Dragonball M, Chapter 5: Clarion’s Call! The Signal! The Fate of the Universes!

[Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki]

With Neva there to halt and isolate the power, to filter it, Totoma is able to slowly convert the black energy into something compatible with his own energy reserves. It is no longer spreading across his chest, but instead is absorbed into his body. It fells….cold, but not unpleasant. The cold of space, not the cold of a bitter winter wind. Your eyes turn slightly purple, your hair gains a pair of white stripes on either side of your temples, and you feel…stronger.


Congratulations, you have absorbed some of SWS’s demonic energy and gotten a boost from it.

Neva stood back and watched as Totoma began his attempt to fend off SWS' attack. This was the first time she'd actually witnessed him manipulate his energy up close, and, much to her surprise, the half-saiyan seemed quite adept at doing so, quickly syncronizing his energy with her... gift. Yes, he had that Kizuna to help him, but even with that, he pulled it off remarkably fast. Perhaps he had inherited a measure of his mother's refined ki control, somehow?

Regardless, things looked to be going well... until they didn't. After what appeared to be a (very) brief moment of deliberation, he instead wrapped SWS' attack with the merged energy and began to...

...do something. She wasn't quite sure, but whatever it was, it was probably risky.

"You fool! Expel it, don't play with it!"

As she implored him to stop playing around, Totoma's aura flared, and she was forced to look away, blinding as it was. A great wind picked up, and Reshlan itself shook from... whatever he was doing. When the aura and bluster receded to a more.. reasonable level, Totoma stood there, perfectly fine... albeit changed slightly. Most obvious were the white strips splitting the black of his hair, starting from his temples. And upon closer examination, his eyes had changed to a very dark shade of purple.

"...I demand to know what you just did, and what inspired you to attempt something so obviously risky." Whatever it was, he had managed to do it, but it had still been an unnecessary risk.

Totoma blinked and looked at his hands, clenching and opening them a few times. "Huh... it worked. Thought maybe if I used your attack or whatever to isolate She-Who-Stalks attack from me and SWS, I might be able to use Kizuna to force syncronize it with my own energy. Seems like it worked, because I feel a ton stronger!"

Neva stared at him, completely taken aback. She, herself, only knew the very basics of the ability, but she knew what he'd done was completely absurd, because even Bajie was surprised at all this. He didn't actually say anything, but she knew.

...

Sigh.

Regardless of the risk, he had pulled through and powered himself up by a fair bit in the process. That could only be a good thing, under these circumstances. "...I see."

Totoma looked to the sky, where Sarada was. He didn't see SWS, although judging from the storm still raging, she wasn't dead. Giving Neva and her mother his signature two finger salute, he took to the air and rocketed towards the battlefield.

As he left, Nevanlinna signed and sat down. As she was now, tired and drained from her fight with Cancer, she wouldn't be that useful. So... she had to fix that.

"I hate to ask this of you, but, mother, Luop, please keep any of She-Who-Stalks demons from attacking me," she said. "I need time to... gather power, one might say."

Closing her eyes, Neva focused her will and began... digging, for lack of a better way of putting it. While there was no way she would be able to access the totality of Narayana's power right this very moment, she felt confident that, given time, she could grasp a portion of it and keep hold of it.

[grampagen]

Eva nods back and communes telepathically with Ochazuke only.

‘There is a hidden moon ‘round Sakin’s planet. It is hidden from all senses, and only the thin connection back to Cancer allows me to pierce its veil. Cancer is there, alongside her brood and those taken. Be safe, Ochazuke, when confronting this place. One false move….and I fear for the hostages.’

Fortunately, the way to the Forsworn World is known to us. The Guardians have fixed upon Sakin where he hides.

Yet he knew that under the circumstances, it was the Fallen One's fight to lose. With one hundred thousand years of preparations and the host of the extradimensional gods at his call, there would be only one chance at this.

Keep your finger upon its psychic pulse, we'll first gather the others.

Most notably, a specific few concerned parents.

The planetary storm is massive and complex, filled with more demonic energy that Ochazuke has ever seen. It IS part of She Who Stalks, her form and energy filtered between it and the form fighting the Saiyans below. It acts as a gateway for her forces, who the Threshling Knights are holding back.

Otherwise, your senses tell you that She Who Stalks is terrifying. A black hole of power, of God Ki you cannot actually sense. Only her demonic nature, stretched around the planet, can actually be sensed by you.

Evaluating the erratic nature of the storm-born entity that shrouded the very atmosphere of Reshlan, the visual readout and detection of the physical manifestations relaid the message to the others on the bridge. Ochazuke surveyed the energy interactions, first where it initially manifest, to the focussed pockets striking at the fighting host below.

Seated in meditative repose, focusing upon the vast fathoms of emptiness below, the haunting dread in an absence of presence stood out starkly. Despite the very shifting of the planet below, it was as if outside of its denizens there was nothing there but a vague, sublime impression, carrying upon its distant airs a tide of inevitability.

Unlikely.

Ochazuke had indeed hardly encountered its like before...not since he stood before the angel Islay, so long ago in the dead North years ago.

Refining his metaphysical eye to the storm, seated unmoving before it with Banjakuza, he sought to unravel its secrets; though She indeed Stalked everywhere, he sought to affix to the energy frequency carrying this essence where it weaved itself through the knights of Gold and Bronze and the Super Saiyans trapped below.

"So this is the nature of our foe, She is not a bringer of storms, she is the very force itself," his thoughts communed aloud to those on the Gotengo's bridge, and whoever might be receptive on the communication band planetside below. "Through it, she draws others from her realm toward her. Forceful, yet of a meticulous cruelty, this Destroyer. In carrying such a form, I suspect she she's sending a message."

As he put this toward his comrades in the vessel's bridge, he began to study their enemy further, and with Muhen Sekai Keihatsu, began to draw upon the Genius Loci of Reshlan itself for information.

"After all one does not order the thunder and rain to retreat, only yield to it and allow it to run its course until it passes. The question then is how do we contain the storm in a manner that we may slay it?"

[Sub-Zero MKA]

A lot.

In fact, all of it.

Observational Focus shows that any part of She Who Stalks can house the entire power of the GoD. Every bit if her is intrinsically tied to one another. Even the storm has flecks of She Who Stalks within it.

Unless every atom of her is destroyed, SWS can use her full power and can pull herself back together. Which she is currently doing even as Parsley sees the body parts hurtling back towards the hand.

Sarada, tha hand flicks you off again and then super speeds away from your attempt to capture it. It punches you again and sends you flying away as it’s other body parts fly back towards it.

Sarada skidded across the ground again and rolled to a stop. A low, pained groan breezed through her clenched and broken teeth as she struggled to her feet. "How is a hand so fucking strong?" she muttered.

She looked up and saw the pieces she sent hurtling into space were inbound and preparing to reassemble. "****!" With a jerk of her hand, she sent the remaining ki she diffused into the air toward the pieces, looking to intercept them and destroy them even further.

At the rate things were going, it was the best she could do.

As for Parsley, what she observed wasn't encouraging. Every piece of SWS' dismembered body was intrinsically linked to each other. Presumably, they could move independent of one another, even when severed. What she did know for sure was that the hand darting around the battlefield contained the GoD's full power. Even the storm above them contained pieces of her.

That level of power and control was staggering, but not insurmountable. Links, after all, could be broken.

She looked up and saw that the dismembered body parts were returning to the hand. Her eyes narrowed. Any part of SWS' body can contain her full power, but not every part. If her hand is empowered, then that must mean the rest of her is weakened. It was a gamble, but one that they needed to risk. She wasn't sure how Sarada managed to blow her up, but Parsley knew it wasn't going to happen again without serious effort.

She noticed Sarada attacking and realized she came to the same conclusion, albeit from a different path.

"That severed hand Every atom needs to be destroyed to put the GoD down for good," she relayed to Avoca and Blizzar. "And I suspect that includes the storm. Even it contains a part of her."

"Tch. Bullshit. Getting real sick of all this cosmic bullshit," Avoca grunted. She then rose into the air and took off to help Sarada as best she could.

Parsley started to draw blood so she could cast a spell.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

After listen to Jack about his experience on Outworld. Praxat tells him about her own experiences on planets she's been to including Amperior in great detail.

Jack nods.

“Not too shabby, kid.”

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Neva stood back and watched as Totoma began his attempt to fend off SWS' attack. This was the first time she'd actually witnessed him manipulate his energy up close, and, much to her surprise, the half-saiyan seemed quite adept at doing so, quickly syncronizing his energy with her... gift. Yes, he had that Kizuna to help him, but even with that, he pulled it off remarkably fast. Perhaps he had inherited a measure of his mother's refined ki control, somehow?

Regardless, things looked to be going well... until they didn't. After what appeared to be a (very) brief moment of deliberation, he instead wrapped SWS' attack with the merged energy and began to...

...do something. She wasn't quite sure, but whatever it was, it was probably risky.

"You fool! Expel it, don't play with it!"

As she implored him to stop playing around, Totoma's aura flared, and she was forced to look away, blinding as it was. A great wind picked up, and Reshlan itself shook from... whatever he was doing. When the aura and bluster receded to a more.. reasonable level, Totoma stood there, perfectly fine... albeit changed slightly. Most obvious were the white strips splitting the black of his hair, starting from his temples. And upon closer examination, his eyes had changed to a very dark shade of purple.

"...I demand to know what you just did, and what inspired you to attempt something so obviously risky." Whatever it was, he had managed to do it, but it had still been an unnecessary risk.

Totoma blinked and looked at his hands, clenching and opening them a few times. "Huh... it worked. Thought maybe if I used your attack or whatever to isolate She-Who-Stalks attack from me and SWS, I might be able to use Kizuna to force syncronize it with my own energy. Seems like it worked, because I feel a ton stronger!"

Neva stared at him, completely taken aback. She, herself, only knew the very basics of the ability, but she knew what he'd done was completely absurd, because even Bajie was surprised at all this. He didn't actually say anything, but she knew.

...

Sigh.

Regardless of the risk, he had pulled through and powered himself up by a fair bit in the process. That could only be a good thing, under these circumstances. "...I see."

Totoma looked to the sky, where Sarada was. He didn't see SWS, although judging from the storm still raging, she wasn't dead. Giving Neva and her mother his signature two finger salute, he took to the air and rocketed towards the battlefield.

As he left, Nevanlinna signed and sat down. As she was now, tired and drained from her fight with Cancer, she wouldn't be that useful. So... she had to fix that.

"I hate to ask this of you, but, mother, Luop, please keep any of She-Who-Stalks demons from attacking me," she said. "I need time to... gather power, one might say."

Closing her eyes, Neva focused her will and began... digging, for lack of a better way of putting it. While there was no way she would be able to access the totality of Narayana's power right this very moment, she felt confident that, given time, she could grasp a portion of it and keep hold of it.

Queen Nevin and Luop both nod and fall into defensive stances by Neva while Totoma closes the distance towards the main fighting.

Meanwhile, a tired goblin form appears near where Neva is. The older goblin summons a chair, sits on it, and sighs heavily. The Queen and Luop both look at him, curious, but he ignores them while staring out towards where SWS is.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Fortunately, the way to the Forsworn World is known to us. The Guardians have fixed upon Sakin where he hides.

Yet he knew that under the circumstances, it was the Fallen One's fight to lose. With one hundred thousand years of preparations and the host of the extradimensional gods at his call, there would be only one chance at this.

Keep your finger upon its psychic pulse, we'll first gather the others.

Most notably, a specific few concerned parents.



Evaluating the erratic nature of the storm-born entity that shrouded the very atmosphere of Reshlan, the visual readout and detection of the physical manifestations relaid the message to the others on the bridge. Ochazuke surveyed the energy interactions, first where it initially manifest, to the focussed pockets striking at the fighting host below.

Seated in meditative repose, focusing upon the vast fathoms of emptiness below, the haunting dread in an absence of presence stood out starkly. Despite the very shifting of the planet below, it was as if outside of its denizens there was nothing there but a vague, sublime impression, carrying upon its distant airs a tide of inevitability.

Unlikely.

Ochazuke had indeed hardly encountered its like before...not since he stood before the angel Islay, so long ago in the dead North years ago.

Refining his metaphysical eye to the storm, seated unmoving before it with Banjakuza, he sought to unravel its secrets; though She indeed Stalked everywhere, he sought to affix to the energy frequency carrying this essence where it weaved itself through the knights of Gold and Bronze and the Super Saiyans trapped below.

"So this is the nature of our foe, She is not a bringer of storms, she is the very force itself," his thoughts communed aloud to those on the Gotengo's bridge, and whoever might be receptive on the communication band planetside below. "Through it, she draws others from her realm toward her. Forceful, yet of a meticulous cruelty, this Destroyer. In carrying such a form, I suspect she she's sending a message."

As he put this toward his comrades in the vessel's bridge, he began to study their enemy further, and with Muhen Sekai Keihatsu, began to draw upon the Genius Loci of Reshlan itself for information.

"After all one does not order the thunder and rain to retreat, only yield to it and allow it to run its course until it passes. The question then is how do we contain the storm in a manner that we may slay it?"

Eva agrees and goes back to monitoring the faint connection.

—————

An unknown male voice responds.

‘Heh, you that human Parsley talked about, yeah? Said you had the best senses she ever seen. Goblac’kc, but you’ll need ‘em. See, She Who Stalks ain’t normal, even fer a demon. She IS everything she inhabits. Her body, her storm, everything. Her spirit can pass between all portions of her body and control them all.’

The voice coughs and mutters.

‘Names’ Caliban. I came ta help, but, well, I ain’t got much time left it seems.’

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

Sarada skidded across the ground again and rolled to a stop. A low, pained groan breezed through her clenched and broken teeth as she struggled to her feet. "How is a hand so fucking strong?" she muttered.

She looked up and saw the pieces she sent hurtling into space were inbound and preparing to reassemble. "****!" With a jerk of her hand, she sent the remaining ki she diffused into the air toward the pieces, looking to intercept them and destroy them even further.

At the rate things were going, it was the best she could do.

As for Parsley, what she observed wasn't encouraging. Every piece of SWS' dismembered body was intrinsically linked to each other. Presumably, they could move independent of one another, even when severed. What she did know for sure was that the hand darting around the battlefield contained the GoD's full power. Even the storm above them contained pieces of her.

That level of power and control was staggering, but not insurmountable. Links, after all, could be broken.

She looked up and saw that the dismembered body parts were returning to the hand. Her eyes narrowed. Any part of SWS' body can contain her full power, but not every part. If her hand is empowered, then that must mean the rest of her is weakened. It was a gamble, but one that they needed to risk. She wasn't sure how Sarada managed to blow her up, but Parsley knew it wasn't going to happen again without serious effort.

She noticed Sarada attacking and realized she came to the same conclusion, albeit from a different path.

"That severed hand Every atom needs to be destroyed to put the GoD down for good," she relayed to Avoca and Blizzar. "And I suspect that includes the storm. Even it contains a part of her."

"Tch. Bullshit. Getting real sick of all this cosmic bullshit," Avoca grunted. She then rose into the air and took off to help Sarada as best she could.

Parsley started to draw blood so she could cast a spell.

Sarada gets some of them, but several pieces fly back and merge with the hand. Now the main legs and part of the torso and right arm and hand have reformed.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

One voice stood out among the rest, and his attention zeroed in on Maiz. A mirthless smile fell upon Ochazuke's face as he replied.

"May it be well with us all, then, for our fight has only begun."

That was the last message he'd left to the gathered collective. Slowly dialing down the instruments, he could still feel them, but let them fall distant one by one until only Maiz and Evangeline remained among the listening Guardians.

"Evangeline's found a lead on Cancer and the children she's stolen away with. That will be next, provided we survive what comes next."

Come what may, for that was not the only new tidings he'd bring at this moment.

"...I felt an emergence through the realms. Unlike the others, this was different, it wasn't part of the initial Calling," he said. "Seems that she'd fallen into death, but this did not stop her. Inanna's returned and forced her way out of Hell."

After confirming others still stood to the fight, it would be, at best, a mixed blesisng, this bad revelation with the illest of intentions.

"Though I could sense her return...I cannot reach her, I doubt any of us here can." he said ponderously.

"However, should we can draw her notice, perhaps we may yet be able to draw her out."

Come what may, they'd already heard another summons to help. If they had no Destroyer of their own, they would see to this themselves.

"We'd known the risks for a year, and we're prepared to deal with them. Should the worst happen, it falls to the rest of you to keep the Universe, our Universe, alive."

Garnish..., Pinach..., Rutaba..., Maiz thought to herself. The time had melded together since she started her work after her daughters left to continue the defense against Sakin's challenge, so she wasn't sure how long it had been since those three had been taken. Too long by any metric, but she could only hope that they were safe and sound; as sound as could be, anyway. 'Very good. The sooner those hostages are safe and away from Sakin, the sooner you can fully focus on putting a stop to this madness.' Ochazuke, she knew had no issues focusing. Parsley, on the other hand, would always devote at least some attention toward worrying about her daughter, even in the midst of Saiyan battlelust.

Maiz sighed. She wasn't one to talk; she was in the same boat. It was her fault Pinach and Rutaba were even in that position to begin with. If she had just given that damned god the kids, then... No, that's no way to think. They knew what they were getting themselves into... at least as much as the rest of us did.

She rose and stepped out of her chamber to put on a pot of tea. As she walked, her steps faltered when he revealed another thing. Inanna's come back? A part of her was relieved. If he knew it, then Sarada certainly did, too. That was one less thing for her to have weighing on her shoulders. Maiz hadn't seen much of Sarada since they made the wish to Houlong months ago, but she knew her wife's death well. Regardless of the circumstances it may have resulted from, it was very good to have her back. 'That will be a great relief to Sarada, and a tremendous help to you lot. ...Assuming she's in a good frame of mind. We both saw first hand how Parsley struggled with the memories of her death and resurrection. If Inanna is in a similar mind-frame, then you may have to snap her out of that rut.' She smiled to herself. 'I can think of few people better suited for that then you.'

'At any rate, if you all fall... we'll do our best.'

They may not have been nearly as powerful, but that didn't mean they were completely helpless against the likes of Sakin. Her personal struggles against Cancer didn't instill much confidence in her, but even against an impossibly high obstacle like the end of the universe, she planned on going down swinging.

'Good luck to you all.'

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Sarada gets some of them, but several pieces fly back and merge with the hand. Now the main legs and part of the torso and right arm and hand have reformed.

Sarada scored some hits, but still couldn't stop much of SWS from reforming. Her remaining fist clenched as a cold sweat dripped down her brow. Damn it. She just won't let up. She could feel Totoma approaching, that was good, but not nearly enough. They really needed...

"So this is the nature of our foe, She is not a bringer of storms, she is the very force itself," his thoughts communed aloud to those on the Gotengo's bridge, and whoever might be receptive on the communication band planetside below. "Through it, she draws others from her realm toward her. Forceful, yet of a meticulous cruelty, this Destroyer. In carrying such a form, I suspect she she's sending a message."

As he put this toward his comrades in the vessel's bridge, he began to study their enemy further, and with Muhen Sekai Keihatsu, began to draw upon the Genius Loci of Reshlan itself for information.

"After all one does not order the thunder and rain to retreat, only yield to it and allow it to run its course until it passes. The question then is how do we contain the storm in a manner that we may slay it?"

...the others! For the first time since the battle began, she started to feel her signature confidence. Her own power set may not have been suited for someone like SWS, but the others knew techniques that she didn't. What was that word she heard thrown around by those science nerds from Turrip? Esoteric? Yeah, they knew esoteric stuff. And from the sounds of it, Ochazuke was focused on coming up with a way to deal with the storm up above.

Sarada knew she had no hope of helping with that endeavor, so she decided to stick to what she knew. "Never been happier to hear your grumpy voice," she remarked over the comms. "She's working with Sakin so he'll help her conquer the Demon Realm. She's also here for Her Highness, no doubt so Sakin can have another hostage to hold over our heads. Can't help you with the storm, but I can at least keep her off your back while you work."

She returned her attention to SWS and saw that most of her was back together. All she was missing was the left side of her torso, left arm, and head. She opted to ignore the body and instead searched for the head. As she looked, she charged another Galick Destroyer.

Meanwhile, Parsley halted her preparation when Ochazuke spoke. She turned her attention back up to the storm. "She's intrinsically linked to each part of herself, including the storm. What did your senses tell you about the nature of her power, other than her God Ki?"

[bruceleegreyhulk]

Jack nods.

“Not too shabby, kid.”

"Thanks, by the way, I could take this blindfold off and see you with my sight rather than sense you with electroreception, but your clothing would be less colorful that way," Praxat said.

[grampagen]

Garnish..., Pinach..., Rutaba..., Maiz thought to herself. The time had melded together since she started her work after her daughters left to continue the defense against Sakin's challenge, so she wasn't sure how long it had been since those three had been taken. Too long by any metric, but she could only hope that they were safe and sound; as sound as could be, anyway. 'Very good. The sooner those hostages are safe and away from Sakin, the sooner you can fully focus on putting a stop to this madness.' Ochazuke, she knew had no issues focusing. Parsley, on the other hand, would always devote at least some attention toward worrying about her daughter, even in the midst of Saiyan battlelust.

Maiz sighed. She wasn't one to talk; she was in the same boat. It was her fault Pinach and Rutaba were even in that position to begin with. If she had just given that damned god the kids, then... No, that's no way to think. They knew what they were getting themselves into... at least as much as the rest of us did.

She rose and stepped out of her chamber to put on a pot of tea. As she walked, her steps faltered when he revealed another thing. Inanna's come back? A part of her was relieved. If he knew it, then Sarada certainly did, too. That was one less thing for her to have weighing on her shoulders. Maiz hadn't seen much of Sarada since they made the wish to Houlong months ago, but she knew her wife's death well. Regardless of the circumstances it may have resulted from, it was very good to have her back. 'That will be a great relief to Sarada, and a tremendous help to you lot. ...Assuming she's in a good frame of mind. We both saw first hand how Parsley struggled with the memories of her death and resurrection. If Inanna is in a similar mind-frame, then you may have to snap her out of that rut.' She smiled to herself. 'I can think of few people better suited for that then you.'

'At any rate, if you all fall... we'll do our best.'

They may not have been nearly as powerful, but that didn't mean they were completely helpless against the likes of Sakin. Her personal struggles against Cancer didn't instill much confidence in her, but even against an impossibly high obstacle like the end of the universe, she planned on going down swinging.

'Good luck to you all.'

Grimly beholding the planetary storm below, the reply was delayed. Perhaps it was a matter of priorities, but through the Zero System which had allowed Ochazuke to coordinate the Gotengo's piloting and combat operations, the thoughts that transferred into spoken words upon the comm were laid bare for those onboard.

"For one who had struck against the veil between realms, with this length of silence it may be the case that we remain beneath her notice," he replied.

Silence resumed for a moment. His lips parted with a small grin.

"And so we shall make her glimpse in our direction, one way or another."

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Grimly beholding the planetary storm below, the reply was delayed. Perhaps it was a matter of priorities, but through the Zero System which had allowed Ochazuke to coordinate the Gotengo's piloting and combat operations, the thoughts that transferred into spoken words upon the comm were laid bare for those onboard.

"For one who had struck against the veil between realms, with this length of silence it may be the case that we remain beneath her notice," he replied.

Silence resumed for a moment. His lips parted with a small grin.

"And so we shall make her glimpse in our direction, one way or another."

Maiz wished she could have been surprised, but it was only natural, she supposed. Based on what Sarada told her of the confrontation on Darkle last year, those feelings of superiority - intentional or innate - came to the fore. Those feelings had been there for some time. They had to have been; she couldn't have just started assuming that those that had been by her side since the beginning of this ordeal five years ago were suddenly inept and incapable of handling the burden of the universe on a whim.

She could only imagine that was the natural mindset of Gods and Angels. A mindset soon to be forcibly altered. 'If she still finds you lot lacking, perhaps presenting Sakin's head to her will change her mind. Regardless, I'll let you focus. Good luck.'

With that done, she poured herself a cup and sat down at the marble table that was in the center of the kitchen. The news of Inanna's return was good but hearing that she opted to keep her distance was disconcerting. The nature of her departure was such that Sarada thought she was going to leave the M Fighters permanently. It seemed she was right. She would have assumed the threat of the entire universe being destroyed would compel her to put ill will to the side for one final battle. Then again, based on what Parsley told her Inanna revealed in that Sihn's office and her utter hatred for the gods - to the point that she would be willing to allow the universe to burn to get what she wanted, their destruction - made her reconsider. She was never the picture of mental stability; maybe the anger she felt at the M Fighters mutated in death until it became a hatred.

She sighed sadly.

"Maybe I'm wrong," she said to herself. "Parsley used her year in Hell to change her outlook on herself and become a better person. Maybe Inanna did the same. It was a jarring experience, one that proved that a person wasn't as invincible and untouchable as they thought. Only time would tell, she supposed.

[grampagen]

Sarada scored some hits, but still couldn't stop much of SWS from reforming. Her remaining fist clenched as a cold sweat dripped down her brow. Damn it. She just won't let up. She could feel Totoma approaching, that was good, but not nearly enough. They really needed...


...the others! For the first time since the battle began, she started to feel her signature confidence. Her own power set may not have been suited for someone like SWS, but the others knew techniques that she didn't. What was that word she heard thrown around by those science nerds from Turrip? Esoteric? Yeah, they knew esoteric stuff. And from the sounds of it, Ochazuke was focused on coming up with a way to deal with the storm up above.

Sarada knew she had no hope of helping with that endeavor, so she decided to stick to what she knew. "Never been happier to hear your grumpy voice," she remarked over the comms. "She's working with Sakin so he'll help her conquer the Demon Realm. She's also here for Her Highness, no doubt so Sakin can have another hostage to hold over our heads. Can't help you with the storm, but I can at least keep her off your back while you work."

She returned her attention to SWS and saw that most of her was back together. All she was missing was the left side of her torso, left arm, and head. She opted to ignore the body and instead searched for the head. As she looked, she charged another Galick Destroyer.

Meanwhile, Parsley halted her preparation when Ochazuke spoke. She turned her attention back up to the storm. "She's intrinsically linked to each part of herself, including the storm. What did your senses tell you about the nature of her power, other than her God Ki?"

"It's as you said. There will be no separation of She Who Stalks and the storm which follows. She does not draw her power from it, that is the very form of her intrinsic being."

Studying Reshlan from meridian to pole, from the stratosphere overlooking the Ochazuke

Queen Nevin and Luop both nod and fall into defensive stances by Neva while Totoma closes the distance towards the main fighting.

Meanwhile, a tired goblin form appears near where Neva is. The older goblin summons a chair, sits on it, and sighs heavily. The Queen and Luop both look at him, curious, but he ignores them while staring out towards where SWS is.

Eva agrees and goes back to monitoring the faint connection.

—————

An unknown male voice responds.

‘Heh, you that human Parsley talked about, yeah? Said you had the best senses she ever seen. Goblac’kc, but you’ll need ‘em. See, She Who Stalks ain’t normal, even fer a demon. She IS everything she inhabits. Her body, her storm, everything. Her spirit can pass between all portions of her body and control them all.’

The voice coughs and mutters.

‘Names’ Caliban. I came ta help, but, well, I ain’t got much time left it seems.’

"Caliban." The name repeated across the command bridge as it had in his thoughts. "I see. The God of Creation has followed this Destroyer from his Universe."

The echoed thoughts carried on the array betrayed no emotion, despite the voice's offer.

"Oh! Etrina!" Zaofan blurted out "That's the guy you'd studied under, right?"

Wait, just how long have these interdimensional shenanigans been going on?!

After all, both Caliban and his former partner had been mentioned by Auroc in his chronicles. That he had emerged to aid them should have been a boon; however, if crossing the boundaries of the universe had been this easy...well, the both of them left that much unsaid, for the task before them was already enormous. At the very least, what Caliban had stated had reiterated Ochazuke's first impression.

"The Storm is the Stalker, the Stalker is the Storm," he mused, "Not just a means of conveyance for herself and her army, everything the darkness touches returns to her."

Even now he could perceive the Knights of Reshlan where they fought. They held the line, but the palatial walls would be breached by attrition and it seemed however She manifested would effectively be limitless. Surveying the battleground, the last battle for Reshlan was still near to his memory.

"The storm is immense. However, there is only one of her. Is that correct, Caliban?"

[Miburo]

Grimly beholding the planetary storm below, the reply was delayed. Perhaps it was a matter of priorities, but through the Zero System which had allowed Ochazuke to coordinate the Gotengo's piloting and combat operations, the thoughts that transferred into spoken words upon the comm were laid bare for those onboard.

"For one who had struck against the veil between realms, with this length of silence it may be the case that we remain beneath her notice," he replied.

Silence resumed for a moment. His lips parted with a small grin.

"And so we shall make her glimpse in our direction, one way or another."

"I don't suppose Ochazuke was kind enough to stock up on my medicine before take off." Held mumbled to Frogspierre absently.

A quizzical, raised eyebrow was the only comment given by the foreboding avenger.

"Booze." Crazy Horn explained, snorting derisively, "Is this truly so high on your list of priorities?"

The Nevadian shrugged.

"I'd probably be able to make more sense of what is going on with a drink." Held replied meekly, "I feel like I just woke up in an entirely different galaxy. I can barely get my bearings. I've barely gotten out of bed and apparently we're going to fight....."

Held glanced towards a monitor displaying the show below, the massive planetary storm ushering in chaos. If Held had time to get acclimated, he would no doubt feel shock at the power being brought to bare. As things were, he felt like he was watching something utterly unconnected to him, like a random image in a holo-show.

"That." he replied simply, "I'm just saying, this is alot to take in."

Held frowned as both Avenger and Unicorn shook their head in dismay.

"What?" Held inquired, somewhat annoyed, "Am I the only one who feels like a fish out of water? Were you both penpals with Eva or Hilda or something."

"Yes." Frogspierre required simply.

"What?" Held replied blankly, clearly not expecting such an answer.

"Perhaps as a warrior, one should act." Frogspierre replied, adjusting the hilt of his blade on his side as he ignored Held's confusion "Your feelings seem to be worth little in this moment. Tell me, did you stop during the chaos of every battle to contemplate your feelings? Is this how you do battle?"

Held went silent for a moment, before responding. "No. I observe. I make a plan, and I execute."

"Then perhaps your time is better served doing that."

Held groaned, reluctantly conceding the point.

"...I think better when I drink, but fine."

....I guess I could just transmute some water if I really have to, but....Nevermind, I'll figure that out later.

[Cleric of Hell’s Brigade]

The head is no where to be found visually, Sarada.

Caliban responds back.

‘Yes, boyo. Only one of her.’

He hums, than adds a bit more context.

‘A storm demon first, she was, before a destroyer. All the trappings of power, but a shiny credit says the storm is her preferred body, and the manifestation girlie…….Ehh, Parsley and her sister are fighting is just an appendage. A lump of power she can animate and reanimate endlessly.’

———

Meanwhile, Jack nods to Praxat.

“Well, get ready. Looks like we’ll be on Reshlan soon.”