Serenade held the forbidden program close and tight. Gamma's captured souls grasped and clawed at his body in attempt to take it, but the chosen one would guard the weapon with his life. These actions Serenade watched from an ever-growing distance. He didn't know how to free himself in time to deliver the critical blow; his opponent was still too strong.

He needed room to breathe, to act! He looked around desperately for an out, but the horrible expanse and his fellow prisoners surrounded him, everywhere except...the sky, the blinding yet inviting light. No longer capable of resisting the temptation, Serenade gazed upwards to see what awaited him.

From below he could see a beautiful crystalline landscape. White pillars hanged like slivers in the sky, reminding him of his home in the Secret Area. The terrain was unlike anything he had ever seen though. There were no flat surfaces, the ground was rippled and rugged...hills and mountains, like in the real world. Everything was coated with a pinkish white dust that fell from above. Snow? There were structures resembling trees and streams alongside objects like mystery data crystals and glowing warp circles, a surreal fusion of real and cyber world features in a pale, halcyon setting.

Becoming nervous, Serenade tried to look away, but suddenly found himself standing on the hill he thought he was observing from a distance. There was no longer any sign of his body, the Giga Freeze, or anyone else. It felt like he had entered another world entirely. He began to run, looking for a way back, he managed to move quickly over the mysterious landscape despite having no apparent form, but everywhere he moved was the same. Nothing below except the snow-covered grass and crystalline rocks, nothing above except the heavenly pillars, white sky, and gently falling snow.

Welcome to our new home. You will learn to become very comfortable here.

Serenade cringed at Fate's voice in his head once more. He spun around and noticed a presence beside him. There were no physical features besides a wispy field of purple light. Somehow Serenade knew this was Fate. He also began to notice other such formless spirits hovering about the hills, colliding and commingling.

We are becoming one in this paradise. You will not miss your body. Come and rejoin your friends.

Serenade pushed himself away and concentrated to maintain his individuality. Fate's voice was more peaceful now, but the sinister laughter from before still echoed in the back of his mind. As he backed away he sensed another familiar presence below him. Looking down he saw the ground shiver and distort as he passed over it.

Serenade, is that you? If you are here, then what of the others?

Serenade had never heard this voice before, and yet he could still feel who this ghost was.

Do not let them touch you. Try to remain yourself. I have experience with merging with the ground while remaining independent of it. I have been hiding for as long as possible. There is no way out, I cannot do anything from here.

Serenade tried to respond but had no mouth to speak from. His feelings seemed to communicate themselves though. The living terrain answered back.

Yes, there may still be hope then. I can manipulate this area to some extent. I will try to find your body and the Giga Freeze and bring you to each other. I wish I were out there with the others. It seems my power is especially effective in harming Gamma's body.

Serenade felt a shiver.

Oh your allies are indeed faring impressively on the outside, but it is all for nothing. The Gamma they see out there is but a façade. We are already safe and sound in the real Gamma. It is only a matter of time before the rest of them join us.

Serenade backed away from Fate's presence again, the other spirit had already disappeared.

We have all eternity to enjoy each other's company, run as long as you like. Take in the beauty of the scenery. Explore the unique and exciting sensations. You cannot deny the potential of our new world, why fight it?

Serenade could not take such idealistic babble seriously, especially as the pristine environment appeared to grow darker and dirtier with every passing second. At first Serenade thought he was seeing the Gamma world for what it truly was, but the rapid changes didn't go unnoticed by Fate either.

What...What is this? The world...

Leaves fell quickly from a nearby tree; its branches became shriveled and gnarled. Black clouds formed in the sky. Spirits became agitated. Blue water turned brown. Purple stains appeared in the snow. Something wrong was happening with Fate's paradise.

Oh...oh dear, that wretched world. That filthy, impure world!

Fate's voice was booming with rage once more. What could have shattered his confident demeanor in his own territory? Serenade felt as if the creepy change of scenery was a blessing in disguise, but he had to figure out fast how to take advantage of it.

We were so careful to avoid it. We destroyed everything it had tainted. This sickening disease. The Darkness. We wanted no part of it in our world! How did it enter our inner sanctum?

Serenade watched as the purple light representing Fate darted back and forth as if searching for the source of the infection. Then they both noticed multiple other navi spirits appearing across the field. They were inky black spirits that spilled their Darkness out in all directions. Malice and fear radiated from these eerily still orbs of negative light.

Those navis! It was them. Their hearts are completely hollow. What vile, twisted will could force these damned souls into my heaven?

* * *

"Hey guys. Did it work?" Sam asked casually as he entered the command center where the other operators watched Gamma's darkening form uncomprehending. They greeted him with shocked and suspicious stares. "I'll take that as a yes."

Carlos pointed to his PET screen, showing the sickly form of Gamma in the background. "You had something to do with this? What exactly did you hope to achieve?"

"What's going on, exactly?" Cyros asked. "That thing just got Metal. Tell me your master plan is gonna get him out!"

"Sorry, but it's up to you guys. I think I just softened it up." Sam shrugged.

"Well Gamma itself sure looks softer, but now we have our hands full with viruses! Thanks a lot!" Jake barked sarcastically.

"Viruses?" Sam's eyebrows rose. "That...was not part of the plan. Sorry about that, I guess we'll just have to make due."

"What. Did. You. DO?" Jon demanded sternly.

Sam sighed and began to explain. "Those pawns I sent in to 'help'? They weren't black because they were following my chess color scheme; they were all saturated with Dark Chip energy. All the hyper charged power along with all the physical and mental degradation from long-term Darkness use, at least for entities not accustomed to it..."

Adrienne snickered. "Lightweights."

Sam nodded and continued. "From what I gathered from the live broadcasts of Gamma's rampage, it has high resistance to viral counter-agents...or at least its adaptive ability is rapid enough that such infections are absorbed and integrated to its benefit before any significant harm can be done."

"The terrain alterations." Nijubu blurted out. "Its body was highly reactive to terrain chips, but the changes all reversed a lot faster than usual."

"Yeah, terrain data is normally pretty quick to undo physical or viral damage, but Gamma must really speed up the process by having consciousness." Sam reasoned. "Dark infections however, are notoriously more stubborn, both to navis and terrain. I wouldn't have thought that would make a difference, but Shademan's fight on TV suggested otherwise. That one Dark navi managed to partially infect the Gamma Unit that deleted him. I figured it was worth a shot to see what a hundred more could do to the main body."

"Well, it looks like Gamma broke out with a bad case of cyber-herpes." Adrienne commented. "It wasn't so bad until the little buggers started crawling out of his sores."

"Dark Holes, no doubt." David realized. "Darklady should be able to control them then. Have her move in and close them up. We can't have the viruses getting in the way of finishing Gamma off now."

"You should hurry too." Sam advised grimly. "There's still a chance Gamma could adapt to the infection like the others. I don't want to see what that thing is like charged up on Dark Power."

"Well, now that you're here, I guess you'll be wanting your navi back." Nijubu sighed, extending the red and black PET to its original owner.

Sam took a look at the screen and cocked his head. "Uh, those aren't my chips."

"No, they're mine."

"Well, you might as well keep using them then. I have more thinking to do anyway."

"Hey, who's thirsty?" Dr.Cossack called out from the doorway, carrying a pair of six-packs. An irritated Kalinka stood behind him holding several heavy cases of more. "Why are you all so serious all of a...aw no! We missed all the good stuff didn't we?"

* * *

None of the navis were certain if they had made a turn for the worse or for the better. Gamma remained at the center of the action, a towering fortress surrounded by a bottomless pit of destruction. Only now the fearsome avatar hovered motionless, wailing continuously with a deep rumbling roar like a jet engine combined with a whale. That pain may have been promising for the heroes, but they could feel the sound of the horrible cry throughout their bodies; it did not make their job any easier.

Gamma's once shining armor was now mottled with deep violet stains, the same makeup as Dark Panels. Pieces of the sludgy material slid off the sides and fell into the abyss below. Unlike the other terrain modifications made to its body, these effects did not seem to wear off. The disintegrating effect was concentrated in a few random spots across the armor, centering on a sparkling black opening like an open sore. Blue-grey plumes of smoke rose from the Dark Holes as a variety of vicious Murkland viruses dropped out and sought out living meat. The swarm consisted of Candevils, JokerEyes, Megalians, AssassinMecha, BlueDemons, Null&Void, Cirkillers, Ghostlers, Arachy, EleGaia, SkullScarers, Darkmares, Dominerds, HauntedCandles, and PulseBats. Nothing too serious on their own, but they were plentiful, and gasoline on the fire with many Gamma Units still flying around functional.

The brave navis had come too far to be dissuaded by these conditions, however. Darklady set her DarkAura and charged headlong through the fray to hit the holes directly. Normally Dark Holes would be a powerful weapon for the Dark Navi, but these were far too out of control. Luckily she could still call upon her own minions, the Murkland Bats, to counter the continuous production of viruses while she used her powers to seal the holes one-by-one.

"Looks like she's on the job, but she's still got a long way to go and we're still surrounded!" Drillman alerted a couple of his comrades as he flew in to place a RandomMeteor wand, clearing away some approaching spiders and MegalianWs.

"This is nothing!" Yamatoman proclaimed, even as he took damage from a PulseBat's sonic attack impacting a nearby StoneCube. The samurai navi got between the Cube and a row of viruses and used a NOBeam to clear them away. "Urgh. We mustn't let them distract us from our true goal. Let us clear a path and head straight for Gamma's core!"

"Sounds good to me." Bowlman acclaimed while firing at a mass of Cirkillers with his 3-Way Cannon. He then moved to the other side of Yamato's Cube to fire his own NOBeam at an approaching group of skeletons. "Just say when, and my BlackBomb will open up a way through that walkway."

Yamatoman used an AirShoot to launch the Cube into a Candevil. "Just get that oni's attention and I'll handle this crowd."

"That thing?" Bowlman fired a single pin at the EleGaia charging up its horns a few panels away. The grimacing head quickly unleashed an electric attack in defiance which Bowl attempted to avoid, but Yamato stepped right in the way to intercept the attack with a split-second shield that countered in a more effective way. The PA Everlasting Curse triggered and soon every virus in range was being chomped into pieces by a legion of Curse Shields.

Yamatoman activated his NaomiSoul to allow him to fly through the opening, heading for Gamma's midsection. Drillman was about to follow when Bowlman stopped him. "Hey, I could use a lift!"

"I thought you preferred long range tactics." Drillman said as he swooped down to allow the gunner navi to grab hold.

"I can't get a clear shot through this mess. 'Sides, I got something to hit that thing with up close and personal."

"Hope this is the last time, I'm getting tired of giving you guys rides without wormholes."

Kingman had remained on Gamma's abdominal ring ever since the last attack on the core and its nominal success. The darkening red ooze had once again sealed the way leading to the primary weak point but it appeared significantly thinner now as the Darkness ate away at Gamma's vitality from the inside out. Kingman didn't have the tools at hand to make another opening yet, and was otherwise occupied with the viruses and the spreading swampland at his feet. A Firesword, MudWave, and Totem worked to his defense in the meantime. He was particularly pleased to see the Totem enjoyed his Object Memory ability and regenerated occasionally to spew more fire, but less health. Overall, Nijubu's folder was awkward to get the hang of, but full of pleasant surprises.

"Time for more chips, buddy." Nijubu announced. "Oh, this is perfect. Say goodbye to your virus problem, and hello to the coolest Program Advance ever."

Three chips downloaded to Kingman's memory and instantly merged into one. PoisonMask, PoisonFace, and PoisonAnubis.

"This is...an object class PA." Kingman marveled. "My dear Nijubu, your deck is more ingenious than I gave it credit for. Come forth, Poison Pharaoh!"

A pit of sludge on Gamma's surface began to bubble and steam. A tall object then rose from the depths, poison liquid sliding off its monolithic frame. In the center of the corrosive pool now stood a dark purple winged sarcophagus. Slowly, the Poison Pharaoh opened its eyes.

"Why have I been awakened? To whom must I direct my wrath?" spoke the statue in a powerful, regal voice.

Nijubu blinked. "Huh. Never seen it do that before..."

"I have that effect on some object types." Kingman chortled. "Pharaohman, it was I who awakened you. If you would so please, use your poisonous power to dessicate every virus in this area, and if possible, the entity we are standing on as well."

"One such as you deems himself worthy to command one such as I?" The statue looked down on Kingman as it began to spread poison gas in all directions, indiscriminately.

"Woah, this Pharaohman's more of a dick than the one I met..." Nijubu remarked.

Kingman coughed as the poison closed in on him. "I am a ruler such as yourself! I called upon your power out of respect, and you shall respect me in turn!" he raised his hand to exert his control over the powerful relic. It was a struggle to tame this one.

A Null virus lumbered through the mire to violently push the Pharaoh. The irate god-king turned to the insolent virus and reduced it to a lifeless puddle with a glance. "Hmph. Very well, your people shall be spared. Those who cross me shall feel my curse!"

Kingman could suddenly breathe freely while viruses dropped like flies around him. Meanwhile Drillman and Yamatoman flew overhead and attacked the armor's weak point with a combination of an X-Cannon and a Tornado. The ooze that sprayed everywhere stirred, but did not return to its origin. Bowlman leapt into the hole and prepared his weapons. Nothing was stopping them now.

However something didn't feel quite right to Kingman. Had Gamma's ear splitting wailing gotten quieter, or had he just been getting used to it? Where were the other navis while all this was going on? He took a few hops away from the action while activating a Recov150 and asked his operator for a status report. "Nijubu, what are the other Acid Hackers doing?"

"Hold on, I'll check." Nijubu then turned to the other AH ops. "Hey, what's going down on your end?"

Jeremy grunted in frustration. "Are you kidding? It's a madhouse up here! Flame, Flash, and Punk are all tryin' to get down from Gamma's chest level, but the GUs and the viruses are makin' it impossible to move!"

"Beast and Plant are closer to the midsection, but we're having trouble getting any farther." Jake informed. "Get Darklady to hurry up and close up the holes on Gamma's right side!"

"Better yet, have Drillman and Yamatoman fall back to help us clear a path." Stuart suggested.

"Gotcha." Moe affirmed. "Drill will go low, Yamato will go high."

"Uh oh guys, the big arm is moving again!" Johnny announced. "I think it's waking up!"

"Huh? Jon, what's Bowl doing?" David questioned as he paced back and forth watching his PET for any sign of response from Serenade.

"We're throwing everything we got at the core. It's a tougher nut to crack than we thought though." Jon replied.

"Get Drill and Yamato to hurry back to the weak point. We can't waste any time!" David cursed from the stress of the situation. "Damnit, isn't there anythin' I can do like this?"

"Maybe." Trisha interjected. "If your chips still have power, you might be able to send them to the other navis with one of the Officials' BCGs. The signal's going to be really erratic thanks to what's going on though."

David's eyes went wide. "That's perfect! Why didn' ya say somethin' earlier?"

"I honestly didn't think it would have made a difference." Trisha admitted sheepishly. "You guys got so much farther than...uh, I'll just go get some of those devices."

David looked around. "Cyros, where are you? Yer gonna do this too!"

"...and that's what happened while you were gone" Cyros finished his recap to Kalinka and Dr. Cossack.

Kalinka only sat in shock at what she had just been told. Dr. Cossack, on the other hand, looked furious. He suddenly appeared to break out of his insanity.

"YOU!" yelled Cossack, pointing at Sam, who was leaning against a nearby wall. "What gave you the idea to infuse Gamma with Darkness?"

"To be honest, you did."

"......"

And then Dr. Cossack curled on the floor in a fetal position and started sucking his thumb, his insanity returning full force.

Bowlman's last Vulcan blasted away at the festering dark ooze surrounding the irregularly pulsating nucleus of Gamma. Several bullets dug into the massive orb and severed some of the tubes extending from it, spilling more blood-like fluid through the gaping hole the Net Guardians had drilled through Gamma's torso, but the owner of these vital organs made no sign of protest. The sporty navi wheezed in exhaustion, his armor covered in red and blue splatter from the monster's mutilated innards. The splotches of living slime writhed as they stuck to his body, filling him with a sickening feeling. They did not seem to damage him though, and he was determined to see the battle through to its conclusion. Wiping his face clean once again, Bowl lifted himself up, dragging his feet out of the deepening muck and onto a propped-up fragment of Gamma's crumbling armor.

"This combo had better do the trick." Jon announced over the PET line while sending Bowl another salvo of chips. "If it doesn't, get out of there and get one of the guys to heal you. This is too much."

"We'll see." Bowlman rasped. "Time to heat things up, ya disgusting glob of crap!" Taking an IceBall in hand, he used his Bowling Bomber ability to transform it into a freezing bowling ball. He then stomped his foot to generate a line of pins leading forward into the ooze, up the slope and into the core high above him. Finally, he reared back, stepped forward, and rolled the IceBall through the pins. The spin he applied caused the ball to climb the wall of ooze slightly instead of going through it. Each pin the ball hit was knocked hard into the core above, generating small explosions and causing an irritated shiver to spread through the beast, but little more. The ooze also converted to ice behind the ball's path. Despite his best efforts though, the IceBall didn't go far. It was like climbing a mudslide; the ball stopped a quarter's length up the wall and fell back down, creating a smooth icy surface where it landed.

"Well, that's phase one!" Bowlman exclaimed triumphantly. He stomped his foot again, resetting the pins he had already hit and converted his LavaBall as well. This time he rolled the ball harder, but straight down the path of ice the previous ball had created. The slight amount of rise the Iceball had gained had formed a vertical ramp, and while the LavaBall melted and replaced the ice with molten sludge, it only made that conversion nanoseconds after passing over the solid surface and even speeding up the ramp, bulleting upwards directly into the core, followed by each and every bowling pin it had plowed through.

This time the impact was more violent. Lava sprayed everywhere as the ball exploded on the giant orb of light. Gamma shuddered and groaned from the pain. Bowlman could even feel the stains on his skin start to burn. "Heh, finally getting through to ya? Well I'm not done yet!"

Bowlman revealed one more bomb, but this one he didn't bother to convert to a bowling ball. He gave his BlackBomb a hefty under armed toss at the highest point along the wall covered in lava he could reach and leapt back to take cover. As soon as the bomb touched the hot surface, it exploded in a brilliant fireball. Bowlman could not escape the blast entirely and was nearly jettisoned from the hole along with several more pieces of the giant. The navis outside could all see the fiery cloud erupt from Gamma's side as well as hear its enraged roar. Gamma's arms and head were now moving about slowly, almost squirming.

A charred Bowlman grit his teeth and crawled out of the rubble left inside the hole. The gap was much larger now. The core was more exposed, and seemed to shine even more brightly with neon violet. Smoke filled his vision, both from the previous explosion and the evaporating mire. Magma still stuck to the sides, left over from the LavaBall Strike. In spite of the mounting pain, Bowlman grinned. "Look at ya Gamma. You can't even heal any more, yer just a stinkin' ball of disease now thanks to Sam. It's almost disappointing to finish you off like this...but I can't say I'm gonna regret being the one to do it."

Bowlman lifted his arm cannon, equipping it with the last chip Jon sent him, a Volcano Cannon. The Lava sticking to the slime walls around him instantly disappeared as the fiery weapon absorbed the liquid heat for power, even as Bowl boosted the Cannon with his Bazooka Charge. The barrel began to glow white-hot with energy.

"BURRRN!" Bowlman roared insanely as he fired. The thermal energy beam blasted straight to Gamma's heart. However strong the BlackBomb explosion had been, this would have been at least twice that.

But instead of roaring in pain, Gamma growled. A beastly, hungry growl. When the smoke cleared, a shocked Bowlman was staring into a different core. The center flickered red and blue as before, but now it was surrounded by a halo that seemed to absorb all light around it. The orb pulsated with a deep thump and released a wave of force that knocked Bowlman on his back while instilling in him a heavy feeling of dread.

"N-no! Jon! I need more chips! I can't stop now!"

"Bowl, get out of there, we need to regroup!"

Bowlman got up to move, but the pieces of ooze that had been sticking to him suddenly took on a new life. They were holding him down, and the blackening muck beneath him sucked him in deeper. He struggled as hard as he could. He fired his cannon into the ground, hurting himself with the explosion, but allowing him to make a break for the exit.

It was too late. A dark-red tendril lashed out of the ooze and grabbed his arm, and then another. More thin slimy tentacles whipped out and tied the horrified navi down. Twisting his head back, Bowlman could swear he saw the pool of black, red, and purple liquid that he had been standing in take on the shape of a gaping, fanged mouth with a writhing tongue.

It was the last image he saw.

* * *

The Elysian Fields of Gamma's world had undergone an horrific transformation. The sky had blackened, glowing red fissures split the landscape, all the trees and plants were withered and grey, the agony of absorbed souls filled the air through inaudible screaming. Serenade could feel all of this as he raced through the hellish nightmare the environment had become. All the while, Fate's enraged spirit spoke directly into his mind.

Your allies believed this insult would be our undoing! You cannot fathom the nature of our cause! If we cannot have this world as a paradise, then we shall have it as a prison! Your friends shall reap what they have sown!

This sentiment rang false to Serenade. Gamma was only punishing innocent navis. The humans that truly hurt them would not experience anything like this. With no voice, he didn't think arguing was a worthwhile distraction, so he continued to move.

We can understand you just fine. It makes no difference how you feel though. As much as we loathe how that other world has tainted us, we will not destroy ourselves by struggling against it while our link with that world is still vulnerable. We will embrace this rage that the Darkness awakens until all are joined here! The Darkness will be our weapon of vengeance! We will twist this infection to our will rather than let it twist us to its own! Then, once the world is complete, we will reshape it into our paradise once more. We shall subjugate the Darkness along with the souls of all of our enemies!

Serenade strained to push away the invasive presence of the old man, but it was getting stronger and stronger with every passing moment. The thick clouds in the sky blotted together until a solid blackness remained. The ground continued to shatter into smaller pieces as the crimson glare from beneath forced its way up. Serenade could feel Fate's evil all around him, grasping at him, attempting to consume him. When he suddenly felt himself being pulled downward into the rocky earth, he thought it was all over.

But Fate's presence was diminishing.

And another familiar presence was returning.

His other enemies may let themselves get subjugated, but are you going to be one of them? We are all on your side now. Show them what we are made of!

The earthy presence pulled Serenade's spirit through a void of reddish grey. The glowing fissures retreated above them, but the black and purple entities that occupied the upper space spilled through the cracks and began to pursue them downwards. Serenade recognized the largest and most sinister-looking entity as Fate. He finally found the strength to look away from it.

Below him, Serenade saw a smooth, reflective surface. The evil spirits above him appeared as dim blobs of color, but his own light swirled clearly in the all-encompassing mirror. He could see two colors commingling primarily, a bright pink and a greyish green. Within the green he saw reflections of the navi he was before all of this, and in the pink was the Undernet ruler Serenade, beckoning him closer.

He could feel the surface now, it was cool like ice and he began to understand what he was approaching. More images appeared in the reflection than actually represented himself. Everyone he knew was a part of it, pulling him inwards. He could see David and the other Net Guardians, the Cossacks, Jeremy and the Acid Hackers, and even the navis that Punk, Flashman, and Darkman had been before, along with himself together at the programming school.

The images recalled the lesson he took to heart in those days. Every problem had a solution, and the more people working on the problem, the easier that solution came. Punk and Flash were his enemies long before the Acid Hackers, but now for the first time, they were all working together. This was on top of all the new allies he had made since then, all fighting together towards the common goal.

Gamma may have been a giant collective, but Serenade had friends in there as well, and his memories and feelings formed an even stronger army. Everyone he knew and loved was counting on him to help bring about the solution to the problem. No amount of hate would stop him.

The icy mirror shattered and Serenade found himself once again inside a body. Black suit, baggy white pants, golden ornaments, long yellow hair, pink scarves, and tremendous power, all surrounded by a cool blue aura. He smiled up at the malevolent spirits crashing down on him.

Fate was unhindered by Serenade's return, and greeted the navi form with a metamorphosis of his own. The wretched Darkened souls collided into a single black and purple being, a bestial giant that lashed out at Serenade with hooked claws. S twirled out of the way and kept the nature of his chosen power in mind. A passing thought regarding his rival Yamatoman revealed to him another piece of data lost in the void of Gamma. The Yamato Spear found its way into Serenade's hands, and as if commanded by the Solar Navi himself, it transformed into a sword that he used to slice off the offending massive hand.

Fate's beast reeled back in shock, but quickly reformed the claws, and grew several more arms to attack with. Serenade dodged a flurry of swipes and soon returned fire with Bubbleman's Aqua Shots. The harpoon gun appeared in the heroic navi's hands to his own shock. He had barely considered the Scuba Hamster as a potential ally, but it didn't stop there. Metal Missiles and Pin Missiles rained from above onto the stunned monster and the invisible ground seemed to swallow it up. Serenade charged up a Holy Shocker and blasted the unholy creation to oblivion as it disappeared into the darkness.

"If you wanted your own world, you made a woeful mistake in bringing us into it." Serenade taunted the vanishing creature. "Whether it's the Dark Attribute or your enemies, you can't escape what you hate by bringing it closer to you. We will never be subjugated as long as we can still fight back."

A chilling silence overcame the world. Serenade could faintly hear the cheers of his comrades in his heart.

Then, their presence quickly evaporated, and an ominous rumbling grew from the blackness below. Fate's spirit returned, its mental voice sounded more incensed and demonic than ever before.

YOU WILL NOT JOIN US. THEN WE ADAPT. NO SURRENDER THEN YOU DIE. YOU WILL CEASE TO EXIST IN THIS WORLD. YOU WILL DIE.

Serenade felt a colossal pain unlike any other as a wave of intense force hit him from every direction.

* * *

First Page-----Second Page-----Third Page-----(Page 4)-----Fifth Page-----Last Page

Stories main