Spoilers from included and/or represented works abound. Please read this fiction carefully.
"They're down for real! It's our chance!"
With Galeem and Dharkon both incapacitated, the Realitiers immediately ties the two beings down.
"It's over, the two ultimates." The Realitiers capture the two. "This is what you get for fighting each other at the others' expense."
And with that, the signature died down. The alliance has since locked down on the coordinates. In the meantime...
"The alliance foiled our scene, and captured the Go-Riders." Marle crying to the queen. "We have had enough of the third-act stupidity! We must activate the chair and setup our event on the fly!"
"The only positives are this new body..." Female!Alear looked at the Zerobreaker. "...and those organization is slowly getting ruined from the inside. The Anti-Life has reached. We're almost there."
"Do the project now! We cannot wait, because if we do, the alliance could stop us at any time!" Marle cried for the activation.
"Marle is right. We have to initiate the 3rd phase immediately! So we can destroy the alliance and all those they have!" Squares agreed. "Only then, we would be unopposed and we can safely proceed, succeeding in our goals! And as for the Go-Riders..."
"Yep, they have failed. Don't call them back. If they comes, kill them and make them remember they deserved it for des-" Then the queen for interrupted by a portal.
"Mission report, to the Order of Pariah." A woman with green eyes and long dark blue hair, and an outfit that doesn't looks out of place of street fashion... except adorned with white feathers (no, really). "I am here to report to-"
"Woah woah woah, you're... Paddra Nsu-Yeul?" Male!Alear called out.
"But Yeul alway died young! This is a full-grown woman!" Zerobreaker corrected. "Wait... could this be..."
The great Realitiers here got suspicious. After all, they knew Yeul definitely looked like goddess Etro, due to being among the first to be born out of the latter's late blood.
"How the hell are you here?" The queen asked the woman. "And what did you come for?"
"I'm a secret deity, ready to serve you." The woman did a pose reminiscent of a secret merchant named Anna. "The prime coordinates has been confirmed. The Loopers are analyzing the rocket and the time machine as we speak."
"And the army?" The queen asked.
"Will obey your every command..." The woman confirmed. "...once the Anti-Life is complete."
The Anti-Life girl looks at the report in excitement.
"I've also conceived a plan to unleash a civil war of CXA, based on the works of the army on a certain mothership." The woman continued. "Instead of fighting us, they'll fight each other. To death and oblivion."
"Excellent. You've contributed so much so well, Etro's other lookalike." The queen applauded the woman. "And well, you will soon reap the bounty of what you've sown."
"Claire Farron, there's something you, your sister and your companions all need to see." Geras called the Defiers of Fate.
"What is it?" Lightning asked. "Is it about our world, is it about the corruption, or is it about the Order?"
"A combination of the former and the latter." Geras revealed. "Your old goddess, Etro, appeared... yet she didn't. It's like... she's being a paradox. And she's conspiring against all of existence."
"What!?" The Defiers of Fate are shocked. "That can't be! It should not be possible!"
"Can't say I disagree." Noctis Lucis Caelum agreed. "Like, what good goddess would rage against all reality?"
"Could it be that something like Titan Shang Tsung has happened again?" Liu Kang is worried. "But we already destroyed him. Erased him from existence. I gave the sorcerers of the New Era meaningless lives... They should have never gained power, let alone joined forces."
"And not only your work was flawless, Etro had nothing to do with us." Getas affirmed. "Could there had the evil Titan come back from nonexistence, revived and turned into the goddess?"
"You mean... that stranger god interfered again?" Serah Farron suspected.
Geras casted a physical hologram made of sands from the Hourglass. It showed both Titan!Shang's and Etro's ultimate demises.
"Both demises are only similar in that it threatened or busted a respective multiverse each." Geras explained. "And yet..."
Geras then showed the woman, the Etro's lookalike acting like Titan!Shang, in front of the queen.
"Who is she?" Lightning asked.
"Unknown. As with the 'Damashi', her identity has been obscured from the Hourglass, even with all the upgrades from the vampire's tech." Geras replied. "This should've been able to spot any Titan."
"Who could have that power?" Liu Kang is worried. "Is it the evil Titan, somehow resurrected?"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible." Geras denied. "Titans, once destroyed, cannot be revived. Not to mention, you already erased the Titan in question."
"But you've been fooled once. Titan-Shang impersonated your Kronika, and made sure the New Era versions of Shang and Quan-Chi get the powers." Lightning objected. "It's possible... the Titan himself got out of the Retconnian somehow, and impersonated the goddess."
"I'm afraid this is the most plausible theory." Noctis is disappointed. "And if that Titan somehow got Brainiac's tech and used it to upgrade and escape..."
"Then we have a potential successor the leadership of the Order." Geras concluded.
"We must determine its validity. The fate of not only the greater crystal or the realms, but all of the entire existence itself, may depend on it." Lightning suggested. "How about we get to the upgraded Hourglass?"
Morning, day 25, Geras and Liu Kang brought team Fabula Nova Crystallis: the Defiers of Fate and co., Class Zero, Noctis and his friends; and finally the (recently rebooted) OG Pass, to watch the timekeeps using the Hourglass and check the logs.
"Is that... a mysterious... sand guy of something... turns into the goddess?" Machina Kunagiri pointed it out. "And it appears to be in the Retconnian? What?"
Indeed, a figure depicted as if made of sand somehow morphed into Etro.
"I am free. I am unleashed. I have upgraded. I am back. But since everything so far, I have been conspired against. By those who fear my own existence, despite my achievements. And it seems I know where to drop next... the Order of the Pariah. And soon, I will put all existence at my feet."
"Who exactly are you?" Geras responded to the voice, so he approached, and... "Impossible."
The mothership arrived at the former Pantheon, stopping above the corrupted krossroads. team Fabula Nova Crystallis, the OG Pass and the mascots dropped down to the scene, with their invisibility on thanks to Potions of Invisibility. Realitiers and corrupted are training with each other, all to obey the queen and her league, and to do missions.
"How it is they're unaware of the rebooted's survival?" Waldi (Munich 1972) asked.
"The girl was away beyond the Beach without any kind of notice before." Prompto Argentum replied. "Due to the distance, they couldn't tell."
The gang sneaked across, guided by the gizmo they got from the rest of the alliance.
"Look at them conspiring." Wenlock (London 2012) spotted the main hub. "They can't get away forever."
"We must sabotage the comms, just like they did to the CXA." Renegade Lynx suggested. "With that done, we would heist the main means of communication, and go piss the Order off as to give us more chance."
"Our odds will improve is we stick together and surround them." Rem Tokimiya continued. "The mascots will distract them, while the rest of us get into position."
"That's a pretty good idea." Solid Snake agreed.
"Leave it to us." La'eeb (Qatar 2022) brought the rest of the mascots, the six rings and a bunch of Atmoballs.
The mascots approached the lookalike, who's just before the spire.
"Hey, you, false Etro!" Vinicius (Rio 2016) called the lookalike. "We're so back!"
"What are you mascots doing here?" The lookalike noticed.
"We want to talk to you." Soohorang (Pyeongchang 2018) responded. "Do you happens to possess... Coluan tech?"
"And yet you've caught up?" The lookalike tried to divert the topic.
"Actually, if you want to collaborate with hello on the inside..." Zabivaka (Russia 2018) offered. "Well happily provide it to you, should you accept."
"Let me guess... you wanted to help us take over Colu?" The lookalike is unaware the mascots is using invisibility to spy on.
"Nice. We are to review the tech first. No, not those devices from Earth." Tom (Rio 2016 Para.) responded. "The ones Brainiac usually possess."
"A new perspective is needed. Colu benefits from our salvation." The lookalike agreed, not knowing the mascots is taking advantage of invisibility.
However, the Omni-Godmodder was able to see the mascots, ignoring invisibility and using godmodding as synthesia. He secretly realized they're spying.
"Yes, and we will provide you just that, false Etro, as long as you're cooperative." Vinicius responded. "But never in the manner that you expect."
"Now!" Miraitowa (Tokyo 2020) and Someity (Tokyo 2020 Para.) yelled.
And with the invisibility wearing off, the mascots tried to attack the lookalike. A few dozens of Realitiers came in to assist the lookalike, but they were all dispatched not long after. It helped that the OG Pass even shot those Realitiers like it's normal business for the Loopers, now assisted by the three parties based on some mythos.
Yes, and cue a warp-strike by Noctis, knocking down the lookalike.
"Are you really the goddess?" Lightning pointed her blade towards the lookalike. "I used to be that goddess' champion."
"Bold gambit, Olympics and World Cup dud." The lookalike chuckled. "It is an impressive display of guile. Who knew they were so capable?"
The rest of the Defiers of Fate immediately used summons to finish them off.
"Thanks to everyone, this fight is ended." Ace got back from brutalizing.
"The fight, perhaps." The lookalike got back up. "Not the battle."
"True. Until we learn about you, the existence remains threatened." The rest of Class Zero. "Who are you, possible counterfeit?"
Cue a laughter from the lookalike. All this was caught by the alliance through the literally cameraman POV.
"Oh, he comes the big reveal." Travis grabs a popcorn.
"She's..." Geno watches the live footage.
"Speak of the devil... but that devil is me." The lookalike gleefully revealed. "Fabula Nova Crystallis, Olympics, Paralympics and the OG Pass, may I introduce myself... I am Chaos Etro."
"Chao... Etro?" Liu Kang, Geras, Geno and Caius Ballad heard it.
"What!?" The rest gasped.
The the lookalike discarded the Etro form, and revealed... themselves to be someone that shouldn't have...
"That's..." Serah is terrified.
"Thanks the late Vril Dox as a donor." They revealed.
"No...!" Telos is shocked.
"Are you deceiving yourself, false one!?" The rest of team Fabula Nova is shocked.
"This isn't Etro..." Liu Kang looked at the holo-screen.
"This is Shang Tsung!" Amelia Watson realized. "Adorned with Coluan technologies grafted into his body!"
"More correctly, I am Shang Tsung, and I'm Brainiac." Titan!Shang revealed. "Reforged with Coluan technologies and the late intelligence, turning the lost sands into my thought-to-be-impossible rebirth."
"What's going on!?" Roland immediately spotted. "Who is he!?"
"This Shang Tsung is whom I battled for the Hourglass." Liu Kang revealed. "I thought him dead. Twice."
"As I did Liu Kang... once." Then Titan!Shang noticed the mothership.
"He noticed the mothership from afar!?" Flamuna is shocked.
"Liu Kang, if you're hearing this right now... remember when you fought me for the Hourglass, and then the Armageddon went multiversal?" Titan!Shang gave some message to Liu Kang. "The former battle released mammoth energies which ripped apart time itself. Two conclusions, one victor each." *turns into false Kronika* "When I discovered this, I realized what to do, so I manipulated the two sorcerers from your New Era. This eventually led to the Armageddon with multiple kombatants from all across space-time... in our multiverse." *turns into his true form* "I tried to exterminate all life in your timeline, and then merge every timelines ever into my own. And then you destroyed me."
"So our suspicion has been confirmed. You're that sorcerer!" Noctis summoned his Armiger.
"Everyone were pawns, neither partners nor subjects." Titan!Shang reveals his true colors. "Your purpose served, you will be sacrificed."
"What about the Order!?" Miraitowa is enraged. "You were working with them!"
"Them? I'll just take over them and initiate their project." Titan!Shang continued. "With them and their system, I can become the Overdeity of all Overdeities, among overdeities and top gods, as revenge."
Titan!Shang reveals his tentacles, taken directly from Brainiac himself. "I will marry the Queen of Heart. We will both rule together, ans she will loyally share my status and reign, while the founders will serve me loyally. Good bye, CXA. Neither you, nor your alliance, will be missed."
The enhanced Titan then teleported out, leaving behind Tabuu that's corrupted by Anti-Life Equation.
"We need reinforcement. Right now!" Lightning called.
"Oh my god..." Ms. Continuum facepalmed.
"Olympiad engage!" The mascots activated the rings.
"Let's get dangerous!" Team Fabula Nova charged as well.
"For the omniverse!" The OG Pass shot Tabuu repeatedly.
"Call the Bringers, Master Hand and Crazy Hand! Now!" Reiji told Ms. Continuum.
"We definitely have Canon Bringers, but where can we call the Hands, wait... which Hands?" Ms. Continuum shrugged.
"Same-named subjects can be a hassle sometimes." Hoshimatsu shrugged as well.
"Master Hand and Crazy Hand! Now!" Meden Traore yelled at Ms. Continuum.
"Oh well..." Ms. Continuum facepalmed.
The gang put up a really good fight, but Tabuu was so powerful, it's a good struggle. Thanks to synergy and teamwork, the gang were able to keep up. The gang knows Tabuu has Off Waves, which could defeat any of them in, you guessed it: one fell swoop.
In the meantime, the queen woke up, and began to go visit. Then she saw Tabuu fighting the gang, who just learned of Titan!Shang.
To be continued...