DtG: Destroy the Godmodder (The Broken Masquerade)

one of the spare drones projects the audio "Well, it would've if it Worked. Granted, the chance of success may have been really slim, but if it had worked, it would've been lifesaving."
He then notices all his stuff is listed as AG, walks through the metaphorical fourth wall, and rewrites all his alignment tags to PT- Pro-Tito, the futurepast Omega Godmodder.

Technically, these rules as listed allow JOE to contribute to the knowledge portion of the battle despite being outside of the domain. Why? Well...
"-ANY DESCENDED MAY ASK INTEGER TO REPEAT A STATEMENT ON THE UPDATE TERMINAL." means he may make these requests. Furthermore, making these requests, although outside assistance, is acceptable, because "-THE ONLY OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE WILL BE THROUGH INTEGER AND GREEN GLASSES."; this is assistance provided through 'Integer'. Or if you want to be a real stickler, whenever the statement he asks to be repeated gets highlighted by Adam, it's through 'Integer' And 'Green glasses', so his assistance would be acceptable whenever it actually helps.
He proceeds to suggest the following statements for the updater to repeat.
"The rules of this challenge, where they refer to objective reality, accurately describe it.", for instance the lines about 'the only outside assistance will be through integer and green glasses' and the like are portrayed as social constructs, but 'THE PEOPLE WITHIN CELESTIA ARE CURRENTLY WITHIN MY DOMAIN.' suggests his domain is a meaningful thing and- Y'know what, actually, just repeat the rules and highlight whatever's objectively true.
"Badam's allies do not, strictly speaking, exist."
"when Badam said 'he has called upon 3 demons', this referred to the act of calling, but not to the call being answered."
"Badams call was not answered by beings of power equal to that listed on the battlefield."
"Since the rules say Badam will have allies here to help him, he does not already have allies here to help him."
oh, and while we're at it- not really relevant to the battle, buuuuut...
"The Harkener does not actually have hostile intent."
"Harkener may not be the Ace Of Spades."

Alright, that's enough for now.

...Also, to be blunt, after so long of a hiatus, I have even less idea how to write R!JOE than I had last time. sure, R!JOE started out as 'my personality', but that was specifically 'my personality circa 2017'. It has been four years since the time that defines him.
Not to mention Pebbletopia clearly isn't going to finish, which is how he got here in the first place.
...
 
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A jeep rides up to area and out pops out a man with squared beard and hair, wearing a hunter's uniform and pith helmet, he happily grabs a large suitcase and turns to see he is somewhere, he screams "Where the bloody hell is my hunting grounds!"
 
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((i know this looks like a necro, but the GM's good with it. if all goes well we should be returning out of a quite long hiatus- the most recent dop just got finished. except that's a edit, so it doesn't unarchive the thread, and.. you get the point. it's cool. we're cool. mhm. uh.
why am i still talking? dunno.))

Astrec blinks, the air around him distorting for a moment as he glances around.

"(Did anyone else.. feel a disruption? Probably nothing.)"

He shakes his head, and sends a jolt of power through his body to focus. Clear his thoughts. Get... Target. Fight. Kill.


He stretches the godarm and organizes his goals. Everything is a blur, it's confusing- Defeat Adam. Defeat Adam. Do that.
Closing his eyes, his thoughts once again drift to it, and he shakes his head, opening his eyes again.

"..Adam. Prince. Builder. Whatever you call yourself. I will be honest, the past few minutes have been absolute chaos for me. Felt like years, to be honest. But I need to take this one step at a time. You. Down. Now."
Astrec holds out his palm and exercises his Divine Right as Ruler of Antarctica. That never stopped being a thing. Remember when he took over Antarctica? Yep, he never stopped ruling it. He's a king in exile, clearly. Summoning this power, he summons a whirling snowstorm around his foe, encasing Adam in a blizzard that frosts over his glasses and hopefully gives the AGs some time to breathe.

With that out of the way, he levitates up the Orb of Delphi and chucks it over to either Nera or a entity who can use it. (icanttypetheaccentonthiskeyboarddontkillme)

"Use it on his beasts. I don't really know what the prince is doing and I honestly don't exactly care. We. Need info."
He shakes his head.
"Eugh. Info. Yeah. Use the.. Orb."

With his other hand, he quickly draws out a holographic list and looks at it, attempting to get a quick recap on what the past few turns have been. Any help, you mystery behind the screen? I know you're there. (Against your will, or not? What was he prattling on about..?)
 
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In the neutral ground of the void, a large, black speaker hangs motionlessly in midair. Like a sentinel, it stands over the Void's residents, watching them with its twin cones. For a moment, it remains silent, before a single beat pulses from its maw. The sound echoes in the neutral zone, reverberating across its unaligned reach. It hums deeply within everyone and everything, before rolling down and dissipating into nothingness. The speaker pauses once more, before releasing two more of those piercing beats. They run their course, roaring and fading within the void. And the speaker pulses again. Like a heartbeat, the cycle continues, speeding up as it repeats, gaining more beats with every turn. The notes rapidly begin to form a melody, an unearthly tune, haunting in its nature yet lively in every other regard. And then, they stop.

Enter on Stage Left. Leather Jacket Guy returns.

In an instant, the speaker begins to blare the only song the metalhead could possibly think of: AC/DC screaming from it to the rhythm of the head banger's footsteps. His black, steel-toes boots clank heavily against the ground as his holey, unholy black jeans swing his feet through the air. His head nods comfortably to the tune, his spiked mohawk swaying with the clatter of his chain-link piercings. His face is a mess of black makeup, an amalgam of eyeliner and eyeshadow put on to give just the wrong impression. His mouth is caught in an intense grimace, trying to look hard as his eyes smile with glee. He's back. And in black. He couldn't be happier. His spike-banded hands reach up and adjust the collar of his black leather jacket, flapping it out as though to blow away the cobwebs. His mouth opens for a moment, yawning, before Leather Jacket Guy speaks.

"My name... It's John. Everyone stop with the 'LJG' thing. I'm don't even know how to spell that. Just John. Got it?" ...Okay? Leather Jacke- JOHN pauses, taking a deep breath, before starting again. "Man, it looks like somebody needs to crash this party. It's a good thing I'm here then, isn't it?" He looks around at the other faces in the neutral ground, visibly asking for someone to respond. "Come on now! It's me! From the Barnyard Boogie way back when! I was there when you guys fought Poseidon or whoever! And I think... I was fighting a space fleet last time? It's been... a minute... Are we still fighting that fleet, or are these ships new- NO! Stay on topic, John!"

He looks at the others once more, before his eyes fall on Praetorian 4. "P4! My man! Long time no see! Dude, I'm getting the band I never had back together, and you're totally gonna be in it! You killed it with that electric triangle! Just rocked it! I think we can move you up to the xylophone next. And from there- drums!" He raises his hand dramatically, waving it slowly as he looks out across the horizon. He then turns back to the Fourth Praetorian. "I've even got a name for us. You like barn animals and farm stuff. I like- well- metal. We should be the Land of Shattered Steel! L.O.S.S., for short. Great name, right!? Yeah, just perfect." John nods to himself a bit, before bulldozing into conversation once more. "Well, I've gotta get going. People to see. Bosses to fight. I'll catch you on the flip side, brother."

John signals to P4 with the horns, before taking a heavy leap into the air. In an instant, the speaker platform is beneath him, with his large guitar case laying flat on its back. Landing on the speaker, John flips the latches of the case up and kicks it open. Reaching inside, he takes a radio (Transmission Instrument) out from within. Placing it firmly on the platform, he slips a CD out of his pocket, inserting it into the radio and turning it on. Immediately, more AC/DC blares from its speakers, this time shouting about the Roadway to the Underworld or something like that. John allows himself to rock out for a few moments, before sighing. "Fine, I'll get to work." He flicks the fast forward button on the radio, skipping to the end of the song. But then, just as the song ends, he presses one more button and begins to play the song in reverse.

In an instant, John Bonus Actions to...

Action 1: "Mount Celestia. Huh. I never thought I'd be here. I always thought I'd be chilling down with P2 in the burny hot place. This is... scenic. Ignoring the crater holes and all that. Looks... like I'd rather be with P2, honestly." John sighs. "It's times like this when I have to stop myself from asking God to just kill me now." He lightly taps the guitar case closed and hefts it up to his side. "Well, time to go fight Ba- HEY!"

John hops down from the guitar platform and lands right in front of Logan. "Hey! Buddy! Long time no see! Man, you've changed. AG now, huh? Me too! Totally! I'm a player, so I'm AG. Obviously." John stops himself for a moment, considering if he wants to keep going with this. He decides to change subjects. "Anyways, it's been a while, buddy. Last time you were here, I think got into a trombone duel with you. And I also shot you with some Megaman lemons, if I'm remembering correctly. Good times. But, I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm totally willing to let bygones be bygones, you know. I just have one request." He pauses, staring Logan straight in the eyes. "Give me one of your Time Machine Cars."

Before Logan can respond, John raises a single finger, the long chains handing from his wrists clanging as he does so. "I know, I know. You don't trust me. BUT, it's not like I'm the worst person to give a time machine to. What am I gonna do with it? Recreate Back to the Future. You know that's what I'll do. I'll film the whole thing, but I will take on my true role as the spiritual successor of Marty McFly. Come on, man. We both know I'm too stupid to do anything terrible. Look, I'll even get a license. I already bought my driver's, motorcycle's, pilot's, doctor's, voodoo magician's, and space eel wrangler's licenses online. How hard can one more be?" John stops himself again, thinking just a bit more. "You know what, I'll give you a turn to consider. But really, you can trust me. We're both AG's, after all. Unless you aren't." And with that remark, he gives Logan a pat on the back, before turning away from the Time Police Officer. As he begins walking off, John shouts over his shoulder, "I'm gonna go fight your boss now! Same side, remember?" And he keeps going before Logan can respond.

Action 2: John begins to approach Badam, but is stopped when he notices the three mooks guarding him. "Ipos? How do you say that? I pose? I paws? Ip ose? Ipo ss? I think it's 'I pose'. Or Eye pose? Or Eye prose? No. Or... EYE POKE!" As he says this, John pokes Ipos in the eye. "Ha!" He does a little dance in front of Ipos, taunting him, before walking right past. "And if you'll excuse me..."

Action 3: "Badam! Hey! How are you?" He offers grabs Badam's hand and messily shakes it about. "Man, I have no clue who you are or where you came from, but I'm a huge fan. Now, I'm here to cut you a deal. Why? Because chaos is all I know. So, I was vaguely listening... a few turns ago, and Adam has this nice Uranium Umbridge hilty-thing. He played it like a flute. Dude, I've always wanted a Uranium Flute. I got my hands on a Uranium Guitar once. That was back in my Elvis days. I mean fat Elvis days. And... well, I may or may not have blown up a city. Or two... Suffice to say, they didn't give that back to me. But a flute. That sounds cool. So, Badam, if you just give me that Hilt thing out of Adam's inventory, I'll become one of your minions and protect you or whatever. An amazing deal, right? For the price of one silly item you're not using, you get me!"

John slowly leans in toward Badam, his face darkening as he does. Shaking his head, John whispers, "Really, just give me the hilt. You don't want to mess with me, man. I'm that one neighbor in the next apartment over who plays their music too loud. I will ruin your night, my friend. Except, I'm worse, because when you tell me to turn my music down... I will. I'll turn it all the way down. Past zero. You won't hear my music anymore. You'll hear negative sound. It's a strange sensation. You feel it in every fiber of your body. Where sound makes your bones shake and quiver, gives you all those good vibes, negative sound- it's the opposite. You become still, motionless, unfeeling. Your ears, they feel the noise, but they don't know how to communicate it. Your mind is emptied, any emotions removed, and from it all, that ache of terror is all that lingers. And the pull. Yes. Where sound pushes you back, negative sound pulls you in. Instead of distorting the world around you, it makes everything seem so clear. But the only thing to feel is that dread. The anguish. It pulls you in, irresistible, and doesn't let you go.

"That, my friend is negative sound. Right now, I'm just a noise. A giggle that tweaks your ear. A pest. You give me that hilt, I stay that way. Just a bit of interference is all. But if you cross me, if you don't give me what I want, I turn myself down. I stop. And then... I turn it down to eleven. And before you know it, there's no escape. No. Escape." John pauses, his mouth still eerily close to Badam's ear. And then...

John pulls out an air horn, lets it scream in Badam's ear, and then sprays Badam's face with some silly string. He then runs off, laughing, leaping back onto his speaker platform as he pumps his fist in the air. "I'M BACK!"

((OOC: It's been awhile. If I'm doing this wrong, put all my oomph in the second action. The rest was just dialogue anyways. Regardless it's good to be back. Glad to see this game keep going.))
 
Smirk has a short Smirkogram conversation with the godmodder twiddling his thumbs at Moog Station, seeing how Smirk himself is a bit too preoccupied to join the fun against Tinia. Afterwards:
In response to the newcomers at the Neutral Ground, as well as their summoning of entities, the Fifth Praetorian summons something themselves. Using the Rod, he draws an angular, stark-white symbol with a single loop into the air. Fingers splayed, he extends his right hand through the hole in the centre of the symbol and cuts it off with an Oblivion-blade. Droplets of darkness splash and sizzle on the floor.
Suspended before him, still shrouded in darkness like the rest of him, the Fifth Praetorian's hand begins to grow and move on its own, its surface becoming smooth and reflective. As if without bones, it begins to flex fluidly, contorting into shapes a hand should not be capable of. Collapsing in shape, additional limbs burst between limbs. Fingers extend into arms. Thumbs become tentacles.
Effortlessly generating himself a new hand, the Fifth Praetorian runs a hand across the surface of a massive Ink Eidolon, freshly summoned and marked.
((Summon: Sharp Sliver. High Attack, Low HP. Grants Bonus Attack to any "Sliver" Entities in the same Theatre.))
Smirk's local Smirkogram for the Neutral grounds remanifests. "Okay, both of you, unless those guys are part of the discussion, they are to stay outside the meeting room. Also, Abbadon, if your Ink Elemental friend is a member of the meeting, get him a bucket or something to stand on, I don't want him dripping on my floor more than necessary. Either that or have a mop clean up the trail as he goes, I just- I just made this floor today for crying out loud, I want it to stay clean at least until the end of the meeting. Also, if those summons aren't part of the discussion, I have reason to believe we have Mason forces incoming for less than peaceful reasons, so if you guys would have them form a defensive perimeter, and start putting down some force fields for me so I don't have to deal with unscheduled demolition happening here, I'd appreciate the help."

Having done this, Smirk looks over to his Mechamorph back inside the actual ship. "Well, guess now it's time to do some improvements, right Primus? You get on that, I'll go inform the people driving the other ships to not shoot us unless they have a phenomenally good reason for it. No, I'm going to make it clear that a death wish doesn't count, there'd be no point at that stage."
Smirk then makes a few hundred megaphones appear in the other two ships, and blare a message: "Attention all Masonites, or whatever you wish to be called. Adam Mason is currently very much in a state of having been corrupted by something I think is related to Tenet powers, and the ship that is currently being engulfed in a green and black techno looking pattern is being remodeled to actually function well. If you decide to fire on it, I will be forced to retaliate in kind, and I really would rather avoid bloodshed, so do everyone a favor, and just start mobilizing your ships to the nearest location where you can find some information on how to undo the corruption. You are of no use to him sitting here keeping up a blockade, and you are just as liable to get yourselves killed for the effort. I repeat, find the nearest place with any information about Tenet corruption and potential antidotes, and figure out how to undo this if we can't figure out a method, because you are no use here unless you already have that knowledge."

He then simply waits, prepared to set up a reflective forcefield around the ship if they do something stupid, which will simply bounce their attack back at them by a combination of elastic recoil and reflective coating. The Mechamorph begins to work on improving the ship, which involves the ship very suddenly losing a significant amount of volume the instant it passes over a segment. This will likely take several turns to complete however. If the shield doesn't need strengthening during the EOTB, Smirk charges.
 
Catching the Orb of Delphi from Astrec's throw, Nerà upcasts a second level Magic Missile at the enemy forces. One dart for each of the four BADMANs should be enough to get a scan on them all.

Denak casts Armoire of Agathys on Labolas. The frozen hell's might encases Labolas in a closet of magical ice, trapping them within a nearly-invincible-yet-highly-immobile structure. Shattering the Armoire of Agathys will free Labolas, but also deal damage to the shatterer.
Auma casts Eyebite, choosing Fear. Twinned charms allows him to target Ipos and Leraje.
The Lesser Fire Elemental bodyguards the Greater Fire Elemental, who spends its turn consuming leftovers from our fabulous meal a few rounds ago. This heals the Greater Fire Elemental.
Nebelkind picks up a particularly sharp rock and, like one wielding the unlimited power of creation, skips it off of Badam's head. Violently.

Auma Gear invites Epic Wizard I to pair up in a way that makes the latter uncomfortable. Epic Wizard II flies towards Quirrun, pairing up with his Talos despite the pilot's protests. Epic Wizard III, having spent exactly 0 years living in the real world rather than within her cloister, is abashed as she flies up to Shadrix and requests to h- h- ho- hold han- No, she can't say it. But she pairs up with him.
The three Epic Wizards cast Antilife She'll over the Hierarch of Life.
Auma Gear proceeds to violently separate 'Hierarch' from 'Life'.
Quirrun's Talos fires a half hundred bolts of magical force from its hands, peppering the Hierarch of Life.
 
"...Parley?"

All of a sudden, Alan has no idea what he's doing.

He breathes in. It is not the perfectly measured inhalation of a moment ago. It is the deep breath of someone undergoing the very human experience of freaking out internally and trying not to freak out externally. He had been prepared to chase down the Godmodder, confront her forces in the midst of battle, and avenge his mentor's death. He had not been prepared to suddenly find her in front of his face on neutral ground.

"I, uh..."

Alan swallows. He blinks a stray fractal out of the corner of his eye. He has absolutely no idea why there's even a parley going or how to engage in any negotiations of the sort. And... wasn't the distortion he detected, the disturbance in the universe that he'd thought must have been work of the Godmodder's war... a little bit further away?

"I need to check something."

-----

Alan blinked the fractal back into his eye, and awkwardly stared out into the space over Alethea's shoulder. Whatever he'd seen... it was still happening? On Mount Celestia? Not just the damage done to the universe itself, but... a division of something that should have been indivisible. A revelation of a deeper truth of the universe. Something important was taking place. He starts to spin his staff in the air in precise motions, drawing arcs and fractals of white light around him, a beat of sweat rolling down his brow. The ground around him began to warp into cruder imitations of these same patterns, stretching and smoothing in concentric rings.

"As the world divides, new matter flows fills in the cracks. This is the order of the universe, let it be made manifest."

The light flickered and Alan nearly lost control over the spell as a wave of self-consciousness interrupted his concentration.

"Oh, uh... that wasn't addressed to you."

He struck his staff against the ground, and the light snapped into shape.

"By the principle of the abhorred vacuum and the principle of equivalent exchange, let me be taken to the source of this division. Khi an set anagien na kitha ka karusador."

The distorted ground crashed back into place all at once and the rings of fractals shattered. Space snapped into a new configuration with the sound of sine waves and tinkling crystal, and Alan was launched into the sky faster than he could blink.

-----

Somewhere on the bridge of the HMAS Justice, a glowing white streak shot past Smirk's vision.

-----

Alan dropped out of the sky and collapsed to the ground, decidedly off balance, and staggered to his feet.

Then he fell off the edge of the ground and onto another lower piece of ground, because he was not yet used to Mount Celestia's interesting geography, or the fact that somebody had gone and shuffled the layers.

Alan arrived just in time to hear Badam explain the rules of the game.

-----

...Is that Adam Mason? Ruler of Earth? But... yellow, and... what's that about highlighting statements? Do you just say them, or...

"Statement: Alan has no idea what is going on."

Alan's words turn red as they leave his mouth. Somehow.

Then they un-highlight as Alan starts to understand what's going on, thus rendering the statement false.

"Statement: The person highlighting these words is Adam Mason."

Red.

"Statement: The person highlighting these words is secretly three gerbils in a trench coat."

No highlight.

"Alright. Um. The people here are the Anti-Godmodders, right? I'll see what I can do to help out."

-----

Fairly taxed for the moment from the work of transporting himself, Alan tosses out a few simple attacks.

-----

Action 1: Alan drop-kicks Ipos off the edge of the 7th Layer.

-----

Action 2: Alan swings his staff up such that the butt of the staff is lined up with Leraje's head, then hits the top end with the heel of his fist, driving the base of the staff into a pressure point between Leraje's eyes.

-----

Action 3: Alan traces complicated ever-shifting fractal patterns in the air. He's not actually casting a spell, it's just supposed to give Labolas a headache.
 
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I have awakened a monster. Content in the raising of great chaos, 'I' commit loitering and wait around. We'll need some time to get a hand at things, and we need to verify some assumptions. I spend my action and bonus actions doing a whole bunch of scanning by means of divination-based automatic writing to just...write some things down that y'all can factcheck with Adam and Badam and Integer and whoever else is gonna run around verifying true truth proven by the red truth or whatnot. Support somebody else's scans and give them context they probably wouldn't have earlier, thanks based our singularity-powered psychological tango as to why and how these guys got picked. You know the deal better than I do, but not necessarily 'I', i, or eye.

"Summer faction's open for business if you guys wanna join, just saying."

bruh moment
 
Round 95
one of the spare drones projects the audio "Well, it would've if it Worked. Granted, the chance of success may have been really slim, but if it had worked, it would've been lifesaving."
He then notices all his stuff is listed as AG, walks through the metaphorical fourth wall, and rewrites all his alignment tags to PT- Pro-Tito, the futurepast Omega Godmodder.

Technically, these rules as listed allow JOE to contribute to the knowledge portion of the battle despite being outside of the domain. Why? Well...
"-ANY DESCENDED MAY ASK INTEGER TO REPEAT A STATEMENT ON THE UPDATE TERMINAL." means he may make these requests. Furthermore, making these requests, although outside assistance, is acceptable, because "-THE ONLY OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE WILL BE THROUGH INTEGER AND GREEN GLASSES."; this is assistance provided through 'Integer'. Or if you want to be a real stickler, whenever the statement he asks to be repeated gets highlighted by Adam, it's through 'Integer' And 'Green glasses', so his assistance would be acceptable whenever it actually helps.
He proceeds to suggest the following statements for the updater to repeat.
"The rules of this challenge, where they refer to objective reality, accurately describe it.", for instance the lines about 'the only outside assistance will be through integer and green glasses' and the like are portrayed as social constructs, but 'THE PEOPLE WITHIN CELESTIA ARE CURRENTLY WITHIN MY DOMAIN.' suggests his domain is a meaningful thing and- Y'know what, actually, just repeat the rules and highlight whatever's objectively true.
"Badam's allies do not, strictly speaking, exist."
"when Badam said 'he has called upon 3 demons', this referred to the act of calling, but not to the call being answered."
"Badams call was not answered by beings of power equal to that listed on the battlefield."
"Since the rules say Badam will have allies here to help him, he does not already have allies here to help him."
oh, and while we're at it- not really relevant to the battle, buuuuut...
"The Harkener does not actually have hostile intent."
"Harkener may not be the Ace Of Spades."

Alright, that's enough for now.

...Also, to be blunt, after so long of a hiatus, I have even less idea how to write R!JOE than I had last time. sure, R!JOE started out as 'my personality', but that was specifically 'my personality circa 2017'. It has been four years since the time that defines him.
Not to mention Pebbletopia clearly isn't going to finish, which is how he got here in the first place.
...
You change alignments to [PT], [Pro Titus]!
...That's strange.
...OH. ODIN, YOU SLY DOG!

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT, A FREE LEGAL CONSULTATION! DON'T MIND IF I DO!


"The rules of this challenge where they refer to objective reality accurately describe it."
"Badam's allies do not, strictly speaking, exist."
"When Badam said that 'he has called upon 3 demons', this referred to the act of calling, but not to the call being answered."
"Badams call was not answered by beings of power equal to that listed on the battlefield."
"Since the rules say Badam will have allies here to help him, he does not already have allies here to help him."

"Harkener does not actually have hostile intent."
"Harkener may not be the Ace Of Spades."

...Interesting.

A jeep rides up to area and out pops out a man with squared beard and hair, wearing a hunter's uniform and pith helmet, he happily grabs a large suitcase and turns to see he is somewhere, he screams "Where the bloody hell is my hunting grounds!"

The Godmodder hands the man a map.
"Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Direction B, Direction A. Enjoy your trip."

((It's been a while and I don't know if you're showing up again. Contact me when you see this?))
((i know this looks like a necro, but the GM's good with it. if all goes well we should be returning out of a quite long hiatus- the most recent dop just got finished. except that's a edit, so it doesn't unarchive the thread, and.. you get the point. it's cool. we're cool. mhm. uh.
why am i still talking? dunno.))

Astrec blinks, the air around him distorting for a moment as he glances around.

"(Did anyone else.. feel a disruption? Probably nothing.)"

He shakes his head, and sends a jolt of power through his body to focus. Clear his thoughts. Get... Target. Fight. Kill.


He stretches the godarm and organizes his goals. Everything is a blur, it's confusing- Defeat Adam. Defeat Adam. Do that.
Closing his eyes, his thoughts once again drift to it, and he shakes his head, opening his eyes again.

"..Adam. Prince. Builder. Whatever you call yourself. I will be honest, the past few minutes have been absolute chaos for me. Felt like years, to be honest. But I need to take this one step at a time. You. Down. Now."
Astrec holds out his palm and exercises his Divine Right as Ruler of Antarctica. That never stopped being a thing. Remember when he took over Antarctica? Yep, he never stopped ruling it. He's a king in exile, clearly. Summoning this power, he summons a whirling snowstorm around his foe, encasing Adam in a blizzard that frosts over his glasses and hopefully gives the AGs some time to breathe.

With that out of the way, he levitates up the Orb of Delphi and chucks it over to either Nera or a entity who can use it. (icanttypetheaccentonthiskeyboarddontkillme)

"Use it on his beasts. I don't really know what the prince is doing and I honestly don't exactly care. We. Need info."
He shakes his head.
"Eugh. Info. Yeah. Use the.. Orb."

With his other hand, he quickly draws out a holographic list and looks at it, attempting to get a quick recap on what the past few turns have been. Any help, you mystery behind the screen? I know you're there. (Against your will, or not? What was he prattling on about..?)
Let's see...
Adam's been possessed by something and it's taken over the Update Terminal to play a game with us. The Third Praetor is close to completing his quest to kill every single god in the Voidic Pantheon. The Pro-Godmodders have put Harkener under their protection after Adam broke a tie with his vote as Founder of the Anti-Godmodders to give them over to him. You've somehow acquired an incredible amount of charge but haven't used it yet. Smirk's taken over a ship from Adam, and has created a neutral zone in the void to talk things out with the Godmodder. This is what qualifies as recent to me, did you zone out earlier than that?

Anyhow.

Invoking your power as the ruler of Antarctica, you drop a Blizzard on Badam. Magnetic Poles shift, and all bears are deleted from the battlefield. The omnidirectional light of Celestia glints off the snow on the ground, making everything so white I need to turn down the Terminal's brightness settings because it's hurting my eyes.
Meanwhile, Badam proceeds to occupy himself by dodging every single snowflake that would otherwise fall on him.
I think he's played Touhou.

In the neutral ground of the void, a large, black speaker hangs motionlessly in midair. Like a sentinel, it stands over the Void's residents, watching them with its twin cones. For a moment, it remains silent, before a single beat pulses from its maw. The sound echoes in the neutral zone, reverberating across its unaligned reach. It hums deeply within everyone and everything, before rolling down and dissipating into nothingness. The speaker pauses once more, before releasing two more of those piercing beats. They run their course, roaring and fading within the void. And the speaker pulses again. Like a heartbeat, the cycle continues, speeding up as it repeats, gaining more beats with every turn. The notes rapidly begin to form a melody, an unearthly tune, haunting in its nature yet lively in every other regard. And then, they stop.

Enter on Stage Left. Leather Jacket Guy returns.

In an instant, the speaker begins to blare the only song the metalhead could possibly think of: AC/DC screaming from it to the rhythm of the head banger's footsteps. His black, steel-toes boots clank heavily against the ground as his holey, unholy black jeans swing his feet through the air. His head nods comfortably to the tune, his spiked mohawk swaying with the clatter of his chain-link piercings. His face is a mess of black makeup, an amalgam of eyeliner and eyeshadow put on to give just the wrong impression. His mouth is caught in an intense grimace, trying to look hard as his eyes smile with glee. He's back. And in black. He couldn't be happier. His spike-banded hands reach up and adjust the collar of his black leather jacket, flapping it out as though to blow away the cobwebs. His mouth opens for a moment, yawning, before Leather Jacket Guy speaks.

"My name... It's John. Everyone stop with the 'LJG' thing. I'm don't even know how to spell that. Just John. Got it?" ...Okay? Leather Jacke- JOHN pauses, taking a deep breath, before starting again. "Man, it looks like somebody needs to crash this party. It's a good thing I'm here then, isn't it?" He looks around at the other faces in the neutral ground, visibly asking for someone to respond. "Come on now! It's me! From the Barnyard Boogie way back when! I was there when you guys fought Poseidon or whoever! And I think... I was fighting a space fleet last time? It's been... a minute... Are we still fighting that fleet, or are these ships new- NO! Stay on topic, John!"

He looks at the others once more, before his eyes fall on Praetorian 4. "P4! My man! Long time no see! Dude, I'm getting the band I never had back together, and you're totally gonna be in it! You killed it with that electric triangle! Just rocked it! I think we can move you up to the xylophone next. And from there- drums!" He raises his hand dramatically, waving it slowly as he looks out across the horizon. He then turns back to the Fourth Praetorian. "I've even got a name for us. You like barn animals and farm stuff. I like- well- metal. We should be the Land of Shattered Steel! L.O.S.S., for short. Great name, right!? Yeah, just perfect." John nods to himself a bit, before bulldozing into conversation once more. "Well, I've gotta get going. People to see. Bosses to fight. I'll catch you on the flip side, brother."

John signals to P4 with the horns, before taking a heavy leap into the air. In an instant, the speaker platform is beneath him, with his large guitar case laying flat on its back. Landing on the speaker, John flips the latches of the case up and kicks it open. Reaching inside, he takes a radio (Transmission Instrument) out from within. Placing it firmly on the platform, he slips a CD out of his pocket, inserting it into the radio and turning it on. Immediately, more AC/DC blares from its speakers, this time shouting about the Roadway to the Underworld or something like that. John allows himself to rock out for a few moments, before sighing. "Fine, I'll get to work." He flicks the fast forward button on the radio, skipping to the end of the song. But then, just as the song ends, he presses one more button and begins to play the song in reverse.

In an instant, John Bonus Actions to...

Action 1: "Mount Celestia. Huh. I never thought I'd be here. I always thought I'd be chilling down with P2 in the burny hot place. This is... scenic. Ignoring the crater holes and all that. Looks... like I'd rather be with P2, honestly." John sighs. "It's times like this when I have to stop myself from asking God to just kill me now." He lightly taps the guitar case closed and hefts it up to his side. "Well, time to go fight Ba- HEY!"

John hops down from the guitar platform and lands right in front of Logan. "Hey! Buddy! Long time no see! Man, you've changed. AG now, huh? Me too! Totally! I'm a player, so I'm AG. Obviously." John stops himself for a moment, considering if he wants to keep going with this. He decides to change subjects. "Anyways, it's been a while, buddy. Last time you were here, I think got into a trombone duel with you. And I also shot you with some Megaman lemons, if I'm remembering correctly. Good times. But, I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm totally willing to let bygones be bygones, you know. I just have one request." He pauses, staring Logan straight in the eyes. "Give me one of your Time Machine Cars."

Before Logan can respond, John raises a single finger, the long chains handing from his wrists clanging as he does so. "I know, I know. You don't trust me. BUT, it's not like I'm the worst person to give a time machine to. What am I gonna do with it? Recreate Back to the Future. You know that's what I'll do. I'll film the whole thing, but I will take on my true role as the spiritual successor of Marty McFly. Come on, man. We both know I'm too stupid to do anything terrible. Look, I'll even get a license. I already bought my driver's, motorcycle's, pilot's, doctor's, voodoo magician's, and space eel wrangler's licenses online. How hard can one more be?" John stops himself again, thinking just a bit more. "You know what, I'll give you a turn to consider. But really, you can trust me. We're both AG's, after all. Unless you aren't." And with that remark, he gives Logan a pat on the back, before turning away from the Time Police Officer. As he begins walking off, John shouts over his shoulder, "I'm gonna go fight your boss now! Same side, remember?" And he keeps going before Logan can respond.

Action 2: John begins to approach Badam, but is stopped when he notices the three mooks guarding him. "Ipos? How do you say that? I pose? I paws? Ip ose? Ipo ss? I think it's 'I pose'. Or Eye pose? Or Eye prose? No. Or... EYE POKE!" As he says this, John pokes Ipos in the eye. "Ha!" He does a little dance in front of Ipos, taunting him, before walking right past. "And if you'll excuse me..."

Action 3: "Badam! Hey! How are you?" He offers grabs Badam's hand and messily shakes it about. "Man, I have no clue who you are or where you came from, but I'm a huge fan. Now, I'm here to cut you a deal. Why? Because chaos is all I know. So, I was vaguely listening... a few turns ago, and Adam has this nice Uranium Umbridge hilty-thing. He played it like a flute. Dude, I've always wanted a Uranium Flute. I got my hands on a Uranium Guitar once. That was back in my Elvis days. I mean fat Elvis days. And... well, I may or may not have blown up a city. Or two... Suffice to say, they didn't give that back to me. But a flute. That sounds cool. So, Badam, if you just give me that Hilt thing out of Adam's inventory, I'll become one of your minions and protect you or whatever. An amazing deal, right? For the price of one silly item you're not using, you get me!"

John slowly leans in toward Badam, his face darkening as he does. Shaking his head, John whispers, "Really, just give me the hilt. You don't want to mess with me, man. I'm that one neighbor in the next apartment over who plays their music too loud. I will ruin your night, my friend. Except, I'm worse, because when you tell me to turn my music down... I will. I'll turn it all the way down. Past zero. You won't hear my music anymore. You'll hear negative sound. It's a strange sensation. You feel it in every fiber of your body. Where sound makes your bones shake and quiver, gives you all those good vibes, negative sound- it's the opposite. You become still, motionless, unfeeling. Your ears, they feel the noise, but they don't know how to communicate it. Your mind is emptied, any emotions removed, and from it all, that ache of terror is all that lingers. And the pull. Yes. Where sound pushes you back, negative sound pulls you in. Instead of distorting the world around you, it makes everything seem so clear. But the only thing to feel is that dread. The anguish. It pulls you in, irresistible, and doesn't let you go.

"That, my friend is negative sound. Right now, I'm just a noise. A giggle that tweaks your ear. A pest. You give me that hilt, I stay that way. Just a bit of interference is all. But if you cross me, if you don't give me what I want, I turn myself down. I stop. And then... I turn it down to eleven. And before you know it, there's no escape. No. Escape." John pauses, his mouth still eerily close to Badam's ear. And then...

John pulls out an air horn, lets it scream in Badam's ear, and then sprays Badam's face with some silly string. He then runs off, laughing, leaping back onto his speaker platform as he pumps his fist in the air. "I'M BACK!"

((OOC: It's been awhile. If I'm doing this wrong, put all my oomph in the second action. The rest was just dialogue anyways. Regardless it's good to be back. Glad to see this game keep going.))
Welcome back, John!

P4 claps at your suggestion at forming a band, and immediately summons a drumset to begin practicing! You zoomie your way to Celestia, punching through the unshielded HMAS Freedom for 15,000 Damage on your way past.

"...Fine," Logan grumbles. "But I'm working with you, not for you. Remember that." As he reaches into his pockets, BADAM reaches out towards Logan with an arm covered in glowing toothed sigils. Red Time energy vents out of Logan, slowing him down.

As you make your way towards BADAM, you poke Ipos in the eyes, reducing their accuracy by 20%! Once you him however, BADAM doesn't even let you finish your sentences before grabbing your hand and channeling Indigo Flames down it.

"AND SO, WE HAVE A DEAL."

BADAM grins, handing you Uranium's Umbrage. "WELCOME TO THE CLUB! HERE'S YOUR MEMBERSHIP! HELP ME ROUGH UP YOUR FRIENDS A BIT, WILL YOU?"

Oh dear.
Smirk has a short Smirkogram conversation with the godmodder twiddling his thumbs at Moog Station, seeing how Smirk himself is a bit too preoccupied to join the fun against Tinia. Afterwards:


Smirk's local Smirkogram for the Neutral grounds remanifests. "Okay, both of you, unless those guys are part of the discussion, they are to stay outside the meeting room. Also, Abbadon, if your Ink Elemental friend is a member of the meeting, get him a bucket or something to stand on, I don't want him dripping on my floor more than necessary. Either that or have a mop clean up the trail as he goes, I just- I just made this floor today for crying out loud, I want it to stay clean at least until the end of the meeting. Also, if those summons aren't part of the discussion, I have reason to believe we have Mason forces incoming for less than peaceful reasons, so if you guys would have them form a defensive perimeter, and start putting down some force fields for me so I don't have to deal with unscheduled demolition happening here, I'd appreciate the help."

Having done this, Smirk looks over to his Mechamorph back inside the actual ship. "Well, guess now it's time to do some improvements, right Primus? You get on that, I'll go inform the people driving the other ships to not shoot us unless they have a phenomenally good reason for it. No, I'm going to make it clear that a death wish doesn't count, there'd be no point at that stage."
Smirk then makes a few hundred megaphones appear in the other two ships, and blare a message: "Attention all Masonites, or whatever you wish to be called. Adam Mason is currently very much in a state of having been corrupted by something I think is related to Tenet powers, and the ship that is currently being engulfed in a green and black techno looking pattern is being remodeled to actually function well. If you decide to fire on it, I will be forced to retaliate in kind, and I really would rather avoid bloodshed, so do everyone a favor, and just start mobilizing your ships to the nearest location where you can find some information on how to undo the corruption. You are of no use to him sitting here keeping up a blockade, and you are just as liable to get yourselves killed for the effort. I repeat, find the nearest place with any information about Tenet corruption and potential antidotes, and figure out how to undo this if we can't figure out a method, because you are no use here unless you already have that knowledge."

He then simply waits, prepared to set up a reflective forcefield around the ship if they do something stupid, which will simply bounce their attack back at them by a combination of elastic recoil and reflective coating. The Mechamorph begins to work on improving the ship, which involves the ship very suddenly losing a significant amount of volume the instant it passes over a segment. This will likely take several turns to complete however. If the shield doesn't need strengthening during the EOTB, Smirk charges.

Materializing a mop and bucket, the Fifth Praetor throws it into the Smirkogram, breaking up the connection.
"What was that? I can't hear you. Did you want someone to clean up after Effie here? Why don't you come here and do it yourself."

The HMAS Justice will reflect damage this round! Primus has begun upgrading the ship!

Catching the Orb of Delphi from Astrec's throw, Nerà upcasts a second level Magic Missile at the enemy forces. One dart for each of the four BADMANs should be enough to get a scan on them all.

Denak casts Armoire of Agathys on Labolas. The frozen hell's might encases Labolas in a closet of magical ice, trapping them within a nearly-invincible-yet-highly-immobile structure. Shattering the Armoire of Agathys will free Labolas, but also deal damage to the shatterer.
Auma casts Eyebite, choosing Fear. Twinned charms allows him to target Ipos and Leraje.
The Lesser Fire Elemental bodyguards the Greater Fire Elemental, who spends its turn consuming leftovers from our fabulous meal a few rounds ago. This heals the Greater Fire Elemental.
Nebelkind picks up a particularly sharp rock and, like one wielding the unlimited power of creation, skips it off of Badam's head. Violently.

Auma Gear invites Epic Wizard I to pair up in a way that makes the latter uncomfortable. Epic Wizard II flies towards Quirrun, pairing up with his Talos despite the pilot's protests. Epic Wizard III, having spent exactly 0 years living in the real world rather than within her cloister, is abashed as she flies up to Shadrix and requests to h- h- ho- hold han- No, she can't say it. But she pairs up with him.
The three Epic Wizards cast Antilife She'll over the Hierarch of Life.
Auma Gear proceeds to violently separate 'Hierarch' from 'Life'.
Quirrun's Talos fires a half hundred bolts of magical force from its hands, peppering the Hierarch of Life.
Acquiring the Delphi Orb, you attack the Four Demons with Magic Missile. They hit their mark on Ipos and Leraje and deal 3 damage to both, but wink out of existence before striking BADAM or Labolas, revealing that the two of them have a magical immunity-field around them. The scanning-power as a result goes into the other two demons.

Ipos. 90/90 Hp. +100% Dodge. +100% Accuracy.
ACTION: Count Ipos knows and can reveal all things, past, present and future.
Timelock: Alter any number of entities' accuracy or dodge by a total of 100%.
Tempus Fugit: Removes status effects from target. Causes Damage per turn effects to deal their damage all at once.
Summon: 36 Charges worth of entities.

Leraje. 90/90 Hp.
ACTION: Marquis Leraje causes great battles and disputes, and putrefies arrow-wounds.
Ties That Bind: Link entities together. When one Linked entity takes damage, so does the other.
Break the Chains: Entities under target's command act randomly for the round.
Apollyon From Afar: 25,000x8 Divine Force Damage. Ranged. Each strike removes 1,000 Armour, Armour cannot be lowered below 0.
Summon: 30 Charges worth of entities
PASSIVE:
Festering Desires: Instances of Ranged Damage can deal 20% of the original damage dealt for 5 rounds.
Deflection: Leraje can redirect ranged attacks used on them.

Your entities are ordered to act.

"...Parley?"

All of a sudden, Alan has no idea what he's doing.

He breathes in. It is not the perfectly measured inhalation of a moment ago. It is the deep breath of someone undergoing the very human experience of freaking out internally and trying not to freak out externally. He had been prepared to chase down the Godmodder, confront her forces in the midst of battle, and avenge his mentor's death. He had not been prepared to suddenly find her in front of his face on neutral ground.

"I, uh..."

Alan swallows. He blinks a stray fractal out of the corner of his eye. He has absolutely no idea why there's even a parley going or how to engage in any negotiations of the sort. And... wasn't the distortion he detected, the disturbance in the universe that he'd thought must have been work of the Godmodder's war... a little bit further away?

"I need to check something."

-----

Alan blinked the fractal back into his eye, and awkwardly stared out into the space over Alethea's shoulder. Whatever he'd seen... it was still happening? On Mount Celestia? Not just the damage done to the universe itself, but... a division of something that should have been indivisible. A revelation of a deeper truth of the universe. Something important was taking place. He starts to spin his staff in the air in precise motions, drawing arcs and fractals of white light around him, a beat of sweat rolling down his brow. The ground around him began to warp into cruder imitations of these same patterns, stretching and smoothing in concentric rings.

"As the world divides, new matter flows fills in the cracks. This is the order of the universe, let it be made manifest."

The light flickered and Alan nearly lost control over the spell as a wave of self-consciousness interrupted his concentration.

"Oh, uh... that wasn't addressed to you."

He struck his staff against the ground, and the light snapped into shape.

"By the principle of the abhorred vacuum and the principle of equivalent exchange, let me be taken to the source of this division. Khi an set anagien na kitha ka karusador."

The distorted ground crashed back into place all at once and the rings of fractals shattered. Space snapped into a new configuration with the sound of sine waves and tinkling crystal, and Alan was launched into the sky faster than he could blink.

-----

Somewhere on the bridge of the HMAS Justice, a glowing white streak shot past Smirk's vision.

-----

Alan dropped out of the sky and collapsed to the ground, decidedly off balance, and staggered to his feet.

Then he fell off the edge of the ground and onto another lower piece of ground, because he was not yet used to Mount Celestia's interesting geography, or the fact that somebody had gone and shuffled the layers.

Alan arrived just in time to hear Badam explain the rules of the game.

-----

...Is that Adam Mason? Ruler of Earth? But... yellow, and... what's that about highlighting statements? Do you just say them, or...

"Statement: Alan has no idea what is going on."

Alan's words turn red as they leave his mouth. Somehow.

Then they un-highlight as Alan starts to understand what's going on, thus rendering the statement false.

"Statement: The person highlighting these words is Adam Mason."

Red.

"Statement: The person highlighting these words is secretly three gerbils in a trench coat."

No highlight.

"Alright. Um. The people here are the Anti-Godmodders, right? I'll see what I can do to help out."

-----

Fairly taxed for the moment from the work of transporting himself, Alan tosses out a few simple attacks.

-----

Action 1: Alan drop-kicks Ipos off the edge of the 7th Layer.

-----

Action 2: Alan swings his staff up such that the butt of the staff is lined up with Leraje's head, then hits the top end with the heel of his fist, driving the base of the staff into a pressure point between Leraje's eyes.

-----

Action 3: Alan traces complicated ever-shifting fractal patterns in the air. He's not actually casting a spell, it's just supposed to give Labolas a headache.
After making your way to Celestia, you attack Bill's three demons! Leraje gets hit in the head for 5 damage, but it seems that Labolas processes the world differently, and is thus immune to optical trickery.

And then you try to dropkick Ipos off what's left of Chronias. Anticipating this, he grabs you by the feet as well. Together, you fall down the stairs of the city of Yetsirah on Jovar, the Sixth Layer. Ipos tumbles with you through a portal that sends you into the skies over a lake in Mertion, Fifth Layer of Celestia. You suddenly come to a stop before crashing into the lake, but then Ipos throws you in a way that your body skips across the surface of the lake before you come to a rest in the tall grass of the savanna that makes up the biome of most of the plane.

Ouche.

I have awakened a monster. Content in the raising of great chaos, 'I' commit loitering and wait around. We'll need some time to get a hand at things, and we need to verify some assumptions. I spend my action and bonus actions doing a whole bunch of scanning by means of divination-based automatic writing to just...write some things down that y'all can factcheck with Adam and Badam and Integer and whoever else is gonna run around verifying true truth proven by the red truth or whatnot. Support somebody else's scans and give them context they probably wouldn't have earlier, thanks based our singularity-powered psychological tango as to why and how these guys got picked. You know the deal better than I do, but not necessarily 'I', i, or eye.

"Summer faction's open for business if you guys wanna join, just saying."

bruh moment
You assist in Nerà's scan! It's been retroactively factored in.

Did anything happen at Neutral Ground this round? Not really.
...Oh! P4 did an umbrella routine. That's something.

As BADAM performs the finishing touches on his control over John, he picks up the Singing Sword. "FINDER'S KEEPERS!"
Leraje uses Break the Chains, cutting off JOE's orders to his drones in the field. Someone else should probably start ordering the unclaimed entities on the field, fast. Finally, Labolas decides to play it safe and summons a Retriever, which it sets upon DefJO.

Denak successfully imprisons Labolas in ice, giving them temporary SHP, but also stunning them for next round! Attacks on the SHP that don't deplete it fully will deal damage back! With Ipos out of his line of sight, Auma casts Eyebite on Leraje and also somehow the Retriever, which should otherwise be a mechanical being without a mind to affect. Regardless of how reality-breaking that is, they won't be attacking any members of the IA anymore. The Greater Fire Elemental scrounges on scraps of the dinner just moments prior, healing up 80,000 Hp. The Carrier fires two missiles each at Leraje and Labolas. The former deflects and throws the missiles back, dealing 121,000 Damage, destroying 2,000 armour and causing the ship to start burning for 24,000 damage each round. The latter eats 30 damage. This summons more Fire Eidolons. The Clockwork Armillary uses Blast on the Retriever, dealing 40,000 Fire damage and summoning a Fire Eidolon as well. Momur throws a rock at BADAM, which BADAM catches and throws back. They start playing a game against each other. The Lesser Fire Eidolon bodyguards the original larger one. JOE's Drones go into chaos. One of them charges Leraje, dealing 2 damage. Three others break each other down for parts to repair the Carrier, dealing 12,000 Damage to other drones, but healing the Carrier for a total of 54,000 Hp. The rest don't do anything. Meanwhile in the chaos, DefJO kills the Distortion Elemental, leaves to Mertion, picks Alan up from off the ground, and then kicks up a windstorm that batters Ipos around, dealing 12 damage to them.

Within the Olympus Antechamber, a hearth flickers and leaps to life, becoming a portal to the Plane of Fire. From the flames emerge three wheels of burning metal, which wait to enter.
The Third gives his partner a look of concern. "The Ixion Triskhelion?"
"They burn for revenge."
The Third sighs. "There goes my bow..."
The Second Praetor takes the hands of the Hierarch of Doom.

Removing the Power Stone from the back of his Palm, P3 raises it before his face and begins to speak. If you didn't know who he was, you could almost mistake him for a wizard pondering a new Microrb. "Hello, Nihil Magna!"
Pulsing to the tune of his message, the Power Stone projects psionic energy, broadcasting it across the entire Void.
"The day has come for our great Disco Party! Want to see the end of the Pantheon? Join the liberation of Paradox Space with us! There will be food, drink, dance, conversation! If you want to meet the Praetors face to face, today's your day! Follow the Beacon! ABeaconvisiblefromoutsidewillbeprojectedattheendofthisbroadcastTojointheNewPleromaDiscoDancePartystepintoaneidokineticflamewiththeBeaconinyourmindandyouwillbetransportedtothePantheonPleromaisnotliableforanyinjuriesorpossibledeathresultingfromimproperuseoffireortheactionoftheremaininggodsofthePantheonFormoredetailsbeacon coming now, you wont miss it-"
Raising the Power Stone into the air, a massive beam erupts upwards. The Power Stone floats out of the Third Praetor's hands, levitating high above and scattering multicoloured light across the floor of Olympus Central Court. As it vibrates, otherworldly music reverberates through the incredible acoustics of the chamber. With that done, he grabs the Hierarch of Light's hand, squeezing it firmly. "Let's dance. J̨̛͍̹̞̻̱̭̖̀͡o̵̗̰̺͙͠s͎̭̞̦̝̼͉͓͈̱̣̝͚̳̀͜h̛̠̲̥̗̗͉̟̤̬̪̥͍̮̤̲͞ṳ̡̢͚̘̘̮͕͕̼͔̘͈͞ͅa̕͏̵̡̰͔͍̞̗͉͕͕͓͚͔̣̦̗̭ͅ. Katsu."

A silver light shines from Harkener's cloak, which he projects onto the Hierarch of Void, who was preparing to sneak up on him. He then takes the hands of the Hierarch of Breath.


Auma Gear pairs up with Epic Wizard I, Lance. Epic Wizard II, Matt pairs with Quirrun's Talos, and by extension Quirrun himself. Epic Wizard III, Natalie pairs with Shadrix. The Epic Wizards summon Antilife Shells, which in this instance take the form of Heikegani: Voidstone-shelled crabs armed with swords. Since they haven't paired up, they've been wisely summoned into the Antechamber for now. Auma Gear Reverse-defibrillates, refibrillates the Hierarch of Life by coursing a necrotic energy through them. However, the Hierarch adapts to this ability, taking a reduced 24 damage as a result. Quirrun's Talos follows up with 50 Magic Missiles, which the Hierarch also adapts to, taking a reduced 21 Damage.

And now, the Pantheon acts.

"FOR THE DRAGOONS!" From across the room, The Hierarch of Blood flies across the room towards the Third Praetorian with a spear and stabs him straight through the chest. Without breaking his gaze on the Hierarch of Light, P3 directs the nanites in his armour to flow up the shaft of the Hierarch of Blood's spear and their arms. His armour then forms a set of bladed tendrils that cut off the Hierarch's arms, and with an reddish, demonic glow, his nanites consume them along with the spear they were holding.
As a wind begins to pick up around P3, it carries his words to the retreating Hierarch of Blood, divine power already regenerating their arms.
"Leave us." 5 Counterdamage to the Hierarch of Blood.
The ind continues to blow, scattering thick clouds of ash. Somehow slipping a hand free from Harkener, the Hierarch of Breath unsheathes a katana from her broom with a grin. "Come closer."
The blade seems to be the source of the vortex, pulling everything towards it. +80% Accuracy to the Hierarch of Breath.
The Hierarch of Mind goes up to Quirrun's Talos, clicks his boots together and cuts into it with a pair of electrified high-frequency blades that extend from the soles. The current interferes with the Talos' subsystems, causing it to lose 10% Dodge. This also summons a pair of Electricity Eidolons, courtesy of Tinia.
The Hierarch of Hope silently attacks the Second Praetorian, prying off a piece of their armour and wearing it for himself. The sheer audacity takes them aback.
The Hierarch of Heart scans P3, and- nope, she fails to get anything whatsoever. As she peers into Harkener, she finds nothing as well. Finally, she peers into the being of P2, and utters a single word.
"Iblis."
The Hierarch of Time decides on an attack plan for next round, and accelerates the Heirarch of Life, increasing their Dodge and Accuracy!
The Hierarch of Void remains frozen for this round, unable to do anything.
The Hierarch of Rage suddenly disappears, only to reappear behind Quirrun's Talos. Unleashing a flurry of blows, he chips off its armour, dealing 40 Damage.
"「ANOTHER THING COMING」!" Suddenly, a humanoid figure resembling a mechanical bird takes the place of the Hierarch of Light in P3's grip. Using a powerful set of legs, it kicks him in the face, causing an explosion that renders him Vulnerable. While he's busy grappling his Stand, Light attacks him with Electricity-infused Punches, to no effect.
P3 lets out a long, drawn-out breath. "This armour, this metal was built to exact our vengaence on you.「300 MEGABYTES」. "
...What appears to be a USB stick appears in P3's hands, which he stabs into「ANOTHER THING COMING」. Immediately, the Hierarch of Light doubles over in pain, frothing at the mouth.
"Heir of Light. He who comes into information.「300 MEGABYTES」can hold and transfer 300 Megabytes at a time, give it to whoever it touches. Do you remember these memories? This is just a fraction, but it's enough. While「ANOTHER THING COMING」can delay your death, this will be more than you can recover from before you run out of breath."
The Hierarch of Doom causes the Second Praetor's armour to explode. Picking up The Axe from the wreckage, he wrests control of the Flame Eidolons in his immediate presence and renders P2 vulnerable.
The Hierarch of Space redshifts the Hierarch of Life, giving them breathing room to regenerate 15 Hp and for their resistances to damage types become immunities.

Before Tinia acts, the Hierarchs now scramble to find appropriate partners. Blood pairs with Mind using newly-regenerated arms, Hope pairs with the frozen Void, Heart pairs with Rage, Time pairs with Life, and Space pairs with Tinia.

Tinia is satisfied. Splitting the Wand into a pair of makeshift knuckledusters, he grows to the size of the Talos and punches it's central reactor. This deals 60 damage and cuts it's regeneration in half. As the field readjusts the polarity of everyone present, Tinia pairs up with the Talos roughly, his hands seeking to pull out the Soul Sword containing Quirrun...

Also, the Epic Wizards find their Invincibility has now out. Yeah, the duration has ended now.

Meanwhile, at the Firnimloth window, a pair of massive red mechanical hands flying at an incredible speed stop in front of the HMAS Justice. As they make a fanning motion, the ethereal image of a young man with black hair and glasses comes into view.

"Okay. Testing... Excellent. My name is Xavier Elem. Since Adam is currently... incapacitated, command falls to me. While I could activate the Justice's self destruct system, I've made the decision to do some quid pro quo, so to speak. What you see here are the Hands of Time. They've been charged with the power of Adam himself. I'd like to see them tested in the field. If you show me what you can do against them. What do you say? It's your move."

The Hands of Time, and by extension Xavier await Smirk's response.

Back at Celestia, Ipos begins to accelerate the flow of time in Mertion. Grass grows, dies, decays, then grows again in cycles. A fire begins to start on the layer, spreading rapidly until it stretches as far as the eye can see. The flames bind themselves to gemstones within the rich earth of the plane, forming a Head of Kalagni. Gazing into the flames, you see images of people across the Void preparing to go to Olympus. Piono, armed with what appears to be a three-headed hammer. The Raven Queen, accompanied by a Wanderer, sword hidden beneath his cloak. A young woman with twintails and a pair of katanas, aboard a gaudy golde-STOP.

WHO WAS THERE JUST NOW?
THAT.
THAT WAS HELA AND ETZEL.


Badam seems to be worried.

WELL DONE, SHERLOCK.

Itinerary:
Stop Alethea!
...Stop The Invasion?:
Kill Harkener.
  1. ???
Foundation + CakeQuest:
  1. ???
Rebuild a Broken God?
  1. Charge Needed: 16/150!
Current Godmodder Hp: 48
Laboratory Link: Available for all! Need to figure stuff out actually

The Void: Neutral Ground.
FIELD EFFECT: Sancturary: Nobody may attack any other.

[GM] The Godmodder. 48/80 Hp.
[PG] The Fourth Praetorian. 90/90 Hp.
[PG] The Fifth Praetorian. 85/85 Hp. [A] The Rod. Absolute Control over Oblivion.
[PG][BOSS] ??. ???/??? Hp.

[AG-Xorm] Sliver. 5,000/5,000 Hp. +1,000 Attack to all other Slivers.

[AG] PoeSalazar. 21/25 Charge.
[AG] Xorm. 21/25 Charge.

Moog Station: Streets.

[???] Piono. 30/30 Hp. [A] The Hammer. [A] The Trident. [A] Ultimatum. [A] Archangel.
[???] Crowd. 1/1 Hp. x100.


Advantage: [Contested]
Mount Celestia.
Forge: [Base: Bun-Sized Necklace][Lens: Bun][Connector: Emergency Healer][Variety: Swissarmyknifemodder][Magnitude: Stationary Nuke] Actions Required: 0/10.

AG Morale: 69%
Blocks: Time, Temperature!

Elevation 7:

[???][BOSS] BUILDER·BADAM. 90/90 Hp. +100% Accuracy/Dodge. Deflects Projectiles. [A] Singing Sword. Durability: 2.
[???][ELITE] Leraje. 80/90 Hp. Deflects Projectiles. Afraid of IA!
[???][ELITE] Labolas. 60/90 Hp. Immune to Magic. Stunned! Armoire of Agathys: +50,000 SHP. 50,000 Ice Counter-Damage!


[???] John. 20/25 Charge. [A] Uranium's Umbrage.
[???] Retriever. 125,000/150,000 Hp. 15,000 Regen. Target: DefJO. Afraid of IA!

[IA] Abjurer Supreme: Denak. ??/?? Hp. Magically Invulnerable. 50% Spell resistance. Arcane Ward: 20/20 Hp. Regenerates 1d6+2 HP when Denak casts an Abjuration spell.
[IA] Enchanter Supreme: Auma Prime. 25/25 HP. Twinned Charms! Auma's Axiom: 1/2. Instinctive Enchantment: 30% Dodge. [A] Hydra Medallion. x2.
[IA] Lesser Fire Eidolon. 15,000/15,000 Hp. Bodyguarding Greater Flame Eidolon!
[IA] Greater Fire Eidolon. 100,000/120,000 Hp.
[AG][ELITE] Carrier. 173,000/300,000 Hp. 13,000 Armour. Flying! Burning: 24,000 DoT!
[AG] Astrec. 363 Charge. Vulnerable!
[A] The Godarm. Oblivion Buster: 2/2.
[A] Hand of Judgement. BODY: [IIIIII]. MIND: [IIIIII]. SOUL: [IIIIII].

[A] Thistle of Zillywich. +60,000 Power. Durability: 1.
[A] Swissarmyknifemodder. Attack Power: 30,000.
[A] Hydra Medallion.

[AG-Astrec] Clockwork Armillary. 25/25 Hp. 3 AC. 5 Regen. Blast: 1/2. Dispel: 3/3. Flying!
[IA][ELITE] Cloud Giant General Nebelkind Momur. 30/30 Hp. Flying!
[PT] Drone. 60,000/60,000 Hp. x10
[PT] Drone. 48,000/60,000 Hp. x3
[AG] Logan. 40/40 Hp. Temper: 3/6.
[???] Distortion Elemental. ??/?? Hp.
[IA] Fire Eidolon. 60,000/60,000 Hp.
[IA] Fire Eidolon. 61,000/61,000 Hp.
[IA] Fire Eidolon. 75,000/75,000 Hp. x2.
[IA] Fire Eidolon. 40,000/40,000 Hp.
[Summer] Nedben. 2/25 Charge.
[AG] Lusiix. 25/25 Charge.
[AG] Sky High. 11/25 Charge.
[AG] Jaggerain. 25/25 Charge.
[AG] Nerà. 9/25 Charge. [A] Ebony Staff: Active! [A] Orb of Delphi. Passively Scans on Attack.
[AG] Karpinsky. 9/25 Charge.
[AG] Argent. 22/25 Charge.


Firnimloth Window
Adam Approaching in: Now.

[IA][BOSS] Firnimloth Window. 1,350,000 Integrity. Wooden Shell: 300,000 Hp.

[MSN][ELITE] HMAS Peace. 400,000/400,000 Hp. 100,000 Shp.
[MSN][ELITE] HMAS Freedom. 325,000/400,000 Hp. 0 Shp(Disabled!).
[MSN][ELITE] HMAS Security. 400,000/400,000 Hp. 100,000 Shp.


[MSN] Hands of Time. 120,000/120,000 Hp. 30% Dodge/Accuracy. x2. Commanded by Xavier!

[AG-Smirk][ELITE] HMAS Justice. 400,000/400,000 Hp. 100,000 Shp.
[AG-Smirk] Mechamorph. 150,000/150,000 Hp. Interceptor-Shell Armour: 15,000. Power Armor: +60,000 Attack to Smirk!

[AG] Smirk. 4/25 Charge. Metal Staff!

Mertion, 5th Layer

[???][ELITE] Ipos. 75/90 Hp. +80% Accuracy. +100% Dodge.

[???] Kalagni. 180,000/180,000 Hp. +100% Dodge.

[???] DefJO??? ??/?? Hp. Wings: ??/?? Hp. x6!

[AG] Alan. 6/25 Charge. [A] Staff of Symmetry. Order Damage affects twice as many Entities! Charges: 4/4.

Olympus Antechamber
[N] Ixion Helion. 90,000/90,000 Hp. x2 Positive!
[N] Ixion Helion. 90,000/90,000 Hp. Negative!
[IA] Heikegani. 50,000/50,000 Hp. 5,000 Armour. Current Target: [Hierarch of Life]. x2 Negative!
[IA] Heikegani. 50,000/50,000 Hp. 5,000 Armour. Current Target: [Hierarch of Life]. Positive!

Olympus Central Court
Field Effect: Polarity. All entities are either Positive or Negative!
Weather Effect: Power Stone! One entity acquires the energies of the Power Stone. Current Entity: Matt.

[PG] The Second Praetorian. 80/80 Charge. 32 Armor. Opponent: []. Vulnerable! Negative!
[PG] The Third Praetorian. 33/70 Charge. 5 Ac. 50% Dodge. Vulnerable!「300 MEGABYTES」: 1 Round left! Negative!
[PG] Harkener, The Newcomer. 17/40 Charge. Petrify: 1/6. Positive!!

[IA][ELITE] Auma Gear. 800,000/800,000 Hp. 10,000 AC. Immune to Magic! [A] Necklace of Auma. Supplies Spells. Worn! [A] Rosary of the Infinite Eye. Positive!
[IA][BOSS] Talos of Nerà. 70/160 Hp. 6 Ar
mour. 10 Regen. Negative! -15% Dodge.
[IA] Epic Wizard Lance. 25/25 Hp. Positive!
[IA] Epic Wizard Matt. 25/25 Hp. Positive!
[IA] Epic Wizard Natalie. 25/25 Hp. Positive!

[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Blood. 50/55 Hp. Negative!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Breath. 55/55 Hp. +80% Accuracy! Positive!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Mind. 55/55 Hp. Positive!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Hope. 45/45 Hp. 32 Armour. Negative!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Heart. 45/45 Hp. Negative!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Time. 45/45 Hp. Negative!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Void. 40/40 Hp. Positive!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Rage. 40/40 Hp. Positive!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Light. -30/40 Hp. Positive!「ANOTHER THING COMING」: 3 Rounds Left!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Doom. 50/50 Hp. Negative! [A] The Axe. Absolute control over Fire. Can Burn targets. Holding Gloria Phi-Nerà Elsewhere. Positive!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Space. 50/50 Hp. Negative!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Life. 5/50 Hp. Immune to: Force, Death Damage! Positive! +50% Dodge.

[N] Electricity Eidolon. 80,000/5,000 Hp. x2.
[N][BOSS] Tinia. 150/150 Hp. Aegis: [12/12, Active! 60 Regen]. [A] The Wand. Controls Electricity. Positive!

[AG] Shadrix. 22/25 Charge. Negative!
 
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Astrec shakes his head, remaining silent for the moment. So much is happening. Trying to focus once more, cyan flames swirl around his arms, before shooting out and forming into a set of seven chains. Each chain shoots straight for Adam, wrapping around any part of the Demigod that they can ensnare.

If any chain makes contact, then Astrex flexes his hand again, channeling UNLIMITED POWER to immediately unleash a bevy of spells at the chain, which then aborbs and redirects them straight into Adam himself. Any attack that hits is mimicked and reflected across Adam's body, hopefully giving Astrec room to breath for a moment
 
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[Mount Celestia]
[1] Immune to Magic, huh? Fine. Nerà casts Telekinesis on the air around Labolas, indirectly shoving them into the Armoire without Magic-ing them directly. Meanwhile, as far as I'm aware Labolas isn't immune to the Ice damage they incur from bumping into the Armoire.

[2] Nerà, infamously fair sport, interrupts BADAM's sportsball game with Momur by casting Faerie Fire on his eyes, reducing his visibility and dodge as well as allowing Momur the opportunity to dunk on him.

[3] Swinging the Ebony Scythe in a large arc, Nerà hits a nearby piece of glass at a perfect frequency. One so perfect that the Singing Sword cannot help but join in on the tune.
Unfortunately for the sword and its wielder, the tune was the verbal component for a Shatter spell, and after a couple of seconds the shard of glass explodes violently. In BADAM's hands, the Singing Sword does the same to his detriment.

Denak spots something in the dirt. Ah, of course, another letter. Reading it briefly, Denak decides to leave the battlefield to return to the Imperial Arcanocracy's capital to prepare for something coming. Mechanically, it's because I want to recycle his CP value for something cooler but flavorewise lets say its those damned Reds.
Auma Prime casts Command on the LERAJE and Retriever, ordering them to Flee. Given that they're already afraid of him they are likely to take that Command and, heh, run with it.
Oh my god I just realized. Momur. Is a Cloud Giant playing catch with a large boulder. The Big Man. HASS. THE ROCK.
Momur comes on and- through the power of memes- slams BADAM into space jam.
Look, he's from space right? It counts as space jam. Come on.
The Fire Eidolons fuse again, because I am a merciful player who doesn't like torturing the GM with needless complexity.

[Mount Olympus]
The three anti-life Craburai pair up with the three Epic Wizards. Quirrun pairs up with Auma.
Natalie pulls out a Sonic Wand and casts Reverse Polarity on herself in order to properly pair up with the Positive! Craburai.
The three Craburai restrain the Hierarch of Life, ensuring their inability to dodge what's coming.
Lance floats down to the restrained Hierarch of Life. Channeling an actor he doesn't know from a movie he's never seen, Lance speaks to the Hierarch in a pitch-perfect Sebastian Shaw voice. "Adapt to this." With the glowing energy bead of a Delayed Blast Nuclearball in hand, Lance flies the 'airplane' into the 'airport,' and in a few short seconds the Hierarch begins exploding in a conflagration of internal inconsistency, dated movie tropes and sheer disrespect to an adaptation's source material.
And on the topic of channeling external media sources, Matt has the Power Stone. And I know you're the right age to have played Wii Sports Boxing before, DCCCV.
Matt casts Bigby's F*ckoff Fists of Fury through the Power Stone. You know the call to make here.
Aumagear Cha Cha Slides in between the enemies and Quirrun's Talos. His natural Charm is magnified through the Rosary of Infinite Eyes. There are just too many Doe Eyes fluttering cutely at the opposition for them to even think about harming the two cute-aura'd mechas trampling their side.
Quirrun's mind reels from the Psychic Damage running through and ruining his connection to the Ninth Talos. Recognizing, in a moment of clear thought in between bursts of turmoil, that he is losing this fight he shouts to P2. "Azer! We- I- I cannot keep- fighting like thi- AAAAAAAAGH," He screams. After a moment he manages to subdue the system shock and continue speaking with minimal interruption. "My Sister, Gloria! Re- hn- return her to me. Together we can- can handle this better."
In spite of his extreme vulnerability currently Quirrun aims an arm at the Hierarch of Mind and unloads several dozen rods worth of Feeblemind, which I'd imagine must function as a regular Ray of Enfeeblement to a being of mind. Or something.
 
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Xorm remembers to hold his place this time, although he's eying that 20 charge of his greedily.

Is he even allowed to spend all that in one place?
 
I dance the dance that begins the creation of a new world. Consequences are not immediate, but long down the road.
 
Alan's bounces across the surface of the lake, flailing his limbs wildly, then slightly less wildly, then in a pattern that an untrained observer could maybe even mistake for controlled. His last half dozen or so skips are perfectly spaced and leave single circular patterns of ripples as he begins to gain control over his flight, just in time for him to start hitting grass and dirt instead of water and tumble head over heels once more before finally skidding to a stop.

Alan tries to stand up, regrets it, and just lies there for a solid couple minutes minutes doing nothing but breathing and mentally assessing his probable injuries. His second attempt to stand up is somewhat more successful, and after methodically stretching out every part of his body, he sets out to climb back up Mount Celestia.

"Adam, if you can hear me from all the way over here, please confirm: Ipos is a complete gorilla."

Alan enables snap to grid on his feet and runs across the plane which the surface of the lake of Mertion would occupy were it perfectly still and inviolate. Even still, it takes him another couple minutes to cross the entire lake to where Ipos is, but by the time he's closed the distance, he's had time to think over the results of the scan and to begin to formulate a plan of attack.

First, though, he has a few questions about what he's seen in the flames, and about Badam's words.

"Adam, please highlight all of the following true statements:
- Piono is Hela.
- Piono is Etzel.
- The Raven Queen is Hela.
- The Raven Queen is Etzel.
- The woman with twintails is Hela.
- The woman with twintails is Etzel.
- The words "THAT WAS HELA AND ETZEL" were not in reference to those visions at all and I'm barking up the wrong tree.
- The visions were stopped because Badam didn't want us to see what would appear next.
- The visions were stopped because the person operating the update terminal didn't want us to see what would appear next.
- The visions displayed were of the future.
- The visions displayed were of events presently transpiring.
- The visions displayed were of the past.
I don't expect many of these to be true, of course, but I'm covering all my bases here."

Alan then starts drawing an incredibly complicated geometric pattern in the air, a sigil that his master taught him that it took him days of rigorous training to memorize. He stops after the first stroke, though, and immediately makes the first stroke of a different pattern of comparable complexity. Then another one, a simple circle that could be the center or outer border of any number of glyphs, changing his mind as fast as possible as to which one it could potentially be.

If Ipos knows all things, past, present and future, then he knows each of these patterns even better than Adam does. He can quite possibly see the complete history of Alan's own learning of them stretching out behind them and the effects they will bring to bear if completed stretching forward into the future. But that would, of course, require him to think about them. And while his knowledge may seem limitless, his focus is not. Alan sketches these aborted patterns haphazardly, not bothering to wrack his brain for the dozens of steps that come after the opening, because he has no intent to complete them at all. He's simply banking on Ipos getting too caught up perceiving the full extent and potential effects of each one to pay attention to the battle at hand.

Alan strikes the surface of the lake with the base of his staff, and a square wave ripples outward, leaving the water flat and scored with grid lines. Some squares are turbulent, but most are flat. With X for turbulence, O for still water, and a wider grid of stillness beyond, the pattern is as follows:
O X X
X X O
O X O
But it does not stay in this shape for long. It begins to evolve, according to the rules of Conway's Game of Life, water dying down and springing up in complex emergent behavior far outstripping its initial complexity. Alan needs only to see the initial pattern and start it in motion. Ipos has no choice but to perceive its full extent or to decline to bring his precognition to bear on Alan's actions.

At that point, Alan dispenses with the distractions, snaps Ipos and Kalagni to the grid to briefly nullify their dodge, and unleashes a flurry of blows to their pressure points. (Or wherever they look like they might have them, as he never learned demonic anatomy.) He finishes the attack by dispelling all of his active Order eidokinesis and letting the suppressed entropy flow back into the space. Ipos is sent skipping across the lake himself as the knockback from Alan's blows takes effect all at once, while Kalagni's flames are quenched by the force of every stilled wave breaking all at once in an explosion of water.

This expends a charge from the Staff of Symmetry to make this full-post attack strike both targets.
 
As John observes Uranium's Umbridge in his hand, he is struck momentarily speechless. His open hand rubs at his other forearm as the purple flames fade, leaving a faint burn mark. He tilts his head from side to side, thinking as his tongue tries to lick every corner of his mouth. After a moment, John grunts. "Yeah... should have expected that. Make a deal with just about every side on the field... That could have gone worse."

John turns to Badam. He slips Uranium's Umbridge into his pocket and replaces it with the can of silly string. "Well, Badam, I guess I won't detonate this silly string on you." John flips the can in the air, catching it, before tossing it over his shoulder. The can dances through the air, pirouetting with grace as it collides with the cratered grounds of Mount Celestia, landing just a few feet from Logan. Then, it explodes in a psychedelic puff of orange. A short bang. Tiny shockwave. Doesn't even hit Logan. Just startles him a bit. As the explosion ends, John turns his head and shouts over his shoulder, "No offense, Logan good buddy, but I'm not wasting any action potential on that!"

As Logan cusses at John behind his back, John smiles at Badam. "Well, a deal's a deal then, Badam. Of course, none of these people are really my friends. P4 is off in the Neutral Ground. And Harkner- Ace of Spades- whatever- is off hunting Gods. I never personally connected with any of the other AG's here. Honestly, Badam, since you gave me this lovely toy, I think you're my best friend here in Celestia!" A devious grin crosses John's face as he twiddles with the useless hilt in his pocket. He then waves a dismissive hand at Badam. "Don't worry. I get your meaning. Makes me wish I'd asked for the shieldy thing. Oh well. I'll go screw with the AG's. Sounds like a blast, anyways. Really Badam, I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship." He pats Badam on the shoulder, before leaping into the air, landing on his speaker platform, and going off to...

FOCUS Action (there's a short summary at the bottom for anyone too busy to read): "Smooth transitions. Always the best." John's gaze glides across the forces assembled on Mount Celestia. "Let's see. I'm still waiting on those car keys from Logan, so not him. Nedben... eh. He's not AG, and if I try to attack him, he'll probably translocate my face to my kneecaps or something. Don't want to deal with that. And Nera has the whole army of wizards or whatever. Probably best to avoid him... ASTREC IT IS!"

John kicks open his guitar case, and a microphone comes flying out, cord and all. John catches it with great gusto as he stomps on his speaker. It begins to blare a thumpy beat, and John sways his had back and forward as the music begins. After about fifteen seconds, John points straight at Badam and starts to sing.

"We get some rules to follow.
"That and this, these and those."
John shrugs to Badam. "No one knows."

John bounces to the beat for a few more moments. He continues to sing, as tongues of purple flames begin to flick out of his mouth.
"We get these pills to swallow,
"How they stick, in your throat?"
John's teeth shine. "Tastes like gold."
He points to Badam once more.
"Oh what you do to me.
"No one knows."

John slips Uranium's Umbridge out of his pocket and stares down at it as he sings,
"And I realize you're mine.
"Indeed a fool am I.
"And I realize you're mine.
"Indeed a fool am I."

John grooves a bit more, walking in place as he nods to the tune. When he starts singing again, yellow wisps curl from his breath.
"I journey through the desert.
"Of the mind with no hope."
He faces the sky and calls, "I follow."

He slowly continues to sway back and forward, as cyan light glows from his chest.
"I drift along the ocean.
"Dead lifeboats in the sun.
"And come undone."

John's face begins crumbling to dust, and he cries,
"Pleasantly caving in.
"I come undone."

Like a gentle breeze, John's body dissolves, his form breaking up into pink particles of dust. The song continues as he disappears, his voice still singing,
"And I realize you're mine.
"Indeed a fool am I.
"And I realize you're mine.
"Indeed a fool am I."

As the song approaches its final stanza, @FlamingFlapjacks, Astrec hears John's voice echo around him. The tone is soft and faint, but strange in nature, like the crackle of static over the radio. As Astrec looks around, attempting to find the music's source, it dawns to him that the music is not coming from the surface world. It is coming from below.

"Heaven smiles above me.
"What a gift here below.
"But no one knows."

Suddenly, John seems to rotate from beneath the ground, twisting on his side as he stands behind Astrec.

"The gift that you give to me.
"No one knows."

The song ends with five chords, each punctuating Astrec's mind as he sees John grab the sides of his head, viewing it from a different angle with every repetition. Astrec begins to feel out of place, as though his body is not physically his own. He hardly feels John's hands cupping his ears, as his vision shrinks to darkness returning in...

"the desert."

Astrec's vision clears. He finds himself in a plain of dunes, sand blasting across his face. In the distance, blue skies glide past the peaks of sandstone pyramids, dull yellow shadows behind the sunbaked ground. Above, he sees the Sun, trailed by a beetle that seems to push it across the sky. The scarab's shell is a brilliant gold, with green gems glittering on its wings. Its legs push slowly against the clouds, suffering for every inch in the thick desert air. Behind the beetle, the head of a snake peeps out from beneath the dunes, a massive skull encased in total darkness. Its sharp fangs spread across its enormous maw, elongating as they spread, slowly reaching the diameter of the sun.

John stands about ten paces away from Astrec, his microphone still in hand. Small statuettes of stone queens float around his head, each one with a different instrument in hand. "Hey buddy!" John calls, waving. "Sorry for all the theatrics back there. The real fight starts here." John clicks a button on his microphone, and a long sword blade extends from the head of the mic. John laughs, pointing at his blade. "This is my blade, Ripoff. I bought this one at a dollar store. You'd surprise how many types of these they make." He gives Astrec a goofy smile, before charging the opposing Descendant, blinking forward faster than Astrec can see. Ripoff clangs heavily against Astrec, who parries with... the Thistle-y thingy. That's a sword, right? Sure! Regardless, the two weapons meet for a moment, each one biting into the other as the two struggle to overpower one another. This of course seems to be a winning battle for Astrec, until John deliberately rolls two words off his tongue.

"I follow."

As the word ends, John breaks away from the clash, before reengaging with a flurry of blows. His blade sings against Astrec's counters, pushing him back in the blowing sand. As Astrec tries to counter or strike at John, the stone statues orbiting his head break in, blocking the blows with their immutable forms. So John continues to attack, striking his foe with reckless blows, trying to make him lose his footing. But at each step, a yellow path glows beneath Astrec, forming a spectral line between the two combatants. The path follows Astrec regardless of where he steps, bending to meet his every need.

Still, John strikes, wearing both himself and his enemy down as he does. The duel stretches on through the day, as the snake continues to approach the large beetle in the sky. The two fighters hardly notice the passage of time, even as neck of the snake begins to bury the horizon in darkness. Slowly, its head begins to engulf the beetle's wings, nearing the scarab's ornate shell.

For a moment, John huffs, stepping back from the fight and holding Ripoff at his side. He points up at the two creatures in the sky, and tells Astrec two more words. "No hope." In an instant, another microphone slips into his empty hand. He taps a button on it, and another blade extends outward. "I told you, I bought the first one at the dollar store." He smiles, as bladed microphones appear in the hands of the statues around him. "I might have grabbed more than a few."

Laughing at himself, the four statues begin to spin around John as he does the same. He holds his blades out wide as he twirls, moving toward Astrec with his swinging blows. Sand begins to get kicked up from his movements, forming a miniature twister around him. His blades begin to clink against Astrec's, overwhelming Astrec as he attempts to counter. Astrec's blades manage to sneak past John's literal storm of swords, but they can't seem to connect with his opponent. In the shadows of the serpent, it seems as though John had disappeared entirely from his storm, leaving only the blades and sand that spun about him. But, as Astrec begins to push back against the sandstorm, a roar echoes from the Heavens. Above, the snake's mouth encircles the sun, clamping down with a bone-shattering crunch. The sandstorm of swords dissolves in front of Astrec, and the world is enveloped in total darkness. That is, of course, except for the yellow path at Astrec's feet, which seems to flow ever onward, even as Astrec stands stationary on its surface.

For a few moments, Astrec is left in the darkness alone, the path weaving beneath his feet as it travels across countless distances. But as it moves, it slowly changes colors, bleeding from gaudy gold to a morbid cyan. Soon, the path is entirely cyan, and Astrec feels his feet sink into-

"the ocean."

Astrec slides into the ankle-deep waters around him, his feet being soaked by the black sea. Under the dark sky above, the path fades, being replaced by solitary flames that glide over thin wooden outcroppings in the water. The sparse sparks flutter about the waters, as something hisses below. But before Astrec can worry about that, John is back, the four statues still floating around his head. "Hope you enjoyed the break! Feeling ready to kill me yet?" John gives Astrec a winning smile, as he begins to walk backward in the dark tide, moving away from Astrec. "You want out?" he taunts. "You have to catch me!" He continues to walk casually backwards, waiting for Astrec to strike. However, as Astrec makes his move, John waves a hand off to the-

"dead lifeboats in the sun."

The fires fly from the ruined planks, seeking out Astrec like bats thirsty for blood. The flames singe him with their cyan teeth, blazing across his skin with soulful fury. They twist about his body, surrounding him in their alien heat. John smiles as he watches the cyan fires consume his foe, the statues floating with purpose about John, ready to defend from Astrec's strikes. "Yeah, Badam inspired me with this one. I feel bad for stealing Joey-boy's color, but it was inevitable. At first, I was gonna kick some water at you and try to box with you, Astrec good buddy, but being incorporeal and whatevs made me want to skip to the fun part."

John laughs, raising a single hand, and releasing a single snap. "Pleasantly caving in," he chuckles. "I come undone." The sky rumbles around them, as the water bounces in violent waves. The fires free Astrec from their claws, flying up into the air and changing color once more, this time to a vibrant pink. The flames allow their lights to extend outward, filling the black watered horizon with a shade best described as hot pig.

John waves to Astrec. "Toodaloo." Then, in a burst of motion, John sinks beneath the water's surface, the statues disappearing with him. As he does, the pink sky seems to waver. Suddenly, the sky starts to crumble, falling like rocks into the sea below. Water spouts from their impact points, roaring like cannon fire in a chaos of geysers. Astrec struggles to avoid the aerial debris, but finds it all for not, as something below the water's surface grabs his ankles and drags him into the sea. His vision swims with pink light, as the scene fades once more.

When his vision returns, Astrec finds himself-

"here below."

He stands quite literally beneath his own feet, a reflection of himself swaying above where he stands. The reflection seems in a daze, even as-

"Heaven smiles above me."

The reflection stands in Mount Celestia. Astrec stands in the dark. Dividing the two worlds is a thin plain of glass.

"Boo!" John shouts from behind Astrec, grabbing his shoulders with a [HEAVY METAL] grip. "Ha! Don't worry buddy. We're almost done here. Just one last thing!" John shoves Astrec violently to the right, sending him spinning toward the transparent floor. Yet, as Astrec falls, his feet seem glued to the spot he stands, and instead his head seems to arc in a radius around him. John follows behind as the two rotate through the darkness, colliding with the glass and seamlessly passing into Astrec's reflection.

And they're back, with John standing behind Astrec, his hands covering Astrec's ears. John releases Astrec from his grip, and leans in close to one of his ears. John licks his lips with his pierced tongue, before he whispers, "The gift that you give to me. No one knows."

Violently, John stabs the empty hilt of Uranium's Umbridge into Astrec's Hand of Judgement. The hilt pierces through the skin of the strange hand, surrounding the eyeball on its back with total darkness. Then, John starts sucking on the back of Uranium's Umbridge like a bendy straw, and three lights seem to pulse within the hilt. One yellow. One cyan. And one pink.

John yanks Uranium's Umbridge out of Astrec's hand. He slips the hilt into his pocket as he turns Astrec around to face him. "Sorry about all that, buddy. Just wanted to steal a few charges from your hand. One of each at least, you know. Figured that'd rough you up a bit. Keep you from burning Badam's face off with them, at least. Hardly anything you really need to counter, if I'm being honest. You understand, right?" John doesn't wait for Astrec to reply. "Well, I've gotta go. See ya!" John steps backwards as his speaker platform flies to catch his foot. In a seamless motion, John stands on the back of his speaker, flying away from Astrec.

John heads back to wherever Badam is. "Alright," he tells Badam, "I screwed with one of the AG's. What's next, boss?"

TL;DR: Distract Astrec with some kabookey duel magic stuff, before using Uranium's Umbridge like a silly straw to steal some charges from the Hand of Judgement.
 
Materializing a mop and bucket, the Fifth Praetor throws it into the Smirkogram, breaking up the connection.
"What was that? I can't hear you. Did you want someone to clean up after Effie here? Why don't you come here and do it yourself."
The Smirkogram flickers, as the mop is thrown through "Okay then, my mistake, sorry, Effie it is. What pronoun should go with that, honestly just vague enough a name for uncertainty, and I only was going with male since you came out of Absalon here's hand. Dumb assumption, I know... wait a minute, got a solution that requires minimum effort for everyone on the wet floor issue, plus it just seems fun."
Suddenly the Smirkogram snaps its fingers, and all the chairs are converted to having a small disc with a raised border, along with wheels which seemingly move on their own, as one rolls right up to Effie.
"There, automatic chairs, added a wheeled basin for anyone with a naturally drippy body. No idea on Ink Elemental biology, so I left a button that swaps the ink from draining from the basin to a disposal point, if the drippings are more analogous to sweat, and if it's more something you'd rather reingest it can be set to just remain there. Simple enough solution. Still gonna request you only stay in the meeting room if you are part of the meeting though, if Absalon here brought you over here purely for security I'll request you move to the waiting room outside the truth field. Not like you can do much fighting in here anyways."
Xorm remembers to hold his place this time, although he's eying that 20 charge of his greedily.

Is he even allowed to spend all that in one place?
"On the same subject, first, yes, you can use all your energy at once on something, depends on the scenario, and second, unless your... Sliver, was it? Unless they will be participating in the meeting I would prefer they stay outside the meeting room. Don't need people posturing in here more than I know will already happen."

He then turns to Alethea, "Anyhow, you heard what I was mentioning about uninvited company, right? If nothing else I recommend being prepared to put up a shield in case I can't disentangle myself from the fifty thousand dumpster fires which seem to be lighting themselves exclusively to spite me to get over there and shore up the defenses before they arrive. I rather like this place not looking like a pile of rubble, would really kill the mood if it did. And if Absalon would be so kind as to join you in that preparation I have no doubt the grounds will be secure quite long enough for me to get back."

While the Smirkogram remains the eyes become distant, signifying Smirk is now not focusing on it at all, and simultaneously outside the rapidly refurbishing HMAS Justice (Smirk would really need to give it a less ostentatious name. Then again two of the ships he is debating requesting high power weapons from be added to the thing were named "The Malevolence", and "The Gravestone", so maybe it being ostentatious is just par for the course with any semi effective ship. Off track, back to the action,) he has just finished a discussion, ending with a giant green hardlight hand shaking the Hands of Time, a Wii Mote in one of the Hands, and an agreement to "Settle it in Smash". Therefore, suddenly a giant TV Screen appears in the middle of the void, showing a Nintendo Switch (Not sponsored) home screen, and the icon for what looks like a modded version of Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

"Okay then, so first thing, yes, all the DLC is downloaded. I doubt you want to do Spirits mode, but what's your feel on doing this as Squad Strike? There's a 3 stock option, and it would let us get multiple characters in a single fight, kinda like most of Subspace Emissary from Brawl, but like everything else after it in the series, kinda a pale imitation. Might be nice."

Regardless of whether Xavier wants to do a Squad Strike, Smirk's first character selected is Ganondorf, although the image looks slightly different, maybe a bit more orange and white lighting in the background? Hard to say. If Xavier wants to do a Squad Strike, Smirk's next two picks would be Byleth, who, like half the cast, is a sword fighter from Fire Emblem, although her outfit looks different than in usual Ultimate, seeming to have a white overcoat over the rest of her garb. Lastly is Dark Pit, although his render looks closer to how it was rendered in Smash 4 than in Smash Ultimate.

Smirk then turns to the hands.
"Well, what are your picks?"


(Summary: Lots of talking to people in the Neutral grounds to try to keep the meeting from falling apart before it even begins (A harder challenge than any boss fight so far at this rate) and then character selection to challenge Master Hand and Crazy Hand The Hands of Time to a game of mildly modded Smash Bros., alongside clarification of if they were playing as one character or multiple between the game's three stocks.)
 
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Round 96
Astrec shakes his head, remaining silent for the moment. So much is happening. Trying to focus once more, cyan flames swirl around his arms, before shooting out and forming into a set of seven chains. Each chain shoots straight for Adam, wrapping around any part of the Demigod that they can ensnare.

If any chain makes contact, then Astrex flexes his hand again, channeling UNLIMITED POWER to immediately unleash a bevy of spells at the chain, which then aborbs and redirects them straight into Adam himself. Any attack that hits is mimicked and reflected across Adam's body, hopefully giving Astrec room to breath for a moment
BADAM laughs. Raising a hand, the chains converge to a single point, which he grabs ahold of. Astrec's Cyan is rapidly overpowered with BADAM's Gold as the chains instead bind down Astrec.

[Mount Celestia]
[1] Immune to Magic, huh? Fine. Nerà casts Telekinesis on the air around Labolas, indirectly shoving them into the Armoire without Magic-ing them directly. Meanwhile, as far as I'm aware Labolas isn't immune to the Ice damage they incur from bumping into the Armoire.

[2] Nerà, infamously fair sport, interrupts BADAM's sportsball game with Momur by casting Faerie Fire on his eyes, reducing his visibility and dodge as well as allowing Momur the opportunity to dunk on him.

[3] Swinging the Ebony Scythe in a large arc, Nerà hits a nearby piece of glass at a perfect frequency. One so perfect that the Singing Sword cannot help but join in on the tune.
Unfortunately for the sword and its wielder, the tune was the verbal component for a Shatter spell, and after a couple of seconds the shard of glass explodes violently. In BADAM's hands, the Singing Sword does the same to his detriment.

Denak spots something in the dirt. Ah, of course, another letter. Reading it briefly, Denak decides to leave the battlefield to return to the Imperial Arcanocracy's capital to prepare for something coming. Mechanically, it's because I want to recycle his CP value for something cooler but flavorewise lets say its those damned Reds.
Auma Prime casts Command on the LERAJE and Retriever, ordering them to Flee. Given that they're already afraid of him they are likely to take that Command and, heh, run with it.
Oh my god I just realized. Momur. Is a Cloud Giant playing catch with a large boulder. The Big Man. HASS. THE ROCK.
Momur comes on and- through the power of memes- slams BADAM into space jam.
Look, he's from space right? It counts as space jam. Come on.
The Fire Eidolons fuse again, because I am a merciful player who doesn't like torturing the GM with needless complexity.

[Mount Olympus]
The three anti-life Craburai pair up with the three Epic Wizards. Quirrun pairs up with Auma.
Natalie pulls out a Sonic Wand and casts Reverse Polarity on herself in order to properly pair up with the Positive! Craburai.
The three Craburai restrain the Hierarch of Life, ensuring their inability to dodge what's coming.
Lance floats down to the restrained Hierarch of Life. Channeling an actor he doesn't know from a movie he's never seen, Lance speaks to the Hierarch in a pitch-perfect Sebastian Shaw voice. "Adapt to this." With the glowing energy bead of a Delayed Blast Nuclearball in hand, Lance flies the 'airplane' into the 'airport,' and in a few short seconds the Hierarch begins exploding in a conflagration of internal inconsistency, dated movie tropes and sheer disrespect to an adaptation's source material.
And on the topic of channeling external media sources, Matt has the Power Stone. And I know you're the right age to have played Wii Sports Boxing before, DCCCV.
Matt casts Bigby's F*ckoff Fists of Fury through the Power Stone. You know the call to make here.
Aumagear Cha Cha Slides in between the enemies and Quirrun's Talos. His natural Charm is magnified through the Rosary of Infinite Eyes. There are just too many Doe Eyes fluttering cutely at the opposition for them to even think about harming the two cute-aura'd mechas trampling their side.
Quirrun's mind reels from the Psychic Damage running through and ruining his connection to the Ninth Talos. Recognizing, in a moment of clear thought in between bursts of turmoil, that he is losing this fight he shouts to P2. "Azer! We- I- I cannot keep- fighting like thi- AAAAAAAAGH," He screams. After a moment he manages to subdue the system shock and continue speaking with minimal interruption. "My Sister, Gloria! Re- hn- return her to me. Together we can- can handle this better."
In spite of his extreme vulnerability currently Quirrun aims an arm at the Hierarch of Mind and unloads several dozen rods worth of Feeblemind, which I'd imagine must function as a regular Ray of Enfeeblement to a being of mind. Or something.
Since Labolas is already inside the Armoire, they can't be put further into the Armoire. In fact, you don't see or hear anything of them jostling inside the armoire. All the same though, they continue to not action for this round as well!

You Faerie Fire BADAM's remaining eye. He should be similarly immune to magic, but he let it through. Why?

"I KNOW FASHION WHEN I SEE IT! DON'T YOU THINK THIS LOOKS TERRIFYING? COME ON, SCREAM FOR ME!"

The Shatter spell destroys the Singing Sword, which also deals 4 damage to BADAM as well.

"ACK!" He pulls out his other sword. "BACK TO BASICS!"

The Delphi Orb pings BADAM off your attack.

[BOSS] BUILDER·BADAM. 66/90 Hp. Twilight Providence: 75 SHP! +100% Accuracy/Dodge. Deflects Projectiles.
ACTION(Stolen Descendancy): BADAM is hitching a ride off of Adam's own Descendancy. Whether he's stronger or weaker is up for debate. You should still expect anything from him, including your own abilities reflected back at you.
PASSIVE:
Demonic Defense: BADAM has the defensive abilities of the Demons allied to him. At this time, those are Ipos(increased accuracy/dodge), Leraje(Projectile deflection), and Labolas(Magic Immunity). The true nature of these Demons are unknown at this time.
Retroactively Added Passive: Twilight Providence: BADAM's shield, taking damage before he does. Depleting Twilight Providence reduces the effectiveness of BADAM's actions.
Incomplete Gorilla: ???
Immunities: BADAM has certain innate immunities. Immediately known include Psychic, Electric, Poisonous, Tenet, Chaos, Order, Time, Blood, Space and Tetromino Effects.


Your Entities have been ordered.
Xorm remembers to hold his place this time, although he's eying that 20 charge of his greedily.

Is he even allowed to spend all that in one place?
Yes. Yes you are. Feel free to do so!
((You're also welcome to do an action in place of this post later, by the way.))

I dance the dance that begins the creation of a new world. Consequences are not immediate, but long down the road.
Is this part of Grimoire Yggdrasalia, or another New World?
Your New World begins forming overhead, for now the beginnings of a new Seventh Layer.

Alan's bounces across the surface of the lake, flailing his limbs wildly, then slightly less wildly, then in a pattern that an untrained observer could maybe even mistake for controlled. His last half dozen or so skips are perfectly spaced and leave single circular patterns of ripples as he begins to gain control over his flight, just in time for him to start hitting grass and dirt instead of water and tumble head over heels once more before finally skidding to a stop.

Alan tries to stand up, regrets it, and just lies there for a solid couple minutes minutes doing nothing but breathing and mentally assessing his probable injuries. His second attempt to stand up is somewhat more successful, and after methodically stretching out every part of his body, he sets out to climb back up Mount Celestia.

"Adam, if you can hear me from all the way over here, please confirm: Ipos is a complete gorilla."

Alan enables snap to grid on his feet and runs across the plane which the surface of the lake of Mertion would occupy were it perfectly still and inviolate. Even still, it takes him another couple minutes to cross the entire lake to where Ipos is, but by the time he's closed the distance, he's had time to think over the results of the scan and to begin to formulate a plan of attack.

First, though, he has a few questions about what he's seen in the flames, and about Badam's words.

"Adam, please highlight all of the following true statements:
- Piono is Hela.
- Piono is Etzel.
- The Raven Queen is Hela.
- The Raven Queen is Etzel.
- The woman with twintails is Hela.
- The woman with twintails is Etzel.
- The words "THAT WAS HELA AND ETZEL" were not in reference to those visions at all and I'm barking up the wrong tree.
- The visions were stopped because Badam didn't want us to see what would appear next.
- The visions were stopped because the person operating the update terminal didn't want us to see what would appear next.
- The visions displayed were of the future.
- The visions displayed were of events presently transpiring.
- The visions displayed were of the past.
I don't expect many of these to be true, of course, but I'm covering all my bases here."

Alan then starts drawing an incredibly complicated geometric pattern in the air, a sigil that his master taught him that it took him days of rigorous training to memorize. He stops after the first stroke, though, and immediately makes the first stroke of a different pattern of comparable complexity. Then another one, a simple circle that could be the center or outer border of any number of glyphs, changing his mind as fast as possible as to which one it could potentially be.

If Ipos knows all things, past, present and future, then he knows each of these patterns even better than Adam does. He can quite possibly see the complete history of Alan's own learning of them stretching out behind them and the effects they will bring to bear if completed stretching forward into the future. But that would, of course, require him to think about them. And while his knowledge may seem limitless, his focus is not. Alan sketches these aborted patterns haphazardly, not bothering to wrack his brain for the dozens of steps that come after the opening, because he has no intent to complete them at all. He's simply banking on Ipos getting too caught up perceiving the full extent and potential effects of each one to pay attention to the battle at hand.

Alan strikes the surface of the lake with the base of his staff, and a square wave ripples outward, leaving the water flat and scored with grid lines. Some squares are turbulent, but most are flat. With X for turbulence, O for still water, and a wider grid of stillness beyond, the pattern is as follows:
O X X
X X O
O X O
But it does not stay in this shape for long. It begins to evolve, according to the rules of Conway's Game of Life, water dying down and springing up in complex emergent behavior far outstripping its initial complexity. Alan needs only to see the initial pattern and start it in motion. Ipos has no choice but to perceive its full extent or to decline to bring his precognition to bear on Alan's actions.

At that point, Alan dispenses with the distractions, snaps Ipos and Kalagni to the grid to briefly nullify their dodge, and unleashes a flurry of blows to their pressure points. (Or wherever they look like they might have them, as he never learned demonic anatomy.) He finishes the attack by dispelling all of his active Order eidokinesis and letting the suppressed entropy flow back into the space. Ipos is sent skipping across the lake himself as the knockback from Alan's blows takes effect all at once, while Kalagni's flames are quenched by the force of every stilled wave breaking all at once in an explosion of water.

This expends a charge from the Staff of Symmetry to make this full-post attack strike both targets.
Let's see, your statements:
Ipos is a complete gorilla.
Piono is Hela.
Piono is Etzel.
The Raven Queen is Hela.
The Raven Queen is Etzel.
The woman with twintails is Hela.
The woman with twintails is Etzel.
The words "THAT WAS HELA AND ETZEL" were not in reference to those visions at all and I'm barking up the wrong tree.
The visions were stopped because Badam didn't want us to see what would appear next.
The visions were stopped because the person operating the update terminal didn't want us to see what would appear next.
The visions displayed were of the future.
The visions displayed were of events presently transpiring.
The visions displayed were of the past.

...
Adam does not know who Hela and Etzel are referring to.
Huh. Maybe I can help a bit? Etzel's another name for Attila the Hun, who was said to wield the Sword of Mars, and was considered the Scourge of God.

That being said, you successfully divide Ipos' concentration, your Symmetricized blows striking Ipos and the Kalagni for 20 and 125,000 Damage respectively. Nicely done!

As John observes Uranium's Umbridge in his hand, he is struck momentarily speechless. His open hand rubs at his other forearm as the purple flames fade, leaving a faint burn mark. He tilts his head from side to side, thinking as his tongue tries to lick every corner of his mouth. After a moment, John grunts. "Yeah... should have expected that. Make a deal with just about every side on the field... That could have gone worse."

John turns to Badam. He slips Uranium's Umbridge into his pocket and replaces it with the can of silly string. "Well, Badam, I guess I won't detonate this silly string on you." John flips the can in the air, catching it, before tossing it over his shoulder. The can dances through the air, pirouetting with grace as it collides with the cratered grounds of Mount Celestia, landing just a few feet from Logan. Then, it explodes in a psychedelic puff of orange. A short bang. Tiny shockwave. Doesn't even hit Logan. Just startles him a bit. As the explosion ends, John turns his head and shouts over his shoulder, "No offense, Logan good buddy, but I'm not wasting any action potential on that!"

As Logan cusses at John behind his back, John smiles at Badam. "Well, a deal's a deal then, Badam. Of course, none of these people are really my friends. P4 is off in the Neutral Ground. And Harkner- Ace of Spades- whatever- is off hunting Gods. I never personally connected with any of the other AG's here. Honestly, Badam, since you gave me this lovely toy, I think you're my best friend here in Celestia!" A devious grin crosses John's face as he twiddles with the useless hilt in his pocket. He then waves a dismissive hand at Badam. "Don't worry. I get your meaning. Makes me wish I'd asked for the shieldy thing. Oh well. I'll go screw with the AG's. Sounds like a blast, anyways. Really Badam, I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship." He pats Badam on the shoulder, before leaping into the air, landing on his speaker platform, and going off to...

FOCUS Action (there's a short summary at the bottom for anyone too busy to read): "Smooth transitions. Always the best." John's gaze glides across the forces assembled on Mount Celestia. "Let's see. I'm still waiting on those car keys from Logan, so not him. Nedben... eh. He's not AG, and if I try to attack him, he'll probably translocate my face to my kneecaps or something. Don't want to deal with that. And Nera has the whole army of wizards or whatever. Probably best to avoid him... ASTREC IT IS!"

John kicks open his guitar case, and a microphone comes flying out, cord and all. John catches it with great gusto as he stomps on his speaker. It begins to blare a thumpy beat, and John sways his had back and forward as the music begins. After about fifteen seconds, John points straight at Badam and starts to sing.

"We get some rules to follow.
"That and this, these and those."
John shrugs to Badam. "No one knows."

John bounces to the beat for a few more moments. He continues to sing, as tongues of purple flames begin to flick out of his mouth.
"We get these pills to swallow,
"How they stick, in your throat?"
John's teeth shine. "Tastes like gold."
He points to Badam once more.
"Oh what you do to me.
"No one knows."

John slips Uranium's Umbridge out of his pocket and stares down at it as he sings,
"And I realize you're mine.
"Indeed a fool am I.
"And I realize you're mine.
"Indeed a fool am I."

John grooves a bit more, walking in place as he nods to the tune. When he starts singing again, yellow wisps curl from his breath.
"I journey through the desert.
"Of the mind with no hope."
He faces the sky and calls, "I follow."

He slowly continues to sway back and forward, as cyan light glows from his chest.
"I drift along the ocean.
"Dead lifeboats in the sun.
"And come undone."

John's face begins crumbling to dust, and he cries,
"Pleasantly caving in.
"I come undone."

Like a gentle breeze, John's body dissolves, his form breaking up into pink particles of dust. The song continues as he disappears, his voice still singing,
"And I realize you're mine.
"Indeed a fool am I.
"And I realize you're mine.
"Indeed a fool am I."

As the song approaches its final stanza, @FlamingFlapjacks, Astrec hears John's voice echo around him. The tone is soft and faint, but strange in nature, like the crackle of static over the radio. As Astrec looks around, attempting to find the music's source, it dawns to him that the music is not coming from the surface world. It is coming from below.

"Heaven smiles above me.
"What a gift here below.
"But no one knows."

Suddenly, John seems to rotate from beneath the ground, twisting on his side as he stands behind Astrec.

"The gift that you give to me.
"No one knows."

The song ends with five chords, each punctuating Astrec's mind as he sees John grab the sides of his head, viewing it from a different angle with every repetition. Astrec begins to feel out of place, as though his body is not physically his own. He hardly feels John's hands cupping his ears, as his vision shrinks to darkness returning in...

"the desert."

Astrec's vision clears. He finds himself in a plain of dunes, sand blasting across his face. In the distance, blue skies glide past the peaks of sandstone pyramids, dull yellow shadows behind the sunbaked ground. Above, he sees the Sun, trailed by a beetle that seems to push it across the sky. The scarab's shell is a brilliant gold, with green gems glittering on its wings. Its legs push slowly against the clouds, suffering for every inch in the thick desert air. Behind the beetle, the head of a snake peeps out from beneath the dunes, a massive skull encased in total darkness. Its sharp fangs spread across its enormous maw, elongating as they spread, slowly reaching the diameter of the sun.

John stands about ten paces away from Astrec, his microphone still in hand. Small statuettes of stone queens float around his head, each one with a different instrument in hand. "Hey buddy!" John calls, waving. "Sorry for all the theatrics back there. The real fight starts here." John clicks a button on his microphone, and a long sword blade extends from the head of the mic. John laughs, pointing at his blade. "This is my blade, Ripoff. I bought this one at a dollar store. You'd surprise how many types of these they make." He gives Astrec a goofy smile, before charging the opposing Descendant, blinking forward faster than Astrec can see. Ripoff clangs heavily against Astrec, who parries with... the Thistle-y thingy. That's a sword, right? Sure! Regardless, the two weapons meet for a moment, each one biting into the other as the two struggle to overpower one another. This of course seems to be a winning battle for Astrec, until John deliberately rolls two words off his tongue.

"I follow."

As the word ends, John breaks away from the clash, before reengaging with a flurry of blows. His blade sings against Astrec's counters, pushing him back in the blowing sand. As Astrec tries to counter or strike at John, the stone statues orbiting his head break in, blocking the blows with their immutable forms. So John continues to attack, striking his foe with reckless blows, trying to make him lose his footing. But at each step, a yellow path glows beneath Astrec, forming a spectral line between the two combatants. The path follows Astrec regardless of where he steps, bending to meet his every need.

Still, John strikes, wearing both himself and his enemy down as he does. The duel stretches on through the day, as the snake continues to approach the large beetle in the sky. The two fighters hardly notice the passage of time, even as neck of the snake begins to bury the horizon in darkness. Slowly, its head begins to engulf the beetle's wings, nearing the scarab's ornate shell.

For a moment, John huffs, stepping back from the fight and holding Ripoff at his side. He points up at the two creatures in the sky, and tells Astrec two more words. "No hope." In an instant, another microphone slips into his empty hand. He taps a button on it, and another blade extends outward. "I told you, I bought the first one at the dollar store." He smiles, as bladed microphones appear in the hands of the statues around him. "I might have grabbed more than a few."

Laughing at himself, the four statues begin to spin around John as he does the same. He holds his blades out wide as he twirls, moving toward Astrec with his swinging blows. Sand begins to get kicked up from his movements, forming a miniature twister around him. His blades begin to clink against Astrec's, overwhelming Astrec as he attempts to counter. Astrec's blades manage to sneak past John's literal storm of swords, but they can't seem to connect with his opponent. In the shadows of the serpent, it seems as though John had disappeared entirely from his storm, leaving only the blades and sand that spun about him. But, as Astrec begins to push back against the sandstorm, a roar echoes from the Heavens. Above, the snake's mouth encircles the sun, clamping down with a bone-shattering crunch. The sandstorm of swords dissolves in front of Astrec, and the world is enveloped in total darkness. That is, of course, except for the yellow path at Astrec's feet, which seems to flow ever onward, even as Astrec stands stationary on its surface.

For a few moments, Astrec is left in the darkness alone, the path weaving beneath his feet as it travels across countless distances. But as it moves, it slowly changes colors, bleeding from gaudy gold to a morbid cyan. Soon, the path is entirely cyan, and Astrec feels his feet sink into-

"the ocean."

Astrec slides into the ankle-deep waters around him, his feet being soaked by the black sea. Under the dark sky above, the path fades, being replaced by solitary flames that glide over thin wooden outcroppings in the water. The sparse sparks flutter about the waters, as something hisses below. But before Astrec can worry about that, John is back, the four statues still floating around his head. "Hope you enjoyed the break! Feeling ready to kill me yet?" John gives Astrec a winning smile, as he begins to walk backward in the dark tide, moving away from Astrec. "You want out?" he taunts. "You have to catch me!" He continues to walk casually backwards, waiting for Astrec to strike. However, as Astrec makes his move, John waves a hand off to the-

"dead lifeboats in the sun."

The fires fly from the ruined planks, seeking out Astrec like bats thirsty for blood. The flames singe him with their cyan teeth, blazing across his skin with soulful fury. They twist about his body, surrounding him in their alien heat. John smiles as he watches the cyan fires consume his foe, the statues floating with purpose about John, ready to defend from Astrec's strikes. "Yeah, Badam inspired me with this one. I feel bad for stealing Joey-boy's color, but it was inevitable. At first, I was gonna kick some water at you and try to box with you, Astrec good buddy, but being incorporeal and whatevs made me want to skip to the fun part."

John laughs, raising a single hand, and releasing a single snap. "Pleasantly caving in," he chuckles. "I come undone." The sky rumbles around them, as the water bounces in violent waves. The fires free Astrec from their claws, flying up into the air and changing color once more, this time to a vibrant pink. The flames allow their lights to extend outward, filling the black watered horizon with a shade best described as hot pig.

John waves to Astrec. "Toodaloo." Then, in a burst of motion, John sinks beneath the water's surface, the statues disappearing with him. As he does, the pink sky seems to waver. Suddenly, the sky starts to crumble, falling like rocks into the sea below. Water spouts from their impact points, roaring like cannon fire in a chaos of geysers. Astrec struggles to avoid the aerial debris, but finds it all for not, as something below the water's surface grabs his ankles and drags him into the sea. His vision swims with pink light, as the scene fades once more.

When his vision returns, Astrec finds himself-

"here below."

He stands quite literally beneath his own feet, a reflection of himself swaying above where he stands. The reflection seems in a daze, even as-

"Heaven smiles above me."

The reflection stands in Mount Celestia. Astrec stands in the dark. Dividing the two worlds is a thin plain of glass.

"Boo!" John shouts from behind Astrec, grabbing his shoulders with a [HEAVY METAL] grip. "Ha! Don't worry buddy. We're almost done here. Just one last thing!" John shoves Astrec violently to the right, sending him spinning toward the transparent floor. Yet, as Astrec falls, his feet seem glued to the spot he stands, and instead his head seems to arc in a radius around him. John follows behind as the two rotate through the darkness, colliding with the glass and seamlessly passing into Astrec's reflection.

And they're back, with John standing behind Astrec, his hands covering Astrec's ears. John releases Astrec from his grip, and leans in close to one of his ears. John licks his lips with his pierced tongue, before he whispers, "The gift that you give to me. No one knows."

Violently, John stabs the empty hilt of Uranium's Umbridge into Astrec's Hand of Judgement. The hilt pierces through the skin of the strange hand, surrounding the eyeball on its back with total darkness. Then, John starts sucking on the back of Uranium's Umbridge like a bendy straw, and three lights seem to pulse within the hilt. One yellow. One cyan. And one pink.

John yanks Uranium's Umbridge out of Astrec's hand. He slips the hilt into his pocket as he turns Astrec around to face him. "Sorry about all that, buddy. Just wanted to steal a few charges from your hand. One of each at least, you know. Figured that'd rough you up a bit. Keep you from burning Badam's face off with them, at least. Hardly anything you really need to counter, if I'm being honest. You understand, right?" John doesn't wait for Astrec to reply. "Well, I've gotta go. See ya!" John steps backwards as his speaker platform flies to catch his foot. In a seamless motion, John stands on the back of his speaker, flying away from Astrec.

John heads back to wherever Badam is. "Alright," he tells Badam, "I screwed with one of the AG's. What's next, boss?"

TL;DR: Distract Astrec with some kabookey duel magic stuff, before using Uranium's Umbridge like a silly straw to steal some charges from the Hand of Judgement.

Energy flows from Astrec's body into Uranium's Umbrage. As you pull it free from the disintegrating Hand of Judgement, what was once a broken blade becomes whole.

Taking the sword from your hands, BADAM stabs it through the palm of Adam's own Hand of Judgement, causing it to disintegrate as well.
"WHAT'S NEXT? FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK, CONSIDERING YOU'RE HOLDING AN ANSWER RIGHT THERE."

The Smirkogram flickers, as the mop is thrown through "Okay then, my mistake, sorry, Effie it is. What pronoun should go with that, honestly just vague enough a name for uncertainty, and I only was going with male since you came out of Absalon here's hand. Dumb assumption, I know... wait a minute, got a solution that requires minimum effort for everyone on the wet floor issue, plus it just seems fun."
Suddenly the Smirkogram snaps its fingers, and all the chairs are converted to having a small disc with a raised border, along with wheels which seemingly move on their own, as one rolls right up to Effie.
"There, automatic chairs, added a wheeled basin for anyone with a naturally drippy body. No idea on Ink Elemental biology, so I left a button that swaps the ink from draining from the basin to a disposal point, if the drippings are more analogous to sweat, and if it's more something you'd rather reingest it can be set to just remain there. Simple enough solution. Still gonna request you only stay in the meeting room if you are part of the meeting though, if Absalon here brought you over here purely for security I'll request you move to the waiting room outside the truth field. Not like you can do much fighting in here anyways."

"On the same subject, first, yes, you can use all your energy at once on something, depends on the scenario, and second, unless your... Sliver, was it? Unless they will be participating in the meeting I would prefer they stay outside the meeting room. Don't need people posturing in here more than I know will already happen."


He then turns to Alethea, "Anyhow, you heard what I was mentioning about uninvited company, right? If nothing else I recommend being prepared to put up a shield in case I can't disentangle myself from the fifty thousand dumpster fires which seem to be lighting themselves exclusively to spite me to get over there and shore up the defenses before they arrive. I rather like this place not looking like a pile of rubble, would really kill the mood if it did. And if Absalon would be so kind as to join you in that preparation I have no doubt the grounds will be secure quite long enough for me to get back."

While the Smirkogram remains the eyes become distant, signifying Smirk is now not focusing on it at all, and simultaneously outside the rapidly refurbishing HMAS Justice (Smirk would really need to give it a less ostentatious name. Then again two of the ships he is debating requesting high power weapons from be added to the thing were named "The Malevolence", and "The Gravestone", so maybe it being ostentatious is just par for the course with any semi effective ship. Off track, back to the action,) he has just finished a discussion, ending with a giant green hardlight hand shaking the Hands of Time, a Wii Mote in one of the Hands, and an agreement to "Settle it in Smash". Therefore, suddenly a giant TV Screen appears in the middle of the void, showing a Nintendo Switch (Not sponsored) home screen, and the icon for what looks like a modded version of Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

"Okay then, so first thing, yes, all the DLC is downloaded. I doubt you want to do Spirits mode, but what's your feel on doing this as Squad Strike? There's a 3 stock option, and it would let us get multiple characters in a single fight, kinda like most of Subspace Emissary from Brawl, but like everything else after it in the series, kinda a pale imitation. Might be nice."

Regardless of whether Xavier wants to do a Squad Strike, Smirk's first character selected is Ganondorf, although the image looks slightly different, maybe a bit more orange and white lighting in the background? Hard to say. If Xavier wants to do a Squad Strike, Smirk's next two picks would be Byleth, who, like half the cast, is a sword fighter from Fire Emblem, although her outfit looks different than in usual Ultimate, seeming to have a white overcoat over the rest of her garb. Lastly is Dark Pit, although his render looks closer to how it was rendered in Smash 4 than in Smash Ultimate.

Smirk then turns to the hands.
"Well, what are your picks?"


(Summary: Lots of talking to people in the Neutral grounds to try to keep the meeting from falling apart before it even begins (A harder challenge than any boss fight so far at this rate) and then character selection to challenge Master Hand and Crazy Hand The Hands of Time to a game of mildly modded Smash Bros., alongside clarification of if they were playing as one character or multiple between the game's three stocks.)
You hear P5's eyes audibly roll. "I've already forgotten the first half of what you've said. That means I can't possibly understand the second. Now, Effie? Be a good boy and roll over."
The mark on what seems to be it's forehead glows as it obeys the order to roll over flat on the floor, knocking chairs aside. The Fifth Praetor sits down on top of it, causing it to splash even more ink.

The Godmodder nods. "I will arrange my own defenses and await your arrival."
In the distance, a small contingent of PG ships burn in.

"A Squad Strike? Sure, why not." Xavier selects his own fighters: Jigglypuff, Meta Knight, and Fox.

At the Neutral Ground, Effie? gurgles and seems to solidify. This lets me get a better read, and...

[PG][BOSS] Effie? ???/??? Hp. Othala: 111/111 Hp.

It seems the rune is keeping it in its current form. Breaking the Othala would be just the beginning though.

Piono heads through a fire and enters Olympus.

At a loss as to things he can target, Leraje uses Apollyon from Afar on the Carrier. Raising their bow, they shoot enough blood-red arrows into the sky that it resembles a meteor shower. Each arrow cleanly punches through the hull, dealing a total of 132,000 Damage and removing 8,000 Armour. This adds a further 27,000 damage to the DoT. Labolas continues to idle within the Armoire. The Retriever goes down a layer and fires it's eyebeams at DefJO. If this actually does anything, DefJO doesn't indicate any form of being hurt at all.

Denak leaves for elsewhere. What's he sending in as backup? Since the Retriever has already left with it's proverbial tail between it's legs, Auma can only command Leraje to flee. Which they promptly do, removing them from the battle until they've relocated far away enough from the IA, leaving them open. Despite what's happened with the new management of The Axe, the Fire Eidolons continue to obey your commands, fusing together into a singular gestalt entity: The Elder Fire Eidolon. The Carrier continues to melt away, and begins falling out of the sky. This burning creates another Fire Eidolon, which is promptly integrated into the Elder. The Clockwork Armillary chases after Leraje and carves them up, dealing 8 damage. Oddly enough, Leraje doesn't bleed...

Momur SLAM DUNKS on BADAM. The shockwave reverberates through the air as you feel something break. Brekaing through BADAM's future sight, the DUNK deals a critical 20 Paradox Damage. BADAM reopens his eye, still alight with Faerie Fire.
"A CHAOS DUNK? DO NOT CITE ZAUBER TO ME, GIANT. I WAS THERE WHEN THE ART DIED."
Within an instant, BADAM regains his composure. Producing a Basketball somewhere from beneath his jacket, as BADAM spins it in front of his face, it begins to shed light. Using telekinesis, BADAM throws it through Momur, dealing 20 Damage back. It takes a moment for them to realize there's now a large gaping hole through their chest, albeit one that quickly heals back to normal.

The Drones idle. I say idle, but really I don't know what they're actually doing. They seem to be building something, which seems to be building something, which seems to be building something. Is this normal behaviour for them?

"You want your car? I'll give you your car." Logan throws a pair of keys in John's face. Immediately as it exits the portal, the Time Police Van crashes into them point-blank at 88 miles per hour, rendering him Vulnerable. Will this knock some sense back into John?

Xavier begins fighting Smirk in Smash through the Hands of Time. The button inputs of the Hands are immaculate, performing frame-perfect combinations, shielding at precisely the right moment, and all variety of implausibly precise actions. How will Smirk respond to Xavier's tool-assisted gameplay?

Ipos turns around and flies back up to BADAM, leaving the Kalagni to deal with DefJO. Unhinging it's jaw, the Kalagni swallows DefJO whole, only to be burst apart. As the Kalagni discorporates, DefJO is gone. A large figure stands in it's place, the only evidence of its presence the Indigo Fire burning around an invisible body.

The Ixion Helion attempt to resist the Hierarch of Doom's command over them, rolling onto the floor and then remaining absolutely still, not enacting anything else. The Heikegani absolutely crowd around the Hierarch of Life, using Crabbo Grabbo to pin them down in preparation for what's about to come.

The Second Praetorian hears Quirrun's suggestion, but finds himself unable to attack the Hierarch of Doom. He turns to look at P3, who gives him a nod. Raising a hand, the Third Praetorian commands a crimson chain to emerge from the Heirarch of Blood's chest. Quickly welding a blade into place on the end he's holding, he spins it around and throws it into the Hierarch of Doom, forcibly pairing the two gods together. The Second Praetorian then utters a command:
"My First Wish: Drop your weapon."
As the Hierarch of Blood complies, the Hierarch of Doom does the same thing, their actions linked.
As The Axe falls to the ground, Harkener slides on his knees underneath Doom's arm, and picks up the Artifact. Pulling a flaming ripcord out of it's handle, Harkener wills The Axe to produce a rapidly-rotating sawblade along it's edge, which he uses to chop down the Hierarch of Doom's legs. At the same time, the Hierarch of Blood finds themselves shortened as well. As the bodies of both gods begin burning away, they melt into a green slime. From their ashes emerge another two Flame Eidolon.
"I-uh, um," P3 stammers. "I can't compliment you without making a pun that'd be in really bad taste."
You and me both.

Auma Gear attempts to charm what's left of the Pantheon. It's successful on everyone except Rage, Mind, Void, and Tinia. Quirrun uses Feeblemind on the Hierarch of Mind. This reduces his MHP, but they remain standing. They then enter a berserker-rage.
Lance makes the Hierarch of Life eat a fireball. What's left of the Hierarch also turns into a green slime. Their pyre produces a freed Gloria Phi-Nera. The Heikegani now redesignate new foes to Challenge: Breath, Heart, Time. Natalie attempts to alter her Polarity. Flashing her a disapproving glare, Tinia instantly strikes her for 15 Electricity Damage. Using the Power Stone, Matt summons a pair of Force-fists, which rush out and instantly K.O. the Hierarch of Rage. They too explode into green goop.

Before the Pantheon acts, our side pairs up. Quirrun with Auma, two Heikegani go with the Wizards, the remaining pairs with one of the Ixion Helion. Harkener pairs with the newly-present Gloria, The Second goes to protect another Ixion, and the Third pairs with Natalie. Piono pairs the third and final Ixion, protecting them from what happens next.

The Hierarch of Breath pairs with Heart, and activates a Fraymotif.

EYE OF THE STORM

As winds begins to swirl around the Third Praetorian, his flesh begins to unravel into countless crimson chains, the same he used just moments earlier. They mix into the all-encompassing cyclone, infusing everyone present with fragments of his drained being.
P3 Dodge removed, Stormwall applied. +50% Dodge to everyone. 25,000 Divine Damage DoT to everyone on the field.

The Hierarch of Mind begins to Rage. They unleash a Massive Psychic attack on Auma Gear with the intent of Disrupting the medallion currently controlling it, disabling it for next round, as well as dealing 190,000 Damage to it.

The Hierarch of Hope pairs with Void.

SACRED SCATENATO

Auma Gear's Rosary of the Infinite Eye goes haywire. Falling under their control, it tears off Auma's Necklace, fully reverting to an Iron Gear. It's Dodge is also removed.

The Hierarch of Time pairs with Tinia, and accelerates it's time. This causes multiple ticks damage upon them, causing their body to bleed the same green goop that seems to compose the other Gods. This summons a bunch of entities to help them out.

The Hierarch of Light, despite their injuries pairs with Space.

SCHWARTZCHILD SARABANDE

Rapidly increasing in mass, the two begin to regenerate.

The Electricity Eidolons go and zap Auma Gear, dealing no damage but further reducing it's Dodge by 10%.

Shadrix scrambles and tackles the Hierarch of Mind to pair up, just before Tinia pings again. Nobody gets affected once again, making him quite angry. He tries to do a killblow on the Talos, but actually misses. He shocks Breath and Heart 15 damage for this.

BADAM claps with his one remaining hand. "WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! THERE GOES YOUR CARRY! BUT WHAT IF... WHAT IF!"
With a snap of his fingers, he poofs away, his entourage following as well.
...
At the Neutral Ground, BADAM steps out of nowhere. Immediately, the Fifth Praetorian raises the Rod to blast him with a gout of Oblivion. Moving into position, Labolas stands directly into the path of the stream. As the Oblivion begins to eat a hole into Labolas' surroundings, they remain unharmed.
As P5 continues to strain even harder to destroy Labolas, Leraje nocks and fires an arrow into their head. Suddenly, the Fifth Praetorian siezes up, freezing in place. The Oblivion shrouding their body dissipates, inky elemental energy giving way to the solid gleaming metal of an automaton.
Walking up to the disabled Fifth Praetorian, Ipos wrenches the Rod free from their fingers. Within their grasp, red phantom gears turn as the Rod begins to takes on a silver sheen, one it retains as Ipos gives it over to BADAM.
The Rod in his hands, BADAM bends the Elemental Artifact into the shape of a cane. Pointing it at the Godmodder, he-
"БАЛЕФИРЕ!"

As the Godmodder begins to fade away, BADAM begins to glow brighter and brighter, his laughter audible through the entire Void.

Everyone, BRACE


YOURSELVES....?

What happened? I-I'm... I'm free! I have physical form again! It feels great to have a single set of hands!
Where... Where am I?


"I SEE YOUR NEW MEMORIES HAVEN'T ADJUSTED YET. WELCOME TO XANADU! CALL IT WHATEVER YOU LIKE, THE ARK, TEYVAT, ROKKRGARD, DAMMERUNGWELT, TERRA NOX, BLACK VAULT, IT DOESN'T MATTER!"

...What have you done?

"YOU WERE ALL TOO BUSY TO PLAY MY GAME, SO DISTRACTED IN YOUR OWN LITTLE WORLDS. YOU SHOULD THANK ME! I DID YOUR JOBS FOR YOU AND REMOVED ALETHEA FROM THE TIMELINE."

What happened here?

"I'M NOT GOING TO SPOIL YOU, BUT I'LL SAY THIS AGAIN: THIS IS THE ONLY WORLD IN A TIMELINE WITHOUT ALETHEA."

...This isn't worth it. We need to go back. Go back. Did anyone else make it through alright?

...Anyone?


Alright, I'm gonna just talk OOC for a bit here.
This is a "soft reboot", for people who want to play new characters and such if they want to. This is the time to try new things.

This is also me trying to progress the plot and make it go faster. Hence why things suddenly escalated to this. Hopefully this'll make things go faster. Investigate around a bit. I'll do my best to make this interesting.

Some other things I can't words very well right now:
-BADAM now has Twilight Providence, limiting his attack power so that he doesn't just go around nuking willy-nilly.
-Joining in this battle will give you a +25 Charge token. Gonna remind you that you can use Group Charges to make entities.
-Once this battle is over, I'm raising the Charge cap from 25->30.
-To prevent instant chargenuking this fight, Flamingflapjacks will be playing as Eris. An Answer is also not available at this time. That being said, they'll be playable with after this fight. Totally looking forward as to what gets pulled with those later >:)

So uh, yeah. If you have any questions feel free to ping me about this next bit. Enjoy!

Itinerary:
Defeat BADAM.
Investigate this timeline.


Current Godmodder Hp: N/A

Gold Timeline: Xanadu.
WEATHER: ???
FIELD: ???

[BOSS] BUILDER·BADAM. 66/90 Hp. Twilight Providence: 75 SHP! +100% Accuracy/Dodge. Deflects Projectiles.
[PB][ELITE] Ipos. 55/90 Hp. +100% Accuracy. +100% Dodge.
[PB][ELITE] Leraje. 72/90 Hp. Deflects Projectiles.
[PB][ELITE] Labolas. 60/90 Hp. Immune to Magic.

[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Void. 40/40 Hp. Positive!


[Summer] The Arbiter. 70/70 Hp. Void: 50/50. Anteumbra!
[Summer] Eris. 25/25 Charge.




The Void: Neutral Ground.
FIELD EFFECT: Sanctuary: Nobody may attack any other.

[GM] The Godmodder. 48/80 Hp.
[PG] The Fourth Praetorian. 90/90 Hp.
[PG] The Fifth Praetorian. 85/85 Hp. [A] The Rod. Absolute Control over Oblivion.
[PG][BOSS] Effie? ???/??? Hp. Othala: 111/111 Hp.

[AG-Xorm] Sliver. 5,000/5,000 Hp. +1,000 Attack to all other Slivers.

[AG] PoeSalazar. 22/25 Charge.
[AG] Xorm. 22/25 Charge.

Advantage: [Contested]
Mount Celestia.
Forge: [Base: Bun-Sized Necklace][Lens: Bun][Connector: Emergency Healer][Variety: Swissarmyknifemodder][Magnitude: Stationary Nuke] Actions Required: 0/10.

AG Morale: 69%
Blocks: Time, Temperature!

Elevation 7:

[???][BOSS] BUILDER·BADAM. 66/90 Hp. +100% Accuracy/Dodge. Deflects Projectiles. [A] Singing Sword. Durability: 2.
[???][ELITE] Ipos. 55/90 Hp. +80% Accuracy. +100% Dodge.
[???][ELITE] Leraje. 72/90 Hp. Deflects Projectiles. Afraid of IA!
[???][ELITE] Labolas. 60/90 Hp. Immune to Magic. Stunned! Armoire of Agathys: +50,000 SHP. 50,000 Ice Counter-Damage!


[???] John. 21/25 Charge. [A] AN ANSWER. 181 Charge.
[???] Retriever. 140,000/150,000 Hp. 15,000 Regen. Target: DefJO. Afraid of IA!

[IA] Abjurer Supreme: Denak. ??/?? Hp. Magically Invulnerable. 50% Spell resistance. Arcane Ward: 20/20 Hp. Regenerates 1d6+2 HP when Denak casts an Abjuration spell. Can be replaced with a new entity!
[IA] Enchanter Supreme: Auma Prime. 25/25 HP. Twinned Charms! Auma's Axiom: 1/2. Instinctive Enchantment: 30% Dodge. [A] Hydra Medallion. x2.
[IA] Elder Fire Eidolon. 450,000 Hp.
[AG][ELITE] Carrier. 173,000/300,000 Hp. 13,000 Armour. Flying! Burning: 24,000 DoT! Burning: 27,000 DoT!
[AG] Astrec. 182 Charge. Vulnerable!
[A] The Godarm. Oblivion Buster: 2/2.
[A] Hand of Judgement. BODY: [IIIIII]. MIND: [IIIIII]. SOUL: [IIIIII].
[A] Thistle of Zillywich. +60,000 Power. Durability: 1.
[A] Swissarmyknifemodder. Attack Power: 30,000.
[A] Hydra Medallion.

[AG-Astrec] Clockwork Armillary. 25/25 Hp. 3 AC. 5 Regen. Blast: 2/2. Dispel: 3/3. Flying!
[IA][ELITE] Cloud Giant General Nebelkind Momur. 10/30 Hp. Flying!
[PT] Drone. 60,000/60,000 Hp. x10
[PT] Drone. 48,000/60,000 Hp. x3
[AG] Logan. 40/40 Hp. Temper: 4/6.
[Summer] Nedben. 3/25 Charge.
[AG] Lusiix. 25/25 Charge.
[AG] Sky High. 12/25 Charge.
[AG] Jaggerain. 25/25 Charge.
[AG] Nerà. 10/25 Charge. [A] Ebony Staff: Active! [A] Orb of Delphi. Passively Scans on Attack.
[AG] Karpinsky. 10/25 Charge.
[AG] Argent. 23/25 Charge.


Firnimloth Window
Adam Approaching in: Now.

[IA][BOSS] Firnimloth Window. 1,350,000 Integrity. Wooden Shell: 300,000 Hp.

[MSN][ELITE] HMAS Peace. 400,000/400,000 Hp. 100,000 Shp.
[MSN][ELITE] HMAS Freedom. 325,000/400,000 Hp. 0 Shp(Disabled!).
[MSN][ELITE] HMAS Security. 400,000/400,000 Hp. 100,000 Shp.

[MSN] Hands of Time. 120,000/120,000 Hp. 30% Dodge/Accuracy. x2. Commanded by Xavier!

[AG-Smirk][ELITE] HMAS Justice. 400,000/400,000 Hp. 100,000 Shp.

[AG-Smirk] Mechamorph. 150,000/150,000 Hp. Interceptor-Shell Armour: 15,000. Power Armor: +60,000 Attack to Smirk!

[AG] Smirk. 5/25 Charge. Metal Staff!


Mertion, 5th Layer

[???] Kalagni. 55,000/180,000 Hp. +100% Dodge.

[???] ??? ??/?? Hp.

[AG] Alan. 7/25 Charge. [A] Staff of Symmetry. Order Damage affects twice as many Entities! Charges: 3/4.



Olympus Antechamber



Olympus Central Court
Field Effect: Polarity. All entities are either Positive or Negative!
Weather Effect: Power Stone! One entity acquires the energies of the Power Stone. Current Entity: Matt.

[A] Necklace of Auma. Supplies Spells. Worn!

[PG] The Second Praetorian. 80/80 Charge. 32 Armor. Opponent: []. Negative!
[PG] The Third Praetorian. 33/70 Charge. 5 Ac. 50% Dodge. Vulnerable! Negative!
[PG] Harkener, The Newcomer. 17/40 Charge. Petrify: 1/6. Positive! [A] The Axe. Absolute control over Fire. Can Burn targets.
[PG] Ixion Helion. 90,000/90,000 Hp. x2 Positive!
[PG] Ixion Helion. 90,000/90,000 Hp. Negative!

[???] Piono. 30/30 Hp. [A] The Hammer. [A] The Trident. [A] Ultimatum. [A] Archangel.

[IA][ELITE] Auma Gear. 610,000/800,000 Hp. 10,000 AC. Immune to Magic! [A] Rosary of the Infinite Eye. Positive!
[IA][BOSS] Talos of Nerà. 80/160 Hp. 10 Regen. Negative! -25% Dodge.

[IA] Epic Wizard Lance. 25/25 Hp. Positive!
[IA] Epic Wizard Matt. 25/25 Hp. Positive!
[IA] Epic Wizard Natalie. 10/25 Hp. Positive!
[IA] Heikegani. 50,000/50,000 Hp. 5,000 Armour. Current Target: [Hierarch of Life]. x2 Negative!
[IA] Heikegani. 50,000/50,000 Hp. 5,000 Armour. Current Target: [Hierarch of Life]. Positive!
[IA] Gloria Phi-Nerà. 25/25 Hp.


[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Blood. 50/55 Hp. Negative! Linked to Hierarch of Doom.
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Breath. 40/55 Hp. +80% Accuracy! Positive!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Mind. 55/1 Hp. Positive! Rage: +50% Accuracy!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Hope. 45/45 Hp. 32 Armour. Negative!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Heart. 30/45 Hp. Negative!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Time. 45/45 Hp. Negative!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Void. 40/40 Hp. Positive!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Rage. 0/40 Hp. Positive!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Light. -30/40 Hp. Positive!「ANOTHER THING COMING」: 3 Rounds Left! Scwarzchild Sarabande: 35 Regen!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Doom. 50/50 Hp. Negative! Holding Elsewhere. Positive! Linked to Hierarch of Blood.
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Space. 50/50 Hp. Negative! Scwarzchild Sarabande: 35 Regen!
[N][ELITE] Hierarch of Life. 5/50 Hp. Immune to: Force, Death Damage! Positive! +50% Dodge.

[N] Electricity Eidolon. 155,000 Hp. x2.
[N] Rook. 30,000 Hp. x5.
[N][BOSS] Tinia. 150/150 Hp. Aegis: [8/12, Active! 40 Regen]. [A] The Wand. Controls Electricity. Positive!

[AG] Shadrix. 23/25 Charge. Negative!
 
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Record of Time: State.

I do some preservation work recording the defined state of 'the Arbiter is currently one person in one position' so it can be recalled to if necessary. If whatever's going on here is not worth it, then we should increase the value we get out of it regardless.

Nedben is Nedben as usual. Altrin remains, certainly.
 
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The world turns in concentric circles. The future ceases to recall the recent past. The threads of fate unravel and are fed inch by inch into the fire, the smoke forming quasifractal patterns, the rules for their construction devolving from inconsistent to hateful as they unfold into the dark. Fire augury is not a practice unknown to Alan, but it is not one within the traditions of Order. Nevertheless, the visions come, like shrapnel-filled water down the parched throat of a desperate nuclear survivor. Alan had heard once that the ruler of Earth had the whole of the universe reflected in his glasses. He had no idea it would be so bright.

Alan blinks, his pupils shifting focus to try to escape the light, and the world before him shifts with him, revealing itself to be nothing but the imprints left on the retinas of one who stares directly at the sun. It discolors into fluorescent greenish yellow-purple, flickering and drifting and fading out until there is no sun and there are no stars and there are no spinning fractals and golden spirals beneath the corners of every shape and there is no music to be found in the ticking of the gears of the machinery of night, only the silent order of an unremembered grave and the perturbations in the air made by the still-breathing corpse.

Alan tries to open his mouth to tell the Arbiter he's here. But instead what comes out is the only words he can find to describe how he feels.

ALAN: Something is terribly wrong.

He staggers towards the nearest wall, half-leans half-falls against it, and, leaning heavily on his staff, vomits on the floor.

-----

ALAN: Adam, can you hear me?
ALAN: Wait, can you even talk right now, or only highlight? Here, let me make this a statement.
ALAN: Adam can hear my words.
ALAN: I'm going to talk like that's true, because I don't know what I'll do if I don't.
ALAN: Adam, do you- Statements. I need to give you statements.
ALAN: Adam can see the universe reflected in his glasses.
ALAN: It hurts to look at.
ALAN: Nothing like this - like whatever Badam did to the timeline - has ever happened before.
ALAN: There are no stars left. This place is all there is.
ALAN: This place was artificially constructed to try to keep some form of life alive.
ALAN: This came to pass because Alethea killed or otherwise incapacitated someone who would otherwise have brought it about.
ALAN: This came to pass because if Alethea had not become a Godmodder someone else would have and they would have been even worse.
ALAN: This could still come to pass if we are not careful in how we oppose Alethea.
ALAN: This timeline is one you knew could have come to pass.
ALAN: The above fact influenced your position with regards to the [AG] faction.
ALAN: Alternatively, you have no idea how this happened.
ALAN: And on another note... Ipos, Leraje and Labolas are in some sense part of Badam.
ALAN: In order to defeat Badam, we need to figure out some weakness of his by receiving confirmations from you.
ALAN: Badam's weaknesses are unknown to you, but you believe the information you possess is sufficient to figure it out.
ALAN: You do not know any specific weaknesses of Badam, but you believe you know the correct angle of attack.
ALAN: You do not know Badam's weaknesses at all.
ALAN: You are unable to directly communicate information on some or all of the above topic, only highlight statements.
ALAN: You are unable to directly communicate at all.
ALAN: You made it through alright.
ALAN: The more I keep talking the less I'm thinking about what just happened.
ALAN: If we defeat Badam, things will go back to normal.
ALAN: If we defeat Badam, there will be a way to set this right.
ALAN: Something is terribly wrong.

Alan catches his breath, vomits again, and then begins the process of catching his breath all over as he looks around at the environment in which he is now.

-----

Actions 1 + 2 + 3 + 2 Charge:

Alan hauls himself the rest of the way to his feet. His pupils have expanded to twice their normal size, and his cornea appears cracked like glass. Cracked grid-lines flicker on the floor with each step. His arms hang too heavily on his shoulders as he hefts his staff.

ALAN: Lines of Separation, First Form.

He flicks his staff one-handed across Leraje's body, left to right, the blow scarcely making contact but tracing a line along which matter inclines itself towards separation. He follows it up with a palm heel strike to Leraje's stomach, a shock-wave rippling through their form and exploiting the induced weakness to part them like rain on a watershed flowing to different oceans.

ALAN: Second Form: Imposition of Internal Alignment.

Leraje is knocked back by the blow, but a moment later, Alan is upon him again, staff spinning around to strike from different angles, each blow shooting lines of pain through their body as Order magic pierces them. Spinning it so fast it appears to be a perfect circle, they drag these magical after-images into alignment, rotating and translating the once haphazard lines until they all intersect in the exact center of Leraje's mass with equal angles between them, dragging their blood and organs with them, Alan's imposition of order overwriting the normal construction of their body.

ALAN: Enforced Conservation of Energy.

With a flick of his hand, Alan shifts his staff from in front of him to beside him, its tips moving towards Leraje at the top and away from him at the bottom. He lowers it slightly, and the tip catches the floor, its energy transferring in a perfectly elastic manner, the staff stopping in place and standing perfectly upright on end as Alan is launched forward with equal momentum and kinetic energy, twisting in midair to connect the center of Leraje's mass with a flying kick.

ALAN: Third Form: Flower-Petal Fractions.

Alan stops dead and drops straight down to the floor as all of his kinetic energy is in turn transferred directly to Leraje. Leraje's body splits into perfect sixteenths as the energy radiates outward, tearing him apart along the lines Alan drove into him, plumes of white Order energy erupting from the ends of each line segment like shimmering petals.

ALAN: Fourth Form: Fatal Flaw Excision.

Rolling to his feet, Alan claps his palms together and closes his eyes, taking in the patterns in the mist of Order now suffusing the area, feeling it flow back into him as sonar-waves to discern Leraje's most vulnerable points. The connective structure of his body reveals itself to Alan, its bones and joints and the planes along which they tend to split, the pressures and stresses put on it by its breathing and pumping of fluids and how those can best be exploited, the ways in which something...

something...

something in the edge of his vision...

something is terribly wrong.

ALAN: Everything's so badly broken... I can't even look at it...

Alan blinks frantically, spits blood, and collapses to the ground.
 
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"I don't suppose I'm late to the party?"

A Sylveon in a Cowboy Outfit enters from stage right.

"If that itinerary is right this BADAM fella has a bounty... and I'm here to collect."

A tumbleweed passes by from nowhere...

The Sylveon holds out a silvery coin, flipping it into the air... it vanishes with a glint.

ACTION 1: Spend the 25 Charge token to summon a Gang of 5 Bounty Hunters

A group of five Bounty Hunters wielding rifles and mounted on Horses appear in a line next to the Sylveon.

"Saddle up boys! We're gonna get paid!"

ACTION 2/3: Gun down Labolas with help from the Bounty Hunters

There's a thunder of hooves as the Bounty Hunters spread out, and unified cracks as the Bounty Hunters fire nigh-simultaneously, The Sylveon using the distraction of the other Bounty Hunters to close the distance between himself and Labolas, revealing a double barrel shotgun only to promptly unload it into Labolas's center, attempting to deal as much damage as possible.

Charge: 20/25
 
As reality is rewritten, the one known as Lusiix is... not erased, per say. Rather, he is simply replaced with someone else. Whether or not the mechanical man is still out there somewhere, he is no longer here, and where he otherwise would've been in this place known as Xanadu is...



>ACTION 1: The one known as Leraje suddenly finds themselves feeling rather blue. Literally. They have turned blue, and as a result they feel themselves being pushed into the ground, as if gravity itself had suddenly turned on them. Behind Leraje is the source of this affliction: some kind of anthropomorphic goat woman, with a fluffy coat of light-grey fur, a curly mane of "hair" atop her head, two floppy ears which go down just past her shoulders, and two short horns the same color as her fur. Her clothes are, quite simply, plain, consisting of an open green plaid jacket, a red tank-top visible underneath, and a blue skirt which stretches down to halfway between her knees and ankles. Her right arm is outstretched towards Leraje, palm facing downwards as if pushing them down from afar. As she does this, the irises of her eyes glow an unnatural shade of Dark Blue.

As the goat woman exerts her magic upon Leraje, she turns her gaze towards Badam.

????: So you're the one responsible for... whatever this is?
????: I dunno what's going on here, but I can tell you have something to do with... whatever happened to this place.
????: Well then, I guess I'll just have to help stop you, then!


>ACTIONS 2+3: Seeing the Sylveon and the Bounty Hunters going after Labolas, the goat woman decides to follow up their attack by thrusting her outstretched arm towards the [ELITE] entity. In an instant, Leraje is suddenly sent flying towards Labolas with double the force that was previously forcing them into the ground, doubtless knocking both of Badam's lackeys the the ground.

That done, the woman turns towards some of the others who are not clearly aligned with Badam, in this case the Arbiter, Eris, the Hierarch of Void, and Alan. Not that she knows any of those names, but the point is she turns her gaze towards them and waves with her free hand.

????: Uh, hey there, you guys!
JUNE: Name's June, nice to meet you!
JUNE: So uh... what the actual fuck is going on? Did I just attack a guy for no reason? Where even are we anyway?
 
Xorm gets... side-shunted from reality again. This time, it wasn't even him doing it!
But one thing's for sure.

[22 Charge + 3 Actions: That's a Damn Fine Gun.]

Xorm, knowing full well he's an interdimensional criminal, went through some efforts to sort of... link some goods to his soul. The double-barrelled shotgun now in his hands is one of them. It's seen days, nights, and weird no-time-periods of use, and it's a reliable tool of flesh-hole-opening. And he hides it between universes just for situations like this.

There's no magic. No space-tech. No epic story behind it.

Just faith in its past, that it may carry him into the future.

[[Assuming I *can* use my 22 Charge from the REDACTED timeline, drop it all on an Artifact with "Really hard to steal" and pure, honest, raw damage output. Call it... "Devil's Hand."]]
 
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A man cartwheels diagonally down from the sky and lands head to the ground and feet in the air. He seems to be dripping a cyan liquid which perfectly reflects his face and nothing else.
"Hey! Where'd You all come from? wait, wait, I can figure this out! Okay, so one of you normally doesn't have physical form I have no idea what's up with that but the shouty lad said something about New memories and then timelines so I guess you're from the present advancement state of the meta-preceding state of the timeline with the current time being the meta-final state of the present of the timeline! At least, if I trust inferences from the shouty one. It sounds like the meta-preceding state had more than one world- or well, more than two worlds? depends what you mean by world- and is better in some way? or at least physical body man thinks so after half a second of being here which is Awfully quick to make a judgement about how good the world is! I mean, this world has Me in it! I bet the other world didn't! So, objectively speaking, this is the superior option."
[1x] I take a minute to review my memory of the past several years to figure out the most likely point of divergence and cause for the thingys that happened as inferred above and whatnot.

[1x] Hm, it sounds like it's not certain for everyone to make it through this time-whimmy thing! I'd better make sure I Do- I mean, I'm just so awesome. I compartmentalise a copy of my entire memory and personality, then send it back in time to the location of my homeworld, several years before the point of divergence identified above! I also set up continuous updates to keep it up to date as time passes!

[1x] I may not know who's fighting who or why in much detail but I do know that when in doubt, collect power! This 'Heirarch of Void' guy seems like a positive fellow! That is, it's literally one of the only things I know about him! {{{OOC: I know it's a holdover from the Tinia fight}}} But even a positive fellow like him probably needs a few seconds to figure out how to interpret the destruction of presumably many worlds indeed in a positive light! I mean, he doesn't know me well enough to know how amazing I am!
While he's busy figuring that out and being shocked, I steal all his valuables, invaluables, nonvaluables, and his left kidney- I mean, he doesn't really Need it, does he?- through various means including telekinesis, really long arms, magnets(who knows how magnets work?), sleight of hand(The trick is to direct their attention to somewhere other than where the trick is! This is easy, because I'm so amazing and also they're busy grappling with time travel!), and time magic (I freeze the parts I'm stealing, relatively to the orbit of my homeworld, causing them to go flying faster than a bullet)! Who knows how valuable vlauables, invaluables, nonvaluables, and kidneys from an alternate timeline would be? I don't!
 
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Finally. The gods alone could know how long it'd been searching, were they not slain long ago. But finally, Kslrk's mission reaches its finale, face to face with the creature that is both final foe and ultimate reward. Spoken of in dying tongues around fragile fires by the few who live to tell tales while tending hearths.
The world's biggest Dorito.
But famished as Kslrk is, it can restrain themselves from foolish action. No point in getting greedy when that risks predator becoming prey.
Appetizers first.

Kslrk slithers through the subtle cracks in the firmament below* Labolas until an opportunity presents itself. Suddenly it does, in the form of a six gun salute aimed right at the bugger's... well, everything.
Kslrk leaps- or falls- onto Labolas in a sudden flurry of razor-thin, proboscis-asjacent appendages. Each one snakes violently into a bullet hole and attaches to Labolas on a conceptual level.
Kslabolasrk commits a vile act of self-cannibalism, draining the existential stability from the Formerly-Labolas to the inscrutable, Formerly-Kslrk.
Kslabolasrk is grappling Kslabolasrk, and eating its itness.
 
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For no reason in particular, John trips over his own feet, sending himself falling forward as his feet chase his balance. His eyes track the ground as it shifts beneath him, the fabric of space shoving him forth to the big boat everybody's calling Xanadu. His arms wave out at his sides as he keeps his balance. And John laughs. He turns to look at Badam and says, "Oh man! That was great! Man, Adam must be-" John stops himself mid-sentence, looking at his empty hand. "But- wha- Oh, come on Badam! Just when I was gonna have some fun. Gosh, man." He shakes his head, disappointed in Badam. "I swear I wasn't going to stab you with it yet. And don't tell me about 'causality' or whatever. That was a conscious choice to get rid of my cool sword. That's a party fowl there." John sighs. He raises his empty palm to Badam. "No, don't worry about it, Badam my boy. We're still buddies." John smiles. "Especially because you can tell me this:

"Adam is so pissed at me right now.
"Wait wait wait. I've got a better one. Adam is sooooo mad I broke his hand.
"Oh, and he's REALLY angry I stole his hilt. He seemed emotionally attached to that thing.
"Last thing! Last thing! I totally stole Adam's plan! Adam was gonna do that. Yeah, I stole his thunder. He can't lie to me."

John looks to the empty sky and laughs aloud. He scratches the spikes of his mohawk and faces Badam once more. His head slowly rocks back and forth. He points a finger at Badam and continues. "Man, dude. Why do you have to do this to me? I'm pretty sure I know what Answer that was, and you know I've got to get it back." John closes his eyes, fighting back what he knows he has to do. "Badam, man, I promise you this. Once this is over, you've got a spot in L.O.S.S.. Whatever you want, buddy. I think you'd do great vocals, but I can easily see you on lead guitar. Or piano, you know. Seems right up your alley." John's head continues to shake, dejected. "Really Badam, I want to play some music to mark this occasion, but I just can't seem to pick the right song. I'll do my best to finish what you started, buddy. I just- Here. This'll do."

John raises his hand, and a microphone drops from the sky. Above, his speaker platform remains dormant as it starts to play the middle verse of John's life. A tear drips from his darkly shadowed eyes, and his pierced lips open to sing.

"And I've got nothing to say.
"I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face."
In his voice, the speaker whispers, "I was confused."
"Looking everywhere only to find
"That it's not the way I imagined it all in my mind."
"So what am I?" Faint purple light glows around John.
"What do I have but negativity
"'Cause I can't justify the way everyone is looking at me."
"Nothing to lose." The purple light laces around his forearms.
"Nothing to gain, hollow and alone.
"And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own."

The song pauses for a moment, and John steps away from Badam, mist spilling from his black leather boots. John's alignment tag turns gray for a moment, before glowing bright red. [AG], it reads. John turns away from Badam, his buddy, turning to face Ipos, his destined foe.

FOCUS Action (Again, short summary at the bottom): A cruel smile curves across John's faintly yellow teeth. He flicks his tongue out, taunting Ipos. Badam's bonding fire suddenly flares around his body, a bright aura flowing around his body as he continues to sing.

"I wanna heal! I wanna feel! What I thought was never real!
"I wanna let go of the pain I've felt so long!"
Above them, the speaker hisses, "Erase all the pain 'till it's gone." Bright spotlights shine down from it, forming a false moon over the desperate Ark. Mist continues to spill from John's feet, as dim metal fences spike up at a distance around himself and Ipos. Frost green grass sprouts on the ground around them as headstones rumble from deep below. Behind Ipos, an old monument from an erased world rises: the form of a man in a flowing black suit, sitting on his wide, pillared throne of democracy. Faint lights begin to dot the black, featureless sky as John approaches Ipos.
"I wanna heal!" he screams, the purple fire around John roaring as his arms reach out and grab Ipos. The chromatic heat runs down John's fingers, quickly connecting with a deep essence within Ipos.
"I wanna feel!" The two forces meld on the surface of Ipos's skin, rushing to the surface in the same purple form as John's. The two are enveloped in the fire, the same bond they shared just a turn before. Within, it is nothing but a chain, binding them to the great Builder. But manifested, its potential is raw, untamed.
"Like I'm close to something real!" John sings.
"I want to find something I've wanted all along." His grip tightens around Ipos as the flames continue to merge.
"Somewhere I belong."
In an instant, the fire around John turns green, a sick inversion of Adam's clan. John lets go of Ipos and leaps backwards, the steel tips of his boots digging into the thin soil of the dead park. He stands tall, slowly circling around Ipos as he yells,
"I will never know! Myself until I do this on my own!
"And I will never feel! Anything else until my wounds are healed!"
John throws his open hand forward, and the green fire sprays from his fingers. It flies at a wide angle toward Ipos, wrapping him in its dancing coil, brushing against Ipos's flesh as it squeezes against his own purple light. As the flames flow from John's hand, the aura around him seems to dim. Acting quickly, John sings,
"I will never be! Anything 'till I break away from me!
"I will break away! I'll find myself today!"
The green fire around Ipos squeezes tight, crushing the purple flames that protect him. Ipos can feel the green heat against his whole body, flowing against him as it breaks his guard. For a sickening moment, John stops singing, just smiling at Ipos as the music sprinkles like rain around them. Then, with a thunderous beat, John bangs his head and finishes,
"I wanna heal! I wanna feel! What I thought was never real!
"I wanna let go of the pain I've felt so long!"
John throws his hand up, and the green fire breaks away from him, rising into the air, flying on its freedom. "Erase all the pain 'till it's gone," John whispers as the green fire pulls against Ipos's purple, trying to fly. The green grips heavily against the purple of Ipos's soul, tearing it away from his very being. As the green continues to rise toward the false moon, so too does the purple flame. As Ipos's connection to it is severed, he begins to feel weak, alone. Within himself, Ipos screams, trying to grapple at the purpose of his soul. But it is no use. The green fire is too bold, too filled with rage. With a snap, the body of purple fire flies from Ipos, soaring upward into the void with John's green.

Watching this, John smiles. Almost calm, he sings the last of the song as though in reflection. "I wanna heal, I wanna feel, like I'm close to something real. I wanna find something I've wanted all along. Somewhere I belong."

John ends the song there, pausing to breathe as he nods to himself. "Sorry Badam," he whispers to himself. "[AG] is where I belong."

TL;DR: Try to rip a vaguely Badam-related part of Ipos's soul out with graveyard fire and alignment magic. And rejoin [AG]. We can all stop thinking about shooting me now.
 
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