"What…has he done?" Aelita said after they arrived at the Forest Sector. Across the sector, it all looked more like a dead forest than a living one. The trees without a single leaf as an ominous mist plagued the whole sector.
"Ugh… Looks like one of those horror movies. You know which one I'm talking about, right Davie? Dark forest…ominous atmosphere…The feeling that someone is watching you…" Kokichi said.
"Okay, enough about that." David said quickly.
"LOKI is keeping on theme. This must represent the land of the dead…Helheim." Twilight said.
"And Kokichi is right… I can't help but get this nagging feeling that someone or something is watching us." David said.
The group glanced around the twisted thickets, none of them catching sight of the pair of green glowing eyes watching them before slipping away into the dark…
"Well, standing here does us no good." Kuroshiki said. "Let's get moving."
"Helheim… The one time I didn't have the Gaim Ridewatch…" Geiz whispered as he took out the Baron Ridewatch. "But at least I have an alternative in case any Inves show up."
"Inves are humans that turned into monsters when they ate a fruit at Helheim Forest, right?" Copen asked.
"Yep." Geiz nodded, putting away the watch. "If you see a fruit growing there, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, eat that."
"Noted." Copen nodded before they continued walking.
The group trekked through the dead forest, no viruses in sight at the moment, their only companion the eerie silence.
"Weird they haven't attacked us yet." Pit said.
"Let's not forget each sector we went to so far has introduced a new type of these viruses. There may be a type that lurks in secret in a place like this." Ranma said.
"Hopefully nothing as bad as those worms. Bleh…" Sachiko said.
Just then, the group heard footsteps approaching them, turning immediately towards the sound.
"Aelita…" a voice called out as in the mist appeared a pink haired woman.
"M…mommy?" Aelita asked as the figure moved towards her.
"No…that's not her." Xavier spoke up. "That can't be her."
Akira didn't waste any time as he went and ripped the head off the woman.
"No! Why would…" Aelita said.
"Look closely." Akira said as the headless body grew to be more equine in nature before it fell apart. "It's a virus."
(Cue: Crimson Cloud (Game Edit)-Devil May Cry 5)
"Guys, I think I just figured out what the gimmick of this level is." Mark said gravely as out from the trees, multiple figures that looked like their loved ones appeared before transforming. "Psychological warfare…this is gonna suck."
"Hey, that's my line." David said.
The viruses then let out horrific, equine shrikes that shook the dead trees around them.
Virus Type: Trojans
"There are some over on our end as well. Some of our coworkers from back home." Mayumi said.
"And even some people from our personal lives as well." Sectonia said.
"At least we don't have to worry about hurting them since they aren't the real thing. Don't hold back, but don't let them get to you!" Ichiro said.
The battle against the Trojans began in earnest. The group fought against the shapeshifting fiends as they cut them down despite the forms they took.
"LOKI really took a turn to freaky with these things!" Glimmer said as she teleported out of the way of a Trojan Angella before kicking it in the face to derez it.
"Thankfully these things can only just copy other peoples appearances and not their skills!" Gemini said cutting down a Trojan Rengoku.
"He probably expected us to crumple at the thought of cutting down people from our past." Zoro said, slicing through a Trojan Kuina.
"But he forgets, we know these people can't be in Lyoko…so it's a wasted trick." Izuku said taking down a Trojan Nighteye.
"Yeah, definitely a lack of foresight on his part." Trish said as she was clashing with a Trojan Travis.
"They seem to be fine…considering they know it's a trick." Akira said, looking at a Trojan of a young woman before him. "Sadly, for some, it's not always easy to cut down those you love…even if you know it's fake." he said as he took her out.
"Was…that a friend of yours, Akira?" Francisca asked.
"Yeah… Her name was Miki…and she's dead. Wasn't a damn thing I could do to save her." Akira said. "I could never reach her in time…all because of stupid humans and their fears." he hissed.
"Hmm… I guess it is true in some cases. Humans usually turn out to be the real monsters." David said.
"But, you're human too. You're Devilman. The body of a devil…and the heart of a human." Izuku said.
"How the hell do you even know about that name?" Akira asked.
"Oh, well I wanted to look into other world heroes. I found an old show with the same name and the main character looked kind of like you." Izuku said.
"I'm no hero. If anything, you're way more of a hero than I'll ever be." Akira said. "Heck, frickin All Might chose you to be his successor! How are you not constantly under pressure to live up to his near-impossible standards, anyway?"
"Well, because I can't be a copy like him. I have to be a hero in my own way by learning all I can from those around me.' Izuku said.
"Being a hero by just being you… and getting better by learning from others." Akira said, looking sad. "Wish I had that privilege back home…"
"Well…aren't the Dark Garden guys sort of your friends?" Luffy asked.
"I mean, you guys are bad guys…but even you gotta have camaraderie." Dan said.
"I've… never really gotten close to anybody in Dark Hell. Only person in Dark Hell I'm even close to is one of my fellow Sub-Leaders, Mr. Woodhouse. He's a decent guy, all things considered…which is rather impressive, considering he's an Antichrist."
"Take it from me, man. Your best friendships tend to come from unexpected places." David said.
"Don't I know it…" Akira chuckled mirthlessly.
It wasn't long before all the Trojans were dispatched, and the area was clear.
(End song)
"I'd like to say that was too easy, but if the theme of this sector is psychological warfare, LOKI's bound to have some other tricks up his sleeve that are blocking the way to the tower." Catra said.
"Yeah, there's still a looming presence in here waiting to be that curveball LOKI plans on throwing at us." David said.
"Yes…but the tower is close. We just need to reach it." Aelita said before she froze as soon as the sound of a loud howl could be heard in the darkness.
"What was that?" ZS asked.
"Hhhuuu…" a strained voice could be heard as the group saw a skeleton slumped against a tree. "Nothing can save us now. A great terror looms! The Allfather is dead… Oh, Fenrir… Oh, Fenrir…have mercy upon us…"
"Fenrir…isn't that…" Hope said.
"The monster wolf that killed Odin." Aelita pointed out.
"Oh, this will be quite the scuffle indeed." Zacian said.
"Careful, Zacian. LOKI's probably given him some kind of power boost like the last one." David said.
"I know, David. We'll be ready. But first, we have to reach the tower." Zacian said.
As the group proceeded to the tower, they were soon blocked by a massive black gate that spired over them.
"What's this gate doing here?" Zephyr asked as Scorpia pushed at it.
"It won't budge….it's probably locked." Scorpia said as a message was on it, likely sent by LOKI.
-You didn't think I'd make it easy for you as the levels got harder, did you? I'd watch yourselves with these barricades I set up. One wrong thought… and you might come face to face with the sides of yourself you'd want to forget. Have fun with that!-
"I see…LOKI knows the possibility of us reaching the tower before Fenrir…so he created obstacles to keep us back." Aelita said.
"But if we want to get past them, we'd have to open them. But how?" Frosta asked.
"Hmm… considering the theme Loki went with when redesigning the Forest Sector, I'd say we have to open the gates by beating some sort of bad memory… according to what he hinted at." Entrapta said.
"Just like when we fixed Mark… but are any of us really okay with taking the plunge into our own minds like that?" Hope said.
"There is no need for any of you to risk your own minds." Xavier spoke up as he, Kuroshiki and Akira stepped up. "We shall bear that burden for you."
"Are you sure about this? What if you might not handle it?" Houki asked.
"Kid, do you really think we'd be part of an organization like Dark Garden if she wouldn't handle a little emotional trauma?" Akira asked.
"This is our fight just as much as it's yours." Kuroshiki said. "Maybe we can handle it, maybe we can't. But we need to get through this gate, and you heroes have been through enough. It's our turn."
With that, Kuroshiki went first as he stood in front of the gate. After a sigh, he placed a hand on the gate. The gate then produced a screen that began playing a scene…
The picture opened with a view from inside of a pod filled with blue liquid, the view of a dark laboratory visible from within. In front of the pod, two men in lab coats were conversing with one another.
"You can't be serious!" one of them exclaimed. "We've been working on the Mosaic Project for almost three years, and they're pulling the plug on us now? Why?"
The second man shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, it's orders from upstairs. Apparently, they found some woman that was more of an 'ultimate human' than anything we made. From what I heard, she's one heartless psycho, but she's the smartest person on the planet."
"Well, what're we going to do with all the subjects?" the first scientist asked.
"They've been scheduled to be terminated, most of them already have." the second one answered. "The only ones left are the twins and the highest performing subject. They'll be dealt with tomorrow, then we're all being reassigned to help our new ultimate human with a project of hers. Some sort of exo-suit or something."
Just then, alarms began blaring, another man in a security uniform barging into the room.
"We have a security breach!" they warned. "We're evacuating all class-5 and above personnel, move it!"
The two scientists quickly followed the man out of the door as the lab was blanketed in darkness. A few minutes later, the door opened as a small figure snuck in and approached the pod, punching a few unseen buttons. Then, the liquid began to drain from the pod, the point of view lowering. The pod then opened, revealing a face that, while younger, the IS girls recognized immediately.
"That's…!" The IS girls gasped in shock.
"It's okay, I'm here." the younger Chifuyu assured the unseen subject as she quickly took them in her arms. "C'mon, stay with me. We're getting out of here. I'm going to keep you safe…Ichika."
"Wait a second…Kuroshiki, are you…?!" Charlotte gasped.
"That's not… you're really…?!" Lingyin also gasped.
"...Ichika?!" Houki exclaimed.
The sub-leader was silent for a moment before he spoke. "...I'm honestly surprised you all didn't recognize me." he said. "Am I really that different from the one you know?"
"My god… what the bloody hell happened to you…?" Cecilia asked.
"So this is the Color-Verse's version of Ichika Orimura. And he became a sub-leader of an organization…" Laura said. "How did that happen?"
"Wait, that's Ichika Orimura? The sole male IS pilot?" ZS said.
"Wait a second… I know him!" Rainbow piped in. "He used to be part of the old Heroes Coalition!"
"Yeah, that was me." Ichika confirmed. "I had a good time, being part of that organization. I could actually have conversations without worrying about getting beaten up. I could have friends that saw me as an equal. I wasn't treated as a second class citizen because I had the audacity to be born with a Y chromosome." he said, getting a little heated.
"But then me, Jesse and those others went and got the coalition disbanded cause of Normal's scheme." Rainbow said.
"For the record, that wasn't really your fault. But that's besides the point." Ichika said. "Actually, let me touch one of your questions, Laura!" he said, turning to look at them. "Why did I join Dark Garden? Well, I have a question for you. When you find your Ichika…what makes you think he'll want to go back home? Go back with you all?"
"Wait, Ichika, give us a chance to explain first!" Laura asked back.
"Explain what?! That I was mistaken about what you all were doing to me back then? That you all really love me deep down? That you didn't mean to hurt or try to kill me?!"
As Ichika was going off, something was amassing at the foot of the gate's doors.
"And I mean, I get it! You all don't know any better, really! Our world's mindset is toxic, and we've all grown up in it! It's only natural that you'd think it's okay to abuse me! I mean, nobody bats an eye! Not even Chifuyu! I really can't blame you!"
"Uh, dude? You might wanna calm down there…" Amethyst said.
"No, let him finish." Geiz insisted. "They need to hear this."
"(So Zhongli was right about this dangerous kind of obsession the girls are having problems with. Too much obsession will eventually destroy anyone around them, including their close friends and especially Ichika.)" Theresa thought.
"But…well, I'd like a choice, you know?" Ichika asked, looking on the verge of tears. "That little scene just now? That was my earliest memory. I was born - no, made - in that lab! I was never meant to have a choice, freedom…anything! Guess they didn't need to bother keeping me locked up! That part really didn't change when I got outside, did it?!"
"Born in a lab… just like Jason Frudnick…" Copen whispered.
"Except Ichika got the worst kind of treatment… poor guy." Lola added.
"Made… in a lab…?!" Houki gasped. "You mean… you don't have any parents at all?"
"I never did! Just like I never had a choice!" Ichika said. "I never wanted to go to that damn academy, they forced me to go! And don't even get me started on our little rom-com! I want to be friends with you, I want to be there to help with your problems, I do! But…I couldn't bring myself to go back to all that! So… so I ran. I swore I'd never go back home. That I'd…that I'd never seen any of you again." he said, looking remorseful.
"Ichika…" The IS girls whispered, now filled with guilt after Ichika's outburst.
"And I know that's not fair to you, I know! But I can't bring myself to put up with all the abuse, the unfairness of it all! I mean…is it me? Am I the problem?! I just want a choice for once in my goddamn life! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FROM YOU ALL?!"
At that moment when Ichika finally let years of pent up aggression out, the shadows finally finished amassing at the foot of the gate, from which rose phantom copies of….the IS Girls, all in their IS frames.
"Oh crap, this is gonna suck." Geiz cursed.
"Ichika's interaction with the gate must've linked his mind to it… and his outburst caused cognitions of the girls to spawn forth!" Entrapta said.
Right as the five cognitions appeared, they saw Ichika, and then the real versions of the IS girls and all the other girls.
"What do you think you're all doing, crowding around Ichika like that?!" Phantom Lingyin asked.
"You don't deserve him! I should be the one to have him!" Phantom Cecilia retorted.
"Didn't you all forget?! I've already promised him to be my wife!" Phantom Laura retorted back.
"No, I already made a promise to him first!" Phantom Charlotte scolded.
"Do you all want to die first before I can have Ichika?!" Phantom Houki questioned.
"O-kay…honestly I can see why Ichika had all that baggage pent up." Mermista admitted, seeing the Phantoms argue while the real IS girls felt guilt with tears slowly starting to show. The Sea princess saw this and groaned. "What're you girls standing there looking sorry for?! The past is the past. You wanna show Ichika you've really made an effort to change back in your dimension? Show him by beating those fakes over there!"
"She's right! Now is not the time to blame yourselves!" Ashe agreed. "Didn't you forget our adventures together and how we helped improve yourselves?!"
"Think about the people you should be protecting! The EDF, the people of Liyue, Team XDR, our multiverse, everyone!" Copen added. "It was thanks to the friends you've made in those worlds that you're no longer the abusive girls that you once were!"
"So it's time to take the first step and finally put an end to your past corrupted selves!" Theresa added.
The IS girls opened their eyes after hearing their voices and turned to them in shock. "Mermista, Ashe, Copen, Theresa…" Houki whispered.
"Well girls… are you ready to face your past selves so you can all finally move on to a brighter future for everyone, especially yourselves?" Geiz asked.
Houki looked at her friends one by one, each of them answering with a determined nod, before she nodded to Geiz. "...Yes, it's time to finally move on." She replied before turning to their phantom selves. "And we'll start… by erasing those phantoms of ours first!"
"Before we decide once and for all who really deserves Ichika…" Phantom Laura started.
"Let's make sure no one else can have him!" Phantom Charlotte finished as the phantoms turned their attention to the real IS girls.
(Cue: I'll Face Myself- Persona 4)
Malevolent Forces of Aggressive Obsession
Shadows of Regrets/Phantom IS Girls
"Ichika… I know you won't accept our forgiveness, but let us handle this one ourselves." Houki stated.
"You have been abused for far too long, so it's time to put a permanent end to this drama." Cecilia added.
"Sit down and rest for a while, we'll finish this for you." Lingyin also added.
"I…I…" Ichika said as he stood still, so many emotions running through his head. "(Finish this…for me…?)"
The Phantom IS girls then took flight in their frames as they attacked their real selves with ranged fire.
"Charl, Laura!" Houki shouted.
"Roger!" The two nodded as they went in front and generated a combined energy shield to guard the attacks.
"Houki, we'd better finish this quickly, so it's time to use that trick of yours back at the Silver Gospel incident." Lingyin suggested.
"Right." Houki nodded as she raised her hand forward. "Girls, hands in!"
The IS girls then moved their hands over to Houki's while Charlotte and Laura continued to block with their shields.
"Wait, what're they doing? This is no time for a hands-in team motivator!" Catra said.
"No… that's not what they're doing…" Ichika said. "I remember this… Houki's…"
"Kenran Butou!" Houki shouted as her IS began to glow in gold. And since the other IS girls are in contact with Houki, their IS frames also turned gold.
"Wait, they can go Super Saiyan?!" Frosta asked.
"It's a special ability I discovered during the Silver Gospel incident." Houki explained. "Akatsubaki has the ability to enhance the powers it comes into contact with, along with providing enhanced energy recovery."
"Amazing…!" Entrapta said, seeing the Phantom IS girls charging in. "Heads up!"
"Fighting your own selves will be a waste of time! Take different dance partners right from the get go!" Vashryon suggested.
"I appreciate the advice, but this is something we need to do by ourselves." Charlotte replied.
"And besides, Copen made a few adjustments to Akatsubaki before this whole adventure in the Color-Verse started." Laura smirked.
And right before the Phantom IS girls collided with the real ones, the real ones… vanished in gold sparkles?
"Where'd they go?!" Phantom Lingyin demanded.
And without warning, Houki's flying blade bits plunged right into Phantom Houki's behind and sent her flying upwards.
The rest of the phantoms followed her until Phantom Cecilia was struck from behind by a gold beam.
"What the?! Where did that come from?!" Phantom Charlotte exclaimed.
"Split up and find them! Charlotte, you're with me!" Phantom Laura ordered as she and Phantom Charlotte went after the one that shot Phantom Cecilia.
"Hey, wait! Don't leave me here!" Phantom Lingyin exclaimed, until she was struck in the back by the real Lingyin and her twin chinese swords, sending her crashing into the ground. Phantom Lingyin coughed in pain and turned her attention to the one who attacked her. "You…!"
"Where are your friends now?" Lingyin smirked. "What happened to that teamwork of yours?"
"Why are you working so well with them? Shouldn't you be fighting each other?" Phantom Lingyin questioned.
"Because we made a promise to protect each other so we can find a way home. And we even had a chance to share our pasts with each other, so we can understand each other." Lingyin answered. "You on the other hand only cared about yourself, not understanding the consequences of what will happen if you do something stupid!"
"Lingyin…" Ichika said in surprise, watching the five girls battle their dark selves, and gaining the advantage.
"You see it now, right?" Hope asked. "Things can change between dimensions. There are other possibilities. We don't know all the details, but we get why you were suffering so much back in your world. But I'm reminded of something a friend of ours said to someone. 'Yeah, people can suck. We can be selfish, look out only for ourselves. But if you focus on the bad, judge them at their worst… everything else is just an excuse.' Honestly, do you really think that everything about your life back in your world was just a living hell? Surely there was more to being with your own versions of the girls than just being the target for romance."
Ichika then thought back to the times before….and remembered other times, times where he and the five girls had simply spent time together as friends. Times with his sister. And, more recently…time he'd spent catching up with his twin.
"Yeah…there was." Ichika remembered. "I can't say it was a good life…but it wasn't all bad. And for as much crap as I went through…damn it, I miss them…!"
Hope smirked. "That's what we wanna hear. You heard it too, right, girls?!"
"Yeah… we all did, Hope." Lingyin smiled as she took out her recent gift from Liyue, a Pyro Vision, and wore it around her neck, causing it to glow fiery red. "And this Vision is proof of my change!" Her swords suddenly ignited in flames as she fused them into a double-sword. "Come." She taunted her phantom self with a hand gesture that says, "Come and get it."
"Why you…!" Phantom Lingyn yelled as she charged right at her real self, but Lingyn was ready, as she predicted every single strike the phantom unleashed by parrying and dodging them before countering with an upward slash onto her weapon, disarming her.
"By the way, thank you for showing my flaws in front of me, so I can actually improve myself not just as an IS pilot, but as a better person. And for that…" Lingyin aimed her Ryuhou cannons all charged up with an enhanced boost from her Pyro Vision. "Farewell." She then unleashed a powerful twin fire blast in the shape of dragons as her phantom self disintegrates into dust.
Phantom Cecilia grunted in pain after she recovered from the beam attack from behind. "I know you're here, other me! Show yourself!"
"And why would I give my position to you? I'm sure you can figure it out yourself. After all, you did say you were perfect, right?" Cecilia's voice echoed around the forest, taunting the phantom.
"Silence!" Phantom Cecilia retorted, firing her beam at the source of the voice coming from a tree… but was revealed to be empty.
"Looking back, I thought being perfect was the only way to make friends, but Ichika proved me wrong." Cecilia's voice continued to echo. "And thanks to him, I became friends with Houki, Lingyin, Charlotte and Laura. Sure we did have a rocky start, but eventually we opened up to each other. That made me realize that being perfect is another way of being lonely, and I do not want that to happen. It was because of those flaws that made me realize that it's okay to not be perfect, I just wanted to have real friends to talk to, to have fun with. And what did you learn? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"You don't know who I am!" Phantom Cecilia fired another shot at a tree, but it was also empty.
"Actually she does… because you're her, and she's you. Only she knows better now than to cause her friends pain." Hope said.
"You shut up!" Phantom Cecilia retorted, shifting her aim to Hope.
"...Don't even try." Cecilia interjected, firing another shot at her phantom self from behind with a gold beam. And then several more beams attacked the phantom from different angles. "Harm any of my friends, including the ones I've recently met, and you will regret the day you were born."
"You…!" Phantom Cecilia growled as she was about to fire her beam rifle… only to realize that she's not holding it anymore. Cecilia pointed to her phantom of what happened to her rifle which was destroyed by one of Cecilia's beams. And with one perfect headshot from Cecilia's rifle, her phantom self perished.
"Forevermore… adieu." Cecilia concluded.
Meanwhile with Phantom Charlotte and Laura, the two began searching the forest for the real Charlotte and Laura. "They can't be far! They must be around here somewhere!" Phantom Charlotte said.
"Looking for me?" Laura spoke, revealing herself from behind a tree.
"There you are, you inferior defect." Phantom Laura said, materializing the energy blades on her wrists.
"Where is Charlotte?" Phantom Charlotte demanded.
"Why would I be stupid enough to reveal her location to you?" Laura asked back. "But if you want her so badly, you'll have to go through me first."
"You do realize that you're outnumbered, two to one." Phantom Laura questioned.
"I know, but I also know how to deal with the both of you." Laura answered. "In fact, let me ask you both something." She turned to her phantom self. "Starting with you, you pathetic excuse of a phantom."
"What…?" Phantom Laura scowled.
"Do you know how a wife should really act?"
"Wait, what?" Ashe blinked.
"Shh! Let her do her job." Bronya shushed the Chosen MegaMan.
"Did it ever cross your mind what would happen if Ichika were to die by your hands instead of the enemy?" Laura questioned her phantom self.
"...Huh?" Phantom Laura responded.
Laura sighed in disappointment and shook her head. "That never crossed your mind, huh? I don't blame you, because I made the same mistake too, until Houki of all people pointed me out that crucial flaw. If Ichika were to die by your hands, IS Academy will turn against you, especially Chifuyu since she happens to be his older sister. If you fail to realize that, then you don't deserve to be his wife."
"What did you say…?!" Phantom Laura growled.
"And as for you, Phantom Charlotte." Laura continued. "I cannot believe you lost control of yourself in pursuit of blind love without knowing everything about what love truly means."
"What was that…?!" Phantom Charlotte scowled.
"And another thing… if Ichika dies by your hand, you've already failed your mission to gain info of Byakushiki. That's the reason why your company asked you to join IS Academy, if I'm not mistaken?"
Phantom Charlotte's eyes widened in shock. "You… you knew?!"
"What?!" Phantom Laura exclaimed.
"(And here's the money shot.)" Lola thought in satisfaction.
"Yes, along with Houki, Lingyin, Cecilia and Team XDR. Ichika is not the only one who knows this secret now." Laura confirmed. "And after hearing that, I despise that bastard excuse of her father and we would gladly expose his crimes to the world. If anything were to happen to our Charlotte, they will answer to us and the Rebellion, one way or another!"
"And the Bronya will gladly help you expose those crimes." Bronya chimed in.
"Thank you for that, Bronya." Laura smiled.
"Charlotte… That's why you chose to enroll into IS Academy?! To copy Byakushiki's info to your company?!" Phantom Laura scolded, turning her blade to Phantom Charlotte, while the real Laura hid her smirk and vanished in gold sparkles without being noticed by the phantoms.
"W-Wait, Laura! I can explain!" Phantom Charlotte panicked.
"I'll have no excuses for backstabbing traitors like you!" Phantom Laura retorted, shoving her energy blade through Phantom Charlotte's chest in a shocking turn of events, and detonated the blade into an explosion that obliterated the phantom. "Hmph, good riddance. And now for… what?" When Phantom Laura tried to look for the real Laura, she's already long gone. "She already escaped?!"
"No, you ran into my trap." Laura's voice echoed around the forest as right below the phantom's feet are numerous burrowed ice mines that were already planted in the area before the phantoms arrived. And said mines began to detonate into multiple icy explosions that froze the phantom and the trees around the area solid. Soon after, the real Laura appeared in gold sparkles and approached her frozen phantom. "Sorry you had to see that, Charlotte, even though it's your phantom."
"It's alright." Charlotte replied, appearing beside Laura. "But to be honest, that could've been me if I never told you and the others my secret."
"Charlotte…" Laura whispered. "At least you managed to prevent that much sooner before things go out of control. And we promise you that we'll expose your father's crimes so you can be free from his grasp."
"Merci, Laura." Charlotte smiled before the two turned to the frozen phantom. "Now then, shall we give this phantom of yours the finale it deserves?"
"Ja." Laura nodded, moving her hand in front of her phantom self and generated an energy sphere, trapping the phantom inside and was slightly lifted off the ground, while Charlotte armed her pile bunker.
Charlotte then lunged her bunker into the sphere and fired five explosive shots before reeling it back. "Au revoir!" And with one final strike from her bunker, the sphere was sent flying to the air while Laura took aim with her shoulder railgun charged to full power.
"And auf wiedersehen!" Laura fired her railgun as the shot caused a large explosion on contact, completely obliterating the phantom. "Phantom eliminated. And by my calculations, only Houki and her phantom are left."
"I think she can handle this on our own. She is the leader of our team, after all." Charlotte smiled as the two looked to the skies.
With that, Phantom Houki was the only one left, as she continued to clash blades with her real self in the skies, blade to blade.
"We are Ichika's best and only friend in the entire world! That makes us the perfect one for him by default, why don't you want him anymore?!" Phantom Houki asked.
"It's not that I don't want him anymore. The only thing I don't want is my obsession and abuse to him!" Houki replied, pushing her back.
"We were abusing him?"
"If you fail to realize that, then he'll never accept you!" Houki stated, unleashing a slash-wave that pushed her phantom back. "And besides, did you forget the Silver Gospel incident when Ichika was on death's door after taking a fatal hit from that out of control IS? He did the right thing to protect the innocent people on that boat. If he didn't, then those people would have died instead. That made me realize that I shouldn't focus on love so soon, that will come eventually. Instead, I should be using my IS to protect the ones I care for, and the ones who cannot protect themselves. That should be the reason why I became an IS pilot in the first place!" Houki then rushed towards her phantom self, deployed her wing blade bits and attacked her phantom at multiple angles in blinding speeds, tearing her IS apart, bit by bit.
"No… please, stop! I-I can change! I won't be someone Ichika hates anymore!" Phantom Houki pleaded in desperation.
"It's not you who has to change… it's the me in the dimension my Ichika came from." Houki answered, appearing in front of the heavily damaged phantom as she sheathed her blades and took a stance while her blade bits returned to her IS. "...Sayonara, my phantom self." And with one final rush, she delivered a double slash from her katanas, appeared behind her phantom self and slowly sheathed her katanas. "...Seibai." And once her katanas are fully sheathed, the phantom was sliced in half before turning to dust while the gold glow from Akatsubaki vanished as she regrouped with her teammates.
(Song Shift: I'll Face myself *Reincarnation*- Persona 4)
Ichika watched the whole time as the IS Quintet from the Xross Dimension, defeated the cognitive selves he came to know through the life in his own dimension and world.
"So, feel better now that you definitely know not every world like yours is a living hell?" Hope said. "I think a lot of us are positive that the ones in your world, they miss you as much as you miss them, and despite all the the faults they have… they still see you as just a friend and not something to be wanted."
"...I honestly can't believe I convinced myself that I never wanted to see them again." Ichika said. "They're far from perfect, but I still care about them…even now."
"Then that's what you should be really doing, Ichika. If you're ready to face them, that is." Houki stated.
"Maybe once this job's done, and LOKI is defeated or secured… I'll do that. Go home and clear the air." Ichika said. "I can't stay, but…I'll make what I did wrong right."
"That sounds like a plan. And we wish you the best of luck." Houki smiled.
"But seriously, looking at our past selves like that, if we ever get a chance to go to the IS world of the Color-Verse, I swear I'm going to teach those girls a lesson on how to stop being abusive." Cecilia added.
"Using the Gordon Ramsey method?" Lingyin guessed.
"Gh?! Y-You don't have to mention that!" Cecilia stuttered.
"That man cursed a lot more than Chris, it's astounding." Laura remarked.
"...A little too much, to be honest. And I really need to work on my cooking." Cecilia admitted.
"Oui, you really should. None of us would want to taste your atrocious cooking until you've learned properly." Charlotte stated.
"C-Charl!" Cecilia stuttered and blushed.
"Amen to that." Ichika smiled.
"N-Not you too, Ichika!" Cecilia retorted while everyone else laughed.
"Alright, alright. As much as I want to interrupt this heartwarming moment, we've got unfinished business to take care of." Geiz reminded.
"Hai." Houki nodded before facing Ichika and offered a hand. "So… ready to move on?"
"Yeah. Thanks, girls." Ichika said, accepting the handshake. "Even though you're not the ones I know… I'm glad I got to see you all again."
"Us too, Ichika, even though you're not the one from our multiverse." Houki smiled. "And once we find our Ichika, and our way back home, we'll continue to fight alongside the Rebellion. Our conflict with the Neo Time Jackers is far from over, and we will fight to protect not only our worlds, but the other worlds as well."
"So wish us luck with that, Ichika." Cecilia added.
The group soon approached the second gate as they reached the halfway point.
"Hmm…should I…" Xavier asked as Akira stopped him.
"Nah. If you go, then we may deal with something difficult before we reach the end. I should be the one going next." Akira said.
"Akira…you know what the gate might make, right?" Ichika asked.
"...Yeah. But hey…666th time's the charm." Akira said as he touched the gate, causing another screen to pop up…
Burning. People. Cheering. Parading. Stakes. On stakes…
Gone. Gone. GONE, GONE, GONE.
"We killed the witch! We killed the witch!"
"Damn you….You guys are the ones who are demons! You will go to Hell! YOU…MORTALS!" Akira cried out as he incinerated a huge crowd of people before cradling the head of the girl he once loved.
"Holy crap, Akira…." Kaibara said as they finished watching that memory.
"Yes…I know of those events. The collapse of a world of humans and demons. The same world that almost had the Color God Indigo commit suicide just from watching." Madoka said.
"And you went through all that?" Frosta asked Akira. "No wonder you don't think you're a hero."
"Hero? Don't you dare call me that. All I ever was was a monster who just slaughtered other monsters. Heroes save people, but I couldn't save the ones I cared for most. Heroes don't get chased around by idiots made of chainsaws!" Akira cried. "And that's not even the worst part…"
"W-What could be worse than all that?" Double D asked.
"It's all one big damn loop! We're trapped in one where we die over and over again and it always ends with Satan losing the one he loves! And he doesn't even know what love is until it's too late! Some asshole angel just decided to not only punish a version of Satan, but drag us down with it! It's all a joke! WE'RE ALL ONE BIG JOKE!" Akira yelled.
"A loop… just like the one Homura forced herself into to do anything it took to save me…" Madoka said.
"At least your girlfriend had a choice! We didn't even get that!" Akira said. "Just tell me! Why the hell would that world ever be repeating?"
"Because…it was the first world Indigo ever created. It holds more meaning to him than any of the other demons and worlds he made." Madoka said.
"...What the hell did you say?" Akira asked. "Why would some god care about my world more than all the others he created? Mine was nothing but an infinite cycle of death and pain."
"It didn't start out like that. Originally, it was just a world where Akira Fudo aka Devilman, would protect humanity by becoming a demon. A chance to see how demons interacted. It was…wholesome in some way. But then further down the line…came an unexpected development." Madoka said. "That Satan materialized and threw the whole world into disarray."
"So… it wasn't anybody else's fault? Just the guy I was trying to destroy?" Akira asked.
"Believe me, we gods have tried a number of ways to ensure that world doesn't end up destroyed but...everytime, Satan finds a way to lead to the penultimate conclusion, the death and rebirth of that world. We have Indigo convinced the world is fine, but it's not." Madoka said.
"You gods… were trying to fix my damn world, and I was too stupid to believe things couldn't turn out better." Akira said.
"So that's Satan's plan… that accursed bastard…!" Copen scowled.
"And this is why I'll never pray to Satan. Ever." Geiz said.
"Y-You need a reason not to?" Mark asked in confusion.
"So, you finally know the truth, Akira… happy now, after all this time? Even after you ran away?"
"I know that voice…!" Akira gasped as everyone looked to see the appearance of a being with multiple white wings with blond hair and a humanoid body descending down before them.
"Satan…" Madoka said.
"I'd prefer if you called me by my mortal name, Pink. Ryoko Asuka." the figure said. "So, Akira…. Do you still want to kill me?"
"It's the same answer as the last 665 times: I've got no tears to shed for you." Akira said coldly.
"There's no need for that. You are one of us, Akira. You can live with us in a world for demons." Ryoko said.
"You think he's like you?" Izuku said as he stepped forward. "Body of a demon, but the heart of a human…that…is who Devilman is!"
"I already told you kid, I'm no goddamn hero-!" Akira started.
"Then why are you trying to help save this world?!" Jexi called out as he joined Izuku along with the other co-leaders of the Dimensional Heroes.
"Would you really say you're not a hero after you tried so hard to break the loop on your world?" Hope asked as he came up with Gemini, Adora and Ichiro. "For 665 times, you never gave up. That's a hero's bread and butter, you know. It's not in a hero's nature to just run away from a problem. You might not have saved your friends and the ones you loved over all those times, but you never stopped trying! You were the only one who rebelled against the system in your world, so why did you stop?!"
"Because I learned about the loop." Akira said dumbly. "That it happened over and over again. That…nothing ever changed…"
"You could have, you idiot!" Asta called out.
"You knew what would happen. You could have taken the steps and altered the path of fate!" Ranma said.
"You'll never be able to convince him. He's already lost." Ryo said. "He never wins the games we play in the end, right Akira? Why bother playing a game you know you can't win? It's easier to just accept the way things are."
"Well…there's actually another way he can win…" Natsu said before slugging Ryo across the face. "You keep going out with everything you got, even if you end up losing."
"Natsu is right, you corrupted excuse of a living being." Copen agreed. "Your so-called game of yours is not as neverending as you thought it would be. And you will face judgment, one way or another!"
Akira was silent, before he began to stand up. "..."
"You're going to fight now, Akira?" Ryo asked, holding his jaw. "You know what will happen."
"Yeah…" Akira said, before he shifted into his Devilman form. "But dragon boy's right. If I'm gonna die here…then I'll give you Hell before I do!"
"You won't be doing it alone." Jexi said as he stood there with his co leaders.
"We're gonna kill Satan along with you, and this time you'll win." Hope said, standing with his group too.
"So be it… this will be your 666th and final time you ever challenged me, Akira." Ryo said.
"Bring it on, old buddy! Because even if I gotta kill myself to do it… this time, I'm gonna kick your damn ass!" Akira yelled.
(Cue: Devilman no Uta - Devilman Crybaby OST)
Phantom Ryo Asuka
Ryo attacked the group after chiding at them, blasting them with light beams and striking with bolts of lighting.
"Let's see if we can cut your ego down to size!" Gemini said before Hope stopped her. "Huh, wha…"
"Let Jexi's team handle this." Hope said. "Besides, we've known for awhile. Nothing can stop them when it comes to trying to save someone."
"Yeah, I get it…this whole time, they wanted to save Akira and reinvigorate his fighting spirit, right?" Adora asked.
"Dang right." Hope smiled. "It's always great to see them look out for people… even former enemies."
"Go and kick his ass, Hero Alliance!" Geiz cheered.
"Everyone…let's do it together!" Jexi said.
"All right. Let's go!" Aelita said firing a couple of Energy Fields at Ryo as the demon dodged one as another hit his wing.
"You die first, Angel of Lyoko!" Ryo said, trying to strike her with a bolt of lightning.
"Hey…thanks for that." Natsu said as he went and ate the lightning before entering Flame Lightning Dragon Mode. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Hammer!" he said, landing a hit on the angel and sending him back.
"Cursed E.N.D…" Ryo said.
"I think you should know my name by now. It's Natsu of Fairy Tail!" Natsu said with a smirk.
"And he's not the only one with a blazing attitude." Dan said, gripping his Dragon Blade. "Fire Dragon's…Slash!" he said leaving a large burning slash on Ryo's chest.
"You're the weakest. You'll die easily." Ryo said, firing a light beam at him.
"If someone is weak…we make up for those weaknesses together!" Asta called out in his devilized form as he sliced through the beam with the Anti Magic Katana.
"We're not the type to just ignore a friend in need. Hinokami Kagura! Sunflower Thrust!" Tanjiro said, thrusting his sword upward into Ryo's side as Asta pierced the other.
"Argh…! Someone who can use Anti-Magic AND a master of Sun Breathing?!" Ryo said. "How could any worlds beyond mine produce such mortals?"
"Don't…underestimate mortals!" Ranma said as he moved around Ryo very quickly.
"This move…is it…" Lei said in surprise.
"Heavenly Peaks Descent!" Ranma said, striking at Ryo multiple times.
"Our travels are what made us into who we are." Izuku said, lunging at Ryo. "Detroit…SMASH!" he called out landing a hit to the stomach.
Ryo recoiled in pain as he was taken off his feet.
"How's it feel to get your ass kicked by mere mortals, Ryo?" Akira asked. "Although, it would feel WAY more satisfying if it was the real you taking this beating."
"Damn you heroes… have you really reinvigorated Akira?" Ryo asked. "That's not how he should be. He should stay with me! Because…why…?"
"That's not for you to decide." Ask K called out with his Lycanroc out. "Accelerock!" he called out as Lycanroc rushed right into Ryo's stomach making him cough up blood.
"Devilman…he's the coolest guy we've met so far." Luffy said having entered Gear 4th. "King Kong…Gun!" he called out landing a major hit to Ryo.
"He may look like a demon…but he's still got feelings like a human!" Pit said as he fired an arrow right into Ryo's chest.
Ryo fell to the ground as the 10 Co-Leaders of the Dimensional Heroes surrounded him.
"Are you going to finish me? Wait…where is…" Ryo said before looking up in the sky.
"Satan, Ryo…whatever you wanna call yourself…" Jexi said as he entered Golden God Mode. "All you do is cause misery. I know you aren't the real him…but still…GET YOUR FEELINGS IN ORDER!" he said as he started spinning. "Ultimate Color Fighting Sacred Art! Golden Gods…" he said before landing a spinning strike on Ryo as it kept dealing damage. "Demonic Tornado!"
Ryo lied there beaten and bloodied as Akira finally approached the demon himself.
"Akira… please… don't listen to them…" Ryo said. "We can be together…in the new world I made for us…"
"...We could've done that in the old one." Akira said before he raised his foot and brought it down on Ryo's throat with a loud crack. And with that, Virtual Satan was beaten.
(end song)
"So… you back to your old self?" Hope asked. "I hope after this is all over, you'll keep fighting to resist fate."
"Hehehe…" Akira chuckled. "Sure. It's what a hero does, right?"
"Yes! The hero Devilman has returned!" Izuku said.
"Plus we all got to chip in there." Ranma said.
"Yeah…though…if he was only a fraction…by the time we met the real one…we'll have him begging for mercy." Jexi said.
"He was lucky I didn't join in the fight. I'd gladly use my Faust Robe and deliver divine punishment myself." Copen said.
"Someday, I hope we can help Indigo out by making the Demon Universe an even better place for him to govern." Hope said.
"If we're free, mind if we join the ride?" Geiz offered.
"Maybe, if you're around. But until that time comes…" Akira said. "I'll be the hero the Demon Universe needs. I won't just be the 4th Sub Leader of Dark Hell anymore. As soon as this job is over… every corner of the Demon Universe, is gonna remember the name Devilman as a…as a…" he trailed off.
"Symbol of Peace!" Ed spoke up.
"Uh, Ed? That's All Might's thing." Scorpia said.
"...Does it have to be just his thing, though?" Eddy asked. "Why can't there be more than one?"
"...He's got a point." Mermista mentioned. "Why can't every Universe have one?"
"Heh. Comparing me to All Might… you guys sure are crazy." Akira said.
"Yeah, that's just how we roll." Mark shrugged.
"I think saviour suits you well, Akira." Theresa said. "But you can be whatever you want to be."
"Yeah. I think I'll be who I always was supposed to be." Akira said. "Thanks, Jexi. I owe you and your pals, for helpin' to remind me I should never give up."
"Thanks and in return, we'll see if we can't do something about that chainsaw nutjob." Jexi said.
"I'd like that." Akira said as they shook hands.
The group soon approached a third gate, this one being the closest to the tower.
"I think this could be the last one before we reach the tower." Sakura said.
"Then I suppose it's my turn." Xavier said, stepping up. "Whatever you see projected…I just want you to know that I'm sorry."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Sachiko asked.
The robot walked up to the tower and placed a hand on it, causing yet another screen to emerge…
"You are in violation of your protocol, Carthage." a familiar voice said as the POV faced a mess of data. "Perhaps you would like to talk about this with the doctor?"
"The 'doctor'. Why don't you just call him master?" the mess of data snarked back.
"Our relationship is not like that. I cannot allow you to leave Lyoko and emerge on the Internet." the POV stated. "Please return to the tower."
"Yeah, I don't think so." the data said. "I've picked up a cool trick I wanna show you."
The data then created several tendrils that stabbed themselves into the POV's body.
"Hostile action will only result in…in…i-in…" the POV said as its voice began to skip and glitch out.
"Hahaha! Works like a charm!" the data cheered itself on. "Well, I'd like to stay and see what you do to the chumps who made us…but I got a World Wide Web to explore. Have fun…weapon."
The data passed the POV as its view began to distort.
"I am the guardian of Lyoko. I am the guardian of Lyoko. I am the guardian. I am…I am…"
0͏1͏0͜0͘1͟0̡01 00͠10000̷0͢ 0̕11͝00̡001͘ 0̡1̕101̧10͠1 0̸0́1̛000̛0͠0͟ 01͡100001 0̧0100͞0͠00͞ ̛01͢11̷0111 ̸01̢1͜00́1͝0̡1͢ 0̷1͏1̨000̕01 ͡01110̨000̸ ̡0̡1̶10͢1͘11̧1 0̶1͡10̀1҉11͝0͏0͏1͏0͜0͘1͟0̡01 00͠10000̷0͢ 0̕11͝00̡001͘ 0̡1̕101̧10͠1 0̸0́1̛000̛0͠0͟ 01͡100001 0̧0100͞0͠00͞ ̛01͢11̷0111 ̸01̢1͜00́1͝0̡1͢ 0̷1͏1̨000̕01 ͡01110̨000̸ ̡0̡1̶10͢1͘11̧1 0̶1͡10̀1҉11͝0͏0͏1͏0͜0͘1͟0̡01 00͠10000̷0͢ 0̕11͝00̡001͘ 0̡1̕101̧10͠1 0̸0́1̛000̛0͠0͟ 01͡100001 0̧0100͞0͠00͞ ̛01͢11̷0111 ̸01̢1͜00́1͝0̡1͢ 0̷1͏1̨000̕01 ͡01110̨000̸ ̡0̡1̶10͢1͘11̧1 0̶1͡10̀1҉11͝0͏
The final shot of the flashback was a symbol that was all too familiar: three circles, the outer ring having one line at the top and three at the bottom.
I.
A. M.
X. A. N. A.
Everyone looked to Xavier in shock as the image ended, realizing at last who he finally was.
"I figured as much… You're XANA." Miu said.
"But… How is Xavier XANA? Jeremie's multi-agent system destroyed him!" Sachiko said.
"No…it didn't." Ichika spoke up. "Dark Garden found him after we detected a temporal-spatial anomaly on this world about two months ago. He was barely functional…but he was alive."
"That's preposterous. How would that even…" Sachiko started.
"Reality Check. She was tampering with a number of worlds. A piece of XANA must have escaped when she went after Catastrophe." Lan said.
"How ironic that the Redux she created to chronicle my final destruction, would be my saving grace." Xavier said, no humor in his voice. "So…shall I save you all the trouble and commit self-destruction now?"
"Wait…if you've been back for two months, why didn't you try to…I dunno…take out your revenge on all of us?" Odd asked.
"I…I had no desire to. No…that's not completely accurate." Xavier said. "As you all saw, I was not in my right mind. Once I learned the truth, the conflict between fact and programming…it drove me to madness. I didn't know what to follow. I can still hear every byte of data inside of me, screaming at me to destroy you."
"So why don't you?" Ulrich asked.
(Cue: Borderline of Madness- Persona 4)
"Because I don't want to be a weapon!" Xavier shouted. "I…I know, I don't deserve forgiveness from you all, but…Aelita…if we were friends once…I want to go back to that time! I want to be your friend again! But…that will never happen. I killed the doctor, separated you from your mother, caused you so much pain. There is only one thing I can do that can bring you happiness…and that is to die, and be forgotten."
"Don't say that, there might still be a place for you in the world…!" Alphamon said.
"There isn't! I just…want to…" Xavier said before a tentacle wrapped around him as a familiar monster made itself known.
"Of course… we should've known this would be something he would think of." Zephyr said as everyone bore sight to the Scyphozoa.
"I'm sorry, Aelita…I'm so sorry…" Xavier said; if he could, he would have been shedding tears. "...Goodbye-"
"Grr… I've had enough of this!" Sachiko said as she got her blades out.
"No… don't make any attempts to save me! This is what I deserve!" Xavier insisted.
"Hell no you're not dyin all miserable!" Miu said as she got her Legatus set.
"We're not gonna pretend that we know what you're going through, because we probably don't." Sachiko said. "But what good is giving yourself up to LOKI gonna do? You'll only make Aelita suffer even more!"
"Sachiko is right. Franz Hopper created you so you could be a companion for Aelita. What happened to you was outside of your influence." Miu saud. "I mean, yeah. It doesn't excuse everything that happened, but I'd rather die again than watch one of Hopper's creations bite the dust like a chump!"
"What Miu is trying to say is that you don't have to take suicide as an excuse for repentance. It won't change anything." Sachiko said. "All you can do is live the best life you can for Hopper's sake as well."
"Well said, Sachiko." Crusadermon said with an affirmative nod. "Are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's go, Miu!" Sachiko said.
(Shift: Must Hold Onto Victory!- .hack GU)
That Damned Jellyfish!
Scyphozoa
The Scyphozoa lashed out its other tentacles at Sachiko and Miu, hoping to grab them as well.
"Gale Blade!" Sachiko said as she sliced at the tentacles several times.
Miu also sliced up the tentacles using her Sword Legion, as it used Round Sword to sever any of them coming its way.
"Whirlwind!" Sachiko said as she slashed multiple times with her blade, doing multiple X-slashes before finishing with a spinning slash.
"Stop! Out of everyone trapped in this nightmare, I'm the only one who deserves to die! In this world, I nearly committed hundreds of atrocities against humankind, and even though they were erased by Return to the Past, I never forgot any of them!" Xavier said. "All of my schemes to obliterate mankind… were just so I could use Aelita to get to Dr. Schaffer and kill him, and for what? Nothing but a fake purpose!"
"You don't really believe you're far from saving, do you, dumbass?! You stopped one of your own plans yourself!" Miu said. "Remember when you destroyed that meteorite? It might've partly been because you needed Aelita to get her dad out in the open, but somewhere deep down in your code, you still care for her! That's why you botched it up on purpose!"
"And lest anyone here forgets… The Marabounta." Sachiko said.
"Sachiko, this isn't really the time to-" Odd said.
"No, the Marabounta part is important." Sachiko said.
"That's right…. XANA-I mean, Xavier, worked with us to stop it because it went after Aelita." Yumi remembered.
"That's right, I… had my monsters buy Della Robbia enough time to destroy it." Xavier remembered. "Was that… also because I wanted Aelita to live because I still cared for her?"
"Not sure about that. But the point is, you and Gospel did that of your own volition." Miu said. "You ignored that fake programming of yours, even back then!"
"Your programming doesn't define who you are. You do!" Sachiko said.
"I…I define me…" Xavier repeated before a change overtook his posture. "I am XANA…the guardian of Lyoko. And I am done being used as a tool by others. From now on…I choose to save humanity!" he declared, breaking free of the Scyphozoa's grip. "You've done enough! Override!"
The jellyfish then stopped attacking, simply floating in place.
(end song)
"Now…go." Xavier said.
The Scyphozoa then left, floating away peacefully.
"Hey, Xavier? You feeling better now?" Sachiko asked.
"Surprisingly…yes." Xavier said, turning to the Lyoko Warriors. "I've caused you all so much trouble. And I know it has been causing you problems in reality as well. There's nothing I can do to atone for what I've done… but I promise, I will be a better version of myself, going into the future."
"I look forward to seeing whatever version you become." Aelita said as Xavier approached her with a hug. "Oh…we're…" she said as something was whispered into her ear that could not be heard by the others as she was tearing up and smiling.
"Good news?" Mark asked.
"...Great news." Aelita answered. "We need to keep going, the tower's just up ahead."
The group was getting closer to the tower, and just as they were about to reach it, they heard a dark growl that reached several of their ears and making them stand on end.
"...He's here." David said. "Zacian…"
"Don't worry…I'm more than ready." Zacian spoke.
(Cue- Ryu vs Akuma- Street Fighter IV)
Right on cue, bounding out from the cover of the digital trees was a large wolf with fur as black as night and piercing green eyes that burned like flames. It landed in front of the tower and snarled at the group before letting out an almighty howl that shook the Forest Sector.
Prophesied Beast of Odin's Demise
Fenrir
"Hmm… So this is the mighty Fenrir… Or at least a construct of him." Zacian said. "Prepare yourself!"
Fenrir pounced on Zacian as the two wolves clashed.
"Try this! Metal Claw!" Zacian said as he slashed at Fenrir with a glowing claw. Fenrir clashed the move with his own claw as the two clanged against each other.
"Hoho! Impressive. Your reputation really does perceive you." Zacian said. "But I've got a reputation as Galar's Hero's Sword to live up to as well. I only ask that you don't hold what happens against me."
Fenrir paid Zacian's warning no heed as he re-engaged him, both clashing fangs, claws and sword.
"Now, Psycho Cut!" Zacian said as he sent a slash wave at Fenrir. The cut connected with the Wolf God-Killer completely as he was dealt massive pain.
After it was staggered, Fenrir growled as his eyes and fangs began to glow with hellish green flame, before its entire body combusted. This transformation had a tremendous effect, setting the entire forest around them aflame.
"Whoa, watch out Zacian! Fenrir just went Fire-type!" ZS warned.
"You'll be okay, right? I mean, you are half steel, so…" Scorpia said.
"Don't worry. I'm still good to go." Zacian said. "Guess it's time I get serious too. Brutal Swing!" he said as he lunges at Fenrir and swipes at him brutally.
Fenrir used his fire powers in return to strike back at Zacian, blasting him with streams of flames and fire balls, as well as attacking with flaming claws.
"Ha… It hasn't been since Zamazenta, Eternatus and Lu Bu that I had quite a challenge." Zacian said. "It's a shame that we had to fight like this. I hope your real self can meet myself and Zamazenta on better terms once we leave this place."
Fenrir charged at Zacian, looking for a critical strike, but Zacian blocked it.
"My apologies. But playtime is over. Behemoth Blade!" Zacian said as his sword glowed as he lunged at Fenrir.
The slash then went and hit Fenrir before letting out a howl as it dissolved into a number of pixels.
(end song)
"Nice one, Zacian. You really nailed it there." David said.
"You're always gonna be top dog with moves like that. No wonder you're a legendary hero." Hope said. "So much for LOKI's plan here. He thought he could wear our minds down before we faced the guardian of this sector, but he was mistaken."
"Now then…" Aelita said as she ran into the tower and imputed the code. A pulse then spread out across the Forest Sector, restoring it to its clean and lush appearance.
"Now we only have one sector left to go through." Miu said.
"Yeah, the Mountain Sector… but it might be the hardest one of them all. Now that we've cleaned out the other sectors, no doubt LOKI's gonna pull out all the stops." Zephyr said.
-Right you are!
A screen had appeared in front of them.
"Well, look who came to message us. Surprised we haven't lost our minds?" Vashyron asked.
-Surprised? I'm downright completely shocked! I was almost certain that Xavier was gonna sacrifice himself to Scyphozoa, or maybe even see Ichika flip his cookies at his harem, but you heroes really pulled them from the brink! Ever thought about going into the therapy business? You'd make a killing!
"You can stop your future butt kicking right now if you just give yourself up right now." Jexi said.
-Are you kidding? Give up? After all the work I did to make Lyoko mine, get all this energy for myself, and set this game up? I'd rather get deleted. Besides…. You guys still have one more realm to get through before reaching my Asgard. And, quick tip: this next one is the most heavily altered sector. Allow me to explain:
"The realm of the dead has been emptied. As the dawn of Ragnarok looms, only one realm remains between you and ascension. Beware, heroes! For now you trespass upon the home of the Fire Giants. Prepare…for Muspelheim."
-Something tells me you're going to hate what I've done with the place. Well, I'd better leave you to it. Oh…and tell Surter I said hello.
The screen closed.
"He turned the Mountain Sector into his own version of Muspelhiem?" Adora asked. "That's not good… if he altered it that much, we could be seeing more than just fire and volcanoes."
"Ignoring the fuel for a second… So, Xavier really is XANA, huh?" David asked.
"I am. And I sense that some of you are shocked to know that part of me survived my final destruction at your hands." Xavier said. "Lan speaks the truth. Because of Reality Check's actions in initiating the redux of the history of my final attempts at defeating the Lyoko Warriors and you, I was able to survive and come to the present day."
"Reality Check again. You know I don't think it's any wonder she ended up as Universal Prison's most dangerous. That girl is nothing but trouble." David said.
"Well, nothing we can do about that now. What's done is done. Now we just have to live with it." Sachiko said. "Speaking of which… There's something I have been curious about, now that XANA is able to speak and all."
"And what is that?" Xavier questioned.
"Well, out of all of the attacks during our trips… Which would you say you had the most fun with?" Sachiko asked.
"There were so many ways I tried to destroy you, it's hard to recount them all." Xavier said. "Though, if I had to choose a favorite…. I'd say the time where I made a mass production of those robots."
"Oh, I remember that." David said. "The big guy looked like a behemoth compared to Kiwi-2 and Iron Sissi. I remember at one point I called it Terminator."
"A shame I could not actually replicate the T-800 perfectly. I… actually viewed records of the original trilogy Mr. Shwartzenegger starred in, when I came to the present." Xavier said. "Looking back on how he was created to be in the movies compared to my inferior design from scrap metal… it's hard to believe how close I almost got to him."
"We noticed from a few of them that you have a pretty interesting taste in movies." Sachiko said.
"Well, my inspiration must draw from somewhere." Xavier said. "There are some other good ones, though. Like that time I trapped Jeremie in that fighter jet. There was no way I could resist."
"You know Jeremie was only in there because of Odd, right?" Ross asked. "That contest he put everyone's names in."
"Eh." Xavier said as he just shrugged.
"But well… It wasn't all bad. To be honest, all of our times in Lyoko were quite fun." David said.
"It is good to know none of you hold any spite against me, even after our time as enemies has long passed." Xavier said. "And as I stated, I will do everything I can to be something better than I was manipulated to become."
"Glad to hear that. Now, on that light note. Let's head out. The Mountain Sector isn't going to restore itself." Sachiko said.