And The Clocks Ticks Again

[strangerpeople]

[You feel as if your body has not moved for a long time. The ache is dull as you can feel your limbs creak and move, trying to shake off any potential rust that has seeped into your bones. And maybe actual rust if you're Proto, sorry buddy. With eyes blinking out any tiny crusties from your corners, you may remember that you were trying to escape.

Escape? But where to in this hellhole? There's no exits from this abyss...right?

You remember screaming from someone...one of the strangers who showed up in the car, yes? She was speaking to her friend about something-]

Did you hear me, Seven?! I said-what in the bloody hells happened here?! AND WHO STOLE MY TIME FREEZING POWER AND USED IT ON US?!

[Yotsuyu is livid, screeching to anyone who hears. Anyone might be confused as to what she means by 'time freezing power' but looking up at the sky, there is a reason for her to be concerned: There are blue streaks and the bright light of Logos, but they are starting to die like embers, absorbed into the black.

There had been a war; the Amaranthine Conjunction doesn't let go of its possessions easily, even beyond its borders. But this is too far for it; this is not its territory and it never will be. Its Law has faltered. It's light is useless. The power is retreating, forced back from the black thing that pervades the sky. Just what happened to make this happen? Who is powerful enough to freeze everyone including two strong Angels?

It matters not because the clock is still ticking against you all...and the storm is not letting up.]

Comments

[silvertongueheir]

[Franciscus hisses, firing another bolt at fire at the closest eye, even though he's not sure it'll actually do anything.]

Why are you so obsessed with us, anyways?

[15unknowns]

[Yeah, sorry about that, Franciscus. It just gets absorbed.

There is a response, but...the voice is not the little girl's. This voice is...different. Neither man, or woman. It pierces right through to the core of his mind, through paths Frans might not have realized his mind had.

It is the same with everyone else.]

B̷͘éc̛͟a͠us̴̕e̵͏ y̡͝͞o͞u͡ ą̴r͢҉e ̧͜͜m̷͠i̷n̶͜e̕.̨҉

[icanhearscreams]

No we're not.

[It hurts, but he's pretending it doesn't.]

We belong to ourselves, not you.

Fuck off.

[15unknowns]

Į̷ņ̛c̨͜o̵҉rr̕e͢͜c̷͢t̷.

[That is when the eyes, all of them, begin to shake.

Something big is about to happen.]

[telecosmetic]

Yeah, what he said! Fuck all the way off, you asshole! [Eliza raises one hand off her ears to flip off the gathering eyes.]

[zackthekiller]

[Zack's clinging to Akko and gritting his teeth. He can't even begin to comprehend what the hell is going on...

In his confusion, he accidentally puts an extra eye on the base of Akko's chain. It's small enough not to be noticed by him, but she might feel something.

If she isn't too focused on whatever's eating everyone alive.

[alwaysgonnatry]

[ Yeaaaah this is kind of painful and it's hard to concentrate right now. She hasn't really noticed anything off yet, internally wincing because OW. That noise is atrocious and she's focused on keeping her weapon form because it was clear something was going down and they had to be ready. ]

G҉iV̴͜e̛͏ ̴̵Í͠n̷̷͟

[15unknowns]

[And she opens her eyes, just in time for Zack to see, through those eyes, everything around them

E

X

P

L

O

D

E.




Have you ever heard turned on a radio, only to find the volume has been turned up to maximum? That is the sound that is heard as the eyes turn into a tsunami of monsters. Countless beasts of different sizes and shapes, all of them stenciled. All of them heading towards the Strangers, even as they seem to avoid Seven and Yotsuyu.

Probably the worst thing about Akko and Zack-and everyone else-seeing this?

There is no chance of escape]

Come, come, strangers of the multiverses! Come to where the center of the end!

[Somehow they can hear Medusa's voice even over the ungodly din of this inevitable, overwhelming moment.]

I insist.

[telecosmetic]

Fuck youuuuuuuu! [Yeah, there might not be anything they can actually do-but Eliza is going to be defiant to the end. She's just...using both hands to flip off the monsters now.]

[zackthekiller]

[Akko's come out of weapon form, leaving Zack free to get behind Eliza and grip her shoulder protectively.

He's probably gonna die. They all are probably gonna die. That fear is in the back of his mind, quieted by adrenaline and rage. If they're all going down, then he refuses to go down quietly.

He screams at the uncaring vortex with all his fury.]

BASTARDS! WHEN WE FIND YOUR GOD DAMN WEAK SPOT, YOU'RE BOTH FUCKING DEAD! YOU HEAR ME, ASSHOLES? YOU'RE BOTH! FUCKING! DEAD!

[telecosmetic]

[Eliza's not going to stop flipping the monsters off, but she does lift one hand to place it on Zack's.]

You'll regret messing with us!

[strangerpeople]

[There is that terrible pain again. That unmaking. That X. All of the things that make everyone not. It lets out a shrill screech. It is static. It is the end.

But it is not the end. It will not unmake everyone. Not entirely. Not yet.

A faint light starts to coalesce beneath everyone, beneath the static.]

[alwaysgonnatry]

[ When she finally had opened her eyes...

THIS was not what she'd wanted to see. Her head was spinning from the awful sounds, reeling as she looked around at all the different monsters heading towards them. There was no way they could fight them all, with the numbers stacked against their very few numbers. If she said she wasn't scared, that would be a damn lie. ]

This is it. W-We can either go out scared or... go out fighting.

[ Her voice trembles and it's clear she sounds almost on the verge of tears now. At least before a flash of light flickers and Zack would find he's not holding onto her weapon form anymore. Akko's re-materialized in her normal, human self and even if she looks scared, there's also something strangely determined on her face. ]

I choose to fight. Even if it's... not fair and kinda futile. You hear me!?

[ She glares skyward, and all around them before yelling the rest of her words out as loudly as she could. ]

YOU THINK I'M GONNA RUN? THINK AGAIN!

[ If noone really stops her she is going to suddenly start bolting forwards, fists raised as if she really will have any effect towards the oncoming beasts. ]

[icanhearscreams]

[Jun grabs her from behind in a bear hug, even if he's trying to not panic from the physical contact. He can't even really form words like this, but she can't go out there. She can't.]

[alwaysgonnatry]

[ She stiffens up at the sudden contact, her eyes going wide and halfway about to tell the other person to let her go when she realizes it's Jun. ]

I... We can't just... sit here and be killed without fighting back... we can't...

[ Akko's voice trembled a little, and she was trying so hard not to cry... and probably failing. ]

[silvertongueheir]

Still, you shouldn't touch them! That could definitely be dangerous! [Franciscus is slowly uncurling from his original pained pose, reaching out to support Akko as he tries to fire flames at the monsters. Not that he expects it to do much, but still...if everyone else is going to defy this, he will too. After all...he wants to see his friends again. He wants to see Osomatsu again.]

[strangerpeople]

[Through the howl, they can see the nothing rip around them. But it is toying with them, much as the little girl did. It can destroy them at any time. It can, and possibly will, at any moment.

But not yet. The little girl has its ways.

And so the faint light appears, flickering like a wayfinder.]

[silvertongueheir]

[Okay, yeah. Franciscus is also going to clap his hands over his ears now. Not like that helps, so he might just...be staring ahead in shock for a while. That definitely got to him.]

[7_0_7]

[oh what the fuck is all of this]

Sorry, yandere voice, I'm taken!!

[15unknowns]

[To Seven, it's Medusa's voice.]

Oh, don't worry! You'll be taken, all right~

[There is the sound of rumbling beneath him.]

[7_0_7]

I didn't mean by you!

[but you know how they say to never look down? he's looking down]

[15unknowns]

[A massive plethora of Vector Plates shoot up beneath Seven's feet.]

Too late~!

[7_0_7]

[well, can't win em' all

bye I guess!!]

Bwaaaaaaaaaah!

[15unknowns]

Oh, yes, I forgot! The parting gift.

It's a message.

Tell Charlie thanks~

[bendwiththewind]

I belong to no one.

[Getting shot with your own bullet hell hurts apparently but hey, she can still rightfully tell the voice to go fuck off.]