Bayonetta was sitting in her room all alone, toying with the strange device they used on Mewtwo inside the Yggdrasil. The Umbra Witch fondled with the curious thing for quite a while, starting to remember battles between light and darkness. The war between the servants of God and Satan. She could remember them all.
"I wonder how you work, little thing," Bayonetta spoke to the device. "No one would... just leave you lying around for the taking. A weapon for whoever holds this that can unlock the deepest... darkest secrets of the multiverse. Unless... the enemy wants to help us in some way or form..." Fox McCloud suddenly entered the room, startling Bayonetta quite a bit.
"Oh... Fox," Bayonetta chuckled, leaving the device on the table she was sitting next to. "What a pleasant surprise. Is something the matter?" Fox looked down on the floor, his mind in a different place.
"Do you ever feel... guilty about yourself, knowing it's not your fault and yet it somehow is even if someone else did it?" Fox asked. "This is the same kind of attitude I've been getting from Sonic before he split up. It almost like... he knows something we don't, especially when we swore to never keep secrets from each other... no matter what."
"Well... if you put it that way, I suppose everyone could be at fault in these times," Bayonetta spoke. "But there are days in which I need to... let go of the past to make way for a better and brighter future. What happened before is pretty much history. All that matters is learning from our mistakes and using them as gateways to a near-perfect timeline."
"So... you think it's fine we should keep secrets from others to protect those from a greater evil?" Fox asked.
"Suppose," Bayonetta responded, getting up from her seat. Fox looked at the device on the table, starting to get the urge he should take it.
"About the device... do you think we should bring it along?" Fox asked one more time. "I mean... that thing looks super-important. It might not just unlock all our memories, but it could be the gateway to other worlds we... might have no idea exist..."
"I think it would be best to leave it behind in case it gets lost," Bayonetta answered. "I mean... it's not like we'll be gone forever... or if that device might... disappear..." Once the two fighters vanished out of the room, a small shadow swooped over the table, snatching the device from the table. The only evidence the figure left behind were two claw marks, each parallel to one another.
After the events that had occurred back at the Yggdrasil, Sonic and Snake recovered pretty quickly in a few hours. The two of them were up and running again, fully dressed in their choice of clothing, walking alongside the outside dock and feeling the fresh wind and warm sunlight on their faces. Up above the black-red cloud covering Arcadia, the fighters felt so alive and free like they did ten years ago.
"I'm just glad you survived when Sephiroth thought he killed you," Snake said. "You made the brave act of putting yourself in front of us."
"Told you I could make it in the blink of an eye," Sonic chuckled, with Snake grabbing him and giving the blue hedgehog a friendly rub on the head. After Snake let Sonic go, the two of them started laughing, relieved after what happened. Just then, Sonic noticed the three ex-Ultimates Reborn walking towards the two fighters.
"Excuse me for a moment," Sonic said to Snake, walking away from the mercenary. The blue hedgehog then walked towards the three Mii Fighters, wanting to ask them a question.
"Hey, guys," Sonic said. "If you like, I would like a word with all three of you…" The three Mii Fighters looked at each other and wondering what was going on. Later on, the four fighters were walking through one of the many cafeterias that the Legacy had, where a small group of the Mii Fighter army was hanging out with Toon Link, Ike, Ryu, and King K. Rool, telling wild tales about Arcadia's secrets that were not very important. Sitting down with their food on their plates, the three ex-Ultimates Reborn and Sonic sat down to discuss the relevant topic at hand.
"So, Ultimates Reborn…?" Sonic asked.
"We don't go by that name anymore," the Mii Swordfighter interrupted, "but you can call us that if you like."
"Fair enough," Sonic continued. "Anyway, ever since I've been getting these visions about this Hella person, I just kinda noticed the pit you lived in – Ginnungagap – is your ancient home, right?"
"What are you talking about?" the Mii Brawler asked. "Ginnungagap has always been the origin place of the Mii Fighters…"
"Well," Sonic answered, "I just recently noticed that this visions might be incorrect, like they were tampered with. Have you ever met a woman named Hella, by chance?"
"It's not exactly sure," the Mii Gunner answered, "but the tales that were spread from the ancestors to our parents record traces of a woman, but she was, in no way, related to Hella or wasn't even her."
"I knew it," Sonic sighed. "The Master Core, before vanishing right in front of me, told me of an evil greater than himself or Tabuu, for that matter, and Sephiroth later explained that these Smash Balls are beacons to summon him here. Who, or what, is this 'evil', and what does he want?" The three Mii Fighters looked at each other, listening to some of the fighters laugh and be merry, like this peace in the Legacy was going to last.
"There is a story we have not told you yet," the Mii Swordfighter said, pushing away his plate after not even touching his food. "A tale that goes back long before this world was even created, before any of us have ever existed."
"Can you tell me?" Sonic asked, anxious to hear about it.
"Well, the stories have been passed down through our family," the Mii Brawler explained, "but they slowly faded away from our memory over time, eventually forgotten long ago. However, the only thing we managed to pull out from the tales is a riddle…"
"How did this riddle go?" Sonic asked.
"It went a little something like this: Warrior untouched by the birth of Gallia, awaken the Ragnarokk's memories, redeliver the World of Trophies, and break the Lock." The blue hedgehog pushed away his favorite plate of chili dogs right in front of him, wondering what this could mean.
"Any ideas on the riddle you picked up just now?" Sonic asked, scratching the back of his spiky head. The three Mii Fighters were thinking about the question, pondering with an answer.
"We're not sure," the Mii Gunner spoke up. "However, the only thing we also know is that this savior's not going to be you."
"In other words, people might just say you're too slow to avoid you destiny, and need the work of someone else to bring you back," the Mii Swordfighter butted in. Sonic, for the first time, felt worried about his decision. His ten-year streak of anti-amnesia could be over, and with it his unlimited number of stories he still had to tell.
"Then who's the survivor, if it isn't me?" Sonic asked, terrified.
"Don't know," the Mii Brawler spoke. "Whoever it is, it's someone you're going to have to send off when the time is right…" Just then, the speakers boomed for a special announcement.
"Attention, all fighters," Meta Knight's voice spoke over. "We have arrived at our destination. Please meet up at the drop-off room right away." Afterwards, everyone got up from their places, making their way over to the hatch area, even Sonic and the ex-Ultimates Reborn.
Warrior untouched by the birth of Gallia, awaken the Ragnarokk's memories, redeliver the World of Trophies, and break the Lock, the blue hedgehog thought, confused. What does that mean? Who's gonna be this 'savior' if I don't make it…?
Meeting up in the drop-off room, all the fighters in the team were gathered around with the Mii Fighters, ready to see what was going on. Meta Knight was the only one to walk right in front of everyone, his Galacta Sword unsheathed.
"We have arrived at our destination," Meta Knight told everyone. "After hours of searching up in the clouds, hidden from enemy eyes thanks to the opaque darkness covering the land, we managed to scan the source of the black-red cloud covering Arcadia: The Ruins of the Ancients." Everyone then clapped when they heard the news. However, Meta Knight looked at them seriously.
"This is no time to celebrate," Meta Knight replied. "Suit up and get ready for the final battle. This won't really matter if this is your first time fighting or even your last. The Subspace Army WILL kill you without any second thoughts. Lock and load, people." As the Legacy descended into the black-red cloud down below, a gigantic, floating platform appeared under all the fighters, with the top hatch opening. The floating platform then moved upward, carrying the peculiar army with it to the roof of the ship. Once it stopped moving, the rest of the warriors noticed behind them were a series of different ships and Winged Firestorms, all of them lacking the Subspace Army marking they once had, especially the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 powered by Faker, the only Shadow Bug that was proven to be friendly but still having enough energy of a thousand of its kind. Captain Falcon was the first one to discover some familiar-looking vehicles.
"Isn't that my Blue Falcon and Falcon Flyer?" Captain Falcon asked, running anxiously towards his ships and feeling the metallic textures.
"And my ship," Zero Suit Samus replied, admiring her gunship along with Samus.
"And two of the Star Fox starships, as well as one of Star Wolf's," Fox McCloud said, getting in the ship and feeling the controls, which were just like how he, Falco, and Wolf used to pilot these things. Snake found himself a military helicopter with machine guns attached to both sides, and he decided to get into the cockpit since he was the only one who could ever drive it. As a few select fighters were admiring their vehicles good as new, Meta Knight walked over towards them.
"We knew what kind of vehicles you preferred," Meta Knight answered. "So, the Mii team and I put our heads together and designed these kinds of ships. The Legacy is coincidentally big enough to fit the ships we once had, which is super-lucky."
"What about yours?" Mario asked, jumping onto an Anti-Subspace Winged Firestorm's back before getting off again.
"Why, my red plumber friend," Meta Knight answered, "I already have mine…" With a booming noise, the rest of the fighters excluding the Mii team and the ex-Ultimates Reborn were surprised to see none other than Meta Knight's ship – the Halberd – moving again, and it was the exact shape and size it appeared ten years ago.
"Told you no ship is too big for the Legacy," Meta Knight chuckled. "Even those who can generate their own way of transportation can join the battle. Get ready, troops. We're almost there…" Both the Mii Fighter army and the group of fighters looked beyond the dark horizon to see their target: the Ruins of the Ancients. This once-peaceful home of R.O.B.'s kind was suddenly turned from a once-great civilization covered in vegetation into a warzone. The sky was raining with Shadow Bugs, followed by Subspace Winged Firestorms flying around and guarding the island on all sides, and for the cherry on top of the lovely cake created by the desolation was the only gateway to Subspace…
"Pick and choose the vehicle you're riding in," Meta Knight replied. "We're going in hot…" All the warriors were jumping into other ships. Even King Dedede was walking with Meta Knight to the Halberd once the Star Warrior's ship drew a bridge for the two cuddly aliens to walk across… well, everyone except for Sonic and Kirby.
"Poyo?" Kirby asked the blue hedgehog. Sonic looked at the pink puffball in worry.
"I know, Kirby," Sonic answered. "Something's up behind this gateway to Subspace. And I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Come, you little curbstomper." The two fighters walked onto the Halberd just in time as the bridge drew up and Meta Knight's ship departed a few meters from the Legacy's drop-off area. King Dedede noticed Sonic and Kirby running to them on the ship, and Meta Knight noticed it too.
"Weren't you supposed to get ready for the final battle?" Meta Knight asked.
"We were," Sonic panted, "but I felt like there was something I needed to ask you first…"
"Poyo," Kirby sighed in response. King Dedede, his hammer in his hand, was wondering what it was Sonic wanted to say.
"Very well," Meta Knight answered.
"Thanks," Sonic said. "Now, I've got a little question to ask: do you know anything about an evil greater than Tabuu?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Meta Knight answered. "No evil is greater than Tabuu, or in this case Hella."
"Well, the last vision I had involved the Master Core," Sonic objected. "He said he was, quote, 'one of many', and Tabuu is merely a slave of this overlord, whoever or whatever he is."
"I lost my memories a long time ago, both when I first set foot in Arcadia and my only time in Subspace," Meta Knight said. "I'm afraid I have no comment…" Kirby was wondering about what Sonic is saying, the blue hedgehog looking down on the pink puffball.
"I'm just saying the Mii Fighters have came across a woman, but they have never truly heard of a 'Hella', which pretty much debunks this as these visions are fake, or only the half-truth," Sonic said. "All the Mii Fighters could pull out from their stories is a riddle that went something like this: Warrior untouched by the birth of Gallia, awaken the Ragnarokk's memories, redeliver the World of Trophies, and break the Lock. I'm just saying I don't know what this means, but that's how it goes…"
"Doesn't Ragnarokk refer to as the Goddess of Oblivion?" Meta Knight asked.
"The Master Core says Tabuu's and his memories have been altered, so it's hard to say whether or not Ragnarokk is a completely different person," Sonic said. "Plus, the ex-Ultimates Reborn told me that I have a high chance of not making it if this said 'birth of Gallia' occurs…" Kirby looked at the three warriors, afraid of what might happen.
"Hey, it's okay, buddy," Sonic sighed, patting Kirby on the head. "It's not like this event will ever happen. Right now, we've got bigger fish to fry, like getting into Subspace and just warming our enemy up for the final battle…" Kirby nodded, the pink puffball walking up to the front. Meta Knight and King Dedede joined alongside Kirby, leaving Sonic on the roof.
"Wait!" Sonic asked. "MK, who's gonna be piloting the ship if you're going with Kirby!?"
"You are, Sonic," Meta Knight teased.
"What!?" Sonic asked, shocked. "I don't even know how to drive, let alone steer a ship!"
"I'm just kidding, my spiny friend," Meta Knight chuckled. "The Mii Fighters made some minor tweaks that really come in handy, two of them being the auto-pilot and another rapid-fire cannons ten times as fast as the previous version." Using the power of love, Kirby respawned another Star Allies Sparkler, wearing heart-shaped visors over his eyes. Meta Knight and King Dedede jumped on the star plane's back, taking off to the sky while leaving behind a semi-transparent rainbow with white hearts raining behind it, fading away after a few seconds.
"Great," Sonic said. "How am I supposed to leave this ship?" Just then, Sonic felt something touching his back. He suddenly realized there were seven familiar objects hidden in his quills. The blue hedgehog pulled them out, revealing the Chaos Emeralds he had before. The seven gemstones then swirled around him, infusing with Sonic and causing his quills to stand upright and turn golden. The irises in Sonic's eyes drastically changed from emerald green to ruby red, and the now-golden hedgehog looked around, noticing he was flying.
"This must be a little side effect my Smash Ball's spirit left behind, huh?" Sonic asked himself. "Time to kick some butt with these babies…" Flying off from the Halberd, Sonic met up with Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede on the star, waving right at them.
"Ready to go, guys!" Sonic said. Going in a formation, the Anti-Subspace Winged Firestorms appeared in a v-style formation, and the ships built on the Legacy flew alongside the mother gunship, ready to attack. The Star Allies Sparkler and Super Sonic then met up with a flying Dark Samus, Mewtwo, Pit, Dark Pit, Rosalina & Luma, Palutena, Corrin in his dragon form, Ridley, and Pokémon Trainer with Squirtle and Ivysaur atop of Charizard. Everyone else, like Samus, Zero Suit Samus, Snake, Link, and Cloud, were in assigned vehicles of their decisions. Others, like Mario, Isabelle, R.O.B., and the ex-Ultimates Reborn with the Mii Fighter army, were waiting for the signal to attack on the drop-off area of the Legacy.
Meanwhile, near the gateway of Subspace, Sephiroth, Infinite, M. Bison, and Morpho Knight were standing on the burnt soil of the Ruins of the Ancients. The four commanders noticed the resistance fleet flying towards them, and in the army of thousands of Mii Fighters was Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Dark Samus, Yoshi, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Luigi, Ness, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff, Peach, Daisy, Bowser, Ice Climbers, Sheik, Zelda, Dr. Mario, Pichu, Mewtwo, Young Link, Ganondorf, Marth, Lucina, Falco, Roy, Chrom, Mr. Game & Watch, Pokémon Trainer (Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle), Diddy Kong, Meta Knight, King Dedede, Lucas, Pit, Dark Pit, Sonic, Snake, Lucario, Olimar, R.O.B., Toon Link, Wario, Zero Suit Samus, Wolf, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Mega Man, Cloud, Bayonetta, Corrin, Ryu, Duck Hunt, Robin, Shulk, Little Mac, Mega Man, PAC-MAN, Palutena, Rosalina & Luma, Inkling, Ridley, Simon, Richter, King K. Rool, Isabelle, Ken, Incineroar, and the ex-Ultimates Reborn (Mii Brawler, Mii Swordfighter, and Mii Gunner) all waiting outside for the command.
"Kill those bastards, and don't let a single one live," Sephiroth snarled.
"You heard the man," Infinite called out to the Subspace Army behind the gateway. "Slaughter them all if you have to." Emerging from the last Subspace gateway, Subspace Winged Firestorms and Shadow Bugs flew out in a chaotic storm, the entire swarm flying after the fighters and the Mii army.
"This is our chance to strike back!" the Mii Brawler cried out. "NOW!"
The Anti-Subspace Winged Firestorms followed the Pro 2.0 as they rammed into the metal dragons part of the Subspace Army, while Primids and creatures formed in midair, dropping down only to be shot by the Legacy and the other ships. While Fox, Falco, and Wolf were rapidly firing at the enemy dragons while doing barrel rolls to avoid the fiery breaths, the Blue Falcon and the Prime Gunship went above the Subspace creatures and blasted them with their lasers. The Star Allies Sparkler teamed up with Super Sonic, with Kirby and his original friends firing star-shaped projectiles that instantly destroyed the enemy dragons and minor Subspace Army members on impact while the golden hedgehog shot himself through the Subspace Winged Firestorms' armor like a bullet at light speed.
It was a chaotic battle in the air, with the fighters that couldn't fly instead jump from the vehicles and Anti-Subspace Winged Firestorms on top of the enemy dragons, slashing through the enemy dragons and causing them to explode on impact. They jumped from dragon to dragon, killing off whatever Primids and Subspace creatures were on the Subspace Winged Firestorms' backs, followed by jumping back to the Legacy once they were finished. Sephiroth looked at each one of the Subspace Army's dragons falling from the sky thanks to the constant explosions. Angry by all this, the one-winged angel slowly retreated back into Subspace with M. Bison, Morpho Knight, and Infinite. The surviving Subspace Winged Firestorms quickly flew back into the dark gateway.
"Alright!" Sonic said, flying towards the retreating dragons. "Let's do this, guys!" A few seconds afterwards, the Mii Fighter team and the warriors of the World of Trophies landed on the shore of the Subspace area. After all that fighting, the ships landed safely with everyone making it. Hopping off the Star Allies Sparkler before it magically vanished was Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede. Transforming back to his normal form was Sonic after the Chaos Emeralds surrounding him disappeared too. The Mii army walked out of the Legacy, ready to sacrifice their lives for the greater good. However, right next to the warriors, the Winged Firestorm Pro 2.0 crash-landed on the black sands, cold and dead. Out of all of the Subspace dragons and Shadow Bugs the resistance killed off, only one of their fleets was defeated. Sonic walked next to the defeated blue dragon with gold markings, kneeling down and placing his gloved hand on the machine. The only Shadow Bug that was powering the robot dragon before floating out of the steel skin was Faker, pulsing a neon violet.
"Faker?" Sonic asked, standing up. "Is that you?" The neon Shadow Bug then floated off to the Subspace gateway, never to be seen again. Sonic looked at the direction of the companion he found before, knowing they just met before departing once more.
"Come on, Sonic," Meta Knight said, standing next to the blue hedgehog. "It's almost time. We have to get to that gateway and finish this for good…" Sonic nodded gently, walking towards the Mii Fighter army towards their destination.
As the resistance army walked only a mile to their destination, the fighters looked around, noticing the surviving vegetation covering corpses and buildings deep in the cavernous pits below. Since R.O.B. had never been back for ten years, he was shocked to find what happened here. The ex-Ancient Minster looked away in shame, but the ex-Ultimates Reborn walked to his side, comforting the robot that everything is going to be okay, even though closing off Subspace won't bring his kind back.
Once the army arrived at their destination, Cloud Strife and Mario were the first ones to walk forward. The 1st-class SOLDIER admired the texture of the gateway, watching as the dark purple colors swirled around like oily puddles after a rain shower.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Cloud told everyone, "standing right before you is the only way into Subspace. Despite looks, it's seemingly dangerous…" Cloud Strife inserted his hand into the void-like entity to feel its soft, wispy, watery texture before taking it out to look at the team that was assembled together.
"I know what you're probably thinking," Mario called out to everyone. "I could-a probably be a screw-up… well… partially a screw-up. The truth is… when we've first discovered this island surviving after ten years, I didn't think I would get involved in this, and I was blamed for all this happening because I refused to tell the truth. Well, I know what kind of pain you're going through, but… I… don't know what to do… after I've lost everyone's trust…" Mario noticed the troops were losing attention, and he felt worried. Pulling out the picture he still had in his overalls, he glanced at it to remember the good times he had with his friends ten years ago. Just then, Sonic stepped up to give Mario a pat on the shoulder.
"Let me have a go at this," Sonic told Mario. The red-clothed plumber nodded as his answer. With that response, the blue hedgehog climbed up on top of a large piece of driftwood until he was on the top root, gazing out into the distance and seeing the army he and his friends have gathered.
"Like Mario said, you guys probably think he's a dick," Sonic said. "And who can blame the poor guy? Haven't we all hidden the truth with little white lies from our loved ones before?" The Mii Fighter army looked up to see the blue hedgehog perched on the driftwood root, and alongside him all of the legendary heroes and villains on their team.
"Behind that gateway lies our worst nightmares," Sonic continued, standing up while maintaining his balance. "Whatever it is, the truth would have to be uncovered sometime soon. At least you guys are lucky: you lost your voices before having them retrieved again, and your home is gone. Well, take a look at R.O.B. over there." Sonic pointed at the ex-Ancient Minister, and the robot moved himself forward to stand next to the blue hedgehog.
"I want you to take a look at this guy," Sonic kept saying. "He was once a leader of his people. The ground you are all standing on, that was his home. His people and their freedom. He lost it all thanks to the Subspace Army, but they probably didn't know any better. They were just doing their job. Whoever's involved, whether it would be Tabuu or someone else, we don't know for sure, but what matters is that we stand and fight. Are you with me!? With all of us!?" The Mii Fighter army yelled their battle cry, ready to sacrifice their lives for the ultimate fight. Once Sonic jumped off the driftwood, the resistance army ran through the Subspace gateway, prepared.
"Wow," Mario said, walking towards the blue hedgehog. "How did you manage to convince these Mii Fighters to fight by our side?"
"Did I forget to tell you I was once a commander?" Sonic answered in the form of a question. "Get yourself imprisoned in space for six months and you might get the idea…" The blue blur then ran off with the Mii Fighter troops into Subspace, followed by Mario and the rest of the gang into the harsh depths of Subspace. The first few seconds of the true form of Subspace managed to flash in their eyes filled with luscious trees, alien-like creatures, and rivers that flew like mercury under a deep blue, watery sky. However, once the darkness sensed that intruders have arrived, it drastically shifted into a warlike land, filled with black opal ground hard as rock, and only the Judgement Fortress showing its single eye gleaming at the fighters. In a group of Primids and other monsters leading them into the final battle were the four generals of the army: Sephiroth, Infinite, M. Bison, and Morpho Knight, with the bosses that involved Dracula and the Rathalos nowhere to be seen.
"Let's-a go," Mario said calmly. "For Arcadia."
"For Arcadia!" Zero Suit Samus yelled.
"For Arcadia!" Link cried too.
"For Arcadia!" all the legendary fighters and the Mii army yelled, and those that couldn't talk cheered instead.
"For getting us home safely," Sonic muttered to himself. The blue hedgehog was filled with hope as he ran with his friends side-by-side, ready to fight. The resistance of the Mii Fighter army along with all of the legendary heroes and villains ran towards the hundreds of thousands of monsters of the Subspace Army, the two teams clashing with each other.
The final battle seemed like the wars of old, with two sides equally balanced and their hands full of their rivals. The Mii Fighters, alongside the ex-Ultimates Reborn and those who used to work for the Subspace Army before changing their minds, attacked a series of minor Subspace monsters, first aiming for the ones that fly and the others that were grounded. The other legendary warriors used their special talents to kill off whoever or whatever attacked them, even the commanders of the Subspace Army. Ryu and Ken teamed up to fight against M. Bison while Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede had their hands full attacking Morpho Knight. Sonic kept his target-locking ability on Infinite with his spin attacks, and Cloud Strife was clashing swords with his mortal rival Sephiroth.
"You can't defeat us, Cloud," Sephiroth snarled, his face drawing closer to Cloud's. "We are unstoppable." Cloud then pushed Sephiroth with his foot, drawing his Buster Sword.
"I beg to differ," the 1st-class SOLDIER objected, with the one-winged angel looking behind Cloud. Sephiroth then saw almost all of his troops were defeated, with only a few Mii Fighters slain. All of the legendary fighters, including the ex-Ultimates Reborn and the ex-Ancient Minister, were walking closer to the commanders of the Subspace Army.
"You'll regret this… all of you…" Sephiroth growled, vanishing into thin air. Flying as a darkened cloud towards the top of the Judgement Fortress, Sephiroth retreated alongside Infinite, Morpho Knight, and M. Bison back into the tower. The Subspace Army lost.
Inside the Judgement Fortress, Tabuu, outside of his crystal ball prison, appeared in the form of Hella, wrapping her butterfly-like cape around herself like a dress and wielding the abstract-looking, golden staff with the dark Smash Ball from before. Though the crystal ball was still around in the throne room, that glass prison behaved more like a resting place for Tabuu. She walked towards the Master Hand, admiring how he was hung up by the Chains of Light, weakened as each end of these powerful tools were latched onto the walls and restraining the Hand of Creation.
"Look at you," Hella spoke, placing her hand on the Master Hand's leathery, glove-like shell. "You are merely just a servant of someone greater, as was me. Hopefully the warriors you have summoned get through my little challenge to bring back the hope and light, though you and I clearly know where there is the yang, there is always the yin; therefore, once the hope and light return to Arcadia, HE will use these powers to stop us, converting that hope and light into fear and darkness…" Just then, Indie, the only one to arrive in the room, teleported near the crystal ball Tabuu was regenerating his powers in.
"So, you decided to awaken form your slumber, Tabuu?" Indie asked, slowly floating towards Hella and watching as the black-haired warrior looked at the fading-into-black-mist creature.
"I don't go by that name anymore," Hella answered.
"You don't have to hide anything from me," Indie objected, creeping closer. "You can stop pretending to be someone you're not now…"
"I'm supposed to remain in this form until the Great Maze is complete," Hella spoke. "Not only will I create a world of my own, I will also use it to defend against the one I call my master…"
"So you plan on using the greatest weapons in the known multiverse against their creator?" Indie asked.
"What are you talking about?" Hella spoke, wondering what was going on. Indie then merely just floated next to the black-haired warrior.
"You are really stubborn, slave," Indie chuckled.
"Slave…?" Hella asked, stepping a little farther away.
"Ten years after your first attempt on the Great Maze, I was released from my prison, searching through the cosmos for you and traveling from universe to universe," Indie said, floating a little closer to the ground and to Hella. "I went looking for the one who bound himself in Chains of Light and Darkness millennia ago, and you're using these bondages against the only Master Hand guarding this planet."
"I had to become enslaved so that I could save the only love of my life," Hella spoke, pulling out her staff with the darkened Smash Ball. "You and your brother destroyed her in your fight, so I had to sacrifice my freedom…" Indie then teleported next to Hella, gently grabbing her hand.
"Don't forget the deal you made, Tabuu," Indie growled, revealing the Chains of Light on Hella's wrists and ankles.
"Yes, master," Hella spoke, and Indie's body started glowing brighter than the afternoon sun.
A few minutes had passed, and Sephiroth alongside the other three Subspace commanders ran into the throne room. The one-winged angel had noticed Tabuu was outside his glass ball, looming over the four leaders in his towering form – the glowing blue body he once had, the abstract butterfly wings, the single red eye where a person's stomach should be, levitating in the arms-crossed stance he once took.
"Tabuu?" Sephiroth asked. "What are you doing outside your prison? I thought absorbing the Smash Balls would free you…" The Construct God slowly shifted his body, looking down upon them.
"This was more like a resting place, considering the fact that was getting comfortable inside there," Tabuu spoke. "About Hella and my relationship with the Master Core, the memories I filled a few select fighters…"
"What about them?" Infinite spoke up. "Is there something you haven't told us yet?"
"I have a confession to make," Tabuu spoke. "This was the exact same position I forced the Master Hand to reveal to Lord Ganondorf ten years ago, eventually having the Gerudo call me a traitor. Well…" Tabuu then lifted up his left wrist, showing a golden handcuff wrapped around his wrist that suddenly became visible.
"No," Sephiroth whispered. "It can't be… you don't mean to tell me that…"
"I'm afraid the origin of Hella was a ruse," Indie's voice called out from behind the Construct God. Sephiroth, M. Bison, Morpho Knight, and Infinite looked behind Tabuu to find none other than the warrior made of black mist, grabbing onto the Chains of Light that cuffed and shackled Tabuu's wrists and ankles.
"Indie!" M. Bison yelled. "What do you think you're doing!?" Indie just simply cackled at that response, enjoying Tabuu under his control.
"This is something that goes WAAAAAY back, if you know what I mean," Indie answered. "It all started with a fight in the multiverse…"
"We have no idea what you are talking about," Morpho Knight answered. "Answer us! What is going on, Indie!?" Laughing out of craziness, Indie suddenly pulled Tabuu towards him, glowing much brighter. The four Subspace Army leaders were shocked by what was going on. Below Indie which once was every reference the black-mist warrior was paying homage to now remains a pile of clothes that had disintegrated a few seconds after they had touched the black floor. Now, all that had remained was a divine being so bright he appeared in the form of a glowing white orb without showing his true appearance just yet. Emerging from the bright orb were six, colossal wings that stretched out across the room, with the outsides coated in quartz and the insides showing off galaxies behind an ocean blue and a fiery red background, with the two colors each on separate wings but placing the images of the cosmos together.
"Who the hell are you!?" Sephiroth called out to the strange being enslaving Tabuu.
"I'm a being lost-lost in the depths of history," the six-winged guest spoke in a deepened voice completely different from Indie's usual, croaky voice. "The fact that Tabuu is under my power goes way back, during the time when even the greatest clock in the known multiverse was ticking my name: Galeem, the Seraph of Order."
"You're the great evil Tabuu warned us about!" Sephiroth snarled. "You are going to pay for this, you demon!" The one-winged angel then pulled out his katana blade while the other three commanders stepped back.
"Sephiroth, don't do this," Infinite growled. "He is not who you think he is…" However, Sephiroth would not listen and flew right past the enslaved Tabuu towards Galeem. The seraphic being managed to use his powers, wrapping Sephiroth around in a golden rope. The one-winged angel then dropped to the ground, his raven-black wing struggling underneath the tight bondage as the other three warriors kept watching, too afraid to even help Sephiroth.
"Time to put my powers to good use," Galeem spoke, the glowing white orb with six wings floating towards the Master Hand. The Seraph of Order then used his telekinesis ability, slowly ripping apart the cloth-like skin covering the Master Core and turning the Swarms inside to gleaming blue from the usual pitch-black color they originally were. Galeem then absorbed the blue essence from the Swarms into his body hidden from the glowing white orb surrounding him, generating a small black hole. From the emptiness, Galeem then shot out a bright yellow beam, curving its shot to target the one-winged angel. As soon as Sephiroth was hit by the beam, the one-winged angel noticed the golden rope falling off him, and he found his physical form quickly fading into dust. Sephiroth was terrified by what was happening to him as he kept holding onto himself, trying to catch the dust falling off his body. Once the black hole vanished and the beam disappeared, M. Bison, Infinite, and Morpho Knight slowly got up after hiding in the Phantom Ruby's virtual world to see Galeem appear before them again, holding onto the Chains of Light that Tabuu was bound to. The Seraph of Order then pulled out a glowing white arm, his true form still hidden from view, and snapped his fingers. Emerging from where Sephiroth once was now stood before Galeem a semi-transparent, glowing red replica of the one-winged angel with a Rainbow Aura.
"A Master Legendary," Galeem chuckled. "Just what I needed."
"What did you do to him!?" Infinite snarled underneath his metal mask.
"I made him into a Spirit," Galeem answered, Sephiroth turning his ghostly neck around to glare at the three leaders of the Subspace Army.
"You see," Galeem continued, "when I use that beam trick on anyone that has not passed the test of a Master Core, whether it would be an Assist Trophy, summoning Pokémon, or anyone else in general, they become a Spirit."
"You mean you… killed Sephiroth!?" M. Bison asked in anger.
"You could say I did…" Galeem answered. "I can bring back his physical form, but only when they surrender their freedom." Galeem then dragged Tabuu towards him with the Chains of Light, the Construct God attempting to resist.
"You better turn Sephiroth back to normal at once!" Morpho Knight snapped, pulling out his sword. The three commanders of the Subspace Army then pulled out their weapons, but Galeem merely just laughed, throwing Tabuu to his side. The Seraph of Order then got up from the throne he was sitting on, levitating higher into the air.
"How cocky," Galeem chuckled. "Now that I have reunited with the physical realm, I will finally create the world I have always wanted. And don't worry, guys. I still have plenty of energy from the Arcadian Master Core, so you'll get to join your little friend too…" Transforming into a little black hole again, the Seraphim of Chaos then fired three more shots at the commanders of the Subspace Army, and not even Tabuu could stop his master. The last thing Morpho Knight, Infinite, and M. Bison saw as the golden beams of light passed through them were their bodies disintegrating and the unholy laughter from the six-winged orb of light echoing through the Judgement Fortress.
