*Magnolia, Fiore; October 22, 2019; 3:30 PM*

Richtofen's squadron had been mostly swamped with undead and Grimm, but having gotten through most of them, they were left alone to try and find anything important.

"Okay... Let's see... Zombies are out of the way.. Let's get searching.." Dempsey cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, hell yeah.." Moo grinned, flipping a table.

"What's that gonna do for us?" Fourzer0 asked.

"You never know with these... 'Easter Eggs'.." Nikolai muttered.

"Let's see what we got, amigos!" Droidd looked through the shelves of the small bookstore.

Ohm flipped through the books, and once he was unable to find anything, he simply chucked it aside.

"I have found something.." Takeo called.

Ohm and Moo immediately ran over to investigate, curious.

"What... Is it..?" Ohm wondered.

The object Takeo held was a spherical magenta crystal that shimmered slightly in the blue light of the Apothicon Sun. If one looked closely, they would see mere flickers of images.

"Let me have a look at that, Takeo.." Richtofen asked, taking the object.

"So.. Do you have any idea what it is?" Droidd asked.

".. This object is unique to this world.. I believe Dr. Monty called it a lacrima." Richtofen explained, looking at it from all angles.

"Something is moving inside!" Nikolai noticed.

"Hey... I think you're right..." Dempsey looked closer.

Dempsey looked at the object, reaching out to touch it when suddenly it glowed bright magenta and a sort of hologram appeared on the ground.

The hologram took place in a sort of laboratory, much unlike most of Magnolia, let alone Fiore.

A tall, middle-aged man stood facing them, a grim expression on his face.

"Hello.. If anyone finds this Lacrima, please understand.. I only sought the truth.. I never intended for it all to fall apart.!!" He urgently began.

"... What is this..?" Nikolai wondered.

"My name is Dr. Vladimir Kravinoff.. I'm a scientist from Earth on an expeditionary mission to Fiore after I received reports of a dimensional traveller in 2016.. I set out to study the very nature of what connects the individual universes making up the web of reality.. Instead, everything deteriorated.." Dr. Kravinoff explained.

"How could things go wrong? All that happened three years ago was the Inquisitor War!" Moo wondered.

"My fellow researchers came across the hostile Dark Guild, the Red Dawn.. The Guild Master, Lucien Sombra, demanded that I assist him in finding the traveller, or die... So I began using his wizards as test subjects.. Exposing them all to the cosmic radiation that each universe gave off... Most of them... Didn't make it..." Dr. Kravinoff continued.

"This is almost worse than the research undertaken at Division 9." Takeo somberly sighed.

"The Red Dawn... Where have I heard that before..?" Moo wondered.

"Those who did survive.. Weren't all there.. Most of the survivors went insane... Talking about the vastness of the universe itself.. Events of histories in other universes, and what I can only assume are future events... The most talked-about being an apocalyptic battle taking place somewhere in Fiore itself... The survivors didn't need me to keep exposing them to radiation to kill them... Most of them ended up taking their own lives.."

"Gee.. that doesn't sound familiar." Dempsey sarcastically rolled his eyes.

"There was finally one survivor left.. The Guild Master himself.. He insisted he receive more cosmic radiation to become an unstoppable god ... Instead, he ended up becoming... A monster. Some kind of... Horse monster... The shadow magic he used fused with his very being... I had no other option but to cast him inside the portal I was using... Wherever he ended up, I still carry the guilt.." Kravinoff sighed.

"Wait... Sombra..? Didn't Twilight mention him once or twice?" Droidd asked.

"Oh, shit." Moo groaned.

"And then... Out of test subjects... I exposed myself... And I didn't like what I saw. But even then, I was too late.. A rock of some kind burst out of the machine, and turned my fellow colleagues into... Monsters.. The undead... I had no choice but to seal my entire facility underground... I don't know how long I have left, but I---" The lacrima cut off, leaving the eight men stunned.

"Well, that was... Something.." Droidd figured.

".. Agreed.. It is best we continue." Richtofen urged, prepared to step out the door.

"And just where do you think you're going?!" A voice demanded from the doorway.

The eight men stood up, guns raised.

"Who is this..?" Takeo asked.

"Good point.. Who is he?!" Fourzer0 asked.

The man had a large, dark moustache and steadily greying hair, and wore a contemptful frown.

"My name is Dr. Watts, an ally of Salem. Make no mistake, you belligerent fools. I am only here to kill you, and I have no intention of failure." Watts scowled.

Richtofen smirked, raising his Wunderwaffe.

"Another doctor..? Well then, it should do you well to know something about me, 'Dr. Watts'." Richtofen began.

"And what is that?"

Richtofen's confident grin turned into an angered scowl as he raised his Zap Guns.

"I RENOUNCED MY HIPPOCRATIC OATH!!!"

Richtofen fired an intense flurry of bolts from his zap guns, as the others began to fire as well.

"Get that sum bitch!!" Ohm yelled.

"FOR THE MOTHERLAND!!" Nikolai screamed.

Watts merely continued to dodge every shot fired, and by the time everyone had to reload, Watts stood unscathed.

"Impressive weaponry, Dr. Richtofen. But I am leagues ahead of any weapon of yours."

*Meanwhile*

"Come on! It's this way!" Lucy yelled, running through the streets alongside Nogla and Mini as they were being chased by a horde of zombies and Beowolves.

"Where the f**k is Gray and Juvia?!" Mini yelled, shooting at zombies.

"I DON'T FOCKIN' KNOW, MAN! WHAT, ARE THEY GETTIN FOCKIN' SANDWICHES OR SOMETHIN'?!!" Nogla shouted back.

"Hurry! They're gaining on us!!" Lucy yelled, running away from the undead as fast as she could.

"Wait.. Aren't you a wizard or some shit?! Can't you find a spell or something to help us?!" Mini wondered.

Lucy immediately came to the realization.

"Oh..." She blinked.

She reached for her Celestial Spirits, grabbing one particular key that she figured could be of use.

"Open, Gate of The Archer! Sagittarius!!"

A brilliant golden glow appeared beside Lucy, immediately taking form of a.. Man wearing a horse costume.

"Oh, what the f**k?!" Mini threw his hands in the air.

"Howdy-doo, M'lady!" Sagittarius greeted.

Nogla shook his head.

"Oh, that's it. Good luck, f**kers!" Nogla reached for his Apothicon Sword and leaped into the fray.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, F**KCHEESE?!" Mini immediately started shooting, trying to provide cover fire.

"Sagittarius, we need to thin out that crowd, but don't shoot Mini or Nogla!" Lucy pointed towards the horde.

"Not a problem." Sagittarius immediately reached for several arrows, nocking them in and glaring at the crowd.

Wave upon wave of arrows struck their targets, killing the monstrous Grimm by the row.

"WHERE THE F**K WAS THAT SHIT WHEN WE NEEDED IT?!" Nogla yelled in surprise.

"GET 'EM!!!" Vanoss shouted.

"Wait, VANOSS?!" Nogla looked up.

Vanoss, Delirious, and Wildcat immediately ran to help, shooting their upgraded MGs into the throng of undead.

"DIIIE, BITCHES!! Ahahahaha!!!" Delirious cackled.

Between Nogla's attacks, and the support of Sagittarius, Mini, Vanoss, Delirious, and Wildcat, there were only a few zombies left, which Sagittarius shot in mere seconds.

"Alright.. Good job, team.." Vanoss panted.

"I think we got what we needed. Thank you, Sagittarius!" Lucy grinned thankfully.

"It's no trouble, m'lady!" The Celestial Spirit replied as he receded into his key.

"Anyways, what the f**k was that shit with the horse man." Wildcat asked.

"I'm a Celestial Wizard, I can summon spirits with these keys." Lucy explained.

"Well, thank Christ you guys showed up. Where're the others?" Mini asked.

"The Kids had to get Twilight back to the Guild Hall. We ran over here because.." Vanoss began to explain.

"I WILL MOUNT YOUR HEADS OVER SALEM'S FIREPLACE!!!" Grimm Pyrrha yelled.

"... That. We ran away because of that." Wildcat said.

"...Oh, shit." Nogla deadpanned.

*Meanwhile*

"RAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Alex leaped towards Primis, sword raised as he slashed from either side.

Primis merely dodged every attack, unfazed by the assault.

"Hm.. I've dealt with your kind before." Primis rushed towards Alex and flicked his forehead.

The sheer power behind it caused Alex to fly up into the air as Primis jumped, punching his gut and causing Alex to power down instantly to base form.

'F**k.. I can't even block at this point.!!' Alex winced.

Primis grabbed Alex's neck, throwing him back down to the beach.

Before Alex even had time to stand up, Primis landed, slamming his boot onto Alex's chest.

Primis calmly kicked Alex towards the ocean, leaving Alex gasping for breath.

"Heh heh.. You can scarcely stand, much less fight. I had better kill that brat who was with you and let Ultimus finish you off." Primis declared.

Alex struggled to stand up, and was coughing blood at this point, red pools of mist forming in the clear blue of the water as the waves lapped against Alex's metal arms.

"Don't... Even think.. A-About it..!" Alex scowled, forcing himself to power up to his Evolved State.

Alex's hair first changed from it's usual dark blonde color to a shimmering light blue at the roots, while a purple color luminated the ends, as his skin had changed into the form's signature whitish-purple color. His eyes were mostly white, save for his pupils, now purple.

"Interesting.. You combined your own innate abilities, your soul, and the odd magic signature I detected. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed." Primis stated manner-of-factly.

Alex smirked.

"I'll tell you something too. Not a lot of people can stand up to even my Enlightened Form that easy, let alone in their Base Form." Alex replied.

"Well then, if you're going to power up, then I shall as well." Primis smiled.

"What?!" Alex stood back.

Primis bent his knees as a sphere of dark blue power rushed around him, causing his hair to stand on end and his irises to change from orange to blue as well. His muscles suddenly burst outwards, increasing his size and causing electricity to lash at the ground in front of him.

A brilliant beacon of dark blue power erupted into the sky above, almost mirroring the light that the Apothicon Sun produced.

'This is insane! He's much stronger than I could've prepared for!!' Alex thought grimly.

The light from Primis' Transformation flickered out, leaving behind a 7-foot tall behemoth with shimmering blue hair, glowing white eyes, and a burning red mark on his forehead.

"Normally, I'd say 'prepare to die', but by the look on your face, it seems you've already taken care of that."

*Meanwhile*

"CINDER!!!" Cade roared, shooting at the Maiden as he leaped over her.

Cinder swung her blades, intending to hack Cade in two, only to be interrupted by Auburn's axe.

With a quick strum, Auburn blew Cinder several feet backwards.

"Happy! Now!" Cade yelled, shooting Cinder twice more before the flying blue cat zipped past him and head-butted Cinder.

Stunned, she charged towards Cade with both of her swords raised above her head.

Cade blocked the swords with his sickle and sharply pulled them away, enabling him to convert Conductor to it's short sword form and hacked her in the side.

"Auburn!"

Cade flew out of the way, making room for Auburn to knock her back further.

"Alright, kid. You ready?!" Natsu asked, practically itching to fight Cinder.

Cade reared his arms backwards, a ball of electricity forming between his hands as Natsu puffed up his cheeks, readying a spell.

"Auburn! Take him!" Oreonna yelled, smacking Grimm Ren across the face, blowing him into Auburn's path as she played a few more chords, blowing Ren away and forcing Cinder backwards.

"GOD SHOCKER-..!!"

"FIRE DRAGON.!!!"

Cinder's eyes widened, Cade wondering whether it was out of surprise or fear.

"That's not good!!" Grimm Ren gaped in horror.

"TIMES TWO!!!"

"..ROAR!!!"

The enormous bolt of lightning combined with the arc of flame, immediately clashing with the two, forming a large explosion that decimated that section of town outwards.

'Woah.!!! When did Cade get this strong?!' Oreonna thought.

'Cade's been stubbornly determined to recover from that incident against that 'Vanoss' lookalike from Trinity Raven at the Tower of Heaven. Seems he's gotten past whatever was keeping him back.' Auburn figured.

When the smoke cleared, Grimm Ren was battered and unconscious, leaving behind only Cinder.

"How is she not dead yet?! I threw almost everything I had!" Natsu scowled.

Cinder glared at Natsu as he leaped towards her, punching her repeatedly until he had her backed into a wall.

"I'M NOT GIVING UP THAT EASY, YOU CRAZY LADY!! PUT 'EM UP!!!" Natsu yelled as he continued pummeling her.

Cinder merely grinned wickedly, leaving Natsu completely off guard when she finally countered.

She placed her hand on Natsu's chest, and blew him out of the way with a powerful burst of energy.

The Fire Dragonslayer landed hard in front of Cade, leaving the others shocked.

"Natsu!" Happy worriedly prodded his side.

Cinder laughed to herself, suddenly as close to joyful as someone like Cinder could ever be.

"You... Five... Have been truly impressive. Allow me to reward all of you for your hard work." Cinder grinned.

"Oh, shit.." Cade deadpanned.

This wasn't good.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0VhMCBiWKAI

Cinder suddenly began glowing orange, the color outlining her entire body before the color blue erupted forth, basically pushing the layer of orange out as the multi-layered aura began to uncontrollably rise upwards like a roaring fire.

"What the hell?!" Oreonna leaped backwards, eyes widened and ears flat in horror.

"What?! I never sensed this! What's happening?!" Cade stared in horror at Cinder's ensuing transformation.

The color green usurped the space immediately around her her body as her power continued to skyrocket. the orange, blue, and now green aura continued to pulsate as radiant as the sun.

"Wait.. You guys said that Cinder's got all the Maiden's powers, right?" Natsu asked.

Auburn glared, still stunned by the sight as the color purple erupted from Cinder's body, completing the multi-tiered aura.

"Oh, no..." Happy stepped away in fear as the colors from Cinder's Aura began to combine.

The individual colors molded together as Cinder's skin changed from it's usual color to a silver color. Her hair grew several inches and changed from ash grey to orange, purple, green, and blue while her eyes began to glow. The glow itself was multi-layered as well, with Cinder's actual eyes now glowing white.

Even her weapons began to change, fusing together into a double-sided blade, looking similar to a cross between a European sword and a katana.

"C-Cinder's... Transformed?!" Cade fearfully gasped.

"This form... Glorious, is it not?" Cinder confidently asked.

"What the hell is that?!" Natsu demanded.

Cinder huffed.

"Very well. While Cade and that pathetic Alicorn were busy running away with their tails between their legs, I took it upon myself to advance my power as the All-Season Maiden. What you see before you is the god-like power Remnant's legendary wizards are able to bestow.." Cinder declared.

"Does it really matter?" Auburn demanded.

"Auburn..!" Oreonna winced.

"Do you doubt my godlike powers, girl? Or have you simply gone crazy from fear?" Cinder asked.

"Sis, what the hell are you doing?" Cade asked worriedly.

Auburn turned to face her half-brother, looking him in the eye with out saying a word.

"Holy crap, you're serious.." Cade backed away.

Auburn glared at Cinder, raising her axe to her side.

"Is this what you wanted? Is this...what you were looking for?"

She took another step, promoting Cinder to glare at her.

"Was everything you've ripped away from us, everything you've done to us really worth it?" Auburn asked, the normally emotionless girl practically choked out her words at this point.

"Trying to appeal my emotions... Always such a futile choice of last words. Spare my time and just die like your parents."

Auburn actually scowled at Cinder before regaining her composure.

"Auburn.." Oreonna gaped.

Auburn held her guitar, turning all of the dials to their highest setting before looking back at the Maiden.

"I guess I have no choice now.. I hoped it wouldn't have to be like this, Fall. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

Author's Notes:

Say what you will about Dragonball Super, the soundtrack is really good, in my opinion, at least.

Advertising aside, things are only heating up from here on out.

Between an Enlightened Primis, Grimm JNPR, and Full-Powered Cinder Fall, the fight scenes are going to be especially intense.

And don't forget about the Easter Egg as The Origins Crew investigates Magnolia Town for more information on Dr. Kravinoff and the Red Dawn's connection to the Battle.

Feel free to comment what you think about the story so far and I'll (probably) reply!

-The Destoyer