Komaeda dragged Kamukura's limp body towards the gymnasium-like hall. He roughly threw him across the room and pointed a gun at his head before speaking straight to the camera.

'I merely tranquillised him,' he said. 'You knew that didn't you, Junko Enoshima? But this gun's real and your Ultimate Hope's head is going to be blown up unless you come out of your hiding place.'

'And what do I have to lose with you killing Kamukura?' Monokuma's voice sounded. 'I wanted to push everyone of you to kill one another. And you're going to do just that.'

'Hmph,' Komaeda smirked. 'Once I kill Kamukura, I'll kill myself, right here, right now. No tricks, no puzzles… I'd rob you of the chance of that class trial you so desperately want to witness. You're fighting a losing battle here, Junko Enoshima… Without me or Kamukura, you know that you no longer have any hope of continuing this mutual killing game…'

Monokuma paused for a moment before saying, 'Someone's bound to break, sooner or later.' It's voice, however, did not sound as cheerful as it did before. 'Besides, haven't you taken care of Kirigiri?'

'What I did to Kirigiri is none of your business,' Komaeda said, maintaining his callous smile. 'All I can say is that it didn't go as you've expected it to…'

'Meaning you have not killed her,' Monokuma said flatly.

'Have. Not.' Komaeda repeated, stressing every syllable. 'At least not until you give me what I want.'

Monokuma stared at him intently. 'And what exactly is it that you want, Nagito Komaeda?' it asked.

'I want a barter,' Komaeda replied. 'Kamukura for Makoto Naegi. And I want you to personally come out and deliver Makoto Naegi here. You've got to admit. It's not such a bad deal. You've got more to gain than to lose. Afterwards, I might even finish Kirigiri up for you…'

Monokuma stood still as Junko Enoshima seemingly contemplated Komaeda's request. But Komaeda refused to let Enoshima consider his proposition for too long. He aimed his gun at the stuffed bear standing a few feet away and fired three shots at the Monokuma. Within a split second, Monokuma had burst into flames, the detonation system inside the doll having been activated by the rounds Komaeda fired.

'Tick tock, tick tock,' Komaeda said, turning back to the camera pegged on the ceiling, a wild smile forming on his lips. 'It's now or never, Junko Enoshima…'

…

Junko Enoshima stared with her eyes wide in shock at the image of the blazing Monokuma on her screen. Nagito Komaeda is twisted… she thought, regretting at that very second, letting him participate in this killing game. She turned towards Makoto Naegi, who watched the same scene unfold on the screen with horrified eyes. She knew then that she had to make a decision.

Should Komaeda kill both Kamukura and himself, she would not be able to proceed with the killing game anymore. What with all the disgusting displays of friendship and hope that she had witnessed over the last few hours. Even if she had threatened to kill them off one by one, if they stuck together no matter what, it would undeniably be hard to assassinate a single person at a time. Things get more complicated when she considered the fact that Ikusaba, Ogami, Owari, Nidai and Genocide Jill were there… If they worked together, they would be able to decimate any Monokuma that comes their way with the intent of assassination.

But ultimately, her goal was not for her to kill off her schoolmates. That would be pure terrorism. No… Her goal was not terrorism… her goal was to induce despair. Terrorism would cause the rest of the world to band together against her, something she does not want happening. She wanted the world to turn against one another.

Deciding she had no better alternative, Junko picked up they key to Naegi's handcuff and walked towards him. 'You're unlucky,' she said as she unlocked his hand. 'You have to leave this safe sanctuary that you share with me and mingle with that psychopath instead.'

Naegi did not say a word, but watched on quietly as the screen behind Junko flickered once more. It was then that he noticed something strange… While his and Junko's attentions were undoubtedly fixed on Komaeda, there were no signs of any of the other students on any of the screens. They can't all be in the headquarters…

But Junko did not allow him to remain dazed for long. She took out a gun of her own and pointed it at Naegi's head. 'Walk,' she commanded. Naegi obliged. He warily walked down the long flight of stairs until he reached the ground floor, where he turned towards the large hall where Komaeda stood waiting.

Upon the sight of Junko and Naegi entering the room, Komaeda's face broke out in a wide smile. 'You've thought this through, haven't you, Junko Enoshima?' Komaeda said, still pointing the gun at the unconscious Kamukura's head.

'Well done, Komaeda…' Junko said in mock admiration, 'Now hand me Kamukura.'

'You can pick him up yourself,' Komaeda said, shrugging nonchalantly.

'I'll get Monokuma to do that later,' Junko said, nudging the back of Naegi's head with the mouth of her gun, prompting him to walk forwards. 'I trust that you'll hold up your end of the bargain.'

'Maybe…' Komaeda sneered, his eyes suddenly turned into a look of deepest loathing as he haphazardly fired the last of his bullets at Junko's direction.

Junko and Naegi instinctively ducked at the sound of gunshots. But before any of them could regain their composure and before Junko could fire her own gun at Naegi or Komaeda, a fifth figure mysteriously appeared in the room and sent Junko flying with her fists.

Sakura Ogami's muscular figure blocked Naegi's view of Junko.

Junko groaned as she picked herself up from the floor. She tried reaching out for her gun, which had flown off her grip, but a fast-flying baseball hit her hand just as she was about to reach it, causing her to shriek in pain.

Leon Kuwata casually strolled in with a baseball bat in one hand.

One by one, all of the participants of the mutual killing game entered the large hall, cornering Junko Enoshima.

'It's over, Junko Enoshima,' Kirigiri said, walking towards her. Junko returned her gaze with an intense look of hatred, growling like a threatened predator. 'You thought that Komaeda was acting on his own,' Kirigiri continued, 'that was your downfall. He's the one person whose actions you cannot predict. And yet you still relied on him and Kamukura to kickstart this killing game of yours… so much so that you failed to see anything else.'

…

'I'm sorry for treating you so roughly,' Komaeda said with a friendly smile once he had pushed Kirigiri into the bathroom on the seventh floor. 'I need to bring you here without inciting Junko's suspicions.'

'The only other rooms without a camera, huh?' Kirigiri said, looking around the mould-covered bathroom as she rubbed her throat which Komaeda had grabbed so roughly just a few seconds earlier. 'So what do you have in mind?'

'A plan,' Komaeda replied.

…

'Hehehe… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!' Junko's laugh started off softly but grew louder and more maniacal by the second until she end up laughing so deliriously that most of the students thought her brain had been unhinged. 'I? I failed to see anything? Have a look at yourselves… killing me is not going to solve anything! The door won't open simply because you killed me… If anything, all of you are going to starve to death without me! Is that what you want? To beat the mastermind but subsequently starve to death in this god-forsaken place? Hahahahahahahaha!'

A number of students gritted their teeth in response. Junko savoured every moment of them — every moment of despair lurking behind the shadows, waiting to pounce at the right victim. They were beginning to doubt their actions, that she could see.

But Kirigiri spoke up again, 'We'll figure a way out, with or without you.' Junko scowled at her, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

'Now, now, now…' Junko cackled, 'You don't really think I'll listen to Komaeda and leave my sanctuary without any backup plans, do you? You're not underestimating me, are you, Kirigiri?' Her last line was accentuated with pure malice.

Kirigiri clenched her gloved fists. Junko savoured her reaction, slowly running her tongue across her lips with a hungry expression. The whole group watched in silence as the tension built up dangerously between the two.

Then, slowly footsteps can be heard. And not just any footsteps, but soft pitter-patters of dozens and dozens of legs. Cold sweat begun to drench most of the students' foreheads and some, such as Soda and Yamada, even shook as though those footsteps were warnings of their imminent death.

'It can't be…' Kirigiri whispered.

'Yes it can~' Junko replied in a singsong voice as dozens of Monokuma began flooding the gymnasium, surrounding the students. There were at least 60 of them; black, white and menacing.

'But, how!?' Fujisaki exclaimed. A mixture of incredulousness and terror filled her voice.

'Let's just say I found a way to control these Monokuma without having to control them,' Junko replied nonchalantly. 'Now, ladies and gentlemen!' Junko's voice boomed throughout the walls of the gymnasium. 'Welcome… to your execution!'

Without warning the Monokuma closest to Junko leapt high into the air with its claws bare, glinting dangerously in the dim light, and went straight for Naegi. Naegi, taken by surprise, could only look on with horror as the murderous bear drew closer, claws first.

A flash of black momentarily blocked his view. And when he blinked, he realised that it was none other than the lean figure of Mukuro Ikusaba who had just kicked the impending Monokuma to the opposite wall.

But as soon as the Monokuma Ikusaba kicked crashed into the wall, chaos ensued. The remaining Monokumas began attacking them. The fighters in the group such as Ikusaba, Owada, Ogami, Pekoyama, Owari and Nidai immediately busied themselves with protecting the rest of the students, fending off one Monokuma after another. They were aided by those who were athletic and were at the very least able to defend themselves such as Kuwata, Ishimaru, Asahina and Tanaka. Fukawa, on the other hand, had somehow turned into Genocide Jill. Whether deliberately or simply because she was too shocked by the attack, no one knew.

Junko seized the chance presented to her by the chaos and flew towards the exit, ducking and weaving her way through the students and the Monokumas.

Komaeda was the first to notice and quickly took off after her, picking the gun that she had dropped earlier along the way, effortlessly making his way through the crowd whilst Naegi followed suit.

Naegi followed Junko and Komaeda up the flight of stairs and it immediately became clear that Junko was heading back towards the control room. No doubt that it was the one place where she would have a chance to regain control of the situation.

Komaeda fired a shot at Junko as she was approaching the seventh floor where the control room was. The shot, haphazard as it might have been, found its way to Junko's heel, causing her to screech in pain. Limping, Junko made her way towards the steel door and as she was closing the door behind her, Komaeda fired two more bullets at the gap between the wall and the closing door.

Junko yelped again as one of the bullets lodged itself in her right shoulder. With a burst of her remaining strength, she successfully closed the steel door. Panting, she leant back against the door, sliding down as she faced the computers on the opposite side of the wall.

Horror filled her eyes as she saw the computer screen. As luck would have it, Komaeda's other bullet had found its way to the main computer frame and now the machine was buzzing and beeping excitedly.

'Nonononono!' she screamed as she rushed forward towards the computer, forgetting the searing pain in her shoulder and heel. She randomly pressed various buttons, trying to get the computer to work again, but it was all for naught. Aside from the monitors displaying feed from the CCTV cameras, none of her controls worked. And from the screens, she could see her Monokumas, her soldiers, dropping dead onto the ground, one by one…

…

'What… happened…?' Owari asked confusedly as the remaining Monokumas dropped to the ground without anybody touching them. Several of the students had been injured by the Monokumas, but none too serious. They were mostly cuts and scratches caused by the Monokumas' claws or bruises from being knocked back.

'Someone must have disabled them somehow,' Soda said, sounding not entirely sure of his own suggestion. He winced as he lightly touched his blackened right eye. 'But… how?'

'It could mean that the main computer was compromised,' Fujisaki suggested hopefully.

'But who could do that!?' Hagakure exclaimed as he tried to stop the bleeding on his left cheek.

'My bullet may have found its mark then,' Komaeda said, reentering the room with a smile on his face. 'I guess I got lucky.'

'Bullet?' Koizumi asked perplexedly. 'What do you mean? And where have you been anyway?'

'Junko escaped the room,' Naegi quickly explained as he reappeared behind Komaeda. 'The both of us chased after her to the control room where Komaeda shot Junko and the computer just before she managed to close the door.'

'Does that mean we can go out now!?' Saionji chirped excitedly.

'We might if the computer controls the lock on the front door,' Naegi replied to which cheers erupted from all corners of the room.

'Hurray!'

'Yeahhhh!'

'Take that, mastermind!'

'Mastermind, my ass!'

'NOT SO FAST!' Junko's voice resounded throughout the room, so loudly and suddenly that everyone froze on their spots. As they turned towards the doorway where the voice originated, the sight of Junko Enoshima, bloodied with wild, craze-filled eyes, greeted them.

She walked slowly towards them, completely ignoring her wounded shoulder and heel. And even though blood was so clearly pouring out from those wounds, she barely winced as she made her way towards her schoolmates.

After several steps, she turned her gaze towards Naegi who was standing nearest to the doorway. 'Let's have a final bet, shall we, Makoto Naegi?' But before Naegi could answer, she had taken out a remote from behind her back and pressed it.

A deafening blast thundered through the room and the ceilings rattled. All of the students, except Junko, instinctively clutched their ears and crouched as dust and debris flew out of every corner of the room and fire began to spread throughout the walls and floors around them.

'There…' Junko said, softly and gently amidst the rising flames, 'I'm giving you a way out… All of you can get out… once all the walls have crumbled! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!' The sound of her manic laughter echoed throughout the room, as if the horror of a crumbling building was not enough to scare them shitless.

'Don't panic!' Naegi shouted trying to calm the frenzy that was happening all around him.

'Don't panic!' Junko mimicked him in a mocking tone. 'Listen to the true Ultimate Hope… He can save you out of this despair… So, what do you say, Makoto? To one final game?'

Naegi glared at Junko but remained silent. Junko took his silence as consent as she continued, 'We're gonna have a vote and everyone needs to be unanimous in their decision. That means, everyone needs to vote for the same outcome or all of you. WILL. DIE!' She punctuated every syllable of the outcome, delighting in the effect it has on the students. 'I'll let all of you out… if Makoto remains behind. Think about it! All thirty of you, even those of you who betrayed me, FREE and I promise not to lay a single hand on you ever again… Of course I'll get to live as well~ But on the other hand if you choose the other option… all of us… including me will BURN!' An evil grin, more deceitful and more malicious than any Naegi had ever seen adorning her otherwise beautiful face. 'Any last words, Makoto Naegi?' she asked in a singsong voice.

Naegi gritted his teeth. What was he supposed to say to his friends? That they should give up their lives for him? Or so that Junko Enoshima could be eradicated? Thirty lives… On the other hand, if they got out, there could be no telling what Junko would do next. Surely her despair-filled plans would not end here. She would definitely hatch some other plot to spread despair to the world and who knows what other victims she might claim or what other chances they might have of stopping her…

'I know what you're thinking, Makoto,' Junko taunted. 'Everything you thought about, I expected… which is why I posed you that question anyway. Don't take too long though… I might press the button again so that the second set of bombs go off…'

He turned to look around at his friends. All of their expressions showed despair. Naegi knew that they were as conflicted as he was; whether or not thirty lives are worth saving at the expense of eradicating the mastermind of despair.

'I… I can't make that decision for you,' he said slowly. Sweat rolled down his forehead as the room became hotter and hotter from the burning flames. 'The only thing I can say is… I'm prepared to die. And that whatever your decision may be, don't feel bad for me. I came back through time to stop this… to stop Junko. And I'm prepared for this outcome… I'm glad I got to be friends with all of you and I'm glad that I got to live out a normal school life with all of you, and remember it… I would've sacrificed my own life in a heartbeat but whether or not you should sacrifice yours, I can't decide for you. So trust in yourselves… your own judgements… in one another…'

Silence ensued as Naegi ended his short speech. His friends' horrified looks slowly but surely turned into a melancholic one as the battle continued to rage in their minds.

An unexpected person, however, spoke up.

'Just so you guys know, I'm voting to have this bitch killed no matter what your decisions may be,' Nagito Komaeda said in a casual manner that would have been better suited to announce what was for dinner.

'H-Hey!' Saionji snapped. 'Don't go round forcing your decision on others!'

'I-It has to be unanimous, right?' Hagakure stammered.

Kuzuryu smirked at the banter. 'Hmph. I see… Then I'm voting to kill this bitch too. I won't forgive anyone who has ever meant harm to my sister.'

'If young master's decision is as such…' Pekoyama smiled gently.

'W-What?'

'I'm not leaving Makoto behind,' Ikusaba said, turning towards Junko with a steely look in her eyes. 'If I, as your sister, have to bear your sins then so be it.'

Matsuda too gazed directly upon Junko's eyes as he said, 'I said that I'm going to stop you, even if I have to kill you. I guess now's the chance, Ugly Girl.' A sad smile swept across his handsome face as he teased Junko one last time.

'It's romantic to be burned to death, isn't it?' Celes said. 'Reminds me of witch-burning.'

'You are one screwed up goth chick,' Owada remarked. 'But I'm not going to run away. A real man does not walk out on his friends!'

'I-I agree!' Koizumi chimed in, 'Naegi's helped me loads. Plus… I don't want anymore cases like Sato.'

'Hehhhh? Mahiru-onee?' Saionji whined. 'Are you serious?'

Koizumi nodded firmly.

'Mahiru-chan's so cooollll!' Mioda shrieked excitedly. 'If that's so then I'm in!'

'Tch! Even Ibuki…' Saionji pouted, 'You guys don't leave me with much of a choice, don't you?'

'I'm not going to betray you again, Makoto,' Maizono said. 'I'm sticking with you this time! Or I'll regret it forever.'

'Bros for life, eh Makoto?' Kuwata said, swinging the baseball bat he was holding onto his shoulder. 'That said, I'm not gonna betray my girlfriend either,' he added, earning him a loving gaze from Maizono.

Kirigiri smiled serenely at the scene that unfolded before her and said, 'There's no more point in the voting now is there?' She turned towards Naegi whose eyes began to be filled with tears and said, 'You never have to ask me. I'll risk my life for this goal that we have been working towards… I'll stop Junko Enoshima.'

'Anyone still against this decision?' Owada shouted at the group.

'Hmph! Just because we kept quiet, it doesn't mean that we're against it,' Togami scoffed haughtily. 'It just takes too long if everyone started voicing out their undying support for Naegi.'

Naegi looked around the room and he saw everyone nodding firmly in agreement, even the people whom he had never personally interacted with before. Over the course of the killing game, it seemed that everyone has become united in their hatred towards Junko…

'They're all here because of your influence, Makoto,' Kirigiri said, as if she was able to read his mind, 'Don't think that hate is the only unifying factor for us. More than that… more than anything… it's your hope that has kept us together.'

'W-What!?' Junko screeched, clawing one of her red manicured hand at her already wounded shoulder, causing more blood to gush out. 'You guys are FOOLS! Bigbigbigbigbig FOOLS! AAAAAARRRGHHHHHHHH!'

Her deafening scream echoed through the halls. And when she finally stopped, she hung her head. No one could see her face. No one knew what she was thinking…

'So is this what despair feels like?' Junko whispered. 'Despair…It's beautiful… As expected… It's the BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD!' Her sudden scream caused a number of students to jump. 'Hahahahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!' Junko's maniacal laughter filled the now soot-filled air. 'If that's your decision…' she said as she licked her bloodied hand, 'Then I guess this is goodbye…' As she said her final words, she pressed the button on the remote another time, causing the ground to shake and more debris to fall all around them.

With a wide smile on her face, an expression that Naegi would forever be haunted by, she took out another gun from her skirt pocket and aimed it beneath her chin. And before anybody could stop her, she pulled the trigger…