[Rabbits die...]

DAY OF DISTORTION… 2 HOURS 56 MINUTES AND 12 SECONDS UNTIL REALITY MERGE…

[PARTY ASSEMBLED]

[PLAYER 1: LEADER. PLAYER 2: SUPPORT.]

Staring into the white flickering void which led to an unknown world, Dom loosened her grip on the shovel and looked up at the sky. The gray heavens parted and revealed a midnight black sky devoid of any strange geometrical patterns and inscriptions, just the roof of the world staring back down with twinkling stars and a shining moon. The harsh winds had gone, replaced by a gentle evening breeze which didn't disturb the falling snowflakes in the air.

It was as if all traces of the winter storm which had been assaulting Tokyo had just gone up and disappeared. It was possible that the storm was connected to the Distortion Manifest, it was possible that with its source of power gone it didn't have strength to keep itself intact or it was possible that it was just another freak storm which passed overhead by coincidence. Thinking about it, the last bit could be ruled out.

It wasn't over though, no. With the Distortion gone, all that was left to do was deal with one last thing and wrapping everything up and going home.

Dom wasn't sure why he was still alive but he knew he should be thankful for that… With Caelus' face flashing in his mind, he decided to take the 'thankful' part back.

"Why… Why isn't it disappearing?" mumbled a voice behind him, causing him to look back and find his best friend staring at an object in the sky, "We beat the Distortion, right? So why isn't the rift disappearing?"

True enough, just as the gateway leading to Gamindustri disappeared by dissolving into nothingness, it was then that another huge hole between the fabric of time and space was revealed in the horizon, growing wider and wider by the minute. Like the colossal maw of some celestial beast, the hole opened up as if intent on swallowing the entire city whole. The faint traces of energy it released from its origins could be felt as a warm sensation causing the hairs at the back one's neck to stand on end.

It didn't seem like the public had taken notice of it just yet but judging from the looks of the people heading out of their homes to check up on the storm's aftermath, it seemed like they were being affected. Like animals awaiting the coming of a catastrophe, they couldn't help but feel anxious and afraid. All the more confusing when they had no idea what they should be afraid of.

Dia had a frown on her face as she took her place at the boy's side, "It's not over yet, isn't it? Do…Do you know what's happening?"

"You're right, it's not over yet. We've just taken care of one problem, now here comes the hard part. And… I don't really know entirely how to deal with this. Not without taking any more risks," replied Dom with a heavy sigh, rubbing his wounded arm before wincing at the sharp pain, "Well, we did promise that we'll end this together. Then we'll do it that way. Just… I don't think I'll be able to keep that."

The girl stared at him for a few more moments before asking, "Is it something you have to do on your own?"

"Not necessarily but I'll need your power," replied the boy, lifting the Page slightly before continuing, "Maybe there's a reason why I kept failing in those routes. Why I had to go over and over just to know what was supposed to be right, to arrive at the perfect situation which could show me the right path. Maybe trusting you was all for this moment, to ask you for your help one last time like some kind of tool. Or maybe… it was just my gut feeling and that the Creator was just leading me in circles."

Dia blinked twice before uttering a heavy sigh of her own and rubbing her forehead, "Adrian, you little prick, I don't give a shit if you just took me along for some extra firepower or if you did it just so you could give me the chance to fight. But the fact that you didn't abandon me counted as something. You're my best friend and I'm with you whatever it is you decide. I'll gladly give you a hand so shut up and do your fucking job!"

"Why are we friends again?" chuckled Dom jokingly.

"Because you owe me stuff. You owe me my life, my memories, and who I am," giving her best friend a sincere smile, the crimson haired girl continued, "Let's do this. One last run?"

"The ride never ends," said the boy with a grin on his lips, handing the spent Page into her palm, "Thanks by the way."

It was then that Dia's body began to shine a faint crimson glow, the light enveloping her body growing brighter and brighter as the hymn of energy slowly began to rise. Beads of lights began to appear around them, filling the air with miniature stars which twinkled and blinked. Dom felt comforting warmth fill his entire being as the piece of paper in his hand suddenly emitted a luminous glow of its own.

It was then did a powerful gust sent the twinkling lights spiraling around the two friends, lighting up the entire rooftop. Dia opened her shining green eyes, tears gathering at the edge of her eyes as her entire body shined to its full capacity, her hair flowing behind her along with the wind. The boy felt his wounds grow hot as the light in his best friend's body began to creep into his own, the cuts on his face and bruises in his forearms slowly beginning to heal while the girl's body began to dissolve.

Dom was about to say something about this when he was immediately cut off by Dia's words, "I know what you're thinking, don't complain. Think of it as a favor that you'll owe me later."

"I don't understand," muttered the boy.

Smiling, the crimson haired girl then said, "I'm making it so that you're in good shape to do whatever you want. That way, you wouldn't have to be alone. How's that sound?"

"That sounds stupid," admitted Dom with an amused smile on his face, "But nothing less from you though."

"Well I know you like the back of my hand after all! I'm helping you save the world, you know!" exclaimed Dia with a satisfied look on her face, her long hair flowing behind her.

The boy then stared at the ground for a moment, recalling a scene almost identical to the one he was in right now. The girl before him was had almost the exact same appearance… But they were both completely people. One was someone who understood him and the other was someone who will never give up on him no matter what he did. They may have been two different, stupid, and foolish people but they were his friends.

Finally, he diverged from the scene he remembered and asked, "Are you ready for this, Partner?"

"Give 'em hell for me," answered Dia as the beads of light which broke away from her body increased while she continued to shine, "And come back alive."

Once more, a tear between worlds appeared right before them, this one bearing the ominous color of dark blue with a series of racing lights spreading inward. The roar of a cold gale escaped the portal while the low rumbling of raw otherworldly power caused a buzz of frantic energy in the air.

Dom took a step back and stared at the portal, "Yeah… I'll come back."

High above in the calm heavens, the white hole was still growing wider and wider with no signs of stopping.

Approaching the new portal, the boy dropped his shovel and held on to the piece of glowing paper in his hand, his back facing his best friend, "I'm really sorry…"

He can't look back, he shouldn't look back. Forcing his feet forward with sheer force of will, he ran straight into the ice cold portal and jumped…

Left alone, Dia lowered her gaze and sighed, "I'll be waiting, buddy…."

DAY OF DISTORTION… 2 HOURS 11 MINUTES AND 58 SECONDS UNTIL REALITY MERGE…

[PLAYER 2 HAS LEFT THE PARTY]

[PLAYER 1: LEADER.]

It was a sudden feeling of vertigo Dom found himself stumbling forward, eventually collapsing on his legs and eventually going on all fours as he gasped for breath. The cold surface of the ground stung his hands as if he was feeling up an ice block. With a hiss of pain, he then noticed how the ground had a metallic green sheen on it which reflected his face and the ceiling above him… Or at least… what could be described as a ceiling.

He found himself in what seemed to be a black void filled with streams of data and numbers filling every corner of it. Cubes of purple and green floated in the air while towering stacks of computer reached up to the non-existent sky. As he surveyed his surroundings, Dom could've sworn he was hearing voices having heard an entire choir of them seemingly passing overhead or whisper in his ear, making him jump and look around.

Trying to make sense of the world he found himself in was just giving him a headache. Once or twice he saw what seemed to be a gap filled with eyes peer at him from above before shutting themselves out from the reality he was in. Well that took care of the strange feeling that he was being watched, not that it helped assure him that everything would go smoothly in the slightest.

Turing is gaze to the pathway barred by sea green glass at the side, he found out that he couldn't see the end of it no matter how hard he strained his eyes. At the very least, he wasn't thinking that it would be that easy having experienced the strangest things in the span of twenty four hours. He took a step forward, his boot's heavy weight echoing within the path, and watched the platform beneath his feet light up.

Seeing that he had no other choice but to go forward, Dom quietly made his journey to wherever the path would take him.

His head throbbed with every stepped though, as if a number of dark voices were suddenly whispering in his ears all at the same time. It was… disconcerting. It wasn't disturbing, at least not yet. He felt like he was walking into a spotlight where a million eyes would be fixed on him and only him. Unknown eyes which regarded him with amusement and disgust… At the very least those two words would be the only things that would be able to describe the signals he was getting.

The whispering came off as gibberish, once or twice turning into something familiar to his ears before transforming into something deep and hollow. He heard laughter and the beat of drums, like that of a marching band's rally whenever there was a festival, though devoid of any of the upbeat echoes he was familiar with. It was dark and twisted… Almost wrong…

More voices, more whispering, more laughter, it was starting to get annoying. A block of ethereal shaped energy passed overhead which he paid no mind. The many eyed gap popped in at the edge of his vision before disappearing. He noted that at a distance to his right, he managed to catch sight of a thousand red eyes and a flash of white staring at him.

He kept on walking, he ignored the dark laughter beneath him and the worried tones of the voices above him. He kept his eyes forward as he traversed the seemingly endless corridor. During the time he walked he felt like something freeze his legs in place and force him to a stop. Grunting in irritation, he willed his limbs to move once more before finally regaining his movements. Once he turned his gaze back unto the walkway, he managed to see a white teddy bear on the ground.

Muttering a low growl of complaint, he ignored the stuffed animal and continued on. It seemed like there were multiple idiots that were trying to mess with his head. He didn't know why but he could tell…

He passed by a strange part of the walkway in which one of the glass panes to his right blinked red, blue and gold.

It blinked bright red and formed the word 'LIES?' on its surface.

A heartbeat later, it changed to neon blue and formed the word, 'TRUTH?'

The pane then shined dazzling gold and formed the word 'FOOL!' before dissolving into a swarm of golden butterflies, the echo of a Witch's mad cackle echoing somewhere faraway.

Dom shook his head to stave off the increasing pain in his head and moved on. Keeping a steady pace, he kept track of his breathing, counting off from one to a hundred just to keep his mind off the increasing aches. To his side, he noticed a girl in white with wires connected to her back, to his left, a man in a cemetery of swords gazed at him with observant eyes. Beneath the boy, the remains of a savior sleeping away in his hollow coffin held a gun on his chest as he awaited the time of his reawakening.

Feeling his entire body take on a mysterious invisible weight, he couldn't help but lean on the side of the glass pane to catch his breath.

Why? You don't have any reason to do this. So why?

A smirk plastered on his lips, he turned to the formless entity made out of pure energy at his side. Hovering above the ground was the strange appearance of a bright pink haze twisting endlessly while emitting a huge amount of energy in the air. It spoke to him in his mind yet he knew who and what this voice came from. It came from the second being he wanted to punch at the moment.

Caelus will kill you, the Creator is only using you, and the Destroyer will most likely interfere with you once he finds the perfect opportunity. Who are you gambling for this time, Adrian?

"No one," huffed the boy as he straightened himself and blocked out the stares of the beings lurking beyond the glass panes, "If anything, I'm trying to see how far I could get away with screwing around with you, True Goddess… Even if I make an enemy out of the things just outside this glass, then fine by me. So long as I get to flip you off and make it count."

This is what that girl wants. The one who almost killed you. The one who planted Arfoire's seeds… No matter how hard you try, your fate as a Piece will never change. Even if you do continue with the plan that you have. Caelus will come and you will perish.

"But at the same time, I'd be pissing you off, yeah?" questioned Dom with a low chuckle, taking out the shining piece of paper in his pocket. Sitting on the ground, he leaned against the glass and set the paper to the side before untying the scarf he used to staunch the wound he had on his shoulder from the previous battle. Despite the dried crusted blood dotting its fabric, Dom wrapped it around his neck and adjusted it neatly so that both ends would hang on his back while his neck was kept warm. Sighing heavily, he placed a hand on the Page which then began to shine, "So long as I can do that, everything will be all right. I have plans of my own…"

You will die.

"No one's going to die. How many times do I have to tell you people? Jesus Christ…." It was then he raised an eyebrow when a low rumble made the stack of computers somewhere behind him collapse. After a few more moments, he continued, "At least not yet. Now regarding the question of who… Then I have no idea."

A portal tore open the air right on the path he was supposed to take, pure white and releasing a flood of warmth in the cool glass pathway. The figure of a child no older than thirteen waltz out of the gateway while being enveloped in bright purple light, her long light purple hair was tied by a pastel colored ribbon as she swayed the stuffed doll she had as she walked.

It was soon that the light surrounding her dissipated and her form was revealed to be indeed that of a little girl with light magenta eyes, a rather innocent expression upon her face which then broke into one of curiosity once she settled her eyes upon the boy sitting to the side. Her gaze then turned to the formless entity followed by her giving it a look of amusement.

Her speech tied between a sleepy slur and a melodic voice, she uttered but one order at the entity with a bright smile on her face, "Go away."

The haze of energy seemed to be giving her an indifferent look if it had a face but it settled for promptly disappearing on the spot as if it had never been there. Dom was then subjected to the voices, whispers and laughter in the background which had all but disappeared during the brief conversation he had with the entity.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…. Poor Dummy, having to go this far all by himself… Don't worry. Everything will be all right now…" reassured the girl as he knelt down on the boy's side and patted his head, "You've been through quite a lot… Haven't you..?"

As much as he hated to admit it, he felt a surge of relief once the girl's hand came in contact with his head. The rhythmic motion of soft, delicate hands running above his hair gave him a sense of comfort, security, and courage for but a brief moment. Even then, he wanted it to go on forever… Unfortunately, he didn't have time for that seeing that he was on schedule here. Instead, he placed a hand on the girl's own and gently held it in his grasp.

"Plutia…. Right?" he questioned with uncertainty coloring his voice, "Nick sent you, I assume?"

Plutia blinked twice before answering with a kind smile, "The Last Goddess… Yes, my name is Plutia. It's nice to meet you, Dummy! Buuut… It doesn't look like this is the first time we've met, right? The Creator told me everything and he has something to tell you... Do you wanna hear it?"

"Fine," conceded the boy as he sighed.

"He said good luck and that he's going to keep the mean rabbit busy…" relayed the CPU with an almost prideful look on her face after she spoke. She almost look lie… she was waiting for a praise or something.

Dom merely raised an eyebrow before patting her on her shoulder, "Right… Nice job. So are you going to help me this time or are you going to do something stupid like in the last route?"

With at thoughtful look on her face, the girl tapped her cheek as she spoke, "Weeell…. I don't really know what I did back there… But I don't think I'm going to do anything bad. I'll listen to what you have to say. I won't be a bother, I promise!"

"You jumped in front of a mentally challenged pseudo-Goddess and let her take your divinity. Your words aren't exactly reassuring and that's without mentioning your mean streaks," deadpanned Dom before getting up back to his feet, the Goddess supporting him as he stood up, "Thanks…"

Plutia then made sure to hold his wrist while she said, "The world is full of possibilities… That's what I learned from the Creator's stories. He may not be good or evil, but the thing he made sure… that I understood… Was that we have our own view on things. Our own realities are what we make them."

Dom's purple eyes met with the short Goddess at his side as she smiled up at him.

"That's why it all depends on you on how you see things… trust me… Or not… My reality of helping you will remain the same… What the Creator wants is for all of us to have a choice," finished the little Goddess as she stepped forward, towing the boy behind her with a gentle tug.

"A choice for those don't, huh?" muttered Dom as he allowed himself to be moved forward by the Goddess, the voices of the beings whom transcended the mere shackles of their Reality being warded off by Plutia's presence.

"From this point out, the choice is yours and yours alone… That means you can do whatever you want. Whether you win or lose, it's up to you. As the last Goddess, to pay off our debt to you and Miss Dia, I'll help with everything I have," promised Plutia without hesitation, "I… I just wished we could've talked for a bit more. I'm really jealous of everyone else."

"Don't be. Count yourself lucky," murmured the boy as they both passed a wise Arch and a curtains of fizzling blue green energy. He felt the girl's hold on his hand tighten, not being able to see anything with his eyes closed as he suddenly felt himself get shoved forward. It was then he found himself at the end of a large circular platform, circuit like lines running across its surface and all shining bright green.

A strange humming could be heard in the air while at the same time it was thick with a familiar sort of energy. It reminded Dom heavily of the time he wielded the accursed black flame which once brought the second coming of Tari's Goddess within the Hyperdimension. At the far end of the platform was a sphere of some sort, shining bright green with thin needle like rods sticking into as it was being supported by what seemed to be a mass of rock and steel melted beneath it.

It lit up brightly, almost blinding similar to a huge crystal lamp, clear water running down from it while fragments of energy drifted in the air in the form of beads of light. The water which came from the sphere flowed into canals within the platform, creating an elaborate shape of an eye at the very center.

The void around the platform was filled with numbers and data, purple cubes blinking and disappearing before reforming once again.

A person stood before the shining sphere dressed in all black robes with a glowing red brooch on the center of her chest. Her blue eyes, sharp as steel and piercing as a spear opened and settled upon the boy and the Goddess, the transparent wings behind her back growing erratic for but a moment.

She cracked a smug smirk before speaking, "It's about time, you got here… Adrian Dom."

"Croire…." Snarled Dom with a venomous look on his face, his free hand forming into a trembling fist as he stared at the girl before him.

Her eyes glinting with mirth, the Tome Entity spread her arms on either side of her in an exaggerated display as she raised her voice to call out, "Welcome, Villain! And here I thought you were lagging behind. But seriously…" Staring right into the boy's eyes, she couldn't help but lick her lips as she cooed, "That's a very interesting light in your eyes, Villain… Did you find something interesting on your way here?"

Plutia kept her face formed into a curious look as she glanced from Croire to the boy at her side.

Dom set his jaw straight before giving a reply of his own, "I understand now. I understand everything. This place, why you're here… And where your power came from…"

Taking a step forward, he let go of the Goddess' hand and descended towards the center of the platform, enduring the brief breaching of the voices and images in his mind just as they all disappeared a second later. Clenching his hand into a fist, he kept his breath steady once he reached the middle of the platform, glaring into Croire's metallic blue eyes, "I'm going to kick your ass…"

"Well… Aren't you a bit aggressive, huh? Well… The Rabbit Head sends his regards and congratulations. But… Don't get too cocky you little shit stain… You're not the only one being backed up by something which transcends the very rules of Reality," Croire uttered the last bit with a low silky purr, her words cutting through the air like a sharpened blade, "Expecting me to be like those goddamned bitch versions of me you met would be the last thing you'd like. Even I won't be too stupid to actually listen to what you have to say."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're in my way. And no, I could care less with who's helping you or who gave you your powers. I flipped off God herself and kicked an Eldritch Abomination's ass, if my luck held out earlier, then why don't we find out if it'll hold out now?" questioned the boy, keeping his eyes fixed on Croire and only at Croire… A boiling pool of anger could be felt gathering within the pits of his stomach, his entire body being filled with a frustrated sensation which practically screamed at him to run and charge at the Tome Entity.

The only thing that kept him from doing so was the fact that he was weaponless and that Plutia had a hand on the back of his jacket.

The Goddess' merely gave him a sleepy smile once he glanced at her while she spoke, "Try and remember why you're here, Dummy. Don't worry, I'll be here."

"BAHAHAHAHA! OH GEEZ, WHAT A RIOT, RELYING ON A LITTLE GIRL TO KEEP YOUR TEMPER IN CHECK, VILLAIN?!" guffawed Croire bent down and held her sides, her vulgar laugh echoing within the mystic world. Wiping a tear in her eye, she tried to catch her breath before finally saying, "Honestly, you're getting even more ridiculous by the minute! Here I thought that you'd actually turn out to be a fun person but this? This is just hilarious, Villain! And you, Goddess… Don't think that I've forgotten what you and that stupid purple idiot did to me but to see you become the Creator's favorite pet in such a short amount of time… I never thought that even you'd go that low."

"Says the bitch who needed a damned Rabbit's help to haul her ass off a girl's bug collection," spat Dom through gritted teeth, his purple eyes shining for a brief moment, "You have a lot to answer to, Croire. I know you've been watching. You've been watching everything from behind the curtains. You're the one the Rabbit Head gave the ability to control the Distortions, you're also the one who had a bird's eye view over this whole fucking ordeal and you're the only one who actually knows what the fuck is going on so tell me something… What the hell is everyone trying to prove?"

The Tome Entity's smile faltered for a few seconds before she let out a tired sigh and shook her head, as if she were in the presence of a child who couldn't even get simple addition. With a pitying look, she kicked off the ground and fluttered upwards, her wings beating into a blur before she settled herself on a shining magic circle which seemed to hold her weight, "Still trying to find the answers you want? Didn't you already learn not to take more than what you've bargained for?"

"Dummy…" murmured Plutia at the side, her eye brows coming together and a warning tone in her voice.

The boy simply shook his head and pressed on, "Just what does everyone want? Caelus wants me dead, Nick is being this sadistic helper, some Rabbit nut is out for my blood and my would be murderer is actually someone who turned out to be a Wild Card asking for something damn near impossible for me. Not to mention the fact that this True Goddess crap flew in from fucking nowhere. I'll keep on looking and looking until I understand everything. I didn't come this far just so I could roll in my grave while being clueless about things like this."

"But the last time that happened, didn't you end up with more questions rather than getting answers?" reminded Croire as she tapped her cheek, "In actuality, the only thing that I never anticipated was that silly Angel's interference… Honestly, planting an Arfoire fragment to lure the Deity of Sin in the place of my Distortion so that it would merge into a Distortion Manifest was just rude… Not to mention cunning. Maybe she did it to help you while keeping up her little show, to fool everyone around her. Out of all the players in this game, Nepgeo seemed to be the most elusive and unpredictable of all, even more so than you, Villain…

Out of everyone and everything, I think that the bitches high up there in Celestia should be focusing their shitty eyes on that bitch running around like some sort of mastermind. But seriously though Villain? You can't make sense of anyone's motives even if you could see all of their cards. You could never know what they're thinking, what they're going to do, or what's going to happen next! But surely, there's some other all-powerful bastard out there how knows everything. But what differentiates you from Nepgeo is your free-will, your freedom from the shackles of fate…

A being that could destroy and save, you're someone who could end up with anything, Adrian Dom! The unlimited potential, the possibilities… Don't you see that anything could happen just by involving your existence into anything? Depending on who you ask, you will always get different answers to your questions… But the truth is, there isn't any right or wrong to these questions… That's what the Creator wants you realize, aye? That's what the dog beside you told you earlier… The ability to make a choice…I want to see it for myself…"

She turned her gaze towards the non-existent sky as the sphere keeping reality intact began to shine.

"You just admitted it yourself, you little shit. You're going to be rolling in your grave, at least you had the decency to admit it," dark veins began to creep from behind Croire's neck and snake their way on either side of her face, her eyes going dark, sclera, iris, pupil and all… A malicious grin decorating her lips as her pretty transparent wings were replaced by a sudden burst of enlarged butterfly wings made out of raw purple flames.

In her hand appeared a black leather bound book with dark metallic frames on its covers. Flipping it open in one hand, she casually dipped her other one into the book's pages, tongues of fire lapping up her forearm yet causing no visible burns on her skin… A moment later, she drew out an absurdly large blade, its back edge serrated and hungry for blood and flesh while its entire form burst aflame with the purple fire. It nearly dwarfed Croire's size with its sheer length and width as she pointed it at the ground at her side.

A tool for death, murder, and destruction… A blade which was pretty much a declaration of annihilation to the ones opposing its wielder… A blade made out of eons of History altered and molded into the near perfect killing machine only capable of revealing itself under certain conditions.

This was something beyond what Dom knew from the games. He could almost chuckle at the thought. The stuff he knew and what was happening around him had long since separated once he got knee deep into this mess. Nothing he knew could help him, nothing he could do could help him… He was basically on his own.

Croire smiled down on him and the Goddess hiding behind his back, blade held aloft as the edge of the platform exploded with a wall of purple fire surrounding it. Trapped in a ring of flames with a being holding the power to create conflicts and tinker with reality, the boy and the CPU could only stare at her in silence as she spoke, "It'll be rude as hell for me to keep you waiting… But I think this should be enough to satisfy your curiosity with my answer, right? So come here and lend me your ear, Villain!"

Dom's nerves are frazzled, he's barely keeping his entire body from shaking, his throat is raw from yelling at the Pseudo-Goddess that he's about to fight, his head's full of questions that he didn't know where to start answering or mull, it's cold and he was weaponless. The Enemy right before him just got done explaining how there wasn't any answer to any of his questions, pissing him off all the more for getting such a stupid answer

He's just a normal human being who got into the wrong place at the wrong time.

His only ally was a silent CPU of untold power hiding behind him, clutching the back of his jacket with her hands.

And he's about to fight another being completely above his league…

There's a chance where he may die but there was also a chance he may live… Unfortunately, death stopped mattering to him once he stepped foot back into Reality and fighting Arfoire.

A lot was riding on this fight, but he could care less…

"Hey…" he murmured softly, placing a hand on the Goddess' head behind him, "Would you like to hear something fun?"

Glancing up at him and meeting with his purple eyes, Plutia couldn't help but voice her question, "What do you mean by fun?"

"You get to punish a very mean girl for messing with your life, your world, and everything else… Don't you just feel irritated just by looking at her? I mean, come on, even you can get angry at this sight…" chuckled Dom in a low, dark tone, stepping aside to give the little CPU a full view of the Tome Entity turned physical god right in front of her, "She pretty much decided to make everything a living hell for you and the others and you're just going to let her? I'm sure as hell won't let her, but I don't have enough firepower… She's mean, she's evil and she's going to kill us… "

With a burst of power, Croire rose into the air and dipped low as she glided downwards.

"She's going to hurt everything you care for… And besides, didn't you promise me that you'll help me? Well, Plutie, I'm going to need your help now…" continued Dom, ignoring the fierce beat of Croire's flaming wings as she neared, "Help me."

Raising her blazing sword, Croire prepared for the kill.

"…Aaare… you suure…. About this..?" asked Plutia, her eyes bearing the faint twinkle of amusement behind the haze of sleepiness.

Dom smirked, "Of course."

The Goddess smiled… But it wasn't the innocently naïve sleepy smile she had earlier… No… It was different, malevolent and sadistic… almost cruel. It was the kind of expression no one would be able to associate with her youthful looks of a middle-schooler.

She then took a step forward, lifting her hand up in the air and catching the flaming blade with her bare hand. It was then a shockwave of pink and blazing dark purple collided as Croire snarled from behind her weapon while bearing a manic grin. Plutia mirrored the smile before pushing the abominable blade with her palm and forcing it along with its wielder back with a burst of power.

Stabbing the sword into the ground, Croire used it to break the blowback she received and force herself into a grinding halt, effectively carving a deep cut along the ground.

Her messy platinum blonde hair flipped as she looked up with that stupid smile on her face, her entire body language all but telling the entire world that she was going to cut someone apart.

Dom didn't really pay any attention to her as he was too busy keeping his eyes fixed upon the transforming light which enveloped Plutia's entire body. The girl's form was hidden by a curtain of bright pink as a miniature gust kicked up in a pressurized burst. The energy gathered by the transformation was enough to make the platform rattle as a thunderclap of power spread into the air, hexagons of lights spreading apart in the air.

For a brief moment, a woman of awe inspiring beauty stood on Plutia's place, her dark purple hair flowing freely behind her as she hovered on the ground. Her back turned, she couldn't help but glance backward with an all too sadistic smile on her face, a mocking smile which promised suffering and pleasure all at the same time.

"Well, Dummy~? It's rude to keep our host waiting…" Iris Heart giggled with a delighted look upon her visage just as her entire body shined once more.

This was then followed by the dull thud of a sleek and elegant black and purple blade being stabbed into the ground, buzzing with unstable energy while tendrils of purple electricity sparked from time to time over its surface. The sword radiated a strange aura of sadism and the desire for battle, as if the soul it was molded out of had something more than just being Iris Heart. Of course, the boy knew what kind of form the CPU had adopted but it was all the more surprising considering that he only knew of one Hard Down Form of hers…

It just stood there, begging for him to take it, to wield it and to use it.

And that's just what he did. Grasping it by the double handed grip with one hand and lifted it from the ground with ease. To his surprise, it felt lighter than it looked considering the amount of metal it had and mass at a first glance. He also felt a mysterious feeling crawling up his arm and spreading through his entire body. He could feel Iris Heart's beating soul upon the blade, he knew she was aware, conscious of his touch as he held her and she was enjoying it if the buzz of excitement spiking up at the back of his mind was any indication.

It felt good… Stupidly so… His body felt lighter and he could feel the grin which was making its way across his face.

"HAHAHAHA, THAT'S IT! THAT'S THE LOOK THAT I WANT!" cackled Croire from where she was taking her sword out of the ground as she stepped forward, "I'm sick of sitting in the sidelines… I'll crush you… I'll crush you and everything in my path! I'll finally make a history that'll be remembered through the dimensions! The day when the Tome of Beliefs takes down the True Goddess AND the Creator! It'll be wonderful…"

Dom finished examining the sword he had and settled it on the ground, its razor sharp edge easily biting into the ground like fire through ice. He stared up at the smirking winged form of a herald of the apocalypse, bearing a blade which was just as powerful and deadly as his own.

He smiled….He smiled a dead man's smile as his eyes shined, "Get fucked!"

[FINAL BOSS FIGHT +CROIRE MAXIMIZED+ BGM: Absolute Configuration-PMMM Rebellion OST EXTENDED]

Dom and Croire charged one another, blades raised and the hearty cackle of Iris Heart within the boy's sword as steel clashed against steel. After on particular exchange of blows, the boy and the Tome were blown back by the jarring force they dealt with one another. Croire slid back, twisting her body, wings and all as she summoned three voids in the air with a flourish of her hand. They then launched three oversized swords made out of raw pink crystal.

His body moving unconsciously, the boy felt an invisible force guide his arms into a wide arc, shattering the projectiles headed his way as he rolled to the side to avoid the last sword. He got up and swatted a couple more swords from the air and charging.

"Eat this!" roared Iris heart's voice as her blade form shined, releasing an arc of raw power which obliterated the incoming missiles. Dom jerked his body to the left and right, dodging the series of blades coming towards him by a hair's breadth and shattering anything his way. He hacked diagonally at his enemy only to have the attacked countered, forcing him to parry and pushing himself away. He stepped in for another strike yet Croire met his blade once more, causing them to trade blows for a moment before she released a burst of purple flames.

He cut through the wall of fire and noticed how Croire had disappeared. A beat of hot wind from above caused him to raise his blade at the last moment to block the Tome Entity's overhead slash. Grunting under his breath, he could feel the heat and burns on his hand and face as he fought back against the colossal strength of the enemy. His bones groaned while his muscles screamed in protest, it was like he was having his arms melted off just by fighting back.

He could've sworn he heard himself yell in pain, but as he did, he forced Croire's sword to the side and slammed his own blade into it, forcing it to the side and leaving the Tome Entity open. With a well-placed kick to the gut, he caused her to double over and gave him the chance to launch a brutal chop from above. The attack was blocked and he was then promptly thrown to the side with a burst of magic, causing him to slide on the floor.

"Stop laughing!" snarled Croire as she kicked off the ground with a beat of her wings, summoning eight swords which all formed a circle in the air and shined all at the same time.

Laughing? Dom didn't know if it was him or Iris Heart laughing having blocked out all the noise in the rush of the battle and the strange sensation coursing through his veins. That little thought was easily overturned once he felt his lips curled into an amused grin. It was only then he noticed that Croire was right, he was laughing. Despite the pain in his body, the heat he had to endure and the cold fear biting down on his skin, he was laughing.

In Iris Heart's soft and silky tone escaped his own lips as his and her voice mixed with one another and forming as one, "Make us~!"

At the center of the circle of blades, a purple sphere of dark fire gathered at grew inside within. With a command of her voice, Croire ordered the blades to release the flames which caused a thick pillar of fire to tear through the air in a condensed cluster, tearing across the platform in order to incinerate the boy.

Dom didn't have complete control of his body back then, it was as if he was aware of what he was doing but something entirely different was making him move. He broke into a run just before the pillar of flames hit, diving at the last moment as he barely cleared the edge of the blast radius and used his sword as a brake. Scrambling to his feet, he dived once more as a spear of light nearly hit him, slashing upwards as he recovered to obliterate a crystal sword.

Backtracking, he watched as a series of oversized blades rain from the heavens impale themselves on each area he stepped on before just as he broke away to the side and sprinted forward. Croire fired a burst of dark fire at him and forced him to move to the left. With a smirk of her own, it was then she willed a series of flame like tendrils to snake through the air and launch themselves at the boy.

Clicking his tongue, Dom kept a firm grip on the sword he had before tossing into the air, "Protect me!"

As the blade twirled into the air, it shined momentarily with raw power before taking the form of Iris Heart, wings glowing and an aura of pure energy surrounding her as she had her hand outstretched at the incoming tendrils. It was then she formed an impenetrable shield of light which the flames found themselves smashing upon in vain. The Goddess laughed at the pathetic attempt to breach her defenses until the flames all but dissipated. As they did, she turned herself back into a sword which the boy caught.

Gripping the handle, it was then the sword uttered a loud audible click as its blade collapsed and turned into segmented sharp edges. Drawing the whip-sword back, his body moved on its own once more as he sent his weapon towards a surprised Croire, grabbing unto her leg in the air. She uttered a curse as she struggled but was then jerked forward as she was violently pulled towards the ground. It took Dom a couple of tugs before she lost her balance in the air and was sent crashing into the ground.

The boy yanked the rest of the whip back into its sword form and watched as the Tome Entity flapped her flaming wings while standing back up. Her eyes still the same sunless voids, her body flicked through reality as she disappeared and reappeared a few moments after. With her oversized sword in hand, she got close and closer showing no signs of walking or moving, just phasing in and out of existence like a specter.

A heartbeat later she was right in front of Dom, sword raised to strike before disappearing, causing him to parry against air. There was the sound of air shimmering behind him and the hairs at the back of his neck immediately stood end, he knew exactly what was behind him. His body twisted along with his sword, barely blocking Croire's deliberating strike. His unpreparedness caused him to be blown across the platform and tumble along the ground.

The Tome Entity raised an open palm and released a series of arcing black lightning carving the ground with slashes and cuts.

"You'll never beat me that way, Villain! It's high time you found out what a real monster looks like!" she shrieked as she made the lighting arcs converged and maul their way towards the boy.

Getting up, he threw his sword at the streaming raw power and called out, "Put a sock in it!"

The blade burst with Share Energy and Iris Heart regained her form once more, her own sword in hand as she flew towards the lightning bolts and tore them apart with one fluid strike. Keeping one knuckled hand back, she then thrust it forward and winked as a transparent sphere of power manifested before her and fired off thin streamlined beams.

Croire snarled with a venomous look on her face before summoning a group of swords to gather right in front of her and act as a thick shield. Unfortunately one particular beam managed to pierce through her defenses and stab itself on her shoulder, eliciting a pained cry from her lips as she clutched her new wound.

Her wings seemed to gain new life and vigor as she roared into the mystic void she and her opponents were in, the sword in her hand turning pitch black with the flames enveloping it growing in size until it was near colossal, its width almost as wide as the platform they stood on. Giving it a violent swing, Croire watched as Iris heart was forced to fly upwards to avoid the attack while the boy had to slide on the ground to keep his head on his neck.

It was only for a moment, but it was enough for her to charge forward while the boy was still defenseless. Her blade now back to its original size, she brought it back before swinging it. Dom received a deep cut on his left shoulders once he threw himself backwards to avoid the fatal strike but was still reached by the sword. A white hot wire of pain flared on his shoulder as he fell, watching Croire summon a sphere of darkness behind her which launched out a thin spear of light.

He tried to block it with his hand, causing the projectile to nearly hit his face had it not stabbed itself on his left forearm first.

He fell back, his body flipping over and making him face down as blood ran down his wounds. Iris Heart landed with a force of a bullet before him and traded blows with Croire before releasing a burst of Share Energy which caused the Enemy to retreat.

The Goddess glanced behind her as the boy forced his battered body to rise up once more before speaking, "That's kind of pathetic… giving up already?"

"Watch out!" cried Dom as the Tome Entity ten feet away displayed her power once more by causing chunks of the platform to disappear into a number of craters. Judging by the holes on the ground, it was as if some large invisible being was taking a bite out of it with every hole that was made. It didn't take long before it reached the Goddess and the boy, one crater appearing right beside the CPU and causing the ground to disappear along with her entire shoulder.

"D-Darn it!" spat Iris heart as she stepped back clutching the stump where her shoulder was before, fragments of Share Energy separating from it and dissolving in the air.

Croire spread her deathly wings and beat them once as she flew through the platform and slashed at the Goddess. The attack was blocked and Iris Heart sent a vicious kick which was easily evaded. Another strike from the Tome Entity and her balance was being slowly chipped away. The third strike she barely blocked with one arm just before the oversized sword went through her stomach, scattering Share Energy into the air.

For the first time ever, the dreaded Goddess of Planeptune let out a scream of pain.

Dom felt his blood run cold at the sight as Croire got close enough to the CPU's ear to whisper, "Payback Time…"

Lifting the blade upwards, the Tome Entity then casually tossed the Goddess into the wall of fire and let her burn. As Iris Heart screamed within the flames, Croire then dashed towards the boy and cut upwards, the color red blooming on the white shirt underneath his jacket as flecks of his lifeblood flew into the air.

Shit!

He tried to move his body but one of Croire's wings condensed and formed a large fist like appearance, hitting him with enough force to send him flying once more. With his back sliding along the ground, he couldn't help but groan in pain every time he tried to breathe, it was as if needles were stabbing themselves into his lungs while an iron hand had a death grip on his heart. His mind numbed with pain, he couldn't help but think straight as the voices and laughter began to invade his head once more.

He just wished they would shut up for once since was busy dying at the moment.

Using what strength he had left in his arms, he tried to sit up despite the cut on his chest. He was bleeding badly if the pool of blood gathering around him was any indication. He's sooner to die of blood loss than anything else but he had to do something. His gaze turned towards Croire whom was standing but a few feet away from him, sword at the ready, her face a mask of cruelty and death.

Iris Heart still burned yet the flames had trouble eating away her body. If anything, being trapped in the wall of flames and death was just making her even angrier as she was forced to watch the boy's execution.

To the east stood a man in a fashionable black suit with a bow tie just beneath his neck. His head… An oversized rabbit mask which resembled a comical mascot, its red eyes staring at the boy similar to a vulture waiting patiently to feast on his corpse.

To the west stood a boy his age, dressed in a dark indigo jacket with a hood obscuring the upper part of his face. His lips were set into a thin line rendering his expression unreadable, his hands were in his pockets but one could tell that they were clenched into fists.

Dom wanted to tell the both of them to get lost if it wasn't for the blood making its way up his throat and forcing him to spit it to the side. Croire just came closer and closer as he lay on the ground, bleeding like a pathetic dog hit by a car. He could feel his own heart pound on his ears as he lost feeling of his arms, his vision going upwards until he was staring at the starless heavens.

He could barely make out Iris Heart yelling at him to stay awake but it only took all his energy just to keep his eyes from closing. Croire had a gleeful smile on her face as she stood above him, the sword in her hand turning into a wicked spear as she raised into the air.

He shut his eyes and braced for the world of pain he was about to get himself into. Twice his mind replayed the sensation of burning hot steel piercing his chest but such feeling never came.

Domopened his eyes to see a hand grab a fistful of Croire's hair and yank her backwards, catching her by surprise as she was suddenly lifted into the air and had her face slammed in the ground. The satisfying crunching noises of the Tome Entity's face being used as a hammer on the smooth floor echoed all around before the sound of a foot connecting with someone's gut followed. Croire was then sent tumbling along the ground sporting a broken face and cracked forehead as her eyes burned with hate.

The person responsible for the impromptu beat down was no other than Iris Heart, still armless on her left side while her skin sported a few burns here and there which were being hastily healed by her reserved energy.

"Well… That was exciting…" grumbled the previously excitable Goddess of violence and cruelty, rubbing the back of her head. She glanced down on the boy's wounded form and knelt down, "You're a mess… But worry not, Dummy… You don't plan to die here, right?"

She brought her lips near Dom's ears as she continued to whisper, a shiver running down his spine and the warmth of the power surrounding her dulling the pain of his wound, "Then get up… You have a girl to go back to… You have a world to save… You have someone waiting… All you have to do is rise…"

A smoldering sensation of fire stabbed in his wounds before he felt them closing. Unlike the healing aura Dia provided before he arrived into the mystic void, the way Iris Heart's power fixed him was painful, setting him on edge and alerting his entire being. The faint purple glow in his eyes returned as he placed a hand on the Goddess' own, a smile curling upon her visage.

"Not yet… Not yet… The game isn't over just yet…" he breathed as the CPU's form shined beside him and released a warm, comforting aura as she turned back into the wicked black and purple blade he wielded earlier. Once again, he and the Goddess were one as he felt her power course through him again, the electrifying sensation of Share Energy mixing with his own body and the sadistic desire for a fight.

Slowly but surely, he got up with his battered form.

Croire too got up with her own sword at hand.

"By the Decree of the True Goddess…" he murmured as his own voice synchronized with the Goddess within the sword, "You will be Purged, Heretic."

Kicking off the ground, he ran forward and met up with the Tome Entity flying towards him. He could feel Iris Heart guiding his hands as he struck with impossible dexterity had he been fighting with his own strength, causing sparks and shockwaves to spread with each time blows were met. He dodged a few attacks and sent some of his own, his blade singing as the barks of steel against steel gave out a rhythmic harmony with the shockwaves being released.

Croire grinned once more as she spoke, "Not long now… Not long now and I'll finally do you two in! I can feel it!"

With a vicious strike, she managed to push the boy and his sword back before summoning seven swords in the air once more and willed them to form the same circular patter as earlier. Purple fire gathered within the center of the circle at an alarming rate, faster than the first shot which was released just minutes ago.

"Fire!" cackled the Tome Entity as a wall of flame and death tore through the platform, the roar of the blast reminiscent of an Ancient's awakening, shaking the platform and tearing molecules apart.

Keeping a firm grip on his sword, Dom stared blazing pillar roaring towards him before planting one foot on the ground, "Help me…"

The sword shined for but a brief moment and Iris Heart manifested unto her Goddess for, grabbing hold of his hand and pulling him up to safety. As the wall of flames mauled down its path beneath him, he then called out to the Goddess, "Hard Drive Form, Purge her!"

Letting go of his hand, the Goddess twisted her body in mid-air as it shined, "This is fun, Dummy~! Let's try not to break too fast, the poor dear…"

A moment later and a pressurized pulse burst apart once the transformation took place. As hexagonal fragments of Share Energy floated in the air, Dom was quickly caught by a sleek black jet plane hovering in place with its nose pointed at the stationary form of Croire on the platform. It was then the sides of the plane's wings and smooth upper surface revealed dozens upon dozens of artillery ranging from missile pods to Gatling guns and laser cannons, enough firepower to level a city…

"Go!" snapped Dom, just as every arsenal the jet he was on was released all at once.

"As if I'd let you!" snarled Croire as she willed crystal swords, arrows of light, and spears of darkness to manifest from within her wings and surround her before launching them all at the same time.

Light trails and smoke left from both sides as the projectiles from both factions met with each other in mid-air, setting off a series of grand explosions of epic proportions going as far causing a tremor in the air. The successive blasts caused huge plumes of smoke to form as brief orange explosions bloomed in the air above the platform with a few missile pods breaching through the chaos to fly towards Croire.

With a beat of her wings, she set out to meet with these missiles and cut them apart with fluid strikes and coordinated dodging. She decided to fly upwards to where her opponent was but was spared the effort once Dom shot through the smoke and explosions, sword in hand with the black and purple blade shining brightly with unstable power.

He slammed into her with such force that she was pushed downwards back into the platform.

Croire retaliated with her own forceful strike and sent him back sliding on his feet as he used his sword to reduced his speed. Stumbling backwards as the remnants of the explosions above died out, slowly falling into the ground around the two combatants. The Tome Entity kicked off the ground and swung her sword into a wide arc, Dom's own body reacting accordingly by rolling out of the way as Croire sent out a barrage of swords to impale him as he ran.

His body surged with power not his own as he raised the sword he had and swatted the blades coming after him and releasing a burst of Share Energy with a horizontal slash. The wide arc was immediately dissipated as Croire cut through it like hot knife through butter, using the brief burst of power obscuring Dom's vision to close in and thrust her weapon.

Fixing his grip on his weapon, Dom drove Croire's sword upwards before swinging at the oversized sword's cross guard, effectively shattering it in her hands. Their black sunless eyes met with glowing purple ones for but a brief moment before the Tome Entity willed two more of her blade into existence, slamming them into the boy's weapon with killer efficiency, forcing him into the defensive.

She wielded two swords the size of doors in her hand and swung them effortlessly, pushing Dom back as he struggled to keep up. After a brief pause between the attack, he successfully shattered the blade on Croire' left and leaving her open to a kick in the gut. Retaliating, the Tome swung her remaining sword down with a growl and have it connect with an upwards strike from the boy.

Sparks danced as the two forces clashed violently, tearing apart the ground and creating spider web cracks along the platform's sides and pristine surface.

This time, it wasn't Dom's own body which was screaming in pain, it was his entire existence. Being subjected to ungodly levels of raw energy and contesting against a being which could literally tear him apart had he not been relying on keeping his sanity intact with Iris Heart's help was starting to chip away his identity as a human being. His soul felt like it was being stabbed over and over and burned… he felt raw, exposed, and vulnerable…

If his physical body refused to break down after being forced to reach its limits, then his existence was sooner to break apart if this went on as it was. He endured and endured as he kept his sword connected to Croire's, the latter's eyes filled with the same mirth and delight upon seeing him suffer. He could feel something inside him snap and crack, a maddening pain at the very core of his being as he kept the connection on.

Hairline cracks began to snake across Croire's sword before finally collapsing in her grip.

"Dummy, now!" snapped the CPU's voice and Dom sprang into action.

Croire brought down a newly formed blade only to have it be redirected to the side by the boy's sword. She tried to retaliate but was once again parried, causing her to overextend and stumble a bit. Dom came from below and rose upwards, sword rising in a flourish as he severed one of the Tome Entity's wings. As the flaming appendage fell, he followed with another strike on her other wing even before she had the chance to scream and kicking her forward.

Heaving and breathing heavily, Croire let out an animalistic snarl and formed tow crystal blades in both of her hands and charged.

Dom stepped in to meet her with the Goddess in his sword guiding his body. He clashed with the first sword and dodged the second and created an opening as he used one hand to keep both swords at bay. It was then he smiled for the first time in a few minutes ever since he almost died as he clenched his free hand.

He swung his hand with all his might, feeling the satisfying crunch of flesh connecting with his fist, punching Croire across her face and knocking her down. She tumbled for a bit before she lay on her back, stunned at what had just occurred as the blades she one held both disappeared at the same time.

And then silence…

Dom felt cold… His hand obviously hurt having thrown a punch he didn't brace himself for but somehow the pain made the feeling all the more satisfying. The feeling wanting to cut something up… He stalked his way towards the fallen Tome Entity as he tried to sit up, stabbing her in the stomach before she could utter a word.

"Guk—! Y-You bastard..!" she cursed before the blade dug deeper into her guts.

The boy merely stared at her with narrowed eyes, uttering a single words which would imprint itself at the back of her mind, "Punishment…"

There was a smirking noise coming from his sword before the black and purple blade crackled with electricity, sending surges of energy into Croire's body and making her scream. Light danced for a while as the electrocution continued before coming to a halt with Croire's body smoking yet still very well whole. She had a look of anguish on her face as she could barely move a finger. All she could do was look at her enemy eyes filled with hate.

"It's over…" he muttered softly before yanking the sword out of his enemy's twitching form, "Just give up already."

These words only elicited a mocking giggle from Croire's lips as she said, "Screw you… As if…. There's anything else you could do… other than play the villain… Do you see yourself as a hero..? Some… Sort of Chosen One? You're… an idiot… I know what you're planning… It won't work… Nothing will work… Hehehe…."

"I never saw myself as a hero… I'm just as insignificant as the next Pawn, but I can still take down a Queen well on my own… With little assistance," murmured Dom as he raised his sword once more and drove the edge into Croire's torso, "A hero wouldn't kick his enemies on the ground… A hero wouldn't be stabbing a defenseless girl like so. A hero doesn't have a choice… A hero never had one. But me..?"

Giving the fallen Entity a cruel smirk he continued, "I can choose to do whatever I want. I won't kill you… But that doesn't mean I can't. I will fix everything. I'll prove you wrong… I'll prove ALL of you wrong."

Leaving the sword imbedded on Croire's chest, the boy then made his way towards the shining sphere at the very edge of the platform. Behind him, the sound of noise shimmering reached his ears and made him stop to look back. He found the CPU back in her human form, Plutia opening her eyes and tilting her head to the side with a smile. It seemed that the damage she had received in her HDD form wasn't present in her human form, but it was noticeable on how she looked exhausted.

Taking a quick glance at Croire, he found her trying to move her body with the sword finally gone from her chest. It was then he took a detour and stopped by the little Goddess who had all but let her arm get shredded off just to help him. She tried to keep herself steady only to sway to the side before she was caught by the boy.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a concerned look, "You've done enough, you need to rest…"

"Sooooorry… I guess... You're right~…" murmured Plutia in her usual sleepy slur, "Let me go with you…"

Without responding, Dom uttered a brief sigh as he kept the Goddess steady and led her away towards the shining sphere. His footsteps felt heavy and dark spots danced at the edge of his vision. He tried to clear his mind by shaking the uneasiness off. He felt a quick flash of pain in his mind as the glow in his eyes faded as well as the buzz which coursed along his veins receded. He felt… Normal. As normal as he could be on a bad day. His movements felt sluggish and it seemed like he could collapse at any moment, even more so than the sleepy Goddess before him.

It was then he and Plutia stood before the Core of Reality, the one keeping Earth's Dimension intact and organized. It was this huge pulsing sphere of raw power condensed and spread apart through the universe Dom existed in. If this was one Reality, then he couldn't imagine the numerous amount of power millions of core between alternate worlds have. Just one touch and he would be able to tinker with it, just one touch and he would be able to rewrite everything…

Deaths, injuries, catastrophes, wars and disasters… He could even make it so that he could transcend the fragile form of being human. A million of possibilities ran through his mind as he faced that sphere. He was being watched, he and the Goddess at his side were being watched by eyes everywhere… Of different sort of beings both majestic and horrifying…

"It's here…" whispered Plutia as she gave the sphere one last look before turning her gaze to her companion, "What do you plan to do?"

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He couldn't get ahead of himself this time. He had to do it right… It was now or never… taking a step forward, he reached out for the sphere of light and grabbed on, instantly coming in contact with a strange static texture as he gripped a part of it with his hand.

"I'm going to fix everything," he breathed out as he opened his eyes, witnessing how the immaculate green sphere burst with power reminiscent to a slumbering gargantuan beast awakening violently. A number of shining white tendrils were released from the sphere's surface, a grand array of lights giving color to the dark world and drastically changed the scenery. Gone were the cascading green numbers from above and the mountains of old computers…

The view was replaced by that of an endless blue sky, a world high above the clouds and overlooked the entire Earth below. Wind passed overhead and caused his scarf to billow about to his left as the sphere of power before him continued to rise with power. Two metallic frames appeared on its upper portion and connected with each other with a loud clang of steel, causing fragments of green energy to disperse as two more metallic frames concealed the lower portion of the sphere, enveloping it in metal.

That was the time which the metal ball obscuring the sphere began to revolve, increasing its speed by the second until it was nothing more than a blur.

Dom stepped back as he watched the odd spectacle before glancing at his own hand. Seeing it covered with warmth caused him to raise an eyebrow as he turned his attention back at the sphere. Metal whined and the hymn of energy hung in the air, the metal ball continued to spin until it came to a sudden halt, a number of clicking noises echoing throughout the platform before it revealed the green sphere hidden within.

A halo like circle now enveloped the sphere of power, a thousand of different images, displaying the lives of tens of millions of people existing within Dom's reality. There were some images he couldn't discern but he noticed how the images weren't restricted only to human beings. There were so many of images to look at that he had trouble taking the sight in, a strange sense of vertigo hitting him as he took a step back.

It was… It was an overwhelming feeling. This was something that no human should've been able to discover, to lay his eyes upon or get near to. Just by being near the sphere felt wrong… Terribly wrong… The only reason he was still capable of standing and witnessing all of this was the fact that he bore a part that wasn't entirely human. A trait which set him apart from the faceless, gray masses he could see in the images.

As a human being, he realized how insignificant his existence was compared to the rest of the Universe yet here he was… Standing right on the core of Reality… God's very own control panel…

He can control it… Even while being himself, he had power over the sphere thanks to his connection with the Creator… He wondered… he wondered just how many times and how many people managed to set foot upon the same place in which he stood. He could tell…He wasn't the first one to reach the core of Reality… He wasn't the first one to force it upon his will…

Despite that, it didn't matter… If it was to keep his world safe, to keep his dimension safe, and to bring his normal life back, he would need to control it. Even if it tore his identity apart in the process…

"Don't… screw… with me..!" snarled Croire from behind him, nursing her bloodied torso as she got up with blood sliding down her lips, "You're… dead meat! I won't let you win!"

Plutia stood on guard as she came between the boy and the risen Tome Entity and spoke with a sense of urgency, "Dummy… Please… Do it..!"

A renewed set of dark purple wings burst from Croire's back as she held a crystal sword on both of her hands, a manic grin on her face as she kicked off the ground and flew forwards, uttering the boy's name as a war cry, "AAAAAADDDRRIIAAAAAANNNN DOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!"

Gritting his teeth, the boy grabbed the Goddess by the shoulder and pulled her back, raising his hand, "Stay away!"

That was when a shrill ring pierced through the air which was then followed by an ever expanding cube manifesting right in front of Croire. Her expression froze into wide-eyed shock just before she was swallowed by the bluish cube made out of pure raw power. The platform shook and due to the sheer intensity of the contained blast, pieces of it broke off and fell into the clouds bellow and disappearing.

Dom's eyes glowed bright purple once more as he watched on how easily he flicked aside the Tome Entity's attack like it was nothing. Slowly but surely, he closed his outstretched palm and pulled it back as if he had just touched burning steel. The cube disappeared, leaving behind a half-conscious Croire lying on the ground, her flaming wings dissipating into nothingness as she lay there unmoving.

Behind him, the shining core released a pulse which shook his entire being as if reminding him of its presence. The power he held, it was… amazing… It felt good… It was like he could do anything. Yet he kept his mind on the game, he couldn't lose focus, he couldn't afford to lose sight of why he had this kind of power in the first place… Even if he did hold enough to probably fight the True Goddess or Caelus to a draw…

At the end of the day, he was just a normal human being… And he'd like it for things to stay that way.

"What do you plan.. To do now..? Are you sure… that's what you really want?" snickered Croire as she tried to push herself from the floor. The tenacious bitch giving him a tired smile as she tried to right herself.

"Yeah… This is what I wanted. This is my happy ending…" replied Dom as he narrowed his eyes and glowered at her.

"So you really do planning on becoming a god… huh..?" chuckled the Tome Entity, a sardonic smirk across her lips.

"I didn't need to be a god to kick your ass," snapped the boy, the rising power behind him reaching its peak, "It's over!"

A white pillar of light was launched into the heavens from the metallic sphere behind Dom with a roar of energy filling the air with the scent of ozone. The grand light shined all around and parted halfway through to spread on all four cardinal directions.

Croire merely smiled and spoke in a voice bearing previous air of confidence, "Checkmate…"

Plutia seemed to have taken notice of this and immediately turned her gaze at the white pillar of light. She watched how the grand line flickered for a few moments like a dying candle, stream of dark flames running across its surface before disappearing. It was until the second the flames burst from the center of the pillar and swallowed the white in dark purple before tearing it apart. The fire travelled all the way down to the core of reality, washing the metal encased sphere of raw power with Croire's corrupted flames.

It didn't take long for the core to be enveloped in fire before changing its color, the dark purple spots spreading and eating their way across the sphere's light green surface.

"No… No… This… This can't be happening!" murmured the Goddess as she ran forward and transformed, spreading her arms as Iris Heart and brute forced her Share Energy into the core in an attempt to stop the corruption. The blue landscape flickered as glitch like taint ran across the sky.

It was then did the energy within the core began to become unstable, tongues of purple flame lashing outwards while pieces of the metallic frames encasing it slowly broke apart.

Dom felt the rush from gaining control earlier leave him cold as he stood rooted on the spot, not quite comprehending what was happening before him until he saw Iris Heart straining her entire body to keep up with the corruption. Dark tendrils burst from the core and flailed violently around, nearly hitting the stationary Goddess as she fought against the taint.

She would've been hit by one of the tendrils had not the boy tackled her into the ground.

"What the hell is going on?! I thought you said that going here will fix everything! Why is this happening now!?" he yelled while stray tendrils shot through the air and the sound of Croire laughing at the distance annoyed him to no end.

"It's her… She planned this.. Right from the very start… We fell for her trap," grunted the Goddess as she pushed her companion off and tried to resume her work, only succeeding in exhausting herself further and cancelling her transformation ,"If… Only I noticed sooner…"

"I told you, didn't I? You never stood a chance…" sneered Croire as she formed a brand new crystal broadsword on her right, "You should've seen your faces… Fucking priceless!"

"What did you do, you asshole?!" roared the boy as he stood up and stomped his way towards his opponent. It was then a number purple tendrils shot out from behind Croire and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground and left his feet dangling.

"I reminded you… I reminded you to no end that I'm not like the others… Not like the ones you've faced… Not like the pitiful counterparts that kept falling for your traps…" the Tome Entity cocked her head to the right as she spoke, "Now you'll pay… Tenfold… With interest… You lost once you thought you could outpace me… Once I kill you, the next one to die will be Caelus… And then… The True Goddess… It'll be smooth sailing from this point out… I'll have to thank you, Villain…If it wasn't for you then I'd never get my hands on the core's true potential… It's true power… You lost."

He struggled and kicked as he hung in the air, gradually losing what breath he had left in his lungs as the edge of his vision started to go dark. The wind roared in his ear while his heart pounded as it fought against the urge to stop. He was losing his strength, the brief contact he had with the core already gone and was replaced with something that made his stomach turn.

Gritting his teeth, he grabbed hold of the flaming tendril wrapped around his neck, hissing at the pain and tried to pry it off with what little power he had left.

"No… No!" he cried out, his hand shining along with his eyes, only to cause an inch of the tendril to disappear. It simply regenerated back and choked him with renewed strength.

He was going to die… This time for real… It was cold… Too cold… At this rate he'll really fall asleep. The darkness was overcoming his vision, the sight of Croire smiling at him as streamline of flames snaked across the ground and gathered beneath her feet, rising up and arcing similar to a serpent poised to strike.

Croire didn't bother to say anything else. She just pointed at him and the flame serpent lunged forward, its maw opened wide ready to swallow the boy whole.

Time seemed to come to a halt. Dom… Dom didn't really fear death. Not after the things he's been through, things he's seen, things that he wasn't even meant to know… To say that he was afraid now would be laughable. Once upon a time, yes, he would've been scared. No sane human being couldn't be scared. The moment he stopped being scared, he stopped being sane, he stopped being normal, he stopped being a lot of things… He just… held on…

He was tired… Really tired of all the bullshit he had to put up with. He was the being… who could chose to do whatever he wanted without being subjected to a fixed fate. A being that had the potential to do anything, become anything, and control everything… While that was his greatest goal and strength… that was also his greatest weakness.

It meant he could die at any given moment, no questions asked.

So if he were to die at the very moment, there would be no retries, no extra lives, to repeat of routes… Just swift and sweet oblivion.

…..

….

…

{} No…Fight back… Fight back, it's not supposed to end like this!

{}Sleep… Give up… It isn't worth it. Just let go.

{}Talk it out. Buy time. Do something. Anything!

[SYSTEM ERROR… SYSTEM ERROR… SYSTEM ERROR….]

[UNIDENTIFIED DATA FOUND…]

[PURGE? Y/{N}]

[OPEN? {Y}/N]

[LOADING DATA….]

{X}Activate the Page

[ENDING REQUIREMENTS UNLOCKED]

[ACCESSING SCENARIO X]

…..

….

...

Dying would suck. Yeah… Now that he thought about it, it really sounded like it would suck. Of course it would be bad, it's only common sense. Who in their right mind would want to die? Besides, didn't he already decide that dying in a place like this would be stupid? No, he deserved less. He didn't needed to die fighting. He wouldn't want to give Croire the satisfaction of watching him struggle… No… If he was going to die, then he would do it in his own way…

It was amusing. Amusing on how Croire managed to turn everything around, to render all of his efforts for naught with one clever move. True, everything was barely within what he could save… The world was doomed one way or another, but… It didn't have to end there. It won't need to end with the world suffering…

He just had to play with Croire some more…

Maybe the time he spent repeating the entire year for a thousand times knocked a few screws in his head. Of course, anyone in his situation would've been scared. But truthfully, he wasn't… He wasn't afraid to die. Death was something he was now good friends with. Given that the deaths he experienced weren't real deaths but they were deaths all the same. And every time he had to meet death again, it always involved with him doing something stupid.

It was normal for someone to fear death, but for him… the moment he stopped being afraid of it… He stopped being a lot of things.

Still, it didn't change the fact that dying along with the entire world getting screwed as a consolation sucked so hard that he wanted to bleach his brain of the thought. Of course, he knew he wasn't supposed to die here. It wouldn't be following the plan he had laid out. Until he made the arrangements and right calibrations, he couldn't afford to die at anyone else's hands other than that person.

The world was doomed, Gamindustri was doomed, and pretty much everyone he knew was doomed to experiencing a rather horrible next few years.

But if he played his cards right, then he may be able to give them a chance. That's why he was there for. To give them a choice. To give everyone a choice.

That and he had finally made his own…

He felt his pocket grow warm, a familiar buzz of energy keeping him conscious through the haze of pain and suffocation as he gradually lost his breath. He just had but a trickle of the core's power within him and he was sure that it was enough for one last call…

His own hands felt cold as his life ebbed away, the burning purple flames sapping him of the god-like powers he had acquired just a few minutes ago. Placing a hand on his pocket, he drew out a blank piece of paper, glowing faintly in his grasp.

Giving Croire one last glare, he managed to force out four words which would change everything….

"This isn't my fight."

And then the Page shined one last time before burning out, the piece of paper dissolving into white light as multiple worlds connected to the Mystic Void all at once in a radiant explosion which threatened to overcome the darkness which consumed the entire platform. A fresh burst of Share Energy spread out all around, enveloping the entire area in a thick blanket of warmth and comfort.

The fallen Planeptune CPU raising her head to watch the spectacle couldn't help but widen her eyes at the impossible sight.

One last chance…

Two figures walked out of a tear between realities…

One was a woman bearing a pair of translucent disc like wings shining bright purple which easily matched her hair of the same color and black bodysuit. Her calculating blue eyes fixed upon the Tome of Darkness as she held a majestic black and purple blade in her right hand en garde.

The second was a girl with crimson hair and bright green eyes. Her clothes disheveled and bore signs of damage yet nevertheless she wore a cold mask of indifference as she kept her back straight and aura of power maintained around her body.

Purple Heart narrowed her eyes before stabbing her blade unto the ground, purging the area of the corrupted flames with just her own will and power. She set her lips in a straight line while slashing to the side and erasing the corrupted tendrils by the masses, brute forcing them to dissolve while she manipulated the Share Energy around her in concentrated bursts to keep the purple flames at bay.

Dia immediately ran for her best friend, grabbing hold of the tendril around his neck and tearing it apart with her bare hands. She caught the boy in her hands and held just right to keep him steady, "I knew I should've come with you…"

"Yeah… But… Neptune…" Dom tried to speak yet the soreness in his throat kept him from talking for too long as he set his gaze upon the Purple Goddess who was set upon slashing and hacking at the flames which dared try to get close.

"We're almost done here, yes?" spoke the crimson haired girl with a kind smile, "I know what to do… I knew what you were trying to do… We have a world to save."

The boy blinked twice before forming a frown. Dia stood up and manifested a crimson bow in her hand and took a step towards Croire who seemed to be recovering from the initial shock of a girl and CPU's appearance.

Purple Heart managed to retreat to where the boy stood and address him while keeping close, "Are you ready, Dummy?"

"One more time…." muttered Plutia as she limped close to her fellow CPU and the scarfed boy, holding the doll she had in her right hand with a smile on her sleepy face, "One more time, okay..?"

Dom wasn't really sure… But… If this was the case, then it wouldn't hurt to give it another go… The world wouldn't be the same. The damage was done before he could prevent it…

The rest… The rest was going to be someone else's problem… One more gamble… One more gamble to save the world.

"Yeah…" he murmured, adjusting his scarf and looking up ahead, "One more time it is then…"

"Then let's make it count," added Purple Heart as her entire body began to shine.

"All together now…" chirped Plutia as her own body glowed with raw power.

Up ahead, Dia continued walking as she too lit up, "It's all up to you after this, Adrian…"

A long winded shrill sound pierced through the air as the three beings pooled their powers together to create a unified mass of energy. The first to draw from this fountain of power was Purple Heart, twirling her broadsword in her grip and driving it into the platform, unleashing a burst of purple power which distorted the space of the world and shook the miniscule properties which built up the corrupted flames.

Just as the purple fire was about come rushing back down on them, Plutia ran forward and tossed her doll in the air, leaving it levitating as it began to move on its own and lift its arms. With a sharp whip like sound, the little Goddess managed to hold the flames at bay with crackling raw power. Purple electricity formed a thin barrier where one could see easily see through and watch as the raging flames slam themselves against the shield.

Dia held her crimson bow tightly just as its tips were set ablaze with a warm orange glow. Holding out her other hand, a solid beam of pure crimson flames and light manifested into existence, humming with raw power as she grasped it tightly in her hand. Pure raw power gathered from the depths of her being, borrowing it from the previous identity she had and molding it into a thick shaft of caged energy. Compressed and condensed into a shining bolt, shaking with restrained explosive force.

With one quick movement she notched the arrow and pulled back. A drawstring of green light connected with the tail end of the shining bolt as the girl raised the bow and aimed.

It only lasted for a moment, but there was something terrifying about how Dia looked during that moment. Dom didn't know if it was the Share Energy gathering unto one place and forming an unstable manifestation of destruction in in the appearance of an arrow or the pooling darkness just outside the barrier which was hastily formed, slowly but surely causing hairlines cracks on the surface. He held his breath once his best friend let the arrow fly from her trembling arms.

It wasn't something he was expecting. Not only that it topped the grand arrow she had unleashed upon Arfoire's monstrous form but it exceeded by magnitudes.

It flew in a straight line, shining radiantly… And then it grew in size…Slowly but surely, Dom managed to witness how the arrow turned into a literal bolt of fire and light, enveloping his entire world in a searing hot light which consumed all sound with a piercing scream… It was reminiscent to watching a dying star a million light years away as it took everything around it with it.

It broke through the barrier, obliterating the darkness and scattering it to nothingness, keeping a steady flight in the air as it passed Croire an taking the entirety of the left side of her body with it as it kept going.

There was no sound the moment it connected with the Tome of Darkness' body… No explosion, no noise and no blood… The power of three superpowered beings combined as one and unleashing it upon another superpower being… It passed Croire like she was just another ant in the path of a nuclear explosion.

And the arrow just continued to fly right into Reality's very core. It was then it burst into a blindingly painful light and burned away the corruption and overpowered the purple fire with red and white.

That was his cue, Dom ran. He dashed passed the Purple Goddess, giving him a confident smile and a thumbs up as she held her sword down. He passed by the little Goddess on her knees as she yelled out his name in her airy and sleepy voice.

He eventually passed his best friend as she smiled contentedly while he broke through the path she had laid out for him.

He ran for the core and ran past the defeated Tome burning pathetically on the ground. Screaming his name with all her hate yet he didn't even hear. He couldn't hear her anymore, he couldn't hear anything anymore. The darkness was rushing back now faster and stronger than before. It blocked out his way back and was slowly closing up on him. It was as if the entire universe was telling him that there was no more turning back…

He knew that better than anyone so he kept running forward.

He had just enough of everything. This stupid world, this stupid quest, and his stupid life. He jumped and reached out for the core just as the flames reached his leg, body and face...

And then blank...

This was the story of how the world ended….

[…]

[….]

[…..]

[DATA CORRUPTED…]

[PLAYER: 1]

It was dark… Too dark…

He couldn't see anything… Zero visibility all around.

Roaring… Something was roaring from far away…

He had the distinct feeling of being swallowed… Devoured… Pulled back… It was cold… He couldn't breathe much less move. Not yet… Not yet… He had to go back. He had to go back… he tried, he struggled, he fought but it was no use. It was all dark. He couldn't see what was in front of him. He felt tired. So tired… He wanted to sleep yet he forced himself to remain awake. Awake as he was being dragged across the darkness.

He was… He tried to remember. Why would he need to go back? For what reason? It was like… Something within him was being picked apart. Something important. For some reason… He just had to go back. Names… Names he couldn't even fathom why they were in his head floated around…

…..

….

…

His… His name was… His name was Dom. That's what people called him. That's what he went by… And… He had a job to do… No… The hard part was over and he just needed to get back. Right… If only… he could… move… No use… No use. It was too hard. What a pain in the ass…

There was light… It gave him a bad feeling… But there was light. He hesitated… Funny how that happened... Seeing as he was currently en route to an eternity in the void if he didn't go. But at the same time, he didn't want to go. All it'll bring about was more pain and hardships. He was just about sick of the thought having to go through a whole new ordeal once he got back.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he had a choice in the matter as a hand grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him in….

…..

….

…

Dom found himself being dragged out hand first from the darkness. Someone was pulling him from the suffocating black mass trying to choke him to death, the strain of trying to keep himself conscious already taking its toll on him. It was then when a blinding light burst forth from above that he was out, flying in the air for a second before crashing into the cold hard ground. Groaning from putting the brunt of his weight on his shoulder, the boy rolled pathetically on the floor, tapping the ground once in a while as a sign of giving up.

He felt like shit. His entire body felt like lead. He sure as hell hoped he would never do that kind of stunt again no matter how much anyone would pay him. The darkness was… nothing short of terrifying… yeah… Nothing can actually describe what it felt like to be wrapped around in Croire's magic other than that. He coughed and wretched all while trying to keep what food was left in his stomach down. His entire body was trembling so much that it was disturbing.

Placing a hand on the cold floor, he tried to push himself upwards… Or at least on a position where he could sit. No such luck seeing that he couldn't even lift a finger at the moment. He was breathing hard as he set his gaze above him. He was staring at the end of the world.

The darkness which he escaped from were gathering just above him into a swirling mass of purple lightning and searing flames, the final result of the core of reality being put under such ungodly strain from the previous battle and being put back together through sheer brute force.

He would've chuckled if his lungs didn't feel like they were flattened like pancakes. This result was to be expected seeing as Dia wasn't the most careful person he knew. But after that display? Seriously though, shooting the core which was keeping the entire existence of the universe with a high powered god-tier arrow of heat and energy was just asking for the fabrics of reality to meltdown. Even then after seeing the results of her handy-work, the entire place looked like it would collapse at any moment.

Bracing himself, Dom tried to sit up. It took him a little more effort than he expected but he managed to sit up straight, nursing the aching sensation he could feel prickling his kidneys. He was still on the lone floating in the realm where reality and fiction met. Surrounding the platform were swirling pillars of fire and wind, branches of lightning lighting up the sky with purple power.

Complete and utter chaos…

"We did it…" murmured a voice behind the boy. It came from a young woman with long purple hair tied into twin braids behind her back, her piercing blue eyes surveying the ruined state of reality's core, "No more Distortions… No more Reality Merge."

It's here that she turned her gaze towards Dom with a small smile, "You saved us. Not bad."

"Not bad?" repeated the boy with an incredulous look, "Even when the entire scenery looks like shit, you're telling me that it wasn't bad? Neptune, I know you're an idiot but there's a difference between me fucking up spectacularly and 'not bad'. You could at least tell just as much."

"But… I know… This wasn't how I'd want to see things end. Especially after a boss fight but… I guess not everything could end with sunshine and rainbows. The price was simply too great for us to pay," Purple Heart lifted her free hand and clenched her fist, having it shine for a few moments as she spoke once more, "But still, thank you. Thank you for believing in us. It shouldn't have become this complicated."

Dom sighed at that before struggling to get on his feet. Slowly and unsteadily, he tried to gain his footing with the Goddess curiously watching his progress. With a pained grunt, he kept his back bent while keeping an open palm on his thigh. Gasping for breath, he then said, "Dia… Where's… Dia..?"

Planeptune's Goddess blinked at that before averting her gaze, "Well… You see… Dee-dee's…"

"Neptune…" growled the boy, glowering at the CPU through his gritted teeth, anxiety welling up within him as he spoke once more, "Where's Dia? What happened to her?"

"Hey, stop bullying the Goddess, you jackass," called out an all too familiar voice behind him and instantly killing the dread creeping up his throat. But as he turned around to see his best friend, it was then he nearly lost his strength… The smile on his face turning into one of disbelief as his eyes settled upon her smile.

Dia stood with her hands behind her back, her trademark smile of warmth on her lips as her skirt and hair swayed along with the wind.

Her feet were being encased in what looked like red crystals slowly making their way upwards with blinking green lights hovering inches away from them. An aura of crimson was wrapped around her body; the distinct sensation of Share Energy gathering around her was unmistakable.

Dom's eyes were wide with surprise, his footsteps slow and careful as he came close to her, "But… Why? Why is this happening? Hey, don't you just fucking smile right there tell me what's happeni—"

Just as he tried to grab hold of her shoulders, an intense electrical spark crackled all over his hand and made him curse. The stinging pain spreading all over his palm and making it go numb and him step back in outrage.

The red crystals were now on Dia's knees, freezing the hem of her skirt in place as they continued to climb.

"It's something we couldn't do anything about, Dummy…" muttered Plutia from behind Dia, clutching her doll right in front of her while gazing at the red haired girl's crystals, "This… It's as if her power is the one rebelling against her. You're… You do know about… Incompatible CPUs, right?"

The boy swallowed hard and recalled that particular information from his memory. An incompatible CPU was a being which failed to synchronize correctly with a CPU Memory Core. The results of a person attempting to become a CPU through the memory cores often led to disastrous results but… How could such a thing be related to—

"Dee-dee's existence wasn't complete in the first place. Something was keeping her alive remotely, feeding her enough energy to keep on existing. Her entire life depended on Share Energy just like any Goddess and she mostly received that from us during the times the CPUs wound up in Reality… But once she discovered and started using her powers… then…" Purple Heart trailed off, no longer finding it in her heart to continue before gazing at Plutia for assistance.

It was here that the little Goddess continued from where her friend took off, "Then it would open the flood gates and unseal her true potential. You… Already know this, yes? She started to spend more and more power as time went on. Using her powers to fight and such, you knew what cost it would have."

"But this time. I couldn't produce anymore Share Energy I received from the Goddesses. I ran out sometime ago so… If you put two and two together, I'm not running on their power anymore but my own…"explained Dia with a sad smile on her face, "Because of this… Because of the power I'm taking from… Well, somewhere… The source of this power is now rejecting me for some reason."

She raised her green eyes and stared at the boy's purple ones and spoke, "You have an idea on who's doing this to me, right?"

Caelus… "I'll… I'll do something. Just stay put. I'll go and save you. You just wait here," just as he was about to break away from the group, Purple Heart grabbed him by the arm and shook her head.

"Don't. Please… Just—"

"Just what, Neptune?! You think I'm just going to let this shit fly here?! This is exactly what I was trying to stop and I still fucked up!" roared the boy as he fought against the Goddess' grip, "I never asked for this! I tried and tried, this was my last chance and things still had to end this way!"

"Adrian, please… Stop," muttered Dia as she kept her gaze low, the red crystals already up on her waist, "It's… it's not as bad as you think. I… You did what you had to do, right? No one died, everyone… Everyone was saved at a certain point. You done enough so please… Even if this is happening, it's all right. I'm okay with this. This… This just temporary anyway! I mean, you said so yourself, didn't you? That having me go to Gamindustri would help? Neptune and the others will find a way. This won't be the end, right? We'll still see each other. I'll… I'll just be going to sleep. It won't be long."

"Bullshit… What a load of bullshit!" snapped Dom, jerking his arm away from the CPU who had it and stomping his way at his best friend, grabbing her by her collar and snarling at her, "I didn't come this far to lose you! Stop acting like you've got no other choice! Get angry! Scream! Yell! Do something! Anything! Don't just stand there like an idiot!"

Dia could only smile… No more words as the crackling red energy stung her best friend's hands. She wanted to push him away to keep him from hurting himself any further but her own arms were already encased within the red crystals.

Realizing that she wouldn't respond either way, Dom took a step back and let her go, "I could've avoided this. I could've avoided this…. Fuck…"

It was irritating… It was mind numbingly irritating on how everything was falling apart. He saved three worlds… But he always ended up losing his best friend one way or another. Was it a consistent variable that could never be changed? If so, what was keeping it from changing? Was it the state of the three worlds? Was allowing one of the worlds to crumple and dissolve save Dia? Would sacrificing billions of lives not just on a single world but an entire universe worth it?

Of course not, that much he knew. Letting go of an immeasurable number of lives for the sake of one selfish act was beyond stupidity. Dia wouldn't want that, Neptune wouldn't want that… No one did. So that was what the three girls around him were hoping he would realize. He was… After all… A being who carried limitless potential. Not that that thought had sunk yet but it was there.

He felt a hand tug on his wrist, causing him to glance to the side and stare right into Plutia's eyes. It was then she spoke to him in a calm and airy manner as light danced around them, "We'll get her out… We promise. So please… Please hold on…"

Dom turned his gaze back at his best friend and said, "Are you sure you're all right with this?"

"We'll see each other again soon. Until then, you—"

"I can't make promises. No… I can never make promises," cut off the boy with a sharp tone, his purple eyes meeting with the bright green ones before him, "This might be the last time we'll see each other. I'm not that optimistic enough to hope for another meeting but… I'll do what I can. I'll find a way. But it might not be for a long time. I still have a lot of jobs to do. I still have a lot to set up for what's to come. I can never go back to normal… Not after all this shit. At the very least… I hoped that you'll live out a normal life for me."

Dia only stared at him as he continued, "It's not over yet. This story won't be over until I can get that happy ending. Your happy ending as well as everyone else's." Dom turned to look at the Purple Goddesses at his side and sighed, "And that's only possible with me doing something stupid. So no, this might be the last time. But you know what? Thanks. For everything. I'm not really great with goodbyes but…"

"No goodbyes…" replied the crimson haired girl, "No tears, no stupid farewells. We'll see each other again, I'll make sure of that."

"Dia, you're an idiot…" Dom reached out for his best friend but instead had his palm. Dia's final smile frozen in place as the red crystal had finally encased her body, the traces of her power lingering in the air for a moment before dissipating to return back to their original wielder.

He never lost Dia in any of the routes he found himself in. It was either he died and did something stupid or a Goddess had a meltdown, giving him a bad ending. This was the first time he lost her, to actually see her go. She was right though. He shed no tears, that would've been pathetic. He just sucked it up and let out a shaky breath, a strange prickling sensation ran up and down his body as he forced himself to move away. He felt horrible, more horrible than he ever did in his entire life.

His fist was trembling on his right. He had half of his mind punching the stupid crystal housing his best friend in an attempt to shatter it. Of course that'll only get him some broken bones and a dislocated arm so he conceded. There's a time and place to flush out his frustration and anger and this wasn't it.

No… he still had a Goddess to piss off.

Behind him, the world which housed Reality's core continued its chaotic existence, the twisting purple flames increasing in number as thunder rolled overhead. The sphere of power holding the universe together was slowly being consumed by the corruption before being purified from time to time. A result of the Planeptune CPUs meddling with its functions while keeping most of its system intact via pumping it full of energy with Dom directing the flow of power throughout those ungodly fifteen seconds of his life.

Just remembering himself touching something that could've incinerated his soul into oblivion was enough to make him recoil.

He was lucky. He was lucky that he didn't turn out quite insane or got blown to bits after that stunt. He gulped down the fact that in some other parallel world, he would've been roasted through the sheer intensity of being in the presence of something that was just as powerful as the Big Guy Upstairs.

Yeah, that fact just sunk down the bad way at that moment.

"Dummy, are you… Okay now?" asked Purple Heart with a look of concern on her face, keeping her distance from the boy's side as he let out a shaky breath.

Raising his head he unclenched his fist and opened his palm, the marks of his nails digging through his skin throbbing bright red, just as he looked back at her and replied, "Yeah. I'm okay. I'm fine. Just… I'm just picking myself up from the ground. No big deal…"

"We'll find a way. We'll get her back. It's… the least we could do… For everything," added the CPU, certainly unsure on how to approach him after… what just happened. Did he really look that bad? At the very least he wasn't in synch with the core anymore otherwise he'd be throwing a meltdown worse than what a Goddess could cook up… Okay maybe that was a bad joke to even think about.

He wanted to give her a reassuring smile but it turned out that he couldn't. He just nodded and kept his eyes fixed on his best friend slumbering within her self-imposed prison.

"It's over for her. At least for now… I appreciate the thought though," he murmured in a hollow tone. Dom swallowed hard and forced out a request, "Neptune, Plutia… Let's get out of here. Get me home. I want to see what kind of mess this whole thing brought."

The two Goddesses looked like they had a few words to say but immediately dismissed their thoughts. Glancing with one another, Purple Heart nodded once in their silent exchange before Plutia took a step forward and took the boy's hand in her own. Somewhere in those few moments, Dom already broke. He wouldn't speak, much less react to the girl's touch. He just stared at his best friend, his purple eyes unseeing and unfeeling.

Purple Heart gathered all of her power around her to the point that the air began to hum with energy and light to rise from the ground. The serene sight of the light as well as the Purple Goddess' breathtaking appearance was a sharp contrast to the broken void which housed the core of Reality.

Her own heart ached as she gave the crimson haired girl within the crystal one last look. This was the same girl who helped her out and got close to the most during her time in Reality. While Dom indeed found her first, Dia was the one she grew attached to during her brief time in the other world. A nostalgic feeling came over her as she recalled the past… the simpler days…

She couldn't help but utter a pair of words she hadn't told the girl within the crystal for the longest time.

"Thank you."

A blanket of white light broke apart the corrupted heavens and showered down the platform a peaceful warmth, distorting the space the two Goddesses and the lone human boy were in. Just as the amount of Share Energy present was about to critical, the three beings disappeared as the void was swallowed by the corrupted flames of death and despair, leaving only the twinkling light which shined from the crimson crystal.

…..

….

…

[THE GODDESS SLEEPS…. AND SHE DREAMS OF THE END….]

[PLAYER 1]

He was standing on top of a high rise building, the cold January air biting into his skin through his ruined jacket. It was past four 'o clock in the morning, the estimated time the reality Merge would occur long since passed a few hours back then. The busy nightlife lights of Tokyo spread beneath him, twinkling in their obliviousness at what happened. It was… comforting at least. Cold as he was, he was thankful that the snowfall had lightened up some…

He wasn't actually looking forward to returning to a curtain of thick snow and harsh winds. Not that he couldn't get any colder than he already was…

"Not yet… Not yet… It's not over just yet…" he found himself muttering unconsciously before hearing the crackle of ice and snow behind him. Plutia walked a bit closer to him and stood by his side, staring out into the same city her friends found themselves in not but a few months ago. It was then he decided to speak by asking, "You all right there? Shouldn't you be heading back too?"

"I can't just leave you, Dummy~… Weeeeell… At least not until I know you're going to be okay," the petite Goddess stared down on her feet and aimlessly kicked the snow on the ground, "Neppy already left. I told her that I can get back on my own… You… Didn't look like you could talk to her. But she reaaally missed you and Miss Dia… She…"

"She just wasn't expecting our reunion to be shitty, huh?" concluded Dom in a hollow tone, "No one expected it. Even I didn't expect it. So… She's off the hook with that one. This sucks… This sucks a whole lot…"

Plutia made a small smile and placed her hands behind her back, "I… I can't help but agree. It sums up the whole thing, huh?"

Dom gritted his teeth and fell to ground sitting, his aching arms propped over his knees as he watched his breath smoke before him, "It's not over… Everything's saved. But… At what fucking cost? What I did? That's just me making things worse, far worse than what could've happened. The world's going to die, slowly but surely… I just gave the door a doorstop just before it was going to slam itself in my face. Dia's gone and Reality's been compromised. So mission complete, huh? What a load of bullshit…"

"It's only a matter of time," murmured the Goddess, the smile on her lips fading to be replaced by one of growing worry, "I… Nicky said that… I shouldn't trust you. He showed me everything, how things worked, and gave me a choice to help him keep everything safe or not… He wanted me to help you but not trust you… I never really understood why… so…"

Cracking a smirk, the boy couldn't help but shake his head as he answered, "Then you made the right choice. The way I am now, you can't trust me. You know the meaning of his words? It's a warning."

He remembered the inscriptions Nepgeo had imprinted upon the Page. It was still fresh in his mind…

{Kill the Goddesses. Find me and I'll tell you everything.}

Making note of that, he stared right into the girl's magenta eyes and continued, "I'm… Unpredictable. One moment, I'm a Hero that lost everything he fought for. The next, I'm someone who'll try and use you. I mean no harm, but being around me isn't really going to do anyone favors. I need to know more. I need answers. As always… Maybe that's a trait I'll never get rid of. Being a smartass and all."

"But… I told you didn't I? If I make it so… That I could help you, then I will. No matter what you say. You're a good person, Dummy~!" piped up Plutia with a straightened look and her fragile looking hands clenched, "You could pull through this… You… You have a plan… Right?"

As the petite Goddess gazed at the boy, she noticed how a faint purple glow could be seen in his eyes. With a knowing smirk and a confident, yet tired tone he then said…

"Yeah… I have plan. This is what I'm going to do…"

[….]

[….]

[…]

{TRUE END}

+Unlock Neutral Perfection+

{Gold Trophy: "The One Who Saves And Destroys"}

+Prevent all Nine Goddesses from meltdown+

{Silver Trophy: "Herald to the Goddesses"}

+100% Page Translation+

{Silver Trophy: "History Maker"}

+Complete the game over 200 hours!+

{Bronze Trophy: "Turtles Aren't Meant to be Losers"}

+Reach 130 Reviews!+

{Silver trophy: "I Can Haz Article Page Yet?"}

+Unlock True Ending+

{Platinum Trophy: [Purple Trilogy] "See (You) Next Time"}

Nicolas Notes:

What a year. Honestly. Dear god, it's finally over. I finished a long running fic. I fucking finished a long running fic without making it go cold. Jesus… geez, I have no idea what to say. Other than it was a rather enlightening experience, I really enjoyed the whole year I was in this section. I was happy writing for it other than a few rough spots here and there and my constant paranoia of crashing and burning. But everything went better than expected and I'll be damned, I wouldn't have it any other way.

As with what happened to our Protagonists in this story, a lot things happened both on my end and on yours, the Reader. Those two wouldn't have accomplished, met the Goddesses, and done things without your eyes following them every step of the way. Good or bad, we all managed to pull through whatever shit life throws at us, aye?

This fic managed to push the limits of what my writing could do and become. While I'm still far off from those guys on the Expert level by lightyears but I'm getting there hopefully. And I really enjoyed writing the Goddesses' Arcs! ( Except for Vert and Peashy's Arcs. Those Arcs were shit even by my standards but them's the breaks. My favorite being Blanc's and Uni's. Thanks to this fic, I've come in contact with a lot of people and made acquaintances with them.

I'm not really that good with people and could come off as annoying as fuck, but at least they acknowledged me somehow. I also liked talking to them and responding to their messages, motivational speeches, and ideas. If it weren't for them, then I wouldn't have come off with a few scenes for this fic. I'm really grateful to them for getting my ass out of the Writer's Block zone… As well as the procrastination den.

I have Some Random Tosser to thank and introducing me to a few pointers to the series thanks to his fic, Snapshot2010 for being a reliable source of info regarding Gamindustri's lore, world, residents, culture, mechanics, gameplay as well as being the live best Nep encyclopedia anyone could ask for, Wolfsbane706 for those idea sprouting exchanges which led to Noire falling into water and Uni ice skating, Men Don't Scream for his Neptastic illustrations in the earlier chapters, the forums for providing unending hilarity and news that I couldn't get enough of, the Anons all over the world raising my view count like crazy I mean… Guys it's still sky rocketing! And finally, you, the Reader, the silent companion putting up with my little hobby until the very end on its last dying breaths.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

WORDS CAN'T EXPRESS HOW MUCH GRATITUDE I FEEL BUT THANKS ANYWAY!

It was magical year. Fucking magical. And the best part of it was seeing all of your reactions to the twists I pulled on the last minute. Priceless…. Completely and utterly, PRICELESS. So yeah, I'm satisfied with the story, I'm satisfied with how this fic ended, I'm satisfied with the characters, I'm satisfied with everything (Except Vert and Peashy's Arcs, still shit but eh) and I'm satisfied enough to pack my bags to test my luck on another fandom.

A Console Life was supposed to be an experiment of the sort to test out the Neptunia fandom's waters as well as this section of . I don't know, but I'm sure I butchered Nep and co.'s personalities enough under the banner of 'Character Development' but I would consider that stuff as my biggest mistake. Biggest, but not big enough to bother me.

Remember when this was supposed to be a Slice of Life fic? Yeah, me neither. Hahaha! I'm never writing Slice of Life or attempt to ever again. Turns out I'm not cut out for it! But I like testing waters!

So yeah. Thank you once again for having me on this section. Thank you for taking your time reading this fic! Thank you for entertaining my works and sharing your thoughts!

I sure hoped you all enjoyed yourselves during our time together and I hope to see you all again.

As always, please don't be shy sharing your thoughts, opinions, and feedback to this chapter! My PM box is open to questions, clarifications, and suggestions! Reviews are nice!

And that's a wrap! Thank you for one last time! ALL TOGETHER NOW!

YAHOO!

Epilogue

She sat on the bus stop's bench, her hands on her lap as she waited patiently for the next bus to drive by. At least… That's what she seemed to look like she was doing at a first glance. It was true that she was waiting, but she was waiting for something else entirely. She was waiting for him to arrive. Opening her eyes, brilliant and warm green eyes was greeted by the sight of a sunny park seemingly devoid of people. Joggers ran past her, but that was it, they didn't even take notice of her as they passed by.

And thank the True Goddess for that.

She wasn't really eager on having to be accosted once more by the residents of Reality. She had enough of them and could only deal with one resident in particular without having to rip her hair out from the boredom of listening to them drone. She regarded the humans of the world she was presently in with insignificance… None of them were really that important. None save for him.

It was then she decided to stand up, her pure white clothes rustling as she moved. Her sandals clacked against the stoned path while she dug her fingers into her hair and flicking the rest of the mass in one sharp and fluid motion, allowing the elegant mane of crimson on her back to fall gracefully.

Breathing deeply, she moved from the bus stop to the series of tree line behind it, pushing past the bushes in her way and walked calmly. Leaves brushed against her body as she went underneath the low tree branches and grass was trampled underneath her feet. She continued on for a few more moments until she reached a clearing… A familiar clearing where everything began.

At the center of it, stood a young man dressed in a white long sleeved shirt and olive green workpants, a deep blue scarf obscuring the lower half of his face. He stood there with his hands in his pockets and his purple eyes fixed upon her in a piercing stare.

He too was waiting… But it seemed like he was waiting for her.

A small smile came upon her lips. It seemed that what he said was true. That she would be coming to him instead of the other way around. It was amusing. Very amusing… She would've pushed it and giggled right then and there but she wouldn't risk it.

That's all he'll be getting from her. A smile… Just like that person he left trapped in the crimson crystal…

Hence, the first words to leave her lips were like so…

"I told you didn't I?" she had said, a pure voice laced with an air of regality and divinity echoing throughout the clearing, "I told you that if you ever succeed, then I would have to kill you. You've become too much of a threat. You didn't even try to run… That's so much like you."

The boy's expression changed to that of one bearing a smile of his own. But it was a different sort of smile. It was the smile of a person with no regrets, one who had nothing to lose.

It was the smile of a gambler.

"I don't need to run, Caelus. Nor do I have a place to run off to," he replied, adjusting his scarf without taking his eyes off the Goddess before him, "That much I know…"

Caelus lowered her gaze and released a small sigh, stretching her hand to the side and muttering quietly, "I see…"

Power gathered within her palm and was quickly molded into a bright scarlet weapon, a heartbeat later, the power dissipated in a flash of red and revealed an elegant bow within her grasp. Even with no visible drawstring, she raised it in the air and grasped on the string and pulled back, allowing a bolt of crimson to manifest between it and the bow.

"You're… really going to see this through right in the end, huh? No talking back whatsoever?" she moved the bow just right and aimed for the boy's chest where his heart should be. Crimson chains were conjured on either side of the boy, hard metal cuffs clamping on his wrists like a vice.

He didn't move much less take notice on the fact that he had no escape. He just stared at the Goddess with an unflinching gaze, that cocky smile still on his lips.

"Show me a good time, Caelus," he called out to her, "Let's have the game started, shall we?"

With an audible twang, the arrow left the Goddess' fingers and flew, piercing the boy right through his heart. His eyes fixed upon his killer with a look of triumph, feeling the searing hot pain which just obliterated his heart. He didn't care though as his life slowly ebbed away while he fell.

It seemed like Caelus realized too late the full extent of his words. It was only for a split second yet her eyes widened with clarity before it reverted to a cold unflinching gaze.

She fell for it, they fell for it, all of them fell for it… Even you fell for it.

Adrian Dom has "Won".

Adrian Dom has "died".

[... When they're all alone...]

...

...

...

{THE NEXT STAGE: GAMINDUSTRI!}

{To be continued in A Conquest Life.}