As the conflict continues to deviate from the self-proclaimed embodiment of evil, the Brash Crew and similar parties repeat their all-out attack on Beta Diablo, switching up a few of their attacks just to keep him on his toes.

As Concrete stands pondering what to do, Eddie leaps onto one of the mushrooms to use as a makeshift platform over the lake.

The figure lets the Batton flee, and turns to face Concrete Man.
Wow, uh...thanks, little guy!
No need to thank me.
No, really, I just kinda had a lot on my hands and-
I mean because you could've done it yourself. You just didn't, so I did for you.
...
The figure - small and armless, with a lid on their head - begins to walk off. After a moment of hesitation, Concrete follows.
...I mean, yeah, I probably could, but it's not like the thing was gonna bite me-
If you're heading into the caves, expect anything to bite you as bad as the Glow.
As the...?
The freaks in yellow just a few miles away.
Oh.
As the duo continues to walk, a minute or five of silence is finally broken again:
Y'know, I didn't catch your name.
...
Eddie.

Concrete drops the stalactite, stepping back while holding his lantern tight...
When suddenly, the room is briefly lit up by a Capsule Bomb striking the Batton!
What the...?

*gasp*
Concrete Man tries to grab the stalactite with his bare hands before it can make impact!

Concrete Man slowly approaches the Batton...
Easy, now, little guy...

After finally calming down, Concrete takes a good look at the lantern.
...huh. Ain't the most practical design...
Concrete lifts the lantern.
...buut it'll have to do.
He then carries it with him as he slowly heads further into the cave.

Regaining his footing and putting his hand up to a wall, Concrete Man tries to shake off his blindness and figure out what's happening.

GAUGH!
Even more panicked than before, Concrete Man lobs a Deep Digger where he last saw the object before the flash!

Concrete Man runs into the cave, desperate to stay out of view of those leading the outpost.

Volt Man helps protect all allies, known or unknown, with a Supercharged Yotta Force Field!!
Nohoho begins handing out Super Capsules to help as well; he hands out doubles to organic allies, with Rika assisting the robots with a Machine Charge!
Chaos prepares to use his own abilities to boost any and all Water attacks aimed at opponents!
Silver Sonic II blasts Diablo with a Jolt Counter!
With the help of a Freeze-type attack boost from Chico's Guardian of the Temple, 'M FF unleashes an Aurora Beam!
Decant and Enemice HL go wild on the fiend with Flower Blasts and Neutron Blasts, as Schmitt backs them up with a barrage of Energy Slice A-Ranks! Even Saktira CC joins in with a Photon Hand!
As Shadow Hero Yoshi smacks Diablo with a Showstopper, Fang targets the archdemon with flaming Aerial Volleys!
King Dedede and Lulu, both additionally protected by Welding Barriers, team up to smash Diablo with an Exothermic, and the Moriya Trio do the same with the Spell Card "Moriya's Faith"!
Chunky Kong continues to wail on Diablo with Speed-boosted Primate Punches as Diddy backs him up with a Hyper Rocketbarrel!
Rumia and Daiyousei perform a Spell Card combo...
Anti-Prosperity "Contra Pagoda"
Elemental Mask "Shadow Mist"
...and immediately after, Gilgamesh and Shadow Digital respectively follow up with a Tidal Wave and Blade Line!
Tinker Knight begins shooting drills from the Tinker Tank as Li'l Miss Marshmallow lashes at Diablo with the Tinker Gouf Althaea's Heat Rod!
The Fighting Mecha Team continues pelting Diablo with RB-79 Ball cannons!
Demyx lets loose a Wave Gigs, Reverse Man chiming in at the same time with a Draco Meteor!
The Revolt Robots rapidly combo their move into each others', from Shark Boomerangs, to Bit Cannons, to everything in-between!
Crescendo goes in for a Cutting Edge without a second thought, Konngara following up with a Soul Flayer and Express Man chipping at the beast's energy with Express Blasts!
Orange launches a Delta Attack at Diablo, backed up by a Barrage Blast from Dangan Man!
Meta Knight, R.O.B., and Bandanna Dee blast another Trinity Dream in Diablo's face!
As Dual Lamia boosts the magician's power with a Panphagia, Dual Alice unleashes a Spell Card of her own!
"Violet Vorpal"
As the other Squeaks go nuts on the (insert word describing Beta Diablo here), Daroach flails Super Triple Stars at him rapidly!
Super Neo Metal Sonic aims hundreds of Photon Missiles straight up at Diablo!
And amidst it all, Dark Elf and Dyna Man take aim with a Clamator Aria and a couple of hundred of Supercharged Fantastic Blast Stage 3s!!

---

(Had to make this an image to save character space; might recap some of these in text form later)

...Yeah, that ain't the sound of a cave someone's living in.
His worries about intruding private property behind him, Concrete Man begins pulling off the rotten planks...

The figure Concrete Man gazes at the city from a distance...
Well, that's certainly a relief!
Concrete almost heads straight for the city, but stops to ponder.
...then again, it ain't like anyone knows me 'round here. Don't want another repeat of last time some folks saw my shadow an hour before sunrise...
He then turns to the cave, and checks the rotting wood.
(Ugh...right in front of the elements. Whoever put these here was either askin' for it or probably on their way out.)
Concrete Man carefully looks between the planks...

The heavy figure continues to scour the cliffs...

As the heroes' Power-Up objects circle Beta Shadow, Articact Mecha's own power-ups start to drift away as the cracks in his body grow...
No. No!
Mecha frantically tries to grab the artifacts as his body continues to deteriorate!
Reality is what I want it to be, and this isn't what I wish for!
Libra, Dyna Man, Volt Man, and Metal Sonic take a moment to turn to Artifact Mecha Sonic.
No, Mecha Sonic, it wasn't. And you may think this is my doing, or Kogasa's, or even Dyna's...but it's yours.
A reality of your own isn't enough. To disagree with others, to fight everything but the highest of rules to keep yourself all-powerful...
Libra limits the conversation to himself and Mecha for the first 14 words.
To decide that you could breach the fourth wall and attack those beyond it, to decide that you could prevent interference until it seemed convenient, even to decide that you could return from destruction before when nothing showed your survival*...
Perhaps one could reach your level with knowledge. But you've forced reality to give you that power in under a year.
Reality is simply fighting back.
Furious, but unable to speak, Artifact Mecha tries to claw at the Brash Crew...

...only to be blown to bits by a Supercharged Final Nuclear Detonator!!
With Mecha gone, the artifacts he was using begin to circle around Beta Shadow as well...

---

Nuclear Detonator RECAP: (Explode) The user throws a bundle of dynamite that explodes on contact, or upon remote detonation.
Supercharge Type: Flame
Power Levels: Default, Super, Hyper, Ultra, ??? ... ???, Final

---

*Recap (in order): Thread 1, Page 360, Post #9, Thread 2, Page 93, Post #10, Badnik, Regulus, and Beta Diablo Arcs in general, and finally Thread 1, Page 189, Post #13.

As the entire Brash Crew, Clockwork Alliance, Fighting Mecha Team, Squeaks, etc. (save for Sonic Man) brace themselves to either attack or defend at a moment's notice, Artifact Mecha begins to boost his own Starforce...
You really think you have power over the cycle?! Of all the corners of the worlds outside ours, with all the power heroes and villains alike can use?
Even if nothing remains in this world - this Omniverse - a new one will be built or taken in by the greatest here, and my brothers and I will return to-
Suddenly, even without any attack striking him, a piece of Artifact Mecha's body cracks and breaks off...
...what?

Struck by both Cranky Kong and Rhys, Artifact Mecha Sonic...doesn't even flinch. Instead, he begins to laugh.
Really? You thought all that time in Thomas' little mishap would help you? All that time throwing barrels and bouncing on your walking stick? All that time you spent in the guild, or the ball, or wherever the hell you're from?!
I have no stats. The only thing that will change any of us is whether we choose to live or die.
Using Mighty's Neo Beam-copied data, Artifact Mecha begins tearing Anti-Omni Starforce out of Beta Diablo, then uses the data from Ninja Yokai to slice into Nuru with a katana-like blade of his own!
And you know damn well what my choice is.
As Dyna and Volt continue to frantically strike Artifact Mecha, more Brash Crew members take aim at the behemoth as well, as does Super Neo Metal Sonic.

---

Kogasa and Dark Elf turn to Vangus, glaring at him with quiet rage.

As the ruckus unfolds inside the outpost, a quiet whisper bounces off the outside walls.
Sweet mercy...
Quickly covering their mouth after the near-reflex comment, the figure - portly, but also muscular - continues to creep along the cliffs surrounding the outpost, hiding themselves the best they can at their size.
(This place is looking worse all the time...the moment the sun's back, they're probably gonna spray paint me.)

Dyna and Volt rush to try and help Sonic Man, only to be held back by a Time Stopper from Mecha Sonic, who throws an Eraser Disc that slice through his Sound Bubblaja...and his torso!
The unprotected blaring noises and the gutpunch then launch Sonic Man miles away, the anchors sending him careening to the ground hundreds of miles away with a gaping hole in his chest!
NO!!!
As the rest of the Brash Crew, Clockwork Alliance, and wanderers just barely defend themselves from the energy blast, Volt and Dyna make a B-line for Mecha Sonic, Dyna grabbing him by the neck in the blink of an eye!
YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!
What? You think just because I put a hole in another of your brothers, I'm going to go down again*? Of course not-
Even as he tries making his voice clear amidst the bass boost...
SHUT UP!! JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE, AND NEVER COME BACK!!
All three completely tanking the energy blast out of willpower and/or rage, Mecha Sonic only slightly flinches as Dyna Man violently hits him with one explosive punch after another, and Volt begins to tear him bit by bit with his electromagnetism. Eventually, he falls back again.
Quit crying over spilt milk. We all know he'll live for one reason or another.
All I need to do is resurrect my brothers to rule alongside them, but in the moment it doesn't matter.
Mecha's artifacts begin to circle around him, glowing with power...
The gods are silent, and the devil has come to personally reap the world...
...as they transform Mecha Sonic into a titanic machine!
...but both will be forever cursed to bow down to a creation of their creations!

As Dyna and Volt immediately start striking with Psychoblasts and Metal Melders, Neo Beams fill the air, blazing through every Reaper and Pseudoreaper in the vicinity!!

---

Sound Bubble RECAP: (Sound/Shield†) Creates a barrier that absorbs any sound-related attack that hits it, and deflects any other attack with a burst of sound. Higher power levels allow resistance to more attacks, and the ability to use it to encase opponents instead.
Power Levels: Bubble, Bubblara, ???, Bubblaja

Psychoblast (Mind/Explode) An ability learned from Advancing Dynamite Blast. Dyna Man uses sheer willpower to create a psychic explosion at a location of his choice.
Neo Beam: (Copy/Laser) Created from data meant for Neo Metal Sonic. Unleashes a powerful laser that deals massive damage, gives the user a temporary affinity to any type-based abilities used by targets (Including Fake/Artificial Types), and copies a fragment of the victim's data.

---

*Recap (Regulus Arc): Team Mecha's first collective "death" was at the hands of Dyna Man following them forcefully corrupting (and torturing) Volt Man with a HEX Adaptor (Thread 1, Page 152, Post #6).
†Re-typed from Laser/Shield.