Kairi sat alone on the throne in the tower's hall, her hands on her knees. At the same time, Eve and Nina examined her as best they could, their attention mainly focused on Kairi's eyes. They couldn't understand how her blue irises had suddenly turned red. There was also the strange sensation she'd experienced before her eyes had turned red. In any case, Kairi was utterly terrified by what was happening to her.
Meanwhile, Priere leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, watching what was happening, while Rena and Airy observed from a distance with concern, and Edea paced back and forth across the room. Elsewhere, Makoto tried unsuccessfully to contact Fury or anyone else with her transmitter.
“Argh! No way!” Makoto said, throwing up her hands for a moment. “Everyone at Shield tells me Fury is busy and can’t answer. Can anyone tell me what he’s doing?”
“Well, it must be more important than us if they’re giving you the runaround,” Airy commented.
“More important than knowing what the heck is happening with Kairi?” Edea said as she walked. “It’s crazy! We managed to take down Dracula, and suddenly something’s wrong with Kairi!”
“Calm down, okay?! You’re not helping.” Eve interrupted as she continued to examine Kairi.
Edea sighed, shaking her head as she continued walking.
“In theory, it doesn’t seem to be anything, Kairi,” Nina said, observing Kairi’s symptoms. “But it’s clear something has changed in you. I don’t know what.”
“Well, what a relief…” Kairi sighed.
Priere wanted to say something, but she didn't know what was happening either, so she remained silent against the wall. Something about Kairi reminded her of something from her past, but she couldn't say what.
Edea continued walking until she suddenly stopped and immediately headed towards Kairi.
“Kairi, the Gumiphone, now,” Edea asked, extending her hand to Kairi.
Kairi looked at her, confused, but still handed over the Gumiphone. Then Edea began to manipulate it.
“What are you doing?” Nina asked.
“Contact Merlin,” Edea replied. “Perhaps he can find out what’s going on here.”
“But we don’t have their contact number,” Makoto said.
“But it is someone close to me,” Edea said.
After manipulating the Gumiphone, Cid's image soon appeared on the screen in front of his computer.
“Hello?” Cid asked, looking at Edea. “Hey, who are you?”
“I’m Edea Lee, and I’m a friend of Kairi’s,” Edea replied. “Is the magician there? It’s urgent!”
“Merlin? Just a moment.” Cid said, before turning to the side. “Hey, old man! Someone’s looking for you! And it seems to be urgent!”
After a short while, Merlin appeared beside Cid.
“Ah, Miss Lee! Just in time!” Merlin exclaimed with a smile. “Tell me, my dear, what is it?”
“Listen, we’re in the world of the Fallen,” Edea began to explain. “We’ve defeated Dracula, but—”
“What?! You’ve defeated Dracula?!” Cid interrupted, surprise on his face.
“Don’t interrupt me; this is serious!” Edea scolded Cid. “You see, we defeated Dracula, but something is happening to Kairi right now. I need you to come here immediately.”
Merlin thought for a moment as Cid put his hands to his head upon hearing the news, getting up from his chair and leaving the frame.
“I wish I could, Edea, but unfortunately, the dark power that permeates that world prevents me from teleporting. But that doesn’t mean I’m useless. Position the Gummiphone facing Kairi as close as possible so I can examine her from here,” Merlin said.
Edea nodded and brought the Gumiphone closer to Kairi, allowing the old wizard to see her perfectly.
“As soon as we destroyed Dracula, Kairi got a terrible headache, and then her eyes turned red,” Eve told Merlin. “I’ve examined Kairi, but neither Nina nor I can figure out what’s wrong with her.”
“Hmm, wow… I see.” Merlin said as he watched Kairi through the Gummiphone. The wizard could clearly see how terrified Kairi was at that moment.
“Mr. Merlin, what’s wrong?” Rena asked.
Merlin watched silently for a moment before speaking again.
“Edea, that’s enough,” said Merlin.
“Okay, what’s wrong with Kairi?” Edea asked, turning the Gumiphone to see the magician in the picture.
“Certainly, what’s happening to Kairi is undoubtedly the worst possible situation,” Merlin said.
“Stop messing around and explain what’s wrong!” Priere exclaimed at full volume, so loudly that the magician could hear her.
“Very well. I need you to listen carefully,” Merlin began. “If I’m not mistaken, I believe this is Dracula’s final act should he be defeated. After Dracula’s defeat, he has somehow named Kairi as his successor.”
“What?!” they all asked at once.
“That’s right. By naming Kairi his successor, all the dark power that Dracula once possessed now attempts to enter Kairi after his death. But the fact that she is a Princess of Heart has slowed the metamorphosis, though it won’t last long. I don’t know how long it will take, but in the end, the darkness will drive out Kairi’s light, transforming her into the new Dark Lord.”
Kairi clutched her head in terror, cowering. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Was Kairi really about to become someone equal to or worse than Dracula? Everything started spinning in her mind at this revelation.
“So why don’t we cancel? We’re not going to let all our effort go to waste!” Airy asked.
“It’s dangerous, but there’s a chance,” Merlin said.
“And which one is it?” Eve asked.
“Dracula’s power, the power of the Dark Lord, is linked to that dark world. If that world is destroyed, the curse that is trying to take hold of Kairi will likely dissipate, undoing all its effects on her,” Merlin explained.
“Okay, so destroy the world,” Airy said. “Yeah, yeah. Fine, fine. But how?! Do you have any idea how huge this place is?”
“Every place has a weak point. And clearly that world is no exception.” Merlin said, raising a finger. “Why don’t you learn something from the Heartless?”
“The Heartless? What do they have to do with this?” Makoto asked.
Nina thought for a moment before speaking. “That makes sense. How do the Heartless usually destroy an entire world?”
Kairi closed her eyes, breathing deeply. “The heart of the world.”
“That’s right,” Merlin said. “There’s no doubt that the heart of the world is somewhere in that world. If you find it and destroy it, you can destroy that world.”
The group looked at each other without saying a word.
“It’s all I can do. The rest is up to you, and I will pray that you succeed in your mission,” Merlin said.
“Thank you for everything,” Edea said, just as the Gumiphone turned off, handing it to Kairi.
“Okay, so does anyone know where we can find the heart of this world?” Airy asked.
“Airy, I can’t believe you’re seriously asking that,” Rena said.
“And why not? Right now, it’s our only solution!” Airy exclaimed. “If we do nothing, Kairi will turn into Dracula Mark 2, or worse.”
“We know that, but that approach puts us in a very bad situation,” Eve said.
Edea thought for a moment until she understood what was happening, putting a hand to her head. “The population!”
“That’s it,” Rena said. “If we destroy the heart of the world, this place will be consumed by darkness, and the same will happen to the people who live here.”
“Very true. And if that happens, it’s more than likely that most people will get lost in the darkness before reaching some safe world like Traverse Town,” Priere said.
“And that’s why I can’t do it,” Kairi said, looking at the group. “I can’t risk or condemn all those people just to save myself. They’ve been trapped here for years because of Dracula and what he did that day. I don’t want to be the one to execute them just to avoid becoming an agent of darkness.”
“So what do we do then?” Nina asked.
At that moment, Kairi got up from the throne and went to the doors of the room, opening them and standing in the entrance while looking at the group.
“I want you to leave. Go back to the Gummi Ship and return to your worlds. Warn everyone about what’s going to happen and tell them to prepare for the worst,” Kairi explained. “As soon as the darkness consumes me and I cease to be myself, I’ll go to the worlds I know first. And we all know I won’t go alone, because you know how many Fallen are here.”
"Do you really want us to leave you here alone?" Edea asked incredulously as the girls walked towards Kairi.
“It’s the only possible solution without endangering the population!” Kairi exclaimed. “Oh, by the way. If you figure out how to reseal this world, do it. I prefer that to the alternatives.”
“You can’t be serious,” Rena said. “If you think we’re going to abandon you here, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“But if you stay here, I’ll most likely corrupt you and turn you all evil!” Kairi exclaimed.
“Well, I’ve been evil before. I don’t think it’s a big change.” Airy shrugged.
“Listen, Kairi. We’re in this together, through thick and thin. So just accept it,” Priere said. “Maybe having you as my boss isn’t so bad after all,” she joked, winking.
Kairi could barely contain a small laugh, shaking her head as she smiled.
“Besides, do you really think we’d leave you here with a view like this?” Makoto asked, gazing at the horizon above the dark city.
The group then turned their gaze towards the horizon as well, staying by Kairi's side, determined to remain with her until the bitter end.
“Honestly, this view isn’t bad at all,” Kairi commented.
“Glad you like the view, ladies. It's about to get better.”
Makoto raised a confused eyebrow, putting her hand on the communicator she was carrying.
"Fury?"
Immediately before them on the edge of the city, they saw a huge aircraft emerge from the clouds, which most of them recognized at once: The Tricarrier.
“What the?” Edea asked, stunned by the sight of the enormous ship.
"It's been a long and bumpy ride, but we've finally arrived," said Nick Fury from the Tricarrier's bridge.
“Fury, you damn jerk,” Kairi said, shaking her head with a smile.
“Oooh! You kiss your grandmother with that mouth?” Fury asked.
“But why are you here?” Edea asked.
“We found out what was going to happen and the possible tricks that Dracula might try,” Fury said.
“But aren’t you breaking countless rules just by being here?” Nina asked.
“That’s why I’m here.”
Kairi was now confused upon hearing that voice. "Master Yen Sid? W-what are you doing here?"
Yen Sid walked until he reached Fury's side.
“We managed to contact the Gulgans, and they explained what could happen. The fact that Dracula is trying to make you his replacement is the worst possible situation,” Yen Sid said.
“But we’ve discovered that if we destroy this world through its heart, we could stop the process,” Makoto said.
“But the girl refuses that idea because of the population of this world!” Airy mentioned.
“That’s why we’re going to remove the population from the equation,” Fury said. “We’re going to evacuate everyone from the city. Every last civilian.”
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea,” Priere said, looking at the girls.
“But Fury, have you seen the size of this city? It’s too big! I seriously doubt all the people will fit on that ship,” Edea said.
“Who says this is the only ship available?” Fury said with a smile.
At that very moment, from the clouds surrounding the city, the colossal ships that were on their way to that world began to emerge.
“Did they come too?” Priere asked.
“Oh! The Phoenix Guard? We ran into them on the way, and they seem to be just as aware of the problem as we are,” Fury said.
“The Phoenix Guard?” Kairi asked, tilting her head to one side.
“The truth is, we never asked them the name of their unit, or Chapter, or whatever,” Edea commented.
“Yes, and they’re not the only ones,” Furia commented.
On that occasion, another group of ships began to appear from among the clouds: the Republic's cruisers.
“What the heck?” Makoto asked, her mouth agape.
"I don't think you were expecting this, ladies."
Admiral Yularen said from the bridge of the cruiser Venator that he was flying over one of the edges of the city.
“Admiral, what are you doing here? Weren’t you in the past?” Eve asked.
“Indeed, but General Skywalker had a bad feeling, and we’ve come to help. And it’s good that we’ve done so, judging by what we’ve heard,” the admiral said.
“But do you know that you are in the future?” Edea asked.
“The truth is, it’s too tempting to know what the future holds, but we have a job to do, and that’s what we’re going to do,” the admiral replied.
Edea sighed, shaking her head and raising her hands. “Okay, fine. It’s clear that it’s now possible to evacuate people.”
“But how are you going to do it? The entire population is spread out across the city!” Nina asked.
“Don’t worry, we have the solution.”
“And who is this?” Priere asked the girls.
“Mr. Stark?” Kairi asked when she heard his voice on the communicator.
“That’s right, and you’re not going to guess where I am right now. And if you don’t want to play, I’ll just say I’m inside one of the towers around here,” Stark said.
“In one of the towers?” Edea asked, looking confusedly at the others.
“Yes, and you wouldn’t believe the surprise we got when we found out how it works,” Stark said.
“We? Are there more people there?” Kairi asked.
“That’s right, Kairi. We’re here too,” another voice said over the communicator.
The girls looked at each other until Rena spoke. “Is it just me, or did I just hear the little gargoyle?”
“Yes, but what was his name?” Airy shrugged. “Lexington or something like that?”
“Yes, and we’re not the only ones, girls,” Lexington replied.
Inside the tower, Stark, in his Iron Man armor, and Lexington were studying the tower's machinery, which included a large crystal and a large bell. Also present were Erza from Fairy Tail, the Valkyrie Einheria, and Sten, who were interrogating a man in a black toga.
“That voice? Isn’t that Sten?” Nina asked.
“And isn’t the other one Einheria? What are you all doing here?” Nina asked.
“Can I talk to them?” Erza asked Stark.
“I’ll definitely put it on speakerphone so you can talk to them,” Iron Man replied.
“Erza? You too?” Airy asked.
“Surprised?” Erza asked. “You’ve done so much for us and our worlds, so we’ve all come here to return the favor. We’ll take care of everything.”
“And how?” Eve asked.
“I’m glad you asked,” Lexington said. “From what we’ve gathered, these towers, when activated, act as beacons that attract people. So we’re going to activate several of them to draw people in and evacuate the population.”
“But won’t that also attract the Fallen who are still roaming around?” Rena asked.
"That's why we're all here. We'll contain the Fallen while the population is evacuated. So stay calm. We'll take care of it. You find the heart of this world and tear it to pieces."
Kairi remained silent, staring at the horizon at everything that was happening at that moment.
“Trust us, Kairi.”
“Master Aqua?” Kairi asked, confused.
“We’re all here to help you,” Aqua said from somewhere in the city. “Sora and Riku might not be here, but we’ll make sure that when they return, you’ll be there to greet them. But you have to do your part too. Trust us just as we trust you.”
Kairi hugged herself with a smile, while Rena placed her hand on her shoulder.
“Well, we don’t receive help from those we help every day. So we’d better be grateful, don’t you think?” Rena asked.
Kairi nodded, turning her gaze back to the city. “Okay. I’m counting on you.”
“Very well. Ladies and gentlemen, let the party begin.” Stark said as he tilted the lever of the tower's machinery.
As it did so, the gears of the machinery began to turn slowly, at the same time as the glass inside began to glow with an intense green hue while the bell began to move and ring loudly.
At that precise moment, several towers activated almost simultaneously, each emitting a pillar of green light, practically visible from anywhere in the city. At the same time, the remaining towers began to activate as well, but instead emitted a pillar of red light. The noise was loud enough to make people in the houses look out their windows to see what was happening, and they saw the active towers.
As a result of the bells, several people were already moving through the city streets towards the towers that emitted the pillar of green light, but upon reaching a crossroads, they encountered a horde of Zombies who spotted them, slowly advancing towards them while the people retreated in terror, until, without warning, a round shield struck the head of one of the Zombies, knocking it down.
The shield soon returned to Steve Rogers' hand, who placed it on his left arm as he stood before the people.
“Keep moving! Don’t stop!” Captain America ordered the people.
The civilians soon began to move as the soldier prepared to face the Fallen.
"If you want to get through, you'll have to do it over me." Rogers taunted the Fallen.
The zombies soon swarmed Captain America, but he easily overpowered the slow enemies with his speed and strength, even using his shield to prevent some of them from biting him during the fight.
Some of the Zombies approached Rogers' back as he continued to face the Fallen in front of him, until a sword sliced them in half, a new figure stepping behind him.
“You should watch your back, soldier. These things don’t fight fair.” Heinkel said as he held his shield steady, keeping the approaching Zombies at bay.
"That's why I'm glad to have you watching my back, Captain," Rogers remarked after kicking a Zombie.
“Well, let’s make sure people can get through here, Captain,” Heinkel said, attacking the Fallen with his sword, while Rogers threw his shield like a boomerang at the Zombies in front of him.
In another part of the city, several citizens were fleeing a pack of Armored Wargs and Skeleton Soldiers that had found them. But as the citizens crossed an intersection, just as the Fallen began to cross, they were intercepted by a dark wave that swept several of them away. When the Fallen looked out to see what had happened, they found Alternis Dim pointing his sword at them, until he knelt from the exertion of his attack. This distraction was enough for the people to flee the scene as quickly as possible.
Before the Fallen could use that opportunity to attack, a Cura++ spell healed Alternis's wounds, and he recovered quickly.
“You shouldn’t overexert yourself,” Aqua said, standing near him. “There are too many enemies, and you can’t just go around attacking recklessly.”
“I appreciate the advice, but Edea needs our help, and I don’t intend to be left behind,” Alternis said, gripping his sword with both hands.
“I understand. Kairi needs our help too, but don’t forget you’re not alone in this.” Aqua used a Triple Firaga spell against the Fallen, hitting several of them with fireballs. “So don’t take too many risks.”
“Understood,” Alternis said, preparing to fight.
“GODFERDOM!”
The two looked up as Hebus leaped above them, landing where the Fallen were and beginning to strike the unsuspecting monsters with his mace.
“Come on! It’s the best thing you know how to do, you little critters!” exclaimed the troll with a grin, looking at the Fallen.
Aqua and Alternis stared at the troll in confusion until they looked at each other.
"It's a good thing he's on our side," Alternis remarked as Aqua nodded.
Elsewhere in the city, several groups of civilians rushed through the streets as a Guardian approached them, sword poised to strike. But a sword blocked his attack, stopping him in his tracks.
"Don't think I'll let you pass from here!" Elsword exclaimed as he pushed the Fallen back with his sword.
The Fallen tried to force the redhead back down, but without warning, Roxas jumped on Elsword and struck the Guardian with his two Keyblades, sending him back along with several Skeleton Soldiers and Armor Knights.
“Thank you!” Elsword exclaimed to Roxas.
“You’re welcome,” Roxas replied, looking at the Fallen. “They seem endless.”
The Guardian advanced towards Roxas and Elsword, attacking with his sword, but a pair of teeth grabbed his weapon before snapping it in half.
“Seriously, these weapons are disgusting,” Gajeel commented as he chewed on the sword before transforming his arm into an iron cane and slamming it down hard, sending it crashing into a wall of the buildings.
“Well, if you don’t like them, don’t eat them,” Roxas said.
“Seriously, I still find it hard to believe he can eat metal,” Elsword commented.
“Yes, every world is as unique as its people,” Roxas said.
“Focus, everyone,” Ain said, standing behind them, before launching a couple of greenish light spheres that struck some of the Fallen in front of them. “There are still many people who need to be evacuated. We can’t fail them or Kairi.”
“He’s right; it’s up to us to get people out of here,” Roxas said.
"Well then, let's clear this street so people can pass through without any problems!" Gajeel exclaimed before launching himself at the Fallen.
“Hey, wait for us!” Elsword exclaimed as he and Roxas ran after Gajeel, while Ain sighed and shook his head.
In another part of the city, near one of the towers, people began arriving, finding a lifeboat large enough to evacuate them. But then a pair of Giant Bats descended upon the crowd. Without warning, one was ripped in two, while the other was sent flying by a powerful impact.
Right in front of the crowd stood Kamiizumi sheathing his sword, and beside him was a minotaur whose body coloring resembled that of a cow, holding an axe. The crowd was confused by what had happened until Lucy stepped forward.
“Come on, hurry up! Get on ship!” Lucy told the people, who began to board the ship with the help of the technicians on board.
At that moment, Kamiizumi noticed a Reditus Wraith had appeared in the area, preparing its magic to attack the ship. But before he and Taurus could launch their attack, a bolt pierced it, destroying it instantly.
“You’re welcome, folk,” Bow said, smiling as he loaded his crossbow.
“Oh, Mr. Bow! You are magnificent!” exclaimed Lucy with a smile and a flirtatious posture.
“Bah, it’s nothing!” Bow said, blushing and rubbing his head with his hand.
“My goodness, miss,” Kamiizumi said, looking at Lucy.
“What? If he’s willing to help, all the better, right?” Lucy shrugged.
In another part of the city, Katt was striking several Hunters with her staff while trying to keep passersby safe on the street behind her. As she held them off, one of them jumped at Katt, but Cixi suddenly struck him with her staff and then froze several of the Fallen with her ice magic.
“Not bad for someone like you,” Katt said, standing next to Cixi with her cane ready.
“I could say the same about you, kitty,” Cixi replied.
“Move aside!”
The two stepped aside just as Hercules ran past them, trampling all the Hunters in his path, some of them flying through the air from his blows.
“You know what? This is the first time I’ve fought alongside a demigod,” Katt remarked to Cixi.
“Well, now there are two of us,” Cixi said to Katt.
At that moment, they both saw several Bats and Ignis Wraiths appear, flying towards them.
“Okay, it’s time to bring those things down a peg!” Cixi exclaimed.
"Well, let's do this, mate!" Katt raised her hands, causing a large ice wolf to suddenly appear above her, piercing through the flying Fallen and freezing them.
At the same time, Cixi jumped onto the ice wolf and began riding it like a skateboard, guiding it over the enemies, freezing most of them, who were quickly destroyed by Hercules' blows.
But without warning, several Nulla Wraiths appeared from the ice, directing their attacks at Cixi, who dodged their ice attacks while mounted on the ice wolf. Fortunately, a spinning Keyblade struck the ice elemental Fallen, clearing the area.
Ventus landed near Hercules while retrieving his Keyblade.
“I’m glad to see you’re still in shape, Ventus,” Hercules said, looking at Ventus.
“And I’m so glad to see you’ve finally become a real hero,” Ventus said with a grin. “Just like old times, huh?”
“That’s right. Just like old times.” Hercules agreed.
“Guys, we’ll talk later. There are still monsters around here.” Katt said, watching as more Fallen appeared.
“Well then, let’s give them hell,” Cixi said as she landed next to them.
At another of the city's intersections, several skeletons and suits of armor were approaching the crossing where people were crossing, when four figures appeared between them and the civilians.
“Hold your stick!” Peter told the others.
“Holding!” the Ghostbusters exclaimed, preparing their proton packs.
“Heat'em up!”
“Smoking!”
“Make'em hard!”
“Ready!”
“Let’s show those things how we do things in the Great Apple,” Peter said, the Ghostbusters pointing their proton packs at the Fallen. “Strike!”
At the command, the Ghostbusters began firing their proton packs at the Fallen, starting to repel them with the proton beams from their equipment, preventing them from advancing further towards the population.
“Come on! Keep it up! Let’s kick their asses!” Peter exclaimed as he fired his proton pack at the Fallen.
“I have to admit, for a bunch of old fogies with such rudimentary technology, you guys are pretty effective,” Add said as he walked behind the Ghostbusters.
"Hey, you could lend a hand instead of insulting us, you know?!" Zed exclaimed as he fired his proton pack.
“Okay, okay, I’m coming.” Add said, extending his hand with his dynamos forming around him, immediately launching several small purple energy orbs, hitting the Fallen directly.
“That wasn’t bad at all, kid! Not bad at all!” Ray exclaimed.
“I would suggest concentrating the dynamos’ energy at a focused point between them,” Egon suggested. “This will reduce the number of projectiles fired…”
“But they could increase their destructive power and overall range. Not a bad idea, genius!” Add said, moving the dynamos in front of him, extending his arm toward the Fallen. “Let’s put it to the test.”
On another street, several Hunters and Crimson Heads were trying to cross the road to reach the civilians, but Lea stood in their way, unleashing his fire attacks on the Fallen. At the same time, Ominas Crowe used his fire spells against the enemies while his pet Bahamut attacked them with its fiery breath.
Elesis was also there, using her fire sword and incendiary powers to hold back the Fallen who were trying to evade the attacks of the three before her, while Natsu fiercely attacked them, unconcerned by the fire attacks flying everywhere.
“I have to admit I wasn’t expecting to find so many fire enthusiasts,” Lea said after incinerating a Hunter. “This is going to be a real fire party!”
“Don’t get too worked up, y-y-young man! You focus on keeping those things at bay! Don’t let them get too close!” Ominas exclaimed to Lea.
“Relax, man! I know what I’m doing.” Lea said, launching a Firaga at a Redhead.
Meanwhile, Elesis summoned several fiery blades from the ground that struck the Fallen in front of her.
“Alright, gentlemen. Don’t forget the tactics. You attack from behind, while Natsu and I hold them off.” Elesis said, launching a fireball that struck several Fallen.
“Don’t remind me, woman!” Crowe exclaimed to Elesis. “I’m only doing what you say because the Captain said so!”
“Then focus on the task at hand,” Elesis said.
Natsu struck several Fallen before retreating. "This will never end!" Then Natsu turned to the others. "Come on! Unleash your flames on me!"
“And w-w-what does this fool say now?!” Ominas asked.
“Are you sure about that?” Lea asked.
"Don't worry, I can eat fire," Natsu said with a smile.
Despite thinking it was a bad idea, they all launched their fire attacks against Natsu, which he took full force. But he simply began to inhale the flames surrounding him before turning to the Fallen and unleashing a powerful fireball that swept away most of his enemies.
“I admit this is new to me,” Lea said, shrugging as she looked at Crowe and Elesis.
“Do you think I’ve ever seen someone eat flames like that before?” Ominas asked Lea.
In another part of the city, Black Widow was fighting several Legionary Skeletons, keeping them at bay with kicks and judo holds, while Sten jumped onto an Axe Armor and hit it on the head to distract it.
At that moment, Ara, in her Eun Mode, jumped over the Fallen, landing between them and impaling her spear on the ground, causing an explosion of dark energy that destroyed the Fallen in the area.
"Hey, watch out! You almost hit me!" Sten exclaimed after dodging the attack.
“Forgive me!” Ara said as she pointed her spear at the Fallen approaching them.
“There’s no need to apologize. You’re doing the best you can,” Natasha said to Ara as she fired at the Fallen with the weapons on her wristbands.
"Yeah, because the attack hasn't even come close to you," Sten said to Black Widow.
“Relax, buddy!”
Homard moved past the group, making a wide cut through several suits of armor at once.
“I don’t usually let a lady put herself in danger, but our friend’s skills speak for themselves,” Homard said to Sten while giving Ara a polite nod.
“Oh, come on!” exclaimed Sten, crossing his arms.
“Leave it alone, okay? We still have work to do,” Natasha said, gesturing to the approaching Fallen.
“That’s right. There will be time to apologize later,” Ara said, preparing to fight again.
Elsewhere in the city, Barras Lehr was trying to keep an Iron Giant in place, which he surprisingly managed to contain with his strength, while Chung used his large cannon to fire projectiles at its head with the intention of destroying it.
“These beings are really tough!” Chung exclaimed.
“Yes, tough rivals! Just the way I like it!” Barras exclaimed before shoving the Iron Giant back, as several Hunters and Skeleton Soldiers approached from the sides of the Fallen.
“Don’t underestimate them!” Terra exclaimed as he slammed down, striking with his Keyblade and sending several meteorites crashing down on the Fallen. “They could catch you by surprise if you’re not careful.”
“Watch out! A true warrior only needs two tactics! Frontal attack, and death by frontal attack!” Barras exclaimed to Terra.
“Leave him alone. It seems he barely has the brain cells to survive,” Chung told Terra.
“Yes, it seems so,” Terra said, turning to the Fallen. “But it’s more than you can say about such things.”
A Hunter leaped at Terra, but Chung intercepted it with his large cannon, pushing it back, giving Terra time to throw his Keyblade at the Fallen.
Elsewhere in the city, Xion and Aisha were having trouble with several Skeleton Archers and Sentinels who kept firing arrows and energy projectiles at them, but fortunately, Rand's shell managed to deflect the impacts that hit his back.
“Are you okay, girls?” Rand asked them both.
“We do, but honestly, this is really bad luck,” Xion said.
“Yes, of all the Fallen we could have encountered, it had to be the ranged attackers,” Aisha said, peeking over to see several Reditus Wraiths floating atop the Fallen. “And on top of that, there are those magic-immune nuisances. If it weren’t for them, I would have wiped them off the map a long time ago.”
“Yes, although I don’t know how long I can endure this,” Rand said, beginning to feel the pressure on his back.
Taking advantage of the situation, a pair of Skeleton Soldiers leaped onto the group. However, the two Fallen were left hovering in the air before being pushed back.
The three were surprised by what had happened until two people stood between them and the Fallen.
Skywalker and Kenobi quickly began blocking the Fallen's attacks with their lightsabers.
“Are we here at a good time?” Anakin asked as he blocked enemy fire.
“Thank you, but I don’t think we can handle them alone,” Xion said.
“Don’t be so sure about that,” Rand said, pointing the other way.
At that moment, several clone troopers arrived at the scene, beginning to fire at the Fallen and pushing them back.
“We’ll take care of this street. You escort the people to the evacuation zone,” Obi-Wan suggested to the group.
“I won’t say no to that suggestion,” Aisha said before she and the others began to back away amidst the advancing clones.
“Do you regret coming with me, Master?” Anakin asked Obi-Wan as he blocked the attacks of the Fallen.
“And miss out on the fun? Obviously not, Anakin.” Kenobi replied while maintaining their position, both Jedi being supported by the clones that accompanied them.
In one of the evacuation zones, people were arriving en masse, with people boarding the transport that was there, while Nicolaso and Culotte helped people who were boarding the lifeboat.
“This place is full! Bring another one here as soon as possible!” Nicolaso exclaimed to the pilot as he and Culotte got out of the ship.
“Understood!” the pilot replied, beginning to lift the lifeboat toward the Tritransporter.
“Okay, gentlemen, calm down! Another one will come to pick you up soon! Be patient!” Nicolaso explained to the people who were arriving at the place.
“I didn’t imagine there would be so many people here,” Culotte said, looking at the crowd.
“I know, but we must do everything possible to help them escape this world,” Nicolaso said as he watched Cian tend to civilians who had been injured during the evacuation.
At the same time as the battles raged in the city, some of the full lifeboats began arriving at the Tritransporter landing zone, where Shield personnel were helping civilians get off the transports.
“What’s with those faces, people!” Praline a la Mode exclaimed, holding her microphone high. “Now you’re safe! Let me lift your spirits with one of my songs!”
Praline struck a pose while spotlights illuminated her.
Meanwhile, the Specialists who were there to support people in case of boarding stood looking at her with their arms crossed.
“Did she really have to come?” Riven asked the others, shrugging.
“As far as I know, there was no way to convince her otherwise,” Timmy remarked.
At that moment, Sky turned his gaze to the outside of the ship, frowning.
“Mr. Fury? I think we have a problem,” Sky reported over a communicator. “A few flyers are approaching the ship.”
As he warned, several Gargoyles, Giant Bats, and Reditus Specters were currently heading towards the Tricarrier to attack it.
“Understood, Sky,” Fury said. “Girls, go ahead.”
A short while later, a fireball and a ball of light struck several of the Fallen, catching their attention.
“It seems we’ve caught their attention,” Bloom said as he flew alongside Stella.
“Yes, and it seems they weren’t happy about it,” Stella replied. “But that’s why we’re here, isn’t it? So they focus on us and not on other people.”
The flying Fallen ignored the Tricarrier and flew towards them to attack, just as the rest of the Winx flew alongside them, ready to face the monsters.
In another part of the city, dozens of Skeleton Soldiers had Roxas, Raven, and Ciggma Khint surrounded, but they didn't seem to be worried about the enemies around them.
“How many do you think are still around here?” Raven asked, raising his sword as he shielded himself with his Nasod arm.
“What’s wrong? Are you tired of fighting so much?” Ciggma asked Raven with a smile.
"In your dreams. If any of them are better than you, leave them to me," Raven said.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been paid a fortune for this fight, so I don’t intend to just walk away,” Ciggma told Raven.
“A mercenary to the end, huh? That brings back old memories.” Raven said, smiling.
“Seriously, guys. You two need to get yourselves checked out. Did you know that?” Roxas remarked to the two.
The Skeleton Soldiers rushed at them, but Ciggma dispatched his enemies with his flame-infused sword, while Raven weaved through the Fallen, slashing at lightning speed, barely giving them time to react. At the same time, Roxas skillfully attacked the enemies with his two Keyblades.
Elsewhere in the city, hundreds of Fallen were advancing along a long street, but a powerful lightning bolt struck those in front, causing them to stop for a moment.
“I have to admit it. That lightning bolt wasn’t bad at all,” Deis said to Alouette after she had summoned it.
“Thank you, but as a member of La Pucelle, it’s the least I can do,” Alouette said calmly.
Deis smiled at her before turning his gaze to the approaching Fallen. “Well, at least let me show you how it’s done.”
Deis raised her staff, casting a spell that immediately unleashed a gigantic beam that began to sweep away the Fallen in its path. Alouette was astonished by the snake woman's power.
“See, that’s a real lightning bolt,” Deis said, smiling at Alouette.
“I acknowledge that you both possess great power. But I doubt that trash like you can compare to me,” Mephilia said as she walked past them. “Now I’ll show you how it’s done.”
Mephilia used her magic, immediately summoning a strange spider made of gears and electricity, which immediately launched a violent beam against the Fallen, completely cleaning the street.
Mephila began to laugh sadistically, while Alouette and Deis looked at each other.
“It’s appreciated that he’s on our side,” Alouette commented, while Deis nodded.
In another part of the city, citizens were fleeing as fast as they could from a gigantic horde of Fallen pursuing them, mainly Iron Giants, Crimson heads, Skeleton Archers, and Legionnaires, but suddenly something landed heavily in front of them, blocking their advance.
Tamiel Sedreo got up from the ground after landing, carrying a huge electric hammer in one hand.
“Years ago, our honor was tarnished when we failed to protect the Order of the Phoenix,” Tamiel said, gripping his pistol with his free hand. “But today, we will ensure that nothing stands in the way of the Scion of the Phoenix.”
At that moment, several Intercessors with firearms, some with heavy weapons, were positioned in formation around the Chapter Master.
“First Company! We will hold this position in the name of the Scion of the Phoenix!” exclaimed the Chapter Master. “In the name of the Phoenix Guard! By the Order of the Phoenix!”
"By the Order of the Phoenix!"
With a unified cry, the Space Marines began firing their weapons at the Fallen, quickly beginning to wreak havoc among the enemy ranks, including the Iron Giants, who were unable to withstand their firepower.
“This is the Voice of the Phoenix calling all companies!” Tamiel began, firing his pistol at the Fallen. “Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Companies, hold your positions and protect civilians at all costs! Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Companies, assist other groups in the containment if necessary! Tenth Company, defend your assigned evacuation zones with your lives!”
"By the flames of resurrection!" shouted all the Space Marines throughout the city.
In another location in the city, a joint force of a Clone Company and the Sixth Company of the Phoenix Guard was holding off a large number of Fallen of various types that they were tying up at a distance, including several Sentinels who were giving them a hard time with their cannons and shields.
"Damn it, these things never end!" said one of the clones as he fired at the Fallen.
“Have faith, soldier, for our cause is the right one!” replied a Space Marine, firing his Heavy Bolter.
"Whatever you say, big guy," the clone trooper remarked as he continued firing. "But those shields on the guys in the red armor are a real pain in the ass."
The exchange of gunfire between both sides continued for quite some time, until a clone noticed that his weapon had stopped firing.
“Damn, I’m out of ammo.” The clone said, starting to look around until he noticed the enormous pistol an Intercessor had on his belt. “Hey, can I borrow that gun?”
"I highly doubt your body can handle its power, but if that's what you want." The space marine handed his bolt pistol to the clone trooper.
The clone trooper nearly fell to the ground under the weight of the weapon, which was larger than he was, but that didn't stop him from aiming it at a Sentinel that was firing at them. Just as the clone pulled the trigger, the weapon fired forward, sending him flying backward from the powerful recoil. Fortunately, the projectile struck the Sentinel in the shoulder, destabilizing it and allowing the others to destroy it with their own fire.
“Not bad, soldier. Not bad at all.” The space marine turned around, looking at the clone on the ground with the bolt gun on him as he laughed.
“Holy crap! I love this weapon!” exclaimed the clone, laughing as several of his brothers helped him to his feet.
In one of the city's parks, the Second Company was repelling the Fallen who were advancing towards them, but the number was unsustainable as they kept coming towards them.
"Hold them back! Don't let them through!" the company captain ordered the other Space Marines as he fired at the Fallen.
Just then, a figure appeared behind the Space Marines, catching the captain's attention.
“Get out of my way!” Ryu Bateson exclaimed as he advanced, cracking his knuckles. “I’ll put them in their place.”
Some of the space marines looked at Ryu in confusion until one of them turned his gaze to the captain.
“I think we should move aside, sir,” the Space Marine said to the captain.
The captain hesitated for a moment before silently giving the order to move away from Ryu, who was standing in front of the Fallen, approaching him.
At that moment, Ryu transformed into his Kaiser form and used his breath to obliterate everything in front of him, the Space Marines covering their faces from the air pressure generated by Ryu's attack. In an instant, the enormous army of Fallen had vanished, although more of them seemed to be approaching from the horizon.
“These people are starting to get on my nerves, Captain,” said one of the Space Marines.
“And me too, but you know the orders,” said the captain.
"Look at us, it seems we're not even here, even though we came with him when this all started," Gray said to the Jackal as they stood behind them.
“Yes, it seems we’re not wanted here.” The Jackal said with his arms crossed.
At that moment, a Space Marine turned towards them, noticing their presence, but then he froze inside his helmet in shock upon seeing Gray.
"What's wrong with you?! You're practically naked!" exclaimed the Space Marine, looking at Gray in disbelief.
Gray was startled to learn that he was in his underwear at that moment.
"It's about time you realized that, genius!" exclaimed the Jackal, looking at Gray.
In one of the evacuation zones, several Space Marines from the Tenth Company were overseeing the evacuation of civilians in lifeboats just as several Lickers appeared, climbing the surrounding walls.
“Purge those creatures!” ordered one of his sergeants, causing them to start shooting at the Lickers that were appearing.
But despite their intentions, civilians began to panic due to the crossfire, running in all directions.
“Stop shooting like crazy!”
Einheria flew through the air past one of the Lickers before jumping on another and knocking it to the ground, landing among the civilians.
"You all, get on the ships!" Einheria exclaimed to the population before turning her gaze to the Space Marines. "And you! Don't forget that the civilians are the priority! And if you're going to fire, make sure you don't endanger anyone!"
The marines of the Tenth Company looked at each other after Einheria's scolding.
“She’s right. Only fire if you have the enemy in your sights and there are no civilians in the way,” one of his sergeants ordered the others.
Einheria nodded, but leaped to avoid a Licker's surprise attack, which tried to strike her with its tongue. Before either could react, the Fallen was brought down by an arrow from a great distance. Einheria looked in the direction the arrow had come from.
On one of the city's highest rooftops, Artemia, Rose, and Hawkeye were firing their weapons at the Fallen from a distance, while observing everything that was happening from a bird's-eye view.
“Very good shot, young lady,” Hawkeye said to Artemia as he released an arrow at a flying Fallen within range. “Though if you’d like, I could teach you a few tricks.”
“No, thanks. Artemia can already shoot better than most men,” Artemia said, firing another of her arrows.
"Whatever you say, but just so you know, I just took down 45 enemies," Hawkeye said proudly.
“Well, Artemia has hit 87 enemies,” Artemia said calmly.
“What?!” Hawkeye asked, looking at Artemia. “I’m not going to be beaten by a little girl in a mask!”
“Just stop it, okay?” Rose said as she used her rifle against the Fallen from a distance. “I’m 58, and you won’t hear me complaining.”
"Oh, really?!" Hawkeye rolled his eyes in annoyance.
“Stop complaining already, man!” Zero exclaimed as he floated onto his face, but at that moment, he looked behind him, turning pale. “Watch out with it!”
Hawkeye turned, seeing a Stone Gargoyle fly toward them, but it was suddenly sliced in two by a sharp blade. Soon, they saw Lanfeust flying around them with his magic wings and his sword in hand.
"That wasn't bad at all, huh?!" Lanfeust asked as he flew.
"Not bad, kid. But next time, don't get it so close." Hawkeye said to Lanfeust.
"Well, pay more attention next time, okay?!" Lanfeust said as he walked away.
“He has a point,” Rose said to Hawkeye, who rolled his eyes in annoyance.
In the skies above the city, Iron Man and Falcon were holding off the flying Fallen scattered throughout the city, thus reducing the pressure on those fighting on the ground. At that moment, Stark noticed several stone Gargoyles following him from behind.
"Wow, they sure do like to follow me," Iron Man remarked as he flew ahead of the Fallen.
At that moment and without warning, Goliath fell on one of the stone Gargoyles, causing it to crash into one of the buildings, at the same time as the rest of the gargoyles attacked the flying Fallen.
Stark stopped to watch the fight just as a gunshot destroyed a flock of Giant Bats that had approached him.
“You shouldn’t be distracted by watching others fight, Mr. Stark,” Xanatos said in his red armor as he flew near Iron Man. “Believe me, you’ll have plenty of time to see the gargoyles fight.”
“Yes, that’s true,” Stark said. “Changing the subject, I have to admit those mechanical gargoyle replicas are pretty well done.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Stark. I could say the same about your technology,” Xanatos said. “By the way, after all this is over, would it be possible for me to take a closer look at your technology?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Xanatos, but both Iron Man’s technology and the Arc Reactor are not for sale,” Iron Man said before flying into the fight.
“We’ll see about that, Mr. Stark,” Xanatos said before flying off in another direction.
In an evacuation zone of the city guarded by clones, people were boarding shuttles under the clones' supervision. At that moment, Hayreddin Barbarossa advanced towards one of the clones in the place.
“How are things going around here?” Barbarossa asked the clone.
"The evacuation is going well, so I have no doubt that the population in this place will be evacuated in record time, so we could start helping with the evacuation of other parts of the city," the clone said at top speed.
At that moment, another clone turned his gaze to him.
“Hey, you! We’ve already told you not to transform into us! You could destabilize the chain of command with those transformations of yours!” the clone exclaimed angrily.
At that moment, the clone was engulfed in a burst of smoke, and Konoe Kykio appeared in its place.
“It seems they’re not very fond of transformations, dear,” Barbarossa commented, looking at the kunoichi.
Soon, they heard a clap of thunder that alerted everyone present, but shortly, Thor landed on the spot, with a girl under his arm and another boy clinging to his neck, who got off when he landed.
“I’m sorry for showing up like this. I found these two lost children around here, so I decided to bring them here,” Thor said to those present.
“Alright, we’ll take care of them,” the clone sergeant said as several clones led the children to the shuttles. “Head to the Park of Gluttony if possible. It seems our allies are having some trouble with the Fallen there.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Thor said before using his hammer to fly away from the location.
“Did you ever imagine fighting alongside a god when we trained on Kamino?” a clone asked his partner, who shook his head.
On the city's rooftop, the three snipers dealt with both the flying and distant Fallen within their reach until Hawkeye noticed something in one of the city's areas.
“Falcon, can you inspect that location?” Hawkeye asked.
“I’m on my way!” Falcon exclaimed, flying in the direction his partner had indicated. When his partner arrived at the location, he was stunned by what he saw. “Director Fury, can you hear me?”
“What’s going on, Falcon?” Fury asked from the Tritransporter bridge.
“I’m spotting a whole herd of Inacors crossing the streets toward one of the evacuation zones. I estimate at least 50 enemies, at the very least,” Falcón reported. “I’m sending you an image of the situation.”
On one of the screens on the Tricarrier's bridge, they saw what Falcon was seeing: a huge herd of Inacors running wild through the city streets.
“This is really bad. If they reach the evacuation zone, it will be a massacre,” Fury said.
“Yes, although I think that’s not all,” Falcon said, pointing to what was right in front of them.
Right in front of the rampaging Inacors, Fiore DeRosa and Daniel Fortesque could be seen running for their lives.
“Wow, I call that bad luck,” Fury said before expanding the communication. “Fury here! I need all our heavy powerhouses to head to the route between the Park of Rage and Evacuation Zone 4! A pack of Inacors is heading for that position! Intercept them!”
“Do you think that will be enough to stop those things?” Brave Lee asked as he walked toward Fury.
“We need brute force against those monsters. If you have a better plan, I’m all ears,” Fury said.
Brave Lee and Master Yen Sid remained silent, observing the man.
“If I may offer my opinion.” The group turned as the faun Phil spoke. “I’ve trained Hercules since he was a scrawny boy, so I know what he’s capable of. Besides, I have a keen eye for these boys, and if what I’ve seen in them is correct, you can be sure they’ll be able to contain them.”
“I hope so, Mr. Philoctetes. I hope so,” Fury said, turning his gaze outside.
In the city streets, Fiore DeRosa and Fortesque were running like the devil was after them while a gigantic pack of Inacors ran after them.
“Damn my luck! I get distracted for one second, and I end up running from a pack of savage monsters next to a cowardly skeleton!” DeRosa cursed as she ran.
“Hey! There’s a difference between being brave and being suicidal!” Fortesque babbled as he ran alongside her. “And they’re seriously bringing me back from the dead for this?”
Further ahead, Erza was advancing in her silver armor and sword, just as Hercules landed near her.
“It looks like we’re going to have to stop that stampede, miss,” Hercules said, twirling his arm as he walked.
“Yes, it seems so,” Erza said to Hercules.
At that moment, Thor landed next to them, moving forward alongside the others.
“I hope the legends about you aren’t just rumors, son of Zeus,” Thor said.
“Oh, you can be sure I’ll be up to the task, God of Lightning,” Hercules said, smiling.
Just then. Barras and Hebus appeared, running after them until they caught up.
“I hope I’m not late!” Barras exclaimed as he stood up next to the others.
“It seems we’ve arrived on time. I would have felt bad if we had been late,” Hebus said, hitting Barras’s shoulder.
Then Hulk landed behind them all, thumping his fists with a grin.
“Less talk and more smash!” Hulk exclaimed.
“Relax, my friend. We’ll have more than enough for everyone here,” Thor said.
Just at that moment, DeRosa and Fortesque caught up with them, passing between them, with the Inacors several meters behind the group.
“All yours, gentlemen!” exclaimed DeRosa, while Fortesque stammered in agreement.
“Alright, let the party begin!” exclaimed Hercules.
The Inacors soon caught up with the group, but as soon as they reached melee range, the group began attacking and hitting them with all their might, some of the Fallen being sent flying through the air by the blows of the group as they held back their advance.
Back in the highest part of the castle, the girls watched the smoke rising from the many battles raging around the city.
“Well, I admit they’re motivated,” Airy said, looking around the city.
“They’re giving us a chance,” Rena said, looking at Kairi. “Now it’s up to us to do our part.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Kairi nodded. Now that she knew the population of that world would be evacuated, nothing could stop them from destroying the world’s heart and halting the curse that was befalling it.
“Everything is very well and all that, but does anyone know where the lock to the heart of the world might be?” Edea asked.
That was a good question. The lock they needed to find could be anywhere in that world, and in the worst-case scenario, outside the castle, somewhere in the city, now engulfed in the chaos of battle.
Just then, Kairi turned her gaze to the base of the staircase leading to the hanging tower, seeing the woman in the red robe looking at them before entering the tower.
“Let’s follow her,” Kairi said. “Something tells me she knows where the lock is.”
“There’s nothing to lose by trying,” Priere said, shrugging.
The girls went down the stairs and entered the tower. From there, the group began following the hooded woman through the castle corridors, mostly retracing their steps to get up there, hoping she would lead them to the keyhole.
But clearly things couldn't be that simple. The castle was still swarming with Fallen, and although the woman in red managed to evade the enemies, they reacted to the presence of Kairi and the others, attacking them immediately. And without a second thought, the girls used everything they had to clear a path to wherever they were going.
Reaching the clock tower area, the group descended the tower's gears and stairs, battling the enemies guarding the entire place. Clearly, they couldn't afford to take it slow, given that they were now racing against the clock. The group even ignored the safe zones along the way, though strangely, they were all blocked by iron bars and rubble. Of course, they didn't have time to dwell on them.
As they advanced through the rest of the castle, following the lead of the woman in the red robe, the Fallen guarding the castle halls grew fiercer and more dangerously positioned. It was as if the Fallen knew what Kairi and the others were planning and were trying to stop them at all costs. But they couldn't allow themselves to be held up for too long. Otherwise, everything they were risking would be for nothing.
Finally, the group had returned to the chamber where the doors to Dracula's servers were located, but there was no trace of the woman.
“But where has she gone? Have we lost her?” Edea asked, looking around.
“Wait! There’s something different here,” Eve warned.
As Eve indicated, the circle with the pentagram on the floor of the room was apparently glowing with an intense light. Something it hadn't done the first time they were in that room.
“Do you think that means anything?” Nina asked.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Kairi said.
Kairi stepped inside the circle, gripping her Keyblade with both hands. At that moment, the circle's glow intensified, forming a column of light that reached the ceiling, which bore an identical figure. The two figures were connected by the column of light. Kairi looked up, seeing a keyhole appear in the center of the pentagram on the ceiling.
Kairi immediately jumped back out of the circle and pointed her Keyblade at the lock. A beam of light shot from the tip of her Keyblade, flying across the salt and into the keyhole in the ceiling. She immediately heard the sound of a lock clicking open. The pillar of light then transformed into a pillar of darkness, while everything around her went dark.
“There it is,” Kairi said.
“The heart of the world,” Nina said.
The group gathered around Kairi as they watched the pillar of dark light that stood before them.
“It’s strange. I was taught that a Keyblade user’s duty was to protect the hearts of people and worlds,” Kairi said.
“And now we are about to destroy a heart,” Edea said.
“Well, they haven’t left us any other option,” Priere said.
“Does anyone have any idea what we’ll find in here?” Makoto asked.
“Nobody knows for sure,” Nina replied.
“We are in uncharted territory. Nothing like the heart of a world has ever been described before. It could be anything,” Eve said.
“That’s right. I’m sure that under other circumstances, this would be a good opportunity to study it. But unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury,” Rena said, looking at Kairi.
“Do you know what’s really strange?” Airy asked. “For millennia, I’ve been tasked with connecting worlds so my master could devour and destroy them. This will be the first time I destroy a world myself.”
“Well, both methods are different; make no mistake about that,” Edea said.
“As if I didn’t know,” Airy told Edea.
“Not now!” Rena said.
Kairi stared at the pillar of dark light, but put her hand to her forehead as she suffered a minor migraine, startling the girls around her.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Kairi said, smiling at the group. Then she turned her gaze back to the pillar of light. “Well, there’s no turning back now. It all comes down to win or lose.”
“Well, whatever happens, we’ll do it together,” Rena said, placing a hand on Kairi’s shoulder.
Kairi looked at Rena, then at the rest of the group, who were smiling at her. After nodding in agreement, they all turned their gaze back to the pillar of light. And without a moment's hesitation, the group advanced toward the pillar of dark light, stepping inside and disappearing within it.
Meanwhile, on the Tritransporter, Fury continued to oversee the evacuation of the world.
“Can anyone tell me how things are out there? Anyone?” Fury asked.
“This is Admiral Yularen. Apparently, the Fallen are putting up more of a fight than we anticipated, but I can confirm that at least 60% of the population has been evacuated,” Yularen reported via broadcast.
“Still not enough. By the time Kairi destroys the heart of this world, there shouldn’t be any down there.” Fury said.
“Relax, Fury. I can confirm that at least the entire remaining population is gathered in the evacuation zones,” Iron Man said. “Now we just have to keep the Fallen away from those areas.”
"I hope so, Stark. I hope so," Fury said.
At that moment, Yen Sid turned his gaze toward the castle. “Kairi. May your heart be your guiding key.”
Kairi and the group appeared in a strange place, completely surrounded by a thick, reddish fog that prevented them from seeing more than a couple of meters ahead. They even had to strain to keep track of each other in the density of that fog.
“Does anyone see anything?” Kairi asked.
“No way! You can barely see anything here!” Rena said.
The girls moved slowly through the dense fog, searching for something, until suddenly Edea crashed head-on into a wall and fell to the ground. Kairi then went to her, checking if she was alright.
“What is that? An invisible wall?” Edea asked.
Kairi stared straight ahead without seeing anything until she looked down, managing to see the ground where it suddenly disappeared.
“No, I think this is the edge,” Kairi said, feeling the invisible wall. “I’ve seen it before. There’s no doubt about it, this looks like the Dive to the Heart.”
“Okay, so that means we’re where the heart of the world is hidden,” Airy said. “But where is it? Does anyone see anything?”
“I don’t know. But it seems the fog is clearing,” Nina said.
Just as she said, the dense fog around them began to dissipate, revealing that they were all at the edge of the platform. As the fog cleared, Makoto turned around, swallowing hard.
“Hey, girls…” Makoto said as she backed away. “I think I’ve found something.”
The group turned around after hearing the squirrel girl, surprised by what they saw. Now that the fog had dissipated, revealing an ominous red expanse around them, they saw in the center of the platform the torso of a colossal suit of armor with enormous horned arms and a large horned helmet, bearing the symbol of the Fallen (Final Guardian) at its center. The massive armor extended its arms out to the sides and raised them menacingly as it glared at the group.
“Is that thing the heart of the world?” Edea asked as she stood up from the ground.
“I would say it is the last line of defense of the heart of the world,” Priere said, preparing his baton.
“Then let’s finish this,” Kairi said, preparing her keyblade.
The rest of the group also prepared for the battle that lay ahead against the enormous enemy in front of them.
The enormous armor raised its arm, its hand slashing forward with a violent force, forcing the group to scatter to avoid being crushed. Rena quickly began firing arrows at the armor, hoping to find a weak point to exploit. Despite this, the Final Guardian raised its arm again, attempting to crush them once more, though the group remained agile enough to evade the attack.
Kairi didn't hesitate to use her ranged magic to attack while moving, avoiding the crushing blows from the armor's hands, while Nina and Airy used their magic alongside her. Simultaneously, Priere, Makoto, and Edea, using the Monk profession, physically attacked it from the sides, away from the hand attacks. But the armor immediately raised its arm, transforming its hand into a massive blade, before unleashing a circular slash around them, forcing them to dodge and retreat. At that moment, the armor attempted to strike Kairi with the arm's weapon in a vertical slash, but fortunately, Kairi avoided it by leaping to the side, the weapon crashing to the ground.
“Kairi!” Edea called as she prepared to attack again. “I think you should transform!”
“No, not yet. This is just the outer shell. We don’t know what’s inside,” Eve said as she used her spears to attack the enormous armor.
Eve was right. That thing was protecting the heart of the world. And who knew what form it might take beneath that armor? So it was best to save all her strength for when the armor fell. Therefore, this time Kairi focused on casting the most powerful spells she could muster against the Final Guardian.
The armor then crossed its arms with its hands on its shoulders, at which point the horns on its shoulders began to launch spheres of dark energy like missiles against them, forcing everyone to move around the entire battle arena to avoid these attacks, which exploded upon impact with the ground or with each other.
Priere used her own demonic magic to attack the armor, while Nina covered it with her elemental magic as soon as the bombardment ceased, but then the Final Guardian raised his arms, dark energy forming in his hands, preparing for an attack.
“Everyone! To the other side, behind him!” Kairi exclaimed, suspecting what the monster was up to.
They all moved quickly to get behind the armor as it continued to face forward, until suddenly it slammed into the ground in front of it, causing everything in front of it to be consumed by dark flames.
After this violent attack, the Final Guardian raised its arms again, attempting to crush them once more with its hands. The group, of course, began dodging its swipes while searching for an opening to attack simultaneously. But now they only had half the space they had before to evade its attacks, as the other half of the platform was ablaze with black flames. But that didn't stop Rena and Eve from continuing their ranged attacks with their arrows and spears, respectively, while the Nasod tried to detect some kind of safe pattern to attack more effectively.
Makoto, Priere, and Edea again physically attacked the armor, this time with Kairi supporting them while Nina and Airy used their magic against the Final Guardian. The Guardian then raised its arms, hands open in a strange posture, as a pair of red portals appeared in its hands. Suddenly, a massive energy surge in the form of a swarm of red bats emerged from one of the portals and began flying erratically around the area, forcing the group to evade this dangerous attack and not risk what might happen if they were caught by the swarm. Eventually, the swarm of bats flew toward the second portal and disappeared inside, closing both portals.
Before they could launch another attack, the Final Guardian crossed his arms once more, triggering another barrage of dark energy from the horns on his shoulders. The group began dodging the attacks as best they could, but fortunately, the flames that had consumed half the arena had died down, allowing them to move more freely by avoiding the barrage. The moment it ceased, the melee fighters began attacking the armor with whatever they had, but they quickly had to retreat when they noticed he had transformed his hand into a blade, instantly evading both the circular and vertical slashes.
After dodging those attacks, the armor raised its arms, preparing its powerful attack once more. The girls didn't hesitate and immediately moved to the other side, positioning themselves behind it just before it slammed into the ground, engulfing everything in front of it in black flames.
“Okay, that thing is tougher than it looks,” Rena said.
“Don’t stop! That thing must have a limit!” exclaimed Kairi.
The enormous armor turned toward them and tried its crushing technique again, this time moving faster and barely giving the group any time to react. This time, the girls had to wait for it to stop crushing the ground before attacking with whatever they could. Fortunately, Rena was able to launch her most powerful arrows at the armor while dodging its crushing attacks.
After this, the Final Guardian extended his arms, forming red portals in his hands, and immediately sent not one, but two swarms of red bats flying across the area, causing further problems as they tried to evade the attack. Fortunately, Edea and Makoto were able to strike the armor while simultaneously dodging the swarms until they returned to the portals and disappeared into them.
As soon as they saw the enormous armor transform its arm into a blade, the group moved away from it as it performed its spinning attack, then attacked Edea vertically with its weapon. She quickly dodged the attack by leaping to the side, while Nina and Airy unleashed their magic at the armor, but it launched both its spinning attack and its vertical slash again, this time aimed at Nina, who had to fly to the side to avoid the blow.
After this attack, the Final Guardian crossed his arms, restarting the barrage of dark energy. But this time the bombardment was more intense than before, turning the arena into a complete chaos of explosions everywhere. Priere attacked the armor with all his might while dodging the barrage, but fortunately, Eve decided to summon her energy shield to block the bombardment as best she could, giving the group a moment of respite.
With all this and the ferocity of the armor's attacks, Kairi decided they had to end this as soon as possible, and she charged at the enemy. The Final Guardian saw her coming and tried to crush her with his hand, but Kairi not only dodged it, but also threw her Keyblade at head height. When the Keyblade was close enough, Kairi teleported into position, and pointing her Keyblade at the head, she summoned a powerful Mega Flare at point-blank range, causing a powerful explosion that knocked her back, landing her feet on the ground next to the others.
After the violent explosion, the armor began to crack all over, with dark energy pouring out everywhere until it suddenly burst into an explosion that covered everything in darkness, while the group took cover from the resulting blast.
When the explosion stopped, the girls were startled to find they were no longer on the platform. In fact, they were now floating in the air, surrounded by an eerie red atmosphere.
"Why?"
Kairi jumped, looking around, recognizing the voice.
“Did you hear that?” Edea asked, looking around.
“Why, Kairi?”
That was Dracula's voice, echoing throughout the place.
“Why are you giving up my gift?”
Kairi looked up. “If you really think I’m going to take your place, you’re sorely mistaken! After everything I’ve been through to get rid of you, I have no intention of becoming the new dark queen!”
“That’s it!” Edea exclaimed, raising her hand.
“But Kairi. This world is already recognizing you as its new master. Watch.”
The group then turned their gaze behind them, startled by what they saw. It was a gigantic, dark figure, much larger than the armor they had just faced. And for some reason, it seemed to have the form of Kairi in her Esper form, with a pair of glowing red eyes (Doomed Future).
“The heart of this world takes the form of whoever rules it. And now it has accepted you as its mistress. You should accept it. It is your destiny.”
At that moment, the enormous form extended its hands, and everyone except Kairi was sucked into dark portals that appeared without warning. And suddenly, Kairi fell into the sinister abyss below.
"Come on, Kairi! Don't give up! I know you can do it!" Sora's voice echoed in the place as she fell until she disappeared into the abyss.
Suddenly, there was a burst of fiery light deep in the abyss, and Kairi ascended in her Esper form, rising to the height of the entity before it.
"I'll only say this once. Someday, Sora and Riku will return. And when they do, I'll be there to greet them. As myself!"
The gigantic entity roared violently towards Kairi, making the whole place tremble.
Kairi didn't hesitate for a second and flew toward the entity's face, beginning to strike it with her Keyblade, though the blows seemed to do little to no damage. Eventually, the Doomed Future used its hand to swat her away like a fly, but she quickly recovered and began striking it again while circling its head to evade another of its blows.
Then the Doomed Future extended its arms upward and its wings to the sides, and a short while later, a red orb appeared on one side of the area. Kairi ignored the orb as she attacked the entity until a fireball nearly hit her. Turning her gaze to the orb, she saw it launch another fireball at her, forcing her to dodge both the attack and the entity's swipe. It became clear to her that as long as that orb was there, it would constantly attack Kairi even while she focused on the Doomed Future. Immediately, Kairi focused on the orb, avoiding the fireballs it launched until she finally made it disappear with enough blows.
Focusing once again on the Doomed Future, Kairi struck it on the side of the face when she saw it try to swat her with its hand, until she finally managed to have some effect on the enormous creature, causing it to lower its head as if stunned. Before continuing her attack, Kairi saw three dark portals appear. Knowing her friends were trapped inside them, Kairi flew into one.
In the dark interior she found on the other side of the portal, she saw Edea, with the Knight job, and Airy facing off against a group of Skeleton Soldiers and Giant Bats that were harassing them from all sides.
“It’s about time, now you show up!” Edea exclaimed upon seeing Kairi. “Why did you take so long?”
“We’ll talk later! Let’s take care of these first!” Kairi exclaimed.
With Kairi's support, Edea and Airy soon managed to destroy the Fallen that were in the room, taking advantage of the moment to leave the place and return to the previous area, just as the Doomed Future recovered, the remaining portals disappearing.
“Wow, this is really weird,” Edea said as she tried to get used to floating in the air.
“Any ideas, Kairi?” Airy asked.
“We attack with everything we have and free the others!” Kairi exclaimed.
“I’m fine with that,” Edea said.
Kairi and Edea began attacking the Doomed Future, with Edea using her swordsmanship skills to imbue her sword with the sacred element, while Airy attacked by launching her magic from a distance. The entity tried to strike them with its hands, but they both managed to evade its attacks while circling around its head.
Then the Doomed Future made the strange gesture again, this time summoning two orbs in scattered areas of the place, one red and one blue.
“Be careful with those things!” Kairi warned the others.
The red orb began randomly launching fireballs at the three girls, while the blue orb began summoning ice crystals that seemingly acted as mines, exploding in a burst of ice around them. Edea decided to head toward the red orb while Airy used fire magic against the blue orb as they both dodged its attacks, all while Kairi focused her attacks on the face of the Doomed Future.
It didn't take long for the annoying orbs to dispel, and they began attacking the entity, but it then flapped its enormous wings, unleashing a hurricane-force wind that pushed them back. At the same time, dark orbs appeared in front of it and were flung forward by the wind, forcing the three of them to dodge them in mid-air as best they could.
When the attack ceased, Kairi and the others flew toward the Doomed Future, launching a full-scale assault while dodging its flailing hands, until they eventually managed to stun the entity. Immediately, two dark portals appeared, but then a swarm of bats and giant bats emerged, surrounding them.
“You distract them!” Kairi exclaimed as she flew towards one of the portals, entering it.
"As if it were easy!" Edea said as she sliced a Giant Bat with her sword.
On the other side of the portal, he encountered Rena and Eve, embroiled in a battle against various elemental Wraiths, Armor Knights, and Crossbow Armors that had them surrounded.
“It’s about time, Kairi! What were you doing?” Rena asked as she shot an arrow at a Nulla Wraith.
“Now is not the time to argue. Let’s finish off these enemies and get out of here.” Eve said, firing a missile at an Armored Knight.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Kairi said.
In just a matter of minutes, Kairi, Rena, and Eve managed to destroy the Fallen in the room, and without wasting any more time, they crossed through the dark portal, returning to Edea and Airy, who had already cleared the area of Fallen. And just in time, because the Doomed Future had recovered, closing the remaining portal.
“Have you really gotten used to this?” Rena asked Edea as she got used to floating in the air.
“Once you get used to it, it’s even fun,” Edea told Rena.
“Let’s focus! This isn’t over yet,” Kairi told the girls.
Kairi and Edea began attacking the entity's face as before, but this time Rena supported the attack with her arrows, while Eve took the initiative and attacked at close range using her weapons and spears, all while Airy used her magic from a distance. Kairi, Edea, and Eve struck the Doomed Future's head while dodging the entity's enormous hands as they attacked.
The attack continued until the entity summoned the two red and blue orbs; this time, a yellow orb appeared.
“I don’t know why, but that yellow orb gives me a bad feeling,” Airy said.
The blue and red orbs began attacking the group with ice mines and fireballs, respectively, randomly choosing their targets. But the yellow orb proved to be the most dangerous, for every time it glowed, a barrage of lightning struck the group, forcing them to move to avoid the flashes.
“Yeah! Just what I said!” Airy exclaimed, dodging the lightning bolts.
Rena aimed her bow at the yellow orb, firing a wind arrow that struck its target, causing the orb to vanish and halting the lightning. Now, without the lightning, the group could focus on attacking both the Doomed Future and the remaining orbs, eventually destroying both.
At that moment, the entity began to flap its wings, pushing the group back and away from it, while sending dark orbs carried by the wind toward them. In that situation, the girls had no choice but to dodge the dark orbs hurtling toward them as the hurricane-force wind continued.
As soon as the wind stopped, the group rushed towards the entity, although the Doomed Future moved its hands nearby, forming a kind of attraction field that began to draw everyone towards it.
“Be careful! That can’t be good!” Kairi warned.
After her warning, they all began to fly in the opposite direction of the attraction field that the Doomed Future was forming in front of it. After a long while, the entity clapped its hands together where the attractive force was, causing a strong explosion of energy where it was.
After this attack, the group launched an all-out assault on the entity, dodging every swipe it threw at them. And before it could summon the three orbs again, the group managed to stun the Doomed Future, thus opening the final dark portal. But at the same time, Giant Bats, Stone Gargoyles, and even Reditus Wraiths began to appear.
“I’ll go after it! You hold them off!” Kairi said, flying into the open dark portal.
“You can count on it,” Rena said, firing an arrow at a Reditus Wraith.
On the other side of the portal were Priere, Nina, and Makoto, facing off against a large pack of Hunters, Heavy Axe Armors, and a few Sana Wraiths fluttering around the area.
“Finally, you’re joining the party!” Priere exclaimed, sending a couple of Hunters flying with a single blow. “Did you miss us?”
“More than you can imagine,” Kairi said. “Do you need help?”
"I'd easily say no if it weren't for those green flies buzzing all over the place!" Makoto said, trying to hit a Sana Wraith with her tonfas.
“What she means is that we could use your help,” Nina said, casting a fire spell at several of the Heavy Axe Armors.
Kairi quickly joined the group in fighting the Fallen, the small flying enemies proving the most troublesome as they constantly healed the Fallen they had damaged with their attacks. Despite these difficulties, the four managed to exterminate the Fallen in the area. Without hesitation, they crossed through the portal, returning to the others who had cleared the area.
“Woah!” Makoto exclaimed as she found herself flying through the air. “It’s going to take me a while to get used to this.”
“Then do it quickly. We need to get rid of that thing once and for all,” Kairi said.
Without hesitation, the group launched an attack against the Doomed Future with everything at their disposal. This time, while Kairi, Edea, and Priere physically attacked the entity's head, drawing its attention and causing it to flail its arms, Makoto and Eve positioned themselves behind it, beginning to strike it in the back of the neck, while Rena, Nina, and Airy used every magic attack they had available from a distance.
After several seconds like this, the entity summoned the three orbs again, but this time, it summoned a fourth orb of green color, which, when it shone, began to generate a huge wind shield that pushed Kairi and the others away from the entity.
“Hey, that’s cheating!” Makoto exclaimed before dodging one of the bolts from the yellow orb.
While dodging the attacks of the three offensive orbs, Eve generated a massive mechanical spear and hurled it at the yellow orb, destroying it instantly. With that orb out of the picture, the group could focus on the two remaining orbs, dodging their attacks, while Makoto relentlessly attacked the green orb. Eventually, all three orbs were eliminated, thus also nullifying the wind barrier that protected the entity.
Before the girls could attack again, the Doomed Future began flapping its wings, pushing them away as it summoned dark orbs that floated toward the group on the wind. The group had no choice but to dodge the approaching dark orbs, but at least this time Rena had the idea for them all to attack the entity from a distance with magic whenever possible while dodging its attacks.
When it stopped flapping its wings, the entity began generating an attractor field in front of them, drawing the group toward it and forcing them to move away from the field it was creating. In this way, they managed to avoid the energy explosion that occurred when the entity clapped its hands together where the attractor field was located.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the group attacked the Doomed Future with everything they had, but it began generating magic in its hands, preparing to unleash something powerful, putting the group on alert. Suddenly, the entity roared, raising its hands to the sky, and enormous tornadoes of fire immediately began to appear, reaching both the sky above and the abyss below, moving randomly around the entity. This forced the group to move away from it to avoid the swirling fire tornadoes.
As soon as the fire tornadoes disappeared, the group resumed their attack on the Doomed Future with everything they had, taking into account the entity's known attack pattern. First, they avoided the repeated flailing attacks the entity launched at those who attacked it in melee. And as soon as it summoned the four orbs, their priority was to deal with the yellow orb, and then with the remaining three, especially the green orb that protected it.
As soon as its wings began to flap, generating strong winds and sending dark orbs toward them, they had to focus all their ranged and magical attacks—at least those they could—on the Doomed Future. Obviously, they had to keep their distance when it began to summon its attractor field to avoid being struck by the energy blast that followed. And finally, they had to be alert for when the entity summoned fire tornadoes around itself and avoid them.
Despite following this attack pattern, the girls seemed to be getting exhausted as the fight with the Doomed Future went on.
“This never seems to end. Does anyone know how long that thing can last?” Edea asked, panting with exhaustion.
“I have no answer for that. After all, it’s our first encounter with the heart of a world,” Eve said.
“Well, this will be our last fight if we don’t manage to put an end to this,” Priere said.
Kairi stared at the Doomed Future. The entity also seemed to be affected by the group's constant attacks, but she didn't know how long they could continue like this, or how much longer she could endure it.
“You should give up while you still can,” said Dracula’s voice. “Accept your fate, and end this futile resistance.”
“No way!” Kairi exclaimed. Just then, she had an idea and turned to the group. “Girls, I need you to distract him. I’m going to put all my eggs in one basket.”
The group looked at Kairi for a moment before nodding. Doing the same, Kairi rose as high as she could, raising her Keyblade to the sky and beginning to generate magic at its tip.
At that moment, the girls unleashed everything they had with all their might. Edea readied her katana, unleashing several slashes that generated a tornado of razor-sharp cherry blossoms upon the entity. Simultaneously, Rena fired twenty homing magic arrows that struck the entity, followed by a massive arrow directly at it. Eve, for her part, summoned a huge mechanical spear with which she began to slash at the Doomed Future. Nina then began to unleash the most powerful spells she could muster, one after the other.
Meanwhile, Priere conjured several replicas of her baton around her before using them to unleash a powerful beam at the entity. Makoto also charged at the entity, throwing a rapid flurry of punches, finishing with a powerful uppercut. Airy then used everything he had to unleash the most powerful Zeta Fulgor she could muster against the Doomed Future.
While they unleashed their most powerful attacks, Kairi was charging all her magic into the tip of her Keyblade for her next attack. No, not all of it. She had to push beyond her own limits with her magic if she wanted to end this once and for all, no matter what happened to her in the end.
Having already prepared her attack, which was a gigantic orb of fire and light on the tip of her keyblade, Kairi looked into the Doomed Future.
“This ends here, and now!” Kairi exclaimed, launching herself towards the entity.
The Doomed Future tried to grab Kairi with his hands, but she nimbly dodged them and immediately struck him with her attack, causing a violent explosion that almost sent the group flying with the shockwave.
The Doomed Future began to teeter after the explosion, and at that moment its body began to glow with a mixture of light and dark tones as the entity began to disappear, with everything turning dark around it until there was no trace of the Doomed Future left.
Meanwhile, in the Doomed City, Fury watched everything from the Tritransporter bridge.
“Sir, we have confirmation that the last evacuation ship carrying civilians has arrived at its destination,” said an operator on the bridge.
“Perfect,” Fury said with a smile, but soon her smile disappeared.
From there, he could see the entire city beginning to tremble, with some buildings collapsing and tornadoes starting to appear. And to make matters worse, the castle itself, located in the city center, began to crumble and fall to pieces, leaving absolutely nothing standing.
“What’s going on?” Fury asked.
“The heart of the world,” Yen Sid said. “Kairi has done it. She has destroyed the heart of the world. Soon this whole world will disappear.”
Fury's eyes widened as he turned to the monitor. "This is Fury, to everyone still in the city! Evacuate immediately! I repeat, evacuate immediately!"
At that moment, all those who were still in the city began to run to the evacuation transports, even if it meant being helped by others who were fighting in the city to get to the transports, not caring which transport they got on.
As soon as the last of them left the city and entered the ships, both the Tritransporter and the rest of the ships began to move away from the city that continued to disintegrate little by little, most parts of the city being absorbed by the darkness that had appeared over it.
“Do you think they’ll be okay?” Braev Lee asked Fury, who couldn’t answer because she didn’t know the answer either.
The destruction of the Damned City continued piece by piece, until finally everything that had been that world vanished. From afar, the only thing that could be seen of this event was the world's star disappearing.
