As they reached the front door of the Capital, the entrance widely spread for them all, with the Emperor replacing the Judge as the lead. Each of their footwear making a noise as it presses against the marbled floor, Ben stood at the center, looking straight forward at the continuous, seemingly infinite stairway. As if it were leading right up to heaven, all of them, seemingly following the invisible commands of their Hawk King- appeared. Hands, rifles, daggers, swords, it was like a miniature army appeared everywhere to aim their large assortment of weaponry at the trio. Rifles flicking, magic glowing, letting out that mystical audio, and as the Phoenix Pawn revealed himself from the cloaks of the shadows with his eyes as bright as the morning sun- he couldn't help but give the illusion as if he were staring down at every one of the superhumans he stood above. None of them gave each other any words, the Right Hand of the Hawk and the Requiem Time Emperor both had no words for the other, and of course, to someone oblivious like Alex or any of the other guards, this would seem normal.
Yet, to someone observant like Detective Prince Karlo, he caught the glimpse, the way that Ben and Julian stared at one another, it wasn't normal. It was a simple slow blink, one that cats would share with their owners to silently and visibly show their affections for their master. What did... it mean? Turning away, revealing his arm out from under the shroud with a blazing pattern engraved onto the silky cloth, the Phoenix of Life had his fiery optics glisten. And just as God had commanded His Angels to reign down the Judgment of the Allfather unto Satan's demonic minions, the armed puppets had rained fire.
Rapid energy bolts blasting by his face, he felt the graze of plasma singe a part of his beard, the gruff falling to the ground and littering that lower platform. A wound manifesting over his chin, the steam began to emit out of the wound, his legs sending him into the air as he leaped further so he could gain the high ground. Stopping right in place, the Emperor's now-white eyes had manipulated the airflow around his frame, withholding mercy, the rays of lasers began to burst out his seeing organs. However, how could he simply blast out this energy so quickly when they'd already thrown their quick attacks, plasma bolts, fire beams, icy streams, bolts of electricity- easy, he didn't. Time had simply ground to an unnatural halt, the tires of time screeching against the metaphysical road, Ben was at the end of the road to smash against that very car. This ability had been activated by a simple statement of the technique he had etched into his bones, palm hovering over his lips,
"The Universe," Hand hiding the moving of his mouth to match the words he'd let out, Ben's deepened voice wasn't restricted and muffled despite the limb over his face. Instead, it had been modified, as if speaking into a megaphone, vocals expanding further and further, as if an ancient God commanding his subjects. It was like a calm, deepened whisper.
The Requiem Emperor of Time gradually levitated lower, feet just a few centimeters away from the marbled floor beneath him, Ben grabbing at the collar of his suit. Breathing out loud, he tapped at the shoulders of Azazel and Alex to bring them into his Universe of stopped time. The duo gasping at the same time, the circle of Requiem energy entangled around them. Both of them darted their eyes wildly, the older of the formerly excluded duo understanding quicker as opposed to the younger Requiem Judge. Alexander briefly laughing in astonishment, Ben didn't even spare a glance to the two he'd allowed into this Universe,
"Don't waste time killing them all, more will come. You two need to smash the ground so we can fall into the dungeon, I'll protect you two. You have ten seconds left, it should take 20 in order for maximum destructin," Advised the experienced Emperor, commanding them without a semblance of care in his vocals, he clapped his hands together to create an invisible barrier. A reverberation burst out from his fingers, rumbling through the Earth, plasma building up and disguising itself, leaking in from that Blanketed reality his niece and sister manipulated.
Alex and Azazel were both beside one another, to the rear of their superior, each of their fists entangled with a specific shade that distinguished the energies clashing together. Karlo simply had his hand pushed out, usually, when he harnessed Takyr, it wasn't the best feeling. Describing it in words felt odd, but imagine electricity flowing through your veins and blood, sparking continuously beneath that layer of skin. And sometimes, when it traveled `down to the hand, you could see something squirming to get out from the layer of flesh they're trapped beneath; in short, it was like controlling a wild animal. Moving rapidly, clawing, tearing, and biting at flesh, but for someone like Azazel Karlo, the man that could turn his psyche psychotic at any time he wanted, this was normal.
On the other hand, Requiem energy was the fusion between Omni along human intent, which turned the Warriors of the past during the War into demigods. It was in contrast to the chaotic nature of Takyr, smoothly running down his limb as if the lightning had been spinning around his arm, entangling around his extremities, Alexander could utilize the Requiem around him like a gauntlet. Controlling his breathing, his chest carefully raised and gradually fell, Amara's eyelids stood shut over his shaded white orbs before the sparkle let out a certain sound into the air as they slid back into his skin. Karlo and Amara both shared the same look at one another, firmly nodding, their knuckles barely brushed against the marbled floor. 10 seconds had passed, the grey shade of the Universe fading away, the color leaking into this world, painting the walls, the doors, the signature golden lining. With the warm light shining onto their faces, the Emperor of Time shoved his hands into the pouches of his suit, a gust of wind sending his hair back so it'd momentarily levitate into the air. Another 5 seconds.
"Almighty Destiny; Ultimate Implosion," Another on-the-spot technique had been said aloud the second Ben's universal time-stopping ability wore off, white intense aura encapsulating the man's very soul, the Emperor stuck out his hand forward. The edges of his jacket radiated with the white hue of Requiem- you see, the powers of Requiem allowed Uraku, Jason, Madi, Ben, August, Alex, all of them, to manipulate this energy to the molecular level.
Requiem is a sub-energy, and despite it essentially being the child of Omni, it is capable of destroying both Angels and Demons. Omni is the energy created by God Himself, and because of it being implanted into the cells of humanity at the beginning of time, Ben was able to manipulate it at the World Tree to turn the world into superhumans. Yet, it wasn't solely restricted to something as basic as that, with a power like that in the hands of someone so uncaring and full of hate- he could do anything with anyone's body. Such as making them implode from the inside-out, which, just as expected, five seconds after he'd stated the technique out loud, had occurred. Guts went flying about, hearts bursting out of chests as they entered the atmosphere, puddles, ounces, immense amounts of blood drenching the barrier that Ben had put up to protect them. The Life Phoenix had no qualms about sacrificing such pawns, instead, at the top of the stairway, he turned away and vanished- so, just then...
BOOM-CRACK!!! Alex widened his eyes with a shocked, stupid grin on his face, Azazel quirked a brow with that same grimace over his features while Ben's eyes? Yup, still dead, but that was okay because their mission was complete, the ground had broken and they'd been freefalling before they could even register what was happening.
Their descent felt seemingly endless as if they were falling through an infinite corridor through space and time, Ben essentially stood on the air the entire time. Arms spread into the air at his sides, coat rippling through the air, Alex flipped around flailing his arms whooping like a child- whilst Azazel widened his eyes, the demonic wing cracking out, snapping like a bone contorting unnaturally out his spine. Stopping his fall, the Detective... heard voices, quirking a brow, he spun his neck and unsheathed his blackened katana spinning it over his head, pointing the tip of the blade right to the hole they'd previously made. The sun leaking onto his face, the Emperor shook his head, one of his eyes glowing bright enough for his abilities to activate just in time- and in time for what? You see, Alex had been too distracted having fun imagining he was skydiving, yet Ben had been astute enough to push out everything else. Harnessing just enough of his strength to enhance the range of his hearing, and there was one thing he couldn't mistake, it was rapid lightning inching closer and closer to their whereabouts. SHING!
The blade had connected with the metal suddenly appearing over Az's head, eyes widening in shock of how quick this defense had appeared- the next action he took? Helplessly and surprisingly watching as the ripped apart pieces of the speedster assassin's corpse fell quicker, gravity yanking them past Alex, he turned his head, noticing that Ben had no longer been beside him. The Emperor peeked from behind the metallic support, blood decorating not only his face and the shield his arm had been locked into. Feeling the item around his limb, Rivera turned to meet the eyes of his son's nephew-in-law, sharing a collective nod, both of them widened those orbs of sights. Blurs appearing to the side of the duo of older and younger, Ben instinctively ensnared Karlo in his arms- and just then, they landed right onto the ground. They'd reached their destination, and right at the metal doors with skulls painted onto them both, rings serving as knobs.
Letting the Prince out from the shroud of his jacket, Azazel wiped the dust and entrails from his shoulders, flicking away an ear for some blood to fly along with the piece of flesh. Right in front of that towering entrance, the shadow of the Reaper casting against it, his Four Eyes examining the weak points of this place, he needed to find a way to get in. Scratching his partly invisible gruff, that arrogant smirk stood on his lips, with Kristina going to town as she punched and punched as if trying to have some hope that a simple superhuman pound would reveal the inside, pants along with grunts entering the air,
"This looks too big for an actual dungeon... this guy must be compensating for something. Kristie, any progress there? Havin' fun?" August teased, removing his hand from over his chin, then crossing his arms over his chest so he could lean forward a bit bending over,
"Shut... up," Kristina snarled, removing her fists, bloodied, opened, revealing bone tissue and bloodstains painting the door in her crimson fluid. Wiping her bottom lip, August stepped closer, removing his hands from over his chest to repair her skin slowly as the life energy coursed through her body to heal. Fusing to create a scar over her knuckles, he leaned in to kiss her forehead,
"Hey, what happened with you two?" Ben questioned his son, hands in his pockets, stepping over some of the rubble- Alex doing the same as Azazel simply used his wing to float over to August. Gliding along the floor, he curved his hand into a fist, radiating with Takyr energy, and just like he'd been wanting to ever since they were teenagers, August Rivera was punched right across the face.
Thumb digging into his right eye, fist sliding against the air before crashing into his skin, knuckles crunching against the bone, shattering and breaking it beyond repair, but even so, that smug cadence over his lips didn't disappear. Kristina ran over to her lover, catching him right before he could hit the ground, she shot a cold glare at the menacing Detective... but as he knelt, he revealed his true face. Soft, tired, with bags under his eyes, the same shade as the Emperor's, he was not consumed by hatred, the way she'd thought from the shadow that'd been cast over his frontal features. Neither of them managed to let out whatever stereotypical piece of dialogue they'd readied, instead, Ben had stepped forward, as if he were an ant compared to the larger size of the entrance. Though, a simple metal door wasn't something that would send the Blessed Emperor of Longing, the Sixth Holy King, foretold by the Devil King and the Deity Allfather... packing. Flicking out his wrist, pushing his palm forward, sticking up each of his fingers,
"Ultimate Implosion," While Ben's vocals were quiet, a whisper, so to speak, they couldn't help but becomes enhanced, voice modulating to sound a bit deeper. If you didn't see his lips move, you'd think as though a threatening dictator, ready to throw away everything for the sake of their persona agenda, was speaking this line.
The effect of this technique contrast to how it was used upstairs, to the fact that an invisible barrier had encircled the Emperor from head to toe, bursting right into existence and pushing back everything in a simple five feet radius. And, just as expected, the door had fallen, August's cheek snapping back to the place, he shook himself out of the daze, examining everything so he could register what was occurring. About a minute had passed for the meta-brain of the Requiem Reaper, equivalent to about a second for everyone else... it was simple.
Azazel didn't have anything visible appear over his face as far as his micro-expressions, the tiniest bit of sweat dripping down the side of his skin. As he stood up, he ripped out the black blade he named his reliable companion in battle, with the kanji written near the grip... translated in English, 'Prince.' The darkness of the night and the demonic influence of Takyr, red, like the walls composed of the damned's flesh... it crackled along the tip as he entered behind.
Alex simply took his whip, the Judge, off his belt, closing his eyes for just a second-and then opening them right again, that smile over his face... he did it! The usual aura of light, similar to the sun's rays that'd blind you from seeing anything, had been marked with a black exterior. The only thing that seemed to remain the same was his eyes... it gave him a chaotic look, but they had to be ready for what came next. So, after assuming his Truth form, he followed the Detective Prince, each new step he took, The Requiem Judge letting pebbles float beside him, rubble following him, slabs of stone hovering-
Kristina watched in horror... but she had to be ready, snapping herself back to reality, she put her hair up into a ponytail so she didn't get any strands in her face when she'd eventually fight. Pulling up the sleeves of her shirt so they could go to her forearms, she revealed her shorts and muscular legs, veins popping out as her discolored pupils glistened in the dimly-lit area of this lower dungeon,
"Ready?" Intoned Augustus, now standing up, cheek repaired, both eyes shining the same amount to remind her of who he was. The cape that came with his suit began to slide out from the back, gradually gliding across the ground before he pulled at the hood to hide his face... they ventured into the unknown, together.
All of them had entered at different times, but what they found was the same result, what awaited beyond that wall... even August hadn't been able to predict. Ben's face out of view for the rest of the shorter allies he'd brought along with him, there was one thing for sure, none of them even took a look to his eyes, his lips- there was only the horrific sight ahead. Azazel simply widened his eyes, no sounds, nothing... that look of surprise and shock was replaced with disgust, hatred.
Next, the readied Requiem Judge, just as he emerged from the blackened hall that led into this chamber, the energy around him faded, the slabs, the debris, the pebbles. All of it, falling immediately, Alex passed out from shock. August and Kristina were the final two, the former of the two unable to move fast enough, for the eyes of just regular humans were quick enough to spot something in their brains for barely a millisecond. The smirk had vanished, grimacing as he stared around, pupils darting, August held Kristina's face into his neck so she could avert her eyes from this disgusting scenery. There was one thing that he knew, just from the way she was hyperventilating, chest rising, returning to a smaller size, over and over and over and over, it seemed like a loop unable to be stopped. He needed to get her somewhere safe so the rest of them could deal with the coming threat, but the moment he turned away, his face met the chest of... him.
The Right Hand to the Sir Hawk King, the Blazing Phoenix of Despair, Julian. Knowing that there was no point, with Kristie here and the Castle is after them all, there was likely no place he could put her that resembled a fortress. So, he waited for the show, staring straight ahead, holding his ginger lover close.
You're likely asking yourself this very question, "What did they all see when they walked in there?" It was the most horrifying sight. Bodies held up by chains, stomachs cut open, intestines leaking out, arms risen with whip marks over some of their chests. Some of them had even still been breathing, and that was just one simple category, another bunch had been assigned metal tables. As if they were tanning beds, but, this way of torture was so bad- essentially, the victim had been placed face-first onto this heating bed. And it would burn their skin off gradually to where it was simply peelable. Trust me, this was going into just basic detail, there other gruesomer ones, like a man with no genitals pinned to a wheel with a katana stuck through his chest. Moaning as he perpetually moved with no control for his continuous spinning, another with their hands stabbed into the arms of a chair, knives driven into their shoulders. You could tell from the worn-down shape of their skin tissue that these blades had been stabbed into, ripped out of, just to make them feel the same pain for what seemed like an eternity. All of their skin ripped, blood dried against the walls, even bomb shadows decorating the floor beneath them, all of it made them all sick to their very stomach,
"You might be wondering why I've done this. The answer is simple; in order for paradise to exist, there must remain those pure of heart. For those tainted with sin, those who dare commit malicious actions defy the Hawk of Light. He who will guide the rest of humanity after their eventual demise to the paradise land where they deserve to live, I was chosen with the power of a Mage. I sought out to create a new world, the same as you, but I knew humanity was tainted. I wasn't going to be a coward, I was given with the will of God, and through this power, I enact the dream of a true paradise for all those I consider my true subjects. Thievery, drug consumption, smoking, drinking, murder, rape, every crime will be eradicated, so once and for all... there shall be peace," The Hawk's words were met with more retaliation, August's lightning starting to go crazy, Azazel starting to lose it from the way he so sinisterly giggled at this bullshit Hanniel had spouted. But, we're missing someone, aren't we?
After he'd said all that, there was nothing left for Ben, all he could do was shakily exhale as the tears began to pour out the corners of his eyes; just as if he were a boy again. Teeth gritting against one another, he grabbed at the floor, tips of extremities sinking into the ground... the Hawk and the Phoenix both gasped. They'd expected him to sob, maybe try to effortlessly fight, and then get one-shotted instantaneously, but The Blessed Emperor of Longing wasn't that predictable...
~All my fault, this was all my fault. Why did I turn them into this..? Why didn't I let Dad kill me right then and there? Why did I mess up so many things, why didn't I save you, Mom? I can't save anyone, I can't make anyone stay with me, they all leave in the end, and it's because of me. I did this, I was the cause, I took all of those lives. If I hadn't turned them all into... these monsters, wouldn't have the power to do things like this. Around this time, Dad would say something like, 'Don't get angry. Control it, and harness it into every strike...' But I'm done with that. I can't follow any rules, the only thing I can do is fight. I hate you people. The way you believe you're above everybody so you see it right to take so many lives, maybe it's because you remind me so much of myself that I hate you in this way... but it doesn't matter anymore. I'll avenge them, every single one of those lives you've toyed with, the families you've broken...you stripped a son from his mother. You took that away from him... DIDN'T YOU?~
It was almost as if everyone in that room had been psychically linked together, to experience the same sort of feeling, that same sensation coursing through every pulse- radiating out from the center of this abnormal energy. The dim lightbulbs had been shattered immediately, Kristina popping out her head from the chest of her boyfriend, tendrils of darkness, shadows being absorbed into that confidential anatomy that he now held. Standing up, the black and white that Alexander had usually held for his chaotic form when he released the Truth, was transferred right over to the blinded spirit of the Holy King. A collar spiking to his nape, the tie in his hair disintegrating, his eyes darkening out from the blindness he felt... from the outside, looking in at what he seemed. The black hiding his true form beneath the whiteness creating something anew, there existed only one thing for sure...
"This... this is it! The Arrival...!"
~I'll use everything. It doesn't matter anymore... because I'll kill you~
Clenching his fist, his bones layered beneath the skin deemed invisible by the shadows encircling him, he could feel his very soul-shaking at the power he was harnessing. Feet breaking the ground below his soles for some pieces of rubble, pebbles lifting into the air, they created a tornado of rock to fuse with the corruption. August taken aback by his father's other form, Azazel leaned back, using his sword to cover his face as he crouched in front of Alex's unconscious body, neither of them looking at one another, only focusing on the phenomenon occurring before their shaky eyes.
It could feel the urge to bite down on their extended nails, serving as claws, the energy began to slowly unravel from around their physical body, horns popping out of its forehead-
"I'll slaughter you... no matter the cost. I'll make you wish you were never born...
GRIFFITHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"