Reality-M 2

“Maya! Cata-lina! Get up!” Ziccarra screamed at the bottom of the stairs awaiting for an answer that never came. “Adios Mio, If I have to walk up these steps; I will hurt one of them” She said, slowly pushing up the incline to her girls rooms. “Cata-lina, get up. You have an audition today…” She shrieked again, pounding on the dark cardinal’s door. Thanks to Alexis’ words of wisdom, she allowed both her daughters to follow their hearts, her strict tutelage was driving them away, or Maya at least.

Pressing her ear to Cat’s door she could at least hear yawning resounding through the wooden doors. “Great…that tis one” She said, moving past her own room toward Maya’s; mid-stride she backtracked to her open door to see Alexis still sleeping.

“No, No it tis ok, my darling; you can stay sleep, I will just eat on my lonesome” She said sardonically, stomping her feet on the ground to cause a minor tremor. These days got tedious, waking up to get her girls up; then spending the day doing….chores; this was a drastic change from the combat training she usually participated in.

Things had been growing mundane; Malaga was her home but it provided little excitement, Alexis could fly between Solar Systems, Catalina was into acting, and Maya was a model; but what did she do? Aside from her goddess duties, Ziccarra really didn’t do anything.

Letting out a jaded sigh, she continued moving down the hall to Maya’s room. Maya was typically the hardest to wake up, given her tendency to text into late hours; between taking selfies and texting she didn’t see how Maya had enough time to model.

Maya had not moved, the screaming nor pounding of her door did very little to wake the Cardinal of Reality from her slumber. “Adios Mio, Mija Levantate!” Her thunderous voice caused Maya to only switch sides.

As she stood over her youngest child, she don’t know what came over her, bumps begin to boil on her forearm; her face begin to swell a potent red, for a moment she remembered getting so angry she could kill. “Why…why do I feel this way?” She could feel her disposition changing gradually.

“!!!” She tried to scream, but as Maya awakened, her powers begin to manifest; she eclipsed the entire room in white light; before teleporting the entire villa to a new world entirely.

Reality M- Earth M Vancouver

Something was different, the air was oddly acidic; but the atmosphere surrounding her arrival wasn’t a cheery one. The gown she had worn around the house, had been transformed into her Cardinal Assault Armor.

She found herself watching troops march along the river banks in preparation for some sort of battle. “The Queen’s forces are here!” Someone yelled snagging Ziccarra’s attention, she could hear by the numbers the opposing military force was far too vast for this ragtag militia.

“Attrition…” Ziccarra murmured watching, the “queens” resources being poured into this one city. From the atmosphere she gathered, this was the final conflict. They could not press on any longer, Ziccarra could see the wear and tear in the demeanor.

“What tis the situation?” She asked, taking a knee by a downed bunker. “The Queens guard are being led by the king!” Ziccarra’s eyes shot upward, a man hovered over the troops watching as the moved into position.

“Alexis…?” the shock in her voice reflect on her face; her husband was leading the world’s army. “Th-that’s not Alexis…” she confirmed catching “U” designation on his chest, instead of the “S”. “Where am I?” Ziccarra whispered, it couldn’t be bothered; the Queen’s guard launched an assault on the rebel stronghold.

Calling upon the legendary prowess of her mask, Ziccarra added hundreds more rebel units to the battlefield, using the feint attrition strategy. Surely this alter-Alexis would see through this ruse, but his troops were at the mercy of Ziccarra’s powerful illusion spell.

Removing her helmet, she prepared herself to battle the alter-Alexis, and for the first time in months a smile crept on her face; she was doing what she loved.

Malaga, Spain

With things having more or less reverted to a sense of normality since Ziccarra's return and Catalina's steady integration as a member of their family, Alexis often found himself at greater liberty to immerse himself in his celebrated super-heroics, attributing it to his waned responsibility of disciplining his daughters now that his spouse's authoritative brand of parenting had seized control. Though having yet to forge a tangible relationship with stepdaughter, Catalina, the Herald of Hope remained a highly involved father, opting against devoting his additional time to indulge in the super-heroics that had grown to become a constant in his life. Though generally a man, or rather god, with no apparent biological need for sleep, Alexis had become accustomed to it.

Allowing himself to doze off from time to time, not due to fatigue, however having never slept, his curiosity regarding experiencing dreams firsthand had never been greater. And so the New God slumbered, acquainting his mind with the often odd experiences that constitute 'dreams'. While Ziccarra's dry remark regarding consuming her breakfast without the company of her family failed to sever Alexis' ties with his moderate slumber, Thee Champion was no heavy sleeper, and the minuscule tremors generated by his indignant spouse's stomping reverberated through the villa, bullying Alexis into awakening sleep. Showcasing no signs of the sluggishness and mental lethargy common among modern slumberers, the New God sprang to his feet, ears soon detecting Ziccarra's incessant yelling.

Having spent months parenting Maya on his lonesome during Ziccarra's confinement to a pocket dimension, the Herald of Hope didn't entirely understand his spouse's ire. Maya rarely, if ever disobeyed him, though perhaps she was more receptive to his more amicable, and personable parenting style. A sweet yet stubborn girl, Maya had inherited her mother's iron will, and perhaps, this was what led to their repeated clashes. Catalina seemed far less irked however, she conducted herself with a self-assured poise and seemed less combative than Maya did when engaged in conversation with their mother. Rolling his eyes, a partially amused smile stretching across his archangelic features, Alexis yelled from the bedroom to the hallway, "Baby you know Yaya doesn't-".

Reality M-Earth

With alarming abruptness, his auditory senses alerted him to the encompassing sound of high caliber gunfire, the blood pumping feverishly through the veins and arteries of those all about him as confused cerulean eyes surveyed his environment. Glancing down at himself, he found his powerful frame clad in his iconic, semi-armored red and blue garments. "What?", he murmured, eyes widening as his electro-perception detected the distinct electric fields produced by the muscle fibers of... two Ziccarras and, another Alexis? "What the hell is going on?", he questioned, his attention quickly shifting towards the most fervent of the electric fields as it approached. One of the supposed Ziccarras it seemed was now pursuing him. Only time would tell what mystery now took hold of the Liafador-Pettis family.

Meanwhile, fitted in the same red and blue adornments of his nU counterpart, the M-Earth Champion descended from the skies above, indignant azure eyes pulsating with rufescent plasma, fists clenching as tightly as possible at the sight of Ziccarra laying waste to their plans of conquest. "What the hell are you doing!?!", he barked, teeth bare as both feet touched the ground, the alter-Alexis' unblinking glare never wavering from the Cardinal Goddess as he hovered several feet forward. "You're going to cost us this war! Don't you want to rule the world? This is-", immediately his words paused, his senses too detecting the presence of another Alexis and two Ziccarras.

Clearly, this was not his M-Reality spouse. This was her counterpart. Grinning with wolfish visage of a homicidal madman, the alternate reality Champion made only one declaration. "DIIIEEE!", eyes flaring like wildfire as gargantuan beams of superheated plasma accelerated towards the armor-clad Ziccarra of the nU.

Earth M Ziccarra

The Evil Queen ripped through the thermosphere leaving a cascading trail of parted clouds in her wake. Her erratic cape silenced any thought she tried to create, it flapped wildly; laden with the royal insignia of the Thee Goddess and The Champion, representing everything the both of them forged through wars and insurgency.

After Dorian Gray was removed from power, Thee Goddess and the Champion rose as the world’s most premier heroes. The couplet unified most of Earth’s major hero conduits and consolidated them to one banner: The Justice Lords. The circumstances surrounding why the Justice Lords turned bad were an enigma; but not long after The King and Queen raged a war to unify Earth.

After 20 years the wages of war begin to show on the Queen, She and Alexis were on the cusp of flying the royal banner over every nation on Earth except; Canada. Descending gradually toward the location of Alexis, her eyes picked up her shifting units; they were being…outmaneuvered? “What the hell is this?!” She screamed creating a booming crackle through the sky.

For the first time in almost 3 years, the rebels had found a way to outflank the Royal Guard; the sight was amusing knowing there was still fight left in them; but in the back of her mind she wished they’d surrender. Surrender meant peace finally; it meant having the chance to establish a powerbase, it meant actually having time to spend with her husband. The amount of quality time the two had spent together waned with each battle; she spent her time plotting the strategies, and he spent his time executing.

Excessive battle caused her spirit to deteriorate, as her opaque boots met the battle scarred urban streets; her eyes focused on a figure that appeared to be her beloved Alexis. “Darling?” She called with heavy suspicion; this man appeared to be her husband, but the innocent look in his eyes told her a different story…this was another anomaly…left over from the 1^st Reality M.

Initially, she was taken by his pleasant disposition but; what made the situation awkward was assessment optical of this ‘Alexis’ innards, they conflict with the rules of human composition. “So…you’re from another universe-” her sentence was cut off by the powerful ripple of her husband sending a optic pulse at what she could only guess; was this man’s accomplice. “You see that…that’s my husband sending whoever you came with to hell.

Cupping her hands in a circle, Ziccarra opened a dark portal to the right flank of Thee Champion; in almost the same speed in which she opened it, a darkness version of herself flew through launching a massive fist toward his jaw. This incipient attack allowed her to assault back with an optical blast of her own, however instead of a singular energy attack, she struck with both light and darkness simultaneously.

NU Ziccarra

His commanding voice snagged her attention, as her pacific blue eyes fell on his person she noticed how uncharacteristically dark he was. “Alexis…” She worried, confusion lathered her olive toned face. Her qualms were answered by an explosion of superheated plasma; the beam seared the ground beneath it. Due to the massive size, there was no cover that provided enough protection from the blast; jumping, while hoisting her shield to cover a greater portion of her body, she allowed the forceful blast to carry her across the street.

He body involuntarily plowed through two structures before lethargically rolling to a stop. Broken bones, multiple broken bones; mostly in her left arm. The ungodly heat generated from his blast burned an imprint in Ziccara’s palm.

“HnnNnn” She moaned, rising to one knee trying to formulate a rudimentary plan to deal with an “unshackled” Alexis. It was once discussed before what Ziccarra would do, if Alexis ever got to this point; she knew she’d have to kill him, but she never came to terms with how exactly she’d do it. It was almost freighting, her beloved had a level he never experienced; now that she’d come to terms with it first-hand…it made her look at HIM different. She needed to be adaptive, any minute now; he’d come crashing through the building to finish her off.

Having taken damage from his authoritative eye wave, her energy conduits (elbow and knee pads) churned allowing her to siphon that powerful energy for her own use. Still on her knee, she glanced around at her local setting…a warehouse; nothing that could be put to a practical use…except the warehouse itself. An offensive strategy was off the table, at least until she could find an effective offense.

“G-got it” she murmured fighting the pain of her broken wrist; and scabbed knee caps. A direct approach wouldn’t work, physical pushing her palm forward she cast illusions of herself that circumvent the warehouse. Alexis would see through this, he has way too many tools not to; but the difference between now and then, is given their proximity she could maintain control of each illusion.

Reappearing before Alexis, she pushed an invisible wave of energy toward him; this would gradually allow her to gain control of him….if it worked; however this action proved to be a double entendre, using the attack and ploy as a way to work around him; she released the stored energy from his eye beam, and channeled it into a celestial energy blast from close range.

She could stay to confirm the attack, she immediately retreated back to the warehouse; fatigue set in making this fight incredibly difficult; casting an illusion on herself; she prepared to slow down the pace of the fight considerably.

--Earth M-Alexis--

Evidently pleased with the ebullient success of his domineering plasma beams, the warped, alternate universe Herald of Hope or rather, the Champion of Conquest, M-Alexis darted forward, accelerating with destructive intent as an erupting trail of sonic shock-waves tore laid waste to that which remained behind the New God. Blasting into the desolate warehouse, M-Alexis' luminous crimson eyes burned with the embers of fury, of a conqueror's indignation as he surveyed his encompassment, his ability to perceive the electric fields generated by one's muscle fibers enabling him to peer through the Cardinal Goddess' projected illusions as he searched for the corporeal Ziccarra, "Don't delay this", he warned.

"Concede now or risk committing the biggest mistake of your life by continuing to challenge me", he paused, his voice foreboding, his eyes far more austere and ruthless than nU Alexis' gaze could ever be. As anticipated however, the strong-willed Malagan's spirit would never yield from any challenge, certainly not one from a pretender of her husband's from an alternate reality. Imperceptible by the naked eye, a peculiar wave of energy collided into his person. Slid several feet back yet maintaining his balance by virtue of his sheer physical power and mastery over the art of flight, M-Alexis panted, clenching both fists as he shook off the localized pain of various bruises and partial burns. Still however, he was more than equipped enough to resume the bout.

"Oh you messed up big time, sweetheart!", he barked, "I'll kill you", he promised, his voice dripping with vicious affirmation. However, in a moment of unforeseen abruptness, the conquering New God's frame was overtook, exposing him to a secondary blast fueled by the absorbed energy of his own plasma beams. The agony was unfathomable. Flesh scorched, the matter of his skin superheated at the surface, kinetic energy bullying him across the ground. Wounded yet unbeaten, M-Alexis sluggishly rose to a single knee, he required recuperation. The attack was powerful and for the moment, Ziccarra was nowhere to be found. He would wait, partake in a five-second period of rest then continue his pursuit.

--nU Alexis--

'Darling?', a familiar voice called out to him, garnering his immediate attention as amicable, cerulean eyes that incited trust in the spirit of others shifted to rest on the image of... Ziccarra? "Z?", he questioned, caution governing his voice while he internally reminded himself of his recent detection of the bio-electric fields of two Ziccarras. How did he know this was truly his spouse and the mother of his children? Commencing a steady approach, his halt came with a dynamic quickness at this peculiar Ziccarra's remark regarding his emergence from an alternate universe. So it seemed they were no longer in the nU reality, this was an entirely different domain. Detecting the subsequent energy blasts that his spouse had directed to the bizarre, alternate version of himself, Alexis smiled a smile that brimmed with confidence.

"And that's my wife taking him with her". In due time he'd have to reunite with Ziccarra. An unrestrained version of himself was not an adversary he'd wish upon even his worst enemy. For tactical purposes, he would seek to isolate the M-Goddess and potentially overwhelm his counterpart with the numbers game. Though as his mind plotted, a potent fist blasted into his jaw, stunning him and exposing him to the subsequent dual-attack comprised of light and darkness. Crashing into a building wall, a hand instinctively moved to rub his jaw, dulling the aching pain ringing through it's structure as he rose to both feet, scorched flesh and bruises partially apparent.

"I'm giving you one chance to stop this nonsense", he began, "I don't want to hurt you. I know inside there must be the spirit of goodness in you. You couldn't have always been like this. What happened? Why're you like this?".

NU Z

The full force of an unshackled Alexis was overwhelming, dropping to a single knee; she watched as her cheap attack did minimal damage at best. “Hnnh” She grunted, grabbing hold of her broken wrist. “He is far too powerful…” there was doubt in her voice, it seemed he could only be hurt by himself. She had very little offensive power to combat him, and closing the distance would provide him with the opportunity for a blitz. The supplementary attack provided her with the opportunity to retreat, taking off in a full sprint the opposite way; she used her Olympian speed to her advantage, though she was running she had a plan in case he gave pursuit. Her ability to construct a violent explosive way would protect her from an aerial assault

As her trek across the urban terrain provided her with much needed distance; in the back of her mind she thought about what happened to this worlds’ heroes? There was something bigger happening in this world, something she needed to find out rather than fighting. Her wrist hurt so bad, it hindered her sprint; when given the chance she’d have to snap it back into place. Ziccarra was a hard body, but there was no way she could survive an onslaught of this caliber.

It was now clear why they were brought here to liberate the world, but she’d need help a lot of it. Temporarily propping herself against a hard brick wall; she prepared herself mentally for the arrival of Alexis.

“Earth – M”

Impressive, this Alexis was just as powerful as her husband, but what struck her as odd was his ability to be persevering in this combative atmosphere. “What happened to you?” He asked, temporarily disarming the Evil Queen. Placing her hand on her full curves; she couldn’t help but release an endearing smile.

“My husband asked me that exact same question almost 30 years ago. Not long ago, our world was invaded by a parasite; this parasite attacked us all through an “Emotional Corridor”. The conflict that ensued nearly destroyed our world, so we did what we had to do to construct what you see here.” She said, gesturing toward the mega-metropolis.

“We did what we had to do to preserve our society…would you not do the same?” she asked, somewhat interested in his answer. “Why don’t you want to fight me?” She asked effortlessly constructing a light corridor on to the back, right, and left of Alexis; leaving a direct charge toward her as the only apparent way out.

“Is it because of your wife?” She asked, pushing her hands forward, “Alexis…I am not your wife” She replied with zero emotion. Encasing her body in light, Ziccarra charged the corridor as pure energy; attempting a malicious assualt on the herald of hope.

--Earth M-Alexis--

Partially recuperated from a five second resting period, the conquering New God's focus returned to the bout at hand. Surveying his immediate encompassment, the alternate reality Alexis' perpetually luminous pearls searched for signs of his strong-willed spouse's counterpart. She was hiding, yet with the myriad of extraordinary senses in his possession, the dystopian reality's Champion was confident in his ability to locate her. Making use of the cosmic microwave background radiation remaining from the Big Bang, Alexis' vision could peer through anything, even substances traditionally thought to mitigate the efficiency of X-Ray vision, such as lead. There was nothing that his eyes could not penetrate.

And as anticipated, he spotted her, a carnivorous grin curling along his resolute features at the sight of M-Ziccarra's counterpart concealing herself behind a sturdy brick wall. He barked no taunts and refrained from pouncing like a predator. This was his opportunity to revel in the opportunity that the universe had delivered to him as an act of providence. He did not walk. The sound of his footsteps certain to alarm one as fiery and spontaneous as the Cardinal Goddess. Instead he hovered, silently above the ground, edging closer and closer to behind the wall that the kindhearted Malagan took cover on. He halted, the only barrier separating him from his wife's counterpart, a brick wall, a sturdy structure to man, and a thin sheet of paper to the New God.

Abruptly, his tree-trunk like arms burst from behind the brick wall, threatening to coil around Ziccarra's chest for both hands to hook at the front in a bone-breaking body-lock. Upon potential success, he'd taunt and deride. "You're not at all like my Ziccarra. Your killer instinct has been dulled. Is this the work, the influence of my counterpart?!", he inquired, "I can hardly wait to meet him. I can sense that he's here doing battle with my wife. Once I'm done plucking your lungs from your ribcage, Ziccarra and I... my Ziccarra and I will capture your husband, torture information about your world from him, and once we are satisfied, we will kill him then and there and then take over your world".

--nU Alexis--

Her smile, it adorned a visage identical to the one showcased by his beloved Ziccarra yet there was an unsettling quality to her counterpart's expression, one that instead of projecting a tangible tenderheartedness, caused chills to ripple along his spine. As she spoke, Alexis listened, taking in every bit of information. He knew in his own heart that under similar circumstances, he still would not resort to their methods. While he understood that a hero's duty includes sacrificing their own selfish moral ideals for the greater good, that should the world truly need it, a hero must understand that it's fate supersedes their own ethical values, he refused to believe that conquest was what was required. That it was a solution.

"If you did all of this in the name of the greater good, why're you so eager to fight me? To harm me?", he began. "You ask me if I'd do the same to preserve our society... but what I see is war, the crescendo of mass murder. So I'll ask you this. Does the end always justify the means? Does the death of thousands and millions somehow mean less in the hopes of achieving some semblance of peace? What good is peace, Ziccarra, what nobility does it retain when the blood price becomes too much to endure? Surely no person with a conscience can carry such a burden on their soul. To justify this... carnage is to transcend morality itself. And nobody, Ziccarra, not even gods are beyond reproach". That was his answer, and it would always be his answer.

He was a beacon of hope, he had to be, if not him then who else? He remained focused, his gaze earnest as his spouse's counterpart enclosed him in a barrier of light with only one exit, through her. She was correct however, she was not his wife. "I know", he paused, "Because my wife would never try to hurt me". Raising both arms as a defensive measure against the erupting corridor of energy, Alexis' mind called out to his wife, making use of their intimate psionic connection, "Z! I know where you are. I'm coming. If this reality's version of me is anything like yours, then we need to take them down together". Scorched and wounded, Alexis winced, "Gnnhh... I don't want to hurt you. But my wife most certainly will". Accelerating past her, the Herald of Hope commences his ebullient soar towards his wife and counterpart's location, certain that M-Ziccarra would eagerly be trailing him.

NU, Z

Taking her injured wrist in hand, she bit her bottom lip to alleviate the coming pain; torqueing her wrist to the left she snapped it back into place. Pain resound through her ornate cheeks and premature tears; however it was now something she didn’t have to worry about…for now. Calming her labored breaths to relax her body; she prepared herself to relocate to a more strategic location. Her adept auditory acuity alerted her to his swift presence; before she could muster the strength to move, he shattered the brick wall trapped her in his vice-like grip.

“Alexis no!” She pleaded, squirming in a desperate attempt to free herself. “AHH!” She screamed, feeling every one of his anaconda-like muscles constricting relative small frame. The pain was bad, but the jeering was worse. Looking into his eyes she saw very little emotion, he was going to kill her; and then he’d kill her beloved. “You….” She strained, trying onerously to pry her relative small frame from the hulks grip. “Do…not…..hnnh….love….her” She said, referring to his wife; his eyes knew no emotion. Then…she remembered; having fought her own husband a few times; she always needed an ace card.

That card would come in the form of an illusion; the one she cast on herself earlier provided her with the opportunity to take him by surprise again. Allowing herself to dissolve from his grip, she performed an afterimage which positioned her off to the right in close proximity.

“Bleed motherf%cker!!!” She screamed, charging every ounce of psy-energy she could muster; and sent it hurling directly at the corrupted Champion.

Her high octane attack rivaled atom fission, the destructive expansive properties of her energy encased five blocks in its destructive path decimating everything in its pathway. The tenacity in which her energy came out surprised her; she didn’t intend to release as much as she did, so many lives were lost accidentally. “No…” she whispered, immediately becoming overwhelmed by guilt. She had to think tactically, he was nowhere in her local setting. The thick cloud of ash and debris clouded her vision, thick pillows of soot rained down over the mega-metropolis forcing her to retreat back to a more visible locale. She was visibly gassed, the exertion of energy drained her stamina; but an incoming message from her beloved. “Darling….hurry” she said, with labored breaths. “He is kicking my ass…” She replied, bending at the waist to stretch her calves.

“!!!” turning slightly, her shield forward protected her from red…arrows? She instictivly lunged backwards creating space between the unknown attackers. “What…have…you…DONE?!” a man screamed, appearing through the smoke in a crimson hood with a crimson bow and arrow. “Kurt?” Z inquired dropping her shield just a bit.

“You killed so many…” He said, raising his bow to strike again; “Don’t!” Z screamed, not really wanting to engage an alter-Kurt with Alexis hovering around. “I am not…your Queen…” She explained, watching as he slowly circled her.

“The king is on his way back…he will kill us if we do not work together” His facial expression never changed, in that blast he lost many she could tell; however he too look as if he had no emotions. “Kurt…is the emotion?”

“It’s gone…it’s long gone…no one here can feel anything. It’s a plus for you love, this won’t hurt a bit” He said, releasing his bow sending a crimson arrow toward Ziccarra. Her adept hands snatched it from the air with a jovial grin. “Our Kurt never misses.” She taunted, preparing to physically persuade him.

“Neither does this one” he replied, a spontaneous explosion from the secured arrow, knocked the Malagan Marchioness on her back a little ways off. Blood spurt from her mouth, and burns swelled her arms. It was too late someone was approaching fast… they were going to die.

Earth M Z

He blew past her in a crimson/azure blur, She knew where he was going; to aid his wife, against her husband. The REAL difference between Ziccarra and M Ziccarra was the power set; M Z was a far more dangerous threat if left alone. “Unfortunately for you…I am not your wife” she whispered hovering in the air just a meter above the terrain. Extending her hands out in the north and south direction, she channeled the planets magnetic poles. This wasn’t something she knew how to do on her own, she learned it from Prime Ziccarra during the 1^st reality M. Both poles released a gargantuan energy pulse that pushed towards the opposite poles, this was significant because the point in which they met would implode under the opposing energies.

--Earth M-Alexis--

While the voice that conveyed the Goddess' incessant pleas was not unlike that of his beloved spouse's, the Herald of Destruction felt nothing, experienced no sympathy, and seemed incapable of empathizing with Ziccarra's counterpart. "Love?", the New God uttered, as if in confusion over the Malagan's remark, his body-lock subtly weakening for a second yet not fully relinquishing it's constricting hold. "What you speak of is nonsense, dearest Ziccarra", almost spitting her name as he spoke. "What is love but a socially constructed concept to hold back the few superior men? It is the same", his body-lock tightening, "Brand of foolishness from which morality and ethics is bred".

In his distraction, in his inability to understand that which his wife's counterpart uttered, M-Alexis had unknowingly rendered himself vulnerable to her impending assault. Succinctly shifting his indignant gaze from his adversary to the illusionary projection to his right, the New God's terse distraction exposed him to a god-slaying mass of explosive, psionic energy. And while the encompassing civilians perished from the searing sting of Ziccarra's attack, M-Alexis' flesh was scorched to the very bone, a tidal wave of pain rippling through his entire physical being as portions of the matter of his nearly unbreakable bones were superheated. A towering mushroom cloud was left in the wake of the atomic eruption, buildings had been reduced to ash, the ground was blemished by a gaping crater that cut deep into the Earth's crust, yet the Champion's twisted, unforgiving counterpart remained, standing yet severely wounded.

His ire however, had never been greater. While significantly weakened by Ziccarra's assault and no longer in the appropriate physical condition required to unleash the full brunt of his world-breaking power, he harbored within him the confidence that he could still defeat the Malagan Mistress. "You... bitch", he winced, eye twitching in thinly veiled rage, "Heh... that hurt", he nearly smirked, deranged features giving way to his rousing ire, "It HURT!", he roared, bursting towards the now wounded Ziccarra, unconcerned with the unanticipated emergence of M-Kurt Pendragon.

--nU Alexis--

Blitzing past all that populated his line of sight, the Herald of Hope's senses remained focused and focused on one thing only, his unforgiving counterpart. Though not entirely ignorant to the situation commenced by M-Ziccarra, Alexis first sought to offer the Cardinal Goddess some manner of defensive relief. For a moment, he wondered where both Catalina and Maya were, surely they too were transported to Reality M-2 along with their parents. If so, their assistance would meet their father's undying appreciation. There, his azure eyes spotted, the speeding frame of his dark counterpart, targeting... Ziccarra. "Z!", his resolute voice cried. Accelerating forward in a burst of unmitigated pace, the Red & Blue Icon's right fist rose to the waist before rising upwards in a semi-arc, smashing a thunderous uppercut into his counterpart's exposed chin.

"Z get up", Alexis encouraged, the frame of his counterpart having been blasted into the planet's frigid, upper atmosphere. Exercising his blistering speed to conduct an abrupt dash and blitz the attacking Kurt into unconsciousness, Alexis returned his attention to his wounded wife. "You did well to injure my counterpart that badly. But your counterpart, she's causing a disturbance in this planet's magnetic poles. Simply put, what she's doing will ruin this world. You know your powers better than I do. Can you stop her? Because I know my own powers better than I do. And only I", he paused, shifting his gaze upwards to a returning M-Alexis, "Can stop him".

Kurt’s arrow left her defenseless; trying to crawl away her body begin to spasm as M-Alexis let loose a boisterous roar. She could feel the tremors through the blood on her face beating with anticipation. “He is back!” she screamed, swiftly rolling toward her shield; she hoist it in front it a futile attempt. There was no assault; he would’ve surely made it to her by now, looking over her shield she saw the M Alexis hit the soar through the thermosphere compliments of HER hero; her husband had arrived. “Darling!” she screamed laboriously; her body was so weak in attempt to get up had been negated by her profuse blood loss. “This…does not count…” She lightly joked, referencing the personal record between the two.

Upon his questioning, Ziccarra could now feel the destructive energy moving toward them. Its vast size suggested the coming end not only for them, but the entire planet.

“Darling…that woman is not me, I could never conjure energy of that magnitude. I might be able to construct a shield over us… but in my weakened state it would be a long shot.” The look in his eyes hadn’t faltered, the herald of hope would find a way; even in the face of apparent death, it’s just what he did.

“Darling…look” pointing south she saw what appeared to be a fast approaching light energy, the reckless abandon in the energy’s flight pattern left no doubt that this was her counterpart. “Light energy to the south, and the magnetic energy above us…we have to retreat” The Malagan Marchioness commanded, mustering a bit of strength to prop herself on Alexis’ shoulder.

The clouds darkened, the earth itself begin releasing a petrifying moan, the ground beneath them begin to part the lovers; seemingly marking the end of their marriage and lives. A vulgar explosion from the heavens brought down a powerful magnetic pulse rippling through the thermosphere toward the power couple.

At the moment of impact a dark portal opened sending the catastrophic force into a vacuum of nothingness. Shortly after the Catalan Countess rose from the depths of the dark portal in a sinister manner with an arrogant smirk gracing her porcelain face.

“Catalina!” Ziccarra screamed filled with joy, at her daughters’ timely arrival. “I spent hours looking for you guys, leave it to mom to blow some sh!t up” She said, moving between Z and Alexis. “Dad…I can help you fight…I just need to…” before the young Liafador finished her sentence; the commanding presence of M Ziccarra’s right fist knocked her across the field.

“NO!” Z screamed, chucking her powerful shield at the evil queen’s head, an apt duck made the attack useless; however the Malagan beauty followed up with a expertly employed pommel horse style kick; demonstrating physical strength, flexibility, power, agility, coordination, grace, balance and control.

M Ziccarra hit the ground in a roll, before rising to her feet seemingly unscathed. “You b!tch!” she hiss turning her attention to both the downed Cat and Kurt.

“Your end has come witch!” Z screamed thrusting her sword out, in a blatant challenge to her overtly powerful counterpart. “You guys are without emotions, but that tis what makes US...” She started motioning toward her family. “Stronger!” thrusting her hand forward she went to attack; however the M Z flew into the heavens undoubtedly to regroup with her husband.

“Darling…they want to get to our world...we….have to kill them…”

The Red & Blue Icon couldn't even quantify how long a period it had been since he last summoned the full magnitude of his overpowering god-like might. Yet as his resolute stare focused on the speeding frame of his approaching counterpart, and his senses alerted him to the rousing energy of M-Ziccarra's destructive attack, Alexis had come to a decision, the decision to harness the power that enabled him to eradicate entire stars and their planetary systems, power he had never showcased to open eyes, not even those of his own family. Fortunately however, it was not to be as Catalina made her timely emergence to disrupt M-Ziccarra's plot of planetary destruction. "Catalina", Alexis smiled.

The sight of his daughter adorning a smile of sincere contentment on his archangelic features. Yet his smile vanished as quickly as it came in response to the following sight of M-Ziccarra's vicious hook blasting the Cardinal Goddess of Darkness across the architecturally disheveled city. Governed by the immediate paternal instinct to confirm his daughter's well-being, Alexis darted towards Catalina's grounded frame, only to unknowingly expose himself to a bombarding array of unrelenting superheated plasma beams that tore away at the matter of his flesh and ignited his very bones. Forced onto his knees by his counterpart's unyielding assault, the Champion struggled though it was... difficult. Never had he done battle with such a powerful adversary.

"Hehehe... You're weak, just like the rest of your family", M-Alexis taunted, hovering ever closer to his righteous nU counterpart. "So self-righteous, so blinded by your own morality that you cannot see that you will lose this battle. Don't you understand... Alexis? If you don't kill me, I won't just kill you, I'll take the lives of your daughters, your spouse, and then I will visit your world. I'll meet all of the eight year old children and housewives who admire and look up to you, who are won over by that million dollar smile of yours that inspires trust and hope in their hearts. And then.. then my hands will crush them all along with every single superhuman, mutant etc. that tries to stop me. Because I know, and you know, that nobody can stop us... me. And when it is all said and done, when your world perishes with everyone wondering why their beloved hero has become a conqueror... I will prove them wrong by becoming a destroyer and eradicating your solar system".

"Then I'll target the next one, and the next one", he paused, levitating inches from a downed Alexis, "And I will not stop until-". Abruptly, the New God cut his villainous counterpart's monologue as he sprung to his feet, circled behind him to hook his hands tightly around his adversary's midsection, roll back to his feet, and deadlift his vicious opponent, launching him over his head with complete disregard, sending the back of his neck crashing into the ground in a brutal, earth-shattering German suplex. Then the Herald of Hope repeated, repeated and repeated, his grip never loosening as he pummeled and bullied his immoral rival with an unrelenting barrage of suplexes before finally freeing him with a terminating toss across the battlefield. Ziccarra was right, at this point, there rested no other option but death. Either they killed their counterparts... or they would die.

M-Alexis lethargically rose from his bed of rubble to soar into the sky, recuperating and regrouping with his twisted spouse. Meanwhile, Alexis rushed to Catalina's side, "Get up Catalina", he encouraged with doting paternalism, aiding her to her feet. "Your mother's right, we have to end this now. But I'll need your help. My counterpart, he was weakened by your mother. But I've been wounded too, I can't afford to fight him on my own. I'm going to get him and his wife to shoot a combined energy blast at your mother and I. I want you at the last second to open a portal to absorb the blast then open another one behind them so you can redirect the attack back at them, and take them down".

“It won’t work…” Cat grunted, she rose just in enough time to see M-Alexis shoot through the clouds. “The Queen has a link to the dark force…we will never get the element of surprise” She explained, holding on to her injured elbow. Cat turned toward the unconscious Kurt; his arrows would provide good distraction.

“It…will work…” Ziccarra intervened, still holding on to Alexis for support. “We need that exact thing to happen… but in reverse.” The Malagan Marchioness stood to full form in the middle of her family, plotting the next move; it was a risky one, but if Alexis put enough conviction into this plan then they could win.

“I’ll lead a frontal assault on the both of them…” She strained holding her chest wound. “My distraction will allow Cat to construct the darkness portal. Alexis…my darling…you have to put your full might into this attack.” Her pacific blue eyes fell on her child and husband, this apparent suicide mission would put the Malagan’s stamina to the test. Alexis would indisputably want to take the mission for himself, but neither Cat nor Z were strong enough to amass enough power to kill them.

“Darling…do not worry about me, I will be fine. Remember we are doing this for the greater good.” As she spoke she passionately stroked his cheek to ensure him she’d be fine. Turning to Catalina she placed a motherly kiss on her forehead before turning towards the heavens.

With sword and shield in hand the mirage matriarch flew head on toward M Alexis, and M Ziccarra; both trying to gain a moments reprieve. Her bones ached, dry blood littered her once porcelain skin; but with the lives of her family on the line the battle ready Cardinal Goddess lunged into battle, sending a volley of psionic energy blades at her counterpart; she executed an adept aerial pirouette.

Mid-spin she unlatched and dispatched her energized bullwhip; with each spin she released an expansive wave of psionic energy to keep them at a distance. “CAT NOW!” She screamed, hoping Alexis and Cat would act quick enough to prevent her from taking an unnecessary attack.

Remaining attentive to the Dark Cardinal Goddess' words, a subtle wave of disappointment rippled through the Herald of Hope's mind as she highlighted the seeming impossibility in seizing the element of surprise from M-Ziccarra. "Are you absolutely sure about that?", Alexis inquired, succinctly shifting his cerulean gaze towards his wounded daughter as he aided her to her feet. Quickly however, his spouse interjected, her hands holding onto the Red & Blue Icon's powerful, herculean physique as she detailed her course of action. "In reverse? Can you elaborate?", he paused, curious over the possibility that his suggested plan may in fact work as opposed to what Catalina had stated.

Listening intently to Ziccarra's suggestions, The Champion issued a subtle nod every now and then to indicate his investment in the Cardinal Goddess' words. The notion of channeling his full power into an attack however, frightened him. Such a decision would undoubtedly commence the destruction of the Solar System. He would have to resort to the next best thing. Comforted by Ziccarra's loving assurance that he need not worry over her well-being, the New God issued a tame nod and tenderhearted smile before directing his attention to his approaching counterpart and his Ziccarra's alternate version. Hoping to render their adversaries vulnerable to the Malagan Mistress' impending assault, Alexis readied himself.

It would be impossible to charge both his counterpart and M-Ziccarra without disrupting his spouse's own ebullient attack. Instead, the New God heated the air around both their charging opponents with the introduction of superheated plasma, causing a rapid outward thermal expansion, impacting the surrounding cooler air at a speed faster than sound would otherwise travel, the outward-moving pulse resulting in an explosive shock-wave, thunder. Bombarding them with some of nature's most powerful shock-waves, again and again and again. He then waited, to witness the potential success of his, Ziccarra's, and Catalina's combined assault.

Ziccarra’s frontal assault provided exactly what Cat and Alexis needed to finish of the alternates, having kept both King and Queen at bay long enough, she instinctively drifted back; allowing the volley of pulsating shockwaves to rain down on the two. “Do not let up!” She screamed, watching as the energy based M Ziccarra took the full blunt of Alexis’ calculated assault. “You…do…not….LOVE HER!” The angered Malagan roared, the rim of her athletically slim body radiating with a thick purple hue.

Ziccarra’s residual energy could be seen slowly coursing through her veins, under duress from her own power escalation; her face begin to turn a decorative red.

The palms of her hands begin to swell with psy energy, thrusting her hands forward she guided the destructive energy as far as she could, once again hoping to substantially damage M Alexis to prevent him from aiding his pain-stricken wife. The intense reduction in power caused her too brusquely fall out of the air; she fell hunched over helplessly, but knowing full well either Catalina or Alexis would catch her.

“Dad! Mom is falling!” Cat pointed, it was her turn; focusing on her mother wasn’t something she could afford to do. Throwing her hands forward, she prepared to send both alters into a dark pocket dimension, but something stopped her, a serpent like grin slid on her porcelain face. If allowed to live in any part of the universe they’d return; maybe even under the influence of Y-intercept, having already of a first-hand experience on what that entailed, she wouldn’t allow it to happen.

The ambient space in front of her eyes immediately begin to heat up, the loud thunder above silenced its true destructive pitch. Her eyes glazed over with a flamboyant crimson gloss; thanks to the contact she made with her father, she sent a colossal blinding beam of superheated plasma accelerating towards the couple. The raw energy beam roared as it split the ozone in half; if she connected it was over.

With his world-breaking barrage of thunderous attacks launched, there remained little for the Herald of Hope to do but observe the unfolding events and as his namesake suggested, hope that circumstances favor his and his family's combined assault. M-Alexis, in his distraction and obsession over eradicating his altruistically inclined counterpart, found himself exposed and bombarded by the coupled assault from both the Cardinal Goddess and the Red & Blue Icon. Fully expecting their adversaries to succumb to Catalina's concluding maneuver, Alexis' attention was soon shifted towards Catalina herself in a moment of unanticipated abruptness, the Cardinal Goddess of Darkness alerting him of Ziccarra's aerial plummet.

He was fast in taking action. Bursting from the ground in an ebullient vault of cinematic dynamism, The Champion accelerated into the air, azure eyes focused on the falling image of his dearest spouse as both his powerful arms soon caught her voluptuous frame from midair, quickly securing themselves around her in a doting hold, his lips affectionately meeting her cheeks, her forehead and her nose with a series of amorous kisses, "I've got you, baby, don't worry", he comforted, gazing lovingly into the Malagan's cerulean pearls. "And I promise I won't drop you this time", he laughed somewhat quietly, commencing their steady and controlled descent. "Let's hope Catalina's attack works". And it seemed that it certainly would.

M-Alexis had been considerably weakened from the potent sting of their previous attacks, and his defeat was an irrefutable certainty. His spouse's counterpart however, still proved a difficult opponent. "You can do it Catalina. End this once and for all", he encouraged. "Give this world freedom from their tyranny the way you sought freedom from Y. I know you can do it".

Z never saw her daughter’s attack, after losing so much energy she found solace in the authoritative arms of her endearing husband. She went a full hour and survived against the unshackled M New God, A feat she never thought she’d achieve. Regulating her breaths to alleviate her wounds, her body involuntarily jumped at the roaring sound of Catalina’s raw attack.

The Ionized superheated plasma smacked both The Champion and Thee Goddess enveloping them in a chasm of searing energy. Cat was a disciple of Ziccarra, not that Champion; she was a firm believer in killing for the good of society; that was the case here. Pouring more raw energy into her attack she watched as; the flesh of both King and Queen were ripped from the fabric of reality m.

“It’s done dad…” Catalina whispered, looking back at her exhausted parents. Some time ago, this would’ve been the time Cat chose to attack, with both of her parents injured it would’ve been too easy to send a tendril piercing through their hearts.

Turning toward the she let loose a nefarious saunter; a commanding one. She had the powers of Alexis, she could end them both with whatever she wanted to do. Instead of acting on her thoughts, she dropped to her knees and hugged them both. “Let’s get the fck out of here…”

Off in the distance she could see something descending from the heavens; “Dad…what’s that?”

Partially exhausted, the altruistic New God observed the remainder of their bout with their morally depraved counterparts. "Hmm". Catalina was the Cardinal Goddess of Darkness, and true to her namesake, her approach to the conflict was dark. She didn't harbor Alexis' restraint, nor was she as compassionate as her mother, Ziccarra. Catalina was a killer, her fingertips, homicidal instruments. He wasn't necessarily content with the battle's violent outcome, but he acknowledged the necessity. "Yes. It is", the Herald of Hope's temperate, resolute voice responded, projecting the character of he who inspires hope and trust in others. "It's done. I'm proud of you, Catalina", he smiled, resting a comforting palm atop the teenager's shoulder.

Subsequently, Thee Champion met the ensued familial embrace with immediate, warmhearted reciprocation, wrapping both arms around both his spouse and daughter, pressing an affectionate kiss on their foreheads, Alexis voiced his contentment with their acquired success. "I'm glad that's over with. And sure, Catalina, we can leave". Or so they thought, an airborne anomaly immediately capturing their attention. "Let's find out". Vaulting into the air, the Red & Blue Icon soared into the sky, an erupting trail of sonic shock-waves reverberating behind him as he accelerated prior to commencing a steady deceleration. Coming to a tame halt midair, his archangelic eyes meeting another set of denim blue pearls, Alexis' curiosity was piqued, it was not unlike staring into the past and coming face to face with a younger version of himself.

"You're me".