AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't own anything from Bayonetta.

Damien spotted something on the ground as they stepped out of the portal. Snarling, he gave a swift kick to the side of Balder's corpse and knocked it over. Bayonetta grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.

"It's OK…" She whispered. "He is gone. He can't harm you anymore."

"He made me into this!" The pair of wings retracted as he willed his power to fade, but his features remained pale and his hair remained silver and hip length. "This… monster! He deserves everything he gets!"

"You have to let it go, Damien." She looked at him with a look of understanding. "Otherwise he will have won."

He grimaced but continued to stare at the body with hatred.

…

Luka found the pair staring at the body of Balder. The Sage was lying flat on the rooftop, his pale features etched into a scowl.

"Is that it?" He asked, startling both. "Is that the end of it all?"

"I believe so." Damien smiled at him with exhaustion, the frown on his features fading. "It's over."

Luka nodded, and then gave the body a kick of his own. "And that one was for my father, you fuck!"

The other two laughed at his insult. The mortal then began to look around, as if he was trying to find something.

"Where is Cerezita?" He asked, finally settling on looking back at the pair.

"She is now back in her own time." Damien answered. "We did find out who she was, and why she was so important."

"Who was she?"

"Me." Bayonetta smirked. Luka's eyes widened, and his face went pale.

"Wait, you are Cerezita?" He sounded shocked, and he had every right to be.

"Yes, Uncle Luka." She smiled as he made a face at the nickname. "Aw, come on! Even though Damien here is not my son, I have to be able to tease someone about their relation to me!"

"Well, anyway, now that is finally sorted." Luka regained control of his emotions and looked at the pair. "I guess it's time for me to leave you two alone, so you can celebrate with each other?"

"What?" Bayonetta turned to him. Damien also turned to face him fully, confusion etched on his pale features.

"You two like each other beyond friends, right?" He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I get it, and its fine with me. I'll go and fuck off now."

Bayonetta laughed as she realised what he meant. "Cheshire, ever so curious, but not curious enough."

Damien also smiled. "I'm her brother."

"WHAT?" His hands flew out of his pockets as he stared at the pair with unbridled shock.

"Balder here;" She refused to call him father. "Used my mother's DNA and his own to replace his genetics with theirs, literally turning him into family."

"You're her created brother?" Luka realised, his voice conveying surprise. "How the fuck?"

"It's not hard, in theory." Damien answered. "It's better than nothing."

"But…" Luka put a hand on his head and closed his eyes. "This is fucked up..."

Both frowned and glared at him. His face fell as he realised his phrasing. "Sorry, I didn't mean that in a literal sense." He opened his eyes and grinned uneasily.

"You're forgiven, and I agree. This is fucked up." Sephiroth turned back to Balder. "And now since I know my name, I can find the real me."

"Damien…" Bayonetta said it for the third time, letting the word roll out of her mouth. "The antichrist, in some interpretations."

"Your real name is Damien?" Luka asked yet another question, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm really out of the loop."

"Yes, you are, Luka." Bayonetta smiled and turned to him. "We have a lot of explaining to do."

Grabbing his hand, the three began to walk away.

"You do have a lot. You can start as to why Damien here now looks like an anime character." Luke asked to some chuckles.

Reality seemed to flicker, and then the witch collapsed, holding her head and glowing red.

"Bayonetta?" Luka turned to her, half yelling her name. Damien instantly took a defensive stance and surveyed the area for a potential threat.

"Why yes." Balder's voice was splitting and warping, and both men winced at the sound. "It is all going according to plan."

Damien whipped around to see the Lumen Sage, alive and standing before them. He was glowing blue, and his hand reached up and replaced his golden half mask onto his bruised, but serene face.

"You?!" He screamed in fury and surprise.

"It was never her I wanted." He smiled as Bayonetta groaned in pain. "The innocent Cereza, uncorrupted by power or time, could awaken the power of the Left Eye."

Damien charged at him, and then got promptly thrown off the building by a telekinetic swipe from the Sage.

"And my plan worked, spectacularly. Now is the time for Jubileus to return, and for the creation of a new universe!"

Luka stepped between the Lumen and Bayonetta. "N-not on my watch." He raised his fists. "I will not let you."

"Brave." Balder's eyes glinted. "But foolish." He clicked his fingers and Bayonetta arose into the air, glowing red. Levitating after her, he caught and gently cradled the witch.

"No!" Luka fired his grappling hook after them, but he merely deflected the projectile. Raising up, he flew to the top of the Ithavoll building.

"Bayonetta!" Damien roared as he landed onto the building again. Collapsing, he choked out a sob. "We failed…"

Luka could only stare in despair at the building. He vaguely felt the ground rumble, and he didn't care that the warning klaxons and sirens were wailing.

They had failed, even though they had won. It wasn't fair! How could they win when Balder could cheat his way out of death?

"Oh, get up." An unfamiliar voice to Luka, but all too familiar to Damien began to speak from behind them. "There is still time!"

"Time for what?" Damien turned to her, fresh tears in his eyes. "Jeanne, he has won!"

The witch in grey shook her head, pulling him onto his feet. "He has only won when there is no one standing before him. And as I last recalled, there is still two Umbra Witches alive and one very powerful and pissed off metahuman that can still get in his way. So don't you dare say it's over!"

Damien breathed in. "He's going to resurrect the God of creation. How are we supposed to fight that?"

"It is merely another angel, an angel on the list of things to kill." She bared her teeth savagely. "I've always wanted to kill a God."

He grew serious and closed his eyes. "We can do this. We have to do this…"

"That's the spirit. You there!" She pointed at Luka, who had been listening in awe at the two. "Get the people here to safety!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Luka immediately stood at attention, and then ran off.

"Since when were you the leader?" Damien raised an eyebrow at her.

"As the daughter of the Umbran Elder, I was trained to become the head of the clan." She explained briefly. "Now, we need to get on that rocket."

"I don't have a weapon." Damien looked at his hands. "I'm not sure-"

He stopped as a katana was dropped in his hands. "What this?"

"While you were sending back Cereza, I took liberties of getting your sword back to Rodin." She looked at him with amusement in her eyes. "This is Angel Slayer, and it has served me well in the past. Now hop on!"

She clicked her fingers and a motorcycle appeared out of Inferno. In front of them, the Ithavoll building began to tremble and shudder as it began to rise, its true purpose as a rocket finally revealed.

"I can fly." He pointed out, standing up.

She shook her head and sat onto the bike. "I'm faster. And you can only fly when you're in your little berserk mode, if I recall."

He didn't argue. Taking the seat behind her, he let Angel Slayer fade into Inferno and tentatively wrapped his arms around her. She rolled her eyes at his shyness; however, she understood why he was on edge around her. Revving the engine beyond its limits, they shot off like an arrow towards the rising building.

"By the way, my real name is Damien." He said to her as they landed on the lower floors and began to speed up the building. "If you didn't know already."

"I knew." She answered, smiling in relief. "It suits you better."

…

Bayonetta and Jeanne heard the Elders convening as they ran to them.

"…Fortitudo and Iustitia have been confirmed sealed away."

"That makes two unable to be reborn. What of the others?"

"Temperentia has destroyed the Umbran Clocktower." Jeanne announced their presence and the five witches turned to the pair. "Sapientia is currently assaulting the training grounds as we speak."

"The clocktower?!" One cried out. "All hope is lost!"

"Silence!" The Umbran Elder stood up. "As long as the Eye, our precious Eye, has not fallen into the hands of another, then we have not yet lost."

She turned to Bayonetta and stiffened. "You are still the wielder. You must get to safety."

"Mummy!" Jeanne froze. "You don't mean that…"

"My daughter, the time has come. Our time has come." The room shook as Sapentia launched another volley of missiles into the citadel. "We will hold them off for as long as possible. You need to take Cereza and get her out of here."

"Mummy…" She stepped forward. The Elder glared at her, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"No Jeanne!" Another rumble caused cracks to form at the entrance. "You must go!"

Swallowing, she nodded. "I love you Mummy."

"We will meet again in the next life. You must do everything in your power to protect the Eye." The Elder's palm glowed as a section of the wall retracted. "Now go! And don't look back."

Running into the tunnel, they only heard the grinding of stone as the passageway closed behind them.

"Stop!" Jeanne ran into a side room and pulled her in. "I need to know…"

She understood what she was talking about. They stayed quiet, listening. There was a massive crash as Sapientia destroyed his way into the citadel, and they heard the battle cries of various witches, all the untrained and newly appointed ones who had been held back from the assault from the Lagunan, until now.

They lasted seconds.

"Where is it!?" The Audito boomed. "Where is the Eye!?"

"The Eye is gone to somewhere safe, where you won't find it!" The Elder's voice carried well through the stone passageway. "Cease this slaughter!"

The Audito roared, and the Umbran Elder's cried out in fury, summoning their Infernals.

Bayonetta grabbed Jeanne's hand and began to stroke it with her thumbs, trying to calm the distressed blonde down.

The Audito spoke clearly in Enochulan, and then several massive explosions were heard. The screams of the witches carried themselves over the sounds; then they went silent.

"No!" Jeanne screamed. "Mummy!"

Pulling her into a hug, she comforted her friend.

"Find it! It can't have gone far!" Sapientia ordered and the sounds of stone grinding, and cracking were heard once again.

"We can't stay here, Jeanne." Bayonetta separated with her and pointed back to the passageway. "We have to go."

Wiping the tears from her face, she nodded. Running, they flew down the tunnel in a matter of minutes. Exiting, they found themselves in the Umbran training grounds.

Dead witches lay on the floor, strewn about like forgotten dolls.

"We are all that's left…" Jeanne choked on the words. Bayonetta scanned the bodies and fell into despair as she spotted one.

"Mummy?!" She ran to the fallen witch and knelt by her, grabbing her hand. "Mummy! Wake up!"

The eyes flickered open weakly. "Cereza..."

"I'm still here Mummy." She put on a brave front. "We can still get you out, we just need a-"

"Cereza, don't." Her mother placed her hand weakly on her lips. "You need to keep the Eye safe, no matter what."

"Mummy, don't say that!" She felt tears prickling in her eyes. "You can still live!"

"My time has come." She smiled. "Khepri will treat me right…"

Her hand dropped to her chest. Fiddling with a pocket, she pulled out her tube of lipstick. "Take this, Cereza. When you meet him again, this is the proof he will need to know who…who you are…"

"Who, Mummy?" She grabbed the tube. "Stay with me Mummy, I don't have anyone else!"

"Jeanne will take care of you… She is a good girl…" Her mother's eyes closed, and her pulse died.

Her emotions went numb. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Jeanne was cursing behind her, but she didn't care.

Mummy was dead.

"You traitorous Sage!" She heard her say, but she stared blankly at her mother's corpse.

What was the point?

"ALALARE A COREDAZODIZODA!" A male voice cried from behind them. Golden chains surrounded her mother's corpse, and it was snatched into the air behind her. Turning, she saw the last Lumen Sage in battle uniform. She stared at him, not caring if he got the Eye or not.

Mummy was dead.

"My, my… The Eye, within my grasp." The Lumen said, a smile permeating his words. "Jeanne; isn't this enough bloodshed for you?"

"OXEX RACLIR!" Jeanne shouted, and then broke the summon spell as it began. Gomorrah roared as it was unleashed into the world, untethered by the witch.

"You fool!" The Sage screamed as the Infernal began to lumber towards them. "What have you done?"

"Bought time." She snarled. Grabbing out a small knife, she twisted and stabbed Bayonetta in the chest.

A light clink filled the air as the dagger was deflected by her Umbran watch, and Jeanne eyes widened in surprise. Bayonetta looked down and saw the pulsating stone embedded there. A memory from her childhood played out;

"You must always keep it safe and treasure it forever."

Her Mummy had said that a long time ago, back when they were with brother and Uncle Luka. What was her most treasured possession? It was her Umbran watch, the symbol of the Umbra and all they stood for. And within it was their most treasured possession.

The Left Eye. Her Left Eye. Not just any fancy trinket, the ultimate power of the Umbra Clan. And it was her purpose above all else to protect it. She had sworn to.

Or she could wield it.

Her resolve hardened as she looked at Jeanne. The witch in red gasped as the red jewel began to dull, and then lost all colour. Bayonetta stood up, her left eye glowing red, and she affixed the sage with a glare.

"You let Mummy die." She pointed at him, watching in anger as the Affinities tried to fend off the Infernal behind them. "You killed her!"

She burst forward in a sprint, summoning Madama Butterfly as she did. Two wicked punches later, the sage was flying towards the melee. Jeanne grabbed her hand and pulled her back, stopping her from running into the fray.

"Come, Cereza!" She hissed. "We need to leave before more arrive!"

…

The two witches collapsed next to a lake, exhausted. They had been evading the mortals and forces of Paradiso for nearly a week, running almost constantly. Breathing heavily, they both got onto their knees and faced each other.

"We can't go much longer." Jeanne looked at her with despair. "It's inevitable when they find us."

"They want the Eye, not you." Bayonetta grinned at her. "I can take them."

"In your state?" Her eyes widened. "Absolutely not!"

Her grin faded. "Jeanne, you don't have to be with me. They want me, not you. You can leave and start evading the angels properly. I know the only reason you haven't is because I am with you, and I am not the subtle witch you can be."

"I swore myself to protect the Eye. We all did." She answered, then looked away. "And I… care far too much to let you do anything alone."

"Jeanne?" Bayonetta frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

The witch in red looked at her, a blush spreading over her cheeks. Her eyes widened, and she looked back in shock.

"I never knew…" She looked down, and then back up. "I thought you liked men?"

"I do!" Jeanne fired back. "I just… don't care about the gender."

She stared at her in shocked silence. "Jeanne, why?"

"I don't know, ok?" She looked down. "I like you romantically, because you are both beautiful on the inside, and the outside. It doesn't matter about anything else, ok?"

"Since when?" The witch in black reached over and lifted her friend's chin up.

"Since we were fifteen." She replied, not meeting her eyes. "I had broken up with Jeremiah from Vigrid, and then I truly noticed you for the first time."

"I…" Bayonetta felt horrible. "I don't think I could ever think of you as more than a friend."

Jeanne smiled a sad smile. "I knew that the whole time. You don't seem like the type who could settle down with anyone; especially a girl."

"Hey, I've never really thought about whether I was bisexual or not." She laughed. "Although that does explain why you wanted more group showers under the guise of 'becoming comfortable with each other.'"

"That was a legitimate exercise, thank you very much." Jeanne blushed deeper.

"You're admitting it either way." Bayonetta looked to the lake and gazed onto it. "Honestly, I'll probably be the witch to fall for a mortal, of all people."

"Why a mortal?" Her companion frowned slightly. "You know that you are functionally immortal; you will outlive him or her."

"I believe that wouldn't necessarily be the case." She answered. "It won't matter to me. I'd rather my significant other be someone who cares, not someone who will always be there."

Jeanne nodded in understanding and didn't push the point. The two sat there, enjoying the silence and peace for a while.

"What were you trying to do, back with the sage?" Bayonetta asked, pretending to sound annoyed. "You tried to stab me."

"I was going to take your memories, seal away your power and then hide you in the mortal population, for you to never be discovered again." She answered after a moment's hesitation. "You would live out a normal life, until I assassinated him, and ended this conflict for good. If anything had failed, I would have sealed you into the empty vessel of the Left Eye, and then hidden you away."

Bayonetta reflected on her words. "You could seal me away."

"What?" Jeanne shook her head. "Cereza, I can't just do that!"

"Look, they are going to find us, no matter what. We both can't outrun the angels, and you know it. I am slowing you down." She grabbed her hand. "Seal away my memories, and then seal me away somewhere. You are the better witch, you stand a far better chance of evading them."

"I don't want to." Jeanne looked at her with a firm expression, tears welling in her grey eyes. "I refuse to do this while you can defend yourself."

"Jeanne, it's not about what we want to do. It's about what needs to happen." Bayonetta reached into Inferno and pulled out her dagger and pushed it into her hands. "Jeanne, I'll be fine. As long as he can't reach me, he can't complete the prophecy."

Jeanne nodded, tears pooling in her eyes. "Then let me do this my way."

She leaned forward and pressed her lips against hers. Bayonetta nearly pulled back but made a conscious effort to stay with her. Jeanne pulled back after a couple of seconds, blushing harder.

"Was it worth it?" Bayonetta smirked as tears began to form in her eyes as well. The witch in red smiled and nodded as she pressed the dagger against the witch in black.

"I'll miss you, Cereza." She whispered as she pushed it into her chest, and the world faded to black.

…

Jeanne grimaced as another painful memory shot through her head.

"Are you sure you are ok?" She heard Damien ask from behind her.

"The accursed Sage meddled with far too much for his own good." She focussed on keeping witchwalk active. "The past has changed, and for the worst."

"What changed?" He was curious, and who could blame him?

"Cereza originally never used the Eye, ever." She answered. "Even when we were the last two witches alive, she refused its power. Now, to whatever Balder has done to her, she used it instead. I sealed her away after she requested me to, and the rest is history."

"And now she has the powers of the Right Eye…" His visage stoned up. "He will pay."

Jeanne nodded, then revved the engine harder. The rocket had reached the atmosphere, and they were only two thirds up it.

Ahh, Jeanne. Balder's voice rang in their heads. You did survive.

Both stiffened at his interruption. Gaze upon what you once coveted; the glory of the Left Eye! Does it fill you with jealously, with hate?

"The only thing I want is my Umbran sister back!" Jeanne retorted, her sharp voice easily carrying over the wind. "The Eye can rot for all I care!"

And you, my failure. Balder addressed him. How can you be so close to someone who caused you so much pain?

I want my sister back! He telepathically sent back, not caring that Jeanne heard, nor seeing her look of surprise and confusion that she shot back at him. She was never the problem, you were!

Never the matter. It can't be delayed any longer. Balder's tone was full of mirth. Jubileus will return!

A huge snap was heard, and reality split apart. The full forces of Paradiso marched out; Affinities, Applauds, Joys and Beloved poured out by the thousands, descending upon the city beneath them.

Now, what shall you do? Balder laughed. Defeat me to return to a dead world, or save the mortals for the universe to be remade?

The flight descended onto Isla Del Sol, attacking everything and everyone. The faint screams of the mortals reached the pairs ears, and both tensed at the sound.

"There isn't going to be much point if he slaughters everyone." Jeanne hissed at herself and to him. "We have to kill him fast!"

The screams grew louder, and she glanced behind her to see the city beginning to burn. Blocking it out, she continued forward.

"I can't." Damien touched her head, and a spark of energy shot through it. Her head snapped around to see him fall from the motorcycle, back to Isla Del Sol.

"Damien!" She screamed. "Are you insane!?"

There will be nothing left to save if we both stay here. His voice answered in her mind. I have faith in you Jeanne. You will defeat him and get my sister back.

"You better survive then, so I can have the pleasure of killing you myself!" Jeanne turned back and scowled. "Some ally you are. And remember, she is my sister too!"

Free her before the Dea can awaken. Damien pointed out. Balder can't harm you now, and I honestly don't think there would be too many adversaries between you and our sister, aside from space of course.

That was a good point, and she silently commended him for changing his speech. "You better not be wrong."

…

Damien closed his eyes as he began to speed up. He was going to hit the ground hard, unless he wanted to access his full power willingly again.

You better, mortal. Khepri scolded him, reminding him of his fragility. You aren't going to survive that landing.

He mentally grappled with himself. He could feel the seductive pull and resisted it, but he needed to use it otherwise he would die.

For Sheba's sake… His patron sounded disappointed. Don't be such an angel and use your power to its full potential! You have the strength to not become corrupted, and you will fucking need it!

He opened his eyes and glared at the quickly approaching ground. Power coursed through his body as he made his decision. His two lower wings sprouted out and caught the air, allowing him to glide down to the city. Summoning Angel Slayer, he gathered fire around his fist and gestured to the host.

"The time has come." His voice boomed. "Let us make the future."

The angels heard him and screamed at the new threat. They abandoned their assault on the city and turned to him.

"And you are all not part of it." He swung the katana down in a flourish. "Leave them or perish."

He didn't expect them to. Nor was he worried. He smiled to himself, remembering every piece of advice Bayonetta had given, every spell Khepri and his resident Langunan and Infernal had taught him and the knowledge of Jeanne's revival. He didn't care about the mortals that were staring with unconcealed shock or awe. His purpose was not to destroy the universe as the Right Eye, or as the Left; it was to be the Overseer of the mortal world, and they were threatened.

The host turned and focused onto him. He brought the katana to his side and waited staunchly to meet them.

…

Jeanne had ditched her bike back into Inferno long ago and was traversing the massive statue of Jubileus on foot. To his credit, and her displeasure, Damien was completely right about the journey. Aside from the odd, lost looking Affinity, the rocket was relatively unguarded.

Probably because he planned for us either to both go down there, or for no one to make it to the rocket in the first place. She thought to herself, reaching the hip of the statue finally. Still, it never doesn't pay to be careful.

Taking comfort in the familiar weight of the All 4 One in her hands, she continued up to the shoulder. Spotting two glows from the eyes of the statue, she quickened her pace and ran up the cheek to the left eye.

"Cereza!" Spotting her inside the eye, she fell and landing on a transparent field of energy. Punching it, she tried to break through.

"It's no use, Jeanne." Balder called to her from the right. "The Eyes have been restored; you can't stop it now!"

She ignored him and broke through the barrier, a strange, acidic liquid spilling out. Hissing in pain, she forced her arm into the eye and grabbed her friend.

"What are you doing?" Balder screamed. "The universe can't exist without light and dark! Any imbalance will cause untold consequences to it!"

She was half out. Crying out from the burning sensation throughout her arm, she pulled harder.

"Stop this at once!" A blue ball of energy flew from the right and struck her in the side. Screaming, she dropped her and held her side in pain.

"This thing should've slept for eternity." She whispered to herself, dulling the pain mentally and reaching to Bayonetta. With a mighty heave, she pulled her free from the eye.

"Cereza!" She pleaded, shaking her lightly. "Open your eyes! Damn you, open them, please!"

Groggily, the grey eyes opened and fixed themselves on her with surprise. "Jeanne…?"

"Cereza, you aren't the person I sealed away five hundred years ago." She tried to shake some sense into the half-awake witch. "You need to find the strength to fight!"

The statue trembled, and Jeanne's head whipped around to the right.

"My, oh… my…" Balder's voice was full of amazement. "It's too late, its power can't be contained now…"

Gathering Bayonetta in her arms, she jumped down and landed onto a piece of debris from the rocket.

"The time has come for the resurrection!" He was speaking with fervour now. "For the true ruler of the realities to return and make a new universe!"

Cracks were forming in the statue, and white light was spilling out of them.

"You can put me down now." Bayonetta said from her arms. "Although, if you want to hold me during the big fight, you can."

"Oh." She dropped her. Bayonetta landed on her feet, in a crouch.

"Light, Dark, Human…" Balder was almost mesmerized. "All the strife, all the struggle… The trinities all wrapped up in a vortex of creation!"

"What is he going on about?" Bayonetta stood up beside her, her eyes focusing on the ranting man.

"I don't know." Jeanne answered. "This isn't the Balder I knew."

"To you two, may they have mercy on you!" Balder's voice was getting fainter. "May Jubileus, the creator have…"

His voice faded entirely as the stone melted away, revealing the giant, godlike being within. A clean white body with feminine attributes. Eight long braids formed its hair, and a headpiece, quite similar to the joys, finished it. It curled into a ball, and a large sphere of energy surrounded it. Jumping down from the debris and onto the impromptu platform, the Umbran pair stood side to side, staring at the angel.

"Shall we dance?" Jeanne asked, remembering their first meeting in twenty years.

"My, I'd thought you'd never ask." Bayonetta smiled. Drawing their weapons, they felt the Dea's gaze shift to them.

"What is the meaning of this?" It asked, sounding confused. "Why have I been awakened now?"

The two shared a glance. "You are to remake the universe when reawakened." Jeanne answered, simply stating the obvious.

"Will you two stop me?" Its expressionless face was glaring at them.

They didn't answer, and merely took their two respective battle stances.

"Very well." It drew its braids to itself and began to gather its limbs to form itself into a ball. "The recreation will occur, as it was foretold!"

Both Umbra witches let their power gather into themselves and let their hair flow out.

"Whatever happens, Cereza." Jeanne said, turning briefly to her. "I'm sorry for everything."

Bayonetta smiled at her. "Save it for later. We got a cat to scratch."

They launched themselves at the Dea, the hopelessness of the situation far from their minds.

…

Damien had really underestimated the host of angels a lot.

Once they had realised it was just a one-man army, they had simply left him alone and had refocused their efforts of cleansing the city. It had now become a race between him and each flock, with the end goal of survivors in their sights.

He flew around, saving who he could see and sense. The security of the island had kicked into motion, as he saw several groups of beige-armoured men fighting for their life and for themselves.

"MALPRIGI!" He cast a healing spell on a group of downed men. They nodded at him in acknowledgement.

"The angel has come…" He heard one whisper as he turned his attention to the Beloved that was lumbering down the street. Wasting no time, he dashed forward, Angel Slayer nipping its ankles. It fell to the ground, roaring in pain. Sending a meteor after it to finish it, he continued onwards.

He sensed two beings in terror to his right. Bursting through a wall, he saw four Joys advancing on a mother and her child, both clinging to each other in terror.

They noticed him, and two dashed forwards and grabbed the two mortals. He cursed and tried to conjure any spell, but the other two moved to engage him. Deflecting their bullets, he tried to push past them. Kicking at him, they pushed him away, the two behind taunting. He reevaluated the situation. He couldn't use his magic safely; Angel Slayer's use was diminished by the lack of space. He glared at the four, despair and regret filling him, knowing he had to leave the two mortals to their death.

A fifth Joy burst in, guns blazing. Each bullet slammed into the forehead of a Joy, killing them instantly. He whirled to the newest angel and it recoiled, holding its arms out.

"Wait!" It pleaded. "We are on your side!"

"You're an angel." He tilted his head in confusion. "Shouldn't you be attacking me and these mortals?"

"Jubileus should not be awakened." It answered. "And you need all the help you can get."

It had a point. Not particularly caring if this one was trying to trick him, he gestured to it. "Follow me then. We need to keep the citizens safe."

It readied its guns. "Lead on."

…

Jeanne. Damien's voice asked her as she cartwheeled out of the way of a fist from the Dea.

Can you not? She answered, firing her guns at the receded hand. I'm busy.

I'm being overwhelmed, and even though I have help from within Paradiso, I give it less than ten minutes before I have to blow up this island. His voice was urgent. And even then it might not mean shit in the grand scheme of things.

What do you want me to do? She snapped back, sending a wicked punch into the fist as it crashed down again, Bayonetta having the same idea. Jubileus screamed in pain as its wrist shattered, and it pulled back into itself.

Keep it up, whatever you are doing.

She rolled her eyes. "Cereza!"

Bayonetta glanced at her in acknowledgment and continued to send bullets up at the eyes of the Dea.

"What do you know of traitors to Paradiso?" She asked as they both waited for Jubileus to strike. Reacting to the Dea's attacks had served well as their current strategy, and both had no reason to change it up yet.

"There is one." She replied, not taking her eyes off the angel. "It helped me when I was trapped in Paradiso."

"Looks like Damien found out about it." Jeanne was starting to grow impatient. "We need to go on the offensive. He hasn't got much time left."

Bayonetta stiffened. "How long?"

"Ten minutes, give or take." She answered, realising the full weight of it.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Bayonetta jumped, guns blazing.

"Cereza! Wait!" Jeanne cursed to herself. "Sod it then…"

Joining her fellow witch, she jumped at the Dea.

…

Damien slammed Angel Slayer down, killing the last of the Affinities harassing the Vigridians. The Joy stood behind him, its guns picking off any stragglers. Breathing heavily, he stood up and turned to the security forces, and assumedly their leader. He ignored their wide, wonder-filled eyes as they both stared at him and the angel at his side.

"What is the situation?" He took charge as the angel ran to his side, gazing upon the humans.

"Any remaining survivors of the city have been moved into the underground bunkers that Ithavoll had installed." The commander answered. "The monsters have been routed, for now."

"Angels, mortal." The Joy folded its arms. "Call them by their proper titles."

The humans stared at it in confusion.

"It said to call them Lagunans, not monsters." Damien quickly said, covering for it. "Otherwise you will offend it."

"I guess." The mortal shifted uncomfortably. "Who are you, and why do you have a mon- a Lagunan, helping you?"

"I was created in that former tower." He gestured to the empty space where Ithavoll used to be. "And here is a friend that doesn't want their race to succeed."

"The reawakening of Jubileus was and still is a grave error." It nodded. "It is not the time yet, and it must be stopped at all costs."

He quickly translated for them. They turned to each other in surprise and turned back. "The resurrection is happening at this moment, and you want to stop it!?"

"The recreation of the universe will result in everyone but one man dead." Damien looked at them all gravely. "I have two friends right now who have taken the fight to him, and I'm here on the ground, making sure we all live to see tomorrow."

"Our religion is a lie?" One said, looking at their hands. "How could someone pervert the resurrection like that?"

"Because they are a megalomaniac who stopped at nothing to force the prophecy to come to fruition." He put a hand on the security guard, meeting him face to mask. "We will prevent the resurrection, and it will happen eventually, when the universe needs it."

"Now, let's go and meet up with the other groups of security on this island." He turned around, gesturing for the group to follow. "We need to have a plan in case they decide to send more."

"Good idea." The Joy stayed at his side, obviously uncomfortable with the looks that the humans were giving it. "What do you think will happen next?"

"In all honesty, the Auditio-wannabees." He grimaced as he glanced at it. "Also, what is your name? I can't exactly call you the Joy or it the whole time."

"We don't have a name. A name would defer us from our true purpose." It replied, shrugging.

"Well, fuck your little rules," Damien looked ahead, smiling. "Hope."

The Joy paused briefly, but then smiled and ran to catch up with him. "Hope…"

Great, now you are naming angels. Khepri laughed, reappearing. What next, you are going to summon me into the mortal realm as well?

That's actually not a bad idea. He considered his options. I mean, you being here and all would make it a hell of a lot easier.

You are forgetting that you would have to summon me fully, where you would have no control over my actions. She added. You would have to have a lot of trust in me for me to not immediately fuck off and cause chaos.

I trust you enough. He replied. If things get too hectic, I'll summon you out. I promise.

I'll hold you to that, Damien.

…

"We can't keep doing this for much longer!" Jeanne screamed at her, dodging nearly continuously as Jubileus pummelled the ground with its fists and braids.

"We have to figure out something, Jeanne!" Bayonetta replied, utilising a wicked weave to hold a braid at bay. Firing into the body, she watched with despair as the bullets ricochet off.

Jubelius had seemingly lost patience. Drawing its hands close to its chest, it stretched out, screaming in fury. The world went red, and the floor turned to lava. Jumping onto a braid each, the pair looked at each other with hopelessness.

"Now what?" The grey witch looked down. The braids began to fly around erratically, trying to toss the pair off and to their death.

"We have to go after Jubileus!" She replied, jumping from her braid and onto the one Jeanne was on. "We need to destroy it!"

"But how? Our attacks are all but folly!" Jeanne gestured to the angel. "We can barely scratch it, let alone kill it!"

"We managed to hurt it, as one." Bayonetta gestured to the wrist of the angel. "We need to work together, as one."

"It's not like we can do that." She shook her head. "It is not going to let us get into a position to do that again."

"We can summon her." She gave her a look. "The queen."

"No!" Jeanne shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. "We can't summon her! The consequences would be too great!"

"What? And Balder allowing the resurrection to take place is not?" Bayonetta smirked as she looked into Jeanne's eyes. "We have to use everything at our disposal, regardless of the consequences. The universe is at stake!"

The witch in grey shook her head. "As a last resort. Only."

"I agree." Sending a wicked kick into the face of the Dea, she jumped from braid to limb and onto its back, slipping underneath the braids. Jeanne immediately understood what she was doing and launched forward, a wicked punch screaming ahead of her.

The fist smashed into its nose, and a wicked stomp into the back of its head slammed it down onto the fist even harder, and they both heard the audible cracks as the porcelain nose broke apart and revealed the starry flesh beneath.

Jubileus screamed in pain, and the world returned to its normal state. Jumping back down, both witches stood back to back as the Dea gazed at them in pure fury. Readying their guns yet again, they prepared themselves for the next onslaught from the angel.

…

"Alright, so there's about a hundred of us left. Fucking cool." Damien glanced at the sky, unnerved by the lack of Laguna. "Are we certain that every civilian is off the streets?"

"We believe so." The head of security nodded at him. "When Ithavoll launched we sent out the evacuation notice, and once the… Lagunan started to attack, we sent out the red alert notice. If anyone is still up and about, it's their problem now. They have had ample warning."

"We have not sensed anything." Hope nodded as well. "All the mortals should be underground, or at least out of sight."

"That's a relief." He smiled briefly, then began to think. What would Bayonetta do?

"We have to prepare if the Lagunan decide to come back." He turned and faced the gathered people behind him, all of them staring at him with a mixture of curiosity, wonder and awe. "Now, is there a defensive grid on this island? I know it was activated recently, so can any of you do it?"

The leadership group shuffled uncomfortably. "As far as we know, the only people who could activate that grid is the missing Father Balder and also the missing Mademoiselle Jeanne. Without them, we can't use it."

He inwardly cursed. "Both of them are in space right now…"

The troupe fell quiet. The air began to thicken, and Damien frowned.

"Sir!" Another security officer ran into the room, yelling to his commander. "We've spotted something massive coming from the north!"

The colour drained from his face as he turned to the man. "What did you see? Tell me!"

He turned to him, breathing heavily. "Something massive; I honestly don't know how to describe them."

"Them?" The Joy stepped forward, its mouth twisting into a grim line, its voice falling with every syllable. "They have found replacements."

"CORUNDOR!"A volley of missiles slammed into the walls of the building they were standing in, causing it to break apart. Sprinting outside, both Damien and Hope's faces fell as they witnessed all four Auditio, reborn.

"No…" He felt despair beginning to creep up onto him as Iustitia began to rip apart the skyscrapers and starting to throw them at the gathered humans, causing them to scatter. Fortitudo flew in, breathing fire from its mouths, and Hope grabbed him and pulled him out of the way before he could be burned to a crisp. Temperentia was at the back alongside Sapientia, laying waste to whatever they saw with their artillery.

A screech from above caused them both to look up as another host of angels poured out of Purgatorio, descending upon the ruin that the Auditio were creating.

Damien collapsed to his knees, holding his head in anguish. "We have lost…"

Hope looked at him, shaking its head. "We can't give into despair yet. We can still win!"

"How? We are all going to die!" He turned to her, tears running down his cheeks. "Nothing will save us…"

…

Bayonetta flipped out of the way of Jubileus's fist and jumped back, looking for the witch in grey. "Jeanne!"

Jeanne fell from the braid she was on, wicked kicking the others out of her way. "I'm OK!"

They landed beside each other as the braids slammed into the sphere, blocking their path. Bayonetta felt the despair beginning to creep up again, and she turned to her Umbran sister beside her.

"We have to do something!" She hissed. "We aren't getting anywhere!"

"I don't want to summon Sheba unless we absolutely have to!" Jeanne hissed back, preparing herself for whatever the Dea did next.

"We don't have a choice!" She shook her head, her left eye slowly starting to glow red. "We aren't winning, Jeanne, and more wasted time is what is going to kill my brother!"

Jeanne focussed on the mental link. Damien! What is going on down there!

Jeanne, forget about me. His voice was subdued. It is the end.

Damien! Answer my fucking question! She screamed back, and she felt him wince.

The Auditio are back, and they bought friends. He answered. I can't stop them.

Jeanne closed her eyes and came to a decision. "Alright, Cereza. Lead the way."

"Just stay close to me!" She let her guns fall back into Inferno as she drew upon her power. Jeanne followed her actions, and they both began to chant and dance.

"TELOC VOVIM-" Bayonetta started.

"-OL ADRPAN-" Jeanne continued.

"-TABA ORD-"

"-OXEX RACLIR-"

"-AVAVAGO!" The pair both stuck a pose as their hair left their bodies, flying upwards and out of the sphere, intertwining in a mixture of grey and black.

Outside, a monstrous woman rose, dwarfing the massive Dea. Jubileus returned to a standing position, forgetting about the two witches for now. The figure materialised, forming into a figure that both witches had only heard about in legends.

Queen Sheba, the ruler of Inferno, had returned to the mortal realm once more.

The Infernal stared down at her angelic counterpart, seeming curious at it. Noticing the pair of humans at its feet, she smirked and gave them a wink.

Jubileus drew her fist back and sent a punch into the thigh of the Infernal. Sheba frowned at it and rubbed her thigh slightly. Drawing her own fist back, she began to swing with all its might at the Dea. The angel realised what the Infernal was doing and gave off a panicked squeak as it braced itself.

Sheba's fist smashed through the barrier and into the Dea, throwing the spirit of the angel out and returning the statue to its normal state. As the summon for Sheba untwined, Bayonetta broke off and pointed at the flying spirit.

"PDEE BARMA!" She screamed, and a giant Madama Butterfly fist grabbed the screaming spirit and dragged it into Inferno.

"What!?" Jeanne screamed as her Umbran uniform reformed around her body. "Are you crazy?"

"Sanity is a requirement for this job." Bayonetta smiled as the sphere underneath them faded. "I believe holding onto Jubileus for now will prove far more beneficial than having it dead."

The pair jumped onto the statue as the sphere disappeared completely, silently celebrating their victory. Jeanne stood proudly, whereas Bayonetta sat down, resting herself.

…

The angelic host and the Auditio paused in their assault, and then screamed in anguish. They began to fly up, howling and screeching.

Damien and Hope looked at the turn of events in amazement.

"We think your friends might have been successful." The angel smiled. "We can't sense Jubileus anymore."

"We won?" He turned to her, hope filling his eyes. The sound of a zip-line distracted both of them, and Luka suddenly flew into view.

"Holy shit, Damien, did you see all that – woah, why the fuck is one of those here!?" He stared at the Joy, confused.

"See what?" Damien asked in return. "And it is a friend."

"OK…" Luka shook his head. "But anyway, Jubileus just got punched into Inferno, and now the statue is falling back to Earth."

"Punched into Inferno?" He glanced at Hope with a questioning look. "It isn't dead?"

"Cereza and Jeanne were wise to seal it away. The prophecy has yet to be completed, after all." Hope nodded at him.

"We won." He smiled to himself. "We won!"

…

Jeanne looked down at the statue as it slowly began to fall back to Earth.

"Cereza, we aren't done yet." She looked over to Bayonetta. "We managed to stop this abomination, but it's still going to destroy the world!"

Pulling her to her feet, she stepped forward. "Come now, you can't die here. I'm getting you home alive, even if it kills me."

"Jeanne, we are going home together." Bayonetta stood beside her. "We will do this together, because the division of the Umbra is what lead to their downfall, and it won't lead to ours!"

Summoning a wicked stomp, she slammed it into the head of the statue. Both were horrified to see it didn't cause a scratch.

"What?" The both exclaimed, and then Jeanne's face fell.

"Oh no…" She whispered. Bayonetta whirled around to face her and grabbed her shoulders.

"What do you mean, oh no?" She shook her, breaking her out of her stupor.

"Balder enchanted the damn statue to be able to take on the sleeping spirit of Jubileus, which means this fucking thing is basically indestructible. We can't break it." She answered grimly, and she embraced her friend, not noticing the flight of angels flying up to meet them. "We are going to die. We are all going to die. We failed…"

…

Jeanne! Where are you? Damien reached out mentally to her.

I'm on the statue with Cereza, and it is going to crash into the world and fucking kill everyone on it. She answered, her voice sounding dead. It was honestly nice knowing you, and I am so sorry for everything-

Jeanne, get off the statue. He was looking up, and spotted the object easily. Madama, what is that spell you wanted to teach me?

Ooh, now this is interesting. His patron answered, humour lacing her tone. One meteor spell of doom, coming right up!

Damien, what are you planning? Jeanne asked, confused.

I'm going to destroy the statue. He answered, listening to Khepri in that back of his mind. So get clear of it!

He began to weave together the spell, feeding all of his magic into it. Luka and Hope both stepped back as he glowed with the intensity of the powers in play.

"Uhh, what is he doing?" Luka asked the Joy beside him.

Its eyes widened as he began to incantate the spell properly. "A forbidden power, locked away by the Auditio for its potential… Although if anyone could control it, he probably could."

Luka gave it a questioning look as he heard nothing but gibberish. Shrugging, he returned his attention to Damien as he gestured at the statue in the sky, and then screamed one word.

"TELOAH!"

He collapsed, and nearly fell on his face. Both Luka and Hope had stopped him and pulled him up into a sitting position.

"Easy there." Luka looked at him with questioning eyes. "What did you just do?"

"Just…" He struggled to speak. "Watch… the fireworks."

Luka looked up, the statue clearly in sight even for him. Hope followed his gaze, and they frowned at the lack of activity. They noticed the angelic host had risen to almost be level with it, and the Auditio had begun attacking something.

"Are you sure something is going to happen?" Luka asked, not bothering to turn around. "I'm not-"

A meteor the size of an asteroid slammed into the statue at a tremendous speed, obliterating it instantly and the angels surrounding it. Luka jumped up, wide-eyed, and the Joy smiled softly.

"Holy shit! You did that?" He turned back, the explosion filling the sky. "Why the fuck didn't you do that here?"

"Did… you all want… to die… or something?" He tiredly smiled. "That would have… killed everyone on this island… maybe even the world…"

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't." Luka smiled. "We won? It's now all over?"

"Yes." Damien looked at him, his golden eyes twinkling. "We won..."

"Now what?" He turned and looked at the Joy next to him. "What will you do?"

"I will return to Paradiso and oversee the reforming of the Laguna." Hope stood up, looking to the sky. "It was nice meeting you all, and, thank you for naming me."

"The pleasure… was ours." Damien gave her a smile, and the Joy smiled back. Giving the pair a little wave, she opened a portal to Paradiso and stepped through.

"That's that sorted. Now, where is Bayonetta and the other witch?" Luka turned back to the fading explosion.

"Jeanne." He supplied, and closed his eyes. Alright Jeanne, you can come down now. We have won.

Silence.

His eyes opened, panic beginning to set in. Jeanne?

JEANNE?!

"Damien, where are they?" Luka had noticed his panicking and now was in front of him, dread filling his eyes. "Tell me!"

"No…" He shut his eyes tight and wished for them to appear next to them. "No!"

"They didn't get clear in time?" Luka was crying, but had realised Damien wouldn't sacrifice their friends so easily.

"They're dead…" Tears spilled from his eyes. "I killed my sister. I killed my friend…"

He vanished in a flash of light, not before Luka heard a scream of pure agony rip through the air, and then all became silent.

Letting himself collapse to his knees, he screamed in anguish as the tears fell as a stream.