Disclaimer: Will never ever own hetalia. Ever.

Note: Thanks to all my reviewers! Your advice has been just amazingly helpful! I kept my promise to make a more interesting, actiony chapter! Like Maria, I never go back on my word ;) So enjoy!

"I say we all go out for some drinks tonight," suggested Dark Prussia, "So we can celebrate our victory in advanced! Everyone knows German wine is the best, and since we're all going to Turkey tomorrow, we should get some now." The Genesis meeting had only just concluded with Dark Japan announcing their plans to travel to Turkey the next morning and then commence their attack once they were ready.

"Hai, it would be good for our nerves," Dark Japan consented while Dark Russia nodded along happily.

"Great, let's go," cheered Dark Prussia, who then turned to Maria with a chuckle, "Sorry, but this is going to be exclusively male."

"Oh darn," she said sarcastically. Even if they had invited her, she would not have gone. She knew better than to leave herself susceptible to intoxicated nations by consuming too much alcohol. The male nations of the Genesis Powers left the room in a clustered group, relieved of any actual work, leaving Maria with her counterpart.

"You need to get some rest," she advised the Dark Philippines, "Especially if we are going to be fighting in a couple days." The other girl still had not given herself enough time to relax and recover from the recent invasion, exasperating Maria. Her counterpart sure was pedantic when it came to military politics, enough to make her ignore her own health.

"You're probably right…" she admitted. Wishing her a good night, the other girl followed the wise recommendation and went to her room. Maria watched her go and sighed. At least she took the advice this time. When her stomach growled, Maria realized how hungry she was and started for the kitchen until she remembered that she was no longer in the Moscow palace and that Dark Lithuania would not be there to help her out anymore. It was a shame really, not just because his cooking was amazing, but also because he was easy to talk to. Of all the Dark Nations, he was the mellowest and the most pleasant by a long shot. He did not deserve the title "Dark" Lithuania to be completely honest, but she did not know what else to call him.

Without a guide or a map of the estate, Maria meandered through the hallways like she did at the Moscow palace when she came across that kitchen and hoped for the same results. Finally she found a door labeled in German, which she hoped meant "kitchen," and let herself in. Her guess was right, it was the kitchen after all, but there was not a cook in sight. Dinner trays with steaming meals sat on the counters, so she figured the chef or servants were about the mansion delivering other trays. Wondering if it was rude to just grab food by herself, she searched the cabinets for something that looked familiar since she did not trust German food that much. She played it safe by selecting an apple and a roll of bread, and then made her way to her room.

Absentmindedly, she ambled down the carpeted halls, finishing her food. When she was nearing her room, she turned the corner of the corridor without paying attention, and crashed directly into someone who was hurrying from the other direction. The platter that the other person had been carrying clattered to the ground, the dishes shattering as they hit the floor. After colliding, both of them fell on their bottoms, and when Maria scratched her head, taking in what just happened because of her inattentiveness, she saw that the other person was a young girl with short hair and big green eyes, wearing a maid's dress. A purple ribbon dangled from the side of her hair.

"Oh! I'm so sorry about that," Maria apologized, starting to gather the glass shards that littered the carpet. Luckily, the dishes had been empty, probably because the girl was picking up finished plates to be washed. Even still, Maria felt bad for breaking them and creating more unnecessary work for the servant.

"No, no, it was my fault. You don't have to pick those up," the green-eyed girl said, shaking her head. She seemed to be a bit panicky, quickly grabbing the platter and piling the glass pieces on top.

"But it was my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going," Maria insisted, still picking up the glass. Something about this girl was particularly familiar, but she could not put her finger on it. Maria searched her brain for the memory of the last world conference meeting she attended on her home Earth, but it was quite a while ago, and a lot had happened since then. . She had seen that hairstyle before, but something was a bit different about it…was it the ribbon? Suddenly, the image of Switzerland popped into her head. These two had the same hairstyle! Then she recalled the little girl that always followed right behind him. His sister, right? So this was the Dark version of his little sister…what was her name again? "Liechtenstein!" she remembered aloud.

Dark Liechtenstein jumped at the sudden exclamation of her name. "Y-yes?"

"Oh, um, sorry, it's just that-" Maria's explanation was cut short when the little girl looked up at her. Along the side of her face, a distinct purple bruise marred her fair skin. That's when it hit Maria that Dark Liechtenstein was a servant of Dark Prussia's because her big brother was dead. "Did that red-eyed bastard do that to you?" she asked angrily, gesturing to the bruise.

"Oh, this?" She touched the side of her face lightly. "Yes, my master did, but it was my mistake." The young girl stared at the ground, collecting the shards, but her voice was sad, melancholy even. "I spilt his drink all over his bedroom carpet."

"That's no excuse for him to hit you! That's cruel," Maria exclaimed, irate at the abuse, "Selfish asshole!" She balled her fists, momentarily forgetting what she was doing, and the glass piece she held cut her palms. When her hands stung from the cuts, she dropped the glass, irritated.

"It's fine…it's better than being dead," Dark Liechtenstein whispered. She was barely audible, and her eyes seemed hollow, as if her spirit was void.

"That's still not acceptable! A young girl like you needs a caring home, not this. Does he always treat you like this?" Now Maria was deeply concerned for the other girl's mental and physical state. Dark Prussia was ten times worse than Dark Russia as a master. At least Dark Lithuania was not covered in bruises. At least he still had a spark of feeling in him, even if it was small.

Dark Liechtenstein did not answer, but just sniffed instead. "Y-yes…" she finally said, trembling, "B-but I have no where else to go, no one to turn to. He's s-so mean! I hate him. I hate him so much…" Tears began to form in her eyes, and she tried to stop them, but they rolled down her cheeks nonetheless. Her angst had obviously been bottled up until now, but Maria was willing to listen. Sympathetically, Maria pushed aside the tray of shattered glass and pulled the young girl into a hug and patted her back gently.

"Don't cry," she spoke in a hushed tone, "Everything's going to be okay."

However, this made her tears flow even more. "Don't say it's going to be okay!" Dark Liechtenstein sobbed, "That's what my big bruder used to say to me, but now…he's gone! Things will never be okay! He's dead and now…I'm all alone! This ribbon is all I have left of him." She caressed the fabric in her hair, as if it held her brother's own soul.

Maria could almost feel her heart break at her words, just like the glass did. As she watched the little girl cry and try to calm down, she had no idea what to say. Gradually, Maria's forlorn woe transformed into resentment and then into scorn. Her disgust for Dark Prussia could not be summed up with just a few words. The monster had killed three other nations and brought misery and torment unto those around him. Was there no justice in this world? Maybe justice just needed a little help.

"Listen," she put her hand on the young girl's shoulder and spoke with confidence, "I can't bring your brother back, but I can say this: things will get better."

Dark Liechtenstein shook her head. "How do you know?"

"I'll make sure they will." Maria put on a tender smile and helped her on her feet.

"You-you will?" she sniffled, picking up the tray and then meeting Maria's eyes.

"I will. Because you deserve better than this," Maria said softly. Dark Liechtenstein smiled and gave her a gracious look.

"Thank you, it's been a while since anyone's been nice to me," she said, tears subsiding. Then she continued on her way to the kitchen with the tray, standing a little taller.

When Maria finally reached her room, she felt like crap. What the hell were you thinking?She scolded herself silently. All she had done was gotten the girl's hopes up. But she should not have said what she said. One should never make promises that might be broken. Had she lied to Dark Liechtenstein when she said things were going to get better? But what else was she supposed to say? The girl was so depressed; Maria could not just ignore her. The only way for things to get better for the poor girl would be if Dark Prussia died, but that seemed impossible. The bastard was at the height of his power, his ferocity was unstoppable. Maybe it was wrong of her to comfort Dark Liechtenstein that way. Why was this world so screwed up? It had never gotten this...this dire back on her Earth. Then she began to think of all her friends she left behind when she fell through that portal. How she missed them. Maria never once imagined she would take all their bickering for granted! But more than everything else, she missed the laughter. When was the last time she laughed for real? She could not remember. So, homesick with an aching heart, she fell into a fitful slumber.

******
The next day passed uneventfully for Maria, who practically went through her day like ghost, tired and dreary after sleeping poorly. Dark Prussia and Germany had finished rearming his soldiers with his new artillery, and then had already sent them on their way to Greece. Before she knew it, the Genesis were already on their way to Turkey. Their flight landed in the capital of Ankara, and they were quickly escorted to Dark Turkey's military camp, where he was waiting for them. The masked marauder greeted them sternly and invited the Genesis Powers inside his tent to coordinate their troops' attacks on Greece. While Dark Turkey conversed with Dark Prussia, Maria could only think about how hot is was in the baking sun. As she let her mind wander to forget about the heat, she noticed how burly the Turkish man was, and tried to picture what his face looked like under that mask of his. Even on her own Earth, she never saw Turkey's bare face. When the discussion was being wrapped up, she tuned into the conversation.

"So it's decided then. We'll attack tomorrow at dawn," Dark Turkey concluded with that quaint accent of his.

"Excellent," Dark Prussia nodded. "Our German troops will come from the north, yours will march in from the east, and Egypt's are sailing from the south. Everything will be timed perfectly."

"Your troops will get here by tomorrow?" asked the masked man, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, they're sweeping through eastern Europe right now," Dark Prussia sneered, "I can practically feel their victory right now." He patted his biceps jokingly, but Maria did not doubt he was telling the truth. "Actually, even when we were still in Russia the German army was busy conquering east Europe. They'll have no problem being here by dawn, but my big guns were sent only a few days ago, so those won't arrive til later this month."

"But if we take Greece tomorrow, what use will the 'big guns' be?" Dark Turkey asked, confused.

"Kesesese, don't worry about it, you'll see." Dark Prussia sniggered, but the Turkish nation just changed the subject and began to discuss tactics. Maria badly wanted to tell him what really was the purpose of shipping the big guns here—they were going to be used against him! But she restrained herself. Dark Prussia was right; he'd know soon enough.

Dawn came quicker than Maria thought, and sure enough, Kiku was gently shaking her shoulders to wake her. Thankfully, sleep had been easier for her that night, and she shook the drowsiness off. The two of them strode through the camp as soldiers began taking down their tents, getting ready to move out, and Kiku briefed her about their attack. "The first wave of troops has already begun to overrun Greece's defenses. We will arrive on the battlefield with the second wave, so we must go take our places with the rest of the Genesis nations right now."

Kiku led her a little ways out of the camp where the second wave of German and Turkish troops was getting into formation, fully armed and prepared. Dark Prussia was waiting for them at the very front of the army, standing next to one of his giant metal tanks. "There you two are. We're just about to roll out!"

"Don't tell me we're also marching…" Maria sighed. It was going to be a long trip if that was the case.

"Us nations? Marching?" The albino laughed at the idea. "Of course not, we'll be going by horseback!" At this, she frowned involuntarily, and he tilted his head questioningly. "Got a problem with horses?"

"Well…let's just say my past experiences haven't been that great," she admitted, embarrassed. For some reason, ever horse she tried to ride bucked her off. Her people were great at horseback riding, so the failed trials stumped her. After almost breaking her tailbone, she decided to give up trying. While Dark Prussia chuckled, Kiku offered to let her ride with him. "Really?" she asked, delighted.

"Of course," Kiku smiled. Now she was actually glad that she could not ride alone. This was just one of Fate's little freebies. They were given a beautiful white stallion, and once Kiku finished saddling, he helped her up. When the other Genesis nations began to ride out, Maria wrapped her arms around Kiku's waist to keep from falling off. It was an innocent gesture, but that did not mean she did not enjoy it.

"Thanks," she murmured in his ear. Even though she could not see his face, she could tell he was smiling softly.

"It's fine. To be honest, I haven't ridden a horse like this in a while," he answered.

"I didn't think anyone rode horses to battle anymore."

"No one does, it's too old-fashioned. But Prussia wants a grand entrance, and this is his idea of flare," Kiku explained, smirking at the pompous implication. True, knights looked more valiant atop their horses, but Dark Prussia was no knight in shining armor. At least it broke the monotony of the war operations, and plus Maria got to ride with Kiku.

As they cantered along their way through the terrain, not getting too far ahead of the army behind them, Maria's stomach knotted and she began to glance around fretfully. Why did she feel so anxious? As she worried for reasons unknown to her, little things started to bother her—the heat made her lips chapped, beads of sweat formed on her forehead, the bright sun made her eyes hurt. Something was wrong, that much she knew, but what?

"What's the matter?" asked Kiku, who was adeptly reading her mood again. He could probably feel the uneven beating of her heart that came from anxiety as she held on to him.

"Oh, it's nothing…" But Kiku glanced back to show that he knew that something was bugging her. Of course, reading the atmosphere was his thing. Sighing, she continued, "I just have this feeling that something bad is going to happen."

After surveying the other Genesis Powers, he replied, "You're the only one who seems to think so. Everyone else is confident we'll take Greece. It's just one of him against all of us, but if you feel that way, then we should not let down our guard." His hand moved to the hilt of his katana that hung at his side, as if to make sure it was still in its place. Maria raised an eyebrow.

"You actually trust my hunch?"

"Hai, intuition is one our greatest defenses, especially as a nation." Thinking back, the last time she had such a noticeable premonition was just before she had traveled to Poland, just before he was murdered. Her throat went dry at the thought. What could happen now? Following Kiku's example, she too checked her twin knives at her belt. They were still there, but her gut feeling was only getting worse.

Eventually, as the rode on, Maria could see the plumes of smoke rising in the distance from the Grecian towns being raided by the invading forces. German and Russian planes flew overhead, humming and whirring, as they unleashed their flurry of bombs upon the devastated cities. Her sympathies went out to the poor civilians as she flashed back to the invasion of the Philippine Islands. When they drew nearer, she could hear their screams and even see the tallest buildings collapse from their heights as the bombs exploded. By the time the Genesis Powers reached the first Grecian city in their path, much of it had been reduced to rubble. Most of the survivors of the first wave of troops had evacuated, escaping the urban areas that were targeted by the fighter planes. The invaders had definitely taken this first city with ease, using the element of surprise, so the riders and the second wave of forces pushed forward, passing through the city completely unchecked.

When they came to the second city in their path, they found that they had caught up to the first wave of soldiers. The Greek army had set up defenses along the edge of this city, which was being evacuated as quickly as possible, but the invaders were breaking through and nothing stopped the fighter planes from dropping their explosives. It was evident that the city would soon fall to the Genesis army, but the Greek soldiers still fought in vain. Gunfire rang out continuously as the two forces fought to gain ground, but edifices and buildings crumbled and toppled down at the unrelenting rain of bombs that pummeled the city. Soon the area would be unrecognizable, nothing but heaps of debris.

As the Genesis nations closed the distance between themselves and the war zone, Maria saw a lone figure standing before them, wielding a large cross in his left hand. Even as the horses pulled up in front of him, she could tell how sickly pale he was. Sweat poured down his face and he was breathing hard. Dark Prussia's black horse whinnied as it lifted its front hooves in the air to come to an abrupt stop.

"Kesesese, you don't look so good," he chuckled. "You might as well surrender now. I might just spare your life." His own sword glinted in the sunlight as he unsheathed it for good measure.

"Listen to him, Greece," Dark Japan warned, "You don't have a chance against us."

"Not this time, Japan," Dark Greece declared. "There's no way I'm just going to come quietly." His voice was steely calm, yet Maria could see the hidden fear in his eyes. Even he knew that there was no hope for him like this.

Dark Turkey smirked, "I was hoping you'd say that." At his bombastic, deleterious tone, Maria felt Kiku's muscles tense, but she knew why. Back on her Earth, he would tell her about all his visits to her Greece, who became a close friend of his. He absolutely hated seeing Dark Greece at the mercy of these heartless nations, and hated even more that he could not do a thing to help him.

Dark Prussia dismounted his black stallion, brandishing his blade, his red eyes as malicious as ever. "Your stupid little cross won't protect you from me." As he took a step forward, Dark Greece took two back, his hands trembling. "Tell me, Greece, are you prepared to die today?"

Maria closed her eyes. This was something she did not want to see again. Watching Dark Poland die was hard enough, and she did not need another murder haunting her memory. Before anything could happen however, a single gunshot ripped through the air, causing Maria to open her eyes involuntarily. Dark Prussia jumped backward to avoid the bullet at the last second. When they all turned in the direction of the bang, half a mile away there was Dark America, who still had his pistol aimed in their direction, with the rest of the Vertex Union behind him, all of them ready for battle. She was still in shock, they had come out of nowhere, but Dark Japan stammered, "W-where did you-How did you…?"

As the Vertex Union came forward, Dark America leered, "Got your SOS, Greece." He spoke as if the Genesis were not even present, totally ignoring them. "Now that we've got your back, you have nothing to worry about."

Dark Greece just looked at the American, surprised and a bit annoyed at his nerve to show up at the last possible moment, yet still relieved that he came with his allies. "You have stupendous timing…" he muttered.

"I know," Dark America replied cockily, "We came from the south, and on the way up here, our forces chased all the Egyptian invaders back to their desert. I didn't know Egypt could run so fast."

"That idiot," uttered Dark Turkey spitefully.

"It doesn't matter!" Dark Prussia yelled at the American nation, "We'll still take this country, and crush you along with it!" He was clearly outraged by Dark America's arrogant demeanor, and at his words, the rest of the Genesis nations hopped off their horses, getting their weapons. Wisely and quickly, Dark Greece retreated behind his saviors' line of attack. During a moment of dreadful tension, the Vertex Union and the Genesis Powers scowled and glared at each other menacingly. And it was in this moment, Maria's chest tightened. That feeling she had earlier had transformed into crazy butterflies, and now something told her that this would be the battle that would decide the victor, the battle that would determine the tide of the war. Revenge was written in the Vertex Union's faces and bloodlust in the Genesis Powers.

"Kolkolkol," Dark Russia sneered, "America, shouldn't you be taking care of your brother?"

"Fuck you! You'll pay for what you've done!" Dark America roared. Dark Russia took a step forward, his grip on his pipe tightening, but Dark Britain stopped him.

"Wait. You've fought him every battle before this. It's my turn, so let me take care of him." The Briton grinned devilishly, feeling empowered by Arthur's temporary revival of his powers.

"Bring it on, Britain! I've beat you before and I'll do it again!" Even as Dark America shouted, Alfred too drew his pistol.

Dark Britain chuckled, as if the battle were already won. "Come on, Arthur." For a moment, there was a slight hesitation in Arthur's eyes, but it disappeared and he nodded. Then Dark Britain surged forward towards his opponent, releasing a burst of green light from his palm. The Battle for Greece had begun.

Dark Spain hammered his axe down on Dark Prussia's sword, letting all his anger out. He fought like never before with the image of Dark Romano's dead body still as fresh in his mind as the day he knelt beside it. He had promised that he would avenge his tomate and he was determined to fulfill that oath. With each swing, a loud clang! resonated from the collision of the two blades. However, the albino was able to block every strike, though not counterattacking just yet.

"Kesesese, Spain, we've fought each other twice already with the same result. Time we broke the monotony, don't you think?" Dark Prussia laughed as he deflected the axe once more.

"Don't you worry. It'll be different this time," Dark Spain growled back, "I'll send you to the gates of Hell! And even that's too good for you!" He raised his axe over his head and brought it down upon his opponent, his fury driving it forcefully. The Prussian tactfully blocked upward with his own sword, catching the strike, then kicking the Spaniard in his vulnerable stomach.

"That's some big talk. I hope you can back up your words," he chuckled as Dark Spain got to his feet and charged him once more.

Dark China, with Dark Hong Kong faithfully at his side, slashed his broad sword at Dark Russia, who tried to avert the blade with his pipe, but was only just too slow. Blood dripped from a define cut left in his arm. "You'll regret invading my homeland!" bark the Chinese nation. As Dark Russia clasped his iron pipe and began his assail on his opponent, who agilely but narrowly dodged his attacks, Dark Hong Kong tried to move in on the offensive before being stopped by Ivan.

"Don't you know that two versus one isn't very fair?" Ivan shook his head, tapping his own pipe in his hand. Dark Hong Kong grinded his teeth angrily and revealed his curved dagger in one hand and explosives in the other. The Russian frowned at the sight of his weapons before jumping out of the way as his adversary threw one of his deadly ammunition.

Dark Greece was barely able to keep Dark Turkey's curved sword at bay. The blade was only inches from his face as he pushed back with his metal cross. Not only was Dark Turkey a powerful opponent, but the Greek nation was already suffering from the invasion. "Would you really kill me?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"I've been meaning too," the Turkish man replied with a smirk. He knew he had the upper hand, as he usual had. His rival had always fought with a cross, not a real weapon, as if it gave him divine help. But today, he would prove that it was just an ordinary piece of metal.

"For you, brother," Dark Italy whispered to himself as he clutched his double edged sword. If his brother had the strength to sacrifice himself to protect him, then the least he could do was make sure his soul rested in peace by avenging him. Dark Italy stood before Dark Germany, glaring and summoning all his willpower, while the blonde chuckled cruelly.

"Poor Italy. Vithout Romano, who's going to protect you now? Not that he vas doing a good job anyvay, he couldn't even protect himself." Dark Germany stopped laughing unexpectedly and his voice became dangerously serious. "He died because you ran avay. A covard like you doesn't deserve to live in this vorld."

The Italian tightened his grip on his sword and his eyes grew dark. "You're right," he said softly, almost inaudible, "Maybe he died because I was a coward…" Then his voice grew into a shout, piqued and bold, "But I'm done running away!" At this, Dark Germany scowled and cracked his whip mercilessly. Lovino, who saw the other Italian fighting for the sake of his counterpart, joined him and together they averted the stinging whip, trying to get close enough to their foe to strike.

Antonio and Dark France approached Dark Japan from opposite sides, but he was not worried; he had dealt with multiple opponents before. As they both charged him, the Japanese nation flawlessly landed a double back handspring, putting his enemies in front of him where he could see them both. Realizing it would be a bad idea to underestimate their Genesis foe, Antonio and Dark France coordinated their next attacks, lunging and slicing synchronously. However, Dark Japan moved with graceful speed, weaving in and out of their strikes, inflicting cuts on them while not being harmed at all. He was indeed a nation not to be trifled with, having much more years of experience and more aggression. While the other two nations took heavy breathes and had sweat dripping down their faces, Dark Japan's composure remained poised and somber.

Gilbert was uncomfortable as he ducked under Dark Austria's slice that meant to severe off his head. Of course, the odds were still in his awesome favor, but something inside of him made him feel…well, not as awesome. He was certain that he could defeat Dark Austria if he put all his effort into the fight, but, for some reason, Gilbert felt as if he did not have the right to win. This Austria was so determined to have his revenge for the death of his beloved Dark Hungary, and even though Gilbert was not the one who killed her, he still felt guilty. Normally, he did not have such sentimental feelings back on his Earth—he remembered how easy it was to win Silesia from his Austria—but here the situation was completely flipped upside down. Dark Austria fought with a purpose, but why was he fighting? Deep down, he knew that beating Dark Austria this way would not make him feel awesome at all. Damn it. Why now, of all times, did he have to start feeling sorry for people?

As her counterpart dueled Francis, Maria battled shoulder-to-shoulder with Kiku and Ludwig on either side of her, making somewhat of a triangle, as the Dark Asian nations that she had fought previously on beach—Dark Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam—surrounded them. Ludwig's shoulder was still in the process of healing, so Maria made extra sure to cover his weaker side. Kiku crossed his katana with Dark Thailand's dual swords while Maria fended off Dark Korea, who furiously wanted a rematch. As Dark Korea swiped his chain scythes at her, she checked them each time with fluid movements, but was unable to throw jabs of her own. She knew she could have easily dodged and countered, but if she ducked, whichever comrade was behind her, Kiku or Ludwig, could be hit from behind. Meanwhile, Ludwig used his whip to keep Dark Taiwan and Vietnam far enough to make their weapons useless. They were harder to hit however, being lithe with petite and slim forms.

Alfred and his counterpart were forced to be light on their toes if they wanted to survive their battle with the magical Britons. They did not have the time to even shoot their pistols, only enough time to get to their feet and then rolled out of the way of the next deadly blast of magic. Dark Britain was being especially ruthless, laughing maniacally as he threw his radiant balls of pure energy from his fingertips. Arthur too shot his own magic at their adversaries, but with a pokerface, suppressing any feelings of reluctance. The two attacked so belligerently and vehemently that the American nations were driven further into the ruined city as they avoided being blown to bits by explosive spells. The Britons advanced tirelessly as the American nations had no choice but to flee through the streets lined with debris and toppled edifices. Since the invading forces had ravaged through this half of city fairly quickly, not another person was in sight—or rather, not another living person was in sight. The lucky civilians were able to evacuate and escape as the buildings fell to wreckage, but many were killed in the invasion.

The German planes still bombarded what was left of the city, wanting to leave it totally destroyed once their air force was done with it. The ground rumbled as a bomb was dropped in the near vicinity, collapsing yet another building already weakened by preceding bombings. As the Americas ran past the building, its structure was blown apart, large fragments of stone flying in every direction. Alfred was thrown completely off balance and tumbled for quite a few feet. When he picked himself up, the dust was just beginning to clear up, and he found his counterpart lying on the ground, groaning, his leg stuck underneath a fallen chunk of stone. Dark America tried desperately to wriggle himself free, but it was no use. They heard a dark snicker, and the dust settled just enough to make out the figures of Arthur and Dark Britain, the latter wearing a wicked smile on his face after seeing Dark America's plight. Alfred cursed. He had lost hold of his pistol when the building exploded, and so did his counterpart.

"Just go, Alfred! Run!" shouted Dark America, knowing how hopeless his position was.

"No, I can't just leave you like this," Alfred objected, standing in front of his counterpart, acting like a shield much like Maria had done for her own counterpart on the Philippine Islands. If Maria had been brave enough to do that, then he could be to. To ditch now and abandon his comrade was the cowardly thing to do. What kind of hero would he be? So he resolved to guard his defenseless counterpart until the very end. Dark America was bewildered, not understanding why Alfred was willing to risk his life for his sake. He had never known such virtue, and it left him speechless.

"Isn't this just perfect?" chortled Dark Britain, leering at the fallen nation and his unarmed counterpart. Then he turned to Arthur. "Well, what are you waiting for? Kill them!"

From the Author: Dang, I can't believe we're this far into the story already! Well, to be honest, I planned to finish this earlier, but I decided to make it a bit longer. But now that we've reached the final battle, I'm super excited and I hope you guys are too! Time for the cheesy cliffhanger questions: Who will win the war? The Vertex Union or the Genesis Powers? All the nations will be forever changed by this last battle, but which ones will permanently meet their fate?

Thanks for the millionth time for ALL the support! I just love my reviewers! It's like the more reviews I get, the more it makes me want to write :D so I can't thank you guys enough! I'll be doing what I did last chapter by answering my last reviews and showing my undying gratitude!

itgirl18: I agree with you all the way, my readers like Maria a lot more, which is definitely a good thing! Thanks again!

Juusan13: Your insightful comments have been a huge help! It's been a major confidence booster and it makes me want to write even better as an author. I won't let you down! :)

The Eternal Empress: The war is pointless, like you said, and you're absolutely right! The dark counterparts have a negative affect on them that they have to overcome if they ever want to get home.

DragonnaTheDogDemon: I take it my experiment was a success? :D Thanks so much!

NinjaRoll: Isn't Prirhon just adorable? Just wanted to give you a special thanks for all your reviews :) Yours have been so motivational and thats what keeps me writing, so thanks a bunch!

Thanks guys! This next chapter will be the craziest one yet, so stay tuned!