Mugen7: This was just me mucking about.

Pwned!

Written by Mugen7

"The unexpected always happens." – Laurence J. Peter.

Pwn

verb [INFORMAL]

– (especially in video games) utterly defeat (an opponent or rival); completely get the better of.

「Adventus-12」

The Thirteenth Hierarchical City – KAGUTSUCHI – AREA 「No Number」

As the 12th Prime Field Device descended to the「Sheol Gate」a strange sensation crept over him. An indescribable feeling of displacement, a wave of vertigo, as reality became warped.

He quivered, the twisted nature of the disturbance possessed an odd, albeit distinguished familiarity as the pressure closed in on him with a crackling weight; phenomenal fluctuations palpable to those found in Interventions. But Terumi found that unlikely, impossible, even. He has (or was meant to have) an immunity to「Event Interferences」– so how...?

"The hell is going on?" Senses shuffled with the dissipation of balance; stability fraught with uncertainty. His vision impaired as the scene in his field of view fizzed and patterned into pieces, rearranging into stained glass coloured with black and white static.

… He teeters. Within a brief moment the green-haired "hero" turned mentally remote and leaned over to the side. Motor function stolen, he'd been made to witness himself fall over until he seized back control over his vessel, widening his stance by kicking out a leg and hammering his foot hard into the runic floor – hollow muscles contracting over-extensively just to keep him afloat.

"Nngh...! Urrgh." He's fatigued, the increasing exposure to the extreme pressure making him nauseous. He shook his head to throw of the buzz, consequently afflicting himself with an aching pulse that thrummed throughout the back of his head, feeling like a dense weight that caused his neck to repeatedly tense; head forced to bobble.

One by one the pixelated mosaic pieces "switched off" like an old screen unit with the glass shattering instantly after the process. With each blackout the ever-growing blackness confined him; the proximity of the developing black containment snaring at his mind.

"Mm... mmmmgh." He felt drunk, consciousness slipping away. Like a soporific the vertigo and displacement inflicted him with a drowse, and in a flash the cluster of static thinned and died with a horizontal snap, mind wiped as the last panel shattered.

… Then, he came to; waking from the lapse as if nothing had occurred. But he knew better, deep down.

"Hmm...?" Slow in the head and confused, Terumi struggled to fully grasp what he experienced. The mental block, provoking.

He stood before the Monolith, the winged cocoon no longer above. Its polished and pure black structure cracked with flowing blue enamel; red rings running down its length and sweeping under his feet, far across the platform. Snake eyes lay transfixed on the「Crest of Blue」as its strong glow absorbed his focus. Seconds flew by, unbeknownst to him; time, non-existent.

! – Through a bout of suddenness his vessel tensed up and his own psyche was struck by a staggering blow, the effect racking him both internally and externally, from head to toe. The mental block was then knocked away as if it were a thick clot being drained from a pipe, and everything began to flow with ease. He's reminded – promptly – of the happenings that led up to the interference. Like a saved file resumed from the last point of significance: Mu-12 heading for the「Hell Spring」.

"No, no..." he said to himself. "Something's different." The last point of entry was fine, he could tell that much. In fact it had nothing to do with the "file" per say, but with the present; the here and now that he stood in.

"Is this shit your doing「Takamagahara」? Or... is it perhaps yours?" He sneered, looking skyward.

As Terumi tried to make sense of the disruption and the unknown change, the wind gusts...

Though occupied, from the minute of his waking the crafty antagonist had the recurring and transparent sense that he was being watched by something – someone – in particular that had a keen interest in his presence. An existence other than two certain「Observers」.

With smooth caution he twisted round, and there, standing at a distance was a male figure.

"Oooohhh, it's you." He sounded with fake excitement.

His earlier bafflement steered into a metamorphose of questioning; the "unknown change" taking the form of the young man whose path (one of many) was pre-ordained to lead him atop the Librarium to confront him and save the Twelfth. Except they've been through this pointless song and dance already. In the Phase before and every other prior it, Terumi Observed every single possibility caused by the「Continuum Shift」– all patterns pertaining to the current setting. So why is it that the "puppy" who took a trouncing from him earlier; who should be a bleeding mess on the floor – either kneeled or beneath his foot – was now unscathed; whole and pristine?

There were other differences, however. For instance, the rebel's distinctive red coat was amiss and his left glove also gone. His right eye was closed, and his right arm – from his shoulder to his hand – was completely bound in cloth, leaving nothing to be shown. And his hair, for whatever reason, had gone from pure white back to its original blond shade; like the Intervention had hacked reality and uncorrupted the rebel of Queen Antoinette's touch.

Terumi turned around fully. "What's wrong, Rags? Got no words to say?" The new adaptation of the Grim Reaper didn't respond, simply choosing to observe his nemesis with a single-eyed stare. The colour green; firm, balanced, and with a gemlike lustre to it. And a face so stoic that it might as well be entirely blank; and with that tall and upright stance – natural and immovable – the snake-eyed villain couldn't help but picture the white clad hero standing in his estranged brother's place.

"I'll admit, your silence is refreshing," the mocking grin that crossed Terumi's face wasn't a reflection of how he felt on the inside. No, there was a restlessness he tried to quell, and, truthfully, he felt disillusioned by Ragna's lack of brash and impatient countenance. He couldn't work with nor manipulate this show of cool temperament.

While there's been many occasion where he'd grown utterly sick and tired of the "mutt's" constant barking and cocksure attitude, Terumi has always been wickedly delighted by the young man's reckless indignation one way or another. So quick to get his ass handed to him by those out of his league just to prove how weak he is. But this version of the reaper? Terumi couldn't get a read on. The stark difference in nature led him to become sceptic; he couldn't find a trace of the troublemaker's overbearing grudge that constantly leaked out.

'It's like he's been rewired to feel nothing. Like those damn dolls.' He thought, finding this new setup to be far out of left field.

Jumping back into character.

"COME ON little Raggy. Not gonna take a swing and try to scare the SHIT outta little ol' me? What happened to all that enthusiasm?" Provocation didn't seem to be doing him any favours. He felt swayed into believing that this Ragna the Bloodedge was some sort of fake. "If you're scared, then I don't blame ya. By all means run along with your tail between your legs... Unless, you WANT another pounding? Heh heh heh, I'm more than happy to go another round of「Strike The Bloodedge」."

The reaper smirked. "And I guess I've got some time to fillet a snake." He said, combing bare fingers through his hair.

The insult managed to annoy Terumi.

"You better watch that mouth of yours, kiddo. If you're really THAT EAGER to have me cut you into ribbons again then by ALL MEANS... keep pushin'."

"Twelve," said the rebel as he pointed at his foe.

"Huh?"

"That's the number of critical hits it's gonna take to beat you," he clarified. "I could own you with one attack, but I think I'll give ya a chance to counter." He added, lowering his hand.

"… Hyeh," there it was, that classic behaviour. That typical arrogant tone which succeeded in getting a rise out of him. "Heh heh heh," he held his stomach and pressed a hand to his face. "Ha ha ha ha ha. HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!"

"I'm still over here when you're done laughing your lungs out." Said the rebel cutting into Terumi's uncontrollable laughing fit.

"… You," arms fell to their side as he ambled his way across the platform; his loose-limbered vessel exuding a toxic heat that stung the air as he moved. "You reeeeeally know how to piss me off, ya know that?" He stopped, and stood at the lines of intersection between the Monolith and Ragna.

Unable to help himself - like this whole scenario had been choreographed - Terumi dove into a rant.

"Listen reeeeeal close and write this down Rags," leaning forward. "You. Can't. BEAT ME! You're a novice; an amateur, and everyone knows it! Hakumen, the Grimalkin, and that damn bloodsucker of yours. Heck even good ol' Valkenhayn. They all KNOW that you don't stand a chance against me! Seriously, fighting you isn't even a challenge," he scoffed, turning on his heel. "That grimoire you're so proud of; the「Soul Eater」, is useless! You're useless! Everything you DO is useless!"

He stopped and turned all the way around to come full circle, and smiled with absolute derision, holding his hands out in a casual gesture.

"But, whatever... Go ahead, waste your energy and suffer another beatdown from yours truly," he took a step back and crouched low, clapping his hands together and whistling as though the rebel were a dog. "Come're boy, let's go!"

The rebel's next words came across as detached; a flatness that reminded Terumi yet again of the masked hero.

"I'm giving you one last chance Terumi so take your time and think how you wanna answer this question," his green eye sharpened as his voice upheld a more serious note. "Do you wanna sit down, and talk this bitch out?"

Mordantly and with a shit-eating grin...

"I'm gonna use your skull... as a beer mug." Terumi answered.

Sighing, the reaper spread his legs past shoulder width and lifted his concealed arm. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Grasping the rebel's intent, Terumi scowled. "You're persistent, making me repeat myself. I told you that grimoire is useless!"

| Play Optional: Devil May Cry 3 Soundtrack – Cerberus Battle「Extended Version」|

The air around the reaper turned thick and ripe with tension that it formed a tangible circumference focused around his legs and feet, steadily growing in size.

"Releasing the「666th Restriction」 in four..." the right arm ruptured, blowing the long wrap off ruthlessly that it ripped to shreds. The grimoire transfigured into a black mist that coagulated and spiralled tirelessly; subsequent tendrils of darkness – like a bold print on a plain canvas – wisp like smoke, high and low.

Terumi became wired as space around the rebel started to bend, contorting through the grimoire's imminent release. A new distortion was taking place right before his very eyes.

"Three..." with his left hand the reaper brandished「Aramasa」and swung it high over his head and let it hang behind him at an angle. The mechanism inside the weapon clicked multiple times with changing sounds, and then the weapon extended, opening and shifting into a scythe that erected a sharp crimson blade opposite the main.

Terumi watched as the black tendrils snaked down the weapon's length and furled around its white blade, fully embracing「Aramasa」with a fond intimacy.

"Two..." his black shirt flapped open to reveal his bare torso. A deep red mist projected itself through Ragna's flesh. Fresh blood that wafted around the man's figure; it circled down his legs, forming into segments that acted like an exoskeleton that perpetually rotated around the two limbs; and it overrode his shirt – the bloody vapour colouring and creating a mould that transmuted into a fashion reminiscent of his signature red coat.

"... One." Golden hair reassumed its stark white shade with a zap, and his right eye opened, uncovering a black sclera bordering a baleful red iris.

An inexplicable sense of dread collapsed on top of the green-haired antagonist, planting him firmly to his position. As disconcerting as it became for him to try and identify the enigmatic grandeur the rebel had been spontaneously propelled to, the boundless imposition of quintessential energy felt worse.

"『Imaginary Magic Circle』recognized,『Enforcing Field』deployed at maximum output," the wind accelerated with an increased gain. Snakes eyes discerned a pitch black apparition creeping out from behind the reaper's left side. A nightmarish head – inhuman – with a gaping maw and a glowing eye that regarded Terumi with feral intent.

"『Ability Restriction』lifted for limited use until the enemy has been rendered silent." Cold beads of sweat trailed Terumi's face as a stream of bloodlust flooded him; the shadow humming with ravenous anticipation.

He perceived it; a true, sentient being with a will of its own, containing itself with long-suffering patience till its "partner" took the first step.

"『BlazBlue』ACTIVATE!" Fully awakened a blue-violet aura illuminates the「Man of Blue」; the「Black Beast's」crest materialized, overlaying all associated with him and radiating an infinite-like force.

The otherworldly power and presence was tremendous; monumental, that it thawed Terumi's composure.

The Grim Reaper,「Aramasa」and the shadow of the beast; altogether made up one total calamitous, soul-devouring figure – one with an instinctual imprint to abide: to kill him.

"Wh-What the hell...!?" this had to be some sort of joke; no way he believed this was real. He absolutely refused to acknowledge it; that this sister loving weak shit – this worthless piece of crap that belonged no place better than to be a strewn in the dirt – was superior. That Ragna the Bloodedge was leagues above him. "WHAT THE HELL!?"

Ragna looked at Terumi with malicious intent, viewing the fear that surrounded him. The overbearing sea of hatred that was lost before was now found, laid bare for Terumi to bite into and feast upon. Only... it was somehow more than he could handle. He couldn't stomach it.

"Tch."

The satanic scrutiny stole a breath from him, and against all nerve, Terumi took a step back.

"『Leiptr!』"

"What?"

| Play Optional: Devil May Cry 3 Soundtrack – Dante's Office 7 Hells Battle |

Before keen eyes the Grim Reaper flashed out of sight. Thoughts on the reaper's whereabouts were cast aside as a fiery burn at his midsection identified itself. Profusely, blood ran out of a large gash on his torso.

"How...?"

"『Fjörm!』"

"GuaaARRGH!" he cried out in pain as something sharp tore through him. "Why you..." He seethed, spotting his assailant a ways ahead of him, scythe reared back.

"『Svöl!』" Ragna moved again, striking with「Aramasa's」crimson fang as the beast gnawed at him, leaving not a physical wound but one purely spiritual. The heat from his vessel plummeted.

"『Hríð!』" The reaper stormed past and slashed at his chest; the beast – shrouding the scythe – took another "bite" out of him.

"『Sylgr!』" Swiftly he made a sharp cutback, aiming at another untarnished place on the vessel with a hit so fatal that Terumi felt a heavy sum of his life-force siphoned away.

He convulsed as Ragna and his "pet" tortured him; conquering him with a slow, agonizing kill.

"『Gunnthrá!』" An ear-splitting shriek bulleted from Terumi's throat as he experienced pain far greater than earlier. "『Slíðr!』"

"Shit...! Shit shit shit shit SHIT!" Fearful and helpless. He couldn't react; couldn't dodge or summon a barrier, and his grimoire failed to counter its lesser model.

"『Ylgr!』" The black shadow howled.

"『Víð!』–『Gjöll!』" And the air screamed as「Aramasa's」crimson blade sliced through.

Ragna had moved at an astonishing pace, hitting with rapid succession. The「Soul Eater」worked into the blade, weakening Terumi immensely. Every laceration he endured, Terumi felt his ghostly form hover in and out of his vessel. It took all that remained of his dwindling fortitude to not have himself ripped out completely. Or worse, devoured.

"『Fimbulþul!』" He lurched forward after the eleventh crucial hit, blood splattering across the foothold.

"UurRRRGH!" Searching all round, Terumi failed to locate the reaper. Rather, he found a continual trail of blue lines that made up an eleven point star with himself standing inside a hendecagon.

"What is–!" His senses spiked. An amalgamation of energy was being gathered somewhere.

"Above!" Looking up he saw Ragna airborne,「Aramasa」reverted to its sword state while lit up with a luminance as magic element particles were processed into it.

The fountain of darkness – including the beast – swathed the blade thickly with a blue outline. Raising 「Aramasa」above his head, the condensed dark energy erupted; columns of energy outfluxed in separate directions whilst tethered to their source.

Terumi bristled. "DON'T DISS ME!" He yelled furiously. Disregarding logic he forced his energy into an Active Flow and created a portal composed of several green rings.

"『JARAKU ENGOKUSEN!』" Throwing his arm up a large black serpent layered with venomous green vigour darts out, rocketing upward toward the reaper.

"『ÉLI–』" The tumultuous power intensified, "『VÁGAAAAAAR!』" and with a mighty swing Ragna slashed down launching his attack; a torrential wave of darkness with a strong glacial hue that cascaded violently and overwhelmed the rising serpent.

"THIS CAN'T BE!" Impeccably stunned, all Terumi could manage was to stand rigid as the surge of power crashed and swallowed him whole. It swelled and bolted outward, rushing across the circle platform and sailing over the edge, slowly dispelled...

!「FINISH』!
!『OVERDRIVE」!

… The black tides soon passed.

Flat on his back in the centre of the platform, Terumi laid frozen. Pale skin burned with an icy venom, discolouration vividly clear. His suit now clung to his form in loose shreds, tattered and steaming with rising vapour; a mix of black and white "smoke", and his blood congealed, crawling out of infected wounds that had flooded with seithr.

"Th-This... hurts," he wheezed, barely able to open one eye.

In spite of the pain that came and went with white hot flare, he was mystified. He was alive. He was certain – absolutely certain – that that last attack would've killed him.

"I... hate... poison." He didn't feel fortunate to have survived. Had it been sheer dumb luck, or had the reaper staved off the powerful to kill him wit that blast...?

"I hate... cold!"

"Looks painful." Said Ragna with a shortness of breath, landing nearby his paralysed adversary. Fleeting trails of electricity lined over the man whose form had taken on its aesthetic prior to the unleashing; right covered up.

"Y-You... damn... mutt." He croaked, vomiting dollops of blood. His body grew hellishly tight as it contorted in outstanding pain; throat seizing that it felt like his Adam's apple would be shot out.

After a series of spasms he stilled.

"Why... are you th- … this strong...?" Terumi questioned, efforts to talk causing considerable pain to run down his throat. "Your「Blue Grimoire」shouldn't... be... that powerful."

Ragna twirled his weapon; smoothly holstering it onto his belt.

Terumi struggled to find his voice, "Who... are you in cahoots... with... huh?" He attempted to think as much as he worn mind could allow, "Is it... Kokonoe? Has to be... You two... are alike... Eurrgh..." he grimaced. "She'd definitely help ya... pull off a stunt like this."

The rebel looked confused before responding.

"What does Kokonoe have to do with this?" He asked. "I'm the same as I've always been."

"BULLSHIT!" Terumi yelled in outrage, inducing a coughing fit. "This... This is... way too big of... a change." He hissed in pain, "I've seen all the possibilities... And THIS... wasn't... one of them."

A further spell of confusion sets on the rebel at Terumi's implications.

"Change? What the hell are you on about?"

Terumi flinched, observing the rebel to find any telltale of a lie.

He found none. Ragna sincerely had no clue regarding his words.

"… Heh," He started shaking. "Heheheheheh!" Suffering a magnitude of violent tremors as he broke out into more maniacal fits of laughter.

"Pipe down you bastard," said the reaper cutting in.

The serpent did so, "Either way... this is still the moment I waited for." He groaned, continuing to smile even through the pain. "Finally happy you can get your revenge now... yeah?" Ragna stood over him, the bitterness in his green eye contrasting the stoicism of his facial features. "Come on! Finish me off, Ragna the Bloodedge! Make your sister proud! Heh heh heh."

This had been a phenomenon beyond foresight. A factor shadowed before an all-seeing gaze. This had was the opening; the golden ticket. And all he needed was for the rebel to finish the job.

Ragna studied Terumi awhile longer before he spoke in the midst of walking away.

"… I'm leavin'."

Terumi bulked. "Wait, what!?"

"Just lie there and suffer." His disinterest to kill him had the wounded antagonist narrowing his barely functioning eye.

"Who the hell do you think you're talkin' to!? HUH!?" Respondent to his anger, his vessel rattled fiercely against the paralysis. "You think you can just waltz away and leave me like THIS!? Your revenge isn't over yet dumbass! So quick dickin' around and FINISH ME OFF ALREADY!"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Ragna yelled back with high vigour, a vein pulsing via annoyance.

He kissed his teeth before letting his temper cool.

"Jeez. Don't be in such a hurry to die asshole. Too soon for ya to say goodbye." Body turned by a margin, Ragna watched Terumi over his shoulder.

"I don't have the proper means to kill ya for good just yet. But I assure you. Once that day comes; when you've got no life-link or vessel to hide behind... I'll destroy you for good."

Finished, the rebel once again took his leave.

"Now I've gotta deal with a Godslayer who's in need of a wakeup call," the pronounced with a huff. "Gimme a break."

Terumi stared on as best he could from his angle on the floor. Emotions intertwined with vexation and shock.

"Is it over?" Asked a voice similar to his own, only less grating and more smooth.

"My my, he's grown into such a man. Wouldn't you agree Mister Terumi?"

The serpent could perfectly envision the constant smile that came with the voice; subtle tones of amusement slipping through.

"Don't get on my nerves..." He warned.

The voice continued, "Nevertheless, I'm quite surprised. To think the tables would be turned this much."

"Shut the hell up Hazama!"

"Very well, very well," the other and more mild-mannered ego conceded, though not before sharing his final thought. "Although you have to admit..."

Terumi kept quiet, waiting for whatever more it was his vessel had to say.

"This has been an interesting turn of events."

… Yes... he could certainly agreed on that.

FIN

Translations:

1) Leiptr ["Flash/Lightning"]

2) Fjörm ["Rushing"]

3) Svöl ["Cool"]

4) Hríð ["Storm/Attack/Assault"]

5) Sylgr ["Sucking"]

6) Gunnthrá ["Battle-pain"]

7) Slíðr ["Fearful"]

8) Ylgr ["She-wolf"]

9) Víð ["Wide"]

10) Gjöll ["Scream/Noisy/Resounding"]

11) Fimbulþul ["Mighty Thul"]

- The eleven streams (rivers) that traditionally makeup the Élivágar ["Ice-waves"] that flow from Hvergelmir ["Bubbling Cauldron/Bubbling Boiling Spring"], found in Niflheimr ["World of Fog"] of Norse Myth.

12) 蛇烙閻獄穿 Jaraku Engokusen ["Snakes Burning Dungeon Drill/Burning Dungeon Drill of Snakes/Dungeon of Serpents"];

Yūki-kun's Exceed Accel.

Extra: BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Material Collection (Illustration, 115) - The image used to identify Ragna as he progressed through the activation.