My MOM was in goddamn DUNGEONS. I should've Excaliblasted the entire structure in retaliation!!!"
"I don't know what Excaliblasting means, but you should've!"
As Team A returned to the rendezvous point, the whole of the Hero Faction's leadership returned to the Underworld Train, now headed to the Human World, and everyone involved started to give their reports… only for her friend to start venting her anger.
"Huh, is that Sakura and Madoka's shouting?" Soma Yuichiro blinked.
"...yeah," Yumi nodded.
"YUMI!!!" The pink-haired women both ran to her, the older one starting to fuss. "Oh God, are you alright?! They said you were attacked by a monster after you went home that day!"
"Yeah, I…" those horrible, horrible minutes of running away from that Stray Devil flashed in her mind, and she shuddered. "I'm alright. I awakened to my Sacred Gear that night, and the monster disappeared!"
"You can unsummon things?" Le Fay blinked.
Yumi blinked back, then concentrated on the mental hand, trying to pick up and banish a pillow she sat on.
Spoiler: CRACK!13.3-18
https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Solerite_Power_Gauntlet
A Power Fist with irreplaceable power coils, distinguishing this weapon as worthy of Legio Custodes; due to high roll, arrives in pristine condition.
As a giant piece of armor appeared on the floor next to her - the thing was almost as high as her! - she sighed and shook her head.
"Guess not," Sakura sighed in turn. "Anyway, those Devil bastards kept my Mom in the dungeons! Argh, just thinking about that makes me mad!!!"
"And I actually lived in those goddamn dungeons!!!" Kanako Madoka shouted. "I'm also mad!"
"We agreed beforehand to not cause mass slaughter or destruction," Arthur fixed his glasses. "You argued quite excessively against them, in fact."
"That was on the table?!" Yuichiro looked aghast, glancing at every member of the Hero Faction present, but no one tried to deny that. "Yumi, what kind of company do you keep nowadays?"
"Those willing to fight by any means necessary for the safety of Humanity against the Supernatural," CaoCao smiled. "Welcome, Kanako Madoka, Soma Yuichiro, to the Hero Faction. The change to the status quo would be a hard battle to achieve, but I am sure your children's abilities would be the trump cards we need to prove humankind to be a peer and not cattle."
"...huh," her Dad fixed his glasses nervously. "And how many people are you willing to sacrifice for that goal?"
"As many as necessary," was the Chinese teen's reply. "But I do hope that it'll be as little as possible."
"...that's a dangerous way to think, young man," Yuichiro shook his head. "Still, thank you for aiding our daughters."
"Thank you!" Madoka cheered. "Ah, but where will we go? These people probably have spies everywhere…"
"We have some options," Yumi replied. "We could hide you in another world…"
"Yeah, no," Madoka frowned. "Don't give us this 'for your safety' bullshit. We're your parents and should be the ones protecting you!"
"You two are also powerless," Georg pointed out. "And, with the Swimsuit Spirit Inheritance, both Yumi and Sakura are among the strongest in the Hero Faction. We can grant you protection, but you'll have to stay in our compound.
A tense silence fell upon the cabin, even the usual sounds of trains not being heard.
"...okay, let's set that aside for now," Dad sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Yumi, Sakura, can you two tell what happened to you since, well…"
"By God, a lot happened," the brunette plopped on an elegant chair, the memories of everything that happened running through her mind's eye. "It all started when I was returning home from Sakura's house…"
***
CaoCao smiled as they arrived back at their base.
"Good job, everyone," he nodded at his Heroes. "Dismissed for today."
Everyone but the two Somas and two Kanakos then went away, Georg once again playing taxi. The Leader of the Hero Faction frowned.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, as always ready to summon True Longinus.
"Ah, no," the Masquerade Breaker shook her black military cap-clad head. "I wanted to thank you again for helping to save our families. We wouldn't be able to do it this easily alone… also Dad wanted to ask you about the structure of the Hero Faction."
"Ah, of course," he nodded. "Ask away."
"Who is funding you?" the brown-haired middle-aged man asked, fixing his glasses. "Does anyone keep ledgers? Are there any adults in the Faction's leadership?"
"From the last to the first: no, because the adults have a lower power ceiling, yes, Georg and his crew do, and the rich people that are sympathetic to the cause."
"So this is basically a Children's Crusade," the woman frowned. "Okay. Can we meet the other adults in the Faction?"
"Obviously," CaoCao shrugged, then looked at the Masquerade Breaker. She was watching him expressionlessly, wide chocolate eyes reminiscent of a corpse. "If you need an introduction, get Georg to do that. I never quite interacted with the adults."
The girl nodded, and he once again wondered how much of her was still human, and how much was her Summons. With just the Swimsuit Spirit, his head was no longer his own, Biblical God's will mixing with Lucius Longinus's voice…
…ah, but he always could kill her off and tell the Holy Sword user that it was inhumans.
As he was left alone, the Soma and the Kanako families retreating to the mansion that was assigned to them, he summoned the bloodied True Longinus and once again marveled at the boost in power a single summon of Yumi granted him. A power to heal by making the spear bleed, and it was just what he deduced so far.
The familiar spear kata calmed him, and he ran through the forms quickly, not even breaking into sweat.
Yes, killing Soma Yumi would be a mistake, and brainwashing her was too dangerous. Her own goals aligned with his, so he didn't need to, but he always had Truth Idea in the back pocket. Maybe, with her help, he would be able to eradicate the Hindu Pantheon before Indra came to collect his due.
***
'My Servants agree that you should challenge CaoCao for the leadership of the Hero Faction,' Hakuno spoke to her after they returned from the Underworld to Tokyo. 'He can be a good leader, but you can be better.'
'Way too early,' Nayru disagreed. 'She should start with making friends with the greater Hero Faction and those out of favor to straighten her position.'
"Wait, wait, wait," she frowned, then looked around - there was no one else in the bathroom she occupied. "What is this all about? Why so suddenly?"
'You are a better choice to lead the Heroes,' Farore replied. 'CaoCao is a hurt child deep inside. His courage is born of pain and desire to never be weak again.'
'Which is admirable, but we already support you,' Din agreed. 'Basically, you need to amass power: you now have the hard and personal one, but now you should work on soft and political. Those memories you were suppressing would help immensely.'
Yumi flinched, then looked in the mirror. Her brown eyes looked tired, and her face was a bit pale… then she imagined donning Victor von DOOM's iron mask over it.
Like a deluge, the memories came to her: from the early years in the Romani camp to the expulsion from university, from learning under the Tibetan monks to being crowned as the Latverian King, and so much more.
Spoiler: CRACK!18-7
https://bleach.fandom.com/wiki/Blade_of_Light
A technique of a Shinigami, manifesting light blades in the afterimage of the sword; due to low roll, theoretical knowledge distributed to Sakura.
She felt something drip on her chest, and realized that her nose was bleeding.
Doctor Doom was… a great man, she realized. Powerful and terrible, yet so very great. He was a genius, a Sorcerer Supreme, who had discarded Godhood for being beneath him…
"No," she mentally discarded the mask, and the memories were shoved to the back of her mind. "I… I can't. I won't be like that."
'Good,' Din sent. 'You should stand by your own power.'
Didn't she just say that the memories would help, Yumi thought bitterly, carefully washing off her blood off her chest, and discarding the nightgown she had on.
'They would - but you should make your own path,' Farore replied.
'And, since gathering another Hero Faction would be unfeasible, it likely would involve you becoming the leader of this one,' Nayru added.
Yumi sighed. Truly, her dreams of a happy, uneventful life were impossible now…
"Okay," she nodded. "What should I do, then?"
***
Soma Yuichiro looked up from the ledgers and rubbed his eyes.
"First - someone is stealing from you," he told the magician boy, Georg. "Second - you need dedicated clerks. These are barely readable."
"I suppose," the bespectacled Hero Faction member nodded, looking over the highlighted parts of the paperwork. "We have got an influx of mundane people recently, some of them might have necessary competencies."
"Were they summoned by my daughter?" the man asked.
"The Information Team were, indeed," the teen nodded. "Their Agents and Clerks granted us a wealth of knowledge about their world, and they all agreed to fight for humankind's survival."
"Survival?" the brown-haired dad blinked. "What is that about? Do the Devils plan a genocide or something?"
"There was a vision to several million people of the greatest Evil breaking from its jail and rampaging over the human world," Georg replied. "Each vision was personalized from the viewer's point of view, but every single one had Trihexa in it, as well as forming a very cohesive narrative. We suspect it was your daughter's doing too, but we have no proof."
"Huh," the father of Masquerade Breaker nodded. "And what is being done to avert that future?"
The magician fell silent.
"What, nothing?" Yuichiro sighed. "Can't you research seals or some such?"
"That's not that easy," Georg said defensively. "The last seal was made by the Biblical God and took a big chunk of his power. We simply aren't on the same level."
"Can't your backers do it, then?" the man asked. "What are the other gods doing anyway? Are they sitting on their asses and twiddling their thumbs?!"
"Lord Indra is indisposed," the teen sighed. "And the Buddhas cannot interfere without the rest of the pantheons retaliating."
"Okay," Dad Soma pursed his lips. "Let's say I believe that. What is your plan to solve this 'Trihexa' when the time comes?"
"Basically, use Kanako Sakura's Holy Sword to kill it," Georg shrugged. "According to my calculations, it should be enough."
***
"You look focused," Sakura looked over Yumi's shoulder at the piece of paper full of names, dates and locations. "What's this?"
"Our future subordinates," the brunette replied. "Circled ones are the most important to poach from the other factions."
"Wait, wait, wait," the pinkette blanched. "Back up. Why are we getting subordinates?"
"Because Hero Faction, while suitable for our survival, needs better leadership if we want to actually achieve the goal of humankind's primacy, and there is no one else who can do it," the Masquerade Breaker sighed, leaning back on the chair. "I hate it, but CaoCao is, while powerful, also blinded by his hatred and trauma. Georg would've been a better choice for a leader, but he is a willing follower through and through."
"Yumi, you don't sound like yourself," Sakura frowned. "What is going on?"
"...I might've delved too deeply into Doctor Victor von Doom's memories," the brunette admitted with a faint apologetic smile. "Tell me, Sakura - am I even myself after all these events? Am I still recognizable as Soma Yumi? Or am I just the Masquerade Breaker now?"
"Yumi, you're frightening me," the pinkette stepped closer and shook the brunette by her thin shoulders. "Maybe you need some rest? Go sleep. I'll ask CaoCao to give us a vacation. Maybe we could relax in Bali? We have the budget for that!"
"...maybe," the other girl tilted her head. "Maybe some relaxation would help me with the encroachment of other qualias upon mine. Hakuno is doing their best to not let me be overwritten, but she's still a part of the problem."
Spoiler: CRACK!3.1-14
https://lobotomycorp.fandom.com/wiki/Carmen
C, Carmen, the catalyst of the Project Moon storyline; due to middling roll, she is summoned from after her suicide but before the ten thousand years of Seed of Light plan, in a human body.
And then a brunette woman appeared in the living room where the two girls were.
"Huh," Yumi blinked. "It's been a while since I lost control."
END OF BOOK 1
A/N
Haaah. This really did not want to be written. I'm sorry for taking this long.
In other news, I am in the middle of writing my thesis for Master's Degree, my depression and overwhelmed condition have abated, and I've got some idea of what I actually wanted to write here. I actually wrote all 20+ chapters of this off the seat of my pants!
Did you know I started to write this just because the abbreviation of WxW was too good to pass by? Now you do.
Soma Yumi started as basically "ordinary school girl" in my head, too! I chose Hakuno as her faceclaim because I like Nasuverse and because that character is described as ordinary... and then Swimsuit Saint Graph happened lol.
Anyway. Thank you for your patience. I am sorry, but I'll have to ask for more.
-Kamico
The world's balance was shaken by the recent events: new landmarks, new creatures, new buildings, new neighbors appearing made even the most blind human see that something was going on.
The people of Gantz arriving and holding their lazguns to the heads of the politicians so that they would release the information about the supernatural only sealed the deal.
The supernatural retaliated by starting to work in plain sight. Already, magical products were being sold freely, devils offering their services through her Helper program.
Angela let them. They were people with human-like mindsets, and therefore danced by her scenario all the same.
She cast her senses across the whole planet, fighting the Techpriests, taking time to eradicate the Daikokuten rivals, and searching for her summoner at the same time. The strangely advanced yet absolutely counterproductive things they did were reminiscent of the City's cults, so she understood them all the same, and predicted them all the same.
***
Carmen's hands shook, as she tried to keep a straight face while the Cognitive Psience researcher was showing her the Palace.
He reminded her of Ayin and Benjamin… She failed miserably, and they had to pick up her dream. They succeeded splendidly, despite Ayin's own sickness of mind, but…
She felt lost. Confused. Grateful for the second chance at life and yet not sure if she should help the summoner girl, Soma Yumi, with her crusade against the supernatural. She felt like she should, but…
"Mister Maruki, miss Carmen?" The mouse maid's voice came from behind her.
Daikokuten was the name of these creatures. These strange things whose wishes were to fulfill another's wishes, and who were frighteningly effective at that. They weren't humans, far from them, but… it still was a hit to her worldview. How did these mice maids even exist?
"Did you move [Stuck in Heaven] to the containment unit?" Carmen asked.
"We did!" the mouse chirped. "It's almost brunch time! We cooked cream soup for you!"
"Thank you, 592," the other researcher nodded.
Still, that preternatural ability of theirs to know what is desired was tremendously useful in Abnormality handling. Miss Yumi's booklet described it as [Nega-Desire], an ability that would lead to the heat death of desire, though, and therefore she was thinking hard how to counter that.
"So, miss Carmen," he turned at her, the summoned Abnormalities held in the Cognitive Cages calling out to her, the Mother of Monsters. "I imagine this is primitive to your sensibilities, but…"
"It's not," she assured him with a smile. "It's very impressive, to contain Abnormalities without a need for technology, just by sheer power of your mind. I think our collaboration would be very fruitful."
"I just hope this [Seed of Light] of yours would tip the scales in humanity's favor," Maruki smiled back. "It's certainly a better option than fusing Vale with my Palace."
***
TYPE-JUPITER was not familiar with the feeling that grew within its chest.
As the white humanoid continued to listen to the 'mouse maid', it clutched at the 'hem' of the 'dress' it was clad in now.
The 'mouse maid' was insignificant. It was more familiar than anything else, so TYPE-JUPITER listened to it, and it was a good decision - already, the 'Daikokuten-20465' imparted upon it the strange rules the weak lifeforms here lived by, and how to blend in with them.
The 'Daikokuten-20465' was useful, it understood. It was a source of information, and a companion. It was **** to have them.
Ah, but it was unfamiliar with the feelings the humanoid vessel brought upon it, so it simply allowed the 'mouse maid' to dote upon it.
***
Oliver Strong recoiled from the suddenly-appearing… fairy?
"You freed me! Take that, Bible Bastard!" it cheered, then turned to him. "I should repay you somehow! What's your name, big guy?"
"Uh," he blinked. A few weeks ago, he'd just tell it but since humanity at large came to know about their neighbors, there were PSA about what to do and what to not when meeting supernatural beings. "Won't you steal that if I introduce myself?"
"I promise not to!" the fairy grinned. "You did me a great favor, so I want to repay it! I can give you a Love Spot!"
Oliver paused. He already had the Evil Releasing Method suddenly downloaded into his head, so what was another spell?
"What's that?" he asked.
"It's a mole on your face that will make people of your preferred gender fall in love with you!" the fairy cheered. "Now, yes or no? I have stuff to do!"
"Sure."
And then the tiny fairy kissed him on the cheek…
"Done, kay, bye!" …and disappeared in a shower of golden dust.
Oliver blinked, then turned to look at his sleeping roommate. When he had the knowledge of the technique in his head, he decided to test it on the asshole, but… wouldn't taking his girl be a better punishment for the two years of loud noises, late night arrivals and rubbish everywhere?
Grinning, the blond student left the sleeping delinquent to his sleep and decided to go hook up with a girl. He hoped the fairy's gift worked as it was described, and thus would get him a nice piece of ass… but he needed to check.
"Angelos, give me directions to the nearest night club," he spoke into his phone, and the AI helper dutifully responded with a map.
***
"Do you have time, Miss Argento?"
"Ah?" the former nun blinked, then turned to look at the black-cowled man. "Of course, mister Batman! What do you need?"
"Come with me," the man turned around and started to walk towards one of the benches in the Hero Faction's garden.
The blonde girl, after waving goodbye to the ducks she had been feeding, hurried after the superhero.
As they arrived at the bench, the man invited the girl to sit on it, which she accepted.
"I wanted to ask how you find the Hero Faction," Batman asked her.
"Me?" Asia blinked. "Um. I like it here? Johanna says we're being used, but people are welcoming and protective of other people, so I don't think they're bad?"
"I don't believe I've met a 'Johanna' there."
"Oh, it's the Spirit of Popess Johanna that came to reincarnate in my body!" the blonde replied. "She is very nice and very smart!"
"Because of Soma Yumi?"
"Yeah!" the former nun nodded. "Um, Johanna says you're fishing for answers and asks to cut to the chase."
"...that girl is gathering allies, a faction of her own," he told her. "So I wanted to get another opinion to see if I missed anything in my suspicion, before joining her."
"Ohhhh," Asia nodded. "Johanna says that her heart is in a better place compared to Cao Cao, but she is still a hurt child. She would need mitigation… um, is it bad?"
"It just means she needs someone to oppose her," the caped crusader replied. "I could be that."
"Oh, you're going to help everyone!" the blonde smiled sunnily. "I'm glad. You are a good person."
The man huffed, folding his hands.
"Still, I want to evacuate my world's people to another first," he told her. "A lot of them are going to be hurt. Will you be willing to assist me?"
"Of course!"
***
The Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon, ridden by a teen, roared. Cheren Grape, an old retired Huntsman, continued filming the pandemonium on the town square.
When the kids found that deck with strange images and stranger text, they decided to divide it among themselves… only for a bully to try to destroy the cards and accidentally summon a whole red lizard monster.
Afterwards, everyone who had a card summoned their monsters, from cool people to strange devils and machines, and got him, the actual stationed Huntsman, to confiscate the rest of the cards. Still, the strange creatures weren't hostile to the kids, so he let them be.
He already reported this to the Shade Academy, and the Headmaster already dispatched a Bullhead to here. The only thing left was to gather evidence.
***
Jessica(?) stared at her father, a strange blue gun slung over her back.
"I was under the impression that she was summoning copies," the Feline girl tilted her head. "Permission to explain?"
"Permission granted," Bonny Brynley nodded, sitting across from the girl through a guard glass screen in the interrogation room.
"I was summoned to another world," his daughter(?) replied disassembling her gun. "The summoner's world is free of Originium, as was the other world I've visited, yet the progress went on. I returned to Terra to offer the Raythean an opportunity to escape Originium and thus Oripathy. The gun I hold is from yet another world, and it doesn't contain any. It runs on some strange power instead."
The Feline carefully looked at the weapon in her hands… and, indeed, it had no Originium inside as far as he could tell.
"And your Zalak friends?" he tilted his head.
"Daikokuten aren't actually Zalak, but it would be easier if you think of them as someone with self-duplication Arts," Jessica(?) told him. "They have an original spawner, but they can copy themselves if necessary."
…fascinating, Bonny thought, but not now.
"Do you consent to a medical evaluation?" he asked.
"Yes," Jessica(?) nodded. "I can leave the gun here, right?"
***
Ozpin sat across from the breathless Ruby Rose Copy, thinking about the implications of the existence of other worlds.
Getting the Aisaki Corp's cooperation just dramatically shot up in priorities, as well as highlighting his lack of leverage. Perhaps he had to impart upon the CEO and the Summoner the severity of the situation?
"I'll help," he decided, to the girl's and her family's visible relief. Did they think him that heartless? "I'll give an explanation that would be accepted by other officials. Don't worry, I am on your side."
"As if you could decline," Qrow scoffed. "So, what do we do about this whole… situation?"
"I am thinking," the Headmaster said. An understatement. "In all my life, I never encountered anything like that. I might need counsel from the others in the know."
Yes, this was something that was unlikely to be contained as easily as Salem's immortality…
…could he send Salem to another world and be done with her that way?
He squashed the budding hope. It was too early. There were too many unknowns. He couldn't just… repeat his stint as the King of Vale, and give people a false hope.
He lost so many friends to despair that time. He could not allow it to repeat.
"I'll ask you again if you're willing to go to Beacon early," he focused on the silver-eyed girl. "You would be a year lower than the other Ruby and your sister Yang, but the offer remains on the table."
"Oh!" she perked up. "Can I, Dad?"
"Of course, sweetie," Taiyang smiled.
***
The Anti-Cell flew through the unfamiliar cosmos, intent on its target.
It was a world poor on spiritrons, thus the Seed lacked corruptive technology, instead carrying mostly terraforming machines, necessary to observe and bend the local rules to its master unit's will. As it would harvest the civilization on the target planet, it would wait for the master unit to return and absorb it, and the information on this world with it.
It was close. It was so close.
Inside it, the corrupted Archetype of a previously devoured civilization was stirring to life, ready to execute the will of the master unit.
A/N:
Guess who is now a Master of Biotechnology? That's right! Me! ^_^ I defended my thesis successfully and now am free like a bird!!!
Ah, but that was yesterday. Today I wrote an Intermezzo to remind myself what is going on in this fic. Hopefully I'll get back into groove soon!
As in, I'm going to try to make a stockpile of chapters to post them.
-Kamico, now a whole Master of Biotechnology