Αποκατάσταση της Δόξας [Empire Claim RPG]

A remote part of Lefkada Islands: 3:00 AM

In the days following his claim on the ancient country, Kai and his troops traveled across Greece gaining popularity among its citizens, utilizing his natural charisma, charm and promise of a better tomorrow to garner the enamor of many cities, though despite his growing favor, some remained dubious, and the Mare Del Fortean and Hellenic Army (The army of Greece) commonly fought, the army of Greece not taking kindly to some "fish-man" and his troops occupying their country with the intent on taking it over.

It confused the Sea King at how some could seemingly detest what would ensure their countries fate. While the fact didn't slow his campaign, the thought nagged in the back of his mind and infuriated him. Fists punched through the granite walls of his temporary residence, and the Modern Day Poseidon released an exasperated result of frustration: "Why? Why is peace protested where it is proposed? Tis' naught but idiocy I say!" Looking to the sky with an expression of resolve, the Aquatic Aurelius shook his head; "It is of no concern I suppose... With my allies and army, those that come to impede my progress will only slow the inevitable. "

He was certain of it, as over the days of his announcement, there had been those whom stepped forward and offered their hand in alliance, and the Sea King held un-quenchable faith in his supporters. But they would attack him, he was certain of it, for today was the last day that marked his ominous warning. Kai, outfitted in russet armor and trident in hand, leaped out the window of his villa to stand side by side with his army on the rocky shore, the scene devoid of citizens who were told to run or take shelter.

There were legions of them, Beast tamers, mounted on gigantic crabs, silver tridents and swords in hand, the Magus, with their vibrantly glowing staffs, Sea vipers, unseen but assuredly there, ilektriká chélia, some in the hilly backdrop baring sniper rifles, others standing by the Kings side, and finally Megaladons, standing at the height of most Giraffes, most carrying mini-guns. Raising his arm, lightning shot out of the tips of his trident, and the soon to be battle field was blanketed in harsh rain. In truth, the Modern Day Poseidon would've preferred nothing more than the Mycenae ruins for a battle of monumental occasion, however foregone such a wish on the principle of preserving the historic site. So there they stood, the armies of Mare Del forte, waiting with stone faces for their enemies to arrive.

"The water shall run red with blood today... this, I am assured."

@shanana@maverick_6@aquariusm@_paragon_@tenjin@nikademus@quietus@lunahawk@damian_carlisle@the_shogun(Sorry If I forgot someone)

Peace.

"Welp, I think we all know how this goes....Hey guys, let me come out of nowhere and show you peace. By force."

To be honest, Prometheus wasn't sure what would happen to be honest. But he had come to understand why he was pulled from his usual activities of leasure indeed, he believed wholly in what he was fighting for this day.

So let me get this straight. This guy, who nobody knows about, comes out of the sea, with his army, giving a big fat "screw you" to the established governmental parties and the like as he just muscles in and tries to take over the country. Who the heck is buying what this guy is selling. Oh, he just wants to do this for "the good of the country."

Ok, guy we don't know about, we don't want another spain, so, yeah. I think we'll have to say a big fat freaking no to this unknown guy giving the military the finger.

Maverick had been stationed close by, for days, scoping out their opponents, using their orbital emplacements to aid in gaining expansive detail on his opponent, due to in fact, his warning them and giving them three days to attack. Convenient, as if he'd come out of the blue, they would have much less to actually go off of. But now? They could gather appropriate weapons. Even have people greece, such as shadow company, scope them out. Gather intelligence on the type of armor they had, a rough sketch of their weapons through echolocation. They could know much of the enemy, and how they operated. What they had. Their equipment? Their patterns? They all lied in wait.

Something of seemingly literal blurs moved throughout the streets, cloaked as well, but with an increased sense of perception to compliment it. Each member of the shadow company was capable of mapping out the area around them for miles. Though the storm disrupted and limited COMS, the pitter patter of the rain provided ample vibrations for them to all map the area around them out simply by being near it.

They moved about, not even attacking anything as they relayed current and up to date information of enemy forces. Perhaps, waiting for other forces to engage first even, and be of use in taking a vast deal of the attention away from the sightless and seemingly soundless entities that moved about unseen through the city streets, gathering intelligence on enemies, but ready to launch attack at any time.

The question was simply, which time was the right time? Prometheus sat in a warehouse, loading his twin machine pistols and readying his SABR as he listened for activity, forming his own map of the area, before proceeding out and deciding next what to do. They looked for where to strike.

Where victory was. And what stood in their way.

It was a quiet day...

Over the past week, Kai and his forces had been rallying support and spreading propaganda to the people of Greece, gaining their trust and showing his good will. All of the good it did him, considering anyone who actually held any belief in him had long since left the islands and were heading as far away as they could, escaping the soon-to-be warzone with their lives. Now only the sounds of the military forces assembling and heavy rain filled the air. And, to a quiet guardian such as herself, this kind of mood fit the Paragon perfectly well.

Standing atop a large rock formation as the ruler rallied his forces, the one-eyed watcher did nothing but listen as she held a energetic spear in her hand... her gaze gliding across the army below in an odd fashion, stopping on particular soldiers for long moments before moving on to the next.

It was no secret that her presence here was not as a soldier herself, seeing as she deliberately separated herself from the rest if them... she was here to watch over the army, and come to her own conclusions on whether not this was a worthwhile endeavor.

She was no traitor, but neither was she a fool who'd blindly follow her ruler into battle without any amount of cynicism. The watcher had only involved herself in this undertaking as a defender and a guide, helping injured soldiers survive skirmishes and assisting in the evacuation of the local populace, not once taking up arms against their 'enemies'... only observing them when they appeared.

It was through her intent observance of this situation that she noticed... something off (@maverick_6). Although she neither saw or heard anything abnormal, from her perch she began to pick up on disturbances in her electroreception. The Paragon managed to figure out that the army was being observed by watchers other than herself, watchers who had the capabilities to be both silent and shrouded, much like Kai's own Sea Vipers.

She made no indication of this realization, nor did she give any sign to the army below of their seemingly invisible guests. Until they actually made a move to harm one of her people, they were merely observers. The peacekeeper knew that a battle she could not avoid was coming in the very near future, but until the first shot was fired she'd maintain her neutrality on the situation.

@kai_aurelius: @quietus:

The daunting purr of a retrofitted Bowler Wildcat 4x4 sung from beyond the horizon, its novelty twin-turbocharged 5.5 liter V8 engine with 526 bhp supplied it's 12.5 inch wheels with 560 lb ft worth of torque that disintigrated the dirt roads underneath into a voluptuous cloud of granulated debris in it's wake. It was a pinnacle of machinery, capable of dominating any terrain due to smart on-board compressors that adjusted the tire pressures to changing enviroments. It's driver, The Herculean Hound, wasn't man of material nature but this gift? It had to be, and was, cherished at high speeds.

-- Approaching the choke-point, Jones. ETA two minutes. --

It quickly, despite it's custom armoring, covered the ground between it and the nautical army that littered the island's shoreline. It was a mechanical messanger, and as one, it's brakes kicked in about 500 yards in front of the armada, whipping to the side as it's sophisticated performance invoked a fleeting power-slide. Dust settling, a boot set on Greek soil in tandem with it's parallel shortly before an armored frame of bear-like proportions exited the vehicles confines, in hand an ornate Randall Special. He stood behind the ATV's open doors, briefly eyeing the force with his natural frown and bringing a cabled radio microphone to his mouth.

"I'm here to deliver a message from the Equalizers to whoever leads this invading force.", suddenly his voice aggrandized. It's volume reaching out far and wide due to the speakers built into the vehicle. Frank then paused, fingers leaving and grasping the microphone in sequence. "You are to cease the occupation of Lefkada Islands and draw your forces back into the sea immediately under the direct decree of the European Union, NATO, the Greek parliament and every goddamn soul still in the area. You are permitted to voice your resignations and compromises to me. You have been hereby afforded two hours to do so and prevent international conflict. After that point, there will be no further warnings and no further attempts at negotiation. Only retaliation.", bringing the gadget closer to his mouth he thought of what Julius might've said.

"In other words: Stand down, bitch.", the words echoed for miles.

He reliquished the microphone and retreated it back inside the vehicle, still hearing the word echo on. Never-the-less The Voracious Veteran stood tall beside his vehicle. The first man in, the last man out. Waiting for whatever response may come from the forces that dwarfed and stared down his army-of-one or possibly just stalling for the rest of the team. Whichever it may be, Frank would continue standing like a pillar in the face of adversity and doubt.

@frank_scaletta:

The solemn sea warriors awaited patiently, for the first sign of troops or fleets on the horizon, until something rung out across the shoreline, an amplified messages of sorts calling for their leave of the country. A left hand was raised, and mages raised their staff, suddenly amplifying Kai's own sound and The Sea king couldn't help but vocalize his incredible amusement: "Hahaahaha... You speak these words as if they are already foreign to me, coward. Clearly I have no intention on leaving, but you would do best to take your own advice curr."

"Find him, and kill him immediately."

The telepathic message was relayed to the ilektriká chélia and Sea Viper members crouching hilltop, and upon hearing the command from the Aquatic Aurelius, both sects began their relentless combing of the region. Ilektriká chélia scanned the area with thermal sighted scopes, and Sea Vipers, with speeds that could outpace bullets leapt from vantage point to vantage point, until a singular member spotted what looked to be a vehicle stationed 1500 feet away from the main army.

"Target acquired. Seems armed. Requesting precautionary reinforcements."

Four Sea vipers moved to their allie's location, landing silently by his side. They were nigh-completely invisible, their suits a result of arcane pseudo-technology giving them 0-heat emitting, light and sound absorbing suits. As a result, even if one were to fall from a great height, their landing wouldnt emit a single sound, and the same went for their present situation where all 5 aquatic ninjas rushed to the vehicle's side. 3 stood on either side of the car while 2 knelt by its side, blades drawn. Undoubtedly it would posses some form of reinforced windows, however, to the under-water death dealer's, it was of little concern. Their fists, snapping forward at speeds faster than that of a standard bullet, backed by power greater than that of a peak condition human would suredly have enough power to break through. And it is exactly that they attempted, daggers clenched in fist. In one move, if successful, they fists would penetrate the car and their daggers, loaded with toxic microcapules, would manage to slit their targets face and neck. The toxin? Each dagger aimed at the Herculean Hound was coated in microcapules that would release a powerful dose of Tetrodotoxin upon contact with flesh. The neurotoxin, typically found in pufferfish was reportedly 1200 times more powerful than cyanide and killed by paralysis. Only, the moment their attack launched, the two kneeling by the vans side attempted to slash open the tires of the vehicle, and, fruitful in their efforts or not, the Sea vipers would each leap away. Why? Because of TTX's nature as a quick killer, death occurring in roughly 17 minutes due to the dose if left untreated, the vipers hoped to kill their target without a large skirmish. And if they were unseen, all their target would notice was that his windows were smashed open and there were cuts on his facial area, the toxin itself would be entirely vacant from the actual wounds.

"King Kai, we opted for attack plan b due to dubious nature of opponent."

"Very well, but know that should he live, you will bw held responsible."

Sitting by the fire, sipping a cognac with a face that was the picture of a moments contentment, his novel illuminated by the glow of the green fire beside his armchair, Damian enjoys his quiet day to himself.

Until the green flame turns purple and bursts outward into an image of Greece's news station, "<As the sea dweller forces shore up on our banks, many ask the question- where are the so called heroes in this battle?>" The feed, an electrical current stolen by the power of the magical flame, not unlike a black box cable hook up, only far less likely to be traced, absorbs back into the fireplace.

"Damn...damn damn damn," he says hopping out of his chair and pacing along the Persian carpet

"You call..." An eerie voice echoes from nowhere and everywhere

Pulling three books from the case beside the fireplace in sequence the sorcerer enters a hidden stairwell that helped him reach the sub-basement faster than the generic passages. As he swirls down the spiral staircase a thousand thoughts rush through his mind.

Greece was one of the most formidable homes of ancient magic, the sanctuary was a blip compared to her.In the system of the arcane, Salem was to pluto as Greece was to the Sun. A pure hotbed of power that couldn't be allowed to fall into unknown hands.

"Skelgin you bloody bastard I know you saw this coming...!" Damian said storming down the halls with his back haunched like a fighter on the attack

"'Tis true..." A Cheshire cat voice squeals from the shadows "How else was I...to get you to come visit...hahaha..."

Rounding a corner Damian removes his glasses so fast they bend wit the force, "You knew, you KNEW what would happen if I wasn't prepared for this and you allowed it anyway. You sadistic old bastard."

"Ts ts ts...is that anyway to speak...to an elder." Skelgin asks, creeping from the shadows, hsi bones rattling like a bag of baseball bats against the enchanted chains that bound him to the rune circle that imprisoned him, or rather, it. "Take the advice of an undying boy...the past has past...the focus, should be on how you intend to handle the future..."

"That was the damned plan wasn't it?! You trained me in the arts as a child, twisted my mind into your house to take root in. When I finally realized what you were doing I left you down here to rot- 999 -and a half- light sorcerers trained, 999 -and a half- dark trained. Now you want to tip the scale."

His bony hands lift, a permanent smile on his skullion face, chains hanging from them as his head lilts to the side, "Guuuuuuilty as....chaaarged..." He says stepping down from his dark throne, standing just on the edge of his seal, so close to the librarian sorcerer that he could smell the marrow

"..."

Damian was speechless. All he was doing was throwing a tantrum now. Skelgin had played chess with him for nearly ten years, and unexpectedly pulled off a checkmate from the confines of a prison cell. "Just do it, you shit heel of a bag of bones."

"As you wish Damian...as you wish..."

Taking out STRIKE's new command VTOL callsign, "Knight One" Yashimora takes command of the sky as STRIKES Overlord. Yashimora had very little intel on the situation other then some mutant from the sea brang his army and has started to take over Greece whether better or for worse thats a act of war none the less Yashimora had orders to be acting commander on this battlefield.

Hovering high in the air over Greece he sends @maverick_6 20 more STRIKE soldiers. The parashooted out of the back of Knight One and landed in a soccer field. "Alpha and Gamma team head towards Prometheus transponder, he will be in charge of you once your with his team, Yashimora out". Yashimora puts down the radio and heads over to a holo-table located in the command room and looks at the map of Greece. Seeing where everyone was located he devised a plan of future air strikes.

At the same time

Off the shores of Greece a NATO/American navy fleet launched 12 STRIKE Warthogs for Yashimora's future air strikes. They where armed to the teeth with anti-ground missiles and its 50mm chaingun! Yashimora hoping they be effective enough he plans support Maverick as much as he can from the air. Yashimora also heard that the Equalizers where heading to Greece if not already in Greece as it was so we where prepared for the worst!

@frank_scaletta: @kai_aurelius:

"I'm here to deliver a message from the Equalizers to whoever leads this invading force.", suddenly his voice aggrandized. It's volume reaching out far and wide due to the speakers built into the vehicle. Frank then paused, fingers leaving and grasping the microphone in sequence. "You are to cease the occupation of Lefkada Islands and draw your forces back into the sea immediately under the direct decree of the European Union, NATO, the Greek parliament and every goddamn soul still in the area. You are permitted to voice your resignations and compromises to me. You have been hereby afforded two hours to do so and prevent international conflict. After that point, there will be no further warnings and no further attempts at negotiation. Only retaliation.", bringing the gadget closer to his mouth he thought of what Julius might've said.

"In other words: Stand down, bitch.", the words echoed for miles.

---

Four Sea vipers moved to their allie's location, landing silently by his side. They were nigh-completely invisible, their suits a result of arcane pseudo-technology giving them 0-heat emitting, light and sound absorbing suits. As a result, even if one were to fall from a great height, their landing wouldnt emit a single sound, and the same went for their present situation where all 5 aquatic ninjas rushed to the vehicle's side. 3 stood on either side of the car while 2 knelt by its side, blades drawn. Undoubtedly it would posses some form of reinforced windows, however, to the under-water death dealer's, it was of little concern. Their fists, snapping forward at speeds faster than that of a standard bullet, backed by power greater than that of a peak condition human would suredly have enough power to break through. And it is exactly that they attempted, daggers clenched in fist. In one move, if successful, they fists would penetrate the car and their daggers, loaded with toxic microcapules, would manage to slit their targets face and neck. The toxin? Each dagger aimed at the Herculean Hound was coated in microcapules that would release a powerful dose of Tetrodotoxin upon contact with flesh. The neurotoxin, typically found in pufferfish was reportedly 1200 times more powerful than cyanide and killed by paralysis. Only, the moment their attack launched, the two kneeling by the vans side attempted to slash open the tires of the vehicle, and, fruitful in their efforts or not, the Sea vipers would each leap away. Why? Because of TTX's nature as a quick killer, death occurring in roughly 17 minutes due to the dose if left untreated, the vipers hoped to kill their target without a large skirmish. And if they were unseen, all their target would notice was that his windows were smashed open and there were cuts on his facial area, the toxin itself would be entirely vacant from the actual wounds.

---

The Fallen Son of Olympus watched as the assault upon his mortal homeland begun, fortunate enough to have been on Earth to intervene. Watching as an ally, Frank, the Herculean Hound engaged the entire army with a mighty speech. Knowing it was both reckless, courageous, and probably stupid. Zaniel loved it. One man telling an entire army to stand down. King Aurelius was clearly one not to be taken lightly and not a man to be toyed with -- Zaniel looked down, even though he was five miles away from the battle, his divine eyesight caught wind of Frank under attack. Attacked against invisible foes, it seemed? Without haste, the Spartan jumped from his abode and flew fourth to war, hoping to engage Frank's aggressors, but someone more...

It would have taken far too long to use his illusion-dispelling abilities to reveal the Sea Viper's location to Frank, so instead, as the Olympic Champion hurtled towards the King of the Western Sea at monstrous speeds he sent bolts of divine lighting down, using his passive abilities of luck to hopefully rain down on any of the foes through pure chance. But this was only a secondary objective, fueled by a lust for war and an even greater lust to protect his mortal friend's homes, the Pankration Prodigy rocketed towards the Modern Day Poseidon (@kai_aurelius) seeking to slam his Xanthium hammer into his skull, the might of a long lost God imbued within the precious metal and amplifying the Spartan's every move.

Elsewhere; message to all Equalizers

@superior_nobody@solarius@canuck@itsy@douglas_cipher@cutthroatbitch@dreadpool10

The message was broadcast to all team members currently en-route or within the battle so far, via a secure channel. Julius was a fighter where required, but he was better suited to the role of tactics and ordering these days, it allowed him more versatility than simply shooting a gun at someone. He sat within a mobile command base off of the coast of Greece, far enough from the battle but close enough to offer assistance if things got really messy. "Alright team, time to put your asses to work. Lucky for you the US military are aiding us here, so you'll have ample support. STRIKE, and other agencies are also assisting so be sure not to mistake friendlies for enemies; shoot the fish-looking son's of bitches and anything that tries to kill you. Objectives are to repel this attack and minimize civilian casualties. Doug and Sol, I want you both attacking any high-stake players, we don't know who's going to emerge to assist this amphibian fool and frankly I don't care -- Just beat them. Animus, I want you to do the same. Just remember people, you have the US military at your disposal, call in any assistance you require."

The team members who were unable to fly themselves were flown in by aircraft and allowed to choose where to drop, with or without Joint-Task Force R.E.D assistance.

"Good luck people, make me proud."

@kai_aurelius: @zaniel: @AllTheSingleLadies:

No response, huh? Frank thought, currently oblivious to the fact that seeds of death are already being sown all around him to bloom into literal vipers in the grass. They landed silently aroun him, intelligently too, even though they had stealth suits they didn't dare to land in his field of vision for the sake of increased subtlety. They weaved about his perimeter about to incite a lethal wound to the veteran. To him the area was unnaturally quiet, even more so than before, and suddenly carried a quaint odor. It piqued his supicions to say the least. Thought as much.

"You know...", he suddenly said whilst casually walking a few yards away from the vehicle, the five Vipers maintaining a constant perimeter around his person. "...I've been taught to fight sense deprived...", he added and immediately jerked his hand to lay down a compressed radar-disruptive smoke grenade underneath his feet. "...but the stench of tuna really hurts my nose.", concluding he let the smoke envelop his person in explosion like manner and expand to temporarily envelop the area and bring the parties on equal grounds.

Actually, he did much more and swiftly performed a strategic roll backwards out of where he stood as the vipers converged on where his person was at immense speed just to find him gone, possibly even risk friendly-fire in the chaos. Instinctivelly, seamlessly, without a speck of surplus movement due to years of drill training, Frank quickly went into a crouched firing position then rose up whilst his eyes perched on the smoke cloud and retreated towards his car.

Next second he would use the ornate Randall Special's unique properties, it actually being a Nikademus Special fashioned from his lost esoteric rifle, to fire an unstable round not directly dead in the center of the smoke mass, but a bit closer to where he was now standing.

You don't shoot the messanger, bitch.

The round was volitile due to the weapon's rune engraved barrel that supplied it with mythical properties, and would explode with an explosive force just shy of 9 tons of TNT despite it's small size due to it's molecular unstability. Even if the round didn't disable the Sea Viper squad, it would serve to launch them in the opposite direction of where Frank was due to the shot's placement. No matter the outcome, Frank would then jump into his vehicle and pick up goggless connected to it's advanced scanning repository and shoot whatever remained alive through the open car door.

"Hh. Looks like the cavalry is finally here.", he chuckled, looking at Zaniel arriving on the field as a herald to war-plane filled skies. Recieving Jones' message, he also turned on the vehicle's beacon in case the plane needed guiding.

@frank_scaletta: @kai_aurelius: @zaniel:

Solaris floated quietly in the sky above Greece in a contemplative mood. Last time I tried to fight in a situation like this my mistake killed thousands of people. She looked down at her hands, energy glowing around them in a gentle aura. What if I do it again? Everything since I came to this planet has gone completely wrong. Here I am again ready to save the day but...maybe I'll just make it worse. Solaris closed her eyes. She heard her commander over the com device in her ear and nodded a little to herself. It can't keep going wrong forever can it?

Solaris took a breath and opened her eyes. One more try.

Solaris took flew towards the conflict, her eyes watching for the first big hitter to make their appearance on the side of the fish king. She felt nervous, not because she could get harmed but because she was worried she might harm others again. The ageless being was afraid of killing those who mattered most to her not by attacking them...but by attacking someone else. Events in Denver several weeks prior had left her second guessing herself quite often lately.

There was a moment of surprise that showed in the one-eyed watcher's demeanor, even with her full helmet shielding her emotions; not surprise in that the silence was broken, she knew that was coming... but surprise at the nature of what was breaking it. A single voice, echoing across the entire island thanks to what anyone could assume to be a speaker system... making demands of an entire army, with no sense of doubt or fear, complete confidence in their words. That's what shocked the Paragon more than anything.

Of course, when the unknown voice finishes it's demands with what could only be interpreted as a threat and a insult, the ruler's (@kai_aurelius) first order would be to send his Viper's to track him down, and then make an example out of him... but, it seemed the Vipers weren't the only ones moving out, as the next time anyone eyes the rock formation the guardian was perching on, she'd be gone.

It didn't take her long to track the Vipers' movements, considering their cloaking didn't account for electroreception, and in no time at all she was following their trails... not to interfere in their mission, only to make sure they don't all get themselves killed walking into what could easily be a trap. Standing at a far enough distance away to ensure she'd go unnoticed, or in the very least ignored, the Paragon silently observed as the invisible squadron encircled a vehicle and it's owner (@frank_scaletta)... arms crossed, waiting for a bomb to go off or for the man to pull some kind of trick; but the trap didn't come from this man, it came from above.

Staring upwards with her lone eye, she saw the small dot in the sky, approaching at amazing speeds... she half expected it to be a small jet or a missile, but it wasn't either of those things. She couldn't exactly tell at such a distance, but it was definitely humanoid... with a cape (@zaniel).

"Typical..." The one-eyed watcher muttered under her breath as the being in the sky rocketed just above, then past them and went on to no doubt battle the king himself... but for the small moment he was above the Vipers, he called down something that made the observer's eye widen beneath her helmet.

She didn't waste any time thinking about the attack or it's intent before charging forwards at her own incredible speeds, a electrical spear materializing in her hand as she ran. The Paragon knew more than most how destructive lightening could be, and didn't want to risk seeing any of her comrades get obliterated by such an unnatural strike.

Getting just close enough as the bolts began striking the area, she lifted her spear to the skies... and, after a second of tuning, began getting struck by strike after strike as she turned herself into a lightning rod, in hopes that she could merely absorb the excess electricity.

But upon the first surge of energy, she knew that whatever she had just allowed onto herself wasn't natural by any means.... her body was completely fueled within the first milliseconds, and as a couple more strikes rained down, she could feel her own electrical mutations being overloaded by the sheer power of it all.

"Nnn...nnngg." The electric eccentric groaned, falling straight to her knees and nearly onto her face had it not been for her barely functioning arms breaking the fall. Her armor was still crackling with residual energy, and it had nearly served to cook her alive within it... giving off a smell reminiscent of cooked fish. Her skin was probably littered with second-degree burns, her muscles were still throbbing from the short-lived spasms caused by the jolts, and even worse... she couldn't feel any of her electrical abilities at the moment. Whatever the hell those bolts were made of, it had completely overloaded her powers... hopefully that was only temporary.

Slowly managing to pull herself up, the armored guardian shuddered, before remembering why she'd done that idiotic thing to begin with and turning back towards the battlefield... sure enough, the Vipers had been caught off guard by a smoke grenade, while whoever they were actually attacking was already planning his own counter-attack... she couldn't exactly tell what was happening anymore, due to her head spinning and her electroreception being completely wiped out by attack that wasn't even meant for her.

So she stood, she waited, and she gathered her strength and her energy... she wasn't sure what the skilled messenger would do after dealing with the vipers, and considering she was now in plain sight and not in any position to avoid a shot, she only hoped her armor could at least absorb some of the damage. To think, she was now at the mercy of a dog of war because she decided to take a hit that may have not killed any of the Vipers at all... "I really am an idiot... no wonder they thought I wasn't cut out for this." She said out loud to herself, having a shortly-lived laugh before it was interrupted by a coughing fit, blood dripping out from her helmet.

@frank_scaletta: @zaniel@kai_aurelius

“Drop off in t-minus 2 minutes boys and girls. I hope you’re ready. This isn’t your run of the mill super-villain fight. This is war.”

This is the super-hero equivalent of losing my virginity. My first team mission, this is beyond insane. My arms and hands are cold and shivering, same thing with my legs. I can’t even breathe properly. I’m not sure if it’s the altitude or the nerves or whatever. I peed six times on the way over and didn’t drink water on purpose but I have to go again. Last thing I want is a bladder spasm. I got there a little bit late so I missed the briefing. I don't know what or who we're fighting. I almost missed the plane.

-----

Everyone else already jumped off. I don’t need a parachute I said, that they are for little girls, I would do just fine with the gliders. Yeah, really bright move there Aurelius. That’s what you get for acting all tough in a team full of tough people. You’re probably not even going to survive the landing.

“You gotta jump off, kid!”

At this height I’ll be gliding down at what speed? 50, 60 miles per hour? How the hell do human vigilantes survive that? That’s insane. I’m insane for joining this stupid team.

“Woooohoooooo!”

And a little bit suicidal too. This suit has armpit webbings (which look super cool) to help me maneuver around the air like one of those flying squirrels. The lenses are projecting a map in the corner of my eye the skull guy whose name I can’t remember. I’m off by a couple hundred feet so naturally I decide to stop diving like a bullet and open my arms so the webs can do their magic.

Wait, I just realized something. I have webs. I can make a parachute and land perfectly safe. Sure, Jones won’t let me hear the end of it if I survive through this but at least I made it to battle instead of looking like a bug in the windshield.

He’s probably going to shoot me for this

The Crimson Web-slinger directed his trajectory towards Scaletta’s car and landed on his hood, making a dent with his feet.

Cool landing. Check.

“Yo, Sinatra. I don’t mean to sound like I’m remotely sane but what are you exactly shooting at?” He said, ignorant of the target’s invisible and inaudible abilities.

Why is my danger sense tingling now?

@_paragon_: @frank_scaletta: @kai_aurelius: @zaniel:

Two Days Prior, in Thanagar:

Luna Hawk knelt before the throne of her lord and deity, Amun-Ra. The great god of Egypt had summoned her to Thanagar and was now quiet while he contemplated his young warrior. He leaned his immense bulk back in his ornate chair and rubbed his chin in contemplation. "The Mediterranean is once again in turmoil, it needs a strong and powerful nation with an equally powerful leader to keep it safe and prosperous. There are many pieces that need to be moved in place for my eventual return to the public but for now...I wish for you to go forward and support this watery upstart. If he is able to secure Greece the ancient Kingdom might return to prominence and with a budding alliance I may be able to call on their support later. Egypt is crying out in pain Kendra, it is in turmoil and its people oppressed either by Islamic radicals or military overlords. They know not what they need yet, but I do. They need their gods again, they need their Hawklords to protect them."

Kendra looked up.

"My Lord, far be it for me to go against your will, but the people of this age are not ones to give easily to warlords, particularly the people of Greece. Even the people of Egypt have rejected two oppressive governments in the last five years. We must tread carefully if you wish to restore order to Egypt."

He nodded. "Yes I know. We will wait until Egypt falls into chaos, I can already see it coming on the horizon. When they most need stability we will step in"

"And appoint a dictator my lord?" Kendra asked boldly.

"No." Amun-Ra said. "We will allow them to elect their leaders while I preside as their spiritual ruler. The days of Pharaohs are gone, as you have said before. Something yet bothers you, you know I can see into your heart."

Kendra nodded. "Greece...is this the right thing to do?"

He shrugged a little. "Right or wrong I do not know but allowing a close and potential ally such as Greece to fall into chaos and ruin is not an option. The people there need help."

"And if he wants to enslave them rather than help them?" Kendra asked.

He sighed. "Then...we will have to alter our plans. Tread carefully, be an ambassador as much as a warrior both to the people of Greece and to our potential watery ally. Go." He ordered.

Kendra nodded and put on her helmet. She strode from the halls and took flight again, pausing in mid air to look back at Thanagar and the palace.

"I hope this is the right decision." She said and took flight again.

---------------------------------------------

Luna Hawk had traveled along Greece since her arrival. Each place Kai's warriors traveled through she stopped and spoke with the people there, gently assuring them that Kai meant only the best. She fielded their questions and concerns and knew their hesitation. She also knew they were desperate and learned from many the devastation of the ruined economy. Where needed she also helped people who were in danger. When battles occurred between Kai's forces and the Greek army she evacuated people caught in the crossfire. She did what she had been told, she was as much an ambassador as a warrior.

Now that the real battle had begun she had to take action. She flew to an ally in obvious need @_paragon_ . "We need to get you to a different part of the battle so you don't find yourself the focus of their attacks." She said gently. "Can I give you a hand?"

Athens, Greece

Fat bodied cargo planes touched down, one after another. They each coasted across the private airstrip of a local mutant oligarch and slowly rolled into the long line of hangers. Inside the pre-fabricated buildings that had been assembled while Kai traveled the countryside they disgorged their cargo.

Some spat out lines of red clad Orochi. Vibranium edged blades honed to razors edges, quivers bristling with lethal high-tech arrows, some only recently recovered from wounds suffered against the Blood Spider Clan.

Crates filled with trick and toxin arrows soon made organized rows inside the hangers. They were joined by several crates of replacement blades, their vibranium edges worth millions and restricted to the Orochi and the Doghouse cadre.

Then came engineers and electronics. Crate after crate of computers, touch screens, radios and fiber optic cord. An entire command and control center was assembled, piece by piece. Several technopaths joined the effort, hi-jacking local internet bandwidth as well as tapping into military and police channels. An entire wall of electronics was dedicated to social media tracking, forming an nuanced map of every relevant social media post in real time, giving them another dimension of information.

Drone control went live. A fleet of drones stealthed with the latest Shogunate technology had followed the wake of the cargo planes and now took up high altitude cruising routes over the nation. Armed with both powerful surveillance gear and precision weaponry they were new models, after the heirs to Avalon had destroyed the majority of the Shogunate's air fleet in japan.

Then came the Shogun. A black form in her armor as she passed through the sea of red honor guards to the chosen warriors of the mutant race. The Doghouse graduates. Forged in the fires of brutal training, relentless pressure and crushing expectations only a few who entered successfully graduated. Most failed. Some died. Those who survived were ruthless and brutal warriors, infused with a tremendous degree of tactical knowledge and most importantly, true masters of their mutant powers.

Ivana spoke to each of them in turn. She placed a hand on each side of each mutants head, looked them in the eyes and recited their names and the saga of their deeds from memory. One by one until she had spoken ever moment of glory each had ever achieved. She gave no speech, but only told them they carried the pride of their people.

Then she gathered her bodyguards and three psychics and departed for an area that had been specially prepared for her next ritual.

An empty room, featureless and void of furniture or artifact. There she pulled up the skintight vibranium nanomesh that provided some degree of protection against psychic assault and put on her vibranium helm. The Orochi formed a circled of red around the wall. Three psychics focused, applying their might to layering Ivana in protective shields of psychic energy. Only when these preparations were complete did Ivana speak, her words crossing over into the astral plane due to the efforts of her psychics.

"<Demon of Silence. I summon you. Our enemies are legion. And they are mighty. The day has arrived to honor our pact, made so long ago.>"

@frank_scaletta: @_paragon_: @zaniel: @lunahawk

A vocalized result of pure shock was released from the King's mouth as he watch Paragon go down in a selfless effort. He watched her stagger from the intense power of the lightning... and it triggered something within him... a memory, of not too long ago when he watched his sister die at the hands of the Brahma Beast. His fears were offset when a winged women touched down by her side, presumably in an effort to help her. Turning his attention back to the speeding threat of Zaniel, his International-Klein blue eyes twitched in utter rage and his voice was completely devoid of the eerie calm it held just moments before; "You dare harm one of my soldiers, you hammer bearing mongrel! Well so be it! Remember this when you lie dying at my boot!" The words were fueled by an overwhelming sense of outrage and passion, and Kai brought his fist forward to meet the challenge of the Pankration Prodigies hammer, the impact causing a spherical white energy to form around them, and Kai was launched several feet backwards, yet landed firmly with his hands dug into the rain-muddied ground. Staring down his opponent with a cold glare, a warm sensation was felt on his backside? What in the blazes?

"Sup bitch! I'm about to have some fried fish tonight guppy man!" Orion Savage, the Prince of plasma sent forth plumes of the intensely hot particles around Kai, only for them to be...entirely ineffective? The fire cleared only to reveal a Kai Aurelius donning a devilish smirk and breathing what seemed to be cold air? "No wa-" Divine energy shot from the tridents tip and collided into the Fiery Savage and sent him flying into a pile of rocks. Unphased, and face still twisted with anger Kai stood up, strapping his trident to the ground and rolled his neck, venomous gaze planted firmly on Zaniel. The cocksure King deemed this a fight unworthy of his trident, a matter to be settled with his fists and his fists alone. In an instant, he launched himself forward at hyper-sonic velocities, sending multiple sonic booms in his wake, fists outstretched in an effort to bowl the Pankration Prodigy over. While enraged, he still realized that his attack was telegraphed in nature, and yet, to him it was a miniscule fact, for he believed at this velocity it did not matter whether his attack was telegraphed or not. And so, upon contact he would continue his aggravated assault by attempting to pound his foe, with attacks that could severely damage buildings, into the ground.

Elsewhere, the Sea Vipers were suddenly blanketed in a cloud of smoke as their daggers sliced through air, and a shot was heard, one followed by an explosion with incredibly energy that carried the sea vipers forward. It was only thanks to their armor that they managed to stand after the impact, heads whizzing around in brief confusion. It was only brief, and their voices echoed with a taunting tone; "You fool. Do you not know where we hail from? The ocean? Our eyes are only a part of what we need in order to see." While there was some form of truth in their words in that they did not completely rely on sight in combat, the majority was said in effort to " get inside " their opponent's head.

THUMP

It was a tiny sound but the aquatic ninjas turned their heads in the direction they believed it to originate from...something..or someone..landed on metal and immediately several daggers and bladed weapons were flung in the direction, the Sea vipers hoping to at-least nick whatever made the sound and in-turn inject the horrible toxin into their bloodstream. The squadron crept forward through the smog, unperturbed at the apparent " equal footing", listening for the subtlest of noise to dash forward to and attack with deadly precision aimed at crucial arteries and organs.

@the_shogun:

In the shadowy corners of the astral plane, seated upon his throne of hatred and despair, the Demon of Silence heard the summons. He was not surprised; in fact, he had been expecting something of this very nature, if not from Ivana, then from another ally or desperate pawn. The mobilization of vast forces before a battle always sent reverberations throughout the psychic aether, as civilians fled or hunkered down in terror, and warriors prepared to march to war, knowing full well that they may be leaving all that they know and love behind to charge to their own deaths. The Demon heard, and he responded.

He made no use of any of his host bodies on this occasion; the Veiled Beast in Venezuela and Warden Josiah Whitby in Alcatraz both remained senseless and motionless in their respective quarters, their bodies little more than tools attended to by loyal servants. His essence pierced the Veil between the conscious and unconscious worlds and manifested before his ally, the Shogun of Venezuela, in the form of a demonic warrior, clad in armor composed of darkness and ready for war.

"Once again indulging your lust for battle, Ivana?" The fiend's voice could not heard by ears of flesh, instead rippling across currents of mental energy to reverberate within the mind of its recipient. "I was beginning to wonder when you would again have need of me. How may I assist you, on this day of glorious suffering?"

@frank_scaletta: @superior_nobody:

“I told you the white man can’t be trusted, he knows nothing but war” I say standing before the Kallian counsel. Just a few days prior, they sent me on an emissary mission to Atlantis to solidify an alliance between them and us. I tried my hardest to sway them otherwise; but they were just certain having Atlantis as an alley was the 1^st step to bringing Kalli back to the Earthly dimension. Now look at us, trying to figure out how we’re going to support Atlantis with no military. “Sound Bender it is your duty as an emissary to go forth and support our aquatic allies” The elder says prodding me with his elbow.

The most I can do is raise an eyebrow; this is not what I thought I’d be doing with my day. Kai has illegally occupied an entire nation, and these guys want to support him? Executing a swift about face, I march back toward my quarters to secure my capsules.

Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision by coming here, I mean it’s good that Max is here and we’re finally going to get married, but these people have no tether to the outside world, yet we found someway to get involved in it’s affairs.

One thing being here has taught me, is how to hone my powers. Before I could only project sound and use it only for offensive measures. Now though? I can use it both offensively and defensively, making my weapons largely obsolete. I’ll bring them anyways, you never know when you’ll need to cut someone’s head off—not that I’ve ever actually done it.

I walk lethargically from the central village to the Sun Veil certain I’m doing the wrong thing by getting involved. This is it; the moment I step through this veil I’ll be moving 100 miles a minute. Since I’m allied with the Atlanteans, I’ll have to find some sort of rampart to gain my bearings before I push into the thick of it.

I extend my hand through the veil watching as the particles gradually begin to wrench me through, I took one step and I was gone completely eclipsed by the veil.

Greece

The veil is in tune with the thoughts of the person that enters; it knows where I want to go. My body materializes on the shore, and already I can see that so much has happened.

I’m torn, while I’ve been sent to aid Kai in his conquest of Greece, I don't want to kill anyone fighting for his or her country. I wonder any so-called “hero” could fault them. I also don’t want to fight anyone who’s just here to protect them. Who exactly is the bad guy here?

I don’t have to ask myself, I already know. Kai is, he started this mess and I have to help him. From not too far off I can see him, engaged in a climactic battle with someone I’ve never seen before. Initially, I sought to aid him but then it hit me. I have no fricken clue who’s on my side and who’s not.

Then I see them, falling from the skies like the world’s police force, The Equalizers arriving ready to deliver justice on Kai and his forces. I hadn’t actually met anyone from the organization, I’d only know of their formation through a series of word of mouth interactions, judging from the sheer size of their vehicles I’d say what I heard about them was correct.

“Alright game time” I say scouring the confusion just before I picked out my target. A hero, of course. This one a spider. Or at least that’s what I think the theme is idk.

I cup my hands together generating a sonic scream looking to project the sound in direction, but before I can actually launch it; two rounds hit me. I hit the ground immediately; reformatting the energy into a sound barrier to protect me from further harm.

“We’re only trying to help!” I scream trying to dig the two rounds out of my shoulder before my healing factor kicks in. It’s funny, I said WE’RE as if I believe this is right—I don’t. From my downed position I release a sonic scream, potent enough to halt them but not powerful enough to damage anything.

Tensely staggering back to a vertical base, I push myself in the air. I’m a little novice at the whole flying thing so I’m willing to bet I look foolish. Thrusting my hands downward toward the moving vehicle with the spider I fire that sonic energy looking to disable the vehicle and hopefully not kill the spider.

That’s’ when I feel it…”She’s here?” I say to myself feeling the legendary cocaine goddess searching for her blades—but why here?

The Maelstrom:

Crawling forth from the vast gullet of the Aegean Sea, the soft white clouds began to swirl and move towards the shoreline. The once calm waters slowly caressing the sands as small waves rocked, stretching the sea foam slightly deeper inland. The dolphins breaching the abyss, leaping towards the bay, like racing hounds as they moved up and down. By no natural occurrence did this event take place, every second passing, the storm grew larger and more fearsome. Intensified by some dark foreboding magick.

The clouds transformed into thick veils of grey and navy blue, sunlight shunned, casting a backdrop of what seemed to be pockets of hell amongst the gloom. As orange, yellows and red intermingled with the storm. Thunder quaked like ethereal war drums, as lightning cracked in white hot luminescence. The waves now rolling, becoming black as winds called in cruel howls carrying sea mist onto the inhabitants of the shore. Bringing in the smell of salt and squall.

The roar of waves and gusts intensified, the battle songs of Poseidon himself.

From the distance, it was not apparent until the tempest loomed ever closer, that a Man-O-War sailed inward, carried not by the foul winds but that foul arcana that birthed this great maelstrom.

Ivory sails, too tattered to function, bludgeoned the ship every faster. Strange blue plasmic flames emitted from the masts, St. Elmo's fire, yet ghoulish flickering in trails spanning for meters on end. The nose of the ship, the forpeak, rammed a wave, water rushing on the deck.

That briny ocean surge layered the polished brown planks, the mist drizzling on the spectrely pale face of the Lord of the Ebon Lotus. His left foot braced on the rail of the main deck, obsidian cloak dancing gallantly in the storm-winds. His onyx armor reflected little light, those plates of vibranium had seen many battles both earthly and otherwise. His long sable locks, nearly blue in hue, danced in unison with his garb as his signature scarlet eyes stared off to shore. Yet, what shimmered solely was a gorgeous golden crown.

He was the storm-waker, the bone mangler, the forbidden fist and dozens of other names. He was Tenjin....and like his namesake, the sky heeded to his wrath. Aboard his infernal ship, the Shalmeneser, the large wooden wheel adjusted and spun without physical guidance, as the Death Poet pondered, his voice obscured by the racket of thunder.

"Let those that survive tell the sorrowful tales of the dead, let the dead tell the tales of my legend in Hell and Heaven." His sinister smirk appeared on his sylvan-like handsomeness "Then let their masters bar the gates and tremble at my arrival."

He watched a lightning bolt strike the shoreline, he himself could feel the battle inside his own mechanical organs. A warrior's madness began to fuel him. The enemy began to descend from the sky. He could almost smell the blood amongst the salt and breeze, like a nefarious shark, he wanted more. Not for the sake of hunger, no, for the sake of carnage and death itself.

By means of Tenjin's occult proficiency, The boat's bowsprit lifted skyward, those tattered sails steepened in angle as the bow rose above the waves followed swiftly by the stern. The Shalmenser took flight, propelled by the eldritch might of Katsuro's magick. Barnacles in thick layers, water pouring from its hull, the single black flag of Carcosa swerving in the wind amongst the sails. Only to dissipate into a ghostly enormous portal, ink black skeletal hands seemingly pulling the Ship of the Line into the depths of some frightening nothingness. Those blue plasmic jets left to die into sparks amongst the storm clouds.

Soon the Grim Ghost would join in the fray...his final words before the battle, escaping the portal like a disembodied oath.

"Let the world bear witness to the rise of a forgotten nation...and the massacre of many cherished heroes. Dream-Eaters and Elder Gods, give me strength to annihilate my foes."

Now, only words left to echo in the maelstrom.

@kai_aurelius:

The battle-lust Spartan hurtled towards his opponent like a monstrous force of nature, his Xanthium hammer outstretched within the Olympian's muscular grasp, pacific blue eyes dead set upon the Sea Lord.

Crunch.

Suddenly the Angel of Luck felt himself come to an unexpected halt, nudged back slightly by the collision as he gazed at his foe. Most that would dare such a defense would have simply lost their entire arm; this man, however, did not suffer such a dire fate.

"Brave, mortal."

Zaniel beckoned, before averting his own attention towards Orion, his divine eyes widening in concern.

"Savage, wait! You're no stro--!"

Too late.

Far, too late.

Zaniel watched in annoyance as his fellow teammate, a man he had not yet interacted with, was effortlessly dispatched by the King of the Sea. A sigh escaping his ancient lips.

The Angel of Luck watched as the Sea-Master relinquished control of his trident and gazed towards him, wondering what fool would lay down their arms midst a battle.

"Fool."

As the cocksure King blitzed forwards at hyper-sonic speeds, the Angel of Luck stood steadfast, hoping to intercept any initial blow.

Crack.

"Arg!" Zaniel bellowed as his foe continued the relentless assault, the opening punch slamming into the angels' divine visage and causing blood to already be drawn, his red lips a testament to the Modern Day Poseidon's undeniable brawn.

In a flash, Zaniel took hold of an ability which he had cultivated and been gifted with over many generations, lifetimes, and battles. Possibly the most coveted of all his powers.

Experience.

Without warning the angelic being turned intangible and phased through the Sea Lord, flanking behind him and unleashing a monstrous blow with his hammer, aimed towards his opponent's spine, intending to cripple the King with a decisive, divine blow.

@frank_scaletta: @solarius: @superior_nobody: @zaniel: @quietus

"What you say about his company, is what ya say about society!"

Rush's Tom Sawyer boomed throughout the jet's speakers, much smaller than the initial drop off aircraft. It bulleted across the ocean, easily hitting Mach 6 speeds. While the Equalizer's pilots were busy operating the top of the line vehicle, Canuck was in the back, psyching himself up for something he never thought would happen. He didn't have the strength of gods or a ageless star. Couldn't spin a web and dodge bullets at point blank range. Hell, he wasn't even a grizzled son of a bitch war veteran. Canuck was a small town mutant, who could only heal people. Tapping his feet to the beat and shaking his head, the battle zone was slowly unveiled from the clouds below them, things were escalating quickly. "...Oh man..." He muttered, tapping the COMM device in his ear.

"Good morning Greece! And my fellow Equalizers. From what I'm seeing, party's already started without me. I'm going to land just outside the battlefield, set up a healing post for whoever needs it. But seriously, the way I see it? Your lives are in my hands... So please, if you need the help, send a distress beacon. Canuck out."

The jet slowed down almost to a halt, engaging it's hovering thrusters. It only took a few minutes to land on a tiny island just a mile away from the action, the ground was shaking even on their beach. The bay door dropped open quickly, ten Equalizer agents stomping down the ramp and setting up minor communications and surveillance to get a better view of the battle from this distance. Canuck stepped out last, wearing a basic tactical jumpsuit underneath his Vancouver Canucks jersey.

He couldn't help but feel so little compared to the titanic battle ensuing before them, it looked like something ripped from the pages of a comic book. The kind healer only hoped he didn't have to use his powers today, but was glad he was their ready to help his comrades.

Aleron arrived flying low stopping suddenly and sending a gust of wind across the ground throwing up dirt. He shot upwards and sent a messege to all of STRIKE's allies, "Where am I needed?" He asked his eyes examining the area in moments.

@kai_aurelius: @mryashimora@_paragon_

Let's see. Hypervelocity rounds? Check. Thermite rounds? Check. Acoustic Pulse Rifle? Check. MAR 20mm? Check. Uh. Deutrium Tritium Grenades. Got 'em. Flashbangs. Yup. Chaff? Yup. FMG9 Machine pistols? Check.

He grips and grabs most of these weapons from the orbital delivery crate, snapping various gear onto his bandolier as he proceeded. Sprinting forward to assume his position, he jumps up to the roof a building, crouching down as he walked about

Cool. Air support. Guess we better get started.

He sets up his position on a rooftop. Aiming his massive sniper rifle out towards the enemy forces, overlooking the city from a bell tower.

Shouldn't be too long.

The men of STRIKE, new trained and reinvigorated, are directed by Prometheus to a certain location. An orbital package gave the group giving them equipment that enabled them to deal more damage and giving them the capacity to wreck tanks, destroy buildings if need be, as well as lay down precise fire with armor piercing bullets to get through the enemy's armor. "Alright. You're going to play infantry support unit to Perses. Deal with anything small but dangerous that tries to get up to it, or anything it can't see. These cloaked enemies might be able to give it some trouble."

He looked about, fighting already breaking out without them having fired a single shot. Undoubtebly, people have already died, or would soon die. Prometheus couldn't help but feel a bit of regret in having to kill some of these soldiers. They hadn't actually killed anyone, despite the fact that they steamrolled over a country's politics and either scared, goaded or seduced anyone of the country's residents into abiding by his rules or being shoved out of his way.

"So, where is this Perses?"

"Dunno. Hey-"

The ground shakes, and the men turn around, looking about, eyes widening as they see it manifest before them, having been just standing out there in the open beyond sight, for some time. Until now, that is.

"Wh-What the hell?" The S.T.R.I.K.E. Agent Stammers, the mech taking two steps, a minute tremble of the ground with each gentle impact it's foot had on the floor. Looking towards the targets the shadow company had already marked it raises it's left arm, it's hand unfolding intricately to reveal the weapons currently housed within it, STORM Anti-Infantry MG. It's on board artificial intelligence awake and active as it scanned the battlefield for targets marked and exposed, out in the open.

Storm? Ready. TGR DEW? Ready. Gleaming Blade. Functional. Awaiting further instruction.

"Open fire."Prometheus ordered it, almost solemnly.

Request confirmed.

It acquired targets. Any enemy, anything at all that was exposed. All of the enemies had already been marked with resistance and it took little time for it to see it's enemies through walls and through cover. No mere buildings would be to protect it from the firepower Perses possessed. It would only hide them.

And so it fired, it's gun thundering as an obscene amount of bullets came from it thousands of homing rounds swerving through the air as each and everyone of them moved to find their home in the enemy forces, 5 kilojoules of kinetic energy in every single round would enable to penetrate through hardened steel and carriers easily. But in such great numbers as firing a few thousand of them, they were tearing through buildings at a time as Maverick sought to immediately annihilate as many enemies as it could in one fail swoop. Turning villas and homes into swiss cheese or piles of rubble as practically a laser stream of rounds coming in at 50,000 RPM compared to a minigun's 6,000 echoed through the air. Two story structures seeking to topple atop opponents who would seek any sort of refuge in it's wake.

It walked forward, the ground shaking with it's approach, the 50 ft tall.

Marking targets.

A-10 thunderbolts speed by, large rotary cannons, courtesy of sword, onto whatever may so remain of the enemy. Bombing and strafing runs seeking the pummel the enemy relentlessly from the sky as the mobile artillery platform moved ever closer and closer.

Her life was flashing in front of her as she stood and waited, twitching within her steaming armor and panting. "W-why did I even come here..." The Paragon grunted, her gaze falling to the ground and only her ears paying attention to the battle in front of her. "Was it really worth it? Were they worth it? Worth *cough*... dying for?" The young warrior's voice trembled as she spoke those last few words, shaking her head and smiling... she knew they were more than worth it.

@kai_aurelius@frank_scaletta@superior_nobody@lunahawk

Although her heart and body were prepared for her comrades' deaths as well as her own, her ears caught wind of no pain-filled screams or gunshots, only the taunting of a certain cocky Sea Viper that made a big grin spread beneath her helmet. "Hnn... Libra, you big-mouthed idiot." The Paragon muttered with a chortle, look back up to see the smoke still shrouding the area... but she could hear the Vipers, all sounding alive and well.

She'd been expecting the whole squad to get trumped in the first few moments, and the fact that they managed to survive the first counter-attack and get back on the offense sort of surprised the electric eccentric... enough to keep her from noticing the winged woman's arrival until she spoke up. Turning away from the combat, her one-eyed gaze behind the helmet meeting another who seemed ready for war, but more than eager to help those in need... it was nice to know kindred spirits existed even on days like these.

"... Thank you for your kindness." The Paragon said, straightening herself out an exhaling. "But I'm not leaving. Who else is going to watch these invisible fools' backs in case any of them get injured? I doubt the king would believe them important enough to spare troops to rescue." The loyal warrior spoke with confidence, knowing full-well how this war would be going... and not enjoying the idea at all.

Turning her gaze back to the battle ahead of them, she let out a sigh as she noticed blood-stains within her helmet obstructing her vision. "I'm the only possible evac these men and women have, or had until you got here. And as of right now their lives are of more concern than mine." Reaching her gauntlet-covered hands behind her head, she undid the bindings of her helmet, letting her red hair fall free before dropping the useless headpiece to the ground with a metallic *clunk*.

Opening her single eye, and looking around more naturally... it was a nice feeling to breath fresh air and feel the rain on her scaled skin. Turning to face the winged warrior once again, the wounded sharkskin gave her a toothy grin. "It's a curse of mine, finding a way to care about every single man sent in... it's why I wasn't let into the actual forces."

"Heh.... you probably know all about those kind of feelings, don't you?" Scratching her head, she let out a sigh of relief as she felt her electroreception slowly returning as the rain rejuvenated her... feeling those little electrical impulses in everyone's heads always gave her a sense of familiarity in any situation.

She could feel it... everyone's thoughts, all in different and interesting patterns. The Man-o'-War's were calm, collected and precise, while his new ally was more confused than anything, whereas the Hawk's thoughts were slow with concern... and the Vipers, they were erratic, possibly afraid, but they all held strong and endured. All their hearts beating as one in loyalty to the king. Idiots, the lot of them, but courageous idiots nonetheless.

"So as long as there are soldiers I can make sure live through this, I'm not going anywhere. Now, if you actually want to help... why don't we give these Vipers a break?" Not waiting for a response before charging forwards, the one-eyed guardian grinned as she felt more of her powers returning, and an electrical spear forming in her hand.

"LIBRA! Get your bad taunts and your boys out of here before I kick your scrawny ass myself!" Selene yelled out as she approached, knowing one of the Viper's personally and hoping he'd get the message before he got caught in the crossfire.

Lifting her spear over her head, the Paragon tossed the electrical construct straight it through the smoke, aiming beyond it and towards the vehicle that the two enemies seemed to have retreated back to. Upon impact, the spear would explode outwards, sending an electrical shock outwards, strong enough to fry average electronics and make a average person feel like they were being tasered. She was more or less just trying to buy a line for the Vipers' escape, so she chose not to use something a bit more deadly as of right now.

@kai_aurelius: @zaniel:

It had been a long time since Douglas had to fight more than a single person, let alone an entire army. Even longer since he had been that angry that he was able to do just that, and since then he found a way to push his body quickly to that level of strength. Most times his strength was a progression of events, he had to be pushed to that point the more anger he felt the stronger he got. Only once had he ever been that angry mentally, and with that much rage he leveled an entire village without a second thought.

It had been a half an hour since he was given his orders, to take out the heaviest of hitters as quickly as possible. But to do that swiftly he had to be at RAGE, something he did not want to feel as he would attack all around him even friendlies. But he had found a way to reach the strength, but without the clouded mind of a raging beast....in theory. Four syringes laid in his palm and he closed his eyes as the hanger door to his hanger jet opened. Wind rushing past his face he looked out and saw all the chaos that this arrogant man had brought in such a short time, his com link lighting up with the voices of all his comrades already on the ground. But what caught his attention was the thunder claps, and roars from his comrade Zaniel and the arrogant prick himself. Breathing in slowly he closed his eyes again, not wanting to test on the field his experiment but he had to end this as quickly as possible. Without a second thought he plunged all four syringes into his chest, he fell to the floor in agony, his pain erupting from his throat in a loud thunderous roar.

It worked FAST as almost instantly began to transform and into his 100 percent stage, without thinking about the pain of such an abrupt transformation and his skin almost ripping itself apart as his muscles expanded. He leaped out of the jet with a roar as he fell fast, as he finally transformed he felt his mind in full control and he couldnt help but let out a thunderous laugh as he fell like a brick through the air. Aiming his body towards Zane and the Posiden rip off he came down with a loud and earth shattering thud creating a small crater where he landed.

As the cloud of dirt and debris began to settle he erupted from the cloud with a roar and ran full tilt towards Kai. The arrogant mans downfall the only thing on his mind, he felt the sensation of being in a war filling his very veins and he couldnt help but smile and roar loudly as he watched Zaniel slam his hammer at Kai. As he closed the distance soldiers from the depths of the sea attempted to stop his momentum only to incur the wrath of his might. Stopping for a moment as he had no clear path to the two fighting, he roared his voice itself lifting the ones immediately in front of him off their feet and flying backwards. He leaped forward slamming down atop a group of Vipers as they were called, their weapons digging in deep into his thick hide. As he fought his way through the swarms of Vipers, he saw as more and more of his own team began to flock around Kai.

Sensing a strong power somewhere on the battlefield he knew if they were to end this quickly, he had to go even further. Kai himself was something not to be trifled with, and they needed to all attack at once to end this here and now. His com link erupted as a voice spoke of Sha and her power itself, but he ignored the voices as the military were all about to see something truly horrifying even more than the Mighty Warrior herself. Strength was not enough, he had to dig deep and unlock the beast from its cage. He spoke to his Monster side "Alright you big oaf, see the Fishy man? Only him...everyone attacking him they are on our side...is that understood?"the Monster inside scoffed and spoke "Just unlock my shackles, I know enough not to attack the others. The last time you really let me loose, we hadnt really spoken and I didnt trust you to get it done yourself. This on the other hand...I have it under control." With that Douglas closed his eyes and unleashed the beast. As hordes of Vipers surrounded and pounced on Doug, the stabbed and cut trying to take him down but all that they soon saw was a very angry monster.

In a rush of bodies Drop Box had unleashed the beast inside, he charged the Sea King roaring like a beast as he closed the distance pulling back with his gargantuan arms and swinging hard with enough force to pulverize a building he aimed square for the King's face "Puny Fish!!" he screamed as his fist came crashing down towards the hopefully unsuspecting Sea King.

@maverick_6: @kai_aurelius: @mryashimora@_paragon_

Luna Hawk listened to the woman and watched as she seemed to recover, glad to see it. She smiled and nodded, giving her a brief salute as the woman charged back into the fray. "I'll cover...your..." She heard the huge Maverick machine before she saw. She turned around slowly to follow the line of sound that had reached her extremely sensitive ears. She couldn't believe what she saw. The machine startled her less than how indiscriminate it was being, mowing down buildings like they were nothing. There could be people in there! Luna Hawk was here to help establish order, not to kill people and the weapons she had chosen to bring with her reflected that, many of their usual rounds replaced with non-lethal variants. Ever the Hawk Lord though, she was not without more powerful weaponry in case the need should arise.

Luna Hawk had no desire to fight Maverick, she had actually planned to avoid them because she knew how much they meant to Sentinel Hawk...just like she was going to avoid STRIKE if she could because of Solar Hawk. "They must be out of their freaking minds." There was going to be collateral damage, there couldn't fail to be with so much weapons fire pouring through a small town and city all at once...with buildings falling like trees. I wonder what the hell it's made out of? More vulnerable on the ground than most of the people now fighting Luna Hawk took flight again to get a better visual of the battlefield. She needed to get people off Kai's back so he could more properly organize the fighting. Ok, first, we get rid of the spider and mr. soldier man, than we worry about Mr. Green and Ivegotahammer. Luna Hawk had brought an array of weapons with her, many of them strapped to various parts of her body. For the spider she needed something fast. Probably can sense danger or something, they usually can.

Luna Hawk whipped out her trusty crossbow, the most primitive looking of her weapons. She aimed not for the sight of @superior_nobody but for the sound of him. She shifted, pointed her weapon down range and squeezed both triggers. There was a barrel slung under her hand held crossbow and it came to life first, there was a brief flash of light as the laser weapon activated and fired, sending a burning hot beam of energy down range straight for the spider hero's right knee at the speed of light. The beam was toned down from its usual lethal levels and if it struck it wouldn't destroy his knee. What it would do is briefly super heat his skin, muscles and tendons and essentially instantly fatigue the knee as if he'd been doing a great deal of heavy workouts on it and if not force him to collapse it would certainly slow him down. The second shot fired a bolt from her crossbow, this one aimed for his chest. The bolt's were normally lethal Nth Metal bolts but this one was blunted and charged with only enough electricity to knock out a man instead of her typical 50,000 volts.

Without looking to see what sort of damage she'd done she reloaded the crossbow and slipped it back onto a loop on her right hip. Luna Hawk then retrieved a double magazine Thompson sub-machine gun. Each bullet in the modified weapon was made from Nth Metal and designed with blunt force trauma in mind. To prevent actual penetration of the skin she had changed the load of powder in each casing to provide greatly reduced velocity. Each bullet was charged with electricity as it left the barrel of her weapon, again enough to cause shock trauma and possibly render someone unconscious. This weapon she simply pulled the trigger on and sent bullets down range, seeking to spray hundreds of rounds of ammo at the spider hero and either force his relocation or knock him out entirely.

For a few brief moments Julius Jones's voice played inside the cockpit, but for the most part Anastasia and her personal transport rode in silence. For the most part, she acted independently. Only natural, she figured. Her first day she'd successfully acquired (read: stolen) the job of a high-ranking official and been gifted for use a shield (read: toy) originally intended for the vice president. It'd become her nature to be independent long before the Equalizers; no use reverting to learned helplessness now.

She rode by helicopter from New York to Athens, they refueled at a secure location, and took to hovering over the land where fighting was to take place. And in silence she mused on the preparation of her superiors. Three days wasn't a long time, but one would expect central control to begin preparations from day one. She never heard a word of it. Maybe she'd just gotten too used to being at the top of the pyramid, and there was no place in her head for anything else anymore.

Then again, jobs like this were what the Lazarus was built for. Locate enemy; point and pull the trigger.

But in this, as in her original mission, she held no true feelings of her own. All designated business, nothing else. The idea of the Greek conflict, herself engaging as a member of the Equalizers under Julius Jones's call to arms, all left her feeling hollow.

At least the enemy this time seemed to have good intentions. Somewhat, perhaps. Who's to say what his true motivations were? A ruler has to have subjects to rule over. If nothing else the desire to appear beneficent benefited the royal saboteurs. It seemed the enemy leader hadn't wanted civilians coming to direct harm.

Then again, when don't they come to harm?

Jones didn't really give specific orders outside of those few called "powerhouses." So I guess just...find something interesting, right?

"Wait up," she said, addressing her pilot for the first time. "We'll hover for now. Not to engage until I say so or we are attacked first."

@zaniel: @douglas_cipher: @kai_aurelius:

"Remember the plan" inquired the Orochi dressing himself in the ceremonial Crimson garb of the clan. Evie didn't like him, he smelled like blood for some reason. It was likely in his mutation in being able to read DNA, all the neo sapien knew was it was gross.

"Yep, im to be a balloon animal yeah I got it." Evie remarked opening the wrapper of pop tarts and offering the second one to the ninja. He declined so the newly slight arachnid themed vigilante stored the treat away in a small backpack. With that she made way to the back of the plane a long cape of webbing dragging behind her. "You really should have taken the pop tart, got to keep up that staving bitches energy. Anywho later bitches!" Her voice was high and ecstatic as she jumped from the plane and the winds swept up the silky webs behind her. Soon enough it'd made a balloon and the neo sapien was floating along the currents. The currents and wind of passing planes helped her stay on course.

The journey was long though, balloons not exactly as fast as plane engines. Apart of Evie's advantage was a lack of affiliation however and her captors wanted that trait to remain. Evie could become the friend of foe of anyone without it reflecting on someone. It reminded Evie a bit of what she'd do if she was ordering around that archer chick in the Dog House. Given the slow ride, Evie took time to set her headphones to her ears webbing keeping them comfortably seated as she set a musical alarm. With her pop tarts gone there was no point staying up for the flight. So she passed out her body hanging limp as she snored surprisingly comfortable despite akward posing.

Loud music stirred the neo sapien of her slumber as Evie approached Greece. Heavy drums and guitar riffs hyping the girl up for her first big part in the heroic world. She didn't consider herself a spider themed individual so much as someone who was inspired a bit by an old friend of hers. And even that nobody, and his superior for that matter was more of a hero then her. That was then however and now Evie wanted to do her part for the world at large.

A balloon pops and Evie begins a downward plummet to the city below, her hands cross back and forth as the slim newcomer readies a web. The ground starts to get near and so the web is let go to land comfortably between two buildings. Flipping in the air Evie strikes the webs gracefully as the threads absorb the impact. Pulling downward as the landing is endured eventually the silk refuses to go down and thus springs upward. Evie rockets upward crockscrews performed through the air as the adrenaline gets the girl's heart pumping loud like the echoing thunder.

Two thwip like motions and Evie has latched to a pair of structures as she rides upon the hood of a humvee leaving the area. The surfing stint is short but joyous while also pulling on the woven threads. Balling up and suddenly Evie is a cannon ball launched toward the beach from her make shift slingshot. Greece wasn't known for its high rising structures it didn't help the aerial acrobatic movements of the spider trope. Never the less Nevermore did her best to get results befitting of her new persona.

With a forward flip and the sudden snap of her legs outward Evie looked to land a strong two heeled drop kick upon the back of the fish king's head. Having fallen like a cannonball and being able to strike with twenty tons of force her blow wasn't lightweight by any means. Mostly however she desired to knock the oceanic imperialist into the swing of the green giant. Her lithe figure landing with grace and a small cloud of sand.

"Nailed it" the statement made more toward herself. "You know he's kind of cute it's a shame he has crabs." The red velvet arachnid remarked jokingly and perhaps to fresh to the heroic scene to know better.

@canuck: @douglas_cipher: @cutthroatbitch: @nevermore_: @lunahawk: @superior_nobody: (and anyone else)

Aleron had seen the projectiles fired at superior nobody and had swooped down just in time to block them with his wings. He grabbed the arrow by the shaft and threw it back at lunahawk. Seeing the spray of bullets he turned his back on them spreading his wings to protect what allies he could from the bullets which thudded against his back before dropping to the ground. He spun around picking up a handful of bullets in his left hand and throwing them like a shotgun back at lunahawk behind the arrow he'd returned. He didn't take the time to say anything witty, that wasn't his kind of style. Instead he leaped into the air and blew as hard as he could sending many of the enemies sprawling on the ground or flipping in the air. He dropped to the ground next to superior nobody, "Do you already have a plan or are you just improvising?" Aleron asked superior nobody.

@kai_aurelius: @superior_nobody: @shanana: @_paragon_: @AllTheSingleLadies:

*THUMP!*

Frank's head immediately zoned in onto the hood of the Bowler 4x4 through the windshield. He noticed two skinny legs at first, pastiched in a red web-like motif. The heavens had sent down a nobody. Great., he thought after seeing the whole of the webslinger's body denting the hood of his vehicle. We're gonna die here.

"See this.", he calmly replied to the Sea Viper within the smoke cloud, grit seeping through his words as he aimed the Nikademus Special towards the source of the words. It's like in his hubris, the underwater soldier forgot that humans have ears. The weapon was a six shooter lever-action rifle and excluding the unstable round that Frank now sent in his direction (roughly towards head-height), it's chamber contained only two more bullets.

He retreated the weapon into it's hip holster, but before he could do anything else a woman came down from the skies as quickly as she departed again.

"WE'RE JUST TRYING TO HELP!"

"Tell that to the killer sardin--- Who-Whooah!", the car came to rock about all of the sudden, Frank stretched across the front seats bounced up and down within the vehicle's cockpit. The presumptuous woman having sent a sonic shriek from her sky-perch. Intent on permanently disabling the off-road vehicle, it's engine suddenly shut down but it's carbonceramic body-kit with thick plexi-glass windows and coupled with state-of-the-art ATV suspension seamlessly absorbed the majority of the attack. It's circuitry having been shut down due to the force.

Then, out of the blue, a pike made out of electricity hit the car and in contrary to the previous assault it actually jump-started the car again as it's charge activated all of it's inert circuitry. The lights flickered on with blinding light, the engine revved voraciously and the radio came alive to randomly start blasting Robin Schulz's - "Sugar" at maximum volume, even the damn air conditioning turned on. What the f*&k's even happening right now!

"Artyom!", Frank suddenly shouted, needing to borrow time to recollect himself, commanded the czech super-K9 in the vehicle's back into action. "Trhej. <Destroy.>", pointing his fingers outwards into the mist, the dog literally jettisoned out of the vehicle. It's bound out of the car almost tilting over it due to the force of it's supperhuman hind-legs. Frank had to grasp the seatins tight as to not let himself be moved. Meet Thee Champion of the animal kingdom.

The dog was a super-soldier project of Czech origin, it's cells capable of seamlessly absorbing tremendous amounts of energy to reinforce their integrity and fuel their mitochondia to provide the whole with unnatural physicality and other utilitarian abilties. It sprinted towards the mass of smoke at subsonic speeds, picking up the residuary scents of the soldiers within the mass it sought to extert extranautical pressures to bite through the arm armor of the nearest soldier and bring him down to the ground before attempting to tear out their throat. No matter the effectivity of this attack, he'd then continue distracting the remaining four Sea Vipers with a bite-and-run tactic, killing if the oppurtinity arose.

Meanwhile, Frank would gather his modified H&K 416 from the vehicle's inbuilt storage and crawl out of it through the other door. Seeking to support his canine companion with controlled fire in the form of visor-bound killshots on the Sea Vipers, Frank used the car's hood as a cover and a means to fight the kickback of his weapon.

@superior_nobody: @shanana: @_paragon_: @frank_scaletta:

The highly anticipated battle of Greece had begun as all people from both sides had clashed in a seemingly ruthless battle. Well, except for the sorceress known as The Violet, off course. Yes, she did get the call to arms from Julius which ended up with her getting bored midway into his first sentence and dropping the communication. Lilith had never been one to care about politics in any kind and she had never been a big people person. Yes, some would consider her as a hero and yes, she is doing the hero gig since she was ten but truthfully, it was always about her moods. Right now, she wasn't feeling very heroic. Right now she was fine with sitting on a wooden chair with her ragged clothing on her body. Her hair messy even to a degree that she could swear they were alive and purposefully trying to choke her.

A cheap wine bottle in her right hand, occasionally taking a sip as she watched the ensuing battle trough a one way portal she cast on her apartments wall. Best live feed she thought. She had always been a sucker for the action flicks though she would gladly admit that this was better than those. She couldn't stop herself from laughing for a few moments while watching Frank mostly saying piss off to an army just to be stuck inside his truck with the constant threat of death. It was hilarious to her, even though she had an 'aww' moment when he saved his own ass with some smoke. She thought he was cute. She didn't watch through the end of the insect boy's entrance to the scene. She got bored at that part. The fight of the sea king on the other hand, had exceeded her expectations. She loved the hammer punching so much that she yelled ''Beat that!'' to her teammates vision.

'You are a horrible b*tch, you know that?' She rolled her eyes to the voice of her ten year old self. There was some kind of miss spelled ritual which ended up having her conciouns into her old self or maybe she got mad but it was mostly the first part. ''Shut up! I am trying to watch something.'' Her gaze turned back to the portal. 'You should be out there. Hell, that frank guy saved your a*s from the...' Lilith waved her hand to stop her younger self. ''I may be a horrible b*tch.- Her younger self confirmed this sentence with a casual nodding.-I know that me helping them would be more appropriate but I am not feeling like it.'' She took another sip from her cheap wine as she looked down on her body. ''Hell! I am not even properly dressed.'' Her eyes met with the irritated eyes of her younger self. ''B*tch...'' She threw the wine bottle through the portal then got up from her seat to get going, by the time her younger self had allready dissappeared.

First, out of nowhere a wine bottle flies through the air spilling all around, on to the battle field near to the Frank's car, only to be crashed in the following second. Then Lilith comes out from the same place the bottle came. Her ragged outfit looks dirty and her messed up hair doesn't look quite well, either. ''If there's somethin' weird...'' She grabbed some dust into her palm. ''And it don't look good...'' She puffed the dust after a silent whisper. ''Who you gonna call?!'' Just like that she casts a fairly simple spell to turn the invisible enemies, visible for easier fights. As the dust leaves off from her hand, she bursts into laughter.

@nevermore_: @douglas_cipher: @_paragon_: @frank_scaletta: @lunahawk: @shanana: @maverick_6:

The King, intoxicated by rage, pounded endlessly down upon his foe, the hammer wielding God of luck, until suddenly his fists smashed into bare sand, forming a crater from the power of the King. The aquatic Aurelius turned around to find the divine weapon collide into his stomach, the angle at which it occurred causing the King to smash into the ground....the crator the blow created dwarfing the previous one many times over, and for the first time in this battle the Modern Day Poseidon felt the sensation of..."Pain?"

The blow managed to daze him briefly, but anyone watching would have saw him get smacked into the ground and seemingly rise a single second later, when, in the extremely aggrandized perception of the King he lie there for moments, both embarrassed and sore that he managed to fall for such an attack in his enraged state, incited by witnessing the fall of the Paragon. Never one to concede momentum in a battle, the King now with a cold and enigmatic countenance, rose to his feet with extreme speed and immediately outstretched his fist, hopefully hitting a Zaniel whom he thought would be attempting to unleash another attack on what he saw as the " downed " King, only the power backed by his fist this time was enough to level a city block, the previous blow demonstrating to the King that holding back in this fight would only amount to his defeat and or death. Whether or not it connected was inconsequential to the Aquatic Aurelius, who went on to close the gap ( if there existed one) between he and the Paragon of Pankration with deadly speed, wrapping his hands around his foe's back, exerting pressure and bringing up his knee, hoping to bring the foes kidney area into The Sea King's knee, the attack amplified by the pivot of Kai's other leg. The Cryokinetic Perseus would follow up by relinquishing the hold and push out with his right leg in an effort to simply kick his foe across the shore, each attack holding city block leveling power.

THOOM

Something landed on the beach, a vigorous shake followed by its arrival, and soon Kai observed a mass of...his soldiers stacking on top of each other...charging for him, only for them to fall off and reveal a giant being of emerald coloration accelerating, fists outstretched, towards himself. The Aquatic Grandmaster would've slipped to the side and counter attacked, except a force on the back of his head pushed him forward just as the hulking beast came near, the giant's fist, backed with incredible power, staggered the Aquatic Aurelius. His sapphire gaze was directed to a woman, clad in crimson, landing before him. "

"More ants I see." His mocking voice coated with a clear Italian inflection.

"Then I suppose the situation finally warrants my power."

Unstrapping Thales, a massive lightning bolt struct down upon the ground Kai stood, engulfing the King briefly and causing miniature flicks of lightning to emit off of his battle hardened body. "Remember that you asked for this, lest regret be the last emotion coursing through your dying bodies." Multiple sonic booms fired off and a cone of super-heated air engulfed the empowered king as he dashed to the giant and brought his fist upward with monstrous power, hoping to send him flying. Then angled his trident to where the woman stood, and did not fire off lightning, no, he was certain she would react to where he aimed, and instead summoned a field of lightning around her, and each millisecond a bolt would attempt to fry the crimson arachnid warrior.

He was confident in that she could survive in that field as-well, and dashed forward, palm opened hoping to catch her just as she would attempt to dodge the deadly bolts, and he would hold onto her neck with an iron grip and attempt to fling her towards the green giant.

In another part of the battle, a massive 50 foot machine was erected and immediately fired off hundreds of thousands of rounds towards the army, cutting down dozens of soldiers, bringing down buildings upon those that foolishly attempted to take shelter. Kai would send this message to them mentally:

It is harming the land I seek to save! Tis' only a machine my men! Rally together and bring it down right now!

An ilektriká chélia, rifle raised, turned to the previously fleeing troops:

"YOU HEARD THE KING, FOCUS YOUR FIREPOWER ON THAT THING, MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

The Magus amongst the army, with their combined power would summon a massive arcane shield that, for a split second repelled the disastrous attacks back towards Perses, while a large squadron of troops of different branches grouped together. Ilektriká chélia, weapons drawn, fired extremely hot micro and radio-waves, the attacks intent on frying or melting whatever made the machine work. They were certain that it held some sort of defense against EMP's, but they pinned their hope on the extreme heat the pulses contained to bypass said defenses. Meanwhile Megalodons fired their rockets, HEAT (High-explosive anti-tank) warhead RPGS and miniguns , and the Magus, staffs raised, emitted beams of arcane energy that each could individually destroy a tank.

The squadron of Sea Vipers which combatted the Herculean Hound leaped back urgently upon hearing the same familiar sound which heralded an explosion. Libra, the sea viper that spoke very narrowly escaped being scattered into pieces.

""LIBRA! Get your bad taunts and your boys out of here before I kick your scrawny ass myself!"

A spear flew through the smoke, presumably from the aquatic guardian, and two allies of the king appeared on the battlefield. A canine leapt into the smoke, jaws clamping on the arm of an unsuspecting Sea viper with immense pressure, bowling him over and snapping its vicious maw forward in an attempt to rip the Sea Vipers throat open. The aquatic assassin just barely managed to block the bite with the side of his blade, and immediately the aggrandized canine bound away just as quickly as he came. "...Alright. Fall back men, our job was to assassinate and get out, The Kings allies should be able to take it from here!" And with that, the 4 Sea Vipers helped their ally up and bound away.

@kai_aurelius: ( since he TP messages you"

London England 5AM

"You understand this a mission of total transparency. You will be representing our nation as a bastion of the EU. The council have approved your go ahead. With one solitary condition, you go full force they want shock and awe. The combat appears to be escalating according to our people in Greece so you must bring it to a quick and thorough resolution. All result other than a complete and total victory are unacceptable Edward, now do you nation and your continent proud. You are a go"

Coast of Spain 5:05AM

Water and wind trailed in his wake as he sped across the ocean's surface seconds passing as he round Trafalgar into the mediterranean sea his mind racing as the salt laden spray mist over the charging champion of the british nation. "Locate pacify or destroy with maximum speed. Minimise casualties, maximise exposure and solidify stance with the EU." his orders clear his conscious focussed and ready.

Coast of greece 5: 52AM ( Based on traveling around 2000 miles an hour)

Great speed coming to a complete and tranquil stop as he held himself above the water, his mind willing a small but meaningful barrier between himself and the water's surface. Reaching out with his thoughts surveying the scene ahead scoping out his target. Finding an individual irradiating rage and intent. Pushing a small mental statement of intent to him. "I see you and i can beat you. This is your one and only chance to surrender and come along quietly, you have ten seconds to comply" Edward knew in his heart that it was a fruitless endeavor to offer such an option, but he waited and prepared his charge. Ready to bring not only shock and awe as ordered but a beating of biblical proportions.

@kai_aurelius: @douglas_cipher:@lunahawk: @nevermore_

The Angel of Luck would have no time to celebrate his victorious assault, instead, he was bullied with the force of titanic magnitude, the Olympic Champion was lifted up and off of his feet before being driving back through the air like a football kicked by a champion, his red cape flying freely before the angel's divine body smashed upon the ground with a large thud, sliding several feet in the dirt before finally resting in a large crater.

As this happened the Angel of Luck saw his foe relentlessly pushing forward -- Having studied religiously the art of unarmed combat; specifically ground defenses, in this case, against a foe clearly capable of devastating a mountain with mere fists, Zaniel was not simply going to engage in a fight (that he may or may not win) of physical and tactical brawn, instead opting for a more pragmatic, abilities orientated counter-attack.

As the Aurelius wrapped his hand's around Zaniel's frame, the Angel of Luck almost went intangible to facilitate in his escape... Before his eye's caught sight of the rampaging beast known as Doug, his unorthodox Green colored ally.

Within milliseconds, the Spartan formulated the idea to allow this Aquatic Ace his chance at attack in exchange of buying his fellow Equalizer time to engage in battle, sustaining a painful knee to his kidney in the process which caused Zaniel to cry out in genuine pain, combined with the recently received punch from Kai, resulting in a deterioration of Zaniel's durability until he regained his strength. Forsaking his time-buying tactic the Angel of Luck turned intangible as Kai sought to kick him, dashing backwards himself and grasping his hammer, watching as the Modern-Day-Poseidon was sucker-punched by the Green Beast.

"This sea creature dare use lighting against a son of ZEUS!?" Zaniel bellowed in ire as he instantaneously outstretched both of his armored arms, in a cataclysmic like eruption of energy the Fallen Son of Olympus used his now electricity-flickering body as a conductor, magically drawing all of the lighting that was shot towards his courageous allies to himself in a seemingly selfless sacrifice.

The lighting flicked and flowed across his body as it unnaturally contorted through the air away from his allies and flew towards him, clinging to his body like some divine magnet as it was absorbed into his Xanthium hammer -- A hammer derived from the remains of Zythium; an ancient Strigdae being capable of absorbing an infinite amount of pure, unbridled power.

As though Zeus' himself had joined the battle, Zaniel redirected all of the lighting from Kai amplified by his own divine lighting, sending it hurtling back towards the would-be invader prior to collapsing upon the ground from exertion, the lighting having been ferocious enough to power entire cities for years on end. Zaniel was out of the battle, if only momentarily, such a feat of energy redirection would not come without needing to regain his stride.

@zaniel: @douglas_cipher: @kai_aurelius: @lunahawk:@nevermore_:

He ran, the Paragon of Potential, towards the ensuring chaos, his indigo cape violently fluttering behind him. Animus' physique, his frame sculpted of inhuman athleticism, was shrouded to the human eye amidst his incredible, deceptively invisible run. His muscles coursed with boundless strength, maneuvering faster than he knew he could... and only getting faster as time went on. His breaths were hastened, eyes alert, fists clenched so tightly the knuckles had begun to whiten. Assimilated kinetic energy was outwardly exhibited around his frame in the form of radiant, seemingly electrical arcs, creating the uncanny illusion of a speedster, and a very, very swift one at that.

He couldn't fly, nor did he need to. Already he was fast, very fast. His speeds had long since transcended the barrier of sound, even beyond hypersonic. Every fleeting second was a mile closer to his destination, and as he drew near to the battlefield, his muscle fibers had begun to switch excitedly. His eyes were alert and focused, winds sharp, searing, exhilarating. The battleground, Greece, was looming ahead, and he'd already received his orders. Even in his speeding state, he sighted streaks of angelic lightning tearing through the sky, along with numerous figures, comrades and enemies, locked in combat. Samuel's form was beginning to slow to a blur, gaze flickering about the chaos. Captain Eyepatch wanted him to focus on the heavy hitting players?

King Aurelius himself seemed like a great place to start!

The Aquatic Alpha himself, the architect of this disaster, was within Animus' view. And out of the corner of his liquid cerulean eyes, he could see (almost feel) the radiance of lightning, mingled with power stemming from outright divinity, cast from a partner at his known as "Zaniel". Samuel grinned, lacking the time to give an appreciative nod in his direction. And as he would attempt to hurl towards the arrogant aquatic himself, his knuckles whitened, hands first flying out to make contact with Kai Aurelius' skin, firstly attempting to sap his body of the kinetic energy required for objects to move, in order to guarantee that Zaniel's divine bolts reached their target (and perhaps, to ensure that Kai would be rendered physically paralyzed for defeat). And should this maneuver be successful, and King Aurelius was struck with the lightning, Animus had but one other idea in mind...

Immeasurable, godlike power flowed through the hero's body, into his right arm as he shifted his current position in accordance with his following attack. His right arm audibly snapped through the heated air in a blow intended to down his opponent within a single blow, gloved fist precisely pivoting towards Kai's jaw. His attack? A very simplistic right hook. The power of said attack? In excess of a hundred tons of force.

@_the_violet_: @superior_nobody: @frank_scaletta:

Blue projections of the battle in the form of three-dimensional holograms alerted Julius to everything which was taking place down below, noting his allies, Violet, Nobody, and Frank had successfully thwart off an attack from the Sea Vipers. Yet, there was still an uncounted for threat to be seen (@shanana). Julius touched an intercom as he spoke to his allies. "Violet, Nobody and Frank, you're on fire. The Sea Viper's are retreating but there is still an opponent within your immediate vicinity. (@_paragon_) focus on dispatching them. Kai is being engaged personally, at the present time there is no need to assist those battling him. Once the two enemies in your area have been dealt with focus on any more which arise."

He then switched communication to another. @cutthroatbitch - "I know you're probably bored but sit tight. I'd bet my ass that someone unexpected will arrive and you're the ace up our sleeve" He then cut communications from Anastasia as he continued watching the battle, knowing something somewhere was going to get hot. It was just the start.

@kai_aurelius: @frank_scaletta: @quietus: @the_violet@superior_nobody

The E-Wing came to a rushing halt above the beachfront, drafting a ton of sand in the air with the engagement of hover thrusters. Not even landing, the bay door opened to show Canuck leaping off the deck, a wire hooked to his belt for a graceful descent. "FRANK!" He shouted over the thrusters, unclipping himself as soon as his sneakers touched sand. "That was friggin' rad! You were all like "BANG BANG BITCH!" and they were all like "BLAAARGH!" I'm just so glad you're not that scraped up!"

Canuck rushed to the Herculean Hound, placing his hand on Frank's neck gently. "Just in case." The healer's powers kicked in, sending energy throughout Frank's body. It didn't just repair any wounds he had attained in the battle that just occurred, but completely revitalized his stamina. "I'd stick around bud, but I gotta make sure everyone else get's their heal in." Canuck brushed his hand across Artyom's fur, giving the dog the same treatment he gave his master.

The kind Canadian clipped himself back onto the wire, giving it a tug to signal he's ready to get reeled back up. "Keep your COMM open!" And without another word, Canuck jolted back up into the E-wing with the assistance of it's pilots, bolting back off to the island outpost he had set up.

@dreadpool10: @zaniel: @edwardwindsor:

(Aquatic Ace..I like it lol)

"What in the blazes..?"

The deadly lightning channeled towards the crimson clad woman suddenly stopped and was absorbed into the foe he had previously pummelled. Kai's aggrandized perception watched the lightning flow out of the Pankration Paragon

"Nay, it wasn't absorbed...it's being redirected!"

And just as the Aquatic Ace tensed his body to dodge the attack, he felt as if moving at all was impossible. A man dressed in gold held his fist to his side, seemingly sapping all of his kinetic energy, and the amplified lightning collided into the King, superheating his skin and threatening to destroy his nervous system entirely. He was definitely feeling the pain now, but through it all he managed an arrogant smirk as his body smoked, purposely acting as if the attack hadn't phased him. Still paralyzed, The Golden Ergokinetic's punch connected to his jaw, and unable to brace himself it sent him flying backwards into a pile of large rocks. Actually pissed off now, Kai rose from the pile sending the boulders flying in all directions.

Just then, a voice echoed through his mind..only it wasn't that of his soldiers...it was one of the enemy, and Kai scoffed at this " warning."

Tis as I told the other worm, asking me to stand down is a fruitless endeavor!

Turning his attention back to his current foe, Kai spoke with an taunting arrogance;

"So, an insect who can restrict movement? Fair enough, allow me to demonstrate my own powers mongrel!"

Among the thousands of beings could manipulate water, there were only a handful of those whom could tap into its darker cousin; hemokinesis. Indeed, although the king rarely needed to utilize such a power due to his monstrous physical capability, Kai was capable of all manner of " blood bending," and intended on using it to its fullest extent on this kinetic warrior. First, he attempted to control the Golden Ergokinetic's movement in a way not unlike a marionette and a puppet master, attempting to levitate him in the air and hold him still, and proceeded to emit a burst of arcane lightning from his trident aimed for his foes head. Following up, he would freeze the rain falling around his foe and shape them into ice needles, and direct them towards his opponents head in an effort to permanently blind him. And whether or not the attacks would succeed he would lunge upwards, fists cupped together, and attempt to slam them into his foe with mountainous force.

@kai_aurelius: @kai_aurelius: @frank_scaletta: @quietus: @the_violet@superior_nobody

Weapons thrown back at Luna Hawk weren't thrown at nearly the velocity needed to penetrate her armor and flattened against it, the electricity had already been used against Aleron upon impact, leaving Luna Hawk essentially unharmed.

Seeing Aleron absorb her weapons fire Luna Hawk was about to change weapons when one was created for her...a massive bolt of lighting that was redirected at Kai. She wasn't fast enough to absorb the entire hit...but she could take part of it. She flew immediately between Kai and the lighting, even though the front edge of it was already striking him. Luna Hawk herself avoided the lightning but she stuck her mace directly in its path. Nth Metal absorbed energy like a sponge and her mace was quickly crackling in power. Luna Hawk grinned and gripped the weapon with both hands. She swung it like a baseball bat and allowed the metal to release its stored energy at the apex of her swing. One hundred thousand volts of electricity shot out and crossed the distance between Luna Hawk and Aleron almost instantly.

Luna Hawk didn't bother waiting to see if her attack was successful and began to focus on multiple enemies at once. If Kai wasn't left alone to fight those he was already fighting he would eventually be forced to retreat. Luna Hawk focused her Thompson on Frank this time, aiming for the man and his vehicle and opening fire with a storm of Nth Metal bullets that would send more than one hundred rounds down range. None of these were designed to be lethal and operated just like the ones ALeron had already deflected. Anticipating a possible similar move she switched targets quickly, sending the same spread down range from her second magazine @superior_nobody. Finally, Luna Hawk jettisoned the spent magazines and slipped the weapon back onto its sling.

(not great I know but i'm trying to get involved again and have to deal with a lot of people at once)

If Aleron hadn't been paying attention he would have been fried, or at least temporarily out of action. As it was he'd been watching everyone he could and Luna Hawks was on that list. He barely dodged the bolt by jumping behind a pile of rubble, which unfortunately exploded when the electricity hit. If this was to be a success she had to go.

Aleron leaped directly upwards sending wrekkege below outwards. When he reached 45,000 feet into the air. He floated for a moment reversing and plunging downwards pushing himself to mach 10 on the way down. Directly below him was Luna Hawk, even if she dodged the blast from his collision and the wind from his fall should throw her away and he might get the chance to attack from there. All the while he kept his eyes on her and anyone else who might pose a threat, assessing the battle so he would have no major risks.

@tenjin: @maverick_6: @the_shogun:

Alex arrived standing beside her mutant brothers and sisters forged in the intense training of the Doghouse. All the while inside her head she heard, and with an eye to the horizon she watched her other brothers in arms. Maverick hard at work, forged in wars and treading Greece as if it was familiar ground. Each side had their faults and strengths, strengths outweighing of course. However Alex also fealt conflicted as she stood on both sides. Their was a haunting malevolence in the air, psychic communications between mutants hinted at something of the astral plane likely to be called upon. For victory it often felt like Ivana would turn to any means, and while the psychic partner of Alex's couldn't dissect what she was feeling the archer could thanks to experience. As the taste of malice lingers in the psychic realm clawing at the psychic's sanity by pure presence alone within the city scape is something of Maverick's.

It towered over the buildings, it's shadow foreboding such giant machines were rare amongst Earth. Many would likely find the machine an entirely new and threateningly aww inspiring experience. It certainly was for Alex, to think she was on a team with such a weapon. Many wanted an army of one, and the Perses certainly came off like the delivery of that. This one colossal automation looked like it could topple legions effortlessly. And then it opened fire, proving that it could with thunderous and exsplosive firepower. With it however came ruin as buildings were torn down as if a house of cards instead of brick. One of the Atlantic King's reasons for coming was to revitalize the region to build it up out of its dept. If the invasion was repelled however now came the question of could it rebuild and become better. Last thing a struggling land needed was a demand for repairs requiring far more resources and money then they had. Maverick also had a policy of not buying regions out of their mess because it'd often backfire from what the archer recalled. Which meant there might be no restoration effort.

Doing her best to relax her cheek was graced by the cold gloves of Ivana and the archer righted her posture with an intense sternness. She stood proudly honestly humbled by the legendary warrior's recognition. While the archer stood blushing at rundown on her history she also contacted Maverick for a supply drop. In this mess of a fire fight a supply drop being "missed" wouldn't be a surprise. Alex could obtain a resource while not blowing her cover despite operating alongside a mutant.

As the Shogun turned Alex alongside the other Doghouse members in unison responded to the woman they saw as one of if not the greatest warriors and mutants of the world. "And all of our acomplishments pale in comparison to you." It was much simpler to say as well instead of trying to list off all Ivana's feats. She thought herself the greatest warrior, and while some could disagree she had the feats to potentially justify it. Flattery wouldn't win a war though and so the Houds of the Shogunate scattered Alex and her telepathic companion teleported to a distant part of the shore, a cliff ledge looking out to the rising tides.

As the pair ran they eventually came to the supply drop that Alex had called in her partner not thinking anything of it. They loaded up Alex taking up an MHV Helical Cannon into her hands. It was a fusion of rail gun and coil gun using electromagnetic propulsion. The rounds it would soon dispense moved at Mach fifteen once charged. This weapon though cumbersome packed thousands of tons of force behind its impact. It's ammunition carbide tungsten nanocrystalline flechettes. It'd been known to punch through durable meta humans and tanks with ease. It's rounds known to shread anything of lesser durability completely.

Eyes rivaling that of some of the greatest speedsters the Maverick archer could see a boat creeping along. It was haunting and it's mysterious figure particularly menacing. It's delay however was what concerned Alex, it was the action of a surprise counter and not of the armed forces in play. Leading Alex to figure whoever it was on the waves was working with the oceanic oppressor. So it was that Alex charged up the weapon and fired a trio of the Helical's rounds forward. One round looked to strike the boat, the second the heart and third for the head. Alex's aim known to plant arrows in gun barrels and clip insect wings was once more on point. That said in this world accuracy even of her almost unrivaled level was never a surefire success.

In the shattered remains of Emerald City

The Red Cardinal hovered above her decorative prayer mat channeling her mystic energies lulling herself into a serene state. As the lilac colored seals swirled in a circular motion around her, the goddess’ mind shift back to the events that led to the downfall of the Liafador Regime. Who was truly to blame? Was her family’s fame the reason for Spain’s downfall? Or was it the fact they were divine, not connecting with the people they led?

It didn’t matter, they were gone; her mother AND father. There was no point in returning back to the rest of her family, they were idiots, all of them. Trying to reconstruct something that was clearly broken. Fueled by the fire burning in her coal-like heart the Ethereal Goddess returned back to ‘reality’ with a goal of her own.

Though in recluse, she was not blind to the events unfolding in the rest of the world. Mara Del Forte, home to the aquatic King Aurelius, had launched an attack on Greece looking to claim some sort of Land Empire. His reasoning? She didn’t know, but the one thing that was certain…he was not to have it.

Having received her marching orders through the link that she shared with the Otherrim, The Red Cardinal Goddess picked up a low hover before gradually fading out, her destination—Greece.

Athens, Greece.

The Liafador Goddess faded in high above the city of Athens, out of the average person’s view. This was odd, leaving the comfortable walls of her Emerald City condo to make what would be her first appearance since Spain.

Panic spread across the country like an infection, to many the appearance of the “Power Princess” would be a symbol of hope, reminiscent of her days as the Emerald City protector; for other’s her intervention would be likened to the end, in the same manner her mother destroyed the hope of Spain.

Plummeting towards the ground with her hands tucked in the innards of her cowl, her presence drew the attention of those battling around her. What was her role in all this? Was she here to help Greece? Here to help Kai? Truthfully, it depended on the first person to fire on her.

The Fortean army fired the first shot, connecting with the searing plasma directly in the Goddess’ sternum. The decision was made for her. Rising from her downed state with steam blowing off her damaged cowl, Maya set her sights on the attacking army.

Using only her thoughts, the Reality Goddess stripped weapons away from various members of the Del Fortean army. Poof gone, simply wiped from existence. Raising her hand to kill them, something stopped it. It was almost as if the part of her that was once there didn’t actually want to kill anyone.

In the moments that were littered with the hesitation of morals, the Hellenic Army moved in taking advantage of the situation and dropped about five of the nearest Fortean Soldiers.

“What a waste” She thought, before channeling her mystic energies to reanimate the dead soldiers…only they now obeyed her. “I am In position” She said, levitating with her small squad of soldiers. There was work to be done.

@apex_

Aboard his vast mystical Man-O-War, Tenjin rode the chaotic waves, like the abyssal tides of time and space. The thunder boomed louder, like the hammer of a great forge god striking down upon an archaic anvil. His dread ship cracked and scratched with a strangeness that was not unlike a diabolical haunting. Certainly, no frigate sailing now had the Grim Ghost at its head and further born from his own daemon-spells.

There had been a time when his ruthlessness would drive him headlong into battle, to die only to be born again. A primal and uncanny fearlessness. Though, that was the past and Katsuro was far more dangerous in his cautiousness and patience. Weary of the lengths his enemies' were willing to venture to see the Arcane Assassin doomed, he himself had established various countermeasures put in place. He had been killed twice before, both by attacks launched from a distance, one he had never seen coming. The Shogun's presence and their tumultuous relationship and dark pact at hand, to butcher STRIKE by any means, he still did not trust her or her mutant band. Thus, he placed a Ward spell, a great invisible barrier around his vessel and also himself. Although, the Red Eyed Fiend's foul magick was sublime, he was too far from frail.

If war was coming, he was prepared. Indeed, every precaution would be needed.

His cruel gaze scanned the distance, just before his eldritch vessel took flight, just as the massive black portal to the Shadowrealm manifested.

Even the thunder above could not attempt to match the first explosion. Iridescent shards of hard-light glistened in the great plumes of crimson, tangerine and canary. The pure force of the impact shattered beams and planks and ripped the sails asunder. Within the span of micro-seconds, two additional blasts from the mighty weapon were sent forth. Ready to annihilate the captain of the mysterious ship. Apex's attacks where nearly immediately, yes, following each other at the speeds nearing eleven and a half thousand miles per hour. Nearly any mortal man would surely have succumbed to such a beleaguerment. However, Tenjin, the Ominous Esper was more than meets the eye.

The Dark Lord of the Ebon Lotus, his body only in appearance, that of a beautiful fey-touched yet frightening warrior. Beneath the skin, that alabaster vampire-like flesh, was the working of a mechanical monstrosity.

His nervous system, omitted and replaced with one created by strange science, using neutrinos. Bound by Quantum Entanglement, these neutrinos move, due to entangled dynamics, at speeds far exceeding the speed of light as normative physics have no sway. Allowing him effectively instantaneous reflexes, hence even such speeds produced by Apex's cannon could be perceived and reacted to with relative ease.

The carbon-nanotube yarn fibers which comprised his muscles became braced as his neutrino powered cranial nerves sent messages throughout his cybernetic body.

The scenery was still in the midst of a grand explosion, the Shalmenser like time had been slowed, was being torn apart, ropes and rigs flaying at the kinetic whim, several thousand tons of explosive force propelling shards of wood into the air. The only thing fast was lightning which streaked across the sky like a enormous serpent and of course, Tenjin's reflexes.

His black cloak was aflame at the very bottom, as he pivoted on his feet, his stride with such wonderful elfin grace that he almost danced. The flames on his cloak a bright red fading to black in wisps of fire, the second narrowly passed his chest, flying nanometers from his deep onyx vibranium cuirass while the third traveled where his head would have been. His scarlet eyes watching it pass by as his cloak enveloped him in a sheet of blackness and ultimately nothingness.

It was then, that the rounds struck the falling foremast, resulting in twin explosions rivaling the first. Only for the Dynamic Destroyer to cross into the Shadowrealm personally, and escaping what would seem at a distance, an inevitable death.

All of this action, even more miraculously, took place in less than a second.

With the phantasmal Ship of the Line engulfed in a series of violent explosions above the waves along with dissolving enormous shards of that rainbow-like hard light now visible, the clouds themselves trembled. Unless Apex had eyes which could perceive the action, it was likely she would assume the Virtuoso of Violence was felled.

Athens, Greece

@maya_liafador

"I am in position." the Liafador Goddess announced.

Out from the earth, a black spire spiraled upwards, spinning out from the ground in a small outward stretching ring of fire. That drill-like beacon of dismay rose to the height of a large man, only to spread open, given the semblance of a great span of a gargantuan crow. The flames began to scream, otherworldly like, in a pitch befitting the gulfs of hell as the wingspan fell eatherally onto the ground into the guise of a cloak.

Tenjin stood a few meters away from Maya, the right side of his dazzlingly somber face charred to the bone. No less from the explosion he had but a mere second ago endured. However, the bone was plated in a shimmering titanium, nanotubes portraying sinew while his blazing red eyes peered over to the Liafador, his newfound ally. Only to shift them forward and to gaze into the distance once more. His golden crown reflecting dim lights, like his skull beneath pallid flesh amidst his turbulent sable hair.

He telepathically announced his presence, even his mental voice plagued with unfathomable horrors. "I have also arrived." Those who were listening would heed their call.

Amongst the necromantic dead of Kai's fallen troops, the depths of oblivion in his eyes, a carnal rage overtaken his features. Vengeance would soon be on the horizon, but after other matters were settled.

Death was coming and the Grim Ghost was its messenger.

@lunahawk: @douglas_cipher: @zaniel: @dreadpool10: @kai_aurelius:

"Hate being called an insect but still thanks for getting rid of the bug zapper." Evie remarked showing her gratitude to Zeus' heir. Or at least one of them from what the neo sapien had seen from mythology articles the dude was a male jigalo, it'd be fun to see what that family reunion was like. However now wasn't a time to try and imagine what the off time world of gods was like, now was time for felling kings. Not to mention Evie was just eager for violence, she'd fussed with a frail individual. Someone who now having the power to act compelled Nevermore to do so.

As the Lightning shot forward one of the Hawk Lord's jumped in to provide an interception. It was a shame, Evie liked the Hawks they were beautiful and noble. What compelled one to come and support the fish she had to wonder. The sea was a large place it's not like the Atlantians or whatever needed more real estate. Sure they might support the nation but the measure used meant a warzone surfing as a counterpoint. Thankfully however while Evie's mind was going off on tangents a golden figure raced in to claim the attention of the Aurelius. "Shit, I'm a noob" the questionable hero muttered disappointed in her ability to briefly stand around doing nothing.

"Sup big guy. Throw me!" The vermillion and obsidian spider remarked as she leapt into the hand of the emerald giant and began surounding herself in a web. It took her little time to craft her cacoon and little time for the giant to process what was said. For Evie though it felt like an eternity, it wasn't like she made a habit asking strangers to throw her at a king. Thankfully however she had little time to reconsider what she'd volunteered herself for. There was a wind up, made by an arm thick as a tree trunk. And then came a pitch, one that would prove to be arguably unlike any other.

How strong was Douglas right now, fifty tons maybe well within the hundreds perhaps? Evie left his hand with enough force to sound off with a clap of thunder as the sound barrier screamed. Perhaps she was thrown like high speed bullet maybe it was even a comet? In either case she was tossed at the oceanic opressor's chest with daunting force. The spider themed figure was woven in layers of webbing each durable like iron. In theory this was as hazardous to her as the enemy probably except Evie had gravitational powers and so within her small dome she fealt nothing, not the slightest amount of g-force. Upon collision or passing her webs would unravel. Leading into the next part of her attack, webbing would reach for the King's arms and his facial features and then coil around.

It'd hopefully disrupt his blood bending and start a process of suffocation as Evie looked to bind the Aurelius. As she spun through the air looking to ensnare her prey she also relinquished gravity from the immediate area. She'd look to remove that which kept the ocean King grounded and raise him into the air. She'd try to fling him over her shoulders as she landed with no gravity to keep him grounded he'd likely go up with ease, but what of down?

It was here she'd attempt to pull down twenty ton strength straining the webbing and momentum. As she did this gravity would be amplified twenty times over so that her attack was amplified drastically. Evie wasn't that strong compared to her Herculean companion on the field. However through her gravitational powers she could bolster her attack in an unprecedented manor. She fealt bad for Goldy and Zeus' baby and thus had sought to hopefully make up for her faults by way of a tour de force looking to hasten the battles end.

@edwardwindsor: @lunahawk: @douglas_cipher: @zaniel: @dreadpool10: @kai_aurelius:

Unseen and unheard, a rift formed on the shores of the battlefield. Red like blood, the center darker than the night sky, the portal spun. A powerful burst of sound ruptured from it, like roaring thunder, violently making it's presence known To onlookers, it would like as though space and time were warped around the portal as images blurred, becoming incoherent. As suddenly as the portal had come however, in vanished, taking any evidence of it's existence with it. But it had served its purpose.

Where the portal had once been, a lone figure now stood, a deathly silence the only welcome the newcomer received. Garbed in a dark red armor, raven black hair cascading down the shoulders, the stranger appeared, at first glance, to be female. However, a clear look at the face of challenger was offset by the mask they wore. Pale white, with strange markings, four eyes turned towards the battlefield, their allegiance unknown to anyone who resided. In a blur of motion, that question was answered quickly.

A crimson blade was drawn, and with speed that broke the sound barrier on multiple occasions, she attacked, looking to aid the Aquatic Aurelius and save him from @nevermore_. The warrior aimed for an indirect blow, instead of a full on strike, the demonic blade arcing over in a red flash to knock the spider off course. Were she to succeed, she would turn around, ready to press the assault. But before that, she spared a brief glance at Kai. Whether or not eye contact was made she nodded, and then would silently return her attention to the spider.

@damian_carlisle: @tenjin: @maya_liafador:

It was a gladiatorial approach, if nothing else. The aquatic apex had brought his army to the shores of Greece's Lefkada Island's, as promised. Instantly igniting a unilateral response of overwhelming defense, as the international community predicatively rallied around its chosen paragons of shared nobility and fundamental rights. The defenders of the people. Even Kai himself had attempted to persuade the people through a small but moderately effective campaign featuring himself as the, "new man of the people." Yet in the end he was unceremoniously rejected by any political authorization and forced to take the war like approach.

Drawing the attention of some of the world's new, and familiar factions as they rightfully viewed his unsanctioned occupation as nothing short of an act of war. Know doubt with 4320 minutes to prepare, the pera-military juggernaut known as Maverick had accumulated any an all documented information on the army of Mare Del Forte. Unveiling engineered countermeasures of intelligible design. Once again showcasing an advanced level of human ingenuity for any super, mutant, meta, or other who believed themselves above the species. The overwhelming exchanges between the myriad of opposing superpowers threatened to destroy Greece in a cinematic piece of irony.

However Nikademus had not aligned himself with the motivated king simply to watch one of the World's greatest monuments of mystical allurement crumble beneath the weight of its ambitious defense. A seemingly random series of unrated interactions had come full circle, and now three curators of esoteric influence had secretly conspired to advance their own shadowy agenda. But first things first, as bargains were struck, promises parlayed, Kai had made deals with devils....

Athens, Greece - The Kerameikos

The war had yet to fully reach Athens but never the less its military presence could be felt, as well as visually observed throughout the city. Curfews had been instituted as Athens braced itself for the conflict to come. And Maya's open display of the deathly dark art of necromancy was sure to attract attention. Designer trousers, pressed and tailored, played host to Nikademus' decoratively ringed hands as he passively strolled through the historical cemetery. Well within view of the Red Cardinal's brutal buffet and the arrival of hell's heretic hangman, Tenjin. The Last Fianna ♫whistled a Celtic Puirt à beul♫" to announce his own self-celebratory arrival. Perching himself atop a burial monument as they awaited the arrival of their fourth. A sorcerer supreme who had also been corrupted by an ancient esoteric warlock of diabolical wisdom.

Removing an antique mirror glass finish cigarette case with intricate engravings from his pocket, loosely hanging an unlit cancer stick from a pair of amused lips, Nikademus compartmentalized his thoughts. Calculating numerical intuition with borderline clairvoyant precision. Taking a small yet enjoyable pull of inhaled, exhaled smoke, the Xsoteric steadied himself as well as his thoughts."It willnae tak'lang now..." he ominously stated with a Scottish undertone.

@edwardwindsor: @lunahawk: @douglas_cipher: @dreadpool10: @kai_aurelius: @lucia_aurelius

The Shore, Kai vs defenders...

The Angel of Luck felt his stamina slowly return as he healed, absently wiping stray droplets of blood from his injured nose. It was no surprise that the battle thus far had been an epic journey, and Zaniel knew that with the addition of Animus joining the confrontation, the fight against King Aurelius would hopefully draw to a conclusion faster than thought. The Spartan would wait for his ally Douglas to engage, prior to returning to the battle himself, knowing that the Aquatic Ace would have to fight hard to simply survive, let alone win against such odds he faced this day.

Suddenly, the Angel turned his head as though he had heard a call.

In Zeus' name, 'tis cannot be...

With divine insight and an aptitude for all things magical, the Angel of Luck felt the horrid sensation of devious power at play, as though the devil himself had joined the shores and threatened to take Greece for himself.

Had Kai gone insane? Surely, the King whom had deemed himself fit to rule... Had not allied himself with monstrosities such as these? The Pankration Prodigy did not know whom had joined the fray, only that they had tingled every mystical sense within his divine being.

"I must go," Zaniel looked at his allies, speaking within the in-built intercom in his helmet, telling his allies not to follow. "Equalizers, I sense great evil approaching. Do not follow, Kai is our target; I shall strike down these new foes and rejoin you in battle soon." And without a second's thought, the hammer wielding angel lift himself into the air and powered away, entrusting the defeat of Kai in his allies hands.

Athens, Greece - The Kerameikos

With an almighty crash the Fallen Son of Olympus descended from the air, destroying the ground in his wake.

Powerful and tall, the Olympian rose, immediately gathering all within the area and ascertaining the unnatural, eerie presence of reanimated foe.

"Disgusting fools," Without haste the Angel hurled his hammer towards the reanimates soldiers in an attempt to re-gift them their death, knowing he would draw in the attention of whomever had orchestrated their revival. (@maya_liafador).

Unaware to Zaniel, there were others of evil origin at bay, or those simply wishing to use evil to their will. Nevertheless, be it four or one hundred versus himself, until allies arrived, he would stand in the face of adversity; as the Spartan he was bred to be.

@nikademus:@damian_carlisle: @tenjin:

@maya_liafador: @tenjin: @nikademus:

The Earth beneath Kameikos ripples and shutters in abandonment of it's grip on the crust of the world, giving way to a magmatic flow of orange ooze that spat from the dark world below. A loan flame rises from it's center, something mannish rising from the depths, exhaling arsinic and snorting out ash.

The demonic dark artist supreme says, stepping out of the hellmouth and onto the Greek continent in front of his ally, snapping his fingers and igniting the cigarette in his mouth for him in a flash of hell fire. "Apparently hell transit isn't as reliable as it was in Skelgin's day."

He spoke nonchalant, yet his tone was incredible in it's ominousness, each word like a final one. His voice like two throats intertwined, a kind human and an intense demon working in tandum within.

"I smell an angel...Strong light magic, divine even. We'll have to move fast if we're going to pull this off "

Kneeling down and sticking a long black nail in the pentagram on his chest Damian pulls it across the lower triangle, a steadly flow of blood that glowed with a ruby hue, pouring onto the ground...

@kai_aurelius: @nevermore_: @lucia_aurelius: @zaniel:

Watching as the allied forces against this Kai moved as one, their combined efforts allowed for Douglas to slam his mighty fist into the Sea King's face, but it wasn't enough it only angered the man. Lightning began to slam all around and as the Sea King bellowed his unbridled anger he took it out upon those around him. Gearing up for his attack as the King came at him with a closed fist, Douglas prepared for the attack. Holding his ground he brought his hands out forward to stop the fist, but not expecting the slender mans own real power he was taken off guard and sent skidding backwards. Earth dug up behind him as he tried stopping himself, as he finally stopped moving from the blow he shook his hands.

"He actually hurt me....." The beast thought to itself, a wide grin appearing on its face as he narrowed his eyes onto the King. The King of the Ocean's attention was once again taken away from the Green Giant, now he stood a few hundred yards from where he once was he prepared his body for a charge. Bursting forward like a locomotive he charged, aiming to slam into the King. As he ran forward a small woman called out to him, he scooped her up in his large hand and continued charging. Winding up he barks "Ready?! Heeeere weeeee GO!" launching her at speeds that would have seemed unbelievable to others he continued his charge forward. As he closed in he saw the Trident of Power that the King held fill the area with even more electricity only for his comrade Zaniel to take it entirely upon himself. Redirecting it back at the King, a smile came to his face as he watched each warrior launch there own attacks. But just as there attacks closed in another entered the fray, she was something different yet akin to the King himself. She swung a mighty sword and slammed it into the Spider's ball.

He knew that the woman's attack would be in vein if he didn't help it, he called out "Brace yourself Charlote this is going to be alot of force." Coming up behind the ball of web that was still spinning yet halted for a brief moment by the woman in the Mask. He slammed with enough strength to shake the ground beneath his feet into the ball of web, hopefully sending it hurtling even harder and faster forward through the woman in the Mask. Leaping with everything he had he went into the air above the King screaming loud as an animal as he came back down, both arms slamming down with everything he had onto Kai. As his feet touched the ground again, he used his CQC the military had taught him to his advantage along with his massive size. Closing the space between them he went in hard with a flurry of earth shaking punches, aiming at the King's sides then to the shoulders and following with a sturdy uppercut. In the end he pulled his arm back and swung hard aiming at the same location that the redirected lightning had slammed into his chest.

Off in the distance where his comrade had launched his last electrical redirection, he felt him disappear groaning and bellowing into the com link "Okay Zane yeah, I have it under control." Turning his attention back to the growing power in such a small area from all combatants he barked again into the com link as he continued his assault "Everyone not powered, or wearing a suit leave the shoreline. Now! That is a direct order, jets stay in the skies and ready any and all weapons. If we dont stop him here, let loose your pay load but only on my location." it was a worst case scenario but he knew that if they couldn't stop or eliminate Kai and his forces here and now. That more and more power houses would come to his aid, and that much power in such a small area like Greece,....would prove difficult. But that was the last thing that would happen, so he continued to try and out muscle the beast of a King in front of him. Still slamming fist after fist and punch after punch "Come on Sardine Boy, give it up...you need to realize we are not going to give you another inch!" bellowing loud his insult.

@zaniel

Tenjin, the black clad harbinger of horrors, watched as Zaniel formed a massive crater as his large frame impacted the ground beneath them. A stygian smirk appeared over the Death Poet's face, though the right side of his was charred down to the titanium bone, causing a permanent ghastly grin indefinitely. He delighted in such theatrics, it masked the banality of single combat. A mighty challenger has arrived and Katsuro was obliged to guide the angel straight to Hell.

A mass of crows, began to swirl down mysteriously from the clouds, indeed dancing to an inaudible tone as they swayed to and fro to circle above. Themselves, darker than any cloud that could be mustered.

"Disgusting fools" the Olympian announced as with godly strength cast that powerful bludgeoning weapon towards the newly risen dead. However, the Virtuoso of Violence would not have them smited so easily. With great haste, his armored fingers curled into the semblance of a grasping talon as ebon hair waved in mystical thoughts. Just as the hammer neared, the bodies where enraptured in a multitude of ethereal tentacles and pulled into the abyss from which those foul cephalopodic limbs originated. Only to be transported to the opposite side from where Maya was located, avoiding the weapon entirely.

"You should not fear the dead, dear Zaniel...." Tenjin began to step forward, nearly gliding as ever in phantasmagorical elegance. His clairsentience allowed him to simply know information, as he had never meet or heard of this otherworldly champion before. A fearsome and inhuman scream bellowed from parts unknown, as the Savage Sorcerer gripped the hilt of a greatsword, his Soulbane, and it was unsheathed from the blackness of his cloak. "It is the living you should dread."

The massive sword, if vertical, would be the length of Tenjin himself but he effortlessly lifted it with a single hand and pointed its vibranium tip to the center of the Olympian's chest. Using his forearm for the long hilt to balance under his wrist, he was still some several meters from his high-born prey. Those scarlet eyes staring directly down Soulbane's blood groove, yet this was to disguise the superior range Katsuro would indeed possess at close quarters. The blade did not waver as a crow perched upon the cross-guard and uttered a series of tones not in its own vocal capabilities.

These odd noises, apparently the Eastern Enigma understood, as his gait had taken him in a crescent shape, as if to take Zaniel's flank. He nodded in agreement and seemed to translate.

"The beasts of battle are starving, God-flesh is a delicacy they deserve." His right eye narrowed as his left merely stared with macabre anticipation. Projecting a ever so slight telekinetic omnidirectional wave from wherever he stood, he would use its spreading amongst particles in the air in the immediate area for around a hundred yards in all directions to warn him of incoming attacks. Much like a sixth sense, this gave him a all-encompassing eye.

Without warning, in a burst of spectral fog the Evil Esper disappeared. Only to reform directly at the four o'clock position of Zaniel himself, four and a half feet away. This spacing was deliberate, as his arm outstretched was around three feet in length. Wielding the nefarious Soulbane; forged in the fires of Venezuela and the prison of the Elder God Urizen, its enormous life-force reaping blade approximately four feet in length, was swung at a perfect one hundred and eighty degrees. Twisting with his hips, his cloak in a harrowing almost animated wafture, as his hand guided the vibranium sword's literal molecule thin edge across. With a foot and a half of cutting edge toward him with the rest of the blade attempted to slice his foe in twine, its mark to start just above the L1 lumbar spine vertebrae.

However, this was but the beginning as he simultaneously casted a Ward spell above his left hand which followed in motion. Projecting an iridescent hard-light shield above his left arm, the rainbow-like shimmer manifesting in the shape of the familiar heater shape shield used in the Middle Ages. Kneeling progressively deeper as he swung Soulbane, to shelter himself behind his shield if a reactive counter attack was launched before he could continue his onslaught less than a second later.

Katsuro was no fool, he was well aware of the phenomenal strength the Angelic warrior possessed from his clairsentience, along of the name of that same great hammer Memöir, and its boons. It was suicidal to engage such a vastly physically superior combatant, far better to engage from a distance, despite this, Tenjin had other plans.

With a mere curl of the wrist upwards, the edges were toppled and the path of the sword was ceased no matter the outcome of the first attack. As the blade spun over, the sword was redirected backwards and at his enemy in a diving motion as if to strike the ground for an instant only to by turn upwards in a sweeping motion. In perfect balance, Tenjin stepped forward with his lead foot, closing distance while bring his mystical shield outwards from his body to collide with Zaniel's hammer. This was to produce a extreme steep angle slash which rose in such a manner, along with Tenjin's intent on blockading Memöir with the shield, allowing to sword to rise and sever the arms of the Olympian in a single sweep due to the blade's length and follow through to the neck. If the attack succeeded or not, the Dynamic Destroyer sent forth a ferocious roar.

This roar caused him, through dark arcana, to produce a blast of solidified pure daemonic flames coupled further with Psionic assault to attempt to demolish the lead leg of Zaniel, or at the least buckle him, as the Technomage and his sublime reflexes shutter stepped several paces backward only to propel himself further back by means of telekinesis phantomly, the hard-light barricade either re-fortified or reconstituted depending on the blows dealt to it during their brief encounter.

Soulbane began to swirl with a sorcelled red mist, as it was placed at a steep angle aiming down away from him, the edge pointed at the Olympian. He waited to see what damage, if any, he dealt to the Godling.

Katsuro's hair swayed in the wind, entangled in his golden crown, the Dark Lord of Carcosa telepathically announced to his compatriots "Do as you must...but we bathe in an Angel's blood tonight." Cloak still waving in the absent wind, it was now begotten with horrible eyes and limbs scratching out from the darkness of its inner fabric.

He was determined to watch his foe die, at any cost.