Broken society

Not the most humble of beginnings

Azalo-S continues her rift-hopping, exploring the universe as she feels. As Azalo-S enters a weirdly barren world, she sees one man standing away from her. “I've been awaiting your arrival. Let's get straight to the point, though. I'm going to kill you all, every Azalo, former, current, ALL OF THEM. Now you probably wonder where I came from. Let's just say you ruined my time in this universe, and I'm taking it back. Names Someone, yes, just Someone. More formally, go by Paul, but that doesn't matter.” Paul rants, giving Azalo-S more than enough information. Azalo-S opens two rifts behind her, summoning Azalo-V and Azalo-Q. Azalo-Q fires a frost blast, Paul dodging effortlessly and firing a weaker frost blast. Azalo-V nullifies his attack with a small solar flare. “I have a weird feeling he doesn't actually use frost. I can't feel the frost in him.” Azalo-Q points, breaking her years of silence. “You two stall, I'll get everyone,” Azalo-S commands as she opens a rift and runs through.
Azalo-S finds herself in front of Azalo-F; he's meditating. “I already know why you're here. I'll fight, given I won't be bothered during my meditation time again.” Azalo-F bargains, Azalo-S quickly agrees, letting him through the rift to the fight. Azalo-S opens rift after rift, collecting everyone she can. Though, of course, some were issues. As Azalo-S opens a rift, she sees XM-08 fighting off an absolutely huge leviathan, Etho nearby documenting. After around a minute, XM-08 bolts to the surface with Etho, Azalo-S following closely behind. Azalo-S surfaces, landing on the island Etho is on too, “Etho, we need your-” Azalo-S is quickly cut off by Etho, “No, I don't care.” Etho remarks rudely. “This thing is directly affecting whether you will live or not. Just drop your ego for 5 seconds and listen. Someone wants you dead.” Azalo-S criticizes. “Who?” Etho questions. “His name is Someone,” Azalo-S answers hesitantly.  “Okay… You know what, fine, I'll fight. For research.”
Soon, Azalo-S returns to the battlefield, watching every Azalo form up, finally ready to fight as a team. “Where is Werner? You got his robot, but not Werner himself.” Azalo-H questions.  “He’s already fighting something, I'll recheck in 5 minutes,” Azalo-S answers, getting into a fighting stance with the rest.
And here it began, a fight for everybody's life.

An impersonator

Azalo-F charges, slashing forward with his odachi. Paul easily dodges, kicking Azalo-F away while dodging Azalo-HP’s relentless swings. Azalo-R and Azalo-G nearby open fire with their chain guns, adding to the sheer amount that Paul is forced to dodge. “Where the fuck is Etho?” Azalo-H questions -S again. “Hes flying here manually, it wasn't that far, and his Exo mechs couldn't fit through my rifts.” Azalo-S swiftly answers before rushing Paul. Paul grabs Azalo-S as she attempts a strike, whipping her into Azalo-HP as he charges. Azalo-HP’s nano bots reform into a net to catch Azalo-S, letting her fire a herd of cascading bulls at Paul.


The bulls implode after making contact, sending various shockwaves through the air. Azalo-A4 falls into the battle from nearby, twirling both her swords while leaping straight towards Paul. Paul conjures an explosion around him, the shockwave hardening into glass and shattering at the lightest touch. Azalo-S turns the glass shards into paper swans, setting them all on fire as Azalo-G rushes into battle, getting up in Paul’s face. Azalo-G conjures a golden spork, stabbing at Paul. Paul catches the stab, breaking the spork before Azalo-G slams a large hammer into his side. Azalo-A2 follows up, catching Paul and jabbing him with his battering ram. Azalo-A1 follows up again, kicking Paul straight to Azalo-A4, who continues the triangle. Paul suddenly dropkicks Azalo-A1, Azalo-R firing his chain gun at the break. Azalo-H throws his spade directly at Paul as Azalo-F readies a strike, taking out a second odachi. “Art of Odachi, page 4, line 23. Whirling winds.” Azalo-F chants before rushing straight at Paul, slashing at him over and over, forming a small tornado around them with his sheer speed. Paul grabs one of his odachi, snapping the sacred metal to pieces and forcing Azalo-F back. Azalo-Q freezes the ground where Paul stands, Azalo-V overhead shoving density into a large boulder and throwing it directly at Paul. Paul conjures a large shield, the boulder turning into a mist at contact. Paul breaks out the ice effortlessly, rushing Azalo-Q. -Q pulls frost from the air around, forcing a large wall of fire around her. Paul rips straight through it, grabbing Azalo-Q and tearing her straight in half while copying her magic to resist her absolute zero temperatures. Azalo-Q fades into snowflakes, one down. “I told you, you didn't listen. Now you’ll all follow her.” Paul states. Though the two powerhouses of the Azalo race have yet to arrive, here comes one. 

“IT'S ME”

A bright flash of light is seen in the distance, a large figure walking from it with his arm wide, acting as cocky as he is. “About time I came by. Anyway, SURVEYS. NOW.” Werner roars, getting into a running stance as Paul conjures a great bow from mana with a strange glowing arrow. Werner charges, grabbing the arrow out of the air as Paul fires it and stabbing him. Werner kicks Paul back and follows up with a brutal rushdown, sending Paul into a nearby clearing. Suddenly, XM-08 lands directly atop Paul; he is forced to lift the entire newly upgraded Exo mech. Etho is seen above, all 4 Exo mechs looking far more terrifying than before he upgraded them, of course. Paul chucks the mech away, firing a tow boat at Werner. Werner effortlessly catches the boat, “HEY, DID YOU LOSE THIS?” Werner mocks as he throws the boat back at Paul, reducing the boat to ash before blocking the inferno cannon on XF-06 with his mana shield. XF-06 fires its kinetic railgun, shattering the shield and taking Paul’s arm off. Werner rushes as hes staggered, kneeing Paul straight up and axe kicking him straight down. Azalo-A4 grabs Paul off the ground as Werner hits him with a foot dive. Both Werner and Azalo-A4 wind a right haymaker, their punches landing at the same time and nullifying the knockback. Azalo-A4 begins her punch barrage, and Werner follows suit. Paul is stuck in between their barrages, quickly using magic to fill the air around him with density. Azalo-A4 is rapidly pushed away, Werner planting his feet and staring directly at Paul.

Werner winds a powerful right hook as Paul turns the gravity up, though not stopping Werner in any way. Paul pulls his offense for defense as Werner throws the punch. Azalo-G appears to catch Paul out of the air as Azalo-K chucks his spear full force. Paul is nailed to a wall by the spear, Azalo-G, overclocking his weapon conjuring. Azalo-G forms the largest mace he physically could, Werner grabbing it and slamming it straight into Paul, who's still pinned to the wall. Paul escapes the shattering mountain, forming a ball of light and throwing it at Werner. Azalo-F attempts to slash the ball, the ball tearing through his odachi and hitting him. Azalo-F’s entire body dematerializes, fading off reality itself. Azalo-V grabs Paul, shoving density into the part she grabbed as Werner rushes. Werner grabs Paul by the throat, slowly choking him. “I'll kill you for that,” Werner says before throwing a powerful jab to send Paul flying. Azalo-M’s mech catches Paul, detonating its powercore instantly. Paul absorbs the energy, “IM FUCKING DONE WITH THIS.” Paul roars, charging a reality-erasing beam. Etho rushes to XM-08, shoving 2 extra Terra Cores into its capacitor, “Give him everything you got, buddy.” Etho mutters to the mech. XM-08 charges its mouth cannon, forcing Paul to turn and beam clash with it. Azalo-S appears next to the mech, using an improvised version of the frost to rapidly cool the mech. As every other Azalo attempts to rush Paul, a powerful energy wave rips through the air at every attempt. Werner tears through the energy waves slowly, his skin burning off, though he couldn't care less. XM-08 swiftly burns through 2 Terra Cores, Etho pulling his ‘Last resort.’ Etho throws the ball at the beams, an incredible explosion the size of a nuclear bomb ripping outward, killing some Azalo while leaving everyone else heavily injured. Azalo-L finds himself needed, dumping every bit of energy he has to heal everyone. Werner pushes Azalo-L back as he attempts to heal him, “Go heal the others, I'll hold this piece of shit off.” Werner commands before popping a stage 1 heal burst. “Y’know, I’ve only ever pushed my will and strength. It's about time I pushed how fast I can REALLY get my body moving.” Werner says before taking a running stance, creating up to 10 after images as he pushes his speed. At that moment, Werner has unlocked a new ability: Stat-specific Bursts. Werner pops a stage 3 speed burst, his sheer velocity overclocking itself as his body fights to adapt to his new speed. Werner roars out, circling Paul with over 50 after images. “IS THIS TOO FAST? I CAN GO EVEN FASTER.” Werner mocks, him popping another stage 2 speed burst and adding to his sheer amount of speed. Werner’s after-images almost double, his speed truly being put to the test. Suddenly, Werner grabs Paul, dragging him out and to a different planet. “NOW I HAVE NO BOUNDERIES!” Werner roars ecstatically. He starts his great sprint, starting slow and gradually speeding up. Paul attempts to fire many magic bolts at Werner, attempting to freeze him and using shockwaves to disrupt his speed. Though to no avail. Werner pops another stage 2 speed burst, soon circling all around the entire planet. Werner stops in front of Paul, his skin somehow still on him. “Would you rather be a coffee table or a chandelier?” Werner softly questions, but Paul is unable to answer. Werner grabs Paul again, sending him back to the original planet.

Let's try that again, shall we?

Azalo-G instantly rushes as Paul slams back into the planet, overclocking and pulling out two Desert Eagles. Azalo-G takes 2 shots; Paul grabs the bullets out of the air before a swift interruption as Azalo-G pulls a lance for a quick thrust. Paul catches the second thrust, snapping the lance in two. Azalo-G swaps the lance for a hammer, swinging twice before throwing multiple slashes with a katana. Paul rapidly heals before catching the next slice to snap the katana in half, two gauntlets appearing on Azalo-G’s hands for quick hand-to-hand combat. Paul uses agility in an attempt to overpower Azalo-G, -G, swapping the gauntlets for a knife for faster strikes. Paul’s dodges become shallow, allowing Azalo-G to hit a powerful horizontal swing with his axe twice. Paul conjures a powerful shield, Azalo-G charges and shatters his shield with an overhead mace slam. Paul swiftly rushes at his shield's destruction, having to dodge two great sword swings followed by many slashes from 2 short swords. Paul attempts to grapple, Azalo-G backing up for a shotgun blast with Werner’s 2 gauge before finishing with a diagonal long sword slash and flourish. Azalo-S opens a rift beneath Azalo-G, forcing him to evade Paul's powerful mana blast. Paul redirects his focus to -S, throwing an incredibly dense orb, it ballooning into a giant explosion. Every Azalo is forced back; everyone, including Paul, is on their last bit of strength. Azalo-L suddenly rushes Paul as he's distracted, landing his palm right on Paul's chest and using soul manipulation. “SOUL MANIPULATION, COLLAPSE!” Azalo-L chants, his body instantly spewing blood as he directly damages Paul’s soul, dealing significant damage. Paul sweeps -L’s legs, palm striking him away. “Soul manipulation, that’d come in handy,” Paul mutters. Azalo-S quickly grabs -L and pulls a shield over them as every Azalo stands in Paul’s way. Werner grabs Paul in a chokehold, Etho flying through and grabbing Paul out of Werner’s grasp. “It's about time I demonstrate the true capability of my suit. I didn't upgrade it to the EXY for no reason now.” Etho throws Paul straight down, some nano bots clinging to him and working like thermite. Paul repels the burning nano bots before dodging 300 micro missiles. Paul destroys the missiles while dodging, the nano bots returning to Etho. XF-06 fires its kinetic nuke at Paul, sending him flying with Etho following closely behind. Paul stops time briefly, resuming as he appears behind Etho. Etho swiftly whips his body around, grabbing Paul's kick and throwing him into the ground again. XM-08 flies in from nearby, dropping straight to Paul. Paul repels the mech using reality manipulation; his mana capacity is reaching its limit. Azalo-V lands atop XM-08, using her magic to reinforce the mech and add to its mass. Paul struggled to hold the mech up, his strength and magic reaching their last strings. Paul instantly repels the mech, using up much of his last bits of mana.
Paul stands again, “I've had enough of this. New Spirit Technique; Page 10, Spiritual Awakening.” Paul is engulfed in power as he calls his awakening, the energy being razor sharp. “Veiled rage, curtains of power,” Paul mutters, his body fully healed. Werner lands nearby, one sentence from him shaking the entire planet. “Stage 5 burst,” Werner calls out, a single shock ripping through the air and turning off gravity with its power, the entire planet destabilized.

Paul lays eyes on Werner again, his body is… Normal? Werner flashsteps all around the shattered parts. Multiple after-images appear as Paul is knee struck by Werner from a nearby rock chunk. Nearby Azalo-S regroups with Azalo-V. “You need to make this place back into a planet.” Azalo-S requests. “I don't have enough strength for that scale of gravity,” Azalo-V answers through breaths. “But I do,” Azalo-S says before grabbing Azalo-V’s head, using an improvised version of Identity manipulation to send every chunk of the planet into itself, reforming the entire planet. Azalo-Q reforms due to the imbalance of heat, freezing the entire planet over. Werner continues to fight Paul, their match-up being almost imperceivable though very close. Werner is suddenly slammed into the planet, his body reverted to his original form. Sudden balls of light are seen, forming near the same spot where Azalo-F was erased. A sudden shock of energy and light surges out, Azalo-F walking… Alive? “You don't decide when I fall. I AM SACRIFICE ITSELF.” Azalo-F roars, teleporting behind Paul for a powerful drop kick. Paul attempts to fire an arcane beam, Azalo-F, using sanguinair to disrupt his body from his soul. “No magic, THROW MY HANDS!” Azalo-F commands, Paul rising for hand-to-hand. Azalo-F starts with a leg sweep, Paul dodging and attempting an axe kick. Azalo-F catches the kick, body slamming him into the ground with a follow-up kick. Paul rushes Azalo-F, hitting a quick jab and side kick. Azalo-F grapples the side kick, landing a right hook to the face. Paul slams Azalo-F into the ground, trying to punch his head in. Azalo-F catches the punch, slamming Paul into the floor beside him. Paul swiftly gets up, slamming the floor for a disrupting shock before charging Azalo-F, hitting a powerful haymaker. Azalo-F slams into a nearby mountain; he’s finished. Paul reconnects his soul, firing a reality-erasing beam at Werner. Werner suddenly appears behind Paul, grappling him in a choke-hold. “GET HIM NOW!” Werner commands fiercely as Paul struggles out of the hold. Every Azalo forms up what energy they have, firing many beams straight at Paul and Werner. XM-08 gets into a stance; every Exo mech attaches to it to form one giant cannon. Etho puts his last 3 Terra Cores into the mech, firing it off. Werner and Paul’s bodies quickly start to disintegrate, though only one of their wills is breaking. “I said you’d die for that. I'm no liar.” Werner whispers to Paul. As the beams reach their peak of light, all the energy explodes out at once.
All the Azalo look back at where Werner is, and Paul is gone. Werner stands there, burning, half alive, disintegrating. “Werner… Are you… okay?” Azalo-G questions weakly. Werner stands there, his body showing few signs of life. Werner’s head suddenly rises slightly, a single sentence coming from his battered form. “I really hate those humans.” Werner weakly mutters.
That was it, Paul is gone, Werner is dead, half of the Azalo race is dead. This day extracted a heavy toll. Suddenly, with a black flash of lightning, Azalo-E appears. “Billions of years dedicated to that thing. Yet some of your wills couldn't be suppressed. I give you my praise, all of you.” Azalo-E says before leaving as fast as she came.
After a true battle, the Azalos have won.