

"Yeah..." She said with a sweet smile, "We get to go home."

[New Neros]

Starbreakers
Return to the Beyond Universe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"...Somehow."

[New Neros]

Mad Gods
Son of Daxam

The God Wars were now but a distant memory, the Chinese and Hindu Gods forced into submission by the Mad Gods themselves, Mir unleashing the dreaded power within All-Black the Necrosword, cleaving away and draining away the Godblood, empowering himself and his allies in the process. Gifted with divinity and giving meaning to their name as Mad Gods, Mir made the decision to move Mad City away from the Himalayas after an ongoing political crisis between India, China, and Pakistan refused to provide him with proper accommodation. Instead, he moved his megolithic city-state to North America, raising an island from the sea-floor to use as a foundation.

Not only that, but a name change was in order, a name for the nation that removed the "city" aspect to give it more authority in international affairs. Upon talking with his team, Mir settled on yet another homage to the fallen God-King Morningstar and the one place he felt most at home - Madworld. Though an island of decent size, enough to hold several towns and cities, the -world aspect gave it something separate from Earth, a different area, a new beginning for any who would settle. As Mir began to put the finishing touches on the move, a lone, crudely built drone scuttled it's way into his dining room. Examining it slightly, he bore a confused face, "It's...From Daxam?" He said with upward inflection, unsure of how such a device could be built on the xenophobic world and even make it all the way to Earth. Regardless, after fiddling it with the drone just a bit, a holographic display sprang to life.

"I hope this message finds you in good health." A blue, hazy figure said, Mir recognizing the voice and holding his head down a bit. The rest of the Mad Gods had made their way into the room as well, watching the message along with Mir. "I had to go through some hoops to get a recorder like this, haha...Anyways, I'm sending this message because, well, fuck, there's no easy way to say this..." The hologram figure said, clearly on edge and struggling to find the correct words. "You father is dead, and you're in line for the throne. Prince Mir, return to us to either stake your claim or relinquish it...And it wouldn't be that bad seeing you again. Farewell."

The message fizzled out with some static, leaving the room silent as all eyes rested upon Mir. He remained motionless, looking at the spot where the hologram was for some time. Eventually, Van Zant was the one to break the silence, quickly asking, "Prince...?"

Mir's eyes snapped forward and looked at his teammate. "I don't talk about my private life or the life I had before I met Maxwell." He stated bluntly, "But it seems to have caught up with me. My father was the High-King of Daxam, who ruled over the entire planet, making me a Prince of Daxam. I have an older brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister. The man we just spoke to was my younger brother, Czar-Prel. My family, the Czar Dynasty, has ruled Daxam for generations."

"So..." Van started, "Are you going to go and claim the throne?" A small smile lit up his face, perhaps imagining the influence and royalty he could get by being close to Mir.

"No, I will go and relinquish my birthright. Daxam is not my home, it is my birthplace, nothing more." Mir said solemnly, as if he were lying to himself about his true feelings on his homeworld. "But...There is an issue of formality when it comes to such actions. An heir must relinquish his claim with the backing and faith of several lords, mostly as insurance to ensure the heir is not murdered, but also to make sure an heir will take the throne if he has no support to back out." Mir looked casually around the room at his team, "As I left Daxam at a young age, I cultivated no political relationships or alliances that will allow me to relinquish my claim."

Andreas, mostly silent throughout the entire debate, scoffed at the words. "Please, Mir." He began roughly, leaning forward onto the table. "Bring us along, and then we will see who has the best back-up, and if the Lords want to question it, then he can question all nine of us."

Mir smirked a bit, but then frowned. "Daxam has a red sun, so when I arrive, I will gradually lose my Daxamite powers, and Bree will lose her Kryptonian powers as well." He explained.

"That's all well and good, right, but that just means the rest of us will be good to go regardless of the sun's color. You still have that shadow blade and Bree won't leave our side, we can do this. Let the City Council run Madworld in our absence, surely we won't be long." Andreas said, leaning back in his chair lazily, Mir considering the options he put forth with sincerity. Mir nodded slowly as he took the information in and dwelled on it, reaching a decision.

"If I have all of your support, then, we will leave tomorrow morning."

---

The New World

WIP

[New Neros]

Parahumanity
The King's Men

The soft clicking of boots against a metallic floor jarred the prisoner awake, the familiar sound rousing her and allowing the woman a few moments to ready herself. She wasn't afraid, not by a long shot. She fixed up herself as best as she could with the amenities provided, a mirror included, as the foot steps stopped - a figure in front of the cell that held the woman behind a curtain of impassable energy. Pulling up a chair from against the wall, the man sat quickly down and folded his right leg over his left, crossing his arms and looking carefully at the subject, a slight smile on his face. "Good evening, Xala." He said in a hushed tone, the Xyrixma blushing and smiling a bit as he said her name.

"Good evening, Otto." She replied, catching herself gazing at the floor when she could be looking right at the Asgardian. But, as soon as she looked, she felt too embarrassed as he stared at her, so she looked somewhere else instead. Despite that, she stole looks from him now and again, eventually leading to Otto chuckling slightly. "Huh?" She asked, burning with anxiety that he might be laughing at her, "W-whats so funny, huh?"

"Oh nothing, nothing." Otto replied readily, "Just...You don't have to look at every angle at once. I'm fine if you want to look at me, or the floor, or anything." He said with that sweet, forgiving smile. "Have you read the books I left you?"

"Oh yes!" Xala said, eager to change the subject and rushing over to where she kept the tomes Otto had brought her a few days ago. "They were a bit dry, but I got the general idea of them. These stories are so fascinating, we Xyrixma don't experience such emotions as humans do." She said, holding up a novel to show Otto her completion of it. "They tell a story and teach a lesson..." Xala said, snorting for a moment. "The only thing us Xyri do is eat."

"I'm glad you liked the fables, and how is your food?" Otto asked, Xala frowning deeply at the mention.

"It gets me by, but it's never enough..." She pouted, a solar energy emitter being the closest thing she had to a food tray. "I want to go back outside..." She said even further, placing her head in her slimy hands, Otto looking curiously at her.

"Then let's go." He said, surprising the girl immediately. He stood up and went over to her control panel, the one that monitored all of her vitals and the cell that contained her. Originally designed to house Parahumans, the holding facility could accommodate damn near any prisoner, even one as slippery as a Xyrixma. Xala was ecstatic, forcing Otto to promise he wasn't lying to get her hopes up. "I'm not, I'm not." He reassured her, "I need you to follow me anyways..." He said with a smirk, entering the correct codes to release the girl.

As the energy curtain dissipated, Xala lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Otto's neck and head, bringing herself close to his body, and planting a firm kiss on his lips. Shocked and surprised, Otto was ready to fight, not be the recipient of a slime girl's pent up passion. Ripping herself away from Otto, Xala turned a deep red and her eyes grew wide, slowly backing away from the Asgardian. "I...Um..." She said, unable to explain the outburst. "I'm ready to go back in my cell, now." She said quickly, nervously, which Otto simply laughed off.

"Follow me." He said with a gesture, Xala keeping her head down, and doing as she was told.

---

"Unbelievable!" The titanic, boisterous voice of a lion roared, "These Ultra bastards have once again decided to rebuff our attempts at diplomacy." The beast-like man who ranted on was Wildstar, a Parahuman who commanded a sizable portion of the Forever Knights, and a member of the Forever King's elite - whom he was actually ranting towards. "Give me the word, my King, and I will raze their headquarters for this injustice to your name."

From behind a helmet with a crown, the Forever King raised a hand of silence. "As much as I would like to send messages of our power, Wildstar," King Morningstar said bluntly, "I have no intention of causing an incident with the Ultra Corps. We are a sovereign nation and they are a paramilitary organization, I do not expect them to give us rightful respect, nor do I give them the same I would extend to a nation."

"In other words, can it, furball." A large, stocky member of Godbreaker announced, the tromboning voice of Shatterstar. "You should be more worried about letting a spy into our ranks." He said, cutting his eyes toward Maxwell. "Care to explain, my King?"

"Watch your tone, Shatterstar." A short, black haired lady said, seated next to Mad Max, "There is use for the prisoner, and Otto has convinced us of her willingness to pledge allegiance to Morningstar and forsake her species." Val snapped back at the mountain of muscle.

"What if it's a ploy? A plot to move closer to us and eliminate us? What then?"

"Then you will do well to provide insurance that it doesn't happen." Val said once more, Shatterstar closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Fine, have it your way. Let the freeloader in, it's not like there's other more reputable Parahumans jumping at a chance to serve."

Another feminine voice jumped in, "Godbreakers are not limited to Parahumans, though." Rebound said, "We have Otto! If we let Xala in, then she'll be able to help us when her kind come to Earth."

"...Or help them eat us, there's that, too." Shatterstar said quickly and quietly, Rebound giving him a nasty look in response.

Maxwell raised his hand for silence once more, the members of Godbreaker obeying. "Then we shall vote on the measure. Otto has confided his vote with myself, and he will vote for Xala's inclusion. Aye."

"Nay." Wildstar proclaimed.

"Aye." Rebound cheerfully said, looking to see if Shatterstar was affected by her decision.

"Aye." Valentine said.

"Nay." Shatterstar proclaimed as well, shaking his head sadly at the results. "It seems we're outnumbered, big guy." He said over to Wildstar, who folded his arms defiantly, but was not as jaded about the vote as Shatterstar.

"That's the way it works sometimes. You don't always get what you want." Wildstar said, "Otto has arrived." As he spoke, the Asgardian stepped through the room's large doors, opening them wide, Xala following closely behind him, shuffling as she did so. "I did not vote for our kind, I voted for strength, and I just don't see it in her." Wildstar said as he looked at Xala, the Xyrixma looking around the room suspiciously. Shatterstar refused to even look her, but Rebound and Val smiled and waved instead.

"As you asked, my King, the prisoner, the Xyrixma, Xala." Otto said eloquently, presenting the slime girl to the Godbreakers. Otto hadn't sensed it before, but he now realized that a large division of Forever Knights lined the room, on edge, ready in case anything happens. Their trust was thin, probably a measure demanded by Wildstar or Shatterstar, Otto reckoned, as Max or Val would have faced any challenge head on. He motioned for Xala to stay there, the Asgardian walking around the table to find an empty seat so that they all may be assembled.

"Xala," The commanding, authoritarian voice of Mad Max thundered, "I offer you freedom from imprisonment, of movement and of action, should you serve in my elite, in my Godbreakers." Max continued, "I am sure your stay has shown what I and the Parahumans can offer you, and I understand you wish to forsake the Xyrixma. Is this true?" He asked harshly, leaning forward, Xala standing there wide eyed and almost scared.

"Y-Yes..." She sheepishly, "I have given you all the information I know...I'm just a scout, and I don't know why my people are here or what they want, but I know they're looking for something, and I know they're coming."

"And will you serve me, with loyal and distinction, undying in the former?"

"Yes." She said sternly, nodding her head in agreement.

"Then," Maxwell declared, "Welcome to the Godbreakers."

---

A rugged man in his prime stood firmly behind a large screen, several things going on as his eyes bounced around it. From profiles, pictures, and powers to maps and news headlines, he was in a zone of information gathering unlike any other. While out of it, a sharply dressed officer appeared at his side. "Commander, we have established contact with our benefactors." The subordinate said with a monotone accent and plain demeanor. Not breaking his eyes for a moment, the man responded.

"The United States, yes?"

"Yessir. Our mission is approved, a task force is being deployed as we speak."

The commander smiled slightly, "Good, perhaps the Americans can get a firm taste of what metas have to offer. We've gotten reports of the Super Soldier Serum being replicated and allegedly mass-produced, and the United States hates having it's secrets in the streets, so rather than get their own reputation tarnished, they want to send in Ultra." He said with a conniving smirk, "These Parahumans...They're newcomers, and they're making all the wrong enemies, but I need to see for myself what they have to offer." He kept on, a picture of the Parahuman King popping up on his screen, "Especially you."

"Sir?"

"Yes? I apologize, I was rambling."

"Not a problem, but shall we deploy as well?"

"Oh! Yes, yes, very well. But...Delay a bit. Allow the Americans to alert the Parahumans, then we will begin our assault. We will lose the surprise factor, but I'm sure we will not lose a single ounce of wow-factor upon our arrival." The commander said, "Dismissed." He barked, causing the subordinate to walk away briskly to relay the orders. The commander stayed behind, closely watching the screen, but staring intently at the Mad King's picture instead of the other information flashing around. "Show me something worth fighting for, Morningstar. Something worth my time, something respectable. Something that will make you curse my name..."

"...Daud."

[New Neros]

Parahumanity
Into Forever

Paladin Reeves leaned back against the cold metal walls of the hallway, his armored body hardly making a sound as he pressed it up against it's surface. Behind his helmet, his eyes were closed, concentrating on every movement in the air and along the walls to feel for his target. A small clink, and his eyes shot open, a map of the facility running through his head as he tried to pinpoint exactly where he heard the minuscule noise. The Paladin placed his finger against the side of his helmet, speaking calmly and with intent. "Radio silence terminated, lead on enemy operative affirmed. Engaging."

"On your mark, Paladin." A soft, masculine voice responded, a tense moment hanging in the air as Reeves considered his options. Move out and secure the enemy promptly and effectively in an ambush, or walk into a trap set up by the opponents. A bead of sweat rolled down his face, the pressure mounting, but the hunt just beginning for the young Paladin. He took in a small breath, and placed his finger back against his helmet.

"Team One and Two, move." As Reeves spoke, the halls became rife with the sound of boots hitting against the floor in a rapid fashion, his deployments moving out on his command damn near instantly. "Three and Four, corridor A." Again, the facility became alive with activity. Reeves ran his hand along his energy rifle, feeling it's shape through his gloves, and taking in a final breath. "Five, on me. Move." Reeves lunged forward, pointing his rifle straight ahead, walking briskly as four men quickly and almost silently appeared behind him - rifles at the ready as well, the hallway growing dimmer as they walked further and further from where they began. Prior to being consumed by the darkness, Paladin Reeves stopped his fire team. He waited, listened, trying to make sense of the darkness standing before him. "Something isn't..."

"Contact!" His radio screamed, "Contact!" ... "Hostile!" ... "Engaging!", his beacons cried, his teams quickly coming under fire from the enemy. A moment of panic sunk in as his mind raced through a million different scenarios, but he forced himself through the anxiety, mentally bringing calm to his shaking nerves. Silently, he pressed a button on his armor, bringing night vision onto his screen. Right in front of him, some hundred feet away, was a group of enemy soldiers standing with their guns drawn, hidden by the darkness. As his radio continued to constantly feed him information on the chaos all around, he gave a quiet order to his own team.

"Fire." Right on cue, Team Five unleashed their blasters on the unseen group, Paladin Reeves watching through his night vision as the enemy team returned fire, but was quick decimated. "Advance. Thermal imaging active." He continued, his team moving forward. "Teams, report." ... "Hostile neutralized." ... "Retreated to rally point C, awaiting re-deployment." ... "Limited fire exchange in corridor D. Enemy pinned down." The information was valuable, so Reeves pressed on. "Advancing to objective. Team Two, exit Rally C and join Team One. Continue fire support in corridor D."

A blur moved through Reeves' imaging software, confusing him immediately, but he knew exactly what kind of danger he was in as soon it slammed into him, pinning him by the neck against one of the walls. Another armored suit, tightly gripping the Paladin's neck. Reeves couldn't see it, but he knew a sick smirk was on the opposing man's face. His armor was beefier, yet faster and more resilient, and he spoke in a gruff tone, "Leader captured, simulation termina-"

"Leader neutralized." Paladin Reeves said quickly, finishing before the other man spoke. Glancing down, the enemy saw an energy sword stuck right through his chest, right at the heart. Reeves had stabbed him before he was pinned, a cunning and bold strategy. "Simulation terminated." His opponent released his neck, allowing him to drop to the floor, the full view of his opponent's Forever Knight General armor stunning in appearance. The General removed his helm to show an experienced, rugged face, frowning as a natural state.

"Excellent tactic, Paladin." The General praised, "But you waited too long. Hesitated. It gave us enough time to lock down areas, regardless, you had victory from Corridor A, our failure there meant inability to defend the major objective."

"Meaning you had to take out leadership for victory. Priority shifted from objective to leader." Reeves responded, the General nodding in agreement. Before they could continue with the entire debriefing, a series of explosions and tremors rocked the ceiling. Stunned and retaining his balance, Reeves looked up, "General, we're deep underground...What's going on above ground?" Reeves asked, looking up at the tiles alongside the General and various team members surrounding them.

"Beats the hell out of me, Paladin, but we'd better move, and now."

---

Sirens wailed and screamed, shattering the daytime sky as citizens of Madworld looked up, watching as the heavens were serrated by bands clouds. Causing the clouds were missiles, launched from miles away off-shore by ship and by aircraft, and delivering their traumatic payload in Mad City by slamming into buildings and roads, exploding horrifically as the Parahuman inhabitants ran for cover, exiting the warzone in a panic to the island's catacombs. A bomb shelter of convenience, the labyrinths would hold against much of the bombardment.

"Who's attacking my Kingdom?!" Mad Max demanded, slamming his fist on the table, cracking it severely by the impact. "Where is my missile shields?!"

"Not sure, they knocked out our shield generators, no power." Shatterstar said grimly, "I'm about to deploy, the rest of the Breakers are already responding."

"Oh for fucks' sake." Morningstar yelled, generating an energy sphere in his hand, teleporting both him and Shatterstar to the shield capacitors. He placed both hands against the massive metal machine, gathering up tons of energy, cackling static and lightning through the air as he channeled his own energy into the shield generators - yelling as he did so. Rapidly flickering to life, the hazy bubble quickly expanded to cover the island, causing several in-bound missiles to explode mid-air by contacting the shield. Growling, Max turned to Shatterstar. "Get out there and break shit." He commanded, the massive man nodding, leaving the Mad King to his temper.

Off the coast of Madworld Island, the beastly Wildstar was hard at work slamming his body straight through a naval destroyer, ripping the steel apart like wet paper. "Foolish humans...You have wrought the wrath of a Mad King and his most faithful servant!" He declared, grabbing an unlaunched missile from a quickly capsizing destroyer and throwing it against another, exploding on impact, "Know that his fury burns through me!"

"We could still kick these guys' asses...Without the pep talk, ya know?" Valentine said abruptly, "Don't get me wrong, it's all nice and good, but we have it handled, more or less." She said further, landing feet first on a frigate's deck, warping the steel around her feet as she did so. "These bastards really did fuck with the wrong people, though." Val continued, channeling her anger into her fist, punching the spot she landed on and making a giant hole through the ship's hull. "The hell is Rebound?...Oh."

Looking over, Val saw another ship quickly become entangled in a long, skin-colored rope that wrapped itself several times around. It jerked downward violently, bending at the middle, but pulled down to the depths of the ocean floor by Rebound and her elastic powers. "That seems so unsettling...I'd rather just be punched to death." Val reckoned, watching as Rebound pulled the vessel to high pressure deep below the waves. "Who the hell are these guys, anyways?" Val yelled at Wildstar, who seemed as perplexed as any.

"They lack proper identification symbols. No flags, no numbers, no names. Just people and weapons, though, the design seems western in origin...And only one power has enough naval ships to throw around like this." Wildstar commented, jumping from his sinking vessel to join Val's. "American in origin, but perhaps being used by some other organization. Sold to them, perhaps?"

"Either way, they and whoever else is attacking us is going to pay. Anally." Val said harshly, cracking her knuckles. Far in the distance, back towards the island of Madworld, a dull red flash startled Val and Wildstar, Rebound emerging from the ocean depths just in time to witness it as well. Shielding their eyes for a moment, Val yelled, "And just what the fuck is that now?!" She demanded, "Fall back to Madworld!" She ordered, immediately thinking the worst had come, and whoever was attacking Parahumanity, decided to go the with the nuclear option.

---

Mad Max stood upon the steps of a mighty temple in Mad City, capital of the island, when it was bathed in an ominous red glow. His eyes scanned the skies immediately, wondering what could penetrate his shield technology, finding a random seam drawn across the clouds, one that was violently ripped open in a single instance - a tear in the heavens. From the other side of this torn piece of sky, a ship-like vehicle descended onto the landscape. Massive in size, it began to drop it's payload across Mad City. Rather than bombs as Maxwell feared, it was landing ships, infantry transports. A land invasion.

His face was firm and sour, teeth clenched and ready to break. Maxwell gathered energy in his hands from his surroundings, walking down the steps of the temple as he prepared to blow the vessel right out of the goddamn sky. Unknown to Max, a large bay door opened on the ship, revealing the face and body of the commander who orchestrated the invasion of Max's Kingdom. The city burned and his soldiers were already mobilizing in the streets, a wicked grin grew on Daud's face. "I bet I can find you before you find me..." He taunted, knowing Mad Max couldn't hear him. "Bingo." He said, noticing a large, pulsating flash of energy steadily building up from a large cathedral-like structure.

Daud clenched his fists together, clearing his mind a bit. "Sora, don't be too mad, please." He said to himself, "But I have to do what a man's gotta do." Steadily, he walked forward from the bay door, the wind assaulting him from the high altitudes, but his sturdy body ignoring it's chill. Behind him stood other members of the Ultra Corps, the superpowered ones, the ones who would enforce Daud's duel with the Mad King. "Long live Ultra..." Daud said to himself, jumping from the vessel, heading straight for the cathedral where Morningstar lay ready.

[New Neros]

Parahumanity
For the Corps

As the gargantuan flagship of the unknown enemy towered above Maxwell's beloved city, he could feel nothing but furious anger at such a site. As he drew energy from even the molecules of air that surrounded him, his armor detected an in-coming life signature heading right for him from the enemy vessel. He grit his teeth, ready to intercept whoever dared to challenge a King in his own Kingdom, a black blur slamming down a few hundred feet away from him in a small crater. Maxwell turned his attention to this interloper instead of the ship, casually walking down the steps of the temple, looking down at the cloud of dust that obscured his opponent.

"You come to my nation...You bring war on my people." Morningstar said, his teeth clenched together as he spoke, "You come directly to me as well...For what? A fight? A battle? I don't know who you are, who you represent, or why you've brought destruction to this land...But I will not offer you a fight." Maxwell said sternly, his eyes narrow behind his helmet, energy glowing all around his armor. "I will offer you a massacre." Lifting is hand, Mad Max blasted forth with a powerful beam of energy aimed directly at his unseen opponent, the beam tearing its way through the area and across several buildings as Max poured energy into the attack.

"You don't know a lot of things..." A voice quickly retorted as soon as Maxwell stopped firing his beam, "Maybe I can clue you in on some of them." The dust thrown up by the attack began to settle, a firm, toned man emerging from the clouds standing exactly where he had landed, shocking the Mad King. "But first, tell me about yourself, King Morningstar. Tell me who you are and I will let you know who I am."

Max's face twisted with fury at the insolence he was witnessing, but he obliged the man, telling him exactly what he wanted to hear. "I am Maxwell Morningstar, I am many things. You could not begin to imagine half of them, but I am a King, and you have made war with my people. I know my power is great, and that's why I'll use it to defend my people. My home, from people like you." Max said, stepping forward, "Now, speak, or die in silence. It matters little to someone like me."

The man was dark haired, slightly stubbly in the beard, but strapped with lean muscle and a firm build. He cracked a smile, "Tsk, semantics, I know the things you and your kind harbor, but that's not the answer you're after. I'll say it you nice and clear, I am Daud...And we are the Ultra Corps." The winds shifted quickly as Daud disappeared from view, the man already attacking Mad Max with a thrown fist, which was surprisingly caught by the Mad King. Daud seemed unphased, however, the strike not meant to hit at all. "Energy absorption...My kinetic energy should have flattened you and the building behind you, good to see you've held up to your profile."

"Someone's done their homework..." Maxwell commented, "But you don't know the first thing about me." He yelled, pulling Daud's fist forward, readying a charged energy sphere in his left hand. He slammed the energy directly into Daud's face, exploding outwards with several tons of TNT behind it, Daud's body recoiling back from the force. Thrown back several feet, Daud tumbled into the street harshly, digging up asphalt and concrete as his burning body came to a stop - the man still standing. His eyes were closed for a moment, but Daud opened them confidently, the eyes turning to shock as he saw nothing but the palm of Mad Max's hands.

Without a word, a devastating blast of energy poured out of Max's palms, incinerating and blowing apart Daud's body with heat and explosive power. Max's face became more stoic as he continued the attack, pouring untold amounts of energy out at Daud for an uncomfortably long time. Eventually though, Max tapered off, and ended his assault with his hands smoking from the attack. Only a charred body, simply a skeleton in parts, remained among an oval of melted metals and rock, the Mad King turning from the scene and walking away, unphased at the murder he had committed, until a raspy laugh filled his ears. Stopping dead in his tracks, Max's eye twitched at the noise, whipping around to see the man he had just burned to death...Cackling.

"Ahaha...That hurt, that really did." The remains said, kneeling down in the position it fell it, "But I've had worse pain before. Mostly...In the form of emotions and being punched, but energy attacks, that's new. But it's about to get really old..." The partial skeleton said, muscles appearing and attaching itself to the man's skull as his body rebuilt itself from damn near nothing, eyes returning to their sockets and skin stretching out to cover all of it. "You will notice two things about me. The first is that I can regenerate from damn near any wound. I say damn near, but I think I've died once or twice." Daud said callously, "The second is -"

Daud threw his arm up, taking a punch meant for his jawline right on the bicep, hitting with the force of several freight trains behind it, "Oof..." He said desperately, the hit sending shock-waves up and across the buildings that surrounded the combatants. "You're new." Daud quipped, the imposing, and massively huge figure of Shatterstar coming into full view as his fist connected with Daud's body. "You managed to break my arm...Not the first time, so, there's a feat for you to dwell on. However, I'm not going to fight you."

Shatterstar seemed rather offended at the comment, "Oh yeah?" He holler back, "And just who's going to stop me?" He reared back with his free fist, and collided it like a meteoroid against Daud's skull, sending the Ultra Corps commander flying far down the street with his eyes bulging from his head. The hit caused more shockwaves, but Shatterstar turned to Mad Max, and gave his assessment. "My King, I will deal with this nuisance. Immediately." Shatterstar declared, cracking his knuckles intensely, Daud scrambling to his feet, and Mad Max nodding to affirm the Parahuman's decision. Yet, Daud still had a trick up his sleeve.

Daud gave a confident smirk and yelled harshly, "You can get involved any time..."

"...Dapp."

[New Neros]

Parahumanity
Behemoth

A grotesque figure leapt to street level from somewhere far up above, cracking apart the asphalt and causing a literal wave of concrete and earth to fly in all directions as he slammed his feet down. A sinister scowl and forearms the size of tree trunks with puny legs mismatched, the imposing figure of Dapp appeared on the scene. All eyes turned to the menaces' flashy, destructive entrance, Mad Max's mouth slightly agape, Shatterstar's face narrow and furiously observant, and Daud's own face twisted into a smirk. Dapp spoke slowly and with enunciation, challenging the Parahumans. "Come and fight me if you want to die."

A sudden blitz by Shatterstar was fruitlessly stopped by Dapp's insane reaction time, the two titanic mountains locked in a strenuous display of raw strength and power, Shatterstar's fist connected to and blocked by Dapp's massive forearms, the two warriors struggling to push their way against the opponent. "Look's like we have a taker..." Dapp taunted, "Have you made peace with this Earth? Because I'll bury beneath a piece of this earth..." He said with a sick, ecstatic grin.

"Funny..." Shatterstar retorted, "People who talk the most shit get knocked the fuck out the most."

"It ain't talkin' shit..." Dapp exhaled, backing up quickly to dislodge Shatterstar's fist and bring the giant closer, Dapp stepping forward with a massive punch aimed right at the Parahuman's gut, slamming into it with enough force to rip through metal beams. Shatterstar's eyes bulged forward as he took the hit, Dapp finishing his thought process and letting the strike almost speak for itself, "If you can back it up."

The hit launched the massive frame of the Parahuman some ways away, but his own strength saved him from any major injuries or slamming into a building nearby. Crouched down for a moment, Shatterstar stood up and readied himself for battle once more, his teeth clenched so hard together that a crack formed in one of them. Dapp seemed almost impressed, and almost happy to have found a worthwhile opponent. "Most superhumans don't even survive my first hit." Dapp commented, "So let's see if the second one is just as good." With that, he launched forward at Shatterstar to attack him head on, the Parahuman already prepared for the assault.

Shatterstar moved forward right as Dapp approached, letting the punch graze his shoulder slightly as the Parahuman extended and connected a vicious straight punch to Dapp's cheek, warping the monstrous man's skin by the impact and sheer force behind it, not to mention adding Dapp's forward momentum to the equation. It should have torn his entire head and upper body into mush, but Dapp simply stumbled back. Shatterstar did not wait for a return, though, and followed up his first hit with a second hit, an uppercut that sent Dapp's head snapping back with enough force to launch it into the lower stratosphere, yet, the Power Titan whipped his head back into place, a vicious smile threatening to tear his lips in half. "God damn, you're strong. But I'm -"

"Shut," Shatterstar yelled, throwing a balled fist into Dapp's right midsection, breaking the sound barrier in the process, "Up." He finished, sending his other fist into the dead center of Dapp's chest with a hit that would register on the Richter Scale, sending the Titan scrapping back on his heels as he covered up his core. He looked up at Shatterstar with a different look, one that immediately gave away that Daud's powerhouse was absolutely livid at being a punching bag, to which, Shatterstar goaded him on. "Get mad."

Shatter's eyes widened as his pupils registered the immense fist of Dapp merely a centimeter from from his and closing in fast, connecting faster and harder than Dapp had ever had to put forth, nearly breaking apart Shatterstar's skull and actually sending the immense Parahuman flying back, flipping over and across the destroyed cityscape, nearly unconscious from the blow, with Dapp in hot pursuit.

---

The two commanders did not simply stand around as two leviathans duked it out, Max launching a surprise attack against Daud, wildly moving and striking at the Ultra Corps Commander with stunning efficiency and style, producing massive damage and energy output in a short span. Daud held his own for a while, but the unpredictable mannerisms of Max's fighting style was to be noted, and proved overwhelming superior to whatever martial arts Daud possessed. Daud suffered repeated jabs and strikes, dishing out only a select few in return for Max's own, but managed to find a break in the fist-fight.

"Good Lord," Daud said with exhaustion, "What kind of fighting style is that?"

"Developed on Madworld. It's meant to fight superhumans, since Madworld is populated entirely by them. Your abilities reflect a flaw in training and mindset: You've trained in a human fighting style that's meant to fight other humans. Not superhumans, and certainly not Parahumans." Maxwell said in response, his sturdy form leaving hardly any gaps in defenses, his forearms pressed tightly against his helmet, allowing him to deflect head shots and dip quickly to deflect body blows, Daud standing a partial kickboxing stance. "We call it God Fist."

"God Fist?" Daud repeated, "I need to get some lessons sometime." He said with a smile, stepping back quickly in order to dodge another rush attack by Mad Max, attempting to grab onto the Mad King's arm to preform a take down, but just missing it as Max placed it back against his head with stunning speed. Daud took a step forward and launched himself into the air at an angle, knee first, in an attempt to hit Max in the stomach. The Mad King used his training, though, and simply crunched his abdomen, Daud's knee connecting with Max's elbows first and losing their forward momentum and damaging power.

"When you repair my Kingdom, if you live that long, I may consider it." Max said quickly after backing away from Daud, "However, I'm out of both time and patience." He growled, lowering his hands and relaxing his body. "You've seen two things I am capable of with stunning effectiveness, Daud, and that's energy projection and combat skills. But, you only got a sliver of my true abilities, my raw potential realized, and I will now use it to end this battle, and this invasion." Daud perked up at the sound, knowing Mad Max was a powerful energy absorber, but no one really knew just how strong that absorption. "Behold, Daud of Ultra, the power that is the Morningstar Equation."

A thunderous noise filled the battlefield as Max held his hand upward, a purple colored light swirling and smoking around it, the droning of the Equation being caused by the very vibrational energy made by sound-waves being sucked away by the Mad King. Daud took a step back as the winds radically shifted, centering all of their blowing power as Max, as if he held a living black hole in his hands. Max tightly closed his fist, the purple and gray energy-like substance covering his hands all the way up to their elbows. Daud crouched down and readied himself, launching forward quickly and unexpectedly.

A single strike slammed into the Mad King's helmet, faster and more powerful than what Daud was giving back during the pair's round of fisticuffs, and effectively split the helm in two. The halves flew back away from the stationary Mad Max and revealed his face underneath, the Parahuman King not so much as flinching or blinking from the attack. Daud's face was full of concern, the curly blonde hair of Max gently framing his square jaw and light complexion. He jumped back and skidded on his feet, the now helmet-less Mad Max simply staring at the invader.

The hazy energy flickered across Max's face briefly, concealing his eyes for just a moment. When they pulled back, the whites of the Mad King's eyes had become gray, almost demonic and sinister, causing Daud to stiffen up further, a nervous smile creeping on his face. "Hah, ah, well..." He began, "I suppose that...I suppose that I need to go all out, too, no?" He said nervously, as if he was bluffing, "But I guess that's fine with me. A final showdown of our abilities and such, as is tradition."

"Regeneration? Please..." Max began, his tone dry and dark.

"Oh yeah..." Daud said, remembering he never got to finish telling Max about his powers before being blindsided by Shatterstar. "Before your lapdog attacked me, I was telling you I had a certain power set in my arsenal, and only got to 'regeneration' before I was sucker-punched. You see, Maxwell..." Daud began, his body glowing a greenish aura that surrounded him completely, "I can regenerate my body from nearly any wound...And then adapt to whatever injured me." The information seemed rather trivial on Max, but the King suddenly widened his eyes as he put the pieces together, clenching his fists tightly. "Yeah..." Daud responded, "Let's see if I can't nullify energy absorption, shall we?"

Max narrowed his eyes and dropped his chin slightly, mentally preparing his moves ahead of time, searching for some foreseeable weakness against Daud's versatile ability. It didn't stop him, however, from defending the pride of his Parahuman subjects and their plight in the face of invasion, and agreeing to the brawl. "Let's."

[New Neros]

Parahumanity
The Mad Queen

Contact was key during the initial moments of invasion, the members of Godbreaker having scattered to deal with multiple threats across Madworld and her territorial waters. But, as Val, Wildstar, and Rebound realized that the naval bombardment was just a front to the real invasion, the trio retreated quickly back to the island. Before Val went back, though, the Mad King relayed a set of coordinates and instructions for her, causing the woman to immediately stop and evaluate her top priority. Wildstar and Rebound stopped near her as well, both looking at Val intently, Wildstar asking, "What it is, Val?"

She responded quickly, giving them little of what Max had given her, and sending them elsewhere. "I received word from Morningstar. He and Shatterstar are currently in battle, but our Forever Knight legions are pinned down by the Ultra Corps. You two will go and relieve them, and drive the Corpsmen from our island. I'll catch up..." She said, looking off to the side as Wildstar evaluated her body language. Rebound looked grimly at Val, knowing that her face betrayed her intentions.

"Where are you going?" Wildstar asked, Val snapping at him quickly, though.

"Your mission was ordered by the Mad King himself, do not press me." Wildstar's look soured at the response, turning away from Val, and quietly leaving the scene, Rebound following him, looking back softly at Val. Rebound mouthed at Valentine, "Be safe", sending a chill down the woman's spine. Val shook for a moment but tightened her muscles, narrowing her eyes, and feeling the complex emotions ravaging her homeland as war tore apart it's surface. Fear, anger, hatred - Things she could use to empower herself and give her every ounce of strength necessary. Floating in the sky feeling the emotional energy, she glowed a slight red color as her strength and speed increased rapidly. In an instant, she was gone, flying quickly to the point Mad Max had given her.

She came to a slow stop, standing in air before a massive fortress off the coast of Venezuela. It was highly modern yet given an older appearance for the sake of style, the letters U and C tattooed on the building's front - Val stood before the Ultra Corps' headquarters. She relaxed and concentrated, feeling for emotions within the building, using that as a sign to pinpoint if people were there and where they were. She found them...But a thought crossed her mind. Madworld was given no warning, no means to hide her civilians, that this was war.

And war makes us do things we're ashamed of. Val lowered her head and blasted herself forward, exploding her way deep into the innards of the Ultra Corps Headquarters with blinding speed and insurmountable power, leaving a giant hole in her wake. A series of explosions then began to occur all over the compound, entire sections of the castle being blown away by Val in her rampage. She eventually reached a well-defended core area deep below the facility, and judging by it's complex design, the Mad Queen reckoned it must have been a power generator of some sort, alien in origin. Whatever it was, it didn't survive a few consecutive hits, throwing the turbines and generator into an over-charged state.

Unknown to Val, the generator worked on Reverbium, which gave off intense vibrations and can be harnessed as an energy source, so long as it did not come into contact with outside molecules. When Val broke the vacuum seal that guarded the material, it released it's stored vibrations in a devastating explosion, rivaling that of atomic weapons easily, blowing apart every piece of the Ultra Corps' headquarters, men, and material in a single blast. Val herself was knocked unconscious, and awoke in a field of smoldering rubble, throwing some of the larger pieces of concrete off her body as she rose to her feet.

She gazed around at the destruction without much concern, letting out a deep sigh as she tried to not let the weight of her actions affect her. Without warning, a shadow appeared above her in the sky, partially blocking out the Sun. Val looked up quickly, seeing the vague shape of a human floating above her, in-between Val and the sunlight. Val felt for this stranger's emotions, feeling the anger that moved through them easily. Another member of Ultra, who also survived the explosion. Now, Val had to actually fight rather than be a force of nature. "Who are you, and why did you destroy this place?"

The voice was feminine, surprising Val for a moment, but she didn't let that fact get very far. Val retorted quickly, "I'm Val Valentine, and why exactly did your little organization invade my home?"

"I am not affiliated with Ultra." The mysterious woman replied, "But I came after hearing the blast. There's only one thing I care about here, and that's Daud." Slowly, the woman lowered herself to the ground, softly impacting the rubble beneath. Her pixie cut blonde hair and stockier build betrayed her Kryptonian lineage, but it was the glowing red eyes that gave it away. Val tightened up and prepared herself for a battle against something she's only read about, never thinking she'd actually run into a Kryptonian.

"So, just who are you, exactly?" Val asked, buying a little time to form out a strategy. The woman replied quickly and simply, having no time nor need for greater introductions.

"Sora-El."

[New Neros]

Parahumanity
The Iron Lady

Val ducked frantically as a supersonic swing shattered the air over her head, Sora-El stepping into the haymaker and already following it up with a straight punch aimed right at Val's head. The Mad Queen expected something along those lines, and threw her own body backwards to avoid the blow. In that split second though, Val watched as Sora continued the motion, flying after Val, intent on letting the punch land. Val grit her teeth, and let the strike land, throwing the hardest part of her forehead against Sora's knuckles. In that motion, Val lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Sora, pushing herself off the ground and on top of the Kryptonian. Sora was surprised for a moment, until Val made a sweeping motion with her left arm, pinning Sora's right and left arms back, and following through with a devastating hit to Sora's temple.

Shaken up, the Kryptonian prepared to blast Val off of her, but Val used the motion of her right arm in reverse, slamming her elbow against the other said of Sora's face. Dazed once more, the Kryptonian only grew madder as Val landed two successful hits in rapid succession, breaking her arms away from Val's hold and pushing the Mad Queen off of her. Val stumbled back up to her feet, breathing heavily after the exchange, Sora slowly standing back up, her eyes glowing a harsh black, trained on Val. "Where's Daud?" She demanded through clenched teeth, "Tell me!"

Val gave an arrogant smirk, feeding off of Sora's relentless anger and emotions. "Can't say I know him." She lied, lowering her body into another combat stance. "But your first bet should be Madworld, where he and his goons are currently laying waste to the home of millions of Parahumans." Val spat, Sora's anger subsiding slightly, but her eyes still retaining their black glow. "And if you're allied with him, then I'll take your ass out, too."

"Try."

Val launched forward at the alien faking a punch to get her opponent to prepare to block, the real attack slamming into Sora's side just below the ribs, a liver shot, causing Sora to bend at nearly a ninety-degree angle as the force ricocheted through her body. It was a pain Sora hadn't felt from someone like Val before, as if something ruptured deep down. The brutal hit sent the Kryptonian flying to the side, her eyes clenched as pain ricocheted around her body. Val stood with her foot in the air where she hit Sora, her shin and boot steaming from the impact. "I think I did a little more than try...Huh?" She asked sarcastically, lowering her foot down and standing some distance from where Sora had curled up. "There is a strength difference and a skill difference between me and you, and it's showing really ba-"

The Mad Queen was unable to finish as a stream of black energy slammed into chest, knocking her back several meters with a loud "Umph!", Val clutching the point of impact severely. "Black Laser..." Sora said, raising her torso up enough to hit Val with her eye beams, "Hits with both heat and concussive force. There's..." Sora said, painfully getting up to her feet, "A difference in powers, too." Her eyes continued to glow black as Sora stood, mentally blocking out the fiery pain to continue the fight. "Let's go." She said, flying at Val's body with immense speed, slamming her knee cap into Val's palms - blocking the attack from hitting her head like it was intended, but forcing the two ladies out of the rubble and to the sea.

Sora and Val skidded along the surface for a moment in the same position, until Sora reached down and grabbed onto Val's neck unexpectedly, flying downwards directly into the sea. Bubbles of precious oxygen left Val's mouth as Sora clamped down on her throat and pushed further and further, taking the two to the ocean floor. Val stared intently into Sora's own eyes, the two still locked in battle under the waves, Sora able to not breath for long periods of time, and Val needing to breath soon, or else, she'd black out. Sora's grip was impossible, so Val played dirty, and brought her feet into the equation. Kicking forward with her heels, Val hit the same spot she had kicked earlier, Sora's grip becoming loose, and the Kryptonian closing an eye as a new flood of pain assaulted her nervous system.

Breaking Sora's hold with her had, Val pushed herself forward and slammed her forehead directly into Sora's face, sending a vapor of blood from the Kryptonian's nose into the oceanic environment. Val was about to punch Sora again, but her eyes bulged, the Queen forgetting that she needed to breath. Now. She jumped up from the sea floor until she reached the surface, breaking it apart and flying high into the sky, gasping for air as she did so. She looked down at the waves, however, and noticed that she had lost sight of Sora. Scanning the oceans, Val looked and looked, feeling for her emotions as well, but picking them up too late. Sora shot out of the water with ultrasonic speeds, colliding into Val, and taking her high into the atmosphere.

The shock of the hit disoriented Val for a moment, and at those speeds, it took only two seconds to breach the troposphere, and another four and a half to breach the stratosphere. Val took a deep breath while she could, before the two of them hit the stratopause, damn near close to space, and close enough to be deprived of oxygen. If Sora couldn't drown her, she was going to suffocate her in the atmosphere. Val reached her hands inside of Sora's tackle and grabbed the woman as well, jerking quickly to one side and breaking out of the lock, Sora flying forward for a moment while Val veered off to the side and then down - racing back to Earth. As Val flew, she took a glance back, Sora-El grabbing onto her, holding her close as the two fell from the upper atmosphere.

Sora had had her arms clasped around Val's body, pinning her arms to her side, the Parahuman struggling to re-orient herself before hitting the ground. Val pried her way out of the grip on her arms, but Sora held tighter, nearly crushing Val's rib cage, as the ground grew closer. Val took a breath and grabbing onto Sora's body as well, using all of her might to force her frame upwards, reasoning if she wasn't going to get out, Sora won't, either. From a distance, it looked like a lightning bolt hit the ground and exploded outwards, Val and Sora landing head-first against the surface, wiping out any trace of the former Ultra Corps headquarters. Both knocked unconscious, Val laid at one end of the crater and Sora at another - their bodies steaming and burnt, a silent observer made his appearance.

Cloaked in green and nearly blending in with the surroundings, the metal-masked villain looked on with elation as his scheming began to pay off. A deadlock in battle, the near-death of the two leader's mates, the complete destruction of one organization and the crumbling of one nation, all in one fateful day. The master manipulator gave off an echoing chuckle, his armor reflecting his voice and giving it a raspy, metallic sound. It awoke both Sora and Val, who gently looked up to see their observer. "You dames seem to have knocked some sense into each other. Even Maxwell and Daud are both at death's helm, yet, you fight each other instead of at their side. A dreadful choice, but your undoing will come regardless, even if it must by my hand..."

"...The Hand of Doctor Doom!"

[New Neros]

Parahumanity
The Madworld War

Smoke and the fires that pushed them were burning brightly in Mad City, capital of Madworld, home of the Parahumans, as the Ultra Corps pushed into Old Town where several members of the Forever Knights and their civilian allies were preparing to make a stand. Supporting the invasion forces were advanced military units and personal combat suits, as well as the titanic warship that relentlessly fired upon defense positions around the city. The rest of the island and her scattered communities were besieged or under assault, the defenders there caught off-guard by the sudden assault.

Paladin Reeves stood at a wooden table with several commanders surrounding him, pointing and gesturing at a map of the city to demonstrate where they were and where several Forever Knight chapters were pinned down, as well as the advance of the Ultra Corps. Looking around the Paladin, the situation seemed dire as is, wounded men and women slumped against walls blown apart by the bombardment, the sounds of explosions and cannonfire miles away echoing across the landscape as the war progressed. In a single day, everything unraveled, the illusion of power and greatness in the Parahuman lineage shattered before their very eyes as Outsiders roamed the streets, kicking down doors, dragging families and citizens onto those very streets, and either executing them or forcing them into make-shift internment camps. "From Alfred Street to the Yorkshire Hills, we cannot hold that line. Retreat back to the streets and leave the homes al-"

"Abandon them? You want to abandon our civilians when we have reports of death squads?" A Knight protested, Reeves shaking his head to the side quickly.

"We're not abandoning them, we're ensuring our combat ability. These Ultra subhumans are proving overwhelming superiority in each confrontation. Our high-blood civilian allies are losing against normal humans in power suits, Knight Gerald, our own Knights are either pinned down, underground, or being assaulted as we speak. King Morningstar is locked in combat downtown with the Ultra Corps Commander, effectively making that entire area off-limits to both of our forces. We need to -" Paladin Reeves ducked suddenly, a squadron of being flying overhead and slamming down onto the ground some streets away with a massive BOOM, shaking the building even further. "We're getting back-up quickly, but it's not enough. If Ultra pushes the front, we're dead."

The final words held in the thick air, each member of the Knighthood solemnly reflecting on that fact. They were being beaten, and badly. Only a miracle could save the city and the Parahumans at this point, and it was beginning to look more and more grim as explosions tore apart Mad City, massive stacks of smoke poured from buildings far and wide across the cityscape. The grim silence was broken by a frantic call over the communication lines, a commander issuing out an alert that Ultra was charging forward in several sectors. Reeves sighed, picking up his communications, and issuing out orders. "General Torque, this is Paladin Reeves. Our forces cannot move at their current state. We have wounded, and we will barely be able to hold our own." He said this, looking around at less than ten Knights, fully equipped and action-ready, while several wounded and civilians were grouped together, outnumbering the squad two to one. "Our position is Section 8, Alfred Street, we need medical assistance."

Static came over the radio quickly, causing a confused look on Reeves beneath his metal helmet, but that look turned into elation as the transmission came through, forcing itself on every transmission within the city - friendly or foe - to announce the arrival of The Pride. "People of Mad City, Invaders of our Home, we are the Pride of the Forever Knights. Our victory is assured, your defeat inevitable, and our homeland saved." The message cried, the echoes of roars and screams drowning out the explosive shells that bombarded the landscape, Reeves running out of the abandoned building-turned-headquarters and looking into the sky. Several members of the Pride were assaulting the Ultra Corps warship, explosions rocketing the vessel, and blasts from surrounding streets aiming against the Ultra Corps frontlines shaking the ground.

But, down his own city block, Paladin Reeves heard the shuffling of feet and the thunder of boots, the Corpsmen charging forward to disrupt Reeves' position, and with no members of the Pride in sight, Reeves retreated back, alerting his men. "Corpsmen advancing, ready combat positions. Defend, but remain hidden. Lights!" He yelled, the Knights assuming their positions hidden along the walls and furniture of their makeshift base, the lights that once illuminated their maps and documents cut so that they could hide. The rapid jog of boots began, passing by the window of the shop, no member of the Ultra Corps taking a glance into it yet. Reeves held a position next to the door, pistol drawn, aiming at the opposite wall to ambush any Corpsmen that entered with a fatal headshot. The footsteps went on and ceased to be heard, the division passing by, but a more terrifying sound heard by all. From several doors away, a squad was kicking down the entrances and clearing out the buildings one by one.

Reeves griped his pistol tightly as sweat streamed down the side of his face, the shop next door being kicked in and searched, the audible voices of the Corpsmen heard through the walls. They shuffled out of the building and back onto the street, coming before the entrance to Paladin Reeves' own makeshift base. It happened in an instant, the door came flying off of the hinges, and an overzealous Corpsmen shuffled into the main room. He scanned his immediate surroundings, not noticing Reeves standing right next to him, pistol at his temple. He took a step forward, and one of the wounded Knights coughed, Reeves acting immediately and pulling the trigger - a bullet piercing the Corpsmen's helmet and exiting the other side, dropping the armored warrior dead. Reeves swung his pistol around the corner and opened fire, keeping most of his body out of the doorway as he fired wildly at the squad.

Reeves' own detachment opened fire from the second story windows and the street-facing windows on the first floor, the Ultra Corps returning fire, but many falling from the ambush as well. The shots died down quickly, Reeves breathing heavily as he waited for what was next, his mind going through the possibilities. An air bombardment from the warship in the sky, the return of the regiment that passed by to lay siege to the building complex, reinforcements from other areas, something dreadful. But nothing of that sort happened, he heard distance gun fire from down the street and advancing boots, but they weren't after him or his men. It was the Corpsmen who had passed by before the death squad, and they were running.

Peeking out from the door, Reeves looked up the street to see a battle underway, and the unmistakable, titanic size of one of the Godbreakers, Wildstar, furiously challenging several members of the Corps at once in single combat. His swipes shredded their armor and sent three or more flying with each hit, and their ballistic and energy rifles did only minor damage to the self-proclaimed King of Beasts. He grabbed one Corpsmen by the head and crushed it, then using the motion to propel himself forward, slamming a fist into another enemy in front of him, launching that man down the street, right to Reeve's doorstep. "Cover is for the weak!" Wildstar roared, "Fight for your King and Country, Paladin!"

Realizing Wildstar was talking to him, Reeves nodded, running inside and grabbing his rifle. "Cover Wildstar!" He ordered, jumping out onto the sidewalk and running into the Corpsmen's rear, firing precisely, causing confusion among their ranks as Wildstar attacked from the front, and Paladin Reeves attacked from the other side. Reeves' squad joined him quickly, firing and advancing upon the Ultra Corps, systematically eliminating them. Reeves' gun ran out of ammo towards the end of the encounter, though, so he was forced to draw his vibration sword, and began hacking and slashing at the Ultra Corps remnants - cleaving through their armor with his power and revolving blade.

Breathing deeply from the stressful exercsion, Reeves looked over at Wildstar, whose bloodied form was hiding grave injuries. Approaching the Godbreaker, Wildstar put a hand up to stop him, speaking quickly to the Paladin. "My wounds are scratches, Paladin Reeves, do not worry about them. I will heal with time. Thank you for your assistance, but there is still blood to be spilled for the fatherland." He said, walking forward, continuing down the street, Reeves and his company in tow.

"Sir, we have wounded and civilians in that building." Reeves said, pointing at his former base of operations. Wildstar looked at it momentarily, and then further down the street. He tossed a homing beacon at the doorstep, and continued walking. Reeves looked at it and then at Wildstar, wondering what his actions meant. "Do you...Should we stay with them, sir?" Wildstar glanced back, speaking quickly and with assertion at Reeves.

"Stay with the wounded if you are wounded. A medical force will arrive in four minutes." He calmly informed the Paladin, "But id you are able to fight, and wish to fight, then come with me. We're taking the fight to the Ultra Corps." Wildstar declared, "That they walk our streets is an insult, that they kill our brethren is intolerable, that they breathe is inexcusable." The man-beast said brutally, "The Pride is giving them all we have, and we're only trying to get enough time for the Royal Guard..." He said, looking up at the warship Ultra had brought to the hang over the city like a guillotine.

"Royal Guard?" Reeves asked, walking alongside Wildstar as the squad went.

"Look." Wildstar said, pointing down an empty street that crossed the one they were travelling down. Situated on a hill, the view provided the men a sight of a glowing ball of baby-blue energy pulsating some ways away. "There stands Otto Godblessed, as he charges a Godblast, it will take the Ultra Corps warship out of the sky, and directly onto their invasion front. Seventy percent of their forces, and an untold number more on the vessel, will be taken out of play." He said casually. He stood and watched, Reeves and his men doing the same, as the distant Asgardian channeled the Valka Force through his Odinring. At his side, forming a protective barrier around him, was Xala the Slime Girl.

Otto stood with a harmonious look, a bright blue orb situated between his hands as his Odinring glowed and sparked with power, every cell in his body attuning to the new sensation, the Odin Force long gone and the drastically different Valka Force in it's place. "Just a bit more..." Otto said, Xala anxiously looking from Otto to their surroundings, weary if any Corpsmen will find them. "Don't worry, Xala, the Royal Guard is battling as well, we have plenty of time before their lines break...And I'm almost done."

"But what about the ones who boarded the ship?" Xala asked, concerned for comrades she haven't met or hardly know of.

"They've already perished..." Otto said with reluctance, "They volunteered to launch a suicidal attack to divert the Corps' attention. They died as heroes, and Ultra will die as a villain. Justice will be served." He hollered, the orb greatly expanding and becoming almost unstable. "Unshield me, Xala!" Otto cried, the Slime Girl retracting the protective bubble around Otto and reverting to her humanoid form. "By Asgard and the All-Mother..." He spoke, ominously, dark clouds filling the sky as the sunset was blocked out. "Behemoth of the Skies...Fall!"

Thrusting his hands forward, the orb turned into a brilliant, blue beam of energy, blowing back all of Otto's surroundings by the force of it launching, and heading straight for the Ultra Corps' warship. A red barrier formed, intending to block the attack, but it hardly slowed the Godblast down as Otto's attack tore through it, and collided with the side hull of the ship. Searing a hole in the side and blasting it's innards, Otto pressed further, sending the beam out to the other side of the ship in a single, continuous line of energy. He roared, with eyes glowing blueish white, as he released the Godblast, letting it explode outward and release it's pent up energy. From every direction from the beam, pure energy erupted and scattered, the part bisecting the ship producing a massive internal explosion - splitting the ship in half, and causing both ends to fall from the skies, and collide with the ground. The impact produced unimaginable amounts of force, and leveled most of Mad City, but the cheers of thousands let Otto and Xala know that they did the right thing, and that the counter-attack was successful.

[New Neros]

Parahumanity
The Mad King

The two giants slammed their fists into each other, both bringing enough force to tear apart the island should their strikes have missed. In place of such destruction, a shockwave erupted from both Dapp and Shatterstar's knuckles, knocking both combatants back a few feet at most - the two hardly phased and still thirsty for more punishment from the opposing party. Despite Dapp's taunts and boasting, he was weary and injured, he held firm on his confidence even when evenly matched. Shatterstar's cool and collected demeanor was beginning to slip as well, as he grew more enraged that this unstoppable juggernaut could still stand after the blows he'd been dealt. Dapp could say the same for Shatterstar, but for people like these two, only the strong matter.

Clashing one more, this time in a series of blows, impacting both each others fists, bodies, and even heads, the two struck one another with precision and untold amounts of strength - their speed was superhuman, but minimal compared to other "fast" fighters out there. Their hits caused sonic booms that rivaled the explosions dished out by the Ultra Corps warship, and neither had any intention of giving up. It was an unspoken agreement between them: Only one being was coming out of this battle alive, Olympian or Parahuman, there was no compromise. "You know, it's kinda funny." Dapp said, being knocked back from a vicious uppercut from Shatterstar, wiping away the small drop of blood that formed on his busted lip.

"What is?" Shatterstar asked, his shirt long gone, revealing his impressive and massive musculature, one that towered above all of the Parahumans.

"We fight our hearts out, with each hit, we intend to kill. Why do we do it?" Dapp asked, launching himself at Shatterstar, driving his massive fist into the Parahuman's gut, stopping on Maddox's abdominal iron wall.

"We do it out of loyalty..." Shatterstar responded, "I do it for my King and my Country. You do it for Ultra and Daud. Nothing more, nothing less, for either of us."

"The correct answer was 'for fun', but continue." Dapp said, stepping back to dodge a return punch from Shatterstar, swinging while the Parahuman was open, but finding his fist caught unexpectedly.

"Not only that...But because we know our fight doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things." Shatterstar said, pulling Dapp's massive fist forward, headbutting the Olympian with continent-shattering force, stumbling the behemoth back several steps. Shatterstar stopped for a moment, a trail of blood leaking from his forehead where he slammed it into Dapp, breathing heavily. Their scene was one of ruins, nothing but destroyed buildings all around, a mount of rubble, nothing more, due to their combined destructive force. Maddox approached Dapp, slowly, but with intent, while Dapp began to laugh.

"Haha...You're goddamn right. We're both just the loyal subjects. The sidekick, right hand man, of great men. Their battle is the one that decides things. Should I win, Morningstar will eliminate me. Should you win, Daud will do the same to you. The fighting in the streets, the air, even the seas, it matters so utterly little to the outcome." Dapp rose to his feet from the crater he had made when he was thrown back, "Daud will finish the job or Maxwell will - there is no other option. But even if I go down, I want to go down knowing I beat you." Dapp said, charging forward, tackling Shatterstar, dragging him along the rubble that littered the ground and creating a massive trench. "This is our fight, Shatterstar, enjoy it! Revel in it!"

---

"I am many things, Daud," Mad Max said, "You couldn't begin to imagine half of them." The Mad King advanced towards the Agent of Ultra, flares of his absorbed energy surrounding his hands as he made strides, a look of deadly intent fixed onto his eyes. "But for now, I will take the role of executioner." Raising one of his hands, Max fired a torrent of energy at Daud's general direction, vaporizing all in it's path and it's immediate surroundings, the blast passing through buildings, leaving a gaping hole in it's wake.

"Good lord, man." Daud declared, off to the side of the trail of super-charged plasma, watching the smoke rise from the burning of everything to the molecular level. "You're going to lay waste to your own city for the sake of winning?" Daud took a step back, dodging an ill-timed rush attack by Max, who intended to punch the metahuman unexpectedly, but failed to do so. "Woah there!"

"Civilian have been evacuated in the outskirts to the countryside. The inner city population is well-protected in the Mad City Catacombs, and my subterranean fortress." Max said solemnly, launching a fury of attacks at Daud, the Ultra Corpsman swiftly dodging them, ducking and weaving around the kicks and punches with fluidity. With each punch, Max would give off a surge of his energy, along with his body attempting to latch onto and absorb Daud's energy.

"So you're tell me..." Daud said, jumping back to avoid a straight punch, "That we can go all out?"

"I thought we agreed beforehand to turn things up a notch?" Max inquired, throwing another punch at Daud. This time, though, the commander didn't move, much to Max's surprise, he even caught the thrown punch. Max turned his head up slightly, intrigued at this development. Suddenly, Max felt a freight train smash into his abdomen, lifting him up into the air, and then another smash right on the side of his face, sending him flying backwards, smashing through several buildings along the way, and even causing some to collapse from the impact.

"I know, I was just making sure the only person I was hurting is you." Max leaned up from the rubble he was laying in, the place where he stopped from the strike, a stern look on his face. Daud was making his way over slowly, nonchalantly, like it was just a stroll in the park as Max rose to his feet and dusted his armor off. "Now that's a look of determination!" Daud said, laughing a bit, but turning his own face into a serious expression as well. "Fine then, let's do this." Daud shot forward with unimaginable speed, the result of having to adapt so many times against faster opponents, he laid a few punches into Mad Max's body, but with each hit, Daud could feel himself losing energy.

Max simply stood there, tanking the jabs, and absorbing the kinetic energy that flowed through them, adding it to his immense reserves. Daud sensed that this tactic wasn't working at all, so backed off, and put some distance between himself and Max. Daud stared at the King for a long while, racking his brain to figure out just how he could overcome Morningstar's absolute defense. Daud smirked as he figured it out, realizing that Mad Max wasn't the only one with an absolute defense, that Daud just needed to get his hands dirty. "Scared, Daud? Of my Morningstar Equation?"

"Yes." He answered quickly and without hesitation, making Max smirk a bit, containing laughter. "But not so much any more. It's impressive, I'll give you that, anyone else would be defeated in no time. Your power is overwhelming, and I can do is try my best." Daud said, walking forward, intending to meet Maxwell, the Mad King walking towards Daud as well, meeting him the middle with some space between them. "My energy is drawn to you even at a distance." Daud commented, tightening his fist, "But that won't stop me." Curling that fist, he slammed it into Max's abdomen, doing virtually no damage, repeatedly striking Max's face and body with a flurry of fast kicks.

Max quickly returned the exchange, punching Daud square in the chest, draining a significant part of his energy, and then unleashing a brutal combination of strikes, each one taking another sliver of the commander's energy reserves, tiring him, making Daud weaker with each contact, no matter if the hit actually landed or was blocked. With each hit, Max sent Daud back further and further, the metahuman struggling to keep up as Max's energy reserves grew and grew while Daud's steadily depleted. "You've come to my homeland, Daud, and you've brought war to her streets." Max said, growing in anger as he funneled his fury into Daud's body.

As the hits pounded away at Daud, his body steadily began to change. Accommodating, almost mutating on a cellular level, to ensure survival. Daud smirked as he started to black out, Max's furious and repeated strikes causing him to slip in and out of consciousness. Daud's own armor was torn away by the hits, their metallic bonds broken by the constant drain of energy they were forced to endure. Any other man would be dead by now, but just one uncanny ability that made Daud nearly unkillable, was starting to take effect. Max reared back and threw a closed fist, as he had been for an unadulterated couple of minutes, landing on Daud's open stomach region. Except, rather than send the poor bastard reeling back and draining him, Max felt...Nothing, and Daud just stood there. Confused, Max reared back to take another swing, but was suddenly rushed by Daud.

Wrapping his arms around Max's waistline, Daud picked up the Mad King and slammed him directly into the ground. "How?!" Max demanded, Daud giving his exposed face a firm headbutt. "How are you still alive?!"

Daud grabbed Max by the neck, twisting slightly on his heel and flinging him across the city-turned-battlefield, smashing up and down the street as he went. Daud looked up and gave a smirk, "I'm pretty hard to kill, I'll admit." Daud said a bit weakly, trying to return to his energy-filled self. "But you didn't account on one thing. You thought, Mad King, that I couldn't adapt to having my energy absorbed, stripped, and drained away. I didn't know if I could either, to tell you the truth. I gambled, Max." He started to walk over to where Max was laying, absorbing energy from the ground to put more in himself to fight, "And I won."

Delivering a swift soccer kick to the teeth, Daud sent Max's body spinning off to the side, and still had enough in him to jump and punch the King right in the kidney region, causing Max to recoil from that impact as well. His armor was crumbling, Max struggling to get up as he poured reserves of his energy into healing himself. The Mad King grabbed at his side with one hand and used the other to feel his mouth, spitting briefly, and showering the ground with blood and teeth fragments. Max looked up for a briefly moment, as his head was grabbed by Daud, who lifted it up, and slammed it hard into the concrete below, shattering it all directions.

He lifted Max by the head once more and flung the King against a building, shattering it's entire front side, and causing it to collapse in and on top of the Parahuman King. Daud stood back as the dust cleared, watching as Mad Max slowly, and with obvious pain, rose to his feet from the rubble, his armor torn apart in a myriad of places and exposing the black mesh underneath, and in some parts, even revealing his skin. He gasped for air, dropping down to his knees as he strained himself just standing up. Daud walked over to him casually, without remorse. "You almost had me, Maxwell. You were closer than anyone else. I was at the gates, but my body pulled me back. I died back there, but my body refused to accept it."

Suddenly, and without warning, the mighty warship that Daud had brought over Madworld, the one that ravaged Mad City and reduced much of her buildings to rubble, exploded overhead. Daud turned to look, grimly watching as the front half tilted directly over his position. Daud refused to leave, needing to ensure he had finished his business with Mad Max, but he had so little time. The Ultra Corpsman was about to grab Max and end their battle, but before Daud could get his hand around the nape of the Mad King's neck, he vanished, simply gone. Daud reared back in shock, wasting a precious second, and looking up right as the bow of the warship collided into him, and the rest of the ruined cityscape.

Exploding outward, the vessel toppled everything standing in Mad City, leaving nothing but an apocalyptic wasteland in it's place, strewn with rubble and pieces of buildings that once stood high. Daud groaned as he rose from a pile of ashes and dust, looking up at the new scenery, hardly even mourning the loss of his vessel or it's crew, intent on finding Max. One building stood in the face of such an event, though ruined and destroyed, it was still recognizable as King Morningstar's metropolitan palace. Staggering to his feet, Daud began his walk to the doors.

Maxwell stumbled and nearly fell, collapsing onto his throne a body and broken mess, breathing heavily as he struggled to find air, or even to heal himself properly. Civilians, not nurses or medical professionals, came to his side - they had taken up shelter in the palace as instructed - and they began to treat his wounds, taking off the ruined pieces of his armor, cleaning and dressing his wounds as well. As they did, the doors leading outside were thrown open, the gasping and barely walking Daud the visitor, Maxwell narrowing his eyes at he Commander, preparing to fight once more.

To the shock of both men, the Parahumans stood between them, blocking Daud from confronting Max, and Max's aids treating his wounds, ensuring he didn't leave the throne. Max leaned back in his chair, slow closing his wounds, but fully fixing his jaw and teeth from the kick, surprisingly. The citizens cared for him, surprisingly Daud, who believed Max was a reviled and hated monarch. The Mad King spoke, softly, slightly weak, but with a powerful message: "I am many things, Daud, but here, I am God."

[New Neros]

Mojave Desert
Nevada
13:04

Marcus sighed as he sat back into his deckchair, sipping an ice-cold vodka martini he'd just grabbed in Moscow. He put his legs up on the plastic table in front of him, and smiled to himself as he basked in the hot sun. His house was really nothing more than a small shack of bleached wood, simple and a little run down, but Marcus was a man of simple pleasures. This little house was perfect. It was far enough from any major cities to mean there was never anybody to bother him, he had a little generator to keep the electricity going and he even had a little side-garage for his motorcycle. Even though he could go literally anywhere, Marcus always found himself back here. There was just something so peaceful about the place. It was sacred, distanced from his job... Nobody could find him here. Marcus sipped his martini again. This was good vodka.

Nothing could ruin this moment.

Jump Man

"Oh Rip, what the hell did you get yourself into..." The young man said, nervously wiping away a forehead full of sweat on the sleeve of his arm. His eyes scanned the endless desert wastes, "C'mon...You're either gonna pop up behind me or right below me, just get it over with...The waiting is the worst part." He continued, obviously talking to himself as no one else was with him, or even near him in the Mojave. Known as Jump Man, Rip Valentine was a heroic vigilante in every sense of the word, but sometimes, he bites off a little more than he can chew.

A rumble below his feet gave Rip all of four milliseconds to react, bending his knees and jumping upward, high in the sky, right against the scorching desert sun. Glancing below, Rip stared into the gaping maw of a worm-like beast that roamed the desert, exactly like that movie Tremors, except enough to scare the piss out of a wayward Parahuman do-gooder. It emerged from the ground below, towering in appearance, the beast and Jump Man had been playing cat and mouse for most of the day. "Oh fuck me right in the asshole..." Rip exclaimed, reaching the peak of his jump, and starting his fall into the waiting mouth of the desert worm.

By some sick moves and a miracle of air currents, Jump Man managed to land one of his legs on the worm's rows of teeth, pushing himself off of it with tremendous force, propelling himself away from the worm, and sending the beast in the opposite direction of Rip, knocking that tooth out in the process. "Note to self, never accept bizarre requests...That involve fighting death worms in the Mojave Desert. This hardly even has sand!" Rip protested, landing some ways away, watching as the immense body of the worm sank back into the ground. "How the hell does it even move..."

Without warning, the beast appeared behind Rip, emerging from the ground, and aiming right for him. No time for snarky self-banter, and only enough time to start hopping away, Rip did just that - Jumping in a sprinting motion, ridiculously fast across the semi-desert, glancing back now and again to see the worm in hot pursuit. "Think, Rip, think...How am I gonna beat this thing?" He wondered aloud, a small white shack visible in the distance. "Hmm." Rip hummed, getting an idea, "I doubt houses are tasty, let's see if I can't give you the worst indigestion of your life...

"What the-" Rip shouted, skidding to a stop from his last jump, noticing a person just sitting at a patio table - in the middle of the uninhabited desert in bumfuck nowhere, Nevada. He threw up a cloud of sandy dust as he stopped, and apologized profusely. "Um, uh, hi, I suppose - Sorry about the dust." He said nervously, not remembering that he had a twelve ton desert monster chasing him...Until he did just that. "Oh...Oh fuck, is this your house?!" Rip yelled, turning away from the stranger, gazing at the stampeding beast heading right for the two.

[New Neros]

Parahumanity
The End of Ultra

In the days following, the organization known as the Ultra Corps ceased to be - their headquarters destroyed, their international chapters demolished, their sizable military assets and personnel - all systematically eliminated following the capture of their leader, Daud, as he and his core group of soldiers failed to successful invade and subdue the Parahumans on Madworld. Clad in a brace that encased his hands all the way up to his forearms, with a matching set on his legs, Daud stood before a panel of beings, his face stern, and emotions bare. He hadn't faced torture or any act like it, he was a prisoner of war, and the war was over.

"Daud of Ultra," The familiar voice of Mad Max said, speaking highly and above the enemy commander, "You're brought before this tribunal as a criminal, a war-monger, and a terrorist." The panel consisted of the entire cast of the Godbreakers, even the more obscure members, like Mir and Ashy, but their roles were purely ceremonial - as was everyone else's save for Max. "But, before you leave, you will be expunged of such offenses." The air was still, the Godbreakers having discussed what to do about Daud since the moment he was captured. Daud nodded, accepting his plea bargain.

"You and a few select members of Ultra are granted amnesty for the conflict henceforth known as the Ultra War, in exchange for your surrender, and aiding our Kingdom in hunting down the remnants of the Corps. I understand that we have both been lied to, manipulated by an outside force, one that wanted to drag us both down to the gates of hell and see which man stood the tallest." Max explained, recounting the machinations of Victor von Doom in orchestrating the Ultra War. "Doom shall one day pay, but we must rebuild and move on with our lives - that is how we shall spite him. I understand, Daud, that you too long for revenge, no?"

Stern and unmoving, Daud answered. "More than anything, I'd love to crush that metal face beneath my heel." He said quietly, lowering his eyes to stare intently at Max, recalling their private conversations. "I used the resources at my disposal to jump-start the rebuilding process for Mad City, so whatever I may plan to do to Victor, will take some time." Looking at the other members of the Godbreakers, Daud was met with apathy, some with scorn, even hatred, but he did not falter. Daud was too strong to let the harsh looks of others put him down.

"Then, it is my will that you may reform the Ultra Corps." Max said, Daud raising his chin slightly, some members of Godbreaker looking away from both their King and their prisoner. "A world without Ultra is already being seen on a global scale - a power vacuum has formed, and the nations of the globe seek to either fill it, or hire someone who can. We did not understand the full consequences of bringing down the Corps, but that's hindsight, we must move forward, and a step in the right direction is Ultra."

"You may reform the Corps and base it in Mad City, but it will be under your sole command, no outside influences, no buy-outs from higher parties, no mercenary work. You will be funded by my personal accounts and by our national coffers. The Corps will not be an organization, but a team of heroes - kept small and manageable by yourself. Do you understand the responsibility I give to you?" Max asked, leaning forward in his chair, his helmet obscuring whatever look he had to his face.

"I do, and I thank you." Daud replied. "What promises I make now may seem frivolous, but I shall start Ultra with the rebuilding effort before registering with the United Nations."

"You do not have to register." Max said bluntly.

"Excuse me?"

"Madworld and Parahumanity is not liable to the United States Government or the United Nations Security Council, we do not have a registration act. You can operate as free agents, civil and personal liberties are a right in my country." He leaned back, remembering the foreign news stories about the 'Mad King of Madworld Refuses Registration', or some spin on those words, where verbal attacks were common, and the ongoing war in the nation underplaying by it's non-aligned stance. Maxwell sighed, knowing more hardships would come, but he would stick to his principles regardless. "We are who we are, and we use our powers for good. To us, they aren't even powers, they are the norm."

With the push of a button, the chains on Daud were released, dropping to the floor with a loud clank, the metahuman rubbing his wrists for the first time in days. "I see, King Morningstar. It is a noble gesture, but I will be ready to defend your lands should others with...Less noble gestures...Try and force your hand in a different direction. They tried once before with my Corps, as you know, but there must be a stand to take if the world needs to know Madworld is not weakened."

Maxwell thought for a moment, looking a his Godbreakers and then to Daud. "We have prepared for such an event, and we will reveal our strength without waste." He said, rising from his chair, giving Daud a last look, one of normalcy instead of with a passionate emotion like anger or fear - "We are dismissed, and you are free to go."

"A war criminal goes free..." Shatterstar said, raising his monumental body from his seat and exiting promptly, walking past Mad Max without a word.

---

It was only shortly after that a press conference was gathered, many newscasters and reporters from around the globe present to listen to the Mad King, who promised a sensational headline and an important announcement for the Kingdom. Against the backdrop of a major construction project, Maxwell stood in his armor, helmet still on naturally, cameras and microphones pointed in his direction. Clearing his throat, he began.

"It is with a heavy hand and a steady train of thought that I unveil the new initiative for Madworld and her Parahuman inhabitants." He said, using that code word 'initiative' that other countries used to refer to their superhuman registries, "One that will affect her history for decades to come and allow her to enter the modern world with dignity and respect. To that end, Madworld will be opening her sea ports to migration from people affected by the global superhuman registry acts." The reports gasped and rabbled, writing down the intense reveal from the reclusive, former isolationist nation of near-humans.

Maxwell continued. "It is in our interest and the interests of many that one can live without the need for government oversight, that a name is a name, and what man does in his free time is his own business. In Madworld, you do not need to be empowered, you do not need to be a superhero, you can be yourself and be among comrades. Our nature is to push away the outside world, but we have developed as a nation to the point that we may share our culture with our fellow man. A difference in genetics makes you no different than I - We all have gifts, and it's what we do with them that define us."

"Madworld is in dire need of managers, laborers, skilled workers, and everything you can imagine, we need it. We will welcome you, you will have a home here, a plate to eat, a place to sleep and to be safe with you and your family. You may contact our Migrant Council through our embassies, both physical and on the web, and we will arrange travel. To those who will take me up on this offer, I have but one thing to say to you, from my own lips and the lips of Parahumans everywhere..."

"...Welcome to Madworld."

[New Neros]

"Fuck me." Marcus sighed, lighting a cigarette and taking a long draw before tossing the cigarette into the distance. "So." He began, turning towards the strange man who had started this whole thing. "You just destroyed the one place I had left in the world where I could be peaceful. My one sanctuary. You're fucking dead, asshole." Marcus spat, raising his shotgun at the stranger, the sun reflected in his sunglasses.

"Hey, thanks for taking care of that - Oh." Rip Valentine said, noticing that the intentions of the stranger weren't all too noble. Though, that worm did eat his house, Jump Man wasn't to blame. "How'd you get all of that stuff done so quickly, anyways?" Rip said, trying to play cool under pressure with a shotgun aimed right at his head and chest region - but probably failing. "I didn't think anyone lived out here, and that worm had been chasing me for a couple of hours. Some old Navajo lady in Arden paid me to come kill this worm, we could split her payment or something..." Jump pleaded, tensing his muscles to make an escape.

"Please don't kill me, I'm not married, my life is awesome..."

[New Neros]

"That person died with my house." Marcus finished, pulling the trigger.

Rip's eyes shot open as flight or fight kicked in mid-way through the strange man's speech, accelerating his breathing and readying his body for immediate action. It was the man's body tone that set it off, the tightening of his hand on the shotgun, those little perspective ques that gave away a hint of his intention, enough time for Jump Man to react, digging his feet onto the ground and jumping backwards at extreme speeds, sending up dust and sand - Rip's eyes staring at the pellets chasing his face. He landed some ways away and bounced once more, fully moving out of the way of the pellets, but managing to have one snag his shin.

"Fuck..." He said slowly, a good distance from where the confrontation began. The hairs on his neck stood up suddenly, and Rip spoke. "You might of heard of me, Jump Man, they call me." He said, speaking to no one he could see - but trusting his gut feeling that the man had managed to keep pace with him, somehow. "What's your name, if I may? You know, so I can at least try and help you get a new house." He ran the risk of looking foolish and talking to no one, but it was a calculated measure - Rip had done this before and had no one behind him at all, but only he'd know if that was the case.

Slowly, Rip turned around completely, facing whatever was behind him.

[New Neros]

-snip

Dressed casually, Max went about his day off leisurely, enjoying some tea and watching television, flipping between news reports and cartoons. He was a simple man in private, wearing a white shirt and blue shorts as he drank his iced tea from a tall glass. Val walked through the living room - one that seemed like an up-scale apartment rather than a room fit for royalty - with sweat beating down her brow. "You up for the next session?" She asked, seeing if Mad Max wanted to hit the gym.

"Nah," He replied, "I did my routine this morning."

"Mmm..." Val hummed, trying to see if her life partner was lying or not - Max giving no sign that he was. She sighed, and plopped down on the couch next to him. "Whatcha watching?"

"Nothing. Because nothing good is on." Max said with a dull expression, leaning his head back on the sofa. "We still haven't found any leads on the Xyrixma case." He said flatly, uninformed about their infiltration of their ranks - as all of Madworld was. Without warning, a message appeared on Max's television, causing the King to groan and accept it, listening to an audio recording of one of his Forever Knight Paladins.

"My King, we have a matter that requires your oversight." The armored personnel began, "Our tapping of the Asgardian Teleportation Networks yielded a message addressed to the Xyrixma - the person delivering it a minion of some sort. We scanned the document and put him on his way, but it appears that Enchantress is planning to sell off a Slime prisoner to one of the Xyri's." Max nodded, thinking about the situation intently.

"She is not in good standing with Asgard, and I knew our information agents would find something this juicy since they've been to war with the slimes. Excellent work." Max said, commending the officer, "But we need to capture her prisoner. She may yet yield information that is vital to our efforts here on Earth. Val," He said, turning to his lover, "Let's have you, me, Shatterstar, and Xala be ready to move to their meeting spot. We'll intercept Enchantress and the other Xyrixma." Max ordered, standing up from his seat and ending the return message.

He stood up and clenched one of his hands together, bringing forth a liquid-like material that coated his skin and clothing - the entire process happening all over his body as he revealed his Mad King Armor. "We haven't a moment to lose, Otto will keep the nation running in our absence." He assured Val, who was already up and ready, sending an alert to Shatterstar and Xala to mobilize. "Let's move."

[New Neros]

-snip

A large orb floated in the middle of Mad Max, Val Valentine, Otto Godblessed, and Xala, acting like a magical camera into the meeting spot where the Enchantress was to hand over her prisoner to the Xyrixma. The gang was situated in a pocket dimension "next" to Niflheim, where they could enter the realm at a moment's notice, but observation was more important at that point. But, as the scene played out, Max watched silently as the prisoner overpowered Enchantress, or rather, outsmarted her by absorbing her magical energies. "Xala," He called out, the slime girl picking her head up to listen, "Do you know this Xyrix?"

"I'm...Not sure." She said honestly, "If I had to guess just based on absorbing magic, her name is Zaki. I don't know her too well, I just know of her."

"I see. That makes things interesting, though - Doesn't it? Xyrixma's have an affinity for specific types of energy they devour, say for example you, Xala, you can absorb solar radiation, whereas this...Zaki, can absorb magical energy. Very interesting indeed, we could have use for someone like that, and by the looks of this and the wording in that letter from Enchantress, it doesn't look like Zaki was going to be exchanged for another prisoner, but ransomed off."

"It seems that Enchantress has picked a nice location for me. I'll empowered in this realm, and I think we may need every bit of power if these Xyrixma are as powerful as warned. But, have our objectives changed? Shall we still take Enchantress' prisoner or leave her be?" Xala nodded, wondering what must be done about Zaki.

"The mission was to take the prisoner for ourselves, Otto. But we'll simply use diplomacy rather than force to take her to our side."

"And if words don't work?" Val asked, watching Zaki intently through the orb.

Max smirked under his helm, "Then we can use force."

---

BOOM.

A vortex opened behind Zaki, a man clad in armor stepping forth onto the frigid wasteland of Niflheim from the space he occupied previously, a female and male warrior exiting behind him, the crunch of the snow beneath their feet marking their presence, had the impossibly loud Boom Tube not announced it already. Behind those three, though, was a curiosity, a slime creature, a Xyrixma. Max spoke quickly and forcibly, using the Allspeak so that he could be understood. "Zaki, I presume? I am Maxwell Morningstar, and these are some of our Godbreakers." He said, motioning to the ones behind him.

"I have come to offer you shelter from the coming Xyrixma, as I have done with another of your race." He said, Xala moving to Max's side, tilting her head to the side with a smile and a wave.

"Hello!" Xala said cheerfully, "I'm Xala. Haven't we...um, met before, or something?" She said nervously. "Oh it's so cold...." She complained, shivering a bit despite being made of slime. "We...We need to hurry..." She said, turning to Max, who stood stoic and unmoving. "They could be here any moment..."

"Not only that, Xala...But they could already be here."

[New Neros]

Madworld

Swinging cranes dotted the skyline, diligent workers manning them and the steel beams they carried, rebuilding on massive scale as the horrors of war were swept away in order to usher in progress. Highly advanced technologies were at play, ensuring that the rapid rebuilding of Mad City would make the capital on the cutting edge of technology, as well as making preparations for massive immigration. The monstrously large Parahuman known as Shatterstar, one of the strongest among his people and rightfully earning a place among the King's elite in the Godbreakers, sighed deeply as he looked over the rebuilt skyline from an office in the Mad King's palace.

"Hm?" Wildstar grunted, turning his attention to his comrade, while Wildstar sat and relaxed after a hard day of training - recruitment by the Forever Knights steadily increasing, meaning more soldiers needed to be fielded. "Something troubles you, Maddox?"

"Yes." Shatterstar replied, "My family is one that relishes in honor, especially having honor in our bloodline, and by extension, Parahumanity as a whole." He explained, Wildstar listening intently, the beastly man scratching his chin with a clawed hand. "I'll put it simply...I don't like the interlopers and outsiders that our King is bringing into Madworld and into the Godbreakers. They can serve Maxwell, but I don't think they should be in our same group. The Godbreakers are the ones who fought -"

"Sovereign." Wildstar said bluntly, "And to that, I can see your reasoning, but I cannot agree with it." The beastly Parahuman sat forward, Maddox unmoving from the window he looked out of. "The pure-blood caste system was flawed and skewed, it was rightfully abolished years ago, there are no more peasants or nobles, all Parahumans are equal before the law. This equality rightfully should extend to other civilians of our nation, regardless of their heritage. Place a low-powered Parahuman next to a normal man and the difference is minuscule."

"But there is a difference." Maddox replied, "In culture and DNA. We have gifts that man cannot receive, different even from mutants and Inhumans, we Parahumans are unique in our physiology. We may look the same, share the same base model, but we are vastly different and deserve to be treated differently. They do not have our experiences, our events, they cannot relate to our struggles."

"You will find that they can, Maddox, you just need to open your point of view. You dismiss them before even knowing them. You reject all other beings in favor of your own race. What of Otto, then? He was a Godbreaker before you and I."

"Otto? He's brainwashed you, swept you up in that 'love thy neighbor' bullshit, his laws do not reflect the Parahuman experience. Our constant fight for survival, our steady need for improvement in order to succeed or face death, that was the way of the Parahumans. You remember growing up, the hardships you faced, I faced, Max faced."

"And?" Wildstar said, making Shatterstar turn his body around in anger, "The next generation, the one born after Maxwell became King, did not face our struggle. Our children will not, and I am glad. Do you want your child fighting another child for scraps of bread thrown out by the Tyrant King?" Wildstar asked, angry at his comrade at such backwards thinking. "The Godbreakers weren't formed just to defeat Sovereign. We came together to make a better tomorrow for our people, and if you can't accept that what we do is for the greater good, then you may leave at any time."

The two warriors stared hard at each other for the longest time, the tension steadily rising between them. Neither would dare raise a hand against a comrade in anger, so they stood, letting their stares do the battle instead. "I will not leave." Shatterstar finally said, "But my opinion is my opinion. I joined Godbreaker for Maxwell and to oppose Sovereign, the fine print didn't matter, what mattered was that I was there for my friend and ally when he needs me the most. I don't like Mir, Xala, Ashy, or Otto being on my team, but they are nonetheless, and I will treat them no different that you, Val, or Rebound. Max accepts these outsiders into our organization because he's paranoid of his own people, you and I both know this."

"That may as well be the case," Wildstar agreed, "But they sworn an oath of loyalty like you and I, to Madworld and her King. He has fears both rational and irrational, but I do not let them affect my perception. I do what I must and what I am ordered, I will defend this nation, her people, and my king with my life, and as long as I'm serving alongside people who are willing to do the same, then I shall remain a Godbreaker." Wildstar said with passion, Maddox relenting, walking from his observation post, heading for the exit. "Where are you going?"

"To see what our...allies...in the Ultra Corps are doing to aid our realm. To see if they too live up to the standard you've set for the Godbreakers." Maddox said, walking out of the room, "Until next time, friend."

[New Neros]

Madworld
Ultra Corps

The shattered remains of the once-proud and powerful organization met in a dimly lit room within Morningstar Palace, residence of the ever-watchful Mad King of the Parahumans and his seat of power. At a table stood the robust and lean Daud, his companion Sora seated at one end and the titanic behemoth Dapp at the other, Daud in between the two as they watched a television set, reporting on the massive influx of people into Madworld. "Strange, isn't it?" Daud asked, breaking the silence between the trio that was dominated by the newscaster. "We tore this city apart, yet it's already functioning and almost completely rebuilt. To the point that they can accommodate a million or more refugees. Never would I thought such a highly adaptive place exists."

"Simple, really," Sora said, looking at the monitor and at Daud, "From what I've read about the Parahumans, their ruler is determined by battle. Barbaric, but in their culture, the strongest leads. Those fights would sometimes destroy large parts of the city and surrounding countryside, so, they grew accustomed to frequent rebuilding."

"Sounds like my kinda place." Dapp said with a wicked grin, imagining himself as undisputed God-King of the island, nothing more than a pipe dream at best.

"Of course, a land where might is right. But, there is a trend among the Parahuman Kings I noticed." Daud said, flexing his knowledge a bit from the history he had been reading, "They come into power with factions backing them. Morningstar has his Godbreakers, and before him, Sovereign had his Warkillers. It's a bit more sophisticated than just being the strongest, you also have to have the strongest faction, much like how tribal leaders are chosen. Despite their high advancement and relative enlightenment, even Parahuman scholars cannot shake out of their own cultural grip."

"Someone has done their homework, it seems." The voice of Shatterstar interrupted, entering almost silently into the room to the left of where Daud was, the Ultra Corps leader facing away from him, but twisting his head to give the Godbreaker his ear. "Good evening, Ultra."

"Yeah, yeah," Dapp answered, "Whadya' want, Shatterstar?"

The giant man gave a smirk, "To discuss the finer points of your service to the Parahuman Realm."

"I get it..." Daud said slowly, "Max, Val, and Otto are gone, so they left you in charge."

"More or less. Wildstar is too concerned with the Forever Knights and Rebound is too caught up in the rebuilding project, leaving me to run the affairs of state."

"How noble of you." Sora commented harshly, not willing to give Shatterstar the satisfaction of silencing them.

"Right..." Maddox began, "I heard you were looking to recruit some Parahumans into the Corps, is that true?"

"Yes. we have some applicants. We were planning to go over them later this evening." Daud said, not fully facing Shatterstar.

"Sounds very...Interesting, to say the least. More over, I have some other questions for you, if you don't mind, Daud."

"Shoot."

"When you attacked Madworld, it was at the behest of Victor von Doom of Latveria, yes?"

"We were approached by an anonymous source, who was eventually revealed as Victor von Doom, based on what Sora and Val had encountered after my headquarters fell. That's in the transcript of my interrogation, and I fully believe it. Doom had every reason to pit me and Maxwell against one other, as he wanted to eliminate two potential rivals in the global registration crisis, as well as gather intel on both of us that he was sorely lacking." Daud held his head down for a moment, "We were played, and I didn't even learn that until after I surrendered."

"About that...Daud, why did you surrender?"

"I realized that Max and I weren't all too different, and when my ship came down, I knew the battle was over. Had I kept going, civilians would have perished in far greater numbers. I had satisfied my curiosity with Mad Max, and expected Madworld to be in total ruin. I surrendered with the partial hope that our international forces would rally and secure my release, but I learned that Parahumanity was far too resilient, and our global forces had already nearly abandoned us for dead. So I worked with your Mad King on hunting those bastards down. Me and my old allies took turns calling the other a traitor, but at the end of the day, I was standing on the winning side."

"I see...So my victory over Dapp was still for naught?"

"Oh let it fuckin' go." Dapp said, annoyed, "You just knocked me out is all - We agreed that it was to the death and we're still breathin', so I think you owe me a rema-"

"Save it, Dapp." Daud commanded, the behemoth shutting up, Daud continuing his revelation. "Back to Victor...Sora and Valerie found out that their foe was a Doombot pretty quickly."

"Yeah, because we smashed it and a bunch of wires came out." Sora said, shrugging her shoulders, watching television rather than wanting to chat.

"We have collected the robot you and Valentine tore up, and will be using it to bring up international charges against Latveria."

"Good luck." Daud said, "Doom does not recognize The Hague, and surely Maxwell doesn't either. He doesn't have to abide by international laws if there is none he subscribes to - same situation with Madworld, and war is hardly an option. Madworld is currently dealing with the largest influx of people ever seen in it's history, it's a crisis in it's own right, and all resources should go there along with the rebuilding efforts." Daud advised, Maddox nodding as the man spoke.

"I see...Do not worry about Madworld, she gets by. Doom, on the other hand, will know justice soon. Like you said, neither of our nations need to act within international law to get what we want."

[New Neros]

The All-Family
A Fanfic by Neros

The Land of the Parahumans sat hoisted above Asgard, suspended above the mystical plane by magical energies ever since the Civil War on Earth, where her Mad King was forced to transfer his entire nation to a safe haven. In the time since, that Mad King uncovered much about the history of Madworld and it’s connection to the Source - realizing the role the island is to play in creating the Fifth World. Through no fault of his own, that Mad King, Maxwell Morningstar, was now known as the Highfather. The origin of that name was a story for another time, but just as one could banish Darkseid, one could also usurp Izaya, and being imbued with the vast energies of the Source, the King was more akin to a God than he had ever been.

Yet, Asgard was no paradise, and she was not safe from interventions and invasions from other realms, both human and magical alike, and from these relentless attacks, the Parahumans earned their keep and respect from the Asgardians through battle, making themselves out to be a warrior race of New Gods. Their powers were vast, and their integration into Asgardian society was quick and without much friction due to their willingness to serve the All-Mother, Valka Silverhand, with undying loyalty. In this time, another threat arises for Asgard. Earth.

A portal ripped through the magical defenses that were supposed to protect Asgard, sending a shockwave across the mythic land, triggering the early warning systems Highfather Maxwell had designed, causing his Forever Knights to immediately deploy to counter this threat. The first-responders were met with humans clad in powerful armor, composed of Nth Metal, intentionally designed to counteract the magical Asgardians they were meant to face - But finding no such protection against the Parahumans. The first clashes were obscene and violent, but a massive explosion blasted away several legions of the Forever Knights, the forces of Earth having sent one of their champions to deal with this unexpected event. Maxwell readied himself and his Godbreakers to move out as well, feeling the immense energy spikes as he lifted himself in the air, mouthing the name of the man he hadn’t seen in years.

“Xander…”

The Dark Avenger floated above the battlefield with a disinterested grimace on his face, his golden hair flowing against the strong gusts of wind he created, huge orbs of energy in his hands as he laid waste to the landscape. One of the most prolific members of the Registration Movement, Xander took a dark, emotionless turn after the loss of Naja some years ago, and with no one to keep the Emperor of Praetoria in check or free from foreign influence, Xander came to be manipulated once more. “Just give up already. It’s not like you people are going to fight me head on.” He said in a depressive tone, one to convey his own personal sadness, the grieving monarch holding some remorse for his actions.

As he spoke, though, a sudden blast of telekinetic energy knocked him from his vantage point over the battlefield and square on his ass. Bewildered, Xander jumped to his feet, almost as if to demand an explanation as to who could force him from the skies so easily. His answer was two children, no more than ten years old apiece, standing close together and looking eerily similar. “I didn’t sign up to see the Shining.” He quipped, suddenly finding his body slammed into the ground by one of the munchkins. “I’m not gonna play with you forever and ever, alright?” He yelled, fully standing up despite the seismic weight of telekinetic energy pouring against him.

“He’s awfully strong, Milo.” The girl said, her soft, white hair blowing casually in the wind as her brother concentrated, closing his eyes as he kept trying to pin the grown man down. “Shush.” He promptly replied, the girl thinking nothing of it, simply watching Xander stand, and even more alarmingly, take a step forward. “I’ve put the weight of a planet on every piece of his body!” Milo shouted, getting upset as any child would do when he’s not getting his way. “Maybe he’s a lot stronger than that, Milo.”

“You damn brats…” Xander growled, taking a step forward, causing the ground to give way beneath his feet. Lifting the next, he did the same thing, slowly advancing towards the two siblings. “I’ve held up the Heavens themselves before. True story, Atlas tricked me, worst job of my life…I won’t let two kiddos like you stop me.”

“Uhh...Milo?” The girl asked, “He’s still getting closer…” She whined, her brother grinding his teeth as he poured his whole mind onto Xander’s body, the grown man simply refusing to yield. “Mia! Shh!” He hissed, “I can’t stop him!” He finally yelled, Xander around an arms length away from the two, Mia looking rather indifferent, Xander baring his teeth like a madman as he struggled, and Milo clenching his entire face in pure concentration. “If you get any closer, you’re going to really piss off daddy.” Mia warned.

“And just...Who the hell...Is your dad?” Xander grasped, reaching his hand out, forming a ball of energy at point-blank range against the two children. Just then, a solid wall of armor stood in front of Xander and the twins, the tense moment suddenly cut in half as the statue of a man divided the opponents, Xander’s eyes going wide with shock. “M-Max?” He said, surprised entirely at this revelation, “You’re these kid’s dad?!”

“Mia, watch your language.” The Parahuman King scolded, the young girl tucking her chin in as her face blushed, embarrassed at her daddy disciplining her in the middle of a battle. “And Xander...What exactly are you doing here in Asgard?” He asked quietly, a sinister aura suddenly assaulting the air as he asked his next question, “And why are you attacking my children?”

Milo had ceased his psychic attack when Maxwell showed up, allowing Xander to stand up straight and tall, slightly above Max in height but of smaller frame. “I’m here under suggestion from President Osborn.” He answered quickly, “Apparently, he’s sick and tired of the Asgardians sending agents to fuck with America and the globe, we all are.”

“Asgardians?” Max asked, “You know, that sounds a bit tricky. You know who likes tricks, Xander?”

“Oh please don’t tell me…” The Golden Guardian said, clenching his eyes closed. “Please don’t tell me we were just manipulated…”

“Like pawns.”

“Loki?”

“More than likely. That bastard won’t stay dead.” Max said casually, Xander sighing loudly and lifting his arms up in the air, as if he were talking to the Heavens.

“Why me?! Why did I have to be the one to get played?!” He begged, but got no response from Max. “Look, I’m sorry, then. I’ll take everything back and go royally fuck up Norman Osborn and his Avengers.”

“My people lay dead by your hands, Xander…” Maxwell said, “I could demand tribute. Imprison you, whatever it takes to wash their spilled blood away. But…” Maxwell said, looking back at his children, who eyed their dad with wisdom-absorbing eyes as they watched their father negotiate with someone who - just a minute prior - was a ruthless enemy. “I won’t, so long as you promise me to not return to Asgard. And kick Norman Osborn in the teeth for me.”

Xander smirked, swaying to the side, “Well, I suppose that’s fair. I’ll be seeing you around. Or...I guess not, really. Nice seeing you again, Road Warrior - Highfather, whatever you call yourself now. Tell your kids about me one day.” He said, looking over Max’s side, giving the Twins a quick wave, Milo quickly announcing:

“You’re just lucky my mom wasn’t here instead!”

“Mom?”

A stern, feminine voice suddenly thundered across the landscape. “I am here, my child.” Milo and Mia shuddered a bit as lightning filled the air, Max smiling sweetly as the All-Mother appeared, Valka Silverhand, dressed in her armor and ready for battle, “Xander, you are to never -”

“Wait, Valka?! You…” Xander said, pointing at the All-Mother, and then to the Highfather, “And Max…” He continued, finally pointing to the twins. Valka blushed slightly and Max grinned, their handiwork finally coming to light. “Sweet Jesus, I think I need to go lie down.” He complained. “Yeah, yeah, never come back, gotcha.” Xander finished, raising his hand to wave farewell, taking himself and what was left of the Dark Avengers’ invasion forces and leaving through the same portal they invaded from - letting it close up and disappear without a trace.

“Darling!” Max said, walking up to Valka to give her a hug, but the All-Mother placed a hand in between themselves, stopping the Highfather.

“Did you take our children onto a battlefield?” She demanded, a seething amount of disdain in her voice, Maxwell suddenly bewildered as he tried to explain the situation.

“What? No! I, uh, well, you see -” Max began, the stern face of Valka narrowing her eyes at her husband, the thought of him endangering their offspring filling her with rage.

“Mom, we followed the Forever Knights out here.” Milo admitted, standing to the side of his parents, both of whom cast a look at their son, and back to each other. “Dad got in front of that guy before he really tore us up…” He admitted, Mia nodding along to corroborate the story, the twins hoping to save their father from their mothers’ brutal punishment.

“So I heard...And saw.” Valka said, lowering her hand and stepping infront of Max, nearly putting her body against his own, and planting her lips upon the Highfather’s briefly. “I’m glad he was here to protect you.” She said, her mood reversed, turning into a loving wife from the enraged grizzly bear she was before.

“Gross…” Mia commented.

But, she turned to her kids, and began to scold them. “You two! Do not ever rush out into a battle like that! You could have been really hurt, you need to plan and think things through before going out there! It is a dangerous world, your father and I will let you accompany us into a battle, but you must not leave our sides!”

“Okay, mom.” The twins said, Valka kneeling down and opening her arms, the two rushing in to meet their mother’s embrace. The All-Mother ran her fingers through each of their hair, kissing each on the side of the head with warm, motherly passion - Glad to have her kids all in one piece. “Now, return to your rooms on Madworld or the Golden City, your father and I have much to discuss.” She ordered, the Twins prying themselves from their mothers’ embrace and racing away from the battlefield, chasing one another as they went.

Maxwell and Valka flashed each other a sly glance, leading the two to press themselves against the other, locking their lips in a passionate kiss between husband and wife, Maxwell pulling Valka closer to him, the All-Mother giving in to her husband readily, pushing herself against him. They broke apart their kiss for a moment to look each other in the eyes, both breathing heavily with flushed cheeks, Max giving a throaty growl as Valka bit her lip. Unfortunately, she bit her upper lip, making her look like a piranha.

[New Neros]

-snip

-snip

“Can someone please explain to me why there is an unidentified man flying around the city?” Maxwell asked, his technicians looking a bit baffled at the question. “It’s not that I don’t realize some Parahumans can fly and some refugees can as well, but I’d like to know exactly why we don’t know this one in particular.” He said, pointing at a blurry security cam footage in real-time. “And don’t we have any clearer shots than this?”

As he said that, another angle and a more advanced camera was put up on the screen, “There we go.” Max said, zooming in on the high quality video feed, sighing loudly as he did so. “Oh. I see why now...Did none of you want to inform me that a foreign head of state was visiting Madworld?” He continued, his technicians looking rather aloof.

“We couldn’t get a hold of you. In fact, you’re watching this in real time, my King, so we didn’t have enough time to inform you that Emperor Xander had arrived. He gave little prior notice.” A senior leader finally announced, speaking for his side, Maxwell nodding and accepting that explanation.

“My apologies, then. I’m just on edge…” The Mad King explained, having returned from the Asgardian Realms with grave news of the impending Slime Horde, and the knowledge that his lands were on the menu for the Xyrixma. His inner circle knew, but the public were oblivious beyond his military planners and top confidants. “I will go meet the Emperor, wish me luck.” Maxwell said, departing his early-warning station, revealing its location to be somewhere underground, and emerging near his own palace.

Maxwell lifted himself off of the ground and steadily rose in altitude, Xander flying around and looking at the sights a bit - perhaps noticing the massive reconstruction projects underway following the Ultra War. Calling out, Maxwell yelled, “Good evening, Emperor. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen you.” Getting the man’s attention, Maxwell offered to take this impromptu meeting elsewhere. “Perhaps we’d be more comfortable in one of my meeting rooms?”


“Hopefully we can talk, Xander, because I have another guest that would love to chat with you as well: Craig Thomsen.”

[New Neros]

-snip

Daud held a grimace on his face, Sora watching him intently as the leader of Ultra looked over the various Parahuman applicants once more. Interviews were scheduled for tomorrow evening, but he knew he needed some force now, considering the influx of immigrants to Madworld, there were just as many villains as there were heroes coming to the island. Daud received a contract from the Mad King to work as a secret police and arrange for suspected superhuman villains to either be imprisoned or meet their end. Looking at his own fists, and then to Sora's face, he realized he had to be deceptive.

"Sora, we need someone with those kind of skills..." He explained, Sora rolling her eyes and sighing loudly.

"We don't need an assassin, Daud!" She hissed, trying not to raise her voice too much, Daud still feeling it's sting regardless. "Max has given us plenty of chances and if he knows what we're doing, we might as well be spitting in his face. You know that man is paranoid to no end." She protested, Daud shaking his head at her reasons, Sora groaning loudly. "It's like I can't get through that thick skull of yours, Daud."

"I'm sorry." Daud admitted, "Max will understand, I'll be as transparent as possible, but I can't do these jobs - Too well known, people will immediately know what's going on. I can't force you to do this kind of work, either, and Dapp will just cause a scene and level half a city block to take out one person. I need precision, someone promising, but someone who's not too well known among mercenary circles...Yet." Daud explained, Sora grabbing hold of the railing they stood before, and slid down into a squad, blowing the hair out of her face as she ignored Daud.

"I think I found the one we'll need to use." Daud further said, "Name is Killswitch, new kid on the block, he shows promise, I learned about him through an old Corpsmen that retired long ago and keeps up with that sort of stuff. I'll be meeting with his agent in an hour." Daud continued, looking at Sora, concerned and a bit ashamed of the lengths he has to go. "Sora...It'll be alright. I promise."

"Yeah...It'd better." She said, dry and vile, Daud sighing, walking away from the Kryptonian, preparing to meet with the assassin's agent.

---

Walking into a well-lit room some ways into the above-ground complex that made up the new headquarters of the Ultra Corps, Daud neatly placed some paperwork and folders on the desk in preparation for the man who could lead him to Killswitch. A quick and sharp knock on the door alerted him, but he answered quickly, "Come in!" The door slid open quickly as an athletic, brown-haired man walked in, a keen smile on his face.

"Daud, I presume?" He asked quickly, Daud smiling and reaching for his hand.

"That would be me. Nice to meet you, Daniel. We have much to discuss, let's take a seat." Daud said, offering up a chair to the fellow, walking to his own chair with a knowledgeable smirk on his face, like he had figured out something about his client's agent. Should Daud prove correct, he reasoned that Daniel would have done his research on who exactly Killswitch would be working for, the man behind Ultra, the man solely named Daud. "So, let's begin. Tell me about yourself...And your client." Daud said, pressing his elbows on the table, locking eyes with Daniel.

[New Neros]

-Craig

-Xander

The Mad King listened intently to both sides of the equation, seeing them both take their own anecdotal evidence as their reasoning behind their points. Maxwell saw merit in Registration, knowing each and every power and their general whereabouts would make a drastically safer planet by any stretch of the imagination, but at the same time, opposing registration for the sake of personal liberty. He hummed to himself for a moment, knowing that he could not remain neutral, especially after opening Madworld's ports to superhuman immigrants. "I thank you both for the offers of aid, and I do not refuse it out of pride, but out of principle. My nation will recover on her own terms, and we are nearing completion on several of the rebuilding phases throughout Mad City and Madworld itself."

"...But, I must come clean to both of you. I've opened up Madworld to migrants affected by national registration acts in order to form a more sizable superhuman army. My Godbreakers and Forever Knights are a sizable force, but the rare commodity that superhumans will become in the near-future cannot be ignored. We are dealing with a refugee crisis of untold proportions, and I would rather deal with that than registering my citizens." He admitted, "We Parahumans take our rights and liberties very seriously, and for that reason, I will not stand to for Registration, despite the supposed benefits. What is stopping a villain from accessing government files on superhumans?" He inquired.

"We can stop a few, but all they need is one big leak and the flood gates swing open. Not only that, but the trend of nations acquiring superhumans has made people with powers the new nuclear weapons of the globe. If you don't have a few, you will be subject to those that do. In fact, they have already been used in war - Captain America, for instance - so it sets a precedence for others to follow. Wars will be waged with fists that crack continents, gentlemen, and I intend to do the busting rather than be broken if it comes to blows."

"Madworld is not a member of the United Nations, merely an observer and that is by choice. We do not have to abide by their rulings or resolutions. If you are serious about this, Mister Thomsen, then I suggest you withdraw, if you haven't already. Xander, wouldn't you say it is a citizen's right to fight against an unjust law? I am not downplaying your actions or stances, I see how they can be used for good, but I also see how they can be used for evil and malicious intent. I may be using it as a slippery slope, but there is just too much left to interpretation in registration and not enough concrete promises. I'm sorry, I cannot support an act affecting superhumans in this manner."

---

-Daniel

Daud leaned back in his chair as he processed the information Daniel spat word for word, trying to find the hidden meanings in them and in the man's body language. The man was suave, a decent talker, full of charisma, making Daud's suspicion just that - a hunch, nothing concrete. If pressed, the Ultra Corps Commander realized, he could lose the Killswitch contract. "You two seem to have quite the history, I'm glad to see you both stick together through think and thin. I like that, camaradrie, it appeases my loyal tendencies."

"I find no reason to deny your terms or negotiate them. Simple and effective, I like that as well. I don't have to question the one rule, either, kids don't have any business in front of or behind a blade. As for the Nth Metal..." He said, trailing off, looking off to the side at the blank wall. "I can acquire some, probably not enough for armor, but maybe an ingot or two. Enough to make gloves, a knife, some rings, something like that. The Thanagarians are quite squirrely, so acquiring any Nth metal in large quantities will be too suspicious. Besides, even with what Killswitch will receive, he will be able to utilize it's anti-gravity, anti-magical, and regenerative effects." Daud explained, "Surely you know this already, beyond the point."

"Killswitch had some competition in our paper work. An Amazonian, she looked very promising, but I am confident in our choice to use your client." Daud admitted, standing up, and offering his hand to Daniel - who also rose and clasped it in a firm handshake. "Pleasure doing business with you. Here's the contract..." Daud said, opening the manila folder and spreading out the images and documents. "A Lithuanian spy has entered Madworld under the guise of fleeing the motherland - armed with superpowers, which we suspect are geokinetic in nature. He's been relaying information to the Seimas about the refugee crisis and the status of the Ultra Corps. We have reason to believe the information he's sending is being received by a submarine in the mid-Atlantic. Another reason for us to suspect he's identifying targets on Madworld for anti-superhuman strikes by Imperial Lithuania, as well."

"Eliminate this threat, and we will move forward with a steady line of work for Killswitch." Daud said with a smile.

[New Neros]

Madworld
Rebound

She was a Godbreaker, one of the Mad King’s elite, but Rebound never for once forgot her roots. Madworld is a very divided society, though better now and much worse years ago, those divides still affect day-to-day life for much of the Parahumans. Catherine Joy was no exception, and most of her life was spent dealing with the systematic abuse and discrimination that came from her blood line.

Wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, Maxwell’s so-called, “Breaker of Bodies” stretched one of her arms out, wrapping it around and grasping a steel beam weighing several hundred pounds, retracting the length of her extended limb and bringing it up several stories. Carefully, she wrapped her other arm around it to stabilize the girder, putting it into place against two other rafters - two teams of three men securing it into place with flashes of welding and metal studs. She had chosen this job to be in the action, wanting to help rebuild Mad City at the forefront rather than behind a desk. “They say hard work pays off.” She said with a grin, one of her co-workers hollering a response.

“Then tell the King not to quit his day job.” The remark sparked some laughter from the group, but a stifled, false chuckle from the Rubber Girl. In her time spent with the laborers, she grown to learn that they were in fact dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, and had reservations against their current King. It saddened her, seeing these people just demonize Morningstar for policy blunders. She reckoned, though, that the reason they did it was because they could. Before the Mad King, the Tyrant King would suppress discontent and imprison those who spoke out against him.

The people just forgot how bad things were under Sovereign, it seemed. Their progress on the building’s frame was quick and easy, completing several stories in a single day’s work. As the group took off from work, Rebound found herself invited to a bar for drinks by the group. Accompanying them, whispers and glances were given to her, a mighty Godbreaker sitting among the working class, was simply unheard of. Catherine had to make a comment about it, finding the attention unnerving. “They’re all staring and it’s a bit creepy…” She noted to one of her companions, who nodded, taking a sip of some alcoholic beverage.

“Yeah, well, you’re one of the higher ups. You have a seat next to the King, right up by his ear, Rebound. One of the Godbreakers. They...And well, us too, we’re not used to being around higher bloods. We’re workers.” He said plainly, drinking more of his ale, Catherine’s face souring harshly, jamming her fist into the table and shaking it, getting most of her companion’s attention.

“I am not a high-blood.” She spat, “I was born to peasants, was raised like one, and was treated like one my entire life.” Rebound said, clenching her teeth, and holding back real tears. “I didn’t join the Knights, I was conscripted, because my blood wasn’t pure enough to get a choice. My powers...My powers just came later on.” Her explanation was met with silent consolation, beady eyes looking at her as she poured out her backstory.

“It’s good to hear at least,” The laborer said, “That someone like us is up there with the King.” Rebound nodded, remembering the man’s name - Ronald - and finding a certain charm in his manner of speaking. “Ya know, I sorta suspected you had some hardwork in your blood, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a high-born work like you do.” Ronald said, intending for the statement to be a compliment, but Rebound picking up some offense.

“Thanks…” She said, trailing off, “I’m probably going to turn in for the night. We’re working at the Hotel Plaza in the morning, right?”

“Ah! Night then, and yeah, we’ll be working with some of the Engineer Corps from the Knights, so wear your safety gear, their inspections ain’t no joke.”

“Shall do. G’night, Ron, Night everyone.” Rebound said, leaving the table with a wave - others shouting their farewells and waving goodbyes also. She walked out of the bar and onto the street, the sounds of the night-shift of construction underway as the sleepless city nights became a commonplace. Rebuilding was a continuous process, and several working shifts attested to the around-the-clock labor and resiliency of the Parahumans, and why some found incredible amounts of pride in their race in comparison to the influx of non-Parahuman refugees. Collapsing into her bed within a rented apartment away from the government palaces, Rebound closed her eyes, another day well-spent aiding Mad City.

---

-Xander

Maxwell nodded as Xander spoke, waiting for the Emperor to finish before he spoke in turn. "I understand the reasoning behind it, but you must quickly realize why most of the Earth is supporting it: You are supporting it." He said with added emphasis, "Nations and leaders live in fear of Praetoria. Who is next on the list after North Korea? Iran? Perhaps Burma has it's due. Will Emperor Xander intervene in the Syrian Civil War? Will he side with Assad or the Free Syrian Army? These questions are asked constantly behind the desks of executives and in the chambers of parliaments, and many are treading lightly at the moment, going with the flow." Maxwell explained. "Because..."

"They are looking for their own Xander. They want that power as well, that way, they don't have to live with this constant fear of you striking them. It's silly, you won't do that, I know this and many like me do, but humans tend to panic and think only in extremes. They want their citizens to register so that they know where each and every single one of their superpowered citizens is. You made the comparison to soldiers, and that's what they will become. These national heroes will become new superweapons - and those with better superweapons will be in command of this new, multi-polar world order. We already have a precedent for this, look at Captain America."

"Why am I not feared?" Maxwell asked, replying before they could answer, "Because I do not overstep my bounds. I do not disturb the status quo. Madworld lived by isolation for hundreds of years, and we are still relatively keen on keeping to our own affairs despite revealing ourselves to the globe. Unlike mutants, Parahumans are all neatly piled onto one island in the North Atlantic, with very few exceptions. Inhumans and Mutants? They could be anywhere, powers can be made from anything. Who's to say there isn't a Tony Stark living in some slum in Mumbai, even? An as of yet undiscovered breed of humanity? Another Stephen Strange? In this new world order, I will not be ruled by fear. I will not let my citizens live in fear. I will not abide by the Acts, and all who seek asylum in Madworld because of them will be granted it."

"Without question."

"Craig, Xander, if you have anything more to say on the subject, you are more than welcome, but if not, I think our business here is done."