The Final Loop

[eternitymods]

Who: Everyone
When: April 11th - Last Loop
Where: Curti Center, Sen Devadatta
What: Final Loop before the final confrontation against the Empress and Bahamut.
Warnings/Notes: ??????

Comments

[timecrash]

Serge grins widely, spinning his oar experimentally, before planting it in the ground. "Uendo's right. Nobody's gonna die here. Got it? We've come way too far to fail now. The whole world- no, the whole universe is behind us!"

He stands by Corrin, eyes focused on the sky. "Ramaa and the Moogles of Light want us to think we're chosen by the Calamity, that it's our destiny to help Narayana be reborn. Well you know what? Fuck that! There's no such thing as a future that can't be changed, and there's no such thing as an enemy that can't be beaten! We've got the Legendary Eidolons! We've got the whole world's hearts all beating together! And we've got each other! Ramaa isn't gonna know what hit her because we got this, guys! To hell with what everyone else says- we're the Heroes of Light, and there's no overgrown lizard that's gonna stand in our way!"

[exspeariment]

"YEAH!" Undyne shouted at the top of her lungs, wielding her spear from her currently equipped Dragoon job. "Everyone's hopes and dreams are going to come true today! We WILL beat Ramaa, we WILL beat Bahamut, and we WILL save Vaikuntha!"

[singerofspells]

"That is the spirit!"

S'reee was keeping Illusionist on as her other jobs restricted her mobility. It meant she was aware of the minutes counting down to their battle.

[righthandstand]

Okuyasu beat his fist into an open palm. He work the Monk belt of his ranking, but his regular gi was replaced by the neon pink suit he wore at the wedding, and the fedora remained on his head. He could still punch a dragon like this. Why not go out in style?

"Where's that coward empress? We're ready to take her on!"

[boomchucka]

Selphie had ditched her Stave Master job for a weaker one, but hoped to be a better contender in the upcoming battle. Equipped with the Black Mage job, the perky brunette pointed a dinged scepter toward the ground as she pulled her pointed hat back a bit to get a better look at the situation. She might not be at her strongest in this battle, but she'd make her actions count wherever they could.

"There's nothing we can't do," she shouted confidently.

[plagueofshadows]

Plague Knight reaches into his robes, and draws out one of the many hi-potions he'd spent almost every loop brewing, again and again, just in case it was the last. And now it was finally time. He'll need to keep an eye on who needs healing, when they do- such an odd idea still, even all these loops later. Him! Playing support to someone else's fight.

"I'll be honest, hee hee! I still couldn't care less about heroics, but what we've all done, together, it's really something! Let's finish what we've started, I may not be able to swap your asterisks around, but call me if you need healing, haha! That's what I'm here for!"

[cureofmanyworlds]

Nozomi was both nervous and excited. This was it - now or never. It was time to stop this mess once and for all.

"Let's not talk like we're going to die here. I think we all know what to do now." she said. "We're going to be just fine - Cure Dream will make sure of that!"

[littlemhigan]

Castor was tired. Six long months had taken its toll on her, and even with time unwinding, it nevertheless had left evidence of it's passage. It could be seen in the tight lines of stress along her face, and in the dark bags that hung heavy under her eyes.

But here she was, keeping her gaze on the endless blue of the sky, awaiting the moment it changes.

"I ain't lettin' anyone worth savin' die today."

[einspine]

"AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL STAND STRONG AS A SHIELD FOR ALL THOSE IN NEED!!! BECAUSE I CAN ALWAYS CAST BONE BARRIER IF NEED BE!"

For now, he's dressed in his usual garb. Lab coat over his battle body, goggles, the whole nine yards. He's wearing his Cool Scientist asterisk, with Chemist and Gourmand on standby. Should the need arise, he'll swap to Magitek with his Chemist skill, but for now...

He activates Robuddy in attack mode, leaving it as a roaming, robotic turret for the time being.

Otherwise, he remains on guard.

[failtsuninari]

"For the sake of this world and ours, we will prevail," Kenichi said with a nod. He gripped his spear with one hand but gave his trusty chocobo a pat on the head.

"Thanks for being here, Kohaku. It's been a long journey but we've made it." The chocobo trilled at the praise given to her by the cavalier. With his Dragoon job on standby, Kenichi hoped the extra speed boosts will help. As he went into War Stance, a red aura surrounds the duo.

[eternitymods]

While there was no sign of the Empress yet, the King of Eidolons did spot the Heroes of Light. Flying toward them, the Eidolon stopped at a distance and looked down upon them before starting charging its fabled Teraflare attack.

The attack would go off within second. No time to escape and it was doubtful any regular skill would shield properly against an attack that had the power to raze entire cities to the ground. If the Heroes of Light didn't attack Bahamut now with the Legendary Eidolons, odds were they would never have the chance to do so.

[topgun_textiles]

"Shit! Now's the time!"

Kanji bore down and swept his hand over the greatsword now in his hands, a corona of ice energy flowing through it. He couldn't summon, but goddamn it, he'd do what he could to survive.

[songbird_slayer]

She hefted her staff and thrust the end into the earth. Madhuri began to gather power, causing the air to sing. She would put everything she could into this Medica, ready to set it off once all hell broke loose.

That... that would be soon.

[modelcivilian]

If Bahamut wanted to do this, he was ready to do this. He didn't know how well Eye for an Eye would work in this case, but he was prepared for the strike and responding in kind. They just needed to hold everything off until the Summoners could do their thing.

[hatejakku]

As soon as the dragon came in sight, he unsheathed and ignited the lightsaber. Though, while he knew Bahamut was fast, he seemed a lot faster than he thought. The Eidolon was already on them, readying an attack.

Which was interesting. This great beast saw them as a threat and paused to attack. No time to think about it now.

He clutched the crystal in his free hand and... had absolutely no idea how to go about this. So he pulled on what he felt from summoning Ramuh and Titan before, trying to drive it into this crystal. "Zodiark!"

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Now.

He knew this feeling. The spike of anxiety just before you entered the stage; the surge of confidence as you stood before the audience and knew exactly what to do. Heart pounding, riding on the emotional high, Uendo held the crystal flower aloft.

"Grace us with your purifying flames! Come, Phoenix!"

Perhaps the incantation wasn't strictly speaking needed, but what sort of an entertainer would he be if he didn't do his job with flair?

[pishirogane]

So, Bahamut was making the first move. Fine then...

Asking for aid from the spider Chemist, Naoto switched Asterisks without interruption, grabbing her staff in one hand while gripping the egg-shaped crystal from Maria in the other.

Magic and miracles she said, right? Well, they were going to need that.

Bringing the crystal to her chest and holding her staff out as if to aim at the dragon, she felt the well of magic she'd become accustomed to take a new form. The weight of the air seemed heavier.

"Let's go, Asura!"

[peace_through_empathy]

"Healers, at the ready!" Megatron yells as the dragon and the four summoners prepare their attacks; his voice is loud, authoritative, commanding, and his Scholar's Tome is out and prepped, and ready with a healing spell to go, and a priority list of healing targets of the allies immediately surrounding him should the attack hit. "Prioritize your targets!"

With any luck, these summons they've worked so hard to acquire will stop Bahamut's attack dead in its tracks...but Megatron hasn't come this far by gambling solely on luck. The attack might still go off, but be reduced in effectiveness. The healers will be ready, come hell or high water; Megatron will make certain of that.

[singerofspells]

"Let us see how well this works," S'reee said, throwing up a Disguise to mimic Finn (as the first summoner she saw starting to cast). She wasn't sure how well an Asterisk designed for a biped would cover her, but she hoped it would give Bahamut a pause in identifying where the summoners were.

[shinra_dog]

Reno was there, of course. He couldn't miss this day. Not after facing it for the last six months and dying each time. Reno was finished dying here.

He squeezed Johnny's hand. "We're not done here yet," he said simply with a smirk.

Activating Dragon Heart, he waited for the inevitable pain of Bahamut's attack. As long as he could survive, he'd be ready to throw his all at Ramaa.

[transect]

After going through this— how many times now?— Rutile was more than ready. The look in their eyes said as much, and raising their tome high above them, the light of Succor spiraled out from them extending over everyone close to them, a sparkling shield of protection.

[masqueraid]

Ren had discarded his glasses this time, ready to face Bahamut with the new power, and knowledge, that had been bestowed upon all of them. The butterfly-shaped crystal remained in his grasp as his long coat fluttered with help of all the magic in the air.

His gaze lowered, focusing on the great dragon, and he felt all too much like he had when he first called on his powers back home. Anticipation, uncertainty... and perhaps even a tinge of fear. But nothing in his expression betrayed any of that, as he tightened his grip on the sacred object he held.

He could feel it pulsating with energy the more he concentrated, the more he put those skills sensei had taught them to work, and then... Pitiful creature, why dost thou call my name? I am both light eternal and the deep sin of the darkness...

Wait, had he imagined that just now? ...Did it matter?

"That's right. I call upon your power—" his conviction, hearing that voice, was stronger than ever, "Alexander!"

[pidgeypidge]

While everyone else was giving their impassioned speeches, Pidge was just sort of... standing off to the side to wait for things to happen. She'd assumed, of course, that she'd be going into this with the other Paladins, but obviously she'd been wrong.

So here she was, Magitek Bracelet standing by on her wrist, Catmancer equipped. For something she'd picked up on a whim, she was actually enjoying it.

For the moment, Pidge decided to just wait and let the more qualified people handle things. She wasn't a summoner or a healer, so it'd probably be smarter to wait. There wasn't much she could do against a giant dragon, anyway.

[eternitymods]

As the Summoners summoned the four Legendary Eidolons, the ground started shaking. But before any Eidolon could answer their call, the King of Eidolons cast its fabled Teraflare attack upon them.

It happened within the blink of an eye. The gigantic ball of energy was unleashed upon the gathered Heroes of Light, ignoring all defenses they had prepared. The size of the impact was larger than the city itself: there was no escaping it.

All the Heroes of Light are dead.

2/2

[eternitymods]

> Flames of Rebirth

The Heroes of Light are revived. Indeed, mere seconds after their untimely death, the Heroes of Light find themselves standing, fully healed and with no scratch, as if nothing had happened. Their gear, items and pets are also all intact and well. To find the reasons for such a miracle, they wouldn't have to look far. Above them was flying a gigantic and majestic red bird, Phoenix.

And the ground was still shaking. Should they look at their feet where the crater resulting from the Teraflare impact should have been, they would instead find... Steel? They were standing upon a machine of some sort, a gigantic robot that was emerging from the ground. Even as it happened, Bahamut was already charging another Teralare and cast it toward the Heroes once moreù

> Divine Judgement

White wings sprouted from the machine, enveloping the area before the Heroes of Light. They would be able to hear the impact of Teraflare against the wings, only to see the energy resulting from the attack being absorbed and redirected as light of rays to attack Bahamut.

The Heroes of Light are protected from Bahamut's attacks.