The Reality Vortex: Red Reputations

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The Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

The clash of the two Saiyans shook the entire mountain side in their battle, and continued to brawl in the sky once the Air Dancer managed to slip out from the chaotic transition. The Air Dancer's output immediately disappeared once it slipped out and charged towards Superman, causing Vegetto to stop in his own movements. Without a source of energy to target in his flow of the memory, Vegetto's eyes shot open with a pained gasp as he fell onto his knees in the snow.

The Potara fusion panted heavily, the crackling electricity and red energy sprawling outwards around his body. The entire manifestation of the memory he was utilizing suddenly stopped as well; like the image itself was put on pause. The two Saiyans locked in their fateful duel remained still, and slowly, their physical presence began to fade and fade away. The silver gleam that had resonated in Vegetto's eyes vanished in an instant, his own pupils turning towards Clark blasting away with the Air Dancer hot on his tail.

"Clark!! Watch out!!"

Vegetto hacked in pain, suddenly coughing up blood that cascaded down into the snow. He clutched his chest, panting heavily while he stared down onto the ground.

"Damnit...I can't keep this up. At this rate, the Kaioken is gonna rip my body apart..."

He clenched his fists suddenly, his arms trembling as he slowly pushed himself off the ground.

"Gah!! Nnnrghh...no!! You don't get to rest!! I have...to...try!"

Vegetto grimaced heavily in pain; his bloodshot eyes straining while his pupils dilated. A small stream of blood trailed down from the sides of his eyes, the physical strain on his body all too apparent as he roared violently. The Kaioken aura surged under his command, his muscles dilating even larger in their unnatural push to fuel the power needed for his newest ability. He planted his feet firmly, his dual voice ringing out strong in a thunderous shout to Clark.

"Clark!! I need you to keep hitting it!! I can't follow its energy unless you make it use its power!!"

After the shout for help, Vegetto panted heavily, his eyes slowly shutting to hide the streaming bloodshot eyes that shook under the pressure in his drive for more.

It's not about me...it's about her. Find it...find the flow...

The pained whimper escaped Vegetto's lips first in the sheer fluidity of letting go of his own ego and the self preservation that tried to hold him in check. A deep air inhaled slowly into his nostrils, flaring widely as he expulsed the hot wind down into the snow. The strained and tense expression on his face began to slowly release and relax, his legs spacing out to move towards Kassava's stance.

Submit. Give in...let go of your pride...your fear...your anger. Give yourself...to the flame...

An intense blast of hot wind erupted forth from Vegetto's body at the submission, his arms suddenly flinging forward once more. His body shot upwards into the sky a few feet, and soon, it moved on its own to perfectly mimic Kassava's current, paused position. Yet once his arms flung into rhythm, the physical energy drove the memory back into motion. The two memories of the Saiyans launched back into their intense skirmish with wind and shockwaves of force erupting outward in every direction, materializing once again from their temporary ghostly afterimage that almost faded away.

Only soon, the real Vegetto began to tilt and change directions in his swinging on his own. His eyes remained shut; a lack of thought and conscious decision guiding his movements unlike his manual input before. His source was clear; the Potara fusion was turning his focus towards the Kryptonian. Even though Clark was not his target, the Kryptonian was close to the Air Dancer in position and Vegetto would have to rely on that signature to even come close to catching the Air Dancer. The memory shifted in kind to devastating effect; the grasslands and battling Saiyans turning in towards Clark and Air Dancer.

The mountain side began to crumble and erupt; the realistic battleground of the memory slamming through the very earth itself like tectonic plates crashing into one another. Massive chunks of the ground began to crash and blast outwards; burying any Xy'phers and those unfortunate enough to get caught in the mix within. Yet just as the Air Dancer was about to catch Clark, the pair of scuffling Saiyans blasted across the ground. The memory of Vegetto was locked into a defensive scurry to parry and block the staggering swarm of punches and kicks Kassava unleashed at him from every angle; a feat that he was able to easily perform in his transformed Super Saiyan Blue state.

The two shot past and threatened to crash into Air Dancer first, their surging energy and emotions of raw frustration and excitement for combat overwhelming compared to Clark's own emotional sensation in the battle. As they moved past Clark in the transition, however, the memory Vegetto attempted a thrust of his left elbow out in predicting Kassava to teleport into the path of his strike.

However, his wife did not appear in the zone where she would've been hit by the blow, the memory Vegetto's eyes widening in the split second realization that he missed. He suddenly vaulted and tumbled forward in the air; a devastating kick to his back from Kassava sending him flying forward. The memory Vegetto was suddenly pinballed across the sky in the following attacks; Kassava teleporting in and out of sight to barrage him in the advantage she gained from the Potara fusion's single mistake in the fight.

Yet across the way, the real Vegetto continued to phase in and out of sight too, flying alongside the memory of his long lost wife in the movements. The crackling electricity of the advanced Super Saiyan form and red aura of the Kaioken had disappeared entirely though, despite his hair still at the extended length of a Super Saiyan 3. Yet instead of the golden locks, a bright gleam of silver shined brilliantly from the rays of the sun hitting it. The gradual heat and flame-like aura of the all too familiar transformation began to surge around the real Vegetto's body in the movement, yet rising steadily without restriction or hampering from Vegetto's normal personality inhibiting the flow like every time before.

Despite the memories of the two Saiyans themselves exhibiting a flow of emotion and resolution in the combat, the real Vegetto held no such source to his movements. No fear...no rage...no desperation guided his movements for the very first time; almost an empty vessel shooting through the sky in mimicking Kassava's movements. Yet despite the lack of thought or emotion resonating from him, his energy and power that swirled from his body only grew stronger as time went on. Soon, his eyes slowly opened with an ominous gleam of light. His pupils now matched the silver glow of his hair, and the intense stare of Ultra Instinct locked down onto the Air Dancer instantly while Vegetto blasted through the sky. The energy Air Dancer outputted to defend against the memories gave Vegetto a source to lock onto once more, staring the creature down throughout his movements despite following alongside Kassava perfectly in the flow of combat.

Soon the memory played out in its entire intensity, the memory of Vegetto stopping the pinball effect of Kassava's juggling by abruptly killing all momentum before he could crash towards the ground. The Super Saiyan Blue version of the Potara fusion panted lightly while he floated in mid air high above, still mostly undamaged as Kassava and the real Vegetto appeared on the ground. Both shot up, attempting to flip up in a kick, but vaulted too fast and too far forward because there was no target to hit. Both crashed into the snow with a loud thud, while the memory of Vegetto Blue chuckled at the sight.

The reprieve gave an opening for Air Dancer; nothing was attacking him as Vegetto Blue shot upwards high in the sky in preparation for what was to come. Both Kassava and the real Vegetto vaulted to their feet instantly, with Kassava grunting and snarling in frustration while the real Vegetto held an emotionless, intense glare towards the sky. Without the Air Dancer utilizing power to defend against the memory or in attacking Clark yet, there was nothing for the real Vegetto to lock onto and therefore, led to the glare of Ultra Instinct shifting onto the memory of Vegetto instead in the flow of combat.

"Let's see you mock this one!!"

An ominous blast of energy surged in every direction; two gigantic blasts of raw power erupting outwards from the pair of Saiyans on the ground. The raw and desperate need to overcome her opponent in Kassava's ragged, unrefined burst of energy...alongside the smooth and empowering heat of Ultra Instinct matching it perfectly without struggle. The real Vegetto squatted down, matching Kassava's stance as she roared at the top of her lungs.

"Dragon's....!!!"

At the current rate of their position, the Air Dancer could easily dodge the strike due to Vegetto losing the Air Dancer's signature. The growing and ominous power building the attack got closer and closer to being complete, and unless something forced the Air Dancer to respond so Vegetto could lock onto its energy signature once more, the attack would fire and completely miss its target. The ground shattered beneath the two's feet, the memory of Vegetto Blue high in the sky waving them on with a crazed and battle hungry smirk.

"Do it girl!! Show me your....POWWWWWEEEEEEER!!!"
 
May lands on her but. May says as her normal mental state returns "I guess that one way of getting out doge." May gets up and says, "Thanks for the help and good job not being completely controlled by that forced paranoia, Avalon. " May pops a pill to help her but recover. May takes out another assault rifle.

May nods to agree with Lucifer and Spawn. May says "I think we shood keep in mind what on that level as we move on."
 
Team Distraction

Bernkastel glanced around with the others hearing a woman's voice-- and a name she never heard before. Who said that? Turning back to hear Zenta practically snarling at the name, her eyes widened in realization.

Berserk stopped in midair looking surprised there seemed to be someone speaking to them. "You guys hear that too? Who's tha--" she shouted at having been attacked out of nowhere by Zenta. Landing on the ground, Berserk thrashed her legs from under Zenta trying to kick him away while keeping her neck from getting whiplash. "Waah!! H-hey what gives?! Get off me!--" being shoved onto the floor next and pinned down, Berserk squirmed from under Zenta's weight. The punk tried to escape or fight back, but was unable to, only able to let out grunts of pain between her clenched teeth feeling deep cuts bore into her back.
Bernkastel watched, frozen in shock as she tried to register the commotion of what was transpiring in the deep darkness. The marble she had used as a light source rolled off into the dark and cast a low light barely enough for her to see. With wide eyes framing her blank face, Bern stared ahead unable to understand what caused Zenta's change in behavior so much.
Berserk let out another shout upon being tossed aside and crashing into Cayde on the way down, groaning and groggy from being disoriented. "What happened...?"

She unsteadily got up with his aid, rubbing her neck as her head pounded like she had a migraine. "Ouch..." The punk trailed off, looking up to hear a loud noice of Zenta blasting yet another hole to drag Spina through. "Hey, wait for me!" Berserk started to search for her missing sword, running her hands over the floor boards albeit a bit slowly due to her injuries. "Huh... what's all this thread on the floor?" Feeling long strands of something slide under her fingers Berserk slowly noticed how much lighter her head felt. The frigid air was touching her back too-- reaching at her wounds, her eyes widened at finding there wasn't a curtain of hair to move aside. As she knelt there her eyes slowly began to glow bright red in the darkness before floating through the series of holes left in the two's wake.


Bernkastel remained in the room with Guardian looming over her, everything in slow motion. She needed to do something, but what? Everything was spiraling out of her control in mere minutes, and was in serious danger of getting herself hurt. Bern scrunched her face in frustrated desperation at Guardian, a silent demand as to what she was getting at making such a remark. What Guardian said next, however, caused her to break out into a cold sweat.

"H...how did you..." she trailed off into silence, her expression looking more grave the longer she listened. Shaking her head 'no', she gave a stiff and nervous smile looking up at Guardian with the same wide-eyed gaze. "Logically?! What about this is logical in the slightest?! You can't expect me to come up with something that fast--"

"--Kill them."

"Huh?" Such a response came so quickly and plainly from within, it took her by surprise. "No, wait..."

"It will all end in the same trite nonsense as before. Those so-called friends disappear once they lose their grip on reality. Get rid of those two monsters and save yourself the trouble of worthless, useless, burdensome people. Do it. Kill them. Do it now."

Bern clasped her hands over her ears, biting her lip while she cowered in place. "...Nobody? Nowhere?"


"Just like she said: nobody. There isn't a single person in this world worth that much trouble. Not anymore. Everyone who says otherwise is a liar. Even yourself-- you failure."
 
Team Distraction

“I am slightly confused.” Guardian said as Bernkastel cowered and covered her ears. Her expression unchanged and her tone was dry and flat. “You hesitate and look away,” She swayed her hips upon walking, circling around the Witch and observing her movements. She lacks any notable footsteps; instead, it was a combination of various noises that echoed underneath her dress. “Mental noises inhibiting your judgment it seems.” The giant woman took Bernkastel’s hesitation at face value, having no further knowledge about her subconscious beyond being supposedly looking troubled. “This won’t do; you cannot be weighed down by scattered thoughts. Not if you are in a situation where a Clear Mind is necessary, such as this.”

She crouched down to Bernkastel’s level and stared at her with glistering white eyes; an indication of what a person will look if one were to achieve such a state. A state that was strangely similar to that of what Doctor Doom achieved during his final stand. As darkness balloons around them in a similar manner to what Detective Goku did as an Xy’pher, Guardian held up Bernkastel’s chin up so they can lock eyes. Her cold hands matched the dryness in her voice, her lips parting once more.

“What would be a logical choice for you,” Guardian asked once more. “Bernkastel, the Witch of Miracles?”
 
Bernkastel held her hands close to her chest as if to make herself shrink, glancing up at Guardian while she circled around-- although the Overseer showed no particular expression one way or another, her stature was more intimidating to Bern than before. Probably because it felt akin to a shark circling a stranded creature in the water. Even without the opposing thoughts swimming in her head, the witch still had the issue of how to act. When Guardian crouched down before her, her eyes caused Bern to let out a quiet gasp of surprise. It held her attention in such a way that she didn't notice the world around them became pitch-black; but its odd familiarity spiked her heartbeat if only for a moment. Long enough, she stood still for Guardian to forcibly hold her gaze.

Her cold grasp made Bern hold her breath, glancing over Guardian's shoulder upon realization they stood in a void of nothingness. Somehow that made her even more uneasy. She couldn't reach a hand out and call to anybody for help and make Guardian go away.

"I..." Bern's voice was a feeble whisper above silence. The insistence from within to just obliterate Zenta and Spina was a strong one but so was the insistence she salvage the situation some other way. Both of them showed terrifying, malevolent visages at this moment where time slowed to an infinitesimal crawl; but now, in this void, she did not have to stare at such nightmarish imagery. The vast nothingness was a leeway for her to seek comfort from within.

Spina had never really smiled or expressed joy in front of Bern, so he always had some kind of scowl on his features. Because of their dispositions, they'd always kept their distance from each other. The sensation of her hand grasping his, was a mark they were friends. There was acceptance, despite appearances that they would surely be at odds. She didn't know what to think then when he first touched foreheads with hers, but perhaps it meant he saw her as more than a mere subordinate. Bern is always cold, but she felt warmth from both gestures.

The same with Gogeta; it might have been the understanding of feeling persecuted and alone that drew her to him. Not necessarily promises of companionship or shared power, but she found solace in the ability to have a second chance in an outsider after what had happened with Doom. Even after their brief turmoil, he was able to accept her as a friend once more. Gogeta's optimistic outlook, wide smiles, and hugs... were also warm.

And although she also knew so little of Zenta, despite the many mistakes she had made, he didn't turn her away. She still can't quite comprehend why he was always being nice to her, but he seemed invested in seeing her do better as well as Gogeta. The beast with its bloody muzzle pulled back to bare sharp teeth tinted in red... was not the same as the sagely man she was used to seeing. She also found warmth in his acceptance of her.

"I... want to help my friends. They're not themselves, is all. Once I fix the cause of it, they'll be right as rain." Bern's voice was audible now, but trembled a bit as she mustered the strength to believe in her own words. The strength to understand rather than punish her friends, as she foolishly failed to grasp with Gogeta.

'...... Do you truly believe that?'

I must; I'm the only one who can do it.


"Your Clear Mind technique... can it help me accomplish that?" She stared earnestly into Guardian's eyes, all traces of the terror vanished.
 
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Team Distraction

Upon Bernkastel asking if such a thing can help save her friends, Guardian halted her response. Instead, the Overseer prioritized examining the Witch’s eyes; intensely staring to see if something had changed. Upon closer inspection, a hint of white permanently formed on the bottom portion of her pipuls; indicating that Bernkastel was indeed tapping into the essence of Clear Mind. It’s difficult for one to remain impassive after hearing Bernkastel’s declaration of saving her friends; but Guardian was unmoved by it.

The hint of tapping into Clear Mind; however, not a reaction, but gave a legitimate reason to formulate an answer to Bernkastel. Standing up straight after seeing the Witch of Miracles was no longer bothered by her subconscious thoughts, Guardian raised a single finger and tapped Bernkastel’s forehead.

“I cannot say, little one,” Guardian answered in a dry tone, “It’ll come to you naturally, eventually, and you’ll deduced which choice to be the best suited for any situation. But for now, I’m granting you the ability to use a breathing technique tap into Clear Mind, until you learn to utilized it on your own. A temporary moment by taking a deep breath, that grants you from freedom from everything, including subconscious thoughts, to determine a logical choice, and then some.” The Overseer turned to the direction where Zenta and Spina were, before turning back to Bernkastel; an indication that time will soon start. The killing instinct from Spina had grow exponentially, and his body had increased in size.

The small emergence of Clear Mind was clearly in the beginning stages, but the fact that Bernkastel was still able to tap into it this much on her own, especially at her first try, shows promise to Guardian as her avatar. She parted her lips once more with the same question:

““What would be a logical choice for you, Bernkastel, the Witch of Miracles?”
 
team distraction
"I should've figured it wouldn't be that easy. But that alone will suffice at the moment." Bern frowned a bit, rubbing her forehead before stepping forward and feeling something scrape along the floor by her foot. Raising an eyebrow, she bent over and grasped the object in the darkness: it was rectangular and felt like the visor she had given Zenta. Staring into the hole in the wall, Bernkastel stepped through it and entered the next room without much change in her expression.

The situation was only escalating and she had little time left to intervene while the world was still slowed down so much. Sighing quietly, the Witch inhaled as much air as her lungs could contain before holding it in; it was still dark, but there was a brief flash where the world's colors had inverted before falling back to total nothingness. Only now there were misty clusters within proximity, rather formless but vaguely humanoid. Guardian was probably standing behind her, but as she could tell, the person she was referring to wasn't in view at all-- that Overseer must have finished their tantrum and skulked off after warping Zenta's mind. In utter silence, Bern stood with even her own heartbeat practically silent.

So this is Clear Mind.

The only thing that was off to her was the flu-like sensation as though she stood at the bottom of a pool with the water weighing down on her body-- as soon as she released her breath, the world would no longer be frozen in this odd dimension, so she had to act quickly. Bernkastel strode over to the two misty figures and guessed the one crouched on the floor was Zenta. Her gaze slid up to the one that was far more sinister, towering above all the others. It didn't feel like Spina's presence, or at least not in its entirety; it was likely that 'thing' she had seen flash across her mind forcibly bringing out rage far beyond Spina's normal temperament.

Opportunistic, aren't we? Best to take care of that one first.

Bern pointed at it. "I'm going to negate the killing intent directly. That should push back the progression and return Spina to his senses." As long as Clear Mind allowed her into this segment of reality, she likely could damage it without physically harming him.

Her lungs were on the precipice of giving out, starting to ache from holding so long. Time was running out. Widening her stance and standing in front of Zenta, Bernkastel coiled her arms inward as a flickering aura began to emanate outward slowly but surely. It licked around her arms like a colorless fire phasing between black and white; lunging forward, Bernkastel raked her long nails across the malevolent silhouette's torso leaving flaming streaks of black slashed across the white mist. Her lungs were now threatening to expunge the air she'd kept inward for so long, so she opted for a devastating finisher to erase the killing intent from Spina's soul.

"Begone," Bern's thoughts echoed as she flicked her wrist forward-- six bursts of the monochrome aura streamed out from around her forearm and then reconvened at the silhouette's chest dead-center, as though a firework had flared out in glittering white before reversing itself into pitch-black and imploding. At that point, Bern could no longer hold out, gasping momentarily to bring new air into her lungs. The black void around her quickly dissolved back to the normal plane and time was no longer slowed to a halt.

"You... dropped this..." she said breathlessly, glancing over her shoulder as she gently pressed the visor into Zenta's chest for him to take.

Berserk had floated up behind Cayde, still visibly upset due to her glowing eyes, but was left bewildered at how the Witch closed in the distance faster than her own perception could have detected. She chose to remain silent.
 
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Team Distraction

(Sorry for the back and forth! Just need to get this scene steady! This should be the end and we'll shall resume as normal! Thank for your patience :) )

“That’s your answer, hmm? How intriguing… it might even entertain Spirit.” Guardian observed Bernkastel’s first attempt of using Clear Mind. No doubt that accessing it for the first time took a heavy toll on her body. The breathing technique needed to enter the state needed absolute clarity and erasure of everything and any kind of slip up could result dangerous consequences on the user. Yet, Bernkastel was able to wield it in such a way that even the most apathetic person would at the very least, be astound. Especially amusing, Bernkastel used it in a way that outright denied Brutality’s agitation. Just as the dark void vanished, and time, in Bernkastel’s perspective, resumed once more, the Guardian slowly vanished.

“You are quite capable, little one. Just as I expected,” Guardian’s eye on her torso opened for the first time, blinking once. “You’ll keep the breathing technique for a while longer, little one. A charming gift, hmm?” Her large eye closed, and with that, she vanished from her sight with only these parting words: “Seek me out if needed… with Clear Mind in your grasp, you’ll become an exceptional Rescinded…”


Spina blinked once; his eyes darting around erratically to familiarize his surroundings as if he was lost for a while. Observing the strange room, his eyes first lay on Berserk and noticed that her hair was noticeably shorter than he remembered. The he slowly turns to Bage, who held a bottle, and Cayde before finally landing on Bernkastel. The first thing he took noticed is the hint of white on the very edges of Bernkastel’s hair. More, as he starts to recall, Bernkastel was in another room after he got attack by Zenta, now she’s literally next to them. Regardless, his mind was clear now—the most it has been. The immense killing instinct that constantly overflowed was no longer detectable. His rage, the paranoia, hatred, and the rigid buildup that acted on his destructive outbursts vanished instantly. His angered eyes soften extremely, and his withered appearance no longer took form to Bernkastel.

Then, the unsettling pain settled. Spina shoved Zenta away from him, as he had a fistful of fur, and instinctively went shouted in agony. “Argghhh!!!!” He dropped the fur from his hand and went to grab his right shoulder to stop the bleeding. His screams were so loud that it travels across the manor as well; even Team Stealth that was close proximity can hear his painful cry. “What the hell did you do that for, you damn bastard!?” Despite his anger—it was clearly out of visible annoyance, rather than the immense hatred that was boiling inside of him. “Have you lost your damn mind!? The hell is the matter with you!?”
 
Team Distraction

While Zenta was still dazed and confused as to what happened, he turned his attention to Spina who quickly gripped on to his chest fur. Already agitated and frightened, Zenta's body tensed, equally ready to attack Spina at a given notice with bared bloody fangs. Luckily, for the both of them, the chance never came. As the beast turned his head to gaze at Bernkastel, she was gone from his 'sight', completely unable to track her or spot her. The next moment, he, too, was screaming in agony due to Spina ripping out a fistful of his chest fur.

"Arrrghhhh!!!" Zenta gripped his chest to feel the lack of fur he had before quickly turning his head to Spina, remembering that he bit down on his arm. "Mr. Spina, I-- I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me..! I saw a lady in a dress, then she showed me my memories and I--" Zenta instantly caught himself mid-sentence and lowered his already scared gazed to the floor. He wanted to avoid saying more. "The Lady in the Dress showed me things that seemed so... real. Were they real or not..?"

Before Zenta can answer that question, he quickly remembered the taste of Spina's blood in his mouth and gagged, spitting out any blood he had left in his mouth. The beast's face, drenched in blood and sweat, was riddled with fear and shame. He fell to his knees, shaking, the overpowering scent of blood clouding his mind with terror. What did he do in his panicked rage? He felt all eyes on him. His hands pressed against the floor, holding him up. He felt something wet between his fingers and on his palms. Was it Spina's blood or someone else's? He was too scared to find out but assumed the worst.

W-What happened to me..? He thought. Have I... lost control?

His breathing began to get faster and faster at the thought of having lost his composure. Something was bothering him down to his core and his pained expression, even without eyes, was a dead giveaway.

I... must flee. I am too much of a danger..! I cannot hurt them... I promised Cuki. I will not go back to being--

Zenta's face shot up as he felt Bernkastel pressed the cracked visor onto his chest. He did not even notice her move or approach him. However, when she did, all she saw was a face full of genuine confusion and despair, and if he had eyes, he would have tears. There was a long pause before his lower jaw formed a deep frown and trembled. The fear he experienced no doubt traumatized him to an extent, but what was it that he saw. Was he more scared of his current actions towards the Breakers, or was he trembling from the visions he was forced to watch. Although he could not see his visor, he had to gently touch Bernkastel's hand to grip it. His hand shook like a leaf in the winter wind.

"...Thank you, My Lady." Zenta said softly. "...Did I hurt you too..?"


Team Stealth

As Team stealth escaped the room, Avalon was ready to keep running if it meant getting away from those...things. However, he stopped when he realized that the monsters were no longer chasing or attacking them. The beasts never once stepped out of the room and remained behind the doorway, almost as if forced to. With the danger gone, Avalon let out a sigh of relief and noticed that he no longer felt anxious or paranoid anymore. The moment he left the room, his mind was clear of all malicious thoughts. He quickly turned to the others and wondered if they were recovering just like he did, and let out another sigh of relief.

"Looks like we all made it out in one piece," Avalon said with a grunt as he hopped off his paper tiger. "Are we all okay?"

"I am fine," Nia said as she shook her head free of those lingering thoughts. "All body parts are in their rightful place, I hope." Nia stared intently in the room before overhearing Lucifer speak to her. Her head nodded to answer his question. "Yes, I am back to my normal senses and I do feel a hive nearby..." The Xy'pher turned her head towards Team Distraction and pointed in their direction. "There, this is where I sense the entrance to the hive..."

While Avalon counted his own body parts to make sure he had everything, he overheard Spawn and Lucifer's comments. A light blue tint formed on his cheeks, embarrassed from the slight praise.

"Shucks, thanks Detective Spawn. I'm trying my best to keep up with you guys..." Avalon then turned to Lucifer and stuck his tongue out. "I couldn't have done it without May tho'! That speed boost was what we needed to get out just in time."

"As much as I regret disrupting your glory, I must state something odd that happened to me." Nia stared back in the room they escaped from, getting goosebumps. "In that room, my mind was suddenly consumed with paranoia and mad thoughts. It was as if anger and... an instinct took over. My mind is free of those evil thoughts now, but I wonder. Was I the only one who was affected by this?"

"No, I was also... paranoid. It happened around the same time we entered that room, specifically when we started to climb up those petrified Xy'phers. I had terrible urges to... hurt you guys." The ninja tried not to dwell on it, at least not now. "But before we dive on that, we should find Team Distrac--"

Avalon and Nia both picked up their heads in the direction of Spina and Zenta screaming. It was not too far from them!

"Ah! That sounds like the screaming voices of your hairy leader and the dog." Nia stated. "If they are screaming in agony, then it is possible they found the hive's entrance and are being attacked. ...But I don't sense any Xy'phers near them."

"That was Spina and Zenta screaming... They're both tough as nails, so why would they be screaming if there are no Xy'phers? ...Something's off! We should go investigate!"

"Hold on, what about the plan--" Nia stopped herself as Avalon rushed by her on his paper tiger.

Within seconds, Avalon burst through the door and into the same room as Team Distraction and noticed Spina's blood on the floor as well as a hole and a room with many broken items. He thought that they were attacked, but noticed no Xy'phers nearby, just like Nia said. Instead, he saw blood on Zenta's mouth and hands and Spina's wounded arm with some bite marks on it. Bernkastel caught his eye due to her hair now having white tips. Nothing made sense to him as he slowly walked in the room, expecting something to happen.

"...Uhh, is everyone okay? What the heck happened?" His eyes then shifted to Berserk, who now had short hair. He saw strands of her hair on the floor followed by the blood and deep gashes on her back. His funny and dorky persona instantly changed. "Berserk! What happened to you?! Your hair! What happened to everyone? Who attacked you guys?!"
 
Bara simply reassembled herself, although grunting at the spots where she was hit as it did hurt her, but her Majin genetics enabled her to deal with it regardless, her expression serious.

"Apparently there must be something that, whoever our attackers were, don't want us to see or find, or they were simply too far gone in their mindset by simply attacking us on sight... either out of territorial instinct or simply because they can... something doesn't add up here however...." She muttered.
 
Team Distraction
Bage looked on in concern as Zenta started rampaging again, this time making Berserk and Spina his targets. After Zenta had finally released Berserk, he tried to follow to try and restrain Zenta somehow. Bage turned to the room the seemingly feral beast had dragged Spina into, ready to pull him off of the older Saiyan, but stopped at the silence.
The senior detective peeked in after Cayde and simply stared in a moment of silence to see if the cyborg would get an answer to his question. But as Spina's scream filled the air, Bage's frozen body leaped into action once it seemed safe.

"I've got you, just hold still." The Saiyan tore a sleeve from his coat, using the fabric to apply pressure to Spina's arm wound. Zenta had really bit down hard enough to cause this much blood to spill? And this whole thing about a woman in a dress? Nothing was making sense.

At the sound of footsteps, The detective's heart nearly dropped. He knew that commotion would get them caught! But before he could get an order out to the group, the strangers revealed themselves to be the stealth team, causing Bage to give a loud audible sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, it's just you guys."
 
Bernkastel's breathing was audible as she worked to calm the ache in her ribcage, looking between Spina and Zenta as she observed what the outcome of her technique was. Normally her reaction would have been a building rage leading to a very aggravated lecture about having nearly ruined the entire plan. Instead she was just relieved, even sporting a soft smile on her features.

It really worked... and I didn't have to hurt anyone. I did it!

"I'm a little... fatigued... but it's not like you punched me. I've had worse." She clasped her other hand over Zenta's trembling grip. "All that matters is you've returned to your senses."

Berserk scoffed audibly, turning over her shoulder upon hearing several sets of footsteps coming their way. She brandished her sword with her glowing red irises reflecting off it prepared to face a horde. However, when they revealed themselves to be Avalon and the rest of his team, she lowered her arm and went back to scowling.

When Avalon asked what happened to her, her expression soured even more. "...I don't want to talk about it," the Powerpunk uttered gruffly, placing a hand over her shoulder like she expected to push back her long hair doing so. "Even if I did, I couldn't tell you why. I'm not sure what just happened myself."

"You lot got here just in time. One moment too early and I fear something bad might have happened." Bernkastel stated, her tone flatly casual but she still had an oddly cheerful expression on despite the total mess around her. "My theory now is that this manor is laden with traps that include a psychological kind. In that room, we were seeing if we'd be able to at least find clues about where the hive might be, or maybe some useful items. Unfortunately it's all dusty knick-knacks," Bern explained aloofly while gesturing to History's room.

"We were just fine n' dandy, stumbled on one of those even," Berserk jerked a thumb towards the bottle in Bage's hands. "At least until old Zenny here went completely bonkers. Talking about some lady in a dress, but I'm damn sure there isn't a living soul in this manor besides us."

"Maybe so. But think about it; how does a blind man 'see' a woman and know exactly what she looks like? We've already seen before this manor has uncanny properties. Like that mysterious room everyone felt inclined to open. That one was surely a trap too. In fact it sounded like the Xyphers intentionally avoided the one we broke into." Bernkastel was too late to use Clear Mind, but if she used it just when Zenta started to act out, she likely could have seen the person accosting him in that void-like dimension. "Perhaps it was a trap that causes people to turn against one another. A malediction that has a limited area, from the looks of it, since it seems he's back to normal." The Witch looked down at the cowering beast.

"But there is no need to worry. If it happens once more, I know just what to do; I can see much more clearly than before." Leaning in to be level with Zenta's empty sockets as she assisted in replacing his visor, her smile widened as she spoke sweetly to him. Yet, if only for a moment, her gaze looked strangely vacant with the tinge of white deep in her empty purple eyes as though she saw through Zenta rather than looked at him directly. "The wicked lady is gone now, rest assured. But if you see her appear to come and bother you again, please tell me."

Berserk looked away from Zenta, eyes softening only a sliver. Her irritation remained but it seemed like she was more upset with herself than him since she just stared down at the weapon in her hand. "Whatever. Just... keep your mitts to yourself. Otherwise you'll be missing more than a fistful of fur, fluffy."

"Don't worry, yours will grow back soon enough. I wish I had that luxury unfortunately..." for now, Bernkastel decided to keep the tidbit about the inactive black orbs to herself. They wouldn't be of any aid right now against the king anyway and making a new set was out of the question if Guardian was correct. "All in all, we're a little worse for wear, but you guys look like you've been through Hell itself in comparison."
 
May says "Nia odds are the plan was not going last first contact with the enemy. That and this is a chance to confirm some things about these towers." May follows Avaoln's lead.

May says "I gest we found about the mind fuckrey firsthand." May thinks seeing the state of Zenta and Spina "By the sounds what we ran into was easier to deal with or that somehow our group avoided the worst of it. What we dealt with was paranoia and we brut forced past that."
 
A Glimpse Behind the Scenes

Tear it down, Start Over Again.

Mysterious Manor – The Room of Eden

The sight of Zenta’s panic caused Spina to soften his approach. Normally, as of late, the old Saiyan would’ve lashed out at Zenta for daring to lay hands on him. Yet, his killing instinct and obscured dark aura nearly vanished. No longer unhinged and his mind cleared, Spina instead let out an annoyed grunt after Zenta sobbingly tried to explain. At first, the old Saiyan was baffled at such explanation. Not once, after entering the manor, did they encounter anyone else. Once Bage starting to apply pressure on his wound, the old Saiyan thought about Roya. Did she managed to follow them to the manor without them noticing? But Zenta mentioned that this woman was in a dress—something he don’t see Roya wearing such attire.

Upon hearing sets of footsteps coming to their direction, Spina tensed in preparation for battles. It could be possible that it’s the woman that Zenta was talking about, or the horde of Xy’phers that picked up on the commotion. Yet, any attempts to move made the wound on his right shoulder worse. “Argh…” Spina grunted and fell on his knees, feeling the burning sting throughout his body in waves. His quick regeneration, oddly enough, was not active.

Thankfully, it was Team Stealth that arrived on the scene. It seems that the pathway of both towers led them to the same room. As Berserk and Bernkastel explained what transpired, Spawn stared at Zenta for a while. He looked around afterward, observing if he can sense anything deeper than usual. As opposed to those that can sense or see energy, Spawn can see souls. If any presence of a person was here, a lingering string of their soul will still be left behind, to indicate that there were others. But there was none. Either Zenta was making it up to cover up his aggression, or there exist a being so great that they can erased even their own existence to escape detection.

Naturally, Spawn was skeptical. Only until the Detective noticed a tinge of white in her dull eyes. “Is that…?” He mumbled to himself, making no mistake. Those were the same eyes that Detective Goku had during their bout.

“Hardly,” Lucifer joked. “A couple of beatings here and there, but I say we managed to leave without too much damage.” He pressed his hand on the face where he sustained an injury in that room. “Indeed, that this manor contains some mysterious properties that goes beyond our understanding. The room held Xy’phers, but they were all petrified as they stood. So much that it sends false signals to Nia… perhaps that’s why we were unable to find the source of their hive.” He peered through the dozens of walls that Zenta smashed through and briefly look at History’s room from afar. “Upon stepping into it, it rendered our natural abilities useless, and flooded our minds with paranoia, fear, and aggression.” He said, expanding on what May stated. “But what stood out is the reason behind those petrified Xy’phers. Creatures that held no distinct personalities exist in that room. They were malicious—brutal even and attack without mercy. Killing Aura was the only thing that lingered from them, as if they were merely machines with a single purpose.” Lucifer explained. “Beautiful, honestly.”

The angel turned to Spina and nodded his head. “A similar aura that you were firing off lately, Spina. Now? You seem to be in good spirit. As if that aura of destruction ceased. I don’t know how that happened, but…” His eyes locked onto the cowering Zenta. “It was just as suspected…”

“Huh? There’s no such thing as good spirit.” Spina said, missing the point. “I am… calmer now…” The older Saiyan felt his left arm going limp and numb, as if it was no longer capable of operating anymore.

“Huh…?” Spawn snapped out of it after staring at Bernkastel longer than he should have. “What are you—”

“Now that the nuisances are out of the way, there will be actual growth. Even you could tell that that the killing aura is no longer apparent. Though, Bernkastel’s aura also changed slightly… but it seems incomprehensible to me… curious” Lucifer said. “Unfortunately, Zenta proved to be a thorn. Tsk. Tsk. Maybe we should put out down now that you tasted blood of a mortal, hehe. Even Berserk’s hair was tarnished.” He joked. The shadow behind Zenta morphed and broke away from the beast. Instantly, it latches onto Lucifer’s shadow, absorbing within it. “Ah, Lilith. Something to report?”

Briefly, Lucifer nodded to everything Lilith reported. “Brilliant. Thanks as always, my dear.” He turns to the others with a devilish smile on his face, clearly looking at Zenta the most. “I supposed there should be reasons to believe that Bernkastel and Ba—Zenta are expressing truths here. There could be someone in this manor that escape our detection.” Lucifer walked around this strange room that they were in. Unlike the rest of the rooms that both Team Distraction and Stealth ventured off too, this was the only one that did not contain any supernatural elements. Rather, it was simply just a room with a single portrait of a man and a bed.

“Nevertheless, you guys found a bottle that could explain the supernatural elements in this room, hmm?” Lucifer turned to Bage. “Let’s hear the contents of the letter, hmm?”



The Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

Clark soared downward to vanquish the last wave of Xy’phers. “The Red King tends to send an alarming amount for capture, but this is ridiculous.” He observed. “The Air Dancer is a brilliant fighter on its own right, why excessive amount of backup?”

After thinking about it, Clark remembered how the Xy’phers were usually just regulated to small, infrequent bouts to force Vegetto and himself into the defense. Once cornered, desperation will often slip out unconsciously, the Air Dancer will react to such emotions. “If we can destroy those Xy’phers and—” The apparent memory projected onto the real world from Vegetto was starting to lose form. Clark perked up in response to Vegetto’s faint warning, seeing the Air Dancer rushing towards his direction.

Naturally, Clark fired an eye beam towards the Air Dancer in reaction. Just as the Air Dancer readied itself to deflect the attack, the memories stabilized and materialized once more in a more apparent fashion. As the memories of Kassava and Vegetto collided into a barrage of blows and closed in between Clark and Air Dancer, the latter once again became troubled to focus on the variety of intense emotions ringing around it.

The Air Dancer tried to deflect the blows launched by the memories—but remained ineffective. The highly concentrated air bullets phased through them; Clark’s eye beams struck it with devastating effects since his focus was shifted towards the memory. In reaction, it tumbled back until it crashed against the ground. Only a moment did the Air Dancer stood on its feet.

Clark landed on the ground in kind to observe the Air Dancer’s next move. “Keep hitting… it? Easier said than done.” The Kryptonian was all too familiar to how the Air Dancer operates. “A problematic opponent…. It’ll latched onto any sort of hostility or bursts of emotions. Especially those who don’t control it well…” Clark eyed the Air Dancer, who was moving erratically now as the memories played out. “If I recalled… it constantly attacked Zenta without warning. It gotten so bad; Doctor Doom had to separate two because it’ll be impossible to do anything otherwise. Even a hint will cause it to go completely bonkers… take that way, it’ll just stand there and do absolutely nothing.”

Narrowing his eyes, Clark noticed that not only the Air Dancer slowed its erratic movements, but its body was also changing to a different color: a brilliant shine of gold. “That color… reserved for the strongest…” But more, despite the alarming rate of emotions overflowing from the memory, it did not attack. “It used me as a means to escape Vegetto’s memory… and now this? It is adapting to its situation?”

Clark turned his head slightly to see what Vegetto was doing—it seems that he was unable to pinpoint the creature exactly. Turning back to the Air Dancer once again, the Xy’pher creature was coated in gold and its erratic movements had stopped.

Crossing his arms, the snow around him started to melt in an alarming rate. Any nearby Xy’pher that tried to close in were simply caught on fire. “It’s risky… but I need to force it to react.” His body released steam from the increased temperature; his hair slightly spiked; his aura billowed around like a raging star. His eyes glowed bright red as energy flowed out of his mouth. “Super Flare… Stage 1” He said with a soft tone, before ending it when a mighty roar. An explosive amount of solar energy erupted from his body into a gigantic burst of explosive force.

The Air Dancer crotched down as the rain of fire tore through the earth towards it. Its natural instincts to attack anything with explosive emotions remained unchanged; but it seems its methods had changed.

Brilliance Air

From the Air Dancer’s perspective, everything phased into darkness. Pouring everything into a particular object or living thing, until the one thing that stood our are the real Vegetto and Clark, tuning everything out to avoid its instinct from reacting to other bursts of emotions.

Golden Wind

A barrage of destructive swings collided against Clark’s Super Flare; Air Dancer attempted to force its way in to get to the Kryptonian. It was a brilliant show of movements, to the point that it managed to bypass Clark, hurling blows towards Vegetto right behind.

“Damn….! But don’t think I can’t push this even further…!” Clark, agonizing from the effects of the Kryptonite and Super Flare burning through his cells, he attacks the Air Dancer head on to keep it at bay.
 
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The Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

The powering up had nearly completed; the dangerous explosion of energy emitting from both the real Vegetto and the memory of Kassava rising to even greater heights; the Potara fusion's silver hair having finally receded to its normal length in the power up. The flow of the battle sparked Vegetto's attention in Clark's Super Flare, the silver eyes soon darting up once the Golden Wind had been unleashed.

Vegetto tensed his muscles slightly, his body naturally moving into a defensive position. His conscious thought did not power his movements this time, and in reacting to the present, his energy signature shifted dramatically. The stored energy remained but despite the overwhelming presence of the memory, every single aspect of the scene itself vanished immediately once Vegetto moved to the defensive. The memory of himself, Kassava, and the land of the Kaioshin's training world that smashed into the mountainside had completely disappeared.

A strange connection existed in the moveset; Vegetto's new empathetic abilities allowing him to pull on some sort of shared power, let alone memories to his dead wife. The power to manipulate time itself was still out of the Potara fusion's reach, but the residual physical connection left in the wake of their fusion long ago gave Vegetto access to powers only known to Kassava at the time.

Yet here, no such alteration of history could take place in the Vortex; the memory only manifesting due to the manipulation of time from a long dead universe. The Reality Vortex held no general history, no constraint of time to manipulate directly that could control the very universe itself within Vegetto's reach.

So when Vegetto's body empowered his defense and subconsciously attempted to pull on time itself in the present day, nothing happened. No confusion, anger, or emotion showed in Vegetto's expression while his arms flew through the air and parried the residual energy striking at him. Yet his eyebrow twitched, the culmination of power built within his body in preparation for the Dragon Fist beginning to overwhelm him.

His body once again reached deep, attempting to bend time itself to his call but no such effect occured. His body tensed slightly, and in searching for a new option, his empathetic pull grew stronger. Recall the memory of the fallen once more, finish the memory and unleash the attack. Yet in such a transcended state beyond conscious thought, his body could not think or pull the memory forward any further and instead, his empathic call grew stronger in the world around them.

Vegetto's silver eyes widened ever so slightly, an intense rush of emotion filling the air from around his body. The source of it was not Vegetto himself or emitted his signature, but the aura of it resonated from his body. He stood almost powerless as the devastating and ominous sensation grew further, dwarfing the emotion behind the rush of the battle between the three and the memory from earlier. It resonated like a boiling water; a scorching heat that held a similar feel to rage and anger. However, unlike the wild inferno of either emotion, the pressure was pointed and searing. A malicious intent so suffocating and toxic, it nearly felt cold in the sensation.

In tandem, Vegetto suddenly coughed and nearly fell forward. His silver eyes fluttered at the sensation washing him that grew so intense, it encompassed the entire mountainside. With enough of the sensation mounting in the air, pure hatred could be felt seeping into Vegetto's body as the response to his empathic call; a pull on something in the present Vortex answering in kind. The silver fire faultered like a flame being snuffed out, receding slowly under the presence of an energy that more than quadrupled Vegetto's power.

The Potara fusion's mind nearly shattered under the weight of the force being applied to his entire body, his body trembling immensely. No voice rung out within his brain, but the hatred he felt from whatever he pulled on surged strongly and seemingly etched a single sentence within his brain.

Y̵̎̀͌ͨÒ̭̺͈̯̮́̀͛͊͒Ụ̫͎̫̗̟ͤ'̶̲̞̦̤͙̦̑͋̈͐̿ͅṞ̏͊E͉͇̍ͨ ̶̌M̶̗̹̱̙̣͆̓̄̚I͚̗͖̙̤̝̘͛ͬ̈́͆N͙̙̓ͤͯE̳̼̣̼̤͖͓͗̉̊̃.


The intense power of Ultra Instinct responded to the hatred quickly; as if registering another enemy in the flow of battle. The immediate reaction of fear within Vegetto soon melted away; a deep breath inhaling through his nostrils while he suddenly bolted to the side in a bid to detach and get distance on whatever came over him. The connection vanished immediately; an aura of hatred lingering in the area where Vegetto had stood moments before while the Potara fusion shot forward.

Instead of finishing the memory, Vegetto vaulted forward towards Air Dancer locked in combat with Clark; the Kryptonian on his last against the draining Kryptonite and Super Flare tearing into his body. The brilliant shine of silver energy cleared away the toxic energy that had been suffocating Vegetto moment's before; the destructive power rising as a silver Shenron made of pure energy began to coil around Vegetto's forearm.

"DRAGON'S FIST!!"

Surging past Clark, Vegetto roared heavily as the silver energy dragon blasted forward from his fist. The massive dragon eclipsed all three in its massive size, the dragon's maw opening up and attempting to bite down onto the Air Dancer before erupting into a massive explosion that engulfed the entire mountain in its wake.



Mysterious Manor - The Room of Eden

In seeing the detective move to mend Spina's arm, Cayde stood with his hand simply resting on the grip to his gun. Yet soon his mechanical eyes narrowed ever so slightly, his attention landing on Bernkastel first. The witch's smile confirmed the android's suspicions as he stared down at her; the idea of her congratulating herself on some unknown feat going against everything Cayde had been warned about by his friend.

Cayde's expression remained in looking over Bernkastel with a pointed stare, slowly lifting towards Spina and Zenta. The dramatic example did not surprise him too much in Zenta; the android had already been convinced that something had tainted his composure and ability to maintain a rational state of mind. A small sensation of relief washed over Cayde at the sight of Zenta returning to his senses, but it was soon replaced once again with concern in seeing Spina retreat slightly in mercy. The displays of both Bernkastel and Spina went against what he knew of the two. He stood thinking on the prospect, that even though Zenta had been somewhat cleansed, other forces seemed to be manipulating those two deeper in the android's mind.

The android listened very intently to Lucifer's explanation and theories, his stone expression easy to mask his thoughts and own opinions on the matter. And once Lucifer mentioned the letter, Cayde turned his head towards Bage with a playful expression that completely shifted from his serious thoughts, as if the android hadn't been paying attention.

"Yeah...please? There's a whole lot of 'Red King not dying' going on around here."
 
Bage focused his energy on Spina's bite wound, tying the sleeve around the marks tightly to hopefully stop the spilling of blood completely. It was strange, usually, Spina's new ability would have healed him by now. The detective briefly remembered back in the city, that Spina was like a regenerating Zombie, allowing his limbs to pop off at any moment before putting himself back together. So why wasn't it working now?

"Okay, that should stop the bleeding in a second. if it continues, we may have to singe the bite shut." Bage sighed, sitting down next to the leader of the breakers to give himself a short rest. He quietly listened to the group conversation and lifted his head as Lucifer addressed him. "Right... Something else is clearly going on that we can't explain. Hopefully, this bottle will help shed some light on whatever just happened. So let's not be so quick to point fingers at each other."

The detective reached down and grabbed the bottle and carefully brought it closer, preparing to display the contents to the rest of the group.
 
One moment too early and I fear something bad might have happened...

...At least until old Zenny here went completely bonkers.

Unfortunately, Zenta proved to be a thorn...

...Maybe we should put out down now that you tasted blood of a mortal, hehe.


The more Zenta listened, the more he pieced together what happened. During his rage he hurt the others. Even with Bernkastel's gentle touch on his hand and her assisting to put the visor on his face, he barely moved or reacted. All he could do was stare at his hands and remember the final words that History said to him.

Death follows, Baliko...

She took my eyes and drowned my mind in those memories...
Zenta thought as he continued to shake. What else can she see...? The Lady in the dress, History...

The longer Zenta dwelled on it, the more he began to worry about his actions and whether he poses a danger to the Breakers. He was containing his panic and fear, almost as if he was trying to keep something away from the Breakers. Slowly he descended to sorrow until, from the echoed screams of those memories, he heard a familiar voice call out to him ever so gingerly.

The wicked lady is gone now... If you see her appear to come and bother you again, please tell me...

Bernkastel voice parted away all the doubt and terror racing in his mind and he quickly jumped back to his senses and back to reality. He took a sharp breath, nearly forgetting to breathe in his state. He turned to Bernkastel, her words lingering in his mind. There was nothing said from the Beast before a familiar, friendly smile appeared on his bloody face. Due to his hidden face, this would be creepy, yet, it was oddly welcoming. He straightened his body out, finally recovering from his state of shock. With another deep breath and a slow exhale, Zenta came back to his normal self. Although covered in blood, he did not look as animalistic as before.

"I needed that..." Zenta nodded to the Witch. "Thank you Bernkastel..."

"So you feelin' okay, Zenta?" Avalon cautiously looked over the bloody beast. "You... uhh, you got somethin' on your fur."

"I am back to my senses now, and I am fully aware of the blood on my body." Zenta sighed before turning his back to the Breakers. "Next time, I will not allow the Lady in the Dress to control my mind like that..." His voice dipped slightly. "I will not hurt any of you again..."

Avalon stared between Zenta, Bernkastel, and Berserk, not fully understanding the context of what happened to the group. He decided not to press questions, given how shaken Zenta was acting. He wanted to know answers, but now was not the time. He remembered that Lilith was traveling as Zenta's shadow, and he then glanced at Lucifer for a moment.

Maybe I should mind my business...

"Well, I guess you can say that," Avalon replied to Bernkastel upon mentioning they've been through hell. "To put it short, we went into a room that tried to pin us against each other and had... weird monsters in it."

"Indeed, these were no Xy'phers I can assure you." Nia added on. "On top of not being Xy'phers, the ones we did see were entirely petrified! Even I was unable to sense them. What makes matters even more interesting, I have not heard about the deaths of the Xy'phers, meaning that the King is unaware either." The Xy'pher rubbed her chin. "This house is very perplexing, to say the least..."

"Yeah, if the King isn't aware of these dead Xy'phers, then this house is preventin' him from communicatin' with them." Avalon said as he recalled what Nia mentioned earlier.

"If that's the case, then why make this home a hive..? He indulges in obedience, so why here?"

"Maybe the King wants to let the Higher-Ups have mini territories?"

"No, the King would never exercise individual freedom..." Nia looked around the odd room the Breakers are in. "Why were the Xy'phers truly here?"

As Bage fiddled around with the bottle, it quickly burst open and a recording of the journalist.

A month after my escape, the girl who can control gravity was turned to a Xy'pher and forced into one of those Black Crystals. I dangerously, and foolishly, stay nearby to see the effects these crystals have on the Xy'phers. The Red King shows no mercy and continues to force these types of fusions. He has made thousands of attempts, but none of the resulted 'Dark Xy'phers' listen or obey the King for very long. They are too wild and out of control. If my suspicion is correct, these crystals corrupt any and all who touch them... Out of all the thousands of forced mutations, only two have earned the respect of the King... for now. It seems the Xy'phers dub them 'Brother and Sister' since they were both accepted by the King at roughly the same time, from what I can recall...

Using my portal powers, I carefully slip detection from the lower-classed Xy'phers, but the 'Brother and Sister' Xy'phers are hot on my trail. Too close. I have to escape. The Xy'phers rambled something about finding those who have met a 'beyond force'? I can't recall what it is, but it seems that this is their primary objective. I must keep running, the Xy'phers are hot on my trail and they are dangerously close to surrounding me... I flee as fast as I can, but I'm afraid I won't make it far... The Xy'phers have become too strong, too vast, and too connected. The Hive mind they have is unmatched, and the way the Xy'phers are willing to die for their King is cult-like. If this continues, then I'm afraid what will happen to this odd and quirky realm we are forced to call home...

I set one last trick within these bottles and that is that once they have all been found, I will reappear to where the last bottle is opened. I left a glove out to open my special bottles, I just hope that the Detective Agency picks it up... I'm afraid I will not be able to meet the new recruit Detective Goku mentioned... I bestow my final wish to whoever is able to open these tricky bottles of mine: Protect this realm from the Xy'phers. Spread the word and tell the Detective Agency of my demise. I apologize for laying such a heavy burden on your shoulders, but please, stop the Xy'phers!

"A beyond force? The heck does that mean?" Avalon tilted his head. "I thought the King wanted to just capture strong people to add to this army?"

Nia listened intently to the bottle's contents before turning to the Breakers. "He isn't just targeting the strong, it seems... I cannot wrap my head around this."
 
May says "So we walked into a lab. I have a feeling that we so far seen in this tower are the failures of this test."

May says to Nia and Avalon "I think the king wants tests subjects. I think the king wants to make his elites stronger using those Black Crystals." May thinks "If one my sources are on the mark Black Crystals should be avoided. There is even research on how to remove them from the vertex."
 
Mysterious Manor – The Room of Eden

After Bage patched up Spina, the older Saiyan was still lost in thought. As if a darkness suddenly vanished from his mind. He looked down and noticed that speck of black that eroded on his left arm was no longer present to the naked eye.

“Thanks…” He mumbled as quietly he could. As Bage suspected, and Spina confirmed, his regeneration ability was lost. Not only that the dark presence that billowed his very aura was gone, and his regeneration nulled, he felt the massive energy that he held inside slipped away. Not enough for him to turned into a coin straight away, but there was some significant loss in power—including the rest powerup he received since his “revival”. Seeing Bage sitting next to him, perhaps a rest will help him regain some power. He looked down and notice strange scratch marks all over the floorboard; an indication that Xy’phers were here. “Hmm?” His eyes tracked a trail of them, until it reaches to the portrait of a strange man. He was humanoid with a soothing smile; the top half of his face was seemingly ripped. However, there was a name placed on the bottom of the frame: Jinaira.

Quickly, as things began to settle down, although the issue with Zenta was still not settled. Detective Spawn listened to Lucifer’s perspective. After seeing the slight change in Bernkastel’s appearance, he held no doubt that something did cause Zenta to act such a way that laid significant damage. But just because this incident could be explained doesn’t negate the previous aggression. He killed a captured Xy’pher out of pure emotion and readied himself to fight Vegetto right then and there. “I don’t have any say in this since I have my own complicated issues, but he’s a ticking time bomb. It’s a matter of when, not if, this beast will act out.” Just as Zenta composed himself, the Detective stared at him with disgust; as if he’s clearly seeing through him. “Those with damnation in their souls will never, truly change.” He whispered to himself.

At any rate, the bottle bursts and revealed the next set of contents of this mysterious person investigating the Xy’phers. It wasn’t too much information aside from another glimpse of the Dark Xy’phers that proven to be a hassle to the Red King. However, the little that did contain new information was damning.

“Detective Williams?” Detective Spawn immediately picked up upon him mentioning a new recruit. He was the only member of the Detective Agency that never had the chance to meet Bage. It was strange since had any of the Detectives or Officers were coined during the line of duty, there was a mechanism in placed that alerts all members of their demise. “Why didn’t he call for help?” Spawn asked.

“More importantly… Finding those that met a beyond force… That’s incredibly vague…” He rubbed his chin as he lost himself in deep thought. After Avalon and Nia mentioned that the Red King isn’t simply looking for people, the angel recalled the letter that was delivered to him by the Xy’phers. “If I were to make a guess… I suppose that beyond force is the one that lives on the moon?” He thought. “But Detective… Williams would’ve just said the Breakers. It implies that their search is far more expansive.”



The Snowy Mountains of Rogue City

Clark and Air Dancer traded blows for blows, as the burning solar energy scorched the land around them. A golden form that the Air Dancer had taken seemingly allowed the Air Dancer to fight in a perfected manner: allowing it to ignore everything else and seek only true Vegetto and Clark’s energy signature.

As the landscape from the memory vanished and replaced with the original field of burnt terrain from the previously Snowy Mountains, the rising power from Vegetto also flooded the area. A perfect scenario for the Air Dancer to counter thanks to the ability, Brilliance Air.

His solar cells burning away in each passing second and his power draining in a double whammy of the kryptonite, Clark felt onto his knees. Unable to keep up with the constant onslaught, he was bombarded with blows—as the Air Dancer shifted his attention towards the incoming Vegetto. “Damn… huh?”

Although the golden color did protect him from damage to a degree—it seems to be completely unaware of the scorching heat from his super flare doing to its body. “It’s ignoring everything….” Clark went to grab a pile of dirt and hardened to the point it turns solid. As his eyes and mouth bursting out intense burning energy, he used the last bit of his strength and chucks it towards the Xy’pher.

Just mere moments before Vegetto reaches the Air Dancer, the solid rock struck the Xy’pher on the head. Despite the fleeing strength, it had enough force to knocked him off balance and his maintain focus from Brilliance Air was temporary lost. The Air Dancer attempted to quickly recovered and bring forth the technique again but was struck in the face by Vegetto.

It was engulfed by the dragon’s maw and hurled backwards from the massive energy unleashed against its body, an explosion quickly followed. Moments after, burnt debris from the moment fell from the sky like snow as the circling burning aura from Clark ceased. All the Xy’phers that came with the Air Dancer had vanished and turned into Vortex Coins.

Clark fell forward but caught himself with his arms. He looked exhausted and drained; his muscle mass clearly gone. His eyes were still burning; and was vomiting pure solar energy out of his mouth if he attempted to speak. He was sweating bullets; his tropical clothes were all burnt for using super flare—only his pants miraculously survived.

“That… should do it….” Clark said as the massive, thick clouds still present where the Air Dancer was last seen. “It’s what I thought… using this was too much of a burden on my body…. even at stage one.” Hardly able to catch his breath, he turned to Vegetto. He didn't know what was going on during that battle nor understood how he could even manifest such ability in the first place. Before he can entertain of even asking Vegetto about this, his ears picked up at the sounds of footsteps. Coming from the direction where the clouds billowed around the fallen Air Dancer, a figure emerged.

"Is this the extend of such growth, Vegetto?" Wordplay emerges from the clouds of smoke with the crystalized vortex coin of the Air Dancer in his hand. Clark noticed that there was a change in his tone; neither feminine nor masculine. It was... an otherworldly voice that rung out of Wordplay's mouth as it echoed across the scorched mountains. "I was foolish to think this would work out."
 
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"Come now, Gogeta's been far more troublesome to handle..." Bernkastel said in a light-mannered tone, though she eyed the way Lucifer reacted to Lilith's report with a glint of interest, shifting her gaze over to Zenta when the angel uttered his name-- there was always a change in the air between those two in particular. At first the Witch couldn't see behind the lingering interest Lucifer expressed in him, but she was starting to get why. The beast's enigmatic character was starting to show cracks and she couldn't deny her own natural sense of curiosity being piqued by it. What remained incomprehensible to her was the way Zenta reacted around him compared to Spawn. Her flat expression returned to a more pleasant one upon being prompted by the beast.

"No need to thank me. I just want to make sure we all get back in one piece. This place is dangerous in all manners of the sort from the sounds of it, so we need to look over one another's shoulder lest the enemy get the drop on us... the Red King surely doesn't show mercy at all. You and Spina especially are ones I need to keep watch over..." she trailed off quietly and glanced up at the projection, narrowing her eyes as she took in the details of the message.

"You don't suppose the Sister might get any more axe crazy now that we got Eleki killed off?" Berserk half-joked. "But who the hell lives on the Moon? Can't he just build a rocket instead of all this?"

"I've never heard of a 'beyond force' in all my time here. But if this message is accurate still, then there is a great possibility May is right about this Hive actually being some kind of lab. From what you all encountered, maybe those were failures of tampering with the Black Crystals. But those monsters with killing auras may not be the King's subjects at all... could they be part of this mansion? Like some kind of twisted symbiosis between the Xy'phers and... whatever they are." Bernkastel turned to Spina, noticing he was quiet nearly the entire time of the discussion, and was about to ask how they would proceed with the plan at this stage. She stopped upon noticing that his injured arm hadn't immediately healed, and he looked noticeably exhausted. Whatever had taken hold of him likely used rage to fuel him physically, but there was also Lucifer's remark that he had indeed 'died' even without having become a Coin. "... you don't look so good. Maybe we should hold off on the next part of the plan until you rest up for a bit?" her words were careful, not sure of what to say since this was bad timing but it was also bad if Spina pushed himself too much again. Bern didn't want to risk that taking hold of him a second time if he died.

"But what kinda thing has to happen to make a whole group of people want to turn on each other? Let alone in an abandoned mansion... I can't make heads or tails of anything from this." Berserk crossed her arms with a frown. "It just doesn't make sense. Why put a barrier on some ginormous manor, when clearly nobody's been living here for who knows how long, out in the middle of nowhere? We got in by pure luck thanks to Grandpa, but what lets the Xy'phers just go in and out if it isn't their handywork...it ain't like anything here is valuable anymore since it's all broken dusty junk. Why go to so much trouble protecting a place that's fallen into so much disrepair?"
 
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