I barely saw Rantaro's first attack coming. I ducked at the last second, feeling his Monado slicing through the air just above my head. I fired, but the mastermind countered the attack.

However, Gonta and Kiyo, both transformed, attacked from behind and Rantaro growled angerly, turning to face them and smashing them aside. Kaede, Tenko, Ajia, Beshi, and Dora hurried forward, but then, in a flash of light, corrupted copies of the deceased students in the way they died appeared and attacked them, striking all of them.

"Zell! Sae! Miyuji! Gita! Kiba!" I called out as Shulk locked his blade with Rantaro's Monado and struggled to keep it at bay.

"We're on it!" Zell shouted, launching a Pyro Ball at Tsuruzo, Tsumugi, Himiko, and Miu while Sae fired a lighting bolt at Maki, Kirumi, and Shuichi, Gita shot at Ryoma, Angie, Kaito, and Tokuko, and Kiba cracked her whip at Keebo and Kokichi.

They all turned to their attackers and rushed towards them and the four of them only had time for one startled cry before several attacks crashed into them, leaving a few wounds.

"YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT ME!" Rantaro shouted, forcing Shulk back.

He stumbled, falling down and nearly dropping his weapon. But then Miyuji flung out fire, lightning, and sound waves, and Kaede, Ajia, Beshi, Dora, and Kiyo moved side-by-side to strike Rantaro.

The mastermind snarled wordlessly, smashing his Monado down on Kaede's shoulder. She collapsed, struggling to breathe, struggling to rise, and then Tsuruzo, Tsumugi, Himiko, Miu, Kirumi, Angie, Keebo, and Kokichi hurried for her.

"Oh no you don't!" Gonta yelled as he and Tenko barreled forward.

They crashed into the corruptions, sending them into a Topple and then Zell, Sae, and Gita fired at them despite the pain they must be in. All eight of them vanished immediately.

I scrambled upright turning, seeing Rantaro glaring at Gonta and Tenko and then...

"Behold my power!" The mastermind shouts as he raised his Monado high, a great blade of light bursting out of it. He swings downward and cleaves through Gonta and Tenko.

"NO!" I cried out, holding out my Battle Gem, the gem flashing gold.

"Behold my power!" Rantaro shouted as he raised his Monado high, a great blade of light bursting out of it. He swung downward, but two domed golden shields surrounded Gonta and Tenko, protecting them.

"What?!" The false god muttered. "That's impossible! HOW could you read my movements?!"

Dora tried to strike him, but the mastermind dodged the attack. Tenko turned and then swung her hammer at the ankles of Shuichi, Kaito, Maki, Tokuko, and Ryoma. Then Kiba and Ajia attacked together, the keyboard artist's whip and the Disciple of Gluttony's katanas puncturing them. In a few moments, they also disappeared.

Rantaro swung again, striking Ajia but she managed to angle herself so she took the blow on her right shoulder. Miyuji and Beshi attacked together and then me and Shulk ran forward and slammed a bullet from my rifle and his sword against the mastermind. He flew back, glaring down at us.

"You dare to oppose the will of the mastermind?" He demanded in anger. "Then I will obliterate everything with my new-found power!"

He tossed his Monado into the air and let it go through him as dark light engulfed him.

A Xenoblade Transformation! I thought to myself.

When the light faded, we looked up and saw a giant figure a lot like what Zanza looked like in his 'powered-up' form.

"Now! Behold the true form of a despairful world!" Rantaro shouted as he pointed his Monado downward.

For a moment, I couldn't move. This whole fight was giving me flashbacks to the final fight with Zanza. I gave Shulk a quick nod in confirmation and we charged together.

"You could never hope to beat me!" Rantaro exclaimed as he swung his blade down, but I was ready and ducked beneath the blow and landing a solid shot on the mastermind.

Suddenly, dark light burst from him and I cried out as it struck me, causing me to double over. But then Zell and Kaede were on my left side and then Sae and Miyuji stood on my right side and they all attacked.

Rantaro cried out in fury, slamming his Monado down, but they scattered, throwing themselves out of the way. Then Dora and Kiba struck, darting away before striking again.

"This is my despairful answer!" The mastermind shouted as he slashed to try and strike Miyuji's bandmates, but the drummer and keyboard artist managed to dodge the attacks.

Gita fired and Rantaro turned his attention to her. But just as he swung at her, Gonta, Tenko, and Miyuji darted in front of her and caught the attack on their weapons, forcing the Monado aside.

Beshi rushed ahead, striking Rantaro swiftly. I watched as she backed away quickly, her eyes glazed with pain and then...

"Behold the power of despair!" The mastermind calls and before Beshi could dodge, he strikes her, killing her instantly.

"The future doesn't belong to you!" I shouted as I held my Battle Gem outward.

"Behold the power of despair!" Rantaro called, aiming to strike Beshi.

But blue light surrounded her and she darted away, the blow barely missing her.

"YOU ARE ALL DOOMED!" The false god proclaimed.

Light burst from him but I was ready this time, darting away. Then, as I turned back towards the mastermind, canary yellow suffused my vision and...

Light blasts out from Rantaro repeatedly, striking me and knocking me back until I collapse.

I pointed my Battle Gem forward and the domed shield surrounded me just in time to repel the blasts of light.

"How?" Rantaro demanded. "How can you predict my movements?! You don't even have the Monado!"

"I don't know." I answered as I ran alongside Shulk as the two of us rush forward, dodging attacks and striking at the mastermind. "It comes from the bottom of my heart. It shows me my enemy. It reveals the future I must change!"

"The future we see is not set in stone." Shulk continued, blocking an attack. "There are infinite possibilities based on the paths we choose. You should've been aware of this notion. Because that is how you always existed!"

"I thought that was a right for gods and gods alone!" Rantaro shouted as he swung his blade, but Shulk leapt out of the way.

"Why should we care?!" I demanded as I leapt from behind and plunged the end of my rifle into Rantaro's shoulder.

He reared back in pain and threw me off. I roared a battle cry and flew up into the air with my rifle and Battle Gem in my hands before continuing. "What's important isn't whether you can see the future or not. It's the will to make a choice and the strength to seize your destiny! Our time has come. OUR DESTINY IS OUR OWN!"

My eyes glowed canary yellow and my Battle Gem glowed brightly as equally yellow beams of light shot up towards me from Miyuji, Gonta, Kiyo, Kaede, and Tenko's chests, where their hearts are and engulfed me in light.

In this light, I saw the deceased students in what they looked like before they died. They smiled as they reached out to touch my Battle Gem. All of them vanished as it seemed like what remained of their souls entered my Battle Gem. And as they did, Tsuruzo, Tsumugi, Himiko, Miu, Maki, Kirumi, Shuichi, Ryoma, Angie, Kaito, Tokuko, Keebo, and Kokichi all spoke one-by-one in that order to me.

"Make sure my death was never in vain, my little starlet!"

"End it for all of us, promise me, alright?"

"Nyeh... Tell Tenko to enjoy the future for me and give the mastermind a bad time."

"Looks like it's the end of the line for I, Miu Iruma! Don't let him win, Shyla!"

"You have my support. Don't get used to it even if this is my final moments."

"It was an honor to be at your service, Sharla. Use my strength to fulfill this final request to kill the mastermind, you were likely to do this more than I ever could."

"I'm sorry for accusing you of playing for the mastermind, Sharla. Don't give up on the truth and use my support to end this game once and for all."

"Looks like you did find your way to go after all. Consider my last gift as an apology for trying to kill Kiyo."

"Lord Zanza might get mad when I say this but, I believe in you, Sharla! So believe in your own true strength!"

"The impossible is possible as long as you believe in yourself and your friends, Sharla! Give the mastermind hell for us!"

"Have him pay for all of his bloody sins against us and avenge our sacrifices!"

"You showed me that I could be just like anyone else. Don't let the mastermind take everything you've been through for granted!"

"I-I really didn't m-mean for you to k-kill me when I-I killed Keebo but, g-give the m-mastermind h-hell for me, O-OK?"

My Battle Gem glowed brighter as I raised it to the sky and shouted the activation word while the voice echoed at the same time.

Affectionate Valkyrie!

"HENSHIN!"

I closed my eyes as I felt my clothes vanish off my body. I spun around as the black, gold, and dark orange armor formed on me in solid light that wrapped around my body. A pair of white angel-like wings with black rims at the top and golden rings woven in them and light filling them appeared on my back and spread outwards. My normal rifle was replaced with one that looked like it was made out of canary yellow light. It had a large head-sink on one side covered by a shield-like plate with an orange stripe, an incorporeal scope and the gun barrel was completely made out of a beam of energy.

This was... my own True Monado…

The other weapon besides Shulk's that helped kill Zanza and end the Killing Titan War and will now kill Rantaro once and for all...

I used my wings to break out of the light that engulfed me and let everyone see me holding the new weapon in my hand as I floated in the air with my wings.

"No way... that weapon..!" Rantaro exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's not only gods who have the right!" Shulk said as he transformed and flew up to where I was with his hand-made Replica Monado in his hands. "Every living thing has the power to choose the path they'll walk! And that's the future!"

"The fourth Monado has reappeared. How could I let this happen?! You're just mortals!" The mastermind yelled.

He tried to charge at us but stopped when he saw the kanji for 'god' on the rings woven into my wings.

"That special hope this game of yours always brought up was the love I've always felt for my friends!" I shouted. "It keeps me going no matter what happens!"

"And now, that power will be used to put an end to you!" Shulk added as he used his Replica Monado to knock Rantaro's false weapon out of his hands, breaking it to millions of pieces.

"And we'll... SEIZE OUR DESTINY!" The two of us shouted in unison.

I then shouted out at the top of my lungs as I aimed at the defenseless Rantaro...

"Monado... GODSLAYER!"

I fired a powerful bullet made out of light which hit Rantaro and he started to explode on the inside.

"No... No! Everything that I am... all of it... It's... vanishing..." He muttered as the whole area was engulfed in light and I felt ourselves moving.

The Killing School Semester was finally over and we were finally heading back home to a world with no need for gods.

…

End of Chapter 6: The God-Slaying Power

Final Survivors: 6

Present Obtained: Easter Egg - Proof that you cleared Chapter 6. A monument bearing words of resolution. The following words are inscribed on the front: "The power of love and friendship can break through all obstacles."