"Sorry to crash the party," Killer said, stepping forward. "Unfortunately, all of you are going to die."
"You can't win against all of us!" Undyne shouted back.
A sinister smile came over Killer's expression.
"Oh? Can't I?"
The shadows around the room began to move erratically. Limbs and eyes and mouths starting twitching and slipping off the walls, falling onto the ground and melting into puddles of blackness. The puddles began to crawl towards Killer, forming a circle around them, until they were surrounded by a spinning whirlpool of melted shadows.
"Let's make one thing clear," Killer said, grinning. "You can try to fight me. But, compared to the total power that I've accumulated, you're all less than insects. I will crush you with just an insignificant fraction of my full strength. You will die so quickly, you will laugh at yourself for thinking you ever had a chance in the first place."
"Shut up!" Undyne yelled. "Let's attack!"
"Wait!" Frisk said, holding Undyne back.
Killer's smile grew wide. The shadows spinning around their feet began to grow.
"Don't worry," Killer said. "When this is all over, you will be absorbed into my soul. All of you, and the rest of the universe, will become a part of me. It's not so bad, when you think about it. Look at how these shadows obey me. Look at how they bend so easily to my will – these shadows, these essences of all the monsters that I've killed!"
There was a gleam in Killer's eyes. "So, you want to see my true power? Well then, in that case, I won't hold back. But don't blame me if you can't handle it!"
Frisk stood guard.
An instant later, there was a massive explosion from beneath Killer. A gust of wind shot outwards, and the floor rumbled, as if shook by an earthquake.
The shadows beneath Killer's feet were merging together, growing solid. As their semi-liquid, wormlike state began to solidify, they increased exponentially in size. Killer rose up from the ground. Beneath them, the shadows coalesced to form a tall and bulky shape like the trunk of a tree. Only, instead of branches, what formed along the trunk were hideous abominations. Hundreds and thousands of monster body parts, all meshed together, protruded outwards from the core of the shadow column like parasitic growths.
Sharp, razor-teethed mouths and bulging eyeballs bleeding blackness appeared along the trunk. The branches spread outwards in every direction, like tentacles, until they smashed into the walls. Within seconds, the trunk had exploded into a fully grown tree that covered the entirety of the room. Where there should be leaves, there were amalgamates of twisted, screaming faces. Each branch was covered in thousands of flailing limbs. At the top of the tree, the shadows had fused together to form a solid black platform for Killer to stand upon.
Killer stood near the ceiling of the room, far, far above them.
"Can't say I didn't warn you!" Killer shouted down at them.
Frisk glanced nervously back and forth between all of their friends. But, to their surprise, they saw that their friends' expressions hadn't changed a bit. They were all resolved to fight. They were all filled with determination.
Chara held Frisk's hand.
"Let's do it," Chara said. "Let's get to Killer."
"Climb the tree?!"
"Yes."
Undyne raised her spear. "ATTACK!"
At once, everyone began charging towards the tree. Holding Chara's hand, Frisk dashed towards the base of the trunk.
The branches of the tree, as if a single unit, responded at once. Something burst out of them. Frisk looked up and saw a barrage of dark, shadowy arrows raining down.
Undyne ran up beside Frisk and held her shield over theirs and Chara's head. Arrows clattered against it.
"I believe in you, kid," Undyne said, grinning. "We'll help you get up there. Once you do, you have to destroy Killer!"
Chara smiled. "I will."
Frisk nodded.
They reached the base of trunk. Frisk looked back. Several monsters, including Froggit, had already been speared by the arrows and were now lying on the ground. But there was no time for remorse. They were in the middle of their most desperate battle. They had to concentrate on their goal of reaching Killer.
Frisk and Chara grabbed onto the trunk and began climbing at once. The trunk was disgusting to touch, but its uneven surface provided excellent hand and footholds.
Instantly, claws and talons and fangs emerged out from the tree and began slashing at them. Frisk leaned back just in time to avoid a swipe. They looked to their right, where Chara was. Chara had taken out their knife and was slicing through all the limbs grabbing for them. Frisk began to do the same, with their worn dagger. They stabbed it into the trunk, and then used it to propel themselves up.
A cluster of thin tentacles burst out of the tree and wrapped around their hand and their knife, trapping them.
"Chara!"
"Hold on!" Chara shouted. They stepped onto a claw and tried to turn to their left to face Frisk. But the claw grabbed their foot, and two more tentacles emerged out of the tree, trapping Chara's hands.
Fireballs blasted against the tree. The fire spread methodically, avoiding Frisk and Chara, but burning the claw and tentacles that were trapping them. They were released. Frisk looked back down.
"Frisk!" Asgore called out, slashing the trunk with his trident. "You can do it! For the future of monsters, and humans – no, for all life in the world!"
Frisk nodded.
From the trident, a massive column of fire burst out upwards. Limbs and fangs and talons were all incinerated, clearing a path.
"And Chara!" Asgore yelled. "I've missed you so much! I know we haven't had much time to talk to each other, but I still believe in you!"
"Dad!" Chara called back. "Thank you!'
Frisk turned to face Chara. They nodded.
The two of them began climbing again. They had almost reached the first branch. It loomed above them ominously – a giant, disgusting pile of body parts. But, once they reached it, they would finally have a place to stand.
Frisk began climbing, faster, stabbing and slashing at the trunk with their dagger. The branch above them seemed to have noticed. A conglomerate of limbs dropped out of the branch and fell towards Frisk. They let go of their current foot hold and swerved to their left. The limbs barely missed them.
"Frisk!" Chara yelled, slashing their knife into the base of the branch. "I'm here! Grab my hand!"
"Okay!"
Frisk reached out with their free hand for Chara's. All of a sudden, a giant mouth appeared out of the trunk in the space between them. Its lips were lined with teeth. It crunched down-
A bone flew up towards them and into the mouth. The teeth crunched upon the bone, but the bone remained in one piece, while the teeth shattered.
"That is my special attack!" Papyrus yelled. "Nothing can break the ultimate bone!"
Frisk looked down at him and gave him a thumbs up. Then, they grabbed Chara's hand and hopped up onto the branch.
The limbs covering the branch began flailing, slapping at their feet. Chara slashed them away with their knife, clearing a space for themselves. However, more grew out of the shadows, and began closing in on them again.
Chara looked up at the branches above them.
"Climbing's going to be too slow," they said. "We have to try hopping on the branches."
"Every branch is going to attack us," Frisk replied. "It might be too dangerous."
"Still. If we don't try, it'll take us forever to get to the top!"
Chara cupped their hands. "Here. Jump to the branch right above us, then lift me up."
Frisk nodded. "All right."
They stepped onto Chara's hands, then quickly jumped up and grabbed onto the branches.
Instantly, a cluster of tentacles materialized out of the shadows and trapped Frisk's hands. Frisk struggled to break free of them, but to no avail. The tentacles hung them by their arms, dangling them over the edge of the branch.
A streak of lightning blasted the branch, incinerating the tentacles. Frisk found their grip again, and pulled themselves up. They looked and saw Mettaton floating beside them in a new form which had wings on his back. His right arm had been transformed into some sort of a cannon.
"Need some help, darling?"
Frisk nodded. "You can fly us up, right?"
"Hey! Get me up there, too!" Chara yelled.
Mettaton flew towards the branches and took Frisk and Chara into his hands. The branches began to thicken as he ascended. Arrows rained down upon him.
A cage of bones materialized around Mettaton, deflecting the arrows from hitting Frisk or Chara. There was suddenly the sound of an explosion. Struck by lasers, the branches were incinerated one by one.
"I knew this g-gun would work!" Alphys yelled from below.
"Alphys, darling," Mettaton shouted back. "Have more confidence, my dear! Your inventions always work!"
Sans rushed up beside Alphys. Blasters materialized behind him and began shooting additional lasers to destroy the branches.
"You can do it!" Sans yelled.
Frisk and Chara nodded.
Near the top, the branches had fused together to form an enormous web whose spaces were too large for Mettaton to pass through. Mettaton dropped them off on one of these branches.
"You've done great so far," Mettaton said, winking at them. "But the show must go on! Break a leg, dears."
"Thank you," Frisk replied, as Mettaton began flying away.
Chara suddenly grabbed Frisk's arms.
"When we get to the top," Chara whispered, "we're going to have to fight Killer."
"Yeah?"
Chara lowered their head. "Killer won't show us any mercy. That means...we can't show them any mercy, either."
"I know..."
"So, Frisk." Chara looked into Frisk's eyes. "You will have to fight them. Promise me that, if you have to do it – to save yourself, or to save me, or everyone else – you will kill them when you have the opportunity."
Frisk paused.
They turned and look down below, down at the battlefield, where everyone was still fighting. The floor was littered with the bodies of fallen monsters. There were those who had been slashed to ribbons by claws, those who had been riddled with holes from the arrows, those who had been crushed by the tentacles, and those who had been blown to pieces by the branches. All around them, monsters were dying. They were dying just so that the two of them could reach the top and confront Killer.
Frisk looked back at Chara and nodded.
"I will."
"Thanks, Frisk."
They turned their heads upwards. To their horror, the branches were all converging together, forming a roof. The spaces between them were diminishing. Neither of them could fit through now.
"What do we do?!" Chara asked.
Frisk raised their dagger and began slashing at the branches. A tentacle reached out and wrapped around the dagger. For just an instant, Frisk lost their grip on their weapon. The tentacle lifted the dagger out of their hand and tossed it away.
It fell down far below.
"No!"
"We still have my knife!" Chara said. "Let's think about this."
A moment later, a column of purple fire shot upwards and blasted into the branches, burning them. A hole appeared, just big enough for them to fit through.
"My children!" Toriel shouted from far below. "Do not worry about us. Go!"
Chara smiled at her, even though she probably couldn't see. "Thank you!"
"Mom! Thanks!" Frisk yelled.
At once, Frisk and Chara hopped and grabbed onto the edges of the hole. They pulled themselves up.
Now, the two of them were standing at the top of the branches. They were at the roof of the tree, on a solid platform. It was a giant ring.
And, in front of them, Killer.
"Well done," Killer said, grinning. "Your tenacity never fails to amuse me. This is probably the most entertainment I'll ever get out of a single timeline!"
"Shut up!" Chara shouted, raising their knife. "I'll kill you!"
Killer took out their own knife as well.
"Two against one? This hardly seems fair, if you ask me."
"Stand back," Chara said to Frisk. "Killer's going to go after you since you're unarmed. I'll defend you. Only attack if you see a clear opening."
"Are you going to be okay?"
"Don't worry about me," Chara said, cracking a smile. "I can handle myself."
"All right."
Frisk stood guard while Chara stepped forward.
Killer smiled. "Well then. Let's see how good you are, 'Chara'!"
Slowly, Chara and Killer began to circle each other. Frisk followed Chara, always standing behind them. They observed Chara and Killer's motions, wondering which of them was going to attack first. Chara seemed the more agitated of the two, while Killer was calm and collected. But there was a vicious glint in Killer's eye.
Killer struck first.
They sprinted forward and lifted up their knife. Chara dodged out of the way, stepping to their left. Killer spun around and jumped after Chara. Their knives clashed against each other. Chara took a step back, assuming a defensive pose. Killer smiled.
"Not bad."
"Shut up!"
Killer dashed at them again and swung the knife at their head. Chara ducked, then slashed at Killer's chest. Killer's other hand stopped Chara's by grabbing their wrist. Then, Killer threw Chara backwards, and Chara crashed to the ground.
Frisk was already behind Killer, kicking them in the legs. However, Killer noticed them quickly enough to evade. They spun around quickly. A malicious grin came upon Killer's face as they saw that Frisk was completely unarmed. With their knife pointed forward, they charged. Frisk timed the exact moment in their head that they would have to dodge.
When it came, they sidestepped, and Killer's knife barely missed their face.
"You're dealing with ME!" Chara yelled, having returned to their feet. Frisk backed away as Chara dashed at them.
Killer met Chara's blow again, their knives clashing in mid air. But, again, Killer was the quicker. They kicked Chara in the shin, and Chara hopped back to rebalance themselves. Killer took advantage of this moment and swung a slash at Chara's neck. Chara leaned back, and the knife brushed through the air, inches away from slicing them. Chara took another step back and into a stable pose.
"Too slow!"
Without pausing, Killer had lunged at them again. Chara dodged by jumping to the right. Killer skid to a stop and pivoted their foot. However, Chara was the quicker this time. They jumped at Killer, knife aimed at their head. Killer ducked, grabbed Chara's arm, and raised their knife. In response, Chara kicked Killer's legs, temporarily catching them off balance. Chara broke free of Killer's grip and dove towards them again.
Knives clashed for a third time.
Chara took a step back, as did Killer. The two of them began circling each other again. Frisk returned themselves to standing behind Chara.
"You're a fighter," Killer whispered. "But I can tell that you're out of practice."
"I told you to shut up!"
"What if I don't?"
Chara sprinted towards Killer again. Killer stepped to the side, then slashed at Chara's arm. The tip of Killer's blade caught Chara's left arm, slicing through their shirt and scratching their skin. A line of red appeared. Chara turned around, furious. They lunged at Killer again, but Killer just stepped to the side once more. Killer raised their knife-
Frisk grabbed their arm from behind and punched Killer in the head. In response, Killer threw their head back, striking Frisk as well. Frisk staggered back. Killer turned around to attack again, but Chara had grabbed them as well, immobilizing their knife arm.
"Go!" Chara shouted. "Punch them 'til they're bloody!"
It was something Frisk would never have considered doing to anybody before.
But, seeing all the monsters that had fallen down fighting, and knowing about all the timelines that had been destroyed, they suddenly felt their blood boiling. Rage welled up inside them.
Frisk stepped forward and punched Killer in the face.
Once, then twice, then three times. Blood spurted out of Killer's nose and mouth.
Frisk wished they still had their tough glove.
They raised their hand for a fourth punch, but was suddenly swept off their feet as Killer directed a well-aimed kick at them.
"Ugh!"
Killer pushed Chara off, then slashed at them again with their knife. Chara backed away, narrowly avoiding the attack. Killer jumped towards them. Their knives clashed once more, but instead of pulling away, Chara pushed back this time.
Laughing, Killer knelt down and aimed a punch at Chara's stomach. It knocked the wind out of them, and Chara staggered back. Killer pointed their knife straight at Chara's chest and charged. Chara purposefully fell backwards to avoid the fatal blow, but the knife caught the tip of their chin, drawing blood once more. Then, Chara return a kick at Killer's own stomach, pushing them back, before using the force of that kick to propel themselves up and back into a standing position.
Killer wiped away the blood from their nose.
"This has gone on for long enough."
"What are you going to do? Use your shadows?"
"I'll kill you both!"
Just as Killer ran towards Chara again, Frisk had gotten up and gave chase. They grabbed Killer from behind, immobilizing them. Killer stomped on their foot, and Frisk jumped back in pain. However, this gave Chara enough time to slash Killer in the side. A line of blood appeared. Killer didn't even wince in pain. They turned, angling their face and chest away from Chara. Then, they raised their knife and spun around into a stable pose.
Killer stared at Chara as they slowly backed away. A smile appeared upon their lips. Raising their knife, they prepared to lunge forward – but, at the last moment, turned around, and lunged at Frisk.
"No, you don't!"
Chara intercepted the attack in time, but not with their knife. Instead, they put themselves in front of Killer, and Killer's knife slashed through their shoulder. Chara shouted in pain and fell down, blood splattering over the floor.
Frisk's eyes grew wide.
Without hesitation, they jumped at Killer, tackling them and knocking the knife out of their hands. The two of them tumbled to the floor and began wrestling.
"You can't win," Killer said, laughing. "You can't!"
Frisk aimed a punch at Killer's head. Killer moved their head out of the way, then grabbed Frisk's arm and used it to propel themselves forward, headbutting Frisk on the nose. Frisk fell back and disentangled themselves from Killer. They stood back up at the exact same time as Killer.
"So, with Chara out of the way, it looks like it's finally just us two," Killer said, grinning. "Frisk against Frisk. That's how every timeline has eventually turned out."
Frisk could feel themselves shaking with rage. They had never felt so angry before. They were ready to hurt. They were ready to kill.
Killer lunged at Frisk, who sidestepped. Frisk threw a punch at Killer, but missed. Killer swung a kick at their head. Frisk ducked, grabbed Killer's leg, and tossed them to the ground. Killer rolled away, then jumped back onto their feet. Frisk chased after them, but received a kick in the gut as Killer pushed themselves off the floor. Frisk staggered back and resumed their pose in time to avoid another punch from Killer. They lunged past Killer's outstretched arm and punched Killer back in the stomach.
Killer grabbed them and threw the two of them to the ground.
Their fight descended into a complete brawl as they rolled around, kicking and punching at each other. Frisk was the first to use their teeth. Killer had a tight grip on Frisk's shoulder, but Frisk had grabbed Killer's other hand. Turning their head around, they opened their mouth and bit Killer's wrist. Killer yelped, then kneed Frisk in the stomach. Frisk was thrown backwards, but quickly stood up. Before Killer could stand up, Frisk tackled them to the floor again.
Frisk opened their mouth, aiming for Killer's neck. Then, they felt Killer leaning towards them and biting them on the shoulder. They screamed in pain and punched Killer on the side of the head. After several punches, Killer finally let go. Frisk grabbed Killer's neck with both hands and began to choke them.
Killer used their own legs to trap Frisk's. Then, tossing their lower body around, Killer flipped over and pinned Frisk down below them. They raised a fist and smashed Frisk in the face. Blood poured from Frisk's nose, and Frisk let go of their choke hold. Killer punched them a second time, and then a third time. Frisk tried to move their head out of the way, but found that they were being pinned down too tightly. Blood began to cloud their vision.
They were punched until they felt themselves on the verge of losing consciousness.
"Yes. You see now," Killer said, grabbing them by the neck and then raising them off the floor. Killer stood up. "You can't defeat me."
Frisk opened their eyes and blinked, clearing away the blood. They felt themselves being dragged.
Killer dangled them over the edge of the ring.
"Look at you," Killer whispered into Frisk's ear. "You're done for. I could drop you down now, and you'll be dead. Then, I'll finish off Chara. You won't be able to reset. I'll destroy the rest of you insects, and then end this world."
Frisk struggled to move. But they couldn't.
"They won't catch you," Killer said, snarling. "There's hardly any of them left."
Hearing that woke Frisk up.
"Oh? You want to take a look? Well – be my guest!"
Killed grabbed the back of Frisk's head and smashed their face to the ground. Killer knelt down and lifted Frisk's head up again, then pushed them so that their neck was over the edge.
They stared down at the battlefield below.
"Take a nice, long look," Killer whispered. "Look at your dead friends. Look at how foolish they were to try to stop me. Look, as I crush what little hope they have left!"
Despair overcame Frisk.
Killer was right. Below them, they saw nothing but bodies. Almost all of the monsters had fallen down. The few that remained standing were on the verge of collapse. They were limping, barely putting up a fight. And yet, the shadows were still there.
Frisk tried to call out.
Where were they? Toriel? Sans? Papyrus? Undyne? Alphys? Asgore?
Frisk tried to call their names, but found that they didn't even have the strength to make a sound.
"That's right," Killer said. "They're all dead. It's over for them."
Frisk stared down again. They had to look. They had to keep searching. Their friends – they still had to be there!
But there was nothing but bodies.
Nothing but monsters that had fallen down.
Nothing but defeat.
"..."
Then, suddenly, they noticed.
There was no dust.
Monsters turned into dust when they died.
But, on this battlefield, there was not even a speck of dust.
Then, they saw.
"Huh?"
The bodies.
They were slowly getting back up. Getting back onto their feet.
They were rising up again.
They were looking determined.
Determined to continue fighting.
And...
They were all melting.
"I do not think I can keep this up much longer," Toriel said.
Shadows were swarming around her and Sans. She kept them at bay with a ring of fire, but their persistent attacks had wounded her badly.
"Let's keep going, Tori," Sans said. He turned around and knocked another shadow away with a blaster. Three shadows rose up and shot down towards them. Toriel raised her hands and burned them away with a wave of purple fire.
"...Sans?"
"Heh," Sans said, chuckling. He gripped his chest, where blood was soaking out.
"Sans?!"
"Don't worry 'bout me," Sans said. "I can keep going."
"But, Sans – urgh!"
"Tori!"
Two shadows had impaled Toriel in the back. Toriel slumped over and collapsed to the ground.
A giant pillar of bones flew towards the two shadows, obliterating them. Sans rushed over to Toriel's side.
"Toriel, are you-"
"Worry about yourself, Sans," Toriel whispered. "You are bleeding."
"So are you!"
"Sans, I-"
Toriel froze.
Then, she stood back up. "I...I'm fine?"
Sans looked at his own body as well. It was still bleeding, but...no, it wasn't just blood. It was bone, as well. Their bones...
Toriel's skin, too.
They were all melting.
"I feel a newfound strength," Toriel said.
"Hey, me too."
Toriel looked up at the cluster of shadows that were circling above them. Faces and limbs and claws grew out of each shadow. The next moment, all of them launched down towards them.
"Ready, Sans?"
"Yep!"
Toriel raised her hands...
An inferno exploded out around her and shot up into the air like a pillar. The shadows that came into contact with it instantly disintegrated. The fires spun around, creating layers of itself, until it became a whirlpool, sucking up every shadow around their ring. It was a raging firestorm, churning out wreathes of flame that obliterated each shadow in its path.
Sans chuckled.
The blasters surrounding him all merged together, creating a giant blaster head. Bones materialized beneath it, forming a body, arms, and legs. The blaster opened its mouth. A gigantic beam shot out, clearing away every shadow charging towards them. Then, the body took a step forward. It raised a hand and grabbed a shadow.
With a single kick, the blaster body bashed a stream of approaching shadows into pieces. Then, it threw the shadow that it held at the rest, bowling into them.
Shadows all around them vanished.
"You've felt this before?" Asgore said.
Undyne grinned. "I don't remember ever going into this state," she said. "But...it does feel like I've somehow experienced it once!"
Asgore stood up. His melting body had suffered uncountable wounds. Yet, somehow, he felt like he had even more strength than before. His armour was becoming tougher, his trident was sharper, and powerful fire magic was boiling up within him, begging for release.
Shadows came spiralling down towards them.
"Let's go!" Undyne shouted.
A barrage of spears flew up towards the shadows, slicing them into pieces.
Asgore raised his trident. Then, he stabbed the ground with it. As the floor cracked, a column of lava exploded up into the air. Three blades of fire shot out from each tip of the trident, swirling around the column and directing it towards the shadows.
The lava smashed into the approaching shadows, obliterating all of them.
"You've still got it in you!" Undyne said. "Looks like being an ambassador for a while hasn't changed your fighting spirit."
Asgore chuckled deeply.
"And neither has teaching piano changed yours, either."
Undyne looked shock for a moment. Then, she smiled.
The next wave of shadows was coming. Asgore lifted up his trident, and Undyne her spear.
"Let's go!" they both yelled.
"Oh, no!" Alphys shouted as she rushed towards Mettaton. "Your, y-your robot body is melting!"
"What do you mean, darling?" Mettaton asked, smiling. "I feel better than I've ever felt before!"
Alphys ducked as a stream of shadows shot down towards her. There was the sound of an explosion. Looking back up, she saw that the shadows had all been incinerated.
"Metta...ton?"
"I told you, Alphys," Mettaton said. "I feel stronger than ever before! What are you even worried about?"
"Oh! This must b-be...it's determination!"
"Huh?"
Alphys smiled and gave Mettaton a thumbs up.
"You're full of determination!" Alphys exclaimed. "It means your b-body is going to melt, but you're going to become a lot more powerful!"
Another wave of shadows came spiralling down towards them. Mettaton raised his mega buster up into the air and released a blast of electricity, followed by an energy bomb. The shadows that were struck screamed, and then disintegrated away. Alphys raised her laser gun and finished off the rest with a series of well-aimed shots.
"Determination?" Mettaton said, grinning. "I like it!"
Alphys nodded. She lifted up a claw to wipe the sweat from her brow.
Her sweat came with a puddle of her own melting skin.
"After this..." she whispered. "I'm going to have to manufacture a lot more of that chemical."
"Nyeh heh heh heh! It looks like I, the Great Papyrus, is sweating a bit more excessively today than usual!"
Papryus threw another bone at an incoming shadow, slicing it in half. Two more shadows rose up from behind him.
The River Person raised a bony hand. Streaks of red, black, and purple electricity shot out, ripping the two shadows into pieces.
"That is not sweat," the River Person said.
"Eh? If it's not sweat, then..."
Papyrus wiped at his head. A puddle of white came off his head and stuck onto his fingers.
"Oh, no! It looks like I, the Great Papyrus, is turning into a snow man!"
The River Person sighed.
"You are not turning into a snow man, either."
Shadows surrounded them. The two of them stood back to back as the shadows closed in. There were dozens of them. Dozens of screaming, writhing faces, and behind them, a huge cluster of crawling limbs.
"Then what have I, the Great Papyrus, become?!"
Chuckling, the River Person took a step forward.
A tsunami of shadows burst out from behind them. These shadows overwhelmed the others, the ones that came from Killer. Red and purple electricity coursed over the enemy shadows, ripping them apart. More and more enemy shadows came to attack, and all of them were sucked into the electricity. The River person raised a hand, and the enemy shadows floated up into an air, turning into an electric ball.
"No better time than now to use your special attack," the River Person said.
Papyrus smiled gleefully.
He took a step forward, took out his most powerful bone, and tossed it into the ball.
The bone collided, and there was a gigantic explosion. The enemy shadows screamed, writhed, and then faded away into nothingness.
Killer stared at everything in shock.
Determination filled Frisk.
Suddenly, they turned around, grabbed Killer, and threw them backward.
Killer crashed to the ground, rolled away, and jumped quickly back onto their feet.
Frisk ran towards Chara, who was lying on the ground, gripping their bloodied shoulder.
"Don't worry about me," Chara whispered. "You have to-"
"Don't speak," Frisk said.
They took Chara's arm and lifted them up, carrying Chara's arm over their shoulder.
"ENOUGH!" Killer screamed.
They turned around, facing over the edge.
"So, you're all melting," Killer shouted down. "Don't think that means anything! My shadows are still far too powerful for you to stop!"
"You're the one that's going to be stopped!" Frisk yelled. "Nothing you do can defeat us now."
"Is that what you think?!"
"Give up now!"
"Tchh..."
Killer turned to face the edge again.
"CHARA!" They yelled suddenly.
Frisk froze.
"COME OUT AND DESTROY THEM!" Killer shrieked. "DESTROY THESE INSECTS! DESTROY THIS WORLD! DESTROY EVERYTHING!"
An instant later, Frisk felt the tree that they were standing on begin to shake.
"Oh..."
"Shit!" Chara exclaimed.
At that moment, all the branches of the tree began to merge together. Faces, limbs, eyes, fangs, mouths, teeth, wings, talons – everything.
The tree continued shaking.
Within seconds, the branches had finished merging. They took the shape now of a massive red face, with melting eyes and mouth.
Frisk stared at it in shock.
"It's..."
Chara turned towards them.
"That's-"
"No, it's not," Chara spoke up. "That...isn't me."
Frisk looked at Chara. Then, they nodded.
"You're right. That's not Chara. You're Chara."
Chara smiled back.
"Let's get out of here," Frisk said.
"Right!"
Killer turned around. "Don't think you two are going to get away just yet!"
"We're leaving!" Frisk shouted.
Killer dashed towards them.
With Chara's arm over Frisk's shoulder, Frisk hopped down over the edge.
Toriel, Sans, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, Papyrus, and River Person, and every other monster – every monster that had fallen down had melted, and they were now back on their feet, standing together.
There was just one last obstacle in front of them. The tree itself.
Its melting face loomed over them all.
"Welp. Looks like this is it," Sans said. "Our final stand."
Toriel rubbed Sans on the head. "Don't be so blue, you numbskull," she said.
"...Tori?!"
She laughed. "We will give it our best shot."
Sans sighed. Then, he smiled. "All right. This time, I'm not going to cut any slack."
"Everyone ready?" Asgore said.
"I SURE AM!" Undyne screamed.
Alphys giggled nervously. "Uh, I hope I can do my b-best..."
"Alphys, darling," Mettaton said, placing a firm hand on Alphy's shoulder. "When you're on the stage, you have to give it your all! And, right now, there is no performance more important!"
"You're...y-you're right, Mettaton!"
"I, the Great Papyrus, will fight for the sake of – no, to protect all of my dear friends!"
The River Person made an expression that could perhaps be interpreted as a smile. "As will I."
Asgore smiled. "Then – let's do it!"
Together, they raised their strongest attacks.
"CRUSH THEM!" Killer screamed from the top of the tree.
From the face of the tree, millions – no, billions – or even trillions of shadows burst out and flew towards them in a single, massive stream.
Every monster fired back.
There was fire, and ice, and lightning, and lasers, and water, and acid, and webs, and rocks, and metal, and bones, and wind, and multi-coloured electricity, and countless more elements – all of them merged together to form a rainbow of pure energy which struck the shadow head on.
The explosion was blinding.
Yet, both of these attacks held on.
The shadows started to push forward.
The monsters' attacks pushed back.
The shadows pushed forward again.
The monster's attacks held on.
The shadows gave another push.
Their attack was almost diminished.
But then, with renewed strength, the monsters' attacks struck back.
The shadows fell away.
They started to disintegrate.
The shadows became pushed back at last.
The monsters' attacks pushed the shadows all the way back to tree.
Killer stared in horror as the face on the tree was blasted by the monsters' attack. There was a shriek, and then the melting face disintegrated. The rest of the tree collapsed. Its trunk melted. The shadows faded away. The entire thing blew up in a gargantuan explosion.
And Killer's footing gave away as the floor beneath them had melted and was no longer solid. They came tumbling down, and even as the monsters' attack destroyed all the shadows, they were left unharmed until they had fallen all the way to the ground.
There was a blinding flash of white, and then, all of the shadows were gone.
"MY SOUL!" Killer screamed. They reached up into the air and grabbed something.
It was the last and final piece of their soul.
Their grabbed it, a tiny black heart, and kept it hidden in the palm of their hand as they turned around and ran-
Frisk and Chara were standing behind them.
Killer backed away.
There was another explosion of purple flame. A ring of fire surrounded Killer. They were trapped.
"You...all of you – stay away!"
Frisk walked forward.
The other monsters spread out to surround the ring.
They were completely encircled.
Killer stood at the centre of the ring of fire, trembling. Frisk stepped towards them.
"I told you to stay away!" Killer yelled.
"I won't kill you," Frisk said, standing close to the edge of the fire. "I want t-"
"You won't kill me?! HAH! If you don't do it, then your friends will! Do you honestly believe that they could forgive me for destroying so many worlds? Are you really that foolish that you think a killer like me deserves ANY mercy?"
Frisk shook their head.
"We won't kill you."
"You idiot!" Killer began laughing out loud. "Look at your friends. Look at how angry they are at me. Look at how determined they are to kill me!"
"They will not kill you."
Frisk looked around the room. All around, everyone was shaking their heads. Everyone was giving Killer mercy.
"They...th-they won't kill me?" Killer said.
"How..."
"That's..."
"Haha..."
"Ahahahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"THAT'S ABSURD!" Killer screamed. They opened up the palm of their hand.
"Here you go! Look at it! Look at my soul! Look at how tainted it is! Look at how weak, vulnerable, and exposed it is! Just one strike – just one hit, and I'll be gone! I advise you – if you have any sense in your thick skulls, strike me down now!"
A few of the monsters raised their limbs, as if to attack, but all of them backed down quickly.
Killer was stunned.
"So, is this how it's going to be?" they said, snarling. "IS THIS HOW YOU'RE GOING TO TREAT A KILLER?"
Silence.
Frisk nodded at Toriel. An opening in the ring of fire appeared, and Frisk stepped through it.
Killer backed away.
"You...you idiot," Killer said. "What are you coming in here for?!"
"I'm offering you mercy," Frisk said.
"MERCY? FOR ME? HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT? I DON'T WANT YOUR FUCKING MERCY!"
"I'm giving you a chance to go back!" Frisk yelled. "I want you to go back to your own timeline! I want you to reset everything! Bring back every monster, and every other Frisk that you've killed!"
"HA! I'd rather die than revive any of those weak, pathetic timelines! To hell with them!"
Frisk paused.
There was something about this situation that they really couldn't believe. Something that had been disturbing them, since the very beginning of their first encounter with Killer.
Here they were, two Frisks in the same world, standing right beside each other. One, a pacifist. The other, a genocidal murderer.
Two completely different Frisks.
"I...I have a question for you," Frisk spoke up. "I want to ask something."
"WHAT?!"
"I want to ask how you became this way," Frisk said. "Why...why would you want to go and kill everyone in the underground? What made you start this?"
A look of pure bewilderment came over Killer's face.
"You...you don't know?!" Killer responded.
"I don't."
"How could you not want to kill everyone?!" Killer laughed. "In this world, it's kill or be killed!"
"It doesn't work like that!" Frisk yelled. "It's not 'kill or be killed.'"
They paused.
"I guess..." Frisk began.
"What I want to know is..."
"...What happened? What made you believe in 'kill or be killed'?"
Killer's expression softened. They backed up further.
"Don't...don't you remember?" Killer said.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You mean...you don't remember what happened five years ago?!"
Frisk froze.
Five years ago. That was when they were on their journey. Their journey through that war-torn land, where they had met the family of five children. Where they encountered the eldest sibling, who had tried his hardest to protect his family, and had failed, and ended up joining a group of fundamentalists. But, in the end, they and the child's mother had talked him out of it, and he left the group, promising not to fight.
And then, the day after, to save themselves, they had left the village as it fell upon the brink of war.
"What...happened?" Frisk asked.
"YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW?"
Frisk shook their head.
"The child we tried so hard to save!" Killer yelled. "He lied to us! He told us that he wouldn't fight, but when the soldiers came, he went back to the group! His mother tried to stop him, but he just killed her! Then, he killed his own siblings, saying that they weren't his family anymore, as he had a new family now! He slaughtered all of them!"
Frisk started to tremble.
"That...that happened?"
"How could you not remember?!" Killer looked furious. "He fought with the group, but was captured. The soldiers took over the village and rounded up every dissenter. They made everyone dig trenches – mass graves – and made them kneel in front of the trenches. Then, the soldiers shot them all!"
Frisk turned away.
"I...I didn't know," Frisk said. "In my timeline, I didn't stay in the village. When the soldiers came, I ran away. I...I abandoned them."
Killer became frozen.
"You...you abandoned them," Killer whispered. "You...you abandoned them, and you never had to go through...all those resets..."
"Resets?" Frisk asked.
"I...I spent so many resets trying to save them," Killer said. "I died so many times. I became immune to pain. But I could never save them. I..."
Suddenly, Killer threw their head back and laughed.
"I REALIZED THAT, IN THIS WORLD, IT WAS KILL OR BE KILLED!" they shouted. "So, I gave up trying to save them! I went and killed everybody I could! I joined the soldiers, and I massacred everyone in the village. It was pleasant, it was good – oh, so good to finally be able to shed blood! Hahaha, to think, if I had just LEFT the village, I wouldn't have ended up killing so, so many people!"
Killer's voice became choked.
"To think...if I had just left the village, I wouldn't, I w-wouldn't..." Tears welled up in their eyes. They pointed a finger at Frisk. "To think, all I had to do was to abandon them...you, you, you COWARD!"
Frisk backed away. "I couldn't have known!"
"For your cowardice, you become a saviour of the underground – you made so many friends, you helped all the monsters to the surface, and it was all because you ABANDONED THE VILLAGE?"
Killer grabbed their face with their hands and broke down into tears. "Ha! If only I knew! If only, if only, if only! If only I knew...if only I knew...if only..."
Frisk turned away.
For a while, everyone remained silent. All they could hear was the sound of Killer crying.
Finally, Frisk decided to speak again.
"I'm...I'm sorry," Frisk whispered.
Killer continued crying.
"I...I want you to accept our mercy," Frisk continued. "It's not too late to go back and change everything. It's not too late to abandon 'kill or be killed'. You can go back, and you can save everyone. Or at least, everyone in the underground. Even that much counts, right?"
"SHUT UP!"
Killer scrambled to their feet and cupped their soul in their hands again.
"It's too late," Killer said. "I've gone too far! I can't go back now! I CAN'T!"
"Yes, you can!" Frisk said. "You can still save everyone!"
"Stop saying 'everyone' like the underground is the only place that matters! I've killed far, far too many people for things to change!"
Frisk took a step forward. "It's not-"
"IT IS TOO LATE FOR ME!"
Killer backed up until they were almost touching the fire.
"No!" Frisk shouted.
"Don't you know..." A smile came upon Killer's lips. "In this world...it's KILL OR BE KILLED?"
Frisk froze, expecting Killer to do something.
But they didn't do anything.
Killer simply stood there.
They started laughing again.
"It's kill or be killed...it's kill or be killed...kill or be killed...kill or be killed...kill or be killed..."
"Kill or be killed...KILL OR BE KILLED...KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED KILL OR BE KILLED AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Frisk-"
"If you won't kill me..." Killer whispered. "Then, I'll – I'll –"
Frisk dashed forward. "Stop!"
Killer raised their soul.
A streak of purple electricity coursed over it. The soul transformed into the shape of a tiny but sharp knife.
Killer raised the knife at Frisk.
"NO!" Chara shouted.
But then, Killer angled the knife away from Frisk, and a wide grin came over their lips.
"-I'll do it myself!"
In a swift motion, Killer slit their own throat.
Frisk didn't make it in time.
Blood poured out of Killer's throat. Their hand went limp. The knife – their soul – fell to the ground, and then faded away. Killer fell backwards into the fire.
Their body began to burn.
"You..." Frisk whispered.
Frisk, and everybody else, watched as Killer's body turned black in the fire.