See No Evil: Victory Condition (ch. 80) (Patreon)

The Warworld wasn't just a massive weapon that would make the Death Star jealous, it was also an elaborate bunker designed to rebuff invasions. The deeper you went into the massive superstructure, the more cover the enemy had. That wasn’t even taking into account the countless back routes that allowed the defending forces to flank anyone stupid enough to attack this place. Jason had no clue the number of people needed to actually have a chance at taking this place, but he estimated that number would have at least six zeroes tacked onto it, if not eight or nine.

And, at the moment, they had ten. People. Not an army with that many zeroes. Two teams of five. Superboy, himself, Aqua Girl, and Lagoon Boy were team alpha. Team Beta consisted of Wonder Girl, Dickhead, Artemis, Kid Flash, and Miss Martian. There were other heroes chomping at the bit to take action, but they were left behind. Just in case. A just in case that seemed more and more likely by the second.

"We're getting fucked up in here!" Jason shouted, sprinting forward and using a ledge in a long hallway to leap up and bring his bo-staff down on one of the red military drones that floated above the ground like a giant laser shooting crystal. He prefered his fists, but his knuckles weren't tough enough to shatter the crystal-like armor the drones had. Sparks flew up from where he drove his staff into the drone before he kicked the machine back, sending it on a collision course with two of its brethren.

The drones were designed to fight in the halls. They didn't explode when damaged, they had a good vantage point on all cover, and, worse, there was an endless sea of them.

"Superboy, we need that path!" Dick shouted, bashing his escrima sticks on a drone as he narrowly dodged a pale yellow laser from another by contorting his body in a way that was downright freakish. Aqua Girl stepped forward, the magic tattoos flowing up her arms shining brightly for a moment before a torrent of water slammed into the drones, taking the pressure off of Superboy. An opportunity he sorely needed as he was getting bogged down by dozens of drones.

Superboy responded with a furious howl as he threw himself forward, following the momentum of the torrent of water, and Jason saw his cue. His hand dipped to his utility belt and sent out a few batarangs to distract the few hold over drones before the team pressed forward to follow the path that Superboy was making.

"We can't get bogged down," Dick said, and not for the first time. It was easier said than done. They sprinted forward, running through long corridors that seemed to be rapidly filling to the absolute brim all around them. Oracle had provided a map that she managed to get off of the Warworld, confirming Vergil's theory that the power source would be in the center of the planet. The issue being that the Warworld was absolutely massive -- it was bigger than Earth nearly by half.

Meaning that it was close to eight thousand miles from the surface, and they were less than a thousand deep into the planet.

Jason dodged out of the way of a laser, though his cape wasn't so lucky before he used a drone that was lining up a shot on Aqua Girl as a springboard to take the one out that fired upon him. His hand dipped to his utility belt and flung out a few marble-sized explosives, smashing another handful of drones. Landing with a roll, he continued forward, Dick covering him just as much as he was covering for others. Superboy was surfing ahead, slamming and smashing everything that got in his way-

"I've shut off the video feed again!" Barbara informed, speaking through Jason's earpiece. With the lens of his domino mask, a turn was highlighted as the path to take. "Slip away now."

"Roger," Dick said, and as one, they pushed that much harder. Barbara was battling it out with the Warworld's systems, and so far, she was on the back foot. The Warworld's systems were fundamentally alien and far more advanced than the average Windows desktop. She wouldn't have been able to hack it at all if it wasn't for the cipher she developed to hack Vergil's systems. Still, it was touch and go, with Barbara losing ground as often as she gained it.

With the video feed from the drones and cameras interrupted, Jason found the resistance that the drones put up was incomparable to what they had been a moment earlier. Before, the drones worked like a never-ending tide that wouldn't be denied burying them under thousands of drone bodies. Now, with a flick of a switch, that unity they had shared was gone. It went from a pitched battle to being almost child’s play to destroy them and slip away to a far less active hall. "Oracle, you kick so much ass on the computer."

They'd be dead a dozen times over if it wasn't for Barbara. Her hanging up the Batgirl mantle to take on Oracle was the best decision she had ever made.

"I caught a glimpse of the Warworld's security alerts -- we aren't the only team here. I got view of at least two others, possibly a third."  Barbara continued without missing a beat. That caught Jason’s attention as they sprinted forward, his muscles burning with effort. Despite their halting pace, they’d made it an incredible distance. Nearly a thousand miles in twelve hours thanks to a few gravity lifts that Barbara wrested control over, despite fighting for nearly every inch of it. But they had a long, long, long way to go.

“Anyone that we know?” Dick questioned, leading the charge as Barbara led them to another gravity elevator. They threw themselves into it and Jason felt himself become weightless for a very short moment, gently drifting down, before he suddenly began to plummet when the gravity well was turned off. Jason whipped out his grappling gun, firing a shot up while Dick grabbed hold of him. The cable uncoiled as the anchor bit into the metal of the shaft, letting them control the fall.

Superboy had more creative options, and accomplished the same thing by digging his hands in the wall of the shaft, Aqua Girl holding onto him.

There was only a brief interruption before the gravity well turned back on.

Dick let out a sigh of relief. "Anyone we know?" He repeated, as if they hadn't nearly fallen to their deaths.

"Sentinels," Barbara answered. "Three teams in total, but the other… The glimpse I got was of Black Adam, Peacemaker, Bloodsport, and King Shark. All of whom should be in Belle Reve." That was weird. No, that was way more than weird -- if this was a breakout, then that would make some sense. This was an attack on an alien starship that was the size of a planet. What were they all doing here, and why were they working together?

"And the other?" Dick questioned as they lightly landed on the ground, a feat of technology considering that they were now another hundred miles deeper in the planet.

They continued and it was a relief to see that another ambush wasn't waiting for them. All the while, Barbara spoke, "Can't say for sure. There was a flag on one of the sensors further in the planet, and since then, I'm noticing a lot less interference." Meaning that someone was already at the center of the planet? Jason couldn't say that he liked the thought. Especially when he suspected that the Light might be behind this.

"Give us a meeting point. If it is the Light, then we need to disable the Warworld now," Dick said, having the same thought. In response, Jason's domino mask projected a route.

"Coordinating now-" she started, only to cut herself off. "Mongul has a bead on your location. The cameras are still off. I'm working on it now." Barbara informed, her tone deadly serious.

"Then we'll prepare for some company."

…

Vergil's magic items couldn't replace the feeling of materia, Tifa decided as flames coiled around her fist while Miranda had swirling black energy that was highlighted with a dark hue of violet. Gravity manipulation. And Miranda was creative with it as they stood before a massive bulkhead door. The energy flowed into the seam of the door before Miranda threw her hands to the side.

Gravity could make things weightless. It could also make a feather weigh a million pounds.

The door struggled to remain closed as absurd amounts of pressure were placed on the mechanism but while the door was strong (something that Tifa proved when her strongest blow only left a fist indention on one side of the door) it couldn't withstand the assault. With the sound of a screaming metal, the door was thrown open, revealing a waiting security force.

Tifa sprinted forward, flames surging around her before she leapt up. As she sailed through the air, lasers dispersed off of her personal shield, and she slammed her fist into the fragile surface of a red crystal. The crystal cracked under her knuckles, but the flames that coiled around her arms shot forward, penetrating the drone and washing over a good dozen others, scorching them and reducing them to slag. 2B and Miranda hit with full force -- Miranda crushing a good dozen drones under the weight of her gravity, and 2B cut another dozen in half so clearly the drones didn't notice until they tried to move.

Their natural and trained skills were all enhanced. They could hit harder than ever before.

Still, Tifa found herself mourning the special relationship she had with her materia as they pressed forward, aiming to take the head off of the snake. Vergil's items had set limits. He got better than what he started with, like the earrings he gave her as a proof of concept, but with materia, it's limit was only how deep your relationship with it was. Over time, you learned how to coax more and more power from it until even a weak materia that you purchased from a grocery store could compete with high end Shinra materia.

That being said, it still felt great and Tifa couldn't say she wasn't enjoying herself. Vergil didn't like fights. It's why he only picked them when his victory was assured and the victory was just a formality. And while Tifa cherished the peaceful days, it would be a lie to say that she didn't miss the thrill of combat. If only the stakes weren't so high.

"He's coming up," Tifa informed, leading the charge as a handful of lasers fired at her. Their ship was detected. Even all of the safety and stealth systems hadn't managed to prevent that. The Warworld's security was layered and became more complex the further in you went, and at the core of the planet, they were considerable. It forced them to fight to their destination, but that was a good thing. Training with the suit and her items couldn't replace real combat, and Vergil was worried about Mongul.

Because he was worried, he over prepared, thus undercutting his reason to worry. Which made him paranoid, so he over prepared further just to make sure that he wasn't underestimating his enemy.

Tifa loved Vergil. She did. That didn't mean she was blind to his faults.

Miranda proved to be their battering ram. Clearing the path by sending a ball of swirling purple energy that ripped everything before them to shreds with of the fluctuating intensity of the gravity it was inflicting. Tifa led the charge, Cass and 2B right behind her. She crossed the threshold first, entering the command center, which was a large open room with only a single chair at the center. A single rather massive chair.

"It seems that I underestimated Earth," Tifa heard a deep and gravelly voice remark before the figure in the chair began to rise, proving the size of the chair wasn't just for show. Mongul stood at about eleven feet tall with shoulders that were broad even for his considerable size, his body distinctly alien with a yellow hue to his skin, but clear muscle definition. "To think you made it all the way here so quickly. I see what the Reach sees in your species."

Mongul turned around, revealed a rather squashed face -- large mouth, large flat nose, beady eyes. He wasn't bad looking, just not human looking. "In light of this -- I will grant you the honor of surrendering and serving me."

"Not interested," Tifa answered, clenching her hands into fists as she settled in her stance. To that, Mongul smirked.

"I would be disappointed if you were. Surrenders are far more… satisfying when they are taken instead of given," he said, stepping forward, his smirk taking more malicious intent. Tifa's face was covered by her helmet, but she wore a deep frown at the remark before Mongul exploded into action.

He was faster than she could see. So fast it was as if she had blinked and he suddenly stood before her, a meaty fist the size of her head raised high to crush her with. However, he wasn't faster than she could react. Tifa stepped forward, sidestepping the punch and retaliating with a high kick to his diaphragm. The kick sounded like a cannon going off on impact, knocking Mongul up for Miranda to knock him away with a surge of energy.

Mongul was sent flying back, his feet digging into the ground to slow himself, but he seemed completely unharmed. Even still, 2B and Cass pressed the attack, sprinting at him from two sides -- 2B slashed her white blade, sending a wave of icy mist that washed over Mongul before hardening into a layer that covered his skin. He moved easily, breaking the fragile ice, but Tifa noticed a wince when it cracked around his eyes.

He threw up a forearm, catching a blow from Cass as she brought down an axe kick at his head after flipping into the air. He seemed unprepared for the impact because his arm was knocked out of place, opening him up to a thrust from 2B and another gravity ball slamming into his chest. His back hit the wall with thunderous force, momentarily stunning him, just long enough  forTifa to shoot forward like a speeding bullet and throw a high knee at his nose, feeling a satisfying shift under her knee while his head dug into the wall.

But Mongul was hardly down for the count. Lashing out with an arm, the back of his fist caught Tifa in the side, sending her flying away. Her shield shattered like glass while she tumbled to the side, trying to get a handle on her momentum. Her ribs ached, the single hit managing to transfer through her shield, the inertial dampeners in her suit, and a layer of protective impact gel as a last resort. Vergil would be insufferable if he ever found out that his protection methods, while overbearing, still hadn't been enough.

2B leaned out of the way of a strike, slashing out with her blade across Mongul's stomach, ice crystals forming in the shallow wound she made. Cass seized the opportunity to kick at his leg, knocking out from underneath him and forcing him to collapse to a knee. Miranda sent a surge of electricity-like energy at him and Mongul let out a strangled pained cry, even as he lashed out, grabbing Cass by her stomach and slamming her into the ground. Tifa immediately got an alert that Cass had a fractured rib, and she sped up to rejoin the fight.

2B nearly took Mongul's arm off, making him let go of Cass so Miranda could retrieve her. Tifa rejoined the fight, potent orange fire coiling around her fist that she drove into the shallow cut that 2B made across his stomach. It was only skin deep, but the ice that she used was modeled after Captain Cold and Dr. Freeze's weapons, meaning the ice that formed was about as close as you could get to absolute zero.

Mongul might not be human, but his body had some degree of water in it and it had been flash frozen. Then flash heated when Tifa slammed her fist into his stomach, washing Mongul with intense flames. His natural durability that Vergil touted as Superman's equal suffered a fatal crack, which was how Tifa found herself elbow deep in Mongul's guts. Ripping her arm back while Mongul howled, a hand going to his side. He moved to retaliate, and the prediction software that let her keep up with his movements stuttered at the burst of speed.

Tifa threw her guard up, accepting a punch to it that made her feel like she had just blocked a speeding truck with her body. Without her suit, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she would have been splattered over his fist. While she was flung back, 2B pressed the attack, diving forward with her blade to pierce his now exposed innards. Mongul shifted to the side, catching her blade and going to crush her skull, only for Miranda to jerk his arm out of the way, making him miss.

Tifa's forearms felt numb and while nothing had broken, she knew she would be sore for days. For now, however, anger boiled in her chest as Cass was quickly recovering due to her inhuman pain tolerance. Keeping her out of the fight would be impossible. Cass was too stubborn by half. Instead, they had to focus on ending the fight quickly.

A warning flashed on her HUD that Miranda had the same thought, the dark energy cackling as it shimmered around her like an aura. Their suits were attuned to each other, letting them see the range and intensity of each other's attacks, and Miranda had taken the gloves off. Intense gravity fluctuations that were marked out in red, demonstrated the areas that would be affected. Mongul had little warning when 2B suddenly backed off before he took notice of Miranda.

A torrent of cackling black energy shot out at him. Mongul managed to dodge out of the way, only to be swept into the intense swirling tide of gravity, pulling him back in before sweeping him away as it tore through the wall. Tifa and Cass were right behind the ball of energy, determined to make the most of the opportunity.

He was knocked clear through a half dozen thick metal walls, and while dark purple blood dripped from him in rivers from his wounds, Mongul was already on his feet when they arrived. His pants were completely soaked with his blood, and Tifa saw a hint of his innards poking out the wounds, but that fact chilled her to the bone because Mongul was smiling. A genuine and honest smile as pure as a child's joy when told he can have as much candy as he could possibly eat.

"Impressive," he acknowledged them as they pressed forward, rushing to meet them with a burst of speed. Tifa dodged out of the way while Cass fell in perfect sync with her, throwing a high kick to his injuries. When Mongul went to counter, Tifa went on the offensive, making sure the attack landed by leaping up to attack his face. In turn, when Mongul went to bat her away like an annoying fly, Cass drew attention to herself by continuing her own offensive.

Tifa never sparred with Cass. It was just too dangerous because she didn't understand her own limits. Which was why Tifa was shocked at how seamlessly they fought together, their teamwork polished off as if they had spent years fighting alongside each other. In any case, Mongul quickly realized that he was being pushed on the defensive. He accepted a high kick to the jaw that washed flames over his face in turn to press forward, smacking Cassandra to the side and thrusting a hand out that engulfed Tifa's head when Cass wasn't there to cover her defense for her.

Tifa went taut, feeling the pressure mount around her helmet while her heart thundered in her chest- 'Vergil-" Tifa started to think, hearing a fatal crack in her barrier. Only the impending doom never manifested itself, replaced with a scream of agony from Mongul while Tifa landed heavily on the ground.

Peeling the hand off of her head, she saw why Mongul was screaming -- he was a dozen feet away, holding the profusely bleeding stump of the hand that had been left with her. "2B!" Tifa called out, 2B's blade glowing an angry red. Even with the crack in her HUD, Tifa knew what the blade was -- with the right tools, splitting the atom was a simple task. Doing so safely was where things got difficult.

But, Vergil had managed it, making a sword for 2B that could cut an atom. In doing so, he made a weapon that could cut anything.

He really did spoil them when it came to toys.

"You will suffer for this," Mongul growled, his bravado leaving him the moment he took a serious injury.

"Not at your hands," 2B responded, running in to finish the job. Tifa leapt to her feet, sending that the fight just took a dangerous turn. Nothing fought harder than a cornered foe. Cass fell in step with her, ignoring her injuries. Mongul shouted, lunging a hand at 2B, intent to crush her skull just like he had tried with her.

Only to find himself driven to his knees when a ball of gravity floated overhead, courtesy of Miranda, and nearly crushed him under the weight of fifty times Earth's gravity. 2B readied her blade, letting Tifa and Cass surge ahead, flanking him at the sides. As one, they threw themselves forward, throwing high knees the same moment that Miranda cut the intense gravity, their knees slamming into the sides of Mongul's head.

The fact that he survived the blow told Tifa that Vergil had underestimated how durable Mongul was. However, not even he could survive a thrust through his forehead as 2B dealt the final blow in a picture perfect thrust.

Mongul made a sputtering noise, trying to form words, only for splatters of blood to make it past his lips. 2B yanked her blade out, and it seemed to be the only thing keeping him up because Mongul fell forward a moment later, a pool of blood sealing out of him as he died. Tifa let out a small sigh of relief.

"We… don't say how close the fight was, yes?" Cass requested, sounding hopeful.

"I will do no such thing," Miranda instantly answered as she stepped forward, taking the headset off of Mongul's head. "Vergil likely already knows." A master of body language, Tifa was not, but she didn't need to be to see the reluctance in Cass' posture. Which she should be -- Tifa fully intended on being right next to Vergil when they scolded her for ignoring her limits again.

"Please stand back," 2B instructed, placing down the sensors that she carried with her. They were arranged in a circle, and when turned on, a faint glow was emitted from the floor. It was their longest attempt yet, but Tifa was relieved to see that after a few seconds of warm up and calculations, Vergil appeared in the center of the circle with light completely whole.

He looked tired, and rough. It was outright odd seeing him in anything but his suit, making the loose hospital gown stand out that much more. The sight of him made her remember that he had no place scolding anyone when it came to putting themselves in danger. "Is everyone okay?" He questioned, looking to Cass specifically, confirming that he had kept an eye on the fight

Cass seemed abashed as she offered a small nod. Miranda, in an act of pity, handed the headset over to Vergil. "The Warworld is ours," she spoke, her tone proud and confident. Tifa wasn't sure if she liked how she used the word ours, but she didn't say anything about it. Her thoughts were drifting to another matter entirely.

Tifa loved Vergil. She trusted him. But she had never been blind to what kind of man that he was. He was the kind of man… that when he got his hands on something like the Warworld, he would use it. Despite the love and trust that had blossomed in her chest over the course of a year, Tifa found herself afraid.

Afraid of how he would use it.

Sainthood Enterprise was already far too much like Shinra for Tifa's liking, but they used their power and influence the way Shinra should have back on her homeworld. She could accept that. The Warworld, however, was a planet sized gun. And Vergil had found himself with a lot of enemies.

Using the gun on them only made sense. Only with a gun like the Warworld, other innocent people would be lost in the crosshairs because it was too big for anything less.

"Thanks," Vergil said, accepting the headband and putting it in one of his cards. "The heroes have teamed up with the Sentinels. I'm planning on giving them the win by taking the power source." He informed, unsealing the headpiece before leaning his head back to put his contacts in.

Another thing that bothered her but she had learned to live with -- deceiving the heroes. It was a lot easier to do when you convinced yourself that you were doing it for their benefit. But, at the moment, Tifa wasn't sure how true that was. Simply because it was obvious that Vergil was trying to make the heroes trust the Sentinels by giving them a false victory to share in.

Vergil tensed and Cass reached out, steadying him. "Sorry, that was… a bit more than what I was expecting." He admitted, telling her that he had been thoroughly caught off guard by how taxing the Warworld would be. "It's fine now."

"So, what do we do now, Vergil?" Tifa questioned him, asking him an unspoken question. One that he would undoubtedly pick up on.

He gave her a lingering glance. The kind that told her that he was battling with himself between what he wanted to do, what he should do, and what she wanted him to do. He hadn't broken his promise, then one he made at the Start of No Man's Land about not losing himself in what he had to become to win that awful situation. However, Tifa didn't think for a moment that the experience hadn't changed him.

"Now, we have a planet's worth of leverage," Vergil answered, reassuring her that he didn't plan to use the Warworld offensively. "I didn't even have to reveal the Reach fleet on Earth, so right now, we're in a comfortable spot."

Miranda appeared interested, "As you say, we have a lot of leverage… but who are we using it on?" She questioned, and Vergil smiled a smile that was all teeth. A smile that promised a bloody retribution. A smile that he would never let his enemies see, because his intentions were clear as day on his face.

"I was thinking I should ring up my dear old friend Vandal Savage. I have a problem that needs to go away… and I want to see just how attached he is to Lex Luthor."