Episode 44: This is Sparta

[Vince Hardy]

Oberus and Ahio had concocted their dual attack swiftly, per the Legendary Soldier's instruction. This was because the ratio had to be on point for this attack to work, as a simple charge would most likely get them killed too.

"I think you're relying on me a bit too much there, guys," Oberus complained. She was hinting that she had enough on her plate as it was, and that if she did go after Maria, it would be to their own detriment, as they need all they can get for this enemy right here. Spreading resources now was just not possible. Markus' arrival to the battlefield was a blessing in disguise.

"Okay. Let it rip!" Ahio fired a large, green orb of combustible energy, Indignation. It carried a special property with it, seeing as how whirling strands of energy were revolving around it. Once it reached Diablo 2, it dispersed into a violent showing of Oberus' power. "Take this! Power Windup!"

The winds going through the area now were wreaking havoc around Washington, even more so from Diablo 2's position. It stunned the mechanical greatly, and blew Frosch, Jamal, and Tec right off of the BT System. Of course, Frosch would be responsible for making sure the boy didn't fall to his death.

"Lars Lion, ready up," Vince commanded.

"As you wish," she complied. She returned to ball form and ended up in Vince's left hand.

"Bakugan brawl!" he exclaimed, throwing her into the fray. "Stand, Lars Lion!" She opened in monster form, gracing the battlefield with her luxurious presence once more. She didn't let that waste any of her time though. Immediately after standing, Lars Lion slammed the bottom of her staff on the ground. A light pulse went throughout the entire area.

"Stand, my fellow warriors," Lars Lion decreed. The entire combined forces of the heroic side had their ball forms rise into the air, colored in a Haos aura. A shine surge was expelled from their bodies as they stood once more.

"Not too long now, Apollonir," Vince calmly said. It was obvious he was putting on a facade. He knew that they were starting to push it.

"Yeah...two minutes, ten seconds. Drago, it's on us."

[Noland Hardy]

Noland noticed who sent the green ball down. That wasn't Oberus' doing all by herself. That was Seiki up there, doing what she could to save the world. Noland was too pleased with that to focus on the fact that they almost died. He smiled and nodded at her progress.

Now...it was Noland's turn to fight. Drago was primed for battle and had a fresh body to do so.

"Let's go then," Noland spurred. His voice sounded like the, "Hurry the fuck up," type of tone, as they were literally bordering on two minutes before they get wiped out and assimilated. The thought was disgusting, and it made it even more pertinent to get right to bashing Dasia's head in before it was too late.

"I'm ready," Drago declared. "Let's end this battle!"

[Dasia Turano]

Oberus and Ahio's attack sure was a stunner. Now Dasia couldn't focus hard enough to reactivate the barrier. Oh well. Now she has to do the job of eliminating the only Bakugan that can stop the BT System all by herself. What a joyous time to be on the battlefield.

"Funny...you have so many friends, but only two of you have what it takes to stop me," Dasia wondered.

Diablo 2 was gearing up for a very powerful ability that will let it take Apollonir and Drago to a nice bloodbath while they await the world's impending destruction. "Ice Burg!"

This biological weapon was heavily modified from the state Diablo 2 was in. Now, it was possible for the weapon to not have to fire beams to attempt an encasement. Its power rose briefly before it unleashed a bluish flame across everything in the immediate vicinity. They were immediately petrified in what appeared to be an ice cage, but it truly wasn't ice. It was a gem-like substance that depicted a rainbow color, possibly the hardest substance anyone could ever craft. There's no way in or out unless you carry specific genetics...

This left Apollonir, Drago, Noland, and Vince all alone, and no one to help them. Poor souls...

"Come on then. End the battle," Dasia goaded, not wanting Diablo 2 to move from where it was. It didn't have to move an inch. The burden of movement was on them.

[Vince Hardy]

"Okay...that's...not surprising," Vince briefly described. With everyone cut off from them, they had no support. No healers, no scouts, no assassins, no anything. "Apollonir, go dual." That was the codeword for Duality.

"Good call," Apollonir complied. It was the same process as before. For both of them, the right and left pupil represented light and dark, just as it did on their arms. They then dispersed, placing a visible aura around both of them that constantly transitioned from rainbow to black.

"Forbidden Ability Activate! Dianos Regulus X!" This forbidden card was used to instantly wipe out those fake Legendary Soldiers fought on Vestal, but thanks to Duality, this could be used on a much larger scale than normal. With this enhancement, Apollonir could now take away any enhancements that are possessed by the victim, and add it to his current reserves. Truly overpowered, very much forbidden, if the environment provides it.

His target was...their teammates. Having been frozen, they were currently useless, so Apollonir opened his mouth where a siphoning of energy started to take place. All of the attribute and transformation energies used by their comrades were added to Apollonir. Doing this would normally kill the victim, or put them in a very dangerous state, but such an occurrence did not happen this time, because Apollonir was exploiting a key weakness in what Dasia just did. While they are encased, they cannot be harmed or killed, as the regeneration properties of the original Dragonoid's energy will preserve them in the state they were encased in. This meant that Apollonir never really did them any harm, and thus there was never really a victim in this theft of power.

"Here! Take it!" Apollonir unexpectedly blasted Drago with some of this energy. He then went straight for Diablo 2 and shoulder charged it. The resulting impact produced a large, circular crater around the point of impact.

[Dasia Turano]

Diablo 2 saw Apollonir's movements and was able to guard against the Legendary Soldier's charge with medium difficulty. It was clear that this mode of his made him far beyond any Bakugan that could ever be reasonably encountered. He was truly a freak of nature, a mistake by the Vestal's ancestors to ever let him leave the planet alive.

Still...even that wasn't enough.

"Awwwwww. You're using forbidden power," Dasia said, like a child would do when someone says a bad word. Diablo 2 started trading blows with Apollonir, progressing to even destroying the planet itself with the blows they were trading. They stopped when their fists collided with each other. It appeared as if it was a stalemate in terms of power.

"Don't worry. I know there's a reason why you shot your son like that. You didn't expect me to get serious with it just being you, did you?" Dasia questioned, revealing that she was not having to exert herself as much as Apollonir was doing to keep up.

"Ability activate! Backfire!" Diablo 2 had rainbow energy coursing through it to show that this ability was activated. Now, for any enhanced blows that Diablo 2 receives - even if it is defended against - it can receive a similar enhancement, but for a limited time. With Apollonir's deadly energy increase, Diablo 2 did the same, and then erected a repulsive force field that spun, increasing its attack potential as it grinds against affected targets before ultimately dispersing, inflicting huge blunt damage.

[Noland Hardy]

Drago was knocked down by taking that shot from Apollonir, but he didn't feel pain from it. Instead, the knockdown was caused by the sheer amount of power that he had just received. It was unlike anything he has ever experienced.

"Is he...really that strong...?" Drago wondered. He couldn't possibly understand his dad's level of strength now that he is able to see him cut loose like this. It was impossible for him to fathom at that very moment. He did understand one thing, and that was the enormous buff he had just received.

"Duality...what is that...?" Noland thought as he tried to process how he was goint to help his dad fight this witch. Before he could properly think, Apollonir was already at the batting cages, so Noland had to act now, knowing that even Apollonir's strength may not be enough.

"Hit the switch, Drago!" Noland called out. Drago began to comply with this action, but he didn't quite get the result he wanted. What he got first...was the dark power on his left arm where the attribute symbols usually pop up...

"This power..." Drago gasped. He then looked at his right arm become rainbow-colored. That's when he knew...that he was joining Apollonir. "But...how....?"

"We're how," Oberus answered him in his head.

"We're balancing out the energy for you to obtain this form for this specific purpose. Use it wisely..." Lars Lion urged him.

"New mode? Okay then!" Noland excitedly roared as his mind was now become accustomed to what was happening to Drago, and now him by extension.

"I've ascended..." Drago realized. Because he naturally couldn't do it himself, this would be short-lived for however long this energy lasts. Apollonir presumably shared just about half of the energy he accumulated, from what he could feel in his body. That meant that he would have a short time limit. The BT System's activation also had a short time limit. They were even.

The form finally became complete when the energies dispersed, giving Drago the signature aura that changed back and forth from the Switch and Hex Code.

"How do I use this!?"

"Try this!" Excedra forced.

"Nexus Ability activate! Absolute Ignition!" Noland angrily activated. The Nexus Ability, the long forgotten line of abilities unique to Duality wielders, involves the user subconsciously combining two or more abilities the user can naturally perform, and mixes them to create a brand new ability. In this case, Absolute Defense and Havoc Ignition were used to create this ability.

Drago extended his left palm outward to blow an invisible blast of energy towards Diablo 2. When it hit the expanding sphere it was making, it suddenly made its way into Diablo 2's shoulder claws, and then had them attempt to cover the contraption like Drago would shield himself with his wings. The energy it had accumulated all went into those two shoulder claws via linking the energy to it, just like what would happen with Absolute Defense. Likewise, the Havoc Ignition took effect, creating an explosion on a magnitude that made the whole planet shake.

[Vince Hardy]

Vince had a proud look on his face when Noland and Drago managed to successfully activate the Duality state. It was going to be necessary for them to have it if they were going to edge Diablo 2 out. Apollonir was just as proud. When he backed away from Diablo 2 after taking a bit of damage from its attack, he nodded in approval of his son's power.

"Nexus Ability activate! Scarlet Burst!" Vince decided to follow Noland's lead by making use of these abilities as well. Combining Scarlet Dragonia and Dragonic Burst, Apollonir was now setting himself up to create an attack that is slated to win any power struggle. He disappears into thin air, along with Drago.

A flash appeared in the sky, like a comet was getting ready to collide with the Earth. Apollonir and Drago were now in the process of slamming Diablo 2 against the ground, pushed by a steady force of wind. The impact would create a shattering explosion that would more than likely send Dasia's wig up into the air to never be seen again.

"Do you see what happens when you lean on your acquired power too much? You get arrogant and sloppy with your technique," Vince informed Dasia. "I'd wager that the only reason why you're still here is due to that power. You don't know how to use it."

[Dasia Turano]

Diablo 2 was actually being harmed by these creatures. Things were starting to look a bit tipsy..definitely in a bad way.

"Tsk...technique, technique..." Dasia repeated in a mocking tone. "That's all you and your idiot friend talks about. How's this for technique!? Ability activate! FARBAS Continuum!"

This FARBAS ability was perhaps the most dangerous iteration yet. As a price for this power, it was very unlikely that another FARBAS ability could be used again for a while. The cooldown was going to be lengthy, but it was worth the price. Here's why.

Before obtaining this power, Diablo was more fragile than it is is now. It did not take much to regenerate its health from that point, because it wasn't so obscenely high as it is now. Due to being Diablo 2, more health had to be regenerated, so the FARBAS abilities weren't as useful nor practical to use, as they will only heal to a certain percentage. Dasia wanted complete recovery, seeing as how Diablo 2 has been banged up for a good length of time now.

This ability would do that, but it wasn't as concrete as healing it. It's comparable to how one might system restore their computers. This is FARBAS Continuum in a nutshell. It restores Diablo 2 to a state where it was in relatively good condition. Dasia was forced to target the point before Andrew tricked her. Now, she was not able to heal herself like that again. Whatever she needed to do to defeat her opponents needed to be done.

"Now..." Diablo 2 steadily rose against the combined force of Apollonir and Drago, even trying to overthrow them directly. "Ability activate! Divine Cell!"

Diablo 2 lifted its head up towards Drago and Apollonir. It fired a deadly, decimating beam that consisted of a rainbow energy beam with a supportive outer base reminiscent of a DNA model.

[Noland Hardy]

As Diablo 2 was getting healed, Drago was expressing surprise that their combined efforts were being somewhat resisted. This was to the point of unreal circumstances. How was this even possible? Was this truly the gap between their power and that of a heavily-suppressed god among Bakugan?

"This is getting to be a bit much..." Drago expressed. Even though he was able to obtain Duality, this power of Diablo 2 was simply ridiculous.

The color in Noland's eyes flickered on and off. This was the sign of two things. One, his time being a god had reached one quarter of how long he could maintain it. Two, the BT System was almost at full capacity...

One...minute...left...

"Um...dad...?" Noland said in worry.

[Vince Hardy]

Vince knew about the time limit as well. He could hear the worry in his son's voice. Diablo 2 needed to be taken down RIGHT NOW.

"It's a bumpy ride, but we gotta see it through," Vince replied. He took a deep breath. This last minute was going to define everything. He was ready for it.

Apollonir and Drago pushed each other off of Diablo 2 in order to avoid the attack in time. Separating was probably the worst idea, but it was better than getting devoured at the maws of a totalitarian like Dasia. They both took flight to gain a better foothold on their ability to move out of the way, until Dasia started spraying this deadly beam everywhere. Both Dragonoids were forced to descend to escape the flurries, and they were able to get back together in one place.

[Dasia Turano]

Dasia lightly laughed when she heard Noland and Vince talk. She knew that they knew. Now all she would have to do is make sure they're kept busy long enough for it go off, so even if she does happen to lose for whatever reason that isn't plot, she'd still win at the end. It's okay to lose battles as long as they go towards winning the war.

With that being said, she wasn't planning on letting these low lives beat her...

"Thought you could escape me!?" Dasia yelled. "Ability activate! Garland Crusher!"

The shoulder claws on Diablo 2's body detached to go after Apollonir and Drago. The noticeable difference with this iteration was that it didn't seem to have an attachable base like its previous stage. New shoulder claws were regenerated in their place, so the airborne ones were left to gain a stranglehold on Apollonir and Drago without the possibility of them using them to pull Diablo 2 in any further than it has to go.

[Vince Hardy]

A hint of a flashy star could be seen coming from Vince's eyes. He saw an opportunity to repulse Diablo 2. He intended to take full advantage of this, for it was the only one they were going to get within the remaining time limit.

"Boys, follow our lead!" Vince commanded, expecting to never be disobeyed at this dire time. "Nexus Ability activate! King Dragon Hammer!"

Apollonir's body pulsated with brimming energy, like that of a youthful athlete being hungry for greater success in their field. He became stronger across all spectrums of combat, and his arm became engulfed in a fierce Dextra fire that only the three combatants could stand against. He proceeded to charge straight for Diablo 2, assuring himself that Drago would follow him in this exact proceeding.

[Noland Hardy]

Without saying a word, Noland obeyed his father. If he wanted for Noland to follow what he was doing, then Noland was going to follow what he was doing. He can't complain if he wants something different now. There was no time to discipline him for it.

"Nexus Ability activate! Rising Fire!" Drago became overflowed in energy to produce identical effects to what Apollonir just did for himself. All attributes a fighter would need in combat were boosted accordingly, along with the sporting of a ferocious flame at his fingertips. He balled it into his left fist, so he could go together with Apollonir's right fist.

They went down the range together, with their fists pointed towards Diablo 2 and its shoulder claws.

Their combined might produced a Dragonoid head that tore straight through those ridiculous contraptions and sought to collide with Diablo 2 in the same way.

"Coming at you hot!" Drago warned her, with his signature line.

[Dasia Turano]

Dasia had just about enough of their combinations, their tricks, their everything. Everything about this battle was making her sick. The time limit meant nothing to her now. She just had to CRUSH every ounce of life from their bones. They were far too dangerous.

"Coming right back!" Dasia rebounded. "Ability activate! Super Cell!"

With its quickened synapses, Diablo 2 was able to analyze the type of moves Apollonir and Drago were producing with their combined attack. This information was key to how this ability works. Now Diablo 2 could produce a similar result, albeit in a different way. It's primarily used to cancel the opposing attack out, so it wasn't a surefire way to overpower the opposition.

Diablo 2 gathered the necessary energy in its own hands and met with the two Dragonoids, making an identical Dragonoid head that butted horns with the other. The push between forces did not last long, as they canceled out each other's attacks and forced everyone to be rebounded backwards from where they came.

[Vince Hardy]

"I got you," Vince notified Dasia. "Nexus Ability Activate! Saiam Revolution!" Vince announced this as his ultimate move, not just in the power he had using it, but in the purpose.

This was the beginning of the nail being put in the coffin.

Apollonir excreted a dark wave from his body upon being sent back. It took on the form of a hand that grabbed onto Diablo 2, and held it in place. Dasia could no longer have the mechanical move out of place, unless it managed to either destroy Apollonir himself or overpower him in this power struggle. Vince had a sneaking suspicion that neither possibilities were going to come to fruition.

"Drago, get to the weapon! The Soldiers will help you stabilize it! I'll keep her at bay!" Apollonir ordered Drago.