DoubleTale: Rewritten

by XWolf26

What if two humans were in the Underground at once? What if one human was DETERMINED to stop the other? What if they could both SAVE? What happens when an Unstoppable Force meets an Immovable Object? When a certain scientist pulls enough of himself together, he finally finds a way to stop the destruction of his world. All he has to do is break through one wall... (A rewrite of DT.)

63. Chapter 63: Dead Heroes' Legacy

Thanks go to Doctah Sawbones, 10burgers, Wingah, WhoWritesThisCrap, Zack Frost, Zillowzest, and 2Strong2SignIn.

Okay! So this chapter ended up being a day late, but that's because it ended up being way longer than I thought it was gonna be! Seriously, I was expecting like 10,000 words, and it ended up at a little under 17,000. So hooray, we get a classic XWolf really fuckin' long chapter! Hope you guys enjoy this one! The next update should be two weeks from yesterday, Sunday May 2nd!

Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale.

---

Rapid footsteps bounced along the empty halls of Card Castle, Kris sprinting down the tiles at full speed. When they reached a curve in the hallway, they jumped, planted their foot on the wall's bend, and pushed off of it. This launched them down the next hall without them losing any momentum.

The only light in this abandoned castle shun through the stained glass windows that Kris sprinted by. A strange, mechanical green from the withering code outside. Some of this rot had even crept inside, displayed by the occasional patch of distorted ones and zeros that Kris would jump over or duck under or even side step.

It was a strange sight to Kris, Card Castle in such disarray. It was a building that had meant something to them once upon a time, and seeing it in such a way made them ponder the fate of its denizens. If this place truly had been touched by The Anarchist - as it so clearly seemed by the creeping void and looming faces above - then it was likely that beloved characters like Lancer, Rouxls, and the Clover sisters were all long dead. Chaos King destroyed, Jevil released...

"aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Crash!

Kris's eyes went wide beneath the shadow of their hair as the window near the hallway's end exploded apart, and some pink creature slapped into the wall. They skidded on their heels in an attempt to stop their momentum, and finally Kris managed to stop a few feet before the broken glass and fumbling pink creature.

Slowly but surely, Mad Mew Mew rose from the ground. She grunted and groaned, stumbled a little while she shook her head to throw any of the glass still stuck in her doll body out of her. Then, she blinked a few times, glancing over her shoulder towards Kris. "Who..? Huh-?"

"Aha!" She suddenly exclaimed the moment she spotted Kris, instantly spinning around to face them. She pointed one finger at them, taking up a stance that the human found over dramatic. "My old nemesis! We meet again!"

"..?" Kris didn't say a word, instead just slowly tilting their head to the side. Their hair shifted so that Mew Mew could see the brow they cocked at her, giving her a look that read "... Do I know you?"

This made Mew Mew snarl Madly, and she once more summoned her scepter in hand. Unhesitating she aimed it at Kris, who's eyes widened at the sudden aggression just before white orbs of magic were blasting at them from the glass ball that topped Mew Mew's scepter. Swiftly Kris leaned down under the first few bolts of power, placing one hand on the ground and drawing their sword out to their side before they darted forward.

Kris bobbed and weaved between magic blasts as they closed the distance, before they lunged forward with the stab of their blade. Mew Mew side stepped this stab, yanking their wand back and swinging it at Kris's head. Kris They ducked under this swing though, darting right under Mew Mew's arm and continuing their sprint down the hall, leaving Mew Mew in the dust.

"Wha-?" Mew Mew spun around, and immediately her plastic teeth ground together. Without another word she darted down the hallway after Kris, blasting at them less than accurately with her scepter. "Hey. Hey! HEY!"

Chapter 63: Dead Heroes' Legacy

Or: The Broken Spear Part 2

---

BANG! BANG BANG!

Melanie and Ralsei jumped just a little as Dust!Sans skull was thrown back, now adorned with three bullet holes. The skeleton crumpled to the ground unevenly, much like corpses were known to do. Knees bent back and shoulders hit the ground, arms laying limp and fingers curling inwards like the legs of a dead spider.

"... What?" Clover glanced between Melanie and Ralsei, who both looked to him with surprise written on their expressions. He lifted his hands in a shrug. "I didn't take another step."

"... Well, at least it was quick for him." Melanie spoke after a moment's hesitation, turning her emerald gaze to the unmoving skeleton on the ground. But then, after a few more seconds passed by, she skeptically tilted her head, lifting her frying pan some. "Hey, aren't monsters supposed to, y'know... Dust-?"

In the next instant, ripples split the lifeless dirt and bones began exploding out around Dust's twitching body. Clover threw his arm out to his side to signal Melanie and Ralsei to get back, his free hand pointing its revolver's barrel at Dust's body. The moment the hammer came down and his bullet fired however, another jagged spike of bone jutted up in its path, catching the lead in its calcium. Growling, Clover then jumped back to avoid the rang of those wicked spikes. "Damn!"

Purple dipped spines continued to dart out around Dust's body until he was shrouded in their jagged tent and shielded by their brutal points. The spikes reached high into the air, forming a prickly tower that cast a shadow down upon the pirates. From there, said pirates watched the mass of spikes pensively. Nothing moved, the ground stopped its rippling, and they were left in the shadow of this looming pile of bones. Melanie rose her frying pan, Ralsei kept his glowing palms aimed on the motionless mass, and Clover took this time to reload another few rounds from his inventory into the revolving barrels of his six shooters.

"What do we do now, smart guy?" Ralsei's eyes darted over to Clover, stars manifesting and spinning before his palms. Clover just sighed and shook his head, frown digging deeper into his face.

"This yella-bellied jackass really thinks I don't got armor piercin' rounds?" Clover's brows furrowed beneath the shade of his hat, putting the last bullet into his revolver. After that, he lifted his golden eye and his smoking barrels to the ivory towers before him. "I'm a walkin' armory, biatch!"

But, before anymore gunshots could ring out, a skeletal cackle echoed out from the spire of bone spikes. This made the three of them pause and wait, watching carefully for any kind counter strike. And while one never came, the bones did begin to shift and creak, and strange white light shined from between their cracks.

That laughter got louder and louder with the creaks and groans of that spire, and Clover's observative eye watched as the bones almost started to give in to the shining light within the tower. Like they were molding inward, becoming apart of something else. And as the pirates took skeptical steps back, careful not to break formation, they felt the rumbling hum of some unstable magic vibrate in their chests. That laughter died down, and an unwelcome voice reached over the magical hum of that morphing bone mass. "Hey, congrats rugrats! Ya beat me!"

"And all ya had to do was kill me." A deep chuckle followed those words, and Ralsei spotted a pair of glowing red eyes appear in the white light shining and making him wince. Silently he questioned that; just a moment ago he'd seen the strange eyes of Dust!Sans, and though they were a red tinted purple, they were certainly not that deep shade of crimson. "But, that ain't a problem for brats of your caliber, is it?"

"To be honest, I've actually kinda felt like I've been on death's doorstep for years now." Melanie furrowed her brows at that statement, lowering her stance some and gripping her frying pan even tighter. "Ever since I had to deal with that Papyrus a'yours..."

"..!" Clover's eye widened beneath his hat, and his jaw tightened furiously. Quickly conclusions were drawn in his head, and as enraged as he was, concern was the emotion he acted upon first. He turned his head, glancing over at Ralsei.

". . ." Ralsei stared into the shimmering tower with wide, haunted eyes. His pupils were shrunken in his skull, pain written all over his expression. He managed to stammer, "... Y-you... Killed Papyrus?"

"Don't be too sad about him... Of the four of us, he got off the easiest!" That sentence was punctuated by another fit of laughter, one that turned Ralsei's shock to rage. His scarf bristled, fabric rising up like thorns, and the stars over his palms suddenly spun. Flames ignited over the peak of each star, giving a flaming edge to their spirals. Regardless, Dust continued speaking through a voice that was starting to sound strained. "You're the ones I really feel bad for!"

Punctuating that sentence, the top of the molding bones exploded open like some sort of chrysalis. The pirates all flinched at the sight of this, and Melanie gasped at the sight of one massive, skeletal arm reaching up from the broken peak of the bone cocoon. It's large fingers twitched and stretched, cracking and popping with new life. The digits on this skeleton hand were pointed like claws, spikes rising unevenly from every knuckle. Cracks still detailed its forearm and wrist, ivory light shining from within.

Then, that hand planted itself against the shifting white magic of its chrysalis, and it began pushing, as though the rest of its body was trying to climb free. And finally, the front of the cocoon began to shape and mold, almost like it was forming on to something. The entire mass of magic bones folded in and condensed, until finally a new creature was rising from the shimmering white.

Some giant monstrosity, one long spine straightened itself out. It looked like the upper body of a giant's skeleton, where it's waist would be was attached to the smoldering white magic floor, all that was left of his chrysalis. A ribcage curled in wickedly, illuminated from the inside by the damaged soul within. It was the upside down heart of a monster soul, but it - much like the body around it - had grown disproportionately. It was big and kind of lopsided, and it pulsated in a way that looked painful.

From either shoulder - each of which were adorned with spikes and pauldron-like sheets of bone - a massive arm reached out, stretching long enough to easily scoop up the three pirates in its massive, pointed fingers if he so desired. Topping off the enormous skeleton was one large, rounded head. The only thing that even slightly resembled the Sans' this creature had spawned from, it was detailed with cracked holes from the three rounds Clover had put in Dust's dome. Its eye sockets were entirely dark, no pupil visible within. And its grin reached from ear-hole to ear-hole, teeth grinding giddily at the sight of the stunned pirates below.

Clover, Melanie, and Ralsei all back peddled, bewildered eyes staring up at the abomination of mad science before them, Ultra Sans. This just made the monstrosity chuckle, and a voice that shook the air crept through those grinding teeth.

"Get comfortable."

---

Predator flipped back through the air, throwing one arm out in front of herself and raising a wall of ice from thin air. This sudden mass of foot thick frost caught a dozen scarlet spears with loud cracks and snaps. Spiderwebs of cracks split apart the ice, but the defense did not fall.

Landing on her heels, Predator skidded back, before suddenly ducking. Swaphys darted in from the side, swinging her glowing ax right over Predator's head. Lexi planted one palm on the ground after ducking under that slash, and ice almost instantly raced out across the ground in a massive circle beneath her, making the footing slippery for anyone other than herself. Then, she shifted her weight onto her palm, pulling one knee back to her chest before blasting a kick right into Swaphys' chin and sending her launching back through the air.

Still standing on one hand while Swaphys skidded on her back across the ice rink, Predator suddenly shifted her weight, swinging her legs and with them the rest of her body around Felldyne's vicious stab. The ascended fish woman slid unstably across the frozen earth, growling with frustration as she spun around to face Predator while she slipped backwards.

Stabbing her spear back into the ice behind her and cracking it - stopping her path dead - Felldyne then reached out towards Lexi with her free hand. The air behind her ignited with glimmering red spears, all of which instantly fired off towards The Predator, who was just dropping back onto her feet.

Predator fearlessly raced forward, ducking and dodging between spears. She closed the distance in seconds, diving at Felldyne as she slashed the spear in front of her to shards with the upward swing of her scythe. Then, she spun the blade of her scythe back down, its hook pointing towards Felldyne just as Predator reached her.

But, before Predator could split her foe's skull with her blade, one powerful hand wrapped around the handle of her scythe, stopping her downward swing dead. Eyes darting up to see the scaly fist clenched around her scythe, Predator only offered a less than fearful "Huh?" just before Swaphys yanked her back and threw her over her head, whipping The Predator back away from her fellow heroine.

Predator flipped and spun in air, finally landing on the balls of her feet and skidding back some on her tundra. The ice shifted and shaped around her shoes however, slowing her backwards slide to a quick stop. This gave her plenty of time to react to the twin heroines once more racing towards her, sliding with each step and almost skating over her frost.

Predator didn't bother playing defense though, instead opting to bolt off to meet the two halfway. She didn't lift her feet, each step gliding her further across the ice. She skated over the slick surface at high speeds, before suddenly bending her knees. She dove high into the air, spinning in a front flip and racing down towards the two with a brutal ax kick.

Swaphys and Felldyne reached out quickly to one another, slamming their palms together and shoving themselves away from one another. They slid apart, spinning and stumbling some on the ice. But, as goofy as they looked fumbling for balance while slipping across the aquamarine floor, it did prove to be an affective strategy when Lexi's kick hit nothing but the frosty floor of their battlefield.

Her heel splitting the ice, Predator landed back on the ground in an effortless splits. Her head swiveled left and right, and her PATIENT eyes spotted Felldyne pulling back two glowing red spears to her left and Swaphys yanking back two golden throwing axes. Knowing immediately that a barrage was well on its way, Predator planted her hands on the frozen floor, pushing herself up some while also swinging her forward facing leg to her side, dragging her heel across the ice. Swiftly she pushed herself up onto her palms, effortlessly lifting her body up into a handstand and swinging the both of her legs up in a spiral, conjuring the massive pillar of ice that exploded out from beneath her. She launched into the air on this tower she crafted, Felldyne's spears and Swaphys' axes crashing uselessly into the base of the structure.

"Woo!" Predator exclaimed excitedly as she flipped back up onto her feet. She grinned down over the ledge of her tower, spotting Swaphys and Felldyne racing up towards her already. Relentless, the two jumped up towards her, using the spears and axes stuck in the walls of ice like springboards to propel themselves up towards her. Predator hardly seemed upset about his however, in fact one might even say she looked excited.

Yanking her scythe up over her head, Lexi carved a harsh slash right across the floor on which she stood. Upon this motion, the ice obeyed its queen, and the tower almost instantaneously split clear down the middle. Those two sides, each one carrying a scaly heroine, dropped rapidly towards the ground. Right behind the falling pillars was The Predator, who had let the very ground drop right out from under her without the slightest worry. She wore her madwoman grin, plummeting right into the shattering glass of her own creation.

---

With the power long since shut down, Kris's only option for reaching the castle's top was to find a staircase. That was unfortunately difficult to do while also evading magic bolts from the furious doll chasing them, though. The weird hallways and confusing room structures of the castle were enough to deal with on their own; the only solace Kris took here was that the usual traps and enemies that crowded this castle were long gone, just like most signs of life.

Kris jumped over one of the stone pedestals that usually housed a magical orb. One of the castle's traps, it would lash out with whips of pure white magic. But, now that orb was shattered and broken, and Kris took cover behind the plateau it once stood upon. They ducked low, pressing their back against the cool stone while white hot bolts of magic blasted from Mew Mew's scepter, exploding uselessly against the other side of their cover.

Taking the few seconds of safety they had, Kris was quick to assess the situation. Their eyes darted to the three separate exits of the room they were currently in, and they were quick to remember that the doorway at the top of the room lead down the correct path. After remembering that, their brain used the next few seconds trying to devise a plan.

After getting shot at enough by the loud mouth doll, Kris did in fact remember who she was. The immortal dummy they'd faced nearly three years ago when raiding Gatherer's compound, they'd chopped her head off and she'd put it right back on. This might've been the worst person that could have followed Kris from Gatherer's B Team; with Mew Mew's immortality, she could endlessly chase Kris down these halls. Their only hope was to distract Mew Mew, lose her in the winding halls.

Unfortunately, Kris wasn't the support member of the team. They didn't have much in the way of distractions or diversions, that would be something Ralsei would excel in. If he were hear he could create some flash with his magic, or maybe even pacify her. But alas, all Kris could do was cut, slash, or stab her. All of which were things she was immune to. And they didn't have any time to think on how to ACT their way out of this. So, instead...

*Run.

"I've got you now!" Mew Mew grinned maliciously as she rounded the corner of Kris's hiding spot, only for a sword to slash viciously up at her. It cleaved right through her eyes, cutting her head in half and sending stuffing floating towards the ground while the upper half of her dome plopped unceremoniously to the ground. ". . ."

Having cut out Mew Mew's eyes and destroyed her aim momentarily, Kris jumped right to their feet, bolting towards the doorway at the room's peak. Mew Mew was too busy fumbling around for her head and shouting cuss words at the top of her lungs, and by the time she'd finally realigned her halved eyes, she spotted Kris disappearing up the staircase.

"Fuck. Fuck! FUCK!" Mew Mew screamed madly, snagging the cane she'd dropped in her fumbling from the tile floor and racing after Kris. Kris just frowned the moment they heard her soft footsteps thumping violently up the steps after them; they'd hoped that eye slash would buy them more time. But, it proved effective, which gave them a different plan.

The moment they reached the top of the steps they spun, planting their back against the wall beside the staircase and not moving another muscle. Sword gripped tight in their hand, Kris had to keep their shield flat against the wall to avoid being visible when Mew Mew would make it up the stairs. That meant that their attack had to work, or they wouldn't be able to defend against a counter attack.

Thud. Thud! THUD!

Mew Mew's footsteps raced up the steps, and just as the pink of her stuffed body came into view, Kris struck. Violently they slashed upwards, cutting through the air and right at Mew Mew's head in hopes of once more cutting her eyes out. Just as they thought they had her, however, that head popped off of its own accord, hopping right over their blade and landing back on Mew Mew's shoulders while the mad doll thoughtlessly pointed the steaming orb of that scepter back towards a wide eyed Kris.

Pew! Pew pew!

"Grrnn..!" Kris's jaw clenched, searing pain tearing through their side and their abdomen from Mew Mew's magic barrage. The smell of scorched flesh followed the burning pain, and Kris managed to get their shield up at the same time that their legs gave out. But, that wouldn't heal the three blasts that had struck them. One in their right side, landing perfectly in an opening on their armor. The next dented in their chest plate, shoving the metal into their diaphragm while also heating it to a burning temperature. The third bolt had blasted into their left shoulder, making their sword baring arm tense up with pain that made it effectively useless in the moment.

"HAHAHAHA!" Mad Mew Mew gloated, grin tearing from ear to ear of her bandaged face while she relentlessly blasted Kris's shield. The human had curled up behind that simple defense now, it was all they could do. Shuddering with pain behind the jolting, heating metal of their shield while Mew Mew blasted it, over and over. "DUMMY! Without your scary lizard friend, you're NOTHING to me! AHAHAHAHA!"

Teeth grinding together, Kris managed to listen to Mew Mew's hysterical laughter for about five more seconds before the burning rage in their heart overwhelmed the pain in their body. Fearlessly they shifted their footing, pushing up from the ground and racing towards the furious doll so fast that she jumped.

"SHUT!" Kris caught two suppressing bolts of magic on their shield, and a third to their thigh. They didn't care though, instead focusing on closing the distance between themself and that smug toy. The moment they did, they swung their shield out, bashing Mew Mew upside the head with it. This made the artificial witch recoil, giving Kris plenty of time to cleave upwards, cutting her scepter wielding arm off at the shoulder and sending it flinging through the air with a spray off stuffing. "UP!"

"W-what the-?!" Mew Mew exclaimed as she stumbled back a step, but Kris didn't let up. They dropped down, viciously slicing through the both of Mew Mew's knees and cutting her legs right out from under her. And as Mew Mew's body dropped down, Kris popped right back up, stabbing right through the doll's chest and lifting her back up on their sword.

Unrelenting, Kris grabbed Mew Mew by the top of her head and yanked their sword free, only to cock it back again. Rapid fire slashes carved up her cotton and plastic body, cutting Mad Mew Mew to Mad ribbons and splitting her body into dozens of chunks.

Finally, Mew Mew's mewtilated head dropped to the ground, and Kris didn't even bother glaring down at her wide, furious eyes. Gasping for breath, they just grabbed the burning wound on their left shoulder with their right hand as they started to quickly make their way through the room. They were limping, and blood was dripping down to the ground from their wounds with every step, sticking to the bottom of their boots and leaving a trail that they had no time to erase. Now it hardly mattered how much distance they put between themself and Mew Mew, the cat doll would find them regardless. That was obvious to Kris, but still Mew Mew felt shouting was necessary.

"You think you can escape me?! You can't escape nothing!" Mew Mew assured furiously while her body molded and shaped back together, stuffing and plastic gathering all around her. Her one good eye was wide with fury, watching Kris disappear down another hallway. "I'LL FIND YOU! I'LL GET THAT SPEAR FIRST YOU BRAT!"

---

"Now don't ya get me wrong Mel I done seen some shit in my day," Clover's voice rang over his rapid fire gun shots, the cowboy running side by side with Melanie along the massive skeleton's right flank. He pointed the both of his revolvers up at Ultra!Sans' grinning face, and even as he unloaded all twelve armor piercing rounds that he had loaded into that giant's smug mug, it didn't look like he made any more than twelve welts on his face. "But what in the Sam Hill is that?!"

"I reckon I ain't never seen anything like it, buckeroo!" Melanie imitated Clover's southern drawl form her response, managing the optimism to make jokes while Ultra!Sans slowly parted his massive jaws. Clover scowled at the already horrific sight of a Sans opening his mouth, but his dismay only grew when he spotted a red light shining in the darkness of Ultra's maw.

"I hope yer next shield is better than yer last joke!" Clover shouted out over the the chest-vibrating hum that was filling the air, watching as Ultra's eyes ignited with red light. Melanie skidded to a stop, and he followed suit, the two both turning their eyes up towards the charging light in the maw of that massive skull.

"We're about to find out!" Melanie threw both hands up towards the looming Ultra Sans, and a wall of green energy suddenly appeared just above herself and Clover. Then, another, a few feet in front of that one. And then another, and another. All the way up towards Ultra Sans, barrier after barrier was formed in preparation for the impending attack.

But, just as Ultra was about to release that blast, a barrage of flaming stars pelted the side of his head, exploding on impact and forcing him to lean his skull to the left. This sent that laser exploding out inaccurately, and Clover and Melanie were both forced to throw an arm up to defend themselves from the explosion of dust that rocked their battleground when Ultra's beam blasted into the earth beside them.

Smoke engulfed the two humans and the first few layers of Melanie's barriers, but Ultra was too busy turning his head and chasing Ralsei through the air with his wave of death. The goat prince rode upon one of his stars, weaving through the air and flying to and fro at max speed to evade the red hot blast chasing him. It would have made quite a laser light show, Ralsei's glowing star darting through the air while Ultra's scorching ray followed close behind. But, after another few grueling seconds, the burning red light in Ultra's eyes dulled back to pure black, and that beam grew thinner and thinner before disappearing entirely.

Shutting his maw, Ultra's grin never faded. He didn't speak a word, instead just slowly lifting his massive hand and opening its skeletal palm towards the star zipping around overhead. The bones of his palm shifted and bubbled then, before suddenly a barrage of spikes fired out from pore-like holes in the giant's hand.

Ralsei gasped at this sight, quickly shifting on his star. He flipped it, bringing up its underside to face the barrage of bone spikes and wrapping his hand around its edge to keep himself from slipping off. Bones whizzed by his star, and he heard plenty of them thunk! into its underside, a few even breaking all the way through to his left or his right. The barrage was short, but the moment it was done that star that Ralsei rode upon cracked and broke apart, and the fluffy prince was sent plummeting towards the grey earth beneath.

Flailing and tumbling through the air, Ralsei's screaming was drowned out by the whipping winds in his ears. One hand on his hat to keep it from flying away, he opened the other towards the ground he was racing towards. His cloak and his scarf all whipped around in the wind, but that didn't deter his focus. With the muttering of some magical gibberish, suddenly, reality shifted beneath Ralsei. The outline of a star manifested, showing a different landing place within it. The fluffy prince dropped right through this star, which then instantly closed, Ralsei having disappeared within it.

Ultra squinted his sockets some at that, but ultimately decided he didn't really care if Ralsei died or ran away. With his attention taken and his head turned away from the walls of green energy that still existed just in front of him however, he didn't see the barrier's flip. They turned to face downward, giving them the appearance of platforms. Then, from the dust below, Melanie and Clover jumped. They dove from platform to platform, racing up to meet Ultra Sans.

"... Hmm?" One of those massive sockets turned its gaze towards the two humans, and Ultra's smile got just a little wider. With the careless wave of his arm, his massive hand exploded through the final platform just as Melanie and Clover reached it. This forced the two of them to jump yet again, but judging from the frying pan Melanie pulled back and the double-barrel shotgun Clover pointed down at Ultra, he thought that might have been their plan anyway.

With two load bangs, two slugs blasted into the bone of Ultra's skull, exploding on impact. Clover must've switched up what type of bullets he was using. After the two blasts against Ultra's massive dome, Melanie plummeted from above, letting out some Valkyrian battle cry before smashing her frying pan into Ultra's head. This impact should have been small on such a massive creature, but the moment her pan made contact, a green pulse washed out over that entire side of Ultra's head like a shockwave.

That got the monstrosity's attention. The pulse of weaponized KINDNESS rocked Ultra, made his head lean back and his spin arch as he recoiled. This kept Clover and Melanie from landing on his skull, the two instead falling down towards the earth right in front of the massive skeleton. As they dropped by Ultra's ribcage, Clover's shotgun disappeared in his grasp, replaced almost instantly by an automatic machine gun.

The usual bang of most Clover's weapon was replaced by a string of loud pops as he pushed down the trigger, unloading bullet after bullet at high speeds into the ribcage of Ultra Sans and - more importantly - into the pulsing white soul hidden within. Only a few bullets made it through the shield of Ultra's ribs, but that was all it took to make the monstrosity roar in agony. One skeletal hand swung up, planting itself over that ribcage and further guarding Ultra's soul while the other swung viciously at Melanie and Clover from the side.

Without any hesitation Melanie grabbed Clover by the wrist, yanking him close to her while she opened her free hand over their heads. An orb of green light ignited around them just in time, shielding them from the slap of Ultra's hand and sending the two of them flinging through the air like two flies trapped in a ping pong ball.

As the two flung, bouncing to and fro inside the orb of KINDNESS, they were sent sailing out towards the sea of darkness that surrounded this one patch of land. But, before they could bounce off into the void, another star outline appeared in their path, and they launched right through it.

This strange portal led them back to the grey dirt, which they promptly crashed into, skidding and rolling through it until finally they came to a stop behind two or three overturned, grey trees. With a pop! the bubble disappeared, and Clover and Melanie sprawled out onto the ground. Their eyes swirled around in their sockets while their heads struggled to lift, and Ralsei probably would have gotten a laugh out of the sight of it if not for the dire situation. Clover's jumbled brain managed to spit out words, "Got dang... Doggone... Rodeo clown bull honky..."

The fluffy prince was huddled behind their cover of shattered trees, his back pressed against the dead bark. The moment Melanie and Clover looked like they had any understanding over where they were, he hastily waved them towards him, urging them to hide themselves for the moment. Melanie groaned at the thought of moving while the world was still kinda spinning, but she managed to put one arm in front of the other regardless, crawling over to Ralsei along with Clover.

"So, this is going well." Ralsei stated sarcastically as the two of them reached him. They sat up and pressed their backs against the wall the same way that he did, hiding for the moment. Ralsei glanced over his shoulder, looking out through some of the cracks in the wood to check up on Ultra Sans. The skeletal monstrosity was glancing around with some confusion; must've been looking for them. "I suggest someone think of a plan quick. If he gets bored he's just going to attack Predator."

"Welp... I don't think he can move much. Looks to me that he's stuck in that there spot 'til he grows himself some legs." Clover too turned his head, peaking out through some open space to keep a watchful eye over Ultra Sans. "An' I got my doubts he'll be doin' that any time soon."

"His soul's the obvious weak spot." Melanie spoke while she lifted one glowing green hand over her scraped knee. While the bleeding cut was slowly sealed by her own KINDNESS, she continued. "But there's no way he's gonna let us anywhere near the thing now."

"Well Clover, you're our sniper." Ralsei turned his head over towards Clover, and he arched a brow. Clover didn't bother looking back to him, his accurate eye already looking for openings in Ultra's defenses. "Do you think you could shoot him from here?"

"Mnn..." Clover grumbled quietly to himself, before shutting that gold eye and shaking his head. He looked forward then, and began examining the rest of their surroundings. "Not from the ground. Them bottom few ribs are too big."

"Well we're kinda short on vantage points." Melanie chimed in, frowning some. Her green eyes also scanned their surroundings, but there was hardly anything other than grey yard and the occasional knocked over tree. "And anything me or Ralsei could use to get you high up would be bright and shiny; he'd laser beam you in two seconds flat."

"..." Clover narrowed his eye, staring straight ahead. Almost all the way across this massive yard, Predator's wall of ice spikes still stood. It was without a doubt as high up as he was gonna get, and after doing some quick geometry in his head, he reckoned it would put him on level with the opening between a few of Ultra's upper most ribs. Problem was, he'd be wide open on the run there. But there was an easy fix to that. "Alright cowpokes, I gots an idea."

"Hmm?" Ralsei turned his head towards Clover, furrowing his brows. He watched with some surprise as Clover lifted his hand, pointing towards the towering ice in the distance. He knew then what he was getting at, but Ralsei knew that wouldn't work. His portals could only reach out roughly twenty to thirty feet from where he was standing, and even if they could reach far enough, their star glow would give away both their hiding spot and the vantage point Clover would be teleporting to. But, before he could object, the cowboy continued speaking.

"We're gonna employ an ol' strategy that the boss n' I used when we were jus' a pirate duo." A small smirk curled Clover's lips, his eyes never leaving that vantage point he planned to run towards while he pointed the thumb of his free hand back towards himself. "It's my job to get to that there frosty tower and blow a hole in ugly's soul. My position's called 'The Fearless Sniper'."

"The Fearless Sniper, huh?" Melanie lifted her eyebrows condescendingly, all while she squinted her eyes. "And what does that make the two of us, exactly?"

"It's yer job to parade around like idjits n' keep our target's attention." Clover's smirk was growing into a slight grin, and Ralsei almost sighed with exasperation the moment he realized this plan was most certainly a cowboy original. Clover reached out and planted a hand on each of their shoulders, looking between them.

"Yer job title, is Wonder Gopher!"

---

It hadn't taken long for those crazy scaly bitches to rise from the fallen tower. Pretty much as soon as all the mist cleared, they were both continuing their assault on Lexi. And she was pretty happy about that; these days most enemies folded like cardboard against her. She was glad these ladies could keep up.

Now, Predator raced forward across the field of shattered ice, running low to the ground and holding her scythe out to her side. She slashed at Swaphys after she closed the distance, but the stout lizard blocked it with her ax. That seemed to be what Predator had planned for however, because when the sloping blade of her scythe hooked around the back of Swaphys's ax, she jumped forward and swung around the ax, crashing a brutal kick into Swaphys' abdomen and sending her exploding back across the cracked tundra.

Predator landed back on her feet and skidded forward another step or two while she dropped back into a fighting stance. Her eyes darted around her surroundings to check for another attack, before her brows furrowed when she spotted Clover in a full sprint in her direction. Her aquamarine orbs lifted from Clover, to the battle raging behind him.

Ultra Sans fired thin beams from his finger tips in attempts to knock Ralsei out of the sky, but the fluffy wizard was weaving elegantly between the beams, all the while launching bursts of stars back towards the massive skeletal construct. Meanwhile, Melanie was swatting away Ultra's other hand with her frying pan, a pulse of green accompanying her swing and certainly making each impact hurt.

"Oh! Ha!" Lexi laughed the moment the dots connected in her head, eyes darting back to Clover, who was purposefully running around the radius of her battlefield. "They're doin' Fearless Sniper and Wonder Gopher!"

"NGAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Predator turned her attention forward just in time to tilt her head to the side, Felldyne's spear sailing over her shoulder. She stepped forward after dodging this strike, yanking her head back and bashing her forehead into the skull of the fish woman who'd just tried to stab her. This made Felldyne's face scrunch up, and she stumbled back a step or two.

The moment Felldyne was reeling, Swaphys was darting around her, swinging viciously at Predator's side. Predator jumped over this slash however, yanking her scythe up over her head before cleaving downward. Swaphys managed to step back, Predator's blade merely carving across the metal of her chest plate and damaging the glowing soul pattern on it. This massive valley carved in the chest plate crackled and overflowed with frost, and Predator landed on her feet in front of Swaphys.

Yanking back one fist and darting forward, Predator blasted a punch right into Swaphys' snout and sent her sailing back through the air, right into Felldyne. The shark woman caught her reptilian comrade, sliding back several steps and wincing from the force at which the dazed Swaphys had crashed into her.

"That all you two got?!" Predator challenged, grin splitting her face while she pointed her frost dipped scythe out towards the twin heroines. Her free hand clenched back into a fist, and the blood Swaphys had left on her knuckles froze over.

"Not even close!" Felldyne shouted furiously, the air behind her filling with scarlet spears while she helped Swaphys get her feet back under herself. The moment she was standing, Swaphys shook her head, sending droplets of blood flecking out from her nostrils before settling her charging bull gaze back on Predator.

"Then BRING IT ONNNN!" Predator stomped forward, grin reaching from one ear to the other while she waved towards herself with her blood stained hand. That was clearly all the invitation Swaphys needed to break into another charge towards the pirate captain, and the moment she did, Felldyne's spears rained from above. This wave of death that the lizardess lead the charge of hardly intimidated Predator, who seemed beyond excited by the adrenaline it sent rushing through her body.

---

Muttering a string of curse words, Clover grunted and growled his whole way up one of the ice pillars. the slippery surface didn't exactly have anything to grip on to, but - true to his 'walking armory' statement - Clover had pulled two combat knives out of his inventory and began using those to scale the slick, glassy surface. He'd stab, pull himself up a little higher, stab a little higher, and repeat.

This climbing strategy left his entire upper body throbbing with the pain of exertion, but Pa didn't raise no wuss. So, Clover kept climbing and climbing, until finally one of his hands reached over the ledge back onto the top. He sunk his knife into the ice, and with one long, final groan, he yanked himself up over and onto the ledge.

"I need a vacation..." Clover groaned as he sprawled out onto the ice, laying flat on his back and staring up at the twisted faces that clouded the sky. The silently laughing faces weren't all that supportive of his vacation idea, so he grumbled, slowly flipping himself over onto his stomach while his knives disappeared back into his inventory.

In place of his knives, his sniper rifle appeared. Military grade, its long barrel reached out a few feet from where Clover's accurate eye glanced down the scope. A bi-pod kept the barrel raised and steady while his only eye ignited with a JUST gold light, which reflected in the scope of his rifle. As quickly as he could, Clover sighted in on the glowing mass of magic hidden in Ultra Sans' ribcage, and he frowned some.

Yes, he could in fact get a shot on Ultra's soul from here. Problem was, the skeletal construct was flailing around too much. The ribs that guarded his soul were constantly shifting into the path of his bullet as Ultra moved and swung his arms. This made Clover growl quietly to himself while he readjusted, before sinking in some to a certain position.

Gimme an openin'. I dare ya.

---

"You're wasting your time." Ultra Sans' booming voice filled their ears, but Melanie and Ralsei fought on regardless. The massive skeleton raked one one pointed finger through the dirt, and the earth immediately began to rumble. Melanie knew exactly what that meant, and began a dead sprint forward towards the abomination.

As bones began exploding up from the earth beneath her, Melanie dove into the air, landing on a green platform just as it manifested. She jumped to another KIND platform, and another, making her way up quickly to bash Ultra upside the head again. Unfortunately, fast as she was, it only took the flick of Ultra's wrist to swat her away. He swung his massive hand in from her right, crushing through the barrier she was about to land on and smacking her away.

Melanie's eye darted towards the massive hand just before the impact, a green glow overtaking her skin a split second before the harsh ivory bashed into her. The impact was brutal, sent her flinging rapidly through the air before she crashed into the grey dirt. She exploded through the earth, carving a trench into the dirt before finally her back struck and snapped through an overturned tree. The friction from racing through the broken wood and bramble finally proved to be enough to stop her swim through the land, and when the dust cleared, Melanie was left laying against the broken log, skin scraped up and filled with splinters and head slumped forward. Her hair drooped over her face, and the only motion she gave was the shallow lifting of her chest every few seconds.

"Melanie!" Ralsei shouted out, dismaying eyes desperately trying to perceive the KIND soul's status over the distance that was now between them. Ultra Sans' unforgiving cackle drowned out his scream however, and the fluffy prince turned his eyes up to see that the abomination was looming over him now, unhinging his jaw and charging another brutal wave of red doom.

Thinking fast, Ralsei's teeth chattered with more magic babbling, throwing up both palms towards Ultra just as that laser shot down at him. In the laser's path, another star shaped portal opened. The beam flew right through it, and in a split second the wave of red magic was exploding out from a second portal, set directly across from Ultra's sternum.

The wave of energy blasted right back into its creator, and Ultra groaned loudly with pain, that being all his loud and slow voice could do. clenching his sockets shut, he clamped his jaws shut too, sending the remainder of his beam flashing out through his teeth. Smoke enveloped Ultra's chest as he reeled back, reaching into the plume of blackened dust to grab at his scorched chest.

"Huh..?" He pulled his massive hand up, and found goopy dust sticking to his hand. This made him squint his sockets, before suddenly a flash of gold shot through him like a lightning bolt, and his sockets snapped open wide with agony. After that split second, the ear piercing BANG! of Clover's sniper rifle filled the air.

---

"That was for Papyrus." Clover spoke, but he hardly seemed happy about it. In fact, after watching Ultra swat Melanie aside like some pesky bug, there was a deep frown engraved into his face, his expression twisted with fury. His golden eye saw clear through the dust that filled the air in front of Ultra's now fractured ribcage, and with the abomination's sternum all but completely dusted from the taste of his own medicine, Clover had plenty of openings. "This one's for Melanie."

Another gold flash blasted through the air.

BANG!

The loud voice of his sniper boomed like thunder after Clover shot another bullet through Ultra's chest like a JUSTICE comet. The giant skeleton stiffened with pain as his soul had another hole punched in it, before lurching forward when the third flash and bang came. Three holes in that now cracking and throbbing soul before Ultra finally managed to get ahold of himself and clamp one hand over his chest.

"Smile, you son of a bitch." Clover growled to himself, shifting his scope's aim from Ultra's now guarded chest to his massive skull. The construct lifted his free hand as fast as his slow body would allow, pointing five fingers at the Fearless Sniper. But, just as red lights crackled and flashed over those finger tips, another golden bullet exploded through the air, the CRACK! of sound following right behind it, all the way to Ultra's skull.

"Grahh..!" Ultra Sans' skull recoiled when that bullet blasted into his forehead, sending cracks splitting out around from its impact point. When Ultra reeled, it threw off the aim of his finger beams, and they fired randomly. Three shot off into the cackling sky, but one fired right through the base of Clover's vantage point, slicing right through it. Another blasted into the ice just below the Fearless Sniper, and mist exploded up around him, obscuring everything from view.

---

"Clover!" Predator exclaimed with horror as she watched Ultra's blasts carve right through his sniper's nest, mist exploding up into the air where he was. Chunks of shattered, steaming ice dropped down to the earth, crashing into a pile of misting rubble. But, even though Lexi's haunted eyes watched PATIENTLY, she did not see any sign of her cowboy right hand man escaping from the blast.

Predator's jaw tightened, her shrunken pupils trembling in her eyes, the rims of which were growing misty. She stared in dismay for several long moments, before Swaphys demanded her attention. The hulking reptile roared her battle cry, her ax crashing down towards Lexi from behind.

Suddenly, Lexi snarled, her eyes darting back towards the incoming ax. in an instant, she side stepped the slash, and Swaphys's eyes widened as her ax cleaved into the dirt. Without a moment's hesitation, Predator planted her foot on the back of the ax, and even though Swaphys tried to let go of it and pull away, it was already too late. In a split second a deathly chill had spread over her weapon and up her arms, freezing her ax to the ground and her to her ax.

The last thing Swaphys did was look up to Lexi The Predator with wide, stunned eyes. Then, Predator swung upwards with her scythe, and cleaved clean through the misguided heroine's neck, parting her head from her shoulders and killing her instantly. Swaphys' body immediately began decomposing into a mushy goop, before that quickly dried out and turned to dust. All that remained was the ax frozen to the ground and the arms that were attached to it.

Some savage shout told Lexi exactly who was coming to strike her from behind, and without even blinking The Predator spun, bringing up one leg in the process. She hooked her heel right into Felldyne's cheek with crushing force just as the indignant shark reached her, making her spear stop mere inches from her face. Everything slowed down, and Predator watched the lights turn off in Felldyne's eye just before the force carried through, sending her exploding through the air.

The brutalized shark sailed over the earth for a few dozen yards before gravity managed to get ahold of her, yanking her into the dirt and forcing her to carve a trench into it with her body. Finally, friction pulled her to a stop, and she was left laying there in the distorted dust. Her wide eye was pupiless, and the ascended glow disappeared from her body. Her head slumped back, and the only sign that she was still alive was in the fact that she hadn't melted or dusted yet.

Predator didn't pay Felldyne any more attention, she wasn't worth finishing off. Unconscious was close enough. So, instead, Lexi shifted on her foot and broke into a dead sprint towards the smoldering ice where Clover must've laid. The deathly cold look disappeared from her face, her eyes now warmed with concern and fear. She scolded herself while she sprinted, Stupid! Stupid! A mission this important, this dangerous, and you were wasting time thrill chasing?!

You should have just ascended! You could have killed those two in ten seconds flat! Tears built in Lexi's eyes as she booked it closer and closer to the pile of glittering boulders that Clover had to have been buried in. More and more panic overtook her, her internal voice shouting louder. But no! You had to waste time being an adrenaline junky! Now because you "wanted a challenge" Clover could be fucking DEAD!

---

Ralsei's slowly lowered his arm, having had to raise it to guard his eyes from the lights that had flashed when Ultra Sans blasted Clover's nest. Now, his wide eyes watched those towers of ice crumble with pupils shrunken in horror, until finally he forced himself to tear his gaze away. Though his now possibly dead friend plagued his mind, Ralsei did in fact still have one massive skeleton to focus on.

Or, at least, he thought he did. But, as the fluffy prince turned his eyes back towards Ultra Sans, he found the giant swaying. It's massive voice grumbled and groaned while its hands grabbed at its shattered chest. Within its broken and melting rib cage, white light was shining brighter and brighter. That soul was growing more and more unstable with three holes punched in it, and Ultra was beginning to writhe.

He tilted his skull back, teeth grinding against one another harshly enough for Ralsei to hear the scraping sound. Ivory light shined out between the fingers that Ultra guarded his soul with, a few beams even pouring out from his sockets. All the while, the monstrosity shifted more and grumbled louder, movements getting stiffer.

Ralsei squinted his eyes with some curiosity but mostly worry and confusion. He could see those massive bones drooping, sweating and... Liquidating. Ultra's body was rapidly breaking down, more light blasting out from the cracks that detailed his bones. They shined out like a spiderweb spotlight from the mass of cracks Clover created with that blast to Ultra's skull, just before the abomination grabbed at its head painfully. It shook its head, "Grahh..! Ahh!"

Then, that searing magic light exploded out from Ultra's eye sockets, too. It flared within him, shining out between his ribs. It grew so bright that it forced Ralsei to wince, grabbing at his hat and lowering its rim to guard his eyes from the brutal light. Still, he was unable to tear his eyes away as Ultra removed his hand from his chest, revealing the pulsing, crackling, and beating soul beneath.

Ultra Sans raised his hand up, reaching out towards the sky that his light blasted into. Ralsei wondered, if only for a moment, what the beast was seeing. If it was asking for forgiveness, if it prayed for salvation. Whatever it asked the sky, those giggling faces just widened their eyes and flexed their tongues in their hysterical, silent laughter. Whatever Ultra desired, Ralsei guessed it was denied.

For just a split second, a red light crackled within that white void. And then, crunches. Cracks. Bones snapped and gave way, and Ultra's body began to collapse and crumble under its own weight. The arm that reached for the sky crumbled at the elbow, and its forearm plummeted down to crash into Ultra's own face.

Ralsei was only able to watch for another few seconds as Ultra dusted and melted, before that glowing magic light became too much to bear. He had to shut his eyes, open one palm in front of him and summon one gold star, big enough to ride on. The star shielded him from the blast of dusty wind that washed by, engulfing the courtyard.

---

Kris grumbled through their mouthful of Choco Diamond, crunching the healing item between their teeth while they limped up another staircase. They were almost there, they told themself. It doesn't hurt, don't stop now.

Gradually, the three chunks of burning flesh on their body began to cool and heal, and blood stopped dripping from them. Still they ached and scabbed, but that didn't matter. Some pain relief was always better than no pain relief. It put just enough pep in Kris's step to get them to the top floor.

Panting some, Kris got up onto the plateau atop Card Castle. They made it up onto the last step, but what they saw was not the battleground they remembered. Sure, structurally, everything was the same, but there were... Corpses. Human bodies, three of them. Worse news than that, as Kris skeptically wandered closer, they realized they recognized these people.

Taking slow, pensive steps, the first body Kris reached laid flat on its back. A massive gash carved up his abdomen, a young man with blackish red hair was sprawled out dead. When they looked at his face, Kris was certain that this was a dead Xander. But this was certainly not the Xander they knew. He wore a red cloak, one that Kris almost thought looked like a miscolored version of Ralsei's cloak. The scarf wrapped around his neck was a dead give away; was this Xander, some kind of Ralsei swap..?

Shaking their head, Kris lifted their gaze to the next body. Slumped against the stone guard wall at the ledge of the roof, a young woman's head leaned back over the ledge, her wide and lightless eyes staring straight up. It looked like she'd been bludgeoned and the force had thrown her in that direction, her body still laying prone against the wall. Some of her black hair was dried with blood to her face, and the rest of it dangled over the ledge, waving some in the wind. it was likely the only part of her that had moved in a very long time.

"... Lexi..?" Kris whispered more to themself than anyone else, blood stained hand slowly reaching out to the corpse of some poor young Predator. Cut down here, in such an awful place, before ever even reaching her prime. Kris grimaced, and they turned their eyes away. What could have done this? And why?

Finally, and regretfully, Kris sauntered over to the third corpse. Unlike the other two bodies, this one had not fallen. At least, not completely. His back facing Kris, this last corpse knelt there before the twisted sky above, head hung low. Messy brown hair shadowed his eyes, but as Kris slowly stepped around this body, they recognized this young man, too. An Angel completed the trifecta, kneeling to death at the end of the world. In his abdomen a hole had been cut clean through; the entrance wound was in his gut and the exit was between his shoulder blades.

"... What a nightmare..." Kris whispered once more as they looked upon the pale face of the dead hero. Then, their eyes drifted down to the only legacy any of them had left. In the dead Angel's hands, laid across his lap, was a spear. Its point was chipped and cracked, useless for any stabbing. At the middle of the handle, the wood had splintered and broken apart, snapping the spear in half. The rotted wood of the handle was stained with dried blood hand prints, now doubt from the bloodied hands of its dead wielder.

Shaking their head, Kris grumbled to themself with disgust. They hated what they had to do next, but it had to be done. They had to defile this corpse, steal the Broken Spear from him. It was all they could do in this moment to ensure that no other heroes would suffer such a horrific fate. They sighed quietly, speaking loud enough for the fallen Angel to hear them, wherever he may rest now. "I'm sorry."

Fwoosh!

Eyes widening, Kris tilted their head to the side, a bolt of flames whizzing by their head and briefly illuminating their tense expression. With the quick motion of their head, their bangs shifted, and their furious red eyes were visible.

"Sorry dear, but if anyone's going to be prying salvation from an Angel's cold dead hands," Xander The Gatherer stepped off of an eraser, one that must've lifted him right to the top of the building like an elevator. To either side of him Hacker and Demon hopped off onto the roof as well. The last ones to step off the eraser were Eden and Flowey, the latter of whom was in a pot in Eden's backpack. Gatherer lifted the smoking finger that had fired that blast at Kris to his lips, and he used its heat to ignite the cigarette that rested between his lips. "It's going to be me."

Drawing their sword and pulling the shield off their back, Kris clenched their jaw. Cold sweat broke out on their face; this was it. They couldn't beat Gatherer on his own, let alone with four of his strongest henchmen backing him up. Make that five. They thought as they watched Mad Mew Mew race her way up the steps and onto the roof.

"So, do yourself a favor. Lay your weapons down, and I may bless you with my mercy." Cigarette smoke steaming from the corner of his mouth, Gatherer's emotionless violet eyes laid upon Kris. He walked forward, back straight and head high, even as his foot landed on the abdomen of his own corpse. But Gatherer didn't give a single damn about some dead Xander, he made that clear when he used the body like a stepping stone without so much as glancing down at it. "My cause could always use another skilled fighter, Kris. Forget your arrangement with The Predator, align yourself with me if your life means anything to you at all."

"..." Wordlessly, Kris's eyes darted to the dead Angel and the spear that he grasped. It was so close, Kris almost had the item. But they wouldn't be able to pry it from those hands in time, and even if they did, Gatherer would just kill them before they could escape with it. Kris's weapons trembled in their grasp... Before they steadied. Only one option left, then.

Suddenly, Kris pushed off their front foot, darting forward and rapidly closing the distance between themself and Gatherer. Holding their shield out in front of themself, they ran low to the ground, sword pulled back at their hip and ready to plunge into whatever chest got in their path first. Gatherer merely exhaled another puff of smoke, expression unchanging while he snapped his fingers lazily at Kris. This sent a spark that immediately morphed into a blast of fire exploding out towards the lone hero, but they charged ahead regardless.

Jumping at the last second, Kris lunged over Gatherer's fireball, and it exploded against the concrete floor behind them. This explosion propelled them higher into the air, and Kris shouted their best battle cry as they dropped down towards Gatherer, yanking their sword up over their head. They slashed down at him, but he took an effortless step back, folding his hands behind his back as they slashed up at him. He side stepped this slash, but his eyebrows rose at how quickly they caught themself and swung right back towards him. This next slash forced him to duck back, and he so narrowly avoided Kris's blade that it sliced the burning tip from his cigarette.

As Gatherer jumped back away from them, Kris instantly pivoted, slashing back with their sword and catching the swing of Demon's machete on their blade. Glaring for only a split second at the =) smile Demon wore, Kris was then forced to look forward and raise their shield, blocking a coiled black tendril on the metal of their defenses. The ink shoving against their shield forced Kris to skid back a few steps on their heels, before finally shoving their shield to the side and redirecting the ink whip to slap against the concrete floor, which cracked apart under its force.

Without a moment to rest Kris then had to lift their shield to their right, catching two magic bolts from Mew Mew's scepter on it. It was then that Demon struck, bolting forward and darting right by Kris. They shot by underneath their shield baring arm, leaving in their wake a slash across Kris's side that made their jaw tighten with pain and blood spill down their pantleg.

Snarling, Kris spun around and slashed after Demon, but the serial killer was already prepared, spinning swiftly on their heel and blocking Kris's sword on their machete. Kris growled with frustration at this, before two brutal thunks! forced their back to arch and their entire body to stiffen.

Buried in their left shoulder blade were two graphite bolts. Fired from one of Hacker's mechanical pencil, the grey spikes pierced Kris, embedding themselves in the shoulder of their sword bearing arm and rocking Kris with pain. They tilted their head back, and for just a moment their bangs were once more thrown back out of their face. Their beautiful scarlet orbs stared wide up at the silently laughing sky. Before their eyes flashed the lifeless faces of the three dead heroes, the gravesite this rooftop was. ... Am I about to die..?

Life sped back up, and Kris instantly dropped down, ducking beneath a blast of orange flame that momentarily brought color to this grey world. Planting one hand on the ground, Kris pushed off from it and suddenly darted out towards Xander once more. But, as they raced towards him, Mad Mew Mew jumped in their way, grinning wickedly as she pointed the glowing bulb of her scepter out towards Kris.

Snarling, Kris lifted their shield, catching three more magic blasts on it before jumping. They spun in air, using their spiral to swing the unresponsive arm that still gripped their sword. This strategy proved effective when they cleaved through Mew Mew, cutting her shoulder to hip and splitting her into two once more. Kris didn't have time to gloat however, instead landing crouched behind her falling body and immediately darting forward once more.

"Persistent, aren't you?" Gatherer asked as he swiftly tilted his head to the side, dodging the stab Kris aimed at his head. Then, he once more snapped the fingers of the hand he held at waist level, and the world ignited in orange again. Kris just barely managed to adjust their shield, but it hardly mattered. The spark Xander created with the snap of his fingers once more ignited into a blast of red hot flames, but now at point blank.

The explosion of heat hardly affected Gatherer, merely blew back some of his hair and made him lift his eyebrows some. Kris, however, was sent sailing through the air on a smoking arch. After a few seconds of air time, they crashed to the ground, skidding over the brutal concrete for another second or two before stopping completely.

Gasping for air, Kris laid flat on their back, eyes wide with pain and saliva overflowing from the corner of their mouth. Their impact had snapped off most of the graphite spikes stuck in their shoulder, leaving just the grey stumps stuck inside them. Grunting, they tossed aside the burning metal of their now half melted shield, before clenching their jaw and drawing in another breath through their teeth. No, not yet..!

The floor beneath them rumbled, and Kris suddenly shifted their legs and planted their feet into the ground, before kicking off it and flipping back. They landed kneeling, their now shield free hand gripping their limp hanging sword bearing arm before they jumped back, just in time to avoid the pens that exploded out from the floor where they once were.

Gatherer sighed quietly as he rolled up his sleeves, not paying any mind to the battle and instead just shaking his head. A ways behind him Eden just stood, watching with eyes narrowed in silent contemplation. Meanwhile, Demon lunged over the pen spikes in front of Kris, grinning wickedly as they yanked their machete up over their head, preparing to cleave down at their fellow human.

Kris fearlessly jumped up to meet them, shifting their shoulder and swinging back their almost completely useless sword bearing arm as though they were preparing to stab at Demon. the moment their sword was pulled back, however, they reached back with their free hand, grabbing it by the hilt and switching the blade off to their working hand. This sudden switch clearly threw Demon off enough for Kris to obtain the upper hand; they shifted their weight to dodge Demon's downward slash, swinging around just after they passed by Demon in air and cleaving a brutal slash across their back.

Demon yelped with pain, arching their back before they hit the ground, rolling with their landing and coming to a stop on one knee. Kris stopped caring about them the moment they couldn't see them anymore, instead landing on their feet and immediately making a B line for Hacker. That just made him smile with cruelty, and he held his arms out to his sides, like he was inviting them to try and strike him.

I... I can win..! I have to win! Kris told themself as they ran harder, darting back and forth between bolts of graphite and jumping over the occasional pen that shot out from the floor at them. Finally, they lunged through the air at Hacker, DETERMINATION gleaming in their eye as they pulled back their sword in hopes of plunging it through his heart. I can do this-!

With a searing hiss, a flaming snake darted through the air. Its fangs hooked right into Kris's good shoulder, yanking them up into the air and away from Hacker. Disinterested, Xander The Gatherer lifted one arm up towards Kris, his sleeve now rolled up and revealing the burning snake tattoos on his arm. The tattoo had come to life, as it was known for doing, and as a fiery serpent it had launched from Gatherer's wrist to bite Kris.

"G-gah-! Agh!" Kris grunted and shouted with pain, their eyes clenching shut as the flames of the snake coiled around them. It wrapped them in its fire, holding them up over head while Gatherer slowly burned them away. It was all Kris could do to kick their feet and shift their head from one shoulder to the other, shouting and crying out in agony as their body was slowly burned and roasted.

"I gave you an offer. I reached a benevolent hand out to you and you bit it." Gatherer's voice was a low growl, barely reaching over Kris's agonized screaming. A furious red lurked beneath his violet eyes, his teeth grinding together as more and more rage seeped into his expression. "You filthy, worthless pirates! Not one of you knows gratitude!"

"Xander, it's over! You won!" Eden finally spoke up, semi-wide eyes darting over to Xander as she quickly walked up behind him, hands clenched into fists at her side. She hadn't heard his voice like this before. That savage growl, those vicious insults, the pure hate that every word was dipped in. And when she got to his side, and peered around to get a look at his face, her pupils shrunk with disgust.

"... Not until your soul is torn from your chest. Not until it is crushed before your eyes."

Eden blinked her wide eyes in attempts to remove the face of The Angel from her sight, but when she saw the cruelty in Xander's eyes, the comparison was made instantly. She pushed that thought away, scolded herself for such a silly worry, before gently placing her hand on The Gatherer's shoulder. His frown deepened, and his gaze did not leave the squirming prey that his snake was squeezing the life from. Eden continued, her voice now more calm than it was a moment ago. "This isn't our mission. We should just finish them off and then-"

A flash of gold streaked before Eden's eyes.

BANG!

in an instant the searing light of Xander's snake was extinguished. Everything moved in slow motion, Eden gradually opening her eyes after having to wince them shut from the sudden flash of light. The first thing she saw was the tattooed arm of The Gatherer flinging through the air, spewing blood from its end while the snakes engraved in it still smoldered.

Gatherer's eyes were wide, pupils shrunk and nostrils flared as he watched his own arm be blown clean off of his body. Shaking with rage, Gatherer hadn't even started feeling the pain of losing his entire left forearm before he'd turned his head to glare down in the direction that the bullet had came from.

All the way down in the courtyard of the castle, leaned against Lexi The Predator atop a pile of shattered ice, laid the agent of JUSTICE himself. Though one of his legs was limp and bent oddly, and cold sweat beaded down his face, Clover still lowered the scope of his sniper rifle - which Predator had to hold in place for him in place of its bi-pod, which was broken - and revealed the burning gold glow of his one eye. His hat was laying by his side, and smoke still rose from the barrel of his gun. "I lived, bitch."

"Xander!" Eden shouted out as her senses returned to her, eyes darting to the stump that Gatherer's arm now ended in. Gatherer just growled furiously, reaching out with his one remaining hand and placing it on her head. He dropped down to one knee, and with his hand on her head he forced Eden to kneel with him.

"Get down!" Xander ordered, gnawing on the inside of his cheek. Eden was stunned by this sudden leadership, overpowering both Gatherer's rage and the pain that was no doubt rocking his body. Somehow, through that whirlwind Gatherer's first instinct was to protect the lives of his crew. "They've got a sniper, and a damn good one!"

Both Hacker and Demon immediately dropped down to one knee, but Mew Mew just turned to face Xander like she didn't understand his order. She got about halfway through giving a "Huh?" before another ear shattering BANG resounded, and her head was blown to smithereens, sending stuffing, felt, and plastic raining down from above.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Hacker immediately cackled, pointing at Mew Mew's doll body as it stumbled and fumbled before ultimately falling on its ass.

In all the commotion not one of them was ready for the flying river boat that suddenly swooped in. in dove down but once, piloted by River Person and carrying Susie, the latter of whom used her one dive in opportunity to snag Kris's beaten and broken body from the rooftop instead of the Broken Spear.

Gatherer didn't say a word, merely grumbling to himself while he lifted one palm, sending a wave of fire exploding out after the river boat that now sailed the skies. It weaved with ease between his blast however, and standing at its head River Person never even flinched at the flames, instead just bobbing their head from side to side like they were doing a little dance. "Tra la la~"

"Oh, god... Kris..." Susie's haunted eyes quickly filled with tears as she clutched Kris in her arms, sitting at the back of the boat. Kris was cut up, punctured, bloody, and now covered in burn marks. Their right shoulder was scorched and blackened, along with that side of their neck and cheek. Their eyes were clenched shut, and blood overflowed down their heat dried and cracked lips. They reeked of scorched flesh. "What did they do to you..?"

"Hacker, give us cover." Xander's eyes darted over to Hacker, narrowing with a lethal precision. Even though Hacker was still giggling some at the sight of Mew Mew writhing and trying to rebuild her head, it was clear that the one armed Gatherer was in no mood for jokes. "It's time we got what we came for."

"You got it, boss." Hacker tried his best to stifle his chuckling, lifting one hand towards the side of the building that Clover had fired at them from. Rapidly keys manifested, forming a quick wall to block the sniper's golden eye. He might have been able to see through smoke, but there was no way that eye saw through solid objects. The keys were all Ls and Os, spelling out "LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL".

Gatherer immediately pushed to his feet, but Eden remained knelt. Her vision was focused on the stump of her boss's elbow, the way it steamed crimson mist. The bleeding had already stopped, and the closer she looked, the more she noticed the way the skin bubbled and... Grew. Her thoughts drifted back to what she'd seen of The Angel's battle with The Anarchist, the way that ivory freak had regrown limbs, healed from anything. It was so unnatural, it sickened her. And now, she watched silently as Gatherer marched his way over towards the kneeling corpse. Slowly but surely, his arm was growing back. And Eden should have been excited about that, glad that her best friend and most trusted mentor's arm was returning to him. But, her head was filled with his old speeches. His claims to be 'one of the good ones', the way he denounced DoubleKids like The Angel and The Anarchist as abominations with ungodly power. ... But, how powerful are you, Xander..?

Xander The Gatherer marched right up to the body of the dead hero, like a statue. A monument to all that Angel once worked for and believed. But, Gatherer didn't care about that. So, he grabbed the chunk of spear in Angel's left hand - the one that had the chipped spearhead attached to it - planted a foot on the corpses chest, and pulled.

With a few gross pops, those rigor mortised fingers cracked open, and Gatherer pulled the Broken Spear free. This motion also kicked over the body, let it tumble uselessly to the ground. But that was nothing but a corpse, a useless chunk of rotten meat. Meaningless waste now, worm food. Whatever hopes and dreams, whatever that 'hero' once believed in, it meant nothing to Gatherer.

Just then, the wall of keys exploded apart with a wave of frost, and snow rained down from above along with one Predator. She landed boldly on the rooftop, scythe drawn and furious eyes darting from one foe to the next. Finally, her enraged, ice blue orbs landed on The Gatherer, and she turned her body to face him. "You better fork over that spear before I take your other arm!"

"It's over, Lexi. I've already won." Gatherer assured, before lifting the Broken Spear up over his head. His lips curled up into his usual, perfectly polite smile. A condescending display now. "Nightmare, I've claimed the spear! This round goes to me!"

Lexi snarled, pulled her scythe out to her side and bent her knees to dart forward, likely to sever the arm that Gatherer hoisted that spear up with. but, before she could make a move, an updraft hit her, making her eyes widen some. She watched as suddenly green ones and zeroes filled her vision, blinding her for several long moments. In these few seconds she panicked internally, wondered if she had fallen into some kind of trap.

But, to her relief, the code faded from her eyes, and she could see once more. But, when she blinked her eyes and looked out at her surroundings, she found they were no longer standing at the top of Card Castle. They were in an empty void instead. No stonework, no grey landscape, no laughing sky, and no dead heroes.

Predator quickly noticed that even Gatherer and his henchmen looked confused. Hacker and Demon turned their heads like she did, examining their surroundings with bewildered expressions. Eden looked down at her own hands, like she was checking to make sure she was still there before even bothering with the world around her. Horror!Flowey blinked his big, bulbous eye a few times, appearing a little dazed.

All concept of land elevation was gone now. While Predator had just a moment ago stood upon a peak overlooking the land, now her and Gatherer stood on the completely level obsidian floor of the void. When Predator looked out to her right, she saw that Clover still laid there in the distance, expression tense with pain. Still the cowboy refused to forget his mission, keeping his sniper's barrel pointed out at the evil before him.

A ways behind Clover, Predator could see an exasperated Ralsei sighing with relief as he dropped down to take a seat. Before him was a bubbling pit of white mush and dust, likely all that remained of the Sans he'd been battling. A good ways to his side, Predator spotted Muffet gathering up an unconscious Melanie in her arms. And finally, when Lexi looked upwards, she saw her spaceship floating overhead. In its wide open hanger she watched River Person land, and Susie hastily jumped off the river boat, carrying Kris in her arms. She disappeared into the ship, likely booking it to the med bay.

Glancing to her right, Lexi spotted the train that Gatherer must have arrived in. It must've appeared behind the castle, giving him a surprise entrance. She doubted that was accidental, but it didn't matter now. Here she was, in the void, surrounded by Gatherer's henchmen. Gatherer had the Broken Spear, and Predator needed to start thinking about escape plans. For her and her friends.

But, when she looked back to The Gatherer, she saw he was confused, too. A moment ago he'd been hoisting the Broken Spear up over his head, but now he was looking into his empty hand with furrowed brows. It seemed that, like everything else in this shadow of a timeline, it had disappeared in that numerical torrent. A familiar, wretched voice appeared to dull the confusion. "Congratulations, Gatherer. I was rootin' for ya."

All eyes turned back towards Nightmare!Sans, who was grinning wide as he walked casually through the battlefield. He'd appeared a little ways behind Eden, and carelessly sauntered forward and right past her. Her violet eyes narrowed with some mix of irritation and skepticism, but Eden did not strike out at Nightmare as he walked right by her. He was too important right now, even if he was a scourge on the multiverse.

"Nightmare. What's going on?" Gatherer squinted suspiciously, tilting his head to the side. It seemed that his other arm had finished regenerating in all of the commotion; even its black snake tattoos were restored by the fires of his DETERMINATION. "Where's the spear? What happened to the castle?"

"Honestly? Heheh..." Nightmare shrugged as he walked by Hacker and Demon, grimy grin getting just a little wider on his goopy face. "There never was a spear. None'a that pretty scenery was real."

"Wait, what?" Hacker interjected, brows furrowing with immediate skepticism. He tilted his head to the side, "Then where were we? You expect me to believe we were all just hallucinating or something?"

"No no, what you saw was in fact physically here." Nightmare shut his eye and shook his head at Hacker's skepticism, lifting one hand to wave it dismissively. Then, he opened that eye and looked over his shoulder at Hacker with it. The dull blue glow of Nightmare's one eye glowed eerily, like a flickering basement light. "But I'm the one who created it. It was just an imitation; the shadow of a long dead dream."

"... Who's dream?" Predator's voice finally left her throat, a low growl. Like the hum in a tiger's chest, the growl that echoes from the bushes just before some poor, dumb prey gets ripped apart and eaten. Nightmare was hardly intimidated though, looking back to her and chuckling.

"Who's do ya think?" Nightmare tilted his head, grinning like it was obvious. That was the only answer he offered to Lexi's question before he started walking forward again, wandering right by her. But, before he got more than a few steps ahead of her, there was a quick whoosh! of ice cold air.

Nightmare stopped dead in his tracks, lifting his neck some to accommodate the scythe blade now resting right under his chin. Malicious smile not even faltering, he glanced over his shoulder and back towards the furious Predator that loomed behind him. She snarled, "You got any idea who you're talking to, sludgeball?"

"... Go on then. Kill me." Nightmare's one eye widened with glee as he stared back at The Predator, making her brows furrow and her jaw tighten. That grin slid further up Nightmare's face, madness flickering sadistically in his eye. "Chop my head off, and Gatherer will never learn where Anarchy is. No one will be able to find him, and so many people will be saved from a living nightmare."

"..." Predator was quiet. Her eyes lowered to her scythe, now trembling with rage, frustration, and indecision in her hands. Ice crept up Lexi's knuckles, but she did not move.

"Oh, but if you do that, there's no chance of you finding him either, is there?" Nightmare's face was alight with sadistic pleasure, absolutely adoring the conflicted look on The Predator's face. He laughed and laughed, "There's no chance you can help him, oh no! You'll never get to thank him for saving you! He'll go on thinking you're a coward forever and ever!"

"Shut up!" Lexi snapped, wide eyes darting back up from her scythe to the malevolent eye staring back at her.

"Or what?" Nightmare hissed, his blackened flesh bubbling and pulsing with the disgusting thrill that accompanied bringing another misery. Then, suddenly, that unbearably low voice rose its volume. "You can't touch me! None of you can touch me! I'm the one in control here, I'm the one who knows where Anarchy is! So all you super powered freaks are going to do whatever the fuck I say until I've had my fun! Got it?!"

". . ." The world was quiet. Nobody could find an objection to that statement. Predator and Gatherer both burned with internal indignation; they hated this. Taking orders from some disgusting relic of a pre-DoubleKid world. But, unfortunately, Nightmare was right. For now, they couldn't touch him. So, after another few moments, Predator withdrew her scythe from Nightmare's neck, and she once more stood up straight. Glowering down at Nightmare, she once more spoke in that tigress growl. "When all this Anarchy business is over, I am gonna find you. And I am gonna kill you."

"Bold of you to assume you or anyone else is gonna survive this 'Anarchy business'." Nightmare chuckled, looking forward and continuing to walk past her, now unhindered. All of that fury now tucked away behind that smug smile, Nightmare marched right up to The Gatherer, hands folded behind his back. It was like he was mocking Gatherer by keeping his posture straight, trying to make the way Xander always held himself look stupid by imitating it so poorly.

"... I won, Nightmare." Gatherer finally spoke, staring down at the incarnation of malevolence before him. His powerful purple eyes did not flinch at the disgusting sight that Nightmare was, because Gatherer believed himself a higher power than this gross creature. But, as Nightmare had so clearly stated, for now he had to play along with the whims of this meaningless, skeletal goo. "Now where's Anarchy?"

"What kinda scavenger hunt only has one item?" Nightmare tilted his skull to the side, sneering up at Gatherer. He knew full well the despot believed him a lesser life form, he knew Gatherer was a control freak. That's why he adored mocking him, dangling the power he held over Gatherer right over his head and always reminding him that Xander was at his mercy, not the other way around. Sure, Gatherer was his pick to win, but in the grand scheme everyone that wasn't Nightmare was just another toy to play with. To torment, for his own amusement.

"..." Xander shut his eyes briefly, exhaling slowly through his nose. Some smoke came out with this breathe, before Gatherer opened his eyes once more. Refusing to give up his patience so easily, he smiled politely down at the wretched creature before him. "Then what would you like me to bring you next?"

"The Worthless Metal." Nightmare didn't hesitate to say plenty loud; Gatherer figured he wanted Predator to hear it too. That irritated him, but he knew Nightmare was trying to piss him off. He wouldn't give in to his anger and make an ass of himself, instead choosing to let Nightmare speak. "You'll find it in the ruins of Jevil's Circus. You remember where that is, don'tcha?"

"... Yes." Xander's eyes narrowed painfully at those memories. Jevil's Circus was where Gatherer had first encountered The Anarchist in this new life. In fact, it was the only time in all these three years he'd been that close to him. And, reasonably, Xander had been terrified of the Bastard Son. But, Cliff had so BRAVELY challenged The Anarchist that day. Had stood between certain death and Xander like the Unbreakable Shield that he was. It had been directly after that event that Xander had begun dating Clifford, because he had been so terrified of losing him to The Anarchist. Little did he know, it would be The Angel to murder Cliff just a week or so later.

"Great!" Nightmare smiled nice and wide, no doubt giddy about the anguish in Gatherer's eyes. He had hoped the memory of that place would strike a nerve, and he was right! How exciting! "I hope to see you all there in one week!"

"One week?" That got Gatherer's attention. In fact, it got everybody's attention. All eyes looked upon the malevolent skeleton suspiciously and with heavy confusion. Gatherer scoffed, smiling in a way that was almost a little nervous. "Nightmare, we can be at the Circus within twenty four hours."

"Ah, but what fun is that?" Nightmare shrugged, tilting his head to the side. A few of his tendrils floated up from his back, wriggling excitedly. They were unable to contain their joy, because they could see Xander's dismay. "I'm a nice guy. I want everyone to have time to recover from their injuries and bury their dead. Then, in a week's time, you can both pick up where ya left off."

Gatherer growled quietly, eyes darting to the side. His fists clenched until they were white knuckled, the temperature around him rose with his blood pressure. Nightmare knew, he had to have known why waiting a week would put Xander on edge. And when the goopy skeleton next spoke, he made that obvious.

"What's with that look? You aren't in a hurry, are ya Gatherer?" Nightmare leaned in some, that one eye going wide while he grinned up at Xander. Another chuckle rumbled in Nightmare's chest, "I mean, you're not on a time frame, are ya? It's not like you've only got, I dunno, ten or eleven days to wrap things up here, is it?"

"Don't play games with me, Nightmare!" Gatherer snapped suddenly, fires crackling and exploding in his clenched fists. Nightmare leaned back at this furious display, laughing to himself while he threw up his hands defensively. He could see the murder in Gatherer's eyes; smoke swirled up from his clenched fists and the corners of his mouth. It must've been so hard to fit a mask over a pair of horns.

"Easy, easy!" Nightmare rolled his eye like he didn't want Gatherer to snap at him. Still giggling to himself about the predicament he'd put Xander in, Nightmare lowered his hands and tilted his head, making his smile look even more crooked. "You'll still have like four whole days to finish up this scavenger hunt by then. And I mean, what are the odds I drag things out that long?"

"... If your negligence involves The Angel in my business, I will destroy you." Gatherer snarled, eye twitching with rage. Nightmare was running out the clock, he knew Gatherer only had a week and a half until Angel leaves his timeline and learns of all that he's been up to. And if that happens before he knows where Anarchy is, then..!

"Oh but Gatherer, how would you destroy me in a situation like that?" Nightmare asked with mocking curiosity, slouching forward some and burying his hands in his pockets. Wicked grin reaching from ear to ear, Nightmare poked and prodded eagerly at Gatherer, testing every ounce of his PATIENCE. "I mean, wouldn't it be more likely that you'd be be busy getting slaughtered by The Angel? Y'know, just like Cliff?"

In an instant Gatherer had grabbed Nightmare by the collar and yanked him up over his head. Snake tattoos boiling and burning on his arms, Gatherer pulled back his free hand, and white hot flames instantly ignited in his grasp. The fire bubbled and popped, crackling and condensing into an unbearably hot orb in Xander's hand, one that he had every intention of stuffing down Nightmare's throat.

... But, he couldn't. He wanted to more than anything, to turn that goo into into a bubbling black tar on the void floor. But Gatherer knew, just like Nightmare knew, that he was untouchable. Until Gatherer had the information on Anarchy's whereabouts, Nightmare was the safest man in the multiverse. So, Gatherer's furious expression gradually lightened. His jaw unlocked, his pupils returned to their usual size before he shut his eyes and turned his head away from Nightmare's grinning face. And, finally, that crackling orb of fire dulled and died down, until it was just smoke on Gatherer's lowering palm.

"... Jevil's Circus. One week." Nightmare finally spoke again, staring down at Xander's indignant expression with his one wide, soulless eye. He was the star, he was the one who commanded The Gatherer and The Predator now. And he was loving it. "Neither of your factions are to entire the circus until exactly one week has passed. You are also not allowed to attack one another until a week's up."

"Prepare, plan, do whatever you want." Nightmare shook his head, smirking down at The Gatherer. His body began disappearing into the darkness of the void, fading away right before Gatherer's eyes. "Have a beach episode for all I care! But in a week, show up at the circus, and be ready to kill."

After Nightmare was gone from Gatherer's grasp, he lowered his hand. The void was quiet again. With Nightmare gone, all eyes laid upon The Predator and The Gatherer, who stood directly across from each other. Face to face, once again. But they weren't allowed to try and kill each other like they usually did, so instead they just stood there, staring at one another with expressions that were less than easy to read.

The chill that Predator gave off and the heat that Gatherer gave off created a wind current in the void. It was light, but it was there. A dull swirl of hot and cold air, gently blowing Predator's hair and sending a few strands blowing loose from Gatherer's hair tie. Red locks dangled over his face, an imperfection in his usually meticulously managed appearance. In fact, with the blood staining his sleeve, the tattoos glowing on his arms, and the smoke rising from the corners of his mouth, Gatherer hardly looked all that professional at all.

"... You got anything to say to me, Xander?" Predator finally spoke up. Her cold eyes narrowed, but he weathered her storm. Looking at him now, Predator knew he was far from the man she'd known in the real world. He wasn't even the one she'd fought at his compound a few years back. Frankly, she wasn't sure who she was looking at now.

"... No." Gatherer answered after a long pause. Sure, he could have shouted at her. Called her words that started with Bs or Cs, accused her of playing a hand in his beloved's murder. But Eden watched him carefully from a ways behind The Predator, and he could see the concern in her violet eyes. In the eyes that matched his own. So, instead, Gatherer sighed another stream of black smoke, before his body cooled.

He turned on his heel, towards his train in the distance. And he began walking towards it, retrieving a cigarette from his pocket with one hand while waving for his underlings to follow him with the other. Predator just watched with pained, frustrated eyes as he walked away from her. As all of his goons wordlessly wandered after him, not so much as bothering to say a word to her. There really was nothing to say, at least not to Gatherer. But, as for Lexi...

"It didn't have to be like this, you know." She finally called out, after Gatherer had made it half way to his train. Her words got him to pause there, stop walking away from her. She glared at his back while she awaited a response, but Gatherer took his time. He lifted one flaming finger to the cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and then took a long, slow drag.

Finally, Xander The Gatherer took hold of his cigarette between two fingers, and he gently removed it from his lips. He rested his free hand in his pocket, hardly minding the blood that still trickled down it from the red soaked sleeve wrapped at its elbow. And he tilted his head back, blowing a grey stream into the air above. Then, before he continued walking away, he turned his head. He looked at Lexi over his shoulder with one indifferent eye, and there really was something about that look that resembled Angel's own heartless stare.

"... You don't know what you're talking about, Lexi."

---

Ultra Sans was created by A Huge Pancake.

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