*Playing his bass guitar in a slow yet soothing song*

*Finally looks up, noticing your presence*

Oh hey. It's been a while isn't it. Calm down; put away those torches and forks. I know you're angry at the large gap between this chapter and the one before. I didn't have the muse to update and I had been curling up in the corner most of the time (you'll get the idea why).

I'm retuning back to the FanFic world, don't any of you worry, albeit slower than average. My fingers are slowly typing their way through the keyboard as the gears in my head slowly spin.

Forgive me if I didn't update for another one and a half more months.

Enjoy Reading And Review If You Feel Like It!

Chapter 25
The Last Line Of Defense

Akumu, Ankth and Inkub were surrounding them, all in their decaying nightmarish state. Antonio growled deeply and furiously at them, his Creation powers started to show. Mira and Nikki cowered in fear behind Nova who was protecting them.

The three infamous Nightmares weren't really paid any attention to any of them. Their LED eyes were locked onto the frozen form of the pirate fox on the sofa.

Without even thinking twice, Antonio charged with his swords at his side, roaring a battle cry. His swords lit up in fire as he swung them at the Nightmare bear. Akumu dodged Antonio's advances and batted his hand at the tiger.

His decaying hand only met black smoke and Antonio reappeared above him, his flaming swords pulled upward in preparing a strike. He swung them down, leaving two trails of flame. Akumu blocked the attack with his bare decaying arm, not even flinch a single bit despite a sizzling sound was heard.

Antonio disappeared once more and reappeared right beside Akumu to kick at his side, sending him out from the cottage through the door, pulling it off from its hinges. He leaned to the side, right in time to avoid the fist from the blue rabbit.

He switched his hold on his swords in reverse and stabbed Ankth, going through his body. Since the decaying rabbit was stuck to the swords, Antonio took advantage of it and threw Ankth out the house through the same door.

Nova saved the tiger when Inkub tried to attack him. She encased the decaying chicken with thick barks before throwing her out through the wall.

"Sorry for breaking down your wall," Nova apologized as she and Antonio made a move to exit the cottage.

"It's better than loosing our lives," Mira replied as she and Nikki stood back, not wanting any part of the fight. "Nikki and I will look after Foxy," she stated before Nova and Antonio exited.

Before the pair could locate the Nightmare trio, something invisible grabbed them, restricting their movement and lifted them off from the ground. They struggled to break away as the seemingly floated to somewhere but no avail.

"We have no time to play child games with you two," Akumu said as Nova and Antonio floated towards his direction, Ankth had his hand balled into a fist; no doubt that he was the one who held them with his power. "Find the fox, Inkub. Be warn; our powers won't work around him. Any damage we take is a forever permanent damage"

The yellow Nightmare nodded and headed inside. Nova and Antonio struggles even more, trying desperately to break free. Ankth curled his hand even more and the two Creation gasped in pain. Suddenly, a pair of shrieks of horror was heard, making Antonio froze as fear gripped his soul.

The shrieks were belonged to Mira and Nikki.

Turning back to the cottage, everyone had just in time to see the Mira and Nikki stumbled out the house, dropping to their knees and hands. Next, the comatose pirate fox got thrown out through the door, dropping lifelessly to the ground. His chest area was still opened, revealing the Gold Eternal Heart.

"I did not know that the fox is that heavy," Inkub complained, holding her aching back from carrying the heavy Foxy. She hadn't been using her physical strength in years, relying too much on her Creation powers.

"Mira! Nikki!" Antonio yelled, now struggled even harder to break free; his protective instinct kicking in.

"Someone's a bit protective," Akumu said, giving the tiger an evil smile. He stepped closer to the two female Living Objects, who huddled together in fear. He put two fingers under Nikki's chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"Get your dirty hands off from my sister!" Antonio growled angry. He struggled even harder, letting out an angry roar. Akumu gave Antonio a sadistic grin, enjoying the moment.

Ankth looked down at his hand in surprise. The said hand was trembling, forcefully slowly uncurled itself. Antonio's power was strong enough to rival his.

"What should I do with you?" Akumu said to himself, turning his attention to Mira, who trembled in fear as the grin on Akumu's face widened. Ankth's hand trembled even more as Antonio roared.

Inkub suddenly went to the bear's side, alert in her LED eyes as she regained back her powers now she's a distant away from Foxy. While she would like to stay and watch the torture, there's a more important task at hand. Not only that, a certain someone might appear.

"Akumu, we need to move quickly before-"

A large broadsword suddenly came out of nowhere and impaled Ankth by the head, causing him to release Nova and Antonio and dropped onto the ground. Now that he had the moment, Antonio drew out his swords and charged blindly at Akumu.

The decaying brown bear along with Inkub disappeared just as Antonio swung his swords. He growled in irritation but turned his attention to Mira and Nikki.

"Are you two alright?" he asked worriedly. The two nodded, although fear still gripped their souls. Nova ran to their side and dropped into her battle stance just as Akumu and Inkub reappeared beside the fallen decaying rabbit.

Ankth stood up by invisible force, the large broadsword still sticking out from his face. With shaky hands, he reached up and painfully pulled the sword from his face. Once the sword is completely out, he was shocked beyond words that he had actually felt pain. He was confused at first, until he along with the other two Nightmares looked down at the said broadsword.

Suddenly, Inkub roared in agony as a green colored lightning bolt struck her in the back. The broadsword in Ankth's hands suddenly flared up in green flame, causing him to roar in pain. The two pained Nightmares dropped to their knees as Ankth threw away the swords.

Suddenly feeling presence behind him, Akumu quickly turned around just in time to unfortunately receive a gloved fist to the face. His head exploded, dropping the body onto the floor as the attacker flipped his way in front of Nova and the others.

Baron straightened up his top hat as he held out his left hand. The dropped broadsword flew into his hand. He spun the sword in one hand, slicing the air. The Nightmares slowly and painful got to their feet as Akumu's head reformed. All three of them had pained grimace on their face but Akumu suddenly grinned.

"Baron, how nice to see you," Akumu said with an evil yet pained grin on his decayed face. Baron swiped his broadsword to his side before he replied back.

"Nightmares," he said in a low yet dangerously calm tone. A big gush of wind was felt and Toto landed right beside the tawny cat.

"Is there anything I could do, Baron?" the giant raven asked while keeping a wary eye on the Nightmares.

"Go home and look after Haru. I'll call you when I need you," Baron answered without taking his glaring emerald green eyes on the Nightmares, especially Akumu. The Nightmares had finally recovered from his attacks and they could strike any moments now.

The giant raven bowed before flew away, sending a huge gush of wind. While Nova and the others covered their eyes from the dust, Baron and the Nightmares weren't even deterred. The three Nightmare Creations had a glaring contest with the lone Baron.

"How has it been?" Akumu asked in a mockingly kind tone. "Have you managed to catch Allfather yet?"

"Three years to find him. Dead by my own bare hand," Baron answered coolly. The smile on the Nightmares' faces faltered a bit but held firmly.

"Well if you excuse us, dear Baron, we have to go and take our prize," the decaying bear stated, giving Baron a mocking bow with his top black hat over his chest.

"Not unless I take you out first," Baron replied in a low growl.

With that, he and the Nightmares disappeared in thin air. Antonio and Nova dropped to their battle stance, ready to strike when needed.

"Get to safety! Get into the bunker if needed!" Antonio commanded the two female Living Objects. They nodded and ran inside for safety. Antonio and Nova returned their attention back to the battlefield.

Sounds of clashing and explosion were heard but nothing to see. Baron and the Nightmares were probably fighting in hyper speed or in invisibility, Nova and Antonio doesn't know.

Suddenly, Inkub and Ankth appeared out of nowhere and flew straight towards Nova and Antonio. Their states were worse than before but that doesn't mean Nova and Antonio just going to stand there and do nothing.

They struck once the Nightmares were close enough. While Antonio had managed to land a hit on Ankth, Inkub teleported at the last moment and struck Nova in the face. The crystal maiden flew back and skipped a few times before skidding to a stop. She looked up only to see numerous weapons flew in her direction, produced by Inkub.

She tried to use her tree power but found herself couldn't. She sat there helplessly watching the weapons getting closer by milliseconds. But before they could land on her, they mysteriously vanished in thin air.

Both Nova and Inkub stared in confusion. Suddenly, Nova sharply turned around noticed that she had landed right beside the unconscious form of Foxy. Even out cold, he still managed to save her; she was silently thanking him for it. An idea suddenly struck her.

"Antonio! Stay close to Foxy!" she yelled at the tiger, who received massive hits from Ankth. He planted his feet onto the ground and skidded to a stop, spitting blood at the ground before wiping it away from his lips. Hearing her words, he immediately made a run for Foxy.

Unfortunately, the Nightmares had also heard Nova. Both Ankth and Inkub had done their best to take out Antonio. He had a hard time getting pass them, but Nova helped him as much as she can. She stepped out of Foxy's range and used her power to stall the Nightmares.

Antonio had finally reached Foxy, received a lot more cuts and bruises than his entire life. He shook his head to stay conscious while still kept his swords at his sides. The Nightmares were holding their position.

"Why do they want Foxy?" he asked Nova at his side, silently feeling self-conscious that he was stripped from his Creation power. Nova shook her head.

"I don't even know," she answered, keeping wary eyes on the Nightmares. "But one thing that I do know is that they're after his Creation power"

Then, out of nowhere, large chunks of ground sped at their direction. Nova and Antonio dodged at the last moment, glancing up at the attacker. Apparently the Nightmares had found ways to attack at a distance and getting pass through Foxy's ability; by using their Creation power to shoot chucks of earths at them.

"I thought the fox have an invulnerability ability!" Antonio shouted, slicing some incoming blocks of rocks and earths.

"These are not Creation power but mere physics!" Nova shouted back, dodging the blocks as much as she can.

A few chucks were too large for Nova to dodge, and a few were too thick for Antonio to cut. The chunks crashed into them, throwing them a distant back and away from Foxy. At the same time, Akumu appeared from thin air and skidded on the ground by his face, his body state at its worst condition.

"Ankth! Open up the portal and take the fox out of here immediately!" Akumu managed to shout at the blue Nightmare, looking up at him with hollow socket eyes and barely there face. Ankth nodded and took out a button. Pressing it, a portal immediately opened up. He and Inkub immediately carried Foxy, or at least tried to.

"Why is he so heavy!?" Ankth complained, wheezing out as he and Inkub lifted the pirate fox. Baron appeared out of thin air and immediately threw his sword directly at the two Nightmares. Inkub and Ankth looked very confident, and Akumu saw this.

"INKUB! ANKTH! HE IS NOT A CREATION!" Akumu yelled as he began to stand up, his body slowly recovering but he was already too late.

The broadsword went through Inkub's arm, completely obliterating it into nonexistence as the yellow Nightmare roared in pain. Akumu immediately went to the Nightmares' sides, assisting them carrying the pirate fox.

Baron hastily retrieved his sword to throw it once more at the Nightmares as they went through the portal. It closed just in time as the broadsword entered. Baron hissed in anger and frustration before composing himself just as Nova and Antonio emerged back. The two mirrored Baron's expression but didn't compose themselves, especially Antonio.

"Damn Nightmare bastards!" Antonio yelled in anger before sheathing his swords onto his back with an angry growl.

"They took Foxy with them," Nova stated in horror.

"What's the story about the fox?" Baron asked as he adjusted his hat.

"Foxy there is a powerful Creation with powerful ability: immunity. I bet the Nightmares are taking him for that ability. The only question is why?"

All three of them were now deep in thought, thinking quickly.

"Your friend is a Creation with an Eternal Heart, correct?" Baron asked the crystal maiden. When she nodded, he asked another question. "Wouldn't that bringing him to another dimension without another company of his would lead to his death?"

"Now that you've mention it, you're right," Nova agreed. "The Nightmares probably have one of his friends in captive but whom?"

Nova pondered hard, reflecting back the moment she had with Foxy and his friends and family. She reflected back the times where everyone got separated. And then some of them returned in the form of Nightmares.

"Mercedes…"

"I beg your pardon, miss?"

"In my guess, they probably have Mercedes in captive, one of those who we recently met. She and Foxy had only met briefly but with Foxy, that's enough for a connection and to keep him alive"

Exactly after that, another portal showed up. Both Baron and Antonio got into their guards, prepared. This time, however, nine figures came out from the portal: three bears, two rabbits, two chickens, one vixen one colorful boy and one man in black.

"Guys!" Nova shouted once she recognized the group as Baron and Antonio lowered their weapons and their guards. "How did you get here?"

"Baron sent us. Apparently he found a way to break the spell of the mysterious occurrence on the portal. Is Foxy here?" Marionette asked, a somewhat walkie-talkie gripping in one hand.

"You just missed him. The Nightmares had just taken him away," Nova answered, causing the puppet Creation to curse under his breath. He held up the device in his hand.

"He was here, but we just missed him, Baron," he spoke into the device. "We need to pinpoint his location once more"

"Give me a moment," a voice through the device replied, sounded like their world of Baron, and the device glowed brightly in green.

"We would've arrived sooner of Goldie would tell Baron the exact coordinates," Freddy said, pointedly stared at the golden bear who sheepishly looked away. Nova was suddenly curious.

"What happened?"

"We landed in some place that just… blew our mind," OC stated, rubbing the back of her head.

"And where-"

"THERE'S SO CUTE!" Toy Bonnie suddenly squealed loudly, gaining attentions and groans in dismay. "They are so cute; oh… my… gosh! I just want to hug them! Even the ones like me! The endoskeleton looks weird but they're still cute! And Mangle! And her paddleball! It was adorable!"

"From her reaction, you don't want to know," Eddy answered Nova's interrupted question.

"I can't find his exact pinpoint. It's been shadowed by unknown forces. I need a direct linkage to his location," the device went online and stopped glowing. The Baron in current universe perked up. He then approached Marionette.

"May I…?" he asked politely. Marionette and the others were taken by a shocking surprise once finally noticing his presence. Marionette absentmindedly handed him the device in his hand.

"I have a direct linkage to the Creation's location," Baron spoke into the device. The device went silent for a moment before it went online.

"A Baron in a different dimension?" the Baron in the device spoke. The living being Baron smirked.

"It seems that you had never meet another version of yourself"

"For a Creation with an Eternal Heart, I am unable to," the cat doll Baron replied through the device. "Back to where we were before, you said you have a direct connection to Foxy's location"

"I do. My sword, a personal creation of my own from my own power"

"That's good enough. Hold onto the device tightly"

Following the command, the current world Baron held the device tightly as it glowed green. Slowly, his body started to engulf by the same shine as the device.

"A handy tool," Baron commented, looking down at it.

"A recent gift from a traveler"

"Where is he now, may I ask?"

"Away, helping another fox in a different universe, the same universe his younger brother currently is"

A few seconds later, a portal showed up before them as the green shines disappeared. He handed the device back to Marionette.

"This is it," Baron said, looking through the portal. The aura the portal emitted was the same aura that the Nightmares emitted. Without a second thought, he jumped through.

"Time to save Foxy," Eddy stated as he and everyone else stepped through without a second thought, for Foxy.

"Are you coming?" Nova asked the tiger, lingering at the mouth of the portal.

"No," Antonio shook his head. "I have a family to look after. Good luck"

Nova nodded before she stepped through and the portal closed silently.