"Looks like LOKI made some modifications. I can teleport you guys directly to the Desert Sector from there." Jeremie remarked. "Guess he wants this game of his to be streamlined."

The group teleported into the Desert Sector. From the outward appearance, not much had changed from normal; merely the addition of some ruins and the presence of LOKI's viruses.

"Huh…nothing too major. Then again, there wasn't much here to start with." Yumi said.

"Looks like the standard viruses…doesn't look like anything here is…" Odd said as the ground under him shook a bit before he jumped as a worm-like creature emerged from the ground and tried to eat him.

Virus Type: Worms

"Okay…not so standard." Yang said.

"Sand worms. Nasty little buggers…" David said. "They burrow underground and wait for the right moment to claim unsuspecting prey from underfoot."

"So…where is the tower?" Hope asked.

"It's in the distance over…there." Aelita said as she saw something wrapped around the tower. "A serpent?"

"Okay if I know my Norse Mythology right… that's gotta be a digital rendition of Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, wrapped around that thing." Glimmer said.

"I think you're right on the money, Gimmer." Amethyst said. "Guess we gotta beat that thing to get inside. That'll be something to look forward to."

(Cue: The Holy Order of The Digital Hermit- Astral Chain)

"But first…we gotta get past all these viruses." Riku said.

"Right…time to go virus bashing." Izuku said as they all moved in to battle the incoming viruses. "St. Louis…SMASH!" Izuku said, bringing down a kick on a rising Worm.

"Burrowing worms, huh." Copen observed before dodging a rising Worm. "Well two can play at that game!"

"Twintail Bunker!" Lola called as Copen's support bits created a pair of large yellow drills in front of him before diving into the sand. And during the chase inside the sand, he managed to drill through one of the Worms which was enough to kill it.

Scorpia dodged one of the Worms popping out of the ground before zapping it with her red lighting magic, letting Catra follow up with a rapid fire claw strike flurry, derezzing it.

Another Worm was about to attack Charlotte from behind, but she quickly sensed it and countered by shoving her pile bunker onto its body and fired three shots, causing it to explode as the empty shells fell to the sand. Yet another made to attack her from the side, but that was destroyed by Laura firing her beam wires from her IS, ripping it to pieces.

Charlotte sighed with relief. "Merci, Laura."

"Don't worry, I'll watch your back." Laura nodded before the two continued the fight.

As Kuroshiki fought, he couldn't help but turn his attention to Charlotte and Laura's teamwork.

"(Huh… Something feels different about that.)" he noted before he turned his attention back to the fight. "(I wonder…how much different are they compared to the ones I know?)"

Xavier, meanwhile, blasted a Mydoom out of the sky. If his face could show his feelings, he would grimace. "(This all hits way too close to home…)"

"Xavier, optics front!" Hope called as Worm nearly swallowed him from behind before Bow hit it with a bomb arrow to throw it off.

"Right. Sorry." Xavier said as he fired at more of the viruses.

"Xavier seems a little too comfy in this place… it's like he's been here his whole life." Bow noted.

"Hmm… I wonder…" Miu said before she took notice of another Worm as she had her Arrow Legion attack it.

"How many more of these things are left?" Blake asked as she shot at one.

"Doesn't look like much." Eijiro said.

"Yeah…these things aren't all that tough." Bakugo said before they saw something running across the horizon. "Huh…the hell is that?"

"I dunno." Mark said, shading his eyes to get a better look. "Huh, that's weird. It kinda looks like…"

The figure then stopped before them, standing there as a familiar face to a number of them.

"Jim?" Ulrich said.

"No, that's not Jim. It's another Polymorphic Clone that this AI created." Sakura noted.

"Have you come to kill the World Serpent?" the Jim clone asked in a voice that sounded like three in one.

"As a matter of fact, we have." Double D said. "If you are here to offer assistance, we-"

"The worm is ours to kill. Leave this realm. If you get in our way, we'll slaughter the lot of you." the clone threatened the group. "Our father will be avenged!"

"Okay, yeah, that's definitely not Jim." Yumi said.

"Yup. If he was the real thing, he wouldn't be talking like that." Kaibara said.

"Yep. Definitely not Jim. In that case, we don't have any qualms taking this guy down." David said.

"Anybody notice the weird way he was talking?" Undyne asked. "He kept saying ours and we."

"Yeah… No offense to the real Jim, but he's not smart enough to know what this clone is talking about." David said.

"So, if we're dealing with Jörmungandr at the end of this, what's Jim supposed to represent in this scenario?" Frosta wondered.

"In Norse Mythology, Jörmungandr was said to fight Thor in the final battle of Ragnarok." Adora remembered. "They both ended up dying, I think."

"Yes, and before he died, Thor was said to witness the birth of his two sons." Xavier said. "Magni and Modi were their names. It's likely this Polymorphic Specter has been uploaded with data concerning both of them."

"Either way, it doesn't look like they're planning to let us get close to the snake." Ranma said.

"Because it's a reenactment. The clone is a sacrifice." David said. "So, despite their warnings, we're gonna keep going."

"Well…we may as well play along. Come on, you walking fake." Ulrich said.

"Feel our fury!" the Jim clone said, attacking the group with just his fists and kicks.

Sons of Thor

Magni & Modi

"Sorry. But you still fight like our Jim. A little Pencak Silat will do nicely for this one." David said.

"Well LOKI can only work with so much on this guy." Vector said.

"Least we can fight back." Ranma said as they continued to fight back against the Jim clone and triumphing.

"Damned interloping mortals…" the Jim copy growled and he got back up. "We've no time to unleash our full might on you. We'll save our power for the World Serpent." he said as he quickly took his leave, heading towards the tower.

"After that fake gym teacher!" ZS declared as the group chased after him.

(End song)

Soon, the group arrived at the foot of the tower, finding the Jim clone standing there.

"You all have courage, we'll grant you that." the clone admitted. "You are worthy of entrance into Valhalla."

"Tempting, but we already have afterlives lined up for us." Mark said.

"It's not too late. Just back away from the serpent now. Revenge is not worth throwing away your life for." David said.

"Be silent, little one! Would any of you not seek justice if your fathers were slain?" the clone asked.

"You're the one that needs to can it, you idiot!" Sachiko said. "Justice is worth nothing if you yourself die in the process."

"Sachiko is right. What you're doing isn't justice. Not if you are consumed by anger. Revenge never leads to anything good. That was a lesson some of us had to learn the hard way." David said.

The twin clone made to say something when the ground began to rumble. Above them, the serpent began to slither, moving down the tower.

"We will say, there is wisdom in what you say." the clone said. "However…it is the greatest honor to die in battle. Win or lose, we will not back down from the fight. If you intend to get in our way…"

The clone's body began to be surrounded by lightning as the Jörmungandr reared its head at the group.

"...we shall show you the power passed down by our father, the God of Thunder!" they declared as the World Serpent let out a roar to punctuate the declaration.

(Boss Theme: Princes of Pride- Brandon Yates ft. Jun Mitsui)

Twins of Thunder

Magni & Modi

The World Serpent

Jörmungandr

"Damn it… This guy is gonna get in our way no matter what we say. We can't fight that serpent if we have to focus on this knucklehead at the same time." David said.

"Then we'll split up." Mark said. "Hey Aelita, did Norse mythology ever mention if Jörmungandr was cold-blooded like other snakes?"

"Well, it was never said directly, but-" Aelita started.

"Let's just assume it is, then. David, you lead against the snake." Mark said. "I'll lead against Thunder Tykes. Sound good?"

"Got it. I'll be counting on you." David said.

"You won't need to count too high." Mark smirked, activating Varja Form. "These two won't take long. Anybody who's up for adding two gods to their kill count, follow me!"

"I could use the practice…" Akira muttered as he shifted into his devil form. "I'm with you, Anarchy!"

"And those who seek to defy fate, come with me!" David said as he went into Sapphire God: The Honorable.

Both sides split off as they fought against the serpent and god combo.

"Come on!" Mark yelled as he threw a punch at the Jim clone, whom responded with one of his own. The fists made contact, creating a shock wave.

"You little-!" the clone yelled as he tried to shock Mark with lightning.

"Heh. Sorry…but you're no Thor." Mark smiled as the attack did little damage. The half-angel then grabbed the clone's fist and, with some exertion, threw the two in one program. "Flying target!"

"You can take this, can't you?!" Akira yelled as he launched a Devilman Beam onto their opponent, knocking them to the ground.

"Grr…We will not die before Jörmungandr!" the twin gods declared as he punched the ground, knocking his attackers off balance.

"Sorry, but we won't let you throw your lives away like this." Omnimon said, regaining his balance quickly. "Supreme Cannon!" he said as a blast of ice was fired.

"Always wanted to teach Jim a lesson. Never got the chance to do so until now!" Catra said as she followed up after Magni & Modis body was hit with the attack, pouncing on him and swiping at their face with her claws.

"And this is for taking my lunch after I swipe it from some of the others!" Vector said, delivering a punch to him before breathing fire at him.

"I… Don't want to know about the last part." Ross said.

"What? So I took some of your lunches and blamed it on Hope. I mean, we all do it from time to time." Vector said.

"What was that, Vector?" Hope asked.

"Uh…oh look, something's happening to the fake Jim." Vector said changing the subject.

At the fight with the Earth Serpent, the group was holding it back with variable levels of success.

"Wow, this thing's a toughie." David said. "Guess it wasn't called the World Eater for nothing."

"But we can't let it proceed any further. We have to hold it back now." Leopardmon said.

"I know… If that's the case, then…" David said as he prepared his sword. "I challenge my fate!" he said as he charged, prepared to slice through it with a powerful strike.

"Not your fate, but still, good shout-out!" ZS said.

The World Serpent responded to the strike by opening its jaw, a purple light growing brighter and brighter within its maw.

"Oh, purple light is almost never good…Move!" Moltar called out as the group dodged as Jörmungandr unleashed a stream of purple ooze, blanketing the sand in it.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say we shouldn't get hit by that stuff." Emo said.

"It's poison." Kuroshiki realized. "And if it's anything like the legends, it's guaranteed to kill us in seconds if we touch it."

"Don't get hit by deadly snake poison. No problemo!" Vashryon said as he evaded a poisonous puddle and shot at the World snake right back.

"A-Trans!" Ashe shouted, quickly transforming into Queenbee the Hymenopteroid, a mechanical bee with a slender red body with gold complements and blue lights along with a stinger on its rear, wing-shaped violet wings, and wheels on the abdomen. "Geiz, hop on!"

"Thanks!" Geiz replied with his Zikan Zax Yumi Mode in hand, hopping onto A-Queenbee before taking to the skies. He then materialized his Legatus and attached it to his wrist before summoning the Arrow Legion as it and Geiz fired energy arrows at the serpent with their bows with A-Queenbee providing support firing with her heat stingers.

"Houki, Charlotte, Rin, try to attack the serpent at different angles so Laura and I can get a clear shot at its weak point!" Cecilia ordered as she flew up and took aim with her beam sniper rifle. Laura also took her position on the ground and aimed her shoulder railgun at the serpent.

"Right!" The IS girls complied as they split up and attacked the serpent at different angles with Houki's lasers and slash-waves, Rin's impact cannons, and bullets from Charlotte's M90 assault rifles.

And once Cecilia and Laura detected the serpent's weak spot… "Now!" …the two fired their weapons at the target, dealing heavy damage to it as it roared in pain.

"We've got you on the ropes now, you…" Sanji said as the serpent slithered past the ones fighting it. "Where the hell is it…" he said before they saw it moving towards the specter.

"Guys, watch out! He's coming right towards you!" David called out.

"No…I don't think its after our guys." Jexi said as the serpent leapt into the air before diving back down and swallowing the specter in one big swallow.

"It just ate the twins!" Eddy exclaimed.

"Aw, hell… Now we're in the soup." Sachiko said.

Jörmungandr then let out a loud roar as purple electricity surged all across its body.

"Welp, he always talked about wanting to die in battle, anyway." David said. "Damned idiot… He ended up causing more trouble for us. Anyway, just calm down. He may be coated with electricity, but he's not invincible."

"Yeah, but it's harder to beat now. It's creating some kind of electrical shield around its body. We can't just touch the thing." Kaminari said.

"Well, there is someone that can." Sectonia said.

"Right. Got it. Luffy!" Jexi said.

"Heh…Okay." Luffy said, pulling back a couple of fists. "Gum Gum…Elephant Gatling!" he called out as he relentlessly pummeled the large serpent, disrupting its protection as it collapsed to the ground.

"Now's our chance. Smash him!" David said as the group went all-out on the massive creature.

The serpent got back up as it hissed at the group, shooting out purple lightning from its maw. It also slithered across the ground, its path being followed by bolts of purple lightning from the sky.

"Urgh… What is it going to take for you to just stay down already?" David asked.

"Hmm…" Emo wondered before he looked at the poison left behind by the World Serpent, sparking an idea. "Hey…what's say we give this oversized sock puppet a taste of his own medicine? Levitation!" the mage said, using the spell to gather some of the poison into a sphere. "Guys, I'm about to do something stupid."

"What do you mean, something stu-" Alkal started.

"Hey, Lizard-Boy!" Emo yelled out at Jörmungandr. "You think you're so dangerous cause you're big, huh? I've seen longer snakes than you when I take a shower!"

The group was treated to the sight of the World Serpent of Norse mythology getting a tick mark on its head before it rushed towards the group, mouth open wide to swallow them whole.

"Alright, line it up, and…" Emo focused before he launched the sphere of poison directly into the maw of Jörmungandr, causing it to start choking and collapse within inches of the group, writhing in pain. "Bingo! He can dish out the poison, but he sure can't take it! Finish this garden hose off!"

David nodded as energy rifles appeared in his hands. "Been a long while since I used this. Sapphire God's…Judgment Blaster!" he said as waves of energy were fired from his rifles.

The energy blasts hit Jörmungandr dead on as the digital copy of the world snake was wiped from the existence of Lyoko, clearing it away from the tower.

(end song)

"Alright, Aelita. The way is clear now." David said.

"Thank you." Aelita said as she ran into the tower. She soon ascended upward and imputed the code. Soon as she did, a pulse spread throughout the sector, erasing any viruses and restoring the sector to what it originally was.

"The Realm of Light has been purged of its darkness. But now you must venture into the darkest of realms. Prepare to become one with the souls of the damned."

"2 down, 2 to go." Sachiko said.

"Then we can head right over to Sector 5." Miu said.

"Not quite." Jeremie said. "LOKI may have lost half his lands but he's still got some power. I recommend dealing with the remaining sectors before we try and jump right into Sector 5."

"Right. Still, though. What does he have to gain from all of this?" David asked.

"I'm not sure. Is this simply to kill time, or does this relate to the that has been mentioned before?" Xavier pondered.

"I'm not sure. If he is anything like the Loki from Norse Mythology, it could be for a number of reasons." Leonora said.

"None of which can be any good." Vashryon said.

"There are 2 sectors left to clear. Forest and Mountain. Which one should we go for?" Kaibara asked.

"Hmm… I would recommend the Forest Sector first." Miu said.

"Sounds like a plan. I can't even begin to imagine what it's done to that one." Aelita said.

"Well…only one way to know for sure." Jexi said as they ventured off.