The final battle starts.

The music plays.

Fly Octo Fly by Off the Hook plays.

It's time.

Serika takes a headstart by Zooming past NILS Avatar, leading the avatar itself to burst out green tentacles with crystals covering it.

Serika swings her Hero Roller at one tentacle and fires her Hero Charger 0 at another as both tentacles explode.

The avatar boosts all over as it creates an after image, leading Serika to grunt.

Luckily Pearl and Marina's singing has boosted her morale as Serika super jumps and spins by spreading her magenta ink all over the after images as NILS Avatar exclaims.

"What's the matter, Tartar? Just like my sister, I'm not afraid anymore! Now, hit it, Hime!"

Pearl then went to the point of calling Tartar out as well as roasting him, enrages the NILS Avatar by zooming closer to her.

Then more explosions had caused NILS Avatar to roar as it floated in front of Serika.

"Why can't you understand the consequences of what sins you committed!? Humanity needed their land! I… I lost everything! The professor! The cat! Everything that I cherished!"

"You cherished anything? That's bullshit, you never cherished anything. You killed my sister, my friends and enemies and yet you want sympathy? How hypocritical." Serika sneers as she raises her charger as magenta turns blue and the charge is going overdrive, leading Serika to see her own sister as a blue octoling, charging along with her demons into her charger.

"Not yet, big sis, wait for the moment he slows down."

"Shiki…" Serika gasps, witnessing Shike coming back as a demon while protecting Serika.

Finally both octolings super jump as Serika turns from magenta to blue.

As the chorus plays with Pearl and Marina singing, both sisters are smashing through NILS Avatar's weapons as NILS Avatar yells out of pure rage.

"SERIKAAAAAAAA!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Both sisters yell as they pull the trigger, leading the charger to become clear and then…

BOOM! A blue explosion as NILS Avatar hastily blocks a blue laser beam that is spreading ink.

"NO! NOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

In the end…

A massive explosion has caused the ink to spread as Pearl makes a finishing touch with her special weapon, Killer Wail, and burst out a bunch of pink ink by screaming "BOOOOOYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

While screaming as NILS Avatar is covered in both blue and pink ink…

SPLOOSH!

Afterwards, Serika pants as she's drained from all the power she used.

Finally Shiki fades with a positive smile and places her forehead onto Serika's forehead.

"Shiki…"

"I love you, big sis… Always have…" Before Shiki finishes her sentence, her soul vanishes into blue light as her ink is no longer available for Serika to use anymore.

"Always will… Rest in peace, my little sister." Serika sighs while going down on her knees.

Approaching Serika, Pearl and Marina are watching raining dust as they're glowing blue which means Shiki is still watching over her big sister.

As for the group, the monsters are tough, yet beatable as they appear with minor damages, despite the bandages from Tartar's battle that is a massive pain for them to get by.

[Mission accomplished! Now's your chance to get to the top of the floor!] Sheldon rejoices after he witnesses the battle and Serika wins.

Before the group continues, Aori exclaims as she sees the similar dragon that is magenta and covered in crystals.

"Look!"

"The Abyssal Dragon!?" Rei gasped.

"What the!?" Zero grunts.

"Everyone! Remember, this thing is just a monster!"

To Rei's shock, there's a difference as she can tell by its body, only for her to lower her Hero Shot 0.

"Wait! Something's not right."

The group stops as they're confused.

"Rei? What are you talking about?" Ryu asks.

"I had a feeling something's going on with that dragon." Rei is glancing at the dragon that is growling.

"How so? If not, then we'll kill it." Hotaru said as she looked Rei in the eyes.

"Hold it. As I can tell, it didn't attack us compared to the other monsters we faced." Rei points out.

"Huh? That's because Neku and I hide from it when encountering that thing!" Zero retorts.

"And we're standing like statues." Aori said out of confusion.

"Yeah. But it clearly saw us. The second is its body ink. Notice how most of them are black, but this dragon is pink like Aori's." Rei makes a second point.

"Eh!? But I have nothing to do with the dragon!" Aori exclaimed.

"Well your ink is one of them." Said Serika.

"Rei, I think you're onto something. Tell us." Ryu asks while looking serious.

"Finally, it's been looking straight at Aori." Rei's third point is called.

"Huh? But how?" Hotaru asks in shock.

"As far as I heard, it mentioned your name. Could it be that…"

"Aori, do you have anything related to the dragon?" Hotaru asks bitterly.

"No! All I remember is waking up in the Abyss!" Aori snaps as she's taking a few steps backwards.

"But what about King?" Rei asked.

This stops Aori after hearing what Rei said about King.

What Aori didn't realise is that King has been silent for a while as it turns out to be the answer to why she's been brainwashed.

Aori and Zero finally had their eyes on the Abyssal Dragon as the duo witnessed the sadness it had.

"King? Is that you?" Aori asks as she's surprised.

"No way… Callie?" Zero gasped.

Before both Aori and Zero reach their arms, a banging noise is caused by NILS Avatar as it reveals Frye's face that is nothing but madness and rage.

"Zero! ZERO! ZEROOOO!" Frye screams as the dragon roars and hastily dive towards the avatar as Frye screams out of agonising pain.

As the dragon attacks NILS Avatar, the group grunts as they're staying away from it.

"We need to go, now!" Rei shouts as she pulls both Zero and Aori.

With Rei, Zero, Serika, Ryu, Aori, Hotaru, Pearl and Marina making a run for it, Fryes screamed as she had enough of all this and wanted every single enemy around her dead.

This causes Frye to push a dragon up, splats its body while releasing King's body, leading King to smile as she watches her friends escape.

"Go… Save us all… Zero."

As King said her last words, SPLAT! The last King was heard as Frye hyperventilates in rage.

"Don't you dare run from me! DON'T YOU DARE GO TO MY PAST! ZEROOOOOOOOOOOO!"


Floor 102

As Frye's voice howled from behind, Rei's group are panting as they're slowing down.

"Tch! We're not gonna make it! Damn it!" Zero exclaims.

"Keep going! Only twenty floors to go!" Hotaru pants as she's also exhausted while refusing to give up.

Unfortunately for them, the crystals are rapidly growing as the group are doomed to become infected.

But…

"Huh?" Serika stops as she can hear a crackling sound near her behind.

"SEIKA!" Rei shrieks as Serika halts.

"Wha- !?" SPLAT!

What the group sees is an expanded crystal spiked through Serika's back to her chest as she's bursting out purple ink.

"Serika!" Ryu exclaimed in shock.

"No… It can't be!" Aori shrieked.

"No…" Zero gasped.

Serika's hanged body yells as she coughs out blood and ink.

"Gah! N- No… I can't let it end… Not like this…" Serika pants as she's unable to breathe any longer.

"Pull yourself together! Don't die on us, God damn it!" Pearl yelled as she's enraged.

"Serika! No! Noooo!" Marina screams as she's dropping tears out of fright.

"Gh… You… Guys… Rei… Please… Save… Our…" Unfortunately, Serika is no longer active as she lost so much blood.

"Pearl, Marina, go on ahead." Zero orders as she looks sad.

"Huh? What about you?" Pearl asked with a shaky tone.

"We'll slow him down. Don't worry, we'll catch up to you." Zero turns as she's letting Pearl and Maring go first.

"Serika… Ngh! Marina, let's go."

As Pearl drags a sobbing Marina towards the top floor, all that's left is Rei, Zero, Ryu, Aori and Hotaru.

"Gh! This is a pain. Seri… I'm not going to abandon you." Ryu mutters as he's looking down in despair.

As Ryu walks forward, Rei takes a few steps forward.

"Don't follow me. You need to go." Said Ryu in a monotonous tone.

"What do you mean? We can leave this place together! Even Seika wanted that!"

"Even if she wants, I'm not leaving."

"Ryu…" Hotaru grunts as she's saddened.

"She knows Shiki and I love each other. But unfortunately, this is where we part ways. I'll kill Tartar while you ladies have the chance to escape." Ryu nods as he pulls a warm smile.

"But… Ryu…" Before Rei reaches her arm, Zero and Hotaru pull Rei as they're running upstairs.

As Frye appears, Ryu can see more crystals are spiking the way between stairs as cages which leads to Ryu glaring at Frye.

"It's you and me. Let's finish this, Tartar." Ryu says his final words as he's ready to face Commander Tartar directly.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"


Floor 119

With Rei, Zero, Aori and Hotaru rushing as they're back to the olden days of the NSS trio, along with Zero, Rei turns around as there's no sound.

"Only a few floors left. We're almost there!" Rei laughs as she rejoices.

"Not yet." Zero grunts.

"What do you mean?" Aori asked.

"Tartar is still slithering all the way to stop us." Zero points out as the main trio grunt.

With Hotaru feeling down after witnessing Serika's death and Ryu's sacrifice, she knows what this world is going against.

This world hates its heroes.

"Aori, forgive me." Hotaru said as she approached Aori.

"Huh? What do you-"

Whack! Aori is knocked unconscious as it shocks both Rei and Zero.

"Aori!" Rei shrieked as she picked up Aori.

"Oi, Marie!" Zero yelled.

"It's nothing personal. I'm doing this for her safety. I can't let Aori see me like this." Hotaru laughs as she's finally guilty.

Rei understands but also doesn't want to lose Hotaru to Tartar.

"Marie doesn't deserve this victory at the Splatfest. If anything, Callie is the one that should've won. Aori would've said the same about me." Hotaru then walks downstairs as she pulls a depressive smile to a warm smile. "I'm glad you're my daughter, Rei."

"Mama…" Rei gasps as tears are running down from her eyes.

Even Hotaru's tears are dropping while she morphs into a squid and super jumps downstairs.

In the end, Hotaru sacrifices herself for Rei and Zero to go to the top and stop Tartar once and for all.

"I love you, Aori, Rei. Good luck, Zero… I wish you're my friend."


Floor 121

All alone while waking up, Aori is groaning as she can see Rei and Zero's trail, but Hotaru is no longer there.

"No… Hotaru… Why?" Aori weeps after realising what's going on.

She knew Hotaru wanted her to move forward with Rei and Zero.

"Hotaru… Rei? Zero?"

Finally, Aori, while still in tears of sorrow, is following up the stairs as she's slowly walking forward.


Floor 123

At the top of the tree, Aori halts as she witnesses an inkling boy and an inkling girl standing together.

To Aori's surprise, Rei is still alive.

"Rei! And… Who?" Aori halts as she raises an eyebrow out of confusion.

"This is Zero. His true form." Pearl announced as she shows an inkling boy with a topknot, half a bang with an extra tentacle on the top like an ahoge as if he's a mix while still male.

"Hime? Marina? Is that true?" Aori asked.

"Yes. It was before Rei first met Zero and now his true form has finally shown up." Marina answers with a bitter smile as she's trying not to feel down after what happened to Serika.

"Callie." A boy's voice is coming from Zero as he's lowering his head out of sadness. "I'm sorry. I failed all of you."

"It's not your fault. You did everything you could to save us. At least Rei is here to help you." Aori smiles while holding Zero's face as Zero himself gasps with surprise.

"Callie…"

"Yo, Zero! We need to go, now! Same goes for you, Rei!"

"Ah! Sure! I gotta go! No time to waste!" Zero hastily runs as he's with Pearl and Marina into the white void with a door.

The very white void where Rei and Zero needed to go in order to change the past.

Standing alone are Rei and Aori as Rei looks at the void and the door.

"Aori… It's hard to say goodbye like this. I mean all the fun times we had, all the battles we faced, and most importantly, all the friends we made. Aori, I know it's sad when you lose everyone… I already lost my friends all the time." Rei said as she frowned.

"Rei… I know how you feel. We faced many challenges together. We had our fun. Now it's time to finish it. You're my favourite daughter I ever had." Aori puts her hands onto Rei's shoulders.

"A- A- Mm!?" Halting as Rei stops.

Aori finally places her lips onto Rei's as it's not a mother and daughter thing, but a lovers' way as it was a sign of Zero and Callie.

Finally both inklings let go as Rei can taste cherry on her mouth, leading her to feel her lips with a surprise.

"This is for Zero. Now, Rei, let's go!"

Before Aori and Rei run into the void, a bang is heard as they can see Frye howling as she screams Rei and Zero's name.

Finally, Aori pushes Rei with a smile as she's ready to meet death itself, causing Rei to gasp.

"Mama!" Rei yells, reaching her own arm as Aori smiles with tears dropping.

"Sayonara, Rei." Aori whispers while raising her Hero Roller and her Splatana Wiper.

In the end, the world vanished as it became nothing but a white void.

A white void.

Rei knew that this kiss is a farewell as well as a gift to Zero.

Rei can see why she's kissed.

"Mama- No, Aori… I love you." Rei finally blows a kiss while walking towards the door with Zero waiting for her.

Zero smiles as he places his hand onto Rei's shoulder.

"I see what happened there." Zero chuckles with a smugly smile that is similar to his pasthood.

"Eh? What are you, jealous?" Rei asks while frowning.

"Nah! You and I are the same people. I mean, I'm a little jealous that I didn't get a kiss, but you do." Zero sighs.

"Heh. At least she loves me!" Rei proudly mocks Zero while pulling a similar smug.

"Whatever." Zero looks away after rolling his eyes.

After their small banter, Zero nods as he and Rei are running towards the door together in order to change the past and future.

"Let's do this, Rei!"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Finally, both morph into squids as they super jump through the door together, only to seek for their new lives.

After their disappearance…

Standing together was Team Spades as Spade looked into Rei and Zero's behaviour and their actions.

"Hm… It seems they finally won." Spade said with a calm smile.

"So are we going to fight them!?" Mirai asks with excitement.

"Wait. Once they change everyone's past, we'll act as their secret bosses. That way, we'll see who's the strongest of the fighters." Spade said.

"Then let's settle this with a score!" Meggy chuckles while punching her own palm.

Team Spades finally march through the portal together as they're readying their weapons.

"It's time for those two to entertain us." Spade finally said as he led his girls to the portal as they vanished together.

The time to change the past is now.