Chaos Effect

Chapter 91: Chapter 91

"This isn't going well," Josiah stated, looking across the battlefield before glancing back at his father. "They just keep coming."

"We knew this was going to happen," Arno reminded him. He hefted up Thunderstrike and swung it down hard on he'd been informed were some 'Cogs' from some 'Machine Empire'. He didn't quite know what much of that meant but he did know they were a threat to his family and so had to be reduced to scrap. And it wasn't just Josiah and Edwin. He'd claimed Edna as the daughter he'd never gotten and the other Chaoses... they were variations of his eldest. And there were more still that had been captured.

If he were slightly more vicious as he slammed his axe hammer down into another of the Cogs, sending a spray of sparks all over the place, so be it.

"Yeah but we were hoping there'd be at least some sign that Edwin had made it inside and was actually-"

"He'll get them."

"-freeing prisoners." Josiah hefted up his shield and batted away some laser fire that had tried to strike them, reflecting it back at the large cannon-like robot with a tank bottom. The thing shuddered as it took the hit but kept rolling, forcing Josiah and Arno to begin running to get out of its path. Above them they saw Solomon creating constructs while Seto and Des rained as many energy blasts as they could down upon the army of machines, trying to thin out the ranks. But it was like trying to dig a trench at the beach: the waves would come and fill in your work, forcing you to begin bailing and digging once again.

"He'll do it," Arno said, utterly confident.

"I know... I just hope-"

"Kevin is supposed to be the pessimistic one," Arno pointed out and his youngest shook his head; Arno knew Josiah was smiling under his helmet. "Come on, we need to-"

There was a rumble and they turned just in time to see a large chunk of the Eternal Gate explode outward, sending white marble and polished steel flying through the air before it crashed into a squad of droids, shattering them instantly.

"...I hope that is a good sign," Josiah muttered.

~In the Past~

"This," Des said with a grunt as he forced a power cable into the device, "is a really bad idea." It was as thick as his arm and the moment the connection was made he could feel the cable vibrate as it fed power into the machine.

"We don't have a choice," Edwin stated. "Wyatt will eventually figure out what is going on... that's our luck. And when he does he will come after me. I need to be able to match him... right now even with the Ranger Suit giving me fighting skills I need to up what I know."

Des stared at the device they had created using the Stone Of What Was. A perfect fusion of the Animus and the Matrix Training Module.

"This... is a really bad idea."

Edwin merely shot him a dark look. "Then be glad it isn't you going in there," he said before he slid himself onto the chair, moving the clear visual input/output device in front of his eyes, two small clamps going over his temples.

"Alright," Des said, it clear he couldn't talk Edwin out of this mess, "I am pulling up the DNA Memories of the greatest fighters from Earth-116. Assassin's Creed. What do you want exactly?"

"Everything."

Des grimaced before flipping a switch.

Edwin trembled... and then began to scream.

~MC~MC~MC~

Wyatt's sword clashed with my Power Staff, Shadow Realm magic crackling as the two of us locked blades. I glared at my counterpart but he was utterly cool, not showing any reaction as our faces nearly touched as we tried to shove each other away. Our feet shuffled on the ground, both he and I trying to find just the right footing that would allow one to toss off the other.

It was only by dumb luck that I saw the flash of gold and was able to twist my body right before Wyatt could stab me with a smaller version of the Millennium Sword... a Millennium Knife or a Dagger or something like that. I had no idea what the name was but honestly I wasn't in the mood to find out (though if it was a dagger then I needed to fear that I might end up in a world filled with my old fanfics and no one wanted that).

"That is the problem with your choice of weapon," Wyatt said, his tone showing almost no exertion. He twisted and pressed the blade against my side, the edge cutting through my uniform and beginning to dig into my flesh. "Its best at mid range, allowing you to get in close enough to prevent me from using my revolver but not so close that I can stab you. But you like to face your foes directly... I can tell. Feel their breath on your face as they grapple with you. It makes your choice rather poorly suited for you. A pity. I thought you'd give me a challenge."

He moved to stab me again and I shifted, allowing him to move past me before I tried to smack him on the back of the neck, hoping maybe I'd hit a cluster of nerves and send him toppling. But Wyatt was quick to recover and spun on his heels, bringing the dagger up once more and this time catching me across the chest. My Ranger Uniform exploded in sparks and I was sent flying backwards, arms and legs flailing as my Power Staff slipped from my fingers thanks to the sudden fountain of sparks. I landed hard and at once Wyatt was on me, smirking as my costume disappeared, leaving me once more in my suit. He placed the Millennium Sword back in his jacket before giving me a sharp hit to the ribs with his boot.

"Fuck!" I groaned, trying to curl inward.

"Such arrogance. You call yourself the Chaos of Earth-1... as if you are the original and we are all just pale imitations." He hauled me up to my feet before slamming the handle of the dagger into where he'd just stuck me. "And yet here you are... dangling from my hand. You have shown yourself time and time again to be nothing more than a weak reflection of me." He put the dagger away before wrapping both his hands around my throat. "You run around playing card games. I survived a land torn apart by war and destruction. And you actually thought you could win?" His tone held no anger, no delight. Just cold detachment. "See where that got you? Strangled by me. But I suppose, for the bond we share on a genetic level, I should give you some final words before I throw you in a cell. So... what say you?"

I gurgled as he loosened his grip.

"Speak up, I couldn't hear you."

"Harder daddy."

Wyatt's eyebrows shot up.

His hands spasmed in shock.

I thrust my right hand at his side and felt the Hidden Blade attached to my wrist activate, the steel driving between his ribs.

The bounty hunter dropped me hard but I forced myself back to my feet, flicking blood from the Assassin weapon before focusing on him. Wyatt clutched at his injured side, ripping off his handkerchief and pressing it against the wound. I merely smirked before extending my left arm, Quarles' Sleeve Gun fused with Mechagodzilla's chest laser sliding out before I fired two quick shots, one missing but the other nailing Wyatt right in the shoulder. He snarled in agony as I tore through his jacket, burning his skin.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," I declared. Wyatt moved to rush me but I pulled out Megatron's gun form, his spark removed but the Dark Matter generator still in place, and fired off several shots directed as his wounded side, causing him to grimace and curl to protect himself.

The bounty hunter's lips pressed into a thin line before he reached for his Millennium Revolver.

"I won't make that mistake again."

I took off, rushing around a corner even as he fired.

~MC~MC~MC~

King Edwyn had found himself in plenty of bad situations before.

Ending up in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world alone had been bad enough but arriving just after the death of Lord Kaiba, when the entire realm had gone to hell as six different wars had flared up and no one could tell who to trust and who to not? That had been bad.

But he had managed to get through it. Use his knowledge of the novel and the show to gather up allies and make his way to Mokuba. He'd managed to prevent his capture and stop Noah far earlier than the little brat had fallen in canon. And fate had yielded its reward: Edwyn was now a king. While it had only been a few months for him since Edna and Edwin had shown up at his keep he had made strong inroads to take the fight to House Muto and overthrow the corrupt king and his family. Allies were swarming to him as he used his Blue-Eyes White Dragon to decimate his foes and the allies that now fought beside him had only helped him improve his summoning powers, growing more powerful and evolving his Blue-Eyes into new and powerful forms.

Yet the battle of the Eternal Gate... it was something else entirely.

'Maybe its because I've gotten to know them all,' He thought to himself has he drew a card from the holder on his arm and tossed it through the air, summoning the Paladin of the White Dragon. The drake let out a shrill roar before taking to the skies, Edwyn sending a mental command for it to assist Rex and Koyo who had found themselves boxed in by a bunch of destroyed droids, another wave coming at them at the choke point. 'Its easy to send men off to die when you can't even remember what they looked like. But these people... I know them. I've trained with them. We've explored the multiverse together in order to prepare for this battle.'

There was an explosion and he saw Edna, still in her version of Edwin's Sentry Ranger Outfit, crying out as she was sent flying back, Annie appearing and distracting the droids that had fired on her in order to give the woman time to regroup and hopefully launch a counter attack.

Edwyn frowned at that before selecting a particular card.

'And I won't let them die here.'

He hadn't claimed this card from his world yet, though he knew it existed. He knew the dangers of it but he also knew that it would help him greatly finally bring peace to the realms. But using it... that was an escalation. And escalations always had costs.

But today... he was willing to pay it.

"All mighty protector of the sun and sky. I beg of thee, please heed my cry."

"Edwyn, what are you doing?!" Pegasus cried out over the comm. "You can't summon that monster!"

"Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight."

"Its too dangerous!" Pegasus pleaded. "Please-"

"I beseech thee, grace our humble game but first I shall call out thy name:"

"EDWYN!"

"Winged! Dragon! Of! Ra!"

Light exploded all around King Edwyn and he trembled as he felt the tips of his fingers burn as the card ignited in flames that burned all but itself. Still he forced himself to hold on, willing all his power and strength into the card. The flames flashed and turned gold before rocketing up into the sky, gathering into a small sun that illuminated the battlefield... before dark lines formed all through it, the fires solidifying as the sun unfolded into the Egyptian God Card.

"Winged Dragon," Edwyn ground out, pressing his burn hand to his chest. He'd been warned that summoning one of the Egyptian Gods felt like utter torture but he hadn't realized how badly it would hurt. Still, he forced himself to remain standing. "I... am King Edwyn of Great Drake Hall. I command you... destroy my enemies!"

The golden dragon-bird hovered in the air for a moment... before letting out an ear splitting cry and diving right at the Grand Mal, unleashing the flames of the sun against its side.

King Edwyn smiled even as he fell to his knees.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Holy shit!" Mai exclaimed, leaping back as the Winged Dragon of Ra appeared next to her, firing off a beam of yellow energy at the last of the enlarged droids she had been tangling with. "Warn a giant, would ya?" She looked over at Tea and Yuri, who were beginning to shrink down thanks to the Growth Grenades' effects wearing off, leaving only the blond goddess as the last giant gal in the fight. 'And I haven't managed to do as much as I hoped...' she though before closing her eyes and willing herself to shrink down. "At least now I won't crush one of my friends," she muttered just before the main building of the Eternal Gate trembled. With how the battle had spiraled out of control as Wyatt unleashed more mechanical terrors upon them all Mai had come to see that she was just as much of a risk to her friends as Wyatt's army was. "What now?" she muttered to herself.

Another section of wall burst out and she saw... a large mechanical lion burst out of the structure, letting out a roar before it charged across the main courtyard.

"I should have stayed big," she muttered to herself. There were other figures leaving the building, including one bathed in a golden glow and one that looked to be wearing armor similar to Kaiba and Des' suits, but Mai was focused on the massive golden-maned lion as it stormed towards her. She tensed before readying her Power Bow... but then saw that the lion was purposely moving to avoid her friends and allies, focusing only on crushing the droids and robots under its paws.

Mai hurried over to where it was going, coming to a stop in time to see the Pharaoh slide off the lion's back before the beast threw back its head and roared, skull splitting and body unfurling as it took on a far more bipedal appearance. The lion's head become a set of shoulder guards, the lower mane bracers. The thick tail became an energy sword that the robot spun several times, nodding to himself. But most startling was the robotic but yet clearly familiar face, complete with metallic gold beard.

"...oh you better be another version of Edwin and not my boyfriend because I am NOT letting Selene turn us into a robot!"

The lion figure chuckled at that. "Chaos Prime," he said with a slight bow. "Leader of Cybertron. Thank you for helping free my companions and I from Wyatt... we are eager to defeat him and return to our homes-"

A droid that looked like a robotic tiger suddenly came roaring towards them and Mai tensed, readying to try and attack it, only for the mechbeast to slam into the ground, twitching with a hole in its head. Mai turned to see a figure wearing armor plating mixed with bone decorations all about it including a skull pauldron and bone horns attached to his helm lower his gun; the man giving her a mocking salute before using his jetpack to fly in the air, looking for another spot to launch an attack.

"The Devil of Mandalore," Chaos Prime stated. He pointed to a far more armored man who was launching missiles at the droid army; his armor made him look bulkier than any of the others but what he lost in agility he more than made up with in firepower. "Chaosbringer." Another gesture towards the Chaos who was coated in yellow energy who was working with Solomon. "Gold Lantern." And finally a-

"Is... is that a platypus?" Mai asked dumbly.

"Gio Chaos," Chaos Prime stated before chuckling. The duck-faced mutant flung himself at several droids, using his wrist spines to rip out power lines and sever hydraulic tubes. "Not the strangest Chaos now, am I?"

"I'm seeing that," Mai said before glancing at the Pharaoh. "Where is Slash?"

"She stayed behind when we freed these Chaoses. We are sure there are others still trapped in the Eternal Gate... her Chaos, for example." The Pharaoh winced as the Winged Dragon of Ra crashed into one of the towers, letting out a scream of outrage before it launched itself back into trying to take down the Grand Mal; the head-shaped ship was now aided by neon-lit flat ships that fired on it, splashing energy bolts against its scales and feathers. "But she did give me this!" He held up a Pokeball and threw it out, sending out an Alolan Raichu. "Slash asked you to aid me!" The Pokemon nodded and the Pharaoh and it leapt back into battle.

"If you'll excuse me," Chaos Prime said with a nod before rushing forward, roaring "TILL ALL ARE ONE!" as he swung his sword to try and take out as many droids as possible.

"Remember when our biggest concern was PaniK?" Mai found herself asking.

~MC~MC~MC~

The Room of a Million Faces was one of the odder parts of Eternal Gate, long debated by the explorers who had found the place and explored its depths. Roughly 6 square acres the room was empty save for exactly 1 million pedestals, upon each sat a bust. The faces there were of a wide range of forms; mostly human but some alien species as well as some that resembled animals. It had been speculated by scientists and multiverse historians what the room was for and just who the busts were. Some held that they were the dead of a lost part of the multiverse, nicknamed 'The Story That Never Was', created by the last survivor. Others gave a far more gruesome explanation, believing that it was a trophy room of some tyrant of every person they had personally slaughtered. A little accepted but more heartwarming theory was that each face wasn't actually of a particular being but represented a universe that had been saved from some threat, a reminder of the good done by some hero whose name had been lost amongst the vastness of the multiverse itself.

What was known were a few things. First and foremost that the busts gave off several faint signals that could cause them to be identified as 'alive'. Slightly warm with infrared. Just enough of a presence to screw with Detect Life spells. It had caused a flurry within the historian community, with some going as far as to claim the busts were the actual heads of petrified beings or that under the gray marble was the rotting remains of the inspirations for the faces.

The second fact had dismissed those more hideous theories, as one historian, annoyed by the ghoulish believes, had shattered one of the busts. Nothing was found inside but it was found that blood had been added to the stone, though such a small amount that even destroying all of the busts wouldn't equate to a single human being. But this had shown that no matter what damage they took the busts would reform rather quickly.

And finally that there was no curse or punishment for harming the busts. The historian that had destroyed the first one had gone on to live a long and peaceful life; he'd actually gone beyond his species' average life expectancy. Others that had destroyed the busts to learn about them suffered no ill effects. Those that did die or suffer tragedies never linked those events with the busts; Qor the Defiler, who had made a game of destroying the busts, mocked the idea that they had resulted in his death.

Wyatt didn't even think about such things as he fired off several shots, the bullets from his Millennium Revolver blasting in multiple directions as they sought out Edwin who was scurrying through the rows of pedestals like a rat trying to escape a maze. The bullets struck busts and Wyatt pressed his lips together in a frown; thanks to the stone registering just enough as 'alive' his bullets weren't able to track Edwin like they normally would. It meant he was missing his shots and that was... displeasing.

"I want you to understand something," Wyatt said as he stalked through the rows upon rows of busts. "All of this? It will be forgotten within a day. You think I will remember you? That I will think back on this and curse the day I went after you? I have taken down gods. Demons. Creatures your mind can't even understand. A pathetic little man who never grew up and clings to his childish delights? You are nothing to me. Just another job. This isn't a personal mission of mine. I didn't seek you out because of some sin. I was paid to capture Chaoses and you were just next on the list. Had you just stayed out of my way I would have moved on. But coming here? Attacking the Gate? You brought everything that is about to happen on yourself. But the moment you are in a cell and my employer has you? I will not think of you again. You will spend the rest of your days cursing my name but I will not be bothered to remember your name."

That was a lie.

Wyatt reached down and touched the bacca patch he'd slapped on his wound, grimacing at the injury. It had been far... far too long since he'd been wounded during a hunt. The bacca would take care of the wound, ensure that it didn't get infected. And it was a modified version that allowed the chems to soak into the wound and knit him up from the inside. But he would still have a scar. Not only would he have a visual reminder of Edwin Chaos... it would affect him. Every time he moved he'd feel the skin pull. It would distract him for a while. A constant reminder that Edwin had managed to get in a cheap shot.

Edwin had quickly destroyed the lights in the room when he'd entered, meaning that Wyatt couldn't just spot him moving about. He knew he was there, thanks to how his Millennium Compass was spinning wildly and not pointing just as him, but he had no idea where. Occasionally he'd hear Edwin's shoes squeak against the ground but by the time he whipped around the man would be gone.

Wyatt took a breath, continuing to move through the room, shifting the Millennium Eyes to read the different wavelengths or light spectrums to find the bastard. He had done something... Wyatt wasn't sure what... but he was hiding himself and that annoyed Wyatt greatly.

"You are nothing," Wyatt repeated, trying to get a rise out of Edwin. "A sad little man playing at a game you didn't even realize was going on. It would have been so much better if you'd have just given in!"

With that he fired off ten quick shots, willing the Millennium Revolver to be silent. The golden bullets raced through the air, twisting and swirling like angry hornets before finally diving down in different directions.

He counted the strikes. Listened to the sounds.

No cries of pain. No grunts. Just shattered stone.

What did he need to do to-

A noise to his right near one of the doors.

Wyatt twisted and fired.

There was shattering stone... and then a cry of pain.

At once he raced forward, grabbing the figure that had fallen and hauling them up. "You aren't Edwin but you'll do," he snarled as he hauled up the young woman in a blue Ranger outfit, a scratch on her cheek from where a bit of stone had hit her. He wrapped a forearm around her and she began to struggle but he pressed the gun to her head and she stilled. "EDWIN! Come on out and say hello to our friend."

There was a ripple and Edwin was suddenly far closer than Wyatt had realized, a shimmer... a fucking Invisibility Cloak! Wyatt cursed himself for not thinking of that. Still... it didn't matter. Not with the situation back in his full control.

"Turn around," Wyatt snapped. "We're going to walk to the cells. If you try anything-" He jabbed the gun into Slash's cheek, "-I am after Chaoses... my employer wants them alive. She isn't one of you though-"

"One of us," Edwin stated, keeping his arms held from his sides, making no move to grab a weapon. All he held was his cane, the same one he'd been holding when he'd first appeared on that damn ship. "You are a Chaos too."

"Maybe... but the difference is I'm not in a cell. Now turn around."

"Oh..." he said with a slight smirk, "I don't think so."

And then the shaft of his cane began to unwind.

Wyatt stared, utterly confused by what he was seeing. The coiled metal that made up the main body of the cane was coming undone rapidly, pooling at Edwin's feet before slowly slinking up like a snake into the handle of the cane. Edwin merely continued to stare at him before he suddenly snapped his arm forward.

There was a crack and Wyatt realized it wasn't a cane... it was a whip.

Slash let out a cry of shock as the whip wrapped around her and Wyatt snarled in pain; even though Slash appeared just fine the whip cut into his skin, making his flesh burn. He let her go and she was yanked over to Edwin, who pushed her behind him before he cracked the whip again.

The world went mad.

The thong rocketed out, shooting through the air like one of Wyatt's bullets, zooming around pedestals and busts. It drove through the ceiling and came back down, so fast it was like trying to watch a laser beam. He began to move, trying to shoot Edwin but the whip was racing all over the room and suddenly Wyatt found himself unable to move, the sharp and painful thong having crisscrossed in front of him creating a barrier. He turned only for it to do the same in that direction, and then again and again.

'Not a barrier... a web.'

And in the center, staring him down, was Edwin Chaos.

~In the Past~

"Feel any different?" I asked as I rode down in the diving bell, watching as the dark waters bubbled around us. Brok, for his part, was rubbing his chest; had been ever since I had used the Millennium Key and the Millennium Ring, along with a pair of gloves that Sindri had given me, to open a pathway into the Light of Alfheim and drawn out the final piece of Brok's soul.

"No, I just like rubbin' my fuckin' nipples. Makes me feel like a giddy nymph."

"Ignore him," Sindri said to me softly. "He's grateful. And he'll remember to thank you later."

"Course I'm fuckin' grateful!" Brok snapped. "I got all my soul bits back! Finally feel whole again... always knew something was off but I just assumed it was... I don't know... gas or something."

"You thought missing part of your soul was gas?" Sindri asked.

Ratatoskr waved his hand. "Oh, I can see that." The keeper of the World Tree had decided to come with us, getting all his soul bits to keep watch while he was gone, though he had warned we had to make the trip quick. I had a feeling that the information I had shared and the fact that I was the second being, after Kratos, to travel from one universe to another, had interested him greatly. "Now then, Master Edwin, do you understand what will happen?"

"The Lady of the Forge will take what you've gathered. And..." At that I swallowed, nervous, "...forge me a weapon."

A weapon. On equal standing with Mjolnir, Draupnir, the Leviathan Axe, and the Blades of Chaos. A weapon that could kill a god.

Not one I was borrowing. Or cloning. Or forcing to become mine. Not one like the Millennium Key that had been given to me to keep. No... the dwarves were going to craft me a weapon never before seen in the entire multiverse. My ace in the hole to defeat Wyatt for it would be the one thing he could never prepare for.

"A hell of a weapon," Brok muttered. "Be good to finally make use of Gleipnir."

Sindri looked up at me and stage whispered, "Odin and the Aesir asked us to create something that could hold Garn. All the chains they'd tried to craft just broke and they were forced to remain in Hel, watching over him at all hours. Put a damper in their days, I guess."

"Thor was real pissy he couldn't drink!" Brok laughed. "Idiots... all of them. They were trying to make it big and heavy. But larger ain't always better. Sometimes ya need something that is strong... but light as a feather."

Sindri took up the tale as we continued to descend. "We collected with special things from the world. The roots of a mountain, to give it strength. The footsteps of a cat to make it soft and quiet. The beard of a woman to make it beautiful. The sinew of a bear, spittle of a bird, and breath of a fish to make it impossible to break by anything on land, sea, and air."

"We're gonna combine that with a few other bits... and give ya something special." Brok paused as we came to a stop. "Oh... I hope this goes better than before..."

I watched as the Lady of the Forge swam up to us. She was a mermaid but not like the Hollywood variety. Not a human with a tail nor a monster looking to devour. Rather she was beautiful but otherworldly. A... tall?... long?... mermaid with purple scales and golden eyes, she at once made me want to take her in and also avert my eyes lest I insult her for openly staring at her. Her hair was more like kelp than long strands and the many different fins that were upon her body gave her the appearance of wearing royal garments.

"Why do you come to me?" she said and I started as I heard her voice in my head. I glanced over to see that Sindri and Ratatoskr weren't as affected as I was but Brok looked ready to break out into tears, especially when The Lady looked down at him for a moment.

"Your... your ladyship," he stammered, stepping forward, "we... we would be honored if you would forge for our friend a weapon. He has done us a great service and now seeks aid in dealing with a great evil."

"Is that so?" The Lady asked, turning to look at me with her all knowing eyes.

"There is a man... a version of myself from a realm far from here. He has been capturing innocent people... I want to free them."

"Yet... you do not seek to kill him?" She smiled at that. "Even though you have killed before."

"The mark of a good man is the one who says "I will not kill today". And keeps saying it." I paused. "I'm trying to become a good man once again."

The Lady nodded her head after a moment. "Bring me what you have forged."

Sindri hurriedly opened the bag he had been carrying. "Gleipnir... the leash that can not be broken." He pushed against the window and it rippled like water, allowing the long silken thread he'd drawn out to slip out into the water. It was as thin as a single thread, a dark silver in color, and though it appeared rather short I could tell that the true reason was that it was coiled upon itself a thousand times. "A handle forged from a dragon's tooth." Sindri had explained that the tooth wasn't actually the important thing, that the handle for the weapon could have been made from literally anything, but they wanted the weapon they had in mind to be extra special. Apparently Sindri had taken the tooth from the dragon that Kratos had killed, the one that had tried to kill Sindri. It had been stained a brownish black and though it lacked the lightning that dragon had possessed I could feel the power coming from it.

Brok stepped up next, his nervousness melting away now that he could hear the lady. "The mercy of spiders." From the bag... nothing came out, at least that I could see, and yet I felt as if I had been trapped and scared only to be released, given a second chance. "A chord from the greatest song ever made." This I heard... a beautiful sound that made me begin to cry, because I knew that I would never hear it again yet I was happy that I had been able to listen to it at least once.

The Lady of the Forge took all of these, letting them float before her.

"And to finish," Brok said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a cloth, "the blood of a god."

"Kratos leaves so much of it about," Sindri said in disgust.

But when Brok moved to give The Lady the cloth soaked with Kratos' blood she held up her hand, shaking her head.

"No... there is something else that will work." She looked to me, gesturing for me to come forward. "Your hand."

I swallowed but did as she commanded, sticking my hand through the window and into the water. The Lady of the Forge gently running her fingers along my palm.

"Beloved by the gods... cursed by them as well." She continued to caress my hand, making me swallow. "Light... Dark... the Guardian Devil. The Angel of the Stars. And... a touch-" Quick as lightning she cut my index finger, blood gushing from the wound and floating in the water, "-of destiny. The God of Chaos...waiting to be born."

She pulled away, waving her hands so that the blood followed her to where the other parts of the weapon were waiting. The Lady swirled her hands in the water and first my blood took the shape of a Spell Counter. She shook her head at that and then it formed the Yin Yang symbol. Another shake of her head and the blood formed into the zodiac sign of the Capricorn. That she lingered on before waving her hand one more time and the blood took the shape of a great oak tree with four stars above it.

"What is that? The World Tree?" Ratatoskr asked. "If so that is a fine symbol to choose!"

"No," I corrected, "that is the sigil I chose for my family."

"Even better," Sindri said as The Lady wove her hands about, the blood rushing towards the leash and the dragon tooth, swirling around them before, in the blink of an eye, they all merged into one. A black handle with a golden leather wrap that crisscrossed like a spider's web. At the top was the leash, very short yet I could tell could become very long with just a thought. "Call for it."

I held out my hand and nearly jumped when the weapon flew to my palm.

"Gleipnir's Cord," The Lady of the Forge told us. "May it's crack break the chains of the innocent. May it's touch strike fear into the enemies of freedom. May it's wielder bring hope to the hopeless."

And with that... she swam away.

~Present~

"The moment I got this I knew it was the answer," I said, giving Gleipnir a snap. The whip returned to its original form but the web it had created remained, made of glowing golden energy that kept Wyatt in place. "You were right... you are better than me, Wyatt. Stronger. Faster. Far more skilled. You've seen so much that I never have. The sheer number of Millennium Items you've gathered proves that." I smirked as I took a step forward, more of the cords falling away so that all that was left was a small prison that held Wyatt in place. "I come at you with even the most powerful weapon in the Multiverse and you most likely have a strategy of how to get around it.

"But this?" I slapped Gleipnir against my palm. "How could you ever plan for something that is one of a kind? That never existed until now? The perfect way to trap you Wyatt. To stop this madness." I pointed the whip at the bounty hunter. "Where are the others?"

"Secure," Wyatt said before he flicked his own wrist slightly, hissing in pain as the energy cords cut into his arm. But he was still able to get off a shot, a golden bullet racing out of his Millennium Revolver.

I held up my hand and Gleipnir's leash coiled around rapidly, forming in seconds a shield that blocked the bullet right before it could strike me.

"Neat, right?" I asked as the shield returned to its whip form. "Can become anything I can think of. Like Des' memory metal. I think the dwarves were inspired." I turned Gleipnir into a cane before slamming it onto the ground, the energy cords wrapping around Wyatt so he couldn't even move a muscle. "I was hoping you'd be polite about this." I looked back at Slash only to frown. "You okay?" I gestured at her face. "You got a scratch-"

I froze as I heard static in the air.

"Oh no," Slash whispered.

"What is it?" I hissed, tensing.

"Whatever happens next... you have to let me do the talking." She looked right at Wyatt. "Though with you... I'm not sure there is anything that is going to save you."

"What are you talking about?" Wyatt demanded.

"You think you actually captured him?" Slash asked as the static grew louder, making my head throb. "No... he let you take him. Most likely because he was bored. And he stayed captured because he wanted to see what would happen next."

One of the doors to the hall flew open... and I watched as bones began to clatter into the room, slipping forth like they had fallen from a high mountain peak, clanking as they rolled. Skulls and ribs and femurs and all the rest. Far... far too many bones.

"But now... you hurt me. And that means playtime is over." I wanted to clap my hands over my ears, to try and block the static, but I couldn't as it felt like my body had been coated in wax. "Because he is my friend."

The bones began to rise up in the air.

"He looks young but he is millions of years old. He's the last survivor of a world long gone... and I am the first person in his long existence to show him kindness."

I could only stare as muscle and flesh began to grow on the bones, twisting around them as it formed into a version of myself wearing an old fashion suit. One I recognized. Slash had been right... he was her Alistair the Radio Demon. And he sat upon a throne of bones. A throne of death.

"He has a name but the people of my world know him better..."

NONE finished his formation, a sharp wide smile forming on his lips even as his eyes, filled with static, narrowed as he took us in.

"...as MissingNo."

Introducing NONE

The Chaos of Earth 151

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