Regards From The Lombardi Famiglia

In the Lawless Land of Valparaiso, a place where many people from all walks of life came from all over the universe for various reasons to handle all sorts of illegal or criminal activity without repercussions, a new, never-before seen starship appeared. It had an elegance and grace of a luxury vehicle, with a smooth and sleek design not unlike a custom car. It was all black, and vaguely reminiscent of old-school mafia vehicles on Earth.

It landed before the Forbidden Hotel, Deadman's Den, the most luxurious and notorious establishment in all the Lawless Land. There was some suave, somber, Italian Jazz playing as several strange looking men with slicked back hair all exited. They entered the building, walking straight to the front desk to whomever the receptionist was. "Many pardons," a man with a thick New York Italian accent said, "We are advocates of the highly esteemed Advocate Of Space, Valerio Lombardi, Don of the Lombardi Famiglia. We're, uh... Here to see his daughter, Chita, for a, uh... Personal visit. With regards from her father." He cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. "Ya see, her power was felt during her awakening, and now, her father wants us to send her a, uh... Special Delivery regarding such things."

He didn't seem like a very patient man, but he did seem like he was reasonable. "We don't want no trouble, so uh, just take us to the Don's little girl so we's can give her the... Gift from her old man."

As it turned out, today, Terumi, the lad that was taken in by the Forbidden Hotel off of the streets of the Lawless Land, was working as the receptionist today. The other employees that he was somewhat familiar with as well as his boss were absent at present, and he needed the experience, since he mostly did maintenance work until he was ready. It was only so unfortunate that these guys were the very first people he'd ever greeted at the counter.

It took all of his strength to not tell them to get out immediately, but remembering he was still indebted to his boss, he wouldn't make a scene... This time. But he was already agitated from their interaction with him. "... Look, pal, I don't even know who that is that you're talking about. I've never even heard of any 'Lombardi' chick, or this boss you've got." He sighed in annoyance. "... Do you want me to get the manager...?"

It was easy to tell that this brat had an attitude, and that didn't quite sit right with the man who was delivering the message. "... Look, kid..." he said with emphasis, as if mocking how he responded to him, "... Don't get snippy with us here, yeah? Just go on and ask your boss about the Lombardi daughter and uh... Tell him that we gotta speak to her urgently. And make it snappy. Get it?" The others in the background looked somewhat aggressively at him, as if to intimidate and threaten him.

The other Valparaiso Denizens in the building at the time would look around as the situation escalated.

Terumi didn't take kindly to many things, but blatant disrespect was at the top of that list, for sure. As tensions rose, electricity started to surge intensely through him. Even if the enemy was stronger than him, he wasn't afraid to fight, just like when he first got to this place and was greeted with a warm welcome from the Valparaiso Denizens and an Otherworlder looking for a fight.

He was about to retort, when the thought gave him an idea. He saw the Valparaiso Denizens looking around, and knew that because they knew him, there was a chance that they'd help out, if given an opportunity. It could easily backfire, but it could just as easily work, given the whims of the Lawless Ones. He looked to them, making eye contact, then back to the guests before him. "... Ya know, I don't think I like your tone." Terumi rose from his chair, then looked to the Valparaiso Denizens again. "... So I think if you want to get your job done quickly and safely, you'll check yourself. This ain't your or your boss's place, so you'd better treat it with some respect."

If the Valparaiso Denizens would help, this would be the subtle signal he'd give for them to act in alliance.

At first, the man looked simply appalled that Terumi reacted this way in spite of the intimidation, and that made him laugh hysterically. "Hahaha! Lookit here, kid's got balls, eh!?" The rest of the men chuckled some, adjusting themselves into fighting stances casually. "... Hate to break it to ya, kid, but it ain't gonna go down like you think. Now, we tried to be nice to yas and let yas off with a warning, but now look whatcha did, huh?!" Each of the men drew forth strange looking weapons that were not native to this place, nor known about at all. "Guess we'll hafta rough yas up a bit, maybe smash up the place a bit... Then see if you're singin' a different tune, yeah?!"

But just as the men were about to use the weapons, the Valparaiso Denizens stood up sparsely, some deciding to intervene or involve themselves in the conflict. "... Buddy..." the man of a similar accent called out to the man, "... You ain't in Kansas anymore. You might wanna listen to tha kid and uh... Check yourself. Yeah?!" The Valparaiso Denizens rivaled the men in their appearances and shapes and fighting positions, but they did not brandish such fine foreign weapons. Even so, they weren't ones to back out of a fight, either.

Seems like none of the three parties were ones to stand down. So.

Guess it was time to throw down.

Truth be told, Terumi didn't completely expect the Valparaiso Denizens to respond at all, let alone in his favor. This more or less seemed like something they would ignore entirely, or be spectators of. But, lo' and behold, there they were, defending Terumi and the Forbidden Hotel.

Maybe he got some street cred at some point? He wouldn't know at all.

"... Yeah, what my boy said. We don't take kindly to that kinda bullshit around here, slick. In fact, I'm pretty sure that some words we live by here are 'Talk shit, get hit'." He was even more confident now with the Lawless Ones in his corner, so Terumi was pretty sure of himself. When he saw the weapons they had, though, he realized they did mean business. Each one looked pretty strong in its own way, and they were definitely foreign designs that didn't come from the Veritas. "... You know what? I think it's a good time for 'show and tell', right guys?"

Coolly, Terumi walked from behind the counter, as to ensure not to break anything with his initial move, despite knowing that likely the entire lobby if not the whole front of the building would be destroyed. He would do his best, but... He was itching to kick some ass.

With the cover of the Valparaiso Denizens surrounding the mafia men, Terumi would slyly pull aside one of them for a little 'chat'... Then let him know to spread the word to the others before Terumi swung back around to the middle of the lobby. "So, what, you wanna flip a coin to see who goes first, or...?" He seemed kinda nonchalant despite his aggravation. And as rebellious as he was, he'd grown to be less reckless under the tutelage of his employer, which was quite the achievement for the easily triggered Terumi. Now, even when triggered, he wasn't so hasty to act without thinking. "Hope you're not the type for cheap shots, though... That won't get you far in this neighborhood."

Now rather angry, the man mockingly laughed at Terumi with aggression, inciting followup laughter from the rest of the crew. "Oh, this kid!!" he shouted, assuming a formation with the mafia crew that would cover all of their backs, since they were surrounded by the Valparaiso Denizens now. "I like him, but he's too big for his britches. We gotta show him why he's gotta bow down to a professional, ya know?!"

They didn't at all seem concerned about the Valparaiso Denizens, but the man would whisper quickly to his team, "Cover me; I'm going for the kid," and then slipped off into the midst of them whilst they began an attack in order to make an opening by preoccupying the Valparaiso Denizens, so that he could slip through and straight to Terumi.

The weapons they brandished had strange cosmic powers, and were capable of utilizing them in various ways to fend of Valparaiso Denizens. Meanwhile, when an opening was created, the man running the outfit darted straight for Terumi, whipping out a black gun and firing at him. However, wherever Terumi moved, a projection of a gun that resembled the one in the man's hand, only made of some sort of light or energy, would fire at him as well. Everywhere he moved, a new gun made of the same substance would appear to shoot him instantly, and the previous ones would remain in place and then cover the other shots, so that when Terumi moved again, he'd have to dodge extra shots from the continually appearing guns.

All the while, mafia man continued rushing him, closing the distance, and firing at him to cover the shots of the extra shots, and close how many openings Terumi had to run before he was hit or more guns were made, even if the entire field was then covered with the gun projections.

The astonishing power of these weapons and this mafia crew was a bit of a shock to the Valparaiso Denizens, who were not expecting them to harbor such powers over space. Perhaps this 'Space Mafia' was something to be reckoned.

Still, they had confidence in their own skills, and would then start to shuffle themselves about each other, creating portals and afterimages of darkness in order to confuse their foes and keep them from being able to target or recognize where they were. Some of the Valparaiso Denizens that they saw were only afterimages, but it was unclear how many of them actually were illusions and which were the tangible people. Where they could, they'd get some hits and cuts in with fists and blades, but not consecutively -- only when they saw an opportunity to hit the blind spot, whomever and wherever it should occur, and then leave an afterimage in their place to draw their attention away so that another Valparaiso Denizen could take advantage of the new blind spot opening created by their comrade using their afterimage, then repeated the process until the crew was eviscerated by the distortions of Lawless Ones.

Terumi's lightning reflexes would easily keep him from being shot, even without him having to think -- dodging bullets was nothing. He'd grown accustomed after living in the Lawless Land for so long, and thought nothing of it, at this point. However, it did quickly become problematic when the gun projections appeared and gave extra shots. After the first few, he figured this out, and with quick thinking, he bolted straight through a straight path he'd created when he dodged and the guns appeared, which the head guy was running towards him through as if he had an opening.

Terumi thought and reacted much more quickly than he consciously kept up with, because his mind hadn't yet adjusted to his own natural speed and the speed of his abilities. With an overcharged mind, he picked up on everything quickly and intensely, but he didn't process it consciously, though subconsciously, he would still feed his ignorant consciousness through reflexiveness until he came to realization of how fast his mind was actually working when it was charged.

In addition to bolting through as a streak of lightning straight for the guy to rip right through him, Terumi had woven seals with his hands at lightning speed, creating laces around each gun which would seal them and their powers, each with a different and intricate seal that was sealing a different part, so that each gun was not bound by the same type of seal. To that extent, he would also, if he made direct contact with the man, seal his and his gun's powers, and also constrict his nerves so that he was paralyzed.

When he reformed again as a solid figure, he was staring at the Valparaiso Denizens giving the mafia crew the shuffle, and he smirked. "Damn, those guys are more resourceful than I thought." It wasn't uncommon knowledge in the Lawless Land about the Valparaiso Denizens who defied the Lightning God and the Dark Goddess and were sent to Hell for stealing the Powers Of Darkness, and then escaped Hell with the help of the Dark Goddess. It was actually a shadow legend around these parts, and plenty of people had respect for those Valparaiso Denizen veterans, and they taught their ways to the masses. It was amazing how far they'd come and how resourceful they were with only just that one power, and none others.

Maybe Terumi could get that good with his electrical powers...? Or maybe... The Dark Wolf...? Thoughts raced through his head, and he was stunned by his own thoughts for a moment, likely as an aftershock to his own overcharged mind being not really in his control. He didn't even realize it whilst in the midst of battle, because his thoughts were so intensely focused, detracting him from recognizing other things going on around him -- hence, the stun.

To the surprise of the mafia crew, these hood rats were actually pretty good. They were all definitely better than some common thugs or street punks. They clearly all underestimated these people.

But it didn't matter, because they had pure power on their side that they couldn't hope to match.

One of the mafia members had some sort of skin augmentation that, when activated, caused his skin to turn silver, and to become impervious to the mere blades and blows of the Valparaiso Denizens, preventing them from making such an opening. He would, as soon as one appeared to strike his blind spot, activate this augmentation once he got a feel of where they were going to move, and then would grab their head as soon as they struck.

When they were held in place, the silver skin augmentation extended around the Valparaiso Denizen's own skin, encasing them in the silver skin and suffocating them whilst also preventing them from being able to escape from it. Any other Valparaiso Denizen that tried to strike him would instantly be left open for another mafia member to take advantage of.

A shorter member with one leg raised into the air would immediately jump at whichever Valparaiso Denizen would strike the mafia member with the augmented skin that he hadn't grabbed and jab blades from his boots into their backs, forcing them to touch his body, and then allowing him to do the same as he'd done to the one he grabbed to the one the other member would stab into him, knowing the blade wouldn't pierce his fellow member and would pin the Valparaiso Denizen.

To deal with the remainder of the Valparaiso Denizens shuffling about their dark distortions, a burlier member of the mafia crew would brandish a large battle ax that had command over gravity, and would draw all of the entities -- distortions and flesh -- toward it with its incredible gravitational pull. That would leave openings for the rest of the mafia members to handle the lot of them whilst they were immobilized by the gravitational force, which would also dispel their afterimages and make clear the difference between them.

Astonished by how quickly they turned the situation around, many of the Valparaiso Denizens were quickly taken down, and their numbers thinned out greatly. They'd overestimated themselves and didn't expect these types of powers or this level of coordination from their opponents. Maybe these professionals weren't so bad after all.

Even so, the remainder of them were indeed pulled from their distortions and into an area of vulnerability, but what they didn't notice was that some Valparaiso Denizens had actually completely cleared out and disappeared from the area altogether, which was their actual plan in order to get them to attack. Sure, they lost a few comrades, but they knew what they were getting themselves into every single day in this place. So the ones that disappeared into the darkness would save their comrades and also appear behind the mafia members they could touch and hold their arms and legs when they weren't paying attentions, drawing them away or into the darkness, or simply binding them altogether.

None would touch the silver one, though, and would instead just draw all of the others away from him in order to isolate him, and keep them from regrouping. Teamwork makes the dream work for more than just organized criminals, and in this place, the Valparaiso Denizens had the edge all the time.

At that point, the man serving as the leader was faced with Terumi bolting through him, which would bind his power and seal the gun. He also felt the tearing, searing pain like an actual bolt of lightning skewering him, and he fell to the ground, dropping his gun. "Gah! Fucking hell... G-Get that kid--" When he turned to see his men, they were all seized -- all but the one with the augmented skin. "... Christ..." he groaned, using the last of his strength to throw himself before his only standing subordinate. "Yo, scoop me up! They ain't gonna touch you with your skin, so you gotta protect me! That kid... Did something weird and now the gun don't work. Don't let him touch you unless you're sure you can trap him."

Whether or not Terumi consciously knew, his overcharged mind was hypersensitive and picking up on everything and giving him the reflexive capacity to move unconsciously even whilst conscious. So once he picked up on the happenings around him, he bolted away by instinct, now at the front door. "... Huh. Guess it doesn't matter how professional you are against someone with refined natural skill and talent." Even Terumi's witty quips were reflexive, and his movements through life right now didn't at all feel like he was actually moving on conscious will -- it felt like his whole body, down to his very words, were just reacting to his own reflexes. He didn't think about anything he said or did, yet he always reacted to perfection, no matter how minute or grand.

But his consciousness felt... Surreal. Like it was trapped in a container inside of a machine on auto-pilot and watching it all go down. It was a strange feeling, but it also was a very new and deep feeling. One he wanted to explore.

But the Valparaiso Denizens weren't the only ones hidden in the shadows. In fact, they used their powers of darkness to go and get the manager... Who was the Dark God of the Veritas. So obviously, it was a pretty sweet deal, having the power of darkness and being able to communicate directly with the Dark God from the shadows.

He stepped forth from behind Terumi's shadow, his third eye opening and gleaming before his body formed from the umbra. "... You've Learned Well, My Boy..." he praised, his dark robe covering his body, like the slick black hair covered one of his tired eyes, "... And Who Would Have Guessed That The Lawless Ones Would Fraternize With You To Defend The Establishment? Well Done, All Around." With the mafia crew apprehended, Grimnyzmal, the Dark God and boss of the Forbidden Hotel, approached the men with his hands behind his back. "... Now Then, You Men Have Business Here With Me, I Presume? Why Have You Come Here? Explain Yourselves."

"Ah Goddamn it!" shouted the mafia man, "Guess we got got!" Frustrated as he was, he was impressed with the skill of these people, despite his initial thoughts of them. "... Okay. Okay. Respect, guy. You and your crew got the best of mine, so I'll tell yas, and we won't cause no more problems." He tapped the guy who had the silver skin augmentation and then hopped down.

"Valerio Lombardi, Don of the Lombardi Famiglia, has sent some gifts to his firstborn daughter, because he could sense her awakening out in the universe, and whatever. You know, cosmic shit." The guy shrugged. "So, as a coming-of-age type dealy, since she's apparently coming into the power of his side, he made duplicates of his weapons and told us to send them to her. Since his are signature to his essence, he made some that are the same, except for her and not him, and can be modified by her as she sees fit." The guy placed the gun before them. "This here is one of 'em. But uh, we's gotta actually see her face-to-face, ya see, because he also wanted us to help awaken the power of the Lombardi Essence in her, and accept her into the Lombardi Famiglia."

All in all, it seemed like it just some personal regards from her estranged Space Advocate of a father. "So, where can we find the little tyke, huh? As you can likely tell now, this is pretty important to the Lombardi Family."

Terumi snapped out of his daze when his boss appeared, and his body snapped into an alert stance, and he'd nod his head to Grimnyzmal. "... So you finally decided to show up, huh, boss?" Terumi snickered. "I knew you wouldn't let this go on for too long. But it must make ya proud that I handled something big like this all on my own, huh?"

Honing in on the conversation, he realized that they were discussing some sort of important business that didn't involve him further, and these guys didn't seem like they would get rowdy again. Even if they did, Grimnyzmal could handle these guys by himself. As curious as Terumi was, he didn't want to impose or try to get involved where he wasn't already. So he tended to the cleanup of the area, as part of his normal duties, and got back to work in the background. But, his senses were still supercharged, and whether he intended to or not, his ears became receptive to the conversation, and no matter where he went, they would adjust and attune to whatever was being said the entire time these mafia guys were still here.

Otherwise, though, he minded his business.

Grimnyzmal narrowed his eyes, humming softly, then closed them altogether. "... Very Well. I Do Understand Now What This Means." Grim knew of the previous matters involving the beings connected to the Tensei, which Terumi, who was born after the Veritas was created, did not know of any life beyond just his life in the Veritas. "... Please, My Good Men, Let Me Go Bring Her To You." He passed by Terumi, ruffling his hair. "Good Show, My Boy. Fine Job. You're In Charge Whilst I'm Out Temporarily." It wouldn't be too long at all, but it was symbolic of trust and affection.

He eventually fell backward into his own shadow and fell out of it into an upright position directly next to the one they knew as Chita Lombardi, who was now Tifaret Tensei. "... Young Tifa..." Grim chimed darkly, "... Your Father Sends His Regards. Come Now, Child, To Collect Your Gift Basket." He extended his hand to her and would transition her back to the Forbidden Hotel should she accept his invitation to take her to the mafia men.

Tifa was just chilling in the White Void, hanging out with Rita. She wasn't particularly busy with anything, and things in her life had hit a low point recently. So hearing about something like this was actually a stroke of luck for her. "... Oho Yeah?" Tifa chuckled with a smirk, "I Didn't Think That My Old Man Gave A Rat's Ass About His Firstborn Daughter, But I Guess That A Cosmic Child Has To Live Up To A Certain Cosmic Potential To Get Recognized, Yeah?"

Tifa snickered, standing up. She had thoughts now of perhaps taking over the Lombardi family to get back at her father for treating her like that, or to even come at him with a rival family with the Tensei, because they also had a mafia, and she was a Tensei now. Even more, she thought about taking on cosmic forces in order to prove her worth to her father, as well. Hell, she might just do all three.

"... Yeah, Lemme Take A Look At These Chumps, And See What Scrubs Pops Thinks I Can't Deal With." Tifaret would allow Grimnyzmal to transport her to where the Lombardi Mafia was stationed in the Lawless Land.

The moment that Grimnyzmal returned with Chita, the mafia man that did all of the talking before would greet her heartily. "Hahaha! So this is the Lombardi Princess, eh? I ain't never seent'cha before, so I wouldn't know whatcha woulda looked like, ya know..." He looked her up and down, and saw that she was a mighty fine beauty, and her body was tight and fit. "... Boy, you filled out nice, though, kid... Eh, you over 18, honey?" He was joking, but he was also not joking.

"But, uh, yeah, so you dad, Valerio Lombardi, wanted us to gift to you, Chita Lombardi, the duplicates of his weapons as per assigned to you rather than himself, as his weapons are. In addition to that, he wants to activate the Lombardi Essence in yas so that you can gain power from your father. So youse gotta use those weapons and the Lombardi Essence to fight the Lombardi Mafia. Capisce?" He was injured, and there was only one person left in the crew after what happened with the Valparaiso Denizens and Terumi, so what sort of threat could the Lombardi Mafia even pose if they couldn't handle non-cosmic beings using cosmic weapons?

But that was when... Some more men came into the Forbidden Hotel, and they were carrying the remainder of Valerio's arsenal made duplicate and signature for Chita, his daughter. They were spic and span, and they also were somewhat otherworldly, and didn't look like more common, regular people like the guys before. That's when the guy started talking again. "... Surely, you didn't think the Lombardi Famiglia was so tiny, didyas? Heh! Your father's got countless universes all dedicated to his cause, kid! You can't possibly even hope to take us all on without summoning his power from the Lombardi Essence!"

Seems that this was planned out a bit more deeply than initially perceived, given the new rationale made clear.

The trust that Terumi established between his boss and also the Valparaiso Denizens made him feel a lot more welcome than when he first started, and also a lot more at home. He never felt right when he was in the Veritas, and he suddenly ended up in the Lawless Land. So, being treated so kindly by those who were supposed to be outlaws was an experience that made up for whatever sort of luxury he would have experienced in the Mainland.

To that extent, when Tifaret appeared, he immediately felt something about her that kindled something inside of him, and he was completely stunned by her. He froze right where he was, paralyzed. He hadn't ever felt this way about a woman before, but her presence alone, not to mention her beauty, were enough to easily get him to doubt his own power and growth. Yet, he was enraptured by her, and felt a resonance between his own rebellious spirit and her.

He didn't think to intervene, because he couldn't get her out of his head now, and so he couldn't even muster up enough concentration to move his body.

"This Was To Be Expected," Grimnyzmal said blatantly. "There Was No Possible Way That A Space Mafia Wouldn't Have At Least A Few Galaxies Of Beings Under Their Command, Let Alone Universes If Powerful." Now, a fight like this was simple for Grimnyzmal, the Dark God, but as it were, Tifaret had only just come into her Goddess powers, and hadn't had much experience in them nor her cosmic powers.

But this was a rite of passage for her, so he couldn't intervene. He had to let her take care of this by herself.

"... Well Now, Lass. I Suppose That This Means You'll Have To Stop Your Father's Forces Now With The Weapons That Were Gifted You." Grimnyzmal sifted behind the counter, kicking his legs up and reclining in the chair. "I Trust That You'll Make Sure To Keep The Casualties To A Minimum. And Get Terumi To Help You With Cleaning Up Any Mess You Might Leave Behind." He closed his eyes -- all but his eternally open Third Eye -- and took a nap.

Gifted all these things randomly, Tifaret was a bit overwhelmed. "Woah, Hold On. What?" She grasped the intensity and severity of the situation beyond that, but there were a... Lot of fucking weapons, honestly. And they were fashioned specifically to her signature? Huh. "... Shit, Well... Fuck. Just... Hold On, Let Me Get Ready, Then..."

Rather than learn them all one at a time, Tifaret, in all her brightness and confidence, decided to take up the task of mastering all of them all at the same time. You know, since she was going up against a whole space mafia.

She equipped the 'Bladed Boots' first, exchanging them for the normal boots that she always wore.

Next, she would absorb the 'Silver Skin' augmentation into herself, so that she could command it at will.

Then, she grasped the lance-blade, Sunlight Heart, in her left hand, as her secondary weapon.

The 'Motor Gears' that Valerio used were modified on the spot to become 'Solar Panels', which had the same effect as the 'Motor Gears', but with variable 'Solar' properties, as well as other features.

The 'Hermes Drive' would be upgraded to become the 'Goddess Engine' when its essence was drawn into her lifeforce, thus creating a greater version of Valerio's Hermes Drive that was activated internally and externally at will.

As for the 'Satellite 30', which allowed Valerio to create clones of himself, it would become modified to become the 'Satellite Laser', with projective purposes being upgraded to holographic, virtual, and light constructs, as well as other variable construct forms. It not only creates clones now, which can be of any construction, but also whatever else she wishes, like a universal 3D-4D-5D Printer. It also breaks down into homing Satellite Lasers, which can be used offensively or like the Satellite Laser as the Satellite 30 was used. That said, the unified Satellite Laser fires a massive beam. More satellites can be added.

After that, the battle ax, 'Fatal Attraction', was donned by her right hand, as her main weapon, with the gravitational powers multiplied exponentially.

Valerio's 'Acid Seals' were upgraded to become 'Entropic Seals', which had all the powers of entropy sealed in them, yet also had all the caustic and corrosive properties of acid, but in the form of heat and energy rather than simply and only an acidic form. This made even the radiation of the 'Entropic Seals' caustic, corrosive, and acidic, and so too was its light, therefore.

Now came the gun that the mafia man used, which was duplicated from Valerio's unbreakable black gun, 'Black Cat'. This one was called 'Black Manifesto', and was a 'Purification Gun' that had the power to manifest the projections of itself, as the mafia man demonstrated. She would equip that to her side as a support weapon she could shift to, and also a range weapon to cover long distances.

There was also the armor that was made after Valerio's 'Vibranium Armor', though the material was different than that, and was actually tailored to be able to associate itself with Tifaret's mineral-commanding powers over the earth, so she could create whatever metal or alloy she wished or needed out of the armor. She could also alter its shape, form, and appearance at will to match whatever she wished to look like without losing any effects. So she adjusted the armor to be something like a skimpy samurai-kunoichi-rogue-bandit.

Valerio's signature blade, Angel, had a signature that was only to him, so the duplication of that would thereby instead generate a signature that was only to Tifaret, herself. In that, otherwise, the weapon retained its cosmic properties, as well as its Negation and Nullification abilities. But Tifa would call it the 'Cosmic Angel' now, and would equip it to a floating gauntlet that she'd manifest to brandish it.

Lastly was a scythe bearing the powers of duality and polarity, such as light and darkness as well as life and death. In that, it held the power of balance, but also great regenerative and resurrective abilities, and just the same deadly and lethal abilities. This would be brandished by the second gauntlet paired to the first that wielded the Cosmic Angel, and they would also serve as variable assistance and cover for Tifa as she wielded the other weapons. This scythe would be called 'Taijitu'.

Though, if it came down to it, she'd easily abandon all weapons and throw hands, like she's best at.

"Good Shit," Tifa chortled, swinging her weapons around a bit, adjusting her armor a bit to make it most sexy, and also her Silver Skin augmentations so that it ended up being like chains and tattoos of chains on her body, similar to how her bladed chain-tail was. "I Might Tweak My Appearance A Bit As I Get Comfy, But Chyeah, I'm Totally Ready To Throw Down With You Peons."

Tifaret Tensei, A.K.A. Chita Lombardi, was now battle-ready.

"The girl's got spunk!" the mouth of the mob shouted as he retreated. "Using all of those weapons at once for her first time against the Don's great Space Mafia? Oho, that's too rich!" As little faith as he had in her to succeed, he didn't underestimate the Lombardi Essence that was in her blood. There was a reason that Valerio was powerful enough to command a Space Mafia of such a size, so his seed could not be underestimated.

Still, it was highly unbelievable that she'd be able to brandish all of those things and use them effectively on the first try, especially against experienced hitmen. If nothing else, even with minimal skill, the numbers alone could overwhelm her and tire her out over time, for sure. But the plan was to just help her awaken the Lombardi Essence, not to beat her, or for her to beat them.

However long it took, this rite of passage would happen now, and it would either force her awakening all the way right now, or she'd suffer the ramefications of if that should not occur.

Fleet upon fleet of interstellar forces swarmed the Lawless Land's space, as well as all surrounding space, getting into all types of formations, which became more complex as they grew larger and more extensive, out into the far reaches of the universe. Some touched down on the surface of the Seventh Moon, but only a few, and the rest remained flooding the atmosphere nearby, totally filling the sky around the entire planet.

The first men to come out looked somewhat otherworldly, but didn't at all look very special. They were equipped with variable weaponry, from basic combat weapons to heavy artillery, and would engage with Chita in waves, with all melee fighters rushing in first and all projectile fighters covering them as support.

Unprecedented sentimentality overflowed within Terumi, supercharging him further. Before he could really think about trying to downplay a reaction, his overcharged mind and body reacted beyond his conscious efforts on his subconscious instincts, which were overpowering the rest of his mind now due to the mental stimulation. He felt and thought so very many things so very fast, he thought time had slowed, and in his eyes, it did in order for him to even remotely process the speed of his reflexive thoughts.

The feelings that came from his boss' praise stimulated even greater admiration for the woman who was supposedly this badass mafia daughter whom all of this was centered around. Before he knew it, his mind and heart were overstimulated, and he was already moving in her favor without thinking, based solely on these overwhelming feelings he had for her. He tried to speak, but his mouth moved slowly, and the words he tried to speak did not actually make any sound. Or, rather, it was faint and distant -- like it was behind him, and not coming directly from his mouth.

Every instant, more and more was processed automatically, from the surroundings to the situation itself, and then beyond that -- things like outcomes and possibilities. It was so much, he nearly blacked out, unable to concentrate. But he never stopped moving, and by the time he realized what was going on, he'd stopped moving, but was standing before Tifaret. Finally, his mouth moved normally, but he tried to answer coolly. "... Yo, so, this is random, but I--"

Then, his voice spoke out in a loud tone in a large burst, projecting words he hadn't said whilst he was in the middle of saying something. "Let me fight with you!!" the words resounded, now being processed by Terumi as the words he said when he started moving. He was stunned, not realizing what was going on. Had he spoken that whilst in motion and the sound was just now catching up to him? How did he manage to move that fast at all? And his voice boomed like thunder... Was it because he moved as fast as lightning, and broke the sound barrier? These were the only explanations, and he came to them quickly with his mind calculating everything so fast and so much.

He was more than embarrassed, but the situation was too critical for him to dwell on it. "... Yeah, that. I mean, I know you don't know jack shit about me, but listen: you're cool as fuck and I like your style. I gotta know more about you, and this is too perfect an opportunity to pass up." He was very sincere and much more emotional than he usually was around the hotel. This sort of emotional outburst would be new to even Grimnyzmal, his boss, since it was also new to Terumi. He'd never before used his powers long enough where they had this effect, or even thought to use them in this way to enhance his body like this. He didn't even know if his body had always been this way, because he had vague and random bursts where he felt like he was really smart and attentive, and other times where he didn't.

Terumi didn't notice at first, but what he had done when he started moving was bolted as a streak of lightning through each of the mafia men that were on the ground heading toward Tifa. He even picked off the ones who were at a distance with ranged weapons, and it all seemed like it was in a flash of lightning that it happened, all in an instant, like lightning strikes. When he did actually realize it, he was reassured, but still somewhat puzzled about his control over his abilities. Though he was still unwavering. "... Come on. A cool ass chick like you should know all about how boring it can get with no other cool people around." He was trying to sound cool now, but he'd already borne his emotions to her openly enough where it was clear he'd developed deeper feelings for her.

The surge in Terumi's energy all throughout his body as well as his abrupt loss of control of his power immediately drew Grim's attention, and one of his eyes other than the Third Eye would open up with intrigue. "... Lad," he called out to Terumi when the thunderous boom of his voice calmed, "... It Seems Like You've Grown Stronger. But You Must Hone This Power If You Wish To Make Yourself Useful. Not Only To Me, But To Yourself, And Especially To Young Tifaret, If You Wish To Align With Her." He was somewhat vague, but this was to encourage Terumi to figure it out for himself. He was simply not self-aware, so giving him a push in the direction of self-awareness would exponentially increase his powers, since they seemed to gear towards enhancements of himself.

"When You Realize All Of The Manners In Which Your Electrical Powers Have An Effect On Your Body, You Will Piece Together Every Way To Utilize Them, And You Will Create Techniques. If You Need Guidance Or Inspiration, It Is Important To Seek Out The Golden Grimoire Or The Lightning God. Consult Your Spirit Animal, Lad, And See Where This Journey Takes You. Take As Much Time Off As You Need." Obviously Grimnyzmal saw something that he didn't, but whatever it was, Grim recognized with absolution that Terumi needed this time of self-discovery for himself. He was young, so finding himself was much more important than just upkeep of an establishment that Grim could honestly operate single-handedly if he wanted to, even in spite of all of the other establishments he ran in secret that he needed to actually tend to even more than the Forbidden Hotel.

"Fare Thee Well On Your Journey, Lad. Just Be Sure To Return To Me When You Are Done." With that, Grim closed his eye again, resting once more.

Quote :

Tifa was within proximity, handling her business here in the Lawless Land, which was happening outside, regarding her father and the people from his mafia that were sent after her. Yet in the midst of it, she felt the twangs of resonance coming from the Gold Pumpkinhead as well as Tzita, who had the spirit of her mother in her past life, as Chita. With what just happened with her father, and this Gold Pumpkinhead suddenly triggering, she was illuminated to a great many things about herself and also everything about the Veritas. She was left ignorant for a while, but after being triggered in this way, she gained a connection both to Pumpkinhead and also to the female version of her Creator, and not just Friday. She was originally part of the Creator, and not Friday, but was given to Friday from him as something for them to recognize as what he wanted in Friday that was also in him. But, that's something that was contained within the truthful light of the pure Gold Pumpkinhead, which Tifa could see through whilst she did what she did outside.

In that, her own enlightenment and disillusionment stimulated the Crystal Heart, which was received by the Pumpkinheart, thus activating and unifying her Divine Feminine spirit that she usually held back due to her tomboyish and rugged personality. When her Divine Feminine was awakened and matched her masculine energy in harmony, the White Pumpkinhead formed around her, and she was unified with the other Pumpkinheads, as well as granted tandem consciousness with her original progenitor -- the Goddess Taijitu.

The overwhelming power that suddenly coursed through Chita ended up distracting her to a degree where she almost didn't recognize what Terumi had said to her. But, considering he did take out all of the first wave of opposition, it was only natural to pay attention. "... Good Shit, Kid..." Tifa uttered, harnessing her power in a condensing transparent light around her head, "... Chyeah, You Can Do Whatever. I Don't Give A Fuck." She glared up at the armada in space, a dragon's tail made of solid, translucent light extended from her plump ass, and also created claws around her hands of the same ilk. The light lightly coated her skin and muscles, causing them to bulge just lightly, making her look more muscular than she was. Even her breasts had a certain tightness to their perky largeness. "If You Fight And Live, I Won't Care Whatever You Do After That." Which was the -cool- way of saying yes.

Valerio's mafia was taken aback by the efforts of Chita's backup -- he was more apt than they anticipated. But, fortunately, they had a whole space armada, and he didn't look like he could hold his own. Either way, Tifa was the target, but she was getting really pumped. They had to ask themselves, "Is this what the Lombardi Essence looks like in her...?" And they contemplated. But, if the Lombardi Essence wasn't so prominent where they could comprehend it as though an extension from their boss, her father, then it wasn't that. So...

"Take the girl down!" cried one of the mafia, who would send another fleet to rush the ground, whilst those in the air would take aim to shoot at Tifa and her friend should they try to take out the footsoldiers.

Terumi's inner elation generated an internal buildup of electricity within him -- not unlike a common power generator -- and caused his body to charge, until his hair stood on end. The energy he was withholding from not speaking or acting immediately was building the longer he held it, but he didn't really realize it was happening -- just how he was feeling. She was so cool and hot and... Strong. Sexy all the way through. His admiration for her grew when she more or less agreed to let him accompany her. So, his body surged with electricity, both paralyzing him in place and still powering him up. He couldn't move, though he wanted to, because his body was filled to the brim with power, and his mind was overcharged, so he couldn't actually put his thoughts into slow enough functions to form things like words or sounds; or even fix his face to move his lips. All of the power was too busy supercharging his body.

Though, in spite of this, when the enemy came back again, Terumi was all too quick to take off faster than lightning -- a bolt of electricity that zigzagged all about, moving at the speed of a flash of light. His response to her acceptance was action -- not words. He didn't even give the enemy time to think or react, and continually struck at them in zigzagged, cutting bolts that constantly shot around. If it didn't kill them, it would threaten them enough to draw their attention and their fire away from Tifaret, he presumed.