14017 August 4th

Mount Nantai

Inside an empty school building, dust is everywhere.

A sanitised octoling, Dedf1sh, also known as Mizuta Ahato, is sweeping the floor while listening to music while calmly watching through the window, reminiscing the moment she met the NSS members.

"Mirai…"

"Mirai? Don't you mean, Reaper?" A familiar voice called as it stops Dedf1sh from cleaning up.

"Y- You…" Dedf1sh may not see it, but she can tell who is behind Frye as it causes her to take a few steps backwards. "Why?"

"Oh? Hello, Dedf1sh. It seems you saw right through my mask."

"Aaaaaaaah…" Letting out a scream, Dedf1sh had witnessed the monster that showed up right in front of her.

Unfortunately, Dedf1sh can't run at this rate as she's unable to run as fast as the one near her.

Even for a calm and quiet octoling, Dedf1sh has actually shown fear in front of Frye.

A Tri-Stinger is pointing at Dedf1sh, meaning it's the end of a former experiment like her.

"I don't want any witnesses and you're no longer in use, Subject 8."

"H- Help…" Even when struggling to speak clearly, Dedf1sh is calling for help.

"With pleasure." A voice said.

As the Arrows fire, appearing in a split second is an inkling who has her ink blue as she splats the arrows which are from an old Hero Roller.

"Hello, Commander Tartar." Appearing is Sora as she glares straight into Frye's soulless eyes.

"Oh? Another one that is coming after me? You know, lady, I don't know what your deal is but-..."

"Zip it, telephone. I'm not backing down after what you did! You killed my daughters!" Sora snaps.

"And? These brats are stupid enough to fall right into my trap. Rei should've been the next victim and I will bring humanity back to where it once belonged." Frye sneered.

"Humanity this, humanity that? You never stop spouting nonsense. And here I was leaving my luxurious room with art and games and now I'm outside hunting you down in order to avenge my children." Sora sighs.

"Tch! And what about Dedf1sh?"

"She's coming with us to the orphanage. Don't even think about killing her." Sora said with a cold glare.

"She broke the rules by assisting those freaks of nature. I have no use for traitors and weaklings." Frye spat out. "And you're here to kill me because of your little brats?"

"Don't speak about my daughters like that!"

Finally, both Sora and Frye are dashing towards each other as Sora spins her Hero Roller and swings it which causes Frye to block and miss by stepping on the floor.

"Elsa… I hope you're ready."

Outside the building.

[I'm detecting an unknown timezone. I wouldn't recommend going to the Abyss, but I had some way of getting everyone out.] Sheldon called.

"Good. Let's hope it works. Rei… I hope you're safe." Elsa whispers as she's wishing for Rei's survival.

As Sheldon hangs up, Elsa is hanging around with Hero Bike 3 while looking into her phone.

To her surprise, there's no news about Callie and Marie and the sanitisation is getting worse.

"Tch! Zero, hurry up."

Then…

BANG!

"Huh!? Sora!?" Elsa gasped as she rushed inside the building, only to see Dedf1sh panting as Elsa caught her. "Oi, Dedf1sh, what's going on!?"

"Sora… Tartar… Monster!"

"It's okay. Go outside and head to Inkopolis City. I'll deal with this." Elsa drags her Inkbrush Nouveau as she can hear splatting noises.

Then…

She halts.

What she witnesses is a room full of ink as she sees Sora's body lying on the ground as her Hero Roller is smashed to pieces.

"No! SORA!" Elsa rushes as she picks up a dying Sora. "Sora! Wake up, Sora you idiot!"

"Ngh… Man, for a lazy woman, she sure is one tough squid to boot." Frye grunts as steam is coming out of her body by Sora's ink.

"Tartar." Elsa growled.

"Milady, we meet again." Frye mockingly bows with sadism.

Even Elsa is intimidated by a single inkling that is taken away by a telephone.

Elsa has no time to talk as she morphs into a squid, super jumping by barging Frye out of the school building and slamming her to the tree outside.

"I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!" Elsa yells as she swings her Inkbrush which alerts Frye to spray ink on Elsa's eyes, burning them as she's swinging her fist and boots Elsa's stomach while laughing maniacally.

"Is that all you got!? You're way past your prime, old lady!"

"Don't underestimate a thirty year old woman! I have experience, unlike your unmoved body!" Elsa blocks Frye's fists and then headbutts her.

"Hahahaha… Is that so? Milf over there is done for and you're next, Christmas cake!" Frye dashes as she misses her kicks as Elsa swipes her Inkbrush sideways by hitting Frye's stomach.

As the duo are still on a face-off, Elsa's Inkbrush Nouveau is next in line to be shattered to pieces by Frye.

"No way…"

"You lose, inkling." Finally, Frye explodes yellow ink as Elsa crashes onto the wall as she's been taking too much of Frye's ink. "Sayonara."

SPLAT!

Elsa's body is still intact, but the shrapnel of ink has caused Elsa's body to sizzle until she's no longer breathing.

Blood…

Actual blood coming out of Elsa as Frye successfully took another life.

Before Frye celebrates in this peaceful forest, Sora appears as she's leaking too much ink.

"Please… Give them back… Give them back… Give them back…" Murmuring to Frye, Sora is on the verge of death.

"Pathetic." Frye spat out of disgust and then splatted her by hitting her near Elsa on a tree. "A fitting end to those who wanted petty revenge."

[It's not petty.] A voice called.

"Huh?"

[It's not petty. You did all this. But in the end, you still lose.] Sheldon calls through Elsa's speakers.

"What!? Impossible, I had the NSS idiots… No… The Tree of Order!" Frye gasps after realising what's going to happen.

[Game over, Tartar.]

"Hmph. You deserve it." The real Frye says as she's vanishing. "I hope Zero changes the past."

"Zero!? Changing the past!? Damn you! ZERO!" Frye screams as she super jumps away from Elsa and Sora as they're left on the ground together.

Now all that's left are 2 inkling women that successfully saved Dedf1sh from her fate.

[I'm sorry, Elsa. We lost.] Sheldon laments.

"No, Sheldon… We won… Now we wait for Zero to set us a better future." Elsa croaks.

[Yeah. See ya.]

After Sheldon hangs up, Sora weakly laughs.

"Sora?" Elsa turns out of confusion.

"Isn't it ironic? I was supposed to take Tartar's life with my own hands, but in the end demons are just as weak as we are." Sora said.

Elsa has no words as she's watching the sky with her own friend.

"Elsa, if Saki and Sayaka are alive to see this, maybe they'll see you as an auntie."

"Yeah… Sora."

"Hm?"

"Let's wish the kids luck." Elsa whispers, knowing Rei and her team are the winners that's changing the past.

Sora smiles as tears are coming out of her eyes from her black eyelids to the ground.

"Yeah… Let's wish for them to escape together…"

In the end, both bodies are slowly melting as they're no longer conscious anymore.

A puddle of grey and yellow ink are now the only things left in the middle of the forest.

The end of Elsa and Sora.

Unknown

Standing alone in a similar looking orphanage, Elsa is staring as she realises that she's no longer Elsa anymore.

The real Elsa approaches Milady with a smile.

"Elsa…"

"Welcome back, Milady." Elsa giggles as she still looks young, even when Milady is the older Elsa.

Milady quickly hugs Elsa as she finally gets to see her smile again.

"Elsa… I'm sorry…" Milady weeps.

"It's not your fault, Milady. I was the one who was sorry." Elsa coos while embracing Milady.

As the duo let go and look at each other, Elsa laughs as Milady chuckles.

"Elsa! Hurry up!" Sora called as she's waving with Saki and Sayaka.

"Yeah! Everyone's waiting for us, old lady!" Saki yelled.

"Come on, Elsa!" Sayaka calls.

Milady can tell that they're calling for her as Elsa walks forward.

"Let's go, Elsa." Elsa laughs as she runs forward.

"Elsa… Sure." Milady accepts her final fate as she's walking towards those who rest.

May she rest in peace.

In the end, Milady is no demon, but an inkling that's actually a caretaker.