[i][b]Unity[/b] was immobile in the abstract form [b]Contrast[/b] put her in. [b]Repetition’s[/b] mechanical hands were holding the ball of flesh and cloth that was now the Eighth Principle. She was unable to see, speak, or breathe in her new form, but despite every basic function that could be performed by humans being taken from her, she could still think. To her, that’s all she needed. The power of the Eighth Principle allows the vessel to share the thoughts, abilities and properties of those they choose. All that is needed to perform the unification is simple, physical contact. In her short battle with [b]Contrast[/b], [b]Unity[/b] got more than just a touch. Now unified with the Grand Leader, [b]Unity[/b] had the thoughts in his mind and the abilities in his arsenal at her disposal. [b]Unity[/b] did the same with the droid that held her and began to work.[/i] —— [i][b]Dominance[/b] fell over in front of [b]Alignment[/b] as he began to bleed profusely from what remained of the left side of his waist. The blood reflected the dim blue light that barely illuminated the black hallway. [b]Contrast’s[/b] soft chuckle echoed through the ship, but was quickly drowned out by [b]Alignment’s[/b] raging screams.[/i] [b]Contrast[/b]: “At last, the things you devoted yourself to protecting are now gone. First your home, now your best student and companion. It’s not really your day, is it, Ali—“ [i][b]Alignment[/b] dashed towards [b]Contrast[/b] with his weapon in hand; his usual calm demeanor completely absent and replaced with seething anger. [b]Contrast[/b] was briefly surprised, but quickly took action. As [b]Alignment[/b] swung his ball configuration at the man who he hated the most, [b]Contrast[/b] extended his cane and touched the laser that formed the blade in between the balls. The white laser then completely evaporated into a puff of smoke and the balls [b]Alignment[/b] held fell and scattered across the ground. [b]Alignment[/b] was unfazed and jumped up into the air to deliver a strong kick that landed on [b]Contrast’s[/b] face. The top hat on his head fell off as he received the strike, but [b]Contrast[/b] immediately retaliated by turning his body around and using his cane to strike [b]Alignment[/b] with a force that sent him flying across the hallway and tearing apart bits and pieces of the floor along the way. [b]Alignment[/b] lied on the ground for a moment and began to get up, but didn’t move fast enough as [b]Contrast[/b] ran up to him and use his cane to puncture his back. The professor yelped in pain as the Grand Leader grinned with glee until he noticed something underneath [b]Alignment[/b]. An object that emitted a golden glow stood out from the black floor of the [b]Omninavus[/b]. Alignment tried to hide it, but [b]Contrast[/b] quickly picked it up and examined it.[/i] [b]Contrast[/b]: “Another one of your precious fruits, Allo? When will you ever learn, dear professor? Items that hold such worth never belonged to you. They always belonged to me!” [i]With that, [b]Contrast[/b] placed the golden item into his mouth and bit into it, expecting it to be sweet and juicy. What he experienced was a bitter shock. The object was hard, cold, and completely tasteless. He quickly took it out of his mouth and came to the realization that what he bit into was a piece of metal from the floor that was coated in some sort of golden juice. [b]Contrast[/b] then quickly turned his attention back to [b]Alignment[/b] and saw that in his hand was the real golden fruit. He tried to swipe it away, but it was too late. [b]Alignment[/b] had bit into the golden fruit and from him erupted a pillar golden light. [b]Contrast[/b] was knocked off [b]Alignment’s[/b] body and fell onto the ground. The moment he got up, he saw that [b]Alignment[/b] was gone from his original position and was standing right behind him. The gray clothing wore now shone in a golden light along with his skin and hair. The light he emitted completely lit up the black hallway and nearly blinded [b]Contrast[/b] with its radiance. [b]Alignment[/b] had ascended through the power of the fruit. Contrast gave off a shocked expression, but immediately tried to hide it.[/i] [b]Contrast[/b]: “So what? You think just because you ate another one of your plants means you can win?” [i][b]Alignment[/b] began to walk away from [b]Contrast[/b] and towards the fallen [b]Dominance[/b] with the rest of the golden fruit in hand. He held the fruit over the nearly dead man in armor and squeezed it until a drop of golden juice fell into his mouth. [b]Dominance’s[/b] body began to throb and the area of his torso that was obliterated began to repair.[/i] [b]Contrast[/b]: “Did that fruit make you deaf? You can’t win, Alignment! As long as I control this ship, I hold all of the cards!” [i]Suddenly, the ship began to rumble and shake. The blue lights in the hall brightened and mechanical noises filled the inside of the ship until finally stopping abruptly. [b]Contrast[/b] fell again, but quickly stood up and looked at the window at the end of the hall. The [b]Omninavus[/b] was no longer in [b]OffTopic[/b]. It was in the remnants of [b]Gray Sector. [/b] Words began to fill the minds of [b]Alignment[/b], [b]Contrast[/b] and [b]Dominance[/b].[/i] [b]Unity[/b]: “You’re nothing if not overconfident, Contrast.” [b]Contrast[/b]: “Unity, you brat! What did you do?! Why are you in my head?!” [b]Unity[/b]: “The second you let me get close, you lost. Our minds and powers are now unified. And since this ship can only be controlled by your mind, I used that to my advantage. Through Repetition, I was able to control this ship and warp it back to one of the realms you destroyed. I’m sure you’re familiar with this one.” [b]Contrast[/b]: “I’m going to kill you!” [b]Unity[/b]: “I’m afraid that’s not possible. You see, I’m not even on the ship anymore. I had already unified with Proximity and now I’ve used her Principle to create an escape portal. And now, I’ll be taking Dominance with me.” [i]A portal began to form underneath [b]Dominance[/b] and transported him out of the [b]Omninavus[/b] as his body continued to heal.[/i] [b]Unity[/b]: “You took everything from me, Callow. I only wish that I was there in person to see the same thing happen to you.” [i]The words began to fade from the minds of [b]Contrast[/b] and [b]Alignment[/b]. [b]Alignment[/b] slowly turned to face [b]Contrast[/b] in the empty hall.[/i] [b]Alignment[/b]: “If that’s the case, then I have no reason not to destroy this place, nor a reason to spare your life.” [b]Contrast[/b]: “You cocky little—“ [i][b]Contrast[/b] was immediately silenced as [b]Alignment[/b] dashed at him and grabbed him by the throat. He held [b]Contrast[/b] in front of him as he ran through the ship at blinding speeds, busting through every wall he could find. [b]Contrast’s[/b] body was used as a battering ram until finally, [b]Alignment[/b] ran him through the window in the hall, sending them both in midair outside of the [b]Omninavus[/b]. The ship then exploded above the two, causing large hunks of metal to litter the sky like stars. Immediately after they had jumped out, [b]Alignment[/b] threw [b]Contrast[/b] all the way to the empty ground of [b]Gray Sector[/b] and lifted his arms up to the sky. Strings of golden energy began to extend from his fingertips and to the clusters of metal above. Each string wrapped themselves around a single piece of metal, only to jump to another and repeat the process. One by one, [b]Alignment’s[/b] strings tethered themselves to the large metal clusters until eventually, all of the remnants of the [b]Omninavus[/b] were connected in a massive web of golden string in a matter of seconds. [b]Alignment[/b] swung his arms forward and the entire web of metal clusters was sent flying to the ground where [b]Contrast[/b] lied. He raised his cane up to the incoming metal storm and used his Principle to turn it all into a massive swarm of wasps that began to fly upwards back to the golden man. Once again, [b]Alignment[/b] raised his hand and from the fiery explosion that filled the empty, gray sky emerged his ball that came flying into his hand. The second he grabbed it, he threw the ball through the center of the swarm with a force strong enough to scatter every wasp away from the space he occupied. The ball led a trail of golden light and smashed into [b]Contrast’s[/b] chest, causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood and the ground beneath him to crack apart. Finally, [b]Alignment[/b] landed over [b]Contrast[/b], preparing to deliver the final blow until he felt something press against his stomach. He saw Contrast’s cane touch his stomach as [b]Contrast[/b] weakly smiled. [b]Alignment[/b] then fell over and began to vomit profusely as the golden glow he emitted faded.[/i] [i]Epilogue continued below[/i] [spoiler]Fades Away[/spoiler]