Be me
be me who has no idea where he is or what is going on
be me who has no idea why he is on trial
only remember words from soft girls voice
We will meet again. I don’t know when, and I don’t know where. But I know we will meet again. So wait for me in the next world
mfw she said goodbye using lines from a Vera Lynn song
the judge bitch from Loki asks me “how do you plead” again. No idea why I am in the TVA
“this is the TVA, so just get this sham trial over with. How is the TVA anyway? Is Miss Minutes still around? Does she still drool for the Apple Man?”
I can feel their seething from here, they are mad, get trolled retards.
if this is how things are going at the TVA right now, I guess we are still before Loki season 2, which sucks
at least I will know about Alioth before I am sent to the void. I should be able to outrun it, I think. I am not a fat fuck at least
the judge bitch raises her eyebrow to me like the kinslayer from A Series of Unfortunate Events
“you know a lot of things, smartass. Not only are you guilty of crimes against the True Timelines, but you also guilty of being a threat against the TVA and it’s ability to protect untold trillions across the multiverse. For the guilty verdict, you will be erased with a time stick”
hypocritical bitch talks about protecting trillions while she kills a thousand times more with pruning
I feel the jolt from the stick and everything goes white
open my eyes again to see an office room that looks like the owners just tried to commit insurance fraud
Now that I am in the Void, I should probably go looking for one of those pimped out Sling Rings like the skinned Doctor Strange had in Deadpool and Wolverine. At least then I would not be trapped here
walk to the window to see the rest of the city
it’s the Void alright, it looks as mad max as ever.
oh shit, are these buildings from Fallout 4? Am I in a pruned Boston!?
oh shit, is that a covenant phantom from Halo!?
this opens up so many questions that I want to ask
does Cassandra Nova still exist in this version of the Void?
Does the TVA know that the Void has changed like this?
How many IPs can I find in this place now?
is Alioth even still out there?
There is a shriek that carves through my eardrums as if being an answer to my questions
this is bullshit, of all the creatures I had to come across first, why does it have to be a Juggernaut from Danmachi? I stand fuckall chance against that thing
fuck it
even if I have to die early on, at least I could save some variants who are better people than I will ever be
walk back towards the centre of the building and kick open the door with the clean little stair icon above it
I am kinda amazed that the stairs are still intact after all this timeline
maybe Alioth will wind up leeching the Juggernaut before it can do any real damage. But the Juggernaut is fast, and it can also absorb living things and gain their abilities
yep, this is bullshit
I leave the building and run as fast as I can through the streets of gravel and crumbled roads
if I have any luck, a variant of Bell Cranel will show up to kick the juggs ass and steal the show. But I would not complain if that were to happen. I’d be pretty happy if someone just killed this thing.
I reach the end of the main road and find a bunch of ships from various series I know and love.
feels very surreal seeing wrecks of a Vertibird, Huey, ARC-170, A Hornet from Halo, and an Illuminate Weedoboth from Supreme Commander all gathered so close together
I can hear fighting just a bit further ahead. Judging from the chaos, the Juggernaut must be shredding the victims who were unfortunate enough to be caught in its path
rush to the fighting as quickly as I can, but the frantic shouting has stopped, and some of the voices even sound relieved now
I finally reach the people, and holy shit it is a mess. But I can still make out who some of the people were
I spy a bunch of chaos guardsmen, a fucking Arasaka corpo of all things, both Kung Lao and Baraka are also dead, A Clone Trooper, some assassin droids, a group of Middle Earth Uruk-hai, and a Boromir
there are two guys left, who are mourning over a body that I can’t see. I walk over to them, both to comfort them and get a better look at the final dead bodyguard
Fucking Commander Shepard. And a femshep at that. She is still wearing her classic N7 armour
the last two guys are a guardsmen from 40k, and what looks like a soldier of the Empire from Warhammer Fantasy
“what happened here? Was it the Juggernaut?” the soldier of the Empire nods to me with a tear still running down his face
“yeah, we have been warned about that creature before. But this was the first time we had to face it ourselves. We were caught unprepared” The guardsman salutes the body of Shepard
“I thought her a Sister of the Adepta Sororitas. She refused to be called one, but damn it, she fought like one. She should carry the same honour of that title” There is still the matter at hand that needs to be addressed
“what happened to that Juggernaut? Is it still around?” the two soldiers shake their heads to me
“no, we were fortunate to have our Quicksilver intervene before the monster could continue the slaughter” first day in the void, and I am already dealing with unbeatable monsters that will kill me in a single second if given even a small chance of attacking me
“and what happened to Quicksilver?” The soldier of the empire points out towards a crashed covenant cruiser
“he lured the juggernaut out towards that ship” I know for certain that the Juggernaut will not be killed by Quicksilver, and I also know that he will be fully aware of that, and will likely only keep it distracted for a few minutes before he flees on his own
the monster will be coming back soon, and we will be next
just looking at the corpses makes me want to vomit
“we should leave this place, it is not safe. Is there anywhere we can go that might be safe? Or is there an Alioth out there that we need to avoid at all costs?” the soldier of the empire nods to me
“yes, Alioth will be here very shortly. Thank you for reminding me, you must have been trapped here for a long time” I shake my head to the soldiers
“no actually, it is my first day here” should I have revealed that to him? I have only just met these two. Surely they can be trusted though, right? One is a guardsman after all, and the other a soldier of the empire. They are enemies of Chaos, so they must have better intentions in their hearts
we leave the bodies as they are, we can see the cloud of Alioth forming in the distance. The clean-up janitor is on his way. And I bet he does it for free
“is death here normally that common?” The soldier of the Empire nods
“ever since the TVA expanded the scope of their operations to such a considerable degree, there have been hundreds of thousands of pruned things being dumped in here every day”
we make some distance from the ruins of the Boston variant and head out towards the open fields
“where will we go now?” the soldier of the Empire points out towards a large school.
“until tomorrow, we will be camping out in that pruned school” I won’t get my hopes up, or at least I will try not to. But I also want to make guesses at I there will be more people in this school. It’s almost like a gacha, why couldn’t they make a game like this. Fuck rights issues
we reach the front of the school, and my heart sinks. The monkey paw once again curls, and the all-too familiar emblem of the dreaded Hope’s Peak Academy imposes over us.
“have you guys been in this school before?” The guardsman shakes his head, while the soldier nods.
“this guys name is Johan, it is his first day here just like yours. As for me however, I was a soldier of the empire who was sent to this god-forsaken place a few months ago, You can call me Otto” At least we are dropping names now
“well Otto, my name is Anon, and I know exactly what this place is” Otto raises his eyebrow to me, and looks up to the emblem
“so you come from the same world that this school did?” should I tell them? No, I still do not know enough about them to make a proper judgement. And when I saw that carnage back there, there were some chaos guardsmen. So I can not put my trust in these possible chaos worshippers yet.
“in a manner of speaking, yes. And it is not good news” Otto sighs and looks around our vast surroundings of grasslands
“well? Do you have an alternative?” I softly shake my head with a defeated ‘no’. “alright then, this is the only option we have” yep, we are going into Hope’s Peak Academy
at least the defences do not appear to be active
the doors are infact bolted shut, but Johan takes out a Melta-Bomb he has been holding onto, and throws it at the front door. The blast almost reaches us, but at least it does it’s job
if the bolted doors are still like this, then the killing game must either still be going, or ended with every single one of the trapped students dead
even if this variant of the academy has been here for an eternity, I am not going to risk anything against a variant of Junko
figure immediately emerges from the shadows
it’s Mukuro, just without her Junko disguised
“I wish I could say that my sister wishes to see you, but she could never have predicted that the storm cloud monster outside was able to predict exactly which exit in the school she would use” is this what a sleeper agent feels like when they see the one target they have been brainwashed to kill? It’s like a switch, now I know how Alex Mason feels. But damn it if I am not good at hiding my intentions
“I am sorry for your loss, are there any other survivors in this school building?” I am behind Otto and Johan, and am making myself appear as uninterested in what she has to say as possible.
“there are some, though they are barely even alive at this point, they are almost starved to death” Mukuro turns back to lead us through the doors to the main sports hall, giving me my opportunity
neither of my new friends have even registered what is going on when I pull the trigger. This is the first time I have ever fired a laspistol, so the recoil is almost non-existent. This may also be the first time I have ever fired a gun too
the laser beam melts a hole right through her chest, and I can see the strength in her body evaporate
“that was for Kotomi and the rest of the student council, you fucking siscon whore” it was a very dishonourable way to kill Mukuro, but forget it, this is Void Town. Otto and Johan look back to me in shock
“what was that!? You could have warned us you were going to kill her. And what did she do to deserve that!?” One day they will trust me, but right now, I have some explaining to do.
“she was a mass murderer from a Private Military Company. She has killed some people that I guess you could say I care about. If you can accept that, that would be great, but I also will not blame you two for being angry at me. But right now, we should probably see if those starving people need some help”
Such is the life inside of the Void. I am going to have to get used to it, as are they.
Honestly, being a frequent waifuposter means my allegiances will already be formed whenever I come into contact with a character from a world that I have knowledge on. Much like how I would have not shot Mukuro if I did not know what she did
I give a clearly bothered Johan his laspistol back
it only now occurs to me that Mukuro may have not even committed the same evils she did in the original timeline
such is the void
or at least that is what I tell myself
we walk into the large sports hall that I remember from the animation
yeah, I didn’t play through the entire game. I only reached the second trial
of everyone who was a victim of the killing game, there are only three left in this hall
this isn’t very close to the original timeline of Danganronpa, since it’s Celestia, Kirigiri, and Aoi
wish at least Mondo or Yasuhiro could have survived, since they would be a big help in this world
at least Kirigiri will be able to help figure out some things
Aoi does not deserve to be in even deeper shit than she already was
Celestia
IamSomewhatOfAGamblerMyself.gif
if I ever come across an assortment of blurays the likes of the Library of Alexander, I am definitely going to convert her to the ‘Void Is Fucking Awesome And I Am Tired Of Pretending It Isn’t’ camp
Maybe I should also do a wishboard of all of the people I want to meet in here
maybe I shouldn’t reduce them to objects of my entertainment, they could kill me in a heartbeat afterall
fuck it, it’s Marvel’s™ The Void
is actually now just The Void
the job of carrying these three is going to be a bit of a labour
“at least we won’t have to make trips back here” Johan exhales through his nose loudly
“how convenient” ooo, maybe Celestia’s and my luck made this outcome. Or maybe it wasn’t and simply me killing Mukuro made it appear that way
I hope I meet someone cool, like a jedi
inb4 I get monkeypawed and it’s Rey
oh shit, Kirigiri just moved and groaned
“Naegi is over there, behind the speaker podium” I rush over to THE ultimate detective
“is he alive!?” she falls unconscious again. I guess I will go over and look
the two soldiers mumble to eachother while I walk over to check the podium
IslowlyOpenTheDoor.png
jesas, it looks like he has been strangled of all of his life
even if it is very obvious that the poor symbol of hope has been killed, I check his pulse
my hand sticks to his wrist. It is like really damn stuck
as if I had eaten jars of honey like Pooh Bear
Finally rip my hand off his wrist, but it almost took the skin off my hand
this is really weird. I mean, no shit, I am in the void. But still
return to my new bros “hey bros, tried to check his pulse but my hand got stuck”
they look at me in such a way that mutters ‘are you fucking kidding me? More of this shit?’
“what do you mean, your hand got stuck?” they just can’t believe it
“like glue. It just wouldn’t come off” They are looking at me with complete disbelief
“I swear, facing chaos was less of an effort than trying to understand why you act the way you do” one day they will understand. One day
“anyways, we should probably leave this place with our new loo-friends” my new friends eyes narrow with such a degree of detest that I can only answer with a caboose-like mannerism to cope
“okay, now we just have to hope the angry raincloud does not storm on us today. Because I really don’t want to become dust today. Imagine the mess” my two bros shake their heads and pick up two of the victims
damn, I wanted to carry Celestia, but Aoi is fine, I guess
tfw can’t sing my improv ‘gambler frens rollin tens’ song
we exit the school and scan our surroundings for a new shelter that is not cursed with the miasma of death that the Hope’s Peak Academy has
thank god Alioth is not gunning for our asses
“do we have any provisions to feed these guys with? They do not look too good” Johan reaches into his backpack with his free hand with such amazing dexterity. The Imperium truly trains their soldiers well, The Emperor Protects!
we feed them some Grox Jerky, which I am surprised that a common soldier would have
“damn Johan, is this common food for the guard?” Jo nods in confusion. Oh, I guess I may not be as well versed in 40k lore as I should be
we managed to get the barely conscious three to eat some of it, but they still eat it at least
now we can play the game of ‘what location will we choose to shelter in as a refuge now?’
WheelOfFortune.mp3
And will it have something inside which will kill us!?
DealOrNoDeal.mp3
oh? It is Johan’s turn to choose where we will be staying! Come on down!
Johan points to a large castle off in the distance that looks vaguely familiar to me
“we can use that place as a hiding place for now. It should keep us safe until the next morning” some others like Blade, Elektra and Gambit managed to survive for who knows how long in here. I am hoping that we will also be able to survive this place
we reach the main gate and find that it has been opened slightly, even though it is extremely heavy
walking through the gate, I think I recognise the layout of the markets that are sitting around just inside the game. But I still can’t put my finger on it
we walk into the large entrance hall, and my instinct is to turn left and head that way. Johan turns to me as he sees that I am heading into the other direction that he wants to.
“is this another place that you have knowledge on, Anon?” I nod to him, but still shrug my shoulders a little
“this place does seem familiar to me. I believe that if we head this way, it will become clear to me where we are” I lead us through the doors to a long dining hall, and take the next left door
“I hope you are right about your suspicions Anon” wait, yes, I know this place. I recognise that small pond from anywhere
we are in that castle place from the fire emblem game with the green hair protagonists and Edeltard
“yes, I now know what this place is. Do you think it would be safer to use ground level bedrooms, or the larger ones up in the top of the main tower?” Otto ponders for a moment
“going up into the higher levels will help us with scouting out our surroundings, but we should use these ground level rooms as our place of dwelling” this place is big, but it will also draw attention with its size, so we should not stay here any longer than we have to
“we should not get too comfortable in this place. We should start moving as soon as those three have recovered” Otto and Johan nod to me in agreement. Otto raises his eyebrow to me and looks around our surroundings
“how much do you know about the Void? And how do you know so much about all these places that have been pruned” He is not going to like my answer, but he can cope and seethe
“The Void? I watched a mo-a book, I read a book sorry, about this place. And as for these places we find ourselves in; it is knowledge I can recall, but just as with my trial in the TVA, I can not remember how I came to that” Otto makes an annoyed grunt, but sighs and looks around us
“if that is what you say, but I still do not properly believe it. Either way, we should find the rooms to house these poor souls before we scout out the surrounding region” that is true. My priorities are in quite a mess
I would place Aoi into one of the dorms that belong to a character who is very similar to her, but who cares to remember which room belongs to who
I remember Bernie’s room at least, so I will put her in that one
Otto puts Kirigiri into the room closest to the greenhouse
Johan chooses the room right in the middle between ours and places Celestia into that one
we waste no time and reach the top of the main tower in good timeline
there’s not even anything on the top of the tower, it’s just bare
check every location around us that we can make out or I can identify
See a Jedi Temple from Coruscant very far in the distance(nice)
can also see the Erdtree from Elden Ring in the far distance even further away, giving off it’s iconic golden glow(not nice, not terrible)
there is a Tower of Babble from Orario, Barad-Dur, the tower from Underworld from SAO, An orbital elevator from Halo, and the royal palace from Asgard. And they all appear to be close together
closer to us, I can see a Reichstag of all things, a crashed monument tower from bioshock, a crashed Star Destroyer, a crashed Quarian cruiser, what looks like an old tank battle, the emerald city, a nuka-cola bottling factory, and an actual lake
other unimportant locations include the pyra(mids), Atlantis or at least I think it is, Fort Knox, the Burj Khalifa, an Eiffel Tower, and a Tokyo Tower
we now have at least a good idea of our surroundings
we can choose our next stop tomorrow though, the events of today have already been too much for Johan and I. While Otto is used to it
we decide to call it a night here and rest up while taking care of the three malnourished victims
Otto is hoping that Quicksilver will find us by morning
Johan and I are more concerned with that Juggernaut that is somewhere out there in the wilderness
Just realised that I gave Bernie’s room to Aoi
just realised that means I can’t snoop around in it like an asshole
settle with Byleth’s room
just like Luigi trying to read a book in bed, I instantly fall to sleep
dream is an absolute mess
see the letter ‘H’ fall towards what looks like a flat earth, except without the definitive continents
Fall into the ocean and see an underwater city, must be rapture
now standing inside some bright neon mall from the 80s
Two talking flames, one blue and one pink
now it is darkness, and a girls voice echos “there’s a – there is another…” and an explosion
A crimson red blaze now stands against the Juggernaut, with a golden glow beside me, but for some reason the golden glow gives me the same itch I get when I am very nervous. And I can tell it’s not from the Juggernaut
a ravenous drugged up creature afraid of touching the light on the ground, but I have no fear of this supposed monster
A friendly green giant saving some wanderers of the Void who are in need
two deranged brainwashed soldiers strapped to bombs, and they do not want to die
a lightning bolt standing amidst fallen friends
an elf holding a dear friend’s lifeless corpse as the Juggernaut watches on
a small pack mule surrounded by ants
a woman of machine fighting against an unstoppable killing machine
now I return to darkness, with a man’s voice of rage rocking the silence “I. Will. Have. My. Revenge!”
A legendary pirate standing face-to-face with a monster of the depths
a simple man with a powerful ring standing against a dark power
A woman standing defiant against a usurper, too early for the prince to arrive
A warrior standing amidst hundreds of dragon corpses, yet she does not know the purpose of her acts
A bat bearing the colours of red and black
an agent standing against his former master and the two halves of his once living wife
A familiar Quarian, standing by a ship with a familiar, yet very different name
An angel of such magnificent glow that soothes my worries and assures me of the best possible outcome for the future
and a reader of many minds drowning his sorrows in liquor
I awake, unable to control what I speak of “Ace of The Archangel”
Otto is standing in the doorway of my room. It’s only him though “get ready, we will be heading out in a few minutes” He could have at least given me some more time to get up.
“and how are those three doing?” I finally see Otto smile!
“they are alive at least. They will still need some time to regain their strength, but that small amount of jerky we gave them yesterday will help with keeping them alive” I doubt we have much food left either way, and that is going to have to take priority.
“did any new buildings get pruned while we were asleep?” Otto shakes his head and heads back out to the outside air
“we still only have those locations to choose from, nothing new” damn, that sucks.
“we can probably use the Nuka Cola bottling plant for drinks, the lake for fish, and the Emerald City for food. There might also be food and water on that Star Destroyer” Otto nods to me in agreement
look through the dining hall for any kind of food that might still be left here
nothing but mould piles and disgusting rot juices
we have to carry the three girls again, they still have not regained their strength
had to close the main gate last night so that nothing could enter while we slept
it is now a big effort to open the gate back up
at least we were safe last night, I guess
we decide we will head to the Nuka Cola Bottling Factory first for a source of water

we head out with whatever we can carry, which is unfortunately everything we wanted because these girls weigh about as much as you would expect
while we are walking across the plains, I am going to use this chance to ask some more questions about this vast place
the wind is nice on my face too, we are not going to suffer from any kind of heat exhaustion at this rate
“hypothetically, if we were able to gather enough items of great power, would we be able to destroy Alioth for good?” Otto blows the air out of his nose in some kind of well-rehearsed resignation.
“it would take a lot more than any living person is capable of wielding. What items do you have in mind?” oh boy, time to sing the whole list like it’s the nations of the world.
“there’s the Infinity Stones, Dragon Balls, Cataclyst, Demon Lord’s Heart, and Black Rarity Norfleet!” Johan narrows his eyes in irritation at me and makes some grumbling sounds.
“you can list them out, but why are you singing-”
“then we have The Golden Throne, Elden Ring, Silmarils, Stat Seeds, and GECK!”
Otto is not as irritated, and is trying to focus on what I am listing, while Johan is now listening intently after I mentioned The Golden Throne.
“there’s the Rings of Power, Evil Pieces, Evolution Fruit, Lantern Power Rings, and Exodia-” Otto nods and gestures for me to stop singing.
“then we have our objective. I get the idea” I accept his request. Only because I am being considerate. Definitely not because I could not think of anything else.
Man, am I thirsty
“are we going to try extracting the water tanks and fill the empty glass bottles?” Johan shakes his head and points to the bottling plant.
“there is going to be a lot of dust buildup in that place. If we can find some clean bottles, sure. But we should not waste a water source on cleaning out dusty bottles when we have other alternative containers for that water” that is reasonable.
we reach the front doors of the bottling plant
the doors are unlocked, thank god.
without making a sound, we are already searching through the bottling plant for any kind of beverage or tank of water that has not been still for too long
manage to score at least five packs of the six glass bottle nuka colas
there is also a trolley we can use for hauling everything around
only catch is that it is too slow to wheel around if we are ambushed, so it will be gone the moment we encounter any hostile group, or Alioth.
the girls are still too weak to move, but at least we have managed to give them some nuka cola in small sips
there are still two full tanks of water
one is now its own ecosystem. The other one still has drinkable water at least
we did not take as much time as we thought we were going to, so now we can also move on to another location to loot before we make some distance from the Juggernaut and Alioth
as we are leaving the plant, Otto is lifting his hand to point at the bright green glow of the Emerald City
“we are not likely to find any survivors in there, but at least we will find something we can eat” it is better than nothing. We will also be able to further help these three weakened ladies to actually be able to pull their weight
so far we have been going fine out in the open fields
I am very paranoid, we still have not encountered the Juggernaut or Alioth
yet we manage to reach the Emerald City and break in without using the front gates
there are munchkin corpses everywhere in the city streets, but Otto is not phased by it
this is just the average monday for Johan
see some graffiti on a wall in an alleyway breaking off from the main street saying ‘The Wizard has failed us’
this city must have been apocalyptic when it was first pruned
we break into a cafe and find what ever long life foods are still left
the perfectly preserved pie in the display cabinet is very concerning. But I have played Fallout and know that there are no negative status effects from eating them
very coincidentally there are three of them(what a surprise)
even though we have finally exhausted the food stores, there is still a lot of time in the day
Otto leads us back out of the city and points out towards the tower cluster
“it is a bit of a risk, but there might be something of value in one of those towers we can use” before I can answer, a grey flash appears infront of us
HOLY SHIT, IT’S QUICKSILVER!
“holy shit, hey Quicksilver! Wait, is the Juggernaut following you?” he shakes his head, which must be agonisingly slow for him.
“that cow skeleton thing is lost over near that old school you guys went into. I guess something must be happening to it in there”
I thought we got everyone
at least we can ask those three when they finally wake up
we continue on towards the tower cluster, with Quicksilver scouting all of the buildings before we even reach them
we arrive infront of the first tower, which I can identify as The Central Cathedral from Sword Art
we enter the first floor easy enough, and Quicksilver appears beside us to give any updates
“most of these places are pretty empty. There are some stores in that big thin tower that are still stocked with some supplies. There’s also a large cave system underneath it, but it does not seem worth it going down there” it does kinda trouble me that the dungeon labyrinth of Orario may exist in the Void in more than one place.
we continue through the central cathedral and quickly come across the vault of weapons and armour on the third floor and I take the chance to score myself a neat sword
it is a bit heavy, but now I am armed and prepared for our next encounter
we cover the rest of the tower until we reach the ninetieth level
then we see the Grand Bath
we mark it for later, since it seems to still be working perfectly
we reach the one hundredth level where any remaining chance of encountering a fellow pruned individual remained
only the bed remained
we wanted to take it with us, but we decided to make a note that this could be a potential base should we ever defeat Alioth
the tower took a lot of time out of our day, but we luckily still have time for one more
we all agree that Barad-dur is the coolest, but we also agree that finding supplies takes priority
we instead head into the Orario Tower of Babel
there is a lot of damage to the interior
whatever did this was not Alioth
most likely would be a battle between two large factions
there are bodies of adventurers, soldiers from some commie world, a single pokemon trainer, UNSC Marines, and Orcs of Middle Earth
the bodies are only restricted to the first seven floors
every level beyond that is clean and untouched by looters
until now
only things left over are swords, shields, and armour
loot from the most high quality stores and check every gods’ quarters before we leave
this whole tower is abandoned, save for those corpses on the lower levels
leave yet another tower with barely anything to show for it
hear a strange electric zap sound out in the distance
we all look up into the sky-oh shit! It’s a Helios Space Station from The Borderlands. I wonder if Hyperion is going to survive Alioth
wait, screw that. We need to get as far away from that station as we can before it crashes into the ground
we book it from the towers and rush towards the closest structure that is nowhere near the descending station
we settle on a skyline that looks like New York City
we just about reach the first city block when the station hits the ground
the blast is quickly closing in on us, the impact crater is going to be massive
Otto and Celestia disappear in a grey flash, must have been Quicksilver.
the wall of dust and smoke is rapidly devouring the landscape before us
Johan and Kirigiri disappear next
the blast has just about reached us, but I have faith in Quicksilver
I blink, and now we are in a building on the other side of the ruined city
“thank you for saving us from that sealed coffin we had been trapped in. Can you please answer some of my questions?” oh snap! Kirigiri is awake!
Johan turns to Otto to get him to speak to her, but I am a nerd lorefag
“I’ll answer her questions. I know my fair share about both the void, and her world” Otto and Johan shrug to me
“talking about our current situation one-on-one is a retarded idea. We will also answer her questions” damn, fine.
“then let’s get to it!” Kirigiri pulls out her notepad like some super cool detective
“when did each of you first come to this place?” she could elaborate more on that
“do you mean in The Void? Or the ruined city?” the purple detective woman nods and writes down something on her notepad. I will not be intimidated by paper
“it became clear to me very quickly that this was neither our world, nor a version of it from the far future. There are a lot of landmarks here that can only be from other worlds, and the four of you do not seem to come from the same worlds. This place can be described as a dumpster for all the ‘trash’ that is thrown out, correct?” fuck, she’s good.
“pretty much. People, Vehicles, buildings, and random objects are sent here on a daily basis. It’s kind of like a dice roll on what appears next”
“a dice roll, huh?” like breaking a chocolate bar in half to wake up a fatty from a food coma, Celestia has been awoken by the mere mention of rolling a die. Wish I had that power
“yeah. I have some knowledge of what is place is overall, as I watched Loki, and Deadpool & Wolverine” Quicksilver raises his eyebrow to me
“you watched them do what? I have not seen a trio of those three in this forsaken place” I wonder if me revealing the truth to Quicksilver will blow his mind like it did(literally) to that one variant of Professor X when he read that one Deadpool variant’s mind? I better not risk it.
“that is not important right now. What is important, is that I know some of the events that will take place in The Void in the future. However, it was very different to the one we are in now, so I am not certain if those events will also play out the same way in this version of The Void” My trail of thought drifts off
only just now thinking about the dangers of ever encountering Cassandra Nova
only just now realising what can happen if she ever diddles my mind
the only hope of a Void free from Nova’s influence can be destroyed the moment she reads my mind
I would not stand even a remote chance against her
she could be anywhere in the Void, and I could encounter her at any time
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“are you okay Anon? You are freezing up on us” Johan’s concern also holds suspicion. Damn it, why didn’t I think of this before.
“mister Anon, could you please answer my first question now?” Kirigiri is patient at least
“sure. I only arrived yesterday. I encountered the group these two were a part of, but by the time I had arrived, most of them were dead. They were killed by a creature that only exists to kill everything it sees before it disintegrates, called a Juggernaut” Otto rests on a dusty couch close by and points over to me.
“Anon, you said that you came from the same world as these girls here. But you have knowledge on the Juggernaut. We only got that knowledge because a variant of Ryu Lion told us everything she knew about it. Why do you know so much for someone who came from that world?” well, it sure didn’t take long for them to find me out.
“I have no knowledge of this man every being in my world. I will also take this opportunity to ask where Mukuro is. She was also trapped in that school with us” she knows about Mukuro being disguised as Junko? Oooohhhh…...I am dealing with variants….Now I remember
and that must mean….
“Mukuro is responsible for the deaths of the Student Council. During that event, she shot one of the council members who was uncooperative in the ‘killing game’ that Junko had set up. She then disguised herself as Junko when the old academy building was used to save your class from what was essentially the end of the world. I took action and shot her with Johan’s laspistol when her back was turned to us” Kirigiri’s mouth is agape, a despaired resignation strikes across her face.
“Mukuro’s doubts over her sister led her to cutting ties long before Junko started her evil games. It is true that the Student Council was murdered, but Mukuro had nothing to do with it. The Mukuro you know, was not the Mukuro you killed” of course…
how could I have not thought about it
everyone here is a variant after all
and I did not even think about it
and I used ‘It’s The Void’ as an excuse, as a cope
What is wrong with me? I should know better, I should know a hell of a lot more than anyone else here
and yet I fucked up
so horribly and totally that there should be no redemption for me here
of all the fucking people I could have killed first in the void
I killed someone who did not deserve it in any way
“I...sorry, please...I need to go” Otto and Johan try to stop me, but Kirigiri and Celestia hold them back
Quicksilver is just standing there, staring at me, just staring
I need to find the Infinity Stones. The Book of The Dead. Resurrection Stone. Scrolls to resurrect, hell-anything
this is The Void, right? There HAS to be a way to bring her back. I don’t want to think about it. I do not want to accept it. I am not going to accept it
I will go out there on my own and find them myself. I have to
what I did goes against everything I stand for
I need to set things right
search through the other rooms for some paper and a pen to write down a note so that they do not follow me into the wilderness
make some distance from the city as quickly as I can so that they will not stop me
now realise I will not even know where they are going to
screw it, I need to resurrect an innocent person who was murdered by my own hand
if I die by that Juggernaut, then it is deserved, and Nova will never be able to reach into my mind
see a large structure materialise in the sky and quickly starting to fall
just my fucking luck
The entire Great Tomb of Nazarick is falling from the sky
it is almost as big as an Executor Super Star Destroyer
kicks up the largest dust cloud I have ever seen as it hits the ground
see hundreds of Hyperion Constructor bots rushing over to the dust cloud already
mfw Ainz might be able to resurrect Mukuro
it will be at a great cost to me though
and that is only if he accepts
fuck it. I am not going to allow my retardation to be the cause of that Mukuro’s permanent death
I just hope Alioth does not get to Nazarick first
the hike to Nazarick takes an hour
finally reach the large entrance to the tomb
the rest of the super structure is already planted inside of the ground
there are Hyperion bot remains strewn about all over the entryway
there are a lot of undead too, but I can’t see any of the notable members of Nazarick in the piles
walk down the stairs and pass through every floor as I make my way down to the 9th and 10th floors
there are hundreds of bots and undead every step of the way
reach the 9th floor
now I can see many of the notable members who made their last stand here
somehow the Hyperion bots killed them all
only members missing are Sebas, Albedo, and Ainz himself
somehow every other member has died here
go further down into the 10th floor
a lot of the security measurements that the guild had put in place are now gone
I am starting to itch all over from the sight of this unnerving scene
Hyperion somehow killed all these powerful members of Nazarick
continue on towards the Treasury
YES! I see Ainz!
he is unfortunately in a bad state
Albedo is dead beside him
Sebas is kneeling beside his master in sorrow
around them are dozens of constructor bots and a few of the war machines like Saturn, Talos, and Uranus
despite my better judgement, I walk over to the three
“are you alright Ainz? What happened here? Is Sebas the only survivor of Nazarick?” Sebas turns to me with such swiftness that I can barely register it when he is already standing over me
“I would say that you will not harm Master Ainz, but you do not seem to be any threat to us. You also know our names, why is that?” I need this to work
“Ainz, I come from a world that holds knowledge over almost every other. For instance, your former name in the game was Momonga, correct? And your real name is Satoru, correct? The robots that have massacred your friends are from a mega corporation called Hyperion” Ains looks up to me but bows his head to think to himself for a moment
“this is neither Yggdrasil nor The New World, is it? Where are we now?” oh right, it must be worse for these guys, since they were already transported to a new world once already.
“you have been sent to The Void. This is a dumping ground of sorts. For some reason, your timeline veered from the acceptable ‘route’ and was then pruned. If there was an individual who caused it, they were taken by the TVA and put on trial for their ‘crimes’ against the proper timeline. It is a very common occurrence in this place” Ainz rolls onto his back and spreads out his arms
“I don’t think you are just here to greet us and inform us of where we are. You know too much to just be here for that. Am I correct?” he may not be the best strategist, but he can still figure out these things pretty quickly
“I am in need of resurrection magic, and so far you are my best bet at bringing back someone who should not have died” Ainz slowly looks up towards the ceiling
“I am unfortunately in no state to move, and I do not think I have very long either. But it will not take much to bring back someone who is weak enough for the magic to be used without costing me too much exp. If you can bring that person back here, I will at least try. It will be my repayment to you for giving me this information, and I will also have you in my debt in return” not the worst deal that could have been made.
“I will bring her back as quickly as I can” Sebas turns back to tend to Ainz, and I rush off back to the surface
I blink and I am already at the academy
I am also in intense pain and feel like I am about to die
but fuck it
run through the building and pick up Mukuro’s body
it has only been around 24 hours since she died, so her body is still solid
the journey back ends in a blink too, and I am already back
I feel like my skin is peeling off
fuck it
reach the 10th floor again and rush in to tell Ainz
Ainz and Sebas are both standing and look completely fine
“Ainz! You are okay?” Ainz nods to me and walks over to inspect Mukuro
“if this world is really as dangerous as it has made itself to us, then we do not want anything to do with the surface. I will be resurrecting all of Nazarick and sealing it off from the rest of the land. I will need all the power I can spare, so I will give you this Wand of True Resurrection and you can be on your way” Ainz is too cold and unfeeling for the living for this to be all there is to it.
“and what’s the catch?” both Sebas and Ainz turn to me with stone faces
“this world is dangerous. We would hope that those of you out on the surface will be able to kill all the most dangerous beings for us” that seems too reasonable, but I am not going to push it.
“you can count on us” Ainz throws a ring at me before I point the wand at Mukuro. I manage to catch it, so I have not lost my reflexes yet
“after you put on that ring, you can use the wand. But I will be needing both of those back after she is brought back” I nod to Ainz happily and place the ring on my finger.
I have never used a wand, nor have I ever played Yggdrasil
I hope I don’t fuck up the spell
the moment I use the wand, the ring lights up and I can feel my insides ripping and tearing
light wraps around Mukuro and almost blinds me
the light show disappears as quickly as it started, and I fall onto my side
I can feel the streams of blood trickling from my nose and mouth
but Mukuro is opening up her eyes
I fucking did it!
“I know you. But we were...Where are we?” she quickly jumps up with her blade drawn, pointing it at Ainz as he is walking over to us
“wait, he’s cool, he’s cool. You died, but we brought you back” Mukuro takes a moment to pause and think on the current situation. Ainz just laughs and walks over to me
“I am glad it worked for you, I do not even know your name and yet I am satisfied with the outcome. You had the right amount of mana for that spell, right?” I can’t move at all, but I can speak at least
“my name is Anon, and this is Mukuro. I have no idea how much mana I have. There is no indicator for me” Ainz laughs and waves us away
“just make sure not to overstay your welcome here Anon. I am sure you have much work to do to keep the powerful factions away from Nazarick” I guess that’s something I now have to keep track of.
now I just have to explain to Mukuro that I killed her, as we return to that city to find where the others have gone

even though my insides were torn to shreds by the use of the wand, I managed to get myself moving
a lot of pain, but I can manage it
I think
get distracted by a pruned flying city of Columbia as I am about to speak to Mukuro
it looked so cool falling from the sky
I should probably also feel bad for everyone who was in that city as it was falling
after enjoying the sound of the explosions from the city, I look back to finally apologise to Mukuro
“I thought you were someone else. I am sorry...I am really sorry. The Mukuro from my world did some unforgivable things, and I did not think about it. I really should have, I am sorry that I killed you” Mukuro looks back to me, she looks very pissed
“you are fortunate that you were able to find something to bring me back with” Mukuro does a roundhouse kick
it pushes deep into my stomach and I feel some unpleasant snaps
the pain is
unbearable
I deserve this
my dumb ass deserves this
“I hope that one day you can forgive me for being retarded” Mukuro slowly shakes her head and turns back to continue towards the ruined city
“first you would have to forgive yourself” oh come on, don’t put this on me...Actually yeah, this should be put on me. I fucked up and should never be forgiven. Asking for forgiveness was a pathetic cop-out
“lets hope that the others have not ventured out too far yet” Mukuro silently nods and we continue moving towards the skyline.
the TVA must be having a field day with how many large objects and locations that have been getting pruned in the last 12 hours
a large generic isekai starting city materialises in the distance as soon as that thought came to mind
me and my big thoughts
can’t tell what universe that fantasy city belongs to, no defining features to make heads or tails
after all that time, I can see the purple cloud forming in the distance
Alioth has finally appeared
I fucking hate that damn lean cloud
suddenly begins raining at a moderate level
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a sharp penetrating light pierces my thoughts and some exiled memory makes an unexpected return(what in the world)
my feelings of self-sacrifice and determination to erase Alioth resurface a memory before I have even comprehended that I am thinking of eliminating Alioth
be me
be drained aspiring hero who saved any world he could
that might explain some things that may have led to my pruning
that’s all I can muster to remember
now I am back in The Void
watching helplessly as Alioth devours the freshly pruned city
there are endless worlds out there, this will happen again and again. I will use that as a cope for my inadequacies
wait a minute
the floating city of Columbia might still have an Elizabeth who can use her tears
but The Void might also mitigate her abilities, since she is only able to travel between the same locations in different timelines
but saving an Elizabeth would at least mean someone surviving this place
maybe I should just task myself with saving every pruned person I can until we are capable of finding and utilising enough powerful items to finally defeat Alioth once and for all
that might also eventually lead to this trash heap finally becoming a livable universe
baby steps I suppose
Saving everyone I possibly can is also a very appealing task to me
we walk through the city streets and enter the crumbling building where everyone was gathered
find a note inside the room where I left my first one
we have decided to make The Central Cathedral our ‘base’. Meet us there
I show Mukuro the note and we leave the city to head back to the cluster of towers
at this point Alioth is already done with the isekai city and has disappeared once more
see an Owl House and a Mystery Shack materialise together and land on the ground
they were too close to the surface, so they both sustained minimal damage
we just keep walking though, we have other things to focus on
we have almost reached the tower cluster
that’s when it happens
I can see something-no, a bunch of dots moving in the distance
it’s them! It’s Nova’s men, on a patrol
I rush over to Mukuro and tell her to go prone until the patrol passes
it’s Pyro and his gang
they luckily do not see us
that must mean we are currently in Cassandra Nova’s territory
probably the only territory in this place I didn’t want to be lost in
“if my suspicions are correct, our correct course of action would be not getting involved with those guys. They belong to Cassandra Nova’s faction. My knowledge comes from witnessing the events involving the demise of those guys. Since they are still alive, I suspect we have been thrown into the void before those events take place. Which means in order for us to deal with them, we will have to not do anything at all” Mukuro shakes her head to my theory
“I am a professional soldier, they would be no big issue for me” She has just recently been resurrected by items that were provided to me by a skeleton man, and yet she has not even given it any thought that those guys on patrol have powers that she could not possibly stand a chance against
“one of them controls fire, the other is a literal animal, and another can grab you with an unpleasantly oversized tongue. You ultimate soldier skills mean nothing to them” Mukuro narrows her eyes at me, I think she might be getting the wrong idea
“you talked about it earlier when you brought me back. You spoke as if you knew a lot about my world, as if you had come from it. And now you speak as if you know about this place too, and those men patrolling out there. Would you care to explain to me how you know all this?” the cat had to come out of the bag sooner or later I suppose
“the world I come from holds knowledge on every other world. Or at least on every world that we know of. Not everyone has complete knowledge on every single world however. As for me, I only have so much information on a limited amount of worlds, so I will not be able to offer valuable advice on every creature, person, and structure we come across” Mukuro’s eyes trail off in thought, but I still feel like she has total awareness of everything around her.
Before she can speak, some familiar music track starts playing in my mind. One that I know from somewhere, but can not put my finger on it. Mukuro pulls her gun from its holster and points it to something behind me.
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“legendary soldier, member of the unique and creatively named mercenary group ‘Fenrir Mercenary Group’?” could it be!?
“an Ultimate Despair, cosplaying as her own sister, an even worse Ultimate Despair?” how could they be here!?
“I think this girl is a hypocrite, dear sister” it’s them!
“yes, I agree brother. For one who says how much she distrusts someone, she sure does deceive others just as much” It’s the Lutece Twins!
“but to be fair, he did kill her to begin with, while her back was turned” Rosalind ticks her head to the side once in response
“which he then came to quickly regret once he was told the truth. He brought her back despite the risks” Mukuro does not look too happy with these two suddenly appearing. I should change the subject
“wait, can you two please answer some of my questions?” the twins turn to each other and try to hide their slight smirks.
As always, the brother speaks first
“to answer every question”
“first one must know everything” I am sure they know more than I ever would
“I understand the limitations, I think. My first question is; how big is the void?” the twins bow their heads and raise their hands as if to behold the landscape
“a world at the end of time, a world where all worlds meet”
“could that be considered a world at all?”
“the Time Variance Authority does not seem to think so”
“so why should we?”
“the void does not have the limits of a world”
“and so can be considered an infinite flat plain”
“or so everyone in this place is led to believe”
“or so we are led to believe”
I will take that as an ‘it’s really big’
“my next question is on the girl, Elizabeth, also known as Anna” the twins turn to each other with not even a hint of surprise on their faces
“to bring back the girl”
“and wipe away the debt”
“you know this phrase all too well we believe?”
“and yet you are not the man this phrase rings for” my chance to interject into their usual exchange!
“yet I lived as if the man, even if just through a very third person perspective” the twins look surprised now
“and now we know dear sister, of the knowledge this man holds”
“and so we must answer much for someone who must also know much about us, dear brother” I am not going to stop here
“I have always enjoyed the exchanges you two had when I went through all the events that led to Elizabeth becoming the powerful being she was” the twins dart their gazes to me
“he uses the term ‘was’, knows much about the girl, and yet wishes to ask further questions”
“what more would you want to know if you are already aware of how her story ends?” it’s not called Bioshock Infinite for nothing
“there was no solution to the cycle with Comstock. Elizabeth’s end in Rapture was proof of that. Do you know if there is an Elizabeth who was on that pruned city of Columbia that is sitting in ruins off in the distance?” the twins turn to look over to the rubble and nod to me
“as you would already know; dead, died, will die”
“she is both alive and dead” interesting
“so can I find her in those ruins? Was there an Elizabeth located within that city when it was pruned?”
“the girl caged forever it would seem”
“at least in that world”
“it seems we are active in other worlds too sister”
“and yet we seem to never encounter them brother” that is good enough for me. We can all go over to investigate the city when we regroup.
“for my next question, is there a way to kill Alioth?” Robert sighs to my question
“is there a way to kill beings like us, sister?”
“I would hope not, brother. There is still much we have to do” I am claiming this as a false equivalency logical fallacy
“you are considerably different to Alioth. That creature will kill entire civilisations if they are pruned here. Meanwhile you guys just go around engaging in some tomfoolery. Alioth needs to die, you guys can live forever as far as I am concerned” the twins are intrigued
“to live forever, you say?”
“imagine all the advancements and discoveries we could make brother!” hey, come on now
“can you two please focus at least? I need help to kill that beast, and if you two have any information that could help kill it, I would appreciate it” the twins nod slowly to me
“to kill that which can not be killed”
“is to do the impossible” okay, that’s fine
“and how would I go about doing the impossible?” the twins wave a piece of paper in-front of my face for a moment
I catch a glimpse of some of the words
items of power like the infinity stones and genie’s lamp are on the paper, but I can not see the rest
“are you planning on giving that list to me?” both of the twins straighten up their backs
“to be given such a significant piece of paper”
“one must earn the right to have it” nuts
“what do I have to do to obtain it?” the twins look to Mukuro
“you are quite the impatient one, is he not, sister?”
“I am amazed he is neither shouting at us, nor has made an attempt to snatch it from us”
“if you have the temperament for it, we would suggest finding more of the abandoned souls in this land”
“the more the merrier” I feel like that would be casting aside a lot of other unfortunate victims of this world
“can’t I fight Alioth sooner? I would prefer saving as many people as possible” the twins both collectively sigh
“you should have learnt your lesson by now”
“you can’t save everyone” I do not understand
“when was I supposed to learn that lesson?” the twins raise their heads as if coming to a realisation
“how interesting, isn’t it sister?”
“that someone who has already done so much, has no recollection of any of it?”
“yes, my thoughts precisely”
“it is quite a tragedy, really” what do they mean by that?
“you are talking as if something happened to me in the past. Do you know why I was taken to the TVA and sentenced?” the twins clasp their hands together at the same time
“once a hero”
“always a hero”
“when you build up a belief that instantly cripples your mind with guilt when you fail”
“you will find it hard to escape that obligation you force on yourself” Rosalind points to Mukuro, which makes me look over to meet eyes with the still-annoyed merc.
“so I accidentally killed an innocent person another time?” I turn back to continue the conversation with the twins, but they are gone.
fuck I should have known
“I hate when they do that” Mukuro snaps out of her deep thoughts and looks over to where the Twins were
“when they do wha-wait, oh, they disappeared? Is that going to happen often in this world?” with any luck, no
“they are a special case. I am sure we are going to be seeing them more in the future, or at least I hope so. I still have a lot of questions about everything” I really wish they didn’t leave. I still had so many questions I wanted answered
the rain that has been pouring since the isekai city dropped, has been slowly picking up since the Twins left
“I think we should immediately head over to those fresh ruins of Columbia after we meet up with everyone. If there are survivors, they will have a better chance of surviving with us” I don’t care what those Twins say, I am not going to let people die if I can prevent it.
Mukuro nods in agreement with me, but she has such a stone-faced expression of no emotion
It is going to be a long time before she can forgive me. And I don’t blame her
“as long as the others aren’t in any risk, I agree. But if there comes a point when any kind of risk is posed to them, you are on your own” that’s fair.
“if I have to do it on my own, I will. If you guys feel that there is any danger of encountering a threat that has the potential to kill you, leave it to me and return to our homebase” out of every person in our group, I am the only one who comes from a considerably unremarkable world. Our world created a lot of the worlds that are connected in here, as a form of escapism.
“I am a soldier, it would not sit right with me abandoning someone who has no experience in fighting enemies that can kill...aside from shooting someone in the back” it will remain a stain on my honour for a very long time
“thanks Mukuro. Let’s hope they are all gathered at the Central Cathedral”
the rest of the trip back is uneventful
Alioth has not taken notice of the ruins of the pruned Columbia yet, somehow
reach the Central Cathedral
our friends are not waiting for us inside the entrance
we really have to walk up all those stairs before reuniting with our friends
it sucks, but we were going to have to ascend the tower either way
make our way up to the Integrity Knights’ Rooms
Aoi is waiting for us outside in the corridor
I can finally meet her for real
“hey Mukuro! I am happy that you are alive! But I heard that you died...Did you have something to do with this, Anon?” even just thinking back on it, I can feel the pains where my insides were torn apart. But I deserve it. This will be one of the many payments I will make for my mistake. No healing bullshit, I am not a punk ass bitch
“I will chalk it up to incredible luck” Aoi’s expression was one of relief and happiness when she first looked at Mukuro. The moment she looked over to me however, she shifted to being hostile to me. But I can’t fault her for something that is just common sense. However, her expression has lightened again, she is now showing some unwarranted concern.
“Anon, you should get yourself cleaned up. There are streams of blood coming out of your nose and mouth” that sounds like a good idea
“where is my room?” Aoi leads both Mukuro and I through the corridor and directs us each to our rooms. Luckily, Mukuro’s is near mine, so if anything happens, we can both coordinate against the threat
Johan is also next to my room, while Otto’s is on the other side of the tower
the three Danganronpa girls are parallel and opposite to ours
just remembered that these rooms would not have personal baths or showers
head up without any other words and try to enjoy the Grand Bath on floor 90
somehow it is all still working
shower thought time
how many items of power will I actually need to kill Alioth?
will it actually be possible to kill Alioth?
tfw just realised the Twins never actually gave me a solid understanding of how to kill it
they just told me I need more allies and more items of power
what a terrible situation to be in
but somehow it is also an absolutely amazing situation to be in
the Grand Bath feels good
it also has large windows lining the entire floor
can see everything within a 60 kilometre/35 mile radius. Or at least that is my rough estimate
whoever is in charge of the TVA must be on a warpath
I am seeing large structures, vehicles, monsters, and natural wonders being pruned every 10 minutes
might as well enjoy this while I can
I should probably go on some night patrols out there to find survivors while there is still time
hear the big wooden door behind me open
be what is essentially an isekai character in a world of isekai’d characters who are mostly not even from worlds that are made from the isekai genre
have no idea what that would do to the generic situations an isekai’s character would encounter
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it’s just Otto and Johan
not sure whether to be relieved or scared that this is infact one of those situations
Otto is bowing his head with a depressed expression
“I wish Shepard could have lived long enough to see this place” they both step down into the Grand Bath and Johan looks out of the large window beside us
“she fought like a Sister of Battle. We fought and died like one of them would have. There is no higher respect I can give to her, than something like that. She was a true soldier, a true warrior” Otto sighs and keeps his head bowed down
“we lost everything back there, everything that meant the most to us at least. There was a lot of promise in our future, all of our futures. That was, until the Juggernaut bared its claws of blades down on us” I hate that thing. If it is anything like the Juggernaut that Bell and Ryu faced, I have a little score to settle with it
“I have known two events where that creature-that monster was summoned. The first time, it wiped out Ryu’s Familia. The second time, it wiped out around one hundred adventurers who had no business being down in the dungeon when it spawned. It was only killed the second time, and only with great hardship. It is going to take a lot of effort to kill it, and also a lot of luck” a fire lights within Otto’s and Johan’s eyes.
Otto raises his head and looks to me.
“then tomorrow we will have to begin our quest to kill that abomination” killing the Juggernaut will make our lives a hell of a lot easier.
Alioth is already a pain to live with, the Juggernaut is faster and much deadlier than Alioth.
He shall be our first priority.
But I will also use the time we have to search our surroundings for any items or people who can help us with fighting Alioth
speaking of
“if you guys find any food or drinks that will provide the body with a dangerous amount of energy, like an energy drink or adrenaline shot, could you please keep one for me?” Johan raises his eyebrow to me.
“and what would you need those for? Are you perhaps very tired? Or do you have another reason for them?” I hope they neither oppose nor ask to join me on this
“I am going to be heading out tonight. I am going to use all the time we have to save anyone I can, while also increasing our chances of defeating Alioth and the Juggernaut” Otto and Johan both let out a collective sigh at my words
Johan points out the window, towards the world far below us
“there are a lot of places out there for you to explore. Would you like for Quicksilver to also join you on your mission out there?” I shake my head to Johan’s offer
“he can work on his own if he wants to. He would be much more effective working solo, since I would just slow him down” Otto shrugs to me
“he is not very good at talking to people. Sure, he may be able to direct them to our homebase, but he would not be able to judge their character well enough to make an informed choice on whether or not they are more of a threat or potential ally to us” Johan joins in
“that is where you would come in” I am going to have to object.
“this is something that I have to do without putting any of you at risk. If Quicksilver wants to go on patrols out there, I trust that he would be able to flee if anything dangerous came after him. But if I am there as he encounters that danger, he is going to feel obligated to save me. I do not want him to risk his life for me, he brings considerably more value to the group than I ever would” Otto and Johan both shake their heads
Johan points to me, I want to say he is pointing at my chest where my heart is
“you hold invaluable knowledge on a lot of the people and places we will encounter in this accursed place. If we lose you, we would be losing valued information that would help us in what could be life-endangering situations” They don’t get it. Speedsters only ever lose to bad writing. It takes away from the stakes
“I won’t die out there. I still have a hell of a lot to make up for before I die in this place. It will all be fine” that also reminds me of the original reason I came into this bath for.
I scrub my nose and the sides of my mouth while Otto and Johan make annoyed sighs.
I finish cleaning myself and wiping away the blood
dress myself and leave the Grand Bath to go down to the ground floor to gear up for the patrol
Johan and Otto begin talking to eachother as soon as I walk out the door
the Danganronpa girls wave to me as I pass through the living quarters
Mukuro gives me a half-hearted salute, which I will take as a good sign
while I was gone, it seems that Johan, Quicksilver, and Otto were gathering some of the weapons that had been laying beside their former owners in the Orario Tower of Babel.
I pick out a Battle Rifle that must have belonged to one of the UNSC marines from the pile of corpses, and stock up on some ammo.
the sun has set, or at least I think it is a sun
speed walk over to the ruins of the Flying City of Columbia
this journey is using up valuable time
but I need to see if an Elizabeth, Booker, or some other character from Infinite has survived the pruning here
enter the street closest to where I arrive
there are bodies of the Vox and Columbian authorities everywhere
this must have been a world where the uprising actually managed to get kicked off and stood an actual chance of succeeding
I am going to have to either conserve my ammunition, or find more ammo as I go along
I could swap or carry some of the Bioshock weapons around as spares, but I need to move as fast as I can to save time
it took both Booker and Elizabeth to start the uprising, so I will very likely not find either of them at Monument Island
I wish I could remember all the locations those two could possibly be located in a world at this stage of the conflict in Columbia
push aside a burnt oversized door to enter the next area
greeted by two very familiar faces
“heads…”
“or tails?” Robert tosses me a coin, which I luckily catch
it’s the Lutece Twins
they are asking me the funny question
“heads?”
“or tails?” Robert is wearing the funny big chalk board with all the tallies on it
they are all tails
I know how this is going to end because I have seen it all before
but they would already know that
flip the coin and call tails
it lands on tails
the Twins seem bummed out about it like the last time they did this bit
but when they did it back then, it was as a sort of test on the constants of the ‘run’ they put Booker through, and how it was always the same….
but…
I look over to them to ask, but they are already gone
they didn’t pull that bit for the fun of it
they must have known that I would figure out what that meant
I will have to think on this troubling revelation another time, I need to find someone, anyone who has survived this pruned city
the ruined city is covered in the red colours of the Vox
there are dead Columbians, Vox, and Founders everywhere
hear some gunfire that is coming from deeper within the ruined city
that will have to be my guide
rush through the rapidly crumbling city streets and reach the source of the gunfire in record time
see a lot of bodies piled up surrounding a highly fortified set of stairs
rush up to the top while jumping over the dead
spot an Elizabeth and Booker both fighting against a group of Columbian soldiers who appear to have just finished wiping out a group of Vox who might have been helping the two, or hunting them
line up my shots and steady my breath so that I will land each burst
there are only four of them left, but giving them even a moment to take the chance would be too risky for me.
release my controlled bursts into the squad of soldiers, hitting each one
before they go down, I hear a single gunshot
hear Elizabeth scream
my heart drops
rush over and pull a large hunting knife from one of the dead Vox and quickly execute the soldiers that may still live. I am not giving them any chances
rush over to see if Elizabeth has been shot
Elizabeth is crying over Booker, who took a single shot to his head
I need to find a way to get Elizabeth to move, but I also do not want to pull her away while she is still grieving
Even if it is going to take a lot of time out of the night that I really can not spare, I need to get her moving
Pick up Booker’s corpse
“Elizabeth, we need to move, NOW” she is giving me a very venomous look of hate
“how do you know my name? don’t touch my father” I do not have time for this
“Elizabeth, if you do not escape this city, something is going to make you damn well regret it. There is somewhere we can go where we will very likely survive the night. You can hate me and wish for my cruel death later, but right now, we need to leave” the familiar lean cloud is beginning to form over the ruins
just my fucking luck
I suppose I should consider myself lucky that Alioth did not ambush us sooner
a group of flying barges are flying over to Alioth to fight it
good, that should buy us enough time to escape
reach the edge of the city and the tower cluster becomes visible
I get Elizabeth’s attention and point over to the Central Cathedral
“you see that big tower over there? The one with the very straight edges? That is where we are going. Once we get there, you can mourn your father” Elizabeth seems very reluctant, but she agrees
Booker is a damn heavy bastard, but I am going to get him to our homebase no matter what
Alioth is too busy killing all the Columbian soldiers to even notice us escaping
I will consider it a lucky break
it takes an extra 30 minutes for us to over the distance that it originally took for me to get there in the first place, but we reach the tower
“we will find your new home up past floor fifty. Take all the time you need to mourn your loss when we get there” Elizabeth shakes her head to me in anger
“I have been mourning the entire time, you idiot. It is not just something you can shut off” oh yeah right
“sorry if that offended you. I may be a little bit retarded” Elizabeth ignores me and rushes up the stairs
it may not be the best time for observations, but I can see that her outfit is very different to her original ones from the games
in place of the blue Lady Comstock outfit, she is wearing a green dress with written characters that appear to be chinese printed on a black outer coat
I continue to follow Elizabeth up to the Integrity Knights living quarters and give her a room to sleep in and...well I don’t know what to do with the body.
decide to just leave him with her and return to my patrol down below
another day of honest work, surely
body suddenly stops working on it’s own as soon as I pass through the entry to the ground floor
feel the ticklish trickles flowing down my face from my nose and mouth
collapse
well, this sucks
hear rapid footsteps coming from the stairs
see Otto and Johan looking over me
“thank god you guys are here. Quick, give me an adrenaline shot or something, I need to get back out there” they both shake their heads at me and lift me up onto each of their shoulders
Otto lets out a pitied sigh and shakes his head again
“I think one person a night would be a nice pace” I disagree
“no, it should be as many as possible. We should not be abandoning anyone out there if we can help it” Johan turns me back around to look at the conditions outside
“it’s raining pretty heavy now. And Alioth has already begun descending upon anything that catches his eye. If you went out now, Alioth would vacuum you within a minute” it’s not fair. Those people out there should be given a chance.
“those left stranded out there will die if I stop” they have to survive, or at least the good ones do.
see another face enter my field of view
it’s Mukuro
“there is only so much you can do within a day. Sure, by all means, push yourself past your limit until you die. But please don’t go out there and die early to that cloud monster because you wanted to be a big hero. You have a lot more suffering to go through before you can move onto the next life” thanks for the motivational words, I guess
nah, I am going to keep going
“thanks Mukuro. But I really need to get back out-”
I really wish the relief of passing out did not feel as good as it just did.
at least the persistent pain of my grounded insides has stopped
I wonder what my dream will be tonight
BeholdAnUnthinkablePresent.mp3
shit
around me lays a Loki, a very stylish Naegi, a Nightwing, and a Spartan II
I am falling to the ground to be just like them
One of the Murder Drones, J is standing infront of me with her bloody claws
those dreaded words repeat in my mind again, spoken by what sounds like dozens of me
I am now resting against a wall
I can feel all the holes that have been created in my chest
I am about to die in this one too
I take a look around
There is a Big Daddy who looks like Delta, a variant of V from Cyberpunk, Ardeth from The Mummy, and a Tarnished wearing the armour of the scarlet rotted Radahn
just like the last one, they are all dead
standing over us, there is a Melina, with her ominous glowing eye
the voices speak once again
now I can’t feel my entire body, aside from my head
I am on my side, so I can’t see anything behind me, I can’t even move my head
am I decapitated? That’s rough
in my field of view, I can see a Magneto standing over a Roman Torchwick, Guardsman, and a Mass-produced Nikke
standing face-to-face with Magneto is...Cassandra Nova…
the voices speak again, this time a different line
Behold, a forgotten past
I am now standing in the Flying City of Columbia
I am surrounded by TVA agents
behold, a forgotten past
now I am on my knees, clawing at my own face
I can see a dead Mukuro, Junko, and even a dead Izuru
further off, I can see that Kotomi has already been shot
Behold, a forgotten past
I am standing with a Loki and Thor, over a dead Thanos who only has the power stone
everyone on the ship are alive and well
behold, a forgotten past
now I am in a very cold room
a winter blizzard wind is rushing through the room
the Dimitrescu sisters are in chains, and their strange abilities are not working
the voices speak once more
Behold, an uncertain future
the gentle wind of the void is brushing against my face
off in the distance, I can see Alioth
I can hear footsteps approaching me, so I turn to look
a very bright holy glow blinds me
but I can make out the shape of the person who is standing there
I awake, unable to control the words coming from my mouth “Best Angel in Heaven”
what an unfortunate revelation for me to dream of
the sun is shining through the holes in the wall that could barely be considered windows
I peek out the window into the bright morning sunrise
there are a few new locations that have appeared overnight after I fell unconscious
I have a fairly good idea of what that dream was, but each half makes me want to ask different questions
why were there multiple instances of me inside the void?
why did we share memories?
Did Cassandra Nova violate my mind in that one case?
do those timelines still exist where I was in that dream?
can that dream even be trusted?
The Lutece Twins spoke about something similar, but is that enough evidence to go on?
was what I saw in the dream even something I did? Or were all those just memories of other mes who have existed in this place before?
Is this the first time I am going up against Alioth?
Is there only one Void?
a lotta questions
questions that need time to be answered
time which I do not have
I do need to use my time to find something better to wear though. This t-shirt and shorts are not doing me any favours
maybe I will find something badass to wear when we are on our next adventure
oh right, completely forgot there is the armoury down on the third floor that has some decent outfits I could choose from
going to have to think about this tactically though, Alioth and other enemies out there would be able to spot me a mile away if I am wearing anything too out of place
pass by Johan and Celestia on the way down
they seem to be in good spirits, but are concerned that I am awake already, despite the sun only having just risen barely an hour ago
reach the armoury without seeing anyone else
find a variety of knight fabric outfits
I can choose from any colour of the rainbow, it is like a dream for those who appreciate variety of choice
naturally, I go for the drained olive colour outfit
even though I want the crimson red one, the olive one will help me blend in more with the withering grasslands that surround us
I wish that some of the divine items were still here, but it seems all of them were taken
A standard sword will have to do for now
make my way to the ground level where everyone is likely gathering to venture out to find more survivors and freshly pruned lost souls
everyone is at the big door waiting for me, except for Johan and Celestia
Elizabeth is still in her room mourning her Booker
Kirigiri raises her hand up for me to stop
“you shouldn’t be up yet, go back to your room to rest” I am not going to waste any time on things that I can catch up on when I am dead
“nuh uh” Kirigiri seems taken aback by my simple retort, she really expected some kind of justification from me
knock knock knock
who’s there
we all look over to the large door
“did Johan or Celestia go out for a quick wander?”
Aoi shakes her head to me
Otto walks over to the door and opens it without hesitation
I really wish we could have discussed this first
standing just outside the door, is a TVA Minuteman of all things
he seems relieved to see us
“at least you guys aren’t one of those overpowered psychos we sometimes throw in he-” the Minuteman freezes as his eyes wander over to spot me. Does he know something?
“why did you stop talking? Do you know something about me?” the Minuteman takes a moment to scan the room
“I know you. You caused the TVA quite the number of headaches. But none of that matters now” thanks for the semi-vague words dude
“well go on, spit it out. What happened?” the Minuteman looks like he is bracing to swallow his own face
“it started not too long before you were pruned. It was an easygoing stretch of never pruning any timeline for quite a while. Until the new management came in. Then we were pruning anything and everything” so it is just like the events from Loki
“they were stopped at least though, right? Those in control decided to imprison all of those people, right?” the Minuteman shakes his head to me
“no, I do not know where you are getting that idea from. But the mass pruning has not stopped, and it has been a few days now, or at least what it feels like days are when we are deployed to one of the millions of versions of Earth. And that’s not even the strangest part. Those in-charge are forcing the timelines to branch as often and plentiful as they want” that was not how it went in Loki.
That could throw a wrench into the whole plan of doing nothing and waiting for all the events to play out until Nova is killed
“do you know the name of the main person at the top of the TVA now?” the man shakes his head to me.
“no one does. All we know is that they killed the timekeepers and took total control of the TVA” it couldn’t be lady Loki, could it? That’s not at all how that woman would operate.
“so you don’t know the truth about the timekeepers? Has your existence as a variant been revealed to you yet?” the Minuteman laughs at me and shakes his head
“I do not know what you are talking about. We were all created by the Timekeepers” then this is all happening earlier than it should be
“have you been having issues with a Loki variant recently?” the Minuteman shakes his head to me
“most Loki variants are pruned easily enough. We have not had any considerable problems with Loki variants as far as I know” this complicates things a lot
“what is Mobius up to these days?” the Minuteman lowers his head
“Agent Mobius died quite some time ago. Got too close to a variant of Davy Jones” my skin it itching all over, my heart has sunk
“we are running blind in this world then. Loki’s influence was a necessary factor in setting events into motion that would have led to Nova’s death without our intervention” I wish I could say that Deadpool’s adventure will still lead to Cassandra Nova dying, but now I am not so sure.
“thank you for that information. Is it okay if I call you Marty. I do not do well with your weird TVA name designations” Marty seems confused
“I mean, sure, I guess-”
“cool, that settles that then. Welcome to our little travelling circus” that reminds me, I still have to keep Ainz’ bargain in mind
but how are we going to keep Nazarick safe from outside forces?
how did Ainz and his servants lose so easily to something as mediocre as Hyperion?
I really want to explore the rest of The Void, but a deal is a deal
I will also have to talk with Elizabeth about the state of her world just before her city was pruned
I also have to figure out who was responsible for her worlds pruning
Kirigiri waves over to get my attention
“if you are so insistent on going on yet another adventure out there, I want you to give us all the information you have on any people or places that we may come across. Even if that means sharing all the unimportant information” fair enough I suppose
“sure thing. I am looking forward to exploring more of this land” the Minuteman looks at all of us while stumbling on his words
“w-wait, w-where are you guys going? W-what am I supposed to do!?” if there is one thing I know about the people of the TVA, it’s how pathetic they become when they find themselves in The Void
“wait here, Johan and Celestia will probably watch over you. Hopefully” before we leave, I quickly scribble a small message on a box of napkins that Quicksilver grabbed last night. The message will read ‘this little nerd is our new pet. He’s not going to be that useful as an ally at first, but I have faith that he will prove himself to us eventually. With regards, Anon. p.s. to Johan: The Emperor Protects’
wave off Marty and finally begin todays adventure
the moment we open the door, a large freshly pruned Pyramid with a bright blaze on top drops to the ground infront of our eyes
what a perfectly timed occurrence
we should head for that place first
Kirigiri looks to me with her notebook ready
“what can you tell me about that pyramid?” there is no way I am going to be able to tell what world that pyramid belongs to just from a few seconds of observation
“it could come from all manner of worlds. Worst case, it is the one housing a Xenomorph queen” Kirigiri writes down a few things in her notebook
“and what would be the best case scenario?” hell if I know
“I guess it being a regular and not at all special pyramid. Most pyramids from different worlds that I know, are not normally good news” Kirigiri keeps writing stuff down in her notebook
“then we should head over to get a better view. We won’t get too close, but we still need to identify if this new arrival is a dangerous threat to us” well, that is true, unfortunately
keep our heads down as we make our way over to the pyramid
there is some fancy light show at the top
lightning, fire, green skulls, and white energy balls are flying everywhere
I know those green skulls from anywhere!
we rush up the pyramid
all the familiar characters lay dead on the ground
this seems very in line with how things went in the original story
except a few characters are missing
there are also a few new characters who I never saw in the original or newer timelines
somehow there is still at least a dead Liu Kang on the top stair though
reach down to check his pulse to see if he really is dead
hand latches onto him like a magnet
everyone gathers around me with concern
Mukuro tries to pull it off
“Anon, what is going on?” I am also trying to pull my hand off, but it isn’t working
“I wish I knew. This happened before with Naegi” Kirigiri raises her eyebrow, but does not say anything, only writing something else in her notebook
continue to the top level
Shao Khan and Onaga are both on the ground dead
they both seem to have killed each other
the only two kombatants left are Raiden(No way!!! It’s Raiden from the hit game series Mortal Kombat!!!) and Blaze
want to sit and watch the fight, it’s probably the best entertainment we have had since we got here
but everyone’s favourite lean cloud is starting to materialise directly above the pyramid
this will be our only chance at saving Raiden before Alioth vacuums him up
rush over to the two kombatants
“Raiden, no time to explain, but you need to come with me. Quick!” Raiden looks over to us with a quick glace, but returns his attention to Blaze
he also notices Alioth directly above him
takes a step towards us, but shakes his head
“no, I can’t. This is the only way I can save everyone who died. They all died because I misinterpreted the signs that my future self gave me. I need to do this” I can see the shape of Alioth’s head emerging from the cloud
“you don’t get it Raiden. Even if you take Blaze’s power, you can not bring them back. Things work differently here in The Void” I know Raiden will have his doubts, but I really need to get through to him as quickly as possible.
Raiden shakes his head in frustration and walks over to to
“I don’t know who you are, but this is not ‘The Void’, this is Outworld-” Raiden takes in his surroundings and immediately comes to realise he isn’t in his world anymore
“you were probably too distracted with the fight to notice that you have been transported to another world” Raiden grabs a hold of his amulet and sees that all the cracks are gone
that also reminds me
“Raiden, when we get escape from Alioth’s hunger, I need to know if Shinnok’s Amulet, or any other item of power has also been brought into this world with your pruning” Raiden shakes his head and points to me
“you could be one of Shang Tsung’s many deceptions. How can I trust a group of people who I know nothing about?” the smokey tendrils of Alioth flow down from the clouds
those things are going towards Blaze
we do not have any time to waste
Alioth going for Blaze is a golden opportunity for us
“Damn it Raiden, Alioth will kill you if you stay here. Hurry, it is trying to consume Blaze first” the fire elemental overhears me and begins trying to attack the unstoppable monster
Raiden is still trying to decide
“Raiden, for fucks sake dude. One more moment of you indecisively pondering whether to ‘consult the Elder Gods’, and we will leave you to be Alioth’s next meal” I am not dying for Raiden
signal to everyone to run
we sprint down the stairs of the pyramid as fast as our legs can carry us
Blaze is still holding Alioth back, but the purple clouds are still surrounding the elemental
make well enough distance to avoid Alioth’s attention
Kirigiri sits down on a plastic seat near a table set with a thin ‘Happy Birthday’ banner hanging over it
“so will we wait for this ‘Raiden’? Or should we continue onto the next location?” if Raiden wants to catch up, he can.
“If he does decide to come with us, that would be very good news for us. The more people we can save and have join us, the better. But right now, we should try min-maxxing to boost our numbers and save some potentially vital additions to our group” Kirigiri closes her eyes and nods to me
“I agree” everyone else nods in unison
“then it is settled. We will make our way to the next destination” the familiar sight of the Thunder God appears close behind us
“then would you please answer some of my questions while we are on our way?” I need to keep myself composed, but talking to the Thunder God of Mortal Kombat in such a casual(sort of) manner is making it hard for me
we continue on to the next location, and I am the only one answering his questions as we go
most of the questions he is asking are just on the basics of this world and how it operates
as much as explaining the exact same thing over and over again would increase the length of the story, I am not going to repeat myself.
so for the sake of not becoming repetitive and writing the same thing over and over again, I will not write out explaining the exact same thing over and over again.
as that would increase the length of the story in an unnecessary way
the topic of my knowledge on this world and the realms from Raiden’s comes up
I just tell him straightforward that my world has a lot of information on many of the other worlds that are connected by this void
the next destination we are walking towards is an Avengers Tower that is crumbling and smoking
walk into the lobby and find the bodies of the secret Hydra soldiers who were a part of SHIELD
it looks like they were killed
thinking back on the times it has been included in the movies, the only viable way up is going to be the stairs
which I am sure is going to not make anyone happy
but we need to find as many survivors as we can
“bad news guys, we need to climb the stairs to get to the top level. The elevator is likely out of power...unless” I vaguely remember this thing having some kind of power source
I think it has an Arc Reactor
lead everyone over to the elevator
it is a bit small though
wave over to the group for Raiden, Otto, and Mukuro to come with me into the elevator
we ride the elevator all the way to the top level
the elevator does not even feel like it is moving
Raiden turns to both Otto and Mukuro
“you are of Central European origin, or am I mistaken?” Otto shakes his head
“I come from The Empire, from the Reik. Your Elder Gods may know the name of Sigmar, our first Emperor” Raiden thinks to himself for a moment
“if I could, I would consult with them on the name. But this world unfortunately does not allow for that it would seem” Raiden turns to Mukuro, “as for you, I would make a guess that you are a member of Special Forces?” Mukuro tips her head from side to side
“in a manner of speaking, yes. But I am likely not a member of whichever Special Forces you are thinking of” Raiden seems to understand
the elevator door opens to the all-too-familiar room
the damage in the room appears to be from the first Avengers movie
there is a human silhouette standing outside on the catwalk
I lead the way, with Mukuro following directly behind me
Raiden and Otto are following shortly behind us
the sun is bright, blinding even
but my eye sight adjusts and the mysterious figure finally does not look like a shadow
it’s a man is a wasteland cloak, much like Johnny Storm’s from Deadpool and Wolverine
before I can reach him, he turns to face me
it’s the face of Chris Evans
I know this joke
flameOn.png
the variant reaches for something behind his back
signal for Mukuro to hold her fire
this Chris raises a shield to me
a captain America shield
no way
it finally happened
“Captain? You’re Captain America, right? What happened with your Avenger team?” Steve looks out towards the vast wasteland below us
”that monster came, it consumed everyone. I was the only one to survive” a sudden brush of wind sweeps past us
something bounces off Cap’s shield
hear familiar screech
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of all the places, and the Juggernaut appears in a small enclosed space
“no time to explain Cap, but we need to get down to the ground level to stand a chance against this monster” I have pulled a similar card against both Raiden and Elizabeth, but we are actually going to have to face the threat once we reach the ground level
“I have lost everyone I ever had to this place, please tell me why this happened” before I can answer cap, I see a lot of cracks in timespace forming in the vast fields below us
I am getting goosebumps seeing this
my skin is crawling, carving at itself
my mind is as if it is covered in a thick sheet of ice
why now?
hundreds, maybe even thousands of buildings and vehicles and natural wonders are being pruned at this very moment
and they are all falling around us
“we are going to have to split up to rescue as many people down there as we can...but we are going to have to find a way to distract both the Juggernaut, and Alioth” Steve lets out a small sigh
“I guess the questions will have to wait. I will lend a hand to anyone I can” he really is a hero we should all aspire to be
I should follow by his example
“we need to get Quicksilver to save those people. This time, I will try to distract the Juggernaut. As for Alioth, I am very afraid of that thing”
this is a very scary situation for us, but sometimes we all need to step up to prevent the worst outcome
we enter the elevator and descend to the ground level
as soon as the door opens, I rush over to Quicksilver
“if Ryu is close, can you please ask her to come to help us? And once you are done with that, can you please save as many people from those pruned objects as quickly as you can?” Quicksilver tips his hat to me
“Quick is in my name afterall. I will do my best. Good luck with fighting the Juggernaut!” he is already gone
Captain America rushes over to me
“that wasn’t the Quicksilver I know. What is this place?” this poor man
IfOnlyYouKnewHowBadThingsReallyAre.png
“this is the Void. Depending on how strong you are, it is either a hell, or a paradise” we rush out of the tower to greet the Juggernaut
Steve has his shield at the ready, but I don’t think his reaction time will be fast enough to stop this monster
“all of you need to go and help anyone out there that may still be alive. I will see what I can do about this creature” Mukuro places her hand on my shoulder
“you still have a long life of redemption ahead of you. I will not let you die here to something so meaningless” hell nah
“go and save some people. I am not going to die here” everyone except for Mukuro have left
“there is not going to be a debate, we are wasting precious time. Let’s just kill this thing and be done with it” I really wish she was not so insistent on fighting this thing with me. She does not know how terrifying this monster really is
“have it your way. But if things get too dangerous, leave. I will hold it here for as long as I can” Mukuro sighs in resignation
“you are lower than the lowest” yes, and? One day I will be back on top
as if to intimidate us after being so kind as to give us the time to talk, the Juggernaut appears in place of where a Void Turkey once was
as much as I want to be out there saving everyone, I am probably the only one here right now who has enough knowledge on this creature to stand a remote chance against it
alright you one-dimensional cunt
come and kill me
“keep track of it Mukuro, this thing is a fast fucker” it was just a blink
and it is already gone
only two places it could be
I turn around to block the sneaky bony boy
he is not there
kick a stone over towards the area behind Mukuro
hopefully this was fast enough to connect it
the gullible shitter actually dodged the stone
dumbass thought that stone was strong enough to hurt it
just as I had hoped, it was too focused on killing her
“that would have been piss easy, huh you cowardly cunt?” the Juggernaut appears directly in-front of me
it’s claw swings around to slice me into four separate bits
almost like a combat assist system in a full dive game, I feel an obligation to do a flip to avoid the slash
I am already doing the flip, but how? I never learnt how to fight like this?
I land, and the Juggernaut seems very irritated
“looks like I have both god and anime on my side. If you are the Juggernaut that was pruned during the Gale Wind Arc, I have A LOT of scores to settle with you, I hope I can kill you with my own hands you miserable excuse for a dungeon janitor. Besides, YOU DO IT FOR FREE”
run up towards the bovine skeleton thing and aim to land a roundhouse kick
my assist thing is not kicking in, and the Juggernaut swings it’s tail at me
the tail slams into my right side and I can feel my bones crumbling from that single strke
really want to fall to the ground right now
but I remember all the cute one-note background characters this thing killed
not to mention the Astrea Familia
fuck that, I am not going to let this thing continue it’s rampage through The Void
it also killed Otto’s old group just before I was sent here
it has been a few days, surely this thing is nearing it’s expiry like from the main series
Mukuro fires her rifle at the Juggernaut
the bullets are making dents, but none appear to be penetrating that damn exoskeleton
as dumb as it sounds, I have a small theory
rush up to the Juggernaut and try a bicycle kick against it
not the kind you would find in sports, but the kind that Liu Kang uses
I can feel the assist working again
the Juggernaut did not even try to avoid it for some reason, or even counter it
it was so perplexed by an attack so stupid, that it had no clue how to respond to it
the Juggernaut is not damaged by it, but it sure is stunned
I am not going to try it now, because this thing has a shield against magic that will double the power of the magic attack directed at it, and reflect it back to the caster. But I do want to test if I can use Liu Kang’s fire magic
but what if his powers are not magic in nature?
he is inspired by all that soul power stuff from asian mythology
fuck it, killing this thing faster would be a major help
Mukuro fires another burst at the Juggernaut
the bullets do not pierce the armour of the monster once again
try to channel my soul or whatever to use the power of the fire dragon that Liu Kang uses
I can feel the assist thing activating again
a fire dragon comes from my arm and I cast it at the monster
the Juggernaut does not try to dodge it
instead of being absorbed and thrown back by the shield, the fire dragon actually crashes against the monster and it shrieks in pain
the Juggernaut shoots it’s gaze to me, in a posture of caution, rather than preying on it’s targets
what’s the matter lil bitch?
“aw, what’s wrong you coward? You were so unfazed just a moment ago. What changed huh? What has got you so scared now? You disgust me with your mere existence”
time to do what I do best with my special moves in Mortal Kombat: spam the exact same moves over and over again to cheese the battle
throw dozens of fire dragons at the Juggernaut
the monster is becoming increasingly angry at me
it finally disappears from my sight, which was going to happen eventually
I just have to-
well that hurt, damn it was fast
it tried to slash me, but it must be in a lot of pain, because it only carved through a part of my body, and only one cut is a dangerously deep wound
it’s still enough though
it was a good run, but the strength in my body has disappeared
fuck
already on the ground, looking up at the cheeky little cunt
a burst of gunfire hits the monster
as much as it wants to kill me right now, it knows that eliminating anything even remotely posing a threat to it is the best course of action
“Luminous Windu!”
ha ha, she said Windu like an ESL
oh shit, it’s HER! But this Ryu is wearing the black coat that she took from the corpse when she and Bell were in the lower floors
that was fast
standing beside Ryu, is Quicksilver
this could be it, we could finally be able to avenge everyone who this thing has killed
this is too high energy for me to be lamely plotted on the ground like a defeated pussy bitch
“hey Mukuro, you got any adrenaline or morphine shots?” oh, I can see her standing over me!
“some call this a soldiers best friend. Personally, mine is my knife, but this works too”
I feel the pinch in my arm
the pain isn’t going away, so it must have just been an adrenaline blend
“thanks, I will join them in the fight. This might be our only chance to end this thing” Mukuro slaps my back and rushes up to join them too
Ryu and Quicksilver move fast, but so does the Juggernaut
as much as I wish Quicksilver had gone out there to help with the rescue efforts, this might work better if we can kill it fast
Ryu goes for an attack on it’s left side, while Quicksilver goes for it’s right
I follow their attack with one of my own, attacking the monster with a bicycle kick head on
my attack is more of a method of distracting the monster while the other three prepare their next attacks
Idea time
“if one of you can make a hole inside of it’s exoskeleton, I will use all my power and pour it into that hole to destroy it’s magic shield” I really hope that Mukuro just has not been using her armour piercing rounds and has been saving them up
launch some fire dragons at the Juggernaut to grab it’s attention again
it works, and now I am it’s sole target for the hot minute
no idea how long the adrenaline will work for, but I will make the best of it
manage to dodge it’s attack, but it somehow counters both Ryu and Quicksilver
it hit them hard, they might be down for the count
how quickly the tables turn
Ryu killed this thing once, she just needs to do it again. I will give her that chance
throw a few more fire dragons at the Juggernaut, but it is pushing through the attacks
a burst of gunfire hits the Juggernaut, and a small dent is made again
but again, it is not enough to pierce it
blinding lights cover the sky for a moment
dozens more pruned objects appear in the sky
one shines from underground, with hundreds of ruined buildings gathered around the area that looks like an entrance point
a few figures appear infront of all of us
one the colour of grey or silver appears in the sky, but quickly flies away
the human figures that remain fill my vision with the colours of red, white, gold, pink, and red
my relief could not be bigger
what luck
a group who almost saved humanity in their world
is now standing infront of me
and the Red One is close to her death
and she has nothing left to lose
this is it
“you guys, Goddess Squad! Could you please quickly help us with killing this cow skeleton monster?” they look around in confusion, and are looking for Cindi, but she already left
Dorothy turns to me and shrugs
“it seems like a waste of effort, but if it is a threat to humanity, it is our obligation to kill it” so this is their earlier selves
“if any of you can make a small hole in it’s armour, I will try to blow it up from the inside” old reliable Red Hood smiles and raises her gun to the Juggernaut
“that will be easy enough” while they do that, I need to gather up that power and use the fire dragons to blow that fucker up from the inside
they each circle around the monster to line up their shots
the Juggernaut tries to move out of their encirclement, but a single shot from Snow White knocks it’s leg off balance, and it uses it’s effort on staying upright
with this opportune moment, each of the Nikkes use their weapons on the monster simultaneously
it shrieks it’s loudest shriek yet, having the unintentional consequence of getting Ryu back up on her feet
this is it!
Red Hood and Snow White both fire their weapons together
as I suspected, their weapons pierced through the outer shell
checkmate cunt
run as fast as I can towards the Juggernaut
it wants to slash at me, but Dorothy and Rapunzel land their shots against it and it’s arm jolts back
reach both of the holes created by Red Hood and Snow White
stick both of my arms into the holes and recall every single person this monster has killed
I really want to be the one to kill this skeletal piece of shit, but I know who can kill it
my attack will just clear the way
the heat building up inside of the monster is unbearable
but this must be done
it must look very cringe seeing me roaring out in pain as both of my arms are almost being obliterated by the intense heat
the Juggernaut explodes and I am launched back by the large blast
I can feel the burning pain in my hands, but I refuse to take my eyes off the Juggernaut
the smoke clears and the Juggernaut is still standing, but it is violently shaking
hear Ryu shouting out in her effort
“Luminous Windu!” it hurts, but I still laugh at it
the overwhelming purpose and power behind that attack even reach and hurts me a little bit
even though it is blinding, I can see the Juggernaut in the blast, shattering into hundreds of thousands of pieces
we did it, we killed the bastard
what a stroke of luck that we managed to kill that thing, with the intervention of the Goddess Squad
feel like my body is exploding and shooting out blood everywhere like a lawn sprinkler
sleep time I think
standing in a dark void(not the Void, but the kind of void one thinks of when they are not consumed by the capeshit mindrot)
“ah! Time for prophecy?”
“or perhaps just self reflection” ay! It’s the inter-dimensional shitposters!
“happy to see you two again. What is in store for me now?” the twins look to each other
“a dangerous foe falls”
“and yet one still stands” baby steps
“we still need a lot to kill Alioth. This is a great victory for us in the meantime” the twins nod
“moving on to something else of greater importance…”
“your unnatural luck” I still don’t know how it all really works
“do you two know anything about it?” the two smirk
“I see your dense mind carried over from your time before The Void”
“as did your intriguing ability that saved you back during that battle”
“one that he clearly still does not understand”
“one that he has underutilised up to this point” hold on a minute
“wait, how are you guys in my dream right now?” the two chuckle to themselves
“oh he thinks this is a dream”
“he should be a bit more thankful that this is more of a form of painkiller than a form of sleep”
I open my eyes
ah, I am awake again. Wish that I could have spoken to those two a bit more
looks like I am back in the Central Cathedral
try to move out of the bed I am lying in
the pain it too intense for me to even move
already hear Mukuro’s annoyed puff
“don’t be an idiot. You did a good job fighting that thing back there. For now, just rest” don’t wanna, but what choice do I have
“it can’t be that bad, can it?” Mukuro shows me an X-ra-DAMN
man, that’s badass, look at all those little clusters of what used to be solid bones
“you are extremely lucky that among those pruned individuals, there was one who could at least heal you a tad before your wounds took you. We ran into a group just like them on the way back here, and there was luckily a doctor among them” could it be
“did you get their names?” she nods to me
“among them were Neon, Rabies, a Commander, Anus, and a Mary” so it is true. But just how many from their world were sent here…
“did they tell you anything about where they came from?” Mukuro nods again
“they said they have a city that was sent here, much like the many other big cities that have been pruned here. But unlike all the ones we have seen thus far-” I know this part
“-their city is underground?” Mukuro does not seem surprised that I know that
“yes. We asked them if it was acceptable for us to enter their city, but they said that their higher-ups wanted to be a bit cautious with the people on the surface” perfectly understandable
“after everything they went through, I would be like that too” Mukuro sits on my bedside
“is there anything we should know about their world?” I can use my knowledge to do something funny
“don’t trust their Central Government. But if you also encounter a Nikke by the name of Crow-” maybe I should not jump the gun again, “be very cautious around her. In my world, she is known as a pathetic terrorist with no redeeming qualities” Mukuro nods to me and stands back up
“you have a lot of healing to do, and I mean A LOT. Your bones were mostly just mush when that battle ended. But you should know that all that effort to kill the Juggernaut was worth it. When we killed it, the only creature we had to concern ourselves with after that was Alioth” so that must mean that a lot of the pruned victims were saved
“how many people did we find?” I think this is the first time that Mukuro has had a gentle smile
“there were ten who we rescued. Once you heal up, you can go and meet them. Ryu also wants to meet you to give her thanks for helping her in killing that monster. She has been hunting these things for a very long time”
it makes me happy that I did something so meaningful for someone who I am a fan of. I also had my own reasons for assisting in killing that thing
“how is Elizabeth and Raiden doing? And what of Cap?” Mukuro rests against one of the support columns and recalls what she knows
“Elizabeth is still mourning over her Booker. Raiden is learning all he can about this place. That Captain America guy is currently helping all the survivors settle in to their new homes” this all went a lot better than I was hoping
“and what about the Nikkes? What happened to Goddess Squad and the Counters?” Mukuro points out towards the window
“every single one of them went back to the city. Though the Commander of Counters mentioned that they would likely be living at The Outpost they have, as opposed to living in their city called ‘The Ark’”after what happened to the Goddess Squad in the end, I think that would be the best way of handling it all.
“was there a Commander of the Goddess Squad? Did he also get pruned?” Mukuro nods
“he was in a very deep conversation with one of the Nikkes about the world they now find themselves in. But he was getting along with the other Commander very well” that has a lot of potential
“did you manage to get the Commander’s name? The one from Counters?” Mukuro nods with a raised eyebrow
“strangely enough, his name is Anon” what!?
“as in his name is Anon!?” Mukuro shakes her head in confusion
“no, his name is not Anon, his name is Anon” I do not understand. I can see that her mouth is moving more than what she is saying
it’s as if there is dubbing over her when she says the name
“okay, I guess that is his name…” I do not want to get a headache right now. My shattered bones are bad enough already
as much as I want to ignore the intense pain in my body, it really is trying to distract me
“what will you be doing after you let me rest?” Mukuro moves away from the column and turns to leave
“probably scouting the freshly pruned locations. New ones are appearing a lot more frequently now” that will increase the possibility of us encountering an item of power
“if you come across any objects that might help us against Alioth, that would be a big help” Mukuro walks over to the door while shaking her head
“yeah, you don’t have to tell me twice. But anyway, get well soon Anon. We need you out there” and now I am alone in this room, with only the pain of my wounds to keep me company
how metal, I say to myself with little enthusiasm
what on earth am I going to do while I wait for my bones to heal!?
wish that someone had been pruned that had some real healing magic right about now
can’t be lucky all the time it seems
look down at my arms and realise that my hands are almost carbonised
the heat must have burnt them to crisps
barely any time passes before the door to my room opens again
this time it is Johan
“sorry for not coming along for the fight. I should have been there fighting that thing with you” I shake my head, he could not have predicted it would appear right then and there
“it is hard to predict how things will go in a world that is as unpredictable as The Void” Johan’s face darkens
“I was told about just how significant of a threat that thing was. Raiden and the Captain should have helped you, but going out into the fields to save the others was probably the right call. Still, with how many that monster killed, it shouldn’t have been left to three of you in the beginning”
I wish there was a timeline pruned that happens before that tragedy with the Juggernaut. I could have saved them, surely
“we did what we had to. I am thankful that luck was on our side” Johan looks out the window
“Ryu told us all about it after the fight. That thing killed some very important people to her. She named Bell Cranel, and Alise, and Kaguya”
Bell died in her world? That would be a bleak one. Cassandra Ilion must have not been a party of their expedition, or Bell just didn’t listen to her
tough shit then
“the Juggernaut killed many people. I am glad the Goddess Squad appeared when it did” Johan strokes his chin
“I am a bit curious at their immaculate timing. They appeared at the very moment you needed them. There is something about you that is very strange” I get that sometimes
“you mean like plot armour?” Johan looks down at my wounds
“that is one way of describing it, I think? Though I would not consider your incredible luck to be something described as...plot armour” Johan rests into one of the chairs by my bedside
just realised there are five chairs lined around my bedside
did someone get bored and arrange them like this? A lot of these guys would be too busy to watch over me, so it can only really be someone entertaining themselves while I was out
“who made a mess with the chairs?” Johan looks around to each of the chairs circling my bed
“we were concerned with your health and well being, so we watched over you while your worst injuries were recovering” okay? So Johan and Mukuro got bored and decided to make a mess?
“thanks for being concerned about me. How long do you think it will take for me to recover?” Johan scratches his head and points out the window
“that depends on your knowledge of medicines and magic that could speed up the process of healing” yeah, I know a few.
“depends on what has been pruned recently” Johan pulls a small notebook out from his uniform and reads through a large list
“newest arrivals that Alioth has not yet consumed are...a ship known as the Black Pearl, something known as a Pokemon Centre-but it is empty”
Johan skips through a few on the list
“we also have an Aircraft Carrier, a strange castle we believe is called Hogwarts, a mountain lair containing Nazi gold, and a USS Arizona” Hogwarts has magic, that could work
“only one that sticks out for me is the castle. I recall some kind of potion from that world that can help to heal wounds faster” Johan gives me a thumbs up and walks out the door
“we will search every stone” that does not make sense, but nevermind
I should get some more rest. Maybe the Lutece Twins will visit me again this time
I would also like to visit The Ark if I ever get the chance
meeting some of those Nikkes would be fun
but now, it is time for me to rest

open my eyes to the sound of my door opening
I did not even get a chance to fall asleep
it is Elizabeth of all people
“when do you want to bury Booker?” Elizabeth looks over my current state and walks over to look out the window
“once everyone else gets back, we can lay him to rest. You are in no condition to be doing any physical work” I mean, sure, my bones are now just dust. So?
“I can still do something at least” Elizabeth shakes her head and throws a broken pen at me
I manage to catch it, but it hurts to move
“see? You are too injured to move. You can play out your strongman act as much as you want, after you recover” I doubt she came here to talk about my shattered bones
“what did you want to talk about? Aside from Booker and my pathetic state” Elizabeth looks to me, a bit irritated
“you did not really give me a chance to say what I wanted to say, you just immediately asked me about my father. Am I correct in guessing that you have vast knowledge on not only my world, but also every other world that is disposed of to this place?” I wonder where she is going with this
“yeah, I know a fair bit about most of the worlds that are pruned to this place. But there will be a fair few I do not know anything about” and god help me when that time comes
“you walked through the ruins of my home when I was first sent here. Did you see where Monument Island crashed?” ah, either she forgot something, or she wants to destroy that siphon
“how did you fail to destroy Monument Island, while still learning of your real dad?” Elizabeth leans against the frame of the window while still looking out towards the littered fields
“do you know how things went on Comstock’s Airship?” ah yes, Cumsock.
“that was the decisive moment. Once you reached Monument Island, you were able to call on Songbird to destroy the tower” Elizabeth nods to me and sighs
“we were right there. If we had only a few seconds more to spare, we would have destroyed it. But the Vox crashed into the airship, and we were forced to jump off onto a skyrail and take our chances on the streets below. That is when we were sent here” that is a very unfortunate point of divergence
“that was the very moment you were supposed to be unchained. I am sorry you missed the chance by such a slim possibility” it was a long journey to reach that point. I am sure the Lutece Twins were also mad about the outcome
“I am not sure if there is a god out there. But if there is, I hope he has a VERY good reason for setting me on this path” this is The Void, having a reason for being sent here is significantly better than having none at all.
“only time will tell. Glad to have you with us either way, Liz” she tilts her head to me with an expression I believe she is trying to convey as being offended
“Elizabeth will suffice. You may have pulled me out of those ruins and kept me from being a meal for Alioth, but we have a long way to go before we are close enough friends to have short names for each other” that’s fine. I don’t expect us to escape this place for a long time
“was there anything else you wanted to talk about?” our talk would be brief if she wants to end it here
“for the time being, I suppose. There are still a lot of things I wish to know, but your recovery should happen before we all decide on anything else. At the moment, we will all just be saving as many people as we can, and bringing them here” so she knows of our general missions. I hope she is going to lend a hand when the time is right.
“what are you going to do after you leave this room?” Elizabeth looks back out the window
“I am not a good fighter, but I can still help when the situation allows for it. But from what I have heard, the big issue we are facing out there, is not knowing if the freshly pruned person we are speaking to can be trusted or not” I did not think too much about it, but that would be a very big problem
“and that is where I come in? Once I recover from this, I will find a lot of enjoyment in identifying friend or foe” Elizabeth rolls her eyes at me
“you know you can speak in a more informal manner, it feels a bit too distant to speak like you are right now” am I?
“sorry about that, I can not help myself”
the rest of our conversation is mostly just small talk
Elizabeth leaves to head down to the ground floor
moving and rolling on the bed are causing me intense pain, but I am going to have to bare through it if I am going to enjoy the view of the lands outside my window
time is starting to pass by for me at a quick rate as I continue to wait for everyone to return from their patrols
luckily, in all the time that has passed, Alioth has only appeared once to devour a large Jedi Cruiser that had been pruned only a few moments earlier
my door finally opens again
Johan and Mukuro have returned!
Mukuro is carrying a bottle decorated with what looks like a miniature human skeleton
“this thing is said to repair your bones in record time, so we are going to give this to you in the hopes of speeding up the process” this does put a smile on my face
“and how did you learn how this potion functions?” the two step aside, and between them a Neville fucking Longbottom enters the room.
Neville looks down, but he does not seem shy enough to not say something
“I thought I was a goner. Johan and Mukuro here helped me get to this tower here, but asked that I give them something that can regrow bones. They are good friends and I hope that you appreciate what they are doing for you” Mukuro and Johan look to each other from behind him, but I am fine with his comment
“I do. But what happened to everyone else in your Hogwarts?” Neville is quickly becoming shaky
“right after that magical item activated and sent all of us here, the large terrifying cloud descended upon us. The professors tried their best to protect all of us, but that monster killed them all. Professor Dumbledore used the killing curse for the second time in my lifetime. But all of that was meaningless to that cloud. I am not sure if anyone else survived, but I know for sure that none of my friends survived” that is really depressing. At least we can add spells to the list of things that can not kill Alioth.
“we will avenge them one day. But for now, we need to build up a group that will eventually be able to overpower and put an end to Alioth for good” Mukuro walks up to me and opens the potion bottle. I remember that Harry Potter needed to drink this one in one of the earlier movies, but spat it out
I open my mouth and anticipate the bad taste
Mukuro grabs the back of my head and forces a dose of the potion down my throat
it tastes like how piss and decay smells, and it burns my mouth and throat
Mukuro is satisfied with giving me the dose and lets go of my head
thanks doc, I guess
hold back the awful liquid as it goes down
good thing I experience this feeling often and have the skills to hold it all down
Neville has an eyebrow raised to what he just saw
“these friends of yours are very caring for you, so I will conclude that the way she treated you just now, was because of something you have done” it is your first day here Neville. Don’t push it
“shut up Neville, but yeah, you’re right” Neville gives me a thumbs up
all of them leave the room and I am once again left to rest
at least my bones should be repaired by tomorrow, so I will get some rest
I am standing inside a giant hall
there is a large table with a lot of people sitting in seats surrounding it
they have all been squeezed so closely together, there is little to no room between all of them
I can’t even count all of them, or see all of them for that matter
the strangest part is that they are all villains
the Sin Archbishops of the Witches Cult, Handsome Jack, Junko Enoshima, a Saburo Arasaka and Adam Smasher amalgamation, Abaddon The Despoiler, Doctor Doom, Darkseid, Subtilizer, The Leaders of Evilus
there are so many from thousands of different worlds
laying at my feet, all over the room, all on the floor, countless heroes all lay dead
I look back up to the table to keep an eye on the villains
I can see some familiar faces, but each of them are chained to the wall behind the thousands of villains
each of the familiar faces also have one thing in common
they are all my favourite characters
each of the villains are trying to either reach out to me, or are trying to kill me
the voices are all so incoherent, they are all trying to speak at the same time
those that are trying to kill me, are tripping over each other, creating a tidal wave of mass
behind them, a familiar purple cloud is washing over all of them, as if an even bigger wave, a tsunami is washing them all away
the cloud reaches me, I feel like I am being crushed while thousands of leeches suckle onto me
I open my eyes to the sunrise
once again, I can not stop myself from speaking out loud
“Self-proclaiming Angel-” I am awake, and fully conscious now
it is kinda quiet otherwise
I really wish that the Juggernaut had not crushed my bones
that damned creature has set me back in my plans by at least a few days now
and every day counts in this place
but now that I have taken that bone growing potion, I should be ready to head out again and continue to save more unfortunate souls who have been pruned by the TVA
my dream is raising some more questions for me now
I saw Abaddon, who is from the 40K universe just like Johan
does The Warp exist in The Void in any form?
Could Alioth be sent into it?
what would happen to The Warp if Alioth tried to devour it?
could one of the Sin Archbishops survive Alioth?
that lean cloud monster is a powerful foe, and it is not going to be that simple to find a way to kill it
from what I have gathered previously, the Infinity Stones will only work if the universe and/or timeline they were pruned from, has not been destroyed
that rules out most Infinity Stones, since the TVA tends to prune those worlds not too long after they have removed an Infinity Stone from it
there are also the cases of some powers not working in The Void
I don’t think Subaru’s Return By Death power would work here, otherwise there would be a lot of him in this place who have survived purely by trial and error
Darkseid’s anti-life equation does not appear to work on Alioth, since the cloud is only operating as a vacuum cleaner for The Void, and is not being controlled by him
Doctor Doom might have the capabilities to kill Alioth, but if that has already happened, it would be Doom in control, and not Alioth
Handsome Jack would be entirely incapable of defeating Alioth, so thinking on that would be a waste of time
could an Eridian Vault contain Alioth? It can contain The Destroyer, so perhaps that is a small possibility
the Arasaka creature would not be capable of defeating Alioth either
Junko would try to bring the cloud into every universe she possibly could, just to witness the despair all over the multiverse
Evilus would just summon it and get themselves killed
Subtilizer is a dangerous man though
if he is somehow pruned into this world with his powers from Underworld, there is a small possibility he could steal Alioth’s powers and become the new monster feasting on everything in The Void
if we come across a Subtilizer one day, I just hope we will have someone with the capacity to hold their own against his power
Juggernaut was a dangerous enemy for us, but there are much scarier monsters in the many universes that now appear to fall under the TVA’s jurisdiction
either way, thinking on all that is going to just waste whatever time I have left before Alioth inevitably finds this tower
I get out of the bed and thankfully do not fall over immediately or shatter my regrown bones
the door opens with Johan and Otto entering the room
Johan walks over to me with a smile on his face
“glad to see that you are awake and active already. We just spotted some buildings that were recently pruned here. Among them, we found another Pyramid of Argus, Leyndell with an Erdtree, some kind of agency or compound with an interesting flag, a crashed ship that looks like one of those flagships that the purple titan uses, and a crashed autobot ship”
looks like we have a busy day ahead of us
but I also have to help Elizabeth with destroying her syphon
Otto opens the door a bit wider to reveal Ryu is standing behind him
“the elf also wishes to thank you, now that you are awake and have mostly recovered” Ryu walks over and changes places with Johan
“when those people you called Nikkes arrived from their pruning, you were quick to ask them to help us with the fight. Your knowledge of much of the people who are sent here is impressive. Thank you, for helping me to finally bring one of those detestable creatures down. The Juggernaut is not an enemy anyone should take lightly, and you were already aware of its danger” Ryu is a good judge of character, for the most part. It is still a shame that she lost everyone she cared about
“that monster killed some people I never had the chance to bond with, I have my own undying grudge against that monster and its kind” I will never forgive the Juggernaut for killing those characters who only had 5 seconds of screentime!
“then we both have an understanding on our shared desire for the death of all Juggernauts. Our efforts in the distant Fox Badlands have so far had lacking results, so a few of us who were patrolling that region have decided to join your growing group to help with saving pruned individuals. From our observations, we believe there is currently a growing effort to prune anything and everything from any universe the TVA can get its hands on” with all the ever increasing pruned people and objects being sent here, that is very likely the case, as the TVA Minuteman told us before.
“so you will be coming along with me on our next patrol?” Ryu nods to confirm my suspicions.
TriumphantTrumpet.mp3
maybe after searching all the pruned locations, we can destroy the syphon, or search for The Ark
Ryu looks over to Otto and Johan
“we will be pairing up for our patrols to cover more ground and get to any and all potential survivors before Alioth can reach them. If they are hostile, try to either pacify them, or kill them. We can not risk losing anyone who we already have” I guess helping Elizabeth will just have to wait for another day
everyone nods to each other, and they all walk out of my room
push myself out of my bed
my bones are holding firmly
we are back in business!
walk down to the ground level where everyone is gathering
before I can even speak, a bright flash blinds us
the main door was not even open that much, and yet the flash was truly that bright
the blinding light outside fades slowly
walk outside to see what caused that flash
there is a fiery mushroom cloud rising into the sky just before the horizon
Alioth is already moving over to devour it
our time has been cut short even before we begin our patrols
Otto waves over to all of us to grab our attention
“we will be working in groups of two. Find your patrol partner and get out there. That damn explosion was Alioth’s alarm for the morning rise” we are scrambling
I rush over to meet up with Ryu and we leave without saying a word
the elf is leading the way, I am just following behind and waiting for the initial shock of the explosion to wear off before Ryu regains her composure and decides to talk again.
the lean cloud has covered the fireball now, and the natural sun is once again the only source of light in the sky
there are only a few objects scattered around that I can point at in my head and go ‘No way! It’s the shitbucket mobile from shitass and friends!’
screw it, I guess I will have to start the conversation
“what location are we going to be searching today, Ryu?” the elf gives me a glance before returning her attention to our surroundings
“there is an armoured train that arrived this morning. We are going to be searching that vehicle for anything useful. I doubt the conductor is still on the train though” that sounds kinda boring
“that will probably not take too long. What are we going to look for after that?”
“whatever may be pruned close by” she did not give any signs of being frustrated at my question, but it sure did feel like she was
it might just be my imagination though
we reach the armoured train pretty quickly
nothing happens and our search only turns up some old tools and coal
all the carriages were removed before the engine was pruned
we move on to search for our next location without anything to show for it
we are back out in the fields
Alioth has disappeared and the cloud that was once towering over the horizon is now gone
which reminds me that I need to talk to Ainz again about how I can best protect Nazarick
a large cluster of cracks in reality appear not too far off from us
out of the lights, a whole fleet of ships appear
there are planes trying to divebomb the carriers in the fleet
oh shit, it’s the Kido Butai from world war 2!
a flicker appears behind us
a large building appears from a crack in reality
it’s another building from Danganronpa
it’s the headquarters of the Future Foundation
depending on how far into the killing game they are, there is still a lot of hope for saving them
or at least those who deserve it
but I have to remember that there is a chance that the people inside this building are not the same as their original timeline counterparts
look back to check how the battle with the fleet is going
Alioth is starting to form above and around them
Alioth will come for this place next, we need to hurry
“Ryu, there might be some people in there that need saving. Alioth never loses its hunger, so we need to be fast” Ryu nods and we rush up to the door
as I expected, it is sealed shut
beside the door, I see that Hiro is looking around in a dazed state
“he should be fine, we can get him when we make our escape. The people trapped on the inside are likely being forced to play a dangerous game. But I know how to stop it, we just need to get inside. If we combine my dragon powers and your wind powers, we just might be able to create a fireball powerful enough to blast open the metal door” Ryu nods, and begins her incantation
I just simply gather energy in my hands
we both direct our attack at the door simultaneously
“Luminous Windu!” I can’t help but chuckle when she says that
our attacks combine into a swirling, blazing whirlwind
as it reaches the door, it turns blue
the explosion is hot, and the blast is big
I turn around to see if Alioth noticed
one of the dive bombers is still attacking the carriers, and has set off an explosion at the same time
but during the battle of Midway, two of the carriers were blown up at roughly the same time, so I wonder-
another carrier is obliterated in a flash
ah, there it is
this is our chance to get in and quickly get out
as we enter the large building, Alioth’s ragin purple storm lights up the interior with lightning for a moment
with the small amount of light, we rush through the building and quickly reach the room with all the bookcases
we pull down the one hiding the main controls of the killing game
we flip the switches to deactivate the bracelets and the monitors that broadcast the suicide command
everything should be fine now, or at least we can hope
I lead the way and rush to the main conference room where there is most likely at least a few survivors
we run past some dead guards that must have been hastily moved when all the division leaders were unconscious
we reach the conference room that still seems to be closed
we bust open the door and find that just about everyone is still alive somehow
even Chisa who was supposed to die while they were all unconscious, is still alive
this will make it easier then, or at least I hope it will
“Munakata, Naegi. I have waited for this moment for a time. Tengan was about to put all of you through another killing game. Unfortunately, Chisa is currently unwillingly under the influence of ultimate despairs. Believe me or don’t, it does not matter to me. But I need any of the following people to come with me: Naegi, Kirigiri, Aoi, and Seiko. To the rest of you, I bid you good luck” he is not going to agree to it, but I believe that my dragon powers might at least prevent mr self-proclaiming hope from being able to kill me
unsurprisingly, Munakata does not believe me
“we are the future foundation. I am more inclined to believe anything my allies say, over someone who I know nothing about. I do not believe your accusations on Yukizome either” well bummer
Juzo is getting offended on his friends behalf now too
“you think you can just throw such lowly accusations at my friends and get away with it? You sound an awful lot like a despair, and I beat down despairs” that’s too funny
“didn’t you lose against Junko when she was enacting her grand scheme? You are so pathetic bro” Juzo’s eyes crack into many red lines with killing intent shaking the cell bars behind his pupils
“how dare you” pathetic, and a waste of my time
“you can all do whatever you want. If we were past the point of Seiko dying, I would have fed at least Ruruka to Alioth myself. But luckily we are not at that point. That also reminds me” I turn over to look at what is seemingly Miaya
“I wonder if your van is out there somewhere, Monaca” before anyone can stop me, I break off the head of the Miaya robot
the power to the cameras in the eyes of the robot is quickly fading
“meet your death with honour, coward. Alioth awaits” I throw the head across the room to show everyone the deception
Ryu steps between them and me
“this is Anon, you will see that he knows a lot more than you would believe. You will have a better chance of surviving if you listened to him” I wave Ryu away and stand beside her
“she is forgetting to mention that there are limited supplies in The Void as it currently stands. The group we have formed so far, is reaching a size that will likely not be sustainable. While I would appreciate all of you joining me, it is just not feasible. Which is why I am only asking some of you to come with me. The rest of you should book it out of here as quickly as you can. The great devourer Alioth is likely almost done with the ships that were sent here just before your building was” the future foundation members look to each other with uncertainty
Munakata almost literally throws Naegi to us and the others follow
“you speak of a great devourer. What do you mean?” these guys are going to be in for a rude awakening when they leave this place.
“it’s Alioth. You will know it when you see the large purple cloud, and things start to get darker. I pray for all of you when you reach the surface. Alioth will devour all the liveliness of this place when it reaches it” Kirigiri, Aoi, and Naegi are standing with us, but there is still one person I want to come with us, and it is important to me that we do
“also, Seiko, this place isn’t for you. The two who cast aside your friendship, will only bring you down. Your survival is also important for this place, and you will have a better chance with us. We also do not have much time, so I hope you can reach your decision sooner rather than later” the masked girl lowers her head and mumbles to herself
Ryu leans towards me and whispers in my ear
“our time is running out. We need to reach a decision now, or we will not escape in time” I understand the weight of the situation
“Seiko, you deserve a good life. This new world we are in, is significantly worse than the despair-riddled world you have come from. You deserve to live” not my best by a long shot, but we are too short on time for me to be thinking in a truly coherent manner
Seiko makes a heavy sigh and walks over to our group
the candy bitch screeches at us
“you can take that traitor. It makes a lot of sense that everyone going with you is a traitor. I would not be surprised if you are the one behind all this” I raise my hand in the most commanding manner I can, trying to summon the spirit of Baldwin IV to guide my words
“silence irredeemable whore, the more likeable characters are being spoken to”
Izayoi the pussywhipped blacksmith is obviously upset by that
“my blades will cut through to your bones, traitor”
his small blades soar through the air towards me, but Ryu is quick to deflect all of them
I turn to her silently saying ‘thank you Ryu, you are a real one’
I look back to mr blacksmith and wave him away
“unsurprisingly, the most submissive blacksmith in history loses his composure so quickly. Send Alioth my regards, your control freak onahole drags down just about everyone close to her” I walk out of the room while rushing Seiko out alongside me.
As we all exit the conference room, a single blade flies through the air and hits the door
but that is the end of that worthless exchange
we leave the building and wave Hiro over to follow us
this will be our patrol for the day already, we just need to find some food
I wonder how these variants are going to react to the other nearly identical ones
they might have a panic attack or two
I doubt the original Void was this eventful
something must have happened
something that likely correlates to the many other worlds being included among the pruned people and objects
maybe this is some kind of monkey paw
oh well, I should make the most of my time while Ryu is still in our group
if there is a chance that Ryu is going to leave our group, then I want to use the time we have to actually talk
“do you plan to leave at some point in the future? The Void is a big place, and I am guessing you have other groups that need your help” Ryu nods weakly
“in time, I hope that all of the groups of survivors out there can unify to create a sanctuary for all who have been pruned. But as it currently stands, that would only make Alioth’s job easier”
all the more reason for us to kill it
“one day, we will all be able to live without the fear of that purple cloud” Ryu shakes her head to me
“some things are necessary. Without that monster, this world would likely be a landfill of waste, rot, and decay. Alioth is essential to the long term survival of The Void. It is both our worst enemy, and only hope for longevity”
I do not want to agree, but she does raise a good point.
“would it be possible to replace Alioth with something that is more favourable towards us?”
Ryu shakes her head once again
“Alioth is a powerful force in this world. There are no entities in this world that could possibly take its place. All we can do is try to find a way to avoid Alioth altogether”
my original plan was to use every powerful item I can find to finally put an end to Alioth.
but if there is no path which leads to Alioth’s death or removal from The Void, then our efforts on finding items like the Infinity Stones will be better spent elsewhere
“there is a large underground city somewhere out there at the moment. The Nikkes that helped us with killing that Juggernaut will very likely know its location when we meet them again”
Ryu looks over to a small village in the distance before responding to me
“are there any smaller locations that are just as safe as that city?” the only one that comes to mind is Eden
“there is a small settlement that is led by exiled Nikkes and a fallen hero commander known as Johan, but he is not related to our Johan in any way. I also recall it has some kind of cloaking technology”
Ryu looks back at our new friends and then returns her gaze to me
“every life here is valuable. Yet there will still be victims of Alioth. If we can replicate what makes that city and that settlement so successful, we may be able to save a lot of the people here”
it is nearly impossible for anyone to grow a sustainable source of food here in The Void without Alioth spotting it. Nearly all food in this world comes from the pruned timelines that the TVA have diligently wiped out
“we are running out of room, and out of time. As much as I want to find a better place for all of us to live in, the Central Cathedral is one of the only buildings big enough for us at this point in time. The TVA’s drive for mass pruning timelines is not a big help either”
there is a flash of purple lightning behind us that catches our attention
we all look back to the Future Foundation Headquarters
Alioth has materialised above the building and is descending onto it with a strange ferocity.
look over to see how the danganronpa variants are reacting to the scene
this is the first time they are seeing Alioth, so their reactions are what anyone would expect
“alright, let’s get out of here before that lean cloud spots us too”
the group follows Ryu and I as we lead them back to the Central Cathedral on our return from the patrol
I hope we will find at least some food and drinks on the way back, but this place is not really suited for holding out hope
a bright familiar spark is starting to flicker not too far off from us
must be a new incoming pruned location
a large tower structure materialises, and barely falls a few metres before it hits the ground
the tower shakes and creaks
but it remains intact
infront of the tower, I can see thousands of bright red lights moving around
the tower looks familiar
welp, shit
I am a gambling man, so I am placing my bets on this elevator being disconnected from the space station
not because it is a high chance that the space station is disconnected
but because the space elevator still being connected would mean that all those Raptures gathered by the entrance, are not going to be the only ones that were pruned
“run-we need to get back to the Central Cathedral as quickly as possible without being followed”
I turn back to see the Raptures as we flee
luckily, the Raptures have not seen us yet, we might escape
my hopes now hinge on Alioth being able to reach outer orbit to consume the space station
if that does not work, the only other option would be a Cinderella
but that is only if the one that the Goddess Squad was fighting can somehow be found and be given vaupaus
we reach the Cathedral but unfortunately do not encounter any new buildings or supply dumps along the way
most of the other groups look to still be out on patrol
as much as I want to go back out there to search more buildings, these new arrivals need to be properly introduced to the new way of living in this world
though they live in a world of the apocalypse, so they may not find it as hard as some others
I help Seiko and Naegi, while Ryu helps Kirigiri and Aoi with understanding the world they now all find themselves in
“during those recent events at the Future Foundations Headquarters, something may have occurred in a way that the timeline is not intended to flow. When this happens, a faction called the TVA will appear and make an intervention. They will arrest the person responsible for the point of divergence. Anything and anyone who was affected by the actions of that person, will then be pruned and sent here to meet their end at the hands of Alioth. Some of us survive however, and we try to save others such as yourselves”
both Seiko and Naegi seem troubled And are thinking to themselves on this new information
Seiko is the first to speak up
“does this new world have many species of plants? I need a lot of varying plants for my medicines”
oh yeah, she is the Ultimate Pharmacist
“we should hold out hope that many species of plants have been pruned and sent here over the ages as collateral from the TVA pruning. Whether they have survived long enough to become sustainable is a different matter though”
Seiko lowers her head in resignation
Naegi finally chimes in
“how many survivors can there be all at once? Can that storm monster be avoided? Where are all the other survivors?”
I am likely going to have to answer questions like this a lot
“in most cases, Alioth will devour entire pruned realities in an instant. It is rare for those who have been pruned, to have a chance to escape from Alioth”
Naegi looks around our surroundings, scanning everything
“what happened to the world we came from?”
a question I dread, with an answer I hate
“the world you came from can be considered a branched timeline. Think of it like a tree. Once your branch grows too far from the tree, your branch will be pruned, and discarded into the trash bin. That world you came from is not longer in existence”
Naegi lowers his head to join Seiko, while she has only lowered her head down further
“welcome to The Void: It sucks, but you get used to it”

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Pub: 02 Jan 2025 04:22 UTC

Edit: 02 Jan 2025 04:24 UTC

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