The blast's initial wave came to an end, leaving behind a mushroom cloud the size of forty Colossaverses fused into one. It was absolutely Colossal in size, seizing the entire battlefield. It blinded everyone that could be found there, even Atomen could no longer sense anything on any scale. But that would only come to last so long before Atomen blew it all away with the swipe of his gigantic tail.
"That will be enough of tha- nrgh!? Those two are still!?" Atomen was thoroughly perplexed!
He, along with everyone else, could see the charred, titan bodies of Heemy, Harpen, and I. All three of us could be seen healing our wounds, huffing and puffing all the while. Heemy managed to destroy the events before the initial ignition of our two attacks. Only...
"She prevented me from destroying the event where Timozzia and Kokonovski were turned into particles. Even their souls have been affected by it!" Heemy informed me telepathically.
"Tch, so they're gone for good!?" I responded.
"Tsssk!! Yes.. unfortunately!!" Heemy's face healed into a grimace of disappointment, as did mine.
"Sorry to disappoint the two of you, but I couldn't allow such a thing to happen! Those two were about go beyond a certain point, and I won't have anymore of that!!" Harpen explained.
Her wounds seemed to be healing slower than ours, by quite the margin even. It made us all realize that our combined technique actually worked on her in the long run. But what we hadn't realized, is just how favorable that was for her side as well. For you see, in the grand scheme of things, all we did was manage to break off some of the core essence that goes with three of her concepts. She'd be unable to use them for quite some time, but that wasn't because we destroyed them or anything. It was due to the fact that Atomen went and absorbed them before they could be destroyed. They empowered him to a height that was beyond what he could display until now. He even went as far as to release his full might in the process. Put it all together, and we have a being who has officially surpassed Harpenyoloko. The strongest being within this battle before this very moment.
"Heh, this wasn't a desperate move or sneaky trick I pulled on my own sister." Atomen states.
"We had always planned to absorb three of the other's best concepts if either of us got hit by something strong enough to sever them. I didn't want it to be me, that's why I fought so hard against it. But in the end, this may work in our favor." She looked up at her younger brother, finally healed and fully rejuvenated.
"Heh, achieve your dream, Ato. Absorb her factor and take this Omniverse for us!!" Harpenyoloko commanded.
"Yes, elder sister!" Atomen raised his hand.
"Brace yourselves, he's about to-
Everyone watched as the very darkness of the void itself turned into particles. We were all surrounded within that very instant. The realm behind the void turned into his section of the Stuliathan Omniverse. He completely warped the empty void into his playground where he has the home field advantage. Even the space surrounding our Colossaverses had been turned into his territory.
"You shall all be swallowed up by the Abyss Particles." Atomen turned the infinite number of particles he now commands into a sea of waves. They were large enough to swallow countless Colossaverses all at once.
"Breaktime's over everyone. He plans on taking us all down and taking her Protagonist factor all at once." Shiishiigami smiled as he brought out his true Death Scythe. His body was at the Arch stage and his age reflected that of a twenty-eight year old man. Gaia, Xenophia, and the rest of STRIFE all did the same. Taking on their Arch stages and reflecting ages best suited to releasing their absolute best. Deities like Adolph, Zzaint, Uncle Samson, Hera'May, and even Lady Ahura turned their bodies old to beat suit their battle prowess at maximum strength. Lady Ahura herself actually looked like a great sage priestess with garbs very reminiscent of a royal nun. Their group was truly a sight to see.
"Let us show him what we're all truly made of, yeah?" Lady Xenophia smiled in the face of overwhelming might.
"Then allow me to create something that can absorb this nutrients he's given us!" Gaia waltzed forward holding her sceoter high above her head like a valiant sorceress.
"Come Forth: True Omniverse Tree... Yggdrasil!!!" Gaia commanded.
From below us came roots, dozens of colossal roots that came together to form into a tree. It was a cosmic tree that continued to grow as it absorbed the essence from the particles that once surrounded us from all sides.
"Use my tree as your foot holds. He's even learned to turn our essence into particles. Meaning he's going to be interrupting our ability to fly and create platforms at rapid intervals." Gaia instructed everyone.
We all landed on the massive branches of her tree which had grown big enough to make our titan forms look small. It took up the center of our Omniverse and slowly pushed back the realm of Atomen. She singlehandedly reversed the flow of battle with this one technique. She didn't have the strength to take him on alone right now, no one did honestly. But we all had what it takes to counter his techniques and create openings for the team. Something that must be utilized at all times, and this was due to the fact that he even gained a small bit of affinity for the two Sin class concepts that we have on our side.
"Hmph, you'll have to be careful even now, brother. STRIFE is full of nothing but beings beyond the basic deity level. As a team... I've underestimated them. They could still defeat us even if we merged entirely!" Harpenyoloko spoke to Atomen telepathically.
"Yes, I know, sister. I can handle it as I am now, you just focus on using that tree to regain your strength. They haven't figured out how bad it is for me to have gained your three strongest. The dualtransfer sequence is now complete!" Atomen responded.
"Heh, good!" Harpenyoloko had her hand forced into the branch beneath her. Gaining her full strength back, slowly but surely.
"Apologies, but we won't be allowing you to do as you please anymore, Harpen!" A select team of ten formed of select individuals from all three teams has assembled. They surrounded her in an instant.
"Mhm, so there's Melumini'itii, Ri-ohhanna, YeeRashuri, Odin, Zo'Elgor II, Yosiah, Hakeem, Elektra, Samson, and the ever so troublesome... Xebeel." Harpenyoloko sized up her opponents thoroughly.
"Heh, we'll be sealing you up today Harpen. You'll come in handy later on!" Xebeel smiled at Harpen as if he were the villain.
While their battle commenced, things in our side immediately began to turn into quite the storm. Atomen leapt into our group and willingly chose to take us on in the tree. We were all in our titan forms, leaping from branch to branch as we clash head on with Atomen. He deflected every attack coming his way as he chased after a specific target. Gaia, Shiishiigami, and Xenophia's leapt forth simultaneously. Blasting into him, and completely interrupting his flight path.
"Why don'tcha stay for a while?" Xenophia asked.
"We're more than enough entertainment." Shiishiigami added on.
"For you, ya brat!!" Gaia shouted as she smacked him into a nearby branch.
"Nrgh, getting in my way, huh?" Atomen rose from the hole created by his body.
He suddenly began to dash through the leaves of the tree, using them as cover. With the ability to command all things cells, he took control of the tree branches surrounding Gaia and the others.
"Here comes an annoying one, you two!" Gaia rolled her eyes as the branches began to shift and snap repeatedly.
Everyone braced themselves as branches and space cutting leaves flew their way from all possible angles.
"Sit still and allow me to take care of this." Shiishiigami instructed.
He destroyed the surrounding leaves using a wave of pure Death. Then he countered the branches with an insurmountable amount of scythe slashes. Every move broke through the branches with astounding precision. He set a loop on the barrage of strikes he let loose. This kept all of the branches Atomen created at bay, but that's something he took into account already. One could say he was hoping they'd counter his technique with ease.
"Hm!?"
"Oh shi-
"Dammit!!"
Shiishiigami, Gaia, and Xenophia were struck in their chins by flashing attacks. All three were knocked upwards and away from Atomen. He then charged deeper into the tree's many branches, swiping left and right with his arms to move oncoming attackers away from him. He was like a blur amongst beings going well beyond the speed of light. His two tails had minds of their own and were swiping down any attacks thrown at his blindspots.
"Damn, hey Rissa, where's he headed? Who's his target this time!?" Shiitania asked just after before brushed past by Atomen.
"Tuh, his target never changed, Tantan. He's going right for...
"ZEE!!" Heemy shouted.
He attempted to stop Atomen, but wasn't fast enough to reach him in time. Atomen was able to grab my by the throat, preparing to take my protagonist factor for good this time.
"Your factor shall be mine, and then all of this will be done for good. Just give up, and join your little friends in the particles." Atomen snickered as my factor slowly moved towards the hand that now grasped my neck.
"Hmph!"
I grabbed his arm, squeezing hard enough to crack the armor-like plating on his forearm.
"Wha-
"You won't be taking my factor without a fight this time. With my full might, I'll crush your efforts!!!" I released my arch stage along with my fifth release.
I now had enough strength to truly combat his conceptual influence with my own.
"What the hell is this!? There's plenty of deities here who have evolved to a primordial species. None of them can do this, and the many others who chose to turn into higher deities. They can use the deitiy forms, but none of the forms we primordial species use. So why is it... WHY is it that she can use BOTH!?!" Atomen could be seen panicking a bit.
Our essence clashed ferociously, stirring the tree from the inside, forcing it to become quite unstable. Gaia, Clarissa, Shiitania, Kiimillima, and Lady Kimito all worked together using their life essence. Keeping the tree stable whilst I duke it out for my factor against Atomen. Our essence continued to clash and mix until it condensed. Once it did, it burst outwards and knocked the both of us, as well as many others far into the distance. By the time we managed to stop, we both had an identical light within our bodies. Which meant...
"Some way...
"Some how...
"The factor for cut in half!!" Atomen and I were astonished!
As was everyone else that surrounded us. We all leapt through the branches, approaching one another whisky aiming to ambush Atomen.
But their plans would come to fail now that I have a grasp on this storyline once more!
Heh, we'll see about that, but as of now, we're both in control of this plot.
Well, if that's the case the very nature of this story, even it's title, has changed!
"It has now become STRIFE: A Side Story of Particles and Annihilation!" We both declared this storyline ours in unison. Crashing through the branches as the very written text of this story itself began to wrap around our fists. We both smiled like wild maniacs as our fists collided. It created a massive shockwave that surrounded this massive tree. Shaking the entire Omniverse in the process.
Is this your first time using the very plot as your weapon, ZeeNanasa!?
It is indeed, Atomen. I hate doing such a thing, it's beneath me, really. But, that hardly matters to me now. So long as we can win and see another day, I'll face you HEAD ON!! Isn't that right, everyone!?
"You said it best, lil' Zee!" Lord Adolph stated.
"Let's send'em packin' daughter!!" Her wretched father, ZeeNihilo encouraged their pathetic team.
"Allow we three to lead your charge, Zee!" Dannadise flew past me with Xeno and Kaka-latuū taiking behind her.
"Heh, do your thing, girls. Heemy, the others will be right behind us!" I sounded off.
The many came to take me on, but I merely turned the page on them. Only a handful of them were able to tear the page away, showing they're truly beyond the concept of this storyline. It would need my full influence to overtake their resistance and iindividual influence. Looking over things, even Harpenyoloko happened to be pushed into a corner by that select team of ten. It seems these deities have truly pushed us back. My mother's warning was truly sound, I just admit.
I blocked a bunch of blasts from all directions using my particle influence. Using the cellular influence under my wing, I manipulated the tree branches around us to throw them all off track. Each and every individual that fell for the rouge was blitzed by a sudden tail strike that drained their essence. It was my masterful use of the vampire concept.
Thanks to this douchebag's counters, none of us could actually get close. To counter this, I wrote a new page where we surround the bastard, turning the page the moment I'm done writing. Atomen was too slow to counter the technique before it could actually activate. The plot surrounded us more pleasantly, setting us up for a more favorable scenario. Atomen began to counter every strike coming his way, retreating into the beaches as we chase after him. ReighHeem managed to destroy his own existence and blend into the very space and reality around us. The particles and cells Atomen had control of were being annihilated with every passing attosecond. ReighHeem wrapped his body around Atomen's and exploded like a colossaversal big bang event.
The blast radius of her husband's futile attack was greater than twenty Colossaverses put together. He nearly annihilated me entirely with such a powerful attack. But I managed to ward it off entirely before my body could be broken down into particles once more. ReighHeem coughed a bit, staring at my charred body with a smirk on his face. I smiled back, my skin, face and lips cracking as the flakes begin to fly off with every passing second. My teeth grew gnarly in shape and size, portraying the emergence of my monstrous persona. I shook the charred skin and cells off of my body like a layer of shedded skin. Even ReighHeem was quite impressed with my wacky abilities.
Oh, don't flatter yourself Atomen. The team is already rushing your way, crashing into your person one after the other. Though I'm surprised at your ability to write in edits to my pages as this battle continues. You're forcing my comrades to miss their shots at the last moment. I'm a little impressed, but not too much!
"Zee! Erase his next move!" Clarissa commanded.
I quickly edited his counter to Dannadise's oncoming strike. Forcing him to take on the full might of a particle attacking technique made of light. It shaved away his darkness and left him vulnerable for the smallest of moments. But it was a moment we could make use of.
I used my affinity for the space concept and created massive hands out of the void and parts of Atomen's realm. They held him down as countless attacks were throttled into his body. He grunted and groaned in frustration as he began to break free. An explosive wave of force and malice broke my hold on him and disrupted the flow of our attacks.
Upon my breaking free of her hold, several of her comrades charged towards me. It was their attempt at taking advantage of the confusion. The malice user known as Aroro came flying in first. He absorbed all the malice I mixed into the attack, thrusting his amped fist towards me as he increased his speed at the very last second. I countered with a punch filled with benevolence at the final moment. The two signatures cancelled each other out, causing a small shockwave that actually cracked the bones in our arms. His sister snuck up behind me, sapping the lingering essence from my earlier attack just now. She managed to crack my mask with a hard, right hook to the face.
"Heh, impressive work!" I spun around, using my right hand to backhand the both of them at once.
The one known as Heliotto came alongside his sister to take advantage of my vulnerability after striking the two of them successfully. I rapidly wrote out a a scenario where I countered both attacks with strikes of equal force. Once I was in place and had them stuck thanks to our clashing strikes. I used an amp on the force concept and blew all of four of them back. Though, several more would be coming right behind them to take me on. To counter this, I wrote out a page where all of my counters' final results would come to pass before they could even recognize what happened.
The image turned and all ten of them were sent flying, never the wisest on what had actually occurred within that moment.
We continued going back and forth like this for a total of seventeen months before one side managed to break through. By now, Harpenyoloko managed to press her group back after gaining a good chunk of her power back. We even came to discover that she and Atomen were now linked. Making it possible to use each other's concepts without even so much as breaking a sweat. Xebeel took it upon himself to take her on and claim victory. As for our bout with Atomen, Shiishiigami, Adolph, ReighHeem, Gaia, Xenophia, and I all took on Atomen. No matter how many times he'd push us back, we kept coming forward alongside a few others who managed to forge a second wind. Many were so exhausted they needed to sit aside in order to get their wits about them. This is where Atomen managed to break through and completely change the tides once again. Even his use of the plot was slightly better than my own by now.
"You and your heathens have held out for quite some time, even your siblings and parents have yet to try and take a break. Fatigued as they are, fatigued as you ALL ARE. I'll continue to write these pages and change section of your story into my own!" I swipe my hand to turn to a new page that's mostly been written by me, though she has her moments and edits. She even managed to out write me every few pages. It's frustrating to say least... These ants just won't go down!! But you know what, I think I might have found my way to victory!
Atomen suddenly rushed at me with loads of attacks at the ready. I dashed backwards whilst blocking all of the attacks as much as I could. He pierced the torso of anyone trying to get between he and I. Just as he cleared the distance, Heemy managed to break through and land a heavy hook on his jaw. He was thrown forward by Shiishiigami and Adolph, propelling him to speed that even Atomen couldn't comprehend. His eyes reflected loads of frustration and anger from being struck so suddenly. Even then, his glare was fixated on me.
"Hey babe, let's go after him. Seeing as we can't stop him from coming after you, we'll need to press him into a corner!" ReighHeem stated as he joined ZeeNanasa at her side.
"Yeah, we'll work in tandem with those who have yet to gas out." ZeeNanasa instructed.
They all came at me as I slowly healed my face. The fatigue from fighting then for so long finally began to settle in. Though negating the very concept of this was mere child's play. I just merely had to make sure they never notice.
I leap forward, chasing after ZeeNanasa once more as I attempt to take the rest of her factor. Adolph and Shiishiigami engage with me as they intercept my flight path. The three of us go into a frenzy of strike exchanges until I was finally able to create openings. A right hook sent Shiishiigami flying into Adolph. The both of them quickly rebounded after having their rhythm knocked off its coarse. Gaia used the time in which he was distracted and forced a clone of herself into his cellular system. The cells came to life and struck him through the chest and heart rather quickly. I merely smiled as I grabbed the arm protruding from my chest. My electric shock tore her body a new one, even going so far as to cause this same shock to any out of everyone who has Gaia's essence. Unfortunately, everyone on the battlefield including Harpenyoloko and I now has this essence. Yet, only me and Harpenyoloko were unscathed by this technique. It left everyone in a daze, allowing me the opening I needed to approach ZeeNanasa. My flight path towards her was a straight line stretching across countless Colossaverses worth of space.
"Damn, he's going for Zee again!! I have to get there and make sure he can't get her factor!" Heemy was strained and battered in his current condition. Even so, he healed his most vital parts and rose to his feet once more.
Atomen made his way towards, ripping through the very fabric of the void as he launched himself forward. Accelerating until he became a near instantaneous blur. I lost track of his movements, writing out a page where things can play into my favor. But by the time I could write out half the page, his hand was already on my throat. Pulling my protagonistfactor out of my body the moment his hand made contact with my neck.
"Nrgh, I won't... a-allow you.. to-to take my... FACTOOR!!" My voices strained from the pressure being out onto my neck. I could tell he was going to kill me the moment he manages to pull my factor out.
"HAH!! You can say what you will, make the claims that bring you hope! None of it matters, because your factor is MIN-
We both watched as his right arm was severed. Our eyes panned over simultaneously, matching their gaze to Heemy's movements. Atomen immediately spammed as many limbs, dragons, pheasants, and monsters from his right arm's nub as much as he could.
"I won't allow you to do as you please, Atomen!! Hands off of my... FUCKING WIFE!!" Heemy turned his body into an explosion of Annihilation essence. Every single attack Atomen released was turned into suds and particles before such radiance.
"H-Heemy!" I struggled to pull myself together this time around. Watching as Heemy valiantly fought to keep me from danger. Others began to approach, seizing the opportunity Heemy gave them.
"NRRRGHH!!! I've had enough of your meddling. Just drop down and DIE ReighHeem Destructor!!!" Atomen shouted as he thrusted his arm forward, forcing it through the brunt of my hubby's damaging force.
The light created by their conjoined burst blinded the lot of us for a few moments. Most of us were frieghtened by the possibility of Atomen charging towards us in that moment. The fact that he didn't have a lot of us relief. We were thinking that Heemy actually managed to push him back.
The dust settled and their gazes could finally see what had occurred within that moment. Blood dripped from our bodies and down into the empty void below us. Some wind created by our essence pushed the void towards the tenth Colossaverse where it's find itself falling through the layers... slowly, but surely. I could hear the screams of terror and the exasperated gasps from all around me. Tears pouring into the void as everyone came to realize what occurred, and who was left standing. They watched as a body full of agony and wrenching pain was lifted above my head. The destruction pouring from the hand dispersed as it left the hole dug into my body. I smiled as my biggest obstacle was finally eliminated. His essence plummetting, and his concepts deactivated. I could just feel the life finally leaving his body, t was a feeling that brought me nothing but joy. Whilst my enemies hunkered down in their cabins full of sorrow.
"Ah, I have finally gotten rid of you, ReighHeem II. I hope you can move on without regrets." I continued to hold him up as I used the remainder of his essence against him.
"D-Da.... D-D-Dam.... D-D-dammmmnnn.. youuuuuu-
HEEMY!!! Don't worry I'm coming!!" Little ZeeNanasa rushed to his aid, tears running down her face once again.
"Heh, I know I won't be having any!" I obliterated his body before ZeeNanasa could grab a hold of him. Her face showed nothing but despair. The perfect mental condition for someone who doesn't have the right to hold on to HOPE!
"HEEMYYYY- NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Her screams could be heard within countless Colossaverses.
"Oh nah... I can tell...
"Jah'malle... His essence is gone. It's really gone... Just like Timozzy and Koko!!" Sinnthia fell to her knees. Her voice breaking as her titan form came undone. Many others came to follow as they allowed themselves to drown in despair.
"Tch, nein, no, non... Nada. There's nada within my mind when it comes to fixing this! How do we fix this, honey!?" Nikola's sloth influence finally died out in that moment.
"Heh, it has finally come to a close. Annihilo-Sect faces despair, most of YOUNG STRIFE has exhausted their essence, then there's STRIFE itself. Even those cretins don't look so good. Heh, it's finally all MINE. Now it's finally time for my sister and I to claim this OMNIVERSE!!" Atomen rejoiced as he watched a good chunk of us lose the will to fight. Even me... I mean.. I couldn't even get the chance to hold my beloved. He's just... Gone!!
"Mhm... The moment Lord Shiishii never wanted to pass has finally come. Good, I can finally do what's right for my sister. Atomen shall pay, and I'll use this blade to do it!"
"Hm!?" Atomen turned to search for an odd signal we all had felt in that moment. What he came to witness was just one single goddess walking towards him.
"Unsheathe and unseal thyself... Mine almighty saber. Bequeath this charlatan with edge of your blade...
DoomBlade of Lust."