"The enemy is weakening, drive them back," Finn exclaimed.

He and his friends quickly approached the gates of the Fire Kingdom as their enemies retreated further into the city. During the mass hysteria, the Phoenix Brigade made a futile effort to keep Ooo's liberation forces at bay. Sadly, without the support and inspiration of the Crimson Gauntlet, the Phoenix Brigade failed to contain the enemy from breaching the perimeter defenses. As a result, they quickly abandoned their posts with expressions of fear and despair.

"The city wall's been overrun! All units retreat," ordered a Phoenix officer.

Most of the remaining defenders gathered together in downtown, setting up last minute defenses. They pulled out dining tables, couches, and any other kind of furniture they could use as makeshift barricades to stall the liberators. Fire golems also assisted the setup by using their brute strength to lift pallets of weapons and ammunition. In addition, the blunt majority of the artillery units were stationed as a last ditch effort to push the enemy back.

As Finn and his friends took over one of the stations controlling the city gates, he motioned them to regroup.

"Ok, fall in everybody," Finn ordered. The station offered a good vantage point of the city including the capital. "It's not over yet. The Phoenix knights may not be able to fight the same, but there's still a bunch of them to handle." Then, he looked down, "We're going to lose a lot of good men if we just fight our way through. Do any of you guys have suggestions?"

Flame Princess lifted her hand, "There is actually a secret underground passageway that Cinnamon Bun and I know in the event if the Fire Kingdom palace was ever under siege. It's been constructed recently since my father's second escape from prison."

Finn's face brightened, "That's great FP! Where can we find it?"

She frowned, "It's at the cathedral, located downtown... where the majority of my father's army resides."

He jerked his head away, "Dang it! (sigh) We're going to lose people anyway no matter what we do."

Bubblegum placed a hand on his shoulder, "Our soldiers know the risks, Finn. They are willing to do whatever it takes to restore peace for the next generation through any means necessary. After all..."

"Responsibility demands sacrifice," Finn nodded. "(sigh) Ok, we can still pull off a swift victory when we accomplish two things: we replace the Phoenix flag atop of the capital with our own and we stop Flame King." He looked over to FP, "How long will it take to reach the palace with the express route?"

"About 10-15 minutes," She answered. "If we are to fight our way through the main route, it'll take us hours before we reach the palace."

Finn nodded at this new set of information, "I see. Well, at least we can minimize casualties to some degree. Too many people have suffered enough bloodshed as it is. Let's go."

The main task force advanced with the infantry as they fought their way building by building. The local stores and market places that were once filled with an abundance of food and supplies were now empty due to the war. Homes and residential areas were used as makeshift bunkers for the Phoenix archers. Overall, almost every building in the kingdom was used for the war effort. Even the cathedral itself was used as a garrison for the defenders especially for snipers.

"Sir, I've got enemy movement approaching from the south," reported a Phoenix scout.

"Alright, everyone get into position!"

The guards defending the front entrance were quickly mowed down from Finn and his allies. As the landmark was being cleared out, Ooo's liberation forces were outside fighting the main infantry.

"The building's clear," Benji announced.

"Great work," Finn said. Then he looked over to Flame Princess, "Where's the entrance to the secret passageway?"

"Follow me, it's underneath the monastery," she replied.

They wasted no time at all in reaching the secret entrance. Once they were there, Flame Princess ordered all of her artillery units to secure the church so that friendly ground troops could also use the same route to reach the palace.

"Reinforcements will be right behind us as we retake the capital," FP said. "Time is of the essence, so let's move!"


Finn and the others reached the capital in record time. Once they were at the exit, they stopped to rest for a brief moment.

"Ok, everyone. Take an energy supplement," Bubblegum said as she gave them vitamins. "Hopefully, from this point on, this will be the last one we'll ever need."

"Yes," Finn nodded with a determined expression. "Make sure you guys have everything ready because once we start, we're not stopping for anything."

"We're ready," Benji said as the others nodded in agreement.

"Very well, on my signal... GO!" Finn kicked the door open and began slashing his sword on the first guard he saw.

The security detail was completely caught in an element of surprise.

"Contact! The palace has been compromised! I repeat, the-" A sickening slash was heard seconds later and the guard collapsed.

At the throne room, a Phoenix knight approached his leader in distress on his hands and knees, "My liege, we are under attack!"

Flame King, enraged by this unexpected outcome, looked down gritting his teeth, tightened his fists, and then lifted his head and shouted, "IDIOTS! THEY SHALL PAY FOR THIS INSOLENCE!" His flames subsided moments later after his outburst and then said, "Ramirez, get down over there and stop them. This is your only chance to redeem yourself, don't fail me again."

His second in command nodded in compliance and proceeded to make a quick exit out of the throne room.

The Fiery Crusaders fended off the remaining guards as more approached from the courtyard. "You guys go on ahead, we'll draw their attention while you get to the throne room," one of them said. As the FC's dispatched the next wave of reinforcements, Finn and the others continued to head through the main lobby of the palace. They plowed their way through the defenders as they approached closer to the throne room.

They fought through several hallways and cleared out most of the rooms that led to Flame King's position. As the task force arrived at the final chamber, Finn noticed Ramirez was standing in the center alongside 50 Phoenix knights.

"Flame Princess," Finn said. "When the fighting starts, head straight for the throne room. The others and I will cover you."

"But Finn, aren't you going to help me take down my father," FP asked.

He shook his head, "We already are, but it is you who must ultimately defeat him. It always has been. You've proven to be the strongest and most courageous leader this kingdom has ever had. I know you'll beat him because I'll be right with you in here and here." He gestured at the room and then at his love's heart.

She smiled, "Thanks, Finn. I love you." The two shared a quick kiss before they parted.

Moments later, Ramirez motioned his guards to charge as he stepped back and folded his arms across his chest. As the brawl started, he ignored Flame Princess rushing past him and kept his menacing gaze focused on his archenemy. Since Finn's friends only dealt with ordinary troops, they managed to defeat them easily and then backed away for the two duelists.

"It's all you, bro," Jake said. "We'll hold off any more guards that'll come this way."

"Good luck, Finn," Betty said.

Nothing else was said after that. Soon, Finn's allies began to fight again when more Phoenix knights appeared.

The showdown for Finn and Ramirez remained uninterrupted. When the blonde hero started his fight against him for the third time, he noticed that his rival was completely healed from his previous injuries.

"He's probably used his alchemy to heal himself," Finn thought.

His sword collided with Ramirez's as the two started with a series of basic slashes. Both of them were fighting conservatively until the former leader of the Crimson Gauntlet decided to charge his energy and began to engage Finn with a rapid flurry of combo attacks. Luckily for Finn, he was able to match his speed thanks to his flame abilities once again.

Ramirez, frustrated that all of his strikes were blocked and deflected, went into a crouching stance, jumped high into the air twirling counterclockwise, and then used his momentum to deliver a powerful sword smash. But before he could connect the hit, Finn quickly evaded by leaping sideways into a barrel roll.

The human noticed that his enemy was slowly tiring as a result. Then, he realized that Ramirez was trying to bring him down quickly by utilizing his full potential from the beginning. Finn decided to use this to advantage by merely conserving his endurance. Every now and then he would be able to wound his foe as he recklessly left a few openings in his attacks.

Suddenly, Finn's rival began to breathe heavily as he fought with his injuries. It was now becoming a losing battle for him. He flared his body overall to heal himself several times during the duel. Although his physical body was restored on the surface, Ramirez's powers began to strain him as he discovered that he was unable to raise his sword in defense. For the first time in his military career, he was completely helpless as he struggled to maintain his balance.

Taking the chance, Finn went on the aggression and began slashing at the chest plate repeatedly. As Ramirez began to sustain severe wounds, he eventually fell to his knees with a look of anguish. Finn stopped his attack momentarily as he met his gaze. Then, Ramirez slowly closed his eyes and firmly nodded to allow Finn to deal the fatal blow. In that instant, he made a unanimous decision to be given a warrior's death rather than live in failure. Finn hesitated for a moment, but ultimately respected his decision as he decapitated him with the Shadow Thrust. From then on, the legendary soldier of the Fire Kingdom was no more.

Finn sheathed his sword as his duel ended. Moments later, he received an incoming transmission, "Finn, this is Benji. The enemies are on their heels! We're en route to the roof of the building to switch the flags, over."

"Copy that, Benji. Great work." Finn took a deep breath of relief as he was pleased to know the enemy was faltering and that the war was close to ending. But before he and his friends could celebrate, they went inside the throne room to check on Flame Princess. As they entered, Finn noticed that Flame King was already lying on his back, propped on his right elbow. His daughter had defeated him with ease, no longer bound from any internal struggles like she had back from the second coup.

"You lost, father," Flame Princess said with finality as she pointed her sword at him. "This is the end of the line."

Flame King raised his free hand in surrender, "No more, I yield! You wouldn't actually kill your own flesh and blood now, would you?"

FP seethed, "How dare you?! You... of all people would say such a thing. You left me to die in the wilderness all because you were worried about losing your stupid crown. I loved you! It was never my life-long goal to usurp your throne, but you never understood that! In the end, it was your paranoia that became your own undoing."

"But we're evil by nature, daughter. Surely you would have taken my place like you are now," FK replied with a broken smile.

FP retorted, "You actually think I wanted this position from the very beginning?! I was just a stinkin' baby for Grod's sake! Being a ruler has been one of the most stressful decisions I have ever made. I just wanted to live a happy, normal life like any other family."

Moments later, she calmed herself, "But, I suppose I should thank you in a way. If things were different, I probably could have never experienced the same joy, happiness, and... love that I do now." Her cheeks blushed slightly at the last part.

FK spat, "The human?! Bah, he is too weak and unfit to rule our proud civilization!"

"He is a strong and more capable leader than you'll ever be!"

The former ruler shook his head in defiance, "No... I won't allow this. I would rather die than live to see a sub-species govern our people." Seconds later, he mustered all of his energy into his free hand and fired a plasma blast straight for Finn.

FP's heart skipped from that moment. She thought she had everything under control until her father performed one last trick up his sleeve. Fortunately, Finn reacted on reflex and jumped out of the way thanks to his new flame powers. As the blast missed him, it struck the lever operating the giant glass lantern, which caused the structure itself to plummet below an unfortunate Flame King. Hundreds of glass shards scattered in the air as everyone shielded themselves.

"There's probably something ironic about this, but I'm too weary to care right now," FP thought to herself. Then she brushed her armor with her hands, "Is everyone alright?"

"I'm good, Flame. I think the others are too," Finn answered.

"We are," their friends said one after another.

FP sighed, "It's over... the war is finally over." She walked over to her love and embraced him, "We made it."

Finn returned the hug with a tired smile, "We sure did. I'm proud of you."