A crystal like monster roars as it creates a puddle of black ink on the beach sand behind the red sea water, causing Zero and Neku to super jump in their squid forms, morph back to their humanoid form and dive down by firing their Hero Shots all together.

The monster blocks as it swings its arm by throwing black ink at both inklings, leading the duo to split and then run around the monster in circles.

"Tch! That damn creature! How tough is that thing!?" Zero exclaims.

[I don't know. But I need to search for its weaknesses. Sora, I need your help.] Sheldon called.

[Already on it. Please be careful, you two.] Sora pleads.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Neku shouts as he almost gets clawed by a creature as he limbos back.

Now Zero has to do what Rei did in the past, even though Zero never wanted to do something like this.

"Rei… When were you an idiot back then?" Zero chuckles and then approaches a black ink dropping monster that is the Abyssal Animal.

As Abyssal Animal sets its eyes on Zero, Zero smirks while preparing her Hero Shot 0 and raises both her arms.

"Zero? What are you doing?" Neku asks.

"I got a plan. Splat it down when I get this thing distracted."

"Huh!?" Neku is watching his own friend playing a suicide move, knowing that she has no respawn points which means she's about to die. "No way! That means our work will be for nothing! What does that accomplish!?"

"Nothing. I hated that telephone and I don't want you to die. Relax, I'm a demon, I have no reason to exist."

"Ngh! Then what about Rei!? What about Mirai!? What about Callie and Marie!? Are you seriously going to just abandon your promise to everybody, including me!?"

"N- No! I wasn't!" Zero stops herself as Neku headbutts Zero.

"Then stop saying that you have no right to exist when you obviously do! If you want to save us, then do it without your dumb sacrifice!" Neku shouted.

This has Zero stop and then close her eyes. As she opens her eyes, Zero is changing her plans a little while keeping the execution similar.

"Neku. Do as I say. Don't worry, I won't die."

Before Abyssal Animal claws down towards both Zero and Neku, the duo morphs into squids and super jumps away from a splash of black ink.

"Sure. Be careful." Neku nods as he runs away from Zero.

Now Zero fires her Hero Shot 0 and splashes white ink on its arm and its body, leading the creature to roar and dash like an actual animal that resembles a mammal called a monkey.

This gives Zero the chance to run and fire ink on the wall while morphing into a squid and swim upwards as fast as she could.

What caught Zero by surprise are black metallic crystals bursting out of the building wall as a squid hops off and lands on a roof as her humanoid form and slides backwards, glaring at the beast that is still after her.

"Tch! I guess you're all bite, huh? Damn it!" Zero grunts as black ink has caught her arm, especially when it looks like a cut, leading Zero to witness the possibility of being infected.

She doesn't want it to end like this.

[Zero, Neku, I found its weakness. Aim for the back of the neck.] Sora called.

[Make sure to give it a proper serve. Cook it!] Sheldon cheers.

"Took you long enough…" Zero chuckles.

Incoming before the monster finishes Zero off, a white squid is rocketing downwards towards the creature itself, morphing himself to his humanoid form and fires his Hero Shot like an actual assault rifle and then releases the gun he had when he was young.

Tokyo Marui Glock 13-AA.

BANG! An actual bullet has smashed through the crystals as it went through its neck, surprising Zero that Neku arrived on time to save her life.

"Neku…"

"Yo! So that's what a gun does. Heh, thanks, Elsa." Neku sighs as he finds out why Elsa gave him that gun.

As the duo turns towards Abyssal Animal, the creature screams as it's leaking black ink out of its neck which is more than its body.

Afterwards, the creature collapses.

Both Zero and Neku are finally investigating the creature as they turn their inks to black and approach the creature.

"Is it safe?" Neku asks.

"I don't know. But that scream doesn't have the same tone as its roar."

"True. Oh? Your arm!"

"Yeah. It burns. I haven't had that much pain since before I became Rei's inner demon. It's been a while though."

Wiping the ink off of her arm, Zero is safe.

"Thank goodness." Zero sighs as she sees a burn scar on her right arm.

"Yeah. It would've been scarier if some weird crystals were coming out of your body." Said Neku, relieved that Zero isn't infected.

Dissecting the creature, both Zero and Neku halt as they witness the very thing that is inside the creature.

"Is that an ancient?" Neku asked.

"Yeah. It's a human girl. But her hair is white, her skin is pale… She's dead." Zero described the naked body's appearance.

[Can confirm, Zero is correct. But why?] Sheldon asks as he grunts.

[I heard that this human was inflicted by the virus and was turned into the very thing she aims to destroy.]

"But doesn't the virus kill us?" Neku asks.

[It's judgement. Whoever is able to control the virus, gets to become a monster. There's some viruses that are natural monsters with no host, but this is one that holds a mortal. They're like us inner demons, except they take full control of those who make contact with them.] Elsa explained.

Even Zero is learning.

[But Elsa… How did you know?] Sora asked.

[Like Zero, I go through different worlds to find a perfect home. Zero is fighting to alter our pasts and create a better ending for all of us.] Elsa concluded.

[I see… It'll stop Aori and Hotaru from going through a very horrible turmoil.] Sheldon had a feeling that Zero was doing this.

"Some things remain unchanged since they're unavoidable, but a few changes can lead to many differences." Said Zero.

"What if the virus is still there?" Neku asked.

"Then I'll give them a warning. The New Squidbeak Splatoon Unit is overdue for some major updates." Zero concludes.

[I have locations!] Sora announced.

"Huh?" Zero and Neku halt.

[Rei is with Serika, Callie and DJ Octavio. Captain Cuttlefish is found with Ryu and Hachi. That leaves Marie and Mirai together.]

"Thanks, Sora." Zero responds with a smile.

[Also, Zero, I have a question.]

"Go ahead." Zero is listening.

[Where are my daughters?] Sara's voice turns bitter as a sudden question has caught Zero off guard.

"D- Daughters?"

"Oi, Sora!" Neku snaps.

[Saki and Sayaka. What happened to them?] Sora asked.

[Oh no…] Sheldon knew it's about to happen, but didn't know it was directed towards Zero instead of Rei.

"I'm afraid you're not going to like it… You're a wealthy person, so why live in an orphanage?"

[My husband was wealthy, but that's not important. What is happening?]

Zero sighs and lowers her head and nods to Neku.

"Zero…"

"As far as I remember, it happened two years ago. Saki and Sayaka are casualties to the previous missions." Zero admitted.

[But why!?]

"It's not because of the octarians, but because of an ordeal. Sayaka, your eldest daughter, has been ambushed into nothing, and Saki was Frye's victim dressed in one of the octarians' weaponry. That means Commander Tartar had them killed." Zero concluded.

Click.

"Sora?"

"Oh shit…" Neku realises something bad is about to happen as he hears that Sora cuts them off.

[I'll go after her. Sheldon, you're helping them.]

[Yes, ma'am!] Sheldon accepts as Elsa cuts off as well. [Listen, you two, just focus on the tree and get out of this place.]

"Sure." Neku nods and then takes his leave from the corpse and looks at Zero. "I guess you're guilty for letting them die."

"Because of how foolish they are, I tried to warn them! This is what broke Rei from who she once was! I can't stop her when she's about to shoot Callie and Marie! I wish they listened to my warnings…" Zero nearly broke down as her voice trembled.

Neku understands why Zero is sometimes suicidal after trying to stop what Tartar is doing.

Looks like this body snatching genocidal telephone isn't playing around and was hoping to kill off the population, even the children are no exception.

He pat Zero's shoulder.

"Zero. It's not too late to get there. I know they're gone, but I bet that their previous timeline selves are still alive, even my little brother Daigo."

"Dai…" Zero gasps as tears are dropping to the ground.

"I bet you didn't cry before, didn't you?" Neku asks.

"I'm incapable of having emotions as a demon, but… Am I getting them back?" Zero is looking at her own tears as she starts to sniffle.

"It's okay if you have to cry. I cry all the time and I'm a man. Us men are allowed to cry." Said Neku.

"That is the cheesiest thing you say… But thank you." Zero giggles as she cheers up. "But I'm not going to cry yet."

Neku then lowers his head after hearing Zero's rant.

Who knows, being a member of a little lighthearted organisation is actually a judgement to see if anyone's worthy to live and there's a few alive.

Finally, both Neku and Zero are leaving the corpse behind as they're finding a boat or a plane to reach the tree.

Haikara, Inkopolis

Outside the orphanage, Sora prepares herself with an old Hero Roller that she got from a long time ago until the door opens.

"Where are you going, Elsa?" Maya, an inkling girl called.

"I'm going out for a while. Aoba, you're in charge." Elsa called.

"Sure thing, ma'am!" Aoba, the octoling girl accepts.

Then the door closes.

Elsa approaches Sora with a solemn look on her face as Sora hastily walks.

Then she was caught by the arm.

"Sora. Stop." Elsa ordered.

"Let go of me!" Sora snaps.

"Listen to me for a moment."

"That telephone who took an inkling's body murdered my children! I want his head!" Sora yelled.

"Sora! That's enough!" Elsa snaps as she slaps Sora's face. "I know how you feel. I'm as angry as you are. But resorting to violence isn't the answer."

"You! You're just a demon!" Sora screamed as it stopped Elsa. "You never understand how it feels to lose your kids to a horrific battle! You never have any feelings in the first place!"

"That's…"

Elsa can tell that Sora's tears are not out of anger or sadness, but fear.

"That's not true…"

"Then why!?"

"I had a friend named Elsa and she was a member of the New Squidbeak Splatoon Unit, but I never had any feelings when I was with her, but she gave me what I lost for a long time; emotion." Elsa explains.

"So? How does that justify your understanding?" Sora asks.

"Because no one cared about her! But I cared… This poor girl doesn't deserve to have a demon like me. She was so young. When I heard there's more, I can't fathom all that. Then, I heard what Rei and Zero did and how it made me realise that there's hope. Hearing what happened to your daughters, I can't take all this anymore. So that means the two of us are on the same boat. I'm sorry…" Elsa concludes as she hugs Sora, leading Elsa herself to weep.

Sora stops, seeing both of her daughters' smiles as they're telling her to move on and cheer for their friends, causing her to reach her arm.

Then she lets out a sob.

Elsa and Sora are crying, seeing as their loved ones are never coming back.

"I know… We'll avenge them…" Elsa whispered.

"Saki! Sayaka!"

Under the moonlight sky, both inkling women are comforting each other from the pains of losing someone close to them.

Elsa then glares forward while keeping Sora safe.

"Sora, let's go see Sheldon and confront Frye."