The Incarnation of the Devil Omega was unmistakable in the crowd, even for those who had not seen him. He was a man robed totally in black, the hood covering his head and most of his face. He was not hunched but stood tall, as tall and eerie as the man in white-and a smile was painted on his face as well. No matter what grudges one side bore the other, they remained quiet as these two enigmatic beings stood facing each other. Surely this was a moment of importance; their silence gave birth to tension. "So we meet again, Omega," said Mr. White. "We do indeed, Alpha. Still in disguise, are we?" "You as well, I see. Let us dispose of such formalities, Omega-or should I call you Mephistopheles?" The man in black chuckled and lifted his hood, showing his face for the very first time (even the Seven had not seen it). It was a bulbous head he had, polished without a single hair and capped off pale, like old flour. There were scars, or runes, or both etched vertically on his scalp, and he had a strange symbol on his forehead; nobody knew what it meant. His eyes flashed every color of the rainbow, and his smile stayed evermore. "It is your turn now, Metatron," hissed Omega. Mr. White's smile turned to a delightful scowl, but he removed neither hat nor coat. To say that everyone was confused was proper, but the one who was most puzzled was Ezekiel-perhaps because he wasn't used to it. "Master," he growled, "what are you doing here? I was under the impression you had permitted me to finally pass judgment upon these beings." "I must thank you for bringing these eight individuals here, O my Seeker," said Mr. White in a loud voice. "Your aid has reached full circle; I release you from my services. Stand down, if you will, and my business with these eight shall be fulfilled." Ezekiel looked like he was about to melt with rage, but he dared not go against the Thirteenth, so he took a few steps back and bowed. "And now," said the man in white, "I should like to bring the entire cast here. The last two are now ready. This will be their service to me-and the service of the other Lost, if they so choose." He turned his head, making everyone else look as well. Whether by teleportation or some other form of trickery, he had somehow managed to summon Shalis Torth and Namie Chizuka from their apartment, right there in the midst of all the confusion. Those who had never seen them were surprised to find two strangers there; those that knew them were just as shocked. The time for explanations would come later, though: what would be known as the final battle between these two forces was about to take place. "Are you finished?" growled Omega, glaring at the new faces. "I have waited too long to be delayed any more. Feel the touch of the Final One, the Dark Star, and be banished forevermore!!" The creature made a wide sweep with his hand, exuding energy so dark that it swallowed a piece of the sky. It struck Mr. White full-on, blasting him backwards until a great fiery-black explosion overwhelmed the heavens, blotting out all light. When at last the sun regained dominance, there was no longer a trace of the Thirteenth One. He was gone. "Holy shit!!" spat Amielle. "Did you just kill him?" "Oh, I can do much worse than that," purred Omega darkly. He took a step forward, and the space around him melted, every molecule rearranged and every law of physics broken. Another step-the sky itself screamed. The whole army seemed ready to fight him in spite of the terrible powers he wielded, but Seven certain subjects of his stood to even the playing field-and to finish what they had started. Ezekiel the Seeker gawked in horror as he witnessed the eradication of his master. "Damnation," he muttered, visibly shaking. Even he couldn't hope to fight that kind of power, so he whirled around and leaped on the back of the Roc that had brought him there. With a whistle it spread its wings and slowly lifted itself off the ground. Despite the surrounding evil, Mora plowed through the pack and chased after him, wanting to settle things with the old man once and for all. "Oh no you don't!" she screamed as she chased after the bird. If it had been anyone else, they wouldn't have been able to run fast enough or jump high enough, and even with her it was a stretch. She just barely managed to clench onto the gigantic bird's talons, and pulled herself up its plumage. Grasping the feathers, all of them as long as her arm, she climbed up to the creature's back, her eyes squinting with the sudden blast of wind-and with furious determination. She had doomed herself to a solo battle with the mightiest of the Dead Zodiac. ...... The team split itself into two groups: those that fought Omega, and those who fought the Seven. Many of these people simply fought because they had a grudge, or they believed they would be effective. Lurker and Snowblood went after Lust; G-Force and Rancor faced off against Pride; Sanaa and Shalis wanted to settle their scores with Avarice; Spoon Man, Marissa, and Bubblegum Black battled Gluttony; Wrath squared off not against BK Power, but Stalker and Alicia; against Envy, only Aura fought; and up against Sloth was Ferret and the Guardian Angel (thus leaving Omega to fight off everyone else). Having little fighting experience, Lust hardly stood a chance against Julie and Setsuka. Lurker disgusted her, and there was no use enticing a person who couldn't even see. In fact, both women were soon on her and had her surrounded, Lurker's animal rage and her diamond-sharp claws on one side, Snowblood's fiercely quick speed and precision on the other. Lust was out of her league; both were too quick for her, and totally immune to her charms. Her only hope was to bring them close enough to kill with a kiss, but Julie was like a leaf in the wind, darting everywhere and striking with blinding speed-plus, Lust could barely even look at her. Snowblood struck her hard on the shoulders, sweeping down to knock her off her feet; she knew what Lust was going to do, and used nose and hands to stay away from her front side. Julie grasped her and wrestled her to the ground, snarling wildly at one of the people who had destroyed her only home. Lust screamed as the animalistic girl pinned her, and the sound only intensified as Lurker raked her claws across the woman's flawless stomach, chest, thighs, and face. Never mind the blood loss or the venom, Lust was more afraid for her body and how mutilated it must've looked. Why wasn't Omega fixing her?!?! Now Pride fared much better, having fought G-Force twice before. He knew exactly what to do and amplified his self-love to its full force, not only making himself stronger but Sally weaker. It wasn't as if she had no confidence, he just stole it from her, like a leech. She could barely affect the field of gravity at all, and soon could not even stand properly. Pride would've impaled her or carved her up if she had been alone, but luckily, Rancor was there to take over. "Don't you hurt her!" she bellowed. Her armor thickened everywhere, protruding spikes and razors; Pride just snorted and smiled. There were no problems here. He knew Merry's weakness, and leaped through her assault to strike at the two soft spots she had kept-but something was different! His sword didn't strike gentle flesh but steel plates! "What is this?" he demanded. Merry took a swipe at him, but he flipped away before his perfect face could be scarred. "What, you think I'd keep that weakness around? Get real, pal! Only a moron would keep the chinks in their armor. That fight with Snowblood wised me up! Now...how shall we deal with you?" "Let me!" shouted Sally, somehow managing to stand. Her rage took over-she now had hatred in her soul. He had tried to hurt Merry! He had tried to take advantage of her weak spots! She could not let such a thing pass! Pride gawked as Sally stumbled, then walked, then flew after him, selfless in her quest for vengeance. He couldn't do a thing except yell-she jumped up and struck with all her might, crushing his chest and cracking a rib. Her powers manifested to their maximum level, defying all laws of physics to send him flying much further than he should've-smack into the brick and stone walls of the MERCS building. Unholy fury took over once he was able to stand. She had bruised him! His clothes were dirty and torn! "HOW DARE YOU!!!!" he yelled. Their discourse was not over yet. Sanaa had caused Avarice some trouble before in the past, so of course she would fight him. Shalis also had a score to settle-he had destroyed her motherboard when the Seven invaded the Lost compound, sucking out all her files and bits of data. He had even damaged the financial armor of Enteragon, which was absolutely unforgivable to her. Yet Sanaa did the most work, running around shooting at the older man. Every blast was dead-on, but he was covered in highly expensive body armor, from his shoes to the golden mask on his face. No matter. There were other ways to deal with greed. When Sanaa's clips ran dry, she sprinted after him and riddled his body with blows, every one of them deadly. Not only was her strength beyond that of a normal person, but she had extensive knowledge of the human anatomy, and knew which areas yielded to the most pain. She even shattered his golden mask, knocking him down only to pick him up again and toss him to Shalis. "Do what you must!" she cried. The Technomancer wasn't much of a warrior, but neither were her defenses sloppy. Her holographic arms materialized, all four of them, and they picked up Avarice and squeezed until his face turned purple. "What should I do with you?" she wondered. "Should I hold you upside down and shake you until all your money falls from your pockets? Or should I rob you of your blood? Why don't we let a more sinister agent find out?" Shalis tossed him, disengaged her arms, and called out to the crowd: "You, Inferno! Give this man a taste of what Hell is like!" Kailin, the Inferno she was referring to, had no idea how this strange woman with no arms knew her name, but now was not a time for questioning. She summoned up a column of flame and scorched Avarice, burning all his clothes off and some of his skin, until he was naked and disabled, robbed of everything save his life. The Spoon Man discovered Gluttony's resilience the hard way. No matter what he threw at the blob-like man, it simply bounced off, having no effect. Marissa could force him back with a psychic blow, or pick him up and drop him, but there was little chance of actually hurting the fat man. His skin acted like very thick armor, almost impossible to pierce. Bubblegum Black knew her gumwad projectiles would be ineffective, but they had thousands of uses. Asking Haanz and Marissa to hold him down, she shot a dozen small gum-bullets at Gluttony, wondering how they would take affect. The bulgy man got splattered by some and actually ate the others, finding their taste delicious. Things didn't seem good, but Xianq Shou didn't seem fazed. She shot him again, and again, covering his body with the pink goo. Gradually she stepped closer and closer, spraying him with more and more, until he was literally covered with pink goo, except for the mouth, which always demanded more. "So you like to eat, do you?" she snarled. Xianq whipped a long string of pink gum from her projectiles and smacked Gluttony right on his face, disabling him for but a second. She whipped him again, this time across the mouth, and made the wad stick on. To further seal it, she sprayed the string with every last bit of gum she possessed, until even Gluttony was forced to keep his voracious mouth shut. With his main source of power gone and his body strangling in the pink mess, he was harmless and helpless. Xianq collapsed from exhaustion, but she had earned a rest; Haanz and Marissa were happy to take care of her until things calmed down. Most everyone knew what Wrath was capable of, and at first it seemed that putting Stalker against him was a bad idea-but she had her reasons. Alicia went up against him first, barring his way with only her arms and her bravery. Hardly a challenge, she ironically stopped him from making any attacks. Peace was the only way to fight Wrath, after all, and Alicia was one of the most peaceful people gathered there. While Wrath was immobilized, Amielle quickly ran over and plucked Joyce from the mass of people who were fighting Omega. "I need your help," she gasped. Joyce turned pale and shirked away. "Look, I know you hate using your powers, but you're the only one who can effectively stop that bastard. I don't dare use anything on him for fear of the repercussions, but I'm positive you can be of some help. Please!" "No!" she cried, "I can't! Even against somebody bad, I..." Amielle didn't want to hear it. If Joyce wanted to be cowardly for the rest of her life, she needed to know the side effects of fear. "If you don't help, Wrath will just hurt more people, including Sarah! Listen, I know you care about her, so help us! Because if you don't..." "Stop it! Don't make me do this!" Fed up with Joyce's childishness, Amielle growled and slapped her hard. "Stop being such a coward! You have those powers for a reason-now use them for good, or...just hang yourself! Bah! What a waste of my time!" "Don't yell at me!" Joyce glared at Amielle, the rage building up already. In the back of her mind the Stalker turned cold as visions of her mothers and Alicia being tortured tickled her psyche... "...I'll do it!" "Atta girl," she sighed, her mind slowly returning to normal. Joyce had almost cost them the fight with that, but luckily she came to her senses, even if it was only for Sarah's sake. The young girl stepped up, glared at Wrath, and for the third time in her life used her powers on a great evil-but this time, she did it with the intention of controlling it, of not letting it devour Wrath's mind, much as he deserved it. For him, there was no antidote against such overwhelming fear. His scream pierced the sky, much as Lust's had. At long last, he was defeated. When Pride could finally open his eyes without feeling pain, he saw a vision of loveliness stooping down to help him. She was young and reasonably attractive enough-mediocre compared to him, of course-and seemed harmless compared to the others. He didn't know her name, nor even if she was associated with those the Seven were fighting against, and figured that if worse came to worse, he could just kill her if she turned out to be the enemy. He took her hand. "Thank you," he huffed as he stood to dust himself off. "Now be of some help to me and let me pass. I have many grievances to air with those two bitches." "One moment, beautiful sir," said the girl meekly. She took off her gloves and stared at him needily, like all women that had crossed his path. "Do I not get a kiss in return for my grace? It is all I ask; my heart will be complete if I can only touch your perfect lips." There was nothing Pride loved more than when other people told him how great he was. "Make it quick," he sighed. "And if you bruise me, I'll cut you to pieces." "I thank you, my lord." The young woman leaned in, not wanting to touch him until just the right moment. Pride waited impatiently, his irritation rising. At last their mouths touched, but something was wrong. The woman's bare hands went up to caress his cheeks, and her sleeves billowed down to reveal bare arms that ground against his shoulders. Pride suddenly felt overwhelming pain from his mouth and his face, but his screams were muffled by the acidic lips of Namie Chizuka, the woman of venom. He struggled desperately to free himself, but by the time Namie relented, it was too late-the damage was done. His wailing went unmatched, even compared to Wrath and Lust, for what seemed like hours. Soon Pride fell to the floor, writhing in agony and rage, unable to touch his face from the pain of it all. Namie delivered the final blow by wiping her mouth-he tasted terrible-and spitting on him, then left him to his torture as she rejoined the only person she had ever loved, and the battle she now belonged to. When Guardian Angel and Ferret squared off against Sloth, the lazy man laughed at their feeble attempts. No manner of being could approach him! He was protected by an invisible barrier that rendered everyone around him incapable of movement, and he could expand it as much as he desired. Unfortunately for him, he was dealing with the only two people who could realistically fight him: Guardian Angel saw the barrier with her powerful eyes, and warned Ferret of it. "It should be no problem to fight him," said Joanna, who took a moment to sit on the ground. "Please keep me alerted, Kathy. Stir me if things become tense." "I shall." She knew of Joanna's ghosting abilities, but Sloth did not-to their advantage. Once in ghost form, Joanna invisibly snuck up on Sloth, who could not affect anything that was not a physical being, and kicked him as hard as she could in his chest. Sloth was thrown back and fell out of his chair, tumbling to the ground. He didn't get up, of course, but was able to unconsciously teleport back to his chair so he could at least see his enemies. Once again Joanna's ghost came after him, and once again she knocked him out of his chair. He never suspected the truth behind this unique attack, no matter how his field of sloth was placed, and so in this manner he was defeated, knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. Those fighting Omega were in the struggle of their lives: the mad devil proved much more ferocious than he seemed. Alisti actually burned away the lower half of his body with a well-timed blast, but it simply regenerated after a second. That didn't make her want to stop; she continued until she blacked out, Omega laughing all the way. Everyone who wasn't fighting the Seven was fighting him (unless by one way or another they were pulled from the fight): Siren sprinted furiously, slashing at every moment she could; Thunder-Claw depleted his reserves calling upon huge thunderbolts; Skye shredded him with her dragon-claws; BK Power charged and landed several powerful blows to his face, going in at maximum power; Rin and Kailin double-teamed him, one burning at her hottest level and the other striking as if she were going to bring down a mountain. Even Pandora fought, but she wasn't able to debilitate Omega. His powers were apparently too great to steal, and in any case, they probably would've overwhelmed Soma anyway. She threw everything she had at him, from machine guns to electric blasts, and even pumped his neck and chest full of poisoned darts. Butterfly summoned thousands of kikai-special insects of destructions reserved for emergencies-and had devouring ants and mosquitoes cover his body until there was nothing left. Joyce soon discovered her powers were worthless in the battle, so being pulled away by Amielle was a blessing, but her heart was still connected to Sarah, and she returned once Wrath was incapacitated. Everyone was hitting Omega with everything they had, yet except for Alisti's blasts, little seemed to do any damage. Omega hardly fought back, choosing to let their powers fester and wane, until one by one they dropped from sheer exhaustion. At times his body became consumed in a frightening black flame, healing his body and destroying anything surrounding him. Skye was burnt horribly on her arm, and Thunder-Claw was lashed across his leg-and Omega had not even begun to fight yet! "So this is your power?" he said, voice deathly calm. "How insufficient it does seem. I wonder now why my Seven were able to fail so easily. It seems as if those who serve me are always lacking in something, no? Oh well-time for each of you to leave." He lashed out with his hand, creating the same black shockwaves that had blown Mr. White away, and the skies went dark. The warriors could do nothing except wait, and be consumed by their failure. ......... When Mora Johsen could finally stand without being buffeted by the wind, she discovered herself face-to-face with the dreaded Ezekiel, a man as tall as Rancor and perhaps even more susceptible to rage. His hair was white and wild, his beard snaking down to his chest, eyes aflame with a lifetime of visions. Aside from the simple brown habit and sandals he wore, the man was otherwise unimpressive, but the sheer aura he exuded made even the Cobra frightened. Plus, the fact that they were now several thousand feet above the surface and soaring through the air didn't help her situation. "I have seen this," spoke he, staring at her coldly. "Yes, I have seen this in my visions. This is prophecy! I have stood here upon this majestic creature, opposite one foolish enough to challenge me. I would engage this fool, and then cast them aside, into the unforgiving hand of death! Yes, yes, this is how it goes..." "You're off your royal rocker!" spat Mora, even though she was struggling just to stand. Ezekiel snort-laughed. "Your bravery is useless now, as you've seen. You have signed your execution papers by coming to face me. Do you not understand? You cannot fight what the stars themselves have foreseen!!!" The wild man threw open his arms, standing tall and upright despite the merciless wind, and cackled. Mora braced herself for the worst. He came at her like a bullet from its gun, swinging so hard that the blow broke straight through her scales and crushed her flesh. Mora was thrown back and nearly fell off, but snapped her hands up and grasped the large feathers. She flung herself back onto the creature and instantly ducked as he swung again. She swept at his feet, but this old man was fast! He jumped, twirled in the air, and whirled his foot to her head, knocking her flat on the bird. Without wasting any time he raced after her, thrusting his hand to her throat. Mora forced her body to move and twisted around to grab his arm and fling him. He didn't plummet but landed with perfect grace against the roc's spine. They raced after each other again, but Ezekiel somehow managed to be not only faster than Mora but stronger as well, dancing around every blow with blinding speed and coming back to shoot again, crushing her with every punch or kick. Her scales had hardened to their maximum level, spreading all over her body, yet he still managed to disable her. She was far from destroyed; every setback only caused her to rush in more determined than ever. The rocking and swaying of the creature set the battle to dangerous new degrees, and the wind was ever blowing, its breath just as strong as the wicked old man Mora was battling! They got in close and, simply speaking, started to pummel each other. Mora finally got a few blows in, knocking the crazed old man back-a punch to the jaw, a knee to his gut, a combo on his torso and for good measure, a nice kick straight to his forehead. All this time, Ezekiel was speaking in a strange tongue, his voice vibrating with alien power. Undaunted by his wounds, he pressed on, fighting Mora with the strength of a wrecking ball, muttering in his strange language. The hell?! She cut him across the cheek once and leaped back to avoid having her ribs splintered-but then he came back at her a moment later, his face unbruised! She put this illogical picture out of her mind and kept fighting, now throwing punches faster and faster, digging deeper and deeper with each one. Every blow connected-which was the problem. He wasn't fighting back at all! Mora suddenly realized why: all that chanting was a spell for rejuvenation! Ezekiel was healing his own body as they fought! "Crap," she muttered as she discovered the truth. Now what?? As hopeless as the situation seemed, Mora was too pigheaded to stop-and besides, giving up literally meant her demise, so what could she do but press on and fight?! Now that it seemed she knew Ezekiel's secret, the old man fought all the harder, pressing himself further and further into her-not only damaging her body but her mind as well. She couldn't even hurt him, and yet he was making things even worse for her! The two continued to fight, thousands of feet above the battle, just a speck in the sky to anyone on the surface. Mora was wearing out before long, while Ezekiel, ancient as he looked, actually seemed stronger than when the battle had begun! He even laughed and stood still, crossing his arms and daring her to continue. "What's the matter?" he said. "Can't you keep up with an old man?" "Shut...your...trap!" Mora wheezed. She dove after him again, wrestling him to the ground. Now that she had a hold on him, perhaps she could roll around enough and throw him over the edge-but he must've figured out her battle plan, being a prophet and all. He fought back and kept himself away from the outer limits, crushing her whenever it seemed they were about to go over. At last he gained dominance and held her against the vertebrae of the Roc, then assaulted her with a fierce blow to her face. He hit her again, and again, breaking her nose and jaw, then creating gashes in her face-a black eye here, bleeding ear there. Mora managed to pull one arm to freedom, and with the last of her strength, caught his fist before he could strike again and sank her teeth into it. He sure felt that. As Ezekiel clutched his bleeding hand, Mora sat up, grabbed him and squeezed, then thrust with all her might. He didn't fall, but instead flew across the bird's wingspan, tumbling to a stop. The Cobra forced herself to stand and stumble over, duck under the bloody blow, and plow into him. She shoved like the world depended on it, getting struck terribly in the process, but at last got him near the edge. He suddenly slapped her, getting the upper hand, and had pinned her again. This time she was prepared, and thrust her legs out at his chest, rocketing him into the sky. Ezekiel sailed right over the bird's body, and let out a blood-curdling roar as he plummeted a countless distance to the ground. Mora Johsen, the Cobra, heaved a victorious sigh as she crumbled onto the downy surface, too exhausted to do anything save breathe. The Roc tumbled a little, jostling her just enough for a scare. She grasped its feathers, froze, and sighed wearily-then laughed at the absurdity of it all. "Whew! I can't believe I almost fell off this silly thing! How the hell do I get down, anyway?" ...... Around that time, Omega was nearing his ultimate victory, even though the Seven were all but defeated. One was still left, Envy, and only one fought her, Aura. Neither girl was a fighter-rather, they both affected things in the world around them, one for good and one for bad. In that sense it was a fitting match-but Aura didn't want to fight Envy, she wanted to help her. "What's your name?" she asked. From the moment Envy laid eyes on Lady Luck, she hated her. Not only was she beautiful, but she had friends who loved her and a power that gave her everything she could've wanted. Aura was Envy's exact opposite, so of course she bore her immense revulsion. "Why should you care? You think you're better than me anyway; I don't have to give my name to a bitch like you!" "I didn't say I was better, I just-" "Shut up! I know who you are. You're Lady Luck, right? Fortune always smiles on you. But look at what it's done to me!" Envy thrust her arms at Aura, swinging even though she couldn't fight well, wanting to do anything to erase the miserable vermin. "I'm ugly!" she shouted. "I'm poor! I'm unpopular! I'm weak! I'm sick! Nobody likes me! All I have is this power! You should suffer because I suffer!! Why should people have good things in life while I'm shacked up in a freezing cardboard box with nothing to eat?! I hate you-I HATE YOU!!!" As dangerous as Envy was, her words struck Aura's heart like nothing had before. Being blessed with good fortune, she had never experienced the other side of life. She didn't know what it was like to be cold, or hungry, or wanting of company. Envy was right, Aura had everything-and it sickened her. She wept quietly, thrust herself at the enraged woman, and embraced her. "I'm so sorry," she wailed; "please, don't hate me." "LET GO, NOW!!!" "Don't hate me, please don't hate me. I can't stand it..." "Get off me, bitch!!" "Please...don't hate me. I... You're right. It's so unfair." Before Envy could scream again, a golden sphere of light radiated around Aura, and soon covered her too. Lady Luck had grasped the coin of fortune that magnified her powers, and selflessly used it all on Envy, to soothe her mind and bring her soul back from the abyss. "It is unfair that I get everything and you don't!" she exclaimed. "It's so freaking unfair! ...You should be Lady Luck, not me! Please...please take this." Tears in her eyes, Aura took her coin and clasped Envy's hands around it, giving it freely. This act, pure and loving, stunned the wretched Envy, and she found her strength gone and her anger quieted. She collapsed on the ground, staring at the coin in her hand, unable to do anything else. At last, the Seven were defeated. Omega did not take this well. "My servants...all gone..." Before he could strike those who had dared challenge him, Omega seethed in his fury, drawing up even more darkness so that the sky itself was now black, blacker than any night, and the ground itself trembled in fear. "I will see to it that this world is no more," he swore, voice jagged with wrath, "and every single one of you doomed to slaving under my will. Death is too good for you." He turned and glared at everyone, whether they had beaten his servants or not, and grinned. This was it, then, the end-they were sure of it. But then, as if God Himself had flicked a switch, all the lights came back on. And with them came the man in white, now glowing brilliantly. He was not smiling. Omega could only croak one word: "HOW!!!!" "You were the last created," stated the Thirteenth, the Metatron, the Alpha. "I, however, was the first. Many artists put forth all their effort into their last creation, but not the one who made us. You did not honestly think that you could put a stop to me, now did you?" Omega did not answer. His teeth were so tightly clenched, he couldn't even talk. "Well," said Mr. White with a small chuckle, "any other day I would say that this humiliation you are feeling would be sufficient punishment. However, it is the will of Kurios that you be destroyed, sent to the lake of fire, and damned forever. Who am I to go against such a decree?" "...A fool," Omega growled at last. He blasted the glowing creature with every shard of dark power he had gathered. The destructive wave was so great, it briefly tore open a hole in the planet's atmosphere, creating an eerie oval of star-studded darkness before blue filled it up. Needless to say, even the defeated Seven were astonished. There was no way that Mr. White had survived- "What an interesting gift you have!" announced he, suddenly, directly behind Omega. The enraged creature turned round and swung, but only hit air. Another voice-"Tsk, tsk, you are wasting your time."-another blast, this one strong enough to melt molecules. The air suffered and groaned as particles were lost forever, but there was no evidence of his destruction. "Come out!!!" roared Omega, taking to the skies. Avarice blanched. "Okay, so the Master can fly. Didn't know that." Waves of indescribable power emanated from Omega's body, and whenever Mr. White appeared-usually in the air, proving that he could fly as well-he blasted the glowing monster, shooting aimlessly. Every time he only struck air, either because his enemy was too fast or he simply just disappeared-or both. "Coward!!" he roared. "Stand still for a moment! Prove to me that you are strong enough to take a direct blow! Why should I be battled without some degree of fairness?!" "Fairness?" That was Mr. White, all right, hovering directly behind Omega. The man in black whirled around and glared. "What, O Mephistopheles, do you know of fairness? You would take, cheat, and steal whenever you could, and you would use your beauty and your miraculous talents to increase and prolong the suffering of others. What a waste! If only you had not-" "DIE!!!" Mr. White didn't move at all as Omega fired at him, point-blank in the chest. The blast overwhelmed the senses of everyone far below, and actually bent the heavens as it sailed on into outer space, finally stopping to blow up another planet, light-years away. As the man in black caught his breath, his servants below aghast, he chuckled and then laughed out loud. "I guess this is what your honor brings you, then!" he shouted-but his words ended coldly. When the smoke settled and the air returned to its space, Mr. White was still there, glowing and in one piece. Not even his clothes had been tarnished. "You are correct," he said flatly, the smile of his long gone. "This is what honor has brought me. No doubt you may be having second thoughts concerning that rebellion of yours." Omega said nothing but a guttural yell as he thrust another wave of power at the white monster, but it was in vain. Mr. White appeared again, directly below him, holding his arm up to the monster. "Anyway," he said calmly, "die." As Omega's powers had blotted out the sun, so to did his-but with light, not darkness. When at last the brilliance faded, the devil known as Omega in some circles, Mephistopheles in others, was no more. The Seven stared in astonishment. The Lost trembled. The Battle Divas groaned. The Ronin grimaced. Everyone reacted with shock. Omega had been obliterated just like that! Nobody could say anything, so for a long time they remained silent, until at last Mr. White joined them, his smile back for good or ill. "Hey," came another voice; it was Cobra's. A few people saw her limping away from a large avian creature, her body battered and bruised. She stopped, caught her breath, and noticed the battle was over. "So...what'd I miss?" Next time: Reformation of the Seven
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