Aaron directed Tetsuya as he blew fire and tore through Paradise soldiers. The battlefield was a mix of red and gold as blood stained the road up to where the Underworld forces were trying to breach the sky itself. “How many was that?” Aaron asked. “I lost count after 50,” Tetsuya glanced back at him. “We should probably take a break, man,” Aaron was getting concerned because Tetsuya was fatigued. “I won’t stop until we get her back,” Tetsuya huffed. “Right…” Aaron was down to his last espresso energy drink they highjacked from a convenience store they passed during the battle. He was exhausted also, but he had to be there to direct Tetsuya through battle. He was jarred from his thoughts when he felt turbulence and then heard a roar. “Tetsu? Tetsu?” Aaron looked down, “Shit, that’s the fourth time you’ve taken a hit like that. Your wings are tattered, so I’m not sure how we are currently flying. We need to take a break!” Tetsuya only half-heard Aaron. He took another hit and started losing consciousness. Aaron’s stomach dropped as they began to fall. “Well, this is it,” Aaron held onto Tetsuya for dear life. — Charlie, Benimaru, Kat, Maki, Linda, and Caz we’re running through the carnage of battle, led by Tenseiga who was using his ability to punch through the masses. Maki knocked someone unconscious with a shovel, “I’m sorry I left the necklace Sam gave me at home! If I would have known it could summon him directly to us—“ “It’s okay, mom,” Charlie took out five soldiers who tried to rush them, “you only found out less than half a day ago.” Kat and Benimaru were dual-wielding maces and a taser each. “Wait! What’s that?” Benimaru pointed at the sky. Something blue with a small fleck of pink was plummeting to the ground. “Beni! Tensei! With me!” Charlie grew twice her size, and Benimaru jumped on Tenseiga’s back as they made a mad dash to meet the falling heap. As they got closer, Tetsuya resumed his humanoid form, as he and Aaron started drifting away from each other. The force of the air rushing around them and the saddle managed to knock Aaron unconscious as well. Charlie caught Tetsuya in her arms just in time as Tenseiga caught Aaron on his back. Aaron groaned, “Shit that hurt.” Benimaru scooped Aaron into his arms, “Thank goodness you’re okay!” “Beni?” Aaron blinked, “Beni what are you doing here? Are you okay?” Aaron flinched as he tried sitting up, “Aah… my head…” “This looks pretty bad,” Benimaru started dabbing at Aaron’s head with his hoodie. “Tetsu!” Charlie was cradling Tetsuya in her arms, “Hey! Wake up! Tetsu!” Charlie looked him over, he was bleeding profusely from several places. “Tetsu, don’t you dare,” Charlie squinted her eyes. She started glowing. “Charlotte!” Caz called, “Don’t be a fool!” As she pressed her lips to Tetsuya’s the glow passed from her body to his. Charlie fell to her knees coughing up blood. “Charlie!” Maki rushed forward. “Big C!” Kat followed. Charlie held a hand up, “I’m all right.” Tetsuya groaned, “Princess?” “Hello, my big strong man,” Charlie smiled weakly. Tetsuya shot up, “What happened? I thought for sure… you didn’t…” “Damn right I did, and I’d do it again,” Charlie’s chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. “Charlotte, you aren’t like us,” Caz approached, “You only have a limited amount of essence to expend at one time!” Tetsuya jumped on the defensive, “Back up, asshole.” “Tetsu! He’s on our side!” Benimaru called out. “High-strung one, what are you doing on the battlefield?” Tetsuya blinked. “You’re welcome,” Benimaru grimaced. “We are trying to stop this war,” Maki was pulling something out of her breasts. “Mom!” She produced a case that held a set of platinum knuckles labeled “Viper” in kanji. They slid onto her fingers and closed into her fists like they were made for her hands. “Mrs. O, what are those?” Aaron asked. “Kids, there are some things we do in our lives that we try to leave in the past,” Maki looked particularly menacing, “but sometimes the past is necessary for the present.” “Bruh! I know those knuckles anywhere! The Lightning Viper has the only ones like them in the world!” Kat squealed excitedly. “Lightning—“ Benimaru began. “Viper?” Aaron finished. “You mean that menace of a Yakuza who caused me to have to cancel a whole vacation two decades ago?” Charlie grimaced, “the body count was in the hundreds which meant three times the generational soul cycling.” “I cannot believe I’m standing in the same vicinity as one of the baddest chicks in history,” Kat squealed, “Can— can I have your autograph?” “Later,” Maki turned and pointed towards the front lines, “We need to keep fighting through this nonsense to stop my husband from this foolishness. This is worse than the time the Jaguars lost the Playoffs.” “Pops was in a mood for weeks,” Aaron grimaced. Tetsuya bowed before Charlie, “Princess, as your guardian I continue to fail you time and time again- so this may be asking a lot, but will you do me the honor of being my rider through this battle?” “What about Aaron?” Benimaru began. “Ssh— Beni, I’ve had enough dragon-riding for today,” Aaron groaned. “Good,” Benimaru smooched Aaron’s cheek. Aaron muttered, “Aren’t I the one that’s supposed to be doing the teasing here?” “Tetsuya Ryu,” Charlie’s voice boomed, “My guardian and beloved, I will do you this honor so long as we can eat ice cream, take a long nap, and have copious amounts of sex after this in that order.” “Anything you want, my goddess,” Tetsuya smiled as he resumed his dragon form, Charlie mounting him with ease. “Good,” She snuggled into his neck and giggled as he took off. “I never would have thought a dragon could blush that hard,” Caz stroked his chin. “So— that was definitely not the verbiage I used in our bonding ritual,” Aaron blinked. “Really?” Benimaru raised his eyebrows, “What did you say?” “Well, the guy who led us all through the exercise gave us a generic one but noted for a stronger bond it had to be something that meant something to the both of us,” Aaron recalled. “So— what did you say?” Kat asked. “He said, ‘See you on the court, asshat,’ and I said, ‘Your ass is grass and I’m fixing to mow it,’” Aaron shrugged. Everyone groaned. “Always the sports ball with you two,” Tenseiga grimaced, “Any way we need to focus, Lady Maki is already a half-mile ahead of us with an alarming body count behind her, and Charlotte and that idiot dragon are miles ahead by now.” “Right!” They all forged on. — “Master, the last two mortal countries standing are the one they call the US and another called China,” Kumiho reported. “It is almost time!” Chad laughed. “Um— but you’ve already started, master,” Kumiho cleared her throat as he was finishing taking out Canada. “I couldn’t watch the mortals have all the fun, right, uncle?” Chad smirked. Mal stood chained to the scythe, silent. “Are you this much of a wet blanket with that abomination or are you actively trying to piss me off,” Chad muttered sending a surge of power through the scythe that made Mal scream. “You’re all fools. Gods, mortals… Charlotte will figure out how to stop all this nonsense,” Mal glared. “That halfling bitch?” Chad was incredulous, “Don’t make me laugh. Before this night is over, I’ll have her head hanging in my lair and sweet Beni on my—“ “Must you always be such a dick, Chad?” “Cousin Celestine! How lovely to have another wet blanket weigh down my fun!” Chad grimaced. “If uncle breaches paradise, do you know how long it’s going to take me to rearrange every star in the sky once this stupidity is over?” Celestina leered. “But that won’t be necessary once I have my way!” Chad held his arms wide. “You better win, and keep your end of the deal, because it doesn’t sound like you’re going to,” Celestina glared. “Ugh, fine… I’ll turn Charlotte over to you,” Chad rolled his eyes. “Good,” Celestina smiled before she left. “Is it wise to turn the reaper over to Celestina, master?” Kumiho questioned, “I do not trust her.” “She won’t use Charlotte to betray us, she’s been wanting a piece of that abomination for centuries. And since I have uncle Mal, Charlotte is nothing,” Chad laughed. “My siblings have turned you all rotten, you know that?” Mal was disgusted. “Lotta judgment coming from the guy who bent our grandparents to the whims of mortals,” Chad glared. Mal went silent. “That’s what I thought,” Chad glared, “I grow tired of this. Let’s see who which of these last mortal countries are left standing.” — Sam reached the breach in Paradise where he was met by Alpharam and his other siblings. “Thank you for making finding and killing you all easy,” Sam took a battle stance. “Brother, you don’t have to do this,” Alpharam gave one last warning, “it’s not as if you could take us d—“ Sam tossed Boreales’ head between them, the essence still slowly fading into dust. “Sacrilege,” Alpharam screamed. “Oh spare me, Alpharam! Or did you forget you presented our father’s head in a similar matter when you had Mal do your dirty work,” Sam glared, “Had I known that was your end goal in convincing me to take the Underworld I would have never left Paradise, father’s essence would have been passed onto Mal as the rightful successor and my brother wouldn’t spend his best eons in the void.” “Alpharam, is this true?” One of their siblings piped up. “You told us father wished this before you consumed his essence,” another cried out. “Ah, and they call me the deceiver,” Sam spit at Alpharam’s feet. “Enough!” Alpharam also took a battle stance, “I do not need to prove my righteousness to any of you.” “Wait!” Charlie shouted as Tetsuya landed on Boreales head with a crunch. “Gross,” Tetsuya wiggled his foot. “Tetsu, I will clean your foot in the bath later, we have bigger things to worry about,” Charlie indicated Sam and Alpharam who stopped mid-charge at each other. “Ah, y-yes, princess,” Tetsuya cleared his throat and lowered his head for Charlie to dismount. “Charlotte? Charlotte!” Sam’s eyes welled up, as he ran to scoop up Charlie, “my baby girl.” “Pops!” Charlie rubbed his back, “I’m okay. You don’t have to fight anymore. We are all okay.” They heard a clang, Alpharam’s weapon stopped a foot away from Sam’s back. Caz stopped the strike. “Father, what is the meaning of this underhandedness?” Caz trembled under the pressure of his father’s blow. “Samuel has murdered our brother, Boreales! He must be punished!” Alpharam sounded nervous. They heard a slow clap as Chad approached, “Uncle Sam, I see you have crossed one item off my list for me. Well done.” “You intended to kill your father?” Charlie and Sam looked at each other horrified. “Why are you all so surprised? My father was a bastard and a brute who would love nothing more than to expire in battle,” Chad snorted, “Extra points if his offspring surpassed him and did it myself. Ironic that for all his posturing he is dripping between the toes of a beast.” “Come on, man. I almost forgot I stepped on him,” Tetsuya whined wiggling his foot. “Chad, let Uncle Mal go,” Charlie demanded. “You’re not even worth killing you myself,” Chad looked down at Charlie in disgust, “Kumiho!” “But, master, you promised Celestina,” Kumiho began. “We will find her a better plaything— one that is not beneath us,” Chad smirked. “Understood master,” Kumiho assumed her fox form and charged. “Faster, Tensei!” Benimaru urged. “I— can go no faster,” Tenseiga was pushing past his limit with the number of mortals on his back, “I won’t make it!” “Die!” Kumiho almost clashed with Charlie when something unexpected happened. Maki sped in with an uppercut, knocking Kumiho off balance. It all seemed to happen in slow motion until she threw ten more Lightning-fast punches before knocking Kumiho out with a final blow to the jaw. Maki stood up from her fighting stance, brushing sweat and hair from her face. “My children are NOT going on another soul journey through the void,” Maki started stomping Kumiho’s face, “Not today, bitch.” “Hot damn, I think I fell in love again,” Sam breathed, he held his arms open as Maki approached. He cried out in pain as she tugged his ear. “And you— what in the hell were you thinking, starting an apocalyptic war,” Maki scolded. “They started it— ah,” Sam hissed when she pulled, “Are you trying to get me to take you here?” Maki gripped his face and gave him a smoky look, “Keep your head and fix this mess or you’re not getting any later.” Sam cleared his throat, “All right! War’s over! Everyone go home— NOW!” Chad laughed hysterically, “Whipped by a mortal?” He went deadpan, “Do I look like a joke to you?” He surged power through the scythe that brought every god and celestial being to their knees as Mal screamed in agony. “Tensei!” Benimaru shook Tenseiga, “Snap out of it!” “Tetsu!” Aaron managed to stumble over to him, “Come on, man. You’re better than this!” “Honey?” Maki was shaking Sam. Charlie was barely hanging on. She wobbled as she stood up. “Chad— you bastard. What have you done?” Charlie picked up her Quan Dao. “What Uncle Al did to grandpa, but I’m doing it much better,” Chad laughed, “The upper gods have grown weak and soft as expected.” “Fix them, right now!” Benimaru shouted. “Why would I do that? There’s no one left to stop me from taking you now. Just submit to me and I promise I’ll be gentle— the first time anyway,” Chad sounded sweet. “No way!” Benimaru stood his ground. “Beni, Beni, Beni, you don’t seem to understand the situation,” Chad knocked Charlie aside like he was casually swatting a fly as he made his way towards Benimaru, “When I say there’s no one left to stop me, I mean it.” Charlie watched helplessly as everyone was down for the count, and Benimaru was seconds away from becoming whatever Chad wanted. “I didn’t come all this way for it to end like this, damn it!” Charlie clenched her fists and her jaw. “Oh dear,” a voice rang out in Charlie’s head, “Look at this hot ass mess our grandchildren have made.” “You were the one who spoiled their parents rotten which in turn made them rotten.” “Is this really the time to debate our shit parenting?” “Least we have one grandbaby with some damn sense.” Charlie furrowed her brow, “Um… who are you?”