Author's Note: And now, at last, we reach the final battle. For the record, I highly recommend the following in terms of music for this battle: /watch?v=AGWBmZnZdkw
Other than that, enjoy!
There was no calm before the final battle this time as Pit led his companions into the Underworld with Remiel at his side. His heart pounded in his chest and his hands were shaking as he held his bow, eyes scanning for any sign of the monsters under Hades's command. Nemo's final words to him echoed in his head as they drew closer to their destination.
"I look forward to the edge of your blade." He shoved his grief to the back of his mind and tried to focus on the task at hand, to only think of putting and end to this and bringing his family through as unscathed as possible.
"Not to be picky, but my wings are getting hot," Ephraim announced, and Kuro sighed.
"Right, sorry about that," the Commander grumbled. "Still getting the hang of this." The light around Ephraim's wings faded and Pit reached back to his partner, and she took his hand. He helped her onto his back and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he cut off the Power of Flight he had granted to her.
"We're almost there," Remiel announced now that he was in the lead. "I can sense Father's presence ahead." His voice was almost lifeless.
About a minute later, the group arrived at a great chasm where many monsters of the Underworld Army had gathered and Nemo stood overlooking it, his back to his approaching opponents. An eerie light glowed from within the chasm itself, sending a chill down Pit's spine, and Lucina must have felt his shudder as her arms tightened around him. The monsters made no move to attack as the Skyworld ruler and his companions landed, weapons at the ready.
"About time, Pitty Pat," Nemo's voice said as he turned around to face them with a smile on his face. "I'm honestly surprised you didn't come sooner after what I can only imagine was your heartwarming reunion with your little friend."
"You knew about that?" Pit asked before really thinking about it.
"Of course I knew about it!" Hades scoffed, shaking Nemo's head. "You think I wouldn't notice when he managed to send out a burst of energy like that? I'll give him credit that he's stubborn." He glanced over to the Underworld's princes. "You two should be proud."
"I suppose there's nothing we can do to convince you to free him," Remiel spoke up. "And if that's the case, then I have nothing to say to you. Let's fight."
"You've been spending way too much time with our dear Pitty," Hades chuckled. "Then again, maybe you just take after your father."
"Quit stalling!" Kuro yelled, clenching his fists. "If you don't make the first move, we will!"
"You Pits have gotten so boring over the years," Hades sighed and shrugged. "Whatever happened to your rally cries? Those were so much fun to listen to."
"I'm really not in the mood," Pit replied. "But trust me on this." He readied his bow and set himself into his battle stance. "You better be ready for a rain of death." He exchanged a quick glance with his twin, who smirked and nodded quickly.
"Well, that was pathetic," Hades said flatly. "I intend to make good on what I told you before, Pitty. Time for a bloodbath." With that, the monsters under his command rushed toward their targets, and Remiel and Henry moved quickly to intercept them.
"We've got this!" Remiel called. "Just focus on Hades!" Pit nodded and took to the air with Kuro at his side, and the newly appointed god of Calamity shot forth an explosive blast of flame toward Nemo. The lord of the Underworld disappeared in darkness briefly before reappearing a few steps away and launching forth several spheres of light along with a wave of darkness that they narrowly dodged. While Kuro remained in the air, Pit landed a few paces from their opponent and pulled his bow apart.
"Don't worry, Nemo," he said as their gazes met. "This will be over soon."
"Optimistic as ever, aren't we?" Hades said with a smile. "Allow me to crush that for you!" He looked up and rolled forward as a barrier nearly crashed down on him, firing a blast of light as he got up that upset Hades's balance and allowed him to follow up with a slash of his blade at his target's waist. Hades grunted and smirked. "You've gotten so much stronger, Pit. I'm so proud." Pit had nothing to say in reply and sidestepped as Hades thrust another strike of darkness at him, then rushed forward to strike again with his blade.
"Whoa!" He jumped out of the way a heartbeat before an explosion erupted between them, knocking them both back. "Jeez, Kuro! Watch it!"
"Not my fault if you're in the way!" Kuro called back. "You said you wanted this ended by any means necessary."
"That didn't mean hitting me too!" Pit grumbled, and Hades caught his attention again by hitting him with several spheres of light that knocked him off balance and disoriented him, allowing his opponent the chance to strike him with another cast of darkness. Kuro stopped him with a shot from his bow before he could do anything else, allowing Pit to regain his footing and shrug off the pain in his body.
"Alright, let's try something else," Kuro said as he landed behind Hades, focusing his power and casting a trap at the Underworld ruler's feet to keep him from moving. Hades glared at him and let out a grunt of agony as the twin gods hit him simultaneously with a blast of light and fire. He fell to his knees and Pit winced at the sound of a crack in Nemo's ankle, his foot still ensnared in the trap.
"N-Not bad," he growled. "I didn't exactly plan on you becoming a god, Ptooey. Impressive."
"Just shut up," Kuro snapped, then nodded to Pit as the god of Light stepped forward and readied his bow for a final strike.
"We've been through this time and time again, Hades," he said in a low voice. "It's time to end you." He paused. "For Nemo." But before he could strike, an eruption of darkness from around Nemo's body knocked both him and Kuro off their feet and sent them skidding across the rock below them.
"Heh…" Hades chuckled before breaking into harsh laughter. "This flimsy body of his just can't stand up to your brutality." He broke through the trap Kuro had caught him in and limped over to the edge of the chasm before him, calling down several of his monsters to intercept his opponents as they tried to go after him. "This husk has served its purpose. It's useless now!" Pit ducked under a sharp arm slashing at him and stared in horror as Hades lifted Nemo's arms up, a light shining around his body.
"Nemo!" Pit shouted, his voice almost catching in his throat. "NEMO!" The light abruptly left Nemo, and he crumpled to the ground, motionless. The light plummeted back down into the chasm and most of the monsters around it were suddenly sucked in, including those Pit and Kuro had been facing just before they could strike them down, and everything around them fell deathly still.
Then, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble violently, and both Pit and his twin fell over with a grunt and watched in terror as a giant form rose out from the chasm: Hades.
"Ah, MUCH better," he laughed. "Don't get me wrong. That little Oracle is powerful, but he's nothing compared to, well, me." Hot anger shot through Pit's heart as Hades bent over and flicked Nemo aside, and both he and Kuro took back to the air just before Hades could crush them under his feet as he stepped out of the chasm.
"Regroup!" Pit ordered and flew back to meet up with the rest of his companions as they joined him and stared at Hades.
"Okay, now what?" Lucina asked as she panted, wiping sweat, blood, and dirt from her forehead.
"And we thought Grima was big and nasty," Henry agreed as he hunched over, his hands braced against his knees. "Got another plan, Lord Pit?"
"The new plan is the same plan," Pit replied. "We finish Hades. Destroy him before he can settle permanently into his new body." He summoned his staff and cast a barrier, grunting as Hades hit it with a strong attack of energy. "I don't know what new tricks he has up his sleeves, so be careful, everyone. We're going to win this fight!"
"For Father," Remiel said in a nearly pleading voice. "Hades will pay for this."
"Aye," Pit agreed. "Let's finish this!" He dismissed his staff and focused his power into his bow, then readied an arrow and let it fly. It sped forth and hit Hades square in the forehead, but it didn't seem to faze him. The group under Pit's command scattered as Hades stomped his foot down where they had been standing and Henry retaliated with a whip of darkness that cut across it. This, fortunately, left a mark and Hades frowned.
"Now, that wasn't very NICE!" Hades bellowed as he thrust a powerful shot of energy that left Henry stunned on the ground, and Ephraim swooped in and grabbed him before Hades could crush him.
"G-Gotta admit you're a lot stronger than anything I fought with the Shepherds," the silver-haired youth groaned. Meanwhile, Remiel struck Hades from behind with his own power of light, his eyes blazing with rage as his elements flickered around him. Hades sighed and a gust of wind burst forth around him, knocking his challengers off balance and disorienting them before darkness fell over them, and the shots of energy concealed within left Pit struggling to stay on his feet as they razed his body.
He inhaled deeply and cast a light from his hand to purge the darkness before taking back to the air and rushing toward Hades, dodging another round of energy and slashing his bow across the Underworld ruler's face. Hades winced and glared at him, and Pit let out a distressed yell as his enemy snatched him from the air, agony shooting through his wings as they crumpled against his back.
"Now, this is a familiar sight," Hades chuckled, though he turned his attention away briefly to fire another blast of energy toward one of his other assailants as Pit struggled to free himself from the grip squeezing his body with little success. "I do believe this is a fitting way to finish you, Pitty Pat. You'll die just like the pathetic hen before you." Pit grunted as he futilely tried to squirm away, his breathing now restricted as Hades's grip tightened around him.
"Y-You won't stop us," he gasped, hoping his panic wasn't evident in his eyes as he glared at his adversary. "Even if you kill me, they'll still win this."
"You're so sickeningly optimistic," Hades laughed as he swatted away some other attempted attack on him. "I suppose it's to be expected. It just makes destroying you all the more enjoyable for me." As Pit found he could now barely breathe, let alone speak, his panic started to get the better of him. Much as he tried to get away, he didn't see an escape from this predicament, and he knew in the back of his mind that if he did die, that would be the end of it. His companions would lose any hope of winning this battle.
A flash of light out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he heard Kuro let out an enraged battle cry as he came plummeting down from above, his bow in hand bathed in flame and power. A grunt of effort joined his cry as he slashed through Hades's wrist, and the lord of the Underworld howled in pain as Pit freed himself from the now severed hand and landed on the rock below with a thud. Kuro landed next to him and pulled him back to his feet, though his body protested against any movement, let alone fighting.
"Are you okay?" the red-eyed god asked, and Pit took a shaky breath as he nodded.
"I'm alive," he replied. "Let's end this." He dismissed his bow and summoned his staff, bracing himself against it. "I'll be okay. Just focus on attacking him." Kuro watched him a moment longer, then nodded as well and launched himself into the air again and formed a long crystallized spike that he sent speeding forth, and it pierced through Hades's chest.
"Y-You've become quite the little pest," he growled, and Kuro dodged around the retaliation against him. He replied with a wave of flame that managed to throw Hades off balance, and a blast of light and darkness struck him from another direction courtesy of Remiel and Henry. Remiel leapt up through the air, preparing another strike that sparked an idea in Pit's mind.
"Rem!" he called and lifted his staff, sending a part of his power to the prince. Remiel nodded to him before turning back to Hades with merciless rage on his face. Pit had never seen him look so dangerous.
"Hades," he snapped. "You'll pay for what you've done to my family." Hades let out a labored laugh, and with that, Remiel had endured enough. "You're done! You're DEAD!" He struck out with blinding light and darkness and struck through Hades from head to toe before pulling back and sending his strike straight through his target's chest. Hades let out a grunt of pain and stumbled back, his eyes betraying his realization that, perhaps, he truly wasn't going to be the victor of this battle.
Pit lifted his staff and gathered what strength and power he had left, his eyes fixed on Hades. With a shout, he thrust his staff forward and a strike of bright light shot out from it, hitting its target. Unable to keep his footing any longer, Hades fell back into the chasm he had emerged from, landing with a crash below.
"Heh…" His voice sounded weak and labored. "Well done, Pitty Pat… You've become quite a powerful god. Palutena should be proud of you." With that, another eerie light rose from within the chasm, and Pit gazed at it a moment before nodding to his twin. Kuro nodded back and flew up toward it, then enveloped it in flame and struck it with a cast of energy until nothing remained. As his flames faded, silence fell over the Underworld save the sound of heavy breathing as Pit's companions gathered around him. They were all injured, bloody, sweaty, and dirty, but alive. He lowered his head and took a deep breath.
They had won.
"It's over," Remiel said, breaking the silence. "We beat him. Hades is gone." Pit nodded and lifted his head, exchanging a glance with the Underworld prince. Despite their victory, they knew their business had not yet drawn to a close, and Henry approached his brother before they both, after a moment of hesitation that felt like years, slowly made their way over to their fallen father.
"Father," Remiel beckoned, kneeling down at Nemo's side and gently turning him over, propping him up in his arms. "Father?" Remiel called again, but Nemo didn't reply, and a lump formed in Pit's throat as he observed them. "Father, it's over. Hades is gone. You… You're okay…" A trace of pleading crept into his voice. "Please, open your eyes… You're free! You can wake up now…"
"Yeah, come on, Dad," Henry said as he knelt down opposite Remiel. "You're okay, right?" He looked up at his brother, some unspoken conversation passing between them.
"Father…" Remiel's voice broke as he tried to rouse Nemo again. "You're not…" Finally, it seemed to sink in. "FATHER!" His tears spilled over and he buried his face in Nemo's still chest, and Henry wrapped his arms around both his father and brother, holding them tightly as his body shook with his sobbing. Remiel's cry wrenched Pit's heart as his own tears slid silently down his face, and he bowed his head.
"Nemo…" he mumbled, trying to fight back against a complete breakdown as he watched the brothers mourn. He heard Lucina sobbing quietly behind him and turned to find Kuro with his arm around her in some attempt to comfort her even while, somewhat surprising his twin, drops of water fell from his eyes as well.
Pit took a deep, slow breath, trying to calm his raging emotions enough so he could focus on healing his wings temporarily. While they still hurt, he figured it was dull enough that he could handle it, and he cast his Power of Flight into them.
"Where are you going?" Kuro asked in a weak voice, and he turned back to face his twin.
"To go find Levica," he replied dully and took to the air. Once he was alone, heading in the direction where he now sensed she was being held, he let the dam keeping his emotions back break as his heart ached in his chest, a pain even more unbearable than the injuries he'd sustained in the battle.