Mercer: Between Different Worlds

Control Center, Wandenreich, 10 minutes earlier

"We have received a report... the six Sternritters have lost..."

The soldats were in utter disbelief. They have been monitoring the whole fighting in the human realm with their hidden surveillance drones. The readings during that chaos were off the charts.

Bazz-B and the Bambies had their spiritual pressure spiking up, but the person they were wary the most was their target, Alex Mercer. His' has clearly outmatched every one of them present in the battle. His spiritual pressure had also surpassed the limit their data can hold.

"Casualty report... Sternritters Bazz-B and Bambietta Basterbine are dead. The rest of them suffered serious injuries"

Standing behind them was Ås Nödt, clearly unfazed by the outcome of the battle 

"These fools... What were they thinking? Barging into the human realm without his Majesty's consent" He put his palm on his head in dismay. He gave the soldats an order

"List that in the Daten; Alex Mercer is now a War Potential. He's to be taken seriously"

The soldats never gave a second thought and worked on his orders

Ås left the control room and approached Mask, leaning on the pillar as he waited for him.

"Mask, assemble a squad of soldats from the Medical department. We're going to pick them up"

Mask gave him a somber look before he departed. He could tell what Ås meant by his orders 

"From the look on your face, it seems like their unsanctioned attack ended in shambles right?" Askin raises his suspicion. He was merely listening from the walls of the Control Center 

"You don't seem very concerned at all, Askin" Ås turned to the slim Sternritter

"Why would I be concerned with those who went behind his Majesty's back? Besides, given what just happened, I think I'm glad I never went with those poor fellows" Askin justified his lack of concern 

"Just as I remembered, you were there in the Gate of the Sun, just before Bazz-B and the rest left for the human realm. Why didn't you take measures to stop them?" Ås was now the one casting suspicion on Askin

"Now, now, you wouldn't accuse me of being complicit to their insubordination" Askin sarcastically denied his claim, just before giving Ås a serious look

"To be honest, I'm stuck between stopping them from departing the Wandenreich or joining their little possé. We've already lost our future heir, and we can't afford to lose any more Sternritters. Then again, Bazz-B and Haschwalth knew each other the most, so who could blame him if he wanted Mercer dead immediately. Thankfully, I'm a rational man, and as much as rational as I am, I always take the third option to let them be on their little quest of revenge while I watch how it unfolds from the Control Center." He condescendingly justified his decision 

...

...

"You're as shrewd and cruel as ever, Askin Nakk Le Vaar"

"Shrewd? Yes. Cruel? That just depends on the matter of perspective"

Mask immediately appear between them.

"The squad is ready at the Gate of the Sun. Yhwach also granted me permission to retrieve the fallen" 

"Very well, Mask. We shall depart for Karakura Town"

Before they could even leave the room, Askin catches up on the pair 

"I'll go with you. Maybe I can see Mercer for myself"

This surprised Mask very well. He had never expected someone he considered a small fry to come with them. Then again, their goal is to rescue the Sternritters before they'll be captured at the hands of the Soul Society, or Mercer himself.

As for Ås Nödt...

Suspicious. The moment I saw your face when Yhwach returned in defeat, you're not concerned about our Majesty's health. The moment you let them go do their bidding, you have already cast my suspicion from the start. What are you really after, Askin Nakk Le Vaar?

"Be my guest" he just simply accepted his request as the three left to the Gate of the Sun

Onose River, present time

Mask was irked at how Mercer merely issued a challenge to come at him altogether. He underestimated their power in his point of view.

"Inexcusable. How dare you paint us as cowards for letting us attack you at once. I'll fight you on our behalf instead" Mask boldly declares, intending to accept his open challenge 

Mercer immediately stood up from his seat and readied himself. He was filled with joy at the man who accepted his duel

Before Mask could take the first step, Ås blocked him with his arm.

"Stand down, Mask. Don't forget what we came to do here"

Mask clicked his tongue as he reluctantly backed away. Ås turned to Mercer, keeping his composure in front of him.

"Alex Mercer. We are not here to fight. We are here to retrieve our fallen comrades, be it the living or the dead. Behind you is our dead brethren, so we humbly ask to let us retrieve their bodies for their proper... 'burial'" He respectfully asked Mercer a favor

Mercer looked to his back and realized he must be talking about Bambietta and Bazz-B.

"Sure, let your jockeys pick them up" He simply agreed to his request

Ås then gestured to four soldats to retrieve their bodies behind Mercer. They come in pairs, carrying a stretcher each pair. As they approached Mercer, they became intimidated by his spiritual pressure. 

This was their first time seeing him up close. This would also be their last 

Askin noticed what he intends to do 

"ÅS, MASK, GET BACK" he warned the pair

Mercer turned his right arm into a Whipfist, an extendable, elongated, barbed appendage with a spear-like blade at the end. He swings his Whipfist in a circular motion, slicing the approaching soldats in half. 

The attack nearly caught Ås Nödt's torso, if not for Askin and Mask pulling him back at the last second. Now he finds himself with his ass on the ground, he faces Mercer, struggling to keep his cool.

"How dare you, coward" Mask angrily lambasts Mercer

"May I ask what was that attack all about, Mercer?" Ås questioned him

"They're not dead, and they're not your brethren anymore. And even if they are, your proper burial is nothing but an insult to the dead, so if you want them back, you're gonna have to come through me"

This was the last straw.

"Very well. If that's what you want, then it's my pleasure to make you experience what you truly fear" Ås finally snaps as he summons a number of reishi thorns suspended in the air.

What was that about not attacking him? Seems like he took a hit at your pride Askin became dumbfounded at Ås Nödt's advice to hold back earlier 

Mercer looked disappointed. He had experienced this type of attack before, not long ago.

"Are you sure you want to try that? I took a bunch of it from them earlier"

Disregarding his comment, Ås launched the thorns at him at high speeds, making it impossible to dodge or even parry. The thorns hit their mark, impaling Mercer with it from all sides. 

"This changes nothing–" Mercer confidently shrugs them off when he felt something was wrong

I can't move...

What's this...

I can't tell which is which...

What?

He immediately took a knee down, feeling the effects of his power.

Ås Nödt's Schrift, The Fear, lies not in their offensive power but rather in their ability to induce limitless fear in those who are struck. Just a single wound is enough to instill a deep-seated fear towards Äs, causing victims to doubt everything, lose control of all rational thought, and see visions of their deepest fears.

"All human beings have things that cause them to feel comfort, and things that cause them to feel fear. When they enter a place that causes them comfort, if questioned as to why they feel comfortable there, they cannot form a clear answer, merely saying things such as 'because I do'. But when they enter a place that causes them fear, even the dullest of fools can identify the causes of that fear. Darkness, cold, height, confinement, pain, contamination. People can list any number of reasons to be afraid. This is because at the most fundamental level, 'comfort' leads to 'life', whilst 'fear' leads to 'death'. While people cannot give a clear answer why they want to live, they can give any number of answers why they do not wish to die. This does not only apply to sentient beings with emotions. It is in the nature of all life to avoid death, and therefore, to avoid 'fear'. All living beings go through life for the purpose of evading fear. It is to better escape fear that they train themselves. It is to better escape fear that they grow and evolve. Thus, it is impossible to be unaffected by fear as long as you are alive." Ås Nödt made a sermon about the philosophy of fear as he confidently approaches an immobile Mercer 

Askin felt something was off.

That was it? No, something isn't right here. Usually, whoever gets hit by Ås Nödt's thorns would be trapped by his Schrift to the point they would lose control over their actions. Mercer shouldn't be immobile, he should be losing control like a madman. Wait... There was a sudden spike of his spiritual energy that exceeded off the charts... At that moment, they have been using their full power... The more they rose, Mercer doubled his own... Perhaps...oh no

He came to a fatal realization 

"ÅS, IT'S A TRAP"

Mask was confused as to why Askin suddenly warned Ås about a trap. Unfortunately, the warning came too late. Mercer suddenly stood up and grabbed Ås by the cloak.

"Fear? You call that fear? What a joke" Mercer said to Ås before he throws him towards Mask, who caught him with ease

Impossible! How could he overcome my fear in such a short time? As Nödt was astonished at Mercer's recovery.

"You know, one of the most dangerous aspects of a Blacklight virus is not in its mutations in the body, or in its infectivity rate, or in how lethal it is to a person . Rather, it's the ability to adapt to any kind of situation it faces. That's how I was able to defeat your master; because I was able to adapt to his ability to change the future to his own liking. That's how I escaped from Soul Society; because I was able to adapt to their Shikai and Bankai. That's how I escaped the Dangai, because I was able to adapt to the dangers that came from it. That's how I defeated your so-called 'brethren'; because I was able to adapt to their Heilig Pfeil, and their Schrifts. And that's how I escaped from your ability; because I was able to adapt to your pseudo-fear." Mercer explained how he was able to recover from his ability 

"You were telling things to me about how fear affects the way we live. Well let me ask you: have you ever experienced true fear by yourself? Because that was nothing more than an insult, and I hate insults. And that fear of yours, it's not 'true fear'. Nothing but a superficial thought created by how you perceive fear. Your fear is nothing compared to the fear of six million people screaming for help as I take away their lives, in hopes of creating a deathless world where I rule over everything"

The last statement drained the enthusiasm Mask had before. His facade of being a hero of justice had been shattered. It was replaced by a sense of unbearable dread

This... He's not a villain... He's a monster... He's DEATH wearing a human skin named Alex Mercer 

Askin, on the other hand, felt the opposite. He felt something had ignited his spirit the moment he heard the last of Mercer's tirade.

Six million people? All by yourself? What Yhwach was trying to achieve in nearly a millennium... You nearly did in the span of two years. You did much more than what our leader tried to do, and all by yourself. How magnificent 

As for Ås Nödt...

"I WILL NOT BE LECTURED ON THE MEANING OF TRUE FEAR BY THE LIKES OF YOU!!!"

He immediately flaunted the medallion in front of Mercer in a fit of rage. Two columns of swords emerge from the ground between them before it scattered into petals of Sakura flowers 

"SENBONZAKURA KAGEYOSHI"

Without hesitation, he immediately directed the sharp petals towards Mercer, who did nothing to defend himself.

"If I can't bring you to feel true fear, then I'll just rip you to shreds with Byakuya's Bankai. Your existence is an offense to me, and a threat to the Wandenreich. If Captain Kuchiki should ever take this away from me then he'd be happy to learn that I have used it on a scum like you"

What happened next shocked the three. Of course Mercer did nothing to defend himself from the petals of Senbonzakura, but not only that, he calmly approached them without struggle. 

"WHY? WHY? WHY?' Ås was screaming with fury and confusion. He was in disbelief as to why Mercer was able to easily withstand his stolen Bankai

All of a sudden, the petals suddenly dispersed into reishi. Mask held down Ås arm holding the medallion. He's forced to calm his unbridled rage down.

!!!

All three of them suddenly had felt a terrifying foreboding. They looked at Mercer, now their faces painted utter disbelief. His spiritual pressure has increased tenfold. Askin himself knew the catalyst to its increase, but couldn't bring himself to warn them.

"I expected more of a challenge when you three came. All I got was a letdown. You are nothing more than a disappointment to me, and a disappointment to your leader" Mercer coldly chides Ås

He then fires a line of hardened tendons from his hands towards Ås Nödt. The stunned latter can only watch as the tendons approached his way. All of a sudden, Mask pulls him out and placed his two fingers on the tip of the side of his star-shaped mask

"Star Flash"

He fires a star-shaped energy beam that intercepts Mercer's tendons. His beam is strong enough that he claims can pierce through any foe no matter how hard their defense is. However, that wasn't the case. The reiatsu wasn't enough to offset Mercer's Critical Pain, but it's sufficient enough to slow it down enough to regroup.

Mask instead takes the full brunt of Mercer's attack. He had stumbled back on the ground the moment it hit him. Fortunately for him, he had weakened it to the point where he had to block it with his arms and his blut vene.

"Ås, Ås, we need to leave" urged Askin at him

Ås Nödt immediately takes the hint as he conjures a shadow behind him. He then carries a dazed Mask before he looked at Mercer one last time in contempt 

"I'll never forget the humiliation you brought to me today. Mark my words, I'll hunt you down" Ås made one last threat to Mercer before entering the shadow portal behind him

Askin was the last one left in the vicinity. Before he could also leave, Mercer calls him out 

"HEY, LANKY MAN!"

"It's Askin"

"Send this message to your Majesty: I'll be waiting for him at the Royal Palace, and when he gets there, I'll make a place for him to die"

Askin shuddered at what he just said to him.

Forget being able to outmatch all of us, how was he able to gain access to the Royal Palace? Did he really plan that much ahead?

"You sure are one interesting fellow, you know? I'll be watching what kind of place you'll be making for him" Askin complimented him with a smile before he disappears into the shadow

Mercer then turns to Bazz-B and Bambietta, still unconscious despite the farce much earlier. He then carried the both of them away from the river, disappearing without a trace