Space

by NegaiFreak

Three years have passed since Shiki and his friends have gone after Ziggy, aiming to stop him from wiping out everything except machines in the universe. And a battle to decide both its fate and the fate of the rest of the multiverse hangs in the balance... with an Infinity Stone on the line as well. Can our heroes stop Ziggy before it's too late? PLEASE READ, REVIEW, & ENJOY!

11. Confidence

Welcome back to the second half of "Space"! There's a lot we got through in the last couple of chapters, with the other Dark Stars having invaded the Edens Zero, Riri encountering the upgraded Ultron, Natalie battling against Acnoella, and Elsie being taken away again as the battle heats up! Apparently now, all of the Shining Stars have seemingly been defeated in one or another as well. Not to mention whatever Ochaco learned about Ziggy at the end of last chapter.

So where do we even start? Well, let's find out! Enjoy!

SPACE

Sparks of electricity emitted from the cracks in Riri's armor as she lied upon the ground, groaning with pain. Her eyes were fluttering as she slipped in and out of consciousness, barely managing to see the figure of Ultron slowly descending toward her. She couldn't will herself to keep fighting, as much as she wanted to. Underneath the armor, she was just human. She wasn't strong enough. And yet…

'Why do you wanna be an Avenger, anyway?' a voice asked in her head.

FLASHBACK

"Because I can help people like you guys," Riri answered with a shrug as she used a socket wrench to tighten the screws to her contraption at her workbench. Standing behind her dressed in a suit was Tony Stark. He narrowed his eyes with his arms folded over his chest.

"Sure, but who doesn't wanna help people at the end of the day?" he retorted in question, "I mean, an MIT scholar who somehow built her own armor like me…" he continued as Riri tensed up slightly, "but she's here helping out the little guys," he pointed out, "You seem like you're above that," he mentioned, causing her to let out a groan.

"You don't need to know why I do what I do," she responded firmly, "Just know that I'm going to help people 'cause it's the right thing to do," she declared.

"Yeah, I get that," Tony agreed, walking over and leaning up against her bench, "But you came so far to get here," he noted, "Lemme guess… family?" he assumed of her. She sighed in defeat.

"My dad and my best friend died when I was young," she confirmed, "And our community back in Chicago was… well… not the best in the first place…" she mentioned, lowering her head in thought.

"I'm sorry—"

"You don't need to apologize," Riri assured with a shake of her head, interjecting her visitor. She looked over at the armor she had been building. "I wanted to come here to learn and do exactly what I needed to, in order to help my people," she told him, "But I don't know if I'm gonna be making it worse or better," she admitted on.

"You're scared to go back and look like just another monster in the crossfire," Tony concluded, earning a nod from the M.I.T. student, "Okay…" he uttered, clapping and rubbing his hands together, "Telling you this now, it's not gonna be easy," he told her, "You can't change everything overnight, and trying to police it all's only going to make things less safe for the people you wanna save," he explained further, causing her to glance away for a moment, "But that's part of the job," he mentioned as he placed a hand onto her shoulder, "Armor's about protecting people," he pointed out, "But our armor's about protecting others, too," he added firmly. A smile crossed the young inventor's face.

"Then we've got work to do, Iron Man," she remarked, going back to tinkering with her armor.

END FLASHBACK

Riri's eyes shot open as she gasped. She aimed her right hand up and fired a repulsor blast that knocked Ultron back before he could reach for her, followed by flying back up into the air. Her android foe chuckled.

"Still got some fight in you?" he presumed.

"I might not have an arsenal of me unlike you, but I'm not giving up…" the armored Avenger declared, clenching her fists tightly.

"Funny you mention that…" Ultron said, raising his right hand. Several drones of his began converging onto his position, looking like a swarm of locusts. Riri widened her eyes underneath her helmet before grimacing with frustration. "How can you possibly hope to stop this?" the android asked of her, firing red beams of light from his left arm that she barely managed to block by materializing shields from her hands. She grunted as she tried withstanding the beams' force, yelling determinedly. Her foe chuckled, thinking that he had her beaten, especially as his drones were about to rush her. But suddenly…

"Indiscriminate Shock…" a familiar voice began, causing Riri and Ultron to perk up in surprise. The former looked down and spotted her boyfriend below, aiming his right pointer finger upward as yellow electricity began crackling around him. "Two Million Volts!" he bellowed, unleashing a discharge into the air.

"Whoa!" his girlfriend yelped as she narrowly managed to avoid getting zapped as she fell to the ground, "Warn me next time, would ya?!" she yelled angrily.

"Sorry!" Denki apologized as he grinned, zapping several of the drones up in the air, "I know this might be a little much to start, but I'll be good to let out another blast in a few minutes!" he pointed out to her.

"Well, it's better that you don't end up frying your brain…" she remarked. The pair then noticed Ultron coming down, landing hard upon the ground in a shockwave that blew them back in yelps.

"A little electric show's not going to stop me…" he declared, stomping over to the Electrification Quirk user, who grimaced.

"Then how about an Acid Shot?!" Mina's voice yelled as she leapt out, throwing out a hail of acidic bullets down towards him. He took notice, flying away in the nick of time. "Aw, crap…" the Acid Quirk user muttered.

"You guys seriously like calling out your moves, don't ya…" Riri muttered out. At that moment, a familiar energy shield flew out and struck Ultron upside the head, making him move back slightly. He looked over to see James hop down from another building, taking on a ready stance.

"Ah, one of the stolen children, all grown up…" he noted to the Avenger, who narrowed his eyes.

"Riri, are you okay?" he asked of his armored colleague, who got onto her feet.

"Yeah…" she replied, "Anyone else on the way?" she asked.

"Just us for now, sorry…" Denki apologized in response.

"It's fine," his girlfriend assured, letting the repulsors upon her hands buzz as they brimmed with blue light, "Whatever it takes, we're stopping Ultron here!" she declared, while their android enemy chuckled.

X

"Homura! Inosuke!" Shiki called out, "You guys okay?!" he yelled in question as the dust was starting to settle. At the other end of the arena was a large stalagmite-like mechanism, which Brigandine was facing. The dust blew away, and everyone widened their eyes.

"No…" Rebecca uttered out as tears pricked her eyes.

"Seriously…?" Shoto growled, clenching his teeth.

"I didn't think they'd lose, especially if this guy's a fake like the others…" Azari admitted, having his Panther Habit's helmet materialize over his head. Lying against the mechanical stalagmite with blood trickling down her body was Homura. Downed on the ground beside her with a single serrated sword in hand was Inosuke, who was in a pool of blood himself.

"Homura… Inosuke…" Shiki uttered in disbelief, looking over at Brigandine.

"They were both valiant warriors," he remarked to the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user, whose eyes trembled.

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed out. A pained groan escaped the demon slayer's lips as he still held onto his lone serrated sword.

'Markings? Like ours?' Tanjiro's voice echoed in his head.

FLASHBACK

"You and Monitsu got those marks to beat the demons in that damn castle, right?!" Inosuke shouted out to his friend as they were having lunch in the living room.

"Well, I had gotten mine long before then…" he pointed out in response, sipping his tea, "But you still won your fight against Upper Two, didn't you?" he inquired on.

"That's only because Kanao was there!" the boar hide-wearing man yelled back in response.

"Mmm… well…" Tanjiro began, putting his right hand onto his chin after setting down his drink, "When we were all getting involved in that training with the Hashira to unlock the marks in the first place, we kinda discovered similarities between our experiences," he told his friend, "We each had gone through life-threatening experiences and survived them," he noted, "Also, Miss Aoi mentioned that things like our heart rates and body temperatures had to be pushed to their limits, as if we were to have fevers in order to attain that newfound strength," he explained further.

"So you got stronger 'cause you got hot?" Inosuke assumed with a tilt of his head.

"Not exactly, I think…" his fellow former demon slayer replied, "It's like… you're on the brink of death, but you can still stand and fight," he pointed out, "I know in many instances, I've fought even when my body wasn't completely healed," he recalled, "You're the same way, Inosuke," he said to the boar hide-wearing man's surprise, "You've survived a lot of tough battles before, even when things had gone wrong," he mentioned on. His friend lowered his head in thought.

"Tanjiro…" he uttered, causing the burgundy-haired man to blink in surprise, "I know we don't really need those marks anymore now that Muzan's gone…" he affirmed, "But… I still wanna get stronger," he stated, taking off his boar hide to look his friend dead in the eyes, face-to-face, "Because there's other monsters we need to stop," he declared. Tanjiro was silent for a moment before cracking a small smile.

"That's a good sentiment, Inosuke," he said, "And I'll help you," he promised further, "We'll be strong enough to beat whatever comes our way," he assured.

END FLASHBACK

Fifteen minutes earlier, those thoughts rang in the back of Inosuke's mind as he breathed heavily with blood dripping down from his head. He and Homura stood off against Brigandine, who had hardly been deterred during their battle. The Soul Blade Ether Gear user was just as exhausted.

"Inosuke… are you alright?" she asked of her colleague. His gripped his twin Nichirin Swords tightly.

"Of course I am," he answered, looking back at her, "This fight's only gotten started!" he yelled out. Homura stared at him in surprise for a moment, blinking as she took notice of his effeminate face.

"You have such a girlish complexion…" she remarked aloud.

"HUH?!" Inosuke exclaimed angrily, causing her to squeak as she sheepishly covered her mouth with her left sleeve.

"My body was once destroyed…" Brigandine noted, making the pair perk up in surprise as he took a powerful step forward, "It was three years ago," he recalled, "Jaguar of the Oración Seis Interestelar tore me asunder in but an instant," he remembered on, "He was their strongest warrior…" he added, "Since then, my body's undergone countless repairs and remodeling, eventually culminating in this unbreakable form," he told his foes, "I have gained strength to exceed that of Jaguar's, with armor that will hardly be left scratched," he affirmed, "This is my 'Peerless Armor'," he declared.

"How gaudy…" Homura commented.

"You think that's gonna scare us or somethin'?!" Inosuke roared in question.

"Nay, I still hope you do challenge me in spite of your lack of success thus far," Brigandine responded, earning a growl from the demon slayer, "Though it is regrettable that I will never get the chance to face Valkyrie… and her 'Peerless Sword'," he mentioned. Homura took on a ready stance as she had a reddish aura build around her body, while her Ether Gear markings expanded.

"Valkyrie's sword was passed down to me, so you are facing this 'Peerless Sword'," she pointed out.

"Oh… I am aware of that," the bulky android retorted, "But you lack her skill," he added, clenching his fists. When the light around Homura settled, it revealed that she had taken on a new appearance. Her hair became white with a pair of foxlike ears at the top and gained a large, bushy tail. Both her legs were darkened and gained red Ether markings, while her arms were covered in more intricate-patterned markings. Her outfit changed into that of a fur-collared, decorative white kimono with a pair of fur-collared sleeves with black shades and Ether markings, matching those on her legs, and were shaped like flame clouds, and held by a navy blue-colored obi tied by a pair of strings with a sakura flower on it.

"I am aware that I do not fully compare to my teacher," she admitted, holding up an oriental longsword of energy in her right hand, "But… if I have the power to vanquish you, then it matters not," she proclaimed proudly.

"Hm," Brigandine huffed. His female opponent charged out at him, though he hardly seemed intimidated. He held up his left arm and blocked off her attempted slash as she gritted her teeth. "The critical point of Ether, known as Overdrive…" he noted aloud, "If you must go so far to use that…" he continued as he started rearing his right fist back, "then you stand no chance against me," he declared.

"Kogoma!" Inosuke yelled, dashing over and crossing his blades in front of himself. As the bulky android threw out his fist, it met the pair of serrated swords, as their wielder had lunged out in front of his friend. However, the force of his foe's blow was too much, sending him and the Soul Blade Ether Gear user flying back as they yelled. They quickly somersaulted back onto their feet, just in time to see their opponent attempting to rush them for another heavy punch. They jumped to opposite sides to evade him as he struck the ground, shattering it into a massive crater.

The demon slayer felt his body tremble with trepidation at the sight of the crater, realizing that he'd be dead if he hadn't dodged the attack. Brigandine's attention was more centered on Homura, though. He took hold of a what looked to be a metal, cylindrical capsule with just his left hand, hurling it out at her. She evaded it while flipping back in midair, landing down and skidding to a stop, assuming a ready stance. Her enemy charged toward her.

"Warrior Maiden Single-Sword Attack…" she began, tightening the grip she had upon her blade with both hands, "DRAGON FLASH!" she roared, swinging her sword out as she lunged forward herself, spinning forward for added momentum. With her foe off-balance from charging, her attack was guaranteed to land. And it did. Unfortunately…

"Protect Fortify!" Brigandine yelled, having thrown his right arm out in defense. A glow came across his body. The moment Homura's blade struck him, it shattered.

"Ah!" she gasped with widened eyes.

"Armored Pressure!" the bulky android bellowed, blitzing forward and knocking her aside as she screamed with pain.

"KOGOMA!" Inosuke cried out, gnashing his teeth together, "Hey, you stupid lion!" he yelled, getting Brigandine's attention, "I doubt you're that unbreakable!" he declared, charging toward him.

"Foolish brat…" he muttered out.

"Beast Breathing: Third Fang…" the demon slayer began as he leapt out and readied his blades, "Devour!" he shouted, swinging his swords to land horizontal slashes to the android's throat, attempting to decapitate him. But he was unaffected to his opponent's shock. At that same moment, the blade in his left hand shattered to pieces.

With a grunt, Brigandine slammed his right fist into Inosuke's stomach. Blood flew out from his mouth as he was sent flying, again crashing against the coliseum wall in a flurry of dust. The bulky android huffed with disappointment, but then heard a familiar hum behind him. It was another energy sword being manifested by Homura in her right hand. She was still standing.

"You still dare to face me after how fruitless your attempts have been thus far?" her foe inquired, hearing her breathe heavily.

"My sword does not need to be peerless…" she affirmed, "All it needs is the power to protect my friends…" she proclaimed, taking a ready stance.

"You do not have that sort of power!" Brigandine roared, lunging toward her for a full-body tackle. Gritting her teeth, Homura decided to take on a defensive position to hopefully parry his attack. But once again, she was sent flying through the air, coughing up blood herself.

'When recalculating her combat ability, the probability of her attacks piercing through my defense is… zero percent,' the bulky android noted to himself, seeing her land down and spit up blood, 'So why?' he wondered inwardly, 'Why does she still fight, knowing how futile it already is?!' he questioned on, lunging toward her. From the wall where he lied with blood streaking down his face, Inosuke had let go of his broken sword while still holding the one in his right hand. He could see the battle unfolding in front of him, with Homura on the brink of losing. And he had already lost first.

'I can't… lose yet…' he proclaimed inwardly, trying to will himself up as he groaned, 'Tanjiro… Zenitsu… Homura…!' he grunted through his thoughts, 'I got stronger… so I could help my friends!' he declared to himself, failing to notice the blue, tusk-like markings manifesting at both sides of his mouth upon his cheeks.

"Now die, one who disgraces the name of Valkyrie!" Brigandine yelled out as he was about to ram into Homura, whose foot slipped as she was preparing to try and counter his attack. She widened her eyes, thinking that she was about to be killed. But then, she spotted Inosuke lunging out from the side, rearing his lone serrated blade back. A fierce, animalistic look came across his face.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared as he slashed mightily. With his focus entirely on the Soul Blade Ether Gear at the time, the bulky android wasn't prepared to take an attack from another direction, let alone from a foe he thought was long defeated. And he certainly wasn't expecting to be sent flying from the attack, crashing into some of the machinery within the coliseum.

"Inosuke!" Homura yelped, seeing her colleague land down and let out a heavy breath.

"Homura…" he uttered, causing her to blink in surprise at hearing her actual name from her comrade, "let's tear this guy to shreds!" he shouted with a wicked grin upon his face. The Soul Blade Ether Gear user cracked a small smile.

"Right!" she responded, lunging out with him. Emerging from the rubble, Brigandine stood and watched his foes make their own charge onto him. He held his arms over his head in defense, believing their attacks to be futile. However, Inosuke was still grinning.

FLASHBACK

"Just one sword?" the feminine-faced demon slayer said in confusion.

"You haven't thought about practicing like that?" Tanjiro inquired back as he and Zenitsu were with their colleague, dressed in U.A. gym clothes while inside the training ground.

"What's the point?" Inosuke grumbled as he sat down, piercing his blades into the ground beside him, "I'm not like you two," he noted.

"But if you're in a situation where you need to use a single sword, it might prove beneficial," Zenitsu chimed in, much to his chagrin as he looked away.

"Inosuke…" Tanjiro uttered, getting his friend's attention, "You want to become stronger so we can defeat Muzan, right?" he assumed. The feminine-faced demon slayer blinked in surprise. "I know that you're already an expert in dual-wielding," his burgundy-haired comrade affirmed, "And if I help you become stronger, I become stronger, too," he mentioned with a smile.

"…Hm," Inosuke huffed after a moment, standing up and grabbing hold of one of his serrated swords, "Then come at me, Kentaro!" he challenged.

"Of course!" Tanjiro responded as he brought out his own blade.

"Could you at least get our names right for once…?" Zenitsu grumbled in question before watching his friends begin their sparring match.

END FLASHBACK

"RRRAAAAAAHHHHH!" Inosuke roared, swinging his blade down onto Brigandine's arms as mightily as he could. The ground cracked beneath the bulky android's feet as he let out a grunt.

'What is this…?' he wondered inwardly, 'He was on death's door but a moment ago…' he noted to himself. Suddenly, he felt his legs buckle. That was because Homura hadn't joined her colleague in attacking from above. Rather, she dashed past and swiped at her foe's legs. As he collapsed onto his knees, she whipped around and leapt toward him.

"Warrior Maiden Single-Sword Attack…" she began, twisting her body to build momentum in the swing of her blade, "DRAGON FLASH!" she exclaimed as she slashed mightily at Brigandine, who barely managed to block the attack with his right arm. He grunted again, shoving his foes away from him. They landed upon the ground, sliding to a stop while still on their feet. The Soul Blade Ether Gear user breathed heavily. She didn't have much time left with her Overdrive now.

Unlocking it had been a grueling task for her. What with everything that had happened three years ago, she didn't think it was even possible because of her lack of strength. In fact, she felt that she lacked the confidence to pull it off at all. But there was a certain someone who believed in her.

FLASHBACK

"This feels so weird..." Shirou admitted as he looked himself over. He was dressed in his normal tracksuit, looking around at the virtual reality of the VR-Sync.

"I too did have some misgivings about training in such a manner," Homura admitted, dressed in a gi as she stepped forward, "Nevertheless, it will benefit the both of us in the times ahead, if we are to face Ziggy and the forces of this Poseidon Nero we've been hearing about..." she mentioned seriously.

"Right..." Shirou agreed, looking around to see Weisz practicing his marksmanship and Shiki sparring against Jinn, while Ochaco trained with Kleene, "So... did this Xenolith guy tell you what to work on specifically?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"An excellent question, young one!" the robot himself chimed in, causing him to yelp in surprise as he turned to see him there, "This little filly wanted to test herself against a swordsman that could easily match and surpass her might," he explained, "Thus, she requested you," he told him.

"Huh," Shirou uttered, "I had no idea you thought I was so strong..." he admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Yes, and I also requested for you because I had wished to see you again..." Homura mentioned aloud as confirmation. The auburn-haired teen blinked in surprise. A few moments passed before the Soul Blade Ether Gear user widened her eyes with realization, blushing madly. "Confound my loose lips!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands as she turned away out of embarrassment.

"She's an interesting one..." Xenolith noted.

"Yeah..." Shirou agreed with a chuckle.

"Now listen here, boy," the robot advised, getting his attention, "This one's close to a breakthrough, but needs something to challenge her properly," he explained, "In doing so, she'll become much stronger," he pointed out.

"Right," the auburn-haired teen responded, "In that case, I shouldn't back against you," he noted to Homura, who nodded.

"Please do not," she requested.

"Hm," Xenolith chuckled, "Then I'll leave you both to it," he decided before walking off, "Those bearers of gravity need work themselves..." he noted as he left. With that, Shirou and Homura stood just yards apart from each other. The latter of the two quickly manifested a blade of shining red energy into her hands, gripping it tightly as her Ether Gear markings glowed.

"As the Sword of Edens, I humbly request that you come at me with your full strength!" she commanded fiercely. Flashing a grin, the auburn-haired teen before her held out his hands to their respective sides.

"Trace... on!" he exclaimed. A blue aura much like lightning appeared underneath his palms before shaping into the twin swords of Kanshou and Bakuya, which he quickly took hold of.

"I've seen you use those blades before..." Homura recalled as she blinked, "In that case, I shall come at you first!" she decided, rushing forward. Shirou was quick to bring his blades up to block hers as sparks flew. Letting out a powerful yell, he swung his twin swords to force her to slide back along the floor. Her eyes widened in surprise before she found herself having to suddenly deflect a flurry of furious slashes from her auburn-haired foe.

She pivoted around with her right foot to avoid Kanshou from being thrust into her stomach as Shirou blinked in surprise. He saw her rear her blade back in an attempt to slash him while he was off balance. But he quickly blocked the swipe with Bakuya, resulting in sparks raining about. He shoved her back, causing her to stumble for a moment before they clashed once more.

"Perhaps... I underestimated just how capable you were...!" she admitted aloud to his surprise as he blinked. However, he didn't hesitate to knock her back with one more slash, making her fall upon the floor as she grimaced. She sat up to find her sparring partner with his twin swords aimed at her. She lowered her head in shame.

"Hey, it's okay," Shirou assured, causing her to perk up a little, "Training like this'll get you stronger bit by bit," he pointed out, putting down Kanshou before extending his right hand out to her. She gladly took it, allowing him to pull her back up onto her feet.

"Um... if you would pardon me for a moment..." she requested, causing him to blink in confusion. He saw her become bathed suddenly in a bright light, bracing himself from the glow before noticing it subside. He glanced out to see that she had changed from her training gi into her usual kimono decorated with flower-like designs. "I believe I will feel more at ease in this..." she admitted sheepishly with a blush.

Shirou grinned, picking up Kanshou off of the floor. Homura formed a new blade into her right hand, taking a deep breath. During her time at U.A. High for training, there was a technique that she had been curious about that came from the demon slayers. The idea behind Total Concentration Breathing seemed challenging, especially for her. Yet there were several swordsmen who could do it. Inhaling the maximum amount of oxygen she could, she glared intensely before rushing forward. Her opponent almost found himself unable to block the attack as he grimaced, seeing the sparks fly. He cracked a nervous grin.

"Where'd that come from...?!" he wondered aloud.

"It seems I have found my second wind, so to speak..." she confirmed in reply. The two of them continued to clash with each other, not giving an inch for a single moment as their blades made sparks rain about everywhere. At one point, Shirou spotted cracks forming upon Kanshou and Bakuya.

"Whoa..." he uttered in shock. What was even more surprising was his foe's changing appearance, with her Ether Gear markings spreading throughout her entire body. Her hair became a lighter color with a pair of fox-like ears at the top as she gained a large, bushy tail. Both of her legs became darkened and gained light-colored Ether markings, while her arms were covered in more intricate-patterned Ether Gear markings. Her outfit changed into that of a fur-collared, decorative light-colored kimono with a pair of fur-collared sleeves with dark-colored shades and Ether markings, matching those on her legs, and were shaped like flame clouds, and held by a dark-colored obi tied by a pair of strings with a sakura flower on it. Her sword had changed into an oriental longsword. "So that's your Overdrive..." Shirou realized, taking on a defensive stance.

"Warrior Maid Single Sword Attack..." Homura began to bellow as she lunged forward. She slashed in a circular motion, shattering her sparring partner's blades. "KITSUNE PERFECT CIRCLE STRIKE!" she exclaimed. Shirou faltered onto his right knee, breathing heavily. The memory her blade shattering both of his was etched into his mind.

"Wow..." he uttered out, glancing back to see her transformed state fade as she let her sword disappear as well, "I knew you could do it," he noted with a chuckle, getting her attention as she turned back to him. A soft smile graced her lips.

"Thank you, Shirou," she said with gratitude, grateful to have a friend like him to help guide her.

END FLASHBACK

'Shirou…' Homura began inwardly as she held up her blade firmly, taking on a ready stance while taking a concentrated breath of air, 'no matter what happens, I will never give up!' she declared through her thoughts. She dashed out, clashing her blade against Brigandine's arms as he held them up in defense. It wasn't as if she was causing him much trouble. He still believed his victory against both her and Inosuke was assured. So then… why weren't they giving up?

"Beast Breathing: Eighth Form…" the feminine-faced demon slayer began, getting the bulky android's attention as he turned to see his foe charge at him, "Explosive Rush!" he exclaimed, thrusting his blade out and piercing through his target's torso.

"Ergh…!" he grunted out, feeling the sword sink further into his body. However, it hardly pained him. "You fool!" he roared, striking Inosuke upside the head with his right fist, making more blood fly out from his mouth. But he kept grinning, gripping his serrated sword tightly.

"TAKE HIM OUT, HOMURA!" he yelled out. Brigandine let out a gasp, looking to see the Soul Blade Ether Gear rearing her own blade back as it hummed brightly with energy.

"A last-ditch effort to try and defeat me…" the bulky android realized, taking hold of Inosuke to keep him from moving as he turned to face Homura, "It matters not," he proclaimed, "Even if you've pierced my armor, there's no way you can break the rest…" he added in declaration.

"We shall see, won't we?" the Soul Blade Ether Gear user retorted with a grin to his surprise. He growled, charging out at her.

"You won't be able to attack at full strength if you want to keep your friend alive!" he pointed out, "And even if you do, you'll never be able to defeat me!" he mentioned angrily, "Now die, you disgrace of Valkyrie's name!" he roared out.

"Only those who know how I live may decide that!" Homura shouted back, lunging forward. In a split-second, she closed the distance between her and her incoming foe. "Warrior Maiden Single-Sword Attack…" she began, slashing rapidly as if multiple blades were slicing at her target, "KITSUNE DANCING BLADES!" she bellowed.

"ARMORED PRESSURE!" Brigandine exclaimed, ramming his right arm into her while taking the barrage of slashes.

"GAAAHHHH…!" she gasped out, flying back and crashing into the nearby machinery. Gritting his teeth, Inosuke gripped his sword's hilt tightly.

"Sixth Fang…" he began, making the bulky android perk up in surprise, "PALISADE BITE!" he roared, sawing through his foe's innards rapidly as he thrusted his blade in and out. Reacting quickly as he could, Brigandine smacked him off of him with his left hand, sending him flying back as he tumbled along the ground, coming to a stop upon his stomach. He still held onto his lone blade, groaning weakly.

"You withstood those blows…" the bulky android realized, letting out a pained grunt. He looked out toward Homura, who had transformed back to normal. "H…How…?" he questioned with a stutter as the dust settled, revealing several cuts in his body, including the gaping hole in his torso where almost all of the slashes met. The Soul Blade Quirk user grinned.

"Even for those with such great defensive power…" she began to reply, "those defenses fall at the very moment they attack…" she pointed out.

"And you attacked in that very moment… lowering your own defenses…?" Brigandine inquired, "Even though your comrade was in my grasp…" he mentioned as Inosuke had a few significant slashes upon his back.

"Inosuke is strong," Homura affirmed, "He trusted that I would see our victory through," she mentioned.

"You took such great risks…" the bulky android said.

"Those are the fundamentals of battle…" the Soul Blade Ether Gear user noted with a few heavy breaths, "That is what my teacher taught me," she added as sweat and blood trickled down her face. At that moment, the others had arrived back in the coliseum.

"Homura… Inosuke…" Shiki uttered in disbelief, looking over at Brigandine.

"They were both valiant warriors," he remarked to the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user, whose eyes trembled. At that moment, more cracks appeared along his body. "Well… done…!" he said before crumbling into pieces upon the ground, much to everyone's shock.

"The hell…?" Weisz uttered out.

"They… won…" Shoto realized, letting off a smile.

"Homura!" Shiki cried out, running over to the Soul Blade Ether Gear user, while Rebecca and Rin went over to check on Inosuke.

"I'm detecting heartbeats from both!" Pino confirmed after a moment, "They're alive!" she added happily.

"Hang in there, Homura!" Shiki insisted as he crouched down, about to pick his friend up, "We'll get you back to the Edens Zero and—"

"Shiki…" the Soul Blade Ether Gear user uttered out weakly, causing him to blink in surprise. She trembled as she let out slow, quiet breaths. "Have I… done my part?" she wondered aloud to his confusion, "Have I… fulfilled my duty… as one of the Shining Stars…?" she inquired on, lifting her head up. Standing, the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user cracked a small smile.

"That doesn't really matter to me…" he said as a soft breeze gently blew by, "The fact that we're friends is more important," he affirmed. With that, Homura smiled back.

"Then I have all the confidence I need…" she assured.

"Gah…" Inosuke groaned as he opened his eyes slowly.

"Inosuke, can you hear us?!" Rebecca asked frantically.

"Say something!" Rin insisted out of worry.

"R…R…" the demon slayer tried to say, "Ron…" he uttered out.

"MY NAME ISN'T RON!" the mage shouted angrily, causing Rebecca to let out a nervous chuckle.

"He's in really bad shape…" Happy pointed out.

"Indeed," Pino agreed, "I detect multiple broken bones in both his and Homura's bodies," she mentioned to the group.

"No surprise, considering what they were up against," Weisz pointed out as he and Azari stood over Brigandine's remains, "I'm more surprised this guy ended up being the real deal from the look of it…" he added aloud.

"Well, that's one problem we don't need to worry about…" Rebecca noted as she and Rin helped the weakened Inosuke to his feet, "Now that we're all back together, we can focus on getting to the core of the planet," she affirmed seriously.

"Hold on, you don't wanna take a breather?" the Machina Maker Ether Gear user inquired in surprise, "You might not look as bad as me, but you're the last person I'd think of wanting to keep up the fight…" he told her in admittance.

"It's not just about fighting, Weisz," she retorted to his surprise, "Once I can summon that Chronophage with my power, we can stop all the fighting here, along with Ziggy," she pointed out seriously, "I want to put an end to this, for the sakes of everyone suffering from everything…" she added with a trembling right fist. Everyone was surprised by her demeanor, especially Shiki. Just then, Pino perked up.

"Incoming!" she exclaimed, causing the others to glance over and see a figure land down in the coliseum nearby. Shoto took on a defensive stance, but then blinked to see that it was Izuku who had arrived, with Nezuko upon his back.

"Guys!" the One For All inheritor called out.

"Midoriya…" the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user sighed in relief.

"Izu!" Rebecca exclaimed with a smile.

"Are you alright?" the freckled man asked, jogging over as Nezuko hopped off of him.

"For the most part, yeah," Shiki answered, holding Homura's right arm around his shoulders as he helped her to her feet, "We got ourselves caught up in a trap, though…" he muttered out.

"As you can tell, we broke out," Shoto confirmed.

"Ah!" Nezuko gasped as she saw the injured Inosuke in Rebecca and Rin's care, "Inosuke!" she cried out while running over.

"Looks like things weren't so easy here…" Izuku concluded grimly.

"Whatever the case, we're still on track to reach the core," Azari affirmed, getting his attention along with those of the others, "Rebecca's right, we shouldn't take it easy," he insisted of his colleagues, "Let's move and put an end to this," he advised further, walking off.

"Right…" Izuku agreed almost hesitantly, following him along with the others.

"How are things going on the outside?" Rin inquired of Nezuko, causing her to blink in surprise.

"Well… I wouldn't say it's much better…" she admitted as a response.

X

My, what a glorious battle for both Homura and Inosuke. Their victory seems to ensure a path forward to Lendard's core. But as their battle may open a door for them, the battle aboard the Edens Zero has opened a path for the Dark Stars. So… what will our heroes do to stop them?

"Gah… agh…!" Hermit gasped out upon the hangar floor, desperately clinging to consciousness as the bulging veins were spread all along her right arm and the right side of her face. She could only watch as Clown was casually sauntering towards the large door at the very end of the hangar.

"All four of the Shining Stars are officially out of service…" he proclaimed, "And now, Lord Ziggy will have his greatest desire," he affirmed on, "The power to change the laws of the universe… Etherion…" he stated. Hermit desperately tried to push herself up.

'So they're after Etherion…?!' she inquired inwardly, gritting her teeth, 'That's not good…' she realized, trying to reach her right hand out, 'I gotta stop him somehow before—!' All of a sudden, a hand grabbed her by her wrist.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you," a familiar voice said, causing her to gasp. She looked up to see none other than Killer there. "Surprised?" he inquired, seeing her expression of complete shock.

"Oh, Li'l Kill!" Clown greeted from afar, "A backup for a backup, hm?" he presumed, "You always were one obsessed with having those 'contingencies'…" he pointed out.

"They work out in times like these," his fellow Dark Star noted as a retort as he lifted Hermit up by her arm as she winced, "Unlike some other stupid bots…" he mentioned mockingly. The Shining Star winced as she weakly looked at him.

"What… happened to Sister…?!" she asked, "And Alice?!" she inquired.

"Both on the brink of death, I'm afraid…" Clown answered, "But don't worry, you'll be joining them shortly…" he assured grimly with a sinister grin. Hermit grimaced before gasping to find an energy blade brought to her throat, brought forth by Killer.

"I know the virus'll eventually take you out, but better to be safe than sorry," he remarked, making her growl.

"So I was fighting a dupe all along…?" she presumed in frustration.

"Oh, don't be too mad, Hermit…" her counterpart insisted as a response, "It's not that you're weak, I'm just smarter," he affirmed, "I'm an assassin after all," he mentioned, "Why would I play fair?" he questioned as his blade pressed against his foe's throat.

"Yeah… why would we play fair?" she inquired back with a smirk.

"'We'?" Killer repeated. All of a sudden, he was met with a punch to his left side, knocking him off of the Shining Star as he slid back. He growled before turning, blinking in surprise to see Mimosa there with her right fist extended.

"That's far enough!" she exclaimed, taking on a serious expression.

"Ha, seriously?" the Dark Star laughed out, "This is who you're betting on to save you?" he inquired of Hermit, who had fallen back to her hands and knees as she breathed heavily.

"Mimosa… can your healing magic work on machines?" she asked of the Golden Dawn magic knight.

"I'm not sure it could, sorry…" she apologized in response.

"That's fine," the Shining Star assured, "Just focus on keeping Killer occupied," she insisted, "I can deal with the clown back there…" she affirmed in spite of the veins spread all across her face.

"Ooh, isn't this fun~?" Clown sang out cheekily with curiosity.

"Tch," Killer scoffed, letting off a smirk, "I won't even need to use any tricks to take someone like you out…" he proclaimed, rushing toward Mimosa with his blade at the ready. She narrowed her eyes, seeing him thrust his weapon right for her skull. But she weaved around it. "Huh?" he uttered as he blinked in surprise, followed by taking another powerful punch to his side as he was sent flying, crashing into one of the starships in the hangar. "Agh…" he groaned as he sat up, "What the hell…?" he grumbled in question.

"Plant Magic: Floral Synthesis," the Golden Dawn mage said as her grimoire floated beside her, "I learned this enhancement spell a while ago," she noted, "Ever since I became a part of the Magic Knights Squads, I've always used my magic for healing, never for battle," she mentioned in explanation, "But as time's passed, I know that I need to be able to protect my friends when the time calls for it!" she affirmed, lunging toward her opponent, "That's why I'll fight!" she declared, about to land a powerful kick. Killer barely managed to roll off of the starship in time before his foe struck it, sending it crashing against the hangar wall. He growled in frustration.

"You just don't make things easy, do you…?" he inquired angrily as he clenched his teeth. Mimosa leapt at him again.

"Well, that certainly throws our little plan for a bit of a loop…" Clown admitted before placing his right hand against the door at the end of the hangar, "But it's fine…" he affirmed with a grin, "Code Three-One-Seven-Three… unlock," he said as energy lines started spreading along the door. Back in the Edens Spa, the lion-like beast was still pinning Sister to the floor, while a weakening Alice let out short, quick breaths afar, her body almost completely infected with the poison that had entered. Neither of them seemed to be able to move.

"'That's the end'…" the Shining Star's voice echoed from the four-eyed beast's mouth, causing it to perk up in surprise, "Hey, you deaf or somethin'?!" she shouted, "I said 'that's the end', just like he did!" she pointed out angrily, "Wait, maybe saying something like 'hold it' or 'drop' would work better…" she admitted aloud, much to the beast's confusion, "Ah, screw it…" she grumbled out, "I'm already bored of this shit," she confirmed. A greenish-yellow healing aura began building around the beast. For a moment, it seemed relatively relaxed. But then, it started trembling as it let go of its captive. "Overheal Destroy!" she exclaimed, causing the beast to suddenly explode in a spray of oil, "Tch," she scoffed with a smirk, "You've got no discipline, you damn dog…" she muttered out, getting to her feet in a grunt, "Oh shit, Alice!" she exclaimed in realization as she ran over to the ice and water mage, kneeling down and preparing to tend to her. However, she stopped upon noticing that she wasn't breathing. "No, no, no…" she repeated frantically, rolling her over onto her back before checking her left wrist for a pulse, which she couldn't feel, "Dammit, no!" she screamed, quickly doing chest compressions to try and resuscitate her. But nothing happened. She moved her hands away and grimaced with shame.

'I'm sorry, Alice…' she apologized through her thoughts, getting onto her feet with tears pricking her eyes. An angered scowl crossed her face. 'That damn Clown's dead…' she proclaimed inwardly. Back in the hangar, several small drones appeared, firing a barrage of shots down at Mimosa, who elegantly flipped back to evade them before charging in on Killer. He threw out the tentacle-like apparatus at his back to try and ensnare her, but she weaved around it, closing in. She then barraged his chest with a flurry of punches, sending him sliding back along the hangar as he let out a pained grunt.

"I didn't get it that time either…" the Golden Dawn magic knight grumbled.

"What are you complaining about?" her foe inquired, stepping forward, "Then again, even if that stupid spell of yours is making you stronger…" he continued as his drones started firing on Mimosa again, forcing her to fall back to evade their shots, "it probably only lasts so long," he pointed out, dashing forward, "Once it's over, I win," he proclaimed, managing to nick her left shoulder with his blade as she winced. Blood trickled down her arm, though she kept her determined expression. Meanwhile, Hermit weakly crawled her way over to the door at the end of the hangar, all while the veins bulged along her body. She reached out, but ultimately collapsed, seemingly gasping for air. Clown glanced back at her.

"Kill's virus getting the better of you?" he assumed, "Well, don't feel too bad," he remarked, "You at least went down with some grace…" he affirmed as the lines spreading along the door continued growing. The Mind of Edens grimaced, knowing that if she didn't stop him now, an even more cataclysmic event would befall her and her friends. "Etherion will be yours at last… Master Ziggy," the Dark Star declared.

"Don't you dare," a familiar voice remarked, causing him to perk up in surprise. He glanced back to see a smirking Sister walking over, riddled with gashes on her dirtied body.

"Sister…!" Hermit gasped out.

"Don't you worry, Hermit," her fellow Shining Star assured as she approached, sticking her right hand out at her as a greenish-yellow healing aura emitted from it, "I'll fix you right up," she promised. The same aura shrouded her colleague as the bulging veins began receding, disappearing completely.

"Ah…" she exhaled afterward in relief, panting for a moment.

"Well, that's not good…" Clown remarked. From afar, Killer took notice and grimaced.

"Didn't you say you killed her, Clown?!" he roared in question before being met with a roundhouse kick from Mimosa's left leg, sending him crashing against the wall.

"Well, you didn't take out Hermit…" the Death of Edens retorted, "Wait a moment… where's the other one?" he wondered curiously. Sister blinked before lowering her head ashamedly for a moment.

"Sister… is Alice…?" Hermit started to ask.

"I tried to save her…" her fellow Shining Star said, clenching her fists tightly, "This bastard's the one who went ahead and poisoned her…" she muttered angrily with a glare toward Clown.

"Not my fault you decided to try and stop me instead of saving her," he retorted with a shrug, "And shouldn't my beast have eaten you by now?" he inquired on.

"Hmph," Sister scoffed, "Hell of a mutt you got," she said, "But when you've got a pet that's not disciplined, sometimes you gotta put it down," she pointed out, "I mean, it bit right through me…" she mentioned, looking at her gashes.

"So you killed it?" Clown presumed, chuckling a little, "You're the 'Life' of Edens, yet you killed a poor animal…" he noted mockingly.

"Pfft, yeah right…" Sister scoffed out, "That 'animal' was made out of your Ether," she said, "Even if it was a real mutt, I'd train it to obey me instead," she affirmed confidently, "So here's the deal," she continued as she took a step forward, "I'm gonna send you straight to hell for what you did to Alice," she declared firmly, "If you wanna kill me before that happens, go ahead and try…" she challenged with a glare.

"Ooh, quite the challenge…" Clown remarked back.

"Don't fool around and just take her out!" Killer insisted while evading another of Mimosa's punches.

"Coming from the person who failed to kill even one person, I find that rich…" his fellow Dark Star retorted, "Maybe we should change your name," he suggested jokingly with a smirk, causing the Brain of Edens to growl.

"Maybe I'll just go ahead and destroy this damn ship!" he yelled out to everyone's surprise, "With Hermit too weak to stop me, I could easily go ahead and hack my way into every system…" he noted as he grinned deviously, "We'll get Etherion and then—!" As he took a step forward, the floor opened up beneath him. "Huh?" he uttered, falling into the hole as he yelped.

"I might be weak, but that doesn't mean I can't stop you from causing more trouble!" Hermit remarked, having typed upon a set of holographic keys that had appeared beside her, "Mimosa, make sure he doesn't get back on the ship!" she instructed of the Golden Dawn magic knight.

"Right!" she responded, hopping down the hole herself. Outside the Edens Zero, a port opened up for Killer to fall through. He growled.

"That damn bitch!" he snarled. He then blinked in surprise to see Mimosa coming, twisting her body around before landing another roundhouse kick with her right leg to his head, sending him crashing into another building. She herself grimaced.

"I'm still not getting it!" she exclaimed in frustration. She brought forth vines and flowers around herself, forming a dress that helped to slow her descent thanks to its wing-like ornaments that were also composed of leaves and flowers.

"Humph," Killer scoffed as he stood up wiped his lips, "Whatever you're not getting, I'm guessing it's what you'll need to beat me with that spell of yours still active…" he assumed with a smirk, making his foe grimace, "I'll kill you before you even get the chance to hit me again," he declared, enveloping himself in a bright flash of light. Dark orange Ether-lines trailed along his body as it started to morph, with him taking on a crazed grin as his hair grew out.

"You shouldn't underestimate just because I'm human," Mimosa advised, assuming a ready stance as her dress of flowers and vines disappeared, "After all… my magic is never giving up!" she yelled proudly.

X

"Ugh…" Hermit groaned from back in the hangar as she fell onto her side, breathing heavily.

"Hermit!" Sister cried out.

"Sorry…" her fellow Shining Star apologized, "I'm pretty much spent after having to hold off that virus…" she confirmed weakly as sweat trickled down her face.

"Don't worry," the Life of Edens assured, "I'm sure Mimosa can handle that patch-faced creep," she affirmed confidently.

"Ooh, that's a good one!" Clown remarked with a snap of his fingers, "So I'm guessing you're going to be the one to handle me?" he presumed, "I mean, it's only natural that life would go up against death…" he mentioned jokingly, chuckling a little.

"Unlike Hermit, I know I can beat your ass," Sister affirmed with clenched fists.

"Oh?" the Dark Star uttered, "Then I suppose I must teach you what 'death' really is…" he decided, holding his hands out, "I am the Death of Edens after all…" he noted on.

"Blah, blah…" his foe muttered before charging at him, "Let's get this shit over with already!" she insisted.

"I'd like nothing more…" Clown concurred, snapping his fingers. All of a sudden, a dark mist spewed out from the floor, surrounding Sister as she yelped in surprise.

"Sister!" Hermit cried out.

"The hell…?!" her fellow Shining Star yelped as the mist started wrapping around her, pulling her in.

"Is it an Ether boundary…?" the Mind of Edens wondered aloud, only to blink in realization, "No, it's a virus!" she exclaimed, "Sister!" she cried out.

"Yeah, I know!" the Life of Edens responded, letting a golden glow shroud her hands, "Dispel Driver!" she yelled. However, the mist wasn't receding in the slightest, continuing to wrap around her. "What the hell?!" she shouted out.

"It's no use, I'm afraid," Clown said, "We are the superior successors to you lot, after all," he pointed out, "Even if Witch and Valkyrie lived, they'd lose to their counterparts, too," he mentioned further.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sister shrieked as the mist engulfed her.

"SISTER!" Hermit screamed, seeing her disappear completely into the darkness.

"Have a pleasant nightmare, Sister Ivry…" Clown remarked sinisterly. Opening her eyes, the Life of Edens found herself chained by her arms and legs, hung up without any means of escape.

"Ergh…" she growled out, "Hey, I'm not into the BDSM crap when I'm on the receiving end!" she yelled angrily, "I mean… if Luck's the one doing it…" she continued in admittance, glancing off to the side as she blushed a little. Just then, Clown's head manifested in front of her face.

"Just so you know, Rebecca was in a similar situation a little while ago," he pointed out.

"What?!" Sister exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, it was my duplicate who trapped her in this mindscape…" the Dark Star mentioned as a correction, "Sadly, she's no longer here," he noted, "I was quite surprised to find out that she broke free from this void, given her weakness as a mere human," he admitted, "She even destroyed my precious fake," he added. The captive Shining Star let out a laugh.

"So Rebecca kicked your ass, huh?" she assumed, "Then beating the real you should be a piece of fucking cake…" she proclaimed with a smirk, tugging on the chains binding her.

"You should be careful, Sister," Clown advised, "The duplicates that were created for each of the Dark Stars have about a fifth of their actual power in use," he explained, "There're also prime duplicates that can channel around forty percent of that power," he mentioned further.

"Your point?" Sister inquired out of annoyance.

"I'm the real deal," Clown affirmed in response, "There're no cracks to slip through with me, no one to come and save you…" he added further, "Were you hoping you'd get revenge for that poor little Alice?" he inquired on, giggling cheekily.

"Bastard!" Sister snarled, "Let go of me and we can see how that'll turn out!" she challenged.

"Oh, I'm not letting this chance go to waste…" Clown retorted with a sinister grin, "I have all the time to show you a beautiful nightmare…" he said as his head started contorting. The Life of Edens found herself unable to look away, widening her eyes at the horrifying sight of her foe's head expanding into that of a demonic-looking clown, having multiple eyes and tentacles protruding from it.

"Oh hell…" she muttered out. The tentacles coiled around her arms and legs, making her wince as she felt them squeeze on her body. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed. All of a sudden, one tentacle thrust into her mouth, silencing her as she choked. It came out soon after, but then she saw her belly start bulging. "No… stop…!" she weakly gasped out. In that moment, small parasitic creatures burst out of her stomach, ripping her torso off completely as the lower half of her body plummeted into the abyss of the void. Tears flowed down her face as she could barely breathe.

"Don't die yet…" Clown insisted, "The real nightmare's just begun…" he pointed out.

"…Heheh…" Sister suddenly chuckled to his surprise, "This… isn't really happening…" she realized, "You call it a nightmare… so it's just all in my head, right?" she assumed, "Way to spoil the ending, dipshit…" she remarked with a smirk, "You're so predictable…" she added.

"Hmph," Clown scoffed, "You're not exactly in a position to fight back, even if you are aware it's not real…" he told her.

"Sure… even if the average person was aware it was just a dream, they'd get crazy amounts of mental damage to their psyche…" she noted in response, "Glad that Rebecca didn't take the full brunt of this…" she mentioned, clenching her fists, "I'm a doctor, and I know my shit," she affirmed, "The second you brought me here was the second you lost," she declared to her counterpart's surprise, "Now it's your turn to get dominated," she decided. The eyes of the monstrous head widened, seeing her grin. "Direct Link Dive… activate!" she exclaimed as a golden glow began shrouding what remained of her body. All of a sudden, the head in front of her burst apart, revealing Clown himself there. He grimaced, followed by ending up suddenly getting cuffed to a wood board in the shape of an x.

"Wh-What is this?!" he exclaimed in question, quite shocked. Meanwhile, Sister had regenerated her lower body completely, assuming a new appearance with black leather lingerie, having gloves, boots, and a choker. A whip materialized in her right hand.

"Alright, big boy…" she began, licking her lips, "time for your punishment," she declared. A frightened expression was upon the Dark Star's face. Before he knew it, he ended up on the receiving end of so many lashes from his foe. What followed was him getting tormented in various ways, all while he screamed for mercy.

"NO MORE! PLEEEEAAAASSSEEEE!" he begged, "STTTTOOOOOPPPP!" he yelled out.

"No way, jackass!" Sister shouted back, "I sentence you to being my toy for life!" she exclaimed, whipping him endlessly, "MENTAL BREAK!" she roared as he screamed with tortured agony. The mindscape around them completely shattered.

"Ah…Ahhhh…" the Dark Star whimpered, trembling where he stood as his opponent smirked at him.

"On my honor as the Life of Edens…" she began, "your life is the only thing I'll save," she affirmed, while Clown could only shake with fright.

"Please… spare me…" he begged, "I've had enough of your torment…" he said, dropping to his hands and knees while bowing his head, "I'll leave without another word, I promise!" he assured.

"Change of heart, huh?" Sister noted, somewhat disappointed as she sighed, "Guess you get the situation…" she concluded before starting to approach him.

"Sister…!" a familiar voice echoed, causing her to perk up in surprise.

"Hermit?" she uttered out, looking around to not see her fellow Shining Star, "Wait, where the hell'd you go?" she wondered aloud. She failed to notice the grin appearing upon the trembling Clown's face.

"Sister!" the Mind of Edens cried out. She had seen the situation unfold. Sister had broken free from the dark mist, but didn't seem to have completely broken out of the mindscape. The Clown that she thought was in front of her wasn't real. In fact, he was actually standing right behind her, holding up his right arm as a gun barrel protruded from it.

"You almost had me for real, Sister…" he admitted aloud.

'Between being tormented to barely keeping my mindscape online has definitely taken its toll on me…' he noted inwardly, still trembling from the trauma he suffered, 'but if I kill her now, the rest of this matter shouldn't be so hard,' he affirmed through his thoughts.

"You gonna keep sitting there all day, or am I gonna have get rough again?" Sister inquired, causing him to shiver with fright, only to realize that she was talking to the illusion of him in front of her. He shook his head to try and maintain his composure, aiming his gun at the back of her head.

"Sister, move!" Hermit screamed, "He's right behind you!" she cried out.

"Hermit?" her fellow Shining Star said, looking to her right. At that moment, she noticed her breath. Clown attempted to fire on her… but nothing came out from his gun, making him gasp. A cold air wafted into the hangar. In fact, it breezed about the rest of the ship.

"My word…" Connor uttered, rubbing his gloved hands together for warmth, "Whatever is happening aboard this ship?" he wondered aloud.

"Huh…" Labilia shivered out from the safe room with Mosco holding onto her and Couchpo, trying to provide them warmth, "Why'd it suddenly get so cold?!" she inquired.

"Does that Crow guy have an ice Ether Gear?" her fellow B-Cuber wondered.

"Mos-freezing…!" the android with them exclaimed as he shuddered. Both Torunn and Henry gasped upon seeing their breath in the infirmary. In the hangar, Clown's mouth hung open in disbelief as he saw his gun become completely frozen in ice, along with his entire arm. A chilling wind rushed through the area, making him wince as the Shining Stars also felt it. Opening her eyes, Sister blinked to finally see Hermit on the floor, but also yelped upon noticing the Dark Star right behind her.

"Aw, jeez!" she yelled as she hopped back, "Guess you almost got the drop on me, huh?" she concluded, gripping her whip tightly.

"Sister," a familiar voice chimed in, causing her to gasp in astonishment. She and the other androids slowly turned to see a figure wandering into the hangar. It was Alice, whose hair had turned a snow white, with her right arm seemingly covered in ice, having a scar-like marking running up her right eye. "Let me take it from here," she insisted firmly. Clown shuddered with fright.

X

"ERRAAAHHHH!" Way Big roared as he and Crow exchanged blows. The titanic android grinned.

"Not bad, meatsack!" he remarked before uppercutting the To'kustar with his left fist, sending him flying back, "But it's gonna take more than that to stop me!" he bellowed, firing off lasers from his eyes that struck his foe, making him crash into the ground hard.

"Kenny!" Jessica screamed from afar.

"Heads up!" America yelled, swinging her right leg out to land a kick, countering the attempted swipe by the Oración Seis Galáctica member's regenerated right arm in a star-shaped shockwave. He let off a scoff, while his opponents grimaced. "We're not getting anywhere with this!" America complained.

"We have to at least hold out for Hermit and the others to get the main cannon charged enough," the Green Lantern pointed out, firing off a powerful beam of green light from her ring onto Crow, who blocked it off with his right hand, "But we don't know what's going on in the ship…" she mentioned with a grimace.

"We'll have to make do for now!" Yuno chimed in as he flew over, "Wind Magic: Tornado Fang!" he roared as he unleashed a torrent of air in conjunction with Jessica's ray, slowly starting to push Crow back. Meanwhile, the trio of starfighters manned by Laguna, Kris, and Kleene were doing away with the anti-aircraft guns that were planted around the immediate area. One that had been missed took aim toward the vessel being piloted by the Wind Snatch Ether Gear user. However, it failed to fire as it was immediately destroyed in a sonic blast launched from the cannon formed upon Jaime's arm.

"Huh…" he exhaled, "Hey, you guys alright in there?!" he yelled in question through the communication line, looking toward the Edens Zero, "Do you need help?!" his voice echoed through the ears of Hermit and Sister, whose eyes were shaking. With each step she took into the hangar, Alice was making frost form beneath her feet.

"Y-Y-Y-Y…" Clown stuttered out, shuddering from both the cold and the fear entering his mind, "You… should be dead…!" he proclaimed.

"My Ice Demon Slayer Magic neutralizes anything like your poisons," the ice and water mage responded, "Truth be told, I was hoping to not have to use it in order to save my strength for perhaps another battle," she admitted, looking over to the pair of Shining Stars, "But I guess was kidding myself," she concluded, "I just didn't think an idiot like you would've forced my hand…" she added with a hint of anger in her tone.

"A-A-An idiot…?" Clown repeated as he shivered.

"Alice… are you good?" Sister asked in concern.

"I will be," the ice and water mage assured, "But if I'm going to finish this fight, I'll want to avoid causing too much damage to the ship," she pointed out, "If it isn't too much trouble…" she continued.

"Say no more," Hermit said, quickly typing a few commands upon the holographic keys that appeared around her, "Finish him off," she insisted. Nodding, Alice fell into a hole that had opened up in the floor suddenly.

"Huh?" Clown uttered in confusion before meeting the same fate, letting out a scream.

"Huh…" the Mind of Edens exhaled, "Guess we should be glad Alice pulled through…" she remarked.

"Yeah…" Sister agreed with a nervous grin, "And she looked hot and scary…" she mentioned, causing Hermit to roll her eyes in annoyance. She then stood up in a grunt, putting her right hand up to her ear.

"Connor, you there?" she inquired.

"Hermit!" the portly man exclaimed over the communication line, "Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"Fine now," the Mind of Edens replied, "We've ejected the intruders from the ship, and they're being dealt with," she told him, "How goes the battle with Crow?" she asked over the intercom on the bridge.

"Slow still, I'm afraid," Connor answered, "But Holy's getting into position right now to make her attack," he confirmed.

"Good," Hermit responded, "I'll start the charging for the main cannon back up," she confirmed, "Sister, you head back to the infirmary," she instructed of her fellow Shining Star, who nodded. Meanwhile, another port opened up on the side of the Edens Zero, with both Alice and a screaming Clown falling down. The former landed and slid to a stop upon the open ground, while the latter crashed face-first on the surface in a pained grunt. As the ice and water mage took a ready stance, she couldn't help but notice the several drones converging onto the scene, swarming around her while prepping cannons. Her opponent stood up and started giggling.

"I-It's over for you now…" he proclaimed in a stutter, "H-Hundreds of Ziggy's children, soldiers of our v-vast army!" he pointed out, continuing to tremble all the while, "No matter what tricks y-y-you might have… y-y-y-you'll n-n-never… win!" he declared while stammering, pointing at her with a shaking finger. She exhaled a cold breath.

"I'm going to finish you off in one move," she decided to the Dark Star's surprise, "It's a move I haven't used in three years," she mentioned, looking at her snow white arm, "And it's one I used to ensure a victory for a friend of mine," she added further, clenching her fist, "Using it against you now seems almost overkill…" she admitted to Clown's fright as he grimaced, "But you've caused enough trouble to me and my friends," she affirmed, holding her hands out and opening them both, "And for that…" she continued, clapping her hands together as they let out an echo, "I'm going to kill you," she declared firmly. Meanwhile, Mimosa found herself barely able to avoid the lasers shot her way from the drones that Killer had summoned, while he grinned sadistically. He then charged in, manifesting a blade of energy over his right arm before managing to slash her right hip with it.

"AH…!" she gasped out in pain, quickly grabbing her new wound with her hand to slow the bleeding.

"You've got no chance against me," the Dark Star said, making her perk up, "No matter what tricks you've got under your belt, I'm more than capable of handling any of them now…" he proclaimed confidently. Grimacing, the Golden Dawn magic knight stood firmly, taking a deep breath. She dashed forward, weaving aside and flipping around the beams fired her way from her foe's drones.

'I know I'm weak, but…' she began inwardly, thinking back to when she wanted to get even stronger than before.

FLASHBACK

"You want to learn how to fight from me?" a surprised Satoru Gojo asked with a tilt of his head.

"Y-Yes, please…" Mimosa stuttered in response, having her head bowed, "I know I'm much more capable as a healer, but…" she continued, thinking of all the battles in which her healing was either rendered useless or didn't contribute much, "I need to be able to protect my comrades," she stated firmly, clenching her fists, "By learning to fight, I can at least be more of help to them!" she proclaimed on, "So… would you please…?" she started to ask again. The jujutsu sorcerer hummed for a moment in thought. The Golden Dawn magic knight wasn't sure what he was thinking. It was hard to tell with the blindfold over his eyes.

"Sorry, can't help you," he bluntly apologized, turning around and walking off.

"HUH?!" Mimosa exclaimed in shock, "B-But I—!"

"Well, I can't…" Satoru corrected to her surprise. At that moment, the door to the classroom opened.

"Oh, hey Gojo," Yuji greeted as he entered, "The principal asked me to come get you for—"

"Yuji! Great timing!" the Six-Eyes user exclaimed, interjecting his student as he went over and patted his shoulder, "Starting today, you'll be mentoring Miss Mimosa in terms of combat training!" he declared.

"…Huh?" the pink-haired jujutsu sorcerer uttered in confusion, while the Golden Dawn magic knight blinked twice.

"Well, I'll leave you to it!" Satoru declared, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. Yuji and Mimosa weren't sure what to say about suddenly being thrust into a mentorship. However, the latter wasn't going to waste any opportunity she was going to be given.

"I'm looking forward to learning from you!" she declared to the jujutsu sorcerer in the room, causing him to flinch in surprise.

"Uh… yeah, sure," he responded, letting off a little smile.

END FLASHBACK

Flipping over another drone as it tried to slam into her, Mimosa landed down in a crouched position, glaring out at her foe. He merely smirked back.

'I'm betting that enhancement spell of yours is going to wear off any moment now…' he presumed inwardly, 'Once it does, I can kill you without even having to lift another finger…' he declared on confidently. The Golden Dawn magic knight took a couple quick breaths.

'Concentrate…' she advised of herself, 'Remember what Yuji taught you…' she added through her thoughts, launching forward again.

'It's not something you can use at will,' the jujutsu sorcerer had told her as she ignored the lasers shot her way, evading them while closing in on Killer, 'Uh… there's really no luck or skill to it, either…' Yuji had mentioned.

FLASHBACK

"It's just a matter of concentration?" Mimosa assumed with a tilt of her head.

"I guess," Yuji replied as he shrugged, making her grimace, "When I used Black Flash for the first time, I needed to have a body built for it," he told her, holding out his right hand, "Since I'm Sukuna's vessel, it makes sense that it worked for me," he added. The Golden Dawn magic knight lowered her head with shame.

"Do I even have a body built to do that…?" she wondered aloud, looking at her open hands. The jujutsu sorcerer reached out and put his right hand onto her shoulder.

"We'll never know if we don't try," he pointed out, offering her a smile. She blinked in surprise, but then smiled back.

"Right!" she agreed.

END FLASHBACK

'Floral Synthesis is meant to increase my body's physical capabilities for at least three to five minutes…' Mimosa noted inwardly, clenching her right fist as she drew closer to her target, 'With that, plus the skill and concentration I would need…' she mentioned on through her thoughts. Killer chuckled.

'It's pointless…' he said to himself with a wicked smirk, 'All I have to do is block this, and my drones'll do the rest for me!' he pointed out while crossing his arms over his head, confident that his victory was assured. The Golden Dawn magic knight threw out her right fist. It collided with her foe's arms. He snickered, but then heard something crack. All of a sudden, his arms shattered as he could only see a black flash of light, blinding him momentarily before the fist collided with his face.

'BLACK FLASH!' Mimosa roared through her thoughts, sending her foe tumbling back along the roof they were upon before he came to a stop upon his stomach. She smiled.

"I did it…!" she realized happily. Meanwhile, her opponent was having trouble getting up.

'What the hell…?!' he exclaimed inwardly as bits of his face crumbled onto the ground beneath his feet, 'What was that…?!' he questioned, staggering up as he turned and glared toward his foe, 'Dammit, I can't let my main body get destroyed now…!' he pointed out to himself, pivoting around, 'I'll let my drones keep her occupied while making a break for it!' he decided. However, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that a couple of his drones were becoming entrapped in vines and flowers, causing him to gasp.

"Plant Magic: Magic-Controlling Weeds," Mimosa said, letting off a little grin as her grimoire floated in front of her, "They might not be magic, but they don't function well when they're covered, right?" she assumed of her foe, who snarled.

"You damn bi—!" He stopped himself upon seeing the massive flower that sprouted behind the Golden Dawn magic knight, towering up and aiming itself at him.

"My Floral Synthesis is almost done…" she pointed out, taking on a serious expression, "so I'll be finishing this now if you don't mind!" she declared. In the meantime, a shivering Clown clenched his teeth. Even with so many reinforcements surrounding Alice, it didn't make him feel any less afraid of her.

"K-K-KILL HER!" he commanded while stammering to the army of droids, enticing them to all charge out at the ice and water mage. With her hands still together, she kept her palms pressed while holding them vertically, having her right over her left. The icy aura wafting off of her was building.

"Ice Demon…" she began, separating her hands by sharply moving them to opposite sides. A rush of ice suddenly shot out from beneath her bare feet, crashing into and tearing through all of the incoming droids. Meanwhile, the petals of Mimosa's giant flower began opening, revealing a golden light building within. Killer grimaced. He attempted to flee, but suddenly found himself stuck as he yelped. He looked down to find vines entrapping his legs, along with ones ensnaring the tentacle-like apparatus at his back.

"YOU BITCH!" he roared out angrily.

"Plant Creation Magic…" the Golden Dawn magic knight began to chant. Back on the open ground, Clown started running away from the wave of ice threatening to crash upon and tear through him like his fellow robots. It was like a whirlpool that was growing larger and larger. And at its center was Alice.

"MAELSTROM!" she bellowed, having the ice spread faster. The Dark Star glanced back in fright for just a moment before the ice tore him asunder. Tears poured down his face as he then ended up completely encased in ice. By the time the wave stopped, the ice and water mage found herself in a frozen field of metal pieces.

"Magic Cannon Flower!" Mimosa roared. A beam of golden light shot out from the flower behind her. Killer could only grimace before being struck by the ray, screaming as he wound up getting eviscerated almost instantaneously. As the beam subsided, the Golden Dawn magic knight let out a breath of relief. Alice exhaled her own cold sigh. Thanks to them, two of the Dark Stars had been dealt with for good.

X

"How are Sister and Hermit doing?" Connor asked from the bridge, as Mosco had returned.

"They are alright!" the heavyset android responded with a thumbs-up, "I just received word that they're just mos-recovering at the moment!" he confirmed on.

"Good…" the captain said in relief, "Alright then…" he began, clutching the armrests of his seat, "Listen up, lads!" his voice echoed into the communication line, "We're ready to start our full-on assault of Crow!" he declared.

"About damn time…" America remarked with a grin.

"Ugh…" Way Big groaned as he sat up, "I was beginning to think we'd never get the chance to actually get a handle on this guy…" he admitted aloud.

"Ergh…!" Yuno growled while narrowly evading a swipe from the titanic android, "Asta, can you get us an opening?!" he asked aloud to his rival, who flew over.

"I can try!" he responded, soaring out at the Oración Seis Galáctica member, who just smirked.

"I guess for now, we'll stay on support," Kris confirmed over the communication line.

"Yeah," his sister agreed, "We've already dealt with most of the small fry helping Crow," she pointed out.

"Let's pull back for now," Laguna advised.

"Right," his colleagues responded. In the meantime, Holy was closing in on the scene aboard her Knight Gear. She smiled at the sight of the titanic android looming ahead.

"I've been waiting for this day… Deadend Crow…" she remarked, clutching the throttles tightly. Elsewhere on the planet, several Dragons unleashed their hyperthermic laser beams down at Natalie, who flipped back to evade them while grimacing. She then found herself met with Acnoella herself suddenly dashing over, kneeing her squarely in the stomach and sending her crashing into another building. Two more massive beasts unleashed their beams onto that very edifice, blasting it to pieces. All the while, their master grinned.

"I doubt that was enough to kill you," she noted, noticing the flames swell and then contort, followed by shrinking as they were engulfed by the hybrid Dragon Slayer.

"Huh…" she exhaled, "You're damn right…" she remarked, wiping her lips, "Wouldn't be a good enough Dragon Slayer otherwise…" she mentioned as she hopped down onto the ground.

"You're quite amusing," Acnoella admitted, "Though I'll admit, I am getting rather annoyed with you…" she confessed further.

"You want Elsie, right?" Natalie presumed, "Why?" she asked.

"She's the reason this planet fell into such disarray," the Oración Seis Galáctica member responded to her surprise, "It was my home once…" she added. Not saying anything, the hybrid Dragon Slayer took on a ready stance. "I'll finish this quickly," the Mother of Dragons decided, "My children thirst for the blood of that wretched woman…" she mentioned to her foe, who narrowed her eyes. Suddenly, a powerful explosion went off, causing them to perk up. One of the flying beasts overhead collapsed and fell down onto a nearby building. Landing atop its corpse were two figures.

"Hey, Salamander…" one of them began, being none other than Katsuki, "you gonna keep wasting time, or are you gonna murderize that dragon bitch?!" he roared in question.

"Kacchan!" the hybrid Dragon Slayer exclaimed with delight. Also on the scene was Devlin, who grimaced as he looked to see a couple more of the draconic beasts surrounding him and his colleague.

"Oh… this might be bad…" he grumbled aloud.

"Heh," the Explosion Quirk user chuckled, "We'll take care of the small fry, Salamander," he affirmed to Natalie, "You take out the dragon bitch," he advised.

"Right!" she responded, igniting her fists in flames as she turned to face Acnoella, "Now I'm even more fired up!" she declared excitedly. The Oración Seis Galáctica member let off a small grin.

"My… what a troublesome girl you are…" she muttered out. Elsewhere on the planet, the blades of both Justice and Shirou continued to clash as they dashed about. However, the former was gaining speed on the latter. He was cloaked in a bright blue light, blitzing the mage with a flurry of tackles.

"METEOR FRENZY!" he roared in the process. The auburn-haired man let out a gasp of pain, but steeled himself while gritting his teeth. With his twin blades forged back into his, he twisted his body in midair to throw them towards his foe. He noticed, weaving his way around the first one, but getting slashed in his left arm by the second. Landing down, he skidded to a stop as blood ran down his left sleeve. Kanshou and Bakuya returned to Shirou, who landed as well, spitting out blood.

"Why are you after Elsie?" he asked of his foe, who brought forth a spear with a grey shaft and a cross-shaped head with four diamonds adorning it, having three blades of Ether jutting out. On the other end was a similar diamond with a jewel embedded into it.

"Why are you protecting her?" he questioned back, narrowing his eyes, "Do you consider her ally? Or a friend?" he inquired on, aiming his new weapon out at his foe.

"She's a friend of a friend, so yeah," Shirou replied, taking on a ready stance as he gripped his blades tightly.

"And that friend must be Shiki Granbell then…" Justice concluded, closing his eyes for a moment, "In that case, let me ask you something else," he decided, opening his eyes, "Do you know of Homura Kogetsu?" he asked. The auburn-haired mage blinked in surprise.

"Homura?" he repeated aloud.

"She's the daughter of the criminal, Madame Kurenai," the Oración Seis Interestelar member pointed out to him, "And she also killed one of my trusted lieutenants three years ago," he mentioned, "Did she never tell of that grave sin?" he inquired of his foe. He exhaled a breath, recalling a sorrowful time that he and his girlfriend had shared in the wake of the war in the Aoi Cosmos three years ago.

FLASHBACK

There was nothing but silence in the observation deck as Shirou sat beside Homura on the grass, looking up at the stars of the Aoi Cosmos. It had been two days since the war against the Nero Empire had ended. And everyone was still reeling from the events that conspired. The Soul Blade Ether Gear user was especially hurt.

She had seen people die over her life that she had grown close to. First Valkyrie, and then Seiji. Even though she only formally met the latter back on Nero 66, she still thought of him as someone she could've been good friends. He morally seemed to be a good person, even though they were enemies. And now... he was dead.

"Homura..." Shirou uttered out, trying to get her attention, "it wasn't your fault," he assured of her. The Soul Blade Ether Gear user merely tucked her legs in and lowered her head sadly. She gripped the sleeves of her kimono tightly.

"Witch may have made her choice to protect us..." she began to reply, "but Seiji shouldn't have died..." she pointed out firmly, "Especially not by the hands of his own comrade," she mentioned as she trembled. Shirou turned away to think of what to say next. Witch's death was hard enough on Homura. But adding the weight of Seiji's to it was even more difficult to bear. "What would you do, Shirou?" she wondered aloud, making him perk up slightly.

"What do you mean?" he asked back, raising a concerned eyebrow.

"How could you press on from all this bloodshed?" she questioned, rephrasing her earlier one, "Because..." she continued as she started to tear up, "I don't know... if I can stand it all anymore..." she whimpered out. Immediately, Shirou wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting her cry into his shoulder.

"...I just keep moving forward," he told her in reply, "No matter what, I won't give up on my dreams," he declared, "And neither should you," he insisted additionally.

"Hff... I'm sorry..." Homura whimpered apologetically, "I just can't help but think if I had done something different..." she continued, "then maybe none of them would've had to die..." she noted aloud.

"I'm sure everyone thinks that, Homura," Shirou affirmed, still holding onto her, "And they're all as hurt as you probably," he added as he rubbed her back gently, "But you're all going to be fine," he promised, causing her to move her head back slightly to see the smile on his face, "That's because I know how strong you are," he said.

"Shirou..." the Soul Blade Ether Gear user whimpered out, leaning in and closing her eyes before kissing him on the lips. He kissed her back, cupping her cheeks with his hands. They stayed at the observation deck for quite a while, with the auburn-haired mage making sure she was okay. After a while, she had gone off to take a bath, while he ventured into the Edens Kitchen to talk with Weisz.

"So you sent his body back to the army?" he asked of the Machina Maker Ether Gear user.

"It wasn't my call..." he replied as he took a bite of his burger, "Homura wanted him sent back so that he'd get to be with his crew," he told him.

"Hmmm..." Shirou hummed out, "That guy who actually killed Seiji..." he continued, "What exactly happened?" he inquired while arching an eyebrow.

"Well, Homura said he got freaked that she and that other guy were starting to get chummy, so he panicked and shot him," Weisz answered to his shock, "The pod we sent had details of what happened to him," he mentioned.

"You sure the army's gonna believe our word?" Shirou questioned on, "What if that guy who shot Seiji tampers with the evidence and says one of you killed him?" he asked on.

"Well, it's not like we're on the nice list with the army..." the Machina Maker Ether Gear user pointed out in response, "But whatever happens, we'll find a way to handle it," he promised, finishing his food and standing up, "You should probably hang out with Homura a bit more," he advised to Shirou's surprise, "Just to make sure she's fine," he added. The auburn-haired mage nodded. He wanted to keep her safe no matter what.

END FLASHBACK

"What is Homura Kogetsu to you?" Justice asked, snapping Shirou away from his thoughts as he looked at his foe. He kept his stance firm.

"She's the woman I love," he answered to the Oración Seis Interestelar member's surprise, "So if you're trying to bring your 'justice' onto her…" he continued, glaring fiercely, "I'll kill you," he vowed. Justice glared back, gripping his spear tightly. The two rushed out at each other, clashing blades again. Elsewhere, Kyoka was running about in search of Elsie. She had a panicked look upon her face, glancing left and right for a sign of the Space Pirate. She was still a little disoriented from the flash grenade that went off earlier, resulting in their separation. Peeking around a corner, she spotted a few Dragons firing off beams of superheated light in the distance.

'Nat…' she uttered inwardly out of worry. All of a sudden, she felt a hand touch her left shoulder. She whipped around and lashed her earphone jack out, only to find Gowen there.

"Whoa!" he yelped, almost getting jabbed in between in his eyes as Kyoka had stopped herself in time, "Jeez, sorry…" he apologized.

"No, that's my bad for not noticing…" she assured with a shake of her head, "I'm a little out of it…" she pointed out.

"Where's the princess?" Hyoga asked, also present.

"Yeah… that's part of why I'm a little out of it…" Kyoka admitted sheepishly. She then explained what had happened.

"So that's how it is…" the ice Ether Gear user concluded with crossed arms.

"Guess there's another guy from the government on the planet, too…" Gowen added, "Well, whatever…" he grumbled, "You can track the princess down, right?" he inquired of Kyoka.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod, "We better be careful, though…" she advised on seriously, earning nods in response from her colleagues. In the building she was trapped in, Elsie could hear the explosions going off outside, trying to break free from her cuffs.

"Jesse, please…" she pleaded to the soldier in the room with her, making him perk up as he started to approach her, "If I don't get out there to help fight Acnoella, then—" She was silenced by her captor whipping her across the face with his pistol. He then pressed its barrel against her forehead.

"Oh-ho…" he chuckled out, moving back and removing his firearm from her, "You're lucky as hell that Justice wants you alive…" he noted. Elsie spat out a wad of blood. "I'm sure he can handle Acnoella and your other friends…" he affirmed confidently, "So why don't you just sit pretty and lament over your injustices…" he advised in a snarl. Grimacing, the Oración Seis Galáctica member knew that things weren't looking good in the slightest. In the space above Lendard, the battle against the remainder of the Dragons was still ongoing. Thanks to the rest of the Union Army's arrival, the tide had turned into their favor. Those of the Oración Seis Interestelar were flying about in their ships, launching the assault onto the draconic beasts.

"That's a lot of Dragons…" Eraser muttered from his starfighter.

"And they're all under God Acnoella's control…" Feather mentioned.

"Any single one of the Oración Seis Galáctica poses a great threat, after all," the voice of Cure chimed in from a video transmission, "And all of them are gathered here, so be on your guard," he advised on.

"Wait, all of them?!" Shiro exclaimed from the Midnight.

"All six of the Oración Seis Galáctica are on Lendard?!" Ibuki inquired out of shock.

"The Machine King, Ziggy," Cure began, "The Demon King, Shiki Granbell," he continued, "The Space Pirate, Elsie Crimson," he kept listing off, "The Titan of Eternal Darkness, Deadend Crow," he added, "The Mother of Dragons, God Acnoella," he mentioned further, "And the Archbishop, Saintfire Nox," he finished, "All of the Galáctica are here," he confirmed to his colleagues. They all were shocked by the sudden news.

"E-Even Saintfire Nox…?" Shiro stuttered out.

"It can't be…" Ibuki uttered in disbelief, folding her arms underneath her chest.

"Hey, is this some kinda sick joke…?" Victory wondered aloud, sweating a little.

"And my Eye of Venus couldn't detect her presence…" Feather mentioned, narrowing her eyes, "How?" she inquired.

"Does it matter?" Cure asked back to her surprise, "The point is, we need to take control of the situation on Lendard before it worsens," he instructed of his colleagues, "I'll be taking command from here on out until Justice and Holy return," he declared, "We'll rid the world of the Oración Seis Galáctica once and for all," he affirmed on.

X

"I have just received word from Hermit!" Pino confirmed as the infiltration team was heading towards the planet's core, "The Dark Stars that invaded the Edens Zero have both been dealt with!" she noted with a thumbs-up to the group.

"Thank goodness…" Rebecca sighed out.

"Did all three of them invade?" Shiki asked.

"I believe only Killer and Clown were confirmed," Pino responded.

"Which means the real Wizard is still out there somewhere," Shoto realized with narrowed eyes.

"Great… another thing to worry about…" Weisz muttered in frustration.

"We're close to the core, so it doesn't matter," Azari affirmed as a retort.

"And besides, we're all together again," Rebecca mentioned as she and Rin were carrying Homura, while Izuku held onto Inosuke, "Now all that's left is head to the core and send out that signal to summon the Chronophage," she noted.

"You sure you can do it?" the Wakandan prince asked of her, sounding skeptical.

"I'll try," she replied immediately with determination in her eyes. Rin flashed her a small grin, glad that she wasn't being as hesitant anymore.

"We should be able to escape the planet pretty easily with our MPGs…" Nezuko chimed in, "But are we sure that there aren't any other humans on the planet?" she asked out of concern.

"Affirmative," Pino responded, "I have the results of the Edens Zero's preliminary wide-area scans," she pointed out, pulling up a few holographic screens in front of herself, "There are no life signals that have appeared to originate from—" All of a sudden, she was interrupted by a sudden beeping.

"What's the matter, Pino?" Izuku asked. The little bot then gasped.

"I've detected faint life signs!" she confirmed in shock.

"What?!" Weisz exclaimed, while the others gasped.

"But how?!" Rin inquired, while Homura was starting to stir awake.

"It is most likely human from my current readings…" Pino told the group, "but it is incredibly weak…" she mentioned.

"So is it someone that Ziggy caught?" Rebecca presumed.

"As I recall…" Homura began, getting her attention as she saw the Soul Blade Ether Gear user removing herself from her and Rin's grasp to their surprise, "Connor spoke of this…" she remembered.

"Right…" Izuku said, "He said that there were humans gathered on Lendard for that scanning job," he recalled, putting his gloved right hand onto his chin, "So that means the others who didn't escape with him might still be alive," he inferred.

"Well, now what do we do?!" Weisz questioned emphatically.

"We can't just leave them behind to die!" Nezuko pointed out, "We have to go and find them!" she insisted.

"Yeah," Shiki agreed with a nod, "I don't want any life lost, no matter who it is," he affirmed on, "Pino, where are they?" he asked of the anti-bot android.

"They are down this path!" she confirmed, leading the way as the others hurriedly followed her. Moments later, they found themselves entering an intricate, mechanical building that seemed to be in impeccable condition compared to the rest of the planet. Yet its machinery also looked unused for a long time.

"What is this place?" Shoto asked.

"Looks like the ruins of some old factory…" Weisz replied, "If those scanning guys are here, they must be working to help Ziggy with something big…" he presumed with a grimace.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Rebecca admitted nervously.

"Master, over there!" Pino exclaimed, pointing ahead. Up ahead was a long hall. On both sides were hundreds upon hundreds of vats. And what dwelled inside each of them made everyone widen their eyes in shock.

"Wh-What… are those?" Rebecca stuttered out. Inside each vat was a naked woman. All of them seemed to various traits, whether it be hair color, age, or even body type. And there were way too many to count.

"They… are all women…" Pino said, quite frightened by the sight as she trembled.

"And there's so many…" Happy added, just as scared, "What's going on here…?" he wondered aloud.

"Are they the ones making the faint life signals?" Shoto inquired as sweat trickled down his face.

"Maybe…" Izuku responded, clenching his fists.

"Are you kidding…?" Weisz asked aloud, getting their attentions as they noticed him shaking in place.

"Weisz… what's wrong?" Shiki questioned as he approached the Machina Maker Ether Gear user.

"It can't be…" he uttered aloud. One of the vats contained a figure he saw not so long ago in Killer's illusory subspace. It was his mother. "Mom…!" he gasped out, gnashing his teeth together.

"That's your mom?!" the Satan Gravity Ether Gear user exclaimed in disbelief.

"What's she doing here?!" Izuku asked. Meanwhile, Homura's eyes surveyed the vats before she found one in particular. It was of a woman with dark blue hair in a courtesan hairstyle, but with her forelocks parted over her right eye.

"Mother?!" she yelped out.

"Madame Kurenai, too?!" Happy exclaimed out of shock.

"Just what is Ziggy doing…?!" Rin wondered, clenching her fists.

"Ergh…" Weisz growled, "Don't go falling for this shit, guys!" he insisted of his colleagues, "This crap's just some damn illusion!" he proclaimed, "When we find Ziggy, you best believe I'm gonna beat the shit out of him…" he snarled in declaration.

"Now that is something I'd like to see," the voice of the Machine King echoed out, getting his and everyone else's attentions as they saw him descend into the room.

"Ziggy…" Shiki growled out. Almost immediately, Weisz aimed his rifle and fired at the skull-faced android. He merely held out his left hand, stopping the bullets and making them fall harmlessly onto the floor. He also shattered the rush of ice and dark red spheres of energy sent his way from Shoto and Rin respectively.

"Nezuko, take Inosuke!" Izuku quickly insisted as he threw the unconscious demon slayer over to the half-demon girl. He leapt out as green bio-electricity crackled around his body. "RRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!" he roared, throwing out his right fist at the Machine King, who held out his left hand in an attempt to stop him. A shockwave of air erupted, blowing throughout the area as everyone braced themselves from its force. Both Pino and Happy needed to be caught by Rin to keep from getting blown away. Ziggy found himself slightly sliding back from the force of his foe's blow. A blue glow then emanated from the mouth upon his chest, followed by a blue energy field expanding out and knocking the One For All inheritor away. He landed upon his feet and slid to a stop.

"He's got the stone!" Azari yelled, drawing his claws as he growled. The Machine King scoffed.

"You said this was an illusion, did you not?" he inquired of Weisz, who glared at him, "I assure you… what you all see is no illusion nor array of holograms," he affirmed as he held his arms out to their respective sides, gesturing to the multitude of vats, "These women are all real," he confirmed to his foes, who all widened their eyes, "Every one of them is a 'mother'," he mentioned, "And there exists a particular Ether that only the 'mothers' of humans have," he added further.

"So that's why you've brought them here…?!" Izuku snarled in question as everyone was astonished by the revelation.

"Ziggy…!" Shiki growled out, clenching his fists. Extending his right hand out, the skull-faced android made one vat in particular break away from the stacks, floating it over and letting it fall gently onto the floor beside him.

"This one is a mother as well," he confirmed to the group before him. They looked in the vat. Inside was a woman with long ash blonde hair, which was braided to the sides of her head with white ribbons. "Saintfire Nox," Ziggy introduced, "The mother… of Rebecca Bluegarden," he mentioned further. The whole world around the Cat Leaper Ether Gear user stopped.

"…What?" she uttered out.

My, what a startling revelation. Between that and the escalating battles upon Lendard, there's an abundance of surprises still in store. I only hope that you're able to stomach what will come next…

END

And that ends this chapter! For those that've kept track of the chapters that've been adapted, we're closing in on the end of the arc itself. Rest assured, I've got a handle on how things'll play out. And there's going to be quite a bit to get through in the next few chapters, whether it's the battle against Ultron, the siege on the factory, or anything else ongoing.

Thanks for reading, everyone!