Doomborg

It had been a few minutes since Doomborg agreed to be an ally of the Mon Alliance, and he was making his way to the balconies of his Palace to call forth the masses and give his public address. "Denizens of Pluto! Spirits of the Deceased! Lend me your ears!" Pluto trumpeted with a booming voice to garner the attention of countless billions of souls hulled inside the planet, stretching as far as the eye could see. "Long have you all suffered the unrelenting, bone chilling winds of Pluto! Long have you all starved a thousand deaths! But from henceforth, no longer shall you suffer to this degree ever again! For I have sworn to fight alongside the Mon Alliance! They have promised in exchange to usher in a new era of peace and warmth to Pluto!" Everyone in the vast crowds had their ears perked up the sound of someone saying "warmth', for longer than they can remember, there was nothing for them but darkness and cold. "My citizens! Foods shall be planted and harvested! It will no longer be frozen or cold and draining to eat or drink! For the first time in all time, winter on Pluto, shall become spring! Gone is the age of Ice and Snow! Now begins the age of FIRE!!!" Doomburg then raised Nibelheim up pointing towards the heavens, signaling Moltres to fly out of the Ice Palace, and breath fire over the heads of the lost souls. The fire was just close enough to give them the sensation of warmth which had become so foreign to them, but not too close as to be uncomfortable. It had been so long since these souls saw fire that they forgot even what it looked like.

After a few minutes of circling, the crowd in utter bliss of such feeling and giving their all in applause, Moltres finally returned to the Ice Palace. Doomborg continued. "I, your king, ask only one thing and thing only to make this your new reality, and that is to support the war effort against your new enemy, the Reign of Chaos! Do as I say, and there will be no corner of this new world unlit! No dwelling place for the shadows! No home will be without fire! And your food will never be cold again!" The crowd shouted uproariously in sheer jubilation. These souls who have never smiled since entering this dark and dreary place gave the biggest smiles Doomborg had ever seen. Even though Doomborg knew he didn't have a physical heart and had no nerves, he could feel a sun of love radiating from the core of his very being. For the first time he could ever remember, he cried. He cried tears of solid ice. Fighting the tears and struggling with every fiber of his being, he screamed one last thing, with everything he had. "WHAT SAY YOU!!!?" All that could be heard were a cacophonous sea of yeses, a fervor Doomborg had never before witnessed from his subjects.

With his declaration finally over, he walked back into the Palace, as humble as ever before. There on the left just as he walked in was Taichi, who heard the whole thing and who he turned to. "There.....are no words to say how grateful I am Taichi. I owe you and the Mon Alliance more than I can ever repay." After taking a few more paces forward, wiping his tears from his eye sockets, he spoke. "I'm ready."

@Pirouette @Saint Girralo

The Mage-Knight didn't follow up his shoulder check with another attack, it wasn't really sure why he did so, maybe it was out of a sense of fair play due to the extreme disparity between his opponent and himself? Or caution due to realizing that Roy was an amateur at swordplay, meaning that he's very likely do something dangerous and unpredictable, further exacerbated by his desperation and willingness to die for the mission.

The Knight didn't show it thanks to his helmet, but he regarded the Alchemist before him, even as battered and bruised as he was with genuine respect; at the very least he will honor his memory and sacrifice by not going after his men, not when they were already on the run after that abominable witch's threat and what he had done to the rest of them along with the fact that his Captain needed his help. At Roy's egging on, the Knight fought the urge to scoff at his claim; but still entertained him with a response even as he parries the powerful slash with a seemingly casual swipe of his longsword, which combined with the amount of power Roy put into his slash, would probably make for a very unpleasant sensation on the Alchemist's arm as well as leaving him wide open.

"Agreed, it would be a disservice otherwise."

The time for talk over, the knight makes his move by following up his parry with a quick step forward and preparing to run the officer through with a two-handed thrust of his enchanted blade, but once again; fate decides to ruin his chances at earning glory when he notices a flash of energy from the corner of his eye that was followed up by a far-too-big sword coming down towards his head like the judgement of God. In a superhuman feat of speed, the knight suddenly whips around and with a desperate block, arrests the incoming digital blade just in time with a resounding "CLANG", its edge coming mere millimeters from making contact his helmet and probably making Roy feel a smidgen of schadenfreude at the having Knight feel what he had done to the Alchemist's dominant arm.

Tired of being denied again and again, there was no string of curses and colorful insults to be said to the foolish girl who dared interfere in his fight, just a deafening, rage-filled howl of utter frustration that didn't sound like it could ever come from a Human being. Pushing the blade aside with monstrous strength, the Knight then lunges towards Red, closing the distance in an eyeblink despite the fact that his armor looked like it weighed more than she did in order to make properly utilizing her sword awkward in such close quarters and then attempted to smash her face in with a savage punch from his armored gauntlet; the punch packing enough power to leave a deep, ugly dent on modern tank armor.

---

@Mtntopview @Nightknight

As Optimus broke through the defenders and out into no-man's land, he'd notice something very wrong with the current picture... The rather sizable part of the battlefield he escaped into was eerily silent for what is supposed to be the most hotly contested part of the warzone, empty and full of ash, smoking corpses and piles of cooling slag and lastly, kneeling right in the middle of the bizarre and horrifying spectacle is what seems to be some sort of knight in sliver-gold armor that has seen far better days and whose head and upper body was wreathed in flames yet seemed completely unaffected by his state of immolation, more concerned by the fact that he seemed to be bleeding from his torso, on his side lay a red-hot sword and on the ground surrounding him were the carbon "shadows" of what seemed to be his attackers.

Hearing the roar of Prime's engine, the Knight grabs his sword and using it as a makeshift cane, forces himself to his feet in order to look at what he believed were reinforcements; the moment the flaming warrior realized that the vehicle coming for him was not relief but rather one of the Resistance's most dangerous and talented commanders, Prime could literally taste the man's despair and disbelief as he sinks to one knee and starts grip the handle of his sword so tightly that it shook like a leaf.

@dirty slime@Pirouette

As the Mage-Knight blocked the slash, he could feel the ache radiate through his chest, forcing him to wince in pain. He was about to recover and prepare another to make another attack. But, it appeared no one on either side understood the concept of manners, as another interruption stopped their fight again. This time it was a resistance member who came down hard on his foe. Roy staggered back a few steps startled by he sudden appearance of his ally, and in pain dropped to a knee to steady himself. Taking as deep a breath as his broken ribs would allow, Roy prepared himself to stand back up, spitting out another wad of blood. As he stood up he actually growled at the newcomer, irritated by her interruption.

"Looks like the Reign isn't the only ones who need a lesson in manners." Roy said as he walked toward the wall he had formed earlier.

Though he wasn't bleeding externally, he was well aware of the damage he sustained from the knight would likely be fatal as is. He collapsed against it and spoke into the radio.

"This is Roy Mustang, activate personal emergency beacon. Authorisation code Richard-1-7-Alpha-Kilo-3-Mustang. I need emergency evac." He gasped.

"I don't think I'll be able to finish our duel with this little interruption. You need to learn to knock first." Roy said jokingly as he turned to the newcomer, before looking back at the Mage-Knight. "Also I don't want to know what she'll do to you when she gets back and sees me dead. You remember what she said she'd do if you did right?" He laughed lightly, as the edges of his vision faded slightly.

@Divinity
"Dispel."

Just as Darquesse had been certain her opponent was going to be skewered, her shadows were torn to shreds. No, not exactly. Nothing had actually hit them, or was even really affecting them. But the magic she used to make them solid, to control them, had been.... well, dispelled. That was most certainly odd, and worrying in fact. The only beings she was aware of that could pull stuff like that were the Creatures of the Void, and if this guy was some kind of magic eater... well, there was a reason nobody went down there anymore. But it would be unsightly to run at the first sign of trouble, and this world had different rules after all. Maybe that was all he could do, and she could just pick up a really big non-magical rock and- Oh shit he was flying.

So this guy was able to negate magic AND fly. Well shit. This wasn't going nearly the way Darquesse had imagined, as in her imagination she had crushed the puny mage with her first attack. And it turned out if she wanted to beat this guy she was going to have to get creative. While he flew at her he tried to blind her with the magical equivelant of a lightshow, probably expecting her to flinch. Perhaps magical vision worked differently where he was from, whereby such things would be effective, but as it was Darquesse merely mentally dissected his magic as he cast it, learning more about him with every move he made. It also showed he was aware of her magical vision, as the spells clearly had no effect, useless discharges of magical energy. So he was experienced with fighting mages of her level, a rare thing where she was from. So perhaps she would have to put him in his place.

Utilizing the advantage he believed to have gained, he shot around her at rather impressive speed. But arrogance was the undoing of even the greatest of mages, with the notable exception of herself. As Corban attempted to fly around her he was find himself struck by a sudden blast of shadow as it emerged from Darquesse's back. He'd let down his guard in believing her blind, and the shadow attack would smash him back to Earth with the power of a truck to the face. Corban would find himself smashed into the ground, smashing the stone beneath him as he formed his own little impact crater.

"Thanks"

Darquesse took a moment to purposefully ignore the comm message, before gloating. "So, how's it feel to be the bitchy mage? I mean, all the universe, no MULTIPLE universes, and you had to fight the top dog. Your luck must be so shit." She grinned, shadows moving around her as she summoned an orb of flame in her hand. It burned with enough force to melt through solid metal with relative ease, and she was fairly certain that unless this guy had some sort of supernatural defence, it'd do the same to him. "So, I'm curious about your magic. That could go two ways. You can either fight me, or I could cut up your brain. Either way, you die. So I figured it's fair to let you pick."

Designated Hitters and Relief Pitchers

---

The tin man was surprisingly quick. He managed to turn and guard against Red's strike, which garnered a little notice from the singer. However it was the knight's punch that ended up cementing the whole 'surprisingly quick' notion. The knight was able to sneak his punch through Red's guard as she wasn't ready for such a quick counterattack.

Two important but subtle things happened that prevented that one punch from being the knockout homerun, however. If the knight, through his bloodcurdling rage, was acutely aware of his touch, he would notice that about an inch away from impact an invisible force slowed, but did not stop, his armored fist's momentum. That was Bounce()'s shield breaking, which it was supposed to do as it lessened the damage that Red would take. A slight shimmer would wave out from the point of impact for a brief moment before becoming transparent again. The second thing was as the metal gauntlet continued its path, now slowed, it would hit a second invisible layer just a hair from reaching Red's actual body. Again the same sensation would happen, the punch would slow and another faint glimmer would signify a second shield layer. However, this one did not protect Red from experiencing the force of the fast moving heavy hit, which already was pushing her off her feet and into the air. But finally, the knight's punch would finally hit Red, but at a severely reduced impact, but it still felt like a pretty hard gut punch.

The punch would knock Red back and up into the air a little but she quickly recovered with a use of Jaunt(), teleporting to stop her momentum to land gently on her feet. She hoisted her sword up onto her shoulder and rested for a moment. There was a purpose to this move as a faint whisper muttered from the pulsing blue sword. "Damn, Red. Heavy hitter. Watch yourself. Go easy for a minute, too." It was a code so even if someone had acute hearing, they probably couldn't actually really make sense of it, but to Red, it was the Transistor providing useful data that only a computer could calculate.

Red shot a smirk over to Roy who was now getting comfortable with his commentary. That's why Red was here. A relief pitcher for the home team. After giving Transistor and herself a minute, she went back on the offensive.

She took a few slow steps forward before charging in a full sprint. It was only a farce and when she was just out of reach, she used Jaunt() to teleport three stories above the knight so that it would seem she were trying to land on top of him. She quickly pointed the Transistor down, aiming for the top of the knight's help. The Transistor began to increase in glow as it charged it's Breach() shot, an armor and shield sniper shot of sorts. Once Red was only about a story and a half from the ground, did she fire a thin blue laser from the tip of the Transistor.

With no intentions of continuing her free fall, she would use Jaunt() to teleport nearby regardless of Breach() hitting or not. Her teleportation would put her close to the knight and she would attempt to swing her sword and cut the man in half.

@Pirouette

Snarling angrily at his blow failing to stun his opponent and thus spoiling his chance at slicing her to pieces in a deadly combo attack along with the realization that teleportation wasn't merely an insertion method for the Swordswoman, the Knight quickly readjusts the way he held his longsword to facilitate easier and more powerful thrusts, while his initial plan of attack was to once again rush in and try to get within her guard; Red suddenly charging towards him changes matters. Feeling quite insulted that his foe would charge in after her dishonorable sneak attack, the knight responds in kind in a frenzied surge of violence; his speed, near-bestial aggression and the weight of his footfalls bringing to mind a stampede of Cape Buffalo chasing after a calf-killer.

Moments before the clash however, the interloper teleports yet again, knocking sense back into the rage-clouded mind of the Mage-Knight and causes him to come to a sudden halt; his armored boots digging furrows into the Earth as he comes to a fairly long stop. Looking around him to find the distinctive glow of her blade, the Knight was about to crane his head up until Red's pencil-thin laser lances through the air and drills into his dominant shoulder, earning the swordswoman a very visible hole on the Knight's pauldron that was immediately followed up by a spurt of blood to shoot out of the entrance wound, the result of blood flash-boiling from the laser's intense heat and a pained but very enraged groan the Knight.

Judging from the damage dealt to her opponent, Red was right on the money regarding the Knight having incredibly durable armor and a passive shield, which both were much stronger than she had anticipated when the Knight, in desperation and pain-addled rage, blocks the incoming Transistor sword with his left wrist, the desperate block seemingly did more harm than good as the blade dug a good inch and half-deep through the scorched Vambrace and made the Knight howl in anguish... But it evidently wasn't harmful enough as the Knight immediately retaliated by lashing out with a savage but incredibly swift thrust of his longsword aimed at Red's center of mass.

@Lmpkio@Archmage MC

---

A near miss, no good. The bolt of energy shot past Bayonetta, tearing into the far wall. The compact structure melted away like butter as the high-intensity bolt ripped away its foundation and left naught but a streak of smoothed stone in its terrifying wake. Yzeira caught MC spouting even more nonsensical garbage in his direction, much like the clownish speedster, but kept his focus on Bayonetta as she mocked the speed of his magic. Feh, speed wasn't everything. Agility and trickery were more powerful than anything, if use appropriately with satisfactory resources at your disposal, and fortunately for Yzeira, he was far from lacking.

As Bayonetta bounced around, attempting to trick his eyes no doubt, Yzeira kept tabs on her maneuvers and coated his right hand in a thick film of liquid. With the time she'd wasted trying to complicate her approach, He'd gathered more than enough matter to react accordingly. Yzeira raised his hand in timing with Bayonetta's movements, holding it in front of his chest, palm-outward. Without warning however, her body reached a new speed entirely. Where did that come from? Yzeira tried to adjust for the change, but by the time she was in front of him to attack, he wasn't able to counter with a lethal spell like he'd initially planned. Blast it all. One of the six orbs still surrounding him shifted into a spike from Bayonetta's left as she dashed through the air to strike with her foot elongated. The spike was aimed for her abdomen from below, and used her trajectory against her, aimed to shoot the umbra witch right out of the air with a single precise blow capable of stopping her momentum in its entirety. Still cautious of a follow up, Yzeira used the energy he'd gathered in his right hand to project a thin barrier to prevent any bullet arts from sneaking past his defense. It was created using the same theory as his previous barrier, conserving energy as to prevent projectiles from striking him directly, but he served little use in projecting from larger entities, like Bayonetta herself, and by extension, her foot.

It was a solid strategy, for the moment. If Bayonetta's momentum continued, her body would be subject to significant harm. Yzeira accounted for her bullet arts as well. But what else did she have in her repertoire of abilities? Time could only tell.

@thewizardguy

She was wrong, in fact, but still close.

Corban was not aware of her magical sight, but he pre-empted it; It was incredibly rare that one who absorbed themselves into the arcane would not at least recognize its various flows and states. Experience simply made Corban cautious. Speaking of which, he had also pre-empted that it would have no effect on her. However, for different reasons than the truth.

It was part of his profession and a result of his experience that made him so unnaturally attuned to magic and the complexities and nuances of its principles. This of course extended to free magic. He was more than prepared for her shadow blast.

In fact, he counted on it.

Wide blasts were powerful, but unfocused. With their spread came a simpler diffusion. Speak of wasted energy, sheesh! Just as the viscous shade would bubble and froth forth, two four-foot thick slabs of blue-crusted earth would snake up before and behind him at 135 degree angles in a pyramidal tent shape.
Corban bent low so as to be beneath them when the blast would meet his bulwark.

BOOM!

As blast would meet wall the former would be deflected upward by the shield's angle... But not before a violent explosion would meet the she-mage in the face at point-blank range. Except Corban's explosion was precise. Something hard to achieve with those pesky things.

Call it fate or divine decree, but Corban held total dominion over carbon. Go figure. The carbon rich earth that acted as his shield metabolized the energy erupting from their interaction to facilitate a transmutation, converting the first several layers into diamond-loaded octanitrocubane. Which happens to be the most powerful non-nuclear explosive known to man. The blast would plume outward, though not disseminating into a wide arc, but instead was channeled into a focused wave-beam shape that hid (now)superheated, magically insulated crystals. It would shear and blast the woman, and probably several yards of earth behind her into a quite unseenly mess.

He had effectively used her blast to the face to make an even larger blast to her face! If she still was back there gloating, Corban sure couldn't hear it over the sound of of his molecular beam-buckshot.

As steaming shells collapsed back to the earth the mage would rise from it, leaping backward several yards as he shed the carbon-ore from his flesh all the while into miniscule particulates. His hand still bled evermore bubble-metal.

@Divinity
The wave of shadows smashed into the carbon-plated shield the mage had created, attempted to smash it into the ground as Darquesse gloated. Of course, she wasn't expecting the sudden blast of explosive energy that burst out from the mess of it. The blast was powerful enough to tear through her shadow barrier like a knife through butter, and even punched a hole through her magically enhanced body. She could feel it as her insides were burned to a crisp, a hole easily the size of a basketbal newly formed through her chest. For practically any other being, such a wound would have spelled certain death, but to Darquesse it just meant things were starting to get fun. Her body knit itself together with ease, even the damage from such a blast inconsequential to her.

It seemed it was time for her to test her opponent's magical senses. For as the shadows began to dissipate and Corban emerged from his protective bulwark, she would utillize this time to drop to the ground - and into it. By manipulating the earth around her she formed a tunnel that closed behind her, moving through the earth like a fish through water. It was a little trick she'd learned from Sanguine, although his ability worked slightly differently. Of course, she was unaware of Corban's control of carbon, and it would be rather hard to surpass him in his own element. But for the moment she was hidden from his eyes, testing whether his senses matched hers.

Testing his capabilities, she launched a spire of shadows from the ground, a different location than her own, to attack him. It usually wasn't her style to play hide and seek with her opponents, but this guy was the only one besides Vile to put up a good fight. And she wanted to poke him a bit before she pulled out all the stops. To test him, and his limits. It was like a game, and she was well aware that he had more tricks to explore. To her, this lethal duel between mages was nothing more than another opportunity to explore the world of magic. One that would end rather gruesomely for her opponent, if she got her way.

Designated Hitters and Relief Pitchers II

---

Even though it was expected that Red would be quiet, the Transistor had gone strangely silent among the various calculations and literal assists he provided for his handler. They didn't take a moment to rejoice at the sight of their opponent's blood squirting from his shoulder nor when the Transistor found depth in the knight's wrist.

Since Red now had a sense of the man's surprising speed, the knight's swift retaliation was more recognizable and she was prepared for the sudden bursts of speed. With the knight's thrust, Red leaped with a slight spin in the direction of the Transistor, so she'd be facing the man's wounded wrist. Even when not in a compromised position and prepared for it, the knight's sword still chipped against Red's outer shield, signaling the near miss.

She reached with her free hand to grab the Transistor as she passed by. Now gripping the handle with both hands she used what was left of her momentum to help pull her weapon free from being lodged in the knight's wrist. It came free with a jerk that Red had accounted for and with her weapon now free she swung it around her side and up above her head in one fluid move before bringing it down, aiming to chop the man's forearm clean off right at the elbow.

@dirty slime

@thewizardguy

~No fair! It's another one of those, Ishtalle.~

<Yes. But you have many ways of dealing with it. Adapt.>

Fair enough. Corban was slightly irritated, but not surprised that the enemy had a super healing factor. This was not the first time he had faced one of those. Far from it, in fact. It distinctly brought to mind the last person he faced with a similar ability - the guyver. Though in his case it was a living powered armor macroorganism that functioned like a microorganism armed to the teeth with death cannons aplenty. He'd deal with her in the same way he dealt with him.

~What did you glean from it? I dont think a simple cut will work.~

<Not enough. I'll need to feel her to properly align myself. What have you learned?>

~A lot. I've learned that she doesn't rely on natural shadow to cast them. The sun is high and there aren't trees to cast shade for miles, and the base has been reduced to sunders.~ he began. ~Not to mention how she summoned one from thin air behind me earlier. I've learned of her regenerating factor, and we can deal with that sure enough. Knowledge is power, right?~

<Right.>

Then Darquesse fleeted within the earth, and the mage wasn't fooled for a second out of thinking what she was going to do. She would, like many others who realized Corban would not be moved in close quarters, strafe-fired. Why did they always strafe fire? She would come to find out that the Guardian was at his most dangerous when he stood his ground. While annoying, the payoff was that Corban had gotten supernaly efficient at catching birds in the sky. Or, er, in this case ground.

When she shot her lance of shadow to impale the crimson eyed doctor-mage, he'd pivot on the front of his heel as it passed by with corban spinning just enough out of its path for it to glance -but not cut or pierce- the glittering cloth of his left shoulder. Such was the defense provided by diamond flecks and graphene under layers.

This is where he would trap the bird.

Corban did not need his hands to channel his magic. Enough practice and ingenuity and ones entire body becomes a casting catalyst. Upon physical touch, and in a speed that could dazzle Zeus' bolts, man and blade performed a two-part circuit. Corban raised his blade just out in front of his chest enough to make contact with the shadow, where its first hidden circle would reveal itself. Dispel. Just as Corban learned from Ishtalle, so too did she pick up tricks from him. In the same moment Ishtalle used his body as a conduit to channel a neurological lock-down shock that manifested in a spark of tourmaline yellow. Paralyze.

her spire would be dispelled and used like an electrical wire, channeling the spell not quite as fast as a lightning bolt, but surely not a mile slower along the magical trail like electricity through a circuit, converging upon the woman.

Now for her cage.

Given she was sandwiched between possibly hundreds of pounds of raw carboniferous material(and he had a bead on her by interacting with her shadow), Corban could act even faster and make the crystal prison even denser. It formed around her quickly like a coccoon, several feet thick and completely eutactic. Since she should be stiffer than a mannequin, there would be little hope of escape.

The bubble metal matured in his hand and the once semi-often reflective glints on the wind were now buried inscrutably beneath several inches of soil amongst the chaos. Meanwhile, the shedded metal particles of his Flinch had begun to coalesce around the arm containing the bubble metal. If she was toying with him, shed quickly realize she would be outlasted. Corban had not even drawn his real sword, yet.

Ishtalle blushed. Well, as much as a crystal sword could.

---

Wally West was no stranger to the odd or unusual. He could run at the speed of sound, after all. But few things in life compared to being washed away in a flood of enraged magical chickens. That was most certainly a new one for the young speedster. At first, Kid Flash attempted to merely toss the feathered hooligans to the side, hoping that the move would dissuade them from continuing their assault. But that only succeeded in attracting the attention of even more of the birds. "In what way could this possibly be helpful?!" He raged, striking one of the cuckoos with a swift backhand. Kid made a hasty retreat to the back of the Mess Hall to avoid the pecking, at least temporarily. "Hate magic." He muttered. Wally brought his arms forward and began rotating them at a rapid speed. A pair of vortexes formed and grew out from his whirling limbs. The force of the miniature tornadoes was great enough to send the little beasts flying towards the back of the Executive battling Bayonetta.

A small smirk etched into the hero's face. "How do you like your eggs?" He jokingly asked the RoC member. "Poached?"

Wally shot forward at mach one, a shockwave of air thrown out behind him by the shattering of the sound barrier. Such an intense noise would be nigh deafening up this close; but the location made matters even worse. The relatively tight quarters of the cafeteria would cause the sound waves to bounce off the metal walls and back at the room's occupants with a similar decibel level. The attack would effect enemies and allies alike with equal ferocity. Only those equipped with specialized sonic protection, such as Wally, or no eardrums in general, would be left unharmed by the attack. It was this momentary stun that Kid Flash thought to capitalize on. He was headed straight for Yzeira Yezia's exposed back.

"Or scrambled!"

It was a simple matter for the human bullet to shift his momentum. Wally's feet left the floor and he brought his right knee up to his chest. Once he was within range, the speedster launched his leg into the back of Tezia's knee in a devastating side kick, containing all of the force of a crashing jet in an area the size of a human foot. But Kid Flash knew this enemy was dangerous; it was highly unlikely that his attack would drop the Executive. So Wally danced between the remaining chickens and left a parting gift for the red-clad warrior: a trio of extruciating punches to his kidney, a hasty back elbow to his crotch and a right cross to his extended arm. The last of the speedster's energy was spent tackling Bayonetta out of the way of the energy spike.

The maneuver left the winded vigilante sprawled on the floor mere meters from a likely raging opponent.

@Lmpkio @tex @Archmage MC @Savato

@FacePunch@tex


As Bayonetta unleashes her kick, she shortly found out that an incoming spike was heading straight towards her side, more specfically being her abdomen. She was already heading towards Yzeria way too fast to stop and will certainly get hit. She'd feel that for awhile... if it indeed hit her. Just milliseconds before she can see a yellow flash that managed to beat the void-creation and ultimately take it out for a while. And just at the last second, she was caught in a tackle that managed to move her out of the way. She gasps as she was hit by what to her felt like an airliner! She falls to the floor, rolling several times until ultimately getting on her feet in a spread position, with her right arm on the floor, and the left in the air. With a slightly pained grunt she soon gets up and rapidly looks around for Kid Flash.

"Well," she says as she dusts herself off, "You were certainly quick in saving a 'damsel in distress'. Props off to you lad!"

She then realizes that she needs to return to her required mission! If she doesn't find him soon, she'll certainly loose him! Looking back at Kid Flash she quickly makes an offer.

"Wait! Don't go! Keep him busy, I need to get to the mission at hand!"

And with that, she quickly issues another witch time and speeds off to find him. She's already getting close... and she knows it.

The knight in the clearing would see himself reflected in Optimus Primes grill. Not slowing down, he sped directly at the unknown threat. Regardless, it burdened his spark upon seeing how frightened the knight was at his presence. Although he had long since steeled himself to such fear, he would never allow himself to not feel anything. He would always go out of his way to give them the chance to make the right decision.

Swerving at the last minute, he avoided hitting the warrior by inches. Skidding to a halt meters away, Optimus transformed. Though the knight would not be able to see it through the cloud of sand and dust sent up by the sudden stop, Optimus activated one of his blasters. Slowly aiming it towards his new opponent, the only thing that the enemy would initially see, was the glow of a charging Ion cannon, and the sharp gaze of Optimus Prime's blue optics.

"Leave this battle now, and you will be spared."

He spoke with the tone of authority, when in fact he was truly pleading. He was a gentle being, and loathed taking the lives of any sentient creature. Perhaps he was naïve, but if he gave up on the prospect of redemption, then there would be no hope for peace. He would never lower himself to the level of his enemy. He would never choose the path to darkness, the path Megatron so heavily advertised.

Still aware of the battle, he realized he could not spare too much focus on this one opponent. If his enemy was too slow to answer, then he would simply move to disable him. Though it would be hard considering their size difference, he had no doubts that he would be more than capable of such action. Perhaps they might even gain useful intelligence. Though an incredibly unlikely scenario, it was always possible that even the most seemingly insignificant pieces of information could be the key to unlocking a much greater secret. An ally in place of an enemy would also be beneficial.

@Pirouette

Just like Red, the Knight was more prepared for his opponent now. Having realized that her swordsmanship is much better than he had previously assumed, along with the terrible pain shocking him into clearer thinking out of fear for his life; he ceases to be reckless and starts to actually fight with an actual sense of self-preservation. Seeing the massive energy sword come for his injured arm, the knight shows Red that he wasn't without a knightly shield and holding his left arm out despite the searing pain, he manages to deploy his shield before the blade could fully come down upon his outstretched arm.

"Defenser!"

A bluish-white, rune-encrusted magical circle as wide as a manhole cover abruptly expanding out of his palm, the sword contacting with the magical construct causes the blade to violently bounce back, almost as if the blade was suddenly made of rubber! Rather than try to push his luck, the Mage-knight instead uses his newly made shield as a battering ram and attempts to shove it into Red, while the shield ram wouldn't send her violently flying away like a tennis ball; it would however still feel like getting gored by an angry boar, thankfully minus the tusks.

---

@Mtntopview

The flame knight simply waited for the inevitable collision between him and Optimus Prime, while his armor would endure; the rest of him would not and he only hopes that his organs getting flattened would lead to a quick death compared to bleeding out. Instead, the Cybertronian war hero stops just short of running over the beaten and bloodied knight and implores him to pull back. Given his critical condition and the fact that there was literally nobody left in this area who could possibly exploit the breach in the line, the magic-user sees reason and bows his head in response to the ultimatum.

"Nh... Not... Going alone... Gh! My men..."

But then, two lancing beams of white-hot light from above carve furrows on the ground between Optimus and the Knight, judging from the way the human gasped; he was just as surprised as the Autobot. Looking up, Optimus would see a pair of six-winged angels covered in dried blood, dirt and wounds and accompanying them was a taller, but even more bloodied and filthy eight-winged angel that looked like he was barely able to keep himself aloft yet looked ready and willing to fight. Before Optimus could react, one of the six-wings screams a warning, in a hoarse but defiant tone to the Autobot commander.

"STAY AWAY FROM THE CAPTAIN!!!"

Even though the outcome wouldn't be in doubt in Optimus' mind, the fact that these injured and exhausted beings would willingly face down what in the eyes of the average RoC trooper was an unstoppable juggernaut who not only had strength but deadly cunning all for the sake of saving their leader... It was surreal to say the least, especially when it came from those who would want to quash the freedom and liberty of all sentient life; before something tragic and completely avoidable could take place, the Captain defuses the situation by shouting with such volume and force that one would not believe that it could come from someone with one foot in the grave.

"TRUPPE HALT!!!"

And then the Knight captain began coughing and sputtering blood from straining his broken body, at this the angelic trio ceased their aggressive posturing and landed right next to their captain; where Optimus can clearly see one of the six-wings grimacing at the condition of their officer. Making a quick decision, the two six-wings carefully lift their Captain up towards a standing position due to the nature of his injuries and fly off towards friendly lines while the Eight-winged one kept a bit behind the other two in order to keep an eye on Optimus to make sure he wouldn't shoot them on the back.

@Divinity
Even a glancing blow from the shadow lance nearly crushed the mage's shoulder. While his defensive magic was great, and the diamond-enhanced cloth was more than capable of withstanding the cutting force of the lance, his body was merely human in terms of durability. And this attack had been intended to rip through tanks. The experience would teach Corban in the most practical manner that Darquesse's powers relied on brute force over subtlety, but made up for their simplicity with the sheer quantity of brute force she brought to the field. Unfortunately for Darquesse, this would not prevent him from performing his rather elegant counter.

As the spell struck her, Darquesse could feel several areas in her brain shut down. It was a direct neurological assault that left her motor functions fried by destroying her nervous system, or at the very least shutting it down. Highly effective, this singular spell would most likely shut down most beings absolutely. Darquesse admired the effectiveness of it, even as she started to notice the ground shift around her. Unlike Corban, she was able to sense even minute movements in the Earth. It was an adaptation of the technique used with air that had originally been developed to catch Billy-ray Sanguine. As such she was well aware of the cage that closed around her, a thick layer of hardened diamond forming around her. She grinned, as she used her own earth magic to move it aside.... only to find that she couldn't.

Much like Corban, Darquesse didn't require movement to cast her spells, although she often preferred doing so. Most mages saw their bodies as a catalyst for spells, but Darquesse viewed this as a mere limitation on the mages themselves. Magic was a work of the mind, and the only reason most other mages required physical gestures was to help conceive what they were doing in their mind. It was a silly human limit, and one she had long left behind her. And yet, she now found it impossible to move this diamond around her, despite it falling well within the domain of her Earth magic. As she glared at it, she saw that Corban's magic was holding it in place. And while her magical capabilities were indeed great, the manipulation of Earth was the weakest of her disciplines, while Corban possessed far more skill on the subject. As the two arcane forces clashed to move the diamond barrier, Corban placed his power with efficiency and skill while Darquesse battered at it with her mind, her anger only further lowering the effectiveness of her power.

Then, for the first time, Darquesse realized she was trapped. This was an actual trap, and she was actually stuck in it. And if she didn't get out of here, she would be completely at this stranger's mercy. She, the great Darquesse, the Worldbreaker, would be at the mercy of some inconsequential mortal maggot. Fear and rage surged in equal measure, as the concept of her life at risk truly reached her. And as it did, the very earth began to shake. Rage and magic flowed through the ground and air, the very elements bending to her will. Darquesse's magical presence seemed to spike, as she pulled in all the arcane energy in the area, like a giant arcane fireball. All the stops were off, and Darquesse was about to unleash her full power, for the first time in ages.

The earth trembled and roiled, a whirlpool of darkness forming in the sky above. The very dead seemed to shift, their corpses standing up as their bodies were animated by solid shadow. Dozens of soldiers and beasts, from both sides of the battle. Limbs reattached themselves, as entire bodies regenerated before Corban's eyes. Animated puppets, manifestations of Darquesse's will. Their very blood a mere weapon for her, as they charged Corban with supernatural speed and strength, many others firing a barrage of bullets and lasers from multiple directions. Several launched into the air, an ability they had most certainly not possessed in life. Corban would find a barrage of attacks coming from all attacks as many of the corpses launched into melee, drawing power from the seemingly infinite wellspring that was Darquesse.

Deep below the ground, Darquesse was slowly ripping her way out of her cocoon. She had simply annihilated her useless nervous system with a quick use of fire magic, placed with the surgical precision of an expert. Her regeneration replaced it nearly instantly, once more granting her control of her limbs as her physical strength and magical shadows began pushing at the diamond cocoon. And even this barrier would slowly begin to crack under the force of her full power, an unending maelstrom of tearing winds and darkness forming a bubble of pure black deep under the ground. Once the walls of her cocoon fell, the pressure would create an explosion that could be felt even at the surface.

Corban would find himself in a precarious position indeed, as Darquesse was no longer holding back her true power. And he would soon find out just why she was called the Worldbreaker.

@thewizardguy

The shockwave emenated from the dying spire of shadow like the death throes of a beast, and though his robes were resistant to the magic that gave it its impetus, kinetic energy was still kinetic energy. It would not crush his shoulder, however. Corban may have been human, but no common variety. He was Escarian, and his DNA energized by pattern and therefore reinforced. The force skipped the mage several feet like a pebble on water before he slid with both feet to a stop that left size 15 deep canals in the earth. No matter, this would serve him well, he needed to reposition to the center anyway.

Mid-flight, Corban grasped the two leftover diamonds he pocketed earlier and crushed them into a fine dust. They scattered in exact angles and proportions as they fell, thus completing the circuit. She would find out its purpose shortly. Corban stood, clenching his left hand into an impossibly tight fist, bubbling metal and floating particles revolving about another.

As for his diamond trap, it was insulated against magic, but the metaphysical components were sloppy in the speed he needed to perform the forming operation at. This would sacrifice their magic-insulation, and would ultimately allow her to escape with some minimal effort. He wanted her to. However, it wouldn't break for a few more moments. That meant he still had time. Time that he was behooved to use.

Clouds blocked the sun overhead, and the wailing spirits of the dead moaned and groaned as they stitched themselves to mismatching corpses. He knew this magic, and it all suddenly clicked. The shadows were more than likely a byproduct of her manipulation over death or life energies. That explained why she didnt need natural shadow. This was necromancy. His milky crimson eyes glared with intensity at the coming hoards.

If someone were to behold the great disjunction that encompassed the field, they may have thought Corban the Saviour, wielding his sword like the Word of God in the face of a clangorous, colossal wave of armageddon's captured souls. Potentially hundreds of charred and broken corpses charged for him like a scene stolen straight from Revelations. It certainly looked enough like Armageddon.

For Darquesse, it may as well have been.

He placed his diamond sword on his back as though it belonged there and drew Ishtalle from his side, edge refracting rainbow ribbons. The bubble metal and flinch particles coallesced over her body as he stabbed her into the ground.

"So you think staying outside of my range is the way to victory?" The wound in the earth snaked verdure tendrils up the blade, accompanied by a light and fluffy aerogel. All the components had been gathered. A single flash of electricity heralded the transmutation, and the chocolate-haired mage now held a pearl-faced beam cannon the size of his body across and as tall and then some. "It isn't."

Its around this time his diamond shell broke, exploding the earth about the she-mage, creating a consequent hole that bore her in its womb. Target acquired. Now the she-mage would learn the extent of the powers of the esteemed guardian Corban. A sudden outlined flash of light radiated from a gigantic spell circle formed of tiny diamond shards that stretched sixty feet in all directions. Had she not thought it strange that all of his attacks so far were diamond loaded, and wide-arched for maximum spread? From his first barrier, to the carbon explosive. The fact she destroyed his probably 200 pound+ diamond prison only spread the shards further and empowered the circle from within.

For the last while now, the crystals have been phase-transitioning to trap light within them. That would explain the off and on glints. Upon activation, that light would be converted into raw energy to power the disjunction in the form of a pulse that would create a monstrously wide magical dead zone. Needless to say, she was well within that dead zone. Her spirits were washed over by the pulse and all but atomized into glittering incomprehensible shades that fades into nothing, leaving shadow pictures burned into the earth.

This of course applied to Corban as well - But it would not apply to his beam cannon-. He felt the sting of something plugging his magic, but that same sting would be the witch's ruination.

He transmuted high energy earth colloids into high energy matter. Superconducting magnets. The aerogel was a hyper efficient liquid cooling system. The chassis? The Flinch particles and bubble metal.

Magic forged + Mundane Operation = High powered EMP blaster immune to magical dispels! The magnetic spectrum was enough to deflect most forms of energy, magic at the height of that list. He leveled the cannon using his other arm to support the wait. The cannon fired laced Master Chief green lasers of pure electromagnetic force that would sear air, earth, and body alike. Trapped in a hole, cut off from her magic, and in a clear path for the beam, this fight should be over in a blink.

And the people said that on that day, a magnificent light of justice shined from their savior and obliterated the darkness.

@Divinity
Darquesse laughed as she emerged from her tomb, floating into the air as she gathered her powers around her. A wrathful god, clad in darkness and flames as the very earth rumbled. She was indeed a nearly biblical apocalypse, a force of nature. Linked directly to the source of magic her powers were limited only by her knowledge and skill, and had they fought but a year later Corban might have been defeated. With but a little more understanding, a little more knowledge, her power would have become immeasurable. She was a mage on the precipice of becoming a God, raw power incarnate. But this was not the case, and her fate had already been decided.

A massive magical circle seemed to appear on the ground, hundreds of sigils etched into it by Corban's carefully placed spells. The crystals that had been spread across the field glowed in a carefully preset pattern, the seemingly chaotic spread transformed into an ordered catalyst for a spell of the highest calibre. Darquesse could feel it, as her magic was torn from her body. She screeched as she drew in more and more, her very being a portal to the infinite realm of magical energy. She filled up with magic again and again, only to have it dissipate the moment she was able to draw it in. She dropped to the ground, only barely managing to break her fall with a gust of wind. She stood, staring down Corban as she desperately attempted to cling to the last shreds of her power, her shadow puppets crashing to the ground around her. She was stripped of her capabilities, a mage in name only. And as she stared up at her opponent, she saw the massive beam cannon.

She remembered seeing such weapons as pathetic. Weak attempts made by the mortals to raise themselves to the level of a Mage, a pathetic display that cemented the intrinsic difference between the weak and the powerful. She remembered laughingly tearing through armies, shrugging off bullets and missiles as if it were nothing. That intoxicating power that had rushed through her. And yet, as she stared down the glowing barrel of the massive beam cannon, her arrogance was gone. Disappeared with her powers, torn from her by this infernal spell. She could feel only fear, as she realized she wouldn't be getting up from this one. No longer would her body knit itself together, as she mockingly taunted the fool who dared assault her. This was it. The end of the line.

In a way, it was an epiphany. Finally, she realized what it was like to be Stephanie. To be a human, in a world of gods and monsters. She felt no morbid curiosity, no sickening joy. And yet, she felt slightly relieved. Because, after all, this was the end of it. It seemed she wouldn't be destroying the world after all, huh.

"Well.... Fu-"

A blast of pure light tore through her body, incinerating every cell it touched as she was consumed by the green energy. Her entire form turned to ashes, her last thoughts cast into oblivion as her life was ended. Her soul dissipating into the flow of life and death once more, rejoining the cycle she herself had sought to escape from. And as Corban stood there, surrounded by explosions and death, a sudden silence seemed to have fallen over the battlefield. And where the wannabe God had been but moments before, there was nothing but ashes.

((Collab between Letter Bee, Savato, and Nightknight))

Once Osamu, Naoki, and Taichi were done with their rounds of ressurections/negotiations, the three, and Doomberg, would recieve a message saying:

Resistance wants to meet with us, Rendezvous is Corneria.

Taichi, still on Pluto, would say to the Death God:

"We've received a message from a possible ally, the Resistance. We're to meet with them at a world called Corneria."

"Well then." Replied Doomborg. "Since I will be at negotiations, will I be allowed to speak?" asked Doomborg.

"Of course," spoke Taichi. "You may even be required to; our...superiors," he sounded as though he still didn't believe that Osamu II Akiyama, and Naoki Kashima above him, were technically his leaders. "They are strong believers in Local Interests, which to be candid, is one of the main reasons why we aren't part of the Resistance in the first place."

A portal then opened up, towards what seemed to be a military base staffed by antropromorphic animals. Not the strangest thing either Taichi or Doomberg have seen.

"Very well then. I reccomend we approach this planet's commanding officer then. We must take any chance we can get to converse with possible benefactors and sympathizers to our cause." With that spoke aloud to the Resistance soldiers. "Greetings members of the Resistance! I wish to converse to your commanding officer on behalf of the Mon Alliance, of which I bear the title of Ambassador and General! Would you be so kind as to direct me to your superiors?" And with that he waited for a response and an escort.

Just then, the doors leading into the command base slide open, revealling four anthropomorphic animals. Leading the four was a chubby greyOk hare, who wore a red undershirt and a silver jacket, followed by a certain tan-and-white fox, a blue falcon, and lastly a green frog. Little did the newcomers know, that these animals were in fact part of the legendary Star Fox team, a group of highly-experienced fighter pilots that have saved the galaxy more times then they can count!

"Ah welcome to Corneria gentlemen!" greets the hare in a gruffy voice as he puts his hand out for a handshake, "How can I help you?"

Osamu and Naoki are already there, with the former saying:

"We are representatives of the Mon Alliance, an independent organization of regionalists who oppose both the Reign of Chaos and the imposition of a Strong Central Government on our specific area. But more the latter than the former. We wish to draft a plan of coordinated action with you, so that the both of us can open multiple fronts against the Reign of Chaos and end its tyranny."

Doomborg began to speak. "I know that both of our factions may possess differing or even conflicting ideologies as to how to govern the multiverse, but if there is one thing we can agree, is that we both disaprove of the RoCs actions, and wish to loosen their grip on the multiverse. While we do not need to make a formal declaration of friendship, I do believe it would be in both of our best interests to at least be cordial with eachother"

"Indeed." answered Peppy as he strokes his chin, "However, I'm not exactly incharge of the whole Resistance fleet, just this portion from our own universe. You'll have to talk to High-Command if you wanna talk politics. But aside from that, the Reign of Chaos has been expanding quite rapidly recently. Any help in stopping their tyranny is highly apprichiated!"

"What kind of plan do you guys have in mind?" Fox then says as he crosses his arms, listening closely.

"Basically, before or after the current battle is done - yes, we know of it," said Naoki, "I'd like you guys to send help to us in either taking control of Yzeira's Tower of Knowledge...or destroying my Parallel Universe Self, the Demi-Fiend. Said help can either come in sending Special Forces Troops to bolster our ranks - we lack dedicated assassins and internal security agents - or distracting the enemy elsewhere while we attack."

"I reccomend the latter." said Doomborg. "Anytime an enemy is forced to fight on muliple fronts, they risk thinning their forces to protect both or put too much of their eggs in one basket. Either way we would minimize risks and maximize rewards. Even if only a fraction of the Resistance is cooperative, we both have much to gain by coordinating our efforts and maintaining good communication. At the very least we would be on good terms."

"While we do supply a good deal of ships and fighters for the former plan," Peppy explains to Naoki, "We cannot afford to leave our six undefended. Again, for an assault you mentioned, the High-Council has a greater some and more powerful ships capable of doing the job."

"However," Falco interrupts, "We four can easily distract the enemy if that's what you can agree on. Just tell us where to go and we'll be on our way."

"I like the way you think," Osamu smiled, while Naoki nodded. Taichi, meanwhile, said:

"I would prefer something that makes up for our lack of assassins and internal security agents, actually," the former Google Boy's voice was firm. "We may be strong in hitting power, but Hypnos, Mewtwo, Naoki himself, and the newly-recruited members of SEES are not enough of a defense against enemy operatives and infiltrators. What if the Reign of Chaos sends out those kids from that Assassination Classroom universe after us?"

Doomborg spoke "You make a valid argument Taichi, the less the enemy knows of our movements the more unpredictable we can be. However, I noticed that we have offered little to the Resistance. We should offer something in exchange for counter-espionage units. So." He turns to the hare. "Is there anything we can offer as a fair trade or incentive for such assistance? If not we can come up with one."

"Nah, we really don't ask for much." Peppy explains, "We already are dedicating ourselves to new weapons, ships and tech, so unless its like super unique and appealing, we're alright."

"However," Fox then says, "The more important assistance you guys can do is provide important intel. If you can pinpoint major routes on where they're going, the Resistance can track them to a potential base and spy on them for more info. Just don't get yourselves caught."

"And phoey to their 'elites'!" the frog, Slippy, blurts out suddenly, "The Resistance has a whole spec-ops that deals with that kind of stuff! They're really, really powerful!"

Another smile from Osamu.

"We don't have many people skilled in skullduggery, but those that we have are surprisingly skilled. There's a reason we knew of the battle over Eldritch IV, after all. Also, we have a strong precognitive division. They can help."

"So yes," spoke Naoki, "we agree."

"So just so we have reached a mutual understanding" said Doomborg. "We will provide the intel, and you will provide the counter espionage forces. Hopefully if all goes well, we may be able to offer more in the future."

"Yup!" Peppy responds with a thumbs up, "You got it!"

"Thank you," Osamu bowed down courteously. "I am glad that we had a productive conversation."

"As for me, it seems my impressions of the Resistance has improved," Naoki said.

"And for me," said Taichi, facing the two, "I'm glad you can both be reasonable."

And with that, portals opened up so that the Mon Alliance people can return to either Pluto, Digimon Adventure!Tokyo, or Mt. Coronet.

Doomborg decides to head to the portal leading to Mt. Coronet to plan his next coarse of action, but first he need to read up on the various resources and talents that the Mon Alliance possessed.

((Collab between Letter Bee and Nightknight))

Doomborg had just finished making some modifications to the interior and exterior of Mt. Coronet, giant magical ice walls adorded with spikes and mixed with sawdust to increase durability, sliding ice that leads to ice spike traps, ice domes and barriers of all shapes and sizes, cooling rooms for heavy artilliary and weapons that overheat easily, and turrets that dispense liquid nitrogen.

Satisfied with these fortifications, Doomborg can called forth every single ice based, telepathic, illusion, transmutation and stealth based pokemon/digimon/demons he could muster. He then approached Taichi, took him into a sound proof planning room out of hearshot of anyone else and told him the plan he had in mind. "Here is my plan." Doomborg said. "First, we will need an cold, deserted planet under our control. This is where all of our intelligence will be filtered to. We cannot place it here because then if, no, when, the enemy hacks into our line of communication, it will be elsewere and not HQ. On this planet we will establish a base with our ice types to accomodate our psychic types. We then send our stealth and clairvoyant units to spy on various planets, looking for our main goal, a large central info relay planet where a large amount of the RoCs informaton is fitered. The units job simply to find this relay planet, NOT spy on it. We will lead a special seperate mission for that."

"Awesome!" said Taichi.

"Couldn't have planned it any better myself," Osamu said with obvious approval.

"Excellent!" Proclaimed Doomborg. "Then we should begin the operation soon and continue until we find that communications relay."

"Indeed," spoke Taichi, who then turned to Osamu.

"You're the expert on the Multiverse; what would you suggest?"

Osamu smiled.

"I suggest the Planet-Region of Orre, located in another universe. It's deserted enough for our purposes."

"Verry well." Spoke Doomborg. "Step one will be will be building the base, step two will be to spy in the RoCs territory until we find the relay. Let us begin step one now."

Portals began opening up to various places in Orre...