Chapter Thirty-One: The Shifting of the Paradigms

None too happy at being flung around like a ragdoll, Panoptes floated back up to a suitably intimidating height. "You'll pay for that!" he roared. "Soon, you will all be nothing more than a memory in my perfect world!"

The pair of local heroes regrouped, confronting him at the head of all the others. "I may not know who you are," said Mister Bug, "but you've got another thing coming if you think we'll let you take Paris without a fight!"

"It doesn't matter what world you came from–we're taking you down!" declared Lady Noir. She and her partner split up, flanking Panoptes from either side. With him distracted, the rest of the heroes resumed their fight. Some stayed on Hawkmoth and her cronies, while others realized that Panoptes proved the more immediate threat. Gabriel and Alix fell into the latter category,

"Carapace, get her to safety!" Gabriel shouted as he and the others moved to engage.

Nino, holding up a barely-conscious Sabrina, complied. "You got it!" Dispelling his barrier, he hurriedly carried Miss Hound away from the battle. "Was that…the first Hawkmoth?" he wondered aloud.

The current Hawkmoth, none too happy at being upstaged, rallied the rest of her forces. "Argos, Queen Bee, get over here!" The two of her remaining Dark Angels returned to her side, joining in her battle against Huli Jing and Pegasus. Argos' fan clashed against Huli Jing's flute, while Pegasus used his boomerangs to deflect Queen Bee's bees as best he could.

Panoptes was fighting against not one, but two different pairs of Miraculous wielders. Not only were Mister Bug and Lady Noir giving him trouble, but Kitty Noir and Scarabella had joined the fight as well. But despite being up against four Miraculous holders at once, he didn't seem troubled at all. In fact, he seemed to have them on the ropes. Darting across the battlefield in short blinks, he easily deflected their attacks with energy beams that swirled around him.

Gabriel leapt up to deliver a blow from behind, but Panoptes darted to the side just as his sword hit the ground. "You again–it seems some things never change," he said. "Tell me, is your Adrien just as miserable as mine was?" Gabriel bit back the urge to hurl himself at the offending Felix, keeping his strikes precise and controlled. He couldn't let him get to him.

Turns out he didn't even have to offer a rebuttal, as Alix was more than happy to do it for him. "You're one to talk!" she shouted, appearing through a Burrow to bash him with her flail. "Did you betray your cousin too? Where's he in your 'perfect world,' huh?"

"Don't you bring up Adrien!" snarled Panoptes, sending more of those crimson darts towards them. Alix opened her umbrella to block them, but the impacts were enough to push her and Gabriel back. "You have no idea what I've had to sacrifice for his sake! For all of our sakes! This world…it doesn't deserve him!" With one final burst of energy, he sent out a shockwave that launched everybody near him away. "And how does he repay me…?"

Yet another pair had arrived to join in the fight against him. Marinette, having traded her bat in for a black cat ring, and Adrien, wearing both a ring and earrings, moved in. "Repay you? What for?" Marinette asked, flashing the ring he had given her. "For erasing all his friends and family? For replacing them with lifeless clones under your control? Forcing him to maintain your 'perfect' world? He must have a lot to be grateful for!"

In contrast to Marinette, Adrien seemed to want to reach Felix rather than anger him further. "Felix, it doesn't have to be this way," he pleaded. "Even if you do make this perfect world, is it really worth it if nobody's happy? Kagami isn't, your Adrien isn't…and I know you aren't. So why drag everyone else into your misery?"

For a moment, he seemed to consider this. But he quickly dispelled the thought, glowing with a harsh red light. "I don't care what it takes! The old world was flawed beyond the point of redemption! If people like us can't be allowed to live, then the only solution is to break it down to its very foundation, and start from scratch!" Countless darts of this energy rained down on the pair, who ran to evade.

Hawkmoth stood back up, gripping his blade as he ran back towards Panoptes. However, a figure got in his way in the blink of an eye, attacking with a sword of its own. He blocked the attack, which had come from the other Hawkmoth. "You're helping the Resistance now, Gabriel? What happened to the ruthless man who preceded me?"

Unsure of how she knew his true identity, nor really caring, Gabriel was only focused on getting past her. "No matter how ruthless I was, the one behind you is far worse! Now is not the time for petty squabbles when your home is in danger!"

She laughed, a sound that caused Gabriel's hair to stand on end. It was not a sound of malice, but a sound of complete and utter apathy. "If I have to sacrifice a few worlds to get what I want, what do I care? I've already sacrificed Paris' heroes once–what's to stop me from doing it again and again? If he's as ruthless as he says he is, maybe he'll make for an effective ally!"

Enraged, Gabriel charged, only for this other Hawkmoth to block every one of his strikes. Their fencing match continued as two of the other heroes met up just beyond the school.

Both Kagami and Nino happened to arrive at the same place by happenstance as they brought Sabrina and the other Kagami to safety. "You're… What exactly is going on here?" asked Nino.

"It seems that your newest ally has torn open a hole in the multiverse, allowing our dimensions to converge," said Kagami, setting down her counterpart. She slowly came to, as Nino made sure Sabrina was alright. "Are you alright? Can you stand?"

"I…" This other Kagami opened her eyes, surprised to see her own face looking back. "W-who are you? What's happening?"

"Mmmph…multiverse stuff?" suggested Sabrina, who had just regained consciousness as well. "Right? I think I remember Hawkmoth saying something about–" She gasped, suddenly looking horrified. "Oh no, Hawkmoth! All those terrible things…" Her head fell, looking like she was about to cry.

Carapace, initially unsure of what to do, inched closer, putting his arm around her. "Hey, you were Akumatized, remember? Nothing that happened was your fault, right?"

"I know." She looked away, not seeming entirely convinced.

Kagami turned her attention back to the battle, which they could hear had grown much more heated. "We're needed back inside," she said. "Both of you are more than welcome to stay here. But if you feel up to it, we could use all the help we can get."

Other Kagami rose to her feet, steadying herself with her sword. "I refuse to sit back while others suffer, especially when I was the cause of so much of that suffering. After what Hawkmoth did to me, I will never forgive her!"

Miss Hound stood up as well. "Me, too! No matter what happened in the past, right now I'm a hero! Now let's go save the day!" More determined than ever to win, the four of them returned to confront Hawkmoth and Panoptes, hopefully for the last time.

Upon their return, they were greeted by an unusual sight: it seemed like the people of Paris had risen up to join in the fray. But rather than helping the heroes, it seemed like they were actively fighting against them, aiding or at least ignoring the villains.

"What the…? What's going on?" asked Nino. "The people here hate heroes even more than in our dimension!"

"No–these are Panoptes' Sentimonsters," Kagami corrected. Indeed, more of them began pouring through the portal in an effort to overrun everyone. "We must do something!"

The only ones not having any trouble with this horde were the two Hawkmoths, whose fight had managed to end up on the school roof. Their blades rang, illuminating the night with sparks as they collided. "Whatever you could want the wish for, it isn't worth it!" said Gabriel. "Trust me, I lost everything in my pursuit of changing the past. Do you really want that to happen to you?"

His opponent seemed to be able to strike from every side at once. "What does that matter to me?" she shot back. "I already lost everything! Everything I've gained is nothing more than a tool to be expended." Gabriel shot forward with a thrust, only for her to step aside, following up by delivering a slash to his leg. "Perhaps you wouldn't have lost anything if you understood that."

Gabriel winced, keeping steady despite the pain. "And how do you plan to get what you want if everything is gone?"

She offered a coy smile in return. "I have my ways!" She darted forward as well, before feinting to the side. Gabriel may or may not have been able to deflect her attack, but he didn't have to; Hawkmoth was blindsided by Carapace's shield flying in from left field, knocking her off the roof.

"Looked like you could use a hand!" he said, retrieving his weapon. "Good to see you're a bit nicer than our Hawkmoth, dude."

"I like to think so, yes," Gabriel said. He looked over the edge for where his opponent had gone, but it seemed she had disappeared. He did see Miss Hound going to aid Pegasus and Huli Jing, and Ryuko and Ryuko joining the fight against Panoptes.

Carapace prepared to jump back into the fray as well. "Hey, you haven't seen Viperion around, have you? I haven't seen him all battle."

Gabriel might have caught a glimpse of him towards the beginning, but he couldn't remember anything aside from that. "Perhaps he is using his powers to observe the battle from afar?" With no time to waste, he rejoined the fight, this time against Panoptes. But something about his answer didn't sit well with Carapace. Nevertheless, there was no time to dwell on it, and he leapt down to push back the throngs of Sentimonsters.

"Do you see now!?" yelled Panoptes, effortlessly handling six opponents at once. "This world is nothing to me! Your powers are nothing! Your numbers mean nothing! I could crush this entire city with a wave of my hand!"

But it was fairly clear that he was on the ropes, trying to bluff his way out. "If that was true, then how are we giving you so much trouble?" asked Kitty Noir, deflecting his Akuma projectiles with her staff while trying to keep his attention on her. "Your short-lived reign of terror is about to end, just accept it!"

Behind him, Blackbug led the way along a path he was creating through the air. Both Kagamis ran next to him, their swords at the ready. "Okay, let 'im have it!" said Blackbug. The twins each transformed into a whirlwind, their combined gale forces hurling him towards their opponent.

Panoptes barely had time to react before Blackbug sped through the air, crashing straight into him. They two came crashing down to the ground, where Blackbug quickly rolled out of the way. The Ryukos then descended from above, pinning him in place with their blades. "It's finished, Felix," said the one from his dimension. "Know when you are beaten."

"I…I'm never beaten!" he snarled, despite being unable to overpower the pair. The others stayed ready just in case he somehow escaped. "I will never admit defeat until every human being in every universe has been replaced!"

"Sheesh. Was your Felix ever this pushy?" Alix asked Gabriel. But he was more focused on something else. "Gabe? Buddy? Is something wrong?"

There it was again. That buzzing feeling he got whenever he had detected a– "...A Rippler," he said quietly. His pupils shrank. There was no mistaking it. One was here.

But it wasn't just one. A Rippler climbed over a nearby wall, shortly followed by another, and another, until they were pouring in in droves. The army of Sentimonsters were the first to engage, apparently recognizing the hazy humanoids as a threat. In their numbers, they intercepted the incoming army before they reached the heroes, engaging in a fierce battle.

"Are…are those…?" Marinette asked, her voice barely above a whisper. With everything they had recently been through, it had been easy to forget about Death's Head. But now, all those memories came flooding back, as did what this could mean for these realities. "We have to stop them!"

"I'm with you!" Adrien followed her into battle, joined as well by a few members of the Resistance. They had no idea what these things were, but given how everyone else was reacting, it was easy to see they were bad news.

Using this distraction, Panoptes was able to free himself from the Kagamis' pin. "What is this? Explain yourselves!" he demanded, as they raised their swords against him. "Is this army supposed to be your ace in the hole against me!?"

"If they were with us, why would we be fighting them?" asked his Kagami, deflecting one of his blasts. "Think! They clearly represent a more dangerous threat, we should call a truce until–" He fired more and more blasts at her until she was overwhelmed, knocked back along with her double.

"More dangerous than me? Unlikely!" Panoptes unleashed yet another barrage, dispatching plenty of Ripplers. "Destroy these intruders–we will make short work of those who stand in the way of paradise!"

His army fared better against the Ripplers than normal humans likely would have, for several reasons. Despite their bodies starting to dissolve upon touching them, they seemed to feel no pain. And due to being the product of a Miraculous, they were actually able to damage their enemies. With the heroes' help, they began to beat back the intruders, though Gabriel and Alix realized that the greater threat was yet to come.

And soon enough, he arrived. Gabriel could sense him before he could see him, a familiar sense of dread seeming to emerge from his Miraculous. One by one, everyone else seemed to sense that something was amiss. Even the Sentimonster army seemed to tell that something was wrong, looking around in fear of the unseen horror. They didn't have to look for long, as Death's Head was all too eager to make his grand entrance.

His silhouette appeared in front of the moon, seeming at first to be a shadow. That was until he descended upon the congregation, his Ripplers surrounding him like a cult. "So, you thought you could hide from me," he rasped through his wide smile. "Perhaps you could have, if you had remained under the radar! And yet, you could not stop being heroes. Here you all are, back together again…and at my mercy."

"Uh…I take it that's Death's Head?" asked a nervous Huli Jing.

"I think that's a fair assumption," replied an equally anxious Pegasus.

With a slightly shaking hand, Alix gripped her flail. They had only barely managed to escape from Death's Head last time, and were separated and nearly killed in the process. But last time, they hadn't had this many heroes on their side. Perhaps, with all the allies they had made, they would somehow find a way to survive, or maybe even beat him.

But before anyone could speak, it became apparent that Death's Head had a new rival. "An impressive entrance, Gabriel," said Panoptes, hovering up to his level. "How unfortunate for you that this dimension has already been claimed." Several more eyes appeared around his costume, gazing menacingly at the newest arrival.

Merely amused with his claim, Death's Head chuckled. "You? My dear boy, how sorely mistaken you are! You may have managed to wrest control over one measly world, whereas I have brought hundreds to ruin! The multiverse crumbles with my every footstep, and soon, it will become nothing more than an extension to my will! So make your puppets dance to your tune. In the end, it will not be enough."

Rather than be cowed or even angered by his words, Panoptes only returned his grin. "Mock my 'puppets' at your own peril. You've yet to see what they can truly accomplish!" With that, he snapped his fingers. And his true power became apparent.

Every one of his Sentimonster clones went still, as though their energy was needed elsewhere. There then came a strange sound like creaking metal, seeming to come from the portal. Without warning, The ground beneath it began to crack as something underground rapidly moved towards Death's Head.

In no time at all, this 'something' soon revealed itself to be a collection of tendrils, dark red in color. They shot up from the ground, slicing through the army of Ripplers and surrounding their master. "What!? What is the meaning of this!?" He burned through many as they attempted to cocoon him, but there were just too many. His protests became muffled as he was then dragged beneath the surface. Nobody could believe their eyes–had Death's Head really been defeated so easily?

But Panoptes wasn't finished yet. He raised his arms, and the portal started to creak once again. The crack between realities widened even further, extending far into the sky. Through the tear, his domed copy of Paris was rising with it, lifting up above the two real ones. The dome that held it, now apparent as a sphere, began to take on a tint of red, the same color as the tentacles.

These same tentacles were now shown to descend from the bottom half of the creation, itself a Sentimonster the size of a city–or rather, even larger, as it contained a city. As it burst out of its home dimension, a network of its tendrils began to envelop both Parises beneath it, transforming them into crimson jungles. People fled as they crashed through buildings, wrapped around landmarks, and all but terraformed everything in their reach.

"Do you see now?" asked Panoptes, more to the heroes than Death's Head. "This is the true shape of my might! All the worlds will be bent and broken as I see fit! You will all fall before the might of Redworld!"

As the tendrils sought to overtake Paris, Nathalie escorted Emilie down into the manor's basement. "Wait here. I will return when it is safe."

"But what about you? And Gabriel?" she said. "I can't just leave you behind like this!"

"Don't worry–we both have Miraculous," Nathalie assured her. "I promise, everything will be alright." She turned on the elevator to carry her to safety.

Emilie pressed up against the door. "Nathal–" But she was lowered away before she could finish. Content that her employer and friend was safe, Nathalie now had to find Gabriel, as well as Adrien. She headed for the front door, but stopped when she sensed something–she wasn't alone.

Readying herself for an attack from any direction, she slowly scanned the empty manor for any sign of an intruder. Someone had indeed snuck in, but it was apparent he was making no attempt to be sneaky. She whipped around to see a costumed youth having entered through a window. "Miss Sanceur, I'm not here to fight," said Viperion, holding up his hands. "I need your help."

Nathalie was suspicious. This boy clearly held a Miraculous, which meant he was an associate of the heroes–but on the other hand, that meant Adrien. "What do you mean?" she asked. How did he know who she was–who she really was–and what could she do?

"I've run through this scenario over and over again, and we just can't win," he said. "I'm running out of ideas, and this is the only one I haven't tried. Please–all of our worlds are in danger, and Mayura is the only one who can save them."