The Reality Vortex: Red Reputations

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"If it sounds too good to be true it probably is..." Berserk sat in her corner of the room after having been teleported, wincing as the little Xy'phers worked on her injuries. "Though, I don't think I'd feel too good about accepting the offer either. I mean... we'd still have to do his bidding anyway even if we get special treatment."

"Of course. The whole thing is a truce as long as we acquiesce to his orders. We've been burned before by having such a lofty promise dangled over our heads... I don't think I could endure experiencing that again." Bernkastel deadpanned, swarmed by the small creatures but giving no other reaction besides a passive glare off into space. "May is right at any rate-- clashing with the King would occur sooner or later. The monster may pose a problem to us all later, but there's no reason to start a war with it right now; someone else's hubris can't be our downfall. I'd rather it be on our own terms anyhow."

Bernkastel stood and began to walk around the room they were placed into, examining it by glancing around. "Speaking of which, I can't just sit here resting on my tail waiting for the guillotine. There must be something we can do in these next 24 hours." She was unnaturally energetic about the whole thing despite Vegetto's earlier display, clearly trying to mask her own annoyance to the point that she deliberately kept her back to the floating pile of Saiyan cubes. "Nothing is as perfect as it seems. This is Doom's Castle after all... there's no telling how many secrets it might have still. I just hope Zenta can manage on his own for a little while."

"I'm in! If we die, we die, but I at least wanna try and keep it together long enough to get Lady Luck back on our side," Berserk agreed. "We just gotta be sure that if we do escape, they don't realize we're actually gone. This place probably has an even crazier level of security than the manor."
 
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The pieces of the Potara fusion floated around, the stunned expression from Vegetto all that could be mustered before Lucifer's debilitating strike. Each one seemed to wiggle; the intense anger and rage to move apparent in the voice that rung out in tandem with the movements. As the cube of an eye slowly floated into position, the pupil stared down at Lucifer after the explanation; an unwavering commitment to his decision moments earlier an indication of how Vegetto took the fallen angel's lesson and the claim of disgust Lucifer felt towards the man.

"The feeling's mutual."

The struggled grunts behind the moving mouth continued, the pieces only wiggling in vain against the intense magic. Without the ability to draw upon his energy, Vegetto could only roar in vain as his only defiance towards Lucifer's commanding action to limit his involvement and the eye immediately shot towards Bara once she spoke.

"Cooperation...what a joke coming from you. All you wanted to do was bow and lick a new master's boots."

His eye expanded slightly, a mixture of anger from his predicament and the argument flairing in his dual voice.

"What?! Is your mouth getting dry without your friend's to clean?!"

Cayde sighed heavily, striding past the pair of Lucifer and the cut pieces of Vegetto floating in the air. He gently hopped onto one of the beds, leaning back into the frame and propping himself up as the Breakers began to strategize.

"You guys go on ahead. I'm getting a little sleepy; think I'll rest up and make sure no one hurts Lucifer here."

The obvious lack of need to protect Lucifer and the still unhooked strap on Cayde's holster countered the point made, but the android yawned loudly while he rested on the bed and watched the others patiently in silence.
 
Avalon looked around the room and noticed that there was an open door, indicating that they can leave at any moment. Venturing the castle would be advantageous, especially given how curious he was. Maybe Avalon could find a way out before their execution. However, as Lucifer turned Vegetto into tiny pieces, he almost seemed relieved. It was an eye-opener, this being a small taste of what he can see Lucifer do.

Looks like he can do somethin' other than gloat or adore himself. Avalon thought. Tho'... it's kinda scary. If he can do that, then who knows what else he can do. Better to stay on his good side, if he has one...

Nia, on the other hand, looked over to Spawn, and when she did, her face was full of worry. She was afraid of the King and his tactics because she knew them so well. Her body shivered, truly believing that they were going to die. Regardless, she floated over to Spawn, the light nearly gone from her face. While the Breakers were lucky, she accepted her fate and that luck had finally run out, even for the Breakers.

"Yes, Spawn?"

As Avalon walked around the room, he approached Berserk and stared at the healing process on her arm. She was almost entirely healed!

"Looks like you're doin' just fine, Berserk!" Avalon patted her on the back before turning to the door. He picked up after Bernkastel. "Well, the door is open. We can walk around the castle, but I doubt the King will let us escape. This place is watching our every move, so we can't be sneaky about anythin'."

Avalon approached Berkastel and bonked her head with his scroll teasingly.

"Even if we die, just like Walter, we can leave notes behind. Who knows, maybe stronger, and luckier, than us will roll on by. Besides, sittin' here ain't gonna help. We might as well try to find Zenta, or better yet, Cuki... Maybe she's in here somewhere or we can find out what happened to her." Avalon's eyes lowered slightly at the thought of Cuki. "Let's just hope we find something interesting."
 
Lucifer gazed attentively at Bage; his expression more cheerful compared to his initial grim attitude. “Don’t misunderstand my intentions, Detective. I’m here for the development of the Breakers, and anything that adds to that, I’ll shall see it done. They voice their thoughts of such foolishness now, but I wish to see it in action against the Red King. How they would perceive the situation.” Lucifer’s blue eyes darted to Bernkastel, primarily focusing on her eyes. “A pity, really. Creator’s Essence will simply have to wait, and I need to observe more.” His eyes returned to Bage.

“Now, Detective.” As all the pieces of Vegetto floated around him. “I’ll make my intentions clear once more. Anything that gets in the way of their development, their inefficiency detrimental to it, I’ll dispose them.” His devilish smirk returned, making it hard if it was a threat or an off-color joke. “Lilith could use some company, or a meal, Detective.” Crossing his legs. “Run along, now. See if you find Zenta. Meanwhile, if I’m going to an execution, I’ll need to pick the appropriate attire for this occasion.”

Spina stood in silence as they talk amongst themselves. His eyes never left the sight of Lucifer and Vegetto. Despite being in such a state, the potara fusion continued on, and it bothered the old Saiyan. Not that anything Vegetto said got to him, no, but the way Vegetto acted despite his unfavorable situation irks him. It brought up a bad memory from his past. He instinctively grabbed his shoulder where Zenta inflicted a massive wound on it. Even though Bernkastel and Bara healed the wound, he felt the urge to touch it. All he could see is the people that put him through hell throughout his life by looking at Vegetto.

“Tch…” Spina grunted. “No matter where I go, it’s always the same.” He mumbled to himself a bit. Noticing that the door of the room is open, allowing the Breakers to leave. “Let’s go. We could find something we can use, or something. Anywhere but here.” He lowered his voice a bit as he headed towards the open door. “Need to finish off these debts so I can be done….”

Detective Spawn, before responding to Nia, turned to the old Saiyan. “Debts?”

Spina paused for a second, realizing he slipped out a word. “It’s nothing. Let’s move.” He exited the room right away.

Detective Spawn narrowed his eyes. “Let’s walk and talk.” The hellspawn walked towards the exit. “I’m sure Zenta is okay, since I still sensed him.” He let the Breakers aware of Zenta’s fate. “Now, I want you to tell me everything you know about his psionic abilities, since you and him share the same power. Any weaknesses about which we should know?” He asked Nia.

Brilliant diamonds had completely replaced the interior inside Doom’s Castle, just like the outside and the dining room. It shines so beautifully, especially when there’s different coloration, each cut so eloquently and masterfully. Because of its definition, they also function as mirrors. When Spina walking through the hallways, he saw reflections of himself across the shining crystals. Just one look, and all he sees is a broken man thrashed on repeatedly throughout his journey. Only his fight with Berserk and Gravita, where he felt a sense of fulfilment and self-worth. An achievement, he thought, obtained by his lonesome.

The old Saiyan continued to walk around to see if there’s anything in this castle. He doesn’t seem to recall the castle that well, since the only places he been was the room where they fought Zenta, the dimension where he fought Vegetto-Black, and Doom’s room. So, this was entirely brand-new territory for him. “With these damn crystals, everything looks exactly the same.”

It wasn’t long until he came across a section that not covered in crystals. It was a solid black double-door with a pad attached in the center. Spina narrowed his eyes and approached the door right away. He placed his fingers in-between the doors and attempt to forced it open, but it didn’t work.

The door pad came on immediately and scanned the Saiyan. “Detection: Not Doctor Victor von Doom. Access denied.”

“Hmm…?” Spina balled his right hand into a fist and punched the door as hard as he could. Such a powerful punch echoes across the hallways. Yet, despite the power behind the punch, it didn’t even make a dent against the door.

“Access denied.” The door pad voice command prompted once again. “Password now required.”

“Explains why the Red King want Doom’s Vortex Coin…Tch…” Spina rubbed his shoulder and looked around. “Password…? Doom?”

“Access denied. Try again.”
 
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Bara also walked towards the open door, her headtentacle swaying about to check for any places of interest while ignoring Vegetto's comment.

'You'd never understand the kind of teamwork we've had in my universe, and you never will...' She thought, 'We've expanded our co-operation with members of the Frieza Force whom wisely switched sides and worked with us... you'd be singing a different tune if Demon Lord Ruthas would get his evil hands on you..."

Bara shuddered at the sheer thought of the name Ruthas... a being so evil, so vile with the capabilities to even deny someone the sweet embrace of death, just for his own sick pleasures... She shook her head for a brief moment to snap herself out of it while looking around, eager to see if there was something she could learn about the place before escaping. If there was one thing that she had learned from her bestie, is that she does not believe in a no-win scenario.

"There is ALWAYS a path to achieve our objectives, all that remains is to find it, which can be easier said than done..." The Majin muttered as she occasionally dropped microscopic pieces of herself to move about and scout the areas around, just to cover more ground and gather intelligence along the way.
 
May says as she gets up and looks at the data pad "our group has what is called protagonist luck. Chances are good that we will fluke in to saving this Cuki and/or Zenta once we get out. We might get more than what we want as well." May thinks about ways to bypass door and how to do so.

May says "that or the king has no one verse in security systems of any kind." May thinks "chances are good that he may forgotten or not even thought of it."
 
Bage felt a little uneasy as Lucifer stared daggers at him, worried that this actually was a threat rather than his usual crude joking. "Right... " He said simply, before dismissing himself from the conversation. He gave Vegetto's body one more glance before following the others out of the room once his clothing had been repaired. His mood seemed a bit better at hearing Avalon, Berserk, and Bernkastel's energy awaken at this dire moment.

"Well, you know this castle pretty well, right? Then lead the way, Bernkastel. Let's see what we can dig up from this place since you breakers have last been here." Bage suggested to the three, he started feeling pretty good himself after the little Xy'phers had a moment to heal his wounds.

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In another part of the castle away from the others, it was quiet. every now and then knights could be heard patrolling the walkways and corridors. They walked simultaneously through the halls before stopping and making way for what could only be a higher-ranked Xy'pher.

It was Atomic Flare who quietly made her way down the hall, only the sound of her crystal-coated boots against the diamond flooring could be heard. The light danced silently as light reflected off of the walls and along her and the knights' bodies. As soon as she passed them, they went about their business as usual. The Elite Xy'pher would continue to walk for a while longer, until she came across a guarded room, one that seemed to be her target. The guards before the door looked ready to remove whoever was within the room. But at seeing the hero they paused and waited for her order.

"Step aside," she commanded. Immediately the Xy'pher knights moved away from the door to allow her access. Once the way had been cleared, she opened the door the room being illuminated once opened. She scanned the room and soon laid her eyes on Zenta, narrowing her eyes further as she spoke up. "You are free to go with your friends, for now, mutt. You are lucky his majesty is being so gracious to you."

She then suddenly snatched up the beast by his chest fur and smirked devilishly at him. "I, however, am not so forgiving." She growled before throwing the beast against a nearby wall with immense force, the diamond interior barely moved at all. Atomic Flare walked slowly and casually over to Zenta. "Pets should mind their manners when among humans, isn't that right? One snap and they're put down for misbehaving. And you've misbehaved quite a lot."

Once finally standing over Zenta, the hero slammed her foot against the other's back to pin him to the floor. "To make sure you don't cause any more trouble until your execution... We'll have you muzzled, as the King has ordered." Reaching toward her waistband, Atomic Flare revealed a crystal muzzle in her possession before reaching down to fasten it onto his face. The hero's dull eyes staring directly into the beast's.
 
Zenta glared at Atomic Flare with his fangs bared as she tossed him around and stepped on him. However, once she reached over to try to muzzle him, he pulled his face back and grabbed the ankle of the leg she used to pin him. He pulled her to the floor as he pushed himself up to his feet. Similar to how he handled the hostage Xy'pher, he repeatedly slammed Atomic Flare against the wall she threw him against. Finally, he released her but gripped her throat as hard as he can, lifting her from the ground but keeping her pinned against the wall. All Atomic saw was her face reflecting directly from his visor, and an immense pressure shook the room. For that brief moment, Zenta focused all his attention on this one Xy'pher.

"I grow tired of you Xy'phers..." Zenta said in a low growl, his grip tightening on Atomic. "I simply want to know what happened to the girl with the tail... You will tell me or else I will get creative on how to rip you apart. I am in no mood for this."

However, as Zenta attempted to add the pressure on Atomic, the Xy'phers Knights moved quickly to defend their Mighty Elite. Sword and spears skewered Zenta's back, some even going through his back and poking out his shoulder and side. The Xy'pher Knights pulled the beast away from Atomic, and quickly started to pile on him. Their swords and spears pierced through Zenta and onto the floor, pinning him there. They were careful not to kill him, but using force to keep him away from Atomic was necessary. More Knights rushed into the room and stood between the roaring beast and Atomic, making sure that Zenta did not rise from the floor. Every time he tried, he would feel a sharp, stabbing pain somewhere on his body.

"The beast has been subdued for you, Grand Noble Atomic." One Knight spoke. "What shall we do with him, Grand Noble?"
 
Atomic Flare reached for her neck once Zenta had been torn off of her and hesitated a moment while the Knight asked its question. The Xy'pher Elite rose to her feet and came closer to the Beast until she stood over him. "Hold him still." She commanded with clenched fists before relentlessly kicking Zenta in the face repeatedly. The thud of her crystalized foot against Zenta's visor grew intensely with every hit. "You don't get the luxury of demands, you filthy dog! You have no power here! You're nothing but a rug that's unfit to even be walked on by my King!" She grunted loudly, "When I'm done with you, you will have wished his Majesty had killed you at the DINING TABLE!!!"

The hero relentlessly dug her foot into the Breaker's cheek one more time before she began stomping the top of his head. The intensity of her anger was boiling to an all-time high. Around her body, a small spark of purple light flashed quickly, then suddenly she was laughing maniacally. With no intention to stop, she shouted out. "YOU'RE EXECUTION WILL BE SLOW, AGONIZING, EXCRUCIATING-!"

The laughter had stopped abruptly and her body froze in place from taking another strike at Zenta's face. Her body was completely still aside from occasional tremors as if this halt in her movement was not her own. The silence lasted a few seconds longer and then her expression was back to its original emotionless state. Her voice was back to being calm and calculated.

"We will be taking him back to his group now. Come." She instructed, fastening the muzzle to Zenta's face before grabbing the beast by the back of his neck and dragging him along despite the swords and spears still being impaled into his back. She remained quiet the entire way back to the room where the Breakers were residing and soon stopped at the opened door with the Knights following behind. She scanned the room, noticing that the others had left, the only two inside being the Cyborg and the Angel.

"Here's your mutt." Atomic Flare stated with not a single ounce of emotion in her voice. She tossed the bloody Zenta into the room at their feet with little regard.
 
The hall of mirror-like crystals being so silent aside from their footsteps made for an eerie atmosphere around the group. Bernkastel walked at the front of the line while Berserk hung back by Avalon's side; initially ignoring her reflection, she noticed her hair and eyes looked noticeably different than this morning. The change was a bit of a startle given the fact her eyes had that same tinge of white as the bunny girl behind the barrier. No wonder Lucifer was staring at her so much-- if he were to ask, she couldn't give any sort of explanation for the similarity.

"I agree, even if we passed through here the change is too disorienting to tell. Best we leave a trail so we can trace back our steps."

Upon reaching the black double-doors, Bern waited for Spina to make an attempt at forcing it open. After the next failed attempt, she spoke up.

"Let's be careful with our next guesses. Doom's decoy had a self-destruction mechanism, and who knows what kind of tricks he's put in his own lair?"

"Well, can't you just use a magic spell that'll instantly open it?" Berserk asked.

"Spina can't brute-force it open, which means magic probably won't do anything either. If it were a regular door with a lock I could since the doorknob knows its own shape, but this is advanced technology," Bern explained. "The probability of us guessing the password correctly is incredibly low; if we had an infinite amount of time we would surely get it open but time is a luxury we don't have at the moment. We need to make our next guesses count, but how?"

Berserk turned to the others with a shrug since she didn't know anything about Doom that could count as a password. "Well one thing's for sure, it's for a room in his own castle. It's either the most scrambled passcode ever or something that we're overlooking. That's obvious to him and nobody else. This is a doozy."

Bernkastel squinted at the keypad while tapping her chin. I wonder if Clear Mind would work for this sort of thing? Couldn't hurt to try I guess...
 
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As the muzzle was put on Zenta, he started to breathe harder, clearly not a big fan of it. As Atomic Flare stomped on his face, more cracks were visible on Zenta's visor. Zenta said nothing and did not fight back, even as Atomic Flare continued to beat him down. Only once he was in the safety of the room with Lucifer and Cayde, did Zenta sit up. The beast was roughed up, but he at least could move around.

With a muzzle over his jaw, all he could do was make small muffled noises and grunts towards Lucifer. For a while, it seemed that he was looking for someone until he stared directly at the pile of Vegetto-cubes. Almost instantly, the fur on his body spiked up, yet, the calm bloody expression he had as still there. Slowly, he turned away from the pile, giving Vegetto his back as he made his way to the corner and sat there. From there, he silently watched the Vegetto-Cubes. He still had a few swords sticking through him, but the Medic-Xy'phers were quick to rush to his help. Normally, Zenta would swat them away for touching his fur, but this time it was different. His entire body was still, unmoved, as he gazed at Vegetto, like a dog waiting for the enemy to move in order to pounce. The only move Zenta did was tap the muzzle, almost as if asking Lucifer to help him out.
"Oh, the King's Psychic powers?" Nia frowned. "His psychic powers are very powerful. He is able to create barriers that can reflect any attack. When attacking, his psychic powers stop you in your tracks. The King gets very creative with his psychic abilities, but his preferred method of killing people is through crushing them very slowly... However, there is one major weakness that I remember."

Nia used her psychic powers to cast a barrier around her and stared at Spawn. However, nothing happened. Only when the barrier was gone, did Spawn's body float in the air.

"The King cannot attack and defend at the same time. In order to bring the full potential of his psychic powers, he needs to focus on whatever is in his line of sight."

"That's easy!" Avalon butted in. "I can make a ton of smoke bombs to block his vision. When he's blinded, we hit him on the head and victory is ours."

"I'm afraid it's not that easy. He's not a fool and is fully aware of his weakness. He is able to connect with each and every single Xy'pher under his rule, so he tells them to watch his blindside. Why do you think he surrounds himself with countless Xy'phers? It's a glaring weakness, yes, but he is making damn sure he isn't caught off guard."

"So hittin' his blind side will be twice as hard, especially with a bunch of Xy'phers watching his flank."

"Precisely."

"Well, how did'ja beat him?"

"He underestimated me. He is incredibly arrogant and did not think I was as strong as I was. Now... He's beyond anything I can do. Still, using smoke and lights will benefit us."

"At least it'll give us an advantage..." Avalon sighed. "I can tell this won't be easy."

The ninja then turned to Bernkastel then to the Doom Door. He squinted his eyes at how a weird door wasn't destroyed by Spina, and after hearing Bernkastel explain how her magic wouldn't work, crossed his arms.

"So magic doesn't work on doors? Errm, computer doors? If Spina can't punch it open, and Bernkastel can't miracle-magic her way in..." Avalon bit his lip before approaching the door and knocking on it. "Can't we just blow the wall next to it? Would that work?"
 
The Room

As the Breakers left the room, Lucifer once again took notice of Bernkastel’s appearance. It was apparent that there was a change. After seeing that strange bunny girl that held similar colors in her eyes and hair, it provided additional context to that change. If there was a connection between the Bunny Girl and Bernkastel, the angel will seek answers to such.

It won’t be long before Zenta was tossed into the room by Atomic Flare. “Oh,” Lucifer stared at the bloody beast. “You’re still alive…” A small devilish formed.

“You just missed the best part, young one.” Lucifer chuckled lightly. “While you were having fun with Atomic Flare, I had to let out some frustration.” He shrugged his shoulders as cubes of Vegetto floated around the angel. “Oh, do I hate having to take the initiative, but it’ll be problematic otherwise.” His eyes squinted at the beast, noticing Zenta pointing at the device that kept his mouth shut.

“That won’t do, everyone should be allowed to speak.” Lucifer said, reflecting on his conscious choice on allowing the Potara to speak, despite his situation. He snapped his fingers, and a glimpse of magical energy cackle around the muzzle. Within moments, it shattered, freeing Zenta from it.

“The Breakers departed from this room to explore a little bit. I’m sure it was to get away from here, though.” Lucifer narrowed his eyes. “You can join them.” However, the angel held a sneer. “But I have a feeling that you want to stay here instead. An opportunity that you cannot let it pass now that others aren’t in the picture to get in your way.”

===

The Secret Door of Doctor Doom

“So, the King had to constantly switch between offense and defense.” Spawn landed on his feet after Nia demonstrated such to him. “The Xy’phers aren’t just for show. They are literally his unlimited amount of fodder to compensate for his weakness.” Crossing his arms, he thought about Avalon’s suggestion on using smokes or flashy lights. “We need more than that. If we can force him to be on the offense, and his defense is exposed… we can rock him. We need good coordination and teamwork—”

Before the hellspawn can say anything else, he felt a sense of dread forming in front of him. He raised his head, only to see Spina looking at him with pure annoyance. “Huh… What was that?” It was brief, but there was an alarming level of darkness embroiling underneath the older Saiyan the moment he mentioned teamwork. “Hmm…”

Setting that aside, Spawn pondered on their next move if they cannot access the door. If Spina can brute force their way in, and Bernkastel seems sure that her magic won’t do much good, which includes himself and possibility Lucifer, then their only way is to guess the password. “Most likely that the door prevents the crystals from taking over, so even if we blow those crystals way, we won’t be able to get into the actual room. Otherwise, May would’ve done that by now. Finding the password is our only option… but I assumed you guys barely know anything about him. Hell, you just found out that Valeria had connection to him—”

The keypad picks up the name Valeria, only to reject it. “Access denied. You now have one more chance.”

“Shit.” Spawn realized he made a mistake.

“Tch…” Spina grunted in annoyance. He recalled when he managed to enter that strange manor and thought if he did it again, he can bypass the password. The older Saiyan stare at his lifeless left arm and trying to see if he can tap to that strange power from before.

Moments before Spina even tries to attempt such, in the perspective to only Bernkastel, everything had slowed down. In slow steps, Guardian appeared behind Bernkastel, hugging her in a way like a mother cradle her child. “Hesitation again, little one. Clear Mind is the key that allows you to bypass these kinds of threshold. She said, gently brushing Bernkastel’s hair with her fingers. “Even the mightiest of technologies, Clear Mind will pave the way to find a solution.” She stares at the older Saiyan for a second, before turning her full-on attention at the Witch. “It’s a opportunity to gain experience with Clear Mind, for the things to come later….”
 
The Room

Cayde gasped a bit as his eyes shot open, shooting upright on the bed he slept on. He glanced around briefly, noticing the team had already left and quickly took in the immediate scene. His focus dialed in at the sound of Lucifer's voice, watching on while the muzzle covering Zenta's mouth suddenly split open and dropped to the floor. The android narrowed his eyes slowly, shifting his weight and sliding his legs to hang off the side of the bed. He sat with his back to Lucifer and the floating cubes of Vegetto, his mechanical voice nearly flat in delivery.

"You want some help?"

Vegetto's dual voice first rung out with a scoff while the cubes continued to float, his proud tone strong in determination at the threat Zenta posed.

"This is my fight, Cayde. I don't need your-"

"I wasn't asking you."

The one visible eye in the cubes blinked at being cut off, the exasperated and annoyed tone in the android's voice cutting through the Potara fusion's speech. Whether or not the question was intended for Lucifer or Zenta, however, would not be answered as Cayde promptly rose from the bed to his feet, his back still towards the pair.

"You know what...no...you're not even worth it. The amount of times I covered for your bullshit...how many times Clark covered for it...it's left me tired. It's not a weakness to rely on your friends for help..but I guess you'll always be too damned scared to trust anyone other than yourself. The Rogue Breaker can't be bothered by common peons like me...so I'd better stop wasting time with him and get on to helping the real heroes."

Vegetto grunted in frustration, his dual voice raising out again in annoyance while Cayde began to walk towards the door.

"Damnit Cayde, I wasn't just going to leave you behind! Don't you get it? You...Clark...and I could be free of this worthless place. We could rebuild my world...use the Dragon Balls to make a new universe. I could bring back my son...my wife...and Gogeta. Think about how much better it'd be with all six of us, free of bastards like them!"

Cayde froze in place, his head still down and away from the view of Lucifer and Vegetto while he stopped walking. The android slightly turned his head but never faced towards the pair, a near sarcastic tone in his mechanical voice while he spoke in a mocking enthusiasm towards the suggestion.

"Yeah sure...that sounds great. But only on one condition-"

Cayde fully turned around, his narrowed eyes piercing like daggers in a viscous glare towards the cubes floating around Lucifer and his voice firm in conviction.

"-you don't get to be apart of it. Me...Clark... and Gogeta...deserved better than you. Hell...even your family shouldn't have to put up with you a second time."

Vegetto's one eye rapidly enlarged in rage, yet his dual voice resonated with focus and controlled vitriol.

"You better choose your next words carefully, or else they might be your last Cayde."

Cayde scoffed.

"Ok fine, in that case...here are my last words to you."

The android kept a fierce glare in meeting the cubed eye, his posture never once wavering under the threat.

"Doctor Doom did your wife a favor. Being vaporized from existence is a better fate than having to support a rat like you."

The cubed eye blinked hard in response, red veins slowly beginning to bulge in the whites of the Potara fusion's eyes while Cayde promptly turned his back to the cubes and Lucifer. The android stood a few feet next to Zenta with his face only visible to the beast, his eyes to the floor. A pained, melancholy expression hung on the android's face while he slowly inhaled through his nose; as if regretting the notion of leaving off on that final note. Yet Cayde's head lifted once more, exhaling slowly and committing to detaching from Vegetto as he strode towards the exit and disappeared into the hallway.


The Secret Door of Doctor Doom

The loud crunching of metal and leather striking the ground began to grow louder after the door uttered a final warning for the password, Cayde panting heavily as he finished running up towards the group. He leaned forward and gripped his knees in bending over, panting heavily.

"Ughh...jeez...I'm so out of shape. Sorry I'm...late...whew...slept in a little."
 
"I'd much rather we don't get attacked by him if he'll crunch us down into puzzle cubes," Berserk said. "But there's no way we can get rid of every last Xypher he has either, it's impossible. The only thing that works for sure is once one Xy'pher attacks another, they'll practically eat their own. There's gotta be some way of using that against them."

Bernkastel glanced over her shoulder to glare over at Spawn in annoyance of his mistake, holding a hand up to silence the group before tensing her body language once Guardian appeared.

"You know, you don't look like the type to be touchy. Or is this your way of getting me to slip up my concentration?" Bern half-joked in a deadpan tone at the invasion of her personal space. Since the space around them was distorted she figured it was okay to respond through her thoughts. To everyone else, Bernkastel was just silent. "It's not hesitation anyway... I just haven't gotten used to having this sort of help is all." The last part of her sentence was strangely melancholic.

Holding her breath in, her eyes flashed a bolder white with her gaze glossing over the doors. "We just need to get through these double doors.... where could I find the password?" She glanced at Guardian questioningly. "Or is there a way of using the keypad directly?"
 
May takes out a portable hacking kit and sets it up and starts to hack the lock. May says "you do know that I may have some experience doing something like this it doesn't mean that I know every password or how each keypad works like the back of my hand. Despite my knowledge and what other think I am; I am still classified as human." May starts to hack the keypad in order to open the door.

May thinks "It might be uncommon but it's one I worked on before so it should be easy for myself to unlock."
 
As the muzzle was released from Zenta, he rubbed his jaw. For a moment, he said nothing, trying his best to remain composed, until finally, a long sigh escaped his lips. He took several deep breaths before letting his shoulders droop to a neutral position as his body finally relaxed. The beast gave Cayde a humble bow before he left and swiftly turned to Lucifer.

"Thank you, Lucifer. I do not like having those devices on my jaw, they are rather uncomfortable." Zenta said, before examining the Vegetto Cubes floating around the Angel. He seemed intrigued, yet, understanding. "I am not surprised you managed to pull something like. Seems like your initiative is chopping people into cubes. Your magic fascinated me."

Zenta circled Lucifer, but was more interested in the Vegetto-Cubes. He reached out and poked a few, just to see what would happen.

"So the others left. I see... Well then, why not have a conversation before our executions?" The Beast then stood before Lucifer, similar to how they spoke in Rogue City, and just like before, Zenta spoke in a similar fashion. "Why did you dice up Vegetto, anyway? Not that I am complaining, but still..." Zenta chuckled as he poked another Vegetto-Cube. "How long will you keep him like this?"

==============

"Teamwork is exactly how I defeated the Red King back on Earth." Nia said to Spawn. "The King is a tactical genius, so he is not afraid of sacrificing his own Xy'phers for a greater goal. You guys are a great team, tho'! You all remind me of me and my friend..." Nia's cheeks blushed, and a sincere smile formed on her lips. "Without Mesha, I don't know if I would've been able to beat the King... You are all lucky to have such growing bonds and each other. Cherish yourselves..."

"Berserk's right... Xy'phers are practically coded to kill anyone who betrays the King." Avalon bit his lip, pondering. "Hey! What if I turn myself into a clone of the King? Would that fool the Xy'phers?"

"Not exactly. See, the Xy'phers kinda share a mind with the King. Well, more like their minds belong to him. The King is able to relay orders to Xy'phers in their heads. So they don't exactly have to 'hear' the King, but rather, obey the voice in their head." Nia shivered. "Like literal brainwashing..."

"So if we can find a way to speak into their minds, then we can control them?" Avalon frowned. "But how are we gonna do that? None of us can use mind powers, right?" The ninja turned to Bernkastel before tilting his head. "Maybe Bernkastel can, but I don't think she can cast a spell that can control each and every Xy'pher..."

"Even if she could, that would only work for a short while. They will regain their senses... Fighting him head-on would be dangerous, especially since he's got his weaknesses covered. I recommend taking out as many Xy'phers as you can before aiming at the King. That's how Mesha and I got the best of him." Nia sighed. "Thing is, I don't know how many Xy'phers this army has..."

"Crowd control, eh? That reminds me! Hey Bernkastel, that crystal you gave me, I can clone it, right--" Avalon stared at Bernkastel and saw how silent she was, almost as if she was staring off into the distance. He did not understand what was happening to Bernkastel, so he left her alone for the meanwhile. "So, uhhh, anyone else got some plans?"
 
The Room

“Oh, it was quite an event!” Lucifer purposely over-exaggerated. “I’d grew tired of hearing drivel, immature philosophy that even [distorted sounds] perished in embarrassment!” The angel crossed his legs in an elegant manner. “It creates a false sense of pride, delusions, and entitlement! Ooh~, as the symbol of pride, it just breaks my dear, old heart to see pride so pathetic! A disaster that prevents any chance of achieving creator’s essence!” After speaking in a joking manner, the angel’s tone grew serious. “I have no interest in his routine and his constant interference with the Breakers’ progression. And until my mood improves significantly, he’ll stay like that.”

Seeing that Cayde left the room after exchanging harsh words to Vegetto, Lucifer simply let out a hearty laugh. A whiplash of his grim tone just moments before. “Cayde just left when we’re just getting into the best part, Zenta.” The angel grabbed a specific piece of Vegetto’s cube and pierced his fingers through it. He pulled something out of it and turned to Zenta. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll join in this hilarious discovery, hmm?” He placed two coins on Zenta’s palms. “Take a guess of what I just handed to you.”

===

The Secret Door of Doctor Doom

“I have no doubt of your abilities, May.” Detective Spawn said. “But considering the level of technology Doctor Doom has, and not even the Red King can brute force his way in, that’s another risk that we can’t afford to make.” He turns to Nia. “Don’t know about that, but thanks for the information. I’d highly doubt Lucifer would be participating in the battle, so he’s out.” The hellspawn turns to Bage. “Any ideas?”

Spawn noticed Cayde catching up to the group. "Decided to tag along with us, huh? Not surprised you don't want to be around that punk."

“You’re quick the uptake, little one. Though I do admit that embracing you does humor me somewhat.” Guardian responded, slightly narrowing her eyes when she expressed discomfort of achieving help. “You are my pupil, after all. It’ll be a tragedy for you to fail.” She rests her chin on top of Bernkastel’s head.

“For now, focus on the keypad itself. Once you bypass the magical properties, you’ll gained access to the voiceprints for the password you seek.” Guardian said. “Quite simple… though, I would advise to ensure that your concentration won’t be disturbed once you discover it.”
 
"I agree, the constant display of this plastic pride does get annoying very quick. Recently, it has been more persistent, however, I am more keen to ignore it at this point. Like background noise!" Zenta laughed alongside Lucifer. However, once Lucifer's tone turned serious, so did his.

Creator's essence? What is that..? Zenta tilted his head slightly, yet, a sly smile formed on his maw. He lifted his hand to cover his smile. Another slip of the tongue or a deliberate clue, you never cease to surprise me, Lucifer Morningstar. You always keep me on my toes.

"Ah, well, do try not to humiliate him anymore, Lucifer." The beast lowered his hand to show his devious smirk. He, too, enjoyed Vegetto's suffering and seemed to be on par with Lucifer's sadism. "More discoveries, eh Lucifer?"

As Lucifer placed the two coins in Zenta's hand, he said nothing for a moment. Due to his blindness, he cannot outright see who's coins it was and only assumed the worst. Starting with the first coin, he gently trailed his finger all over the Coin, painting a picture of it in his head. his mouth muttered the letters he was picking up.

"Ah, this is Air Dancer's Coin." Zenta finally said, holding up the coin and pretending to examine it. "He was an odd fellow, that was for sure. At least he is not taken by the Xy'phers. I will keep this Coin hidden." Zenta began to touch the second Coin, carefully tracing over every detail. "Now then, who is this?"

There were several moments of silence as Zenta quietly deciphered who this Coin was. In the back of his head, he assumed it was his student but the details were off. As his fingers trailed around the Coin, he carefully sounded out the name under his breath.

"Go...ge...ta--"

Zenta stopped and pulled his finger back, quickly realizing whose coin he was holding. The beast gazed down at the Coin, frowning as the realization settled in. His shoulders slumped in defeat and his expression was that of grief as he shook his head. A hand went through his hair while the Beast exhaled a long sigh.

"Well, that explains why Gogeta is not here with us." Zenta said, pocketing Air Dancer's Coin and holding Gogeta's Coin in the air. "At least not physically. He did not have to suffer this fate... A death lost to the wind, never to be spoken of, not even by his own brother. He meant that little to you, didn't he, Vegetto?" Zenta continued to circle Lucifer and the Vegetto Cubes, his sinister smile returning. "You are lucky Lucifer got to you before I could. Blessed, truly. Not only for hiding Gogeta's death from us, but insulting my student. ...I will be sure to inform Lady Bernkastel about Gogeta's demise, should we survive our executions, that is." Zenta's smile withered down to a frown. "I only hope Gogeta went quickly."

Zenta paused before glancing down at Gogeta's coin, almost at a lack of words. He only remembered the time when he was a Coin and that he was still able to hear voices, albeit, very faintly. Maybe it will work on Gogeta.

"I will protect you better than your brother, and I promise to reunite you to Bernkastel." Zenta said to the Coin. "I'll be waiting for your return, Gogeta. After all, you owe Cuki a spar, yes?" Taking a deep breath, Zenta stuffed the Gogeta Coin safely deep within his fur tuffs on his chest. No matter how hard he moved, the Coin would stay in place, protected. He turned to Lucifer, fixing his fur back into place.

"Now then, you mentioned something... Creator's Essence. Care to elaborate a tad?"
 
May says as she keeps at it "Worst case scenario I just have to bypass this lock in other ways. It seems so far, it's mostly soul locked. Did not look like a world like doom's magic was that advance. The best way to deal with these is to trick both parts of this lock." Keeps looking over this being careful not to trip anything.

May says "Besides that I only running simulations unlocking the lock at this point. Odds are good that someone will unlock it making all my work mute any way."
 
Bage followed along listening to the others try to formulate a plan to escape the execution. it wasn't until Avalon mentioned the Xy'phers attacking due to betrayal toward the king that got the gears turned in his mind. He remained silent until Spawn called for his attention.

"Well... If taking out as many Xy'phers is the main priority, I think I have an idea." Bage stated, "It's almost guaranteed that at least one of those Xy'pher elites will be in the fight to ensure we go down. And between Walter and Atomic Flare, I'm willing to bet Atomic Flare will be in the ring with us since thus far, she's shown a lot of aggression toward us in the small amount of time we've met her. And Walter seems to always be at the Red King's side because of his ability, so he'll at least be watching close by. That's where the plan comes into play!"

He turned to Avalon first, "Instead of aiming for the King to imitate since as Nia said, they'll see Avalon as an obvious fake, He can clone himself after Atomic Flare and Walter. We know that all of the elites so far have had free will of their own. So if Avalon were to do anything that looks like betraying the king as both them, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary from the last few times its happened! my hope is that a good amount of the foot soldiers will focus on putting down the elite, because they wouldn't be able to sense that the clones are fakes." Bage turned to the rest of the group as he continued.

"Once that happens, we'll need complete and total teamwork to take the Red King down. That will be our only chance before the Xy'phers get finished bombarding the Elites. How does that sound?"
 
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