As the group continued through the streets of Paris, it was unusually quiet. No homunculi were attacking, but that was because the battles were over before they had already begun. Bodies of Strati and corpses of advanced units were lying everywhere.
"This is Spade's work." Ragna guessed. "He's tearin' through Homunculi, trying to get to Tormal."
"All those years of torment, the burden he's put on himself…" Baril said. "It's becoming so heavy that it's completely overwhelming him."
"I don't get it. Baril, after we saved you on Mildian, Spade should've understood he couldn't do this alone. What made him regress? What changed in those two months to make him completely determined?" Noel asked.
"I guess it's because Tormal was still in this Multiverse, and as long he was around, no one would be safe." Baril said.
"Odio must've also factored in somehow. With what happened to Oersted, losing everything he cared about…" Connor said.
"This is a massacre…" Tsubasa whispered, looking at the dead corpses. "We must find Spade as soon as possible. He must never go through that dark path."
"If we can't stop Spade now, he's just going to relieve Oersted's story." Nine said. "There's one thing he needs more than anything else right now."
"Then let's see about giving him it." Bayonetta said. "All while we try to catch our thief, of course."
"Yeah." Zero said.
Even as the group continued through the streets with no homunculi, there was still some chaos. They heard from radios in abandoned police cars that soldiers were attacking each other, and high in the sky there were multiple strange insects flying around.
"What are those things?" Axl asked.
"Nothing too good if Singularity cooked them up." Connor said.
The group soon entered a passageway as they saw several soldiers trying to shoot at the strange insects before some of them latched onto their back and shrunk as the homunculi tether emitted from the soldiers and a green glow from their eyes.
"So that's what these new homunculi are. They're Parasitic control units that can hijack the bodies of other people. No wonder the Rosa of this world turned hostile." Lysithea said.
"Getting the locals involved… they'll pay for that." Bayonetta said.
"There's no point in helping those soldiers…we have to put them down as fast as possible!" Ignatz said.
"We give you mercy." Kido said, aiming his Ravager at the soldiers. He dispatched the soldiers as they exploded into dust. They soon ventured through an underground area before reaching the surface to find an army of hijacked COS operatives waiting for them, with tanks to boot in front of the Carrousel du Louvre.
"AVAVOGO!" Bayonetta called, summoning Gommorah to even the odds. But before the COS army could even attack...They started dancing, the routine looking oddly familiar.
"What the fuck are we looking at?" Simon asked bewildered.
"Dunno.. Maybe Singularity's a Michael Jackson fan?" DW typed to guess.
"I don't think that's it, DW." Zi-O sweatdropped. "And I've seen plenty of weird shit."
The possessed soldiers soon finished up their Thriller parody, and once it was done, Bayonetta wasn't exactly a fan. In fact, she was so ticked off that she had Gommorah start rampaging.
"It's time to end this madness… Once and for all! May they all finally know rest…" Bayonetta said.
As Gomorrah rampaged and trampled all the hijacked soldiers and their army, someone else was really close to where the group was. Someone who the theories just couldn't ignore.
One thing was on Spade Neptune's mind. One single thing, as he made his way through World B4 without even taking a minute to rest between the other worlds he had gone through, and the proof was shown all over his appearance.
He was dressed in his Dark Knight armor, but it looked faded and cracks were all over it. He had battled countless hordes of homunculi through all the worlds connected to Thule, and now he was here, braving them.
Nearby him, a group of COS soldiers were shooting at the strange insect homunculi.
"(Shoot, shoot dammit. If you stop you'll be killed!)" one of them said. But they soon ran out of ammo as the homunculi swooped in to possess them, but suddenly Spade came in and slashed them to pieces, saving their lives.
"Are you hurt?" Spade asked.
"(You… you have faded armor. Are you with them? With those monsters?)" One of the soldiers asked.
"Of course not. I am an ally." Spade said.
"(Good to know, thanks for the save!)" one of the soldiers said.
"(We're okay! No need to follow, we'll be falling back!)" Another one said as they retreated, Spade going on his way, determined.
"(Tormal… Singularity… where are they hiding?! There's no time… I have to stop them. I have to stop Tormal… I have to stop Singularity and the Homunculi… I won't let them hurt anyone else. So that everyone I care about can live peacefully and smile once more.)" Spade thought before collapsing to one knee.
Just then, a small army of possessed soldiers came into Spade's path.
"Such impaitence and anxiety to seek us out and defeat us on your own. You have put so much on yourself, the weight could be too much to bear." Singularity's voice was heard. "And now here you are, at your limit and close to exhaustion… I'd ask why you would not bother to ask for help from your comrades in arms, or even your friends, but we both already know the answer to that, do you?"
"Singularity…no more games. Call off your puppets, and face me with Tormal, so I can finally end this nightmare!" Spade said.
"I think not. I'd much rather see just how much more you can endure before you finally snap." Singularity said as the soldiers charged.
"(What do I know? These soldiers are being controlled by a new type of homunculi. They latch on to a person from behind and make their way inside through the back, taking over their bodies and minds. Are they still alive? Can I sever their control without killing them?)" Spade asked himself as he was getting swarmed, his helmet coming off to show his exhausted face. "(It's okay. I understand… I'll save you. I'll save everyone. I'll break this hold on all of you. I just… need a second… or two.)" he thought as he was blacking out…
"You selfless idiot…" he then heard a familiar voice. "Constance, light em up!"
"Ahahaha, witness the magical might of House Nuvelle!" Constance said as she ravaged the soldiers with Agnea's Arrow. Spade looked up in shock as he saw the one thing he needed above all else, that Nine was referring to.
"He's here! We finally found him!" Connor called.
It wasn't long before the entire team came to be in front of Spade as he was recovering.
"I don't understand… why are you here?" Spade asked.
"Because we were worried about you." Noel said.
"Hold still, Spade. Let me help you regain your strength." Gunvolt said, approaching Spade and used his Septima to heal him.
"No, don't." Spade said, pushing Gunvolt's hand aside. "It's nice you're concerned, but… I'm fine, I can handle Tormal and Singularity myself so no one else has to risk their lives and that they can smile peacefully." Spade then put his helmet back on. "There's no need for concern. Leave this all to me."
Connor clapped his hands. "Oh yeah. That's pretty assuring! Just what we've all come to expect of you for so long!" he said. "Real talk though, buddy. Are you able to smile right now? Go on and show us!"
"In order for me to smile….Tormal and Singularity need to be stopped. That's why I have to keep going. I'm sorry. So…" Spade said standing up as he drew his sword and emitted a dark aura. "Get out of my way or I will use force to make you."
"Wait, Spade-san! We don't have to fight over this!" Hibiki pleaded.
"Doesn't look like he's gonna listen in the state he's in." Raphael said.
"Yeah. we had a feeling it was gonna end like this." Connor said. "Sorry Spade… but you're gonna have to make us!"
"I'm sorry about this… but this is going to hurt!" Starlight said as everyone prepared themselves.
(Cue: Dark Hero *Female Version*- Astral Chain)
Everyone stood across from Spade as he prepared to make his move.
"(Once he sets his mind on something, it's nearly impossible to stop him. We've known that about him for years.)" Connor thought. "Heck of a look you got going on, I'd say by now you reassembled that part of yourself that was stashed inside every one of the shadow knights! But you look more like a demonic knight now than a savior!"
"Everyone… thank you for coming. Really." Spade said as he gripped Tyrfing and jumped into attack and scattered everyone with a big flash.
Hapi saw Spade trying to get away through the dust. "So that's your big plan from the start, huh? Now that you got all your power back, we're just a bunch of side characters?"
"We're supposed to be a team! You don't have to shoulder this burden alone!" Mei added.
"Mei's right, Spade!" Ignatz called, firing a few arrows to slow Spade down. "You have to come back to the team! Believe me, I know what it's like to think you're responsible for everything! But you can come back to the Alliance no matter what! We won't judge you for anything!"
"Ignatz… sorry." Spade said as he slashed through the arrows. Then he was suddenly grabbed by Peacock.
"That armor of yours is super freaky, no wonder you've got such a hard time!" Peacock said.
"Peacock…" Spade said, trying to shake Peacock off before he was suddenly about to be attacked by Ajna.
"Come on, Spade, snap out of it and let us help knock some sense into you!" Ajna said, clashing her axe with Tyrfing. "Remember when you and the others helped me after you split off from the others in the alliance? I was too stubborn to see my mistakes while we were traveling all over Loka, but you helped me make up for them in the end! I was really glad for that, and that extra time bought for me before I faced Kala to reincarnate! You and your brothers helped me realize I'm me!"
Spade pushed off Ajna, but suddenly he was snared by a chain bind, hooked by Zi-O's Beast Legion. "For the love of the Archons, stand down, Spade!" Zi-O shouted. "I know what's going to happen to you if you continue like this! This armor that I'm wearing, it belonged to someone who was destined to become the strongest, kindest and most compassionate king! But somewhere down the line, he lost his way after his close friends were killed, making him turn into the Demon King of Time, Oma Zi-O! If you continue to fight for your friends alone, you'll make a mistake and end up like Sougo! Let us shoulder that burden for you!"
"If I let you all go anywhere near them.. It'll be like killing you myself! Tormal and Singularity would destroy you…" Spade said as he started to break free of the astral chain. "That's why, two months ago… I had to leave!"
"You stubborn son of a bitch!" Zi-O cursed.
As he broke free of the chain bind, Balthus sent him flying into a building with one punch. Peacock and Ajna regrouped with Raphael.
"Dang, he's gotten way too strong!" Peacock said.
"And just as stubborn as I used to be." Ajna added.
"Spade, hear us out! I know what it's like to walk a lonely path!" Tsubasa spoke. "I used to be like that too when Kanade was killed after she used the Superb Song, relying only on myself! I even refused Hibiki's help and nearly killed her when she wielded Kanade's Gungnir Relic! It was thanks to my uncle, Hibiki and Miku that helped me, no longer walking the path of a lonely sentinel!"
"Tsubasa's right, Spade!" Kanade agreed. "Do not give up on living for something as stupid as this! It's not worth the effort!"
"Yeah! If you don't, then when the time comes to tie the knot with Rime, no matter what happens to you at the end, you're basically just gonna be dumpin' her at the altar!" Peacock added.
"That's fine… anyone can make Rime happy… it doesn't have to be me that she needs to find love and happiness…!" Spade said, pulling himself out of the building.
"Spade, you dumbass!" Simon said.
"Si…mon?" Spade asked.
"Start making sense, you stupid brother, or you're gonna be sorry! Maybe I'll chain your limbs down, one-by-one! Or maybe I'll put you in the goddamn freezer! How can someone with such a big, chilvarous heart get manipulated like a little bitch? Huh? 'Oh, Tormal! I love you, Tormal! Come over here and give Spade a big sloppy kiss, Tormal!' Now pull your head out of your goddamn ass and GET A FUCKING GRIP ON YOURSELF!" Simon said.
"Your brother is right, my love! Why would you say that anyone can bring happiness to me? You're the one I've always admired! Don't you remember the night you proposed to me? It was the happiest moment of my life, you made me forget about all the things people saw me as, you are my light!" Rime said.
"Listen to your brother and your loved one, Spade!" Joule pleaded. "You can still change and do the right thing! It's not too late as the future is ever changing!"
"And don't you dare walk the same path as I did before I joined the Rebellion!" Gunvolt added. "You know how hard it is for me to move on when my former commander betrayed me and Joule, and killed us?! It was thanks to the necklace Joule made for me that I'm still alive, giving me a chance to avenge her death and defeat my former commander! I had to push away my former friends to heal my broken wounds, but thanks to Quinn and Lumen, the latter now taking Joule's name as an honorable memory, I kept moving forward until I became the man standing before you. I've even reconnected with the friends I've pushed away! So please, for the love of gacking god, wake the hell up and come back to us already!"
"Stop it… you all don't need to waste so much on me." Spade said.
"Spade!" A voice called as Spade gasped and turned to see Ace looking at him with a determined expression as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I'm not letting you go. Even it costs me my life, I am bringing you back, so please just stop it!" he said as he slowly approached him before grabbing his helmet and pulling it off as he then put his hands on his elder brother's cheeks. "We all know you're so duty bound to protect us… but right now there's something you have to do! And that's to let us shoulder your burden."
"Ace, please don't make me do this…!" Spade urged.
"Spade, stop already!" Ace said, shaking his head. "We've already lost our parents, I don't want to lose anyone else…" he said, placing his forehead against Spade's.
"Stop it… stop it Ace, please!" Spade said as darkness radiated off him. "I know you're all here because you care…. Your actions now are proof of that. You engaged me with no reason to commit any violence than you have to… you're trying to save me!"
"You get it right?! Were trying to knock all the extra darkness outta you!" Raphael said. "I don't get all the details myself, but it sounds like you've been suffering so much. You can't carry all that weight on your shoulders anymore after hundreds of years, and now you're running on empty!"
"No! I'm… fine… really, I can still…fight." Spade said. "Let me end this nightmare myself… I'm begging you…!" Spade said, raising Tyrfing. He was almost about to cut Ace down, but then.
*BANG!*
A gunshot shot Tyrfing out of Spade's hands, stopping him.
"Geez…. Are you really that dense that you were willing to cut your own brother?" Connor asked being the shooter. "We can see it all over your face. You wanna cry and let it all out, but you can't bring yourself to show your true feelings. I'm sure when you took out Pedrol and Nitez the first time when you didn't know about Tormal's curse, it hurt too. You didn't want to kill them because you were happy to see them. So what would've happened if you weren't restricted back then on Mildian? Would you have killed Baril too, and the others?"
"N-No…I couldn't do that after seeing them again…" Spade said.
"Yeah… just as I thought. You forced yourself to cut them down. You were so happy to see Pedrol and Nitez, but you didn't even consider finding another way and pushed your feelings down to just kill them and hope you could bring them back." Connor said. "Wake up, Spade! You can't save anybody like that! Have you learned anything at all while traveling with Jexi and the gang after all this time? That's not how they would save people!"
"But if I don't kill Tormal…." Spade said.
"Think, Spade, think! He dies, the Shadow Knights die! The second you cut him down, his curse wears off and they lose their anchor to our plane of existence! Don't you think that's exactly what Tormal is hoping for? You've worn yourself out and you still haven't found where hes hiding, but we know the way to find him, so stop this, you need a new plan!" Connor said as the darkness in Spade's body continued to swell up. "If you actually want to save the Shadow Knights and take down Tormal, let's do it the right way, together! Let's stand together and end this stupid nightmare of yours!"
"I…please…please…" Spade said, trying so hard to resist the urge to cry.
"That's right! Say it!" Connor said.
"Say you want all that weight off your shoulders!" DW typed.
"Please say it, Spade. We'll never give up on you, no matter what. Just like what Cure Heart did." Regina pleaded.
"It's alright, Spade…you don't have to do this alone anymore." Ace said, pulling Spade into a hug as the darkness dissipated as Spade gave in and finally let out all of his emotions as he cried.
(end song)
"Everyone please…help me!" Spade cried as his armor disappeared and he was back in his normal clothes. "I've been such a fool this whole time! I thought I could save my comrades by putting their souls to rest… but I didn't know how strong Tormal had become in the years since I last saw him! Xiaomei was right, if you hadn't stopped me on Mildian… then I would have surely died."
"But then Tormal got away at Onigashima, and then after we saved Oersted, you got too stubborn and tried to finish things on your own." Connor laid out. "Honestly, did you think it was the right call to bear all the darkness yourself? You saw what happened to Oersted, what part of you thought that was a good idea?"
"My past." Spade said.
"You can't let the past define who you are, Spade. Besides, even if you did tell the others about it, has it bothered them even once since you and Spirit Force teamed up with the rest of the alliance?" Connor asked.
"No." Spade said.
"So is that any reason to just run off and do things yourself? You've known the real solution to this problem the whole time, it was right in front of you. You didn't need to do this on your own. You didn't need to kill anybody." Connor said.
"All I needed…was help." Spade said as he sobbed. "Thank you… all of you. I can't believe again, how foolish I was."
Spade rested in Ace's arms as Bayonetta arrived.
"Well, has the valorous knight finally seen reason?" Bayonetta asked.
"Yes, he has." Ace smiled with his eyes closed.
Simon then looked up as he sensed something. "We have company." he said as gliding down and landing in front of the group was B4 as Mictlantecuhtli dropped the Chaos Gear as it floated into her hand as Bayonetta and Simon looked at her with unimpressed expressions.
Before anybody could say anything to B4, not even about handing the Chaos Gear over, the Three Umbrans suddenly engaged in a dance off. B4 made the first move as she twirled forward and took her hat off as she tapped in place before putting it back on and twirling her cane as she walked past Bayonetta and Simon and continued twirling it before finishing with a pose.
Bayonetta respond in kind by dancing towards B4 herself. She did a few waving motions with her arms while doing a few fancy movements with her legs as she finished with a pose and laughed.
Simon was last as he pulled off a variety of dance moves himself, before finishing with a bow.
"Uh… what the heck was that all about?" Peacock asked.
"Traditional Umbra Witch greeting." DW typed.
(Cue- Night Shadows Dancing- Bayonetta 3)
Suddenly without warning, B4 tried to strike Bayonetta with her staff, before Simon charged forward and clashed Hypnos and Nyx against it.
"Mind explaining what that was about?" Simon asked before Bayonetta moved in and clashed her guns against B4's cane.
"Oh, that? A simple bonsoir. Just wait until I get really chatty." B4 said as the three exchanged blows before B4 summoned a swarm of electric bats as the two dodged before firing their guns as B4 sucked it into her hat and fired it back at them only for it to be stopped by a sneak shot from Bayonetta.
It wasn't long before the others got in on the fight, Ace staying back to protect Spade, as he was all out of energy.
"Hold on for a second! You're gravely mistaken about who your true enemy really is!" Lysithea said.
"Mistaken? Our line of work doesn't allow for 'mistaken,' chere." B4 said.
"Seems someone's a little too pridefully stubborn to listen." Simon said, thrusting Thrace at the Phantom Thief.
B4 was just as formidable as the original Bayonetta, even more so with her unique weapon in her cane and hat, Abracadabra. With it, she could fight at close or long range, summoning a variety of magic trick items from her hat, and electric bats from her cane.
"Oh, so y'wanna get crazy? I can do crazy!" Peacock responded. "Here, catch!" she said as she tossed a George Bomb out, which B4 dodged at first, not knowing it could move, put Peacock caught her. "Gotcha!" she said as she shot B4 with her oversized revolver, the latter getting hit with a baseball, distracting her enough for the George bomb to blow up at her feet, sending her into the air for someone to follow up. "You're up, Linny!"
"Might as well." Linne said, taking over for Peacock. "For the sake of our future...no escape and no survival...the blade of truth spares not the gods...Divine Blaze!" she called, leaping up after B4 before appearing above her as she slashed downward, the image of a city appearing behind her.
B4 recovered as she refocused her hat, and got a little more serious.
"Gather 'round! Our light show is truly magical!" B4 said, dancing a little before masquerading with Mictlantecuhtli as she tethered her upper body from her lower half as she fired a continuous beam of lightning from her core.
"Hadouken!" X called, firing a beam of his own as the two collided before cancelling out.
The battle was soon taken into the sky as the platform they were on levitated upwards.
"You all are about to become very intimate with the pain you gave Maitresse…ma maman. And no amount of pleading for your life will stop me!" B4 said as she hopped onto Mictlantecuhtli.
"We're trying to tell you, we didn't wanna kill your mom!" Connor said as he shot at Mictlantecuhtli.
"We wanted to help her, truly. But there was no way." Miriam said.
"It's no use, she's not listening." 2B said.
"She won't listen, guess we'll make her listen!" A2 said as she activated Berserk Mode and attacked at high speed, dealing massive damage to the Infernal before it soon vanished as she deactivated Berserk Mode. Bayonetta and Simon ran toward B4 as they masqueraded with Gomorrah and Alighieri respectively and began clashing with her as she then masqueraded with Mictlantecuhtli as they continued clashing before Bayonetta and B4 fired a beam at each other before cancelling out as they then fell to the ground before slowing their descent as they soon landed, the platform landing as well.
(end song)
The three Umbrans then stood up as Bayonetta widened her eyes. "Get down!" she called as B4 turned to see two of the insect Homunculi as she dodged them before one managed to latch onto her back as Singularity's face appeared.
"You've lost control of your emotions, and yourself. It's so easy to ensnare such single-minded prey." Singularity said.
"...Who…are you?!" B4 demanded.
"The one who will show you your true potential." Singularity said as B4 was soon fully under the Homunculi's control. Then, hundreds more started coming from all around the group.
B4 then raised her head up as she danced. "VRELP LONSHIN!" she chanted as Mictlantecuhtli appeared as she soon mounted onto him before looking down at the group with her glowing green eyes.
"Now, Arch-Eve Origin. What, if anything, can you or your friends do for her, or the ones you've made so much of an effort to save through your whole journey?" Singularity asked through B4 as the bug-like homunculi closed in around the Louvre.
Parasitic Control Module
PERLUCIDUS
"Oh my god, there's gotta be like a million of those things!" Hilda said.
"This looks bad… Singularity might not just be going for B4, he probably wants the shadow knights back on Tormal side too." Leonie said. "If any of these things jack even one of you guys, all our hard work to free you will be for nothing."
"Then I think it's time for a concert." Simon said.
"Uh, Simon? Not to spoil the mood, but I don't think we can take on this many even if we all sang together." Chris said.
"I'm not talking about a song from one of you." Simon said. "Cereza?" he asked.
"DO O IA BAYONETTA!" Bayonetta called, thrusting her hand into her chest as a summon circle appeared. "CNILA D COMSELHA ODO ANANAEL! FABOAN ZUMVI FAFEN NIIS! BLIOR HE PARADIZ!" she called, pulling out her heart as the blood from it dropped onto the ground as Baal appeared when she suddenly turned white and began melting.
(Cue- Fertile Rondo- Bayonetta 3)
Rising out of the melting infernal was a very beautiful pale white woman with long red hair as she held a white parasol and wore a very beautiful opera gown adorned with red jewels and a skull headdress with a veil around her head.
"Good evening, mistress and friends. Is this the new recital stage?" she asked as she curtsied with a smile.
SIREN OF CREEPING PLAGUE
BAAL ZEBUL
"Oh my word…" Lorenz said, not believing what he was seeing.
"THAT'S Baal's true form?!" Al asked.
"Okay… I did not expect that." Kiana remarked.
"I was half expecting some super powerful monster or something…" DW typed.
Baal Zebul looked at the horde of Perlucidus as she approached before she furled her umbrella. "Oh my, such a large audience! I'd better jump into the chorus then." she said as she cleared her throat before she began opera singing as any Perlucidus that closed in instantly exploded.
"Holy crap!" A2 said.
"...Yeah, she's got this." Connor said.
With that, the group stepped back and enjoyed the show. Baal Zebul's singing destroyed any incoming Homunculi rhythmically as she also danced before finishing the first verse as multiple demonic hands rose up around her holding glowsticks as they waved them around before she began the second verse. Mictlantecuhtli soon fired a beam of lightning, only for Baal Zebul to deflect it with a high note as spotlights began shining from around the Louvre, signaling the end of the second verse and the beginning of the third verse as she destroyed bats that were summoned by Mictlantecuhtli alongside the incoming Homunculi. She continued singing on before finishing with a powerful high note as it caused Mictlantecuhtli to vanish and B4 to crack and white out as she soon exploded into dust, the homunculi following as they exploded into fireworks. Baal Zebul then picked up her umbrella and unfurled it with a smile as it rained.
"If I go crazy after seeing too many weird shit, feel free to hit me in the head." Zi-O said.
"Noted." Stoj said.
"Did not expect you of all people to accept that request." Starlight sweatdropped.
(end song)
Bayonetta caught Abracadabra in her hands as the group recovered the final chaos gear. "May you be reunited with your mummy…" she said as World B4 began to vanish
"And that makes all five." Connor said as Singularity's face appeared. "In the words of a good Phantom Thief friend of ours… it's almost Checkmate for you and Tormal, Singularity."
"On that, we agree. The events of our encounters are already determined. We'll be seeing each other very soon." Singularity said before Simon fired a bullet into the cloud's head. "Very soon indeed…" he said before vanishing as the group soon found themselves back in Thule as all five Chaos Gears floated before the group.
"This will all end soon as well. Very soon indeed." Bayonetta said.