Battle of the Multiverse

[MinorBone Good]

Evoex looked blankly ahead as Raspaganje faded from reality. He pondered the question himself. What really was his purpose? Was it worth living? Not like he could die anyway. He already died. So what was the point of going on? The point of staying. Did it really matter? Or was it just Raspaganje talking nonsense meant to question their own morality. Was it working? Maybe. But as long as Evoex was still in the world. he still had one job. To fix the remaining Quatherals back home. That was his purpose. Nothing more really.

The corrupted Quatheral turned towards Tenchi.

[Border]"WHAT NOW?"[/Border]
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Mitsif looked around curiously around their new area. Looks like she was teleported out of the stuffy ship. Good. One more minute in there and she thought she was going to hurl. She levitated off the ground a bit, swirling around Korraz to try an get a better view. Geez, every creature around here was massive! What were they feeding on that made them so big? Mitsif placed her hands behind her back, trying to think of her next prank against these creatures. Now that they seemed to be out of danger, she was now comfortable with messing with them. Though was it really wise to mess with creatures as large as these?

It took her less than three seconds to decide. Of course it was! Mitsif reached into her chest, beginning to rummage around in it to find something she could use. Her hands grazed over a toothbrush, knives, a paddle, several pieces of paper, pens, books and - wait. Mitsif backtracked to the pens and paper. Ohhh! Oh yes! This could work! Well, she's going to need some tape first, but she was sure she still had some inside! Since these creatures were so large, she doubted that they could reach behind themselves to take the papers off. Yesss. Though she wondered if they would be even able to read the words she would write on them. Did it really matter though?
______________

As Drillgore inched his way closer to Tenkarus, he saw the spear of metal penetrate his body. Over and over again. He didn't let out a sound as he was impaled, only stopping in place to stare at the woman. His red eyes flickered as the circular blades came flying towards him. Many shredded him to pieces, his skin falling to the floor. seven of the discs had gone through Drillgore's entire body and stuck to the wall behind him. The remaining four still remained impaled in his body. Drillgore's body creaked and groaned, black blood spilling onto the already messy floor.

Drillgore snapped his head upwards to face Tenkarus more directly. The right side of his face opening up, a lumpy black tongue spilling out of the new mouth. The tongue reached around to the other side of his face, licking up the fresh saliva that Tenkarus had so graciously spit onto his visage. The tongue retracted back into the side of his face, and his new mouth sealed up like it hadn't even existed. "My apologies. Drillgore's cold voice echoed throughout her mind, a hint of excitement coming through.

The murderous Quatheral's neck started to extend outward, rising to the ceiling. Alarms of the ship continued to blare as Drillgore suddenly erupted in a fit of laughter. His neck started to bloat outwards like a frogs, ballooning in and out. Within a second, black bile exploded outwards towards Tenkarus! Using the little time he had, a thick tendril grew out of his neck, wrapping around the circular disc and yanked it out of his confined body. With a twirl, he severed his neck from the rest of his body! More black blood began to dribble out before it already began to heal. The lower part of Drillgore's neck started to change color to more of a white and expand out. Soon enough, Drillgore had fully regrown a new body, already spinning his new drill.

Just as Tenkarus was finally able to wipe away the sludge from her face to finally see, she was only able just barley miss Drillgore's oncoming strike. Drillgore's other hand grew sharper, forming long claws and swiped at her face. Just like before though, it left no mark much to Drillgore annoyance. With a smirk, she used more of the metallic walls of the ship to liquify, now forming into chains to wrap around the monstrous fiend. Drillgore was quick however, and began to contort his body to avoid the chains. He was able to avoid all but one. A soft crunch sounded off in the room as one of the chains was able to pierce through both of Drillgore's eyes. His blood started to leak out, almost looking like tears.

In all honesty though, it barley hurt for Drillgore. It felt much like a tickle. If Tenkarus looked down at the floor, she would've noticed Drillgore's blood was pooling around her feet. In an instant, Several black and white tendrils erupted out from the puddle of blood and began to wrap around Tenkarus' legs and left arm. They forced her down to kneel to the ground, tightening their grip. A sharp thin tendril exploded out of Drillgore's belly, pointed like a needle. If her skin was too hard to slice into, then perhaps a removal of one of the five senses were in order. He fired the tendril directly towards her eye.

Despite being restrained temporarily, she used her might to try and dodge the attack. Just by raising her body up just a bit, Drillgore's attack missed it's intended target. However, now she found herself now with a thin white tendril quickly moving into her open mouth, slicing the inside of her cheek. Drillgore felt fluids on his tendril. It wasn't just saliva. No. This had a different texture and consistency. It felt thicker. warmer. He reeled back his tendril just to confirm his suspicions. Indeed, it was the red fluid Drillgore was looking forward to seeing. Blood.

Drillgore looked towards Tenkarus, a sinister smile on his face. "Fooouuund iit."

[Demon Lord Gira]

Wrong, wrong! This was all sorts of horrible, vile, grotesque, WRONG!

Alarm bells had begun to flood through Tenkarus's mind as despite her best efforts, despite slicing through Drillgore, crushing him, ripping him apart... Nothing was working. He simply reformed from everything, refused to succumb to what would have been mortal wounds in almost any other creature short of the truly divine. What even WAS this thing, this loathesome creature, this cake sniffing gremlinoid that had crawled up from the darkest depths of child Persephone's mind? Were all these Quatheral creatures this impossible to kill? Or was this Drillgore something else, an enigma the woman found herself repulsed by more and more.

She cried as she felt the needle pierce into the back of her throat. Why hadn't she just taken the attack meant for her eye by just closing her eyelid? Had she feared if it had somehow gotten through her eyelid? or had slipped beneath into her eye? It was better than her eye being pierced, but it still showed the same weakness all the same, that for as tough as her skin was, her insides were as soft and vulnerable as anyone else's. And now Drillgore knew this weakness, he knew exactly where to target her, and given what she had seen of his victims when she had gotten here...

The bravado the Celestial woman had died in that moment as she saw her blood on the tentacle, and it was that moment she knew she had bought as much time as she realistically could. She had to get out right then and there.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Tenkarus all but screamed as she brought her free right hand up, then pulled it down. The room shuddered and groaned as the metal that made the entire building buckled to Tenkarus's will. The ground as well rippled and shot up through the floor, up past Tenkarus's pinned form and straight into Drillgore's face. The fiend was pushed back by the surge of earth, then slammed back down as hundreds of tons of metal crashed down upon him like a great weight. The mixture of earth and steel twisted and swirled around Drillgore, battering the malevolent entity back and forth like a blender. It was what Tenkarus needed, an opening with her freed from Drillgore's grasp. The moment she was no longer pinned, she scrambled to her feet and began to run, half concentrating of running as far as she could from the collapsing building, and half on making sure Drillgore could not chase after her...

-------------------

Cercil brought a hand to her chin as she listened to Nyx. "This Chang'e... She is not a foe I know anything of. Were it Miyoshi, I could be of more help but... All I know is my sister is still in Sheol, fighting her, but once she leaves there... I have no clue where she will go."

"She'll head for the one place she can have all the control and power she'll ever want." Crigan said. "That's the type of person Chang'e is. Even if she's pretending to be subservant to someone, she wants the highest sphere of influence. She was acting as Persephone's advisor, and acting as a voice in my head..."

Demmy raised a hand. "Now that you mention it, there was a woman with that kind of name at this terminal I saw while in Noraage. Was for a place called Marlore and... she definitely looked to be in a second in command spot there, so I think you got a point there, Death God."

"And, where would this seat of power she would want be?" Risel asked. "Here at the Ninja's place? Is she coming here next?"

Crigan shook his head. "She's calling herself the Heart of the Multiverse. It's clear where she's planning on going with the cat out of the bag and her plans nearing their end. The very Core itself is where she's likely to go next. A place where she not only can rule over everything, but manipulate and change anything as she pleases, given the energies at play here."

"And what if she's planning elsewhere? Or how are we going to even get there?" Mara asked her husband. "Point the Ninjas to her and sit back and watch?"

Lae shook his head. "As hopeful as that sounds, that woman has already defeated the Ninjas once. Both Dante and Evron were in her custody, and she likely knows how to defeat them again. There might be some old records back in the Palace of Shadow or back in that Noraage terminal you mentioned that could help us find a weakness, something, anything we can use to stop her..."

Risel gestured to Alex, and slid up next to him. "If Noraage holds answers, me and Alex can go there... right, Alex?"

Cercil stood up suddenly, her eyes upward into the sky. "N-no..." She softly muttered, before she flew upward, toward the closing singularity.

"C-cercil, wait!" Crigan called after her, but Cercil was not stopping...

----------------

As Orion closed the singularity, the last of Raspaganje's energies flowed into Mulek. Her demonic frame struggled to hold in all of the energy, all of the evil that had been Raspaganje. Yet, she felt as if it was not all of it, like even still some had either been left behind, or absorbed elsewhere, but it was a thought that was fleeting for the false angel as the pain wracked her body.

"Mulek!" Cercil's voice called to her. The broken demon could only bring to shift her gaze to face the approaching archangel, who tried to wrap her arms around Mulek, but was forced back as jagged sparks of energy shot out of Mulek and zapped at her. "Why didn't you tell me before of this? Why didn't you tell anyone-"

"I told Immanuel." Mulek's voice weakly escaped through her lips. "I... knew you would stop me if I... If I were to tell you... But there was no other way. No one else could do it."

"Of course I would have stopped you!" Cercil shuddered as she looked at the imprisoned form of the false angel she had taken in so many eons ago. "First Minerva... then Sariel... Now you. Mulek, have I not done enough for you? When you were an outcast hated by both angels and demons, I took you in and cared for you. I gave you a home, I gave you everything you could have wanted, Mulek... So why, why are you doing this? Was it not enough?"

Mulek shook her head. "Lady Cercil, it is because you were so kind to me. I have seen what my spoiled hubris amounts to in this multiverse, and it is nothing. I have been humbled by dog fiends and devils and Minos. Everything I tried was not enough to help against all of these evils. But now, now I can contribute and return back to the Creator what they blessed me with. My chance to ensure true peace can return to all of reality. The parting hurts, Cercil, but we both know it is only temporary. When we were cast from Heaven, this day would come, and I am glad I chose to let it come in this manner on my terms. I made a stand, and now, Raspaganje is no more. Lady Cercil, I love you."

Cercil looked away, her eyes closed. "I... I know, Mulek. I just..." She lurched forward, and wrapped her arms around the imprisoned demon. The hostile energies within her lashed and burned at her, but Cercil didn't care. She pressed her forehead against the diadem of horns. "Rest well, Mulek. Say hi to Sariel for me."

She floated away, and created a rift beneath the imprisoned false angel. Beneath the rift was a hole, the hole within the Crystal Palace of Makai, and slowly Mulek lowered herself down into the hole. As her head was the last to go, she gave a final nod to Cercil, and then she was gone. The rift closed, and Cercil wept.

_________________________________

"Now, where were we?"

Chang'e approached the immobilized pair who had been so foolish as to attack her. Her head craned back, and she planted a foot squarely upon Minerva's head. "Yes... I remember you. You're Cercil's sister. The angel who can only spout her worthless feelings for even more worthless Lucifer. You're such an irrelevant footnote I never had need to take notice of you until now. You should have just waited a little longer, then your death would mirror how it was in so many other worlds."

"Bite me!" Minerva spat. "You took everything from me, from my sister, from my beloved... It was you! You were behind our downfall!"

Chang'e yawned. "Yes, I said as such. Have you such short attention span you must parrot what I say, or has the seconds been like months for-"

A stab of fell energy blasted into the back of her head, and Chang'e was flung head over heels. With her concentration gone, the intensified gravity was undone, and Minerva was able to free herself and fly back up to the sky, with the Whisper Demon Hevar beside her.

"To think I was scheming for hundreds of years against the tumor, when I should have just killed the whole damn cancer causing the tumor!" Hevar let hellish flames churn from her hands, and sent them forward as a billowing roar that swept across the Heart of the Multiverse. Chang'es body was consumed in the flames, and the flames were joined by beams of angelic light that hammered down into the spot as well. The flames and beams twisted in on themselves, piercing through the frame of Chang'e again and again, burning through her clothes and flesh. "Do you know how it feels to have your life, your loved ones, your family torn away from you by the sadistic whims of someone else, you sociopath?! Do you get pleasure from that? Then fuck you and keep burning!"

"This is a judgement from the Archangel of War! You and the hellspawn you created will be erased from existence!"

Yet before their eyes, the spot within where their attacks were converging began to billow out, before it all exploded outward. Both shielded their eyes, and once more Chang'e hovered high above them, in pristine white and golden robes adorned with markings of eyes all over them. They didn't give her a moment to speak or even act, as Minerva formed a spectral chain in her hands that she hurled up toward Chang'e, seeking to impale her through the eye with the sharpened end, and Hevar send another blast of dark energies at Chang'e as well.

Yet, the attacks simply phased through the hovering robed form. The chain struck something past it, and wrapped around what looked to be thin air, but there was clearly something there, something solid. The robed figure of Chang'e held up a hand, and Minerva found herself yanked forward by whatever her chain had wrapped around, and was greeted with another invisible force that struck into her face first and broke her nose as she was crumpled upon impact. Hevar felt something move toward her, and tried to phase through it, but her intangibility shorted on her by forced beyond her control and she was swatted from the sky and slammed upon Minerva. Both the Archangel of War and the Whisper Demon bounced from the impact, before another invisible force crashed back down upon them once more, then swatted into them from the side, sending them both careening through a standing wall of the Palace of Shadows. Bones cracked and broke, blood dripped from their mouths and lesions and wounds formed from no obvious source. Despite it all, Minerva held her chain tight.

"Judgement? Pleasure?" The Heart of the Multiverse proclaimed from above. Her eyes stared down with annoyance and vitrol at the pair. "I exist beyond such notions. I am the Heart of the Multiverse, soon to be the very Core itself. I have no more patience for vermin as yourselves. Now... Peri-"

She stopped, and grabbed at her head. Pain, she felt pain race through her mind. What was happening?! Had she used up too much energy again? Was her current frame rebelling against what she had used already? No, this wasn't a problem with her, this was an external cause, something was causing her mind to lose control, words that were somehow flowing into her mind, but from where? She tried to drown them out, but they kept coming, a cascade of whispers that never stopped:

"A try hard like her daughter."
"Such a hideous, gaudy dress"
"Ugly and repulsive. Even her voice is annoying."
"The only vermin around here is you."
"This is for Yzazil, you bitch!"

Chang'e tried to fight the voices off from her mind, but she had not expected such an assault to happen. Her concentration broken, she was only able to shake them free just in time to watch Minerva yank the chain in her hands down with all of her might. The robed figure faded away as something crashed through it and down into the ground in full, and as it impacted, the invisible form began to materialize in full.

"Holy shit..."

"You are one ugly bitch."



Where once Chang'e had been, now there was a colossal rat like creature, over a hundred meters in height, with six limbs. Two of its arms protruded from its back like malformed wings, and three tails flickered behind the gargantuan rodent, each tipped with serrated claws and numerous eyes. The fur of the rodent was thin and charcoal, and its head was like that of a skull mask, hiding vibrant emerald eyes that burned murderously back at the pair. The two back arms of the rat planted into the ground, and the fiendish beast which stank of decay and death reared upon its hind legs, the masquerade fully broken and shattered in that one moment.

"The first to see me as I truly am... And the last!" The fiendish rat bellowed with a frenzied murderous rage as she lumbered toward the archangel and the whisper demon, acid dripping from her maw. "Death is too kind, your souls will be torn apart, reformed, and torn back apart until the heat death of the cosmos!"

Farther away, the End of All continued to siphon energies from the area around it. Its other half had been forced to reveal its true self, and Raspaganje was no more. It was time. The form rippled within its embryotic cocoon, and it expanded.

Its birth had come.

---------
The Supreme Goddess had blinked, only blinked, and in that time someone had come forth to defend Aphrodite. She watched as the Solamiths nervously began to back away from the newcomer, and her eye began to twitch. Were they sensing something she was not? Was this person really as Aphrodite claimed them to be? Tiamat... A name foreign to Aram, but the scent that lingered on her was Ninja all the same.

No, she had hoped that at the very least Raspaganje would have taken even a little longer to deal with if one of the Ninjas was here to stop her! Was it also not Chang'es duty to distract and deal with problems? Yet here this woman was, a thorn in her side, threatening her to stand down and let her hostage go.

A voice in Aram's mind told her to run, to take Tiamat's words to heart and live to fight another day. She knew she was no match for the Ninjas as they were now, and the power she sensed from this one, it was like those of the merged siblings!

Yet a far louder voice was screaming at her to stand her ground and call this intruder on her bluff. If she fled now, what would happen if another Ninja came hunting her down? Just keep running? Was that to be her future, fleeing from foes she never had a chance against? She still needed her revenge against Korraz for making a mockery of her, and if she were to tear this Ninja down, this woman who called herself Tiamat on the spot... That could make for another lovely divinity to add to those whose power she brimmed with. Astrelus the Goddess of Light, Masari the God of Poison, Laverus the Goddess of Love, and Vastrus the God of Destruction. Their authorities were already a part of her, and this Tiamat's would truly push her to be a true supreme goddess.

In the end, pride overwhelmed reason.

"I hold no disillusion of control, little girl." Aram hissed as her form suddenly vanished from Tiamat's line of sight. Her voice echoed around her, "Here, I am the Supreme Goddess!"

Aram reappeared high above Tiamat, and brought her arms forward and down, sending a cascading torrent of scorching plasma toward the woman. At the same time, nine bolts of divine energy warped and twisted by Aram flew in toward Tiamat from all sides, boxing her in with no obvious means of escape...

[HayesAJones]

Alex paused for a moment, as if flooded by memories of his arrival to the small, cold world, but seemed to shake them off, giving Risel a nod.

"Y- Yeah, we can do that. I... hadn't expected to return so soon, but... I can do that."

The dimensional wanderer looks to Risel, brow knitted. "Will you be okay though? I've had my troubled in the ruins of Marlore- well, before it was ruins too- but what Salome and Zeye did to you there..."

He shook his head, shuddering.

"I don't think I could go back if I as you."

_____________________

Gull heaved, her ragged breath echoing in the narrow, crisscrossed hall of the ship.

"H... Hayden... know how to go back?"

The great varul shook her head fretfully. "Should have asked before coming... Alex owes a lot after this..."

[Godzilla165]

Aphrodite instinctively tensed from the forthcoming assault, but as she looked to Tiamat, the latter simply shook her head and let an amused sigh slip. Then, with a small tap of her boot onto the earth, the array of energy approaching Tiamat was turned into nothingness, along with even the towering Solamiths themselves, blinked out of existence in a mere moment. Held in the Core ambassador’s right hand was one of Aram’s divine energy bolts. Now under the command of the former, its shape shimmered and sparkled with an overwhelming amount of power. Then, with her left hand, Tiamat raised it slightly upwards in front of her face and snapped her fingers.

In an instant, reality surrounding Tiamat and Aram warped and became smeared almost like a messy painting, before Aram felt herself blink from her original position above her new enemy, to now facing her nearly eye to eye. Tiamat, silently, stared deep into Aram’s near bottomless eyes, yet still managing to find it all the same. Before long, her gaze left the Supreme Goddess and went to take in the space they currently found themselves in: a near incomprehensible smattering of space and time smeared across every inch, every corner. It would have been nonsensical to every other living thing, but Tiamat could both read and pick it all apart quite clearly. She had created an entirely new reality, a green little bubble of existence that no one else would ever see, and for what reason? It was fleeting, this reality would cease to be the moment she willed her and Aram back to current… But she wanted the latter to see this, to experience this nonetheless.

“So, I ask again, young one…” Tiamat spoke at last, turning to Aram, “Do you truly wish to stand by the decision you’ve made? Would you really like to do battle with me?”

Still clutching the energy bolt in her hand, Tiamat brought it up for her foe to see. “And if so, then I must really ask…” She trailed off, before cradling the slender piece of energy in between her index finger and thumb, and shattered it with a gentle squeeze. As the remnants scattered, yet oddly remained in the space created, Tiamat calmly folded her hands together in front of herself and offered to Aram an inquisitive gaze.

“Why?” She asked.

[MinorBone Good]

Even as Tenkarus made her leave as quickly as she could, Drillgore's voice continued to speak to her. The sophisticated and sinister voice ever so slightly deepened. "Now now, where are you going? Afraid? Where is all that grandiosity?"



In the rubble, Drillgore struggled to reshape his body. Everything was too compact for him to even move. Even his drill refused to spin. The woman he was going against was truly afraid of dying now. She put everything she could into that attack. Drillgore's body began to liquify, his body slithering around like a pile of snakes on top of each other. The top of the puddle began to harden, forming a metal drill. He began to dig his way out as fast as he could. He wished he could have simply teleport out, but he needed more space in order to do that. Oh well, she was trapped within his TARDIS still. He should have more than enough time to catch up to her and turn her inside out.

With a loud shredding noise, Drillgore broke through the first layer of metal. Judging by the density of the rest rubble on top of him by the vibrations, he would only need to a minute or two to free himself.
----------------------

The alarms of the TARDIS continued to blare as Tenkarus began speeding down the confusing hallways. The entire place looked like mismatched mess between a sci-fi ship and a urban setting. Hell, there were even random patches of dirt along the walls and floor. No matter how far she ran though, she could still feel Drillgore's presence inside her mind. "Do you honestly think you will get out of here?" He taunted. She turned another corner, ignoring his words. Tenkarus was now running down a long corridor, a red glow at the end. Perhaps this was the exit?

"Even if your do get out of here alive, what did you truly accomplish, hm? You saved one soul. Congratulations. The dull overhead lights in the hallway began to flicker before returning to normal. As she sprinted towards the exit, the hallway suddenly contorted. Several walls attempted to block off Tenkarus. She wasn't having any of it however, as she easily tore through the metallic walls. She would escape out of here alive, damnit! "I'll still continue with my plans, friend. You just made it worse for the others."

Another blast through the growing walls, and she felt the hallway groan even more. She heard Drillgore's voice to speak to her once again. Although this time it was different. It started to sound like Tenkarus herself, though still off. "I'll just kill more people instead of him. Do you feel pleased with yourself?" There was a sudden loud bang coming from where she came from before. The lights began to flicker again before turning fully off, leaving her in darkness. "So I'll be sure to let them know I did it for you, my dead. It'll because of you so many more will wind up dead. Thank you very much. A sudden loud screech came down from the end of the hallway she came from. When she turned around the two glowing red eyes of Drillgore, along with the crooked smile. Sparks were flying against the wall from where his drill was striking, giving the only source of light besides his own face.

Panic and adrenaline began to fuel Tenkarus, and began to blast away at the walls in front of her! She could make it, she just needed to push herself more. Drillgore stopped dragging his drill against the wall, only to do it again. This time the horrible sound lasted longer, and much closer to Tenkarus. She bent the floor behind her, curling it upwards to make a temporary wall. "Your heart is beating so fast, my dear! I can FEEL it pulsate up and down. Up and down!" There was a loud crash behind her, Drillgore bursting apart the wall with ease. He sliced into the floor again, letting the sparks fly as he continued to catch up to her.

She was so close now to escaping! She could feel a machinic heartbeat underneath her feet getting closer. She was almost out, right!? With one final tear, the last makeshift wall crumbled away after Tenkarus' might, bringing her into a sort of console room. There was a door just behind it. She leaped ahead crashing through the doors and landed somewhere in an outdoors area. Grass. Actual grass! She didn't have much time though to guess where she was, as Drillgore soon also burst through the TARDIS doors, several tendrils aiming for her face!

[Godzilla165]

"Gull," the huge, blonde varul grunted. Her feet fell heavier now, and she tilted her great head back and forth as if searching for something.

"Suppose to take you back... do you know how to get back?"

The wolf-headed giant flicked her tail in irritation. Alex owed her after this, and she intended to make him pay. Traveling to and from other worlds was the realm of the gods, not her.

Hayden looked sheepishly at his canine-faced savior. "I'll be honest with you, Gull, I haven't exactly thought that far yet. The ninjas can make portals in space and time like nothing... But I'm not them." The young warrior sighed, shaking his head.

He tilted his head in a similar fashion to how Gull was, searching with a hint of desperation from a potential exit.

Gull could feel his body tense up in her furred arms as Hayden grimaced to himself. "We'll have to figure something out, though, and soon; there's no telling when that creep Drillgore will come looking for me."

[Corzak The Mighty]

The voice of Raspaganje chuckled out loud as the singularity faded once more into oblivion. Acceptance , the final stage of defeat, came upon what little remained of the Star of Calamity. It was over and he knew it at last.

"I suppose I am not owed an answer... but now, with the cycle restored, I must know... when all falls unto nothing... where will you go...?"

At last, the weight of the Black God was lifted, and the singularity became a still, empty stretch of space once more. As the Star of Calamity's reign of terror came to an end, Owlzarus breathed a sigh of relief. The storm had finally passed - the Black God would no longer trouble the multiverse ever again, his essence sealed and his body destroyed beyond repair. But even now, owlzarus knew that there was still much to be done. The antiquarian floated over to Orion, offering his a respectful bow.

"My lord... my true lord... it is an honor to meet you," Owlzarus said to the great entity. "Your splendor... is it truly that of the core's light?"
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Immanuel stared upon the sealing of Mulek with an amoral, yet solemn look. The angel had given up her life, her very being, to save the lives of countless others. A sacrifice like that is on a level that should never be forgotten - but forgotten it must be. The dangers of Raspaganje cannot ever be allowed to return, lest the Black God begin his reign of terror once again. Despite this, the God of Light looked to the broken-hearted Cercil, returning to his humanoid, winged form, and offered her a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"She was a noble soul," Immanuel said to her. "Let us honor her sacrifice by continue to move forward. She would not want to see you like this."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nyx watched as Cercil ran off, her expression one of concern. The angel moved with such speed... something terrible must have happened. But... they needed to keep on task, in order to ensure that this hell finally came to an end. Nyx looked to Alex.

"i dunno what a "Noraage" is, but I'm sure you'd appreciate a travel partner," nyx said with a nod. "if... you wouldn't mind, of course."

[Demon Lord Gira]

She was outside, out in freedom, and yet this horrid, hideous repulsive thing, this abomination of nature just couldn't take a hint!

As Drillgore flung himself at her, Tenkarus stopped where she was and swerved her body around and twisted it low. The result was that Drillgore's tentacles shot above her head. She reached up and grabbed at them, her arms wrapped around the tentacles. She then turned, and Drillgore felt himself begin to spin as Tenkarus turned faster and faster. He began to liquefy his tentacles to escape her grasp, but when Tenkarus felt that, she planted her foot into the grass and hurled Drillgore away with all of her strength and the momentum she had built up with one final scream. Drillgore was hurled back through the TARDIS doors and through one of the walls within, but Tenkarus knew that would only slow him down for a moment, but a moment was all she needed. Now that she was back on solid ground and not on metal, she could escape much faster. The earth moved to her will, and she was carried away by a wave in the ground, faster and farther than if she had ran, away from the TARDIS and away from Drillgore.

And yet, the fiend's words stung at her. She shook her head. No, she wasn't going to let that thing simply keep killing and torturing as it pleased... But she was not strong enough to stop it. No, even as the Queen of Heaven, even as Celestial royalty, this thing refused to go down to even her strongest hits. But if she could make it to the Ninjas and point them back here...

----------------

Crigan watched as Mulek sealed herself and Raspaganje's essence away. He looked down and to the others and bit his lower lip. His history with the false angel was a rocky one, for he was one the few who had known of her secret the moment he had met her in Makai so many eons ago. She was boisterous, haughty, and arrogant and hellbent on proving herself, but... She was an ally, a friend of a friend who may not have had the best judgement, but always put her full effort into everything and anything she did. She had joined him and Immanuel in their efforts to stop Sutekh and had been invaluable since. And... She was one of the last relics of the world Crigan once knew, of a better time when everything he held dear and close still existed, when life was simple and without the heavier worries of the world. And she was one of the last things Cercil had to tie herself to this world. She would be missed, warts and all.

"It is over." He told the others. "Raspaganje truly is no more now... Now there is only the threat of Chang'e."

Molly let out a sigh of relief. "Demmy, we're so close to this entire nightmare being over. We're so close to having peace... even if we cannot go back to how things once were."

Demmy, who had been observing the same as Crigan had, looked to her friend and patted her head. "It's been a long harsh road, but the light is at the end of the tunnel. We're almost there, with all that has been sacrificed and lost."

Risel looked over to Nyx. "I, I would be fine with having company to help us. And Alex, you are right. I don't want to go back there, back to so many painful memories, but I will if it's for the best. It's a small pain I have to endure."

The masked form of Minos had stood in silent observation, but she approached Alex and Risel. She began to tap her clawed feet in a set pattern, and Mara cleared her throat.

"She... She wants to go with you. I can understand this form of communication from Minos, so I guess I can accompany you as well to translate."

"Mara, will you be safe?" Crigan's voice caused her to turn. "The despots that rules Norrage are no more, but..."

"I promise you my love, we will be fine." Mara tells him. "I'm just... confused as to Minos's behavior. Did, did Persephone's death-"

"Whatever Persephone had which bound Minos loyal to her seems to be wearing off." Crigan said. "Her magic is fading, and I sense no hostilities from Minos. It is a strange sight, yes, but... You can trust her."

"Trust what was once Persephone's right hand. That's a joke." Lavidana shook her head. "But I'll take it. She always did seem more like a golem following orders at times with some wiggle room for free will."

Minos said nothing, but merely stared and nodded. Crigan looked back to Alex and the others.

"Whenever you are ready to depart for Norrage, let me know. I can bring you there and bring you back. Mara knows how to ring for me when it's time."

Mara looked away. "Yes, yes I do."

Demmy leaned forward, a smug grin forming on her face. "Ooooh? Does it involve a nickname? Or a doggy whistle? Maybe crying for help I guess."

"Demmy! Please don't tease them like that!"

"Yeah. Tease my brother, and I might have to punch a demon lord in the face." Lavidana glared at Demmy.

-------------------

Cercil looked over to Immanuel and nodded, but it was a weak nod, and her face seemed tired and aged. "Yes, she would hate to see me like this. It's just... I have so little left anymore. My brother, the daughter I adopted, my friends, and now Mulek. I've lost so much as time has passed. Immanuel, when your brothers and sisters passed away, did it ever get easier as time went on? Or did the pain only get wor-"

She stopped, her eyes went wide as she sensed it, malevolent energy radiating from the realm of Sheol. The thing that was there, its power was rapidly increasing, beyond even its restored original self. She felt her body grow cold, and her breath left her as she shook.

"Minerva... Oh Creator... Why have you forsaken us? Help us... for He is returned empowered..."

_________________________________________

The city of Dudael was in chaos. The destruction of the Palace of Shadows and the battles that waged above and around them had sent the residents of the city in a panic as they fled from their lives. Despite what Persephone had boasted and promised, her revenge against the Ninjas would not come to pass, and instead she had fallen victim to powers beyond her imagination. For the masses, it was the end of an era, of almost a millennia of Persephone's rule cut short in a sudden swift moment. Yet, none dared to take the throne for themselves, despite a dark lingering in their hearts to take it and proclaim their rule. Even as the throne remained intact despite the palace's destruction, all thoughts were simply on survival and fleeing.

From the wreckage of the ruined palace, a young oni child with two horns crawled out. She cried out, a lone voice seeking for help amidst the chaos and turmoil around her. Green fluid dripped from her torn clothes, and she tried to rise to her feet to run, but fell back over. Her cries rang out, again and again, her albino skin covered in soot and cuts and bruises. But no one replied. No one came to her aid. No one wanted to. It was every man for themselves, every Gyu-Oni for themselves, and she fell upon her face and continued to cry.

"Mama... Mama!"

----------------------

The true form of the Heart of the Multiverse was now exposed for all to see. The monstrous vermin, unlike any mortal eyes had ever laid upon, let out a bellowing howl and charged Hevar and Minerva, blackish flames churning around her form as she advanced. The two unleashed a mixed barrage of hellfire and radiant divine energy into the approaching behemoth, but despite the blasts striking her in the head, the maw of the titanic rodent opened and expanded, and the energies flowed into her mouth. Her tails snaked forward and snapped at the two, but Minerva was ready and swung her serrated edge chain into one of the tails as she flew to the side. The chain pierced through, and Minerva sent more energy flowing through the chain and into the tail. This time the energy was not absorbed by Chang'e, and the Heart of the Multiverse howled as she felt the attack run rampant within her and scorch her hide and flesh. Another pincer tail snapped at Hevar, but the Whisper Demon faded from view before the strike could land, and reappeared before Chang'es visage, before a burst of light formed from her hands and blinded the massive rodent. Chang'e reared back and swiped at her eyes and shook her head, but with her eyesight robbed, she was vulnerable in that moment, and Hevar launched several aimed blasts at the eyes upon her tails. The blasts struck into the eyes, sending bursts of blood cascading down to the ground below and Chang'e cursed and howled for the deaths of her adversaries.

Her curses were answered by Minerva, who dove down upon Chang'es neck with full force strike from her manifested scythe. The fiend collapsed into a heap from the blow, blackened blood gushing from the opened wound in the back of her neck, and Minerva readied her scythe for the finishing blow.

"This is for all the lives you've taken and ruined, you bitch!"

She swung the scythe into the wound, but was stopped. The blood that was gushing out had hardened in an instant, and her scythe bounced from the strike. Minerva had only enough time to regain her footing before a pincer tail snapped and caught her. The angel's divine body held no resistance against the pincers, and Minerva was cut clean in two. Her top half fell to the ground below, and as the life faded from her, a tear fell from her face. She couldn't even get revenge for Lord Lucifer... for everyone who had perished. She had failed.

"Lord Lucifer... Forgive me..."

Minerva went still, and her body dissolved into a golden mist. Her sight returned to her, Chang'e shook her head one last time, then turned to scoff at the vanishing remains of the angel. "Enjoy your rest in the afterlife while you can, because I'll make sure it's short lived." She hissed, before she craned her head to face the last line of defense.

The Whisper Demon was frozen, as fear finally began to overtake her anger and thirst for revenge. For an angel, an Archangel at that to simply be killed off so easily... Just what was this thing they were dealing with? This was what had been pulling the strings behind Persephone all this time? Not just some smart magic savvy bitch, but a monster that eclipsed her own busted as hell daughter? Hevar's face was pale as blood drained from her face. Centuries of scheming, planning, plotting, of machinations that had bore no fruit, of creating a clone of herself that had gone nowhere, of conspiring with others to find some way, any way, to kill Persephone... All hopeless and futile against a creature capable of killing the Archangel of War, a being stronger than any of creation, with as much ease as she had done... She could bleed, she was mortal... But as energies began to gather within Chang'es maw, Hevar knew any advantage she had was rapidly fading away. She and the angel had only done as well as they did because their foe had underestimated them, and now that was no longer the case. She needed to escape, and fast.

All energies devoted to saving herself, Hevar forced a rift open in time and space with what power she had left and flung herself into it. The rift closed just in time as a torrent of blackened flames and destructive energies billowed forward and incinerated all that was in the way. Chang'es eyes glistened as she saw the rift fade away, and the titanic rodent vanished, replaced with her preferred human form. So the coward had chosen to save her own skin instead of facing death with honor. Not even caring for what fate befell her allies? How sad and pathetic.

"The wonderful illustrious Heart, with a perfect score of three victories against unexpected odds." She praised herself with a mock bow. "Were it not for my repulsive true form, it would make for quite the play with Estrella and the Twins." She shook her head, and turned toward the pulsating embryo within the crater. "Father, the time has finally come! Let the cosmos howl in despair at your return!"



The embryo shuddered, and the firmament that had held it within split open. In that moment, the already darkened skies of the realm of Hudai twisted and crackled as purple lightning surged from above and struck down into the emerging evil. Mud like blood, black and fiery, poured out of the opened womb as a clawed hand lurched forward and dug into the soil and the claws gouged through the hardened rock and ground. A long muscular tail broke from the other side, and with a crack slammed down in a boom that echoed for miles. From the womb's top poked through spikes adorned upon a long neck, and a long narrow head with three tusks on each side emerged, scales pitch black and opened wounds pouring out the blackened blood from its underside. Sixteen crimson eyes stared out at the world, and the creature crawled forward, its head raised high as strands of flesh that connected its jaws stretched as it opened its mouth and unleashed a cacophonous, hellish roar. Wings covered in dull fading feathers flapped once to help the titan stand erect, and the End of All raised its head high up , and stared at what had once been the singularity... and at the form of Orion. Charcoal smoke churned from its mouth, but then its head turned back down to face Chang'e, who floated up to it.

"I am reborn. The Star of Calamity is no more. Our foes are weakened and scattered across the stars. Yes, my daughter. It is time. " The End of All hissed. From the blood that dripped down from him began to emerge skeletal dragons and wyverns, monstrosities and abberations that towered above the desolate Sheol landscape, yet were still dwarfed by the End of All. The very landscape itself began to change around the End of All, the ruined crater began to fill with molten lava and poisonous fumes that choked out what little life remained and melt it into less than bones. The Archfiend let a smile form across its face. " Who shall we destroy first? The Ninja above, or their allies in their world? "

Chang'e shook her head. "No, not yet. Not until our plan is fully in motion. First, we need to go to the Core, and I know the closest place to that..."

Chang'e opened up a portal, and the two began to enter in, leaving the End of All's spawn to run rampant and terrorize Dudael...

_____________________________________

Aram's face contorted into a snarling, frenzied glare at Tiamat. She had hoped Tiamat had been bluffing, but it seemed that wasn't the case. She really was just that strong, and it pissed her off. That attitude Tiamat had, the way she spoke, the way she was addressing her, it all reminded Aram of Astrelus, Crigan's original lover and the Goddess of Light. And just when she had thought she no longer had to deal with it... Blood began to drip from her gums as she gritted her teeth harder and harder. She wanted to eviscerate her for bringing back such memories, of the humiliation the God of Suffering had been subjected to before their banishment and sealment, of how everything had gone so wrong despite their and Vastrus's plans. She was going to tear Tiamat's head off and parade it before the Ninjas. She was going to force feed them Tiamat's own blood and guts and entrails-

She sensed a shift in the energies in the air. It was poisonous air, normally lethal for a deity like herself, but with the deal she had made to Chang'e, that was no longer an issue. So the chosen time had finally, truly come. Perfect. The snarling beast before Tiamat let the tiniest of smirks form upon her face as she began to laugh.

"I, battle you? On second thought, I don't have to even raise a finger against you..." Aram cackled as she stepped back, and a rift opened up high up in the sky. The landscape of the ruined planet began to twist and mold, and Tiamat began to feel her energies be sapped from the change in the air as dark smoke and fumes formed around her. A monstrous wyvern, one larger than even Godzilla, flew out from the rift and landed with osprey like claws stabbed into the earth. Its sixteen eyes stared down at Tiamat, and blackish smoke and fire sparked from its restrained jaws. "Oh no no no, because against this foe, you are well and truly fucked. The End of All, The Embodiment of Wrath, Tannin."

[Godzilla165]

Tenchi Orion, upon sensing the presence of Owlzarus draw nearer to them, opened their eyes and turned to meet the great entity of knowledge. For a moment, the deity remained unmoved, merely peering at Owlzarus with perpetual warmth. Until, with a single small nod, did Orion then lay one of their hands upon Owlzarus's feathered shoulders and filled his mind with the answer to his initial question. In but a moment, the librarian bore witness to the events that awoke Tenchi Orion from their long slumber, the memories and combined strength of the guardians, and the limitless power of both the Core and Tiamat, as well as the multiverse itself flowing through the divine lord. Owlzarus felt eternal warmth flowing through his body, as well as but a sip of Tenchi's power resonating within his veins, revitalizing his strength and fortitude tenfold. With a gentle smile from their eyes, Tenchi removed their hand from their mentor and turned their attention to where Mulek once hovered. Shutting their eyes once more, the Ninja Prime bowed their head and extended a hand out to draw the fallen angel's essence into the palm of their hand. In an iridescent glow, Mulek's remaining energies were soon collected and swirled inaudibly in the palm of Tenchi's hand. With that, the eternal guardian closed their hand shut, transferring the noble angel's essence directly to the Core; they would see to it personally that Mulek saw everlasting peace with the creator.

And such, with her fate assured, Tenchi Orion turned in the direction of Evoex, pondering the Quatheral's existence for a moment. It was soon afterwards that the warrior, with a single blink, filled their friend's mind with a vision, and one they intended to keep if Evoex so allowed it. It saw the latter no longer plagued by his ailment, freed from the shackles of his corruption, and returned to his former self. Tenchi nodded to Evoex; when this was all over, they would restore him. But, before such could happen, there was yet another battle to finish. Orion could sense, and did so when he was a simple embryo taking up residence inside of Persephone. The End of All had been reborn, and both he and his daughter were making a beeline towards the creator itself. As an extension of the Core, Tenchi would not allow either to find solace in the holiest place.

So, as they focused their attention onto all their allies currently present, the Ninja deity opened a portal a small distance away from Owlzarus and co., one that led directly to the city of Dudael. Tenchi pointed to it, whilst psychically reaching out to their other allies whom were still capable of fighting and could travel to Sheol with little trouble. That land needed protecting now more than ever; Tenchi would, in the meantime, exterminate the vermin that threatened the Core. With the order given, Tenchi Orion regarded their allies with one final nod, before, in a bright white flash, teleported themselves directly to the Core of the Multiverse.

There, they would be waiting.

_____________________________________

Tiamat remained where she stood, and stared up at the colossal wyvern, unimpressed. It was not what she was currently focused on.

"Aphrodite, are you alright?" She mentally reached out to the goddess.

"I-I'm fine, your majesty." Aphrodite quickly responded, though with an air of distress. "Are you? Is everything alright, what happened?"

"I am fine, dear; our mutual friend is being rather difficult still. However, it is nothing I cannot handle."

The Core's right hand studied the form of Tannin blankly whilst she spoke, before sighing nasally and turning away. "I want you to listen to me, Aphrodite: this battle is not yet finished. Though Raspaganje has now been defeated, there are still forces that threaten our very existence. Tenchi is currently dealing with the two largest threats as we speak, but the progeny that has been spawned by Chang'e and her Father must be dealt with, understood?"

Aphrodite was silent for a few moments, allowing all the information she was just handed to properly sink in. Finally, she nodded, and struggled onto her elbows. "I understand, lady Tiamat."

Tiamat smiled, "Good. I am lending you some of my strength so that you may be a valuable key in turning the tide for Dudael. In the meantime, I shall make certain that Aram is never again allowed to create havoc in the multiverse."

"Th-Thank you, your majesty... I won't fail you." Aphrodite determinedly replied, as she felt her strength return to her and increase exponentially. In a powerful explosion of lighting, the goddess of love of thunder had returned once again, ready to end this war once and for all. "Good luck, lady Tiamat."

"And you, love goddess." Tiamat said, and finally turned her full attention to that of Tannin. The life sucking energies and black smoke were, despite their miniscule effects, growing annoying. So, before she could properly focus on the task at hand, Tiamat, with a snap of her fingers, discarded the smoke and fumes surrounding her, as well as the parasitic air that clouded the planet. In an instant, the air there felt as light as a feather, and the planet itself looked even a bit more pleasant.

Satisfied, Tiamat peered up at her towering enemy, and smiled. "Very well, then. Come, Tannin... Show to me if you are fit to be a proper dragon."

[Godzilla165]

Above the tumultuous realm of Sheol, and the turmoil of Dudael, an angelic light shone across the entire horizon. The sheer disorganization and chaos that Dudael’s citizens faced had suddenly ceased, as every man for himself stopped in their tracks and stared in wonderment up at the sky. From this divine light emerged two entities of the same make hovering side by side, twin extensions of the multiverse lord themself. While Tenchi Orion was off defending the Core of all, they sent two of their clones to, alongside the other heroes, defend Sheol from the hellish forces of Tannin’s creation.

But first, there were civilians who needed saving. As such, the one of the right, with a snap of their fingers, created a building sized swirling white portal for the Dudael people to go through, and hopefully help their fellow man do the same. It would take them to the comparatively dreamlike paradise realm of the Sandman, a safe haven whilst their city was cleansed from this infection. In the meantime, the left twin had already gotten to work in eradicating the seemingly countless spawn that terrorized the landscape, vaporizing them in their entirety.

Before the second clone could fully join their sibling, they snapped their fingers a final time; there were two other beings that currently needed rescuing also.

_____________________________________

To the left side of Gull and Hayden, and to their surprise, a large white portal appeared in the wall. The latter’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as he became slack jawed.

“How the…” Hayden murmured in bewilderment. But then, before long, that surprise became both relief and reinvigorated fieriness. He knew they wouldn’t have forgotten about him.The young warrior looked at Gull and pointed at the awaiting vortex.

“That’s our exit Gull, I can feel it. Come on, let’s go before we leave unwelcome company.”

[Demon Lord Gira]

The sixteen eyes of the End of All focused upon the form of Tiamat. Each crimson sphere narrowed at the form which stood in his way. He sensed there was no fear in this one, no fear in him, like a deer that had never encountered a human before. The strands of flesh that wrapped around its jaws stretched as it began to open its maw, sparks and gases churning from deep within.

This one would be the first god to fall. This one would be the first to know of the primordial evil that was Tannin.

From the depths of the End of All's mouth, a darkness radiated and grew. Slowly, the mouth opened wider and wider, the strands that held it bound stretched farther and father, and the flames grew hotter and brighter in their darkness. Energies from the surrounding landscape, from the desolated land itself and from the heavens were drawn toward Tannin. They gathered with the rest of the growing energy, and as they did, the heavens themselves cracked and splintered. The damage from the Machine of Unmaking that was being undone renewed itself as more holes and fractures in the fabric of time and space tore open.

From the sidelines, Aram let out a low whistle. So this was Tannin in the flesh, that which had sent her world into a spiraling hellscape it never recovered from. The energies of the Machine of Unmaking, she sensed them within the Fell Wyvern. She was going to enjoy what was about to happen, and this divine bitch had no clue what was in store for her as she.

-------------

The spawns of Tannin turned and stared up at the two clones of Orion that had come forth, and they hissed and snarled at the copies of the multiversal lord. This light, this radiance, it was blinding to them, it hurt just to be before it! Never had they sensed such power, not since the demise of the Creator Jinengus. They hated it, they despised it, and they cursed for Orion's death. They began to swarm the two clones, great horrific wyverns and worm like wyrms and other forsaken abominations with far too many eyes that flew, crawled, and charged at the ones who had come to save Dudael.

On the ground, the small oni child looked up toward the two shining lights that radiated above. They were so pretty, like angels! Were... Were they angels? She tried to stand and wave at them, unaware of the fragmenting sky beyond even them...

--------------------

As Tiamat dispelled the aura that radiated from the Fell Wyvern, Tiamat's eyes twitched in barely veiled hatred. Who did this thing think it was, to subvert his power in such a way, to dare imply he was no proper dragon? He was the dragon that existed before dragons, the Archfiend that had ended the gods!

At last, the brilliant darkness that shone from Tannin's maw built up no further, and instead it spiraled forward, a mixture of deathly decaying flames and primordial energy charged to its zenith. Both wings of the Archfiend and its claws dug into the earth as the beam tore toward its target, the very air popping and sizzling, burning through the lighter air that Tiamat had made. The mixture of beam and flames flew toward its target and all that was around her: The primordial goddess Tiamat.

[HayesAJones]

Alex, though initially unnerved by the approach of Minos, had been calmed by Mara's confidence, and gave a nod to both Nyx and the masked giant. "Help would be appreciated. Noraage is... well, it can be dangerous."

He offered a small smile to Nyx. "Don't worry. I can give you the tour. As time allows, anyway."

The dimensional wanderer turned to Crigan, ready to ask for a rift to the small, isolated world, but a pale portal opened in front of them before the words left his lips.

"Oh! Gull!" Alex smiled as the great blonde varul lumbered out, Hayden still in her arms.

"Alex," the beastwoman grunted, still out of breath. "Tenkarus... do not know where is... but... got Hayden."

"I can see that. You, uh... can probably put him down now. Unless he likes it there, I guess."

"Oh. Right."

[MinorBone Good]

Evoex's entire body froze upon receiving the images from Tenchi. The green pixel boxes surrounding him even halting just a tiny bit. He could see the future, or at least a version of it. Right. Right! Focus on the future for now. He could survive this. He would give it all to make sure the multiverse would stay safe. His vision cleared, looking over at the portal, then to Owlzarus.

[Border]"READY FRIEND?"[/Border]

____________________________

Drillgore's bones cracked as they were quickly brought back into place. A few white tendrils slithered out from his back, making him go back upright. He floated over towards the doors, watching the annoying woman make her escape.

"Please, come back anytime."

One final telepathic message to her. She wasn't worth the trouble. Maybe he could analyze her blood in the meantime to see what the hell made her so indestructible. Drillgore slammed doors of his TARDIS shut. His ship starting to fade in and out several times before fully disappearing. He'll be back here someday.

[Corzak The Mighty]

Owlzarus could feel the immense warmth of Tenchi's presence, nearly overwhelmed by his power. Memories of untold eons washed into Owlzarus' mind, as his strength swelled to a level unseen since the age of the ancients. Owlzarus offered Tenchi Orion a respectful bow toward the Ninja Prime, humbled by the mere presence of his majesty.

"My lord... it is an honor."

As Tenchi Orion disappeared from sight, and the plan was laid to him unspoken, Owlzarus turned to Evoex, offering the glitching entity a smile within the glint of his eyes. "I am ready, friend. let us end this time of madness."

With that, Owlzarus stepped into the shimmering portal in the wake of Tenchi...
_____________________________________________________________________________
Immanuel's eyes locked on Cercil, as he felt a sudden spike in the malevolent energy as well, one that permeated all throughout the weakened cosmos, the foul malignance seeping across the cracks that still slithered across the healed realms. Raspaganje had fallen... but how could a monstrous power like this still exist in the multiverse? The sudden spike in power told immanuel that this power must have been taken...

Immanuel's form reverted back to its armored humanoid state, as golden wings moved to block Cercil. "what is this new devilry?"
_____________________________________________________________________________
Nyx smirked at the awkward reunion between Alex and Gull. It looked like this guy had friends all over the place; hopefully those friends proved to be trustworthy in these trying times.

The woman extended a hand toward the blonde varul. "Name's Nyx. You gonna join us on this next leg?"

[Godzilla165]

"Curious..." Tiamat said to herself as the tumultuous beam stewing from Tannin's burning hatred, raged towards her with the might of a thousand suns. Acting quickly, the Core's right hand ascended higher in the air to gain greater leverage over the beam, and stuck her left hand out in front of herself. As it struck, the energies collided with a mighty barrier of pure multiversal energy drawn straight from the Core itself. Rivaling Tannin's hate in size, said blockade was managing to stave off the dragon, with tendrils of chaos-laden energy hundreds of meters in length, curling around the great shield and erasing chunks of reality beyond Tiamat's standing.

"So this is the energy of Tengri's fallen machine in the flesh, along with a potent cocktail of other vivacity." Tiamat continued, noting the passive destruction ravaging the land behind her. Though as resilient as her barrier was, Tannin's fury proved to be more powerful than the deity initially expected, and as such, cracks began to appear on the "surface" of her defense. Streaks of light from the beam began to leak through, even as Tiamat pushed harder against it, such did not relent. If she failed to act soon...

Tannin now had her on the ropes; the ambassador of the Creator now had her back against the wall. Yet, if the embodiment of evil knew no better, he would have sworn that he noticed a... Smirk along Tiamat's lips, before it vanished as quickly as it first appeared. No matter, she would soon cease to exist all the same for ever daring to challenge him, to make light of what he was and represented.

A glint shone in Tiamat's eyes, and that was when she slowly retracted her hand and dropped it back down to her side. Folding one over the other, the deity then closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Unfortunately, I shall not be your opponent today, Tannin; it is not my duty to see you vanquished. This has been... Academic." She reopened her eyes a final time, and said, "Thank you." It was then that the enormous torrent of power broke through completely, shattering the barrier, and encompassing Tiamat's form in its entirety.

As far as both Tannin and Aram could see, Tiamat was no more.

____________________________

Hundreds of spawn rushed the twins of Orion voraciously, intending to blot out the light of the multiverse with sheer numbers and attrition. One turned their gaze to the other on the right and nodded for them to proceed. With silent acknowledgement, the rightmost twin broke off to the other end of the city with the mission statement of wiping out the infestation there, as well as rescuing the civilians whom were still in danger. Meanwhile, the second twin set their eyes upon those who wished them dead and buried with a blank stare. Extending a gently closed fist in front of their chest, Tenchi then splayed it open and forced a massive, rolling shockwave out from the palm of it. The expansion of air slammed into Tannin's spawn before they even began to register the creation of the shockwave, and promptly removed them all from life. As the hundreds of hell beasts fell, a white glow emanated from the same hand of Tenchi's, and spread across the grotesque forms of their slain enemies. It was then that the ninja deity closed their fist and exorcised the lost and trapped souls that were within those savage vessels, freeing them from their prisons.

Afterward, the liberated spirits bowed in thanks and respect to their savior, before turning their collective gazes onto their ex-monstrous brethren and preparing for battle. They now wished to fight against those who threatened both Dudael and Sheol. With a wave of their hand, Tenchi assisted by reinforcing their ethereal forms and shaping them into vague-looking representations of the four guardians that made the lord. Armed with ghostly weapons of pure energy, Tenchi's newly created army charged at the dozens upon dozens of remaining fiends swarming the land, while the former peered over their shoulder at the swiftly approaching thunderclouds. The love goddess had finally arrived on the scene, and she quickly made her presence known by smiting a large group of wryms with pillars of divine lightning, shredding them apart into steaming chunks of flesh.

Aphrodite soon appeared beside Orion and took in their presence with a look of awe and wonderment. “My lord… It is indeed a true honor to be standing alongside you.” She stated with a bow, to which Tenchi replied with a nod.

Righting herself and getting straight to business, Aphrodite looked upon the army of monsters below, and Orion’s spiritual army taking it to them. She turned to the Ninja Prime, “Where do you need me most, lord?”

Tenchi peered at her and then pointed to the sky. Aphrodite would provide air support for them, and prevent the creatures from getting near any remaining innocents. The love goddess nodded determinedly before shooting off higher in the air, and proceeded to rain down missile-like arrows of electricity from her mythical bow upon the spawn of Tannin.

[Demon Lord Gira]

If the Fell Wyrm could smile as the place where Tiamat once stood was consumed in a plume of destructive energy that radiated out for miles in every direction and shook the remnants of the planet to its core, he would have done so. Deep booming chuckles and laughs escaped from Tannin's maw as all sixteen of his eyes bore witness to his enhanced power. Was this truly the best that the envoy of the Core was capable of? Whatever rubbish she had tried to say had fallen on deaf ears, for Tannin could not hear it over the sounds of her existence being snuffed out and vaporized. So little resistance, like the angels that had fallen before him in eons past, like the Celestials who had perished along with their world. He was power incarnate, wrath personified, the beginning and the end, and none held a candle before him! An ear rending bellow tore from deep within, and the great wyrm spread its wings in full, and with his roar the howls of the Solamith that surrounded him join in the apocryphal chorus. A prelude of what was to come.

"Impressive work, oh End of All." The voice came from Aram, she was stooped down on one knee with an arm over her chest and her head bowed low. "To make such short work of the mightiest of the Ninja's kin. You are truly a better fit for me to follow than Astrelus or Jinengus ever were.

The eyes of the Fell Wyrm focused down upon Aram and narrowed. "Such words from one of Aether. Were you not one favored by my other half, I would extinguish you for existing before me. But, you are to be the sun of the one and only reality that is to come."

The fox tailed goddess looked up. "Do not lump me in with my brothers and sisters. The only thing we share is our origin. They were bound by that origin, while I am not. They desired for gods to be limited in their rule and powers, which i could not stand. Under your rule, there is no limit for my power and scope except for you. What I was robbed of will be mine forever, and the ones who tore you down will be but a wasted fragment of the old realities."

Tannin leaned forward, the bands of flesh which constricted his maw vibrating as a snarl rumbled from deep within. "I need not your prostrations, vixen."

"He is correct, you know. There is such a thing as knowing when to shut up."

The voice came from the same rift that Tannin had emerged from earlier. It was Chang'e, hands held behind her back as she hovered forward until she was between the towering form of Tannin and Aram's bowed frame. Aram thought she saw some scars and sweat on Chang'e, yet as soon as she noticed that, Chang'es focus was fully upon her. "You and I do have a deal, Aram, but only so long as neither I nor Father get annoyed with your presence, and Father has a very short temper as is. As powerful as you have made yourself be, you still pale to either of us."

Aram nodded. "As I have seen first hand." The Supreme Goddess admitted. "Tiamat, who I could not even lay a finger on, was vaporized in an instant by Tannin. And yet-"

"And yet nothing." Chang'e told her, before she looked over toward the Solamith, in particular the one with the horns in the style of twin hair buns, and her smile returned. "Forgive me if I am not in the best of moods. A certain pair of vermin forced my hand, but one is dead and the other no longer exists in this reality. And... I was delayed also by the loss of the Twins."

She held both her hands out in front of her, and Aram could see a pair of souls gathered within, wracked and on the verge of death, only barely alive thanks to the energy given to them by Chang'e. "The Twins? Right, now I remember. Your special little angels well versed in elemental magic. What befell them to end like this?" Aram asked, more out of curiosity than genuine concern.

"Their task was to bring forth others of me from across the multiverse, but it seems they fumbled at the start against opposition they looked down upon." Chang'e gripped both of their souls tight, and absorbed them into herself. "Whoever they faced that killed them will be the first to fall in the new world order. This is a first for them to have failed me in such a way. Aram, you are to be the line of defense to ensure what me and Father do is not interrupted. This is the closest point in reality to the Core, so the rest of the heroes will have to come here. The Solamith are under your control, as is Project Achilles here."

She reached into a pocket, and pulled out a container which she opened. From it emerged a sludge that rolled across the ground, yet clearly was alive. "That is a living bio-weapon from a certain space facility I rescued from certain destruction. It is near unkillable and highly adaptive to a lesser degree than Father's blood. Not even the decrepit carcass that is the God of Death can kill him so easy. Father's blood that is present here can bring forth as many warriors and fiends as you desire, entities from the far corners of reality drawn by the evil that radiates from it. That should be more than enough to smother any form of resistance that comes your way. I and Father on the other hand have the sounds of pig squeals to enjoy, pigs wasting their pitiful lives in the pursuit and worship of the gods and idle desires. They will learn who holds the world in their hands, who is writing the script of their existence..."

Aram stood and gave a glance to the moving slime. She didn't like looking at it, it seemed unnatural and an abomination in her eyes. Some mortal made freak of nature, an affront to the divine, but if it was to be an ally for her, she would accept it. The Solamith and any other possible creatures under her control was more to her liking. "I will not fail you. The core is your center stage for the final performance of this reality."

"I'm glad you understand that." Chang'e turned to Tannin, who had been observing and watching silently. "Father, it is time. Tear open the gateway to the Core!"

"As I shall!" . The towering wyvern stabbed his claws forward, into what appeared to be no more than thin air, yet as he began to pull and rip, it was clear his claws were tearing through the very fabric of reality, but not like before. He was met with resistance, the protective boundaries that surrounded the Core of the Multiverse struggling to hold him back, but it was futile. Those very energies were feeding into the Fell Wyrm, and before Aram's eyes, a hole was fully torn, and on the other side was the Core of the Multiverse, the very epicenter of this plane of reality...

------------------------

The monstrosities were torn down beneath the full force of Orion and Aphrodite, yet it seemed that for every one that was destroyed, more took its place. The remnants of those slain began to mold back together, reforming into more mockeries of nature and vaguely draconic fiends. Even with the souls of those who had been morphed into them freed, they refused to back down and die, for all that kept them running was unrelenting hatred and anger passed from their progenitor. The End of All's vile hatred of the gods, of life born from the gods, and all life that was not himself were their marching orders, and they would carry them on to the end.

The spiritual army was met with blackened blades and claws that sliced and clawed at them. They were outmatched in power, but not in numbers. Blackened fire erupted from their maws and rained down from above in a meteor swarm upon the spiritual army and upon Orion's parts. From behind Aphrodite several of the spindly legged abominations lurched upward, ready to drive their claws through her back...

___________________________________

Crigan looked to Alex and to the others. "if you all are ready to disembark, then i will leave you with this first."

He handed to Mara a crimson claw. "This is a fragment of me that you can use to teleport back to my location when you are finished or if you need to escape. Once I have dropped you off on Noraage, I will either be back here, or aiding in the fight against Chang'e."

"We'll be fine, but... Be safe, please." Mara kissed Crigan on the cheek, and the god stuck in his human form smiled and nodded.

"I will. I promise we'll meet again when this is all said and done."

Off to the side, Demmy sighed. "Love birds. Imagine a god falling for a human."

"Is it any stranger than a demon becoming best friends with a human, Demmy?"

Demmy turned to look at Molly, but after trying to find a response, simply sighed. "I... I guess you're right. If you had asked me if I was to be your friend a century ago even, I'd have laughed at you as a stone statue. Where even is this Chang'e bitch at? Do we know where she is?"

"We can track her." Nichelle spoke up. "We encountered her in Sheol, and I can lock onto her life signal to see where she may be at. The sooner we confront her, the better, but given our last encounter, she is not to be taken lightly."

____________________

Cercil stopped as Immanuel blocked her path. "Raspaganje is dead, yes, but what we're now facing is an ancient evil I hoped beyond hope would remain sealed within Persephone. Immanuel, you know that I am the last of my kind. This evil we face is what wiped out my people in the first place, and the primary source of all the power that Persephone had. The End of All... Tannin."

Just speaking the name sent shivers down the archangel's spine. It was a name that she had made taboo to speak ever since she had taken over Lucifer's role as the Ruler of Makai and the Goddess of Hudai. To speak its name was feared to allow it to become free from its prison. "It was sealed within my palace by my brother Sariel, but... Persephone undid the seal and took Tannin into herself for power. I should have listened to the council and had her killed but... I couldn't bring myself to. I had no clue she would be able to tap into Tannin's power so quickly, or free Minos to act as a bodyguard for her."

The archangel gritted her teeth. "And now that evil is free with Persephone dead, and... It cannot die. The very concept of death does not apply to it. It can only be sealed away, and I am the only one who can do that."

[Godzilla165]

And yet, before Tannin's eyes, the portal of his making to the Core was changed entirely, now having the appearance of a kaleidoscope. In fact, all around the trio of malevolent beings, the environment was different, with hundreds of moons of differing sizes hovering in the black starry sky above them. If they looked to their left, they would bare witness to a singular "branch" of the Core stretching nigh endlessly across the sky. It seemed so close, yet was millions of light years away. Was it even a real tendril of the creator, or a mere figment? None of them could know for certain, as they were now firmly in Tenchi's domain. Suddenly, from inside the portal did an enormous ethereal fist, as big as Tannin's head, come flying with the energy of a planet. It plowed into the embodiment of evil and sent him skirting hundreds of yards backward, toppling him into the ground like a giant tree.

As it dissipated from view, such attack revealed the being whom launched it, taking on the appearance of a glowing white streak of light that consumed the area in its luster. Tenchi Orion themselves looked down upon Tannin's fallen form as the portal behind them closed shut. Neither he, Chang'e, nor the pretender Aram were proceeding any further; their stories would end here. The multiversal lord regarded the two females with a prolonged nod in challenge, brought forth the form of True Hellsbane to envelop their right palm, and raised it in the direction of Tannin.

It would be on this day that yet another dragon was slain.

------------------------
Aphrodite reacted quickly by driving both her hands out to the side and unleashing dozens of jagged electricity from her fingertips. The unrelenting heat was more than enough to either send the creatures reeling back, or outright shredding through them like paper. She made certain that she stayed in the air to keep out of reach from most of the undead progeny, and continued to pelt them with a combination of lightning and enhanced arrows. Aphrodite was laying waste to them by the bucket loads, but the abominations wouldn't stop, wouldn't relent. More rose forth from where the fallen laid and continued right where the others left off. She grimaced, "Their sheer numbers will prove to be an issue sooner rather than later if we don't cut them off from the source of their creation." Aphrodite spoke to herself, looking across the way at one of Orion's clones, whom had spawned a large, encompassing forcefield of light energy to negate the oncoming meteor swarm. On the other end of the city, the goddess could simply make out large but brief pockets of white, as the second doppelganger was surely doing its duty to mop up the legions patrolling that area.

The goddess of love shook her head, "I can only hope that their majesty has a plan; we shall need it if Sheol is to be saved."

With that, Aphrodite steeled herself and continued her assault against Tannin's forces, assisting Tenchi's army in cutting down as many as they could.

___________________________________

Hayden found himself in a trance within Gull's arms; he... Had never felt this way before. So warm, so... Comforted? "I dunno," the boy spoke, "I wouldn't be TOO opposed with staying here just a little bit longer." Hayden replied with a dreamy slur.

"Ha-Hayden?! HAYDEN!!!" Two immediately recognizable voices shook Hayden from his admittedly glorious state. He looked over and saw Vale and Alexei practically sprinting towards him at full speed. The muscle of the group leaped from the incredible arms of his savior and ran with open arms and teeth grinned to their limits, and just about collided with his friends and teammates with the force of a stick of dynamite.

Vale sobbed as she wound her arms around Hayden's waist, while Alexei nearly choked the life out of him from the pressures his arms were exerting on the boy's neck. "By the gods, Hayden, we were so worried, we were so..." Vale blubbered and sputtered as the former did his best to shush and calm her, all while trying his best to keep from also crying.

"Yeah, man, when that bastard kidnapped you, we... We started to think we'd never see you again." Alexei said with misty eyes.

Vale looked him over, every inch she scrutinized, at least of what she could see. "Are you hurt? Did he torture you at all, what hap-"

"Guys," Hayden finally spoke, holding up one of his hands and smiling, "I'm okay, I promise. Surprisingly and thankfully enough, Drillgore didn't get to do anything too drastic to me before help arrived. I don't know where the first lady disappeared off to, but..." He looked behind him at the towering form of Gull with an appreciative smile, "You can thank Gull over there for carrying me back, and the ninjas for giving us a one way ticket out of that hellhole."

Alexei grinned gently and socked him in the arm, "Well, we're just glad you're back in one piece, Hayes."

Vale nodded, but a frown soon overtook her lips. "Hayden... Manny, he's..."

Hayden's face grew dark as his skin went pale. "Let's go see him."

[HayesAJones]

A huge paw engulfs Nyx's hand, and the varul answered her bluntly.

"No. Too tired. Rest here."

As Gull shook Nyx's hand, Alex gave Crigan a shaky nod of his head. "W- We can go now. Might as well jump in right away, right? Everyone else is doing their part today."

[Corzak The Mighty]

Emerging from the portal near Tenchi Orion, the winged form of Owlzarus shone in brilliant orange light, his scholarly gaze filled with awe as he stepped into the Core itself. Even one such as he was unworthy to gaze upon a place as sacred as this... a mere servant to knowledge, to truth and wisdom, and yet his lord had blessed him with such an opportunity. Though the beautiful colors created by the newest rift distorted the blackened abyss the End of All had brought to this most sacred of domains, Owlzarus knew this was the first step in the end of their strife.

Owlzarus gaze shifted towards Chang'e, Aram, and Tannin itself, the newest horror to seize its opportunity to usurp the balance on the multiverse. Though he was no mighty warrior like his truest lord, nor as radiant in his divine splendor, Owlzarus knew there was more that he had to do to protect his allies and aid in the battle against the End of All. He could not let reality be free of one evil and be forced to its knees by another!

Flaring his arms out, Owlzarus conjured a a protective circle of runes around himself and Tenchi Orion, the symbols swirling to tell the stories of untold realities and worlds, the history of the multiverse itself manifest in a protective bulwark of reality.

"I am ready to end these despoilers when you are, my lord," Owlzarus stated, eyes glancing to Tenchi Orion. "Say only the word."
_________________________________________________________________________
Immanuel raised his staff as he felt the malevolent power manifest all across the multiverse, threatening to poison all that still yet lived. The God of Light's mind became filled with dark thoughts. They had already expended so much effort with destroying Raspaganje... how could they face such a threat now?

Immanuel clutched his staff tightly. He knew they could not falter now; the end of the road lay ahead, they merely needed the steel to make it there. This 'Tannin' would fall, as Raspaganje and the Machine of Unmaking had before. Immanuel turned to Cercil.

"I can feel our allies facing it now. We must go to their aid," Immanuel stated, his golden wings flaring wide. "Even if such a creature cannot die, we must face this challenge head on, for the good of all life in the cosmos."

He extended a hand out to Cercil. "Come. I shall aid you in imprisoning this horror."
_________________________________________________________________________
Nyx was taken aback by how strong Gull's furry grip was, though she was quick to reciprocate the handshake. "No problem, Gull. Take your leave."

Nyx looked to aAex and nodded, before looking to Crigan. "Let's go. Time isn't exactly on our side."

[MinorBone Good]

A blue and green broke it's way into reality near Tenchi Orion and Owlzarus. It was unstable, flickering around like a broken TV screen. Several small green boxes shot out from the portal, before being pulled right back in. Soon enough Evoex's smiling visage made it's way though the portal.

[Border]"OH! WHAT A DAZZILING DISPLAY! UNFORTUNE THAT WE CAN'T ENJOY THE VIEW. I'M FUCKING READY TO HELP!!!"[/Border]

Evoex grabbed onto the textbox, holding onto it like it was a sword. It still felt awkward to be on the offensive, though he had to push past it! He couldn't fail now! ...Perhaps a quick barrage might be enough for his two allies to land a quicker strike? Yeah, that might work! They would be a good distraction! Evoex's body started to vibrate, parts of his skin peeling off before reattaching themselves. Suddenly, several portals tore open above Chang'e, Aram and Tannin's eyes, as well as several around Evoex himself.

[Border]"HEY"[/Border] [Border]"YOU"[/Border] [Border]"FELLOWS"[/Border] [Border]"DOWN"[/Border] [Border]"THERE"[/Border] [Border]"DON'T"[/Border] [Border]"YOU"[/Border] [Border]"THINK"[/Border] [Border]"IT"[/Border] [Border]"WOULD"[/Border] [Border]"BE"[/Border] [Border]"BETTER"[/Border] [Border]"IF"[/Border] [Border]"YOU"[/Border] [Border]"JUST"[/Border] [Border]"STOPPED"[/Border] [Border]FIGHTING"[/Border] [Border]"AND"[/Border] [Border]"BECOME"[/Border] [Border]"FRIENDS"[/Border] [Border]"MAYBE"[/Border] [Border]"THOUGH"[/Border] [Border]"IT"[/Border][Border]"MAY"[/Border] [Border]"BE"[/Border] [Border]"ALREADY"[/Border] [Border]"PAST"[/Border] [Border]"THAT"[/Border] [Border]"POINT"[/Border] [Border]"WITH"[/Border] [Border]"ALL"[/Border][Border]"YOU'VE"[/Border] [Border]"DONE!"[/Border]

With each one word textbox floating in the air, Evoex used his longer textbox weapon to smack each word through a random portal, sending them towards the villains below!