The Reality Vortex: Shadow Games

Upon witnessing Vegetto blown to bits, Zenta’s instincts wanted to force him to move, but something innate told him to stay put. He knew, deep down, he could not save his grandson from certain death, if Lucifer held him. He was not fast enough, and he knew it. Within him, his paternal and instinct fought against each other, rendering the beast frozen in his spot. However, once Lucifer targeted him and Bernkastel with his killing intent, the beast braced himself for whatever may come. Only when Spina spoke, did he, too, turn his head to the older Saiyan and Lucifer’s self elimination.

Once Asher was thrown into Zenta’s arms, the beast clutched his grandson tightly, dropping to his knees. The thought that he would have his grandson here, after he witnessed his universe erased, was enough to subdue the beast. Asher, being none the wiser, hugged his grandfather, a little shocked at his near-death experience. The world around Zenta was mute, his attention falling solely on Asher.

“Grandpa! Did’ja see that?! That dude risked his life to help me!” Asher pointed at Vegetto. “He’s like a hero! Super cool! And his hair! Sick!”

Zenta was still in shock to hold his grandson. For the first time, the beast was out of his element. The grace and elegance he held around him shattered, as did the feral state he was in earlier.

Upon hearing Spina telling him to eliminate himself, Zenta turned to the older Saiyan, his expression confused and shocked. Spina wanted to fight Bernkastel in the same way he wanted to fight Lucifer. Zenta was denied his fight, multiple times, and now, he cannot fight Lucifer. In a way, he was almost offended that Spina had even asked him to do that. Still, he considered the thought…

Perhaps I should…

Before he even had a chance to speak, Bernkastel’s voice caught his attention. For a moment, he was speechless as he listened to her words. Could it be that she was understanding how he felt? Was she bored as him? Did she want to indulge in battle as he did? Or was it mindless questions to poke at his inner mind, one he kept tightly locked and hidden away. Someone finally noticed the deeper workings of his mind, at least, implied.

As Bernkastel got into a stance, he chuckled, his teeth baring briefly. Asher pulled him back up to his feet and he slowly began to walk towards Bernkastel. His fighting aura increased the pressure around them, and each step calculated. It was apparent that Zenta was willing to fight Bernkastel, as if to take out his frustration at not being able to fight Lucifer.

Avalon was finally stirring awake from his unconscious slumber, rolling off the rock he was propped on to see the fearsome beast slowly stride over to Bernkastel. He gasped, but winced in pain at the terrible state Zenta left him in. He noticed Lucifer was eliminated, assuming the Breakers managed to get him out somehow. With Lucifer eliminated, he feared Zenta would begin attacking the next best thing, and that was Bernkastel and the other Breakers. His eyes widened as he saw Zenta lift his hand towards Bernkastel’s head, a wicked looking smile on his face.

“B-Bernkastel…! Get away from him! He’s lost it—!"

Avalon’s sentence was cut short as Zenta tenderly placed his hand on top of Bernkastel’s head, giving her a gentle pat. As Zenta looked down at the witch, his cracked visor fell, showing his true expression: contentment. His smile might be scary, but only because he hides behind the curtain of his visor. Finally, Zenta chuckled, a real one, one from his heart, as he ruffled Bernkastel’s hair.

“Of course…”
 
Spina’s eyes followed Zenta’s movements; each second the beast continued to remain on the field left him feeling an unfathomable anger he never felt before. But what driven his anger further to point that it changed to visible disgust is when Bernkastel declared that her battle with him was no longer a necessity.

His eyes became rather dulled the moment Bernkastel prompted Zenta to indulge in her curiosity. The whole point was to eliminate pesky contenders out of the way so they can truly fight it out. The tournament was nothing more than a side-show and the wish hardly mattered to him. But as he witnessed, the “promise” was tossed aside immediately when it’s no longer beneficial. Just the same as always.

Clenching his fists, Spina’s mind warped when Bernkastel and Zenta quickly bonded because they were on a similar wavelength. He couldn’t understand a single word Bernkastel was talking about at that point. In his mind, they might as well be speaking in different languages. The imagery of everything in front of him distorted into mere blobs and symbols, hardly representing them apart from one standout attire (i.e. Bernkastel’s bow, Vegetto’s earrings and Zenta’s visor).

----

“Oof, that’s a painful blow.” Brutality once again invaded Spina’s mind, practically cackling at Spina’s mental state declining with every passing moment. “To think you honestly believe Bernkastel had any connections or relevant to know what you’re thinking.”

“Shut up, she’s wants to warm up before we actually fight—”

“Ha! Warmed up!? Why are you fooling yourself? She’s doing this as a sole purpose for her amusement! She said it herself that this whole thing is now boring to her because of that Lucifer guy. B.O.R.I.N.G. But Zenta? Suddenly, she’s ready to get down and dirty, haha! Doesn’t that remind you of someone? Can’t put my finger on it.” Brutality badgered the old Saiyan. “Quit making excuses to search for something that isn’t there.”

“No, she’s know—“

“If I’m so wrong, then quit hesitating! Eliminate him right now. Hell, eliminate everyone! Stop giving chances! Take it!”

“…”

“Take it! Take it! TAKE IT!”

----

Spina had a face full of fury, and the crystals that formed across all his scars became bright red. Then entire area turned black briefly before returning to normal. The older Saiyan lifted his hand up towards the Zenta, Asher, Vegetto, Bara, Brachi, Avalon and Victor. “Begone!”

The mechanics behind his newly formed attack, Begone, are simple. It is an attack that cannot be perceived or understood. It is an attack that has no intent behind it, nor leave any lingering effects nor presence. It bypasses all senses—in fact, it can be concluded if Spina never did anything at all.

It struck Zenta and Asher first, leaving destructive damaged on them and forced them out of the arena. Instantly, the same struck the rest of the participants.

“Bara and Zenta are eliminated! Seto Kaiba is out!”

Kaiba narrowed his eyes. Everything happened so fast that he couldn’t comprehend it. “…. What!? Wait, hold on!”

“Asher and Victor are eliminated! Lilith is out!”

“… Boo.” Lilith said with great disappointment.

“Brachi, Vegetto and Avalon are eliminated! Only Berserk and Coella remains!”

As his attack ended, Spina turned to Bernkastel with his face filled with pure induced rage. He held onto his head, trying to control himself as he attempts to maintain a battle stance. “Don’t dabble in such nonsense, we both know that answer! And only you and I know! Forget them and fight me!”
 
Victor thinks as he is sent out "This was one those times were the process matter even those I know the plot would force a defeat, but it would be best if one of the MCs' actually did it." Dismisses all his summons but the flowers. Victor has the flowers reinforce the defenses that were all reedy put in place.

Victor seems fine despite getting blasted by Spina as he appears in the stands. Victor says "I gest we at the ending stages of your plot Lucifer." Victor asks as he summons some imps and fairies "I can have these little ones get some food or do some healing if needed."
 
Bernkastel held a concentrated stare waiting for Zenta to come at her, anticipation building up with each step he took to get closer. Even with trying to maintain a poker face, sweat began to form on her face as more of the pressure started to exert greater power over her body. When will he strike? Is it now? His hand... it's coming right at me but when will he move to strike me? The small witch braced for Zenta's hand to grab her neck, her skull, punch her face, anything that could be attainably instant.

But it never came. Instead, the Beast, who was moments before feral and fervently enraged by their efforts to interfere with Lucifer, patting her head. She remained frozen in her stance, puzzled with the way he chose to answer her. "Zenta..." she had no words, but the gesture confused yet comforted her at the same time. Before she could say anything more, everyone else left on the field disappeared within a blink. That flash... could that be...?

She turned to see Spina skulking towards her with enough fury to look like his blood was boiling.
====

Berserk stared down at the two remaining, pale in the face with a look of disbelief. "Wh-what!? But everyone was just there! Where'd they all go?! How?!" She slammed her fists on the platform in frustration. "The hell... my eyesight's perfect! There's no way I blinked and missed it! Wait a second..." her brows furrowed after a moment where her lamentation subsided. "Me and Coella? But I don't have any players left... Grandpa (Spina) knocked Avalon and Veggie away..."
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Mooli raised her arm at the mention of food. "Ooh, ooh! Can I get some hot dogs?! All that fighting gave me some serious munchies."
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Bernkastel stared at Spina with the realization that she hadn't been able to detect anything from the attack. Whatever he did bypassed her senses; she only knew of the black flash but to not sense any pressure or energy from the attack when time 'resumed' for them, was incredibly puzzling for her. Still, she greeted the Old Saiyan as he came closer.

"Oh my, were you feeling lonely just now? There's no need to sulk; I haven't forgotten about you." Bern spoke warmly, teasing Spina's jealousy with a coquettish ladylike tone. "I was worried you wouldn't see me as an equal because I couldn't keep my pace up. But if you went this far to ensure I'd fight you..." her joyful smile slowly spread across her face like a Cheshire Cat as she let out a low soft giggle. "That makes me happy. I'm filled with joy. Heeheehee. Oh, that's good. That's very good!" Even though her voice was alluringly softspoken, Bernkastel's face was contorted to an eerie, devilish expression from the sheer excitement bubbling up to the surface. She didn't have to wait her turn anymore and there was nobody left in the way. "Come my dear friend, I'll play with you as much as you wish. Where do you want me to break you first!? I'll make sure to leave your face untouched so that I can watch you cry bitterly in defeat, claw at my feet on the ground and curse my name until you rise to fight me again!!"

Without waiting for an answer, she immediately inhaled, smoothing out her menacing expression as she gestured with her hands to conjure dozens of magic circles behind her, a constellation of twinkling colors of the void. I'm glad this gamble played out, Spina. I'll make you see things my way-- violence is one of many languages. It feels so cold here, yet my heart feels like it's on fire! Is it you, Spina? Are you the key?

The circles began to glow a bright white light, nearly overtaking her silhouette with rays of blue light like a blooming flower. The smaller streams wriggled together to form larger masses of light, solidifying into eight massive snakes towering over her, each one several stories tall. Pale afterimages of them traced their attack paths, each taking an unpredictable pattern to strike Spina's weak points all at once.

Let's find out now, as I promised you! Merciless Piercing Mysteries!

The black void lit up snow-white as she released her breath, blinding the entire arena in white as the sound of crashing thunder drowned out all else. The snakes were barely visible as they drew impossible angles coming down on Spina to constrict, bite, or crush him; despite their size they sped through the air at near-blinding speeds, only their outlined paths visible as a sheer blue against the negative space all around them. Bernkastel floated high in the air above, staring intensely with the blue magic circles behind her shining brightly like a halo. "What's your answer, Spina?!"
 
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Zenta and Asher fell out of the arena, landing comedically on the bleachers with everyone else. Asher grunted as he sat up, rubbing his back.

“Ouch! Hey, what happened?”

Asher said as he slowly began to notice he was in the bleachers with the other disqualified contestants. He gasped before stomping his foot in annoyance.

“I got eliminated?! Aw, man! But how? When?!”

Asher looked up and quickly ran to the barrier protecting Spina and Bernkastel. He pressed his face against it, looking at Spina and Bernkastel. He slammed a balled fist against the barrier, upset he was eliminated, but admiring Spina’s power.

“That guy! The old guy! He’s super strong! I want to fight him!”

Zenta managed to sit up awkwardly in the bleachers where every contestant he eliminated gave him angry or terrified looks. He did not pay them attention, simply averting his gaze to Asher. His voice filled him with joy he forgot all about ever since Cuki left. He smiled, his eyeless expression indicating he was feeling relaxed.

The beast approached Asher, watching the young man pound his fist against the invisible barrier that protected Spina and Bernkastel. He chuckled, seeing how his grandson was flustered. As Asher pressed his face against the barrier and made a face, Zenta copied him, also pressing his face against the barrier. It was odd seeing Zenta so childish, so… human, with his grandson. All battle lust he had for Lucifer vanished into thin air, as if it never happened.

"Fight Mr. Spina? You might need to train a bit more, Asher. He managed to push me out too, you know." Zenta chuckled.

"He did, didn't he! I'll need to train extra hard!" Asher paused for a moment, his eyes locking onto Bernkastel and Spina before turning to Zenta. "Hey grandpa, don't they kinda remind you of mom's students?"

Zenta glanced back at Asher, giving him a smile but placing a finger over his lips, indicating that the boy keep quiet.

"It would be wise not to bring up such things, Asher. At least, not now..."

Avalon landed in the bleachers with a thud, groaning in pain before sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. His eyes locked on the playful interaction between Zenta and Asher. Avalon was still heavily wounded thanks to Zenta’s brutality and hunger for battle, but seeing the beast so tame was almost... surreal.

What the hell…?
 
“What the hell?! Why is Berserk still in play!? Hey! Is this a bug I’m not aware of?” Kaiba shouted but his voice could not be heard. It seems that when a player is eliminated, their voices will be muted until the game’s over.

The Bleachers

The rest of the contestants eliminated by Spina appeared near Cayde and Clark. “Tough break buddy, but you did well out there!” Clark gave a thumbs up to Vegetto. “You’ll get’em next time! Let’s all do better next time, heh”

“Next time?!” Mr. Sound interrupted Clark’s attempts to cheer up his friend. “I was there for a second and I got eliminated! How is this fair?! It’s that hairy guy’s fault!”

There was a noticeable gap between all the participants and Lucifer, who sat at the very end of the bleachers. The angel was watching the battle closely, his eyes never analyzing everything they did, down to their breaths, how much they sweat and how many times they’ve blinked. When Victor approached the angel, Lucifer smirked.

“There was no plan after my self-elimination.” Lucifer sips tea out of a vintage gold teacup. “I do wonder how Berserk is still in play, though.” He watched Bernkastel enthusiastically attacks Spina with her might. This was the first time she had shown this much excitement than her usual cold demeanor. “There…” The angel praised. “What is your answer?”

The Tournament

Spina gathered energy on his right palm and fired upon the incoming snakes, but they were too quick on the draw. Unable to defend himself in time, he was quickly overwhelmed by the snakes; his flesh was being torn apart, his movements constricted and his bones being nearly grinded to dust. Within minutes, only his right arm was exposed in the squirming of snakes on top of the old man, slowly sinking within.

Few seconds passed before a single energy beam erupted from one of the snakes, hurling towards the sky. Another round of energy beam fired from another direction. Finally, a final energy beam fired in the middle and maintained its form, circling around against the snakes until it led to a massive explosion. Chunks of flesh fling across all directions as Spina let out a tremendous roar.

He arched over as the snake flesh rained down around him. His eyes filled with determination and focus; his pupils shifting from red, to blue, to black. His body pulses as his energy starts to rise. The aura billowed around him slowly. “Oil and water aren’t meant to be,” the aura vanished briefly. “But we can change that, Bernkastel Let’s fight forever!”


Spina let out a mighty roar that echoed across the entire arena. His aura flourished around him, while his new attire exploded in all directions from his body; black leather pants replacing it for his bottom half. He grew several meters bigger; muscle mass increased substantially before his entire body being covered in crimson colored fur. His hair increased in volume, becoming wild and free as it reached down to the middle of his back, a dark red shadow trim appeared over his eyes. His tail became active, easily smashing against the ground and kicking up kick in the process.

After finishing his transformation, Spina took on a wild battle stance. “Flowing Strike: Instant Slayer!” He closes the gap between them, striking Bernkastel in the stomach, followed by a chop against her neck to push her back towards the ground. “BERNKASTEL!’ He roared at her as he gave chase. “Flowing Strike: Water Fist!” Particles around the Saiyan smashed against one another until it created several giant water spheres and shaped them into giant fists. He launched them forward, with him trailing behind as he cocked his right hand back. Stream of water engulfed his arm, forming a long, crystalized blade. “I’LL TAKE YOU THERE, TO ETERNAL SATISFACTION. JUST YOU AND ME!”
 
"Oh! Well Lucky me! Thank you kindly, Mr. Morningstar!" Coella smiled at the demon as he quietly made his way to the bleachers. She then turned toward the arena and looked down at Spina, shouting down toward him with praise. "Good job, Spinny! I knew you could do it!"

the Witch waved down at him, before turning to Kaiba who still seemed to be under the illusion that he could win this.

"There's that confidence I like. Even when the odds are totally staked against you, don't lose face! After all, your puppy is very powerful too! Who's to say he won't wipe out the entire group and come out on top!"

After her somewhat condescending speech, she turned her attention to the fighters that were now discussing the continuation of the battle. Only... were they going to take turns fighting each other? She supposed since they were a team, it must be a fun challenge to test each other's limits! And a tournament such as this was just the time to do it! But then before she could even blink, the tournament seemed to be over. Only Bernkastel and Spina remained on the field.

"Oh wow! I wasn't expecting that one! Spinny, you're a the best! Don't tell Turtle boy but you're my favorite!! Poor Kaiba kid, it looks like you've lost to me yet again-!" Coella began to gloat before a thought came to her mind. "But hold on a second.... Both Spinny and the little blue girl were a package deal card. They're on my team. So why does the tournament continue? Is there an invisible card on Bricker's team I don't know about?"

The Rabbit looked over her podium, hand over her eyes in search for another contender on the fieldb as Spina and Bernkastel begain their duel.
 
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Victor says indifferent to lucifer's statement "who indicated the plot was that complicated? But again, it hardly matters how complicated the plot was now dos it? The more desirable result was reached." Victor orders an Imp to get him some soda and some snacks. Victor thinks "I guess that at that point it really did not matter if I chose to leave the arena or not. My part in the fight was over." Victor says, "O and I did make so the damages shood be restricted to in the stage."

Victor says to the 4 players "I think at this point all you need to do is enjoy the show."

An imp gets Mooli some Hot Dogs and brings them to Mooli. The Imps do bring Victor's order as well.
 
Both Brachi and Bara were just utterly confused, especially after being eliminated by Spina's attack, at which Dielec moved to tend to them.

"Geez... this whole thing just is one heck of a mess. I'm shocked this tournament isn't called null and void for all the bullshit that has happened." Brachi said.

"You said it." Bara said with a nod, miffed at how they were given no chance to act for themselves, yet decided to assess the situation on their own accord.
 
With a heavy thud, Vegetto landed into the bleachers next to the others with a stunned, wide eyed stare. He blinked a couple of times; the intense and unreadable movement having left him completely bewildered while he sat for a moment, glancing slightly to Clark once he heard the Kryptonian try to cheer him up. The silver eyes and hair faded away completely, reverting to his normal state while Vegetto looked down.

"I couldn't even sense that attack. There was just...nothing..."

Cayde leaned back into his seat, sitting on the bleacher behind Clark and Vegetto while waving his hand at Brachi and Bara.

"Bah...at least you guys didn't get accused of forcing people to fold laundry."

He waved his fist to the left towards Spider-Chaos, shouting over the pair of Asher and Zenta sitting in between the area.

"You here me, Spider Human?! Just you wait, only thing I'm gonna make you do is take this boot up your-"

"Language."

The curt cut off prompted Cayde to glance down, but the android was surprised it came not from Clark, but Vegetto sitting with his arms crossed and sternly staring down at the battle beginning below. Cayde nodded his head, an impressed and happy grin as he silently reached down and tapped Clark on the shoulder, giving him a thumbs up as a commendation to Clark's good nature rubbing off on the problem Saiyan.

Vegetto kept his arms crossed, a more serious stare still on his expression.

"This will be good...I'll get to finally see how much stronger those two have gotten."
 
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