As Zeruel entered the throne room, he initially noticed how Imperator Deva looked to be in a state of both panic and terror, which was similar to what Iona felt when she was reading the scroll. However, he would consider asking that question later as he gives her the paper. Her calm nature was restored, perhaps momentarily, as she began looking at the scroll. Deva then asks what else he wants to tell her and what the scroll really mean't. Basically, the Laguna Angel begins to recite what he initially recalled from Iona.

"DURING THE BATTLE OF ARCADIA, I ENCOUNTERED TWO UNIDENTIFIED HUMANOID UNITS, BOTH RADIATING WITH A LARGE FORCE OF SHEER RAW AURA AND POWER. ONE LOOKED LIKE A VAMPIRE-ESQUE FEMALE. THE OTHER A FEMALE BULL. THE FORMER GAVE ME THIS SCROLL, WHICH I TOOK BACK BEFORE THEY LEFT IN THEIR PORTAL. THEY WERE PLANNING SOMETHING, BUT I COULDN'T IDENTIFY THEIR MOTIVES, OTHER THAN THE TERMS "DASIL" AND NOTED THEM SAYING HOHENHEIM'S LABORATORY. WHEN I GOT BACK HERE, I WAS STOPPED BY IONA, WHO EXPLAINED THE CONTENTS OF THE LETTER.

OVERALL, IT SPEAKS OF RAGNAROK.

ACCORDING TO IONA, SHE BELIEVES THAT THOSE TWO, MOST CERTAINLY PART OF SOME LARGER GROUP OF WHOEVER COMMANDS THEM, SOMEHOW FOUND A WAY INTO THE NEXUS, A BYPASS, USING THE BATTLE OF ARCADIA TO WEAKEN THE BARRIER. SHE BELIEVES ANOTHER CRISIS IS IN OUR HANDS AND THAT ANOTHER BATTLE WILL COME BEFORE ARCADIA FINISHES, PRESUMABLY WITH THEM. WITH THIS INFORMATION, IONA REQUESTS I GATHER SOME OF MY LAGUNA ANGELS AND PREPARE FOR THE NEXT INEVITABLE CONFLICT WITH THEM, ONLY AFTER I FIRST DISCUSS THIS WITH YOU...

IN THAT CASE, I AWAIT YOUR OFFICIAL DIRECTIONS OVER THIS MATTER."

"Uggh.. Huh.. Waking up from being dead usually doesn't feel this gritty.. I think I got sand in my pants.." Miyu rose from the ground, not immediately taking stock of the destruction of her Daimyo right next to her. This was quickly remedied when the next ear wrenching shriek of tortured metal was heard, and Miyu, after wincing, looked over to see BEAST eating her mech.

~Welp. My options for stopping it include yelling harshly and giving it a kick. And it's eating metal with its teeth, as some kind of mechanical hellbeast.~ Miyu stared at it dully, not really feeling her earlier enthusiasm. It had been rather dulled by literally the first thing she touched shocking her unconscious. ~Not exactly an auspicious start, but might as well.~

"Hey, stop it. Bad hellbeast." She didn't so much yell harshly, as talk dispassionately. And her kick likely wouldn't have damaged a normal human, much less something with skin made out of metal. She mostly didn't want to hurt her foot. But it just felt proper to kick anyway.

Presuming, by some miracle, it did stop, Miyu would reach inside her mech, grab a black box, and say "Ok, go ahead, knock yourself out."

If it did not, or upon retrieving the Autopilot Gestalt, Miyu would begin flying back to her factory to work on going to space. "And I should take a bath. Definitely sand in my pants."

@Inner Demon

~~




~Hmm... Do I have a chance against her...~ Artoria pondered, her eyes searching around the array of paddles, quickly flipping out her bunny ears for a moment. ~Nope, definitely not.. Better do as she... Oh.. Wait, I already did.~ Her eyes now turned down on herself, to notice that she was indeed already sitting. Artoria, terrifying growth potential of her power aside, simply didn't have the force of personality to not follow the order of someone like Hildr. ~Dang it! How long do I stay? She didn't specify. Is she getting angry underneath that helmet, AAUUUUGH I don't know, rolling over now!~ She rolled over, already fretting slightly over whether she had or had not stayed long enough. She rolled over paws held pad and claw down towards her belly and the floor, though their position was more protecting than presenting. She was not expecting tummy rubs out of this, and her worried face and tail made this abundantly clear.

"Lucille. That's definitely who sent me. Unless they gave me the wrong name. New ruler of hell. Wants to rescue all the people that are gonna be her minions. Or maybe punching bags. Please be merciful, uh, miss? Ma'am? Please please please?" Artoria was an undisputed master of the puppy dog eyes and ended with an excellent whine, but one didn't need Hildr's resistance to charm magic to not be swayed even the best of the puppy dog eyes.

@Lonewolf685@TheWindel@KoL

While Omega’s surprise attack had been deflected, the trooper still dropped her weapon, though it was quickly replaced with a beam sword. In the time it took her to do this however, Omega had already aimed his revolvers and opened fire. The close range plus their extra charge meant that she would have little means to defend or block the shots. Her dropping her gun had given him a range advantage he planned on making good use of it.

Though her lack of fighting back didn’t go unnoticed by the spirit. Sure he was trying to keep her at bay with his shots but one would think she’d at least try to close the gap using melee and all. Unless. It was a trap! Omega quickly surveyed the area and spotted the funnels just in time to avoid their beams. It was a clever tactic, but it would take more than that to bring down this cowboy.

Being the fastest trigger in the Nexus, Omega shot down all the funnels and still had time to turn back and face Tatiana before she could get a swing in. At least, that’s what he thought she was going to do. Instead the ghost got the full brunt of the soulfire attack. The pain was immeasurable, it was like every molecule in his head was being torn apart. Brought to his knees Omega placed the grips of his guns against his temples unable to stop the pain.

Whatever Tatiana chose to do now, Omega would be helpless to stop her.

@Flamelord

Returning from the battlefield with two irate captives in tow, the Elder Valkyrie stepped into her Celestia domicile with one step and introduced Victoire and Ira to the floor in the other with a crunch of cartilage colliding upon stone to welcome them. The tear they'd been dragged through disappeared along with the Valkryie's armor, leaving her more casual attire on full display even if her audience wasn't in a state to enjoy it. "Welcome to my home in the Heavens. I doubt I'll be having you for long, but I'm certain you'll think fondly of your stay here."

Like every structure in the angelic capital, the residence seemed to be almost entirely marble in composition, and even the dimly lit basement they'd arrived in with only a small street level window near the ceiling for illumination boasted polished stone a rich white. This color pallet was interrupted with a splattering of dull, dry red flecks along the walls and floors, seemingly radiating from the ebon chains and moorings fastened into the walls for keeping guests in extended captivity. Satisfied with her choice of local, Hildr took the captivities by their hair and dragged them towards the far wall. Two rings jutted low from the marble and had a short length of chain ending in manacles inside them, which would soon be used to affix the demons wrists where they lay.

With them bound, it was time to see about liberating them from their restrictive attire...

---

"Imperator Deva, if I may." The armored figure of Torag Draken paced down the isle of the audience hall, hollow voice seeming to echo through the chamber. "My humblest apologies for interrupting, Your Majesty, but the remaining Laguna Angels will not be enough to put a halt to the threat you are describing. We would need something beyond them, the Valkyries, and the Harpies," he listed, coming to stop a few feet to the left of Zeruel. "In order to deal with something of this magnitude, we may need to extend an olive branch to the Machina... and possibly the Demons should the circumstances prove dire enough." He knew it was blasphemous speech to reference peace and alliances in a place such as the Nexus, but it was the truth. As one of the more humble angels, the Harbinger of Light knew the limits of the Angelic army well, and potential enemies that could enter and exit the Nexus at will was well beyond everyone they had. Excepting Hildr, of course. She was of this caliber, apparently.

The wraith turned to Deva now, to address her directly. Before speaking, he removed his hood and bowed his head to the divine ruler. "There is another matter that bodes ill for everyone. Gregorovic, the Faceless One..." He paused for a moment, his armor rattling lightly as he looked down in something between shame and unease. "He has escaped."

---

---

Without a specific task given to him for the coming raid on Celestia and the need to consume gnawing at him, Gregorovic had taken to wandering the demonic city, looking for anyone of interest, or anything that looked even mildly appetizing. Sliske had been a good source of strength to the Faceless One, but he needed several more victims to bolster himself for what was to come. Speaking of which, his slit-like eyes locked onto an unlucky succubus as she rounded the corner he was approaching. His left arm shot out and grabbed hold of the woman, pulling her in and not even giving her time to scream as he devoured her whole. A moment later, he was around the corner and continuing with his day like nothing had happened.

"Hmm... tastes salty, a little sweet... wait I think I just ate a prostitute." He shrugged at the realization. "Eh, whatever. Wonder if Mephilus has a moment to spare." The macabre jester set off in the direction of whatever he had for housing, shoving anything unlucky enough to cross his path down his throat, which ended up including two imps, a stray Warfather, three more succubi, and a particularly unlucky hellcat. Upon his arrival, unlike literally everyone else in Hell, he calmly knocked on the door and awaited a response, all while drawing and playing with one of his glaives.

Tatiana Lorenz

For how successful she had been, Tatiana nonetheless winced as bullets slammed into her shoulder guard, damaging it o a worrying extent in this acidic mist. It was a good thing that her following trick went off as well as it had, or else she probably would not have been a match for the sheer speed and accuracy that the spirit displayed in their brief encounter. As it stood though her psychic abilities had won the day, and now it was just a matter of deciding what to do with her disabled foe. He was certainly incapacitated, at least for a little bit. Mind attacks would do that, especially to entities which relied on that sort of supernatural force to exist.

First she considered taking him prisoner, but she quickly dismissed that idea. He would only hinder her in the fight, and it wasn't as if he was particularly important. Converting him to their cause would be of an uncertain gain, as opposed to the clear gain of winning this fight. She then considered taking his hat, only to quickly dismiss that as well. In this weather and with the battle still going on, it would probably end up destroyed before she really got the opportunity to appreciate it. So she did the only reasonable thing, finishing him off with another blast of Soulfire while wearing a detached expression as her mind turned to other matters. Death was death, and this was the Nexus. She had more important things to worry about.

That finished, she gave a forlorn glance to her destroyed funnels before taking off with retrieved rifles. Those would have been useful, but she would just have to make do without them. As it stood she was having a tough enough time keeping her systems functional when this fog was eating away at everything exposed to the air, and having a hole blasted in the machinery wasn't helping. One of her thrusters was already varying in its power, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it consistent or even functional.

Rising into the sky, she quickly assessed the situation as best she could. It was chaotic, to say the least. Death, destruction, and this place was going to need quite a bit of restorative terraforming before it could be useful for anything besides weapons testing or waste disposal. Not that that was a deterrent for the Machina. Like all things in the Nexus, it was just a matter of time. As for the immediate battle, Graf seemed to still be kicking, and most of the fighting had become concentrated in one particular area. It looked like things were winding down.

Considering the concentration of Machina forces at the other fight, she figured that Graf could use a hand. She might not be able to kill a giant robot, but she could do some damage and perhaps give Graf the edge he needed to win. So she quickly reoriented towards that brawl and took off, straining the engines as much as she needed to to get there. At the same time she pulled up what schematics they might have on Graf's old body, to figure out the best spot to hit it and do some real damage. A plan was quickly formulated, and she was ready to go to work.

Coming into sight range of the fight she was careful to approach Balrog from behind, lining up the shot before pulling the trigger and then pouring in as much firepower as she could manage. The energy blasts would be aimed at the backs of his legs, specifically the joints at the knees which allowed him to move and the various cable and conduits that fed the body with whatever oils or fluids or whatever that were keeping it from locking up and grinding to a halt. She would veer away before she got too close, only to swing around and repeat the process from another angle. She might not kill it, but if she could provide some advantage for Graf, then it would be worth it.

@Awesomoman64@Lucius Cypher

Well... that was a freaky situation. In any case that went over quite alright for the swordsman. He stood and watched as the clouds of pollen washed over the area, and it began to float around in his mind that he can just leave the battle and be done with it. He's tried his damn best, but in the end he just felt like it caused others to think of him as a lesser force. Bonesword didn't blame them, as what he did was a bit extreme and it really wasn't time to resort to measures like that. Nonetheless the skeleton turned back towards where he entered the battlefield from, and he used the same tree-launch technique as before to shoot himself the entire way there.

He managed not to hit anything, and while his landing was rough, he did turn back to Arcadia before finally starting his abscond towards where he entered the area from. He could easily be seen, as there was a great absence of any trees providing him cover, but he honestly didn't care at this point. All he wanted was to get home.

---

Making a raid on Heaven? Damn was that a show to watch. A weirdly-manufactured camera would be recording all of the Frog's efforts as he made his own way through Heaven, trying his hardest to get to where Zeruel was. If the puppet could get control of him or Deva... oh the potential! Maybe he could even start his own attack on the Machina's forces, or maybe remake Hell in his own facade... probably not that last one, but the sheer potential of his attack could spell disaster for all of Heaven and spell true fortune for Hell.

The frog sprinted through the halls of Celestia's stronghold, stopping when he got to the final few rooms. He knew that if he continued from there he would be minced meat, as he saw Torag's back rushing into the main hall. Although Torag proved a bit of an obstacle for the Frog in the long run, it did give the Frog an idea. If he ran into the hall now, and he tried to jump, no doubt he'd be crushed in multiple different ways. However, if the Frog managed to trick someone into putting him on...

With his AK-47 beside him, the frog hit the wall with it to try and make any sense of noise, then he hid it carefully behind a nearby door as the Frog went limp and played dead, acting no more than a silly puppet that had been discarded on the floor of this castle.

@TheWindel@Lmpkio@Mega Birb

Gears, sprockets, and bits of metal clattered into heaps across the surface of the pale sand below the partially devoured hull that was once the Daimyo, cast off by the voracious feeding of Beast's frenzy. As Miyu awoke, she was met with the sight of the broken mech, laying in pieces with the mechanical animal hanging over it. Shambling over and halfheartedly kicking at the large creature's heel with a weak shout, the angel could feel just how solid the monsters skin was. There was a moment of tensity in the air as the behemoth suddenly became motionless for a few seconds before slowly lifting its oil stained maw from the corpse of the mech and turning toward the small angel. Scraps of armor and wires dangled from the jagged fangs of the beast as its massive visage aimed at Miyu, seemingly frozen toward her movements while she mounted the mangled Daimyo and removed the black box.

Little more response arose from the metallic monster other than a swiveling gaze as its eyeless stare followed Miyu's movements. However this changed when she spoke again, prompting the hulking metal lifeform to suddenly approach. The circuitry held in its jaws fell to the ground at Miyu's feet as she came face to face with Beast, who hunched down to her eye level. Low computerized blips and clicks resounded from the creature accompanied by ragged bellowing breaths as it slowly circled the angel, intentions unclear. It looked her up and down, blowing a small rush of warm steam across her legs with a sharp snort.

The faint rumbling of Beast's occasional abated snarls shook Miyu as it finally stopped in front of her. Just when the massive figure of the monster seemed as if it were about to strike, it instead lowered its head. All of the monster's limbs embraced the sandy ground as it knelt down, bowing to the angel subserviently. Before she could manage a full reaction, the dull throbbing of a subtle headache nagged at Miyu, blurring her vision slightly. A twinge of sensation, warm and tingling, crawled down her back, spreading through her wings and down the length of her body. Faint jolts of electricity arched across the angels body, raising the hairs on her skin as they subtly tickled her. The nano-machines in her bloodstream and spread throughout her anatomy all had awoke.

Something blurry and slightly illuminated began to sprawl across Miyu's vision as she felt her sight begin to change and refocus. The structures in her eyes reformed and realigned. Everything in her field of view suddenly became so vibrant and clear. The texture of the sandy dunes and rock formations that laid all around her, the way the shadows curved across the ground, the gleam of the brilliant cosmos above, and all the other sights to behold had become crystal clear in the eyes of Miyu. The illuminated jumbles of blur that patterned the bottom of her vision finally joined the clarity, slowly taking the shape of computerized text. To someone familiar with technology and computer systems, the text could easily be identified as readings. Something like the output of an operating system.

--B.E.A.S.T. Unit to Host recognition confirmed--Nanitic integration established--Host vital signs monitored and stabilized--physical and biological deficiencies and defects repaired--Stage 1 symbiotic link completed--Awaiting vocal command input--

A subtle surge of energy filled Miyu as she felt herself become slightly revitalized, as if someone had just pumped her with caffeine. The feeling wasn't too overbearing, but felt like a rush of adrenaline as it came and subtly passed. Beast remained low to the ground, still bowing at Miyu's feet expectantly. Its massive plated form was faintly illuminated by the dim light of the cosmos above and the occasional sparks that spewed out of the wreckage behind it.

The battle for Arcadia still ragged, even though the last of the Angels' combatants forfeit any chance of victory, staining their image before the other factions, the remaining Demons fought an uphill battle against the sheer superiority of the Machina numbers. Victoire's last gift which still persisted (and grew in strength) despite many attempts to eliminate it, as well as their innate advantage against the soulless mechanical soldiers, would have to be exploited to their maximum if the troops of Hell wished a chance to taste victory today.

Meanwhile, the new ruler of Hell plotted an invasion of the Sacred Halls of Caelestia. Even though her brash strategy to free her captured Demonic peers was being prepared with a great deal of care, some plans were never bound to work. As a great military mind once said to his lord, "If the orders aren't clear and the soldiers fall in disarray, that's the General's fault. However, if the orders are clear and the General made his will known, any chaos is of the soldiers' responsibility." It's said that after such a speech the General executed two of his lord's favorite concubines who refused to lead a military demonstration. The other ones obey every single of his commands to no fault after that.

One had to wonder, in which of the cases did Hell fit better?

On the other side of the Nexus, the Machina, under the command of the very own High Queen Eos, had finished establishing their newest industrial complex, KC-10081, a gargantuan plant made solely to receive the resources retrieved from Alt Signia and turn them into the newest generation of EXOSUITS their army's greatest advantage for the coming stages of the war. However, even such a feat of power from the Machina's army had its dark secrets, shadows meant to remain hidden under the High Queen's shine. What could happen if this grand project was carried to conclusion?





Diana walked through the halls of Celestia unaware of the grand scheme of things playing around her. Thanks to the information she heard about the Machina having finally moved the stolen resources from Ruthria's ruins to their final destination, Diana's worries were focused mostly on what happened with Bastion after the last time they saw one another in Alt Signia.

The dragon girl knew that she wasn't strong enough to make a difference in the long run, but she couldn't let her friend go like that. Not until she was sure that Bastion's words telling Diana to leave her or be treated as an enemy were true or if Bastion said that because there were other Machina soldiers nearby.

"I've been training for this long but I still cannot use all of my power," Diana thought as she gazed at her own reflection cast on Ascalon's golden blade. For anyone else, it would seem like a simple makeshift mirror, but the only thing Diana could see was the rageful beast that lurked inside of her, eager for a chance to escape.

"Just wait and see," Diana shook her head, trying to get rid of her dark thoughts. "One day I'm going to catch up to you. And when that happens... I'll be sure to get a straight answer from you, Bast- What the!?"

Diana's train of thought was brutally derailed when she stepped on some random piece of trash that shouldn't by any means be here, in the middle of the Divine Imperator's palace. "Who is the idiot littering the palace? Don't anyone respect anything anymore?" Diana said, lifting the ragged piece of cloth from the floor with a couple fingers until it was level with her eyes and taking a sniff of it.

"Where did this thing come from?" She wondered while taking the random trash, which looked like some kind of sock puppet, to the nearest place where she could discard it. "And why it stinks so much? If I didn't know better I would think that it's a Demon, or was used by one for some unspeakable act of..." Diana trailed off as she finally arrived at her objective.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore... Whatever," the gold and crimson-clad girl thought as she threw the dirty puppet at an incinerator and returned back to her room. Now whoever dumped that trash in the corridor didn't have to worry with a mad Iona hunting them down. Looks like Diana saved the skin of someone without them even knowing. Pretty angelic, right?

Tatiana Lorenz

All in all Tatiana thought she was doing pretty well. She'd dealt some damage, and Balrog seemed too distracted with fighting Graf to really try and stop her. Now they just had to push the offensive and claim their victory in the realm of Arcadia.

And then her thrusters both failed at the same time. And her HUD went dead. And her guns stopped working, and wow all of a sudden that acid really started hurting like a bitch.

"Well shit," she cursed as she tried to get control back. Too little and too late, and if the acid didn't kill her then the head on crash would. Note to self, don't get so distracted by single one v one fights next time. And was anyone really surprised?

The Laguna Angel turns slowly as the Harbinger Of Light walks into the room. Torag believes that even if all the Laguna Angels did help in the battle, it will not be enough to stop this new threat. Not even with the Valkyries and the Harpies can they defeat this new threat. He does say that to deal with the threat, they must ally themselves with both the Machina and the Demons to have a chance at defeating this new found enemy. Zeruel was displeased at this notion.

"THE BATTLE OF ARCADIA HAS STRAINED ANY SIGN OF TEMPORARY ALLYING BETWEEN THE FACTIONS," he proclaims faithfully to his rule, "BESIDES, THE REST OF THE LAGUNA ANGELS HAVEN'T SEEN COMBAT FOR OVER A THOUSAND YEARS, LONG BEFORE YOU EVEN SHOWED UP. UNITED, THEY WILL STAND MORE OF A CHANCE AGAINST THIS OPPONENT FAR MORE AFFECTIVELY THAN THE PITIFUL MACHINA OR DEMONS EVER CAN."

Zeruel simply doesn't trust both factions. With the Machina's participation in his assassination and the fact that the demons eliminated three of his Angels, he has a gritting hatred towards them. He can be considered a traditionalist, relying on his own faction to carry the muscle and brains to win the War or at least get the upperhand. He doesn't agree much to allying with the enemy, even if its simply temporary. He then looks to Deva.

"OF COURSE," he then continues, "WHO IS THIS THREAT WE ARE DEALING WITH?"

It was then when Torag mentioned something else. It wasn't of this new threat that arose, but something else. From Celestia's prison, Gregorovic, the Faceless One, the Glutton, has escaped. Zeruel remembers this troublesome demon, one who hungers for souls and has caused Heaven some trouble in the past. Everytime he's put in prison, or in another dimension, he somehow finds a way to escape. However, this doesn't seem to be Zeruel's biggest problem.

"THEN I SUGGEST RATHER THAN CAPTURING HIM AGAIN AS USUAL, JUST KILL THE HUNGERING FOOL ONCE AND FOR ALL."

Of course, to actually kill someone in the Nexus may require an intensive amount of magic or some kind of cursed weapon or seal, but either way the Arm of God cared little for him. All he cared for right now was who this new unknown threat is.

---

The clanking armor causes a bit of commotion as Mephilus began preparing for the incoming invasion in his personal castle. Out of all the demons here, he might just be one of, if not the closest, to becoming an "Anti-Angel" demon. Of course, all demons are against Angels, but in contrast in battle, they're weaker to them, while being stronger towards the Machina (most of the time). Yet the Hell Knight has special weapons to combat them with more ease compared to many. While is gunlance can lob shots from both short and medium ranges, which isn't necessarily special, his shield is infamous for being able to efficiently block and neutralize almost any Holy attacks from them. They simply fade away and are bounced back from it. Mephilus always thanks the late Creator and Master Paytuazhal for forging him that shield, along with the rest of his armor and weapons. It certainly guided him towards victory in many of the battles he fought before getting temporarily bored with the War and going about his own business. Of course, now that the new Ruler of Hell showed up, he might as well go on a mission just because.

As he sharpens his gunlance, he looks back to hear several hellish screams coming from some demons out there. He doesn't take too much note of them until he hears a knock at his castle door. With a sigh, he gets up, holding his helmet to his side as he goes and pushes them open. Gregorovic was the one knocking, a surprise visit to be sure. He remembers seeing him during Lucile's inaugaration, but otherwise he'd be imprisoned in Heaven.

"Ah, welcome Gregorovic." he greets the glutton calmly, "What brings you to my castle? I haven't had anyone knock here for ages."

Henry Pearl Avaritia The 2nd

---

Henry covered his eyes with his arm and ducked to try and avoid the blunt, protecting his Silver Eyes from any damage but burning up his left arm a lot. The ducked saved him from the sniper bullet and the same aimed at his neck, but there was no way he could've avoided the saws aiming for his legs.

Henry collapsed onto the ground writhing in pain, letting loose a massive string of curses as he attempted to recreate his legs. The severed flesh sealed, but he just didn't have it in him to completely recreate his legs. He pushed himself up with his one good arm and looked towards Bastion as she attempted to free herself. Fucking Golden Eye bullshit. With his useless arm he motioned his finger across his throat towards her, which was the trigger for the second feature. Injecting concentrated demonic energy into her neck for either a slow and painful death or slow and painful demonic corruption.

Once he triggered the collar he decided it was time to get the fuck out this forsaken wasteland known as Arcadia. Besides, the demons already won. Nobody else could live in this corrupting fog. Henry reached into a Gate and pulled out a small round orb that was quite useful. It had some long arcane name, but he just called it a GoHo-M. He crushed it in his fist and a flash of light overtook his form, causing him to teleport to his last "safe" location.

Which in this case was the Throne Room of Hell. Safe was a relative term here. He looked around and moaned in pain very loudly, just to try and get someone's attention. He could probably use a potion, but why waste your resources when you can waste someone else's?

Good news. Henry had finally left the battlefield, leaving the remaining Machina units and Balrog, maybe. Bad news too. Victoire’s haze of red mist had encompassed nearly all of what was left of Arcadia. Given most of them were Machina, it was almost a fruitless battle. Bastion was suffering the worst from it, writhing in place as the collar injected dark energy into her veins. She flopped and gasped, making intake of the mist all the easier.

“Grhh, damnit!” she spat, feeling her muscles soon lax into putty as her mind grew blank. Having already died about two times in the same battle, her body wasn’t going to be able to keep up and a third time would be nearing soon. With Henry gone as well, the platform beneath her dissipated and she plopped like a rock into the redness below. Identifying her body would be impossible but that wasn’t really needed; by the time she hit the ground anyway, she was already dead. A few minutes later and she had spawned back in Hyperion with a cough and a bad headache.

Within the breaches of Hell, one ruler was wondering how well her forces could screw up this time. While it seemed very likely they would win the battle of Arcadia, some of the more idiotic members in her Faction decided to either break the rules or get themselves caught. Lucille held the action to roll her eyes when she felt the demonic presence around her thin out, only further annoyed by Henry’s sloppy arrival.

“If you keep moaning, I’m going to keep ignoring you,” she told Henry from her throne. “Actually, I don’t mind if you bleed out here. You’ll spawn back in Hell either way so as long as you don’t stain my floor with your own failure, we should be good,” Lucille continued.

Back in Heaven, the almighty Imperator frowned as Zeruel spoke. Speak of these mysterious figures had her concerned and she wondered if…well, there was one person who needed to solve this. “Iona. Summon Juno here immediately. Take whatever resources you so need, but I want you to deal with this Ragnorak matter,” she said. Then Torag appeared, spouting about peace and whatnot while Zeruel practically bit his head off for such blasphemy.

And the Imperator would have swiftly agreed with such childish talk…however, one phrase from the message Zeruel delivered struck her deeply. “Ragnorak”. What exactly did that mean in this context? It was enough to make her pause and reconsider her next set of words.

“Curb your tongue Laguna. Torag may very well be speaking sense in these times,” the Imperator said. “I will consider your offers of advice Harbinger of Light. As for Gregorovic, I suggest doing as the Laguna has said and putting him down for good. Until I decide on these possibilities for collaboration among the other factions, I will not censor my own judgement for now.”

---

In a place known by many, but seen by few, far away from the zones of conflict and war of the Nexus, stood the Star Magus' Observatory. And, within said Observatory that was not only Ciel's home and sanctum, lived plenty of the Celestial Spirits.

One particular purple-haired being that was a member of this elusive class was right now sat by a rich dinner table, that was Juno, or as known by some Eclipse Princess. Along with her, there was another lavender-haired, seemingly much younger girl. The two of them indulged in the plentiful dinner, unaware of the machinations that went by back at Celestia.

"Oi, mom, you can't just take all the chicken, leave some for me too!" the younger girl said, addressing Juno.

"Hmph! Fine, but I want a bite of that steak, Celly," Juno replied, teleporting a whole piece of delicious-looking grilled steak from where her daughter, Celene, or Celly, for Juno, was hoarding them.

"Come on, mom! That was the best one of them. Give it back!" One could see the tension rising in the dining room. Sparks of purple energy filled the air as the two girls stared at one another.

A moment later Celene would stab forth with her fork while her mom was about to dump the golden, fatty steak on the black hole that stood for Juno's stomach. Though, as she missed the initial strike, the only solution left to Celene as to show some of the snake-like agility for which her mom was known for and bite the other end of the steak.

What ensued was a tug-of-war between the two girls as each sought to one-up the other in a mother-daughter duel, whose prize was the best beef on the table.

At least until a voice quite known to both came from the direction of the kitchen. "My, my, the two of you are very lively, uh?" Said none other than Aquila, the harpy high-priestess of Drasil, the Dragon Goddess of the Wind. Interestingly enough, the white feathered avian girl was dressed in a full maid outfit, serving the table where Juno and Celene ate.

Their meal would continue like that, including Juno eventually letting Celene have whatever she wanted to have before the Spatial Warrior chose what to eat, or 'losing' whenever the two of them got into another fight over some bit of food. For as much enjoyable as it was to compete against her own daughter while helping her become a better fighter than Juno will ever be, as a mother she couldn't really neglect her child's whims. It was especially hard to do when Juno was already a big-hearted fool. Obviously, she would never do anything that would hurt her daughter.

Either way, such carefree meal —all paid by Hohenheim, obviously— came to an end when Aquila returned once more, bearing a message from that Ciel had received from none other than Iona. "Excuse me," the harpy said in a calm voice, "it seems that Master Ciel got asked to call the two of you to Celestia. Apparently, there's a crisis that requires Miss Juno's assistance. That's all that I know."

It's not necessary to say that both mother and daughter looked quite dejected at the news. It's not everyday that they could enjoy this kind of moment, yet it wasn't like Juno could ignore such a call. Not if she wanted to keep Celene safe and, if she were lucky, maybe there was some good fighting involved. Nothing beats a good fight after a good dinner, after all.

"Hmm, I think there's no way, then, uh?" Juno said. One moment later, after saying parting with Aquila, the Snake of the World and her little snakeling, would be back at Celestia. Standing before the Imperator and whoever else was in the throne room. As she stood there observing, Juno wondered why she had been called while eyeing Zeruel with suspicion.

The majority of the BEAST's antics, the watching, circling, the breathing, the bowing, and all that, looked absolutely ridiculous and Miyu didn't see or feel any of it because, as mentioned before, she was FLYING away.

Miyu's flight slowed slightly when the tingling started. She was worried it might make her pass out or something, but fortunately, this was not nearly as bad as the electrocute-y death that had nearly occured earlier. So she kept flying, and resumed her top speed.

And then her vision went to absolute shit. "Seriously? All that to make it difficult to see again? That's your purpose here? Fuck you. At least I can still see the direction of the sun. I'm going home, and then I'm going to kill myself to undo all this. Just eat the Mech like you wanted to and leave me alone." As neither the BEAST nor Miyu apparently knew, wearing super strong prescription glasses when you now have perfect vision, resulted in very non-perfect vision.

After the text became readable, "Ok? So you're Machina? Well you're absolutely terrible at your job, all I can see is your dumb text. And why are you even bonding with me? Shouldn't you bond with some human soldier they've augmented enough to punch through steel? Go home and find an owner as defective as you or something to fight your dumb war with. I've already got a bunch of defective robots to take care of but at least they don't kill me or fuck up my eyesight even more than it already is. The Angel of Death's gotta be pretty pissed at me already for how often I die even without doing it to fix my eyes." Again, seeing she had been flying away, all of the BEAST's posturing was to an empty audience, and Miyu had been gaining distance. The surge of adrenaline, Miyu wasn't able to tell from the adrenaline surge she was getting for being angry and flying.

She'd reach her home base soon, thanks to the wibbly-wobbly-ness of space in the Nexus, a large factory sitting in the crook of a river. It was slowly falling to pieces, as one Angel wasn't enough to man a factory once intended for dozens of workers with heavy automation. Moss and ivy, previously repressed, were growing over the building, and the concrete loading bays were starting to let grass peek through the cracks. The crane at the dock that had likely unloaded boats in the past was now red with rust, unlikely to ever move again. The dock itself was fairing better, but still covered with moss, save for one small path likely walked frequently by Miyu. Perhaps odd to find foot trails made by one possessed of flight. A vegetable garden had been planted on the sides of a personal walkway leading between the dock and the factor.

It was that same difference of scale that prevented Miyu for maintaining the whole factory, that allowed Miyu to scavenge resources and use it for so long, given that as a one person assembly line, a single month's parts would last a very long time indeed. But a few years is a long time even in the Endless War of the Nexus, for the parts here were laughably out of date. The Daimyo's shields and armor were below par, and it's strength and speed were as outdated as spears against the current cutting edge like Ni-Mu. Who ironically was using spears and swords again, albeit, really cool ones. With her hypercharged reactors capable of nuclear detonation having run out at the battle for Alt Signia, the remaining few Daimyo models Miyu had left were mostly useful for carrying and lifting things.

All this could be easily taken in while Miyu tried to feel around for the door she couldn't quite find. "Ack.. Stupid.. Why would you even.. Is this the Machina's new 'Irritate the enemy' program or something?"

@Inner Demon

Tartys

Respawning was never quite an unpleasant process, for which Tartys could be grateful. If anything, for her at least, there was always an element of disappointment to it, as if she was waking from a deep slumber, a warmth that appealed to her base soul, and now she was being cast into the cold world once again. She had been told that it was not like that for everyone, yet besides the Valkyries she had never found a good explanation why. And they were quite the exception to the rule.

Her wings ruffled as she stretched, moving along the marble columns that lined the halls of Celestia. It seemed that the battle she had so recently departed was still going on, but the Angels themselves were no longer in contention. She was left to wonder on that, since apparently some had chosen to retreat rather than fighting to the end. With how the Nexus operated one had to wonder why hey had made that choice. They weren't saving anything by retreating after all.

For now though that left her without much to do until the next urgent battle began that she would be called to. Playing more music was always an option, but she didn't feel like doing that at the moment. Practice was good but there was such a thing as overdoing it. Besides, there was so much else to do in Celestia that deliberately restricting herself accomplished nothing.

Moving along she paused as something sprang into mind, along the line of creative endeavors. It was specifically the notebook that she had gotten a couple days ago as a gift, from Miyu if she recalled correctly. She also recalled something about a birthday being listed on said note that came with the gift and then being struck out. Which was...odd, to say the least.

"One good turn deserves another," she remarked to herself before setting off on a new mission. The hard part would be locating a gift for her to get that Miyu might want. But eventually succeeded, and then set off for wherever Miyu lived to go repay the favor. Hopefully it would not be too hard to find

@The 42nd Gecko(Referenced)

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Tatiana Lorenz

Silently Tatiana Lorenz watched the factory churn away, the large structure casting smoke into the starry night sky above the Capitol. Her hair caught in the wind, whipping behind her as her hands rested in her pockets. She didn't mind the cold, nothing compared to the pain of gunshot wounds or being eaten alive by acid.

A recycling plant. One of many such massive structures that dotted the outskirts of the Capitol. Inside machines churned away, converting waste, resources, even corpses, into materials that could be used for construction, food production, the war effort. The ultimate display of efficiency even with the limitless resources of the Nexus. But that was the Machina for you.

Footsteps sounded on the rooftop, coming to a stop next to her. She didn't look, instead keeping her gaze on the Recycling Plant and the surrounding buildings. "Again?"

"Yeah," she replied with a nod.

"How many bodies is this?"

"Seventeen. You?" How many were there? How many of her own bodies were down there, waiting to be consumed in fire or in converters, to be changed into something else that could benefit the Machina as a whole. It was strange even thinking that way, and she still wasn't completely comfortable thinking about it that way.

"Twenty two. Not all of us are that lucky I suppose." The two stood side by side, one caucasian, one green, watching the factory as it churned away inexorably. It didn't stop. It never stopped. That was the nature of the war in the Nexus. There was nothing that she could say to that, even if she had wanted to. She really had been lucky, fighting with so many skilled individuals.

Silence descended for some time, until the other Tatiana spoke again. "They want to see you." The two glanced towards each other, one confused and the other calm. A surreal conversation for anyone else to witness, but not for them. It was no shock either, though it was unusual. She had not seen them for some time now. They didn't usually have meetings like these.

"Why?"

That earned the ghost of a smile, with the other Tatiana lifting a hand to tap her head. "We all heard what happened in Hohenheim's trial. If you could teach us how to do what you can do now, everyone could benefit." Not just them, but the entire Machina too. She just didn't know if it would be possible. Not with whatever the mad scientist had done to make it happen in the first place.

Still, if they could replicate it then didn't they have an obligation to try? She certainly couldn't think of a reason why the effort couldn't be made. "Right now?"

"Soon. We hadn't set an exact time." Understandable and reasonable. Setting a time before they even knew if she would go along with it was a fairly stupid idea. With how often battles were though, arranging a meeting meant that it had to take place relatively quickly, before they got pulled apart again.

After a moment she sighed, turning to face her doppelganger. "Alright. Let's go."

The other Tatiana nodded, and the two of them turned on their heels. Together they moved off the roof, heading into the Capitol to attend the meeting. Along the way a confirmation was sent out, indicating that it was going to be happening. This was going to be interesting to behold. Either way, she was looking forward to seeing her sisters again.

But then, before Hildr would have a chance to notice Artoria's 'lack of enthusiasm', something would change. She would become VERY enthusiastic, her great big paws slamming down onto Ira's not insignificant chest, digging in. No blood would seep out, and to any external view, it would seem to simply be great big fluffy paws. But Ira would feel the strange sensation of painless claws biting into her flesh, while Artoria's lips sealed ever deeper around Ira's to keep her silenced.

For, Artoria had remembered her purpose here, the true reason why she lived.

To turn everything into cute monster girls.

Building up her Manifest Destiny, Hildr would have no idea what was going on as this manifestation of Artoria's demented will gained more and more power, until Ira's defenses would finally fail, and she would suddenly shift into a raven-girl. Hildr's tounge would find itself suddenly deprived of anything to toy with, while Artoria launched a potent double-barreled kick at Hildr's unarmored face with a physical force on a level entirely new to Artoria while all too familiar to Hildr.

While Artoria would definitely take it if it somehow defeated Hildr, her main goal was pushing off Hildr to shove Ira and herself through a portal created with Ira and Mephila's combined powers to hopefully defeat any anti-portal magic, grabbing Victoire as she went if she could.

Of course, they were all chained to various things, by chains intended to hold Ira, no less. But those things the chains were attached to weren't very important.

Victoire and Ira's arms, and Artoria's head were unnecessary, unimportant things, so before Hildr could yank them all back by their chains, Artoria would close the portals, severing those needless things from the bodies they were attached to. Artoria had aimed the portals directly into Lucille's throne room, figuring that, being headless, she would be somewhat indisposed to prevent Hildr from taking them all back unless she chose a secure location. This unfortunately meant that Lucille would get sprayed with a small amount of vampire blood, and a LOT of chimera blood, what with Artoria currently being headless.

Of course, eventually the bleeding from Artoria would stop. Not in the typical manner, as a new head grew from Artoria's neck. She stretched it for a few moments, similar to when she has recovered from having her neck snapped, though also flexing her jaw, biting experimentally a few times.

"Queen Lucille, I found the prisoners. Did I do good? Did I do good?" She asked, setting her front paws on the steps to the throne, looking up at Lucille expectantly. "May I add the loud dying one to my collection?" She said turning her head to show who she meant even clearer, that being Henry. Displaying weakness in Artoria's presence that loudly was just ASKING to be transformed. Of course, Henry likely had no idea who or more importantly WHAT Artoria was.

@TheWindel@KoL@floodtalon@Lonewolf685

Henry Pearl Avaritia The 2nd

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Henry sighed and stopped theatrically moaning in pain. "Wow, I didn't know Hell's new ruler was such a buzzkill." Henry reached into a Gate a pulled out a strange looking pill, popping it in his mouth and swallowing quickly so he didn't have to taste it. His burnt arm began rapidly shedding dead flesh as an arm that looked brand new appeared from underneath it all. Then some weird animal chick burst in through a portal carrying Ira and Victoire, asking if she could have him. "If your furry ass even thinks about touching me I will skin you alive and wear you as a coat.

He pushed himself up with his arms and began flapping his wings to keep himself in place while he waited for his legs to grow back. "So I'm guessing Ira didn't too well considering there's yet another person sitting in the throne. I would bend a knee in support of my new ruler but well..." Henry motioned down at his nonexistent legs. "Anyhow, I am Henry Pearl Avaritia the 2nd. It is a pleasure to meet you and then serve under you. I would like to report that Arcadia is ours, covered in demonic fog, and possibly on fire. I don't think any of the other factions could possibly live there."

The frog appeared out in the middle of the room, falling straight down onto the floor from the air. He has a fresh cleaning on him, and his gun fell directly onto his head as he recovered from the fall. He may have felt some shame, but he didn't really express it explicitly, rather he was more interested in meeting the several people in the room. Namely the large demon (well... large to the Frog) who was armed to the teeth and missing his pair of legs. The Frog leaped up onto the shoulder of this giant demon as he spoke to him in his happy little voice. "Hello friend! What is your name?"

@floodtalon

It was becoming apparent to Lucille why she had failed to take over Hell sooner rather than now; the job was boring. Sitting around in the throne all day and managing idiots seemed like a task fit for someone who really cared and the only reason she was doing so now was because those idiots were amusing. Well, some of them. Some more than others, as evidently proven by the very rapid and sudden appearance of Artoria with…was that Ira and Victoire?

For the longest time, Lucille stared at the trio before her in incredulous surprise. She was not put off by Artoria losing her head in life nor by Ira’s newfound transformation. No, what she was most shocked by…was the fact that a Demon had managed to do something right for once. A Demon not named “Victoire” had actually managed to do something right. She had to repeat the thoughts yet again to herself just to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.

Oh, and Henry had confirmed their conquer of Arcadia. Two victories in a row? It was only her first day and already things were getting back to shape. Lucille’s expression of shock slowly curled into a smirk of victory and her eyes flitted down at the wolf girl leaning against her throne. “Yes. You did very good. Very good indeed,” Lucille said with content in her voice.

The blood running down her hair and face from Victoire and Artoria’s essence were ignored, if only for dramatic effect. Lucille reached over to pat the wolf girl’s head; after all, she deserved it. Artoria did more than a single Demon had done in a day no less. “Don’t think I will overlook your own victory as well Henry,” she said, looking at the slowly healing Demon. “For your efforts, I’ll allow my dog here to keep you intact for now-”

“Get out of my throne Lucille.”

The Black Goat raised an eye, boredly regarding a very unhappy Ira. Despite her cute new form, she still held a gaze of hatred in her red eyes. “It’s very hard to take you seriously when you look like that,” Lucille said. “Considering I have succeeded where you have failed, all in the same day no less, I wouldn’t be mouthing off your new Queen if I were you,” she finished with irritation in her voice.

Before Ira could make a counter to that, Frog made his grand appearance in the throne room. The fact that he had randomly spawned only meant one thing and soon, Lucille’s unamused gaze swiveled to him. “Do you mind telling me what exactly killed you Frog? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you disobeyed a direct order from me. You have one minute to convince me why I shouldn’t make you Artoria’s chew toy.”

Also, did anyone even care about Fran anymore? She was the only Demon left still captured.

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