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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

I think you guys are mainlining the Sailor Moon Universe and the events too deeply. What happens after the MC leaves doesn't matter in the grand scheme of the story, so the consequences of his actions don't either. Think back to MC from the Buffy universe in Sunnydale, or the variant in Fallout, or the variant in Stargate, how they immediately became irrelevant to the story after the chapter changed.

So long as the ability exists (and Zoat will not trap the MC in any of these places) we can largely forget they ever existed.

How long has it been since wwe touched on the variant using the Blue ring or the Red ring? Real life years.

Just my 5 cents.
Technically true... But this also means now we can talk about the time Orange Lantern's stupidity doomed an entire universe. 😂


Well, I haven't watched Sailor Moon, but I did watch the Death Battle episode where she fought Beerus, so I'm well-aware that blowing up a planet with a finger is just a fraction of what she can do.

Still, Paul has fought plenty of enemies with equivalent power, and the Ophidian is a reality warper, so if it cuts completely loose, it should be able to match her without too much trouble. Also, you never answered my questions from earlier:

Does she have a defense against the following abilities?

* Getting branded.
* Getting assimilated.
* Having her desires shredded.
* Exotic non-magical weaponry (antimatter, crumbler rounds, x-ionised weaponry).
* The sword of 2nd and 3rd.
* Some kind of viral weapon, considering that she doesn't seem to be wearing a mask.
* Nth Metal
* That one attack where Paul kills you from the inside-out by spawning The Green from inside your body.
The Sailor Scout transformation protects against Mind Control, Corruption, Environmental Effects, Transformation, Baleful Reality Alteration, and Damage as a standard.

The only way to overcome that protection is by having more power then the Sailor Scout you're fighting.
 
Technically true... But this also means now we can talk about the time Orange Lantern's stupidity doomed an entire universe. 😂

So, Mr. Frundles logic, then?

The Sailor Scout transformation protects against Mind Control, Corruption, Environmental Effects, Transformation, Baleful Reality Alteration, and Damage as a standard.

The only way to overcome that protection is by having more power then the Sailor Scout you're fighting.

Okay, fair enough. So that leaves the abilities that work even on foes who are more powerful than you, which are:

* Getting your desires shredded.
* Exotic non-magical weaponry (antimatter, crumbler rounds, x-ionised weaponry).
* The sword of 2nd and 3rd.
* Viral weaponry.
* Nth Metal
* Spawning The Green from inside your body.

Good. Looks like Paul still has a few options to use against Galaxia. There may be hope yet.
 
* Getting your desires shredded.
Counts as Mind Control/Corruption

* Exotic non-magical weaponry (antimatter, crumbler rounds, x-ionised weaponry).
Counts as Damage/Environmental effects.

* The sword of 2nd and 3rd.
Was destroyed, but would have counted as Transformation.

* Viral weaponry.
* Nth Metal
Counts as Damage.

* Spawning The Green from inside your body.
Counts as Corruption/Damage.
 
Counts as Damage/Environmental effects.

Not conventional damage, though. They literally destroy you at the atomic/molecular level, which bypasses conventional physical or magical durability. Plus, there's plenty of times in Sailor Moon where we see that while Sailor Scouts are resistant to damage, they're not completely immune either.

Plus, if her bracelets' atoms get dissolved by crumbler rounds…

Counts as Damage/Environmental effects.

Again, still not conventional damage.


Was destroyed, but would have counted as Transformation.

No, it wouldn't have. It was a sword that could cut through literally any defense, and it had the power of two nigh-omnipotent beings within it.

* Viral weaponry.
* Nth Metal

I don't know the show all that well, but wasn't there an episode where Usagi got affected by a virus created by one of her villains? Doesn't that prove that diseases can affect them? Plus, if her Sailor Senshi powers could remove that, why didn't she just instantly cure herself by transforming and then use her powers on herself?

Plus, Nth Metal is magic-proof, meaning that most, if not all of Galaxia's attacks would have been ineffective against it. So if anything, it'd be Galaxia who would have trouble damaging the Nth metal.

Counts as Corruption/Damage.

No, it does not. There is nothing corruptive about that ability, it just spawns plants that continuously grow inside of your enemy at ludicrous speed. That's it. And even if her internal organs can resist being torn to shreds by that (which I call BS on), the plants actually don't need to directly damage Galaxia to neutralize her. So even if her organs can't be directly damaged by the plants, there's several ways Paul can exploit them to kill her.

Think about it: Paul could make the plants instantly grow in her veins, arteries and airways to obstruct them and prevent the flow of blood throughout her body, and even stop her heart from beating altogether to give her a massive stroke. Or worse, he could make plants instantly grow to her brain and clog up the blood vessels to stop her brain from functioning correctly, making her lose control over her bodily motor functions and giving her seizures, aneurisms or even a cerebrovascular haemorrhagic stroke.
 
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Not conventional damage, though. They literally destroy you at the atomic/molecular level, which bypasses conventional physical or magical durability. Plus, there's plenty of times in Sailor Moon where we see that while Sailor Scouts are resistant to damage, they're not completely immune either.

Plus, if her bracelets' atoms get dissolved by crumbler rounds…
You're comparing normal Sailor Scouts to Galaxia...

Galaxia's base of operation exists within the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy... She is literally exposed to more exotic physics breaking effects just drinking a cup of tea...

No, it wouldn't have. It was a sword that could cut through literally any defense, and it had the power of two nigh-omnipotent beings within it.
The First and Second were just powerful ancient demons, not nigh-omnipotent.

I don't know the show all that well, but wasn't there an episode where Usagi got affected by a virus created by one of her villains? Doesn't that prove that diseases can affect them? Plus, if her Sailor Senshi powers could remove that, why didn't she just instantly cure herself by transforming and then use her powers on herself?
Season 2 Episode 34 Filler episode Venus: Minako's Nurse Mayhem, the group get's infected by a magical virus in their normal forms, gets treated by Minako and then "magically" get better when they transform into their Sailor Scout forms to try and save Minako.

Plus, Nth Metal is magic-proof, meaning that most, if not all of Galaxia's attacks would have been ineffective against it. So if anything, it'd be Galaxia who would have trouble damaging the Nth metal.
Magic Resistant not Magic Proof, this would be like expecting Tugstein to survive being tossed into the sun.

No, it does not. There is nothing corruptive about that ability, it just spawns plants that continuously grow inside of your enemy at ludicrous speed. That's it. And even if her internal organs can resist being torn to shreds by that (which I call BS on), the plants actually don't need to directly damage Galaxia to neutralize her. So even if her organs can't be directly damaged by the plants, there's several ways Paul can exploit them to kill her.

Think about it: Paul could make the plants instantly grow in her veins, arteries and airways to obstruct them and prevent the flow of blood throughout her body, and even stop her heart from beating altogether to give her a massive stroke. Or worse, he could make plants instantly grow to her brain and clog up the blood vessels to stop her brain from functioning correctly, making her lose control over her bodily motor functions and giving her seizures, aneurisms or even a cerebrovascular haemorrhagic stroke.
Which it does by projecting a magical force inside the enemies body...
 
The First and Second were just powerful ancient demons, not nigh-omnipotent.

Hellblazer lore begs to disagree. And it can kill literally anything with a capital "A", even cosmic beings who can end the universe with a thought.

You're comparing normal Sailor Scouts to Galaxia...

Galaxia's base of operation exists within the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy... She is literally exposed to more exotic physics breaking effects just drinking a cup of tea...

Those so-called "normal Sailor Scouts" are the ones who ultimately defeated Galaxia, remember?

Also, that doesn't really mean much, considering that these weapons have been shown to work against enemies who break regular physics just by existing too, so it's questionable if Galaxia being tough enough to live in a supermassive black hole would be enough to protect her.

Season 2 Episode 34 Filler episode Venus: Minako's Nurse Mayhem, the group get's infected by a magical virus in their normal forms, gets treated by Minako and then "magically" get better when they transform into their Sailor Scout forms to try and save Minako.

Okay, fair enough. I didn't know it was a filler episode, and like I said, I'm not as well-versed in Sailor Moon lore as you are, so I didn't know how that episode ended. I guess we can take viral weaponry off the list, then.

Which it does by projecting a magical force inside the enemies body...

The Green is not a magical force. It's classified as a separate force from magic in the DCU.

Also, even if it was magic, Galaxia's magic resistance wouldn't actually help her, because while it might prevent the plants from directly harming her internal organs, it wouldn't stop them from indirectly disrupting her bodily functions like I described in my last reply, because it would massively clog up and disrupt her insides, thus crippling and potentially killing her without actually directly injuring her.
 
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Which it does by projecting a magical force inside the enemies body...
Which it does by using the orange light to manipulate what little desires plants have to cause them to do things. It was why the dryad, who's name I can never remember told him to stop. He was 'making plants do things by making them want things like animals'.
That's all orange light/desire manipulation.

That does mean he has to touch the orange light of plants that are inside Galaxia.
 
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Hellblazer lore begs to disagree. And it can kill literally anything with a capital "A", even cosmic beings who can end the universe with a thought.
Hellblazer lore has it failing to kill the only target it's ever used on...

Those so-called "normal Sailor Scouts" are the ones who ultimately defeated Galaxia, remember?

Also, that doesn't really mean much, considering that these weapons have been shown to work against enemies who break regular physics just by existing too, so it's questionable if Galaxia being tough enough to live in a supermassive black hole would be enough to protect her.
Eternal Sailor Moon defeated Galaxia, this is what happened when the two most powerful "normal" Sailor Scouts tried to fight her.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBcsNUXat7c

The Green is not a magical force. It's classified as a separate force from magic in the DCU.

Also, even if it was magic, Galaxia's magic resistance wouldn't actually help her, because while it might prevent the plants from directly harming her internal organs, it wouldn't stop them from indirectly disrupting her bodily functions like I described in my last reply, because it would massively clog up and disrupt her insides, thus crippling and potentially killing her without actually directly injuring her.
Again, it requires inserting a damaging force into her body... That would not work...
 
Hellblazer lore begs to disagree. And it can kill literally anything with a capital "A", even cosmic beings who can end the universe with a thought.

Hellblazer lore very does not.

Point in fact, we had a whole bit where after the First found out that the Second and Third were just powerful demons and not the same sort of being as him, he stomped their shit in and killed them.

Those so-called "normal Sailor Scouts" are the ones who ultimately defeated Galaxia, remember?

No they didn't.

Galaxia killed them and raised their corpses to fight Usagi and force her to destroy them. After which, Galaxia shrugged and tossed their souls into the Galaxy Cauldron.
 
Point in fact, we had a whole bit where after the First found out that the Second and Third were just powerful demons and not the same sort of being as him, he stomped their shit in and killed them.

...Even though he died by being cut by a sword made out of them? Literally stripped of all power despite being the second most powerful thing in existence??
 
...Even though he died by being cut by a sword made out of them? Literally stripped of all power despite being the second most powerful thing in existence??

Yes.

RCO021-1468831949.jpg

RCO022-1468831949.jpg

Not that it's especially relevant since the Sword was destroyed.
 
Hellblazer lore has it failing to kill the only target it's ever used on...

Incorrect. The sword DID kill him, but he just so happens to have a power that lets him reincarnate after dying. Galaxia does not, so if it was used on her, she would presumably die permanently.

Hellblazer lore very does not.

Point in fact, we had a whole bit where after the First found out that the Second and Third were just powerful demons and not the same sort of being as him, he stomped their shit in and killed them.

Yes, it does. Otherwise, the knife wouldn't have been able to kill the First's original incarnation.

Regardless of what you believe, the fact of the matter is that it did kill the First, and that's undeniable.

No they didn't.

Galaxia killed them and raised their corpses to fight Usagi and force her to destroy them. After which, Galaxia shrugged and tossed their souls into the Galaxy Cauldron.

I was referring to Usagi.

Eternal Sailor Moon defeated Galaxia, this is what happened when the two most powerful "normal" Sailor Scouts tried to fight her.

So? I already knew about that. Still doesn't prove that those weapons wouldn't work on her, though.

Again, it requires inserting a damaging force into her body... That would not work...

Yes, it would. For one thing, it's not an inherently damaging force. It's a force which causes a chain reaction which happens to be lethal to the victim, but it does not directly cause damage to the victim by itself. What you fail to understand here is that it doesn't hurt you solely by damaging your insides, but also by bypassing physical durability to disrupt your insides by turning your own bodily functions against you.

Meaning that even if you have a magical resistance that somehow negates all physical damage, the power will still bypass that to hurt you regardless, because even if you don't get directly physical damage from the attack, you WILL get damaged by the plants blocking the blood flow inside your veins and arteries, which will in turn stopping your heart from beating due to having no blood left to pump, or your cerebral blood vessels being unable to properly flow blood around your brain, which will in turn severely hinder your cerebral functions. Because I assure you, that's not something that can be bypassed through sheer durability alone.

Have you ever wondered what would happen to you if your heart, veins and arteries suddenly stopped pumping blood around your body? Sudden heart failure/cardiac arrest. Have you ever wondered what would happen to you if your brain suddenly got so clogged up that it wouldn't be able to properly issue commands to your sensorimotor system to make your limbs move even if you want them to? Sudden cerebral failure/brain seizure.

In other words, it doesn't matter if you're powerful enough to survive living inside a supermassive black hole, because if you still require constant blood flow to survive like the rest of us, then anything that disrupts the bodily functions responsible for that can and will kill you.
 
Yes, it does. Otherwise, the knife wouldn't have been able to kill the First's original incarnation.

Regardless of what you believe, the fact of the matter is that it did kill the First, and that's undeniable.

First, it does not matter. OL does not have the Sword. It was destroyed.

Second, I literally posted the pages of the comic. The First straight up says that they were just demons. Strong, but still just demons, so he could slap them down with "a simple holding spell" and then gibbed them.
 
First, it does not matter. OL does not have the Sword. It was destroyed.

Second, I literally posted the pages of the comic. The First straight up says that they were just demons. Strong, but still just demons, so he could slap them down with "a simple holding spell" and then gibbed them.

I know he doesn't have it anymore. I was speculating.

Also, The First said that, but yet the sword still killed him. So he was obviously severely underestimating the power of these two demons, because otherwise, their combined power would not have been able to kill him.
 
Prior to Usagi directly catching Galaxia's attention, Galaxia was systematically traveling from inhabited world to inhabited world. So think of what Usagi did as causing the Guardians in Earth's solar system to jump the line.


I really don't think you have a proper understanding of just how powerful Galaxia is...


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MALsEm2gW8k

Orange Lantern could mainline the Ophidian, and it would still be the equilivant of Yamcha trying to fight Perfect Cell.

How do you post Youtube videos in QQ? I've tried before but all I get are links to the youtube page in question.
 
Terror Nova (part 1) New
Terror Nova

19th November 1995
05:20 GMT

I drop down into the… Ritual space, inside D-Point. Dead youma have been raised as… Zombies?

"Why zombies?"

"Why?" Sandro turns towards me from the dais where he's studying the stone arch which appears to have been the focus of things. "None of them were powerful enough to become wights."

"I thought that skeletons were more useful. More agile, capable of using weapons…"

"Ah. Well, that's true, but I don't really have the time to prepare the bodies. I just wanted them to walk out of the way, really."

I nod as I land next to him. "Any clue where Angelica went?"

"The world through this portal. They were using a link between your friend Mazikeen and something already on the far side in order to maintain it. I'm not certain how, but I'm hopeful that Mazikeen will be able to offer a little more-. Ah, here she is."

I turn as Mazikeen enters from the passage to the dungeons, the remaining parts of Death's Embrace in her arms. I-. I tether them with filaments and move them over to Sandro for him to don, and then transition up to her and wrap my arms around her.

"I'm very glad that you're safe."

She.. actually hugs me back, without hesitating. Huh. Thought that would be harder.

"You're surprised."

I let go and step back. "You've spent a lot of time in Hell. I imagine that a lot of people have tried to take advantage of your link to Lucifer, and they're not exactly the best people anyway. And I don't have the best reputation."

"Compared to most of the Lord of Hell, you have an excellent reputation."

"You're a Lord of Hell?"

I turn towards Sandro, who's paused halfway through donning the Cloak of Death's Shadow. I look at-. Mazikeen and I both look at him for a moment.

"Her or me?" / "Which of us are you.. asking?"

He fully dons the Cloak, then strokes his mandible with the fingers of his right hand. "I am now concerned regarding both of you. I am not a devout man, but I'm not blind to the connotations."

"Our Hell is different to Sheogh. It's a place where the souls of the damned go for punishment, but the demons who run it aren't constantly trying to break out and conquer the world. They're really more into tempting people into sin so they get their souls when they die. Avoiding going there is a simple matter."

"Completely ignoring temptation may be a simple matter, but it's certainly not an easy one."

"No, you just need to pick a religion that sends your soul somewhere else and you're good. I mean, they'll probably have a different set of punishments, but you'll avoid Hell specifically."

"And… Your involvement?"

"I was involved in trying to convince one of the senior demons that it was in his interest to moderate punishment in exchange for faithful service."

"And you, madam?"

"I used to be the personal assistant of the one who oversaw things. Theses days I mostly look to my own interests. Cultivating assets, increasing my own knowledge and power and encouraging those who think I should be their pawn to look elsewhere."

"And your relationship?"

Mazikeen glances at me, a faint smile on her lips. Alright, let's hear it. "To put it simply, he's my father's new partner, and wishes to be involved in my life out of a sense of paternal responsibility."

"I… See. I suppose that answers my concerns-."

"But not mine." A armoured man of oriental extraction appears from thin air, sword in hand. "Who are you, skeleton?"

"Lich and nethermancer, actually. A skeleton would not be able to hold a conversation." He pauses for a moment, then folds his left arm across his chest and makes a shallow bow. "Alejandro Dela Segadora of the Bull Duchy of the Holy… Oh, I forget what dynasty it was. The Holy Whatever Empire. Also called The Shadow of Death. The Netherlord. The Great Lich. Master of the Order of the Void." He shrugs. "But please, call me Sandro."

"And what do you want with my people?"

"Your people? I fear that you're making a false assumption, there. We are all leaving. Though I am not averse to returning, once my current commitments are at an end."

"Your people?"

"I am Prince Endymion of Earth."

Oh… Heck.

"I thought Metalia killed you."

"She did. I awoke here, in the traitor Beryl's pit, and took measures to conceal myself until I could discover would foulness was afoot."

I take a-. Ow. Okay, I try to take a look and get rebuffed by some sort of magic. But if he's like the Heavenly Kings, then his past life memories have overwritten his current life memories, which… Oh dear.

"Ah. Okay, I've got some very bad news. Ah. Though, on the plus side, Queen Beryl and the evil spirit sponsoring her are now dead."

His sword is lowered a little. "What is the bad news?"

"Everyone else died, thousands of years have passed, and the only reason why you're talking to me is that you got reincarnated and your reincarnation's memories of his current life have been suppressed."

He frowns disbelievingly. "How?"

"Apparently, Queen Serenity did something with the Silver Crystal. I'm trying to be charitable to a dead woman, but it honestly sounds pretty messed up."

"You believe that Queen Serenity murdered… No. I had no love for her, but she would not do something so horrific."

"I have a suspicious mind, and all of my sources either don't remember, didn't see everything, have a good reason to lie or all three."

"And… Will his memories return?"

"My knowledge of human neurophysiology suggests that they will… But… I don't know the magic involved well enough to say."

"And… Princess Serenity?"

"Reincarnated, but Guardian Moon doesn't remember anything from her past life. She's not the same girl."

"I see. Then.. there is little for me to do but wait for my mind to be reduced to an echo in the back of this boy's head."

"Or you could take part in one last epic quest with us." I turn to Sandro. "Can you open the portal?"

"I'm certain that I could in time, but it seems to resonate better with Mazikeen's magic than mine."

Mazikeen steps up to it, eyes blazing with eldritch fire as she raises her hands. "Yes. It feels a little like the Gate of Hell, and I know the spell which-"

The portal opens in a flare of fire.

"-unlocks it."

A desolate wasteland of grey sand greets us.

I nod, and turn back to Prince Endymion.

"Coming?"
 
Welcome back, Tuxedymion Mask. And now you're part of the insanity.

I wonder who else will join Paul and his band of merry misunderstood madmen?

Also, I guess now we know we were apparently worried about Galaxia for nothing. Good for them, I guess.
 
I think the party just got it's first martial, leaving us with wizard, cleric, sorceress, and either fighter or paladin depending on the build.
 
How do you post Youtube videos in QQ? I've tried before but all I get are links to the youtube page in question.
Go to the three ... that are Insert, left click, and select select Media.


"And… Princess Serenity?"

"Reincarnated, but Guardian Moon doesn't remember anything from her past life. She's not the same girl."

"I see. Then.. there is little for me to do but wait for my mind to be reduced to an echo in the back of this boy's head."

"Or you could take part in one last epic quest with us." I turn to Sandro. "Can you open the portal?"

"I'm certain that I could in time, but it seems to resonate better with Mazikeen's magic than mine."

Mazikeen steps up to it, eyes blazing with eldritch fire as she raises her hands. "Yes. It feels a little like the Gate of Hell, and I know the spell which-"

The portal opens in a flare of fire.

"-unlocks it."

A desolate wasteland of grey sand greets us.

I nod, and turn back to Prince Endymion.

"Coming?"
Yup... Sure... Because Endymion would just automatically believe the random guy running around with demons... :rolleyes:
 
I think the party just got it's first martial, leaving us with wizard, cleric, sorceress, and either fighter or paladin depending on the build.

*GASP*! You're right! All we need is a rogue and a fighter, and then maybe we can do a new reenactment of "Never Split The Party!" It'll be just like old times!

And by old times, I mean that one time when Paul did a parody of the song with Robin, Aqualad, Miss Martian, Kid Flash and Superboy'

Go to the three ... that are Insert, left click, and select select Media.



Yup... Sure... Because Endymion would just automatically believe the random guy running around with demons... :rolleyes:

To be fair, he has no idea who they are, and they haven't done anything bad to him specifically, so why would he judge them based on their race alone?

Also, it's entirely possible that he's just coming along to keep an eye on them and try to see if they're good guys or not.
 
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Feels like this arc is setting up Paul's future travels. Going new places, seeing new people and helping them as he sees fit - accidentally causing problems here and there along the way.

...I wonder who is going to stick around in DC once all this is over?
 
Terror Nova

19th November 1995
05:20 GMT


I drop down into the… Ritual space, inside D-Point. Dead youma have been raised as… Zombies?

"Why zombies?"
Better than having them stacked about the walls like firewood. And this way you get them swanning about the edges of the space for some atmosphere. Wouldn't be a good, proper bit of necromancy without atmosphere.

"Why?" Sandro turns towards me from the dais where he's studying the stone arch which appears to have been the focus of things. "None of them were powerful enough to become wights."

"I thought that skeletons were more useful. More agile, capable of using weapons…"
But then you have to either wait for the fleshy bits to fall off first, peel them off yourself or endure the slapping of the bones moving about in stinky meat suits.

"Ah. Well, that's true, but I don't really have the time to prepare the bodies. I just wanted them to walk out of the way, really."

I nod as I land next to him. "Any clue where Angelica went?"
Right, that's going to be a critical part of their next jaunt, unless they plan to play 'Sliders'.

"The world through this portal. They were using a link between your friend Mazikeen and something already on the far side in order to maintain it. I'm not certain how, but I'm hopeful that Mazikeen will be able to offer a little more-. Ah, here she is."

I turn as Mazikeen enters from the passage to the dungeons, the remaining parts of Death's Embrace in her arms. I-. I tether them with filaments and move them over to Sandro for him to don, and then transition up to her and wrap my arms around her.
No doubt relieved to see her undamaged, if not emotionally unharmed.

"I'm very glad that you're safe."

She.. actually hugs me back, without hesitating. Huh. Thought that would be harder.
Given the shit she probably went through here? You represent her best chance of getting back somewhere where reality makes sense.

"You're surprised."

I let go and step back. "You've spent a lot of time in Hell. I imagine that a lot of people have tried to take advantage of your link to Lucifer, and they're not exactly the best people anyway. And I don't have the best reputation."
There are so many responses to that, especially considering his rushed resolution of things here...

"Compared to most of the Lords of Hell, you have an excellent reputation."

"You're a Lord of Hell?"
Well, sort of? I mean, she does have a lot of 'soft' power down there, even if she's not exactly exercising it. She does hold a throne, last I recall, but she's not exactly interesting in expanding her territory?

I turn towards Sandro, who's paused halfway through donning the Cloak of Death's Shadow. I look at-. Mazikeen and I both look at him for a moment.

"Her or me?" / "Which of us are you.. asking?"
I noticed she barely blinked at 'Lushun's new appearance, but she's seen stranger demons and devils. An ersatz Grim Reaper cosplayer is hardly anything special in comparison.

He fully dons the Cloak, then strokes his mandible with the fingers of his right hand. "I am now concerned regarding both of you. I am not a devout man, but I'm not blind to the connotations."

"Our Hell is different to Sheogh. It's a place where the souls of the damned go for punishment, but the demons who run it aren't constantly trying to break out and conquer the world. They're really more into tempting people into sin so they get their souls when they die. Avoiding going there is a simple matter."
And to some degree, the folks imprisoned there are the ones keeping themselves there, out of a belief they need to be punished.

"Completely ignoring temptation may be a simple matter, but it's certainly not an easy one."

"No, you just need to pick a religion that sends your soul somewhere else and you're good. I mean, they'll probably have a different set of punishments, but you'll avoid Hell specifically."
Like the Hellenic afterlife OL is so fond of.

"And… Your involvement?"

"I was involved in trying to convince one of the senior demons that it was in his interest to moderate punishment in exchange for faithful service."
Not entirely unsuccessful, either. It turns out doing it OL's way makes for more profit than the old way.

"And you, madam?"

"I used to be the personal assistant of the one who oversaw things. Theses days I mostly look to my own interests. Cultivating assets, increasing my own knowledge and power and encouraging those who think I should be their pawn to look elsewhere."
Sometimes by force, if need be? Some idiots just won't take 'no' for an answer without a little percussive persuasion, after all.

"And your relationship?"

Mazikeen glances at me, a faint smile on her lips. Alright, let's hear it. "To put it simply, he's my father's new partner, and wishes to be involved in my life out of a sense of paternal responsibility."
Putting it very simply indeed. Though it seems she kind of tolerates the attention now, at the minimum.

"I… See. I suppose that answers my concerns-."

"But not mine." A armoured man of oriental extraction appears from thin air, sword in hand. "Who are you, skeleton?"
Oh-ho! Endymion did get revived, just like I thought. Surprised he's lingering here when the others have left, unless he's stuck without teleportation.

"Lich and nethermancer, actually. A skeleton would not be able to hold a conversation." He pauses for a moment, then folds his left arm across his chest and makes a shallow bow. "Alejandro Dela Segadora of the Bull Duchy of the Holy… Oh, I forget what dynasty it was. The Holy Whatever Empire. Also called The Shadow of Death. The Netherlord. The Great Lich. Master of the Order of the Void." He shrugs. "But please, call me Sandro."
When you live as long as he has, you tend to amass a lot of title and epithets. It's hardly his job to keep track of them. 😏

"And what do you want with my people?"

"Your people? I fear that you're making a false assumption, there. We are all leaving. Though I am not averse to returning, once my current commitments are at an end."
And since he's made the trip once, it'll be easier for him to return later. Especially now that he knows about the dangers like that essence-eating critter.

"Your people?"

"I am Prince Endymion of Earth."
A kingdom that wasn't really elaborated on in any material, notably, beyond the fact Endymion was its prince and the 'four heavenly kings' were his bodyguard. All we can guess was a roughly late-medieval level of advancement based on their clothing...

Oh… Heck.

"I thought Metalia killed you."

"She did. I awoke here, in the traitor Beryl's pit, and took measures to conceal myself until I could discover would foulness was afoot."
Revived by the Senshi's casting, of course. Honestly surprised he didn't make himself known to them when they were still here. Then again, the mental unsettling of being brainwashed, killed then revived...

I take a-. Ow. Okay, I try to take a look and get rebuffed by some sort of magic. But if he's like the Heavenly Kings, then his past life memories have overwritten his current life memories, which… Oh dear.

"Ah. Okay, I've got some very bad news. Ah. Though, on the plus side, Queen Beryl and the evil spirit sponsoring her are now dead."
Which may well be good news to him in some respects.

His sword is lowered a little. "What is the bad news?"

"Everyone else died, thousands of years have passed, and the only reason why you're talking to me is that you got reincarnated and your reincarnation's memories of his current life have been suppressed."
Guess he wasn't conscious through most of the time between whatever went wrong here and his revival.

He frowns disbelievingly. "How?"

"Apparently, Queen Serenity did something with the Silver Crystal. I'm trying to be charitable to a dead woman, but it honestly sounds pretty messed up."
Desperation and grief will do that. Especially when said desperate woman is a powerful sorceress in possession of spells capable of casually rewriting reality on small scales even without the Crystal.

"You believe that Queen Serenity murdered… No. I had no love for her, but she would not do something so horrific."

"I have a suspicious mind, and all of my sources either don't remember, didn't see everything, have a good reason to lie or all three."
Sadly, the end of the battle that led to Queen Serenity's final spell didn't have a lot of survivors around. And then the Outer Senshi had Saturn blow up what was left, including themselves, I think?

"And… Will his memories return?"

"My knowledge of human neurophysiology suggests that they will… But… I don't know the magic involved well enough to say."
Especially if Endymion chooses to release control of their body or not.

"And… Princess Serenity?"

"Reincarnated, but Guardian Moon doesn't remember anything from her past life. She's not the same girl."
At least she's got a good-ish relationship with Mamoru Chiba. Even if he is a little older than her...

"I see. Then.. there is little for me to do but wait for my mind to be reduced to an echo in the back of this boy's head."

"Or you could take part in one last epic quest with us." I turn to Sandro. "Can you open the portal?"
As long as you can promise Sandro can bring him back here afterwards, promptly. Otherwise this universe is double-plus fucked.

"I'm certain that I could in time, but it seems to resonate better with Mazikeen's magic than mine."

Mazikeen steps up to it, eyes blazing with eldritch fire as she raises her hands. "Yes. It feels a little like the Gate of Hell, and I know the spell which-"
Careful, who knows who's waiting past that portal?

The portal opens in a flare of fire.

"-unlocks it."

A desolate wasteland of grey sand greets us.
...Okay, a bit calmer than some parts of DC Hell.

I nod, and turn back to Prince Endymion.

"Coming?"
The alternative is OL giving him a teleport back to Japan and Mamoru Chiba walking home with a sore head and a confusing memory of the last while.

OL's being very cavalier about all this dimension-hopping now. Inviting a nearly-unknown stranger with them, especially? I know he has sort-of experiences from his alternate-self visions, but shouldn't he be a little more worried about reaching Earth Sixteen again. I sense the hand of someone interested in keeping OL away for a bit... :sneaky:
 

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