Fall and Rise of the Demon King
Hello and Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We got an interesting, albeit shorter, chapter here as we begin the first of the two part series that is Ending B! Been quite a ride getting to this point and I have all of you, my fellow readers, to thank for helping me to hang in there. Of course I'd like to give the usual shout outs to LoneTaker, groche9655 and Noble Eight for their contributions to this story and to everyone else who sent their ideas and suggestions to me. Now then, the holidays are a busy time so let's note that we got no review questions this week and dive on in!
Alternate Timeline: Morning in Asakusa
It is often amazing how much little things can affect the course of entire events. In the case of a demon slayer, the slightest move too far or too short, too soon or too late, too fast or too slow or simply being in the wrong position can mean the difference between life and death in the lethal dance that was their fight against the demons. One particular instance that defined the path for the rest of the slayers came during the battle with Muzan when Kanao Tsuyuri was able to inject the last remaining anti-demon drug into her friend and eventual husband, Tanjiro Kamado. But what if she'd been just the slightest bit too slow or the slightest bit off?
The effects of it would ripple and eventually bring a change that will create a different world from the one without demons that the slayers were able to achieve. What would that world look like, you may wonder? Let us start at the moment were everything changes with Subaru and Nezuko desperately trying to restrain the demonified Tanjiro as the will of Muzan is attempting to overwhelm his mind. Everyone else was either too injured to help or simply unable to get close as bone tendrils whipped about everywhere, tearing up buildings and the ground in numerous places.
Amazingly, neither Subaru no Nezuko were currently being injured by these portrusions, meaning Tanjiro Kamado was still in some sort of control. But how long that would last, no one knew, which was why the moment Subaru saw Kanao rushing at them with a vial of the anti-demon drug that Shinobu had created after studying Tamayo's, he shifted his position by putting his foot in Tanjiro's back and twisting his arms upwards to immobilize him. It also gave Kanao a better target as she used her Equinoctial Vermillion Eye to read and avoid the majority of Demon King Tanjiro's bone whip attacks. The slayer turned beast seethed in rage before attempting a final pincer attack as Kanao leapt into the air.
The Tsuguko turned gracefully while sailing over the ground, avoiding the majority of one attack while the other bone tendril cut into her side. But she endured it as she brought the vial down, and broke it accidentally on one of the bone spikes on Tanjiro's back. 'No,' thought Kanao as her one good eye widened in horror before she hit the ground. She'd realized too late that the hit she'd taken from the bone tendril had changed her trajectory slightly, moving her just forward enough that she'd be off target.
Demon King Tanjiro roared then as he tried to strike the downed Tsuguko. It was only thanks to Nezuko getting in his line of sight and Subaru putting his head and arm in a lock that he failed to hit their downed friend. 'Shit, what now,' thought the Matagi as he put what remaining strength he could into the hold he had on his oldest friend. "Subaru," said Momiji suddenly in his mind, "there's a way we might be able to stop this, but it's risky."
"We've been threading the needle this whole fight," Subaru thought back to her, "anything we try will be risky right now, but if you think it can save Tanjiro then do it, before he's forced to do something he'll regret!"
"Alright," said Momiji, "then it's time to trap him." Subaru nodded in understanding before turning to Nezuko.
"There's one last thing we're gonna try," said The Matagi, "but you have to let go or you might get caught up in it too."
"No," cried Nezuko as she moved one hand and grabbed Subaru's hand, "we started this journey together and you two have done so much for me! So at least let me help you now!" The Rifleman wanted to argue with her but he knew his love well enough to know that she wouldn't be dissuaded from this.
"Alright then, hold on," he said as he tightened his grip on Tanjiro, "DOMAIN!" Darkness seemed to engulf the trio then as they were pulled into the Phantasmal Winter. From the outside, it appeared as if a giant snowy orb had materialized. No sounds or movements could be discerned from within the orb, leaving the remaining slayers with only one option: hope and pray that their comrades would be successful. And inside the domain, the battle continued to rage on.
Within the Phantasmal Winter
Tanjiro opened his eyes slowly and wearily as he peered up at a grey, snowy sky. 'Where am I,' he thought tiredly, 'and what were all of those….voices I was hearing earlier?' the last thing he remembered was being trapped within Muzan's flesh, desperately trying to break out while slowly losing consciousness. Everything after that was more like a dream than reality. He saw himself fighting his friends while wielding the power of a demon. But that couldn't be right, he'd never hurt his friends or his sister intentionally.
So he'd been trying as hard as he could to wake up from the dream ever since. Now here he was, in a place that reminded him somewhat of home as he slowly looked around. 'I really do just want to go home,' he thought, 'go home with Nezuko and Subaru. Please God, let me wake up, let me go home with the others.'
That's when an eerie, sinister voice suddenly spoke up. "What point is there in going home now," asked the voice as a shape started rising out of the snow in front of Tanjiro, "your whole family is dead, there's nothing left at that little house of yours except burnt corpses."
"No, there's still Nezuko, Subaru and Grandad Saburo," countered Tanjiro, "and all the happy memories we made at that place. As long as we're all together, they'll never fade away. So I'm leaving this place and going home."
"A pointless endeavour," retorted the voice that Tanjiro now recognized as Muzan's while the snow started to become more flesh-like with two red, serpentine eyes opening to stare down at the youth, "Nezuko and Subaru are both dead, you killed them!"
"That's a lie," said Tanjiro as he began pushing himself up slowly, "they're both alive, I know they are."
"Then why is the scent of their blood on you?" Questioned Muzan, "you reek of the blood of your sister and best friend because you killed them."
"If I really did hurt them," said Tanjiro, "all the more reason to go back, so that I can apologize. Apologize to them and everyone else I hurt."
"Don't be absurd," sneered Muzan as his body began to take on a more definitive shape, "you think they want you to come back after hurting them? They all hate you now, no one wants you to come back."
"That's not something you decide on," retorted Tanjiro as he got up to a sitting position, "I can smell it, smell how worried my friends are about me."
"Just be quiet," spat Muzan as his body was close to fully forming, "you're not going back because you have a greater purpose, succeeding my will. Looking forward, believing in people, seeking out hope? All of that is useless because you're going to die in a few years. Do you really think you can escape the price of the mark? Think about yourself for once and grasp the opportunity in front of you, the chance at an infinite lifespan. Become a demon and avoid the fate of the mark."
"No," said Tanjiro firmly as he got to a half-kneeling position, "I don't want or need to live forever, I just want to go back to everyone and live out whatever time I have left as a human."
"You are nothing but trash!" Seethed Muzan, "can you even comprehend how many people have died in this battle?! Why should you be the only one who gets to survive, to live on without losing anything?!" Tanjiro might've responded to that if the patch of snow next to him didn't suddenly blast upwards like a geyser.
"Oh will you just SHUT UP ALREADY!" Exclaimed Subaru as he emerged from the snow and slammed his fist into Muzan's face, taking no small amount of pleasure in the feeling of their adversary's flesh and bones being crushed beneath his knuckles as the Demon Lord was sent flying into a nearby tree. "You really think you can try pulling this guilt-tripping bullshit now?! Nearly everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps has lost someone or something to you, or have you already forgotten our previous conversation?"
"Subaru, Nezuko," said Tanjiro with tears of joys in his eyes as his sister helped him up off the ground, "you're both okay."
"Relatively speaking," said Momiji as she materialized into being next to the trio with her daitengu wings fully displayed, "oh and before I forget, I'm Subaru's little demon friend. You can call me Momiji."
"That's right, Subaru mentioned you a couple of times," realized Tanjiro before bowing his head awkwardly, "uh, nice to meet you as well!" The demon girl might've replied to this except for the fact that Muzan was rising up out of the snow and floating into the air.
"How can this be," he sneered, "are you another one of Shuten Doji's demonic alcohol experiments?"
"Those alcohol fumes of his were just a catalyst," said Subaru as he pointed to the maple-leaf scar around what used to be his left eye before putting the patch back over it, "the real culprit is your cells from Upper Moon Four. They allowed me the ability to create a domain which has proven pretty useful in taking down the other Upper Moons or breaking them free of your control."
"So that's how you wound up with such abilities," said Muzan, "It's no matter, though, I will not be denied my succession!" Several tendrils emerged from his body and whipped out towards Tanjiro. Momiji countered by flying up, producing a replica of Kaigaku's fan before swinging it to deflect several of the incoming tendrils. Subaru joined the fight as a replica of his rifle grew out of the ground which he pulled and fired.
But instead of bullets this particular manifestation of his weapon fired lightning balls that Muzan quickly evaded before countering with spikes that he threw from his arms. Tanjiro intercepted the attacks after picking up what was left of his sword and using Bone Burning Sun. Subaru fired even more lightning balls towards Muzan, forcing the demon to drop out of the sky as he flew close to the ground. At one point, he ran his hand along the snowy soil, causing a number of hands to reach up behind the trio.
But they were stopped by another wall of flame, this one bright red, which quickly incinerated the limbs. "That's not possible," said Muzan as he looked towards the owner of the flames, "she's supposed to be human now!"
"You're talking as if she was any ordinary human," said a female voice as a woman resembling Nezuko with fox ears and nine fox tails formed from the flames.
"That can't be, you're dead," declared Muzan, "you died centuries ago! You can't be here now, Tamamo No Mae!"
"Come now, Kibutsuji," said Tamamo with a light grin, "I may have turned myself human but all of that power had to go somewhere. How unfortunate for you that you turned my reincarnate into a demon and awakened it."
"It's you, the woman who led me to Subaru and Brother," said Nezuko as the others looked upon the newcomer.
"I'm more than just a random woman," she said, "you can think of me as your great, great, very great grandmother." She smiled warmly at her two descendants and while her explanation left a lot of unanswered questions, it was still enough to convince them that she was on their side.
"It doesn't matter!" Exclaimed Muzan as he summoned several large red worm monsters from the ground below, "after a thousand years I've finally found a vessel that can conquer the sun! You will never go back and you will not stop me!" The red worms lumbered forward then, only to be quickly stopped by several wooden dragon heads sprouting from the ground.
"You're not laying a hand on them!" Exclaimed Momiji as she and Subaru clenched their fists, signaling the dragon heads to unleash a mass of lightning and sonic attacks against the worm monsters which blasted several of them apart. The remaining ones attempted to grapple with the dragon heads to one degree of success or another. Muzan used this chance to try flying towards Tanjiro but was stopped by a wall of fire from Nezuko and Tamamo which forced him to veer off.
He then evaded more lightning blasts from Subaru before coming around, right into Tanjiro's blade. "Solar Heat Haze," said The Slayer as he struck at Muzan with his blade. The Demon Lord just barely veered out of the way, or so he thought until his vision suddenly split. 'He cut my eyes,' seethed Muzan as he instinctively lashed backwards with a bone tendril from his hand.
"Clear Blue Sky," said Tanjiro as he leapt up and spun, slicing the tendril in half. Momiji then attacked with a powerful blast of wind that blew Muzan back several feet. But the Demon Lord quickly recoverved before growing a mass of spikes on his body that he threw at an incredible speed. Nezuko and Tamamo reacted by raising yet another wall of fire to incinerate the incoming barrage of projectiles as Subaru summoned more wood dragon heads which began firing lightning and sound blasts at their foe.
Instead of dodging this time, Muzan raised a massive red worm beast to surround his body and act like a shield, which it succeeded in doing as the monster was torn to shreds by Subaru's attacks. But Muzan took advantage of this by reforming the debris of the beast into a giant tendril around his arm which he swung and took out all of the summoned dragon heads with. "Why can't you understand, Tanjiro Kamado," said Muzan as he produced several large tendrils from the giant limb which dug into the ground around his enemies to form a type of cage, "you were clearly chosen by a God to carry this out! You're the only one who can do this, so stop denying your destiny and become a true, perfect, SUPREME BEING!"
The answer he received was a burst of flame resembling a dragon that cut through all of the tendrils, the Solar Halo Dragon Dance. "I don't want that," said Tanjiro as he brandished what remained of his sword, "like I said before, all I want is to go back to everyone and when my time comes, I'll die as a human. So your will ends here, Kibutsuji." The Demon Lord roared in rage as he opened a mouth on his chest and unleashed a lightning attack against the group.
Momiji and Subaru countered with lightning attacks of their own, managing to cancel out the assault. But it was a distraction as Muzan dove down and planted his hands into the ground, causing several tendrils and hands to sprout up around Tanjiro. They were quickly stopped by flames from Tamamo and Nezuko, allowing the swordsman to charge forward. Kibutsuji countered this by calling upon a large, toothy mouth which opened up on the ground in front of Tanjiro, far too close for him to slow down to avoid.
Thankfully, Momiji was able to use her fan to blast the swordsman to safety with a wind attack. Subaru then charged forward himself, summoning multiple dragon heads along the way who began assaulting the Demon Lord with lightning and sound attacks. Muzan took to the air to avoid these attacks while raining down more spikes on his foes. The Matagi and Slayer deflected the spikes with their own techniques while Nezuko and Tamamo released a blast of flame that incinerated the spikes while also assaulting Muzan. The Demon Lord dove down and slammed his fist on the ground, causing bone tendrils to grow around all of them and begin closing in like a shrinking cage.
Kibutsuji took to the air again while also summoning a mass of hands and tendrils from the ground that moved towards them like a flowing mass. "This is the end, demon slayers!" He yelled while flying forth. Tamamo and Nezuko countered by lightning the surrounding tendrils on fire while Subaru and Tanjiro charged towards the enemy.
"Temari Lightning Bullet!" Declared Subaru as he fired several short lightning bolts which bounced around the approaching flesh creations, destroying several of them as Tanjiro began his own attack with Waltz, followed by Clear Blue Sky, Scorching Crimson Mirror, Bone Burning Sun, moving fluidly from one form to the next as he approached Muzan.
"You're right," said Tanjiro as he seemingly appeared in front of their adversary after using Parhelion Rainbow, "this is the end." He slashed off Kibutsuji's head with Flame Waltz then, the Demon Lord's body falling to the ground in separate pieces as Tanjiro landed before collapsing to one knee, his exhaustion catching up to him now as the others rushed over to his side.
"Is it over?" Asked Nezuko as she watched Kibutsuji's body crumbling to dust.
"I hope so," said Subaru as he looked up and noted the sky of the domain was starting to crack, "Momiji and I have about reached our limits too."
"Then it's time you all got out of here," said Momiji as she raised up her hand, causing the land around the three to crack up and detach into a floating section while she and Tamamo remained. But before they could float too high, more bone tendrils suddenly erupted from the ground as Muzan's head extended on a flesh stalk towards Tanjiro. Subaru caught the movement just in time and moved in front of Tanjiro. His rifle was destroyed blocking the attack but he still succeeded in grabbing onto the head to keep it from advancing.
"Where do you think you're going motherfucker?!" Exclaimed Momiji as she grabbed ahold of the flesh stalk and pulled back on it.
"Subaru!" Exclaimed Nezuko as she ran forward before the ground cracked around the Matagi and separated.
"You two get out of here!" The Matagi called back, "we'll be right behind you!"
"Are you certain about that?" Questioned Muzan as some of the flesh from his stalk started creeping up Subaru and Momiji's arms, "remember that Hantengu's blood is my blood, and if I can't have the Kamado boy's body then I'll take yours instead!"
"Wanna bet," said Momiji as some of the flesh growths started being absorbed into hers and Subaru's bodies, "I've had a good while to learn how you absorb things and we've been weened off of you for years. Don't think you can just devour us like the rest!"
"I will not be denied!" Declared Muzan, "I will become a perfect being, it is my destiny!"
"Save it!" Yelled Subaru as he jammed his fingers into Kibutsuji's eyes, "you've had your time and you've had your chance. So for the last time, DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!" The Demon Lord howled in pain then as the domain continued to collapse around them, drowning out the calls of Tanjiro and Nezuko as Subaru and Momiji pitted their wills against Kibutsuji's. Then the world went black.
Now: Asakusa
Tanjiro felt his vision slowly coming back as he looked up at the morning sky. 'This is, Asakusa,' he realized as he weakly turned his head to the side, noting Nezuko was there with him, 'good, she's okay, but where's?' He turned and saw Subaru then, lying facedown on the ground. He was about to say something until he noticed they had a rather large audience which included Giyuu, Inosuke, Zenitsu, Ozaki, Jinora, Yae, Isosange and many others.
"If anyone's hurt," said Tanjiro weakly, "I'm sorry-." He was cut off by a loud cheer from the crowd.
"THEY'RE BAAAAAAAAAAACK!" Exclaimed the gathered slayers and friends as they helped Tanjiro and Nezuko up to their feet. Hugs and tears of joy were seen as Subaru was also coming too.
"And our ears are working too," groaned Subaru, rubbing his head and left eye…..which was moving. The Matagi pulled the bandage off of his left eye then, noting that he could see clearly out of it again, though his scar was still there. 'My left eye's back, but how,' he thought to himself as some of the Kakushi came over to examine him, and recoiled the moment he looked in their direction. "What is it?"
The Matagi looked behind himself, suspecting another threat. But instead even more of the Kakushi and slayers moved back as he stood up. "Subaru," said Giyuu as he held his blade up, "you are Subaru, aren't you?"
"Yeah it's me Giyuu," he assured while turning in the Hashira's direction, "what's got everyone so terrified right now?"
"Subaru," said Nezuko as she took a small mirror from one of the Kakushi, "your eyes." The Rifleman accepted it and gazed at the reflection, nearly dropping it as he saw a pair of demon eyes. But he studied them more closely, noting how they moved in the same line as his vision. This terrifying pair of red, slit eyes, were his.
"Ah great," he said in exasperation, "this definitely wasn't something I'd expected to happen."
"What exactly has happened?" Asked Giyuu with his sword still raised slightly, "where's Muzan?"
"Gone," replied Subaru as he stood up slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements that might frighten his friends, "he attempted to move to me but Momiji and I overpowered his will. Guess we wound up absorbing his powers somehow, which is a problem."
"No kidding," said Zenitsu, "you're a full demon who's immune to the sunlight. You aren't going to try eating any of us, are you?" The Matagi took a moment to listen to a quick explanation from Momiji about his condition before answering.
"Look I've been a half demon for a while now," explained Subaru, "my body developed without the need for human flesh and becoming a full demon hasn't changed tha-." The sound of loud screeching from a radio suddenly rang through the air, causing everyone to hold their ears for a moment before a broadcast began to play. And the first thing they heard of this broadcast was the sound of a man crying in agony.
"Read the message," said a familiar voice that Subaru, Ozaki and Jinora most definitely didn't want to hear right now.
"H-Hey there…slayers-Ah," continued the man on the radio before being smacked by something.
"And read it right cockhole," said a voice that belonged to another well-known demon.
"H-Hey there you bunch…..of sorry dildo swinging pussies," said the man between sniffles, "I'm Shuten Doji….my wife, Ibaraki, and I would like to commemorate…..the crowning of the new….demon king. Welcome…Subaru Genjirou…to your new rule. To celebrate…we're gonna…oh God."
"Read the whole thing or I shoot the other testicle," said the now definitive voice of Ibaraki Doji as the sound of a gun cocking could be heard.
"To Celebrate we're gonna tear up the nearest holes we can fiiiiiiiind," cried the Radioman, "and then we're gonna shoot more holes wherever we go until there's nothing left but bloody, fucked up corpses! Oh this is horrible…."
"What's horrible is your inability to finish reading," said Ibaraki.
"S-So Japan and the world be-he-tter prepare itself," sobbed the Announcer, "for my demon booze and titanic co-ho-ck! Now pardon me while I blow this faggot's brains-OH GOD NO! BOOOOOOM!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Laughed Shuten and Ibaraki over the radio, "the look on that guy's face! Oh shit like that is just priceless!"
"I couldn't agree more dear," said Shuten, "now then the antics aside I'd like to give my heartfelt congratulations to you, Subaru Genjirou. It was touch and go there for a bit but at long last you've done it! You've broken the line between human and demon, become a true hybrid that's human enough not to require flesh and blood but demon enough to be beyond humanity! Your once great potential has now increased a hundred, no, a thousandfold and with it the birth of what the world has denied me for so long, a new Raikkou!"
Several explosions sounded around Asakusa then, especially the areas on the outskirts where the IJA had been stationed. Clouds of smoke were rising in a dozen different areas as the Drunk Demon continued. "Of course this is but the first step and like many new kings you'll need to prove the solidarity of your rule. To that end, I believe it's time I got some old friends together and began my own demon mass production once again."
"If you thought Kume Island was trouble, just wait until you see what I've got in store," continued Shuten, "I haven't felt this inspired in centuries, my mind is overflowing with ideas and the world is ripe for some fresh strife! Oh just thinking about it is making me cream my pants! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"What my husband is trying to say," explained Ibaraki while he continued to cackle in the background, "is that while your fight with Muzan is over, Genjirou, your new hunt is only just beginning. So have fun cleaning up the parting gifts we're leaving for the IJA tonight as they're only the first in a long line of demons that'll soon terrify the world."
"So catch us if you can, Subaru Genjirou," said Shuten while cackling, "and then try to stop us because we're about to throw THE BIGGEST DEMON PARTY THIS WORLD HAS EVER SEEN!" The channel went dead then as one final explosion sounded in the distance.
"This is not good," said Izayoi, stating the obvious as he examined the radio, "that was a public frequency. Anyone tuning into the radiostations tonight would've heard it."
"What are you saying?" Questioned Jinora, "that the entirety of Japan is now aware that we got two crazy and powerful demons running around?"
"Its Japan today," said Izayoi, "and if any of that was picked up by ship radio, it'll soon reach the mainland. Word will spread like wildfire in this country and the next. No doubt the governments will do what they can to contain the panic but at this moment its best to assume that in a short time, the entire world will know that Subaru Genjirou is a demon."
"But he's not," said Nezuko as she hugged him tightly, "he's our friend, he's the man I love! If we can just show them that then I'm sure no one will be afraid of him!"
"That's right," said Inosuke, "he might have freaky eyes but he's still Subamu!"
"I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt," said Giyuu, lowering his sword the rest of the way, "your eyes don't have that same look of inhumanity that Muzan's did. But the bigger problem will be convincing the Japanese government. Yushiro or Tamayo came across as easy to handle, but Kibutsuji was the demon king and we can't hide the cost it took to bring him down."
"Then don't," said Subaru as he accepted his rifle from Izayoi, "just forget to mention that I'm around at first. According to Shuten Doji, we're about to have a lot more trouble on the way. I imagine it won't be long before they start asking for all the help they can get, as much as I'd prefer it didn't come to that."
"Then what'll you do in the meantime?" Asked Tanjiro, "You make it sound like you're going away for a while."
"Because I am," replied Subaru as he turned to his best friend, "I need to get on Shuten Doji's trail as soon as possible and there are still the demons he released here to contend with. You all need the rest right now, so I'll start working on that. I'll meet up with you all once I have a clearer idea of what to do next."
"Be careful Subaru," said Nezuko almost pleadingly as she put a hand on his arm.
"I will," he said as he turned and kissed the girl he loved, "it's just another demon hunt. One that'll take a bit longer than the others, but hopefully not too much longer."
"We'll all be waiting," said Nezuko with a smile as Subaru turned and leapt up onto a nearby rooftop before speeding away with the sun overhead. And while he was right about it being a demon hunt, it would prove to be a far longer one than any of them anticipated.
A Few Months Later: The town of Tulsa, Oklahoma in the United States
'The demon stench is definitely strong here,' thought Subaru as he circled around in the air over the town that was apparently called 'Tulsa'. He'd quickly determined after fighting off several demons in Japan that Shuten Doji was no longer in the country. Thankfully, or was it intentionally, the Drunk Demon had left a clue to his next destination: America. And it was apparently the first stop in a long celebratory trip he had planned, a trip which would undoubtedly bring chaos to wherever he went.
In fact, Subaru believed he saw some stirrings of that chaos now as two large groups of people were gathered outside of what he guessed was a courthouse. 'Guess I might as well say hello and see if there are any demons among that crowd.' With that thought in mind, he banked sharply and dove straight downward, pulling up at the last second before settling on the roof of the courthouse as his new Tengu wings folded back into his body. They were the first in a long line of abilities that he'd been awakening and practicing with, hoping to use them for stopping the demon threat.
Though right now he was faced with a bit of a different issue. "So hey down there," he said, "does anyone here happen to speak Japanese?" It was going to be a long hunt indeed.
And so begins the final hunt for Subaru Genjirou, Matagi and new demon king! And yes there shall be one more chapter after this, one with a doozy of a final fight against Shuten Doji. In the meantime, consider this chapter as something of a prologue to the final showdown and the first step in Ending B. And as always, feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for next chapter. Be sure to stop in next time as we look at the steps leading up to the final confrontation and conclusion to Ending B! 'Til then.