The Second Archon War, Imperatrix Umbrosa 11 (Patreon)

Brought to you early by Korean Writer on Patreon.

America, Kenta decided, was a fantastic place. Ever since he’d gotten his powers, he’d had a hard time getting enough to eat, especially when he went to restaurants. It was a lot easier now that he was an actual Lord, filthy rich, and a superstar, but the Japanese-sized portions for a man who was large by most Western standards even when he wasn’t the size of a building just didn’t cut it. He could easily eat 10,000 calories a day, though the doctors assured him he didn’t actually need that much food. He also felt slightly guilty turning into a dragon and literally eating an entire cow. He wasn’t certain how many calories were in an entire cow, but it had to be a lot.

In America though, Kenta had found his people. When they said ‘All You Can Eat Buffet’ they actually meant it. His first time getting the Cape Sized Meal at WcDonalds in America had been a transcendent experience. He’d eaten two Double Big Wacs, two large fries, two milkshakes, a large soda (three refills), an apple pie, a cherry pie, a fifty-piece WcNugget, and topped it off with a salad.

He was slightly surprised that Tsukoyomi was not terribly interested in WcDonalds, which he’d brought back for Ami, Clara, and of course Keiga. The robot had turned her nose up at the fast food, stating that, “Grease and artificial flavors are the enemies of Eternity.” Another difference between the Original Raiden and Robo-Raiden.

“Perhaps, my lady, but I’ve been craving WcDonald’s fries,” Keiga said, stealing another one of Kenta’s. It had actually been at her request that Kenta had left the hotel to get some. She’d been unusually hungry lately, which Kenta attributed to the long days of travel they’d had over the past couple of weeks. First a stay in the Philippines, then a trip to Ottawa in Canada where Raiden had merc’d Heartbreaker.

Not that Kenta, or really anyone else, had been overly broken up about Raiden killing the man. No one was calling it murder: Heartbreaker was a known Villain who used his Master powers to brainwash and rape women. The Canadian Prime Minister had actually apologized to Raiden for the bother.

It was sort of remarkable that Kenta had coached Tsukuyomi through a meeting with the American President Bradley the day before. They’d spent the morning in serious political talks, while Kenta and Keiga had met with the Elite: Alexandria, Legend, Hero, and Eidolon. The PRT capes hadn’t even really talked down to Kenta, except Eidolon who was an arrogant bastard, and instead treated both him and Keiga more or less as equals.

Kenta had always thought he was strong, but he was just now realizing that Legend, the man who could fire more lasers than the Death Star, saw Kenta as an equal both in power and in influence on the global Cape Scene. They’d hammered out a plan for cooperation between the Sentai and the PRT in Endbringer or other S Class Threat responses in both SEA and the Americas. Raiden was still off the table, but Mushu was now someone that Legend had on his proverbial speed dial in case there was a nasty even he couldn’t handle, and Kenta had a direct line to Legend.

It felt a bit surreal.

There was also another meeting soon, a private meeting with just Kenta, Raiden, Director Costa-Brown, and someone called ‘Asset Tyche.’ That was the meeting Kenta was nervous about. Because he was pretty sure he knew the topic of discussion: Scion.

He let out a sonorous belch, which earned him a look of disgust from Keiga and Tsukuyomi, and giggles from Ami and Clara. They should have brought Jugan with them: he appreciated a good belch.

“It’s about time for the meeting, let me get changed,” Kenta said, standing to head to his and Keiga’s room.

“Very well,” Tsukuyomi said, and her form rippled. She had been in her ‘Teenage Raiden’ form, which she seemed to prefer in private settings. She had declared that as Kenta’s Lady Keiga counted as a part of the select few who were allowed to know the truth. She went back to looking like Raiden, though she was still wearing a black t-shirt and gym shorts, another difference from her mother who almost always wore more traditional Japanese garb when left to her own devices.

Though like her mother, Raiden Jr. didn’t wait for Kenta to leave the room before she started disrobing.

Kenta changed into a formal kimono with his symbols of office on them, and buckled on his swords. Keiga lay down with a hand on her forehead, groaning softly. “I ate too much…why did you let me eat too much?”

“That’s what you get for stealing my fries,” he teased and kissed her on the lips. She pulled him down for a longer kiss than he’d meant to give, but he didn’t mind. “Get some rest, this will probably be a long meeting.”

“Hmm. Don’t eat the PRT director or let Tsukuyomi kill anyone,” Keiga told him, then rolled over as he left.

The meeting was in another hotel room, one that Kenta had been told was ‘secure.’ He personally didn’t give a rat's ass about any of that, since as far as he was concerned any building that had Raiden in it, either one, was instantly more secure than any other place on Earth.

There were two men in stereotypical “secret agent” uniforms outside the door with guns, which Kenta found amusing. The last time someone had shot him had been annoying, but only because he had to pick the lead out of his teeth when he’d accidentally bit the bullet. That was the first and last time he tried pulling off a move from a Yakuza film. Tsukuyomi probably wouldn’t even notice if someone shot her.

Inside was a single table with four chairs around it, two of them already occupied. The first by a woman in a suit, tie, and hat, the second by-

“I thought we were meeting with the PRT Director,” Kenta rumbled as he took a seat. “Why are you here, Alexandria?”

Alexandria looked at him sideways for a moment. “I’m Director Rebecca Costa-Brown. This is Asset Tyche.”

Kenta blinked. “Am I not supposed to know that Alexandria is the Director of the PRT? Because you smell the same.”

“Physical appearances mean little when each person’s soul is unique,” Raiden agreed, taking a seat herself. “Do not attempt to veil yourself, mortal. My eyes see far.”

“I could have told you it wouldn’t work,” Tyche told Alexandria. She was reading…was that Dragonball? The pictures were the same, but the words were in English, which Kenta still wasn’t all that fluent in. His accent wasn’t too bad he thought, but he’d never been a big reader anyway.

“Thank you, Tyche,” Alexandria sighed. She took off her glasses and frowned at Kenta. “It’s impolite to just ignore someone’s secret identity, you know.”

“My secret identity is that I’m actually Lord Kenta Wang, big high muscle man of the Sentai. But secretly, I’m also Mushu, big high muscle man of the Sentai. I see you use the same disguise,” Kenta said, giving Alexandria his very best shit-eating grin. The kind that drove even Raiden crazy.

Tsukuyomi just sat there, looking at Tyche’s manga. The strange woman held one out. “Would you like to read it?”

“We are not here for leisure. For what purpose did you call this meeting?” Tsukuyomi said without blinking once.

“I think you know,” Alexandria responded. She pointed an accusatory finger at Tsukuyomi. “You are not the Raiden Shogun.”

“Actually, she is. I can confirm it,” Kenta said instantly.

Tyche made a tsking sound. “Technically the truth, but you know what she meant.”

“This is the second time you have made this accusation, mortal. Why?”

Tyche leaned forward, frowning. “Why do you call people mortal? Is it because you can’t remember their names?”

To Kenta’s shock, Tsukuyomi blushed and looked embarrassed. “Names are…ephemeral. Changing. At times they escape my mind.”

“But you're a robot. Don’t robots have perfect memories?” Tyche prompted.

Alexandria jerked back, and Tyche’s eyes widened slightly. Kenta realized he’d just grown about a foot taller and sprouted horns. Strange. Alexandria was on the short mental list called “People I Do Not Want to Fuck With” in Kenta’s mind. He realized then that he was probably on hers as well.

“Explain your accusation,” Kenta growled, snorting just a little bit of lightning.

“You know, I know you’re not going to attack me, but that’s still a little disturbing and scary. You’ve changed a lot since the last time we met,” Tyche mused, looking up at Kenta with a somewhat dreamy expression.

He hesitated. “We…have?”

“Mmhmm. I was there when you triggered, what was it now, five years?”

“Six,” Kenta answered, shrinking slightly and frowning at her. “Yeah…I remember you now…”

“Actually it was five years, eight months, twelve days, seven hours, and…16 minutes!” Tyche said brightly. “Sorry, I’m not usually so precise, I figured the robot would appreciate it.”

“We know,” Alexandria put in before anyone else could respond. She stared at Raiden. “I remember that day when we first met all too well. You don’t…feel…the same as you did then.”

“Also, myself and the other Thinkers at the PRT have analyzed you and we’ve all determined you’re an artificial humanoid. Do you prefer robot or gynoid?” Tyche asked brightly.

Raiden glanced at Kenta out of the corner of her eyes, and he sighed and fully deflated. “Call your mom, kid. She’s the one who needs to determine what happens here.”

“Very well.” Tsukuyomi stood and glanced at the two PRT capes. “I shall draw my weapon, but not to attack. I must open a portal.”

Tyche nodded and leaned back in her chair, apparently at ease, while Alexandria tensed slightly, her eyes narrowing. Tsukuyomi proceeded to draw her sword out from between her breasts, Kenta needed to ask Raiden why the hell she had to do that again, and revealed her glowing blade. She cut open a slice in the air, and a moment later, Ei stepped into the room. She was dressed in a plain kimono that had some grease and soot stains on it and even had a few smudges on her face. She had a glowing, half-finished blade in one hand, though she tossed it back through the portal, where it landed with a hiss in a quenching barrel.

“So. You are perhaps the first mortals to ever uncover my kagemusha and be foolish enough to reveal your knowledge,” Ei stated.

“Question,” Tyche said, raising her hand. Ei blinked in surprise that someone had interrupted her, but nodded to Tyche. “Do you also have a hard time with names?”

Once more, a Raiden blushed. “Names are…ephemeral. Fleeting. At times they escape my mind.”

“That’s almost exactly what she said,” Tyche mused, her brow furrowing. “Interesting. I see…total personality copy…is she…a clone?”

Tsukuyomi glanced at Raiden, the two of them nearly identical still. Kenta snorted. “Relax, kid. If you two keep looking exactly the same it makes my brain hurt.”

Ei nodded her assent, and Tsukuyomi took on what Kenta now thought of as her “natural” form. That got a sharp intake of breath from Alexandria and a thoughtful head tilt from Tyche.

“So, just to be clear, they’re both Raiden,” Kenta said. “It’s more of a-”

“Title. Yes, quite,” Tyche said absently. “But seriously: How? Do you realize this makes you one of the most frightening and powerful Tinkers in existence? She’s…she’s alive, isn’t she? Oh. Yes, yes she is. But she’s not human. Can she reproduce?”

“Sexual intercourse is a crude method of replicating Eternity,” Raiden said in stereo.

“She is my kagemushu, and my daughter, to act in places and ways I cannot,” Ei continued.

“I am capable of channeling my mother’s powers in such a way that I could potentially make an iteration of myself that could be considered a reproduction,” Tsukuyomi added.

Both the Americans looked horrified, but Ei continued, “Yes, but each copy would, in some small way, be lesser. There can be but one Electro Archon.”

Tsukuyomi nodded, her expression blank, until Ei added, “She has not yet fully ascended and embodied an aspect. When she does, she will be complete. That is what my previous projects lacked: a true divine spark of their own.”

“Mother! Are you saying-” Tsukuyomi began, emoting far more than she usually did, but Kenta cut her off.

“That’s real interesting, but are you sure you want to air that out in front of them?” Both Raiden’s shook their heads, so Kenta turned to the Americans. “Look, the point is, she’s not going to make an army of super robot clones and take over the world. Besides, she didn’t need the duplicate to take over the world anyway. If she wanted to, she’d already have done so.”

“Why would I take over the world?” Ei said, sounding amused at the very thought.

“An archon must have their people, and the people their Archon, but no Archon can be for all peoples,” Tsukuyomi agreed.

Tyche’s eyes suddenly went very, very wide, and she started to hyperventilate. Alexandria reacted like a bomb went off, jumping up and floating into the air, but Tyche waved her down. “Sorry, sorry, Thinker overload. I just…wow. OK. So. Robot. Not making an army. That’s good. Great. Next: Scion. Pardon my French, but what the fuck was that?”

Ei looked nonplused, and asked, “Scion?”

On the other hand, Tsukuyomi went stone-faced and said one word: “Sustainer.”

“Ah.” Ei immediately took on the look of a thunderhead. “Do not speak of the matters of gods, mortal, lest you suffer the fate of Khaenri'ah.”

“They know not of Khenri’ah, mother. This is not Teyvat,” Tsukuyomi stated flatly. “Know this, mortals: you speak of a being beyond your ken. Meddle in the affairs of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, and you bring only ruin upon yourselves.”

“So, are you Scion’s enemies, or-”

Thunder cracked, so loud that Tyche cried out in pain, and even Alexandria winced. Ei’s eyes were glowing, and Tsukuyomi looked furious. “Do not speak of this further. Dealing with the Sustainer is a matter for the gods, Mortal. Not you.”

Even after that, Tyche couldn’t leave well enough alone. “So, if this Sustainer came to Japan…”

Kenta leaned forward. “Drop it. If the Sustainer comes to Japan, we’ll deal with him. But we’re not picking a fight.”

Tyche brightened at that, while Alexandria looked wary. “Very well. We will not disclose the nature of your…daughter, Raiden.”

“And we won’t antagonize the Sustainer,” Tyche added. “We need all the time to deal with them that we can get.”

“Good. Pray that such a conflict does not arise in your lifetime,” Ei said. Pain washed over her face, and Kenta knew she was thinking of her fallen sister. “The consequences are more dire than you can fathom.”

“I think we’re done here then. Ei promises not to pull a Dr. Gero, and we all promise not to hack off the golden ticking timebomb,” Kenta said, rising to his own feet.

Ei nodded, then turned to Tsukuyomi. “You have done well so far. Continue in your efforts to sooth the mortal leaders. Japan needs allies and peace. Not enemies and war.”

“Aren’t you, like, a war god though?” Tyche asked, inserting herself into the aside.

Ei regarded her flatly. “I am one of the three greatest Martial Paragons to ever live. But I am not the Pyro Archon. War is the enemy of Eternity.” Then she opened a portal, and vanished into it.

The moment her mother disappeared, Tsukuyomi resumed her disguise. “Farwell, mortals. We will hold to our treaties: Should the demons known as Endbringers assail you, the Sentai will respond.”

“And what about heaven itself?” Tyche asked.

Kenta paused, as did Raiden. She turned her back, opening the door. “If you incur the Wrath of Heaven upon your lands, not even the gods can save you. This, I have learned to my sorrow.”

After bidding Tsukuyomi goodnight, Kenta went back to his and Keiga’s room and held her tight. He wasn’t certain what the future was going to bring, but he would do his best to bring about Raiden’s Eternity.

After all: now he had something, someone, worth preserving.

The room was dead quiet, save for the soft hum of the fan, and the white noise that Alexandria was fairly certain no one else could hear that was emitted by the devices to prevent eavesdropping, electronic or physical. Eidolon was using some Trump power to keep Thinkers or Strangers from getting information out of this meeting they shouldn’t.

Alexandria and Contessa had just finished their report, and the four others in the room were silent, and still. Doctor Mother looked pensive and thoughtful, and more than a little disturbed as she leaned on her desk. Alexandria sat next to Wyatte on the gray couch, her legs and arms crossed, feeling uncomfortable.

Legend was rubbing his chin, his head lowered in deep thought as he sat on an office chair to the side. Eidolon’s jaw was tight, and he looked like he’d just sucked on a lemon, though that was close enough to his usual expression that didn’t tell Alexandria much. Contessa was looking off into the middle distance with a dreamy expression on her face, spinning her hat on her index finger.

One person, however, was smiling. Wyatte was looking around with a cheeky grin and a twinkle in his eye. After about thirty seconds, he couldn’t help himself anymore, Alexandria could tell.

“Don’t say it,” she sighed, swatting him on the leg. Gently, of course. She’d learned how breakable everyone else was a long time ago.

“I wasn’t going to say ‘I told you so,’ but aren’t you at least excited about what this means?” Wyatte asked, looking around the room.

“Doesn’t mean shit,” Eidolon growled. “She’s delusional. Powerful and nuts. Quite the combination.”

“She doesn’t act insane,” Legend said, looking up with a frown. “Her policies have been surprisingly rational. She’s opened Japan up to immigration. Created infrastructure. Expanded manufacturing. Established the most peaceful and least crime-ridden country on the planet. Those aren’t the actions of a warlord with a god complex who’s gone mad with power.”

With a tilt of her finger, Contessa sent her hat spinning through the air to land perfectly on her head. That was either an impressive trick or an obnoxious display of her power. It was almost impossible to tell most of the time. “I can tell you that she thinks she’s a god, and so does Mushu.”

Alexandria felt a pang of gratitude that Contessa didn’t add that Alexandria was increasingly becoming an agnostic instead of an atheist. Because it was a near certainty that Contessa knew that, and why.

“God or not, she’s not a cape, is she?” Wyatte demanded, looking around at the others.

“She’s not more powerful than we are,” Eidolon growled. “If she makes herself a problem, we can take her.”

“Can we?” Legend asked, leaning forward and interlacing his fingers before him. “She took out an Endbringer. We haven’t managed that, not even together.”

“She’s a hazard, but one that’s increasingly likely to be on our side,” Doctor Mother said, leaning back in her chair and looking up at the ceiling. “Think about it: she has universally responded to Scion with guarded hostility. And Scion seems to consider her worth noticing.”

“He can’t think she’s a threat. If he did, he’d have taken her out already. Right?” Alexandria asked, turning to Contessa.

“Possibly? Probably? Ugh, how can people go through life not KNOWING things?! It’s so frustrating!” Contessa groaned, rubbing her knuckles on her forehead in irritation. “I can’t get any answers about her! Well, that’s an exaggeration: I can get SOME answers. Almost all of them amount to: Stay the hell away from her.”

“Could you take her in a fight?” Doctor Mother asked, tilting her head forward to regard Contessa.

Contessa shrugged. “The answer I get when I ask how to beat her is the same I get when I ask how to beat David: Don’t fight her.”

“Could I beat her?” Eidolon asked, leaning forward, his gaze intense.

Again, Contessa shrugged. “Maybe? Based on what we’ve seen, you have a shot. But not a good one. I ask that question every time I get new information on her, and the answer varies somewhere between an even fight and one barely tilted in either of your’s favor. About the same as when I ask if you can beat an Endbringer. But just like you or an Endbringer, I am working with an incomplete picture, and I haven’t the slightest clue how much of one.”

“Yeah. Not to brag, but I’m the best Tinker around. Or at least, I was. I am 100% not the best Tinker anymore,” Wyatte said, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness. “Raiden built a robot duplicate of herself that’s so good no one can even tell. It even uses her powers to the same degree that barely anyone noticed, and by that, I mean it was literally just Contessa which is sort of cheating.”

“Speaking of, we have the autopsy on Heartbreaker,” Doctor Mother said, pulling out a folder and tossing it onto her desk.

“Cause of Death: Being a son of a bitch,” Wyatte growled.

“Unfortunately, the gunshot to the head did cause a great deal of damage. But, with our best Thinkers on the job, we were able to do some reconstruction.” Doctor Mother pulled out a photo and held it up for them to see. “His Corona Pollentia was severed. His brain was bleeding slightly before he died, though it seems likely he would have recovered otherwise.”

“So, she cut out his powers?” Legend asked. “Interesting.”

“No. She destroyed his Passenger,” Contessa said.

All eyes turned to her, and she grimaced. “Based on what Scion said, his reaction, and what we know of Raiden’s ability to cut between dimensions and the fabric of space-time…she attacked the Passenger directly. The slight bleeding on the brain was the damage from having that destroyed.”

“That’s…that’s insane,” Alexandria gasped, feeling the bottom drop out of her stomach. Wyatte put an arm around her, and she leaned into him. Not even she could defend against that.

“Basically everything we know about Raiden is totally insane. Off of this, it seems she can modify or alter Passengers as well. That’s what happened to Lung when he became Mushu. His draconic form looks entirely different, and seems to operate on an entirely different principle now,” Doctor Mother said, pulling out a folder on Mushu and showing pictures of his battle with Leviathan, and later ones. He’d gone from a Western Dragon to an Eastern one. And he’d lost the flame powers and gained Lightning ones.

“So what about this doesn’t say ‘god’ to all of you?” Wyatte demanded. “She talks to Scion like she knows what he is, and that he’s her equal.”

“Not her equal,” Contessa corrected. “She’s deferential to him.”

Wyatte waved that away. “Ok, well, not her equal, but like they’re at least on the same playing field. And Scion stays away from her! We have the satellite footage: he won’t even fly over the Desolation or Japanese Territorial Waters. And the Endbringers have been ostentatiously staying out of her path as well.”

“And she stays away from them. Like she’s trying not to provoke him,” Legend mused.

“And more importantly: like he’s trying not to provoke her,” Doctor Mother said firmly.

Alexandria nodded, feeling the first ray of hope. “And if he doesn’t want to provoke her…”

“It’s because she can hurt him,” Wyatte finished.

They all sat in silence again, though this time, all eyes turned to Contessa.

In response, she dug into her pocket, and pulled out a Magic 8 Ball. She shook it, then held up the answer. “Reply Hazy, try again later.”

Even Contessa winced at the cold glares she got in response, though Wyatte was fighting back a smile.

“Sorry, I thought that would be better than just saying ‘I don’t know’ again, but I guess that comes off as tacky,” Contessa sighed, tossing the 8 Ball in the trash. “But you’re going to get as good an answer from that as me. Or at least it feels that way.”

“Change the wording on our assessment of Raiden,” Doctor Mother said quietly. “Lethal force is no longer authorized under any circumstance.”

“Tell that to her,” Eidolon growled, but stood. “We’ve wasted enough time. She’s still a wild card.”

“But at least she’s a card,” Legend said, clapping Eidolon on the back.

“And that’s something,” Alexandria agreed and smiled at Wyatte. He squeezed her hand.

Maybe, just maybe, they could save the world after all.

Author’s Note:

I know that people actually having a conversation with one another like real adults goes against all of Worm Canon, but you can only write thick idiots for so long before it becomes grating.

Unless you’re talking about the other kind of thick that Raiden is, then it’s just funny.