[IC] The War of the Three

[KoL]

Helena scoffed once she got the first replies to her proposal. "I don't even know why I have lost my time trying to do this," she thought before sighing deeply.

"Here, you can have your rock back, it's not like I need it for just myself, anyway," Helena threw the Khaine's stone back to, having the stone land right by his feet. As soon as she did it, the vampire turned to the reunited forces of the Nexus, especially for Endian and Omega and said, "Very well, then, have it your way. If you think I do not have the power to back up my words, that's a failure of your own limited minds."

"Catch? Haha, the catch is you, Bonehead. I got way too fed up with this indecision of yours,", Helena replied to Bonesword, before addressing Lucille and her demonic spawn. "I'm honored that beings such as you answered to my call. Even though I believe you know very well the truth I speak of, I'll be glad to enlighten you as soon as I have weeded all of the plagues in my sight. I'm sure you out of all beings understand that, don't you, Mother of a Thousand Young?"

As soon as Fran mentioned Victoire, Helena's lips twisted into a fanged grin. "Oh, how curious of you to mention Victoire of all people. I just happened to have a nice little chat with the Bloody Countess. You'll love to know, what I have learned..." the vampire said as she clenched a fist, seemingly grasping the air. However, the ground right below Fran's feet burst into a mass of thorny hedges, trying to grasp and crush the succubus.

"Just you wait, there's far more from where this one came from," Helena shouted. She disappeared from her place at the tribune, leaving a burst of rose petals behind her as she reappeared above one of the many tall columns that dotted the arena floor.

"If you want to test my mettle, you are more than welcome to bring it on," Helena said as the faint perfume of roses filled the stadium as the columns in which Helena stood became covered in flowering hedges. "Let us see what you are going to do against the power of Nothingness itself. Just one fair warning, if you take too long..." she added while doing a showy pirouette. When she was back at her original position, the image of a large, phantasmagoric clock tower appeared behind Helena, each of its very odd thirteen houses was decorated with a symbol relating to one of the Zodiac signs as well as bearing a ghostly purple flame, the first of which already flickered.

"It's game over for you," Helena said, curtseying gracefully before summoning a massive scythe.

One could only wonder what the vampire's words meant...

[thewizardguy]

Khaine, Helena's Coliseum

Even as things seemed to be going well, once again everything changed. A force swept through the dungeon, much like the force that had started this entire mess. Khaine's surroundings twisted and changed, as suddenly he found himself standing in the middle of a crumbling coliseum. For a moment he tried to focus his mind, but it soon became clear that this was not one of the dungeon's illusions. Like a human reaching down and picking up an ant, he had been transported to a new location. One at the very core of the Dungeon. And there upon the tribune sat the creature responsible for this chain of events, holding within it's claws the Wanderer's Stone. So that was what it had used to open those massive portals. And, most likely, to summon everyone here.

While the mastermind declared their intentions, Khaine tried to size them up. In some ways, they exuded an aura similar to that of the beast, and yet also extremely different. The Beast had been a force of nature, a raging typhoon of energy and rage. While this being's aura was most certainly terrifyingly strong it was also... subtler. Colder. Crueller. Where the Beast had been a sledgehammer this creature was a dagger, laced with vile poison. This creature was utterly in control of it's aura. And that showed it was the kind of being that liked to be utterly in control of everything. Although it was impossible for Khaine to truly judge her strength before she truly unleashed it, it was clear this was no pushover. Perhaps she was even as strong as the Beast had been. And her intelligence made her all the more dangerous. The only reason Khaine had been able to defeat the Beast was it's singlemindedness, and of course the fact that it was relatively slow. He would have no such advantage here.

Of course, that was not to say this new opponent was without weakness. Her flowery words vanished the moment they were challenged, to be replaced with verbal barbs and threats. It seemed this was to be a fight. But the vampire revealed her weakness in handing over the stone to Khaine, declaring that she no longer needed it. Overconfidence. The enemy's arrogance would be the key to this battle. Because no matter how powerful it was, to hand the enemy a weapon was simply foolish.

As Khaine reached down to pick up the stone he had already made up his mind. This being's offer was no revolution, it was a coup. A fragile attempt to gather an army for her own purposes. No justice could be found in actions so self-serving. But on the other hand the robot girl, the Machina, spoke sense. When last he had fought in the Nexus he had found no such sentiment among the warriors. Had so much changed since he had been locked away in here? Had even the warriors of this endless war grown weary of battle?

To his amazement, the gathered warriors spoke up one by one. And each pledged their allegiance to this Endian, who claimed to fight just to end the fighting. A goal that Khaine had pursued ever since his epiphany. It seemed that where Helena had sought to gather allies, this Endian had instead found a willing army. An army that sought to change the Nexus itself. To cease the senseless violence that consumed this war-torn realm. To finally end the War of the Three.

Silently, Khaine turned to Endian, and dropped to one knee. It was a gesture of fealty. Of trust. He did not speak, because words were the tools of tricksters. But soundlessly he had offered his allegiance to this mechanical warrior. As long as they did not betray the ideals they claimed to follow, he would become their sword, as he had once been the sword of Hell. And although the significance of this silent gesture might be lost on most of those present, he would soon demonstrate his loyalty with his actions.

While certainly a frightening opponent, Khaine had never been intended to be the greatest single combatant. His prowess in single combat made him a threat, but his true abilities shone only in a situation such as this. He was a general, one who was intended to lead entire armies into battle. And as such he was most capable in the support role. Reaching out he called upon every last shred of his power as he was reunited with his main mode of transportation.

Chains shot across the ceiling of the coliseum. Blades erupted from the ground, hilt up, ready to be taken to war. A flash of energy moved across the battlefield, providing armour, weaponry, or ammo to those in need of it. Advanced scientific medkits appeared in the hands of those who required medical attention. The pillar beneath Helena's feet cracked as a dozen lances pierced the bottom. Staring down the vampire Khaine began to observe her in minute detail, to catch her every move. He would assist from afar, blocking her attacks with his powers and attacking her from unknown angles whenever she let down her guard. And he would improve the abilities of his allies, granting them whatever assistance they required in order to win this fight. And, if one of those who had not offered their blade to Endian sought to interfere, he would crush them in the blink of an eye.

This was the true power of the Lord of War, a power that could dictate the course of mass battles where individual power was meaningless. And it was a power that Khaine would turn against the gods of this world.

[Gardevoiran]

Bonesword

Bonesword's eyes flicked to a shade of bright purple when he heard the insult dished to him by Helena. Here he was, standing in front of something just as powerful as everything he had seen before, but this time felt different. He'd been on the field with someone like Victoire, and he almost took her down with a single strike, but this time he felt like he was more... whole. Like he had been more himself in his entire afterlife in this moment than he has since he woke up that faithful day. Whether it was a surge of adrenaline from feeling like he had a purpose again, or a surge of hatred that he was being pushed around by this person again, he didn't know, but what he did know was this.

He was the best at what he could do.

Next to his sides, two large oak trees burst out of the ground with blistering speed, and as Bonesword took control, they began to act as two incredibly large hands for the skeleton, catching a good number of swords summoned by Khaine. Just what he needed to cause a few problems for Helena.

A row of cacti slowly rose from the ground behind Bonesword as he pulled a sword out from the nearby tree, taking aim at Helena and throwing a sword at her. And that sword was followed by another. And another. They'd be no problem for her to dodge, but once the battlefield gets crowded with his summons and other fighters, they'd be harder and harder to dodge, and eventually one would hit and cause her to bleed.

He just had to live that long.

[Lucius Cypher]

Endian-01

Inside her armor Endian smiled at seeing so many offer their fealty to her. Bonesword she wasn't too surprised, as he was already part of the Machina. But to hear someone like Henry of all people offer his blade in her service was a pleasant surprise. Another had bend his knee towards Endian, though she did not know who he was. From his appearance however, he was a demon. Endian had no illusions about a demon's treachery, and she was completely expecting these demons to betray her at some point in the future. Fortunately the feeling was mutual; Endian would be just as quick to betray them the moment they cease to remain useful or remain loyal. But such things would be dealt with in due time. Right now they had a more pressing concern.

Summoning ethereal blades forth Endian used her swords to protect her temporary allies, including Omega, Henry, and Khaine. Wolf and Bonesword would also receive help in the form of hardlight swords that would protect them from ranged attacks and cut down any bloody roses that might appear around their feet with ludicrous precision. Utilizing the Endian Model's sheer processing ability, Endian had no trouble making the pin-point attacks to not only cut down any rose the moment they break through the ground, but also avoid harming her allies at the same time. She also was easily able to coordinate her blades with her allies even should this battle become more chaotic, practically dominating this wide open area with situational awareness. It was time to put this body and this armor to the test. Her eyes glowing, Endian proceeded towards Helena as she spoke one final rallying cry to those around her.

"We have fought against each other for countless eons. Even if it's peace we desire, this cruel, inhospitable world will ensure many more battles to come. But let us make history today and be remembered when the forces of Heaven, Hell, and Mankind could direct their weapons away from each other, and put this bitch down!"

Combining the powers of the Golden Eyes and the Nikola Chevalier, Endian Overclocked herself and her Machina allies to improve their performance massively. While doing so Endian summoned more hard light constructs, but not just blades and guns this time; she also summoned mobile barriers to protect herself and her allies from arm, as well as radars within those barriers to further increase the range of Endian's battlefield awareness. She made sure that she could keep track of every combatant in this area, and most importantly, Helena herself. Even her "allies" who have joined her side would be marked differently so Endian could monitor them and ensure that their loyalty wasn't just lip. Still Endian would also rely on them as well, noting Khaine creating variable amount of equipment for her to use. She could tell that they weren't meant to be used to obstuct or harm her simply because they weren't obstructing or harming her; even as she ran forward they were placed in such a way that they would be easy for her to reach but not blocking her path.

As Endian moved forward she also gave her Machina allies commands for this battle. "Wolf, keep an eye on Helena. No doubt she will use trickery and teleportation to escape out grasps. Beware of illusions and shut down any attempts at mind control. Bonesword, summon your minions and direct them swamp Helena. I don't expect them to defeat her, but I need them to slow her down. I shall be the distraction." At the same time Endian was giving her message over the Machina communication channels Endian simply yelled at the demons who pledged their alliances to her, letting her voice be heard. "Henry, shutdown her movements. Chase her and keep her still! Or better, dead. Red Demon!" This was the name Endian made up for Khaine as she didn't know his name. "Take care of our allies. Heal their wounds, free them of their curses, whatever you can do. And be wary of any new foes." And lastly, there was Omega. Endian's plan for him was so simple she channeled a bit of Grafdakka. "Omega! SHOOT HER!"

@thewizardguy@Banana@Awesomoman64@floodtalon@KoL

---

Francisca Labrys Seax Luxuria

Fran was hardly surprised to see Helena try to attack her for her comment, and when the blood roses came out of the ground Fran was ready. She simply jumped out of the way before throwing her axe to the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust that completely hide her. "You'd think they'd learn!" It was time to start killing. That Endian robot, a name that Fran was dimly aware of, made a lot of talk about alliance or a brand new world or something along those lines. Henry seemed to believe her, but just like with Helena, Fran had her doubts. As far as the succubi cared Endian was just talking big and empty just like Helena was, and simply had more humble origins. But where you came from doesn't matter if you can't back up your words.

Out from the dust Fran flew towards Helena's new position on top of a pillar. Seeing that Helena could teleport like pretty much every other fighter worth their steel, Fran had no doubts that she'd likely not be able to catch Helena before she teleports away again, but Fran wasn't going to let that bother her. Helena would also find that Fran was moving ridiculously fast, and already close enough to engage with the woman in melee. Helena would get a good look at Fran's throbbing rage boner. "Get bent!"

As Fran had gone to attack Helena, the dust settled and revealed two more Fran's. One ran towards a pillar nearby that Helena was not at, using her Bond of Matrimony to reach to the top. From there Fran took a knee and concentrated. She could tense demonic auras like many demons, but it wasn't a skill she put much stock into. Mainly because Fran doesn't fight many demons. But she had no doubts that Helena was demonic in essence, and already familiar with the auras of Lucille and the other demons, Fran began to focus on Helena's true location, or her source of power. Fran had a feeling there was something here that everyone else was missing and the succubus was tired of being the dumb muscle dying and failing to achieve any objective. Meanwhile the other Fran left behind looked towards the others. She felt a familiar presence among those gathered here and she intended to seek it out. It may have been Victorie, as Helena mentioned speaking to her previously. But Fran had a feeling she knew who it was, and wasn't sure what she'd do if she was right. But Fran would figure that out once she saw it for herself.

@KoL@Lonewolf685

[KoL]

Diana didn't really understand all that happened in the past few seconds. Suddenly everything was going alright, she even got some free snack from the bug girl, and then... "Bang!" all hell broke loose around her and her companions. The one thing that got the dragon girl feeling bad, though was seeing Khaine's next set of actions. That didn't bode well for their future. "Why does this have to happen always?" she thought, reminiscing about the last time she encountered Bastion, all the way back to the battle of Alt Signia, now that her mind was clearer.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm here and I have a job to do. That's all that I need to know," Diana sighed deeply, before drawing Ascalon and getting ready to do battle.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot accept any of those offers. Even if I'm a failure of a knight, I'm not so much of a spineless lizard, to betray those who became my friends and family. And, right now, I have at least one person I need to protect. I'm sorry, Khaine, this is where we're gonna break up. I'm not joining any revolution today. I'm Diana, the Claw of Heavens, and I'm not going to betray my convictions so easily!" Diana yelled, replying to both Helena's proposal and Endian's sudden boost to commander status, before interposing herself between Suparna and the rest of the battle.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you, while you don't have your companion," Diana said to Suparna, with a confident grin on her lips, "By the way, do you remember your name now?" she asked.

Diana sincerely wondered what was up with her saving amnesic girls?

The rondo of life and death continues!

All of the combatants in the grand stadium would notice one thing very easily and very fast as soon as the fight against Helena began... Everyone attacking the same small target at the same time in such a heated way wasn't going to end well.

Just as Khaine's blades broke the column Helena stood over, Bonesword's blades flew through the air at astounding speeds, and Fran decided to show her lewd side once more or trying to be smart for once —it didn't make very much difference for Helena, after all— she would find herself with a choice of either being skewered by her allies projectiles or fall into the death trap of spikes and blades below. Whatever the choice, Fran wasn't going to hit her mark. Or better, she did hit Helena, with absurd easy, as the vampire didn't even bother to move a muscle, remaining right where she was exactly to get Fran into harm's way.

However...

"Oh dear, did I get you all pumped up and hyped for this battle but forgot to deactivate my defenses?" Helena quipped as every single attack just passed through her, almost as if she wasn't standing right in front of their eyes. In fact, it wasn't almost like it, the fact was that Helena had never been there this whole, only Nothingness stood in her place, a void that could never be filled no matter whatever got thrown in it. "How silly of me to put you all through an unbeatable boss battle right from the start. It's not fun if I don't give you a chance, however small, of showing that the 'Power of Friendship' and the 'Force of Will' can defeat even the most impossible of the odds. Isn't that right?" The vampire added, in a tone of blatant mockery, wondering if they would stop that irrational attack and listen to her now that Helena was effectively impossible to harm.

"Do, any of you," Helena said as she disappeared from her position and reappeared right behind Endian, back to back with the Machina, "realize what I'm trying to do here? Or are your minds so small that you can't even understand subtext?" she asked, spewing quite a bit of vitriol, before changing positions once more, this time, appearing right behind Lucille. "I want all of you out of the Nexus. I came here to offer you a chance of that. I don't care what happens once you get outside. Just leave this place alone and everything will be ok. That's," Helena said as she appeared behind Miyu, now, "the last time I'll say it. Are, any of you, uneducated morons, going to accept my offer, or... do I have to pummel it on your thick skulls?"

"Geez, it looks like I'm dealing with Titanica all over again. And it's not even half as much fun to play with these low-life mutts," Helena sighed in exasperation before appearing above another of the columns.

"Anyway, if you still want to 'fight for your beliefs', how about we do it right this way?" Helena said as she snapped her fingers, for some unknown reason. Right around the same time, the first flame of the ghostly clock was extinguished.

The combatants would notice that targeting the roses was having no effect at all on the degeneration effect that slowly ate away at their lives. Instead, it looked like they were being slowly consumed by the same nothingness of which Helena was talking about a moment ago. In fact, a couple more things would become evident in the following moments. First, Helena wasn't teleporting around the battlefield, neither was she using insanely high speeds, or time control, it was certainly something else, the question is: What was it? Second, whatever aura any of them claimed to feel, it certainly wasn't coming from Helena, her presence was absolutely clear. As far as their perception was concerned, there was nothing where the vampire stood and, trying to find nothing was challenging, to say the least.

Helena was just playing with them all the time until now. How powerful could the vampire actually be?

"Ah, don't worry, I'll keep myself on this plane, just so that you can harm me. That is, if you can touch me," Helena said as she disappeared amidst a flurry of rose petals, reappearing right behind Bonesword, slashing at the trees nearest to her with a swipe of her scythe.

"The clock is ticking..." Helena smirked, flashing her pearly fangs to the demonic skeleton.

[Gardevoiran]

Bonesword

"Are you FUCKING serious?!" Bonesword heard how Helena 'forgot' to turn off her defense, and it simply made him angrier. Not to mention how she restated her offer for joining her. A way to leave. Fuck that, he still had Abigail here, and he was still pissed at Helena for being so fucking SNARKY about this situation. As Helena pretty much teleported behind him (he didn't care if it wasn't that or anything, because it was all the same to him), Bonesword simply commanded his row of cacti behind him to rise up and he ordered them simply to kill Helena. They'd never do it, but he could at least try.

Also, Helena would feel something wrapping around her foot as she stood there slashing at the trees. She'd only have a chance breaking though the shits with her brute force as a scythe was a very impractical weapon, but it kept her still enough for Bonesword to react and wrap a vine around her foot. It'd probably do absolutely fucking nothing, but hey, it might do something.

He threw another sword at Helena before he started to raise more plants from the ground, including a new minty plant that he didn't recognize. Odd.

[thewizardguy]

Khaine, Helena's Coliseum

Khaine's command over the Armoury was absolute, and his current focus unbreakable. He had all but abandoned the vessel of his body in order to focus his attention completely on large-scale magics. As the blades raced towards Fran they simply vanished, as if refusing to touch her. No weapon of his could be turned against an ally, no armour of his could block an ally's attack. As such, so long as Khaine's weaponry was used, it became effectively impossible to suffer from friendly fire.

Not even turning his head, Khaine addressed Diana. He had expected as much from her, it had been astounding enough that so many of these demons were willing to fight for the cause. But it did dishearten him somewhat that, one day, he would need to fight his erstwhile companion. "Fight me later. Vampire first." Despite being on different sides, Khaine believed he knew Diana well enough that he could turn his back on her now. Attacking and killing him was a waste of time and effort. Helena was clearly the greater threat. Of course if she did decide to attack him, he would have to slay her before she could significantly impact the battle.

Speaking of which, he had a job to do. While he could continue to attack Helena directly, the plant-demon seemed to be holding her off. As such it became more important to support in a more general sense. The first thing he needed to do was counter her 'nothingness' ability, or at least the application that blocked senses. Reaching out, Khaine saturated the air with demonic energy. Minor portals allowed air from the depths of Hell to fill the arena, bringing about the smell of sulphur and an unearthly reddish glow. It wouldn't have much of an effect, other than evoking some homesickness in Khaine, but the important part was to add a 'flavour' to the air. After all, white only stood out when it's surroundings were coloured in. Any spell that blocked people's supernatural senses would also block the demonic aura from Hell's wind, creating a white space that could be easily spotted.

Next, he needed to counter the 'nothingness' that was damaging people's minds. He himself had been exposed to this Nothingness for years, and although engaging in combat required him to drop his guard at least a little bit, he believed he could last for quite some time in these conditions. He had learned how to fight it's draining influence long ago. But the same could not be said for many others, and if this fight dragged out that Nothingness could end up being a deciding factor. While he could not remove the Nothingness, as with his previous strategy, there existed a counter. Holding up the Wanderer's Stone he called upon it's power, as a red pulse erupted from it and smashed a hole in the Oblivion Dungeon itself. Reality cracked and folded inwards as the complex enchantments that lined the inside of the stone took hold of space itself. A flickering gate was formed, leading to the burning halls of Hell. From beyond the gate an even stronger 'aura' could be felt, the 'aura' of Hell itself. Those who took refuge in this portal would be shielded from the Nothingness, and could recover their resolve before they returned to battle.

Patiently, Khaine waited in front of the portal for his opponent or his commander to make a move. Continuously he provided Bonesword with weaponry, forged from Abyssal Steel and honed in the Worldforge. Should trouble arise, he could always begin using his powers in a more direct sense, but as of yet it seemed his direct interference was unnecessary.

[Lucius Cypher]

Endian-01

Endian wasn't too surprised to see Helena vanish before she could get to her. Teleportation was one of those things that Endian needed to work on dealing with, as well as getting the ability to teleport herself. When Helena arrived behind Endian she didn't panic, as she figured that Helena was only doing that to taunt her. Or maybe Helena was just crazy. It could be both. Either way Endian knew she needed to use the big guns, so there was no sense in holding back now. With everyone's orders given Endian focused on herself,and proceeded to create more and more hard light projections which swarmed the battlefield like a mass of deadly laser swords. These blades however came with a wire that started grabbing the various swords and armor scattered throughout the battlefield thanks to Knaine's unholy armory, becoming a massive ball of weapons and armor. But that wasn't the end of it. Facing Helena's new location Endian formed this mass of equipment together, binding them with her Hardlight projections and creating artificial electronics and machinery using the information stored in her memories, and recreated Grafdakka in his Grind Gear form. And while an imitation normally could not compare to the real thing, with Endian powering him through her Golden Eyes and Overclocking, he would be a match for his original self. Powers and all.

"Enough of your sophistry! You are literally nothing to us. That is why we will not bow down to you and why you will lose."

Endian had Grafdakka charge his reality warping Grind Gear to destroy this entire arena. Helena may be too fast for any of them to capture but that didn't mean this battlefield would be as difficult to defeat. She sent Grafdakka to attack the clocktower that Helena had summoned, as well as where she was originally at, and use his drill form to destroy whatever enigma Helena had kept here. As for Endian herself she still multitasked to project her allies, Bonesword in particular would find the swords floating around him going after Helena and intercepting her strikes, even if they should be destroyed in the process. A new blade would simply manifest and continue.

@thewizardguy@Banana@KoL

---

Francisca Labrys Seax Luxuria

Fran wasn't entirely surprised to see Helena vanish, as well as her attack missing. She had a pretty good idea that Helena was an illusion, or at least trying to abuse the concept of nothingness to simultaneously have nothing to harm, yet somehow able to do something to everyone else. Reasoning like that is usually why Fran doesn't always fuck with demons. Still, if there was nothing about Helena that was real, it'd just make it easier for Fran to control. After all her best powers were all about pretending to do something, when in truth nothing happened at all. Of course first came the various things flying towards helena which Fran unfortunately found herself in the way of. She tried to dodge the best she could but a few of Endian's weapons tore right through Fran's body, but it wasn't enough to kill Fran off the bat. She merely flew off to the side and sealed her wounds using her Wand of Infernal Healing, letting her body regenerate from the damage. Next Helena started teleporting around the arena, and Fran followed after her.

As Endian's holographic swords fended off Helena, Fran appeared below Helena and swung upwards, drawing blood from the vampire. Somehow. At the very least there was blood on Fran's axe, and the only other person around was Helena and Fran. And Fran didn't cut herself. "You preen and boast about your powers and what you're trying to do, but you're a shit negotiator and a boring boss! All you've done is annoyed us and now you're acting like another haughty bitch who thinks she knows more than us, and yet refuses to explain anything. You let that little robot provoke you into a fight instead of trying to entice anyone to join your side, or even convince that robot to join you instead. Now you say we don't understand subtext or whatever, but you're about as two-dimensional and deep as the text on this page."

Meanwhile the other two Fran's went about their work too. The one who had stayed back tow watch the battle wasn't able to detect anything from Helena, either due to her powers over nothingness or maybe just because she was an illusion meant to distract everyone. It wouldn't surprise Fran either if Helena was literally this entire arena, and what they saw of her was just a projected image to distract everyone. It would certainly be something Fran would do if she had the powers to back it up. Misdirection and trickery seemed to be Helena's bread and butter, and something that Fran herself was working on improving. So she had to think; if Helena really wanted to put herself anywhere here, where would she be? Where would her "real" self be so she could watch and even take part of this battle? "Wherever she'd be, I'll need to draw her attention. Time to wake up the big guy." A deep rumbling could be heard from the base of Fran's pillar as she focused on trying to create the same creature she saw fighting Zeruel and Henry at the caverns. It seemed powerful, simply so, and easy enough for Fran to use.

It wasn't long until Fran reached Diana. Sure enough, Fran's hunch was right. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. Happy, concerned, angry, confused. All these things were valid choices for Fran. Right now though she just had questions. "Suparna. My sweet lolita..." Fran approached, leaving her axe behind. She wasn't here to fight, and even as tempting as it was to take this angelic warrior and ravish her, Fran's current interest was in her old friend. The succubus nearly had a tear in her eye. "You've been gone for so long I... I thought... I don't even know what happened to you! I went to find you after the battle of at the Alchemist's Tower but you weren't there at all. What happened to you Suparna? How did you get here? And just what the hell is going on?"

@KoL@Lonewolf685

[Lonewolf685]

Luci & Suparna Wolgen

While fools rushed in where angel's feared to treat- Or in this instance, where the angel's couldn't tread because they were dead, defecting, or hereto busy being the adorable vanguard to a surprised collective of sapient maggots, said sapient collective and a lolita shaped slime stood by as events unfolded in an almost impressive display of collaborative devastation heaped upon a foe beyond their ken.

After all, Luci and Suparna were in an advantageous position to understand the concept of higher powers and how to confront. It could be pointed out that Suparna's idea of dealing with them was retreating, but that also had a rather successful track record not to be scoffed at. Seeing as everyone knew Luci's 'parentage' as up to the present, her qualifications were self evident.

"Diana, that's really not needed...but thanks." Suparna stepped out from behind the Dragon, surprised but clearly happy that even with their returning memories neither of them were leaping to tear one another apart- And that Diana actually ate the offered treat did make Suparna elated at how trusting the Dragon was, making her want to pinch her cheeks or some such gesture of affection not derived purely from lust. Perhaps they'd get a chance to talk casually once the world wasn't exploding into blades, lasers, and flying ex-girlfriends-

Oh right, she was wondering why she felt compelled to some shade whiter then her already bleached exterior. "Ah, I...didn't expect to see you either."

Suparna found herself facing Fran briefly yet felt none of the lust or passion she once knew, even as memories returned unbidden, their imprints bitter and hollow with recollection, compelling her to look away towards the ground.

"Of course you didn't find me. I left, and I didn't want to be found by anyone in Hell, especially you." Vitriol bubbled up into her small voice, "Not a single victory to my name after so many battles, and in the end I was only good as your cock sleeve. For fuck's sake, if I didn't leave you'd have shattered what was left of my pride like any other toy of yours, and I'd rather go lose myself in a Neutral Area then have faced that."

"I had to leave before I started to hate you."

That Suparna was holding a conversation without thought for defense showed how little concern she held for Helena's intent towards them, something shared by the slime girl who had mechanically taken an interest in the plants around them. Mother and daughter were avid gardeners, so witnessing some form of eldritch rose would be of mild interest.

Except there was no rose.

"Mother, as loathe as I am to say this...do you think we should just go?" Luci asked as her hand passed through a flower that simply didn't exist. She could see it, but her every other sense told her it wasn't there. Like a picture someone just slapped onto reality. "I really don't like this Helena lady, but I don't think that if this," She gestured outwards to an awe inspiring sight of collective overkill that would have bloodied Titanica's nose if she weren't buried, "isn't having an effect, we aren't going to do much with our fists."

"So why not just go back to Hell, relax with a little garden work, and think about were to hit Helena next time?"

[TheWendil]

❀ Lucille ❀
^{Current Location: The Oblivion Dungeon}

“Oh please. Don’t make me gag.” Lucille’s words were full of utmost venom, yet they were directed more so at the group of combatants who had pledged to the robot rather than Helena; and a glare was meant just for Henry who had verbally threatened Luci. “Do you really think the Nexus can bend to the whims of a few turncoat soldiers? Your talk of companionship and brotherhood disgusts me," she said out of jaded experience. But whatever; if they wanted to place their faith in Endian, she would not stop them. Not when her memories were still scrambled and tethered by strains.

That being said, she turned a sharp glare at the vampire when she was addressed. In her eyes, both sides were being stupid; if Helena wanted to offer up something to them and convince them to beseech them against the Nexus, she was doing a poor job of actually doing that. No, instead she muttered a few insults and began to go on the offensive. Lucille had enough sense to back away given the sheer power radiating off Helena’s form; or rather…the complete void of it.

“Strange….” Lucille furrowed her eyes and glanced around the arena, noticing the crimson and fluttering petals that danced along the edges. They were of Helena’s doing and yet…she couldn’t hear their voices. Not a word was given to her, not a sentence was structured when she could hear all flowers in bloom. Instead, she heard nothing. Absolutely nothing, as if nothing was really there. “Don’t tell me that bloodsucker wasn’t joking about her powers,” she said more to herself, completely lost in thought as the others raged in battle around her.

Only by Luci’s words was she snapped out of her gazing, looking down at her not-daughter. So the slime could notice a difference too? Interesting. “Flowers that aren’t there, but are able to be seen perfectly and clearly. Illusions that aren’t real illusions-” With a snap of her wrist, she whirled around to slash with her parasol at Helena, who had teleported directly behind her. Yet her attack only went through the vampire effortlessly, as if nothing was there. This plus Helena’s parting words made the Black Goat frown.

“If you wanted to offer us a way out of the Nexus, you should have started your pretty speech with that,” Lucille said, turning to Helena’s direction behind Bonesword. “But do enlighten me bloodsucker. Tell me how exactly you plan to take all these buffoons out of the Nexus and into salvation,” she said, ignoring whatever reaction Luci would give her. She was curious now to what Helena was implying and if she was bullshitting, it was a rather lofty claim regardless. Besides, she was the mother and Luci knew best to do what her mother told.

[The 42nd Gecko]

Miyu

"I.. Um.. I'm just really confused, I don't know what's going on. Sorry if that makes me not intelligent enough to be on your teams or something, but I think I want to just leave and think about things for a bit. It's all a bit overwhelming, sorry for being thick skulled." Miyu was really not following what was going on and found herself just stumbling backwards from the onslaught of everything. Everyone was asking really good questions and Miyu wasn't certain what to think anymore. And the whole getting her memories back and realizing she had teamed up with Hell against Heaven while she had been confounded by the memory powers. She had a LOT to sort through.

With all of Helena's abilities that affected the minds, Miyu figured maybe she could help with uniting everyone's minds and mental defenses.. But she also figured that this was just a test, and that Helena was playing down to her challengers. She figured that if she pulled a good move, Helena'd just amp up the difficulty. Besides? Did she even really want to fight Helena? Leaving the Nexus sounded nice.. But she also had too many promises to keep. She just wanted a little more time to think about it.

"Um, excuse me ma'am, but if you are leaving, would you mind if I tag along with? I don't think I have much place in this fight." Miyu, in perhaps the dumbest possible choice she could make in her confusion, approached Luci and Lucille of all people, after Luci suggested just leaving.

@KoL@TheWindel@Lonewolf685

[KoL]

"I guess we're gonna fight back to back now, right?" Diana said as she stepped away from Suparna's front and moved to cover the bug girl's back. She turned her gaze towards Fran, launching a cold glare at the rapist demon. "Don't have any delusions, though, I may help you if it comes to it, but I have no intention of joining your side. I won't betray neither my home nor my friends. I don't know what you are up to, but it can't be good."

"And," Diana pointed Ascalon's shiny golden tip at Fran, for emphasis, "if you try to do something to my friend, I'll not hesitate to fight you. Now, get off and go back to your band of traitors," the dragon girl added, sincerely hoping that no Angel had taken up the Machina's offer.

The rondo of life and death continues! Or not...

“Hmm? What are you trying to do bone head?” Helena frowned as something coiled around her foot and held her in place. Her answer came in the form of action as Bonesword commanded his cacti to surround her on all sides, following up with a sword thrown directly to pierce her. Irritation at this made her catch the blade in one hand while holding back the coming cacti with the other, dispersing her scythe in favor of defense.

Even in this trapped position though, Helena’s eyes never ceased from their movement, scanning the combatants behind gleaming pupils. Khaine was busy trying to detect her non-existence by blanketing the air itself in demonic energy; while that may be a problem for the future, the current issues lay in Bonesword’s assault along with Endian and the demon whore.

“Dear me, little robot. You’re correct in your bold claims of intimidation; I’m nothing and no one all at once,” Helena said with a fanged grin before phasing backwards and away from Bonesword’s plants; the sword she previously held in place hit the floor with a clang. Summoning her scythe again, she stood in place as the onslaught of weapons passed right through her, as if she wasn’t even there to begin with. Once she saw an opening, she wasted no time in rocketing right towards Bonesword, scythe held ready for a killing blow.

Yet surprises came in all shapes and forms, and even the vampire wasn’t above being puzzled in the face of impossible happenings. That was why when Fran struck from right beneath her and somehow drew blood, Helena’s gaze sharpened, her scythe going right through Bonesword with no effect. She held her glare on the skeleton warrior for a moment or two before retreating backwards and looking down on her body.

Despite Fran having drawn blood there was no wound, or at least, none she could feel. Furthermore, she was sure she had phased through the attack…so that was the game. “Illusions on illusions,” she chuckled, placing an unblinking stare on Fran. “Rejoice demonic whore. You’ve perhaps figured out more than you realize….”

And then there was Titanica, who had suddenly appeared before her; using her massive form would require a different approach to this situation one that Helena did, right now. For a moment Helena could only look on in surprise at the great lizard before turning to Lucille and saying, “Do you want to talk now, Black Goat? Of course, I can explain everything, but first I have a special guest to greet. I beg your pardon," Helena curtseyed once more as she used the same instant movement ability to appear over the clock tower, sitting at its edge, right as Grafdaka's attack struck it, blowing away nine of the remaining flames and nearly causing it to collapse completely.

"Tsc, tsc, tsc," Helena clicked her tongue, "Don't you know how to be sporty? If this goes down, no matter the cause, it's game over, so you'd better take care. As proof of good will, I'll stop the countdown while I deal with my dear friend over there," the vampire said, tapping the clock and stopping its ticking.

"Well now, Titanica my dear, I wasn't expecting to see you over here," Helena said to the lizard's visage. "I guess that I need to backtrack a little bit and explain myself again, right? All of you should be grateful to both my dearest friend and the Queen of Hell for having another chance of listening to my proposal. Don't worry about it, this time I'll be quite clear," she added while flashing a fanged grin at everyone once more. Naturally, this wouldn't prohibit anyone from targeting her, but any attacks would go straight through Helena and hit the clock, which was proven to be a bad idea at this point, since it only had two flames now left, now. She was determined to say her piece first and actually explain herself.

"How to make my points clear? Hmm... let's try this," Helena raised one of her hands, with fingers extended, using them to enumerate her reasons, "First, if you think I'm here to substitute your leaders, you are wrong. That never was my intention, I think I made it obvious from the very moment I've sent you my invitation. Alas, better safe than sorry, right?"

"Second, I'm truly offering you a chance to get out of this prison and see what the rest of the multiverse truly is. Once you are out there, you may realize why I did that. I'll just say that reality isn't as simple as it looks like, but I don't want to make it even more complex to you, so... let's leave it at that."

"Third, if you choose to stay on the Nexus, you'll quickly find out the true nature of those you seem to believe in. Don't think that your revolution is going to go too far. Nothing but an eternity spent fighting each other is destined if you remain here and you will never know real peace and solace."

"Ask that of yourselves. I'm waiting the reply," Helena said as she crossed her legs and rested her scythe over her lap. Waiting carefully for the reply that would determine how this story would end.

[Gardevoiran]

Bonesword

Bonesword dismissed his cacti soldiers as Helena started talking again, explaining the situation even more. He didn't lower his trees to the ground, though, just in case Helena decided to play a dirty trick. At this point, he expected everything, even the annoyances of how he was being treated by Helena eventually getting to him. Eh, he'd be able to deal with it for a while.

She brought up how she never meant to become a substitute to the leaders of the Nexus, and honestly, Bonesword kind of believed her. She was offering them a way to escape, and you can't exactly rule over free people easily... does that make sense? Bonesword didn't know.

Helena then brought up how she was giving them a chance to effectively look at the bigger picture. The Nexus existed on a multiverse, it would seem. The idea was far fetched at first, but when Bonesword looked at it, he WAS talking to an illusionist vampire lady. Pretty much anything could happen at this point.

Lastly, Helena said that if the fighters here continued fighting in the Nexus they would see the truth about their leaders, and honestly, Bonesword could deal with that. He'd already heard about what Eos did to that one person, whatever-her-name-was, and he wasn't surprised to see that the queen of Hell was so narcissistic that she created a slime daughter that looks like her. He hasn't met Heaven's leader, but he figured that they were just as much of an asshole as Lucille and Eos.

Bonesword grabbed the light sword and placed it stationary in the air beside him, it hanging there for as long as something didn't fly at him. He was curious at the new plant near the ground and how it had this vague green glow around it. It was minty, and when he put his head near it, he felt... freshened... relieved. It was like the dungeon's effects were fading right off his body, and he felt relieved. Was this some new plant? Bonesword felt like he'd have to research this later, especially considering he'd never seen it before.

Back to Helena though. What she proposed was tempting, but it still seemed fishy. "Why would you offer this deal to us?"

[Flood]

Henry Pearl Avaritia

@Lucius Cypher@The 42nd Gecko@KoL@Banana@The 42nd Gecko@TheWindel@Lonewolf685@thewizardguy

Henry simply stood and calmly observed everything that happened. The Roses did nothing, he was intimately familiar with them so he understood how they worked well. The clock tower ticked down, likely to oblivion considering this vampiress' powers. The vampiress in question was literally Nothing, capital n, and could not be harmed by normal means most likely. He had a fair amount of certainty that he could cut through Nothing considering his Blade could cut through everything, but he held off on that. Henry was feeling kind of tired after that mech battle and was taking some time to regain strength.

Then she decided to explain everything for everyone once more. She is not substituting our leaders, hard to believe but whatever, moving on. She is offering us a genuine chance to leave the Nexus. There are reasons why she is doing so we will only understand once we have left. If we choose to stay we will find out the true nature of our leaders. Henry took a deep breath and sighed.

"I hate thinking this much you know that? Alright, let's do this." Henry planted his blade in the ground and let loose his aura entirely, most people would be frozen in place from the sheer pressure he emitted. Most of the time he kept this suppressed so people like say Miyu or Francisca can operate normally, but right now he needed to talk without some idiot deciding to try and cut down Helena. Henry was serious.

"All right fuckers, listen up! I'm proposing a plan! We head out with the Queen of Nothing here and see just what her plan is! We don't like it, we quit and move back to our original revolution with robo girl and her giant drill mech!" Henry looked over at Endian and nodded as he finished his sentence. "I would also like to make something clear! If anyone is worried about Angels killing Demons or Demons killing Machina or whatever, be assured that I will personally enforce my will upon you idiots! There will be no cross faction treachery under my watch!" His eyes glowed a bright silver as he said this and his aura visibly manifested in a deep crimson red around him.

[The 42nd Gecko]

Miyu

Given some time to sort things out, leaving the nexus did sound really nice. ~I mean, I have been trying to kill myself for awhile, off and on, so, at worst, it's not going to get much worse than that. And I really have nothing here left to fight for. I'm not willing to fight the angels, and I doubt they'd accept a traitor like me. Which leaves me nowhere to be.~

"Leaving does sound nice. You asked what we fight for... And honestly I don't have any good reasons. I enjoy fighting, but I can do that on literally ANY plane. And here, I'd have to kill, even if everyone respawned. And I'm not as ok with that anymore." Miyu spoke her piece fairly plainly without any great declaration. No real grandstanding or displays of power. Which was sensible, seeing she was probably one of the weaker ones here. Though, with her latent powers finally unlocked, she at least didn't wilt or wither under Henry's pressure, simply shielding herself with Cloak of Fleeting Shadow to cause his aura to flow around her like a gentle breeze rather than an overwhelming hurricane.

"I don't suppose I could get a data link back to my home first? I'd like to bring my pets with me. Not a dealbreaker if I can't, but I'd still feel bad leaving them here." Miyu didn't have a whole lot to add to the discussion, but what she did, she requested earnestly.

Turning to the Dragon, who she recognized from Henry's castle as an angel, "I'd ask you to say goodbye to my friends in Heaven for me... But I really don't have any, with Tartys gone. Good luck up there nonetheless. If nothing else, Heaven was very pretty. But I think we all know I don't have a place there."

@KoL@floodtalon

[Lucius Cypher]

Endian-01

Grafdakka crashed into the clock tower, severely damaging but failing to destroy it. Endian must have been onto something because Helena immediately teleported back to the tower and tried to warn her about their actions. At this point Endian didn't care; she already knew that Helena was just playing around with them and the robot girl had no time for games. Still Helena stopped the count down and tried to talk to everyone again. Endian intended to capitalize on this to attack Helena, however she also noticed just how damaged her body was getting. She had forgotten about the damage over time caused by whatever magic or trickery was happening here. While her armor was taking most of the beating Endian could tell that the Chevalier was already about half-way destroyed, and was only operating so well thanks to the Golden Eyes and Overclocking.

Grafdakka himself wasn't looking too good either. His drill was massively damaged due to trying to copy the Reality Break attack without proper equipment. Most of the hard light projection was gone and many of the demonic blades were damaged or even destroyed through the sheer force of the attack. Endian could easily repair the damage and did so, however if she wanted to use another Reality Break she needed to let Grafdakka charge it this time. As for Endian herself she took one of the repair kits that the red demon had spawned and used it to counter the damage of Helena's DoT. While it couldn't stop the harm itself it could at least put the armor back to health.

All the while Endian listened to Helena's words. However, perhaps due to Krieg's bloodlust or Endian's innate programmed loyalty to Queen Eos, she still wasn't convinced to heed Helena's offer. Even if Helena wasn't trying to be her new master, she was still a threat to Queen Eos and thus Endian wanted to kill her. Endian herself did not care for anything that wasn't about the Machina, Eos, or fighting, so any world outside the Nexus no matter how peaceful was not something that Endian cared for. Not unless the Machina can take advantage of it. And lastly Endian had no delusion about the true nature of the Nexus or those she is trying to ally with. Maybe they don't realize what she really wants in the end, but she would make that clear soon enough.

"All that matters to me is my master, High Queen Eos, and the Machina of Man. I don't care about anything outside the Nexus unless it can benefit all of them. The peace I pursue... I will see that my queen and her people can live safely and comfortably throughout all of the Nexus. This war between the demons, angels, and humanity will never end. Because of that I will make the realms of heaven and hell domains under the command of the Machina. With the cooperation of demons and angels, this can be possible! All that needs to happen is for us to unite with each other and see a common goal fulfilled. And those who stand against that... We will overcome them."

@thewizardguy@Banana@KoL@The 42nd Gecko@floodtalon

---

Francisca Labrys Seax Luxuria

Fran slashed at Helena, gutting her open again. However the demonic host had already figured out what this Fran really was. Sure enough, despite the blood and gore that caked Fran's axe, Helena may find that she is entirely unharmed. Fran's illusion was spotted though she continued to persist. The succubus wasn't going to pretend she figured out Helena's powers, only that two could play the game of pretend and make believe to substitute their ultimately empty existence. If Helena had the power over nothingness, then Fran had to power to make something out of nothing.

Before Fran could make another strike, Helena vanished and teleported to her clocktower. Endian had set her giant robot to try to destroy it, but it just cut their time down even further. "Tch. A little heads up would've been nice!" Helena then started to talk about what she meant by bringing them all here. But it was basically the same thing she already told them; a way out of the Nexus and it's BS. Fran still didn't believe her, though admittedly she was interested in the possibility of leaving the Nexus for multiverse romps. Go to worlds were demons don't exist, yet she does, and take advantage of it. Finally be the strongest being in the world. But that just makes her the big fish in the small pond. This talk about peace and such didn't really concern the succubus. As a demon, she thrived off strife and turmoil. Actual peace would effectively kill Fran, or at least force her to take drastic changes or even reignite tensions. Frankly, the only reason anyone from the demons side would join Endian was probably just to be on a winning side.

As for the Fran who summoned Titanica, she too paused to listen to Helena's offer. She used her magic to "control" Titanica, giving her an unnatural state of calm. But it was difficult; Fran wasn't sure how well she could maintain her control over this beast. It certainly wasn't just any old Nexus monster that Fran had somehow brought here. Much like the other Fran, this one didn't really believe in what Helena said, even if she liked the idea conceptually. "You're still making a big promise for something we don't know is real. How are you, someone who has control over nothingness, suppose to help us get out of here? Make the barrier between the Nexus and the rest of the Multiverse into "Nothing" and just let us through as we please? You don't honestly believe that you'll just do it for us with no strings attached, do you?" Fran had tricked plenty of people into accepting deals that, while she did follow through in both heart and letter, she still screwed over the other both literally and metaphorically. Fran had no doubts that Helena was capable of doing the same but more damaging.

The last Fran didn't even care for whatever Helena and the others were doing. She focused entirely on Suparna with a few mixed emotions. Hearing Suparna's words made Fran feel angry, but than anger turned into a sad frustration. Fran had no idea that Suparna had felt like this. She wanted to yell at her, blame Suparna for not telling Fran her feelings. But Fran also knew that it was her fault too. She never cared for the battles and really did see Suparna as something of a sex toy, albeit a treasured one. But that didn't change the fact that Fran had objectified Suparna, rather than truly take into consideration her feelings. Fran wanted so hard to yell, to shout, to fight, but right now all she wanted was to try to make it right. She never knew how to do that. She just fucked everything up.

"Suparna... I... I'm so sorry." Fran had to start slow. So many feelings were mixed together, she had to pick the ones she knew for certain were her thoughts and not just meaningless passion. "I never took these battles seriously. I just... I just wanted to live without a care in the world. Living one day at a time, happy and ignorant. Ignoring all the pain and suffering I caused. I didn't want to face the reality that... That I'm weak. And stupid. That I can't make you happy like how other people can. And that all I'm good for is being an idiot who just goes along with things and gets into fights I know I can't win." Fran clutched her hands together tightly, painfully. She knew that she wasn't really making any progress so all she could do now was tell Suparna her feelings.

"I've done nothing but leech off others, making false promises and lies just fun. I've ruined so many things. I don't deserve nearly all the good stuff that had happened to me and I don't even know why anyone keeps me around. I don't even know why I keep trying. But despite all of that, I never wanted to leave you Suparna. Out of all the demons in hell, of everyone I met in this damn void, you're the only one who I want. I never wanted to lie or hurt you. I wanted to be able to go to you and be honest with each other, even if it'll hurt. I want to be able to talk to you again." At this point Fran simply fell to her knees. Her will to fight was gone. She wasn't sure what she was doing here, in Helena's realm, but she knew that her best friend was standing right in front of her and she needed to do something now if she wanted her back. Fran started crying, but she kept wiping away the tears and tried to keep speaking.

"And I... I'm sorry for ignoring you all this time. I know it's hard to believe, considering who I am and what I do. I should have tried harder to do the right thing. I should've been paying more attention to your feelings. I should have stop being so selfish, fighting so hard to get my way, and give you the attention you deserve instead of just talking like I do. And... And I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. I'm as evil and bad as you say I am. I can't even pretend that I'll change. I just... I just want to be with you again. If I can have that, than I'll do whatever I can to make it happen. I'll fail at times and I may sink go back into my old ways. I may even fight with you sometimes. But I never mean to hurt you and I want to be your friend."

At this point Fran just looked at the ground, defeated. She had said as much as she could, as honestly as she could, and even then Fran thought there was so much more that could be said. Fran wanted Suparna to believe her and give her a second chance, but not with tricks and lies. Nor with guilt or threats. If Suparna really did hate Fran, if she really did want to cut dies with her... Fran wasn't sure what she'd do then, but she'd do whatever would make Suparna happy. "If you hate me, I won't be mad. I know I deserve it. You should find someone who's better than me. I just want to try to make things right with you again. I know it won't be the same, and it won't make up for all the things I've done to you in the past, but I promise you Suparna. I will do better. No matter how many times I'll fail, I'll do better."

@KoL@Lonewolf685

[Awesomoman64]

Omega

Omega didn't need to be told twice. The moment Endian told him to shoot his guns were out and firing. Problem was, as accurate as his shots were, none hit. Whatever trickery she had going was really giving the gunslinger a run for his money, but he wasn't about to let that stop him.

What DID stop him was Grafdaka hitting the clock, losing the nearly all the flames they had. “Hey careful with those big attacks! I don't know what’ll happen if we run out of them flames, but I ain't looking to find out!” He called to Endian.

It was then that Helena halted the fight to offer them a third time a chance to leave the Nexus for whatever world is beyond. The difference this time was she clearly spelled everything out. No tricks, no loopholes, just a deal plain and simple. This time, however, Omega needed no time to think on his answer. “Sorry. But no.”

The ghost took a step toward Helena and explained his answer. “This place is my home. Unlike many others here, I have no past life or memory before it. The Nexus is the only place I've known and I ain't leaving it to wallow in chaos and destruction forever. Y’all think it’ll never change? Well I hate to break it to ya, but it already has. Take a look.”

Pointing behind him Omega pointed out the different groups behind him. “We’ve a demon and a dragon from heaven working together, several demons and a Machina all joining forces, and hell, I was just about to partner up with Endian before you warped us all here. Now if the top commanders of all three factions are willing to work together, I'm betting so are the rest of their soldiers.”

Turning away from Helena, Omega looked to the others and concluded, “If any of y’all are wanting to take this deal, I won't hold it against you. But I’m not going anywhere. I'm seeing this to the end no matter how long that takes.”

---

Wolf

As one could guess, Wolf was not amused by Helena’s tricks and mockery. His initial instinct was to end all this at once with a simple dispel. Slamming his halberd on the ground as he had earlier he unleashed a psychic wave that swept over the room. Unlike before, however, everything remained as is.

“What?” the word escaped his mouth. Even spells of the highest level couldn't withstand his abilities. How powerful was this woman’s magic?

He didn't have much time to try another dispel before Helena halted the fight. Once more she gave the offer, but Wolf didn't even give it a thought. As Endian finished her speech, Wolf jumped in with words of his own.

“Whatever is outside the Nexus is inferior! The Machina are a living testament to what can be accomplished here. When man first stepped in the Nexus we couldn't even hold a candle to the other factions. Now look at us, we rival heaven and hell and we are still advancing! You may not see an end coming, but do, and it comes when the technology overtakes magic. Starting now!” Wolf’s eyes began to glow as he focused on Helena using disruption. She would quickly feel an emptiness as part of her connection to the mystic forces were blocked.

[Lonewolf685]

Luci & Suparna Wolgen

"Well......I'm starting to feel like I've gone to Kindergarten again." The slime deadpanned as actions gave way to words, alliances shattered in the face of machine supremacist doctrines coming to light, and of course, Helena had to try throwing a spanner into the works of the entire Nexus.

This left the slime with little to due but cross her arms and glower. There was a time and place to push the envelope with her mother, but now certainly wasn't it and Luci didn't want to wind up on the business end of her parasol.

The other lolita in the room, however, found herself with more on her plate then she could properly stomach.

Fran showered her with more words then she could recall the succubus using in a day that weren't related to sex or violence, and it was something of a poor time for such discussion when the cast iron laws of their immortal struggle were now being made malleable for a limited time offer. Her gaze flickered to Helena before dismissing the whole inter dimensional affair with a shrug. Contrary to most everyone else, Suparna was rather weak and ambitious, and the only way she'd ever improve enough to achieve those ambitions would require a lot of absorbing people with immense power.

Glancing from eldritch horror to bawling ex, the Queen of Carrion briefly wished they could return to pointless conflict to avoid this whole debacle, but such thoughts would get her nowhere. Suparna stepped forward and cradled the succubus' bowed head in her palm, thumb brushing aside the copious tears.

"Fran, I can't come back to you. It's not because I hate you, but...you overwhelm me. I can't resist your magnetic personality and I don't like where that takes me. Things between us could never work out without one or the other giving up everything just to be a satellite." Her arms curled around Fran's head and pulled her to Suparna's chest to silence her sobs, hands stroking curved horns with a nostalgic air of tenderness.

"I'm sure one day you'll find that satellite for your star, whether they be another demon or," she glanced back to Diana with a fond smile, "an Angel like you always dreamed of. Maybe we'll be friends, or maybe we'll be enemies, but for now we just need to be acquaintances and...go our own way."

They parted, and as Suparna drew back to Diana's side, she hoped she had the strength to stay apart.

@Lucius Cypher@KoL

[TheWendil]

❀ Lucille ❀
^{Current Location: Where Nothing Gathers}

At long last Helena figured it was easier to just say her damn plan rather than dragging it out into oblivion; whether that was the intention or not, Lucille cared not. With parasol slung over one shoulder, she listened to the vampire’s intentions and proposition to them. Leaving the Nexus to pursue a new life or stay there and discover the truth. Ultimately, it was a question of knowledge versus freedom and one would be hard-pressed to choose one over the other.

It was probably why the traitorous Miyu, whose exploits were amusing even for Lucille, quickly retracted her desire to leave the place with her and Luci. She watched as Miyu, true to her nature, even abandoned that notion in place of wanting to leave the Nexus now. Coupled with Henry’s sudden spike in aura and power pressure, and Lucille was starting to feel more than a bit aggravated in this environment. Still, she couldn’t leave quite yet without a few scoring words.

“I thought you were planning an alliance to free all people of this realm’s rules, machina,” Lucille said, slowly turning to the robot who was bleeding her hurt out through words. But Lucille only frowned, staring at Endian evenly. “Unless…no, can’t be. Were you just lying to all these poor folks who put their faith in you? Because that sounds like you only want what’s best for Queen Eos. Who knows what you’ll do to defend the rest of the Machina. Exploiting Demons and Angels through faked friendship? My, my, you’re as turncoat as this angel,” she said, flicking gazes at Miyu and then at Omega.

“Don’t make me laugh little spirit. That machina just admitted you’re all tools for her to further the interest of Queen Eos. I wouldn’t put it past her to discard and eliminate you all once her goal’s been accomplished,” she said, this time grinning widely as Wolf said his piece. Honestly, it’s like they were making this all too easy. “Goodness me, are all of Hyperion just waiting to betray any kindling of alliance? My, my…” Whether Luci wanted to leave now or not was out of the question because by the dark smirk her mother was sporting, the Black Goat was having too much fun now.

[KoL]

"You are wrong, Omega," Diana said, as soon as the Cowboy and Lucille finished speaking, "These people, I mean, that machine, is just tricking us all, how can't you see it? I'm not fighting beside them or joining forces at all. I'm still their enemy. The only reason why I don't attack them right here and now is because I owe it to Khaine, as friends, no matter how short our relationship lasted. Don't delude yourself, please."

She turned back to Fran as soon as she and Suparna finished their talk, "Such a weird demon, especially considering your history. If you are so repentant, why don't you seek the guidance of the Divine? Maybe you are just walking the wrong path," she said to Fran before sheathing her sword. No fighting was going to happen here, not anymore, so there was no reason to show hostility.

"Is it that hard to believe that I'm doing this out of nothing but goodness of my heart?" Helena replied Bonesword. "Not every act of selflessness needs to have an ulterior motive. However, if it sets your mind at peace, just think of me as an enemy of everything that the Nexus represents. That being..."

Helena made a dramatic pause to admire how Endian managed to single-handedly ruin her own plan, by not knowing when to stay quiet.

"... everything someone like that machine over there represents. Did she not try to undermine my argument by offering words of true peace and harmony? But, lo and behold, what she was truly intending to deliver was a Machina Dominion. Will any of you still stand by her side now? The choice is not mine to do."

"Either way, don't you remember where you are, little angel? The place where you gain by losing and lose by gaining. Was it not like this that you have discovered within yourself a new strength? I do not need to allow you to recover that which you have lost, all you need to is will it yourself. Simple as that," Helena addressed Miyu.

"Very brave words, Prince of Greed," Helena shook her head before continuing, "Such a shame that your trust has been betrayed from the get go. Either way, I'll address your doubts right along with the concerns of our dear Sheriff," she added, gaze flickering to Omega.

"Both of your choice of actions and speech were very well placed. Indeed you are not going anywhere, Cowboy. Look around and think: Where are you? Does this even look like the Nexus you know?" Helena got back to her feet and extended her right arm, pointing at the sky. More specifically, the vampire was pointing at the starry void overhead and what looked like the sight of a great serpent made space itself, coiling around a cloud of unstable chaos. "You are already in the place Where Nothing Gathers, you can't get closer to 'not going anywhere' than you already are. This is sacred grounds that all of you are stepping in if you did not notice it until now."

"You can see why I do not need your trinket anymore, Hell Knight? It's not a question of whether or not I can take all of you out of the Nexus, it's a question of whether or not you want to go back in, now that you are out and have been so ever since you have stepped into my home," Helena said to Khaine, answering the Hell Knight's unvoiced doubts about why she did give the stone back him. "The only reason why I even needed external assistance is that I normally cannot drag beings like you to this place. Your stone just served as a way to force the gates of Nothingness to open in their full width."

"For that, I'm thankful," Helena curtseyed before sitting by the clock tower's edge once more.

She fought off the urge to laugh when Wolf tickled her with his dispelling powers, though. Helena was already Nothingness made manifest. What could he expect to achieve by emptying her even more? Nevertheless, she maintained her composure taking the chance to capitalize on the Machina's breach of trust once more. "So, is it how you Machina really behave? Attacking me with a dispelling power while everyone else has decided to settle up and talk? Could it be that this is the same reason why the one who almost destroyed the clock is healing herself even while the fight is effectively over? Do you really want to have it your way so badly that you cannot accept a peaceful solution?"

"Either way, your treachery is none of my concern."

Helena snapped her fingers, causing two portals to manifest, one by the base of the clock and another on the opposite side of the arena. "All that had to be said has already been said. It's time you make your choice. Those who wish to leave the Nexus, step through the portal below me so that you can leave this dimension before the Nothingness pressure takes over all of you. Those who want to return to the Nexus, use the other gate."

"It's your turn now..."