The Ancient Ones: Age of Nothingness (IC)

[Forever Neutral]

OPERATION: TIME FIRE

> METROIDVERSE; DIMENSION UNKNOWN <
> TALLON IV <

"I'm not telling you a damned thing. If you don't know who Ibizu is, then it's for the better. Now, I really don't have time to play mercenary with you. I have big boy problems to sort, and the information you seek is classified. You know what that word means? If you don't, I suggest picking up some kind of galactic dictionary and learning all your primary school words before putting on a suit and shooting people in the face. Now, if you'll excuse me . . ."

Beetle had a thought. I mean, what else could he do but think after being turned into a living icicle? His thought? Nothing special, only that he was trapped in ice. Which is a good thing. What makes it a good thing? Well, obviously it was a bad thing at first, however, what makes it good now is that ice is ice. Meaning, it can be broken instead of melted. So, Beetle began rocking, eventually increasing momentum. And when he thought enough was made, threw himself to his right, a loud SLAM echoing throughout the once holy chamber. Piece of ice scattered about the stony ground, and Beetle gathered himself after a few moments of dusting himself off.

". . . I'll be making my leave. Places to go, people to see, and a verse or two to save from a psychopath. So, I'm Audi 5000. Oh, and, if I see you again, I'll kill you. And you can send that to Paw Patrol or whoever you work for." With that, the insectoid opened a chronogate, and jumped inside with haste. Where he'd end up was anyone's guess . . .

[Slenderman The CreepyPasta King]

The Abyss

When Zalgo appeared he was no longer inside a underground tunnel with an ecosystem that resembled the inners of a creature, instead he was on a floating chunk of barren rock floating in the the dark void along with many things.

Zalgo would see the clouds of galaxies slowly breaking apart, stars casting weak a,ou t of light and in colors not natural to them, planets that may or may not harbor light, black holes that contunie to devour anything that gets near them but jetting out hawkings radiation much more than normal.

Zalgo would see a nimbus clouds of colorful energy, should he touch them he would feel a multitude of past emotions once expiernced by the beings who had them. He would occassinally see flickering screens showing memories forgotten by those who once remembered them.

Below the rock there was a dark ocean, the ocean was stagnate and motionless. Zalgo would see other floating land masses, some barren like the one he is one while others held many item. Most of them were in various states of disrepair, nelglect and abandonment. From small thing like toys and keys to much larger items like derelict ships and abandon homes. Zalgo was now reminded once more that the abyss was not just a realm of corruption.

It was a realm for all things who have reached their end. It is a realm of decay, a realm where the dying and forgotten go to erased to make room for both new things to appear in the multiverse and to make room to that which still exist.

For now nothing was there to greet or harass Zalgo, in fact if he was to use his powers Zalgo would feel as though he was the only being still around in the abyss.

---

Borg Planet

Elizabeth smirked when she saw how the beast reacted to all of the attacks. "You all did a great job." She shouted st the gate to let everyone at the other side know of their progress. When Hana arrived she was about to tell her that they should probably be preapered for a second phase and sure enough Octavius would confirm that there is a second phase to the fight.

The beast roar and attacked Alice first before sending out wires to puncture their skins. Elizabeth closed the Hell's Gate to make sure the wires don't enter through the portal and attack the TARDIS from the inside. Elizabeth instead created a new gate and the wires that flew towards her and created a second one to make the wires hit the beast, closing the gates to severed the wires.

Frisk and Papyrus both created a barrier of bones and hope energy. Papyrus used his powers as the Page of Heart to make everyone far strong and to quickly recover from injuries.

Zalgo instantly put his corruption around him, to prevent his body from dispersing. Looking around he chuckled and thought, "If this place wasn't the only plce that could actuall forcefully disperse my body slowly, I would actually set up my kingdom here." At that he began floating towards the other islands. He knew he wasn't alone, that was always a fact in his life when he's in the multiverse, there was always at least one sap who watched him. The previous one was laying in two bloody pieces in a hallway of his palace. But even before slenderman, there was Cthulhu, who was now in a limbo like state at the bottom of an ocan, and before him the other elderidch abominations. He knew that someone or something was watching him right now, but he had time to think about that later, he began to focus his senses on the most gathered source of corruption, besides himself, in the abyss.

[Naval Monte]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

"There's no need to forge anything", said Henry, raising the massive bag which he had brought along and taking out a bundle of ¥‎10,000 notes. "I've got ¥‎9,995,000 in this bag; it's more than enough for us to get a stay. Besides, I'm sure there'll be more of those ATM things we saw outside over there..."

"Meh, we can discuss that once we're at the inn", Samuel shrugged and brushed his fringe out of his eyes, revealing his safety pin earring for a brief moment. He arranged his cutlery on his empty plate and then stood up, stretching. "Let's go, Yocchi."

Akita Jr nodded and winked, heading back into the lounge and coming back out in his coat and his Icelandic flag scarf.

"Seems like you're in luck", he said, looking out of the window. "The snow seems to have lessened."

...

Cain once more shrugged. "It was just a thought but now you all know that if we need to forge something we can." The old sorcerer began to drink from his mug. Strange was going to ask how Henry can have so much mo ey but decided not to, he had a feeling it would be a bizarre tale that would give him a headache trying to figure out how half of it made sense.

When the group got up and walked to the umberalla rack Strange took a red one and open it to check on the umberalla, Cain got a white one and he too checked on his. "Why does that say condom?" The sorcerer supreme sighed at what he thought was an immature joke.

Eventually the group reached the inn and while he had heard it being called seedy it didn't look to shabby, though the peeling wallpapers and graffiti prevented Strange from calling it a nice place. Seeing how the worker was only reinforced that the establishment they are on was questionable.

Cain looked at the place, wondering if the inn was a tavern at one point in its existence. Eventually Henry began to talk with the innkeeper and as he tried to negotiate with the man the two mages stayed with a group at a table. Eventually they got their rooms and Strange congratulate Henry on getting the man to accept the group inside his building.

The group would move deep into the building and at first nothing was amiss but soon they found a man who was a me,bet of the Yakuza. "Whatever compliments I had about the place are now rendered moot." Strange muttered to himself.

Thankfully the man did nothing to them as they quickly enter their rooms. When Akita Jr asked them if they have anything for him both Strange and Cain got up. "We will like to help you."

[Legokiller]

Borg Planet: Battle!

“Alice dodg- Aaaaaaah!”

Serena cried in agony as Alice’s mouth openned, screaming as she was batted like a baseball, flying off from the battlefield. As Serena-Gardevoir, the injures wasn’t much to be concerned, however, the pain and how real it felt on Alice was shared with the psychic trainer. Thanks to Papyrus magic, Alice’s wounds were healed and have her power increased, which she instantly teleported back into the field in front of Serena when she sensed the trainer's suffering and danger that threaten her. The Chevalier magical warrior predicted her new powers had enough to give it her all.

The Gardevoir conjured up a small black hole from her hands, and tossed it at the wires. Its gravitational pull sucked all the wires headed towards the Serena, Calem, and their teams. Alice told a deep breath, amazed how her new powers keep her lively. “Stay with me Serena, we still have to win this monster showdown.”

“Just… Alright.” Serena panted heavily and looked at the nervous Roserade. She quickly handed a lum berry for her, and pointed at the monster. “Go Rosy, use Petal dance!” Rosy nodded as she twirls, dancing, and swirls around, summoning a great storm of sharp cutting petals to attack 00-1.

Calem kept calm and patted Serena’s shoulder. “Starlight, use flamethrower! Aegislash, use shadow ball!” Clefable conjured up a orb of fire, and commanded it to unleash a beam of jet flames at 00-1. Aegislash took out its sword from its scabbard, and fired a black ball of energy at the monster.

[Kaidou]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

Cain once more shrugged. "It was just a thought but now you all know that if we need to forge something we can." The old sorcerer began to drink from his mug. Strange was going to ask how Henry can have so much mo ey but decided not to, he had a feeling it would be a bizarre tale that would give him a headache trying to figure out how half of it made sense.

When the group got up and walked to the umberalla rack Strange took a red one and open it to check on the umberalla, Cain got a white one and he too checked on his. "Why does that say condom?" The sorcerer supreme sighed at what he thought was an immature joke.

Eventually the group reached the inn and while he had heard it being called seedy it didn't look to shabby, though the peeling wallpapers and graffiti prevented Strange from calling it a nice place. Seeing how the worker was only reinforced that the establishment they are on was questionable.

Cain looked at the place, wondering if the inn was a tavern at one point in its existence. Eventually Henry began to talk with the innkeeper and as he tried to negotiate with the man the two mages stayed with a group at a table. Eventually they got their rooms and Strange congratulate Henry on getting the man to accept the group inside his building.

The group would move deep into the building and at first nothing was amiss but soon they found a man who was a me,bet of the Yakuza. "Whatever compliments I had about the place are now rendered moot." Strange muttered to himself.

Thankfully the man did nothing to them as they quickly enter their rooms. When Akita Jr asked them if they have anything for him both Strange and Cain got up. "We will like to help you."

"Help me?" Akita reeled back slightly at Strange and Cain's proposition as he sat down cross legged on the surprisingly clean carpeted floor, having taken his shoes off and left them outside. "Well, I suppose we could have some extra hands at the restaurant, but... what do you mean?"

...

Ackerman caught xer key and went to xer room. But before xe did, xe nodded in thanks to Henry.
"Danke."
Xe watched the Yakuza member with interest as xe walked down the hallway. Despite having visited Japan before, xe had never encountered Yakuza before.
"...eto...konbanwa?"
..Did you just firkin' address him? Cold sweat started to form down xer back and xer hackles rose nervously, realizing what xe just did.
Meanwhile, Frederick sat down and shook his head.
"Anyways, I'm to tired to question anyone."

Thankfully for Ackerman, the yakuza didn't seem to mind what xe had just done. He merely stopped, nodded, uttered a quiet "konbanwa" in return, and then went off down the corridor.

But not before flashing the emblem and the text embroidered into his black kimono, as if to show Ackerman just who he really was.

上田組
Ueda yakuza clan

...

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere (elsewhere)

Three Hours Ago...

"Damn it, it's night already."

Rinjirō Sakakibara and the ten Kuroomasu Clan yakuza he had hired had come into the Manichean Plane the same way that the seven travellers had; through Conway's door in the hotel. Unlike Henry, Rinjirō wasn't a wanderer, and found the door entirely through navigation and by intimidating people along the way, forcing them into giving him directions. Conway, too, wasn't particularly fond of the eleven men who had gathered in his room, but given that they weren't Chimaera or any of the other blacklisted groups, had no choice but to let them through.

Now, standing in the colourful world where the light of the sun had given way to the soft glow of the planet's nine moons and the bioluminescent plants, the 50 year old Rinjirō cocked his head, placing a cigarette into his mouth and keeping his hand on his katana hilt, as he and the ten mafia warriors he had brought along slowly began to walk towards the little village in the distance.

"Tenkū Kakehashi is not going to run any longer."

...

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

Borg Planet
00-1was unharmed by its own wires, and as a result it did not view Elizabeth as a priority target due to her being the one who redirected its attack. Instead the beast attacked Frisk and Papyrus, as they were healing the group. It sent twin bolts of energy at the pair from two of its arms, and then it turned its attention to the Pokemon attacking it.

The sharp petals barely effected it, however the fire and shadow ball caused it pain. As a result of this, the beast prioritized Aegislash over the other Pokemon, and fired a powerful bolt of energy at it. Hana in the meantime dodged wires as she opened fire on 00-1 with her twin fusion cannons, and Hanzo nocked a scatter arrow, firing it into the beasts mouth. It barely seemed to notice the two, as it kept on attacking Aegislash.

Just then The Judge (who had been simply licking his paws in the TARDIS up till now) stepped out of the TARDIS onto the battle field. "Oh my. Now this is quite the conflict is it not? I do belive that this is far more than my simple feline heart can bare. But for the sake of my allies, I will attempt to do so." He said. Then he unleashed a devistating telepathic attack on 00-1, causing it to screech in pain.

Hanzo had not expected that level of power to come out of the cat, but he did not stay surprised for too long. The multiverse truely is a strange place. The Shimada thought to himself.

[Cybraxia]

Ivara - Alistair
Project X HQ
Tokyo, Japan

---

"It would seem so." Almost immediately a ship decloaked above the courtyard. Ivara then held out metal circlets and bracelets. "To hold onto the compartment, you must put these on. The cycler is magnitized. Quickly." The warframe motioned to hurry up.

"This frame will remain with the group. I have Valkyr ready inside the Scimitar. She will be the first one out. As for what to call me... I have not had much use of a name. And I was called many things. Devil Child. Demon. Guardians of the Orokin, and yet their Betrayers too. For now, you can call me Tenno. Now you have a name, now move!"

Alistair ceased external comms. "An entire city, being razed to the ground. What I wouldn't give for another few Tenno..."

[Kaidou]

Greater Multiverse
Dimension 49
Janu
Supply route for Kanegi

"Hai! Hai! Hai!"

With each parry, Kirito "Weeaboo Jones" Jōnzu let out screams in badly enunciated Japanese, as compared to the silent Numasawa, who simply spun her blade skilfully, the only sounds coming from her being the elegant rings of her ōdachi as it cut through the air and deflected Kirito's crude weapons.

Though the Chimaera had brought along large numbers of soldiers and outnumbered the Asano Clan, it was mainly they who were dying; the Japanese soldiers were far more well trained and better equipped, even if outnumbered almost 10 to 1. Their commander, too, posed a greater morale boost than the obese, smelly, irritating Kirito of the other side.

Soon, most of the Chimaera soldiers were gone, leaving only Kirito behind.

"Watashi am the greatest otoko here", declared Kirito loudly, as he slashed at Numasawa, who leapt out of the way and arced her blade to the side, deflecting another heavy slash from her opponent and decapitating another Chimaera soldier in the process. "Kisama will shinu!!!"

"Urusai, kimi mitaina kuzu no tsukiatteru hima ga nainda. Chotto sokorahen de kutabattekure." ("Shut up, I don't have time to deal with you. Go screw off.")

For once, Kirito was stunned. He took a step back and lowered his weapon.

"...Nani?"

"And you know why's that?"

Before he could react, Numasawa leapt upwards and, with a sadistic grin, drove her blade through Kirito's belly, much to the shock of the fat man. Kirito screamed and dropped his crude, homemade katana, as blood spurted out of his mouth.

"Because you will never be Japanese!"

With that, Numasawa tore the katana out of Kirito's belly and kicked the man off the knoll. Screaming in fury, both at his defeat and at Numasawa's reality check, Kirito spewed out curses at the female general in broken Japanese, before rolling down the edge of the knoll to the other side from where the convoy was, leaving a streak of red on the grass, and then finally laying at the bottom, quivering and clutching the wound in his belly while muttering to himself weakly.

"Shall we capture him, ma'am?"

"Leave him", said the general, wiping her blade on the corpse of a Chimaera soldier. "I doubt this is all they're planning. We don't have time to waste on losers like him."

...

[DAFT Universe]

Aperture- Central A.I Chamber

"Well that's interesting. I should design a device that shoots lasers that explodes a test subject from the inside... Now that would make things interesting."
Then an alarm tone sounded.
Chell sighed. "More intruders? Great."

A screen moved out the wall displaying a camera feed of the intruders.
"I'm going to send some turrets." Chell said.
On the screen they would be able to see panels opening in the ceiling and turrets being put onto the ground from claws.

[Kaidou]

Greater Multiverse
Dimension 5
Bonacci Hotel
Lobby

6:50AM

As the sun began to rise, a night having passed since Samuel, Henry, and co. left Bonacci Hotel, massive portals appeared in the lobby, sending hundreds of soldiers clad in Chinese uniforms filing over and pointing their rifles at everybody. Screams erupted from the staff and from the guests, as some of the soldiers opened fire, killing a few people and wounding others.

"All of you, on your knees!" One of the officers screamed, in English. "Unless you want to be shot!!!"

Any sign of opposition from the already subdued hostages was silenced once and for all when Generalissimo Zhou Yu-ke, carrying a Chinese jian, stepped across from one of the portals and, without even turning her head, ran her blade through the throat of an elderly man cowering for his life on the ground, tearing it out with a shower of blood.

Wiping the blood off her sword on the back of a terrified bellboy, Generalissimo Zhou sheathed the blade and rested her hand on it as one of her officers trotted up to her, saluted, and then moved in closer to her.

"That ship over there", he said, pointing at Hex's ship, docked in the massively spacious parking lots further down. "Singh, Yuen, and Nekoma are all in that ship."

"Mmm..."

Generalissimo Zhou looked out at the ship.

"Surround it, and give them an ultimatum to hand over those three. If they don't, blow up the entire hotel, and then ask again."

...

Hex's Ship

"Well, damn me", Nekoma snarled, peeking out of a window in Hex's ship. He had barely tied the unconscious Mvikkogh to a swivel chair and tape-gagged him when the gunshots began ringing from the lobby of Bonacci Hotel nearby. "I have a pretty bad feeling about this whole business."

Singh, who was sitting in the room and staring into blank space, simply sighed.

"You think we should tell the others?"

It was then that the intercom of the ship flashed on, and a robotically encrypted voice spoke.

"I am Colonel Chen Ju of the Chinese Army, Representative of Generalissimo Zhou Yu-ke. We know that you in the ship are harbouring three men by the names of Arjun Singh, Junichi Nekoma, and Yuen Tse-kai. We demand that you hand these people over to us immediately.

"If you do not hand these people over in one hour, Generalissimo Zhou shall give the order to blow up the entire Bonacci Hotel."

...

Lunes' and Tanakamaru's room

"It seems we have unwanted guests in the lobby."

Steffen Lunes, who had hacked into Bonacci Hotel's security camera systems for fun and was watching the security footages to pass time, saw everything that had transpired in the lobby.

"I don't suppose you have a plan to settle that?"

Tanakamaru shrugged.

Lunes shrugged back, and took another ¥‎10,000 banknote from the pile, before proceeding to draw all over Yukichi Fukuzawa's face.

It seemed that, back when Gnausen Aruen had manipulated Lunes' mind, the Senju had wanted to turn Lunes into a mind slave. He had screwed up the brainwashing process, however, and what actually changed was that Lunes had suddenly developed a subconscious and uncontrollable urge to draw faces on banknotes whenever it was convenient. Already, he had defaced ¥‎430,000 worth of banknotes, and didn't seem ready to stop anytime soon.

Not that it mattered; the notes were still legal tender anyway, just rather unpleasant looking. Lunes had, after all, drawn a fair number of penises.

"Satoshi, I don't think we should just laze around in here. We need to find a way to get those bastards out of the lobby, even if Mera's not here yet." Lunes continued watching the security footage, while simultaneously drawing anime eyes on Fukuzawa's face on a 44th banknote. "Soon, they might come for us. You never know."

"We need weapons", Tanakamaru replied succinctly.

"Indeed, we do", said Lunes. "As it turns out, though, I've got a portal device right here, so I think I've got a plan. It involves lots and lots of cigarettes."

...

[Prusselanden]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

Cain once more shrugged. "It was just a thought but now you all know that if we need to forge something we can." The old sorcerer began to drink from his mug. Strange was going to ask how Henry can have so much mo ey but decided not to, he had a feeling it would be a bizarre tale that would give him a headache trying to figure out how half of it made sense.

When the group got up and walked to the umberalla rack Strange took a red one and open it to check on the umberalla, Cain got a white one and he too checked on his. "Why does that say condom?" The sorcerer supreme sighed at what he thought was an immature joke.

Eventually the group reached the inn and while he had heard it being called seedy it didn't look to shabby, though the peeling wallpapers and graffiti prevented Strange from calling it a nice place. Seeing how the worker was only reinforced that the establishment they are on was questionable.

Cain looked at the place, wondering if the inn was a tavern at one point in its existence. Eventually Henry began to talk with the innkeeper and as he tried to negotiate with the man the two mages stayed with a group at a table. Eventually they got their rooms and Strange congratulate Henry on getting the man to accept the group inside his building.

The group would move deep into the building and at first nothing was amiss but soon they found a man who was a me,bet of the Yakuza. "Whatever compliments I had about the place are now rendered moot." Strange muttered to himself.

Thankfully the man did nothing to them as they quickly enter their rooms. When Akita Jr asked them if they have anything for him both Strange and Cain got up. "We will like to help you."

"Help me?" Akita reeled back slightly at Strange and Cain's proposition as he sat down cross legged on the surprisingly clean carpeted floor, having taken his shoes off and left them outside. "Well, I suppose we could have some extra hands at the restaurant, but... what do you mean?"

...

Ackerman caught xer key and went to xer room. But before xe did, xe nodded in thanks to Henry.
"Danke."
Xe watched the Yakuza member with interest as xe walked down the hallway. Despite having visited Japan before, xe had never encountered Yakuza before.
"...eto...konbanwa?"
..Did you just firkin' address him? Cold sweat started to form down xer back and xer hackles rose nervously, realizing what xe just did.
Meanwhile, Frederick sat down and shook his head.
"Anyways, I'm to tired to question anyone."

Thankfully for Ackerman, the yakuza didn't seem to mind what xe had just done. He merely stopped, nodded, uttered a quiet "konbanwa" in return, and then went off down the corridor.

But not before flashing the emblem and the text embroidered into his black kimono, as if to show Ackerman just who he really was.

上田組
Ueda yakuza clan

...

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere (elsewhere)

Three Hours Ago...

"Damn it, it's night already."

Rinjirō Sakakibara and the ten Kuroomasu Clan yakuza he had hired had come into the Manichean Plane the same way that the seven travellers had; through Conway's door in the hotel. Unlike Henry, Rinjirō wasn't a wanderer, and found the door entirely through navigation and by intimidating people along the way, forcing them into giving him directions. Conway, too, wasn't particularly fond of the eleven men who had gathered in his room, but given that they weren't Chimaera or any of the other blacklisted groups, had no choice but to let them through.

Now, standing in the colourful world where the light of the sun had given way to the soft glow of the planet's nine moons and the bioluminescent plants, the 50 year old Rinjirō cocked his head, placing a cigarette into his mouth and keeping his hand on his katana hilt, as he and the ten mafia warriors he had brought along slowly began to walk towards the little village in the distance.

"Tenkū Kakehashi is not going to run any longer."

...

Ackerman saw the symbol as xer hairs now stood rigidly on xer neck. Xe turned and walked down the hall quickly, reaching xer room and shutting the door behind xer.
That was...interesting...my first encounter with Yakuza.
Xe floppes down on xer bed and aighed a contented sigh.
Ackerman took out the picture of Dorian gray and curled up under the covers, reading intently.

Frederick, meanwhile, sat down on a mat in the suite, looking outside a window, staring at the snow as if in a trance.
His reddish gray hair hung loosely in a ponytail, dripping down his shoulder.
War raged behind his gray eyes.

[Aeternabilis]

Project X Headquarters; Tokyo, Japan

The Constellation heroes raced out to the courtyard with Agent Tyrane, and were immediately overwhelmed by what they saw. They had never faced anything this strong, anything with the power to vaporize skyscrapers with a single attack. They had only faced petty criminals, a mad scientist without funding, and a lone girl with mind control before. This level of power was completely unprecedented where they came from. Every one of them knew they were way out of their league, and they were afraid. But none of them faltered.

Ann hastily put on the metal accessories Tenno handed out and impatiently ran into the newly-decloaked ship, eager to start the attack. Marcus pulled his hood up and glimpsed into the future, desperate to find a potential plan that would allow them to finish the fight quickly and with minimum casualties. Alex looked at her GPS again, only to be saddened by the sight of a downed pilot and her friend's attempts to save her, while Ivan fastened on his body armor and began helping his comrades equip theirs. Joshua did nothing but let his fear give way to anger; anybody looking at him would noticed him get significantly larger in both height and muscle size, and everybody save the other mutants and the Ivara warframe would start to feel the terror wave produced by his mutant body. All of Constellation prepared for the fight in their individual ways, and all prepared to fight with their allies as a team.

[Mundeo]

Brasília

"I don't know" James said matter-of-factly, looking down at the street below. "I didn't know where I was going. I usually focus on a certain universe's signature, so I guess this place had a big enough signature, and it drew me here"

Perhaps it was fate, but it was soon revealed that it was actually destiny. When the man appeared, James turned around as well, and instinctively pulled out his sonic pen: now he was threatening a man with half of a pen that can do absolutely nothing. Way to be intimidating, James. Despite his sudden and rather suspicious appearance, the man brought them a gift: the spear of destiny. Aftere trying and failing so hard to find it, it was just given to them. James wasn't going to complain.

"Convenience. I can apreciate that. Thanks" The Halfblood said before the man explained the reason why he gave them the spear: to find an even more powerful weapon.

"I'm listening..." James said, leaning in. What they were to help this man find was the sword of the creator. Quite the powerful weapon, it seemed, if this man's word was anything to go off of. The more he listened, the more excited the Halfblood became.

An actual quest through an unfamiliar world? Awesome.

Said quest being the search for an all-powerful weapon? Really awesome.

The fact that because he needs a weapon, the spear, and eventually the sword will belong to him? Hell yes.

"We're in!" James blurted out. "I mean- where will we start?"

[Gurori]

Space to Celestial Body

Drifting through the void by it's lonesome, a round shell-like object of the sorts the size of a car that could be seen as means of protection from the absolute zero temperature. It began to approach a celestial body, and slowly began to speed up due to it's gravitational field. Soon it made it's descent into the atmosphere, where the first layer of the shell would begin to peel away from the sheer heat from entry.

The shell completed atmospheric entry, now reduced to two layers. It was headed towards land, now would be the time for the second layer to cushion a crash landing and it did so as the shell slammed into the ground, bouncing off it and proceeding to roll until it came to a stop. There, the last layer would be left...

But then the last layer of shell split open, revealing an obscure creature. It slithered across the ground slowly and headed towards the closest source of energy to feed on... A nearby nuclear power plant.

[Forever Neutral]

<< DIMENSION 005 >>
HEX'S SHIP

Aayla looked out of a nearby window, then at the unconscious hostage that was now bound to a chair. This was one of those times when she felt like the smartest one in the room, as the new antagonist club that showed up threatened to blow up the hotel. No, she didn't doubt their sincerity or depravity, but she did doubt their intellect. "That Colonel isn't a thinking one, is he?" She turned to address the group, specifically, the three that were politely requested by the Chinese forces in the hotel. "For them to destroy the hotel, they'd have to leave through whatever portal they came from. And by doing that we'd be in the clear to jump through a portal of our own, with this ship. It'd be a wild goose chase until they somehow scour the universe until they find us again. Even then, I'm sure the handful of us can take on mundanes with guns, especially if we link up with my friends."

At the same time, she felt a little bit conflicted with the loss of life that would follow. She didn't doubt for a second that they were above 'sending a message'; she knew that type all too well. Perhaps they could be reasoned with?

"What do those soldiers want with you three?"

[Kaidou]

Greater Multiverse
Dimension 5
Bonacci Hotel
Hex's Ship

<< DIMENSION 005 >>
HEX'S SHIP

Aayla looked out of a nearby window, then at the unconscious hostage that was now bound to a chair. This was one of those times when she felt like the smartest one in the room, as the new antagonist club that showed up threatened to blow up the hotel. No, she didn't doubt their sincerity or depravity, but she did doubt their intellect. "That Colonel isn't a thinking one, is he?" She turned to address the group, specifically, the three that were politely requested by the Chinese forces in the hotel. "For them to destroy the hotel, they'd have to leave through whatever portal they came from. And by doing that we'd be in the clear to jump through a portal of our own, with this ship. It'd be a wild goose chase until they somehow scour the universe until they find us again. Even then, I'm sure the handful of us can take on mundanes with guns, especially if we link up with my friends."

At the same time, she felt a little bit conflicted with the loss of life that would follow. She didn't doubt for a second that they were above 'sending a message'; she knew that type all too well. Perhaps they could be reasoned with?

"What do those soldiers want with you three?"

"I don't really know", Nekoma replied with a tinge of irritation in his voice at the sticky situation they had just ended up in, "but I have this feeling that it's got something to do with us revealing the Manju's identity."

"Gentlemen."

That moment, the door to the room of the ship was opened, and Yuen Tse-kai stepped in, clutching a smartphone.

"Alvin Crawford is dead", he said. "He was killed by General Takekai Sangū of the Japanese Army. His successor is the Bloodthirsty Sorcerer, Tajurai Revik Ohm."

"Well, that makes things a lot messier." Nekoma grinned sarcastically, leaning on the window sill and looking out at the soldiers who were marching out of the hotel with their rifles, surrounding the ship. Simultaneously, other soldiers were beginning to climb up the walls of the hotel, carrying packets of what looked like plastic explosives. "Let's hope those idiots in the Manichean Plane can open up the portal quickly."

"Time passes slightly faster there, from the little I know", Singh explained, "so that's to our advantage."

"Wait, who are those soldiers?"

"The Chinese Army, led by Generalissimo Zhou Yu-ke", Nekoma replied. "They want me, you, and Singh, and they're planning to blow up the hotel if we don't end up with them in an hour. Which, as Hex pointed out, is a stupid idea, because her men-"

"What makes you think the Generalissimo isn't planning to blow up her own men too?!"

The room fell silent.

"If there's one thing you should all know about Zhou Yu-ke", Yuen continued, his voice taking on a dark tone, "it's that you do not ever underestimate the depths of depravity that she can reach. I can bet everything I have that she knows fully well that her men have to die, and I have no doubts that she's fully okay with that."

"But the men..."

"They're willing to die for her." Nekoma flicked his head to get his fringe out of his eyes. "They've been thoroughly brainwashed by that witch."

"Well..."

...

[Kaidou]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

Ackerman saw the symbol as xer hairs now stood rigidly on xer neck. Xe turned and walked down the hall quickly, reaching xer room and shutting the door behind xer.
That was...interesting...my first encounter with Yakuza.
Xe floppes down on xer bed and aighed a contented sigh.
Ackerman took out the picture of Dorian gray and curled up under the covers, reading intently.

Frederick, meanwhile, sat down on a mat in the suite, looking outside a window, staring at the snow as if in a trance.
His reddish gray hair hung loosely in a ponytail, dripping down his shoulder.
War raged behind his gray eyes.

"If you guys don't mind", said Henry, standing up and putting on his coat, "I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

"Sure, go ahead."

The golden haired, orange skinned man headed for the door, went down the stairs, and then stepped out the door of the inn, into the cool porch, where he took a seat on the one chair laying about for no particular reason. The snow had lessened to a faint misty precipitation, and the sky was now completely dark, the streets illuminated only by the street lamps.

"Ahhh..."

Smiling to himself, Henry leaned back in the chair, taking care not to upset his elaborate hairdo, before closing his eyes and breathing deeply...

"Yasutei, eh..."

Henry's eyes flicked open once again.

Isn't that the name of the Akitas' restaurant???

Eleven men were walking down the pedestrian path, ten of them brandishing swords. The ones with the swords were all dressed in kimono, the exposed parts of their bodies sporting elaborate irezumi tattoos. The eleventh man, on the other hand, was dressed in a bespoke suit, and had a pistol tucked into his belt. He, it seemed, was the commander.

"Here's what we do", said the man in the suit in a hushed voice (but still loud enough for Henry to hear, for they had evidently not noticed him). "We go in, and we kill everybody. Then we see who they are."

The yakuza closest to him nodded, and the rest silently followed, as they walked down the street.

"Holy crap! Holy crap!"

Henry tipped the chair over and leapt to his feet, charging back into the inn, up the stairs, and then back to the room.

"Guys! Guys! There's some yakuza outside! They're headed to Yasutei! They wanna massacre everybody! We've got a yuuuuge problem!!!"

Akita Jr's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding."

"No!"

Without waiting for anyone, the boy hurriedly leapt to his feet and charged out the door so fast that he crashed into the wall. He recovered and, clutching his shoulder, ran down the stairs.

"I'm going too", said Samuel lazily, picking up his cello case and slinging it across his chest, before heading out the door too. "Anybody else wanna come along?"

"I'll stay behind and defend the money", said Henry.

"Coward", Samuel mocked jokingly, before heading down the stairs.

...

[Petrokovia]

Project X Japan Headquarters

Bloodfyre put on the metal accessories Tenno gave him, mindful that they would not conflict with his armor. He then ran to the ship; He moved with great purpose, and was far faster and more agile than would be expected of an armor-clad man in his forties, a result of an extremely strict training regimen and a healthy diet.

Bloodfyre, determination in his expression, nodded to Tenno, then to the other heroes.
"None who shall selfishly take others' lives shall see their goals through, and shall instead perish. It is my belief, and I shall not turn my back on any innocents, even those unknown to myself."

Chase and Terrell looked at the small group at the transport.
"Good luck, and please hurry." Chase Tyrane said, an urgency in his voice.

Tadayoshi's reports were right... A single volley from one of his ships took out several city blocks... Agent Anthony thought to himself. As one of the strongest amplificatae in Project X, he could topple a multiple story house, but the power to instantly vaporize a skyscraper and demolish an entire city block with a single beam was far beyond what he had imagined. He had heard stories of Cornerian warships that could destroy a planet (thus necessitating planetary shields), but the magnitude of power the terrifying warships of various space factions truly held never dawned on him.

Terrell snapped himself out of his daze, and turned to the remaining heroes
"Okay, essentially, the game plan is to get into Wilfre's ship, and destroy it from the inside. If we can do that without actually engaging Wilfre, that would be ideal-reports indicate he may have reality warping abilities... And fighting him would be bad. Very bad. So, we'll find the power plant in his ship, destroy it, and teleport back out before the ship explodes. I've just recieved word that Tadayoshi and the Ockham's Razor-a warship on our side-has arrived, and is protecting Tokyo from Wilfre's main ship. as long as Tadayoshi engages Wilfre directly, he'll be detracted, which will give us some time to get in and out."

Tyrane spoke, finishing the summary.
"After that, the rest of his fleet will fall. Apparently, whatever he creates is only active as long as he is controlling it, so if he dies, so does his fleet."

---

Ockham's Razor

"Well, Petro isn't speaking directly to me... Not anymore, anyway. I can't communicate with him. I could a while back for a brief time, which is how I found out. Miku can talk to him, though."
"Yes, but he doesn't say much..."

Gold caught the medical kit, and passed out medicine to all of his Pokemon.
"Thanks, Iris."
"Uh... Yeah." Ty turned to Gold. "That reminds me, we really need to get to a Pokemart sometime soon."

"Wait... What's Game Freak?" Muffet asked, seeing as the company never existed in her universe. "What do they do?"
"Make games." Tadayoshi blurted out in a rushed manner, as the shields were heavily bombarded. It was obvious from his tone of voice that he was scolding Muffet that the battle at hand was more important than what a company in a different universe did.

"Saturation at 10%."
"Already?"
"From my calculations, he's increased his main weapons to 85% capacity to try to saturate our shields more quickly."

Marguerite looked at the radar, seeing clusters of unknown flying objects (in fact, they were the phoenixes Wilfre created), but then saw Miyu's arwing at a standstill on the ground.
That's strange... and where's Fay? she wondered.
"Miku, teleport me to the ground. I'll be back soon."
"Okay. Good luck."
"Did you see something?" Tadayoshi asked. "There's no cover out there..."
"Yes, I'll be fine. Wilfre's too busy with the skies to care about the ground."

With that, Miku teleported Marguerite to the snowy ground below.
Oh, jeez, I should have brought a coat... she thought. No time to go back, though...
Marguerite arrived to where Miyu was kneeling, and saw Fay lying in a patch of red snow.
"Oh... my..." she said. "I'm sorry."
Miyu glanced up, seeing Marguerite standing behind her.
"We can retrieve her after the battle... But, we need you now."

Miyu stared at Marguerite, unresponsive.
"Can we count on you now?"

After a moment, Miyu nodded. She spoke, but her voice still quavered slightly.
"Yes. I'll go back up."

She walked to her arwing, brushing snow off of her jacket. While it booted up, Miyu took the time to calm her nerves and regain her composure. Soon, Miyu's arwing was back in the air.

Marguerite looked down to Fay for a moment, sad for the fate of a coworker of six years. Her thoughts were interrupted by the noise of several AFVs and APCs coming from over the horizon; The Japanese Self Defense Force had dispatched several anti-air units to aid in the fight. Marguerite ran out and flagged down one of the support trucks with her arms, and had them take Fay away from the battlefield. Afterword, the commander of the dispatch force approached Marguerite.

"Ma'am, I'd appreciate it if you didn't divert my men from their duties." he said in a rather thick accent.
"So, we shouldn't remove the dead, to pay respects later?"
"My job is to make sure there aren't more bodies to remove. It gets more difficult with fewer guns firing. And sorry if I don't have your bias for whoever that is."
Marguerite scowled at the stranger before her.
"What's your rank?"
"OF-1, First Lieutenant." he said proudly, slightly maneuvering his body to show a bar with two stars on his uniform."
"I'm taking over, effective immediately."
"What?"
Marguerite held out her Project X badge, which showed her I.D. and the insignia of a Captain in Project X.
"I know the opponent better anyway. Dismissed."

The soldier briskly walked away, angrily muttering something incomprehensible.

Marguerite opened communications with the Ockham's Razor through her two-way radio.
"Slight change of plans. I'll be leading the ground-based anti-air campaign."

"That's great to hear." Tadayoshi spoke back. He turned to the rest of the crew. "So, I've come up with a plan."
He looked at Gold, Ty, and Iris.
"The Pokemon trainers should go on top of the ship-There's a roof airlock not too far away, just outside of the bridge. It's windy out there, but we're staying put. If we need to move, we'll notify you so you can fly with your Pokemon. You guys will aid in protecting the ship from Wilfre's fighters, and if you can, send some blasts his way, too."

Tadayoshi turned to Muffet and Simon.
"Miku can take care of the ship on a wide scale, but because the Ockham's Razor is so big, it's difficult to manage alone, even for her. We'll be helping her run things here. In addition, I'm sure Wilfre will attempt to board the ship-After all, he'd rather turn this ship into his own weapon rather than waste its resources. If and when this happens, we'll be defending the ship."

Simon placed a hand on his crown.
Here that, uh... Me?
"Yes, Simon. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready."

Muffet got up from the chair. In all honestly, she wasn't in the best shape for a battle, but she was willing to fight.

Tadayoshi looked around at his crew, and nodded.
"Let's roll."

With that, the Ockham's Razor's weapons opened fire, hundreds of offensive weapons fire slamming into the shields of Azalea not too far away. Gold and Ty ran out of the bridge, and climbed up a ladder and through the airlock. Gold quickly put on his aviation goggles to protect his eyes from the rushing wind; Ty was unaffected.

[Prusselanden]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

Ackerman saw the symbol as xer hairs now stood rigidly on xer neck. Xe turned and walked down the hall quickly, reaching xer room and shutting the door behind xer.
That was...interesting...my first encounter with Yakuza.
Xe floppes down on xer bed and aighed a contented sigh.
Ackerman took out the picture of Dorian gray and curled up under the covers, reading intently.

Frederick, meanwhile, sat down on a mat in the suite, looking outside a window, staring at the snow as if in a trance.
His reddish gray hair hung loosely in a ponytail, dripping down his shoulder.
War raged behind his gray eyes.

"If you guys don't mind", said Henry, standing up and putting on his coat, "I'm gonna go get some fresh air."

"Sure, go ahead."

The golden haired, orange skinned man headed for the door, went down the stairs, and then stepped out the door of the inn, into the cool porch, where he took a seat on the one chair laying about for no particular reason. The snow had lessened to a faint misty precipitation, and the sky was now completely dark, the streets illuminated only by the street lamps.

"Ahhh..."

Smiling to himself, Henry leaned back in the chair, taking care not to upset his elaborate hairdo, before closing his eyes and breathing deeply...

"Yasutei, eh..."

Henry's eyes flicked open once again.

Isn't that the name of the Akitas' restaurant???

Eleven men were walking down the pedestrian path, ten of them brandishing swords. The ones with the swords were all dressed in kimono, the exposed parts of their bodies sporting elaborate irezumi tattoos. The eleventh man, on the other hand, was dressed in a bespoke suit, and had a pistol tucked into his belt. He, it seemed, was the commander.

"Here's what we do", said the man in the suit in a hushed voice (but still loud enough for Henry to hear, for they had evidently not noticed him). "We go in, and we kill everybody. Then we see who they are."

The yakuza closest to him nodded, and the rest silently followed, as they walked down the street.

"Holy crap! Holy crap!"

Henry tipped the chair over and leapt to his feet, charging back into the inn, up the stairs, and then back to the room.

"Guys! Guys! There's some yakuza outside! They're headed to Yasutei! They wanna massacre everybody! We've got a yuuuuge problem!!!"

Akita Jr's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding."

"No!"

Without waiting for anyone, the boy hurriedly leapt to his feet and charged out the door so fast that he crashed into the wall. He recovered and, clutching his shoulder, ran down the stairs.

"I'm going too", said Samuel lazily, picking up his cello case and slinging it across his chest, before heading out the door too. "Anybody else wanna come along?"

"I'll stay behind and defend the money", said Henry.

"Coward", Samuel mocked jokingly, before heading down the stairs.

...

Fred followed Samuel silently, brandishing his cane. He had put his wig back on. "I guess I need some Excercise to stretch out this old body of mine."

Ackerman opened xer eyes suddenly and put on xer clothes, and loaded xer firearms. Xe didn't know what happened, but something was off. Xe silently walked out of xer room and made it back to the cafe before the others. Xe approached the Yakuza.
"..Ch-choto, mate..."

[Kaidou]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

Ackerman opened xer eyes suddenly and put on xer clothes, and loaded xer firearms. Xe didn't know what happened, but something was off. Xe silently walked out of xer room and made it back to the cafe before the others. Xe approached the Yakuza.
"..Ch-choto, mate..."

"Ah, you're back."

"Hmm?" The yakuza whom Ackerman had met earlier had, for some reason, had gone to the cafe too, and was being waited on by Akita Sr. He turned his head to face Ackerman.

"Nihongo o wakarimasuka?" he asked. Then, sipping at his tea while simultaneously reading the menu, he added, "I speak English too, just in case. By any chance, are you here to tell me about the Kuroomasu yakuza who are approaching?"

"Kuroomasu yakuza?" Akita Sr's face suddenly lost its cheerful demeanour. "What are they doing here?"

"No time to explain", said the yakuza at the table, as he laid one hand on his katana's hilt, turning his head to face Ackerman. "But perhaps you know?"

...

[Prusselanden]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

Ackerman opened xer eyes suddenly and put on xer clothes, and loaded xer firearms. Xe didn't know what happened, but something was off. Xe silently walked out of xer room and made it back to the cafe before the others. Xe approached the Yakuza.
"..Ch-choto, mate..."

"Ah, you're back."

"Hmm?" The yakuza whom Ackerman had met earlier had, for some reason, had gone to the cafe too, and was being waited on by Akita Sr. He turned his head to face Ackerman.

"Nihongo o wakarimasuka?" he asked. Then, sipping at his tea while simultaneously reading the menu, he added, "I speak English too, just in case. By any chance, are you here to tell me about the Kuroomasu yakuza who are approaching?"

"Kuroomasu yakuza?" Akita Sr's face suddenly lost its cheerful demeanour. "What are they doing here?"

"No time to explain", said the yakuza at the table, as he laid one hand on his katana's hilt, turning his head to face Ackerman. "But perhaps you know?"

...

"Iye, Atashiwa Puroisen jin desu. I can also speak English. A bunch of Yakuza are outside, saying they'll kill everyone in here." Ackerman was nearly breathless from running. "You're in danger, Akita-san. We need to get you and the customers out of here." Xe said to Akita Sr. Xe then turned back to the Yakuza, fiddling with xer sleeve.
"You know those guys ourside?"

[Kaidou]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

"Iye, Atashiwa Puroisen jin desu. I can also speak English. A bunch of Yakuza are outside, saying they'll kill everyone in here." Ackerman was nearly breathless from running. "You're in danger, Akita-san. We need to get you and the customers out of here." Xe said to Akita Sr. Xe then turned back to the Yakuza, fiddling with xer sleeve.
"You know those guys ourside?"

"People coming to kill me..." Akita Sr sighed. Then, under his breath, he added, "I knew this day would come."

"I do, in fact, know them", said the yakuza to Ackerman. "They're from the Kuroomasu yakuza, which is an enemy of our group. I'm a member of the Ueda-gumi Yakuza. My father is the kumichō of the Ueda-gumi." He shook his head disapprovingly. "Why they've got a bone to pick with Akita here is something beyond-"

Before he could complete his sentence, the door of the restaurant was kicked down, and the man in the bespoke suit stepped in, forcefully spitting out his cigarette and withdrawing his pistol, which he pointed at Akita Sr's head. The ten yakuza who had followed him stepped into the restaurant and brandished their swords for the three inside to see.

"Rinjirō Sakakibara", Akita Sr muttered under his breath.

"Konbanwa, Akita Sora", Rinjirō replied. Then, he added, "Or, should I call you Prince Tenkū Kakehashi? Perhaps you might be familiar with that name? And look here! We've got someone else too!"

The yakuza whom Ackerman had met stood up and drew his katana, the blade of which was tempered titanium engraved with phoenixes and anodised a brilliant red.

Yakuza
Tōru Ueda
上田　透
Shatei of the Ueda-gumi Yakuza
上田組ヤクザの舎弟
Second son of Keizō Ueda
上田慶三の次男

"Who would have expected us to pick up two big bads here?" Rinjirō chuckled. "Lord Ryūsuke Asano will be pleased."

It was then that the others who had charged out of the room earlier ended up outside the restaurant. Samuel, Akita Jr, and Frederick, all standing just outside and watching the spectacle unfold inside the restaurant. Akita Jr was about to cry out to his father, but Samuel grabbed him from behind and clamped his hand over his mouth.

Akita Sr, too, stood there and cast his gaze upon the three outside, making eye contact with his son and smiling.

"It seems", he said to Rinjirō Sakakibara, "that I can't run forever, can I?"

"You will die today, Tenkū Kakehashi", Rinjirō replied. "What Gōmasa Hayashi couldn't do, I will do!"

Rinjirō let loose a bullet, but before he could even hit the old man, Akita Sr ducked beneath the counter, and emerged with a katana, the bullet hitting the wall. With surprising agility for a 53 year old man, Akita Sr leapt across the counter and slashed Rinjirō's pistol straight out of his hand.

At the same time, Ueda, with a fearsome roar, charged forward and slashed the belly of one of the rival yakuza, sending blood splattering all over the floor as the man dropped his katana and collapsed onto the ground face down, much to the shock of the others. They all brandished their weapons, however, and charged for Ueda, Ackerman, and Akita.

"Now's our chance!" Samuel shouted. "Let's get those bastards!"

[Prusselanden]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

"Iye, Atashiwa Puroisen jin desu. I can also speak English. A bunch of Yakuza are outside, saying they'll kill everyone in here." Ackerman was nearly breathless from running. "You're in danger, Akita-san. We need to get you and the customers out of here." Xe said to Akita Sr. Xe then turned back to the Yakuza, fiddling with xer sleeve.
"You know those guys ourside?"

"People coming to kill me..." Akita Sr sighed. Then, under his breath, he added, "I knew this day would come."

"I do, in fact, know them", said the yakuza to Ackerman. "They're from the Kuroomasu yakuza, which is an enemy of our group. I'm a member of the Ueda-gumi Yakuza. My father is the kumichō of the Ueda-gumi." He shook his head disapprovingly. "Why they've got a bone to pick with Akita here is something beyond-"

Before he could complete his sentence, the door of the restaurant was kicked down, and the man in the bespoke suit stepped in, forcefully spitting out his cigarette and withdrawing his pistol, which he pointed at Akita Sr's head. The ten yakuza who had followed him stepped into the restaurant and brandished their swords for the three inside to see.

"Rinjirō Sakakibara", Akita Sr muttered under his breath.

"Konbanwa, Akita Sora", Rinjirō replied. Then, he added, "Or, should I call you Prince Tenkū Kakehashi? Perhaps you might be familiar with that name? And look here! We've got someone else too!"

The yakuza whom Ackerman had met stood up and drew his katana, the blade of which was tempered titanium engraved with phoenixes and anodised a brilliant red.

Yakuza
Tōru Ueda
上田　透
Shatei of the Ueda-gumi Yakuza
上田組ヤクザの舎弟
Second son of Keizō Ueda
上田慶三の次男

"Who would have expected us to pick up two big bads here?" Rinjirō chuckled. "Lord Ryūsuke Asano will be pleased."

It was then that the others who had charged out of the room earlier ended up outside the restaurant. Samuel, Akita Jr, and Frederick, all standing just outside and watching the spectacle unfold inside the restaurant. Akita Jr was about to cry out to his father, but Samuel grabbed him from behind and clamped his hand over his mouth.

Akita Sr, too, stood there and cast his gaze upon the three outside, making eye contact with his son and smiling.

"It seems", he said to Rinjirō Sakakibara, "that I can't run forever, can I?"

"You will die today, Tenkū Kakehashi", Rinjirō replied. "What Gōmasa Hayashi couldn't do, I will do!"

Rinjirō let loose a bullet, but before he could even hit the old man, Akita Sr ducked beneath the counter, and emerged with a katana, the bullet hitting the wall. With surprising agility for a 53 year old man, Akita Sr leapt across the counter and slashed Rinjirō's pistol straight out of his hand.

At the same time, Ueda, with a fearsome roar, charged forward and slashed the belly of one of the rival yakuza, sending blood splattering all over the floor as the man dropped his katana and collapsed onto the ground face down, much to the shock of the others. They all brandished their weapons, however, and charged for Ueda, Ackerman, and Akita.

"Now's our chance!" Samuel shouted. "Let's get those bastards!"

Ackerman didged one blow and stabbed the yakuza in the shoulder, another in the hand with a concealed bayonet in xir sleeve. Xe took out a Luger and then began to spray bullets at the enemy, especially the ones near Akita Sr. Xe ran out of bullets and proceeded to use the butt of the gun to hit the swordsmen like a baseball bat.
Frederick ran in and started to knock out Yakuza with only his legs. Surprisingly, he was a skilled martial artist despite his age. All katana heading at him were neutralized with a swipe of his cane. Fred then took his badge and started to stab his attackers with it.

[Kaidou]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

Yasutei

Ackerman didged one blow and stabbed the yakuza in the shoulder, another in the hand with a concealed bayonet in xir sleeve. Xe took out a Luger and then began to spray bullets at the enemy, especially the ones near Akita Sr. Xe ran out of bullets and proceeded to use the butt of the gun to hit the swordsmen like a baseball bat.
Frederick ran in and started to knock out Yakuza with only his legs. Surprisingly, he was a skilled martial artist despite his age. All katana were neutralized with a swipe of his cane.

"You didn't even leave any for me..." Samuel sardonically remarked to the others, slinging his cello back across his chest after putting it back into its case.

As six of the yakuza lay dead on the ground, the remaining four (one with both hands gone, one with his left leg missing, and two with lost fingers) attempted to crawl out of the room, trying to escape from Ueda. They could not, however, and the rival yakuza boss flicked his katana, slashing through their necks elegantly and leaving more bloodstains on the floor.

Only Rinjirō Sakakibara was alive and unscathed, and even he had been disarmed. As he reeled backwards into a chair, attempting to get away from the warriors, Akita Sr held out his katana, walking over to where the bespoke suited man cowered with a twisted mask of rage.

"Get away from me, Tenkū Kakehashi! You dare to kill the son of Tadashi Sakakibara???"

"I'm not going to kill you", said Akita Sr calmly. With one twist of his wrist, the old restaurant owner flicked his katana, sending the blood on it flying off, staining Sakakibara's suit. Turning to Ueda, he added, "Can you watch him? We may not be working together formally, but I believe he is a common enemy."

Ueda raised two fingers to his forehead.

Then, turning to the rest of the group (in particular, Akita Jr), Akita Sr continued.

"I know, it's complicated. Let's go back to your inn. We have a lot to discuss."

...

Nurie Inn

"Holy shit! You're all covered in blood!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious", said Samuel to Henry, dumping his cello case down on the floor as Frederick, Ackerman, and a rather disturbed looking Akita Jr entered the room, before Akita Sr shut the door behind them and, leaving his shoes on the rack, sat down cross legged in the middle of the suite room.

A brief awkward silence ensued, before Henry, getting what was going on, called for Strange, Cain, and SCP-507 to come over.

"First things first", said Samuel to Akita Sr, "do we call you Sora Akita, or Prince Tenkū Kakehashi?"

A gasp escaped from Henry's lips.

"Are you serious???"

"I am not Tenkū Kakehashi", said Akita Sr. "That is my master; I am only his retainer."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." The old man sighed and took out a sheet of paper from his jacket, along with a pen, with which he used to write on the paper. "My name was originally Saburō Akita."

秋田　三郎

"Then wh-"

"Listen", urged the old man calmly. Henry fell silent once more.

"Eighteen years ago, the Kakehashi Clan's castle was besieged by the forces of General Gōmasa Hayashi, working for Prince Ryūsuke Asano. Prince Tenkū Kakehashi and Prince Ryūsuke Asano were both vying for the favour of the Emperor, for he was looking to replace his chief strategist at the time. As such, Asano saw fit to have Kakehashi eliminated through a feudal war, and decided to head straight for the head of his enemy.

"Now, after several weeks of siege, the castle fell, and Hayashi entered. He killed Kakehashi's entire family, as well as the families of all the retainers, but missed three people; myself, Prince Tenkū Kakehashi himself, and..." Here, Akita Sr. raised his hand and pointed, with his thumb, at Akita Jr, who was beginning to look visibly distraught at whatever his father was explaining.

"Hayashi killed the prince's family?" Samuel asked with a shocked look on his face. "We met him earlier in the Interdimensional Hotel, and he says he spared... um... spared that guy's family."

"He didn't", Akita Sr replied. "I saw him gut them all personally, with a butcher's knife. First he killed Kakehashi's sons, then his daughter, then his wife, who had witnessed all the killings. Then he cut up all the bodies with the knife and threw the parts into a toilet. I saw everything from my hiding place."

"That beast", Henry snarled.

"But the three of us survived. I protected Seishirō from them. Back then, he was just two months old. Then I quietly left the castle, while Hayashi continued trying to find survivors, and I met my lord outside. We escaped to the Manichean Plane through the Second Gateway.

"It was when we landed that things began to get ugly. Kakehashi told me to leave Seishirō behind. He said he was a burden. But I refused."

"That's sick", exclaimed Henry in disgust. "How could he tell you to leave your son behind?"

"Except", said Akita Sr, his voice faltering and trembling, "he wasn't my son; he was Kakehashi's."

Akita Jr's mouth fell open, his eyes widening and his pupils contracting forcefully. "Oi, Dad! What do you mean???"

"I'm serious", Akita Sr replied gravely. "You are Prince Seishirō Kakehashi of the Japanese Empire, fifth son of Prince Tenkū Kakehashi."

Prince
Seishirō Kakehashi
架橋宮世志郎王

"That's a lie!" the boy screamed, pearls of hot tears forming on the edges of his eyes. "That's a lie! I'm not your son?!"

"You are", Akita Sr replied, with a smile. "You weren't always, but you are now."

"No..." Seishirō collapsed onto his knees, clawing at the parquet and gritting his teeth as the tears began to dribble down his cheeks. "This is some sort of screwed up joke, isn't it?"

"He told me to throw you into a pool and put you to sleep", Akita said, gravely calm, in contrast to the boy's breakdown, which disturbed even Samuel, whose expression betrayed some amount of unease at the bizarre scene. "But I refused. In fact, I flashed him the bird. He told me to screw off and die with the boy. And then he left.

"That moment, almost eighteen years ago, was the last I ever saw of Prince Tenkū Kakehashi. Still, I couldn't bear to simply throw away my allegiance to him just like that. Whether he cared or not, I was still his servant, and I had a duty to protect him and his children.

"So I changed my name. I used the same characters in my name as his, but with a different pronunciation, hoping that if anybody were to come after him, I could at least stall some time for him by creating some confusion. "

Akita wrote on the paper again.

架橋宮天空王
秋田　三郎
秋田　天空

And then I raised his son for him."

The room fell dead silent. The sound of a tear splashing on the floor boomed and echoed through the entire space even as the snow began to fall more heavily outside. The clock on the wall struck 10PM.

"Dad..."

"Son..."

Seishirō sniffled and wiped his eyes. He crawled over miserably to where Akita Sr sat and, without hesitation, buried his face in his chest, sobbing freely before all the others. The old man silently raised his hand and cradled the boy's head, running his fingers through his hair.

"Dad... I don't know what to do..."

Akita Sr smiled.

"Whether they call you Kakekashi Seishirō or Akita Seishirō... to me, you will always be Yocchi."

"..."

It was at that moment that Henry stood up and thrust an accusatory finger into the air.

"I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm not going to sit around and let this go forgotten", he declared very loudly, a tear forming in the corner of his eye even as he put on his loud and manly front. Samuel rolled his eyes. "Yocchi, Mr Akita, I'm going to help set all this straight. I'm going to do whatever we can to give both of you the life you deserve. And I'm going to bomb the shit out of them, the people who ruined your lives. I would just blow up those suckers. Screw Matsushita's money, we-"

"Matsushita?"

"Well... yes", said Henry, suddenly becoming sheepish. "What about..."

"General Shirō Matsushita?"

You stupid Annoying Orange. Look what you've done...

"Perhaps we could come along with you?" Akita Sr said to Henry, with a jovial smile. Seishirō raised his head and looked at Henry, and then at his father. "I know Matsushita personally. He is a very good man."

...

Issue of Tenkū, Prince Kakehashi

Manami, Princess Muto (夢叶宮愛美内親王) AH777 - AH794
Yūichirō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮優一郎王) AH780 - AH794
Shinjirō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮新二郎王) AH784 - AH794
Keizaburō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮計三郎王) AH786 - AH794
Yōshirō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮耀志郎王) AH791 - AH794
Seishirō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮世志郎王) AH794 - present

[Prusselanden]

Manichean Plane
Realm 0
Timere

Yasutei

Ackerman didged one blow and stabbed the yakuza in the shoulder, another in the hand with a concealed bayonet in xir sleeve. Xe took out a Luger and then began to spray bullets at the enemy, especially the ones near Akita Sr. Xe ran out of bullets and proceeded to use the butt of the gun to hit the swordsmen like a baseball bat.
Frederick ran in and started to knock out Yakuza with only his legs. Surprisingly, he was a skilled martial artist despite his age. All katana were neutralized with a swipe of his cane.

"You didn't even leave any for me..." Samuel sardonically remarked to the others, slinging his cello back across his chest after putting it back into its case.

As six of the yakuza lay dead on the ground, the remaining four (one with both hands gone, one with his left leg missing, and two with lost fingers) attempted to crawl out of the room, trying to escape from Ueda. They could not, however, and the rival yakuza boss flicked his katana, slashing through their necks elegantly and leaving more bloodstains on the floor.

Only Rinjirō Sakakibara was alive and unscathed, and even he had been disarmed. As he reeled backwards into a chair, attempting to get away from the warriors, Akita Sr held out his katana, walking over to where the bespoke suited man cowered with a twisted mask of rage.

"Get away from me, Tenkū Kakehashi! You dare to kill the son of Tadashi Sakakibara???"

"I'm not going to kill you", said Akita Sr calmly. With one twist of his wrist, the old restaurant owner flicked his katana, sending the blood on it flying off, staining Sakakibara's suit. Turning to Ueda, he added, "Can you watch him? We may not be working together formally, but I believe he is a common enemy."

Ueda raised two fingers to his forehead.

Then, turning to the rest of the group (in particular, Akita Jr), Akita Sr continued.

"I know, it's complicated. Let's go back to your inn. We have a lot to discuss."

...

Nurie Inn

"Holy shit! You're all covered in blood!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious", said Samuel to Henry, dumping his cello case down on the floor as Frederick, Ackerman, and a rather disturbed looking Akita Jr entered the room, before Akita Sr shut the door behind them and, leaving his shoes on the rack, sat down cross legged in the middle of the suite room.

A brief awkward silence ensued, before Henry, getting what was going on, called for Strange, Cain, and SCP-507 to come over.

"First things first", said Samuel to Akita Sr, "do we call you Sora Akita, or Prince Tenkū Kakehashi?"

A gasp escaped from Henry's lips.

"Are you serious???"

"I am not Tenkū Kakehashi", said Akita Sr. "That is my master; I am only his retainer."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." The old man sighed and took out a sheet of paper from his jacket, along with a pen, with which he used to write on the paper. "My name was originally Saburō Akita."

秋田　三郎

"Then wh-"

"Listen", urged the old man calmly. Henry fell silent once more.

"Eighteen years ago, the Kakehashi Clan's castle was besieged by the forces of General Gōmasa Hayashi, working for Prince Ryūsuke Asano. Prince Tenkū Kakehashi and Prince Ryūsuke Asano were both vying for the favour of the Emperor, for he was looking to replace his chief strategist at the time. As such, Asano saw fit to have Kakehashi eliminated through a feudal war, and decided to head straight for the head of his enemy.

"Now, after several weeks of siege, the castle fell, and Hayashi entered. He killed Kakehashi's entire family, as well as the families of all the retainers, but missed three people; myself, Prince Tenkū Kakehashi himself, and..." Here, Akita Sr. raised his hand and pointed, with his thumb, at Akita Jr, who was beginning to look visibly distraught at whatever his father was explaining.

"Hayashi killed the prince's family?" Samuel asked with a shocked look on his face. "We met him earlier in the Interdimensional Hotel, and he says he spared... um... spared that guy's family."

"He didn't", Akita Sr replied. "I saw him gut them all personally, with a butcher's knife. First he killed Kakehashi's sons, then his daughter, then his wife, who had witnessed all the killings. Then he cut up all the bodies with the knife and threw the parts into a toilet. I saw everything from my hiding place."

"That beast", Henry snarled.

"But the three of us survived. I protected Seishirō from them. Back then, he was just two months old. Then I quietly left the castle, while Hayashi continued trying to find survivors, and I met my lord outside. We escaped to the Manichean Plane through the Second Gateway.

"It was when we landed that things began to get ugly. Kakehashi told me to leave Seishirō behind. He said he was a burden. But I refused."

"That's sick", exclaimed Henry in disgust. "How could he tell you to leave your son behind?"

"Except", said Akita Sr, his voice faltering and trembling, "he wasn't my son; he was Kakehashi's."

Akita Jr's mouth fell open, his eyes widening and his pupils contracting forcefully. "Oi, Dad! What do you mean???"

"I'm serious", Akita Sr replied gravely. "You are Prince Seishirō Kakehashi of the Japanese Empire, fifth son of Prince Tenkū Kakehashi."

Prince
Seishirō Kakehashi
架橋宮世志郎王

"That's a lie!" the boy screamed, pearls of hot tears forming on the edges of his eyes. "That's a lie! I'm not your son?!"

"You are", Akita Sr replied, with a smile. "You weren't always, but you are now."

"No..." Seishirō collapsed onto his knees, clawing at the parquet and gritting his teeth as the tears began to dribble down his cheeks. "This is some sort of screwed up joke, isn't it?"

"He told me to throw you into a pool and put you to sleep", Akita said, gravely calm, in contrast to the boy's breakdown, which disturbed even Samuel, whose expression betrayed some amount of unease at the bizarre scene. "But I refused. In fact, I flashed him the bird. He told me to screw off and die with the boy. And then he left.

"That moment, almost eighteen years ago, was the last I ever saw of Prince Tenkū Kakehashi. Still, I couldn't bear to simply throw away my allegiance to him just like that. Whether he cared or not, I was still his servant, and I had a duty to protect him and his children.

"So I changed my name. I used the same characters in my name as his, but with a different pronunciation, hoping that if anybody were to come after him, I could at least stall some time for him by creating some confusion. "

Akita wrote on the paper again.

架橋宮天空王
秋田　三郎
秋田　天空

And then I raised his son for him."

The room fell dead silent. The sound of a tear splashing on the floor boomed and echoed through the entire space even as the snow began to fall more heavily outside. The clock on the wall struck 10PM.

"Dad..."

"Son..."

Seishirō sniffled and wiped his eyes. He crawled over miserably to where Akita Sr sat and, without hesitation, buried his face in his chest, sobbing freely before all the others. The old man silently raised his hand and cradled the boy's head, running his fingers through his hair.

"Dad... I don't know what to do..."

Akita Sr smiled.

"Whether they call you Kakekashi Seishirō or Akita Seishirō... to me, you will always be Yocchi."

"..."

It was at that moment that Henry stood up and thrust an accusatory finger into the air.

"I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm not going to sit around and let this go forgotten", he declared very loudly, a tear forming in the corner of his eye even as he put on his loud and manly front. Samuel rolled his eyes. "Yocchi, Mr Akita, I'm going to help set all this straight. I'm going to do whatever we can to give both of you the life you deserve. And I'm going to bomb the shit out of them, the people who ruined your lives. I would just blow up those suckers. Screw Matsushita's money, we-"

"Matsushita?"

"Well... yes", said Henry, suddenly becoming sheepish. "What about..."

"General Shirō Matsushita?"

You stupid Annoying Orange. Look what you've done...

"Perhaps we could come along with you?" Akita Sr said to Henry, with a jovial smile. Seishirō raised his head and looked at Henry, and then at his father. "I know Matsushita personally. He is a very good man."

...

Issue of Tenkū, Prince Kakehashi

Manami, Princess Muto (夢叶宮愛美内親王) AH777 - AH794
Yūichirō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮優一郎王) AH780 - AH794
Shinjirō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮新二郎王) AH784 - AH794
Keizaburō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮計三郎王) AH786 - AH794
Yōshirō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮耀志郎王) AH791 - AH794
Seishirō, Prince Kakehashi (架橋宮世志郎王) AH794 - present

Ackerman started to sob as well witnessing the scene. "You two cinnamon rolls! You're such a good Dad, Akita-san." Hot streams started to go down xer face. "I-I agree, we need to help them, ok?"
Fred had been looking a bit longingly at the pair, with a tinge of envy.
"Ackerman, remember our-"
"P-please, sir...."
"...Prussians don't cry..." he replied bluntly. "We can't go on a crazy side-mission."
"Sir..." Xe looked at him and a flash of something occurred between them. Fred sifhed. "Fine."
"Danke." Xe smiled at the others. "Let's go!"