Beyond the Gods

Prologue

"A new Auxiliary Shadow?" I asked.

"Yep," Jun responded, caressing a mass of holographic data in his hand, which lit up the room with a cyan glow.

Great.

Another Auxiliary Shadow. Not like I needed another one.

I already had a Philly boy who would rather try and flirt with women than do missions, and a literal donut addict of a Hero who would get mad whenever I complimented her hair.

"Listen, Master Jun. I'm thankful for the things you've done for me, but I really, really, really don't need another Auxiliary Shadow. I work fine on my own. There isn't a single god I cannot defeat now with the weapons we've created together. So if anything, I could use another gun or something," I reasoned.

"Oh. Is that so? I guess I'll assign her to Outer Shadow Rollo then-"

"Wait wait wait. Did you just say her? Her? Like a girl, her?" I cut Jun off, my chest beating like crazy.

"Yeah. And she's pretty tall too, just saying."

I got off my knee and approached my Inner Shadow.

"Boy, you're pulling some dangerous strings here. What kind of girl are we talking about? I... I take back what I said earlier! We've got plenty of room at the Hope estate!" I stuttered like an idiot.

Jun smiled.

"Come on out, Infiltration Unit TX7F."

Infiltration... Unit?

The sound of high heels clicked in the background, as a curvaceous figure emerged from the darkness.

I realized my mouth was hanging open. Suspense filled the air.

No way.

Master Jun... you god... damn genius!

A pair of cyan eyes flashed in the dark, as TX7F approached us. She had a black skin-tight leather suit, and an incredible figure.

Her black hair was combed neatly across the front through a set of bangs.

Sure she wasn't blonde, but... damn.

"M- Master Jun... aren't you gonna introduce us?" I squeaked, my voice an octave higher than usual.

"Sure. This is Auxiliary Shadow Sigurd. This will be her codename. Notice how her codename is Norse themed? Just like the Outer Shadows. It's because she's special. I've designed her to be the perfect woma- er I mean Infiltrator. And she will be your closest Auxiliary."

I fell to my knees and knelt before Jun, slamming my forehead against the floor.

"ALL PRAISE MASTER JUN! HAIL!"

ALL PRAISE MASTER JUN GASKET! The Shadows whispered in unison.

The walk back to the Barracks were the most nerve-wracking moments of my life.

And I spent six years fighting deities with nothing but stolen firearms and scraps in the street.

"So... uh... Sig- TX- um... what do I call you?" I asked, nervously, turning to my new Auxiliary.

The android gave me a gorgeous, heart-dropping smile.

"You may call me anything you like. I shall accept it."

"Sex- er I mean Sig. Let's go with Sig. Short for Sigurd." Holy shit I was so nervous!

"Very well. From now on, I will be addressed by my Black Legion codename."

Did she... completely brush off my Freudian slip just now?

Awe... awesome!

Finally!

Someone normal in this crib!

Chrissake!

How long did it take?!

No.

Long enough!

Goodbye, cockblocked life! Even if she is a robot, at least I still had my own waifu to greet me in the morning.

Sarah was fine enough... as far as looks go anyway.

But this one...

Sigurd walked into the barracks, standing at the door. Her hair shone in the lights.

This one is a keeper.

And I only had my supergenius Inner Shadow to thank.

"Dainsleif."

"Yes, my lovely Sigurd?"

"What shall I eliminate first?"

?

What?

"Haha, what are you saying? There's nothing to eliminate here, Sig. You're in my barracks right no-"

"My precepts are to destroy and infiltrate. I have now infiltrated the environment, by taking advantage of your desire to do naughty things with my body."

"HEY HEY HEY! Don- Don't phrase it like that!"

"Ayo, can't a homie play some 2K in peace without Bossman gettin' called out for being a horny piece of- holy Christ! chick alert! Chick alert! Alert!" Bryce screamed, stumbling and falling on his face in front of Sigurd.

Sigurd raised an eyebrow.

"This one has been compromised."

Bryce grabbed me by the shoulders.

"Bossman. Explain this. You never bring girls over. How in the hell did you pick this shorty up?"

"She's... my new Auxiliary. Your new colleague."

"I can see that. But..."

Bryce glanced at Sigurd, who approached the kitchen and inspected the knife, before slipping the blade into her... chest.

"This will be adequate for close-quarters combat," Sigurd noted, before turning to us.

Bryce and I made a squeaking sound that didn't sound very manly at all.

"There is a third person in this complex. My sensors detect an extra thermal signature."

Right on queue, Sarah opened the bathroom door and walked in on us, staring at Sigurd.

"Who- who are you?" Sarah asked, bewildered, before turning to me.

Her face looked like a dog that had been denied dog treats.

"Relax, Sarah. She's not your replacement."

Sarah's face turned red.

"Re- Replacement?! What are you trying to say?!"

Sigurd narrowed her eyes.

"Your magical signature is high. Your musculature is well developed. You are a Hero who specialized in the sword."

Sarah blinked.

"How... how did she know that?"

Sigurd then inspected Bryce, who began laughing like an idiot.

"Heheheheh... inspect all you like, Miss! Hell, I'll let ya inspect me all night!"

"Extremely unathletic. Lazy. Poor hygiene, and inferiority complex on the size of your own genitalia. You rely heavily on your metahuman ability to generate entropic energy from your cells. Defeating you follows a trivial procedure."

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I burst out laughing, pointing at Bryce "Uzi" Jones.

"Bro went and saw God after that roast! I'm dead!" I continued laughing until Sigurd glanced at me.

"I will be the leader of this group." The android said.

"HAHAHA- what?"

Sigurd walked to the far side of the room and stopped.

Her body positioning...

Her body language.

No way.

Was she for real?

Sarah took a step forward.

"Your... your name is Sigurd, right? Perhaps we can get alon-"

Sigurd spun around, pulling the knife out of my chest and hurling it at Bryce at supersonic speed, who was still shell-shocked by her roast.

Sarah and Bryce's eyes went wide.

But mine weren't.

I had already pulled out Draugr from my belt and fired a bullet, which soared into the air and shattered the blade into many tiny pieces.

I fired again, the bullet grazing Sigurd's face.

Sigurd dropped to her knees.

"A gunman, a sturdy swordswoman, and an energy projector powerhouse. The gunman cannot possibly be the leader. Of the three who could have reacted to that knife throw, only the gunman could protect himself. From my analysis, you, Outer Shadow Dainsleif, most likely do the majority of the missions for this cohort, while the other two remain inactive."

"Oh yeah, smartass? And who do you think is most suited to be the leader then?" I asked sarcastically.

"Me."

"Oh, that's great. Fantastic! Glad the problem's been solved then. Come with me." I said, happily.

* * *

"Ummm... Aaron, why are you here..." Jun asked.

"Here's your rusting bitch back. I don't want her." I said, nonchalantly, shoving Sigurd into my Inner Shadow's throneroom.

"The hell do you think this is?! Some kind of Auxiliary Shadow bargain sale? Listen, Aaron. She's your responsibility now. I designed her to be compatible with your team. And for you specifically."

"Well she ain't blonde, and her personality is a train wreck. The only things you got right were her height and her boobs."

Jun put his hands on Sigurd's shoulders and turned the android to me.

"Aaron. Take your Auxiliary back to her Barracks. Your home is her home now. Be the bigger man, like I am."

Sigurd's face began turning red.

"Master Jun, why is her face turning red?"

"Oh. That's because I created her to be attracted to me."

Bigger man my ass! You degenerate boss!

I laughed, putting my arm around Jun.

"Master Jun! My man! My very very... young... and hormonal... man!"

I brought myself closer to the Inner Shadow.

"Dude! You cannot do this to me. She is cracked! Cracked! I can't deal with her! I have two crazies living with me already! I don't want a yandere! Please, I beg. Take her back. I don't want her. It. This... thing. I don't want it! Get it out of my sight!"

"Umm... Aar-"

"No! That's enough! She's trying to take my job! With what... this weird ass analyzing thing? What is she, Dr. Cooper from TBBT? It's creepy!"

"Aaron-"

"And for one thing, what is the whole deal with giving her such a seducing body anyway! She's a metal doll. She ain't even human! What the hell is all that seducing gonna do if the guy winds up having his rocket stuck in a USB port? Are you stupid?"

"Aaron!" Jun snapped, causing me to pause.

I slowly turned around, to see Sigurd staring at me.

And the color left my face.

"I'm... I'm aware of that... I'm not a person. I... I was not aware that my presence was..."

"Wait. Sig, I didn't..."

Why was I feeling bad for a machine? You mean to tell me that-

"There was no deceiving... in the hallway leading to the barracks. Dainsleif." Sigurd muttered.

"No deceiving? What are you talking about?"

Sigurd clenched her fist. This... seriously wasn't happening right?

"When I smiled... there was no objective reason behind it. You called me by something other than TX7F. No one has ever called me anything other than that on the first meeting. You were the first person to."

"Sig-"

"However." Sigurd's blank expression returned.

"Should I be incompatible with your team, I shall proceed to dismantlement. Thank you for giving me this experience. I shall cherish it upon termination."

"What?! What are you talking about? Don't go dismantling yourself! Hey!" I stammered, running after Sigurd as she left the throneroom, heading to the dismantling plant in Gasket's world.

Inner Shadow Jun Gasket chuckled.

I designed her to be compatible with your team. And for you specifically.

This damn android woman!

"SIGURD!" I wailed, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her away from the entrance to the demolition factory.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay! Come on! Don't get yourself dismantled for god's sake! Come back with me, okay? I'll show you your room. I won't abandon you, I promise." I breathed heavily, trying to catch my breath.

Sigurd regarded me for several seconds.

What was she gonna say?

"That time... was to deceive."

"Heh?"

Sigurd smiled.

"My views on you being different from the others are genuine. However, I wanted to see your reaction upon learning of my destruction. It amuses me to see that you truly care for me. Even if I am just a 'rusting bitch'."

"Wha- you- You-" I stammered, as Sigurd turned around.

"Shadows."

Yes, Lady Sigurd.

"My first order. Take Master Dainsleif and me back to the Barracks. I wish to commence my onboarding with my team."

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"What? Let me join! What you tryna play, huh?!" Bryce squealed after me.

"Only Sarah and I can go. If I bring too many people they'll become alert. We're also the only ones who can withstand any Anti-Narratives via. Chakra Control. I'm not saying you can't handle it..."

I scratched the back of my head. Bryce's face turned red.

"You are saying it!"

"Look, all I'm saying is, we need to split up. With every second, I'm becoming more and more anxious. We've already sorta secured Kon... eh. Yeling's got that covered. But Master Jun... I'm worried. And I'm especially worried for Annie since she went to him to get upgrades. She's a smart girl but she has limits too. And now she's cybernetic. She's not as pragmatic as she used to be. I want you to check on Shosuke."

"You're leaving me to check on that guy?!"

I wagged my finger at Bryce's face.

"Yes. Look. Think of it as a Japan vacation. Who knows, maybe there will be tons of new manga and anime you never knew of!"

"You're getting more cap as it gets! Shosuke's Japan is boring as hell!"

"You racist oaf!" I grasped my hair.

"Just go! I can't have you go to Annie."

"Why not?!"

"Because everybody here knows you have a thing for her! You'll get distracted!"

Everybody went silent.

Sarah blinked.

"Bryce has a crush on Sigurd?"

Bryce choked.

"Oh wow. Thanks Hero Ultear. As if that wasn't already awkwardly obvious enough! Why did you have to go and out me like that, Bossman?!"

"Relax, as if no one was already aware."

"Sarah seemed pretty damn surprised!"

This guy was seriously giving me a migraine!

"Fine. I'll give you a test. If you can pass it, you can come with me and Sarah will check on Shiki."

"Hell yeah. Esketit!"

"Shadows. Bring in... the thing."

The thing, Master Dainsleif?

Sir Dainsleif wants The Thing.

The time has come. We knew it would be coming.

What shall become of us if she finds out?

It is our purpose.

Yes.

No.

We cannot allow her to know.

Yes.

"Just bring the damn thing already!" I snapped, causing the Shadows to whimper. From within the dark mass, I pulled out a very rare image of Annelise in a swimsuit.

"Focus on this image and answer the following question. I've gone through this with you before when helping you improve your Scarlet Eagle attack. If you can answer this correctly while staring at Annie in a thong I will let you come with me. If a crossbow bolt is fired facing down and enters terminal velocity, is the velocity going to be greater than, less than, or equal than if the bolt is dropped from rest at the same altitude?"

All the color left Bryce's face.

"How is her hourglass- Er I mean, One Hour per glass. One glass per hour. Two big hourly glasses."

* * *

"This is discrimination! Imma cancel yo ass! Wait till I get access to the internet you whack boss! Imma hit up my boys! I swear to god!" Bryce shouted after Sarah and me as we stepped into the Shadows, our destination: Master Jun's world.

The Shadows started to distort space and time around us, as Bryce's internet threats began to get quieter and quieter.

"You didn't bring Bryce along... for another reason. Didn't you, Aaron?" Sarah asked.

I didn't answer.

Because she knew the answer.

We all did.

I clenched my fist, and the image of Robbie playing video games in his room appeared in my mind. The kid who had the coolest action figurine collection ever, the innocent smile of a kid who was given a second chance at life... only to sacrifice it for all of our sake.

I honored his death.

But...

But I was not going to let it happen again.

I can't... I can't have another person important to me die.

First June, then Robbie.

I can't lose anyone else. Even if it is a 1% chance that Vicki's blessing on Bryce could fail, it was an absolute.

I had faith in Sarah. She, at the very least, was the tankiest out of all of us.

But if Bryce entered character de-resolution again like last time...

I'd...

What's... What's Philadelphia? A heavily distorted Bryce muttered in my head.

Hakah's body couldn't take anymore use of Susanoo. She had to save her strength in the final battle against Vala once Loyce was out of the picture.

And that would mean Bryce would die.

I won't know if I could keep going anymore.

This mission wouldn't be worth keeping on. And even if we did end up in the home stretch and defeat Loyce and Vala... the costs would be so great it would be no different than losing.

"Sarah..." I said.

"Yes?"

"Remember our promise. We will come back to each other when all of this is over."

"I will believe in you, and you will believe in me," Sarah replied, as I turned to her.

Sarah laced her fingers through mine.

"Who will raise your children, Aaron? And of Sakura? I can't do it alone."

"Hell no you can't. It's a job meant for the two of us. Swear by it," A smile crept on my face.

The future was going to be decided by us.

I will do everything in my power to make sure of it.

Sakura will have a happy life, free from the burdens of her predecessor. Yeling, Vicki, everybody. Bryce, Sarah, Annie, Jun, everyone.

We will have a happy ending.

And no whack ass stud of a Demon Lord or a deranged Spirit of Hope was going to stop that from happening.

The Shadows transported us into a round, floating city in a purple expanse.

The structure was silvery and white, like a heavenly construct. The gates of Jun's Machine World were guarded by heavily advanced S Rank sentries who would stand by it every day for eternity.

The architecture of Master Jun's world was nothing short of advanced. After all, Jun was a supergenius inventor.

Now, when I say Master Jun is a genius, I'm not talking Iron Man genius.

Or even genius to the level of being able to build a nuclear power plant.

There is a reason behind Master Jun's ranking.

It was the absurd amount of knowledge and intelligence the guy had, and the fact that he was a Stage Five Dogma Holder for Hachi, the God of War and Archery.

Jun learned to speak when he was two. At that time, he displayed a cognitive ability capable of learning mathematics. Self-teaching it himself, Jun quickly went from a thumbsucking toddler to being so well-versed in mathematics that he was able to prove Fermat's Last Theorem, an accomplishment that shocked the whole world. Jun's intelligence was so terrifying that his parents put him up for adoption due to believing that Jun was a "devil child", and that he was considered "abnormal". Despite being disowned by his parents, this did not stop Jun, who sought intelligence acquisition as his only reason to live.

When Jun was three years old, he was able to prove that his universe was in fact not expanding, but that it was distorting inward through what was known as reverse entropy. Through mathematical derivations, he was able to show that the entropy of his universe, when viewed on a super infinite scale, in fact, did not branch to infinity, but would eventually curve the other way.

At four years old, Jun learned of a way to prove the existence of reverse entropy, and proposed a way to generate a white hole.

At five years old, Jun picked up a book on engineering and science and began dabbling in the industry, using his fame as a "miracle child" to accrue mass investments from aspiring investors. And thus became the start of his technology empire.

Since then, Jun's inventions became scarier and scarier, using cutting-edge quantum technology.

I had the utmost faith in Master Jun's abilities.

But...

That all shattered, upon seeing the state of our world.

"No..." Sarah whispered.

My fist began trembling, blood leaking past the crevices of my fingers.

The whole realm, was destroyed. The sentries that always guarded the gates were turned to ash, and the great walls of the floating city were already mostly disintegrated.

The numerous civilizations that Master Jun had rescued from doomed realities...

I had no idea what had happened to them.

But the cities that they lived in this floating fortress were in ruins.

These were all people who Jun had promised Sanctuary.

They were supposed to feel safe and protected, after a life of hell and misery.

What kind of monster would ruin all of that?

I took a deep breath.

"Loyce," I muttered angrily.

I will make you pay.

I don't care if you can change the whole narrative of this entire mission. Of this battle.

No matter what the narrative is.

No matter how much you change my character, or who I am.

I guarantee you this.

Out of all the Aaron Hopes that you can change me into.

There won't be a single one who won't leave you unscathed for everything you've done.