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

[Siliarba]

Lysia
Madworld, the refugee slums

A few days, it took several days to heal back to my peak, been a while since I got that injured. I guess that's what you get when you take on an entire superpowered group without even knowing what they can each do or their level of skill. Perhaps I should kick down the arrogance a bit and use my full array of powers from now on. Holding back last time was part of the strategy, winning alone wasn't the objective, I had to win in a way it would create an effect of fear that would spread what I did like a wildfire. Defeating a group while never being seen is a good way to instill fear but many who hear the story would simply not believe it or assume it was some sort of big ambush. Going in alone, and beating the crap out of the strongest group you can find in the most on hand way you can is what makes fear linger. You suddenly become known as an unstoppable force and the more the story spreads the more they get embellished while still sounding proof because more and more people keep backing up the stories.

In those couple of days I was healing I had to keep a presence though, I did so by going after the small fries, the really easy targets. As long as you take them down with enough of a spectacle they're just as valuable. And while I was sleeping, Sinkley was actually doing a really good job keeping the place safe, he's only been on the citizen's side for a few days but simply being there on their side is enough to scare off most of the criminals that he used to work with.

No day without a good fight and a challenge, and even having a warrior in training at your side, I'm going to like this place a lot, to bad it's overrun by men or it might've made me think of home..

[Confederation of imperial states]

Nicholas had been buying time to regain his aura. The men without the gold balls, turned into mud and clay, and the rest threw theirs before turning into mud and clay. Nicholas was smirking. A ball of energy was forming around Nicholas and the horrible smell of sulfur emerged from it. He was laughing now. "Leave Chicago?! You don't scare me." He started to use his Pain Infliction on Titan, starting in her abdomen and moving up to her head. "I heal easily." He had searched up on Lawbringer. He decided he would bring back her dead grandmother.

Lawbringer quickly deflected the golden balls, using her Batons, and her back to the artwork, she quickly deflected and countered many of the throws. as she readied for another flurry of balls, The golems around her simply melted to clay. "well, that ended quickly" she said peered over to the fight between Titan and Nicholas, with TItan still holding Nicholas.


"Leave Chicago?! You don't scare me.", Nicholas struck Titan with Pain, "I heal easily". Titan felt the strike of pain, and smiled right back at Nicholas, "Superhuman Durability" She said, holding Nicholas close, "And if you're not careful, there'll be nothing left to heal".

Marcus raised his head,
He leaned closer to his monitor, "Ready Security systems within the office", [Of course sir].

Marcus then readied his papers, sitting at his desk with a fairly calm stature.

"Come In" he said pressing the button, activating the outside intercom.

Derrick entered slowly, glancing around the room quickly to ensure that Marcus wasn't hiding a squad of security guards underneath his desk; both of the men evidently knew that their respective jigs to each other were up, Derrick knew who Marcus really was and Marcus knew who Derrick really was, he clasped his hands and shot the man a warm - but completely fake - smile after closing the door behind him.

"So nice to see you again, Mister Brantson..." Derrick said through his smile as he started to walk towards the desk; his ears twitching as he listened for any discreet signs of movement - in fact he was listening so intently that he could hear Marcus' heartbeat, "I trust you don't mind us speaking again after such a short space of time..." Derrick had crossed half the distance from the door to Marcus' desk by this point, "But I had an alternative proposition for you..."

Marcus peered at Derrick, they both knew who each other were, there was no hiding that.
"So nice to see you again, Mister Brantson...", "ditto", "I trust you don't mind us speaking again after such a short space of time...", "Of course Mr Quinn, Always a pleasure hearing propositions from men within the government"

[Tarazed]

Marcus peered at Derrick, they both knew who each other were, there was no hiding that.
"So nice to see you again, Mister Brantson...", "ditto", "I trust you don't mind us speaking again after such a short space of time...", "Of course Mr Quinn, Always a pleasure hearing propositions from men within the government"

"That's great..." Derrick said with a smile as he stopped walking forwards and stood a few meters in front of Marcus' desk, "I'm delighted that we're seeing eye-to-eye this time already," clasping his hands against his stomach, he paused for a moment in thought before taking a deep breath and continuing, "It's come to my attention that Chicago possess a great deal more Metahumans than anywhere else in the country I've visited..." Derrick cocked his head slightly to the side as he continued to speak, "What are your thoughts on this? Personally; I can't even sleep knowing that there are so many of them out there..."

[Confederation of imperial states]

Marcus peered at Derrick, they both knew who each other were, there was no hiding that.
"So nice to see you again, Mister Brantson...", "ditto", "I trust you don't mind us speaking again after such a short space of time...", "Of course Mr Quinn, Always a pleasure hearing propositions from men within the government"

"That's great..." Derrick said with a smile as he stopped walking forwards and stood a few meters in front of Marcus' desk, "I'm delighted that we're seeing eye-to-eye this time already," clasping his hands against his stomach, he paused for a moment in thought before taking a deep breath and continuing, "It's come to my attention that Chicago possess a great deal more Metahumans than anywhere else in the country I've visited..." Derrick cocked his head slightly to the side as he continued to speak, "What are your thoughts on this? Personally; I can't even sleep knowing that there are so many of them out there..."

s come to my attention that Chicago possess a great deal more Metahumans than anywhere else in the country I've visited...", , "What are your thoughts on this? Personally; I can't even sleep knowing that there are so many of them out there...".

Marcus raised an eyebrow, he knew what Derrick was getting at.
"Personally, I have no discontent. Even if these people are Metas they did not have the choice to be so. As such I hold no bad blood against them". Marcy straightened one of the cuffs on his jacket, "Sadly Mr Quinn there are some out there who believe that being bigots towards these people is the right solution, however as we've shown we're better than those people". Marcus took a newspaper clipping out and placed it down, facing Derrick.

2016, Chicago tribune.
[Several Congressmen propose bill to take away metahuman Rights]

"Sadly those people hold Governmental power, A sad thing, but then again people with hardly any graymatter tend to talk quite alot about their 'Grand Ideas' ".

[Tarazed]

s come to my attention that Chicago possess a great deal more Metahumans than anywhere else in the country I've visited...", , "What are your thoughts on this? Personally; I can't even sleep knowing that there are so many of them out there...".

Marcus raised an eyebrow, he knew what Derrick was getting at.
"Personally, I have no discontent. Even if these people are Metas they did not have the choice to be so. As such I hold no bad blood against them". Marcy straightened one of the cuffs on his jacket, "Sadly Mr Quinn there are some out there who believe that being bigots towards these people is the right solution, however as we've shown we're better than those people". Marcus took a newspaper clipping out and placed it down, facing Derrick.

2016, Chicago tribune.
[Several Congressmen propose bill to take away metahuman Rights]

"Sadly those people hold Governmental power, A sad thing, but then again people with hardly any graymatter tend to talk quite alot about their 'Grand Ideas' ".

Derrick looked at the clipping for a few moments before raising an eyebrow at Marcus, he picked the clipping up; slowly chewing on his lip for a few seconds as he read over the clipping once, then twice, and then a third time. He looked back at Marcus and put the clipping on the desk before taking a seat on the chair nearby, his interest frustrating snagged on the topic.

"And those are the kinds of people who replace people like me..." He muttered as he started to tap his right index finger on the armrest of the chair, he flashed Marcus a smirk, "Says a lot, doesn't it?"

He opened his mouth to speak before pausing to chew on his tongue; trying to find the correct phrasing for what he was trying to say without it being indicative against him, "Are you familiar with Former Senator for Massachusetts, Gordon S. Burns? He briefly replaced me a year or so ago," Without letting Marcus answer, Derrick continued as he sat forward on his chair, "You probably won't be, he didn't last a week on office...Turns out the public don't like someone who is blatantly exposed for taking corporate bribes during their election campaign..." Derrick realised he was deviating from the topic and stopping talking for a moment, "What I'm trying to say is, there's always a hidden reason for things like this happening...Some big, shadowy corporation looking to monopolise on Meta-labour perhaps..." he trailed off before scratching his forehead, "Could be any number of hidden reasons actually...People aren't this controversial without a agenda - hidden or otherwise..."

[Confederation of imperial states]

s come to my attention that Chicago possess a great deal more Metahumans than anywhere else in the country I've visited...", , "What are your thoughts on this? Personally; I can't even sleep knowing that there are so many of them out there...".

Marcus raised an eyebrow, he knew what Derrick was getting at.
"Personally, I have no discontent. Even if these people are Metas they did not have the choice to be so. As such I hold no bad blood against them". Marcy straightened one of the cuffs on his jacket, "Sadly Mr Quinn there are some out there who believe that being bigots towards these people is the right solution, however as we've shown we're better than those people". Marcus took a newspaper clipping out and placed it down, facing Derrick.

2016, Chicago tribune.
[Several Congressmen propose bill to take away metahuman Rights]

"Sadly those people hold Governmental power, A sad thing, but then again people with hardly any graymatter tend to talk quite alot about their 'Grand Ideas' ".

Derrick looked at the clipping for a few moments before raising an eyebrow at Marcus, he picked the clipping up; slowly chewing on his lip for a few seconds as he read over the clipping once, then twice, and then a third time. He looked back at Marcus and put the clipping on the desk before taking a seat on the chair nearby, his interest frustrating snagged on the topic.

"And those are the kinds of people who replace people like me..." He muttered as he started to tap his right index finger on the armrest of the chair, he flashed Marcus a smirk, "Says a lot, doesn't it?"

He opened his mouth to speak before pausing to chew on his tongue; trying to find the correct phrasing for what he was trying to say without it being indicative against him, "Are you familiar with Former Senator for Massachusetts, Gordon S. Burns? He briefly replaced me a year or so ago," Without letting Marcus answer, Derrick continued as he sat forward on his chair, "You probably won't be, he didn't last a week on office...Turns out the public don't like someone who is blatantly exposed for taking corporate bribes during their election campaign..." Derrick realised he was deviating from the topic and stopping talking for a moment, "What I'm trying to say is, there's always a hidden reason for things like this happening...Some big, shadowy corporation looking to monopolise on Meta-labour perhaps..." he trailed off before scratching his forehead, "Could be any number of hidden reasons actually...People aren't this controversial without a agenda - hidden or otherwise..."

Marcus thought back in response,
"There are quite the abundant number of metahuman civilians in Chicago, Some good....", Marcus typed into he keypad built into his desk, a Holographic display of a Metahuman from 20 years ago in a Holographic Newspaper.

Chicago tribune,
[Metahuman Student saves 30 Glenmore students from Attackers]

And some.......less so", Marcus trailed off again, but this time displaying a Video footage of a Golden Sphere, Metahumans attacking Lawbringer whilst trying to destroy the sphere. "That Sphere, was built after the ousting of the Corrupt Mayor around 4 years ago, He built a statue, a monument to his corruption there. After he was ousted the civilians came together and funded a sort of community effort, and now, these band of metas want to destroy it". Marcus played a bit of audio playback,

"they tore down a statue of the once Great Mayor, and built this thing in it's place", the voice from the CCTV, obviously the man known as Nicholas'. "A known Hero within the City stopped them, 'The Knight', However these Metahumans have shown no restraint in endangering the people of the city", Marcus said shaking his head.

[Tarazed]

Marcus thought back in response,
"There are quite the abundant number of metahuman civilians in Chicago, Some good....", Marcus typed into he keypad built into his desk, a Holographic display of a Metahuman from 20 years ago in a Holographic Newspaper.

Chicago tribune,
[Metahuman Student saves 30 Glenmore students from Attackers]

And some.......less so", Marcus trailed off again, but this time displaying a Video footage of a Golden Sphere, Metahumans attacking Lawbringer whilst trying to destroy the sphere. "That Sphere, was built after the ousting of the Corrupt Mayor around 4 years ago, He built a statue, a monument to his corruption there. After he was ousted the civilians came together and funded a sort of community effort, and now, these band of metas want to destroy it". Marcus played a bit of audio playback,

"they tore down a statue of the once Great Mayor, and built this thing in it's place", the voice from the CCTV, obviously the man known as Nicholas'. "A known Hero within the City stopped them, 'The Knight', However these Metahumans have shown no restraint in endangering the people of the city", Marcus said shaking his head.

"You sound like you want those Metas in particular dealt with..." Derrick mused, immediately recognising Nicholas' voice from the recording, "Permanently."

Derrick slowly scratched his cheek, referencing the audio as he continued, "This, as you know, was why many people - I'll admit, myself included; though not publicly - were pushing and successfully got the SRA signed into law..." Derrick's walked through this half-truth (the best kind of lie in all honesty) as he aimed to further prove his point, "Individuals with the potential to destabilise a city in such a way are far too dangerous to operate without appropriate surveillance..." Derrick paused, "While I have no problem with vigilantes who actively combat these individuals," he admitted, holding up his hands to emphasise the point, "Especially the kind of vigilante such as this 'Knight' you mentioned," Derrick looked Marcus directly in the eye for a moment, "I do think that they should have fully legislated government assistance to support them...Unfortunately, the latter has not appeared...For obvious reasons..." Derrick trailed off, referencing the assassination attempt on the President; he changed his approach in the conversation, moving towards a more direct method of getting what he wanted, "I hear Chicago does have an active and up-to-date SAR register currently available to the right people..." Derrick smiled warmly, "You wouldn't happen to be one of them, would you?"

[Vicar Synaspic]

-snip-

"And if you're not careful, there'll be nothing left to heal", he heard Titan say. "I can help you two. Anyone you want raised from the dead, I can do it. I could work for you guys. Just, don't make me leave." He said. He quit inflicting pain on Lawbringer and Titan. "I'll stay away from the monument." He held onto her arms. "Set me down!" His men of clay started to reform. "Ugh." He turned to look at Lawbringer. He started to stare at her.

[Confederation of imperial states]

-snip-

"And if you're not careful, there'll be nothing left to heal", he heard Titan say. "I can help you two. Anyone you want raised from the dead, I can do it. I could work for you guys. Just, don't make me leave." He said. He quit inflicting pain on Lawbringer and Titan. "I'll stay away from the monument." He held onto her arms. "Set me down!" His men of clay started to reform. "Ugh." He turned to look at Lawbringer. He started to stare at her.

Lawbringer readied herself as the claymen started to reform, Lawbringer quickly looked around.
"Now would be a good time to help Titan!" she quickly said.

Titan kept a grip on Nicholas' neck with her right hand, using her left hand to push his stare back to her,
"They told me the last time you said you'd stay away, Well I guess this is your poor excuse of attempting to stay away", Titan moved in a bit close, "Let's Negotiate here, Here's the terms; You leave Chicago and Never come back, if you don't agree, then I' Hope you like being In Orbit", Titan loosened his grip on him abit and took a breath, "Do this and You'll be left alone".

Marcus thought back in response,
"There are quite the abundant number of metahuman civilians in Chicago, Some good....", Marcus typed into he keypad built into his desk, a Holographic display of a Metahuman from 20 years ago in a Holographic Newspaper.

Chicago tribune,
[Metahuman Student saves 30 Glenmore students from Attackers]

And some.......less so", Marcus trailed off again, but this time displaying a Video footage of a Golden Sphere, Metahumans attacking Lawbringer whilst trying to destroy the sphere. "That Sphere, was built after the ousting of the Corrupt Mayor around 4 years ago, He built a statue, a monument to his corruption there. After he was ousted the civilians came together and funded a sort of community effort, and now, these band of metas want to destroy it". Marcus played a bit of audio playback,

"they tore down a statue of the once Great Mayor, and built this thing in it's place", the voice from the CCTV, obviously the man known as Nicholas'. "A known Hero within the City stopped them, 'The Knight', However these Metahumans have shown no restraint in endangering the people of the city", Marcus said shaking his head.

"You sound like you want those Metas in particular dealt with..." Derrick mused, immediately recognising Nicholas' voice from the recording, "Permanently."

Derrick slowly scratched his cheek, referencing the audio as he continued, "This, as you know, was why many people - I'll admit, myself included; though not publicly - were pushing and successfully got the SRA signed into law..." Derrick's walked through this half-truth (the best kind of lie in all honesty) as he aimed to further prove his point, "Individuals with the potential to destabilise a city in such a way are far too dangerous to operate without appropriate surveillance..." Derrick paused, "While I have no problem with vigilantes who actively combat these individuals," he admitted, holding up his hands to emphasise the point, "Especially the kind of vigilante such as this 'Knight' you mentioned," Derrick looked Marcus directly in the eye for a moment, "I do think that they should have fully legislated government assistance to support them...Unfortunately, the latter has not appeared...For obvious reasons..." Derrick trailed off, referencing the assassination attempt on the President; he changed his approach in the conversation, moving towards a more direct method of getting what he wanted, "I hear Chicago does have an active and up-to-date SAR register currently available to the right people..." Derrick smiled warmly, "You wouldn't happen to be one of them, would you?"

"You sound like you want those Metas in particular dealt with...",
"I simply want them gone Derrick, Whether they be locked up or on Alcatraz, The people of Chicago, and everyone else, must be safe", Marcus leaned forward, "As any upstanding Citizen would". "This, as you know, was why many people - I'll admit, myself included; though not publicly - were pushing and successfully got the SRA signed into law...", "At it core, Stark and the others intentions were Reasonable and seeable enough. However the Superhero 'Civil War' that Occured between Captain America and Iron Man, aswell as finding out that the Government used it as a cover up for testing illegal drugs, Was too much of a price for aftermath". "While I have no problem with vigilantes who actively combat these individuals,", Marcus nodded along saying he was listening, "Especially the kind of vigilante such as this 'Knight' you mentioned,", "I do think that they should have fully legislated government assistance to support them...Unfortunately, the latter has not appeared...For obvious reasons...".

Marcus took note of this, he quickly typed in and brought up another News Article:

Chicago Tribune
Tony Stark attempts to Arrest 'The Knight' in Chicago, Assaults and ends up being Beaten

"Tony Stark did arrive to meet The Knight. Only thing was he was in Armor, and brought 2 suits with mini guns on them. He threatened The Knight, and after The Knight refused, He assaulted him. However The Knight ended up EMPing Tony's suits, and Stark crawled back to the Pentagon". Marcus also pressed a button closing the hologram. "I hear Chicago does have an active and up-to-date SAR register currently available to the right people...", Marcus raised an eyebrow, "You wouldn't happen to be one of them, would you?".

Marcus shook his head,
"The Pentagon did try to enforce such a thing a good few years ago, However our mayor, Daniel Storm, refused, stating 'That type of segregation and singling out of Metahumans is no better than other, very serious, events in history' ". Marcus sat up in his chair, "A Brash statment some said, However there are truth to his words. Though as much as New York was forced to enforce it because the Metahuman crimes were out of control, Chicago's Metahuman population prefers to, how would you say", Marcus made a hand gesture, "Stay low key".

[Vicar Synaspic]

-snip-

Nicholas added his energy to the barrier, causing it to overcharge, the energy flowing to all of them. He got parts of Lawbringer's memories. He got a memory with a sad vibe. It was a picture of a women. He guessed this must be her mother, who died. A black stain started at the top of the barrier, and Nicholas went limp. He was making a out-of-body trip. He wasn't dead, just in a coma. The outsiders watching in had a horrified look on their face. Nicholas had put a perception filter on the barrier, and what they saw was Titan choking the man who was trying to stop the Golems. Nicholas's eyes were closed and he had a smirk.

[New Rnclave]

Hiroshi:

Coughing, the Maned Super Saiyan pulled himself from the rubble, dusting off his torn dogi as he stood. A second later, there was an immense flash as everything, Hiroshi included floated for a moment, before the world shifted to a hellscape of pink fire. It was blinding, even to him, as he raised his arms to guard himself. The air itself caught fire as the shockwave rolled out, tearing at the already demolished city. The first wave of force rolled last him, before sucking inwards with even more ferocity, threatening to pull the Hybrid into its flaming center.

'Nows the perfect chance to charge my energy. Question is, Gods Judgement or Divine Meteor?'

"Dragon Fist!" Smirking, Hiroshi almost couldn't help his awe as the enormous golden dragon rocketed through the inky smoke, thundering towards the Majin, roaring a final, primal battle cry before clamping it's maw down on Buu.

Disinformation was a skill he hadn't practiced in years, and he could only hope being rusty didn't give away his suprise. Yet, it didn't compare to charging an attack while thinking about another.

Majin Buu

Obviously, instead of telling me an answer to my question, Hiroshi decided to appease his monkey side by screaming at the top of his lungs, telling me the name of his attack and creating a dragon to punch through me. I mean, I was kind of asking for it, but this definitely wasn't enough to kill me. An explosion rocketed the area, tearing down most of the city in a single flash and creating enough smoke to cover kilometers.

I turned around as the dust and ash faded, looking at Hiroshi. My torso was nothing more but a massive hole by now, but I was not phased by it. I just regenerated and kept up my smirk.

"Say, I've been wondering," I spoke. "Does your Kaioshin heritage even do anything for you? I mean, you look like a monkey, you scream like a monkey, you transform like a monkey-"

I suddenly teleported in front of Hiroshi and launched a powerful elbow strike towards his chin, then grabbed his long flowing hair, squeezing it tightly.

"-and you fail like a monkey." Come on, get angry! Power up! Transform further! Then we can get to the meat of things...

Hiroshi:

'And the fucker regenerates again.' Looking up at the pink demon with disdain, Hiroshi had milliseconds to recognize Buu's disappearance before an elbow slammed into his chin, his mouth snapping closed. Stumbling back, the Super Saiyan had no time to check his broken teeth before the Majin dragged him towards Buu, Hiroshi yelping as his hair was pulled.

Struggling in vain, Hiroshi threw forward both hands, two dense balls of dangerous energy. Suddenly, the expanded massively as a sneer crossed his face. This was the lions share of his power, his arms trembling as the energy reached its climax. This wasn't his regular energy blasts.

This was little more than a churning sea of burning energy.

" Devil's Calamity!"

[Tarazed]

Derrick narrowed his eyes slightly as Marcus spoke, he wasn't lying about the SAR register - and that made matters noticeably worse - which meant that he'd need to get his hands on a register the hard way.
Derrick paused as he glanced over Marcus' desk for anything useful, although he saw nothing more than uninteresting company paperwork.

"I take it that...Psycho Metahuman guy or whatever he is," he continued, referring to Nicholas,as he spoke, "Isn't from around here then? Considering he isn't exactly 'laying low'..." Derrick looked at Marcus as he spoke; the man was definitely planning something and was likely stalling for time.

[Confederation of imperial states]

Derrick narrowed his eyes slightly as Marcus spoke, he wasn't lying about the SAR register - and that made matters noticeably worse - which meant that he'd need to get his hands on a register the hard way.
Derrick paused as he glanced over Marcus' desk for anything useful, although he saw nothing more than uninteresting company paperwork.

"I take it that...Psycho Metahuman guy or whatever he is," he continued, referring to Nicholas,as he spoke, "Isn't from around here then? Considering he isn't exactly 'laying low'..." Derrick looked at Marcus as he spoke; the man was definitely planning something and was likely stalling for time.

"I take it that...Psycho Metahuman guy or whatever he is,", "Isn't from around here then? Considering he isn't exactly 'laying low'...".

Marcus nodded, "yes,....strangely enough the Metahuman Villains who do attack Chicago aren't from Chicago". Marcus brought up a Hologram of Stahl, "This Roided up guy, Stahl, when Captured by The Knight they linked him back to the Russian Caucasus". Marcus then brought up a Hologram of Thunder, "A more Notable one, Thunder, is From California. More Precisely, San Andres". Marcus cut the hologram off, "As you can see, the Metahuman attackers. Including that Monsterous one that attacked a community sponsored project, and attacked The Knight and another girl last night, is not from here".

Marcus pressed a button under his desk, used only for more important matters to call the secretary discretely.
Tracy came into the office, "Sir is there something you need?" she asked worried, Marcus then quickly pulled a Tazer gun that was under the surface of his desk, aiming it and firing it at Lanvin.

[Tarazed]

Derrick had turned his head to face the door; mainly in anticipation of whoever Marcus had called for - he'd heard him press a button at any rate.

When Marcus' secretary appeared at the door and seemed confused as to why she'd been sent for, Derrick quickly caught on that something was amiss; this feeling was soon backed up by the sound of a charging taser.

Derrick turned his head back around as Marcus pulled the trigger, holding up his hand in a knee jerk response as he saw the taser fire.

The prongs shot forward until they reached the end of Marcus' desk, where they instead hovered idly in the air before Derrick's motionless hand. Derrick's eyes looked between the prongs and the gun before looking at Marcus.
"Now, now," Lanvin said with a straight face as he relaxed his hand, dropping the prongs to the floor before making a side-swiping gesture over his shoulder as he stood up; telekinetically throwing the secretary out of the room.

He held out his hand in a choke-hold like manner at Marcus, telekinetically grabbing the man by the throat before slowly lifting him off of the ground, "So..." Derrick smirked as he cocked his head to the side, "No armour to save you this time..."

[Wombocombo]

The man was thinking, in an odd state of 'Am I knocked out' and awe he was thinking.
What the sweet loving fuck was that. He barely touched me and I went flying....fuck. Fuck that.
Wait a minute.
That Japanese looking guy needs my help though!
Fuck.
I have no energy.
I'll make it eventually...
Just gotta...wake...up..

His body twitched as his eyes flew open. He had no idea how far away he was, unknown to him it was actually several miles (Maybe he took that punch a bit harder than he should have), and he could barely move.
Though he wasn't a quitter! He pushed himself to stand and held idly onto himself, one hand holding onto the opposite arm, as he began...limping in the general direction of the city.
He'd get there eventually.
After the fight though, atleast probably.
Not having energy wasn't fun.
Such is life as Adrian.

[The Republic of Atria]

Xander

"You cannot do this!" One of the Ancients objected.

"Can't or shouldn't? I'm leaning more towards the latter." Xander replied. "And half of them agree with me at least. So, I'm probably not alone in my feelings. You're still alive and I hold nothing against you. I just think I would put this power to better use than you would." And by that he meant he would actually use the power for more than sitting in the core of a star judging shit. "People who have the amount of power you did, but don't use it are the type of people who annoy me. Power is intended to be used to serve the people around you." He explained. "I am serving billions. Maybe even more. And these people-" He waved his hand to those who stood with him. "-They want to serve too. I've said my piece." And with that, the Ancients watched helplessly as half the population of their species followed a youngling hopped up on more cosmic power than he had any idea he possessed.

Xander parents, Navara and Valan, flew beside him. "The humans have imprinted on you." His father spoke. "Never in my life would I have expected anyone to do what you did. I am proud to call you my offspring."

"As am I." His mother agreed. "I wished I was there to help you grow. But you turned out better than any sort of care we could have given." She wasn't wrong. There wasn't much they could have done that Earth didn't do. It was rare that Elos in general experienced physical pain, but Xander had experienced it in spades, quite regularly. Fear, anger, relief, and the love one could only experience in a physical body wasn't something they could have given him. And they knew that. After a relatively brief flight, they arrived at Xander's island nation.

"Here we are..." He said and floated down to see Otis talking with Naja while they were both sitting on top of a building when they saw the golden man fly down with about a million other glowing people.

Naja was the first to speak. Though she was more flabbergasted at what was going on, and Xander's new appearance. "You were gone for... 6 hours. You've got so much explaining and apologizing to do."

"Hey Xander. You look different." Otis said commenting on his new form. "Can't quite place my finger on it though... New haircut?"

Zeke

He was "busy" making "refinements" to his Zero Rifle design. He could easily halved the weight and size of the weapon without effecting it's output, but then that would reduce the amount of time that they would need him. And he wasn't looking to get fired from the very handsome salary that he was making. None of them were any wiser as far as his trick went, but it wasn't like he was dragging everything out to the point of absurdity. He gave them what they wanted. A weapon they could take down the majority of even the strongest supers non-lethally. So that kept them satiated. It was all about timing. He spent most of the time doodling around on his phone, while using his powers to make the cameras playback scenes of him working. The door was locked for "Privacy and quiet."

But that didn't mean much to his boss. Colonel Miles. Who smacked on the door on a semi regular basis. Neither of them particularly liked one another, but the Colonel signed his paycheck and for the most part left him alone. At least until today. As per his usual method of alerting Zeke to his presence, by smacking the locked door several times. Which he refused to stop doing no matter how many times Zeke asked to ho knock like a normal human being. Zeke opened the door to the man. "You've got company coming in here soon. Future Solutions. They're one of the biggest providers for this project. So don't screw it up."

"I think they're going to be happy. So don't get your panties in too much of a knot. The Stasis Rifle is better than any other anti-superhuman weapon on the planet." Zeke said, obviously proud of his design. "Unless they're strong enough to fight having your atoms pretty much being halted in time. I've yet to see any superhuman that can physically break time. Perfectly harmless, yet incredibly effective. The non-combat applications are incredible. Construction will be several dozen times faster. Blood donations will last much longer. Organs won't rot away. Hell, once we streamline the power supply we can even use it on people for extend periods. Think of it like a prison that's actually impossible to escape. Of course you'll need several redundant power supplies and-"

"Enough with the tech mumbo jumbo. The want to see progress, so show them progress. Weapons, shielding, and even that power suit you're always wearing. Keep them happy."

"Hey. This is my paycheck we're talking about. I'm not exactly keen on losing that." Zeke said and put the rifle he was working on back together. "So don't worry your pretty little head. I'll give them the lightshow they're after. More funding and supplies means that I make better toys to get more funding and supplies. Hell, at this rate, we'll make superhumans obsolete."

"That's what I, and by extension, they, want to hear."

[Finland SSR]

Majin Buu

Obviously, instead of telling me an answer to my question, Hiroshi decided to appease his monkey side by screaming at the top of his lungs, telling me the name of his attack and creating a dragon to punch through me. I mean, I was kind of asking for it, but this definitely wasn't enough to kill me. An explosion rocketed the area, tearing down most of the city in a single flash and creating enough smoke to cover kilometers.

I turned around as the dust and ash faded, looking at Hiroshi. My torso was nothing more but a massive hole by now, but I was not phased by it. I just regenerated and kept up my smirk.

"Say, I've been wondering," I spoke. "Does your Kaioshin heritage even do anything for you? I mean, you look like a monkey, you scream like a monkey, you transform like a monkey-"

I suddenly teleported in front of Hiroshi and launched a powerful elbow strike towards his chin, then grabbed his long flowing hair, squeezing it tightly.

"-and you fail like a monkey." Come on, get angry! Power up! Transform further! Then we can get to the meat of things...

Hiroshi:

'And the fucker regenerates again.' Looking up at the pink demon with disdain, Hiroshi had milliseconds to recognize Buu's disappearance before an elbow slammed into his chin, his mouth snapping closed. Stumbling back, the Super Saiyan had no time to check his broken teeth before the Majin dragged him towards Buu, Hiroshi yelping as his hair was pulled.

Struggling in vain, Hiroshi threw forward both hands, two dense balls of dangerous energy. Suddenly, the expanded massively as a sneer crossed his face. This was the lions share of his power, his arms trembling as the energy reached its climax. This wasn't his regular energy blasts.

This was little more than a churning sea of burning energy.

" Devil's Calamity!"

Majin Buu

Oh. Oh.

You know, Hiroshi has one thing that keeps him above Okarot for me - his attack names are the best. Maybe I should copy him... and then the attack struck. It was powerful, that's for sure, it even got me to release my grip of the Saiyan's feminine hair. I didn't put up any guard, not even an absorption shield, just watched as the attack ripped me apart. It burned and blastered me everywhere! But that alone isn't enough to kill me.

Let's see... what could I do next... Oh!

Hiroshi's child is here, watching from a distance. Perfect. Children are easy to use as tools. I'll get Hiroshi a bit more angry, and then I'll absorb him. Sounds like a plan. There were a few atoms of mine scattered around Tomia - they immediately started multiplying and reforming my body, the rest of my body clumping in, hopefully without Hiroshi knowing about it. A few seconds later, I stood right behind the girl, grabbing on her neck, lifting her up and speaking:

"Alright, Tomia, I know you might feel objectified, but I want you to make your Daddy as angry and furious as possible. Scream, cry, fail at attacking me - whatever."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Where Dragons Rule

Paris, Earth

Commander Grimm was curled up on the ground, lying in the corner of her office, her cloak of living shadows covering every inch of her body, though the spasmodic movement could still have been perceived, if the room had not been devoid of any living creature save for the commander herself. She was writhing in pain, her entire body wracked by agony, the forbidden powers of chaos itself flowing through her blood, causing her to feel as though her veins had been set on fire from the inside, burning her whole. Yet, she did not call out for help, or cry, or even whimper, quietly bearing with such pain with the grim determination of one who was already used to the torture that one suffered. Not a sound was heard within the room save for that of the human's sporadic but violent movement, and the occasional noise of footsteps moving past the door to the commander's office. It was helpful, though not surprising, that nobody decided to knock on the door during that moment of weakness: as soon as she had felt the first symptoms of her present ailment, she had issued the order that no one was to bother her until further notice, and who would want to disregard the orders of the Voice of the Rebellion? It was also very fortunate that no emergency occurred while she was weak, as she could not simply ignore a dire situation until she got better.

As she endured the tainted touch of chaos that she bore within, the commander thought back to the day she had first embraced that curse.

---

Unknown Location, Earth

It had been a long and arduous journey, particularly so for someone who was physically weak such as her. It did not help matters that she had set out on her quest by herself, not saying a word about it to her sisters or to her lover, disappearing in the dead of night and leaving only a letter behind. She had no doubt that they would be worried for her and that they would try to find her, but she did not wish to endanger them, knowing that the task she had given herself was a perilous one, but knowing also that she had to accomplish it if she wanted her family to have a chance at living their lives with some peace and quiet in the dark world they now lived in. She only hoped that they would stay out of trouble if they did try to go looking for her. After all, the world had become a very dangerous place, ever since the Dragon Lords had arrived and taken over it, and one never knew who would be the next target of their tyrannical agents. A single blunder, an unnecessary show of force, or an iota of suspicious behavior was all that was needed for the willing servants of the Dragon Lords to imprison anyone, or worse, without giving the suspect proper judgment or a chance to speak in their defense. Such was the injustice of the world these days; Sarah only hoped that her family would know to steer clear of its hungry eyes.

At first, her journey had not been too difficult. She had received some assistance from the few kind souls that remained in the world, and even those who were unjust had unwillingly helped her, falling for her charms without suspecting that she only intended to rob them of their blood and feed on it to replenish her strength, not unlike the vampires featured in ancient legends. Despite all of this, she steadily distanced herself more and more from human civilization, encountering less places to stop and rest until eventually, she left the bosom of mankind altogether, finding herself in deserted lands. With no one to help her or provide her with sustenance anymore, and armed with only what resources she had managed to keep, the journey became much more difficult, the wilderness seemingly acting against her at every moment. Her strength soon began dwindling, but she pressed on, determined to see her task through to the end. The blood of wild animals was not as replenishing as that of humans, and it was sickening and disgusting to have to drink such a thing in order to survive, but the results were clear, and though she was deeply ashamed of the measures she had to resort to, it was these measures which allowed her to continue.

Finally, after three nightmarish months, the Blood Iris found herself where she had sought to go all along. A gaping maw on the side of a mountain, concealed by an illusion that did not fool her, for she saw the light of the moon shining through the barrier. She basked in the moonlight for a moment, enjoying the sensation of it shining on her skin, before proceeding down the cave, readying what power she had left for the inevitable confrontation that awaited her at the bottom. She descended for what seemed like hours, before coming across a large threshold. Beyond it was a throne room that looked like it belonged in a crystal palace, with high walls made of glass and pillars of rubies and emeralds, the tapestries that would usually be present in a castle replaced by patterns of stained glass. Standing in the middle of the room was the person she had been looking for. The person she was here to kill. He stood with his back towards her, the angle of his pointy, wide-brimmed hat revealing that he was looking up, though at what, in particular, she could not tell. His blue robe flowed behind him, spread out on the ground, and he looked quite regal in comparison to her, with her tattered clothes and dirty, bloodied skin. Even in such a state, she managed to look enticing, as her beauty was well beyond nature, but there was no one to appreciate it there, and she herself was not overly concerned with such matters at the moment. The wizard had not reacted to her arrival, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he already knew she was there.

"So you've arrived, child." The wizard spoke, though the rampant lunacy that was always present in his voice had been replaced by a deathly calmness. Sarah flinched upon hearing his words, though neither of them moved. He seemed disinterested in the prospect of fighting, and she decided to wait a bit, now knowing that she lacked the element of surprise and not wishing to be caught in one of his traps. "It took you long enough, but even so, you have arrived in quite a good moment." The man continued, slowly walking further away from Sarah.

"I'm here to kill you." She announced, knowing very well that he likely suspected it already. She and the wizard were sworn enemies, after all. It was simply obvious that she was here to get rid of him, to destroy him once and for all so that he would stop pursuing her family to rob their powers. The man stopped upon hearing his words, however, and glanced at the haemomancer over his shoulder, the yellow pits of chaos that he had for eyes staring at Sarah with what could only be described as amusement. He stood like that for a moment, before resuming his march.

"You could have stayed home." The wizard stated with a shrug. Sarah was taken aback by this statement, not knowing what it meant, and so, she began walking towards him, but before she could say anything, the man continued. "You three have never had any idea of why you are so important to me, have you?" He asked, and much to her dismay, the black-haired woman had to admit that it was true. Though he had pursued them for a very long time, his motives had always remained a mystery, and so, she shook her head. "No, of course you didn't." The wizard continued as he walked past a pedestal with a golden basin on it and sitting down on the throne next to it, at the far end of the room. "I needed you three as a sacrifice, to bring back my future." He explained with a resigned, forlorn voice. "But in this world, there is no future. There is nothing but the will of the winged demons. Your sacrifice is meaningless to me now; everything is. In this world, there is no future for me... or for her." He spoke, and Sarah did not know what to make of his words. What did he mean by his future? Who was her?

"But." He interrupted her thoughts. "There may be a future for you." The wizard stated. "If you have it in yourself to fight for it, that is. I have no reason to fight anymore. Farewell, child of the moon. Use my power if you dare." The man spoke. Then, before she could even react to his words, he took a shard of glass and slid it across his throat with superhuman force, leaving a gaping hole in his neck, blood spurting out from it. The wizard's blood was black, and neatly collected itself on the golden basin in front of his throne. It was an eerie sight, and Sarah looked away immediately, shocked at the strange turn that her mission had taken. In the end, she had needed none of her own power. The whole journey had been unnecessary. The wizard had killed himself, and likely would have without her intervention as well.

Deciding that there was nothing left for her there, the Blood Iris turned around, but as she took the first step, her strength faltered and she stumbled, falling to the ground. The weight of traveling through the wilderness for several weeks with naught but beast blood as her sustenance fell down upon her like a sudden deluge, and the malnourished woman gritted her teeth, angry at herself. If only she hadn't been so determined to get rid of the wizard, if only she had been more focused on protecting her family from the tyrants that had taken over the world, she wouldn't be in her current predicament. She dearly missed her sisters, her friends and her lover dearly, and now, she thought with dismay, she might not ever see them again. In the end the only thing she had accomplished was sealing her own fate, and though she desperately wanted to escape from it now, she did not have the strength to return to climb back out of the cave, much less the strengt she required to find her way back home.

But then, there was a ray of hope, or so she thought at the moment. The last words of the wizard. "Use my power if you dare." He had spoken, and at the moment, Sarah did not bother to entertain the consequences at the moment, merely thinking of how such a power could help her return home alive. If the blood of humans replenished her energy at an astounding rate, then who knew what the powerful blood of the chaotic wizard could do? It was, she believed, her only hope, and so, summoning what little strength remained in her body, she dragged herself across the floor, towards the golden basin in which the black blood sat idle. It seemed to her like an eternity, but eventually, she arrived. Making an inhuman effort to stand up, she didn't even bother taking the cautious approach and merely sank her head into the blood, drinking as if she was a desert nomad who had just found an oasis. She drank until the black blood was no more, and then raised her head, panting, trying to catch her breath. It was then that he heard a dark chuckle that seemed to come from the wizard's corpse. An ethereal voice spoke once before fading away.

"How ironic, that my enemy would wield my power to fight the demons."

The next moment, she fell to the ground, feeling pain much greater than anything she had ever experienced before. It was as if a hundred red-hot needles pierced her tongue, as if she had drank gasoline and someone had fed her a lit match, or as if someone had forced her to drink molten wax. Her entire body was burning, every inch of her being filled with such agony that her mind was rendered nearly incapable of forming coherent thought. There was utter chaos in her body; chaos, indeed, was the best way to describe it, as the corruption originating the pain was spreading freely with no order of pattern until it had covered her whole. Outwardly, it did not seem to change anything, and she was not sustaining any actual physical damage beyond the injuries she was giving herself by violently rolling across the hard ground; within, the blood of the wizard was causing his dark power to meld with her very soul. The last thought she had before passing out was that she had made a very big mistake.

When Sarah finally awoke, she felt great. Better than she had ever felt in her life, in fact. She felt so much stronger than before, no longer the fragile beauty she had always been; she was beginning to understand the confidence of her younger sister, who had always been the strongest of the three, her physical abilities putting Sarah's to shame. Now, she thought, she would be able to return with ease, and so, trying to put the unparalleled agony that had struck earlier behind her, she walked towards the exit of the cave, climbing up with ease. Outside, the sun was shining high in the sky, its hostile light nearly blinding the pale woman, but she pushed on and began her journey home.

In one third of the time it had taken her to find the wizard, she was back to the city where she and her sisters lived, sheltered by her lover's wealth. But where she should have found his manor, there was nothing. After a frantic search, she managed to find her sisters, wandering the streets, alone. Her lover had been taken prisoner for refusing to support the servants of the Dragon Lords. The teacher of one of her sisters had skipped town at the first sight of danger, and the boyfriend of her other sister had been imprisoned as well. Now, they no longer had the threat of the chaotic wizard looming overhead, but due to some cruel twist of fate, they were on their own. Reunited with her sisters, Sarah had to make the most of what they had. She needed a plan to free the prisoners, as well, but, what could they accomplish on their own? Robbing a bank was one thing, but assaulting a prison belonging to what was perhaps the mightiest regime Earth had ever seen was something else entirely.

It was shortly afterwards that he arrived, with his wild brown hair and a black leather patch over his hollow eye. They had met once before, but back then, she had rejected his proposal, not wanting to involve herself or her sisters in such dangerous endeavors. Now, however, the situation had changed.

"Have you reconsidered my offer?"

---

Paris, Earth

All of that had happened roughly three years ago. Since then, she had become Commander Grimm, the Voice of the Rebellion, an apt name for the one in charge of contacting extrasolar factions to aid in the battle against the oppression of the Dragon Lords. It would be a well-earned one, too, if only said factions would answer, but as things stood, nothing seemed to happen. She was also, in a sense, the spymaster, aware of more or less everything that was going on within the Rebellion and privy to quite a bit of information regarding the movements of the Dragon Lord supporters, as well, but she did not enjoy that title, not when that man, the Eye of the Rebellion, seemed to know everything despite not having nearly as much equipment or as many spies as her. At least, he had seemed to know everything for a while, but the recent string of defeats on the American front had left everyone dumbfounded, even him. With how paranoid he was becoming as of late, it was a miracle that he had even agreed to meet her. She only hoped that he did not see what was coming next.

The commander sat up. The pain was still there, but by now it had subsided somewhat, and though to any other human being it would have been agony incarnate, to her it was little more than a vague weakness in her numb body. Not too long after she joined the Rebellion, she had also learned that the torture she had to go through after drinking the wizard's blood was not a one-time deal, and too make things worse, it tended to strike when she least expected it. It could take from one week to several months before reappearing, but even when it seemed to be gone for good, it always returned. The only upside was that it gave her a warning in advance, preliminary symptoms such as shortness of breath that both warned her of the incoming agony and gave her a convenient excuse to drop whatever she was doing at the moment, if she was with others. Even so, it was a terrible curse, and many a night passed with the commander cursing herself for going on that journey, or wondering if she truly would have been unable to return home on her own without drinking the wizard's blood.

Of course, such pact was not without its perks. Though she had to endure the sporadic bursts of corruption that tore through her in a metaphysical sense, her powers were peaked in return. The physical strength she had received had long since worn off, and much to her dismay, she was once again the frail woman she had always been, but she never seemed to tire despite being so weak, and her natural abilities had since then reached an all-time high, though how powerful they were exactly was something still unknown to her, as there was little opportunity for her to test them without putting the agents of the Dragon Lords on alert. Her true potential was, of course, still tied to the movements of the moon, but there was no doubt that she had grown more powerful since she had embraced the chaos within that man, even if she had to pay a steep price.

The agony by now had finally stopped, but Sarah did not stand up yet. Her memories had been stirred, and she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists not at physical pain, but at guilt and loss. She had become a vital part of the Rebellion in order to have a chance of freeing her lover and the other prisoners taken by the Earthling servants of the Dragon Lords, and to ensure that her sisters would have a chance of living free from such a tyrannical regime, but in the end, her sisters too had been taken away, not by those who were traitors to mother Earth, but by the Enforcers themselves. How such a thing happened was, to this day, beyond her, but their kidnapping had been the driving force behind the questionable actions she had taken ever since then. Three years she had spent away from her lover, and one year had already passed with her sisters taken beyond her grasp as well.

A beeping sound alerted her to the arrival of the one she had asked to meet, and the commander finally stood up, forcing her shaking legs to quiet down as she walked out of her office to meet him, feeling shame and guilty at what she had to do, but reminding herself that it was for her family.

---

General Graham stepped out of the teleporter that connected the three major bases of the Rebellion: the headquarters in Gotham City, Paris and Japan. Teleportation was a costly process, not because of the deed itself, which was easily achievable with any combination of the magical and technological assets the Rebellion had at its disposal; rather, it was a difficult process due to the energy and effort that went into concealing the deed from the watchful eye of the Dragon Lord supporters, who were on the lookout for any strange phenomena that could lead them to the insurgents. It was for this and many other reasons that the Eye of the Rebellion had been quite reluctant to come here, not knowing what matter was so important that it could not be settled over long-distance communication, but he had eventually relented, an idea forming in his head as to the nature of the meeting and, most importantly, the commander's insistence at seeing him personally. Looking around the entry room, he saw a group of well-trained specialists hard at work on the computers that regulated the teleportation device. There was another person in the room, however, a woman clad in a cloak of shadows. Graham walked up to her.

"Commander Grimm." He said with a nod, his voice cold but sharp. "Lead the way. I presume we have much to discuss." The commander nodded and soon the two began walking through the hallways of the Paris underground complex, passing several busy technicians, officers and other such figures who stopped a moment to salute the two key figures of the Rebellion before continuing on their way, all of them occupied with the task of keeping their cause afloat against the titanic threat that loomed over them at all times. Not a word was shared between the commander and the general as they walked that path side by side, the tension palpable between them, the Voice ridden with guilt and steeling herself not to show it, and the Eye sporting his signature glacial determination, along with a hanging suspicion of what had brought him here, one that was not even close to the truth. The silence was hardly oppressive with all the other factors coming into play, and so, the two walked, until they finally reached the commander's office. Sarah moved to open the door, but was beat by the general, who then gestured for her to go inside, some sense of chivalry lingering within him even after his soul was taken over by the cause he served. Without a word still, she walked inside, and so did he after a moment.

"Now then." The general spoke, moving to stand in front of the desk as the commander stood behind it, neither of them sitting. "I believe it is time for you to tell me what is it exactly that drove you to call me here in these dire times when neither of us have a moment to spare." He said coldly, gesturing for her to speak freely, but not a word came from the commander's mouth, and after a moment of waiting, the general frowned. "Very well, if you will not start, then I suppose I can voice some of my concerns in here." He stated. "As you know, there have been raids on various bases and outposts of our Rebellion as of late, and we still have no idea of how the enemy got their hands on the intel required to find them. At first, I thought that powerful telepaths such as the Dragon Lords themselves would be able to easily spot us, but then I discarded the idea. Despite being intent on oppressing us, despots like them hardly care about what goes on in our land as long as we stay down; it is their agents that we have to fight at the moment, and they do not possess that power." He explained, completely still, never once moving, his single amber eye peering into the darkness that shrouded the commander's form.

"Then, I was led to the only conclusion remaining: someone or something has been supplying the agents of the Dragon Lords with the necessary intel to destroy us. But, who? Few people in this world, if any, would have the necessary knowledge, and unfortunately, none outside of the Rebellion itself would, which implies that it was someone within the Rebellion. Even more unfortunate is that the culprit would have to possess an extensive network of spies to know everything going on, as not even my closest advisors are aware of the location of every base and operation we have. Sadly, only one person came to my mind once I had put together these clues." General Graham stated, his lone eye now glaring. "But what confirmed my suspicions... is that I haven't been able to move since I walked into this room."

Commander Grimm seemed to look down, even though her shroud of shadow concealed her form whole. Her fists were clenched, nails digging into her palm, but still she refused to say anything. She was distressed, this whole situation made her feel like less than dirt, but she had to constantly remind herself that it was necessary, that she had no other option. Truth be told, she did have another option, but in the end, she had chosen the selfish path, and saved few lives in what she knew would amount to thousands, if they were lucky. Even then, it would all be alright soon... as soon as that which needed to happen finally happened. But it just didn't seem to come, and she was beginning to grow desperate.

Suddenly, the general spat at her face. This was unexpected for the usually cold and composed man, and the surprise she felt weakened her hold on his body just enough for him to backhand her, fully breaking her control and allowing him to move freely as she fell to the ground, rubbing her cheek and staring at him wide-eyed. What shocked her the most, however, weren't his actions. What shocked her the most was the fact that, as he was reaching for the door, an unknown force, invisible but tremendous, hurled him towards the far wall, his body slamming into it with great force. The general coughed out blood from the impact, and then glanced at the commander, but the look on her face told him that she hadn't done it, and that put him on high alert.

Then, next to the door, a portal opened, a tear in space and time that was darker than the darkest moon. And out of it stepped the most abhorrent creature that General Graham had ever laid his eyes upon. A monster made in the likeness of a woman, but in the place of skin, she had hideous black scales that seemed to suck in all the light around them, giving off the effect of a black glow. Unnaturally long arms ended in large hands tipped with vicious black claws, though her legs seemed to be just as those of a human, save for the lack of skin. She had no eyes, nor hair, only thin black spikes that resembled a long mane, and in her mouth one could see a black wicked grin. Though he had never seen that creature before, the general had heard of it, and recognized it immediately. Before him stood none other than the Hand of The Tyrant herself.

"It is true that monkeys are quite lucid when they're about to die, it seems." She spoke with a warped voice, twisted amusement evident within. Without wasting a moment, the general's hand dug into his pocket and fished out a special pistol, one of the many modeled after Commander Greyson's own gun, its ability to wound spirits making it a lethal and very useful weapon for the Rebellion. Alas, he did not get to pull the trigger, for as soon as the handgun had been trained on the Hand of The Tyrant, it was thrown aside by an invisible force so massive that it took the general's hand and his entire arm along with the weapon, the severed limb slamming into the wall, still holding the weapon.

Seeing all of this occur in front of her, Sarah, still on the ground, let out a gasp, shocked, tears of helpless frustration welling up in her shrouded eyes as she saw her betrayal accomplished in front of her. The Hand of The Tyrant turned her head to face her, and for a moment, the commander stared up in fear, the monster in front of her merely laughing. "Oh, don't worry, I keep my promises. I won't harm you, and you will have your reward. Make sure to enjoy it... while you still can." The creature spoke. She waved her hand, and suddenly, from the still open portal by the door, two new figures emerged. One of them looked in her early twenties, while the other, several years older, was almost Sarah's age, but not quite. Both of them had black hair and deep crimson eyes, and both of them looked quite fearful, the older holding the younger close, as if to protect her. But when they saw the commander, who was just getting to her feet, they ran towards her.

"Sis!" The younger cried as she wrapped her arms around the commander's waist, while the older threw her arms around her neck to hug her instead. "Sarah, we missed you so much." She said, the younger one nodding. Without saying anything, Commander Grimm raised her arms to embrace her long lost sisters, pulling them closer and holding them tightly. None of them spoke another word, but the three of them had tears of pain and joy flowing forth from their eyes. Their embrace only lasted a moment, however, as soon Samantha did a double take on the scene and was taken aback by what she saw, mouth opening and eyes going wide. "I-is that...?"

Sarah frowned underneath the shadow shroud, releasing her sisters and gesturing towards the door with her head. "Outside." She commanded, regretting the necessity of speaking to her sisters like that, but knowing nonetheless that it was necessary. "Now." The commander urged them when they didn't move, and the two women finally complied, walking past the now closed portal and through the door, Sarah soon following them, closing the door behind her, locking the general together with the Hand of the Tyrant, sealing her act of treason.

As the sisters reunited, General Graham had been weighing his options, and had ultimately determined that his one and only chance at survival was to throw himself at the weapon held by his severed hand and attempt to use it against the monstrosity that stood before him. The beast had no eyes, but as she turned to look at the Grimm sisters walk out of the room, the general, assuming she was distracted, tensed up, ready to make a run for the weapon. But, as before, he found himself unable to do such a thing. Instead, the same invisible force that had torn off his arm was now lifting him above the ground, restricting his every movement, his body held completely within the beast's mental grip. The Hand of the Tyrant appeared to yawn, but no sound came from her until she spoke once more. "Did you really think your thoughts would simply go unnoticed? The outcome was always set in stone, rebel. You will die, and your little pathetic planet will face the judgment of the Dragon Lords at last." She spoke as she walked towards him until she was inches away from him. "And there is nothing you can do about it."

The general's eyes suddenly went wide and he coughed out blood, the crimson liquid coming to rest on the black scales that covered the monster's chest, though it was quickly wiped away by the unseen force. As the one-eyed man looked down, he saw the enemy's right claw plunged through his body, having pierced through flesh and bone alike as if they were nothing more than thin air, his blood flowing through her black hand. She soon pulled back her claw, the bloodstains immediately disappearing, and the general fell to the ground, his very life oozing through the five holes in his chest. A portal identical to the previous one soon appeared within the room, and before crossing it, the Hand of The Tyrant turned to look at the man one last time. "Rejoice, general. Your entire race will soon follow you." She spoke, before leaving him to die alone.

General Graham was, needless to say, shocked, and though even now he did not let fear grip him, for fear of death was not something he possessed anymore, he still despaired, for without him, who would be there to lead the Rebellion? Commander Grimm was a traitor, and Commander Greyson could only do so much with her resources, not to mention her intelligence networks weren't nearly as extensive as his own or Grimm's. She was the bravest woman he had met, definitely, but it took more than courage to win a war, sadly. His advisors were capable people, and together they might become a suitable replacement for him, but how long would it take for them to learn of his death? Furthermore, how long would it take for them to be targeted as well? He did not know how extensive the information leak had been, but they were likely in danger.

That a man stopped to think about such matters as he bled to death after being stabbed fivefold was already an incredible feat of cold blood and willpower, not to mention dutifulness, but even so, the truth was that, underneath all of these thoughts, a single idea lingered. He did not want to die, not because he was afraid of death, but because he felt that the Rebellion, that the human race- no, that the entire universe needed him. The universe needed to rid itself of the dark plague that was the wake of the Dragon Lords, and the Rebellion was created with that goal in mind, but if he died, then it would never be accomplished. It was imperative, he had to live, if not to avenge Aru, or save anyone, then at least to destroy the Dragon Lords once and for all.

Suddenly a light appeared in front of him, an answer to his heart's desperate prayer. But the one who appeared before him was not God.

"You certainly have a strong wish within you, no? My, to hold onto the gift of life so desperately, with all your might, even though it is clear beyond all doubt that death will come to claim you in a matter of minutes at most... Truly, that is what I call determination. Tell me, mortal man, would you be willing to sacrifice anything in order to accomplish that goal of yours? Even if that which you had to sacrifice was... Your name?"

---

Sarah stood still in the hallway, completely silent, still shrouded in darkness even though the only people alongside her were her dear younger sisters. They had seen what she had done, and the shame and the guilt eating away at her mind were enormous, even if she knew that what she had done had been for their sake.

"I..." The commander began and promptly trailed off, not knowing how to begin explaining a misdeed of such magnitude, nor how to justify it; she knew that, despite everything, her choice had been the selfish one, to sacrifice the life of one and potentially millions more in order to save the lives of only two people, and while her sisters would likely see that, they would know just as well as she did that she had done something unforgivable. Already she could feel the disapproving look that Samantha was giving her, and the only reason Hanah did not do the same was because she was still processing the situation, now that she was able to taste freedom for the first time since they were captured.

"Why did you do it?" Samantha questioned, unintentionally projecting anger in her voice. At this, Sarah looked up immediately, the shroud of darkness around her face receding, revealing her wet red eyes which stared helplessly at her sister.

"To save you, to save you both!" She cried, desperately craving forgiveness, understanding, something. Her sister understood this, and took a step back, deeply conflicted. On one hand, she had likely condemned the Rebellion to failure, and the human race to slavery, but on the other, could she really be blamed? It would take a saint to make the right decision in such circumstances, and a saint Sarah was not, she was only a loving elder sister who had cared for her and Hanah since they were little, making matters even worse. Not knowing what to say or how to react anymore, Samantha simply walked forward and embraced the commander. What was done was done, and they would have to deal with the consequences, together. They would have to push on, no matter what the future would bring. She could not yet grant forgiveness, but she could, at the very least, grant her sister reprieve.

This reprieve, Sarah accepted eagerly, hugging her sister tightly, tears still flowing from her eyes, now more so than before. After several moments, the eldest of the Grimm sisters looked at the very youngest, who stood off to the side, watching the exchange without knowing what to say. "Did they hurt you?" The commander asked softly. At this, Hanah shook her head.

"No... They did not." She stated, and continued after noting Sarah's surprise. "There was... There was a nice one, among them. She did not do anything to help us, but she made sure that we weren't hurt while we were there." The young wolf-eared woman explained.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the arrival of someone else, a woman in full organic body armor, bearing an object of great importance.

---

"Then, Gilbert Graham, come forth, claim the power to make your wish come true... And disappear from the memory of this world."

---

"Commander, I have what you sent me to find." Spoke the enigmatic rebel agent, Ashes, as she handed over a small pouch. Sarah took it, trying to compose herself as much as possible after being seen in such a vulnerable state, the shroud of darkness covering her face once again. As she looked through the contents of the pouch, she was surprised of what she found, even though she had been the one to order the armored woman to retrieve it in the first place. Within the container were three small stones, each of them the color of blood and each of them translucent to a degree, allowing one to see through them and observe the unknown markings and the white cores that each of them bore within. The commander could feel the power emanating from them, and her sisters evidently felt it as well, as they seemed marveled at the presence of the stones, though Ashes could not tell why. She felt nothing.

"There was a larger one, but it was broken. Should I have brought that one back as well?" The agent asked innocently, tilting her head, her large, singular red eye blinking and then staring at the commander curiously. Sarah gripped the pouch in her hand and shook her head at Ashes.

"No, you did well. You may take your leave." She said, and with a curtsy, the armored woman left, her long tail trailing behind her. Once she was gone, Sarah stared at the stones for several moments, still in awe of their power, before taking them out and handing one to each of her sisters, keeping one for herself.

"What is this?" Hanah asked, her curiosity momentarily overcoming her reverie as she asked her question only to continue looking at the stone afterwards, not unlike her older sister Samantha. Sarah raised her own stone above her head.

"These are moonstones." She proclaimed. "And with them... We'll fight." She stated proudly, knowing of the danger that was yet to come, as was spoken by the Hand of The Tyrant. Though she had leaked plenty of information to the agents of the Dragon Lords in exchange for her sisters, she still wanted the cause of the Rebellion to succeed. She still wanted Earth and humanity to be free, and now that her sisters were safe, she was willing to fight for that ideal, even if it was a risky endeavor. But even with that in mind, there was something wrong within her, and she knew it. She felt terrible for selling out her comrades, of course; that was only natural. But...

...Why did she feel as if she had just committed an unforgivable sin?

[Vicar Synaspic]

Nicholas added his energy to the barrier, causing it to overcharge, the energy flowing to all of them. He got parts of Lawbringer's memories. He got a memory with a sad vibe. It was a picture of a women. He guessed this must be her mother, who died. Nicholas used all his aura to find this woman and to bring back her spirit. The spirit appeared in front of Lawbringer, while the barrier went down. "Okay let me go. I'll leave." He had a fake sigh and looked back.

[Finland SSR]

The Ultimate Majin

Intermission: Preparation

Atiala Hypernova

---

When Dende told me that I could get stronger really quickly by entering this so-called "Hyperbolic Time Chamber" in the building on his lookout, I thought he was screwing around with me. I thought he was copying the formula of all those weight loss ads that constantly pop up wherever I go on the Internet. I almost imagined him saying: "Check out this weird trick, discovered by a lowly slugman, that lets you gain strength in just a few days with no effort! Gravity Chambers HATE him!" I don't know if it was curiosity or just plot-induced cleverness, but I pushed on the door and found myself here.

There is nothing here but a small domed hermit's hut with a pretty... clocky design, and the Void.

Void...

Void...

Void...

Not even internet access, which means that the only thing to do here is write poems about blankness, emptiness, the Void, and train. Both of which I've been doing non-stop for the last... six months. Wow, it's been six months and I still haven't slept? Wait, what am I even doing this for?

And then the flashback returned, as clear as the blinding white light of the Chamber surrounding me. Majin Buu awakening, the devilish energy emitted by him, the humiliation I suffered while trying to fight him, Lucien being impaled and absorbed, Frank sacrificing himself... and god knows how many people have died so far while I've been training here.

After all, it has been six months.

The Earth is probably already destroyed. Maybe I'm stuck here. With the Void...

Void...

Void...

Void...

That and Mr. Spiky Hair. Oh, I didn't mention him yet, right? Before I entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Dende mention that, along with other rules like time limits and the like, I am forbidden from venturing off too far from the entrance, or else I might get lost and die alone, forgotten and probably brutally abused by the Void.

Void...

Void...

Void...

So, obviously, I broke that rule on my first day staying here, and went jogging for a dozen kilometers until I found a corpse on the ground. It looked like a Saiyan, so I carried it back to the home hut. I decided to call him Mr. Spiky Hair, obviously named after his favorite pizzeria. He likes to hang out by the entrance and drink green tea while watching me train. I think he really likes me. And while we skimmed through my experience of the Time Chamber, I just finished my plan of fifteen hundred thousand pushups in a single go! Woohoo!

"Hey, Mr. Spiky Hair, do you want to spar with me?"

He didn't answer, as always.

"Alright, whatever you say!" And thus, I started with a little bit more energy training to finish the routine for the day. Powering up to my max, so hard that even the building started to shake, I started firing periodically firing energy attacks to the horizon, one after another. A few blasts, then a wave, then more blasts... You know, one could build a Morse code out of ki attacks. Blasts represent dots, and beams represent dashes.

Let's try it out. Blast, beam. Beam. Blast, blast. Blast, beam. Blast, beam, blast, blast. Blast, beam.

Hehe, that's my name. You hear that, Void? I exist! What about you, Mr. Spiky Hair? He's still ignoring me. Maybe I put too much sugar in his tea yesterday...

"Atiala, this is the Supreme Kai speaking. Can you hear me?"

Huh? A voice in my head... Supreme Kai? Who's that? First time of social interaction in half a year, though... Respond appropriately, Atiala!

"Uh... yes. As clear as the Void... Void... Void... Void..."

I like that word.

"You... don't really seem like yourself, Atiala. So, is the training coming along well?"

"Ya-hah. My strength has increased so much I don't feel like myself anymore! Who are you, again?"

"Uh, you don't remember me? We fought against Majin Buu together yesterday!"

"Yesterday, I did twenty thousand pushups and chatted with Mr. Spiky Hair, I don't remember you being anywhere nearby? Are you the Void?"

"N-no! Look, Atiala, me and Itaku-

"Itaku? Itaku... and Supreme Kai... Oh, yeah! You're that purple guy I met six months ago, right?"

"Correct. I should inform you that it has only been twelve hours, though, and you're just in a dimension where time goes a lot faster."

"That wasn't in the manual! None of this was in the manual! Nor was the Void in the manual..." And I desperately tried to call my parents to visit me here for my birthday... and I had to celebrate it alone.

"As we speak, Earthling heroes are trying to hold Majin Buu off, but it appears that they need your help. Here, on the Sacred World of the Kais, we are preparing a warrior to face off against the monster and hopefully destroy him, but we need time! Are you prepared?"

"I have a question. Is the warrior Itaku?"

"Yes, the Old Kai is unlocking her hidden potential as we speak."

"That's not fair. That's not fair at all! I get to be mentally scarred by this endless room of blinding light, while she gets to unlock her hidden powers with no effort from her part!"

"Point taken, but the Old Kai isn't much better."

"Oh, well, if that's the case, I'll show you that my guilty pleasure is better than hers."

"We don't have time for petty rivalries! Look, are you prepared enough to get out of the chamber now?

"I don't think so, there's one more technique I must try out and develop..."

"I can give you one hour. Hiroshi doesn't seem to be holding his own that well."

I stared to the sky blankly. What?.. Also, how is this not blinding me?

"That's approximately two weeks."

"Deal. I'll meet you at Spacey's on 14:30."

I didn't hear even a single word from the Supreme Kai again, and took a glance at the endless Void all around me and the old timey but. Huh... you know, the Void might be nothing, but it also feels like something, too. And that something is calling for me. Asking for me to visit. Trying to trick me to coming there with the scent of hot coffee. And then immediately preparing the whip

...


You know, just because I can't reject you doesn't imply that I give consent, Void.

[New Rob Halfordia]

As the Colonel finished speaking with Zeke, three sets of footsteps could be heard trailing down the hallway, to the laboratory. One of the sources of the footsteps sounded normal, like an average person, but, the other two sets were heavy and metallic. It became apparent whom they originated from, as a short, stocky bald man entered the lab, along with two hulking armored soldiers, body guards for the company representative. They were wearing the latest armor of Future Solutions, Gungnir Mk. VI, created with vibranium plating and weave.

Two soldiers entered first, moving to opposite side of the door, and placing their arms by their side in perfect synchronization. As the man in business attire entered the room, he made notice of the Colonel, "I apologize we are early, Colonel, but Mr. Ulysses insisted we depart the headquarters as soon as possible. It amazes me that such an unorganized and impulsive man could be the head of such a powerful company." he said, with some frustration in his voice, before regaining his composure, "Now, Colonel, we'd like some time to speak with Mr. Zeke, alone."

As the Colonel nodded and exited the room, the two super soldiers raised a salute, which the colonel kindly returned. The businessman then turned to Zeke, a scientist whom he had only heard of, but, was very impressed from what he did hear, "You must be the man behind this brilliant advancement in technology we've been hearing about." he said, smiling in a noticeably fake manner, "We have much to discuss about the potential applications of your creations, and your payment. Needless to say, if you give us what we want, you will likely come out of this meeting several million dollars richer."

[New Rnclave]

Hiroshi:

'And the fucker regenerates again.' Looking up at the pink demon with disdain, Hiroshi had milliseconds to recognize Buu's disappearance before an elbow slammed into his chin, his mouth snapping closed. Stumbling back, the Super Saiyan had no time to check his broken teeth before the Majin dragged him towards Buu, Hiroshi yelping as his hair was pulled.

Struggling in vain, Hiroshi threw forward both hands, two dense balls of dangerous energy. Suddenly, the expanded massively as a sneer crossed his face. This was the lions share of his power, his arms trembling as the energy reached its climax. This wasn't his regular energy blasts.

This was little more than a churning sea of burning energy.

" Devil's Calamity!"

Majin Buu

Oh. Oh.

You know, Hiroshi has one thing that keeps him above Okarot for me - his attack names are the best. Maybe I should copy him... and then the attack struck. It was powerful, that's for sure, it even got me to release my grip of the Saiyan's feminine hair. I didn't put up any guard, not even an absorption shield, just watched as the attack ripped me apart. It burned and blastered me everywhere! But that alone isn't enough to kill me.

Let's see... what could I do next... Oh!

Hiroshi's child is here, watching from a distance. Perfect. Children are easy to use as tools. I'll get Hiroshi a bit more angry, and then I'll absorb him. Sounds like a plan. There were a few atoms of mine scattered around Tomia - they immediately started multiplying and reforming my body, the rest of my body clumping in, hopefully without Hiroshi knowing about it. A few seconds later, I stood right behind the girl, grabbing on her neck, lifting her up and speaking:

"Alright, Tomia, I know you might feel objectified, but I want you to make your Daddy as angry and furious as possible. Scream, cry, fail at attacking me - whatever."

Tomia:

The world seemed to be in an endless cycle. One moment the sky was gray, then some variant of gold, bright blue or purple. Then she was pulled from the wreckage by someone. She could've been down there for a few minutes at least, and a couple hours at the most. Being saved almost made her forget how much she hated being picked up by the scruff of the neck. Then she felt the hands owner and his power.

For a brief moment, Tomia flailed in Buu's grip, her mind back in a similar situation, with a giant Saiyans hands firmly gripped around her neck, choking her in front of her father. With a tiny roar, Tomia felt a white aura burst from her skin, her boots uselessly colliding with Buu's arms.

'Wheres Dad?'

[Finland SSR]

Majin Buu

Oh. Oh.

You know, Hiroshi has one thing that keeps him above Okarot for me - his attack names are the best. Maybe I should copy him... and then the attack struck. It was powerful, that's for sure, it even got me to release my grip of the Saiyan's feminine hair. I didn't put up any guard, not even an absorption shield, just watched as the attack ripped me apart. It burned and blastered me everywhere! But that alone isn't enough to kill me.

Let's see... what could I do next... Oh!

Hiroshi's child is here, watching from a distance. Perfect. Children are easy to use as tools. I'll get Hiroshi a bit more angry, and then I'll absorb him. Sounds like a plan. There were a few atoms of mine scattered around Tomia - they immediately started multiplying and reforming my body, the rest of my body clumping in, hopefully without Hiroshi knowing about it. A few seconds later, I stood right behind the girl, grabbing on her neck, lifting her up and speaking:

"Alright, Tomia, I know you might feel objectified, but I want you to make your Daddy as angry and furious as possible. Scream, cry, fail at attacking me - whatever."

Tomia:

The world seemed to be in an endless cycle. One moment the sky was gray, then some variant of gold, bright blue or purple. Then she was pulled from the wreckage by someone. She could've been down there for a few minutes at least, and a couple hours at the most. Being saved almost made her forget how much she hated being picked up by the scruff of the neck. Then she felt the hands owner and his power.

For a brief moment, Tomia flailed in Buu's grip, her mind back in a similar situation, with a giant Saiyans hands firmly gripped around her neck, choking her in front of her father. With a tiny roar, Tomia felt a white aura burst from her skin, her boots uselessly colliding with Buu's arms.

'Wheres Dad?'

Majin Buu

Oh, she just looks so cute and lovely while desperately struggling and trying to free herself from my grasp. If I were her father, I'd be proud in such a beautiful and fit daughter, but, unfortunately, I'm not here to be a health inspector. I'm here to grow as powerful as I possibly can. And that might involve breaking a bone or two.

"Oh, you want to know where your Daddy is?" I spoke at her face menacingly, then smirked and looked up, to the sky, where Hiroshi should still be.

"So, Hiroshi, I found this child while I was bored by your weak attacks. I dunno, maybe you know her. Maybe she'll help us if I, say..." I held Tomia up vertically, placing my free hand above her back. "...break her spinal cord? Or maybe a few ribs? Or maybe crack the skull?"

Oh, wow, I never imagined that it's so fun to act all cocky and arrogant. I don't get to do that often.

[New Rnclave]

Tomia:

The world seemed to be in an endless cycle. One moment the sky was gray, then some variant of gold, bright blue or purple. Then she was pulled from the wreckage by someone. She could've been down there for a few minutes at least, and a couple hours at the most. Being saved almost made her forget how much she hated being picked up by the scruff of the neck. Then she felt the hands owner and his power.

For a brief moment, Tomia flailed in Buu's grip, her mind back in a similar situation, with a giant Saiyans hands firmly gripped around her neck, choking her in front of her father. With a tiny roar, Tomia felt a white aura burst from her skin, her boots uselessly colliding with Buu's arms.

'Wheres Dad?'

Majin Buu

Oh, she just looks so cute and lovely while desperately struggling and trying to free herself from my grasp. If I were her father, I'd be proud in such a beautiful and fit daughter, but, unfortunately, I'm not here to be a health inspector. I'm here to grow as powerful as I possibly can. And that might involve breaking a bone or two.

"Oh, you want to know where your Daddy is?" I spoke at her face menacingly, then smirked and looked up, to the sky, where Hiroshi should still be.

"So, Hiroshi, I found this child while I was bored by your weak attacks. I dunno, maybe you know her. Maybe she'll help us if I, say..." I held Tomia up vertically, placing my free hand above her back. "...break her spinal cord? Or maybe a few ribs? Or maybe crack the skull?"

Oh, wow, I never imagined that it's so fun to act all cocky and arrogant. I don't get to do that often.

Hiroshi:

"Tell me Boy. How much do you love your daughter?"

Golden energy burst from the Saiyans frame as fury overtook him, the rubble around him glowing gold. It almost seemed to come alive as his ki cried out. Suddenly, an uncontrollable flood of filled him as his muscles bulged, the air becoming hazy while his frame finished coming alive, a hollow look in his eyes as he let a scream rip past his lips.

Concentrating his energy, Hiroshi reached out with his ki, grabbing hold of Buu with pure energy before violently sucking hsi power backwards, back towards him. Repositioning his form, the Super Saiyan was moving before the Majin had even begun turning, his fist lunging out for Buu's face.

[The Republic of Atria]

"That would indeed be me." Zeke replied to the man. "And I've got plenty of toys that I'm more than certain you're going to like. Let's head outside so I can show you without the colonel getting on my nuts for testing them indoors." He said and lead them outside to what appeared to be a scrapyard. "Where old military hardware goes to die. Basically giant paperweights." He explained, pulling the rifle he was working on from his shoulder. "Zero Point energy rifle. Or Stasis rifle if you don't feel like saying all of that. Let's get to the meat and potatoes." Zeke finished and walked over to a clearly out of order tanks. "Normally these things weigh between 50 to 80 tons, but with this neat little toy..." He said and fired the bright blue beam at the tank, causing it to be surrounded by the energy field while Zeke effortlessly pointed the gun above their heads leaving the heavy tank suspended in the air. "Weightless."

"The only limiting factor is size. You could probably do a small house before you start damaging the battery. At least currently. Once I streamline the design and battery, the size limit should be less of an issue. I'll spare you the nerd stuff on how it works, but as long as your target is within it's limits, it's not going anywhere until you release the trigger. Don't worry, there's a lock in the event your finger gets tired." He explained while dropping the tank about twenty feet in the air back where it was originally. "Now. For defensive purposes. We're got the Zero shield. Sample principle as the gun. It just stops things from hitting your body. Like say... Bullets. Lasers. Shrapnel." He said showing off a device about the size of a small child's backpack. "I think it'll just be easier to show you."

There was a crude test dummy on what appeared to be a firing range with several automated turrets controlled by him. He placed the backpack on the test dummy and backed away. "Now, I'm assuming you all know how a railgun works? Magnets are a wonderful thing. These turrets are basically automatic rail guns. The projectiles move at roughly mach ten. By comparison, fifty caliber rounds move at around mach 3. Shield engaged." The dummy was covered in a blue glowing field and the turrets each fired a barrage, with the rounds stopping cold before even touching the target. The shield then deactivated and the bullets all fell to the ground with the dummy without a scratch. "And as for what lies in the future... Well, since you guys seem to have a fancy for powered armor. I could probably whip up a few designs in a few weeks."