Merci

Epiloguous

"The question is: How hard will it be to finally end her delusions of grandeur?"

At Lydia’s question, the sun goddess Itsu merely exchanged a solemn look with her before walking onwards. Indeed, whether it was through words or through brute force, there wasn’t going to be an easy pathway to victory.

"No one is truly immortal." Kratos remarked, in the aftermath of a bloody victory. Although it wasn't her business to be involved, she used some of her energy to open a hole right beneath Kenpachi's cleaved corpse - the shinigami's body fell within, presumably never to be seen again, tidying the mess of that grim tragedy.

Over the course of the past thirty minutes, the various warriors had made their decisions within this dreamlike, rainbow space in preparation. Some, like Hapshiel, had embraced the Power of the Past. Some, like Butler and Eria, had embraced the Power of the Future still. Others still, like Lydia, had opted to forge their own path onwards. Whatever the case may be, there was little doubt that they were now stronger, both physically and mentally, and prepared to take on their last challenge. In addition to the upgrades, they’d been given the opportunity to resolve any remaining feelings, to reflect on any lingering mysteries, and to speak their last farewells. After all, another chance may never come again for them, or anyone else.

Afterwards, the remaining survivors of the Origin War - Counter Corps and Divine alike - watched Itsu as she made her way over to the center of Epiloguous. Each and every one of them now ready for the endgame.

“Hello, everyone! It's your friendly neighborhood Sun Goddess here. Mind if I have all your attention one last time?” Itsu announced brightly, piercing the situation's tenseness with a booming, enthusiastic voice. “So… It looks like this is the final battle. Judging by those looks, I’m willing to bet you’re all ready. Or at least, as ready as you can be. I’m no Counter Guardian, but let’s do one last briefing." 

The goddess float upwards, moving higher above the rest of the warriors, until everyone was able to see her.

"Now that Isamy has been restored to her prime state, winning will take everything we have. We’re talking about an overpowered lich with a saviour complex here. The result of two little girls encouraging and enabling each others’ behaviour. By now, you’ve all seen how far her obsession goes. Here’s the rundown on what she’s capable of.”

A golden aura was radiating, or rather, leaking out from her body. For some reason, the level of power she had seemed to be dwindling with each passing second.

“Isamy Maximus is an Omni, an immortal being with a soul frozen in time. She will have access to Shadow Magic and Psychic Powers, particularly her power of ‘empathy’, letting her read others’ emotions like an open book. Isamy also has Time Sense, giving her what may be described best as a heightened sense of time.” Itsu explained, summarizing as best as she could. “Most importantly, her newest and most dangerous power appears to be called ‘Void Inclusion’. I’m sure you’ve all had the misfortune of experiencing this. While I don’t fully understand it, Void Inclusion seems to involve tapping into the Key of Origin to overlay others’ existences over her own, granting her their powers and associated possessions. As long as she’s aware of them… anyone who ever fought and died in the Origin War seems to be fair game. Under certain circumstances, just like it was with Dorian, even different versions of the same being may be Included. But stay strong! These Void Inclusions are temporary, and she will only be able to use them so many times. Act according to your knowledge and instincts.”

Even if any of it was flying over their heads, even if they wanted to jot down notes, they were racing against time now. There wasn’t enough time left to give a history lesson on her various capabilities.

“Remember. Despite Isamy’s immortality and arsenal of abilities, winning is not impossible... As a matter of fact, two methods of victory exist.”

With a gesture, she summoning twin lights, which proceeded to morph and shape themselves.

“First, if she deems you guys enough of a threat to assume her true form, her soul will physically manifest. Although this grants an insane, nigh-cosmic level of power, this will also leave her soul exposed to all forms of attack, making it possible to end her. This was the first mission of the Counter Corps. Now, you will all have the opportunity to fulfill that mission.”

The first light formed the shape of a teenage girl－one who was promptly overriden, torn to pieces by a mass of swords, bullets, and magical attacks.

"Second, if you’re able to make her give up on her core desire, on her twisted need to give everyone else happily ever afters, her Omni Principle will collapse altogether. This will revert her back to being a powerless mortal or two, and have the added bonus of preventing another Omni from rising up in the future. I can’t say this will be any easier, only that the possibility is there.”

The second light formed the same shape－but this time, the girl collapsed to the ground and started to weep uncontrollably, before disintegrating into dust particles.

“In other words… Destroy Isamy’s soul, or force Isamy to change her way of thinking.”

Both lights proceeded to fuse together, morphing to take on a new shape. The shape of a blank trading card, that is.

“The Key of Origin we need is currently lodged inside her existence. Whether we crack open her soul or convince her to give up, the Key should be released in one piece. Either way, victory will be ours.” Itsu explained further, sparing no detail. Her eyes met with all the gazes of the incredibly stubborn warriors before her. “And then, uh, maybe this is thinking too ahead, but… If you take away the decision from Isamy, don’t expect a higher power to make the decision for you. Assuming you do get that far, just remember: The Key can only be used by a single holder. Hence, if you somehow find yourselves at the Door of Origin, victorious… It’ll be up to you guys right here to determine which warrior you’ll entrust with the fate of the multiverse.”

On that note, the light promptly faded, and Itsu waved her hand about apologetically. “No pressure.”

Indeed. The Key of Origin would be the prize of this battle, and there would be no Counter Guardians or Omnis to make the decision for them. Or rather, even if there were, could they possibly trust such an entity? To the Counter Corps, Arturia Pendragon seemed like she was on their side at first, she seemed trustworthy and seemed to know what she was doing, only for it to turn out that she was just using everyone. Meanwhile, the Divine had long since lost trust in any leaders.

After everything the warriors had gone through and fought for, was there anyone among them who could be trusted to hold the Key? Anyone who wouldn’t go mad with power the instant reality was at their fingertips? Anyone who could carry out their every wish and fix everything? Would there be a clear winner at the end of it all, or would the various warriors come into conflict with one another once they no longer had a common enemy?

But as the goddess stated, perhaps it was thinking too far ahead.

“It’s almost time. In moments, you will be able to return to the Door of Origin. From there, it’ll be up to your powers alone.”

After all, before even considering such a thing, they had a near-impossible battle with the Herald of Chaos and Entropy to take care of. As if to signal this, small tremors continued to spread all across the rainbow space of Epiloguous.

“It may be late to say this, but once I send you off,  I... My life is going to come to an end. Apologies for stalling as much as I have.” Itsu confessed, her smile staying as wide and radiant as ever. Although her shaking hands told a different story. Briefly, she gave Atsuko and Gabriel apologetic glances.  “It’s taking the last of my spiritual energy just to keep existing here, so with this next act, my existence will cease to be. I thought I was ready… Guess I’m not as strong as I thought. This is a surprise. Even with reality at stake, I suppose it’s hard not to get a little nervous about ‘the end’, huh? After all this time, I’m still not prepared. Bet that doesn’t sound very godlike of me. But of course, I’m the only one who can do this, aren’t I? I’ll do what I must. Disappearing in front of a ton of strangers wasn't the way I imagined going, but oh well. Looks like it’s time for me to make the sacrifice play now."

With those words, talking just to keep herself composed at this point, the former goddess could only stare up at the galactic sky with feelings that were difficult to describe. 

"Next time you see Isamy... end her suffering, alright? End... this war...”

The sun goddess’s golden glow was beginning to intensify, until it became clearly apparent that this light was consuming her from the feet upwards. That she was disintegrating.

Soon enough, only her upper torso was left, and as the light advanced, there was a distant, fearful, yet ultimately determined gaze in her eyes, fixated on an improbable dream far, far away.

"Oh, too bad Dami-kun..."

As her eyes vanished and brilliant golden light had finished overtaking the rest of her body, enveloping the remainder of her existence, the Interdimensional Troubleshooter's tone changed as she deliriously murmured her final words,

"I activate my trap card-"

And thus, after millennia of existing, the ancient Itsu Fudo ceased to be.

Her vast, incredible history drew to a close, leaving only a sense that the multiverse had lost yet another great hero as a result of the Origin War.

...

Once the sun goddess had vanished, all that was left was a brimming, fiery vortex in her place, the remnants of her energy having been converted into a gateway back to the Door. It stayed fixed in place, spinning with incredible force, and the warriors knew exactly what lay on the other side; their final enemy, now at full strength.

In Epiloguous, all that was left now was the vortext, and with it, a solemn, silent atmosphere.

This would be the last chance for the Warriors of the Multiverse to reflect on everything that had happened thus far. When thinking back from the moment they first entered the Origin War to this very moment at the end of the Pathway, they'd been unable to shake the feeling that years had passed. Whether it was as early as the Shadow Realm or as late as the Pathways themselves, there was the unmistakable sense that whoever they used to be before entering, those people had long since ceased to be. That they had changed forever.

Was all this the effect of the Pathway to Origin?

Was all this the cost they had to pay just to reach the fabled Door of Origin?

In the beginning, so many hopeful warriors had embarked with them. But in the end, so many died. Too many.

All their homes had been lost to the distortions.

All their innocence had been crushed by a constant series of never-ending losses tragedies, and battles.

And yet...

...here they were.

One by one, the Warriors of the Multiverse entered the vortex.

When they left Epiloguous and drifted across nothingness for what was now the third time, foreign memories seemed to be passing through their minds.

Isamy’s memories, it seemed. Or at least, memories belonging to the two individuals who made her up. It wasn’t something they really needed to pay attention to. Perhaps this would contain the key to victory inside somewhere, somehow. Perhaps this would be a last bout of closure before their almost-certain deaths. Or perhaps this would simply turn out to be a set of meaningless stories. Regardless… let it be known that those stories were indeed told.

Quote

 

~          BLISSFUL DEATH         ~

 

Before she was given the surname Maximus, Amy was merely an orphan.

Once upon a time, that was the only life she understood.

As an unwanted child born to a poor, single mother, ‘home’ was not a word she knew for long. Although faint, she could still somewhat recall being dragged into a car without explanation, and then ultimately dropped off in the middle of nowhere. With no one else to take care of her, the legal authorities brought her over to an orphanage where she found herself amongst children of similar ages. And where she, in her innocence, decided to make friends.

It was during this period that her latent psychic abilities arose, her desires manifesting into an intense form of ‘Empathy’－and suddenly, being close to others transformed into a living hell. Their despair, their loneliness, their frustration, the maelstrom of their emotions amassed inside her head, and in that small orphanage, there was no way to escape them. It wasn’t even like she had the telepathy to figure out why they felt such things. She just felt it all. To experience the combined suffering of thirty-four orphans was a suffocating weight she was simply unable to bear, thirty-four times more than what she would normally feel. It was cyclical, really; she would feel distress, then others would feel distress at the sight of her, and in turn, her own distress would amplify even more. With each passing day, her emotional breakdowns grew more and more frequent.

Eventually, the orphan girl reached her breaking point. If she stayed inside the orphanage, the emotions of the other children would consume her. Yet if she escaped out into the world, the vast array of people there - of endless adults - would shatter her mind altogether. Where would she even go if she did? There was only one logical solution. While the other kids were outside, she snuck into the caregivers’ office in pursuit of a rumoured object, searched the cabinets, and ultimately found it.

That is, a Glock 26 semi-automatic pistol.

At seven years old, with shaking hands, the girl put the gun against her own forehead. If reality was so painful, if there was nowhere to escape, then the only way forward was to end it all.

“...”

But, ultimately, she didn’t fire.

Rather, a thought had occurred to her.

They lost their parents too... Do I really wanna make it worse for them?

It was a sudden sense of sonder. Not like the other kids really cared for her back then, or understood how to help her; in fact, she was considered a crybaby, targeted for her fits of uncontrolled emotions. But what they felt, what kept being shared with her on a consistent basis, was most certainly real. It wasn’t like they wanted to feel that way, or subject her to those same feelings. It was just that no one really understood how to help one another.

Right, that was just the sort of reality this was. A reality of idiots.

After dropping the gun, a caregiver would barge in moments later, confiscate it in a fit of terror, and with that, her one chance at ending herself would be gone. She got in trouble for this dangerous behaviour, of course, and for the rest of her time at the orphanage, the staff made sure to keep an extra close eye on her, accompanying her wherever she went. However, doing so turned out to be unnecessary.

If I’m going to keep on living…

If I really have to use this power…

Then I guess I’ll try to be a superhero around here!

The very next day, she resolved that she would try to power herself through the pain as much as possible. And the only way to do so was to minimize the pain surrounding her; to make the world as much of a happier place as possible.

“What’s wrong?”

“Sure, I can help you!”

“Don’t worry, dude, that's what friends are for!”

Amy proceeded to model herself into a small-scale superhero over the coming years. Others may call it being a 'doormat', but if so, then she would be the greatest doormats of them all. She forced herself to interact with the other orphans. She listened to their problems, made them feel better, did things to make them laugh whenever and wherever possible. Every time someone was depressed, she would track them down and cut the problem at its root. Every time someone was hurt, she would support them like her life was on the line. Although the times where everyone was sad still crippled her mind, conversely, the times where everyone was happy was like an overwhelmingly blissful drug for her. All of this, for the sake of not going mad from the pain… Or perhaps she already had.

Her own feelings, her own desires, her own opinions, these things stopped mattering－whenever she made those around her satisfied and happy, she shared in that satisfaction and happiness as well.

If acting the role of a superhero helped ease the pain,
if her own happiness would just be drowned out by what others felt,
then what was the point in even living for herself?

Even when she was ultimately adopted, the sorcerer who took her in was a man in constant agony. It didn’t matter that her new father gave her the greatest home she could ever want, or that he taught her how to properly use her psychic powers, or that he even showed her all the wonders of the greater multiverse. Because being around him was suffering, she couldn’t enjoy a single inch of it; not unless she dedicated the rest of her life to making him happier. He continued to use her for years, and all she could do was hope for her happiness by proxy.

Finally, when a failed attempt at assistance caused Protheus Maximus to drag her to the Castle of Necrophades, lock her in a certain room, and leave her to starve to death… All she could think was one thing.

I should’ve tried harder to help him. What kind of superhero am I...?

 

---

 

Before she was given the name Isabella Maximus, she was merely a slave.

Once upon a time, that was the only life she understood.

In the midst of a collapsing civil war, the girl who was once royalty was kidnapped from her bed and sold off. When violently torn from her sheltered, privileged upbringing, the child was shell-shocked, thrust into a world of cruelty. Just like that, she was bought by a foreign nobleman, where she found herself powerless and isolated. And where she, with her remaining innocence, had no option but to do the best job she could.

It was during this period that her latent magical powers started to arise. Inherited from Ancient Egyptian ancestry unbeknownst to her, the phenomenon called ‘Ka’ stirred within her heart. Every time she resisted, or refused, or told her masters their command was unreasonable, this display of independence was met with a cruel punishment. Every time the punishment was over and she could finally return to her chambers, she practiced her mystic powers in secret; it seemed she was capable of some sort of monster from her soul. At first it was tiny, puny, feeble, but the more she practiced and cultivated her hatred, the more it seemed to grow. Over the course of the next few years, she tried to serve her masters as diligently and as faithfully as she could, all the while cultivating her mastery over this dark magic.

Eventually, the slave girl reached her breaking point. As long as she remained a slave, she would continue to be treated like trash, she would never have anything to call her own, and she would never have a future. However, if she tried to escape, the soldiers would hunt her down, either selling her back into slavery or killing her outright. Where would she even go if she managed to overpower them? There was no logical solution. At the very least, perhaps she could find some justice in this world of evil.

That is, using the power of her ‘Sin Dracolich’.

At seven years old, with clenched fists, the girl stood in front of her master’s home and summoned her now-massive, monstrous Ka in the middle of the night. If reality was so painful, if there was nowhere to escape, then the only way forward was to end them all.

“...”

But, ultimately, she didn’t do it.

Rather, a thought had occurred to her.

They’re… just trying to be happy too…

It was a sudden sense of sonder. Her masters were an innocent family who otherwise happened to be strict, having three kids among them. It wasn’t like those kids really cared for her, treated her nicely, or showed her concern; in fact, they were far crueler than their parents in some aspects, not even seeing her as human. However, this was just the way they were raised, the way they understood reality to be.

Right, that was just the sort of reality this was. A reality of idiots.

Rather than kill them, she proceeded to deliver justice instead. Her Ka swooped up into the air, waking up her former masters with piercing screams and blasts of energy, and only once when they escaped the building did she set on fire. She would take everything from them, but as long as they lived, they would have the opportunity to rebuild and repent. Such was her compromise.

If I’m going to keep on living…

If I was blessed with power like this…

Then I’ll just have to become this land's saviour!

The very next day, she resolved that she would try to fight against the nation’s injustice as much as possible. And the only way to do so was to inflict destruction; to punish those who think so little of them, free the less fortunate, and make the world as much of a happier place as possible.

“What’s wrong?”

“I live to serve you!”

“Don’t worry, master, this is what slaves are for!”

Amy proceeded to model herself into an invisible saviour over the coming years. She would let herself be captured by slavers, suffer untold abuse and try to appeal to the richest noblemen; ideally those who owned the largest numbers of slaves. Then, every time she was taken in, she would gather information before ultimately destroying everything they held dear and repeating the cycle. Some of her owners were genuinely good people, yet still she burned down their homes. At times, the despaired faces of her former masters would weigh on her heart, but conversely, she felt like a genuine saviour whenever she saw the grateful tears of joy slaves gave her as they ran away. All this, while trying not to go mad from the pain… Or perhaps she already had.

Her own feelings, her own desires, her own opinions, these things stopped mattering－in order to achieve her goals, she dedicated herself to making her masters satisfied and happy, only to tear everything away from them in the end.

If acting the role of a saviour was her destiny,
if her own happiness was something that could be stolen away at any time,
then what was the point in even living for herself?

Aware of her powers but unaware of her nature, the sorcerer who took her in last was a cruel, arrogant man who committed atrocities on a whole other level. It didn’t matter that her new father gave her the greatest home she could ever want, or that he taught her how to properly control her magic, or that he even showed her all the wonders of the greater multiverse. Because he was such an utter monster, she couldn’t enjoy a single inch of it; not unless she found a way to usurp him. If she could find a way to stop him, perhaps even steal his powers, then she would become the multiverse’s greatest saviour. He continued to use her for years, and all she could do was wait for a chance to seize her happiness.

Finally, when a botched assassination attempt caused Protheus Maximus to drag her to the Castle of Necrophades, lock her in a certain room, and leave her to starve to death… All she could think was one thing.

I should’ve tried harder to kill him. What kind of saviour am I...?

 

---

 

The Door of Origin

“How… How am I…?”

She touched her cheek just to confirm, and immediately snapped back at the soft touch of her own skin. A gasp escaped her mouth. How bizarre.

After everything, after all the fragmentation her life had undergone within the past several years, it seemed she’d returned back to her original state. As a living human, with functioning emotions. As ‘Ameliorer Damiena Maximus’.

Confused, Amy thought back to her last memories.

The Herald recalled welcoming the many warriors to the Door as a psychic ghost, before being met with responses she couldn’t have possibly expected. Then - she temporarily lost herself to overwhelming hatred. Her soul was corrupted, turning into a Hollow that wreaked havoc on everyone, an endless force of frustration towards the cast. Upon regaining control, as a dying spirit, her desperation drove her to trick Nero into extending her life just a little longer, to split herself into a Heartless and Nobody. Her memories were foggy from there, but she could very barely remember. The darkness of being a Heartless, the emptiness of being a Nobody, toying with the cast. And then, a piercing light from the heavens… annihilating them both.

When a Heartless and Nobody are defeated, their materials drift back together to let the original self be reborn. In other words, she kept stripping her existence down until her core components - the Heart, Soul, and Body - were able to fit themselves back together in a proper manner. So that must be how she can exist here now.

Out of a bizarre turn of events, Amy had finally managed to piece herself back together.

Amy briefly looked around. It seemed she’d returned to the realm of the Door of Origin, itself damaged by cuts and tears in space, black spots permeating wherever she looked. It looked even more ruined than it did before, with rainbow colours melting into the whites. The blank circle in the distance, the Door of Origin, seemed as far away as ever.

But! If everyone else was gone, then there was nothing stopping her! Right?! Forcing this exhausted body onward, Amy started to walk across the realm, approach that Door in the distance.

Her dream was right there, right beyond reach, and after six whole years of being in this forsaken realm she was NOT about to be denied a happily ever after-

“You put the entire multiverse at risk for some greedy, self-righteous story that I ain't buyin'.”

She felt sick.

“The path you’re wanting...is the wrong path. My answer is no.”

“Happily ever after sounds awfully boring!”

““How can they cherish it when they didn't work for it? It’s selfish.”

She felt sick.

“There is no honor in this kind of power.”

“If you wanted what's best for us you wouldn't have gone on an insane quest that threatens to tear all of existence apart. You DON'T care about any of that at all!”

“How do you hope to satisfy every desire for happiness when they all conflict so thoroughly?”

She felt sick.

“You're more insane than myself if you believe that your endeavor will not cause an instant break in reality.”

“I'd rather go through shit with the people I care about than to live in your twisted reality.”

“What's the point? What makes it your right to decide that? If you give everything their good ending, they might as well not live.”

She felt s-

“Being happy isn't a single state, but rather comes in changing levels, and I would probably end up rather unsatisfied with such a life.”

“I just came here to undo the damage you have ended up causing to the Omniverse and get out here.”

“Your words appear innocent, but they are laced with poison.  You're not a lady. You're a monster.”

Shut up.

“For all of your fancy goal, you are the one responsible for destroying so many homes, and ending so many lives without care for the consequences.”

 “I would rather swim in the River Styx before I spend an eternity with an empty shell like you.”

“How would the Door even fulfill such an abstract concept in the first place? Or do you have anything more detailed in your mind about your wish?”

Shut up.

“I don't want to return to my old life, even if Mr. Hat is with me. That would be like running away, right? I don't know if I should agree with you or not, Ms. Isamy, but I know that I mustn't run away like that.”

“This bitch wants to rewrite our worlds into a false reality.  She wants to dress it up and make it pretty.”

“Call me selfish, but I'm here to bring closure to this tale of war, so that other stories could continue. Because my story has really only just begun now.”

Please, just shut up.

“That’s an insult if you ask me; never would I allow myself to take the easy way out of any dilemma.”

“Not to mention, you were willing to tear people away from their loved ones to accomplish that goal, as well.”

“You may think yourself a “hero” for wanting to help the Multiverse, and yet you made yourself the villain the moment your search for the Key to the Door of Origin caused the unraveling and subsequent destruction of all the worlds you stole from.”

“You and I are the furthest things possible from being anything remotely resembling “family”.

“I’d rather that myself and my friends work towards creating a better future for our world, and for my species if possible. No shortcuts, and no deals. So no thanks, Isamy.”

“You’re still ultimately looking to take away our choice--and free will--to decide our own futures, our own histories even! We ourselves deserve to write our own stories, not have them be written for us by someone else.”

“You believe, as I had, that some ends justify the means of doing so, but what kind of cost is it to damn countless worlds just to prove a point? Where does it end girl?! Will you be satisfied once all of reality has its “happily ever after”? Or will that not be enough once everything unravels?!”

Just...

“Even with everything I’ve seen here, I can’t believe that reality is just cruel by nature. It’s people who can be cruel to each other, and I wasn’t any different. And yet, I know that there’s still just as many- no, there are countless more people who know how be kind, to trust us even if we don’t deserve it. To wake us up from wallowing in our misery. ”

“I would have never joined you when all this started, and if you and your father have shown me anything, it’s that I made the right choice.”

“If I joined you to let you do whatever you please with the Door, then that miracle would have all been for nothing. I’d rather be damned again before I let you win.”

“We don’t need you. We have our victory. The only thing left is to put the multiverse back the way it was. We can all pick up our lives back from where we left off. There is nothing that you can offer me.”

“You don’t want peace. You’ve been killing the universe, but you treat it like it’s some broken toy that you can sweep under the rug and then move on with your life. How do you expect me to trust you?”

“It was never about whether my universe, or anyone else’s is fragile. It’s about how people like you think that as long as you get a simple answer, it doesn’t matter who else has to die along the way. The answer’s no, Isamy.”

 

Just-

“JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!!!” screamed a distressed Amy, clutching her head in a vain attempt to wring herself of their words.

Her own mind was fractured; although her emotions had now fully regenerated, recovered since the incident with Avatar Conflictous, it now felt painful just to feel. Not only that, but whenever she tried to think, their words flooded her brain. Their defiant feelings flooded her brain. The fact that they wouldn’t cooperate flooded her brain. More than that, her own actions, all her own actions, were now finally beginning to catch up with her. How many people did she kill when she'd taken the form of monsters? Why did they even fight? Why did they have to fight?

All of a sudden, she was finding herself in a state of utter powerlessness and confusion. All she wanted was a happily ever after for everyone. It was all so inconceivable, and even those who did agree the plan at first - Jace, Ayame, Kenpachi - somehow found ways to change their minds and break free from her soul. What was this insanity? No, this stupidity? No, this… This…

“This is too much.”

She grasped hold of her head, trying to suppress the throbbing headache. If everyone else was doubting her this much, then even if she had the Key under her control, what the hell was the point?

“This is just… kinda too much…”

Half of the warriors didn’t trust her due to the countless universes destroyed due to her distortions. The other half didn’t believe things were that simple, preferring to have things to return to the way they were.

“I couldn’t come up with a proper answer even after all these years.”

It wasn’t like she even had a concrete answer yet. Granting everyone in reality a concept as vague as ‘happily ever after’, while still accounting for everyone else’s lives and desires… was it even possible? Was the Door omniscient enough to give her a specific idea in mind on how to execute what she wanted, or were the warriors right all along?

“I... Is this what I really wanted…? This… This can’t be, can it…?”

Amy collapsed to her knees, lost. Now that she was a proper human again, she was able to reflect sanely about all the events of the past several years. That… all of that… even for her, wasn’t everything they did a little too-

“Maybe I should just－”

“YOU SHUT UP!”

“I cannot stand to hear another word... AMY! Just LISTEN to yourself, what are you even saying?!”

Then a different voice rang across the Door’s empty realm. A distorted voice, filled with anger. When the psychic girl looked up, she saw an entity descending from above－it was none other than what some had dubbed 'The Anomaly', now a ghostlike being taking the form of someone incredibly familiar.

Or rather, someone totally unrecognisable. After all, before becoming Isamy, the two girls had never actually met in person prior to their fusion. For two individuals who spent over a century as a singular entity with shared thoughts, and an extra decade conspiring between realities, it was a strange feeling to admit that this was their first physical meeting. In some bizarre, roundabout way, it could be compared to meeting a long-term online girlfriend for the first time.

However, the awe of an actual, proper meeting with her other half would not stop her from voicing her thoughts.

“But Isabel…” Amy started to muster up a response. “Don’t you see it’s impossible…? Our dream… The ‘happily ever after’ we thought we wanted…”

As if insulted by those words, Isabella grit her teeth. It was taking everything she had just to maintain this physical form, to converse with her other self, so the sudden doubt and resistance was really getting on her nerves. After persisting this far as the Anomaly, after surviving both Protheus’s Karma Bomb and true form, and after everything they’d done, why the hell were they having this conversation now of all times?

“Get yourself together. It’s possible! Of course it’s possible! I got you the Key of Origin, didn’t I?! The goddamned Door of Origin we wanted so badly is right there, isn’t it?! Sure, both of us had to go through hell, but here we are! So what exactly is wrong here?”

“It’s…” The former orphan could only hold her head lower. “My Reunion didn’t go as planned. Everyone who’s here right now, they… In the end, not a single one of them were able to understand what we wanted to accomplish… The few that did agree went back on their word. Why? Why, if not because there’s something wrong with us…?!”

“Damn it Amy, this isn’t the time for doubts!” On the other hand, the slave-turned-anomaly was beginning to panic. “The Counter Corps and the Divine will be back soon. If we don’t fuse together as soon as possible, we won’t stand a chance against them in our current states…”

“Neither of us know how we’re going to do this!”

“Are you saying you’re backing out now, Amy? Now? NOW, after all the millions of universes we ruined and sacrificed in the name of Isamy Maximus?!”

“Isabel, you...

Actually, I’m glad you brought that up, because there's some gaps in the memories Byakuya transferred between us!”

Ameliorer stood up in defiance.

“So I managed to contact you thanks to our little loophope, but as far as I recall, COLLAPSING COUNTLESS WORLDS wasn’t part of the plan. How on earth did ‘finding the Key of Origin’ transform into ‘become the greatest mass murderer to ever exist’ happen anyway?!”

“Ugh-” Isabella avoided her gaze momentarily, with a pained look. It seemed as though she'd been caught. “It was a SIDE EFFECT, okay?! How was I supposed to know stealing artifacts from millions of universes would create a web of uncontrollable, destructive distortions? By the time I noticed, it was too late to turn back! By the time I realised billions of lives had died because of me, it would've been an injustice to them if I just stopped there, if I just left those first hundred or so universes to keep collapsing. I just had to keep going… And going... and going... And eventually, it all just started feeling like a game, as if none of it were real!”

“And all those lives lost-”

“Man, the emotionless Amy never questioned any of this. What does it matter if they’re lost?! You didn’t tell me to stop before, did you? You know why? Because just like me, it didn’t feel real for you. Just like me, you figured none of it would matter once we opened the Door.” Isabel countered. “Seriously, of all people, you’re having second thoughts about this? I did all the hard work, I suffered and I killed and I pushed myself to my very limits, while you just sat here and chilled in Origin, and you still dare…!”

“So what?!” Ameliorer countered. “Isabel, you... You may have told Emiya you completed the Pathway yourself, but you don’t honestly know what it was like completing or surviving the Pathway to Origin. Not firsthand. You just blasted through the trials, right? You didn’t experience Death, Truth, or Remembrance. You didn’t meet Avatar Conflictous. You definitely didn’t spend a maddening number of years trapped in NOTHINGNESS!!!”

The psychic gave her a cold, quiet stare. The emotional turmoil she hadn’t been able to feel all this time was finally beginning to catch up with her, and the more it did, the more utterly overwhelming it was becoming. “I bet at no point was your life seriously threatened out there. Meanwhile? I was stripped away of everything. I was torn apart, piece by piece by piece. All the things I believed in were cast into doubt and insulted again, and again, and again, and again, and AGAIN. You know what made me hold on during all that? Here's a clue, it certainly wasn't hope. It wasn't justice. It wasn't any semblance of goodness or selflessness. Just duty. I didn't even have the chance to turn back like you did. Because it was impossible for me to leave the Pathway to Origin, my only two options were wait for what may be an eternity for you to find the Key, or just outright end myself. " A deep breath. "And the only reason I didn't do the latter was because I didn't want to let you down."

“Amy…”

In turn, the look Isabel gave her was an apologetic look. One of sympathy and regret.

"You know, Amy, I... I just didn't want to let you down either." Isabel admitted, staring down at her other half. "All I did was what you asked me to do. You'd broken yourself to reach the end, and in the end, it all turned out to be pointless. You would have been trapped there for eternity.  We couldn't have known the Door of Origin needed a Key. That damned old man didn't mention a Key ANYWHERE in those DATEA Files he left behind, and after everything, it turned out his plan was to trap us all along and take it all for himself. What a goddamned bastard, an absolute f***ing bastard... But thanks to fate, and fate alone, I was given the chance to fix our mistake. No matter how I look at it, I couldn't have just left you there! I didn't want to leave you alone, and I didn't want all your efforts to go to waste!"  

The floating anomaly that was Isabella tried to contain her anger. He'd reduced her to dust during her confrontation with Ophelia and later bombarded her distorted remains with that Karma Bomb when she reached Remembrance, both times wanting to seize the Door for his own selfish ideas. Thankfully, their own plan managed to surpass his in the end, but at what cost?

"So yes. I suppose the thing that really kept me going this long wasn't our 'happily ever after' thing... I just didn't want to let you down either."

"I see."

Ameliorer's response was quiet. An ironic smile couldn't help but grow on her face, as though this were a cruel joke played by a narrative. If neither one of them had been absolutely dedicated to the idea of 'a happily ever after', just who was?

"So that's how it is. The Omniverse is in shambles now, and it's all because two idiots tried to cover for one another."

"..."

"..."

"But don't get me wrong. Even if we did is unforgivable... If I could do this again, a hundred times over, I would." Isabella reaffirmed. " I wouldn't even hesitate. I certainly haven't given up the fight just yet either."

“Isabel...?"

“Amy. Together, we conspired to reach the Door of Origin, right?”

“Obviously, but-”

“Together, we made the decision to enter the Pathway to Origin, didn’t we?”

“I mean of course-”

“And together, we made the decision that we wanted to grant everyone a ‘happily ever after’... didn’t we?”

“...we did.”

“The fact that you’re still here means you haven’t given up. That your half of the Omni Principle is holding up, and that your core desire is still running strong.” Isabel pointed out. “You merely have doubts. So let me reassure you: If it’s a specific method you’re worried about… Don’t be.”

“Wait… what do you…?”

At that moment, the realm of the Door of Origin shook ever so slightly, almost as if an unpleasant concept had made itself known at last.

“This isn’t the first time we thought about this, right? This exact problem occurred to Isamy Maximus. It occurred to us. In the event the Door of Origin wasn’t quite able to acknowledge our vague wish, Isamy worked out a more logical, specific wish which would accomplish the exact same thing.”

“That's...!”

“I know. We didn’t agree on it then.” Just like that, Isabella drew closer to Ameliorer, softening her tone. “However, either we do this or the multiverse loses its only hope at an actual happy ending. I’m sure it’s a bit of a scary thought, but Amy… We came this far, didn't we? It’s time for us to dedicate ourselves to this cause. It’s now or never.”

“I-"

"I won't force you, but-"

"No. It's fine." The former superhero muttered, somewhat dazed by the implications. "Now that it's come to this... I guess a wish like that is the best possible scenario."

“Yes.” The former saviour nodded, confirming her beliefs. “Remember. At the end of the day, we’re just stories.”

“We’re just... stories...”

“May as well make sure this one ends with a happy ending, right?”

And with that, their eyes met.

This time, there was no hesitation in either of their gazes.

“...right.”

Taking this as acceptance at last, Isabella’s arms wrapped around Ameliorer.

Ameliorer reciprocated in kind. only moments later, and the two damaged women pulled each other into a deep, strong embrace. The shards of their respective Omni Principles connected, responding to each others’ presence, recognising each others' souls. Once more, their existences began to fuse with one another.

If either one of these beings had been alone in attempting to fulfill the impossible work of Isamy Maximus, they never would’ve made it this far. It was only because of the flexibility and adaptability of thinking between them, only because these two stupidly selfless humans supported and pushed one another, that they had made it so far. For Amy and Isabel were two very different individuals who saw reality in two very different ways, only happening to share the same ultimate ideology.

To put it another way, Isamy wasn't merely a fusion of personalities. Because of the very nature of her components, Isabella fulfilled the role of "id", the burning desire to help others, and Ameliorer fulfilled the role of "superego", the moral obligation to help others. It was in between those two coinciding personalities that the "ego" named Isamy Maximus could arise.

“Don’t worry. It’s all going to be over soon, Amy.”

“Yeah… Let’s show reality what we got, Isabel.”

Isabella and Ameliorer. Twin souls who only wanted to make things better for everyone.

Once, the twin souls dreamed of better worlds.
When they fused into Isamy the Omni, they tried to achieve those happy endings.
When they split back into Isabel and Amy, they sacrificed everything for those happy endings.

Isabel trampled across the multiverse, sending universes into oblivion solely in an attempt to discover the Key of Origin－－－only to transform into living distortions. The Herald of Chaos.

Amy fought to the end of the Pathway to Origin, foregoing her own identity for years solely in an attempt to survive until the Key’s arrival－－－only to be reduced to something less than human. The Herald of Entropy.

After all, this was the reality they lived in. A cruel reality which punished merciful idiots for dreaming too much.

“ T O G E T H E R . ”

Thankfully… they had each other.

And in that aftermath, the true Isamy Maximus awoke from her long slumber.

7

6

5

4

3

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1

Now, at long last, let the finale of the Pathway to Origin resume.

Upon exiting out the other end of Itsu’s vortex, the various warriors found themselves jettisoned out. Scattered across the realm, gravity pulled them to the ground, and only then were they able to take in their familiar surroundings. Finally, they had returned to the place they were meant to be at all along.

“So you guys are alive. Welcome back, Warriors of the Multiverse.”

A girl stood before the Door of Origin, greeting everyone with an unusually calm smile on her face.

This grand location seemed exactly the same as the last time they were here, which must’ve been an hour ago now. It was an otherwise-blank realm, damaged by tears in space, with black spots permeating wherever the warriors looked to give their surroundings the impression of a deteriorated old film. Once bathed in warm, golden light, now this place was simply riddled in distortions, with that ugly hill of dark matter sitting within its midsts.

In the distance, the Door of Origin maintained its dormant, simple ring-shaped form. Hence, it was probably safe to assume the Key hadn’t been used yet. Just like last time, the sight of that ring alone oddly invoked the feeling of ‘home’ in everyone. It was impossible to put aside the feeling that they had finally come home after a long, wearisome journey. This shouldn’t be a surprise. As the connection to Origin itself, every single one of them had originated from whatever lay beyond.

However, between the warriors and the Door stood their most troublesome enemy.

Isamy Maximus. And this time, she was in her original form.

“Is it just me, or have most of you inexplicably grown stronger since the last time you met my Amy aspect? What’s with your stronger connections to Origin? Hm... No matter. Doesn't change anything.” Isamy wondered. She blinked in confusion as she observed them, but then proceeded to shrug. “You may not know this, but now my Amy and Isabel aspects have reunited. Hence, I’m feeling more refreshed than ever… It's like waking up from a long slumber. Now that you’ve survived my earlier tantrum, there’s a few thoughts I’d like to get off my chest, so listen up.”

Exactly according to Itsu’s information, the two components Isabel and Amy had reunited, fused together, and as a result regained their former strength. The perfect, pearl-like form she possessed earlier had been sacrificed. Instead, those who served or encountered Isabella during the Origin War would recognise this appearance well. The heterochromatic eyes of blue and green, the radiant turquoise hair, the dark matter clothes and scythe, as well as the frail, youthful body of a seventeen-year-old teenage girl were all unmistakable qualities of the one who brought the multiverse to its knees.

“You know, Ameliorer just wanted everyone to be happy.” Isamy spoke up, smiling, possessing a slight trace of bitterness. “On the other hand, Isabella just wanted to end pointless suffering. We both tried so hard. Though in the end… you guys denied us both. This reality denied us both.”

Despite her youthful appearance, she seemed unworried by their presence, and the warriors knew all too well that they couldn’t underestimate her.

“But hey… You know what?”

If there were any attacks or assaults attempted upon her, she would’ve simply danced around them at great speed, all the while continuing her speech.

“I’m not actually mad anymore! Hah… Ahahahah…”

The more she spoke, the more delight seemed to flood into her words, the more her sentences broke off into uncharacteristic giggles, as though she’d finally been freed of a heavy burden.

Or as if she’d she finally gone insane.

“Ah, it all makes sense now. I get it! I was such an idiot, wasn’t I? You guys kept trying to tell me it’s impossible, but I didn’t listen. Believing that I could just make my vague wish come true, believing that I could just force everyone to get along… Stupid. So stupid.” Isamy continued to talk dreamily, staring into the distance. “I liked to think if I just entered the Door of Origin and wrote ‘everyone lived happily ever after’, it would just figure out an answer on its own. But if you guys made me realize one thing, it’s that… it can’t be that simple. Sure, the Door can grant all wishes. But because mine was so vague, there would’ve been no way to tell what would happen. You all heard the vagueness, and you all said ‘no’. Totally understandable.”

Although her self-deprecating manner of speaking should’ve felt like a good thing, and although she was pointing out the flaws in her own ideology, it was instead coming off as creepy and ominous.

“Well, don’t worry. I'm not a puppet anymore. Now I have my answer, my real answer. A proper way for all of us to have our happy endings…”

Did she change her mind on her own, one might be wondering? Unfortunately, they had the feeling that wasn’t it.

“Or at least the next best thing.”

The complete Isamy rose up into the air, her dreamy smile beginning to transition into a giant, uncontrolled grin as she beckoned to the Warriors of the Multiverse.

“Once I enter the Door of Origin..."

"Yes…"

"To give us all a 'happily ever after',

I'll just have to kill everyone in the multiverse, won't I?"

Those were her exact words.

“With the power of the Door, I'll reach out to everyone in existence. I'll find the absolute happiest moment of their lives. Then, I'll make them DROP DEAD right there.” The Herald explained with outstretched arms, filled with a calm serenity as she revealed her reasoning behind absolute omnicide.  “It’s brilliant, isn’t it? More than that, it’s perfect. This plan is practically foolproof, I'm sure. Past, present, future will all be covered simultaneously, so there'll be no need to worry about causing contradictions like killing off parents before their children are born. The contradictions of conflicting fantasies and desires will be resolved cleanly as well. EI'll target every world of every dimension and make sure their endings are beautiful. This way, everyone’s lives would still have meaning, and no one, and I mean NO ONE, will ever have to suffer unnecessarily again! it'll all build up to that one moment, and tragedies will never have the opportunity to take away from it! Just like that, we will have pragmatically granted reality the greatest possible HAPPILY EVER AFTER!”

If there was any doubt that she had gone absolutely insane, it had crumbled in this very moment. If there were still any doubts that she was a danger to all of reality, they were all been thoroughly vaporized in this very moment. “Disagree all you like, Warriors of the Multiverse. This time, my mind is made up. No more doubts. No more regrets..."

Itsu’s suggested path to victory, about reasoning with this girl, sounded even more unrealistic now. How the hell was that going to be possible with a mad psychopath?

"Naturally, for the sake of peace of mind, there’s just one last thing I need to take care of. To ensure there’s no more weakness left in me... To ensure I won't hesitate when I do enter the Door... I'm afraid I'll have to finish what I was doing earlier.”

Isamy started to rise even higher into the sky.

"And that is... killing every last one of you."

Her eyes closed.

“I shall no longer hide from my destiny."

High up in the skies of the Door’s realm, Isamy Maximus assumed a stance, raising her arms until they were precisely adjacent to her own body, forming the shape of a cross. It was reminiscent of the holy manner in which Ancient Egyptian deities once posed, and more than that, it was a pose Eria’s crew would vividly recognise; the same pose Protheus used when he assumed his true form. With this, dark wisps gathered around her; from the ground of Origin, from the skies of Origin, and from a plane of existence that existed beyond Origin. These wisps violently latched onto her flesh and clothing, rapidly spreading all over until she had been wholly encased in a co҉̶co҉̶o҉̶n of shadow.

“I, the Herald of Chaos and Entropy, shall now strip off this useless shell just for you. It is time for me to reveal my soul, my true form... It is time to meet IZANAMI!”

The co҉̶co҉̶o҉̶n

“NOW”

cracked

“WITNESS A TRUE OMNIBOUND IMMORTAL”

and as it opened, one could barely make out the outl̷ine of the Ḥ͇ẹ͎̞͙̼r͇a̻l͚d͎̪̺̱̪ as͘c͢en͢d҉i͢ng into҉̶ ạ͇̝̜͞n̖̦͕̮̹̰ ̧̪̬͍̺̻̺̙ẹ͉̙͔̺x̞̺̗̺i͏̘s͏̱͔̱͚̜t̶̻̯e̹̩͠n̢̫̻͈̹̥̮c͇͝ę f̓̂͛̌ͥă̵̲̽̓̈́͐̓ͧrͥ̉ͦ̓ ͚̮̤͌͐͌ͬ͟b͓̖̎̊̓e͚ͦ͌͂ͥy͔̥̬͓̹͌̋̔ͫȏ̖͔͇̞͍̜ͯn̟̰͎̫̦͕͉̈̈́͛d͍͇͚̝͚̤ͭͅ ̞ͭͨͤͬͣ̏ṱ̟͚̻͈̦̻ͫͭ͗h̖̉̐ͤ̐ͭͪe̝͙̜̝̯î̝r ͚ͯ̓̒c̠̾ͪ̄̆̉̾̏o̤̱̪̻͉͖ͯ̄̄̍ͣ̒̓m̪̊ͫ̓p̵̲̩̟r̸̞̣̱ͨe̜̪͚̖̻͕͛̏ͮͫ̌h̲ͬ̈̓̿͡e̛͚͎̳̋̄̂͆̎̂n̖͖ͬ̐̿̒́͊ͨ͝s̴͔̘̩͉͔̺̻̋i̤͈ͭ͌ͮͯ̿ŏ̮̳̳̼̓ͦ̆ͥ̊̚ͅn̼͔͉͉͇͕̒͛ͭ̃͞ͅ,

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Origin Cosmos

The warped laughter of Omnibound Immortal IZANAMI finally begins to draw to a close, and her unstable mass turns to face the Warriors of the Multiverse. This entity beyond comprehension is floating merely a hundred meters away from them, so no doubt, there would be those who attempt to charge her right from the get-go.

Hence, as though anticipating this in advance,

"VOID INCLUSION:"
"RENEGADE JOKER!"

With the abrupt declaration of what may be the worst possible name, one some would recognise all too well, a blast of lightning strikes IZANAMI from beyond the Origin Cosmos. Just like that, IZANAMI finds herself adorned in hooded black cloak, and just as she did with her prior forms, she proceeds to invoke its powers. Using her newfound control of directional vectors, the final boss waits until the attacks connect with her－the instant they do, they are redirected in the opposite direction and jettisoned away at five times their initial velocity. So this is the power of the Tenshi no Tate (天使の盾 Lit. Angel's Shield), she wonders in awe. No wonder the Renegade Joker abused this ability so much. What greater shield could there possibly be?

The character in question was one who once possessed the almighty arsenal of vector manipulation. While there were certainly many who wouldn’t recognise the name, the Renegade Joker was a former Divine member who had coldly murdered two shinigami, brutally injured many more of the Counter Corps, and even dared to challenge Isamy herself in front of all the Divine. Now, this being’s existence has been integrated directly onto her.

Yet, immediately afterwards, IZANAMI spontaneously starts convulsing. Unexpected pain courses within her, threatening to destabilize her. Even in her true form, apparently this particular entity’s powers are proving surprisingly difficult to Void Include. It seems this is something she cannot simply abuse. In the meantime, she maintains her concentration, forcing the Void Inclusion to continue. With smart usage and enough determination, she is certain she can hold onto the Joker’s valuable powers for five minutes at most.

“DON’T YOU SEE?”

Regardless, simultaneously taking on everyone all at once is not a situation she intends to test.

“IZANAMI IS DOING THIS"

It’s time for them all to die.

“BECAUSE SHE LOVES YOU ALL!!!"

Before her opponents can mount another assault, she smashes her enormous scythe into the platform, accelerating its vectors with the power granted by the Joker’s ‘God’s Hand.’ Just like that, the sheer force causes cracks to rapidly spread across the land below the Warriors of the Multiverse. Perfectly controlled thanks to the Joker’s vectors, they find themselves forcefully separated from one another. After all, the platform has perfectly split into seven fragments.

IZANAMI isn’t about to let them regroup either, raising her scythe high up into the sky with the declaration of a new power. If it isn’t enough of a nightmare already, it is most definitely about to become one. Spacetime warps, the giant eldritch abomination distorting in several different directions-

“SPATIAL SHIFT"

And just like that, the final boss herself splits into seven IZANAMI.

They separate with a fraction of her energy, each one fifty feet tall, each one jumping onto a different platform fragment－and the instant they arrive, smaller distortion forcefields materialize around the platforms, trapping the respective casts within.

‘Spatial Shift’ is another one of the Renegade Joker’s abilities; it would ordinarily be utilized to displace their position in space and shift themselves to a new part of space. However, thanks to the unique properties granted by her own fluid true form, she is capable of simultaneously displacing herself and staying in the same location at the same time. While her clones are all linked together via Time Sense, and while neither her Void Inclusion nor Key of Origin could be replicated, these are perfect clones for all intents and purposes. What a beautifully strong character! How did he die so early on?

In any case, the Warriors of the Multiverse have now been divided into seven eerily-specific groups. IZANAMI’s intent is obvious: To divide them and to murder them at full power.

Six of the seven platforms are drifting further and further away from the Door, and on each platform, there is an IZANAMI familiar with their abilities, prepared to destroy them. They are all real, they are all linked to one another, and they all possess the power of the original… However, only one among them is composed of Isamy’s actual soul. Only one has the physical Key of Origin. It is clear that unless they somehow overpower the IZANAMI currently facing them and amass all their forces together for one last assault, victory may very well be impossible.

~          END OF THE UNKNOWN         ~

Amongst this crimson Origin Cosmos, the characters seem to hear the music audibly changing in the distance to some sort of epic electronic battle theme, unaware of the fact that they shouldn’t normally be able to hear this.

Yes. Let there be no mistake.

This is it, Warriors of the Multiverse... WELCOME TO THE FINAL BATTLE.

~ ~ ~

PRIDE IZANAMI vs SUBJECTS OF KINGDOM:

~ ~ ~

LUST IZANAMI vs SUBJECTS OF BROKEN:

~ ~ ~

WRATH IZANAMI vs SUBJECT OF DAD:

~ ~ ~

ENVY IZANAMI vs SUBJECTS OF PHANTOM:

~ ~ ~

GREED IZANAMI vs SUBJECTS OF CHAOS, SIM, TALIM:

~ ~ ~

GLUTTONY IZANAMI vs SUBJECTS OF BAILAS:

~ ~ ~

SLOTH IZANAMI vs SUBJECTS OF NAI:

The (Approximate) Status of Omnibound Immortal IZANAMI

Itsu Fudo, Epiloguous

"I just have one last question. If we kill Isamy, what happens to the Omni Principle?"

To that, Itsu only stared onwards. So the fact hadn’t escaped them.

"From what Chardonnay told us, killing Protheus means that Isamy is the only Omni left now. So does that mean if she dies, there won’t be another Omni? Because I don’t think this war can truly be over if there’s even a chance that power can just go somewhere else. It doesn’t matter if it’s Protheus or Isamy. Whatever happens, the Omni Principle is what we need to destroy. Right?”

Despite her promise for transparency, it wasn’t something the goddess had been sure about bringing up with the rest of the warriors. Was the concern regarding the Omni Principle something worth dealing with now, or risk leaving to the future? However, when she thought about it logically, there really was no point in keeping secrets. She promised honesty, so here it was.

“Yes, Arthur. I’m afraid your logic is perfectly correct. When you overwhelmed and destroyed Protheus’s soul, the Omni Principle simply transferred over to its next successor. Hypothetically, if you do succeed in destroying Isamy’s soul, the same phenomenon will happen once more.” Itsu ultimately answered, affirming their speculation. “And unfortunately, I have a very good guess as to who would inherit the power next. A fanatic named Minerva Clearstream. Protheus’s firstborn son, calls himself the Tao King. To be honest, I’ve been able to sense him keeping tabs on the war up until our battle with the Madara. I suspect he’s been doing this because he expects to attain the Omni Principle as soon as Isamy is out of the way. Wish I could call him harmless, but considering his convictions, well.” Itsu hesitated. “It wouldn’t surprise me if that kid tried to seek out the Door of Origin too eventually…”

Even in death, it appeared the Herald of Darkness had left quite a legacy for himself, with the potential for someone else as troublesome as Isamy to rise up. With their luck, chances were there were other candidates after Minerva as well. The sheer amount of background information that Itsu had been keeping quiet about up until this very moment had to be overwhelming to some extent.

However, with everyone being at the end of reality, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they deserved to learn this much.

That they deserved the absolute, straightforward truth.

“Alright.”

~           the truth, and only the truth           ~

“I’ll tell you the secret to eliminating the Omni Principle once and for all.”

Itsu focused her gaze on Arthur and the others. If the warriors were serious about doing this, if they seriously wanted to take extra responsibility on top of the grand final battle they were about to enter and end the One Master’s overreaching influence right here, in the worst possible location to do so, then they might as well learn the exact method.

Then again, perhaps there was nothing to say. After all, between their epic battle in Remembrance and learning the prophecy, this team of warriors had already gained all the answers they needed. Perhaps they'd already figured it out.

With one apology, Judgment may be no more-

“Isamy... needs to change.”

“An Omni’s immortality is held together by the intensity of their ‘core desire’. Once the holder gives up their core desire, the Omni Principle will vanish from existence－their souls will no longer be frozen in time, and just like that, they will revert back to being regular mortals.”

“Isamy’s desire is to live for others and help as many people as possible."

"It's the opposite of Protheus, whose desire was to live for himself and make the most of life. Despite wanting to be a good man, Protheus was simply too afraid of death to turn back on his own selfishness. Trapped in a paradox, he could only escalate his ambitions in an effort to keep his Omni Principle for as long as possible, clinging onto life right to the very end. His daughter's bound to be just as stubborn."

"In other words, 

unless you make Isamy give up everything she stands for...

...the cycle will never truly end.”

“For a seemingly nigh-omnipotent sorceress who terrorized the multiverse, ruined countless worlds and ended countless lives thanks to her distortions, you wouldn’t think the source of her ridiculous powerset would have such a simple flaw, would you? Unfortunately for the multiverse, she’s thickheaded.” Itsu chuckled solemnly. “Everyone may be better off trying to simply destroy her soul, and risk passing it on to the next successor. With the power you warriors have gained, that much might be feasible. If she assumes her true form, it’d put all your lives at stake, but at least you have a fighting chance - her soul would be left exposed, capable of being targeted and destroyed. ”

While musing on the possibilities of how to defeat their final enemy, the goddess turned around and proceeded to walk away from the group of warriors. “Changing her mind though… It sounds straightforward, but you don’t gain those powers without having an extreme desire. I don’t know if she’ll listen to what anyone has to say. What would even change her mind? Is there some flaw she won’t acknowledge? Some memory, truth, or knowledge buried so deep they got past the Pathways? Personally, I don’t get Isamy that well, so I haven’t the faintest idea. I’m afraid I can’t offer you any real advice there.”

Around them, the stars were beginning to dwindle and fade. In their place, tremors spread in intensity across all of Epiloguous. The end was nigh.

“Beyond this, all I can offer is good luck. Whichever path you guys choose, the final battle will be far from easy. After all, Isamy is an Omni.”

Itsu Fudo twirled her umbrella while approaching the rest of the warriors, as though the moment, the battle for the Door of Origin, was almost upon them.

“Or should I say…

...an Omnibound Immortal?”

Itsu Fudo, Epiloguous

"Why would you let that… that demon survive all these years? For all I know, none of this would have happened had you stopped him long ago. If you could, knowing everything that’s happened, do you think you made the right decision?”

“Yes.”

It was a simple answer. Itsu Fudo didn’t even hesitate.

“I mean… I can’t say you’re wrong about many things, MirageGaogamon. I can’t say you’re not justified to feel the way you do. Although, even if I’m not sure how much you managed to see within the Library of Solace, I’m willing to guess there might’ve been a bit more than you had time to look through. I won’t apologise. But the least I can do... is explain myself. This one’s going to be a long answer, mind you.”

The expression she had looking at MirageGaogamon was one that was difficult to decipher - there were a mixture of complicated emotions behind this simple conviction of hers. In MirageGaogamon’s eyes, she only a pure raged, barely restrained.

“The first thing you should understand is that... I wasn’t always the hero, or the goddess, people consider me to be now. I’m far from innocent. If you think I’m guiltless, you gotta dispel notions like that now.”

Around them, the floating lights briefly turned a crimson red.

Some of them displaying scenes of horror - a android-like being standing above her opponent, torturing her opponent. A lady in white, laughing amidst a sky fortress while the city below her burned. 

“Believe it or not, the first time the Herald of Darkness and I met, really met, our positions were reversed. He was one of the heroes of ‘C3’, the Continuum Conservation Collective that would eventually become the Neighborhood Watch. On the other hand, I was at the head of the enemy forces. Did you see this in my Library? It was a disaster that would later be known as... the ‘Paradox War’.”

They morphed again, showing a masked woman, standing still as she pressed a button; watching as several universes were caught in the fray of a superweapon, dragged in, absorbed. 

“The Paradox War: A destructive anomaly preceding the Origin War, a multiversal catastrophe of the worst proportions. There was a being named Paradox who rose up, seeking to replace the multiverse with a single, utopian universe for him to rule over. A Garden of Eden. From beginning to end, I stood by his side.” The lights showed scenes from the Paradox War. Across worlds, warriors from various universes were fighting one another, brutally engaging in combat. “Maybe Paradox wouldn’t have gotten so far if it wasn’t for my loyalty, my assistance... In fact, maybe I was the true villain all along. Thanks to us, the multiverse was nearly annihilated.”

“How did you stop Paradox?” asked Eria.

“Getting there.” Itsu said, smiling gently. “At the crux of the Paradox War, things seemed lost for our enemies. Our MacGuffin, a reality machine powered by my Emerald Eclipse Amulet, was preparing to activate. In a desperate, last-ditch attempt to end it all, C3 brought the battle to Paradox himself. A force consisting of their best fighters invaded the Malefic Station, and many fell in the ensuing conflict. Their leader Sarin, Princess Judaihime, and a weakened Protheus were the only ones left, managing to break into the throne room where Paradox and I awaited them. It was a simple confrontation at first, with us guarding the MacGuffin and them hoping to break through. Sarin and Paradox kept each other occupied. Meanwhile, I took on the other two in a card game, with Judaihime focused on a brute force strategy to whittle my life points down and Protheus focused more on corruptive attacks to invade my mind, weaken my ability to play. Naturally, both fights were futile.”

The lights came together, forming a screen that recreated her description of the events. Amidst a mechanical recreation of paradise were two beings with broken masks on one side, and three exhausted warriors on the other. They recognised the war-torn Protheus and Judaihime among the warriors, but opposing them, Itsu was almost unrecognisable in that black regalia. It was truly a different era, totally alien and unfamiliar to them.

“Sarin and Paradox critically injured one another, but Paradox’s immortality kept him going. Meanwhile, the duo’s assault on me was hard-fought, but ended in their loss. With that, the Emerald Eclipse Naughter - a hypergalactic MacGuffin capable of fusing or splitting spacetime - was fully charged. With no one left to stop us, I let Paradox climb the steps to take his rightful place. The first thing he did was point the weapon at me, and fire. After all, Paradox had no need for anyone to rule by his side, didn’t he? Just like that, my story should have ended-”

An incoming flash of brilliant rainbow light. Be they men or gods, mortal or immortal, the light was a force beyond this reality. For all anyone knew, it guaranteed certain death for anyone who happened to be caught within, and here it was beaming towards a Itsu who possessed neither the effort nor the drive to resist. As it approached, her eyes had simply closed, as if to acknowledge ‘this is retribution for all my sins’, resigning to her end like the fool she was.

Yet... it never came. 

Her eyes had shot open, and to her shock, an almighty force was taking on the entirety of the blast-  No, it wasn’t a force... IT WAS A BODY?! But who- hold on- that silver hair- it-  It… IT WAS HIM OF ALL PEOPLE?!?!?!

“That madman... jumped in front of me. The man I’d dismissed as just another egotistical warrior, another villain too afraid of our utopia, had just absorbed the entirety of the blast. Of all people, that utter edgelord was saving me?  There was no guarantee his immortality would’ve held up to such a ridiculous weapon, and yet, he didn’t even hesitate. It was reality’s sickest joke. I couldn’t fathom it. I really couldn’t. Seriously, who could?!”

Indeed, there he was. Standing his ground, shielding her against the greatest force currently known in the multiverse, all the while letting out an evil, maniacal laughter, a booming sound that was all too familiar to the very Counter Corps watching on. Yet this time, in this one unique instance in history, the Herald of Darkness was doing the unfathomable:

“Protheus took a direct hit from the Emerald Eclipse Naughter. Turned to me. And before his soul shattered into a thousand pieces, he spoke the dumbest line I’d ever heard.”

Placing his life on the line for someone else.

“You understand now?! LIVE FOR YOURSELF, IDIOT!!!”

In the projection of those memories, they watched as the Herald smiled softly - an expression they had never once seen on the man. And with that, he was utterly overwhelmed by the light of destruction, sacrificing himself in a selfless act, as if to defy every single character trait assigned to him.

“Why did he do it, I wondered? Why did that self-centered, overglorified Dark Signer variant throw away everything he stood for… for someone he ought to have despised more than anyone else? Him, of all people, was saving me, of all people…! It was so ridiculous!”

As if those words alone were something worth dying for.

“Up until that point, I had abandoned my memories for power, gave up on everything, and entrusted it all to another, following through with their desire for a Garden of Eden. Many people tried to reach out to me during the wars, and yet, the idea of atonement was simply too overwhelming to turn back. It’s not like Protheus was the first to try and reach out to me. And yet… His sacrifice was the tipping point that finally snapped me out of my trance. ‘Live for yourself’, he told me. If even someone like that decided to die to tell me something so simple, what does that say about the person I was? I must’ve been a sorry sight.” Itsu sighed, reaching the end of her recollection. “It was the last straw. With that, I finally came to my senses. I stopped Paradox before he could disassemble me as well, hijacked control of half of the Naughter. He tried to appeal to me－and when I refused, we ended it in a final, climactic duel to prevent the Convergence Point. Then, at long last, the Paradox War came to a close.”

The light changed one last time, revealing an iconic image. A bloodied Itsu Fudo, having finally come to her senses and ended the war, resting on the floor amongst a severely damaged throne room. Awaiting the arrival of C3’s remaining warriors. Awaiting her own uncertain, yet hopeful future.

“That was a point in time where I lost myself. It took countless universes to drag me out of that mess, but you know… They succeeded. I seriously didn’t deserve it, but rather than be imprisoned, I was being hailed as a hero of the Paradox War. All I could do was try to live up to it, dedicate myself to making up for my actions. It was the only thing I could do. To try and rediscover the hero I once wanted to be.”

Itsu sat down before MirageGaogamon and the others, while the light of her memories faded.

“Wanting to thank the man who saved me, I searched across the many universes and started putting the many pieces of his soul back together. It took a millennia of effort and time, but soon enough, we managed to bring Protheus Maximus back to life.” She carried on, letting out a tired sigh. “I mean, we didn’t get along straightaway. It became pretty obvious that Protheus blamed me for his ‘death’. He used some weird, circular logic to try and justify his hatred. And frankly, his aggressive attitude really annoyed me, especially at first! But eventually, I found out why he did what he did at the end of the Paradox War. Why he went against everything, why he sacrificed himself for me of all people...

...because he was just like me. Because he understood the terrible, insurmountable weight of my sins, and yet wanted to say ‘that doesn’t mean your life no longer has value!’. The idea that my feelings might still matter, despite everything I’ve done? The idea that I can still turn back, and earn the life I want? Precisely because Protheus was just as despicable as me, he could afford to tell me it was fine to carry on with my life. It’s the sort of thing only a villain would do, but... It let me become the person I am today... So just like the way he saved me, I wanted to save him, you know?”

It must’ve been a lot of information flying over the heads of the warriors before her. She might’ve been shattering their perception of her as a ‘great hero’ more than a little bit as well. Even though she'd once been a terrible villain herself, she was essentially saying it was fine to live your life without the pressure of atonement. That it was fine to be a little selfish like that. 

“He was hard to deal with, sure. I know he had a dark past in his younger days. But that doesn’t mean that’s all there was to it. When we put him back together - I’m honestly not sure if I could call that man evil. You guys never met him. We butted heads, and we had our conflicts that escalated over thousands of years, but you know? He was starting to listen. He became a dear friend. And soon enough, he, I might even say he was on the verge of becoming a decent person like me. When our illusory Kugena City collapsed, when Pandora threatened universes on the Ringworld, when the comet Faust was about to crush my home... He was insane, arrogant, a Herald of Darkness through and through, but I found I could always depend on him. That’s the Protheus Maximus I knew.” The individual she was describing barely sounded like the sadistic monster they battled on the Lake of Remembrance. The Herald of Darkness they fought, that cruel terror, wanted to be good? “Despite all that... His fears caught up with him. He heard that prophecy, and proceeded to throw away everything we built away. He reverted to the villain he once was, kickstarted the Origin War, did what he did here. I didn’t manage to meet him even once. Just like that, it seems the prophecy was self-fulfilling, forcing his story to end exactly the way it was foretold.”

Arthur shrugged. “That’s how prophecies usually work, don’t they? They tell you some horrible fate, and the harder you try to stop it, the more likely it’s going to come true. Understanding that is how we were able to kill him.”

“Looks like it. Just like Oedipus, uncertain futures like prophecies are better left unheard.” Itsu responded, nodding in turn before turning back to the Digimon. “But yeah. MirageGaogamon, I let him survive for one simple reason. I’m not Arturia. I’m not the kind of person who thinks sacrificing someone is all you need to do to make the multiverse a better place. Because I’ve been Protheus, I know what it meant to be like him, and I know he had the capacity to become a good man. More than that, I’m certain he must’ve wanted to be one.”

She stared up at the galactic sky, letting the lights surrounding them fade.

“With one apology, Judgment may be no more.” Itsu uttered quietly.

It was a line from the prophecy. The critical line, one which had originally terrified the previous Herald, as Arthur and MirageGaogamon had seen in their flashback.

“In the end, Protheus Maximus wasn’t even living for himself anymore. He was just living for an idea of what Protheus Maximus is supposed to be like, too afraid to overcome his fear of atonement… and I failed to help him overcome it. If he only tried, maybe he could’ve been something other than Judgment. Maybe even something better. What a dumbass.” It was hard for anyone to believe, and yet, Itsu’s words seemed to be filled with nothing but honesty and understanding. “If anyone thought he was beyond redemption, then I deserve to be struck down just as much. That’s all there is to it, really.”

With that, the former sun goddess stood back up, bringing an end to her long tale.

“I hope I was able to shed some light on the Protheus Maximus I knew. I won’t apologise for my decisions. I also don’t fault you guys for doing what you did, not in the slightest. If anything... Your actions might've let him find some peace at least.”

Itsu Fudo, Epiloguous

“It’s as real as the future can be.” Itsu nodded, noting the Staff in Eria’s hands with some amusement. “Obviously, the future is made of potential. Time is a flowing ocean, whether it’s here in this realm or out there in the multiverse. It’s not like things are guaranteed—otherwise, we may as well consider victory over Isamy Maximus to be guaranteed. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Eria’s smile faltered at that remark. 

“However, it’s the future you found. The future that the trials of the Pathway to Origin set you on, and the future that awaits you on your own current path. At least, assuming you survive. If you consider that to be real… Then yes. It’s real alright.”

In response, the goddess raised her hands and materialized more wisps of light, at which point they proceeded to softly circle around the group. “Is this the answer you seek, Eria?”

Epiloguous

Moments afterwards, the warriors of the multiverse found themselves floating in space. Breathable space, in fact!

When they looked around, they would see that all the other survivors of the Illusive Sky/Shadow Cavern were with them. Curiously enough, Team Eria was there too - looking like they came from a huge battle of their own. As a whole, it seemed like everyone had been gathered here.

The warriors would feel as light as a feather, capable of moving about just by thinking about it. A colourful, rainbow nebula surrounded them, and although the stars looked so close that they could reach out and grab one, those stars were indeed light years away. It was a bizarre, yet majestic sight.

Still, it must’ve been hard to tell what exactly just happened. For all they knew - particularly those who’d never heard that voice before - this was just the work of another enemy.

That is, until a being materialised at the heart of this galactic realm.

There was no intense pressure radiating from her. No world-ending energy like there was with Isamy. Just this random, out-of-place lady. Her hair was a vibrant crimson, her eyes were heterochromatic, and she garbed in a kimono elaborate with gold and red designs mimicking flames that, with each movement, made them resemble a burning fire. Despite this relatively mundane stature, the being didn’t seem in the least intimidated by the massive assortment of seasoned warriors surrounding her. If anything, she was oddly calm for the situation.

“Well, let’s on with it, shall we?” The woman said, smiling as she twirled her umbrella at the center of all these warriors.

Itsu Fudo.

The name of that divine woman, who'd been involved in the Origin War since the very beginning.

For those who’d previously fought by her side, there had always been a sense that she knew far more about the war than anyone else - even the Counter Guardians. Yet, despite her vast array of knowledge and her personal connection to Protheus and Isamy, not once did she give away the answers. Then, when they entered the Pathway to Origin, she vanished just like that. Leaving her friends, her daughter, and everyone else. Just like that, she’d disappeared.

“Of course, most of you probably already know me. I was a member of the Counter Corps from the start. My physical form went through a lot of changes though, so I don’t know what you’d remember me as - so I became this familiar, then got split in two, then got mashed together in this unstable form. That last one wasn’t stable though, ended up breaking apart in the Pathway to Remembrance. Kinda died. Embarrassing. Well, looks like I’m back for one last go…or at least I think I’m back.”

The lady paused, a little confused about what to say next, but then proceeded to gesture towards her surroundings.

“When I fell, my divine essence found its way here. The place calls itself Epiloguous. It’s a bit weird, kinda like a observatory. Some sort of secret location in the Pathway to Origin. I’ve got a bit of a link to Isamy, so maybe, maybe that’s why.” Glossing over that fact, she moved her hand, and screen materialized around her - they showed chunks of ice, and cherry blossoms, stone monoliths, all floating in darkness. The remains of the Pathways. “Basically. I’ve been watching you guys all this time. So no need to introduce yourselves or get me up to date. It’s been one hell of a time, huh? Your journeys, your fights, everything that’s been going on… I was powerless from here, but dear me, there are so many things that frustrate me... Those Counter Guardians especially! Damn I wish I could’ve decked that Arturia in the face myself, the hell was up with that?!” Snapping all of a sudden, she felt the need to punch the air, before calming down. “Anyway…”

Itsu waved the screens away. With a sigh, she proceeded to start spinning, and her eyes started to go over the many warriors. Observing them, one by one, in a moment of silence.

You’ve all had it really rough, huh?“ She said, gently.

To Atsuko, she gave her daughter a smile. To Eria, Arthur, and their friends, she gave them a small, sad nod. To Nero, a thumbs up, telling him not to feel guilty over what happened. To Butler-Ragnarok and Darcy, a shrug, as if to say ‘guess you’re here too, oh well’. To Kratos… a silent look of apology. To Alister, Dorian, and Nanashi, her eyebrow raised with a certain level of intrigue at what they were. And towards Gabriel and all the others, a simple look of encouragement. Although she said nothing, it felt a bit like Reunion when they’d each been singled out and analysed. However, this time, there was a clear difference.

“Hey. It’s okay. Between all that tension, all that adrenalin, it’s okay to relax for a little while. Give me a second.”

This lady just genuinely wanted to make sure they were all okay.

Raising out her arms, she chanted a small spell. A wave of high-level magic healing followed, proceeding to wash over the warriors of the multiverse. Their wounds, and their exhaustion, were refreshed.

“It’s really easy to lose track of time in the Pathway, but at the end of the day, you’ve all been at it for seven hours now. Seven hours! Seven hours of travelling, personal introspection, and battling titans. Aren’t you guys exhausted?” Itsu pointed out the most the obvious fact in the world. ”Whether it’s been three days or several years, a war is a war. It couldn’t have been easy. I’m sure you lost many allies, and I’m sure there’s a lot for you all to process too.”

Sure, there may have been warriors here and there with incredible amounts of stamina, with self-sustaining powers, with a degree of immortality. But the vast majority of them probably weren’t like that - they were normal, living people who just happened to know how to fight. Thus, without even noticing, they might’ve stretched themselves to their limits. They might’ve even strained themselves far beyond that.

“Epiloguous is disconnected from the Door’s timestream, so as far as Isamy is concerned, time has frozen. We can’t chill here forever, obviously… But for a while, I’d say there’s no harm in one last break, you know?”

However, as much as taking a break was a pleasant thought, there was an important duty to attend to.

All of reality was at stake. Their greatest enemy had the Key of Origin in her possession, and without anyone to stop her, it was all but guaranteed that she’d rush to open the Door of Origin the instant she had that opportunity. They could relax for now, and yet, taking it easy was absolutely not an option.

“Hey. Isamy needs to be defeated, that’s for sure. But I’ll be honest, considering what was about to happen out there… When you return to the battlefield, the very act of defeating her could be difficult.” Itsu stated bluntly. “Before you entered oblivion, did you see ‘that’? It’s an Anomaly made of distortions that entered Origin a little ago, and has since wrecked all the Pathways on its way here. I think... I think somehow, that’s the other part of Isamy. That is what’s left of Isabella, who led the Divine. That she followed us all here. It’s the only thing that would make sense.”

The original Isamy had two components - Ameliorer and Isabella. Ameliorer split herself into the Nobody and Heartless in an attempt to hold everyone back, but ultimately, they were both still Ameliorer. As for Isabella, all the distortions she’d spread everywhere may have wrecked her very existence, but ultimately, she was still Isabella.

“If I’m right and both components have met, your final enemy may very well be the complete, original Isamy Maximus. I struggle to imagine to imagine anything more dangerous than that.” From the beginning of the Origin War, right up to this final battle, the warriors had only ever had to face one half of Isamy. But now, “We’re talking about a Herald who surpassed Protheus long ago. She thinks of herself as a hero, but even before the Origin War, the Neighborhood Watch knew her as one thing and one thing only － an unstoppable catastrophe. I’m afraid she’ll be far tougher than any enemy, any monster you guys have ever faced in the war so far. With reality at stake, I can’t afford to be cheap about this. I’m sorry but… I’m not sure if it’ll even be possible to beat her. There’s a real chance you guys will lose in your current states.”

Then,

after a heavy, tense silence…

“Of course… that’s just in your current states, anyway!” Itsu grinned, and clicked her fingers. Prepared to give them the opportunity of a lifetime.

At first, nothing happened.

“You know. I’m willing to bet there’s not a single person here who didn’t get some power-up since joining the war. Each of you have learned, and grown, and probably gotten a lot stronger too. But! Even if it feels like years, the Shadow Realm was only three days ago. The Desert Seth was two days ago. The Sphere Forest was yesterday. And again, despite its many trials and hijinks, we’ve only been on the Pathway to Origin for seven hours!” When she pointed it, it really felt ridiculous. Everything must’ve felt so long ago to the characters. “There’s only so much anyone can change in such a short, insignificant amount of time. The fact you all came so far in just three days in incredible.”

Then, as if on cue, a single, shining star left the galactic sea around them, and it started to approach the group of warriors. Then another followed.  And then another. They were like tiny wisps, leaving behind trails of light. Star-wisps.

“If that’s the case, then imagine if you had months to hone your abilities? Years? A lifetime, even? You win the war, and live out the rest of your life, growing stronger and growing stronger - imagine you could skip all that time, and make that potential of yours real?” She said, raising out her arms. “Alternatively, I’m aware some of you are like me - people who were once gods, who have grown weaker - in which case, imagine if you could regain that former glory? Recover a level of strength lost to time?”

The goddess proceeded to hold her umbrella up into the air, as if beckoning the star-wisps forward.

“The power of the future, and the power of the past. It may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but I can at least do this much for you guys.” Itsu offered, before proceeding to explain. “I’m linked to Isamy due to...complicated circumstances that happened in the past. Thanks to that direct link to the Key of Origin, I can access its power to open miniscule holes within the Door—you probably know a bit about the power of ‘Void Inclusion’ she kept abusing throughout her battles. Well, that was her taking advantage of those gaps, invoking other people’s Origins. However, she doesn’t comprehend its true potential. I don’t think she ever will.”

In moments, there must have been about forty of them wantonly zipping about, filling the air above the cast with hopes and dreams. For each character, one specific wisp seemed to be especially drawn towards them.

“If you embrace it, you’ll tap into your Origin, and perform your very own Void Inclusion. Might feel funny, but you’ll momentarily transcend time and space. You can reach into your future and retrieve the power of your prime future self. Gain abilities that you have yet to hone, weapons that you have yet to obtain, a level of experience that you have yet to earn. You won’t have their memories, but everything will be yours to command. Or, if you want… you can reach into the past instead, and regain the power your past self once had. Whichever suits you better.”

All of the star-wisps proceeded to fly down, at which point it was clear that there was one for every single character present. Each wisp stopped directly before their correspondent user.

“Considering the amount of potential you guys have, and considering how strong I know so many of you already are, I can only imagine the differences it’d make. Of course, if you get weaker, don’t blame me!” She continued cheerily. “I know it must sound pretty scary. To change. To become someone different. Well, you know yourself more than anyone. I have no idea what your pasts were like, or what your futures are gonna be. At the end of the day, this is all totally up to you.”

The stage was set, and an opportunity to level the playing field had been given. There was a good chance their enemy would be the original Isamy Maximus. The Isabella version alone had brought the multiverse to a standstill by spreading her distortions, and the cast had experienced plenty of the trouble that came with the Ameliorer, as a psychic ghost, Hollow, as well as Heartless and Nobody.

One could only imagine how their experiences would combine, and what sort of terrifying force that would create. The mere thought of it was worrisome. Thankfully, at least, the majority of the cast could rest assured that they weren’t immediately launched into that battle after consecutively facing Isamy’s multiple forms.

After some time, Itsu spoke again, now seeming drained as she clutched tightly onto her umbrella. “For now, time has been frozen. If any of you have any lingering questions, now is your final chance to ask. Questions about Protheus and Isamy, the history behind the Origin, and more are welcome too. I’ve been, well, quiet. About a lot of things. And you guys, you’ve suffered more than enough that you deserve this transparency. I won’t be cryptic. I promise I’ll answer everything to the best of my ability.”

If anyone was paying particular attention to her form, then they might have noticed a certain that, from the feet up, it almost looked like Itsu was beginning to fade away. It was only natural. She hadn’t merely been offering some help, but actually used up what remained of her own power to make the smallest of differences, for the sake of the multiverse. Without drawing attention to it, she continued.

“Once everyone’s ready... you’ll be returned to the Door of Origin. My essence can’t exist outside anywhere else, so ‘fraid I won’t be able to help much more than this. ” Itsu said sadly. “Whatever happens from here on out, let me just say this—”

Finally, she took a step back, giving the warriors of the multiverse their own well-deserved space.

“Only through change are we going to win this. Good luck.”

This was Epiloguous—their last chance.  Between the potential for power and the potential for answers, it was clear that this was it. The endgame. The place where they would determine the finale of the Origin War.

The characters had no idea whether they would survive the final battle.

Accessing their own futures may be possible, but the nature of time didn’t apply to the Pathways. And even if they did survive, they had no idea what would happen next, and whether they would ever see one another again. There was no telling what would happen. Hence, if there was anything they had left to say, anything they had to resolve, then it was clear this would be the final opportunity to do so.

The characters may have any lingering questions, or may want any further information to prepare for the final battle.

A lot of otherworldly phenomena had happened during the Origin War. Confusing plots, inexplicable events, and in just three days, a lot of things had happened to keep track of. Even when there’d been a supposed ‘guide of Origin’ in Byakuya, all his answers were mysterious and unclear. Hence, with Itsu Fudo making herself readily available, the goddess was in the best possible position to give those difficult answers.

Finally, the characters had an opportunity before them.

A star-wisp hovered by each individual, following them wherever they went. There was something about the star-wisp itself that was simply—beautiful. Captivating. Magical. To the point of eliminating all doubts. Something in their minds stirred, as though this were a part of them they never knew they had, and there was something so utterly amazing about it that drew anyone in. If they embraced it, they could attain the Power of the Future, or the Power of the Past.

Yet, that was ultimately their own choice. They could go for it immediately, they could take their time and maybe talk with the others, or they could refuse altogether. That was the beauty of the freedom of choice.

Warriors.

It’s time to act.

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IF EMBRACED:

Note:

This is a long-running roleplay imported from the YCM forum~

~ YCM IC ~

~ YCM OOC ~

~ New NCM IC ~

~ New NCM OOC ~

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hosted by Merciful Idiot

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The Grand Crossover RP

The stars glinted through the darkness of space, displayed by a glass wall. A knight in red appeared to confront a young girl, who stood idly by the mechanical corridor. Although she didn't turn around, she already understood what kind of entity stood behind her. A Counter Guardian - defender of reality.

“There have been plenty of people like you in the past who’ve tried to accomplish the same thing." Emiya said confidently, carrying falchions in both hands. "Hitler. Thanos. Paradox. They’ve all failed. What makes you think you’re any different?"

“It's simple." Tapping her spacial scythe against the glass a few times, Isamy Maximus seemed quite confident. Prepared for a fight at any given moment, the knight gripped his blades tighter. "You see, unlike those poor excuses of life, I've walked through the Pathway to Origin and bore witness its end. As it seems, my dream is noble enough for the Door to acknowledge. Can you believe that?"

Emiya stared in disbelief. She, of all people, managed to reach the Door? How was that even possible? And if so, how could she be here? But he wouldn't be getting his answer. Turning to face him, Isamy revealed a wide grin that looked unnatural on her otherwise-innocent face. "I think it's cute that you formed a team just for me, but my Divine will crush these Counter Corps of yours. At this point, I can no longer be stopped. I will find the Key, that Door will be opened, and I WILL rewrite the rules of this reality!"

"You think you're a hero. But to me, and to the multiverse, you're nothing but a monster."

Her heterochromatic expression seemed glazed over, almost as though she were watching something else, dreaming of a faraway place. "Give up now while you still have the chance, Counter Guardian."

The knight remained silent for a moment.

"We can at least try."

...

Then, suddenly,

Emiya took a step forward.

"And if we win," 

He advanced, causing Isamy's eyes to widen in surprise.

Confused, she impulsively stepped back. Refocusing on the warrior in front of her. As if this strange man had just gone off-script. As if he'd defied her every expectation. She could sense it - in that one action, he was opposing the very laws of time and continuity. "Wha-"

"Isamy Maximus... Don't say I didn't warn you."

PLOT:

RP INFO (for catchup/reminders):

Spoiler

(refer to the GCRP Arc Summaries for more detailed info on previous events)

 

You are a character. You might've been part of the Counter Corps. You might've been part of the Divine. At some point, you ended up being involved in this Origin War... and over the past few days, you have BATTLED and SUFFERED and PERSEVERED over more events than anyone should ever have to go through in a LIFETIME.

 

3 days ago, the teams invaded the Shadow Realm. They fought one another, and ultimately ended in gaining nothing but pain. (Arc 1)

2 days ago, the teams entered the Desert Seth. After more hard conflicts, they met LERNA, and emerged victorious. The Counter Corps successfully left with the map to the Key of Origin. (Arc 2)

Yesterday, the teams entered the Sphere Forest of the Periphery. It turned out to be a trap, and they were forced to fight "the Madara". Protheus replaced Isamy, took control, and stole the Key away. (Arc 3)

 

Then, 12 hours ago... together with many others, you entered the Pathway to Origin. (Arc IV)

You faced personal trials in the Pathways to Death, Truth, and Remembrance. You may have confronted difficult memories, or harsh truths, or crippling unknowns. Whatever they were, despite every HURT and every ENEMY that came in your way, you strived, and completed them all. You emerged victorious. 

You passed through Prologuous - where you may have fought the guardian Avatar - and reached the Hallway of Origin. There, Counter Guardian Arturia betrayed every one of you. The king killed Yukari, and attempted to destroy the Key of Origin. However, you fought, hard, together with everyone else. And you emerged victorious.

At the end of it all, when you finally reached the Door of Origin, you and your teammates encountered the psychic lady behind it all. Isamy Maximus. She gave you an offer to join her in her "happily ever after". Instead, she was opposed by an overwhelming force. She transformed into Hollow Isamy. She killed many of you, and yet you fought. When beaten, she manipulated the Keyblader Nero into splitting her between a Heartless and Nobody Isamy. They killed even more of you, and yet you fought. When beaten, the duo fused together with their other self to create a complete, perfect Isamy. One last time, it seems you must emerge victorious.

 

As a character, as a warrior, you have been pushed to your limits and beyond. It must have been a ridiculously exhausting journey.

 

But now.

Now, it's time to end this!

 

 

Previous RP Info:

Spoiler

This is for anyone who's confused about the plot, made simple;
 
You are a character. Your magic is acting strangely recently, and neither time travel nor teleportation works. But since there's no way to solve this problem, you continue on as normal. An important artifact, construction, or item also disappeared during this time. And not too long afterwards, due to an event - maybe the Big Bad's creation went out of control or maybe an asteroid hit the planet out of nowhere - the apocalypse is happening. The world is going down.
 
However, just as it's happening, you gain a second set of memories of a continuity without this whole apocalypse happening. This is the 'proper continuity' that was supposed to happen without interference.
 
Then all of a sudden, a figure appears before you (either Emiya Arthuria or Isamy Protheus), explains the situation, and asks you to join them for the sake of your universe. Obviously, you accept. If you did not, then you're probably dead, frozen by distortions, or something else horrible, sorry to say.
 
...
 
The Counter Corps currently reside within Unlimited Blade Works Camelot a massive spaceship called "And With Strange Aeons", waiting for Arthuria to prepare herself and gather up as many members as possible.
 
The Divine reside within a castle, pretty much just hanging around, waiting for Isamy to come to a decision and give them orders are currently residing within a giant, Hollow Asteroid with magic lights scattered around.

 

Rules:

Application:

[i][b][u]Application:[/u][/b][/i]



[i]"A quote that defines your character[/i]."

[b]Username:[/b]

[b]Name:[/b]

[b]Age:[/b]

[b]Gender:[/b]

[b]Appearance:[/b] (a paragraph or an image in spoilers)

[b]Origin:[/b] (Link to RP app, fanfic location, or wikia page)

[b]Biography:[/b] (If the bio is already filled out in the origin link, then just one paragraph explaining the character's recent history is enough. A minimum of three paragraphs if not)

[b]Personality:[/b] (One or two paragraphs is enough~)

[b]Faction:[/b] (Counter Corps/Divine?)

[b]Important Artifact Stolen:[/b] (An important, powerful artifact that disappeared from whatever universe this character belonged to. Should this character share a universe with another one, you don't have to fill this in.)
 
[b]Powers/Equipment:[/b] (all special powers and equipment the character possesses)
[/i]

(TBA)

Accepted Characters (Counter Corps / Divine / Other)

My Characters + Tier List

GCRP Arc Summaries

There are tons of dead roleplays out there, but wouldn't it be cool if you could reuse those characters, the ones you poured your heart and soul into making? Wouldn't it be awesome if you could have them interact with characters from other roleplays? Wouldn't it be absolutely amazing to have them work alongside each other or battle against each other? There's so much potential to this concept.
 
This is an RP, or to be exact, a Grand Crossover RP. A GCRP, created to achieve that simple purpose. Well, without further ado,

Hope you guys enjoy this ride~!
 
(Note: For any inquiries or comments, feel free to bring them up either here in the OOC or in the Skype/Discord group chats) 

Sup! Merciful Idiot here.

I've mostly come just to import the Grand Crossover RP to this new site, although you may see me in other places from time to time~

Honestly, it's still incredibly weird to think about YCM ending. But looking at the facts, it's gonna be hard to trust a forum that could disappear at any given moment even when it does come back up. At the end of the day, it's kinda like growing up, I guess. I've been on YCM since 2008, yet drifted away from the card game a loooong time ago - so how to put it? NCM? "Neo Card Maker"? No matter how I look at it, it just sounds more mature, and better, than "Yu-Gi-Oh Card Maker" in every way.

Basically, this move feels very likely like it's gonna be a permanent one for many of us. Ofc, if I'm wrong , that's cool too~

Welp, hope everyone settles in alright. Here's to a new era!