The Ruler of the Underworld smiled, pleased with their answers. They varied, they were diverse. Some heroic, some selfish. Some meaningless, others misguided. But nonetheless the Champions of Humanity were unified in their purpose despite their differing reasons: they all sought to overthrow her, destroy her, and end her life. There was a certain irony in being confronted by those that carry Her gifts. But this was his design, his grand scheme. All serve a purpose, all serve a grand design. Imeroth's words, and those repeated by Nefarian, echoed in her mind as she stood high upon her platform. Phetra reached toward the heavens and ignited a small purple flame in her hand, still smiling down at them. "And the young girl reached toward the heavens, with rage in her eyes. She had learned her fate. And you will learn yours too." The purple energy sparked and then suddenly flashed brightly, bursting outwards in a pulse of energy to encompass the entirety of Ganzir. The sphere of white light buckled at it, not harmed but disturbed by it. And as the purple light enveloped the Champions of Humanity suddenly the Soulstones they acquired from the Spider shattered like glass. "We'll be rid of these disturbances. They have no place in the halls of the Queen of the Dead."Being dragged to this new terrain, the champions of humanity finally faced Phetra down. Though the ruler of the underworld deigned to speak rather than act and asked that the champions follow suit. The question raised was a simple one on the surface, it made Lucifer consider his motivations for a moment. The child of Tiamat had been through many phases since his rebirth, he attempted to understand humanity then he tried to bridge the gap between them by explaining Tiamat as he understood her, everything changed when he met the sentinels and experienced that strange vision. He saw what he believed to be Tiamat trapped, by a monstrous serpentine creature with glowing eyes.
“I seek to release Tiamat from her chains, so that she may be truly free both body and mind.”
Listening carefully to the fragmented hints scattered throughout her boastful speech. Her history started to become clear. "Divinity" can be achieved and apparently misused. True gods lack imperfection and judging from the state of the underworld, Phetra has it in spades. Upon hearing her last question Hei steps forward and simply answers
"Balance"
He didn't want fame or glory. Nor power or riches. Only to stop the threat that disrupts the natural order, or at very least his understanding of it.
Panthalassa was thrown completely out onto the deep waters without so much of a floater. He had known, jumping into the portal to the Underworld, that he was truly ignorant of the circumstances of the World. Battle after battle, he had become completely aware of his own powerlessness and ignorance, yet he was nothing more than a FLY in the face of a GOD. He stood apart from the Champions of Humanity and voiced his own answer.
"I seek power and loot, to be honest. I joined the Champions to help Humanity, but these challenges have so far appeared completely unjust and unnatural. I don't think what we are doing is right, so morality is out of the question. But we shall defeat you... because that appears to be what your plan is. So if we are going by your plan, at least I want to gain something out of it."
Merlin listened silently to each answer given by the warriors whom he had fought alongside through Irkalla. They were varied, where some spoke of their service to the greater good, and others their own self-interest. Though their reasons were diverse, there was one thing that united all those present on the journey to defeat Phetra, one commonality that persisted in their motivations; humanity. Humanity, not in the biological sense of the word, as some among them were not human themselves, Merlin included, but in terms of their nature. To be altruistic, to be selfish, to be principled, to be unscrupulous; to be all of these things is to be human. To exist in such a way is both the beauty and tragedy of mankind. It was because Merlin found that contradiction beautiful that he wished for a happy end for all mankind. Speaking with uncharacteristic gravitas, the Magus of Flowers would give the final answer to the question that echoed throughout the hadean realm.
"A future for mankind."
Emiya stared up at the source of the melodically venomous voice, her words dripping with the clearest disdain for the Gods, the world they left behind, and the humans who blindly inhabited it. She asked the Champions before her a simple question. What would defeating her mean? What would they achieve? They had all fought together through some truly terrifying challenges, from the Twins who weaved together the fabric of reality in a harmonic melody, to one who would judge the dead, and weigh their deeds to determine what kind of afterlife they got to live out. These were no mere obstacles, they were Gods in their own right, and yet for all intents and purposes, they amounted to naught but roadblocks to Phetra herself. This was not to imply Phetra was even stronger than they, though surely that was true. No. Emiya's mind wandered to what purpose they served here. Writing and rewriting and unwriting reality, judging the souls of the dead, sending them to a hellish landscape to be tortured, or to a paradisiacal vista to live out eternity in sheer bliss. Even though the Champions had "triumphed" over these figures, neither seemed to have been completely destroyed, or killed, or otherwise had their existence permanently rendered null, which in hindsight would have been bad. It was unintentional, but the Champions had, with their actions, seemingly been disrupting the delicate balance between life and death with their mere presence within Irkalla. What would happen should Falnir's judging of Souls come to an abrupt end, or the weavers of Fate suddenly stop singing? Emiya shuddered at the thought of this entire afterlife system crashing down around them out of a petty desire to see Phetra receive justice for her actions, or worse out of a desire for treasures, or fame. Emiya's answer was simple to the point of being crudely childish;
"I don't know... But we can't just let you do as you please."
Naruto looked on as they had reached the final threshold. He listened to the answers given and realized everyone had their own reason for being here in this final encounter. However, the answer he had was simple and pretty uncool. Though he knew, he was here to save humanity. That's why they were called the Champions, correct? It was his sworn duty to protect his family and friends, and if Phetra was the newest threat to try and harm them, well, there was only one thing to do.
"If we don't defeat you. Then who will?! I don't know what all it'll mean when we do beat you, but I do know it'll feel good to kick your ass, believe it! You've got no right to try and hurt the people of this world and we're gonna stop you!"
Douman looked up at the supposed God of the underworld, his expression somewhat vacant and dissatisfied. Truth be told he expected more from the underworld but in reality he didn't quite know what to expect when it came to this place. He heard the question posed to the group from Phetra and was taken aback slightly. He expected her to be in more of a foul mood and not at all wanting to ask questions after all the champions had barged there way into her kingdom and were in a sense seeking its destruction he couldn't help but think they were beyond the point of asking questions, perhaps it was an attempt to bring out unease within the group, perhaps it alluded to more. Would she simply stand down if our reasons were justified? Doubtful, laughably so. Perhaps she would choose who to bully and torture first depending on their answer, would she go after those pure of heart in their ambition? or go after those whose reasons she didn't deem understandable. Douman decided the best course of action was to simply remain silent and just stare at the goddess, whether she would find that insulting or not was entirely up to her.
Kōtetsu spent no time thinking about a response when the ruler of the underworld posed her question, because he already had his answer. He would meet her in battle for the same reason he stood against Tiamat. For the same reason he ventured to the Dark Tower in search of a cure for the red fever, and for the same reason he aimed to unlock the secrets of the core Siri’s wore around her neck.
"For the safety of my people"
Vayne simply nodded his head in agreement with Kotetsu’s statement, mirroring his desires.
(Hametsu) – Ruin
Type: Supplementary
Rank: S
Range: Short – Long
Chakra: N/A
Damage: N/A
Description: The epic conclusion has arrived. There will be no holds on this battle, no second chances. An all or nothing showdown between the Ruler of the Underworld and the Champions of Humanity. Phetra begins battle by destroying all Soulstones, turning them to dust. This technique takes the shape of radiating light enveloping all its targets, not harming them at all. It simply targets Soulstones, using its Divine nature to circumvent all defenses. They shatter like glass.
Rank: S
Range: Short – Long
Chakra: N/A
Damage: N/A
Description: The epic conclusion has arrived. There will be no holds on this battle, no second chances. An all or nothing showdown between the Ruler of the Underworld and the Champions of Humanity. Phetra begins battle by destroying all Soulstones, turning them to dust. This technique takes the shape of radiating light enveloping all its targets, not harming them at all. It simply targets Soulstones, using its Divine nature to circumvent all defenses. They shatter like glass.
Pazuzu acted first, swinging his scythe with remarkable alacrity. As it swung downward it unleashed a terrible gust of wind so tall that it could reach the heights of the cavernous-like island that was Ganzir, being seventy meters tall and wide. The gust blitzed toward the Champions of Humanity, looking to envelope them all in its devastating potency. Lamashtu remained inactive, standing at the ready.
(Kodai no Ban’nin) – The Ancient Keepers
Type: Supplementary
Rank: Forbidden
Range: Short – Long
Chakra: N/A
Damage: N/A
Description: The Ancient Keepers, Pazuzu and Lamashtu, are two of the Divine Stewards of Irkalla. Within Irkalla’s hierarchy they are only outranked by the Ruler of the Underworld. While they are Divine in their own right, they possess no Divinity for an inexplicable reason. Because of this any mortal attack used against them will typically be successful; though this should not detract from their power, as they are still incredibly threatening enemies that wield power over the many souls that reside in the Underworld. They appear as two twin entities, both towering as three-meter-tall grey humanoids with winged backs, long arms, and lion-like faces. They both have individual health pools and utilize different abilities and traits.
Pazuzu, Ancient Keeper
Health: 180
Pazuzu is endowed with 180 Health Points. He is capable of moving at thrice a Sage’s base speed, tracking at twice his speed’s level. All physical clashes against his body are reduced by 30% effectiveness. Pazuzu’s physical attacks using his body can inflict anywhere between 40 and 120 damage; while they are not techniques in their own right, each attack he makes must be confronted as if a technique and cannot be dodged with freeform unless its speed exceeds his own. Pazuzu wields a giant scythe made of a strange black metal.
Lamashtu, Ancient Keeper
Health: 180
Lamashtu is endowed with 180 Health Points. He is capable of moving at a Sage’s base speed. Between the twins Lamashtu is a caster-type, endowed with absolute immunity to any techniques used by Champions of Humanity in their living states. Each turn Lamashtu is capable of releasing projectiles of light from anywhere on his body that inflict between 40 and 120 damage, and are treated as if containing 50 chakra. They must be confronted as if a technique and cannot be dodged with freeform unless their target exceeds its speed. The light moves at twice the speed of an S-Rank Lightning Release technique.
Rank: Forbidden
Range: Short – Long
Chakra: N/A
Damage: N/A
Description: The Ancient Keepers, Pazuzu and Lamashtu, are two of the Divine Stewards of Irkalla. Within Irkalla’s hierarchy they are only outranked by the Ruler of the Underworld. While they are Divine in their own right, they possess no Divinity for an inexplicable reason. Because of this any mortal attack used against them will typically be successful; though this should not detract from their power, as they are still incredibly threatening enemies that wield power over the many souls that reside in the Underworld. They appear as two twin entities, both towering as three-meter-tall grey humanoids with winged backs, long arms, and lion-like faces. They both have individual health pools and utilize different abilities and traits.
Pazuzu, Ancient Keeper
Health: 180
Pazuzu is endowed with 180 Health Points. He is capable of moving at thrice a Sage’s base speed, tracking at twice his speed’s level. All physical clashes against his body are reduced by 30% effectiveness. Pazuzu’s physical attacks using his body can inflict anywhere between 40 and 120 damage; while they are not techniques in their own right, each attack he makes must be confronted as if a technique and cannot be dodged with freeform unless its speed exceeds his own. Pazuzu wields a giant scythe made of a strange black metal.
Lamashtu, Ancient Keeper
Health: 180
Lamashtu is endowed with 180 Health Points. He is capable of moving at a Sage’s base speed. Between the twins Lamashtu is a caster-type, endowed with absolute immunity to any techniques used by Champions of Humanity in their living states. Each turn Lamashtu is capable of releasing projectiles of light from anywhere on his body that inflict between 40 and 120 damage, and are treated as if containing 50 chakra. They must be confronted as if a technique and cannot be dodged with freeform unless their target exceeds its speed. The light moves at twice the speed of an S-Rank Lightning Release technique.
Type: Offensive, Supplementary
Rank: S
Range: Short – Long
Chakra: N/A
Damage: 140
Description: A powerful Wind-like technique utilized by Pazuzu, one of the Ancient Keepers. In many ways it would appear as a normal gust of wind, moving at the same speed as a Wind Release technique of the same rank. However it is neutral to all elemental natures and is treated as if it carries 100 chakra, even though the technique itself is free of chakra. The technique itself can come in many forms, being either massive in scale or concentrated. Of those that are struck or defend against it the Breath of the Gods will afflict one target at random with the Curse of Decay.
Rank: S
Range: Short – Long
Chakra: N/A
Damage: 140
Description: A powerful Wind-like technique utilized by Pazuzu, one of the Ancient Keepers. In many ways it would appear as a normal gust of wind, moving at the same speed as a Wind Release technique of the same rank. However it is neutral to all elemental natures and is treated as if it carries 100 chakra, even though the technique itself is free of chakra. The technique itself can come in many forms, being either massive in scale or concentrated. Of those that are struck or defend against it the Breath of the Gods will afflict one target at random with the Curse of Decay.
Type: Offensive, Supplementary
Rank: Forbidden
Range: N/A
Chakra: N/A
Damage: N/A (-30 per turn)
Description: A mysterious Divine affliction that is cast by either Pazuzu or Lamashtu through their techniques. It is passive in nature, being a result of interacting with their techniques either indirectly or directly. The Curse of Decay causes the target’s health pool to steadily drop at a rate of 30 damage per turn; this damage is unhealable and cannot be mitigated by any means. This is capable of killing a target should it deplete their health pool fully. Should the target die to the Curse of Decay their spirit itself will be decayed into nothingness, causing them to have died permanently.
Rank: Forbidden
Range: N/A
Chakra: N/A
Damage: N/A (-30 per turn)
Description: A mysterious Divine affliction that is cast by either Pazuzu or Lamashtu through their techniques. It is passive in nature, being a result of interacting with their techniques either indirectly or directly. The Curse of Decay causes the target’s health pool to steadily drop at a rate of 30 damage per turn; this damage is unhealable and cannot be mitigated by any means. This is capable of killing a target should it deplete their health pool fully. Should the target die to the Curse of Decay their spirit itself will be decayed into nothingness, causing them to have died permanently.
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