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

[New Neros]

Madworld
Czar-Mir | Ashyandra

The duo were far from the lukewarm waters of Madworld, a lonely isle in the middle of the North Atlantic, as their operations kept them bouncing around the globe to fulfill the foreign policy desires of the Mad King Morningstar. They were diplomats and ambassadors, more or less, despite neither Mir nor Ashy being native Madworlders or Parahumans - Both were even alien to Earth itself. Still, they represented the proud, powerful, and isolationist seaside kingdom with impunity and honor. Leaving from successful negotiations in Kahndaq, the Daxamite and Voknorian head to Southeastern Europe to discuss an incident at the Ultra Corps Headquarters during the Ultra War with Latveria’s dreaded ruler - Victor von Doom.

Ashy laid a quick kiss to Mir’s lips, who seemed disinterested in the affection, the two riding in a personal luxury aircraft. Tilting her head slightly, she sat down next to Mir, deep in thought about the past events in Khandaq and the ones awaiting them. He snapped out of his stance and turned to Ashy, “I’m sorry about that, my mind’s been all over the place lately.” He apologized, Ashy caressing the side of his face.

“Not to worry, Mir of mine, I can tell.” Ashy replied, subtly thinking ‘In more ways that one…’ Owing to her telepathic abilities. “We handled Black Adam fairly well. He wants nothing to do with a one-world regime of superheroes, so he was an easy ally against registration. Even if his ways are a bit...Draconian… He’s another being we can rely on in the event of war.”

“Yes, but he’s not the one I’m concerned about. I’m concerned about -”

“Doom, I know.” Ashy said quickly, Mir nodding as he stared off in the distance. “Max doesn’t need or want assurances from Victor about an alliance - He wants answers.”

“Yeah...But I think that’s the thing Doom would be unwilling to give us the most.” Mir replied, tapping on an electronic tablet. “We’re about to enter Latverian Air Space. They know we’re coming and we gave plenty of warning ahead of time, but it still makes me feel uneasy - Even if Doom accepted our requests for diplomatic talks. Like something doesn’t feel right, and that feeling on a superhuman like me is, well…”

“Not a good sign at all.” Ashy clarified. “Don’t worry, Doom is definitely a boogeyman, but he’s nothing we can’t handle. It’s a bit concerning when a simple man can inspire so much fear into someone who can, by definition, tear apart continents.” Ashy quipped, Mir shaking his head as the plane prepared to land.

“Doom is no simple man.”

---

Exiting the plane under the high Latverian sun was refreshing for Mir, his Daxamite cells swelling with energy, taking a moment to deeply breath in the fresh air as he set his feet on the pavement. Ashy was right behind him, but didn’t stop to take in the scenery like her lover, continuing on to meet the Latverian agents that walked up to them. “Hello, I’m Ashyandra, and this is my partner, Mir, both representations of Madworld.” She calmly said, shaking the hands of both men, Mir walking up beside her and shaking their hands as well.

“We will escort you to our Lord. Welcome to Latveria.” One said very plainly, simple and direct. Regardless, Mir and Ashy followed the two sharply dressed men to a black car - taking some luggage with them as well. Little was said on the drive between the airport and Castle Doom, the imposing royal palace that towered over Doomstadt, the vehicle dropping the duo and their baggage off without much of a farewell. Their replacements, however, were a pair of Doombots.

“Welcome - The Master will see you now.” One spoke, Mir and Ashy exchanging looks, wondering if the men they had just interacted with were robots as well. They followed the Doombots into the castle, though, eyeing the impressive displays and architecture on their way to Doom’s throne room - Mir carrying a large trunk at his side. The bots opened two massive doors, revealing the Royal Court of Doom, dimly lit, with the dreaded ruler seated high on his throne before Mir and Ashy. “Enter.” A voice boomed, Mir tightening his posture, Ashy keeping a close eye on Mir, but the two walking forward as instructed.

“What brings you before Doom on this day?” Victor said, his voice metallic and scratchy, Mir and Ashy stopping halfway between the throne and the door they had came from.

“Answers, Victor.” Mir said, not a quiver in his voice, standing tall and proud as he represented the Mad King before Doom. “Why was a Doombot found at the Ultra Corps Headquarters during the Ultra War? Why did it attack Val and Sora-El?” Mir said, dropping the trunk he had carried in, opening it, and spilling it’s contents on the floor - the circuitry and body parts that once made up a robot in the shape of Victor von Doom barely recognizable, as they had been smashed apart by the Mad Queen of the Parahumans, and the Iron Lady of Ultra. “Why did you put Ultra and Madworld at odds?”

“Fools.” Victor hollered, climbing up from his throne and descending his steps rapidly, anger apparent in his voice. “I have no need to meddle in the affairs of an isolationist realm and a trigger-happy metahuman organization. Had I wanted to destroy either, they would not remain today.” Doom said, face to face with Mir and Ashy, neither of those two backing away from Doom. Victor scooped up the smashed skull of the robot, looking it up and down, twirling it in his hands. “From my throne, I could see that this is but a shoddy recreation.” Doom declared.

“Recreation?” Ashy asked, “It’s not one of your Doombots?”

“No. Whoever made this went to a painstaking amount of effort to replicate my success, but where I have already succeeded, this imitator has failed. Though, it is not a bad android model, powerful as well, but was graced by my hands. Had it been, it may have rivaled Ultron.” Doom declared, Mir looking at the piece, utterly confused. “I see you lack sense, boy.” Doom said, staring at Mir, “A robotics expert leaves trademarks, stamps, a trail on the circuits they wire and the designs they follow. A signature, more or less, and one can try to imitate that signature, but this creator did not crack into my hallmark designs. It is a fraud, a knock-off.” Doom explained, slamming the skull piece onto the ground. “Whoever made it has tried to misdirect you, and for the most part, succeeded, it seems. Have you no more business in Latveria, you may take your leave.” Doom said, turning and walking away from the pair, returning to his throne.

Mir and Ashy exchanged glances, one of confusion and of suspicion. Where they hoped to find answers, the Godbreakers only found more questions.

---

Maxwell Morningstar | Craig Thomsen

As Xander exited, Maxwell turned to Craig. "That's what they're afraid of." He began, "Someone with power who does something with it. It's a slippery slope, but what happens when it's Burma or Iran on the chopping block? Why is Xander not targeting Western Countries? Surely he knows that there is crime there, atrocities and the like. Not only that, but the fall of the North Korean regime has triggered a crisis in China, South Korea, and Japan as unskilled laborers try to find a better life abroad. Much like the refugee crisis Madworld is facing, but over there, it's twenty-five million people instead of half a million over here. Despite Xander's rebuilding efforts, it's a massive project he's undertaken and without much forethought, he had the best intentions, but the floodgates are open. Superhuman use in war is all but inevitable."

Craig nodded, "So then, I have your support?" He affirmed, Maxwell lowering his head slightly.

"You have my support and my nation's support, as well as the alliances I've been cultivating across the globe. We need to plan our next moves carefully, or else we'll have more Anti-Registration setbacks like the one in Washington, D.C. However, our first step in that direction is preparation."

"Yes..." Craig began, "Against Xander and Praetoria. I cannot exactly pinpoint where Xander would strike next, but I have an idea of where superhuman entrance into conflict zones will begin."

"Indeed. We'll begin our planning and prepping against Emperor Xander and his superhuman nation, while monitoring those zones. Let me guess, Syria and the Ukraine?"

"There, the Drug Wars in Mexico and Colombia, remnant fighting in the Congo Basin not alleviated by Valancy, Maoist strongholds in India, to name a few. There's fighting across the globe as we speak, any one of those areas could see superhuman intervention now that Xander has set a precedence. By Xander, or by another nation with superhumans." Craig further explained.

"Which, at this point, is any nation on Earth." Max grimly stated, Craig nodding slowly. "Thanks to the Mutant and Inhuman dispora, not to mention the myriad of ways one can come across power nowadays. I see why they would want to keep track of them, but I see more more merit in letting do as they please, live their lives, and not have to worry about the whims of a tyrannical government."

"Agreed. King Morningstar, let's get to work." Craig said with a smile, offering a hand to Max, who smirked in return, firmly shaking the artificer's hand.

[New Neros]

Jump Man

-Donna

A young Parahuman sat at a table some ways away from the commotion, alone, enjoying a fizzy non-alcoholic drink, not because he was a loser, but because he never really had a taste for mixed drinks. Plus, he was a bit young, so his taste buds hadn’t gotten used to the firewater yet. He had came to the Den to catch up on gossip, but nothing besides the Registration Acts seemed to be on the mind of the patrons. Even this one attention-seeker, asking any and all to try and drag her into the waiting arms of the government. Jump Man sighed, knowing he hadn’t many places to go since people were on the lookout for vigilantes.

Yet, something about this girl really pissed off Jump Man, so while the other patrons made a fuss or cheered her on as if she were some daring anti-registration demonstrator, Jump stood up from his seat and started walking over. Well within earshot, he began to speak, loudly and with some venom. “So, you think you’re a bad bitch, don’t you?” The room suddenly fell silent, all eyes turning to Jump Man and Donna. “You think no one in here can take you on? That you aren’t already trying to gut me like a fish?”

“Do it, then. Slice my head off, try me. You’re a two bit ugly-ass bitch who's afraid to show her face and is willing to try and snipe someone off from a distance. Fuck you. You made it infinitely harder for everyone else trying to reverse the Registration Acts, and I bet you’re fuckin’ proud of it, too. Want to defend your actions? Say you were trying to do the right thing? What in your shit-for-brains mind did you think the reaction would be if someone tried to shoot the President of the United States with an arrow? Uproar and reversal? No, you had some motives in mind, some sinister plot to paint us all as villains. If you wanted change, join the political action movements, don’t make us any more targets than we need to be. I despise you so much I can't even pee standing up. I’ll kick your fucking teeth in before you can blink you short-sighted scumfuck. I don’t give a damn if you know me or not - I’m Jump Man, and I’ve had it with your shit.”

Jump Man walked backwards and extended his arms out defiantly. “Swing if you’re gonna swing, bitch. I’m waiting, the whole Anti movement is waiting for you to get knocked the fuck out.”

[New Neros]

South City

The former industrial hub was not alive with honking cars or even citizens, the streets eerily like a ghost town, but that was the intent. A federal blockade had shut down the flow of traffic to the city center while certain agents were brought in to deal with a special kind of criminal. Touching down on the warm pavement, a black-haired young man took his time gazing over the run-down city’s skyline. He took a deep breath and exhaled, continuing to look over his surroundings.

“Are you planning on standing there all day, or are you going to apprehend the fugitives?” Maria Hill’s growling voice came through the communicator. “SHIELD doesn’t like the US military stepping on our toes, and this is no exception. I want you in and out, got that?”

The man smiled, “I understand you. Loud and clear…” Powerline said, “Now, I’d tell you to get ready, but nothing can prepare you for this.” Powerline extended both of his palms outward, a strange hum filling the air as a dim light began to shine over his hands.

“For wha-”

Without warning, a massive shock-wave erupted from Powerline’s outstretched arms, slamming against the building in front of him, reducing it to rubble in a flash of light and a bang loud enough to burst eardrums. Before him stood wreckage, plain and simple, as if a bomb had gone off in the middle of the factory that once stood before him. He smirked, happy at his work, but his supervisor thought otherwise.

“What the hell was that? You orders are to apprehend the fugitives, not destroy the damn city!” Hill said angrily through the communicator. “You pull more stunts like that, and I send in my team to take you down with them!”

“Relax, relax.” Powerline cooed, walking casually over to the scene of his devastation, “They’re not in the building. They’re under it. In the basement.”

“Then why the hell did you feel the need to destroy the building?!”

Before Powerline could respond, a shudder went through the rubble underneath his feet. He leapt back quickly, barely avoiding the wave of wreckage flying into the air. As the dust settled, a large stone man stood in its place. “I don’t recognize you.” The Thing narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want to have to hurt you, new guy.” He cracked his knuckles. “We’re all Heroes, here. Get out... While you still can.”

Powerline’s eyes were wide, he didn’t expect the creature or it’s sudden lecture. Standing some ways away, he considered his options, but opted to revert to bureaucratic negotiation. “I am known as Powerline, and I represent the United States Government.”

“Military?” The Thing raised an eyebrow. “I thought this was a SHIELD op. I used to be military, you know. It’s how I got my powers.” He watched his opponent carefully.

Powerline raised a palm against the metahuman. “I didn’t say military.” As soon as he uttered those words, the Parahuman unleashed a volley electrons at the rock monster, enough to do some damage, but not enough to outright kill him. Though, Powerline wasn’t thinking, planning out his moves, he was simply blasting for the sake of blasting.

For a brief moment, the Thing lay still in the wreckage, as though he were unconscious. A groan, though, quickly proved this incorrect. He gripped his head as he rose. “That hurt.” He smiled. “This’ll be fun. Sue! Johnny!”

An instant later, two more explosions on either side of Powerline forced him to retreat backwards once more. Out of one, a fiery figure burst into the air, and out of the other, an almost regal woman stood, surrounded on all sides by pulsing energy spheres.

Thing smirked. “What, you didn’t get intel on who, exactly, you were being sent to take in? We’re the Fantastic Four, new guy, and we don’t go down easy.”

Powerline was about to respond when an explosion of fire directly in front of him cut him off. He leapt backwards and knelt for a moment, blue sparks gathering around his clenched fists. He leapt into the air, held aloft by the electrons that now surrounded his form. “Oh, I knew who you were coming in. I just didn’t expect it to be this easy.” Powerline blasted at the Human Torch with pulses of electrons, knocking the superhero out of the sky. He crashed, unconscious, into the roof of a nearby bar.

“Johnny!” The Invisible Woman scowled. “Ben, Fastball Special. Now.” The Thing nodded, running forward underneath Powerline. Invisible Woman lifted her hand rapidly, shooting Ben Grimm into the air like a bullet. A very large, very angry bullet.

Powerline was slammed into the concrete below by the stone goliath. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stand down.” Thing growled, kneeling down towards the man he had pinned underneath his large palm.

Powerline grimaced, gathering electrons around his body and then pulsing outward, throwing the Thing off of his body and into the city. He looked around, seeing the Invisible Woman, and smirked. “Don’t have your golem to protect you now.”

“Don’t need him.” She replied coldly, vanishing from view.

He simply smiled wider. “Now this is getting interesting.” He closed his eyes, using the ambient electrons in the atmosphere as a sort of rudimentary seismic sense. The moment he detected the Invisible Woman, he shot a volley of electrons in her direction. “Gotcha.”

Sue was knocked backwards with a cry, landing in a heap near the rubble of the building. She was unconscious. The nearby bar, where Johnny had landed, was now engulfed in flames, and across the city, Ben Grimm’s form was still in the side of a skyscraper.

“Thought you said this would be difficult, Hill.” He tapped a button, reactivating his communicator. “All three are down. You can move your forces in to arrest and give thanks where it is due.” He smirked, looking up and expecting a helicopter to arrive.

“Three? What do you mean, three? They’re the Fantastic Four, idiot, there’s always a-”

Suddenly, Powerline was blasted forward into the rubble by a bolt of electricity.

“-Fourth member.”

Behind him, Trophy, armored in full vibranium, stood battle ready, the tip of his blade sparking with power.

[New Neros]

Daud

-Daniel Carter

His metal tipped boots smacked against the linoleum with a distinct sound, but Daud had no need for stealth, plus he thought he looked like a badass in them, despite what Sora said. Walking through one of the meeting rooms, Daud tossed the folder on the table, feeling a sense of déjà vu about the whole scene. He shook it off and took his seat opposite of the door, waiting for his client's agent to walk through any moment. Just a few minutes later, Daniel Carter had shown up as promised, Daud and Daniel exchanging some greeting as the two took their respective seats. "Let me start off by saying that Killswitch has gone above and beyond our expectations. It's damn good work he's done, I can't even remember the last time someone has done that in this line of work."

Daniel seemed to beam, taking some pride in his client - Daud reasoned, looking the man over, but continued. "In this folder, I included the bank numbers you and Killswitch will withdraw from. It's based in the Cayman Islands, take the money and do as you please, just don't be an idiot about it." Daud explained, figuring the assassin and his agent would have some bearing on how to transfer funds, withdrawing in gold or other fiat currency, whatever, but Daud had more to say. "However, I also would like to offer Killswitch and yourself something...More."

"Which is?" Daniel asked immediately, sliding the folder over to himself, having glanced at the papers within, finding other contracts and some forms within. Reading them over quickly, the young man snapped his eyes up at Daud.

"I'd like to have both of you working for Ultra. It will be similar work, and pay will be under the table as always." Daud said, giving the man a sincere smirk.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Daniel said, without having to even ponder on it for too long. "Killswitch and I would like to keep our options open, rather than be signed on to Ultra for a fixed amount of time. With the new direction you're taking the Corps in as well... I can't say either of us are interested in heroics. I'm sure you can understand our concerns."

"Of course, of course." Daud replied with a smile, "Only an offer, but if that's the case, I have other persons of interest I'd like to be dealt with." Daud said, three contracts piled into the folder. "A bit of a step up from the first one, two of those contracts deal with a mutant mob boss in the refugee slums and a corrupt Forever Knight that's supplying him. The Knight uses an advanced version of their typical power suits, while the mutant can fire telekinetic blasts. The third..." Daud began, looking at Daniel, who was staring intently at the attached photo. "... Is an Amazonian causing major problems in one of the refugee slums. We're not quite sure on her powers, but caution should be taken. She's been able to defeat several local gang leaders and Forever Knight patrols - To the point that they intentionally skip over that area. Do the first two, and then work on the third."

Daniel stood, looking Daud directly in the face, and nodded. "Understood." Turning on his heel, he quickly walked out of the room with his manila folder clutched tightly, that Amazonian's name burned in his mind already. "Lysia..." He muttered, a ghost from his past.

[New Neros]

Godbreakers vs Xyrixma

-Zaki

Neros:

He stood like a sturdy statue, in stark contrast to the fluid and mobile beings made of slime, his subordinates flanking him on either side as Xala and Zaki stood slack-jawed in front of him and staring at the fearsome Xyrixma. Behind his helmet, Max's jaw muscles tightened as one of them spoke at him, slewing her words wildly and telling him to simply butt out of their business. The beginning of a snarl formed on his face, the rest of his body tightening as his body flooded his blood with adrenaline, preparing to fight. Still, the only reason such a reaction would occur is the immediate and pressing threat of the Xyrixma elite before him.

"My concern..." Max began, speaking slowly and with intent, "Lies with these two Xyrixma, one of whom is a loyal steward of my realm. A trait you have seemed to overlook in your mistreatment of her. Xala," He began, the slime girl slowly looking back at Max, taking her eyes away from the fearsome generals - eyes that painted the fear in her body all too well, "...Has told me much about the Xyrixma." But not enough, Max realized, as she was nothing but a scout taking orders in her time with the Xyrix, inept at that, but full of potential that only Otto could seem to coax out.

Max had no idea what types of energy these elite could absorb, nor the limits of what they could absorb. He had only the hard evidence of Xala and her affinity with solar radiation, and the anecdotal evidence of Zaki absorbing magic, as well as the few others Xala could tell the Mad King about. It was a situation he dreaded, one where he was woefully unprepared for. Turning tail was the best option, retreat, regroup, and research with Zaki - seemingly a high-ranking Xyrixma - at his discretion. Max looked to Otto and Val respectively, the two ready for his order - to attack or flee, there was no shame in either.

A sharp, traumatic pain struck Max behind his forehead, like a scalpel was stabbed into the frontal lobe, causing the King to lift one of his hands up and place it against his helmet. It was like an exploding headache, with vision blurring, he struggled to remain conscious and look at the Xyrixma before him, seeing the foremost Xyrix staring potently directly at him. It clicked that she had an affinity for mental powers, causing a smirk to form on her face, reading that thought. He breathed deeply, Otto and Val looking at him with concern.

"...My King?" Otto said, placing a hand on Max's arm.

"...Get out..." Max growled, before shouting, "...Of my MIND!" With those words, he unleashed a powerful wave of energy, blowing back whatever was in front of him, which happened to be his allied Xyrixma and their would-be combatants - causing Xala to stumble slightly. The wave was powerful enough to sever the psychic connection briefly, in which Max would form an absorption barrier around his brain, preventing future attacks if he concentrated. He did the same to his allies, walking forward briskly to begin the battle. Val rushed ahead of him, intent on being at her King's side in the assault, the red Xyrixma appearing in front of her, looming over the girl. Otto had advanced as well, another Xyrixma appearing before him.

The cold stare down was torturous, but either side refused to give ground, not knowing just how badly they were outclassed.

---

Charm:

Zaki looked towards both sides. In that moment she was briefly reluctant about fighting her own kind. She did not like that this was becoming a habit, though it was unavoidable in most instances. She did feel that she should be trying to resolve things with more peaceful methods, but Zaki could see no way to do so at the moment. So she sided with the Godbreakers, taking a place near Xala. She felt the new magical energies coursing through her as she stood.

"Whatever you do, don't let any of them touch you for too long." She spoke. "Oblixia especially."

Suddenly a frustrated grunt could be heard, Kal raged as she expelled energy to propel herself into Val, slamming a fist at her, though it was blocked by an emotional barrier, keeping Val safe from the brunt of the force. However, the two of them were sent careening into a nearby hill, somewhat far away from the rest of the group. "Come on fleshy! Let's see if you're worth my time!" Kal raged as she faced her opponent, daring her to attack the red slime, now glowing with red rage. "Come on! HIT ME!"

Kal has the right idea Sisters, Split up our enemies and pick them off one by one. Oblix spoke telepathically.

Obliging, Glaxia quickly moved away from her foe, only to bombard him with icy blasts in a bid to send him flying away from the rest of the group.

Zaki was about to say something to the group, when she saw Jaz blast a wave of sound which sent both her and Xala flying backwards. Zaki grunted as she got back to her feet, seeing Jaz and Zia now standing before them.

"Zaki! Long time no see!" Shouted Jaz excitedly. She was always loud. "How have you been? Hanging out with all these spinies and weaklings?"

"They're not as weak as you may think."

Zia scoffed. "They've softened you, that's for sure." She remarked. Then Jaz send out another blast of sound which Zaki managed to deflect.

"So, human, this leaves just you and me." Spoke the Thought Eating slime woman. She did the mental equivalent of tapping on Max's mind shield and smiled. "Mental defenses. Impressive. Let's see how long your concentration holds." Oblix simply stood there, but mentally she began bombarding her foe with errant thoughts, things designed to confuse and upset.

---

Neros:

Val grit her teeth as the Xyrixman General bore into her like a freight train, proping herself up with her back against the hill. Kal’s screams were neatly incoherent, but Val could hear them well enough. She smirked with a hint of arrogance as she felt the emotions surging through the Xyrix, feeling those very emotions ignite her bones and muscle. “If you insist!” She yelled, rearing back, and delivering a stunning punch to the formless mass that assaulted her. She punched a hole into the slime, giving Kal a pause, but the hole refilled itself almost instantly.

The cackles of the Red Xyrixma were nerve racking, but Val pushed an emotional barrier between them - giving herself some distance. “Your attacks are pitiful! TRY HARDER!” With that, the Red Xyrixma charged again, Val trying to think of something to do against her, some skill or move that could be of use.

“Fuck…” Val muttered, leaping back to avoid Kal’s rush, but was instantly blindsided by a red tentacle from the side - Kal having stretched out in order to clock Val fiercely. The hit sent the Mad Queen careening off to the side, the hungry eyes of Kal following her body, Val becoming enraged - fueling both herself, and Kal as well. “Fine!” She declared, coming to a halt by jamming her heels in the snowy ground, “I guess I’ll just fuckin’ hit you!” Val leapt forward with an intense burst of speed, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks almost too fast for superhuman eyes to see - only blurs coming in and out, Val and Kal dancing back and forth as Val cut loose.

With major pieces and bits blown away, reducing Kal’s mass and making her look like red swiss cheese, Val stopped, breathing heavily, as the Xyrixma just cackled like a fool. “Outta steam? Where was all that aggression...Where was all that rage?!” She demanded, instantly regaining her form, casting a mouth-watering look at Valerie, the Mad Queen clenching her body, readying herself to go on the defensive.

On the other side of the battlefield, the coldest of winds blew as Otto stood, watching his foe with keen and clever eyes, a hand placed squarely on his rapier’s hilt to draw at a moment's notice. The Xyrix named Glaxia moved away slight, and then unleashed a hellstorm of ice attacks. Otto drew his blade in a fraction of a second, cleaving an attack in two and slicing another on his return swing in rapid succession. The frost danced around him, clinging to his Asgardian cells, and powering him to higher levels. “Glaxia, is it? A pleasure to meet you in an Asgardian realm such as this. I am -”

“That doesn’t concern me.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Your name. I don’t care.”

“You don’t have to be so cold - Oh…” He said, finding the personality of his opponent to be nothing better than ice cold. A fitting trait, but not one Otto enjoyed being paired against. It lacked the thrill of battle that Asgardians crave, reducing the fight to a minor spat if anything. Glaxia conjured up another snow storm, intent on blowing Otto away. He dug his heels in and tightened his body, resisting the attempts to move, the Xyrix using the environment to further boost her powers. “Anything else in your arsenal, dear?” He said smoothly, Glaxia taking immediate offense, and began to shower the Asgardian with ice shards the size of spears.

Xala had little time to chat more with Zaki when she was blown back, splattering her all over the ground for a moment before she composed herself. Dizzy, she looked up as Zaki quickly returned to her feet, facing down two of the fearsome Generals. She hesitated, unsure of what to do, when a voice began to talk to her. “Xala. Look at Otto.” She recognized Max’s voice, but didn’t know how he was speaking to her. “He fights without question. Without needing to know if he’s strong enough. Without limits on what he can or can’t do. You would do best to do the same.”

“I...I don’t know how.” She said aloud, not knowing Max was speaking with his thoughts through the mental shield he had given his allies. Zia and Jaz gave her a confused look, even Zaki gave her a crossways look. But, she lowered her head, and slowly began to stand up, placing her two feet on the ground, but she looked meek in comparison to the bold, strong Xyrixma before her.

“Oh wow! You really think you have what it takes to roll in our weight class, don’cha, you little traitor.” Jaz said with excitement. “Ya’know, I told the others that you were better than what they thought. They wanted to eat ya! Though, the way you’ve been lookin’ at that handsome little fleshbag with the sword makes me curious...”

“What did you say?” Xala spat, staring intently at the Xyrixma’s feet, anger flushing through her being as Jaz talked about Otto.

“I just wonder what his slime must taste like is all.” Jaz said with a flick of her tongue, Xala’s slimy tentacles flaring out.

“Consider this a gift, Xala.” The voice of Max said, Xala’s energy suddenly being flooded with a yellow aura, the beating heart of what felt like an entire star coursed through her veins. “Use it well.”

“Yes...My King…” She uttered, her eyes glowing yellow as well, her fists tightening with impotent fury, Jaz’s smirking face taunting her every step of the way.

“Full power already? Ohoho, so cute! Once I deal with you, I’ll go cut in on Glaxia’s turf and see what that strappin’ Nord boy is up t-” Her words were cut off by Xala’s hand grasping her neck, Jaz literally unphased at the development, simply cutting off her words and giving her trademark smile right to Xala’s face.

“Don’t talk about Otto.” Xala commanded, forming a massive blast of solar energy at Jaz’s neck, exploding the attack outwards, torching several meters behind Jaz in what Xala felt was the strongest attack she had ever delivered...But even then, the Godbreaker Xyrixma knew that it would take more than that to kill Jaz. Far more, more than Xala thinks she even has…

Morningstar stood before the leader of the Xyrixman elite, feeling the love taps and the thought assaults, absorbing those energies with his potent Equation, But, he could feel Oblix’s assault on his mind and all of his allies, and it took straining amounts of mental power to hold on. “It is a fruitless endeavor, Thought Eater.” He said through clenched teeth, “My mind is one of the greatest my kind can offer, a fortress, with a willpower to match Gods.”

“Oh I can tell…” Oblix said, with a hint of sarcasm, “But that little gift you gave Xala put a big dent in your reserves. I can feel your shield weakening.” She spoke the truth, but Max refused to acknowledge it. “Pray tell, will you collapse the mental defense from your own mind, or that of your allies?” Oblix was attacking his thoughts through his hearing now - But Max held strong, adamant in his refusal to give in. “Your mind does not even come close to the ones I have attacked previously, but it is so delicately full of juicy knowledge.”

Max tightened his eye lids as Oblix turned her assault up a notch, staggering her foe, making his knees weak and ready to give out. The Mad King fell to his knees, his hands placed tightly against his helmet as he put forth every single bit of energy he could to defending his mind and his Godbreakers, Oblix mustn't learn of Madworld, or else, his Kingdom will fall… "No…” He whispered weakly, a sly smile appearing on Oblixia’s face.

---

Charm:

Meanwhile Kal begun her own assault, rage increasing the power of her blows as she sucked in rage from her victim. Still, she couldn’t wait to lay her hands on Val and drain her completely. She seemed such a fresh, ripe source for anger… like a nice juicy fruit. “Come on!” Shouted the slime being, “You got to have more than that in you!”

Glaxia made her move on Otto, attacking him with her slimy arms, now formed into slashing blades as she slammed them down onto him like a whirlwind of slime. Otto managed to block them and finally rolled out of the way. “I suppose I’ll take that as a yes.” Otto remarked. The Xyrixma then suddenly shot out a tentacle and slammed it into the Asgardian.

“You talk too much.”

Otto groaned, returning to his feet quickly.

Jaz and Xala traded blasts of sound and heat, Jaz laughing maniacally as she sped towards the red Xyrixma, Xala managed to fire beams of heat back as she dodged or blocked blasts of sound meant to destroy her. Jaz had an advantage in the natural Xyrixma talent to amplify sound, and Xala was managing to tank the worst of the blasts for the most part due to Xyrixma kinetic durability. “What did I touch a nerve?” Asked Jaz with a Cheshire grin, “You can’t blame a girl for being curious. Especially with that ass…”

Xala gave a enraged grunt in response and blasted Jaz remorselessly.

“Ho boy. Some one is jelly.” She spoke. Then chuckled at her pun. “You know I wouldn’t be opposed to sharing that cool Nordic desert…”

Another angered scream, another shrill girlish giggle.

“I’ve sampled the thoughts of countless minds. Tasted and devoured ideas, dreams… plans…” Spoke Oblixia as she upped her assault. “Yours is definitely special. Few have been able to resist me so well… fewer still with your juicy thoughts.” She grinned a little more. Then looked over as she saw Kal and Val. “Hm. I wonder which will break first. Your teammates or your minds. Once Kal is done with her, I wouldn’t mind sifting through what’s left of her… Not at all.”

---

Neros:

The Mad King had pushed past his limits, and the shield was steadily collapsing, another intrusion by Oblixia would be the final push and it all would come tumbling down. He gasped a deep breath and shot his eyes open, the blood vessels shooting forth as his mind fell victim to the Thought Eater. Oblixia gave a shrill giggle, probing all throughout Max's mind like a kid in a candy store, Max struggling to regain his motor control, but could only scream and involuntarily grab breaths of air. "Such subtle details to your world..." The Xyrixma teased, the Mad King snapping himself to control, and slamming himself in the stomach with his palm. Hard.

Behind him, a vortex tore open the space between realms, and what appeared to be tethers latched onto to his Godbreakers and yanked them backward, away from danger, away from the fearsome Xyrixman Generals. Xala had little time to grab and hold on to Zaki, her King launching his escape before the other Xyrix could be given a tether. As soon as they were pulled through, the portal closed, sealing the Godbreakers and their new companion in a pocket dimension nestled somewhere between the Nine Realms. They all breathed deeply, trying to catch their breaths from the intense battle, but Max breathed the deepest.

"Fuck." He said, slamming one of his palms against the floor, sending a shockwave of energy from it out of anger.

"Morningstar, what's wrong?" Xala asked, removing herself from where she held onto Zaki. The Mad King turned and looked at her, his eyes strained and engulfed with rage. Xala took a step back, a sense of dread filling her.

"She saw it, Xala." Maxwell spat, "She saw Earth. She saw Madworld."

[New Neros]

Castle Camelot

All he remembered was falling.

And then landing, but that part wasn’t as fun. The ever-active hero, Rip Valentine, had been chasing some nondescript thugs across the roof-tops of some city on the East Coast, in violation of the Registration Acts. After all, Rip had an attitude and a reputation, and no one was going to tell him when to stop being a hero. He wasn’t just any hero, either, he was Jump Man. Still, Jump Man spat out the black dirt and rose to his feet, a bit wobbly from the unexpected departure. “Who the fuck -” He began, looking around at the lovable cast of misfits.

“Oh sweet jesus…” He muttered, looking at some faces he knew from the hero community, and his own internet searches. Rather than speak up, he just listened in on their own conversations as he took in the surroundings of wherever he had been transported. Camelot, was it? That meant he was in the past, somehow. He smirked, mouthing to himself, “The man who jumped through time.”

The Parahuman walked over to the group, standing in their semi-circle, listening to Lady Lantern, and turning to look at the castle as she pointed it out in the distance. Also coming within earshot was the rabble of peasants and commoners who had came to see what the commotion on the hill was all about. To Jump Man, they were something else… “Ah! My loyal fans, they’re coming to see what has become of their futuristic, devilishly handsome hero.” He declared, leaving the circle and walking towards a gathering of people coming over another hill.

“Hello! Hello!” Jump Man cried, “Everyone, please, single file! I have enough papers for everyone to get an autograph, and maybe if I’m generous, everyone might get a handshake, too!” He continued with a warm, inviting smile. “I know you’ve all come to see the Mighty Jump Man and his... “ He said, turning to look at the others who had came through time with him, “Less than lackluster groupies! Pictures are ten dollars a pop, come one, come all!” What Jump Man failed to take into account, however, was that the gathering of commoners wasn’t exactly a welcome party. It was more of a lynch mob.

[New Neros]

-Kylie

Jump Man put his hands up at the unexpectedly rowdy crowd. "Fellas, fellas, c'mon now, no need to be hasty, everyone can have a piece of the Jump Man pie." He said in a failed attempt to appease the mob. He was saved at the last minute by Kylie grabbing onto him, yanking the Parahuman away from danger and sending him rolling through a portal the Lady Lantern had made. Getting his mouth full of dirt for the second time within a ten-minute time span royally pissed off the hero, who rolled and jumped to his feet immediately, his eyes locking onto Kylie immediately. "What the fuck, lady?!" He protested, trailing his eyes up her body and onto the castle walls.

"Oh hey! We're at the castle. Good job. Now, as team leader, I think we should enter this castle and find it's wizard, and see if he knows anything about this Red Knight I've been hearing so much about. No clue what he wants with me, but as heroes, we should find him and bring him to justice! Perhaps he's an old archenemy of mine, trying to trap me in the past..." Rip thought aloud, placing his finger on his chin in deep thought, blissfully ignorant to the earfuls he was probably receiving from Kylie and the rest of the time travelers.

[New Neros]

Civil War
Madworld

Located within Paragon, the immaculate palace of the Parahuman King stood proudly as the city around it was putting the finishing touches on it’s rebuilding program. The palace, known as Cathedral Terra, was bustling with government activity as post-Ultra War problems began to surface for the Kingdom. Due in large part to the Mad King’s declaration of a safe haven, waves upon waves of political migrants have taken up refuge on Madworld, crowding the titular Mad City and her surrounding boroughs and setting up refugee camps outside of government oversight. It was a situation that shouldn’t endure for more than a few weeks at most, and with a looming superhuman war, Maxwell Morningstar sought to fix the issue sooner rather than later.

“Otto, do you have any news on the Amazon?” Maxwell asked, walking into the Asgardian’s work station, causing Godblessed to hold up a finger at the King, finishing whatever he was writing quickly and neatly before looking up.

“Lysia, yes? She has been evicting our Forever Knight patrols left and right. Our manpower is thin, so we’ve had to simply avoid those areas until another recruitment surge. Wildstar has more information on the Knights as you know, but there is little we can do realistically. She’s nothing more than another gang leader, despite all the fluff she likes to talk.”

“I ask because I’ve been considering her position among the refugees.” Maxwell said, leaning upon Otto’s desk as the Asgardian leaned back to look intently at the King. “Should she pose a threat, we may have to take steps to eliminate her or curtail her movement. Perhaps I should look into getting an assassin…” Maxwell thought, looking at Otto for his opinion on the matter.

“Well, I’ll level with you here, she’s currently dealing with an assassin as we speak.” Otto said, causing Max to raise an eyebrow. “From what I could gather from my sources, Daud has been working closely with a man to eliminate targets. Both against ourselves and Ultra. Did you know about this?”

“I did, but I didn’t know he was already on Lysia.” Maxwell admitted, “In this changing world, Godblessed, I have opted to make the Ultra Corps a wing of my bureaucracy, specifically, my intelligence and spy department. Daud has the connections that we severely lack, his pull has been able to get us on the talking board with nations who wouldn’t give us the time of day. I’ve been handing down execution and listening orders, but the one for Lysia... “ Maxwell continued, “She was supposed to be more of a just-in-case type of deal. I will have to meet with Daud about that.” With that Mad Max began to walk away, Otto standing up quickly.

“I really don’t like using Ultra in such a position, Max.” He protested, with Max slowing down to let his closest ally walk alongside him.

“Your concern is well-founded, my friend, but I’m afraid we have little choice. Our own systems were years behind other nations, even Praetoria. Maybe because Sovereign had no need for external intelligence, and focused only on spying on other Parahumans. Ultra has put us on top globally, and every intelligence organization with any weight has been fighting tooth and nail to work with us now.” Maxwell smiled, “The benefits of a superhuman society, no?”

“Yes, but they were the enemy.” Otto protested, “Our civilians are shocked at your absorption of the Corps, and with the ongoing refugee crisis, have you even looked at your approval ratings? They’re abysmal. You’ve spent so much time working with Thomsen against the Praetorian threat and Registration that you’re not watching Madworld and her interests.”

Maxwell nodded solemnly, “I know Otto, but I feel that the best course of action is to be prepared for anything at this point. I don’t have two faces, one to watch Madworld and one to watch the rest of the world. Madworld can bicker and scream, but I will ensure she survives this trying time. I leave a lot of things up to you and the rest of the Godbreakers -”

“But we can’t do much if you’re not behind it, Max.” Otto snapped. “Despite your approval ratings, our economic reports are sky-high thanks to us and our advisors. Despite the influx of migrants, recruitment in the Knights is up. They know it’s improving, but because it’s not backed by the King, it doesn’t seem like anything is getting done.” Otto breathed deeply and released it. “They want to see their King in action, leading the charge for their own sake, not for the world or for disenfranchised mutants. They want the King of the Parahumans to keep the Parahumans in mind.”

Maxwell thought on the statements Otto made deeply, reflecting on his actions ever since his break with the Praetorian Emperor. “I do keep them in mind, but they don’t see it. I do this for Madworld and her people, but they think it’s for foreigners. I’m against a wall and if I throw my hands up and back out, Madworld will look weak internationally. Perhaps I did not plan my moves accordingly, Godblessed, but I need to see them through.”

---

Fall of the Masakis

The looming threat of the Masaki Dynasty had loomed in the head of the Mad King for some time, with Sigma Island being the home of alien interlopers. Able to change the dynamic of the looming superhuman Civil War, their kind should be dealt with soon. To that end, Mad Max called upon one of his Godbreakers, a friend from childhood and an ally to the King, Maddox Shatterstar, to aid him against the Dynasty.

“Their powers are vast, but lack the imagination to utilize them to their fullest potential,” Maxwell explained, “I have been following the energies of the island for some time, and this recent spike must mean that something is underway, like two friends beginning a brawl, or two brothers finally going at odds with one another.” With that explanation, Maddox gave a smirk, dwarfing his King as he stood beside him.

“So then, what must we do, my King?” Maddox asked, “Pick them off, lay waste to Sigma Island, or simply fan the flames?”

“Make no mistake, Maddox,” The King assured, “Our intentions are not pure. Our hands are blood soaked as is, so what is a few drops more?”

Maddox nodded, “Then we’ll kill who we can.” Shatterstar said, “Fine by me. Are you doing it or shall I deliver the killing blow?”

Thinking for a moment, Maxwell relented. “I will see to their demise. Nothing against you, Maddox, but you’d destroy a continent before they perished. My way would be quicker and cleaner, without all the hassle that levelling an island would take. You will be my enforcer, to ensure my battle goes on without interlopers.” Maxwell explained, Maddox agreeing with a grunt and a nod. “Then you agree. Let’s be off.” Max said, thinking of one more thing to say before heading towards Sigma Island.

“....Time to conduct evil.”

[New Neros]

-Xander vs Asumar

Among Parahumanity, many with powers stood out, and none more so than Maxwell Morningstar and Maddox Shatterstar. Armed with fearsome energy absorption and manipulation, the Mad King of the Parahumans was prepared to let Sigma Island feel his wrath, and the physically strongest Parahuman, Shatterstar, was ready to bear witness to destruction on a grand scale. As Mad Max extended his palms outward, his eyes glowing a light blue, and pentagrams began glowing brightly before his hands. He held a solemn grimace as he sentenced thousands of innocents to death.

It was a calming breeze, gently tugging the ambient energies of the island's city toward Mad Max and Maddox's position, the swaying of trees pointing towards the duo as dark clouds raged above. Then, it all suddenly stopped, a deafening quiet permeating throughout the area, people turning to look on in wonder at the duo. That was their last sight, as a violent eruption of energy from Mad Max spilled onto the island like an exploding tsunami, crashing buildings into one another, leveling the landscape, and leaving nothing but a smoldering fan of pure destruction in his wake, with the end point of the fan where Maxwell stood floating above the area.

"It never fails to impress." Maddox commented, Maxwell nodding in agreement. "But what do you think that did other than piss off the Masaki Brothers?"

"It pissed them off." Maxwell parroted, "So they won't be thinking straight. Do you feel that, Maddox? That energy on the other side of the island? That's Xander... And he's fighting Asumar." Maxwell commented, feeling their distinct energy presence. "Why the hell is he here..." The Mad King growled, "Regardless, let's find the other brother." With that, Maxwell took no time in feeling the energies of the island, rich in natural energy, but finding the conduits that could channel them, thus finding Kazuko with ease. Not long after, the two Parahumans stood before a simple hut. Maxwell stopped his brutish companion from entering, though.

"Why do you hold me back, Maxwell?" Maddox asked.

"Within lies the body of Shimura. I have little respect for the Masaki Clan, but he is one I will grant some dignity, even in death. I will go in and inform Kazuko of events he's already aware of." Maxwell spoke, Maddox nodding, watching his monarch enter the hut casually, finding the sight before him full of gloom and sadness. Max did not dwell on the sight, as death on Madworld was all too common, the King was too jaded for a proper funeral. Instead, he called out. "Kazuko Masaki." Gaining the brothers' attention, Maxwell continued. "Xander is engaged in mortal combat with your brother. Their energies threaten to tear this island apart. But you..."

"You are in mortal combat with me. You ask what sins you bear as I confront you, but know this:" Maxwell said with an outstretched palm. "I am the spear of God, and if you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me onto you." Maxwell closed his palm and the energies he had gathered within, allowing it to course around his body as he vaguely 'powered up' to fight Kazuko. "Let us begin."

[New Neros]

-Kazuko

Watching patiently as Kazuko preformed his alien magics, the Mad King of the Parahumans offered a single hand in response to the boulder-composed dragon that had been launched against him. Crunching up as the giant beast met a solid an unmovable wall. A brilliant blue flash of light came from Max's hand as the dragon came to a screeching halt, breaking apart the rocks that held the dragon together. Like a vacuum, the particles of natural energy began to be drawn into Max's hand. "The only thing I'm going to prove is how woefully inept you are." Maxwell responded, lifting himself from the ground to face the Masaki.

"Shimura cannot save you, your brother cannot save you. Your path to salvation has only one obstacle: Me." As Max spoke, the natural energies of Sigma Island began to break free of their forms and float towards Maxwell, dimly lit greenish spheres colliding into him, empowering the Mad King. "I am Maxwell Morningstar, I do not care if you know me or know of me. There is one thing you will know, in your final moments, Kazuko."

Maxwell held up one of his hands, facing the backside of it toward Kazuko and his titanic Buddha. Within his palm, he gathered and condensed energy in a light blue ball, with wisps of it flailing out of the event horizon as he channeled his energy into a single point. Rearing back suddenly, the Mad King jutted his entire hand, and even his body, forward to lead the attack. Shooting out of his palm like a cannon, large enough to engulf Kazuko and the Buddha he rode atop of, Maxwell spoke, his voice clear above the roaring energy blast, "Fear."

[New Neros]

New Namek

“Don’t make this ship my coffin, Daud.” The darkly dressed, helmeted scientist quipped as his hands steadily gripped the controls of their spacecraft. “Because I’m almost sure you can survive a crash landing. I say almost because really I don’t know. Can you?” The man asked, turning his black helmeted head to look at Daud, acting as his co-pilot, smirking the entire time as the lush, green planet came into view.

“Yes.” Daud responded quickly, gritting his teeth, “I can survive and adapt, as all of us should, Darklight.”

“Not all of us have the most broken power in existence, Ultra-Lord.” Dr. Darklight responded, “New Namek approaches, and our landing gear is completely shot. Can you believe those Kree raiders just blasted us? What the fuck is up with that?” Darklight protested, a vigorous shake going through the cabin as the vessel entered the planet’s atmosphere.

“Like hell I’m going to give up my precious cargo.” Daud replied, “Even if it’s all just science bullshit.”

“It’s not bullshit, it’s my mobile lab! And you didn’t have to come with me…”

Daud mouthed Darklight, causing the Parahuman to grow upset. “Hey now, don’t get all mad, we’re still going to this planet because… Uh… Why exactly?”

“Plot.” Darklight spat, readying his controls. “Force the wings up, maybe we can skid along the surface to take out our energy when we make landfall.

“...That was a suboptimal answer.” Daud replied, “No, I’m doing what you’re telling me, but I’m just making a note that the answer I was given was absolutely not what I wanted to hear - Oh fuck.” Daud casually said, watching the ground rapidly advance to the spaceship’s cockpit, the two men bracing at the last moment, the ship simply slamming into the planet without skipping along the surface as Dr. Darklight intended.

---

A dark, billowing cloud tore apart the New Namekian skies, leading to exactly where the spaceship had crashed. It gave off that human vibe, but with it being in such pieces and battered up, it looked more like a deadly crash if anything else. However, from the metallic door that was once the ship’s main corridor, a sharp noise dented it from the inside. Another hit and the door flew off the hinges, landing several yards away, a thin yet muscle-bound human emerging from the ship’s innards.

Electrical shorts and debris were everywhere within the cabin, but the first man to emerge, Daud, was more interested at the landscape before him. “Huh.” He said, hopping onto the planet and walking someways, “Looks a lot more purplish from down here. Dark?” He said, turning to look at the crashed ship. “Doctor Darklight?” He called out once more.

“For shame! The greatest of men yet perishes in the pursuit of science!” Daud cried out, acting as dramatic as he could, “For he was the noblest of them all! In service to his King and Country, the brave doctor set out to the stars to find his ambitions, to find himself! But lo, he only found his grave!” Daud shouted, collapsing to his knees.

“I’m not dead, you idiot.” Doctor Darklight said, emerging from the cockpit, his outfit covered in glass shards and the like. “I was just quietly mourning my vessel. I built her with my own two hands, only to have her die here on this god forsaken planet.” Darklight protested. “And now I can’t conduct research.”

“It’s the vacation I always wanted!” Daud declared, “To be stuck with a pissed off Doc Darklight.” He teased, the Parahuman scientist looking thoroughly unamused.

“Believe me, I’m far from pissed.” Darklight snapped.

“Yet.” Daud added, Darklight beginning to walk off in another direction, Daud following behind him quickly. “So, where are we headed? The nearest space ship?”

“The nearest space shi- Yes.” Darklight said, Daud completing his sentence before he could say it. “For a leader, you’re awfully annoying at times.”

“I get that a lot, actually. It takes a certain kind of person to work with me.” Daud said, walking side by side with Darklight. “We both can fly. Why are we walking?” He asked, Darklight floating up above Daud and flying off, not responding to his question. Daud smirked, hoping to annoy the fuck out of Darklight this entire trip, and floating alongside with him.

[New Neros]

-Colored Text Snip-

As Kazuko mourned over the loss of his brother, Maxwell stood some distance away, feeling the spikes in energy as he intended to release years of pent-up, repressed sexual tension all in one place. A threat to the globe, if not more, Maxwell stepped forth, eyeing the revenge-filled Masaki. Mad Max cracked his knuckles, preparing to unleash his fearsome abilities against the final brother. "You've forced my hand, Kazuko, but either way, you were not walking away from this alive." Maxwell began to walk casually toward the Masaki Brother, regardless of the intense energy that surrounded him, absorbing it as he went. "You won't kill everything I love, because you simply can't kill me."

"Do you know why?" The Mad King asked, mere inches from Kazuko, staring the seething Immortal Hybrid directly in the face. "You're not strong enough."

Reaching out before Kazuko could react, Maxwell took hold of the Hybrid's head in one hand, bringing his other hand to fully grab Kazuko's skull. A light blue pentagram shined from each palm against the Masaki's temple, flashes of electric energy filling the air for a moment, before nothing. Absolutely nothing. A sickening silence as Maxwell began to absorb the life-force of Kazuko and all the power he had gathered with his final act of vengeance. The Masaki Constructs disappeared, the vibrant aura that once surrounded Kazuko vanished, and the Masaki grew limp.

The Mad King released his grip, wisps of smoke pouring from his gloves as Kazuko dropped to the ground. Shatterstar appeared at the King's side, looking upon the site. "He's not dead yet, Maxwell. I thought you were going to strike the finishing blow?" Maddox inquired, looking from Kazuko to Asumar, and then finally to Xander. "Is it wise to leave him in such a state? It would be a mercy at this point...It's not like he will ever return to full power."

"He won't." Maxwell declared, "I lobotomized his neural connections. He has some energy left, but maybe he needs to say a final word to his brother, or to Shimura." Quickly cutting his eyes up, he locked eyes with the distant Praetorian Emperor. He grew a smile, and began his taunts. "What brings you here, Xander? A chance to steal glory, or did you come with murderous intent? Regardless, I've done the work that you couldn't for some time now. These threatening interlopers are no more. You're welcome." Maxwell said, offering a quick wave to the Emperor of Praetoria.

[New Neros]

-Snip

-Snip

Maxwell stood facing Xander, and catching a glimpse of Asumar's child down below, calling out to the uncaring heavens as his father and uncle lay dead at his feet. He would deal with Ryuichi in due time, but the Emperor was a bigger concern. "Imbecile all the same, Praetorian Emperor." Maxwell said, sounding out the last words as if it were an insult. "I did what you could not. Those lives that Asumar took are on your hands. You must be proud, I'm sure, to let these... Masakis... Go on their rages when you could have stopped them. I recall a monarch once telling me he hated people who held power yet did nothing with it." He bore down upon Xander even further. "It wasn't I who killed the boy's father, either."

Looking down, the Mad King stared intently upon Kazuko. "Emperor Xander has left your fate in my hands, boy. He, like your uncle and father, have abandoned you to my whim. Were I a romanticist, I would take you in, guide you, make you a disciple, only for you to betray me in my darkest hour - But I am not. You have power that can threaten many things - People, Nations, ideas, and you don't know how to use them." Maxwell began to descend from up above, landing softly in front of Ryuichi. "Tell me your name, and I will tell you what you've learned here today."

A short pause, and Maxwell continued regardless. "You have learned a valuable thing about natural energy and nature itself, boy. Indifference. Life does not care about who's right or who is wrong, what you have lost or gained. Life is indifferent to struggles and success. In the end, all men will die, all monuments will crumble, all life will one day perish. Your father and uncle met their ends here and yet, only you seem to weep. Life does not. Life goes on, and so must you." He sensed the child's anger and bloodlust, and issued a warning. "Do not throw your life away here. Do what that Golden God said and channel your energy into something constructive. That's one thing Xander and I can agree on." He said looking up to the Emperor. "I'm not above ending a bloodline, either."

He began to float away, joining up with Maddox Shatterstar, who looked on at the scene rather indifferently. "Yes, yes, much bravado, congratulations, my King, another threat dismantled, praise be, but what must be done of the child?" Shatterstar asked, staring down intently at Asumar's lone son. "He will only rise to challenge you. Leave no cliche, my King, I can do what must be done." He said, looking intently at Maxwell, who seriously considered his position at the moment, looking upon Ryuichi as well. "Say the word."

"Leave him." He said, but dropping his voice so that it was only between Shatterstar and himself, "Because the boy will dig his own grave momentarily..."

[New Neros]

-Snip

The fearsome King of the Parahumans watched with stoic silence as Ryuichi began to power up, exerting himself above and beyond what his father or uncle could have ever realistically managed in their lifetime. A light blue energy glowed around his hands, ready to intercept the boy as he rose to challenge the Mad King, Maxwell Morningstar. But, a slight whisper caught his ear, the immense and ever-loyal Shatterstar floating just a bit more ahead of Maxwell, before vanishing for a moment. "Do not move, my King." He said, Maxwell affirming the behemoth's intent with a nod, sliding his eyes back to Ryuichi.

Maxwell began to absorb the waves of energy Ryuichi gave off passively, taken slightly by surprise at the child's speed, but a blur sidelining the Masaki heir before he could get within five feet of Mad Max. It was the titanic Shatterstar, his massive fist slamming into the boy and knocking him to the side, the Parahuman enforcer following the child closely. Max stood upright slightly, a slight smirk as Shatterstar could settle his itch for battle. At 7'2, the man's fist nearly equaled the size of Ryuichi's chest, the hit forcing his bones to pulverize. That wouldn't stop the child's bloodlust, however, and he began to heal immediately.

Turning a snarl to Shatterstar, the Parahuman reared back his fist once more, and delivered a solid left to the boy's cranium. Eyes going blank immediately, the air shocked by the intensity and speed of the impact, Ryuichi became dazed at the hit. Physically able to rip a star in half, the impact was devastating, but Maddox grabbed onto the boy's cranium with force, jerking his head off to the side and presenting the child to the Mad King up above. The entire fight happened between Ryuichi charging at Max and Shatterstar landing on the ground.

"What must be done, Maxwell?" Shatterstar hollered, presenting the limp body of Ryuichi to his King, who floated above the battlefield like some all-observant God. "I will do as I must for your sake, do not worry on my conscience. I lost that long ago." Maddox declared, "Your orders for the boy? Kill him now and prevent his rise against us and the universe, tainted by hatred and revenge, or let him live so that we may face his fury later, and prolong his suffering?" Locking eyes, the two Parahumans both knew what the answer was, but Maxwell only had to say it.

With fierce, intense eyes, he gave the decree, execution. "Kill him." Maddox gave a single nod, and took a grim look to his face, holding the boy up by the head as Ryuichi started to rise from his dizziness. He began to tighten down with his palms and fingers, exerting unimaginable pressures on the boy's skull, which neared it's breaking point. Both men took solace in their actions, that it served a greater good for now. They did not come here as heroes, but as invaders. Blood was to be spilled here, the Masaki Dynasty should be no more. Yet, a rampaging miracle could only save Ryuichi now.

[New Neros]

Messiah Complex
Act I | Part I

Cathedral Terra
Mad City (Paragon District)

Morningstar the mighty! Morningstar the unerring! Morningstar the unassailable! To you we give praise! We are but Parahumans, writhing in the filth of our moral corruption! While you have ascended from the realm of mortality, and now walk among the stars! But you were once Para! Aye! And as Para, you said, "Let me show you the power of Maxwell Morningstar, born of Michael Morningstar, who sowed life into gods! I breathe now, in loyalty, and reshape this land which is ours. I do this for you, Parahumans, for I love you!" Aye, love. Love! Even as Para, great Maxwell cherishes us. For he sees in us, in each of us, the future of Madworld! The future of the Parahumans! And there it is, friends! The ugly truth! We are the children of deceit! Maxwell is the true God-King! Ascended from science, to rule our earthly realm! The very idea is inconceivable to our oppressive enemies! Sharing the heavens with us? With Parahuman? Ha! They can barely tolerate our presence on this Earth! Today, the refugees take away your faith. But what of tomorrow? Do the refugees take your homes? Your businesses? Your children? Your very lives? And what does the World do? Nothing! Nay, worse than nothing! The United Nations enforces the will of the Registration overlords! Against its own people! So rise up! Rise up, children of Madworld! Rise up, Travenios! Embrace the word of mighty Morningstar, he who is both Para and Divine! For we are the children of Para! And we shall inherit both the Heavens and the Earth! And we, not the Mutants or the Inhumans, will rule the globe! Forever! Beautiful and powerful Maxwell! We, your worthy servants, give praise! For only through your grace and benevolence may we truly reach freedom! And deserve our praise you do, for we are one! Here you ascend the corruption of registration, you walk among us, great Maxwell, not as Para, but as God King! Trust in me, Parahumans! Trust in the words of Andile Jack, for I am the chosen of Maxwell! I alone have been anointed by the Mad King to spread his holy word!

A very passionate, endearing speech by Andile Jack, one of the leading orators of the religious and political cult known as Sol Invictus, as he spoke to a crowd of thousands outside of Cathedral Terra - Maxwell’s Royal Palace within Paragon. Supporters of the Sol Invictus movement have formed a religion praising their King as a God, and their movement grows strong as many flock to the ideas presented on their platform as a backlash against the refugee crisis plaguing Madworld. That same backlash has formed opposition parties, movements who demand free and fair elections and the dissolvement of Darwinist Absolutism within the Kingdom. Overlooking the rally from a massive window, the Parahuman King stood with his arms crossed over his chest, judging the populace below. “A God, they call me.”

“A King, everyone else calls you.” Val Valentine responded, Maxwell turning his head from the large crowd that he leered over to look at his Queen-Consort. She was dressed in her usual attire, standing beside the Mad King’s throne with a distasteful look. “It’s not like you need more arrogance to drum up your ego. I’m honestly surprised that you haven’t elevated yourself to an Emperor in response to Xander.”

Maxwell smiled, “Understandable. I do think awfully highly of myself. With reason, no?” He spoke, turning and walking towards Val and his throne. “I rule over a nation of men who are fundamentally better than humans in all ways. I command the most powerful army on Earth, superhuman or not. I wield the Morningstar Equation, a universal heat-death sink.” He listed, walking up the steps to his throne and seating himself, slouching forward as he did so.

“Not making too much of a case for yourself, here.” Val responded. “The Civil War looms and the refugee crisis is taking it’s toll. Otto will not shut up about how it’s impeding our rebuilding efforts, and how international diplomacy was effectively crippled by the move. Would a God intervene? Would a King? You’re dragging us into a conflict we had no right to be in.” Val protested further, Maxwell starring on ahead through the window at the crystal blue sky. “Well?” She demanded.

“You may be right, Valenti-”

“May. You said I may be right.” Val interjected, her anger flashing, “You don’t know everything. We’re following statistics and you’re just running around doing whatever the fuck you want, and we have to just keep up with it.” She said through gritted teeth. “It’s almost like you don’t even fucking care, you just want to lord around and be above everyone else.” Maxwell slid his eyes over to Val, looking at her sideways.

“And?”

With that, Val simply left without another word, storming off from the King’s side, afraid that she’d lose her temper completely and knock his royal teeth in. Maxwell could feel the raging energies within her, but made no comment on it as she left. Rather than even stay within the Palace, Val opted to leave and get some fresh air, somehow finding herself walking along the beaches of Madworld after some hours. The sun was already setting, the sky taking an orange color, and the Mad Queen gazing out at the sea and sunset. “I wish you’d come home.” She said, holding her voice back a bit as she whispered.

A flash of her little brothers’ smile went through her mind, the young Para leaving Madworld over a year ago to pursue his career in vigilantism. Most were against the move, but Rip Valentine left abruptly, and was only heard of sparingly since then. With the ongoing Registration Movement and the hunt for non-registered heroes, she figured Rip would return to Madworld, but he’s gone quiet.

Alone with her thoughts, Val made the decision to go and find her brother and bring him back home kicking and screaming if she had to. She began to float up into the air, the sun dipping further in the horizon as she did so. Looking back, she took a last, long look at the island and the cityscape, second guessing her desire. Val tucked her chin in and looked down at the sea, turning away from Madworld, and flying off to go find Rip Valentine, her little brother. Jump Man.

---

Section 19 Refugee Camp
Abandoned Isel Manufacturing Plant

A pair of cloaked men shuffled their way through a large crowd at one of the busier ports within Mad City. Among the arriving refugees, they had to give only a little information and be sent on their way to a refugee camp outside of the city. Hiding their identities was quite the norm, as many came to this land to protect their identities in the first place. Yet, they were did come to seek asylum, they were the last to arrive in a plot to subvert asylum, and rollback the Morningstar Dynasty.

The duo, concealed in brown nondescript robes and hoods, managed to find their way to an abandoned warehouse after being settled in a camp, tearing off their concealing garments to reveal their stern and stoic faces. They looked like brothers, one being taller than the other, but as they spoke, they held little to no emotions. “Their Knights are sloppy.” One said, and in the same voice, his companion replied, “Our arrival is the beginning of Phase 2.”

Before the brothers were five other shadowy figures, who looked upon the duo with nonchalance. Four to their immediate front, and another at the far back. The furthest one spoke, with a raspy and deep voice, which sounded as if it were holding back anger and resentment. “Our recon was complete two days ago. We were ready to move out yesterday, but I suppose now will work just as well. Our targets are well-known and they will be hard to take out.” He said, walking from the shadows into the pale moonlight shining through a broken glass window.

“But you are my warriors, my six chosen, and I the seventh.” He proclaimed, his features finally able to be seen. “Tonight, the Sovereign Seven will retake our city and our nation. Tomorrow, we will take on the world. It is the destiny of our people to rule, and I will be the herald of such destiny.” Sovereign proclaimed, his followers giving a stern nod of approval. “By sunrise, the Godbreakers will be broken.”

[New Neros]

-snip

The hit staggered the monstrously large Shatterstar, a testament to his durability by tanking such a blow. "Your people really need to stay dead." He commented harshly, in regards to Shimura's interference in the mortal world. "You will be joining the brothers and their master soon, though. Tonight, you will avenge nothing. What's done is done and will be done again." But, as Alastir made his dramatic appearance, Shatterstar gave a confident smirk, brewing with pride, arrogance, and supreme trust in his own abilities and power in the face of Satera and Alastir. "You both are interlopers, meddling with things beyond your control."

"Quite so." Maxwell said with indifference at the appearance of the two. He didn't even care to look at Alastir's face the Demon God eyed the Mad King. "I do what I must. Beyond you, beyond me, there is a greater good that must be followed. But I will give you fair warning, this will not be a two on two battle. I am a Mad King, you know me as such, and you two? You are both something beneath me." He callously said, "Shatterstar will be more than enough. Get rid of these interlopers, Maddox." Maxwell commanded, the behemoth moving at blinding speeds to punch Satera while he was close, throwing his hand to the other side in order to block an attempted surprise attack by Alastir.

Maddox spoke with some strain, but made his voice very clear. "You two don't seem to realize..." He began, using his unimaginable strength and muscle to get free of the Gods' attacks and circle back around the two, facing them head on without regard for himself or his surroundings. "I break Gods."

[New Neros]

-snip

The Herald and the Gods
The Fall of the Masaki

A power unlike any seen before, Maddox Shatterstar stood in the face of not one, but two fearsome Gods, and dared not yield even for a moment. He remained quiet as Alastir shot back retorts at the muscular man, but Maddox eyed him and Satera very carefully, unsure of how to appropriately proceed against the duo. However, Alastir powered up, and began to take on his true form as the Dark God, Shatterstar shielding himself with his forearm slightly. He listened intently to Alastir and Satera's exchange, turning to face an attack from Satera - A blinding flash of light - When he was struck in the side by Alastir's tendrils. Digging deep into his heavily dense, armor-like skin, Maddox grit his teeth fiercely.

The duo seemed to halt their advance, Shatterstar pinned in place for the time being. To himself, he wondered what exactly they were planning, yet it crossed his mind quickly: A test. They didn't know how to go about beating him, so Maddox cracked a smile. "You fuckers think you're sneaky? You don't need to be when facing me." He taunted, "Dive after me like a true warrior, hide in your shadows and hide behind your light, I don't care. I'll kick your teeth in either way." With that said, Shatterstar began to bulge, his veins popping to the surface, his body temperature raising drastically as his muscles heated up - Steam coming from his body. "Now you get to see when I power up." He grunted, before simply disappeared.

"Where did he -" Satera said, jerking his head to the left on pure instinct, a titanic fist missing the side of his face by mere centimeters, the wide-eyed God feeling the pure heat and energy produced from that swing, one that tore apart the surrounding air as it broke through the sound barrier multiply times over. Reacting quickly, Satera jutted his hands forward, placing them against Shatterstar's scorching hot abdomen and firing a point-blank bast of pure white-hot light against the behemoth. Shattering the photons in all directions as it impacted the Parahuman Enforcer, his tank-like body flew across the battle, his clothing singed and burned from the assault. "That power... If he had hit me..." Satera further said, snapping back to attention as Alastir dove after the body. "Alastir, wait!" He shouted in vain, trying to tell the Dark God that it might all just be a trap.

"Ahaha! Breaker of Gods, meet the breaker of YOU!" Alastir shouted with a sickening, evil glee in his voice as the Darkness attempted to erode his sanity. He struck Shatterstar dead center in the Parahuman's chest, slamming him against a broken piece of Sigma Island's remains and forcing him to make a massive crater in the process, spewing forth rocks, lava, and Alastir's shadowy tendrils in the process. "Give me your head, Parahuman, you will feel what Ryuichi would have felt had we not stepped in." Alastir demanded, his eyes aglow with equal parts rage and excitement at the battle. Rearing back with one hand, Alastir delivered another punch Shatterstar's colossal body, forcing him down further in the crater and spewing darkness everywhere.

Alastir raised both of his hands up into a fist, intent on delivering another slam to the wall of muscle he laid on top of, but his vision was suddenly cut off. A massive had from Maddox had reached up through the dust and debris thrown up by the second hit and latched tightly around Alastir's head and neck. Rather than tighten down, Shatterstar yanked it to the side and put Alastir into the ground face-first, using him to dig across the crater the two of them had made as the Parahuman lifted himself up. Alastir screamed, but was muffled by the giant's palms. Standing fully, an enraged Shatterstar stood at the ground level of the battlefield, Alastir firmly locked in one hand, and his gaze intent on Satera.

In less than a moment, Shatterstar raised Alastir up and slammed him down - Head first - Into the ground, sending fissures and steam, along with several shadowy flames, spewing up out of the broken earth as Shatterstar laid his horrific blow into the Dark God. Bleeding a mixture of red and black shadow, Alastir remained partially conscious, yet dazed and confused. Suddenly, a searing and deep pain pierced Shatterstar through his back and out his right pectoral, bright and yellow as can be. From behind, Satera had managed to stab the monstrous Parahuman with a spear made of hard-light. Shatterstar gave only a grunt, yet, Satera wielded another spear in his other hand.

Slamming through Shatterstar's low back, towards his kidneys, and emerging on the other side near his appendix, he gave a more injured reaction, a painful yell or roar, but the two Gods said nothing, yet, giving Shatterstar the time to be vocal. "A backstabber and a shadow. That's what you call Gods?" Shatterstar demanded, "I am no God, I am but a Herald..." He began, growing stronger as he psyched himself up more, adrenaline pumping harder and faster through his blood stream. "I am a Herald of a Mad God!" He roared, twisting his back and slamming an elbow into the side of Satera's face, causing his light spears to tear more of his organs in the process, but the berserker hardly flinched. Fully turning, he brought Alastir with him - Still holding onto the Dark God's head - Flinging him out and at Satera, who caught the injured shadow being.

"You're nothing short of a monster." Satera accused, a single drop of blood sliding down his face where Maddox managed to hit him. Looking at the Para, Satera could see that he was in bad shape. Bleeding heavily on two major spots from the front and two more on the back. "Alastir, can you stand?" He inquired, the Dark God slowly coming to, shaking his head in the process.

"Y-Yes." He stammered, "I have a few more left in me. Let's make them count." He continued, standing off to the side of Satera. Before them was a white-eyed beast in the shape of a man, twice the size of a normal human being, and with the power to break gods and shatter the stars themselves. Back to where they had began, staring each other down, waiting for the first move. Steam and energy quaked as Shatterstar used his pain to gain more power, cracking the already-broken ground around him as his opponents, both tired and in bad shape, prepared to go in for the kill. "First you... Then -"

"Maxwell?!" Satera said, taken aback as the quiet observer appeared before the trio, between his own subordinate and the two Gods. Had they been able to challenge the Mad King alone and without Shatterstar, they had a chance of taking him down, but with Shatterstar still alive, the two had but a fleeting chance at victory. "I will hold you accountable for the lives lost here. For the life you took and the one you almost took!" Satera screamed, powering up with a flash of yellow light.

The Mad King of the Parahumans cocked his head to the side. "I believe we're more than done here." Maxwell said, "You have proven your point. No?" He inquired, "Ryuichi lives, and I have no reason to follow after him or kill him at this point. You two will defend him with your dying breath, so raise him to be a fine young man with the many more you'll have. You have lost so much this evening, from the brothers, to Sigma Island, to Ryuichi's innocence. You have proven yourselves and your worth, I was wrong to try and kill the boy, Kazuko is arguable, that much is clear, yet the boy did nothing. He did nothing and I tried to drop the hammer."

"Yet, you two have proven me wrong. Our day is won, but do not plant the seeds of revenge, the fruit will be unbearable for both of us. Instead, look towards the man who took his father from him." Maxwell said sternly, directing their attention to Xander. "Asumar could have been spared, and had he been spared, I would not have had to use lethal force against Kazuko. The death of his brother overwhelmed him, and I had to intervene before this world was torn apart." Maxwell said, bending the truth in his favor, painting Xander as the sole bearer of guilt. "Do you see my side of things now, or must we needlessly further the bloodshed and bickering?" He asked, looking from Satera to Alastir, awaiting their answer patiently.

[New Neros]

-Snip

Maxwell gave a stern nod and turned from the duo, ensuring a decent peace and pinning the blame on the Praetorian Emperor for the deaths of the Masaki Brothers. Still, he'd keep an eye on the Gods to minimize a counter-attack. But, standing before him was the muscle-clad Shatterstar, his wounds steaming and bleeding horrendously. Looking him over, Mad Max gave a smirk. "I bet that stings, huh?" He asked sarcastically, Maddox grabbing the side of his abdomen where Satera's light spear had pierced him, glaring at his King with disdain. "Calm down, calm down, I was kidding." Maxwell said, offering Maddox his palm, glowing a bright blue.

Encasing his subordinate with energy, the wounds inflicted on the enforcer began to close up and heal. "Your tissue is so dense that it takes actual effort to mend them, Shatterstar. Your durability is incredible, but maybe we need something to aid in regeneration. Or armor to further enhance your durability." Maxwell quipped, Maddox closing his eyes as Max patched him up. "Not talking?"

"The pain I feel is unreal. Forgive me for not wanting to mix my words up with agonizing screams." Maddox shot back, Maxwell grinning at the comeback.

"Right, right. Let's head back to Madworld, hopefully we haven't missed much."

---

-Snip

The wicked and wild streets of New York weren't Daud's favorite place to be, but he would suck up his pride and go anywhere in the world if he had good reason. Intention was an entirely different story. Sitting down a local bistro, Daud sunk his teeth into the best Reuben he had ever had in his life once more, his face taking on a nearly orgasmic glee as the flavors and textures mixed perfectly in his mouth. To Daud, he'd risk life and limb - Even if it meant never growing them back - To eat at this place one last time. Poppa Panelli's Bistro and Cafe, Daud's favorite restaurant, discovered when he popped in for a bite to eat some years ago.

"Leave it to an Italian man running a French cafe to make the best American sandwich I've ever ate. Holy fuck." Daud said to himself, taking another bite of his sandwich and falling in love all over again. He chewed with the intention of making every bite last, but the crushing realization that he'll very quickly be finished with the sandwich brought him to the edge of total despair. Before he could weep silently, he took another bite, and started the process all over again. Now, Poppa Panelli's wasn't in a very popular or crowded part of the City, so commotion was big whenever it decided to show up, and right before Daud took another bite of his meal, a woman bolted past him, bumping his shoulder, and making the reuben flop onto the ground. It could have been salvaged, had it not spilled it's contents all over the dusty concrete with it.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Daud exclaimed, jumping up and flipping over the table he sat at in comedic fashion - Had he not cracked the sidewalk and crumble the iron mesh table into scrap. Whipping around, one of his arms knocked into the metal chair he sat at, sending it flying directly into the side of a yellow cabbie, making the car bend at a ninety-degree angle from the impact. He breathed hard and heavily, spotting the woman who had offended his ancestors. "Who the FUCK do you think you are?!" He screamed, breaking into a dead sprint to catch up with, and surpass the woman.

Jumping out in front of her, the enraged look on Daud's face was unmistakable. "You cost me the greatest sandwich in the world." He declared, pointing a finger directly at Lisa. "I don't know who you are or who you THINK you are, but you're coming with me. You're going to SEE and TASTE exactly what I had lost!" Daud said with passion. "Follow me! A Big Poppa's Reuben waits for no man, meta, or mutant." He looked at Lisa up and down, noticing the blood on her arms, but making no immediate mention of it. "I'm buying, c'mon."

[New Neros]

-snip

Daud walked back to the bistro with Lisa at his side, glancing over at the girl with curiosity as she spoke back to him. "Ah! Lisa, Lisa, it's nice to meet you. If I startled you, I'm sorry, I just get very emotionally attached to my meals. I'm Daud, by the way." However, as Daud said that, he thought for a moment at the other things the girl had said and asked. "Wait a minute, you don't know what a sandwich is?!" He demanded, completely surprised, "Wow! You must be a foreigner. Anyways, allow me to explain."

Walking up to the cafe once more, Daud and Lisa hopped into the medium-sized line to order their food as Daud gave Lisa a very informative history lesson regarding the sandwich. "Two slices of bread, can you believe that? Just stick something between those two slices and you got yourself a sandwich. See, that's why I can't eat McDonald's, they use a third slice of bread in the middle of their Big Mac. Outrageous, I'm not ready for that kind of advancement. Oh! About bread, bread's made from ground up grain mixed with yeast and water, then baked for some time. It's probably the best invention mankind has ever made."

Finally at the counter, Daud began to order. "Yes, hello!" He began, "Two of your finest Reubens. Side of fries for the lady." The man taking Daud's order held a very pissed expression, causing Daud to raise an eyebrow, leaning over to whisper at Lisa. "I think this guy is eye ballin' me..." A quick cough and a point over at where Daud sat and broke the chair and table reminded the man of his accident. "Oh. Oh! OH!" He said, realizing fully, "Yeah, I can pay for that, too. Just gimme the sammiches!" He said, putting down a fat wad of dollars rubber banded together on the table. With a nod, the owner happily took the payment and set off to make Daud and Lisa their food.

"Anyways, I've told you a lot about bread, so in exchange, I think you should tell me a little bit about yourself, Lisa." Daud quipped, guiding the girl to a table and sitting opposite of her.

[New Neros]

Daud walked back to the bistro with Lisa at his side, glancing over at the girl with curiosity as she spoke back to him. "Ah! Lisa, Lisa, it's nice to meet you. If I startled you, I'm sorry, I just get very emotionally attached to my meals. I'm Daud, by the way." However, as Daud said that, he thought for a moment at the other things the girl had said and asked. "Wait a minute, you don't know what a sandwich is?!" He demanded, completely surprised, "Wow! You must be a foreigner. Anyways, allow me to explain."

Walking up to the cafe once more, Daud and Lisa hopped into the medium-sized line to order their food as Daud gave Lisa a very informative history lesson regarding the sandwich. "Two slices of bread, can you believe that? Just stick something between those two slices and you got yourself a sandwich. See, that's why I can't eat McDonald's, they use a third slice of bread in the middle of their Big Mac. Outrageous, I'm not ready for that kind of advancement. Oh! About bread, bread's made from ground up grain mixed with yeast and water, then baked for some time. It's probably the best invention mankind has ever made."

Finally at the counter, Daud began to order. "Yes, hello!" He began, "Two of your finest Reubens. Side of fries for the lady." The man taking Daud's order held a very pissed expression, causing Daud to raise an eyebrow, leaning over to whisper at Lisa. "I think this guy is eye ballin' me..." A quick cough and a point over at where Daud sat and broke the chair and table reminded the man of his accident. "Oh. Oh! OH!" He said, realizing fully, "Yeah, I can pay for that, too. Just gimme the sammiches!" He said, putting down a fat wad of dollars rubber banded together on the table. With a nod, the owner happily took the payment and set off to make Daud and Lisa their food.

"Anyways, I've told you a lot about bread, so in exchange, I think you should tell me a little bit about yourself, Lisa." Daud quipped, guiding the girl to a table and sitting opposite of her.

Lisa had no idea what the big man was talking about when he explained sandwhiches, looking at him with the confusion of a failing student in a maths class. After all she had no idea what bread was and had only recently been introduced to water... or was it re-introduced? Everything seemed so.. familiar yet alien to her. As if she had seen it years before but had forgotten it over the years somehow. it was frustrating, like a test question she couldn't answer but did know. Test? What even was that?

"Ummm..." Lisa started. She had no idea how to answer Dauds question. In fact, she was a little confused. Wasn't he angry at her. Oh well. She wasn't about to turn away a potential friend at this point. "Honestly... I don't remember anything." She spoke. "It's like I've seen this place before... but... I don't know it."

She paused. "I think I may be from..." She paused again, remembering a name. "Nirvana." She paused again. "I have no idea how I know that either."

Daud listened to Lisa explain herself slightly, nodding along as he did so. "Nirvana? I think I've heard of that country before. Somewhere in South Asia, right? Oh yeah! Their President the one that killed himself? Kurt Korbin, or something. Yeah, it was on the news... I think." Daud said, his eyes catching something far more exciting as two steamy plates emerged from the cafe's kitchen. "Oh my sweet merciful Jesus who might exist..." He muttered, watching with glazed eyes as the waiter came and deposited a plate in front of Daud and Lisa.

He sniffled and averted his eyes, wiping them with a finger. "Just a sec, just a sec..." He stammered, composing himself. "Okay!" He shouted, turning back and grabbing a hold of the thick, meaty sandwich, spilling over with roast beef and mustard, sauerkraut dangling off the edge as well. He took a sweet, delicious bite of the meal, making his eyes roll back in his eyes. "Oh my god..." He muttered, chewing intently, remembering Lisa had some rather odd things to say, and a shifty past. "So, you don't know much about your past?"

"Well, maybe I can help you with some memories. First, let's get you caught up on everything." Daud said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his smartphone. Opening up his Wikipedia app, he hit a random page and turned it to Lisa. "Start reading this page and follow those blue words. Report back to me with your findings, and tell me how many times you have to go until you find a guy named Adolf Hitler." He said, making Lisa play the Hitler Game on his phone.

[New Neros]

Messiah Complex
Seven Years Ago

Upon the isolated kingdom of Madworld existed the most brutal dictatorship known to Parahuman kind, a force of absolute authority and control over every waking moment of one's’ life under the heel of Sovereign, King of the Parahumans. Wielding the power of Positrons, the antimatter equivalent of Electrons, Sovereign knew no equal in power nor plotting, with ready hands and a sound mind, he ensured all threats to his throne were eliminated before they could rise.

Yet, there was one credible threat that he did not push out and away from the throne. In fact, Sovereign kept him close, in order to strike him down at a moment's’ notice. To that end, that young man was elevated to the position of Royal Guard - One of the most well-trained and equipped sections of the Forever Knights. He would serve with distinction, with physical prowess and powers to match. This was Maxwell Morningstar only seven years ago.

Night had fallen, and the Royal Guard had escaped from Sovereign’s palace when he was to be sleeping, travelling some ways until he reached a large estate on the outskirts of Mad City, the lights of the town shining almost as brightly as the moon overhead. Entering the compound and scaling the walls like a well-versed cat burglar, he tapped on a single window several stories above the ground. A well-toned girl with short hair opened it, the two sharing a brief glance in the darkness.

“Couldn’t use the front door?” She asked in a whisper. She was Valerie Valentine, off for four weeks from the Forever Knights for vacation, and was spending the night in her childhood room on her family’s estate.

“And let Valor tear my head off?” He asked back with a smile. “I think he might suspect something… Even if I wanted to visit Ken.” The young Maxwell explained, Val suddenly grabbing onto him in a tight hug. He was a bit surprised, but wrapped his arms around her as well.

“It’s okay. Daddy likes you…” She explained, but looked off to the side in the darkness. “He might get a little heated sometimes, but he just wants to protect me.”

“From strangers coming into your room at night?” Maxwell asked with a smirk, Val shooting him a death glare. “C’mon, that was funny. You ready to go?” He asked, Val nodding, grabbing a hooded coat hanging off of a chair in her room. With that, the two young adults disappeared through Val’s window, ready for a night on the town. The two flew for some ways, but put their feet on the ground when they were far enough from the Valentine Family’s compound, flight at night against the law at that time.

Walking together, the two began to chat and talk. “I’ve missed you ever since you went to work at the palace.” Val admitted, “I’ve put in my paperwork to apply, but they haven’t got back to me yet.” She sighed, tightening her hands in her jacket pockets. “I don’t think they want me that far up in command.” Maxwell remained silent, walking alongside Val as they let the starry night sky and the lights of the city be their guide.

“It’s not somewhere you want to work, Val.” Max sighed, “I was promoted and never even applied, I didn’t want to go to the throne. Everything’s so tense and it’s just… So stressful over there. I wish I was back in the Knights as a Paladin, that way I can be in our section again.”

“I know, but it’s something you couldn’t refuse. I don’t blame you…” She said, trailing off, Max looking at Val’s face as it locked eyes with the sidewalk. A sense of shame and guilt washed over him. He wanted to grab onto Val and shout that he would give anything to go back to how things used to be, but he settled for muttering a curse word under his breath. The two walked along a pathway in a park overlooking the downtown area of Mad City, looking from the city lights to the lights of the stars overhead.

However, looking up at the night sky one more time yielded a bright blue star, glowing and flickering brightly. Max and Val stopped to observe it, glancing at one another, confused at what they were seeing. The star seemed to approach closer to Madworld before stopping for a brief moment mid-air. As the duo stared on, the object sent sudden and violent shockwaves across the sky and continued to move toward the island. “What the hell?” Val muttered, while Max’s face grew grim and white. “What happened?” She demanded, crouching down against the shockwaves.

“Whatever it is…” Max said, rising up to stare at the falling star, “It tore through the Wall.”

[New Neros]

Messiah Complex
Seven Years Ago

The falling star was fast approaching, and heading directly for Val and Max and the park they resided in. It passed overhead lazily, Maxwell realizing it was fairly large and slow for a meteorite, but human shaped. Crashing down half a mile away in a patch of dense trees, the two looked at one another, and with a nod, took off in pursuit of the falling object. “We have maybe fifteen minutes before Sovereign and his goons arrive.” Max informed Val.

“Why’s that important?” She asked, keeping up with Max easily as they ran.

Max lowered his chin slightly, swallowing hard as he ran. “Whatever it is, it came from outside of the Wall. Nothing comes from outside of the Wall.” He replied, “Maybe… Maybe the Wall is broken? I don’t know, but I want to find out, and I want to get here before Sovereign does.” As the two came into a clearing where several trees were blown away, they found a still-smoking crater at the clearings’ epicenter. Cautiously, the two approached, a bright flash exploding out of the crater.

“Mortals.” A voice spoke, strangely accented but understood by the two Parahumans. “I am from what lies beyond Midgard.” Floating above the two, a humanoid man graciously held himself aloft. Speechless, both Max and Val only stared on. “I was sent to this land to create order, to silence the chaos that ravages this island.” The being waved and extended his hands outward, pulling forth massive energies into his palms. “I am Otto Godblessed, and I will quiet the storm that is Madworld.”

Max and Val stood below this warrior, Otto Godblessed, with slack jaws and slight fear. An unknown alien, some vengeful god who descended from the heavens? To a Madworlder, living in a land that has been isolated for centuries, they had every right to be scared. That fear, however, turned into another reaction for the young Royal Guard, one that preludes a fight. “Max…” Val said, turning her gaze to look at her boyfriend as hairs stood on end, his clothing became loose, and bits of sand floated up beside him. “Don-”

Without finishing her sentence, Maxwell shot forward and upward against the invading Asgardian, slamming his forehead directly into Otto’s nose bridge, grabbing onto both of the Asgardian’s wrists and prying them apart. Dazed for a moment at the sudden attack, Godblessed’s eyes rolled back into his head, and then straight forward again, a searing rage within them as Otto locked eyes with Maxwell. With a surge of power, Otto pushed his arms against the hold that Maxwell had on them, pushing his palms and their energy spheres closer together - Max’s head being the center for the two.

“My Odinforce, Paraman.” Otto quietly said, “Tell me how it feels, if you can speak after you taste it.” With that, the Asgardian exploded both spheres of whitish blue energy, engulfing Maxwell in a brilliant flash of light. Otto broke free from the Royal Guard’s hands and backed away, glowing with more of the Odinforce, surrounding himself with it, his eyes taking on it’s color. His face twisted into shock suddenly however - watching the smoke clear from his attack, and witnessing that his opponent was hardly even scratched by the blasts. “Surprising, Parahuman, that not only do you stand, but you took my Odinforce Blast without a grimace. Tell me your name.”

Maxwell stood with pride, glowing with energy from the hit, but responding to the question regardless. “I am Maxwell Morningstar, Godblessed, and I serve and protect the King of the Parahumans.” He said with a slight frown.

“Serve? Protect?” Otto quizzed, “A man like you should be leading, and a King that needs protecting is hardly a King at all.” Otto preached, “But I believe we have some unfinished business to take care of.” He said with a smirk, reaching for at his side for his saber. “Unique among Asgard, I wield a fine rapier. It’s name is Endbringer, and it’s power, well, we shall see it in action. Do tell me that you have your own weapon of choice, Maxwell.”

Extending the fingers on his hand, Maxwell’s fingertips began to glow with a dazzling blue light, turning parts of his radiant energy into matter. What formed was the shape of a spear, an exact replica of the vibration spears used by the Royal Guard, grasped firmly in Max’s hand. “You could say that. When fists aren’t viable, we in the Royal Guard prefer to use these.” Giving the weapon a quick twirl, Maxwell pointed it at Otto. “Have at thee, I suppose.” Maxwell said with a smirk, knowing he had the upper hand here.

Otto turned his blade over in his palm briefly, smiling as well. “You may have reach, Maxwell, but I have -” The Asgardian was suddenly before Max, stabbing forward directly at his chest, the Royal Guard slamming his spear to deflect the oncoming attack to the side as Max’s eyes grew wide. Maxwell backed up quickly as well, staring intently at Godblessed. “Speed.” Otto finished, bringing his blade up close to his face. In a quick slash, he put it back at his side, ready for another blitz.

Maxwell lowered the spearhead to point at Godblessed, tightening his own body to produce an even greater burst of speed, coming after the Asgardian with a furious assault of stabs and slashes. Otto side-stepped, adopting a defense, and slashing or tapping each oncoming attack to divert its momentum or avoid hitting him. Otto’s eyebrows grew wide, quietly commenting, “Even in Asgard, very few spear-men would know your equal.”

Delivering a firm slap with the other side of the spear to Otto’s face, jarring the Asgardian and sending him some ways back, Max gave his reply. Rubbing his chin from the impact, Otto narrowed his eyes. “You make me want to go back to using our fists, Maxwell.” The Royal Guard gave a confident smile at the remark, and prepared to go back into battle with Max. “This blade shall suffice, though!”

Just as he was about to charge in, a disabling blow was delivered to the small of Otto’s back, right on the spine, a surge of energy erupting in front of his front side as the attack travelled through his tissues. Otto’s eyes went blank as he was knocked cold, falling to the ground below. Maxwell lowered his spear, the soft form of Valerie illuminated by moonlight and her glowing fist. The two exchanged a glance, before Val informed Max, “Sovereign is here.” With ghost white sheepishness, both Val and Max descended and collected Otto’s unconscious form, and fled the scene.

[New Neros]

Messiah Complex
The Hunt for Rip Valentine

The desolate wasteland of the Gobi Desert yielded yet another dead end for the Mad Queen of the Parahumans, her tracking and clues going cold as she finds a single make-shift encampment, void of any and all who had made this their temporary home. Frustrated, Val threw a punch at the tent, causing it to blow away and spill out whatever was left of it’s innards. She breathed deeply and heavily, her pants turning into cries as she dropped to her knees. That she couldn’t find her little brother was tearing the elder Valentine apart, but a piece of paper blew in the wind from where she had knocked the tent over.

Wiping a tear off on her cloak and grabbing the paper quickly, Val scanned it, her face blank as she read a journal entry from her brother, torn and tossed away, recognizing his writing style and his voice while writing. She stood up quickly, her knees covered with sand as a list of cities came up that Rip had written down. “He’s…” She began, “He’s running.” Val said to herself, reading about Rip’s travels against the Registration Movement. “The Civil War is over…” She muttered, folding the paper up neatly, and tucking it into one of her pockets. Val quietly floated up into the skies, her next action to go to the cities Rip had listed. Hyderabad, Karachi, Tehran, Cairo, and Lagos.

All massive cities, all visited at one point by Jump Man.

---

BOOM

A square portal opened in the middle of a sushi restaurant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, causing the entire place to stand motionless as an armored being walked through the dimensional rift. One patron slurped up the last of his noodles as his eyes intently watched who and what would emerge from the portal. That very patron was dressed strangely, a foreigner, outfitted with some special technological improvements to his body, and was the man who was sought after by whoever came from the portal.

“Rip Valentine.” The man said, his deep tone causing the customer to sigh and roll his eyes with extreme displeasure. Emerging completely from the portal, and closing behind him, the armored body of the Mad King stood in the middle of a sushi restaurant, facing the foreigner, who tried his best to ignore him. “Jump Man…”

“Yes, hello, how you doin’ Maxwell, nice to see you, nice talking to you, see you around.” Rip said throwing a wad of money on the bar and sliding off the barstool, walking away from Max. As he walked, a firm grip landed on his shoulder, Rip stopping for a moment, and tightening his fists. “Max, if you could unhand me, that would be greaaat.”

“I will, I just need to tell you some things.” Maxwell said impatiently, “She’s looking for you.”

“Cut the bullshit, who’s looking for me?” Rip said, twisting around and facing Maxwell, Jump a few inches shorter than his King, staring directly at Max’s faceless helm. “Who’s the one wanting an authentic autograph from the Unbeatable Jump Man?”

“Val.” Max replied, Rip diminishing his attitude slightly. “She’s been looking for you for the past couple of days. Rip, why are you running?”

“I don’t run, I jump.” He corrected, but moved his eyes away from Mad Max.

“Still, why?”

Rip tightened his jaw. “I don’t want anything to do with Madworld right now, alright? I want time to myself and to do my own things. I’m not… I’m not like you or Val. I can’t put on a mask and pretend everything is a-OK. I need time to myself and now you come to get me? Why does she want to see me, anyways?!” Rip protected, growing angry.

“Because she can’t pretend any more, Jump Man. Val wants to know her little brother is safe and sound. She’s been living with their ghosts and needs to know -” Maxwell was suddenly interrupted by Jump Man grabbing his armor and lifting him up off the ground.

With a snarl, Jump Man spat, “Don’t talk about them. Not you.” Maxwell didn’t fight back, letting Rip put him back down on the ground instead. “You hit a nerve, alright? Just, just how did you find me anyways?”

“I can sense energy so precisely that I can locate your own unique energy, Rip.” Maxwell explained, “I know you don’t like me, I’m not here for that, I’m here for Val. She’s going to be in Cairo in two hours and I want you to be there. Say hi or something, just let her know you’re alright.” The Mad King begged, Jump Man surprised by the action. “Just, come home, for Val’s sake.”

With that, the Mad King turned and began to leave, forming a rectangular portal in front of him. He cast a quick look behind him, a single glance at Jump Man, who stood there and considered all of what Max had said. The Mad King walked through, the Portal closing behind him, leaving Jump Man alone in a restaurant full of people. Rip looked at his feet, “Fuck!” He spat, shuffling out of the restaurant as well, ready to jump back to Cairo.

---

Jump Man stood over Sao Paulo and looked at the nighttime skyline with wishful eyes, knowing he could continue on his journey and tell Max to fuck off. But, there was a sense of brotherly love that compelled him to do otherwise. He did miss Val, almost as much as Ken, and he couldn’t let her just go on and hurt herself for his sake. Rip ran a hand through his hair, letting it blow in the moonlight as he narrowed his eyes intensely, too many things on his mind.

“...Oh wow…” A soft feminine voice said, causing Jump to whip around and look for the source of the noise.

“Who the fuck?” Jump hollered, directed a person hidden by the shadows. “Show yourself before I kick you in the sternum.” He warned, turning his entire body against the stalker - showcasing his entire muscled body, every piece dedicated to absorbing the shock from his jumps. The girl who watched him previously took a few steps and came out of the shadows, bathing herself in by the light of the moon, reflecting off of her metallic helmet, boots and gauntlets, all held put together with a dark pink tunic. Looking her up and down, Jump Man raised an eyebrow. “Rocket Girl?” He asked.

Tilting her head to the side and stepping up next to Jump, “The one and only. Let’s get moving, fly boy.”

“You heard all of that in the restaurant?” Jump asked, looking at Rocket.

“Most of it. All I know is we’re going to Cairo to meet the mighty Val Valentine.” Rocket Girl said through her metallic helmet. “And I don’t see why you’re soooo distraught on whether to go or not. She’s your sister!”

“You don’t know my family like I know my family.” Rip admitted, “But let’s go anyways. Race ya?” He asked, Rocket Girl giving a smile under her helmet, and blasting off from the rooftops at high speed. “NOT FAIR!” Rip protested, leaning back, and leaping off of the building with immense force, catapulting himself across the landscape, keeping up with Rocket Girl as she flew towards the Atlantic Ocean. Together, the two were ready to face Jump Man’s past once and for all.

[New Neros]

-snip

As the renowned assassin on Madworld waited, the fearsome Mad King entered the headquarters of the Ultra Corps and scanned it's interior with prying eyes. As back-up, he brought the elegant Otto Godblessed, dressed keenly and looking sharp as the Hand of the King, as he stood beside Maxwell. The King locked eyes with the secretary and approached her rapidly, his metallic boots stomping on the floor as he went. She seemed flustered and a bit nervous, stammering, "M-My King, Mr. Carter is in the meeting room you had specified." She with a weak smile. Maxwell looked her up and down with a blank face, causing the girl to grow uneasy and nervous in the presence of such political might.

"Thank you." He uttered quickly, the girl breathing a sigh of relief. "I will not keep Lysia waiting too long, hopefully." He said, both to the secretary and to Otto. "If our reports on her are to be trusted, now is the time to act on her insurrection, right, Otto?" Max asked, the two walking away from the desk and through the hallways.

"Certainly. She's a wildcard, but the right offers will stall her movement from aligning with the Regency. If Lysia goes, we will lose the refugees." Otto answered, coming before a pair of double doors. "This must be the place."

"It sure is. Today, we may very well deal with two threats to Madworld at once." Maxwell declared, pushing open the doors and entering the luxurious meeting room, coming face to face with the assassin himself. Extending a hand, Maxwell grasp Daniel's firmly, and shook it hardily. "Mr. Carter, it is a pleasure to meet you." He said with a deep, soothing voice, uncharacteristic of his appearance. "I am known for my arrogance, for my pride in both myself and my nation, my wrath and my madness. I am a King and some here believe me to be a God. I approach you as neither. I call upon you and speak with you as a man."

Gesturing to a table, Maxwell and Daniel went to opposite sides. As Daniel began to pull out a chair to sit, Maxwell held out his hand. "There's no need. We can stand and sit if we grow tired." He said, leaning his palms on the table to look intently at Daniel. "I would ask you to tell me about yourself, but I know enough."

"Well, that's good to hear." Daniel said with a smirk, standing and crossing his arms before the King. "And who is the friend you brought along?" The assassin said, motioning towards Otto Godblessed, knowing who the man was, but wanting to hear it from Mad Max instead.

"This is my right hand, Otto Godblessed. He runs the most effective government that has ever existed on Madworld. His laws and and decrees carry the weight of my own words, I hardly a make domestically without consulting Godblessed. Take care, though, he is no Parahuman, but an Asgardian." Maxwell informed Daniel, "When I look at him, though, I see no difference. His race doesn't matter, what matters is his skills. And in that regard, he has no equal." Turning to focus on Daniel after glancing at Otto, Maxwell continued, "Now, this meeting is about your...client."

"Yes, yes, I can relay all information to Kil-" Daniel stopped talking as Maxwell held up a hand. "Something wrong?"

Up until then, Max had worn his typical helmet before Daniel Carter, and began to reach back to the base of it. Clicking a latch at the base of his skull, a soft fizzing of the oxygenated environment escaping was made as Maxwell removed the helm entirely. His face was rarely seen, but Daniel had perhaps managed to see it once or twice when during his searches for Mad Max. The King set the helm on the table, facing Daniel with his true eyes. "I feel no need to wear a mask in front of you, Mr. Carter, and you should feel the same to me."

Daniel's throat tightened, the man lowering his chin slightly. He considered his options, playing the fool or owning up to Killswitch. Rather than being caught in a situation where Maxwell didn't know, Carter tried to play his luck. "I don't know what you're talking about, King Morningstar."

"Killswitch." Maxwell replied.

"...Is my client." Daniel corrected with a genuine smile, a fake one he had perfected to the point of being too good to be false.

"Mr. Carter, I'd rather not go into semantics about this. It doesn't matter to me and I have no reason to call you a liar, or tell others. This room lacks recording equipment, no one but us three know who Killswitch is. Like Otto Godblessed, who or what Killswitch is doesn't matter to me. I want his skills, and I want them to be used against an enemy so great that it is a very, very likely event that Killswitch may not be coming home. Tell me, Mr. Carter, what is the price of your life?"

Daniel stood there for a moment, considering his options. His best option was to politely refuse and walk away, but it was evident that Maxwell knew too much. It felt like indirect blackmail, and Daniel took on a slight snarl. "I'll take the mission, but I have my demands. If you already know so much about me, then you'll bring my sister to Madworld. I want her safe and taken care of for the rest of her life. I demand new armor and weapons, top of the line, from your own research and development teams with the Forever Knights. And then some money. A lot of it."

Maxwell smiled, "All this and you don't even know who you're fighting yet. I can do it all, Mr. Carter. The man you will be targeting, the one who I want wiped from the face of the Earth, is the Praetorian Emperor, Xander." The words fell heavily upon Daniel as Max spoke them, but he dared not look shocked or weak at the mention of a mere man, just another target for Killswitch. "I have some technological marvels to give you in order to help this mission along as well. A version of the Sentry Serum, allowing you to fight on my own or Xander's level for some time, and a Nega-Bomb that houses enough power to destroy Praetoria."

Nodding, Daniel could see where Max was going with the devices. "The second is to be used in case the first doesn't work?" Carter asked.

"Precisely. I will make arrangements to bring Rebecca over to Madworld. She will be here by night fall. Your mission will begin sometime after." Maxwell informed Killswitch. "All you need to know on Xander will be at my palace, Cathedral Terra. Make your way there and begin your research, if you don't know much on the Golden God yet. You'll also find my armory and development labs there, and they will give you the upgrades to your arsenal that you require."

"I can manage, but a refresher on Xander would be nice." Daniel said, "I'll accept the mission. I'll see you at the palace, then." With that Daniel collected himself and began to head to the door. "Thank you for the opportunity, King Morningstar." Daniel said on his way out, Max giving the man a smirk a nod. As Daniel left, Max turned to Otto, the two sharing a glance.

"I'll go fetch Lysia." Otto said, "Hopefully that will take care of Xander... Or Killswitch." The Asgardian said on the sly.

[New Neros]

Prelude to Civil War
The Mad King and the Arrow of Time

-Lysia

The soft boots of Otto Godblessed walked out of the meeting room where Maxwell and Daniel had made their agreement, eliminating the threat of a mad assassin or a Golden God in a single handshake. The next threat to be dealt with, however, came from within - And to that end, few if any represented that threat better than Lysia. Since her arrival and subsequent brawls on Madworld, the Mad King took an interest in her abilities and what she stood for. Had Lysia proved to be more inline with Maxwell's philosophies, she would be invited to join his elite, yet her rallying of the disenfranchised refugee population marks her as a threat to the current order in the Kingdom. Walking back into the waiting room, Otto stood before Lysia with a neutral expression. "His majesty will see you now."

"Majesty?" Lysia asked for a moment. "Killswitch mentioned someone by the name of Daud." She gave a quick snort as she rose though, Otto eyeing her without much regard. "What, does he call himself majestic or does he seem himself as a King?" He asked further, very interested in this Daud fellow and the strange mannerisms he must have. "Surely King Morningstar is pleased to know someone else parades around Madworld with king attached to their name."

The two walked, with Lysia at Otto's side and slightly behind, as he answered her question. "He isn't pleased, because I will call no one else majesty."

"...No one?" Lyisa said, her eyes going wide as she thought back to when she had seen Otto a few moments before. She wasn't paying too much attention, and really, the duo seemed like some workers or members of the Ultra Corps. But she stopped for a moment, realizing who exactly she was following, and who she was meeting with. "You are... Otto Godblessed. The right hand man for Max." She said, tightening her fist, "We're not meeting with Daud, but with Maxwell."

"I am the Hand of the King, that's true." Otto said, opening a door and holding it open. "We have finished our business with Killswitch, and now we're ready to discuss a business arrangement with yourself, Lysia. After you." Lysia nodded sternly, walking into the lavish meeting room, perhaps one reserved for higher-up clients like Mad Max and his Godbreakers. She took the scenery in with her perphials, as she stared on ahead at the table in the middle of the large room. Seated in front of her, helmet resting to the side of the table, was the most powerful man in Madworld.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lysia. Surely we've met before, or later." Maxwell said, rising and gesturing for the Amazon to sit, making a sly reference to her ability to bend time at her disposal. "I am Maxwell Morningstar, King of the Parahumans, and I call you before me to discuss grave matters." Lysia nodded, and introduced herself as well.

"I suppose you already I'm Lysia. Of the Amazons." She said cautiously, knowing that they didn't call Max a "mad king" for no reason. "If it's about those Forever Knight patrols, then well, they had it coming and well -" She began, but Maxwell put up a hand and interrupted her.

"It's not about the patrols or the legions you put out of commission." Maxwell said quickly, "Rather, it's about the people you protect and represent. The refugees, mutants and man alike, all of whom have come to Madworld to seek refuge and protection from the Registration Movement outside of our island. I realize now that I made a mistake by taking in all of these people, but I do not regret my decision. It was one made with the best intentions, but Madworld did not have the infrastructure to take in so many in such a short time. You have done what I could not, Lysia." Maxwell continued, "So thank you."

"I - Er, you're welcome?" Lysia said, a bit unnerved at the Mad King's praise. As if it were hidden behind something, or a means to an end rather than a real compliment.

"Tell me, have you heard of a person by the name of Katrina Hex?" He asked, leaning forward on the table.

"Not that I recall, no." Lysia answered, "The name sounds a bit familiar, but I can't be too sure." With that answer, the Mad King smiled slightly, leaning off the table and returning to his normal position, Lysia studied his movements carefully, flashing a look to Otto Godblessed at times as he stood at Maxwell's side, overseeing the conversation. Everything just seemed so strange about how Max was dealing with her, Lysia just couldn't put her finger on it exactly. "Not to be rude, but can I ask what you wanted to speak with me about? You know, the refugees..."

"Oh yes, I apologize." Maxwell said, rubbing his palm across his mouth, a hint of nervousness, but nothing changing about his voice. "You see Lysia, you can unite and inspire the refugees in ways I and my advisers could not. You see, I am a man who likes to get things done, and if I can't do it, I want someone who can. I want to give you a position within my government to support and aid the refugees, as they will follow you and do as you say. In regards to the refugees, I do not deal with them, so I have relegated that issue to Otto Godblessed and Czar-Mir. In essence, you will not answer to me, but to them."

"You're offering me... A job?" Lysia asked, blinking a few times. "King Morningstar, I have a... condition, if you will, where I need to release myself now and then or bad things happen." Lysia explained, "I can't just take a government desk job and kick my feet up, I need to keep my body in motion and burning energy or else..."

"Or else you will explode." Maxwell completed, surprising Lysia, as he knew a bit too much about her, an uncomfortable amount for the Amazon. "I can provide several outlets for this energy. I could absorb it myself, but there's little use in that when your abilities could prove useful in battle." Maxwell explained, "These refugees are fleeing from an impending war of global proportions, a civil war between superhumans, as you can probably guess. I will need every ounce of strength to defend this land from the tyranny of Registration forces, and I want you to help."

"So, you're telling me, that you'd like for me to fight alongside you in this... Civil War, as you put it?" Lysia asked, "While also being the protector of the refugees?"

"More or less." Maxwell confirmed, "The pay is exceptionally well, the benefits are many - Mostly to avoid corruption in my bureaucracy."

Lysia narrowed her eyes, "And what's in it for you?" She asked, Maxwell's mouth curving down slightly in a grimace. Giving her a straight answer seemed like the best option, so he did just that.

"Victory in the upcoming war, and security from a refugee uprising until victory can be assured."

"I won't stand for promises of better treatment for the refugees after the war." Lysia said sternly, dictating her terms, "If I accept your offer, I will immediately work on bettering their situation and move towards permanent settlement. My plans may be ambitious, but what else can you offer these people with such little hope? If you and your government cannot aid me, then I will find those who can." For a moment, Lysia and Maxwell stared intently at each other, the Mad King considering the unruly threat Lysia could be should she and Hex combine their forces and ideologies.

"Understood." Maxwell quietly agreed, "You can assume the office of Governor-General of Asylum, which will be awarded at my palace. Do you fully accept the position and all that it includes? This is your last chance to back out, and may be your last opportunity to advance the refugee cause all the way toward Cathedral Terra." Maxwell explained, leaning back and watching Lysia intently, seeing what her final answer shall be, having put everything on the table for her to see and even being straightforward with his reasoning.