The two finished their descent, and as the light shined on the area ahead, Bendy's face contorted into one of horror.

It was a sizeable room with a fairly low ceiling, walls caked with ink. In the center of the room was the unmistakable machine. The one Bendy almost assuredly knew now brought them here. Around it were many, many symbols, sweeping patterns around the machine connecting to three circles, each inscribed with a pentagram, Hive runes highlighted in several circles within.

Upon these circles lied the three guardians, dead, arms stretched out in certain patterns and coated with ink all over.

"What in the unholy fuck?" Maruko spoke for all three of them at that moment. The Hunter's generally cool feelings were lost for a moment as they simply processed the scene before them as they approached.

Their Ghost immediately began scanning. "This… this isn't just Hive magic at work here. There's energy partially flowing through it… it's not Hive, it feels possibly even darker, something of a different shade of black. I'm not sure what half of this even does."

"I… think I know. Vaguely." Bendy spoke as they looked at the symbols. "I think it's a demonic ritual of some sort mixed with those rune things. No idea what those are used for."

Maruko was about to question them before they realized once again they were talking to a literal demon.

"Is it doing anything?" Maruko asked with a somewhat skeptical tone.

"Don't think so. Doesn't even look fully set up aside from those guardians… being the sacrifices. Unless… it's already done."

None of them even wanted to think about that option.

"How would we disrupt it if it's still not done?"

"Probably cutting apart or destroying some of those lines. Make them completely unusable." Bendy suggested, conjuring a sphere and splashing it on one of the circles as an example, the ink eating through the symbols and wood. Maruko followed it up with a few gunshots to break apart lines.

Energy lit up for moments before crackling and sputtering at the simple acts of destruction. However, a bubbling sound began to occur regardless.

Bendy and Maruko heard the noise, spinning around with weapons ready.

A pool of ink was forming in front of them, seeming to rise from the ink-stained wood, gurgling and bubbling as it did so Then, something began to rise. First was a warped hand, incredibly long, dripping ink on the puddle below as it formed into a twisted cartoonish glove, fingertips ending in deadly claws.

Then came another, as well as the head. Bendy took a few steps back as it formed, a vicious mockery of their face, with misshapen horns, eyes coated in ink, and a perpetual smile, jittering back and forth. It's body was tall, bowtie misshapen and ripped. Ink seemed to flow up and down their entire body erratically, heaps of it falling to the floor as they finally finished forming, and an eyeless grin gazed at the pair before them.

"Bendy, please tell me you know what that thing is." Maruko spoke, a slight waver in their normally calm demeanor. Bendy simply looked on in silence, raising their shotgun.

"I… no..." Bendy spoke, hands nearly trembling. "Stay back, whatever you are!"

Even as ink perpetually dripped down it's face, it's grin widened further at the statement, continuing to jitter back and forth as it took a step forth.

Maruko's revolver rang out, a miniature torrent of bullets impacting the creature as they fanned the revolver's hammer in a skullful display. Holes formed in the thing's chest and head, but quickly they refilled with ink, soon seeming as if they'd never been shot at all. The tips of it's claws flared with a feral light, something innately different than that of the two Guardians. The creature then seemed to vibrate, teleporting to the side then forward, a claw swiping out towards Maruko.

The Hunter jumped back out of instinct and surprise, chest-piece still being partially ripped through with just a graze of it's claws. A knife went out, impacting itself straight in the thing's forehead. This Light-infused knife gave it slight pause, tilting it's head back before one arm quickly pulled it out, flinging it back at the Hunter.

Maruko rose their arm, metal gauntlets mostly deflecting it as they rolled backwards, evading another swipe. While it lacked the range of the Baron from before, it made up for it in speed and power.

Before it could teleport again, Bendy quickly rushed towards it, pressing down on both triggers of the shotgun, aimed towards it's face. The creature's head partially blew apart, a large chunk including one horn flying backwards onto the ground, returning to a fully liquid state. It seemed disoriented by this, although the other side of their head began to grow back at a quite alarming rate.

The creature turned to Bendy, it's claws glowing brighter with that blue alien light. Bendy began to back up, frantically emptying the twin barrels of their shells as it closed in, finishing healing itself. Then, Maruko whistled. The creature turned it's malformed head towards them. That face was then met with an explosion of fire as an Incendiary grenade exploded in it's deformed mug. Light-touched flame licked away at it's ink, the initial detonation reversing much of the damage it healed. Maruko followed this up with another knife, it too brimming with flame as it embedded itself in one of it's arms, slowing it's regeneration.

Bendy took the opportunity and repositioned, their back to the exit of the room alongside Maruko. They pulled out their sidearm, filling the creature with more holes until the magazine clicked empty.

However, despite all this, it's regeneration kept going, only being stalled by the fire, not stopped. It began to move towards them as the fires faded, chunks of it recovering by the moment as it's face never once moved, the mocking smile still ever jittering

Maruko then rose a hand, calling upon the most powerful tool in their arsenal. The Golden Gun flared as the Hunter took aim, firing upon the inky monstrosity with a single shot, the once nearly pitch-black room fully illuminating with orange as the force of a solar flare launched into the creature. It's entire upper body just disintegrated, coating nearly every direction in flaming ink. A pair of legs simply fell haplessly to the ground, spilling further ink outward.

Maruko was now coated in ink, as was Bendy. The two took a moment to recover from… whatever that was.

But then, Bendy noticed something, shining their armor's flashlight towards the body. Their eyes widened greatly, and they tugged on the arm of Maruko, getting their attention as they looked over.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me." Maruko spoke in a deadpan voice as they realized what they were seeing.

The ink was coalescing. Sliding off the walls and back into the remaining pair of legs. Even as fire from the shot and grenades began to spread, the creature was still recovering.

Maruko looked to Bendy, putting a hand on their shoulder. "We need to go. NOW."

Bendy nodded quite fast in response, the two beginning their retreat as the creature's chest began to reform.

They ran as fast as they could, moving up the stairs and halls at a breakneck pace, running around corners in their own ways as they weaved through the mazelike structure. The entire building seemed to shudder as they continued, ink around the halls shivering, cracking out of it's dried shell and sliding along the ground back the way they came from.

"Ghost, please tell me you got a scan of that thing!" Maruko called out as they kept going, the sound of wood warping and tearing echoing down the halls behind them.

"Scan shows similarities to Bendy's own composition, just comparing it to the data from the deep scan. It's likely it is infused with the same power of the rune as Bendy possesses." Ghost spoke with a hurried voice. Bendy seemed intensely worried at that.

"However, there is not a speck of Light inside that thing. The closest thing I can compare it to is the Taken."

"Taken?" Bendy hurriedly asked, ink dripping down their face as they began to tire.

"Long story short: Things taken then corrupted by Darkness." Maruko spoke as the two catapulted themselves upward, racing up the stairs as they cracked and splintered under the force. The ground beneath them shuddered again, and suddenly the air before them filled with a form that wasn't there before.

The creature had arrived.

However, it looked a bit different than before, an almost skeletal look to it. Seemingly, the Golden Gun had done something to it after all, or perhaps it skipped part of it's regeneration to catch the duo. Neither had time to contemplate that however, as it's claws raced forward, catching Maruko unaware for once. Claws rended deep into the Hunter's chest, forcing Maruko back as a great burning stung their insides, ink and flame bubbling within the wound.

Bendy reacted on instinct. Another shotgun blast to the creature's chest sent it staggering back, followed by a burst of Light from the palm of their gloved hands. Corrosive ink ate away at the creature's own, the creature's ever jittering smile halting, if only just for a moment as it continued stepping backwards.

Bendy realized that actually did something and proceeded to follow it up with an inky grenade, splashing Light-infused ink all over the creature. It seemed to shrink in response, the entity actually emitting a sound for once, a gargling, almost drowning-like noise as it clawed at it's face and body.

Maruko steeled themselves and began to move, gesturing to Bendy towards the exit. They agreed by action, moving up the makeshift ramp before Maruko launched another flaming grenade towards the ever-regenerating creature, both ducking out of the building afterwards.

However, the creature itself noted something, even as it burned. The flame was distinctly weaker. It's jittering smile grew wider in response as it clambered towards the exit.


Bendy and Maruko finally stopped in a house, Bendy catching their breath while Maruko sat down beside a couch as Maruko accessed comms.

"This is… Maruko Faulkin, come in." Maruko spoke with a clearly pained voice, blood dripping down their chest from claw wounds, mixed with ink and stained with that harsh, alien light.

"-ear you…" Maruko's comms seemed static-ridden as their Ghost adjusted it.

"-ome in? Hello?" Cayde's voice came from comms, still a light layer of static behind it. "Been trying to contact you for a while now."

"Mission's gone very sour. Found other guardians… all dead. Some… thing killed them, was getting ready to use their bodies in some kind of ritual. Got me good in the chest, ripped through me armor like it was tissue paper." Maruko spoke. Bendy looked more worried by the moment, their eyes racing back and forth from the house's entrance and Maruko.

"From what I can tell, the thing's like a Taken. Looks like a cruel mockery of Bendy here." Maruko's Ghost added. "Thing took a Golden Gun shot, had half it's body blown to smithereens, and then restored itself within a minute or so."

"Woah, woah, woah, it took a Hawkeye shot?" Cayde spoke, their voice skeptical and processing. "Alright, alright, you said it got you on the chest, you okay?"

"It's… it's not recovering, no…. Feels like it's burning me... from the inside out." Maruko coughed.

"Oh… damn. Look, i'll see if I can get you some reinforcements. It still around?" Cayde asked.

"Probably. Thing can teleport, though." Maruko stated.

"Great. Even better. Teleporting immortal ink thing which can disable guardians with a good left hook. Not what I was planning for." Cayde stated, seeming slightly distracted. "Alright, I got someone coming your way, but you should try to keep that thing where it is."

"I… I can do it." Bendy offered. Maruko shook their head swiftly.

"No… we don't need two guardians down. One's bad enough." Maruko replied.

"Don't care. We need time." Bendy spoke. "Plus, my grenades actually did something to it, I could see it. It's smile faltered, just for a bit. I think it actually hurt it."

Maruko breathed in, breath wavering as they did so. The Hunter took off their helm, putting it on the ground beside them. They looked Bendy sternly in the eyes, and Bendy looked back themselves.

"There's a good chance you might die, you know." Maruko spoke plainly.

"I know. But that… that thing, that fake, that imposter, that… it needs to go." Bendy spoke, speaking with a focus they didn't have before.

Maruko was silent for a moment before sighing. "Fine. Just… be careful. Please."

Bendy hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly,beginning to head out the door before Maruko coughed once more. "And if you do manage to kill that thing? Put a shot in them for me, would you?"

"I will." Bendy assured, and they headed out, face stout, weapons loaded, and purpose clear.


The creature's footsteps plip-plodded as it trudged forth, it's ink leaving a blatant trail behind them as they went through the streets. It's eyeless gaze scanned back and forth, looking for wherever the two intruders had left.

However, a whistle broke it out of it's wandering. It's head swiveled around in an unnatural manner as it took in the small ink demon at the other side of the street.

"You!" Bendy called out, the creature slightly tilting it's head, it's smile unchanging.

"I don't know what you are, but you don't belong!" Bendy called out. Silence hung for a little bit afterwards, before the creature made a gurgling noise. Bendy's eyes widened at the sound, realizing what it was.

Laughing. A low chuckle, clouded with ink and malice, closer to a gurgle than a laugh.

"You… are funny." it spoke, an echoing noise, sounding as if multiple people were speaking from one mouth, all with an underlying reverb, all combined with the gurgle of ink.

Bendy slightly straightened at this noise, as this was something far from any other voice they had heard. But they kept their straight face as they looked to the creature.

"You are… just as… out of place as… I am. But… you… you didn't earn it. I did." it gurgled further, yet it's mouth barely even moved when it spoke, only jittering further.

"Y-you can talk?" Bendy spoke, figurative hairs raising all up their spine.

The creature gurgled once again, it's back straightening as it's eyeless gaze focused directly on the little demon. "Of cour...se. It's just that… your 'friend' is not worth speaking… to."

"Wha-what are you?" Bendy spoke, fear clear in their voice.

"Perfection." it spoke, grin widening. "Perpetual existence… your creator."

"Cre...creator?" Bendy's eyes widened. They tried to stay firm, but fear was very slowly winning over.

"I… was the one who… who approved your designs… all of you. Boris, Alice, you. Bendy was to be a star… and you were, for a time." it gurgled again at the end. "But you… you're special, Bendy."

"I approved that design because of what it rep-… represented… the actual artist never understood the meaning in shapes… in symbols. Yours is a meaning that… that transcends time." the creature then tore at itself, ripping off a chunk of chest before it grew back.

"Now look! Look to me! Your visage… it invokes ancient power, something... far bigger than you. And yet you... keep shooting at me… thinking you can end the perpetual." it gargled harder, a foreign noise attempting to burst into it.

"Worthless att... empts." it growled, taking a single step forward. "You claim… yourself… a demon."

It's head rose to the sky as it clutched it's head, emitting a terrible echoing noise, one that reverberated throughout Bendy's body as the creature continued it's horrible joke of a laugh, causing the cartoon to take a step back. But then, the creature simply appeared before them instantly, air and space warping around the creature as it's remnant of a face nearly touched Bendy's own. "You don't even… under.. undertand the meaning of the term, why... I gave it to you, your character… what you AREN'T."

Bendy tried to react, but a claw already found itself around their chest, clawing into it and hoisting the cartoon upward. Bendy felt burning, their insides felt like a boiling oven.

"It is a moniker for FEAR. And yet here you are… you... squabbling, tiny... thing… I am more... MORE of a demon then you'll EVER be." the creature spat, as the burning grew, Bendy feeling unable to even lift an arm.

"Now DIE, PRETENDER." the creature growled, raising it's other arm to gore the tiny demon before them. However, Bendy gritted their teeth against the pain growing in them, dropping the shotgun in their hands and forcing both of their hands forward into a pulse of Light and ink.

The creature's smile faltered fully this time as it's face was subjected to the full brunt of it, it's grip releasing as the imposter's goals shifted to tearing the substance off of their pulled several chunks out of it, throwing them to the ground as their face regenerated. Bendy felt the burning fade, the Light in them beginning to regenerate the wound.

The demon quickly grabbed the shotgun off the ground, looking back towards the tall monstrosity as it's face fully reformed. It's grin was gone, it's mouth stopped jittering for once. It's visible face was twisted into a grimace.

Bendy threw out another grenade towards them. The creature teleported to the side before lunging forward. A blast from the sawed-off shotgun rang out, stopping a good chunk of the creature's momentum and giving Bendy some of their own, gliding out of their range.

The creature's scowl only grew as the negative light in it's hands grew, extending to their whole deformed hands. Blast of energy were thrown out towards them, a barrage of projectiles seeking to end the cartoon's life quickly. Bendy canceled the glide, dropping just below the first barrage as the monster closed the distance once more. Bendy threw out another glob as they closed in, hitting a portion of the creature's legs which bubbled on contact with the ink.

It put out a sound that was a mix between gurgle and growl, ignoring the pain as their claws came together in a single point, throwing all it's force into Bendy's chest.

The demon reeled from the blow, practically flying back from it as piercing agony hit them dead on.

The monster before them towered over Bendy's form, their scowl not fading as the ink demon tried backing away.

"You think… you can kill ME?! I MADE YOU, you... worthless imp!" it practically yelled, gurgling the last words as a twisted foot stomped on Bendy's chest, the demon having the wind knocked out of them from the blow.

"You would be NOTHING… but a DOODLE without ME! That MACHINE… wouldn't have worked… without ME!" it's anger only seemed to grow further. Bendy had a mixture of terror and confusion on their face as they reached to aim the shotgun in one hand. Another foot stomped down on that hand, completely immobilizing it and forcing them to let go of the weapon. "All your friends, nothing more than DRAWINGS."

They were helpless, ink dripping relentlessly down their face from both their fear and from the creature hovering above them. "N-no."

"That's right, 'Bendy'." the creature seemed to take some amount of pleasure as their scowl shifted into a malicious smile. "Nothing but a... figment. All you know... the result of ME."

"Boris, Alice, all of them... nothing but useless side... characters... they had their time, and their purpose… ended. It's because of your image and the... dark that follows it... that i've grasped immortality! And I… I will not let some COPY, some… FAKE take that away! I am... more real… more REALIZED than you will… EVER be!" the creature practically spat, energy gathering in their talons. Bendy felt anger begin to bubble deep within, even as fear still gripped them. Their best friends weren't useless! Their world, a figment? No! It couldn't be true, not at all. They remembered it so clearly. They remembered every moment with the pair with everyone else in that little town of theirs. The highs, the lows, the lulls in-between.

Every memory, every moment, cascading back before their life ended. It reminded them of something.

"Now enough... talk, your soul is MINE!" they finished, claws glowing a bright turquoise as they grouped together. Bendy's fear began to melt away. Anger and Light sizzled within, the burning feeling fading within their chest. Another feeling replaced it. Warmth, even as cold liquid ink spilled over their chest, warmth flowed through them.

It reminded them of their friends, new and old. How they had to get back to them, how they had to end this thing for the good of everybody.

And then, Bendy imposed their will on the world in full.

Light coalesced within them, the creature's face twisting to confusion as Bendy seemed to brighten before a large pulse of Light sent them hurtling backwards through the air.

The creature unceremoniously picked itself off the ground, a scowl forming as it looked to Bendy. It's mouth then contorting into something else.

Confusion. Uncertainty. This was not supposed to happen.

Bendy stood there, but they were different. They stood a bit taller. A string-like pointy tail swished behind them, and on their back sat a set of inky demonic wings larger than themselves.

However, it was what was within their hands that attracted the thing's attention the most. A trident formed of raw Light. Each prong glowed a little differently. The leftmost arced with electricity, the center was lit aflame, and the right seemed to warp and bend the air around it, the purplish mist of the void imbued within it.

"You call yourself a demon." Bendy spoke, voice brimming with seething anger as their new wings flapped once, dripping ink as they took flight, the cartoon soaring towards the imposter with great speed.

The creature suddenly refocused, claws glowing with light once more as they launched a stream of projectiles at the incoming threat.

Bendy weaved to and fro between the shots, as if they had done this for a very long time. They closed the gap quickly, the imposter quickly warping backwards further down the road. Taken energy coalesced in their hands further, each hand firing out a beam of energy, cutting down whatever they hit. However, they hit everything except the incoming demon.

"You're nothing!" Bendy nearly screamed as the gap closed. Before the imposter could warp, the three prongs entered their chest. Agony in every flavor entered and flowed through their warped and twisted body, their mouth combining the variety into a single inhuman screeching. It warped again, but could only move a few feet away. Bendy met this with a sideways strike, a swathe of Light cutting across their head, sending them stumbling backwards as rending Light tore at them.

The ink tried to recover, but the concentrated Light was too much for their body to keep up with. Thus, they fought back, clawing hopelessly at air.

"Nothing but an insult to not just my name, but every demon's!" Bendy spoke as they backed from a strike, retorting with the sharpened ends of the trident cleaving through an arm.

The imposter reeled further, mouth contorting into multiple shapes, almost as if trying to visualize the pain that wracked their dark-filled body. Seething negative light poured from the stump like a liquid, ink hopelessly trying to repair the damage as another strike threw their balance completely off.

They fell to the ground, unable to render a single thought tangible through their body and soul falling apart before their vision.

"So do me and everybody else a favor and DIE!" Bendy yelled, plunging the trident from overhead into the imposter's face, cascading light and raw hatred piercing through without effort.

At that moment, the creature before them simply ceased to be. Their face and mouth ceased to jitter. It's thrashing stopped.

And then, the negative light inside it detonated. It threw Bendy back flat on their back as ink went outward and coated everything on the street.

The true ink demon pushed themselves off the ground as the burst of energy within them faded, changes reverting, wings and tail fading in a glow of Light as the trident faded away into the air. They felt drained. However, the echo of warmth remained.

They swallowed, losing a little bit a balance due to the sudden loss of wings. And overhead, a ship arrived, surveying the swathe of destruction the battle had left. Bendy then had another thought in their head as their focus shifted.

Maruko. Their gaze widened, shifting over to worry once more as they rushed towards the house.

However, unbeknownst to them, a Hive Wizard peered down at the battlefield below. Three bright green eyes took in the destruction, and then, they vanished, for plans needed to be rerouted, and superiors needed to be informed.

The battle was finished. All that remained was the aftermath.


Author's Notes

Thus, we come to the final battle. I hope you fellows like it, had a lot of fun writing this. Action scenes are definitely a favorite. Hope the foreshadowing came through enough, as most of it culminates here. Unsure as to whether I did it properly. Feedback's always nice.

Now all that's left if the aftermath. It will be shorter, but it should wrap up a few things, at least, and I already have most of it written, so expect it very soon. Still divisive on whether or not to do a sequel, or if it's even wanted.

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed what you've read so far, as for the most part, this story shouldn't have existed, considering how weird of a crossover it is.