Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Bayonetta 2! Equipped with the Umbran Armor, Bayonetta and her mother Rosa fought their way through the war-torn streets of Vigrid to reach the Umbra Clock Tower, facing off against Sapientia and Lustitia of the Auditio. Meanwhile, Pit and Dark Pit used the Great Sacred Treasure to destroy the fleet of Worships in the sky. Now our heroes have arrived at the Umbra Clock Tower, ready to help the Umbra Witches make their last stand against the Angels of Paradiso.
Author's Note: One. Chapter. Left! We're almost there!
Bayonetta and Rosa landed in front of the Umbra Clock Tower. There they entered into a battlefield. The Umbra Witches and the Angels of Paradiso were locked in mortal combat in front of the tower. "We made it." Rosa said. "And not a moment too soon. Keep them from the clock tower! We must defend it with all our strength!" They didn't have to wait long as a group of Affinities led by an Applaud charged at the two witches.
Bayonetta and Rosa drew their guns and charged into the battle as Pit and Dark Pit, cloaked in their Transparency Power, landed on the battlefield. "Let's split up and help where we can!" Pit said. Dark Pit nodded and the two invisible angels flew off in different directions.
The Applaud swung its staff at Bayonetta only for the Umbra Witch to block it with her guns, giving Rosa an opening to deliver an Afterburner Kick to its face, killing it with a shot from the gun on her heel. A group of Affinities dived at Bayonetta, but she dispatched them all with a Breakdance, firing bullets in all directions. Bayonetta summoned Shuraba and charged through the hordes of angels, hacking them apart with her katana.
In another part of the battlefield, a lone Umbra Witch found herself cornered by a Fairness and Fearless. She tried to fire a shot from her guns, but the Fearless swatted the guns out of her hands and grabbed her by the throat with its tail. Just when it was ready to kill her, its tail was suddenly sliced in half by the invisible Pit. Before both she and the Fearless could react, Pit quickly decapitated the Fearless and tossed a grenade in the mouth of the Fairness, killing it instantly.
"What just happened?" The Umbra Witch asked herself as she looked around in abject confusion. She quickly shook it off and went back to fighting. Pit, pleased with what he done, smiled and went on to help somewhere else.
Another Umbra Witch was locked in battle with two angels who wore masks and were armed with clawed gauntlets. One angel, named Grace, had red gauntlets that were wreathed in flames and had red veins on its skin. The other angel, named Glory, had blue veins on its skin and wore electrified gauntlets. Both angels were Second Sphere Virtues in the Hierarchy of Laguna.
The two angels attacked with furious claw swipes with the Umbra Witch doing her best to dodge. Glory slammed the ground with its claws, sending shockwaves through the ground and electrocuting the witch. She fell to the ground and was rendered helpless. The Grace moved in for the killing blow only for its head to suddenly explode. Both the Umbra Witch and the Glory looked on in confusion before the Glory's head exploded as well. In reality, Dark Pit had shot them both with his personal Staff.
"Strange things are afoot, methinks." the young witch said to herself before running off to join the battle.
As the fighting raged on, a portal to Paradiso appeared and from it emerged Tempermantia, Manipulator of Winds. His very appearance generating a storm, Tempermantia fired a sweeping laser from his forehead, killing many Umbra Witches. Bayonetta and Rosa ran to the cliffside and opened fire on Tempermantia with their guns. Tempermantia's fist spun around and gathered electricity as he performed a wide hook punch. Dodging at the last second, the activated Witch Time and the two attacked his arm with Wicked Weave Punches.
Eventually, the Witch Time wore off and Tempermantia attempted to backhand them. The two witches backflipped away and Bayonetta fired on Tempermantia with her Lt. Col. Kilgore missile launchers, hitting him square in the face. Tempermantia dug its fingers in the ground and began firing laser blasts from underneath. Bayonetta and Rosa dodged his laser blasts as they closed in on his face. They then delivered a double Wicked Weave Punch, sending the Auditio plunging into the cliff below.
Before the two could celebrate their victory, a roar ripped through the sky. They turned and looked to see Foritiudo in the sky. They both watched in horror as the angelic dragon spat two fireballs at the Clock Tower, destroying it completely. "The symbol of the Umbran way..." Rosa trailed off. "No... There's no way this could have been his plan!" Foritiudo fired another fireball, this one aimed at the two witches.
Bayonetta pushed Rosa out of the way and the two fell off the cliffside. At that moment, a large red serpent flew at the two witches. It was an Inspired, a First Sphere Throne in the Hierarchy of Laguna. The serpentine angel dived at the two witches, ready to devour them both when suddenly, the Inspired was decapitated by an invisible Dark Pit.
Bayonetta and Rosa landed on a piece of debris. "You know, between that giant airship blowing up and angels spontaneously dying around us, I can't help but feel that we've had quite a run of good fortune." Rosa said.
"I-Indeed." Bayonetta stammered, growing nervous. "Luck is most certainly on our side."
"Actually, I don't believe it's luck." Rosa replied. "It's almost like..." Rosa turned and fired a few shots at the ground next to Bayonetta, startling both Pit and Dark Pit and causing the Transparency power to wear off. "...We've had two guardian angels watching over us." she said sternly.
"Um... Hi there." Pit chuckled nervously with a wave. Dark Pit facepalmed in response, annoyed that they had been caught.
"Oh my. We must have missed these two." Bayonetta said, desperately trying to keep up the facade. Rosa simply stared at the trio with arms crossed, seeing through the lie. "You can drop the act, dear, I know they've been following us. By the way, has anyone ever told you you're a terrible liar?" she asked.
"A horrible one." Bayonetta replied with a smile, realizing that the jig was up. Rosa drew one of her pistols and pointed it at Bayonetta. "You know it's considered treason to be seen in the company of angels." she said. Bayonetta and the twin angels lowered their heads. At that moment, another Inspired flew in and attempted to devour Bayonetta, only for Rosa to fire her pistol, killing it instantly. The act was enough to startle the three of them and they all stared at Rosa.
"...But then again, I've more than broken my fair share of rules." Rosa said, holding up her chains to accentuate her point. "And they have been helping us. Plus, I do have a soft spot for the little ones." Pit gave a sigh of relief at the statement. "Well, that's good to know." he said. My name's Pit, and this is Pittoo."
"Dark Pit." Dark Pit corrected. The conversation was quickly cut short by loud screeching. The four of them were quickly surrounded by hundreds of Applauds and Affinities. The group turned to face their attackers, standing back-to-back with each other. "Introductions will have to wait!" Rosa said. "Time to finish this!"
"Let's rock!" Bayonetta shouted.
"So much for not changing history!" Dark Pit said.
"Let's take them out!" Pit shouted. The four of them broke off to face the angelic hordes. Bayonetta and Rosa found themselves facing two Inspireds. One of them dived at Bayonetta, who summoned Malphas' wings and took to the air. The other Inspired dived at Rosa, who leapt onto its back and rode it like a bucking bronco. "PIDPH!" she chanted, summoning the fists and feet of Madama Khepri, who proceeded to pummel the angelic serpent before uppercutting it into the air. Rosa grabbed the Inspired's crest and suplexed the angel, slamming it into the ground and killing it instantly.
Meanwhile, Bayonetta was being chased by the other Inspired. The beast spat fireball after fireball at the Umbra Witch, who skillfully and nimbly dodged each one. The Inspired gradually closed in on Bayonetta. "That's it sweetheart. A little closer." she teased. When close enough, the Inspired opened its jaws and prepared to swallow her whole. Seeing her opportunity, Bayonetta turned and drew her Lt. Col. Kilgore rocket launchers.
"Open wide and say ahh!" Bayonetta yelled as she fired her rockets down the Inspired's throat, causing it to explode from the inside out. "Must have been something he ate." Bayonetta mused. She looked down to see Rosa surrounded by Affinities and leapt down to aid her.
Pit and Dark Pit took to the air to face off against the Affinities, but the Affinities flew past them and went straight for Bayonetta and Rosa. "Now that's just plain rude." Pit said.
"Well, we've been invisible this whole time." Dark Pit said. "Now that they see us, they must think we're on their side."
"Then they won't see this coming!" Pit and Dark Pit drew their bows and fired hundreds of arrows into the sky that rained down on the Affinities and Applauds, killing them all with pinpoint accuracy while leaving Bayonetta and Rosa unharmed. The twin angels landed next to the two witches. "Impressive..." Rosa said. "...for a couple of angels."
"They do have their uses." Bayonetta said. Pit chuckled with a smile and Dark Pit was about to make a snappy remark, but suddenly, an Inspired emerged from below the platform, smashing it into pieces. Bayonetta and the angel twins landed on a piece of the clock tower. "Rosa? Rosa!" Bayonetta said. "Damn it, we got separated." Sensing something heading their way, the three immediately moved out of the way.
They turned behind them to see one of Loki's cards embedded into the ground. Next to it was Loki himself. Only there was something quite different about him. His hoodie was grey instead of yellow and he wore the hood over his head. Likewise, his pants were blue instead of orange and he wasn't wearing the gold chain around his neck.
"S-Sorry, love!" Loki stammered. "Kinda missed a bit there."
"Little one?" Bayonetta asked.
"Here to guide you as always." Loki replied coyly. "Someone sent you lot back 500 years it seems." Dark Pit stared at Loki intensely, then his face lit up with realization. "You! You're the guy who brainwashed me back in Inferno!" he declared.
"C'mon, mate!" Loki chuckled. "What are you on about? This is no time to be acting silly!" All three of them were glaring at Loki now. A large boulder fell in front of Bayonetta and she kicked it towards Loki, who effortlessly destroyed it with an energy blast from his palm. "I see you've already discovered the truth." Loki sighed, his tone of voice was more monotone and lacked any of his usual youthful wit and vigor. "They don't call you the Left Eye for naught, do they?"
"Who are you?" Bayonetta asked sternly.
"Oh, where are my manners?" Loki said as he began to walk to the side "I never introduced myself. My name is Loptr. But never mind that... We have something more important to talk about, my dear." Loptr held out his hands as he began to speak. "The witch and the sage are still alive." he said. "Trifling creatures, both of them. I must be rid of them as soon as possible."
Loptr turned his back to Bayonetta as he outstretched his arms. "I want what they have." he continued. "I want back what is mine. The Eyes of the World."
"What?!" Bayonetta asked, incredulous.
"What are you talking about?" Pit asked.
The other me escaped to the future, and I can't let him have them." Loptr said. He then turned to face the trio. "Which is why I must see the three of you eliminated!" A ghostly blue aura surrounded Loptr and he conjured six ethereal arms of blue light. Without warning, Loptr conjured a cluster of ice shards and threw them at the trio, forcing them to dodge.
"I normally don't hurt kids, but I'll gladly make an exception in your case!" Bayonetta said as she drew her guns.
"Payback time!" Dark Pit shouted.
"Let's take him down!" Pit said as he and Dark Pit drew their bows and fired a salvo of arrows at Loptr. Loptr used his ethereal arms to defend against them, giving Bayonetta an opening to use a Wicked Uppercut to launch Loptr into the air. Pit flew into the air after him and delivered a devastating punch with his Taurus Arm, sending Loptr crashing to the ground.
Loptr struggled to get to his feet only for Dark Pit to deliver a dashing uppercut with his Electroshock Arm, sending him into the air again. Bayonetta took the chance and performed a diving Afterburner Kick that sent him to the ground again. Using his ethereal arms to cushion his fall, Loptr got to his feet and gathered energy in his six hands before tossing six energy orbs at the trio.
They dodged the energy orbs and Pit fired a charged shot from his Palutena Bow. Loptr used his arms to block the arrow while Dark Pit separated his Silver Bow into twin blades and charged at Loptr. Loptr used his arms to defend against his sword slashes, thorn attempted to backhand Dark Pit. Dark Pit ducked to avoid the backhand, then slashed at Loptr's chest with his blade.
Loptr cried out in pain and attempted to crush Dark Pit in between his hands, only for the dark angel to backflip out of the way while firing a charged arrow, hitting him square in the chest. Loptr growled. "Return to nothing!" he shouted as he drew a circle with his arms, creating a swirling void on the ground that threatened to suck Dark Pit in. Pit grabbed onto his dark counterpart's legs in an attempt to pull him out, but was sucked in as well.
Bayonetta used her Alraune whip and grabbed Pit's legs, yanking both angels out of the void. "Enough games!" Loptr's ethereal arms stretched all the way into space and grabbed a passing meteorite before hurling it at the trio. "You gotta be kidding me!" Dark Pit said.
"Come on! How is that not cheating?!" Pit complained.
"I've got this. PDEE VARMA!" Bayonetta opened another portal to Inferno as she summoned Madama Butterfly. Seeing the incoming meteorite, Madama Butterfly reared back as the meteor closed in. Once it was in range, she delivered a punishing headbutt, shattering the meteorite to pieces. Loptr called down beams of golden light from the sky to attack the trio.
They dodged the beams of light as they closed in on Loptr. They all attacked together, Bayonetta using another Afterburner Kick while the twin angels used their bows. Loptr blocked them all with his ethereal arms. "You're wasting my time!" he roared as he pushed them back, sending them flying into a piece of rubble. Loptr then used his ethereal arms to grab another piece of the clock tower and slammed it down on the trio, smashing the piece of the clock tower they were standing on.
Loptr laughed evilly as he flew off into the distance. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my friends..."
Meanwhile, in the present day...
"WOO-HOO!" Luka cheered as he swung through the sky, landing in front of the fabled Gates of Hell. It had taken him quite some time and quite a few detours and bad turns, but he had at last found the Gates of Hell. He pulled out his journal and skimmed through his notes. "If I've got it right..." he muttered. "Then this gate should lead to..." He outstretched his hand to touch the gate and words written in Enochian appeared, glowing with a blood-red light.
Suddenly, the gates opened by themselves. Startled, Luka took a step back, unsure of what would emerge. What emerged from the gate was an exhausted Loki, who fell to the ground. "KID!" Luka ran to Loki's aid and scooped him up in his arms. "H-Hey, pull yourself together!" he said. ""What happened?!"
"Luka, was it?" Loki asked. "You know the way to Fimbulventr, right? Please... Take me there.. I... I remember. I remember everything. I have to hurry."
"Are you nuts, kid?!" Luka asked. "We need to get you patched up!" Loki grabbed Luka by the collar. "There's no time!" he shouted pleadingly. "Please, take me to Fimbulventr, or the world... will end! He and I... We are Good... and Evil... Evil cannot be all that is left."
"What...?" Luka asked, completely confused. Loki reached into his pocket and pulled out a card with a hole in it. This was the card Bayonetta shot when they first met. "Keep us safe with this." he said. "It's my trump card. Please... Just take me there..." Exhausted, Loki fainted in Luka's arms.
Luka chuckled a bit. "Girls passing out in front of me, I'm used to." he mused. "But this, this is unbelievable." Placing Loki's card in his teeth, he picked Loki up and carried him on his back. "Well, I guess it beats addicting toddlers to lollipops." he said as he began the trek to Fimbulventr.
Back in Vigrid in the past...
Bayonetta and the angels fell through sky and the three landed in the Crescent and Sunrise Valley. "Damn it all..." Bayonetta groaned. "You guys alright?"
"This isn't the first time I've fallen from high places." Pit said.
"I'll live." Dark Pit groaned. "Where are we?"
"In the Crescent and Sunrise Valley." Bayonetta replied. "Let's go! There's not much time!" The trio ran down the path and reached the sacred training grounds of the Umbra. At that moment, Balder ran towards the group, having arrived in the valley around the same time. Bayonetta and Balder exchanged quick glances, then the four of them ran inside the training grounds.
What awaited the quartet was a scene of utter horror. The room was littered with the corpses of slain Umbra Witches. Rosa was lying in the center of the room in a pool of her own blood. Standing over her was Loptr, holding a bloodstained card. "ROSA!" Balder shouted as he lunged at Loptr with his Holy Glaive. Loptr performed a front flip to avoid the Glaive, turning to face Balder. He retreated into the darkness with a chilling smile, the emblem on his forehead glowing.
Balder knelt down next to Rosa and held her in his arms. "Rosa! Rosa, please!" he pleaded, nearly breaking into tears. "I can't have failed again! I can't lose you again..."
"You saw the emblem on his forehead." Bayonetta said as she walked towards him. "He's the one you're really after."
"What?" Balder asked.
"You've been tricked, Balder." Dark Pit said bluntly.
"That guy's Loptr, and he's the one responsible for everything that's happened." Pit said.
"We need to get back to my time." Bayonetta said, clutching her Umbra Watch, which began glowing with power due to the influence of the moonlight. "We can open a portal from here." She looked up at the stained glass window on the ceiling. "That should do it." Using Witch Walk, she ran up the wall and walked on the ceiling, placing her Umbra Watch in the center of the ceiling.
The glass window began glowing with light. "Boys, time to go!" Bayonetta said. Pit and Dark Pit flew up through the portal. Balder, however, continued to cradle Rosa in his arms, too overcome with grief to move. "Balder! The dimensional portal is opening!" Bayonetta said. "We need to get back to my time!" But still, Balder would not move. "Quickly! There's no time!" she shouted.
Rosa slowly opened her eyes. "Balder, please take care of Cereza..." she said weakly. "Our dear, sweet child will awaken to her potential..." She mustered the strength to reach out and caress Balder's cheek. "She will awaken to the Eyes of the World..." With those final words, Rosa succumbed to her wounds and died in Balder's arms. "ROSA!" Balder screamed.
"Balder!" Bayonetta shouted outstretching her hand for him to grab onto. Fighting back the tears in his eyes, Balder gently laid Rosa on the ground. With renewed determination in his eyes, he leapt up at the ceiling and grabbed Bayonetta's hand. Bayonetta took one last look at the lifeless corpse of her mother and whispered "Mummy...?" as she and Balder were pulled into the portal.
Just as they left, Bayonetta's past self and Jeanne ran into the room. Jeanne sealed the door while Bayonetta ran to her mother. "Mummy! No!" she wept.
Next Chapter Preview: Sovereign Power. Next time on Bayonetta 2! Returning to the present day, Bayonetta, Balder, and the twin angels race to the sacred mountain of Fimbulventr to stop Loptr in his mad scheme to obtain the Eyes of the World. Will our heroes prevail over the villainous prophet? Or will Loptr claim dominion over all? Everything's on the line in the epic conclusion of Bayonetta 2!