Batter entered the huge, empty room, in hopes to find Hugo inside – in hopes to end it all here and now.

What he saw though was certainly not a helpless little child, coughing weakly. In front of him stood the short man, wearing a familiar mask, showing a big grin. Batter clenched his fingers on a bat, feeling that something is wrong.

Zacharie tilted his head to the side.

'Well, well, who do we have here,' he's said in somehow sharper voice than always. There was no chuckle following his sentence either. 'Bonjour, Batteur.'

'What are you doing here?' Batter asked, raising the bat, just by few inches.

'Making sure,' came the reply, 'that you won't hurt anyone, anymore.'

It wasn't kind of a thing Batter would've expected from him. Merchant was always willing to help, for some fee of course, either by a helpful item or word of advice. Now, though, he stood there, seemingly serious about what he's just said.

'I'm a purifier.' Batter said, taking few steps forward. 'I help this world.'

'You're a monster. We both know that.' Zacharie took his mask and lifted it, just enough for his lips to be visible. There were two black holes on each side of his mouth, and lips themselves were crossed by scars. 'I've waited long enough for the Player to turn back. It's time to fix the mess you've done, no, WE'VE done, once and for all.'

'You're impure.'

This time there was a chuckle. Low, dangerous chuckle, followed by a wicked grin.

'Who isn't?'

Batter had no more time to lose. There was a mission ahead of him, his sacred mission, and a switch awaiting his arrival. So he called the Add-Ons and prepared to battle. Zacharie just stood there, teeth shown, head still tilted to the side a bit.

Only when Alpha attacked did he move. He jumped to the side, perfectly dodging the hit, and pulled the long sleeves up, getting ready to fight. Omega attacked, but with same effect like it's predecessor. Zacharie cracked his fingers and neck, and placed the mask back on it's place.

'It's such a shame, dear Batteur,' he said, getting ready for another attack, 'that it has to end like that.'

The next thing Batter knows, Zacharie is next to him, crashing Epsilon as he draws closer to his main enemy. The tall man did not expect that, and he has to take few steps back, lifting his bat to use it like a shield. He curses under his nose, but endures the attack and follows by a counterattack.

Zacharie laughs weirdly as he gets hit in the shoulder; he curls a little, but it's a matter of seconds before he's back to his previous state. The holes for his eyes remains black, mysterious grin shines from the mask, and Batter feels more and more affected by merchant's intimidating laugh and pose.

Alpha is back just in time to hit the masked man in the back, sending him right at the Batter, who takes advantage of the situation and hits him again, this time even harder. A loud crack flies through the air and then there's a thud of a body falling on the ground. Zacharie, balancing on his elbow, tries to stand up and coughs some blood on the floor. A while later Omega comes crashing at him, shoving him into the ground once again.

Batter takes exactly seven steps ahead before he's standing over the merchant, his grip strong on the bat.

And then it happens.

Zacharie coughs once again and manages to weakly say, 'You've ruined it all.' Batter stops, for he feels like he had this talk already, not so long ago. 'Our-,' a cough, 'our kingdom. A ruin now.'

Vader Eloha.

'Her mission was to take care of him,' the Batter repeats himself, 'and she failed. Thus my sacred mission.'

'This is no sacred mission,' Zacharie sits, fixing his mask so his face remains hidden, 'this is an act of cruelty and blind vengeance.'

'We were so busy preparing a birthday party, we forgot…' Batter's voice seems more quiet now, '…we forgot who that was for.'

'So you've come to kill them all?' Zacharie stands up, leaning against the wall with his back. 'The Guardians, spirits of the Fallen… The Queen, Hugo even? Have you no heart?'

There was no reply.

'We were… so close, too close…' Merchant shakes his head. 'But you had to come, just now, when it was all almost ready…'

'Nothing is ready, but some coffee and a cake maybe.' Batter raises his bat, tired of this talk. 'I shall stop it before it will destroy me too.'

'Heh-eh,' a familiar chuckle felt somehow good in Batter's mind. 'There's something far worse destroying you already, mon ami. But, anyway,' Zacharie straighten up,

'No dessert for you, Batteur.'

The tall man notices how the merchant reaches for a box that stood near, unnoticed by Batter until now. The next moment, a long, silver sword shines in Zacharie's hands.

'Have you filled your life with beauty?'

A single blow sent both Alpha and Omega flying, crashing down and drowning in the plastic.'

'You were wrong since the very beginning.'

Batter cannot concentrate, the sentences echoing in his voice, in both Zacharie's and Vader's voice; He tries to focus but fails, and the next thing he knows he's on the ground, and the pain is overwhelming.

Zacharie swings his sword once again, cutting bat in two, leaving Batter helpless on the ground, coughing and hacking – just as Hugo was supposed to end. After all, the future cannot be changed, right? Merchant raises his sword, ready for the last attack.

'He loves you not.'

'You shouldn't have done that, my dear friend, that was an absolutely thoughtless act of cruelty, for which you judged your own prey.'

'You know what would have happened if I didn't act on time.'

'Just what happens every record, dear Zacharie. It is scripted as such, and will keep on happening, until the Player, the Puppeteer, decides otherwise.'

Merchant nodded slightly, his legs waving over the plastic sea.

'So when is he coming?'

A small, Cheshire-alike cat sitting next to him turned his head to the platform.

'It's a matter of mere moments before his arrival.'

'I guess I shall go, then?'

'Yes, obviously. Hopefully this time we're more lucky and our prophet's actions will be more deliberate.'

'If not, then can I…?' Merchant asked, standing up and dusted his trousers off.

'Do as you wish. However, you know my stance on this matter.'

Zacharie nodded. 'Good luck.'

'And to you too, dear Zacharie. I shall keep the Player occupied for just enough time for you to leave.'

A few moments later, the merchant was gone. He had to be where he's scripted to be. He still took a single look aback though.

A tall man, dressed in black and white outfit, with a baseball hat and a bat headed towards Judge. A new Player. A new hope.

A new game.