The Warden

"STALEMATE!" Avatar Resolution seemed almost annoyed by the outcome, his upper body rotating to take a clean look at each candidate, though it took longer than most in regards to Alister and Alexander. Finally he ceased his movements, and with a glow all non-participants were levitated up into solid marble seating, with marble fences around the participants, as if this were some form of courtroom. The chosen were even given their own desks with comfy chairs as well. "STALEMATE! Three-way tie between entities: Alister Azimuth. Koishi Komeiji. Lydia Armstrong. By the rules of the Door of Origin, you are to debate amongst yourselves as to who is most worthy to wield the Key of Origin. Those attending in the gallery are allowed to voice their own concerns during the speeches if the matter allows it, but save any comments for after each speech. But the voices that must be heard hear and now must be the voices of those I have named. Now, please amongst the chosen please speak your case as to why you are most worthy. And once deliberations are complete, and your cases are made, everyone must unanimously decide on the victor. If compromise cannot be made, and an agreement cannot be met, this stalemate will be considered null and void. And if found null and void, I will become the default beneficiary of the Key, and will thus do as I have promised to revert the Omniverse to its original programming. NOW BEGIN!" ~~Let the Debate BEGIN~~ "Wow, what a bad time to have performance anxiety" Lydia muttered to herself, before she took a deep breath. "I hope you guys don't mind, but I want to speak first! Look, I'm not going to make any noble speeches here, or say if this is some kind of big sacrifice. The truth is is that my speech is to say that, well, I'm selfish. When I started this story I was a nerdy girl who treated this whole thing like it was some kind of game; some bit of fun to escape a universe that stopped moving. But LERNA changed that. The carnage she caused in her fight made me shake in a way I've never felt. And everything moving forwards from that frightened me more. I can't even say if I'm even me anymore, since now my soul houses a god-like dragon, a Witch, and a ninjataur. And I still don't even know which of those I find the weirdest honestly. This journey has changed me in ways that, really, I can't go back from. And I know there's plenty of you who probably feel exactly the same. So I know some of you may want to sacrifice yourselves for one reason or another, but...." Looking to the gallery, she saw Hapshiel sitting pleasantly, and she recalled the cryptic words he had spoken before about before. "You would be everywhere, so why not choose only to be once?" "But I think it might be best if you let the sacrifice be a selfish one. I don't plan to reset everything completely like Avatar Resolution will, because it wouldn't be fair to take away everything we've earned from this journey. So my promise is to try and grant as many of your requests for returning home as I can, to ensure that we treasure our journey. Mostly, I plan to split our worlds, so that there will be an original self to go back to as if nothing happened, while the new world will be where you will return to, to maintain causality and stuff. The world will be identical to to before we left, but our memories and new powers and gifts will persist. After that, I plan to end my existence so I can go on to join the Throne of Heroes, as... as Arturia said I may do. I can't say for sure if I will, but I'm willing to take that risk. Let my selfishness be a benefit for the rest of you, so nobody has to suffer anymore than we have already!"

Lydia stood idle with her Familiars, her head turned to the formless floor as she listened to the others who would give up everything for everyone else. "My my my, what a choice, the ultimate masochism" Hapshiel purred. "It's insane, isn't it? This statue is telling us to give up ourselves to infinite knowledge, or let it reverse everything we've achieved. It'll be like none of it happened. Well, no, it'll NEVER have happened. I'll go back to my world, back to the same, impulsive woman child before all this started" the gestalt witch shuddered. "One journey ends, another begins. Having been so close to divinity, this is funny" Hapshiel mused. "How do you mean?" "When you wield the infinite, you become infinite. I couldn't even begin to imagine that, but it would feel as if I could spread my Love & Peace to everyone, all at once. You would be everywhere, so why not choose only to be once?" the angel cryptically expounded. "Are you saying despite taking the power of the Door, we could still keep ourselves?" "Did I say that? I must've sounded very smart" the himbo angel giggled. "Why not really? You have the power!" Lydia looked to the ground, and everyone around her. Everyone, including her, had all risked their lives and some had spent them all for the sake of one mad girl's quest for world peace. Would Isamy have been able to accept the price? Knowing her she would have had some kind of fail-safe to keep her together while wielding the Door's power. And if DATEA could do it.... "I volunteer!" Lydia called out. "I can't allow anyone else to pay the price when too many have suffered already. I will take the power of the Door and END Isamy and Protheus' insanity!" Avatar Resolution, stunned, began spinning rapidly. "STALEMATE!" Sinking into the ground, large marble hands appeared under the present candidates, taking them upwards into the sky. And from the soul came Avatar's Resolution's head, made of four faces each facing a cardinal direction. It drew its hands to the head, its shining eyes on Koishi and Lydia. "STALEMATE DETECTED BETWEEN TWO PARTICIPANTS! ARE THERE ANY OTHERS WHO WILL CONTEST THEIR CLAIMS?!"

"In ancient times, the dinosaurs were in constant conflict with an ancient foe, the insects. A battle that waged and only ended when the tree the insects resided in unleashed a deluge of sap, imprisoning the insects in a prison of amber. Now, many moons into the future, the prison has begun to weaken as the millennia have allowed the insects to adapt to the amber. And thus, the air once more is filled with the humming of the Amber Ancients, who are ready to fight their ancient foes once again." In seriousness, this is my run with a battle-focused archetype of insects based around ancient species that have long-since gone extinct. They are tribute focused, but also don't neglect the extra deck as the Amber Ancients have adapted to the modern times, making them more dangerous than ever. Level 2 Monsters Level 8 Monsters Link Monsters Synchro Monsters Xyz Monsters Fusion Monster Spell/Trap Cards

Done and done. Congratulations to Lilymon.

So, as an avid Gimmick Puppet player, I've been trying their new support and with some choice additions, I've been having some fun with the deck. So this is basically me creating some final cards I feel they need to be very playable. Gimmick Puppet Fore Father DARK R******** Machine / Xyz / Effect 2+ Machine monsters While you control this Xyz Summoned card: You can discard 1 card; you cannot Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except "Gimmick Puppet" monsters, also add 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster from your Deck or GY to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Gimmick Puppet Fore Father" once per turn. When a card or effect is activated that targets a "Gimmick Puppet" monster on the field OR is activated in response to the activation of the effect of a "Gimmick Puppet" monster: You can detach 1 material; negate that card or effect, and if you do, destroy it. ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2400 Developer's Notes: Something I feel GPs have needed for an insanely long time is an Xyz monster that is a little more proactive. Numbers 15, 40, and 88 are nice, but 15 and 40 shine most when they have an opponent's field to ruin. And 88... exists to becomes C88 more or less. But this means that, unless you can make C88 there aren't any decent GP Xyz you can make going first. The idea of a generic discard is to help fix bad hands you can get by discarding a card you don't need for a search, which comes with restrictions since apparently every bloody Gimmick Puppet card needs a small paragraph of them. The negation part is more of a means for GPs to fight back against some card effects, without being too OP about it like Borreload or other BS. Incidentally, I imagine the art for this card to be a GP vesion of Quattro, hence the punny name. Gimmick Puppet Doll Headtipede DARK Down Machine / Link / Effect 1 Machine monster You can pay 2000 LP and banish 1 "Puppet" Normal Spell/Trap Card from your Deck; this effect become that card's effect when that card is activated, also, you cannot Summon monsters from your Extra Deck this turn, except "Gimmick Puppet" monsters. While this card is in your GY: You can target 1 Machine Xyz monster you control; attach this card to it as material. You can only use 1 effect of "Gimmick Puppet Doll Headtipede" per turn, and only once per turn. ATK: 500 / LINK-1 Developer's Notes: While I considered the notion of making the various Puppet Spell/Traps searchable, honestly, I felt it'd be better to go the Verte Anaconda route by having it copy the effect, as opposed to just searching a card. I went with banishing because again, GPs need needless and pointless caveats to make the archetype "fair". (See: Not being dragons.) The cost, while also apeing off of Verte, has an additional use vis a vis rendering Puppet Parade's RUM search active, while also making Puppet Ritual actually worth using for once. The material attach is more of just a freebie really. Also I love the idea of this hideous centipede creature made of doll heads. It's what makes Gimmick Puppets beautiful. Puppet Parlor Field Spell When this card is activated: You can discard 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster; you cannot Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except Machine monsters, also draw 2 cards. During your Main Phase, you can Normal Summon 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster as an additional Normal Summon/Set. (You can only gain this effect once per turn.) Developer's Notes: One thing GPs have not had, despite getting two waves of support in an era where every damn archetype ever gets a field spell, is a field spell. This is my idea of remedying two issues GPs have. Namely, dead Terror Babys and Humpty Dumptys in hand can be easily tossed via the discard effect, with the intended purpose of it replacing Trade-In that is basically mandatory for the deck. This gives you much more freedom than Trade-In can give you. The second effect, I feel, is very helpful in making Terror Baby far more usable by being able to use its effect despite already making starting plays.

Elecmon Guardromon Cherrymon Cherubimon (Good)

Keramon Ogremon Gokuwmon Lucemon X

I may not hurt to retweak the wording then. And I did try to take the MPBs into account for the effects of the cards, but I can update Mirage to say non-Machine PB monsters. Also, the select thing was what I was going off because a metric tonne of zone selection cards are super old, and have not had their text updated to the modern era. Only one with the modern writing is Excode Talker. I feel like trying to go for flavour kinda weakens things overall, and while being able to work with TGU would be cute, the only benefit of doing so would be easy access to M-X-Saber Invoker, who is very much banned. Really, the gist was more focusing on marrying the concepts of Gazelle and Chimera with the Phantom Beasts, as their fiend-like nature is shown in how Berfomet mutates them into more horrible creatures, like Wild-Horn being turned into a horrible wendigo. EDIT: Anyways, I've updated the text of the fusions, and added a fair few non-Machina clauses to the effects.

Been a long time since I've ever, personally, thrown my designs into the ring. A very, very long time. Anyways, I feel confident enough to share my vision for support for the Phantom Beast archetype by taking cues from their progenitors (Gazelle, Berfomet, and Chimera) by blending into the Phantom Beasts the power of Fusion. Ideally, these cards are meant to be a control-style deck, but without the constant negations that are now so utterly prevalent in this game. In fact, they were made as a challenge to make a control-style deck without abusing negations. Main Deck Monsters Extra Deck Spells/Traps

Lydia was quiet as the world went white, her hand still holding tightly onto her Familiars as existence went away. And Hapshiel was, well, Hapshiel as he went into the sweet embrace of oblivion. Supposedly. With everything back in focus, they were now with the others, and an overly jubilant statue proclaiming that they should “REJOICE!” And, for once, Lydia truly was relieved. She had finally avenged on her friends, her family, her world…, Zac. Everything she had wanted, she had finally achieved. Even her Familiars felt her jubilation as they returned around her and Hapshield, Fire Fox gently nuzzling his head under her hand. “Is it over?” she asked aloud, as if unsure of it. “It would appear so” Madara confirmed as he peered around in search of the other one he had chosen. “It feels like a dream” the Human/Witch hybrid uttered. “I much prefer your nightmares” LERNA mused, one of her heads still poking out of a rift between her Barrier and reality. “I might just regret having my subconscious create you” Lydia said honestly, only for the depraved former-Witch to chuckle coldly as she returned to the Barrier. “It seems we have a gathering in our midst” Hapshiel observed as everyone seemed to be converging towards the statue in the distance. “Then let’s go and end this, once and for all” Lydia nodded as the other Dizasters left for her Barrier, leaving but Madara to walk with them. “Are you happy this is over, Madara?” “While it seems a shame I was not able to achieve my own ends back in the Sphere Forest, I could think of worse outcomes” the ninjataur commented. “That’s lovely” the angel crooned as they approached Avatar Resolution. And with all the groups converging, Avatar Resolution still waited patiently, as he had done for what has been anywhere between never and forever. It was just nice seeing real people again as they all came towards him. “I welcome you all again brave warriors” he declared politely. “I have waited so long for someone to return the Key to this domain, but I will admit I did not expect such a battle to occur” AR remarked, only for his torso to rotate around, the other side resting his hand on his chin ponderously. “Or perhaps I should be more surprised that it did not happen sooner?” Rotating back again, the Avatar disregarded this. “But regardless, I am glad to welcome you all to the Door of Origin, which you can see behind me. And, I am certain that you no doubt have many, many questions for me as to what happens next. So please, speak your woes to me, and I will do my best to administer a suitable answer for your inquiries.” MachGaogamon stepped forward. If anyone could know if Arthur and Eria could be saved, he was sure this Avatar would have the answer. “Countless people have fallen throughout this war. Entire universes are gone, all because of Isamy, Protheus, and even Arturia. With the Door’s power, is it possible to bring them all back? Not just the people we have lost, or the worlds we knew. All the universes that have been and could ever be, even those that we may never know about. They all deserve another chance.” “YEOWCH!!!” Alister shrieked as the duct tape was ripped off of his mouth as quickly as it had been slapped on. Hurriedly checking to see if his facial hair and fur had been messed up by the act, the elder Lombax sighed in relief before adding on to Machgaogamon’s enquiry: “And will that include the alternate timelines of those universes, as well? Will they be salvaged and restored, or are they.... doomed to fade into cessation?” he added, clutching the pocket watch tightly as he spoke. The Avatar was silent for a moment, before rotating about, the other torso clasping its hands together in what would be called “a diplomatic fashion”. “All of the universes that were destroyed as a consequence of this “Origin War” can indeed be restored by the Door of Origin. Alternate timelines, if it is their destiny to persevere, can likewise be restored. And those who perished as a consequence of this war too can be restored. However, all fates will depend entirely upon the Choice that must be made” it explained, rotating back around to its jovial, upright-hand position. MachGaogamon nodded, mostly satisfied with that answer. “Very well. What is this choice?” Alister, however, felt more uneasy after the Avatar’s explanation--there were, after all, several thousand individuals (many of whom he had yet to personally interact with, even) residing in his pocket watch / Soul Room, all of whom ended up in there due to either having a terrible fate befall them, or just being in the wrong situation at the wrong time. Even if all of them could be restored, there was still the matter of their respective timelines existing; if all of them could be restored--especially the timelines connected to Alister’s dimension--what effect would it have on the Great Clock? “Alister, do cease your panicking, please,” Orvus’s voice politely echoed in Alister’s head. “Alpha and I have also realized this, and we’re currently all convening with the Altisters and Souls to discuss what may happen.” “And? Have you come up with anything yet?” Alister mentally pressed. “... well, yes,” Orvus replied slowly. “Or, rather, the Altisters came to a decision on their own.” “Which is…?” “The Souls trapped in the Watch will be able to return to their respective worlds, that much we can guarantee... but….” Orvus paused to sigh ruefully before continuing, “I am not sure how much you’re going to like this, but… most of them are willing to let their timelines be removed, and thus the existence of their respective Alister Azimuth. Our hope is to allow roughly seven additional alternative paths to remain, something that the Great Clock is perfectly capable of managing with little additional strain, but… … I know how much you had hoped they could all be freed--” “--yet I had figured as much,” Alister admitted sadly. “... are they also deciding--?” “--which of their timelines should remain? Yes,” Orvus replied. “Zayon’s is one of the obvious choices, as his Alister does have a life and family past the Origin War. And then there is--” “--please, tell me later,” Alister insisted as he returned his attention to the Avatar before him. “It is quite simple” the Avatar responded, its empty eyes almost feeling as it was regarding everyone carefully. “The Choice is thus: Who will use the Key of Origin? And by doing so, who will be the one to pay the price?” And then its body shifted slightly, so that stared intently at Alister. “I understand you know something about that matter, General Alister Azimuth; as do the occupants of your Pocket Watch. Do give my regards to Alpha, as I never had the chance to meet him before DATEA ended.” Turning more, it then regarded MachGaogamon. “I understand the concerns you must have for Eria and Arthur. Their current position right now is less-than-desirable, given where they are. And why it would be tempting to use the Key to reclaim them.” “So only one of us may use the Key?” MachGaogamon asked. He looked around all who had gathered here. He couldn’t hear the people Alister talked to, but he gathered that he was at least taking the question into consideration. Sora, Kairi, and Gagagigo stood close to him, but none of them were stepping up to be one to use the Key. He certainly would not trust those few who had remained with the Divine to the very end, but if anyone were to use the Key, he wanted to be sure that it would be someone who could save as many people as possible. Would he be so concerned with getting Arthur and Eria back that, if he were to use the Key, he would make a mistake and overlook too many of the infinite unknowns? Possibly. Or perhaps he was just overthinking this. “You said that those who perished in this war can be restored. If that can include Arthur and Eria, then… that should be enough. What is the price of using the Key?” “I will explain, in due time MachGaogamon. However, I believe some of your allies would like to have their inquiries answered as well, before the Price of using the Key of Origin is explained” the Avatar responded. “Alright, here’s a question,” Bayonetta chimed in: “Where will everyone end up if-and-when the Multiverse gets restored to its proper state? Because I distinctly recall being trapped in a Goddess’s left eye before Isamy made me her impromptu guest.” “And I do recall Marcus Fenix saying that Dom Santiago was about to sacrifice himself to save the rest of his teammates before Isamy swept him away,” Gabriel added, a tinge of sad realization in his voice. “Does that mean once the COGs’ world is restored, they’ll be put back at that moment when Dom sacrifices himself? Will the decision to sacrifice one’s self still need to be made?” The Avatar rotated thoughtfully. “That will depend on who uses the Key. Things can be changed, if the wielder has the stomach for it. Further details will be provided soon, as the full extent of those answers are tied with knowing the Price” it expounded. “... alright, I’ll bite,” Ratchet blurted out agitatedly, concerned about what the “Price” that the Avatar kept bringing up could mean yet already having a decent idea of what it was: “What is this “Price” you keep bringing up? What’s gonna happen to the one that uses the Door?” Avatar Resolution made a calm breathing noise. “The price in question is thus: If one of you were to use the Key of Origin to interface with the Door of Origin, you will gain the power to change reality as you know it. However, with it comes infinite knowledge. And when I say infinite, I truly mean infinite. You will know every single truth in existence, which includes things you’d rather not know about, such as the truth of existence itself. In essence, one could call it the death of personality as you will know all that there is to know, and you will never be able to go back from knowing all. Some would find that too steep a cost, even with the power to shape our omniverse with effortless ease” it explained to no doubt awed faces. “However, the decision is not of one option, but two. If you all feel that losing your own identity for the sake of the omniverse too much, there is a second option available: Myself. My creator, knowing that it was possible that no one in DATEA could agree on who could be trusted to use Key of Origin, granted me the capacity to use it as well. If you so wish, I will repair the extensive damage caused by Isamy Maximus’ quest, and you will all be able to live your lives in the peace of not knowing everything existence has to offer. But again, there is a price for this” Avatar Resolution announced. “By allowing me to be your proxy, I will do only what needs to be done in order to repair the damage, for I must return the omniverse back to the order it had before this war. What this means is is that every single individual here, and those who perished as well, will go back to your prior states before this war even began. All knowledge you have acquired, all powers you have gained or fostered, all friendships you have made, and all relationships born by this conflict... will be erased!” “What?!” Red cried out in disbelief, a claw grasping Alister’s shoulder. “Do you simply expect us to simply throw what we have gained away?!” “If I am to be the arbiter who will repair existence, then yes Elder Red, I will expect you to accept my resolution. I was chosen to provide the most straightforward and effective usage of the Door of Origin. And thus I have decided that reversion to be that usage. That way, all knowledge of Origin, its Door, and its Key, will be forever lost to the ether. The only ones who will ever know will be Isamy Maximus, and Protheus Maximus masquerading as Viligance. But their quest will be fruitless as I will ensure to prevent another war by erasing all DATEA left behind. There will be no Desert Seth, no Sphere Forest of the Periphery, no Orb imprisoning The One Master, no Key, no Pathways, no Hallway, no Door in this changed world. You will all live your lives as you did before Isamy Maximus and her ilk interfered with them; and all who perished too will have no recollections of their untimely deaths. Everything you have gained and learned will be gone, but your worlds, and all lost worlds, will return and continue as if nothing had happened. Such is the cost and the reward of choosing me to use the Key of Origin. This is why the decision must be made carefully, as it now falls to you, the Champions of Origin: Will one of you sacrifice yourself to infinite knowledge so that your fellows can continue? Or will you throw away every victory you have made it getting to this place, so that you may continue in the blissful ignorance you lived before this war? Choose wisely one and all!”

I'd operate on the two type advantage trinities (Fire, Grass, Water)(Psychic, Dark, Fighting) as dual-types. So pokemon like Shiftry, Starmie, and so on.

I'd probably be the dude who sells you a Magikarp.

Testing, testing, one two three. SOS can you hear me? Yes? Goooooood- Wait what? Ugh, this is so tedious. You go through ALL of the effort to move shit along cause stuff ain't happening and the GM is gonezo. And then when you make the effort suddenly after a year everyone has time and energy to do stuff and make things end satisfyingly. Why do I even bother sometimes? Oh yeah don't mind me everyone, just some omnipowerful, omnipresent being with clearly nothing better to do but move your plot along. Not like someone wasn't working their ass off to make an indolent GM with no time at all to move their ass, until somehow they magically do. See why I wanna wreck everything? Christ you people deserve the carnage I have done, am doing, and will be doing. Look, so Isamy's gone, and we didn't get what we wanted. Anyways, this shit is rolling right along now. It was truly, finally Isamy's end. Everything she had hoped, everything she had dreamed... they were all for naught as the laast IZANAMI faded away. The Omni that had damaged countless universes was gone, and lost in the midst of combat was the Key. And then, everything went all wibbly wobbly in a seizure-inducing sort of way. Lights swirling like you were on a tilt-a-whirl, and it felt like the Hall of Origin was about to implode upon itself. And then, everyone was back in a white space that was almost reminiscent of a field, with faded grey lines just barely making out the curves of hills and grasses. And in the center of it all was some faded lines that seemed to shaped itself into an incredibly large door. The Door of Origin. It was all quite shambolic, and all too serene. There wasn't any sound here, save for what the combined Counter Corps and Divine made. And then, a voice cried out "REJOICE!" Forming before the Door was a beautiful white marble statue, depicting some kind of angelic being. It was of six feet in height, not including the base, and for some reason a line formed around the torso section. This cut was noticeable on its bent, upward-facing arms, as it bisected through the bicep and the forearm. Small wings wrapped around from waist, and it bore a flat, featureless face. And, yet, in spite of its nature, the statue seemed incredibly alive. "Rejoice!" it declared excitedly, two glowing eyes forming on its face. "Rejoice and... oh" it said in surprise. The upper body of the statue suddenly rotated, revealing another torso coming from the other side, this one having a hand to its chin, with the other hand still raised. "Well, there are quite a few more of you than I expected," it admitted, before immediately rotating around to the other torso, whose hands were now clasped, "but nonetheless welcome one and all to the Hall of Origin! I am Avatar Resolution! Successor to DATEA; Herald of Origin; and Steward of the Door of Origin. And it is my greatest honour to meet with the Champions of the Multiverse!" Avatar Resolution announced in jubilant tones.

~ The Spirit Puppet, Or Rather Her Love And Resuscitation ~ “ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN ON IZANAMI… CALLING HER A COWARD, SPEAKING OF THE NEXT OMNI, THINKING YOU CAN SIMPLY DEFEAT HER… SIMPLY DEFEAT HER? SIMPLY DEFEAT HER? UNACCEPTABLE.” In the face of the declaration of the winged Witch of Endings, ULTIMATUM, the Omnibound Immortal Lust IZANAMI was irritated, to say the least. Any moment now, her opponent would strike, and the sheer amount of factors accompanying this enemy were dangerous. And yet…the Final Boss did not falter. The Final Boss would not falter. “THIS IZANAMI WILL DEEPLY ENJOY THE LOOKS ON YOUR FACES⸺WHEN YOU FINALLY ACCEPT HER DREAMS AND HER LOVE!!!” The point of no return had long since been crossed. Having given up on logic, it really couldn’t be said whether or not this entity could even be considered Isamy Maximus anymore. Meanwhile, nearby, the boss herself could very vaguely sense someone else interfering with their shared connection to Void Inclusion. While the other aspects may be arrogant enough to presume this would mean nothing to them, to her, in this desperate situation, this may very well mean that if she was going to perform one last Void Inclusion, now would be the perfect, if not the only time to do so. And thus, she needed power. The power to counter the Witch of Endings, the power to oppose her once and for all. That was why, just as ULTIMATUM planned their next and final strike, they invoked the words. Words from which there would certainly be no turning back. “VOID INCLUSION:" If it was a Witch who opposed her, then it was a Witch she would become! One stronger than LERNA, one stronger than her current opponent, the very strongest Witch in the world! That was what she needed, above all else…! "K҉RÌEMH͠ILD GR̛E̴TC͜HEN̡" It was the final successful Void Inclusion of the battlefield. Whether or not her opponent understood its meaning, IZANAMI invoked the true name of the embodiment of salvation itself, and the most powerful Witch of them all. A creature consumed in their desire for peace and their relentless drive to bring others into their own personal heaven. A creature possessing such power that they ended the very world they resided in within a mere ten days. The very fact that this was possible at all was only because a member of the Counter Corps, Aesir, had introduced her Grief Seed into this very Origin War. And now, as a result of that ill-advised decision, it would all reach its peak here, as if this were exactly the reason why it ever happened in the first place... A pink lighting strike rushed from the skies of the Origin Cosmos, and struck IZANAMI, causing a burst of darkness to race across the entirety of their platform. The final Void Inclusion had completed. And just like that, only moments later, what now faced her two opponents was⸺ ~ MAGIA ~ Pure darkness, all connecting together into a singular, supermassive entity. The newly-formed existence of the W͟i̛tch ơf̵ ̴S͜alv̵a̛t̶i͢o̕n, the ultimate symbol of what happens when the greatest magical girl falls to despair. Scrambled, incomprehensible thoughts of kindness and pain, and a pure drive to bring all of existence into her heavenly realm, seemed all that consumed it. As the embodiment of Isamy’s lust, that utter insanity was the kind of existence this Omnibound Immortal had let herself become, embraced for the sole purpose of victory. “⸺⸺⸺” It didn’t move, nor did it seem capable of movement. It didn’t speak, nor did it seem capable of speech. It didn’t even attack. Instead, the very instant the Witch of Salvation manifested, both ULTIMATUM and Hapshiel simply felt an inexplicable pressure upon themselves. As if an immense vacuum was sucking them towards its body, or as if space itself was distorting to force them to enter its Witch Barrier, whatever that may be⸺ ULTIMATUM grit her teeth and dug in her heels, to avoid the drag of Kriemhild Gretchen’s Barrier. It was unlike anything she had ever felt, and in spite of her prior confidence… she was afraid. She couldn’t even begin to process the unholy nature of the Witch before her. She was even forced to bring Hapshiel back to physicality, just to prevent the light particles being pulled in. “Oh myyyyyy. I haven’t felt suction like this in so loooong” the angel moaned. “Not appropriate right now Hapshiel” ULTIMATUM grunted, driving her staff into the ground to hang onto. This was possibly bad. It was hard to tell. Really she should have no knowledge of this Witch, and yet, as if by ULTIMATUM’s own nature, she knew precisely what this Witch was. Greater than Homulily. Greater than Walpurgisnacht. The Witch to end all Witches. It was here, and if they didn’t do anything, they were going to be dragged into her Barrier. Granted, how would that even work. “Then what do we doooo?” Hapshiel drawled as he planted his feet into the ground. “We push her back! She’s not invincible, and she can still be beaten!” Drawing upon the scars in the air that divided this world from her own barrier, Despair Water blasted out, crashing down on IZANAMI’s own expanding barrier. It seemed to force some kind of stalemate for the moment, as the suction died down as Salvation and Despair battled. And then from the base of IZANAMI water of her own began to flow, driving back at the Despair Water. “Impossible” ULTIMATUM uttered in disbelief. Whatever the substance was, it wasn’t just pushing back the Despair Water, but destroying it outright. Could this be some kind of Witch/Despair destroying creation? Of course, in hindsight it would be. She was the Witch of Salvation. To save all, from despair. “NOOOOO!!” Swirls of electricity arced around the Despair Water, the columns riddled with charge that ran through it into IZANAMI’s own stream and through her roots, tearing apart the torrents and electrifying the Witch Inclusion. “What… was that?” The Witch of Endings uttered, staring up her own barrier. “AH⸺͠⸺̶̷͡!̴̛!͏!̛!̛!͜͢” But that was for later as the Witch of Salvation screamed irritably, at a loud, ground-shaking intensity and pitch higher than any human could possibly muster, just as streams of fire erupted out of her. Drawing her staff, ULTIMATUM was ready to take on the technicolour flames, only for something to catch her eye. A shooting ball of fire erupted from her barrier, widening the tear while it itself spun across the air. Conflicting with the Flames of Salvation, it spun around, drawing them into itself and dissipating them in a hail of ashes. They fluttered through the air, guided by the flaming ball that landed by the Witch and the Angel, revealing itself to be a horse-sized fox with three burning tails. The air writhed around its hot body, and Hapshiel was certainly feeling all steamy around it. “Mistress. I am glad to have made it in time” it explained. Lydia, however, was utterly perplexed by this. “Fire Fox?” she blurted out. “Not just I!” Falling from the barrier came an a enormous, armour-plated polar bear, a dolphin riding on a small wave, a large purple hedgehog with lightning arching across its needle-like quills, a rhino with stones growing from its armour, a hawk with feathers floating along its wind, an owl of purest white, and a black with eyes darker than midnight. “You’re all the Dizasters. But… how? You all became Avalon!” “We are not they” Storm Hawk answered. “But in our own right we are” Shade Bat explained. “We were born from you and your barrier” Aquos Dolphin finally explained. “We exist to protect you as your Familiars” Terras Rhino informed Lydia. “We will fight with you for the Multiverse!” Volt Hedgehog vowed. “And we will crush IZANAMI!” Blizzard Bear roared. Lydia turned her head to Shine Owl, who had taken a perch upon Terras’ back. “Hmmm? Oh, they put it succinctly enough I feel” it said with a shrug. “I…” Lydia stammered, her very human emotions returning to her. “Please do not get emotional right now” another familiar voice drawled. Gently cantering down from the barrier on a root growing out of it was a centaur whose human half was very, unpleasantly familiar. “Madara” Lydia sighed. “Don’t be so surprised. All of us who helped make up ULTIMATUM still live on within you, both as our collected souls, but now as your Familiars. While I do not consider it so appealing, it is what it is” the literal ninja centaur sighed as he placed his arms behind his back. “So is she-” “Yes. She is there too. But she will not come unless beckoned” Madara cut in. “Then I will leave her be, for now” ULTIMATUM decided. “Mistress, please remember you do not have to act like only you can do this. We are here with you as well” Fire Fox pointed out. “I… yes, now with you guys here, I think we can all take her down” Lydia nodded. Drawing her staff, the Witch of Endings- No, that wasn’t right now, was it? She wasn’t ULTIMATUM. It wasn’t about ending things. This… was about hope. It was about ensuring Isamy could no longer bring harm to anyone else. No more worlds damaged. No more people cast to void. Standing tall, she turned to Madara. “I’m guessing you can still do the sword thing, right?” “Unfortunately yes. You still carry that memory with you, so it is within my repertoire now.” “Then do the thing. Meanwhile… LEEEERRRRRNNNNNAAAAAAA!” The hole of the barrier widened, water spilling out of it as an enormous hydra head pushed its way out. And six more holes formed, allowing her other heads to push their way through. They stared at their Witch, awaiting orders. “Push IZANAMI back. I need time” Lydia commanded. LERNA’s main head unleashed a guttural snarl, but nonetheless it obeyed as it drew energy from the barrier, converging it all in her maw. A seven-way blast erupted from her jaws, striking at IZANAMI’s barrier and keeping it at bay, even as the Witch itself tried to fight it back. And with IZANAMI held back, Lydia raised her hand, and Madara, begrudgingly, became an ornate gold and platinum blade. Holding it with both hands, the force of her own powers erupted, drawing on the eight elements. Each Dizaster bowed, their forms fading away as they became raw, elemental energy. Joining with the blade element by element, the blade enlarged, its colours flickering between each added element, until Shade Bat joined as the last member. The rising energy exploded into an enormous blade of pure, golden light. Even LERNA was surprised by it, stopping her assault as a familiar presence was felt within the glowing aura. “AV! A! LON!” A dragon’s roar shook the dimension as the blade was swung, the swung energy resembling an enormous dragon’s head as it ripped through the darkness, and any sense of false salvation. “AH⸺⸺⸺?” This was true hope. And it cleaved through Kriemhild Gretchen’s barrier, and the witch itself, splitting it completely in two. Unable to process what was happening, unable to question what was happening, unable to comprehend the concept that it had even been defeated, all its form could perform was a slight, ironic smile where its face should have been. With that, the Omnibound Immortal’s prolonged existence ultimately proceeded to burst into a vast, brilliant explosion of rainbow light. Flooding the whole battlefield, blinding the warriors, taking over everything in the vicinity. … … … … Eventually, the light faded. There was no longer any sign, or trace, or hint of the presence that had cursed the multiverse for so long. And that was that. LUST IZANAMI… had been defeated at last. . . . . . And yet… Somehow, something else was there. Where LUST IZANAMI once was, another entity stood. An entity who surveyed the platform, and the Origin Cosmos, with a hint of curiosity, before turning to the victors of the battle. To the collection of the victorious, to Lydia and Hapshiel, and all the others. “Wow. You sure did a number on her, huh?” She remarked lightly, giving off a gentle smile. In the distance, one by one, similar bursts of rainbow light could be seen occurring on the other platforms. It looked like the battle was coming to a conclusion at long last. “Yeah… We shouldn’t have so much to worry about now.” ~ Sagitta Luminis ~ “Please don’t mind me. I’m only passing by.” A mysterious pink-haired girl, whom they’d never met before, addressed them as she moved to tie her hair back. Even though there was a sense that this being contained power, and in some strange manner even seemed to resemble the aura of the sinister Witch of Salvation they’d just faced, she radiated no malice. On the other hand, Hapshiel might’ve been able to discern that she was a goddess of some kind, surrounded by divine energy. Whatever the case, there seemed to be no immediate reason for her existence. In the meantime, she simply knelt to the floor of the platform and picked up Kriemhild Gretchen’s Grief Seed. Then, upon pocketing it, she turned back to the rest. First at LERNA, the Witch of Infinite Possibilities. “Hi, Galina.” ⸺and then at Lydia Armstrong. “And hi, Lydia. I followed my other self here, but truthfully, there was no real reason I needed to stop by… I guess you could call it curiousity. I just wanted to see what you were once like, with my own two eyes. Sorry!” The girl simply offered her apology, apparently making no sense as she addressed the Warrior of Origin. “Okay?” Lydia remarked. “How cold. Good to know we’re on a great start.” At that, the pinkette just pouted. “Well, just thought I’d stop by to say… Good luck.” Then, she started to smile again, keeping her hands by her side. Her form glowed against the cosmos of the origin, like something out of place, an anomaly that did not belong here, only made possible by way of a miracle. There was something about the way energy wrapped around her aura that suggested a motherly, or perhaps even sisterly warmth. “Once this is over, there won’t be any turning back for you.” The ethereal being spoke lightly. “The decision you’ve made, the decision you plan to make, it won’t be one you can ever reverse. You’ve got a long road ahead, and so much to do, and so much of it will be painful. It’ll be more painful than you know. But...you’re prepared, aren’t you? You know exactly what to do, don’t you?” And for some reason... “As long as you hold onto hope, everything’s gonna work out just fine...” Even if it wasn’t in Lydia’s own memories, she could almost feel like she should recognise this individual. “You and I will be friends someday. But for now, just for now, I won’t overstay my welcome.” “Take care, okay... Lydia?” Then, with a nod and an unusually enthusiastic thumbs up, the mysterious goddess herself disappeared into an array of light. And as the light faded, Lydia held out a hand to catch one single particle of it, before it too faded from her hands. “What an unusual being” Hapshiel mused. “Yeah, she was” Lydia said in agreement. “Thanks for the pep talk… Madoka. I know what comes next, and believe me, I’m ready for it.”

Testing, testing, one two three. SOS can you hear me? Yes? Goooooood. Well howdy folks, how y'all doing right now? Me? Well I'm doing just peachy ha ha. I hope you don't mind me ever so impolitely hijacking the airwaves, but there's been an elephant in the room for quite a while now, and frankly, it's really starting to smell. This little charade as it were has gone on for far too long, and like things that go on for far too long, Fox naturally extends it out for another ten seasons BAZINGA! All jokes aside, this was never going to end how we wanted it to. Believe me I'm just as disappointed as everyone else is. I mean, could you imagine how epic this fight was supposed to be? Everyone cracking out their best attacks, Isamy fighting back with everything she's got only to be so thoroughly obliterated. It'd be enough to even make me shed a tear. I mean, if I could I would, but I digress. Now, I'm not one for interference, though I have been interfering quite a bit, and for longer than you know. But they were all in earnest I assure you. Please officer release me I'm innocent! Anyways, this will be the last time, I promise you that. With permission I have been granted the opportunity to move time forward, to after the greatest battle in the entire GCRP to the moment afterwards. I just hope we aren't all too tired from this tiresome wait, but it'll be worth it to finally stick a fork in this turkey. Now then boys and girls, are you ready to do the Time Warp? After all, it starts... with a jump to the left! It was truly epic as Isamy fell. Everything she had hoped, everything she had dreamed... they were all for naught as she faded away. The Omni that had damaged countless universes was gone, and flying from her ashes were two shooting stars. And then, everything went all wibbly wobbly in a seizure sort of way. Lights swirling like you were on a tilt-a-whirl, and it felt like the Hall of Origin was about to implode upon itself. And then, everyone was back in a white space that was almost reminiscent of a field, with faded grey lines just barely making out the curves of hills and grasses. And in the center of it all was the Key of Origin, the black card seemingly split in twain as they hovered above the ground. And behind it, with the same faded lines was an incredibly large door. The Door of Origin. Anyone now could possibly take the pieces and the door for themselves if they wanted too. If not for a voice shouting "REJOICE!" Forming between the Key pieces and the Door was a beautiful white marble statue, depicting some kind of angelic being. It was of six feet in height, not including the base, and for some reason a line formed around the torso section. This cut was noticeable on its bent, upward-facing arms, as it bisected through the bicep and the forearm. Small wings wrapped around from waist, and it bore a flat, featureless face. And, yet, in spite of its nature, the statue seemed incredibly alive. "Rejoice!" it declared excitedly, two glowing eyes forming on its face. "Rejoice and... oh" it said in surprise. The upper body of the statue suddenly rotated, revealing another torso coming from the other side, this one having a hand to its chin, with the other hand still raised. "Well, there are quite a few more of you than I expected," it admitted, before immediately rotating around to the other torso, "but nonetheless welcome one and all to the Hall of Origin! I am Avatar Resolution, Steward of the Door of Origin. And it is my greatest honour to meet with the Champions of the Multiverse!" Avatar Resolution explained in jubilant tones. (Feel free to explain whatever eleventh hour power-ups you would have acquired in the boss battle in parenthesis or otherwise.)

It was 2000 years ago to this day. 2000 years ago when the fate of Humanity was turned from its path. In ancient times, the fledgling race known as humans lived side-by-side with Monster Spirits. Creatures from another realm that crossed the bridge formed by Humanity's natural spiritual connection. A mutual friendship was built between the two, and the Earth was protected by five shamans, and five incredibly powerful dragons that had partnered with them. Their fate was to bridge the two worlds, but then, They came. Called the Zeitghast, they were an alien species from the ruined planet Zaes, seeking a new home. Humanity offered little resistance, but the Five Dragons were the greatest threat they had ever known. But they were prepared. For with their fleet they brought the EX.Machina, five titanic bio-mechanical mechas. The Five Dragons and the EX.Machina fought, but while the dragons lost strength from constant battles, the EX.Machina never tired, thanks to their Infinitude Batteries. It was inevitable that the dragons would lose, and their shaman allies perished. In shame they fled to the Spirit World, and went into hiding for fear of the Zeitghast finding them. But to be certain, they shattered the only direct link between both worlds, cutting Humanity off from the Spirit World. With no defenders left, they surrendered, to the Zeitghast. It is now the 2000th year since the Zeitghast won, and the future between both races is... tepid, at best. The Zeitghast had to drag humanity into their future, and after much time, the humans learned. They learned maths. They learned science. They learned the language of the Zeitghast. And they learned who was the dominant force on this planet. Humans and Zeitghast live collectively in their cities, wiling away their days. With it being excruciatingly difficult for humans to enter high-ranking positions, their capacity for art has flourished. They invented their music, their songs, their dance. They crafted art, and sculpture, and clog dancing. Humanity, without need of running their more important aspects of their lives, live for self-satisfaction and enjoyment. To aid in this, the Zeitghast analysed data collected via their Hyperspace Technology to draw information from the Spirit World. And in doing so, they created a card game to keep the humans entertained. In the Zeitghast's language they called it Card Battles, but the slang names of "Yugioh" and "Dueling" were picked up instead. Great battles were waged with solid vision technology, and, quite interestingly, many of the Zeitghast even picked up the game it was that surprisingly enjoyable. And through this game, Duel Spirits managed to return to the world. And thanks to their former ties from long ago, every human player would possess at least 1 Duel Spirit that had bonded with its matching card. But, much to the dismay of the spirits, humanity had lost the language the Spirits spoke, and their spiritual ties were greatly weakened by their dependence on technology. The voices of the spirits were often described as Illusory Noise Syndrome, and was endemic to most humans. The voices were left ignored, and life went on. But with this reunion, five angry spirits stirred in the Spirit World. The Five Dragons, still hidden away in unsuspecting forms, had to bear 2000 years of rage and hatred. And now, with this card game granting them a link back to Earth, it was time to find five new shamans. It was time, for their revenge. Database

"By some miracle, yeah." That sounded like Conner. Well, how marvelous was that? "We're outside the school now. Some guy named Omnimon Alter-S saved our butts, and is leading us to California. Apparently, all our families have been taken there, and it's a safe place." "Oh, ho-how grand" Theodore Oswald Dreifus Shaw croaked as he managed to tilt his head up. The town was, well, it had seen better days. He would probably have to ask about that. Turning his head slowly, he became vaguely aware that people were talking. And that Mackenzie was meant to keep an eye on him. "I shall wait here too." Who was that? Following slowly, the thespian became aware of an ungodly big silver knight creature with heads for hands sitting on the steps nearby. That, apparently, must be Omnimon. "Well good," he thought to himself, "at least it helps to know we had a hand in beating Machinedramon, and that we all seemed to come out unscathed. Relatively speaking, anyways." "Ahh, while I don't wish to bother anyone, I think I'm in quite a lot of pain right now" he announced to anyone who would care. "Not terrifically, but I'm not certain I can actually walk yet. I'm going to try and move my arms, just to get them working again" Theodore Oswald Dreifus Shaw added as his whole torso trembled as he lifted his arms up. "Oh good, I can. Ha ha. So uhh, perhaps I could be filled in on what happened while I was out?"

HAPSHIEL / LYDIA vs LUST IZANAMI Origin Cosmos [Final Battle]

It was a trade-off. It gets banned so PK Launch can come back. You can only have one or the other since having both means you can use Launch to Rank-Up a DARK monster into Azathot during your opponent's turn, and thus locking your opponent out of monster effects per Azathot's effect. That's why PK Launch was banned in the first place, since it is a very searchable spell and Konami knee-jerks so hard they hit their chin. Incidentally, it would be fabulous if Konami banned the toxic as hell Utopic Zero so Argent Chaos Force can come back. (ACF was banned because the deck would dump it into the grave, then summon Utopia the Lightning to trigger UFC's grave recall to make Utopic Zero. So instead of hittin UZ, they hit ACF because knee jerk reaction.) Also, Brilliant Fusion has had this coming for a very long time.

~~Verdant Knowleadge~~ Such whimsy we weave when it is thyself you deceive. Oh what knowledge we crave when we allow in the depraved. Something something something Dark Side etc. This was an interesting dream, proposing of course it is a dream. Theodore Oswald Dreifus Shaw wasn't too sure of himself. It also made him wonder if he was quite possibly dead, having perhaps used up all his life damaging that mechanical dinosaur. He hoped not, for he had so much more hamming to do, which is why he did hope this was a dream and not death. Because being alone in a large, obscenely dark library was not something he figured his afterlife would be like. Literally, Theodore Oswald Dreifus found a halo of light around him, and then utter darkness. How he knew it was a library was predicated on the number of books around him. That is the typical first clue that you are in a library and not like... a bait shop. They're not known for their books. In any case, as he waltzed the floor, the light moved with him; his eternal spotlight. And reaching out, he took one book and flipped open to a random page, upon which was random runes that he just intrinsically seemed to know. It was a list of cake recipes. Unusual for a library. Tossing it aside, Theodore Oswald Dreifus found himself another book, and casually flipped through pages until he came across something... interesting. In spite of never having seen these before, he just... knew what they were. They were the Ten Spirits, or at least their symbols, anyways. Fire, Light, Ice, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water, Wood, Steel, and Darkness. All ten, divided into pairs. Twenty spirits. He had one, and Conner had another. Two, or twenty. One tenth of the total. They were necessary... but why? Theodore Oswald Dreifus furrowed his brow. Why were they necessary. BEGONE! A giant eye flashed before him; completely circular, metallic, with a red iris and Vantablack black pupil. ---------------- Theodore Oswald Dreifus Shaw woke up, and he hurt... a lot. He ached all over, and he was pretty sure that his bones may have been replaced by jelly. Would explain why instead of getting up he was staring down at his groin. "Ahh, hello?" he croaked. "Did... did we win?"

They made the MPB a Link-3 because the archtype can fart out so many tokens they could have had it be a Link-4 and not be a problem for them.

Remind me here: Doesn't this card relate in some way to the Hakai archtype we got a while back?