The steel of the Ketsueki katana met the metal Konpeki arm the Outcast had attached to the right side of his body, golden yellow sparks launching. Evaporating with the cold air as the wind flowed through the superhuman's strands of differentiated hair together. This clash between the Justice and Moon lasted for 10 more seconds until a sudden strategy that had appeared in his mind on the fly formed. The forearm that was once against the sharpened metal of Jason's weapon had suddenly tumbled forward, with the layered figure Ryder was gifted at birth following suit. CRACK! An audible snap echoed from the spine of Karlo's body, leaving the enemy to groan, loudly irritated from the heavy panting. To add to the irritation swelling inside him, already prepared to tear out the throat of Jason to his rear, he felt his collarbone being stabbed. The squishing sound of blood squirting from the slice wound landing in a tiny splash, but that wasn't even the worst part. The relentless tearing of the Ketsueki with no regard for the Moon's figure and then Jason's sole meeting his cracked spine- it was obvious he was going to be sent into a combo by these Rivera Triplets.
The Emperor, who had leaped into the air, infused his fist with about 25% of his true potential, that of which he'd mastered. Though it definitely would do something horrific to the ligaments that remained intact through the layer of skin, he didn't care. That Determination still shone as bright as the moon's pale rays over New York City. The power of the blow, fingers shattering, a crimson bruise surrounding Ben's left limb connected to his chest formed up to his forearm. The physical assault thrown at Ryder's bones by Ben's fist had completely shattered the left side of the Outcast's skull. The hit was about to send him through the concrete negroid road, then a violet-tinted whip of light cracked itself around the throat of Karlo's body. Pulling him into the ground, covered with rocks and debris, the Rivera's enemy had their nose shattered against the road, manufacturing a quick pool of blood beneath his cranium. A kick to the peak of Ryder's skull had caused a loud echoing CRAKKK! to enter the chilly winter atmosphere, bits of his brain leaking out of his head, a bolt of plasma kicked into the ribcage of their enemy. Who flew through the air, bleeding out from the major injuries he'd sustained in this short but lethal fight. Through the blurry vision, he had remaining, the Moon glared at the grouped siblings.
The black-haired Justice guarding his brother and sister, the latter female aiding her little brother. Purple energy, same palette as her eyes, suddenly shifting to dark green as she healed the bones shattered in the punch used against the Outcast. There was something within the depths of his soul, not of the psychotic personality's control, instead, the apathetic sense of no morality in his substitute pupils had changed. For a brief moment, Jason could muster out emotion, an expert on reading faces due to his time as a Bountyhunter for the NYPD,
"That man over there, he's trapped. That is no Ryder Karlo, he's fighting for control..." There was only one person capable of splitting personalities together, they would need someone with mental controlling power, a telepath, of sorts. Through their unique arsenal of great capabilities, unfortunately, neither of them located any form of telepathy in their minds. Stepping forward, the cracking of new bones popping bubbles within the muscle was heard, the youngest of the Siblings stepping forward,
"The more we beat this guy, the more Ryder gains control... it seemed it worked before. But, if we do it too hard- the body might die. I can't keep shattering my arm, I have to stay at 15%," The Emperor had reluctantly figured out the limitations of the sadistic Outcast, the emotion in false emerald orbs had faded long before he stepped up. Writhing in pain, blood leaking from the plethora of wounds covering his figure, the Moon attempted to stand. That was before he collapsed, slipping on his cold blood, and shattering his jaw on the hardened road. ~If I stop The World's time, I doubt I'd be able to get far... and Nyarlathotep is fighting the rest of these assholes. Dammit... nngh, I believe I've underestimated how much they've mastered their power in such a short amount of time. Seems I'll have to resort to my contingency~
"Ugh!" Madi screeched, witnessing the horrific confusing sight of the Moon, tearing off his own bloodied jaw. So the bone would be crushed and stepped on underneath the sole of Jason's military boot, he held no reaction to the unexpected decision The Outcast made. He just watched, wiping the blood from the Ketsueki, causing the Emperor to push through his brother. The strategy formed in the sliced part of Ryder's brain, responsible for controlling The Outcast at this point- it was a diabolical one. First hand, Ben's blue-violet organs of sight caught the footage of a metal coursing around the bottom of where the torn-off bone of Ryder's jaw was supposed to be.
"The Universe! STOP TIME!" There was nothing that appeared, no colorful source of energy that transported the Siblings to another place, instead, they seemingly vanished from this plane of existence. Searching for remants of the Rivera Triplets, the Outcast wouldn't prevail, due to the splash of blood concealing his enhanced vision. That wasn't all that occurred during the brief moment of halted time- there was something special that the Moon felt. Superhumans had a healing factor, that much was clear from the way his body was still breathing despite the massive hole carved into his head. This- was something different. His spine snapped back into place, some of the bone having been shattered from Jason's knee and boot, if his very own healing factor would have kicked in; it would have taken hours to heal. There was no other explanation... the Outcast's voice dipped in hate, voice raspy from the damage he'd sustained, glaring down the road to witness a very faint red glow. And a sonic boom following that, he uttered,
"Rivera..."
However, this was not the only battle that had occurred in the states. Above the city, though distant, if you were in a quiet room, getting ready for sleep, you might have been awoken by the repeated BOOM! created from fists hitting a target.
The power of flight propelled him forward, another blow dealt with the Crawling Chaos' twisted monstrous form threw him deeper into the clouds. Attempting to maintain his composure, snarling gently as the Outer God hovered in the transparent clouds, there was no way to dodge the incoming final hit. Not to, if he had one, the ribcage of this atrocity, but instead, a direct icy hit from Matt to where he'd predicted the face of the Chaos was placed. A gust of wind was created from the blast, a terrifying scream where human voices and animal whimpers bounced off of the clouds exiting the abyss that was Nyarlathotep's throat,
"Malodorous demon..." That insult, though probably believed to have been from the Magician of Ice, hadn't crawled its way out of that superhuman's mouth. To the rear of the flailing Chaos, soaring effortlessly through the shortened amount of air, a volcanic thunderous roaring of the fire rose from the ashes of Earth. Halting his rapid movements through the sky, simply by catching the demonic form, the Chaos had shifted to. Glaring at the face that this Being held, all that could be muttered from the miniature slice where Henry could speak was,
"Non-human trash. SUFFER A PAINFUL DEATH AND PERISH AT MY HAND. VOLCANIC ERUPTION!!!!!!!!!! SMOLDERING HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The very last thing Nyalarthotep saw was orange... that fiery tint that covered his monstrous shape burnt through the darkened bit of flesh concealing his under layer. Screeches of the damned from Hell itself attempting to exit the trap that was his throat, his maniacal pained cackles haunting the dreams of those innocent children who slept in the night. The second he was about to crash through the grey area to walk on in New York City, in the corner of his eye, there was a blonde female. His face was mere inches away from hitting the ground..! Why did she have to come at the worst time..? ~This was their plan, all along... impressive!~
BOOOOMMMM!! A sonic boom once more emitted from the first meeting the face of the 'defeated' Crawling Chaos, a slice between space-consuming the burnt Lovecraftian configuration Nyarlathotep had adapted. Knuckles oozing crimson gore from the cracks, El panted heavily, still surrounded by sparks of baby blue electricity. Turning to see shards of the glass she'd destroyed simply by running, with her shoes destroyed, only the soles visible, attached to the bottom of her feet. Sweat popping out of the invisible glands on her forehead, dropping down her features, Matthew crashed beside his blonde Speedster friend. With Henry's right arm wrapped around his neck, attire visibly torn, the Empress of Light slid from around the corner El was standing beside.
"Move your asses," Demanded Madisyn, violet tendrils with palms at the ends, slapped the rears of all the remaining members of the Protectors. Into three separate gateways in space, which all engulfed the two males and one female superhuman.
Now having fleed America, the only one remaining was him, the Fallen member of the Protectors, the sound manipulator. His material-covered fingers tracing along the walls leading up to the Mansion, perched on the side of a hill. Utilizing the remaining stamina pushed into his legs to step closer and closer, the cracks of his bones reattaching themselves normally audible. Visibly scrunching his ears at the sound, panting heavily, the pallette his orbs of sight usually held was continuously changing. Grey and green, the battle for control of this weakened body between the two personalities had never been clearer. The final pieces of the Outcast's sanity vanished upon reaching the entrance of the Smith Residence, standing fully, sleeves at both sides of his body. Fingers and hands concealed within the bottoms of his pockets that his pants held, gazing into the whitened apathetic retinas of his Master, Nyarlathotep. Drops of blood leaking from the wound made by the Justice on his shoulder, pushing through the silence of the woodland setting, their shared nod of understanding gave way- their plan had worked successfully. Bones snapping into place, height shrinking to resemble that of a human male, and skin whitening, Nyarlathotep, or better yet, Dolion Smith inquired of his partner in this chaotic scheme of destruction and mayhem,
"Would you like to have a toast to our victory?" What else was there to say? Though at the time, I had doubts, that maybe our plan wouldn't succeed so smoothly as I had hoped. I couldn't inform him of that, that Ryder had been rearing his ugly head out of the hole I'd entrapped him within. His chains, no matter how much Rivera and his useless friends attempt to do so, shall never be shattered. That is the truth they can't accept, obsessed with the fact that their mother died that night in July of 2013, believing they can save and protect those who need it. Who deserves it. But no one deserves it less... than HIM. Karlo, you can hear my echoing voice that resembles your own, entering your ears, however, you can never halt it. I will always be in control, that is the truth you desired. YOU are the one who relinquished control of this skeletal figure to me, and now, no matter how much you wish for me to perish, so you can go with Rivera and his pathetic super friends. The fact of the matter is; you will never arrive at the truth that most likely will occur, you will remain buried in the depths of your brain. That is the reality I will ensure occurs... Karlo...
"Of course,"
The sun's rays were about to dissipate over the Eastern Hemisphere, the Protectors had arrived 10 minutes before the abrupt setting of the giant star in the sky. Matt's foot allowed him to exit the stairs, now remaining with the rest of his allies on the first floor, sighing tiredly, informing those with their eyes on him,
"Henry's asleep. That took me a second but Astin managed to use his special magic and ta-da, ya know? They're upstairs," Who interjected was the one who had been rescued, resting against the couch with her nape carefully placed against a pillow, gently unleashing a yawn. Feeling her joints snap out in satisfactory, Madi momentarily leaned down for a second to aid her so she could sit up. However, all she had to do was rest her fist against her chin, clearing her throat,
"Now that he's asleep and I'm fine then, tell me somethin', babe, Ben, Jay-Jay. Where the hell is this? Sometimes, I wish I was never cursed with these 'gifts,'" Though not audibly, Matt agreed, same with El, sitting on the chair to the left of the sofa, legs propped up on the coffee table.
Inching the cup of coffee she'd made to her lips, the long sipping you'd usually do to annoy someone, but in this case, it was just something the Priestess usually did when drinking something. Because of her hate for jeans or anything that concealed her legs, her bare legs were exposed, she did wear very very short jean shorts, though. The same color as her eyes, the loops around her waist held a lightning bolt for each loop. A sudden SLAP! met her thick skin of thighs, causing El to jump in her seat, realizing that her thigh had been slapped by none other than Jason. Her azure pupils snapped onto him, gazing as he walked past her from sitting on the coffee table, and entered the kitchen.
"Asshole," Muttered the blonde, to her left, near the TV, there was a discussion to be had or was happening, better yet. Between Madisyn, Ben, and Jason. Unaware of what they were speaking about, Madi objected, clearly worried for the safety of her future bride,
"We can't be sure-"
"But, it's worth a shot. We have El's instinct to go off of, she can sense electricity, it's what she thrives off of," After that, the Emperor had interjected, turning to Jason, he sighed. Seeing as how he was the closest with this girl, he tapped the blonde Speedster on the shoulder, bending closer so he could whisper in her ear the plan...
Widening her eyes, she turned to Jay, nodding in understanding, she gently placed her boots against the ground, widening the expansion from the smaller bolts of lightning sparking at the tips of her fingers. Turning to the Triplets, Ella advised,
"I'll try my best, but if one of her teeth goes missing, it's not my fault," Madi jumped up happily, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek that lasted quite a bit, while Ben just nodded, he'd deal with the consequences should that happen, and Jason just smiling proudly at his partner's resolve to commit to this.
Just then, El cupped the cheeks of Sammy, who gulped and shrieked in surprise, turning her eyes behind the blonde Priestess in front of her to the Empress, her lover, as if searching for an answer silently. The hopeful eyes of Madi were just enough, they were sure of something, no matter how small and miniatured, it was there, The Outcast was still but an infant manifested from the depths of Karlo's destroyed head,
"To the right," Jason advised, helping her reach out her ethereal hand, to yank out the small technology engraved on one of Sammy's bottom row of marrow. Riley shaking her head, clearly struggling as she shook her body from side to side, Ben placed his fingers on the back of his sister-in-law's head. Sliding them from the back of her head to her forehead, tightening his grip over her skull, he held her close so she could stay still.
Hovering in between the fingers of the telekinetic superhuman, Ella chuckled, at the presence of the device, surprised she had so effortlessly pulled it out. Leaping up in surprise, the tracker that had been pushed onto the tooth of his sister fell right into the Emperor's palm,
"I did it!" Releasing his extremities from holding Sammy's skull, Jason went back to the kitchen, fiddling and spinning the metal of a dagger around his finger. As he walked past the chair Ella sat back in, she smirked, unleashing a flat palm to meet his bum through his darkened pants, his eyes widening, he chortled and ruffled his blonde friend's hair,
"The hell-?" Though it was small, Sammy could see the darkened bubble, idly sitting as it sparked with electricity on Ben's hand. Examining it with the advanced UI he'd pushed into the glasses, he realized that this was made of normal metal, with the logo for a familiar company at the bottom. "Smith Industries," It read, obviously manufactured by the immense capable mind of Dolion Smith, or whoever he truly was. The Emperor, of course, had an idea of who, in actuality, hid under the mask of Smith. Did he ever exist, or was Dolion Smith a persona made by Nyarlathotep to influence superhuman society?
"Well, for one thing, we know where The Outcast's hiding out. He's with Dolion Smith in Upstate New York hiding at the Smith Residence. It seems that the CEO of that company has always been the Crawling Chaos you, Henry, and Matt fought 12 minutes ago. The way I remember his eyes... they're the same shade as that Outer God's," Everyone was confused, they'd all heard of Dolion Smith, he was Ben's company rival, everyone always seemed to sway more in Smith's favor. But why was that? None of them had any knowledge that Smith was in fact, a superhuman God created by those who dwelled beyond this tiny planet in the cosmos.
"The more I think about it, if Smith was always that... thing, it'd make sense. The way that no one seemed to appreciate our hard work, the company we'd created. We'd always be compared to him, and he'd always be better, said the masses. But, he never did anything special. Never donated to a specific charity, never even did anything 'nice'. He was never much seen outside of his home..." Everyone thought about it, more and more, they pondered about the possibility of mass manipulation. Controlling the public to such an extent where they liked a person who never even appeared in the flesh, as opposed to Ben. Extremely public, infamous, multiple controversies, it seemed a fair reason to like Smith more than the Emperor. Nevertheless, that made little to no sense, Sammy remembered a time where Dolion was accused of embezzling funds, Jay remembered when Smith Industries was accused of selling off the weapons they'd manufactured to terrorists across the country, and finally, there was the infamous drug incident. Where workers and employees at Smith Industries were found to have been holding illegal drugs on their person. These controversies seemingly subsided overnight, with no recollection of them surrounding the mass media, it was as if nothing ever happened in the first place. But why? What was the point of it all? Manipulating the mass media, starting controversy after controversy just to destroy the rumors later. None of them had any sense of knowledge, they couldn't predict the true goals of Nyarlathotep, how convoluted his strategy may truly be.
"Does it even matter?" Inquired Jason, interrupting the group's collective train of thought, their whole attention directed to the oldest person there. Cracking his neck, he fiddled with the tracker pulled from his sister's tooth, the crackle of electricity shocking his fingers momentarily, the Justice continually spoke to his friends and family,
"So he can control the people's thoughts, but does that even factor into what we're doin'? We're outside the law on this one, ya know. Nothing but our wit, our will, and our power can save Ryder. And if we die trying... at least our lives will have been worth something," Agreeing with his brother, the Emperor nodded, extending out his hand, and like the bros they were, their hands clasped together. Shaking in unison, it wasn't just the two brothers who agreed, they'd either save their corrupted ally- or die trying. Tormented by her ignoration of the topic, unable to save her best friend from his abusers, Ella had to do something- anything. Everyone else, Matt, Sammy, though they didn't have as close as a connection with Ryder as some of the others did, that didn't change the fact that it was obvious- he was tormented by his demons. The man needed to be saved.
Though, it wasn't a unanimous decision, unfortunately. Sammy and Matt, of course, they didn't have the best connection with Ryder, so they could never understand it, the will and want to save that man. But that wasn't who I was referring to. The one who normally had salmon pink pupils, her facial features resembling that of Jessica Rivera, fingers intertwined as her speakers picked up the enhanced audio. ~There it is again...~ Their declare, their promise to save Ryder from the chains Nyarlathotep and The Outcast bound him by. How could they go through with this? He was a mass murderer, a baby-killer! No matter how abused he was, that never paid for the crimes he'd done, and the lives he took.
Artemis could feel the electricity sparking in her brain, something was occurring, but she knew she had no sense of control over it. Like it was happening naturally, without a second thought, her programming was withdrawn, the normality to obey the Emperor's orders subsided. And... it appeared. The Superior's philosophy, the way she remembered it, was that evil could never be cured- only killed. You can't redeem something like Ryder, that's what her true father understood... and like her father, she had every intention of murdering Ryder Karlo.
The moon towered over the house, concealed in the bright pink leaves that, every so often, fell from the branches they'd been perched upon. The abrupt nature of death, having been gifted the presence of life, and yet, naturally, fading away soon thereafter. Oddly, to her, filled with inorganic parts, a fake heart, pupils that didn't even register the color of the path leading up to the door correctly without a filter she had to press... she believed it to be beautiful. She couldn't be distracted by such things, though, her clear directive must stay on the pure and just mission she'd created for herself. Her new programming, without The Superior or The Emperor, was to slaughter Ryder Karlo in cold blood. Deep in her heart, she knew if her plot should succeed, he who rebuilt her would never accept her again. She would be cast out from the group, who accepted her so easily, who gave her a second chance beyond her other self, programmed to be alive. What a false delusion... this was her true self. No alterations, no false twisted personas to fool anyone- this was the genuine article. She would assassinate Ryder Karlo, without delay!
Her soles pushing against the stone pathway up to the hidden Fortress, Arty turned, beneath above her. Able to see the shadow of her new creator, who slept soundly with his wife and daughter. Was this lone crusade worth the risk? Worth destroying everything for the sake of a noble cause only she believed in? In her mind, all she could think of to convince herself further was,
"This is for you," It was the final boost she needed before baby blue engines emerged from holes in her feet, wings popping out of her back, propelling her through the chilly winter air. This was her truth, she wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her family any longer...! That is the truth of her creation!
The surroundings of this location were new, a garden, similar to that of Eden from the Old Testament, birds chirping, petals of flowers engraved in the emerald bushes that acted as walls. The Temple took the form of whatever your soul envisioned, the Emperor was surrounded by the bed of green leaves. Concealing his figure from the other side, he breathed, eyes closed, legs together, and his fingers all together, touching the tips of one another. Listening to the calmed voice of his mentor, soothing his soul to the very end, that resonated with azure energy. Uraku was in the same position, legs over one another, fingertips colliding gently, and their souls intertwined with the same energy. Although the shade different, like Ben's sister, the long-haired man's aura was purple, which, though he didn't spout it out, he had never seen a superhuman with the same auras. Samuel, though his powers had been disabled momentarily, had his aura a mix between orange and red, similar to Henry's boyfriend, Astin, though he was fierier red than orange. And from the information given to him by Henry about the girl they'd fought who had weather manipulation, opposed to Matt, himself, and Ella, who all had different shades of blue auras, it was lighter than any of theirs.
Uraku was the very first Being to have the same aura as someone he'd already known, the same shade, the same energy that resonated. Although he'd never seen this... thing fully utilize his, most likely, god-like capabilities, he was definite it was similar to his sister's. Light manipulation is the most probable definition of his power, but for some reason, he believed it to be more advanced than that...
"Focus, Benjamin Rivera. I notice my energy is similar to Madisyn's, but this is not the issue at hand. You came to me intending to enhance your dwelling power within you, if I am not given 100% attention, then I must assume my aid is not welcome here," Though he seemed mad the Emperor knew this was a test. To see if his anger would easily be taken advantage of, not by him, but by enemies in the future. Using the training he'd consumed months prior, Ben took a deep breath in, the air from the outside world filling his lungs. Floating effortlessly, no sense of change in his personality or figure... except serenity,
"I understand, my apologies then," Popping one eye out of the lid it was surrounded by, the Celestial Being watched his pupil, breathing with utter peace and tranquility. The Emperor had never shone as bright as he did now, he never felt more powerful, with his mind and very being enhancing with the crackle of lightning surging through his very veins. It pleased him, to see someone who finally understood something about his teachings, reminding himself of his idiotic rebellious brother.
"Absolute serenity is what you must strive for, always, when you seek to be more powerful than your opponent. Calmness in a battle, especially when you're the calm one, can indicate a strong towering presence. Nothing to worry about, because you're sure that you'll win this spout. However, that sort of outward persona is not the sort of calmness I'm speaking about. Those are just fighting tips for when you fight an adversary in the coming days, i.e. 3 days in the future. Nyarlathotep and you will have a final altercation in the skies, where the fate of the world will be decided. I'm referring to calmness within, continuous calmness where there is no need to worry about anything else, where you can say 'everything is fine' and be sure of that fact. Because of your capable self, that is what I strive to make you. A dependable confident superhuman, who can defend those he cares about. At first, I gave you the key to unlock 30% of your power in December, at the cost of shattering your bones in wherever you utilized that unique percentile of strength. Today, this is the goal of unlocking 50%, along with keeping your bones at a continuous rate where they remain unshattered," Uraku's long spout of information was a signal, as the Being's feet gently touched the floor, pacing around the hovering opened-eye adolescent Rivera. Rocks, though made from his mind, lifting from the grass-centered floor to surround his peaceful soul. The advice came as follows,
"Feel the wind drift through you, soar through your body. Watch the peaceful leaves as the air pushes them around, their chaotic bodies shifting in the weather. Witness the fruits of their life, their death, how they'd die, and why. This is what you seek to prevent. Using your power, it comes with a responsibility, nothing as big as saving the World, no. It comes with the burden of yourself. With every fiber of your being, using any percentile of your true potential, no matter how matter number of abilities dwell within you- know... you're fighting for them. Accept the fact that you might die, and risk EVERYTHING for who you're fighting for. That is the truth of your hidden abilities," Slowly moving from the realm where the Temple resid, beyond the fabric of space and time, a woman's foot, concealed by a boot, stepped forward. Her shadow was made by the moon, the ultimate symbol of death shadowing the sign reading who owned this ginormous abode. Unbeknownst to her, at the same time as Uraku was meeting with his inexperienced pupil, a tall, lean black man, devoid of negroid features. Utterly without a nose, only a robe concealing his true skin beneath believed to be the same shade as his skin. Dark.
The Author watched as His son's darkened body appeared, along with the plethora of holograms that held the remainder of His Children. The report of His Messenger was very educational, something to learn from it, He would learn what truly was happening down on this version of Earth,
"Ryder Karlo, as you know, has been successfully entrapped within the new personality of The Outcast. He's been for months- however, there are... complications with that fact. Having finished discussed Phase 3 of our plan with my ally, I've realized there is a remainder of Karlo still dwelling within him. Therefore, per your advice, Father, I've gifted him with a special ability. Something that will further ensure our victory and our capture of the boy, keeping The Outcast exactly where we want him," Who followed the report was the angered Aether, though not there in the flesh, his dark matter form that resonated energy from Its shoulders was visible. Audibly raged by the information given to the Children by the Chaos,
"That news may soon be immaterial. It's no wonder Father insisted you get rid of Karlo, considering he's the utter epitome of everything we hate in humanity. The multiversal balance of power will shift irrevocably once we finish our goal, and locate the final Key to the True Happiness of Humanity," The Author firmly understood, appreciating his son's short banter, and the Messenger's information about The Outcast. True Happiness was occurring shortly, slowly rearing its head out of whatever crevice He concealed it in. The time would soon, for the God of the New World to rule over Humanity- and grant them... Happiness.
To Be Continued in Chapter 18 - Absolute Focus