Yell, "Dead Cell"

Cain manifested with Solomon in his grip, releasing the man to the ground in a violent thud. It was restrained on Cain's part. The Dread God was difficult to anger-- as difficult as any other eternally patient being. But right now, he was absolutely furious. Solomon had been a busy person indeed. Seeking an audience with Death, searching for his friend? All harmless until they lead to this rift. This unstable tear into another story told that now bled into their world. Cain had the briefest urge to completely rend Solomon from existence, but repressed the sensation of unbridled rage. Solomon was a mortal gifted with incredible power, simply paying heed to his whims and limited perception.

He probably had plenty of idea what he had done. He probably, by this point, was at least just about to grasp that something very severe had transpired. "A mortal has not touched this plane in many years," came the monotone. "You would be the first." The moment he arrived, the other Gods would feel his call. Language was too slow. Sensation too meaningless. They would share in his dread, his righteous anger and desire to secure his wards. Ryuu would be able to hold off the phantoms from the projection of the Omniverse for many, many days if not weeks, but even Gods had limits, and versus other Gods? Even the shadow of the unimaginable possessed devastating strength. He had faith in Ryuu, but he was no fool.

Eden was a land rife with beauty and calm. Rich, lush vegetation as well as seemingly eternal sunlight-- Eden was really just a tide-locked planet, with one side forever facing the sun. Trees and landscapes that defied descriptionwere nothing less than common. This was a pristine, pure world. An example of what constant interference from the Gods brought. Eternal calm and beauty. But, nothing alive to enjoy it. A long time ago, it was the center of Suhb's empire and was absolutely bustling. Suhb had allowed for the suffering of mortal life. But it had been reclaimed from him as a seat for the gods to come and rest, to communicate with one another. This frightened the mortals. In only a few short generations they warred with on another as they tried to worship the various gods there. They wiped themselves out, despite the attempts by Gods to deter them.

Short of physically restraining them, separating them, and essentially removing their freedom to interact with one another they would not have been able to exist. Even the Gods were not above war, and that wouldn't be more evident than what would be drawing them in today. Despite appearances many gods were rubbed the wrong way by the various restrictions placed on them by the Basic Order Doctrine and some wanted clarification on what exactly they could and could not do from time to time. Eden served as a place to establish these things, though it had also been a place to hold Gods on trial. It also seemed appropriate that preparation for war would take place here. It was the closest thing to Holy Ground that existed in the Omniverse.

Solomon fell to the ground, landing on his feet and falling to one knee. He lacked the grace his power normally lent to him, he was too shaken to care. His hair fell over his face and he thought on what transpired, knowing full well what he had done. He had started a war, single handed. His friend was not his friend any longer, and the only reason James bothered to even ask Solomon to join him was to have more fodder to fight with. This was a being of pure power and malice, corrupted by the Black with an army of beings but the same only weaker.

A voice found it's way to Solomon's ears, and he slowly rose to his feet, raising his hand to take the hair out of his face. "I get that a lot." He said, seemingly having recalled his more apathetic nature. He looked at Cain and noticed Ryuu had stayed behind to fight, a noble task but Solomon was no fool. Ryuu would only be able to hold them for so long until he either fell, or they spread out to wreck havoc upon the verse's. Solomon was no longer a mercenary, but a soldier in his own aftermath. He would fight and save billions of lives.

The mercenary took out his gun, and his sword and dropped them on the ground. They would do him no good in fights to come, he has been part of many wars and he won't hold back in this one, especially if he comes to face to face with James. Energy crackled through his body and he snapped his neck, in a War of the Gods Solomon would fight like one. Finally he made eye contact with the fuming Cain, "James may be more powerful than me now, but he is still at his core like me and I was able to peer into his mind quickly before you took me. I know part of what he is planning and I know some of the things he is capable of, many of which will be detrimental to us. He is insane, completely willing to send any amount of beings to their grave in his attempt to control and then destroy our true Omniverse."

Cain raised his hand in a motion that should have been familiar to Solomon, indicating that he should calm down. The Dread God surveyed the man before him and shook his head. "I had not assumed otherwise," he responded to Solomon attempting to explain what he had seen. "This is an invasion, plain and simple. James' army has a half-life however. They are not true Gods. They are echoes of enemies from the past. They've already fallen once. They have one more among their number this time, however."

Cain was not attempting to sound arrogant or devalue the power of these false beings. Instead, he was stating why James would ultimately fail. "His Gods will decay and vanish into energy. He will be left alone." Cain hadn't moved when confronting Solomon. "He will be the wildcard." Cain had never experienced this phenomenon before, but the Core of the Omniverse had. he felt it's knowledge flooding into him, and all the potential methods of how to deal with the threat became apparent. Still, James was presented as an unknown, and could thwart most attempts to close the rift. This tear in space was different than any other, and it was in part due to the ones who had opened it.

"You said James you saw James' mind. Did he mention anything about the rift?"

"No. From what I saw, he knew nothing more about it than we do. He probably only hypothesized that it could happen... Other than that his mind was a mess of chaos of strangeness." Solomon dwelled on it for a moment before continuing to speak, making sure no detail went unnoticed just in case Cain figured out something he would not. "He was very much James, preferring strong arm tactics mixed with near unimaginable tactical genius which has grown to a point where he has probably considered any and every way for us to properly retaliate against him. If we take any conventional way to win this, we've already lost."

The thing that confused Solomon was still itching in the back of his head, other than being corrupted and insane something was off about James'. He continued to speak however, looking away from the God and rubbing his fingertips together as if using that motion to focus. "He knew you, or at least your phantom. He's fought against you, and Ryuu... he understands your tactics and how to combat you two. He knows his immortality doesn't make him unstoppable." His voice kept talking but he was simply relaying information, his mind was trying to put the last piece of the puzzle together, what made this James so different than any other time he was in his mind.

Everything was there, and then some. Voices that weren't supposed to be there. A memory of burning a planet, approaching it to see a tall figure with white hair and a sickening smile. It grabbed him, choked him and then he died. It replayed in Solomons head over and over again until it clicked.

"He knows you and Ryuu, he has an understanding of your tactics." He turns to face Cain with a clenched fist. "James prepared."

If Cain was one prone to displays of emotion, his brow would have furrowed. He wasn't afraid from the outset, and anger had faded into frustration before dissipating altogether. he was now completely calm, considering all angles as he should. From what Solomon had said, there was no reason to be totally afraid just yet. Death could deal with the issue outright, but was still reeling from its losses too much to be of any meaningful help. Ultimately, if James did destroy the universe it wouldn't matter to any of the three entities. All things return to them anyway, and the cycle would simply restart. 

It did matter to Cain however, particularly because the threat was completely external. While the gods under James'' employ would eventually decay, it wasn't absolute in how long it would take. At a minimum, it would be centuries, and a waiting game could see too many returned to the cycle before their original time. It would overload the now beleaguered Death and his Avatars, whether he realized it or not. At the same time, many gods will not want to be involved in a cataclysmic war again. The situation was precarious.

"Your words," Cain indicated. Language was so bulky and took much longer to convey information than he was used to. It was necessary due to Solomon's mind. The strength of a lesser God, and the mind of a mortal. A pitiful combination. "They imply that James fought us and lost the first time." Cain let that sentence linger before explaining.

"The Dalnigaril are Gods that caused a universal apocalypse, destroying countless dimensions and lives beyond your comprehension. As a punishment, these Gods were sealed in the very universe they had destroyed, never to return to the rest of the Omniverse. The seal has held for close to ninety-thousand years, with no sign of decay. They are immortal beings trapped in an infinite abyss of silence, driven mad by their exile. I know for a fact that the lingering decay of that universe would have changed their bodies. As James emerged with them, I saw faces that I recognized amongst the rabble, but bodies I did not. This is consistent with their banishment."

He motioned for Solomon to come stand beside him. "In that universe, we won. But if James is familiar with our tactics, it implies that he was there when the Dalnigaril were sealed. We can infer from his presence and seeming mastery over them that he was on their side. He has had close to ninety thousand years to analyze our tactics. Defeating him then will not be as easy as the first time that our phantom counterparts managed to do so."

Upon the dawn of this day Leonidas found himself to be journeying through the land of Eden.  It was a tranquil place, or it use to be...what once was a realm full of peace, now held the distaste of war and destruction upon its lips.

He had arrived in Eden a mere day before.  It was a nice escape for once.  He had been riddled with missions that had drained his energy thus causing him to desire a bit of a vacation...if one could call it that.

Chills crawled up his spine as he heard the nearby sound of a familiar voice...it was Cain.  He had one of those voices that stood out...no matter if Leo heard one thousand voices at the same time, Cain's was one he could still trace and point out.  Yet Cain was not the only one present.  There was another, one Leo knew not.  The void runner made his way, tracing the origins of the voices he heard, eventually leading him to the figure of Cain and this other fellow.

His teeth began to grind together as he was still not the fondest of Cain.  Was the other one possibly just as powerful?  They had no doubt been engaged in a battle of sorts.  Leo knew Cain's abilities, his vast amount of strength...he couldn't imagine another that would be dumb enough to face him, unless of course the other was as powerful.

For now the void runner merely stood to the side, far enough out of the way that their battle wouldn't affect him, unless he became otherwise engaged in the matter himself.

Solomon looked at Cain, "I'm glad you understand what I meant, but there is more. More than just James inside that monsters head. He has memories that our not his, I caught a glimpse of him killing the only witness to his coming into that other dimension, but I saw it from their point of view." As Solomon spoke he noticed a human nearby, but quickly found it meant them no threat and was more an ally than anything to them. He was not so surprised he had not noticed him before but when his mortality rises he tends to lose track of whats around him and only stay within his bodies senses. However now, his focus could be split any number of ways with an inconceivably small amount of thought and he also kept on Cain, making his point heard.

"With this information I believe James has devised a way to assimilate souls into his own, and due to the vary nature of his own soul, retain his being while gaining everything they were at the same time. Meaning every enemy James slays he himself grows in nearly ever aspect." It may not be true, it may be true but with what Solomon has seen he leans towards truth. James is too smart to act so cocky without knowing he has an edge over his opponent. This may be his edge.

Solomon wondered if he had such potential also. James and Solomon were one in the same in many ways, but James had hundreds of thousands of years to understand his power more than Solomon. How were they going to beat him... The Mercenary wanted to go at his brother but is he even capable anymore. If he did go against him, would he just become another soul for him to feed on.

"A troubling revelation, if accurate," Cain agreed. "We will need to relay this information across the Omniverse, and let the other Gods know that they face an incredible new threat. We should contact the Void Runners as well. They could lend their powers to this struggle and help ensure victory. We will require their help." His head turned towards the area where Leonidas was, indicating that he was aware of the man's presence but not acting on it. He didn't have the time to dedicate for things such as debating with the mortal again. 

"I will need to contact Radix and the Seraphim, as well as inform the Cherubim to keep their distance from the conflict. This same goes for the various demons and energy beings. James must not reach them, or his powers will only grow. I will call the Pantheon and the Region Guardians together soon. We will need to devise a suitable plan, but only after we have confirmed the threat to be held at bay. Ryuu currently has the upper hand against the Dalnigaril phantoms. They were no match for either of us in this world, and I doubt these charlatans are much of an improvement."

Solomon did not nod or make any movement other than putting his hands on two of his weapons and dropping them to the ground, then placing his hands in his pockets. He only ever wore them for appearances, plus it made it easier sometimes to deal with mortals in ways they can conceive. As they fell they hit the ground quite silently and then simply deteriorated to nothingness. They meant nothing to him in this war to come. No sword can compare to what he must do. 

With his hands in his pockets he turned away from Cain and just let himself think. Think of the billions that may die, and the many more who may wish they had. Heck, Solomon will probably not finish this without innocent blood on his own hands. 

There was a sad feeling inside of him, one where he felt almost complete with James back. The universe was now whole again, and then some. With James returned, the figurative and almost literal other half of the mercenary had returned also and he felt at peace almost. To think, such a monster is the only thing that is like you in the entire universe. Maybe it was meant to be. Like a prototype, they were meant to bash heads until only one survived and the universe will know. It was strange, but maybe they are just a test run for evolution. Something new.

Cain merely held onto his stillness, his internal sensations feeling out the conflict on the other side of the Omniverse. From what he could tell it was an absolutely brutal fight, and the Dalnigaril phantoms for all their power fell in droves to Ryuu blade. These disgusting creatures... Cain felt for the first time since he had sealed their real counterparts true, utter contempt. His fists clenched and his anger rose, and all at once his emotions stopped. The false Dalnigaril... their numbers had been cut to ribbons. A handful of the strongest and most powerful yet remained, but something horrible had shifted.

Cain did not speak, but a great sadness encompassed the air and energy around him. A legitimate mourning and feeling of grief weighed so heavily upon his shoulders that his head sank, and the temperture of the climate around him became freezing. The grass turned to ice, the clouds turned black. Moments later, snow and ash descended from the sky. Cain's own cloak became draped in frost and like Cain became still. The world fell silent as if it too could sense a great and severe pain from inside of Cain's breast, as though a horrendous emptiness that could not filled had pressed all warmth from his body.

"Solomon," Cain's monotone voice shifted into something dark. It became distorted and the world on which they stood rumbled. "I need a moment." Cain vanished and the world around him shook, leaving only a shadow lingering where he stood. In that same instant he returned, fully composed. The frost began to dissipate from the world around him as he exhaled greatly.

"Solomon" Cain said, in a tone unheard by Solomon from the lonely god. "I need a moment." With that he was gone, leaving behind a world that was an extension of his pain. Solomon had no idea was was going on, and held back from immediately asking when Cain showed up. He let the world be filled with silence, a complete and utter silence. The entirety of Eden was quiet, until there was a ruffling of Solomons clothes as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and he brushed some hair out of his eye.

"James has a sword, like Ryuu does but not nearly as powerful. Nothing like mine, a simple toothpick. James likes to call it his bloody Excalibur, but it is known usually in lore of the sword of King Arthur. Arthur was really just a man who could manipulate light and had a very big sword." Solomon had not turned to face Cain yet, his voice had a slight edge to it. Like he was speaking to someone younger. It was faint, but there. "James cut his arms and legs off with his own sword, and bathed the sword in his blood. It wasn't a big deal then, we were young and mercenaries had to do bad things sometimes. However, afterwards the sword was kind of special. As if the blood of it's owner cursed it. The sword was able to project a sort of beam that made whatever James' wanted into light." 

Solomon suddenly outstretched his arm and a ball of light bounced around in front of him, changing colors and doing everything light is born to do, "James couldn't control light for a few years after that, but after he got it back we figured out that Excalibur did not turn them into light but rather killed it. It destroyed light. It made you into this beautiful dazzling show, and then snuffed you into nothingness." 

"James has always been a monster. I just loved him too much to care. He was my brother, and I will cut his arms and legs off and soak that bastard blade in his blood. Nothing too bad, just what happens in war." Solomon said no more. He had a hard time remembering why he started talking but he was done his story

Cain heard most of what Solomon said, taking it into consideration but seeming to disregard it. "Please," he seemed to almost break the monotone again with a pleading tone, "do not bring up Ryuu. We currently have much bigger matters at hand to discuss." Cain let his eyes once more fall upon Solomon, mighty and unblinking as they glowed that acidic green. "Ryuu has reduced the Dalnigaril to but a handful," Cain raised a hand from under his cloak to show Solomon and open palm before slowly curling his fingers inwards, "and we will crush them."

His hand receded to his cloak, vanishing from view. "And yet, we must do it without Ryuu aid. My comrade has fallen, and I have already mourned. I must not dwell on the past," his gaze sharpened, "and neither must you. This is war, not vendetta. You've already caused one catastrophe by being completely and utterly selfish, unwilling to leave the buried alone. If you try to make this war you've started a personal battle, completely forgoing everything and everyone you've dragged into it by accident, incident, or circumstance who now have a stake as if you are the only one involved, I will rend you into a state of total non-existence." This was spoken in complete monotone as well. Cain very well could do this too- one little flicker of his power and the Omniverse could engulf him.

"Incidentally, I care not if you want to kill James. By all means, if you think you can, do it. You will not put yourself above others, and by the way you speak you are determined to make it as personal as possible. James is an incarnation of destruction. He destroys, and he is gleeful for it. He is not doing it to spit you. He is not doing it to spite me. These are simply circumstantial rewards. He acts on a compulsion, and like anything else with that much power and that much of a compulsion it must be destroyed or contained. As for me? I intend to end this conflict quickly.I will call a concession with my fellows and explain what has transpired. Afterwards, I will crush the remaining Phantoms."

With this spoken, he shut his eyes as he began to call out to other Gods across the Omniverse, summoning them to Eden. He reached out to the Void Runners as well, knowing that they could be of use too. Leo, having heard the two of them speak, could relay vital information to them and they could begin their work. Cain would subsequently begin his own.