Empty Threats

Night Two Hundred And Eight

Age 1991

Gladious City...

The Hotel...

Captains Room...

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Watch it woman!" Hero yelped.

"Stop moving Hero." Mary hummed.

Currently Hero Law, Ken Red, Mary Law, Katrina, and Jackson Storm, were all in a room in the back. After the double attack that had happened Master Storm sent his four beasts out looking for Vil, and the female Kitsune. Hero however was now in a back room with his Captain and father/mother. Mary held a large needle like object with a scale on it stabbing it into his red arm.

"So uh... What's up with Hero's red arm..." Ken frowned.

"Equations are those white Marbles that we have." Jackson hummed. "Typically they start off with one or two powers but as the user grows so to will those powers... They evolve. I started off with the Storm family Cursed Life power of controlling lightning however as I fought it evolved to use weapons as well forming them from my lightning. Sometimes our Equations will gain more Cursed Powers such as Dawson's flames with his demon armor, or Hero's arm shifting weapons... They will stop evolving though when they reach an Equations synchronization Rate Limit of 100% and once at 100% that Equation is at its full power. However... There are some who can force past their full power. Some who can transform into a new state to gain even more power... They go beyond 100% and step into a new realm. The Level Two."

"It would seem Hero has reached that level." Mary hummed looking down at the needle in his arm. The blood in it swirled around as the scale it up. "You're Equation Synchronization Rate Limit is now 101% in terms of power... Your right arm is now at its max power and won't grow anymore. No new weapons, nor any new powers, I'm afraid. From now on if you want to do more you'll have to hop into that Level Two form."

"But..." Ken frowned. "When Hero did that he was taken over by Row..."

"My guess is his body can't handle his new burst of power." Mary hummed. "I'm sure Angel told you about it right."

"Y... Yeah." Hero nodded looking down at his arm. It was all red and demonic looking even in his normal state. Like someone sowed someone' arm onto him. Like it wasn't his. "We get stronger through fighting. Our body gets faster, stronger, more durable and our Equation keeps growing. The more we recover from death the better we get but Angel told me that had a risk."

"That's right." Mary nodded. "Your power jumped past the limits your body could handle and you didn't slow down but instead pushed it further... Those... Vision you claimed you saw... I don't know if any of that was real... You claim you were in the Void but I didn't feel anyone enter it... I think that was all in your head. Of course you claim you entered a new area as well and saw other versions of yourself that claimed they made you... I think that is false but who knows... The main point is your power became to much. Both your body and mind had no idea what to do and it..."

"My body let Row out right... Because he could handle all that power."

"That's right. As soon as you tried to level up it was to much. For a moment you fell asleep and entered nothingness. When that happened Row took over as he was the only person in your head. He stepped forward. He existed again... That power was his..."

"So then I still don't know what my level is do I?" Hero asked. "That arm Ken saw... That was Row's arm not mine." He frowned. "So then... I wonder what my level two is-"

"Hero." Katrina sighed. "I forbid you from using that power."

"But-"

"Your Equation might be strong enough to level up but your body and mind aren't... Whatever your level two state is your body can't handle it. If you level up again you could let Row out... And I doubt he'll simply take a nap this time..."

"I kind of agree..." Jackson said sheepishly. "Sorry Hero but that's far to risky... Maybe when you're stronger you'll be able to not crash when you use that but for now..."

"But then what the hell am I supposed to do." Hero hissed. "My Equations level One isn't going to be strong enough." His arm shifted into its clawed hand. Now that it was at 100% it had reached its true form shocking everyone in the room when they saw it. It was still large and his clawed arm looked almost the same as it always did but now... Now it was covered in thick sturdy black metal rather than that faded gray. It was clean with a dark blood red bird like feathers and dark black claws with red flames instead of green. At the elbow various black pipes jutted out of it small puffs of red flame slowly flowing out like water. "So this is my clawed arms final form?" Hero frowned.

"So cool!" Ken said grabbing the arm. She let out a loud yelp and jumped away staring down at her palms which were burnt. "Ow! Holy hell it got a lot hotter!" The metal had steam slowly rolling off of it and covering the air around Hero.

Hero frowned and closed his eyes. The arm glowed and it shifted into his Cannon form. "I... I think Hero is packing some serious heat now..." Jackson gulped. The cannon was a lot smaller and slicker now. Just like his clawed arm it was now a slick black color. It looked more like a futuristic rail gun then a cannon now. Hero then switched to his Drill arm. This one looked like his clawed arm but instead of a large hand it was a black drill lit up by red energy. Next was his Mourning Star which thankfully looked the same though instead of a gray faded metal it was made out of the black with red energy. And lastly was his...

"Whoa." Ken said with wide eyes.

"That's uh... That shield doesn't look very heroic anymore." Katrina frowned.

Hero's arm, the Shield of Justice, was one of his few arms that seemed to still be the same. The entire arm was the same as it had been in his past version with only a few small changes. Just like his others the metal was now black and slick and the hand instead of being a strong fist was slicker with claws. Instead of his green flames it was a blood red, and the shield had gotten larger... And attached to the shield itself was a demonic face on it. The mouth of the demon head was open and the eyes of it glowed with a ruby red color.

The sight of the face made Hero scowl. And for a moment he recalled Hero Otoko's words.

'I'll do anything to save this world. I'll even become a Devil...'

"I won't be a Devil, and I won't be a Dragon like Row, or Otoko." Hero said shaking his head. "I'll just be Hero... I'll be human..."

"Wow." Ken hummed. "It's so edgy and black..."

"Hero." Katrina said grabbing his shoulder. His arm reverted back to normal. Well as normal as it could be with that strange red brown arm. "I'm proud of you... I really am. Even if you can't use that Second Level, your arm has finally reached its form. Your power. Yourself. You... Not Row, not any other Hero that may or may not exist, not that female Hero. Just you. Hero Law."

Hero stared down at his hand for a moment. "Right..." He nodded. "But that's it right... I'm not going to get any new weapons, no new powers I can pull out of my ass, now new upgrades... Just this until I can manage that level... Kind of..."

"Ha! I can still grow stronger." Ken announced. "At this rate I'll leave you in the dust."

Katrina let out a sigh crossing her arms. "Everyone else has been placed into a new room. Why don't you two go see them. And rest?" She asks. "I've got to talk to Jackson and Mary..."

"...Right..." Hero nodded grabbing Ken by the arm. Him and her quickly marched out Hero holding her arm with one hand, and a bag of clothes in the other hand. They left into the hallway as he looked around. "I need to enter the void."

"What?" Ken asked turning to look at him.

"I need to talk to Row."

"He's in your head right?"

"He was but he's not talking anymore?" Hero hummed. "And last time this happened..." He shook his head. "I just need a moment..." He took a seat in the hallway out of sight as he slowly set down. He folded his arms and closed his eyes.

Ken let out a sigh and set down in front of him doing the same. "I've only been here when I died... How do I-"

"Say no more."

"What-" Ken spat out a glob of blood her eyes going wide as Hero rammed his left hand into her chest and stabbing through her heart. He slowly pulled it out as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell down lifelessly...

Meanwhile...

In the Void...

"You asshole!" Ken yelled standing up in the ocean of red as Hero suddenly appeared out of thin air. She smacked him upside the head as he shrugged.

"I figured it was the easiest way to get you in here..."

"Dying hurts! You ram your hand through my heart!"

"Hey at least it was a quick death."

"Asshole! Also! Where the hell are we?"

"What-" Hero's eyes went wide as he looked around. They weren't in the red lake anymore. Now instead they stood inside of a small wooden room with a young boy in the bed. The boy had snow white hair and was laid back a single ruby red eye opened. Next to the bed Yume stood. "Oh..." Hero said giving a smirk. "Good... I don't have to look for you."

"Uh... Who's that?" Ken whispered. "I've seen that man but that boy looks like..."

"That's Row."

"What! That's Row! But what about that hunk in the white suit?"

"That's the same Row, but this is the real Row... That adult Row is the astral projection he uses... There's three of them. This sleeping boy is the real one... The one in the white suit is also the real one which the sleeping boy is controlling, and the one in the black suit, which I can't seem to find is the fake one that I, or Row, or Nightmare, made..."

"...What?"

"My powers are f##king weird."

The wooden room seemed to shift. The bed in front of them vanished and now he stood. Row Law, the man in the white suit standing next to Yume. "Hero." He sighed. "Why are you here."

"I didn't really come to talk to you." Hero hummed.

"What?"

"Though why I'm here... I need to ask. Did I really talk to an Otoko here. Or other versions of myself?"

"Honestly I don't really get it myself." Row hummed. "You went to a layer past even the Void. A Layer not even I dare to go to because that 'thing' is in there. Rather what you saw was your own mind playing tricks on you, that damn squid trying to confuse me, or maybe there really are other Hero's, and other Void's... Who really knows..." Row chuckled. "By the way... Where's the other me?"

"You don't know either?" Hero hummed.

"No... I don't like it... Not knowing where others are..."

Hero turned his back on his other self giving a half wave. "Uh... So why are we here?" Ken asked.

Hero held his right arm out his fingers slowly wrapping around the air and shocking Ken when he seemed to wrap his fingers around the space in front of him. "Oh. I came to see him."

"Him?"

"Yeah. He thought he could hide in here and watch me. But I've felt him in my head before. He's not hiding in my head this time. Are you God?" Hero pulled down ripping the space in front of him apart. There was a massive boom as the space around them broke away and everyone stared in shock at the mass of black shadows that reached high into the air. God's shadow standing before them.

"W... What the hell!" Row yelled stumbling back.

"Y... You didn't know he was here?" Yume asked.

Ken's eyes were wide as she stared up at the black shadow. "Wait..."

"Oh by the way Ken this is your God." Hero smirked.

"How the hell did you sense him when I couldn't!" Row yelled grabbing Hero's shoulder.

Hero turned back and gave a smile. "How many times counting this has God been in the void?" Hero asked.

"What?"

"Think about it." Hero hummed. "When I saw Otoko I knew something was off."

"What the hell do you mean?" Row spat out.

"Just answer the question."

"...Three. One time when he was with you and that fake Row. The second time when he was with Otoko, and now the third time." Row sighed.

"Two."

"What?"

"He's only been here twice. Once with the fake Row, and me, and now this is the second time." Hero turned away and looked up at the mass of that black shadow. "Isn't that right big guy!"

A low rumbling seemed to explode out around them and Ken let out a loud eep grabbing onto Hero's arm and pulling herself behind him. "You speak the truth Hero Law..." A low rumble blasted out of the massive pillar. "You are correct."

"So why are you spying on me." Hero sighed.

"...I... Was... Bored..."

"I thought so." Hero snickered.

"You're acting very calm considering you're talking to a person you claimed you'd kill." Row frowned.

"I don't think you get it Row." Hero sighed. "Here. I'll make it clear. Yo God. Do you know who Hero Otoko is?"

"I do not..."

"Wait what!" Row asked his eyes going wide.

Hero turned to look back at Row giving the smallest hint of a smile. "Hey. Looks like I know something you don't." He stuck his tongue out at the boy which growled. Hero turned to look back at God. "Alright Big Guy. One last question. You've seen Daughter right... I felt you going through my mind and learning my secrets."

"I... Do... Know... Her..." The booming announced.

"Good." Hero said staring up at the mass of black shadow. "I've failed so much. Again, and again, I've been on this damn quest to find who I am, who I want to be, do I crawl forward, or stay the same, are there other Hero's, how do I beat God, and Row, and what do I do, but for now I don't care about any of that. The only thing I want to know God... Should I kill Daughter."

"Hero!" Ken said in shock staring at Hero.

Row snorted. "I don't really get what's going on here but that question is obvious I think... The answer is a big yes. Yes a hundred times. Kill her. Kill that monster. She's dangerous. Far to dangerous to be kept alive. She has to die. She's made from the Squid... And if he ever learns that a piece of him is in this world... If he learns he's already here... Do you know what that could do... That could expand. Your damn creation could create a second Squid..."

"So." Hero stared up at God. "What do you think..."

***

"I can't believe you dragged me out before I could start talking to him!"

Kitsune, Irene, Light, Shelly, and Daughter, all turned to look at the entrance of the door as it was kicked open and Hero and Ken walked in. Ken seemed to be yelling out at Hero who had a smug smile on his lips.

"I mean... You jerk!" Ken huffed. She kicked Hero in his shins and marched over taking a seat next to the heavily beat up Shelly and Irene.

"Uh Hero... What..." Kitsune asked.

"Long story." Hero sighed. He was covered in bruises and burn marks. His white buttoned up shirt was still torn up being left open showing off his honed body and scars. His hair was caked in some blood and dirt and his lip was busted as well as a few burn marks all along his body. His right arm was that reddish brown color now and in his left arm he held a bag of clothes. Despite that though Hero gave a smile. "I heard you guys had some trouble as well."

"Yeah." Kitsune nodded. "Oh by the way Irene and I can do this badass cool fusing thing now. It's kind of neat..."

"Cool."

"I doubt this is over." Shelly sighed undoing her twin tails as she collapsed her head into Ken's lap. "I'm really banged up. Why is our Squad the weird one that's always getting attacked..."

Hero hummed as he handed the bag over to Daughter. "Here." He smiled. "I got these for you."