"Whooooa!" Cinder let out a loud laugh as she blasted through the air. "This is awesome!"
She was flying. Actually flying, not the fire ignition thingy she normally would do. Her flight had come out of nowhere. She had jumped into the air, ready to use her super hops only to defy gravity and not come down.
It was just as the Victorian had said all those months ago. She just had to ignore gravity and do whatever she wanted, and in this moment the thing she wanted most of all was to fly!
Cinder let out another laugh, and she raised her hand to the sky. Her fingers went through the clouds, and she could feel the water clinging to her flesh before her flames turned it into steam. She twirled and hovered in the air, her cape flowing behind her, going up and down in the wind, and she smiled.
Below her was still the false world that had been created. She was still in that fantasy-like land from the past where the Murder Games began, so she wasn't out of the clear yet. So much had happened and so much would still happen, but none of that could ruin her mood. She was strangely at peace and felt better than she had in a long while.
Was this the power she had from regaining the Cosmos half?
'That's correct.' The voice of the Brightest Star spoke to her, very quietly within her mind. They had been mostly quiet ever since the things Avalon had said. Now, though, they spoke and confirmed what she was thinking. 'The power over the Cosmos is the strongest of all powers.' The Lord stated within her mind. 'It is the complete manipulation of the universe's laws. Space, time, gravity, matter, atoms, light, dark, heat, cold, everything. All that is within the Cosmos is yours to command.'
"It does feel amazing." Cinder agreed. She glanced down at her hands and felt a surge of power. "My senses were always sharp before, but now I feel like I can see down to the last atom, and if I focus, I might even be able to move it. I really need to see what I can do."
'Don't get too cocky.' The Brightest Star sighed. 'Our power is still nowhere near what it should be. We only regained a large piece of the Cosmos half. Several of its powers are likely locked off. We don't have total control over the universe. A shame, really. When I was created, this universe had no laws. I was the one who made them.'
"Really?"
'Indeed. I forged time and space, and by my will the stars were created. There was no logic, so I decided to create it. Before the Almighty gave me the name of the Lord of the Sun and the Cosmos, my name was going to be the Lord of Order. He ended up scrapping that name, however, as he decided that we Lords were so grand we deserved two titles.'
"Lord of Order?" Cinder repeated the phrase and scrunched her nose up. "I'm a bit glad you didn't get that one. It sounds like something a villain would have. Like a final boss or something."
'Yes, well, whatever the case, know that we are not a God, even now. Your power does have limits. You can be beaten. The Rulers likely still have the strength to surpass you. Right now, we should find the other three Lords. My siblings could be woken up, and with all four of us we can start to kill the Rulers.'
Cinder frowned at the Lord's remark but decided to keep her thoughts on the Rulers to herself. "I should find the other Lords. Especially Sky. God, it feels like I haven't seen her in ages! I miss her so much!"
'...'
"Right. Focus. Before I head to where the others are, there's something I need to do." Cinder closed her eyes and allowed her senses to stretch out.
'And what's that?' Lord asked, though they already knew the answer to that.
Cinder opened her eyes and locked on. "I'm going hunting." She exploded forward like a golden blur, accelerating to a speed that was nearing light. The air around her erupted with fire, and without warning she slammed into a nearby mountain, plowing through it and heading to what she knew was at the center.
The stone bubbled and melted as her heat tore away the debris, and in less than a second she arrived at a massive bunker that had been built. A shockwave of force flew forward once she stopped, and the bunker was destroyed; the floor was ripped away, and screams echoed out as all of the villains that had been in there suddenly found a golden hero arriving within their ranks.
Cinder floated in the bunker and glanced down at all the villains. All of them were members of Zoo or the Emperor's army. They were all Mutants and had been gathered here discussing which village they would pillage next. She had almost forgotten that this entire place was filled with scum. Well, at least she would have someone she could try her new powers out on.
One of the Mutants, a large wolf-like man, growled up at her and pointed a claw. "It's the Victorian!" He roared. "Number one or not, if we all jump her, we can win!" He leaped forward and snarled, getting ready to slash out with his claws.
Cinder watched him move in slow motion as he made his way toward her. All the villains were moving slowly, and some didn't even seem to be moving at all. She folded her arms and gave him a sour look. "You think I'm the Victorian?"
It did make some sense. Her outfit was black with a skirt and a cape, and her hair was long and blonde. Perhaps at a distance she did look like her? She did also had the Cosmos shard and was glowing brightly as well. She probably did look like a younger Victorian. Though she still lacked her idol's breasts…
She also had compared herself to the Victorian when she first took note of her new appearance as well, though she hadn't really considered how others would think of her. Truth be told, she didn't know how to feel about that.
As a kid, she had looked up to the Victorian so much. Now, after meeting her and seeing Full Monarch's memories, she had seen another side of her former idol. Jill, Ruby, the Victorian, whatever name she wanted to go by, was certain she was a special person but also someone with a lot of flaws.
Then again, it wasn't like she was any better. She also had flaws. So did Mr. Larison and even Full Monarch. That was because they were humans. Humans were full of flaws. It was up to her to recognize her own flaws and attempt to be better.
Cinder smiled, and she watched as the wolf monster finally reached her. "Yeah. We all have some flaws. Yours is that you overestimate yourself a little too much." She gently poked him in the gut, and all at once time caught back up as he was sent blasting toward the ground. "Alright!" Cinder announced loudly, getting all the villains' attention on her. "I want to see what I can do! All of you! Come at me with everything you got!"
"That bastard!"
"She's mocking us!"
"How dare she look down on us! We are perfection! We were made by the Emperor!"
"Kill her!"
"Kill the Victorian!"
"Kill the Victorian!"
"Kill the Victorian!"
Cinder landed on the ground and rolled her eyes. Several of the villains jumped toward her, but they once again were moving in extremely slow motion. "They still seriously think I'm the Victorian? They're lucky I'm not. She'd have killed them all. Me? I'll just make them pay a bit." With a smirk, she held her hand out, and she tried to focus on just the Cosmos power within her. She didn't need fire. Not right now. A swirling mass of light erupted from her hand and forged itself into a golden longsword. "Hell yeah! Now this is what I'm talking about! Check out my sword of sunlight!" Cinder swung the blade, and she made sure it lacked a sharp edge. It was more like a blunt stick which rammed into the sides of several of the villains, throwing them in multiple directions.
Several of the smarter ones hadn't charged in, and they stared in shock as a large group of their numbers was taken out so easily.
"This doesn't make any sense?" A large rhino-like man said with gritted teeth. "We were the newest monsters created! I get she's the Victorian, but the Emperor said with our power we should surpass people like Polaron or even Daemon! How is she this strong?"
"Fools." A monster, the biggest one, in fact, stepped forward. He was covered in black scales from head to toe, and jagged horns poked out of the side of his head. "You are all just weak. I'll handle this. With the exception of Fairy Queen and Golden God, I am the strongest soldier the Emperor has!" Slowly, his body began to twist and change, getting bigger. Wings jutted out of his back and a tail formed from his rear. He dropped down onto all fours, and his neck started to stretch out, getting longer and longer. "I will slay you, Victorian!"
Several of the Mutants and Monsters screamed as the man became a massive black dragon, and due to his size, he caused more of the mountain to shatter and break apart. He was absolutely massive, ripping out of the stone and crushing hundreds of his teammates.
When he reached his full height, he was nearly ten thousand meters tall, covered in scales harder than any substance found on Earth. Black flames rolled out of his jaws; he dwarfed the mountain, which was just a stone platform now.
Several of his teammates all screamed for him to stop, but he didn't listen. He had been created specifically to deal with the Victorian. It was his one mission. The dragon roared and opened his mouth as wide as he could and unleashed a single devastating attack. Flames as hot as the sun scorched the land and twisted space. Everything was reduced down to ash as he melted the mountain and turned the land into a volcanic wasteland.
The monsters and mutants all screamed as they were incinerated long before the fire reached them. The dragon let out a thunderous laugh. "My flames can melt anything in the universe!" He declared. "I am sure to become one of the Emperor's four generals!"
"They're pretty intense all right." The dragon's eyes went wide with fear and shock, and he whipped his head down. Cinder stood on the molten lava, her costume repairing itself and mending. She dusted herself off and let out a sigh. "I'm a little disappointed, though. I was kind of hoping they'd be hotter. After being frozen, I'm still a bit cold, but this hardly warms me up."
The dragon screamed, and he fired again, shooting his flames back at her this time for even longer. Cinder stood in the fire, and then she swatted her hand to the side, and all at once the world around her began to obey her commands.
The flames were hers to control. Their color shifted into a bright gold, and she raised her sword up, causing them to compress and twist. "I was planning on sparing everyone, but I think you're a bit too strong for that."
The dragon stared in fear as his fire changed and became hers. He threw out a punch as hard as he could, but as soon as his arm made contact with her, his own energy reverted back at him, and the atoms that made up his limb came undone. He screamed in agony as his arm disintegrated and melted into a pile of goop.
"Y-You're not the Victorian?" His wings spread out, and he began to lift off the ground. "You're something far worse. It can't be! A Lord? And not just any Lord, but the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos. Full Monarch has returned!" He twisted and tried to fly away. "I must alert the Emperor-"
Cinder swung her sword, and for a split second the entire world was bathed in gold. Far, far away, up in space, Avalon watched the false reality shine and sparkle. Every human and Super also froze as they felt a tremendous amount of light. The heroes gasped, the villains felt fear, and the Rulers all stood tall.
All but one. A lone egg began to twitch, and from within it, the Lord of Creation and Destruction started to stir.
"You're kidding me." The Emperor grumbled quietly. "That's what Alpha did? He actually gave her her old powers back? Does he think she'll somehow become the next Full Monarch?" The Emperor laughed. "Is that your plan, Alpha? You gave her the power so that she can kill you! How pathetic are you!"
The egg continued to twitch.
The light lasted for only a second, but everyone became aware of what it meant at the same time. Hope Lauren was awake.
"Don't worry, Mr. Dragon." Cinder lowered the glowing blade as the light faded. All around her, the lava was gone, as was the destroyed land. It had been replaced with a field of green. Her attack had mended and fixed the world. "I'm sure your boss knows."
The only evidence of the clash was the skeletal remains of a dragon. It had been slain so fast it hadn't even had time to process that it was dead. She had decided to kill it after it killed its own teammates, but she also decided to heal the land while she did it, and because she still wanted to be a hero, she ensured it wouldn't suffer.
'Congrats.' The Brightest Star said. 'Are you satisfied with your powers?'
"Hell yeah I am," Cinder smirked. "That was so freaking cool. Did you see that? I wiped the floor with that guy! I've gotten so much stronger! I feel like I can do anything now!"
'Again, we don't have our full strength back. Don't get cocky. The Rulers might not be as strong as us right now, but the Emperor and Lucifer haven't yet used their true forms yet, and with their power to negate their own deaths, it'll make finishing them off very difficult. Right now we need to focus on getting back to the others.'
Cinder's smile faded, and she let out a chuckle. "Yeah. Don't worry. I know that I shouldn't be cocky. It's still going to be an uphill battle. I'm happy, though. This strength is everything that I needed. We all suffered so much. Myself, Sky, Mr. Larison, Full Monarch, and you as well. All to get me to this point. I'm not going to squander the strength everyone gave me. This is the power that will save my world."
'Good. Use that resolve. Don't let fear cloud your judgment and don't make the mistakes we all did. Live your life. Grow. Evolve. Keep pushing forward. Right now, everything is resting on your shoulders, Hope Lauren!'
Cinder closed her eyes and once again allowed her senses to spread out. She found who she was looking for, then stepped forward, skipping through space as she flew at light speed. To everyone, it would be as if she teleported.
"I'm not going to fail." She declared, appearing in a forest. "That's why I need your help." Cinder offered her hand out to the stunned face of Druid, the villain who for a time had been forced to travel with them, thanks to Kevin. "You're the key. The way we can win."
"Huh?" Druid looked completely baffled and dropped off the log she had been sitting on? "C-Cinder?"
"Yep."
"Hey Cinder!" A voice called out, and Druid became even more baffled as a girl covered in lightning dropped from the sky. Lois smiled and looked Cinder up and down. "Good to see you again."
Hope smiled back at her friend. "Yeah? I'm back. For good this time. I assume if you're here, then you know what my plan is? Are we still following your script?"
"Yep." Lois tapped her head. "I've seen all the Paths. We're following the one that I want. The one that ends the best way."
"Good." Hope let out a sigh of relief. "Just so you know, I plan to break that Path. I won't settle for the ending you or someone else forged for me." She announced. "I'm going to reach an end with my own two hands. An ending where I save everyone."
Lois just laughed. "Yep. You really are back."
Druid stared at the two Lords, completely confused about what was happening.
***
Despite the fact that Cinder had gone through several memories with Full Monarch, not a lot of time had actually passed in the real world. In fact, less than a day had fully passed. Despite that, a lot had happened in the hours since Battery blew himself up dozens of times.
All teleportation within the realm had been shut off thanks to the dome Boy Genius placed over the city. This affected both the heroes and villains and made it so traveling was a lot slower. It also had the added effect of Boy Genius filling this place up with his drones.
The sky above every village was black as thousands of metal squares flew around, scanning for where the villains could be. Giant robotic suits, sculpted as the Thunder Giants Battery had created, were also scattered through the land.
High above, nearing the edge of space, was a massive metal ship. It was made to look like some Sci-Fi fantasy device, being sleek and silver, with tons of rail guns and rockets attached to it. Flying robots were also all over it, forming barriers. On the nose of the ship, Beta stood, in a golden body, with tendrils squirming out of his back, and somewhere on the ship itself was Boy Genius, monitoring and watching everything.
Battery's sacrifice had weakened the barrier enough allowing for this outcome to happen. Because of him, this place was slowly becoming a realm which Boy Genius was in control of. The young boy was about to become the newest number one hero once he defeated the Rulers, something he seemed keen on doing alone.
Far below, on the land itself, resided an empty village known as Pine. When Boy Genius arrived, metal bunkers began to place themselves everywhere, and robots would grab humans and shove them into the bunkers, which then formed barriers, keeping the people safe but trapped.
It only got the humans, however.
"I hope he knows what he's doing." Jill stood in the ruins of the village and glared up at the ship.
"Why won't he come down to us?" Lady Time asked, also staring up at the ship. "He's refusing to offer aid or ask for our statements. He's just been sitting up there, in his ship, alone?"
"Who knows." Jill sighed and adjusted Claymore's sword, which was strapped to her back. "Are we all ready?"
"Not even close." Myth snorted. "We don't have the firepower we need." He glanced around at everyone's solemn faces. "There also just aren't that many of us."
The Victorian, also now known as Jill, who lacked powers. Lady Time, who was mostly healed but still had some broken bones. Poseidon, who was struggling mentally with the Lord within her that kept trying to take control. Oxide, who had a distant look in her eyes and was barely paying attention. Money Tree, who was down a leg and missing his other arm. Phoenix, who had actually managed to come back from the dead, despite the fact that he had been blown up, due to his powers giving him a form of immortality akin to the Lords. Metal Ronin, who's suit was beyond destroyed. And Cora, a person who had only just awakened her powers and was still unsure of what she could do. Oh, and Myth himself.
He glanced down at his hand, which was shaking. "There are nine of us." He muttered.
"Ten if you count Lois," Jill said, folding her arms. "And Eleven if we include Hope."
"Twelve with my sister," Poseidon said quietly.
Myth gave another nod. "Right. Twelve of us. If we can find the other three Lords." He sighed. "Twelve of us versus my father, two of the greatest villains in history, and likely Battery, who is now also a corrupted Ruler. We also have all the members of the Immortal to deal with, and Golden God, as well as Fairy Queen."
"That's only ten." Lady Time hummed. "Four Rulers, four Immortals, and two of the Emperor's guards. Ten versus twelve? Odds seem like they're in our favor."
"Yes, but you also need to factor in all the other lesser villains they likely have." Myth hummed. "Lucifer and the Emperor can both make an army."
"Well, in that case we got him." Money Tree pointed his hook toward the ship above. "Robot army versus zombie and monster army?"
"Maybe." Myth rubbed his chin. "But I still doubt it'll be so easy. We all struggled with just my father. Then you have the Emperor, and Lucifer on top of that? Even if we do have a numbers advantage, only the Lords can fight the Rulers, so that loses our best members. Meanwhile, the rest of us can't match any of the other top tiers. None of us can fight the other Immortals or Golden God and Fairy Queen. That means we need a Lord to take them out, but we also can't do that because the Lords need to fight the Rulers."
"I-I think I can handle Golden God," Cora said quietly, and she shifted awkwardly when everyone glanced at her. "I don't know for sure, but I was able to control him last time and told him to leave. I think I can mess with stuff?"
"Let's face it," Metal Ronin stated, and he glanced down at a golden card that was in his hand. The same that all the players had been given. "We're all mostly useless save for the Lords. Those of us who aren't Lords should basically be cannon fodder."
"Now hang on-" Lady Time began, but Jill nodded.
"The kid is right," Jill said, giving a faint smirk. "We're all of no real use. We should risk everything. Put our lives on the line and give it our all. We don't even have to win; we just need to stall the Immortals and the other villains, and by the Lords' enough time to take out a Ruler."
Myth also nodded, and he pulled out the golden cards he had, eyeing them up. "Yes." He said after a moment. "We need to put our lives on the line. It is do-or-die time, and we've already watched so many people die. If we even have a right to call ourselves heroes then this is what we'll do."
Phoenix frowned. "I can't really die, as you all saw, but the rest of you can. I get we're bummed, but life is still sacred and precious. We need to do our best. Let us try to stay alive and get through this."
"Yeah!" Another voice called out, causing them all to look up. Lois dropped from the sky, lightning flickering over her form, and she winked when she saw Myth. "I told you all. It isn't over yet. This Path still has a long way to go. Let's keep pushing forward, okay?"
Everyone looked to Lois, and then they looked past her to Cinder. Jill's eyes went wide when she saw her golden hair and eyes, then the woman smirked. "So, that's what happened. I figured, but it's good to confirm why that idiot did it. You have the Cosmos half, don't you?"
Cinder softly landed on the ground, and she placed Druid down. "Yes," Cinder said in a cool tone. "I do." She looked around at everyone. "Is this everybody?"
"Yes." Myth sighed.
"Where's Kevin?"
"He's dead…" Oxide said quietly.
Cinder closed her eyes and felt her nails dig into her palm. "I see. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Oxide spoke in a hollow tone. "It isn't your fault. It's the Emperor's fault. It all leads back to him. That pathetic man."
Cinder winced as flashes of Wish went through her mind. She had killed Wish, and that was likely the reason the others… After all, Kevin was connected to her. It was her fault…
"The red one is dead?" Druid frowned and rubbed her neck. "Damn."
"I hate to say it, but we can mourn him later." Money Tree stated. "We need to finish this mission." He looked to Cinder. "What's the plan?"
Cinder looked to Poseidon. "We're going to get your sister back." The caused Poseidon to let out a sigh of relief.
"Do you know where she is?" Poseidon questioned. "Boy Genius and his drones have been looking all over for her?"
"I don't, but she can find her." Cinder nudged Druid. "I got her for a reason. She's going to be our trump card."
Druid gave a sheepish chuckle. "Geez. It feels weird being with so many heroes, but I guess I don't have a choice. After all, it is do-or-die time. I certainly can't let those other bastards win."
Cinder glanced around once more and frowned. "By the way, is Pied okay? I don't see him?"
"The kid with the flute?" Jill asked.
"Yeah."
"He's fine." Jill pointed up to the ship. "He got snatched by a robot and brought up there."
Cinder glanced at the spaceship Boy Genius resided in. "Really now? Perfect."
"Is it?"
"Yep. I need to have a chat with Boy Genius anyway." Slowly, she lifted off the ground and began to fly up. "I'm going to convince him to help us, then we're going to go save my girlfriend, and then we're going to beat the Emperor and Lucifer and kick their asses!"
"Yeah!" Myth and Phoenix cheered, and for the first time since the games began, they smiled.
Lois watched Cinder fly higher and higher, and she giggled. "What's so funny?" Jill looked to her daughter.
Lois just smiled. "It's just perfect." She hummed. "Everything is going the way I wanted it to. Just like Mr. Adam told me it would."
"Mr. Adam?"
Lois clicked her tongue. "Ah, it isn't important."
"I beg to differ…"
Lois giggled again. "Well. Let's just say, when I looked to the World of Paths and saw the perfect future, someone looked back at me. Someone who loves stories as much as I do. Someone who wants their world to exist. The Path we're following is going to lead to a happy ending. I can promise you all that."