Alright, I've finally found some time to release the next chapter which brings this arc to a definitive end.
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"Looks like I really have no choice." He sighed heavily as he tapped into the additional powers he had as the system control of the Hollow Bastion system.
"No choice but to vanish, yes!" Tartarus mocked as he brought his broadsword down in another fierce attack.
"You really have a way too big mouth." Tron retorted and jumped over the slash, landed on the blade of the sword with enough force to slam it into the ground and then threw his disc loaded with some system energy directly into the red-haired boy's face.
The disc exploded as Tartarus screeched in pain and tried to go backwards, but he noticed in shock that he couldn't move.
"What did you DO?" His red eyes fixated Tron with a hateful stare.
"I cut off your process' access to the CPU and freezed your procedures." Tron stated matter-of-factly. "It may be doomed, but this system is still under my care and I won't allow any damage to the user-world."
Abyss floated down before CLU.
"I do not intend to waste much time. Perish!" His voice had turned so deep that it sounded as if coming directly from the grave.
"Void Shear!"
The scythe grew tremendously in size and was cloaked in black energy as Abyss swung it down directly on CLU.
Throwing both discs at her for a distraction Rinzler disengaged from Scylla and jumped between Abyss and CLU, pushing the latter out of the way.
The attack first scraped Rinzler, cutting off his entire left arm and shoulder in the process before the scythe's blade ran through the floor of the hall producing a huge gash making everything tremble.
Just one millisecond later everything the attack had hit erupted in massive geysirs of Darkness, throwing all combattants away in different directions.
Braig could barely hold on the terminal besides the gate to the black box.
Rinzler was obviously deeply wounded and it looked like he would derezz at any moment.
Tron rushed over and immediately used one of his Administrator privileges to start a quarantine procedure that kept Rinzler in his current state before CLU could do anything else.
CLU threw his disc at Abyss in fury. "Damn you damaging a useful tool like Rinzler like that!"
The skeletal demon took one step aside to dodge, but was surprised by the disc projecting an energy net restricting his movement.
"You really think this can hold me for long?" He snarled.
Despite the black helmet blocking it, Tron could somehow feel that Rinzler was staring at him and did so in return.
Something about him feels so incredibly familiar...what's that?
"Ugh." He suddenly felt a painful twitch in his chest.
"What did you do?" CLU inquired as he reached them.
"Saved him from deresolution by protecting his remaining code." Tron answered calmly and looked sternly at CLU.
"The corruption is spreading rapidly throughout this system, many programs and functions have already been derezzed and I fear that soon the central system core as well as my administrator functions will be afflicted as well. These hybrids, whatever they are, are so powerful they might even be a threat to the user-world and the system you originally came from."
CLU's angry expression changed to a more neutral one as he realized the extent of the danger Tron was describing.
"So in short, this system is doomed already. Then what do you propose we do? Considering that the others may also be able to "evolve" like that, we simply cannot win through battle to escape."
Tron had waited for that, waited for the moment he could broker a truce with CLU and, if everything would play out as he hoped, enable the later rebirth of the system without any threat from CLU and whoever he worked for ever again.
"I will take them on all four, with every function and system privilege I have at my disposal as long as they still function. You use that time to flee with Sark Z and Rinzler back to your own system, then cut all connections between it and the Hollow Bastion system for good so that nothing can seep through."
CLU grunted. "Hmph, I should have expected a self-sacrifice from someone like you. After all, you are a copy of the original Tron and he had the same, illogical tendency."
"One day, we will meet again CLU, and then I'll unveil the truth between all your cryptic remarks." Tron declared with conviction.
On this, CLU roared with laughter.
"Oh, I doubt that considering what you're about to do. But well, I accept your "plan"."
"Doubt all you want...in the end we'll see who is right."
With these words, Tron loaded up another system procedure and teleported Sark Z out of the way of a joint attack by Scylla and Charybdis, switching places with him.
He re-created his identity disc enlarging it to a shield and activated an own light sword with a shining white blade.
Blocking Scylla's scythe with the shield and Charybdis' fan with the sword, he activated the same procedure he used to stop Tartarus.
"Ghh...this can't be!" Scylla screeched.
"A clever course of action, I admit." Abyss' grave voice cut in as the skeletal demon slowly walked towards Tron, the scythe held diagonally before his chest as the last remnants of CLU's energy net were dissipating around him.
"But it won't help you for long. The corruption our arrival spread in this system will destroy that weapon of yours in time as well."
"It will be enough to achieve what I want to achieve." Tron explained with confidence.
"That's what you think." Abyss stated and immediatelly rushed forward slashing at Tron.
He dodged, countering with a swing of his own light sword that rebounded off Abyss' bony structure.
"Your puny weapon can't hurt me in this form!" He declared boldly and punched Tron away with a sudden backhand slap of his skeletal fist.
Watching the fight with interest as well as the frozen other three hybrids, CLU allowed himself a grin before he turned to Sark Z.
"Do you get our escape route online already, you useless junk program?"
"That user has cut the complete connection to our system, reopening it takes some time."
"We do not have time!" CLU barked impatiently.
"How lucky then that I managed to open an alternate route. What's the matter over there?"
The stern face of Madame Destine appeared in a new floating screen.
"This whole system here is going down the gutter, we could grab some of the data but not much while Rinzler got heavily damaged." CLU answered coldly.
"If we do not react quickly, the corruption of these weird hybrid programs may also cross over into our system." Sark Z added grimly.
"Then get your digital buttocks over here pronto!!!" Destine snarled in a sour tone. "Dillinger! Once they are back on our side, immediately cut all connections to the system at Hollow Bastion." She continued without even turning to look at him.
Forcing Sark Z to carry Rinzler, CLU ignored the woman's outbursts and took the datacard with the few data they could acquire before vanishing in a swirl of data, catching a last look at Tron who was battling Abyss in his "evolved" form.
"You're only delaying the inevitable." Abyss snarled as he advanced on Tron with several slashes of his scythe.
He however simply disengaged, dodging every single attack and all the while moving closer to the portal of the black box.
Braig realized this and aimed his arrowguns.
Tron jumped over Braig with a big somersault, dodging his shot.
"What? Ugh."
With a very fast roundhouse kick directly in the lower back Tron send Braig flying forwards, directly into one of the coming attacks from Abyss.
"Master!" Despite frozen in place, Scylla, Charybdis and Tartarus could still see and speak.
"Tsk, as if." Braig snorted and used his powers over space to teleport out of the way, appearing right beside Tron before the Terminal beside the portal.
"Already back? Well, I guess I have some incentive for you to get moving again." Tron stated bluntly as to Braig's horror he ripped the mini-computer out of the terminal.
"Give that back!"
"Catch it if you can!" Tron retorted and threw the computer away into the center of the hall like a frisbee.
"You digital son of a!" Braig cursed as he teleported again.
"Annoying. Perish at last! The skeletal demon snarled with contempt, creating a ball of dark energy within his free hand and blasting it into Tron's direction.
The system control program blocked the projectile with his light shield.
So far, so good. The corruption is right now destroying the surveillance system of the town and the sensor procedures. That means it'll soon reach the Claymore defense system and will also infect Cid's terminal in Merlin's house. However it means that the kernel and the most basic system procedures as well as the boot sectors are still safe.
That user's mini-computer has already downloaded much of the additional data of the blackbox, so there should now be quite some room inside that blackbox.
Time to start it!
He tossed his light sword towards Abyss and raised his hand above his head.
"Start data transfer."
Braig had just catched the mini-computer and landed on the floor again as the floor itself suddenly began to glow and disappear in hundreds of fibrous light threads.
"What the hell???" Braig started to fall.
Abyss lost his foothold too as the part he stood on vanished, but the demon jumped forwards and landed on the platform directly before the portal.
"He derezzes the whole sector!" Charybdis cried as her frozen form started to fall down an endless abyss of data streams.
"Brother, do something!" Scylla screeched at Abyss.
Abyss, nightmarish face had a mixed expression of anger and shock.
"You delete the system yourself before our corruption can do it?"
"Precisely. If I am doomed either way I can at least take some of you with me and prevent further damage to the user world or other systems." Tron answered in a calm tone.
Just continue thinking that and all will work out in the end!
"Bro! Will you get some help going here already?" Tartarus yelled in total fury from below.
"Just you wait, I'm not yet done with you!" The demon pointed a bony finger at Tron.
Abyss was surrounded by a purple aura as he turned and dived into the endless chasm that was the hall before, going after his three siblings and Braig.
"This is certainly NOT how I imagined this mission ending. Damn it!" The one-eyed man flounced around involuntary as he fell further and further, tightly gripping the mini-computer in one and an arrowgun in the other hand.
As Abyss appeared right beside him, he dismissed the arrowgun and gripped the extended hand which was a very unpleasant feeling since it was only skeletal.
"You have downloaded nearly all data to that mini device?" Abyss asked.
"About 90%, yeah, only 10% of the data is missing plus the system backup, but we don't need that one. What's the big idea?"
"Ending the whole charade." The demon answered in a dull tone as he shortly tapped a finger of his other hand on the mini-computer, the scythe meanwhile floating behind his back.
There were three flashes below Braig and Abyss as their fall came to a sudden halt, both standing on a purple floating platform made by the demon's energy.
A savage roar made Braig nearly trip as Scylla, Charybdis and Tartarus appeared floating around him with auras of their respective circuit-colors illuminating them, all sporting their advanced forms which only barely still resembled something human.
Eek, gross. Braig gulped as he took in their appearances.
"Scylla, Charybdis! Ensure that the Master gets out of here! Most data is in that mini-computer, so we'll have to return there!" Abyss snarled.
"Roger, and what about you and Tarti?"
"Well, what do you think? We'll smash that annoying Tron guy!!!" Tartarus roared and he flew upwards, spreading two enourmous, fiery wings that emitted little wisps of flame in all directions.
Abyss followed immediately, warping in something that looked like a black hole.
At the portal Tron had by now all crucial system procedures transferred into the black box.
It's time, now, the last thing remaining to insert are, my own memories.
A crashing sound behind alerted him as Tartarus landed, a hideous demonic creature that Tron couldn't even try to describe. They are certainly NOT programs.
"It's over now! Whatever you try to do it won't prevent your end!" Abyss snarled.
"That may be so, but I have done everything that I could hope to achieve in this situation." Tron declared as he dismissed all his weapons and functions, also transferring them into the black box. "For the last transfer, the terminal won't be needed anymore." He continued as he smashed it with his fist.
"Enough chatter. Perish!" Tartarus and Abyss said in unison as they charged and stabbed their weapons right through Tron, destroying him.
As he started to fade, Tron had a slight, content smile, much to Tartarus and Abyss surprise.
So that's what deresolution feels like. Not as bad as I'd thought it would be. I've played all my cards, but if they were played well will be decided by others. Right? Yori...Sora, it's up to you!
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LIX. A final decision - Part II
Meanwhile Tron continued to evade Tartarus' frenzy of attacks.
"Looks like I really have no choice." He sighed heavily as he tapped into the additional powers he had as the system control of the Hollow Bastion system.
"No choice but to vanish, yes!" Tartarus mocked as he brought his broadsword down in another fierce attack.
"You really have a way too big mouth." Tron retorted and jumped over the slash, landed on the blade of the sword with enough force to slam it into the ground and then threw his disc loaded with some system energy directly into the red-haired boy's face.
The disc exploded as Tartarus screeched in pain and tried to go backwards, but he noticed in shock that he couldn't move.
"What did you DO?" His red eyes fixated Tron with a hateful stare.
"I cut off your process' access to the CPU and freezed your procedures." Tron stated matter-of-factly. "It may be doomed, but this system is still under my care and I won't allow any damage to the user-world."
Abyss floated down before CLU.
"I do not intend to waste much time. Perish!" His voice had turned so deep that it sounded as if coming directly from the grave.
"Void Shear!"
The scythe grew tremendously in size and was cloaked in black energy as Abyss swung it down directly on CLU.
Throwing both discs at her for a distraction Rinzler disengaged from Scylla and jumped between Abyss and CLU, pushing the latter out of the way.
The attack first scraped Rinzler, cutting off his entire left arm and shoulder in the process before the scythe's blade ran through the floor of the hall producing a huge gash making everything tremble.
Just one millisecond later everything the attack had hit erupted in massive geysirs of Darkness, throwing all combattants away in different directions.
Braig could barely hold on the terminal besides the gate to the black box.
Rinzler was obviously deeply wounded and it looked like he would derezz at any moment.
Tron rushed over and immediately used one of his Administrator privileges to start a quarantine procedure that kept Rinzler in his current state before CLU could do anything else.
CLU threw his disc at Abyss in fury. "Damn you damaging a useful tool like Rinzler like that!"
The skeletal demon took one step aside to dodge, but was surprised by the disc projecting an energy net restricting his movement.
"You really think this can hold me for long?" He snarled.
Despite the black helmet blocking it, Tron could somehow feel that Rinzler was staring at him and did so in return.
Something about him feels so incredibly familiar...what's that?
"Ugh." He suddenly felt a painful twitch in his chest.
"What did you do?" CLU inquired as he reached them.
"Saved him from deresolution by protecting his remaining code." Tron answered calmly and looked sternly at CLU.
"The corruption is spreading rapidly throughout this system, many programs and functions have already been derezzed and I fear that soon the central system core as well as my administrator functions will be afflicted as well. These hybrids, whatever they are, are so powerful they might even be a threat to the user-world and the system you originally came from."
CLU's angry expression changed to a more neutral one as he realized the extent of the danger Tron was describing.
"So in short, this system is doomed already. Then what do you propose we do? Considering that the others may also be able to "evolve" like that, we simply cannot win through battle to escape."
Tron had waited for that, waited for the moment he could broker a truce with CLU and, if everything would play out as he hoped, enable the later rebirth of the system without any threat from CLU and whoever he worked for ever again.
"I will take them on all four, with every function and system privilege I have at my disposal as long as they still function. You use that time to flee with Sark Z and Rinzler back to your own system, then cut all connections between it and the Hollow Bastion system for good so that nothing can seep through."
CLU grunted. "Hmph, I should have expected a self-sacrifice from someone like you. After all, you are a copy of the original Tron and he had the same, illogical tendency."
"One day, we will meet again CLU, and then I'll unveil the truth between all your cryptic remarks." Tron declared with conviction.
On this, CLU roared with laughter.
"Oh, I doubt that considering what you're about to do. But well, I accept your "plan"."
"Doubt all you want...in the end we'll see who is right."
With these words, Tron loaded up another system procedure and teleported Sark Z out of the way of a joint attack by Scylla and Charybdis, switching places with him.
He re-created his identity disc enlarging it to a shield and activated an own light sword with a shining white blade.
Blocking Scylla's scythe with the shield and Charybdis' fan with the sword, he activated the same procedure he used to stop Tartarus.
"Ghh...this can't be!" Scylla screeched.
"A clever course of action, I admit." Abyss' grave voice cut in as the skeletal demon slowly walked towards Tron, the scythe held diagonally before his chest as the last remnants of CLU's energy net were dissipating around him.
"But it won't help you for long. The corruption our arrival spread in this system will destroy that weapon of yours in time as well."
"It will be enough to achieve what I want to achieve." Tron explained with confidence.
"That's what you think." Abyss stated and immediatelly rushed forward slashing at Tron.
He dodged, countering with a swing of his own light sword that rebounded off Abyss' bony structure.
"Your puny weapon can't hurt me in this form!" He declared boldly and punched Tron away with a sudden backhand slap of his skeletal fist.
Watching the fight with interest as well as the frozen other three hybrids, CLU allowed himself a grin before he turned to Sark Z.
"Do you get our escape route online already, you useless junk program?"
"That user has cut the complete connection to our system, reopening it takes some time."
"We do not have time!" CLU barked impatiently.
"How lucky then that I managed to open an alternate route. What's the matter over there?"
The stern face of Madame Destine appeared in a new floating screen.
"This whole system here is going down the gutter, we could grab some of the data but not much while Rinzler got heavily damaged." CLU answered coldly.
"If we do not react quickly, the corruption of these weird hybrid programs may also cross over into our system." Sark Z added grimly.
"Then get your digital buttocks over here pronto!!!" Destine snarled in a sour tone. "Dillinger! Once they are back on our side, immediately cut all connections to the system at Hollow Bastion." She continued without even turning to look at him.
Forcing Sark Z to carry Rinzler, CLU ignored the woman's outbursts and took the datacard with the few data they could acquire before vanishing in a swirl of data, catching a last look at Tron who was battling Abyss in his "evolved" form.
"You're only delaying the inevitable." Abyss snarled as he advanced on Tron with several slashes of his scythe.
He however simply disengaged, dodging every single attack and all the while moving closer to the portal of the black box.
Braig realized this and aimed his arrowguns.
Tron jumped over Braig with a big somersault, dodging his shot.
"What? Ugh."
With a very fast roundhouse kick directly in the lower back Tron send Braig flying forwards, directly into one of the coming attacks from Abyss.
"Master!" Despite frozen in place, Scylla, Charybdis and Tartarus could still see and speak.
"Tsk, as if." Braig snorted and used his powers over space to teleport out of the way, appearing right beside Tron before the Terminal beside the portal.
"Already back? Well, I guess I have some incentive for you to get moving again." Tron stated bluntly as to Braig's horror he ripped the mini-computer out of the terminal.
"Give that back!"
"Catch it if you can!" Tron retorted and threw the computer away into the center of the hall like a frisbee.
"You digital son of a!" Braig cursed as he teleported again.
"Annoying. Perish at last! The skeletal demon snarled with contempt, creating a ball of dark energy within his free hand and blasting it into Tron's direction.
The system control program blocked the projectile with his light shield.
So far, so good. The corruption is right now destroying the surveillance system of the town and the sensor procedures. That means it'll soon reach the Claymore defense system and will also infect Cid's terminal in Merlin's house. However it means that the kernel and the most basic system procedures as well as the boot sectors are still safe.
That user's mini-computer has already downloaded much of the additional data of the blackbox, so there should now be quite some room inside that blackbox.
Time to start it!
He tossed his light sword towards Abyss and raised his hand above his head.
"Start data transfer."
Braig had just catched the mini-computer and landed on the floor again as the floor itself suddenly began to glow and disappear in hundreds of fibrous light threads.
"What the hell???" Braig started to fall.
Abyss lost his foothold too as the part he stood on vanished, but the demon jumped forwards and landed on the platform directly before the portal.
"He derezzes the whole sector!" Charybdis cried as her frozen form started to fall down an endless abyss of data streams.
"Brother, do something!" Scylla screeched at Abyss.
Abyss, nightmarish face had a mixed expression of anger and shock.
"You delete the system yourself before our corruption can do it?"
"Precisely. If I am doomed either way I can at least take some of you with me and prevent further damage to the user world or other systems." Tron answered in a calm tone.
Just continue thinking that and all will work out in the end!
"Bro! Will you get some help going here already?" Tartarus yelled in total fury from below.
"Just you wait, I'm not yet done with you!" The demon pointed a bony finger at Tron.
Abyss was surrounded by a purple aura as he turned and dived into the endless chasm that was the hall before, going after his three siblings and Braig.
"This is certainly NOT how I imagined this mission ending. Damn it!" The one-eyed man flounced around involuntary as he fell further and further, tightly gripping the mini-computer in one and an arrowgun in the other hand.
As Abyss appeared right beside him, he dismissed the arrowgun and gripped the extended hand which was a very unpleasant feeling since it was only skeletal.
"You have downloaded nearly all data to that mini device?" Abyss asked.
"About 90%, yeah, only 10% of the data is missing plus the system backup, but we don't need that one. What's the big idea?"
"Ending the whole charade." The demon answered in a dull tone as he shortly tapped a finger of his other hand on the mini-computer, the scythe meanwhile floating behind his back.
There were three flashes below Braig and Abyss as their fall came to a sudden halt, both standing on a purple floating platform made by the demon's energy.
A savage roar made Braig nearly trip as Scylla, Charybdis and Tartarus appeared floating around him with auras of their respective circuit-colors illuminating them, all sporting their advanced forms which only barely still resembled something human.
Eek, gross. Braig gulped as he took in their appearances.
"Scylla, Charybdis! Ensure that the Master gets out of here! Most data is in that mini-computer, so we'll have to return there!" Abyss snarled.
"Roger, and what about you and Tarti?"
"Well, what do you think? We'll smash that annoying Tron guy!!!" Tartarus roared and he flew upwards, spreading two enourmous, fiery wings that emitted little wisps of flame in all directions.
Abyss followed immediately, warping in something that looked like a black hole.
At the portal Tron had by now all crucial system procedures transferred into the black box.
It's time, now, the last thing remaining to insert are, my own memories.
A crashing sound behind alerted him as Tartarus landed, a hideous demonic creature that Tron couldn't even try to describe. They are certainly NOT programs.
"It's over now! Whatever you try to do it won't prevent your end!" Abyss snarled.
"That may be so, but I have done everything that I could hope to achieve in this situation." Tron declared as he dismissed all his weapons and functions, also transferring them into the black box. "For the last transfer, the terminal won't be needed anymore." He continued as he smashed it with his fist.
"Enough chatter. Perish!" Tartarus and Abyss said in unison as they charged and stabbed their weapons right through Tron, destroying him.
As he started to fade, Tron had a slight, content smile, much to Tartarus and Abyss surprise.
So that's what deresolution feels like. Not as bad as I'd thought it would be. I've played all my cards, but if they were played well will be decided by others. Right? Yori...Sora, it's up to you!
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Wanting the next chapter now! haha!
