Murder Game 0: Genesis

[Verite]

The first attack that would land was Twisted Fate's cards, the projectiles exploding upon him like before. Though it was difficult to tell whether or not the balance interfering effect kicked in or how much the cards even hurt him at all, the next attack that made its mark was Cagliostro's spell, Diablo's form sinking into the ground and crushed underneath it. However, he just as easily forced himself back up without much effort, and it was difficult to ascertain how much the attack had hurt him, if at all.

Standing in the same location and position that he was before, as Warpath and Blake flew into the scene, Diablo quickly raised up his two arms, the two of them slicing at them, though they found that the devil's flesh, if one could even call it that, was rather tough to even scratch, like a butter knife attempting to carve a live bear. With god-like speed, he pulled his arms back once he had Warpath and Blake right where he wanted them, swiftly thrusting his arms forward and grabbing a hold of their necks right out of the air and slamming them into the ground, before quickly proceeding to electrocute them with his powers!

However, before he could inflict much notable damage, Shirou's bullets would knock his concentration away, though they appeared to have as much effect as ordinary bullets off reinforced metal, Diablo glaring at Shirou with a growl as he let go of the two in his grasp, leaving them on the ground, to grab Shirou by the neck now, threatening to crush his throat with pure physical strength!

"I do not need permission from an insect like you. You were bred for me to feed off. Give me your fear, your fury..." He hissed in Shirou's face.

Fortunately for the gunslinger, Azura's water crescent gave the demon pause as it splashed against his back, causing him to stumble forward a step and ever so slightly loosen his grip. Glaring back at the water tornadoes conjured by Azura and Hakuei, he opted to turn around and throw Shirou's body forward like a baseball with enough force that the velocity at which he flew not only dissipated the tornadoes through some miraculous force, but also intended to crash right into Hakuei's body!

"Go on... Give me your hatred," he hissed to everyone, tauntingly opening his arms out to everyone, "The more you fight, the more you fear you have to give, the more I take..."

All the meanwhile, as Alice attempted to make a break for the Tesseract, reaching out to grab it, she would find that where the glowing cube once was, there was nothing! There was no explanation for it. No rhyme or reason. There was simply nothing to reach for in the spot that the Tesseract once resided within.

If one was able to put two and two together, then there definitely was something... out of place about the area they resided in now. Whatever the exact nature of Diablo's influence over this area was supposed to entail, it seemed needless to say that this was his dominion.

This was his realm now.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

Lucifer had planned to talk with the others, but then they had arrived at the vault and started to fight Diablo. He watched for a few seconds and he was about to attack when he heard what Diablo said. He lived off their fighting, their anger, their hatred, their fear. He looked over at everyone. " I think we should stand down guys. Don't fear him, don't hate him, don't attack him, just leave him be. The less there is to feed off, the less power he has. The more we fight back, the more powerful he becomes. Perhaps it is an old course of action, but the best course of action here seems to be inaction. So, Diablo, I don't hate you, I don't fear you. I'm not going to attack you," he said, lying his sword and gun on the ground.

" Lucifer, what are you doing?" Linda asked.

" Doing the only thing that can defeat him... nothing. He lives off of fear and hate. He said it himself, the more we fear, the more we hate, the more he takes. What happens to the being we don't feed? They grow weaker and die. I advise everyone does the same, stand down and maybe some love or lust could work." He may have added some desire manipulation to his last phrase. At this point, he turned to kiss Linda... which certainly surprised the woman.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone

 

[York]

The first attack that would land was Twisted Fate's cards, the projectiles exploding upon him like before. Though it was difficult to tell whether or not the balance interfering effect kicked in or how much the cards even hurt him at all, the next attack that made its mark was Cagliostro's spell, Diablo's form sinking into the ground and crushed underneath it. However, he just as easily forced himself back up without much effort, and it was difficult to ascertain how much the attack had hurt him, if at all.

Standing in the same location and position that he was before, as Warpath and Blake flew into the scene, Diablo quickly raised up his two arms, the two of them slicing at them, though they found that the devil's flesh, if one could even call it that, was rather tough to even scratch, like a butter knife attempting to carve a live bear. With god-like speed, he pulled his arms back once he had Warpath and Blake right where he wanted them, swiftly thrusting his arms forward and grabbing a hold of their necks right out of the air and slamming them into the ground, before quickly proceeding to electrocute them with his powers!

However, before he could inflict much notable damage, Shirou's bullets would knock his concentration away, though they appeared to have as much effect as ordinary bullets off reinforced metal, Diablo glaring at Shirou with a growl as he let go of the two in his grasp, leaving them on the ground, to grab Shirou by the neck now, threatening to crush his throat with pure physical strength!

"I do not need permission from an insect like you. You were bred for me to feed off. Give me your fear, your fury..." He hissed in Shirou's face.

Fortunately for the gunslinger, Azura's water crescent gave the demon pause as it splashed against his back, causing him to stumble forward a step and ever so slightly loosen his grip. Glaring back at the water tornadoes conjured by Azura and Hakuei, he opted to turn around and throw Shirou's body forward like a baseball with enough force that the velocity at which he flew not only dissipated the tornadoes through some miraculous force, but also intended to crash right into Hakuei's body!

"Go on... Give me your hatred," he hissed to everyone, tauntingly opening his arms out to everyone, "The more you fight, the more you fear you have to give, the more I take..."

All the meanwhile, as Alice attempted to make a break for the Tesseract, reaching out to grab it, she would find that where the glowing cube once was, there was nothing! There was no explanation for it. No rhyme or reason. There was simply nothing to reach for in the spot that the Tesseract once resided within.

If one was able to put two and two together, then there definitely was something... out of place about the area they resided in now. Whatever the exact nature of Diablo's influence over this area was supposed to entail, it seemed needless to say that this was his dominion.

This was his realm now.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

Schala Zeal
@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @Verite @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow
@Everyone

It seemed that Schala had the same idea as Lucifer, actually... And, regardless of what happened to Setsuna (who was hopefully healed once more), she suddenly stopped, smiling a little to herself as she suddenly realized exactly what Diablo wanted.

Whatever fear she might have had in her during the battle, was gone once more... And though she was determined to defeat this creature, from what it had said, it was evident that they could not do it through aggression. So instead, Schala dropped her hands, quietly sitting down on the ground, and closing her eyes.

Looks like she was refusing to fight anymore, and instead... Sought to try and keep herself calm, and collected, once more trying to find the peace she had once had, in the void she had ended up in after the Ocean Palace incident.

Ironically enough, what she had tried to do in the very beginning... Might just do some good this time...​

 

[Mason Moretti]

The first attack that would land was Twisted Fate's cards, the projectiles exploding upon him like before. Though it was difficult to tell whether or not the balance interfering effect kicked in or how much the cards even hurt him at all, the next attack that made its mark was Cagliostro's spell, Diablo's form sinking into the ground and crushed underneath it. However, he just as easily forced himself back up without much effort, and it was difficult to ascertain how much the attack had hurt him, if at all.

Standing in the same location and position that he was before, as Warpath and Blake flew into the scene, Diablo quickly raised up his two arms, the two of them slicing at them, though they found that the devil's flesh, if one could even call it that, was rather tough to even scratch, like a butter knife attempting to carve a live bear. With god-like speed, he pulled his arms back once he had Warpath and Blake right where he wanted them, swiftly thrusting his arms forward and grabbing a hold of their necks right out of the air and slamming them into the ground, before quickly proceeding to electrocute them with his powers!

However, before he could inflict much notable damage, Shirou's bullets would knock his concentration away, though they appeared to have as much effect as ordinary bullets off reinforced metal, Diablo glaring at Shirou with a growl as he let go of the two in his grasp, leaving them on the ground, to grab Shirou by the neck now, threatening to crush his throat with pure physical strength!

"I do not need permission from an insect like you. You were bred for me to feed off. Give me your fear, your fury..." He hissed in Shirou's face.

Fortunately for the gunslinger, Azura's water crescent gave the demon pause as it splashed against his back, causing him to stumble forward a step and ever so slightly loosen his grip. Glaring back at the water tornadoes conjured by Azura and Hakuei, he opted to turn around and throw Shirou's body forward like a baseball with enough force that the velocity at which he flew not only dissipated the tornadoes through some miraculous force, but also intended to crash right into Hakuei's body!

"Go on... Give me your hatred," he hissed to everyone, tauntingly opening his arms out to everyone, "The more you fight, the more you fear you have to give, the more I take..."

All the meanwhile, as Alice attempted to make a break for the Tesseract, reaching out to grab it, she would find that where the glowing cube once was, there was nothing! There was no explanation for it. No rhyme or reason. There was simply nothing to reach for in the spot that the Tesseract once resided within.

If one was able to put two and two together, then there definitely was something... out of place about the area they resided in now. Whatever the exact nature of Diablo's influence over this area was supposed to entail, it seemed needless to say that this was his dominion.

This was his realm now.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

Naomi sighed and spoke with Alice, saying, "It looks like it's gone, without even a trace of evidence. Alice, we're playing on whatever this thing's terms are. Fighting it head-on isn't going to work."

In the battlefield, Naomi took a moment to stop and think. She thought carefully, listening intently and analyzing Diablo's words. Then, suddenly, a bright spark of inspiration hit her. Her calculating and mystery-solving mind had come up with a solution. There was a loophole in his words, an Achilles Heel to strike.

"Everyone, stop fighting!" Naomi called as loud as she could, "Our fears and rage only make Diablo stronger! So lay down your weapons! There's no need for any more bloodshed!" As she spoke, she turned off the beam katana in her hand and motioned for Alice to turn off the ASURA-6. Likewise, Navel lowered his own gun and repeated Naomi's message for everyone to hear, if they hadn't heard her.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore@Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

The first attack that would land was Twisted Fate's cards, the projectiles exploding upon him like before. Though it was difficult to tell whether or not the balance interfering effect kicked in or how much the cards even hurt him at all, the next attack that made its mark was Cagliostro's spell, Diablo's form sinking into the ground and crushed underneath it. However, he just as easily forced himself back up without much effort, and it was difficult to ascertain how much the attack had hurt him, if at all.

Standing in the same location and position that he was before, as Warpath and Blake flew into the scene, Diablo quickly raised up his two arms, the two of them slicing at them, though they found that the devil's flesh, if one could even call it that, was rather tough to even scratch, like a butter knife attempting to carve a live bear. With god-like speed, he pulled his arms back once he had Warpath and Blake right where he wanted them, swiftly thrusting his arms forward and grabbing a hold of their necks right out of the air and slamming them into the ground, before quickly proceeding to electrocute them with his powers!

However, before he could inflict much notable damage, Shirou's bullets would knock his concentration away, though they appeared to have as much effect as ordinary bullets off reinforced metal, Diablo glaring at Shirou with a growl as he let go of the two in his grasp, leaving them on the ground, to grab Shirou by the neck now, threatening to crush his throat with pure physical strength!

"I do not need permission from an insect like you. You were bred for me to feed off. Give me your fear, your fury..." He hissed in Shirou's face.

Fortunately for the gunslinger, Azura's water crescent gave the demon pause as it splashed against his back, causing him to stumble forward a step and ever so slightly loosen his grip. Glaring back at the water tornadoes conjured by Azura and Hakuei, he opted to turn around and throw Shirou's body forward like a baseball with enough force that the velocity at which he flew not only dissipated the tornadoes through some miraculous force, but also intended to crash right into Hakuei's body!

"Go on... Give me your hatred," he hissed to everyone, tauntingly opening his arms out to everyone, "The more you fight, the more you fear you have to give, the more I take..."

All the meanwhile, as Alice attempted to make a break for the Tesseract, reaching out to grab it, she would find that where the glowing cube once was, there was nothing! There was no explanation for it. No rhyme or reason. There was simply nothing to reach for in the spot that the Tesseract once resided within.

If one was able to put two and two together, then there definitely was something... out of place about the area they resided in now. Whatever the exact nature of Diablo's influence over this area was supposed to entail, it seemed needless to say that this was his dominion.

This was his realm now.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

It happened so fast, and it made him wonder on how he was still alive. Just as he had thought his efforts had done something, Blake endured an unbearable pain. The crushing grip on his throat, the shattering feeling upon making contact with the ground, the numbing static from the cast electricity from Diablo. Something in his consciousness screamed out for a reprieve from this suffering, but Blake was completely silent. He merely tried to stand up, taking several attempts with great difficulty.

So is there nothing that I can do here?

As he tried and tried, Blake's resolve to try anything to be of help didn't linger away. On the contrary, he thought that if he tried more and more, he would show Diablo a piece of his mind. However, the statements from Diablo himself and some others in their group, the aggressive efforts that they had attempted did not work as intended... Then how were they going to defeat Diablo? How are they going to win? How are they going to... ?

... that's right. There is something that I can do.

Standing up finally, Blake felt anxious inside. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do this, considering their situation. A part of him thought it was stupid, another part thought it wouldn't work, but for some reason, the thought of it enticed him. It was something that he wanted to do for the longest, something that has always been on the vigilante's mind since he learned the concept of it before all of this.

"This is an odd feeling. Fighting doesn't seem to work... and yet, I don't mind this at all. If anything... I feel that I... no, that's not right... we aren't going to fall for that taunt easily, Diablo."

Blankly staring ahead and keeping himself from letting the pain all around his body win, Blake spoke with that surviving resolve, his heartbeat fastening for some reason.

"Call it a weird gut feeling... but I see that you won't be controlling what should be our own stories, our own tales... I know for certain, you aren't the spinner of our tales..."

A bit of uncertainty was in Blake's words, as if he had no idea on what he was saying at first. Maybe that one blow had knocked a bit on his head, and strange ideas were being sprouted out of his mouth, but even then, Blake had a bearing on what his actual thoughts meant by this.

Just like you said... beneath that static...

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Verite @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

 

[penguin055]

"Pathetic."

The towering giant that was Diablo practically sneered at the barrage of opponents that came his way. Impressive as their numbers may be, it appeared to the others that he hardly felt anything resembling fear in the face of the group. In the blink of an eye, Diablo shifted his appearance with his power, growing in size until he was a giant almost reaching up to the ceiling several meters above, before just as quickly swinging his massive arm, swiping away those who would charge towards him as though they were little more than annoying flies, the likes of Setsuna, Riesbyfe, Clark, Domon, Alucard, Android 18, and Blake, before swiftly changing back to his default appearance, having acted so fast that from the point of view of those without something along the lines of superhuman reactions and comprehension speed, it was as though the shadow of a giant arm had randomly appeared to swipe away the physical attackers in one swoop.

As Twisted Fate threw his explosive cards at Diablo, gradually creating a smokescreen with every card that exploded on the demon's body, it slowly became ever so slightly more difficult to see him as the smokescreen took over, and for just the briefest of moments, it was impossible to see him. In that split-second, as the winds conjured by Hakuei and Senna came into full effect, blowing away the smokescreen, Diablo was suddenly gone, having disappeared into thin air, leaving those who had attacked him from afar such as Alice, Jason, Shirou, Cagliostro, Naomi, Schala, Azura, and others to completely miss their mark!

Without sparing a moment's rest, Diablo would suddenly re-appear behind Warpath, as though he teleported there, before sending a powerful punch, his attack bolstered by the power of fire engulfing his fist, into the mutant's spine and hoping to send him flying into the nearest wall!

"The fun is only beginning. Do not be shy now."

From where he was, in his new position, Diablo then proceeded to punch his fiery fist into the ground, first causing the entire place to rock as though sending a shockwave hoping to interfere with everyone's balance, before waves and bolts of lightning suddenly emerged from his fist, engulfing the entire ground with the intent of electrocuting everyone, the waves more quickly traveling to Doremi to interfere with her lullaby, before also traveling over the rest of the room!

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

Lucifer had planned to talk with the others, but then they had arrived at the vault and started to fight Diablo. He watched for a few seconds and he was about to attack when he heard what Diablo said. He lived off their fighting, their anger, their hatred, their fear. He looked over at everyone. " I think we should stand down guys. Don't fear him, don't hate him, don't attack him, just leave him be. The less there is to feed off, the less power he has. The more we fight back, the more powerful he becomes. Perhaps it is an old course of action, but the best course of action here seems to be inaction. So, Diablo, I don't hate you, I don't fear you. I'm not going to attack you," he said, lying his sword and gun on the ground.

" Lucifer, what are you doing?" Linda asked.

" Doing the only thing that can defeat him... nothing. He lives off of fear and hate. He said it himself, the more we fear, the more we hate, the more he takes. What happens to the being we don't feed? They grow weaker and die. I advise everyone does the same, stand down and maybe some love or lust could work." He may have added some desire manipulation to his last phrase. At this point, he turned to kiss Linda... which certainly surprised the woman.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone

Domon had been thrown back along with all the others that charged at Diablo, and before he could get up, he was also hit by the demon's electricity. Thankfully, the pain only lasted a few moments, as Cagliostro's magic helped to heal the young man's wounds. He rose to his feet, ready to fight again, but then he heard the beast's words about their "fear." So this thing feeds off of our fear, huh? Just as the thought entered his mind, Lucifer made the suggestion to stop fighting. It seemed Domon wasn't the only one to think of it.

"I think Lucifer's got the right idea. This fighting is getting us nowhere, and it only seems to be making him stronger." With that, he sat down where he was, crossing his legs and closing his eyes, as if meditating, and tried to clear his mind, just as he had done before attacking Diablo in the first place.

@Verite @Atomyk @LuckycoolHawk9 @york @Mason Moretti @Everyone

 

[Crow]

Naomi was tossed aside like a cheap paper doll. Her back hit the wall of the room. The force knocked her breath away, however, she wasn't quite ready to give up fighting. She saw Diablo preparing the lightning attack and struggled as best she could to get on Ouroboros's back. She felt a hand guiding her up, lifting her onto the serpent. "Thank you," she said to both Cagliostro and the person who helped her. Once she was on the serpent's back, she turned and saw it was Navel who had lifted her. "Get up here yourself, Little Guy," Naomi attempted to cry out. However, it was too late, and electricity surged through Navel's body.

He collapsed to his knees with the pain caused by the electricity, yet he quickly felt rejuvenated by Cagliostro's magic. He assured Naomi, "Don't worry, I'm okay. Keep on fighting!" With his strength returned, he moved to Jabbers's side and helped him to his feet.

Meanwhile, Naomi hopped off of Ouroboros and down to Alice's side. Aiding her with the borrowed katana, Naomi guarded Alice, in case Diablo made any further moves once he realized people were headed to the Tesseract. "Keep on your guard," Naomi warned.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

"Thank you for your gratitude," Cagliostro grins, "now, it's time."​

The first attack that would land was Twisted Fate's cards, the projectiles exploding upon him like before. Though it was difficult to tell whether or not the balance interfering effect kicked in or how much the cards even hurt him at all, the next attack that made its mark was Cagliostro's spell, Diablo's form sinking into the ground and crushed underneath it. However, he just as easily forced himself back up without much effort, and it was difficult to ascertain how much the attack had hurt him, if at all.

Standing in the same location and position that he was before, as Warpath and Blake flew into the scene, Diablo quickly raised up his two arms, the two of them slicing at them, though they found that the devil's flesh, if one could even call it that, was rather tough to even scratch, like a butter knife attempting to carve a live bear. With god-like speed, he pulled his arms back once he had Warpath and Blake right where he wanted them, swiftly thrusting his arms forward and grabbing a hold of their necks right out of the air and slamming them into the ground, before quickly proceeding to electrocute them with his powers!

However, before he could inflict much notable damage, Shirou's bullets would knock his concentration away, though they appeared to have as much effect as ordinary bullets off reinforced metal, Diablo glaring at Shirou with a growl as he let go of the two in his grasp, leaving them on the ground, to grab Shirou by the neck now, threatening to crush his throat with pure physical strength!

"I do not need permission from an insect like you. You were bred for me to feed off. Give me your fear, your fury..." He hissed in Shirou's face.

Fortunately for the gunslinger, Azura's water crescent gave the demon pause as it splashed against his back, causing him to stumble forward a step and ever so slightly loosen his grip. Glaring back at the water tornadoes conjured by Azura and Hakuei, he opted to turn around and throw Shirou's body forward like a baseball with enough force that the velocity at which he flew not only dissipated the tornadoes through some miraculous force, but also intended to crash right into Hakuei's body!

"Go on... Give me your hatred," he hissed to everyone, tauntingly opening his arms out to everyone, "The more you fight, the more you fear you have to give, the more I take..."

All the meanwhile, as Alice attempted to make a break for the Tesseract, reaching out to grab it, she would find that where the glowing cube once was, there was nothing! There was no explanation for it. No rhyme or reason. There was simply nothing to reach for in the spot that the Tesseract once resided within.

If one was able to put two and two together, then there definitely was something... out of place about the area they resided in now. Whatever the exact nature of Diablo's influence over this area was supposed to entail, it seemed needless to say that this was his dominion.

This was his realm now.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

Lucifer had planned to talk with the others, but then they had arrived at the vault and started to fight Diablo. He watched for a few seconds and he was about to attack when he heard what Diablo said. He lived off their fighting, their anger, their hatred, their fear. He looked over at everyone. " I think we should stand down guys. Don't fear him, don't hate him, don't attack him, just leave him be. The less there is to feed off, the less power he has. The more we fight back, the more powerful he becomes. Perhaps it is an old course of action, but the best course of action here seems to be inaction. So, Diablo, I don't hate you, I don't fear you. I'm not going to attack you," he said, lying his sword and gun on the ground.

" Lucifer, what are you doing?" Linda asked.

" Doing the only thing that can defeat him... nothing. He lives off of fear and hate. He said it himself, the more we fear, the more we hate, the more he takes. What happens to the being we don't feed? They grow weaker and die. I advise everyone does the same, stand down and maybe some love or lust could work." He may have added some desire manipulation to his last phrase. At this point, he turned to kiss Linda... which certainly surprised the woman.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone

"In your dreams!"

Cagliostro exclaims as she summons a giant rock palm from the earth to catch Shirou. Afterwards, she creates a few stone walls to redirect Hakuei and Azura's water tornado away from Shirou, then another two stone walls to redirect it back at Diablo.

Cagliostro looks at Lucifer as he displays an example of his suggestion.

"Oh, I'll do the same alright..."

Cagliostro clears her mind. Every bit of rage, every bit of fear, it was all converted into one central emotion - sadism. Extreme sadism.

Cagliostro, with absolutely no fear, hate or rage, feeling only pure, unadultered sadism, begins to torment Diablo with numerous swift earth-based fists that dashed across the ground, knocking him around. The emotion Cagliostro was feeling was very, very, related to happiness.

"Well, I know I'm getting ecstatic from this!" Cagliostro laughs in sheer joy. "Well everyone, you heard him, do the thing you love most, or in my case - my third most favourite hobby!"​

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @LuckycoolHawk9 @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone

 

[thatguyinthestore]

The first attack that would land was Twisted Fate's cards, the projectiles exploding upon him like before. Though it was difficult to tell whether or not the balance interfering effect kicked in or how much the cards even hurt him at all, the next attack that made its mark was Cagliostro's spell, Diablo's form sinking into the ground and crushed underneath it. However, he just as easily forced himself back up without much effort, and it was difficult to ascertain how much the attack had hurt him, if at all.

Standing in the same location and position that he was before, as Warpath and Blake flew into the scene, Diablo quickly raised up his two arms, the two of them slicing at them, though they found that the devil's flesh, if one could even call it that, was rather tough to even scratch, like a butter knife attempting to carve a live bear. With god-like speed, he pulled his arms back once he had Warpath and Blake right where he wanted them, swiftly thrusting his arms forward and grabbing a hold of their necks right out of the air and slamming them into the ground, before quickly proceeding to electrocute them with his powers!

However, before he could inflict much notable damage, Shirou's bullets would knock his concentration away, though they appeared to have as much effect as ordinary bullets off reinforced metal, Diablo glaring at Shirou with a growl as he let go of the two in his grasp, leaving them on the ground, to grab Shirou by the neck now, threatening to crush his throat with pure physical strength!

"I do not need permission from an insect like you. You were bred for me to feed off. Give me your fear, your fury..." He hissed in Shirou's face.

Fortunately for the gunslinger, Azura's water crescent gave the demon pause as it splashed against his back, causing him to stumble forward a step and ever so slightly loosen his grip. Glaring back at the water tornadoes conjured by Azura and Hakuei, he opted to turn around and throw Shirou's body forward like a baseball with enough force that the velocity at which he flew not only dissipated the tornadoes through some miraculous force, but also intended to crash right into Hakuei's body!

"Go on... Give me your hatred," he hissed to everyone, tauntingly opening his arms out to everyone, "The more you fight, the more you fear you have to give, the more I take..."

All the meanwhile, as Alice attempted to make a break for the Tesseract, reaching out to grab it, she would find that where the glowing cube once was, there was nothing! There was no explanation for it. No rhyme or reason. There was simply nothing to reach for in the spot that the Tesseract once resided within.

If one was able to put two and two together, then there definitely was something... out of place about the area they resided in now. Whatever the exact nature of Diablo's influence over this area was supposed to entail, it seemed needless to say that this was his dominion.

This was his realm now.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

Lucifer had planned to talk with the others, but then they had arrived at the vault and started to fight Diablo. He watched for a few seconds and he was about to attack when he heard what Diablo said. He lived off their fighting, their anger, their hatred, their fear. He looked over at everyone. " I think we should stand down guys. Don't fear him, don't hate him, don't attack him, just leave him be. The less there is to feed off, the less power he has. The more we fight back, the more powerful he becomes. Perhaps it is an old course of action, but the best course of action here seems to be inaction. So, Diablo, I don't hate you, I don't fear you. I'm not going to attack you," he said, lying his sword and gun on the ground.

" Lucifer, what are you doing?" Linda asked.

" Doing the only thing that can defeat him... nothing. He lives off of fear and hate. He said it himself, the more we fear, the more we hate, the more he takes. What happens to the being we don't feed? They grow weaker and die. I advise everyone does the same, stand down and maybe some love or lust could work." He may have added some desire manipulation to his last phrase. At this point, he turned to kiss Linda... which certainly surprised the woman.

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"This better fuckin' work."

Jason dropped both of his guns and knelt down the floor and let all the hate, all the pain and blackness he felt, he let it escape him for this one second as he sat there and did nothing. It was a new feeling, honestly it was. But it felt....



Good.

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[Midnight Maiden]

Schala Zeal
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@Everyone

Schala didn't have enough time to prepare the spell she had intended, but even so... She was one step closer to hopefully hurting the beast once she gathered enough energy within her body. The most she might have, was a couple shots at this, so she had to time it very carefully, she had to wait for a moment Diablo's movements were impaired enough for her to make her move... Without him just dodging it.

It was painfully obvious that she couldn't do this on her own.

Before she had the time to formulate a proper thought though, Diablo's barrage of lightning, coming straight from his fist caused her to yelp in surprise... Quickly casting haste on herself as she attempted to avoid the worst of it, which... Surprisingly worked, sort of.

While Schala was not physically disabled, she was still struck in places by the lightning as it moved a little too quick for her to avoid it entirely... Singing her body in various places, but even so... She desperately looked around for someone, anyone that could help her, and in that moment, she found Setsuna.

Unfortunately, Setsuna was disabled at the moment, with the lightning evidently having gotten the better of her... But nevertheless, Schala pressed forwards, trying to find a safe spot to stand, somewhere out of the lightning's range for now and perhaps even pull Setsuna to safety. Considering that her haste spell was the only thing keeping the current from coursing through her body, and disabling her... It was hard to tell how long she could last, seeing as she already had burns crisscrossing her legs, and on the soles of her feet.

More would likely begin cropping up if this kept up any longer.

However, if by some miracle, Schala was able to get Setsuna to a safe spot, she would attempt to heal her with a "cure" spell. While this meant it would take longer for her to prepare the attack she had intended against Diablo, she knew she had to have some way of disabling the creature first... So her attack would hit home as she intended.​

Shirou clicked his tongue in annoyance as his shots were evaded. It seemed like it'd take some tricks to get his shots to land properly on Diablo. Before he had much time to plan though, a shockwave followed by strikes of lightning threatened to strike him.

But before he could even react, Setsuna had taken it upon herself to cover for him.

He could imagine why. When Clark had become aggressive against him, she'd automatically moved to confront Clark. She was rather intent on protecting him, even if he hadn't really asked her to. The act itself may have been something selfless, but as it was something she decided to do herself as far as he was concerned, he'd just thought of it was something good for her.

Damn was he wrong.

Thanks to his own Malignant Tumor Apoptosis, he couldn't touch her or he'd infect her as well. Fortunately at least in that regard, Schala had already gotten on it and begun to move Setsuna to safety. Shirou's grip on his gun tightened, his ever-present smirk dropping.

"Setsuna. Heal yourself. That's gonna be your priority number one, got it?"

His ability and skillset was ill-suited to helping a downed teammate out. The only thing he could offer was to take down the enemy before they could cause any more harm. So hoping for the various healing spells being thrown around to do their job, Shirou began to do his.

In a blur of inhuman movement, Shirou seemed to practically warp behind Diablo, pressing the muzzle of his gun against whatever part of Diablo he could find.

"Hey. Who gave you permission to do that, huh?!" His body almost seemed to pulse for a second, his eyes red with fury as he once again pulled the trigger. This time, his shots would be at point-blank range, more akin to a punch or kick than a projectile. The roar of gunfire preceded the strike of his disease-ridden bullets, each only aiming to strike somewhere, anywhere on Diablo's body. All to inflict his incurable disease.

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"H-hnng..."

Setsuna made no move to resist as Schala helped her to what could hardly be called 'safety', but was still safer than being right on the front line attacking Diablo. The Angel even struggled, doing her best to contribute some movement on her own, despite repeatedly nearly crumpling to the ground again. Which, she did, when they were out of the way, with a small thud and a pained expression, shaking slightly in the pile she was in. With a cringe, she weakly lifted her head to look to Schala, struggling not to tremble as she did so. "P-please... Help me...!" she pleaded, despite her previous seeming lack of care what happened to her. Tears faintly welled in her eyes as she gazed at the other female pleadingly before she heard a familiar voice, just about when Schala began an attempt to heal her.

Heal yourself. That's gonna be your priority number one, got it?

How peculiar. How could her heath be priority? In her mind, everyone but her own was, which was precisely why she was pleading so desperately for assistance from Schala. She needed to, at the very least, replenish enough Eternal Mana to stand and run. That way, even if she could not beat the monster, she could defend the others. ...Ah. Perhaps this was why Shirou wished for her to heal, as well. Regardless, Schala's spells seemed to do little, quite possibly due to Setsuna's biological makeup. Something possibly borderline machine and surpassing superhuman- godly being a better word. Regardless, renowned horror wracked her as blue-green eyes caught sight of Diablo attempting an attack on Shirou. Unwittingly, painfully, she reached out and called out.

"S-Shirou...! L-look out...!"

...only to cringe and squeeze her eyes shut, still desperately struggling. So, once again, she pleaded. "...Please, I need to help. I need your help... Please..."

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​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

The first attack that would land was Twisted Fate's cards, the projectiles exploding upon him like before. Though it was difficult to tell whether or not the balance interfering effect kicked in or how much the cards even hurt him at all, the next attack that made its mark was Cagliostro's spell, Diablo's form sinking into the ground and crushed underneath it. However, he just as easily forced himself back up without much effort, and it was difficult to ascertain how much the attack had hurt him, if at all.

Standing in the same location and position that he was before, as Warpath and Blake flew into the scene, Diablo quickly raised up his two arms, the two of them slicing at them, though they found that the devil's flesh, if one could even call it that, was rather tough to even scratch, like a butter knife attempting to carve a live bear. With god-like speed, he pulled his arms back once he had Warpath and Blake right where he wanted them, swiftly thrusting his arms forward and grabbing a hold of their necks right out of the air and slamming them into the ground, before quickly proceeding to electrocute them with his powers!

However, before he could inflict much notable damage, Shirou's bullets would knock his concentration away, though they appeared to have as much effect as ordinary bullets off reinforced metal, Diablo glaring at Shirou with a growl as he let go of the two in his grasp, leaving them on the ground, to grab Shirou by the neck now, threatening to crush his throat with pure physical strength!

"I do not need permission from an insect like you. You were bred for me to feed off. Give me your fear, your fury..." He hissed in Shirou's face.

Fortunately for the gunslinger, Azura's water crescent gave the demon pause as it splashed against his back, causing him to stumble forward a step and ever so slightly loosen his grip. Glaring back at the water tornadoes conjured by Azura and Hakuei, he opted to turn around and throw Shirou's body forward like a baseball with enough force that the velocity at which he flew not only dissipated the tornadoes through some miraculous force, but also intended to crash right into Hakuei's body!

"Go on... Give me your hatred," he hissed to everyone, tauntingly opening his arms out to everyone, "The more you fight, the more you fear you have to give, the more I take..."

All the meanwhile, as Alice attempted to make a break for the Tesseract, reaching out to grab it, she would find that where the glowing cube once was, there was nothing! There was no explanation for it. No rhyme or reason. There was simply nothing to reach for in the spot that the Tesseract once resided within.

If one was able to put two and two together, then there definitely was something... out of place about the area they resided in now. Whatever the exact nature of Diablo's influence over this area was supposed to entail, it seemed needless to say that this was his dominion.

This was his realm now.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

It happened so fast, and it made him wonder on how he was still alive. Just as he had thought his efforts had done something, Blake endured an unbearable pain. The crushing grip on his throat, the shattering feeling upon making contact with the ground, the numbing static from the cast electricity from Diablo. Something in his consciousness screamed out for a reprieve from this suffering, but Blake was completely silent. He merely tried to stand up, taking several attempts with great difficulty.

So is there nothing that I can do here?

As he tried and tried, Blake's resolve to try anything to be of help didn't linger away. On the contrary, he thought that if he tried more and more, he would show Diablo a piece of his mind. However, the statements from Diablo himself and some others in their group, the aggressive efforts that they had attempted did not work as intended... Then how were they going to defeat Diablo? How are they going to win? How are they going to... ?

... that's right. There is something that I can do.

Standing up finally, Blake felt anxious inside. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do this, considering their situation. A part of him thought it was stupid, another part thought it wouldn't work, but for some reason, the thought of it enticed him. It was something that he wanted to do for the longest, something that has always been on the vigilante's mind since he learned the concept of it before all of this.

"This is an odd feeling. Fighting doesn't seem to work... and yet, I don't mind this at all. If anything... I feel that I... no, that's not right... we aren't going to fall for that taunt easily, Diablo."

Blankly staring ahead and keeping himself from letting the pain all around his body win, Blake spoke with that surviving resolve, his heartbeat fastening for some reason.

"Call it a weird gut feeling... but I see that you won't be controlling what should be our own stories, our own tales... I know for certain, you aren't the spinner of our tales..."

A bit of uncertainty was in Blake's words, as if he had no idea on what he was saying at first. Maybe that one blow had knocked a bit on his head, and strange ideas were being sprouted out of his mouth, but even then, Blake had a bearing on what his actual thoughts meant by this.

Just like you said... beneath that static...

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No...

Senna dropped her khakkhara.

Thump thump thump

Sheer panic drove Senna to suddenly run, her heart bounding so fiercely in her chest that she could feel it in her throat. All she could see was that Blake had been struck down, and suddenly it was all that mattered. The rest of the world seemed to blur around her, her vision like a tunnel with the injured young man at the end of it.

No, no, no! Please, no!

"Blaaaaaaaake!" the girl cried, trotting at top speed, using her spiritual pressure to push her body and make it move faster. She had already gone a bit past her limits--and would definitely be feeling pain because of it later--but the adrenaline of the moment kept her going. She had to make it to him.

From a distance, when she would see him actually stand up, Senna slowed down and took a deep breath of relief. She would then walk over to him and clutch his arms, looking him over for a moment. "B-Blake, oh thank goodness you're okay. That fall-- It was awful. You shouldn't force yourself to stand if you can't." She touched the side of his face before glancing to his electrical burns, wincing at the sight of them. Afterwards, she would wrap his arm around her shoulder to help him support his weight while he stood.

Senna then looked outward, at Diablo and those who had been fighting him. It appeared as if most of the group had laid down their arms and were no longer fighting. She had exhausted a lot of her strength already, so she followed suit and stopped fighting for the time being. She was more worried about Blake right now anyhow and didn't feel she should leave his side while he was in so much pain.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Verite @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore@Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

 

[Takumi]

Azura went to check on Shirou and Hakuei.

"Are you both alright?" she asked, leaning against her Naginata. She hoped their method worked, because she was ready to get it over with. She was curious why he would boast in such a way that made them understand what didn't work against him, but decided to enjoy the info they got and rolled with it.

Glancing to the rest she chuckled.

"Most of you sound like my sibling...and I don't know if lust would be the ideal emotion in this situation, Lucifer." she replied to Lucifer. Cause it was just weird to say. :-|

"One more time." she muttered. She sang again, this time, it was mostly used to rejuvenate the rest of the group and help soothe them somehow. Her voice being slightly softer than before.

Once she finished she glanced towards Cagliostro.

"Cagliostro...perhaps you should calm down a bit." Azura warned. The alchemist seemed a little too ecstatic at the moment.

@Verite @Atomyk @Hana @Sen @Crow @Mason Moretti @The Myrmidon @Everyone (probably the last time I'll use this song)

 

[Bomb]

The first attack that would land was Twisted Fate's cards, the projectiles exploding upon him like before. Though it was difficult to tell whether or not the balance interfering effect kicked in or how much the cards even hurt him at all, the next attack that made its mark was Cagliostro's spell, Diablo's form sinking into the ground and crushed underneath it. However, he just as easily forced himself back up without much effort, and it was difficult to ascertain how much the attack had hurt him, if at all.

Standing in the same location and position that he was before, as Warpath and Blake flew into the scene, Diablo quickly raised up his two arms, the two of them slicing at them, though they found that the devil's flesh, if one could even call it that, was rather tough to even scratch, like a butter knife attempting to carve a live bear. With god-like speed, he pulled his arms back once he had Warpath and Blake right where he wanted them, swiftly thrusting his arms forward and grabbing a hold of their necks right out of the air and slamming them into the ground, before quickly proceeding to electrocute them with his powers!

However, before he could inflict much notable damage, Shirou's bullets would knock his concentration away, though they appeared to have as much effect as ordinary bullets off reinforced metal, Diablo glaring at Shirou with a growl as he let go of the two in his grasp, leaving them on the ground, to grab Shirou by the neck now, threatening to crush his throat with pure physical strength!

"I do not need permission from an insect like you. You were bred for me to feed off. Give me your fear, your fury..." He hissed in Shirou's face.

Fortunately for the gunslinger, Azura's water crescent gave the demon pause as it splashed against his back, causing him to stumble forward a step and ever so slightly loosen his grip. Glaring back at the water tornadoes conjured by Azura and Hakuei, he opted to turn around and throw Shirou's body forward like a baseball with enough force that the velocity at which he flew not only dissipated the tornadoes through some miraculous force, but also intended to crash right into Hakuei's body!

"Go on... Give me your hatred," he hissed to everyone, tauntingly opening his arms out to everyone, "The more you fight, the more you fear you have to give, the more I take..."

All the meanwhile, as Alice attempted to make a break for the Tesseract, reaching out to grab it, she would find that where the glowing cube once was, there was nothing! There was no explanation for it. No rhyme or reason. There was simply nothing to reach for in the spot that the Tesseract once resided within.

If one was able to put two and two together, then there definitely was something... out of place about the area they resided in now. Whatever the exact nature of Diablo's influence over this area was supposed to entail, it seemed needless to say that this was his dominion.

This was his realm now.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

​

Naomi sighed and spoke with Alice, saying, "It looks like it's gone, without even a trace of evidence. Alice, we're playing on whatever this thing's terms are. Fighting it head-on isn't going to work."
In the battlefield, Naomi took a moment to stop and think. She thought carefully, listening intently and analyzing Diablo's words. Then, suddenly, a bright spark of inspiration hit her. Her calculating and mystery-solving mind had come up with a solution. There was a loophole in his words, an Achilles Heel to strike.
"Everyone, stop fighting!" Naomi called as loud as she could, "Our fears and rage only make Diablo stronger! So lay down your weapons! There's no need for any more bloodshed!" As she spoke, she turned off the beam katana in her hand and motioned for Alice to turn off the ASURA-6. Likewise, Navel lowered his own gun and repeated Naomi's message for everyone to hear, if they hadn't heard her.
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"Shut up!" Jabbers would get back up. "It's his fault we're all like this!"

He was so enraged that he wanted to win. He needed to win.

But he also knew that he can't just fight his way, if what Diablo said was true.

"Damnit! What do I do!?"

"So we can't win by fighting it?" Doremi thought that was the only option, but seeing that is no longer a viable option, what else can they do?
​

"Thank you for your gratitude," Cagliostro grins, "now, it's time."​

"In your dreams!"

Cagliostro exclaims as she summons a giant rock palm from the earth to catch Shirou. Afterwards, she creates a few stone walls to redirect Hakuei and Azura's water tornado away from Shirou, then another two stone walls to redirect it back at Diablo.

Cagliostro looks at Lucifer as he displays an example of his suggestion.

"Oh, I'll do the same alright..."

Cagliostro clears her mind. Every bit of rage, every bit of fear, it was all converted into one central emotion - sadism. Extreme sadism.

Cagliostro, with absolutely no fear, hate or rage, feeling only pure, unadultered sadism, begins to torment Diablo with numerous swift earth-based fists that dashed across the ground, knocking him around. The emotion Cagliostro was feeling was very, very, related to happiness.

"Well, I know I'm getting ecstatic from this!" Cagliostro laughs in sheer joy. "Well everyone, you heard him, do the thing you love most, or in my case - my third most favourite hobby!"​

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @LuckycoolHawk9 @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone

... That's it!

There was one more thing that Doremi can do: To sing.

Breathe in... breathe out... you can do this Doremi... Doremi would try to psych back up, to get her confidence back, before trying to sing a melody that would both motivate everyone and soothe everyone's rage and fear.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @LuckycoolHawk9 @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

 

[Crow]

Azura went to check on Shirou and Hakuei.

"Are you both alright?" she asked, leaning against her Naginata. She hoped their method worked, because she was ready to get it over with. She was curious why he would boast in such a way that made them understand what didn't work against him, but decided to enjoy the info they got and rolled with it.

Glancing to the rest she chuckled.

"Most of you sound like my sibling...and I don't know if lust would be the ideal emotion in this situation, Lucifer." she replied to Lucifer. Cause it was just weird to say. :-|

"One more time." she muttered. She sang again, this time, it was mostly used to rejuvenate the rest of the group and help soothe them somehow. Her voice being slightly softer than before.

Once she finished she glanced towards Cagliostro.

"Cagliostro...perhaps you should calm down a bit." Azura warned. The alchemist seemed a little too ecstatic at the moment.

@Verite @Atomyk @Hana @Sen @Crow @Mason Moretti @The Myrmidon @Everyone (probably the last time I'll use this song)

"Give me a second! I'm almost done." Cagliostro, having too much fun, says to Azura. Cagliostro had already prepared her stance.

"I'm going to enjoy this! ARS..."

Cagliostro laughs.

"... MAGNA!!!!"

As Ars Magna was activated upon Diablo, Ouroboros created an infinity-like shape upon him, distorting him with a force beyond forces and dealing very heavy damage. Whether or not it connected, the group would be slightly healed and temporarily gain a healing factor to help heal any remaining wounds.

"Well," Cagliostro smiles as Ouroboros was desummoned, and she sat beside Azura, "that was exciting~ I want to do it again~."​

@Verite @Sen @Hana @Takumi

 

[Gands]

James Proudstar Warpath

Slammed into the ground, Warpath groaned to himself, then to have an influx of energy from Cagliostro. He got up and shook his head. He was about to help Blake who was stumbling about somewhat when Senna zoomed in and seemed to just about tackle him. This caused Warpath to smile, his heart warmed. His own magic kept his fear limited and bottled. He had at the start of this determined his rage was of little use. He picked up and sheathed his two knives. Then, moved over next to Lucifer and sat down.

" Wisdom ? I don't remember the stories saying anything about wisdom Mister Morningstar !


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[Takumi]

"Give me a second! I'm almost done." Cagliostro, having too much fun, says to Azura. Cagliostro had already prepared her stance.

"I'm going to enjoy this! ARS..."

Cagliostro laughs.

"... MAGNA!!!!"

As Ars Magna was activated upon Diablo, Ouroboros created an infinity-like shape upon him, distorting him with a force beyond forces and dealing very heavy damage. Whether or not it connected, the group would be slightly healed and temporarily gain a healing factor to help heal any remaining wounds.

"Well," Cagliostro smiles as Ouroboros was desummoned, and she sat beside Azura, "that was exciting~ I want to do it again~."​

@Verite @Sen @Hana @Takumi

Azura stared at the alchemist for a while, before laughing lightly, well more like giggled as a hand reached out to pet the back of the blondes head.

"Your bubbly side is like my younger sister Elise, yet your more ruthless side is like my sister Camilla when one of her loved ones are threatened. How amusing." she smiled.

@Verite @Atomyk @Crow @Mason Moretti @The Myrmidon

 

[Crow]

Azura stared at the alchemist for a while, before laughing lightly, well more like giggled as a hand reached out to pet the back of the blondes head.

"Your bubbly side is like my younger sister Elise, yet your more ruthless side is like my sister Camilla when one of her loved ones are threatened. How amusing." she smiled.

@Verite @Atomyk @Crow @Mason Moretti @The Myrmidon

"I guess either way, I remind you of family~ teehee~" Cagliostro briefly answers. "Be sure to tell those sisters of yours that you met someone like them once we head home~ it'll be nice to see warriors from other worlds inspired and awed by my greatness~."​

@Verite @Atomyk @Crow @Mason Moretti @Sen @Hana @The Myrmidon @Takumi

 

[Mu]

​

It was a shame that Diablo was fueled on the hatred of others. Alucard didn't know if he was capable of not hating the monster. It reminded him too much of the past, the past he wanted to move on from but knew he never would. It was the burden of being born as the son of Dracula. He was always destined to love yet also hate his father. This demon monstrosity, the aura it exuded, every time Alucard looked at it he could see something in it.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was a monster just like it too. If things hadn't gone the way it did, if his mother never taught him the path to take, he could have ended up just like this.
​

​

Flung aside, the dhampir quickly steadied himself, picking up his fallen sword. His familiar had been tossed aside with him, and it too regained balance, swinging in circles as if trying to be threatening. Just as he was about to charge back at Diablo, he watched as the demon picked up one of the combatants, throwing the choked figure right towards Hakuei. He ran up towards her just as the alchemist summoned structures to catch them.
​

​

"Are you alright?" he asked her, a hint of genuine worry in his voice, eyebrows furrowed. "Do not push yourself, Hakuei. Save your energy." But seeing her - and everyone else - hurt, it enraged him.​

​

He couldn't understand why, but emotions that he had long tossed aside were boiling inside of him. They festered within him like a disease he couldn't cure. Was it because he was half a human, was it because Diablo was stirring things within him? He just wanted to be left alone now - back in that coffin sealed away from others. Yes, that would be a good place to go to after all of this.

Unable to calm himself of rising rage and hate, the dhampir charged at the demon once more, using his sword familiar to once again call upon a hail of projectiles to fire towards the demon.
​

@Verite @Atomyk @Crow @Mason Moretti @Sen @Hana @The Myrmidon @Takumi​

 

[Hana]

The first attack that would land was Twisted Fate's cards, the projectiles exploding upon him like before. Though it was difficult to tell whether or not the balance interfering effect kicked in or how much the cards even hurt him at all, the next attack that made its mark was Cagliostro's spell, Diablo's form sinking into the ground and crushed underneath it. However, he just as easily forced himself back up without much effort, and it was difficult to ascertain how much the attack had hurt him, if at all.

Standing in the same location and position that he was before, as Warpath and Blake flew into the scene, Diablo quickly raised up his two arms, the two of them slicing at them, though they found that the devil's flesh, if one could even call it that, was rather tough to even scratch, like a butter knife attempting to carve a live bear. With god-like speed, he pulled his arms back once he had Warpath and Blake right where he wanted them, swiftly thrusting his arms forward and grabbing a hold of their necks right out of the air and slamming them into the ground, before quickly proceeding to electrocute them with his powers!

However, before he could inflict much notable damage, Shirou's bullets would knock his concentration away, though they appeared to have as much effect as ordinary bullets off reinforced metal, Diablo glaring at Shirou with a growl as he let go of the two in his grasp, leaving them on the ground, to grab Shirou by the neck now, threatening to crush his throat with pure physical strength!

"I do not need permission from an insect like you. You were bred for me to feed off. Give me your fear, your fury..." He hissed in Shirou's face.

Fortunately for the gunslinger, Azura's water crescent gave the demon pause as it splashed against his back, causing him to stumble forward a step and ever so slightly loosen his grip. Glaring back at the water tornadoes conjured by Azura and Hakuei, he opted to turn around and throw Shirou's body forward like a baseball with enough force that the velocity at which he flew not only dissipated the tornadoes through some miraculous force, but also intended to crash right into Hakuei's body!

"Go on... Give me your hatred," he hissed to everyone, tauntingly opening his arms out to everyone, "The more you fight, the more you fear you have to give, the more I take..."

All the meanwhile, as Alice attempted to make a break for the Tesseract, reaching out to grab it, she would find that where the glowing cube once was, there was nothing! There was no explanation for it. No rhyme or reason. There was simply nothing to reach for in the spot that the Tesseract once resided within.

If one was able to put two and two together, then there definitely was something... out of place about the area they resided in now. Whatever the exact nature of Diablo's influence over this area was supposed to entail, it seemed needless to say that this was his dominion.

This was his realm now.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

Lucifer had planned to talk with the others, but then they had arrived at the vault and started to fight Diablo. He watched for a few seconds and he was about to attack when he heard what Diablo said. He lived off their fighting, their anger, their hatred, their fear. He looked over at everyone. " I think we should stand down guys. Don't fear him, don't hate him, don't attack him, just leave him be. The less there is to feed off, the less power he has. The more we fight back, the more powerful he becomes. Perhaps it is an old course of action, but the best course of action here seems to be inaction. So, Diablo, I don't hate you, I don't fear you. I'm not going to attack you," he said, lying his sword and gun on the ground.

" Lucifer, what are you doing?" Linda asked.

" Doing the only thing that can defeat him... nothing. He lives off of fear and hate. He said it himself, the more we fear, the more we hate, the more he takes. What happens to the being we don't feed? They grow weaker and die. I advise everyone does the same, stand down and maybe some love or lust could work." He may have added some desire manipulation to his last phrase. At this point, he turned to kiss Linda... which certainly surprised the woman.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone

Azura went to check on Shirou and Hakuei.

"Are you both alright?" she asked, leaning against her Naginata. She hoped their method worked, because she was ready to get it over with. She was curious why he would boast in such a way that made them understand what didn't work against him, but decided to enjoy the info they got and rolled with it.

Glancing to the rest she chuckled.

"Most of you sound like my sibling...and I don't know if lust would be the ideal emotion in this situation, Lucifer." she replied to Lucifer. Cause it was just weird to say. :-|

"One more time." she muttered. She sang again, this time, it was mostly used to rejuvenate the rest of the group and help soothe them somehow. Her voice being slightly softer than before.

Once she finished she glanced towards Cagliostro.

"Cagliostro...perhaps you should calm down a bit." Azura warned. The alchemist seemed a little too ecstatic at the moment.

@Verite @Atomyk @Hana @Sen @Crow @Mason Moretti @The Myrmidon @Everyone (probably the last time I'll use this song)

​

It was a shame that Diablo was fueled on the hatred of others. Alucard didn't know if he was capable of not hating the monster. It reminded him too much of the past, the past he wanted to move on from but knew he never would. It was the burden of being born as the son of Dracula. He was always destined to love yet also hate his father. This demon monstrosity, the aura it exuded, every time Alucard looked at it he could see something in it.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was a monster just like it too. If things hadn't gone the way it did, if his mother never taught him the path to take, he could have ended up just like this.
​

​

Flung aside, the dhampir quickly steadied himself, picking up his fallen sword. His familiar had been tossed aside with him, and it too regained balance, swinging in circles as if trying to be threatening. Just as he was about to charge back at Diablo, he watched as the demon picked up one of the combatants, throwing the choked figure right towards Hakuei. He ran up towards her just as the alchemist summoned structures to catch them.
​

​

"Are you alright?" he asked her, a hint of genuine worry in his voice, eyebrows furrowed. "Do not push yourself, Hakuei. Save your energy." But seeing her - and everyone else - hurt, it enraged him.​

​

He couldn't understand why, but emotions that he had long tossed aside were boiling inside of him. They festered within him like a disease he couldn't cure. Was it because he was half a human, was it because Diablo was stirring things within him? He just wanted to be left alone now - back in that coffin sealed away from others. Yes, that would be a good place to go to after all of this.

Unable to calm himself of rising rage and hate, the dhampir charged at the demon once more, using his sword familiar to once again call upon a hail of projectiles to fire towards the demon.
​

@Verite @Atomyk @Crow @Mason Moretti @Sen @Hana @The Myrmidon @Takumi​

"Shirou-san-"

The force at which Shirou hurtled through space was fast enough that Hakuei, if it weren't for Cagliostro's timely intervention, would not have been able to evade in time. The princess had still tried, a burst of strong winds flaring to life in front of her on a reflex. She gulped down another gasp from the strain of forcing out the whirlwinds one after another, Paimon in spear form glowing in her grip as she lashed out.

She was just as enraged as some of the others at seeing how much pain Diablo put it through. Even when her breath came in puffs now and her flight was more out of sheer force of will, the princess glared resolutely at Diablo. When flight became too much, Hakuei jerkily landed herself on the ground, the landing causing her to stumble onto her knees. For a moment only the sound of her ragged breathing and the blood thrumming, a pounding in her head was all she could hear. For another rare time, Hakuei was feeling the vestiges of panic.

The princess could only nod at Azura's words, gripping her spear and shakily standing up.

What manner of creature is this? What do we have to do to take him down?!

As if by miracle, Lucifer's words reached her ears. All of a sudden, Hakuei wondered where her characteristic positive outlook had left her.

This place had changed a part of her. All the death, the negativity, the uncertainty of the situation had stripped the princess of a part of her remaining innocence.

But she hadn't lost it all.

Suddenly determined, Hakuei took a deep breath and let her control on her djinn equip go, a flash of white briefly enveloping her before she was simply herself again.

Simply Hakuei. Battered and scarred from past battles, but proud and dignified as she could be.

She noticed Alucard beginning to move, and noticed the trembling he couldn't hide. The princess gasped, realizing what he was about to do.

With the wind nipping at her heels and a last burst of Paimon's power urging her on, Hakuei rushed until she was standing behind Alucard.

"Stop!"

He let loose the last balls of flame just as warm arms came up around the tall dhampir's back and he was roughly pulled back against the smaller form of Hakuei. She held onto him tight, fingers gripping like a vice on the folds of his coat and buried her face against his back. An unfamiliar yet not unwelcome scent filled her nose, something indescribable suddenly filling her chest at that moment in time.

"I'm alright, Alucard! And you're alright, too!"

She pulled away, stumbling backwards with the dhampir's coat caught up in her hands, pulling him away from his self-destructive actions.

Hakuei put a hand on his shoulder and forcefully turned him around, pulling the tall dhampir down to her level and grabbing his face in her hands. She leaned her forehead against his, feeling sweat trickle down her temple at the movement, and met him eye for eye.

There was rage swirling somewhere in the pale gold of Alucard's eyes. Hakuei's own eyes were impossibly soft in comparison.

"Seeing you like this - it hurts."

Her voice was low and pained, but she smiled.

"So please... Just stop and stay with me..."

@Sen @Azuremoon @Crow @Verite @Takumi @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Midnight Maiden @Gummi Bunnies @Gands @Atomyk @Kaykay @PPL

 

[Yun Lee]

Naomi sighed and spoke with Alice, saying, "It looks like it's gone, without even a trace of evidence. Alice, we're playing on whatever this thing's terms are. Fighting it head-on isn't going to work."

In the battlefield, Naomi took a moment to stop and think. She thought carefully, listening intently and analyzing Diablo's words. Then, suddenly, a bright spark of inspiration hit her. Her calculating and mystery-solving mind had come up with a solution. There was a loophole in his words, an Achilles Heel to strike.

"Everyone, stop fighting!" Naomi called as loud as she could, "Our fears and rage only make Diablo stronger! So lay down your weapons! There's no need for any more bloodshed!" As she spoke, she turned off the beam katana in her hand and motioned for Alice to turn off the ASURA-6. Likewise, Navel lowered his own gun and repeated Naomi's message for everyone to hear, if they hadn't heard her.

@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore@Mason Moretti @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

One by one, everyone stopped fighting. Alice watched each and every one of them put their weapons down, stop fighting. And she?

"...Naomi." ASURA-6 still drawn, Alice spoke to her friend, but couldn't look her in the eye. "...I don't know if I can do this." She could stop fighting, yes. But what Alice was saying was that...she was afraid. There was a definite fear in her heart that kept her from putting ASURA-6 away. It was a fear of the unknown-what would happen if they got out? Would they get out? Where did she go from here? Back to her world? Did she fight her way out to only just be brought back to an endless cycle of death and destruction? Violence was all she knew, without it...only fear remained.

@Mason Moretti
@Midnight Maiden @Josh M @penguin055 @Jeremi @Gummi Bunnies @Sen @Yun Lee @Bomb @Kaykay @thatguyinthestore @york @Takumi @Gands @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Hana @Otto @Crow @Everyone​

 

[Mu]

"Shirou-san-"

The force at which Shirou hurtled through space was fast enough that Hakuei, if it weren't for Cagliostro's timely intervention, would not have been able to evade in time. The princess had still tried, a burst of strong winds flaring to life in front of her on a reflex. She gulped down another gasp from the strain of forcing out the whirlwinds one after another, Paimon in spear form glowing in her grip as she lashed out.

She was just as enraged as some of the others at seeing how much pain Diablo put it through. Even when her breath came in puffs now and her flight was more out of sheer force of will, the princess glared resolutely at Diablo. When flight became too much, Hakuei jerkily landed herself on the ground, the landing causing her to stumble onto her knees. For a moment only the sound of her ragged breathing and the blood thrumming, a pounding in her head was all she could hear. For another rare time, Hakuei was feeling the vestiges of panic.

The princess could only nod at Azura's words, gripping her spear and shakily standing up.

What manner of creature is this? What do we have to do to take him down?!

As if by miracle, Lucifer's words reached her ears. All of a sudden, Hakuei wondered where her characteristic positive outlook had left her.

This place had changed a part of her. All the death, the negativity, the uncertainty of the situation had stripped the princess of a part of her remaining innocence.

But she hadn't lost it all.

Suddenly determined, Hakuei took a deep breath and let her control on her djinn equip go, a flash of white briefly enveloping her before she was simply herself again.

Simply Hakuei. Battered and scarred from past battles, but proud and dignified as she could be.

She noticed Alucard beginning to move, and noticed the trembling he couldn't hide. The princess gasped, realizing what he was about to do.

With the wind nipping at her heels and a last burst of Paimon's power urging her on, Hakuei rushed until she was standing behind Alucard.

"Stop!"

He let loose the last balls of flame just as warm arms came up around the tall dhampir's back and he was roughly pulled back against the smaller form of Hakuei. She held onto him tight, fingers gripping like a vice on the folds of his coat and buried her face against his back. An unfamiliar yet not unwelcome scent filled her nose, something indescribable suddenly filling her chest at that moment in time.

"I'm alright, Alucard! And you're alright, too!"

She pulled away, stumbling backwards with the dhampir's coat caught up in her hands, pulling him away from his self-destructive actions.

Hakuei put a hand on his shoulder and forcefully turned him around, pulling the tall dhampir down to her level and grabbing his face in her hands. She leaned her forehead against his, feeling sweat trickle down her temple at the movement, and met him eye for eye.

There was rage swirling somewhere in the pale gold of Alucard's eyes. Hakuei's own eyes were impossibly soft in comparison.

"Seeing you like this - it hurts."

Her voice was low and pained, but she smiled.

"So please... Just stop and stay with me..."

@Sen @Azuremoon @Crow @Verite @Takumi @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Midnight Maiden @Gummi Bunnies @Gands @Atomyk @Kaykay @PPL

​

Some time ago, Alucard would have pushed the woman away. He desired no contact with humans, although he did not particularly like them, he did not want to interfere with their lives. He looked at them afar, making sure demons and vampires of his kind did not wander into their territory and massacre the weaker race. They were selfish creatures, but yes, their lives were hard and difficult as is - there was no point in making them suffer. However, that did not mean that he did not harbor some sort of distaste for them, they were lower than vampires, as he had been taught by Dracula. And his father always tried to get the human side of him out of Alucard, and the lord vampire and Death always spoke about it.
​

That was what he grew up thinking and believing, that humans were weak and unwanted.

That was also why he tossed aside human emotions, to a prince of vampires, they were unneeded.

​

But right now these emotions he was feeling were so overwhelming, the dhampir simply didn't know what to do. All he knew was that he was angry, and sad, and maybe even frightened. They tore at his insides and at his heart, emotions he had put aside a long, long time ago suddenly felt so foreign in his body. They rampaged, but Hakuei's touch they seemed to freeze for just a moment as the dhampir suddenly stiffened as if he was a statue, unused to human touch.
​

They were way too close, too close for Alucard's comfort. He tried to tear himself away, but the look in Hakuei's eyes stopped him. They were deep and soft, looking back at him as beads of sweat rolled down her face. She looked tired, out of breath, or maybe relieved - the dhampir couldn't tell. He really could see genuine care and kindness in them, which surprised him, as they had not been allies for that long. Even when he had been accused of being one of the traitors, she always stood by him and trusted him - even if she might not have been 100% sure he was innocent.
​

Something about her reminded him terribly of his mother, of when he was small and she comforted him when he ran from the throne room, scared of the monster that was his father, or the demons that lurked the halls. In the castle of chaos, she was his sole light. And here in this foreign world, Hakuei was that light.
​

But...
​

"Hakuei. I have seen creatures just like that in many prophecies. I have envisioned my own world being vanquished by monsters far more ferocious than this Diablo. Even if this world is not mine, I feel the need to slay it."
​

" ... Please allow me to fight it."

@Hana @Azuremoon @Crow @Verite @Takumi @Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Midnight Maiden @Gummi Bunnies @Gands @Atomyk @Kaykay #SHIP

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