Chereads / The Answer. / Chapter 29 - Illusion of Mortality

Chapter 29 - Illusion of Mortality

A beautiful phenomenon was the rain, pouring from the spread-apart clouds, hitting the planet it was hovering above. Creating puddles of liquid that reflected the grey sky towering over the notorious city, his black trench coat concealing his muscular body. A hood attached to the said piece of clothing, August Rivera gazed at the moon that hid from the clouds. The darkness of the night faded away continually as time accelerated without end. No one is immune to the clock, ever ticking endlessly, no sign of stopping... the Reaper felt Death crawling up his shoulder. At times like these, a semblance of a phrase created in Latin snuck its ugly head out of the corners of his mind, and the meaning was clear to him: 'Memento Mori.' A Latin phrase that can be freely translated as 'Remember your death, remember you are normal. Remember you will die.' A brown strand plucked itself from the abundance of hair on his head, entering his gloved palm, and adjusting the pointed collar around his neck, a visible of cold air entered the atmosphere.

The date was January 11th, 2037, approximately 12:39 P.M. for those who resided in this area. The sun already threatening to set on this beautiful but pathetic excuse of a city, the Emperor went over the plans for this infiltration a second time. Standing in front of the television with his older brother by his side, leaned against the wall to the right, the former Justice polished the steel of his Ketsueki katana with his sharpened vampiric claw. Sparks from the collision of nature and nurture flew from the sharpness of the weapon. The group of teenagers was evenly divided amongst the living room. August was a loner with Azazel standing to the left arm of his chair to the right of the main couch, Celine in his lap, though invisible to the rest of everyone. Strands of his new white hair twirling around her index finger, pressing her forehead to his,

"One more review, as I said on the plane yesterday, we're going to be splitting you evenly between two locations. The bio I pulled up on Kuno revealed one of his hobbies to be profuse gambling, so August, Azazel, Genny, you'll be heading to the Casino Section of this resort. The rest, Mei, Beau, Emma, Matt, you'll be heading for Kuno's office on the top floor of this very hotel. You leave at 1:00, and your current outfits have been modified. You leave immediately,"

The whispers of his deceased lover haunted his mind, slowly seeping through his ears into his mind like the venom a snake held in its fangs. But, like any pain that you'd be feeling after hours and hours experiencing it, he... was used to it. He was used to his heart-shattering at the very concept he'd never see her again upon hearing the distinct fragments of her voice reaching him- but none of that ever mattered. August Rivera had a dream that was filled with righteous intent, to gain revenge on those who framed him and slaughtered Celine Pierce without a second thought...! Tightening his fist, he shed himself of the hood concealing his now-white mop of hair, red and green eyes combining to give him a sort-of heterochromatic aura,

"Wake up, Rivera-"

Widening his discolored pupils, his fluff of platinum strands slighted tilted as he snapped his neck to meet Azazel's eyes, focused solely on the casino in front of them. The influx of people didn't help as well, but he didn't waver, no longer would he halt his movements for the sake of some pathetic weakness. Seeing his baby sister pull at the fabric of her purple turtleneck, suited with a bulletproof vest made with Konpeki, he smiled. For once, that smile- it caught her attention, it wasn't fake. It wasn't just for her. It was for this area, it was true. Despite the new appearance he'd acquired overnight, he was still her big brother- and that would never change,

"Let's go,"

Around the time that trio had entered, Mei had already popped into Kuno's office, scrummaging around for any semblance of his whereabouts. Grunting in annoyance as she found nothing, burning through his wooden desk until she was grabbed by her arm. The violet hue engulfing her palms fading, the calming smile her older cousin held pushing all the anger away to nothing. In the corner of her eye, she noticed a lightswitch near the left of the entrance and flicking it on, everything was revealed. The desk that stood beside the entrance with an interesting painting behind the chair, the array of windows to the right to the desk, and in front of the seat facing the wooden table... were round glass containers. Each holding some sort of twisted souvenir. A circular Lovecraftian tendril, an eyeball with a purple pupil, a torn-off piece of white cloth, a femur bone, and a wing from an 'Angel'. Each of these had labels with names on them. In order, they were:

'Chaos. Brother. Father. Pyscho. Sister.'

"Jesus..."

The eyeball was disgusting to look at, the way that, at times, it seemed to glow at the appearance of Matt's hand coming into contact with the material. Hand in pocket, Beau examined the plethora of books shoved into the shelf in front of him, each of them some sort of Biblical piece or a cosmic horror book from H.P. Lovecraftian himself. Tilting his head at one specifically written by one Carl Sean O'Brian, the book was titled, 'The Demiurge in Ancient Thought: Secondary Gods and Divine Mediators'. Why did it seem so... different? He'd never heard of any sort of Demiurge in Christianity.

"That is my true name, after all. Does it strike you as odd, for some reason...? I don't expect you to know the truth of my origin, welches like you are bound to be small-minded,"

There was no doubt of who was behind him, his voice sent burning chills up his spine, goosebumps bursting into existence over his skin, the crimson aura notorious for being associated with the Justice was broken. A burst of fire emerged from the tips of the Strength's fingers, veins popping out through his neck, orbs ruby red as they burnt with a flaring 'Dark Determination.' Stomach widening for a moment into a circular shape, a third arm emerged from Kuno's gut to grab Matt by the collar. Sending him flying through the window to the rear of the Scientist, Doctor Kuno's fingers dug into the skin of the boy's throat. Unable to decide between whether or not to go after her friend or fight the Aether, Mei panicked, sweat dripping down her face and biting her lip- blood being drawn from the pressure put onto the pink flap of her mouth. That was until she was pushed to the side, and the Priestess slammed the butt of her fist into the wall beside her. Knowing it was made of a sort of hard substance, it regressed to its original state, that being made of brick, and sharpened. Fragments of this sharpened material were thrown the Demiurge's way, causing him to drop Edmund, he grabbed the simple attempted weapons and shattered them to pieces. Warping through the desk, throwing it to the side, he moved his hair back and cackled, licking his lips at the sight of such a beautiful specimen.

"Grand-niece... glad to see my nephew is so capable these days, HAH!"

Throwing a punch to block her sudden guard, her arms were shattered and her limbs draped, numb, and she was unable to fight. Dodging the swipe he made with his right arm and sharpened nails with a simple flip to the right, wider, side of the room, she panted. If she could touch him... she could regress his life force to the way he was when he was born billions of years ago. Easy enough- with two broken arms. The sole of her boot gently met the side of the desk Kuno threw over, and as it reverted to its original form before it was manufactured that was, splinters were thrown toward the eyesight of the Demiurge. Groaning with irritation, Kuno burnt through them with but a look, though they momentarily clouded his vision enough for him for Emma to propel herself into the air. Legs filled with so much tenacity to push him back into the wall, the first kick she laid letting a CRACKKKKK! emerge from her limb.

The following blow that slid out from the tip of her foot to the side of Abaddon's skull sent him flying out the same window Mei was soaring through. Because of that fact, and he'd been so focused on his grandniece, his arm was sliced off rather quickly by a blade of light. Tilting his head, he swiped at her face once she was close enough, riding on a skateboard of self-made plasma. Though she was just a momentary copy created from the suns' rays and faded away with a simple touch of the hand, his eyes widened.

The truth of Mei- the Sun's appearance, was right in front of him, a pocket dimension surrounded by light opening for a brief moment like a zipper. Accelerating the speed of her right foot, Emma dove after her cousin, creating a swimming motion through the air, residents of Vegas witnessed as the quartet of superhumans and the Deity freefell through the sky. Debris in the form of largened shards of glass pierced and sliced through the chests of bystanders looking on, their flesh leaving a pool of gore under their half corpses. Intestines sprawled out, their eyes rolled to the back of their head, and they were pronounced dead instantaneously.

The bottom of Emma's boot pushed against the back of her cousin, intending to accelerate her relative's speed did so, incredibly, at that. Throwing an array of blows into the chest of the Aether, momentarily immobilized by the laser grid attached to a slice of wood from the desk he'd thrown over in his office- she screamed out with her purple aura surrounding her soul. Glowing ever brighter with every punch that sent coursing of plasma through her enemy's veins,

"SAYO SAYO SAYO SAYO SAYO SAYO SAYO SAYONARAAAAAGH!"

BOOM!!!!!!! Sent through the laser grid, body sliced in half, bones cauterized as the smell of burning flesh entered the air, a crater was formed as debris from the rocks below crushed innocents. Landing on a bed of ice, spikes protruding through Kuno's remains, Matt hovered down to the ground... air parting beneath his feet. Holding his neck, the boy coughed out and turned his hair to the air, realizing that Beau had followed him down with wings of fiery flames that returned to their steam origination. A thud originating from his rough landing, knees cracking and breaking then returning to their non-shattered form, the Strength searched for his attacker, frantically asking,

"WHERE IS THAT OLD PIECE OF SHIT?! I'LL BURN HIM TO A CRISP, GODDAMMIT!!!!!!"

Steam flaring from his nostrils, Emma, two broken arms, accelerated them back to normal at a quickened pace. Bones cracking back in place leaving a disturbing sound to enter the male duo's ears, Mei readied for another attack. There was no way that he was easily defeated like that- though it was a strong attack, they could've just made him angrier.

"Ahahahahaha... you deceitful brats. Here I was underestimating you all- turns out you're more powerful than I presumed,"

His vocal cords shifted to display a different voice than before, though the same depth and intimidating, it seemed soft and on the brink of insanity. It held a sort of distortion as it bounced from their ears and blew the brains of human children around living in buildings to oblivion, where only their brains would remain, splattering on their glass windows. The quartet of superhumans in face facing the Demiurge was different, their DNA had been modified to handle this type of assault, but that didn't change the fact that they reeled back from hearing such a sound. Crawling with his shoulder being pushed one after another, a sadistic smirk visible as his teeth grew, flesh regenerating gradually, the heart attaching with drops of blood oozing from his once-destroyed carcass. Ribcage forming around his vital organ, arms lifting themselves from the ground below to attach themselves to the sockets with strings of blood reaching out to hold the limb, bones reattaching.

Kuno growled as he felt the push of his brain re-enter his skull, giggling maniacally, the distortion surrounding his voice echoing louder and louder. More mortals to be destroyed and killed by such a demanding cackle, Emma held her ears, distraught by the pain, but Beau persevered. He witnessed the deaths of those watching the battle, fiery headphones protecting his eardrums... this asshole didn't care about anything. As long as he killed them right then and there, for whatever goal he served- nothing mattered. The Strength remembered the Detective's words, HE WOULDN'T LET ANYONE BE HURT AGAIN, NO MATTER THE COST- HE HAD TO HELP!

"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"Beau!"

Diving forward with wings slicing open from his back, he readied to throw a heavy punch, magma rock emerging from his knuckles to engulf his fist. Fingers digging into every corner of Beau's face, the Aether absorbed his life source, inch by inch healing himself and rejuvenating his energy. Piece by piece, with each of his organ's blood being sucked away, he began getting skinnier and skinnier,

"Ehehehe~ you taste good, little boy. I wonder what's under that pathetic little mask... more tasty treats, maybe..?"

Claws forming at the edge of his nails, sharpening to the point where if he even moved wrong, he'd slice off the flesh that concealed Edmund's skin. While this whole ordeal might've seemed like a bad decision, it wasn't! For the split second that the other three had been bought, they were able to charge in and use Beau as a distraction. Katanas of ice, at the tip, were edged enough to cut through human skin like a human tearing apart paper. The Adolescent Icy Magician finished off his attack by kicking the Aether in the chest, creating a craving in the ground with his feet as he was pushed backward. Distracted by the short agony he endured, his heart was destroyed spontaneously without delay from Mei's plasmablasts.

Once more, the Sun popped herself out from her Blanketed dimension and used her life force to channel plasma light from the sun to burst through his chest. Destroying and cracking through his boney ribcage, then, she expanded upon that by using Abby's additional power and widened his feet so they'd explode off of his legs. And a stream of water would launch their opponent upward originating from the pool of blood, using the remaining energy he had leftover, Kuno turned to see the incoming steel of a familiar katana. The expression on the Priestess' face held no sense of anger, of hate, though her eyes resonated with the emotion of 'Dark Determination,' she was calm. After the dried blood surrounded the metal of her weapon, shifting palette to hold a more accurate color to the sky- was she able to scream,

"KAIYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

KRAAA-SQUELCH!!! Slicing his brain in half, the Priestess utilized the remainder of her strength she accelerated in her hands to defeat their enemy. Who, speaking of which, collapsed and fell over, moments after his important organ was cut in twain. The eldest Rivera fell to her knees, panting heavily, she stared at the blade and realized the Kanji had changed for the Ketsueki, instead of the one for blood (血液) it was instead the one for Ocean (海洋). Soon, it lost its now regular ice-blue glow, and it disappeared as she sheathed it into a white snowy cover. Running over to his best friend, Matt picked up his figure from the concrete and checked his pulse. While he was still breathing, the rate of his heart was irregular, continuously moving at a rapid pace as if he were undergoing a traumatic or scary experience,

"Something's... wrong, guys,"

Turning to see their bodies fall to the dust they were once standing confidently in, Matt attempted to slide over on a tray of ice, however, he was slammed to the side of the Venetian resort. An imprint of his skin and attire forming in the material it was made of, the very energy that surrounded the tips of Demiurge's edges burning through his very skin. This form was different from the one they'd just defeated. No messy black hair and beard with a destroyed, ripped black suit. Instead, Its anatomy was that of a human male, but there was no sense of flesh, only the stars and galaxy reflected onto the azure orbs of the Magician.

"Intriguing..."

The voice, still distorted and twisted, was softer, prone to more mercy as he dropped Matt from Its grip. Warping from a purple light, the same aura that surrounded Its very soul, the Demiurge's afterimage manifested several times around the Office. This couldn't be possible.

"No... The Key. Who could have... taken it? Maybe one of them has it?"

Zooming back to the incapacitated children, Its blur pushed through every organ, pouch, or place It could identify. None of them swallowed it, hid it, anything... developing elongated honed nails seeping into Its flesh, white liquid pouring out from the interior of Its 'skull', It cackled and screamed as if It were a psychopath,

"WHERE IS ITT!?!!!!!!!!!"

The trio collectively entered the Casino, searching for one particular face, designed to look 'perfect', 'normal,' one with purple eyes like the Lovers and Reaper's adopted relative. The Detective led the charge, pistol in his left hand, radiating with his signature light blue hue that engulfed his soul. Flicking the safety off, twisting the silencer off the tip of the barrel, the clicking of the firearm calming his nerves as he searched. His eyesight was keen, hired for his intuition and peak intelligence, he would've been able to determine their target's location in less than a heartbeat. The duo of siblings differed in that regard, as Death used his shadow-like umbra-shaded tendrils that slid out of the sleeve of his trench coat to examine the areas around them. Gamblers shifting their attention to the odd-looking adolescent younglings strutting through the hall as if nothing were wrong. Extending out her palms to touch the chest of her male allies, Genesis' retinas brightened with that signature Rivera 'Dark Determination'.

Brunette's tint of eye color transforming to her soul's shade of bright pink, tightening her fists, she readied her attacks as she bounced up and down on her feet, visibly impatient. The Reaper did the same, to their vision, leisurely pushing his chest against a table used for playing craps, their enemy's dark strands of long hair flowing as Kuno illuminated with a violet hue. That smirk sent shivers down Justice's spine, it seemed so friendly and comforting, the way his teeth were so organized, as he was manufactured to look that way- so fake and convincing. Attractive, too, from the beard that gave him an elderly look, to the muscles that pushed through the fabric of his white suit, giving him a taller demanding figure. No doubt any female would fall for him instantaneously just from staring at him, for some reason, August and Gen were reminded of their father when staring at this man.

They readied to fight, blows about to be exchanged, however, Kuno raised his flat palm and adjusted the collar of his 'fancy' attire. The rosebud on the corner of his uniform had withered away for but a second in time, then regaining a darker shade of purple as it regrew and was given a new life. They all held this expression, this ready 'battle' stance that shone with the life of their 'Determination' and tenacity, but the Scientist couldn't care more about that. Instead, he rose from his hunched over position while the bystanders followed his position, mimicking his movements as he circled the carps. His voice was like silk, smooth and deep, he spoke like a King informing his kingdom of all the troubles he'd wipe away, charisma oozing from every pore of his body. Not to mention his influencing glow originating from his soul, prolonging through his eyes and anatomy,

"My name is Abaddon Kuno. I'm sure you know that already, and that is the very reason you've come here. However, I must inform you of my clear goals and motivations so it can be made clear I am not... insane, so to speak. I know I've hurt you beyond the human mind could hold, however- I believe it's right that you hear my piece of mind,"

It seemed an easy, straight-forward request, plus, it allowed for them to have a collective pocket of time for themselves to conjure up a division for them to ambush their enemy. The Reaper pushed the Detective back with a simple gesture, the gritting of his rival's teeth pushing him to the edge, the Justice scoffing at the effort, the disguised Deity became to speak,

"I must thank you for your hospitality. Over time, humanity has deprecated itself, time and time again, hurting man in the process. Their evolution halted for the process of gaining more 'power'... say, you were at a theatre. And you were seeing a play. The first song is finished, and the actors all pose for the audience to clap. At first, although briefly, they're scared. 'What if someone looks at me weird?' But then, the first person pushes their hands against one another, sending a vibration through the air resulting in that clapping audio. Furthermore, they also send out a subconscious signal from their brain and movements to influence the others beside them. The next person claps following that person, then the next, etc.- that is Society. Humans will always remain cowardly- UNLESS! There is an authoritative force leading them forward, manipulating their ideals, and striving for their best interests. That is who I am- that is what I am. My Father and I strive for the best of humanity, though we murder, corrupt, destroy, it is FOR THE SAKE OF HUMANITY! My very soul is unclouded! In tandem with my actions, they are all those of justice and righteousness- because as you humans say, the ends justify the means..."

None of them could believe what they were hearing- these words weren't the preaching of a hero fighting for a world long abandoned and corrupted, this... THING sounded crazy. Deluded by teachings that infected his mental state, causing the Aether to believe Itself to be the 'good guy.' No matter the cost, they had the rid the Earth of this monstrous entity, and the Detective was first to try and attack It. Diving forward, attempting to throw a heavy punch, the Reaper wrapped his tendril around the throat of his rival and snapped it back so Karlo would soar over the craps table August and Gen had jumped over. Growling, his aura changed from a calm blue to an angry red that coursed through his soul and illuminated the hall. Throwing himself over the crowd of bystanders attempting to grab him, he landed to see Kuno had already been attempting to flee through the way the trio had entered,

"You're not getting away that easy!!"

Lifting his arms from his side as he landed onto the carpet, the shadows concealed their battle as a warping of light was heard. Fingers digging into the esophagus of the Detective, the Demiurge's usual violet orbs radiated with his Father's sun-like radiation, thereby extending across Its entire figure.

"Azazel!"

"C'mon, we have to keep going! We can go after him after we--"

Gen's face colliding with the muscular breast of Kuno's puppets, her nose snapped for a brief moment, gore leaking and dripping down her mouth. Snarling in annoyance, the brother-sister duo stood back to back, surrounded by a crowd of zombie-like enhanced humans. Collectively torn on a decision, the Lovers decided to momentarily interlock her fingers with her elder siblings', her pink aura shining as bright as the sun's rays peering through the windows in this very resort. Her resolve burning as bright as lava in a volcano, she whispered the encouraging words to Death,

"I trust you..."

That was all he needed to know, their psychic connection was created instantaneously from there, and the influx of his thoughts entered his mind. Vice versa from her to him, August gave a direction to his sister, deciding against utilizing their new strategic advantage, directing his devised plan out to those around them including his inexperienced relative,

"'If my heart is wavering, don't shoot...' But now-"

His crimson blood-tinted pupil glowed with 'Dark Determination' a spark lighting so a fireball would resonate in his soul, tilting his head so their eyes could meet. Realizing who she was talking to, she smiled at the thought and her glow only shone with more ambition. The oddest thing about the second before he finished his sentence was a transparent spirit beside him, with her arms around his neck, same color eyes as his left one, and platinum white hair. Lips parting with every new word he spoke as if she were speaking through him... she truly realized- Celine was inside of him,

"I'M NOT WAVERING ANYMORE! NAGHHHHHHHH!"

A light tendril popped its way out of his flesh, cauterizing their blood, the Reaper massacred his way through Kuno's puppets to locate his ally. Moving ever so slowly through their decaying corpses, blood splattering onto the wool pattern of the carpet to his soles, bones cracking as he dug one of his shadow tendrils through the brain of a manipulated innocent. Brain matter, pink bits of their essential organ squelching as he destroyed that aspect of them, August quickly ducked,

"Tch,"

Weaving out of the way of a metal pipe aimed at the back of his head, the Reaper dove his knuckles into the ground for a thick elongated sharpened branch of bark to burst through the chest of the other attacker. Splinters edging through his flesh and diving into his palms from the piece of nature, Death threw them into the chest of another assailant attempting to go for a more direct approach. Ribcage creaking and shattering into several pieces, August went on to destroy multiple others coming for him. They all flooded through the open doors to come for him, either at his sides or fronts.

A punch to the stomach sent one flying as it cracked his ribcage in two, an enormous clap of thunder resonating from the blow: BOOOM! Then, he spun around to kick three people at once in the peak of their skull so they'd shatter at once before three of his tendrils burst up their chins to destroy their brains in a gush of blood and matter.

Sooner or later, they'd all be sliced apart into bits, as Gen dealt with her pair, her style differing from her brother's. Her movements were quick and deadly, a simple chop to a unique pressure point was enough to take out their conscious brain waves. Or when her hands were getting tired- a cacoon of metal, as if a sort of Venus flytrap that swallowed its infectious victims and instantly destroy their insides. She was nothing more than a pink afterimage that halted for seconds at a time to clench her fists before she finally drop-kicked one of the three final minions, that being a female. Her collar-bone down to her ribcage was cracked instantly, metal pipes slipping from the interior of the resort's walls to pin her to the ground as she laid there, the rear belonging to the woman oozing blood.

Turning too late, she was hit by a left hook, blood flying from her nostrils and bottom lip, then kneed in the stomach before kicked in the throat. Sending her feet to skid across the plethora of anatomies she'd dropped, and Genesis to flicker the lights above them. That, combined with the sun's radiation gave her the exact power she needed. Metal balls hovered from her pockets, expanding and widening to cover the duo who'd physically attacked her. Their chests experienced the horrible experience that burnt through their skin, rendering their flesh, organs, and blood to a red mush as the light burns their skin to a mushy liquid. Their flesh bubbling as their heartbeats, in sync, faded out, the Lovers covered her mouth... at least she'd won. Now, to help her brother!

KRAA-CCKKKKK! The disturbing echoing of his thumb snapping his middle finger snuck its way through the ears of the Reaper's victim, blood pouring like a waterfall from the right corner of his head. Reaching into the air, attempting to find oxygen for it to enter his lungs, August's shadow tendril lifted his chin so he could look into the eyes of his attacker. The broken lights shadowed his face, where only his glowing heterochromatic eyes along with the raspy distortion monotone-like voice of the Reaper, all sent shivers down his spine,

"Where's... Kuno?"

"He-"

SQUISHHH-RIP! A spear dug itself into the back of the victim for but a moment, only for it to be torn out, blood entering the air and then dropping as it hit the floor. Creating a momentary stain over the platform, The Reaper scowled at the sight of the Crow Assassin, the very soldier his father had warned him of. Circular eye holes reflecting the killer's red eyes glowing with a hateful aura, black lightning radiating around his palms and fingertips. Sparking his nervous system, though he was immune to the shocking silent agony he was enduring, they stared face to face... ready to exchange blows,

"Where's Kuno, you asshole?"

His voice held a more sarcastic tone as the Crow answered his opponent's inquiry, rising his right palm, pushing out his fingers. Claws snapping out from the gloves of his right limb,

"You expect me to answer that?"

A stream of lightning directed itself the way of the Reaper, who easily spun out of the way and threw his tendril from his wrist so it would pierce his shoulder. The sharpness oozing plasma gradually as it burnt his insides, the Crow held no sense of audible pain as he pushed the sharp edges of his claws into the tendril and yanked it so August would come flying his way. BOOOM! A direct punch to the gut sent gore to launch from his guts onto the shoes of his rival, to which the Reaper smirked hearing the angry mutters of the Crow. Two darkened tendrils wrapping around his throat so they could meet the hardened strength his knee held. SNAP! Twisting to the side, a stream of ruby fluid drooled out his left nostril, the Crow shaking his head at the strength of this foe. The stepping sticky nature of footsteps pattering against a carpet was audible to him, leaving the Crow to spin around and grab Gen. Slamming her into the ground for a shield of lightning sparks to engulf her, August kicked his chest, for his ribcage to shatter, stabbing his heart with the tips. Blood gushing out from his interior, the Reaper attempted to throw a right hook before his rival blocked it with his arm, causing him to snarl and cackle at the attempt.

Leaping backward, Death used the chandelier as a branch to swing off of, attempting to lay a mighty kick on the center of the Assassin's face. Unfortunately, he blocked by rising his arms into an X shield, and the Reaper was forced to flip the other way using the limbs as a way to push himself to the left. A chain snapping around his leg, the Crow created an imprint of his rival's backside in the concrete wall, blood squirting from a new wound made on the right of his head. Then lifting him over to push his limp body to the left side of the Casino, so he'd create another imprint in the concrete. The elongated weapon the Mercenary utilized vanished into a red smoke, stepping closer to him about to grip his white mop of hair. Instead, time's flowed halted exponentially, and where August once was, there was a branch aimed right for his face. Destroying half of the mask concealing his face, the hood shadowing his features still covered his identity exponentially, he was launched upward. Tendrils of light and dark gripping his wrists and ankles for the Crow to be met with a strong kick to the face, his vision momentarily blinded. A slow movement of his left hand had collided with the right side of Death's skull, causing it to break and shatter as they both exchanged blows at the same moment in time. Both flying in the same direction; to the left, the Assassin used a spear to push him up, disregarding the exponential suffering he was enduring. The squelching of his flesh- due to his rib piercing his heart caused him to visibly cringe, limping over to the unconscious Reaper.

"Good... night,"

Snap!

Five minutes had passed, the Lovers' lightning cage had faded away over time, and there was only one simple vision she could make out. The Crow dragging her brother's knocked-out body across the floor into an unknown location, as she was unable to move in The World of stopped time- they vanished into thin air.

Outside, the Requiem Emperor's gentle landing caused the air to move, their broken bones reverting to normal with Ben simply walking past them. Hands in his pockets as their bodies were engulfed by a simple white spark, the unique voice of his 'Uncle' entered his eardrums, affecting his soul and hair to flow into the air disobeying nature's laws,

"Where is it? Where... is THE KEY!?"

Quirking a brow at this inquiry, the CEO remained ever confused, it seemed like some sort of MacGuffin. Was there something his father hadn't told him about the Universe and Uraku's brothers? What was the truth, had he missed it again..?

"What... Key?"

To Be Continued..!