The immense chamber experiences an eerie stillness, shrouded in a discernible emptiness that sends shivers down the spines of friends and foes alike. All eyes fixate on the room's center as a fleshy cocoon ruptures, unleashing a torrent of vivid purple liquid. From this strange birthing comes a humanoid figure, resembling a silhouette with enigmatic gaps traveling from head to toe, as if its natural form is concealed by an invisible shroud. A potent force emanates from this covered being, a force...

... that instills fear in all who bear witness.

Adrian "No... G-Guys. Be... B-Be careful... Th-That monster. Don't. Get. C-Close. F-For... Too. L-L-Long. N-Ne-Need... S-Strong. Will..."

Kroma "Mr. Adrian!"

The colossal figure succumbs to the ground, his flesh and mind succumbing to his injuries.

Kroma and Tom dash forward, their tear-streaked faces betraying their grief. Their pursuit, however, halts when they spot a serene smile gracing Adrian's countenance. On the fringes of this solemn scene, Zeta sneers, his arms morphing into metallic scythes.

An electric charge arcs between them, causing Zeta to recoil.

Zeta "What the-

Kanji "Good job, Adrian. Thank you for your work. Now! Azan, Mina, Amelia, Gwen! Come to me! Everyone else try your best to distract that thing!"

Zeta "HOW DARE CALL MY MASTER A "THING"?! WHAT SHOULD BE "THINGS" ARE YOU APES WHEN I'M FINISHED WITH YOU?!"

Kroma "HA! Where did your fancy language go? Or are you scared?"

Zeta "ME. Scared? Ha. Ha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His form mutates into that of a gargantuan mantis bristling with excessive spikes, and his metal arms lunge for a deadly grasp.

Kanji unleashes a surge of electricity, prompting his comrades to shield themselves. However, the jolt has no effect on anyone except Zeta, as his metallic body causes his arms to overcharge and miss their mark. In tandem, Kroma and Tom deliver synchronized slashes to an exposed joint of Zeta's arm, causing it to sever. Zeta bellows in fury...

John "No, my son, my sweet Zeta. No need for anger. It is a futile emotion against these fools. I foresee this battle is of no consequence. A more important task awaits, as per the Great Doctor's orders."

The invisible aura surrounding John condenses, forming first into a triangle, then a square, and ultimately a sphere.

John "Shaping the collective consciousness proves effortless thanks to my extraordinary mind. Now, a question remains- How far?"

Tom "Brother... this mysterious aura. It's just like... that time. I wonder if I can. No, let's focus on the mantis."

John's unseen energy expands, forcing everyone to retreat and press against the nearest wall. The group observes him methodically inspecting the floor. In response, Diana initiates an attack by breaking a chunk of the ground, and compressing it into a ball. With an athlete's precision, she launches it forward, accompanied by Claire's bolts, Sarah's ring, and Dave's pebbles.

With a swift dash, the projectile speeds past John.

John "Why you-

He easily vaults over Claire's bolts and Sarah's ring.

John "Fucking apes-

A barrage of pebbles erupts from both sides, but he manages to evade them all except for one that finds its mark on his left shoulder.

SCREEEEEEEEE!

The room resonates with a dreadful scream as the invisible forces around him spiral into chaos. However, this tumultuous maelstrom quickly dissipates, returning to its spherical form. Unfazed, John resumes counting.

John "A total of five steps. Not sure if that's a good amount. I'll get the answer once I meet with the doctor. Now... for the effects."

With a single step, he closes the distance to Zeta, causing Kanji's group to tremble and Kroma to fall unconscious.

Kanji "Argh! My head! Everyone! Carry Kroma and get back!"

They hastily retreat from John's sphere, a wave of relief washing over them as if a giant's grip on their heads had loosened. The physical effects have dissipated, but an odd sensation lingers.

Gwen "What an odd side effect! It's specific yet persistent, like a meter filling up to about 2 percent."

Kanji "Care to elaborate?"

Gwen "It's like getting gradually tired, akin to drowsiness. After a while within his space, we'd fall asleep. Think of it like a progress bar that reaches 100 percent."

Azan "We were there for exactly 2 seconds. Meaning, we can't afford to stay next to him no longer than 2 minutes."

Mina "Wait, if it is tiredness then we would also feel the effect of it. I think I can already feel the difference-

Their conversation is paused by the sound of laughter.

Zeta "Such magnificent power. I can my mind slipping away already, Lord. Ha!"

John "Okay, that answers that question. It also hurts right?"

Zeta "Why of course! Although, this pain is more of a nuisance."

John "Excellent, Zeta. I'll get out of your hair and take care of those pesky apes. I trust that you can handle them."

Zeta "Yes, sire. I can take them with two arms tied behind my back."

John "... just be careful."

John dashes away and begins chasing down Diana's team who decides to split off.

Kanji "Great tactics guys! Keep it going!"

Gwen "Pss. Everyone. This Zeta freak has stayed for about 50 seconds. Think of it as like having an accuracy debuff."

Azan "So now would be the opportunity to charge in. Right?"

Amelia "Yes, can't wait to test these bloody babies against that metal."

Kanji "Normally, I would organise every to take specific roles. But to not be a control freak, just this once. I'll let you guys take the wheel. Tom, you take care of her. Everyone... Let's charge!"

He leads with three verticle swings.

Zeta dodges the first two but the last hit him square on the head, causing an electrical current to travel across his body in a loop. Amelia and Azan charge, followed closely by Mina and Gwen. With a quick calculation, he marks their position and launches out his scythes but the timing was a bit earlier and faster causing them to miss. Remarking on the overcharge he got from the current, a nasty grin manifested along his visage.

Pulling his arms back... He prepares... and launches a barrage of cuts.

The four wielders try to use their weapons to guard, the attacks are too fast but they have no choice but to use their arms to block. Slowly, their limbs begin to bleed more and more until even small chunks of flesh are coming out. Kanji sprints into the scene and Zeta spreads a part of his barrage toward Kanji. Fortunately, it gave a window for Azan to activate his watch, protecting the group. Seeing the futility, Zeta redirects all of his scythes toward Kanji who masterfully dodges for a few seconds before disappearing.

Zeta "Where did he-

Kanji reappears from the electrical current on Zeta's body.

Kanji "Time to end this- W-What t-the...

A large tail has struck his chest though misses his heart by a few inches.

Acting quickly, Kanji delivers kicks infused with heat strong enough to melt a part of Zeta's legs but also knocks him over. He looks to the side and smiles, seeing Gwen and the others bandaged and healed. They leap in unison with Azana and Amelia coming down with their blades, piercing the cultist's back and releasing a flow of green blood. Desperate, Zeta twists his scythes and attempts to strike them but Mina rushes in. She hugs the two scythes together and turns them into dust.

Gwen reaches for the blood and it all vanishes.

Gwen "That made quick word of him. I didn't expect he would take advantage of your boost."

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Kanji "It was a slight oversight on my part. Now let's help the others."

They travel the left and John's aura manages to corner Dave and Claire. He lets out a maniacal laughter before moving forward. A pinch of pain collides against the side of their head and dizziness takes over. The pair looks at each other and darts off in two directions. A long whip-like appendage fires toward Dave but he puts his bat to the side, blocking it.

Dave then performs a slide escaping from John's mind field.

Claire attempts the same strategy but the strange shadowy whip strikes her leg and she goes flying back into the corner. Feeling that escape is no longer an action, she holds her crossbow and fires—

The bolts either reflect off him or miss him entirely.

John "You are weak and pathetic little fool."

Claire "Wow. Super original villain monologue."

John "Die!"

Shing!

A knife's blade intercepts the cult leader's punch and it is followed up by a powerful swing of a frying pan, knocking him way enough for the girls to exit the sphere. Claire looks in relief to see Amelia carrying her back to the group as blurry as her vision.

Amelia "Poor lass looks like she's about to pass out."

Azan "She was in there for about 70 seconds."

Gwen "Here's a more important question. How come you don't seem affected? No... it can't be. Mentalmitosis?"

Dave "Bros. I just heard yah. Man, I knew that shit be broken."

Kanji "Amelia. Although, we never tried this before but... can you share that ability using connect?"

Amelia "I'll give it a shot."

She activates Connect but nothing happens... the exhaustion remains.

Kanji "It was worth a shot. That leaves us no choice. For once, Amelia. You'll lead the charge and try to conserve as much of your power as possible. Focus on physical attacks. I have a gut feeling that illusions will not work on him."

John "This is quite... bothersome. Your ability wasn't listed in the addendums. At least, it would've been hard to tell. Let's test how long you can last."

Amelia goes into a full sprint, dragging both of her weapons behind her, ready to strike. As she reaches the one-foot distance, her right hand swings up in a crescent slash only for it to be blocked by the shadowy whip. The force of the blow washes away the fog that obscures John's appearance, making himself known to the chamber. He is a new man... no more like a monster, standing about 8 feet and roided up muscles. He wears nothing but a fleshy skirt made from the hollow husk of his former being. Wrapped around his neck is a large bristle-covered creature with razor-sharp almost steel-colored legs which blocks Amelia's attack.

John "My turn. The doctor said that unification allows me to... USE MY SUBJECTS' POWERS!"

A dark metallic sheen spreads along his torso before covering his shoulders as he delivers a charge attack.

She attempts to block it but her frying pan is just a second late— The Aspect of Reality is flung across the room. Her companion is thankful to find her barely conscious. Gwen quickly diagnoses that her spine is broken and her back is full of cuts. Hearing this, Sarah relinquishes all of her supplies and takes hold of her weapons. Diana cranks her knuckles, ready to join the conflict.

Noah "Err... shouldn't we stop them?"

Kanji "Fighting on twos might be the best choice here. That way not all of us would be infected by that aura. While they fight, let's shoot for an opening."

She tosses the ring across the room but John effortlessly dodges... only to move into her Zweihander. With a heavy swing, the blade cuts across the left side of his abs. The worm creature lashes out with a shotgun of bristles but she lets go of the handle, narrowly dodging the projectiles. John follows up aiming for her stomach and as his fists make contact, he can feel something tucking Sarah back. It was Diana! She pulls her friend aside and delivers a gut punch of her own.

John flinches... noticing blood pooling from his mouth.

John "Impressive... but not enough-

He slips... Was the ground always this slippery? He looks at Diana and the cultist sees a yellow aura emit from her soles. She is about to hammer down her fists when a pair of dragonfly wings sprout from his back allowing him to escape to the air. Their tiredness level has reached critical mass, and the pair falls to sleep.

John "Ha! See! This is a pointless battle!"

A crossbow bolt, an electric blast, a metal ring, and a flaming axe strike his wing, sending him crashing back down.

John "What the... how?! How were you that fast?! I could have seen it with these eyes!"

Azan "Nothing is faster than my imagination, old man."

Noah "Yeah, he's right. How about you just pass on already, old fart."

Mina "Guys... those are such lame burns."

Taking advantage of the distraction, Claire jumps in and tries her best to drag Sarah and Diana to Kanji. However, Her mind too succumbs to sleep. Gwen and Kanji look at each other in worry at their dwindling numbers. With a sigh, they decide to take the three into the subspace for safety.

Gwen "Things aren't looking so good. Although it appears that we can harm him. His prior wounds have already healed."

Kanji "It does seem like he has all the powers that his minions possessed. I have been taking notes of things he says and thinking that his power is related to the mind or specifically the consciousness. I have a theory that his powers work like a network effect of these consciousnesses."

Gwen "... Ummm, if it is a network then we need a scalpel. Something that cut veins between the consciousness. No stress, we shall assist and observe for now."

Noah takes up his axe and points at John's face.

John "You think that flimsy tool can harm ME!!"

He jumps back and pulls the giant tungsten Zweihander from his torso. The sound of bending steel caused the wielders to cover their ears. With a loud snap, the cultist immediately throws the broken pieces at Noah. Mina and Azan kick them away as they brandish their swords.

Noah "You guys ready? He may seem invincible but we must keep trying!"

Mina "That's oddily optimistic of you, Noah! But yeah! Let's get this, bitch!"

Azan "Very well. You two follow my lead!"

His darkened wings flap with absurd speed and Azan closes the distance, his saber aiming for John's forehead. A metallic growth covers the cultist's arm as he easily shrugs off the wielder's attack. With one eye focused on him, the other watches for Mina's blade which John narrowly dodges by stepping back. The strange worm-like creature growls and performs a firework of bristles around him, causing both wielders to be on the defensive.

John "That was a futile attempt. Wait. Where's the third one?"

Noah ".... TAKE THIS!"

From the sky, a fiery axe chomps down, decapitating John into halves.

His comrades look in awe, assuming that they have achieved victory. However, the moment of bliss doesn't last as his corpse is quickly stitched back together like straight out of a horror movie. With a sinister grin, he gives them a middle finger before letting out a psychotic laugh.

John "Do you understand now?! It is pointless! This is the end! I can sense the hour of your end at hand!"

Stricken by fear, the trio reunites with Kanji and the rest of their allies.

Azan "I really hope you have something in mind cause I can feel like I'm about to go out. No amount of coffee can help me at this point."

Kanji "I'm still thinking about how we can sever his consciousness unless... your powers can help?"

Azan " I can't even imagine where to start with that."

Dave "Yo, bros. Tombro here got some shit to say."

Gwen "What is it, my dear specimen?"

Tom "I would like it if you won't refer to me as just, a creepy friend. Anyhow, I'm here to relay a strange occurrence that happened when I made contact with that spherical aura of his earlier."

Noah "Hold on a minute! You can tell what its shape is like?! I know it is circular but I wasn't sure."

Tom "Yes, indeed. And it is also made of tiny spectral ants."

Amelia "We clearly didn't know about that part. What other interesting bits have you found?"

Tom "Well... you see-

In a similar fashion, an aura emanates from Tom, although it's less aggressive than John's.

Kanji "You appear to have the same power. How? Unless... your experience during the sea of consciousness has to do something with it. But enough with the ifs! Do you think you can cut through his aura?"

Tom "... Yes. Yes! I can! In fact, I can do one better."

Kanji "I don't understand what you mean but I'll trust you. Everyone! This is our last stand! Even if we faint, we need to make way for Tom."

The group nods in agreement. Kanji hoists Tom's ant-like form, onto his shoulder. John looks at the group with intrigue, barely noticing the aura that Tom is emitting. Dave's bat transforms into a net, capturing John and his worm companion, while Azan and Mina dash forward with their blades, restraining his arms.

Noah, with a determined leap, descends once more with his axe.

In response to his severed limbs, John's body undergoes a sinister transformation. A dark metallic shell envelops him, and he bulks up with more muscles. He spins, effortlessly tossing the wielders aside, sending them crashing into the walls. Reaching the tiredness threshold, the four combatants drift into slumber. Nevertheless, their sacrifice isn't in vain, as Kanji and Tom seize the chance to close the distance.

Kanji/Amelia/Gwen "Tom! Now!"

An electric blast paralyzes John, and roots erupt from the floor, ensnaring him.

Tom "On it!"

Tom extends one of his insectoid legs, poised to carve into a peculiar segment of John's aura. However, his intentions are thwarted by John's loyal worm companion. Luckily, with a swift move, Amelia sees the creature knocked aside with her trusty frying pan, granting Tom another opportunity. With precision, Tom's legs slice through John's aura, causing it to splinter into numerous, smaller spheres. Each sphere carries a distinct image on its surface, resembling the parts of insects like the wings of a dragonfly.

Amidst these ethereal images, Tom singles out one that resembles a grotesque, fleshy blob.

Tom "Found you!"

Driven by a relentless fury, Tom repeatedly carves away at the sphere until it dissolves. However, this distraction provides ample time for the remaining spheres to regroup, reviving John's presence in the battle. The cultist regards Tom with genuine fear, instinctively stepping back.

John "Who... What are you?! Why do you possess such a glorious form?! Why are you siding with the humans?! Why have you come to punish me?!"

Tom "You know who I am... It's me, brother."

John "Bro-Brother? Ha. Hahahahaha! What nonsense?! I have no brother!"

Tom "Fine... keep living in your own delusion! This is the end!"

Just as Tom prepares to launch another attack, a figure steps forward, intercepting the impending strike.

John "HA! Nice job, Azora! Distract them while I make my escape!"

Tom "A-Azora. Honey? My baby girl! Are you okay?! Speak to me!"

Azora "Is that... What is that voice?... It feels... familiar... like home. Da-Daddy. I... I want to go home."

Tears stream down Tom's ant-like face while his companions look on with sorrow.

This sorrow swiftly transforms into anger as they give chase to John. Reaching the far end of the chamber, the desperate cultist makes a gory decision. He opens his skull and removes half of his brain. With focus, all of his remaining mental aura coalesces around the brain matter. He uses his worm companion to bind it tightly before flinging it across the room. Upon impact, it forms a massive, impenetrable wall.

John "You heretics may have won this time! But there will always be a next time! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

Pressing a concealed button, the room trembles, causing openings on opposing walls to converge into one, resembling an airplane tunnel.

Tom "Shit! He is getting away!"

Kanji "Calm down, Tom. I hear something. Everyone listen closely..."

John, with a smirk, climbs into the opening only to be met with the deafening roar of engines and the screech of metal scraping against the walls. As he peers deeper, he spots a rapidly approaching cluster of lights and panic begins to take hold. But it's too late, as a meteor-class spaceship collides with his body, hurtling him into the barrier and shattering both it and his bones. The wielders duck for cover, observing the vessel as it passes through another tunnel. In that brief moment, Amelia could swear she recognized some familiar faces among the passengers. Leaving the two brothers to their unresolved conflict, the wielders retrieve their fallen comrade, using what remains of their healing supplies.

Tom "Quite the lucky accident. Any last words, you psychopath?"

John "... Who even... Who are you?"

Tom "No, I wanted to tell you to your face but I think it is better off you rot in hell asking yourself that question. Oh, you said something about this body. Are you jealous?"

John "After all the sacrifice, I could barely achieve that kind of form. It must be Karma. FUCK YOU! I HATE YOU! WHY COULDN'T BE ME?!"

Tom pierces through John's mouth, marking the end of the cult's reign.