Hey, everyone. Sorry this chapter took longer then usual to come out. I have a lot of fun writing these fan fictions, but I also have original works of fiction I write as well, and I need to put more time in those, especially if I want to make a living out of them. So updates will take a bit longer since I'm going to put most of my time into my original stories. The next one I'm working on is a spinoff to my Coden Lynx: Asperger Agent series called Coden Lynx: Zodia Tales. Unlike it predecessor, It'll be a chapter book, and will have more action and excitement. I might even be able to make a physical copy this time instead of making it exclusively an e-book. I hope you'll like it when I finish, and I hope you understand why the updates will be much slower from now on. And when I update again, I'll do a chapter of Monoteddy instead, since I haven't updated that in a while. But enough of that. Time to get into the story.


"I am the obstacle that prevents Joshua from moving forward. I am the wall that keeps him from reaching the promise land. You may call me... Jericho."

Joshua looked at the ground while clutching his fists.

"He was created... When I was so close to paying my debt to the Netherworld..." he said, "It seems some cosmic force doesn't want me to atone..."

"C'mon, Sally." Jerico told his twin, "Why'd you have to go from Douchey Jesus to Gloomy Gus?"

"Don't you fill that role?" Coden asked.

"Ah ha ha ha ha! Silly Sally!" said Jerico, "I'm more of a Douchey AntiChrist."

"What do you have to gain from this?" said Coden.

"...Entertainment..." Joshua said to the lynx, getting his attention, "He's doing this because he thinks it's fun..."

"Give Sally four gold medals!" Jerico said, "You hit the nail right on the head!"

"When you call us both Sally, you make it very difficult to know which of us you're talking to." Coden told the Douchey AntiChrist.

"Fine. You'll be Kitty Sally." said Jericho.

"Not particularly happy with that, but at least it's less confusing."

"Ah ha ha ha. Anyway, I'd love to talk with you more, but I'm holding you two up from this labyrinth. It's about time you two start moving. Try not to die, now. Bye, Sallys."

Jericho then broke contact.

Coden looked around some more.

"I guess I'll know how Lady Chiaki feels..." he said.

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked.

"This isn't the first time she was put into a labyrinth..." Coden said, as he punched the wall, "To think, she'll have to do it again...!"

"We better hurry and find everyone..." Joshua said.

"But... Didn't you say Nico will kill you if he finds you?"

"Yes... That'll happen. And that's how it should be..."

"STOP TALKING LIKE THAT! STOP ACTING SO SUICIDAL! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO NICO, BUT DON'T GO THROWING YOUR LIFE AWAY BECAUSE OF IT!"

Coden's outburst startled Joshua a bit.

"...Coden..." Joshua started, "I'm not throwing my life away... I'm giving it to Nico... As payment for the life I stole from his vassal..."

"You... Killed one of his vassals?"

"Yes... An innocent demon died by my hands because of my blind hatred I had for demons. I regret it now, but I can't bring her back... So all I can give is my life."

"Joshua..."

"Heh... I had hoped I could deal with Jericho before letting Nico kill me... But I guess fate had something else in mind. Looks like Jericho will have to be in Nico's hands..."

"Joshua, please..."

"You mustn't interfere with this, Coden. I brought this upon myself, and I'll get what I deserve. It's as simple as that."


Nico and Chiaki carefully moved around the labyrinth. As they were walking, Nico realized he was finally alone with the angel. He tried to think about what to say to her.

'She's a gamer...' Nico thought, 'Maybe I'll start with that.'

"Are you okay, Nico?" Chiaki asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Nico said.

"You're face is all red." said the angel.

"It is?" asked Nico.

Chiaki nodded.

"Heh heh... Heh..." Nico didn't know what to say. It wasn't like he could just tell her "thinking of you makes me all fuzzy inside," right? He then tried to change the subject.

"So... You like gaming, huh?" he asked the angel.

"Yeah." Chiaki said, "Some people say it's a talent of mine."

'A talent? That must mean she's a pro gamer.' Nico thought.

"You said you were a gamer, too." Chiaki said.

"Yeah. I am." said the overlord.

"What kind of games do you like?" Chiaki was starting to pick up the conversation.

"I like role playing games the best." Nico answered, "What about you."

"I'm a fan of all genres." Chiaki said.

"Really? That's pretty co..."

"LOOK OUT!" Chiaki pulled Nico back before a giant axe could slice him in half. They both lost their balance, and Nico fell on top of the angel. Nico blushed when he realized their faces were only centimeters apart. Although Chiaki was blushing also, she looked more terrified then embarrassed. Nico noticed she was trembling and quickly got up.

"S-sorry..." Nico said.

Chiaki didn't reply. She sat up looking at the trap that almost killed Nico. Her eyes watered as she trembled more. She look as scared as a child lost in a mall, if not more.

"Chiaki, are you alright?" the overlord asked her.

Still no response. Chiaki just sat there as horrible memories flooded her head.


Chiaki was in a deadly labyrinth set up by Junko. There were traps everywhere. Chiaki was in pain from all the times she was tortured by what ever trap she got caught in. However, this pain was nothing compared to what Junko was doing to Coden. Instead of torturing him physically, Junko had him tied up and forced to watch as his master and friend was being cut, stabbed, and beaten. The mental torture Coden was going through also hurt Chiaki when she saw his face. She could see the despair her punishment was bringing him. Coden was being tortured mentally, while Chiaki was being tortured both physically and mentally. Junko, however, enjoyed every minute of it. To her, this was a delightful game, and she was clearly winning. She laughed every time Chiaki screamed in pain. She laughed every time Coden cried out to Chiaki. She laughed for every tear that was shed by both angels. When Chiaki finally reached the exit, it turned out to be another trap. She was stabbed by many spears. The last thing she heard was Coden calling her name before the pain became too great, and she passed out.


"...No...!" She said.

"Chiaki?" said Nico.

"...No...Please, stop...!" Chiaki put her hands on her head, and more tears filled in her eyes, "...Stop...! PLEASE, STOP!"

"Chiaki!" Nico began to shake her a bit.

Chiaki finally snapped out of it, but still looked uneasy. She met eyes with the overlord, her eyes still full of tears.

"...I'm scared, Nico." Chiaki finally said, "I thought... I could overcome this... But I'm still... I'm still terrified..."

"Terrified of what?" Nico asked.

"I'm Terrified... Of facing Junko again... I'm terrified... Of what she'll do to me... And to anyone who's with me..."

"Don't worry..." Nico said, "I've beaten Junko before. I'll protect you..."

"...You said... You've lost many men to her... Right?"

"Yeah... I did."

"If... You lose someone... Because of me..."

"Don't talk like that. If anyone dies, it's not your fault. My vassals and I made the choice to protect you. Don't blame yourself for our choice..."

"I caused you... Nothing but trouble... and yet, you're still so kind to me... Why is that."

"You didn't cause me any trouble, Chiaki. Like I said before, this was our choice...

"If it wasn't for me, Metatron wouldn't..."

"I was the one who angered him. I was the one who went looking for you so I could protect you. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."

"Nico... Don't blame yourself..."

"Alright...As long as you don't blame yourself."

"...Nico."

"We're with you because we want to, Chiaki. And even if you try to push me away, I'd still come to help you. Especially now that I know you're scared. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe."

"Please, Nico... You don't have to do that for me..."

"I want to, Chiaki. That's what I've been saying all this time."

"But why...?"

"Because I..." but before he could finish, Nico stop himself. He almost confessed his feeling, but realized this probably wasn't the right time.

"...Because you're my friend, Chiaki." he said instead.

Chiaki looked at the overlord in awe. She didn't know what to say. She believed that demons had good in them, but she never thought she'd come across someone like Nico. He acts more like a caring brother to his vassals rather then an overlord. And even though she seemed to be a nuisance, Nico would still do anything in his power to keep her safe. He was literally the living proof that there is indeed hope for demons.

"Nico... You're really splendid."

"No, Chiaki. You're the one who's splendid."

"...I really like you, Nico."

"Huh? Y-You do?"

"Yeah. You're an amazing friend."

'...Right. She meant like me as a friend...' Nico thought, a little embarrassed for getting his hopes up.

"You feeling any better?" Nico asked.

"A little..." said Chiaki, "I'm still a bit nervous, though. This labyrinth seems dangerous... And brings bad memories..."

"I won't ask about those memories, then." Nico's said as he helped the angel up, "I'll take the lead. You stay behind me and be safe."

"Make sure you watch out for the traps this time." Chiaki told him.

"Don't worry. I won't make that same mistake twice."

Nico then moved forward. Chiaki followed. Being too busy looking out for traps, Nico didn't notice that at that moment, Chiaki was smiling at him while blushing a bit.


Meanwhile in different parts of the labyrinth...

With Kazuichi and Mean Dino:

"Hey! Mean Dino! How's it been, buddy?!"

Mean Dino began to jump with excitement when he saw the Metal Shark Overlord again.

"Oh, hey! How's the chainsaw upgrade I made for you?" asked Kazuichi.

Mean Dino got out his chainsaw and activated the beam blade.

"Heh heh! The beam blade's my favorite, too."

The happy T-Rex began to jump with excitement some more.

"Mean Dino, it's been way too long. It's good to see ya again, buddy."


With Seven and Komaeda:

"Looks like you're my new hope buddy, Seven." said the jester, "Let's use our shining hope to get out of this labyrinth. I'm sure it'll be a-maze-ing! Ha ha ha!"

"Why the hell did I have to be stuck with you?" complained the bad-ass.


With Riku and Cloud:

"These walls are pretty stiff. My keyblade isn't even making a dent in it." said Riku.

"Looks like we'll just have to move forward." Cloud said.

The two dark knights moved forward, avoiding traps as they go.


With Monomi and Godot:

The adviser began chucking down a cup of coffee.

"You really love coffee, don't you?" asked the rabbit.

"With a passion." answered Godot.

"So, where do you think the others are?" Monomi asked.

"The only way to find out is to go through this maze."

"I hope they're okay..."

"Don't worry, little rabbit. Lord Nico brought some of his best men with him. They can defend themselves, and will protect Chiaki."

"Your overlord's really kind. He'd definitely be welcomed in Toto Bunny."

"Indeed, he is kind. And I'm proud to call him my master."

The bunny and the adviser then moved on.

("I'm an adult, so therefore I'm a rabbit." Monomi corrected the narrator.)


With Nagisa and Gundham:

"General. I think this labyrinth may be a death trap. We should proceed with caution."

"Right you are, young Nagisa." Gundham told the alchemist, "That poor excuse for an angel would try to trap us in a despicable labyrinth for his own entertainment! He must have taken some lessons from Junko."

"You think Joshua was sent here by Junko?"

"It wouldn't surprise me one bit! They're both enemies of Lord Nico. And you know what they say..."

"...An enemy of my enemy is my friend." Nagisa finished for the general.

"Smart lad." Gundham said, "Come, Nagisa! Let us venture through this maze and reunite with our comrades!"

"Yes, sir." answered Nagisa as he followed the general.


With Maya and Seiko:

The mages ventured through the labyrinth.

"We should use an Anti-Trap spell or something." Maya suggested.

"That's not a bad idea..." Seiko said, "But knowing that douchey angel, he'll probably have our spell negated somehow. I'll double check, though."

Seiko activated her Anti-Trap spell, and sure enough, it didn't work.

"Stupid Jesus powers!" Maya complained.

"We'll have to press on without it, then." said Seiko.

The two mages continued moving. Eventually, Seiko broke the silence.

"So, how's your sister doing?" she asked.

"I already told you 'You can't motorboat her!'" said Maya.


And with Nekomaru:

"Hello? Anyone there?" Nekomaru asked, "Is there by any chance a toilet nearby? I really gotta SHIIIIIIIIIIIII...! (Big Sh*t count: 10.)


Nico and the others continued through the deadly maze. Some got hit by some traps, but none of them got any serious damage. Soon, Jericho spoke on the intercom for everyone to hear.

"Ha ha ha. How about some music to motivate you to go faster?" he asked.

Unfortunately, no one had a choice, and the Douchey AntiChrist began singing a parody song in the tune of Willy Wonka's "Pure Imagination."

"Come with me.

And you'll be

In a world of your sweet irritation.

Take a look,

And you'll find

what will start your irritation.

We'll begin

With a spin

Suffering in the world of my creation.

What I'll see

Will define

Desperation.

If you want feel agony

Simply walk around and feel it.

Anything I want, I'll do it.

Want to f**k yourselves...

There's nothing to it."

"I'm gonna kill him." Nico said.

Jericho continued his song.

"There is no

Life I know

That deserves

My consideration.

Coming here

You're all f**ked

And you're truly out of luck."

"Someone make it stop..." Monomi said.

But despite the protest of Monomi, the song was not over.

"If you want feel agony

Simply walk around and feel it.

Anything I want, I'll do it.

Want to f**k yourselves...

There's nothing to it.

There is no

Life I know

That deserves

My consideration.

Coming here

You're all f**ked

And you're truly out of luck."

"...Finally, it's over." said Seven.

"Now, how about another song?" said Jericho.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" everyone cried.

So not only did Nico and the crew have to deal with the traps; They also had to deal with Jericho's douchey singing voice.

"Were you really like that in the past?" Coden asked Joshua.

"I feel like this might be a slight exaggeration..." Joshua answered.


It took a while, but Nico and Chiaki managed to make it out of the labyrinth first.

"Finally..." Chiaki said.

"Are we the first ones out?" Nico asked.

"Well, you do have Main Character status." Chiaki answered.

"True..." said Nico.

The overlord and the angel began to look around some more. There was no sign of anyone else, nor was there any sign of that douchey AntiChrist.

"I had hoped we'd at least see Joshua, so I could finally settle the score." Nico said.

"What did Joshua do?" Chiaki asked.

"He killed a vassal of mine..." Nico said, "She was a new recruit, too. She may not have been in my army for long, but she was very reliable."

"What was her name?"

"Her name was Xion."

Nico then summoned a black keyblade called "Oblivion."

"This keyblade belonged to her." Nico said, "She gave it to me before she died."

Chiaki looked really concerned.

'Did Joshua really do that...?' she thought.

After a little bit, Nico and Chiaki finally saw someone else exit the labyrinth.

"Coden!" Chiaki called out.

To their surprise, the lynx did not look happy to see them.

"Oh...H-hey, Lady Chiaki. Hey, Nico..." Coden sounded very nervous.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked the overlord.

"N-nothing..." Coden lied.

"Who was with you?" Chiaki asked.

"N-no one..." Coden lied again.

"You're a terrible liar." said a voice from behind Coden.

"No! Don't come out!" Coden pleaded.

However, the owner of the voice came out anyway, revealing himself as none other then Joshua. The moment he and Nico's eyes met, rage appeared on the overlord's face.

"You!" Nico said as he charged at Joshua with Oblivion.

Joshua got to his knees, closed his eyes, and braced himself for the attack.

'My debt will finally be paid.' he thought.

But before Nico could strike, Coden got in the way.

"Coden, what are you doing?" Nico asked.

"Move, Coden." Joshua said, "I told you not to interfere..."

"Shut up, Joshua!" Coden cried, "I know you said you want to repay your debt, but this just isn't right! You can't throw away your life like this!"

"I already told you, I'm not throwing it away. I'm giving it to Nico..."

"Same difference!" Coden cut Joshua off, "In the end, you're choosing to get yourself killed, and I won't let that happen to a friend!"

"...Coden, what are you talking about?" Nico asked.

"Joshua?" Chiaki asked.

"...You must be Chiaki." Joshua said, "It's nice to finally meet you."

"What's going on here?" Nico asked.

"The Joshua who put us in this labyrinth isn't the real Joshua." Coden said, "It's an evil twin named Jericho."

"An evil twin...?" Nico tried to comprehend it all as he looked at Joshua, "So you had nothing to do with this?"

"No." Coden answered for Joshua.

"...Yes." Joshua answered.

"But Joshua, it wasn't your fault!" Coden said, "Jericho's the one who..."

"Jericho is my sins in physical form. His existence is because of the evils I've done...So anything he does... Is my fault."

"Joshua..." Coden said.

Joshua set his attention back to Nico.

"Nico..." he said, "I'm not going to insult you by apologizing for what I did to Xion. So instead, I'll give you my life as payment. That will be my apology to you. Strike me down quickly, or make me suffer first. Which ever makes you more satisfied."

"Joshua...!"

"Stay out of this, Coden!" Joshua demanded, cutting off the lynx.

Nico looked down at the sinful angel with restrained fury. He raised Oblivion as if he were about to stab him with it. Joshua closed his eyes and once again braced himself. Soon after, he heard a clashing sound right next to him. Joshua open his to see Oblivion thrusted at the ground rather then through him. He then looked at Nico in wonder.

"...You say this 'Jericho' is Joshua's sins in physical form?" Nico asked, looking at Coden

Coden nodded timidly.

"And you say... Joshua here wants to repay his debt?"

"Yes..." Coden answered, "He says that giving you his life was the last step to fully repaying it..."

"But that isn't true..." Nico said.

"O-of course it is." Coden said, "He truly wants to right his wrongs, and..."

"I mean that isn't the last step for repaying his debt."

Nico was now looking at Joshua.

"Jericho is your sins in physical form..." Nico told Joshua, "Which means he's your responsibility. So you are the one who has to deal with him. And that's what you're going to do. I'll help, 'cause I want to give Jericho a piece of my mind as well. But you have to finish him off. And once that's done... Then I'll help carry out your final form of payment."

After getting up, Joshua answered "Very well."


As time went on, The rest of the crew finally made it to the end. Some came later then others. Some had more damage then others.

'If Morishige was still with us, this maze would kill him.' Nico thought.

Nico's vassals (Except Seven, since he was a new recruit.) became weary when they saw Joshua.

"Calm down." Nico told them, "Joshua isn't the real enemy. Apparently he has an evil twin named Jericho, who is the real enemy."

After Nico cleared that up, Jericho spoke on the intercom for all to hear.

"Ah ha! Congratulations, Sallys. You've all made it to the end without dying. Now, it's time for your reward; You get to see me in person."

"Jericho, we know the truth about you!" Nico said.

"Um... Duh! I can see everything you do. It's my labyrinth, after all." the Douchey AntiChrist said, "You're all such silly nuggets!"

"Shut up and show yourself!" Coden demanded.

"You will be coming to me, Sallys." said Jericho,

One of the walls opened up, revealing a door.

"Go through there, and we'll have our little tea party." Jericho told them, "I'll even invite some friends along to meet you. Ah ha! See you soon, Sallys."

"Get ready, everyone." Nico told the others, "Jericho may be a douche, but he's powerful nonetheless. I don't know who he has with him, but they'll most likely be dangerous."

The overlord then set his attention on Joshua.

"And as for you..." he told him, "I believe that you want to make things right, but don't think for a second that I've forgiven you. With that said, I need you to bring your A-game. Jericho will be yours to finish off, and I don't want him killing you before I get the chance."

"...I wouldn't have it any other way, Nico." Joshua told the overlord.

And with that, Nico and the others entered the door.

To be continued...


So, for more notes, You're probably wondering why I gave Nico the Roxas treatment rather then putting Roxas in the story. Well, in all honesty, I really wanted to put Roxas in this story, especially since he's Nico's favorite character. The problem was that Nico uses his own voice for Roxas. So with that, Nico is Roxas in this story as much as he's Hajime and any other character who is given the Nico voice. I doubt Nico will mind actually BEING Roxas in the story. After all, it foreshadows an awesome abilities he's going to have. And to make up for the lack of Roxas, I promise you'll get to see everyone's favorite Blueberry Muffin Mom in this fan fiction eventually.