Unmei Force Shattered Heroes: Dawn of Despair

by Xovercreator

The X-Event finally makes their moves, as the member of the Unmei Force, as well as those of the Future Seekers, seek to pursue the X-Event, so that they can find X-Gaster, and put an end to his genocidal plans once and for all. However, it seems that their quest will not be without its own problems, and it's only a matter of time until Richard awakens...

5. Final Chapter

Unmei Force Shattered Heroes: Dawn of Despair

Final Chapter: Two Endings

---

In the darkness, the group felt their restraints being undone, as they fell to the ground.

"What… What the hell did he do…!?" FS!Richard growled. "...I can't sense anything but us and X-Gaster in here… nothing but an empty void…"

"That can't be right." FS!Siege answered back. "I can feel that your other self is still alive."

The most perceptive of the group began to hear a distant heart-beat.

"...I… I hear something." Meiling remarked. "Everyone, follow me."

The group began to follow Meiling, navigating through the dark void, as the sound of the heart-beat began to grow louder and louder, until they were able to see SoF!Siege in this distance.

"Siege!" Gus shouted, as SoF!Siege turned to them.

"...You're all alright. Thank god for that." SoF!Siege said. "...I guess Richard… or whatever was making him do this, was trying to stop any of you from interfering."

"Do… Do you have any clue what's going on?" Kaguya asked. "...I almost feel like this is… familiar…"

"It's almost as if we were back in that same place… the same place we killed Richard for the first time." Gus remarked, as emotional pain crossed his face.

"Well, I think that this is a set-up for some sort of massive boss fight, if we were speaking from a meta perspective." Siege answered back. "I'm genre-savvy on all of this."

"Then I suppose we have to defeat Richard a second time." Sephiroth remarked. "...And I feel that this will not be as simple as we think it to be."

"Over there…!" Aylanda exclaimed, before pointing towards a specter of UF!Richard, who was floating before them.

The specter did not respond, before he then turned around, slowly floating forward, as the group watched it move.

"...We need to follow it." Suika remarked. "...Maybe that is the part of Richard… who wants us to stop whatever he's become."

The group followed the specter, before they stopped when the specter faded, right before UF!Richard, whose entire naked upper half was exposed, as the rest of his body was attached to something in the darkness.

"Richard, we're here!" Gus shouted. "Please, if you can still hear us, we're coming to save you! Just don't give up, whatever you do!"

UF!Richard didn't respond, before a massive purple inferno blazed around the group, lighting up the surroundings, as they found that UF!Richard was being melded right into a massive humanoid creature that had a hood-like head, with nothing but void in the hole in its head, and a mess of creatures that was melded to its lower half, such as the head of dragons, clawed hands wielding blades, and mechanical hands wielding guns, and much more, while a mess of dark tentacles rose from its back, as UF!Richard was right on the chest of the massive creature.

"...By the gods…" Kaguya remarked. "This is really no less powerful than what Richard once was like… when he was that monster…"

"But… he isn't as ruthless as we felt at that time…" Gus remarked. "...I can literally feel it… don't all of you…? A sense of resignation… floating through the air."

"...That's even worse." Miles remarked. "He…he can't see himself as anything except…this thing."

"Well, we didn't come this far to let ourselves get beaten here." FS!Richard remarked. "...Because whether we have to kill him or save him, the fact remains that thing needs to go!"

"Everyone, use every last ounce of power within you!" FS!Siege declared. "This will be our decisive battle!"

"Richard… Your pain… your misery… I'll face it all, and save you!" Gus declared. "Just as you wanted me to carry on your will!"

The creature began to move, as its tentacles began to ready themselves, while the various creatures and parts grafted to its lower half moved in unison towards the heroes.

Cue BGM: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment - EX Final Battle Theme (Epic Orchestral Arrangement)

TABULA RASA

Incarnation of Despair and Emptiness

Richard Liu

The creature then began to fire a massive barrage of ranged attacks, ranging from lasers, to large spears of bone, as they attacked the group en masse.

"Hoplites!" Tab exclaimed, before he summoned an entire platoon of Hoplites, that immediately moved into action to protect the group from the incoming attack, as even if their numbers were dwindling rapidly from the incoming attacks, the group were protected from the projectiles.

Kaguya immediately summoned Artemis, who immediately rushed towards the creature, as she tried to attack it, only for her attacks to be resisted by a transparent purple barrier that blocked wherever she struck.

"Urgh…!" Artemis remarked, before she then immediately used her signature kick to try and break the shield, to some avail, as cracks formed where she struck, although the creature retaliate, as several tentacles rose, before firing a massive stream of beam-fire that hit Artemis.

"Oh no, you don't!" Kaguya growled, before she used her magic to form a magic barrier around Artemis, as the shots were reflected back to their own shooter, as the barrier was lit up by the countless projectiles hitting against it.

Baudimon threw Dawnbreaker into the air, before he then came down right onto the creature, as his blade managed to dig into the shield slightly, while Randall and Jakka joined his attack, as they managed to penetrate the shield, and land an attack on the lower half of the creature.

"Not so tough now, aren't you!?" Baudimon remarked, before they were hit by a massive deluge of ice that hit the three of them, freezing most of their bodies. "What the…!?"

Suddenly, multiple bladed tentacles began to arc out, as they shot towards the three, only for Galahad, Isabelle and Robert to interpose themselves, catching the incoming tentacles, as it forced them back.

"Hold on, I'll get the ice off!" Gus exclaimed, before gathering fire to Etherflame, before sending it forward, as it burned the ice off Randall, Baudimon and Jakka without harming them.

"Thanks for that." Jakka nodded.

The group then saw a pair of hands begin to come out of the creature's lower half, as magic began to gather between them, almighty energy sparking between them.

"Alright bud… this is really not an ideal spot to be in, eh." SoF!Siege remarked.

"Is this literally what's been causing this…? This… this thing of… absolute negativity." Jesse remarked with a saddened expression.

"If that Nightmare guy or whatever was still up, he'd be having a hay day." Dante joked.

"Well, regardless, I saved someone like this once. I'll do it again using my powers, old and new." Brynn remarked as she prepared her ice axes.

"We're gonna save you bud! WE'RE GONNA SAVE YOU!" SoF!Siege yelled and charged in with those he revived with.

The four of them immediately attacked the hands, while SoF!Siege tore a hole right through the barrier, which the other members noticed, as they focused their attacks through it, destroying a large part of the lower half of the creature.

Aster and FS!Richard immediately formed together a cyclone of fire, which managed to burn right through the creature, as it let out a guttural low roar from the damage it was taking.

"It's actually feeling it!" Kaguya exclaimed. "Keep it up, everyone!"

Just then, the group heard something strange…the sound of something, or someone, punching…from the outside? They also saw cracks beginning to form in the space above them, growing bigger and bigger with the sound of each impact.

"What the heck…?!" Miles exclaimed, as Wally looked up. "Wally, what is that?!"

…A friend…here to help…?

Just then, the cracks gave way, causing the space above to shatter, showing a starry sky, as someone landed in between the group and the monster that UF!Richard had turned into.

"You know…last time we were in this situation…I was the punk throwing a tantrum, and you were the reasonable one." the voice of the newcomer spoke. "You definitely need to work some of that stress outta your head. Luckily for you…"

The figure rose up, allowing the group to see who it was.

"...I'm here to keep my promise!" Mark Anarchy declared.

"Mark?" Gus remarked.

"Mark!?" FS!Richard exclaimed.

"Mark…" SoF!Siege remarked, before smirking. "...I'm glad as hell that even the Hero Alliance is here to help Richard, or at least put a stop to him…. Been a while, hasn't it, angel-boy?"

"Too long…maybe? I dunno, our timelines don't seem to match up perfectly." Mark said. "Anyway…Richard's mentor filled me in on the situation, but…man, it looks pretty bad, huh?"

"Yeah, that's the basics of it. Jexi and the others are busy on other matters?" SoF!Siege asked, as he frowned slightly. "...The more of them we have, the quicker we can get Richard done and dusted before he could end up causing more damage… he already plunged this entire Doodle Sphere into darkness… and who knows what could be happening outside… and who knows what happens if whatever Color God watching over this universe sees this… cluster-fuck."

"Well, unfortunately, the others are in Hyrule right now. See, there's the Divine Dragon girl, and-" Mark said before he caught himself. "Y'know what, I'll tell you later. For now…let's knock some sense back into Dick here!"

"Wait, Divine Dragon…!?" Alear exclaimed, as she stepped forward. "Could you possibly mean… me? Or this reality's version of me?"

"We'll talk about it later, Alear." Mark said, the fact that he said her name answering her question.

"I see." Alear responded back.

"Hot damn, been a hot minute, Mark." FS!Siege mused. "Glad to see you came in clutch as you always do." FS!Siege smirked.

"It doesn't matter if you're the only reinforcements that we have." FS!Richard remarked. "You're almost the right guy to deal with this. Let us try and break through whatever defenses remain on this… creature."

The creature then raised both hands, before it created a massive portal above it, that fired a rain of dark arrows, that hit the ground, before turning various undead counterparts of the Gensokyian residents.

"What the…?" Kaguya remarked, as she cut down an undead replica of herself. "Those are us…!"

"Seems that it's using his own traumas to strike at us." Gus stated, as he used fire to redirect a kick strike from undead Mokou away from the group. "But since they're undead…"

"The light should be enough to take most of them down." Aylanda reasoned. "...Give me time, I will charge up power to use a large-scale tome to deal with this threat."

"We can buy as much as you need." Baudimon declared. "After all, this isn't our first kind of fight where we had to fight against these odds."

"Alright, you want time?" Dante asked, smirking. "Yo, Siege, Brynn, Jesse. Remember what I showed y'all?"

"...Ah, I know what you're suggesting. Frankly, I'm for it." SoF!Siege smirked before he, Dante, Brynn, and Jesse raised up their hands…

SNAP!

With a resounding snap of their fingers, a sudden rush of power flowed into the darkness, as lightning pierced the dark skies above, striking the group of four…

They had activated their Devil Triggers.

Theme Switch: Devil Trigger - Metal Cover by RichaadEB, Lollia, and LittleVMills

Once the lightning faded, SoF!Siege stood holding a new, demonic sword while being encased in molten red armor, not having a helmet as he raised the sword as if it was nothing, his jacket hanging off the armor as he hefted the sword over his shoulder. Brynn's Devil Trigger made her have icy blue and silver armor, opened at the midsection as she now had a pair of dual ice swords, while Jesse's Devil Trigger had her armor constantly coursing with red and green lightning, as she gained another sword to her person.

"It's SHOWTIME!" Dante quipped as the newly Devil Triggered group prepared to rush in.

The two parties began to clash, as the undead Gensokyian residents were using every single shred of physical and magical prowess that their original selves showed, even though both were degraded in their rotting states.

"Taste some spears! Lots of essential metal there to help your figure!" FS!Undyne quipped as she shot spears into some of said undeads. "Oops! Or could make you worse! Hahaha!"

"Well, ain't this quite the situation, eh?" FS!Sans remarked, as he and FS!Papyrus were setting up a bone trap that the rest of the group were luring them into. "Who would have thought that this would have evolved into this, Paps?"

"Heh. This will be quite the story to tell the others." FS!Papyrus remarked, as the bones activated, impaled several of them, causing them to be unable to act.

"Others, you mean like, Undyne?" FS!Chara remarked with a sly smirk as FS!Papyrus groaned.

"You knew what I meant, human! Nyeh-nyeh…" FS!Papyrus remarked with a slightly annoyed laugh.

"Oh, there's gotta be some irony for this shootout…" Sawyer growled, as he was using a heavy-duty rifle to knock down the residents one-by-one. "Like the world wants ta see a cowboy fighting zombies like these…"

"Ah yeah, cowboys vs. zombies, an all time classic." Rimuru quipped, calling back his past life still before firing off multiple magical attacks at the Undead Gensokyians.

"Do they actually make movies of that stuff?" Veyle would ask.

"Yeah! There were tons of movies like that before I got reincarnated." Rimuru remarked, as if talking with Veyle completely distracted him from his lost world.

As the group said this, the Devil Triggered group was currently putting undead Meiling and Reimu through hell as they were juggling them in the air.

Dismal!

Crazy!

Badass!

Undead Marisa tried to attack, only to be caught by Jesse as she was tossed into the nasty combo game.

Apocalyptic!

Savage!

Undead Sakura attempted to shoot knives into SoF!Siege, only for him to evade and bring her into the combo, much to Dante's laughter as they prepared to finish their style rank.

Sick Skills!

SMOKIN' SEXY STYLE!

Finally reaching maximum style, the four of them brought out their guns and blasted the four they had caught into the massive juggling game as Dante laughed.

"That was awesome, you guys!" Dante laughed.

"Yeah, fun time's over though, we need to focus on keeping Aylanda protected!" SoF!Siege reminded them.

"I'm done!" Aylanda remarked, before she raised an overcharged Aureola in her hand. "Step back!"

The group quickly retreated, while forcing those that they were engaging back, as Aylanda launched the light spell, as the entire field was alight with light magic, which destroyed every single undead Gensokyian resident through the purging light, as the creature that summoned them was hit by it, as a barrier around UF!Richard turned yellow for a moment, preventing it from damaging that section of its body.

"This thing is really protective of that Richard." FS!Siege remarked.

"That's my literal brother he's holding! He's MINE to protect, you bastard! NOT YOU!" SoF!Siege yelled.

"Then we should get on that…by breaking that barrier down!" Mark said, as he shifted into his Six-Armed Vajra Form. "I'm going in!"

Mark ran towards the creature, dodging the attacks thrown at him, before he leapt towards where Richard was, repeatedly punching the barrier holding him.

Mash B!

The barrier strained under the impact of the punches, although it didn't budge, before several tentacles began to approach Mark, before then began to spit open into maws, as dark energy began to charge in each of them with a high-pitched hum.

"I got your back, Mark!" SoF!Siege yelled.

Press RT and LT!

SoF!Siege suddenly unleashed an energy shot that split apart and slammed into the maws, damaging them or obliterating them before they could fire their attack at Mark.

"Thanks, Siege!" Mark said before he pulled three of his fists back.

BURST

Mark then punched the weakened barrier, causing it to shatter like glass.

"I gotcha, Richard!" Mark said as he grabbed the other boy. "Come on, let's get you out of this-!"

"LOOK OUT!" FS!Richard shouted, before seeing a mass of blades come right out around UF!Richard, as they hurtled towards Mark.

But the warning came too late. Mark was impaled by the swords as he was sent flying back, crashing into a wall behind the group.

"…Ow." Mark groaned as he fell from the wall to the ground.

"We almost had him!" SoF!Siege growled.

"Get to Mark, we can't let him die!" FS!Richard declared. "If he dies… the Hero Alliance. They'll never…"

"Tridor!" Randall shouted.

"I'm already on it." Tridor remarked, before seeing the damage on Mark. "...By the Divines… Hold still, you're heavily injured… whatever those blades were… they're capable of rending even divine entities…"

Tridor tried to heal Mark, although his healing wasn't as effective as he expected, as he was constantly pouring magic to keep Mark alive.

"…Cut that out." Mark said to Tridor as he got up shakily. "That…I don't think that's going to help."

"I have to try." Tridor responded back, as the fighting continued, as the entire group were fighting against the creature holding UF!Richard captive, as it was beginning to use every attack in its arsenal, as magic, tentacles, and monsters flew forth, all birthed from the creature, keeping the offense from being able to truly make much progress. "It is my duty to protect all that I can. An oath that I have sworn to the Divines… as one would pledge to the Color Gods."

"Yeah? Well…not this time." Mark said as he marched forward. "Words won't get through to him. Fighting won't get through to him. The only way he's going to wake up…is for him to fuck up. Badly."

"And how do you propose that will happen?" Tridor asked as Aylanda rushed over.

"Are you making any progress?" Aylanda asked.

"No, sadly." Tridor sighed.

Mark turned around and looked at the group with a smile. "Hey. Do you guys think…that I'll be welcome in Heaven?" he asked.

"...What are you… Oh no, don't you fucking dare!" FS!Richard exclaimed. "We already had Siege doing this to take care of a dimensional threat, and you're going to do the same thing!?"

"…STOP HIM!" Draco yelled as Mark broke out into a run towards the monster.

"NOO! NO!" SoF!Siege yelled. "INTERCEPT HIM! INTERCEPT HIM!" He yelled as he, Dante, Brynn, and Jesse laid down suppressing fire against Mark to slow him down, as Mark's limbs were redirecting some of the shots to block the others, as only some were able to hurt him, and yet it didn't faze him.

"Mark! Stop, it's not worth it to destroy yourself for this!" Gus pleaded, as he tried to use Etherflame to create a barrier of flame that prevented Mark from getting forward, and protect the others from the incoming barrage of dark fire from the creature.

"I LITERALLY JUST BROUGHT MY ALTERNATE SELF BACK, LIKE HELL YOU'RE GONNA THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY LIKE RICHARD!" FS!Siege yelled as he and Alear jumped in.

"UNITY KAMEHAMEHA!" FS!Siege and Alear yelled as they fired their blue and red beam at Mark.

Mark didn't even stop, as he used all six of his arms to block the attack, while pressing forward, even as the blast slowed him down.

"No! Mark! Don't do this!" Alear yelled as Rimuru and Veyle jumped in to help.

"BLACK HELLFIRE!" Rimuru yelled, as Mark was now being torched by hellflames from Rimuru himself.

"Please, you need to live on! You need to keep living! VOIDFLAME!" Veyle yelled, as massive hellish flames pelted Mark as Siege and Alear poured more power into their Unity Kamehameha to help, only for Mark to punch all four of them in their guts using four of his six arms.

"Ghk-!?" Rimuru exclaimed.

"GYAHHH!" Veyle screamed as she coughed blood.

"GHHHAAA!" Alear yelled as she dropped to her knees, also coughing blood.

"GHN!" FS!Siege exclaimed as he dropped with the rest, neutralized as Mark rushed past them. "D-Damnit… NO!"

"Don't make me goddamn have to use my own attacks to stop you!" Kaguya growled, as she rushed forward, while entrusting her demons to protect the others.

"Sorry, but Richard needs to come back. I know that he's still in there!" Mark exclaimed.

"YOU DAMN IDIOT!" Kaguya growled, before she readied her naginata. "Then I won't let you get through here, even if I have to cut your damn leg muscles off!"

Kaguya immediately dashed forward, as Mark caught her blade, as the force of her attack began to push him back, before Mark managed to barely grab Kaguya in time to smash her into the ground in a German Suplex that planted her into the ground.

Mark then immediately pried his arms into Gus's flame barrier, before cracking it apart, as he rushed towards UF!Richard, gathering his attack into a golden fist of light, only for FS!Richard to warp in the path of the attack.

"I won't let you do this! If you want to get to him, you'll have to donut me as well with that fist!" FS!Richard shouted. "We can still win this without any sacrifices! A victory like this built on sacrifices is one not worth taking! What do you think that the other me will think when he realizes that he'd killed you!? He already thinks that he's so terrible to his own people, what do you think killing you will make him think of what the other leaders will think of him!?"

Mark simply flash-stepped past FS!Richard, but slowed down for a second, the alternate counterpart hearing Mark whisper something that gave him pause.

"…What?" FS!Richard mouthed as Mark reached UF!Richard, grabbing onto him once more.

"Look at me, Richard! Look at me!" Mark yelled, lifting the trapped boy's head up to make eye contact. "I'm sorry about this, but…if this is the path you chose to take, then you better get used to what's about to happen!"

UF!Richard didn't respond, as his eyes were lifeless, before the surrounding flesh morphed to attack Mark, who refused to be budged, as the dark matter speared and clawed at him ruthlessly.

"MARK! GET OUT OF THERE!" FS!Siege yelled.

"You moron, YOU MORON! After years of being dead, I come back just so YOU can die!? No! I'm not gonna just sit back and allow that!" SoF!Siege yelled, attempting to rush in and get Mark out.

However, something flew out of the mouth of the creature, as it was a obsidian-black orb that was pulsating rapidly.

"Get back!" FS!Richard remarked, before surrounding the entire orb with a multi-layered barrier, as it exploded, destroying the barrier, and sending most of the forces flying everywhere, while Mark held tightly against UF!Richard, as his back was being scorched by the explosion's waves of energy.

The force knocked the recently revived group out of Devil Trigger, as SoF!Siege was the first to get up, watching the scene with horror and anguish.

"NO! DAMNIT MARK!" SoF!Siege yelled.

Mark smiled at UF!Richard as a final blow came down onto him. "…You're a cool guy, Richard Liu. See you later." he said warmly as the attack connected, just as Mark struck Richard with his glowing fist, as there was a massive shockwave of light that emanated from the creature.

"MARK! NO!" Alear yelled in anguish as FS!Siege grabbed his wife, holding her back as she cried into his arms. "...No…"

"...Well Mark, I hope you're happy with yourself." SoF!Siege stated bitterly. "Because on the surface, I don't see that your little heroic play did anything." SoF!Siege added with a scowl.

The group quickly retreated back, before FS!Richard then saw something, while Mark's body began to fall down, as the mark left a golden mark right on UF!Richard's body, as the mark began to turn into a golden line that flowed down on his body.. And right into the creature's flesh, before it then formed a web of golden cracks around the spot that UF!Richard's body's was attached to.

"Wait… did it just…" FS!Richard remarked, before the creature let out a guttural screech, as the entire realm began to show golden cracks that pulsated with light. "...No, Siege, it did work…! Whatever it did, it's causing a massive reaction within the creature!"

….

The creature immediately began to summon a massive barrage of attacks, as tentacles began to shoot out of every part of the realm, in various forms and shapes.

"Well, I think that we've really set this thing off..!" Kaguya exclaimed. "...If only we can…"

"Hold out." Gus remarked. "...If we can hold out… either it will give us the opportunity we have to finish this once and for all… or perhaps… Mark's blow will do that for us!"

"You heard him, everyone hunker down!" Reisen declared.

"Get behind us!" Rimuru yelled as he and Veyle took point.

"ULTIMATE GLUTTON: JỌTUNN BEELZEBUB!" Rimuru and Veyle yelled, suddenly summoning a miasma void that swallowed up any attack thrown by the creature, as the two of them acted as guardians for the time they could keep this up.

"Okay! Aylanda!" Rimuru exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm here!" Aylanda exclaimed.

"I don't know if Veyle and I can hold this for the entire time! Once we give out, it's up to you to make the barrier!" Rimuru exclaimed.

"Okay!" Aylanda stated, as she began preparing the barrier.

"You're not alone on this!" FS!Richard declared, before Kaguya joined in the preparations.

The group watched as the glowing cracks on both the creature and the realm began to widen, as the creature began to fight more furiously, as it was throwing a mess of bone attacks right into the group from all directions, only for the all encompassing Jọtunn Beelzebub to absorb them just as well.

…What… what is this feeling?

"You're not getting by us that easily…!" Veyle exclaimed, before she then began to feel slightly weak. "...Uh, Rimuru… am I supposed to start feeling a bit weak…?"

"Ack… Already!?" Rimuru exclaimed, grabbing Veyle by the hand. "I'll share some of my energy. Whatever you do: Don't give in. We need to hold… we need to hold on, for them!" Rimuru exclaimed, trying to hide the fact he was getting a bit tired too.

"O… Okay. I'll do my best!" Veyle spoke, her determination returning as they continued to absorb the onslaught.

However, a few minutes later, as the cracks continued to spread more, Veyle suddenly heard panting, as she looked to Rimuru and saw sweat dripping from his forehead.

I feel… a warmth…

Who is it…? Who is… giving me that warmth…?

"Rimuru… you're…!" Veyle exclaimed.

"Hah… I guess… our combined skills are a bit much to hold on for…" Rimuru remarked. "...I won't lie… I'm about to give out…"

"...I'm… I'm getting tired… too…" Veyle said, as the surrounding void began to fade out, as both Sieges noticed this.

"Ah crap." SoF!Siege remarked. "Our absorption field is going down!"

"Ayla! Richard! Kaguya! Quickly, now!" FS!Siege yelled.

"It's up!" FS!Richard shouted, as a barrier of gold with a blue sheen formed around the entire group, deflecting the magical attacks, and blocking against the physical ones.

As it did so, Rimuru and Veyle collapsed on one another, with Veyle laying on Rimuru's chest, the two of them panting heavily as they lay on the ground.

"You good!?" FS!Siege exclaimed.

"Think we might… Clock in nap time for a bit… We're good…" Rimuru tiredly answered.

The entire upper half of the creature was consumed in golden cracks, as the cracks began to move towards the lower half, and up into its hood-shaped head, as the attacks were unceasingly smashing against the barrier, like torrential rain on a rooftop.

No… I can recognise it…

My friends…

My friends… everyone I met…

Kaguya and Aylanda were both sweating, using every ounce of their concentration to keep the barrier raised, as Thinker was already using the time to create a back-up defense in the form of a constructed wall, which was being constantly reinforced.

"Hah… Hah…" FS!Richard remarked. "This is really testing my own defensive magic right now…"

"Hold on! We're already more than halfway through its onslaught…!" Gus remarked, seeing the cracks beginning to leak light into the realm in rays of light.

However, disaster struck within what seemed to be the last fighting moments of the creature, as it was rapidly glowing in a golden light, as the cracks almost consumed its entire being, as Aylanda collapsed down, while Kaguya let out a choked gasp, before falling down, as the barrier began to waver.

They're fighting so strongly…

Even after I…

"Ayla!" Baudimon shouted, rushing over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… I can't hold it…" Aylanda wheezed.

"Too much… power…" Kaguya coughed, as she devolved into her normal form. "Barrier's too… taxing…"

"Oh no, you're not getting your win this easily…!" FS!Richard growled, as the prismatic wings formed on his back, as his eyes glowed brightly, as the barrier began to return to its full strength.

"Stop, you're going to run into magic deficiency with that much-" FS!Siege remarked, before Gus rushed over. "...Gus?"

"Richard… do you trust me?" Gus remarked.

"I do… whatever you have to do to keep me holding this up… do it!" FS!Richard exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I won't have to harm you… but if I can infuse my own mana through you… using that button that Yukari gave me…" Gus remarked. "...I'll be able to keep you holding as long as both of us can take without suffering any side-effects… But…"

"Taking your foreign mana will feel like I'm burning in hell-fire?" FS!Richard quipped. "Go right ahead! I won't let any form of pain deter my resolve!"

Gus nodded, before he pressed both of his hands on FS!Richard's back, before a massive burst of rainbow fire began to rush down across Gus's arms, engulfing FS!Richard, who quickly bit his own tongue tightly, to keep himself conscious through the pain, as blood leaked down his lips.

Gus… is that… you?

I… I…!

The creature tried to throw everything it had. Massive blades of darkness and light. Lasers of insurmountable strength that rocked the entire realm. Giant claws that rent through the air. And so much more devastating attacks… and yet the barrier still held.

Eventually, the creature suddenly froze, just as the last inch of its entire body was covered by the golden cracks, as the entire realm was too filled with golden cracks, before both of them shattered with a ear-hurting wail that rang across the entire universe itself, as the entire area was surrounded by light.

I… I can see it…

The light… the light of hope…

The light slowly faded away, as the entire realm was filled with pages of light, as FS!Sans was shocked.

"...What the… did that… did that literally stitch back all the AUs that Error destroyed?" FS!Sans remarked.

"But who did that…?" Baudimon remarked. "Who could have… Could it have been… Richard?"

"Richard… RICHARD!" SoF!Siege yelled as he ran for UF!Richard, who was knelt down, as he was gently breathing, as most of his hair was bleached, and he was mostly gaunt.

UF!Richard was silent, before he then raised his head.

"...Why….?" UF!Richard stated, as his own voice was so soft that the entire group felt like his voice was as faint as a whisper of wind. "...Why did you save me…? Why is it… that someone else… had to die… for me again…?"

"...Because he believed in you, bud… just like… Just like I should have…" SoF!Siege remarked with painful tears as he grabbed UF!Richard hugged him tightly. "You goddamn moron… you're tearing my heart up again…."

"I don't understand… I don't understand…!" UF!Richard cried out, as his voice was still faint, although the utter grief in it could be felt. "Why am I worth saving… as the worst of humanity…!? I only know how to hurt people, by hurting them or hurting myself…! I lie to myself for being a good person, and everyone believes me…! I'm the worst, everyone else, even the scum of the streets are better than me, what is it in me that is worth saving… Tell me… someone tell me!"

"You should know…" FS!Richard remarked, as he stepped forward. "...You're me after all. The reason that you are still here, not an empty husk that cannot even think or speak… is because you bear the same thing that countless people do… the potential to change."

"He's right." SoF!Siege said, letting out of the hug for a moment as he grabbed UF!Richard's shoulders. "When we first met, I saw you as I knew you were… A former scum of the earth, wanting to change himself. Why do you think we're two of the same cloth? I came from the same origin, Richard…. that's why we're brothers. That's why we rely on one another. For everything."

"But… all the change that I have gone through… is for the worse…" UF!Richard sobbed. "If I lived… everyone will eventually suffer… because of what I have done… If I died… at least the world would be a better place."

"Oh like fuck it will be." SoF!Siege remarked. "I thought the same…. and I was wrong. Because this…. well…. this situation… Is my fault. This is all my fault…"

"What…?" UF!Richard asked.

"You know what you said is wrong." SoF!Siege answered back. "You're better than what you think you are. Think back to how many times you've saved your own friends. If you weren't there, so many people wouldn't be able to become who they are. You saved people, and in turn, those people saved other people. Your actions left a legacy of good. People were able to be better because you wanted to be better… The only reason you became this…. Was because I had to play hero and senselessly die instead of playing it smart and pulling out… and the mental stress for you from that…. ….I put you here… I made you this… …I'm sorry…. You don't deserve a wretch like me as a brother…"

UF!Richard could only gently weep, as FS!Siege stepped forward.

"Neither of you are truly wrong." FS!Siege told them firmly. "You, the other me… you didn't do all of this for nothing. Perhaps Sorthrax might not have had the chance to cause more havoc. But who knows what he could have done if you weren't the one who made the final choice. Who knows… he could have turned out to be another Lucian, or worse yet, a Void that actually doesn't have any ideological weaknesses to exploit. He could have been an enemy that could have destroyed several worlds, and scarred countless more."

FS!Siege then turned to UF!Richard. "And you… You're right. We even discussed that with Kaguya." FS!Siege stated. "You were someone who was hurt in the past, and tried to move on from that, even though the scars remained, and your time in the X-Verse reopened them in such a horrible way. You shouldn't have done all of this… but you did it because it was either that, or become a suicidal mess that couldn't be fixed. The fact that you gave us the chance for all of us to confront your inner demons and start all of this… it made them realize how lonely you were, and how painful it was to be in your position. They will use what they have learned to ensure that you'll never have to feel this way again. And with your inner demons purged and challenged… you too shall finally be on the path of recovery that you fell off so long ago."

UF!Richard slowly lowered his eyes, as Gus moved forward.

"You remember the people who could have died?" Gus declared. "Flora, Juliana, Emilia, all of Class Zero! And that's all that I can truly remember at this moment. They were all saved because you never stopped trying to help them."

"You saved people." Kaguya answered back. "Yes, you hurt people before, but who hasn't? We all hurt people trying to save people, and we don't agonize it, because we never see the full perspective. You however do, because of what happened. And that's your virtue. You understand people, both good and bad, and know how to help them truly. You lived the worst lives, and you have seen how people can do terrible things. And so you will always know how to find a way to help them."

"And besides… you didn't make my death stick." Mark remarked, as the group was shocked to see what was going on, as Mark appeared before them, back in his base form.

"What… But you were…!" FS!Richard exclaimed.

"Long story short, I got a second chance." Mark answered back, with a smirk of his own. "And you'll be surprised who saved me…"

---

During the onslaught…

Mark's body fell to the ground, as his own consciousness began to feel like it was sinking into an eternal void, falling with no end.

"Cold… so cold…" Mark thought to himself, as he began to think back to everything that led up to know, his own achievements and life events flashing within his mind. "Did… Did I do it… Did I manage to save… Richard…? Please… someone tell me that… I managed to…"

"Well, I never thought that this would be the day that I would see you die, Mark Anarchy." A familiar young female voice remarked. "It seems that I will have to do some work to correct this."

Mark then felt his own fall being stopped, until he was floating upright, before he then found himself being confronted by White herself, standing before Mark.

"White? What are you doing here?" Mark asked.

"You know, I'm more surprised that you actually ended up like this." White answered back, tilting her head. "Last time that a leader truly died was Theo in the pursuit of Xehanort. But the Cosmos fixed this problem for him. And it's about time that I make my position mean something."

"And here I was expecting to have to wait for the Dragon Balls." Mark chuckled. "Well…thanks for that."

"You're very much welcome." White smiled back. "By the way, it was Yukari who call me to the scene. So don't forget to give her a big thanks for bringing this to my attention. I can't have one of the Big Five of the Hero Alliance dying off just like that. Imagine if it was Jexi… oh, that wouldn't do at all. Not with all of these ambitious people around. Where are we at now… Tormal's just gone and passed… Oh yeah, it's-"

White quickly covered her mouth. "Ah. I shouldn't say that out loud." She remarked, realizing her gaffe. "Uh, pretend you didn't hear that last sentence, won't you? Chrono might not be happy if I tried to tamper with the timeline, not unlike Jonah…"

"Right…" Mark said.

"Anyways… Blue's also on the way here." White said. "So… let me just send you back, before she notices that you're dead and gone… She does have quite the silent temper when people like X-Gaster cause these kinds of problems… and I don't think Richard will be easily forgotten."

White then flicked her hand up, as Mark began to ascend, as the entire top of the void turned white, as White waved back.

"Take good care of Richard, won't you?" White stated. "He's been through enough, even I can't say it in front of the others… who will not look too kindly at the fact that Richard… may have gotten a bit too close to becoming a threat like Lucius."

"Wha-" Mark said, before he entered the light.

---

"And that's basically it." Mark answered back.

"...Holy shit." FS!Richard remarked with gaping awe. "You are one fortunate bastard, to be able to hold a conversation with White, even so brief. I guess this means better things going forward… About time-"

FS!Siege then whacked FS!Richard up-side by the chin. "Don't say things that you're going to regret, Richard." He declared firmly. "...Believe me, Magina made it clear that they're not as idle as you think they are."

"Ah yes, I apologize for that slip of tongue." FS!Richard remarked. "I didn't mean to insult them with what I was going to say, I merely meant that in a more positive context."

UF!Richard looked up at Mark, as SoF!Siege looked towards Mark.

"...Go ahead. Talk to him." SoF!Siege stated to Mark. "...You're the one who freed him. Whatever you have to say, you'll be able to help him move on. I just know that you have the words."

Mark nodded, before he walked over to UF!Richard and sat down next to him. "You know, a couple of years ago, I was in this exact same position. Feeling down, like I didn't deserve anything. Feel's pretty bad, doesn't it?"

UF!Richard merely nodded quietly in response. "...How did you go through it then…? When you feel like that you failed everyone… How did you find your resolve…?" UF!Richard asked.

"Me? It was actually when Jexi risked his life against my inner demons." Mark said. "Look, telling you you're wrong about yourself…it's clearly not going to get anywhere at the moment. But, news flash: you're loved, because people want to love you. It's not based on anything. So, whatever you decide you are - hero, monster, whatever - just know that we're going to stick by you, no matter what. Make sense?"

"...Yes. Yes it does." UF!Richard softly answered back. "I thought that if I could protect everyone with my own strength alone, and do whatever I can to ensure that they would be able to fight against whatever cruel fate awaits them… I could be happy. But it only ran me down…"

"You had the right idea." FS!Richard piped in. "To make sure that the others will not have to rely upon you… that is something that a good hero does. But then you fudged it by making it irrelevant by trying to save them almost every time that you have the chance. You didn't have faith in them, but look where the faith has led to. Because they had faith in each of their capabilities, they were able to defeat you at your strongest. And it only goes up from here. Point is… you're not alone anymore on the top. And they'll keep you company for the rest of your days… no matter what you are."

"That's…. That's right…" UF!Richard gently said.

"I have someone who should meet you." FS!Richard remarked, before opening a sukima. "...A friend that never lost hope for you… no matter how bad things got."

X-Alphys stepped through the sukima, as she was reverted back to how she was in the first timeline that she and UF!Richard met, unscarred, undamaged, wearing the same lab-coat around her body.

"...Alphys…" UF!Richard said.

"...Richard. I'm sorry that I couldn't muster the courage or the strength to help you." X-Alphys remarked, as there was regret in her eyes. "...If only I was as brave as you were… I could have helped you stop Gaster before he could hurt any more people, and hurt you so deeply… But when I found my strength… it was too late."

"No… No, it's because of you… we managed to make that project succeed…" UF!Richard weakly smiled. "You're not useless… it's me who-"

"...Failed?" X-Alphys answered back, before shaking her head. "No, no, you never failed. You saved your family from losing all of what made them unique. Don't you see? Some parts of what you instilled in the group remained. Muffet remembers your generosity. Asgore and Toriel remember that their son sacrificed everything to make them happy. Papyrus knew that you never stopped believing in what was right. And Frisk… Frisk never stopped regretting what he had done to you. And most of all… Asriel… even in his twisted state… he loved you so much as his dear brother. You didn't have to make a necklace to keep the others stable as you did for me before my demise… you were all that was enough. Just being you… you were able to help us all. You truly were a hero who saved X-verse and loved it all, regardless of how many flaws sprang from it. Because you are it's true guardian, more so than Gaster."

X-Alphys then gave off a warm smile. "So, please… let us help you as you helped us." She declared. "We will ensure that like your friends… everyone who you met and saved with your own two hands… they'll never forget what you have done for them as our hero."

UF!Richard was silent, before he then saw the ethereal image of the other X-verse residents standing before him, all with encouraging smiles, with X-Chara standing in front, with a pure smile of genuine warmth.

Before anyone could even act, tears began to ran down UF!Richard's eyes, before he then began to hiccup, as it evolved into sobbing, causing him to cover his own eyes, while he sobbed his own heart out.

"Let it all out." SoF!Siege remarked, before he then held UF!Richard tightly. "It's okay to let yourself cry. You've done enough, and everything is going to be fine."

UF!Richard continued to cry, before he then slowly fell silent, as he fell backwards, as tears began to run down his eyes, gently breathing.

"Is he…" Gus remarked, before Kaguya walked over, and saw that UF!Richard was merely unconscious, as if the revelation caused him to literally cry himself into fainting.

"...He really did cry so much that he fell unconscious…" Kaguya remarked, before she shook her head. "He REALLY did let everything in his little heart out for us in his crying."

"I'll bring him back to the GFS Ryujin." FS!Richard remarked, picking up Richard in a fire-man's carry. "Finish up matters around here, Siege."

"Oh, trust me, I will." FS!Siege answered back, as there was an angry look on his face.

FS!Richard then left the area, as everyone turned to FS!Siege.

"What are you talking about… Wait, don't tell me that X-Gaster actually survived all of that-" Kaguya remarked.

X-Gaster showed himself, as he was almost destroyed, with countless injuries on his body, as his own purple SOUL was cracked heavily, as the demented creator was left crawling across the ground.

"Damn you… Damn you all…!" X-Gaster growled, before he then raised his hand. "Even if it destroys me and this entire world… I WILL END ALL OF YOU!"

The OVERWRITE button appeared in his hand, before he then pressed it, as it caused the entire world to be filled with a mass of explosive charges, all with the glowing purple energy within them, as they shook violently.

"Shit! Not now-" FS!Siege remarked.

Gus closed his eyes, before he then summoned the RESTORE button, as the rainbow-coloured button was pressed in Gus's hand, as reality glitched, before every single bomb disappeared.

"...What… What is this…!?" X-Gaster growled, before he then used OVERWRITE again, creating a massive blade the size of a continent, only for Gus to use his button, as the blade disappeared before it could even reach its half-swing. "How… HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO RESIST THE OVERWRITE BUTTON!?"

"That's because of Richard's project." Kaguya remarked, as there was a smug expression on her face. "Not so confident now, since the great counter to your big 'fuck you' button has been finished."

"I understand now…" Gus remarked. "...Like your button overwrites reality itself… like overwriting files on a computer when saving on them… My button works the same as a system restore… with an 'image' of the true reality, it undoes any changes to the reality. After all… there is one thing that has higher system priority on a 'file' than overwriting it… and that's using a system restore to revert it."

"RIIIIIICCCHHHHAARRRRDDD!" X-Gaster growled, before he then turned into a bone-like titan, as thousands of hands formed around him. "DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU DAMN YOU DAMN YOU! I SHOULD HAVE THOROUGHLY KILLED YOU AND ERASED YOUR EXISTENCE!"

"Too late to regret that." Meiling declared. "Because we're going to end you."

"That's right. But we won't need everyone to defeat you." Gus remarked, as the leaders stepped forth. "...Just the five of us are enough."

"Hah, we don't even need that many. But I am not one to be arrogant." FS!Siege smirked. "Gus, keep that RESTORE button handy. Rimuru. Veyle, you two rested up?"

"Enough to send this asshole straight to hell." Rimuru snarled.

"X-Gaster is going to pay for everyone he hurt." Veyle remarked as the three of them stared down X-Gaster.

"This will not end well for you." FS!Siege stated, as the three of them got ready to fight.

"I'm glad that everyone's heart is set on one thing… I am not one to take away your chances…" Gus remarked, before rainbow energy began to form around him. "...But, X-Gaster… I shall show you the hope that you have thrown away! The potential of being better!"

Suddenly, wings of rainbow feathers began to burst out of Gus's back, before his entire body was engulfed in rainbow flames, before they faded away, to show Gus in a cloak of feathers that shimmered in the light with flowing colors to them.

"Holy shit… Gus… you're using the extra power that came with the button…" Kaguya remarked. "You almost look like…"

"A phoenix of hope. A beacon of light. This is what Richard has passed his will down upon." Gus declared. "Prepare yourself, X-Gaster… for my own will to save the people from your oppression burns bright across all the universes in this reality!'

Cue BGM: You Are Not Alone [2020 Remaster][Drum n Bass] (NyxTheShield)/Hopes and Dreams - Intense Symphonic Metal Cover (FalKKonE) - Mashup or Pick One

"We carry the hopes and dreams of the multiverse on our shoulders! It is time to end this!" FS!Siege exclaimed, transforming into his Infinity Vanguard form, as Veyle and Rimuru benefited from it, gaining rainbow auras of their own.

"You won't fight alone! We'll all help!" Alear shouted, jumping in as she herself gained rainbow aura.

"You're the one who sowed all this tragedy…now reap it!" Draco yelled, summoning his left arm.

"You're going straight to Hell!" Mark yelled, transforming into his Angel Form.

"SHUT UP!" X-Gaster cried, before sending the thousands of hands forward.

Gus didn't answer back, before he then fired a massive blast of rainbow fire that hit a large part of the incoming hands, before consuming them until only black ashes remained, while another part was being consumed by Veyle and Rimuru, and a single strike from FS!Siege's Breaker of the Dark plus a strike from Alear, who joined the battle, shattered the remaining few.

"I WILL NOT LOSE! I HAVE PLANNED ALL OF THIS, ONLY TO BE RUINED BY THE LIKES OF YOU!" X-Gaster roared, before a massive Gaster Blaster formed in front of him.

"Yeah. How about no." Rimuru deadpanned, as he suddenly formed his own OVERWRITE button, gained from absorbing an attack from X-Gaster as said Gaster Blaster faded to nothingness, as said button cracked a bit. "I may not get to use this infinitely, but you just messed up."

"Because today, your plans are going to ruin! Doesn't matter how much you deny it!" Draco remarked, before slashing across X-Gaster's chest with his left arm, as the attack rent through his entire lower body, destroying it, as X-Gaster growled, and ascended.

"Get back down here!" Mark yelled as he used Instant Transmission to get up and behind X-Gaster, using an overhead smash to send the mad scientist back to earth.

"YOU FOOLS… I'LL DESTROY YOU ALL!" X-Gaster yelled, forming a salvo of Gaster Blasters, only to be met by Siege and Alear.

"Yeah, good luck trying when we've got the whole world on our side!" FS!Siege yelled, charging an attack with Alear.

"No matter the force, no matter the evil, WE WILL ALWAYS WIN, WITH OUR BONDS!" Alear yelled.

"YOU'RE GONNA DIE! ENGAGE SPIRIT CANNON!" They both yelled.

Siege and Alear fired a rainbow variant of Bardock's attack, joining hands while their other hands stretched forth, reflecting or obliterating the Gaster Blaster shots as the beam hit X-Gaster, his very SOUL cracking further underneath the attack's power.

"No… NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!" X-Gaster yelled.

"And don't forget me!" Kaguya remarked, before she summoned all of her demons. "All of your power here, if you please…!"

The demons nodded, before they raised their hands, as golden wisps of energy flowed into Kaguya's naginata, as it began to shimmer.

"EAT THIS!" Kaguya exclaimed, before firing a massive beam of golden energy that destroyed the rest of X-Gaster's body, leaving only his head.

"Your ending is now! Your time is here!" Rimuru yelled as he and Veyle launched above X-Gaster.

"For all the evil you've done! THIS IS THE END!" Veyle yelled.

"REKINDLED HOPE: BURNING DARKNESS!"

The duo stretched their hands down, as their attack coalesced with FS!Siege and Alear's beam, the very attack forming a miniature supernova of SOUL rending power, as X-Gaster's very SOUL began to wither to ashes, before a barrier formed around it, trying to preserve it.

"I WILL NOT DIE! I WILL NOT DIE! I WILL-" X-Gaster remarked, before floating above the group, and seeing that Gus had Etherflame raised.

"EVERYONE, OUT OF THE WAY!" Gus shouted, as rainbow flames began to gather around his blade, swirling around his blade, before it then formed a massive blade of rainbow fire that towered over, as large as the islands themselves.

"Yup, just gonna… bye!" Rimuru exclaimed, warping away with Veyle as FS!Siege and Alear also dashed back.

"Mark, I think that Gus is about to really smash that SOUL with everything!" Draco remarked, as he quickly used his momentum to move out of the path of the incoming attack.

"Right, just to be on the safe side…!" Mark said, flash stepping behind Gaster and kicking him closer to Gus.

"Shit, don't hit me with him…!" Kaguya exclaimed, as she dodged out of the way.

"This is the end!" Gus shouted, before slashing the blade of rainbow fire down, as it consumed everything in its path, as X-Gaster's SOUL was one of them, as the barrier melted away like nothing.

"NNNNoOoOoOoOoOoO-!" X-Gaster cried, before his SOUL was melted away in the unforgiving fires of Gus's powerful attack, leaving not even the outline.

The group finally landed down, as Gus slowly descended, as the wings retracted, and his attire returned to normal in an orange flash of light.

"...It's over." Gus remarked. "That attack… his SOUL is too weak to survive such an attack… X-Gaster… is well and truly destroyed."

"So… it's over… It's finally over…?" X-Chara remarked gently.

"By the looks of it, yes." Thinker said. "Perhaps the memories and essence that made up his SOUL will be recycled into another world, another time…maybe a different life will produce a better person. We can only hope…"

X-Chara collapsed to his knees, before he began to gently sob.

"Finally… finally… after so long… after so much pain… we're finally free…" X-Chara sobbed. "No more timelines where everyone has to keep suffering… no more lies… We're finally free to be ourselves… and everyone is still here…"

"Actually, everyone is not here." Jaw spoke up. "Where's Storm? And Zett, and Boxer? I mean, the kid here must've gotten 'em too, right?"

"...N-No. You were the ones I managed to get."

"What? But then where did…" Tab started to ask before the group heard sirens. "Wait…I know those sirens!"

From above the group multiple ships belonging to the Universal Police appeared, multiple officers warping in, alongside three faces familiar to the mercenaries.

"Everyone!" a man in Stormtrooper armor, carrying a sword and shield on his back, exclaimed. "Are you all okay? Status report!"

"Storm! Wait, you and BB&F managed to escape X-Chara's attack?!" Draco exclaimed.

"Barely." Zett said. "We went to get help from the Universal Police, but the sector had some huge energy readings, so it wasn't safe to go in until they cleared up. What happened?"

"...Y'all might wanna get comfortable. It's a story as long as a desert trek…" Sawyer started.

---

And so, the group shared the story of what had transpired in the multiple versions of the Undertale world. From Classic!Sans getting half his SOUL stolen, to the story of Cross and X-Chara, to the fight with UF!Richard. At the end, the officers and three late mercenaries were shocked.

"...Well holy shit. You guys had a hell of a day." an officer remarked.

"Yeah." SoF!Siege answered back, crossing his arms. "If I were to rate something like this… this would have been an incident rivaling that of the Ginova War incident… well… it would have, had we not nipped it in the bud."

"All aggressors have been taken care of." FS!Siege remarked. "One has properly seen the error of his ways, another has been fixed back to normal… and the last one… Well, let's just say that he forced our hand on the matter."

"...Since you arrived here…" Gus remarked. "...What will happen now? Will there be a public report that was brief about what had happened here?"

"Well, since we got involved only at the very end, we'll just use your story as a report, if that's okay with you." the lead officer said. "That being said…there's still one thing we have to clear up: the kid here."

"Which kid?" FS!Siege asked, gesturing to Popol, Heiwa, Veyle, Hat Kid, and X-Chara.

"X-Chara." the officer said. "I'm going to assume that he's the one you're saying that realized his mistake. It doesn't erase what he did. Destroying multiple worlds, attempting to kill an alternate, non-aggressive version of a registered member of the Ultra Hero Alliance, theft of essential parts of worlds…to be blunt, his crimes are severe enough to get him the death penalty."

Most of the group were shocked to hear that.

"What!?" Alear exclaimed. "His actions… are they truly unforgivable enough that he would have to die for his crimes!? But… but his own actions could be-"

"Please… don't defend me." X-Chara gently said, before closing his eyes. "...I could have done more horrible things, had it not been for you all stopping me. I got everyone into this mess, and whether I'm locked in a cell with no keys to be seen for the rest of life… or I get executed. It's fitting. But at least… Don't hurt others. Don't blame my family, or anyone X-Gaster had been puppeteering for what happened. Everyone but me, were merely puppets of X-Gaster. They were not in the agency of their own actions, and were not party to the actions that he was responsible for. They deserve to be free. Please…"

"Oh, they'll be fine…and, depending on a few things, you could still be too." the lead officer said before turning to the others. "That power you mentioned…the OVERWRITE thing. Did it die with X-Gaster, or could X-Chara get it back without, you know, everything else?"

"It's possible." FS!Siege remarked, before FS!Richard came back. "Ah, Richard. You're back."

"The alternate me is being tended to." FS!Richard answered back, before turning to the officer. "I heard snippets of the conversation. You want to know if it is possible for X-Chara to become the new owner of the OVERWRITE button, right? Without ending up slipping insane like X-Gaster?"

The officer nodded, as FS!Richard walked over to X-Chara, before raising a hand to show X-Chara's SOUL.

"...Is there anything left of X-Gaster? Any residual power?" FS!Richard asked.

"Actually, I think I can provide." Rimuru remarked, before producing a glowing purple SOUL. "It ain't like that I'm going to be using this power anytime soon. But, Richard… you think it's a good idea to leave such power to X-Chara? I mean, I know that he's got his act together, but power does… tend to corrupt."

"Not if we believe. And not if we know that his family will never let him do anything terrible." FS!Richard responded back, before placing hands on both SOULs, and then turning to the officer. "Are you sure that this would be able to give X-Chara a chance to be able to atone for his crimes?"

"It could." the officer said. "See, a couple of years ago, there was this warlord called Horde Prime, and he rampaged across the Magic Universe for a few months. Multiple worlds were ravaged, even wiped clean of all life. He got taken down and killed, thank god, but those worlds are still barren, despite attempts to rebuild. Terrible situation, really. But…if this kid could use that power of his to bring those worlds back to the way they were before the invasion…I suppose we could get his sentence reduced to community service. That is, of course, if he's up for it."

The officer then crouched down to look X-Chara in the eye. "Whadda say, kid? It gives you a chance to do some good with that determination of yours."

"...I accept." X-Chara nodded, before he then sucked in a deep breath. "Do it. I've been through whatever process you're about to do. It won't hurt any more the second time."

FS!Richard nodded, before he summoned a needle of light that plunged right into the purple SOUL in Rimuru's hands, as it sucked the color out of the SOUL, until it was completely gray, before another needle plunged right into X-Chara's SOUL, as the boy froze.

Suddenly, purple began to flow down the length of the needle, as X-Chara chomped down on his own hand, in order to avoid screaming in agony, as the red and purple mixed well in X-Chara's SOUL, before it then finally settled on a SOUL with a completely radiant red center, and a purple outline around it, as the needles retracted.

"It's done." FS!Richard answered back. "Thank goodness that I know enough about how SOULs work that I can use my magic expertise to bridge the rest of the process… Now then, X-Chara, see if you can summon the OVERWRITE button."

X-Chara nodded, before he then summoned it, as it was in its complete form.

"It worked." X-Chara remarked. "I can summon it… but somehow… it's draining me a lot more than it should…"

"Maybe that's a side-effect for having it in your current state." FS!Richard stated. "Either way, it's fully functional, right?"

"Yeah." X-Chara answered back. "I think with this, I can undo the effects of our work in Underfell and Underswap."

"Go right ahead." FS!Richard remarked, before opening two sukimas, one to Underfell, the other to Underswap. "This should be enough of a connection that you can affect it."

"...Alright, here goes…" X-Chara remarked, as he pressed the button, before he then keeled over, as his own SOUL rippled heavily for a moment, as he winced greatly.

However, the effects of the OVERWRITE made themselves clear before the group. Snowdin was returned to Underfell, in its complete glory, while a purple light washed over the entirety of Underswap, reverting the world to its original state, monsters and setting both.

"...It worked…" Kaguya remarked. "...He managed to make it work."

"Unnnnhh…" X-Chara groaned. "I think that I won't be doing something like that for a fair amount of time. I guess having this button as it is means that making grand changes like this is going to tax me hard."

"So instead of it working like some sort of contrived plot device…" Kaguya remarked. "...It's literally as functional as a simple power. Yeah, I think that's the perfect place for something like that to be in. Just the right amount of control and power."

"I suppose." X-Chara sighed.

"Well, it'll do." the lead officer said with a smile. "We'll sort out the details with the chief back at HQ. For now…you should get home and enjoy your life, kid." He said, gently ruffling X-Chara's hair. "You know… I wouldn't have made you this offer, except for one thing."

"...What is that?" X-Chara asked.

"You deserve a happy ending." the officer answered. "You made mistakes, and you're owning up to them. Not many people are capable of that. You seem like a good kid."

"A good kid…" X-Chara remarked, before a soft smile appeared on his mouth. "...Yeah, I suppose I am… deep inside."

"Ahem, if I may interrupt." A female voice remarked.

The group turned around, before they then all saw the Color God of the universe, Blue, right before them, in her vibrant blue robes, with an elder dew staff in her hand, as the magical power flowing from her was unmistakable.

"You're… You're Blue, one of the Color Gods…." FS!Richard remarked. "...Did all of this catch your attention?"

"Indeed." Blue nodded back. "I suppose intervention is not necessary for this, since this issue has been resolved neatly, with all present issues being settled."

She then turned to the chief officer present. "So then, what are these 'details' that you must report to your organization?" She asked. "Be honest with me, I simply need to understand how others will see what has transpired here in my domain."

"Well, Chief Officer Nancy prefers that we tell the truth in our reports." The officer said, seemingly unfazed by the fact that he was talking to one of the creator gods of the Multiverse. "Though, considering that a lot of people may want to get their hands on X-Chara when they find out, we'll have to keep the source of the resets a secret. Details will include working out a schedule, a list of which worlds to bring back in order of importance, and creating a cover story to hide the kid's ability from the public. Course, if you have any preference for how you want this to work, then…well, it's your universe."

"I see. A wise plan of action." Blue remarked, before a faint smile appeared on her lips. "The universes are relieved to have such members protecting the peace and order across the worlds. Don't concern yourself about saying who caused the recent overwriting. I shall take responsibility for any who inquire on this matter. After all… do not forget that magic comes in many forms, and world creation and reality alteration are a few, albeit ones that only certain beings can use, which I count among."

"Well, thanks for that, Color God Blue. Wait'll I tell the Chief about that part." the leader said, causing his subordinates to chuckle.

SoF!Siege soon looked through a sukima back to the GFS Ryujin, a nostalgic look on his face as he stared at it with folded arms.

"Surreal to be goin' back home, isn't it, pal?" Dante asked as SoF!Siege smirked.

"...So many years I've laid in the realms of death… only to finally be granted salvation to return home to my family and friends… What more could a guy ask for." SoF!Siege nostalgically smiled. "...It almost feels like a crime to finally go back."

"Hold up, buster. Just because you made it back, you forget that most of your friends have went off everywhere." FS!Richard remarked. "We've been getting the feeling that some of your teammates might not have all perished on the same field of battle as you did."

"That's right." Allison remarked, stepping forward. "Gus has been devoting most of his time trying to search for those who haven't been confirmed dead yet."

"And speaking of missing people…" Blue remarked, before she then tapped the end of her staff against the ground. "I should bring the entities of this section of the universe back out of the pocket realm that our Richard has left them in. First of all…"

A blue portal appeared from above, as Nightmare came down out of it, as he managed to recover his body, although he struggled to get up for a moment, causing the group to be alert.

"Do not be worried." Blue remarked. "He is in no state to be fighting, nor will he have the chance to try anything. I am more than capable of handling him, should he regress to violence for his… uncouth needs."

"You…. What are you doing here, Color God? I knew that you would eventually come out of that hole that your entire race came from." Nightmare growled hostilely.

"We have reasons to keep away." Blue answered back. "I could use the omnipotent god clause to explain that, but I doubt you care for reasons. But I will tell you this: What you saw in there… is a being that is beyond the universes. An entity from the unknown."

Nightmare was silent, as hesitation crossed his face, while Blue's expression turned serious.

"Make no mistake, Nightmare Sans. I only brought you out here, because you serve as the counterbalance to Dream's positivity." Blue stated. "You may have tried to juke yourself from the balance as Ink tried to, and you failed. You will do well not to incite another incident like this. Or else I will be forced to use drastic measures. And I will not be as kind as White will be."

Blue's eyes glinted blue for a moment, as everyone watched as Nightmare, the god of negativity… actually reacted in fear to Blue.

"Fine… Fine, I will return to your so-called 'balance'." Nightmare answered back. "But make no mistake… That boy will pay for everything… even if it takes me millenia to make it happen… I will make him suffer."

"You can try." FS!Richard responded back, crossing his arms in a mocking motion. "And you will fail, as you always do against the likes of us. Run back to your dark corner, Nightmare. Your role in all of this has ended."

Nightmare tensed greatly, before he then melted into his puddle, and disappeared.

"And next is…" Blue remarked, as Ink dropped down, as he was fairly weak. "...Ink… I'm disappointed in you. To think that you would be party to this kind of act."

"It was all for the sake of being able to validate myself." Ink answered back, his own emotions still empty. "I have seen enough worlds destroy themselves. Am I not allowed any sense of relief or safety, Blue?"

"It seems that you forgot yourself. I almost pity you." Blue remarked, before she raised a hand, as a massive vial of purple liquid, much like the vials of emotion that Ink had. "So allow me to show you what your own deeds could have caused."

Blue then shoved the vial into Ink's mouth, forcing him to ingest the whole of it, as Ink froze for a moment, staggering back, and clutching his head, as he felt immense despair and hatred welling from within his heart, as the foreign emotions caused him massive turmoil.

Eventually, Ink slowly rose back up, as he opened his mouth a few times, and then finally spoke, as part of his own emotions returned.

"What… What was that…?" Ink asked.

"A small fraction of what that unlimited vial that X-Gaster traded for your help, had inside of it." Blue bluntly declared. "Do you think that you made a proper trade? You're not much different from Richard himself, but at least he had a valid reason with how his own ideals and mind cracked under all of his expectations and burdens."

"That's…!" Ink said, before Blue summoned another vial, this one rainbow in color, and stuffing it into Ink's mouth, before he could even say another word.

"If you want to speak, speak to me when you're in full control of your mental facilities." Blue answered back, as Ink coughed a few times.

"I… I never knew that X-Gaster would have done all of this…" Ink answered back.

"And yet you used the others to buy you time, so that you can let your emotions fade away, to be able to do all of this." Blue remarked with a disappointed look in her eyes. "Your reasons do not justify what you have done. I cannot do anything that will not tamper with my own impartiality, or damage this universe by stripping you of your position and place. But I will warn you as such: Even if I do not act, the others will not care, and punish you more severely."

Ink lowered his head, before nodding silently.

"Good." Blue answered back. "Now you know what trying to upset the balance between you and Error will cause. I sincerely hope that you learned a strong lesson from this, and continue your roles as you should… After all, it was my power that used the residual energy from Richard's defeat that undid all of the torn AUs that Error did."

"So that's why the Doodle Sphere was repaired…" FS!Richard remarked. "You pulled a miracle like White did for Mark."

"Did she now?" Blue remarked. "...Well, I suppose that's fair considering that she's got a liking towards people like Jexi and Mark."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" SoF!Siege stated with stretched arms jokingly.

"You were revived by an outsider source." Blue declared. "I'm pretty sure the other you beat you to the punch before White or any other Color God could find a way to bring you back."

"Well, we DID find that last piece of the amulet back in our universe." FS!Richard remarked. "So I guess we got one over the Color Gods on that."

"...I can't believe that Magina's chosen have sass like this." Blue sighed, placing a hand over her face. "...I swear, this is like her when we first met."

"Back it up a sec…! You MET Magina!? So the fact we can travel between dimensions is… no coincidence!?" FS!Siege exclaimed.

"Long before we had to meet the likes of the Yukari that brought Richard and his crew here." Blue responded back. "And no, Magina was already a smart one. She is quite voracious for knowledge, and she puts her pursuit of it to good use. The fact that you are able to cross to our reality might be due to the fact that she knows how to get here, since she came here first rather than us coming to her. Back then… there were actually 20 universes, instead of 30."

"So this far back…" FS!Richard remarked. "...Wow, this I gotta hear from Magina some time soon. But I suppose that's all that you need from us?"

"Pretty much so." Blue answered back. "I know for sure that Richard will be able to take care of himself. I can tell that this has emptied his own heart of his own burdens… Perhaps, a hero stronger and more resolute, is born from all of this."

Blue then turned away, as she immediately opened a portal, entering it, and disappearing.

"Well, on the topic of leaving…I better split too." Mark mentioned. "Gotta meet back up with the others in Hyrule."

"Take care… and don't go dying, alright?" FS!Richard said. "I think that one death experience is enough for you."

"I think it was for me too." Mark chuckled, before he remembered something. "Oh! Before I go…Alear! You wanted to know about your Color-Verse version? Well, it seems she's been struck with a bout of amnesia."

"Amnesia…" Alear remarked, placing a hand on her chin. "...Ah! I think I understand. She'll eventually remember, but it'll be a long time before she can actually start remembering. I had the same thing happen when I was in Elyos… What do you want me to tell you, that might help with the quest? The Emblem Rings? The Emblem Bracelets? Elyos? Gradlon? My mother, Queen Lumera?"

"Uh…why don't you write up a doc of the highlights about her background and send it by e-mail?" Mark asked. "We're looking for the Bracelets so we can get our Alear home, Elyos can't be accessed by normal means just yet…wait, there's more than one Emblem Ring?"

"Yes. There are 12 to be exact." Alear explained. "Perhaps in that world, there could be more. Even the Emblem Bracelets are likely to be a part of this world, rather than as an alternate version like a certain realm that we visited…"

"And let's not forget the fact that our Elyos have Otherworld Emblem Rings." FS!Richard remarked, before summoning a golden ornate ring with a purple curved triangle-shaped gem, wedged into an intersecting three-ring formation, on the top of it. "This is the Emblem of Triumph, an Emblem Ring based on the likeness of Leo. I had the pleasure of using it several times. You might also find Emblem Rings beyond the Elyos's 12, some might exist in other places. You never know. Have any of you Engaged with any of the Emblem Rings?"

"Well, Dan has Emblem Tiki, David has the Emblem Student Trio from Fodlan, though I think he lets some of his teammates have a turn, Dark Water and his group Darksquad had Emblem Camilla's Emblem during our last adventure, though technically Ace had her first, and…we picked up Emblem Soren during said last adventure, and they teamed up with the newest member of Reformed Society, Throné." Mark said before he took a deep breath.

"So that's four of the Emblem Bracelets of the seven we know…" FS!Richard remarked. "...I see. We'll get Alear to give you the cliff-notes of what you should know. It'll be up to you all to see how you will make use of this. And don't tell your Alear that you met ours, until the time is right."

"Right, my lips are sealed." Mark nodded, as he turned to leave. "One more thing: tell the other Richard that it's okay if his trauma doesn't go away. It never does. You're going to be living with it for the rest of your life. But, even still…you can still be happy, despite that pain. Trust me…I know from personal experience." he said seriously. "Tell him…to never stop trying to find joy in living his life. And…all of us in the Hero Alliance are there to talk if he needs us."

"He'll understand." FS!Richard nodded back. "I'm sure that this has been a nice slap to the good side of reality for him. He'll be a lot more free when you next meet him… that I am sure."

Mark nodded with a smile, before he headed off to get on his way to Hyrule.

"Uh…so…can we get a sukima-thingy back to Cross-World?" Jaw asked. "Pretty sure our ship is back there, so…we're kinda stranded without a ride."

"I think Yukari can arrange that…" FS!Richard remarked, before a sukima appeared before them. "Ooh, look. Seems that's your ride out of here."

"Thanks for sticking around to help us." Kaguya told Draco and the rest of his team. "I'm indebted to you all for all of this."

"Think nothing of it. We had a personal stake in this too." Draco said.

"If you guys need work, call us." Jaw said.

"Or come by Cross-World some time! We'll do lunch, play a few rounds of poker…all that jazz!" Boxer added.

"See you around, awesome new friends!" Hat Kid said, hugging Heiwa and Popol goodbye, as the two of them hugged her back.

"Bye bye!" Heiwa exclaimed.

"Well, you know what, Jaw, I might take ya up on that offer." Suika smiled. "And tell Barry that we're going to be seeing each other soon."

"Sawyer." Reisen remarked. "...If there is a time that we will need some help in our future missions, your members are the first few that will cross our minds. Your gunmanship and your pursuit of justice… it is admirable."

"Mighty kind 'o ya, miss." Sawyer smiled, as he tipped his hat. "Y'all keep lookin' out for each other, ya hear? Hate for this ta be the last time we meet."

"We will." Weiss remarked, before holding Reisen tightly in a hug. "We all have our own bonds, some of us more deeper than others."

"I wish you all well." Killia answered back. "You all may have simple powers, but even the most simple of powers can grow to be stronger than most. The Ultimate Demon Techniques started from simple physical arts. It was through dedication and training that their ultimate form was revealed. Grow stronger, and you will become as prominent as the heroes themselves."

"Yeah, that'll be the day…but thanks for the encouragement." Tab said,

"I won't be forgetting all of this anytime soon." Randall sighed. "Fighting another great evil, and battling the inner demons of a tormented hero alongside such a coalition of heroes. "

"Trust us, Randall." Baudimon stated. "This will definitely not be the last time that any of us from this side will be coming over here. Might be weeks, might be months, or even years… but we'll be coming around here. After all, can't just ignore the problems around this place as well. Got its fair share like we do."

"We'll be seeing you around." Gus remarked. "Is there something that we can call your group, Draco?"

"Hmm…The Lawmen, the 502nd, BB&F, Wings of Cosmos, and Dark Side are our individual team names…" Draco mused. "But if you're looking for us, just look for the Mercenary Association in Cross-World's New York City. That's where you'll find us. That's what you can call us."

"The Mercenary Association…" Gus remarked. "I'll remember that name deeply, as the ones who helped us all."

With that, the Cross-World Mercenaries walked into the sukima, which closed on them waving back to the group.

"Well, I guess that solves a bunch of problems." FS!Richard remarked. "Now then… I suppose that our stay here should be over-"

Magina then suddenly appeared through a portal of magic, stepping out to greet what remains of the group.

"So… it is done." Magina remarked.

"Yes. Yes, it is." FS!Siege answered back. "We have managed to stop Richard in this timeline… Give it to us, Magina. Has that dark future that we have seen coming forth… is it averted?"

"Yes. Yes, it has. I don't know what will be in store for him from here…" Magina stated. "But I know that he has forged a new path to the future."

"CORE Frisk really was right… the reincarnation saving his own original. It's quite funny." FS!Richard chuckled.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" SoF!Siege said.

"Ah right, the rest of you don't know." FS!Siege remarked. "...I suppose that this is better dropped sooner than later. You see, this Richard standing before you… he's the reincarnation of your Richard, from a timeline, where nobody was able to save him. I'll spare you the details. A LOT of people died, and a lot of worlds were destroyed. It was a whole damn tragedy, and it took everyone to stop and destroy him for good, the same way that we did against X-Gaster."

"So… all along, you were trying to prevent our Richard from falling into the same path of ruin that gave birth to you…?" Gus asked, with concern.

"Yes, and don't worry about timeline nonsense. I was reincarnated in a different reality. Changing this particular moment won't just simply erase me under cause and effect." FS!Richard responded back. "So think of it as getting the best of both worlds, getting your cake and eating it. There's two Richard Lius around here, and they're going to get a lot of shit done. Just like there are two Siege Sukuis."

"Heh." Kaguya chuckled. "Any chance that we'll meet our own counterparts in the near future?"

"We'll see about that." FS!Richard stated. "But for now, just worry about your side of the matters. You guys are the ones who have the biggest hero-villian war going on, on your side. You'll need our help more than we'll need yours."

"I hate to say it, but you are mostly right." Gus sighed. "The turnover rate of villains around here is crazy… and each one is more potent than the last… not to mention the various minor threats wandering about."

"So… you're going back?" Kaguya asked.

"Yeah, not much else that we can do here." FS!Siege admitted. "I think that we've done more than enough here. You guys have everything else handled, from what I can tell."

"And what about the others?" Gus asked. "What about the Sans that had to witness all of this…?"

"Sent back to their own worlds." Magina responded back. "While you were talking with X-Chara and the Universal Police, I made sure that they were able to come back to their homes safe and sound… unlike the original fates of every single one of them save for Sans. Now then, shall we depart?"

"Yeah. Be seeing you all around. Take good care of your own me, alright?" FS!Richard answered back. "He's going to need the help of all of his friends to be able to stand back up on his two feet, back to how he was."

"Never lose hope, any of you! Fight for what you believe in, and you'll see victory in the end, as we have today." Randall spoke boldly.

"Been quite the battle. I will have quite the tale to tell." Galahad remarked. "After all… this is quite the way to earn my freedom."

"Time to part ways already, eh? Kinda sad we didn't get to spend quality time. But, Andaron's not gonna rule itself." Baudimon chuckled.

"May we meet again." Utsuna simply stated.

"See ya all later." Jakka smirked.

"We will meet again, in another time." Killia remarked.

"Hope you all watch the other Alear closely." Alear said. "I have a feeling that Sombron on this end might have something planned."

"This has been fun. See you guys." Rimuru spoke with a small smile.

"I wish you well into the future endeavors." Veyle remarked.

"Yes, a sentiment we all share. May we meet again, friends." FS!Siege remarked, before they left back for their own dimension.

As the last of the Future Seekers left, while FS!Richard released the X-verse residents, who were still unconscious, there was only the Unmei Force and X-Chara who remained.

"Let's go back. We need to take good care of Richard." Kaguya stated, before closing her eyes. "...We all deserve a break for all of this."

"Yeah. Yeah, we do. Especially Richard." Gus sighed, before turning to X-Chara. "...Say, X-Chara, do you want to come with us?"

X-Chara merely nodded, as the heroes immediately left the Doodle Sphere together, to return to their home-base.

---

In one of the prime Undertale universes…

Sans found himself returned to the picnic, as he was back to normal, with the entire picnic crew looking at him.

"Hey, where have you been!?" Undyne exclaimed. "You were gone for like… an hour or two or something…!"

"Frisk said that you had some business to take care of." Alphys remarked. "...I'm glad that you managed to come back before we started getting worried."

"Yeah…" Sans remarked, before looking at the heart locket over his chest, before walking over to Frisk. "Hey, kiddo, here's the locket back."

"Thank you." Frisk answered back, before he then began to examine Sans.

Frisk

ACT

Check

-Sans

1 ATK

1 DEF

1/1 HP

*Our good old pal.

*Laziest Monster in the Underground.

*His puns may suck…

*But he's a real pal, when it comes down to it.

"You're finally back to normal." Frisk remarked. "...What happened?"

"Well, let's just say that I took a long walk…" Sans chuckled.

---

In Underfell….

Fell Sans stumbled across the snowy ground, before falling down, and looking at the portal disappearing above him.

"When I find you, I'm going to fill you with bones, whoever you are-" Fell growled.

"SANS." Fell Papyrus remarked as Fell Frisk was beside him.

"Oh hey, b-boss?" Fell stuttered. "...Y-You're not seriously going to do what you threatened me with, right?"

"I WAS INCLINED TO, BEFORE YOUR FRIENDS FIXED YOUR MESS." Fell Papyrus responded back, before gesturing around him, as Snowdin was back in place, as it was already back to normal. "THEY ALSO SAVED US, SO I'M FEELING QUITE NICE TODAY."

"R-Really? Then you're going to let me go?" Fell asked with an awkward chuckle.

"YES. IT'S A GOOD DAY. LET US ENJOY IT… AND DON'T FUCK UP AGAIN. OR ELSE NOTHING IS GOING TO SAVE YOU FROM ME." Fell Papyrus snarled.

Fell Frisk smiled at Fell, before the skeleton merely sighed deeply.

"Well, at least I'm free of this nonsense." Fell answered back. "...I wonder what's going on elsewhere."

---

In Underswap…

"We've finally managed to move everything at last!" Swap Sans exclaimed, wiping his bony fore-head, seeing the results of his labor, as everything that the outsiders moved over, were back into the hands of their original owners. "I'm so glad that everything has went back to normal."

"Truly… we have those people to thank for everything." Swap Toriel remarked. "...That reminds me, I do seem to feel like I'm forgetting something."

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, QUEEN TORI." Swap Papyrus answered back. 'I'M SURE THAT IT'S NOTHING IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO WORRY YOUR ROYAL HEAD OFF ABO."

"Perhaps… Either way, it's as if this fight never happened." Swap Toriel remarked. "And I'm glad. It would be quite troublesome for the humans if they saw all of this… and thought that one of our kind was responsible for this…"

Swap Papyrus fell silent, before gesturing for Swap to follow him into an alley to be alone.

"SO… I GUESS THAT'S THAT THEN? X-GASTER BIT THE DUST… AND X-CHARA GOT HIS BUTTON." Swap Papyrus remarked.

"He promised that he would use it responsibly." Swap answered back. "...And everyone managed to help him realize his own problems. He's changed, and I know that well and truly."

"...CAN'T LIE THERE." Swap Papyrus remarked. "...BUT IT STILL NAGS AT ME, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THAT THE KID FINALLY GOT THE SPANKING HE DESERVED FROM THOSE PEOPLE, TO MAKE HIM MATURE FOR ONCE. THAT BUTTON AIN'T SOMETHING THAT ONE PERSON SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO CARRY."

"I'm sure that it will be used wisely as it was intended to be." Swap stated.

"HEH… FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYONE IN ALL OF THE UNIVERSES… LET'S HOPE IT STAYS LIKE THAT." Swap Papyrus sighed, thinking about his alternate self that he saw during the final battle.

---

In Richard's mindscape…

Richard was sitting alone, as he had no-one around him, back in the same white void that he was in, as he began to reflect on everything that happened.

"Oi. Dumbass." His voice called to him, as he recognised the tone quite well. "You seriously going to be sitting and moping while waiting to wake up."

Richard stood up, before he then came face-to-face with the same clone that represented his inner darkness, as he could see that the clone was fading slowly away in white particles.

"You…" Richard remarked.

"Well, congrats, I suppose. The universe survives us, as Gensokyo did the first time you went into this state." The clone remarked, as his voice was fairly accepting of the outcome, yet still abrasive. "Guess the heroes in this world are better than the ones back home, to be able to do this. You finally win, Richard. You finally win against me, because now that you've come to terms with everything you have done… there is no point in me existing at all. By the time you wake, you'll be a new you, truly better than you were before."

Richard merely looked back at the clone silently, who merely frowned deeply.

"What are you giving me that damn look for?" The clone answered back. "Aren't you supposed to be happy that you don't have to deal with the traumatic shit anymore, to not have to wake up in tears and sweat, reliving your own nightmares? You're going to become a hero with a steel-clad heart, and that's what you wished for ever since the day you started all of this. So why are you not saying 'good riddance' or whatever hateful garbage you want to direct towards me?"

"Because I accepted myself." Richard responded back. "...But I still feel it in me that I will miss you somehow."

"Oh, if this is some 'I am you, and you are me' garbage, stuff it." The clone scoffed. "I don't need your damn sympathy or your acceptance."

"No, I'm merely saying that the trauma has made me better than I was before, even as a broken mess that was slowly coming undone." Richard answered back. "Because I know the pain of other people, I am able to understand them on a deeper emotional level, and thus be able to help them understand their own problems. I can also do whatever is needed to protect others, even if the decision hurts me, because I know how it feels to be powerless or unable to act. My traumas have given me the foundation to become a better hero… but it's time that I move to my final step… to move on from them, and take the lessons that I learned from them."

"...So that's how you think of it." The clone remarked, as Richard nodded. "...Heh. I guess you would say something like that, knowing that the feel-good shit won't work against me. Well, welcome to the end of your own development past the 'broken hero' stage, Richard. You graduated from the shittiest hell to exist for a hero like you… and you came out wiser than most."

"And where will you go, if not within me?" Richard asked.

"Don't care. If I disappear off the face of existence. That's fine." The clone answered back, as his entire body became transparent. "...But if I end up in another place. I'll just be what I am. Simple as that. I ain't going to change my ways. If reincarnations want me to be 'pure' and shit, fuck that. I am me, and nothing will make me change."

"Of course." Richard sighed.

"Well… see you never." The clone remarked with a smirk, as his body was almost gone. "I hope you get to some interesting shit, or kick some ass. Don't be afraid to be yourself. You decide how you want to be, and nothing should stop you."

"Fine words to live by." Richard answered back. "I'll live for myself and those I care about."

The clone merely barked out a laugh, before he then disappeared into nothingness.

Richard then looked around, before he found a figure that was engulfed in darkness, as he walked over to them.

"...Hey, Near." Richard remarked. "Been a while since we had a heart-to-heart."

"Indeed." Near remarked, before turning around, revealing himself to be someone sharing the same face as Richard, although he had a mane of white hair, and red eyes, as well being bare-chested, with a dark sash covering his lower half, as his own expression was devoid of any emotion, as was his voice. "...I know that you have not come here to discuss our deal."

"No. The deal is enough." Richard responded back. "I don't need to ask for more. To be able to understand despair intricately, to feel it, and to understand its place in the cosmic balance, and thus give me greater comprehension of the power that is within me… that is enough."

"You have survived your own trial of despair." Near remarked. "Whether that is fortunate or unfortunate… that is up to you."

"I find myself fortunate, by all things considered." Richard answered back. "It was you who scared Nightmare, didn't you?"

"He saw the complete form of you, had you followed along on the deal, and yet forsaken your humanity." Near remarked. "...I will admit this. Even as the one who has seen the lives of countless humans in their various natures… there is a chance that you will retain both."

"Well, being the face of 'humanity' for the Crawling Chaos isn't so bad." Richard chuckled lightly. "After all, someone ought to show that the name 'Nyarlahotep' still has potential for good, in comparison to the countless evil incarnations that it birthed. A perfect equilibrium, as we sealed our deal upon."

"You still remember." Near responded back. "I will watch you closely, as you become closer and closer towards becoming a true 'face'. .But what will you do, once you achieve it? How will you convince your allies that you are not a monster, when my name causes such horror and despair?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there." Richard answered back. "Besides, I'm sure that the Color Gods know of what is happening. I'm sure that they'll understand much better than the others will."

"We shall see, Richard… We shall see." Near stated, as Richard sat down again, to wait until he would awaken.

---

Out of his mindscape…

After he came awake, he looked around, and found himself in a medical bed, as there was a IV drip attached to one of his arms, filtering some sort of liquid solution into him, that seemed to have numbed his own pain.

On his own medical bed, Richard would soon watch as Siege walked through a sukima, with Dante, Brynn, and Jesse behind him, as Siege had a look of sheer nostalgia on his face before he looked at Richard with a smile.

"Well bud…. We didn't exactly reunite on the right foot, did we?" Siege asked with a small smirk.

"...Yeah." Richard remarked. "...Funny, this is the second time that I find myself on a medical bed, after being smashed to bloody oblivion. Thought I was gonna die the first time… but now that this is a deja vu… I know how my own health is gonna turn out."

"Yeah… you really need to keep us, especially me in the know about when your health is fucked up so we can help ya, man. That's what we're here for." Siege remarked before he smiled, and walked to his brother, kneeling down and hugging him. "I'm just glad to have you back."

"...Me too." Richard gently smiled. "Deep inside… I guess I'm truly glad that so many people cared enough about me to stop me, and help me see the light again… I think that I feel more free than I ever have, even though I know that I won't be applying that freedom until I'm fit enough to be walking on my own two feet."

"...Oh, that reminds me." Siege remarked, before peeking out the room and calling for Gus. "Hey, Gus! You got that gift I told you to give Richard?"

"You mean the Seal-Splitter?" Gus remarked, before pulling out the empowered rifle.

"...Your gift to me." Richard answered back. "...I remember those words in that message. You entrusted it to me, to carry on your will…"

"Yep. And I still do. It's all yours, pal." Siege spoke with a smile.

"I'll make good use of it…" Richard sighed, as Gus set the rifle beside Richard's bed.

"I also got something." Gus remarked, before he then pulled out Astral. "Heiwa said that Erika made this with the data that Heiwa and Popol got from one of their new friends… Not Hat Kid, but Boki Lamira."

"This blade…" Richard remarked. "...Yeah, I think that this blade would be able to give me a new start. Two weapons, both for me… wow, you really are expecting me to be back in the rough when I'm up on my feet…"

"Hah, not quite, but good joke." Siege smiled before suddenly, a flame portal opened up in the room, causing Siege to hop back slightly as Dante raised his guns, while Brynn and Jesse brandished their weaponry…

Only to see the God of Fire himself, Liu Kang, walking through.

"Siege Sukui of the Soldiers of Fortune… This is truly a blessed timeline, to see you walking across the realm of the living once more." Liu Kang spoke with a bow, before he looked at Richard. "And Richard Liu. Many timelines would herald you dead and gone by this point. But the few you survive are the truly grand ones. I am pleased to see this timeline is truly on its best pathway to victory and glory."

"Liu Kang…?" Richard remarked with surprise. "What's the new Fire God doing here… unless…"

"I have news. News of some of the souls from the Soldiers of Fortune." Liu Kang spoke as Siege jumped to his feet.

"Their souls…? Impossible, Sorthax has them!" Siege exclaimed.

"Not at all. For you see, your sacrificial attack caused Sorthax to lose incredulous numbers of souls in that fight, mainly belonging to your Soldiers of Fortune. I received four of them, and have implemented them into my timeline for their preservation in the here and now, though their memories of the past remain with them, as they still remember your name." Liu Kang explained.

"So there is hope to find the others…" Gus remarked. "It seems that we have a fighting chance to return the Soldiers of Fortune back to their glory."

"And I'm coming with you." Allison remarked, as she and Kiana entered the room.

"There is more. It will be worth contacting the other dimension you know as well. For it is not just their souls that have made their way here… some of the souls from that dimension have also arrived in my realm." Liu Kang remarked, causing the group to look at one another in shock.

"Meaning…!?" Siege asked.

"Yes. For both you all, and the Future Seekers, it appears, either by the Color Gods, or Magina herself, that your deeds and actions have deserved a reward to reclaim what was lost, and end the trauma plaguing you all." Liu Kang declared. "I shall do my part to help locate the other souls in question, but as of now, prepare, and gather your champions. In this annual Mortal Kombat… a third realm, Ascensionrealm, what we shall call your realm… will also be competing this year." Liu Kang declared.

"How long will it take before that time comes?" Richard asked firmly.

"You have one month to prepare." Liu Kang stated firmly.

"It's wise that whichever one of us goes… we need to take the opposite from the Future Seekers' realm, so as not to sow confusion. What I mean is, if I go, their Richard goes, and vice versa." Siege deduced.

"A wise anecdote. Indeed, that is the best course of action." Liu Kang nodded.

"I will see what will come of me within that month." Richard answered back. "But whether it be me, or my alternate self, neither of us will allow ourselves to go down without any but our best."

"I entrust that you mean that wholeheartedly. I shall prepare you the portal when the time to arrive in Outworld, this year's host, has come. Until then, may you recover well, and may your preparations be proper." Liu Kang declared, before he warped away in blue and red fire.

"...Gus. Establish connection to the OSA Golden Blaze. Now." Siege ordered.

"Right away." Gus answered back, as he began to fiddle with his communicator to access the med-bay screen. "Just be prepared when the next set of guests come in."

"And speaking of which… Siege, would you be kind enough to come closer to me?" Allison asked.

"Of course, my dear." Siege said, getting closer to Allison. "Now what might this be-"

Before he could finish, he was wrapped in a massive hug, receiving a kiss on the lips as he was surprised at first, but accepted it nonetheless, holding his beloved in his arms once more as they soon let out of the kiss.

"Never. Never. I mean NEVER. Leave me like that again, you bastard." Allison then spoke as she then slapped Siege across the face hard enough to cause him to recoil from it, and almost fall.

"Ouch… okay, I deserved that…" Siege groaned, just as the transmission finished patching through. "At least you got it out of the way before the talks began."

The group then turned to the screen in the medbay, as FS!Siege, FS!Richard, Alear, and Reisen were on the other end.

"Transmission received and we're connected. Future Seekers reporting in, what's going on?" FS!Siege asked.

"A chance of a lifetime that has fallen on our doorstep. Ready to revive the dead, you guys?" SoF!Siege quipped with a smirk.

"Hm, is this about what Liu Kang said to us just a while ago?" FS!Richard remarked. "...He did seem to be in a fair hurry as soon as we confirmed the details. Liu Kang got Mortal Kombat on the list. And by the way, surprised to see you awake to hear this, other me."

"Heh. Can't be letting myself drag my own moping around." UF!Richard answered back. "By the way, I would have thought that there would be another Kaguya on the other side. Why Reisen?"

"DiTR, 'nuff said." FS!Richard stated.

"...Oh. Oh, I'm sorry." UF!Richard said, as regret crossed his face.

"It's fine. Not like it was anywhere as bad as your experience with a bad egg of a Gensokyo." FS!Richard answered back. "Don't dwell on our relationships for a moment. I can explain it if you have some free time."

"Yeah, I think we should get back to topic." UF!Richard stated. "So, we've been considering on who would go there, and we decided that among the leaders… we should adopt a hybrid approach, so as to ensure that both of us can be able to get our own people to be persuaded to join us… after whatever hoops we have to go through to even approach, or get them into a proper state to join us in."

"Hm… that could work." FS!Richard answered back. "...But that would mean that I might have to step up some training. I ain't no martial prospect like you. And since you're as you are…"

"Guess it's a 'arms race' then." UF!Richard smirked. "Either you get your training in, or I retrace my old skills. Whoever is on top, is going to be the one going ahead to represent."

"You're on. Wouldn't mind some drive to put a fire under me and motivate me to train." FS!Richard answered back with a eager grin. "I've been learning to use a sword thanks to Baud and Randall giving me the sparring."

"Now then, on to the matter of non-leader representatives." FS!Siege would cut in. "We need a small, yet powerful and martially sound force. Although, I do have a feeling your Heiwa might be interested in going. Call it a small hunch."

"You must be…. ….If she's back then that would mean the world for me and Alli, to have our whole family back. Very well, Heiwa will be trained and ready." SoF!Siege insisted.

"As far as our end goes, I believe Alear and Yang will suffice irregardless on which Siege goes to represent." FS!Siege remarked. "Alear is primed in martial arts standing, and Yang… well, you know how punch-happy she is."

"Let's not forget: We will need a champion. That will have to be figured out before we even step foot into Outworld." SoF!Siege pointed out. "It might be best to get a tournament going with what you suggested, and probably a few others from your end. Some of them might surprise you."

"Mm, good call. I suppose a tournament wouldn't hurt to see who will be Ascensionrealm's champion." FS!Siege nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose so." UF!Richard nodded as well.

"It's settled then. Bring who you deem worthy within a week. We'll have ours ready. We will determine Ascensionrealm's Champion. Then, if Liu Kang permits it, we'll size up the competition from Earthrealm." SoF!Siege declared with folded arms. "And make sure…"

"That they're ready for Mortal Kombat."

MORTAL KOMBAT!