[IC] The War of the Three

[Flamelord]

Tatiana Lorenz

The exercise began with a flourish as Bastion opened fire, Tatiana reacting quickly to send the held objects shifting to the side and out of the way. Though she did her best, she couldn't quite predict the ricochet strategy, which would earn Bastion some early successes when it was implemented. She'd have to keep that in mind for future use, though preferably against other targets and not the Machina. That sort of thing was a problem that she did not want to repeat.

They had a good period of practice, but before they could finish she found herself interrupted by a holographic message from Eos, indicating that the operation they had mused upon before was a bit closer than they had expected. Closer as in right now, leaving Tatiana to prepare to go back to war once again. Not that she minded, though a bit more down time would have been appreciated. But she recognized that it wasn't up to her, so she just had to follow along with the plan as given.

"Sorry," she apologized as she let the targets drop back down to rest upon the floor. "We'll have to practice later." At least she had a better grip on how her powers worked, which would be very helpful in the battle to come. Their opponents wouldn't know what hit them.

Before she could depart however she found that Bastion wanted to come along with her, not taking any answer in the negative as she was already on the move. While she might have been slightly annoyed Tatiana was nonetheless grateful, and she nodded in agreement as she join her friend in moving for the teleporter. "Alright. Let's go for it."

Her gear would meet her at the teleporter due to a remote summons, and Tatiana paused for a moment to get it all on. Flight pack was good, funnels were good, weapons were good, and all the damage from the previous challenge had been fixed. She was ready to go, and would pass through the teleporter a few moments after Bastion did. Emerging she found herself in a lush environment, with flowing rivers, forests, and what seemed to be floating islands at points (though that could have been a trick of the light). Without an objective it seemed that the fighting had begun almost immediately, though at least the big stuff had not begun yet.

"Him first I suppose," she remarked to Bastion as she pulled out her rifles, thrusters flaring before she took off from the ground. With them being under active attack it gave her a convenient target, and she quickly ascended with weapons at the ready. Her attack would come from the direction of the sun then, rifles firing down at Henry from above as she struck with lethal precision. Let him deal with that, if he so underestimated the Machina.

@TheWindel@Banana@floodtalon

---

Tartys

Though she had hoped that it might go on longer, the music was brought to an end by that of another kind, echoing from the drums of war. With a sigh Tartys put down her harp, storing it away so that it would not get damaged in the battle and so that it would still be around when she returned. Now was the time to fight however, and with a burst of magic she summoned her armor and her weapon to her. Now they could fight once again for the glory of Heaven.

The others were already departing as well, and she joined them in teleporting to the battlefront that they were to compete over this time. "Once more unto the breach," she muttered to herself as she found herself in a verdant paradise, a sentiment she could share with their newest comrade on this field of battle. It was one who was prestigious as well, as much as could be said without bringing up her infamy as well.

For now though Tartys focused on the battle, twirling her spear as she called upon her magic. A rippling hole of light would appear in front of her, from which would emerge two birds. Fairly small, they were nonetheless swift and bore sharp claws with them. Just the sort of thing that she needed at the moment.

"Go," she told hem as she let them rest upon her arm for the moment. "Locate the enemy, and bring me back the information on their whereabouts." With a throw of her arm the duo raced off, spreading over Arcadia to find the Demons and the Machina, and to locate good targets for the forces of Heaven.

That done she joined the others in advancing, heading towards the fighting. Indeed, it seemed that things never changed.

@Lonewolf685@KoL

[Ryonara]

Hibiki & Shizuka

”Nova 1 engage.”

”Lunatic 1 engage.”

The mecha maids wasted no time getting ready once they received the call for battle. A new land as sprung up and the machina were to claim it before the demons or angels did. They had to ensure that there is no resistance from either forces. The only way to capture these new lands was to eliminate all enemies. This area, Arcadia, was a series of floating islands teeming with unknown natural resources. Unlike the battle of Rutharia there was no preexisting creatures or ruins to utilize, so there was no intel if what natural hazards may be here. Unlike the other battles, air superiority was most important. With the lands broken up into separate floating islands land-locked troops would have limited use. Fortunately for HIbiki and Shizuka, they had been training for this battle since they returned from the Grand Alchemist’s lab.

”Dawnbreaker, this is Nova 1. I request your assistance for this battle once again. This area is new and unfamiliar for our forces so any intel you can provide will help claim victory.” Hibiki spoke to High Queen Eos. As their jet engines roared Shizuka ran a quick check on her equipment again. Though she could not feel anxiety, without that emotion all she could do to pass the time was ensure everything was in working order. Once the two received an overlay of the active battle map Shizuka sent the information to key soldiers of the Machina forces.

”This is Lunatic 1 to all forces of the Machina. The key to victory is to secure air dominance. Force our enemies out of the sky and we can pick them at our leisure. We will coordinate our attacks onto key targets to maximize damage and cripple the enemy’s strength.” The blue-haired sister said cooly. Normally Shizuka never gave mission briefings and left it to Hibiki insisted. However one of the first steps for improving herself was to take charge sometimes, so Hibiki let her do the briefing. And it was brief. Shizuka hoped that she did a good job. It wasn’t long before the two sisters arrived to the battlefield and already there was combat going on.

”Looks like the party started without us. Let’s hit the big one with the heart stone.” Hibiki and Shizuka chose to aim for the biggest of the angel’s forces. Theoretically he should be the easiest to take down, in addition his size and no doubt additional magical abilities may be a headache for the two later on. While they had no intel on him Hibiki was quickly able to deduce that Zeruel should be capable of flight and that hitting the crystal in the center of his body would probably do something to him. At least that's what most video games taught her when facing giant monsters with gems on them.

They had about 5000 feet between them and Zeruel. It was a clear day and the sun shined brightly. ”Nova 1, smite?” Taking the lead, Hibiki started to climb higher into the sky. ”Affirmative Lunatic 1. Ready Excalibur, fire on my command.” After marking Zeruel as their target the twins sisters climbed higher and higher into the sky.. As they climbed up the body of their aircraft opened up, revealing some sort of weapon pod. It’s dull lens started to glow a faint blue color. ”Begin descent.” The two aircrafts twisted in the air and began to dive back down right towards the floating islands. Fingers hovering just over the trigger. There was only a second before the sisters entered the 3000 meter range of their target, and right as they did the body of their aircraft was also centered towards Zeruel. ”Fire.”

Two streaks of azure light fired at Zeruel from the sun. If he turned to look, all he'd get is the sun in his eyes as perhaps two small black dots nearly two miles away. Moving at the speed of light the lasers were aimed at Zeruel center of mass, specifically the stone jutting at the center of his chest, unleashing a 1.21 gigawatts stream of energy for five consecutive seconds. As soon as the beam of energy was finished Hibiki and Shizuka broke off their line of flight and moved southwards, to flank the angel’s forces as the Machina’s forces pushed forward.

@Lmpkio@KoL

[The 42nd Gecko]

Alexi, Knight of Winter

"He he... This place is pretty..." Alexi was currently in one of the machina "deployment zones" with her boots off, skirt hiked up, and legs splashing in a pool of water. With her lack of any technological gear, the mission objectives and commands from above were so much whispers in space she couldn't hear. It was honestly sort of a miracle that she had managed to deploy at all, given that she frequently starved to death in Hyperion for sheer directional incapacity and techno-incompetency. Finding the docks in time to deploy was a stroke of unusual luck.

Not that she was much of one for flying, while capable of it, she was not particularly agile in the sky. She could see fires from a nearby island, so she figured she'd best stay well away from that. With the lack of orders that Alexi was aware of or could take part in, she simply remained where she was, playing with the puddles on the Machina side of the battlefield.

"I hope we win, and that there's enough left of this place to keep.." She stared back at the pool, as though looking to see if any fish resided within the clear waters. Didn't seem so. "I wonder if you'd have to be a flying fish to survive in a place like this. Otherwise, when you fell to the bottom pool, how would you ever get back up?"

While Alexi was not exactly making her presence known on the battlefield, the simple rules of this battle meant that to win, one would need to defeat her. So in the end, as insignificant as it may be, she was one more obstacle to the Demon and Angelic side's ultimate victory.

[Lucius Cypher]

WARBOSS GRAFDAKKA DESTORYA

Explosions, flames, and lasers. True music to Grafdakka's ears. He would have blared his own war song if this body was fitted with speakers. Alas, there was no time for such petty luxuries. Below him Bonesword and his army was being burned by Henry's napalm. However Grafdakka didn't care too much; Bonesword's warriors were made of wood and trees, and wouldn't scream in agony like a flesh-and-blood soldier would. If anything being set ablaze should be used against the demons, because now Bonesword's previously borning wooden warriors are now much more interesting flaming warriors. Grafdakka also detected a powerful spike in energy, and spotted lasers coming from the sky. If he had to guess that was from Hibiki and Shizuka. He was only vaguely aware that they have taken up aircraft for this battle. They can fight however they like.

Grafdakka was considering attacking Henry, however he then noticed two figures on a near by island, one which opened fire on Henry. They were too far for Grafdakka to see as he was flying, but he allowed the two soldiers to deal with Henry while Grafdakka set his target on someone more suitable for the titan: an equally behemoth warrior from Heaven. A large black monster around 25 meters high from Grafdakka's estimates, just five meters shorter than him. It was the same giant that the sisters had attacked, and Grafdakka aimed to capitalize on their assault. After they flew off Grafdakka flew beneath the island the giant was on and set his chainsaws into it's drill configuration.

"HOLD ON, CHERRY!" Graf rocketed towards the bottom of the island, drill in front of him. It built up power as he moved faster and faster, and the moment he contacted the island his drill was going full tilt. Hot plasmic energy crackled from the blade, destabilizing and disintegrating the ground before it even touches the blade. Not even the rock and stone would stop Grafdakka's attack as he tunneled from underneath Zeruel, splitting the ground beneath him. It wasn't long before the drill pierced the ground and soon, Zeruel himself.

@Lmpkio@Ryonara

[Lmpkio]

Zeruel

@Ryonara@Banana@Lucius Cypher

---

As the mighty Angel rises from the ground, the last of the debris falling off his shoulders, he recognizes the harpy Abigail flanking him nearby, along with the rest of the harpy units coming straight into battle. Indeed was Zeruel a magnificent yet terrifying sight to behold, his massive bulk shadowing everywhere he goes. From his headway position around 30 meters into the air, he oversees the various armies heading into battle, both his own, the filthy humans of Machina, and the damned Hell-spawn. No one will survive his wrath. And if anyone dares to combat him, they'll have quite one hell of a battle on their hands. Their destruction is merely assured.

But before he can proceed to head into enemy territory to rip them apart, he failed to realize that two twin Machina units were heading straight towards his position. Both Hibiki and Shizuka have their targets on his hulking mass. However, quickly sensing the incoming units, Zeruel's head slowly turns up at the sun. Two black dots was all that he could see before he could see the faint blue color of lasers strike him almost instantaneously. A large explosion would follow, followed by the heartstone attempting to grind into his own core. However, the core would be blocked by both his ribcage enclosing his precious core inside, alongside a minor forcefield to keep most of the traditional weaponry from hitting it regardless.

Basically. The weapon had no effect on the Laguna angel, his defenses at his core were up to their maximum. It will take much more damage to possibly make a breach into the protective ribcage.

As the heartstone finishes its fruitless work, Zeruel could hear the jets flying past him before the weapon hit him. Turning around suddenly, he was able to pinpoint their locations. Then, his eyes gleamed in a star-like fashion, aiming his head in a curved vertical line of movement. One by one, several large explosions could be heard and seen from behind the twins, approaching them at an incredible speed. The explosions would rip reasonable chunk-sized craters from the ground below as they get closer towards the twin angels.

But before he could proceed forward, he could hear the ground vibrate just below him. Yet he wouldn't be able to react until he felt something hit underneath him. Looking down with abyssal sockets and a devilish maw, he sees a drill attempting to grind into his hull, that belonging to the Warboss. Little has he seen of the machina unit, only having heard of it from intel provided by the Laguna archives, but never has he been in combat with it, until now. Thankfully, his forcefield was still able to hold, but to get unexpected damage right from the get go could be problematic. A deep groan, like that of a hellish fog horn, emits from his body as several of his tendrils snatched onto the mech's body. The mech was actually slightly larger than him, at least in his current height, but to Zeruel it proves nothing compared to his might.

"Your ambush was fruitless, Warboss." he booms mockingly as he violently throws the mech back with a ripple of his arms, "A pleasure to see your face in battle for the first time, but a shame for our meeting to be short lived. Your execution is imminent."

[KoL]

"This is Dawnbreaker," came the reply to Hibiki's request for Eos' assistance. "Arcadia is a largely unknown territory. I'm analyzing all available data at this moment. It seems that the terrain is incapable of providing any immediate advantages. Keep your current tactics and work with the other units to eliminate the most dangerous targets."

"Ni-Mu, Tatiana and Bastion have been dispatched to the battlefield as well, make good use of their capabilities. However—" the Machina Queen paused her instructions for a moment when her sensors detected a situation she didn't expected to happen at all. "A target as dangerous as Eclipse Princess joined the battle on the Demons' side, my sensor indicate that she's the new Ruler of Hell, Ira. Avoid her at all costs until you have clear battlefield advantage." Eos transmitted the coordinates of Ira's current position to Hibiki, before finishing her message with, "That's all the information I have at the moment, work with the other units to uncover more intelligence. Return this transmission later and I may have additional data. Dawnbreaker off."

@Ryonara

Victoire Bordeaux, the Bloody Countess

It seemed that the battle was well underway at the point when the very own recently self-crowned ruler of Hell herself joined it. While Victoire wasn't personally interested on the results of such a petty dispute as the one recently going for the Demon's throne, a small skirmish, after such a long retirement from the fields of battle certainly would be an appreciable change of pace for the vampire. "And, if that army of buffoons wins, I'm certain that the spoils would be pleasing," Victoire said, setting aside her current tea cup and teleporting to Arcadia by her own means, since she had... other plan on how to conduct battle.

"My King and other esteemed companions, I shall assist you on this battle if you so do wish," Victoire said telepathically to all the other Demon troops on the field, while comfortably seated on a garden table, under the shade of the canopies of a pine groove, in ne of the most retired islands. "Let us test the effectiveness of those new Celestial troops. However, before that— Avaritia, forget your petty games and focus your heaviest attacks on the Angel Zeruel and then on the Machina Titan Grafdakka, our first priority is to take them down. Try to not engage them under any circumstances, your talents should be better used in hit and run tactics. Do this for me and I'll really reward you with something worthy of your time~"

"My King, if you be as considerate as to give ears to this humble vassal's words," Victoire's tongue certainly was honeyed today, a sign that she was invested in not make this battlefield incursion a loss of time. From her perch she could not only get a clear visual of nearly all of Arcadia, but also her other powers revealed details that most eyes failed to catch, such as a lone straggler, seemingly unaware that this was war and not a picnic. Certainly, they needed to do the courtesy of remembering her, right? "There's a lonely straggler, skulking away in an island not so far away from your position. They seem to have gone largely unnoticed, but they cannot fool my heritage powers. They should be an easy pick for My King, if you so do wish, otherwise I suggest engaging on the fight against the primary targets as well."

"Now, it's time to spread distrust, divide..." Victoire said as she blew a handful of demon rose seeds to the wind, "and slaughter." The Blood Countess' lips took the shape of a cruel smirk as she set her schemes in motion while remaining incognito, thanks to her undead nature making her all but impossible to detect if she were not engaging in her usual flashy displays of power.

@TheWindel @floodtalon

Ni-Mu, the 2201st Prototype

Not long after the combined attacks of the Mecha Maids and Grafdaka, Zeruel would be assaulted by yet another Machina, testing how far his defenses could last. "Barrel Full-Open, Blade Creation, Continuous Burst, Fire!" None but Ni-Mu, said as she opened fire, unleashing a barrage of swords that thoroughly eclipsed the power she demonstrated at the Alchemist's Challenges. The android was perched atop a ruined column several islands away from the clash of titans, holding a bow made with the same projection power as the blades which bombarded Zeruel at this very moment, most of which burst into countless pieces of penetrating shrapnel whose main purpose was to weaken his defenses for what was to come.

After Hohenheim's tampering of her body and the maintenance ordered by the High Queen, Ni-Mu was progressively closer to her final sages of power, that is, becoming a perfect Artificial Valkyrie. Yet, at the moment, she was still mostly the same as before, but Ni-Mu's new found self awareness and powers would prove to be a big asset for the Machina this time around, as it would become obvious very soon. "Nova 01, Lunatic 01, turn around for another strafe, I'll make sure the target's barrier won't hold it this time," Ni-Mu said to Hibiki and Shizuka, before using her projection powers to create a copy Juno's sword, Raison d'Être, loading it on her bow. The space rending blade was thereby turned into a projectile with the ultimate penetrating power of Eclipse Princess' attacks. Whether it was block or not, the blade would implode into a miniature black hole as soon as it reached its mark, which wasn't going to be that hard given that it cut through the very space to do so.

@Lmpkio @Ryonara @Lucius Cypher

[The 42nd Gecko]

Cydone

Cydone was fairly happy to let Zeruel block all the attacks and draw all the attention. Zeruel could handle himself, and Cydone was quite happy the surprise laser beams that would have inevitably killed him choosing to instead bounce off the Arm of God. Or whatever the giant guy's title was. Think Arm of God's right.

But then his Reality Check detected spacetime shredding beneath him. Lot of it, burrowing up through the ground beneath him. Zeruel might be able to tank that hit, but Cydone didn't particularly want to test that, much preferring if Zeruel continued tanking for team Angel for as long as possible. As well as providing the eye beams of destruction. Cydone had to smile as that attack lanced out. There was just something perfectly Angelic about judgmental stares that caused you to explode.

Being able to perfectly sense Grafdakka's attack coming, Cydone prepared himself to strike just as Grafdakka breached the ground, tearing into Zeruel's forcefield and lower legs-tentacle-things. Cydone passed in a flash, his unstoppable blade, in the literal sense of having infinite inertia, slicing through Grafdakka's drill arm, severing critical power components, and causing the drill to flop to the side, unpowered, hanging on by a metaphorical thread of armor that Cydone's blade hadn't been long enough to cut through, and Grafdakka's momentum might break it off as he continued the hit.

Cydone smiled, tipping his hat. He couldn't exactly see it, but he liked to imagine the whole super fast sword slice while looking away looked cool. Whether it did depended on your taste in shounen.

There was also the added benefit of this maneuver that it put Zeruel between him and the laser jets he was afraid of without making it look like he was hiding behind Zeruel. Perfect. "Careful, Zeruel, they've got those spacetime shreddy attacks. Even your barrier'll have trouble with those."

This also left him looking at Ni-Mu, her giant barrage of shrapnel and blades drawing attention. "Well, can't have that, looks like I got me an opponent." Cydone lashed out with one of his wire grapnels, snagging a smallish side island. Reducing it's inertia to nearly zero, he pulled on the grapnel, launching the island at Ni-Mu. The shrapnel storm blasted into the island, but found it "unstoppable" Cydone having now maxed its inertia out after it reached a good speed. Cydone used this to anchor himself as he launched up and towards Ni-Mu, using the island he was throwing at her for cover. And that's when the Raison d'Être was loaded, giving Cydone a real sense of the power of the person he was fighting, maybe he had chosen the wrong battle. Still, if it detonated on impact, then Ni-Mu'd just hit the island coming at her (Cydone trailed a little further behind it), and if not, it wouldn't be his problem. "Zeruel, incoming from my angle, spacetime shreddy attack again!"

"Bleedin' Hells, did I miss something and spacetime-shredding attacks become the new gunpowder while I was out of circulation? Does every Machina have this now? Gonna give me performance anxiety for my title." Cydone remarked to Ni-Mu as the blade pierced through the island he was riding at her, imminently about to impact with her unless she blocked or dodged.

@KoL (Ni-Mu's shrapnel attack was blocked, and Ni-Mu has some dialogue and an island moving at her.) @Lucius Cypher (Grafdakka drill arm damage) @Ryonara (Nothing important for you, just wanted you to know Cydone thinks of your characters as laser jets) @Lmpkio (Cydone dialogued at Zeruel, which included a warning about the Raison d'Être attack. Might wanna dodge/block that one, what with the black-hole-iness.) @ReaptheMusic (Time for Cherry to work her magic)

[Lonewolf685]

Hildr Reinhardt

It didn't take long for the real light show to begin, and it seemed most everyone was fond of shooting at angelic piñata hovering on an island way below the Elder Valkyrie. The glare of the noon day sun briefly turned incandescent as it slammed down upon Zeruel in a display that ironically looked as though a being from on high were smiting a gnat if this gnat had not survived with barely a scratch for the Machina's efforts.

"Looks like the Laguna pissed in someone's cornflakes- Oh, now if that isn't a familiar face I see!" Hildr exclaimed with a wide smile that bore her teeth in a decidedly predatory fashion. Shielding her gaze with a hand cupped over her brow, she leaned over the edge and gazed upon a different Machina now assailing the Laguna. Unlike those who struck and ran from the scene, this one seemed intent on barraging the angel like a living artillery piece and considering their output, the expression was rather apt in the Valkyrie's mind. "Yes, yes that must be little Ni-Mu! She was barely out of the conceptual stage last I checked, but now she's all grown up. Hmm, I should call Sigurn and the other Iron Bloods and see if they'll hang with her...kids still 'hang', don't they? Eh, I'll just call them later."

It was high time she entered the fray, though the Valkyrie wasn't feeling like making a dramatic entrance preceded by napalm and lasers. She opted to take a step forward and let gravity take the wheel, plummeting straight down at high speeds with eyes now blazing silver as they bored into the Machina Prototype. A flicker of her ocular power and the Valkyrie went from officer apparel to armor in the time it took to blink. Resplendent in her combat regalia, Hildr flipped in the air and straightened herself out into a humanoid missile with her Boots aligned with Ni-Mu's stationary form.

@KoL

[ReaptheMusic]

Cherry

---

@Lmpkio@Lucius Cypher@The 42nd Gecko@Ryonara

---

Cherry's eyes went wide as she and Grafdakka fell from the air carrier, narrowly avoiding clash with a floating island. Her eyes were busy looking up with the Mecha beneath her pulled away on his rockets. She clung, both hands locked with precise robotic grip on the chains she'd slung through his back. For a moment, she probably looked like a keychain, her light body dangling behind his periodically blinking in confusion.

After a short moment though, Cherry's elbows bent, her legs coming forward until they planted firmly against Grafdakka's back, she was able to keep ahold of him something like one would for the sail of a boat, her long blonde hair trailing in the wind. A small smile formed on her face as she looked across the skies at the beauty of the skyline. Even as it quickly filled with artillery fire and explosions, it was a bit like watching fireworks and she enjoyed it all the more. She watched in awe as two twin Mechas came, lazers firing and coming in to side swipe a large, black creature that she'd heard was an angel or something in the debriefings.

Cherry exhaled, standing straighter with her feet propped on Grafdakka's back, her longer skirt billowing in the wind occasionally exposing her though she gave it no mind. The big, black angel attacked the two twin Mechas and she briefly realized her service may be needed with them. As she strained to make out if they had been hurt or not from her distance (forgetting her communicator,) Grafdakka flew beneath the island and shouted at her.

She complied instantly, flattening her body against his and tucking her head as they flew straight up, through the island and attacking the black angel from below. The force field stopped Grafdakka's drill and the slightly smaller angel threw Grafdakka back with its tendrils just as a streak of light tore through Grafdakka's drill arm, barely leaving it connected by cables on the ground beside them.

"Oof!" Cherry squeaked from behind Grafdakka's back after the angel was done monologuing. She still held tight to the chains, hidden behind his back, and looked down at his torso to examine a few dents from the tendrils and some scuff marks and now the viciously torn drill arm. Her blue eyes lit up with their LED's, puffing out her synthetic cheeks Cherry pulled herself up on the chains. Her legs went backwards, her flexible robotic body slid up so that her legs came up first, sliding around and locking onto Grafdakka's robotic head before pulling her torso up and then finally her head lifted as well, her very light blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. She lifted one hand, her chains still closed in her small palm so she still had a way to hold on in case things got messy. Speaking of messy, without anything on beneath her skirt, her crotch was able to press square against the back of Grafdakka's Grind Gear vibrating neck. Small ovals of LED blush appeared on her cheeks as she pouted, looking down at him.

"I'll take care of it, Mr. Grafdakka!" Cherry looked around, unslinging the chains from their position on his back and gave a small "Hup!" As she perched on the very top of his head, then brought her legs around to slide down to the base of where his drill arm had been sliced, throwing the chains around his arm in one swift motion to catch it on the other side of his arm with her hand. The chains caught on one of the ridges, keeping her stable on the arm as she gave a small, erogenous sigh.

Steam poured off of the Android. She pulled her hair back, blue eyes bright with LED glow and her blush LED lending perfect ovals of blush on her cheek bones. Cherry wrapped her legs around the base of the arm and lifted her head up to look towards Grafdakka's face, her tongue hanging out ever so slightly with heart emoticons appearing around her shoulders. Her body sensually thrust its hips slowly against the arm, the vibrating body of the Mecha making her bite her lip and tilt her head back as the juices stored in her body for this purpose welled up within her, eliciting small moans from her tiny body.

The arm, barely attached by cables, shuddered and quickly retracted. There was a loud clanging sound as the metal reattached itself back to its idyllic position, the internal wirings repairing themselves. Just as Cherry had devolved into whimpers, leaning back on the chains so her crotch pressed foremost against the arm she was grinding against, the cracks on the mecha where his chainsaw had been ripped resealed and the scratches and dents from the tendrils healed themselves over.

Cherry bit her lip, puffs of steam coming off of her as she let out a high pitched whine of the denial of continuing, her androidal body quivering.

"Hhh... A...All better...~"

Cherry slid herself up onto Grafdakka's shoulders, holding the chain carefully in her hand as she pulled her knees up to her chest, her ankles crossing as if shy--though she wasn't, it was just part of her programming to act so--over themselves. Puffs of steam kept coming off of her and she bit her lip, her tiny body trembling desperately and her blush LED still lit up. Despite this, she still smiled to Grafdakka.

"I-I'll save the big stuff for when you need it, Mr. Grafdakka. Heehee."

A small heart emoticon appeared beside her again.

[Ryonara]

Hibiki & Shizuka

The Smash Sister's alpha strike failed to do any notable harm to Zeruel despite catching him by surprise. Hibiki wasn't too alarmed; she figured that it would be too easy to take him out with just one shot to his heartstone. When he faced them and shot lasers from his eyes however, that caught Hibiki by surprise. However Shizuka was on point. She flew behind and slightly below Hibiki and started chanting. "O reino dorme e as crianças se sacrificam dia a dia..." A faint glowing barrier appeared behind Shizuka just as the shockwave of the explosions struck her aircraft. There was heavy turbulence as the ward shattered, however it was nothing that Shizuka couldn't handle and Hibiki didn't feel a thing. "Até se extinguirem e nunca mais acordar." The barrier strengthen as more explosions occurred behind Shizuka. The shield took the shock, cracking the first time, but as she continued her chanting the barrier grew stronger and absorbed the shockwaves. As long as they kept speeding ahead and didn't get hit directly, Shizuka and Hibiki would be fine.

As Shizuka worked on defense Hibiki received Dawnbreaker's information. "Queen of Hell? Isn't the leader of Hell Rufus? There must have been a coup, and for the leader to take to the field..." This was unexpected and frightening. Hibiki already had her hands full taking on the various powerful warriors of Heaven and Hell, but for one of their leaders to take part of the battle itself? Nothing short of another god would be able to take them on. But Hibiki needed to keep a level head. As long as she keeps her eyes peeled and doesn't lower her guard she could at least potentially escape Ira. For now she had to focus on the task at hand. Nu-Mu, Bastion, and Titania had just arrived to battle and they would be immensely helpful. From a quick reading it seems like Titania and Bastion were already engaged with demon forces, while Nu-Mu was attacking Zeruel. Grafdakka had also attacked Zeruel, which would explain why there wasn't any more explosions.

Nu-Mu relayed a command to the two that she'll be bringing down Zeruel's barrier soon enough. There TLS, Excalibur, still needed a few seconds to recharge, a few seconds that may be too late. Shizuka herself didn't like the idea of following Nu-Mu's orders however Hibiki picked up on this and spoke curtly. "Lunatic 1 follow my lead. Prepare TLS. Looks like we also have more boogies, let's see if we can't take care of them." Hibiki and SHizuka returned for another strafe, flying in from behind the angel's forces. Hibiki spotted a large flying rock heading right towards Nu-Mu and marked the target. "Fox 2, Fox 2." Hibiki and Shizuka each fired off a heat-seeking missile honed in on Cydone's heat signature. As soon as the missiles were launched they twisted away once again and got ready to strafe Zeruel.

"Nu-Mu this is Nova 1. Lunatic 1 and I are ready to fire Excalibur at the giant on your cue." Circling around Hibiki and Shizuka were another 3000 meters away from Zeruel again. They both made sure to steer clear of any islands or land mass for Zeruel to target and catch them in an explosion. Hibiki also kept her eyes peeled for any other hostile targets; no doubt that more angels would be converging on their position soon, and she was positive the demons wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste either. "Get ready for anything Lunatic 1. Grafdakka, Cherry, steer clear of the black giant. I don't want you caught in the crossfire."

@KoL@The 42nd Gecko@ReaptheMusic@Lonewolf685@Lmpkio@Lucius Cypher

[Gardevoiran]

Bonesword

---

The various targets for the skeleton were scattered about the battlefield, but none seemed quite as bad as Victoire, who, while she was a far distance away, could be seen by the skeleton relaxing under a few trees. If she went down, then a big force of Hell would be going down, and that would remain quite strong for the Machina's efforts in this war. The ground under Bonesword shook, but eventually stopped as Charlie shot out from under the ground, picking up Bonesword and shooting towards the floating island that had Victoire on it. It was a tough flight, with g-force pretty much slamming the swordsman the entire ride, but alas he made it to the island, and stood quite a few yards away from the Countess with his Shroomblade drawn and pointed at her.

"Charlie, standby." The skeleton noticed something when he was flying through the air towards Victoire, and that was that she had just blown a bunch of seeds throughout the battlefield. In Bonesword's mind, he was having a field day because of what he could accomplish with those seeds being sewn. Nice job Victoire. You've made it so Bonesword can have demon minions.

@KoL

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Abigail, the Restless

---

Abigail watched on in fear as the battle waged on. The sheer destruction of the world to come forth was maddening to her, especially how fast the place was starting to crumble in such a short amount of time. The Restless decided to quickly avoid the direct line of fires and pursue a few individuals on the edges of the arena, hoping that she could take those troops out more easily than someone like Grafdakka and Cherry, or the man riding the basil-isk...

Who was that man anyway...?

Shaking her head to forget, Abigail quickly flew off to the outskirt islands on Heaven's side of the battle, finally taking place and halting her position. She couldn't really do much up close, but from a distance she could provide some nice firepower. "... hm... I guess I can try being an anti-aircraft gunner?" she thought as she fired away at the twin jets swarming the battlefield with her Wisp Veil Cannons (WVCs).

@Ryonara

[Mega Birb]

Scheming madly as ever, Sliske allowed Ghelgath's army to charge forward in their attack. Rather than react immediately, he started to pace with the ground burning in his wake, shoulders hunched like a vulture waiting for something dead to appear. His army was reacting similarly, everything doing little besides the Tick Choppers, which were revving their engines threateningly. Only when the front line of the frosty fiend's forces reached his Blackguards, Slike's left arm shot up suddenly and erected a translucent barrier between the two armies. As expected, there was an incredibly satisfying thud as frozen constructs and minions collided with the wall. followed by Ira tearing open a rift straight to the site of a new battle. The incubus' nose scrunched up in anger at this, though it was a welcome change from Rufus watching battles from the comfort of home.

Allies were already disappearing through to their new queen's aid, essentially leaving ying and yang to stare each other down. The being of fire would be the first to break the coming silence, left hand still fixed in the direction of the hostile forces. "Another time, perhaps. For now, I have business to attend to. Believe it or not the only one here I have any faith in is Ira, so she has command over my forces until I return." From there, he cracked a grin and gave the beings of ice a light shove back before opening a rift for himself in the floor. "Until then, I'll be reinforcing what territory we have." Without another word, the barrier came down and he dropped into the swirling hole, allowing Ghelgath's forces to slump forward like a bunch of cheddar cheese getting cut from the block.

@KoL@TheWindel@Lmpkio

---

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Torag nodded in response slowly, one hand going to his chin and stroking it as if he had a beard. This was an old habit from his previous life of priesthood, as he had possessed facial hair back then, and had been much less creative in his strategy. Now, however, he was starting to turn to his quarters. "Diana, I shall converse with you later. I have a plan for the following battle, though I will need to think it over. Wouldn't want me to slip off of your neck..." He went off mumbling to himself, mentally crossing off deadly errors in the matter as a warhorn sounded. For this battle, he would be sitting on the sidelines, planning for the next battle and an outrageous idea that might just work...

@KoL

---

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Syphax, lost in the merriment of the moment, was interrupted by Zak plucking three feathers from his left wing and a sharp pain coming from those three spots. In a quick moment, not unlike a father rolling up his sleeves to but a daughter's boyfriend in line, the Harpy's mood shifted and he followed the trickster's escape attempt into the greenery. "Alright, enough of these shenanigans." Even as Miyu spoke, a clawed hand shot into the bush and retrieved Zak by the back of his collar, forcing the taller being to eye level. On a level plain with the man that just stole three of his primaries, the Harpy's striking blue eyes flared threateningly to get his point across. "For my feathers, I would like something of yours. I care not what, though. Leave something of yours in my quarters tomorrow morning, or I'll take whatever I fancy. Understood? Good." He didn't give the rogue a chance to answer before he set him down.

A short moment later, the horn of war sounded, and a devious smile graced Syphax's lips. Without a word, he took off in the direction of the teleportation portal, a few seasoned warriors among his people falling in behind him. They went with the speed typical of fliers, and they were at the portal in no time. The rest of the Harpies would trickle in behind them as they armed themselves with lances, swords, tomes, and whatever else they were versed in. The two of the three with their leader had spears reminiscent of whaling harpoons and the other was equipped with a greataxe, a weapon atypical of fliers. However, it was certainly threat. As they went on through the gate, they erupted into a warzone in a frenzy.

This was Arcadia, a land of floating islands that many Harpies believed rightfully belonged to them due to some ancient monuments scattered around the area. However, this was now a place of conflict, and Syphax's first sight as a pair of jets high over head. His expression tightened against the wind and he gave a signal to the three with him to split up before soaring in pursuit of the flying machines. Along the way, he noticed a few black specks getting blown out of the way and tossed to the ground, though he brushed it off. This was likely something irrelevant, for now.

@KoL@Inner Demon@TheWindel

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((MARQUIS COMING SOON))

[Flood]

Henry Pearl Avaritia The 2nd

@TheWindel@KoL@Mega Birb@Awesomoman64@Lmpkio@Banana

---

Henry heard a gunshot coming from above him and rolled to the left in mid air, looking at where the gunshot came from. He saw a Machine soldier firing at him and he growled, getting ready to turn and cut her down as he drew his sword.

"Let us test the effectiveness of those new Celestial troops. However, before that— Avaritia, forget your petty games and focus your heaviest attacks on the Angel Zeruel and then on the Machina Titan Grafdakka, our first priority is to take them down. Try to not engage them under any circumstances, your talents should be better used in hit and run tactics. Do this for me and I'll really reward you with something worthy of your time~"

Victoire's voice echoed in his head as he lost focus of the Machine soldier and imagined a time of vampiric magic. Much better than some silly notion of revenge. Henry flipped off Tatiana, flying away from her and towards Zeruel. As he got closer his Silver Eyes began to glow as missiles began to form above Zeruel and rained down upon him. He made sure to stay out of Zeruel's reach and stopped after about ten seconds to conserve his energy.

[Inner Demon]

Zak

_BGM

Zak gave a flirty wink and a grin as the angel introduced herself. "Aye, Miyu. Tis a pleasure. Ye can call me Zak, tha fearless an' mighty doom slayer o' heav-" The bolstering angel was interrupted as the neck of his coat rose, uprooted from the bushes like a freshly picked fruit by a talon of a hand. "S-somthin' Ah can do fer ye lad?" Stuttered Zak through a subtle smile, withdrawing slightly into his coat as he was brought to level with the visage of a stern faced Syphax. He raised his hands in surrender, letting a puff of smoke linger on his breath as the Harpy made his demands. Zak gave the warrior a pat on his armored forearm and a subtle wink, possibly to indicate his compliance, or just to signify he wanted to be dropped. Either way the intimidating harpy set the feather thief down before he could manage any witty retorts, which in hindsight was probably for the better since Zak's quick tongue would have likely just gotten him in more trouble. As Syphax turned and departed with the rest of his flock toward the gates of war, Zak stood, straightening his coat with a brisk tug of his hands. He was quiet for a moment, taking a deep drag off his joint before casting a glance at Miyu, almost as if he had briefly forgotten she was there. "Do ye see? Spooky!"

This time, the horns of war weren't beyond Zak, the bellowing sound reminding the suddenly stern faced angel of his previous dealings. "Oh bloody hell. Ah spose Ah can't avoid it any longer." Zak dropped the joint onto the ground and smashed it under foot. The space around him warmed up, causing the air to shimmer with heat as he stepped out from the bushes and into the open pavilion. "Well then Miyu, Ah'll be seein' ye. Take ye to tha hole fer some whiskey an' whims if we win, aye?" Blinding light emanated through the pavilion as flames spewed out from Zak's back, taking the shape of numerous fiery wings. They moved around wildly and rapidly, extending out into the air. Waves of heat wafted up from the ground beneath Zak's feet as he knelt down, and in a flash of brilliance and fire, he was gone like a firework, streaming up into the sky in an arch of light that dissipated in a long trail behind him.

A sonic boom echoed out over the mystical lands of floating islands and oncoming war as the streak of flames that was Zak shot down from the sky like a falling meteor. Piercing the clouds, the flaming angel dropped from the sky, skidding across the plateau of a grassy floating land mass before colliding with the surface of Archadia among a thicket of trees that made up a forest near the coastline. The ground rumbled upon the impact, sending chunks of debris and splinters of wood raining into the air, and clearing a small patch of foliage, leaving a small crater surrounded by a few yards of barren land. The explosions and clashes of battle boomed and clattered all around as the chaos of war ensued. Zak meanwhile, rising from the fresh, smoking crater no worse for ware, scratched his head and grasped at his lower back. "Been years...oh...Ah'll be feelin' that fer a while..." He knocked away a few stones, digging some of the debris out of his coat pockets as he looked around to try and get his bearings. Unfortunately all he could see were tree's and sky, which would no doubt be filled with aerial combatants soon. "What am Ah even doin 'ere...Bloody crazy nobody lass an' her shenanigans..." Mumbling to himself, Zak began an aimless roam through the thicket, still grasping his back as the memory of land fall had him immediately reconsidering his presence in this conflict. "Oh...'it'll be worthwhile' she said...wha? Gettin' m'self bloody killed? Was that tha 'classified reward? Why do Ah let m'self get into these situations?..."

_{@Mega Birb@The 42nd Gecko}

[Lucius Cypher]

WARBOSS GRAFDAKKA DESTORYA

Tossed away and shot up, Grafdakka was both excited and annoyed. He was starting to regret his demotion and the power he lost because of it. He no longer had golden eyes, nor could he soften up his targets by throwing killa kans at them. He could easily swarm these lands in fire and steel, but he can’t do that now. He was being treated like a punching bag, and not even being able to withstand the basic attacks if his enemies. Anger welled up inside of him until a pleasant sensation overcame his body. Turning his head towards the source, Cherry was busy repairing his damaged arm. In a few moments he was back in fighting order.

This confused Grafdakka greatly. In one attack he was crippled, but still Cherry sought to restore him. Why? Doesn't she know he could easily get shit down again? But now wasn’t the time to dwell on mysterious thoughts: the battle was now underway in earnest. His allies have arrived to assist him as well as the heaven’s forces coming to Zeruel’s aid. Somewhere in the distance a demon was shouting something but Grafdakka really couldn’t hear them. The only thing that mattered right now was killing everyone here.

From the communications he picked up on the Machina’s communications, Nu-Mu was about to create an opening for Hibiki and Shizuka. Graf was given orders to steer clear as to not get caught in the friendly fire and for once he would oblige them. No doubt that Zeruel wasn’t just going to stand still like a log and keep getting hit however, so Grafdakka needed to distract him from the threat of the Twins. And what a better way to distract him from danger than to be a danger himself?

Grafdakka braced himself against a floating chunk of island as he revved up his Grind Blade. Energy crackled through each of the six blades as space and time distorted around them. His first strike may have failed because he wasn’t going all out, figuring that the combination of heat and force would have been enough. During his first attack there was only a scant trace of him interfering with reality in his attack. This time however was going to be different; no matter where they are, what’s in the way, or even who he hits, his Grind Blade will tear through them this time. All he needs to do is survive and actually hit them.

”BRING IT ON!”

@Ryonara@KoL@ReaptheMusic@The 42nd Gecko@Lmpkio

[Awesomoman64]

Omega

As he was trying to greet the new harpy, a strange man stumbled into Omega phasing right through him mumbling "Howdy pardner.". Omega turned to face the man just in time to watching him compliment his hat then trip into a thrall of plants.

”Did...Did any of y’all know him? Or was he just drunk or something?” Omega asked the other heavenly fighters with genuine confusion. ”Probably the last one.”

With the end of that spectacle, the heavens were alerted to another conflict going on in the islands of Arcadia. ”No rest for the weary. Alright fellas, let’s go!” Omega shouted to his companions as he ran toward the nearest warpgate. On the other side he would find the vast majesty of Arcadia was already being desecrated by battle. It was a sad fact that while few souls were ever lost, it was in fact landscapes like these that were in danger from this war.

That was a matter for another time. For now, Omega had to figure out what the Angel’s plan of attack was. Currently, Zeruel was taking the brunt of the attacks with most factions heavy hitters all on him. Jumping into that fray would be tactically unwise for a dueler like Omega. He needed to find someone either alone. Like the Machina flying around with a thrust pack.

Slipping his revolver out of it’s holster, Omega dropped to a knee and rested his shooting hand on his arm, steadying his aim. Once he felt the shot was lined up, he fired directly at Tatiana’s thruster pack. A direct hit would result in either her losing control, or a satisfying boom.

@Inner Demon@Flamelord

---

Balrog

The show was stopped when Ira announced a new battle was underway, words that instantly rallied Balrog to his feet. ”No more waiting. TO BATTLE!” He yelled charging through Ira’s portal. Speaking of, Balrog was starting to admire Ira’s bloodlust. She had a point, Rufus nor any of the other leaders had ever actually gone into battle with them. While she still had to prove her worth as a combatant, joining them on the front was certainly a step towards Balrog’s true loyalty.

Arriving at the island’s of Arcadia, the colossal demon instantly locked eyes with the biggest target, Zeruel. The Machina had already engaged him and Henry lead the demon attack with an assault of missiles, yet none of that was seeming to have that much of an effect. Looks like it was time to show these weaklings what a true attack was. Mounting his feet to the ground Balrog aimed his crotch at the large black mass and began charging the Reaper Beam. Once it was ready, Balrog fired the beam directly at Zeruel. The force from the blast alone was enough to shake the land and even displace a few of the floating islands nearby. If it hit, Zeruel wouldn’t be the only one feeling the blast.

@Ryonara@KoL@ReaptheMusic@The 42nd Gecko@Lmpkio

[Flamelord]

Tatiana Lorenz

Tatiana supposed that she should have been annoyed by the demon flipping her off before fleeing from what he had been doing to go pick a fight with the giant melee that was developing. However she was consoled by the fact that she had achieved her objective, keeping him from doing any more damage to the forces that Bonesword had marshaled which could prove useful in the fight ahead.

Looking around, she didn't need to be told that securing air superiority would be important to this fight ahead. It was just a case of being easier said than done. She'd have to kick it up a notch, and a quick switch brought her rifles to using beam weaponry rather than normal kinetics. Hopefully that would provide a bit more bang to do some real damage, as opposed to the poor showing that she had just put on. The others seemed to be doing fairly well, so she'd just need to pick out where to contribute.

A tug registered itself, the insistence that something was going to happen, and Tatiana did not stop herself from heeding it. Quickly she moved, just in time to send the bullet that would have hit her flight pack careening off to the side by deflection in its trajectory. Very fortuitous, though with her boost in psychic powers she supposed hat it was about time her precognition actually did something.

Quickly she located where the shot had com from and fired back, initiating a weaving pattern in the air as she brought both rifles to bear down at Omega. She might not have taken down that demon, but this was a target she could definitely face.

@Awesomoman64@floodtalon

---

Tartys

It felt like only mere moments had passed before the summoned birds returned, relaying to her the disposition of all the forces currently on Arcadia, as best they could see them anyway. "Thank you," she replied with a nod, though she did not send the birds away just yet. She might still have use for them, and they could be of assistance in the fight. Right now though things were escalating, the Valkyries joining in and all foes seeming to focus on the largest of their number. Not that that was unusual, since big things tended to make good targets.

Well, she would not stand on the sidelines as this fight went on. A toss of her arm sent her birds back into the air, the duo circling above her and ready to assist in whatever fight she engaged in. There was no more time for idle consideration as she moved forward towards the combat zones, to join in the battle.

A twist of her spear brought her magic to bear and full blossom, and she wasted no time in launching multiple beams of magical energy at the enemies that had been brought, striking at drones and hovering robots alike. They were relatively minor cannon fodder, sure, but that just made it easier for her to proceed along as she headed towards the other side of Arcadia, hopping to draw some people way from Zeruel by doing so. She was more than willing to let them detect her magic being used if she achieved that aim, but she would nonetheless turn back to fire a few long range shots at various targets in both other factions as well, just in case. Best to give them a bit of incentive.

@Lmpkio@Ryonara@Awesomoman64

[TheWendil]

☬ Ira ☬
^{Current Location: Hell}

As the scent of the battlefield filtered through her mask, Ira took a heady sigh in contemplation. Yes, this was what war was. Senseless and brutal slaughtering invoked by chaos. This was what she had yearned for and she was admonished none of the other Faction leaders shared her sentiments to fight on the frontlines. That was what made them weak and spineless, befitting of the frail flesh of man and the arrogance of Heaven.

Speaking of which, one scent in particular earned another sigh by Hell’s Queen. But whereas the first was laced with excitement, this one was heavy with irritation. It would figure the Elder Valkyrie would show her face on this battlefield and just her luck she’d return after all these years right when she had tipped Hell into her favor. Well then, no matter.

Per the suggestion of Victoire, there were enemies to slay and frankly, the bitch known as Hildr could be denied her petty vengeance a while longer. Instead, Hell’s Queen leapt from her position with enough force to tear the ground asunder beneath her feet. Like a zipping bullet, she located her target and aimed to land in the lake Alexi was observing. Making no qualms for a clean arrival, Ira stood unfazed even as the contents of the lake exploded all around her and Alexi, the water acting much like rain as even fish flopped to the ground.

“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Ira said, unsheathing her blade and slowly walking towards Alexi. The water continued to pour, droplets rolling down her mask, but none of it doing anything to impede her gaining distance. “You seem pretty stupid anyway so I’ll make sure to place your death as painless as possible. I have other things to bother myself with.”

Back at the Machina teleport spawn, Bastion nodded as Tatiana charged forward in pursuit of Henry. With a tap of her feet, she followed her friend with jet propulsions located in her boots. Slugging her rifle out, she prepared to take aim at the Silver-Eyed Demon…right before Henry decided he’d much rather play with the big bulking Angel thing instead.

Mismatched eyes narrowing, Bastion watched his path as he was heading straight for Zeruel. And no wonder, because the big lug had attracted quite a lot of attention for himself. With barrage after barrage of fire being laid on him, Bastion was amazed the thing was still standing. Well…not for long, Bastion zipping off to join the fray.

“Don’t wait up for me,” she told Tatiana, leaving her to her duel with the gunslinger before thrusting fast and hard. Frankly, the airspace and ground were all occupied with explosions of some kind. Be it Henry’s missiles, Grafdakka’s assault, or the maid’s air attack, nothing seemed to be penetrating that barrier of Zeruel’s.

Frowning, Bastion zoomed herself onto a floating landmass nearby, one of the many in Arcadia’s environment. Resting on one knee and aiming her rifle right at Zeruel, the one crimson pupil of her features suddenly began to whir, shifting into a golden coloration. “Dodge this,” she hissed before pulling the trigger, shaken back by the impact of her own shot. The bullet was bright gold and in no time, hit its mark.

Like a creature hungry for consumption, it tore through Zeruel’s barrier like butter and continued to grow in speed as its progress was undeterred. With the Angel’s defenses not ripped apart, it would be easier for the others to take him down. Of course, that bullet was still going and it wasn’t stopping. Unless Zeruel intended to dodge, it would continue to rip right through him-

“Because you’re a sucker for cute girls Mister?” a familiar voice answered Zak’s question. He wouldn’t have to look too far because sitting in the tree above him, lazying about on a branch, was none other than Harley. Her mismatched gaze was full of mirth as she observed his downed form, casually disregarding the rest of the fight. “Shouldn’t you be, oh I dunno, fighting or something? You are a warrior, right? Wait, don’t tell me. You’re a lover not a fighter…right?”

---

@Flamelord, @Lucius Cypher, @Inner Demon, @floodtalon, @Ryonara, @ReaptheMusic, @Lonewolf685, @The 42nd Gecko, @KoL, @Lmpkio

[The 42nd Gecko]

Alexi, Knight of Winter

"You honor me with your attention. The whispers are quieted simply by your presence. I wonder if they are eager or afraid? Usually both..." Alexi's disposition had instantly changed when Ira touched down. Rising from the now barren pool, Alexi's eyes focused upon her opponent. As Alexi raised her blade over her head, an overhead aggressive power stance, the rain of water slowed, matching Ira's walking pace. To one gifted with vision into the underwriting laws of reality, one could see that the very maximum speed of the universe was slowing around them. To one gifted with vision into the flows of time, one could see that Alexi's personal time was "freezing", the flow being blocked up.

Her bare foot played across the surface of the pond, dragging across a tiny puddle of water not raised into the air, before pressing down into the earth in firm footing. "I am Alexi, Knight of Winter." Her stance would provide no protection from an upward slash from a drawn blade, as Ira's might be, but at the same time, a sheathed blade was ill equipped to handle an overhead strike as Alexi was poised to do. It was as if Alexi was challenging Ira to a sword duel of a single strike.

There was little more to say as a warrior.

@TheWindel

[Mega Birb]

Syphax, while in pursuit of a pair of jets that he was slowly gaining on, happened to glance down from his quarry and spotted something the threw him off for a second. While retrieving his brethren from the depths of Hell earlier with Hohenheim's blessing, he had caught wind of Rufus leaving unceremoniously for parts unknown and a new queen stepping in, and she appeared to be on the battlefield at that moment. That, and she was in the middle of drawing a long, incredibly sharp blade. Katanas, he could remember those being called, forged from thousands of layers of folded iron and steel, and were about as deadly as they sounded. He, however, had a legendary greatsword made from cobalt and titanium on his back that he had faith in, so without hesitation he dived in at the pair that were likely about to duke it out.

Coming in not unlike a missile, the Harpy began drawing his sword and preparing for a landing, when everything suddenly slowed down. He opened his mouth to speak, though the words came out slurred and distorted, and even took a moment for his own voice to reach his ear. "What in the... it's like flying through molasses!" Every pound of his wings still brought him closer to his destination and his legs were slowly swung forward to brace for a landing, though everything was in slow motion, and his body was still on auto pilot. Even his nerves must've been slowed thanks to whatever was effecting him so heavily. When he touched down, however, he would be there to bring his righteous blade upon both of those present. Particularly Ira, he wanted to gauge what Hell's new leader was capable of.

@TheWindel@The 42nd Gecko

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Having spent most of his downtime since his chat with Alexi tuning up his weapon of choice, Marquis was ready for the all-call that went out for the next battle. To his slightly sadistic joy, the robot set his screw driver to the side and picked up the freshly cleaned sniper rifle and spun it in his hand several times before stopping it and tucking it under his arm. "Zealot, do take care of Eos while I'm out. If I find one thing wrong with her when I return, we shall have an issue. A very... personal, issue." He knew his fellow guard, at the very least, always had ears on him and everyone else in the Machina. Then again, the sniper himself had an eye on almost everything in Hyperion.

Following his march to one of the teleporters that had been set up as a transport to Arcadia, the android set to finding himself a suitable place to set up and snipe from. The surrounding islands were a great choice, they were higher in the sky than most of the others, but the issue was getting to them. With a level of silence unusual even for him, he made a silent note to upgrade his mobility in the event something like this happened again. For the moment, was reduced to haphazardly hopping between islands to the front lines, trying to find an optimal position in which to set up in. If anyone felt the need to attack him, they certainly could try. The mech took a precaution against an ambush at this point, though, as the barrel of Bindlebane shortened and the sights collapsed into the cylinder, transforming into a powerful revolver.