A single point of calm within an ocean of chaos, the eye of the storm. Khaine sat, eyes closed, mind focused, as his memories raged around him. Armies clashed, blades flashed, bullets and energy beams filled the sky. Immense titans of metal and flesh marched across the battlefield, sowing death and destruction. Angelic beings flew high above the field of battle, their magics twisting and perverting the natural energies of their very world to do their bidding. Immense engines devoured the souls of the devout to power their twisted machinery as they emitted disintegration beams in all directions. At the centre of this war, this merging of all wars, sat Khaine, his legs crossed beneath him and arms on his lap. For even as his memories raged around him, his thoughts were deadly calm within. A focused point, a point of reference, just as he was the point of calm within this storm.

Within the ever-twisting walls of Oblivion, the boundary between reality and fantasy was thin and ever-changing. And as he sat there his very thoughts conspired to lock him within his prison-without-walls. Enemies he had defeated, allies who had fallen, and former friends who he had lost many years ago all stood against him here, barring his exit. Worse still was the turmoil within his own thoughts, an emptiness that sought to draw him into oblivion. That drained him of what he was, what he wanted to be, his very existence. A treacherous nothing that was not nothing, an empty darkness that sought to devour him from within. Without a doubt, if he allowed this darkness to overwhelm him he would once more become a thing of war. A mindless monstrosity, a twisted tool for battle with no thoughts or intentions beyond it's intended purpose, unquestioningly obeying the orders of Hell's tyrants. That was not a life Khaine could return to, that was not something he could inflict upon the Nexus once more.

But as he struggled with his inner demons, both literally and metaphorically, something changed. Something large, something powerful, something momentous. Khaine could feel it in the air, in his very essence. A voice rang out through the abyss, promising answers to ancient secrets and freedom from tyranny. And Khaine could feel it, like a breath of fresh air, the scent of the world outside this prison. So this strange voice wished for the evils within this prison to be unleashed on the world? No, they were using that as a threat in order to manipulate someone else. Did this person plan on challenging the three factions? Whatever their plan, this disturbance granted Khaine the chance he needed to escape this place. Once he'd managed to retrieve the Stone he would be able to leave this damned place once and for all. Once he was on the outside, and could think more clearly, he might begin to consider the possible motivations of this strange voice that had freed him.

When he stood, the warring figures around him disintegrated. Concentrating, Khaine focused completely on his goal. In this place a stray thought was a dangerous thing, and he made sure to release none. Although the darkness of this place could not be fended off forever, he would have to last until he managed to retrieve the stone. This was what spurred him on as he sliced his way past the lesser angelic soldiers who seemed to march from a great hole in reality. Not an exit Khaine could use, unless he felt like fighting his way through the full forces of Heaven itself. So he proceeded on to where he believed the stone to be, where he felt it to be, although in this place nothing was certain. Leaping over a charging angel he continued to run ahead of the angel's main forces, hoping not to attract all too much attention as he rushed towards the deepest depths of the Dungeon.

Now was not the time for grieving.

It was the time for action. The Frog's 'innocent' facade left him as he walked into the portal to the oblivion dungeon, carrying with him only his Rainbow Cannon. There wasn't any talking him out of it, not that he thought anyone would in the first place. For all he cared, he just wanted answers. If the ghastly voice he heard was speaking the truth and this place could provide those answers, he was going to find out how. He may have just been a useless frog puppet, pretty much eternally doomed from the day he had his sentience, but he would rather die than live a day in a feeling of forced ignorance. Whatever Eos did, he sought the answers to undo, and while he was sure that this would prove useless in the long run (as he had expected when he respawned), it was worth a shot.

After Henry and Fran left Hell's throne room, the Frog followed behind. He was taken aback by the eerily familiar face of a wolf girl that seemed just that, but he felt that it couldn't be true. If this was the figure that vanished from his mind, then this place was being awfully nice to do such a thing. Still, it couldn't hurt to ask a few questions.

"What is this place...?"

Henry Pearl Avaritia The 2nd

Henry grunted as the parasol was impaled into him, but he kept his cocky grin up and just yanked the parasol out, already filling in the missing flesh and organs with his Silver Eyes. Or he would've if Francisca hasn't touched him with her want and healed him.

"Hey Henry, I got a crazy idea. Why don't we go into this place and see if there's a new home for us? Hell's nice and all but I think it's high time we find a new neighborhood."

Henry stayed silent at that, only giving a small nod in acknowledgement. Of all the people to wise up, he wasn't expecting her to. But it was a welcome sight to see others leaving this actual hell alongside him. He stepped through the portal and found himself in a prison, azure fog all around him. As he looked around initially he saw something that almost reminded him of something, a wolf girl... "Hey you! Who are you? He asked as she turned to run away from him into the dungeons. "Stop god damnit!" He chased after her, pulling his sword out to maybe cut her legs off.

Henry lost sight of her unfortunately, leaving Him to wander around and contemplate his new freedom. After this was over he was gonna have to drop by his castle and pick up his dogs. Maybe burn down the castle while he's at it, don't want anyone else using it. Used to be his father's castle. Never did like the old bastard.

A noise reminiscent of a twig snapping popped up behind Henry and turned, fully expecting someone to try and kill him. Nothing. He relaxed, chilling at his paranoia. Weird how before all this he wouldn't have even flinched at someone trying to sneak up on him. Makes sense though, nowadays someone sneaking up on him could be an actual threat considering the foes he's fought. The World Snake, the Queen of the Machina, probably the Queen of the Demons at some point. Makes him miss the old days when he was just another soldier under his father, cutting down foes left and right.

Suddenly Henry turned once more to block an angel dressed in armor trying to cut him down. Henry kicked them hard in the gut and then beheaded them as they staggered backwards. The head rolled for a second, stopping with the face frozen in horror facing upwards. "What the fuck?" He recognized that face. Nobody could really forget the first person they ever killed.

Juno was an interesting creature. At most times, she came across as a mindless idiot, a tool only to be used for destruction and whose intelligence was only prevalent in battle. Only at times like these, when she could make such remarks off hand in casual form to the Imperator of Heaven, did said Imperator remember Juno’s potential. It was enough to bring her attention to stare at the purple-armored warrior again. “No. Not until I see the results,” the Imperator said at last, having spared every combatant in the dungeon for now.

Within Hell, Lucille was busy mulling on her throne and observing the events taking place in the Oblivion Dungeon. Much like the Imperator’s portal, her own was serving as a gateway into the battle that took place and she suspected it was doing much of the same for the High Queen of the Machina. How utterly boring. She was considering on putting out a “kill on sight” order for Henry when something in her viewing caught her attention.

But rather than imagery of any sort, it was a voice. A voice so very much familiar but held great malice all the same. It made the Queen of Hell’s fist grip the throne harder, causing yet more damage from it. Well, well. If someone was trying to get her attention, they had better make it worthwhile. “Luci, watch over my throne,” the Black Goat said, rising to notice a patch of flowers having sprouted from the foot of her throne.

By the time she reached it, she spied a brand-new parasol parted for her among the patch of impossible life. Lucille took it without a word, striding past even as the flowers wilted away into the stone floor of the chambers once more. Her interest renewed in this fight, Lucille stepped into the portal and immediately arrived in a strange room.

It looked to be the remains of an old castle but the most peculiar aspect were the many mirrors that lined the halls of the dark place. Lucille cared not for the aura this location gave off and chalked it up to an impossible mind game conjured by the Oblivion Dungeon. Nothing in this hall of mirrors was familiar to her, all except the voice ever still calling out from the last one further down. The Black Goat closed the distance rather quickly and peered into the reflection of the cracked and faded thing. There was nothing special about this; it was only a one-way mirror. So then, why had it summoned her here-

Wham.

A solid crack rang in the air and the Queen of Hell was launched a few feet back skidding on the ground. Someone had punched her in the jaw. Someone that was stepping out of the mirror and looking down on Lucille with a cool smirk. No bones had been broken of course; it would take much more than that to do so for Hell’s Queen. By all means, this attacker would have been dead where they stood for having pissed her off. But for very obvious reasons, Lucille only spat red to the side and got back to her feet.

“That wasn't very nice,” she grumbled, rubbing her sore jaw. “But I expect no less coming from you of all people,” she finished, holding her parasol in hand and pointing it at the other Lucille. Because indeed, it was Lucille, of the very same breed. The Lucille of the distant past.

“You should have seen this coming. There’s no one else you hate more,” the past Lucille said, raising her own parasol in preparation.

The current Black Goat narrowed her eyes at that. “Maybe. You’ve got a lot to see, Me. Let me give you a front row seat to my fist.”

“Howdy, Ananta.” Omega turned around to face the snake woman and tipped his hat as she stepped on the balcony. “Ah, don’t worry about none of that. We’ve all had our off fights. And if yer really looking to make a name for yerself, well I think it’s safe to say you got plenty of time.”

Switching his attention back to Diana, giving a soft sigh and a nod as she spoke. “Ain’t that the truth? You’d think of all places the Nexus would be the one where the thought of losing the ones close to you wouldn’t even cross yer mind. Yet, lady death seems to love throwing us a curveball every once in awhile. Been meaning to ask her about that, personally.”

For a moment, Omega’s mind drifted to faces he remembered but would likely never see again, but shook it off after hearing Diana’s question. “Heh. Course! I’m not about to let y’all go it alone.” It was just then the bells of celestia began to ring. “Speaking of, looks like we need to ride! Come on!”

---

Omega felt uneasy as he looked to the dungeons ahead. “This place...Something about it just don’t feel right.” He said softly before unholstering his revolvers. “Everyone stay close. I reckon we won’t be finding anything friendly in there.”

@KoL@Lonewolf685

---

“Fair enough.” Wolf said to Bonesword’s reply. Truth be told that would probably have been Wolf’s response too. After all, he did punch a Killa Kan through a wall the night before.

Still, Wolf was having a hard time relaxing around the skeleton. He spoke and acted like a Machina, and everyone else seemed to trust him, so logically he should be considered an ally. But he was still a demon, a being Wolf had be trained his entire life to destroy without hesitation. His mind told him he was fine, but his instincts told him to crush the demon’s skull right now.

He wouldn’t be tempted for long, for just as Bonesword asked him about joining the next battle, they received a message from Eos asking all Machina to report to her chambers. “Yes. And it looks like that time is now.”

---

The moment he stepped out of the portal, Wolf could sense the darkness of the dungeons surrounding him and trying to pry at his mind. “Be wary of your thoughts, brothers. This place will try to twist them.”

@Banana

"Yeah, I guess that all we can do is keep on giving or best, right?" Diana said, replying to Omega, just as the bells began to call for the. "Anyway, let's go, this battle seems like it'll be very important. One way or another." she added, following right after the Ghostly Gunslinger.

As soon as Diana crossed the portal she nodded to any other Angels in the vicinity. "This place is probably going to get chaotic really soon. We'd better find that person and get outta here ASAP," she said after glancing at the arriving forces of the Demons and the Machina not very far away from where theirs was located. "I'll go scout ahead, if there's one thing I know how to find is the kind of secret room we probably should be looking for." With those words, Diana took the lead of the Angel's party, racing ahead in the Dungeon corridors.

"This place is certainly spacious," Diana commented to herself as she walked the misty maze. In fact, she was quite certain that she knew this strange aroma in the air. It was something she could never forget. The flowers growing from the walls weren't unknown to her either, but even then, Diana couldn't put a finger on what they meant. "Hmm... what am I doing, anyway? I know that I came to this place looking for something, or someone, but— Argh!" It didn't take long until Diana bumped into something in her way down the dark maze, the sound of metal grinding against the rough rock making it evident that she had lost her sword, after falling.

Once Diana opened her eyes again, shaking her head to clear away the sudden dizziness, she found herself in a totally different place. A huge cave, in a the face of a high mountain. A city nearby was burning, the plume of black smoke rising from it was visible even from this far, all thanks to Diana's draconic eyes. "My... eyes?" she thought. Surprised that she couldn't let any sound other than a groaning roar escape her throat. Diana clutched her neck, only to find the sensation of hard scales and claws. "Could it be? No!" the Dragon girl thought startled as she ran around, searching for something to use as a mirror, until she found a huge pond and, looking at it, she saw her own reflection... her true reflection.

Panicking without knowing what happened, Diana let out an earsplitting roar. She couldn't even control her own body, after all. Trying to find a way out, she turned to the entrance of her cave, the place she called home for so long, after being born the last one of her kind.

So you're the one who's been giving us grief," came a quiet voice of contempt. Yet despite its soft nature, Diana would be well off hearing it above the crackling of fire and flames outside the cave. Standing at its entrance was a man plated in golden armor whose single expression was nothing short of a neutral glare. He feared not the beast before him nor the destruction it could cause, studying Diana's form with a gaze that seemed to bore deep into her scales. "You can come peacefully or I will extract you with force. Your tools can be put to...better uses."

"Hmm!? It can't be!" Diana roared loudly. She knew the voice which called for her but... could it be that she was facing— "You are!?" another roar shook the cave as she turned around to face the knight standing by the entrance of her lair. Diana's eyes looked full of shock, or maybe fear as the man she barely was supposed to recognize stood before her, a glance at his armor causing her to tremble. "It can't be true, something must be happening!" she yelled —though the only sound to come out was another roar— before lashing forth with a claw, intent on grabbing a hold of him out of curiosity.The man's eyes narrowed at this action and he leapt upwards to avoid the slash. Perhaps it was becoming clear of the illusion taking place, though whether Diana was smart enough to piece that together was unknown at the moment. For now, she would continue to suffer these memories, the golden-armored man landing back to the ground and this time with a mighty blade summoned in hand. "So be it then," he said, leaping forward to slash at the dragon's face.

"What!?" Diana raised a claw to protect her face as soon as she noticed the knight's action. Apparently, he had misunderstood her swipe as an attack and decided to counter, leaving her at a disadvantage. That wasn't her intention at all, but as a sudden instinct of fighting for her own survival took hold of Diana, she was forced to bow down to her inner rage, even if she attempted to resist. "Stop it, I don't want to—" Before she could say anything else, Diana beat her wings, causing a great gust of wind to blow out of the cave, trying to push the knight away without harming him, while she remained sane.

To this action, the man slammed his armored fist into the ground, clawing at the stone to keep from being blown away. Metal scraped and flashed yet he was able to keep in hold even as the mighty monster tried its hardest to toss him aside. With his other hand, he held his blade back before throwing it at Diana like a javelin. With luck it would pierce her side and incapacitate her, ending this battle. Though dragging it out further would no doubt turn this cave into a similar picture to that of the burning village below.

Diana roared once more. Trying to not rage and lose herself was getting harder with every passing second. The blade that carved into her flesh, letting a large splash of crimson paint the walls and floor of the cave didn't help at all. Just like a bull, seeing the color of her own blood only made Diana's rage grow further. With a mighty roar she swiped at the knight, intent on grabbing him once more. If that didn't do, she reached forth with her jaws, trying to get a hold of him that way, before it was too late for both of them.

"Stubborn," the knight commented, catching the subtle flicks of rage sparking from the dragon's eyes. Yet you're still going to fight me after that blow. Fool. Only the weak bleed,"he said, getting to his feet and dodging the sloppy swipe of the dragon's claws. Yet that only put him into the line of sight for her massive jaws and he held his blade upwards, jamming it between Diana's fangs to fend her off that way. "A creature of destruction is nothing more than a tool to be used," said the knight, ripping his blade away to punch Diana square in the jaw.

"Argh!" Diana stumbled back with the force of the punch. It was indeed just as she recalled from her past. "Wait? Just as I... remember? That can't... be. I wasn't supposed to—" Indeed, she wasn't even supposed to remember her past. Yet, why was this so familiar to Diana? But, before she could think further about it, the rage grew on her once more. Diana jumped backwards, getting some distance between her and the knight before launching herself forward, to fly out of the cave at full speed and land over a rock on the mountain's side. She roared once more, just that this time her mouth was beginning to crackle with energy, signaling that Diana was about to use her most powerful attack, unleashing destruction upon the land, if she wasn't stopped.And while the land's ruination was of no particular care to the knight, he had been ordered to stop the beast laying waste to it. Such as it were then that he walked out of the cave and looked up high where the dragon sat perched. By the ripples of pressure in the air, there was no doubt a direct blast from Diana's breath would make this world tremble. "If it's rage you so desire, than I will give it to you,"the knight said, eyes flicking up ever higher. As his sight made contact with the sun raised high, he allowed himself a small smirk. "Can you feel it dragon? The sun's power...." he muttered, body convulsing as the star's rays continued to shine its light upon the world.

Power equaling to the dragon's gathered in the knight's form and his sword was held in a deathly vice grip. A shining aura had begun to surround his form as well, snarls and growling escaping his lips. His eyes lost all coloration save for a hot yellow that glowed with animal-like fury while his teeth clenched in inhuman jaws. With a roar to match that of the dragon's, he leapt forward to meet his foe head on. Snarling like a madman, he thrust his gauntlet-clad palm directly into Diana's face and crushed the sphere of energy that had begun to form and forcing the beast back with the impact of its departure. "MOVE ASIDE!"

"Go away! I don't want to," Diana yelled. She got so surprised that finally she could speak again that she couldn't even dodge the blow coming at her. After being hit, the Dragon was sent flying by the blow, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake, until she crashed in a huge crater, amid some nearby woods. Once the dust and debris began to settle, Diana's draconic form had vanished. On its place was her usual diminutive self, naked and unconscious, but seemingly alive and out of danger. The fact that Diana could survive such an attack was a testament of the dragonkind's power, however now she stood at the mercy of the knight. Her fate in his hands."Ugh... what was that? A vision? No, I don't think so. It was way too real to be a vision," Diana said to herself moments later as she regained her consciousness and tried to get back to her feet. "What am I even doing in this place, by the way?" she said while trying to get a feel of the floor under her, "I feel like there was this important thing, I should be doing but then... that person came in and we fought and then... a mission?"

Still unable to think clearly about what she should be doing, Diana just sat there, in the dungeon floor's cold stone tiles, absentmindedly. No matter how much she tried to come up with reason for why she was here in this place and what she was supposed to do, the only image that came to her mind was the distressed figure of a certain girl. "But who's she? And... why does that make me feel so... is that how sadness is supposed to be? I—I really don't know," Diana said to herself.One strange thing that anyone who previously knew of Diana and crossed her way at this moment would notice is that her appearance had changed a ever since she stepped into the dungeon. There was something unmistakable about Diana's current looks, she seemed more... wise, without looking unlike her usual self. It seemed like something in her had grown, almost as if she managed to conquer a piece of herself that even Diana wasn't aware —or perhaps, one that she was afraid— of, without ruining her spirit.

"Well, I guess that I won't find any answers by staying here like this. Off we go, then," Diana said to herself as she got back to her feet and patted her clothes off of any dust. Deciding that whatever was it that brought her to this dungeon must be waiting in the deepest parts of the complex, Diana began to walk, following the air current which seemed to spread this strangely familiar blue mist all over the place.

"This place... certainly is spacious, though," Diana said in a strange way echoing the words that she said not too long ago. Little did the dragon girl know that the route she took would place her in direct collision course —literally, given Diana's tendency to bump into things bigger than her— with a certain demonic looking knight that also prowled the Oblivion Dungeon on his way towards Helena's chamber.

It didn't take much time for Iona to arrive at the Oblivion Dungeon. In fact, it didn't take any time at all. After all, she was on of the few beings that had unrestrained access to the infamous prison, getting in there was as easy as walking down the street. Once she teleported inside of the Dungeon Iona found immediately that it had been tampered by Helena far more than she thought initially.

"What could be her purpose? Helena has nothing to gain by doing this... Unless," Iona, who now had a different appearance greatly resembling Juno's usual sealed form, raised her head as soon as she noticed another peculiar presence on the battlefield. "I knew that this moment was going to happen sooner than later. Nevertheless, this is even earlier than I thought," the dark archangel thought as she began to walk toward the gates.On her way there, Iona stopped and glanced at the remainder of the Angel forces gathered by the portals created by Helena. "Do not listen to the words spoken by Helena. Instead of searching for her concentrate on destroying the Demons and Machina who foolishly fell on her trap," Iona said, looking right in the other Angel soldiers' eyes. "This is a matter between us, none of you is supposed to get dragged into it. Lastly, take care with this mist. It may look harmless at first, but it was created using the Blood Countess' magic, if you do not defeat your enemies soon enough, you may find yourselves forced to battle you own comrades, once your minds have been crippled far too much. That's how insidious her nature is. I believe that you are all well acquainted with it by now to know that the Blood Countess powers aren't to be underestimated even by the forces of Heaven, such as us."

It may have been irrelevant, to give the warning Iona gave. However, Victoire's powers were a literal game changer in the Nexus. Remembering the other Angels to not let their hubris cloud their judgment was the most sensate thing to do, given their faction's... history of forgetting that they aren't invincible, even if many Angels were more akin to literal gods.

With her orientation given, Iona marched toward her quarry. Once Iona gave a few steps forward, she turned on her heels and looked at the others. The faint, yet powerful murderous smile in her face, made Iona's visage look many times more intimidating than normally. "Furthermore, no matter what you do, don't battle a lizard spewing blue flames that looks like a bigger Juno. She's my quarry and you won't want to be near us, in case the inevitable happens..." Having said all she had to, Iona finally parted with the other Angels, flying into the maze.

Her destination could only be one place.

As Zeruel's warriors continued pushing into the dungeon, they suddenly witness a hellish character slicing through the lesser Angelic forces, as well as some of his troops as well. The frontline Michaels wield their swords as they attempt to subdue this monster, but for awhile they couldn't barge through him. Surely this character had a good reason to be entrapped here in this dungeon of Hell. Yet as he approaches the portal entrance, he suddenly stops and runs deeper into the dungeon depths. Zeruel attempts to blast the character with his eye beam, but unfortunately it missed by a very close margin. Whoever this character is, he won't be getting away from the Angel of Might, the Leader of the Hierarchy. With one of his tendrils, he signals a small squad, comprised of two Michaels, a Sachiel, and a Ramiel.

"FOLLOW THAT DEMON." he booms at them commandingly, "SCOUT OUT THE LOWER DEPTHS AND PREPARE FOR OUR DESCENT. HE WON'T GET FAR."

The three angels complied with his orders as they began to follow his trail. Just after they disappear behind the ragged rocks, Zeruel hears the chant coming from Iona. They are to scout out and destroy both forces from Hell and the Machina, while not trying to go insane from the Blood Countess' magic. Of course, Zeruel's mind and radiant holy AT-Field will grant him temporary immunity to the hallucinogen, but if he perhaps stays here for too long, even he will succumb to it's effects. Even the clones, more ghostly in nature, will have the same effect, but probably only for a lesser time.

But then Iona mentions 'a lizard spewing blue flames that looks like a bigger Juno' and that how it's her target. He knew exactly what she meant. It also means that it was lurking somewhere within the depths of this very dungeon... perhaps the exact place they were going

---

The Laguna trio began to trail the hellish warrior in quick pursuit, they would find that their surroundings became darker and darker the deeper they descended. Who knows what kind of deep hell will the find in here, but regardless they must obey their master's commands or be brutally martyred by his hand. As they reached one of the entrances leading into the dungeon, one of the Michaels gets hit by a massive ash-colored tail, slamming him brutally into a wall.



The Angels stepped back in surprise as they looked at their dead comrade on the floor, his spine broken and his head being sprawled in a very unnatural way. They look up to see a blue hue glow in the darkness, pulsating rapidly as it slowly sways in the blackness. Then they see two yellow eyes pierce the darkness as they look down on the three soldiers with a purposeful grimace. As the Angels looked upon the character, the other Michael roars his battle cry as he attempts to slice it with his sword. He's met by a powerful swipe of the character's hand, again, slamming him into a wall as well.

Sachiel and Ramiel instinctively began to fire upon the mysterious creature, the former using his lance blaster and Ramiel using lightning. The creature howls in annoyance as her plates began to rapidly pulse, followed by another sound as if plasma was charging up. The character runs towards Sachiel, her right fist lighting up a bright light-blue as it grips the Laguna's head. The angel attempts to get free, but is soon silenced as his skull was crushed by the sheer might of the creature. Ramiel was the only one left and he continues to form and fire lightning spears from his hands, only to slowly realize that they had no effect on it. Then the creature's spines began to rapidly pulse, with a blue glow beginning to form under the yellow eyes. The last thing that the Ramiel would see, was a gaping mouth, filled with blue plasma, and the face of "The Destroyer Of Worlds".

"-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT-A-TAT!" screamed the Frog as he walked through this bleak area, finishing up his past encounter with a certain corpse. A feminine 'college-age' robot was the corpse that he loaded a couple hundred buck-shots into, and as her smoldering body lay upon the ground in a pile of rust and metal, the Frog gasped heavily. The air here was thick, that was sure, and this place seemed to answer itself.

It was designed to play tricks on him. At least that's what it seemed to be. He knew that he fried that motherfuckin' owner months ago, and her existence was pretty much invalid now due to that. Hell, it was a bit more than unnerving for him to see her, if it didn't steel his mind that this place was meant to get to him.

As the Frog continued forward, he continually kept seeing the faces of three different people. Lucille, her daughter, and that same wolf girl from the beginning. What in the Nexus that meant, he didn't know, but he did notice that none of them actually initiated any attack on him. Odd, considering that they were more prominent people in his life. For the time being, the Frog continued in his pursuit of truth as he carefully watched his followers. He'd gladly put a bullet through Lucille if he had to, though.

---

"I guess I'll go too. I've sat out my share, considering this place hates me." Bonesword didn't like having to deal with shit on a daily basis, and he was slightly eager to continue fighting for something, even if it hated him. His project could wait a battle, he supposed.


What in the fresh Sam Hill is this place? Bonesword could feel his soul cower as he walked into the realm with Wolf. The skeleton's third sword, Unleash, was quickly drawn in defense as he stood beside Wolf. Whatever this place could do, Bonesword had to be ready. While his mind was clogged with thoughts that caused great issues amongst him, one of them stood out from the rest... quite literally, in fact. A large demon, armed to the teeth with varying weapons (in the far past, judging by the advancements) was gloomily staring at the skeleton, his four arms flexed and ready to dish out some pain.

"My old first mate! Funny, I didn't expect to be findin' yer' ass here..."

Rhine?! H-he was dead! He was the reason that she... she... it couldn't be him! I-It had to be an impostor! This place was playing tricks on him! If Wolf could feel the swordsman's emotions, the only two that he could feel would be a state of utter confusion, and the bitter taste of ultimate fear.

“Be wary of your thoughts, brothers. This place will try to twist them.” The skeleton heard Wolf say this line as he quivered in his boots towards Rhine. If he was right, then Rhine was truly dead and this wasn't a real version of the demon lord. He couldn't be sure of it, though, as he knew that this place could be one of any sort, and Wolf could be trying to deceive him... but there's not a reason he would do that. The guy seemed quite nice! He was clearly uncomfortable around Bonesword earlier, but he couldn't blame him for it, everyone was that way near the skeleton. After a moment of hesitation, Bonesword asked the knight beside him a seemingly-stupid question. "Please tell me that you can't see the rhinoceros-demon that killed my soulmate right there."

Pushing his way through the various other combatants Khaine had some time to think, and considered the situation. It was important to have a grasp of why this was happening, and even more important was to distract himself. Thoughts of the current, he had noticed, were less easily twisted than thoughts of the past. As long as one continued to live in the moment, they could survive here with their mind intact. So he went over the implications of what he had seen in this prison up until now.

The portal to the angelic realms was not angel-made. The angels themselves had no reason to invade the Oblivion Dungeon, some of their worst criminals were hidden away within this realm. So clearly it was the world of that mysterious voice, the one that had challenged all comers to conquer this place. To find out some hidden truth. The threat of those hidden within this realm escaping out into the world was an empty one, for any who remained here for too long a time were broken too thoroughly to ever return. Khaine himself had been here only shortly, less than a year, and yet even he could feel the mark of this place upon him. Those who had been here for hundreds or even thousands of years could not truly be called 'sentient' any more, stripped completely of their thoughts and memories. So then this truth was so important that it enticed even the forces of Heaven. And based on the invitation Angels were not the only one who had been invited into this realm. So were there Demons here as well? And perhaps even a few humans. What truth could be so vastly important to tempt all of these factions? Who, exactly, had drawn them all here?

But these musings could not last forever, as Khaine rounded one of many corners in a twisting path to slam into a small angelic creature. His reflexes as fast as ever he instantly lashed out, the force of impact on either the angel's body of the weapon they used to block sending them tumbling away from the Dread Knight. He didn't have time for such distractions, and yet it appeared that he had attracted some unwelcome attention. Behind him he could hear angelic shouting and screaming, combined with an unholy roaring and a flash of bright blue light. Whatever was going on over there, it was most likely unhealthy.

Glancing back at the angel he had run into, Khaine recognised the need for haste. The blue fire likely represented a minion of their Hell or the Machina, neither of which would be much happier to see him than the angels were. So he shot forward like a bullet, a massive black sword forming in one hand and a smaller black dagger forming in the other, both weapons forged from Demonsteel. He would unleash a series of devastating slashes with the larger blade, comparable in size to a mortal greatsword, using the weapon's great weight and strength to his maximum advantage in an attempt to overwhelm the angel's guard. A fluid twisting and sweeping style of combat would allow him to turn the weapon's weight after each swing, bringing it back to bear rapidly. The brief periods where his sword was at his side were covered by the smaller blade, held out in front of him to deflect any counterattack in the unlikely event that this angel was able to even escape this barrage of blows. If he didn't manage to deal with this quickly, he would most likely be forced to combat whatever had caused that blue light, and something told him that wasn't a fight he wanted to be in.

Anger was curtailed by the shock of such open treachery and the calm with which her mother recieved the dissent of Hell. Demons weren't loyal by nature, at least the majority of them weren't, but such brazen disregard for the authority of throne was like a dagger thrust into her chest and turned with every vile syllable uttered against the Queen.

The irony of a slime being rendered as still as stone was disappointingly lost upon her as catatonia remained till even Lucille left to join the battle.

"Those- Those darn ingrates!" Luci screamed into the emptied throne room, frustration overwhelming her to sear the infernal room amidst the radiance of own luminescence. Stone steamed and sizzled, burning hot to the touch while the slime boiled to a wild black interspersed by bubbles racing from foot to head. Growling rumbled from where a stomach would have been and had her head whipping every which way, only to seethe in disappointment no one was left to devour in her vicinity.

"Grr- Oh!" The rapid boiling turned to a simmer as she found herself transfixed by the portal, the prospects of enemies to consume far out-weighing the ominous words predating it's opening. Swiftly approaching she nearly threw herself through, only to trip and splatter herself on the floor when the parting command of her mother rang clear between her eyes. "Hmm...what would poppa do...Aha!"

Taking a page from her layabout parent, Luci tore out a glob of slime, molding it into a humanoid eye with ease, and placed it on throne were it could watch over Hell just as Lucille wished.

---

With the lateness of her arrival Luci had missed out on the phantom of the puppy woman, not that anyone had informed her of this, but she was in rather high spirits as she absorbed the glum and dour decor of the prison. It brought about pleasant memories of time spent bonding with family, and the pride of being taught all sorts of new things to be praised by her momma for.

"You were made in a pit like this."

Only to pause with a rigor of horror morphing form the disbelief splashed across her malleable form. Turning a corner had put her at odds with a woman of slime as pure as the water's of Celestia, towering over Luci amidst a glow of healing light that forced the child to squint at the phantasm.

"No. No no no no no! You're dead, Momma killed you and I buried you!"

"Dead? Mother?" The holy phantasm said, brows arched before settling upon a dignified severity, akin to a nun disciplining a child. "I see the Black Goat was thorough in desecrating my body. Not an ounce of compassion in you, no respect for living beings. All because of that monster I had hoped to redeem, only to be drowned in her hate..."

"Shut up, Selene! I'm me, and and you're dead, and you aren't ever coming back. I won't go back to wallowing in the trash and kissing everyone's booboo just to make you feel better."

The blue woman sighed, a heavy breath carrying with it the weight of many millennia wasted to form the child now before her. "I'm sorry, but I see she was right in one regard. My pacifism can not be absolute. When I've finished absorbing you I shall use your form to lobotomize her and end the threat of the Black Goat once and for all."

Tendrils of blue crept out towards Luci, her whirling to convey a thousand denials to every word spoken against the world she'd so painstakingly built up. Words that gave way to shrieks of unbridled terror as it seemed to come crumbling down.

(Will post for Hidlr soon.)

As Diana continued to walk the dark halls of the Oblivion Dungeon, she began to hear the sounds of battle coming from where she was headed to. It was just a hunch on the dragon girl's part but she thought that, if battles were coming close it meant that she most be getting closer to something important as well. Perhaps, the reason why she was here in first place. These thoughts had Diana particularly distracted, it was unavoidable that she'd bump into something, she just didn't thought that the something she bumped into was a walking wall of metal spikes that lashed back at her as soon as they met.

"Wait, what's—" Diana said, surprised with the uncalled assault. Thankfully her body reacted faster than her, creating a magical shield, shaped like a dragon's fiery wing to protect her from most of the lethal attacks. Even so, Diana was pushed away a few meters, knocking against a wall with a dry thud. "Argh! What's... no why did you do this? I'm sorry for bumping into you but, your reaction was too violent," the dragon girl said, coughing up a bit as she got back to her feet, using her staff as a support for her seemingly wobbling legs.

Taking a step back, Khaine simply prepared for his next attack. There was no time for words, certainly no time for civility. Killing an angel was no moral quandary, they were all immortal anyway. But this one seemed more dangerous than the weak creatures he had faced before, having withstood a series of attacks like that. That shield was excellent at blocking a frontal assault, so the obvious answer was not to go for a frontal assault. As he lunged forward again, swinging at her with the heavy demon blade, a portal would open behind her, a pillar of black steel emerging from it at high speed. At this rate he would be done with her quite quickly."It seems that... you aren't up for talking," Diana said as the unknown force continued to attack her. The strategy to attack from behind would normally be successful weren't for the fact that a dragon's greatest defense, as well as their most powerful weapon after their roaring breaths, is their tail. Without even thinking about it, Diana's tail coiled around the attack coming from her back. With her natural dexterity, she used the sudden acceleration to aid her jump, landing behind the demon looking knight, which naturally put he in crash course with his own attack.

"I just want to ask something, but if you are not going to listen, I'll have to beat it into you!" Diana shouted, leveling her staff with Khaine's back, as if it were a spear. "Ascalon!" she said calling forth her weapon's name, causing the head of her staff to burst into bright, holy flames —actually plasma, taking the shape of a fiery blade. "If you listen to me, I don't need to do this, but otherwise I might have to really use force," Diana said one last time as a magic circle written in Draconic runes sprung forth from her extended hand, ready to unleash whatever spell she had prepared, in case the Demon Knight didn't do as she asked.

Turning around, Khaine followed the dragon's arc with his dagger hand even he brought the larger sword back to bear. The pillar was of no concern, it merely vanished back into the World Forge before it hit Khaine himself. Realizing that this might take some time Khaine took a moment to make a decision. It might be faster to talk his way past this creature rather than fighting them. Of course, that was assuming that they were anything resembling reasonable. With a sound somewhere between a grunt and metal being torn Khaine took a step back from the dragon girl, although he didn't lower his weapons. "Step aside, I have things to do." More words were not necessary. Her response would determine whether he would need to kill her or not.

Diana was somewhat relieved that she finally could get through the metallic monstrosity before her. Even if he didn't look one much used to talk, she was sure that all she needed was to try. In the end, it worked, more or less. "Sure, I just want to ask a couple things. I didn't mean to stop whatever is it that you are doing. If that's no problem... can I go with you and ask it on the way?" Diana said, dismissing her weapon, but instead of disappearing, the staff took the form of a beautiful golden sword which she sheathed right away. The spell she was holding was dismissed as well, fading back into the aether.After she asked what she had to, Diana stepped aside, letting the corridor as free as possible for the Demon Knight's passage. "I promise I won't be a bother," she said while adjusting her glasses. A broad smile was still stamped in her face, even now.

With that done, Khaine simply went on his way, resuming his rapid movement down the hall. If the angel decided to follow, he would inform her "Your portal is back there. I seek the centre". With that he continued, expecting the dragon girl to head back towards the angel's portal.

"Wo— wait!" Diana said as she scrambled to follow the Demon's pace. Despite her shorter stature, she was pretty quick on her feet and managed to catch up a moment later, walking just a few steps behind the demon, to avoid triggering his wrath once again. "What do you mean by my portal? Actually, what's even this place and what are you doing here—" Diana came to a halt once she realized that she hadn't introduced herself before asking this many questions about whoever this being was. "My name's Diana, by the way. I don't remember much more than that, except that I have an important mission to do... but I can't figure what it was, no matter how hard I try. What about you?" she said, partially yelling, to get the Demon's attention over the cacophony that echoed through the Dungeon.

This was getting quite annoying. In this place Khaine couldn't afford to get distracted, let alone stand still and chat. If he allowed idle chatter to cloud his mind, he would be as good as lost to the darkness of this place. How this strange angel girl managed to survive without a solid purpose was anyone's guess, but if her lack of memory was any indication, she was already quite a long way gone. At first he had believed it would leave if he simply kept silent, but it remained, like some kind of fungus. When he came to a stop at a crossroads, trying to discern what direction would lead him towards the stone, he chose to briefly address her concerns. First he pointed at her "Angel", then the area around them "Oblivion Dungeon" then at the surrounding chaos "War" and lastly back where he had come from "Angel Portal". Like explaining a picture book to a baby. Even if there had been time for more extensive explanations he probably would not have bothered, what mattered to him the fate of one little angel girl. Let the darkness take her, hollow her out until there was nothing left. It was the fate any angel would wish upon him, after all.With a sigh like an angle grinder, Khaine turned towards Diana. "Follow me, or escape through that portal. But focus. Stay guarded. The walls prey on stray thoughts." With those words he set off once more, this time slightly slower. Surreptitiously he glanced back to see whether the angel was following him, returning to her home, or wandering like a lost puppy.

"A dungeon? I see... I wonder if I got here because people still fear me?" Diana said as she listened to Khaine's explanation of the situation, occasionally nodding to make sure for him that she was understanding it. "I'm not really an Angel, I'm a Dragon. Well, I'm a Sun Dragon, so I guess that I'm kinda holy, but... people used to fear me, because I was savage and caused a lot of destruction. I almost ruined my world so being in a prison isn't really that strange. That is," Diana made a pause to take a good look at Khaine's form. Probably there was a reason why he was in this place as well, but she'd better not ask more about it now.

"That is, until I met a certain knight. Now that I think about it, he was a lot like you. He was quite grumpy and hot-heated and for some reason liked to say 'Move Aside!' a lot as well," Diana said this last bit in a quite comical way, trying to imitate the voice of the knight she was talking about. "Is that a catch phrase of you knights or something like this?" She asked, while still following Khaine.

Once more, Khaine found himself in the company of such a troublesome person. And this person was convinced she was a dragon! An absurd notion. Khaine had fought dragons. Immense, mighty creatures of scale, tooth and claw. Not of pinkish flesh and silken thread. He could almost feel the memories of the dragons he had fought snorting in disgust. And a sun dragon? One such dragon that fed on the remains of dying stars, and whom's flames could scorch away the surface of entire worlds? A dream, inspired by the emptiness of the Oblivion Dungeon. Not for the first time he wondered how much of her original thoughts was left, and how much longer it would take before she was nothing more than a mindless shell. Unconsciously, he quickened his pace.When she began comparing him to some knight of old, who had presumably attempted to help her with her dragon-based delusions, he narrowed his eyes. If that very same knight were to appear right now he would have to stab them instantly, before the girl could react. If she could, she would most likely mistake the echo for a true being. A mistake that would surely kill her. But luckily enough no such echo made it's appearance, and after a while Khaine answered her question. "I am no Knight." And he had not been, for a very long time. Since the very day he had scorned his masters and left his post within the legions of Hell, he had lost the right to carry that title. Not that it was a title he was proud of to begin with. It was the name of a murderer, a being who killed on command without question and without mercy. A leader, perhaps, but also a puppet. No, it was better to be Khaine, the Wanderer, than to once more be a Dread Knight. But he could not dwell on such thoughts. Not here, and not now.

They were approaching the centre. Others came behind him, presumably seeking the truth they had been promised. Armies, lead by great generals and monstrous beasts. Perhaps they had slowed one another down, or perhaps they had been lost in their own memories. Either was equally likely in this place. Regardless, if he was to escape this place, he would need to retrieve his stone as soon as possible.

Diana narrowed her eyes once she saw Khaine speed up his pace. It was painfully obvious what was going by in his mind. "Ah, I see it now. You don't believe me, do you?" she said while puffing her cheeks, pouting. "If that's so, how about this: You are no knight and I'm no dragon, so... this mean we have something in common. I guess we can be friends, then. What do you say, Mister Not-Knight whose name I still don't know?" Diana smiled and adjusted her glasses on more. Even in the darkness of the Oblivion Dungeon, a shinny glint reflect off its lenses whenever she did so, for God knows what reason.

Friends? Another meaningless concept. This girl's bones would be ashes before another hundred thousand years had passed. To accept such a proposal would just be accepting another memory to carry. And it was those very memories that had trapped him in this place in the first place. No, he would return her to safety, but then he had to return to his duty. After all, this world would not right itself. The voice that had started all this practically confirmed that. This war was more than it seemed, and it needed to be stopped. Having now slowed down Khaine looked around, trying to once more catch a hold of the scent. The deeper they went, the harder it became to know which way to go. But, after an inordinately long amount of time he did answer. "Khaine". There was no harm in giving her his name, whatever it was worth. With that Khaine stepped forward once more, moving towards his final destination. The deepest point of the Oblivion Dungeon. Where his stone was being kept. Whatever that voice was, it had come from here."Khaine, hmm? That's not bad," Diana mumbled to herself, with arms crossed before her chest. "Either way, I still don't know what you are doing here, but I'm not going to ask it either. Just let me say one thing, since it looks like we are getting close to something big," she said, catching up to Khaine once again and passing him, in fact. "You seem to have a lot of things troubling you. You should try to focus on what's more important, even if you did something bad in the past, or you've lost your way, you have to remember that you can always try to find something worth living for."

"You may think I'm delusional, but..." Diana stopped in the middle of the corridor, blocking the way once more and raised her tail (since her hand wouldn't reach), touching Khaine's chestplate. "Your heart is the key that'll free you."

Unlike the others, Hibiki and Shizuka knew they weren't here to kill the demons and heavens wholesale. Or at least, that's not their main objective. While no doubt they'll be attacked by both sides, Hibiki figured that whoever summoned the portal to the queen's throne room was more of a threat than those who went inside of it. Prior to entering the two sisters went to get their equipment, and Shizuka granted them a few blessings. Full shields, wings, and of course establishing their telepathic bond. Surprising Hibiki, it was Shizuka who spoke up first. "Let's stick together, okay?" Of course Hibiki knew what she meant. She wanted to protect Hibiki by using the eyes.

And despite their telepathic bond, Hibiki hid feelings of resent. She didn't like how much stronger her sister was getting.

Once geared up the two sisters went through the portal alongside the others, including Endian, Wolf, and Bonesword. Testing the comms in this dimension Hibiki called out to the other Machina Soldiers. "Stick together everyone. I'm getting strange signals from this place." And sure enough something strange happened. From the shadows came a creeping monster that charged from behind Hibiki. Fully expecting this she turned around and shot it dead, but what she was somewhat more surprised about was the familiarity. She didn't think much of it at first until three more came out, and than she realized that these were the exact copy of the first demon she's killed. Or rather, a human who had been so corrupted by the demons he turned into a monster. Hibiki saw this happen to him and she remembered faintly how long it gave her nightmares. Nowadays it was just a distant memory. "Is that how this place works? Attacks us with ghosts from our pasts?" Hibiki effortlessly dispatched the other three copies easily, no longer the scared, green soldier she was so long ago.

Shizuka had helped Hibiki fend off the dark monsters as well, though for her she didn't recognize them as the same creatures as Hibiki had fought. In fact they didn't have any definite form at all; just blobs of shadows to her. Shizuka didn't think much of it and just thought it was demonic trickery at work, and she cut them down all the same. She noticed Wolf and Bonesword off to the side facing off against their own creatures, however Shizuka couldn't quite see what they were fighting. Regardless she called out to them on the comms. "Don't be distracted. They're just dark creatures out for you blood. Let's not get hold up here and go deeper within." Hibiki left some land minds to hold the doppelgangers off as she and Shizuka pressed further into the realm. They needed to find the master of this realm and deal with her quickly. Afterwards they could go home.

"Shizuka."

"Yes."

As the two sisters went further into the depths they noticed a mist clinging to the ceiling. Too many run in with demons had made them wise up to Victoire's antics. While they don't know what exactly had become of her, they weren't going to fall for the same tricks as before. Shizuka's holy barriers would be sufficient to block out the demonic fumes, however only the two sisters were properly equipped. So Shizuka started chanting in order to give the others the same barrier, at least if they stayed close. As the two moved in Hibiki was getting flashes from the past. Memories of her first battles and how scared she was. This was before she had even met Shizuka; before the two because the mecha maids. Hibiki was just another cannon fodder on the battlefield, armed with nothing but a rifle and a knife, expected to fight for the queen's glory. Funny how someone as low born as her managed to become someone like she is now. For someone who glorified a working-class role, she'd never imagine that she'd get as far as she did. But... Hibiki supposed she had Shizuka to thank for that.

Soon Hibiki was stopped and quickly removed from her distracted thoughts. Without breaking her chanting Shizuka used hand signals to tell Hibiki to lay low and to look at something ahead. Taking out her rifle she spotted what appeared to be a slime woman menacing a little girl. It was no one that either of the sisters recognized, but Hibiki suspected that this was a trick to lure them into a trap. She barely had time to realize it when Shizuka flew down, Seier in hand, to cut down the monster menacing the little girl. "Oh god she just ran in..." Growing the blade into a longsword it was large enough to cleave the creature in two, however Shizuka had a feeling that it wouldn't be so easy to slay a slime, even with a holy sword. Hibiki just groaned a little and fired two shots from her biotic rifle at the slime creature, letting the nano machine bullets eat away at the slime like some twisted acid.

@Lonewolf685@Banana@Awesomoman64@Lucius Cypher

As the Frog continued his descent into his own mind, he was actually surprised to find that there wasn't just one Luci, but TWO near him. Odd, considering he had a very limited interaction with the princess of Hell. It was very possible for it to be the real Luci, especially considering that she was being assaulted by some kind of... other slime? Who the fuck was this? Yeah, he guessed it was truly the real Luci, in flesh... slime, and blood... slime? Enough with the long-winded shit, the Frog should probably be saving her.

In a flash, the Frog ran up to the green slimy child and grabbed her as best as he could as he made a fair leap away from the blue slimy attacker. It was weird, touching something that could split apart with the smallest pull. Regardless, he managed to pull Luci just far enough away from the other slime so he could avoid any friendly fire. If he hit Luci, he'd be completely screwed by Lucille, and while he wasn't fond of her presence, he wasn't about to let himself get destroyed by her unbridled rage.

He made sure to steer clear of the Machina troop as he kept Luci away from harm, pulling her even farther away from that fight and to the nearby wall.

"Are you okay?"

To think a slime would ever have reason to fear tendrils, yet it was all Luci could do to keep from collapsing into a puddle in the face of blue woman.

"What?!" Cried the phantasm in alarm as she was assailed without warning, and a holy blade thrust through her mass just as a felt puppet tackled away the Princess of Hell away from her immediate grasp. Seier passed through her without resistance, slime molding around the blade without any indication it had an effect on the physical or spiritual level. Hibiki's rounds, however, proved only marginally more effective when the slime discarded the tiniest portion of her mass, casting off the nanites off in a baseball sized glob splattered on the wall.

The princess looked down with wide eyes to see that she'd been saved by what was ironically the most likely Demon to rush towards a child's aid, all things considered. Clasping both arms tightly around his free one, she shook her head vigorously in the negative before looking back to her attacker.

"Do you know what you protect?" Selene roared, looming over the sword wielding Machina yet made no effort to strike with anything but her tongue. "That creature was molded by hands of Hell's monarch, a murderer without remorse or redemption, all perpetrated with a body not her own."

"That belonged to me, you petty facade, and I shall have it back to end the madness of the Black Goat."

An aura of blinding radiance came from Selene, suffusing the Twins with the warmth of holy rejuvenation well in excess of any they'd have been confronted with before. It instilled peace, tranquility, and the sluggishness of bliss that the slime hoped would hinder them from intervening further when she slid around Shizuka and stalked towards Frog and Luci.

The Demon would be finding this saintly healing rather enema to it's existence.

"You're wrong. It's not yours, not anymore!" Luci shouted back, clutching the felt puppet tightly as she shrank upon herself quite literally till she was but Frog's size staring down a giant in Selene. "Momma showed you that, and that's why I'm here. There are no second chances for you, not while I'm around."

If Selene had possesed veins they would have bulged in frustration with the child, a lapse of concentration dimming her aura as she raised an open hand to reprimand Luci. "On that we can agree."

---

They stirred with the marching of angels, roused from the maelstrom of slumber with the clambering of cloven hoof and infernal claw.

Countless minds joined between two vessels, striving for a singular goal. A goal forgotten amidst the thieving stones of Oblivion, mercilessly clawing at the collective of maggots writhing in their shells. Rising them the heaps they'd made upon the halls as though drawn up on strings, their every motion encumbered by wetness running from head to toe and leaving drops of scarlet scattered with every motion. What scraps of cloth and chips of bone they'd left spoke of a meal picked clean by carrion, yet they found their hunger was only a means, not an end.

They didn't exist to eat, but ate to exist. A distinction formed within the walls that left them dejected without purpose, as shallow as it may have been. As though by some pavlovian response they found their head's tilted upwards when thoughts of ambition brewed. Did they wish to escape? Certainly, but that couldn't have been their goal in life before they came here. It had to be something else...

Dripping as though with a fresh coat of paint, the two shells joined together and created the visage of a daunting phantom cobbled from those they'd consumed, yet even this unity felt wrong in a sense, a far cry from what their Garuda form should have resembled and left them to shudder at the hollowness of it all. With a beat of their wings they shot down the halls, twisting and turning around the sharp corners with a saddening ease of familiarity amidst the dead, still air of Oblivion.

Only, the air wasn't lifeless anymore. They noted a fine aroma of roses, familiar yet eluding the grasp of frayed memory like all the rest. And further beneath that came something which didn't escape. A remnant buried deep, so very deep into the collective.





A flash of life gleamed through the phantasm's mask and it rocketed it forward with more vigor then the crude shell could take. Tears open at the seams and glimpses of animation could be glimpsed through the undulation of writhing carrion within, yet they cared not. They had smelled the fresh air and it had called to them, serenaded them all with the sweetest of promises, and even if it were all but another illusion then they'd only have to fall back upon the pursuit once again.

For now they flew, only to bank a corner and find their path obstructed by by the backs of a knight borne from Hell's buxom and a young girl of bizarrely cheery disposition. They cared not to feast, only to rise, and with a shriek they charged forward to bowl over the two in her pursuit.

It wouldn't take long for Iona to find the being she was looking for. After all, she didn't made any efforts to disguise the trail of destruction she left in her wake. "Stop right there, Beast, I have come to talk. However, I know of your tendencies, this will be the one and only warning," Iona said to the lizard woman before her.

However, once the Dark Archangel arrived there, someone else had also joined their little reunion. A sudden shift in reality would come to both of them as they were dragged to the Oblivion Dungeon's deepest levels where no one but Helena waited for them, sat cross-legged in a throne built with whatever riches laid in the prison's vault. "Well, well, look who's here. I never thought that you of all people would climb down from your Master's throne to attend to the matters of inferior beings such as us," Helena said, clearly directing her words at Iona.

"If it were for you and your delusions of rebellion, I would have let Juno destroy this place. Nevertheless, I have come to judge whether or not We will need to consider her at threat too. After all, it's not too late for her to join our cause," Iona said back to Helena, while still gazing at Titanica.

Meanwhile, the creature stands motionlessly as she exudes a scowl of displeasure. Here she is, inside this dungeon, having just eliminated four measly Angel warriors who happened to have landed in an unlucky place like this, and now two vassals, one light and one dark, just appear before her. Was she looking for a fight? Was she looking for company? No. She was here for her own agenda. A personal vendetta that is her's to deal with alone. And of course, just as she awakens to find the answers she seeks, she has to bring the attention from the rest of the vassals. Clearly she isn't the type to make friends or rekindle with pleasantries, let alone participating in shallow conversations.

It becomes rather clear that they seem to be arguing over which side she should choose. Choose Iona's side of light and order, or Helena's side of darkness and chaos. Granted both choices aren't too appealing towards her. She looks again at both characters silently, issuing a guttural growl mentioning how she's not amused at the entire situation.

"Stay out of my way..." she growls between her teeth towards both factions menacingly as her spines began to pulsate slowly in short bursts.

"And what way is it that you talk about?" Helena asked. The vampire flipped her hair nonchalantly, clearly not amused with Titanica's display of rage. Helena had to deal with a literal bull inside her castle everyday, childish tantrums were the last thing to faze her. "The last time I checked, your master was allied to my Master, this makes you my ally by default. Unless, of course, you forgot why we are called Vassals." Helena finished her question flashing her fangs at Titanica, not in an intimidating way, but as an statement of her superiority in this discussion.

Iona on the other hand remained quiet. She didn't have the time to engage in a verbal war with Helena of all people. If this came to it, she wasn't going to think twice about using force. Though, Iona made sure to remain in this sealed form. The collateral damage from their battle was likely what Helena was really looking forward to and Iona knew better than to play the vampire's game.

Titanica simply glares at Helena after she issues her response. While it's true that she herself is a vassal, there's just one prominent problem. While technically, she is bound to their whole "Vassal Civil War", she chooses not to participate in their pointless charades. She's on her own and she's content with it. That's why she normally sleeps in places such as deep in the ocean, or in an isolated cave high in the mountains. She only awakens once every several thousand years to stretch her legs, or according to the Vassals, eliminate one of the three factions back to square one, just as they attempt to claim superior domination over the entire Nexus. But this time, she woke up early. She had at least another thousand years to sleep before waking up, yet now she awakes to deal with a personal issue. These two Vassals are seemingly trying to delay her search, whether they mean't it or not. With nowhere else to go, her spines began to crackle rapidly as her eyes began to glow in pure rage.

"LEAVE ME ALONE." she commands as her anger and impatience climbs towards its climax, her tail leaving a firm impact on the steel ground below her.

"Are you done with your thinking? I asked you a question and did not receive a suitable answer, this must mean that either you are deaf, or want to face the consequences. Given that the first is not true, I'll assume the second," Iona said, summoning her swords and positioning herself for battle.

"Well, let's put it this way, then," Helena said as she got back to her feet. "If you don't choose a side to stand for, you'll become a foe to all. What will that accomplish, my dear Ti. Ta. Ni. Ca?" She asked as a magic circle of dark energy shone around her feet, summoning several orbs of darkness to orbit around Helena.

Despite the threats that both sides warned of, Titanica is far from being intimidated. The whirring sound of charged up plasma has just reached its boiling point, along with her rage engulfing her entire body. Her mouth begins to glow a bright-blue as she fires a beam of concentrated blue plasma towards the vault entrance, incinerating it completely. The beam then quick turns to fire upon Helena and Iona in quick succession as the raging creature steps out from the vault. She gleams her sharp teeth as she readies her body for an inevitable fight ahead of her. A battle between three titans in a showdown of oblivion.

"I'm on NEITHER side!" she roars as her tail makes another indenture in the ground, "NOW LEAVE ME ALONE OR PERISH!"

When the flames subsided Helena was nowhere to be seen. She certainly hadn't been killed, given that her presence was still noticeable in the Oblivion Dungeon, but her physical form had vanished. The dark orbs of nothingness still hovered in place for a moment before zooming out of the room, mingling with the very shadows and dissolving. Their purpose unknown. "Very well then, have it your way, the outcome won't change regardless of your choice. Just remember, a Vassal that does not follow her Master's biding is as good as nothing. And, if it's nothing you want, I know all about it..." Helena's voice seemed to come from the very walls, echoing all over the place in an ominous way as she left to do what she came here to do in first place."Do you know nothing but how to scream and make pointless displays of power?" Iona said as her figure emerged from within the flames, without even a single spec of ash or dust in her. A fraction of a second later, a wave of tainted light blasted the room with the same force of Titanica's attack. Without any warning, Iona joined her blades by the hilt, turning them into a bow and firing a powerful shot with the same power of her previous attack concentrated in a single point, aiming for Titanica's center of mass, at shot right at her solar plexus. Once she was done with this warning shot, Iona said, "Even Juno knows better than this. I refuse to believe that there's one of us with even less finesse than she used to have."

The bright tainted light hit the gijinka square in the chest, pushing her back a few steps. She growls as she shakes the attack off, only to see that her opponent was attempting to hit her with her bow. The arrow was shot with a similar power level as Titanica's atomic blast, but this time she was prepared to counter. Her right hand glows blue in radioactive energy as she attempts to block the attack with her bare hand. The arrow collides with her hand, only for most of the energy behind it being extinguished upon impact. Granted it stung a bit, yet it will heal itself in several minutes so it wasn't a problem. Yet now Iona is beginning to push on her nerves. If it's a fight that she wants, then a fight she shall receive. Again, her spines glow bright blue as Titanica fires off another blast towards Iona, this time with a bit more power to it. If she attempted to dodge, the beam will follow her moves with impressive accuracy. She'll need to be quick to escape getting hit.

"Ho?" Iona couldn't say that she wasn't amused with Titanica's resistance. However, she would need a lot more experience if she wished to challenge Iona to an actual fight. The Dark Archangel flew up, noticing the homing properties of her opponent's attack. Not that she couldn't take advantage of this, though. Iona flew in a seemingly random pattern, avoiding the beam and shooting at Titanica. However, none of the attacks hit her, since Iona was actually aiming for the floor and walls, placing light arrows twice as powerful as the others she used before, all over the place with the intent of restraining Titanica's movement.

Once she was done, Iona dived at full speed towards Titanica, separating her swords. She used one for a sweeping move and the other to parry any feasible counter, placing Titanica in the path of her own blast.

The arrows were placed around Titanica that kept the gijinka in one place. She extinguishes her own breath as she glances around her surroundings. She was at first puzzled at why Iona would purposely miss her shots and put them on the ground. Then she quickly realized that they were meant to be traps, as if she gets too close, they explode. She's seen similar tactics long ago in her battles, just not with arrows. Regardless she continues to confidently stand her ground and face the dark archangel as she sweeps down on her with her blades. At first, it would seem as if Titanica would simply let the swords cut through her, only to be confirmed falsely at the very last minute. The gijinka quickly turns around and whacks Iona with her massive tail, throwing her into a location where her arrows are primed. Yet as she hits her opponent, some of the arrows were triggered by her tail and exploded simply due to its proximity. Titanica would be slightly rocked around by the blasts, producing a rather significant amount of damage towards her. She would roar in pain as she would have several scratches and cuts on her face and body, yet she was far from being out of the fight.

From the position she placed herself, it was all nigh impossible to avoid the sweep of Titanica's tail. Yet, the gamble paid itself when the lizard followed her instinct, rather than her mind and triggered a number of the traps Iona set up. The Dark Archangel braced herself for the impact, absorbing a good portion of the force behind TItanica's attack, but still not enough to avoid being thrown backwards. Iona hit the wall feet first and remained there, defying gravity. She crossed her arms, after dismissing her weapons momentarily, and said, "Do you see it now? It's not a matter of who's the strongest, but of who knows more. You have power, but you lack experience. You need to control the rage and the darkness consuming you, not be controlled by them."

Iona walked up until she was hanging right above Titanica's head, looking down on the Lizard Woman, with a patronizing look in her eyes. "Join us and we can grant you whatever is it that you seek. The Nexus is our to do as we see fit," Iona said, extending an offering hand towards Titanica. "However, if you negate, I'll be forced to end this here and now. I won't make this offer a third time." The arrows that remained on the ground and walls turned into tiny specs and began to gather around Iona, causing her to shine in a baleful way as she gathered power for a killing blow.

Titanica looks up to see her opponent defying the laws of physics as she stands on top of the ceiling. But instead of continuing the fight, she extends an offering hand towards the gijinka. Titanica looked surprised at this offer of generosity coming from her and most of the anger within her eyes seemed to vanish. She pauses for awhile, still looking at all of this rather suspiciously, including the fact at how much she was radiating with pure energy. Could this be a trap to set her up? Was she serious? Titanica didn't seem to know. However, after a few seconds of thinking about this, the gijinka appears to have made her decision. Slowly does she raise her own hand to shake her opponent's hand. It appears that the two have finally found common ground...

But everything turned completely south in a matter of seconds.

The grip in Titanica's hand strengthened and began to glow blue once again. Then with a disgusting scowl, the gijinka pulls Iona from the ceiling and right down to her level, crashing her into the floor. Before she would have anytime to parry or issue that power to issue the final blow, Titanica puts her heel smack down on her chest as she pins the archangel with incredible force and power. It was time for her to finish this. Titanica's spines began to glow once more, but at the same time blue energy began to seep into her body from all around her. The whirring sound of charging plasma began to intensify as her entire body glows in this blue radioactive substance. The dungeon already began to rattle as Titanica prepares for her own killing blow.

Suddenly, everything seemed to stop for a split second. There was no sound at all as there was a moment of absolute silence. Then, all that pent up energy was unleashed in a powerful shockwave that was sent rippling throughout a considerable part of the dungeon, followed by an intense roaring boom. Anyone who happens to be nearby would feel the effects of the blast as it feels like they're burning alive for a few quick seconds. It wouldn't kill them, but it would certainly damage them considerably. When everything finally died down, the entire room of ground zero, and the closest rooms to it, were almost completely destroyed. Titanica towers triumphantly over her opponent as she breathes heavily due to the amount of raw power she emitted. She looks down at Iona, who seemed to lay motionlessly with severe burning to her face and body. She'll probably regenerate all the damage eventually, but it was clear that she was knocked out for the time being. The gijinka lifts her heel from the limp body, looking at it hatefully.

"You... shouldn't have come here." Titanica replies to her with another growl.

"Have it your way, then," A voice said from behind Titanica. Not anyone's voice but Iona's. Before the Lizard had any chance to react or even think, a blast of light several times more powerful than anything either of them did in this combat would tear a good chunk of Titanica's side, searing off one of her arms and legs as well as part of her tail and flank. The wounds would eventually heal, but they would serve the purpose of showing Titanica that even within the ranks of the Vassals and their Masters there was a clear hierarchy. Especially those who think of themselves as such. The Iona in the ground would dissipate in a nimbus of light specs as she revealed that she had been camouflaged for the whole time of this combat. "Do you realize that both darkness and light are much more than that which your eyes can perceive, right?" Iona said, without a bit of compassion in her voice.

"I would be glad to stay here and torture you over and over again, but I have a report to make. It seems like we will have to devise ways to get rid of you for good this time. For the time being, take this as a parting gift," Iona said as she drove one of her light swords on Titanica's back, impaling her against the chamber's wall.

"Next time, think well before refusing our offers..." Those were the last words to come out of Iona's lips as she teleported away, to seek whatever dark purpose she had in mind.Two acutely sharp pains ripple throughout Titanica's side and back as she snarls at Iona's words. She slowly stands up as she rips the sword from her back, only making a groan of slight discomfort before looking back at where the archangel once stood. Hate fueled her entire body as she mentally curses both Vassal "factions" in their attempt to recruit her into one of their sides. Her punishment for not responding? This whole thing. This is exactly why she hates both factions with a passion. Granted they aren't the worse wounds she has received, for she has taken much heavier blasts in the past, but regardless she was pulling back on her explosive raw power. But that time will come soon enough. Iona may have won this battle, but considering that Titanica has been awake only for the past hour or so, one can say that she simply needs to shake off the grogginess and to grab the feel of battle before becoming like her prime again. It doesn't even discourage her to continue searching for her goal, rather it invigorates her. The wounds on her body began to rapidly heal as she walks back into the darkness of the dungeon to search for the one being who has her scent on hold...

She will not hold back the next time she encounters Iona.

Miyu blinked. "Thanks Deva. That was exactly as helpful as I should have expected from you at this point. At least Iona will solve everything for you." Miyu walked through the portal, not bothering to stay with Zeruel's team. It wasn't like they had been worth a damn last time, and it's not like they could defend against a mental threat.

Eventually she found herself walking through her old factory.

"Really, do you think putting me in an environment I'm familiar with and feel safe with is going to throw me off guard?"
"Really, do you think putting me in an environment I'm familiar with and feel safe with is going to throw me off guard?"

Miyu turned and looked at herself.

"Oh, the doppelganger approach, real original."
"Oh, the doppelganger approach, real original."

Miyu glared at herself.

"Well, ok, this is gonna get confusing, I'll be Miyu1, then."
"Fine, Miyu1, then I get to be Miyu0." Miyu0 stuck out her tongue.

"Well played, anyway, just joshing you, we're not gonna do the 'which one is real' joke. I'm just a manifestation of your snarky criticism." Miyu1 continued, leading Miyu0 forward.

"Seriously?" Miyu0 raised an eyebrow disbelievingly.
"Seriously?" Miyu1 mimicked in perfect time.

Miyu0 glared even further at Miyu1, who smiled sickly sweet.

"If you're wondering why I can always predict what you'll say, it's because I'm your dominant personality trait. Though, occasionally things like her slip in and come up with names like 'Mantle of Unconquerable Sun'. Like what? That technique is anything but unconquerable? We sound like a kid trying to sound cool." Miyu1 pointed Miyu0 towards a version of herself bedecked in overblown eyeshadow and black lace and leather.

"You're taunting me with my goth phase to try and embarass me? Is that the best you've got" Miyu dispassionately added.

Miyu0 turned and faced what looked like a child version of herself "What's next, is Minime here childhood memories of bedwetting?" The tiny, childlike version of her responded innocently. "I'm your relationships with your fellow angels. That's why I'm so underdeveloped." She grabbed her chest, not so innocently. "Nnnrrgh.." Miyu growled.

"Wait, wait, at least it's better than this poor gal.." Miyu1 dragged out a decaying skeleton of herself, with both of her swords impaled through her chest from behind. Miyu0 waited for the punchline, teeth gritted, arms crossed and fingers impatiently tapping. "Alas, it was a case of suicide that ended poor Love-Life here." GothMiyu draped her form melodramatically across the skeleton's lap, pricking two fingers on the swords to drag blood across her face and down into her lips.

There was a grating as Miyu0's teeth ground across each other, "Could you guys be quiet for five fucking minutes while I find the stuff I came for, whatever it was, this is giving me a headache."

"No, those guys are giving you a headache." Miyu1 turned Miyu0's head to face another scene. "Whuh?"

"ROBOTS!"
"MAGIC!"
"ROBOTS!"
"MAGIC!"
"ROBOTS!"
Two smaller versions of herself, seated at a chair, were fighting, one younger and squinting hard with a tome of angelic spells, the very one she had learned Mantle of Unconquerable Sun from, and the other, slightly older and with glasses, with a figurine of the Daimyo. The fight was basically mashing the book and robot against each other blindly as they shouted their favorite.

"Ah, the different ways you thought you could get strong enough to make a difference. Tell me, how did that pan out for you?" Miyu1 taunted as Miyu0's eye twitched.

"MAGIC!"
"ROBOTS!"
"Hand outs from Deva!"
"Demonic robo-dog!"
Two more girls suddenly sprung up behind the others, full sized Miyu's, one carrying a toy sized version of the shield granted by deva, and the other a figure of BEAST.
The two girls who had been fighting before looked at the new ones, before back to each other, nodding, and teaming up on the new ones.

"Of course, when you finally did get offered some REAL power, you threw it away because you're too proud. All that talk about pride being for archangels and dragons, and yet you were too proud to take what was given to you, you had to feel like you were taking it for yourself." Miyu1 stared down at Miyu0, and Miyu0 felt smaller and smaller. "That's.. Not.. I just didn't want to fight anymore.. There was no reason to seek more power.." Miyu1 smiled a smile far too wide, with teeth far too sharp. "Oh? But you continued to whine about not having it? Talk about having your cake and wanting it too. And if that's so, what's with all the dreams of power? World as One? Daimyo x20 Shield? Traitor's Blade? Real creative name there, btw. Mantle of Indivisible Mind? Unity of Time? You can't stop imagining ways that maybe you could become stronger, because you so desire it. But you're too proud to take what is given you, even as much as you decry pride. You're just another angel born without real power who refuses to adapt to the changing of the world." Miyu1 looked less and less angelic, seething blue mist between fanged teeth, as Miyu1 fell to her knees, clutching her head. "Just!.. JUST SHUT UP! I DON'T NEED YOU! I DON'T NEED ANY OF YOU!"

"Heh, bye then.." All the other Miyus faded from sight, leaving Miyu alone with only herself.

~~

"Huh.. What was I doing here?" Miyu asked herself, as she overlooked a fragment of a river, a short wooden pier extending into it, with a boat lashed to its side. "Well, I came to a river, so maybe I was going to fish. That sounds like a plan." Miyu walked over to the boat and began untethering it, eventually paddling out into the river and casting out a line. "Well, still feels like I'm missing something, or someone.. But eh, it'll come to me, now, come here fishy fishy fishy." She spoke softly.

@TheWindel

Within his heart? Hmph. Another sentimental message, as there were so many among mortal races. His heart was forged from the blood and flesh of Baal, each beat powered by the tormented souls of the innocent. It was not a place of kindness, nor a key to anything but deeper darkness. It was this heart that bound him to war, to the slaughter of his enemies, and it was this heart he attempted to overcome. With his mind and his will he would fight that which gave him life, he would fight for the peaceful death he was due. But to explain such a thing to this deluded dragon girl was a waste of time, their lifetime would be over before he was done. If ever he even found the words.

As he was about to push past her, he heard something. A slithering, a sliding, a chittering. The clamouring of souls, the thrum of violence, the keen edge of bloodlust. He turned as a blur to be faced by a phantom racing from the dark, his keen senses warning of this danger moments before it confronted him. And he knew that he was all that stood between this creature and the thing behind him. Without thought he called upon his powers, and a wall of steel barbs shot out from the ground. Interlocking bars covered in superheated barbs, forged from a magically enhanced alloy. Similar walls erupted from the ground besides and behind this strange threat, shooting off into the sky and bending to meet at the top. A cage had formed out of nowhere, sizzling as if with rage. Despite the relative thinness of the bars they could hold a rampaging elephant, although Khaine somehow doubted if this would hold the phantom.

A quick gesture and a flash of red light brought a bow to his hand, a large construct of demonic metals and metallic wires. A large red and yellow eye blinked once, before focusing on it's target. As Khaine pulled back the string the entire bow seemed to creak and groan, and even the superhuman demon seemed to be exerting himself by holding this thing drawn. A jet black arrow, tip glowing white with heat, seemed to materialise in the bow as it reached maximum draw. This was one of Khaine's proper weapons, the Soulstealer. It was certainly a fearsome weapon, for a bow.

Of course, Khaine had just one thing to say. "Surrender"

A head flew down the hallway as Henry decapitated yet another Machina robot which was trying to kill him. Although it wasn't quite an accurate statement to say it flew down the hallway as he tore through a ruined city, crumbling as Machina, Angels, and Demons fought within the burning hellscape. This was once a city full of innocent civilians, doing their best to live in a realm that existed only to serve as a battlefield for powers they could never comprehend. That changed when Henry's father caught wind of a treasure capable of creating an absolute defense. One thing led to another and 3 separate armies were now duking it out. "God damnit how do I get out of this fucking phantom city?" Originally it had been amusing that he was facing old foes that he had killed hundreds of years ago, now it was getting really annoying. Especially due to the significance of this particular battle.

Henry turned a corner to witness a random Demon soldier about to slaughter a woman holding a crying baby, Henry drew his blade and threw it at the demon in one smooth motion, pinning its head to a wall. The woman screamed as Henry rushed towards her. "Hey, hey shut up. I'm trying to save your dumbass." Henry grabbed a curtain on a nearby window, tearing it off and covering the woman with it to hide her as best as he could. He pulled his blade from the demon's head and turned. His father watched him from a distance, as always. Didn't even have the decency to fight in a battle he had started. "Wait a minute, why am I here again?" Henry closed his eyes and hit his head a few times as he reminded himself that this had all happened before. These people weren't real, he had killed them long ago.

He opened his eyes to find himself in his throne room. Except it wasn't his yet, it was his dad's. His father looked upon him with a sneer, sitting upon his throne like he was the king of the world.

"You did well out there son, we may not have found the treasure but I think we all learned some valuable things today. For example, I learned my son is a filthy human lover." Henry the 1st spat out with a with the same disgust one might hold for a pile of shit and vomit.

"I can't believe I'm seriously talking to a fucking ghost. This is so stupid, how do I get out of here?" Henry the 2nd said as he looked around the room for a door. How the fuck had he forgotten where the door was, why was there NO FUCKING DOOR!

"You can't run from your past son. It always catches up." Henry the 2nd turned to see a fist heading straight for his face, bashing him through the wall into another room. He shook his head and snarled as he drew the Cheater's Blade, while his father also drew his own Cheater's Blade. It was strange to see it in its original form, his father had always preferred the rapier. After Henry had taken the Blade it turned into a katana, it always matched the form its owner preferred most. "Look at you, you're a child throwing a temper tantrum, no even worse, you're a rabid dog. Wah wah wah, I got beaten up a bit, my boss doesn't like me, I feel like a useless piece of shit. I'm gonna run away from my problems. Where did I go wrong with you, at least I had the decency to face my problems."

"NO YOU DIDN'T YOU JUST THREW MONEY AND BODIES AT THEM UNTIL THEY WENT AWAY!" Henry the 2nd roared as he charged his father, swinging wildly with his opponent smoothly batting away each strike with his glorified poker. Eventually Henry the 2nd overextended a bit too much on one of his swings and Henry the 1st capitalized, skewering him through the lung. Henry the 1st grinned as he leaned in to Henry the 2nd's face. "You're pathetic, what kind of Demon of Avarice are you? Giving away your life so easily. If I didn't know any better I would think you an Angel of Charity." Henry the 1st withdrew his blade from his body and then stuck it in Henry the 2nd's body just as fast, doing so over and over, filling Henry the 2nd with holes. "You know what your real problem is? You don't have a purpose. You're just fighting because that's what you're supposed to do."

Henry was coughing up blood as his father let him drop to the floor. He raised his blade to Henry's forehead, preparing to stick it through and end his life. This didn't happen last time, he destroyed his father last time. How did he do it last time... "Goodbye son, hopefully my next child won't be as disappointing as-." His monologue was interrupted by a black blur tackling him to the floor, it was one of Henry's hellhounds biting and clawing at him to try and kill the fucker who would hurt his master. Not that Henry could see any of this, he was facing the ceiling and bleeding out. He was struggling to get up, his eyes glowed as he tried to fill in his wounds but they weren't filling up. Why would they, he didn't have the Silver Eyes yet. Henry heard a high pitched yelp and a thud, followed by a deep sigh as his father got up. "Well that was annoying. Now where were we?" He said as he turned towards Henry the 2nd. Who was pushing himself up with an enraged look on his face.

"You motherfucker. You can take my dignity, you can take my freedom, you can take my life! But don't you fucking touch my dogs!" He roared as he egan a mad charge towards his father, tackling him to the ground and smashing his face in with repeated punches. He barely even noticed the rapier impaled in his stomach, he just kept punching and punching with the fury of a man possessed. A Gate of Tartarus formed behind Henry the 1st's head on the floor and Henry the 2nd began to slowly push it in, screaming in pain as he pushed in a living being into a space where living beings were not meant to go. He pushed the whole head in and abruptly closed the Gate, decapitating the memory of a man who he hated more than anyone else.

Henry was bleeding all over the floors of the dungeon, he pushed himself up and leaned against the wall, walking forward to somewhere leaving a trail of blood behind him. He eventually found himself at a pier, he also was suddenly without a wall to support himself with so he fell over immediately. The blood loss was getting to him, he pulled a bottle of healing potion out of a Gate but he couldn't get it open, his hands were slick with blood and he could barely keep his eyes open. The bottle fell out of his hands and he scrambled to keep it from rolling into the water. "Help. Heeelp. HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!" It broke his pride to say this, but he didn't want to find out what happens when you die here. There was no guarantee he would respawn in the Nexus rather than a prison cell.

Entering the portal, Endian was ready for anything. She had produced blades to attack anything on the other side, but there was no immediate threat that she could detect. Soon the other Machina started to arrive and Endian kept her guard up. When the two sisters were attacked by shadowy figures Endian assisted by flinging hardlight blades at the darkness, piercing through them with ease. However Endian was certain that there was worse things here. They haven't even met the other demons or angels yet, so Endian was positive that these shadowy creatures were a creation of this world rather than a poor attempt at attacking the Machina.

But of course, there was more to this world than what Endian saw.

After dispatching a few of the shadow creatures Endian turned to continue onward but found herself in some sort of forest. She recognized this place; it was a new land the Machina had found and wanted to colonize. As usual, demons and angels were here too. It wasn't long before she turned around again and saw a simple tent with a machina soldier operating a machine. The soldier didn't matter. The Machina did. "A flash back to my origins? Am I suppose to be disturbed that whoever here knows about this?" Endian braced herself for what would happen next, because if she was right around this time there should be an airstrike that kills the soldier and breaks the machine, revealing the blackbox that contained Krieg's soul. But what came wasn't an explosion, but the Destroya Mech. This caught Endian off-guard.

The mech opened up with a slavo of missiles that knocked Endian high into the air. While this was unexpected she wasn't frighten at the slightest at the mech's appearance. In fact she was rather excited. "I've always wanted to see how I'd fare against my old forms." And so the two clashed. The fight was short; knowing the ins-and-outs of the Destroya form, Endian was able to outmanuver her old body, destroy vital components on it, and disable the nuclear reactor before it could self-destruct. It was almost pathetic. "Is this the best they could do? Throw a few memories at me? What a joke." Endian said with smug satisfaction. She was about to turn and try to find a way to leave this delusion when the Destroya form opened up it's body compartment. Endian prepared herself for a fight. But she didn't expect what came out. In the back of her mind, deep inside the soul of Krieg, she would never be prepared.

It was Jorm.

Suddenly memories that Endian never had before started to come to her. Painful memories of battles against Jorm across different dimensions, in different forms. All of them in defeat. Endian began to relive painful memories of attempts at fighting this heaven Spawned monster, from her demonic assimilation at Alt Signia to gathering together a band of "friends", only to see all attempts struck down. Endian didn't even bother to fight this Jorm; instead she fled, as far as she could, until eventually Endian crashed into a wall and found herself just a couple meters near the same place she arrived. No forest, no Destroya Form, and no Jorm. Endian was a machine, albeit with some sort of spirit residing inside of it, yet somehow she had fallen for some sort of illusionary trick. Or perhaps... It wasn't a trick?

Endian didn't know and didn't care for it. Better to put those thoughts far, far away. The sooner they killed whoever created this place, the sooner they could leave these delusions behind. Hibiki and Shizuka took point, with Endian right behind them. It wasn't long before they encountered some sort of slime creature attacking what appeared to be a normal, albeit green-haired, girl. Shizuka went right in with fire support from Hibiki. Suddenly some sort of moppet came through and rescured the girl, but that didn't really matter to Endian. Right now she just needed to focus on the fight. Feeling the power surge through her hands Endian decided to test out the suit's new powers right here, right now.

Hoping off the ledge Endian dove straight towards the blue slime creature and unleashed a conductive surge from both her hands right towards the blue beast. She wasn't sure what the substance of this creature was, probably not water, but whatever the case may be Endian intended to fry her into a sticky paste on the ground. "I don't know what your story is, but you need to die." Endian said in a low voice as she powered up the charge.

@Lonewolf685@Ryonara

---

Fran entered the portal along with some of the other demons, however shortly after entering she seemed to have gotten lost. Or maybe she just wandered away, the two aren't mutually exclusive. Her mind wasn't entirely about this battle anyways. Sure, a big ol portal appeared in Hell, and some of Hell's finest warriors went through to investigate. But Fran was hardly their best, and frankly she wasn't here to fight. Just to think. Fran normally wasn't much of a thinking type when she could instead be fucking some poor unfortunate soul, but right now her mind was not in her penis but in her head.

She reflected on the sorry state of Hell and it's demons. This wouldn't be the first time demons run amok and Hell itself is... Well, hellish. But Fran did remember a time where things weren't so darn depressive. Certainly, a demon's life is wrought from suffering. One could even say they were born from it. As Fran thought these things she found herself in a burning cityscape. She didn't think anything about it and just thought that this world reflected her mental state. But somehow this place wasn't Hell; far too nice for that. Not nearly enough dead and dying. It wasn't until she got a closer look at the various looters and attackers here that she realized that this wasn't Hell, but a mortal world. And not one in the Nexus; this was from Fran's past life. This part of her was vague and forgotten; Fran barely remembers what life was like when she was a mortal. Best she could remember was that she was a noble or some such and lived very nicely up til her death.

And Fran finally remembered what happened when she saw her human self, formerly a man, as he led a brutal execution and kidnapping of various townsfolk. He and his knights were prowling the streets, killing men and kidnapping women and children. A few couldn't keep their excitement to themselves and took a few of the prettier girls off to undisclosed locations to enjoy the spoils of their raid. Where they were then met with a mysterious black-armored swordsman with a huge hunk of iron, who proceeded to butcher them all, Fran included. "Huh. So that's how it happened."

All in all Fran didn't seem too bothered. The fact that she barely remembered what her human life was like just told her that it was ultimately boring and she probably deserved whatever happened to her. As Fran continued to walk through memory lane a few more recent memories popped up. Recent in that they were within her life as a demon; as an ageless immortal in a world where death has no meaning, it was easy for Fran to forget how long she's lived. All she had are memories of better times. She couldn't tell you what the first thing she did when she awoken was, nor could she tell you who the first person she slept with was. But she did remember someone she longed for recently. Her sweet lolita.

Memories of their time together faded in and out. She remembered the casual fun they had doing things that weren't entirely demonic related. Small things really. Playing video games. Laughing at jokes. Watching videos. Acting like complete idiots. Fran had many lovers in her long life, and she'll have many more in her future. But this one she had a certain attachment to, and she didn't know why. As she watched these memories fade away before her she spoke to herself. "Maybe... It's because I never said goodbye." Fran looked up and saw a memory she had with her sweet lolita. It was just after Fran had escaped the Machina. It was a horrible experience to be sure. Granted not the worse Fran's ever been into, but it was fairly boring all things considered. Still what made this memory sweet was how her dearest consoled her even though Fran was just a pitiful excuse of a succubus.

More memories started to block her way. Memories of other demons Fran didn't like, that she got into fights with. With people who annoyed her. Demons who were too haughty and looked down at her weakness, or thought that she was too perverted to be a real demon. Angels and Machina who beaten her in the past and don't even consider her a true warrior. And worse of all, hundreds and thousands of demons who just ignored Fran when she was alone. Desperate for love and attention she'd whore herself out to whoever would listen to her whispers. She'd feign kindness and interest, showering others with compliments and wealth, and behind closed doors she'd gossip with other demons about how cunning she was and how easy she could manipulate fools.

But the truth of it was that she was just a sad, little slut who wanted friends. She'd do anything for anyone who's give her the time of day. And this Sweet Lolita, she gave her that attention. And now it was gone. "I never... Got to say goodbye. I never wanted to. I'm not that strong. I'm not that smart. I'm a liar and a pretender... I only want people to like me for what I don't have. So eager to please, so dogged for praise and affection." Soon the landscape changed into some sort of cave structure. Fran wasn't sure if this was still a hallucination or the real place. Perhaps it didn't matter. "Of all the people I knew, you were never my enemy. I cherished you, even when we fought. But you vanished... Or maybe we just drifted apart. Maybe I left you. But... No. I wouldn't leave you. I didn't. Because I never got to say goodbye..."

The world around Fran changed again, this time back to her room in hell. That small, square room, where only Rufus's old and musty throne sat. Her dorm given to her by the callous leaders in hell. Barely enough space to even lay down, even without Rufus's giant chair. But the emptiness of this room wasn't the same as the emptiness Fran felt when she opened the door and saw no one outside. No one to greet Fran after she awoken from death. Even when she went to the throne room to meet the new leaders, she did not feel even a hint of interest, not even dissatisfaction towards the succubus. It was like Fran didn't even exist. Because Fran didn't matter.

A voice broke Fran out of her trance. A familiar voice calling for help. Fran was too distracted to have been able to make out who that voice belonged to, but it removed Fran from her negative thoughts. Not wanting to dwell on these lingering feeling she sought the voice out, not caring if it was friend or foe. Anything was better than to remember her place in this world. The cruel, unfeeling apathy the Nexus had for not just demons, but for anyone within it.

"I wish Suparna was with me..."

@floodtalon