Heroes Uprising Thread 7

After the debriefing, all five left Firestar's house.

"Well, where are you guys off to?" Crusader asked.

"I'm headed back to India. I was meditating within an ashram before all this started."

"Try not to fall asleep, old man," Shell Shock quipped.

Existence waved him off and opened a portal before leaving.

Spirit Rider summoned his motorcycle.

"Well, I'll be off, too. You guys need anything, you let me know."

He mounted his motorcycle and took off into the sky before disappearing over the horizon. Lithuel walked over and gently clapped Crusader on the back.

"Guess we finally found a guy even you couldn't handle, eh, Scott?"

Crusader turned to him and smiled.

"You can say that again. Rise hit you hard, Lithuel. How do you feel?"

"All good. Takes more than that to put me out, as you well know."

"Yeah, right. So, where are you headed?"

"Back to jolly old England," Lithuel replied, affecting a British accent.

Crusader chuckled.

"Well, take it easy, Lithuel."

"Same to you."

The two shook hands and Lithuel winged into the sky before heading for the ocean. Turning to Lone Wolf, Scott bowed respectfully and then shook his hand.

"You headed home, Lone Wolf?"

"Yes."

Being a man of few words, Crusader knew that Lone Wolf was only a message away without his friend having to say it. The martial arts master walked through a Fire Path back to his favorite courtyard.

Shell Shock grinned and headed for his Ferrari.

"You headed anywhere in particular, Scott?"

"No, not really."

"Why not come to California with me and enjoy some beach babes?"

"Thanks, but I'm gonna go see my girl."

"Oh, right, you were dating that Minerva chick."

Shell Shock grabbed the driver's side door and swung over. After starting his car, he gave Crusader a nod.

"Later, man."

Crusader waved as Shell Shock drove through a Fire Path back to California that closed behind him. He turned and shot into the sky toward Minerva. It would be good to celebrate this victory with her.



Crusader crossed the portal into Minerva's world. Flying down the streets, he followed the guidance of Valor. His Voltari companion was tracking her magic signature. After finding her, Scott landed in front of her. After dropping his armor, he gave her a big smile.

"Hey, babe."

" Would that be more convenient for you? " David's words cut through Dave's laughter " That we were rainwashed, manipulated and our ituation has nothing to do with you? " He suddenly appeared in front of Sandra, his emotions crashing over her like a massive wave. His psionic and cosmic energy flooding her mind.

" That is unfortunately not the case!! "

Sandra remembered one of Emmets lessons, when he spoke about the pierce ability which as the name suggest, was a skill for getting through defenses, given how easily David got past hers. It felt like a movie was being played across her mind.

She saw Dave appearing before David and Chloe, before opening a portal and sending them away. They appeared on another earth, at the doorstep of a Sandra and Dave who had lost their children and happily took them in. The world was peaceful, mutants and humans lived in harmony and strangely enough, the phoenix didnt seem to exist. It took some time, but the children were happy in their new lives....until one day when an invasion happened.

That earth was too peaceful, it was enitirely unprepared for the invaders, lacking the childrens former earths chaos and experience. It wasnt long till the earth was in ruin and the childrens new family and home were torn apart. The two were separated and David spent years on the run, hiding and trying to find his sister. He was forced to grow up and fast, he had to kill and a lot. Honing his powers, all for the sake of survival.

Eventually he did find his sister, but she was so broken, physically and mentally and their situation was no better, until Kain appeared.He found them, while traversing dimentions, he recognized David as his blood sibling and had no problems accepting Chloe, he brought the phoenix force into that world and it bonded with the siblings, together with Kain they went after the invaders and annihilated them.

After that kain took them with him, explaining his grand plan, and they readily agreed to join him, swearing their loyalty. They didnt care about what happened to the worlds, the multiverse, but they wanted to get back and confront the parents that had abandonned them to another form of hell. Dave was gone, leaving Sandra behind at the forefront.

Sandra fell to her knees and vomited, tears pouring down her cheeks, her children had been through so much, and she hadnt been there to protect them. David floated into the air, a dark phoenix construct forming around him " Spare us your tears, you were barely around before this, too busy with your new life "

Chloe joined her brother, a massive humanoid construct of cosmic enery enveloping her, it's form was distinctly female. Sandra could easily see herself in it, Choe had remained silent this whole time, but like David, she was radiating raw hurt, a deep pain, and brokeness.

" Why dont we really get this little family reuntion going " Dave cackled from within the void tornado " You had much to answer for!! " the phoenix/void construct roared, unleashing a wave lightning, while David sent out a barrage cosmic spikes. Chloe hung back, cradled in her construct, lashing out it's right hand and sent forth a wave of cosmic energy.

Sandra warped high into the sky and all the attacks converged and exploded underneath her. "I never wanted to see you two like this, as Dark Phoenix's, or Phoenix's at all. You've been traumatised even before birth David, and Chloe hasn't had it easy either. It was too much risk even before Dave sent you away to extend this power to you. But now here you both are, thanks to Kain. As for being brainwashed or you two being some alternate reality doppelgangers, no we've pretty much already ruled that out. I know you are my kids, the kids I moaned, the same kids I was led to believe were dead when you were in fact sent to an alternate reality all along. Or did that one (Dave) and Kain neglect to mention that?"

Half truths and lies didn't necessarily mean brainwashed. One can take a true story and manipulate the narrative by simply withholding certain details. Sandra never came to look for David & Chloe because why would she, the two where sent to a place outside her scoop of detection and the one man who knew the two's last whereabouts, the Dave of her world, had claimed he killed them. Until they found out who attacked Asgard, Sandra had never expected to see these two again.

Given they've already fought and defeated other Sandra's, she decided not to take any chances and went straight to White Phoenix, a large Phoenix construct forming around her and an unimaginable power radiating from her. "Well Dave, kids, this is what you wanted right?" Sandra was not looking forward to this, Dave at this point she could accept, but she did not want to have to fight the children, even though it looked as though that outcome would not be optional.

" Come on now Sandy,surely you dont think I wouldnt be prepared for this! " Dave laughed as his twisted cosmic energy exploded outward before shrinking to seemingly nothing " Who do you think it was that interupted your power in Carmens fictional bubble!?

Sandra gasped and clutched her chest, it felt like something was clawing it's way to the core of her power, she could hear Mien curse in anger as she was seemingly ejected from white hot room. Disoriented, she began plummeting towards the ground before managing to catch herself.

" I told you before my dear, dear Sandra, i'm an anti-phoenix weapon. With each one of you that i've killed and devoured, my understanding of the phoenix force grew deeper and more intimate, till I could just see into it's deeper parts. Im not crazy enough to try and enter it myself. But I am crazy enough to cage a key part of it and prevent you from drawing out it's full power, oh it has the side effect of shaving away chunks of my life span, but it's more then worh it! "

Blood was pouring out from his mouth, ears, and nose at an alarming rate, he fell to his knees and coughed violently, but the insane smile hadnt left his face once. Space warped and group found themselves in a new location, a large stone bridge sourrounded by ruins.


" Yes mother, this is exactly what we wanted " David said, his voice dripping with malice, a katana made of solidified psionic energy appearing in his hand. His phoenix construct surged forward suddenly as he took to the sky, Sandra's own construct clashing with it , David appeared behind her and slashed, the attack striking on the physical and mental level.

Chloe joined the battle, her motherly construct cradling the young girl as it attacked from beneath the bridge, letting off explosions of psionic energy. As the fight began, Dave watched like a maniac as music started playing.

Chloe:
I couldn't take it, couldn't stand another minute
Couldn't bear another day without you in it
All of the joy that I had known for all my life
Was stripped away from me the minute that you died
To have you in my life was all I ever wanted
But now without you, I'm a soul forever haunted
Can't help but feel that I had taken you for granted
No way in hell that I can ever comprehend this

David:
I wasn't dreaming when they told me you were gone
I was wide awake and feeling that they had to be wrong
How could you leave me when you swore that you would stay?
Now I'm trapped inside a nightmare every single f'ing day
It's like a movie, but there's not a happy ending
Every scene fades black and there's no pretending
This little fairytale doesn't seem to end well
There's no knight in shining armor who will wake me from the spell

Chloe and David:
I know you didn't plan this
You tried to do what's right
But in the middle of this madness
I'm the one (I'm the one, I'm the one)
Left to win this fight

Chloe, David, and Sandra:
Red like roses
Fills my head with dreams and finds me
Always closer
To the emptiness and sadness
That has come to take the place of you
Sandra:
I know you’re broken down by anger and by sadness
You feel I left you in a world that's full of madness
Wish I could talk to you, if only for a minute
Make you understand the reasons why I did it
I wanna tell you that you’re all that ever mattered
Want you to know that, for eternity, I’m shattered
I tried so hard just to protect you but I failed to
And, in a prison of abandonment, I've jailed you
I never planned that I would leave you there alone
I was sure that I would see you when I made it back home
And all the times I swore that it would be okay
Now I’m nothing but a liar and you're thrown into the fray
This bedtime story ends with misery ever after
The pages are torn and there’s no final chapter
I didn’t have a choice, I did what I had to do
I made a sacrifice but forced a bigger sacrifice on you

???:
I know you've lived a nightmare
I caused you so much pain
But baby, please don’t do what I did
I don’t want (I don't want, I don't want)
You to waste your life in vain

Chloe, David, and Sandra:
Red like roses
Fills my head with dreams and finds me
Always closer
To the emptiness and sadness
That has come to take the place of you

[Verse 2: Sandy Casey]
I know you’re broken down by anger and by sadness
You feel I left you in a world that's full of madness
Wish I could talk to you, if only for a minute
Make you understand the reasons why I did it
I wanna tell you that you’re all that ever mattered
Want you to know that, for eternity, I’m shattered
I tried so hard just to protect you but I failed to
And, in a prison of abandonment, I've jailed you
I never planned that I would leave you there alone
I was sure that I would see you when I made it back home
And all the times I swore that it would be okay
Now I’m nothing but a liar and you're thrown into the fray
This bedtime story ends with misery ever after
The pages are torn and there’s no final chapter
I didn’t have a choice, I did what I had to do
I made a sacrifice but forced a bigger sacrifice on you

[Pre-Chorus: Sandy Casey]
I know you've lived a nightmare
I caused you so much pain
But baby, please don’t do what I did
I don’t want (I don't want, I don't want)
You to waste your life in vain

[Chorus: Casey Lee Williams]
Red like roses
Fills my head with dreams and finds me
Always closer
To the emptiness and sadness
That has come to take the place of you


Sandra:
You're not the only one who needed me
I thought you understood

David:
You were the one I needed
And you left me as I always feared you would

Sandra:
Would I change it if I could?

Chloe:
It doesn’t matter how

David:
The petals scatter now

Sandra and Chloe:
Every nightmare just discloses
It’s your blood that’s red like roses
And no matter what I do
Nothing ever takes the place of you

[Guitar Solo]

Chloe, David, and Sandra:
Red like roses
Fills my head with dreams and finds me
Always closer
To the emptiness and sadness
That has come to take the place of you


The three phoenix's belted out the lyrics of the somber song as they battled it out through the area. Sandra was being pressed hard by the two, their emotions fueling trhough as they both pinned her to the ground, causing a crater to form.

David raised his blade, it grew to the size of a skyscraper " All of this, our pain and misery is because of you, if you had just been there, if dad had been there, together as a family, this wouldnt have happened!!! " David screamed, glowing tears streaming down his face.

"...Mommy....everything hurt, for a long time, till David saved me....everyday I cried and begged for you to come, but you never did!! " She copied her brother, forming her own massive sword.

But before the two could strike. Parts of space began to warp and chains shot out, wrapping around the swords, the constructs, and the wilders as well, before yanking them away from Sandra.

Dave staggered to his feet, his inital wave of weakness beginning to fade "Now what the fuck is this now? "
Figure appeared in front of Sandra, wearing a long trench, black pants and biker boots. The flaming skull told the tale of who it was, a ghost rider, but she didnt get the impression it was one from her earth. They turned and stared at her, their expression obviously unreadable, but it was plane to see that he was here to help.

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Jormungandr Kano-JKano roared, unleashing god blast not only from his mouth, but from holes all over his unending body. Kaiser started moving, practically vanishing from sight, while Fenrir unleashed wave of telepathic waves in the form of howls. Normally JKano's mind would be impenetrable in this form, but as Fenrir was, he was able to pick cracks in the gods mind.

Kaiser was moving rapidly, each step he took equalled a thouand sword strikes. His blade singing with joy as Kaiser wielded it, riddling JKano's body with deep cuts. The two brother were united front, dual striking physically and mentally.

" You miserable little vermin, as if you could compare to my divinity!! Just because you have that pathetic Emmets blood coursing through your veins-!!

He howled in pain as a large psionic construct in the form of a wolf man's huge jaws latched onto his head and bit. The fangs digging deep into his mind. At the same time he slice clean in half.

" DO NOT TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER THAT WAY!! " Kaiser and Fenrir yelled, their bloodlust exploding out. JKano's body quickly reatached itself and he shook off Fenrir's assault, but it was short lived as the two attacked with renewed brutality.

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Emmet was sitting on a throne, taking a sip of tea, he smiled around his cup as he felt the feroucity of his childrens battle against JKano. He turned his gaze to Cassandra, who was looking worse for wear, her body was riddled with wounds nd she was trying to put as much distance between her and Emmet, but it wasnt going well, as he had formed a dome around them, which only sped up the draining of her power.

He snapped his fingers and formed several perfectly circular orbs of goblin energy " Were reaching the end dawling, let the curtain fall with your blood "

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AltKaty just sighed " Oh, well I was going to kill all of you anyway, but I have to admit, the sight of you two holding hands....is going to make slaughtering you all the more enjoyable " she shifted into an elemental form that was a mixture of water and dragon fire, unleashing a massive tidal wave.

Troy jumped forward and adopted a stance, taking a few deep breath. Tanesha was shocked, she recogized what he was doing immediately, using Qi. The deep breaths circulated his Qi rapidly through his body. In a quick movement, he delivered a palm strike that bluew a hole in the middle of the tidal wave.

" I'll tell you like I told my Katy, I refuse to back down to you and stay weak! " a golden aura appeared around his body, scales formed all around it and his hair went from black to gold " It's kinda ironic that your using dragon fire, my teacher is a dragon afterall "

AltKaty didnt miss a beat " Is he now....Sea of flames! " her elementa form expanded out, creating fire blast and icicles that surrounded the group and honed in on them. Troy propelled himself into the air with pressurized water blast as Tanesha shifted to mist form and descended as well, Katy and Cassandra following them.

AltKaty gave chase, surging upward, Troy yelled to Katy to make as much water as she could, he followed suit, the together they managed to make a massive amount. Troy used Qi to empower the water and at the last moment, used viscoity to turn all of the water into a jello like substance and crash down onto AltKaty, forcing her back to the ground.

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The diamond phoenix was initially shrugging off the their attacks and drawing more power from the cosmic generator, but this would unknowingly be his downfall. Tesla's diamond dust was being effected by the cosmic energy, siphoning it and increasing it's it's own effectiveness. Garfield was spinning large amounts of thread and spreading it all over.

The diamond Phoenix Fired off a round of diamond spikes like agattling gun on the pair, eah one further empowered by cosmic energy. Garfield weaved mana through the threads and managed to entangle more then a few of the spikes and redirect them.

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Shawkuns forces and Abby's guardians clashed viciously Abby's forces having a slight edge in terms of field and alignment. But Shawkun had numbers and versatility in abilities, with his forces continuing to grow. The moonbeam arrows struck Shawkun, much to his annoyance as they seemed to bypass his defenses " Tricky little one arent you "

Wraith Abby was being overwhelmed by by the vector strikes, but Shawkun was forcing her forward till she was able to match the attacks. Out the corner of her eye she saw Collin prowling and launching himself at her, only to be knocked away by what appeared to be a flail on a chain. The chain retracted back, revealing it's wielder to be Lios the elf, newest code:breaker.

" Greetings Lady Abby, daughter of Lady Sandra. I have arrived after many a battle, to assist if needed and I have brought assistance "

Next to him was a figure in black armor and wielding what appeared to be a chainsaw blade, he gave Abby a frieldly wave " Sup, friendly former hero here to lend some assistance, as long as I get to butcher I'm good "

Lios nodded " Well said, you speak of the code:breakers oath very well "

The former chuckled " Heh, these code:breakers sound like kinda people, lets talk about this more once the situation is less fucked " The former hero barreled into the fray, his blade whirring to life shredding through Shawkuns forces. Lios spied Amber and Jericho's wraiths attempting to dispell the field.

He knelt and pressed a palm to the ground " Worth Tree magic: Garden of the Graces!


A small world tree had begun to grown, it's roots rapidly spreading out through the field. It added a second layer of protection to the field. Lios headed towards the wraith mages, summoning spirits to flank him.

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Minerva was shocked when Scott suddenly apeared, having been unable to initially reach him " Scott!, it's great to see you " she gave him a quick hug before explaining what was currently happening with Kain the dissaray of the multiverse and how it was bleeding into her world.

Sandra floated back to her feet the second the attacks were pulled off of her. She had not expected a Ghost Rider to be here, but his timing couldn't have been better. Sandra gave Ghost Rider a nod, sensing he was here to help. If they make out of this, then they could exchange pleasantries. Sandra's turned to David & Chloe. "I'm sorry you two suffered so much, I would have come if I could. Unfortunately the one you think you trust, is the reason I never did. That one (referring to Dave as a stand in for her own) led me to believe you two were slain. You could imagine my disbelief and anger when he said he did it. The two of us fought and I avenged your deaths, at least I thought I did. Had I known he sent you away, I never would have stopped until I found you two."

While David & Chloe may have been upset Sandra never came for them, Dave was the root cause of all their suffering to begin with, being the one that sent them away in the first place.

-----

Katy took a water form and Cassandra took a psionic state following Troy and Tanesha's lead. Assisting Troy and seeing him make the water into a jelly type of substance was certainly different from the Troy she knew. "Interesting ability you have there." Katy said to AltTroy. "Our Troy set down the Phoenix Flames path, a gift from his buddy Milo."

-----

It began to look like their attacks were having some effect. In addition to the diamond dust Tesla let botches of liquid diamond out through her feet. These would move along the ground getting onto Diamond Phoenix Aaron and seep inside him any way they could find, looking to further damage the suit or Aaron from the inside out.

-----

Abby certainly was in no position to question anything, she'll take all the help she can get. "You two arrived just in time. Alright, lets take this guy down!" As Former Hero & Lios started taking the pressure off Abigail bit by bit, it allowed Abby to start honing more and more of directly at Shawkun.

Scott smiled at her and returned Minerva's hug. He was surprised by what she told him.

"No kidding? That's some wild stuff."

He invited her to sit down and have dinner. He was starved after dealing with Rise.

Dave reached into a small pocket of space and pulled out an orb of energy and crushed it. He felt a wave of vitality wash over his body. It was an item of last resort for him, as he didnt care if he lived or died during this whole event. But he didnt wanna go out so soon, not till he saw the look of absolute despair in Sandra's eyes and that could only come from one thing.

It was a thought buried so deep in his mind, that no telepath could find, least of all Sandra, given that he'd shaped his entire being into a poison tailored for her. He rose his feet, the twisted phoenix construct forming around his again, soon, it was so soon. He watched Sandra with David and Chloe, barely even noticing the ghost rider that had appeared, he wasnt relevant.

He rose into the air, the void and twisted phoenix force surging from within him " Yes, my children, you'll play your ultimate parts in my revenge "

Suddenly the ghost rider appeared in front of Dave, taking a few moments for the insane man to even register him " What the fuck do you want, isnt there some other fight you could intrude on, we dont need you here "

The ghost riders flames shifted from red to bue as he cocked back his fist and swung. Dave made no physical move to stop it, his defenses were solid, which made it all the more surprising when the Ghost Riders punch made contact and sent him flying. A bewildered Dave teleported back, but the Ghost Rider appeared behind him kicked him in the back.



Dave could feel it now, this Ghost Rider had spacial powers too, combined with dimensional travel was allowing him to get to him directly " Fuck off you damn bastard!! " Dave screamed, a storm of darkness had formed overhead, firing off countless bolts of lightning and spawning infini-tendrils from the ground.

Hellfire erupted from the Ghost Rider in the form of a massive storm and clashed with Daves power. Dave screamed as the hellfire burned through space to reach him. He teleported off, but the Ghost Rider stayed on his heels. As is common with those of the Ghost Rider mantle, he possessed a ride, all of space itself. Chains ensnared Dave's twisted phoenix construct, holding in place.

" NO, STOP IT!! " he screamed in frustration, growing larger and larger, but again the Ghost Rider matched him, unleashing a barrage of space bending, hellfire infused punches. These hit Dave like a truck, striking at his very soul.

" If you exist you thwart Sandra Fuller, then I exist to stop you and save the souls you've corrupted "

" I dont know what the fuck your talking about, kids, please help me!! "

Chloe broke away from the confrontation with Sandra to speed over, her motherly construct growing two more sets of arms, each wielding a large sword " No, leave daddy alone!! "

She slashed at stabbed at the Ghost Riders enlarged form viciously, but the Rider made no move to stop her, his attention fully on Dave. He reached out and finally got a hold of the man " You will tell the truth and confess your sins! "

Using soul and sin manipulation, he smashed through every defense of Daves and unleashed his inner most thoughts, flooding the three telepaths minds with the contents of his horrid mind. Ultimately, he planned to kill David and Chloe in front of Sandra, crushing her mind in ultimate despair.

" I guess the cats out of the bag now " he laughed madly " It's for the best, this way we can all get what we want, lets paint everything in our pain an misery!! "

David and Chloe were shocked and hurt, Chloe faltering. Her construct hugging itself around her tightly " No, no, no, no, no " she repeated the words over and over again. " Please dont abandon us again, dont let something bad happen to us "

" But it's necessary that something bad happen to you, why do you thing Kain and I arranged for your world to be invaded, if not then you would have lived long and happy lives. But it wouldnt have been real happiness, it wouldnt have given that bitch the ultimate pain, now come on kiddies!! "

David and Chloe felt an immense buildup of cosmic energy beginning to form in their bodies, against their wills. Dave appeared to have triggered something within them via their connection to the phoenix force. The two were on the verge of an explosion and one they couldnt survive.

" No "

Mythical chains appeared and around the two, piercing their hearts.

" You have suffered enough! "

The excess cosmic energy was being drained from them and into him. his body being wracked in immeasurable amounts of pain, but he took it.

Phoenix, he's weakened and his influnce over your power has faltered " I'll take care of your children, finish him off

Sandra could hear the Ghost Riders voice in her mind, telling her what she needed to do.

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" There's a pretty nice italian restaurant right over yonder " Ku-Chan suggested " It's twilight themed, but hey were in it's renaissance era, so yeah and despite a multiversal apocalype going on, a lot of places are still up and running "

Minerva thought about it for a moment, but there wasnt a thought to be done at the moment, they had plenty of people on standby and she was feeling a bit hunger " Sure i'd love too "

Sandra could feel her strength return to her.  Between the Carmen situation and this Mien has had quite enough of this Dave separating her from her hosts, combined with Sandra's own hatred for the man, especially this version of him with his sick plan of reuniting her with her thought to be dead kids, just to kill them in front of her.  Well one can't say Dave didn't know Sandra well, if her wanted to hurt her beyond imagination then that was certainly one way to do it.



Sandra warped up in front of Dave in an instant, her Phoenix form that had reverted to green was once again white.   She steered Dave eye to eye as she levitated into his Twisted Phoenix construct.   His own Phoenix being unable or not strong enough to hurt her, he fires infini-tendrills at Sandra only to have them burn away when they get close to hitting her.   Dave went to teleport but found himself unable to as Sandra was using the depths of the Phoenix's time and space manipulation to overpower and cancel out his own.  Sandra got within touching distance of Dave, she reached out her right arm placing her hand on Dave's forehead, absolutely no remorse in her eyes.  "My Dave hurt me, he hurt me deeper then he could have ever understood.  But at least I see now that he meant well, to get the kids away from our existence and send them to a place they could live happily.  I understand why he fed me the lies of their demise, I could never know they lived or I'd never stop looking for a way to get to them.  I don't know why he said he did it, that he killed them.
Maybe after sending the kids away never to be seen again, maybe he then wanted to die himself.  However, you had nobody's interest in mind but your own.  You are the real version of what I thought my Dave was, a sick human being fuelled by nothing but revenge.   I shouldn't be so kind as to just erase you, you deserve so much worse.  But Chloe, David, they mean more to me then tormenting you ever could.   Something you clearly no longer understand."

This version of Dave didn't even deserve a goodbye as Sandra utilised the Phoenix's destructive power, unleashing a Disintegration Wave directly into Dave to erase him completely.

Cassandra was being crushed in the grip of a giant goblin constructs hand as music began to play and Emmet rose from his throne.

Emmet:
We're all born with a dream
We wanna make come true
The best will climb to the top like me
The rest will end up like you


I bet it's hard to live with
Knowing that you'll never be this fine
Don't be distraught, don't be sad
You gave it your best try


Listen, girlfriend, can't you see?
I'm all of the things that you'll never be
I'm cool like the rain and I'm hot like the sun
I'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun

Cassandra screamed and with a final burt of desperation, escaped the goblins grasp and aimed a punch at Emmets face, but he flawlessly caught it in the palm of his hald, grand her wrist and tossed her to the side as a spotlight shined on him.

Emmet:
May be time to retreat
You need a diva review
You can see I never miss a beat
Your makeover's long overdue


Just try to understand this
It's not that I am trying to outshine
You've got your inner beauty
We can't all be divine


Listen, girlfriend, can't you see?
I'm all of the things that you'll never be
I'm cool like the rain and I'm hot like the sun
I'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun


No one likes a girl who wears a silly frown
Just wear a smile and you'll turn it all around
Just think of happy things, you'll see in no time
Fun every day, the clouds roll away
Try it, you'll see, just be more like me

Emmet seized control of Cassandra's body and forced her to vogue and dance with him as she smiled happily.

[Synth Solo]


Listen, girlfriend, can't you see?
I'm all of the things that you'll never be
I'm cool like the rain and I'm hot like the sun
I'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun


As the two took a bow, a giant goblins foot stomped Cassandra into the ground " Hmm, I believe you made a comment about skinning my precious baby for a fur coat "

Cassandandra was already in immense pain, but it immediately grew worse as she felt every part of her flesh begin to burn and churn. It felt like her skin was slowly being pulled from her body.

" The material is quite frankly awful, but i've been known to make miracles happen " Emmet smiled serenly as brandished a pair of scissors crafted from cosmic energy " Lets see what kind of coat you'll make.......

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DKano could feel Cassandra's painful demise and roared, unleashing an intense burst of divine energy, turning his attention away. But Kaiser sliced trough the divine energy.

" Sword dance, art of the blade that cuts through all: Mountain slicer "

DKano felt a suddenly odd sensation spread through his entire body, which is odd in itself given the immense size he was currently at. But his entire body was sliced in half, from his head to tail. Fenrir spotted DKano's core, the corrupted Mjolnir that had been infused with Jormungandr.

It had been sliced in half by Kaiser's slice, but was on the verge of pulling DKano back together. Fenrir howled, a massive portal opening overhead and what apppeared to be a manifestation of the moon slowly dropped down and was converted into a beam of energy.

" Wild Hunt Shot! "

Fenrir fired the shot and obliterated  DKano's core. He let out a forlorned cry before perishing.

" Excellent work Kai, Fennie "

Emmet applauded his sons as he floated down, sporting a brand new trench coat, in a emerald green that appeared to be shimmering, all traces of the goblin force were gone from and he was back to his usual self. With a graceful wave of his hand, DKano's corpse vanished and two items appeared in front of Kaiser and Fenrir. A sword for Kaiser and crown for Fenrir

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Divine Blade: Mad King Jormungandr
Abilities: A divine sword with the power to change it's size and length, bears an incredibly powerful poison, true function is as a chainblade, extra powerful against gods and divine beings.

Divine armament: Crown of the corrupted god
Abilities: A crown imbued with power of a former god king and a divine beast, shaped to augment the wielders psionic abilities tremendously, grants power over water and lightning, grants a psionic guardian in the form of a giant serpent.

Two happily took the gifts from their mother as a giant mobile suit came flying out of nowhere.

" Look what I found!! " Jonathan exclaimed from the cockpit, he'd claimed it from an alternate version of Aaron Stark.

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The battle against EKaty came to an explosive end, Troy pressed his hand to Katy's and imparted his golden Qi to her. Given Katy's aptitude for physical training, she had a natural condition for using Qi, Troy's opening the pathways in her body. The two charged up a great amount of Qi and water as Tanesha and Cassandra hammered EKaty with cosmic energy, the latter entering a cosmic knight state, courtest of Sandra.

As the orb reached gigantic proportions, Tanesha and Cassandra backed away as Katy and Troy unleashed their attack. EKaty attempted to fight it off, but was quickly overwhelmed, suprisingly, she closed her eyes and welcomed death with a smile.

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Tesla's diamon dust had absorned a good amount of cosmic energy from the diamond phoenix's attacks. Soon a large tornado of diamond dust enveloped the diamond phoenix and complete shredded it, leaving behind a heavily damaged Aaron. Garfield  delivered the final blow by crashing down and smashing his fist into the iron man, wrapping him in spider threads and tearing him apart, till nothing but beating, metal heart remained, that Garfield cruelly crushed with a smile.

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Lios and the former hero helped turned the tide alongside the guardians of radiance were helping to rapidly turn the tide of the battle. Shawkun was absolutely furious, the young Abigale and her spells were bad enough, but the elf wielding world tree magic and the stranger with the chainsaw blade were tearing through his every move. As he began to attempt a last ditch attack by self destructing, he suddenly yelled in surpise as vectors pierced his body.

Wraith Abigales bindings had been weakened by Abby and she seized the change to attack Shawkun. It was taking everything she had to hold him in place. She starred at Abby and mouthed the words " End it "

Abby didned hold back and as the temple of salvation began to expire, she combined it's energys with the armorment of the Seraphim and charged one final arrow of Selene and fired it, piercing Wraith Abby and Shawkun. The Wight King let out  painful scream as his essence began fading away, all of the souls he'd enslaved were all set free and flew off to whatever afterlife awaited. Abby shared a final smile with Wraith Abby as she was purified and vanished.

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Riku finished the pathway and flipped one last coin into it, the effect was immediate. a funnel tore itself straight through the multiversal labyrinth. Riku and Kano leapt into it, plunging straight down. Everyones coins reacted as a funnel opened up before them, their battles finished, the jumped into it, joining Riku and Kano, picking up the others on the way down.

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Dave did not vanish quietly, he screamed and raged as he dissentigrated, cursing Sandra withe very fiber of his being, but it all amounted to nothing and vanished with the thought that he failed and ultimately didnt matter.

Sandra turned to see the Ghostrider on his knee's, his body smoking heavily, David and Chloe lay on the ground, uncounscious. One quick scan told her that the two would be fine, physically.

" I took in all of the sins they'd amassed....those were never theirs and they've always been blameless " for a fleeting moment, his harsh and jagged voice sounded almost remorseful.In the distance a funnel opened and Sandra could sense the others within it.

" Brava dawling "

Emmet floated down, making his usual spectacular entrance. He took in the scene in front of him, before pulling Sandra into a tight hug, she clung to him fiercely, the weight of everything coming down hard. Her children trully werent dead, but they'd been used, tortured, and put through so much misfortune.

Emmet pulled back and waved his hand over David and Chloe, they vanished and a necklace appeared around Sandra's neck. She immediately sensed the two sleeping inside it.

" Keep them close to your heart, for the battle is not yet one and the curtain has not fallen "

Cassandra withholding her power for the right time ultimately paid off.  EKaty had taken Cass as just a psionic and weaker than she actually was, as such she was unprepared and found herself pinned down by the sudden cosmic attacks.  It intrigued Cassandra when Tanesha joined in, she thought she had felt something out of the girl.  She reckoned Emmet or Sandra must have given Tanesha the ability to tap into a sliver of the Phoenix Force.

After all that had gone down with her Troy over the past few years, even in this Troy aiding her victory this felt weird for Katy.  The thought of him stabbing her in the back like her worlds Troy did was certainly on her mind, even if this Troy didn't give off evil vibes and felt trustworthy.  There was a point in time she thought that about her Troy as well.

Troy and Katy regrouped with Tanesha and Cassandra after the battle.  "Death via battle, the greatest honour for a warrior.  Maybe someday I'll have the bravery myself to face death with a smile as she just did."  Despite being her evil version, there were things Katy respected from her alternate self.  She had the maturity and confidence Katy herself wishes to achieve, and her powers over ice and water still had more room to grow than she ever thought possible.   After going through the layers of Scott's hell and defeating the ice queen, Katy was starting to think she was reaching her limit.  Evidently, her powers still had more room to grow yet.

-----

Tesla in her usual cold and callus self simply said "Well that takes care of him."  It was interesting she and Aaron were married in his world, there was some level of curiosity as to what that life must have been like.  It's not like she necessarily needed Aaron or anybody else to live like a queen, hell she can literally create diamonds.  But it was an interesting thought of what if she had embraced that life fully.

-----

This felt so good for Abby.  Shawkun had put her, Sandra and the family though so much pain and misery.  It may have been a different Shawkun, but victory still felt great.  She was fully aware this wouldn't have been possible without not just Riku, but all the extra help as well.   She had so many people to be grateful to it was a wonder as to where to really start.

-----

Sandra was on the verge of tears as a moment of peace reigned and everything had time to settle in as she shared a moment with Emmet.  There were so many emotions at a boiling point but Sandra kept the lid on it.  Emmet was right, there was still more to come and the battle was not yet over.  She turned back to the Ghostrider.  "I can't begin to describe how much I owe to you.  Reality of the situation is I probably wouldn't be alive without you, nor would David & Chloe.  The debt I owe to you is beyond measure Ghostrider."

The Ghost Rider was starring at the spot David and Chloe had briefly been " ...No thanks are needed " upon Sandra if he would continue to help them, he nodded " Yes, I will "

Emmet was silent during this exchange, he appraised the Ghost Rider, but said nothing till he agreed to join then " let us be off! " the three of the leapt into the funnel and joined the others as headed down, along the way they were assaulted from all sides from different multiverse variants, as the group fought them off, music began blaring around them, invigorating everyone.

Emmet:
It was just fine,
We lived in peace,
Looked to a happy ending.

The days were bright,
They shined like gold,
Every step ascending.

Our dreams came true,
Our path was clear,
The moon watched safely from above.

But every smile,
Is not the same,
And every heart's not filled with...

Riku:
Love for mankind;
Look around it's getting very hard to find.
Not every open wound is simply healed by time,
But revenge is always sweet,
And chaos is the prize.

Emmet and everyone:
Feel it everywhere and you see it growing,
Enemies arise and the hate is flowing,
Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky.

The machines of war will fuel both sides,
And the greed will only grow more lies;
Farewell to days of peace 'cause now it's time to die

Sandra:
Where did it go?
Our peaceful youth,
Seems to be gone forever.

And in its place,
A life of war,
Every truce has severed.

We'll live our lives,
Watching our backs,
Not knowing who to trust or fear.

The hate just swallows all the love,
And all the,
Truth will disappear...

Tanya:
Lost and blind;
Seems our dreams of peace have all been left behind.
It's always said white clouds aren't always silver lined,
But the future's looking bleak,
And the storm is set to rise.

Codebreakers:
Say goodbye.
Time to die.
Say goodbye.

Emmet:
Just say goodbyyyyyye.

Codebreakers:
Time to die. (Die...)

Emmet and Everyone:

Feel it everywhere and you see it growing,
Enemies arise and the hate is flowing,
Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky.

The machines of war will fuel both sides,
And the greed will only grow more lies;
Farewell to days of peace 'cause now it's time to die.

Die die die...


This was a direct call to Kain, a warning that told him death was coming and it was not to be a pleasant one.

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Kain nodded his along in time to the music, spectacular as it was amusing. He was in a separate world, before him was Sonya laying asleep on a bed, wearing a white and gold dress " The time is nigh, you shall dissapear and in your place will be my destiny, ready for me to take it.

Mother Amber and her Coven of Hags were still chanting in a circle around Dave, trapped in a sphere, writhing in agony, his voice sealed away so his screams could seemingly reach no one.

Regrouping with the others Sandra was pleased to see all their allies make it through their respective perils. Emmet & Riku were more or less a given on any day that she'd see them again, though when she got pulled though a portal she wasn't sure how Kaiser & Ferir was going to fear against Kano but it seems they pulled off the win, quite impressive. She scanned the others learning of their respective battles as well, Abby taking down Shawkun, even if she needed some help, was still an immense amount of pride from Sandra in her. But Garfield, Tesla, Katy, Tani, etc also had difficult hurdles as well that they all shined in overcoming.

Traditional CodeBreakers motivational music would help the group in slaying upcoming enemies as well as send a direct message to Kain, Sandra felt like the song matched her desires perfectly. Tanya and Kano were probably similarly motivated with Sonya being taken. This mood was just any regular day for Riku anyway. The others might not have as personal of a beef with Kain, but they all still wanted him taken down.

Kain's reserve forces were all amassed now, guarding Mother Amber and her coven of Hags, everyones gaze was aimed upward, expecting the invading forces to come from there. So it was quite the surprise when the vortex opened up directly in front of Mother Amber,followed by a giant demonic fist that slammed into her and sent her flying.

M.Amber had been protected by a magical barrier, so shed'd taken no damage, but was nonetheless enraged as Riku floated in front of her with his ever present arrogant/savage grin " I'd say you look better then the Amber from my world, but I dont remember what she looks like, so i'm just gonna say theres no shame in plastic surgery "

M.Amber screamed, unleashing a barrage of cursed lightning, but a wall of bone and flesh rose up between them and blocked the attack. Riku turned to see Jericho and Archimedes " I assume I can leave this warty bitch and her coven to you too "

" Of course " Arche confirmed " Theres incredibly powerful magic at work here, all focused on containing young Dave and exploiting his power. I can assure we'll do everything our power to free him "

" And learn about the magic holding him, of course " Riku said as he made his exit, he fist bumped Garfield, the vampire determined to be involved in Daves rescue

Arche's empty eye sockets flared in excitement " Of course, now come my former pupil, to battle "

Jericho scowled at the former pupil comment, but was more interested in the chance of having undead hags.

Amidst the ensuing battle, Tanya was able to sense the pocket of space where Kain was hiding with Sonya, a battle lineup of Tanya, Kano, Emmet, Sandra, Riku, Yama, Ghost Rider,Ashe, and Cassandra.

The Code:Breakers would engage with Kain's reserve forces. Sandra would lock into combat with an alternate timeline version of Marie who was out for revenge. Apparently a alternate version of Sandra had stolen Milo from Marie. Sandra remembers at points in time the same was close to happening in her universe, especially after one time she had taken Dave for dead. Ultimately Milo chose Marie and while the two had flings, Milo never actually left Marie nor did Sandra leave Dave, not for a number of years until something started forming with Tanesha anyway. Unfortunately for this Marie, her Milo did pick Sandra and Marie was not happy. This Marie had more of a Storm type ability, being able to control wind as well as lighting, rain. etc. She put up a bit more an fight then the Marie Sandra knew could, but ultimately their still wasn't that much even this Marie could do a Phoenix, and Sandra had taken dominating control and finished Alt Marie in quick fashion.

Tanya found herself in a much more difficult battle fighting an alternate dimension Tiffany. This version of the girl wasn't a clown, she had her wits fully about her but her powers were less effective. While still a mimic, this Tiffany mirrored more True Notes Milo. She had a limited amount of powers she could copy at once and could only copy other mutant powers. The Tiffany Tanya knew may of only had half of a single brain cell at best, and even that may have been generous. But she was basically a walking talking hax character power wise. That being said this Alt Tiffany wasn't weak. Super Speed, Strength, Durability, Flight, Teleportation, Energy Manipulation, etc. This Tiffany had prepped well for battle and made sure her power lift was stacked, Kain probably giving her plenty of opportunities to replicate and stack powerful abilities. But while Alt Tiffany seems to have all the powers to counter Tanya and the smarts to use them effectively, Tanya having married into Asgardian heritage and adopting their culture did have one big advantage over Tiffany by now, experience. Better combat knowledge and tactics would see Tiffany end up destroyed by Tanya's goddess blast.

Tesla would battle herself but with electrical powers. Abby would battle an alternate Luck with the same Colosuss powers. Cassandra would face an alt Metallic with the same liquid metal powers. All three ladies would each find their way to victory narrowing down Kain's reserves that much more.

Amidst the battles, Tanya suddenly felt Sonya's presence, she looked around wildly till she could see something in the distance, a small vortex that appeared to be hidden from the naked eye, but she was able to see it, though she wasnt sure how. She metally relayed this information and Emmet immediately came up with a battle roster. Himself, Sandra, Tanya, Kano, Riku, Yama, Ghost Rider, Ashe, Iko, and Cassandra.

Riku pried the vortex open enough for the group to get through, leaving the others behind to handle Kains forces and rescue Dave. The scene shifted a large stage seated a top of chunk of earth. A vast and eompty space stretched out all around and from it an immense energy seemed to be gathering, they found themselves at the center of this multiversal gathering.

" So happy you all could be present for my ascention " Kain called out to him, the man was wearing crimson armor that hummed with power. It was the first time any of them had seen him, his resemblance to Milo was trully unnerving, but Sandra could be seen in his features as well, especially his long red hair that was tied up in a ponytail.

Next to him were two crosses, one held an unconscious Sony, garbed in what appeared to be a wedding dress, but most surprising of all was Nick on the second cross.

" I can assume your more then aware of what my grand plan is at this moment, that will certainly cut back on a lot of unnecessary conversation " Kain said with a smirk, his eyes pulsating with energy.

" Indeed we are aware of your plan to sacrifice Sonya to obtain Milo's powers, we will not allow that " Kano told him, gripping mjolnir tightly.

It was Cassandra that demanded to know why Nick was there, he'd been away on a trip to train and learn more about himself. They'd been in constant communication except for the last few days when it had been radio silent.

" So your not aware of thatpart of the plan, to be fair it was rather last minute " Kain moved next to Nick and traced a finger down his chest " I've been aware of his of course, but for my plans, i'd been going back and forth on whether he'd be needed. I sent the occasional call to try and sway him to my side, but he would always reject me. I saw him as merely a clone, but here in the final hour, an idea struck me "

He burned Nicks shirt away to reveal a rune had been etched over his heart, it glowed briefly, signally a chain effect. The same rune on Sonya and Kain, glowing through their clothing.

Kano was shocked, that was one of the all-fathers most potent runes, something to forge unbreakable bonds of power.

" The die is cast, as it were and the power and essence will flow through Sonya and Nick, into me, giving me everthing and taking everything from them. A final act to insure my victory! I know none of you can trully understand what I am doing, this is for the good of all, I will take my fathers place and be the hero all worlds need and deserve "

His gaze locked on Sandra, he saw the necklace she wore " Tell me mother, did you enjoy your reunion? Oh I know your not my real mother, I devoured her a long time ago, but your so close to her, the moment I first saw you, it took everything I had not to vomit "

Sandra held the necklace in her hand for a moment reflecting on what Kain had put David & Chloe through before letting it hang again.  "Same in appearance maybe, but not character.   As for you "son", you're going to pay in blood for what you've done to them."   Sandra was no stranger to people targeting her family to get to her, usually in attempts to obtain the Phoenix Force from her.   But with Kain he already had the Phoenix, what he'd done was just pure malice.   Her eyes radiated and glowed with the power of the Phoenix.  The more time they spent talking the closer Kain got to his goal, it was time to end this, and him.

"I am not going to just stand here and let you take Nick from me!" Cassandra exclaimed

"The greater good fallacy, the favourite justification of the coldest of hearts.   You aren't going to save the multiverse, all you want to do is rule it.   And you expect to achieve this through the sacrifice of an Asgardian princess.  Well sorry Kain but your plans stop here."   Tanya had not travelled all this way just to let Sonya die now.   They had reached the final boss as it were, one last step and Sonya (as well as Dave & Nick) can finally be brought home.