Chapter Thirty-Three: Path of Least Resistance
Gabriel's hand tightened around his cane, turning his knuckles white. "Finally decided to show your face," he said, burning a hole through Death's Head with his glare. "Too cowardly to come out while Panoptes was still in play?"
"My dear other-self, you must know by now that I am many things…" Death's Head drifted closer to the heroes, who prepared their weapons. "...but a coward is not one of them!" He removed his hat with a grand flourish, a large swarm of Akuma spilling out and filling the sky.
"Careful!" shouted Blackbug, but everyone knew all too well to keep clear of these. He darted into the swarm, using Cataclysm to destroy them one by one, and making sure to avoid being touched by them. Everyone else kept their distance, striking the moths that closed in with their weapons. "Nathalie! Get Felix out of here!"
She did so, lifting him up and spiriting him to safety further into the artificial city. "Put me down! We have to stay and fight!" he protested, but, having been deprived of his Miraculous, there wasn't much he could do.
During this all, Death's Head hovered in the center of the writhing mass of Akumas, watching with depraved glee as the heroes struggled to avoid their touch. Making matters worse, while they were able to fend off the Akumas, there were many around them that weren't–namely, the Sentimonster Parisians. Though they all ran for cover, many were caught, transforming into Ripplers that turned around to beset the heroes.
Bunnyx smashed the approaching Ripplers with her flail, trying not to think about how each one had moments ago been a thinking, feeling being. "Why doesn't Mayura handle this!?" she wondered. "We've got a Sentimonster the size of a city right here! Let's just crush him and be done with it!"
Death's Head had been taken out by Redworld earlier, Gabriel remembered. But he had also escaped fairly easily when all was said and done. Was that only because Panoptes had been defeated? "Once she returns, I will make sure that is the first thing she does!" he said.
Both Ladies Noir fended off the Akumas, back to back. "You seem familiar with this guy," said one of them. "What's his deal?"
"Just the usual Hawkmoth stuff," she replied, striking a few Ripplers with her staff. "Only on a much wider scale. Basically, he wants our Miraculous to remake the whole multiverse the way he wants."
Lady Noir was surprised at how casually her counterpart said that, but this was probably old news to her. "So, he wants these, huh?" she said, glancing down at her ring. "Then maybe we should give them to him!"
"What!? We can't just–" Seeing her double's grin, she realized that she had a plan. "Oh! So what did you have in mind?"
More and more Ripplers were crawling out of the woodwork, almost literally. They were emerging deep from within Redworld, the Akumas having infiltrated the larger Sentimonster where more of them were waiting. "We can't fight all of them!" shouted Mister Bug. "Is there any way to take them all out at once?"
"Yeah, and it's called Cataclysm!" Blackbug thrust out both his hands, unleashing a wave of destruction that disintegrated a whole mass of Ripplers. Despite the impressive display, it wasn't long before yet another display appeared, replacing the ones he had just defeated. "Okay, maybe we could do with something a bit bigger!"
Gabriel took note of the way the Ripplers were beginning to surround the heroes as he carved through as many as he could. "He's trying to corral us," he said. "He knows we can't keep this up forever. Sooner or later, one of us will slip up, and that will be when he claims our Miraculous."
"Then we'll just have to keep him from doing that, won't we?" said Bunnyx. She opened up a portal, dashing through before Gabriel could stop her. He saw another one appear inside of the swirling mass of Akumas, where, to his horror, she reemerged, heading straight for Death's Head.
He noticed her as well, holding out his hand. Her momentum was carrying her right into his grasp. But she was ready–launching out her flail, she was able to get much more reach than her umbrella alone allowed, the heavy ball colliding with the side of his head. They both fell out of the swarm, but only she landed on her feet.
Refusing to let such an insult stand, Death's Head floated back up, his arm extending many times its original length to reach for Bunnyx. This, too, she was ready for, opening up a portal for his arm to pass through, and then closing it.
Death's Head let out an inhuman screech, retracting his arm and clutching his wound. "That is the last time you pull that trick!" he hissed, once again surrounding himself with Akumas. By the time they vanished, he had as well, his cackling echoing all over the city block.
"We're trapped, and he knows it," said Ryuko. "We can't escape into the city, or we run the risk of leading the Ripplers to civilians. And the longer we stay and fight, the closer he gets to getting the Miraculous he wants." She cleaved through Ripplers with her blade with stunning ease, though it was clear that even she was growing fatigued.
"Then we must fight on, for as long as we can," her counterpart said, likewise making short work of the Ripplers. But seeing as how Death's Head seemed to have an unlimited supply of them, she was unsure just how long that would be.
Was this what Death's Head had planned all along? To make them believe Panoptes had subdued him, only to use that time to build up his army, and strike when the heroes were fatigued? If so, then it looked like it was working.
Just then, the city began to shake. Only a gentle rumble, and then it faded. A look upward at the skies told them why: Redworld had begun to move, away from Paris, away from the people below. "What? Who's doing that?" asked Blackbug.
Death's Head seemed to wonder that as well, but he quickly figured it out. "Another Nathalie stands in my way," he growled. "Is her loyalty always so fragile? No matter. You cannot stop what is coming!" A fresh batch of Ripplers burst out from the ground underneath him, surging towards the heroes.
"Hey!" Both Marinettes stood atop a nearby building. "Going through a lot of trouble just to get these, aren't you?" They flashed their rings, earning his attention. "Why wait! Come and get them!"
He grinned, taking their challenge. Darting through the air like a vengeful ghost, the two Lady Noirs leapt from rooftop to rooftop to escape. "That's it, eyes on us," the other said quietly. As long as Death's Head was after them, he wasn't paying attention to the others.
"Now's our chance!" shouted Mister Bug. Battering a number of Ripplers aside with his yo-yo, he made his way to the edge of the artificial city. "Over here! Come and get me!" He leapt off the edge, sliding down Redworld's tentacles as the horde followed him.
So far, Gabriel noticed, all everyone's plans consisted of was running away. "Alix, is there any way we can get those Miraculous somewhere Death's Head can't reach them?" he asked.
"I mean, theoretically," she replied. "But our best move right now would be to destroy them, so he can't take their power at all. Remember back in that one dimension? The Ladybug there stashed away a Lucky Charm to fix everything. Maybe this one could do the same…"
Blackbug glanced over the edge where his counterpart had gone. "We'll have to ask him first," he said. "Kagami and, uh, Kagami, you with me?"
"We are!" they both shouted in tandem. Each one turned into a flurry of wind to carry him to the ground as he leapt off in pursuit of Mister Bug. Gabriel and Alix stayed behind to go after the Marinettes.
Speaking of the Marinettes, they continued to play their game of keep-away from Death's Head. However, their pursuer didn't seem to be pursuing any longer. "Do you see him?" one of them asked.
The other glanced over her shoulder, and to either side, but there was no sign of him anywhere. "No, but stay alert," she said. "I'm sure he's just waiting for the right moment to–"
A streak of shadow shot by, carrying Marinette away with it. Soaring through the city in the opposite direction, the swarm of Akumas, with Death's Head in its center, spirited her away from her twin. "This was an amusing diversion, but I really have places I need to be." He reached out towards her Miraculous with his newly-regrown hand.
Lady Noir brought out her staff before he could grasp it, his hand wrapping around the weapon instead. Moments before it dissolved under his touch, she used it to pry herself free from his swarm and throw herself back down to the street, where she landed gracefully. But not untouched.
In their scuffle, his powers had managed to affect her, leaving a few blackened splotches along her arms. Her costume, and indeed her skin, looked to be rotting away. "Nothing fatal," she told herself, preparing as he descended.
"Do you know, I've devoured you before?" he mused, leisurely gliding towards her. "It doesn't matter who bears the ring. Marinette. Adrien. Even Gabriel. In the end, they all fall the same…but for the record, I've found that Lady Noir represents its power better than all others. The power of destruction, tempered not with frustration or resentment, but pure unwavering hope. It won't matter in the end, but you can take small comfort in knowing that I admire your tenacity."
What was left of her staff clattered against the ground, finally dissolving in its entirety as he reached out for her ring. "Catacl–" She reached out as well, but as their palms met, his power of destruction won out. Not only was the Miraculous of the black cat reduced to dust, but Marinette's arm went with it, leaving only a blackened stump not far from her shoulder. All she could do was gasp, in shock at what had just happened.
Other Marinette arrived just in time to see it happen, but moments too late to stop it. "No!" she cried, watching as her counterpart staggered back. It wasn't immediately fatal, since Death's Head was busy absorbing the power of destruction into himself.
"One ring at a time, my power grows," he said, shuddering. "Soon, I will be able to embrace my destiny." He began to approach her. "I'd say I was sorry you wouldn't be there to see it, but once I have Gimmi's power, everything will be as it should. Your world will be restored, and you will never have been burdened with the responsibility of being Ladybug."
"Guess again!" He was suddenly struck from behind, Lady Noir having resummoned her staff and swung it as hard as she could with her remaining arm. But all the impact served to do was earn her his attention…and his ire. Whipping around, he wrapped his hand around her neck, lifting her up. She stared into his eyes, showing nothing but defiance as her body was reduced to dust.
Marinette swore that was the last person Death's Head would hurt. Gritting her teeth, she charged, readying her own staff to pound him into oblivion. But someone else beat her to it.
"Leave her alone!" Emerging from his hiding place, Adrien drove Marinette's bat against Death's Head's head. The sharpened edges tore through him better than the staff could, throwing him into the nearest wall. "Come on! We have to go!" He took her hand, running away from Death's Head while they still could.
This wasn't the Adrien she had been adventuring with, nor was it the one of this timeline. "You…it's you, isn't it?" she asked. "You gave me this ring."
"After you saved me from myself," he said with a smile. "This is yours, by the way." He handed her the bat while they ran.
The weapon had been charged by multiple Ripplers, not to mention the impact against Death's Head's skull. And with him likely closing in, they needed to get out of here, fast. Luckily, there was a way they could do just that.
Sure enough, Death's Head was on the warpath, speeding through the air after the two. Darkness swirled around where his face had been caved in, his remaining eye glared with furious intensity. Pointing the bat forward, Marinette shouted out. "Voyage!" A portal opened up, and through it they ran. Not wanting a repeat of earlier, Death's Head diverted his path, roaring out in frustration as the gateway closed.
Marinette and Adrien found themselves back down in Paris–the real one. Redworld no longer hung over the city, thanks to Nathalie directing it away. The remaining Ripplers were being swept up by the rest of the heroes. It looked like, at least for now, they had a moment to rest.
"Thank you," said Marinette. "I…wouldn't have made it out of there if you hadn't shown up. I don't know how I can repay you, but…Plagg, claws in." Her costume disappeared. She removed the ring from her finger, handing it to Adrien. "This is yours."
After a moment's hesitation, Adrien took it, placing it in his pocket. "No, thank you. If you hadn't shown me what was really important, I'd still be under Panoptes' thumb. Even though I just saved your life, I-I don't know if I can ever repay you."
She smiled, reminded so much of her own Adrien. "How about repaying me by living your life just the way you want to?" she told him. He smiled as well, seeming to agree with her idea.
"There you guys are!" Scarabella and Kitty Noir hurried over to the pair. "We were worried when you ran off with Death's Head after you like that! We would've followed you, but then the Adriens leapt off of the city, and…" The former looked at Adrien. "Wait…which one are you again?"
Some of the other heroes arrived as well: Carapace, Viperion, Pegasus, and Huli Jing. "Everyone, this is Adrien," Marinette said. "He used to be Panoptes' minion, but he's with us now. Actually, I think a lot of his former minions might be glad he no longer has his powers."
"I'm sure of that," said Adrien. "I just hope that when this is all over, we can go back to living a normal life…"
Everyone else began to appear, having managed to run off the remaining Ripplers. Gabriel, Alix, Blackbug, Mister Bug, and both Kagamis joined the group. "That looks like the last of 'em, at least for now," said Alix. "Has anyone seen Mayura?"
"Not since she ran off with Felix," replied Blackbug. He looked at Redworld, drifting off into the distance. "They'll be fine…right? Death's Head's after us, not them. He should leave them alone."
His question was soon answered by a loud cackle reverberating across the block. "Not to worry, my boy. The two of them will know their place soon enough. But right now, I believe you have something I require." A pair of beady eyes glowed from the darkness of an alley, and Death' Head stepped out of the shadows. The damage done by Marinette's bat had all but healed, and he seemed no worse for wear. "So, do you plan on handing them over? Or would you rather end up like your little friend?" He held out his hand, as though fully expecting them to hand over their Miraculous.
What most of them were focused on, though, was this 'little friend' he mentioned. It was Mister Bug who spoke up, with a sneaking suspicion of their identity. "Marinette? W-where's Lady Noir?" he asked, his face pale.
Death's Head sneered as Marinette averted her eyes. "I'm…I'm sorry," she said softly. "He got to her before I could… But she saved me."
Lady Noir's last act of heroism before she died was of little interest to Mister Bug. All he could see now was red as his costume, his eyes locked onto Death's Head. "You…YOU!" he bellowed, clutching his yo-yo hard enough to shatter it, had it been normal. "I'll kill you!" He charged, spinning his weapon fast enough to cause it to glow with friction-induced heat.
"No, don't!" called Gabriel, but Mister Bug was blinded by rage–exactly what Death's Head wanted. Just as Mister Bug was about to lodge the yo-yo into his skull, he lunged forward, his hands grabbing each side of the boy's head. The heroes ran in to help, but they were too late. Mister Bug had faded away, and Death's Head had absorbed the power of his Miraculous.
"Yes! I can feel it, my body is nearly stable!" What remained of his damaged face fully restored itself. "Just a touch more, and I will be able to fulfil my destiny!" He hungrily eyed Blackbug, Scarabella, and Kitty Noir.
All of the other heroes stood in his way. "Sorry to break it to you, but your only 'destiny' is to have all that power ripped outta you and returned to where it rightfully belongs," said Alix, her umbrella slung over her shoulder. "So come and take 'em if you're brave enough. You really think you can take on all of us without your Ripplers protecting you?"
Whether or not Death's Head believed he could seemed to be irrelevant, as he simply scoffed. "Leave it to a member of the ITAA to be a poor sport. As much as I'd love to watch the light fade from your eyes, one at a time, while your companions watch, I'm afraid I'm rather impatient. I have waited far too long for this appointment–and now if you'll excuse me, I have a wish to hijack!" Before anybody could say anything, he burst into a flurry of Akumas, soaring towards the crack in space-time that still towered over the city.
"What did he mean by 'appointment?'" asked Scarabella. "If we knew where he was going, we still might be able to track him down!"
Alix, distraught with having lost more allies, steeled herself. They couldn't let their sacrifices be in vain–Death's Head needed to go down. "Wherever he's going, it sounds like he's getting closer," she said. "He might be just a few steps away from reaching his goal. Let's see…if I wanted to reset the entire multiverse, where would I go?"
"Gimmi," said Marinette. "He said he has to find Gimmi. But…he's hijacked a whole bunch of wishes so far. Why would he need to meet Gimmi if he already has?"
Blackbug thought for a moment. "Maybe…it has something to do with what the Director told us. Remember how she told us to 'find genesis?' Maybe that's what he's trying to do, too."
The pieces were all beginning to fit together. Genesis…Gimmi…remaking the multiverse… Alix had an epiphany. "The Genesis Point," she said quietly. "He's trying to reach the Genesis Point."
"I…I remember hearing that name," said Marinette. "Another Alya said he mentioned it. But what exactly is it?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like," Alix continued. "The Genesis Point is the fabled millisecond after Gimmi came into being, but before the multiverse was created. It's been theorized that if somebody were to reach it, they could absorb Gimmi's power for themselves, as they hadn't developed a conscious mind yet. But that point in time is so precise, so fleeting, that nobody's skilled enough to reach it."
"That must be why he's absorbing wishes," said Gabriel. "He has to generate enough power to reach the Genesis Point exactly."
Alix nodded. "Right. A split second too early, and you go to before the multiverse, and a split second too late, Gimmi won't exactly hand over their powers. We have to stop him before he gets enough power to go there."
"I hate to sound like a downer, but…how?" asked Marinette. "We've fought him plenty of times now, but he always comes out on top. Even when we think he's on the ropes, he just bails. How are we supposed to beat him?"
For a moment, Alix agreed. It seemed like truly defeating Death's Head was impossible. But they couldn't give up. Death's Head getting his way meant the entire multiverse conforming to his twisted ideals. "I have an idea." She grabbed her pocketwatch, flipping it open.
A holographic screen was projected from inside, displaying a spinning icon as it waited for the recipient to pick up. After a few moments of waiting, a familiar face appeared. "Wh–Alix?" said Jalil, surprised to see her. "You're alive! What happened!? We thought Death's Head got you!" Tomoe stood behind him, also waiting for an answer.
"Hey, bro," she said, offering a bittersweet smile. "Long story, but yeah, we're okay." Marinette, Blackbug, and Gabriel crowded around her to see the small screen. "Anyway, listen: we know what Death's Head wants and where he's going, and I have a plan to stop him. But we'll need your help."
He nodded, an expression of determination appearing on his face. "Of course! Just say the word, and I'll do anything I can!"
Alix's smile turned genuine, appearing just as determined as her brother. "I need you to make a few calls…"
"Morning, Dad!" Adrien walked downstairs, where Gabriel was waiting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and reading the morning news. "Anything interesting today?"
"Good morning to you as well, Adrien," he said with a smile. "I see Ladybug and Cat Noir are having a ceremony in their honor at city hall today. Do make sure not to be late to that."
"Trust me, I wouldn't miss it!" Adrien replied through a mouthful of toast. "It's all Marinette could talk about for the last few days! I'd hate to let my partner down."
"Now, now, the ceremony is honoring both of you," said Gabriel. "It's important that the public recognize your contributions as well as hers. Cat Noir is Ladybug's partner, not her sidekick."
Adrien rolled his eyes, but couldn't help grinning–his dad reminded him of that any time he could. "Of course, Dad. Oh, and before I go…will a certain someone be crashing the ceremony, by any chance? Maybe a certain moth-themed supervillain?"
"He wouldn't be a very good villain if he didn't," Gabriel said with a wink.
"I'll be sure to keep my eye open, then," said Adrien. Swallowing the last of his breakfast, he headed outside where the car was waiting. "See you later, Hawkmoth!"
"Goodbye, Cat Noir," said Gabriel, going back to his reading.