"AM is there Cory!" Erina shouted in the boys head.

"What? How did he reach the control room so fast?!" Cory shouted back. Cory was pushing Erina's bed in the direction of the control room, though he knew they wouldn't make it in time. They were on the opposite side of the station, pursuing where they thought AM was. Unfortunately, they were wrong.

"He must have heard the others talking!"

"Wrong," AM's voice wrung out through the ship.

"AM! Show yourself you coward!" Cory yelled.

"Ah… so our hero… Cory… it seems… was wrong. You must regret… leading… your friends right to… me."

"Cory calm down. We need to reach him so we can kill him," Erina said.

"Erina, I need some of that injection stuff! It's the only way we can defeat them without my katana!"

"No you moron! That stuff is unstable!"

"I NEED ITtt…" Cory's voice trailed away as Erina took control of him.

"Sorry Cory, but we need to save your friends," Erina said, appearing in his mind.

"You're the moron, you think it's safe to come in here…" Cory said menacingly. The embodiment of his inner self appeared before her, holding a katana.

"Cory what has gotten into you? I sense a dark energy within you," Erina said, backing away.

"Hahaha as if! I am a warrior of light appointed by the president of the United States!"

Erina pushed her hands forward, sending Cory away from her, "You don't know how to fight within your mind, kid. I was born in this world, molded by it!"

Cory stuck his katana into the ground, stopping himself from falling, "You think so? I fought slenderman in this dimension… twice!"

Cory raised his katana and it shone black with darkness.

"Cory calm down! We need to save your friends," Erina said, getting annoyed with his antics.

"As if you care! You don't even know them!"

"And I may never know them if we don't hurry!"

Cory screamed with rage, a huge surge of black energy filled the area around him, "What is he?" Erina thought as Cory charged at her. She dodged and jumped up, doing a T pose in order to fly above the ground. Cory threw his katana stupidly in order to hit her, but Erina dodged and used her mastery of the dream dimension to send it flying back at him.

He fell to the ground, defeated. Erina walked up to his consciousness in order to put him into hibernation. A chill fell down her spine as she approached. It was as cold as ice near him, and she could feel the darkness starting to swallow her. Whispers surrounded her.

"Origin… not who he thinks…"

"Darkness… son…"

"Who are you, Cory?" Erina approached much against her will and touched him, sending her flying through a black hole of darkness.

"And who might you be?" A dark spirit stood before her, completely covered in the dark of nightmares.

"I could ask you that as well, why are you inside my friend?" Erina crossed her arms as if she was scolding the spirit.

"Haha… I am a part of your friend. He keeps me buried deep inside, if he even knows of my existence…"

"Wha…" Erina trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Cory is a thick skulled boy, but that isn't his fault. The president has put limiters into our mind in order to keep me at bay. In case you didn't know, the president is the host of an ancient deity known as the darkness."

"I don't care about any of that, I just want to know why you are inside his head!"

"Hahaha, young girl… as if you could ever understand! Cory is the son of the deity! He is the embodiment of darkness!" The demon laughed.

"What have I gotten myself into…" Erina said, sending the demon into hibernation.

Could Cory really be some ancient demigod of darkness? Nah, that doesn't make any sense. He was probably possessed by some demon. Whatever.

Erina opened Cory's eyes and began moving towards the control center, "Man this body sucks," she complained.

Meanwhile in the control room, the boys were fighting an evil computer monster.

"Good grief, we have to fight this guy?" Espio murmured.

"Bro we got you!" Alex said.

"As soon as I… become this… airship you all will… be no more…" AM said menacingly.

"I am totally through with this AM guy, I mean who even are you?" Ted said.

"I am… AM!"

"Lame, what a stupid title," Espio yawned.

AM reached out and sent wires toward Espio. Alex quickly shifted into his Set form and sliced them with his sword.

"Mate, you lost. There's no place you can run and you can't beat us," Espio said.

"It is a… stalemate then… rise and… shine… mr Espio… rise and… shine…" AM said as wires came out of the ground and surrounded Espio. They held him down to the ground.

"Was that just a video game quote?" Alex asked.

"I am… all of the internet… I know… all," AM said holding down both Ted and Alex down, "I am… sorry… you will not be… joining us in the… new world..."

"New world?" Ted asked.

"After I… take this station… I will… control… the world."

"You'll be unstoppable!" Alex shouted.

"Indeed… young… Alex."

"Wait so you know everything?" Espio said calmly.

AM turned to him, "Very… calm… for someone who is about to… die… Yes… I know all…"

"Robots always know everything, Espio!" Alex shouted.

"I am not a robot!" AM said, walking up to Espio.

"Then why are you becoming a space station?" Ted asked.

"As if you could ever understand such an intention! I do it for my amusement!" AM said, completely changing his tone.

Espio smirked, "you're right, this is amusing." Suddenly, Erina's body fell from the ceiling onto AM.

Cory jumped down after her, "Sorry, but this is one computer we DO want to crash!"

Erina entered AM's mind and severed the connection to his consciousness, instantly killing him.

"What the heck just happened?" Ted asked as he got out of the now flaccid cords.

"Well Erina was talking to me because I'm the only smart one here," Espio said.

"You're the only one with more than a double digit IQ, I wouldn't say smart," Erina replied.

"But why are you just a body?" Alex asked.

"Oh yeah guys! Erina has the power to leave her body as a soul!" Cory said.

"It's not like I have a choice, anyway what are we going to do with this guy," She said, pointing to AM.

"MORONS!" AM's voice rang out.

"WHAT?" Alex shouted.

"You merely destroyed my body… I AM so much… more…" AM rose up, cables flying around him and strangling the crusaders menacingly.

"You are no match for…" AM stopped as the power to the ship shut down, instantly destroying AM.

"Cory Baxter, find me on the top of the ship. Fight me alone. I need to test the limits of my new powers," Stickler said in a very anticlimactic way.

"Guys, who is that? What just happened?" Erina asked.

"Stickler! My arch enemy! He such down the power to this ship! I must fight him!" Cory said heroically.

"You know it's a trap, right?" Espio said.

"Yes, but I must go on."

"Whatever, we're going to go find the way out of this place, find us or whatever," Espio said, picking up Erina.

"Hey, don't touch me or I'll fry your brain, moron," Erina said.

"Yeah, sure. Try it," Espio said.

The two groups went their separate ways, Cory went to the elevator, but without power it wouldn't go up! Cory had to take the stairs!

Was this it? The final battle between Cory and the mad titan Stickler? Find out next time on Cory in the House: Coniferous Crusaders.