Best Kung Pao Chicken In Town! (Open)

Emblem held his demonic hands over each each other in mockery of the heroes, who, one by one, got up from the debris. First this female who had now not only survived his surprise fire attack, and saved a few others..who were surely dead now...and his violent explosion that spelled doom to the entire building. Second was the adaptive Titan, who had to have some kind of fast-healing trick up his sleeves. That was going to be fun, hurting him over and over again. However, he seemed to imply Emblem was a murderous traitor? Well he was murderous...but he never was a traitor was he? The other Emblem must have been a Titan at one point, gone evil at another, and Titan again in some shape or form..

''I think the old man was the smartest one here. He either died or apparently got away without me noticing.''

As both heroes talked to him, Emblem couldn't help but stand tall. In his mind, the words ''linoleum lad'' echoed time and time again, with a more Scottish accent every time he heard it.

''Life, in retrospect, is boring. Routine. Mortality is everywhere. There is but one real rush, and it is the one of combat. It echoes through eternity, human's history itself is riddled with it. Only in the heat of combat, with your life on the line, one knows what matters most. Survival. Survive to live in this routine, and fight another day.''

Emblem pointed at Libbey, one demonic light blue finger straight at her chest.

''You would have best fought this Sage. He would not spell your doom, with him your chances of survival are more then they are with me. However, you show resiliency. I like that. It will be interesting to see how long you will last in Hell, where the fires burn longest..''

The finger changed targets, now pointing towards Sage.

''A Titan's melodramatic talk is always in stark contract to a Titan's ironic position. You know, you fight to protect with more barring rules then the ones you fight. You fight a losing battle, and there will be one day when all of you drop either your rules or your guards. Both result in death.''

With a grin, Emblem cracked his demonic arms and neck. He felt power seep back and forward into his arms, but his inner demon seemed to become somewhat restless. It wanted bloodshed, and it wanted it now. Coupled with Emblem's intricate desire for duality, two foes provided double the fun, but how was he going to do this...

''About this breaking every part of you...Shall we begin? I honor all requests..and my arms can crush every bone. A match made in Hell!''

A though occurred to Emblem. Why not open the Gates of Hell on these people? His thoughts were parried by the fact that he was getting somewhat hungry, his stomach growling in discontent of the broken and burned down restaurant. Furthermore, using a ritual that would take a very long time in the midst of battle? If he was to do so, he needed Krious' fullest abilities, and he was off fighting this other hero.

''Speaking of Hell, how can you be so sure your partner is still alive Sage? I mean, you two face me...he faces my comrade...alone. And I can tell you he's much more proficient and effective in killing his targets then I am...So the question is..do we bury one..or two Titans soon? I'd go for two..''

Emblem moved his arms in front of him, moving them as if he was mesmerized around an orb or sphere of sorts. Flames and pure heat seeped from his arms into the orb and started to swirl, until Emblem was literally shaping the form of a ball of fire. The ball was done, a swirling combination of yellows, oranges and reds..and if started to float into the sky.

Emblem seemed mesmerized by the orb of floating energy as it started to hover higher and higher, moving towards the heroes.

''I love this job...''

when the orb was high enough above the ground, Emblem clapped his hands. The orb became unstable and exploded, unleashing a storm of embers, falling speedily towards both opponents.

''..EMBER EXPLOSION!''

As Emblem shouted his attack, the embers fell towards his opponent like arrows. Now he knew this was going to be hardly effective if one was good at dodging, and even less to the heat-resistant Libbey, so he ran straight for her, his demonic arms hellbent on slamming her skull or chest off the rest of her body.

In the meanwhile, he expected Krious to contact him through the Communicating device. He truly expected the death of one Titan in a few minutes...or Krious appearing telling him he was bored. Both would be even better..

The collision between his darkforce energies and the white magical energy of his adversary proved to have a most useful side-effect. His darkforce corrupted and usually this wasn’t beneficial for both parties. This time was different as show by the explosion near the hovering young man. Krious was far enough to not get caught in the blast, but the other was not so lucky. He fell from the sky, blown down by the explosion and landed several feet from where Krious stood. The white mage lost his conscious, either the explosion caused it or the drop to the ground. It gave Krious enough time to make his way to the small crate without him waking up.

My work is almost done, do you have a need for assistance or shall we leave them to lick their wounds?

He whispered below the sounds of the battlefield to speak with his ally. He knew Emblem had survived the collapsing building he brought down himself. His signal was at least still going strong and one building would not down Emblem. Right now he was the one facing the tougher fight, suitable for a man of his prowess, but tough on the body and the mind nonetheless. Thinking about it, he wasn’t so sure the second applied to Emblem but he didn’t need a battered demon right now.

By the time the teen opened his eyes Krious already towered over him, positioning one of his arms right above his heart. He’d make this quick and mostly painless, he was no sadistic man but he wouldn’t just let him live either. The clouds twirling above them didn’t get noticed and the pillars of light reaching to the sky were only spotted once it was too late. A shockwave blew him back out of nowhere, it was strong and specifically directed at him, certainly not a last resort. Krious flew back several meters before hitting the ground again. He rolled back on his feet, sliding a bit more before coming to a stop. It didn’t do much damage, but it did get him clear of what was the apparent goal. His eyes opened wide once he got a view of the situation. The white mage was hovering slightly above the ground, surrounded by magical energies wrapping themselves around parts of his body. Slow but steady black symbols started to appear on his body, ones Krious had never seen before, until his entire body was riddled with their writings. They came to life, glowing brightly in the night sky and almost burning their shape forever into his eyes. The boy groaned in pain a couple of times as the ritual came to its climax.

Another wave was sent outward from the crater, then another and another, this time carrying the magic that fueled the scene before him. Krious was ready for them this time and protected himself from harm with a couple of his darkforce portals. The magical energies twirled around him as the wave carried them on before it dissipated. He didn’t know if it would be harmful, but he wasn’t about to find out. Dust in the air was the only thing left in a couple of hundred meter radius, making it hard to see their surroundings. The area was scarred badly, the condition worse closer to the crater but bad enough to be noticeable a couple of blocks away. Not that Krious cared, he knew he was still standing and in the end that was all that mattered. In fact, a smile formed on his face and not just because of the havoc around him.

No, the pure white mage, in essence his opposite, was not more corrupted than he ever was. The magic that had defiled his body surely wasn’t his own, it showed some properties similar to his darkforce. The smile on his face grew bigger and bigger, until he let out a loud laugh. He pitied the titan, but laughed at the fate life had in store for him. Oh how he once was so similar, yet now so very different.

“HahaHAHAha. The white mage so violently corrupted. I don’t know how you did that to yourself, or who, but you just proved me wrong. There ARE Titans worthy of attention, and dare I say you have made me interested. Very interested.”

Whatever those magics had done to him, in his near death condition it wouldn’t serve a purpose to make him even weaker. The only thing left unanswered was who would want it that way. With no visual on his enemy, nor an idea of what to expect Krious could merely prepare for the worst. That he did, every minimal drop of darkforce was sent surging through his body, focusing their power into his limbs and spreading around him to make his position less apparent. The mere thought of the mage’s inner conflict strengthened him and he was anxious to see the result of the strange ritual.

As the hellbound battlemage charged Libbey, he remember a most vital fact. Never go straight for the Jamaican Jives. It wasn't a good thing. However, there was more that troubled him. As he was about to try and hit a home run with her head, he stopped. As a result, quite a powerful kick was imposed on him. Emblem stood silently, but the kick had made impact. Emblem didn not even try to counter or parry it bbut only raised his demonic arms. bones cracked and the pyromancer spat out a few drops of lava, and some other liquid dripping down his throat.

''Something is off comrade...'' was the only thing he could say. Now he didn't feel anything in his arms, the demon made sure of that but his human left arm was broken in some way. The demonic influence would not be lessened, but it was something to actually break his arm liek that. However, in one faint motion, the pyromancer distanced himself from his two attackers. Something felt different. As in paranoia, Emblem Trailblazer looked around, towards his foes, over his shoulders and in between the debris of the restaurant. He had to find it. Like a child who had lost his toy and had forgotten everythign around him, he searched.

It was when he looked up into the sky that the pulse he had felt became very real. Emblem's eyes lit up as his arms vibrated. He was doing something inhumane to himself, all for one thing. The pyromancer's eyes leaked lava and his body disintegrated in fire that rose from the concrete below him. As if his skin was turned into parchment and burned in a back draft, the battlemage disappeared. Little did our heroes know Emblem resurfaced on top of the building opposite of where Necati was standing. He fell to his knees and felt his heart; this was demon magic, not meant to be used by humanoids. Yet Hellion had deemed it right to have Emblems curiosity tested, the battlemage couldn't stop his impulsiveness.

And Emblem's curiosity was proven to be fruitful. In silence, he looked at the building on the other side of the street. It's energies warped, pulsed, and felt ominous. It was a banquet to feast on, but he knew that the one who commanded this power was not a mere metahuman. Emblem knew it the moment he laid his eyes on it; this was the current dimension's Grim Reaper, keeper of the Tome of Life. Not only would Emblem truly want that one last tome to add to his collection, the Reaper was tied to most of his affiliations as well. Emblem's demon was a very high-ranked demon of Hell, and as Emblem studied meta-history, he knew of this Grim Reaper very well.

He resurfaced in the most bizarre of tales, wielding the best powers. If there was one Emblem wished to face, it was him. However, now was not the best time.

''Krious. I am well, so are my foes so far unfortunately. One just keeps boringly dodging and the other one regenerates, or so I think...wonder how long they will keep that up.. Does yours show any sign of...intrusion? Magical seals, power surges, anything? I am very serious when I tell you I am looking at the Grim Reaper now. He is not here for me as it seems just yet...but that power he unleashed just now...it had to go somewhere. I say we prod these foes with the stick once more. If they survive, their lucky...And I'm frickin' HUNGRY!''

Emblem did not know what to do with this dark force on the other building opposite of the street. It had to be reckoned with, and with such power, even Emblem had to show respect. Then again, were his foes to survive for so long, he'd almost commend them on that. Was he getting sloppy?

With a short bowing of the head, Emblem disappeared and reappeared the exact same way he did before. As he showed himself in front of the heroes, he went on his knees again, and slammed a hole into the ground with his right empowered arm, before vomiting hot lava into it. Demonic magic was not to be used by humans, their bodies could not take it. Even a half-demon like Emblem could not even hope to teleport in a fashion Krious could. He'd not even use it again, the vertigo and demonic intrusion were bloody annoying.

As he stood up again, Emblem faced his foes and the demonic smile reappeared.

''So. Is any one of you two on his way to the afterlife? I mean, don't mind me asking....but..If you are however, why not let me take you there, instead of Charon? He's watching us...and I'm fairly sure I'm not going anywhere..Fun huh?''

with that, Emblem's arms lit up in the eerie light blue, and were enveloped in bright blue flames. He flexed them, cracked his neck, and with two dark clouds, his faithful twin Collapse Axes appeared again. He held them in front of his body, brandishing them, and channeling pure heat through them. The axes erupted into fire, but that was not all. Emblem's eyes turned blazingly white and his skin turned darker then it was before.

''Who of you wants to give the coin to the Boatsman of the Styx?'' said his now low gritty voice as Emblem waited. He wanted the Titans to show their so-called dedication...and get chopped into pieces doing it. chopped and charred at the same time. Now he knew this Libbey was flame-resistant and agile to boot, but not even she would be able to evade all of his blows...and one could be enough. On the other hand, were they to survive today, then they had to face Emblem again another...and the plans he had in store for all of them. The smirk that came from that thought wouldn't leave his face unti lthe end of the day.

As Emblem spoke of WIll in such a nonchalant fashion of how easy a kill he would be for Krious, JaK just smiled and then made his retort.

"I'm really starting to get it now that you are in, no way, Emblem. Even he, memory lapse and all would know Psychosis's true power. That man I respect more than anyone else in this city and possibly on this planet. Weve fought death together and weve fought armies together, each time he was the key factor in keeping me and my team alive. Psychosis has something inside him that I can only describe as invaluable to the world and he has shown this by saving it twice now. He won't quit until he's dead and buried and even then he might not stay down...I, however, am not that easy."

As JaK stopped talking for a bit he began to evade the embers that came falling from the sky at him, a few even managed to graze the boy. Although, with Libbey's current skin as his armor he was pretty much just as fire proof as she was and remained rather unscathed. However, upon halting the the barrage Emblem disappeared...Teleportation? Wow, JaK did not know he had that kind of power as well and even so, why now? Nevertheless, not even JaK could deny he had felt...something...That familiar feeling he got every time death's gaze or presence was around him. All the hairs stood up on the back of his neck and from all his run in's with the reaper he kind of knew he was here. This fact sort of worried JaK because usually when he came someone was meant to lose their life. Could it be William, could it be this Jamaican girl, even Sage himself? Or was it Krious or possibly Emblem; had Libbey somehow managed to kill Emblem and that's why he had disappeared or had the reaper taken him? The answer soon came when Emblem reappeared and spoke of exactly what JaK was afraid of while drawing new weapons.

"So Necati's shown he's decrepit face again, huh? It's been a while since I last punched his bony ass! But, trust me when I say, he's not taking me anywhere bub. The only person going down today is you! To hell and then back again!!"

As JaK spoke his rage filled words he grabbed two bottles from the debris. He knew Libbey would have his back after this attack, but he decided to take a more cautions approach now that Emblem had weaponry and use a diversion to close distance. As he spoke the second part of his address to Emblem he lunged the first bottle in his path, knowing it would do little to the superb Metahuman before him. Heck, he might even nonchalantly dodge it for all JaK knew. Either way, the diversion was just that, meant to make Emblem do a different movement then setting up to block JaK's next one. >>> Since it's hard to explain the aerial dramatics for what I'm going to have JaK do, just click here and replace the brass knuckles with the second (broken) bottle JaK picked up<<< Whether the shot Sage took was parlayed or blocked immediately after the blow was struck he would still dive and roll away from Emblem to avoid his battleaxe swings afterwards, as so Libbey could come in with her next assault. That's how they would handle this beast, by double teaming it or playing chicken. Seemed the smartest and more appropriate way to take on a stronger and more experienced opponent, but even then JaK was sure Emblem had dealt with this strategy before. They were really only stalling until more calvary could arrive. He wanted to think about Will too, who was with death up above, but he knew he had to focus if he wanted to keep his words true about not going to hell this day.

OT: Fast forward to 39 seconds for the part that mimics JaK's attack and ends at 43.

(( Let me know if the last part doesn’t fit. ))

A Reaper. He had heard some stories but there were too few in number to really mean something. A Reaper gave his power to someone else? Why would he do that, and why this guy out of all possibilities? A true reaper might make him shake in his boots for a millisecond or two but this guy was nothing, an insignificant obstacle on the path he had chosen.

A Reaper you say? If you're not mistaken then we need to reassess the situation. I'll get us out in a minute, just need to see what we're up against.

The dust cleared and revealed a reborn man hovering clear of the crater. It was definitely the Titan mage, his hair and skin now white as snow. The sound of his voice that resonated around them just now indicated he didn't like it at all, all the better for them. Krious had expected an attack but to his surprise none came. Instead he was offered one chance to escape and take his friend with him. He didn't need his permission, nor did he need a chance to get out. For the first time in years he actually wanted to plunge one of his swords into someone's chest and feel the rush of battle coursing through his body. He probably wouldn't even die, as noted by the new Reaper, although Krious didn't believe in anything of that sort. It took a great deal of self-restraint to not immediately attack, but in light of the recent developments he chose to postpone for another day.

"I already know what happened to you. The last piece of the puzzle is somewhere on these rooftops. We'll take our leave, but don't think for a second this is over Titan. You may have a fancy new look and a little more power, but power alone means nothing when pitted against me. We'll be seeing each other again, you and I, and next time you won't get off this easy."

Either the Titan would lose this power over time, perhaps with the ability to awaken it, or he would be like this forever. It was obvious he didn't like being in this state and that worked in favor of Emblem and Krious. He'd keep an eye on him for the time being, next time he wouldn't even know they were coming. A great portion of the darkforce begun flowing naturally through his body again, his eyes returned to normal and a satisfied grin appeared on his face. He then propelled himself forward, towards his opponent, with all the force he could muster in his legs. The signature dark smoke appeared once he had traversed a meter or two and a second later he was gone.

He needed the powerful forward motion generated by his mechanical legs on the other side. Emblem was still being attacked and he couldn’t teleport while enemies interrupted. Krious appeared out of nowhere above and slightly behind his partner, flying over him and the broken bottle meant for him. He landed between Emblem and the other two opponents, slamming his fist on the ground. The remainder of the darkforce gathered there sent out a small shockwave to his front, putting a stop to anything that might've been coming their way. It was strong enough to stagger, but hardly something to hold them back for long. Immediately he turned, grabbed hold of his friend’s shoulder and looked at the city’s skyline. The two of them appeared there not a moment later, overlooking the ravaged battlefield below.

“Next time we go for take-out…”

The very same grin that formed on his face while leaving his newfound ‘friend’ showed itself again. He had a weakness and her name was Grace…

Back at the East Tower, Grace had been taking a nap when she woke up to a voice in her head. It was Will's voice.

"I love you, Grace and I am so sorry."

What? What did that mean?

Then she felt it. The darkness inside of Grace could feel the sudden change in the order of the universe. Will had become a full Reaper. He was now an agent of Death.

Grace was so surprised that she couldn't even cry. Was Will gone forever? She had hoped that one day the two of them could remove the stain of Necati from their souls, but now that couldn't happen. Will was Necati. Her future...their future was over.

And the Challenge was tomorrow.