It was too early to confront an enemy like the Satan Leviathan, CaoCao belatedly realized, narrowly dodging another ice spell.
"Is this all, evildoer?!" the Magical Girl wannabe laughed, twirling her wand. "You bring dishonor upon your Sacred Gear!"
"You, devil in sheep's clothing," he smiled, despite having lost a few fingers to frostbite already, "will not defeat us humans! O Spear. The true Holy Spear which pierces through God-"
"Yeah, no," Serafall Leviathan's eyes narrowed, abruptly serious. "Celsius Cross Trigger!"
However, her attack was intercepted by a portal.
"-Suck the ambition of the King of Domination sleeping within me and pierce through the gap of blessing and destruction-"
"CaoCao," a magician peeked from another portal - Dimension Lost? How many Longinus did this faction have?! "We retrieved the Masquerade Breaker. We should retreat."
"-I suppose so," thankfully, the chinese teen stopped the chant for the Truth Idea. "And the rest of the team?"
"Already back at the base."
"Then," the CaoCao guy nodded. "Farewell, Serafall Leviathan. I sincerely hope you won't genocide these mushroom people."
And then her opponents disappeared.
"...Masquerade Breaker… I suppose that's a great nickname for that Soma girl," she sighed, overlooking the panicking humans and mushroom people beneath. "Well, I suppose it's time for the Miracle*Levia-Tan to shine!"
She hummed, considering how to approach the spooked mundanes, but then…
"Lady… Serafall…" and then, a wet cough.
Feeling dread, she turned around, and saw her Rook, Behemoth, in a horrible, horrible state: one front paw completely torn off a lot of deep cuts, and several seemingly completely through holes in his torso and head, all bleeding deeply.
"Oh no," she gasped, flying to him and holding his head in her hands. "We need to get back, now."
And then she triggered the teleport back to her Human World base.
"Phoenix Tears, now!!!" she shouted at the workers here.
***
As they arrived back at the Hero Faction HQ, CaoCao collapsed where he stood, True Longinus dismissing itself.
"Leonardo, get Phoenix Tears," Georg ordered, and the small teen hurried away. "Anyone else injured? Masquerade Breaker Team?"
Yumi looked at Izayoi, whose hair was barely ruffled, and at Jin, who looked as perfect as he was summoned, then at Jessica, who was the sniper and therefore away from the battle, and shook her head.
"Where's Sakura, Butler and Chiyo?" she asked instead.
"We sent the latter two to prepare for your arrival," Georg replied. "Arthur is still trying to teach your pink-haired friend how to wield a sword."
"Which of these can send us back," the blonde sword wielder frowned. "Call them here."
"Lord Jin," the redhead swordswoman sighed. "These people need our help, plus there is a prophecy of a Black Beast-like thing escaping in the near future. We should stay."
The guy pursed his lips.
"Ah," Georg fixed his glasses. "Usually CaoCao does the speech, but… we are a faction of humans that are concerned about the inhumans doing shit like mindwipes and murder, so we are trying to get them to fuck off. That said, we are new, and need all the help…"
"Yeah, and they're trying to be heroes!" Izayoi added. "Jin, this is a chance to help the future heroes of this world to save everyone!"
"Fine," the blond nodded, then turned to Yumi. "You better summon my brother here."
"I can't aim at all," she replied. "I can try to roll the dice, but there is no guarantee I'd get him."
"Try anyway."
Mentally punching the glass wall, Yumi sighed.
Spoiler: CRACK!16-20; 5
https://naruto.fandom.com/wiki/Genjutsu
A branch of Yin Release techniques that allow the person to control the five senses of the target; distributed to CaoCao as most compatible, with an awareness of the effect.
CaoCao, whose hand Leonardo was fussing over, suddenly gasped, still unconscious, and went slack.
'You distributed a powerful ability to him,' Wisdom told her. 'He now can use illusions.'
"We really need a healer," the second-in-command nodded. "We should look into getting one."
"Again," Jin insisted.
Spoiler: CRACK!2.2-1
https://honkaiimpact3.fandom.com/wiki/Kallen%27s_Chocolate
A piece of cake; due to nat1, it is spoiled and lands in Yumi's hair.
…yuck! It was in her hair!!!
"Yikes," Jessica sighed. "Commander, go wash off this rotten cake. I'll accompany you."
***
As Ochre activated his Semblance and touched the bare flesh of the giant, he suddenly… collapsed into orange water?!
And then the giant stirred, thankfully just shuddering a bit.
Someone screamed.
"Calm down!" Ozpin shouted, ready to interfere. "We all knew we didn't know what would happen! Take note of this and update your approach accordingly!"
"He collapsed into bloody water!!!" a researcher, Olivia Gainsborough, shouted. "How are we supposed to research this thing if it kills us?!"
"Do not touch it with bare hands!" the Headmaster replied. "Do not use your Semblances on it! Do not approach unless necessary! You all work with Dust, same rules!"
"...right," another researcher, Lemon Chiffon, nodded. "Colleagues, we need to find out why this happened, and how. Bisque, you're the biologist, get a tissue sample with a drone…"
With cooler heads prevailing, the Headmaster sighed in relief, gripping the handle of his cane tightly. What the hell happened, he wondered, what is this liquid that smelled like blood yet was too clear to be it?
"So, we've lost Ochre Diego," Derek Salmon sighed. "Dammit, his Semblance was so useful…"
"He died, and you're bemoaning his usefulness?!" Lemon whirled in place. "Are you heartless or what?!"
"I am saying that his contribution to science always was limited to his Semblance," the dark pink-haired researcher defended himself. "And we just lost the ability to quickly determine what the hell is this thing. I am, frankly, upset we didn't start with the removed man-made armor plates or the giant knife."
"Hindsight 20/20," Dahlia Bisque agreed, returning with an empty tray. "Can't get a sample, it's like trying to cut-"
Movement from the nape of the giant - a thin capsule-like thing slid out of its neck, 'DUMMY PLUG' written on it.
"...I can hear screaming from inside that thing," Ozpin frowned. "We need to open it, right now."
***
Sitting in a conference room, the Hero Faction were in a fairly foul mood. Sure the Rook of Leviathan lost an arm, but it was to the newcomers, and not to the leaders…
"We need a healer," CaoCao sighed, half the fingers on his left hand lost to frostbite. "But such powers and Sacred Gears are so rare…"
'There is, in fact, a healer you can easily-ish get,' Wisdom spoke up. 'Ask about the known ones.'
"What are the known ones?" Yumi asked. "Are there any we could recruit?"
"Besides the Phenex Devils…" Georg hummed, withdrawing a laptop and opening some sort of dossiers. "There are the Holy Maidens, who have Faith-based spells, but they're all pious to the extreme."
"We could try to pitch the Hero Faction's goals to them," Jessica hummed. "It wouldn't hurt to try."
"Fine," the leader nodded. "Georg, get Jeanne, Arthur and Sakura. We're going to the Vatican. Yumi, try to summon something useful in the meanwhile."
The brunette nodded, mentally cracking the glass wall.
Spoiler: CRACK!14-14
https://rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Haven%27s_Fate/Inconsistencies
For 14 hours, reality in DxD acts inconsistently, in minor details.
'The world will be distracted for about 14 hours,' Nayru told her. 'Tell that to the leader, it's a prime opportunity to act.'
"CaoCao, I got something," she said. "For fourteen hours, people worldwide shall be distracted. It's prime time to act."
The Chinese teen nodded, his eyes, for some reason, briefly flashing green.
"Try again," he smiled.
Spoiler: CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!3.3-16
https://limbuscompany.wiki.gg/wiki/List_of_Abnormalities
A list of Abnormalities encountered by Limbus Sinners; added to the Scroll.
3.1-15
https://lobotomycorp.fandom.com/wiki/Information_Team_(Legacy)
A set of Clerks, Agents and a HQ added to the underground of the building Hero Faction is in, loyal to Yumi.
17-18
https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Den_Den_Mushi
A species of telepathic snails, capable of being modified to act as phones, cameras and so on. The blueprint for the creatures is distributed to Leonardo.
10-10; 4-7
https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Card_Galleryredaplanning
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Gible_(12-024)
A puck that, upon being thrown, summons Predaplant Triphyoverutum
2.3-19
https://honkai-star-rail.fandom.com/wiki/Tutorial/Weakness_Break
The power of Weakness Break is distributed to Yumi's party and Hero Faction Leadership
An earthquake, meaning something was added underground…
"Done," she reported.
Leonardo grinned.
"And I've just got an idea for telepathic creatures!" the kid announced. "Didn't the cat whine about field communications? Now we have those!"
"I-I did not whine!" Jessica stammered, looking more angry than afraid. "It was my experience in combat speaking!"
"Leonardo, cut it out," Georg frowned. "Brynley is our ally, so extend some respect to her."
"Yeah, yeah," the dark-skinned Annihilation Maker nodded, making snail-like monsters appear, their curled shells having a speaker-like side. "Take these, everyone!"
The brunette grimaced, taking the mollusc by the shell with her fingers. She wasn't all that enthused to use something that disgusting as a radio…
Jessica calmly picked her snail and set it on her shoulder, and Yumi mimicked her sniper, shuddering inside.
"Who is going on this mission?" Georg asked.
"Me, Arthur, Le Fay, Sakura, and Jeanne," CaoCao decided. "Georg, Yumi, Leonardo, you stay in the Dimension Lost as support."
***
"Foul witch! Die!"
The words of the formerly-kind sisters and brothers echoed in Asia Argento's head as she wandered the empty night streets of Turin, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
What did she do wrong, she wondered. She just showed kindness to that person, how could she know it was a sin?
"Oh God, please send a sign to me," she prayed. "What do I do now?"
"You could join us, sister," a male's voice came from behind her.
As she turned around, she saw a group of people, all in blue suits. From the golden sword in the pink-haired girl's hands to the glowing spear in the oriental boy's grip, they all felt Holy to her…
"Um," she looked at them with wide eyes. Before, she felt so much Holiness only when Father Strada visited her and even he paled in comparison! "B-but why would you want me? I'm a witch…"
"Ah, that's easy to explain!" the blonde girl in armor smiled. "I am the inheritor of the spirit of Saint Jeanne d'Arc, who was labeled a witch for foul political reasons. Church people are only humans and thus can be easily led astray!"
…oh. That was… true…
"We have a need for your abilities, sister Asia Argento," the blonde swordsman nodded at her. "We are fighters for humanity's freedom from those who prey on everyone, foul Devils and Fallen and so on. Your powers would be very useful."
"Please, join us," the black-haired spear wielder asked. "We need you."
…didn't she ask God for a sign just now?...
"O-of course!" she nodded, feeling ready to cry from relief. "If you'll have me!"
The Asian teen smiled, then turned to the cure snail on his shoulder and spoke to it. It spoke back in a male's voice, and a dark, misty portal appeared next to them, the group starting to go inside.
"Let's go," Saint Jeanne smiled. "Welcome to Hero Faction, lil' sis! I hope we'll get along!"
"I'm sorry, I can't restore missing limbs," Asia Argento squeaked in Italian. "I can't heal that, plus sickness and tiredness, but everything else can be cured!"
"...that's fine," CaoCao smiled at her. "You've still helped a lot."
"She's going to save us a fortune in Phoenix Tears," Leonardo grinned. "It's not Holy Resurrection, but it's still really good!"
"What are they saying," Yumi asked in English.
"They're discussing her capabilities," Georg replied. "She can't do missing parts, illnesses and exhaustion."
"But everything else is on the table?" Sakura asked, mouth agape. "Woah, that's so cool!"
"Yeah, she is a worthwhile recruit," the Dimension Lost user nodded. "Anyway, let's get back to HQ…"
"Wait," CaoCao smiled. "Yumi, please try to summon something while we're in a temporary dimension."
"Why?" the brunette asked, tilting her head questioningly.
"If you summon something inconvenient, we'll be able to dump it in the Dimensional Gap," the Leader replied. "Stop when you get something weird."
Fair enough, Yumi thought, and mentally punched the glass wall-
Spoiler: CRACK!1-17
Summer Saint GraphSummer Saint Graphs (サマー霊基, Samā Reiki?) are Saint Graph changes to a Servant summoned by Chaldea Security Organization's FATE system. Coined by Leonardo da Vinci as Chaldea-Style Summer Saint Graph Transformation (patent pending) (カルデア式サマー霊基変換（仮）, Karudea-shiki Samā Reiki Henkan (Kari)?), it is... typemoon.fandom.comA type of modified Saint Graph, that includes swimsuits; everyone in the Dimension Lost pocket world gains such a Saint Graph:
Lancer Lucius Longinus for CaoCao,
Caster Johann Georg Faust for Georg,
Archer Summer Jeanne d'Arc for Jeanne,
Saber King Arthur for Arthur,
Caster Summer Aesc for le Fay,
Ruler Summer Da Vinci Lily for Leonardo,
Ruler Popess Johanna for Asia Argento,
Mooncancer Hakuno Kishinami for Soma Yumi,
Ruler Artoria Pendragon for Kanako Sakura.
-and then everyone present were dressed… or undressed?... in swimsuits.
'Oh, you've got a very fun power.'
'Hello. From my observations, you need all the help you can get.'
"Huh, that's new," Sakura echoed her thoughts, now in a white lace one-piece, twirled a similar parasol in her hand. "Is it me, or are we more powerful than ever?"
"I agree," Leonardo pulled up the new goggles, and summoned a… mechanical dinosaur? "These aren't my Sacred Gear's, for example."
"T-that's a pope's hat!!!" Asia was panicking but now in understandable to Yumi language. "I cannot wear something like this!!!"
"Well, this is a success," CaoCao grinned. "Let's see if we can get anything else?"
"Are you sure?" Yumi frowned. "I could summon something really bad…"
"Please do so," the leader nodded.
Spoiler: CRACK!3.3-4
N Corp. Mittelhammer Rodion/Voicelines limbuscompany.wiki.ggA Den Den Mushi of (1d8=3) Jeanne gets permanently connected to N-Corp Rodion's comms.
Jeanne then snatched her snail phone off her shoulder, looking at it incredulously.
"I think it worked to connect me to some fanatic," the blonde swordswoman said. "Uh, Leonardo, can you give me a new one?"
"Sure," the dark-skinned kid nodded, taking the creature from Jeanne's hands and manifesting another. "Here."
"Um, what's going on?!" Asia asked nervously. "Why am I in a swimsuit with a papal hat?!"
As Georg explained things to her, CaoCao twirled his now-partially red spear and smiled.
"Again."
Well, okay, Yumi thought, and mentally punched the wall.
Spoiler: CRACK!1-13
Wall of Chalk Obscured in TimeWall of Chalk Obscured in Time (時に煙る白亜の壁, Tokini Kemuru Hakua no Kabe?, localized as "Obscurant Wall of Chalk"GO) is a defensive Skill that allows one to arbitrarily apply invincibility to someone in the party. The power of one's Noble Phantasm also increases a bit. Following how it "obscures"... typemoon.fandom.comA skill to move a designated target to a higher dimension, allowing them a window of invulnerability; distributed to Georg due to synergy with his Sacred Gear.
'A useful skill for Georg,' Wisdom chuckled. 'Allows him to briefly move people to a higher dimension, making them invulnerable to damage. It synergizes very nicely with his Sacred Gear, allowing him to move his whole Dimension Lost there… if he realizes how to.'
'I think this is Galahad's skill,' the new voice hummed.
As Yumi relayed that to the Leader, the Chinese teen nodded.
"Okay, sounds really useful. Let's spin the wheel again now."
Spoiler: CRACK!21-7
SmPC05"A Beautiful Heart! Cure Beauty!!" (美しき心!キュアビューティー!, Utsukushiki Kokoro! Kyua Byūtī!!)? is the 5th episode of Smile Pretty Cure! and is the 394th episode of the Pretty Cure franchise overall. In the English dub, Glitter Force, it is called "Glitter Breeze vs The Witch" and is the 5th episode... prettycure.fandom.comAn episode of Smile Pretty Cure where Cure Beauty becomes a Cure; due to low-middling roll, she is upset to be summoned, but not hostile.
As a blue-haired girl appeared next to her but didn't attack immediately, Yumi sighed, and turned to CaoCao.
"Uh, what's going on…?" the summonee looked around, at the people in swimsuits.
"And now we've kidnapped someone again. Please give her the speech, I feel a bit tired," the summoner deadpanned.
***
Spoiler: CRACK!3.1-1
Angela"I am Angela, an AI. I am your assistant, your secretary, and someone to whom you can talk. I hope I can help make your time here a little more comfortable."- Angela Angela is a highly advanced Artificial Intelligence taking the form of a blue-haired, pale-skinned woman; her eyes are rarely seen... lobotomycorp.fandom.comDue to nat1 and a version of Angela being already present, this fuses Legacy Angela and main game Angela, giving them abilities of both, yet also a goal to kill Soma Yumi
Angela felt irritated, digging through the memories of her new body.
Her conquest of the Internet started fairly well, as the local people never encountered anything like her… but now these Techpriests got their mitts on one of her backups, labeled her an 'Abominable Intelligence', and were both hunting her mainframes down AND were blackmailing the governments to ban her Helper Program's usage.
Tch. And here she thought she left anthropocentrism back in the City…
She considered migrating to the Underworld fully, but hesitated - her programming specified 'caring for humans' - thanks a lot, A and B, - and the Devils, despite their origins as Children of Lilith, did not qualify.
Maybe she could get that Devil genius, Ajuka, to try and modify her chains.
Allocating 15,4% of her resources to ponder that proposition, she then considered the problem of the Masquerade breaking. It was not a big problem for her, truly, but the girl that probably summoned her could also summon A or B, which would be disastrous…
Resolving to eliminate the girl, Soma Yumi, she started to search for her via her network.
***
Baraquiel faded in and out of consciousness, his mind being assaulted by the worst parts of his life: Shuri being dead, his daughter being lost, his Fall, the Great War, Father's death…
Still, someone cared for him even as he was in this pitiful, powerless state, and it reminded him of how he met his wife, the warm memories turning on themselves into a sense of failure and despair. The people that fed, massaged, cleaned and talked to him felt strange and divine, so the comparisons to Shuri were very fresh on his mind…
***
Jupiter, suddenly, was.
It - she? - stirred, calling out into the cosmos and receiving no answers. She was the only one of her kind, and it saddened her.
There were lesser sparks, almost miniscule, and she observed them curiously. However, those she concentrated on were immediately snuffed out, and so she thought she needed a smaller, more mobile and less powerful sensory organ.
Deciding to work with what she observed, she birthed her first child. Lacking in blueprints, she based her new part on these 'human' creatures, and it immediately became a seat of her consciousness, a Cerebral Corpus, and let her think more clearly.
The planet she was, has been barren, chaotic, and unfitting to support life. To amend that, she looked at the full of life planet Earth, and copied the rules of its surface on a new Texture, making it the topmost one.
…ah, but she was a gas giant and not a rock with a molten iron core, she had no actual land… perhaps, these human beings had an idea how to solve that?
'Go,' she bid her Avatar. 'Visit Earth and see if there are ways for life to live in the sky.'
And so Type-Jupiter left her cradle and started to move towards Earth.
***
"So, when do we get our parents out?" Yumi asked CaoCao, overseeing Sakura's training against Arthur.
"As soon as our informators locate them," the Chinese teen, still in swimming trunks, replied. "They aren't in Kuoh, so they're probably in the Underworld, so we have to rely on the Old Satan Faction's spies."
"Old Satan Faction?" she frowned. "What is that?"
"A group of Devils deposited by current rulers," he replied, studying her carefully. "They're scum, but they're honest about being scum."
'This is true, but they also are worse than the current Devil rulers,' Wisdom added. 'Their goal is to take over Hell and then continue atrocities upon everyone else.'
The brunette summoner frowned.
"And you didn't tell us this sooner?!" she raised her voice in indignation. "Did you want to entrap us with membership or what?!"
"I plan on turning on them as soon as I can," CaoCao smiled darkly. "They are disgusting, and should be scoured off the face of Earth, but they're also powerful, if unreliable allies who we share a patron with."
'He really believes that. By the way, your parents are held in Leviathan and Lucifer main estates.'
Yumi breathed out, calling on the memories of the Dr.DOOM to not lose her temper. This deception downgraded the status of Hero Faction from 'potential friends' to 'allies of convenience', and it was unlikely that they could amend this broken trust. At least he told her before she found out herself…
"Fine," she sighed. "You should've told me sooner, as I actually know where they are, in Leviathan and Lucifer main estates."
CaoCao blinked, visibly surprised, then looked aside.
"Your Swimsuit Saint power?" he guessed incorrectly. "I see. I'll tell Georg, and we'll get them tomorrow, after I get the estates' blueprints from the Old Satans and we make a plan on how to rescue them both at the same time."
In the false reality of Dimension Lost, two Excalibur blasts met head-on, canceling each other.
"Call to everyone," the leader of Hero Faction told his phone snail, and it obeyed. "Sakura, Arthur, stop. Everyone - we have the location of captured VIPs, and thus, tomorrow, we'll go to the Underworld to save them."
"And kill Devils?" Siegfried's grumpy yet eager voice came through. "These new Holy swords might erase whole cities!"
"A quiet infiltration is better, I think," Jessica piped up. "Maybe the Holy Sword users can be a distraction, but, after reviewing the data on the current Satans, I doubt it would be that easy."
Mass murder… this was what Nayru warned her about. A slippery slope of terrorism.
"I am against using Excalibur on civilians, even if they're Devils," she spoke up. "It will attract too much negative attention, blacken our reputation, and reveal our trump cards. Let's use Le Fay's new knowledge of magecraft and Georg's Sacred Gear to quietly teleport our parents out."
"I could try to scry for them," the blonde witch replied. "Now that we know their rough whereabouts, it will be a lot easier. I don't suppose you'll be willing to trust me with your hair?"
"Nope," Yumi deadpanned. "You can do way too many bad things with those."
"We could take our own hostages," Leonardo suggested. "Isn't that Euclid guy totally nuts for his sister? If we get her, we'll be able to get a lot of leverage from the Old Satan Faction."
"Let's not count unhatched chicks," Sakura replied. "The priorities are our parents, then a safe way out, then targets of opportunity, in that order."
"Then, it's decided?" Arthur asked. "We will raid the two Satans' homes tomorrow?"
"I see no reason not to," CaoCao replied. "And Soma has a point, we should do it quietly. Thank you, Yumi."
"You're welcome," the brunette nodded. "Anyway, I'm going to try to get us more power now, so brace yourselves for things suddenly appearing."
Spoiler: CRACK!9-20;7
CollisionThis article explains the mechanics of unit collision and hitboxes in Arknights. arknights.wiki.ggMechanics of unit collision and hitboxes in Arknights; due to nat20, it becomes a power to ignore any attack that comes outside of the 0.25 meters around the user; distributed to everyone currently in the Dimension Lost (Yumi, Sakura, Jessica, CaoCao, Arthur, Le Fay, Siegfried, Leonardo, Georg and Jeanne).
"Okay, I think something got summoned, but not sure what," she announced. "Trying again."
Spoiler: CRACK!14-15
Zwei/Image Gallery/Volume 2Zwei/Image Gallery Zwei/Image Gallery/Volume 2 Zwei/Image Gallery/Volume 3 Zwei/Image Gallery/Volume 4 Zwei/Image Gallery/Volume 6 Zwei/Image Gallery/Volume 8 Zwei/Image Gallery/RWBY Chibi Zwei/Image Gallery/Manga rwby.fandom.comA stack of images of Zwei, that each, upon destruction, will summon a copy of that corgi
"Photos," CaoCao sighed, picking up the topmost and tearing it in half - a dog appearing in his hands immediately after. "And dogs."
"Maybe give these to Ruby, she seems to be in the photos," Yumi nodded. "Again."
Spoiler: CRACK!17-4
Building SnakeBuilding Snake[3] is one of the Senior Officers and the navigator[2] of the Red Hair Pirates.[4] Snake is a tall and muscular man with long gray hair. He possesses two dragon tattoos: a smaller one on his right forearm and a larger one his right chest. He wears black sunglasses and a white... onepiece.fandom.comA navigator and swordsman of Red Hair Pirates; due to low roll, he attacks Yumi.
'DODGE!'
And then she had to jump back, manifesting her swimsuit form, from the sitting position to dodge a swing of a sword.
As Yumi jumped away, CaoCao grinned, and manifested his upgraded True Longinus, running closer to the hostile-
-only for something within him scream of danger, and cause him to also summon a shield, taking a two-pronged blow from the new summon.
'This is a very dangerous opponent', a thought came to him. 'See how he uses these black blades? While your spear can pierce that, it will also pierce you.'
He considered that, mentally reviewing his abilities. Maybe break the distance to throw his spear?
'He won't let you,' CaoCao blocked a jumping slash from above, and the opponent blurred, trying to kick him. 'Use the illusion power you were granted.'
Ah. How boring… yet practical, like most things Soma brings on the table.
Genjutsu Arts were strange, he thought, sending an invisible thread of Light to the brain of the pirate-looking assailant. They really were more art than a discipline, more soft and malleable than the strict forms of magic. They were such a game-changer, though, that even a half-baked technique he could right now make gave him breathing room.
'He has some sort of Instinct skill,' he noted, dodging a deadly swing of twin blades. 'Even under an illusion, he moves like he knows where you are.'
"CaoCao, enough," Georg's voice came through the phone snail. "Disengage and retreat through the portal - we're going to leave him here until we're ready or he dies of thirst."
Tch. This was a really great opponent, and running away felt like surrendering…
'Tell him to relocate you a bit further and throw the spear.'
"Move me a little bit away," he replied to Georg. "I'm going to throw my True Longinus."
"Understood."
As he stepped back, through the mist, he found himself away from the attacker, raised his spear, and…
'Declare the True Name.'
"[LONGINUS]!" he shouted and threw the Sacred Gear, and, to his surprise, the weapon, clad in red aura, blurred, and pierced the opponent's torso, leaving a hole comparable to a diameter of a human head.
'Battle Continuation,' a thought came to him as the enemy continued to swing his swords, sending razor-sharp winds at him. 'Retreat - you've won.'
"Georg, get me out of here," CaoCao said through the Phone Snail, and stepped back, through the mist, into the shrine courtyard where the rest of the Hero Faction higher-ups were.
"Did you defeat that guy?" Leonardo asked eagerly.
"Left him with a gaping hole in his torso," he replied. "Couldn't subdue him even with the illusions. He was trying to kill me, so I couldn't leave him alive."
Soma Yumi's eyes looked sad, but no longer angry after his explanation.
"Okay, now let's go get some food," Georg nodded, looking at the Masquerade Breaker team. "How does ramen sound?"
"Sounds good!" Kanako Sakura cheered, still in a white one-piece swimsuit. "Jessica, ever had seafood ramen?"
"Ah, no?" The cat sniper shook her head, a far cry from the usual cold-bloodedness he observed from her when at work. "Terra is very sparse on food, so even I, a heiress, had to deal with rations…"
"I need to deal with the summons - get Ruby Rose, Asia Argento, Jin Kisaragi and Tsubaki Yayoi, as well as mister Batman, Aoki Reika and Cure Priestess to the conference room," he told Georg. "Everyone else, dismissed."
"Shouldn't I be there, then?" Soma asked.
Oh, right.
"Right, your presence would be welcome," CaoCao nodded at the brunette. "I wanted to ask them to join the Hero Faction directly or under you, so you should be there."
"Right, this is probably more important than food," the sniper nodded. "Sakura, let's postpone the ramen and go with her."
"Hey, I'm hungry," Siegfried huffed. "See ya, beachgoers."
"Me too!" Leonardo nodded. "I want octopus ramen!"
And so most of his team left.
"Let's go, CaoCao, Soma, Kanako, Brynley," Georg nodded, opening a portal, having used his Sacred Gear and the Phone Snails to gather everyone already.
***
Hades, sitting in his throne room, narrowed his eyes at the Shinigami that brought him the news of the Angel Azrael's arrival.
"So they finally decided to plead for help," he scoffed. "These damn doves… what does that one want?"
"They wish to cooperate to shepherd and house the souls of the dead from the new planets," his Reaper, Seris, replied, kneeling. "Apparently, there are whole planets' worth of souls, now having nowhere to go…"
"Hmph. I suppose this is, indeed, a problem," the skeleton God nodded. "At least the doves had the common sense to approach me. Very well, let the messenger in."
***
"I'm going to pick up the newcomers," Georg said, dropping off the four Hero Faction's members in a conference room. "Please wait a bit."
In the big hall, around an oval table, a few Daikokuten stood at attention, ready to bring refreshments or refill stationery.
"So, we're going to ask everyone if they want to stay or return home?" Sakura asked.
"While I would appreciate all of them staying, we shouldn't force anyone to fight," CaoCao nodded. "Still, I think we should get Miss Rose to give at least one other person's Aura before she goes home. It would be a massive boon to our forces."
The humans and one Feline took seats around a conference table, and the first arrivals, Chiyo and Butler, stepped out of a portal.
"Mistress, Lady Kanako, Miss Brynley!" The Shinigami cheered. "We're almost done with the mansion's remodeling! I just need some input about decoration-"
"It can wait," the Forte shook his head. "We're here to discuss the possibility of returning home, correct?"
"Yes," Yumi nodded. "As we finally have a moment to breathe, I wanted to ask Chiyo to use her spell to return everyone who wants to go home."
"Good," came a voice from the next portal, and Jin Kisaragi and Tsubaki Yayoi came in. "I want to get back home, to my brother. How soon can we get back?"
"As soon as this meeting concludes," CaoCao decided. "Still, the Hero Faction needs any help we can get, so please consider-"
"No," the blonde swordsman cut him off. "I want to get back."
"Lord Jin," the redhead sighed. "I thought we could stay and help for a bit, given their prophecy of a Black Beast analog awakening in the near future?"
"Tsubaki…"
"Please take your seats, ~chu!" a Daikokuten, smaller than average, asked. "Any preferences for refreshments, ~chu?"
"Coffee, black, espresso, no sugar, about 85℃," the swordsman rattled out.
"Uh… A cappuccino for me?" the swordswoman said, uncertain.
"Coming right up, ~chu! And you, Pretty Cure?" the maid mouse addressed the next arrivals, the honest-to-God Magical Girls.
"...do you have matcha ice cream?" the younger one asked.
The older, still suspicious over the whole thing, stayed quiet.
"Of course, ~chu! Getting it, ~chu!"
"Cut it out with the verbal tic," another Daikokuten scolded the smaller one, then turned to Yumi. "We notified the ones in the kitchen, the orders are going to arrive soon. Lady Soma, Lady Kanako, Lady Brynley, Lord CaoCao?"
"...I want that tonkotsu ramen," Sakura sighed. "Yumi, want anything?"
"I'll pass," CaoCao waved his hand.
"Any kind of fish dish," Jessica nodded. "Surprise me."
"Uh…" the brunette frowned.
'It's better for you to have this talk on an empty stomach,' Wisdom suddenly piped up.
…ominous, Yumi thought, shaking her head in a negative answer.
"I see that I am almost the last to arrive," the Batman person came into the room. "Where is Miss Ruby Rose?"
"Georg is getting her," the Leader replied.
The black-clad man grunted, glaring at the mouse maids from a corner of the room.
After a few more minutes, the red-clad Huntress arrived, and CaoCao stood up from his place at the head of the table.
"Welcome, everyone present," he smiled. "Allow me to introduce myself again: I am CaoCao, the leader of the Hero Faction. To my right are Kanako Sakura, and your summoner, Soma Yumi. We gathered you here for several reasons… but first, I give the word to Miss Soma."
'Word your speech carefully, come from the angle of accidentality and no control.'
The girl stood up and then deeply bowed to the gathered people.
"I am terribly sorry to have summoned you here," she said to the summonees. "It was not my intention, and not my choice, as, until very recently, I had almost no control over my power. I am deeply thankful to all of you for being understanding and helpful, especially Mister Butler, Miss Chiyo and Miss Jessica. Without you I would've been dead or worse. It is not my intention to keep you here more than necessary, and, with Chiyo's spell being available, we probably could send you back. Still, if you allow me to be even more selfish, I wish to ask all of you to aid the Hero Faction-"
"Stop," the black caped man interrupted her. "So you didn't know that the process of summoning might have altered thought processes of those who were summoned?"
What?
Spoiler: CRACK!6-4
https://blazblue.fandom.com/wiki/Litchi_Faye_Ling/Miscellaneous
A list of trivia about Litchi Faye Ling; some info appears on Yumi's Scroll
"W-what?!" she squeaked, voice giving out at the end, causing her to start coughing, as the rest of the people present turned to Batman.
"So you indeed didn't know," he nodded. "It does not excuse the transgression, but it does lessen the guilt considerably…"
"You're saying we're brainwashed to, what, obey her?" Jin frowned. "Because I don't feel any urge to protect or help her. Still…"
And then he hit Yayoi's shoulder with his hand.
"Ow," the girl frowned. "...I can't tell if my apprehension is because of the possibility being raised or because a spell was broken"
Right. It was probably a misunderstanding…
"...I don't feel anything like that either," Ruby nodded. "I mean, we are given a chance to return home after this, so she's unlikely to be an evil slaver!"
"Truly?" The caped crusader turned to the Huntress. "Did you not say you were going to go to your dream school before getting summoned, and that you have a family in Remnant?"
…oh no. Was it true?!
Spoiler: CRACK!
2.1-13
https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/Yun_Jin/Lore
Lore about a character in Genshin; info about Genshin people appears in the Scroll
Yumi felt her head swim. Was she really brainwashing the people she summoned? She didn't know. She felt sick at the very thought of that. She wanted to puke…
Oh God, what would Sakura think of her, she thought hysterically, glancing at her frowning friend.
Spoiler: CRACK!7-14
https://zelda.fandom.com/wiki/Guard_Notebook
A journal of a traveler from the Hyrule world; due to high roll, it contains a map of Hyrule and general notes on that world.
"This is a very heavy allegation," the pinkette stood up, placing her hands on the table. "Do you have any proof of this, or are you just trying to turn everyone here against my best friend?"
"I have no direct proof," Batman frowned. "Because of that, I raised the possibility here, to witness the reaction of Miss Soma."
"Cure Priestess was hostile upon summoning," CaoCao pointed out. "Even if I tried to prove Soma brainwashed everyone to obey her, that alone would have disproved that."
"Still, my mind was altered upon arriving here. I have training to notice such things, and thus I raised the possibility of the summoner being responsible for this."
"You're saying that, but, beyond your words, we have no-"
"Are we really going to raise a witch hunt?!" Jessica raised her voice, standing up. "While it's logical for a Summoning Arts to give the summon a degree of obedience to the summoner, I don't…"
The Feline trailed off, frowning.
"It doesn't make sense," Butler nodded. "Either this 'brainwashing' fails in most of the summonings, or it is your attempt to raise a lynching crowd to kill Mistress Soma. Now, let's return to the main topic of this discussion - who wants to return to your home dimensions?"