The Grand Crossover RP - Pathway to Origin [IC/PG-13/Moved to NCM for Finale]

[encapturer]

Sharon Caile wondered what exactly waited for the counter corps past the portal.  She barely understood the whole speech about the planet they were going to.  All she knew was that she needed to fight.  And fight she shall.

 

Both Sharon and Necra were handed Counter Stones; though Sharon was about to say that she didn't need two, she kept quiet; after all, one of them may get lost or something.  Sharon fiddled a bit with her counter stone before Predaking pretty much freaked out about the manner of travel, almost causing her to drop the stone due to the break in her concentration.  Necra walked up inbetween Predaking and Arthuria, shaking her head.

 

"I don't know what's so scary about a space bridge, but that looks like a normal portal to me," Necra said to Predaking.  "Besides, if you want to be sure, just let me go in first."

 

Meanwhile, Sharon paid attention to a group of warriors deciding to make a contest of the coming battle.  She assumed some of them are veterans, so she decided to get one of the most important questions concerning her role out of the way.  "The group we're fighting," Sharon asked, staring at her empty hand.  "Can they be considered truly evil?  Not misguided or anything, but pure... badness.  I kinda need to know how well my ability will work on them."

[Dad]

Isamy's Throne Room

 

The explanation was through.  Though brief, it was accurate and thorough enough that Madara needed nothing more.  Of course, the first ones through were Team Dorian.  Irrelevant.  The faster you went to seek nothing, the sooner you would realize just how purposeless your existence was.  Enough waiting.  Enough being patient.  Enough hiding.  Madara vanished in an instant, reappearing inside of the portal and landing on the opposite side of it, entering the new world.  Though it had only been moments since he was here before, it was still a marvel to see the ninjutsu of the First Hokage.  And to think it was all his.  Some of the strongest 'magic' as some would call it, was in the palm of his hands.  Still he could care less.  To think this new place would soon become a living tribute to the Hiroshima Bombing.  

 

The Counter Corps Portal

 

After listening and accepting Arthuria's terms and conditions, Kratos happily accepted everyone's hands shakes and urged them onwards into the portal that Arthuria had summoned.  The stone he was given was said to have communicative properties, but Kratos would mind that when he needed to.  As the portal swirled around him he felt like he was going through a time gate again (even though they were all destroyed).  Being familiar with this type of travel, he knew when it was safe to move.  He raised a single foot as he landed on the other side perfectly on his feet.  It was strange to think that this place would possibly be the last battlefield anyone here would see.  He stepped forward from the portal and stretched, cracking his neck, back, knuckles, and toes.

 

"Let's end this quickly," he said aloud to his team.

[Kōsuke Ueki]

It was time...

 

And although the four had no idea of what was to come, they knew that hesitation was not an option. If any Divine were defeated by their hands, kill them immediately.

 

Maxwell was surprised at to where they were going and how much time they had. 2 hours? Well, I'm glad I knew about this when I did... he thought to himself. Richard looked at him with concern. "Is something wrong?" he asked slowly. Kurai interjected right away. "None of us are ready for what's to come." Tsunugai wondered how things would turn out this time. Now he was fighting for everything to go back the way it was. He himself still has enough of Richard's power to be even with the other 3. "Well, regardless, we're here now, fighting to return our worlds to their former...er...ways. Ahem, anyway, we better start moving, or we'll all die for nothing." The other 3 nodded in agreement and proceeded through the portal.

 

Richard then felt something strange. The moment he became tangible again, he began to see things, blurry images at first. But he'd have to look into it later...

[Phantom Roxas]

Arthur, MachGaogamon, & Eria

 

For a moment, Arthur said nothing to Nero, but was reassured by Nero that Sora had chosen him as a successor for a reason. Whatever that reason may be, Arthur intended to find that, so he followed Nero through the hallway. Finally, he spoke up. "Listen, we're probably going to be in teams like back in the Desert Seth. How about you and I stick together?"

 

 

MachGaogamon simply stood by and watched as Arthuria seemed to teleport many of the newer recruits elsewhere. Confident that Arthuria would explain the situation in the best way possible, MachGaogamon left the forest.

 

 

Eria was about to follow Otto, only for Slifer's voice to speak up. Leave him be, for now. That woman he spoke of, Victoria. Whoever she is, we will have to be prepared for her. For now, We will simply have to keep him on Our side. Arthuria will no doubt be calling for you soon."

 

 

Arthur, MachGaogamon, and Eria all met outside the throne room, Arthur having stayed close to Nero. Arthur and Eria looked away from each other, blushing. MachGaogamon coughed, catching their attention. Arthur gestured to Nero, introducing the other Keyblade wielder to MachGaogamon and Eria. "I've asked to Nero to work with me, since we'll no doubt have to be in teams in wherever Arthuria sends us. I can count on you two to be in my team as well, right?"

 

"Of course," Eria said happily.

 

"Do you even have to ask?" MachGaogamon added.

 

"Thanks," Arthur said to the two of them.

 

As the group entered the throne room, with MachGaogamon forcing himself to stand in the corner so he didn't take up too much room, Eria walked up to Arthur. "I need to tell you, though, one of the new recruits seems to be a part of some group that my Gods don't like. It's probably something from the universes that are similar to my own, but I thought you should know."

 

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "What's he look like?"

 

"Older guy with markings on his face. He wanted to talk with Itsu for some reason. He kept calling her 'Fraulein', though."

 

"Oh, so he's German."

 

"'German'?"

 

"Means he's from Germany. That's a country in my universe."

 

"I… see."

 

"Really, the only thing I'd be worried about is if he was a Nazi. Do they have Nazis in your universe?"

 

"Not that I know of. Slifer and Obelisk called him a Dark Signer. Although, he did say he was part of some 'National socialist' thing."

 

Arthur slapped his hand against his face. "Great, so we do have a Nazi in the Corps. I'm sure that will end will."

 

"So… should I tell Arthuria? It doesn't sound like he's good for either of our universes. I mean, he said he felt bad about being a Nazi-" Eria was interrupted by Arthur laughing at the idea. Eria raised an eyebrow, but continued onward. "But he did say there was this woman, Victoria, controlling him."

 

Arthur took a moment to consider this. "What did your gods say?"

 

"They said I should wait. Keep him on our side for now."

 

Arthur nodded. "I got to say, I'm liking your gods a lot better than mine. We better not start something. The Divine would probably take advantage of that."

 

The group waited, allowing others within the Counter Corps to enter the portal Arthuria created first.

 

---

Xansvita (w/ Gogiga)

 

The dragon had rather rudely made his way past Xansvita and Gogiga. With that, Xansvita was inspired to make a mental list of who to kill when Isamy wasn't looking. Speaking of which, Isamy had called the Divine to her throne room, and Xansvita led his new servant around, until they had finally arrived at throne room.

 

As Isamy told the Divine of their mission, Xansvita was insulted by idea of having to serve as a distraction for the Counter Corps, of all things. Upon further thought, though, Xansvita was willing to accept such a mission. At the very least, it would allow him to resolve some unfinished business from LERNA's Barrier. Without any hesitation, Xansvita and Gogiga stepped into the vortex.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Onboard the Inch of Will:

Once they were all finished, Alexander felt a pair of slender arms wrap around him, and could find Yuki hugging him gently, now clad in a very simple white blouse with blue trim along the edge, and blue thigh-high stockings complimenting blue and white boots adorning her legs. A fuzzy collar served to hide a blue choker with the new Counter-stone attached to it, and a simple diamond-shaped clip kept her hair from going too crazy. "Shh...It's alright, Alex." The Lombax can feel her gently slip inside of his mind, and so can the others present affected by the lingering despair, and feel essentially their very selves receiving a sort of empathic hug from Yuki. "For both my sake and Izumi's, we need to move past this. Alex and Teslarc, Izumi should stick near Alex so you can talk to her. She's not responding to our mental link, so I figure, once Teslarc gets her awake, you can be the one to bring her back to her senses. Just be gentle. Think of her as an animal trying to hide, and we are about to remove any option to flee inside of herself. It's important that she knows she will be safe, since we are both mortal now."

Deep Within Camelot:

After failing to get the combatants to calm down, Foster was finally able to get some peace and quiet, hoping that he wouldn't have to kill anyone who disturbed him.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

Camelot's Castle

 

-Kazuya-

---

 

Kazuya arrived at the scene just as Arturia started his speech about the mission for seemingly everyone in the place, including him. Arturia then gave everyone a scarlet-dyed small marbles, and explained its function as a communication device. Just as Kazuya tried to mess around with the device, Arturia opened a portal, seemingly out of thin air.

 

"This isn't just a mission. This is a war. I can't guarantee that everyone here will make it back alive...but because you all chose to stay, I can do nothing but believe in your conviction to do what's right. Thank you. For everything."

 

Yes, right. Kazuya looked around to everyone around him, and from them he could feel their overwhelming powers, far greater than his current one. Though, this only strengthen his resolve, believing that he could do better in saving the world than any of them. But Kazuya made a mind note that he's not alone in the team, and he would need someone's help sooner or latter.

 

Kazuya then walked into the portal after many others had done in first before him, though, just as he stepped his feet into the portal, he could hear a faint voice from behind, a warning that this mission was doomed to failure. Though, Kazuya did not heeded it, and continued walking straight into the portal.

 

---

-Tenshi-

---

 

At the throne room, Tenshi could feel a mixture of temperaments in the air, but mostly those were malicious. A lot of seemingly dangerous figures stood there, most seemingly had some other schemes in their head.

 

After a brief act of allegiance from another individual there, the girl in the throne, Isamy, started the briefing for the current mission, which Tenshi half listened to, as she was more interested to examine the other members of the so-called "Divine" in the room.

 

Unknown to her at first as she was still looking at the other individuals, Isamy opened a portal to the next destination. The energy gathered when the portal emerged was enough to return Tenshi's concentration back to Isamy.

 

"Guess this is the time, the main attraction will happen soon enough. Whether I'll live or die, it won't be a problem, as long as I don't die of boredom.

 

Distraction, eh? I don't really like the idea, buut, that means I'll still get to fight.

 

Things will be shaken, that's the thing I can be sure of."

 

Tenshi smiled proudly with the thought, and she then rushed into the portal, into what might became the last incident in her life.

[Reinforce]

Chandra

 

"Arcane methods can sometimes be better than their mechanical counterparts, otherwise why would mages exist. Besides, as you say, these 'primitive means' are unlikely to be disrupted, regardless of the distance between them or any interference that electrical communicators would be." Placing the crystal in her pouch, Chandra walked forward, before stopping just short of the portal to say one more thing to the mechanical creature that seemed to be doubting everything, "Now I don't know about you, but I got into this dimension originally by a portal similar to this and as that had no problems getting me here, I really doubt this one will to get us to our destination either." Continuing on, Chandra walked through the portal with the rest of the group she'd teamed up with, starting to look around the new area as she reached the other side of the portal.

 

-----

 

Ayame

 

With their destination and job explained, and the portal opened, Ayame took a look around the room as several others moved towards the portal. Interestingly to her, the only other member of the Divine she'd met previously was still standing there. As she glanced across, the dark witch just smirked and glanced across at the portal, watching others move through it. Shrugging her shoulders, Ayame moved forward, walking through the portal to reach the other side.

 

-----

 

Darcy

 

Having been watching around the room as people stepped forward to move through, Darcy saw the half-demon girl she'd fought earlier looking over at her. Smirking at the other girl, she was enjoying watching the former CC member keep a careful watch over the members of the room, before glancing back across at the portal and those walking through it. After nearly everyone else was through, Darcy finally walked forward, entering through the portal and emerging on the other side to see this next battleground.

[Mugendramon]

---

---

 

The planeswalker did make a good point on the communications, but Predaking was too distressed to take heed. Instead, he violently replied to the female's assert on the Space Bridge before them. "You do not understand. You were Bridged with this same method. From a static starting point, to a static location. What he is trying to do, is Bridge us across the universe, into a moving target! This is a planet without an orbit we are talking about. Its movements are almost erratic! And if there is no way to track its course, then we cannot reach it like this. There has to be another way, Arthuria! This will not work."

 

Despite Predaking's words of danger, the Counter Corps members were still moving into their death sentence. The predacon stretched his arm toward with desperation. "NO! DO NOT GO INTO IT!"

[Kōsuke Ueki]

Richard did not wish it would come to this. Activating his Redemption Mode, he smacked away PredaKing's hand away, jumping towards him and pulling him towards the ground. "As much as I wish to agree with you PredaKing, I must tell you that there is. No. Other. Way!! Now either you stay out of our way and follow suit, or you can continue your irrational reasoning. Perhaps you don't realize that you're putting the entire Multiverse at risk! Need I say more!?" Richard then released his grip and reverted back to normal. "We have to do this, or else you will never bring back your race, do you understand?" Tsunugai then placed his hand on Richard. "That's enough. We don't need any violence towards one another. We're all fighting for our universe to return to normal" Richard sighed. He was right. They didn't need any tension towards one another. But then, how would everybody agree to such an idea?

 

"Arthuria, there should be another way to get there without us committing suicide-" "It's obvious that this is the only option we have where we will survive!" Tsunugai gave a sinister look towards Richard, telling him not to interrupt again. "I'm willing to take that chance! If you're not, then you don't have to fight by my side. What about you guys?" Maxwell and Kurai were now skeptical. "I can't be sure that this is okay..." "Besides, if there is another way that is less risky, we should be able to take it without a second thought." Richard sighed. "Fine. I'll keep my mind open for now. Sorry PredaKing. Plus, if you're wondering who I am, you may not remember me, but I've seen you're experiences and such. Forgive me." Tsunugai smiled. "Much better."

 

He then noticed 3 familiar characters. "I'll be right back." He walked over to Arthur, Eria and MachGaogamon, not noticing Nero at first. "I'm pretty sure all of us are surprised to see me on the same side as you guys. Either way, I'm glad to be here to stick it out with you guys till the end." He then remembered Nero right next to them. "You're Nero, right? Glad you could stick around." He then extended out his hand to anyone of the three willing to shake his hand. "So anyone of you guys willing to join the four of us, cause I'm pretty sure you don't want to split up anymore. Regardless, if we all fight together, our chances of victory will be more certain. So, who's gonna shake my hand first?" Tsunugai chuckled. For some reason, he was glad to be with everyone again, and that wasn't a bad thing.

[Final Fantasy Revolution]

Nero

 

Nero listened to the words of Arthur, now seeming to understand each other. "I think that would be wise. Sticking together will not only give me the chance to train you, but we can activate Drive Form much more fluently." Nero had remembered the Drive Form he had taken before with the man known as Matthew. He wondered if Arthur or himself would end up similar to Matthew: beaten to a pulp and clinging to precious life. Nero then turned to the beast that was Arthur's partner and the scantly dressed Water Charmer known as Eria. "We've met only briefly, my name is Nero, Keyblade Master Nero." Nero had been denying the title for a long time now, thinking he hadn't lived up to the name, but now he was confident he could carry it around with pride.

 

Matthew Supplex

 

"Make it five." Matthew said suddenly to the group composed of Arthur, Eria, Machgaogamon, and Nero. "You might not have forgiven me from our first encounter in this war, but I'm determined to make it up to you if I'm able. If there's one thing that this war has taught anyone, it's that life is short and unexpected. You can die any moment, any second, by any means. If I die on the battlefield today, if I don't make it to the door, I'll at least take pride that I've died for all of you, and for all that you stand for." Matthew said valiantly, Nero didn't speak, he had no quarrels with Matthew, especially after he loaned himself to his Drive Form.

 

 

 

 

 

There had been reasoning, of course, as there was for all things, as to why he had not joined within the confrontations. In truth, he had been contemplating his past and the path he was currently taking; his intentions were always, however, to not get involved within the fighting until Isamy requested. He opened his eyes and gazed towards the now standing Isamy from his position just to the right of her throne. Isamy give him a commanding nod, and he merely summoned Masamune in response. It was he who would take the field now, The Man in the Black Cape, The One-Winged Angel, Sephiroth...

[Dad]

?????????????????????????????????

 

Stirring in the bowels of Isamy's Castle, there lay a man who was once on the brink of death.  He was in a room so vast that it had no walls or ceiling, it was simply endless space, a white void.  He stirred softly, as if being awakened by a loved one.  This man, full of pride, full of power.  He had an unshakable conviction, and it would be the death of him.  Finally awakening, he blinked, and it was the last time he would do so.  After he blinked once, everything around him grew dark.  His eyes changed from their normal black and white status, to a sinister hue of violet.  His body glowed, and his aura shook the Castle violently.  He got to his feet immediately, his sword sheathed at his side, and vanished from the empty, all white room.

 

Isamy's Throne Room

 

The others were already going into a portal, but this was of no concern to him.  When he stepped into the room, even the deafening shriek of the portal went silent.  There was a blank expression on his face, his violet eyes reflecting off of every surface.  He stared straight into Isamy's eyes, and took a true knee.  "My queen," he said robotically.  His voice commanded attention, and his presence demanded respect.  But the simple fact that he was not only alive, but at the command of Isamy, made him twice as dangerous as when he stood with the Counter Corp.  Though he did not know it, he was definitely alive, though his mind was a blank tablet for Isamy to scribble upon.  He could do nothing but obey.  And because he had been influenced by Isamy, he was stronger than before.  A drone with intensive power, and an unbreakable will.  Though he was still mortal, he was impervious to pain, and would drop everything at Isamy's command.  Unfortunately for him, he would soon be reunited with his brothers in arms.  But until then, he was Isamy's to control.  He reeked of malice, and everything about him had changed.

 

His black robes were now white, and his white hilt on his katana was now black with purple streams.  As he kneeled, his skin began to quiver, as his veins seemed to lose blood, and his face sank in.  His skin turned a fading grey, and his aura ate away at the floor around him.  The only thing that did not change, was his hair band.  It remained purple in color* for a yet known reason.

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the portal . . . . 

 

??????????????????????????

 

Something turned on Madara's senses like a wildfire.  It wasn't much, but he was able to read 'it's heart and mind, even from the other side of this world.  Whatever it was, it was pure evil, but retained only a tiny essence of it's former humanity.  It's mind was set to serve, but it's heartbeat was confused and angry.  "A pet?  Some kind of familiar?" he wondered.  No matter.  It would be one more new--

 

Wait.  New?  No.  This thing.  Whatever it was, it had fought in the battle of the Divine and Counter Corps before.  Madara could sense it.  It was disgusting, but it gave him a vile idea.  This . . . thing.  Madara could use it's heart and mind to play a key in the upcoming scheme.  A big part of the battle was about to unfold, and mentally and emotionally destroy all those who could understand it.  And those who were ignorant?  They would suffer twice the agony.

[Gαr]

Camelot, Portal

 

After receiving their means of communication, Arthuria created their portal. Ed almost forgot that Emiya wasn't the one opening the portals anymore. The team was about to enter the portal when Predaking began ranting and was about to attack them. Ed's hand instinctively went for his sword, but wasn't able to draw it when a man stop Predaking and told him off. Ed couldn't put his finger on it, but that man felt familiar, kinda like home. Ed turned to Chandra. "Don't worry. I've been here longer than most, and I can promise you that we'll get there safely. Where we'll end up in our destination varies from person to person unless they enter at the same time." With his hand still on his sword, Ed stepped through the portal with the rest of the team.

[Mugendramon]

---

---

 
The dragon warrior refused to acknowledge the words of the Counter Corps trying to reassure him. He still remembered the incident back on Earth. It flashed clearly in his mind, the sheer cold of the place the Autobot Ground Bridge had taken him to. Predaking did not want that again.
 
He shook up, as he had pondered off while he was being spoken to. He was no longer being addressed. Instead, he found himself beholding a bickering of sorts, and his previous attitude seemed childish all of a sudden. Like that of an infant scared of the dark.
 
"Please, this is enough. He is right." Predaking stepped forward and spoke to Arthuria. "Forgive me. I realize now that this is no time for hesitation. If there was indeed another way, it is far too late to seek it. Space Bridge or not, we surely have no time to lose, now do we? Our worlds, my brethren, are all in grave danger.
 
"This reminds me..." the red machine went on, looking to the side with a puzzled stare; "How are we to address you? Leader would be the obvious choice, but I am unsure. I am not exactly comfortable with the name Arthuria. Calling a human by their name feels... wrong. Yet I surely cannot call you all 'human'," He turned around slowly. "Some of you are not even so. So I suppose there is no avoiding it, given I need your names for these stones... ugh, Arthuria gave us all."
 
"What are your names, Counter Corps?" The words rolled down his voice box very smoothly. It would not be instant, but he could get used to it rather well.

[Dad]

Isamy's Throne Room

 

Byakuya lived.  He remained on one knee, awaiting Isamy's orders.  His mind blank, he finally received what the other Divine already knew.  There was a portal and he had a mission to retrieve the key to the door of Origin at any and all costs.  He accepted in silence, and vanished instantly once more, reappearing on the opposite side of the portal that her Majesty had spawned.  

 

??????????????????????

 

When he was at last on the other side, he had landed squarely next to a strange character.  Clad in armor, the man's jet black, spiked hair and corroded, grey-ish skin was as strange as Byakuya's new appearance.  

 

And with that, Madara's question was answered.  The man in white, his dying body reverberating with a malicious aura, disappeared a few moments after he landed on Madara's side of the portal.  This was more than enough time to completely analyze the man's mind and heart, and Madara had gotten more than what he needed.  He now knew Byakuya's past and present, what he held most dear, and his combat abilities and prowess.  This would prove to be a problem if Madara didn't handle it properly, but he had no doubt that their plans would go unhindered.

[encapturer]

"Hmm... I don't know if you should call me Sharon or Necra... at least as far as these communication stones go," Necra replied to Predaking.  Sharon Caile had a general idea of how they worked, but no idea how they identified people.  "Well, I guess calling me Sharon would be better?  But that's what most people call my other body."  Necra said, pointing to the portal where Sharon stood for a moment, before stepping though.

 

Necra's eye twitched once Sharon dissapeared to the other side.  "Whoa, this feels wierd," she said.  Sharon Caile had not experienced both of her bodies seperated like they are now.  It wasn't painful, just sort of unnerving.  "I'm... going to go through now." Necra fell silent after she said those words, before running off and jumping through the portal.

[Kingdom Xathers]

---

Sayer, en route to Isamy's Throne Room

---

"... hmph.  That Vigilance... certainly full of surprises, that one," Sayer muttered as he walked down the hall leading to the Throne Room.  "Well, for a suit of armor, that is... but just what exactly is he, any what is his connection in this grand scheme of things...? ... I might just have to crack him open, in more ways than one.  Perhaps... perhaps there is something in the Vault that could help with that...."  Considering this thought, Sayer slowed to a halt, concentrating as he tried to connect to his R.O.D.s in the Vault--
 
... wait, "tried"?
 
"... why... can't I see into the Vault...?!" Sayer hissed under his breath, feelings of confusion, intrigue, annoyance and anger beginning to well within him.  Why, indeed.  Sayer is capable of having a connection to his Reconnaissance Ocular Devices at any given time.  That is how he is capable of learning all there is to know about anything.  How then, when he desired it, can he not access his R.O.D.s in the Vault?!  Unless... ... ... ... ... ... ...!!!!
 
 

---

Castle Vault (some time ago)

---

How many times had he slipped into the Vault without Isamy's possible knowing?  Who knows, especially since it could not be certain if she was aware of time's fluctuations.  But once again, he found himself inside the Vault.
 
"Time Resume," Alister Azimuth uttered, allowing time to flow once more.  By now, he almost knew the layout of the Vault like the back of his hand... if he ever took of his gloves more often to see his actual hands, that is.  But, we digress.  As Alister began to make his way down a familiar route through the Vault, he was stopped by a wet, mushy feeling as he pressed his foot to the floor, accompanied by a sickening squelching sound. "Ugh...!"  First thing that came to mind was feces, but Alister almost immediately dismissed it as an impossibility.
 
What he did find that he had stepped in was the deflated remains of a large, red-and-black eyeball.  "... what on...?"
 
"Oh, hey, the lombax is back," said the voice of Gabriel coming from the lion plushie.  Seated in a now somber-looking Bayonetta's lap, still stuck inside their barrier, the lion plushie looked at Alister with his buttoned eyes.  "Yeah, sorry about the mess here.  Eyeball guts, and all of that."
 
As Alister looked around, he noticed that there were more of Sayer's R.O.D.s laying on the ground, seemingly having been completely eviscerated by... something.  But by what, exactly?  "What exactly happened here?" Alister asked.
 
"Our friend Cheato is the one you should be asking."
 
"... Cheat... o...?"
 
"The Spellbook trapped in this bloody cage," a somewhat irritated Cheato replied a few cells away, "flapping his pages about like no-one's business."
 
"And here I thought that flapping sound was just the background noise," Alister uttered as he turned to focus on the spellbook in question.  "But, wait, how were you able to... well, do anything from in there?  Aren't those barrier's supposed to suppress any abilities you may have?"
 
"True," Cheato chimed in reply, "but I had enough foresight to establish a Cheat before I was sealed in here.  You know, just in case."
 
"So," Alister spoke as he began to put two-and-two together, "you used a "Cheat" to destroy all of Sayer's R.O.D.s.  Why just that, though?"
 
"What do you mean?" Cheato asked, slightly confused.
 
"If you were capable of using your "Cheats", why don't you just use them to get yourselves out of here?" Alister responded.  "I mean, surely, you could just teleport everyone... ... oh."  Alister slapped his hand to his forehead as he remembered about the unstable dimensions.
 
"Indeed, you would be correct," Cheato replied.  "With just one Cheat, I could get all of us out of this nightmare of a Vault and that would be the end of it.  However, there are limits that even my Cheats cannot surpass; in addition to the dimensional instability the Multiverse is currently experiencing, which renders most forms of dimensional travel obsolete, I am also unable to grant direct access to the Key and Door of Origin, which was why I was extracted from my world to begin with.
 
"... and on a slightly unrelated note," Cheato added, "I cannot grant (almost-)immortality.  Gruntilda ripped out my page for that one far before the Bear and Bird came into the picture.  They would've gotten that in the next game."  Clearing his throat (?!), Cheato continued, "That said, for us to escape from our cages, we would have to do so when Isamy and her armored lackey are none-the-wiser, and even then, we would all be trapped here without a way to egress from the castle itself.  Madame Bayonetta, however, was in the middle of a collaboration with her associate Rodin to form a connection to the Gates of Hell with which we would be able to escape... but that plan has since been put on hold for fear that Vigilance, or the "False-Prophet" Sayer would use our method to attack the Counter Corp base.  Even so, it seems that the two have already collaborated on a similar method...."

 

"... so, that's another reason for the distraction...," Alister muttered out loud.

 

"Wait, "distraction"?" Heather Mason spoke up.  "Distraction for what?"

 

Alister heaved a sigh before explaining: "Isamy is trying to pin-point the Door to Origin's exact location.  She... expects the Divine to be a distraction for the Counter Corp while she does so... but I think Vigilance and Sayer may have some ideas of their own in the meantime, possibly invading the Corp's base while they're away.  ... but, what would they want from the Corp's base?"

 

"Aside from our friend's lives, you mean?" Dominic Santiago spoke.  "Why else would they try and go there?"

 

Alister was unsure of how to answer, especially since Dom pretty much covered everything he could think of.  As he remained silent, his eyes began to wander around the Vault, glancing over the people and objects that were forcibly removed from their rightful dimensions, steadily growing sick of himself in the process; how many lives had the Divine potentially destroyed just for the sake of their own happiness...?  Eventually, Alister's eyes fell upon a Chess set, which appeared to have been in the middle of a game (perhaps before it was taken?).  As he continued to stare at it, he examined the placements of the pieces themselves, in particular the White King, trapped in a corner by, among other things... a Black Bishop and a Black Knight.

 

Alister's eyes widened as the realization dawned on him.  "... Checkmate."

 

"Quoi?" AZ blurted in his confusion.

 

"... they plan on overthrowing the new Counter Guardian," Alister explained.  "And not just to hit the Corp in their morale, no... they're trying to ensure that a new Guardian cannot intervene.  They'll be thrown into chaos!"

 

"I see," AZ uttered.  "KIll the king, and the kingdom dies with it...."

 

"... so," Bayonetta finally spoke, her voice slightly cracked from its long silence, "aside from the fact that the other two of your race are part of the Corp... why do you care what happens to them, General Azimuth...?"  As she spoke, she shot the General a cold, spiteful look from her grey eyes.

 

"... you're right, Bayonetta," Alister admitted, his eyes slightly watered.  "There isn't much reason for me to care for the Counter Corp outside of Ratchet... and maybe Alexander.  I had only joined for the chance to return my people to their rightful place in our universe.  I thought I was doing the right thing by being here, but...

 

Trailing off for the monent, Alister strode off and resumed what he had planned to do.  A few seconds later, Alister came back, the Chronoscepter in his hand.  "... I still have a chance to make things right, and now is a good a time as any to start anew."  The Zurkon-Wrench opened up one of its heads like a mouth, into which Alister slipped the Chronoscepter in for safekeeping.

 

"... what do you plan to do with that?" Gabriel asked Alister.

 

With a sad smile, Alister merely replied, "Whatever can help to make things right again."  With that, Alister turned as if to leave, but remained rooted to the spot.  "... you don't have a lot of time left," he added, addressing all of the prisoners.  "Once Isamy finds the path to the Door of Origin, she'll have no further need for this Castle.  I can only assume that the Castle will cease to be, so... you must find a way out before that happens.  And... ... I'm so sorry about Jeanne, Bayonetta.  Even if you don't believe me... ... ... I'm sorry."  With that, Alister began to leave the Vault.

 

"... thank you... Alister," Bayonetta uttered quietly, her eyes tearing up as she held Gabriel close to her.  Alister stopped in his tracks just as he was at the doorway to the Vault, having heard Bayonetta's words of thanks.  With another sad smile, the General exited the Vault.

 

---

Isamy's Throne Room (present time)

---

 

His heart was heavy, but he knew that he had to do whatever he could to ensure the safety of his Universe... even if it meant taking down any of his fellow Divine in the progress, especially the likes of Sayer and Xansvita.  With this thought tucked away tightly in the back of his mind, Alister heaved a deep sigh before stepping toward the portal, hoping against all hope that Ratchet would not suffer at the hands of another Divine....

 

 

 

Just as Alister stepped through the portal was when Sayer entered the Throne Room.  "... something's amiss here... and I plan on finding out what that is," Sayer hissed to himself as he, too, made his way toward the portal.  "... even if I have to eviscerate all of these parasites to do so...."

[The Warden]

|_)Reticent Lydia(_|

 

Lydia rolled the small sphere in her hand. It would allow them the communication they desperately needed in the Desert Seth. For all that it was worth this portal most likely would end up seperating them again, and most likely the Divine too, if the Desert was any indication. Storing it like any female, she tucked it safely into her bra, whilst listening to the robot dragon rant. She hadn't watched Transformers in years, so, Lydia had zero idea which continuity this one came from, unless it was a new generation of Beast Wars; that cartoon was the s**t.

 

Or, probably, not by the way he was talking about kin. The Beast Wars Transformers weren't completely animals, though they did stick in some fantastic racism every now and then. These thoughts were entertaining, but they did nothing to the weight in her heart. "They're in my head" she whispered as a generated wind picked her up and she flew on it through the portal with her Tome following close behind.

 

---

 

|_)Okama Queen Ivankov(_|

 

Ivankov (female) stared at the ruby for a moment, before sticking it into her afro. It was a pretty little jewel, but sparse comparison to some of the treasure she had seen in her day. This Arthuria was certainly an interesting candy, and so ripe with tension. It was curious, very curious indeed. Either way, Ivankov held her arm up in right angle formation. "There is no time for chatter candies!" she declared, "For the Divine and the Door to Origin await. And vI for one do not desire a multiverse run by an impudent little brat. It is time to set sail vI think!"

 

And with that, Ivankov made a running leap for the portal.

 

---

 

|_)Red, the Arisen(_|

 

Isamy just reeked of deceit. As promised? Why would anyone even wish to share the infinite power to reshape all of existence as one saw fit? It was laughable even on the face of it, and Red had to fight the urge to laugh at himself. The Divine were now just meatshields for this brat, that was there fate for a prize that most likely won't even be. It's like winning a prize for losing really; for the only winner here will be Isamy. But, despite all this, Red had to hang onto that one hope, that one bit of faith that she will grant them their desires. All the worlds could be damned for what it was worth; Red was here to save his world from its own entropy and decay, and by the powers that be, he WILL save it. The only option is to die trying.

 

Flexing his wings, he powered past whatever rabble was still waiting in the throne room andd blipped through the portal towards destiny.

 

---

 

|_)~Moe~ Scientist Frankram(_|

 

No dying was Frankram's middle name... well, not really. But let's face it, he's survived far worse (Hapshiel) than what any of the Counter Corps could create. He has seen hell itself (Hapshiel) and faced off against the most vile thing in all of existence (Hapshiel). Not dying to the Counter Corps was a far easier feat than surviving the Kiss of Death from Hapshiel.

 

Frankram roared loudly as he passionately ran through the portal.

[Kingdom Xathers]

---

On Inch of Will

---

"... thank you, Yuki," Alexander whispered calmly, his grief and sadness lessened by Yuki's embrace alone.  "... still, getting Izumi to come out of her shell again will be rather difficult... not to mention, that now time is truly of the essence."  He got up and walked over to Teslarc, giving the animate suit an affirmative nod.  "... you know, it's rather funny, Teslarc," Alex said with a half-smile, beginning to reminisce of the first time he saw the suit, back when he was a Professor of Duel Academy's Slifer Red Dorm.  "The first time we met, we weren't exactly on the best of terms, what with some misunderstandings and all... but now, we all need you, especially Izumi.  Sure, I may have to be the one to pull her out of her inner-turmoil, but you're the only one who can start her back on her feet in the first place, and be her strength in the meantime.  Please," he concluded with a bow of his head.

[Phantom Roxas]

Arthur, MachGaogamon, & Eria

 

Arthur shook Tsunugai's hands. "Glad to see you decided to join the team after all." Looking behind Tsunugai, Arthur recognized Richard from the Divine. It was interesting, considering how the two of them had acted when they first met. "So… still thinking about killing me? Or did joining the Corps calm you down a bit?"

 

As Matthew approached the group, Arthur exchanged a look with Eria, nodding towards Matthew. Taking a deep breath, Eria approached Matthew, and immediately slapped him across the face. "Sorry. I needed to do that." Sighing, Eria continued. "If you want to make it up to us, alright." She looked around at the large group, of which she was the only girl, and smiled. "We're going to need all the help we can get after all."

 

MachGaogamon looked down towards Nero and nodded. "You were in Sora's team back in the Desert Seth, correct? You are welcome amongst us."

 

As everyone took their communication stones, with Arthur and Eria placing it in their pockets, and MachGaogamon stuffing it in his fur, they led the group towards Predaking.

 

"My name's Arthur," the young man said.

 

"Eria," the Water Charmer added with a smile.

 

"You know my name as well," MachGaogamon said. "I am MachGaogamon. You know, our team has gotten pretty big. Would you care to join it?"

[Kōsuke Ueki]

"Actually, it's because of this guy that I'm here now."  Tsunugai pointed towards Richard. "Call me a double-agent, if you will. I joined the Divine to attempt at destroying them from the inside. It didn't exactly work. And as far as Isamy and the rest of the Divine are concerned, I am either dead or just disappeared from the Shadow Realm. Nobody knows of my defection, so I will attempt to take them out from the inside." He then walked up to the group. "I had no intent to kill you. I even attempted to make a secret ally with the one known as Kenpachi. However, it appears that I chose the wrong Counter Corps member to do so. Now I don't know of what came of the one known as Byakuya, but my guess is that he still lives."

 

Maxwell and Kurai felt a bit out-casted. Regardless, they turned their attention towards Predaking. "I'm Maxwell." "And I'm Kurai. Or you can call me Rai if you're so inclined." Richard's attention was caught by the two speaking. He turned towards Predaking. "Hopefully my name will sound familiar to you, Predaking. I'm Richard Mason." Tsunugai then turned towards Predaking and did a standing bow. "I'm Tsunugai. It's a pleasure to fight with you."

 

 

 

Hopefully, the end will be in the Counter Corps' grasp and the multiverse will return to normal...

[Mugendramon]

---

---

 

The dragon transformer was baffled at the instantaneous trust the rest of the Counter Corps had in him and each other. "I have shown you all a poor side of me. Please accept my apologies and my name. I am Predaking... King of the Predacons. Looking back, my choice of name was a rather pretentious one."

 

Predaking reminisced all he had gone through in such a short time. Out of Shockwave's Lab, onto Earth. Watching many of his kind die, many more be gruesomely revived and reduced to dust. He clenched his fist tightly as he looked at his new allies; this would never again happen as long as his Spark was joined to his body. "I will hesitate no more. Time to head out."

 

In confident strides, Predaking walked into the portal- a lousy Space Bridge would not get in between him and his kin.

[Final Fantasy Revolution]

Mattew Supplex

 

Matthew had given Tsunugai a smirk and was about to say something about him finally submitting to his lighter side. However, Eria had delivered him a slap in the face, and Matthew had accepted it without any defense enabled. She explained that she needed to do that, and Matthew didn't exactly disagree. He turned towards Tsunugai again, smirking once more. "It's about damn time, suppose you'll continue being my partner then." Matthew said, and turned away from the group. "This isn't a Christmas Party here guys, we have work to do, let's go." Matthew walked toward the portal, with the rest following him he hoped.

 

Nero

 

"A pleasure, any new strength is welcome here to fight amongst us; so long as they fight for light, that is." Nero said, and then acknowledged Machgaegamon with a nod and a small smile. Matthew then said his piece about standing around when they had a job to accomplish. "I'm not eager to start fighting again, but Matthew does present a point." Nero draped his keyblade over his shoulder and stared walking towards the portal after Matthew.

[Merci]

Nature.

Everywhere, nature... Yet why did it feel so artificial?

Two completely different smells filled the air, that of the fresh, aromatic air as well as that of stale, rusted metal, blended in to create a rather strange fragrance that was almost bittersweet in a way. This strangeness carried on into the forest itself, and as if unable to settle down, the gigantic, twisted trees rustled ever so slightly, their huge branches and leaves blocking out most of the sky above. The ground itself was made up of grass and what seemed to be alien earth, composed mostly of hard earth and base metal.

But more importantly, for anyone who'd already been to a forest, they would be able to immediately sense that there was something inherently wrong in this place. Apart from the fact that the ground was slightly tilted, and that there was so much oxygen in the air that when one breathed in, it was like they'd never breathed in their whole life.

The Divine and the Counter Corps materialized - either directly within the forest or slightly above it - on opposite sides of the Periphery Sphere. The Divine arrived onto the day side, which had a golden, ever-moving sun, while the Counter Corps arrived on the night side, which had a sky filled with millions upon millions of little stars. Only tiny parts of these would be visible under the trees that towered even over large mecha.

Predaking's fears weren't totally unfounded, and due to the world moving, it had been impossible to have everyone land in the exact same area. That was why they ended up separated, scattered across the forest, though they were all still on the same half.

As for the monsters, for now, there seemed to be none. Either they were in hiding, or there simply weren't any. How odd.

---

Isamy, Day D7 (South Pole)

Isamy looked around in confusion. Around her, it was snowing with the sky an unusual grey, and there were fewer trees here so it seemed that she was at one of the poles--- no, that wasn't the reason why she was confused. It was because she could not sense the 'world' she was on. Normally, through sensing time and space, she'd be able to gauge the type of world and determine its overall mass, but there was nothing but a gaping void where this forest planet should be.

"Something's wrong." She muttered.

Not only that, but where were the enemies? The guardians? Surely the Key hadn't been left unprotected? ..and speaking of which, where was the Key? Perhaps she should've taken a little more effort to determine the absolute exact location, not simply the location of the rogue planet. But if anything, it was definitely here. Nowhere else in the multiverse could ever possibly hide it so well.

Shaking her head and muttering to herself, the leader of the Divine began to explore the south pole, in the hopes that she would find it somehow.

Right now, she couldn't care less about her Divine, but as long as they did their job and kept those annoying corpses at bay for the two hours they had, that was enough.

---

Arthuria, Night C2

Arthuria, already on the Sphere Forest, hadn't bothered answering Predaking's question as he deployed his Counter Corps one by one from the inner world.

There was nothing to be done to keep them all in the exact same place since the world kept moving at a fast pace, but he was at least able to keep them on the surface. In truth, the Transformer had utterly misunderstood their method of travel; while it was like a Space Bridge in a way, he was the only one who'd had to go through it. Indeed, he ended up in the vacuum of space multiple times, but that had hardly been on hindrance for a Counter Guardian. Thus, by landing himself, there was no need to have any of the others go through the same ordeal.

"Counter Corps," he voiced, tapping on his own Communication stone.

His was the only one that allowed for communication with everyone simultaneously, but this was only because if the enemy got their hands on another member's one, then they may cause a major problem with such a function.

"We've been separated, but none of us should be too far away from each other. No matter. For those of you who can fly, try to search for unusually large trees from the air, and for the rest of you, traverse the forest and see if you can find anything. Don't expect to find anything friendly here. If anything bad happens, and I mean anything, notify me immedi-"

---

Ophelia

"That was easy."

A cybernetic girl remarked this to herself, almost in disappointment, as three gigantic mana-eating insects suddenly swooped down from a large tree and tore out a chunk of Arthuria's right arm, and the communication stone with it. With that, the Counter Corps would no longer get any guidance from their leader, and if things went well, then the leader him/herself would end up ceasing to exist.

In any case, doing this would buy her enough time to study the traits of each of the Counter Corps based on the database, and select the most suitable monsters that would work against their weaknesses. For now, she would only focus on the ones she already knew about; namely Arthur, MachGaogamon Matthew, Tsunugai, and Richard, and prepare simple things such as pitfalls and landmines for the rest.

As for the Divine, well, she'd had plenty of time to prepare for them. Barely a minute after they arrived, one-way dimensional portals were generated in the treetops that brought out monsters of all kinds, many of which were out of place in this forested world, and all of which were orientated towards their main weaknesses. So long as everything went well,

Watching bemusedly from a monitor, only then could Ophelia appreciate the Shinigami for all the monster-hunting she'd sent him on, and said in a sarcastic voice as she watched them all attack, "May the odds be ever in your favor."

But of course, this was only the beginning.

Now, as she floated back and started the analysis of the Corps, it was only fair to let her other partner, the Shinobi, take center stage.

---

---

---

Here, in the GCRP...

A disaster occurred.

Users miscommunicated. As a result, a boss that was meant to emerge at the end, instead emerged at the start. The Sphere Forest was immediately flung into chaos by a being called "Uchiha Madara".

Madara released a gas that put the majority of the cast to sleep. Madara revived old comrades to do his bidding. And Madara summoned a meteor to smash into the planet. So soon and so quickly, the characters had been placed into situations of certain doom. An unfixable tragedy.

Just like that, it was beyond the point of return.

Just like that, Uchiha Madara had singlehandedly brought the Origin War to a close.

Therefore,

just this once, time will step back. To retcon this event. To ensure it never happens again. To restart this arc from its point of origin.

...

Now. Let us resume.

This crossover shall indeed advance to its epic conclusion.

[The Warden]

|_)Magical Girl Lydia(_|

 

Typical. Abso-bloody-lutely typical. Not even a day after the battle with LERNA, and hell, not even five seconds in this new place and both sides were alredy beset by yet another god damn madman. Was there ever such a thing as a break? Lydia had almost forgotten the word in the bititng winds that whipped up after the freaking sun exploded. Her hands were literally frozen to Cuestick as she flicked at the star on her staff. "B-b-b-b-b-b-burning-ning-ning-ning B-b-b-b-b-right!" she stuttered from the chills.

 

Heat exuded from the staff, and slowly but surely the bitterness and chills faded as the staff kept her pleasantly warm, as well as those within ten feet of her. But first was the usual egotists ploy. Oh lookie here, I ressurected your dead friends to fight against you, aren't I clever? God, how pathetic. What next, was he going to declare he had everybody's loved ones? Or that he was the one who killed Muffin? It's a tedium that is near on the level with doing your taxes; and it was a welcome that had already worn thin. "Pathetic" she muttered.

 

This was not his game, he won't be the narrator of this story; he'll be just another obstacle to overcome. Let's face it; narratively speaking doing this just signed his death warrant.

 

---

 

|_)Okama Queen Ivankov(_|

 

The normally bitter winds would have probably Ivankov (male), had he not kept the handy cloak that Emiya was so kind to have granted them during the Desert Seth assault. And this new assault was already going quite poorly, really. A madman had already declared his intentions far beyond the normal schedule, and was already making a gambit. It's funny, he was almost like that Blackbeard boy. So very up himself, without any real comprehension of power. So sad, so sad.

 

---

 

|_)~Moe~ Scientist Frankram(_|

 

It wasn't Madara's poison that had KOed Frankram, but Ophelia's rather sadistic choice of opponent for Frank. By some unnatural means, she had recruited Hapshiel, and the angel was a very forward person, though he seemed dissapointed when Frankram had been pulled away. He gave a rather maiden like wistful look as he chased after him, joyfully stepping about the poison that was supposed to knock him out, but failed epically.

 

He still remained dead inside as the enormous purple kiss of death smeared his face, and tot hink, Hapshiel was still out there.

 

---

 

|_)Red, the Arisen(_|

 

Red snorted a gout of flame at Madara's repellent attitude. Yet another god wannabe who throws their ego around like a morning star. The very idea made Red's blood boil; Isamy was enough, but now this hopeless case. Well, he can have his eternal winter if he wants, as he'll be the only one who will enjoy it in the end once he joins it. Being a dragon, his eternal flame core was sufficient in keeping him quite warm, though visibility was fairly hazy through this fog, which is kind of impossible logistically. Fog only exists when humid areas are rapidly cooled off, generating the fog. Well, either way, the light exuding from his Light Gem was sufficient, or more likely pure enough to dispel the nearby fog.

[Love of Ghibli]

The South Pole

Team Dorian shot through the portal at amazing speed but it seemed that there speed was not enough to stop the uncontrollable derping that was about to occur. First it seemed that the tree and the plant life started to attack with some pollen like substance. From then everything got weird. Like they expected Madara was up to something. Of course no one could forsee that the world itself was his trap but that was besides the point. Then came the gravity push that made everything just worse. The team stood still as they were held in place by the increased gravity. Then it got weird, Dorian was receiving some kind of special attention when it came to Madara. Though Dorian was simply resisting the uncontrollable urge to say "I TOLD YOU SO!" But then again this was probably nothing to Isamy with all of her...Omnipotence. Next came the infinite genjutsu that reflected off of Madara's self made moon. That was going to be dealt with later. It seemed that the special attention would not stop there though. Madara, well the Madara clone, was now taunting Team Dorian and then things got even more real than the realness that they were already real. From this Madara came some of the fallen warriors from both of the previous teams. 

 

 

Team Dorian slowly rose to their feet and there were several mixed reactions. Dorian was very confused about what was happening. Mainly because the one time he tried not to be the center of attention and tried to lay low it seemed like his confusion was this guys focus. Butlerok simply scoffed at the senseless insults that were meant to insight rage. A professional like himself would not let himself be taken in by such taunting. That and now that he was the embodiment of madness and insanity words have significantly less power on him than they ever had before. But the one we all care about felt....

 

YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The air got thick as the Judge of Hell roared. His roar was so powerful that it echoed throughout the rest of the land and then what happened next got...destructive. The air around them started to have a series of micro-explosions and Madara with the second life crew would bare witness to the image that is Wyvern Radamanthys releasing his cosmos. Yes, yes my prey come to me with all of your efforts. Come! Radamanthys' face was lit up with the brightest of smiles because now there was no logical reason for him to hold back anymore. Well there were several, but why care about that now. The beast is let loose. Radamanthys looked at theses so called soldier beings that this twig man hath summoned. 

 

STICK PEOPLE AND CHILDREN!! Who are these imps man in suit (Butler). Butlerok looked at all of revived figures and he realized the pattern. Well it seems like they are the fallen combatants from both factions. It seems like the strongest ones from both sides as well. HAHAHAHAHA STRONGEST!! I've tortured children who looked stronger than them...wait I think one them is a child! Fine this shall be a warm up. I do hate having to restrain myself so I'll just ease into my true strength. I'll kill all of them...again. Both of you leave me! Radamanthys commanded as he waved his hand to Dorian and Butlerok to fly away. I do no wish for you to restrain me any longer. With that Dorian and Butlerok nodded and they both flew off into different directions hoping to resume search for the key. (Dorian going to E2 Day Butlerok headed to E2 Night)

 

When they left Radamanthys could immediately feel himself...better. He hadn't even noticed the whole fog business thanks to Butlerok's madness slowly encroaching past his every thought. But with that gone he was free to inhale and think clearly. With Dorian gone he no longer had to hold back his terrifying Cosmos and could feel the power seeping out of him. With a large sigh of relief he looked at the combatants and he started to crack his own neck. Please entertain me.