SUPEREGO

  The Original Aswang King smirks, floating down before Unbreakable and Morningstar, who, in horror, back away. “Aweh someh! Well, well, well! If it ain’t ya ding dong ditchers!” His face was plastered with an almost primal smile. His head dropped sideways. “Welp! Seems that y’all dropped… the ball!”

  Morningstar and Unbreakable stared at the Original Aswang King with so much animosity. “Dropped the ball! Like… dropped it! So, so badly!”

  Their eyes twitched with annoyance.

  “SO, SO-!!!”

  Unbreakable blasted heat vision, and Morningstar shot at Will-Be-Done with her blaster.

  The Original Aswang Kingl just swatted their blasts away with one hand.

  “That wasn’t very nice,” said the Original Aswang King.

  “Who the hell is that!?” asked Morningstar. “What Multiversal variant of Beatle could possibl-?”

  “He’s 152. He’s the Original Aswang King… They call him ’Will Be Done,’” growled Unbreakable.

  “How come?” asked Morningstar.

  Will-Be-Done speaks to… someone… eerily creeping at the back of his mind. But instead of fear from darkness, he feared something much brighter, something that brought light to the very beauty of the Multiverse. “Yeah? Mhm… Yeah, I know.” Will-Be-Done looked at the cosmic stardrops in the sky and sighed. “Got it… Here is my judgment.” Will-Be-Done decides to ignore the pair, turning and opening a portal farther from them.

  “HEY!!! COME BACK HERE!!!” roared Unbreakable. “YOU RUINED… EVERYTHING!!! I HAD TO LIVE IN AN UNMARKED EARTH BECAUSE OF YOU!!!”

  “Unbreakable,” Will-Be-Done floated overhead and looked down on Unbreakable, a breach of light from the portal behind him shining down on his head. “You brought this upon yourself. You fail to see kindness and serenity. You fail to see the goodness in you. I believe that even now, you can still try your best to be a good person. I have other things to attend to.”

  Unbreakable sees a black, veiny orifice on his hand… blacker than the mortal eye could comprehend. Unbreakable sneers, and Unbreakable thought it was a wound, and took advantage of it, cowardly as he is.

  Though Will-Be-Done immediately phases into Unbreakable’s face, melting the gray matter and neurons in his head, causing him to turn to ash, horrifying Morningstar.

  Will-Be-Done’s arm is forced to turn blacker, and a black hand begins to emerge from his own, a giant, clawed mechanical thing whose existence weighed deeper than meaning itself. It made Will-Be-Done vomit just by looking at it. So did Morningstar, due to getting severe Bati from this… thing…

  The being that emerged is the Goat itself.

  It peered down, its orange eyes full of monstrous fire, laying them onto Morningstar’s eyes, who, like a coward, frantically ran away.

  The Goat wanted this. He opened a Hellish Elevator, which zoomed down from the darkness and into the light, which Morningstar unknowingly thought was an escape…

  Fearing for her life, she entered the beautiful Gothic elevator in shades of orange and red, and pressed the button to one of the universes, and immediately, she zoomed away, as Will-Be-Done faced the Goat, the entity of all darkness and evilness itself, an adversary to the very fabric of all creation.

  Will-Be-Done smirked, seeing his old enemy. “Ten years I kept you locked in my arm… So no one would ever be manipulated by you again… Looks like arm’s had seen better days…” He looks down and sees only a stub on his shoulder. “Ah, well… I’ll find a way to destroy you… even if every atom of my body IS DESTROYED!!!” Will-Be-Done charged into the darkness…

  SUPEREGO

  Chapter 1: The Trident

  In the round table of the Maharlican Council, there sat the ever Multiversal Multiplier Athena, the goddess of love Aphrodite, and the ruler of all belief and faith Beetle Saint King. Among them were the Consuls of Humanity, Doughnut Trumpet and Kamera Mali. Then came Saint Joshua, and even the Empress, Aswang Princess.

  “So, there have been reports,” spoke the Aswang Princess of Earth-152. “That Beatle has been administering an unauthorized task force of vigilantes to protect Earth-777,” spoke the Aswang Princess, rather sternly and with a sense of sophistication. She just crossed her legs while her boots swung across her pants’ sleeve. She wore black tights and a blouse with a trench coat above. She had green hair and eyes of burning fierceness. Her name was Gabrielle Azral, daughter of the Will-Be-Done, who had disappeared since B-Day. Despite the seething rage in her eyes, her emotions remained a still pond, and their words will be judged, whether it be leaves that bother the pond or leaves that stay on the branch.

  The faultiest leaf, Beatle, stood up to speak, steepling his fingers on the table and standing on tiptoes. “Listen, God Emperor Gabrielle, I am so, so-...”

  “Save it,” said God Emperor, with almost a scoff. “I am quite disappointed in you, Beatle. Alas, you have cost us a lot. My father would be disappointed in you. Funding a team of unauthorized individuals who, mind you, have questionable morals.”

  “Your father believed that anyone can be redeemed regardless of who they are.”

  “I believe that is certainly the case. But you didn’t run them by us. This is a bureaucracy.”

  “I know, but you have to remember that your father started out as a vigilante as well-...”

  “Who worked for Prometheus. Honestly…” sighed God Emperor. ”I don’t trust people. You know me… Any suggestions on how we handle him?”

  Athena raises her hand.

  “Yes?”

  Athena had a sharp wit and grit. These aspects of her make her one of the deadliest foes in the Multiverse. She is addicted to retribution, and retribution she hates the most. “I suggest we kick him out.”

  “Noted,” said God Emperor. “Beatle. Speak your case.”

  Beatle politely waited a second to speak, breathing in. “God Emperor, Athena is merely angry that I brought in Dark and Askal to our team. Those two are exceptional heroes who have suffered and seen the world in a very dark way. They changed, and that’s what matters.”

  God Emperor nods to Athena.

  “They killed my brother, Reaper Prime,” said Athena. “That is true. Maybe I hold grife… But Pro and Reaps gave me purpose… So much so that their deaths almost felt forced… and Triple Seven Dark and Askal’s seemed forced as well. I question Beatle’s choice of not giving them retribution.”

  God Emperor nods to Beatle.

  “They have atoned for their sins. They nearly died saving Earth-777 and defeated Unbreakable AND Morningstar, the NEW Morningstar. That should be more than enough reason spare them a life of suffering and pardon them!”

  God Emperor nods to Athena.

  “You honestly think that people can be redeemed? What about Unter Lightning? Did you redeem him? Or the General of the Remnants, for that matter?”

  God Emperor nods to Beatle.

  “I didn’t say it always works.”

  God Emperor nods to Athena.

  “And my point is strengthened.”

  “I-!!!” Beatle stopped himself as God Emperor turned to him with sternness.

  “Beatle, await your turn,” said God Emperor.

  Beatle felt bad for breaking the rules and bowed in shame, closing his eyes. “I apologize.”

  “Proceed,” said God Emperor.

  “I think… people can change… I really think they can change if they just try their hardest to choose what is best for others and themselves… This institution, the Starcross Council, believes in peace, autonomy, kindness, and hope. Hope. Remember those words. So, what hurts is that you would let your personal grief destroy those very ideals in the first place.”

  “This council does not appeal to emotion,” said God Emperor.

  “Well, it damn should,” said Beatle. “Because they changed. They really did.”

  “They’re your friends,” said Athena, with a righteous fury heard from the beating of her heart.

  “And so was the Reaper Prime,” said Beatle, nothing with kindness in his eyes.

  God Emperor slammed her fist onto the table, and they went silent. The sound was so loud it rang in their ears, and then, silence, which was far more deafening. “This is work. Not a damned group therapy. Beatle, I understand your frustration. I also understand Athena’s. So, let us speak our votes…”

  Aphrodite, Athena, Doughnut Trumpet, all voted against Beatle, which rocked him to his core.

  Kamera and God Emperor were the only ones decent enough to agree with Beatle.

  God Emperor spoke. “A tie… Well… Sadly, some council members are too busy with otherworldly threats. Let us settle with a tie breaker… A game, let us say. You see this?” asked God Emperor, revealing a pen from her pocket.

  Beatle cringes at the sight of that. “Why do you have that?”

  God Emperor turns it into a trident. Morningstar’s trident. “If the Honorables are capable of destroying this artifact that will bring the Goat’s influence to our world, then we will surely rest that Beatle should stay here. If not, Beatle shall leave this council.”

  “My team will do it,” said Beatle. “Sure. But Athena will surely start a war against us.”

  “That is your problem. Not mine. I already vouched for you and do only so much,” said God Emperor. “Best of luck.”

  “Gabrielle, Dark and Askal killed your grandfather,” said Athena.

  God Emperor sighs. “And Prometheus destroyed worlds… and yet he redeemed himself. Beatle, all I can tell you is that don’t do anything stupid. This meeting is adjourned.”

  Chapter 2: The Journey

  Beatle sighs, folding the file case on his desk and gently placing it into his drawer, sliding the drawer in through the marbling wooden table. He went on and ate his noodles with his chopsticks. “Pansit. The ultimate symbol of diversity in the Philippines… Something that represents hopefulness and kindness, which is nowadays the least favorite meal at every Filipino party. It shows hope, kindness, equity, autonomy… and love… Now, Filipinos are all gung-ho about their own problems that they fail to remember what the damn meal represents.”

  Beatle faces the Aswang and Myrmex, who are just across him, sitting before his desk.

  The Aswang bops forward and backward while Myrmex taps her thumb to her other fingers.

  “Heh…” said Myrmex. “So, lemme get this straight outta yer fuckin’ mouth… You want us to bring that pen and destroy it in the Hell’s Toilet. Why can’t you just touch it?”

  Beatle sighs, pushing the pen away with a chopstick. “Because… I just don’t wanna. And by I don’t ‘wanna’ I mean I don’t want to allow myself to become a monster like Morningstar. Even Messiahs’ spirits can be destroyed and corrupted… turned into Devils.”

  “So, you want us to bring this to… where?” asked the Aswang.

  Beatle sighs and flicks it with his chopstick, enough for the Aswang to catch it.

  “What… Wait! WHAT WHAT-!?!?” The Aswang panicked and nearly transformed.

  Myrmex even panicked, just staring at the pen in horror.

  “As you can see, you remain unmoved. Uncorrupted. You are the only damned one kind enough to hold it… Not be corrupted by it.”

  “I don’t think I should be holding this,” said the Aswang.

  “And that is exactly why you, of all people, deserve to hold it,” said Beatle.

  “O-Okay…” said the Aswang. “Okay…” The Aswang pockets the pen. “Okay… Will… Will I become-?”

  “You can. Just don’t use it,” said Beatle. “It is both a magical object and a weapon. Use it with care, and it will tempt you, but there are times you must use it to survive the journey.”

  “Wait, why can’t we just open a portal to there?” asked the Aswang.

  “To Hellish World territory? That’s an international incident, kid,” said Beatle. “I’m sorry. A big no. That’d cause a problem for our own people. Your world is a local Earth, and your world will get invaded and killed off the map by the Hellish Council. I suggest you sneak in. You two are basically… well, for lack of a better term, nobodies… to them, at least.”

  “So, you want us to leave our world and just… find our way to the Hellish Toilet?” asked the Aswang.

  “We’ll guide you to the Hellish World where the Primal Forge stays… Then we part,” said Beatle.

  “Okay…” Myrmex gulped.

  The Aswangl sighs, closing his eyes, listening to the beats of the heart in his ears.

  Meanwhile…

  A Knight shrouded in chainmail armor emerged from the darkness. This Knight was a King, as he had worn a crown over his head and had a posture that told of his presence. His broad shoulders were up, his back straightened, and his jawline relaxed. He removes his cowl, revealing nothing but a Caveman with tan skin and a sloping head, but nothing but eyes that felt warming and welcoming.

  The Caveman rode his feathered Rex, and kept his pup with fur white as snow near his chest.

  He bobbed his torso, back and forth, staring blankly forward. He saw something else, a pattern in the distance that showcased where he was. An entrance to a certain beautiful mall, whereupon he enters, his people will be considered very much sovereign not only by Beatle, but by the entirety of the Multiverse. Say hello to Gerard Persuvius.

  Gerard, later on, entered a sort of dark hallway and into a chamber, of which a dark gate opened up, where he was brought to speak with the rest of Humanity. God Emperor stood there at the center surrounded by palaces of these round pod-like chambers, Senators sitting in the thousands with territories expanding to an unknown number. What makes him particularly special is that most of these senators own millions of worlds. Meanwhile, Unter only owns one city, and mortals argue and bicker among this large pillar of chattering leaders while he stays silent. Shimmering lights illuminated the pillar, and at its purest center sat the God Emperor, who silently watched them all. God Emperor, in a moment that immediately shocked Gerard, turned to him, and speaking with eyes telling of a scold of sorts.

  Gerard thinks to himself, “Shit… She knows I’m late, huh?”

  God Emperor just gave a soft sigh and chuckled a bit. She raised her fist, and all went silent.

  Next to Gerard was his Rex, pup, and right-hand woman, Robin, the Daughter of the Steward Tribe of Akteon. God Emperor spoke as Robin patted Gerard’s shoulder to comfort him.

  “Lord Persuvius,” she spoke, and everyone turned to the pillar of Akteon of Earth-1. The world of the current Beatle.

  Gerard stood up with humility and confidence. They began mumbling, so Gerard wiggled the wire that caused a loud ring, and all went silent. He tapped the mic’s head twice and spoke. “Yes, God Emperor?”

  “Since you are so soon, I hope to ask you first regarding this briefing. What is this league or fellowship you speak of?” asked God Emperor.

  “Permission to answer?” Gerard asked, and she nodded. “I heard there was this team of extraordinary individuals who have strengths that would allow them to deliver this trident. I think it is genius.”

  “Don’t be absurd!” spoke one senator from the Athena Systems, coming forward along with her pod. ”Listen, Savage! I am from the Bug Worlds! And I think your callous disregard of the fact that Superheroes must register a foulness on your part!”

  God Emperor sighed and facepalmed.

  “I SAY YOU SHUT UP, LORD PERSUVIUS!!!” yelled the Senator, a gigantic butterfly. “The Black Spiral had colonized a portion of our own Multiverse, and we damn deserve a break from all that. I am weary from this voting. Entrusting a group of Superheroes knowing how the Black Spiral is led by them. We cannot be led by corrupt individuals just as we were!”

  “Spare me the defense of political butterflies. In all accounts to this meeting, I wouldn’t be surprised that growing up, you once believed in the ideology of liberty and peace, and when even a corrupt leader decided to claim to do good, you would join them because it benefits someone like you. A marginalized speck as you claim to be.”

  “THE BUGS ARE INDEED MARGINALIZED BY YOU HUMANS!!! So are Aswangs!”

  “This nation stands for equity. I myself stand for peace and equity, since I am a Caveman.”

  “You’re a fuckin’ Human then, hm!?”

  “I am half Human and half Caveman, but just because I align politically different from the Consul of Liberalism, does not make me any more marginalized than you. I belong to a marginalized clan, friend. Extremism poisons us just as anyone would.”

  “Oh, please! You’re a Goddamned Thirdie!”

  The senators gasp and speak to each other.

  “You Goddamned Thirdie!”

  “Senator Fly Fly, do not accuse people of being a member of the Third Reich,” said God Emperor.

  “With all due respect. This motherfucker is against the Consul of Liberty.”

  “We have two consuls for a reason. Liberalism and Conservatism must be balanced as one because you need each other. A critique that hints at an accusation of absolutes is only done by the Black Spiral or even the Pentagram. Please do not note extremism in this Congress,” said God Emperor.

  Senator Fly Fly scoffs and retreats back into his podium.

  “The Aswang King is protecting the ENTIRE Multiverse, and you dare resort to childish bickering. He would sacrifice an arm and a leg for this damned government and even more for this Multiverse, so DO NOT DARE mock this establishment with your primitive urge,” growled God Emperor, as she fixed her hair. “My father, the Aswang King, would be very disappointed in you if he were here right now. Do not disrespect this demagoguery. Continue.”

  Meanwhile…

  Myrmex taps the sides of her temple. She taps with her fingers, each sporting long, colored nails.

  Myrmex met up with Beatle, who was already speaking with the Aswang.

  “Oh. Myrmex. Hey,” said the Aswang. “Beatle was just telling me about the fact that we have a new guide while the others handle the incoming war.”

  Beatle sighs and opens the door, where the Aswang immediately averted his eyes out of pure primal fear, despite knowing who this is

  Meanwhile, Myrmex looked with horror.

  “It never tires me with how your kind confuses kindness with politeness. Then again, half of my own flesh is shared with it. Alas, I grew up in a culture of wealth and power. Daddy, dear as he was, was Caucasian. The most British bastard I met,” smirked Morningstar, while she ate some blood sausage and haggis with a side of cheese curds. Morningstar gleefully sliced the curds and made cubes out of them, turning those edges into cubes. She only ate things rigid after all. It makes sense. So, she grabs another haggis and makes sure it is molded into something cube-shaped as well. She taps her fingers, grossed out by the sticky notes in her flesh, and wipes them off with a napkin, meticulously and precisely. “I grew up living and breathing as you kids were, but then one day, when I was sitting in the dark of my own bedroom in Manila, I heard a gun cock so loudly that it shivered the floorboards. I feared, so I went downstairs to see what Mum and Dad were doing. I had to watch a Congressman and his bounty of self-proclaimed criminals blow up the faces of my parents, their siblings, my grandparents, and my siblings and cousins. All it took was a pistol. Soon, his goons ran out of bullets, and then in my family kept fighting. They grabbed his hammer and… well… I watched it all. And I starved. They burned down the mansion and blew it up using a match and some insecticide. Those bloody crafty bastards, I heard them cackling while I stayed beneath the crumbs of my own home. I got hungry. Cut them open like a fat lamb and dreaded every bite. The saddest part was that I enjoyed it. I met Miguel. Oh, how I loved Miguel. Soon… we fell in love. Oh, so much love. Danced in karaoke night and smelled like each other under the morning dew. We built everything together, helped him fund his kind donations to humanity, and stood by him despite all the death threats and cruelty. Then he kissed some old college lass, and I had to watch him be ripped from my arms and into her lips. I fought her. Burned the star pillow he kept, and half of it landed on my face. The other half on his chest. Now he thinks he is some sort of Superhero Jesus figure, but I see through his bullshit. He’s hurting, just as I am.” Morningstar looks at Beatle’s insignia, the star on his chest, and turns to him. “Bloody fucking morning to ya, love!”

  Chapter 3: The Adversary

  Morningstar stood up in a suave manner and offered a handshake to the Aswang.

  The Aswang backed away from her with so much disgust.

  “C’mon. You knew I was coming,” Morningstar smirked.

  “And I still find it hard to believe that I will make a deal with the literal She-Devil.”

  “Bah! It must be my birthday, because I already struck the deal with ol’ yeller’s owner over there,” she pointed to Beatle. “Wouldn’t hurt to shake your hand, yeah?”

  “Why is she here?” asked Myrmex. “She tried to kill Miguel.”

  “She survived the Primal Forge’s creation. She is the only one who can do so without getting corrupted by the Goat.”

  “Because she already is,” said the Aswang, bowing his head upon that realization. “You want us to become immunized by the poison by dousing us a little bit of it every step of the journey.”

  “And if we fail!?” asked Myrmex.

  Morningstar sneers. “Well? Whaddya say, Beatz?”

  “Then all is lost,” said Beatle. “The Goat will be released from his cage and wreak havoc upon the Multiverse with his legions of Ogres.”

  “‘Ogres?’” asked Myrmex.

  “His army,” smiled Morningstar. “I was… never promoted well enough to wield them well. Well, when I failed, armies of them tortured me until I gave up the location of the trident.”

  “THEY’RE COMING HERE!?” asked Myrmex, standing up.

  “They THINK it’s here, but alas, you have it, and by the time we get there, they’d have nothing,” sneered Morningstar.

  “Beatle, what was the deal?” asked the Aswang, eyes still averting everyone’s.

  Beatle sighs. “The deal with her? Well… my ascension.”

  “Excuse you!?” asked Myrmex.

  The Aswang stomped forward. “What!? You offered her YOUR DEATH!?!?”

  “Yes,” said Beatle. “I will die in this battle.”

  “We need you,” said the Aswang. “I-!”

  “Do not worry, friend… I believe that kindness will always be rewarded.” Beatle smiled. “Now, I will lead the way and keep you safe from Morningstar. But when I’m gone, I believe you will not break.”

  Later…

  The Reaper, the Aswang, Myrmex, Dark, Askal, Hercules, Slime Tutorial, and Lord Marvel, the very Honorables themselves, seem to be all having brunch together with Jollibee.

  “What the hell do you mean!?” asked the Reaper.

  “I mean, the Goddamned Council is just a stand-in for the Americans to continue ruling over us,” said Dark, rolling his eyes while his feet placed on the table.

  “Johnny, that’s stupid. God Emperor’s a Filipino,” said Askal.

  “Emz, she clearly has her hands tied,” said Dark. “Literally, Murricans are Goddamned everywhere there, hiding in plain sight, pretending that our legacy doesn’t matter and their ideas bear more fruit than everything we worked hard for. We were their slaves… to this day, their imperialistic ways still affect us with our own colonial mentality.”

  “Well,” sighed Slime Tutorial, scratching his head before getting bored and continuing to play his game. “Honestly, I am very confused with all this. Aren’t Liberal Consuls the good guys?“

  “Both are needed for a well-balanced political structure and to avoid political extremism,” said the Reaper.

  “Dang. These words are hard,” said Lord Marvel, picking his nose.

  “Well, all we can do now is to keep the Multiverse safe,” Hercules bowed his head with crossed arms and closed his eyes. “The best thing to do is to make this country of yours the new capital.”

  “We can’t just do that, love,” said Dark, brushing Herc’s hair with a hairbrush and picking off some lint from it. “This isn’t Ancient Greece anymore. This is the modern world. More rigid, sadly, that we can’t just do the right thing.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “‘The Philippines being capital.’ Sure, this is where the Saint King comes from, but that’s like saying America shouldn’t be the capital because Mesopotamia was where civilization started. It’s a mockery of sovereignty to do so. Maharlica-152 has and always was meant to exist as a barrier from extremism and madness. The only problem, however, is that the Morningstar is chosen by Beatle of all people to join the kids in their journey to the Forge. And apparently, he didn’t tell us this: WE AREN’T EVEN REGISTERED. If we’re gone, our Earth is doomed.”

  “Don’t the cosmic senators even give a damn about us!?” asked Lord Marvel.

  “Psh. No,” Askal chuckled. “I grew up with my father, a Congressman. The Cosmic Congress was built with the PH Politics as its founding rock. Terrible choice, if I say so myself.”

  “So, what?” asked Slime Tutorial, rubbing his forehead’s vein. “Do we just do what Beatle says?”

  The Reaper says with sternness. “Yes. We are so much more than what the world says we are. Of course, the world doesn’t give a damn about us. Everyone has problems, and they aren’t damned grateful no matter how many times we save their world from aliens and monsters. Because they like taking advantage of us and our kind. Because we are, dare I say, useful to them. But that is how things are. We’re not Superheroes, we’re Superslaves. The Honorable Alipins. Honestly.”

  “Then why fight for this world!?” asked Slime Tutorial.

  “Because people need us,” said Dark. “They’re just as people as everyone in this room. I… have done so many terrible things… And I do this because I believe I can change.”

  “Same here,” said Askal. “I was damned terrible. So, I will try my best to atone for every action I have done.

  “You two do realize that Athena has it out for you, right?” asked the Reaper. “A literal hive mind that controls infinite versions of herself, but the size of a bug. You killed our brother, and I forgive you, but she isn’t too merciful.“

  Dark nods softly. “Yeah… yeah, I know. I apologized already.”

  “She tried to drill your head once,“ said Askal.

  “Yeah… Exactly. I apologized to her that’s why,” said Dark, sighing.

  “So, we are going to reach the Edge of the Forge and do... What?” asked Askal.

  Hercules stood up proudly. “Save the Multiverse.”

  “And if your father is dishonored by this, would you still?” asked the Reaper, and Hercules went silent. “Last I heard, you’d die for him.”

  “Oh, please, Reaper. You’re a killer. And you damned well are one! Killing Aswangs like a monster yourself! A vile villain you are!

  “Oh, shut the fuck up, kindly, Herc. I am a monster, and you should fear everything that I am capable of. And what I am capable of is I can forgive that. Athena has it for our necks, so what do you think we’ll do, huh? Sit around like a couple of jackasses in a circle jerk?”

  Hercules stood up, eyes glowing crimson and face furrowing angrily. Dark and Askal draw their weapons, a katana and a kris dagger, sheathing them both with speed and drawing the blades to their necks, allowing blood to drip down from the cut flesh.

  “HEY!!!” boomed Beatle, walking in. “The Aswang wishes to speak.”

  They all turned, shocked that they missed an entire person in the room with them.

  The Aswang just sat there and spoke. Yes, that guy from Tondo spoke indeed. “Guys. I don’t understand how many of these things work. I just punch people who hurt the little guy and bring them to the cops. What it sounds like is that you guys seem to be overcomplicating the fight for evil. I know the cops are indeed corrupt. And I damned well know that they could be freed because of bail money. I have a girlfriend who taught me about the real world.” The Aswang turned to Myrmex, who gave a soft smile, avoiding eye contact with him as she felt a heavy weight of embarrassment and pride in her chest. “And I say that what we do is keep fighting. We keep fighting because it is the right thing to do. That is who we are, and that is what we all agree on. Please kindly do not allow all that stuff to become an obstacle to our endeavors. Your fears, however, are valid. I am a simple man, and I have a simple mind. I do understand that people cursed with knowledge think too much. So don’t think. Do.” He spoke with politeness and such a policy that this moved everyone’s hearts. Beatle stares at the Aswang with pride.

  “I STILL question this,” Athena entered the room with a posture of arrogance. “You honestly think someone as torn as an Aswang could save the Multiverse?”

  “You helped raise an Aswang, now the King of the Multiverse,” said the Reaper, glaring down at a tiny ant-like critter. “Hay Naku, Sister… You are a fool…”

  “Yet there was only one King of the Multiverse,” smiled Athena. “Very best luck to you, my opponents,” she smiled and lifted her nose as she spun with an immediate sniffle. She turned her head to the right very quickly and walked away with snootiness and a sense of arrogance.

  Chapter 4: Planet X

  The Hellish Elevator lands on Earth-1’s docking port, where various other Extradimensional Ships were held for checkpoints and tolls.

  Morningstar smiles, leaving the Hellevator and meeting with the tollkeeper. The toll, a massive blue field protecting the Starcross Portals, leads to every port in every known registered universe like a sort of Multiversal Highway.

  Behind her were the Honorables: The Aswang, Myrmex, Beatle, Reaper, Hercules, Dark, Askal, Slime Tutorial, and Lord Marvel.

  The Reaper gives a tired sigh, walking toward the toll along with the others. “Let’s get this over with. Haps?” He spoke into his communicator. “We got registered yet?”

  Happy squints a bit, staring at his monitor. “Spoke with the Supervisor. Your travels are authorized and recognized as a vacation on Planet X, which is the only way enter the Primal Forge.”

  The Reaper sighs in relief. “Thank you, Happy.” He removes his earpiece and crushes it.

  The team, led by Morningstar and Beatle, soon reached the tollkeeper.

  “Tickets, please,” said the tollkeeper.

  Beatle kindly gives them tickets.

  “Saint King, right?” asked the tollkeeper, spinning her chair to turn to him, not even tilting her head.

  “Yeah,” said Beatle.

  “You got your PWD Puck?” asked the tollkeeper.

  “You got manners? I am a Council Member.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Saint King or not, we would like to give you the opportunity to pay less. Saint King would desire a heftier price.”

  “No. That’s not the point. I am not purely defined by that,” said Beatle, speaking with an eloquent tongue.

  “But you ARE PWD.”

  “But I waive my usage of that right. Please. I just wish to pass. I don’t need to pay less money.”

  “So… YOU ACTUALLY would want to pay a higher price?”

  “YES!!!” Beatle boomed, and the room went silent. All eyes are on him. Beatle simmered down, nostrils fuming. “I apologize for the rudeness. But I beg of you to treat me just as you would treat a normal person.”

  “I thought you stood for equity.”

  “I have more wealth than my friends. Do not think that my autism wields any power over a fucking toll fee. Proportionately, I just want to kindly fucking go on my vacation. You are pissing me the fuck… off. I am here as a vacation goer, not a victim nor a Saint King. Do you want me to be the Saint King, Miss Tollkeeper?”

  The Tollkeeper gulped and took the money anyway. “You offered to pay more?”

  “You offered to be a fool? I’m giving you this,” Beatle shook his head and walked away.

  “Just tryna be nice.”

  “Then be decent,” said Beatle, as they walked away.

  The Tollkeeper sighed and shrugged and went about her way.

  “In Maharlica-152, anyone is allowed to have their opinions,” the Aswang spoke.

  “Sadly, they do. I have nothing against that, but what I have against is the extremist idea of absolutism,” said Beatle. “Absolutes can be nuanced or not. Such hurts my head even thinking about it.”

  “Dude,” said Slime Tutorial. “She was offering you equity.”

  “I have the power to sense the truth in one’s heart. She labeled me as weak. I speak my existence with pride.”

  “That’s kinda hard to differentiate,” said Lord Marvel. “I mean, I get it. Do they? I dunno!”

  Beatle gives a soft sigh. “Exactly why this world lacks our nuance.”

  “What of the True Americans as they call themselves? Those Space Marine guys? What do they call themselves? Remnants of America? Or whatever?” asked Dark.

  “They’re called Remnants of America. They’re just a bunch of internet cultist grifters,” Beatle shook his head.

  “Okay, liberal,” mocked Hercules. “Kidding.”

  “I do not really care about American politics. I’m one of those onlookers from around the rest of the world just watching them make a fool of themselves, thinking they’re the center of the muckfathering Multiverse, but in reality, they’re just a bunch of people with a bunch of nukes in their arsenal because they won a war that barely matters anymore. What matters is now, and this world is failing.”

  Hence, a woman approaches the team of heroes, who give them a smile of mockery, simply looking down with a tinge of disgust.

  Beatle shook his head and kept on going.

  “You talk.. Like… a lot…” Morningstar.

  “Yes,” said Beatle.

  “No different from me. Hahaha! Aren’t we so cute together?” she smiled, keeping up with Beatle’s pace.

  “We aren’t cute together because we are not together. Delusion is a mockery of truth.“

  “Oh, Beatle. It won’t be true unless you make it true. Isn’t that the concept of Usog? The Eye? Truth comes from faith.”

  “You are confusing good faith with wicked faith. Someday you’ll know that.”

  “Aw! Beatie!” She brushes her hand over his.

  “Away from me, Satan,” he sighed, walking away.

  “Sheesh. All I did was-...” she smirked, turning to Myrmex, before shaking her head and walking away. She eyes the Aswang and sneers.

  “So! Miguel! I heard you mouth fucked another woman who looks exactly like me! How was it? Oh, and look at her over there! Boring, hm?” she smiled, speaking with the Aswang before turning to Myrmex.

  Myrmex just eyes her with pure rage and antagonism. “Fuck off, Satan.”

  “Aw! If you’re going to be SOOOO rude…” she mocked. “Then I’d just avoid aiding you in your journey!”

  “Kindly SCREW… OFF!!!” boomed the Aswang, turning to Morningstar. “Stop treating her that way!”

  Morningstar sneered, looming over the Aswang, her breath warming his lips. “Wanna make out? Awww! You look JUST LIKE Beatle… Wink, wink!”

  “Don’t forget… You are beneath us… I always believed that there is good in everyone, and I darned hope you believe that, too.”

  Her nose twitches. “How dare…” she growled. “How dare you think that there is still a part of me that MATTERS!?!? HA?!?! I’ll bludgeon you with my trident when I take it… then feast on your flesh…” she sneered.

  “I believe that behind that charade, you’re scared… of losing Beatle,” smiled the Aswang.

  Morningstar rolls her eyes and leans in, yet the Aswang punches her in the stomach, causing her to back away, and a shockwave echoes from her body upon the very strike. “You’ve gotten stronger…”

  “Beatle trained me,” said the Aswang.

  She smirked, licking her lips off the blood she just drooled. “Well, sex is off the table… Then how about murder?” She sniffed. “I wonder what else will come to our journey…?”

  Suddenly, in the Spaceport, men, women, and children began to scream in horror.

  The Aswang’s eyes widen, sensing who this is.

  Beatle had already left, trying to search for whatever was attacking. He reaches the next floor and sees ice blades, still freshly frozen, with the cool air emerging from the icicles.

  One woman had her head spiked on a bench. A child looked as if he had tripped and had his viscera shrouded out of his body from an icicle growing out of the ground. A man, a woman, a boy, and a baby were squished by a gigantic hail monolith.

  Beatle is horrified by the visceral deaths and sees Undying, the Aswang’s nemesis, leaning on the boulder while spinning an icicle between his fingers.

  “Hey, Saint King. Where the fuck’s Miggy Boy?”

  Beatle blasts heat vision toward Undying, who walks forward, melting while regenerating much faster than his heat vision. Undying approaches, but Beatle stops and punches him in the face, knocking his teeth out.

  Beatle hammers him to the ground. “Morningstar is making you do this!?”

  “No… I just wanted to see Miguel… Where is he? Hm?”

  Beatle lifts him up, holding him up by his throat. “Not here…” Beatle knocks his teeth out, the strike throwing him out of the building. Beatle holds him up by his collar only for Undying to freeze his eyes, creating a staircase of frost and snow. Each step he took to leap back into the Spaceport, and there, he encountered the Aswang, who was very ready to throw a punch into his face.

  Meanwhile, the entire team was frozen in place by Morningstar while the entire Spaceport is running amok. Some people hid behind pillars and trash cans, frozen by fear instead.

  Dark, Askal, Hercules, Lord Marvel, Slime Tutorial, the Reaper, and Myrmex are frozen in place by some sort of red magical aura. Morningstar sneers, humored by their foolishness.

  Undying pukes blood, stumbling backward.

  The Aswang exchanged strikes with Undying, with Undying tossing icicles at several people and the Aswang catching the icicles by teleporting around while exchanging strikes with Undying. He teleports around and dropkicks into Undying’s face, knocking him down, before beating him mercilessly to the ground.

  Undying shoots the Aswang in the face, causing his head to explode, grey matter splattering out of his skull.

  The Aswang knocks him to the ground. “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?!?”

  “Snarky Bae says hi, BITCH!!!”

  The Aswang strikes and dodges upon each statement. “Oh, please! One, she’s a grifter. TWO… SHE ONLY WANTS ME DEAD BECAUSE I CALLED HER A CULT LEADER ON TWITTER AND POINTED OUT WHAT A THOT SHE WAS FOR THINKING I’M A LIBERAL!!! THIRD, I DAMN WELL KNOW YOU TOOK THE JOB TO KILL ME!!!”

  “Grifters aren’t real, woke bitch! FOR SNARKY BAE!!!”

  The Aswang swerves right as Undying tosses another icicle. “I don’t wanna hurt you. I suggest we bury the hatchet, man! I believe you could ch-!”

  Undying stabs the Aswang in the chest over and over, his body regenerating as he headbutts Undying to the ground.

  “Dude! Easy!” yelled the Aswang. “I want NOTHING to do with your dumbass polarized views. I just wanna help!”

  “Woke as hell,” he rolled his eyes.

  “What does THAT even mean!?”

  “It means you have woken up to the TRUTH!!!”

  “What TRUTH!?!?”

  “That Doughnut Trumpet is EVIL!!!”

  The Aswang looks left and right. “Dude… Are you high right now or what? Because Doughnut Trumpet is… is the partner of Kamera Mali.”

  “YOUR POINT BEING!?!?”

  “Dude… Dude… Prometheus created a Constitution where Liberals and Conservatives are forced to work hand in hand to create a better, more sustainable future.”

  “Stop fucking woking me up, man!

  “Dude… ” The Aswang facepalms.

  “Sorry, who is this guy?” asked one man in the background.

  “Supervillain Undying. We have animosity toward each other. He DID THE DEED with my girlfriend. I spared him and stuff, but he’s just such a huge jerk and a son of a gun…”

  “So, he’s the one in the right, right?” asked the one guy.

  “What!? NO!!!” yelled the Aswang. “Dude. He just killed people-...”

  “I don’t respect Liberals.”

  The Aswang facepalms. “I don’t identify with any political-... I’M FILIPINO!!!”

  “Oh, listen to this guy, he’s an Immigrant.”

  “Dude… Not here to step foot on any American soil.“

  “You’re the one in a Spaceport, buddy.”

  Undying throws a punch, and the Aswang knocks him to the ground.

  “Oh my God… He just assaulted-...”

  The Aswang freezes the saliva on his mouth to shut the man up. “I DO NOT HAVE THE TIME for a riot today.”

  Undying shoots at the Aswang over and over as the Aswang jumps up and spin kicks him to the ground.

  The Aswang sighs, tired as hell. “Dude… Sorry for eating you that one time.”

  Undying roars and shoots the Aswang in the face as Beatle appears and knocks him down unconscious.

  “Assaulter!” yelled the man, having ripped out the ice around his mouth.

  Beatle flexes at the man who runs away. “Bitch.”

  “Dude. Coulda told him in a nicer way…” said the Aswang.

  Beatle sighs. “Your flyer’s down.”

  The Aswang’s eyes widen, and he zips up. “HOW LONG!?!?”

  “The whole fight.”

  Chapter 5: X Gonna Give It To Ya

  The heroes and Morningstar reached the great Planet X, a wasteland desert outside its walls where within is an exact replication of our world, with lush fields and suburban mundaneness, while outside the lower castes feast on each other.

  “Welcome to fucking… Ugh…” sighed Beatle. “Welcome to uh… My Father’s… I don’t… I don’t even know what to-...” Beatle, who raised his hands to showcase the beauty of this world, would be cut off immediately by Slime Tutorial.

  “HOLY SHIT!!! IS THAT GOD ICE CREAM!?!? Ugh! Miguel, that shit IS UH… MAZING…” smiled Slime Tutorial, grabbing his hand. “C’MON!!! TRY IT, DUDE!!!”

  “Ah, gee. Alright,” smiled the Aswang, being pulled to the ice cream cart.

  “WAIT FOR ME!!!” Lord Marvel followed after.

  Myrmex rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she followed. “Gotta… check if those guys would do something dumb as shit… or… dumber as shit… Can’t leave Spongebob, Patrick, and Gary out without Mister Krabs, y’know?” Myrmex followed after.

  Hercules looks around. “What the hell happened to my homeworld? This place used to be brighter and much more quaint with Greek infrastructure.”

  “Well, Herc,” said the Reaper, staring blankly at the suburbs. “The world considers Earth as its conduit for reality. The way we mortals see this world is exactly how our world’s unanimous way of viewing paradise is. Apparently, that’s just the United States of America’s whitest neighborhood.”

  Dark shakes his head. “White people…”

  “Dark, you’re Caucasian,” said Askal.

  “Yeah. And you’re Chinese, faker.”

  “Do NOT start now, man.” Askal rolled her eyes.

  Lord Marvel and Slime Tutorial finish entire buckets of ice cream.

  “What are you two idiots-!?” Beatle would be stopped by Myrmex’s hand.

  “I think we should let them off the hook this time,” said Black Sabbath, seeing that the Pantheons are approaching them.

  Sabbath bowed before them. “Hello! I am… Black Sabbath! Heheh!”

  They just stared at her with morbid curiosity.

  One god, Quetzalcoatl, smiled. “What creature is that thing?” He turns to Beatle and Hercules. “Heracles. Gibborimu El. Are these your pets?” he smiled.

  “Ah… No… Mortal friends of ours,” said Beatle. “Mind us not, kindly…” he said, with noticeable annoyance.

  “What funny-looking creatures,” said Quetzalcoatl, walking away while holding an ice cream cone.

  “WHAT THE HELL!?!?” Myrmex asked. “WHAT THE RACIST HELL WAS THAT!?!?”

  “They only see the Reaper, Herc, and I. Also, probably Miguel. We’re part gods, spiritually, at least.”

  “Gibborimuel?” mocked Dark.

  “Doesn’t that mean ‘Warrior of God’ in Hebrew?” asked Askal.

  “Holy shit, Emz. It does? I thought it just sounded stupid,” said Dark.

  “Yeah, yeah… If Jesus’ name is Emmanuel, which means God is with us, mine means Warrior of God, because… I was originally meant to uh… kill people,” said Beatle, looking away. “My other variants and I decided not to, though. Because we don’t like… rapturing innocent people.” Beatle sighed as he was handed an ice cream cone by the Aswang.

  “It’s okay, Beatle,” said the Aswang. “I think your choices were dapper.”

  “Fuck off, Furball. Beatle doomed us all,” Dark rolled his eyes.

  Suddenly, they met with… Gerard Persuvius, the Caveman hybrid.

  “Greetings. Welcome to the homeworld of the gods… Which is just a tourist trap at this point. Hellish World-colonized damned… whatever it is,” sighed Gerard. “Excuses for my language. Alas, would you like some bread?”

  The Aswang smiles and nods as he takes some of his bread.

  “Jerry!” Beatle hugs Gerard.

  “Yes, hello, Uncle Beatle… Alas, I seem to have stepped into some sort of Extraterrestrial Bovine Excrement.”

  “You did?” asked the Aswang.

  “Alas, that is what you call a ‘Metaphor’, or what they call in your language, ‘I got into some bullshit’ that being getting you guys a ride to safety…” sighed Gerard. “Anywho, I would like to note that you must evade a certain creature soon… They call themselves the Micheads.”

  “The what?” asked the Aswang.

  “A race of deadly demons who are blind, large, and can hear literally anything that makes even the slightest sound.”

  “You see, this city’s center is the Sovereign,” Gerard explained.

  “Been there,” said the Reaper.

  “Then you have heard that since you attacked back then, they established better security with the creation of these golems… That palace has something called a Hellish Elevator, yet another device that this horrible, awful person in your party created to traverse the Multiverse.” Gerard furthered.

  “Guilty!” smirked Morningstar, shrugging.

  “At the heart of this city is something that you will fear, and that is Olympus, the Palace of the gods. Ever since Spazura was arrested by Morningstar, well, the Goat established the new ruler of this world, known as the Governor.”

  “The Governor?” asked Beatle.

  “So, he governs?” asked Lord Marvel. “Sorry, I am just so… hungry…” he said, swallowing another cone.

  “Yes. He governs over the entire planet of the literal gods since Morningstar had them colonized.”

  “Again! Guilty!” smiled Morningstar.

  “So, how do we enter that palace?” asked the Reaper. “And kill those things?”

  “Well, you can enter, but killing them is not an option. Gotta do this by the book,” said Beatle.

  “Well, both of you are right and less right,” said Gerard. “Those things would kill gods and Demis like you two. They’re designed to eradicate your powers with Demon Blood. They’re powered… with such. So, doing this by the book nor killing those things aren’t options at all. So, we all sneak in.”

  “Lame,” said Dark.

  Everyone turns to the four main.

  “Wait, wait, what?” asked the Aswang, Slime Tutorial, Lord Marvel, and Myrmex.

  Chapter 6: Micheads

  Slime Tutorial falters, falling to his knees. “I need… More splooge… please!”

  Slime Tutorial would be struck and beaten by two bodyguards.

  The congressman laughs. “Putangina… Splooge Addict… This is why Narciso is a good man for the War on Splooge. I have the sole judicial authority for extrajudicially killing you.”

  “Fuck…”

  Suddenly, the Congressman fell down, dead… There…. Was Lord Marvel, who helped Slime Tutorial up.

  The first bodyguard hammers a shovel into his head, but both guards were torn to pieces…

  Today…

  The Aswang, Myrmex, Lord Marvel, and Slime Tutorial snuck into the massive palace, which was very much abandoned.

  The Governor, whose body was wired to the high ceiling, brought the Outsiders out from the cages beneath and proceeded to slaughter them, one by one.

  The four of them hear clapping, and clapping, and more clapping.

  Each Michead clapped, using echolocation to tell each other where their target once. It was like a choir of claps that passed by, each like a train charging past you, only for the claps to go back. And when they came back…

  A bird just happened to pass by, fluttering its wings from outside the castle. The bird was a cosmic hawk, of which it would be mauled by the Micheads. And the bird would scream in horror, then silence.

  The four, however, only saw… darkness for a short second, seeing these creatures for a split second. These Micheads have blood all over their teeth, and kept clapping their white, bloodied pearls together, and with a flash of light, the four of them see their bulgeoned faces with mic-like lines on their foreheads, no eyes, and salivating teeth that made such claps.

  The Aswang, Myrmex, Slime Tutorial, and Lord Marvel, traveled into the heart of darkness.

  Then, they hear the claps going closer.

  Suddenly, something struck Slime Tutorial, causing his head to elongate and crash into the wall.

  His grey matter leaked. Luckily, he can regenerate.

  Lord, however, was not as lucky. Lord would be struck and would have some of his stone skin chip off, causing him to angrily roar and leave their line of vision, entering the darkness.

  They hear the trail of claps again, and the creatures with bulging foreheads emerging from the dark corners of the horizon, and upon each flash was like a still frame of them walking closer.

  Myrmex, however, smelled the scent of the two lost souls.

  She smelled their sweat and grabbed The Aswang’s hand.

  The Aswang also knew how to navigate. He himself can see with his eyes closed. His ticking wings allowed him to see in the darkness with sound. He walked forward. She walked forward.

  The duo charged.

  Claps again. They heard and ran like a train rushing toward them.

  The Aswang blasts flames at them, their faces melting.

  The screech of one was so loud that a horde of claps began charging toward… them… from every corner.

  The Aswang burned one in the distance with his flames of light, and the flashes changed direction.

  The Aswang and Myrmex began running. The claps began to go closer, but the Aswang and Myrmex jump up, somersaulted, and wallcrawled on the ceiling.

  But, to their horror, the Micheads began to leave the ground. And, they hear clapping.

  This time…

  “THEY’RE ON THE CEILING!!!” yelled The Aswang.

  Myrmex gives a deafening screech as the Aswang creates an armor of flames around them.

  The Aswang carries Myrmex and charges forward, using his Lightning Eyes skill to flick the tiniest muscles and make each Michead he encounters die.

  The Aswang and Myrmex would then get cut and wounds all over their skin, which practically peel off from their flesh.

  They grunt in pain.

  The Aswang, seeing her in pain, begins slaughtering these soulless creatures, just hammering their skulls and tearing them to pieces.

  The Aswang transforms into what he should be, an aswang, and slaughters them while bursting flames, their screeches turning from ones to call for a meal to a call for mercy.

  And… they reach Slime Tutorial and Lord, who had hid in a small opening at the bottom/

  Slime Tutorial and Lord Marvel meet with the other two, the Aswang and Myrmex, and they pant in horror.

  “Shit…” said the Aswang. “Now, what?”

  Slime Tutorial smiles. “We wait for help…”

  Lord smiles, giving him a soft nod.

  Chapter 7: The Ascension

  “Okay, Beatle.. Lesson 1!” smiled his older and wiser predecessor. “What you may think makes the most sense… Makes the easiest answer… easiest way… Might not be the best.”

  “What do you mean?” asked the younger Beatle, in his Superman-esque costume. “So… Sometimes… what looks pretty in my eyes isn’t pretty at all?”

  “I remember there was a Greek rhetoric… from my time…” spoke the Nazarene. “Something about three men in a cave. I always thought it was foolish… to go outside… and leave everything you knew about… Because it is not sunlight that they see at the end of the cave… It’s… fire.”

  “That allegory was meant to explore the illusion of knowledge and show natural reality.”

  “Mine is a parable. Let’s say the three men were lost in a cave… however, there were bats to feed on… And then, one day, they see lights on both sides… One man was sent to see what is going on… He went to both sides, both sides giving a scorching heat, but one led to sunlight, and the other led to lava… Either way, neither way would ensure survival.”

  “I would stay in the cave,” said Beatle. “Did I get the right answer?” he asked with pride.

  The Nazarene merely smiled and chuckled.

  Beatle asks. “What would You have done?”

  Now…

  Beatle gulps in fear…

  Morningstar smirks.

  “Dude?” asked Dark. “You have that look again… Do you wanna have some ice cream?”

  “Ah… I’m fine… I am fine,” said Beatle.

  “Don’t tell me one of us is a Judas,” said Askal.

  “No… God, no…” chuckled Beatle, looking at the sky. “I’m going in.”

  “But… you will be punished,” said Askal. “The Voice thinks you are rebelling from his plan.”

  “My deal with the Voice isn’t that simple. I will… tell you the truth. It was a thousand years. Not 800.”

  “What?” asked Dark.

  “The Silent Centuries… are upon us…”

  “Silent wha?” asked Askal.

  “It was a thousand years… NOT 800…”

  “You said you were 800 years old,” said Hercules. “I remember the past being 800 years old as well.”

  “My deal with the Voice is that I shall keep Cosmic Events that will keep the world from acknowledging the Silent Centuries… The Truth…”

  “WHAT!?!?” asked Dark.

  “The truth is out… I apologize. But I must go…” Beatle began to walk forward. “I fear… I’m… afraid…” Beatle opens his phone and calls Sabbath.

  Sabbath, who is with Billy and Grub playing tic-tac-toe, opens the phone. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “I love you,” said Beatle.

  Sabbath immediately stands up. “Beatle!? BEATLE!!! NO!!! WHAT THE HELL!!! DID YOU… DID YOU TELL THEM!?!?”

  Beatle offers the phone to Dark. “Take care of this family…” Beatle enters the cave. “I’m setting myself off… They have hidden in a corner somewhere… The creatures are far too powerful… My death…”

  Their eyes widen.

  “Shall become a gate for you to reach the next worlds…” said Beatle.

  “STOP HIM!!!” yelled Sabbath.

  “DAD!?!?” asked Billy.

  Grub covered her mouth. “What is he doing!?”

  The Reaper grabs his shoulder. “Don’t…”

  Dark, Herc, and Askal stop Beatle, struggling to hold him back, trying to pull him back. He lets out a shockwave that causes them to crash away into suburban houses.

  Beatle punches The Reaper, but the Reaper flips him to the ground.

  The Reaper growls at Beatle. “I won’t let you break Anna’s heart.”

  “Like you did yours?”

  The Reaper squints his eyes. “This isn’t about her.”

  “It always is…” Beatle blasts heat vision at the Reaper who blocks with heat gauntlets.

  “BEATLE!!! NO!!!” yelled Star Reaper, blasting poisonous Demon Blood gas into his face, but Beatle fell to his knees. A Philippine Eagle appears in the sky, as Beatle crawls forward, and continues toward the dark castle.

  The Reaper pushes Beatle away. “I WON’T LET YOU BREAK HER HEART!!!”

  Beatle smiles. “I finally got the answer…“

  The Reaper roars. “ANNA LOVES YOU!!!”

  “Of course she does…” Beatle laughed. “But I chose this… I chose this… I chose the universe. I chose the Truth. I chose… a side… The cave is a side as well… It always was…”

  “What in the world are you-!?”

  Beatle hammers his fist and knocks the Reaper out.

  But the Reaper regenerates and pushes him forward, pinning him to the ground and beating him.

  Beatle returns to full strength.

  “I CAN’T… I CAN’T DO THIS WITHOUT YOU!!!” yelled the Reaper.

  “The question wasn’t ‘which side will I choose?’” Beatle smiled, and Reaps realized they’re already inside the castle. Beatle hurls him outside.

  The Reaper’s eyes widen.

  “It was a leap of faith…” said Beatle, as light began to emit from his body, and a burst of wind scathed from his skin that peeled off everything he ever was. For the first time, he looked into the Reaper’s eyes. “Psalm 23.”

  And with a blinding flash of light, the clapping stopped, and the temple was destroyed…

  From the hole beneath them, the Aswang, Myrmex, Lord Marvel, and Sime Tutorial emerged.

  “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” cackled Morningstar.

  “What’s so funny!?” asked the Aswang.

  “IT WORKED!!! The Demons!” she laughed. “He blurted out the secret because the demons had something to do with the SILENT CENTURY!!! AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”

  “Where’s Beatle!?” asked the Aswang, tearing up. “HEY!!!”

  On Sabbath’s side, she was already gone, flying off into the incoming battle.

  The Aswang grabs Morningstar. “WHERE THE FUCK IS HE!?!?”

  She just kept laughing at his face.

  The Aswang pushes her, but he instead falls and even hits his skull on the ground. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!” He released a guttural scream. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO BEATLE!!?!”

  Morningstar mocked him and began kicking him over and over while he wept and had a panic attack. “Waah! Waah! Waah! Don’t you GET IT!?!? THIS WHOLE THING WAS A PLOY FROM BEATLE AND I TO GET HIM KILLED!!! Because YOU… YOU PIECE OF SHIT… YOU PATHETIC… ANIMALISTIC THING WHO THINKS YOU’RE HIM!!! HE DIDN’T LOVE ME!!! HE. LOVED. HER!!!”

  The Aswang turns into an Aswang and Myrmex grabs him to ease him.

  “Oh, LET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!!! He doesn’t need you! Look at him! Primal! Monster, the really fucking is! I killed him… and he killed himself BECAUSE FEAR… ALWAYS WORKS!!! It brings you back to YOUR MOST PRIMAL URGES!!! YOUR TERROR!!! AND WHEN YOU’RE BACK UP INTO A CORNER!?!?” Morningstar approaches, and the Aswang falters to the pillar behind him, where Beatle died. “YOU FIGHT!!! He needed to die, kid. And he was wrong. Because I know the incoming war? You will fail! Looking at you now? You are SO READY to kill me for killing your little BFF!!!”

  The Aswang growls, fists up, wings ticking. “I’m certainly thinking about it.”

  Morningstar smiles. “Good. Miguel… Or shall I say… Aswang Saint King!?”

  The Aswang gives… a rather terrified look of a man who learns he’s a father.

  Fin…?