"…and THAT should be the last of 'em." Zane proudly declared. The Eridium processing tanks were dealt with, and Troy's supply was cut off. Sure, they had to wipe a few Anointed throughout the process but, with how things were going, and how much firepower they had, it was honestly easier than he expected.

Unfortunately, he knew it was the calm before the storm, considering what's ahead.

"Good work, Vault Hunters," Lilith said over COMs. "Troy's not charging Elpis anymore. You should be clear to go after him once and for all."

"Grand." A bullet whirled by, and the shooter was blown apart by Maya.

"Go on ahead and fight 'em, Vault Hunters," The former Siren grunted. "We'll do what we can to keep who hasn't turned on them off your back."

"Yeah! Kill that monster!"

"You got this, Vault Hunters!"

Everyone was offering words of encouragement. It was good to hear, especially since they were walking straight into the den of the twins.

"We shall triumph over the twins, no matter the cost." FL4K walked ahead, diving down the lengthy pipeway that, no doubt, led to where Troy was dwelling.

"We came this far, I think we got this." Moze dove down as well.

"And we got them…can't…really think of a witty one liner, like you." Amara shrugged and dove down as well. Zane bid everyone a final farewell with a nod and joined the others, landing with a thud and advancing through the pipeline with the others.

"So, ladies and bot, this is it." Zane proclaimed, reloading his handgun. "After a long fuckin' time of fanfare, this is it. We finally get to take out the twins."

"Yeah…just…let's hope we can bring them down." Moze said.

"We should. The Ravager and the Gravewarden were both Vault Monsters, essentially demi-gods in their own right," FL4K explained. "and the twins are far from their respective powers. The only main thing is ensuring they cannot leech."

"And…what stops them from doing it?"

"A shotgun to the face, probably." Amara racked said shotgun in her hands. "Like with Lilith and Maya. They got them when they weren't expecting things. But, now, we're fully aware of what they can do, and fully prepared for what they'll throw at us. No matter what, we're ready for them."

"Good. So let's give 'em all we got, and end this fuckin' shite right."

They reached the end of the pipeline. Zane was the first one out, pistol at the ready. They stood in some sort of shallow waterway; a digsite, probably. One that led to what he guessed were some ruins or shite ahead. But, honestly, that wasn't what occupied his attention; it was the fact that Elpis was still being charged.

"…Lil, ya're seein' this, right?"

"I am, but it doesn't make any sense…Tannis, they cut Troy's supply; where's he getting this power from?"

"I have a theory…but you aren't going to like it, Lilith."

"Tyreen…" Amara murmured, a heavy look on her face. "Do you think he's leeching off her? She's as powerful as him, so if he drained her power…"

"He'd have enough to finish off Elpis…oh shit." Moze finished with the same, dread-heavy look. "We gotta move now!"

They rushed all together, sticking close and reaching a drop-off that Zane was the first one down on.

The mere instant his feet touched the ground he realized they were in the right place. Now, they were in some sort of arena, with an ocean ahead of them and, sure enough, the literal moon much closer than it needed to be. Tyreen hovered at the end of said arena but, above her, was the twin who took control of things, Troy, leeching off her still charging Elpis.

"Been waitin' for ya, Vault Thieves. We've said a lotta things and done a lot more, but this is the first time we've gotten to meet face to face. All of us."

"Yep. You're ugly as shite in person." Zane noted.

Troy scowled. "Of course. I had a whole speech planned, but screw it," He dropped to the ground. From his back, two crimson red, ethereal wings spouted, with a lengthy blade forming in his hand, made from the same shite. "I'll just kill y'all and leech what's left right here and now."

"Bring it the fuck on."

Everyone acted at once: Zane dropped down his Barrier, Moze called up Iron Bear, Amara summoned up her extra arms and FL4K's skag got huge. Troy slammed his metal arm into the ground, sending a wave of freaky energy balls their way; balls that collided with the Barrier and violently exploded.

"Kay, those don' seem friendly." Zane muttered, flinging out his Copy and open firing at Troy, watching the decoy do the same. Gunfire exploded all around as Moze lit the fucker up with Iron Bear, Amara open fired with her shotgun while her ghost arms hovered nearby, and FL4K shot with their sniper and kept their skag close by…yet it didn't same like their attacks were doing much.

Zane confirmed that when a bullet struck Troy directly, and instead of sinking into the fucker, it fell off like it hit an energy shield or something, yet Zane didn't see a generator on him. Besides, shield generators could only take so much abuse, and they were slinging loads of it.

"Moze! Watch it!" Troy swung his sword. Her mech stumbled back but the sword still did hefty damage; cleaving straight through the left arm of her mech.

"Fuck! You fucking fucker!" The Gunner screamed through her mic, lighting Troy up with Ironbear's remaining arm. The demented Siren leapt back, landing by Tyreen and…grabbing her neck, causing her to rapidly convulse and spasm in clear agony.

"TROY STOP, IT HURTS!" She wailed.

"S-Shut it, I just need a bit more power!"

Zane heard that loud and clear. "He's usin' his power to keep fightin'," He called to the others. "Gon' be tough, but—"

"Watch out!" A rough, metal hand shoved him to the ground. Zane rolled to his feet to see Troy's metal arm wrapped around FL4K's metal neck, something that was rewarded with a pointblank sniper shot that caused him to stumble back, grumbling and swearing. "Show caution, Zane. Were he to grab you, you would perish gruesomely."

"Yeah…thanks for the save." The Operative yanked up his SMG and open fired at Troy. It was a longshot, but Zane figured that, if they overtaxed that shield of Troy's, they could inflict actual damage onto him. So, he kept shooting, as did the others.

"Grr! Enough of this SHIT!" Troy slammed his metal arm into the ground. Zane slammed down his decoy and teleported to it just as something enveloped the spot he stood moments ago; a bubble of iridescent energy.

Troy had tried to Phaselock him, but thankfully got the hard light copy instead. "Stand still, you urchin!" The bitch cried out.

"Nah. Ya want me, ya gotta fight for me." Zane chided, dropping another barrier, then locking it onto himself. Troy flung towards him, sword at the ready, and one of Amara's ghostly fists slammed into his face, sending him to the ground.

"Damnit…damnit DAMNIT! WHY THE FUCK IS THIS SO DAMN HARD!?"

He was breaking. It was almost like what FL4K said.

"Life ain' easy, bitch boy," Zane chided again, reloading his SMG in a hurry. "didn' yar dad teach ya tha—" Troy shot up. And, this time, Zane got caught by the Phaselock. Actually, all of them were caught this time!

"Don't you ever bring up that bastard. Then again, no point in warning you. You'll be dead. Let's start with…you." Amara was moved towards him.

"Don't you fucking touch her you goddamned—" Ironbear slammed into the wall. More pieces fell away from it, and the damn thing began to sputter and spark, telling Zane it took more than critical damage.

"Best shut up, before I get you first, runt." Troy smugly said. The entire time Amara was hauled over, she fought against the Phaselock, trying to break free. The lock ended and Troy clamped his hand around her neck, hefting Amara into the air.

"Yesssss…YEEESSSS!" He hissed.

Panic flooded Zane when he saw Amara's tattoos dimming. For once, ever since their jovial lil' adventure began, he was panicking. It was a shite feeling, but it didn't compare to the fear he felt when he saw Troy literally leeching Amara. "You should've been on my side from the beginning, Vault Thief. The winning team!" But, now you get to die! To die like your friends will! To die a writhing, pathetic—"

A bullet struck him in the face, causing his head to jerk back. Zane did his best to turn and saw Moze standing atop the sparking, ruined wreck of Ironbear, assault rifle in hand.

"Get the FUCK off my friend, asshole!"

"Why you little—" Amara's fist met his face, sending him to the ground with a thud. "Fuck! What?! But I leeched—"

"You barely scratched the surface of my power, pretender," She growled, walking towards Troy. He tried to scamper back like a little bitch, but Amara cut that off by slamming her foot down on his shin, causing him to cry out like…well a little bitch.

It also made the Phaselock end, evident by Zane feeling his feet touch the ground. "Well, considerin' he cried like a bitch, that means his shield's gone." The Operative huffed, staring down Troy as he, once more, tried to crawl away. "Nah, don' run now. Where's all that good shite, eh? Where's that fuckin' God King?"

"Fuck…you…" Troy spat. Amara rewarded that with a firm kick to his face, with a crunch that told Zane the fucker's nose was broken. "Mother…FUCKER…!"

"You've been raisin' hell everywhere, Troy. From Pandora, to Promethea, to even Eden-6. Your and your sis? Ya weren' Gods, nor will ya ever be." Troy finally, managed to leap back, though when he staggered a bit, it told Zane his leg was fucked right the hell up.

"You're WRONG! We were destined since birth to be GODS! And now we'll—" Something latched onto Troy's metal arm. It took Zane a second to realize it was FL4K's empowered skag; damn thing must've also got caught in the Phaselock and was paying Troy back in full. He tried his best to get the skag to release him, yet all the beast did was persevere until, with a meaty, metal snap it yanked back…bringing Troy's metal arm with it.

"AAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" Troy wailed and fell to his back, struggling to crawl towards Tyreen who, now, was trying to charge Elpis herself. Trying and failing, as Zane guessed by her cries. Finally, she also hit the ground, limp and motionless, and the sight of it made Troy stop crawling as well.

"Ty…no…we lost."

"Don't beat yourself up," Moze walked over, slamming a fresh mag into her assault rifle. "Losing means you had a chance. You didn't have one from the fucking start."

And then she emptied said mag right on him. And finally, the 'God King' fell.


"So…it's over." Moze stood nearby the others as Lilith looked over the bodies of Tyreen and Troy…or…what was left of him. Bloodied and beaten, with several gaping holes in his torso, he was practically unrecognizable!

But, in her defense, she didn't know the assault rifle she took with her was a Torgue one.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Maya huffed. "Took a long while to get them, but…I'm glad the Vault Hunters did…" She furrowed her brow. "You're sure Tyreen's down, right?"

"She collapsed from attempting to charge the moon herself." FL4K noted. "We dragged her over so Lilith could reclaim her powers, and then I can shoot her in the head."

"Well, thanks for the consideration. Maya, you go first. Get your powers back." Lilith motioned to Troy's husk.

"…no, not me." She shook her head. "Ava, you do it."

"ME?! Why me?" She shouted.

"…yeah, why her?" Zane agreed. "Not questionin' your plan, but…"

Maya shrugged. "It's for a good reason, don't worry. I've noticed that, really, most issues that've come after me, after my friends and followers, came because I'm a Siren. They either wanted me dead, depowered, or all of the above and then some. It might be time for me to pass the mantle to someone else; spend time running the Monastery, and let Ava live out her goal of being a Vault Hunter."

"Wait?! Really! You're—"

"Don't get too excited," She cut her off. "You'll be training with the Vault Hunters until you're really ready. You held your own on the way here, but shit's a whole lot more complicated out there. But, this way, we both win; I can live in peace for a while, and you can go out there and make a name for yourself, once you finish training with the Vault Hunters."

"I'll ensure she learns the needed skills, save for field dressing humans." FL4K stated.

Moze was…well she had her doubts and concerns, but trusted Maya. She seemed to know what she was doing, so the Gunner stayed quiet as Ava, hesitantly, reached down to grab Troy's tattooed arm. The tattoos blurred and faded from his arm and, in a flash, reappeared on her own. "Just…thanks, Maya…also I got something in my eye, one sec." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, but Moze clearly saw a tear or two.

She wasn't gonna say anything. Not yet, at least.

"Well, Lilith," Amara gestured to Tyreen. "Now you…"

She trailed off. The ground suddenly shook, and Moze nearly lost her footing. The happy moment turned hesitant as the rumbling continued, shaking the ground…as if something stirred under it.

"Do you feel that…?" She turned just in time to see Tyreen. She was hunched over her brother's dead form, hands clasping at the remains of his face. A spark ran between those fingers and his body disappeared; she just leeched her brother. "Troy succeeded! An ancient god's waking beneath our feet, and we just took off its chains!"

"No…" Lilith took a step back as Tyreen stood up, astral wings rising from her back just like with her brother, telling Moze the bitch was back to full power and then some.

"Soon, the Destroyer will be free." She floated into the air, coursing with more of that demented, Siren energy. "And once I leech it…I'll be the only star left in the sky. For now," She shot towards the ground and struck it, causing a literal wave of rocks and debris to shoot towards them. "Buh-bye!"

Moze put her hands up just as the stuff impacted her, flickering her shields out and sending her into the water. The Gunner, instinctively, held her breath, flailing in the water to figure out where she was and how deep she was.

Said flailing revealed to her the others were under the water too, though thankfully, no one was overtly hurt…though she did have to reach out to grab FL4K's metal hand, as the robot was sinking quickly.

"Let me go, Moze," They spoke, muffled by the water. "and no, this is not some sort of 'heroic sacrifice', I do not breathe. I'll just crawl out the water on my own. Now go, make sure Lilith and the others are okay." She quickly released their hand and swam up, breaking the surface of the water first, coughing and gasping. Her hands fumbled for the edge, grasping it and pulling herself up onto the stone ground.

She noticed two things immediately; Tyreen was gone, and there was a bunch of rubble where Lilith and the others were moments ago.

"Oh shit—LILITH!"

Said rubble began to move. Moze finished pulling herself out the water just as the rubble fell away…and the others were standing there, underneath what was no doubt a Phaselock, caused by Ava.

"Huh, didn't learn how to do that til I was older," Maya huffed with a grin. "Guess this was meant to be after all."

"Maybe, but we have bigger issues," The ground rumbled again. Lilith caught herself on one of the large rocks, as said rumbles sent Zane tumbling back into the water, accompanied by a series of curses. "The Great Vault's opening…Pandora is the Great Vault."

"Wait, the planet?" Moze huffed. "As in whatever's about to come out is planet-sized?!"

"Hello?! Hello!?" A voice called. The Gunner glanced over to a discarded ECHO device, possibly Troy's before his death. "Is anyone there?! Who opened the Great Vault?!"

Moze cautiously approached it and picked it up, clearing her throat once her finger was on the receiver. "Who are you? Identify yourself."

"Eh? How did you get this—y'know, doesn't matter. This is Typhon DeLeon. Listen up—you see that crazy beam of light in the sky? Pretty cool, right? Well, it ALSO means the Great Vault is opening. And if it DOES, say goodbye to Pandora! And the whole UNIVERSE! So, get your keister to Nekrotafeyo, NOW!"

The line went dead, and Moze had more questions than answers.

"Typhon DeLeon…that doesn't make any sense…" Lilith muttered nearby.

"You know him?" Amara asked, working on shaking water from her shoes.

"Tannis told me a bit about him; one of the first Vault Hunters. He's been missing for decades, ever since he vowed to find the legendary planet of…"

"Nekrotefayo!" Ava concluded excitedly. "Maya used to tell me stories about it, right?!"

"I did, yeah." She agreed, though she stumbled when the ground quaked again. "And I know we should get moving there NOW."

"Yeah…she's after the Destroyer…the thing I thought my friends and I put down for good. But if it's still kicking, and Tyreen leeches it—"

"Let's not even entertain that shite, Lil." Zane cut her off. "Tannis, this Arch'll work, right? We need every bit of firepower we can get if we plan to stop this bitch from endin' me home planet."

"It should. I'll send Axton down to pick you all up when you're done. But hurry back, I fear we're working on borrowed time."

"Best kick off the rock anthem for savin' the universe, then."

Moze couldn't agree more.


[Short, but awaited. Troy got mauled and I had to address a series of issues here: like them leaving Tyreen alive and not blowing her head off with a shotgun, and Ava getting Maya's powers when she's still alive. Might be weird, but I did the best I could. I'm feeling better now, and I've taken a retest to see if I still have the virus. Best case, I don't, worst case, I've become asymptomatic. So, let's see. Until then, I can dedicate the next chapter to their time on the legendary planet, and with one or two more, wrap this series up.

So, I hope this chapter was much of what you all sought to see; Troy getting his ass kicked.

Thanks for supporting this project with the kind words!]