Read Part 6 first: https://forum.arcaneodyssey.dev/t/part-6-of-my-ut-aa-crossover/
Part 8: Part 8 of my UT/AA Crossover
Broken Soul
A human soul was much more powerful than a monster soul.
And if a monster absorbed seven human souls, they’d become incredibly powerful.
So…what about one? Or half ?
That was what Chara was thinking.
If she could find a way to give part of her soul to Asriel…she could save him. And it would fit with the prophecy—she’d become weaker, but Asriel would become stronger.
But how could she do it?
She looked towards the battle lines.
It looked as if some of the soldiers had turned against their friends…no.
They’d died, and had fallen under the control of—Durza?
As she watched, the leader, Valencia, froze.
She shouted to the battlefield, “Thorne! Where is he? If he’s dead—”
The man with the green magic, who seemed to be one of the best fighters there, shouted back, “He’s not Undead. He used too much of the Void—he’s part of the Void now. He didn’t die to Durza, he disintegrated!”
They went back to fighting, but as fireballs crashed into the defenders, she wondered if she would get out alive.
A blond-haired man summoned brightly glowing yellow orbs that crashed into one of the people they were fighting. He quickly followed it up with by holding his hands up towards the sky. They flashed, and a moment later, a massive ray of light crashed down onto the same figure.
“We can’t keep going like this!” he shouted. “They’re too strong. Even with the reinforcements…well…it’s not likely we’ll win.”
As he said that, she watched a fireball crash into the lines again, killing a monster—Papyrus, her friend, her mentor.
She looked down at Asriel, dead, slowly crumbling to dust.
A massive explosion made her look up again.
Gaster had summoned a massive Gaster Blaster, and the beam that had just shot from it had caused the explosion—and, it didn’t look like the enemy that had gotten hit was having a very fun day.
Sans summoned a massive fleet of Gaster Blasters, combining their beams into one as strong as his father’s was. It slammed into the same enemy.
Asgore shouted, “Target the one we’re targeting! It’ll be easier to have one down before we move onto the other!”
The defenders shot various magical attacks, with varying degrees of effect.
She looked down once more at her best friend.
Her soul…her energy. She grimaced. She didn’t want to, but…
“Gaster!” she shouted over the clamor of the battlefield.
He glanced at her. “What?”
“Is there a way to…halve your soul? And give it to another person?”
Gaster blanched, if you can say that for a skeleton, with fear. “You’re not thinking of giving part of your soul to Asriel, are you?”
“I am. I know it’s dangerous, but…”
There was a long silence, and then Gaster turned back to the battlefield and ran over to Asgore and Toriel.
There’s no way Mom’s going to let me do this, is there…? She might want to try to save Asriel, but…
The three conferred, and then Gaster broke away and walked back towards her, as the other fighters battled on.
“You know how to visualize your soul, right?” he asked.
“Yeah…” she responded, unsure where this was going.
“Can you visualize it appearing in your hand, like you do with a blast?”
“I can try…,” she said. Then she realized where this was possibly going and knew she had to give it her all.
She envisioned it in her mind, as she already knew to do. Then she imagined it moving to her hand and splitting into two halves.
It radiated power and a bright red light. Then, the light abruptly dimmed, and a shock ran through her. She felt like she’d lost part of herself.
And she had, in a sense, because her soul was now split in two.
Gaster looked at her. “You were never one for patience.”
He jogged back to the battlefield and summoned blasts at the two enemies.
She envisioned one of the halves returning to her.
Then she pressed her hand, with the other half in it, to what was left of Asriel’s body.
The soul was slowly absorbed, and his body began reforming.
He stirred and looked up at Chara.
“What…happened? Why am I alive?”
She smiled at him. “I gave you part of my soul. Remember the prophecy? That I’d get weaker but someone else would get stronger? That was talking about this!”
Asriel struggled up. “Well…let’s see if I actually am stronger!"
Hope
A massive lightning bolt crashed onto an already-weakened Morock Creed.
Enemies and defenders alike were blown back by the massive explosion.
Aaron’s eyes widened. He knew where he’d seen that before. It had been much weaker then, of course, but…Asriel had cast it. He looked behind him.
Asriel had gotten up and was firing blasts at Morock, and though they were less effective than the first burst of uncontrolled power, they were still quite powerful.
Chara rejoined combat as well, though she was less powerful now.
More fireballs rained down on the defenders, slamming into the lines.
Some of the Admirals fell, as well as two others. One was Averill. The other was Aaron’s mother.
A piercing scream tore through the chaos of combat.
“ NO!”
Aaron stared, aghast, at his mother, burning on the ground. With the last bits of thought he had left in him, he realized something. He had failed to protect his parents.
But that meant that they would be able to defeat Durza.
You will succeed but fail at the same time.
He had failed. Now he was destined to succeed.
His black hair and eyes tinged blue as every part of his soul gave its power to his Inferno Magic.
He dashed forwards, summoning his naginata , charging at Morock.
He shot upwards, propelled by a burst of flame under him. He backflipped in midair, slashing his Inferno-covered naginata at Morock.
A blue line appeared in the air where Morock was, before bursting in a flash of light.
Morock fell to the ground and disintegrated.
Aaron guided himself to the ground and dropped to one knee, using his naginata for support.
The defenders now focused their attention on Prometheus. They knew it was possible, not least because of Aaron and Asriel, but also because of the fact that Theos, Juniper, and Angel had almost done it, and this time they had several Curse bearers and two superpowered magic users.
Aaron brought his naginata down, creating a slash of fiery energy that sliced into Prometheus.
Sans and Gaster shot a barrage of bones that stabbed into Prometheus. [Reader note: Earth Magic is a literal chunk of earth and that can hit Trigno, so…skelebois’ bones are the same.]
Trigno summoned a pillar of magma by Prometheus’ feet.
Undyne shot a barrage of spears.
Asgore and Toriel combined their powers to create a massive fireball.
Asriel and Chara sent a blast of Determination in unison, creating a massive red explosion.
Freedrock sent a web of green light that cracked the ground with its force.
Valencia shoved the Undead god far back with her shockwaves.
But even with all that, Prometheus remained standing.
He unleashed all the power of his Promethean Flame onto the attackers.
Undyne sighed, brought to her knees by the massive blast.
“Ngh…I…I failed everyone. Asgore, Toriel, Aaron, all the people in this world.”
She stood up, shakily.
“But…we’re so close. I can’t give up. Not yet. Not until my soul has become dust on the wind.”
Within her, her soul began to pulse with a steady red light.
“And when it does, I’ll bring this—thing—with me.”
She looked up, at the massive figure of Prometheus, looming in the sky.
She smiled, even as her figure wavered.
And then it didn’t.
A pillar of red light surrounded her, transforming her.
Eyes now glowing fiercely red, she shot up into the air and summoned a colossal, bright red spear.
It shot towards Prometheus, engulfing him in a red light, vaporizing him.
And then an energy beam hit her, turning her into dust as well.
Standoff
A powerful voice boomed over the battlefield.
“So…you managed to defeat my Undead. But…you forget. I still remain, and I am far more powerful than anything you have faced so far!”
The defenders grimaced. Durza was right…they couldn’t beat him.
But then…
A brilliant radiance lit up the darkening battlefield.
Aaron, cloaked in a bright blue flame, stepped forwards.
“I can handle this. Everyone else, get to safety!”
Everyone gaped; Toriel yelled, “No! Aaron, you can’t! You’re the one who needs to get to safety! You, Asriel, and Chara!”
Aaron turned to face her. “No. I can do this. Now—go!”
With the small fragment of Gravity Magic he had left in him, he teleported everyone else to Thorne’s stronghold in the Sixth Sea.
He faced Durza, a fifteen-year-old boy against an ancient man who had shattered continents.
“You really think you can beat me, boy ? I defeated the Cursebeard. I defeated the War Phoenix. And now, you dare presume that you are more powerful than me?”
Durza summoned a ball of Storm Magic and hurled it at Aaron. Where it landed, wind suddenly howled and just as suddenly dissipated.
But Aaron was no longer there. Instead, he was spinning his naginata and swinging at Durza from behind, the resulting explosion knocking Durza into the ground.
Durza growled deep in his throat. “So…perhaps I have underestimated you…but you still cannot defeat me!”
He shot upwards, towards Aaron, zipping around him, and then quickly fired a barrage of Equinox Magic at him.
Aaron narrowed his eyes. A moment before the attack would have hit, he whirled his naginata , deflecting the attack back at Durza, who dodged it easily with his Speed Curse.
A chunk of ice sped towards Aaron, who shot a massive blue fireball that engulfed the ice and hit Durza full on.
Aaron flew upwards, towards Durza, and threw his naginata like a spear, which was shattered in an instant by a bolt of blood-red electricity.
But the diversion served its purpose, and Aaron spun and kicked Durza in the back, sending him earthward, and then summoned the naginata back to his hand.
He summoned a beam of fire that barely missed Durza, who was now shooting massive chunks of ice at Aaron.
Expecting them to melt, Aaron didn’t dodge until it was too late, and the ice shattered against his skin and threw him higher.
He winced, but continued fighting, hoping against hope that he could win.
Durza summoned a massive flash of light, blinding Aaron. He tried his best to sense Durza’s location, and when he felt Durza was close, unleashed a fiery explosion.
Durza fired bolts of lightning, some of which he dodged. But others struck, and they stung, especially against the cuts from the ice.
He retreated, landing and dashing into the Headquarters.
Absorbed
He ran into the Headquarters’ bunker and slammed the door behind him.
Why did I think I could do this? He defeated the most powerful man in the world—how would I stand a chance against him?
Out of nowhere, a strangely familiar voice answered.
Just believe in yourself. That—more than anything else—is the most powerful substance in the world. Believe in yourself, and don’t give up!
Aaron smiled.
Alright, Dad. I’ll try my best.
The bunker shook, and the doors began to weaken. Aaron prepared a fireball that steadily grew in size as the doors weakened further.
They exploded inwards in a spray of metal, and Durza walked in.
Aaron released the now-massive fireball, which exploded in a burst of searing heat and blinding light. Durza screamed with rage and—pain?
Aaron followed up with a massive eruption of flame, and as he cast it, it dawned on him that something about his magic had changed as he strained to control the fireball.
He was now in the possession of the magic form of an ancient Curse—Promethean Inferno.
Or was it the magic form? For now that he looked, he wasn’t using magic circles to cast the eruption of flame. But it had to be the magic form…right?
Durza stepped out of the cloud of smoke, seemingly staring off into space.
“So…Hades is…allowing Prometheus to help you…that means that he no longer needs me…alive…. No matter. I’ll kill you whether or not you have a Grand Fire Curse.”
He focused a beam of pure energy and sent it at Aaron, who countered with a beam of his newly bestowed Promethean Inferno Curse.
The beams clashed in midair, Durza’s beam slowly pushing Aaron’s back.
But they were both surprised at how long it took Aaron to be overpowered and slammed hard against the steel wall of the bunker.
Durza summoned a massive block of ice around Aaron, but now, with his Curse, he managed to melt the ice.
And then a sharp spike of ice struck him below the left shoulder, making him cry out in pain. It had happened far too fast for him to react, and even if he could have reacted, he didn’t know how to become one with his Curse.
He held a hand to the wound, cauterizing it with the heat. He knew, though, that he’d have to end this soon or the pain would start getting to him.
He whirled his naginata above his head and slammed it into the floor, point first.
If I get out of this alive, I’m gonna owe Asgore for all his training sessions.
A whirlwind of blue flame whirled around Aaron. In the constricted space, Durza had two choices: flee or continue to fight.
Durza backed out of the room and looked down at the floor.
“Kill me, then. End my torture at the hands of Hades. He’s given you the means to do so, hasn’t he? End me, and please…defeat Hades!”
Aaron stared. Torture at the hands of Hades?
“…What?” he asked.
“I was a young, magicless child, until he gave me the Absorption Curse, gave me the means to massacre everyone I have. Power corrupted me. Now he’s given you the Promethean Inferno Curse, the means to defeat me, for better or for worse. So use the means. And I pray, to whatever gods are left, that he will not corrupt you as well.”
Conflicting emotions rushed through Aaron’s head, fighting to be at the top of a massive pile.
This man killed my parents. But…Hades forced him to…? Or…no. Hades simply let him… But…
He looked at his hand and summoned a ball of condensed flame, more powerful than anything he’d summoned before.
“All right…but…how do I find Hades? Tell me that, at least!”
“Go to the ruins of Mount Olympus, in the Seventh Sea. Be watchful. The dark god is more powerful than anyone even me.”
Aaron let out a breath. And he held out his hand, releasing the fireball, letting it shoot towards Durza.
A massive explosion.
All the curses Durza had collected over the years flew to different parts of the Seas, some lost forever to the endless oceans, others settling on land.
All except the Absorption Curse.
That one flew towards Aaron.
He gasped as he saw it and, most of all, felt it. A rush of power coursed through him. He knew exactly what Durza meant, and he was determined not to be corrupted by its power.
Perinto
Aaron exited the Headquarters, his hair and eyes returned to their normal color, and summoned fire to allow him to fly towards Thorne’s stronghold.
He soon caught sight of the massive castle-like structure, reminiscent of the Arcane Government Headquarters he’d just left.
Landing gently on the shore, he headed up towards the massive gates, manned by two soldiers that, at this point, were probably there as decoration more than anything else—what good would they be against Durza, if he had come here?
As he walked closer, a deep voice called out, “Halt! What business do you have here?”
“I’m looking for the fighters that came here maybe…two hours ago?”
“The fighters? You mean Valencia and the others?”
Aaron nodded. “Yes.”
“You’re Aaron Gates?”
“Yes.”
The guards stepped aside from the gates. “They’re… waiting … for you in the fortress, in the center of the city. You can’t miss it—just walk straight forwards from here. Tell the guards there who you are.”
Aaron passed through the city gates and entered the vast civilization that was Thorne’s capital, Perinto [per-IN-toe].
Just as the guards had said, there was another large gate in the city center, leading to a castle.
The guards there escorted him to a large meeting room where the defenders were gathered, discussing something in low voices. The moment Aaron entered, all the heads swiveled towards him in one motion.
Valencia was the first to speak. “Aaron! You—you survived!”
He smiled. “So it would seem.” He grew grimmer. “It would also seem that I need to go and kill a god. Hades.”
“Well, if you managed to defeat Durza…”
Aaron sat down in an empty chair. “Well…no. I didn’t, not exactly.”
Freedrock shot a deeply disturbed look at him. “You mean he’s still out there?”
Aaron took a deep breath. “No. He’s dead…but I didn’t exactly defeat him, at least, not alone.”
“Huh?”
“According to Durza, Hades “no longer needs him alive” and let Prometheus give me a Grand Fire Curse.”
“You have a WHAT?” Everyone from that dimension exploded, while Asgore and the other monsters looked on in confusion.
“A Grand Fire Curse. Promethean Inferno. Oh…and…the Absorption Curse.”
Everyone just stared at him. Finally, Valencia spoke. “And…you got the latter how? ”
Aaron explained how it had flown straight at him, one curse and one place out of hundreds, almost as if it had been guided. He also mentioned what Durza had said about being corrupted by Hades.
When he finished, Valencia nodded.
“So…now you must defeat a being more powerful than who we thought was our most powerful enemy.”
Aaron nodded grimly.
“But…I’m not going to go anywhere just yet. Mount Olympus, the home of the gods…it’s a fortress. It would be suicide for me to try to take on Hades. So…I’ll keep training. Try to find someone who’s experienced enough to train me. There was that one bounty hunter…Torren? And…live with the Dreemurrs, if that wouldn’t be too great a burden for anyone. They were quite kind to me for the short while I was with them.”
The Dreemurs in question beamed, as did the rest of the monsters. They, as well as Valencia, were quick to voice their approval.
But Chara pointed something out. “So, you’re going to use your Gravity Magic to travel between dimensions every day? That would be a bit hard for you, don’t you think? I mean, no offense, but you knocked everyone out when you got us here!”
Aaron groaned. He hadn’t really thought about that, but… “I can do it, I think. I’ve gotten a whole lot stronger, strong enough that it shouldn’t be too hard for me anymore.”
“If you’re sure, Aaron…” Toriel said worriedly.
“I’m not, not at all. But it’s worth it, to be with all of you—” he gestured at the monsters, “instead of here, where my parents are dead and, well…I have friends, but I can’t very well fit into a group of normal kids when I’m that one Grand Fire Curse bearer who defeated Durza, can I?”
“Well…”
And then Freedrock realized just what Aaron had said a minute ago.
“Aaron! Did—did you say ‘Torren’?”
“Yeah…why?”
“Torren Corvus Cross?”
“Are there any other Torrens who are bounty hunters with the Darkflame Curse?”
“So you’re really thinking of finding him and asking him to train you?”
Aaron nodded, wondering why Freedrock looked so disturbed.
“Well…I know Torren. Or…no. Knew him would be a better word. But after he found the Darkflame Curse…I just didn’t know him anymore. He went around the Seas with the singular purpose of getting stronger. Perhaps he dreamed of defeating Durza.” He paused. “If you aim to seek him out, be careful. I don’t know what he’s like these days…but he may well simply attack you on sight.”
“It’s worth a try, isn’t it?” Aaron asked.
“Perhaps. If you’re truly determined to go through with this plan of yours, head for the town of Dalim. It’s close to here, but very different.”
“How so? And how will I find it?”
“It’s a place constructed of arcane magic. Dark and light, constantly clashing. The only people who live there are extremely powerful mages. As for getting there…well…I suppose I could guide you there, just to see if Torren has changed at all since the last time I saw him…”
“Okay! Thanks! So…when can we go?”
Freedrock looked around at the rest of the table. They all nodded, allowing him to guide Aaron to Dalim and Torren.