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| − | "''Things feel out of your control because when Aran attacked your world, there was no one in your realm who was equipped to face that threat. But things are different this time because I am here. I will help free your people. My enemy was, and will always be Vala. That is what it means to be a Shadow in the Black Legion Organization.''"
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| − | - Aaron Hope to Witchcraft in Beyond the Gods
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| − | "''I will end up like you? What part of that was like you?! I NEVER got to experience a proper high school life. My GIRLFRIEND shot herself IN THE HEAD. My second girlfriend was IMPALED BY HER LITTLE SISTER. To turn out like Johnny Crassman?! Just because I cracked a few jokes?! You claiming that means you don't know JACK SHIT about me.''"
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| − | - Aaron to Inner Shadow Reaper in Beyond the Gods about his character
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| − | '''Aaron Hope''' is one of the strongest Outer Shadows currently active in the '''Black Legion Organization''' under the codename '''Dainsleif''', and is among one of the most dangerous humans to ever exist, having gained the moniker of '''The God Eater''' due to his infamous history of outsmarting and overwhelming deities in tactical warfare as a '''hyper-lethal combatant'''. Specializing in traps and trickery, Aaron's abnormal combat prowess is only rivaled by his fierce arsenal of destructive weaponry, from firearms capable of piercing the hide of Jörmungandr to sentient battle sentries with countless strategic functionalities, and numerous unorthodox grenades, magic spells, and chakra techniques, Aaron is designated the extremely rare '''Elite Tier SS Rank''', making him a member of '''The Dark Hexagram''' under the codename '''The Joker'''.
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| − | As an Outer Shadow, Aaron commands a group of Auxiliary Shadows who have been inspired by his accomplishments and his work ethic. Aaron's ability to inspire his allies has pushed his subordinates to extraordinary levels of power. Such Shadows include S+ Ranked '''Saraia Ultear, the Hero of the Sword''', S+ Ranked '''Tyrell "Bryce" Jackson Jones, the Champion of Philadelphia''', and SS Ranked '''Annelise "TX7F" Scarlet'''.
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| − | Within the Champions Universe, Aaron gained a rapport for accomplishing incredible feats of combat. Without magic, chakra, or his equipment, an imprisoned Aaron was capable of almost defeating the supervillain '''Gigaton''' by using only the debris of Doctor Destroyer's warehouse. By wielding conventional firearms from a local gun shop, Aaron was capable of assassinating '''Takofanes'''. Using the same weapons, Aaron was able to hold his own against Shosuke Shiki's One Strike Kill style, which was fast enough to evade lightning and whose strikes were potent enough to wipe out a continent. Aaron was also capable of holding his ground against the likes of a fully prepared '''Doctor Destroyer''' while still learning and figuring out his opponent. In their rematch, Aaron achieved the impossible and was shown to be the first human in history to defeat the Doctor, and after his battle against Bishamonten, became the second Outer Shadow in history to ever defeat an Inner Shadow in one-on-one combat.
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| − | Aaron is the main protagonist in '''He Kills Gods as a Man''' and '''He Saves Gods as a Man''', and is also a protagonist in '''Beyond the Gods'''.
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| − | ==Personality==
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| − | <center>
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| − | "''I've lived by this code. To never throw my life away for others. To live for them. Because if you really truly love and care about someone, you would know better than to throw your life away for their sake. Because speaking from experience, it will never do anyone any good.''"
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| − | - Aaron Hope
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| − | On the surface, Aaron has garnered a notorious reputation for being a prankster, and has, for the most part, been known for his troublemaker antics. Unorthodox not only in his way of tactical thinking, Aaron's behavior has been described by many as being sarcastic, witty, at times boisterous, and very honest with his sexual preferences, as shown when Aaron outwardly admits to his fetish of tall blonde women. Aaron has also admitted to fantasizing about having an entire harem of blonde women who compete for him. Aaron is very open about his feelings, as evidenced when Bryce invited Aaron to watch '''Outer Shadow Vicki Harriet''' train several recruits at Andropol, in which Aaron was so enthralled by Vicki's voluptuous body that he immediately promoted Bryce to "First Lieutenant". Aaron has also exhibited frequent Freudian slips, as when Aaron first met Vicki, he immediately proposed to her, and after regaining his composure, followed up by asking her to undress, much to the disgust of the fellow Outer Shadow and his own Auxiliary.
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| − | "''"Not enough pain? Others have it worse than her? Did turning into a Demon rot your brain as well? Since when was suffering a contest?"''"
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| − | - Aaron responding angrily to Sarina for undervaluing Sarah's despair
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| − | However, despite these shortcomings, Aaron has frequently displayed a very kind, genuine, and caring side. One of the many accounts of Aaron's kindness was when he stood up for Sarah Ultear when she was mocked by her younger sister Sarina, undermining her hardships. Despite Sarina praising Aaron, Aaron responded angrily by asking "Since when was suffering a contest?" to the Demon. When Aaron realized that a large part of Sarah's inner turmoil was due in part to his neglect for his Auxiliary Shadow, Aaron proceeded to punch himself in the face in front of the Sword Hero, shocking her and declaring that he would never "be so insensitive again". When Bryce suffered a humiliating defeat to '''Rya the Celestial''', Aaron provided words of reassurance to his Auxiliary Shadow, pointing out that he couldn't possibly get stronger if he didn't learn from his mistakes. Aaron is not beneath revealing embarrassing parts of himself for the sake of helping his friends, as shown when the Outer Shadow revealed to Robbie Fernandez that like him, he also loved collecting anime merchandise and playing anime videogames in secret, cheering the young Auxiliary up. When Yeling had his narrative reset, Aaron desperately tried to reason with him, despite Yeling insulting Sarah and attacking his friends.
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| − | Throughout the events of He Saves Gods as a Man, Aaron's affectionate side has frequently been brought up through his relationship with his second girlfriend, Sarah Ultear. From spending countless hours crafting a hair ornament for his girlfriend of an avian species that brought her warm memories of her childhood, to his habit of cuddling and "capturing his wife", Aaron is greatly devoted to the people he loves. This level of affection extends not just to his romantic relationships, but also to his friendships as well, as shown when Aaron wraps Yeling in a hug after learning of his loneliness. Despite being silly and dumb at times, he is not at all dense, and his perceptiveness and emotional intelligence have also been reflected in his relationships. Because of this, Aaron is capable of acting upon these observations to strengthen the bonds of his allies.
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| − | Aaron greatly despises selflessness, though it is argued that this hate is somewhat hypocritical, as Aaron himself is inherently very selfless. In spite of this, Aaron possesses a moral code, which despite pushing his body and mind past their limits, there comes a threshold if he is near death, as he believes the notion of sacrificing oneself for the sake of their loved ones would do the opposite of helping them, and would instead subject them to immense amounts of guilt. In the long run, Aaron states that by choosing to throw one's life away for someone else, one would end up hurting them even more. This moral code developed when Aaron witnessed the suicide of his first girlfriend, Jessica Lane after he had chosen to take the blame for a botched robbery attempt, leading him back from a life of recovery right back into juvenile detention. This act of self-sacrifice devastated Jessie, to the point where her sanity spiraled uncontrollably.
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| − | "''For the sake of everybody who has fallen victim to Vala's twisted ideal of Hope.<br />If you give up, it's all over.<Br />It hurts a lot.<br />I know that more than anyone.<Br /><br />But we need to keep going.''"
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| − | - Aaron forcing himself to reach Trion after Sarah's death
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| − | Despite his many accomplishments, Aaron has had a large number of traumatic experiences in his life. At a young age, Aaron was orphaned and spent most of his childhood bouncing from foster home to foster home, bullied due to his obsession with anime video games by the other orphans. At twelve, the goddess '''Avara''' descended to the orphanage and slaughtered his foster family, then attempted to murder Aaron, who barely escaped with his life. Throughout his preteens to high school, Aaron was hunted by deities, and forced to develop ingenious strategies to escape. This trauma caused Aaron to become extremely hostile to other people, choosing to push people away so as to not involve them with his life. When Aaron began opening up again through his first relationship with Jessie, the sudden suicide of his girlfriend shook Aaron badly, psychologically damaging him and causing him to develop his moral code of selflessness and his decision to have a smile on his face no matter what. When the God of Hope refused to help Aaron save his girlfriend, Aaron's hatred for gods intensified even more, to the point where he no longer thought of running from the deities but rather killing them all. Early on in his career as an Outer Shadow, an inexperienced Aaron led his Auxiliaries on a mission to kill Jekyll, the God of Warfare, only to be left with a devastating defeat and the death of his Auxiliary Shadow '''Jubilee'''. Blaming himself for sending a fourteen-year-old girl to her death, Aaron's guilt caused him to be hesitant in bringing any further allies on his missions. During the events of Beyond the Gods, Aaron's sanity is put to the ultimate test, where he is forced to come to terms with the death of his second girlfriend and fiancee, carrying Ultear's body on his back and walking a distance of 300 kilometers without rest.
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| − | Despite these setbacks, Aaron continued to march forward in his life, determined to not let them influence his future for the sake of the people around him in the present. Picking himself up, Aaron continues to fight for what he believes and to stop Vala for the sake of all the people he has lost.
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| − | ==Appearance==
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| − | "''After everything he had been through... he always had that same fun, kind, and shining smile on his face which made all my worries melt away in an instant.''"
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| − | - Sarah Ultear
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| − | Aaron is a young man of above-average height with an exceptionally built athletic physique, blood-red eyes, tanned skin, and spiky hair in the form of a buzz cut with noticeable long bangs that reach his lower cheekbone. Though his outfit frequently changes, he typically wears casual clothes such as sleeveless hoodies, t-shirts, and tank tops which expose his musculature. He typically wears a pair of jeans, but may sometimes swap it out with baggy shorts depending on the weather. Aaron also wears a glowing white earring on his right ear, which is the compacted form of '''Buck the Destroid''', a survivor of '''Doctor Destroyer''''s second raid against Millennium City. Buck would later be destroyed in Aaron's fight against a narrative reset '''Yeling Mah''', due to being incapable of withstanding Yeling's Stage Three Hinokami while using '''Protocol Cyberknight'''. In battle, Aaron sports a Kevlar vest and jeans.
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| − | On the right side of his face, is a large cross-shaped scar which was received from his titanic battle against '''Jekyll, the God of Warfare'''. His hair, originally black, has now shown signs of accelerated aging due to his abnormal brainpower and countless near-fatal injuries, in the form of numerous grey streaks. Underneath his shirt, Aaron possesses several deep scars around his ribcage and abdomen, from when the goddess '''Avara''' had cut him with her swords when he was twelve years old. In addition to these scars, Aaron's body is covered with other scars from countless other battles.
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| − | Due to repeated life-threatening injuries as well as the overuse of his heavily non-optimized Chakra techniques, Aaron has lost his right arm from muscle degradation and irreparable bone splinters which began to weaken his shoulder joints, forcing doctors to amputate the entire limb to save his life. This has forced Aaron to switch from being right-handed to left-handed. Since losing his arm, Aaron also receives '''Sarah Ultear''''s cloak, a gift from his fiancee to conceal his missing limb. After losing to '''Inner Shadow Evangelion''', Aaron suffered from severe burns to his right side as it was no longer protected by his right arm. The distress and overwhelming worry from Sarah caused Aaron to keep one DS34 Sanctuary Turrent in '''Crossform''' active at all times: hovering the sentry around his missing arm to serve as an additional shield in battle so as to keep himself protected at all times.
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| − | While in his '''Yaksha Mode''', the qualities of wrathful chakra transform his body and evolve it to manifest qualities of a devil-like oni. In this state, Aaron's hair grows out into a mullet and turns completely white, with a noticeable glow. Swirling black markings form on his face and arms, and Aaron's red eyes become more wild and animalistic, emitting a red glow along with red electrical discharge. Two devil horns protrude from Aaron's skull and are complimented by a long devil-forked tail that sprouts from his back, wrapping around his body.
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| − | Due to these qualities, and the maniacal smile that comes with the psychological effect of the transformation, Aaron gains an unhinged appearance akin to a trickster demon, hence the name "Yaksha".
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| − | <gallery mode=packed heights="350px">
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| − | A-hope_001.jpg | Aaron at age nineteen, as Jun's Outer Shadow
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| − | Aaron-hope-past 002.png | Aaron at age fourteen, as the infamous "God-Eater"
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| − | </gallery>
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| − | In his early years as an Outer Shadow, Aaron had his hair slightly longer to the point where his front bangs would frequently reach his chin, sometimes even going even further when his bangs were down. Sarah, his girlfriend at the time, noted that his hair was too long to the point where it would bother her whenever the two "did the act" at night. This caused Aaron to trim his hair shorter into a buzz-cut, a hairstyle he would maintain moving forward until the present.
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| − | When Aaron was younger, he had a drastically different appearance compared to the present day. Aaron's hair, though having fewer grey hairs, grew out wildly to chin length and was noticeably more unkempt, with some bangs covering his eyes. During this time of his life, Aaron possessed an overall terrifying appearance, as he frequently wore rags to stay warm, with which most of his clothes were either ripped, soiled, or bloodied. Slung over his shoulders was always at least one firearm - typically an assault rifle. Aaron's red eyes were noticeably more lifeless, and his facial expression was always in a state of caution and hostility due to constantly being attacked by gods following Avara's death. In addition to the stress and lack of sleep due to constantly being alert and developing elaborate traps to escape being hunted down, Aaron's skin was noticeably more pale and gaunt. This appearance had caused many to avoid Aaron out of fear, and to cause him to be unable to form connections with any allies, which was what he intended to avoid dragging innocent people into his life.
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| − | ==Biography==
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| − | ===Past===
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| − | WIP
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| − | ==Abilities==
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| − | "''Things that you would call ingenious are practically routine to him. After all, each time he had to escape he had to come up with something revolutionary, and something completely unexpected. Something so inconceivable and unorthodox that it would fool even a god. Every day, every hour, every minute, for five years. Think of the most impressive thing you've ever accomplished. That was what was expected of Aaron constantly. After all, if he couldn't outsmart them, he would be killed.''"
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| − | - Jun Gasket
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| − | '''Trained Hyperthought Processing''': Aaron's main strength is not only his intelligence, but the extreme rate at which his brain can process thoughts, strategy, and tactics at the moment of action. S Ranked Outer Shadow '''Vicki "Onyx" Harriet''' describes Aaron's combat prowess as "impossibly inhuman". Due to Aaron's uncanny ability to process thoughts at speeds far beyond the limits of human potential, Aaron has been able to execute unorthodox and complex maneuvers that confuse and outsmart his enemies even in a head-to-head battle.
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| − | "''You sure you wanna hit me with that? Every movement you make is information. Data. Even the smallest detail can reveal everything. Better play your cards right, bud.''"
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| − | - Aaron Hope
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| − | An excellent example of this was during Aaron's fight against '''Doctor Destroyer''', in which Aaron was able to chain multiple assaults, alternating between his DS33 sentry drones, his assault rifle, and his handgun, and even summoning an anti-aircraft heavy rifle by redirecting Destroyer's attention. Aaron is capable of completely deducing the habits, styles, and weaknesses of an opponent at first glance.
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| − | All of the fights that Aaron has been in that required magic (prior to learning to control chakra) involved the use of elementary magic, which was for the longest time regarded as only useful to defeat low-class monsters. Though Aaron would use it differently. For instance, the use of elementary light magic to redirect photons locally allowed Aaron to invent the spell '''False Sword''', which would enable him to mask the appearance of his firearms and cause Destroyer to mistake his high-power Draugr handgun for his weaker MP7 submachine gun, intentionally lowering his defenses and forcing an opening for Hope to shatter the super villain's helmet.
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| − | It was revealed that this inhuman degree of brainpower was from Aaron's fight or flight response forcing a consistent overload in his nervous system during the time he was hunted by numerous deities following the death of '''Avara the Goddess of Fertility'''. After suffering and witnessing the deaths of his foster siblings, Aaron would then be hunted down by gods and goddesses throughout Amerada, forcing him to be on the run. Aaron described this time to be a time where even when he needed to rest, he would sleep for at most 15 minutes at a time, as once the 15 minutes had passed, he would need to change locations or come up with a trap to escape. '''Jun Gasket''' hypothesized that this level of primal and adrenaline-fuelled survival mode was what caused his hair to turn partially grey even at the age of 12.
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| − | Despite the advantages of this ability, it is not without drawbacks. Currently, because of the extreme level of brain activity that his body has now become accustomed to, Aaron's body has been revealed to be suffering from '''accelerated aging''', which is also the cause for his greying hair; overexertion of his nervous system has caused his nerves to begin deteriorating. In addition to the use of his Black Bullets and consistent exposure to life-threatening injuries, Aaron's lifespan has reduced tremendously, with early signs including spontaneous internal bleeding, kidney failure, early signs of liver failure, and PTSD-induced anxiety attacks.
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| − | * '''Ultra Learning and Photographic Memory''': As with his ability to process thoughts and strategies at a near superhuman rate, Aaron has also demonstrated the ability to learn and quickly adapt new skills to his repertoire at an unfathomable pace. From spending only ten minutes with Outer Shadow Vicki Harriet, Aaron had learned how to fight and defend against each and every single style from Vicki's '''Celestial Scabbard''' power, automatically making him a perfect counter against Vicki's powers, much to her annoyance. Aaron learned magic after witnessing only one demonstration from an old mage in the street, which quickly became one of his most used abilities. Aaron's expertise in engineering and science had expanded even more after becoming Jun's Outer Shadow, being introduced to more complex technology that Jun created and adding to his arsenal. After skimming through several books on biomechanics, medicine, and human anatomy, Aaron remembered every detail of the text, even becoming so familiar with the book's contents, his knowledge of the human body was similar to a professionally licensed doctor.
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| − | * '''Supernatural Deduction Skill''': Aaron is capable of deducing things in an incredibly meticulous and perceptive manner, accurately pinpointing and picking up things in what would otherwise be impossible to figure out at first glance. These deduction skills were to the point where Aaron was able to easily pick up on '''Vicki Harriet''''s external motives, despite the latter being a trained assassin, who was capable of masking her expressions. Aaron's deductive skill also surfaced when he was able to piece together what had happened to '''Yeling Mah''' after returning from Hell, by picking up his subtle body language as well as things from the past to figure out that Yeling had his narrative reset. Among one of the most impactful deductions Aaron had performed was when he studied the four Primordial Demons: Dasc Osa, Kon Larum, Aran Sol, and Loyce Hal, and managed to easily deduce their weaknesses.
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| − | '''Awakened Peak Human Physical Conditioning''': Aaron possesses Olympian-level athleticism, from his early days of weight training with his foster brother Will, to his run from the gods during his adolescence, which required significant conditioning. When Aaron declared his conquest to hunt down the deities after the death of his girlfriend, '''Jessie Lane''', Aaron's physical training became more intense, allowing him to wield heavier weaponry and his gunfights to become more aggressive.
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| − | Aaron is very strong for human standards, capable of bench pressing 185 kg (~405 lbs) and deadlifting 300 kg (660 lbs) for multiple repetitions. When several groups of thugs sexually assaulted his youngest Auxiliary Shadow, '''June Lee Sung''', an enraged Aaron demonstrated his borderline superhuman strength by punching a hole in solid cement, causing the attackers to retreat in fear.<Br />
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| − | * '''Tremendous Endurance''': Aaron's body is exceptionally durable, as shown in his countless battles as an Outer Shadow against extraordinary beings. Aaron has survived being hurled against vehicles, warping the steel, yet recovering and returning to the fight. He has survived point-blank explosions and had his body impaled by high-velocity projectiles. When he was 12, Aaron was capable of withstanding life-threatening injuries from Avara's swords, which had been embedded deep into his flesh. When battling '''Jekyll, the God of Warfare''', Aaron seemingly was briefly able to hold his own against the deity, who far surpassed him in physical prowess, even shattering a sword by simply biting down on it with his teeth. When firing his Black Bullets, Aaron was capable of resisting the deadly backlash of Noir's Magic, which is said to corrupt and inflict immense pressure on a mortal body, crushing bones and lacerating internal organs. Despite this, Hope has been able to fire Black Bullets consistently, albeit with negative effects.
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| − | * '''Exceptional Reflexes, Speed and Dexterity''': Among one of his most infamous physical traits is his incredible speed and dexterity, paired with his marksmanship, allows Aaron to quickly pick off targets with phenomenal accuracy. During a battle to overtake a rival faction, the enemy was under the impression that they were being hunted down by an entire military platoon of soldiers when in reality, it was just Aaron who had breached the wall with conventional firearms.
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| − | * '''80/20 Vision''': Compared to the average human, Aaron's vision is 4 times as potent, as he is capable of seeing details quadruple the resolution. This has allowed Aaron to pinpoint vital areas for his projectiles to land and pull off otherwise superhuman feats of accuracy. This level of eyesight appears to have been unlocked during his encounter with Avara.
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| − | '''Hyper-Lethal Firearms Proficiency''': Aaron's fighting style consists almost entirely of guns. His style is highly aggressive but very tactical and refined. His attacks consist of distracting and controlling the train of thought of his opponents, shifting their attention away from wherever he wants, allowing him to unleash devastating chained combination assaults from different weapons. Aaron's marksmanship has been complemented by numerous esteemed marksmen, such as '''Robert Caliburn'''. Aaron's gunfighting has allowed him to fight on par with gods, which is a feat that has been widely regarded as impossible and baffling for a human being. Very few people have demonstrated gunplay that is comparable to Aaron's. Due to his unparalleled marksmanship skills, Aaron is considered one of the most dangerous humans in existence.
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| − | * '''Unmatched Marksmanship''': Aaron Hope is the undisputed best marksman in the entire Darwin's Great Akuma series. According to Aaron's file in the Black Legion, the Outer Shadow was once capable of shooting off the claw of a scorpion, while simultaneously adjusting the bullet's trajectory to also assassinate his target's vital weak point - a diameter of only 2 millimeters, using only a flintlock pistol in a response time of less than a millisecond. During his brutal fight against Jekyll, an enraged Aaron recklessly engaged the God of Warfare, who had unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the Outer Shadow. Aaron was able to return fire with his Black Bullets; shooting the bullets right through and splitting Jekyll's bullets midair while rushing forward in a frenzy. <br /> When Aaron battled '''Takofanes''', the Outer Shadow was able to shatter several pillars and even almost destroy the phylactery from a single sniper bullet by subconsciously calculating the trajectory of the bullet deflecting off of the walls in the throne room. Doing so required Aaron to fully understand the material properties of the environment, the properties of the air around him, and the highly complex physics of a bullet's geometry and velocity, all of which Aaron was able to compute in seconds. <br /> The only being who had managed to outmatch Aaron in a battle of gunplay was Ultimate Primordial '''Great Demon Lord Loyce Hal''', who was only able to defeat Hope by outsmarting the Outer Shadow through wits, as well as the '''God of Warfare, Jekyll''', who offset his less proficient marksmanship skills with his immense godly power.
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| − | * '''Trigrams Six Hands Combination Style''': The official name for Aaron's fighting style, which emphasizes three key aspects, hence the name "Trigrams": ''control'', ''prediction'', and ''continuity''. By controlling the movements and parameters of a fight, Aaron is able to predict the movements of his enemy, determining the best course of action. Keeping the continuity of this process allows Aaron to dominate virtually any fight he is in as long as his concentration is not broken. The Trigrams Combination Style is so effective that Aaron can use this adaptable style to fight enemies who greatly outclass him in prowess, with or without weapons. The term "Six Hands" refers to the fact that many on the receiving end of the style have described Aaron's fighting to be so intense that it was as if he had six hands, each contributing to his endless combination of assaults.
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| − | * '''Frenzy Mode''': When Aaron is emotionally pushed to the edge, he enters what is known as '''Frenzy Mode'''. His combination assaults become significantly more aggressive, shifting his balance straight into pure offense. The level of defense is reduced as he seemingly throws away his own safety to land attacks. It is noted that Frenzy Mode does not constitute to straight Berserker rage, as despite being in a frenzy, his Trained Hyperthought Processing keeps his brain from entering a full feral rage. This is so much that Aaron is still able to execute complex and otherwise highly calculated movements despite his movements being heavily frantic. When Aaron battled Jekyll in Frenzy Mode, he was still able to perfectly split the god's bullets midair with his own Black Bullets, a feat, not even many master marksmen can achieve by fully concentrating.
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| − | '''Genius Intellect''': Although slow in the head at times and notorious for blurting out inappropriate comments in the worst of situations, Aaron has demonstrated genius-level combat IQ and strategy (though not to the level of Jun Gasket) which was one of the contributors behind his legendary SS Ranking in the Black Legion. In the Dark Hexagram, Aaron is referred to as '''The Joker''', whose specialty is in cunningness and strategy. This is contrasted with another member of the Hexagram, '''Great Demon Lord Kon Larum''', who is referred to as '''The Knight''', his specialty is his tremendous strength and endurance. Another testament behind Aaron's intellect is the fact that his arsenal was designed entirely by himself - a secret that he had kept hidden from many of his enemies to allow them to underestimate him. Though Jun Gasket would be the one who built and created the weapons, the concept and even the mechanism of the weapons have been invented entirely by Aaron - a tinkering skill that he had learned from his foster sister, Nora. Similar to how his physical conditioning started from his training with his foster brother Will, it can be said that a lot of Aaron's wit, intelligence, and cunningness was inherited from Nora, which expanded during his deity war.
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| − | Aaron rarely enters fights without some degree of knowledge of his opponent beforehand. Preferring a tactical approach, most of Aaron's encounters are to his advantage where he is aware of his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, as well as his own. Despite this, Aaron has at times entered fights where he is not prepared, though this is not enough to deter the Outer Shadow, who has proved that he is capable of quickly understanding and figuring out his opponent, devising a strategy before the opponent can take full advantage of the element of surprise. When Aaron battled Doctor Destroyer, despite Destroyer having the full background knowledge of Aaron's strengths and weaknesses while Aaron knew very little about the supervillain, Hope was still able to hold his own, at times even overpowering the Doctor at times - though Destroyer's cunningness eventually won the first encounter. One of the best accounts of Aaron's combat genius was his ability to almost defeat the supervillain '''Gigaton''' while being completely unarmed and without magic, relying only on wits and craftiness.
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| − | Due to his abnormal intelligence, arsenal, and improvisation skills, Aaron is said to be capable of assassinating seemingly impossible entities, including deities and Demon Lords themselves. Some of his successful assassination targets include extraordinarily powerful beings such as '''Takofanes''', '''Teleios''', '''The Eidolon of Destruction''', '''Therakiel''', '''Inner Shadow Bishamonten''', and '''Rakshasa'''. With Takofanes, Teleios, Eidolon, Therakiel, and Rakshasa being successful kills/defeats using standard firearms. The supervillains Aaron had defeated during his time in the Champions Universe normally require upwards of thirty to forty superheroes to bring down, or highly specialized and powerful super teams.
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| − | * '''Master Manipulator''': Aaron has, at times, resorted to using manipulation to get an edge over his enemy, as such when he had managed to fool '''Loyce Hal''' in combat, a feat that is considered incredible as Loyce boasts the highest intellect of all the Inner Shadows in The Black Legion Organization. Aaron has also manipulated opponents such as Vicki Harriet by masking his Auxiliary Shadow '''Bryce Jones''' in a fake-out to expose her.
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| − | ==Magecraft==
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| − | Aaron's fundamental capabilities for magic is typical to an average magic practitioner, as his inherent mana pool is limited by the biology of a normal human body. As such, Aaron is incapable of performing higher-level spells beyond '''Elementary Magic'''. However, despite being limited to Elementary Magic, Aaron has been able to apply these seemingly "fodder spells" in extremely ingenious ways to the point where many have mistaken Aaron to be capable of '''Cosmic Level Magic''' - a level of magic that is only wielded by extremely well-versed magicians such as '''Sword Hero Sarah Ultear''', '''Archmage Robert Caliburn''' and '''Valerian Scarlet'''. Aaron's magic is housed in a grimoire, which appears whenever he summons it. However, due to Aaron's mastery of these elementary spells, most of the magic he performs does not require the use of the grimoire in battle.
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| − |
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| − | Aaron is able to perform spells in the following elementary magic trees: '''fire''', '''sound''', '''light''', '''sense''', and '''lightning'''. In addition to these elementary magic trees, Aaron also learned '''Summoning Spatial Magic''' from his Auxiliary Shadow - '''Sarah Ultear''' after Ultear berated Aaron for bringing his equipment everywhere whenever he accompanied her in her quests.
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| − |
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| − | During his conquest battling gods, Aaron managed to defeat '''Noir The Demon Goddess of Night''' who had cursed Sarah Ultear, dooming her into a life of exile. By killing Noir, the unstable life siphoning essence of the Demon Queen ended up being absorbed into the nearest medium - which happened to be Aaron's grimoire at the time. This "artificial magic" allows Aaron to summon '''Demon Level Magic''', a level of magic that is considered highly taboo and does not consume mana, but rather acts similar to '''The Dogma of Equivalent Exchange''', inflicting severe damage on the caster whenever it is called. Because Aaron's grimoire now being a source of transplanted power, additional spells can also be added to it by overriding the magic circuits of the book, as such when Hakah implanted '''War Magic''' into it, which is also a form of Demon Level Magic.
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| − |
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| − | ===Spells===
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| − | '''Elementary Fire Magic''': Elementary Magic within the fire tree. Aaron is able to use fire magic to ignite small objects.
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| − | * '''Ignis Pila''': A combination elementary spell. ''Ignis'' involving lighting objects in fire, and ''Pila'' involving cylindrical objects. When combined, [Ignis Pila] is used to light cylindrical objects on fire. In Aaron's case, he uses [Ignis Pila] to ignite the barrels of his firearms, amplifying the damage of his bullets. This spell was later obsolete as Aaron's arsenal evolved to deliver far greater firepower, however, if he needs rounds that only need to incapacitate where his blank rounds would be insufficient, the spell is useful in that regard.
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| − |
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| − | '''Elementary Sound Magic''': Elementary Magic within the sound tree. Aaron is able to use sound magic to control sounds locally within a radius of 15 cm.
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| − | * '''Silencio''': An elementary spell that allows Aaron to dampen or cancel the sounds within the 15 cm radius. Aaron uses this spell to silence his firearms for stealth assassination or missions.
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| − | '''Elementary Lightning Magic''': Elementary Magic within the electricity tree. Aaron is able to send currents into objects.
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| − | * '''Augmentus''': Sending current into his body, Aaron is capable of processing thoughts even faster by accelerating his brain and body. Augmentus heavily increases his body's physical capabilities, though not without heavy backlash. Due to Aaron's athleticism, he is capable of resisting the backlash the spell inflicts on him.
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| − |
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| − | '''Elementary Light Magic''': Elementary Magic within the light tree. Aaron's proficiency in light magic limits him to change the direction of photos in a radius of 15 cm.
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| − | * '''False Sword''': A spell that allows Aaron to change the photon trajectories locally, giving off illusions. Such an application includes Aaron changing the appearance of his guns, and confusing his enemies.
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| − | * '''Invisibilis''': Aaron manipulates local photon trajectories to give the illusion of invisibility. The magic spell has a timeout of at most two hours. However, if he is making multiple bodies or objects invisible, this spell's timeout can reduce to a mere few minutes.
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| − |
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| − | '''Elementary Summoning Magic''': Summoning magic taught by Sarah Ultear. Though not exactly Elementary Magic, the magic in this tree is considered different than the magic that Aaron traditionally learned from, as the magic was reserved for heroes such as Sarah; this is characterized by the use of unique '''red magic circles'''. Originally used by heroes to summon their weapons, Aaron learned Summoning Magic to call upon his equipment. This magic allows Aaron to create spatial portals to access different regions in the omniverse. However, Aaron is limited to summoning objects with a maximum mass of 50 kilograms.
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| − | * '''Convocatio''': The formal chant for calling upon Summoning Magic. He is capable of summoning guns, ammunition packs, his DS33 (later DS34) Sanctuary turrets, and even grenades.
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| − | * '''Portalis''': Aaron's latest ingenuity - by using the spatial properties of Summoning Magic, Aaron does not pull items from the magic circles but instead fires bullets at them, and calls upon the Convocatio magic circles at different points in space, redirecting the bullets to the weak spots of his enemies that would normally be guarded by their defenses. Later on, Aaron discovered that it was possible to put organic entities into the Convocatio realm, but the duration was so short that it was almost negligible. Taking advantage of the slim time window, Aaron instead used Convocatio to '''teleport''', with the nature of teleportation being instant, revolutionizing the way the spell is used.
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| − |
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| − | '''Elementary Sense Magic''': Elementary Magic within the sensory tree, self-taught by Aaron and refined under Sarah Ultear's tutelage. Aaron is able to enhance his senses, though he is only able to tap into the common sensory amplification tree - vision.
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| − | * '''Aspectum''': Using sense magic to amplify his vision, he is able to see magical signatures, though this is limited to a certain radius. Aaron uses Aspectum to detect and pinpoint targets or assess the battlefield. An advantage this spell has over '''Buck the Destroid''''s "Radar", is that, unlike Buck, Aspectum does not emit any electromagnetic signals, meaning he is capable of reconnaissance without being detected by any after-effects that could be used as a signature.
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| − | ** '''Full Radar''': Scans the entire circumference of Aaron's surroundings, alerting him of anomalies and targets them. The more targets the more mana it expands.
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| − | ** '''Quarter Radar''': A variant invented by Aaron. Limits the angle of the circumference to 45 degrees to reduce the mana drain.
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| − | ** '''Huntsman Radar''': Another variant invented by Aaron. Concentrates the sensing spell onto one target but the range is significantly increased for less mana cost compared to Full or even Quarter Radar. There is no limit to the range of the target, meaning Aaron can chase the target down over long distances, hence the name "Huntsman".
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| − |
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| − | '''Combination Casting''': A revolutionary magic technique that Aaron invented; being capable of merging two spells into one, Aaron is able to call upon both beneficial properties of the magic spells at the same time.
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| − | * '''Convocatio and Augmentus - Fast Casting''': By combining the physical boost of Augmentus and adding that upon Convocatio, Aaron is capable of casting two Convocatio spells back to back in an extremely fast successive fashion. Doing so allowed Aaron to summon his grenades and guns in a fraction of a second, in one magic circle weave, saving substantial time during fast-paced battles.
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| − | * '''False Sword and Portalis - Gunman's Roulette''': By combining the light-warping illusionary properties of False Sword and using Portalis, Aaron creates hundreds of spatial Convocatio magic circles, with some revealing their true nature: unleashing the projectiles fired into them by the Portalis spell, and some being false positives: Convocatio magic circles with nothing on the other side. This combination cast heavily disorients and confuses his target, as the nature of the magic circles and illusions cannot be erased by simply using an AoE to clear them.
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| − |
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| − | ==Chakra==
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| − | "''Chakra, since it's an extension of your soul, is dependent on your self. Meaning how much willpower, isn't that right? Here's a little quiz. How much willpower do you think a guy, who's had to fight extraordinary beings as a regular-ass dude with ZERO powers, has? Hm? A guy...''
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| − |
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| − | ''With no evos...''
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| − |
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| − | ''And no inherent abilities.''"
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| − |
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| − | - Aaron Hope fully awakening his Chakra Control for the first time
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| − | When wielding '''chakra''' in his fights, Aaron's already high combat prowess skyrockets even further beyond, allowing him to easily surpass other '''SS Ranked''' opponents - overwhelming them with ease, as opposed to when Aaron battled a fellow SS Ranked member - '''Bishamonten''', in which Aaron displayed substantial difficulty to barely defeat the god. Taught by '''Inner Shadow John Crassman''', Aaron is capable of manipulating his own '''chakra''', essentially his very own life force, in battle.
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| − |
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| − | Following the awakening of his chakra control, Aaron's combat prowess dramatically increased from '''SS Rank''' to '''Elite Tier SS Rank''', putting him on the same level as a '''Mahyako Awakened Stage Five Hinokami''' and an '''Apex Primordial Demon Lord'''.
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| − |
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| − | '''Immense Chakra Reserves''': As chakra is an extension of one's own soul, Aaron's boundless willpower and extreme grit from his many years fighting opponents stronger than him have caused him to manifest extraordinarily high levels of chakra in his body.
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| − | '''Embodiment of Wrath: Yaksha Mode''': When Aaron's Auxiliary Shadow Bryce "Hellsing" Jones was afflicted by the Anti-Narrative and had his character nearly erased, Aaron manifested '''Yaksha Mode''', a state in which Aaron significantly enhances the flow of chi in his body and accelerates it throughout his muscle fibres, significantly enhancing them and causing them to evolve. The nature of Yaksha Mode is '''wrath''', which was the main response Aaron had against Supreme Primordial Aran Sol for nearly taking another precious Auxiliary Shadow from him.
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| − | In Yaksha Mode, Aaron's physical parameters drastically increase, with a large emphasis on his overall defense. The form grants Aaron with an extremely high resistance to narrative bending or narrative destroying effects, which was what Aaron needed to approach his Auxiliary Shadow and bring him back from near erasure. Yaksha Mode also enhances Aaron's strength and speed, due to amplifying his body through the chakra overflow. However, due to the nature of Yaksha Mode being wrath, Aaron also manifests body characteristics akin to an '''oni''', an ancient devil creature that increases his aggression and lunacy.
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| − | In Yaksha Mode, Aaron becomes noticeably more violent and will crazily become more unhinged in his methods, his craftiness leaning towards harming others rather than doing "just enough" to contain a threat.
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| − | It is speculated that the alias '''The Joker of the Dark Hexagram''' has been attributed to Aaron in his Yaksha Mode. Due to the devil-like appearance, Aaron gains when in this state, along with the maniacal smile he wears most of the time due to the psychological effect of the transformation.
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| − | The potency of Yaksha Mode placed Aaron's combat prowess on the level of a Primordial Demon, despite being a human. In this state, Aaron was shown capable of resisting Evangelion's Stage One '''Hinokami''', albeit with substantial difficulty. The state also allowed Aaron to easily withstand blows that normally would have broken his bones. When battling Evangelion, Aaron's speed and reflexes noticeably increased, allowing him to temporarily fight on par with the '''SS+ Ranked''' threat. However, it was noted that this may have been due to the fact that Evangelion was a berserker type, while Aaron was a tactical type, giving him an edge. Yaksha Mode also allowed Aaron to easily dual wield his Caliga rifles, which are 87 pounds each, and simultaneously maneuver around at speeds that break the sound barrier, meaning the form has boosted Aaron's base physical prowess to superhuman levels.
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | '''Asura's Penalty''':
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| − | * '''Trigrams 36 Hands''':
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| − | * '''Blood Gladiator''':
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| − |
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| − | '''Immense Strength''':
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| − |
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| − | '''Immense Speed''':
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| − |
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| − | '''Immense Durability''':
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| − |
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| − | ==Relationships==
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| − | ===Family===
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| − | '''Jessica Lane'''
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| − | <center>
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| − | "''Such high maintenance. Hard to imagine what you'll be like once the Jessie effect gets to you. After all, the longer you stay with me, the more like me you'll end up! Ah... screw it. I'll let you know what I wished for.''
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | "''My wish... was for your wish to come true.''"
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| − |
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| − | - Jessica using her yearly wish to make Aaron's wish come true
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| − | </center>
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| − |
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| − |
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| − | Aaron's first girlfriend, affectionately referred to as "Jessie". Much like Aaron's current personality, Jessie was notorious for her pranks and antics, and was largely speculated as the major contributor behind Aaron's current troublemaker reputation due to what Jessie described as "The Jessie Effect". During their time dating, Aaron was heavily reserved, paranoid, and traumatized from being chased down by deities for years. When Aaron first met Jessie, unlike other girls who found him creepy, Jessie was one of the only girls to approach Aaron. For Aaron, spending time with Jessie slowly opened him up, which deeply touched Jessie, as she began to discover a side of Aaron that no one would have believed existed: a fun side. As the two spent more time together, Aaron eventually opened up about his feelings for her, and the two became a couple.
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| − | Aaron deeply loved Jessie, as Jessie was one of the very few people he had encountered since his days at the orphanage who were truly selfless and did things for Aaron's sake. An example of this is their trip to Jaos, where Jessie used up her yearly wish in hopes of Aaron's yearly wish coming true. Jessie frequently teased Aaron romantically, this teasing habit eventually rubbing off on Aaron and causing Aaron to tease his Auxiliary Shadows and his Outer Shadow colleagues later on in his life.
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| − | When Jessie and Aaron were involved in a theft against a gun shop owner, who happened to be taking advantage of and harassing Jessie, Aaron was deeply distraught as to why Jessie had kept it a secret from him. Though Aaron would agree to help Jessie and her friends commit the theft, the gun shop owner blamed Jessie for staging the robbery and quickly overpowered the two. Jessie's friends escaped, while Aaron took the blame for the entire robbery, leading to his arrest. This would cause Jessie irreparable psychological damage, blaming herself for getting Aaron back in juvenile detention, despite Aaron slowly reintegrating himself back into society.
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| − | After Aaron had finished his time at juvenile detention, Jessie had already changed. From being a troublemaker to being psychologically unstable, a mentally deranged Jessie believed the only use she had for Aaron was purely sexual, and that if she meant any more to him, she feared she would cause Aaron to relapse back into his dark habits. Desperate at Jessie deteriorating mental health, Aaron prayed to the God of Hope for the first time, despite his dark history with gods, a testament to his love for his girlfriend. In the end, the God of Hope did not listen to Aaron's prayers, leading to Jessie committing suicide, greatly traumatizing Aaron.
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| − | Following the ordeal with the God of Hope, Aaron has since then greatly disliked people who sacrificed themselves for the sake of others, as he believed that doing so would end up hurting the people they intended to protect, just as his sacrifice had caused Jessie's sanity to spiral out of control, leading to things he regrets to this day.
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| − | Aaron thinks back to Jessie at times with a sense of longing but has accepted her death and believed that to ensure she would be happy in the afterlife, he would change for the better, by having fun and playing pranks just as the old Jessie used to.
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| − | '''Sarah Ultear'''
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| − | <center>
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| − | "''You were the one who figured out Chakra first. You were the one who lit that match on fire, remember? It was only because of that did I know how to use Chakra myself. And that day, when you faced Inner Shadow Reaper for my sake, it was because of your persistence that he decided to teach us in the ways of Chakra. And it was you who taught me Summoning Magic and the Convocatio chant. Since that day, Summoning Magic has been my most used spell. Check out my profile on Master Jun's database. It was through you that I gained access to my Black Bullets. If it wasn't for you, my... no. Our journey would have ended a long time ago. So give yourself a little more credit.''"
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| − |
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| − | - Aaron encouraging Sarah
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| − | </center>
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| − | Sarah is Aaron's second girlfriend and fiancee, later becoming his wife in the story. (WIP)
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| − |
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| − | '''Wilson Jekyll'''
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| − |
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| − | '''Nora Angela'''
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| − |
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| − | ===Auxiliary Shadows===
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| − | Aaron cares for his Auxiliary Shadows, though at times he finds them irritating due to many neglecting their duties in the Black Legion. Despite this, when the situation arises, Aaron would do anything to keep his Shadows safe, and the converse is also true.
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| − |
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| − | Aaron described the Auxiliary Shadows that he had recruited and was assigned to as a "happy little company without the capitalism", which is to say that Aaron values his subordinates.
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| − |
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| − | * '''June Lee Sung'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Annelise Scarlett (Infiltrator TX7F)'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Bryce (Tyrell) Jackson Jones'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Robbie Fernandez (Assault X8)'''
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| − | ===Outer Shadows===
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| − | Aaron's relationships with other Outer Shadows has largely been regarded as negative, due to his antics and his pranks on them, much to their annoyance. Considered a "GPITA", which stood for "General Pain in the Ass", Aaron's reputation throughout the Black Legion has been that of a troublemaker, despite being one of the most powerful Outer Shadows in the organization and one of the only known members of the Dark Hexagram.
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| − |
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| − | * '''Rollo'''
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| − | * '''Tokiko Marin'''
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| − | * '''Shosuke Shiki'''
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| − | * '''Vicki Harriet'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Ernest Wang'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Alecsandr Lavrovsky'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Kon Larum'''
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| − |
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| − | ===Inner Shadows===
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| − | Aaron's notorious reputation has gained the attention of the Inner Shadows in the Black Legion. Though some still look down on him, exceptions including John Crassman and Hakah Mah see the Outer Shadow in a positive light.
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| − |
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| − | * '''Jun Gasket'''
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| − | * '''John Crassman'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Loyce Hal'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Hakah Mah'''
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| − | * '''Jason Hellion'''
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| − | ===Friends outside The Black Legion Organization===
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| − | '''Queen Diana Eustansia Avarice III'''
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| − | '''Marty McIntyre'''
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| − | ===Champions Universe===
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| − | Aaron's reputation in the Champions Universe is subpar at best. With many of his recent misunderstandings with Outer Shadow Vicki Harriet spreading throughout the Champions Supergroup, labelling Aaron as a "groper", "lecher" and "pervert". He was known as the "Hangman", after being caught dangling on one of the statues in the Champions Building, and later had his Hero Registration revoked for trying to murder Doctor Destroyer.
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| − |
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| − | * '''Defender'''
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| − | * '''Doctor Destroyer'''
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| − | * '''Witchcraft'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Ironclad'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Robert Caliburn'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Takofanes'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Gigaton'''
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| − |
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| − | * '''Rakshasa'''
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| | </font> | | </font> |
