Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 10:00 AM
Paradox strolled through the halls of his home, his thoughts heavy with concern for Eve and Zeyla after their intense battle with Khaos. The weight of their injuries pressed on his mind as he tended to them, ensuring their recovery continued smoothly. Amidst his caretaking, a sensation prickled at his senses—a subtle awareness of unseen observers, their presence not malevolent but certainly otherworldly.
Brushing aside the feeling for the moment, Paradox sought distraction in a racing game, immersing himself in the virtual thrill of speed. His focus was interrupted by Norika's arrival, her competitive spirit sparking a challenge that drew them into a spirited contest, their victories in the game evenly matched at 20-20.
As Norika departed in search of another opponent, leaving Paradox to his solitude, he wandered into Metro City. The tightened security and advanced police technology were stark reminders of recent disturbances, notably the clash involving Soundwave. Observing the city's heightened vigilance, Paradox noted a bank robbery in progress. With Eve incapacitated and her desire to protect the city weighing on his conscience, he intervened, prepared to act.
Before he could make a move, a laser beam struck the ground, incapacitating the assailant. Paradox marveled at how far this version of Earth had evolved in response to threats they once struggled to handle. Though tempted to take a more proactive role, he restrained himself, mindful of the potential consequences.
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Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 10:01 AM
Meanwhile, in a distant corner of the universe, a woman materialized, her presence exuding an otherworldly aura. She appeared youthful and ethereal, her white hair and crimson eyes a striking contrast against her slender form. Clad in a sleek black jumpsuit adorned with a flowing red scarf, her outfit spoke of both elegance and combat readiness. This was Scarlet, a figure of power and mystery.
Floating effortlessly, Scarlet focused her attention through an Omni-Watch on her wrist, pinpointing her target—Paradox Earth. With a swift concentration of energy, she teleported herself to her destination, finding herself amidst a dense forest.
"This is where he's been hiding," she murmured, her gaze scanning her surroundings as she followed the trail left by her quarry. Eventually, she encountered Orion, Zane, and Clea engaged in what appeared to be a friendly spar.
"Well, well, if it isn't the three of you," Scarlet greeted with a hint of familiarity, her presence commanding their attention. Recognizing her authority, they hesitated, aware of the consequences of their words.
Orion, his voice trembling slightly, broke the silence. "It's been ages since we last saw you, Lady Scarlet."
Zane, quick to respond, added, "Your presence honors us greatly."
Clea, usually reserved, simply nodded in acknowledgment.
With a piercing gaze, Scarlet posed a direct question. "Where is Paradox?" Her tone carried a dangerous edge, hinting at unresolved tensions.
The trio froze, their thoughts racing for a suitable answer. Zane, attempting discretion, vaguely mentioned a city without specifying, hoping to deflect her attention.
Their evasiveness only fueled Scarlet's frustration. Without warning, she unleashed a gravitational force that pinned them to the ground with crushing intensity.
"Why did you have to speak, Zane?" Orion protested, struggling against the force.
Zane resigned, and muttered an apology, realizing his mistake.
Clea, breaking her silence, questioned Scarlet's need for information she could ostensibly discover herself.
"It should be easy, but he's managed to evade my senses," Scarlet admitted with irritation, her resolve unshaken.
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Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 10:30 AM
Meanwhile, back in Metro City, Paradox sensed a foreboding chill creeping up his spine, a premonition of impending danger. Seeking solace in a forest outside the city, he engaged in a light workout to clear his mind before intending to rest.
Returning home, time seemed to halt as he was ensnared in a freeze that paralyzed his movements. A figure emerged from the suspended reality—a familiar face he had hoped not to encounter.
"Scarlet," he gasped in disbelief as she closed the distance between them.
Before he could react, Scarlet struck, her sword piercing his abdomen and rending him in two.
"Now, darling," Scarlet taunted, her voice laced with bitterness, "let's have some fun for all those times ran away from me and ignored me."
Grimacing in pain, Paradox attempted to reason, "I never meant to ignore you—I just needed space," his words faltered under her relentless assault.
Paradox's words were met with a fierce growl as Scarlet swung down her twin blades, Mirage, with deadly precision. These rare swords, capable of cutting through almost anything and transforming at Scarlet's will, should have dealt fatal blows. Yet, to Scarlet's astonishment, they phased harmlessly through Paradox as he imagined them passing through his form. In that split second of confusion, Paradox seized the opportunity to transform into his Omnipotent state, his body swiftly regenerating from any injury inflicted.
"Much better. Why don't we talk this out civilly, Scar?" Paradox attempted to reason, but Scarlet's retaliation was swift—a strike that severed his ear, causing him to bleed.
Paradox pondered in disbelief, 'That shouldn't have hurt me in this form. Could she possess Omnicore, or even wield it? And if so, do the others have it too? If so, I'm in deep trouble.'
"Oh, Paradox, you've adapted yet again," Scarlet remarked dryly. "But this won't save you." She swung her sword in an arc, only to be intercepted by Paradox's scythe.
"So, Scarlet, what brings you to pay me a visit?" Paradox pushed her back with force, but Scarlet was relentless. In an instant, she appeared behind him, disabling his arm effortlessly. She then closed in for a fatal strike at his heart, only to meet resistance from a protective barrier.
Paradox seized the opportunity, gripping her blade and hurling her aside. Scarlet spun mid-air, unleashing her second sword, which phased harmlessly through Paradox thanks to his abilities. He leaped back, but Scarlet closed the distance instantly, her speed surpassing anything he had encountered before. This time, she cleaved his head from his shoulders.
Surprised and momentarily incapacitated, Paradox's head teetered towards the ground before a swift kick redirected it into a nearby tree, preventing a fatal blow. His body began to heal, but the process was noticeably slower—a consequence of repeated exposure to Omnicore.
With an eerie calm, Scarlet stood by, patiently awaiting Paradox's full recovery, aware of his diminished state.
"Give up, Paradox. You cannot defeat me," Scarlet asserted confidently as she approached him slowly.
"Give up? I don't know the meaning of that," Paradox retorted, snapping his fingers to accelerate his healing. Instantly restored, he closed the distance, swinging his scythe at Scarlet. She blocked, but her attire bore multiple cuts from the impact. Paradox followed with a swift kick, which Scarlet deflected before hurling him into the air.
Mid-air, Paradox conjured a black hole and launched it towards Scarlet, who responded in kind. The colliding black holes threatened to engulf Metro City, prompting Paradox to act swiftly. He opened a portal, diverting the catastrophic force into the depths of outer space.
Landing with controlled grace, Paradox induced an earthquake that staggered Scarlet, exploiting her momentary imbalance to launch a lightning-fast assault. Time seemed to slow as he calculated his strikes, his scythe poised for a decisive blow. As Scarlet moved to counter, her sword passed through him, allowing Paradox to tap her lightly on the back.
"What did you do to me?" Scarlet squirmed, clutching her chest in pain.
"I heightened your body's sensitivity. Consider it a lesson," Paradox replied calmly, his scythe resting over his shoulder.
"Fine, I'll stop," Scarlet conceded begrudgingly, her outfit and body returning to normal as she stood up. "But you owe me, Paradox. Make it worth my while."
"Then let's head to my house," Paradox suggested, leading the way as they walked together. However, a gnawing feeling of impending trouble lingered, coupled with the realization that he had forgotten to mention Eve, Norika, and Zeyla to Scarlet—details that could prove disastrous.
Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 10:40 AM
Upon arriving home, Paradox's apprehension escalated as he sensed Scarlet's growing hostility. Her hair obscured her eyes as she gripped her swords, demanding to know about the girls living with him.
Confusion momentarily clouded his thoughts. "What are you talking about?" Then it dawned on him—he had neglected to inform Scarlet, who was infamous for her possessive tendencies.
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Before Paradox could explain, Scarlet pressed a sword against his throat, silencing him instantly.
Just then, Norika teleported into the room, witnessing the tense standoff. Understanding her mother's temperament all too well, Norika hesitated to intervene, only to narrowly dodge a blade aimed at her.
"Now, both of you will answer my questions," Scarlet commanded with authority, compelling Paradox and Norika to comply, seated on the floor, their lives hanging in the balance.
Scarlet's eyes narrowed as she began her interrogation. "Tell me about the other girls living here," she demanded, her grip on her swords unwavering.
Paradox hesitated, but Norika quickly interjected. "Eve is his surrogate sister."
Scarlet's demeanor shifted instantly upon hearing this. "Eve, his sister?" she murmured, her gaze softening as she looked at the comatose girl. "She's beautiful," she added with a surprising warmth. "I vow to protect her."
"And what about Zeyla?" Scarlet asked, her tone sharp once more.
"Zeyla..." Paradox began, but Scarlet cut him off.
"I don't like her. Not one bit," Scarlet declared with an edge of jealousy. "No reason needed. She's just too close to my man."
As the tension eased, Scarlet learned more about the recent events on Paradox Earth. She discovered Eve's heroic status, which endeared her even more. However, when she found out that Paradox had let Eve sustain severe injuries to help her grow, her rage reignited. "You did what?" she screamed, blasting Paradox out of the house with a beam of light.
– A Few Hours Later –
Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 1:35 PM
The house was quiet until the three of them heard unsettling noises from the room where Eve and Zeyla were recovering. Rushing over, they found both girls' bodies rapidly deteriorating, their forms wasting away as if starved for years.
Desperation set in as they tried to use their powers to heal the girls, but nothing worked. Paradox's mind raced, recalling the one person immune to his abilities: Death.
'But this isn't Death's work,' he thought. 'The only other possibility is Famine.'
"I think I know the cause," Paradox announced grimly. "And it's going to be troublesome."
"Who is it?" Norika and Scarlet asked in unison.
"I met someone named Death a while back. She could kill me even in my Omnipotent form," Paradox began.
"Wait, seriously? You were defeated?" Scarlet interjected, her surprise evident.
"Yes, Scarlet. Death isn't someone to take lightly. Remember that if you ever meet her," he cautioned.
Scarlet nodded, though she seemed indifferent. "So, was it Death who did this to them?" Norika asked, tilting her head.
"No. I think it was someone else—Famine. He's one of the Four Horsemen, like Death. You could say they're 'Divine beings.'"
"I doubt he'd be much trouble," Scarlet scoffed. "It's three of us against one."
"You have a point," Paradox conceded. "But we can't underestimate them. I tried to erase Death from existence, and it didn't work."
"You can't be serious, Father. No one should survive that," Norika protested.
Scarlet pointed at Paradox. "He did."
"Oh yeah, Father did that in our battle, didn't he?" Norika realized.
"Let's not waste time. We need to find Famine," Paradox declared, leading them out of the house.
– The Search for Famine –
Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 1:50 PM
Using their Omnipotent senses, they searched for Famine but found nothing. Their senses were being jammed. Annoyed, Scarlet paced back and forth, while Norika punched trees to blow off steam. Paradox couldn't help but sweatdrop at their impatience—they had only been searching for thirty minutes.
Suddenly, Paradox's senses kicked in. He jumped back, narrowly avoiding a bullet. But before he could gather his bearings, his arm began decaying, as if eating itself away.
Norika rushed to help, but the ground came alive, transforming into giant golems that kicked them away, hurling them into the trees. Paradox's body continued to decay, leaving only his heart and the Omni-Watch, to Norika and Scarlet's horror.
They tried to reach him, knowing his healing was somehow impaired, but the golems blocked their path. The golems moved faster than their size suggested, forcing Norika and Scarlet to dodge their powerful attacks. One golem smashed the ground, sending debris flying, which it then spat out at high speed.
Scarlet drew her sword, slicing the debris apart, only to be blindsided by another golem. She barely managed to block the punch with her sword. "These things shouldn't be this tough. I've fought countless golems."
"Mother, these are no ordinary golems," Norika explained. "They're created by Famine. We can't be sure what they're made of or what they can do."
"Fine, but I'm going to destroy them," Scarlet declared. She created a massive wormhole beneath the golems, leading to a black hole. Smirking, she closed the wormhole, but the golems jumped out, unscathed.
"These things are annoying. How strong are they?" Scarlet exclaimed in frustration.
"Mother, we're up against someone on par with the being who defeated Father," Norika reminded her.
"That means nothing. I can defeat Paradox with a single attack if I catch him off guard and want to kill him."
"Really? I knew you were stronger, but not that much stronger."
"Yes, my daughter. The only reason your father escapes is because his imagination fuels his power, and it's stronger than ours. We rely on our physical superiority."
"Well, enough chitchat. Let's focus on the battle at hand."
Before they could act, everything around them warped and bent. In an instant, they were no longer in the forest but in a freezing tundra.
"Great, reality-warping. Just great," they groaned in unison.
Paradox appeared before them, looking healthy and whole. "Hey, girls. Miss me?" he smirked, only to receive a punch from both before being enveloped in a hug.
"Before I 'died,' I discovered this is all an illusion—a very convincing one," Paradox explained.
"So, how do we get out of it?" Norika asked, looking around.
“Yes, the only way to get out is to defeat the core of the illusion, which is not Famine but his horse.”
“A horse? Are you serious?”
“Very serious, Norika. A horse is the one doing all of this, even if you don’t want to believe it.”
“Huff. Fine, but after this, I need to get back to training, and you are training with me whether you like it or not, Father.”
With that, the three of them split up in three directions looking for the horse, but all three end up in different spacetimes, and as they do, they come face to face with alternate versions of themselves.
—With Norika—
Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 1:55 PM
Norika ends up in an area with black flames that burn as hot as the sun itself and are very bright, almost blinding.
Looking around, she searches for the horse of Famine, whatever it may look like.
“Why do I have to look for a stupid horse? I’d much rather fight someone strong.”
“Golly, aren’t you in a mood?”
Norika’s eyes widened as she heard a familiar voice—her own. Turning around, she saw a different version of herself, this one wearing a nearly identical outfit, except it was black and white instead of red and black.
The other version of herself had half-white and half-black hair along with all-white eyes, and an eerie smile plastered on her face.
Before she could react, her arm was cut off by an all-white blade, the same one that she had but instead white.
Unfazed by her arm being cut off, it instantly grew back. Norika pulled out her sword with a smile on her face as well.
“Finally, someone strong I can fight. I don’t care if this is an illusion; you better not bore me or I’ll kill you.”
“My, my, to think you would talk to yourself that way. No matter, let’s dance.”
—With Scarlet—
Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 1:55 PM
Scarlet appeared in a vast desert that was changing from scorching hot to freezing cold every second.
“Hmm, where am I? Seems as if I was separated from everyone and sent to a different dimension.”
Just then, she sensed something. She plunged her sword into the ground, turning the whole desert around her to ice before slamming her foot down and crushing it all, revealing someone hiding underneath the sand.
“Ara, Ara, seems you were able to sense me. I commend you, other me.”
“Other you? You are just an illusion, an illusion I will kill.”
“Oh, lighten up. You already know this is an illusion, so why not enjoy your time?”
Right before Scarlet was a look-alike, another version of herself. Instead of a black jumpsuit, she had an all-red jumpsuit with a black scarf, but her eyes were the most distinctive, being all black.
Right after that was said, time began to flow differently, speeding up and slowing down randomly. But Scarlet was not fazed, as this was one of her own tricks. She grabbed her sword and blocked a strike aimed at her neck, then another aimed at her heart.
“Hmm, this will be a tough battle to fight your own self, or is that what you thought I would say? I have fought and defeated countless different versions of myself,” Scarlet said.
“Haha, well, you will find that this time is far different from the others.”
—With Paradox—
Jun, Tuesday 11, 2007 - 1:55 PM
Paradox was taking a leisurely stroll through the tropical jungle that he was sent to before a giant dinosaur jumped out, attacking him, only to fall lifeless to the ground.
“Come out.”
That’s all Paradox had to say before another version of him stepped out from behind a tree.
This version had black hair and golden eyes, and his outfit was all black.
“I see you found me instantly at that. I commend you.”
Ignoring this, Paradox responded, “I’ll give you two options: Option one, leave and survive, or Option two, stay and die. Which will it be?”
“Jokes. Why would I leave when all I have to do is kill you?”
“Suit yourself. Don’t blame me when you die.”
Paradox appeared in front of his copy, launching a punch that warped the space around it and collided with the copy's face, only for the attack to be reflected back at him, sending him flying backward.
“I see you have a reflection ability, more like your body is a reflection of mine and reflects any physical damage.”
‘I wonder if the girls have to fight clones as well. If so, they will have to deal with the same thing,’ Paradox pondered.
“Correct. Any and all physical attacks are ineffective against me.”
“This battle will be annoying, I can already tell.”
Will Paradox, Norika, and Scarlet be able to defeat their copies and find Famine's horse? Find out next chapter!