The Final Reckoning! Kala vs Heroes!
Before they headed off to Mount Sumeru for the final battle, Ace suggested that he wants to help Ajna with her incarnations personal requests so they would be mentally prepared and complete their resolutions, Qadira has found her brother and made a promise to fight for her new family. They first returned to Port Maerifa where they met a musician named Zahra who they helped fix her Oud and in return accompany them on their journey by helping boost their abilities by playing her Oud.
The wandering songstress
ZAHRA
provides musical accompaniment!
They then helped Leilani gather ingredients to make a seafood stew that her family has made for generations which everyone enjoyed. They then helped Nuna create a garden to provide for her people. Helped Hunoch and Xiboch have a rematch with the Lords of the Underworld and avenged Xiboch. Helped Kushi and Zebei start rebuilding Lhan by fixing the sacred bell that protected Lhan for generations. Helped Lanshi find flowers for a small Asura Child who revealed Lanshi as the reincarnation of her father. Helped Razmi save Bom due to a demon known as Dueoksini being sealed into the lantern as well, its energy's are slowly killing Bom as they soon released the demon's energy thus saving Bom, and Razmi thanking the group as well which surprised them, much to her disdain. They then helped Naga Rider with the citizens in Tai Krung, helped find a cure for Ginseng and Honey's father who was inflicted with a deadly disease. They then helped Latigo hunt down Vasco and defeat him, saving Latigo's comrades from harm in the process as his sixth bullet was now free to be used. Next they helped Thorani ease the spirit of a Hungry Ghost who was actually Mara that had been terrorizing people in Tai Krung , helped Bhaozai toss the soul of her former comrade into the ocean of milk, set up posters in the different cities for a show in Tai Krung where Lan would be performing her exotic dance moves and reuniting her with her father in the process. Next they engaged in another match with Phoebe as well as Tungar to show their different abilities and moves to her children to make them better warriors to protect people. They helped Tungar hunt down a metallic monster in Ashwat which was revealed to be an amalgamation of Tungar's squad as their souls were set free. They then brought Zahra to Ashwat to cheer up the refugees with her music as well as taming one of the Haathi's from Vimana Fortress that took residence in the forest. They helped Kampan nab treasure from the King of Thieves in Port Maerifa, and donate it to the poor and impoverished people that lived in the Iron Kingdom. Finally, they helped Ren confront the leader of his clan who turned out to be his mother who had him marked for assassination due to him falling in love with his target and refusing to kill him, they defeated the Clan Witch in combat thus putting Ren's past behind him.
The surprising chef
LEILANI
has nourished your friendship!
The persistent soldier
QADIRA
has found her lost brother!
The green-thumbed
NUNA
has provided for her people
The victorious tlatchibol twins
HUNOCH & XIBOCH
are at the top of their game!
The Protectors
KUSHI & ZEBEI
have begun Lhan's rebirth!
The reincarnated father
LANSHI
has comforted his former daughter!
The frighteningly powerful shaman
RAZMI
has found her true friends.
Protector of Tai Krung
NAGA RIDER
saved a lost soul!
The extinction-defeating herbalists
GINSENG & HONEY
have been recognized for their talent!
The fugitive gunslinger
LATIGO
has brought his rival to justice.
The pure soul
THORANI
has put her friend on a better path!
The sentimental pirate queen
BAOZHAI
has atoned for her past!
The free-spirited
YAN
is dancing for herself!
The proud mother
PHOEBE
has put her children on the right path!
The unyielding warrior
TUNGAR
has released his comrades' souls!
The Oud master
ZAHRA
has found her calling!
The nascent do-gooder
KAMPAN
did the right thing...mostly!
The surprisingly sentimental
REN
has assassinated his past!
With everyone's resolution resolved, it was time to finally confront Kala as the group arrived at the base of Mount Sumeru. As they began making their way towards the Mountain, Ace, Ajna, Nero, and Simon spotted Dhar's sword as Ajna pulled it out of the ground.
"Dhar… I never liked you, and I'll never forgive you. You killed my father, and you can never take that back." Ajna said. "But I appreciate what you did for me. You stopped me from becoming something I hate. So I may not like you. But...thank you." she said before planting it back to the ground as Ace stayed behind and drawed energy from the sword as it formed into a soul as he sent it upward.
"May your soul find peace in Devaloka." Ace said.
"Not gonna reincarnate him?" Kagura asked.
"Let's be honest." Nero said. "If Dhar was reborn, everything Ajna's been through would've been for nothing. His sacrifice helped her see what she was doing wrong."
"Yeah, it's better this way, he'll be living among the others who sacrificed their lives to help us...like Pedro." Ace said. "Now come on...let's end this."
The Group headed back up Mt. Sumeru and toward the ruined seal of Kala. Stopping there, Ajna breathed.
"If Kala is really still inside me, she must be using her missing eye to still have a link to me." Ajna said. "I know what we need to do now."
"Lay it on us, girl. We're ready whenever you are." Simon said.
"I think the only way to truly defeat Kala and not sacrifice us both, is if we do the same thing we did with Bom and the Dueoksini." Ajna said. "When we defeated that demon, Bom was able to absorb it and become stronger. I think that same logic applies to me… possibly."
"Simon and I will help you. We're partly responsible for releasing Kala, it's the least we can do." Ace said.
"Okay." Ajna said. She assumed her meditative stance as Ace and Simon took positions in front and behind her.
"TELOC VOVIM A GRAA ORS TABA ORD AVAVAGO." Simon quietly chanted as the Umbran Aura formed around him and shined brightly.
"Let thy souls be one and let your will be free of all that seek to corrupt it. Let Kala's power be your own, now until the end of time! Aelfric, please lend us your blessing as the Flamebearer!" Ace said as a white and black energy swirled upward around him and the mark of the Cleric glowing brightly on his arm. Both energies swirled around AJna as the three combined energies. But then….
"Why thank you. I was hoping you'd do that." the voice of Kala said.
"Kala!" The three called.
"How Gullible to think you could wrest me away from my own flesh and blood, my own little eye. And that half breed, thinking he could use his power to destroy me?" Kala asked. "I cannot be destroyed. As long as I have you, little eye, I can still exist. Now, I shall use the power of you, and your Nephilim friends and become reborn… with unspeakable power! That was what Gardle promised me, and when I emerge, I will be the end of all worlds!"
Massive energy swirled around the three as they rose into the air, Kala beginning to take shape.
"We can't let Kala do this! We have to stop her!" Zebei said.
"Zebei's right! They've done so much for us while they were here… now it's our turn to help them!" Qadira said.
"You are gonna accept Ajna's existence...Kala!" Nero said as he activated his Devil Trigger.
"Nero! You're…!" Kampan said.
"He's half devil… and the descendant of a powerful king." Thorani realized.
"I'll keep Kala contained, you guys figure out a way to take her down." Nero said, flying into the energy.
"Alright, what do we do?" Razmi asked.
"Remember what Angwu said? We were attracted to Ajna because we had powerful Iddhi. So maybe we need to balance out Ajna and Kala's power with our power." Ginseng suggested.
"Alright, then let's do it!" Leilani said with stars in her eyes as the others scattered about.
"I won't let you ruin this! Their power is mine! They won't live to see you again!" Kala said as the three strained.
"No… it can't end like this…!" Ajna said.
"I… don't want...to die here…" Simon said.
"And we won't...everyone...even Hope, Jexi, David, and Mark, they're still waiting for us too!" Ace said.
"Do you really believe that?" Kala asked. "True that Hope mortal cares about you, so does Mark… but do you really believe Jexi and David think the same?"
"What the hell do you know? Even if they weren't here they would still know that I can overcome anything, they believe in me, just as much as I believe in all of them." Ace said.
"Oh, stop denying the truth. What you should really believe is...they don't need you." Kala's words echoed through Ace's mind as his body tensed.
"You don't know anything about love...or friendship...and I feel sorry for you." Ace said as he reached for Breidablik and embedded his pendant into it.
"Not so fast!" Kala said attacking Ace with her power as he was forced to drop his gun and pendant. "I can't have you do that now, can I?"
"No...this can't be the end." Ace said.
"Hold fast, young man! It's not over yet!" Latigo said from above.
"Huh…?" Ace asked.
(Cue: Our Beginning- Persona 5)
Latigo appeared up above, pointing his gun as he glowed orange. "I'm not about to let you die on me yet, nor Ajna and your brother. I've gone through so much, but you helped me settle a debt long since overdue. I will be proud to have you lead me through the young miss's ward."
"We've made it to the big stage! What an audience we're looking forward to seeing!" Yan said. "I want to keep dancing with you all, and share it with the rest of the multiverse!" she said pointing her leg out towards Kala.
"It's been real so far, coach. And we ain't gonna let you go like this." Huboch said.
"We're gonna help knock that Kala lady into next week!" Xiboch added as the brothers glowed orange and blue.
"I'm not letting Ajna, Ace and Simon Die! I want us all to go hang out instead!" Nuna said. "So I'll help in any way I can to keep everyone together!"
"If it wasn't for their kindness in Altumah Desert, I would have never made it to where I am now. To care for a new family with Husam, Elaine, and little Qadira. I will not allow them to meet their demise like this, for I am their shield!" Quadira said.
"There's so much more I want to do with everyone together. Now that I know there are worlds beyond ours, I wanna go see them. I've gotten to meet some amazing people which I would never have been able to see on my own. So let's keep traveling the world together!" Ginseng said.
"I'm not gonna say goodbye to you Hayseeds just yet. We've traveled this whole wide world together, and seen places even I never dared visit. You're all tough kids,and I'm happy to have you all as a part of my crew!" Baozhai said.
"My darling children, you are my precious babies and I will not let any of you go! No matter where we are, whatever happens to you, I will find and help you." Thorani said.
"What a journey it's been for us all. I mean, we met in jail. Which is an odd way of putting it…. But I'm glad we met back then. I'm grateful for all of you for truly believing in me, even when I didn't believe in you. Because of that, the Great Zebei will not let you become part of Kala! I'll free you, whatever it takes!" Zebei said.
"I'm not good with goodbyes. I thought it was my destiny to be a Protector of Lhan, but you helped me protect the whole world! Now, it's my turn to protect you all, as is my duty!" Kushi said as Lanshi agreed with a bark.
"You guys can't go! I plan on making a big feast when this is all over, with all of our friends and favorite foods set on the table. It's all I can think of to help right now." Leilani said. "Wait… that may have made you hungry… I'm sorry!"
"You three are certainly strange ones, but not in a bad way! It's just, you were out here trying to save the world, and you all still took the time to help a fellow traveler repair her Oud." Zahra said. "I will capture that compassion and share it with the rest of the multiverse with all of you till the end of time!"
"You and your friends showed my children what it means to be a true warrior. You helped ensure the safety of my Kingdom." Phoebe said. "You're the fiercest warriors I've ever met, and I'm proud to have met you all. So I'm not letting you go just yet!"
"It has been a whirlwind trip for all of us, and to think it all might end here. But I say it won't!" Tungar said. "On my honor as a Shyak Knight, I will not allow you all to meet your end here!"
"My dearest little friends. It's been a pleasure watching you all fix this world, and making my job irrelevant. Maybe while we're journeying across the multiverse, I'll find someone I can get along with...intimately." Ren said.
"It's gonna get a whole lot weirder, good, but weirder. I was a bit disappointed when we didn't find any loot up here, but I bet there'll be a whole lot more treasure out there in the multiverse." Kampan said. "I also want to meet the girl who made Nero's wicked robotic arms too!"
"Young ones, greater challenges still lie ahead of you! Fear not the unknown, it shall become your strength! The will of I and the people shall always be with you." Naga Rider said.
Razmi was the last to get into her position. "Ajna, Ace, Simon….I don't care about this world, I never did. But then you and your freinds came along and swept me up into your dumb nonense. But I know you guys are gonna get through this, and if you guys die, I'll find and trap your souls in my lantern so you can never leave."
After that, Nero was blown out of Kala's energy and skidded back.
"I don't know what youre all up to, but it will be in vain! There is nothing that can stop me, not even you, half demon!" Kala said.
"Maybe a half demon can't… but there is something that can!" Nero said. "Ace, I'm gonna borrow something!"
Nero used his Wire to grapple onto Breidablik and pull it towards him. "Everyone, let's finish this, together!" he said embedding Ace's pendant into it as four different colored lines that respectively glowed, red, blue, green, and silver appeared on it. Together with the power of Ajna's incarnations, the combined power summoned the spirit of Satanael right outside Mt. Sumeru.
"What is that?!" Kala said. "No, don't tell me…it cannot be him I'm sensing!"
"What is this power outside? It's even more deadlier than Nero's." Thorani said.
"I get it." Ginseng said. 'If a god or goddess plays naughty, then it's a Demon Lord's duty to punish them."
"Heh… is that so? Well then…" Nero said, looking to Kala. "Pillage her! Satanael!"
Satanael drew a pale rider revolver as he took aim at Kala.
Nero checked Breidablik's chamber. "One bullet…. Not a problem." Nero said, aiming it. "It's over Kala!"
Satanael then fired his Sinful shell straight through Mt. Sumeru as it went into calas head.
(end song)
"Impossible! This can't be happening! No! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kala screamed as she was blowing up.
"You're not gonna haunt me anymore, Kala! I'M not you, or anyone else! The only person I am… is ME!" Ajna said as Kala's spirit was blown away. She then began to transform into a new Heruka form, turning a light green and floated in the air as a ribbon of light hovered over her shoulders as flowers bloomed around her along with golden bracelets around her wrists and ankles.
Everyone then regrouped.
"We did it! Kala's finally gone!" Ginseng said.
"But I don't get it, how were you guys able to summon Satanael? Only Joker's able to call him." Kagura said.
"I dunno… I think it's got something to do with Ace's Pendant and gun." Nero said.
"It's finally over with Kala." Ace said as his comm beeped and saw it was a message from Gardle and played it.
"This game isn't over, soon your brother will soon find out the truth about himself. Can you stop the remaining judges and warriors before reaching me? Only time will tell. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Gardle's voice laughed.
"Bastard." Nero said.
"So now what? The remaining Mutos Reploids could be anywhere." Kagura said.
"Well if Gardle's your problem, he's ours too! We're gonna come with you guys!" Ajna said.
Suddenly Nero's pocket buzzed as he pulled out a phone. "Yeah?" he said answering.
"About damn time i got to ya, dumbass! Where've you been?!" Nico's voice yelled.
"Sheesh, Nico...relax, I'm okay. More than that, I got us a new partner." Nero said.
"Well you and this newbie better get back here quick. Things are going to hell in a handbasket back here. Didn't ya hear the news? Mammon's dead!" Nico said. "Some devil from the Magic Universe went and tore him a new one!"
"Another Demon Lord dead...I bet the Demon Universe is in more panic now." Simon said.
"Sorry to cut this short Ace, but I gotta get back home and make sure everything in the Demon universe stays under control." Nero said. "Kampan, you're coming with me."
"Okay! I can't wait to meet Nico!" Kampan said.
"Arnice… I'm gonna need your help too. And your friends. The Demon Universe is your home too." Nero said.
"Alright. But it would be best if Lilianna stays with Ace and the others." Arnice said.
"Al, Rue, please come back safely okay?" Lilianna said.
"Don't worry Lili, we'll be back before you know it." Aluche said.
"I'll open a portal for you all." Simon said.
"Thanks. We'll see you guys later." Nero said.
"Catch up with us as soon as things cool down okay?" Ace asked.
"Don't worry, we'll see you soon." Arnice said as she and the others jumped through the portal as it then closed.
"We're glad to have you and the others with us, Ajna." Simon said.
"Great to be here, this'll be exciting!" Ajna said.
"Yup, now let's track down the remaining Judges and Einherjar and stop Gardle's plans!" Ace said.
To be continued...
