Luxuration - Inner Church - Time: 9:18
The entire group entered into the church, seeing a large cathedral as the main area, but what was strange to them was there were no stairs of any kind.
"But...There's no stairs." Yune said while looking around more. "But...I don't understand. It's really large and has multiple floors! How can it not have..."
"I don't know. Maybe Paragon got rid of them or something?" Ken asked as he started to think and walk forward, just before his L'Cie brand flashed Dark Brown, making a layer of the floor below him move a bit, catching them by surprise. "W-What was..."
"What did ya do?" Fang asked, with him shrugging.
"I don't know, but looks like I found our way up." He said. "Come on. Let's find him and finish this once and for all." They nodded and got onto the part he was standing on and it lifted them up through all of the floors while he looked at his L'Cie brand, seeing that the flash made the final arrow on the top left part of the mark soon to complete, nearing the final stage. "Come on...Hurry up." He then wanted to take one final look at everyone, then saw Vanille a bit worried. "Are you scared?" She looked at him and nodded.
"I'm just afraid...Afraid of what might happen." She said, but he held her hand in comfort, making her look and smile.
"We're all going to survive this, ok? Turning into Crystal, Cie'th, or whatever else." He said while staring back with a smile. "I...Wanted to let you know that no matter what happens, I'm glad I met you. You and Fang. Now, let's stop Paragon once and for all." She nodded and they kept holding each others hands until the platform finally made it to the top floor, showing a hallways to a throne room. "Let's go." They all walked through it, prepared for anything until they made it through, seeing the area to be Gothic but held a large piece of stone that held a throne, holding Paragon with the six other Chaos Emeralds in hand. "Paragon!" Paragon opened his eyes to look at them.
"...So, it appears you are finally here, and also finding where I rest." He said, still sitting in it. "So, you know of everything I presume?"
"Yeah, that's right!" Ken said in anger. "About you being a Sanctum Fal'Cie and everything! And us meeting, it explains on how you took the form of a Mobian!"
"...Yes, that is correct." Paragon said, slowly grabbing and holding one of the Chaos Emeralds. "It was a form I have never seen once before aside from humans and L'Cie. The looks of one can be deceiving. But yet...You still know so little about me..."
"Knowin' about ya doesn't matter anymore to me! You're plan's goin' down, and you along with it!" Fang said before she prepared her spear.
"We're not letting you get away with this! No amount of people deserve to die over something as a corrupt government like that!" Yune said while preparing her assault rifle.
"We're fighting to protect this world, and to avenge all that you helped take from all of us! Edge, Gemstone, Ariel, and even those on Cocoon that died!" Ken said, preparing himself while Paragon only stared at them, then looked at Vanille in expectancy but she said, instead had a determined look on her face, having it speak all.
"...I see, if that is what you believe..." He said before he slowly got up to descend at a slow pace and land. "You believe that you know much of me, yet you understand so little but decided to confront me head on." He spreads his arms a bit with his Fal'Cie powers flowing in his hands. "...Very well then. Allow me to show you the truest of my power...And fight me as such, as a L'Cie." He looks at Yune, aims his hand, and shoots a light at her, shocking her and suddenly flash in a light. They all stared in complete shock just after the light faded away, revealing Yune to be in a crystal stasis, covered in crystal.
"...You..." Ken said in anger, then stared at Paragon. "YOU MONSTER!" He quickly ran toward him and quickly threw a punch at him, causing a large blow that was both equal in power and also sent them back skidding.
"...Come at me, Ken the Hedgehog. Show me your truest of power." Paragon said before shooting Blizzaga's at him, with Vanille then countering them for him so he could get clear shots at him. The both of them then kept attacking each other through physical force, then through the power of their elemental strikes as fast as they possibly could handle, countering each and every attack they both threw at each other. It was then they both stepped back and threw Ruingas toward each other, countering each and every one of them in which caused large explosions.
"You're plan ends here Paragon!" He yelled until he formed two Ruingas in his hands and threw them, catching Paragon off guard a bit and hit him, sending him back and rolling a bit slightly. At that point, Ken quickly ran toward him in complete anger, then did a Spindash toward him to deal heavy damage at him, with Fang then quickly getting nearby to launch him into the air, giving him enough time to do sudden Homing Attacks at him, damaging Paragon more until he did a flip to grab him in his ball form, and threw him at the ground but recovered by deforming and landing on the ground and skidding backwards.
At that point, he flashed Blue and begun to threw Aerogas at Paragon alongside Vanille, hoping to deal any amount of damage possible as the wind begun to harm him slightly but was enhanced by Fang slashing toward him as best as she could. It was at that point, the both of them quickly threw Firaga at the tornado of Aeroga, with Fang seeing and quickly dashed out of the way, leaving Paragon to burn up within the radius of the tornado, harming him but ended up destroying it by throwing a Blizzaga within it, freezing it but the feeling of getting hit by the Aeroga and Firaga combination still hurt him and slowly begun to weaken him.
"Just a little more!" Vanille said while she then threw Thundaga at Paragon and both Fang and Ken throwing Ruingas, shocking and harming him more while he tried to block it but it finally begun to overpower him, sending him down onto the ground but quickly recovered from the attack by flipping, and begun to rise.
"Your powers have exceeded far more than I have anticipated...But know that it will all mean nothing soon." Paragon said as he then formed a clear sphere into his hands, then looked at them. "Prepare to now face oblivion...Ultima!" He then threw the sphere at them, instantly turning into a hand-held ball into a large orb that was bigger than all of them combined, shocking them.
"Hoo boy! Now THAT'S a big one!" Fang said in response of it as she begun to throw Ruingas at it, but did little to nothing to repel it, making them shoot out any magic they all could make to stop it but did nothing and still headed for them.
"Nothing's working!" Vanille said in a bit of fear, trying her hardest alongside Ken, while also staring at it in how he can deflect or destroy it somehow until he decided to risk something; He flashed in a Brown aura, then quickly Homing Attacked at it. "Wait! No!" Both him and the Ultima clashed with each other, with it somehow overpowering him more and more as time progresses.
"I...I'm not going to lose...With Edge, Gemstone, Ariel...Gone! I-I WILL NOT LOSE!" He screamed in determination while his L'Cie brand started glowing brightly in a White Light, officially turning from the twelfth into the thirteenth stage, having the arrow finally and the eye now fully big and having a White circle in the middle of the eye, which was now fully Dark Red. He screamed in pure determination still, along with pain, and quickly destroyed the Ultima spell and turned into smoke, shocking Paragon.
"W-What?" He asked until a Brown ball came through the smoke and slashed through him with the spindash, making him stay still until he fell onto the ground on his hands and legs, with the attack sending Ken back while holding his left forearm in pain, feeling he's dangerously close to becoming a Cie'th.
"A-Are you alright?!" Vanille asked with Fang following toward Ken, seeing him holding his left forearm in pain as he showed it to her, making her sad.
"D-Don't worry about me now...I'm fine for now..." He said before they all looked at the wakened Paragon, making them smile a bit in a bit of victory, but he suddenly got up and shot energy at them, shocking them.
"Watch out!" Fang yelled as she got in fron of them and tapped into her Sentinel role to use Steelguard to block it but she suddenly flashed into a bright light.
"W-What happened?!" Vanille asked until the light faded away, showing Fang was now in her crystal stasis, now completely made of crystal, shocking them both. "F-Fang!" She looked around it in worry. "Fang! Please talk to me!" Ken stared in complete disbelief until he looked at Yune's crystal stasis, looking both different.
"Wait...They're both different. D-Did our Fal'Cie decided to crystal her?!" He asked until Paragon snapped his fingers, doing something that shocked them even more; Fang's crystal then shattered into multiple pieces, killing her, alongside Yune's. "YUNE! NO!" He stared at Paragon in anger while Vanille stared at the pieces heartbroken and kneeled down.
"F-Fang..." She said while trying to hold back tears until Paragon started to laugh.
"This is it...All is coming according to plan!" He said, making them look at him.
"What...What do you mean by that?!" Ken asked in anger, with Paragon looking at him.
"You see...I do not plan to resurrect Eden to what it was four hundred years ago...It was all to bring and become one with the goddess Etro's lost other; The God of Corruption: Busiris!" He said, making them staring at him. "The very god was shackled by god himself, Bhunivelze, for his power were far beyond god himself! The only way to do it? The truest power of Hate, Despair, and chaos that is endless and eternal; A only source of it would be a Cie'th, but only one that could be more powerful than all the others...That being..." He looks at Ken. "..You, Ken the Hedgehog."
"Me...? What do you mean?!" He asks in confusion.
"You see...You are the most powerful L'Cie ever created in the entirety of the Fabula Nova Crystallis. As a Pulse Fal'Cie, I had my doubts, but I was right to chose you." Paragon said, making them more confused.
"A-A Pulse Fal'Cie?" Vanille asked, slowly getting up to look at him in anger. "What do you mean?!" Paragon sighed upon hearing that.
"I told you that you know so little of me..." He said, but then looked at them. "As stated I am indeed a Sanctum Fal'Cie, but when I was first grown into what I was four hundred years ago, I was put into the soil of Gran Pulse. But there was a feeling within the ground, the power of Pulse that grows and lives within that planet. My power was able to grow within the soil, with its power combining with mine, and I became a Pulse Fal'Cie...YOUR Pulse Fal'Cie."
"What...Then..." Ken said before looking at Fangs remains and then his L'Cie brand, still hurting him. "...Titan wasn't the one who branded us...It was you."
"Yes, indeed it was." Paragon said while crossing his arms. "Ever since I was born, I gained the power of any Fal'Cie; Feeling any presence within any planet, or in fact any world. But...You, Ken the Hedgehog, you caught my attention the most. You see, when I came to your world, I planned to isolate you from your world and friends so you will have a reason to be after me, while to also brand you. However, I realized your friends were also another key to it all. Edge; I branded him so I could leave him in my arms, gain a hatred for you, regardless of you leaving him or not, while to also cause stress and despair onto your soul for not only his hate but for the fall of Cocoon, to have it all add up later on. Stone and his military were all to help with the portion of chaos, alongside the prison break of Oerba Dia Vanille and her 'role'. The friendship of Oerba Dia Fang and your lover was to help form a relationship, and with your sister as well, and then crush it all in one blow to give you true hatred towards me. And finally, the Chaos Emeralds to help the ritual for the summon on Busiris. Every single event was to help create those feelings for the perfect Cie'th."
They only stared at him in shock, knowing they fell for everything that happened.
"All this...Just to make me the perfect Cie'th!?" Ken asked in anger before getting in front of Vanille to protect her despite his brand paining him and darkness slowly leaking. "You're not touching her! NO WAY!"
"...No matter what you do, the plan is now in motion." Paragon said before snapping his fingers, making a light behind Ken, with him looking to see something that shocked him dearly, Vanille in her crystal stasis.
"V-Vanille...No..." He said before he grabbed her hand in worry, but it suddenly shattered onto him, shocking him greatly. "No..." He begun to shake in anger, then looked at Paragon to start screaming, making the darkness flow out of his brand more.
"That is it! Release your hatred, despair, and chaos into your purest power! Let it DRIVE you into battle! Let it become one with you!" Paragon yelled in pleasure until Ken quickly flashed in a bright light, transforming. Once the light faded away, it showed Ken, but now as a Cie'th; Which has the looks of his normal Hedgehog features but now had the skin on his face and his symbol, which was now more sinister looking, Dark Blue, and ripped up ears with Red skin, ragged quills that had more spiked ones all around, a ripped up Orange scarf, full out Black shirt and bottom, and had Grey sleeves with Purple deformed gauntlets and claws that goes up to his arms, but the biggest feature was the Cie'th eyes, one on his chest, and two of them in the place of his eyes. "That's it! The power of the truest of Cie'th; An Ultimate Undying! Release to me your full powers!"
Cie'th Ken then quickly screeched in rage as he shot multiple Firagas, Aerogas, Thundaga's, Waterga's and Blizzagas at Pagaon, taking a majority of it while the Chaos Emeralds in the area glowed darkly, indicating the ritual has now begun.
"That's it Ken the Hedgehog! Let your instincts of a mindless Cie'th guide you! Attack with all your rage and despair, and let nothing be there to stop you!" Paragon said with the Cie'th Ken still striking him with his spell until he quickly jumped toward him and tried to attack him through its claws but ended up getting hit and sent away, knocked down on the floor but quickly got up to do it again. "You're nearly there! Just a little while longer, and the summon for Busiris will finally come! The god to suck all life and souls into nonexistence! More! Give me more power!" Cie'th Ken just ignored him and kept attacking mindlessly at him, only to be completely meant for nothing but also finally completed the ritual for the summon by his throne suddenly lightning up into flames. "This is it! The power of the God of Corruption is here!" Cie'th Ken still didn't care and was about to attack once again.
"Please don't be like this..."
He suddenly froze, not doing anything but listened to the voice.
"Don't be something your not...It's not like you to let being a Cie'th turn you into something your not."
The voice inside of him was Vanille, but he didn't recognize it until he heard the last sentence, making him remember who he was before his eyes; All the memories of him being born, meeting the others, the times he played with Edge, the arguments he and Comet made, meeting Gemstone, Yune, seeing the Light Blue Chaos Emerald for the first time, losing Comet, defeating Xiran, meeting Eggman, defeating Solaris, Mephiles, having his world destroyed, meeting Vanille, their talks, date, and finally her smile. Remembering all of these made the Chaos Emeralds shine brightly instead of darkly, despite the ritual being complete.
"What? What is this?" Paragon asked before the remaining six floated over to the frozen Cie'th Ken, rotating around until there was a bright flash of him, returning back to his normal form with his L'Cie brand still on its thirteenth stage. "H-How...How is this..." The Chaos Emeralds glowed brighter while Ken only smiled at him until he did a sudden yell, making him flash into a Golden light, blinding Paragon momentarily while his L'Cie brand glowed brightly until it flashed Light Blue-White as well just before the Gold light vanished, revealing to be Super Ken in his Gold aura and now sparkles. "What how are you-Are you not a Cie'th?!"
"Because the Chaos Emeralds do more than just a usage for your own evil purposes, it gives out miracles! The Chaos Emeralds called upon the dead voice of Vanille and brought me back from all that hate and despair!" Super Ken said before showing Paragon his L'Cie brand, now having the Black outside and the Red within the eye Blue and the Black from inside the eye now White. "She called onto them to not let what I am go, and rid of your control as my Pulse Fal'Cie, instead...The Chaos Emeralds ARE my Fal'Cie, meaning they're the one to give the focus! And they froze my brand long enough to accomplish it; Defeat you!" Paragon only stared at him but only closed his eyes.
"..It doesn't matter to me now. The preparations for the ritual is already completed...And thus, Busiris will now be awakened, and its powers are soon to be in my control!" Paragon said said before the flames created onto himself, starting to deform him and destroy parts of the church while it got bigger, making the sky become darker and more sinister. "Have you yet to know my truest abilities, Ken the Hedgehog? I am now the superior being in Fabula Nova Crystallis, the God of Corruption itself!" He suddenly bursted into a large flame as more of the church became destroyed, along with bits and soon chunks of Cocoon II while also turning those that are still on there into spirit particles that were sent to Paragon, absorbing it.
Paragon finally became one with Busiris with the absorption of the remaining souls on Cocoon II, with Stone seeing this while he was still evacuating people on there.
"What...What is this? This power? Did...Did the Son of Hamon fail!?" He asked until he was suddenly standing still and turned into a soul, being absorbed into Busiris.
"The power of Busiris...Finally flows within arms...Its power is now under my command, and I am ONE with Busiris!" The voice of Paragon echoed through the entirety of Fabula Nova Crystallis, until he finally rose from the remains of the church while still absorbing all the land of the world and souls, revealing to be a large Orange reaper with multiple scythes on its back and a Black demon mask. Super Ken rose up from the Church, still glowing in the Golden Aura to prevent him from being absorbed while everything in the area was.
"You think you're some almighty god, huh? Well then, it's time to clean up all of their dirty work!" Super Ken said before he started dashing toward Busiris, with it then taking out all of its scythes through telekinesis of some sort and begun swinging them, causing waves of Dark energy to be shot out, with him then spinning with sparkles glittering brightly and reacted by throwing Aerogas and Thundergas at him, stunning him slightly while also giving him the opportunity to keep dashing toward faster. He kept dashing toward him before he got near Busiris to inflitct a large punch onto him, but he saw this and reacted by slashing one of his scythes toward him, but Super Ken quickly blocked it by tapping into his Sentinel powers and glowed Golden with more sparkles. "You're going down Paragon! And everything you're doing now!"
He quickly reacted by throwing the scythe back and begun to pummel him quickly, with his fists covered in the sparkles until he finally begun to kick and punch rapidly while yelling until he finished it by throwing a Ruinga at him, sending Busiris back in pain but recovered quickly.
"Your power cannot match of that of the God of Corruption!" Busiris said before bursting into more dark power, fully destroying Cocoon II and now parts of Gran Pulse, while he quickly twirled the scythes with the telekinesis and hurled them at him, with Super Ken dodging them by doing twirls but then stopped two of them with his bare hands, holding it as best as he could until he quickly threw it back after forming Fire and Blizzard into separate ones for his Strike abilities, knocking it back while he was then getting struck by multiple Watergas as it stunning him even more than before.
"You and your new powers and plan will end by me, Paragon!" Super Ken yelled before he charged at Busiris with his fullest speed and begun to punch and kick him after tapping into his Ravenger role, attacking him with his Flamestrike, Aquastrike, Froststrike, Sparkstrike, and Galestrike as fast as he could with his powers. He kept attacking more and more powerful and faster while yelling until he flashed Red and formed two Ruingas in his hands, and attacked Busiris with it, sending him back greatly while his scythes begun to become more worn out and rusty and his mask becoming cracked.
"No...No, this is not possible! I am the God of Corruption: Busiris! There is no way a mortal like himself could be powerful enough!" Busiris said until he realized something."...Etro...Did you give this Hedgehog more power with the Chaos Emeralds as well?" He roared loudly in rage. "No! I will not accept a small Mobian to be stronger than I am! I am BUSIRIS!" He kept roaring while the sky then formed an Orange portal and a majority of Gran Pulse now being destroyed and soon the entire world of Fabula Nova, with everyone except Super Ken now gone.
"You're being an awful sore loser Paragon! Wanting to take full control but you just can't take me being stronger, do you?" Super Ken asked with a smirk, but then faded away. "No matter what happens, you're finished!" He bursted into his Gold aura and sparkles and quickly dashed toward him at full power, now glowing brighter than ever before. "You're finished Paragon!FINAL RUSH!" He quickly flashed by Chaos Control, and appeared near Busiris to attack right through him constantly, making Busiris scream in pain while he kept getting hit until Super Ken finally appeared behind him with Rainbow colors consuming his fist and punched right through him. Once the fist was released, it caused all the scythes and the mask broke.
"N-NO! HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?!" Busiris, now forming back into Paragon, said while he broke apart into shards, but then laughed a bit. "Even if you stop me...This world is soon to be destroyed...You have already lost this battle...And you will disappear with it!" He finally faded, indicating Paragon is now defeated, leaving Super Ken to look around at the area still being destroyed while he slowly begun to turn into crystal, indicating his focus is now complete.
"This world is going to be destroyed soon...But there's one last thing I can try!" He said to himself as the seven Chaos Emeralds floated around him while he quickly started to turn into crystal. "Chaos...Control!" A large light was created into the sky, clashing with the Orange portal but the light was then layered on top of the portal, making him smile until he turned into crystal just before the Orange portal destroyed the last remains of the world, Ken included, but it was quickly sucked in by the light, which then turned into a small crystal.