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Post by Raven8 on Apr 22, 2023 20:09:48 GMT -8
....peace was never going to be an option, so why hold out?
Sharo had been silent and closed for many, many years now. Abnormally so on both fronts; this near-hermit of a military state seemed as though it was nothing more than a lifeless scarecrow for so long... and at last it would scare away the crows no longer.
Even if it was in the best possible shape, Sharo really would have no real recourse against what was coming. It begins with a strange, dark red spot in the sky, glowing down like an ominous star. But soon it grew, and grew, and grew... and then something fell from the sky. A strange, unusual being falls from the heavens like a meteor, looking on with a single red eye as a triad of unusual, almost DNA-like streamers trail behind. It screams through the sky and makes impact, but it leaves no sign of so much as even existing as it does so. Rather, it disappears into the ground in an instant. Then comes another, and another, and another. One at a time they fall to the earth and disappear into the tundra like specters. Then another, and soon even more.... and then the star above looms ever closer. Mere minutes after this began, a huge mass comprised of nothing but these creatures makes itself known, each dropping from the skies and impacting the earth while trailed by a spark of black and white energy, all entering the ground of Sharo with the mass of a colossal meteor, yet not causing any noticeable damage as they phase through the ground... apparently harmlessly?
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Post by Zane on Apr 22, 2023 20:40:37 GMT -8
The secret behind the ever-silent Sharo had more or less been largely unveiled now. All that was left was what came next of the star above that had sprung up as a result of the information that had been gathered. The corrosive beings that had been building up for hours since the fall of Eden as the weapon had been used not even that long ago to terrorize their world.
Now, the result of that would be something that would terrorize their world yet again.
The depths below were vacant and deep. Sharo had been hollowed out ages ago. What was left teetered on the precipice of utter collapse. And what was soon to follow would see to that without question. It was in relation to something that the creator of this blight upon the world had almost stumbled upon in the past much as they stumbled upon it again now. The scale of this singular being that could hold entire countries in the palm of its hand as it continued to tower higher still, unable to be confined to just Sharo and extended to the very reaches of the Undernet and beyond, large enough to do so much more than even that as was revealed. For what had made this course of action the inevitable course of action, the only one possible. The massive blue being started to move, as finally beings had begun to operate in an acceptable range. That was when it started to stand.
The simple notion of such a basic function was all it took to reduce Sharo to nothing.
Its aim was simple, the star that loomed so far above and all things associated with it. That star was still within its operational range after all. The remnants of whatever beings were left to fester in space would have to deal with that fallout. They were already largely eliminated as it were. If this served as the finishing blow for the ones that were already acceptable casualties? This was again acceptable.
It would start to move its arm so that it could reach upward. That would cause the tremors to easily pass through Netopia and Creamland alike as the world would shake from it. It wouldn't take much for the arm to pass through thanks to the global assault that had happened at best a day ago. And it would take just as short a time for the arm to start producing its desired purpose in the desired location.
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Post by Raven8 on Apr 22, 2023 20:47:28 GMT -8
The titan awakens, and in the wake of its sheer power, the falling star above collapses and dissipates. The unknown creatures could do nothing against the attack, and soon it became nothing more than a black and red cloud in the sky... a cloud that continued to descend.
Despite its power, despite its size, the creatures continue. Almost microscopic in comparison, it quickly becomes impossible for this giant to swat the legion away, and soon they begin making contact. Thousands at a time, these monstrosities reach out their gangly arms and attempt to land onto the Colossus like mosquitoes, their powerful corruptive forces interacting with its defenses and attempting to infest it from the outside in.
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Post by Zane on Apr 22, 2023 21:10:37 GMT -8
The swarming creatures would begin to land on the Colossus, they would start their infestation attempts and meet the first obstacles to that approach: thousands that would meet the swarm in kind.
There were many things that were appearing from it then, ranging from black fog to threads to any species of virus imaginable. Navis that hadn't been seen for ages as well coming from inside of the being or still inside as the mosquitoes swarmed to meet them. Fundamentally they could still be corrupted and infected, self-terminating as a result of this fact as while the battle would wage on, the nature of the Nightmares gave them a distinct advantage over this particular defensive measure. It was the next that would begin to prove the daunting issue, as touching the giant beyond those defenses seemed to lead to nothing at all. There was absolutely mass that existed here, but there was nothing to infest. The sheer mass and destructive ability of this endgame monstrosity displayed many things that these corrosive beings had begun adapting to, such as the EM Beings and the Reaverbots or the Net around them. It was clear that the mass was a massive combination of the world around them and the extended world their world entailed now, and something else that was hidden beneath the three different worlds worth of layers that had been meshed together in a manner to create a near-infinite labyrinth that worked in tandem with it all. And yet all of it was unnecessary for the basic functions of how the Colossus came to be.
This being possessed similarly devastating adaptability, and different but similarly devastating applications to that adaptation.
The arms weren't needed to apply this function. All that was needed was for them to make the first contact with its body. It was working through the abilities that prevented this at impossible speeds, as it aimed to consume the phenomenon. And if it was successful at any juncture, the infecting properties would be entirely neutralized as a result. It was a collision of two unbelievably corrosive beings coming into contact with one another. Its aim to consume and invalidate their abilities as a whole so as to end them as a whole, theirs to infest and bring it to an end.
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Post by Raven8 on Apr 22, 2023 21:31:26 GMT -8
The onslaught was met in kind, and soon the tables begin to turn. One by one the strange beings are absorbed, while others triumph over their would-be destroyers, causing massive casualties. However, a strange fact begins to rear its head as more and more of the red-eyed viruses are absorbed. The individual beings that absorb and corrupt them only remain for mere moments, as soon they begin to themseleves change on a fundamental level. Across the body of the colossus, strange phenomenon begins to take place. Huge metallic cubes suddenly appear, glazing ice overtakes large patches, strange and localized rains begin to pour down, melting away layer after layer of the corrupted souls that make up the titan's being, huge orbs of flame explode out and fall back to the monster; within moments, the entire body of the Colossus is racked in chaos, slowly driving deeper and deeper into its body as the swarm goes deeper and deeper.
But this wouldn't be all that happens. As the Colossus attempts to rip its way through Creamland, it would find its arm incapable of completing the motion. Around the island country, a red orb of data manifests. This orb proves impossible for the Colossus to move or interact with, as it finds itself entirely incompatible with the data processing going on within
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Post by Zane on Apr 22, 2023 21:45:31 GMT -8
The scale of the battle and chaos taking place would be akin to a world war itself. The chaos that was covering its entire body would have to be so in order to encompass its entire body. These strange phenomenon would be occurring for a time before they would begin to start having a diminished effect on the body of the being. Then, it would start to happen with less frequency. Interacting with the Colossus was becoming more and more difficult with each attempt, and soon even driving deeper into its body seemed impossible as the swarm would begin to find themselves unable to move bit by bit. With all the years that had passed with it serving as a parasite the world over, the rate at which it could do these adjustments had reached a level it was never meant to reach. That was why it had been disabled for a time before it had been reactivated and set back to work. This time at an accelerated rate and even faster than even its original designs portended to.
The right arm had been stopped it seemed. It would aim to do so again, impossible to move or interact with due to the workings on the inside. The arm would begin to change itself fundamentally, moving at a rapid rate to determine which would be compatible and allow it to finish its motion to end Creamland in one fell motion. While that was happening, the left arm would begin its motion next. Instead of rising up from the opposite side of the world, it would simply move the arm underneath the layers still and bring it level with Sharo before it would start its rise next. It would simply need to get it to the surface level to initiate its design purpose and see it done. Doing so before then would have a diminished effect, and should it get both arms then it would have maximum effectiveness on the entire world and display the true peril that existed and was harbored peacefully until now. And just like that, the world at large would be jeopardized. The jeopardy they were in, however, would only last for a brief moment. A second would be generous.
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Post by Raven8 on Apr 23, 2023 7:32:48 GMT -8
No matter the data-shift, no matter the wavelength, the titanic being would find itself entirely unable to break through the red barrier which even now holds firm. In fact, some moments of its self-transformation would cause the barrier to become outright caustic to it, deleting anything that it touches in the brief moments that it makes contact. Yet Gamma, the force of the Third System, does not pose any direct offensive threat, instead holding firm against the colossal giant as a virtually unbreakable shield to protect his world.
...and this would be when another change happens. All at once, the Nightmare Phenomenon backs away from the Colossus, looking on as they begin to rapidly multiply once more to restore their numbers. But this would not be the end of the assault; far from it.
Within the Colossus, a single spark of black, white, and purple energy is absorbed, caried by the swarm and virtually impossible to notice when it was left behind. It disappears into the body of the monster, but soon it disappears into the colossus. But with it comes a new force.
Any bit of Navi data remaining within the colossus is overcome as waves of black energy resonate out from the point of origin. Pieces of the Colossus begin to rebel against the one that absorbed them, and soon start attempting to migrate back to the point where the spark had entered it, drawn to its corrupted light where they are absorbed into a singularity that even now begins to grow and grow...
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Post by Zane on Jul 30, 2023 17:55:45 GMT -8
No offensive threat was detected, but a potent enough defensive one for the time being. If it wasn't a matter of moving it or interacting with it in a manner of adaptation, then it would take another approach instead. Its arm would again move, but this time phasing through Creamland rather than the intention of moving or interacting with it whatsoever. It would deal with Creamland momentarily once the other arm was in position, as this showing was already a partial indication to what might be coming soon enough.
That left the battle on what was considered the first front. As the bits of Navi data found themselves overcome, the rebellion would be quelled in a swift and concise manner. The pieces that sought to rebel would resume their functions as before, the migration halted immediately as they reverted back to their original state akin to a factory reset. The growing singularity would also be repelled, sent out toward the Nightmare Phenomenon that had started to restore their numbers. Even outside of the Colossus, movement seemed constrained as if it would halt at any time. With Sharo destroyed entirely, the next phase of its existence was underway. It had long ago been primed for that, the only thing stopping it being the changes that Sharo had undergone in secrecy and unbeknownst to everyone else in its long tenure of silence.
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Post by Raven8 on Sept 12, 2023 16:34:35 GMT -8
Seeing what the Colossus is attempting now, Gamma holds position firm and quickly raises a similar red field around Creamland, protecting another country from the titan's onslaught, yet also weakening his hold as he spreads his power thinner. Still, he continues to hold firm against the Colossus, attempting to hold back its tremendous might while awaiting those that would lead this battle..
But this wasn't yet the end. When the Colossus repels the singularity that had just moments before been draining away its very structure, it halts in mid-air and pulses wildly, seeming to radiate with unseen waves of energy that was enriched by the deleted data that it processed from the Colossus. The additional power causes it to swell and crack, taking on a new form as it grows slowly.... and then disappears. Before it can continue its work, the data that had been guarded by the Nightmare just moments before fades from sight entirely, and a moment later the Nightmare Phenomenon itself also fades away, leaving no resistance to the Colossus beyond Gamma's attempts to continue to hold it back.
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Post by Genesis on Sept 17, 2023 14:01:59 GMT -8
*In the blink of an eye, Sharo was gone. Well, he supposed that was the plan one way or another. Now was to simply adjust the plan now that something had been prodded at like this. Scanning the area quickly enough told him all the story he needed to hear here. This was another expendable in the grand scheme of things even if that expendable was large enough to bring about the end of their world as they knew it. He had alerted Merrill to not approach it anyway for good measure and that was paying off now that he was here. All that would happen from engaging it would be information exchanged at a demerit. For Gate's part he went about this the best he could minus simply ignoring it altogether since it was still inactive. But his intention behind it was plain enough with the withdrawal of the phenomenon that had engaged. Still, this thing's inactivity was the crowning jewel for why this exchange was a demerit. It was left here to fester, but not in order for it to grow stronger. It was likely another asset that was deemed unsuitable for their needs and simply left here for someone to stumble upon and panic when they realized the depth of the issue. For the time being however it was left on its own and had a number of discerning features that distinguished it apart from them enough for him to already know it didn't function like a normal digital being.*
"Then it's about time I experiment with another alternative usage instead of engaging it as well."
*He would hold out his hands as the blue sphere would begin to form. It was the Giga Freeze that was beginning to activate, and with his target in sight from on high, he could let loose without any constraints. He would fire it without hesitation given his target's current simple movements. While it was aimed at the creature, the goal was the world around it rather than the colossus itself. He already didn't have to guess that it wouldn't be frozen itself, but the intention was to freeze the unstoppable behind the immovable. To that end, he also assumed that wouldn't stop it forever, but would leave it immobile long enough for them to not concern themselves with it for the time being. All of this was speculation that he had to make up on the fly and an assumption at best, but a theory that he had considered from the start when he was told about enemies it wouldn't function against. Rather than use it as the ultimate weapon, he could instead use it for another function like this as he had already made his moves to make other adjustments alongside this usage of the potentially world-ending asset.*
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Post by Gaia on Sept 17, 2023 15:08:58 GMT -8
Joining with Xion as he arrived, Laplace transfigured itself into the legendary blade that now wielded the power of the god of its people, an incandescent golden energy flowing from the weapon and offering its power to Xion. While the weapon was without a doubt compromised, Laplace had been working on itself the entire time it had been separated from Burai to attempt to cleanse itself of such impurities, and had found and even obliterated some of them, but it itself was still adapting to the incredible power Le Mu possessed. Regardless, Xion being a wave hybrid would enable Laplace to enhance all of the navi's already incredibly formidable abilities.
As the beast-like wizard hummed and buzzed next to Xion, he realized that he still couldn't directly understand the thing's speech, but that he instead could better translate its intention - help, and how could it provide it?
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Post by Zane on Sept 17, 2023 16:20:46 GMT -8
The first to arrive had departed and two others had joined in its stead. As Gamma shifted its role was when Xion's strike would unfold, aiming instead around the goliath that eclipsed their world than the giant itself. It showed his keen judgment to assess that it itself would be immune to the effects of the weapon, but the world that it still had great effect on wasn't the same. The interaction would create a world around it that was locked out of movement as a double-edged sword. It was incapable of moving through the created feedback loop that was formed, though the same could be said for most any attack that would be used against it now as well. It was ultimately one of the greatest ways available to create a ceasefire by presenting the bigger gun option and utilizing it in a way that it wasn't intended for thanks to the innovative mind that Xion possessed.
And it was a setback that it wouldn't be able to break through immediately just by the proof provided by someone else who knew about interactions with it as well. Those there would even be able to tell that the attempts at taking offensive action had ceased from the Colossus as it instead began to return to the state it was in before the fight was instigated by the other side. How long this ceasefire would last was anyone's guess, but it was safe to say the battle was concluded unless further aggression was instigated by either side.
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Post by Genesis on Sept 17, 2023 16:45:21 GMT -8
*That thought experiment proved to be successful. Of course, using it on the fly off and on without regard could just as easily result in producing the opposite desired result, that is, freezing himself, he would be able to use it like this with more success and calculations once he picked up his finished product that he gathered the parts for and had the work done for on the side. Seeing it more or less return to its original state said that it was in agreement with him that they didn't need to fight this out and risk the collateral damage even if they had Gamma on their side.*
"It makes a lot of sense why he was afraid to use it with reckless abandonment given the world at large or you yourself can become a victim of the weapon you supposedly wield."
*He understood all of this, but he was someone who wouldn't squander what he had available to him. Growth was something he strove for and using something that no one else was willing to tread the path of fit him just fine. As a plus this wasn't exactly the best display of heroism in the standard belief, and he would have to settle for that now that he was here to begin with, a smile he would keep to himself. Rather than sit back and admire his work though, it looked like he found something else that he had a good idea was still here too after Merrill was left with a guest as well, nodding to the wizard.*
"If you really want to help a whole lot, you'll come with me. There's something I need you for now that you're here. Just go through here and I'll be right there."
*A portal would open for Laplace to enter, planning to meet up with it shortly after. He'd be there to explain why after and then he would have to start running down the list of things he had to do now that Joker and Merrill were on the loose. Joker was... well, he was fine where he was probably. His next stop minus the conversation he had to have with the collaborators was that which he could do on his way back with the original purpose of the trip to Sharo.*
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Post by Gaia on Oct 13, 2023 8:09:34 GMT -8
The legendary weapon was given a directive, and as much as it was still unsure of what Xion had in plan, it nodded to the offer. Still working on pulling out as many unrecognizable strings of information from the code it had absorbed, it filtered into the portal to wherever Xion had directed it to go.
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Post by Genesis on Oct 13, 2023 19:29:10 GMT -8
*He wouldn't be long catching up with it. If anything, he could reorganize the sequence of necessary events and go from there since he had to hit all these check marks as quickly as possible given their operation time. The longer he dawdled, the worse those situations became and so he would start to move about as quickly as possible. He was already multi-tasking so those things would be taken care of while he moved to take care of the others that he needed to be directly there about, which meant going to pick up someone now before someone else intercepted them again, looking back one last time.*
"With Sharo gone, it shouldn't be able to come back like everything else. If it can come back, that's a red flag. Iris should be able to tell as much once she makes her move."
*After all no doubt she had tried plenty of times so far to no avail in other areas, so why would Sharo be an exception? ...Well, not like it could exactly serve as a solid lid for a container trying to keep this Colossus down. Food for thought aside, he would flicker out and toward his next destination where he had told someone to go when this had started to escalate.*
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