Disclaimer: I don't own The King of Fighters…

A/N: Hello, fellow readers and writers! As you read, this is the second part of the final battle, and there is a lot going on, so I'll try to keep convolution to a minimum. But, before that, there's something I'll like to address first; I wasn't going to outright state this but decided against it later: the first fight was an idea I had as a parody/homage of SNK's insanely hard boss battles. Basically, you can't even get close to the boss, but the game over screen instead says 'Continue!' Ultimately, you don't get to the final battle until you let timer run down. It's probably better in execution than on paper, but it fits the story, so I put in… Uh, yeah, let's get to it. And here… we… go:

The King of Fighters XVI: Where the Heart Is

This Year's Climax Part 2

Eventually, Chizuru, King, and Mai woke and slowly rose with pained groans, their resurrection inexplicably complete. The trio however found themselves in a different, more unsettling area: they were suddenly in a dark void, featureless except for one glaring exception: a massive circular lock in the likeness of a snaking dragon with many chains around and coming from it, eight dim crystal spheres around its outside. Chizuru swallowed hard and took a deep breath as she knew exactly what it was.

Stretching out her back, King said, "Did that just happen? I've heard of Boss Syndrome, but that was ridiculous."

Mai concurred, "I don't think that could've gone any worse. But, where are we now…? No, this can't… Are we … dead?"

"Technically, yes…" Genevieve said as she suddenly materialized in front of the lock, "Your spirits have left your bodies, but I almost literally have your lives in my hands. It turns out Juno and I were Saiki's backup plan, for just this situation. Probably know what this means."

Chizuru coldly returned, "You're going to try to sacrifice us to the beast…"

Genevieve eagerly said, even showing a hint of excitement, "Exactly. We figured out why we couldn't get things to work the way they did in '97. The seal requires more than energy… It needs blood, three people's worth."

Mai defiantly retorted, "You're crazy if you think you can beat all three of us by yourself."

Genevieve responded matter-of-factly, "I don't think it'll be that much trouble. After all … you three were receptive enough to Juno's 'Death Sentence'."

King stated with determination, "Fool us once… But just because your friend got us doesn't mean you will; we're not done fighting yet!"

Not waiting for an invitation, King fired a sudden 'Venom Strike' at their enemy. Genevieve blocked the speeding projectile, but the result was the most jarring. The attack burst upon impact into huge red beads and flew into the lock, disappearing into one of its spheres. In response, the orb filled up with light slightly!

"You're very right…" Genevieve concurred ominously, "You're not done fighting yet."

Chizuru lamented to herself, "This is just as I feared, the worst position we could possibly be in."

Genevieve revealed, slightly gloating, "Now, you're getting it; I can see it in your eyes. That's the wonderful thing about trapping you in the seal itself. Every attack, every block, every action you take … feeds it that much more. And once your energy has brought it back to life… your lives will open the door…"

Carrying the reveal even further, Genevieve prepared her other ability: she produced multiple large 'threads' of fabric with metallic claws on the ends. Shimmers of light along the strands' edges showed that they were razor sharp, the claws spiking into the ground with a heavy CLUNK! With Genevieve controlling them freely, the dangerous reams began to twist and undulate into the air a moment later, like snakes ready to strike. King and Mai, both very much not used to this type of situation or these stakes, looked to Chizuru, but the Mirror Maiden stayed poised and pushed away any fear or trepidation. She looked to her friends with strength and resolution, which they returned in solidarity.

Determination in her voice, Chizuru voiced, "My family has protected this seal for generations. My sister, the person I look up the most, died to keep this demon imprisoned… I am no different, and neither are you. Our world is constantly under attack, and every time, the attack has failed. It always will, as long as people are there to defend against it. Like all those other times, you will fail … because I will not yield, no matter what power you possess or what purpose you serve! I will defend this seal! I will do anything, and give everything to bring you down!"

Heartened by her friend, King expressed, "Well, Mai, looks like we got ourselves in a big mess this time… But, it should be fun. I mean, how often do you get to save the world?!"

Excited as well, Mai added, "You're right; it's our turn to be heroes. Girls, let's kick some butt!"

The Gorgeous trio quickly took fighting stance. Genevieve simply smiled as several threads planted into the ground claw-first. Bracing herself in the literal sense, she used the planted reams to raise herself off the ground in preparation…

Meanwhile, the other side of the ritual was in transition. Juno had Mai, King, and Chizuru suspended by her chains in the air around the red orb, and traversed the tightrope of keeping the triumvirate's soul detached while keeping their bodies alive, requiring all of her skill and energy. Croix, Benjamin, and Hebi soon entered the room, and the youngest member was forced forward right to the seal's portal…

"The time has come... your moment of truth," Benjamin sternly said.

Croix snorted like a bull, his gut vibrating sickly in rhythm, and added, "And time to prove how useful you are. Take us home, kid… Don't mess it up."

Nervously, the young boy stepped up to the red orb lock and looked to Juno, the only face in the room close to being friendly. Juno incredibly managed to give a reassuring smile, a small offering of kindness in the treacherous situation. Hebi responded with a nod of resolution and gently placed his hands on the red sphere, ready to welcome the demon in at the first sign.

Aboard the Sky Noah, the circumstances were not unknown. Finally above Rose Stadium, Hiroshi's sense was in full blast, while Ralf, Clark, and Adel gathered around. An aural buzz filled his ears. His temples throbbed intensely. His body viciously racked in pain from the full sensory overload.

Adel asked, nearing frantic, "Really? Are you sure? It's happening right now?"

Hiroshi struggled to say, wincing in pain, "Yes. The battle is going on right now, and … I feel them all down there."

Adel continued, "And Rose? Is Rose still there?!"

Hiroshi answered through the discomfort as he tried to focus, "Y-Yes… And the girl who attacked Commander Heidern is there too."

Ralf jumped up and said with animation, "That's all I need to hear. Let's go!" All four men started to exit including Hiroshi, prompting Ralf to stop him and say, "Hey, hold on, kid. We'll take care of this; you just relax."

Clark corresponded, "Yeah, you've done enough already. Besides, our princess would be thoroughly pissed if something else happened to you."

Hiroshi, with no ground to protest, sat back down. Adel, Ralf, and Clark eventually reached the sky carrier's personal aircraft, and flew down to the surface, soon entering a side passage to the Stadium underground. Unbeknownst to them, a fourth traveler was close behind: Shinobu, also aiming to reach the lair but lost on how to enter until then. She noticed the three men hastily entering the passage, and stealthily followed. Suddenly, the four intruders picked up on different readings, and split off into three different directions in pursuit of their targets.

Ralf and Clark reached their target first and ran right up to her: a tall blonde woman with her short hair shaped like a head of cauliflower wearing a white pantsuit under a long dark blue overcoat. She was looking of a window a level down and further into the lair…

With both Ikari soldiers jumping right into stance, Ralf declared, "Finally! Nowhere to run now; you're going to pay for what you did."

Shroom sullenly glanced back at them and turned back without a word.

Clark formally said, "We have a few questions for you … but not before you answer for attacking the Commander."

Shroom quite dejectedly asked, "Can you jerks just get lost for now? I'm just not in the mood for your petty revenge today."

Clark observed aloud, "Where is your friend? If you don't tell us, we'll just hunt her down later."

"Rimelo … is dead." Shroom said, her mood shifting to anger, "But since you're so eager to fight that you can't take a hint… I'll send you to see her!"

Shroom spun around and swiftly went on the offensive.

The battle inside the seal raged on, with Mai, King, and Chizuru finding themselves squeezed once more. Genevieve's increased height made her harder to reach, with Mai and her increased agility making her the only one able to get to the enemy consistently. Genevieve's weaponized sashes made a very thorough defense, able to twist and contort into any position or spot needed. The most distressing aspect of the clash for the trio was the constant drain on them despite whether they hit, missed, or made any progress at all.

All the while, the clock was very literally ticking, the lock serving as the proverbial countdown of doom. They were perpetually tormented by the pearls of energy that raced into it with each attack or block, whether it failed or not. Eventually, they noticed that even the sweat on their brows was not sweat, but beads of energy gradually rolling out of them! They very soon started watching the seal more than focusing on the fight as four of the eight wells on the lock quickly filled up. Genevieve noticed their preoccupation with the seal, and she was not going to let the diversion go to waste.

Genevieve upped her intensity and attacked mercilessly from multiple directions. This forced the ladies' team to evade the onslaught in order to avoid or minimize their energy output, but soon she forced them into difficult to avoid situations. Chizuru used her 'Illusion Step' to stay ahead of bladed threads, but King and Mai were not so fortunate. Two simultaneous attacks raced toward King from high and below, and instinctively protecting her legs, King was forced to take high volley, the ream's razor edge slicing into her left shoulder! Likewise, Mai was assailed from many unconventional angles all at once, and unable to dodge them all, she received a deep thread slash to the right side of her torso! Energy burst from Mai and King's wounds in a flood as blood would, and completely filled two more wells as the women fell to their knees in pain! Chizuru rushed to her friends' aid as Genevieve attached two of her tendrils to the seal…

Mai asked, at a loss, "This is getting real bad real fast. Any ideas?"

King exclaimed in exasperation, "Dammit! That seal keeps filling up no matter what we do. Is there even anything we can try?"

Wracking her mind, Chizuru realized aloud, instructing, "Actually… there is something. I can't believe I didn't think of it. Mai… King… Cover me while I get close; I'm going to put us on equal ground. Then, you two can bring her down together."

Mai responded with justified dread, "Chizuru-chan… You're not doing what I think you are, are you?"

Chizuru said, "Not exactly … but close. If I do this right though, it should swing the tide in our own favor. It's really our only hope at this point."

King responded resolutely, "It's at least a chance. All we can do is put the cards on the table… We're right behind you."

Genevieve looked on in confusion as her three opponents got set for something … then sprinted full speed toward her! Rapidly, she fired her clawed threads after her hard-charging foes. Mai and King kept all attacks from hitting Chizuru as the three kept moving straight ahead, moving her out of the way or deflecting the tendrils as very last resorts. Finally, Genevieve sent all of her reams at once, and three dug into Chizuru, only for it to go through an illusion as she continued on. Unfortunately, Mai and King were not as fortunate, becoming captured in Genevieve's grasp.

Realizing how little was still needed, Genevieve lifted them both into the air and squeezed them tightly. Mai and King winced in pain from the sheer force applied to their torsos, and even began to panic from the wholly unnatural feeling of having the life literally sucked out of them. With the energy bursting out of the two captured ladies, the cumulative cloud of fuel … inexplicably hovered in the air, not going anywhere. Genevieve, very confused by this, finally looked back, and saw the seal now had a large Yata symbol over it, Chizuru with both of her hands firmly on the lock. She quickly realized in shock that Chizuru was holding a second mirror seal over the original to keep the energy out!

While Genevieve was distracted by this unforeseen circumstance, the amassed energy simply re-entered Mai and King, waking and reinvigorating them with renewed strength. Seeing Chizuru's success and their enemy's distraction, they blasted her with a point-blank 'Venom Strike' and an ignited 'Kacho Sen'; the unprotected shots absolutely rocked Genevieve, forcing her to release them with only her threads to catch her.

"Unbelievable…" Genevieve exclaimed thunderstruck, even while regaining her physical composure, "You can place a second seal over an original one?! There's no history on that!"

Unable to turn around, Chizuru responded as she struggled, "I don't believe it's ever been attempted, and rightfully so considering how difficult this is to sustain… Still, it's enough to take away any advantage you've manipulated for yourself."

King took the opportunity to add with considerable snark, "Yeah, that's rotten luck for you too. It just had to be us you had to sacrifice; turns out we have the perfect counter."

Mai confidently iterated, "And now that we're done holding back… You're in for a world of pain!"

With the battle beginning to rage a second time, King and Mai went back into fighting stance while Genevieve lowered herself to the ground and pulled her planted tentacles out of the ground, preparing to go all out as well…

The fight had gotten away from her as the two soldiers' coordinated attack started to overwhelm her. Desperately, Shroom used her speed to create a vacuum with a single punch to the air. Ralf and Clark blocked the volley in time, but it served its purpose: it diverted Ralf and Clark's attention long enough to give an opening, and allow her to sprint away. Not accepting the tactic, the Ikari warriors took right after her. Shroom, however managed to briefly lose her attackers in the tunnels, and sensing the opportunity she had, headed for the others. Suddenly, she found her path blocked … by an erupting wall of white flames! She then noticed a figure behind the fire, obviously controlling it.

Shroom commented, observing the bandaged man, "Another intruder, and boy, do you look beat to crap."

Straightening up for the coming encounter, Hiroshi explained, "You have something … that my loved one desperately wants back."

Shroom nonchalantly dismissed him, "Sorry, dear, but I really have somewhere else to be."

Hiroshi however was determined; he produces a second wall of flames to completely block the exit behind him, the one she needed. Shroom recognized his insistence but also that he was in an obvious weakened state, and so she set upon him. Hiroshi was able to barely evade her attacks as Shroom was merely toying with him, but he still struggled mightily to fight and maintain his fire barrier simultaneously. Soon, the two ended up deadlocked with Shroom bearing down on him rather easily. Hiroshi managed to free one of his arms, and, to Shroom's surprise and confusion, looked through the interior pockets of her coat. That was when Hiroshi saw what he came for..

Shroom haughtily cautioned as she felt Hiroshi within seconds of completely buckling, "Give it up; you can't win."

Hiroshi responded as he looked at something behind her, "You're right; it's a good thing that wasn't what I was going for…"

Even more perplexed, Shroom looked behind her … a moment too late. BOOM! Ralf crashed down on her with his 'Ralf Diving Punch' with explosive impact as the Ikari soldiers caught up to them. Clark followed up by lifting her up on her shoulders and slamming her into the wall at full speed with his 'Running Three'. Finally, Ralf, who had fully charged during Clark's attack, lunged forward and blasted her with 'Galactica Phantom', dynamically punching her straight through the wall! When the dust settled, the soldiers peered through their newly-created hole to see Shroom had disappeared into the darkness. Ralf and Clark then turned their attention to Hiroshi as he extinguished his flames…

"Well, it's been a while since I've seen something this stupid." Ralf reprimanded with anger and oddly concern, "What the Hell were you thinking coming down here into a battleground in the state you're in?! Do you even know how bad your decision was?! Did you think of what could've happened if we were late? Did you even think about what it would've done to Leona if you got hurt more?!"

Clark, while calmer, added with the same gist, "There's a difference between being courageous and being suicidal, kid. What were you even trying to do that was so important?"

Hiroshi explained humbly, "At the very least, I just wanted to stall her so you could catch up. But, mostly, I wanted to get this…"

He opened his hand to reveal his bounty, having swiped it from Shroom's coat when she first looked away, and Ralf and Clark both recoiled slightly from the rather incredible triumph…

Shinobu raced through the tunnels looking for her target when … an unknown assailant became very known to her. The two offset each other with lightning-quick strikes reminiscent of the same style, both so fast that they seemed to strike several places all at once. Neither could land a blow, however as they were also blocking in synchronization, almost like mirror images. When her attacker drew two jian swords, Shinobu produced her hookswords, and two combatants repeated their deadlock. A chorus of rings rose from the rapidly crossing steel, from swipes and slashes so forceful and swift that literal sparks flew. Eventually, the two jumped from the stalemate…

"You scared me there… You're late." Shion said, putting his weapons and standing up straight.

Shinobu, relaxing at the sight of her brother, said as she uncovered her head, "One of my teammates raced off to aid his injured friend. The detour severely delayed me."

Shion expressed, "Well, that circumstance may have cost us. The others have already completed the first half of the ritual."

Shinobu responded in exasperation, "No, already?! We can still make it, can't we? Provided the three sacrifices can fight their way free…?"

Shion winced in conflict until he conjectured, "It'll be close. If the women's team can prevail, then the others should be weak enough to defeat afterward. Are there any others here?"

Shinobu relayed to her brother, "Yes. Two soldiers came with and split off from Adelheid Bernstein, who's no doubt looking for his sister and thus Botan."

Shion plotted, "Okay, we still have time. We need to get in position to strike when the first sign of an opportunity presents itself."

Shion drew a second weapon, a coiling dragon staff, and said before the twins raced off, "Lead the way!"

The battle inside the seal raged on with Chizuru holding the lock shut while King and Mai double-teamed Genevieve. While it only proved a temporary hindrance however, Genevieve could still manually drain their energy, and slow them enough to allow attack before it returned. Mai and King soon found that, while she was still deadly from long range, Genevieve was sorely lacking when it came to close combat. This proved very beneficial to King as, once Mai gave her a path in, she could deliver a barrage of powerful hits at regular intervals. Unfortunately, Genevieve proved just as resilient and durable as many of her predecessors, not allowing King's viciously forceful attacks to lead to any marginal progress. The women fighters needed to use their more damaging attacks…

The Muay Thai Queen quickly fired a volley of 'Venom Strikes', and rushed right behind it with a hyper-extended 'Mirage Kick', offsetting the rapidly striking tendrils of her enemy. The speed, endurance, and strength of King's stream of kicks quickly frustrated and grabbed the attention of Genevieve. She soon attacked with every one of her threads with even more speed, and in the process … completely lost track of Mai; the Shiranui kunoichi had used the preoccupation to gain a prime vantage point and quickly train her sights on Genevieve. Under the tremendous onslaught, King began to feel her strength draining as she valiantly fought to keep up with the inhumanly pace.

Mai fortunately struck with incredible timing. She attacked from above through her target, reaching the ground with a three-point landing, and Genevieve froze, knowing she had been hit but not how badly. A moment later, the fiery explosion of Mai's 'Kunoichi Calypso' followed her path and blasted Genevieve skyward! She hit the ground with a heavy thump shortly trailed by a procession of metal clangs from her clawed reams. Her tendrils lying lifelessly about her, Genevieve slowly rose to her feet after a few moments, in apparent pain but still prepared to fight. The women fighters could finally glimpse a conclusion but they also realized that an even more explosive salvo was needed.

Chizuru, also realizing that such an attack would more power than they probably had, came up with another, more audacious idea; skillfully but dangerously, the Mirror Maiden breached both seals and began siphoning energy back out of it! The renewed strength signaled that the trio was making final preparations, not just to them. Genevieve quickly realized the severity of what was happening and charged at Chizuru … but unknowingly charged right into the attack! Initiating the team's NEO MAX Danger Move, 'Gorgeous Crescendo', Chizuru sent out an illusory clone and knocked Genevieve back toward her teammates. King and Chizuru through her clone next pummeled Genevieve from both sides with 'Illusion Dance' and 'Bustling Wind Bruiser' respectively. Both jumped back as Mai flew across Genevieve in a pattern. Finally, as Chizuru let go of the lock and sealed off a small area around Genevieve to maximize the damage, King fired a single 'Venom Strike' and ignited Mai's 'Kunoichi Dance' explosion of the kanji 'women'!

Feeling sudden heavy resistance from inside the seal, Juno worriedly reacted, "Wait… There's no way… They couldn't have…?"

Black smoke suddenly shot out of the red orb, and bounced on the ground as Genevieve rematerialized out of it. Juno simultaneously was blown backwards as her chains cracked then shattered, releasing the women fighters. Meanwhile, Chizuru, Mai, and King felt themselves propelled upward as they too were ejected; the trio let out audible gasps as air rushed back into their lungs and hearts beat forcefully again, their chests lurching up from the force of their 'resurrection'! Croix and Benjamin stood completely flabbergasted, too shocked to speak, while Hebi felt a chill of fear and anxiety wash over him though he dared not take his hands off the red sphere…

Shroom, in bad shape herself, burst into the room moments later and relayed, "We've been spotted. They found us; several fighters are in the tunnels and headed for us now."

Benjamin thusly said with urgency, "Then, we must act quickly! Hurry and repeat the process!"

"There's no time." Botan said as she appeared with Rose in tow, "More are coming fast; they'll reach us in minutes."

Croix angrily suggested, "I say we make time. We hold them off while they try it again."

Shion next appeared and proposed, "We still don't have enough time; the reinforcements will overwhelm us before we're done… I say we use this time escape; get as far away as we can and come back later."

Shroom protested, "N-No. The ones who are already here… They know us; they know what we want. They'll be guarding it day and night. I f we leave now … we may never get this close again."

Juno and Genevieve slowly rose, their minds racing about what to do, and finally looked to each other as they came to the only obvious solution…

Juno finally spoke, solemn but determined, "Hebi… Get ready. We're going to start it now."

Even more overwhelmed by this prompt, Hebi stammered, "W-What? H-How are… What are…?"

Juno reassured him, "Don't worry. Just concentrate on getting us home, okay?"

Genevieve warmly spoke to the young boy, "Everything's going to be fine. No matter what happens, believe in yourself; remember that you will save us, that you're our hero."

Distraught and in near-hysterics, Hebi stumbled through tears, "W-Wait… Don't… Please, stop…"

As the two faced one another and joined hands, Juno offered, "Genny, it looks like we're leaving together … just like we promised."

Genevieve replied with a sad smile, "Not the way we wanted, but… Juno, it's been a real pleasure."

Without another word or even any hesitation, Genevieve impaled Juno with her bladed threads, and Juno impaled Genevieve with her chains! Both disintegrated into black and red energy as a result and were absorbed into the seal, with Juno taking their lives and Genevieve directing them into the lock! Shion recoiled in shock; Shroom and Botan turned absolutely pale; Benjamin and Croix recoiled at first but soon looked to Hebi; King, Chizuru, and Mai, conscious but too exhausted from the unearthly battle just before, could only watch in horror.

In tears and completely heartbroken, Hebi nevertheless adhered to the two recently departed's last request and began absorbing the demon's energy! The room began to quake. The red veins throughout the chamber throbbed louder and faster. The red crystal sphere began to vibrate and flash violently. As blue bolts of electricity covered his body, Hebi screamed in agony as his body began to fill … and started morphing under the evil power's influence! The sounds of his muscles stretching and tearing and his bones popping and cracking began to fill the ears of everyone around. His arms, legs, and torso lengthened and filled out while his head and neck similarly scaled up. His dark hair lightened to a pale purple while his voice and the pitch of his scream deepened. After several agonizing and disturbing moments, the intake ceased … and revealed that the assimilation had advanced Hebi's age by 15 years! His screamed stopped but his eyes remained blank, and his mouth hung open as smoke emanated from his body. Listlessly, he toppled to the ground…

Benjamin wondered aloud, "Did it work? Did he…?"

Botan quickly realized, "He's in shock from the trauma. We need to get him up and get him out of here."

Benjamin and Croix lifted the now-grown Hebi onto their shoulders, and all members of Those from the Past sped away, disappearing into the tunnels away from the area. The women fighters tried to move with Chizuru even making it up to her knees, but they were simply too drained to do anything…

"N-No…" Chizuru lamented, as she reached out futilely.

Adel soon burst into the chamber through an opposite door, saw the trio down, and quickly ran over to them.

"Chizuru…" Adel, reaching her first, asked, "Are you three alright?"

Mai replied n pain, "Nope. We can't … get up."

As he helped the ladies to their feet, Adel went on to ask, "What happened? Did you fight em? Am I too late?"

King answered in pain, "Yes. We … beat them, but … they got away."

Chizuru added dourly, "We … underestimated their dedication. When we … fought our way free and ruined their plans … two of them sacrificed themselves. They took some of the demon's power … but not enough."

Adel reacted to the account, "We'll, that's something. We'll have this place guarded; they'll have to come back for more after all. But right now, let's get you all out of here."

King stopped them, saying, "Wait. Before we go, there's one thing we need to get."

Adel was understandably puzzled. Led by King, the women went back the way they came and found the thing where they left it: completely untouched and almost serenely unaffected by the supernatural battle that had transpired not that far away … sat the still immaculate King of Fighters Championship Cup. Despite her fatigue, King lifted the unspoiled prize into her arms.

King then said in unison with Mai, "Now we can go."

Chizuru could not help but smile as the four departed to safety.

End Chapter

A/N: There you have it, and per request of The Weasel Boy, it comes within a month's time. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Now, as before, we're going into the side-stories next and some very interesting developments along the way. Again, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you come back for more. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.