Eternal Galaxy: Phoenix - Intermission

[SUSTIC]

Palace

The Doctor after having scanned John's armor had put away his Sonic Screwdriver in his coat pocket for safe-keeping, and he turned to John as he heard a female voice play from some built-in speakers somewhere on the Spartan's powersuit. Hearing this, the Doctor got more curious and a bit excited.

"Wait what was that? Was that the component in your suit that allows an AI? Do you have an AI in your-" The Doctor was trying to speak before he and Cortana were interrupted by the others talking about something called Nihiliods. Upon hearing that name he slowly turned to Jac and Achlys. "Nihiliod... sounds like a rather... unique name. Not so happy-happy super friendly. More creepy bugsy type." The Doctor spoke with a bit of a joke as he continued to listen to Achlys's brief description of them. Hearing her description he could feel a bit of pressure over the current situation again.

"I-I'm sorry did you just say near complete genocide of this entire galaxy...? Is this why this... palace is so old and rundown? Dear that can't be good..." The Doctor replied as he quickly began moving towards the hidden access door that Jac had revealed a few minutes ago. "Okay we are in a very rundown building somewhere in a galaxy that probably has very little life in it, and inside said rundown building we are possibly surrounded by how many of these parasitic vermin you call Nihiliods?"



Hall of the Wyverns | Electra | Geminiea Alpha

It was around the beginning of a new day. Things were getting quite busy due to an upcoming attack on the Aristocrats Data Center. People were running back and forth preparing for the attack, all the while the leader of the Wyverns was... sleeping in.

It was a little later in the morning and Drake was still sound asleep in his bed. He had a content look on his face as his head rested on the soft pillows. Then suddenly the quiet of his room was interrupted by the sound of his alarm clock going off. Hearing this Drake got a look of irritance as he covered his head with one of his pillows. All the while he took one of his free hands to turn off his alarm clock.

"Ugh... just... ten more minutes..."


Nevaaras | Astraea's location

After the communication ended Astraea sighed a bit of relief. Thank god Emil is a bit easier on her than Hallman is... With that out of the way she took what Emil said to heart, and as she seemed to grow a more serious look on her face. Suddenly her body began surging electricity as her irises turn a purplish-red color instead of pure red. Without saying anything she took off high into the sky so she can begin scanning the city for any signs of Megumi.



The Expense | Hallman's Office

As the call from Astraea ended, Hallman had quickly entered his office with a small bag of pretzels from one of the venders on the ship. With a pretzel in his mouth he turned to Emil and spoke.

"So how'd it go? I hope you taught her a lesson. Damn bitch can't even track a simple target properly... not since the air-lock incident anyways." He said as he tossed another small pretzel into his mouth.

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko When They Cry - Worldend dominator
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mVr0IUQ6BwE

---

Phorma's blow sent Terra flying back a bit. She crashed without elegance into the ground and coughed a bit, the wind having been knocked out of her lungs. Regardless, Terra did her best to get into a standing position, and after a small amount of coughing, regained herself. Her first attempt at tricking the Null was unsuccessful. Terra could live with that. If anything, he only showed her that he was relying heavily on Phenom's speed to win. She was certain she could use that against him.

After thinking it through for another moment, Terra moved. She twisted her body, using the teleportation spell she had utilized earlier when she fought his army. This time, she reappeared behind Phorma. She summoned her bow to her hand, ready to shoot at him from behind, although this was more as persuasion than an actual attack. Terra planned on baiting him with her arrows, goading him into attacking at super speed, where he would come crashing right into the invisible barrier she had erected in front of herself. She just had to make sure he attacked her in the front. Most barriers were visible, but coupled with her affinity for light magic, she was able to refract the light around it to make it invisible. This demanded concentration from her, however, and in addition to firing her light arrows and forming the barrier, it would have been too taxing to surround herself with it. A frontal barrier was all she could manage currently.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Blazblue OST - The Tyrant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnkNMslfJa4

---

Phorma glanced around, searching for Terra as she promptly vanished from sight. When he did not find her, he concluded that she either ran away, or had maneuvered herself behind him somehow. He spun around and sure enough, there she was. It was almost as if she was taunting him. Luckily for him, Terra lacked the Close-Quarters Combat prowess that Phenom had simply due to his abilities and upbringing. As such, he opted to just charge through her arrows, dancing between them as they sailed his way. He raised his arm up once more to clothesline her again, but instead...

WHAM

He plowed straight into the barrier that Terra had erected at top speed, stunning him temporarily. He stumbled clumsily around as he tried to regain his composure.

---

Prosperity Atmosphere | Space Station "Heaven" Exterior

---

As the battle raged below, Metkiy laid in a harness, fastened to it by powerful magnets in his clothes. He was ever so patiently awaiting his chance to take a shot at this null, but was told to wait until the chances of defeating the Null dropped below 10%. As he observed the battle through his high-powered scope, he paid extra special attention to the equations surrounding the fight. They told him that the chance of success was still floating somewhere around 15%, meaning that he was not yet needed.

[WriggleRid3r]

Hall of the Wyverns | Electra | Geminiea Alpha

---

Unfortunately for Drake, his bedroom door opened, letting in a lot of light as Erin waddled inside. At first, the darkness in the room as well as all the clutter inside made it hard for Erin to locate Drake, but the fleshy colored arm protruding from the blanket revealed it all.

"Draaaaaaake-" Erin shook what was presumed as Drake's body in an attempt to wake him up. "Wake up, sleepyhead, we have a strategy meeting to attend to."

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko When They Cry - Worldend dominator
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mVr0IUQ6BwE

---

Now, Terra thought, dispelling her barrier and lunging forward. It was fortunate that he had taken her bait. Quickly she reached his stumbling body and slashed him with her magic sword, then again, again, again, then she plunged the blade's point into him over and over again, stabbing with an incredible speed. Without a moment's pause, she jumped up, kicked him, rebounded off his body, spun back to face him, and shot arrows into his body, rapidly, more rapidly than a woodpecker hammering on on a tree's bark with its pointed beak. Then a beam of light, rocketing out of her extended hands, shooting down into her opponent. Terra fell to the ground, landed squarely on her feet, and panted, looking back in the direction of her foe, hoping to see him beaten.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Blazblue OST - The Tyrant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnkNMslfJa4

---

Unfortunately, all Terra had succeeded in doing was infuriating Phorma all the more. He rose to his feet, rage filling his eyes as he glared at Terra, death in his eyes. He was through being mocked. No more savoring, no more playing around. He was going to smash Terra into a fine red paste.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!!"

Phorma immediately vanished, charging at Terra at blinding speed. Anticipating another barrier, he doubled around behind her and grabbed her by the back of her collar, tossing her into the air a short way before grabbing her ankle and smashing her down into the ground. He then drove his foot into her arm and ground the heel against it for a moment.

"FUCK ENJOYING THIS KILL. YOU'VE INSULTED ME FOR THE LAST TIME. I'M GOING TO GUT YOU AND..."

As Phorma was screaming at Terra, a brilliant flash of light streaked through the air and pierced through Phorma's head, sending his body flying and skidding across the ground. The shot came from Metkiy, who had fired just as the chance of success dropped as low as 1%... at least from what he saw. For some reason, though, those numbers were now skyrocketing. Back down on the ground...

---

BGM: Shiro Sagisu - In My Spirit (Rayden Remix) (0:00 - 0:55)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_bAdo7SHFA

---

Phenom's screaming had finally subsided. Perhaps his mind had finally registered that what he was witnessing was fake? He slowly staggered to his feet, his head hung low. Slowly, he began marching towards Phorma, his breathing oddly calm considering what he had just gone through. As he passed by Terra, he stopped and glanced over at her.

"Jamie... I'm sorry... I won't let him hurt you this time...", He muttered.

---

"J... Jamie? Who's Jam.... oh my god.." Lachesis said from the other side of her monitor, "He's having a Flashback! This isn't good, ooooooh this is not good! Mike!" she called over her headset. "Mike, send a medical team down to the surface now! Phenom's flashing back! Holding pattern until threat level is zero!"

---

Phenom looked back up to Phorma, who had risen back to his feet.

"GOD DAMMIT, WHY WON'T YOU ALL JUST SIT DOWN AND DIE!?" he snarled, slamming his fist into the ground. The impact created a small crater beneath Phorma. He looked back up at Terra, only to see Phenom standing before him. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING UP. WHY AREN'T YOU WRITHING IN AGONY!?"

---

BGM: (0:55 - 1:16)

---

Glaring at the Null before him, Phenom stood silently. He looked completely calm, but within... his mind was still repeating the events that created this condition in the first place, and saw Phorma not as some form of alien creature, but rather as the man who executed Jamie in his arms. His heart rate increased drastically as the pacemaker within his body was pushed to its limits. Phenom stepped towards Phorma, the ground breaking beneath his feet.

"Never again..." He muttered.

"FUCK YOU, PHENOM, YOU'RE JUST GOING TO DIE LIKE A DOG IF YOU KEEP FIGHTING ME LIKE THIS."

"NEVER AGAIN!!" Phenom screamed,

---

BGM: (1:16 - 3:16)

---

Phenom vanished and reappeared before Phorma before he even realized it. He drove his fist into the ground, barely grazing Phorma's face. The impact ruptured the ground beneath the Null and sent him sailing into the air. He turned his head downward to see that Phenom had already vanished before he reappeared above him.

"WHAT!?" He cried in disbelief. For someone who has Phenom's speed and reaction time, he had suddenly been surpassed for no clear reason. Phenom landed a punch square in Phorma's chest sending him plowing into the ground below, creating a sizeable crater. Landing beside the Null, he pulled him out and tossed him a small ways in the air, grabbing him by his ankles. Phenom then proceeded to repeatedly flail the Null over his head, slamming him into the ground multiple times. Following this onslaught of earth, he spun around once and whipped the Null, sending him sailing through the air.

"WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM!?"

Phenom was immediately behind Phorma and sent him flying into the ground once more with a powerful aerial axe kick. Before Phorma could hit the ground, however, Phenom was below him. The Angel drove his fist deep into the Null's back, stopping him from falling and nearly breaking through his body at the same time. Any normal creature would have been impaled immediately. Phenom lowered Phorma to waist height and merely vanished for a few seconds. Phorma, however, knew exactly what was happening, and anyone watching him flailing around would understand as well. Phenom was moving so quickly around Phorma, and striking him with such force from multiple directions almost simultaneously, that the shockwaves of the punches and kicks could be seen shooting through Phorma's hovering body.

Phenom then caught Phorma's body and held him by his head with his left hand and thrust his right arm into Phorma's gut with as much force as he could muster. He jumped behind Phorma's sailing body and caught him, throwing him into the nearby mountain. As the Null impacted with enough force to generate yet another small crater, Phenom was already upon him. He began driving his foot into Phorma's chest over and over again, causing the crater to grow deeper and deeper with each stomp. Eventually Phorma mustered the energy to drive his own foot into Phenom, sending the Angel flying away. As Phenom fell to the ground, he could once more feel his body slowing.

Phorma returned to his adversary, only to notice that he was having difficulties moving.

---

BGM: (3:16 - 3:39)

---

"WHAT?! SO THAT'S IT!? THAT'S YOUR LAST BURST OF HEROISM? WASTED ON AN IMMORTAL BEING?! PATHETIC! Phorma jeered, he began to cackle as he realized Phenom's body could no longer exceed its limitations. He knew there was a pacemaker of sorts in his body. Apparently it had finally reached it's shut down point. Seizing the opportunity, Phorma drove his foot into Phenom's gut, which threw him through a building and tumbling through the battlefield.

As Phenom laid on the ground, he raised a fist and drove it into the earth beneath him. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself up onto all fours.

"Why... why won't he die?" He growled. He began to rise back to his feet, suddenly aware of the pacemaker in his body, despite mentally being years in the past. ""I need more time. GIVE ME MORE TIME!"

As Phenom cried out, his pacemaker shut down, but his body continued producing adrenaline. Any normal person would have been killed instantly, but Phenom was no normal person. His heart rate increased exponentially as his body reacted to the unfiltered adrenaline now pulsing through his veins.

---

BGM: (3:19 - End)

---

Phenom rushed towards Phorma, the ground behind him rupturing as though it were lined with with explosives. He grabbed Phorma by his head once more, before the Null could even react. He then proceeded to drive Phorma, headfirst, into the ground over and over again in rapid succession. From outside the fight, it would appear as though it was simply a blur, similar to a jackhammer punching its way into the ground. As the crater beneath the both of them deepened, Phenom embedded Phorma's body in the stone beneath them and straddled his chest.

"WHY THE FUCK WON'T YOU DIE!? DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!", It sounded almost like Phenom was begging Phorma to die as he began piledriving the Null's face with his fists over and over, driving the two of them deeper and making the crater wider with the sheer force of his punches. Over the course of a few seconds, thousands of earth-shattering punches had been delivered to Phorma's unbelievably durable face. When the pummeling finally stopped, Phorma was no longer moving. He was not dead, but he was stunned, for good reason. Slowly, Phenom's mind returned to reality and he immediately reacted to the insurmountable pain overcoming his heart. He could feel his consciousness slipping away, and in his last moment of lucidity, he gripped the Corlaviri crystal mounted in his cloak. After that, he passed out atop Phorma.

---

BGM: None
"MEDICAL TEAM, GET DOWN THERE NOW! PHENOM'S HEART RATE HAS FAR EXCEEDED SAFE PARAMETERS!" Lachesis cried through her headset, "GET HIM OUT OF THERE BEFORE HE DIES! ANOTHER TEAM IS BEING SENT DOWN AFTER YOU TO SEE TO AMANDA, GASPARD, AND TERRA!"

---

Several dropships began descending from the sky, and a number of Angels ran out from within them.

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey

At first, Terra did not understand what Phenom was saying as he walked over to Phorma. Was it because of the pain of being sent crashing into the hard ground interfering with her ability to concentrate? Perhaps. But eventually, his words slipped through to her, and Terra sat up, looking at Phenom's back as he walked away. "...Jamie...?"

Most likely, it had to do with Phenom's traumatic hallucination. Still, it caught Terra off-guard. Warmth hit her face, sweat coming down from her head and blood rushing out towards her skin. She wasn't sure what emotion she felt upon being called Jamie, but Terra definitely felt uncomfortable. Was she afraid of Phenom's mental state? That seemed like the best guess. But something about it was personal as well, and it dug under Terra's skin, gnawing into her brain with a vengeance. She felt... she felt... what did she feel? Being seen as someone else just made her feel... Weird.

She continued to ponder as she noticed some ships falling from the sky. Terra felt as though... she had been overwritten, somehow. Within Phenom's bizarre dreamscape, Terra's face, her name, her past and her future had all been replaced with someone else's. Phenom no longer saw her or knew her. He only saw "Jamie" when he looked at her for that brief moment, and as such, he had looked at her... differently. Phenom was a stranger to her. Then he suddenly acted as though he knew her, wanted to protect her from... something... Terra didn't quite understand why, but it disturbed her. The notion that, to him, she was "Jamie," horrified her.

[Cucoo5]

Palace

"Let's just say we don't know and we don't care to find out." Jac replied. "We've been living in such a way that wouldn't attract them, but now we've been activating our tech which will attract them. And when we activate the main power core, well, that would be the equivalent of activating a beacon saying we-are-here. If we move quickly enough, we might be able to get in and out of the labs without encountering any."

"Now let's go. Condor Group 1 and 2 will take point while Group 3 will take the rear as we descend. It's a bit of a climb, but from here it's the best way to get to both labs and power core." Achlys then stood by as the first two groups crawled into the maintence room and began the climb down single file. She waited for John, Mara, and the Doctor to follow suit.

---

Prosperity

Just as Phenom lost consciousness, a shadow seemed to pull him off of Phorma into itself. "So, that's what they're capable of." Ian relaxed as he put down his rifle, contemplating what he thought of Phenom and the girl's abilities. "Reckless..." He muttered the word as if it was what he really felt, but then realized he was also reckless during the battle. I was knocked out of the air. I should know better. But then again... I never fought a Null that took on the form of an outsider. His face hardened at this thought. He was familiar with combating Venturians. The outsiders, however, didn't have the same tactics or even abilities. It was a game changer; now they had to worry about a new set of variables. Aion isn't going to like this.

During the battle, he had been fighting off the pleas of the two squadron groups to join in the fight, especially when they noticed he had been forced down. When he saw a shadow of a Dei'arc Umbra approaching, he lowered his fighter's shields and opened a comm link with the others. "Fight's over. Regroup at my location." Without waiting for a reply, he closed the channel and vaulted over to where the Umbra appeared with Phenom, whom was placed next to the Interceptor.

"It's a good thing I prepared those potions in advance. He's unconscious, but his heart rate is still high."

"Aura treatment might help stabilize him?"

"Most likely." The Umbra woman pulled out two glass vials. "These potions will at least help ease his heart rate back to normal, but I don't know if they'll be enough."

"I'll rig the barrier to concentrate on him. How strong?"

"Try One percent." Without further ado, Ian entered the parameters into the remote device that controlled his fighter while the Umbra eased one of the vial's liquids into Phenom's mouth. The Aura core of the fighter hummed as it gradually released energy into the area around the unconscious man. While the treatment was underway, the rest of the squad landed nearby. Sarah immediately jumped out and approached Ian firing off questions.

"What the frict, Commander? Why did you sideline us? Why didn't you call us in when you were ground-" Ian raised his hand and clenched it into a fist signaling her to be silent. All the others were agitated as well but didn't dare question him now.

***

The air near the Null seemed to shatter and a young girl dressed in red with long-blonde hair appeared. Black arcs of a strange substance emanated from her shoulders like big black wings that acted more like spider legs as they lifted her off the ground. "Hehehehe~ Finally! A new toy!" Crystalline threads grew out of her black wings which, with a toss of her hands, skewered Phorma and began wrapping around his bones before lifting him up like a puppet. "There!" She giggled even more as she began to slowly circle the crater moving Phorma around as if he really was a marionette.

Because of the properties of the threads, even if Phorma were to reawaken he would find himself unable to move or break the restraints.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey

---

Several minutes had passed since Gaspard had cleaned up the last of the grunts, he caught the very tail-end of the fight. After the whole thing had ended, and Phenom was dragged over towards Ian's ship, he immediately headed that way, the medical team rushing past him to take Phenom from them.

"Comrade Ian, I must speak with you!" Gaspard called out as he approached him.

The other dropship teams rushed over to Terra and Amanda. Amanda, still unconscious, was loaded onto a Hardlight Gurney and carried over to one of the medical dropships. She was immediately evacuated to Heaven.

The team that approached Terra took quick notice that she was still awake and functioning. They immediately began questioning her.

"Young lady, are you alright? Is there anything numb? Anything hurting severely? Are you breathing alright?" the medics asked. They then noticed the bruising on the arm that Phorma had stomped on. "Is your arm feeling alright? Tell us anything that might help us treat you more effectively."

The Medics approaching Phenom, Ian, and the Umbra insisted the Hunters allow them to take Phenom's Body. "Whatever you've given him, I can guarantee you that it's not going to be much help for very long. This is a very specific procedure that must be carried out." The head medic for that team said, "Give us the Major, we're going to make sure he survives and makes a full recovery."

Gaspard spoke once more as he drew near Ian. "Mon Ami, There is something that you must know about Majeur Ortus. May we speak in private?" It was then that he was approached by the fourth medic team that had arrived. He waved them down. "I am fine, stand by, please. I'm going to need a lift back to Heaven."

[S121]

Palace

Upon hearing about the Nihilids, Cortana suddenly interjected and spoke out through John's speakers.

"Wait, another group of parasites? Do you have a recorded reading on their energy signatures or data pertaining to them?", Cortana urgently asked Jac before John spoke up.

"I've met enough parasitic galaxy destroying aliens to last me a lifetime. I'd rather not meet another.", John said to Cortana. He thought that the last thing they wanted to do was stand and wait for a horde of creatures that could very well be the death of the entire group, but right before he was about to urge Jac to lead them onward, Cortana spoke again.

"If I can get my hands on the data, I might be able to scan through it and look for weaknesses in case we do find them. Think of it as a mobile briefing."

John simply looked down as he quickly considered what Cortana had said, then looked at Jack before speaking.

"Let's move, but give Cortana any data you have as we go. The more prepared we are, the better.", John said to Jac before quickly making a status check on his gun. If they ran even the smallest chance of coming face-to-face with a menace such as the Nihilids, John wanted no surprises.





Hospital - CY-001 - Nevaaras

After a couple minutes of walking, Ethan had finally made it to the hospital with the pale girl in his arms. It didn't take long for him to reach the ER, and once he did, he walked up to the receptionist and filled her in on the girl's situation. After that, the receptionist called up some of the staff to receive Megumi and take her into the emergency room.

Once the girl was taken care of, Ethan gave a light sigh of satisfaction and began to walk out of the hospital.

"Welp, my job here is done. Off to the tower for a shower.~", Ethan said to himself as he walked out the doors to the hospital and back to the outside.





The Expense | Hallman's Office

"It went as I had expected. She's returned to her mission after I told her what would likely happen to her if she failed.", Emil explained to Hallman before considering what his boss had said.

"Airlock? What exactly happened?", Emil asked Hallman in a slightly curious tone of voice, masking it just enough to make it seem like he needed a distraction.

[SUSTIC]

Palace

The Doctor began making his way through the secret passageway, and as he did he continued to examine his surroundings. Even under the potential threat of getting ambushed, the Doctor didn't seem all too bothered or focused. He examined the walls, and other various things they passed while climbing down the tunnel. In all honesty the Doctor was acting more like a tourist at a museum or new city. However he did seem to occasionally check his Sonic Screwdriver in case there was anything wrong with it. After all one thing in the back of his mind did trouble him a bit, and that was why he was ejected from the TARDIS in mid-travel... He was just being sure that nothing bad happened to one of the only tools he has on him.

After checking to see if his small pen-like device was working properly, he looked at the others when he heard Cortana beginning to speak. Hearing her speak from the speakers in John's suit, the Doctor laughed and smiled. However he didn't say anything, rather he just continued to make his way through the tunnel while occasionally chuckling to himself every now and then.



Hospital - CY-001 - Nevaaras


THANKFULLY Ethan had finally managed to drop off the unconscious Megumi, and is now ready to go rest to take a shower. However things were soon going to become even worse for not just Megumi, but also Ethan and potentially the colony. For Astraea was now hovering over the city, scanning it for any traces of Megumi. It took a while but when she scanned over the hospital, she detected Megumi's tracking device inside. Having detected and finally tracked Megumi, Astraea clenched her blade and began flying down at a high speed.

Her body occasionally releasing small surges of electricity around her wings, and her eyes sharp and focused on the hospital, she came flying down towards the earth when suddenly a transport ship leaving the Colony for one of the many mining facilities scattered across the planet flew right by Astraea at just the right time. The speed of which the ship was flying was enough to cause Astraea's quick, yet accurate descent down to turn into a chaotic fall. Her previously serious expression was quickly replaced by a loud scream of panic as the angeloid was struggling to recover. Her intended target was also changed for the hospital itself to just directly above Ethan.



The Expense | Hallman's Office

Hallman was about to finally sit in the chair next to his desk as he was finally wanting to catch up on some plans he was working on earlier, however before he could sit down he stopped in his tracks. The president of GRACE was standing completely still as he was about to toss another pretzel into his mouth. The man simply stared at Emil trying to think of a way to catch himself, and quickly he came up with a rather... poor idea.

"Air Lock. What Air Lock? I have no idea what you're talking about." Hallman quickly spoke in a rush before tossed the pretzel into his mouth. It was clearly a blatant lie.

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey

The sudden wave of medics and doctors overwhelmed Terra. They ran up to her and asked her if she was hurt anywhere, then took notice of her battered arm, courtesy of Phorma. It certainly hurt, but it didn't feel as though he had caused any damage. The same went for the rest of Terra's body. She hurt, but she felt as though everything was alright.

Terra's eyes widened. An epiphany had hit her. The fight... was over. And she was... still alive. Still unbroken. She had survived. A sigh escaped Terra's mouth. "I'm alright, I think," Terra said, unsureness obvious in her tone. She looked around at the carnage surrounding her. It saddened her to see what had happened to this village that had been so peaceful such a short time ago. She wished they hadn't all been killed. But... at least the rest of the planet was safe now.

[Cucoo5]

Palace

As they descended, Achlys explained further: "The only data we can give you is that there is no data. Nothing. No scanners can detect them since they have no energy reading, no physical reading, nothing. So we look for nothing when there should be something. That's how we've been able to detect them. The only thing we do know aside from that is that whatever form they take can be killed but the means we use to kill them with will eventually become useless. Our weapons now are about to become so; we just don't know how much longer we have."

---

Prosperity
Ian and the Umbra looked from the medics and Gaspard to each other and both seemed to silently know what to do. Ian got up and went over to Gaspard while the Umbra helped the medics with Phenom but did not go further as she stayed with the other Hunteri. Ian was troubled still by the turn of events, but hid it behind his calm demeanor. "For Humans of Old Earth, you certainly don't act the part." It was a hint that he had a hunch on what Gaspard was about to tell him.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey

---

"Oui. While we are, indeed, from Earth," The elderly Frenchman began, "One could hardly call us typical humans. We concluded earlier that our Earth is not the same as yours, remember. While, yes, we are biologically human... well... Now that I think of it, there is no need to hide these things. Anyone who is interested from your group may be enlightened... What I am about to tell you is heavily classified information, however. Please do not go telling just anyone."

"As you were made aware of before, we call ourselves Angels. If humans in this universe revere Angels as well, we are technically one and the same. You see, mon ami... In our universe, the concept of God, Heaven, and Angels were all spawned of eye-witness accounts of our operatives in ancient times. We predate societal history, surprisingly... at least on Earth. Guardian Angels are a special breed of Angel. We, all but one of us, have special abilities. Mine is foresight, the woman who was knocked out earlier is capable of teleporting short distances, and Phenom's... Phenom's ability, contrary to what one may believe, is not super speed or super strength. No... Phenom's ability is that his physical limiters have released themselves, and his body produces unfathomable amounts of adrenaline"

"Enough Adrenaline, as you have seen, to amplify his abilities up to two-thousand times what a typical human is capable of. However, typically, he has a specialized pacemaker that moderates this, cutting it down to a manageable one-thousand times.. What you've just witnessed... is what happens when Phenom is forced to have a Flashback. He actually forced his pacemaker to shut down. Had the fight lasted 30 seconds longer, his heart would have exploded before we could safely lift him to Heaven."

He pointed back at the dropship with the expanded carrier bay that Phenom was being loaded into. The amount of medical instruments within were staggeringly more than the other three dropships.

"We do not fit that dropship with more equipment because we favor Majeur Phenom. Simply... without half of that equipment supporting him when he has no pacemaker... he will die."

Over by Terra, the small group of medics around her began their own procedures.

"Young lady, you may be fine, but please remain still. We're going to take you to our infirmary so that we can get a full diagnostic on your injuries. You've basically just fought Phenom. Surviving such encounters with few injuries is very lucky. We predict Lady Amanda has heavy internal bleeding... You're lucky. Please remain still." The medics then began projecting a hardlight gurney underneath Terra's body, and lifted her a few feet into the air before escorting her to their respective dropship.

[S121]

Palace

"Then can I have whatever data you do have? Any anecdotal information would be nice.", Cortana said to Achlys, hoping to get at least stories of the creatures from them. To her, any and all possible information was important and needed to be given to her.





Hospital - CY-001 - Nevaaras

All of a sudden, a loud scream from up above ripped Ethan's attention away from thoughts of showering as he looked up to see where the sound came from. To his surprise, a strange blond woman, an... angel... fell from the sky. There was not enough time to react to the situation. The only thing Ethan could do was clench his teeth, brace for impact, and pray that he wouldn't get hit.





The Expense | Hallman's Office

To be honest, Emil was not impressed by Hallman's lie. It was clear he was hiding something, and Emil intended to find out.

"Bullshit. For a businessman, you are a very poor liar.", Emil rather calmly said to Hallman as he crossed his arms and looked at Hallman with a rather incredulous look on his face, as if he couldn't believe that Hallman would even attempt to lie to him.