As Rothschild came to a stop mid-air, Perseverance seemed to appear out of thin air. The Hero grabbed Rothschild's neck as they'd become something, rather, someone entirely different. Where Perseverance's coveralls had once been, there was a black suit, green tie and purple accents. He had on a flight cap, steel-driver suspenders, steel-toed boots with an American flag cape. For this was the twisted persona of Dr. V.
Dr. V was the result of when the vestiges of Ghost, John and Lemuel merged and combined with Stagolee. As Dr. V stopped moving, he landed on the deck of his spirit-steamboat. As he smiled, he spoke to the tyrant.
"Seems the to be that you idiots never learn."
"What form of trickery is this!" Rothschild demanded as voodoo runes filled the skies around him.
"This," stated Dr. V, "This is the culture you tried to erase from us. Seeing as you're a fan of overwhelming force... CAN THE STEEL-ANGELS COME OUT TO GAMBLE?!"
Seven voodoo heads began spinning around Rothschild. With an air jab of Dr. V's cane, they morphed into angels with blackened wings, tails and eyes of red, with mouths of copper mist. At first, they simply circled him, but as Dr. V closed his fist the Steel-Angels ripped through the vast layers of muscle and hardened skin that had been protecting Rothschild.
Below in Greater Ottawa, the citizens watched as this metallic green and voodoo purple, spirit steamboat launched wave after wave of Steel-Angels at Rothschild. The tyrant's blood fell to the ground like a thick, hot, summer's rain in the bayou.
However, Dr. V wasn't looking great either. The vast output of energy was rapidly depleting Stagolee's vestige-body of its strength. It really began to show as the steamboat fell apart. Dr. V started to fall from the sky, only to have a cyclone of purple and green clouds to catch him.
"He's really doing it..." Said a Michigander, looking up at the battle in the sky.
"CHILD! BE CAREFUL!" Yelled Barbara to the hero. However, he coughed up blood trying to maintain aloft and trying to keep Rothschild on defense. The cyclone kept shrinking giving him less and less lift.
"Stagolee, what's happening?"
"Runnin... On... Empty." Strained Stagolee as he tried to press his attack. The cyclone exploded into a much larger form for just a brief moment before Stagolee's energy reached one-percent, transferring control back to Perseverance. The Steel-Angels vanished with Stagolee's control, the cyclone and spirit-steamboat. Perseverance fell from the sky with Rothschild diving straight at him. The two available vestiges fired up their facets as Perseverance got ready for another move.
"What do we do?!" Yelled John.
"I don't..." Lemuel was cut-off by the Ghost.
"BOTH OF YOU, I NEED THAT BOTH YOUR FACETS! NOW!"
"You have them!"
As their energy flowed into his veins, he reoriented himself to meet the slope of Greater Ottawa's North-Side blacktop hill.
"Differential-Epicyclic Gear: Triple Seven's Rundown!" Yelled Perseverance as his feet touched the ground. The Hero flew down the hill backwards as Rothschild slammed into the ground.
"Great, we landed." Commented Stagolee, rejoining the other vestiges.
"Great, you're back! HOW DO WE STOP!" Yelled Lemuel as they barreled for the crowd who'd been watching them.
"Everyone combine with me, NOW!" Yelled the Ghost. As they did, Perseverance fired off a new move.
"TRIPLE THREAT: STEEL-STEAM-REDLINE!" The hero's body acted like it was a Steam Locomotive, a P-51 Mustang and 4x4 Truck that had been sliding backwards on ice and asked to gun it in drive. The amount of torque and energy being channeled into the hero's feet break tearing away at the soles of his steel-toed boots. However, like all things on Ice, they found traction eventually.
Thanks to the Torque from Lemuel and Gear Power of John, Perseverance shot forwards like a speeding bullet. However, as both Rothschild and Perseverance leapt into the air at each other, Stagolee took over having noticed something the others hadn't. As Dr. V emerged, he put a massive energy field over the city as hundreds of thousands of missiles rained down on the city. Rothschild was nailed by several and the hero was thrown down to his people.
"Give me fifty-percent control, Stagolee."
"What? Why?"
"You're depleting your energy too fast! DO IT HURRY!"
As Stagolee gave the Ghost fifty-percent control, Dr. V became Dr. P, and was holding the energy field up like he was Atlas, trying to hold the weight of the world upon his shoulders.
"I AM THE BETTER ATLAS!" Yelled Dr. P as cracks began to form from the onslaught of missiles. Just as the barrier shattered, the raining of missiles stopped. The three vestiges, having exhausted their energies down to one-percent, gave total control back to Perseverance.
"The hell was that?" Asked Perseverance standing up. The Greater Ottawan Forces, and citizens stood behind their hero as the sound of steel treads exited into their city using Route 6. As the smoke cleared, a flag became visible along with several thousand troops.
"Halt!" Called out a man that was riding one of seven Leopard tanks. As he dismounted, Perseverance raised his fists.
"State your intentions and STAY BACK!"
The man walked towards Perseverance. He was in an ash-gray uniform. He drew his pistol and shot the Elite Five that Rothschild had brought with him. The man crossed his arms behind his back as he watched the Greater Ottawan Armored Infantry Division stand toe to toe with his forces. Huey Helicopters matched Eurocopter Tigers. The Leopards and Maus Panzer VIII were matched up with G.O.T.D Talty IVs and O-61s.
As the tension rose between Greater Ottawa and this new faction, Rothschild tried to rush them. He found himself blown away by a volley of Leopard and Maus shells slamming into him. The man in the ash-gray uniform stepped forwards to meet Perseverance. As he did, he spoke to the hero.
"I am Major Krauss Norwak of the Euro-Russian Fascist State Empire. As of this moment, any and all combat is to cease. Civilians and non-essential personnel are confined to their homes." His thick accent was enough to chew on, but his words were met by angry American glares.
"Hate to break it to you, Major Norwak." started Perseverance, "We Americans don't take kindly to being ordered around. So unless you explain what in the hell is going on, your challenge will be met by the full might of Constitution."
Major Norwak nodded, then drew his sidearm and nailed Rothschild who was getting up. "Like I stated. We are the Euro-Russian Fascist State Empire and we are here to kill any and all New World Order Personnel. NOW GET TO YOUR HOMES OR BE SHOT!"