Cosmic Blue and the Molten Gold - RickRollWriter21 (2024)

Chapter 1: Station Sundae - 1: Dairy Dreams

Chapter Text

Kafka gently placed Stelle on the ground, smiling to herself. Behind her, Silver Wolf rolled her eyes. In her opinion, Kafka had talked to the girl for far too long. Nearly all of the words that came out of her mouth amounted to “you don’t remember anything except me, lol.”

Kafka pushed herself up and dusted off her leggings. She glanced at Silver Wolf and asked with that distant, dead smile of hers, “I think it’s about time we made our leave, no?” Silver Wolf nodded, and started typing into a device on her arms, opening a digital portal that leads to who knows where.

However, just as Kafka was about to enter through the portal, multiple alerts popped up on Silver Wolf’s device. The scarlet-haired woman looked back in confusion as Silver Wolf typed away with narrowed eyes. After a while, her eyes widened with curiosity and surprise. “That’s not part of the script…” Silver Wolf muttered. “Here, take a look.”

A video file popped up on Kafka’s phone, which she opened. In addition to the Antimatter Legion, multiple interdimensional rifts in the shape of stars appeared, surrounding the space station. Spherical monsters made out of some sort of cosmic energy started flying out of the portals, and they started fighting against the Antimatter Legion.

Kafka’s eyes widened as a star rift opened in front of her, spitting out a green, egg shaped thing at her feet. She quickly drew her sword and slashed downwards, slicing the monster in half. Silver Wolf typed away on her device. Kafka eyed her curiously when it took more than a few seconds, and quirked an eyebrow as Silver Wolf started hissing in pain.

“Can you close more of those rifts?” Kafka asked. To her surprise, Silver Wolf shook her head.

“There’s too many of them. If they start closing them, somebody might get suspicious. Also…” Silver Wolf pried off the device on her wrist, and tossed it to Kafka. Even through her gloves, she could feel the heat radiating from it. “If I were to close more, my systems overheat so much, I’m pretty sure they’d melt right off.” Kafka hummed in response. She handed the device back to Silver Wolf and walked through the portal.

“We’re not going to do anything?” Silver Wolf asked; Kafka shook her head.

“If it’s not part of the script, then it likely won’t have any major effect on her,” Kafka said dismissively, nodding towards the Receptacle. “We’ll ask Elio about it later, if you’re so worried.” Silver Wolf eyed her curiously. Without saying anything else, she walked through her portal alongside Kafka.

Outside the space station, another star-shaped rift tore through the fabric of reality. But instead of another swarm of Darpas, Dippas, and Dupas, a white sailboat with star designs on its mast and emblem. Multiple robots from the Antimatter Legion noticed the star ship lazily flying towards the space station, and flew forward to attack. However, the starship’s oars suddenly flew out, skewering through their frail bodies. As the oars returned to their original spots, somebody could be heard laughing inside the starship's bridge.

“My, my! Well, this station sure seems to be in quite the pickle!” The voice spoke. The voice belonged to a person wearing blue robes and baggy white pants, alongside yellow gloves, brown boots and a long white cape. They also wore a large blue hood with protrusion resembling cat ears, secured with a blue belt with a silver buckle, that covered the entirety of his face in shadows except for his yellow glowing eyes.

“They may be struggling now, but not for long! The master magician, the greatest manager of amusem*nt parks across the galaxy, MAGOLOR has come to their aid!” The self-proclaimed master magician exclaimed. As he did so, he nearly tripped, his legs wobbling from side to side until he managed to support himself by placing his hand on the Lor Starcutter.

“Woof! Legs are weird. Honestly, I have no idea how Adeleine use these things! Why walk when you can float indefinitely!” Magolor grumbled. The console started beeping, and lines of binary code started appearing on the main screen. “Yeah, yeah, I know that this will be a planet hopping adventure, and it’ll keep us from having to explain how we’re from another dimension and blah-blah-blah blah-blah, but still! I don’t want to use legs!” The main screen started displaying code again, but after a while, that code was deleted and replaced by a string of English text. At, least, he assumed it was English, since he could read it without issue.

“Hmm…? A transmission from the Space Station? And they want to know why we're here before they open fire, hmmm?” Magolor reads. He thinks about it for a moment, and turns around to look at the station. “Well, first tell them that they obviously don’t have any weapons, otherwise they would’ve rid of Deppas and Dippas already,” The wizard sassed. “Remove any mention of Another Dimension monsters, and replace them with generic descriptors. Also, mention that we just… happened to be in the area, and that we are willing to help out with the monster infestation. All we’ll need is someplace to dock, and the locations of the most infested areas.”

The Lor Starcutter sent the transmission. As they waited for a response, the starship started flying closer to the space station, firing out stars and spheres of energy at incoming monsters, destroying them utterly. After a couple of minutes, the space station sent another transmission, which Magolor quickly read.

“Alright… Supply Zone - Docking Bay 14 it is. Send those coordinates to Susie back in our home dimension. Have her send… Now, how quickly do we want to resolve this issue? Clearing it too fast might make them paranoid of our strength, but doing it too slowly might make them think that we’re not capable of handling ourselves… Oh, who cares what they think! Tell Susie to send Kirby over here! Don’t want anybody important dying a horrible death!” Magolor said with a laugh. At his words, the Lor surged forwards, forming a shield around itself and flying straight towards Docking Bay 14, ramming into any and all monsters that got in its way.

“Hmph. You think that a space station this size, and with a massive energy signature inside, would have better defenses…” Magolor comments, watching the large research station being swarmed by Legionnaire's and monsters from Another Dimension alike. “I wonder what’ll happen if an asteroid smashes right through?” Before the Lor could respond, the entire starship shuddered and lurched to the side. Multiple alerts popped on the screen, and Magolor let a frustrated cry.

“Whaddya mean something broke the shields!?” Magolor shouted. Another resounding crash caused the Lor to lurch again, sending the wizard crashing into the side of the ship. “Well, at the very least, I’ll get some target practice in…!” He muttered to himself.

The entrance to the Lor opened, and Magolor floated out and landed on the Starcutter’s deck. “Now where are those… Oh! There they are!” He said, heavily lacing his voice with sarcasm. As he did, three monsters from this dimension landed on the deck; A purple, armed centaur thing and two humanoids with the same color scheme, one hand blades attached to its arms, and the other carried a large cannon. Magolor started chuckling.

“Hu hu hu… Well then, if you’re that eager…!” Magolor said, his hands sparked with a magical energy. The Legionnaire’s flinched slightly as the wizard's eyes began glowing vibrantly. “Let’s see how much punishment you can take!” The centaur thing seemingly agreed with his sentiments, as it let out a loud roar of defiance and slammed its front legs into the Lor’s deck.

The bladed humanoid came first swinging its arms downwards. Magolor feigned a yawn and spun on his heel to avoid the attack. “Hmm. Your blade is made out of an interesting material. Do you mind if I take a sample?” The wizard then slammed his elbow into the Reavers helmet, knocking it back a bit. As it fell, Magolor grabbed the machine’s arm and pulled hard, ripping it from its socket. He hummed as he started examining the blade, but was disappointed when it began dissolving. “Well, I suppose I’ll need a live specimen then,” He muttered.

Afterwards, he turned back to his opponents, and snapped his fingers. Immediately, purple needles came bursting out from interdimensional holes, and skewering the Voidrangers from multiple sides. The Eliminator in particular didn’t seem to take the damage that well, dropping to its knees and struggling to rise. Magolor noticed, and with a smile hidden underneath his hood, launched multiple Magic Spheres at it. They crashed into the Eliminator, sending it off the Lor’s deck and floating aimlessly into space.

“Bye now!” Magolor said, waving. “As for you two…” Without even looking behind him. Magolor conjured a portal and disappeared, just as the Trampler smashed its hooves where he once stood. It looked around in confusion, trying to look for where the wizard had disappeared to. While it was distracted, Magolor calmly walked out a portal behind the Trampler, bitchslapped the remaining Reaver, and placed a hand on his chin. “I wonder if you can be tamed like a horse?”

Without even thinking, Magolor jumped up and landed on the centaur’s back. “Yeehaw! Giddy up, get’em pardner, cowboy references, woohoo!” The wizard cheered. The Trampler attempted to shake Magolor off its back, jumping up and down and trying to grab him with its hands. “Nope, nope, nope!” Magolor says, and conjures two Deadly Needles, stabbing them through the Trampler’s arms and keeping them in place. As he did, the reaver from earlier leapt up, aiming to sink its blade into his back. Instead, Magolor disappears again, causing the Reaver to stab the Trampler’s back.

Enraged, the Trampler pried its arms off the Deadly Needles and grabbed the Reaver by the neck. After prying it off its back, it used the other hand to grip the Reaver’s waist and tear it in two. Magolor grimaced slightly as he leaned on the railings of the Lor.

“Yeesh. Did nobody program friendly fire settings into you?” Magolor asks. The Trampler spins around and towers over him, forming a bow-like weapon in its hands. Magolor co*cks an eyebrow and stares unimpressed at the Trampler. “Okay. I see how it is. Can you send the thing to Susie so she can study it? Tell her it's an early birthday gift or something.”

Just as the Trampler unleashes its attack, a portal forms underneath it, and it falls into one of Susie's many R&D buildings scattered across Pop Star. Magolor tilts his head to the side, the arrow flying right past his head. “Well that wasn’t very fun. How close are we to Docking Bay 14?” Magolor asked.

Next thing he knew, the Lor had had crashed into something, and Magolor faceplanted onto a metal floor. Groaning, he pushed himself off the floor and shook his head gently. “Urgh… You could’ve warned me, y’know! Now, where exactly am I…?” The next thing he knew, there was an oversized pizza cutter placed right next to his neck. “Well that’s not very courteous, is it?”

Magolor fell into his portal, and reappeared behind the assailant. “Honestly, you should be ashamed of yourself! Here I am, taking time out of my day to help you out with your monster infestation, and the next thing I know there’s a pizza cutter being held at my throat. Maybe I should charge double my usual costs…”

Magolor examined the one holding the pizza cutter; a red-haired woman wearing a white dress and a black coat. Behind her was a train of all things. She also carried a black suitcase with a massive buzzsaw coming out of the size, and Magolor saw an opportunity.

For capitalism.

“By the by, your blade is looking a tad dull. I can offer my services and not only sharpen your pizza cutter–” The woman’s nose wrinkles, “–but also include many, many modifications that will surely help you with this monstrous and mechanical threat.” The woman tilted her head in confusion, narrowing her red eyes at the wizard.

“Asta told us that we would be getting back up from a sailboat,” The woman said, nodding her head to the starcutter.

“Well, considering that the Lor Starcutter is the only spacefaring sailboat in the area, that should be reason enough to, oh, I dunno, not be threatening my life at the moment, hmm? Just a thought,” Magolor sassed, using a finger to push the buzzsaw away. The woman glowered at him, but with a flick of her wrist, the oversized pizza cutter spun and retracted back into the suitcase. The woman then sighed and offered her hand.

“Apologies. We’re all a bit on edge because of the monster attack. My name’s Himeko,” The woman, now dubbed “Himeko,” introduced herself. Magolor smiled underneath his hood.

“Magolor. A pleasure,” The wizard said. His gaze then landed on the train. “Fine vessel you have there. Considering the fact that the tracks here lead into the vast, uncaring void, your train has some sort of way to travel across the stars?” Himeko snorted and crossed her arms under her chest.

“As much as I’d like to talk about the Astral Express, and even more so your ‘Lor Starcutter,’ we have much bigger things to worry about,” Himeko said and pointed behind him. Magolor sighed and shrugged. He spun on his heel, and examined the egg-shaped Dupas and winged Darpa’s, alongside Voidranger: Reavers and Exterminators.

“Well, who says we can’t do both! I am quite the multitasker!” Magolor boasted, readying a magic sphere in his hands. Himeko hefted her arm, and the pizza cutter popped out of her suitcase.

“ Lock down any information regarding alternate dimensions, Another Dimension, and any other related files. Security Level 6 and higher passcodes are required to access them, ” Magolor said in Halcandran. The only indication that the Lor even heard him was the slight shift in its oars. He looked to his new partner only to realize that she had gone off to fight, smashing Dupas and Dippas with her suitcase. Magolor hummed, slightly impressed.

As she swung her pizza cutter in a wide ark, a Deppa appeared from behind, attempting to take a bite out of her. Once she realized that, Magolor’s Deadly Needles pierced through, causing the monster’s horns to fly off, striking a Reaver and knocking down a Distorter.

“Close one,” Magolor comments cheekily. With a snap of his fingers, more Deadly Needles pop into existence, popping Dippas and Darpas, and knocking down a handful of Eliminators. “By the way, have you ever considered studying these creatures? Or machines? Whatever they are? I must say, I’m quite interested in the material used in their blades. It appears to be made out of–”

Magolor paused and hummed questioningly. When he saw Himeko running towards with her pizza cutter, the wizard nearly had a heart attack and ducked as her blade ran through a Deppa. “Studying the Antimatter Legion? Well, I can’t say I’ve ever thought about it. Not only is there no place to contain one on the Express, a Reaver’s blade can cut through most material with relative ease. There’s a chance that the Station has the resources to subdue and contain one.” She answered. There was an explosion behind her, and when she looked around, she could see Magolor juggling bombs in his hands, carelessly tossing them every which way, eviscerating monsters that were engulfed by its flames.

“Now then, that should be the last of the monsters in this area! If you can supply me with a map of the facility, I’m sure I can find my way around. We wouldn’t want your funny space train getting damaged. Technology like that could take weeks, maybe even months to repair!”

“No need,” Himeko said with a too-smug smile. “A comrade of mine is currently inside. If any more monsters show up, they’ll be dealt with in no time.” Magolor glared at her momentarily, but his expression eased up after a few seconds.

“Very well. Do you have any other companions wandering the station? Those monsters can be plenty dangerous if you allow them to swarm you!”

“You and I seemed to handle them just fine,” Himeko commented. She was still looking at Magolor suspiciously. Maybe a ticket to Magoland will be enough to turn that frown upside down?

“Yes, but that comes from years of experience!” (Actually, he was only trapped in Another Dimension for a few hours, but who’s counting?) “And besides, those guys we just fought? They’re the chumps . The small grunts. Things get much, much more interesting once the bosses start wrecking the place!” Magolor tells her. “But, seeing as a Boss level enemy isn’t inside the station, I think we’re fine. For now, at least.”

“For now?”

“Well, those monsters came from portals, so logically speaking, at any moment a Boss level enemy can come barreling through those portals, wreck house, take the thing they’re trying to leave, refuse to elaborate, and leave,” Magolor said.

“These monsters are after something?” Himeko asked, a sly smile forming on her lips. Luckily for her, Magolor was more than eager to elaborate.

“Yes, of course! Another Dimension doesn’t have many natural energy sources, which is why the monsters and other creatures that live often invade other dimensions in order to find energy to feast on. I would know; they’ve tried eating the Energy Spheres from my ship multiple times.” Magolor said.

Himeko placed a hand on her chin, thinking. “In that case, we better regroup with Dan Heng and March 7th, and fast. I think that even with your help, we might have difficulty managing not only these monsters, but the Antimatter Legion as well.” Himeko’s brow furrowed. “Also, I don’t mean to be rude, but, have you come here all by yourself? Forgive me if I don’t think that one person can turn the tides on this invasion.”

“No offense taken! To answer your question, I’m not the only one. An associate of mine has been assigned to another section of the station to deal with the monsters there. At least, I hope so. He’s… a bit a heavy sleeper, so there’s a chance Susie might have sent somebody else,” Magolor admitted.

Just then, the entire station lurched , knocking both of them off balance.

“Ah, nevermind! It appears as though my associate has arrived!” Magolor said, pointing a finger upwards while his face remained stuck to the ground. Himeko stared at him in disbelief. “Ohohoho! The Legion won’t know what hit ‘em!”

Asta nearly had a heart attack when the station lurched. Multiple warnings popped on her screens and sirens blaring all over the facility. She was starting to have a headache from all the noise. From her console, she could see the Trailblazers–March 7th and Dan Heng, she thinks Himeko called them–rushing down hallways, coughing up smoke from the exploding elevator. In the Supply Zone, Himeko and newcomer Magolor, were rushing out as fast as they could, the latter taking the Trailblazer’s ear off. Asta chuckled slightly. It quickly died down when more portals started appearing around the Astral Express, and more monsters started pouring out to attack.

“What in the world?” Asta muttered. It was as if those monsters from the portals had waited until Magolor had left in order to continue the assault. She did hear him say to Himeko that had experience with them. That either means they’re capable of at least some level of critical thinking, or that somebody is behind the portals. Asta bit her thumb as she watched the events unfold through the screen.

Again, the entire station lurched, and Asta screamed. “What the heck was that? Arlan, come in! What was that!?” The only thing she got was static. “No, no, no, sh*t! Why did this have to happen today!?” Almost frantically, she threw various camera feeds, but was only met with empty hallways or black screens. That is, until the camera feed changed to the area outside the station. Asta practically shrieked when she saw a boy, only a bit older than some of their youngest researchers, calmly walking towards the otherworldly monster and Antimatter Legion without a care in the world.

The boy was short, less than 5 feet at minimum. He had curly pink hair, vibrant, bright skin, and rosy cheeks. He wore an unzipped pink sweater with a star design that had two rings orbiting it on the back, a plain white t-shirt, blue shorts, and red sneakers with white laces. But by far the most notable thing about him (at least, Asta assumed they were male, it was kind of hard to tell) were his eyes. They were completely blue, no whites to speak of, and seemed to be as expansive as the universe around them. Interestingly, there seemed to be white dots twinkling inside, almost like stars.

Asta’s surprise only becomes stronger when the Antimatter Legion in the child’s direct line of sight stops and freezes for just a second, the child’s eyes twinkling mischievously. The Eliminators all turn around, pointing their weapons at the child. Their weapons begin glowing just as the child’s slow walk turns into a sprint.

Kirby runs with ease, bobbing and weaving through blasts and explosions. He dodges each attack with a look of determination on his face, approaching the Antimatter Legion much faster than he reasonably should. Once he reaches the first wave of monsters, Kirby drops to the ground and spin kicks, knocking all of the machines off the station and spiraling into space. A Reaver jumps and tries slashing at him, but Kirby manages to use the momentum of his kick to twist his body and leap off the ground, grabbing the Reaver’s arm in the process. He lands on the ground, Kirby spins and tosses the reavers as hard as he could, destroying the machines in front of him with a large, fiery explosion.

As the dust settles, Kirby jumps through weaves through another set of Reavers. The pink puffball dodges each attack they throw at him, only to grab them and toss them back at their comrades. At least, he assumes they’re comrades; they have a tendency to accidentally rip each other to shreds whenever Kirby dodges an attack. Regardless, Kirby calmly makes his way through waves and waves of Legionnaires. They easily fall to only a couple of earth-shattering kicks to the chest.

Just as Kirby punched a hole through the last Legionnaire, a loud, piercing roar tore through space. Kirby looked up, and saw a giant, mechanical dragon with silvery armor and light blue energy flowing through its wings and bodies. Kirby raises an eyebrow, and jumps out of the way when a large clawed hand slams into the ground. He limbos under another claw swipe, and leaps over a laser beam coming from the machine's chest. As Kirby runs around it, he manages to spy a slowly disintegrating arm of a Reaver.

Kirby makes a break for the blade, ducking under another laser beam from the dragon’s chest. The blast landed in front of Kirby and exploded, knocking the pink hero off the space station. Asta shrieks in horror as the pink-haired boy flails, slowly floating away from the station. The Doomsday Beast howls triumphantly, and the engine begins charging another blast. However, both Asta and the Beast fail to notice a twinkling star in the distance, one that slowly begins to glow brighter.

In the blink of an eye, as the Doomsday Beast fires its ultimate attack, Kirby extends a hand and grabs onto the Warp Star. However, instead of whisking him away to safety, Kirby crosses his arms and takes the blast head on. As he does, Kirby opens his mouth and begins inhaling, breathing in the quantum dust cloud. Both the Doomsday Beast and Asta look on in shock as the cloud slowly disappears, the pink haired boy changes before their very eyes.

The boy’s clothing remains mostly the same, barring a few color changes. His sweater is now bright red, and his white shirt is replaced by a blue and yellow striped tee. Also, he now wears a blue baseball cap with a red,and there was a bandage over the bridge of his nose and his right knee. The hat was tilted to the side, giving off the impression that Kirby was some sort of mischievous skater kid. At least, that’s what Asta thought at first glance.

ESP Kirby reaches forward with one hand, and grabs the Disaster’s Right Hand with his newfound psychic powers. With a snap of his fingers, the fist slammed itself into the Doomsday Beast’s engine, damaging it beyond repair. In a fit of rage, the Dawn’s Left Hand rocketed towards Kirby, who simply fell off of his Warp Star to avoid the attack. The Warp Star spun around and crashed into the retreating fist, knocking it into the machine’s head. The Doomsday Beast’s head snapped back, the armor around its neck cracking loudly.

Using his psychic abilities, ESP Kirby tightly gripped the wings of the planet-busting machine and crumpled them like tinfoil. The Doomsday Beast shrieked, and as Kirby snapped his fingers, its wings wore torn from its back, and he tossed them towards the neighboring planet. In a fit of anger the Doomsday Beast tried to fire another beam from its destroyed engine, but all managed to fire off multiple sparks of quantum energy. Kirby didn’t even blink when he caught the blasts, and sent them back towards the machine.

Under the force of its own explosions, the Doomsday Beast’s outer shell cracked and even started melting. The mechanical dragon crashed into the side of the space station, and Asta expected the entire thing to lurch once more. But, that never happened.

As the Doomsday Beast struggled to pick itself up, Kirby began calmly walking towards the machine. As he did, it looked as if the machine was trying to flee from the pink-haired boy. Asta is initially amused by that, until she realized that the machine notorious for ruthlessly destroying planets was scampering away from a middle-school aged child with a funny hat.

Once Kirby got close enough. He raised both hands, picking up the Doomsday Beast with ease. He then balled his hands, causing the dragon to crumple. Kirby brought his hands together and started rolling them, transforming the Doomsday Beast into a massive ball of rolled up metal and energy. As the energy from the Beast’s engine begins to leak out, Kirby tosses it beside, flinching slightly once he lets go of the metal ball, causing the built-up energy to explode outwards, utterly destroying any nearby monsters. Again, Asta expects the station to shake, but it never does.

“...And that’s how I successfully managed to uncover the Lor Starcutter!” A new voice behind the lead researcher said, just as the door to Master Control Zone hissed open. She whirled around, dumbfounded to see a mass of purple needles burst from the floor, launching Voidrangers and monsters into the air, allowing one of Himeko’s attack drones to see through them.

“How fascinating!” Himeko exclaimed next to the newcomer, handing the hooded figure a cup of coffee. “And that dragon you mentioned, the one guarding the caldera…”

“Oh, Landia? Unfortunately, it managed to strike the Lor while I was making a… strategic retreat. Thankfully, the ship managed to hold itself together for just long enough for me to escape,” The hooded figure from the sailboat said, graciously taking the tea cup Himeko handed to him. He turned around, and Asta could swear that his ovoid eyes started glowing brightly.

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t the head researcher of this fine establishment!” Magolor said, speed walking towards Asta and vigorously shaking her hand. “I am Magolor, captain of the Lor Starcutter, at your service!” He paused for a moment, thinking. Afterwards he turned to Himeko and asked, “I don’t need to like, bow on my knees or anything, right? I’ve been to so many planets, the cultures tend to sort of blend together!”

“No, no, that won't be necessary!” Asta said, waving her hands erratically. The thought of someone bowing before her was absolutely mortifying. She coughed into her hands to clear her throat. “I’m Asta, the head researcher of Herta Space Station. Thank you for assisting us in our time of need.”

“Oh, think nothing of it! And besides, we’re happy to help anyone in need! But, to be completely honest, we had no idea you guys even existed until just recently!” Magolor exclaimed. Asta blinked.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Asta asked, dumbfounded.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Initially, the only reason why me and my associates came here was to seal those portals to Another Dimension, and eliminate the monsters that came through the portal. We thought they were going to invade the planet, as there seemed to be a massive source of energy in the area. Imagine our surprise when the source was coming straight from your station! I know that this information is probably classified, but what sort of projects are you working on here? Super weapons? Doomsday devices? Interdimensional portal technology? An ice cream dispenser the size of a planet!?” Magolor asked ecstatically. Asta looked at him, tilting her head. She turned towards Himeko, but she looked just as confused.

“I… have no idea what you’re talking about. Sure, the station has lots of trinkets and Curios, but nothing should be able to be detected from other dimensions. Much less something that normal creatures are able to sense,” Asta said. Magolor’s yellow eyes dimmed slightly, and the cones of his hood drooped slightly.

Where… are those supposed to be ears?

“Is that so…?” Magolor said quietly. Asta flinched slightly, and even Himeko seemed slightly unnerved upon hearing his voice. “Well, the monsters from Another Dimension have to be after something! Why, oh why, are they here then? Heck, the fact the station even exists at the moment is telling us that they are, in fact, looking for something and don’t want to risk destroying that object,” He hooded wizard reasons. Magolor then glances briefly at Asta, and next second, he’s only a few inches away from her, staring right into her eyes. She flinches back slightly, and even Himeko is momentarily startled. Despite the close proximity, she still can’t see anything of his face besides his glowing yellow eyes.

“So, I ask again. What sort of projects and studies are you conducting on this itty. Bitty. Space station? ” Magolor asked amicably.

“N-nothing along those you mentioned earlier,” Asta stuttered. “Most of our studies don’t even involve dimensional travel, and really, what we focus on usually depends on the owner of the Space Station, Herta.”

“Herta…” Magolor muttered, placing a hand under his chin. “Well then, at least I know who I'm going to have to talk to!” He clasped his hands together, and regarding the two scientists with a warm face, a sudden departure from his eerie demeanor. “In the meantime, I’m going to break into Herta’s office in order to figure out what she’s hiding! If you, the head researcher, doesn’t know why the forces from Another Dimension are here, then obviously, this “Herta” character definitely should!” He said rather nonchalantly. Asta’s eyes widened like saucers.

“Wait, what!? No, you can’t just break into her office!” Asta shouted, grabbing onto the Magolor’s sleeve. The wizard huffed and disappeared in a cloud of black and purple smoke in the shape of a star.

With a wave of his hand, ESP Kirby had thrown the last set of Darpas off of the space station. After looking around for a while, he placed his fists and let out a self-satisfactory huff. No more monsters! People in this section of the space station should be safe now.

Kirby was about to walk towards another section of the station, until he felt something pulling him towards the left, though it wasn’t a physical pull, like somebody tugging on a rope or beam. No, this was a spiritual pull, one tugging at his very soul. The last time he felt something like that was during the Star Allies’ battle against Void.

Furrowing his brow, Kirby grabbed onto a piece of metal from the station’s hull with his psychic powers, and pulled. The metal shrieked as it was torn from the rest of the ship. The air came rushing out of the hole he made, so Kirby made sure to hold the oxygen in place. Once he made a hole large enough for him to fit in, he shoved the air back inside and forced the metal down. He applied a bit more quantum energy to his psychokinesis. The edges of the metal melted, sealing it and preventing the air from rushing out into the vacuum of space.

Now under the effects of the station’s artificial gravity, Kirby dropped like rock. Calmly, he looked down, and saw one of those centaur machines rearing up on its hind legs. The pink-haired boy brought his legs to chest, and just as he was a couple centimeters above the Trampler, shot his legs down. The Trampler was flattened like a pancake, and the force of blow caused Kirby to rebound off its back to land in front of it.

As Kirby watched the remains of the Trampler collapse in on itself, he noticed the pull from earlier was stronger. Much stronger. Almost as though it was… right behind him. Slowly, he turned around.

In front of him was a boy in a green and white coat wielding a spear, another boy with purple eyes, a girl with pink hair and pretty pink/light blue eyes, and another girl with silver hair and eyes made out of molten gold.

Kirby’s gaze zeroed in on the ashen haired girl. The pull was coming from her, but at the same time, it wasn’t. It was weird, not all like Void Termina and Void. But still…

Now that he was close enough, he could tell that the pull wasn’t very nice. It was forceful and eager. He could hear whispers coming from beyond the gray-haired girl’s soul, whispers of gifts and miracles. But, Kirby had heard those kinds of whispers before. It was the kind of whispers the Jamba gave out, and from the Fountain of Dreams when it was corrupted by Nightmare. Promises of false paradise and unending darkness.

He frowned, drawing confused glances from the trio.

…

Kirby had been saving galaxies left and right for a while now. Chances are the gray-haired girl was possessed by Dark Matter, or some Dark Matter equivalent, and had successfully managed to convince them to do something bad so that it could… destroy the world or something? That sounds about right. Very, very casually, Kirby kneels into a fighting stance. The trio takes notice, if the bafflement in their expressions is anything to go by.

He decided that he’s going to beat the evil out of her.

MAGOLOR
Quantum / Erudition

Faction:Star Allies
Character Introduction: A wizard that initially traveled to Halcandra in order to uncover the secrets of the Ancients. He is now the manager of his own amusem*nt park, Merry Magoland.
VA: Roger Rose (Compared to Sampo, Magolor's voice is more energetic and flamboyant, with just a hint of insanity. When angered, the insanity is turned and his voice becomes lower.)

HP - 997
ATK - 744
DEF - 463
SPD - 75

BASIC ATK - Magic Sphere [Single Target]: Deals Quantum DMG equal to 50% of Magolor’s ATK to a single enemy.

SKILL - Deadly Needles [Blast]: Deals Quantum DMG equal to 120% of Magolor’s ATK to a single and Quantum DMG equal to 90% of Magolor’s ATK to adjacent enemies.

ULTIMATE - MAX Mega Magolor Cannon [AoE]: Deals Quantum DMG equal to 210% of Magolor’s ATK to all enemies and decreases their Toughness by 30, regardless of whether or not they are weak to Quantum DMG. Magolor gains one point of Magic Bombs for each enemy inflicted with Weakness Break because of this attack.

TALENT - Mighty Magic Bombs: When an enemy is inflicted with Weakness Break, Magolor gains 1 point of Magic Bombs (max 5 points). When Magolor attacks, enemies that are damaged lose 5 Toughness for each point of Magic Bombs Magolor has. Once Magolor gains 5 points of Magic Bombs, or two turns have passed, he immediately performs one follow-up attack that deals 22% of Magolor ATK to all enemies and decreases their Toughness by 10 for each point of Magic Bombs he has, consuming all Magic Bombs points.

TECHNIQUE - Dimensional Vanish [Enhance]: After using Magolor’s technique, the party is transported to Another Dimension for 20 seconds. While inside Another Dimension the party cannot be detected by enemies. Magolor gains one point of Magic Bombs if the party enters a battle inside Another Dimension.

KIRBY
Physical / Dreams

Faction: Star Allies
Character Introduction: A young boy who first appeared in Dreamland after being led there by the spring breeze. When he's not eating or sleeping, Kirby is doing his best to spread love and happiness to everyone that he meets.
VA: Makiko Ohmoto ["Poyo" Language] | Emily Sun [English] (If Kirby's Level is lower than the Trailblazer's, he will speak in Poyo. If he's at a higher level, a translation will be provided. He can only be heard speaking English if he and the Trailblazer are at the same Level. His voice is noticeably younger than Clara's, however, he's more confident and even sassy at times. Kirby always defaults to using Poyo in battle.)

HP - 1440
ATK - 770
DEF - 660
SPD - 120

BASIC ATK - Air Bullet [Single Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 50% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy.

SKILL - Piggyback Ride [Support]: Increases the ATK and DEF of a single ally by 75% of Kirby’s ATK and DEF, however, Kirby cannot perform an action for 2 turns, and any damage that the supported ally takes is transferred to Kirby.

ULTIMATE - Go! Team Star Allies! [AoE]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 70% of Kirby’s ATK to all enemies, and then deals DMG 3 more times, with each attack dealing Elemental DMG that corresponds to another ally's elemental affinity and is equal to 70% of that ally's ATK to all enemies.

TALENT - Copy Ability [Enhance]: When Kirby is attacked, there is a 42% base chance that Kirby will gain a Copy Ability that corresponds to the type of DMG the enemy inflicted (Fire = Fire, Ice = Ice, Imaginary = Magic, Lightning = Plasma, Physical = Sword, Quantum = ESP, Wind = Tornado). Attaining a Copy Ability will change Kirby’s Element, Basic ATK, Skill, and Ultimate, also, Kirby gains 3 points of Copy Essence (max 3 points). Kirby loses 1 point of Copy Essence if he loses HP due to an enemy’s attack. If Kirby has no Copy Essence, there is a 33% base chance that he loses his Copy Ability the next time he loses HP due to an enemy’s attack. This chance increases by 12% each time he takes damage. If the battle ends while Kirby has no Copy Essence, he will automatically lose the Copy Ability.

TECHNIQUE - Inhale [Enchance]: Immediately attacks the enemy. After entering battle, deals Physical DMG equal to 100% of Kirby’s ATK, and Kirby immediately gains a Copy Ability that corresponds to the type of DMG the attacked enemy can inflict. If Kirby already has a Copy Ability, it will be replaced by the new one.

Notes: Each character has a unique animation when giving Kirby a Piggyback Ride. Sometimes he clings to their backs, while others hold him in one arm. If Kirby uses Piggyback Ride on Clara, Svarog appears and lifts both them onto his shoulders.

ESP KIRBY
Quantum / Dreams

ATK - +39
DEF - -73
SPD - -45

BASIC ATK - Psychokinesis [Singe Target]: Deals Quantum DMG equal to 70% of ESP Kirby’s ATK to a single target.
Super PK Electroshift [AoE]: Deals Quantum DMG to 120% of Dimension ESPer Kirby’s to all enemies, also, all allies gain Foresight for 2 turns. While an ally has Foresight, they cannot be affected by debuffs, and all enemies inflict 15% less damage.

SKILL - PK Insight [Support]: A single ally gains Mind Reader until an enemy attacks them. While an ally has Mind Reader, their ATK increases by 50%, also, any damage that an enemy would to them is transferred to another random enemy.
Super PK Mind Reader [Support]: After using this skill, before an ally is attacked, inflicts Quantum DMG equal to 50% of Kirby’s ATK plus 30% of the targeted ally’s Elemental ATK to the attacking enemy. If an enemy is Weakness Broken because of this, their attack is cancelled. This effect lasts until the party is attacked twice (Enemy AoE/Blasts attacks do not count as multiple attacks).

ULTIMATE - Bring on the Super Ability! Dimension ESPer [Enhance]: Kirby transforms into Dimension ESPer Kirby, increasing his ATK by 50%, and decreasing his DEF and SPD by 15%, also, he gains 3 points of Copy Essence. Dimension ESPer Kirby can only lose one point of Copy Essence at the end of his turn from this point on, however, he becomes Base Kirby once he no longer has Copy Essence. As Dimension ESPer Kirby, his Basic ATK becomes “Super PK Electroshift,” and his skill becomes “Super PK Mind Reader.” Kirby’s turn does not end when he uses this Ultimate.

Many people have masks covering their faces to hide their true feelings from everyone else. These masks aren’t necessarily bad, but it makes it hard to connect with other people. They have their reasons to keep them on, but if it's worn for too long, nobody will be able to notice if you’re actually in trouble.

Those that follow the Path of Dreams value adventure, discovery, and friendship. Gameplay wise, Dreams Pathstriders have the ability to transform mid-battle, either through the use of a Talent or an Ultimate, which will either overhaul their moveset or greatly improve them.

Though the Aeon who presides over this Path is unknown, they may be a lot closer than you think…

Chapter 2: Station Sundae - 2: Honey Hearts

Chapter Text

“You’re going to burn a hole into the floor with how fast you’re walking…” Himeko told Asta. The red-haired navigator of the “funny space train,” as Magolor put it, was currently standing next to the door to Herta’s office, while Asta was pacing in front her. Asta was biting her fingernails nervously.

“A person who I barely know has broken into my boss’ office! I'm going to be so fired !” Asta argued.

“No, you’re not. You’re the only one who can manage all the day to day activities of the Station. I doubt Herta can even find somebody as skilled as you are,” Himeko said, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Hmm… but still, I’m responsible for keeping her office orderly and presentable while her dolls are offline. If she logs into the Station and discovers that her office has been turned into a mess by some… some… some weird cat-wizard guy, she’ll put on the first flight back to the planet!” Asta said. “How come you’re not even remotely worried?! Herta might find a way to blame you too, since you brought him to the Master’ Control Zone!”

“I wasn’t the one who let him land the Lor Starcutter in the docking bay,” Himeko said casually, causing Asta to sputter. After a couple of seconds, she added, “Though, it was more a crash than a landing, to be honest.” The astronomer shrieked, and Himeko couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at her own expense.

“But still, I doubt Magolor would make a mess of the place. I’ve been able to talk to him here, even though he said very little to me, I know that I can consider him a… kindred spirit, of sorts.”

“Kindred spirit…?” Asta asked, and Himeko nodded.

“Tell me if this sounds familiar: there was once a person from a lonely planet, who always wanted to travel the stars. One day, they discovered an old relic that allows them to travel through different planets, and after many mishaps and mistakes, they now travel the stars with their friends.”

“...You make it sound like he’s your long lost brother or something,” Asta grumbled, prompting Himeko to giggle. She opened her mouth to say something, but before he could, a loud shriek came from Herta’s office which was quickly followed by the sound of an explosion. Asta’s eyes widened like a saucer, and she ran up to the door.

“Magolor! What’re you going in there!? If you broke anything, so help me, I’ll…!” Asta shouted, pounding her fist into the door. Himeko frowned and placed a hand on her chin. It sounded like Magolor threw one of his Magic Bombs, but why would he feel the need to throw one?

A couple seconds later, and the door hissed upon. Magolor was standing on the other side, looking more curious than anything. He reached to the side, and presented the two scientists a silver platter. On it was the very head of Madam Herta’s doll, though the hair and hat were scorched, and it was missing an eye.

“What’s with this sassy lost head?” Magolor asked, in an almost frighteningly casual manner. Asta shrieked, and Himeko looked at him, dumbfounded.

“That would be the master of the Space Station, Madam Herta,” Himeko answered. Magolor’s eyes brightened. He took the head off the platter and threw it forwards. Asta yelped as she tried catching it, nearly falling off the balcony to prevent the plate from flying into any consoles.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a screwdriver in that suitcase of yours do you?” Magolor asked. Himeko reached behind her, and grabbed a screwdriver with a red handle. “Thank you!” Afterwards, he jammed it into the puppets face, and pried it open, revealing the metal endoskeleton underneath, a mess of wires, and green circuit boards.

“What in the world are you doing!? ” Asta all but shouted, and then pointed a finger at Himeko. “And why are you letting him destroy Herta’s puppet!?”

“What? Earlier I said I wanted to know what Herta was hiding, so I’m going to take these circuit boards so that the Lor can hack into them and reveal what’s inside,” Magolor answered.

“I have to admit, I am curious as to the inner workings of Herta’s puppets. Given how she’s a member of the Genius Society, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were mechanics that even I am not aware of,” Himeko answered.

“I think I left some pieces of broken puppets inside. Though, I think my Magic Bombs might’ve melted their innards a tiny bit.”

Asta stared at the two Erudition Pathstriders in disbelief. After a while, she groaned in disbelief and let the two fiddle with their robot parts. She returned to her station and continued monitoring the security footage, checking whether or not the remaining scientists had successfully evacuated from their labs.

As Asta combed through the footage, she wondered if she would come across Magolor’s associate. She grumbled, realizing that she probably should’ve asked for the name of his partner, even if he was easily identifiable. At the very least, it’d be much easier to call him by name rather than “The Kid Who Soloed the Doomsday Beast.”

“Hey, Asta? Some tiny kid is here to see you,” Magolor said. Asta turned and yelped, as the wizard’s head was poking out of a star-shaped portal. She’s still confused as to how his face is constantly covered in shadows. A second later, Magolor retreated back into the space time rift, and the main entrance to the Mastrol Control Zone hissed open.

“Lady Asta!”

“Arlan!? You’re okay!” The pink-haired woman whirled around and found the head of security running towards her. “What’s happe–!?”

“The Astral Express crew are being attacked!” Arlan shouted.

“What!?” Asta could hear Himeko shout. A portal opened up beside them, allowing Himeko and Magolor to pass through and stand beside them.

“There’s a boy with pink hair and psychic powers! He saved us from a Trampler, but then he started going after the new member of the Astral Express!” Arlan explained, drawing gasps from the Asta and the Erudition Pathstriders.

“Pink hair!?” Asta shouted.

“Psychic powers?” Magolor questioned.

“New member…?” Himeko said slowly.

“Hmmmm… Asta, could you pull up the security footage of the Storage Zone?” Magolor asked. The head researcher nodded, and started typing in commands on her console. After a short while, the four human’s eyes widened significantly. The sole Dreamlander hummed curiously.

From what they could see, the entirety of the Storage Zone was covered completely in ice and snow. Massive icicles the size of grown humans were growing on the roof, and occasionally came crashing down. The holographic bridge was encased in ice, and multiple monsters from the Antimatter Legion and Another Dimension were trapped inside blocks of ice. It was like a blizzard had suddenly formed inside the room.

“Oh my…” Magolor hummed, and turned towards Himeko. “I think you told me that one of your crewmates had a mastery over ice?”

“Not on this level…” Himeko muttered, placing a hand over her mouth.

Magolor thought for a moment and clicked his tongue. “Keep checking the cameras,” He told Asta. She nodded. Thankfully, only that specific room was completely covered in ice. Their tracks of icicles in other rooms, yes, but it seemed that most of the damage was centered in that specific hallway.

“Wait, go back two cameras!” Himeko suddenly said. Asta did as she asked, and the screen depicted an empty laboratory. Multiple instruments and research papers were scattered all over the floor, and there was somebody, a woman in a black jacket and white shirt, slowly lifting themselves up.

“Who is that?” Himeko asked.

“Huh? I thought you already knew who she was?” Arlan asked.

Magolor stared intently at the groaning woman. He snapped his fingers, and the three humans flinched as multiple different signals and systems were added to the screen's UI, all of them in a language that they couldn’t understand.

“Ah. I think I know why Kirby has gone and started attacking them,” Magolor said, causing the other three to look at him strangely. “To put it simply, I found out where your extra-dimensional power source is, and lemme tell you, it ain’t very nice.” He pointed to the woman, just as a giant snowball barreled into the room.

Stelle was having the weirdest first few hours of her life.

First, there was that woman with purplish-red hair, Kafka, her mind supplies, telling her to reach the “end of her journey,” whatever that meant. Then, some boy tried to kiss her, and she slapped him away, sending him sprawling onto the floor. After introductions, the boy she slapped, Dan Heng, split off from her March 7th to find someone. Once they split up, the two girls were assaulted at every moment from small (and cute, according to March) monsters in addition to the Legionnaires.

After meeting up with Dan Heng and Arlan, they made their way towards the Master Control, only for their progress to be impeded by a giant purple centaur. And… Stelle groaned in annoyance. Everything else was a blur. She remembers something pink crashing into the Trampler, March cooing, Dan Heng looking worried… and there was some sort of pull? That sounds about right.

Wait, wait! Pink and… that kid! The small pink kid with the psychic powers! That’s right, she remembers now! They were being attacked by the small pink kid with psychic powers!

Then, a giant snowball came crashing into the room.

Riiiiiight. They were being attacked by the small pink kid that used to have psychic powers, lost those powers, ate some of March’s ice arrows, and then gained ice powers.

With a shriek, Stelle ducked as the snowball whizzed over her head, and crashed into the wall behind her. The snowball exploded, and sent multiple fast moving icicle missiles at her. Stelle gripped her bat tightly and swung at the closest missile, aiming it so that it would ricochet into the other icicles. The crashed into the side wall, erupting into multiple sharp walls of ice.

Stelle let out a shaky gasp, relieved that she hadn’t died.

“Stelle!” March cried out. The gray-haired, golden eyed girl whirled around, only to see the boy with pink hair, and deep blue eyes that had stars glittering inside of them, standing on top of a platform made of ice.

The boy now wore a blue parka with white fur outlines and thick pants. The hood was pulled over his head, only allowing a few strands of pink hair to peek through. He also had thick boots and mittens, and his cheeks were more flushed than before. Overall, he looked ready to walk through a snowstorm rather than causing one. Speaking of which…

The boy took a deep breath, puffing up his cheeks. Stelle yelped and leaped out the window just as the boy breathed out a massive gust of icy wind, covering the entire room with beautiful, frozen crystals. If Stelle’s life wasn’t in immediate danger, she would’ve asked March to take a picture of it.

The boy leapt from his platform and took another breath. But, instead of letting it all out, he forced the air to flow between the gaps of his teeth, causing sharp icicles to fly from his mouth.

“Woah!” Stelle cried, side stepping each of the missiles, one managed to graze her thigh, ripping off a piece of her garter and drawing a few droplets of blood. Stelle hissed through her teeth at the pain, and sent a glare to her left. “Y’know, I wouldn’t mind some backup from my team! ”

“I’m sorry! I can’t do much when we’re trapped in ice !” March shouted back. Her left arm up to her shoulder was encased in a large wall. In addition, there were some icy veins latching onto her left leg, slowly but surely crawling up her leg. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be bothered by it. To March’s right, Dan Heng’s entire lower body was trapped in ice, which included most of his right now. Currently, the spearman was awkwardly stabbing the ice with his weapon.

“Watch out!” March shrieked. Instantly, Stelle jumped to the left as two large snowballs crashed into the area where she once stood. She might’ve scoffed at the attack, had it not significantly dented the floor.

Stelle then whirled around and swung her bat downwards, but the boy blocked by raising his arms, which was encased in ice. He then pushed his arm forwards, knocking Stelle off balance as he aimed a punch at her chest. Stelle gritted her teeth and mentally prepared herself for the impact, but March had managed to free her arm in the nick of time, and launched an arrow at the boy in the parka. The tip shattered when it made contact with his side, but it was (somehow) enough to knock him off his feet.

Stelle’s golden eyes glittered as she raised her bat, and swung at Kirby's face. He leaned back just in time to avoid the blow and swung his feet upwards, kicking Stelle in the chin. The attack causes ice to cover Stelle’s mouth and leaves her unable to speak. As she lands on her back, Kirby is already on his feet and stomps his foot into the ground, causing a wave of sharp ice to slide towards Stelle.

She rolls to the side as the icicles puncture her jacket, tearing it to shreds while the freezing temperatures send goosebumps up her spine. As she rolls, she picks herself up and twirls the bat in her hands, tossing it at Kirby. He tilts his head to the side, causing the bat to sail past him, and towards Dan Heng. The spearman sees this and swings his spear upwards, knocking into the sky. March knocks an arrow and fires it, causing the bat to go careening towards Kirby. The Pink Demon hears all of this, but as he turns around to set up a wall of ice, he feels a pair of gloved hands grab the back of his head.

Stelle lifts Kirby (it’s surprisingly easy to do so), preventing him from creating an icy wall, so instead he encases himself in a veil of icy energy, freezing Stelle’s hand in place. She curses as an ice cube forms around Kirby, significantly increasing the puffball’s weight. As his cube clatters to the ground, Stelle’s arm follows alongside it, leaving her unguarded when the bat slams into her head and leaves her dazed.

Ice Kirby shatters through his own cube, and exhales a cold breath. As he breathes it out, Stelle’s legs are trapped in ice, all the way up to her thighs. A few seconds later, Kirby’s gloved hand clocks her upside the head. Ice spreads over the lower half of her face, and manages to cover her right ear. Stelle grits her teeth and swings her bat in arc in front of her, but Kirby manages to grab it with ease. He grips the bat tightly, causing a stream of ice to spread from his hands all the way to her arms.

Just as he’s about to launch another punch into the center of her face, Stelle can see March coming from behind Kirby, and whacks his head with her bow, knocking him away. Dan Heng runs up from behind to engage the boy, providing cover while March begins to melt the frozen liquid with her own powers.

“What took you so long? I thought you had ice based powers too,” Stelle asked as March melts the ice off her mouth. The pink haired girl narrowed her eyes slightly, focusing as she placed her gloved hands on the frozen crystals.

“I’m not sure. I can create and melt ice, but… not to the extent that he can–GET DOWN!” March says, as she pushes herself and Stelle to the ground. Icicles whizzed past their heads, slicing off a few strands of their hair. “Not only that, but this ice is… different, I guess? It’s not really frozen water.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Ice is water!” Stelle said. March pouted as she placed her hands on Stelle’s arms, slowly defrosting them.

“I know that! But… this ice is pure, crystallized energy rather than normal ice! Think of it like really cold, frozen lasers,” March mutters. Eventually, the ice around Stelle’s legs begins to crack. She flexes her muscles, which causes the ice to crack and shatter completely. March smiles and places a hand on Stelle’s shoulder. “Can you move all right?”

“I can’t feel my legs or my batting arm from the cold…” Stelle says, “but other than that, I’m fine. Still, that only leaves the question of how the heck are we gonna beat this guy?” Stelle struggles to get up, and March has to grab onto her side to keep her from falling over.

“That’s… a good question. Let’s see… Why don’t we just tire him out?” March suggests getting a raised eyebrow from Stelle. “I’m pretty sure that his… Copy Abilities run on some sort of timer. Once that timer runs out, we’ll rush him and kick his butt.”

“I think there’s a problem with your plan, March,” Stelle mutters. She suddenly grabs her and pulls her to the side, just as another giant snowball comes crashing down. “We actually need to live for more than ten seconds!”

Dan Heng grunted as he blocked another set of icicle missiles from Kirby. From the moment he fell from the sky, the spearman knew that Kirby wasn’t some ordinary kid, and his worries were only proven the moment the fight started. Dan Heng twirled the spear in his hands and stabbed forwards, only for Kirby to dodge by tilting to the side. He tried to grab the spear and freeze, but Dan Heng lifted it, slamming the shaft into the side of Kirby’s head.

Despite his apparent age, Kirby moved expertly on the battlefield. Too expertly , Dan Heng thought. Being self-taught was one thing, but the skill level this boy had far exceeded anything that a self-taught martial artist could ever aspire to be.

Kirby staggered back slightly and then rushed towards Dan Heng, fists at his side. The spearman was about to sidestep the punch, but Kirby had aimed where he was going to jump, and fired multiple icicle missiles from his mouth. Dan Heng cursed and stopped his moment by driving the tip of his spear into the ground as the missiles grazed his side. Before Kirby could land a punch to his stomach, Dan Heng raised his knee and hit his arm, knocking his hand of course. A beam flew from his mittens, and covered a wall with ice when it made contact.

Silently, Dan Heng cursed. Ice breath, snowballs, icicles, and now lasers that freeze instead of melt, he groused mentally. He turned his attention back to Kirby, started to breathe deeply. Dan Heng noticed this, but instead of running away, he ran forwards and slammed his elbow into the puffball’s chest. Kirby let out a startled gasp, and his concentrated breath of air turned into a mere breeze. Dan Heng quickly jumped back as Kirby let out cold energy in all directions around, freezing his immediate surroundings.

Not only that, he has many methods of punishing us for getting too close! Dan Heng said, narrowing his eyes. The openings he leaves are too small to take advantage of!

Dan Heng grips his spear tightly and stabs forward, breaking through a set of icicles that Kirby had created. He then slashed forwards, forcing Kirby to jump backwards and position himself between two large blocks of ice. He kicked the blocks forward, and they went sliding towards Dan Heng. The archivist blinked, and slashed through the blocks, and subsequently released a Dupa and a Reaver.

“What the–!?” Dan Heng cursed. The Reaver howled and lunged forwards, prompting the spearman to bring up his spear to defend. However, the Dupa jumped up and bit into his shoulder. Its teeth weren't very sharp, but they caused enough of a shock to keep his mind off the Reaver for a few seconds. The blade of the Voidranger slashed his chest, tearing a hole in his shirt and drawing blood from his chest.

Dan Heng’s eyes widened in surprise as the Reaver raised its blade. He vigorously shook his arm, dislodging the Dupa and throwing it at the monster's head, disorienting it for a moment. Dan Heng took that moment to slash through the small green thing and the Voidranger in half, but doing so allowed Kirby to encase his lower body in half with a cold breath. His eyes widened when he saw Kirby thrust his hand forwards, causing ice to spread all over his chest. Dan Heng closed his eyes, expecting to be encased completely in frozen energy…!

But Kirby just swiped his hand across the wound, covering it in a thin layer of ice to stop the bleeding. Dan Heng blinked when Kirby reached into his pockets, pulled out an Energy Drink, and placed it in the spearman’s hands. Once that was done, Kirby flashed him a smile and a thumbs up, and went off to go fight his companions.

Dan Heng stared at the bottle in his hands, more confused than ever before. “Why didn’t he…”

“Urgh! Where the heck did those two go!?” March groaned, melting away another set of jagged icicles. Beside her, Stelle raised her bat and smashed it against the ice wall, creating a hole just big enough for them to crawl through. Groaning, Stelle ran her hands through her silver hair, shaking away fresh patches of snow and ice shavings.

“What’s our game plan? It’s like we can just rush and knock those powers out. He’s a ranged and melee fighter, and that’s not even mentioning that short range instant freeze attack he has,” Stelle asked. March shrugged half heartedly, and placed a hand on Stelle’s shoulder. After a few moments, a thin layer of ice covered the golden-eyed girl, but unlike the boy’s frozen energy, this ice was thin and breathable, and even provided a decent amount of protection. March applied the same ice shield to herself.

“Actually, I think I might have an idea. That instant freeze attack seems like it can only last a few seconds, tops. Not only that, he has to charge up for his ice breath!” March explained.

“So, if we attack him when he’s charging, or immediately after that instant freeze attack, we might be able to deal some damage!” Stelle finished.

“Right! Now, first up we have to–oh come on…” March stomped her feet in annoyance, and pointed to the hole Stelle made. She peered through, and sighed when a giant snowball came barreling towards them. The rumbling got louder and louder, until the snowball crashed through the icy wall and sent the two girls flying. As the snowball exploded against the wall, two streams of ice spread from the ground and covered the girls’ ankles, tethering them to the floor. Luckily, Stelle was able to break through it easily with one swing of her bat. Immediately after, two more icicles flew in from the hallway and landed right next to March, covering most of her body in ice and pinning her to the wall.

“sh*t!” Stelle cursed. A second later, she felt a gloved hand grip her wrist, and felt a powerful attack blow the air out her lungs. She probably would’ve been sent flying, had her feet not been pinned to the ground with ice. Panicking, Stelle swung her bat, but Kirby blocked it with his arm. As Kirby reared his fist back for another punch, Stelle slid her foot out of her heels and kneed Kirby in the stomach. As March predicted, the boy immediately performed his instant freeze attack.

Stelle smirked, and the instant Kirby dropped his attack, she slammed her bat into his face as hard as he could. Kirby only yelped in surprise and staggered backwards, but in that time, Stelle smashed the ice around her feet, and swung her bat in Kirby’s direction. Kirby’s eyes narrowed, and as he was falling he grabbed onto her bat. Stelle assumed he was going to freeze her arm again, but instead he yanked it away. Kirby landed on his feet and covered the bat in ice, turning it into an incredibly sharp icicle. Kirby threw it like a javelin, which Stelle had to duck under. She was tempted to go after it, but heard the Pink Demon beginning to charge another ice breath.

As Kirby breathed out another cloud of ice, Stelle pivoted to the side to avoid it, and once he inhaled again, she punched him in the stomach. His half-powered exhale froze Stelle’s left, but she was still able land another hit to the side of Kirby’s head. He crashed into the floor, sliding along his own icy road.

“f*ck…!” Stelle cursed. One punch to her arm shattered the ice easily, but was having trouble moving it. At this rate, she probably got hypothermia before they knocked the parka off of him.

“March! You okay!?” Stelle shouted across the room. She could hear the sound of ice shattering, and an annoyed huff.

“Yeah, I’m good. Did you beat him?” Another round of icicles were launched at them, with Kirby skating right behind them.

“It doesn’t matter what we do, he just keeps getting back up!” Stelle says. She grabs one of the icicles as they whiz past her, freezing her hand again. Gritting her teeth, Stelle uses the momentum of the missile to whirl her around, and let's go as it points towards Kirby. The missile crashes into the ground beside Kirby’s feet, freezing it. Kirby’s eyes go wide, and he yelps as he faceplants onto the floor, sliding across it. Immediately, March whirls around and produces another arrow. As she fires, the arrow shatters and becomes multiple bunny-shaped figurines. As Kirby slams his head into the wall, the figurines crash into the ground and explode, covering the area in an icy mist. Once the mist dissipates, the two girls could see Kirby trapped inside of a large block of ice.

March and Stelle both let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground simultaneously.

“Finally, it’s over…!” March sighed in relief, but she received an annoyed glance from Stelle.

“Why didn’t you try and freeze him from the start?”

“I thought he could defrost ice like me!” March said, gently whacking Stelle’s shoulder. “Anyways, now that’s over, we should head back to Dan Heng. I just hope that Arlan made it to the Master Control Zone okay…” Stelle nodded, and then glanced at the ice cube.

“What’re we gonna do with him?” She asked, pointing her thumb up. March shrugged.

“Well, we stopped him. Let the security department deal with him,” She drawled. This got a chuckle out of Stelle.

“Sounds like a plan, but first… Wait a minute.” Stelle muttered, turning her head towards the block of ice. “Shouldn’t the kid’s eyes be open?” March hummed questioningly, and turned around.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be f*cking kidding me,” March cursed tiredly. Inside the ice cube, Kirby had somehow managed to close his eyes. His face looked relaxed, almost like he was taking a nap. Stelle would’ve thought that was the case, if Kirby’s fingers had begun to close into fist, causing the ice to crack.

“sh*t, get out of here!” Stelle shouted, picking up the frozen lance that was her bat and dragging March by the shoulder as hairline cracks turned into deep trenches. Soon enough, the entire block shattered, sending pieces of shrapnel flying everywhere.

“OH CRAP!” March shouted as the pieces flew towards them. She crossed her arms in front of her and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the pieces to tear through her arm and slice them to bits, but that never happened. Confused, March slowly opened one eye, only to find the ice inches away from their face, floating lifelessly in front of them.

“What the…” Stelle muttered. Suddenly, their feet started to slip on the floor, and the ice began floating backwards, as though some force was dragging them backwards. The suction became stronger, and the two girls were whisked off there. Still stabbed her bat into the ground, and March’s fingers managed to graze the floor, allowing her to create thick supports made of ice that kept them tethered to the floor. Their eyes widened as they saw the boy in the parka with his mouth wide open, inhaling every speck of ice in the room. The vortex died down when he closed his mouth, and after a large gulp, his entire body began to shine.

The boy’s pale skin changed into a shade of ice cold blue, though his cheeks still retained their rosy color. His parka changed from blue to pink, and pieces of ice began growing on the sleeves, legs and boots, taking the appearance of armor plating. The hood was blown away by a sudden burst of cold wind, allowing the boy’s curly pink hair to flow freely, until a whirlwind of snow started spiraling over his head in place, forming into a white fluffy swirl reminiscent of soft swerve ice cream. A head band appeared over his forehead, adorned with a large snowflake and glowing star in the center.

With the grace of a professional ice skater, Snow Bowl Kirby spun in place with one foot, waving his arms up and down as he did so. As he came to a stop, a large star shone on the floor under him for a brief moment, as Kirby extended one arm forward and threw the other to his side, balancing on one foot while the other was lifted into the air.

“He’s adorable…!” March whined.

Snow Bowl Kirby started skating on the floor, creating ice as he slid across the floor. The two girls watched, mesmerized as he performed a spinning jump in the air, and landed gracefully with his arms and extending outwards. Kirby waved happily as he slid around in circles, and despite herself, March waved back.

Stelle’s eyes widened, and looked down at their feet. “Oh crap…” She muttered, and once she realized the floor was completely covered in ice, the two girls started slipping and sliding uncomfortably. March mostly seemed to maintain her balance, flailing her arms while her legs slid uncontrollably, while Stelle faceplanted onto the floor after a few seconds. She hissed as she tried pushing herself up, as though Snow Bowl’s ice was practically ten times colder than base Ice’s.

Soon, Kirby skated to the middle of the ice rink, and spun in place as frozen energy began to accumulate around him. After a few seconds, that energy turned into packed snow, and Kirby once again transformed into an 8 foot tall snowball with cosmic blue eyes and happy smile. March cooed again, and Stelle glared daggers at her. Looking back, she noticed that the giant snowball’s smile became a determined look as it started spinning rapidly.

March’s eyes widened. She manifested her bow, and fired a dull arrow out of the way, pushing Stelle out of just as the giant snowball had attempted to run her over. The snowball crashed into the wall, completely destroying it while massive icicles the size of a human flew out, each aimed right at the golden-eyed girl. Thankfully, the force of March’s arrow was just enough to push Stelle out of the rink, allowing her to get to her feet quickly and book it. The icicles exploded right next to her, launching the Stellaron host into an empty elevator shaft.

Stelle struggled to her feet, as streams of ice came rushing towards her. She cursed as the veins reached her heels in an instant, freezing everything up to her waist. Stelle raised her bat to break the ice, but two more veins climbed up the walls and somehow began to freeze the air, allowing the two tendrils to reach her arms, freezing them over her head. Stelle looked forwards, and saw Snow Bowl’s ball barreling towards her. From behind, March fired an arrow that hit the side of the ball, knocking it off course.

The snowball destroyed the ice restraining her arms, and Stelle immediately brought them down to shatter the ice on her legs. She immediately whirled around and swung her bat, striking one of the large icicles then came rushing out when the snowball exploded. However, instead of being knocked away, the tip of the icicle dug into Stelle’s weapon, causing her golden eyes to widen, and launched. The blow turned her arms to jelly, and launched her right into March. The girl shrieked as Stelle crashed into her, and both were sent flying into a nearby wall.

The moment their backs collided with the cold metal, multiple streams of ice cold energy spread across the floor. Stelle and March tried to scamper away, but the ice nearly instantly covered the two girls up to their necks. Stelle gasped at the cold, while March whimpered slightly.

“Can you get us out of here?!” Stelle asked as March tried to open her hand, forcing her fingers to move against the thick crystals. Just as she managed to open them, a shadow appeared over them. March struggled to crane her neck upwards, and physically deflated when she saw the massive icicle hovering over them.

“Umm…” March stuttered. Stelle could see blocks in the corner, and grit her teeth as it seemed to grow bigger and bigger. Both girls frowned when Snow Bowl Kirby jumped on top of the icicle. He spun on top of the icicle with a great big smile on his face, and yet a vacant stare in his starry, cosmic blue eyes.

Kirby jumped up, and slammed both his feet into the icicle. Stelle and March screwed their eyes, waiting to be crushed by who knows how many pounds of packed ice. When the ashen-haired girl instead felt snow fluttering across her face instead, she felt relieved that her life lasted more than an hour or two, but also confused due to the fact that they were still alove. A couple seconds later, the ice restraining the two girls had seemingly transformed into snow as well.

“What the heck…?” Stelle muttered. She looked to her right, and found a dark blue knight standing in front of Snow Bowl Kirby. The knight sheathed his golden blade, and turned around. To both her and March’s surprise, he bowed at the waist.

“I apologize for Kirby’s behavior. I assure you, he was only concerned about the wellbeing of the station and the planet,” The knight said. He wore blue chestplate, gray gauntlets and pauldrons, and purple greaves. His face was completely obscured by a silver mask with chevron split, allowing a pair of glowing yellow eyes to peer through. Attached to his back was an odd-looking purple cape that seemed to move on its own, and the left pauldron had the letter M with sword down the middle emblazoned on it.

The knight looked at Kirby. He blinked once, then twice, and then gazed at Stelle. Again, she felt a pull coming from somewhere. Snow Bowl Kirby blinked again, and after a few seconds, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. The boy flailed his arms around and babbled incoherently, and started bowing rapidly.

“What do you mean, ‘he was only concerned about the wellbeing of the station and the planet!?’ He took one look at us and immediately started attacking!” March yelled hotly, stomping her foot on the floor. Kirby flinched slightly and began twiddling his thumbs. After a few seconds of silence, the boy marched up to the girls and stuffed his hands in his pockets, pouting slightly. Afterwards, he took out two red, juicy tomatoes with a capital M in the center, and muttered what seemed to be an apology.

“Uh… thanks?” Stelle muttered awkwardly. Her golden eyes gazed into his cosmic blue orbs one more time, and time seemed to… stop, around them.

A few seconds later, Kirby’s Super Ability ran out, and his clothing returned to normal. The boy’s eyes became half-lidded, and he stumbled forward. Stelle cursed, and she caught him in her arms. At first, she thought that Kirby had over-extended when fighting them, but once she heard soft snores coming from him, Stelle calmed down. She could March cooing from the side.

The knight looked at the two of them, his eyes flashing green for just a few moments. She had no idea why they did.

“Come, we have much to discuss,” The knight said, walking up to Stelle and taking the boy into his arms. Kirby whined slightly as he pulled him away, but quickly started clinging onto the knight’s chestplate.

“Will he be okay?” Stelle asked tentatively.

The knight nodded. “After a nap, he’ll be back to full strength,” He answered. He led the two women out of the freezing room, but stopped when March huffed and stomped her foot.

“Wait a moment!” She said, pointing an accusatory finger at the knight. “Who are you!? And why should we trust you!? You’re kid tried killing us not even a few moments, so how do we know you’re not just leading us into some sort of trap?” She asked. Stelle blinked and stood next to March, gripping her bat tightly.

“Because if what he said is true, then our entire universe could be headed towards disaster,” Dan Heng said. The two girls whirled around, and saw the archivist standing underneath the doorway, with his clothes repaired and his wounds healed. Stelle then looked towards the knight, and her gaze briefly landed on Kirby, who snuggled closely to his chestplate.

“My name is Meta Knight, and this…” He began. His turned to deep shade of blue, not unlike the boy’s

“This is Kirby.” Kirby smiled at the mention of his name.

META KNIGHT
Lightning / Hunt

Faction: Star Allies
Character Introduction: Leader of Dreamland's military force, The Meta-Knights, and often cited as the Greatest Warrior in the Galaxy. Has a crippling sweet tooth.
VA: Eric Newsome (Same voice as the Super Smash Bros. series)

HP: 1155
ATK: 699
DEF: 415
SPD: 130

BASIC ATK - Triple Slash [Single Target]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 50% of Meta Knight’s ATK to a single enemy.

SKILL - Upper Caliber [Single Target]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 115% of Meta Knight’s ATK to a single enemy, also, the next two Meta-Knights gain an additional attack.

ULTIMATE - Darkness Illusion [Single Target]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 155% of Meta Knight’s ATK to a single enemy, and all Meta-Knights attack every other enemy, dealing Lightning DMG equal to their combined ATK. The Meta-Knight assigned to Meta Knight cannot attack the turn this Ultimate is used.

TALENT - Meta Knightmare Returns [Enhance]: At the beginning of the battle, Meta Knight summons the Meta-Knights (Axe Knight, Trident Knight, Mace Knight, and Javelin Knight), and assigns them to aid one of their Allies. At the end of an ally’s turn, the Meta-Knight assigned to that character will perform a follow-up attack on a random enemy that deals Lightning DMG equal to 70% of their assigned ally’s ATK. In addition, each of the Meta-Knights have their own unique abilities:

• Axe Knight’s attack also hits adjacent enemies. They have a higher chance of being assigned to Erudition allies.
• Trident Knight has a 5% base chance of blocking all damage directed at their assigned ally. They have a higher chance of being assigned to characters with low DEF.
• Mace Knight has a 5% base chance of inflicting Weakness Break on an enemy, regardless of its weaknesses or the amount of Toughness remaining. This chance becomes 80% if they attack an enemy weak to Lightning, including bosses, as long as they have less than 45% of their HP remaining. They have a higher chance of being assigned to Destruction or The Hunt characters.
• Javelin Knight can extend the duration of buffs for two additional turns, however, the assigned ally's party-wide buffs no longer affect themselves. They have a higher chance of being assigned to Harmony characters.

The Meta-Knights flee when their assigned ally is knocked down, and cannot be brought back into battle afterwards.

TECHNIQUE - Tornado Slash [Impair]: Immediately attacks the enemy. Upon entering battle, deals Lightning DMG equal to 80% of Meta Knight’s ATK to all one enemy, and has a 70% base chance of inflicting that enemy with Dizziness for three turns. Enemies that are Dizzy have their ATK decreased by 15%, and have a 55% base chance of attacking another enemy.

ICE KIRBY
Ice / Dreams

ATK - +23
DEF - + 114
SPD - -73

BASIC ATK - Ice Breath [Single Target]: Deals Ice DMG equal to 50% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy.
Super Snow Crash [AoE]: Deals Ice DMG equal to 160% of Kirby’s ATK to all enemies, and each ally has a 60%/25%/15% base chance of gaining 1/2/3 stacks of Packed Ice for three turns. Each stack of Packed Ice increases DMG Reduction by 20%.

SKILL - Ice Sprinkle [Enhance]: Increases the DMG Reduction of all allies by 30% for 2 turns.
Super Impenetrable Snow Man [Enhance]: All allies gain a shield that can absorb DMG equal to 100% of Kirby’s DEF, are given 2 stacks of Packed Ice, and Taunts all enemies for 2 turns.

ULTIMATE - Bring on the Super Ability! Snow Bowl [Enhance]: Kirby transforms into Snow Bowl Kirby, increasing his DEF by 75%, his ATK by 25%, and reducing his speed by 30%, also, he gains 3 points of Copy Essence. Snow Bowl Kirby can only lose one point of Copy Essence at the end of his turn from this point on, however, he becomes Base Kirby once he no longer has Copy Essence. As Snow Bowl Kirby, his Basic ATK becomes “Super Snow Crash” and his skill becomes “Super Impenetrable Snow Man.” Kirby’s turn does not end when he uses this Ultimate.

FLY, KIRBY OF THE STARS!
Light Cone / Dreams

Just a Little More! - The wearer gains an additional turn in their transformed state.

The artwork depicts Kirby riding atop Landia as they fly through Another Dimension. In the background, Bandanna Waddle Dee and Meta Knight can be seen with their weapons in hand, knocking away Dupas and Darpas.

In a shocking turn of events, Magolor has stolen the Master Crown! Who could’ve known such a thing could happen!? Before the deceptive wizard could close the portal for good, Landia lifts Kirby and friends onto their backs, and flies into through just in the nick of time. Can Kirby and his friends find Magolor and beat him before he can take over the universe?

Of course they can! Afterwards, it’s time for lunch!

MY FRIEND AND THE SUNSET
Light Cone / Hunt

Take It! - Increases the ATK of the wearer by 15%. When the wearer takes damage, their next action is Advanced Forwarded by 15%.

The artwork depicts Kirby standing by a cliff that overlooks the endless ocean, as the sun begins to disappear beyond the horizon. He is sitting on a Wheelie, as the Battleship Halberd crashes into the sea. In the corner, a pair of bat wings can barely be seen, flying away from the wreckage.

“...”

“I don’t know what awaits this planet in the future.” The winged knight flies by the cliff and looks down. The child of the Void looks up, and the two lock eyes.

There’s a nod of understanding.

“But… I think we’ll be alright.”

“I’m hungry. I think I’ll go to Chef Kawasaki’s place.”

SUPREME RULER’S CORONATION
Light Cone / Erudition

Black Hole - Increases the wearer’s Crit DMG by 30%. When an ally inflicts Weakness Break on an enemy, the wearer gains 1 stack of Singularity for one turn. Each stack of Singularity increases the wearers Weakness Break Efficiency by 5%.

The artwork depicts Magolor Soul cupping its hands around Magolor, who dons his Interdimensional Traveler outfit and is wrapped in thorny branches. The main eyes of Magolor Soul gazes blankly in front of it, while the red eye in its mouth stares hungrily at Magolor.

“Kirby… ugh! I hate having to rely on you, and your vacant stare when I revealed my grand plan to you was truly insulting. Well, let's see if you can break this thing on my head. If you can, then someday… hee hee heee…!”

“I may get to toy with you again!”

Chapter 3: Station Sundae - 3: Dark Damson

Chapter Text

“Himeko, we’ve returned.”

Meta Knight was the first to speak as the group entered the Master Control Zone. Kirby clinged to his chest, snoring peacefully even as they hurried towards the bridge of the station. In front of them, a woman with red hair and white dress turned around while she was typing on some sort of device.

“Thank goodness you’re back. Asta and Magolor need to speak with you. You can place Kirby here, if you’d like,” Himeko told him, dragging out one of the chairs beside her. Meta Knight tried to place Kirby on the seat, but he whined slightly and started hugging the knight even tighter. It took the combined strength of March, Dan Heng, Stelle, and Meta Knight to pry him away. Himeko giggled at the sight.

“He’s quite fond of you,” She comments. Meta Knight looked at her, his expression unreadable. He nodded silently, and walked towards the bridge of the space station.

“What’s up with him?” March asked suddenly. Dan Heng gave her a disapproving look.

“Nothing. That’s just the way he is,” Himeko said, turning around to face the trio. “Anyways, at least you two are back. It seems this little guy really put you through the ringer earlier!” She ruffled Kirby’s pink hair, causing him to smile.

“Despite his apparent age, he’s a talented warrior. I assume Meta Knight trained him at some point in the past,” Dan Heng commented.

“That’s not even counting his weird copy ability thing. He almost put us on ice, figuratively and literally,” March groaned. “Who are those guys anyway? They just kinda showed up out of nowhere, and the Meta Knight guy didn’t really explain anything other than the entire universe was in danger, or something along those lines.”

“We’ll get to that in a minute. First, we have to address the newcomer,” Himeko said, placing a hand on her hip and glancing at Stelle. “Nice to meet you. I’m Himeko, navigator of the Astral Express.”

“Uh, hi… My name’s Stelle,” The ashen haired girl said nervously, giving a brief wave.

“Stelle…” Himeko whispered under her breath. “Isn’t that a coincidence?”

“Is… there something wrong?” Stelle asked, and Himeko shook her head.

“Nothing. March hasn’t been any trouble for you, has she?” The red haired beauty asked. The girl in question side-eyed Stelle, giving her a half serious glare.

“No, nothing like that. She was really helpful when we were fighting Kirby,” Stelle says. March graciously pats her on the back. Himeko hid a giggle under her hand.

“That’s good to hear, and it's good to know that you’ve all gotten close already. Come with me, Asta has been worried about all of you.” She said, gesturing for the trio to follow her.

“What about Kirby? Do we leave him here?” Dan Heng asked.

“I can carry him,” March suddenly said. Dan Heng looked at her oddly.

“Didn’t he try to kill you–?”

“That was all a misunderstanding!” March said, pouting slightly. "Besides the poor boy is all tuckered out from fighting! He's going to need a friendly face like mine so that he doesn't wake up swinging his arms!"

"...And that makes sense, how?" Stelle asked. March gave her a deadpanned look. After a few seconds, she snapped her fingers and created a diorama made entirely out of ice and snow.

"Oh, you poor, sweet, summer child. Clearly, you do not know the effect that cute girl has on making every single situation a million times better!" She said, haughtily puffing out her chest and creating a pointer sticl made out of ice. A comically large sweat drop appeared on the side of Stelle's head.

“He’s surprisingly light,” Dan Heng said, causing March to suddenly snap her head in his direction. He had grabbed onto Kirby's arm to pull him up, but had accidentally dragged him off the chair. Dan Heng then slung Kirby onto his back, grunting slightly when Kirby held on tightly. Too tightly, in Dan Heng's opinion.

"Oh, come on!" March whined, causing the diorama to shatter.

“First come, first serve. Maybe next time, March,” Himeko says, patting the girl on the shoulder. March grumbled, and she and Dan Heng walked towards the bridge, leaving Stelle and Himeko behind.

“Hey, are you doing okay?” Himeko asked. Stelle looked at her, confused.

“Why do you ask?”

“You did almost die back there. If Meta Knight didn’t show up when he did, things might not have ended well for you,” Himeko reasoned. “That, and you’ve been awfully quiet this entire time.”

“Sorry. Should I have spoken more?” Stelle asked, fidgeting slightly.

“Not if it makes you uncomfortable. I just want to make sure you are okay, and if you’d prefer to stay quiet, that’s fine by me,” The navigator said with a smile. “If you have any problems, you can talk to me or your new friends.”

“Uh… right. I’ll keep that in mind, Miss Himeko.”

“Just Himeko is fine, Stelle. Now, come on. I have a feeling that things are about to get interesting, so to speak.”

“You say that like it’s a good thing,” Stelle jokes, getting a laugh from Himeko. She led the ashen-haired girl towards a bright and large yellow hologram, where the rest of the group were, alongside a young man in white and blue robes completely covering his face, and a woman with pink hair.

“...st of the Antimatter Legion have either been destroyed, or have fled after the destruction of the Doomsday Beast. Our security forces should be capable of dealing with any stragglers left behind,” Asta said, pointing to a holographic screen in front of them.

“And what about those cute monsters? They’re pretty small, but there seems to be an end to them!” March complains.

“Same deal with the Legion. Most of the flock had fled once they realized this little glutton was here,” Magolor said, pointing at Kirby’s pink hair. “But, I can still sense the ripples in space-time from their portals.” Suddenly, he turned around and stared directly at Stelle, making her flinch. From the way his eyes glowed, he was probably smiling underneath his hood.

“Well, if it isn’t the plot device of the hour! I was wondering when you were going to show! The entire operation would have been significantly more difficult if you were a corpse!” Magolor said jovially. Meta Knight glared at him momentarily, causing the wizard to shrug in response. “What? I’m factually correct!”

“You know, you could’ve just ‘we’re so glad you’re here, now our plan can work!’ It’s too early to make death jokes about someone who is nearly dead!” Asta huffed, glaring at the wizard as well.

“It’s fine, really,” Stelle quickly said.

“Wait, hold up! What plan? I thought you said that the Legion and Another Dimension monsters were manageable!” March said, placing a hand on her hip.

“Aww, it’s cute that you think that!” Magolor said, condescendingly patting her on the head until she slapped his hand away. “For now, Another Dimension is manageable, but there is still one problem we have to address; her.” Magolor said, pointing to Stelle. “See, those monsters get stronger the more energy they consume, and right now, this girl is the largest source of energy in the station, Kirby notwithstanding. As long as those portals remain open, the monster will sneak in and find minor power sources that nobody will notice are gone, like aethers, fuel cells, and other nicknacks. We let them steal energy for long enough…”

“They will eventually be strong enough to overpower the station, and consume everything, maybe even the planet below…” Himeko finished.

“That leaves me with more questions than answers,” Dan Heng said. “First off, what is Another Dimension, and how come those monsters haven’t appeared anywhere before? And secondly, how are Stelle and Kirby the biggest sources of energy on the station?”

Magolor blinked, and looked at Meta Knight briefly. The knight shrugged, and Magolor lolled his head to the side, muttering, “Well, we have gone two chapters without an in-depth explanation of the plot. I suppose we have enough time for an exposition dump.” He said, and clapped his hands together.

“A couple of days ago, some big evil chinchilla called Fecto Elfilis kidnapped around 300 people from our planet!” Magolor began.

“...That’s gotta be the set up for a joke, right?” March asked slowly.

Meta Knight shook his head. “No. The events that took place that day were real. I was there, and so was Kirby. We also have photographic evidence, if you need it.”

“No, it’s fine. It just sounds really, really weird…” March said, scratching the back of her head.

“Eh. To be fair, most of Kirby’s adventure’s sound weird without context,” Magolor said to himself. “Anyways! Fecto Elfilis used interdimensional portals in order to kidnap the Waddle Dees, so naturally, Kirby valiantly jumped into one of the rifts and was brought to a new, Forgotten Land, and went on a grand adventure to save the poor Dreamlanders, and stop Fecto Elfilis’ dastardly deeds!”

“What does this have to do with Another Dimension?” Dan Heng asked impatiently. Magolor opened up a portal, and caught a newspaper that fell from it. After rolling it up, he thwacked the spearman in the head.

“I’m getting to that!” Magolor chided. “Anyways, Kirby traveled the land, and at the end of his adventure, he fought and defeated Fecto Elfilis! However, in their last moments, the evil mastermind decided to pull one last trick! They opened a massive portal to our planet and used their psychic powers in order to make our world and the Forgotten Land crash into each other! But the thing… Unlike how Kirby and the Waddle Dees were brought there, Planet Popstar didn’t go through Another Dimension to reach the Forgotten Land. In fact, it bypassed the gap between dimensions entirely.” Magolor clapped his hands twice, and a portal opened up, dropping a balloon in his hands that was already inflated and sealed by a rubber band.

“Imagine, if you will, that the air inside the balloon is Another Dimension. The balloon itself is the barrier between realities, and the air outside is the rest of the multiverse. Now, if you want to go to an alternate dimension, one has to travel through Another Dimension. It’s the law,” Magolor explained. “Now, opening a portal to Another Dimension always runs the risk of allowing Doomers to invade, however, it’s almost always a non issue since you can just close the portal once you’re down.” Magolor demonstrated this by opening the balloon, allowing the air inside to rush outside. “But like I said earlier, Planet Popstar didn’t go through Another Dimension to reach the Forgotten Land. Because of that, the portal Fecto Elfilis created tore through who knows how many dimensions, and shattered reality as a result.” Magolor tossed the balloon behind him. As it slowly floated the ground, a Deadly Needle appeared underneath it and shot upwards, skewering it before it could fully pop. The balloon scattered remains flew all over the Master Control Zone.

“Because of the many cracks in reality, portals to Another Dimension have been opening all over the multiverse. Our faction, the Star Allies, have been running ourselves ragged trying to close them all. But unfortunately, there’s only so much a small group of people can do to try and fix the dimensional barrier between dimensions.”

“That’s… a lot to take in,” Stelle says. “What kind of energy do the Doomers need to take? Is it a specific kind of energy, or do they just need to eat like normal animals?”

“Doomers can eat normal food. However, they will consume whatever they can get their hands on. Solar, nuclear, thermal, electrical, it doesn’t matter to them. So long it supplies them with the energy that they need, they will find it, and absorb it,” Meta Knight explained, turning to look at a wide-eyed Asta and Stelle. “That includes the engine of this ship, and you as well.”

“You see, you are a very special type of human, my dear Stelle. You have a Stellaron inside of you. From what I can tell, having such dangerous and powerful objects inside your very soul isn’t very healthy in this universe,” Magolor said.

“I have a… what in my soul?”

“A Stellaron,” Himeko said. “It’s also called the ‘Cancer of All Worlds’ by the Interastral Peace Corporation. They are lifeforms capable of distorting and infecting people, places and reality itself. If left alone, they can infect entire planets.”

“I… I have something like that inside of me!?”

“Relax! From what I can sense, the Stellaron is quite stable inside your body. In fact, I think the fight with Kirby might have scared it a little bit! It’s emitting less energy than normal... but the output is still enough to attract the attention of Another Dimension.” Magolor explained. “Other than that, you will be pleases to know that you won’t suffer a painful or sudden death because of your personal nuclear power plant. At least, not yet anyways!”

“Then, what about Kirby?” Dan Heng asked.

“You needn’t worry about him. We’ve faced the forces of Another Dimension, and they are no match for him. As to how he was born with such power… that’s a story for another time,” Meta Knight waved off the question.

“Okay, so we need to stop them before they eat any power sources. But, the Doomers and the other monsters are just looking for food! Why can’t we just give them some aethers, force them back in the portal and close it afterwards?” March asked.

“...Have you ever fed a wild animal in your life?” Magolor said rhetorically. “You feed them once, next thing you know, they and the rest of the flock will be swarming you until the end of time! There’s also the teeny, tiny little tidbit that–according to multiple historic records and my own investigations–that Sphere Doomers are capable of warping reality once they have gained enough energy.”

“Of course they can…” Asta groaned. “And the Sphere Doomers won’t stop eating, even after they've consumed everything in this dimension, right? Once they’ve gotten everything, they’ll just go into another dimension, and another, until there’s nothing left?”

“Pretty much, so it’s imperative that we close the portals as soon as possible. That being said, closing the rifts is a fairly simple task. On paper. Or Ao3 in this case. We will need to travel inside, and defeat the Sphere Doomer keeping the rift open. Once that’s done, the space will collapse in on itself, severing the connection between the station and Another Dimension,” Meta Knight explained.

“If only it were that easy. If it were really as simple as you say, you would’ve already sent the security force inside the portals,” Asta said in an accusatory tone. Magolor’s eyes glowed in amusem*nt.

“Am I missing here? I feel like Asta dislikes Magolor… A lot,” March said quietly.

“Did something happen between the two of them?” Stelle whispered.

“...I guess you could say Magolor made it his life’s mission to annoy her at every possible turn,” Himeko answered.

“Right again! You really think a flock of monsters will just let you destroy their only way to get food? HA! The moment you start making their way to the Sphere Doomers, every monster in the area will be on you in seconds!” Magolor exclaimed.

“In addition, Another Dimension is an incredibly unstable and highly dangerous plane of existence. The laws of physics are mere suggestions there, and the landscape will constantly shift and alter itself, especially if we are far away from the Sphere Doomers. While I do not doubt the strength of Arlan’s men, this is not something that the ordinary security personnel cannot handle on their own,” Meta Knight elaborated.

“You’re saying we need people with more experience?” Dan Heng asked, to which Meta Knight nodded.

“Yes. Those who deal with the Stellarons and their destructive powers should be strong enough to venture into Another Dimension, and defeat the Sphere Doomers that lay inside.” Meta Knight answered

“Of course we are!” March exclaimed. “But, you said that Another Dimension will be filled to the brim with monsters. How exactly are we going to get them out so that we can get to the Sphere Doomers?”

“Why, that’s simple!” Magolor said, and gestured to the Stellaron host. “We’re going to use her as bait!”

“I’m sorry, what!?” Stelle shouted.

“Relax! If all goes according to plan, then you’ll have no nothing to worry about!” Magolor reassured her. “All you have to do is stand in front of the portal, maybe stick your head inside so that the monster can get a good sniff. Once they do, they’ll start chasing, and you’ll have to lead them around while everyone else goes inside and defeats the Doomers.”

“But, I don’t even know the layout of the station! What if I hit a dead end, or make a wrong turn, or one of the monsters takes me by surprise!?” She said frantically.

“Pfft! I’m a lot of things, but it’s not like I’m going to send you to your death! At least, not yet anyways!” Magolor jokes, making everyone besides Meta Knight shiver slightly. He reaches into his collar and tosses a device with dark blue lens at the Stellaron Host. She almost drops it, but manages to grip it tightly before it clatter to the ground.

“Woah… is that supposed to be some sort of scouter?” March asked.

“Sure, if you want to look at it that way. It has a map of the station, and connects directly to the Lor Starcutter. If you’re ever in a pickle, just press the button on the side, and the Lor will automatically portal you to the safest spot on the station, except the MCZ, of course,” Magolor told her. “Once all the portals have been closed, we’ll make our way to you and finish off the monsters ourselves. Great plan, dontcha think?”

“How long would it take for us to get to the Sphere Doomers? If it takes too long, Stelle might run out of stamina in order to flee from the monsters,” Dan Heng pointed.

“It shouldn't take more than two minutes per portal. Defeating the Sphere Doomers will also be a quick affair, so long as they don’t overwhelm us,” Meta Knight, and then looked towards Stelle. “Are you alright with this plan? We could always change if you don’t want to act as bait.”

“...If it helps in getting rid of the monsters, I’ll do it,” Stelle answered firmly.

“Are you sure? We have no idea how many monsters are hiding in those portals right now. It might be too much for you to handle,” Asta added.

“In that case, why don’t I stay behind and help her, Lady Asta?” Stelle raised her brows, and turned around.

“Arlan? No, you’ve been injured! I need you here so that you can monitor the situation, and help Stelle in case something happens to the scouter,” Asta said, immediately shooting down his suggestion. Magolor’s eyes glowed brightly.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean–!”

“Meta Knight, Magolor, how many monsters are going to be guarding the Sphere Doomers?” Arlan asked.

“...Roughly ten to thirty monster’s per portal. It usually depends on how Another Dimension has manifested. If it has many bottomless pits and walls, the Sphere Doomer may not see the need for many guards,” Meta Knight said.

“From… personal experience… I can definitely say that the number of monsters can vary from level to level. There does tend to be a higher count if the Sphere Doomers are particularly powerful, or have found a source of energy that they can feast on,” Magolor mentioned, adding his two cents. Arlan nodded in thanks, and then walked up Asta.

“I know you’re worried about me, Lady Asta, and reasonably so. But you’ve heard what they have to say. Three portals, with ten to thirty monsters standing guard, perhaps more. That could easily add to over hundreds of monsters rampaging all over the station, and trying the best to catch her specifically,” Arlan said. Stelle fidgeted slightly, and strangely, Kirby frowned in his sleep.

“And you think you can take out all of those monsters by yourselves, with just the two of you?” Asta asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Of course not. I don’t think anybody can takeout that many monsters by themselves.” Meta Knight crossed his arm, Magolor coughed, and Kirby let out a particularly loud snore. “But, I do have an idea on how to at least minimize her chances of failure.”

“Oh, do you? Now this I gotta hear!” Magolor said excitedly, shoving Asta to the side so that he could pat Arlan’s shoulder, glancing briefly at March, Dan Heng, and Stelle.

“Well, what are you all standing there for? We’ve got a plan to formulate and some monsters to exterminate!” Magolor said ecstatically. He snapped his fingers and created a smokey portal underneath the group, causing everybody to fall down. Each of them let out a gasp of surprise, except for Kirby (who was still sleeping) and Meta Knight (who turned his cape into bat wings, and slowly descended).

“Hey, Kirby…” Slowly, the pink puffball opened his eyes. He yawned, and after rubbing the sleepiness out of his starry eyes, looked up to see Meta Knight’s mysterious yellow eyes. Kirby smiled at him and leapt from his seat, ready to start the new adventure.

“Kirby up and running?” Magolor asked. Kirby stepped forward and punched the air with his fist, a determined glint in his eyes. “Great. Now, let’s go over the plan one more time.”

“First off, Stelle and Arlan, once the girl manages to attract the monsters from Another Dimension, you’ll be leading throughout the Space Station, using this path that we drew. The Lor Starcutter will have portals prepared for at the dead ends, and once you’ve been teleported to a safe place, the security force will shoot down as many monsters as they can. Rinse and repeat until they have been completely eradicated!” Behind him, the gray-haired duo nodded, each tightly gripping their respective weapons.

“Meanwhile, the rest of you will be inside the portals,” Asta continued. “Meta Knight, Himeko, and March will travel in one portal in the Supply Zone, while Magolor, Dan Heng, and the… Herta puppet will travel to the one in the Base Zone,” She finished with a groan. Looking to the left, he saw a marionette wearing a purple dress, though somebody had replaced the hat with cat ears and drew whiskers on the face. He could hear Magolor humming to himself, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.

“Kirby, you will enter the portal inside the Storage Zone, by yourself,” Meta Knight explained. The puffball nodded in understanding, and watched carefully as Meta Knight reached behind his cape, and pulled out a sheathed broadsword. Kirby’s eyes brightened as the knight tossed the blade into the air, and began inhaling.

The sword shattered into easily digestible bits, and flew into the insatiable vortex that was Kirby’s interdimensional stomach. After swallowing, Kirby began shining, and the human’s watched with intrigue as Kirby’s outfit changed into a set of chainmail armor underneath a green tunic. He now wore white pants with knee-length brown boots with a pair of star-shaped knee guards. On his arms were leather gauntlets with a star motif, and he now had a green, phrygian cap with a yellow ball of wool at the end. Sword Kirby raised his hand, and the air in front of him shimmered, forming into a silvery sword with blue hilt.

“I still don’t understand how that works,” March says.

“Don’t think about it too much, okay? Y’know, there’s a saying on Popstar that I just made up. ‘If it works, don’t think about it too much!’” Magolor said.

“How can it be a saying if you just made it up?” Stelle shot back.

“Because I’m from Popstar!” Magolor exclaimed.

“No, he’s not,” Meta Knight muttered cooly.

“Wait, what? But I thought you guys were all from the same planet–?” March began, only to be interrupted when Magolor clapped his hands together.

“Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have folks! Now, let’s quell the monster threat before reality becomes irreversibly broken!” He exclaimed, and then opened portals to their designated locations. For March, the portal opened beside her feet, and a slight shriek had cut off any retort she tried to make

“Ready?” Arlan asked Stelle, just as the portal opened behind them.

“Yeah,” Stelle said quietly. She smiled at March and Dan Heng, who gave her a thumbs and no respectively. Afterwards, she glanced at Kirby. The two locked eyes for a brief moment, and Kirby gave her thumbs up and a large smile. She returned the gesture with a hesitant smile, and afterwards leapt into the portal with Arlan in tow.

“Alright. the rest of you, get ready. March, do the thing,” Magolor told her. The girl with iridescent eyes pouted at him, and snapped her fingers. After a few seconds, Kirby and the rest of the group were encased in a thin layer of ice. Kirby moved his arm, and found that the ice was rather flexible and breathable. He should have no trouble moving with this, and if he loses Sword, he could always eat the ice to get the Copy Ability.

“Alright, the Supply Zone portal just released the hounds. Meta Knight, your team’s up!” Magolor exclaimed. Meta Knight nodded, and Himeko pressed a button on her suitcase, causing a drone with sawblades to pop out.

“Good luck everyone!” March said as the group jumped into the portal. Before it closed, Meta Knight glanced back at Kirby, his eyes shining a mixture of purple and green. Kirby reassured him with a smile and a nod, and he could see that the knight's eyes became deep blue, just like his own (minus the stars), as the portal closed.

“Just a few more seconds, and… Kirby! Storage Zone’s open. It’s time, you god of destruction, you!” Magolor said, opening a portal to the Zone. Kirby nodded, and just before going through, he promised everybody that he would buy them a big slice of strawberry shortcake if they all survived.

“That sounds like a swell idea, Kirby!” Magolor said, drawing a confused look from Dan Heng.

“Wait, what did he say–?” Kirby managed to hear him say before the portal closed. Kirby landed on his feet and spun on his heel, and he immediately pushed off the ground and jumped into the star shaped vortex. He held onto the Sword Ability as hard as he could, and managed to enter the spatial distortion without losing the ability.

Like all those times, Kirby spun in the air uncontrollably as the lack of and inconsistency of gravity began to affect his descent. Luckily, he grew accustomed to the feeling in record time, and managed to land on the steel floor.

The usual sights were still here, like grid planes and vortexes, the floating geometric shapes, and the random pieces of ruined, modern architecture and technology. In addition to those, however, were walls and floors that looked remarkably similar to the ones found on the Herta Space Station. There were pieces of machinery like the elevators, the hard light bridges linking floating islands together, and naturally, most of the surface was in grayscale.

Kirby looked behind, and as expected, saw the dimensional wall slowly closing in. The pink haired boy spun on as heel and took off with sprint, jumping from platform to platform as the wall began to slowly close in on him.

Further down the pocket dimension, Kirby found a couple of Shotzos placed around a tunnel made out of space station pieces and blocked off by Star Blocks. The Shotzo’s activated immediately, and began firing at the pink puffball. Kirby easily weaved his way between the cannonballs and slashed downwards with his sword, destroying the Star Blocks. He reached a cliff and jumped down, landing in a bubble of floating water. He swam to the edge and jumped towards another bubble, which slowly floated to the left. As the bubble slowed down, Kirby swam to the top and quickly climbed up the nearby ladder.

The path was blocked once more, this time by a set of spiky icosahedrons, each one floating into the air and then slamming back into the ground. Kirby frowned and looked behind, watching as the dimensional wall slowly absorbed the hallways and water. Nodding to himself, Kirby waited until the spiked shapes began lifting themselves into the air, and ran all the way to the other side. Soon, the icosahedrons fell back into the ground, and Kirby slid on the ground with a Slide Kick to narrowly avoid being crushed and punctured by them. There was another wall of Star Blocks guarded by Shotzos. Kirby blasted through the wall as easily as last time, which led to another cliff that he nearly fell into. By this point, the grayscale coloring of the surface and platforms started changing into a faded color wash palette.

In front of him, he found the doorway leading to Sphere Doomer’s den, framed by those iconic stars and surrounded by cube of water. The only problem was that the floor was entirely replaced by bottomless pits, and the only way across were floating bubbles blocked by sharp icosahedrons that orbited around them. Kirby took a few steps back, and then ran forwards, jumping towards the nearest bubble while the obstacles were on the other side.

Kirby floated to the top of the bubble (he absentmindedly noticed that his inner tube was joined by two floaties around his arm) and once the sharp shape moved to the other side of the bubble, he leapt towards the closest. Kirby nearly missed the jump, but his fingers managed to graze the water, allowing him to pull himself inside and swim to the top of the bubble. This bubble had two icosahedrons orbiting around it, and they moved too fast to jump through normally. Kirby moved as close as he could to the edge of the bubble, and waited.

Once he saw the shapes pass by him, Kirby leapt out of the water bubble and let the second crash into his back. The protective ice around him shattered, and he launched towards the next and last water bubble. From this distance he could see the doorway to the Sphere Doomer’s den. The only problem was that now there were four icosahedrons. Kirby looked behind him, and saw that the dimensional wall had already consumed the water bubble he was just on.

He gritted his teeth and examined the spinning shapes closely. After a few seconds, he noticed that icosahedrons would slowly float closer to the doorway, almost to the point that they touched, until slowly floating away and making the gaps between them much larger. Kirby nodded to himself, and tried jumping towards the cube…

Only to realize that the wall had managed to absorb his legs.

Kirby eyes widened as he grabbed his legs, the wall slowly absorbing him. His foot felt tingly, and not in a good way. It was more like a “your body is slowly disintegrating while simultaneously melting and freezing” kind of way. Kirby pulled with all his might, but only managed to dislodge his leg slightly. With how (not) quickly the wall moved, it practically undid any progress he made while also reaching up to his knee. So, instead of pulling, Kirby reared back his hand, and punched the wall as hard as he could.

The impact rippled the across wall’s surface, and forced it back a few feet. Now that he was free, Kirby jumped out of the water bubble and brought his feet to his chest. He kicked them against the dimensional wall, forcing it back even more, and launching himself towards the cube of water. He swam to the edge and waited until the icosahedrons floated away. Once they did, Kirby swam out and unsheathed his sword. When one of the geometric shapes came close, he stabbed his sword into the polygon. Since it was a Stage Hazard, it didn't break or dent, and because of that, Kirby was able to launch himself towards the entrance of the den.

He managed to grab the very bottom of the doorway and pulled himself inside.

After passing through, Kirby found himself in a room that looked eerily similar to the Master Control Zone. Even the large yellow hologram of the planet was there. A few seconds later, Kirby flinched from an unholy screech that echoed all over the room, and watched a bundle of light appeared in front of him. The light split in half, forming into a normal Sphere Doomerand an Ice Doomer EX.

The normal Doomer swooped towards Kirby with its fangs bared, while the Ice Doomer started shooting out frozen energy bullets. Kirby easily sidestepped the swooping attack, and weaved between the frozen balls. When the normal Doomer swooped back for another bite, Kirby jumped over it and thrust his sword downwards, stabbing the Doomer in the back.

The monster screeched, and flew away as Kirby pulled his sword free. When he did, the Ice Doomer teleported above him and covered itself with frosty winds. Kirby dodged to the left as the Doomer crashed into the ground, letting in an icy energy. The pink puffball, readjusted the grip on his sword and ran towards Ice Doomer, slashing rapidly as it teleported above him again. Kirby jumped out of the way, into the path of another energy bullet from the normal Doomer. It exploded against his tunic, searing it slightly, but luckily the chainmail had tanked most of the damage. The normal Doomer fired another energy bullet, and Kirby batted it away with his sword, causing it to crash into the ice Doomer.

The Doomer’s howled in unison, and teleported to the center of the field. There, they sent out waves of spatial distortions, causing a migraine to trigger in Kirby's head. As he recovered from the mental attack, the spherical birds swooped and bit down on Kirby’s sword hand and leg. The mist from the Ice Doomer’s breath started freezing his leg. Kirby shook the Doomer off him, and then thrust his arm forward, dislodging the normal Doomer and making it crash into the ice variant.

After a shriek, the Doomers both retreated to the edges of the battlefield, and started spinning in place. The normal Doomer fired out multiple energy bullets, while the ice variant created a Mini Black Hole. Kirby’s legs wobbled, both from his migraine and the mini black, and eventually fell onto his back. The Sphere Doomers shrieked, and as the Ice Doomer charged another blast of cold energy, the normal Doomer swooped down and tackled Kirby, slamming into his stomach.

The puffball grunted and grabbed the Sphere Doomer by the wings, gripping them tightly. As the demon bird struggled, Kirby jumped up and slammed it into the ground, letting the gravitational force of the black hole drag them forwards and grinding the Doomer against the floor. Kirby then lifts his leg and punts the Doomer away, causing the monster to explode in a cloud of black mist. Once the explosion ends, the large purple battery that was inside the monster’s body clatters to the ground and cracks.

Kirby looks up, and sees the Ice Doomer above him. It falls to the ground, instantly freezing everything around. Kirby managed to jump away in the nick of time, and slashes at the monster with his sword. The Doomer screeches and flies away, shooting large icicles at Kirby from its mouth. Kirby dodges the first two and deflects the third, but the force knocks him backwards, inching closer and closer to the black hole behind him.

The Ice Doomer spits out a few energy bullets that begin to orbit around it, and then charges right at Kirby. The former puffball plants his feet on the ground, and just as the monster is about to crash into him, Kirby cartwheels to the side. From his perspective, time seems to slow down. Kirby’s sword then begins to glow orange, and as the monster slowly passes by him, Kirby spins rapidly on his heel, swinging his sword in a wide arc around him.

The black hole slowly collapses in on itself as the Ice Doomer’s lower jaw falls to the ground, and the head slowly flies off the battlefield. Both pieces explode, letting out a cloud of black mist as the Light Cone it had been storing in its mouth falls to the ground and shatters.

With the doomers gone, color returns to Another Dimension, and the floor, platforms and the giant hologram look exactly as they did on the space station. Kirby nodded to himself, and picked up the broken battery and the shattered light cone. Hopefully, somebody on the station should be able to find a way to repair them.

One of the light cone pieces slipped between his fingers and fell to the ground, breaking even more.

…Nothing a little glue or duct tape can’t fix, right?

It would be simple, Magolor said.

All she and Arlan had too was run, Magolor said.

The security department would take care of stragglers, Magolor said.

There would be only a hundred or less monsters, Magolor said.

“This way!” Arlan shouted as they made their sixth lap around the Supply Zone. Despite knowing the path by heart at this point, Stelle nearly missed the hallway they had to duck into. She skid across the floor, placing a hand on the ground to keep herself just as the horde came barreling through the hallway. Darpas, Dippas, Dupas, and even a handful of Deppas chased the duo, fangs bared and constantly firing off energy bullets and they chased after her.

In front of them was a dead end, but luckily, the Lor Starcutter had already conjured a portal which would take them to the Base Zone. Stelle could also hear the gunfire coming from behind; the rest of the security department were shooting down as many monsters as they could, but they could only do so little when the literal wave of monsters was made up of over 500 individuals. Thankfully, they managed to thin the horde to only thirty or so monsters, but that still meant fighting off way too many of them.

Stelle knows she’s only been alive for… three, five hours(?) at this point, but somehow she feels as though she’s aged a century from the stress alone.

Her thoughts were violently pushed to the back of her head as an energy bullet exploded against her back. She suddenly felt far too cold and too hot as she collapsed onto the ground and skidded across the floor, dropping her bat in the process

“Stelle!” She could barely hear Arlan shout. Her weapon was quickly consumed by a Dupa. Arlan grabbed Stelle by shoulder and dragged her to her feet, and pushed her inside the portal. She landed on one of the hard light bridges, nearly falling down the large drop to bottom floors had she not grabbed onto the edge. As she struggled onto to pull herself up, Stelle felt something bite into the legs and side.

“What the–!?” Stelle sputtered out as she felt another pair of fangs bit down her neck. Gunshots echoed all over the room, and the pain quickly subsided. Soon after, one man from the security department hauled her up, gripping an assault rifle with its other hand.

“The last wave of monsters didn’t follow you through the portal! They stayed behind and started blocking it off with junk!” The man on the left said.

“They what!? sh*t!” She tapped the button on the side of her scouter. Immediately, the Lor had sent her directions that would lead her to the south side of the facility. Those same instructions were also transmitted to all the security personnel inside, and they immediately began leading her towards the location of the next portal.

A few seconds later, Arlan burst through the entrance portal, his arm and sword completely covered in Darpas. Despite not having mouths, the winged monsters were somehow biting off small pieces of his weapon. Even when he discharged electricity to fry them, another set of Darpa’s and Dupas simply replaced them.

Stelle threw herself to the floor as Arlan threw his sword into the air, allowing the security personnel to shoot them off his sword. The blade tumbled to the ground, with the upper half having multiple bite marks and missing a few small chunks. “Oh great…” Stelle could hear him mutter.

“Brother Arlan! Are you alright?” She heard the security personnel ask.

“I’ll be fine. What about Stelle?”

“I’m okay. Just need to catch my breath, is all…” Stelle muttered hoarsely. As she was slowly pulling herself, Stelle heard that horrible screeching sound. She turned around, and saw that remaining monsters had started forcing themselves through the portal. Only 17 monsters remained.

“Fire everything!” Arlan shouted, pointing his sword at the monsters. The security department cheered, and fired off a seemingly endless rain of bullets. The monsters from Another Dimension scattered, spreading themselves thin and firing off their own shots.

“Look out!”

Stelle immediately jumped backwards, watching with widened eyes a large Dupa, probably twice her size, bit off a large chuck of the floor she was standing on. The egg monsters hobbled towards her, and launched an energy bullet at her, which she dodged, and then quickly countered with a punch to its forehead.

Her fist sank inside the monster, almost like she was attacking slime. The monster made out a sound like laughter, until it noticed that Stelle didn’t seem very fazed. The host smirked as she wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her bat, and pulled it out of the monster's slimy body. The Dupa shrieked, and instantly shrank back to its normal size, allowing Stelle to smack it away, and send it flying into a Dippa, killing them both.

That’s all of them, the Lor Starcutter messaged her. Stelle let out an exhausted sigh as a raucous cheer filled the Base Zone, and collapsed onto the floor back first. She immediately flinched as painful stinging sensation filled her entire back.

“Geez, that’s a nasty burn you’ve got there,” Magolor said, his face only inches away from her own. Stelle shrieked and swung her bat at him, only for him to teleport to her side, floating above the ground with his legs crossed.

“Oh my god don’t scare me like that!” Stelle shouted at him. Magolor simply giggled at her expense.

“Well, at least you’re not dead! That’s gotta count for something, doesn’t it?” Magolor asked.

“I… guess so. Where’s Dan Heng and the puppet?” Stelle asked.

“The boy’s getting his wounds treated. He got shot in the gut by a couple of Shotzo’s and is currently being treated in the medical ward,” Magolor said dismissively. Stelle frowned slightly. “He got the lost hit on the Sphere Doomer before he conked out, so he should be fine awake in a few minutes. As for the puppet… hee hee heee!”

“Really? This twerp is the host you’ve been talking about?” Stelle looked to Magolor’s side, and found the modified puppet walking up next to him. The right side of its body seemed to be melting, and its clothes were scorched. Looking up, she saw that the dolls hat had a small fire on the top of its head, and most of the hair had been burned off.

“Since when were you alive?” Stelle asked dumbly. It looked like the puppet wanted to narrow its eyes, but its left eyelid wasn’t working properly. All in all, it looked less like a small human girl, and more like a crazed scientist that had been in one too many lab accidents.

“This, my poor, dear, ignorant, stupid Stelle, is the 83rd member of the Genius Society, the scientist behind the formula of de-aging, the savior of The Blue planet below, the bearer of cursed knowledge, and fellow scientist searching for such knowledge!” Magolor exclaimed dramatically. “And, in a sense, she can be considered your godmother! Behold! Madam Herta, master of the Herta Space Station!”

“You’re so dramatic,” Herta drawled.

“But I did do a better job of introducing you than Himeko, correct?”

“That never even happened in this timeline,” Herta said, jabbing Magolor with her melting elbow. “But yes, it was far better than her introduction. At least you mentioned more than one of my incredible accomplishments.”

“I’m sorry… What are you two talking about? And what’s this about Herta being my… godmother?” Stelle asked slowly. Herta sighed.

“Really. You still haven’t figured it out?” The puppet huffed, her voice box glitching slightly. “You were created on my space station. And for some reason, you are being powered by my Stellaron,” Herta said rather vaguely.

“And that means…” Stelle said worriedly.

“I’m debating whether or not I should consider you my property.”

SWORD KIRBY
Physical / Dreams

ATK - +119
DEF - +30
SPD - +12

BASIC ATK - Multisword Attack [Single Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 80% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy.
Super Sword Strike [Blast]: First deals Physical DMG equal to 70% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy and 50% of Kirby’s ATK, and then deals elemental DMG that corresponds to a random Ultra Sword that Kirby’s draws (Fire = Qlipoth’s Lance, Ice = Jingliu’s Sword, Imaginary = Underworld-King’s Sword, Lightning = Lightning Herrscher’s Domain of Sanction, Physical = Stelle’s Bat, Quantum = Silver Wolf’s Prometheus, Wind = Dandelion Knight's Primordial Jade Cutter) and is equal to 70% of Kirby’s ATK to single enemy and 50% of Kirby’s ATK to adjacent enemies.

SKILL - Sword Dive [Blast]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 120% Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy, and 80% of Kirby’s ATK to adjacent enemies.
Super Energy Charge [Enhance]: Increases Kirby’s ATK by 40%, until his next attack. Kirby’s turn does not end when he uses this Skill, however, he cannot use this Skill more than 3 times in a row, but the next sword he draws during his Basic ATK is guaranteed to reduce as many enemies' Toughness as possible.

ULTIMATE - Bring on the Super Ability! Ultra Sword [Enhance]: Kirby transforms into Ultra Sword Kirby, increasing his ATK by 75%, his DEF and SPD by 35%, also, he gains 3 points of Copy Essence. Ultra Sword Kirby can only lose one point of Copy Essence at the end of his turn from this point on, however, he becomes Base Kirby once he no longer has Copy Essence. As Ultra Sword Kirby, his Basic ATK becomes “Super Sword Strike ” and his skill becomes “Super Energy Charge.” Kirby’s turn does not end when he uses this Ultimate.

SONG OF SUPPLICATION
Light Cone / Nihility

Happy Birthday, Dark Lord - When the wearer applies a debuff to an enemy, that enemy is Corrupted. While an enemy is Corrupted, all DoT that enemy receives is increased by 12% for two turns. This effect can stack.

The artwork depicts the Three Mages Sisters in the Divine Terminus, kneeling before the Jamba Heart. Behind them, an army of Jambelievers can be seen, their hands clasped in prayer. The crystalline heart still has the Heart Spears stabbed into it, and Hyness is nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, Zan?”

“Shh.”

“Zan.”

“Quite, Flamberge.”

“...Fine.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“It’s nothing, Franny. It can wait.”

“...”

“What’s with the look?”

“Flamberge, Francisca, quite.”

“Of course. Japologa.”

“Uh… shutting up now.”

[It’s about Lord Hyness, isn’t it?]

[Zan’s still acting like nothing has changed. I’m worried about her.]

FOUR ADVENTURERS: COOKIE COUNTRY
Light Cone / Harmony

The Adventure Begins - When the wearer attacks or is attacked, they gain Adventure Points equal to 0.1% of DMG dealt or taken. The next time the wearer supports an ally, the amount of Adventurer Points is added to the percentage increase of the buff, consuming all Adventure Points.

The artwork depicts the Lor Starcutter after its crash landing. Outside, Magolor can be seen waving a handkerchief at Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee, King Dedede, and Kirby as they run down the forest path, and head towards Cookie Country.

It was a bright day on Pop Star when a mysterious ship crashed and landed right next to our beloved. Wanting to help, Kirby and friends enter the Lor Starcutter, and find an alien named Magolor inside. But what’s this? It seems that his ship lost all of its power sources in the crash, and Magolor is now stranded on Pop Star!

This simply won’t do! Kirby and his friends offer to help the poor alien recover the Energy Sphere’s to get the Lor up and running. In exchange, Magolor will take them to his home planet of Halcandra, located in another dimension. Sounds like a fun adventure! What can go wrong?

Everything, of course!

WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD!
Light Cone / Abundance

Hearts Full of Love - Increases Outgoing Healing by 15%. Increases Outgoing Healing by 35% when healing an ally with less than 20% of their HP remaining.

The artwork depicts Car Mouth Kirby next to a bridge, located next to a city overrun by nature. A family of ducks is standing beside him, but Kirby is more interested in the rusted radio on the bridge’s control panel.

“Stranger horizon. Ready to go.”
“Feast your eyes on a new world!”
“A new dreamland. A place where you’ll laugh and smile.”
“Along the way, stuff your belly and nap a while.”
“No one can hold you back. New fields full of mystery.”
“The sky’s opened up, and there’s so much to see!”
“Running wild!”
“Just let your heart take the wheel and show you the way!”
“Fresh spring breeze!”
“Adventure is awaiting you in the fields of a new world!”

Vocals by Neichel
Lyrics by Shinya Kumazaki
Composition by Tadashi Ikegami
Arrangement by Taro Nagata & Yuuta Ogasawara

Chapter 4: Station Sundae BOSS: Sweet Souls

Chapter Text

Stelle received 1 new message from Kirby

Kirby: wocboeinpqwmwovbie

Stelle: ???

Kirby: ei3b92nf03uvnpoemceib

Stelle: I… have no idea what you’re saying

Kirby: weoinvpomebvn23jf308b

Kirby: eivnpqmfjber0iwndoueb

Stelle: Whatever it is, I agree with your opinion

Kirby: o3unv3riubv

Kirby: ((+_+)) ((+_+)) ((+_+))

Stelle: …

Stelle: Good talk, Kirby

“Stelle, you’re alright!” March says, crashing into the gray-haired girl and giving her a bone crushing hug.

“March, March, March I just came out of surgery!” Stelle cried, rapidly tapping onto the ice girl’s shoulder. She gasped, and immediately released Stelle from her iron grip.

“Oh no! Did something happen? You’re not dying are you!?” She cried, tears forming in her (pretty) eyes.

“I got bites on my neck and arms, but they’ll recover soon…” Stelle said.

“Oh… How deep did they go…?” March asked quietly.

“Not very far, and they closed up with a few stitches, but… My back was badly burned from an energy bullet, so they had to perform a skin graft. They got the extra skin from my leg, so now it feels kinda sore,” Stelle explained. March’s expression dropped slightly, and she nervously bit her lip.

“Oh… uh…” She stuttered, looking at Stelle’s golden eyes nervously. “What’s a skin graft?”

“It’s a special procedure used to repair broken skin by using healthy skin from another part of the body,” Dan Heng told her. The girls turned around, and found Dan Heng limping towards them, supporting his weight on a cane. Even though he was still wearing his shirt, Stelle could see dark splotches staining his chest and stomach.

“Ah… those are from the Shotzos, right?” Stelle asked, and Dan Heng nodded.

“Shotzos…” March parroted. “What are those? I know that Dupas are the green eggs, Darpas and Dippas are the purple blobs with wings, and Deppas are the big ones with the horns, and I think at some point Meta Knight shouted something about… Halcandra Dees?”

“Shotzos are just cannons,” Dan Heng answered. “Some of them can track your location.”

“Cannons with… wings? Or weird eyeballs? Lasers?” March prodded.

“No. Just normal cannons filled with lead,” Dan Heng said.

“Ah,” March said awkwardly. “So, what else did your portal have?”

“Too much fire, if you ask me. According to Madam Herta, the space looked like a volcano on the planet below, back when it was active,” He answered. “Inside the den, we fought two Fire Doomers, but the arena we were in was surrounded by Shotzos. I was dealing with one of the Doomers alongside the puppet, but at that moment, Madam Herta logged on. Her movements stopped suddenly and ended up getting shot as a result.”

“That… must’ve hurt,” Stelle commented, awkwardly scratching the soreness on her legs. She felt her injuries were tame and miniscule compared to Dan Heng’s. He didn’t even mention any burns from the fire hazards or the Doomers.

At the thought of Madam Herta, Stelle frowned considerably.

“Stelle, is something wrong?” Dan Heng asked.

“Nothing,” Stelle immediately said. “I’m just… hungry. Yeah, that.” Dan Heng and March looked at each other, and that at Stelle.

“Are you sure? I know you had an encounter with Madam Herta before they wheeled you off. Did… she say something–?” March was about to say, until she was interrupted when the door suddenly hissed open.

Kirby walked into the room with a rope tied around his waist.

“Poyo!” He cheered, his starry blue eyes shining brightly. The trio looked behind him, and saw that he had wheeled a wagon with him, and on it was a massive cake with white frosting and topped with strawberries and sprinkles. It was also wider than the door to the room, and taller than Stelle.

“I know Magolor can make portals, and Meta Knight can turn his cape into his wings, but how can Kirby wheel in a cake that’s larger than… all of us combined? Through a door that’s smaller than it.” Dan Heng asked. He thanked the pink-haired boy as he handed him a plate with a slice of cake.

“Really? That’s what got you confused and not, ‘how can copy abilities?’ or maybe ‘how come he can solo a Doomsday Beast, the Legion’s planet buster?’ Thanks Kirby!” March said, ruffling his hair as he handed a slice as well. He cooed, and then walked up to Stelle, handing her a plate and fork as well. “Or even better, ‘how could he eat a sword without dying?’”

“Meta Knight was offly handwavy about why he was the strongest person in the room,” Stelle said, taking a bite out of her cake. “Maybe all those things have something to do with that?”

“Don’t eat with your mouth full. It’s disgusting,” Dan Heng chided her, making Stelle pout. “Why don’t we just ask Kirby himself? He is right there.” He motioned to the pink puffball, who had unraveled the string on his waist. Afterwards, Kirby opened his mouth, and began inhaling the cake, finishing four times more than what all of them combined can eat in an entire day in only a few seconds. Kirby licked his lips and let out a satisfied burp, prompting Stelle to glance at Dan Heng.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Aren’t you going to tell him to not burp? It’s disgusting,” Stelle said, a smug look on her face. Dan Heng frowned, and when he turned to the side, flinched. The others saw him placing a hand over his stomach, hissing as pain flared through his body. The red splotches over his bandages seemed to grow.

Kirby frowned and crossed his arms. After a short while, his cosmic blue eyes brightened and he skipped towards Dan Heng. The three watched with widened eyes as Kirby cupped the spearman’s head with both hands…

Only for Magolor to suddenly show up and pull the Pink Demon away.

“Whoa-ho-ho there, buddy! I don’t think that’ll get past the Twitter users!” Magolor exclaimed. Kirby, still in the magician's grasp, pouted and pointed at Dan Heng’s wounds. “Yeah, I know that! But remember how long it took me to get used to that? Heck, Susie still refuses to–!”

“What in the world are you talking about now?” March huffed. “‘Cause if Kirby was going to help heal Dan Heng, however he was going to do it, you should’ve let him do it!”

“Yes, I know, I know! However, what I said still goes. We’re from a different planet from a different dimension. The way we heal wounds is radically different from yours guys’... medicine and surgeries! Honestly, no idea you guys can focus on healing what you’re touching all those guts and gore and stuff!” Magolor complained, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a bright red tomato with black ‘M’ slapped in the middle. “Want your wounds to go away? Just eat this; Maxim Tomatoes recover 100% of your HP.”

Dan Heng took the tomato and examined it. He glanced back at the wizard and puffball, watching them both as they nodded their heads.

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try?” Stelle said, shrugging her shoulders. Dan Heng looked at March, who shrugged as well. After a roll of his eyes, Dan Heng bit into the tomato and swallowed. For a moment, nothing happened.

“I mean… it tastes fine,” Dan Heng mumbled, taking another bite out of the tomato.

“Wow… for Dan Heng to say something tastes fine, that must mean it’s delicious!” March exclaimed, getting Stelle to raise one eyebrow. “Those tomatoes aren’t factory made or something, right?”

“Of course not! They’re just filled with nutrients and high quality healing magic for some reason! But, right now we don’t have time to go over the workings of food! Your godmother wants to see you, Stelle,” Magolor told her. Stelle flinched slightly.

“She’s not my godmother,” Stelle said, her mouth clenched. Kirby and March looked at her oddly. Magolor raised his hand and presumably opened his mouth to speak, but after a few seconds, his eyes flickered and he lowered his hands.

“Duly noted,” The wizard replied, opening a portal. Reluctantly, Stelle got up from her seat and walked through, but instead of immediately being taken inside the Emanator’s office, she brought to the entrance where Himeko was standing, her arms crossed and conflicted look on her face. Her arm was bandaged on her coat and seemed to be somewhat torn, but other than that, she seemed completely healthy, even if she was leaning on her suitcase.

“Oh, Stelle, there you are,” Himeko greeted her. “Magolor sent you here a lot earlier than I anticipated.” Stelle simply hummed in response.

“I just want to get this over with,” Stelle groaned, and then looked back at Himeko. “So… what are you gonna do when all… this is over?”

“I’ve been discussing that with Magolor. Now that we know about the threat that Another Dimension poses, I’ve asked him to implement a scanner inside the Astral Express, so that we can detect the portals. After that, it’ll be the same thing we always do: travel the stars, and help people along the way,” She answered with a smile.

Stelle nodded, but then her eyes fell to the floor, fingers clenched tightly into a fist. Himeko noticed this, and after thinking for a few minutes, a smile crept onto the older woman’s face.

“You could always come with us, you know,” Himeko suggested offhandedly, causing Stelle to blink.

“I… huh?” Stelle muttered to herself before looking up at her. “But… I have this… this thing inside of me. I could hurt you.”

“I know. But we Nameless have had dealings with Stellarons. In fact, I’ve managed to subdue the power of multiple Stellarons’ power before with the help of a friend. While having a Stellaron inside your body is a bit unorthodox, but I’m sure we can figure out we’ll be able to quell the problem immediately before it can get worse,” Himeko reassured her. Stelle looked at the navigator strangely.

“...A-are you sure?” Stelle asked quietly, her voice almost a whisper.

“Positive,” Himeko answered, placing a shoulder. “But, it’s your decision. Madam Herta would allow you to stay on the station as well. She also has the technology to suppress Stellarons.” Stelle made a face when the master of the Station was mentioned.

“Nobody’s forcing you to do anything. I’m sure that if you asked, Kirby and his friends let you accompany them on their journey. You are your own person, and as a person, you have the ability to reach the end of your journey in your own way,” Himeko told her.

‘Reach the end of my journey my own way…’ Stelle repeated in her mind. It sounded similar, almost like it came from the muffled sound of that wine-colored woman.

“...Thank you for the offer, Himeko, but I need some time to think before I make a decision,” Stelle told her, bowing slightly. The older woman chuckled at the sight.

“Of course, take as much time as you need,” Himeko said, nodding. “No matter what choice you make, I’m sure your new friends will support you all the way.”

“Right,” Stelle muttered, turning her head towards the door. She breathed in and slapped her cheeks, mentally preparing herself for whatever Herta would say. Once she had successfully steeled herself, Stelle walked towards the door, causing it to open, and allowing the shouts of a scientist and knight to fly out.

“They are not your playthings!” Meta Knight shouted, slamming his hand onto Herta’s desk. “I don’t care if Stelle’s body or soul are synthetic, you are not going to pick apart her to satiate your damn curiosity!”

“You’re not thinking rationally!” Herta shouted. “Do you not know what I can accomplish if I figure out why that twerp’s body can even function in the first place!? I could cure the Xianzhou native’s mara sicknesses, and get rid of their immortality entirely! I could give machines real souls !” She exclaimed, stomping her assumedly wooden foot into the ground, causing it to crack.

“And then there’s the fact that Kirby’s energy output rivals that of an Aeon! An Aeon, despite the fact that he’s a mortal! Mortals can’t even produce energy, they can only consume an Aeon’s power! If I could figure out how to control that energy, I could–!” She began, only for Meta Knight’s cape to spread out, forming into large, bat-like wings.

Stelle could practically feel the anger radiating off of him. His eyes, once bright yellow, changed into a shade of deep, glowing red. His fists were clenched so hard that she could hear the metal of gauntlets creaking. His sword, despite being in its sheath, was letting out sparks of golden electricity, causing the lights and holograms to flicker on and off.

Stelle was scared of Kirby when he was just doing his thing. Now, with Meta Knight’s imposing figure glaring down at the puppet, she could only imagine what he could do if Kirby wanted to be scary.

“If you lay one f*cking hand on either of them, I personally fly to whatever planet your hiding on, and tear you in half from your mouth to your anu–!” Meta Knight paused, and tilted his head back slightly. His wings folded back into a cape and he crossed his arms, letting out a tired sigh as he did so.

“What brings you here, Stelle?” Meta Knight asked. His eyes, while still red, also had spots of pink swirling inside of them. She swears that he sounded slightly embarrassed.

“Herta wanted to speak to me,” Stelle answered. The knight tapped his finger against his arm, glaring at the diminutive puppet.

“Why?” He growled. Even though his anger was not directed at her, she still physically flinched at his tone. Herta gave Meta Knight one final glare, before walking up to Stelle with her hands at her hips.

“As I’m sure Magolor has told you, having a Stellaron inside one’s body is extremely unprecedented, and the fact that it is stable even more so! It’s all so very fascinating to me,” Herta said, before she let out a contemplative, disappointed sigh. “It’s such a shame that the Matrix of Prescience on all the Xianzhou ships stopped working. I would much rather spend my time studying you. Though, I suppose I am quite disappointed the Master Diviner didn’t let me peer into those other timelines again.”

Before Stelle could even question what she meant by that, Herta was already explaining the plight of the Xianzhou. “You didn’t really expect Fecto Elfilis’ blunder only ripped holes in space? Dimensions are separated by space-time, which means that time itself is breaking apart, just as much as space. Though, it’s nothing to be worried about, for now. All forms of precognition are effectively useless. I also wouldn’t recommend time travel research at this point, who knows what could happen with time this disrupted?” Herta paused and smirked to herself.

“I wonder how that maniac is doing, now that he’s unable to see destiny unfold.” She laughed to herself. “Anyways, we need to start talking about the arrangements regarding your stay on the space station.”

“What?” Stelle asked quietly. Immediately Meta Knight moved in front of Stelle, his eyes turning into a deep shade of red once more.

“She hasn't agreed to anything yet,” Meta Knight growled.

“I know that, but that doesn’t mean I can’t convince her!” The doll glances at Stelle with a mischievous, eerie smirk. “So, twerp, what’ll it take for you to stay on the station? If there’s any accommodations you want, I could always pull a few strings and make it happen. It could be anything. Money, entertainment, fancy clothing, an entire planet, men–”

“I’m sorry, but what the hell did you just say!?” Stelle shouted, her face turning bright red. Meta Knight let out a long, deep sigh.

“Or women. Or both, if you’d prefer,” The puppet said without skipping a beat. “Regardless, it doesn’t matter what you want. All you have to do is ask and participate in my experiments, and it’ll be yours.”

Stelle stood there, her face flushed with embarrassment, trying to find the words that won’t immediately cause her to combust on the spot. Eventually, she took a deep breath and hyped herself, ready to deny Herta’s offers. She opened her mouth, and the entire room started shaking.

Meta Knight grabbed Stelle’s shoulder and kept her upright, while Herta’s puppet fell to the ground, the left eye of the puppet shattering as it hit the ground. “Now what? I thought we dealt with all those portals already!”

“Guys! You might wanna take a look at the map!” March’s voice blared through the intercoms in the office. Immediately, Stelle reached into her pockets and pulled out the scouter Magolor gave her earlier. Herta snatched it from her hands, reached into her hat and pulled out a USB cable, plugging it into the device. Her single eye shone, displaying a hologram of the station’s map.

“That… can’t be good…” Stelle muttered.

The station was made up of only four zones. But somehow, another section was added to the Herta Space Station, somehow overlapping with the engine room.

“Doomsday Zone… how imaginative…” Meta Knight muttered as he read the name on top of the screen.

“Hmph, how infuriating,” Herta scowled. “I’ve connected to the puppets near the engine room. It seems as though space is warping around the power source of the station. And yet, the monster hasn’t consumed it yet.”

“It’s Kirby, most likely. It knows he’s on the ship, and knows that it will be destroyed by him if it endangers anyone on the station,” Meta Knight reasoned. He looked to Stelle, yellow glaring into yellow. “Are you well enough to fight?”

“I…” Stelle began shifting her weight onto her leg. Interestingly, she didn’t feel any soreness there. Or pain in her back, for that matter. Her mind then went to the cake Kirby had brought with him, and the Maxim Tomato that Magolor gave to Dan Heng.

‘Sure, why not. If magic tomatoes can heal people, then why not cakes?’

“I am,” Stelle said, determination brimming in her eyes. Meta Knight’s eyes changed to a bright cyan, before returning to their usual color.

“Herta, you, Stelle, Dan Heng, and Kirby will head into the engine room and stop that monster. The rest of us will protect the scientists, and prepare an evacuation should the worst happen,” Meta Knight ordered. Herta rolled her eyes and sighed in response.

“Very well,” Herta sighed, glancing at the Stellaron’s host one more time. “Don’t keep me waiting.” The puppet’s joints locked in place, and she presumably switched her control to the closest puppet. Stelle nodded, and raced out of the room. Himeko had already disappeared, and Magolor’s misty portal had opened.

She stepped through and found herself in a strange location. Looking up, she saw that the roof had faded away, displaying a purply, endless void with grid-like vortexes and planes floating across the sky. Geometric shapes and pieces of ruined architecture floated alongside them, and multiple masses made of cosmic sludge aimlessly moving across the void.

“Poyo!” She heard, and looking forward, she saw Kirby and Dan Heng run towards her.

“Herta’s waiting for us inside the engine room,” Dan Heng told her, spear in hand. Kirby nodded, his tiny hands clenched into fists and eyes twinkling with determination.

“We shouldn’t keep her waiting then,” Stelle said, and summoned her bat from wherever it disappeared to. The trio move forwards, watching as Another Dimension slowly but surely bleeds into their world.

As they run along the hallway, the trio hears a loud screech. Stelle looks up to see a large Sphere Doomer glaring down at her. As soon as they look into each other's eyes, the Doomer flies away, leaving behind a trail of purple feathers. Kirby’s eyes narrowed, and he followed the feathery trail, making Dan Heng and Stelle sprint to simply keep up with him.

Eventually, they make their way to a large, mechanical door framed by rotating stars that float downwards and reappear on top. At each of the door’s sides were two floating pedestals, each of which housed a colored star with an image on it. There was a green sword, a purple, swirling eye, a cyan snowman, and red fire. Kirby jumped up and tapped the fire pedestals, which caused him to transform.

Kirby’s fluffy pink hair ignited, turning into a W-I-L-D-F-I-R-E of red hot flames, some which turned white or blue at the tips. The fire was kept in place by a golden tiara with a blue gem in the center. Like before, his outfit changed as well; his jacket fizzled out of existence, and the stardust changed into a thick, brown apron with a fire design embroidered at the top. Fireproof gloves appeared over his hands with large cuffs that went to his forearm, and his legs were protected by metal bracers with shin guards that had the same design as the apron.

Fire Kirby examined himself in reflection of the door, and nodded to himself. Stelle and Dan Heng looked at each other, and while the Stellaron host looked at her companion, confused, Dan Heng simply gave her a defeated shrug.

“We don’t have time to think about… whatever is that he does,” Dan Heng says and follows after Kirby, pushing the door open.

Passing through, the trio finds themselves walking on the same astral goop that is the walls of another dimension, the ground rippling with each step they take. In the center was a large ball of plasma, almost like a miniature sun, floating in the center of the room. Below it was the endless expanse of space. The planet below looked more like a blue dot than a world brimming with life.

Stelle was snapped out of her reverie when she heard a tearing noise. A mess of limbs and mechanical parts fall from the sky as headless body drops before her. Looking up, her golden eyes see the same large Doomer from before consume the puppet’s head with one gulp, and switch its attention to her, then Kirby.

The Greater Doomer tucks in its wings and howls, swooping at the floor to eat them whole.

“Get down!” Dan Heng shouts. The three of them crouch, narrowly avoiding the bite from the Greater Doomer. He turns around mid-duck and drives the tip of his spear into the bird's body; Kirby spins around and breathes flames into the bird’s mouth. The Greater Doomer shrieks and flies upwards, firing down multiple energy bullets down at the group. Dan Heng and Kirby dodge, while Stelle grips her bat tightly and slams her weapon into them, causing them to fly back to the Doomer. It snarls as the energy bullet crashes against its body, and proceeds to attack them with another swoop attack.

Again the trio dodge, and land multiple hits against the Greater Doomer’s body. Before it can fly away, Kirby grabs the Doomer by one of its tail feathers and spins around, breathing flames his allies slam their respective weapons against the monster’s face. Kirby then tossed the monster into the Space Station’s engine. The Greater Doomer shrieks as electricity courses through its body, singeing its body and burning away at its tail feathers.

The Doomer eventually pulls itself free and shakes its head, as though all the damage it took was just a minor inconvenience. It howls again, but instead of attacking, it flies through the hole in the arena, and disappears.

“...Is that it?” Stelle asked, and immediately clamps a hand over her mouth. She smiles awkwardly as Dan Heng gives a deadpan stare, and Kirby crosses his arms over his new blacksmithing apron.

The ground begins rumbling, and after a few seconds, three Greater Doomers fly in from the hole in the floor, each holding heavy chains in their mouths. The chains carried an ovoid nest-like structure made of purple and gold scrap metal. Kirby blinked, realizing that one of the pieces was the Antimatter Engine that was powering the Doomsday Beast.

A loud shriek echoes through the room. The Nameless and Star Ally glance at the center of the nest, watching as red eyes attached to a golden body peer right at them. A large Dupa monster perks up and howls loudly, opening its mouth to reveal multiple sets of sharp, jagged teeth.

Migrating Flock
NESTING DOOMERS

The Grand Dupa opens its mouth, and immediately begins firing multiple energy bullets at a breakneck pace. While Kirby can avoid the sudden attacks, Stelle and Dan Heng curse as the energy bullets explode against them, knocking them into the wall. The three Greater Doomers then pulled the metallic nest inside the station, dragging it across the floor as they attempted to squash the two humanoids.

Kirby jumped up and covered his body in fire, dashing towards the duo and pulling them away, just as the nest crashed into the wall. The Grand Dupa let out an enraged cry, and fired another volley of energy bullets as the three Greater Doomers chased them down. Kirby chucked the other two away as he dodged the energy bullets, his fists alighting with flames in the process. As the Nesting Doomers came closer to him, he jumped up to avoid the nest slam, and punched the first Greater Doomer in between the eyes. It reeled back slightly, allowing the puffball to blow fireballs into the other Doomers faces. The Grand Dupa shrieked in anger and jumped up, surprising Kirby as it slammed down on top of him. Kirby bounced off the ground–the floor rippling wildly as he did so–only for the Grand Dupa to bite his leg and toss him towards the second Greater Doomer. Just as he was about to become a meal, Dan Heng shot out from seemingly nowhere, and grabbed the puffball’s wrist before he could be eaten.

Off to the side, the other two Greater Doomers glared at Stelle, who had swung her bat to launch Dan Heng over to Kirby. The third lunged at her, swooping down and trying to eat her whole. Stelle slid underneath it as it took a chunk of the floor. When the Greater Doomer turned back around, Stelle had thrown her bat into the Doomer’s face. It fired an energy bullet out of shock and hit Stelle square in the head, launching her to the second Doomer. As it opened its mouth, Stelle whirled around and landed on the Doomer’s jagged teeth, her legs splitting uncomfortably far as the Doomer opened its mouth even further.

Before the Doomer could absorb the Stellaron, gunfire rains down from the sky, causing it to retreat. Stelle lands on the ground with roll and quickly summons her weapon, batting the Greater Doomer of two the rest of the flock, and disorienting all of them in the process. The metallic nest tips over, and from its spills the Grand Dupa and multiple Light Cones, aethers, and other sources of energy. As Kirby and Dan Heng move in to attack them, Stelle looks up to spot another of Herta’s puppets, though this one looked more robotic in addition to being older and more mature looking.

This time, only Herta’s head looked even remotely human. The robot’s arms and legs were covered in shiny steel plates while most of the upper body was covered in purple and black armor like the dress of her puppets, though this outfit looked more like a leotard. Like before, there was a large locket pinned above her chest, though the keyhole was letting out a light blue glue. Lastly, the bot’s left fingers had holes in them, with smoke coming out the barrels.

“Herta… is that–”

“Focus,” The voice snapped. Herta crouched down slightly as the parts inside it whirred to life. Her back opened up, revealing two large rocket launchers with barrels as thick as a human being and larger than the robot itself. Stelle’s mouth gaped open as the robot fired multiple missiles at the Doomers, still trying to recover from Kirby and Dan Heng’s fiery onslaught.

The missiles made contact with first Doomer, launching it towards the ground, and right into Kirby’s flaming punch. He knocked the Doomer back to Herta, who effortlessly grabbed it, and threw it to Stelle. Like before, she batted the Doomer away, this time aiming for the missile that was still in the air. It shrieked as the rocket exploded against the feathery fiend, and was launched towards Dan Heng. He whirled his lance and around slashed, slicing the Doomer into two pieces, which then exploded into a cloud of dark mist.

The two remaining Doomers glared at Dan Heng and shrieked. The Grand Dupa stomped up and down in anger, and conjured two portals beside itself, allowing two Fire Doomers to fly through.

“Oh come on!” Stelle growled, tightening her hands around the grip of her bat. Herta looked at her briefly and rolled her eyes. Before Stelle could respond, the robot flew forward with such speed that it nearly sent her flying away. Immediately, Herta’s fist connected with the first fire Doomer, punching straight through the monster and killing it instantly. The second Doomer flew behind Herta and tried taking a bite, but the upper half of Herta’s body rotated 180 degrees, allowing her to pepper the monster with multiple gunshots.

The remaining Greater Doomers snarled and picked up the nest again, moving slightly slower without the third companion. The Grand Dupa shrieked and started firing energy bullets at a rapid speed into the air, which then came falling down to the ground.

Stelle did her best to bat away, but the sheer number of them caused her to slip up and fall to the ground. Dan Heng wasn’t fairing any better, and was quickly getting winded by the constant running and jumping and dodging out of the way. Only Kirby, and to an extent Herta, could keep up with the falling energy bullets, but they were pushing themselves to their limit at this point. Kirby wrapped his hands around Dan Hengs waist and carried him, being careful as to not let his flames burn his new friend. Meanwhile, Herta flew her way over to Stelle and pulled her up by the shoulder. She hissed uncomfortably at the tight grip, but let herself be dragged around by the war machine.

Herta whirled around and fired her finger guns aiming at the chains holding up the giant nest. After a few shots, the chain broke, causing the nest to tumble down once again.

Kirby spun on his heel and tossed Dan Heng into the fallen Grand Dupa. he stabbed his spear deep into the monster's head, causing it to thrash and screech in pain. Herta did the same, only this time she aimed for the Greater Doomer with the broken chain. Stelle yelped as she was thrown, but quickly got over her shock as the Doomer opened its mouth to eat.

Stelle brought her bat down, knocking the Doomer into Grand Dupa; Dan Heng pulled out his spear and jumped away before they took him with them. They both squawked as they skidded across the floor. Before they could recover, Herta began firing bullets wildly, each shot making a deafening sound. As the Greater Doomer tried to fly away, the Grand Dupa jumped up and bit its tail feathers. The Greater Doomer shrieked in pain as it tanked the bullets, only for it to explode in a cloud of dark mist.

Two down, two more to go.

Enraged, the last Greater Doomer howled and spun around, creating a mini black hole in the air. Herta’s bullets changed trajectory immediately and started flying into the tear in space time. Herte momentarily took her eyes off the Grand Dupa, allowing the monster to fire an energy bullet at her. Her armor cracked and creaked as she was thrown into the wall.

Gritting his teeth, Dan Heng charged at the Grand Dupa, only for it to conjure a portal underneath itself.

Kirby stood up straight and immediately dashed towards Stelle. She let out a yelp as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away, just as the Grand Dupa came crashing down. The monster growled and summoned two more Fire Doomers, sending them straight at Kirby. Dan Heng tried to assist the two, but had to change direction when the Greater Doomer swooped down to attack.

Kirby created balls of fire in his hands and tossed them at Stelle, she batted them into the Fire Doomers, knocking them to the side. As Kirby started forming more fireballs, the Grand Dupa started forming portals underneath Stelle. She cussed as streams of Rampaging Doomers started flying out of the portal, herding towards the center.

“Stelle!” She could hear Dan Heng shout. She tried whacking the Rampaging Doomers away, only for the swirling streams of monsters to suddenly lunge at her. She felt the wind escape her lungs as multiple Doomers slammed into her body. She fell backwards and skid across the floor, launched into a portal that led directly into the Grand Dupa.

“Stelle, no!” She heard Kirby shout.

She opened her eyes briefly, only to see a mouth with sharp teeth attached to a golden body. The jaws snapped shut, and everything went dark.

I must leave now

“Juh? Juh? Juh?”

Groaning, Stelle opened her eyes. Everything was dark, and she could only see traces of dark, purple light illuminating the area. Her back was a cold, hard floor. Her hands twitched, and she could the cool, smooth stone.

She could see a hooded figure, wearing baggy, bright white robes with gold trimmings. She couldn’t see face, except for two glowing dots that she assumed were his eyes.

“Ah! Awake! You’re awake!” The figure said, floating away from her. On the top of his hood was some sort of sigil. It was a pair of wings and horns with an eye in the center, making the outline of the heart. “Ah! Bonjam, strange humanoid!” He said. His voice was raspy despite the energy. He had an accent to his voice as well, as though English was not his first language.

“I… huh?” Stelle muttered. She picked herself up and had to hold her head. She had a splitting headache. “Where… where am I?” She asked the estranged hooded figure.

“Juh? Did you forget? Vun jorrow…” The strange floating creature lamented. However, he whirled around and spread his arms. “You are in the Divine Terminus! Goppoko! Don’t feel jorrow! Feel jhappy!” He said. Stelle blinked in confusion, and looked around, trying to get a sense of where she ended up.

You must see the end of journey

Stelle looked forwards, her eyes laying on some sort of altar. There are four spears, each tipped with a heart. In between the spears, there was a white, amorphous looking sphere in the center with three large circles swirling around its body. It felt familiar.

“What… what is that?” She asked, standing up and walking towards it. She realized how tall she was compared to everything else, the sphere barely reaching to her knees. The spears where barely the size of her arms.

“You want to know, jes?” The creature asked as Stelle walked closer. “He is mapop. He is lor.” The red spheres started slowing down, moving more purposefully. “Jes, he is ji. And he is you. He is a mafo, but also the truth. He is jorrow and jhappy. Konjy, janno?”

The red whirls in the sphere moved to the front of its face, contorting and becoming bigger and smaller erratically. As she got closer, the movements became slower, until the red dots became still and took the form… of a friend.

“Kirby?” Stelle whispered. The red dots blinked, one after the other. She could feel the thing’s Gaze, as though it wanted to reack out and touch the Stelleron inside her.

“It’s a goppoko, janno?” The hooded figure spoke, floating next to Stelle.

She felt something pulse inside her, making her fall to the ground. The hooded figure showed mild intrigue, while the Astral Birth’s expression did not change.

Reach the end of journey in your own way

As the headache got stronger, streams of gold energy started streaming out of Stelle’s chest. She groaned as the headache got worse. She stumbled forwards, placing a hand on the Artal Birth to support herself. The hooded figure hummed, intrigued by the sudden turn of events.

“Wha… What's happening? Who’s talking…” She hissed as the Stellaron’s energy began pouring out.

“Jonto, strange humanoid. The answer you seek, many goppokos, but jonto, they will come.” The hooded figure said. “Jambuhbye! Say jallo to my daughters for ji, Trailblazer!”

Before she could ask, her sight became clouded by visions.

first of the wine haired woman, the first thing she ever saw,

then, of a man with golden scars,

followed by two women, one with silver hair and the other with purple hair,

continued with a golden, ornate looking mirror with the reflection of a dark fox creature,

And lastly…

first, they drew a circle,

then they dotted the eyes,

added a great big smile,

and presto! It’s…

They have already noticed you

She felt a soft hand grip her wrist and tug. Opening her Molten Gold eyes, she saw Kirby's pure, Cosmic Blue eyes staring back her. The stars glittering brightly as he gave her a great big smile.

And presto! It's Kirby!

Stelle felt a surge run through her as Kirby gave her a hug. He spun around and locked his legs around her waist. Stelle raised her hands, and droplets of rain started converging towards her. Herta and Dan Heng looked towards the duo as the rain formed into a bright, rainbow colored sword with a star shaped hilt. Stelle looked at her new weapon briefly, before spinning it in between her fingers.

“You ready?” Kirby asked. Stelle looked at him, and then towards the Greater Doomer and Grand Dupa.

“Always,” She said, and stabbed the Rainbow Sword into the ground.

Storm clouds appeared over the two Doomers. It started pouring down on the two monsters, causing them to screech in pain. Dan Heng could only raise an eyebrow, while Herta narrowed her eyes. With her enhanced eyesight, she could see that the rain was actually piercing through the Doomers. She smirked to herself.

“What happened inside the Dupa…?” She muttered to herself before crossing her arms and leaning against the distorted wall. Dan Heng looked at her and then back at the duo of Kirby and Stelle.

The Doomer screeched and immediately started chasing them down. Kirby held on tight as Stelle dodged out of the way, and towards the Grand Dupa’s portal. Kirby opened his mouth and began inhaling, dragging the Dupa through its own portal and using the suction to toss it towards the Greater Doomer. The two crashed into each other and collapsed onto the ground. Stelle twirled in the Rainbow Sword and then dashed towards the two.

The Greater Doomer’s eyes widened as it saw Stelle with her sword raised. Before she could strike, a portal was conjured beneath her and caused her to fall to the side. Kirby, still somehow holding on, places his feet on the ground and pushes them forward, launching the both of them into the sky. In the air, Stelle threw her sword downwards, stabbing through the Grand Dupa’s feet and embedding it into the floor. With a flick of her wrist, the Rainbow Sword fly out of Dupa’s foot and back into her hands. She whirled around and threw Kirby towards the Greater Doomer. He tucked in his feet and kicked them outwards, sending the Greater ping-ponging all over the room. As it passed by him, Kirby grabbed the wing and let the momentum spin him around, tossing the Greater Doomer into the Grand Dupa.

They were both sent flying, but as Stelle slashed downwards with the Rainbow Sword, the storm clouds from earlier let out a deluge of water; it was practically a waterfall. Both monsters were slammed into the floor and completely covered in water. Herta stepped forward and placed her hands on both of the monsters. She let out a massive spark of electricity, shocking both of the monsters, leaving them smoking and steaming once the onslaught was done.

The third Greater Doomer exploded.

The Grand Dupa struggled to its feet and tried biting Herta, but Dan Heng stopped the bite by placing his spear between the jaws of the monster. The Dupa tried biting down harder, but it wouldn’t budge. With its mouth exposed, Herta’s missile launchers popped out of her back, and she launched rockets into the oversized egg’s mouth. The Grand Dupa was launched backwards, skipping across the floor like a rock on water.

As it got closer, Kirby stepped to the side, allowing it to fly past him, and towards Stelle. The Rainbow Sword began filling up with energy, and a rainbow-like aura began emanating from her body. Her Golden eyes turned bright red as the Dupa got closer. She turned her hips, applying as much power as she could to her swing and sliced through the Grand Dupa.

It crashed into the wall and fell to the ground. Beams of light began streaming out of body as the Grand Dupa’s body began wavering as if becoming unstable. A few seconds passed, and a large explosion of stars burst from the Grand Dupa, blinding all except Kirby. When the explosion passed, a de-powered antimatter engine fell to the ground, and the world started going back to normal.

Stelle smiled to herself, before falling backwards from exhaustion and letting sleep overtake her.

RAINBOW SWORD - TRAILBLAZER
Ice / Harmony

Faction: Astral Express Crew
Character Introduction: With the Stellaron exposed to the power of the Astral Birth, the Trailblazer has awoken to a new power and now wields the Rainbow Sword. If there was a Water element, they would’ve been water.
VA: Rachel Chau / Caleb Yen (Compared to Base Trailblazer, Rainbow Sword Trailblazer sounds more lively and less monotone.)

HP - 1214
ATK - 670
DEF - 476
SPD - 112

BASIC ATK - Multiriver Rapids [Single Target]: Deals Ice DMG equal to 50% of the Trailblazer’s ATK to a single enemy.

SKILL - Downpour Dive [Blast]: Deals Ice DMG equal to 99% of the Trailblazer’s ATK to a single enemy and adjacent enemies.

ULTIMATE - Final Prism Blast [AoE]: Deals Ice DMG equal to 130% of the Trailblazer’s ATK to all enemies. Any enemies that are Weakness Broken because of this attack are Burned and Frozen simultaneously. All allies are granted one more Rainbow Droplet, regardless of whether or not they already have three Rainbow Droplets.

TALENT - Rainbow Drops [Enhance]: All allies begin the battle with three Rainbow Droplets, but cannot have more than three Rainbow Droplets. When an ally attacks, they consume one Rainbow Droplet, increasing their damage by 45% for the consumed Droplet and by 20% for each remaining Rainbow Droplet. When that ally inflicts weakness, they recover one Rainbow Droplet.

TECHNIQUE - Bright Rainbows [Enhance]: Immediately attacks the enemy. When entering battle, the Trailblazer begins with no Rainbow Droplet’s, however all allies start the battle with 4 Rainbow Droplets.

HERTA MK-II
Physical / Erudition

Faction: Herta Space Station
Character Introduction: A combat robot created by Herta to protect the Herta Space Station, even though she forgets to turn it on half the time.
VA: PJ Mattson (Compared to Base Herta, Herta MK-II sounds emotionless and cold. As she loses HP, her voice becomes more distorted and robotic.)

HP - 1297
ATK - 800
DEF - 355
SPD - 120

BASIC ATK - Get Out Of My Way [Single Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 50% of Herta MK-II’s ATK to a single enemy.

SKILL - We Need More Missiles [AoE]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 70% of Herta MK-II’s ATK to all enemies. DMG dealt to an enemy is increased by 9% for every 10% of HP that target has lost.

ULTIMATE - Less Magic, More Nuclear Fusion [AoE]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 140% of Herta’s ATK to all enemies. If the target is at Max HP, deals 50% more DMG to that enemy.

TALENT - Target Locked For You [Enhance]: All allies’ Single Target attacks become Blast attacks, with the adjacent enemies receiving DMG equal to x0.8 that the attack target took. All allies’ Blast attacks become AoE attacks.

TECHNIQUE - Break Them Even Further [Enhance]: After using her Technique, all allies gain Optimization for three turns in the next battle. Allies with Optimization have their Break Effect and Weakness Break Efficiency increased by 25%.

FIRE KIRBY
Fire / Dreams

HP - -224
ATK - -203
DEF - -314
SPD - +20

BASIC ATK - Fire Breath [Single Target]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 50% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy.
Super Fireball Inferno [Single Target]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 90% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy, and deals 22% more damage for each stack of Burn that enemy has.

SKILL - Burnin’ [Single Target]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 99% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy. Crit Chance increases by 7% for each stack of Burn all enemies have.
Super Serpentine Spinner [Single Target]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 210% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy. When an enemy is Weakness Broken because of this attack, all other enemies take Fire DMG equal to 8% of Kirby’s ATK for each stack of Burn currently in play.

ULTIMATE - Bring on the Super Ability! Monster Flame [Enhance]: Kirby transforms into Monster Flame Kirby, increasing his ATK by 20% and SPD by 65%, and decreases his DEF by 45%, also, he gains 3 points of Copy Essence. Monster Flame Kirby can only lose one point of Copy Essence at the end of his turn from this point on, however, he becomes Base Kirby once he no longer has Copy Essence. As Monster Flame Kirby, his Basic ATK becomes “Super Fireball Inferno,” and his skill becomes “Super Serpentine Spinner.” Kirby’s turn does not end when he uses this Ultimate.

VS Nesting Doomers

After defeating the Doomsday Beast, Kirby left the scrapped pieces floating around in space. One lonesome Dupa walked up towards the pieces and started eating, infusing its body with the Path of Destruction. After calling on the rest of flock, the newly formed Grand Dupa created small nest, but it is eager to replace it with the Herta Space Station, and later, the planet that the station orbits.

Also, the Greater Doomers are named Tim, Timmy, and Timothy.

SKILLS
Tucked in the Nest - The Grand Dupa cannot be defeated unless Tim, Timmy, and Timothy have been defeated first. Otherwise, all attacks are redirected at Tim, Timmy, or Timothy. Nesting Slam - Inflicts Physical DMG to all enemies equal to the average of Tim, Timmy, and Timothy’s combined ATK. Energy Bullet - Inflicts Quantum DMG to one enemy equal to 90% Tim, Timmy, or Timothy’s ATK. Energy Bomb - Inflicts Imaginary DMG three times to random enemies, with each attack equal to 110% of Grand Dupa’s ATK. Mini Black Hole - Decreases all enemies’ SPD by 35% for three turns. Doomer Call - Summons two Fire, Ice, or Spark Doomers. They are defeated when the Grand Dupa is defeated. Impending Storm - Grand Dupa enters a charged state. On the next turn, the Grand Dupa performs “Doomsday Shower.” Doomsday Shower - Inflicts Imaginary DMG fifteen times to random enemies, with each strike dealing DMG equal to 125% of Grand Dupa's ATK.

Chapter 5: Station Sundae EX: Sun & Star, Mage & Scientist, Knight & Herrscher

Chapter Text

Stelle received 1 new message from Magolor

Magolor: Hey, hey, hey! How’re you doin’? How’s your godmother?

Stelle: What do you want?

Magolor: Hey, whats with the sudden hostility? You really think I would only come to you if I needed something from you? How cruel! I can’t imagine why you would think of me like that!

Stelle: What do you want?

Magolor: Think you can let me borrow the Rainbow Sword for a while?

Stelle: no

Magolor: Awww, but why??????

Magolor: The Rainbow Sword from our world! How come you are using it instead of somebody cute, and strong, and powerful?

Magolor: Like me!

Stelle: You’re not touching it

Magolor: …

Magolor: What if I was in danger? Would you help me then?

[art by u/KrabbyKA]

Stelle: Let him perish

Magolor: …

Magolor: Heck you

Magolor: Wait, Meta Knight swore last chapter…

Magolor: You know what? **** you

Magolor: By the way, if anybody asks, these messages are explicitly non-canon unless stated otherwise. K?

Stelle: I feel like your not talking to me

Stelle: You’d be right. I am inside your walls rn

Stelle: aiocurwcneq0i0wvnuerwfenfe

Kirby knows that he acts before he thinks. He’s been made painfully aware of that fact ever since he beat up Dedede after the Squeak Squad stole his cake, and the entire mess with Marx and Magolor.

So naturally, he didn’t think when he saw Stelle getting chomped by the Grand Doomer. He just acted. Like that one broccoli boy from that one superhero anime he promised Bandee he would watch but still hasn’t because he still hasn’t bought Haltmann Co.’s overpriced cable service. Or have a TV in his house.

He just acted. He could hear Dan Heng and Herta yelp when he dashed towards the Grand Doomer and pried its mouth open. He could vaguely remember the two Greater Doomers firing off multiple energy bullets at him, knocking the Fire ability out of him, but he didn’t register the attacks of the soreness that resulted from them. Kirby just wanted to save his new friend.

He pried the jaws of the Dupa apart, and he could see Stelle’s body begin to dissolve. She seemed to almost… unravel as the Dupa began absorbing the power of the Stellaron. She glitched in and out of existence, the Stellaron inside began to shake violently and glow bright red. Kirby reached out to grab her, but something pushed him away. The Stellaron pushed him away. As Stelle’s body began to destroy itself, the Stellaron started roaring with power, taking every ounce of energy it could find like a black hole. If this went on any longer, it’d probably blow a hole into Another Dimension.

So, in a last-ditch attempt to fix something , Kirby raised his hands and created a Friend Heart, something he hasn’t really done since the Star Allies first formed, and tossed it.

Thinking back on it, he’s still not sure if he hit Stelle or the Stellaron with it.

Everything went white soon after. Like every other time he threw a Friend Heart, a connection was forged. If only he knew who that connection was with. And what that connection did. Usually, it made people more agreeable, more willing to help out on occasions where they might originally be more wary.

It also gives them a spiffy new hat for some reason, but then again when has Dreamland ever made a lick of sense?

But here…?

He’s not exactly sure why Stelle can summon the Rainbow Sword now (and slightly miffed about that, he had to go an entire adventure to find the droplets, only to use the Rainbow Sword in one fight against Dark Matter). Maybe it might have something to do with his connection to Void and her soul being tied to the Stellaron, or maybe it was just a cheeky wink and nudge reference to that adventure.

Still, after the Friend Heart landed, Stelle’s body stabilized, and the Stellaron’s anger was quelled, if only for a brief moment. They defeated the Grand Dupa shortly after, and Stelle collapsed on the floor. Kirby was ready to take a nap himself, but…

As reality went back to normal, Stelle collapsed on the floor, her energy completely spent from the boss fight. Kirby quickly caught before she could land and held her gingerly as she started to snore. His deep blue eyes bored into her, seeing past her and looking deep into her very being, her soul.

It’s nothing like he’s ever seen. Artificially programmed, yet naturally created. Under the Stellaron’s control, yet acting out of her own free will. It’s strange. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice when Dan Heng ran up beside them and started taking her temperature.

“She's fine, just unconscious,” Dan Heng let out a sigh of relief.

“Not quite,” Herta interrupted, grabbing onto the stoic man’s shoulder and gently shoving him away. She leaned down to look into Kirby’s eyes and examined the way stars in his eyes twinkled. “You did something to her when you threw that heart. What exactly did it do?”

Kirby shrugged. Again, he’s not sure what the Friend Heart even did.

Herta frowned at the puffball’s response. She crossed her arms and glared, and afterwards she let out a sigh.

“How frustrating… First the Xianzhou and those shattered divinations, Another Dimension and the invading monsters, and now the Stellaron trapped in the body of a mortal and touched by your power…” Herta let out another long-winded sigh. “If I wasn’t so intrigued by all of these developments, I would’ve thrown all of you out the airlock by now.” Magolor’s portal opened behind the group, which led back to the med bay.

At her comment, Kirby and Dan Heng glanced at each other, and then back at Herta with a deadpan stare. “Now go and get yourself checked up. I don’t know who will tear me down first if any of you die, Himeko or Meta Knight,” the scientist sighed.

Probably Meta Knight , Kirby thought to himself. He walked inside the portal and thanked Herta for helping them out in the fight. Dan Heng followed closely behind him, staying silent as he crossed through with him. Kirby pouted and stuck out of his foot and nearly caused the spearman to trip. Dan Heng gave Kirby a half-hearted glare. Kirby glared back and nodded his head towards the combat machine.

“Thank you, Herta,” Dan Heng said with a roll of his eyes. Herta paused slightly and looked back at Dan Hend with a confused look. Kirby smiled and walked through the portal.

“...You’re welcome…?” Herta muttered. The combat doll blinked once, then twice as the portal closed.

“But why would they thank me…?” Herta muttered to herself as the puppet began to reorganize the mess in her office.

“Kirby’s a nice kid. Even if you didn’t do much, he’d probably reward you with a giant cake!” Magolor giggled to himself. He was floating near the ceiling of the room with his legs crossed and a tablet in his hands, reading through Herta’s various research papers and some forgotten experiments.

“I stabbed a screwdriver into your face, there’s a difference!” Magolor corrected her. Herta rolled her eyes and slapped him away, which caused the magician to float slowly towards the holographic images of the other genius society members.

“What’re you even doing here? Weren’t you supposed to install some sort of instrument onto the Astral Express?” Herta asked exasperatedly.

“I’ll get to it in a minute! Pretty sure Stelle’s stepmom would want a moment with her newly adopted daughter,” Magolor said with a giggle. Herta let out a low groan of frustration.

“What do you even want, Magolor. There’s nothing inside my office that will intrigue you,” She said.

“What about that giant semi-rogue-like sub-game you have in the corner?” Magolor asked, pointing towards the large, glowing machine in the back of Herta’s office.

“It’s just something I'm working on with a few colleagues. Nothing of major importance now, since Kirby has done who knows what to the Stellaron,” Herta grumbled.

“So you’re just gonna scrap the project like you usually do?” Magolor said in a condescending tone. Herta glared at the magician as his face phased through Screwllum’s portrait. He raised the tablet in his hand and shook it. “You’ve got all sorts of science fair projects that could get second place at best, but you decide to scrap the second because they become boring for you. You're like a fanfic author with too many ideas.”

“It’s just because I get bored,” Herta countered. “Sometimes, there’s just no benefit to continuing the project. The only reason why I pursued my de-aging project was to provide an alternative solution to immortality, without dying from whatever form of insanity the Aeon of Abundance also ‘blesses’ you with.”

“And yet, you still haven’t released your results to the Xianzhou Alliance,” Magolor said too smugly. “Something tells me that civilization suffering from magic space cancer because of the many-armed dommy mommy goddess might be interested in your research.”

“The Xianzhou do not want immortality–” Herte started but was interrupted when Magolor raised his finger… and surrounded her with Deadly Needles.

“Up pup pup pup pup! I know, I saw the lore videos. That’s not the point,” Magolor said. “But still, don’t you think they can at least do… I dunno, something with that research? You managed to find a way to de-age yourself from a grandma to jailbait, and that’s all well and good! But the Xianzhou should have some smart, if not half-baked cookies in their batch. Perhaps they could reverse engineer the technology and make something that makes them age faster?”

“...What point are you trying to make, Magolor?” Herta asked, slowly becoming more and more annoyed by his presence and tone.

“You remind me of myself when I was younger,” Magolor giggled, tossing the tablet back at Herta. She let out a tiny yelp as it hit her plastic body and nearly fell to the ground. “Back then, the universe was such a grand mystery! I wanted to explore it all, learn everything! And then I got my ass kicked because I messed with the planet.”

Herta tilted her head in confusion. “Go on…” She told him, curious about the point he was trying to make.

“Before I do, have you ever come across this book before?” Magolor asked. He created a portal above him, and something covered in red leather fell down. “This is what inspired me to ‘blaze my own trail,’ and I have a sneaking suspicion it’s what inspired you as well.” He tossed the item behind him, and Herta caught it without issue.

The book, despite being rather dusty, seemed to be in mostly good condition. The spine was worn down a bit, pages which once been clear white had turned into a dirty yellow. She turned the leatherbound book to the front, as the brightness of Herta’s eyes increased gradually. The real Herta sucked in a breath as she read a title that was intimately familiar to her.

Secrets of the Ancients
Alexander Forgo

“Wherever they go, Kirby follows… give or take a couple thousand years,” Magolor said as Herta flipped through pages of the book. They were riddled with notes written in blue and sticky notes of various colors. Some pages were even completely written over in language the Herta could barely read through.

“You… how did you get this?” Herta asked as she came upon the page regarding the Clockwork Stars. “None of Forgo’s finding were ever discovered. Most of the scientific community assumed that most of his research was fake. His only other published work was a children's book about–!”

“Let me guess, the book was titled ‘Wondaria Travels’ was it?” Magolor asked. Herta glared at him, which got a chuckle out of the magician. “Wonderful story. Very wholesome. Based on a real theme park, y’know?”

Herta glared at him with one eye, while the other swiveled down to continue skimming through pages and notes Magolor had written down. She eventually found herself at a page that was torn out of the book, the one between the Dream Fountain and the Four Heroes of Yore.

One that should have information regarding the Master Crown.

“Y’know, my name translates to ‘False Paradise’ in the Ancient’s tongue,” Magolor suddenly spoke up. “‘Mago’ is a corruption of ‘Mafo,’ which means lie, and ‘Lor’ means paradise. It’s sort of fitting, I suppose, considering the way I first met Kirby and his gaggle of cheerleaders.”

“And why exactly are you telling me this?” Herta said impatiently. She reached a page that featured the Lor Starcutter, which had very little notes and scribbles compared to before. She felt a pang of jealousy reading the note that proclaimed that he had uncovered it. She checked the cameras of the station briefly, and sure enough, the Lor Starcutter was parked right next to the Astral Express.

How annoying.

“Who knows!” Magolor said with a laugh. “Anyways, why did you have Stellaron locked up in here in the first place?”

“You can’t respond to a question with another question,” Herta growled.

“And yet, I did anyway! Why did you keep the Stellaron on your space station? Surely you must know how much harm they’ve done. How many planets have been destroyed by them. How many races and people have gone extinct because that dilf of an edgy emo god decided to be a bit quirky one day?” Magolor asked, his voice becoming more critical and less… amused, for lack of a better term. His eyes seemed to glow even brighter, and she can’t help but wonder what sort of expression he was hiding beneath his cloak.

“There’s nothing sinister about my owning a Stellaron,” Herta said aggressively. “I merely wanted to study it, in order to learn how to use its power to further my research and learn more about the universe.”

To her annoyance, Magolor simply laughed. “How strange! That’s the same excuse I used!” Herta furrowed her synthetic brows, waiting for the irritating magician to calm down. He did, eventually, as he walked towards and started leaning against the Simulated Universe. “So, anyways, I wanted to join in on your little project!” He said nonchalantly, tapping the glass with his finger.

“Excuse me?” Herta let out an offended gasp. She walked up to him and shoved the book into his chest with enough force to make him grunt. “Do you really think that you can just one waltz in here, spout some cryptic, cliche ramblings about how we’re ‘similar’ to each other, and then just ask to be part of a project that you have no personal stake in!?”

“I mean, have you seen our series’ power scaling? I’m pretty sure most of us are planet busters, max,” Magolor said with a shrug.

“That’s not the–!” Herta started, but allowed her real self to take in a deep breath to calm down. Never as she wanted so much to punt somebody into the stratosphere before. “And why would I ever consider bringing you into the project?”

“Well, I do have firsthand experience with the typical Dreamland brand weirdness, something that will probably affect the project considering how Stelle was hit by a Friend Heart,” Magolor began, “and while I’m may not be much of whizz when it comes to programming and other sciencey technical thingamabobs, but I’m sure that the Lor Starcutter will be happy to aid you… and totally not keep an eye on you since you are technically harboring what could be a considered a weapon of mass destruction! In that sense, you’re almost like, for real for real!”

Herta tilted her head.

“Oh, yeah, the Lor has a mind of its own, it's an entire thing, it might get its own moveset somebody,” Magolor said dismissively. “The point being, I can probably help you. After all who knooooows what might happen if that piece of assumedly sophisticated technology gets infected with ancient good vibes magic!”

“Now I know why Asta seems to dislike you so much,” Herta groaned.

“I aim to please! So, what about it, Genius Society member?” He floats down and stands in front of the puppet with one gloved hand outstretched. His eyes let out an almost hypnotic glow as he stares past the puppet’s camera and right into the real Herta’s eyes.

“I’ll… have a discussion with my partners. I’ll let you know if they deem you a suitable contributor to the Simulated Universe,” Herta eventually relented, refusing to take his hand. She felt a shiver run down her spine as Magolor folded his hands behind his back and stared directly into her puppet’s cameras.

“...Well, I suppose that’s the best I can do, for now,” Magolor said with a shrug. A misty portal appeared behind him, and he waved back at her as he walked through. “Bye bye now!”

“Have a nice day!”

Herta jumped in her seat. She swore that Magolor sounded like he was right next to her.

With a swipe of his cape, Meta Knight had suddenly appeared in the medical sector. The nurse standing in front of him was startled by his appearance, and dropped a tray of medicine she was carrying. Before any of them went past her knees, the masked knight had already caught them and placed them back in their place.

“Apologies,” Meta Knight said with a bow. As he walked away, he left the nurse with a confused look on her face, and a slight blush on her cheeks.

As he walked down the hallway, Meta Knight felt the aura of another powerful presence hiding somewhere in the station. Kirby was with them, as well as Stelle. Since the former has yet to cause some sort of commotion, Meta Knight at least assumes they’re decent at hiding their true intentions.

Once the sensation felt close enough, Meta Knight knocked on the door next to him. There was some movement, followed by a series of familiar babbles. The door hissed upon, and Meta Knight was immediately ambushed by a Kirby hug. The small boy laughed and smiled as he wrapped his arms around Meta Knight’s waist, and cooed when the older man started ruffling his hair, eyes shining bright blue as he did so.

“Great job today, Kirby,” Meta knight said, detaching the boy's arms from his waist, and leaning down so that he could be at eye level with his protege. Again, the knight ruffled Kirby’s hair, getting another series of giggles from him. After one more pat on the shoulder, Meta Knight rose back to his feet and crossed his arms.

Standing in front of him was an older man wearing glasses, wearing brown clothing and holding onto a walking cane. Meta Knight looks down into Kirby’s starry eyes, and the boy shakes his head.

For now, he’s a friend.

“Greetings,” The older man said, breaking the odd silence that surrounded them. “You must be Meta Knight. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Welt Yang, a Senior Member of the Astral Express.”

“The pleasure’s all mine, Mr. Yang,” Meta Knight says amicably, taking Welt’s hand giving it a firm shake. The man hisses slightly, and Meta Knight gets a frown from Kirby. “Apologies. I should’ve taken off my gauntlets.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I suppose I should’ve expected something like coming from a trained warrior like yourself,” Welt says with a light chuckle, flexing his fingers so that he could feel them again. “If it’s okay with you, can I ask exactly how many years you’ve held that title?”

“It’s not exactly a title,” Meta Knight said, his eyes changing from their standard yellow to soft green. “It’s a pseudonym, one that I started using when I first arrived on Dreamland.”

“I see…” Welt says. “So I guess that means you’re not from Planet Popstar?”

“Not initially. It is my home now,” Meta Knight says curtly, but without any hostility. Kirby smiles happily at his declaration.

A few more seconds of silence passes, leaving only the occasional beeps of medical machinery filling the room. After a while, Kirby walks up to Stelle’s bedside and starts poking her in the cheek, as if he is trying to wake her up. Welt chuckles at the gesture, while Meta Knight sighs.

“So, how long have you been looking after Kirby?” Welt asks. Meta Knight pauses for a brief moment.

“I’m not his care…” Meta Knight began but paused again. “He lives on his own for the most part, except when he’s having a slumber party with Bandana Dee or Dedede,” He eventually.

“Ah, my apologies. After hearing how highly he speaks of you, I assumed that you were some sort of parental figure to him,” Welt says. “At least, I assume he’s speaking highly of you. He did make excited noises when I brought you up earlier.” Meta Knight hums in response. As his eyes turned into a mixture of orange and blue, Meta Knight gently slapped Kirby’s hand away when tried to poke Stelle yet again.

“Don’t do that,” Meta Knight gently chided, before turning his attention back to Welt. “I’m not exactly… what I mean to say is… I merely look after Kirby when I happen to be in the area. But he’s old enough to take care of himself. I just make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble,” He eventually manages to say.

“I still think that’s an admirable thing to do,” Welt Yang says, glancing at the slumbering Stelle. “I’m note sure if you know this, but Himeko plans to have Stelle join the Astral Express.”

“Good. Better there than in here,” Meta Knight says almost immediately, letting his distaste of Herta flow through his words. Welt blinks slowly at his words.

“Ultimately, it will be Stelle’s choice whether she stays or leaves with us,” Welt continues. “However, it has come to our attention that there will be certain… complications, regardless of the choice she makes.”

“I know,” Meta Knight says, looking down at Stelle. Even now, he can feel the Stellaron inside her, somehow empowered by Void ready to burst, crying and screaming to be let free. It’s in stark contrast to its host, who was sleeping soundly and peaceful on the mattress. And the only thing keeping the Stellaron from blowing up the entire station was the pink ball of good vibes standing right next to it.

Kirby pokes Stelle in the cheek again, and the Stellaron screams in fear. It pulsates and screeches, trying to do anything to get away from him.

“I assume that Stellaron will become unable once Kirby moves away from her,” Meta Knight correctly assumes. Grimly, Welt nods.

“Actually, it already is unstable. I’ve tried my best, but nothing I do seems to put it back in check, other than Kirby’s mere presence,” He says solemnly. “I’m not even sure why that is. No Stellaron I’ve ever sealed away has ever reacted this strongly to anyone before. I’m afraid that until we fix this, Kirby cannot leave Stelle’s side.”

Meta Knight lets out a sigh at the declaration. Really, he’s not sure what he expected when they came into this dimension. Each time they go out on an adventure, there’s always something that Kirby can just… inexplicably do for some reason. There were the Super Copy Abilities, then the Robobot Armor, the Friend Hearts, Mouthful Mode, and now calming down Stellarons.

He feels like he should be surprised, but in all fairness, this feels like something the developers would come up with. Not exactly, but a gimmick that’s similar and less convoluted.

“I assume you’re asking for my permission to have Kirby board the express?” Meta Knight asked. That drew a chuckle from Welt, he placed one hand behind his back.

“I was under the impression you weren’t his caretaker?” He jokes, getting an unidentified snort from the knight.

“Regardless of what I say, it’s likely that Kirby would go with you. If not for Stelle’s sake, then at least to close the portals to Another Dimension,” Meta Knight said. “He doesn’t need my permission to do so.” In front of them, Kirby turned around and looked at Meta Knight, his bright blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“You’ll have my word that we will take care of him as best we can,” Welt says. Meta Knight lets out a laugh at the statement. He feels like it's going to be the other way around, but doesn’t say anything.

“I believe you,” Meta Knight says. As he does, Kirby’s smile and eye brighten, the scattered stars turning into bright colored nebulae. Kirby wraps Meta Knight in a tight hug, which Meta knight reciprocates. Welt smiles at the gesture.

The moment is ruined when Magolor pops out from above, his yellow eyes glowing mischievously at Welt.

“Hey, it’s the guy who creates fake black holes! How ya doin’!” Magolor says amicably. Kirby cheers at his appearance, while the older men sigh.

“Despite your inaccurate description, that would be me. And you–?” Welt tries to say, but is interrupted by Magolor’s antics.

“Anyways! Herta wants to Stelle. Once she’s up and ready and in danger of imploding, that is,” Magolor says. Meta Knight growls quietly.

“What for?” He asks slowly.

“Oh, it’s nothing too major. Think of it like a VR game, except it’s not a bad SAO knockoff! Not that SAO was any good in the first place, but I digress,” Magolor said. He dropped to the ground and closed the portal behind me. He starts poking Stelle in the cheek as well, trying to wake her up, but Meta Knight slaps his hand away.

“What for? You haven’t explained anything,” Meta Knight said.

Magolor rolled his eyes and leaned against the railings on Stelle’s bed. “It is this thing she created with a couple of her nerdy cohorts. Something about the Aeons and the Stellaron’s reactions to various stimuli. And before you say anything, I already have permission from Herta to integrate the Lor’s consciousness into the sub-game. Somebody has to make sure our little hydrogen inside a coughing baby doesn’t kill us all!”

Kirby placed a hand on his chin and started to think. After a while, he says that the sub-game sounds a little bit boring. It’s cool that it’s a full dive VR game, but at the same time, what’s the point if nothing cool comes out of it? He’s tired of seeing That Town™ in every single anime that Dandee tried to recommend to him.

“I know, right? They should give us a Space MMO, you cowards!” Magolor explained. Welt raised an eyebrow at Meta Knight, who just shook his head and sighed. “Getting back on track; it’s not just a boring science thing. After all, there’s a reason why we have Simulated Universe and True Arena tags, after all!” He said as pointed up to the ceiling. Kirby’s eyes shone in excitement. Confused, Welt looked up to see what Magolor was talking about.

“Don’t worry about it,” Meta Knight said in a tired voice. “As for Herta’s experiment, you won’t get an answer until she wakes up, understood?”

“Alright, fine…!” Magolor sighed. He created another portal that led to the Astral Express. “Welp, I’ll be seeing you in about three weeks!” He turned around and waved goodbye to Welt, Meta Knight, and Kirby.

COMBAT SIMULATION PROGRAM
Light Cone / Erudition

Information Gathering - When any ally inflicts Weakness Break that corresponds to the wearer’s Elemental affinity, increases the wearer’s Weakness Break Efficiency by x1.08. This effect can stack up to 7 times.

The artwork depicts Hammer Kirby jumping away from Clanky Woods 2.0, who drove its drill-arm where Kirby was standing only moments ago. Around them, multiple ones and zeroes are floating into the air, and half of Clanky Woods 2.0’s body seems to be made of code.

Yikes! Kirby didn’t expect for Clanky to go on the offensive so quickly! He’s lucky that the robot is a tad slow, otherwise he might’ve flattened into a pancake!There are eleven more souped-up bosses to fight his way through, with only limited healing items. If he’s gonna make it to the end of this gauntlet, he’s going to have to play smart. Thankfully, he’s not a bundle of emotionless, unthinking code! You got this, Kirby! Show ‘em who's the real boss!

LET ME EXPLAIN EVERYTHING
Light Cone / Dreams

What’s with all the weird looks? - When the wearer transforms, Taunts all enemies that aren’t already Taunted. While the wearer has at least one Taunted, increases all ally’s ATK by 6% for each Taunted enemy.

The artwork depicts Kirby, Bandana Dee, King Dedede, and Meta Knight staring upwards with mixture of shock and fear in their faces. Kirby, however, only stares blankly. As Landia lays defeated behind them, the shadow of Traitor Magolor looms ominously over them.

"Bravo, Kirby. You've truly earned your reputation as a hero. Your help defeating Landia was invaluable. Ah... At long last, it's mine! The source of limitless power... The Master Crown! Obtaining this crown has been my ultimate goal all along! What's with all the weird looks? Fine. Let me explain everything. I fought Landia by myself and lost. So I fled to Planet Popstar. That's when the thought struck me... I could have you defeat Landia for me! A stroke of genius, I know. You even helped me repair my Starcutter. I really did appreciate that, by the way. Anyway...MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! The time has come for your planet... No! The time has come for the ENTIRE UNIVERSE to bow down to me. And for being such a big help in all of this, your planet gets to go first! Prepare to bow, Popstar! Welcome your new overlord!"

UN-GRAVITIFY
Light Cone / The Hunt

Right Through Gravity - Immediately removes all speed debuffs when they are inflicted. This effect can only trigger four times per battle. When the wearer receives a Speed buff, apply that buff to all allies.

The Artwork depicts Stelle/Caelus looking towards the left and leaning against a cement wall, staring down the endless abyss of space. Leaning on the other side is Kirby, who is looking up at the starry night sky with a smile on his face.

“Stelle?”

“...”

“Stelle?”

“...”

“Stelle?

“...”

“The stars are really pretty today. Why don’t you take a look?”

Chapter 6: Now Loading... (Simulated Universe - World 1)

Chapter Text

“Now what are you doing here…?” Herta asked, glaring as the magician entered her office. Magolor merely giggled as he walked up to the Simulated Universe, now renamed the Simulated Arena. He turned around and gave her a wink, waving the flash drive in his hands as he walked towards the giant device.

“New firewall and debugging processes, with a few wards and other protections created by yours truly! With this, the Simulated Arena should be resistant to nearly all forms of magic!” Magolor said cheerily, Herta rolled her eyes as Magolor tossed the flash drive to her and she instantly plugged it into the Arena.

“So, how’s the Lor doing?” Magolor asked when the room became silent, except for the clacking of Herta’s plastic fingers on the keyboard. Before the puppet could answer, a holographic screen appeared before him, depicting the Lor Starcutter with an egg-shaped Magolor sitting on the bow. The egg waved with its disembodied hands, and Magolor waved back.

“Integration has been mostly fine. The problems mostly came from the different programming languages. Or rather, lack thereof,” Herta groused. “At the very least, the Lor can alter its own programming whenever and however it wants to become compatible.” Magolor chuckled and walked towards Herta’s computer.

“Do you mind if I take a small look?” Magolor asked. Herta raised an eyebrow at him and locked her limbs in place when the magician tried to push her away.

“What for?” Herta asked.

“I just wanted to make sure the code was integrated correctly! Also, I wrote most of it in Halcandran, so you won’t be able to read it,” Magolor explained. Herta glared at him, her eyes glowing slightly as she studied him. With a sigh she stepped away from the computer and allowed Magolor to use it.

“Thank you so much! Now, we’ll be able to see the results of our hard work!” Magolor explained with a giggle and wink.

“...What are you…?” Herta began only for the magician to tune her out as he typed on the keyboard.

RESULTS:

Stelle - 8 pts
Rainbow Sword Stelle - 3 pts
March 7th - 2 pts
Dan Heng - 0 pts
Welt Yang - 11 pts
Himeko - 2 pts
Herta - 1 pts
Herta MK-II - 0 pts
Asta - 5 pts
Arlan - 0 pts
Kirby - 16 pts (ESP - 1 | Ice - 1 | Sword - 0 | Fire - 2 | None - 2)
Magolor - 24 pts
Meta Knight - 13 pts

THE TEAM:

MAGOLOR
Quantum / Erudition

HP - 997
ATK - 744
DEF - 463
SPD - 75

BASIC ATK - Magic Sphere [Single Target]: Deals Quantum DMG equal to 50% of Magolor’s ATK to a single enemy.

SKILL - Deadly Needles [Blast]: Deals Quantum DMG equal to 120% of Magolor’s ATK to a single and Quantum DMG equal to 90% of Magolor’s ATK to adjacent enemies.

ULTIMATE - MAX Mega Magolor Cannon [AoE]: Deals Quantum DMG equal to 210% of Magolor’s ATK to all enemies and decreases their Toughness by 30, regardless of whether or not they are weak to Quantum DMG. Magolor gains one point of Magic Bombs for each enemy inflicted with Weakness Break because of this attack.

TALENT - Mighty Magic Bombs: When an enemy is inflicted with Weakness Break, Magolor gains 1 point of Magic Bombs (max 5 points). When Magolor attacks, enemies that are damaged lose 5 Toughness for each point of Magic Bombs Magolor has. Once Magolor gains 5 points of Magic Bombs, or two turns have passed, he immediately performs one follow-up attack that deals 22% of Magolor ATK to all enemies and decreases their Toughness by 10 for each point of Magic Bombs he has, consuming all Magic Bombs points.

TECHNIQUE - Dimensional Vanish [Enhance]: After using Magolor’s technique, the party is transported to Another Dimension for 20 seconds. While inside Another Dimension the party cannot be detected by enemies. Magolor gains one point of Magic Bombs if the party enters a battle inside Another Dimension.

LIGHTCONE:
N/A

RELICS:
N/A

PLANAR ORNAMENTS:
N/A

KIRBY
Physical / Dreams

HP - 1440
ATK - 770
DEF - 660
SPD - 120

BASIC ATK - Air Bullet [Single Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 50% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy.

SKILL - Piggyback Ride [Support]: Increases the ATK and DEF of a single ally by 75% of Kirby’s ATK and DEF, however, Kirby cannot perform an action for 2 turns, and any damage that the supported ally takes is transferred to Kirby.

ULTIMATE - Go! Team Star Allies! [AoE]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 70% of Kirby’s ATK to all enemies, and then deals DMG 3 more times, with each attack dealing Elemental DMG that corresponds to another ally's elemental affinity and is equal to 70% of that ally's ATK to all enemies.

TALENT - Copy Ability [Enhance]: When Kirby is attacked, there is a 42% base chance that Kirby will gain a Copy Ability that corresponds to the type of DMG the enemy inflicted (Fire = Fire, Ice = Ice, Imaginary = Magic, Lightning = Plasma, Physical = Sword, Quantum = ESP, Wind = Tornado). Attaining a Copy Ability will change Kirby’s Element, Basic ATK, Skill, and Ultimate, also, Kirby gains 3 points of Copy Essence (max 3 points). Kirby loses 1 point of Copy Essence if he loses HP due to an enemy’s attack. If Kirby has no Copy Essence, there is a 33% base chance that he loses his Copy Ability the next time he loses HP due to an enemy’s attack. This chance increases by 12% each time he takes damage. If the battle ends while Kirby has no Copy Essence, he will automatically lose the Copy Ability.

TECHNIQUE - Inhale [Enhance]: Immediately attacks the enemy. After entering battle, deals Physical DMG equal to 100% of Kirby’s ATK, and Kirby immediately gains a Copy Ability that corresponds to the type of DMG the attacked enemy can inflict. If Kirby already has a Copy Ability, it will be replaced by the new one.

LIGHTCONE:
N/A

RELICS:
N/A

PLANAR ORNAMENTS:
N/A

(In this case of a tie between a Copy Ability and Base Kirby, Base Kirby will be prioritized.)

META KNIGHT
Lightning / Hunt

HP - 1155
ATK - 699
DEF - 415
SPD - 130

BASIC ATK - Triple Slash [Single Target]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 50% of Meta Knight’s ATK to a single enemy.

SKILL - Upper Caliber [Single Target]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 115% of Meta Knight’s ATK to a single enemy, also, the next two Meta-Knights gain an additional attack.

ULTIMATE - Darkness Illusion [Single Target]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 155% of Meta Knight’s ATK to a single enemy, and all Meta-Knights attack every other enemy, dealing Lightning DMG equal to their combined ATK. The Meta-Knight assigned to Meta Knight cannot attack the turn this Ultimate is used.

TALENT - Meta Knightmare Returns [Enhance]: At the beginning of the battle, Meta Knight summons the Meta-Knights (Axe Knight, Trident Knight, Mace Knight, and Javelin Knight), and assigns them to aid one of their Allies. At the end of an ally’s turn, the Meta-Knight assigned to that character will perform a follow-up attack on a random enemy that deals Lightning DMG equal to 70% of their assigned ally’s ATK. In addition, each of the Meta-Knights have their own unique abilities:

• Axe Knight’s attack also hits adjacent enemies. They have a higher chance of being assigned to Erudition allies.
• Trident Knight has a 5% base chance of blocking all damage directed at their assigned ally. They have a higher chance of being assigned to characters with low DEF.
• Mace Knight has a 5% base chance of inflicting Weakness Break on an enemy, regardless of its weaknesses or the amount of Toughness remaining. This chance becomes 80% if they attack an enemy weak to Lightning, including bosses, as long as they have less than 45% of their HP remaining. They have a higher chance of being assigned to Destruction or The Hunt characters.
• Javelin Knight can extend the duration of buffs for two additional turns;however, the assigned ally's party-wide buffs no longer affect themselves. They have a higher chance of being assigned to Harmony characters.

The Meta-Knights flee when their assigned ally is knocked down andcannot be brought back into battle afterwards.

TECHNIQUE - Tornado Slash [Impair]: Immediately attacks the enemy. Upon entering battle, deals Lightning DMG equal to 80% of Meta Knight’s ATK to one random enemy and has a 70% base chance of inflicting that enemy with Dizziness for three turns. Enemies that are Dizzy have their ATK decreased by 15% and have a 55% base chance of attacking another enemy.

LIGHTCONE:
N/A

RELICS:
N/A

PLANAR ORNAMENTS:
N/A

WELT YANG
Imaginary / Nihility

HP - 1125
ATK - 620
DEF - 509
SPD - 102

BASIC ATK - Gravity Suppression [Single Target]: Deals Imaginary DMG equal to 50% of Welt Yang’s ATK to a single target.

SKILL - Edge of the Void [Bounce]: Deals Imaginary DMG equal to 36% of Welt Yang’s ATK and further deals DMG 2 extra times, with each time dealing Imaginary DMG equal to 36% to a random enemy. On hit, there is a 65% base chance to reduce the enemy’s SPD by 10%.

ULTIMATE - Synthetic Black Hole [AoE]: Deals Imaginary equal to 90% of Welt Yang’s ATK to all enemies, with a 100% base chance for enemies hit by this ability to be Imprisoned for 1 turn. Imprisoned enemies have their actions delayed by 32% and SPD reduced by 10%

TALENT - Time Distortion [Enhance]: When hitting an enemy that is already slowed, Welt deals additional Imaginary DMG equal to 30% of his ATK of his ATK to the enemy.

TECHNIQUE - Gravitational Imprisonment [Impair]: After using Welt’s Technique, creates a dimension that lasts for 15 seconds. Enemies in this dimension have their Movement SPD reduced by 50%. After entering battle with enemies in this dimension, there is a 100% base chance to Imprison enemies for 1 turn. Imprisoned enemies have their actions delayed by 20% and SPD reduced by 10%. Only 1 Dimension created by allies can exist at a time.

LIGHTCONE:
N/A

RELICS:
N/A

PLANAR ORNAMENTS:
N/A

(If you're wondering why Welt's numbers look small compared to the Kirby cast, it's because these are all at Trace Lv 1. For the Kirby cast, all their numbers come from be assumed Max Trace Lv, except their Basic ATK.)

[Next Battle: Full-Powered Flock]
[5 Battles Remain]

Chapter 7: Sub-Game: The Simulated World

Chapter Text

Silver Wolf received 1 new message from Abusem*nt Park Manager

Abusem*nt Park Manager: iccps://gww.youtube.com/watch?v=vMh_HfTGMTo

Abusem*nt Park Manager: The show's about to start! Why don’t you show Elio?

Abusem*nt Park Manager: He’s going to want to see this… hee hee heee!

Abusem*nt Park Manager: And no, this isn’t a rickroll.

??? :Silver Wolf

Silver Wolf: who are you

Silver Wolf: nvm, i don’t care

Silver Wolf: tracking ur ip rn

[ERROR! SERVER NOT FOUND!]

Silver Wolf: wtf

[ERROR! SERVER NOT FOUND!]

Silver Wolf’s eyes narrowed as the error message on her screen taunted. She tried to message the mysterious sender again, only for another error message to pop-up on her screen. Growling, Silver Wolf typed a few commands on her keyboard and activated the IP tracking code, but only received yet another error message a few seconds later.

“What the hell!” Silver Wolf scowled, bagging her fist on her desk. The RGB lights that littered her room all flickered on and off when she did. She’s broken into the IPC’s servers, hacked multiple banks to fill her various accounts, and could alter the very fabric of reality with all her tech! Why the hell couldn’t she track the IP address of a single troll!

5 Minutes Ago

Magolor, in all his egg-shaped glory, floated into Susie’s office and placed his phone on her desk.

“Take care of this for me, will ya?” He asked the president. Susie, her sky blue eyes still glued to the computer, only shrugged in response. “Kay, thanks!” Magolor waved his disembodied hands as he hopped into a star shaped portal created by the Lor Starcutter.

It didn't make any sense to her. Silver glared at the screen, the error messaging taunting her each time she ran her code or tried to message back. So, she just deleted the messages. Problem solved.

Silver Wolf received 1 new message from Abusem*nt Park Manager

“Oh you’ve gotta be sh*tting me!” Silver Wolf muttered. As the exact same message as before popped back up. She tried to delete them again, only for them to return again and again and again. With a loud groan, Silver Wolf leaned back and spun around her chair. As she spun, somebody came to her door and angrily pounded their fist against it, causing the lights to flicker again.

“Shut the f*ck up,” She could hear Blade growl from the other side of the door. Silver Wolf stopped spinning and glared back at the door. She opened her mouth and called Blade a–

Hmm.

Silver Wolf turned back to the screen when she heard Blade walking away. She rested her hand on her head and stared at the message. She snapped her fingers, creating a holographic keyboard next to her hand. Without looking, she swiftly types something and hits enter. The screen darkens for a moment before another pop appears in front of her. It seems that the link had no virus attached to it. Not that it would matter, since her firewalls would purge it instantly.

With mild interest, you moved her mouse over the link and clicked it. She was immediately brought to a private livestream…?

“The f*ck…?” Silver Wolf muttered to herself. “No that shouldn’t be… That’s not part of the script…” She muttered, reading the title of the video.

“What the hell is Herta doing? Stelle should be doing the Simulated World, not the Arena…” She scrolled down and read the description, getting a minor overview of what sort of challenges that Stelle would be facing. Frowning, Silver Wolf looked through her files and pulled up a copy of the script that Elio had given to the other Stellaron Hunters.

What was written there was nothing like what had been typed in the description.

“You’ve gotta be f*ckin’...” Silver Wolf muttered to herself. With a great deal of hesitation, she copied the link and sent it to Elio.

“He’s gonna be piiiiisssssed,” She grumbled.

Stelle was back at the Divine Terminus, standing at the bottom of the altar and looking up. Looking down at her was Void, colors swirling curiously inside its gelatinous body. Occasionally, three black orbs would move to the front, forming something that resembled two eyes and a mouth. Behind her, she could Hyness muttering to himself as he did… something. She wasn’t exactly paying attention.

“What… are you?” Stelle asked. Void did not answer. She was tempted to take another step forward, but she was afraid the Stellaron might become even more unstable. Even now, she can feel it moving restless inside her, begging to be released. Even if she has a handle on the power now, she had no idea whether or not that control would last.

“Void exists in all dimensions, Trailblazer,” Hyness suddenly spoke up. Stelle turned around, lifting an eyebrow as the blue-skinned alien floated towards her with multiple scrolls in hand.

“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Stelle said sheepishly, stepping away from the Divine Terminus. Hyness only giggled in response; it was a raspy, slightly unnerving noise that caused her demure smile to falter.

“Janno, janno! Janno disturbance! Ji only see troubled bastion in vun rigga. Lost the way to lor,” Hyness said. Stelle frowned as he floated by and up the stairs, taking a seat next to Void. The amorphous blob watched him carefully as Hyness unfolded one of the scrolls and started reading to it in the ancient’s tongue. Stelle watched as Void’s expression shifted. The three black circles that assumedly made up its face kept swirling around its body, occasionally forming a frown or a glare. Sometimes, it looked like it was smiling, or even laughing.

She’s not sure why, but Stelle froze up when most of Void’s face opened up to reveal a single black eye.

“What are you doing…?” Stelle asked when Void’s expression shifted to a more pleasant look, as though it was laughing.

“Bedtime stories!” Hyness said happily, causing Stelle to faceplant into the ground. “Jif janno stories, Void gets vun jorrow. Can’t have that, janno janno! Janno jhappy, then Void can’t reach Lor!”

Stelle tilted her head. She can barely understand what Hyness says half the time, even if it mostly sounded like English with a random “juh” sound slapped somewhere.

“Lor…”

“Jes! Lor!” Hyness said unhelpfully. “Void can lead us to Lor! But, if vun jorrow in the universe, the Void becomes vun konjy, and becomes mafo. Vun, vun bad for the universe!”

“I see…?” Stelle muttered.

Soon, Hyness finished his bedtime story. Void, whose body was swirling earlier, had presumably gone to sleep. The slow moving colors on the Astral Birth’s body remind her of a calm ocean.

“Many mafo of Void exist in the multiverse, Trailblazer,” Hyness spoke up, getting Stelle’s attention. “Vun, vun jorrow, so Void becomes mafo. But… there is also many mapop of Void.”

“Mapop… of Void…” Stelle mutters. Hyness did not elaborate. His horn-like ears twitched slightly as he floated down to look Stelle in the eye.

“Jes… Void exists in all dimensions. In pocket dimensions, reality marbles, in bubble worlds, all are home to Void,” Hyness said. Stelle stood in silence as the priest stood into the depths of her soul, unmoving, unblinking. He hummed to himself as he placed a hand on his chin.

“Are you…”

“Mapop?”

“Mafo?”

“What?” Stelle muttered, confused by whatever–

Holy sh*t she’s falling!?

She could feel her feet dangling next to the soft mattress she was on. Her arms shot up instantly to grab onto… Wait…

“She could feel her feet dangling next to the soft…” Huh? Stelle blinked once, then twice. She pushed herself up onto the bed and hissed through her teeth.

“Stelle, you’re awake!” March’s cheery voice called out to her. Stelle looked up to see the girl’s iridescent eyes staring back at her. At least she didn’t notice. “So, how come you almost jumped out of your bed. Did you have a nightmare or something?” Stelle needs to keep her mind shut.

“No… I’m fine,” Stelle reassured her, pushing the covers off her body. “Where's Kirby and Dan Heng? Are they safe?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. Dan Heng’s resting in the Astral Express right now, and Kirby’s right there! He fell asleep before I came in,” March answered with a pout. She moved back, and the gray-haired girl could see Kirby’s small body curled up on a nearby seat. The subtle rise and fall of his chest were the only movements he made. Other than that, he seemed to be healthy. Stelle let out a sigh of relief and pushed herself up, sitting cross-legged on the mattress.

“So anyways, what happened when you were fighting those Doomers?” Stelle blinked out her daze and looked at March, who had a hand on her hip.

“You mean this…?” Stelle asked. She reached out with her right hand and flicked her wrist. Water and vapor formed around her hand, until it condensed into the Rainbow Sword. Stelle examined the colorful blade before trying to hand it to March, but the moment it left her grip, the sword turned back into water. March let out a whine as cold water splashed on the floor and got her feet.

“Honestly… I’m not sure,” Stelle continued, gripping the side of her head. “One minute, I’m pretty sure I was dying, and the next I was talking to Hyness at the Divine Terminus…”

“Hyness? Divine Terminus?” March asked. “You sure you didn’t hit your head?”

“No… Maybe I should talk to Meta Knight about this…” Stelle told herself. She also considered Magolor, since he and Hyness seem to have similar looking horns… but in all honesty, the less she interacted with that deranged wizard the better.

“Anyways… are you sure you don’t feel… weird or anything? Are you feeling sick, or in pain?” March said. Stelle raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. March seemed… almost worried?

“Um, no? Like I said earlier, I’m fine,” Stelle repeated. March frowned and crossed her arms. She turned around to look at Kirby, who was still soundly asleep. She opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. March glanced back at Stelle, and then Kirby. After a while, she shook her head and put on a plastic smile.

“Anyways, are you feeling good to get out of bed yet? Meta Knight needs to see you. Something about the Rainbow Sword and a… sub-game, whatever that is.”

“Sub-game? You mean like titl…” Stelle muttered. Confused, she looked up and squinted. When did that…

“Stelle, you good?” March asked. The Stellaron host shook her and rubbed her temples gently.

“Yeah, I’m good,” She reassured her. Stelle swung her legs off the bed and slipped on her heels. “You said Meta Knight wanted to see me? Where is he?”

“Oh, in Herta’s office!” Stelle leveled a deadpanned look at March, who merely shrugged. “Hey, I don’t know why he’s hanging out in there!”

“Alright… Let’s just go in, see what he has to say, and then leave,” Stelle groused.

“Okay!” March said, clapping her hands together. She turned around and picked up Kirby, easily cradling him in her arms. “Dan Heng’s right: he’s really light! It's almost like he’s made of air!”

“Huh,” Stelle said.

“Stable connection?”

“Check! We’re connected to the station's Wi-Fi!”

“Debugging process finished?”

“Check! No glitches to report!”

“Stream ready?”

“I can confirm that Screwllum and Lloyd are watching! Ruan Mei will join the call later.”

Inside Herta’s office, Magolor and Herta were finalizing their preparations for the Simulated Arena. The machine in the back of the puppet’s office had been activated and let out a light blue glow. Magolor proudly stood next to an annoyed Herta, while Meta Knight hid in the corner of the room.

“I’m still surprised you took over this entire project,” Herta groused.

Magolor giggled quietly. “What? A grand majority of the code is still yours, just altered slightly. Besides, Screwllum and Lloyd seem to enjoy my antics, and Ruan Mei at the very least tolerates my existence!” Herta rolled her eyes, but Magolor continued to laugh to himself. “But don't worry, I’ll join the Genius Society soon enough. Then, you'll have no choice but to at least read my own research papers!”

Before Herta could argue further, the door to her office hissed open. The duo of scientists turned around as Stelle, March, and a sleeping Kirby stepped inside the room.

“Meta Knight, I brought her,” March announced, frowning when she couldn’t find the knight. “Where is he?”

“I’m right here,” Meta Knight said quietly. March yelped, nearly dropping Kirby onto the floor. Stelle flinched slightly as well, and Magolor couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction.

“What the–!? When did you get here?” March asked, adjusting her grip on the sleeping puffball. Meta Knight’s eyes changed into a dull shade of orange at her reaction.

“I’ve… been here the whole time,” Meta Knight answered. After a while, he cleared his throat and stood up straight. “Anyways, thank you for coming here on such short notice.”

“Uh, don’t mention it. So, what did you want help with?” Stelle asked.

“I was wondering if you could help Herta and Magolor with a project she’s been working on,” Meta Knight asked. Immediately, Stelle hissed through her teeth and leaned back slightly, eyeing the two (mentally unstable) scientists. Magolor waved at her.

“Yeah, I can see why you asked instead of them…” Stelle groaned. Magolor huffed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Herta asked.

“Well… you’d probably say something unnecessarily macabre after asking Stelle for help…” March began, pointing at the wizard, “And you would probably ask so bluntly that you’d forget that Stelle was a living, breathing person.”

“I–!” Herta began, only for Magolor to cover her mouth with his glove.

“No no, she’s right… So anyways, do you wanna to help out! We’ve got a neat headset for you!~” He said, tossing a VR headset at the poor girl. Stelle yelped when Magolor tossed it to her, and she nearly dropped it onto the floor.

“What… do you need me to do it?” Stelle asked hesitantly.

“Nothing much? We’ll just be exposing the Stellaron to certain stimuli, and see how it reacts,” Magolor explained. Stelle opened her mouth to say something, but was immediately interrupted when Herta continued.

“No, we’re not going to torture you. Technically. Magolor modified my program in order to make it more… child friendly, I guess you could say. Essentially, you’re going to take control of four separate characters and battle your way through a slew of powerful enemies,” Herta said. Stelle looked at the two of them oddly.

“That’s it? It’s just a video game, and nothing else?” Stelle asked nervously.

“Basically!” Magolor confirmed. Herta glared and shoved her elbow into his side, causing him to wheeze. “Though, I suppose it can be considered an… edutainment game, I guess. For us specifically.”

Stelle hummed as she felt the helmet in her arms. She gleaned at Meta Knight, his eyes changing to a dull, sleet gray. “I tested their project already. It’s perfectly safe for the most part, if a bit mentally taxing.” Stelle frowned at his words.

“Are you okay?” She asked, and Meta Knight nodded.

“Minor headache, nothing major. Of course, they will be sure to fix that issue soon,” Meta Knight said, his from dull gray to bright red as he glared at Herta and Magolor.

“Right! Of course! That’ll be first on our bucket list!” Magolor said, nodding frantically.

“Eventually,” Herta groused. “Look, are you going to put on the helmet or not?”

“I mean…” Stelle muttered. She glanced at Meta Knight, but he didn’t speak or move. She looked at March, who only offered her a supportive smile. She then looked at Kirby, his bright blue eyes just… looking. Staring.

Stelle blinked, and Kirby went back to sleep, if he was never even awake in the first place. After shaking her head, Stelle’s grip on the headset tightened.

“Alright, fine,” She eventually said. Since they’re using this to study the Stellaron, maybe they could find a way to get it out of her.

“Oh joy!” Magolor clapped his hands and grabbed by the shoulder. He dragged her over to a small chair in front of the machine and made the girl sit down on it. “Now, just relax and put the thing on. We’ll handle everything from our end, alright?” Stelle couldn’t get a word in before Magolor floated over Herta and, from her perspective, started to randomly punch in buttons on the console. So, hesitantly, Stelle raised the helmet and slipped the device over her head, the black visor completely blocking her vision.

“You might feel a bit of shock, but don’t worry too much about it,” Herta said nonchalantly. Stelle’s head swiveled over to the puppet, her eyes wide.

“Anywho, happy fighting!” Magolor said. He slammed one hand on the console, getting an indignant squawk from the puppet. A few seconds later, Stelle flinched slightly from a brief jolt of electricity. She stood tense for a few seconds, but nothing happened. She was still inside the office. She half expected to

Oh deeeeeeaaaaar looooooooooooooooooooord–!

[Next Battle: Full-Powered Flock]

The glass screen cracked when something struck the partition from the other side. After another decisive blow, the glass finally gave out, revealing her first opponent.

In the middle of the Herta Space Station’s distorted engine room, large dark purple monsters flew out of the hole in the ground, each one with a gold chain in its mouth. The beasts’ tail feathers and wings were covered in gold armor with light blue and red trimmings which formed multiple eye-shaped patterns. Each doomer had rigid, metallic horns that stuck out of its head, each one curved backwards. The chains they held carried a thin platform that was lined with large, sharp spikes. Standing on it was a deep red, large Dupa with golden eyes, its top half covered in the same decorative armor as the others.

The 6-Star Nesting Doomers let out a loud shriek as they went on the attack.

Stelle assumed that the Nesting Doomers would perform the same opening attack as before, so she mentally ordered Kirby, Meta Knight, Magolor, and some old guy with a cane to scatter to avoid the incoming bullets. However, the three Crowned Doomers instead started spinning in place, and threw the giant nest towards her units. Magolor vanished and Kirby was just small enough to duck under the attack, but Meta Knight and Welt were both smacked into the wall. As the nest bounced off the walls, the Grand Dupa EX shrieked and started vomiting out Energy Bullets at a rapid pace.

Kirby jumped up and started inhaling the energy bullets, all of which were somehow able to fit in his mouth. He spat them back out, striking one of the Crowned Doomers in back. It turned around as Magolor reappeared; he reached out a hand and grabbed onto the nest’s chains. He pulled himself up and started launching Magic Spheres at his opponent, however, the Doomer swooped in and tanked the blows from the Grand Dupa. It flew forwards and tried to ram into him, but Welt flicked his wrists and created a black hole, dragging Magolor to safety.

The Rampaging Doomers swooped down and snatched the chains of the nest. The Grand Dupa EX howled, and conjured portals by its side. A green Spark Doomer and silver Frost Doomer flew out and started firing elemental blasts at Stelle’s party. Again, Kirby jumped up, started inhaling the bullets, and spat them back out. The Rampaging Doomers spun the nest around and deflected the bullets.

The one of the Crowned Doomers let go of the nest and swooped down, leaving behind trails of a strange purple gas behind. As it flew, Meta Knight crouched low to the ground and flew upwards. He sliced at the Doomers wing with Galaxia, causing the monster to tumble to the ground. He turned around to strike again, but Fire Doomer crashed into his back and launched him. Stelle ordered Kirby to assist Meta Knight, while Welt and Magolor handled the Nesting Doomers.

As the Crowned Doomer fell to the ground, Welt slammed his cane down. The Crowned Doomer shrieked as it tried to pull itself away from the floor, but it struggled to do so with sudden increase in gravity. Stelle could hear Magolor chuckle as he reached into his cloak and pulled out Magic Bombs. He threw them, each one exploding on contact with the Crowned Doomer. There was a sharp cracking sound as the Crowned Doomer laid there on the floor; dazed and with stars over it. Magolor raised his arms, and a slew of Deadly Needles rose from the ground and pierced through the Crowned Doomer. With a swipe of Welt’s cane, space distorted around the doomer, and ripples of space-time slashed through the Doomer’s Wings. The Crowned Doomer let out a shriek of pain and burst with colorful explosions of bright stars.

In the air, Meta Knight flapped his wings while carrying Kirby and spun to avoid the energy bullet from the two elemental bullets. With his sword, he deflected an ice energy bullet, knocking it into the air. Meta Knight swung his arm upwards and launched Kirby into it, allowing him to eat it in one gulp and transform into Ice Kirby.

Ice Kirby dropped like a rock, slamming his feet down onto the Fire Doomer and grabbing its wings before it could fly away. Kirby breathed ice on the fiery beast, which trapped it in a thick block of ice. Kirby turned around and kicked the frozen doomer as hard as he could into the Ice Doomer. The Doomers squawked as it and its brethren were both launched into a wall and disappeared in clouds of smoke.. Meta Knight swooped down and grabbed Kirby’s arm before flying back towards the remaining Nesting Doomers. As he did, Stelle noticed that the purple gas left behind by the Crowned Doomer ignited.

The two Crowned Doomers and started flapping their wings, surrounding themselves in purple gas. Meta Knight flew around the clouds with ease, and tossed Kirby as energy bullets were sent their way. The puffball twirled in the air, covering himself in ice cold breaths that froze the fired bullets. He stuck out his legs and kicked the bullets, creating a large cloud of mist. The Dupa launched a volley of energy bullets towards them. A black hole, created by Welt, spawned to the side, sending the energy bullets flying off course. The vortex changed into a blade of spatial energy, which slashed the face of the Doomer.

Before the monster could recover, Meta Knight suddenly appeared in front of it and stabbed forwards. The monster was covered in electricity as it launched forward, dragging the rest of the nest forward. The Grand Dupa EX squawked as it fell from its perch and onto the ground, right in front of Welt and Magolor. The two slammed their respective weapons into the air, creating a field of intensified gravity and inky spikes. The Dupa shrieked as it was repeatedly launched into the air by the spikes and dragged back down by the harsh gravity. As it reached the apex of its height, the Dupa snarled and turned around to fire an energy bullet. It flew out the field and slammed into Welt. It jumped on top of the Herrscher for good measure, and soon charged right at Magolor. The magician raised his hand to summon another magic sphere, but as he did, Stelle noticed the gas particles falling on his sleeves.

The particle exploded, sending Magolor flying into the air and crashing into Meta Knight, just as he was about to strike the Crowned Doomer. The winged beast shrieked and lunged forwards. It gnawed at Magolor’s leg like a rabid dog, shaking its head violently and slamming the magician into the wall. Once it was done, he threw Magolor into Meta Knight again, sending them both flying backwards. The second Crowned Doomer shrieked and flew after them, serrated teeth ready to bite them in two. Luckily, Kirby chose that moment to jump up and cover the bird's face with ice. Blinded, the monster shrieked as it tried to recover. Kirby grabbed its tail feathers, and after a quick spin, tossed it at the Grand Dupa. The egg-shaped Boss jumped over it, but that’s mainly because Kirby wasn’t aiming for it. Multiple black holes appeared around the Crowned Doomer, and gravitational forces caused it to crash into the walls multiple times. Just as it was about to free itself, Welt appeared from under it and thrusted his Star of Eden into the monster's head. Like last time, the second Crowned Doomer exploded.

The Grand Dupa jumped up and down and shrieked loudly, pushing all of the units away. Its body flashed red in anger as it jumped back into the nest, carried by a single Crowned Doomer. The Grand Dupa opened its mouth, and energy began streaming from its mouth.

Meta Knight quickly recovered from the monster scream and flew towards the pair. The Crowned Doomer shrieked and shook its feathers, releasing multiple orbs of green electricity. Meta Knight raised Galaxia and deflected the attack towards Dupa. The Crowned Doomer moved quickly, moving the nest just enough to avoid the attack. The Crowned Doomer spun the nest rapidly, creating a suction force that dragged Stelle’s units towards. She had to order Meta Knight to fall back, lest he get sucked in and get smacked around by the sharp nest.

Magolor, luckily, had another set of bombs ready. He tossed them into the air as Welt conjured a black hole. The gravity caused the bombs to fly towards the nest at an incredible speed; the explosions shattered the chain, and left both the Crowned Doomer and Grand Dupa EX stunned.

In the blink of an eye, Meta Knight flew over to the Crowned Doomer. His eyes blazed red as his body was covered in rainbow energy.

“Behold…”

[DARKNESS ILLUSION]

The masked swordsman raised his sword into the air and a bolt of electricity struck his golden blade, surrounding him and the Crowned Doomer in an electrical field.

“Know my power!”

An extra pair of wings sprouted from his back as Meta Knight slashed wildly at the monster, moving so fast that it appeared as though he had multiplied tenfold. At the end of his onslaught, Meta Knight appeared at the monster's side and slashed horizontally, splitting the Crowned Doomer in half.

The Grand Dupa shrieked and released multiple energy bullets into the air. It came crashing back down, knocking Meta Knight out of the sky and onto the floor. Kirby quickly skated over and grabbed his cape before another set of Energy Bullets could explode on them. Magolor grabbed Welt by the wrist and vanished into Another Dimension, waiting until the onslaught ended. Kirby, meanwhile, gracefully skated all over the arena, spinning and jumping out of the way of the Grand Dupa’s attacks before they could reach him. Even with the added weight, he moved quickly. Once the onslaught was over, the Grand Dupa stood by itself in the center of the arena. Stelle smirked to herself as she sicked her units onto the lone monster.

The Grand Dupa screeched as a never-ending barrage of attacks bombarded its body. By the end, Welt slammed his cane into the monster's forehead, and sent it flying into the core of the station’s engine. The Grand Dupa let out an enraged scream as it exploded in a flurry of bright stars.

[Next Battle: Mid-Boss All Stars]

Now standing in the middle of a Roman-styled colosseum, Stelle watched as a ball of light appeared before her team. The light exploded, and revealed… A large purple monkey with a purple pompadour and tight jeans wielding a hammer.

Huh.

Bonkers jumped up and down angrily, and then tossed multiple large coconuts. With his black holes, Welt managed to completely negate the attacks. He ducked under a hammer swing and slammed the hook of his cane into Bonker’s stomach, knocking the monkey back a bit, and right onto Magolor’s Deadly Needles.

Bonker’s dizzily walked around the arena until he collapsed on the floor and exploded in a cloud of dust and stars. Stelle blinked, wondering if the fight was that easy. She waited for the screen to fade out or the screen to crack. But nothing of the sort happened.

Instead, Kirby was hit in the face by a snowman, and Welt Yang was sent flying away by a tornado. Magolor turned around and saw a giant white walrus wearing dark blue overalls, and a two-legged swan dressed like a ballerina. Mr. Frosty roared as he turned around and tossed snowmen behind it, while Fleurina spun around and launched small tornados at Stelle’s crew.

Ice Kirby picked himself back up and started skating towards Mr. Frosty with Magolor floating behind him. With a snap of fingers, the wizard conjured another wave of deadly spikes, though Mr. Frosty dashed out of the way. Kirby kicked his heel into the floor, creating a layer of ice beneath them. The oversized walrus began to slip on the ice, waving his arms comedically as he tried to keep his balance. He raised his hands to throw another volley of snowballs, but they were quickly replaced by Magolor’s Magic Bombs. The wizard waved as the bombs blew up in the walrus’ face.

On the other side of the colosseum, Fleurina twirled, her webbed toes dancing across the stone floor as launched tornadoes and whirlwinds at Welt and Meta Knight. Using his black holes, Welt was able to direct the whirlwinds away. He slammed his cane into the ground, increasing the gravity of the floor. In response, Fleurina begins spinning rapidly, creating enough force to lift herself off the floor and glide gracefully away from the gravity field. Magolor threw another volley of Magic Bombs, but they were all swept away and launched away by Fleurina’s strong winds.

The magic bombs soared through the air and landed right next to Kirby, exploding right as they landed. He let out a cry of pain as he was launched into the air, the Ice Ability knocked out of his body. The light blue star with a snowman shattered just as Kirby face-planted onto the ground. Magolor managed to grab him before Mr. Frosty could trip and fall on top of him, and with a snap of fingers, he disappeared into a portal and reappeared behind the walrus, throwing Kirby at him. Kirby spun in the air slamming his heel into the monster cheek, knocking it back.

Meta Knight dodged another set of tornadoes from Fleurina, and jumped out of the way when he heard Mr. Frosty's surprised cry. He jumped into the, allowing the walrus to soar underneath him and slam into Fleurina, sending them both flying into the walls of the Arena. Stelle immediately ordered another bum rush in an attempt to end the fight then and there, but the mid-bosses had other plans.

Both mid-bosses stomped their feet on the ground and screeched, their bodies flashing bright red as puffs of steam blew from their ears. That somehow pushed the team away, allowing the swan to begin spinning around quickly, creating a large vortex that started to pull everyone in. Mr. Frosty turned around and started throwing large snowballs in Fleaurina’s direction. They were sucked up and thrown into the sky and came back down as sharp icicles.

Meta Knight looped his arms around Welt’s arms, carrying him as Magolor lazily floated next to them with Kirby holding onto his cape. As the waves and waves of icicles rained down on them Meta Knight’s sword and Magolor’s spikes easily shattered through them. Welt dragged his cane across the floor as they flew, his gravity well activating and keeping the team from being dragged into the storm. And Kirby… well, he just kinda hung onto Magolor’s cape.

The icicles rained down harder the closer the team came to the eyes of the storm. Fleurina noticed and began spinning faster, creating multiple illusory copies of herself by using an intricate dance. The phantom copies twirled towards them, their arms spread out like blades to slice through them. Kirby swung himself onto Magolor’s shoulders and took a deep breath, inhaling the phantoms with relative ease. His eyes flashed bright green as he leapt into the air. Visible trails of wind and air circled around him, which condensed into the thick, puffy clouds. The clouds were blown outwards as Kirby floated down, a small vortex under his new boots.

Speaking of which, his new outfit consists of a pair of thick, light blue boots with brown straps securing them to his calves and lined with white fur on the insides. He wore a sleeveless, light blue shirt and an ornate chestplate covering his upper body, made of soft faux fur on the inside and small golden pieces on the outside. Multiple blue and yellow straps secured the armor in place, and there was even a small bowtie-like ornament on the front, made out of feathers. A silver bracelet shaped like a heart appeared on his wrists, the metal intricate designed to look like the wings of a bird. Finally, a diamond shaped gem appeared in the middle of Kirby’s forehead, and from it sprouted a golden tiara. A windy vortex began to swirl around Kirby’s hair, which caused his messy hair to flail violently inside.

Tornado Kirby flew in front of the team and spun around quickly, creating a storm that rivaled Fleurina’s in intensity, but spinning in the opposite direction. The tornadoes collided, and due to the opposing forces, canceled each other out. Fleurina fell to the ground, and as she tried to right herself, Meta Knight ran his sword through her, causing her to explode in a puff of smoke.

Mr. Frosty shrieked and started to panic. He opened his mouth and blew out a massive gust of ice-cold wind. Kirby clapped his hands in front of her, creating a large gust of his, the cold and slightly less cold breeze slamming against each other and dissipating. Mr. Frosty throws multiple snowballs, enough for the attack to be considered an avalanche. However, Welt Yang’s black holes immediately erased the attack. With another blast of wind from Tornado Kirby, Magolor was propelled towards Mr. Frosty. He slapped the snowball away from the walrus stubby hands and replaced it with a hand.

The bomb exploded shortly after, ending the life as Mr. Frosty flew over the walls of the arena and became a comical sparkle in the sky.

[Next Battle: Elite Entourage]

Stelle was transported to another arena. However, instead of an ancient colosseum, this one was more like a modern boxing ring, with a cheering crowd and large spotlights aimed right at the stage they were standing on, and even a large screen off to the side. She didn’t have time to rest, however, as a Voidranger: Trampler appeared in a ball of light before her team. The monster reared back on its hind legs and crossed its legs.

Unfortunately for the centaur, Stelle had gotten better at controlling her units. Magolor immediately sent a wave of Deadly Spikes. The centaur jumped over the attack, but Welt had already slammed his cane into the ground. The Trampler face-planted onto the ground, rolling from the sudden increase in gravity. With that out of the way, Tornado Kirby and Meta Knight bum rush the Trampler, fierce winds and a golden blade reducing it body to slivers.

The crowd cheers as the monster disappears in a puff of smoke. However, the cloud fades away, two lights flare up in front of her team. Two rock-like, crystalline monsters burst from the orbs, one is frigid and emitting cold puffs of air, while the other is scorching and bursting with flames.

Like before, Stelle immediately orders her units to bum rush the Ice and Blaze out of Space, expecting the monsters to attack her as well. Instead, the Ice and Blaze turned towards each other and launched blasts of their respective elements at each other. The explosion covered the entire arena in a thick layer of steam, blinding Stelle’s four sets of eyes.

Much to her mild annoyance, the only person that she can use to see is with Magolor. Still, even with his glowing eyes Magolor can only see so far ahead. And that was a major problem, since Welt was just struck in the back by a fireball. Switching control over to Kirby, the puffball generated a large gust of wind, blowing away the clouds restoring her vision.

Off to the right, she can see the Blaze infuse itself with heat, causing the flames all over its body to intensify. Meanwhile, the Ice throws it hand forward, launching a barrage of sharp icicles at her team. While Meta Knight knocked the shrapnel away with his blade and Magolor fled to Another Dimension, Welt used his black holes to turn the shrapnel away, while Kirby’s fierce winds propelled them forwards. The Ice out of Space was peppered with holes as the icicles pierced through its body and crashed into the chain link fence on the edge of the arena.

Magolor reappeared over the monsters, smirking as he snapped his fingers. Multiple portals appeared around them, each one jutting out sharp cosmic Needles. The Ice and Blazewere skewered in all directions, but as the spikes retracted, two monsters fell towards each other, causing another thick cloud of steam. Kirby dispelled this cloud as easily as the last one, but was immediately backhanded by the Blaze. Small jets of wind formed underneath his boots, which allowed him to slow down before he could crash into Meta Knight. With a flick of his hands, Meta Knight was propelled forward, his golden blade slicing the Blaze’s arm in half. The monster reeled back, floating above Welt’s gravity well.

As the Blaze tried to free itself, the Ice launched a barrage of frozen energy orbs at them. Magolor scoffed as he snapped his fingers, the walls of sharp cosmic spikes destroying the orbs with ease. As that happened, Kirby launched a tornado of wind at the Blaze, the strong winds tearing its rigid and rock-like body to pieces. With that, the entire squad turned their heads to the Ice. They all rush towards the Ice.

The body of the Ice out of Space fell back as a barrage of attacks slammed into the monster’s crystalline body. Sharp blades, storm winds, interdimensional energy, and the weight of gravity all hammered down on the monster’s fragile body, causing the structure of its body to shatter. The crowd filled with cheers as the crystalline remains of the Ice fizzled out of existence and Stelle’s vision faded away.

[Next Battle: Full-Powered Disaster Dragon]

Stelle half expected for the team to be transported to another arena. Maybe like an octagon, or a flat strip of land with a couple of floating platforms. Instead, she ended up in what seemed like some sort of docking bay with a set of train tracks running through the middle. For some reason.

Her attention was ripped away when a loud roar caused the entire room to shake. Looking outside, she saw a large mechanical menace made out of vantablack metal and gold trimmings. Two smaller arms held up a circular, rainbow colored orb with a golden gear inside, which seemed to be powering the entire monster. The machine’s head was a star-shaped portal to Another Dimension that sat on a pedestal-like neck. The monster flared to life with another loud roar, six wings made out of white-hot energy shooting out of its back.

The 6-Star Doomsday Beast glared at the quartet, and lunged forwards.

With a yelp, Stelle ordered her units to flee, a task made easier when all Tornado Kirby had to do was propel them away with a large gust of wind. The Creator’s Right Hand comes crashing down, creating a large crater in the center of the docking bay. Meta Knight immediately lunges for it, but he is knocked out of the sky when a Doomer is shot from the portal on the Beast’s head and slammed into him.

As Meta Knight landed in a heap behind the rest of the group, Kirby let out a slew of high-pressure wind blades, aiming for the Destroyer’s Left Hand. However, a beam of light from the Master’s Core struck the left, encasing it in an ethereal yellow glow. The hand swiped at the windy blades, the attack doing little to slow the incoming fist down. Welt tried to slow it down with his gravity well, but it still managed to fly through and crash into the older man’s stomach, launching him into Meta Knight.

Before the hand could slam down on them, Magolor’s Needles jutted out and stabbed through, halting the hand’s movements for a brief second. Both Meta Knight and Welt recollect themselves and attack the hand, slicing through with golden slash and cosmic energy. The left hand broke free from as clenched into a fist and flew back towards them. Kirby turned around and aimed a gust of wind in order to get them out of the way.

Unfortunately, the Doomer from earlier clamped down on Kirby’s arm, which sent the wind flying in another direction. The Destroyer’s Left Hand slammed down on Meta and Welt, crushing the two experienced men against the floor and–

Oh, that didn’t sound like a very good jingle. That was definitely not a good jingle. Stelle tried to switch controls over to Meta Knight, but his icon in the corner of her screen was darkened, and his health bar was completely empty. Oh dear.

Before Stelle could even register that Meta Knight had been KOed, she remembered that the Doomer was still gnawing on Kirby’s arm. With a snap of his fingers, the small bird was sent flying into one of Welt’s black holes. Looking down, Kirby’s eyes widened as Stelle saw the right fist flying right towards him. A gust of wind propelled him into the air and launched a few blades of wind back down to strike.

The Creator’s Right Hand clenched its fingers and fired thin, light blue lasers from the tips of its claws. They tore through the lasers easily and struck Kirby, knocking the Tornado ability out of him. Kirby tried to reach the Ability Star, but Stelle had to switch upon seeing Welt getting manhandled by the Destroyer’s Left Hand.

Stelle took control of Welt as Destroyer’s Left Hand gently placed itself on the ground and started flailing around wildly. Welt increased the gravity around the flailing appendage, keeping it from flopping around anymore. The man swung his cane and distorted the space around the Destroyer’s palm, knocking it out of gravity well. As it was freed, the hand began to vibrate until it rocketed into the air and flew back down. Magolor managed to avoid it, the fist struck Welt in the chest, which finally KOed the older man.

Kirby reached out and managed to grab Ability Star, and in a flash transformed back into Tornado Kirby. He whipped around and struck the Destroyer’s Left Hand with a fierce storm of winds. The fist shattered under the pressure and limply fell into the ground., twitching slightly. With that done, Magolor opened multiple portals and threw a barrage of bombs inside them. The portals closed and reappeared over Creator’s Right Hand and the Master’s Core. The Right Hand managed to fly away, but the Core was struck and fell off the two smaller hands, rolling around the arena slowly.

Not that it really did anything, since the Core jumped up and started bouncing all over the place. Magolor and Kirby yelped as they took cover, the Master’s Core shaking the room with each bounce and creating shockwaves as it crashed into the ground. Not that it mattered, since both Tornado Kirby and Magolor could float. As the Master’s core floated back onto its perch, it fired a beam of energy at both the Right and Left Hands. Both appendages clenched their fingers as they began to charge with power. Magolor tossed a Magic Bomb into the air, and Kirby propelled it towards the core, striking the center and cracking it with their combined powers. The charge failed, and Creator’s Right Hand drooped.

With a roar, the Doomsday Beast flapped its wings and began to charge up a powerful attack. Streams of energy coiled around the core, slowly turning the sphere bright red. Thankfully, it was the wasn't only boss ready with an ultimate. Ever since the middle of Mid-Boss All Stars, Stelle’s units most of their Ultimates ready to go. She was just waiting for the right time to use it.

Rainbow electricity crackled around Magolor as the room seemed to darken. The hooded magician smiled as energy pooled around his hands, and sun-shaped runes appeared over his wrists.

“Let’s give a big round of applause for our latest guinea pig!”

[MAX MEGA MAGOLOR CANNON]

Time seemed to stop around Magolor as he formed a few signs with his hand, the runes floating away from his wrists and forming into a much larger sigil in front of him. Dark Energy crackled, condensing into black spheres. Magolor forced them together, fusing them into an even larger orb that caused the screen itself to crack.

“This won’t hurt a bit! Just close your eyes and feel the agonizing excitement!”

Magolor slammed the orb into the rune, causing it to spin rapidly and uncontrollably. A massive, bright blue laser flew out of the rune, and crashed into Master’s Core. A large, Magolor-shaped explosion rocked the entire space station, engulfing the Doomsday Beast completely. Multicolored sparkles floated down from Magolor-cloud as the magician himself took a bow and disappeared through a portal as time began flowing as normal.

The Doomsday Beast was blown back from the explosion, knocking the machine back outside the wall. The Creator’s Right Hand and Destroyer’s Left Hang both shattered and cracked, falling limply onto the floor, while the Master’s Core fell off its perch and rolled against the floor. Thankfully, it didn’t start bouncing around. The Doomsday Beast’s head fell onto the ground, the altar of the portal completely exposed.

Tornado Kirby and Magolor flew forwards, charging their attacks to take down the menace. As they did, the portal started glowing and vomiting out dark black crystals in a last-ditch attempt to save itself. Magolor grabbed Kirby and flew into Another Dimension, falling on top of its head. Cosmic spikes and fierce winds were buried into the boss’ head, causing the monster to shriek in pain.

The monster stilled as the altar crumbled. The Doomsday Beast reeled back in pain, its shattered hand grasping at where its head once stood. Streams of light burst out of chest and body, until the entire machine finally exploded in a colorful and star-filled blast.

[Next Stop: Rest Area]

Stelle suddenly appeared in a wide-open field with a clear blue sky, the sun shining bright above her. She blinked once, then twice, and on the third time, realized she was in control of her own body. “What the…” She muttered and raised her arm to block the sun’s rays. She took a few steps forward, and dumped into something. Looking down, she saw a small and white sailboat. Standing on the deck was an egg-shaped Magolor with disembodied hands and a less-than-enthused Herta bean.

“Well, well, well! I must say, you’re doing fantastic so far!” Magolor exclaimed, clapping his gloved hands together while the Herta bean scribbled something down on her notepad.

“Umm, thanks?” Stelle muttered, scratching the back of her head. “I mean, I don’t think I did that good. Meta Knight and the old guy both died during that last battle.”

“What did you expect?” Herta drawled. “You have no healers, and you can only control one unit at a time. Of course one of them would die at some point.” Herta paused, and turned away from the magician and muttered something under her breath. “But… I suppose you did an adequate job with the restrictions you had to deal with.”

Stelle hummed in response, her lips flattening into a thin line. “So, I’ve got one more battle, right?” She asked Magolor.

“Yuppers!” Magolor said, making Stelle cringe slightly. “Course, you’re not exactly in tip top fighting shape, are you? Don’t worry, I can fix that!” Magolor reached behind him and tossed a bright red apple at Stelle. She absorbed it, and in the corner of her vision, she can see the health bars of her units, including Welt and Meta Knight, all rising to the green.

“Now, let’s see what you can do!” Magolor cheered, nudging the front of Lor against Stelle’s back, pushing her towards the swirling portal.

“Alright, alright!” Stelle said, stumbling inside it. As she reached out a hand to enter the portal, she couldn’t help but notice the excited gleam in Magolor’s eyes as she walked through.

[Next Battle: Tree Crown Without a Ruler]

Stelle coughed as burning smoke and dust filled her lungs. She nearly doubled over, but managed to catch herself before that could happen. She covered her nose with her shirt to breathe more comfortably. Her Molten Gold eyes caught a glimpse of the sky as she did, and her jaw dropped at what she saw.

Stelle was standing on the cliffside which overlooked a ruined city. The sky was filled with ash and in the center of the sky was a massive red void. The landscape was littered with cracked and deserted skyscrapers as large plumes of smoke and ash rose into the air. Small meteors fell down from the portal falling into the city with loud, earth-shattering impacts. Before she could process any of this, she heard the gentle sound of rustling leaves above her as the area was covered in a large, black shadow.

Floating in front of her was a massive oak tree. Two arms sprouted from its trunk, and a pair of wings made entirely out of glistening leaves flapped behind, keeping the behemoth aloft. Its branches were arranged in such a way that the leaves formed a large halo. The trunk and the branches were separated by a large, golden crown with a green gem in the center, and below it was a burning yellow eye surrounded by red crystals.

“What the hell…?” Herta muttered, reading the text on the splash screen. She wiped the screen of her laptop, and then the doll she was looking at. “That… that can’t be it,” She muttered, pulling up scans of her copies of “Secrets of the Ancients,” and flipping to the page with the Master Crown. As expected, it looked nothing like the tree depicted on the screen.

“What the heck is that thing?” Herta demanded, her puppet at the screen and glaring at the hooded wizard. He only giggled quietly, and placed one hand on her shoulder. Herta flinched when she felt the fabric of his gloves on her person.

“That…” He said quietly, his yellow eyes dimming down as he tapped on the golden tiara around the tree’s canopy, “is the price of the knowledge that you and the rest of you… ‘Geniuses’ so desperately seek.”

The tree tucked in its arms and let out a loud, ear-splitting shout. Stelle could feel herself disappearing as she was replaced by her team, each one standing defiantly against the monster.

Tree Crown Without a Ruler
THE MASTER CROWN

Stelle quickly took control of Tornado Kirby and flew towards the Master Crown, but as he reached the edge of the cliff, an invisible force field knocked Kirby back.

Before she could even process that, Stelle heard a portal form above her. Welt and Magolor dodged just in time as a massive root suddenly shot out and flew into the ground, causing the entire arena to shake. She managed to get in a few attacks with Meta Knight, but the root quickly retreated before she could leave a sizable dent in Master Crown’s health bar. Another portal appeared off to the side, and like before, another root slammed down. Welt struck with his cane before the root slithered away.

Growling, the Master Crown raised its hands and formed two portals. From them, two crystalline apples dropped to the ground, and began to glow ominously. Stelle ordered Welt and Kirby the one and the left, while Magolor and Meta Knight handled the right. As this was happening, a portal appeared over the former two and crashed down, digging Welt into the ground before it retreated. Kiby tried to attack the root, but he didn’t move fast enough. Another portal appeared above the latter two, but Stelle predicted that this would happen and made the knight and mage flee.

The Gem Apples glowed bright before they ignited, launching Welt into the other’s as they fled to the center of the arena. The Master Crown’s eye flared, and fired a thin beam across the ground. Meta Knight flapped his wings, carrying the other team members as the ground exploded, deafening Stelle for a brief moment. As they touched down, more roots came flying towards them. Meta Knight pulled them away before they could be crushed, and Welt used his gravity well to keep the roots embedded for a few more moments. Tornado Kirby launched Meta Knight, while Magolor launched multiple Magic Spheres at the stuck appendage, and the two managed to slice and burn off some of the bark as the roots retreated.

The Master Crown flapped its wings as portals appeared in the air and on the floor. Sharp leaves were launched towards them, slicing up pieces of the ground just as the roots went flying towards them. Welt created a black hole, drawing in the leaves before they could cut into anybody. The roots were also drawn to the singularity and dealt minor damage as they crossed the event horizon. They lingered inside before the portals began to pull them back in. Before they could retreat completely, Tornado Kirby turned around and fired a gust of wind, breaking off the tip of the root.

The Master Crown visibly flinched as the tip snapped off. It quickly corrected its flight. It glared at the opposing party, until it let out a loud screech, pushing the group away. Behind the Master Crown, the buildings and skyscrapers began to collapse, the buildings creating large clouds of ash and smoke as they imploded. The eye surrounded itself in a deadly aura as the tree tucked in its arms and wings.

[MISTILTEINN OF HATRED AND OBSESSION]

Massive laser made out of dark red miasma burst from the Crown’s eyes, tearing apart and burning the landscape as they swept across the floor. Taking control of Magolor, he grabbed everyone by the color and pulled them into Another Dimension, waiting out the blast for as long as she could. Even inside the warped space, they could feel the air rumble from the sheer strength of the attack.

The laser’s quickly dissipated just as Magolor and the other’s were spat out of Another Dimension. There was no time to breathe, however, as the roots of the tree came crashing down above them, grazing Meta Knight’s mask as he ducked. Like before, Welt used his cane to keep the roots for just a bit longer while the other’s attacked with all their might, doing their best to carve up the bark.

Once they slithered away, the Master Crown flapped its wings again and launched a barrage of bladed clovers at them. At the same time, its arm glowed purple as it conjured multiple portals in the air. From the largest portal, a massive Gem Apple dropped to the ground and pulsed ominously, while a large Dupa and two Darpas floated out of the others. Once Kirby blew away the leaves with his wind, Stelle ordered each of her units to take out one the four recently spawned enemies.

Magolor, Welt, and Meta Knight took care of their enemies rather quickly, using only a few attacks to dispatch them, though Kirby had some trouble damaging the large Gem Apple. Magolor tossed his bombs, which managed to destroy the fruit before it exploded, thankfully. Suddenly, roots shot out of the ground, knocking the wizard and puffball away, the latter of which dropped his ability. Welt and Meta Knight out of the way before they could be crushed, another pair crashing into the ground, but were unable to strike back.

Three portals opened in the sky, and the largest roots came crashing down, digging into the ground as they homed in on the team. Kirby used his inhale to drag them all away before they could be crushed, and as he did, Stelle noticed the perfect time to strike. Kirby’s eyes turned yellow as he closed his mouth, rainbow electricity sparking as he rushed towards the roots.

[GO! TEAM STAR ALLIES!]

Kirby transformed again, sort of. A heart shaped visor appeared over his eyes, floating in front of as a star-shaped glider glittered to life around him. He flew into the air, and somehow, Magolor, Meta Knight, and Welt were all dragged into the air as Kirby flew into deep space. He turned around as a reticle appeared in the center of his visor, aimed directly at the roots stuck in the ground. With a shout, the quarter thrust out their arms and fired beams of pure energy, each one striking the root with a powerful blast, leaving a large star shaped cloud in its wake.

As Kirby and the team floated back to the ground, the broken roots were pulled out of their craters. The Master Crown glared at the trio, doing nothing for a split second until it teleported away. Stelle blinked once, then twice unsure of what to do. When her vision began to darken slightly, she looked down, only then noticing the shadow quickly growing bigger around them.

With a shriek, Magolor managed to grab everyone and flee into Another Dimension just the Master Crown itself slammed into the ground, its trunk covering up most of the arena. Magolor popped out of the world between dimensions, everyone primed to attack.

Stelle shivered as she felt the hateful Gaze of the Master Crown, a look that threatened to consume her entirely.

Meta Knight floor towards the eyes as everyone else launched their respective projectiles. The body of the Master Crown rumbled. Just as their attacks made contact, the Master Crown buried itself deeper into the ground, sending rocks and debris flying as half its body tore through the arena. Welt, Kirby and Magolor were struck, the shockwaves launching them into the air as they were covered by debris, only leaving the Knight unharmed.

With a growl, Meta Knight raised Galaxia and stabbed his sword into the Master Crown’s eyes. Electricity sparked as the knight plunged his sword even deeper inside the tyrannical tiara’s eyeball, managing to dig even the hilt inside the monster. The Master Crown slapped Meta Knight away, sending him flying and skidding across the ground. But just as it was about to teleport away, Magolor suddenly appeared behind him, floating out his portal with multiple bombs stacked on top of each other. The wizard tossed his magical explosives at the eye, the explosions shattering the yellow eye entirely.

Time seemed to stop as the Master Crown’s body flashed white. It teleported into the background again as it writhed in pain, leaves falling from its wings and halo. Small explosions rock its body as the tree reaches out its hand, clawed fingers clenching into a fist as it floats down into the fires of the city. It was quickly consumed by the fires of its own making.

World Clear!
TIME - 34:50:88

First-Time Clearance Rewards:

600 Trailblaze EXP | 120 Stellar Jade | 2 Star Rail Pass | 2 Herta Bond
Magolor, The Interdimensional Traveler (Cosmetic)

Stelle pulled off the headset slowly, groaning as her head ached from the simulation. She tried to stand up, but after a few unsteady steps, she stumbled onto the ground. “That… that felt a lot more than just ‘a minor headache,’” She grumbled, feeling a soft yet cold hand wrap around her shoulder and pull her up.

“Apologies,” Meta Knight said, handing her a Maxim Tomato as she leaned on March. Kirby was already latched onto his back, his arms wrapped around the knight's neck as his legs dangled behind him. “I suppose I should have considered the difference between our mental fortitude.” Stelle shrugged as she took a bite out the fruit, the sweet taste doing little to ease the growing migraine in her head.

“Well, that was disappointing,” Herta grumbled, causing the knight and girl to look at her with an annoyed expression. “No appearance on the Aeons at all! Not even against that weed, and that alone should have been able to attract at least one of the Aeons!”

“Oh well, maybe next time!” Magolor said, his eyes glowing with a hint of amusem*nt as he watched Herta stomp around her desk. “In the meantime, our little guinea should take some time to rest and recuperate!” He turned around, winking at the gray-haired girl.

“I hear the Express has some wonderfully soft beds this time of year!”

“But… the Express always has soft beds,” March mutters, getting a deadpan stare from the wizard.

“Bed sounds nice. Sleep to…” Stelle says, her voice almost slurring. March smiles at her, slapping her cheek briefly to jolt her awake. Unfortunately for her, Stelle completely shut down and went limp, causing March to yelp from the sudden increase in weight.

“Do you need help? We can switch if you want to.” Meta Knight offered. March shook her head, even though she knew that Kirby was infinitely lighter compared to Stelle.

“No, it’s okay,” March reassured him. She adjusted her grip to hold Stelle more comfortable. “Let’s head back to the Express. Today’s been a long time.”

Magolor watched as the quartet walked out of Herta’s office, his eyes glowing subtly as the door hissed open. March and Stelle walked out first, and when Meta Knight did, he turned around and glared at Herta briefly. His eye turned red for a split second before he walked out with a huff.

“They know I could’ve just portaled them to the Express right?” Magolor muttered.

TORNADO KIRBY
Wind / Dreams

ATK - +343
DEF - -217
SPD - +10

BASIC ATK - Tornado Attack [Single Target]: Deals Wind DMG equal to 50% of Kirby’s ATK to a single enemy. Super Storm System [Bounce]: Deals Wind DMG equal to 90% of Kirby’s ATK to random enemies 5 times, with each subsequent attack dealing an additional 35%. Applies Lightning Rod to each enemy damaged by this attack for two turns. Enemies afflicted by Lightning Rod will always be targeted by Bounce Attacks, also, if they are targeted by a Blast Attack, they will receive additional damage equal to the combined damage adjacent enemies received.

SKILL - Rising Gust [AoE] Deals Wind DMG equal to 110% of Kirby’s ATK to the target and adjacent enemies. Enemies that have more than 10 stacks of a single DoT Debuff are guaranteed to become Dizzy, otherwise, there is a 33% base chance that the damaged enemies will become Dizzy. Dizzy enemies have their ATK decreased by 15%, and have a 55% base chance of attacking another enemy. Super Wind Slammer [Aoe]: Deals Wind DMG equal to 166% of Kirby’s ATK to all enemies twice, and has a 100% base chance of inflicting all enemies with 1-5 stacks Lift Off for three turns. Enemies with Lift Off take Lightning, Wind, and Ice DoT damage equal to 10% of Kirby’s ATK at the start of every turn.

ULTIMATE - Bring on the Super Ability! Supercell Hurricane [Enhance]: Kirby transforms into Supercell Storm Kirby, increasing his ATK by 120%, SPD by 90%, and Weakness Break Effect by 79% also, he gains 3 points of Copy Essence. Supercell Hurricane Kirby can only lose one point of Copy Essence at the end of his turn from this point on, however, he becomes Base Kirby once he no longer has Copy Essence. As Supercell Hurricane Kirby, his Basic ATK becomes “Super Storm System” and his skill becomes “Super Wind Slammer.” Kirby’s turn does not end when he uses this Ultimate.

THE INTERDIMENSIONAL TRAVELER
Cosmetic / Magolor

Appearance: Magolor wears an outfit similar to his normal robes, but it is almost entirely white. His cape is tattered and torn, and the brown belt that kept his hood in place is replaced by a dark gray rag. The left part of his hood is torn off, revealing a cat-like ear.
Character Introduction: The shattered crown was scattered across dimensions, alongside Magolor’s powers. Now he seeks to reclaim them! Is this a journey of penance or revenge? And secrets await at the end!?
VA: Roger Rose (Magolor’s voice is more noticeable hollow and distant. There is a slight echo to it, and he does not speak with his usual theatrics).

(Attack’s will have different names and animations, but have the same effects as described earlier. If an attack is not present, it has not been changed.)

BASIC ATK - Revolution Flames: Magolor charges up as much magical energy as possible, and launches three fiery orbs at the opponent.

SKILL - Magolor Surge: Magolor covers himself in wind magic and flies forward, slamming into and knocking back multiple opponents.

ULTIMATE - Atone for One’s Misdeeds!: Magolor finds the nearest blunt object he can find, and pours as much of his magic into, transforming it into a large Ultra Sword. He swings with enough force to cut down the vile crown.

TALENT - Black Hole: Magolor lets out as much of the magic that he has absorbed andforms a star-shaped black hole above the enemies.

VS Master Crown
Those we wear the Master Crown will gain unlimited power, but so will the darkness in their heart. Thanks to the Red Fruit, the Crown has become a wrathful wreath–a destroyer called the Tree Crown Without a Ruler! To free the Fruit and bring an end to the destruction… To take responsibility for his wicked ways… With all of his magic infused into the sword, he must strike! Magolor must atone for his misdeeds!

SKILLS
Otherworldly Roots [Bounce] - Inflicts Wind DMG equal to 190% of the Master Crown’s ATK to random targets 1-3, afterwards, the roots linger on the field for 2-3 turns. Attack the roots in order to damage the Master Crown. This is the only way to deal direct damage to the Master Crown. Debuffs and Weakness Breaks are applied to the Master Crown instead of the roots. The Master Crown will use this attack if it has not taken direct damage in the last 2 turns.

Daphne’s Scream [AoE] - Inflicts Imaginary DMG equal to 150% of the Master Crown’s ATK to all targets andhas a 33% base chance to inflict damaged targets with Burn.

Forbidden Malus Pumila [Summon] - Summons two Gem Apple Bombs (P1) or one Gem Apple Nuke (P2&3). Two turns after they are summoned, Gem Apple Bomb/Nuke will self-destruct, dealing Imaginary DMG equal to 215% (Bomb) or 470% (Nuke) of the Master Crown’s ATK to all targets.

Dance of the Double Edged Leaves [Bounce] - Inflicts Wind DMG equal to 215% (P1), 165% (P2), or 65% (P3) of the Master Crown’s ATK to random targets 4 (P1), 8 (P2), or 16 (P3) times to random targets.

Return Without a Ruler [AoE] - Inflicts Wind DMG equal to 235% of the Master Crown’s ATK to all targets twice (P3).

The Ancient’s Cursed Machinations [Enhance] - The Master Crown enters a charged state. On the following turn, the Master Crown will use “Mistilteinn of Hatred and Obsession.”

Mistilteinn of Hatred and Obsession [AoE] - Inflicts Imaginary DMG equal to 445% of the Master Crown’s ATK to all enemies 3-7 times.

Parts of shattered space coalesce and reform, the sound of clinking glass echoing through the endless void. The shattered reality repairs itself, and the Herta Space Station is restored completely. It’s labeled as [Level 0 - Station Sundae].

Kirby comes out of the station, clinging onto the Warp Star as he floats just below the Station. He raises his hand and cheers upon seeing the restored station.

A trail of stars shimmers to life leading towards the right side of the galactic map. The trail ends, the last star shining brightly as another label appears over distorted and corrupted space. This one reads [Level 1 - Belobog Barberry].

Chapter 8: Station Sundae - Epilogue

Chapter Text

“There we go…! That should do it!” Magolor exclaimed as he tightened one more bolt. He stepped back and adjusted his hood, his yellow eyes glowing proudly as he admired his handiwork.

On the Parlor Car’s wall was a circular clock shaped like a stopwatch with a sun design. In the center of the sun were two squinted light purple eyes with a red shooting star above its right eye, and lips curled into a cat-like smile.

The magician giggled to himself as he tossed his screwdriver into a nearby portal as Himeko and Welt Yang walked towards the clock. Welt smiled as he saw her frown. The design of the golden clock clashed with the rustic feel of the Parlor Car. However, she did give Magolor free reign over the design of the AD-D (Another Dimension Detector), so she shouldn’t really be surprised given his… eccentric personality.

“And you’re sure this will be able to help detect a piece of Another Dimension?” The elder Nameless asked. Magolor nodded excitedly as he leaned against the wall of Car.

“Of course! And besides, if it breaks or starts malfunctioning, you’ll also have Kirby to fall back on!” The magician said, a bright smile hidden underneath the shadows of his cloak. “Speaking of, where’s the little gumball anyways?”

“He’s in the cafeteria with March,” Welt mentioned, “but Stelle is in her room, resting. But given her… new condition-”

“It’s fine, for now. As long as they aren’t further than three miles apart–” Magolor quickly turned around and whispered “that’s roughly 4.82 kilometers for everyone else,” before turning back to the duo and smiling, “–Stelle should be fine. Though, somebody should probably tell her about the fact that her battery is in a perpetual state of instability.”

“Speaking of which… how did that happen in the first place?” Himeko asked. “Stelle was only inside the Nesting Doomer’s stomach for a few seconds. How was that enough to destabilize the Stellaron to such a degree?”

Magolor only shrugged, much to the two’s disappointment. “Kirby threw that Friend Heart, which seemed to have healed her. I thought that was going to be the end of that, but I should’ve expected Dreamland’s typical brand of weirdness to show up at some point. If you're worried that something may be wrong, you can always come to me about it. I’ll be staying in this reality for a while, after all.”

“Of course,” Welt nodded. “Will you be staying on the Station?”

“Yes, but I’ll also be spending time in the Lor and finding my own abode somewhere in this reality. Just shoot me a text whenever Stelle is going to die a horrible death. And be there as soon as I can!” Himeko crossed her arms under her chest as she started a mental countdown. “Probably.”

There we go.

“In any case, that means my work here is done!” Magolor exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. “Welt, Himeko. It was mutually beneficial to meet both of you. I wish you all have the greatest of adventures as you travel the galaxy to fix all reality before it collapses in on itself! Or worse!”

“Ah… right…” Welt said awkwardly. He extended one hand, and Magolor reached out to shake it playful. “Good luck on your endeavors. And thank you for all your help today.”

“Thank you, Magolor,” Himeko said as well, extending her own hand as well. Magolor shook hers as well, and soon a portal opened on the floor.

“Goodbye, members of the Astral Express! May our paths cross again!” He said he fell backwards and landed feet first in Herta’s office. The puppet working on the Simulated Arena groused as he walked, the head turning around 180 degrees to glare at him.

“What do you want this time?” Herta growled as Magolor playful sauntered towards her.

“My, my… so aggressive!” Magolor teased as his eyes glowed darkly and flicked her forehead.

“You ruined my project,” Herta sneered.

“Again, everybody else agreed and accepted the changes. You’re the only one being a sourpuss about it…” Magolor crossed his arms as he leaned in close. “Our perhaps… a certain tree is making you rethink your entire life’s purpose?”

Herta said nothing and she narrowed her eyes at him. The advanced camera inside the puppet’s eyes tried to look past the shadows of his cloak, but it was like peering into an abyss that stared right back at her.

“Shut up,” She ended growling. That only got a giggle from Magolor.

“Perhaps you might change your tune if I find a way to prove myself to you… Anyways, on an unrelated topic, I plan on joining the Genius Society!”

“You can’t simply ‘join’ the Genius Society,” Herta huffed. Her head turned to its normal position and locked in place, her hands furiously working to untangle the mess of wires plugged into the Simulated Arena. “I put in centuries to even be noticed by the Erudition. Do you really think that you, a clown from an alternate reality, can become recognized by Nous!?”

“You didn’t let me finish…!” Magolor said in a sing-songy voice. “I couldn’t care less of Nous! Once you’ve seen one all powerful god, you’ve seen them all. I meant that I want to be recognized by your peers. And to that, I’ll have to do something bigger, better than anything any of you nerds have done in the last couple centuries!”

“And how, pray tell, are you going to that?” Herta groused.

Magolor only stood by her smugly as a portal opened up above him. A mass of papers flopped down, creating a loud thud as they cracked the floor of the 83rd Genius’ office.

“To start, I feel like reigniting a black dwarf for funsies!”

“So… you’re telling me that I’m an even bigger problem than before?” Stelle muttered as she sat cross legged on March’s bed. Her throat felt dry.

Pretty quickly, Meta Knight and Welt informed her of her current predicament. March was sitting next to her, rubbing her shoulder gently. Dan Heng was outside the room, kneeling against the wall of the bedroom. Kirby was sitting on her lap, her chin on top of his fluffy head as she slowly took in the information.

“No, of course you’re not!” March immediately reassured me. Stelle’s golden gaze lazily met her fellow amnesiac’s.

“I was already a ticking time bomb before. Now, I’m a nuke who isn’t blowing up because somebody is holding the pin,” Stelle huffed, burying her face into Kirby’s hair. He blinked silently as she squeezed him tightly.

“That is accurate. For now,” Meta Knight, his own golden eyes boring into the depressed Stelle’s. “Rest assured, the rest of the Star Allies will do our best to figure out how to help you. But until then, you cannot allow yourself to stray too far from Kirby. Do you understand?” March huffed and glared at Meta Knight, unimpressed by his blunt tone, but Welt placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Right…” Stelle muttered. She squeezed Kirby again, and he let out a small squeak, like a dog toy.

“So, I guess that means you’ll be taking Stelle with you?” March asked quietly. Meta Knight regarded her briefly, eyes turning into a glittering green. He made eye contact with Welt, and the older man nodded.

“...What’s with the look?” March asked, confused. Stelle perked up somewhat.

“Meta Knight and I have been talking about Stelle’s living arrangements for a while now, and we’ve come to an agreement,” He revealed, causing all three of them to their heads in unison. “Stelle can go to Dreamland. There, she will be cared for and housed as they work to figure out how to stabilize the Stellaron.” Stelle frowned slightly. Her eyes glanced towards March, who liked she was about to burst into tears.

“...On the other hand, both Kirby and Stelle can join the Astral Express Crew while we look for a way to stabilize the Stellaron ourselves,” Welt finished.

“I… We can…?” Stelle asked, dumbfounded. March gasped beside her, and Kirby’s expression remained a confused and blank stare.

“Of course,” Meta Knight agreed. His eyes warmly, turning into a shade of sky blue. “It’s up to decide your destiny, however. We are merely offering paths you will ultimately travel.” Stelle blinked again. She turned to March, who was positively beaming. Welt offered her gentle smile. At the doorway, she can see Dan Heng’s arm giving her a thumbs up.

She looked down at Kirby. The Stellaron howled in fear inside, trying to get her to pry her arms off him and run away. However, her Soul hummed gently as Kirby’s Cosmic Blue eyes beamed at her, a collection of galaxies and stars and nebulas glowing bright as he smiled at her.

“You… you aren’t worried about what might happen if the worst comes to be?” Stelle asked, her voice cracking slightly.

“Stelle, we are the Nameless, the last followers of Akivili the Trailblaze. We face our destiny head on. We may tolerate the Unknown, but we will never bow to the Unknowable,” he told her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two golden tickets that depicted the Astral Express. “Should you decide to accept this path, then we will happily accept you with open arms.”

Stelle’s eyes widened as the tickets glistened in the fluorescent light of March’s room. It was like a halo hovered around them. She tentatively reached out to grab one of her but pulled back slightly. Underneath her, she can sense Kirby frown.

She replayed the events of her first couple of hours (months?) in her head. Her first meeting with March and Dan Heng, her fight with Snow bowl Kirby, the Nesting Doomer’s eating her whole and meeting Hyness and Void at the Divine Terminus, and strange woman holding her gently as she talked.

She imagined what sort of life she would lead if she went to Dreamland. She would make friends with Kirby and friends, play with them, and eat and play with them some more. But once the Stellaron was stabilized, and even possibly removed from her… then what? They’d most likely take her back to Station Sundae. Without the Stellaron, she wouldn’t be able to join on their adventures. She’d be a civilian. What would she do against the likes of a Doomer, or as oppressive as the Master Crown?

The Astral Express crew wouldn’t be able to take her in. They’d most likely be long, long gone by the time she got back. She wouldn’t be able to journey with them, or with Kirby and his friends. She’d most likely be a scientist on the station, another person for Herta to overwork and undermine. Stelle would probably live a long life. But would it be a satisfying one?

She replayed the events of her first couple of hours in her head. She… liked it? Most of it anyways. She was dying half the time, but she had… fun. It was exhilarating, breathlessly exhilarating. It hurt, definitely, but she’s never felt more alive than when she jumped all over Another Dimension, stabbed the Rainbow Sword into the Nesting Doomer’s head, ran from waves of monsters that would eat her alive at the first chance they got.

Stelle’s Molten Gold orbs glowed as they stared at the tickets, her expression looking back at her expectantly. Despite the danger, she wanted to go on more adventures. Discover planets in March. Fight monsters with Dan Heng. Collect treasures with Welt Yang. Stare out into the endless abyss with Himiko.

She wanted to find that strange woman that created her, with Kirby by her side, to matter what happened, no matter what truth they found about her existence. She wanted to reach the end of her journey with the Astral Express.

After all, she may tolerate the unknown. But she will never bow to the unknowable.

“I’m in,” Stelle said, a nervous smile crossing her face as she reached out and snatched the ticket from Welt’s grasp.

March cheered and crashed into Stelle, knocking them both onto the bed. The older men looked on with smiles on their faces as March laughed joyously, practically bawling.

Welt then turned to Kirby, who had jumped off Stelle’s lept when he saw March begin to lunge. He leaned down and handed the boy his ticket as well. “It’s great to have you on board, Kirby.” He said. Kirby smiled back at Welt as he looked at the ticket.

Kirby promptly opened his mouth and ate it, stuffing half of Welt’s arm in the process.

“Kirby!” Meta Knight chided as Kirby pulled away and swallowed the ticket in one big gulp, leaving Welt’s arm slathered in saliva. The puffball began to glow, with a spinning flourish, he transformed once again.

Once the light died down, Kirby now wore a stylish red outfit with white ascot and black collar. A golden chain ran down his body and was tied to a small golden stopwatch at his side. Covering his fluffy hair was long with a black rim and a large spotlight in the center of the hat.

Conductor Kirby cheered, tipping his hat playfully he spun on his heel.

“Oh my Aeons, he’s adorable!” March cooed, standing up on the bed and extending her arms. “Come over here! Let’s make it a group hug!”

Kirby jumped up with you as he bounced on top of the girls, March and Kirby laughing happily while Stelle smiled brightly.

Welt smiled at them, and turned around to see Meta Knight looking fondly at Kirby. He placed his hand on Meta Knight’s pauldron. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep him safe.”

Meta Knight scoffed at the Herrscher’s reassurance. “I’m not worried.” Meta Knight’s gaze hardened soon after as he raised his arm and snapped his fingers. Kirby straightened and jumped off the bed, getting a disappointed.

“Kirby. I’ll be heading back to Dreamland now.” Kirby frowned at Meta Knight’s words, his conductor’s hat cast a dark shadow over his pure eyes.

Meta Knight let a huff at the puffball’s expression. “Don’t give me that look. You know we both have our responsibilities,” He said, looking at Stelle. Kirby turned around and followed his gaze, locking onto Stelle’s. His frown turned into a thin line, before morphing once more into a bright smile. He turned back to Meta Knight and nodded.

“Good,” Meta Knight said, taking off his gauntlet. Stelle cringed somewhat at his scar-ridden, discolored and deformed skin that ran across his uncovered hand. However, Kirby only cooed as Meta Knight took off his Conductor’s and ruffled his pink hair.

“If you want to see me just call, Magolor, alright?” Meta Knight told Kirby. The puffball nodded. “And be sure to call at least once a week, alright?” Again, Kirby nodded. “And eat whatever they prepare for you as well, even the vegetables.” Kirby nodded once more.

“What… what’s going on?” Stelle whispered.

“He’s worried about his kid,” March whispered back, jabbing at her side with her shoulder.

“Don’t eat too many sweets before bed, and be sure to ask for Welt or Himiko's permission if you want to leave the Express for a while. And be sure to continue practicing with your sword. You’re getting rusty. And…”

“Poyo,” Kirby interrupted. He wrapped his arms around the knight’s armor, holding him in a tight hug that caused the metal to creak. Meta Knight didn’t mind, and returned the gesture without as much strength. After a short while, Meta Knight pulled away and stood up, a portal opening up behind him.

“Be good, okay?” Meta Knight said, ruffling Kirby’s hair again. Kirby nodded as Meta Knight. Before he left, he regarded Welt one last time.

“We will have some of our allies join you for a short while,” He mentioned. Welt nodded in response as he extended his hand.

“We will await their arrival. Take care, Meta Knight,” He said. Meta Knight shook his hand, a much tighter and sharper grip than Magolor’s.

“Likewise,” Meta Knight responded. He nodded to March and Stelle, and looked down at Kirby. His eyes glowed sky blue again before he hoped inside, the dimension hole closing behind him. Kirby waved goodbye as Meta Knight disappeared. He frowned quietly as the portal closed, standing as he stared blankly at where it once was.

He flinched when I felt a cold hand on his shoulder. Looking up, Conductor Kirby saw March looking up at him, her eyes glittering as she smiled.

“Say, today’s been a really long day, hasn’t it? Why don’t we go to the kitchen and make something to eat?” She asked.

Kirby’s eyes brightened the moment March mentioned a kitchen. He jumped in joy and grabbed her wrist, and then jumped towards Stelle and grabbed her wrist. Both girls yelped as they were dragged off their feet, taken by Kirby to find the nearest source of food.

Welt chuckles to himself as watches the trio run off. He can only imagine how much more chaotic their lives will become.

“Luka, behind you!”

Seele teleported behind a spherical demon bird and slashed downwards, her scythe stabbing into the monster’s skull and slicing it in half. On another floating island. Her red-headed companion thrust his mechanical fist forwards, the engines in his prosthetic arms roaring to life as he punched a hole into another demon bird’s face.

Well, their entire was face, but–

Luka gasped as another bite into his metal arm, ripping into the metal as it clamped its jaws around the battery. He jumped up and drove his arm into the ground, squashing the monster against the flower field.

It’s only been a hot minute since those star-shaped portals first started to appear in the Underworld. Oleg had been doing his best to manage Wildfire when the demon birds started invading the towns, eating up all the Geomarrow they could find before rushing back into the portals.

Already, it’s gotten ten degrees colder.

And predictably, the Overworld doesn’t give to sh*ts.

“Seele, up!” Luka warned her.

Seele craned her neck to see a much larger demon bird above her, glowing dark red as flames licked it’s body. She grit her teeth and teleported away, her body disappearing in a sea of spectral butterflies. She reemerged behind the beast, spinning her weapon wildly as she knocked it towards Luke. The boxer stepped forward and punched as hard as he could, the demon bird’s feathery body disappearing in a flash of fire. As it let out a dying shriek, the grayscale terrain transformed into a color wash appearance.

Seele paused as the grass and flowers regained their color.

“Huh…” She muttered. She’s never seen green grass before. Or… grass over. She took in a deep breath, the tension rolling off her body in droves.

“Hey, Seele,” Luka said, snapping Seele out of her thoughts. “You might wanna see this?”

“I swear, if it’s another– What the f*ck?” She cursed.

Luka was holding somebody in her hands. A young woman, by the looks of it. She was dressed in a black leotard underneath white and purple bodice, as well as tight black leggings with golden designs. Most weirdly of all, however, was the woman’s black and red horns, which lay above her light blue hair.

Her clothing was torn, and her hair was in complete disarray. Some of the clothing looked like it was glitching in and out of existence, but unlike Seele’ short-range teleportation, the effects looked corrupted, deadly.

“She popped out of the thing when I killed it,” Luka explained.

“Why, though? Those beasts were only after Geomarrow. What could they want with a girl?” Seele muttered, letting her scythe disappear.

Luka opened his mouth to speak, but the ground started to rumble underneath them. The duo looked behind them to see the dimension they were beginning to break down. Seele clenched her jaw as the lightly colored grass cracked, dissolving into the warped space behind them.

“Let’s get out of here. Then we can start wondering about her,” Seele grunted as she ran towards Luka and helped him support the horned girl.

“Right,” Luka nodded. The two hobbled their way to the white portal and jumped through, just as Another Dimension collapsed in on itself. I lone flower lingered in the empty abyss of space before it dissolved in the gap between dimensions.

STATION SUNDAE
Level Clear

CONDUCTOR
Cosmetic / Kirby

Appearance: Kirby now wears an outfit that is practical one-to-one with Pom-Poms. Whenever Kirby gains a Copy Ability, the spotlight on his head glows with color that corresponds to that Ability’s element.
Character Introduction: When friends combine their powers, they can become a full-steam train! It choo-choos over walls, charging full-speed ahead. It’s the Dream Friendship Express! Hop on!
VA: Makiko Ohmoto [“Poyo” Language] | Emily Sun [English] (Kirby has no major voice differences between outfits.)

(Attacks will have different names and animations, but have the same effects as described earlier. If an attack is not present, it has not been changed.)

TALENT - Powers on the Express: Instead of transforming, Kirby gains the weapon of his Copy Ability as the light on his glows. He can utilize the full extent of powers (except for his Super Abilities) while cosplaying as Pom-Pom!ULTIMATE - Friend Train Trampler: Kirby jumps to the front of the party and initiates a Friend Train. Together with his pals, they race forward and stomp the enemies underneath their feet!

Chapter 9: Belobog Barberry - Prologue

Chapter Text

“So, how are you feeling?”

Stelle blinked as she heard March sit down next to her.

“Sorry, did I surprise you?” She asked with a giggle. Stelle shook her head as she took a bite out of her pizza. Off to the side, Conductor Kirby was sitting on the floor, his mouth letting out waterfall as he ate entire pies in seconds.

“No, I was just zoning out for a moment,” Stelle said, looking out the window.

“Are you nervous?” March asked, tilting her head. And Stelle shrugged. Her heart was beating quickly, yes, but she wasn’t sure if that was because Kirby was scaring the Stellaron or anything else.

“Maybe a little,” Stelle says with a shrug.

“That’s okay. We were all a little nervous when we first got on the Express,” March said. She got up and practically skipped towards the window. “But after a while, it starts to feel like home!” Stelle got up as well, following March as she looked down at the Herta Space Station. Outside the railway, they could see Asta, Arlan, and Herta. The former two waved politely as the Express started to chug forwards.

“Home…” Stelle whispered to herself as the Astral Express left the station. The endless abyss of space met the train as it left, accompanied only by the lonely Blue planet floating underneath them, and the Lor Starcutter slowly flying next to them. She couldn’t see Magolor inside, strangely.

Kirby watched as the two girls stood at the window. He ate his 43rd slice of pizza, he heard squeaky footsteps walking towards him. Turning around, Kirby locked eyes with a small bunny thing, wearing the same outfit as him. The bunny thing narrowed his eyes as Kirby blinked innocently.

“...Master Aki–?”

“Pom-Pom!” March cheered as she skipped over the bunny thing and scooped him up into her arms. They yelped and flailed their limbs wildly as she held him in a tight hug before letting him down. “Where were you? You haven’t met our newest members yet!”

“P-pom-Pom was busy protecting the engine room!” They said, getting a deadpan look from Kirby as they dusted themself off. “Pom-Pom was going to greet them once the crisis was averted. Speaking of which…”

The bunny, Pom-Pom, glanced at Kirby once more before looking up at Stelle. The girl blinked as Pom-Pom crossed their stubby arms and huffed.

“You two must Stelle and Kirby, correct? Do you two have your tickets?” They asked.

“Uh, yes,” Stelle muttered. She tapped on the golden ticket Welt gave her last chapter, which was pinned to the left side of her jacket. Kirby nodded as well. With a flash of light, he dropped the Conductor ability, the ticket slowly floating to the ground in front of him.

“...What? How did you make the ticket appear?” Pom-Pom asked. Kirby casually grabbed the ticket and ate it again. Pom-Pom shrieked as he swallowed the ticket, transformed back into Conductor Kirby, and dropped the ability again.

“Oh, I see now…” They muttered, a drop of sweat falling from their brow. “Well, I ask that you please do not eat the tickets. Without them, I will have no choice but to remove you from the premises myself.” Another deadpanned expression crossed Kirby’s face. Despite that, he did pin his ticket to the right side of his jacket, mirroring its position on Stelle’s.

“Thank you,” Pom-Pom said with a bow. “Now then Himeko told Pom-Pom about your unique situation. Listen closely, because Pom-Pom will only say this once–”

By then, Kirby zoned out of the conversation and returned to chewing on his pizza. His eyes wandered the Parlor Car, locking onto anything he found interesting, like the whale, the AD-D detector shaped like a Clockwork Star, and the shattered mirror huddled in the corner of the room.

Wait, what?

Kirby tilted his head as Pom-Pom went on about… something. He stood up and walked towards the shattered mirror. As he got closer, a hooded and masked woman in sleeveless dress materialized next to the mirror, looking up.

“Wow, so this is the Astral Express…” The hooded figure said in amazement. A girl based on her voice.

“Poyo,” Kirby said. The masked figure looked down. Although her mask hid her expression, Kirby knew that her heart warmed up when she saw him.

“Oh! Hello there, little boy!” The woman said, kneeling down slightly so that she could be eye level with him. “I’m a messenger from the Garden of Recollection,” She began to explain, Kirby saying nothing as she spoke. “I will be staying on the Express from now on. It’s very nice to meet you!”

Kirby smiled warmly at her. “Poyo!” He said, getting a chuckle from the masked lady. She tilted her head as he examined him.

“You seem…” She muttered lost in thought as she looked into his starry eyes. “Dreams… Oh… oh dear…” She muttered, standing up straight and walking back. “Apol- Sorry, I d-don’t think I should…” The girl stammered until she hopped back into the mirror, which disappeared shortly afterwards.

Kirby titled his head at the space where the shattered mirror used to be. He stepped forwards, trying to get it to appear again. Nothing happened, so he instead walked to the back of the Parlor Car, hiding underneath a desk. A while later, the mirror appeared again, the masked woman hesitantly popping her head out of the mirror. Kirby placed his head on top of the desk letting out a quiet “poyo” to get the woman’s attention. She yelped and hid back inside the mirror.

Strange… the Sub-Games don’t usually hide from him. Kirby poyo’d sadly.

“Kirby… what are you doing here?” Himeko asked. Kirby looked up to see the navigator above him, sitting in the chair that he was kneeling in front of. Kirby stood up, his back hitting the bottom of the desk and launching backwards. He told Himeko about the lady in the disappearing mirror, but all he got was a confused “what?”

“I’m… terribly sorry, but could repeat that?” Himeko asked politely. Kirby nodded and repeated everything he said, albeit more slowly. However, the only thing she could hear was a series of incoherent babbles and poyo’s. Sighing, Himeko wished she could’ve told Magolor to make some sort of translator.

“Wait…” She muttered, getting up from her seat and walking towards the materials Kirby knocked over when he stood up. “Do you think you can write it down instead?” She asked, handing Kirby a marker and some lined paper. He nodded and took the materials from her hand.

Wait, he doesn’t know how to write. Or read.

Himeko watched as Kirby scribbled on the paper, drawing a crude depiction of his experience with the mirror and the mirror lady. She took the paper once he was done, her brows furrowing as she admired his… artwork.

Kirby wasn’t a very good artist, either. The best he could do was draw a picture of some sort of berry (Kirby), in the general vicinity of a large oval (the mirror) which had a stick figure inside of it, and arrows leading from the back inside the mirror.

“Ah…” Himeko said. She quickly realized communication was going to be a chore.

“Thank you for telling me about this, Kirby,” She said despite that, smiling sweetly at him. Himeko lowered his hands and ruffled his pink curls, getting a relaxed smile from the Dreamlander. “I’ll go inform Mr. Yang about… this.”

As she spoke Pom-Pom came through the speakers, talking about some sort of “warp jump.” Himeko chuckled at his surprise. “Help me clean up this mess, please? Then you can go look for Stelle and March so that you can sit with them when we leave.”

Kirby’s eyes sparkled at the mention of candy. He walked behind himself and easily picked up the desk with one arm, while gathering up all the spilt materials. He placed them back, exactly as they were before he knocked them over. He waved goodbye and walked off, doing his best to ignore the mirror that was beginning to form once he left, even though he paid it no mind.

He walked past the Archive room, sensing Dan Heng’s odd soul in the process. He stopped in front of it and thought to himself.

He walked forward and slammed his nose into the door. Kirby frowned as he fell down, realizing that the door didn’t automatically slide open. However, it did get Dan Heng’s attention, so the spear man opened the door slowly, looking down as Kirby picked himself up.

“Oh, it's you,” Dan Heng said.

Kirby nodded and tugged on his sleeve. While he easily could’ve dragged Dan Heng into the Parlor Car, Kirby decided to not do so. His soul was similar to Meta Knight’s when they first met; closed off and reluctant.

“Is something wrong?” Dan Heng asked. Kirby nodded and pointed to the Parlor Car. “Oh. It’s fine. There are seat belts inside the Archive. I’ll be fine,” He said plainly. Kirby frowned at him. Dan Heng's expression didn’t change as they stared at each other. “Here, I’ll show you,” he said, as he walked into the room, dragging Kirby into the room since he still held onto the spearman’s sleeve.

“See?” Dan Heng said, pointing to the chair in the corner of the room. “There’s a seat belt. Pom-Pom also countdown before he initiates a warp jump, so I won’t be surprised by one.” He explained. Kirby nodded and wandered around the room.

The beeps and trills of the machines filled the place with sound. He walked towards the seat to make sure Dan Heng was telling the truth, and as he did, he noticed the futon with green sheets on the opposite side. Kirby turned around and pointed at it.

“It’s where I sleep,” Dan Heng said flatly.

Kirby frowned.

“It’s comfortable for me.”

Kirby raised an eyebrow, and looked at the beeping machines all over the room.

“The sound fades away when I start to fall asleep,” Dan Heng said flatly.

Kirby frowned again. As the door to the room hissed open, he pointed behind Dan Heng and pointed at the doorway, where March and Stelle were standing.

“Somebody has to maintain the Archives. It’s meaningful to record our travels as current members of the Express,” Dan Heng said. “March wouldn’t have the patience to organize and record our travels.”

“Hey!”

“Am I wrong?”

“Okay, fair enough,” March shrugged. “But wow! You managed to understand Kirby perfectly! How did you do that?” She asked.

“Context clues. His actions are expressive.” Dan Heng answered. Kirby blinked at his answer. Ironically, the last one was misinterpreted incorrectly. Granted, he didn’t give him much to work with, so he gets a pass.

“Right. Anyways, we’re heading out to the Parlor Car! Kirby, wanna come with us?” The puffball nodded and walked past Dan Heng. Before he closed the door, Kirby looked at Dan Heng, his starry eyes boring into Dan Heng’s for a moment. His blank expression soon turned into a smile as he waved goodbye.

Once in the Parlor Car, Stelle started talking to Pom-Pom, leaving Kirby to sit on March’s lap as she sat on one of the plush couches. She hummed a quiet little tune, her eyes shut as she kept her arms wrapped around Kirby’s waist.

“Hey, why are your eyes like that?” She suddenly asked. Kirby looked up and tilted his head in confusion. “Magolor’s eyes are ovals and they glow weirdly… Meta Knight’s eyes change color depending on his mood… And looking into your eyes is like watching space stare back!”

Kirby blinked his pupilless eyes as March continued talking, listening as she chattered on excitedly.

“Do you think I’m from Dreamland? It sounds like a very nice place! Magolor said that wherever your Ancient’s go, you follow. Maybe I'm ancient?” Kirby curled his eyebrow up in confusion. “Maybe I was from an exiled race of magicians, who were scattered across dimensions because their fellow men feared us!?”

…How did she Hyness’ lore?

“Or maybe my ancestor was once a great warrior so powerful that he was locked away in fear of his power!”

Okay, so now she knows about Galacta Knight…

Oooooh, that’s the cosmic gag, isn’t it?

“Poyo?” Kirby asked. March stopped in the middle of her ramble to lock down at him.

“Oh, sorry! For talking your ear off! I didn’t mean to bore you with my crazy conspiracy theories.” What? No, he wanted her to continue!

“You see, I was stuck in a huge block of ice when the Express Crew first found me. When I thawed out, I was a blank slate with no memories; so I like to come up with these stories based on who I was before.” March said. Kirby blinked once.

“Poyo?” He asked.

“I dunno,” March answered. “Right now, I like being March 7th.” Kirby smiled at her.

Good answer.

“What are you talking to Kirby about?” Stelle as she sat down next to March, Pom-Pom waddling behind her.

“Nothing much,” March answered with a shrug before turning to Pom-Pom. “What’s up?”

“The express has reached a safe distance from the Space Station, and the Lor Starcutter will be returning there as well. We’ll be jumping soon. If you could all please stay in your seats when we do so, that will be greatly appreciated. Things will get bumpy!” The bunny thing said, getting Kirby to tilt his head.

“Uh… thanks, Pom-Pom, but did you really have to remind me? I’m not a newbie, after all?” March said with a giggle.

“Well, it wouldn’t be necessary… HOWever, Miss March likes to challenge herself and fail constantly,” Pom-Pom said with a deadpan expression, getting an indignant huff from the first amnesiac. “Please stay in your seats. Pom-Pom does not want to buff out another March-shaped dent in the wall.”

Kirby and Stelle looked at each other, and then in March when Pom-Pom waddled away. The moment they closed the door she picked up Kirby and placed him on the couch next to Stelle. With a huff, she got to her feet and walked to the middle of the car. Kirby and Stelle tilted their heads as March muttered under her breath as readied herself.

As Pom-Pom started his countdown, the Lor Starcutter turned away from the Astral Express, creating a portal as it disappeared from view. At that moment, the train lurched forwards, encasing the Express in a blue glow as it picked up speed. Stelle yelped as she was thrown to the side and hurriedly searched for her seatbelt. Kirby, meanwhile, stood up and walked towards March as the countdown ended.

As he grabbed her wrist, March was suddenly flung backwards. Kirby tightened his grip and dug his heels into the ground, holding on tightly as she flew backwards. To be completely honest, he thinks Pom-Pom is just messing with March since the Express jumped before the conductor even finished the countdown.

Once the warp ended, Kirby placed March gently on the floor and patted her head, humming to himself as he looked out the window.

“Wow…” Stelle softly said in wonder as she saw a lonely planet covered in ice. Kirby jumped up next to her, placing his elbows on the window sill as her eyes glittered with curiosity. “Did your dimension have planets like this?” She asked.

Kirby nodded. Though, Shiver Star was notably more frozen than this one. And a bit more dead.

It also probably wasn’t corrupted as much as this planet.

“Oh no…” They could hear Himeko say as she stood next to them. “After all those millenia, is this what Jarilo-VI has become?”

“You mean… that snowy planet is our next destination?” March asked as she stood next to the group.

“I’m not even sure it’s supposed to be snowy,” Stelle muttered, getting both women’s attention as she looked down at Kirby. “You can feel it too, right? This… feeling of sickness, of wrongness.” Regrettably Kirby nodded.

“Sickness…? Do you think it could be the Stellaron, or Another Dimension?” March asked. Kirby shrugged. He’s too far away from the planet to tell right now.

“Attention, passengers, a Spatial Anomaly has been detected. Star Rail stability is down to twelve percent. The Seven-Day stopover period has been extended indefinitely,” Pom-Pom’s voice ran through the intercom, causing Himeko to furrow her brow.

“So, I guess it’s safe to say that the planet shouldn’t be a giant ice ball?” March asked.

“That’s right… Normally, we would assume this would be the work of a Stellaron, but now that we have to consider Another Dimension…” Himeko muttered under her breath.

“This time, it’s both,” Welt announced as he walked into the room with Dan Heng.

“We finished a preliminary analysis. The results indicated a Stellaron, and something more,” The reserved spearman said. He turned around and pointed to the AD-D. Its squinted eyes were now opened, displaying a small-scale hologram of the planet over a table. On the hologram itself were multiple pins. The grand majority were located around each other in a circle, though were on the other side of the planet, far, far away from the rest.

“Okay… we know how to deal with Another Dimension portals, but what about the Stellaron?” Stelle asked, placing a hand on her hips.

“We can contain the Stellaron with a few instruments we have on board, and neutralize its effect. Hopefully, that will get the planet back to normal,” March said hopefully. Stelle smiled as well, but it faltered when she looked at Kirby staring up at her.

He wasn’t smiling.

“Stelle?” The girl jumped slightly as Himeko spoke to her. “I think I’d like you and Kirby to go on this Trailblazing expedition with March and Dan Heng. The objective is clear: recover the Stellaron, and close the portals to Another Dimension.”

“Okay… but even with all four of us, don’t you think we’ll need some help?” Stelle asked. “I mean, one of the portals is on the other side of the planet, not to mention it’s dangerous for me to go inside the portals in the first place.” Stelle shivered as she remembered the wave of Another Dimension monsters barrelling towards her and Arlan.

“You’re right… It’s not like we can split up when there’s only four of us… especially when you have a massive target on your back already,” Dan Heng added.

“That’s right… and Himeko and I will have to stand guard here in case the Doomers detect the Astral Express…” Welt added as well.

“So… it looks like you don’t have enough members in your party!” Stelle flinched as she heard a voice coming from AD-D. The hologram disappeared as its eyes moved towards the Astral Express crew. “Have no fear! Your Dream Friends are here!” It said in an automated voice. The clock’s mouth opened wide as a star-shaped portal appeared in the middle of the room.

“Magolor did say their allies would be meeting us here. This must be what he meant,” Himeko said as the portal solidified.

“Wow! I didn't think that clock also doubled as a teleporter!” March said as the portal solidified, her eyes sparkling with wonder as she heard footsteps and a… disgruntled voice.

“Man… this early, really? Ah, couldn’t I have spent more time at home?” An annoyed, feminine voice muttered.

A thin and lithe woman with sun-burnt, copper skin stopped through the portal. She wore a pair of denim short shorts and a black tank top. There was some writing on the chest area, but it was written in an unknown language. Over that, she had a green jacket with gray fur lining the hood and sleeves.

The woman had short, spiky hair that curved upwards somewhat. It looked like it had been flattened by a hat, the more Stelle looked at her. Her eyes were a shade of dark blue and she also had solid red eyeshadow. Most interesting of all, however, were the many faded burn scars that covered her body. They trailed her arms until they reached the bottom of her chin. They seemed to have been mostly healed, but the memory still remained.

“So, this is the Astral Express, huh? It’s a lot more classy than I thought it’d be…” The woman said as she walked forward. “Sorta reminds me of my old place…” She whispered as eyes roamed all over the room, a hint of nostalgia glittering in her eye. As she did, her eyes eventually locked onto March’s face, where she paused.

Stelle blinked, and the next thing she knew, both the women had seemingly teleported to the wall of Parlor Car. March yelped as her back hit the wall, blushing bright red as the red-haired girl slammed her hand on the wall next to her. A confident smirk graced her lips as she looked into March’s iridescent eyes.

“Hey,” She said in a suave, confident tone, making March squeak.

“...What?” Dan Heng muttered.

Kirby sighed and shook his head and shook his head at Flamberge while the rest of the Express Crew looked with various looks of confusion and bewilderment.

“Probably. Hey Kirby!”

The pink-haired demon spun around instantly, recognizing the two voices in an instant. He jumped in joy and rushed forwards.

Everybody watched as he crashed into a giant, portly looking man wearing long red robes over a yellow kimono tied in place with zigzagging, red and yellow obi. He had blue hair and a neatly trimmed beard, and a red hat with a golden trim and a white cotton ball on top.

“Ha ha ha, what are you getting all emotional for?” The royal looking man laughed, ruffling Kirby’s hair with thick yellow mittens.

“Yeah! We’ve only been gone, for, like, a week!” A much younger, chipper voice rang through. Standing next to them was a small boy, about the same size as Kirby. He wore a light brown tunic tied with a striped belt similar in design to the man’s obi. He also had orange shorts and knee-high socks and dark brown crocs. Weirdly, he had an orange scar covering more than half of his face, even his knee, and a blue bandana covering his orange.

Kirby babble incoherently, at least, that’s what the Express Crew heard.

“I told you, that Gilgamesh guy? He couldn't hold a candle to me! Everything he pulled into those gates, I spat right back at him!” The man boasted, giving a hearty laugh before turning to the side and looking somewhat embarrassed. “...Plus Gooey and Elfilin might’ve helped me a bit back there.”

“Kirby. these must be you friends,” Himeko asked, getting the Dreamlanders' attention. She smiled at them, even though it was somewhat strained when she regarded Flamberge. “It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Himeko. I’m the navigator of the Astral Express. And you are…?”

“King Dedede, the ruler of Dreamland, at your service!” The royal man said, summoning a large mallet from nowhere and hoisting it over his head.

“My name’s Bandana Waddle Dee, but my friends just call me Bandee. It’s nice to meet you!” The young boy said, bowing at the waist slightly.

“Flamberge. ‘Sup,” The fiery woman said, walking away from March (whose cheeks were still red) and standing next to the group of Dreamlanders.

“Wow, Dedede sure gets possessed a lot, do you?” March asked.

Introductions went by rather quickly, and once they were done, Himeko decided to have a quick lunch before the group had to go to the surface. As they ate, the Dreamlanders regaled the Crew with tales from their own intergalactic adventures. The first thing they learned was that somehow, Dedede had an appetite that rivaled Kirby. Both of them separately had already eaten Cosmic Fried Rice more than triple what everybody else had eaten combined.

Also, the King had a habit of getting possessed every once in a while.

“Great King doesn’t get possessed that much…” Bandee muttered, his bowl still mostly completely full. Occasionally, Kirby would sneak over and snag some rice with his inhale.

“But didn’t you say he got taken over every time Dark Matter showed up?” Stelle asked, making Bandee chuckle nervously.

“Wasn’t he also possessed when landed in the Forgotten World, and puppeted around by Taranza?” March added.

“There’s also the fact that he was corrupted by the Jamba Heart as well,” Dan Heng said.

“Well… He’s working on his mental fortitude!” Bandee said. Kirby spoke up this time, a smug grin on his face as he ate another bowl of cosmic rice.

While Bandee and Kirby told and reminisced about their adventures in Dreamland and beyond, the adults spoke at the other end of the room, the Express crew members giving a basic rundown of the situation to the Dreamlanders.

“So, the evil ancient relic is making the planet do all sorts of funky stuff,” Dedede said, chewing quietly as he ate. “Sho’ doesn’t sound like anything we ain’t used to.”

“Still, it would be safe to exercise some level of caution. From what you've told us, these Jamba Hearts didn’t have the time to affect the environment in any major way. The Stellaron has been on Jarilo-VI for centuries, possibly millenia at this point,” Welt reminded them.

“Speaking of caution… aren’t you worried about what might become of your kingdom if something were to happen to you?” Himeko asked.

“The Waddle Dees are resilient little guys,” Dedede said. “If anything happened to me, I’m sure they’ll be able to carry on fine without me. Besides, I need myself a break after all the poli-tricking I’ve been doing lately.”

“Ever since Elfilis… Well, ruined everything, to put it bluntly, we’ve been teaming up with multiple other realities to help anybody who's affected,” Flamberge explained, giving Dedede a pitiable look as he ate. “For a long time, ‘King’ was only a title. Unfortunately, a lot dimensions reeeaally like their red tape, and since Dedede is, by technicality, the only political figure in Dreamland…”

“Ah. I can only imagine how stressful that must have been,” Welt said, putting the pieces together in his head giving Dedede a look of sympathy.

“Tell me about it… I had learned every trick in the book just to keep with that one guy,” Dedede groused.

“Which guy?” Flamberge asked, tilting her head slightly

“I think his name was… Demon Taggy-somethin’-like-that… He was a real headache to deal with.” Dedede muttered. “Anyways, I didn’t show up here to get into politics or ta get poli-tricked! I just wanna let off some steam and crack some heads!”

Himeko giggled behind her hand at the comment. “Your idea of a break is going on an adventure in another dimension?”

“I’ve gotta do something to keep mah hammer-swingin’ arm from gettin’ rusty,” Dedede muttered. “I ain’t fit for a desk job! I need t’ smack something!”

“Well, I think you’ll be given that opportunity to let out all that stress very soon. Once everyone is fully prepared, that is,” She said, looking past Dedede’s shoulder and seeing the younger adventurers talk about their journeys.

“Speaking of which…” Flamberge turned around, her head lazily lying on the back of her chair to face the younger members. “Oi! Are you nerds ready to go yet? I’m getting really bored!”

To Stelle’s surprise, March was the first to react. Her cheeks turned soft red as the fire mage glanced at them. Flamberge noticed this, and decided to tease her with a wink. March squeaked, getting a frown from March, how then got a frown from Dan Heng.

“...What’s going on?” Bandee asked. Kirby only nodded sagely and patted him on the shoulder. He had no idea what was going on as well.

After a bit of cleanup, final preparation and some emergency packing, the final group consisting of King Dedede, Flamberge, March, Stelle, Kirby, Dan Heng, and Bandana Dee were ready to move out.

“Alright! Here comes the Jarilo-VI Trailblaze Team!” March exclaimed.

“Poyo! Poyo!” Kirby jumped up and cheered, eliciting a resounding cheer coming from the group as they made their way to back of the train.

As the screen fades in, Kirby’s Warp Star could be heard in the distance, closing in on the vast snowy plains.

As the Warp Star crashed into the ground, Kirby, Bandee, Dedede, and Flamberge, each one in their true form, jump off as the star explodes into starry bits. Following them are chibified versions of Stelle, March, and Stelle, landing on their feet as they examined the land.

In front of them, the pieces of the Warp Star fly into the first door lying in the middle of a snowy plain, the giant padlock falling to the ground as the level opens.

The second door lies inside the wall of an white, frigid city.

The third door sits in the center of an active volcano.

The fourth door is underneath the city of the second door, lying in a cavernous region.

The fifth door is to the right of the fourth door, sitting in front of a lavish mansion.

The sixth door is next to the volcano of the second door, located at the very top of a space shuttle.

The seventh door beyond the frozen city, at the edge of a deep cliff.

The eighth door is even further below the fourth and fifth door.

The large, red door, the BOSS Door, lies on the surface of the moon. The padlock that prevents it from being open is in the shape of a serpentine eye with horns.

Kirby runs to the first door, his allies following behind him, kicking up snow as they head to their destination.

Without hesitation, he opens the door and walks inside the black abyss behind it. Everybody else joins him, none of them looking back as the door slams shut.

“Good grief…” Magolor muttered to himself as he and the Lor Starcutter hovered over corrupted space. He floated on the deck of the starship, his disembodied hands scratching his chin as the Lor flew past a distorted branch. It once glowed brightly, blinding, but now its light can only flicker on and off as it is consumed by dark energy.

“Well? What does it look like?” Susie asked, the constant typing of her keyboard coming through the speakers alongside her echoey voice.

“Well… we have faced impossible odds before, but…” Magolor started, clicking his tongue as he turned on the phone camera. “I think it needs a loooot of duck tape.”

In front of him was a gargantuan glowing tree, which grew infinitely from an endless ocean of dark miasma. Instead of leaves, the glowing tree had small, brightly colored bubbles that shimmered alongside the branches they grew from. Pieces of floating debris floated across the empty space, remnants of a long forgotten universe that had been destroyed in the eternal war of the Dark Sea and the Dreaming Tree.

At least, that’s what it should’ve looked like.

Due to Fecto Elifilis’... temper tantrum, a large section of the Imaginary Tree has been completely decimated. The canopy was riddled with cracks, broken time and shattered space falling down and slicing off branches. In the middle of the trunk was a massive, star-shaped hole which indicated where Planet Popstar had barrelled through on its way to the Forgotten World.

Most worryingly of all was the Sea of Quanta. As branches fell into the dark miasma, the sea rippled and shifted, dark waves splashing against the trunk of the Imaginary Tree. With each branch, more of the Sea’s volume was displaced, causing the miasma to rise.

“How lovely… somebody should make a painting of it,” Susie dryly commented as she watched a large position of ruined space crash into another bundle of branches, slicing them off the tree.

“How cheery…” Magolor muttered as he floated in circles on the deck. He watched as a shard of space tapped a bubble world, causing the sphere to crack and break open. Small glittering particles like stardust flew out of the, joining the mess of galactic soup hovering all over the imaginary tree.

The screen of the Lor Starcutter flashes bright red, causing Magolor to flinch slightly as the sudden noise. “What the heck…?” The wizard muttered as the Lor Starcutter shook, and a large shadow covered his egg-shaped form.

“Oh,” Magolor said nonchalantly as a giant woman (well, giant compared to him, he’s only eight inches tall) loomed over him. Her skin was pale white, and the dress was a combination of white, gold and black, eyes a deadly shade of orange as she glared hatefully at Magolor.

“Hi there,” Magolor said, waving his floating hand. Cubic tendrils of black material floated behind her, aimed right at his floating ship.

“Magolor!? Magolor!?” His triangular ear twitched as he heard static coming from the Lor’s speakers. Strange, considering he was able to call her easily not only a few moments ago.

“This is all your fault, mortal. I should’ve never permitted your ancestors to leave…” The white-haired woman growled, launching her tendrils–

And Magolor blasted the goddess with his full-powered Magolor Canon, the magical blast completely enveloping her. Her tentacles were decimated completely, fading into black dust as the magic tore him to pieces.

Eventually, his energy ran out, and with a flick of his wrist the laser died down. To his disappointment, the goddess had not been eradicated completely. Her dress was now covered in burns and torn in some places.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” The Unknown God spat. Another volley of tendrils forming behind her.

Magolor smirked underneath his hood as he floated higher into the other. Pieces of clay, magical energy, and light began to swirl around him. With a combination of his and Adeleine’s magic, as well as Susie’s holograms, the wizard’s original body became the core of his new one, powering a thick suit of clay.

Now fully formed into his new, human-like body, Magolor’s hands crackle with energy. The Lor Starcutter floats behind him, its oars shifting rapidly, the mast swirling with windy magic. Was it necessary for him to transform? Not really, if anything, this made him a bigger target.

But he thinks that he would probably make for a pretty cool action shot.

“C’mon then!” Magolor said to the Unknown God, the oars of the Lor Starcutter flying away and pointing themselves at her like a bundle of flying blades. “I’ll give you a show you’ll never forget!”

Chapter 10: Belobog Barberry - 1: Wilting Watercress

Chapter Text

Before she even completely materialized on the frozen planet, Stelle’s teeth were already chattering. The sensation only got worse as when her body completely formed. She hissed uncomfortably, rubbing her hands against her arm to get some warmth out of the friction. Looking around, she saw the Dreamland crew looking around with a look of mild curiosity coming from Dedede and Flamberge, a flat glance of disinterest from Kirby, and gaze of pity and sorrow from Bandee.

“So, this is Jarilo-VI,” March commented, walking in front of the group. “It really is one big snowball, huh?”

“Probably reminds you all of Shiver Star, doesn’t it?” Flamberge asked, looking at King and his pals.

“A bit,” King Dedede admitted. “Not sure which one is colder though.”

“Shiver Star… That’s one of the planets you traveled to save Ripple Star, correct?” Dan Heng asked. “Did the planet ever thaw out?”

“No. Not that I think anybody would mind. The only thing there were abandoned factors running endlessly,” Bandee confirmed for the group. “I just hope we can save whoever’s left here, if they haven’t been frozen over already.”

“Speaking of freezing… don’t you think we should’ve packed some warm clothes before we left?” Stelle gasped, thick puffs of steam leaving her mouth as she breathed. “I feel like we’re going to freeze.”

“Don’t worry about it! The Path of the Trailblaze protects us from harsh weather conditions!” March explained.

“Okay… what about you guys?” Stelle asked, nodding her head to the visitors.

“Well… I'm a descendant of flightless birds?” Dedede said, shrugging.

“I’ve got six layers,” Bandee said, patting his single tunic.

Flamberge didn’t even answer. She covered herself in fire, melting the snow around her.

“Show off…” March grumbled. “Anyways, where are we heading?”

“Their first portal is only a few meters ahead, a bit farther is where the majority of the portals are clustered. Once we’re done in this region, we’ll head back to the Express so that Himeko can warp us to the farthest one,” Dan Heng explained.

“Alright! In that case…” Dedede hummed to himself, scratching his beard with his glove. “Flamberge, you, March, and Dan Heng scout ahead. Keep your flames bright so we can see you. Kirby can cover our plank.”

“...You mean flank?” Dan Heng asked.

“Ah know what Ah said!” Dedede said, getting a giggle from the group.

“Righteo, boss man!” Flamberge said, doing a mock salute. “Kirby, catch!” She threw a fireball in his direction, and the boy jumped up and ate in one gulp. He transformed into Fire Kirby, and after waving, jogged a few meters back.

Dan Heng and March walked next to Flamberge, and the trio marched ahead. Before their forms were enveloped by the thick fog, the Fire General asked a genuine question. “Hey, when you apply your shields, do you need to get handsy?”

“WHAT!?”

Dan Heng let out a tired sigh.

“Be sure to holler if ya need healin’!” Dedede reminded them before they went out of ear shot, leaving the King, his guard and the walking bomb in the middle. The only thing they could see was Kirby’s now flaming hair and a floating wisp of fire hovering over Flamberge’s head.

The first few minutes of their hike was relatively uneventful. The trio in front cleared the path for them, Flamberge melting the ice away while Dan Heng and March fought against nearby monsters that spawned from the Fragmentum. Stelle looked back occasionally, but all she could see was the red glow of Kirby’s hair.

“So, how are you and Kirby doin’? You two gettin’ along fine?” King Dedede asked. Stelle blinked at the question, but nodded.

“Yes, why do you ask?”

King Dedede tilted his head at her, thinking to himself for a brief moment before speaking. “Kirby can be a handful, y’know. He’s prolly gonna cause trouble for a lot. ‘M sure you undahstand that from experience, right?” He asked. Stelle nodded, hissing through her teeth as she remembered the first time Kirby interacted with her. She still feels… somewhat uncomfortable that their first major interaction was an attempt on her life.

“Yeah! Whenevah you got time to spare, talk to him. Or heck, you can even be like me and have an electric-cage grudge match an’ fight everything outta yo system!” Dedede laughed. Stelle’s not sure if she wants to know the context behind that statement

“I guess what we’re trying to say is that… you don’t have to force yourself to be Kirby’s friend,” Bandee said. “You don’t have to like him, but you guys are going to have to work together, even if it’s to clean up Kirby’s messes. So you’re going to have to communicate properly, or as best you can.”

…Stelle just realized she hasn’t had a single conversation with Kirby yet.

“I’ll… keep that in mind,” Stelle said. Bandee’s eyes sparkled, and she imagined he was smiling under his scarf.

“Good. That’s all we’re askin’,” Dedede says, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Portal found!” Flamberge’s voice pierced through the thick fog. The three in the middle and Kirby all walked up to the scouting crew, who had located a portal that formed on the wall of a gray cliff.

“Great! That’s one down! So… who wants to hop in and close it?” Dedede asked.

“Wait… should we have Stelle this close to the portal?” March pointed out. “Speaking of which, how come all the Doomers have swarmed us already?”

“...I think it’s because they might not be able to sense me,” Stelle said. “You remember how I said the planet felt sick last chapter? That sensation is… stronger now that we’ve reached the surface. It’s like the energy of the Stellaron has infested every inch of this planet, smothering it.”

Kirby looked at Stelle and nodded, confirming everything she said. The Stellaron’s stench was all over; he’d need to be right next to the thing in order to sense it in the first place.

“In that case, we won’t have to jump through as many as before to close them,” Dan Heng surmised quickly. “I think that two of us should head inside Another Dimension and close the portal. We’ll have another pair stand guard outside, while the remaining three scout ahead.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Dedede agreed. “In that case… Flamberge, you and Dan Heng should go inside. Pretty sure you two are our most skilled fighters, disregardin' Sword Kirby,” Dedede said, pointing to the flaming swordswoman and windy spear user. “Me and Bandee, stick here in case somethin’ decides to jump in. That’ll leave March, Kirby and Stelle to scout ahead. Whaddya all think of that?”

“No objections here,” Dan Heng said with Flamberge nodding next to him.

“Sure! That’ll give us more time to get to know each other better!” March said happily, wrapping her arms around Stelle and Kirby, and pulling them close. Kirby let out another squeak as March put pressure on his side.

“Alright then! Be sure to take these when you’re in trouble,” Bandee said, handing the two groups a Maxim Tomato. With that, Flamberge and Dan Heng hopped into the portal, but not before the former left a small fire for Dedede and Bandee to keep warm. March, Stelle and Kirby continued their hike, the fire user leading the way and melting a path for the other two to follow.

“Oh boy…” March said, getting the others' attention. Kirby stepped forward, burning away at the fog to reveal the rooftops of a home. Antimatter Legion monsters surrounded the roof, each one trapped forever in snow and ice. With a snap of his fingers, he burned off the frozen roof, cinders of burnt wood falling inside the building, but snow and thick layer of ice around the monsters remained. The trio looked inside to see that the inside of the building was filled to the brim with snow, packed so tightly it was as hard as cement, perhaps harder.

“H… how much snow is this?” March asked, her voice stuttering slightly. Kirby placed his palm on the snow and started burning away at it. Fifteen minutes later, he was barely able to evaporate more than three feet of snow.

“...Let’s leave this here for now. We can come back later,” Stelle recommended. The other two nodded, and they continued to hike forwards.

Eventually, the group reached a large mound of snow, nearly three times taller than Stelle. The girl in question tilted her head at the sight. Not at the snow itself, but at the sensation of distorted space time located inside it.

“What do you think this is?” She asked, placing her hand on the mound. She flinched back when the snow shook at her touch. A mechanical groan could be heard inside, almost something was trapped or sealed. That was more than enough for Kirby to start melting away in the snow. He took in a deep breath and started breathing fire, slowly melting away at the snow. It wasn’t as thick as the snowy floor, so he should be able to burn away at it.

As Kirby worked on the mound, Stelle paused when she heard footsteps. She tapped March’s shoulder to get her attention, placing her finger on her lips to keep the cheery girl from making sound. They alerted Kirby as well, who dropped the Fire Ability to keep flaming hair from giving away their location. March held the Copy Star in her hands, and Kirby quickly ate a bundle of snow, using the snow ability to create cover.

The trio waited, hiding underneath a hollow hill of snow as they heard the footsteps come closer and eventually stop. There was no movement for a while, until they heard the gruff voices of two men.

“It’s warm,” The first voice said.

“Warm? Are you going crazy?” The second voice asked. “It can’t be warm, especially after all the trouble we went through to trap the thing. Oh, wait, it is warm,”

“Let’s go tell Captain Gepard. We need to apply more ice to this thing.”

Stelle and March glanced at each other, keeping quiet until they heard the footsteps becoming quieter.

“What do you think we should do?” Stelle asked.

“Well, they seem alright?” March said with a shrug. “But that Gepard guy they mentioned seems to be in charge. We should probably talk to him before we reveal anything important.” Stelle nodded.

“Right… Kirby, what do you think?” Stelle turned behind her… but he wasn’t there. Stelle blinked and rubbed her eyes, looking at the spot where Kirby was supposed to be, but the only thing left were his footsteps. “...sh*t!”

“What the heck!? Where did Kirby go!?” March yelled, looking around their igloo frantically.

“I don’t know!? He was right in front of me!?” Stelle shrieked, panicking just as much, if not more so than March. Kirby is the only reason that her Stellaron hasn’t gone haywire. Speaking of which, considering the fact that she’s not dead, he’s at least close by. Which meant that the only place he could be was–

“What the heck, what’s a kid doing all the way out here?” March and Stelle froze upon hearing the first voice. Slowly, the two peaked their heads over the igloo, and their eyes widened when they saw Kirby trying to talk to the two blue-uniformed guards wielding silver halberds.

“Hey little girl, you shouldn’t be out here,” The first guards said. “Where are your parents?”

“Little girl? The kid’s a boy, isn’t he?” The second guards said. They both looked at Kirby, and then back to each other.

“...C’mon, kid, we’ll take you back to Belobog.” Kirby nodded, and then turned to the giant mound. He pointed at it, causing both guards to reel back slightly. “N-no, we need to get back to the city. Let’s head back before you get frostbite.” Kirby pouted and stood his ground instead, slamming his feet into the floor so hard he left a deep imprint on the packed snow.

“C’mon, stop being so stubborn!” The guards said, both of them pulling on her arms and trying to pull him away. “Let’s go!”

“What do we do, they’re going to take him away!?” Stelle said, panicking slightly. Looking to the left, she saw that March had already left. With the Copy Star. The one that was red and had a fire symbol on it. “sh*t!”

“Oh my, there you are my little star!” March said, suddenly popping out of the snow. The guards and Kirby tilted their head. “Thank you, thank you two so much for finding my… son?”

“Your… son?” The first guard said. “I mean, you both have pink hair... R-regardless, we need to take you back to the city and… hey, what’s that in your hand!?”

March blinked, finally noticing the fact that she still had Copy Star wrapped around her arms. “Umm…”

“Wait a minute… you’re the one trying to melt down the ice, aren’t you!” The second guard said, quickly putting two and two together. March’s face turned red as she slowly hid the star behind her back, but due to its size, the side arms managed to poke into view.

“Nooo…!” March said awkwardly, incredibly aware of the size of the Star in her hands.

“That’s it, we’re taking you back to the city!” The guard said, walking towards March. Stelle popped out of the igloo at the time to try and mediate the situation before anything happened.

Unfortunately, Kirby acted before her.

Seeing his friend in distress and a weird man walking towards her with a weapon pointed at her prompted him to grab the man’s weapon, wrest it from his hands, and slamming it into his chest hard enough to send him flying. “What the heck!?” The second officer exclaimed, but before he could move, Kirby jumped up and slammed his heel into his chin, sending the men to spiral into the air and beyond the fog-covered horizon.

Kirby nodded again. He took the Copy Star from March and ate it in one gulp, transforming back into his blacksmith-themed Fire form. He went back to the large mound and started to melt it again, placing his hand on the side and summoning as much fire as he could muster.

“...Are we just going to let him do that?” March asked. “From the way those guards talked, it’s almost like they sealed some sort of giant monster in the snow,”

“Well, what if that monster was some sort of Doomer?” Stelle mentioned. “They probably sealed up a portal to Another Dimension. At least, that’s why I think I can sense the spatial distortion coming from it.”

“Oh, that’s a good point! I’ll text the others our location and let them know we probably found another portal!” March said, taking out her phone.

“You will do no such thing.”

Stelle and March blinked and turned around. Standing behind them were two more guards but standing in between them was a blonde man in white armor, holding onto a large guitar case with his right hand. The soldiers pointed their halberds, prompting Stelle and March to summon the Rainbow Sword and March’s crystalline bow.

“Lay down your weapons and back away from the ice. Now.If you don’t comply, I will authorize the use of force,” The blonde man said through gritted teeth.

“Really? We’re just melting some ice! What’s dangerous about that!?” March exclaimed.

Stelle tightened her grip on the Rainbow Sword, her eyes glowing Gold as she took a step in front of March.

“That is correct,” The man said. He picked up the guitar case and slammed it into the ground. Crack’s appeared in the backed snow, stopping just short of the girls’ feet. “Back away and surrender, or suffer the consequences.”

Stelle frowned as she glared at the soldiers standing before her. She looked behind her for a moment, watching as Kirby disengaged from the mound and turned back around, the fire that was his hair blazing, creating a thick veil of mist around as the snow evaporated from the heat. Kirby would probably have no difficulty taking them out, but these are the first they’ve seen from this planet. Getting on their bad side, especially now, probably wouldn’t be a good idea.

Kirby raised his hands, about to snap his fingers and launch a fiery blaze, but Stelle narrowed her eyes at him. Kirby blinked, but nodded, lowering his hand. Stelle sighed and turned back to the one in white armor, opening her mouth to speak–

Kirby jumped back as the mound cracked. He landed next to Stelle, and she and march both whirled around as black miasma spewed out from the cracks. The blonde man gritted his teeth as the miasma rose into the sky, the mound exploded as a geyser of black tar rushed out, revealing the Godlen Calyx, and something else.

“W-what the f*ck is that!?” The soldier to his left exclaimed as the miasma solidified in the sky.

The black goo took the form of a large a muscular, gray-skinned man strung up on a cross, his arms and limbs nailed to the metal; loose skin on the forearms and thighs pulled taunt as the cross supported the weight of the man. The cross itself was chained to metallic gold rings, on the edges of which had white feathery rings rotating to keep the man afloat.

The man’s head twisted 180 degrees; its eyes covered by a white rag while the back of its head was covered by a metallic mask with the letters “XII” etched into it. The man let out an ear-piercing shrieking, cracking the snow around the group as it went on the attack.

Reverse Arcana 12
THE HANGED MAN

“Now look at what you’ve done!” The armored man shouted angrily. He raised his guitar to attack, but the ground rumbled; three statues made of marble depicting women with their hands clasped in prayer burst from the ground. While statues barely moved, the eyes glowed, releasing waves of fire, ice, and electricity.

March gasped and slammed her hands on the ground, creating a wall of ice to protect everyone. The ice and lightning had stopped, but the fire melted through with ease. Stelle waved the Rainbow Sword, summoning a cloud that doused the flames.

The water swirled in the air and flew towards the statue emitting fire, knocking it over. Gepard raised his guitar case, turning it around as icy energy swirled around it before slamming it back into the statue, shattering it to bits. The other two statues turned around, launching ice and electricity. Gepard flicked his wrist, launching the ice back, but faltering slightly under the heat of the electricity.

March nocked an arrow and launched it at the Zio Statue, which slowly turned to lock eyes with her. Before it could attack, a ball of fire, launched from Kirby, flew into its face and exploded. Another was launched at the Bufu Statue, causing it to stagger as well. Before either could recover, Gepard and Stelle launched themselves forward, the guitar case and Rainbow Sword smashing and slicing the Zio and Bufu Statue’s respectively.

The Hanged Man groaned and fell to the ground, quickly trying to pull itself back up, however, Stelle stabbed her sword into the ground. Dark storm clouds appeared over the shadow, and harpoons made of water shot out of them, stabbing through the Hanged Man’s hands and pinning to the ground. Stelle grit her teeth as the monster tried to break free, flailing around screaming as it struggled. Luckily, the harpoons left it open for the other three, even the two soldiers to run up and attack.

As the footsoldiers, Gepard and March slashed, stabbed, and bashed at its arms, Kirby breathed fire on the halo’s supporting the cross, the wings catching fire. The Hanged Man screamed and slammed its head into the ground, creating an earthquake that stunned Stelle. Her concentration broke, causing the clouds and water to disappear. Stelle was knocked away by a slap from the Hanged Man, knocking her into the cliff and next to the Golden Calyx.

Kirby turned away when he sensed her pain, leaving him open to an attack from the Hanged Man. The shadow struck with force comparable to that of a God’s Hand, knocking the Fire Ability away in one fell swoop. Kirby landed on the snow and bounced away.

The Hanged Man slammed his head into the ground, creating a massive shockwave that rippled across the snow. The two soldiers were stunned while March and Gepard jumped over the attack. While they were in the air, the Hanged Man snapped its fingers, creating a small black blob with arms and a similar mask that it had.

The Devious Maya raced across the floor, crawling towards the Soldiers. Gepard smashed it against his guitar, but left his back open to another God’s Hand from the Hanged Man. Before the attack could land, March ran up to him and created a shield; God’s Hand practically shattered it upon impact, but the ice absorbed enough of the attack to leave them with only a few bruised bones.

Gepard rolled across the snow, his armor chipping in some areas from the blow. March landed on top of him, hissing in pain both from the collision as the sharp bits of armor that dug into her skin. She bounced off him, and would have flown away had the captain stuck out his hand and grabbed her. Still, March yelped from the sudden decrease in momentum, her shoulder nearly popping out of her socket.

“Are you alright…?” Gepard groaned, pushing himself to his feet and offering his hand to March.

“Y-yeah, I’m good,” She groaned, taking his hand while the other gripped her bow, which was now cracked at the riser. “Wait a minute… You were going to beat us up earlier! I mean, I get why now…” March’s voice trailed off, watching as Kirby jumped over the Hanged Man’s attacks. “Still, you could’ve told us that a demon was hiding inside it. We would’ve backed off!”

“How did you not know the Hanged Man was inside? It was tearing Belobog apart at the seams not only a few days ago,” Gepard countered. March blinked and tilted her head.

“Belobog…?” She muttered quietly, which caused Gepard to raise his brow.

Before either of them could say anything else, the Hanged Man shrieked as Kirby jumped on the cross and pulled on it, trying to snap it off. “We’ll talk about this later,” Gepard said, hoisting his weapon onto his back and running back towards the Hanged Man. March nodded, staying behind to aim at the monster's head.

The Hanged Man created another statue, its eyes glowing yellow as it shot out a bolt of electricity at Kirby. He jumped over the attack, and ducked under a punch from the Hanged Man immediately after. As he did, the crucified monsters tried to create another monster, but a rush of water cut into its hands, preventing it from finishing its creation.

Stelle, now back on her feet, swung the Rainbow sword upwards, a blade of clear liquid slashing down at the Hanged Man’s face and causing it to stumble backwards. It raised its hand, to slap her away, but as it swung it’s arm, Gepard jumped in and swung his guitar case as hard as he could, batting the hand.

With his back exposed, the Zio Statue turned to strike him, only to leave itself for a swift strike from Kirby, shattering it instantly. Before the marble could disappear, Kirby inhaled the pieces and swallowed. His eyes opened, the galactic soup in his eyes turning bright green as electricity sparked from inside.

Kirby wore a black rubber bodysuit that covered his entire body. Like Fire, Kirby’s hair turned bright green as it turned into pure electricity plasma. He traded his pink jacket for a leather one; black in color with a light green lightning bolt on the back hiding a sleeveless green shirt with an image of a microphone on the front. He also gained matching cuban-heeled, leather boots with green soles and laces. Kirby then reached into his new jacket’s pocket and pulled out a pair of green sunglasses and slipped them on.

Plasma Kirby crouched on the ground and rubbed his hands together, the friction causing the electricity to form around him like a shield. When the Hanged Man noticed, it lunged at him and raised its hand. March fired an arrow at the point, letting it fly and pierce through its eye, causing it to reel back in pain.

As the monster screeched in pain, Gepard narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, his body emitting rainbow flames with each step.

“In the name of Landau…”

[ENDURING BULWARK]

Gepard stomped forward, the ground cracking as he raised his fist into the air. Light blue energy appeared over his palm, and Gepard crushed it in his hand.

“Years of cold hardens the will. We shall never fall!”

With a defiant roar, he slammed his hand into the ground, creating a massive mountain of sharp ice upon impact. The wall of ice expanded outwards, stabbing through the Hanged Man’s body skewering it. The monster wailed as its large chunks of its body were replaced by spears of ice. The monster’s cross creaked, the chains keeping it tethered to the halos snapping in half.

Kirby’s body glowed as he finished charging his attack. He swept his hands forward, launching a pall of plasma the size of his body. It tore through Gepard’s glacier, causing it to evaporate as it barrelled through the Hanged Man’s body.

The Hanged Man was silent as the wall of ice evaporated from the heat of Kirby’s attack. As the mist parted, the large shadow was revealed to be filled with holes, and had a massive gap in the middle of its chest.

The Hanged Man’s hand reached for the sky, its body growing darker with each passing second. Soon, its body went limp, and the monster exploded in a thick cloud of gas. The halos clattered to the ground, shattering after a few seconds.

“...Well, that was certainly a thing,” March sighed as her bow dematerialized. “So… what were you talking about–!” She was rudely interrupted when the two soldiers pointed their halberds at her. Plasma’s kirby’s eyes glowed as he prepared to launch an attack.

“Don’t!” Stelle yelled, causing Kirby to freeze.

“Men, stand down,” Gepard ordered. The two soldiers paused, and looked back at the blonde with shock.

“But sir! They released the Hanged Man!” The first guard spoke up. “Y-you’re not going to arrest them?”

“No, I won’t,” Gepard confirmed with a nod of his head. He looked at the three Trailblazers, taking note of their odd attire. “It’s clear to me they had no intention of releasing the Hanged Man, and likely did not know of its existence. And besides, if it weren't for the aide, we wouldn’t have been able to destroy the Hanged Man.”

“I– Well…” The second guard muttered, scratching their chin.

Gepard shook his head and turned back to the Trailblazers. “It is said that a long time ago, visitors from beyond the sky would visit us here, but after the Eternal Freeze, and Belobog would cease to witness such arrivals… I’m correct in assuming that you are such visitors?”

“...Maybe they’re the ones that created them!” The second soldier said, pointing their weapon at the Trailblazers.

“W-what!? No, it wasn’t our fault!” Stelle exclaimed. “Look, everywhere you can think is being affected by those portals! It’s not just your planet! And we want to help you get rid of them before they become too much of a problem.”

The soldiers looked at each, unsure of what to do. Gepard glared at the Trailblazers, trying to tell if they were telling the truth of not. In the end, he only sighed and hardened his gaze.

“This decision is beyond us. If what they say is true then only the Supreme Guardian may decide their fate,” Gepard said, causing the Guards to tilt their heads in confusion. “Our job is to present them to her, nothing more.” The captain regarded the Trailblazers, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Outsiders, follow me. Belobog lies beyond this blizzard.”

“Okay, but can we get our friends first?” Stelle asked, and to her surprise, Gepard nodded in agreement.

“Very well. However, we will accompany you to their location. Understood?” Gepard said, leaving no room for argument.

“Fine by me! Let’s go!” March said, her voice back to its cheery timbre.

Kirby watched as the others started walking back from where they came. He rubbed his hands together to generate more electricity, using the heat from his plasma to guide their way and melt the snow once more.

PLASMA KIRBY
Lightning / Dreams

ATK: +43
DEF: +12
SPD: +12

BASIC ATK - Plasma Needle [Single Target]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 80% of Kirby’s ATK to one enemy.
Super Plasma Blaster [AoE]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 195% of Kirby’s Attack to all enemies, then Kirby performs a follow-up attack that deals Lightning DMG equal to 85% of Kirby’s ATK to all enemies who lost less than 12% of their current HP.

SKILL - Plasma Pulse (Arrow/Laser/Wave) [AoE]: Whenever Lightning DMG is dealt (by enemy or ally), this attack’s DMG is increased by 35%. This effect can stack up to 3 times, and lasts until this skill is used. Deals Lightning DMG equal to 99% of Kirby’s ATK to all enemies.
Super Plasma Flare [AoE]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 75% Kirby’s ATK to all enemies three times. Then, if an enemy did not have their Weakness Broken, Kirby performs a follow-up attack that deals Lightning DMG equal to 75% of Kirby’s ATK to all enemies two more times.

ULTIMATE - Bring on the Super Ability! Fusion Flare [Enhance]: Kirby transforms into Fusion Flare Kirby, Increasing his ATK by 67%, Crit Rate/DMG by 42%, and Effect Hit Rate by 42%, also, he gains 3 points of Copy Essence. Fusion Flare Kirby can only lose one point of Copy Essence at the end of his turn from this point on, however, he becomes Base Kirby once he no longer has Copy Essence. As Fusion Flare Kirby, his Basic ATK becomes “Super Plasma Blaster,” and his skill becomes “Super Plasma Flare” Kirby’s turn does not end when he uses this Ultimate.

EIDOLONS (Kirby / Dreams):
E1 - Weapon Master: Grants access to the Hammer (Physical) and Archer (Wind) Abilities.

E2 - Elemental Master: Grants access to the Poison (Quantum) and Water (Ice) Abilities.

E4 - Magical Master: Grants access to the Beam (Electricity) and Mirror (Imaginary) Abilities.

E6 - Copy Ability Master: Grants access to the Fighter (Fire) Ability. When Copy Essence has been depleted due to the effect of Kirby's Ultimate, Kirby will retain that Ability’s Base form.

(You can change which Abilities Kirby will obtain when he gets damaged by going into the Character Menu, selecting Kirby, and pressing the Switch button on the bottom-right corner of the screen.)

VS The Hanged Man
A Shadow representing the 12th card of the Tarot deck, the titular “Hanged Man.” When the card is drawn upright, it represents reflection and reevaluation of one’s life, while in reverse, the card is a symbol of sacrifice and surrender. This manifestation of the Hanged Man is the last of the twelve Arcana Shadows that appears during the Dark Hour, on the night of a full moon. Supposedly, one can end the Dark Hour by destroying all twelve Arcana Shadows.

SKILLS:
Strike [Single-Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 80% of The Hanged Man’s ATK to a single enemy. (P1/2/3)

God’s Hand [Single-Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 145% of The Hanged Man’s ATK to a single enemy. Has a 32% chance of inflicting the target with 10 stacks of Bleed. (P3)

Akasha Arts [Bounce]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 95% of The Hanged Man’s ATK to random enemies up to 6/8 times (P1/2&3). The chance of attacks landing decreases by 13%/6% for each subsequent hit (P1&2/3).

Tarukaja [Enhance]: Increases the ATK of a single ally by 22% for two turns. This effect can stack up to 2 times. (P2/3)

Charge [Enhance]: Increases the Crit Rate and Crit DMG of a single ally by 44% for two turns. This effect cannot stack anddisappears after the Charged ally attacks. (P2/3)

Marbled Creation [Summon]: Summons one Agi/Bufu/Zio Statue or one Devious Maya. (P1/2/3)

Executioner’s Gallows [Enhance]: The Hanged Man begins the phase by summoning one Agi, Bufu, and Zio Statue. While all three are on the field at the same time, The Hanged Man cannot be targeted for an attack, also, it can only attack once every other turn and can only use “Strike.” The Hanged Man cannot use Marble Creation until the first time it is knocked down during the Phase.

The Dark Hour [Enhance]: The Hanged Man enters a charged state. On the next available action, The Hanged Man will use “Crucifixion of the Holy King." (P2/3)

Crucifixion of the Holy King [Single-Target]: Increases the ATK of all allies by 22% (this counts as a stack of Tarukaja), then deals Physical DMG equal to 355% of The Hanged Man’s ATK to a single enemy. If the enemy has not taken all of the damage calculated, either because of a shield or the target was defeated, then the remaining damage is inflicted to all other enemies.

Ziodyne [Single-Target]: Deals Lightning DMG equal to 85% of Zio Statue’s ATK to a single enemy. (P1/2/3)

Agidyne [Single-Target]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 85% of Agi Statue’s ATK to a single enemy. (P1/2/3)

Bufudyne [Single-Target]: Deals Ice DMG equal to 85% of Bufu Statue’s ATK to a single enemy. (P1/2/3)

Mabufydyne [AoE]:Deals Ice DMG equal to 85% of Bufu Statue's ATK to all enemies. (P2/3)

The first door in the icy plain shines, creating a star above it. That star flies to the second door in the frozen city, causing the padlock on it to shatter.

Only Kirby, Stelle, Dedede, and Bandana Dee walk out. They walk towards the second door and disappear inside.

Chapter 11: Belobog Barberry - 2: Iceberg Idli

Chapter Text

“You feel weird,” Flamberge suddenly said as she and Dan Heng were jumping over a ferris wheel. The horses had laser eyes.

“What does that mean?” Dan Heng asked, his spear tearing through another wall of star blocks.

“Spiritually, I mean,” The swordswoman elaborated. She traded her flamberge for a black cannon, which fired a large plume of lava at the ferris wheel, melting it and causing the wall on the far side of the distorted space to open up. The two ran towards the opening, just as the cosmic wall consumed the space they were standing on.

“That didn’t explain anything.” Dan Heng said. He stabbed his spear into the ground and used it to vault his way over towards the next floating island. Flamberge just flew to the otherside.

“Hmm… how do I put this…?” Flamberge muttered as a Spark Doomer appeared above them, shrieking in anger. “I feel like you’re older than you let on,” She eventually said, summoning heer sword. “Does that make sense– No, I feel like I can word this better, but I don’t know how…”

“Older than I let on…” Dan Heng murmured to himself, ducking to his knees as the Spark Doomer lunged at his face. He slammed the butt of his weapon into the back, knocking it towards Flamberge who slammed it back with the side of her blade.

That somehow translated to the two of them playing tennis, with the Doomer as the ball, while they waited for the monster to die.

“Yeah! Or… I guess the more accurate way to explain it is like your soul has changed,” Flamberge, knocking the Doomer back to Dan Heng with a backhand swing. “Sorry I couldn’t explain it very well.”

“...It’s fine,” Dan Heng said, sending the Doomer back with a volley. Flamberge jumped up and spiked the Doomer, causing it to shriek and explode as it hit the ground. The Doomer dropped a square shaped gemstone with the orange icon of fire inside.

“...Hmm, magic stone,” Flamberge said, pocketing the orange. Around them, color returned to another dimension. “Anyways, let’s get out of here,” the fire mage said, turning around and jumping out of the portal that had recently formed.

Dan Heng jumped in after her as the space began to collapse around them, now that the… whatever the Doomer had eaten was. He looked around briefly, watching as the ruined carnival they just ran through slowly dissolved.

He was blinded for he traveled through the interdimensional gateway, but eventually landed on the hard snow of Jarilo-VI, right next to Flamberge

“Dedede, Bandee, we’re baa… aaaack?” Dan Heng frowned at Flamberge’s voice, but when he looked where she was frowning, he realized why. Stelle, March, and Kirby had returned, the latter now having electricity for hair. In addition, they also brought three armed men, two of which carried halberds while the (more than likely) leader carried a guitar case.

“...Is this the part where we beat them up because they forced you guys to lead them here?” Flamberge asked far too casually, and in Dan Heng’s opinion, far too eagerly.

“What, no!” March quickly said upon getting a side-eyed glance from the one carrying the case.

“We’ll be taking you to the city,” The leader of the two soldiers said. “It’s in your best interest that you do not start another conflict.”

“You heard him, Flamberge,” Dedede said, storing his large mallet away in hammer space. She huffed, but eventually Flamberge followed his example.

As the group started walking fowards, Dan Heng quickly reconvened with Stelle and March, placing himself between the two. “What happened?” He asked, getting an awkward laugh from March and a tired sigh from Stelle.

“Nothing much, really. Just defeated a giant monster sealed away from the rest of society so that it doesn’t destroy everything,” March explained quickly. “In other words, basic Express shenanigans.”

Dan Heng nodded in understanding.

“So… Do you guys do this sort of thing on every planet?” Stelle asked.

“Well… not every planet,” Dan Heng answered. Beside him March made a “so-so” motion with hand.

“Every couple of planets, basically,” She said. “With how portals to Another Dimension are basically popping up everywhere, we’re going to have to be the heroes a lot more often.”

Gepard stuck out his hand, motioning for the Express Crew and Dreamlanders to stop. The heavy cloud of fog coming from the snowstorm began to thin out, allowing them to see more than five feet in front of them.

“Outsiders… I welcome you to Belobog - the City of Preservation,” Gepard announced, leading the group to a cliff.

The city was in the middle of a snowy field, surrounded by large walls that protected it from the Fragmentu, not that it mattered at the moment. Long bridges went over the walls, leading to an incredibly large tower in the center of the city. Multiple gear-shaped structures spun above the skyline, occasionally stalling for a moment before resuming.

Large plumes of smoke slowly rose from the city, and even from this distance, they could see multiple collapsed buildings and even entire districts. Above the city were flocks of Doomers, circling the skylines like vultures waiting for their prey to drop dead.

Stelle stumbled slightly as Gepard led them into the city walls. The moment she passed through them, she felt… something underneath her, bubbling. March managed to catch her before she could fall, thankfully.

“You okay?” She asked, and Stelle nodded.

“I’m fine…” The Stellaron’s host looked at Kirby. They shared a look and nodded in acknowledgement.

There’s a Stellaron somewhere underneath this city.

“Woof… this place has definitely seen better days…” Flamberge muttered. Stelle looked away to see what she was talking about.

Snow gently drifted down from the sky, fillings the streets until it was nearly 2 feet thick. There were multiple abandoned buildings wherever Stelle looked, some which had massive holes in the side. Even from the streets, she could hear the growls and Chatter from Doomers and Dupas, scavenging the rooms for any energy they could find. Soldiers were everywhere, patrolling the streets and trying to fight off whatever monsters they managed to corner.

Stelle turned to another street, and saw a group of citizens huddling against some sort of heaters. As they were doing, a Doomer swooped down and snatched its jaws, managing to fly to safety before the Guards armed with rifles could shoot it down.

The captain led the group deeper into the city. As they did, Stelle noticed that more than by citizens were looking at them rather oddly. She also took note of the fact that snow, both on the streets and falling from the sky, began to thin out as they reached the center. The fog became less thick, harsh winds turned gentle and even the clouds parted, revealing the blue sky. Stelle almost missed the sun.

“If ya don’t mind me askin’...” Dedede spoke up, getting Gepard’s attention, “You mind explaining why this planet’s a giant snowball? No offense,” The King quickly added once he noticed Gepard’s unamused gaze. He sighed, but agreed with a nod.

“About seven hundred years ago, monsters from beyond the sky set the word ablaze, turning the land to scorched earth,” He started to explain. Pretty quickly, March, Stelle, and Kirby assumed he was referring to the Antimatter Legion, considering the fact that they found their frozen bodies buried in the snow an hour ago. “In the midst of the conflict, the Eternal Freeze descended without warning, driving away and burying the invaders, but leaving only Belobog standing.”

The Dreamland crew all shared a glance at the last bit. Flamberge made a gesture with her hands, but Dedede shook him subtly.

“Thanks for tellin’ us,” Dedede said, nodding his head at the captain. “So, anyways… you were takin’ us to meet the… Supreme Guardian, you said? Who is that guy, and what does he do for the city?”

“The Supreme Guardian, Cocolia Rand, is the leader of Belobog. She leads the Architects, the ones who have built and manage the city,” Gepard explained, leading them towards a large building that was built on the central tower they saw from a distance. “This is Qlipoth Fort, the heart of Belobog and headquarters for the Architects. I will lead you inside to meet with her, but have your words ready. The Madam Guardian’s time is precious.”

“Wait, we’re meeting her right now?” March squeaked in surprise. “Can we at least freshen up? I think I’m sweating…”

“There is no need,” Gepard reassured her. “The Madam Guardian cares little for formality, and like I said, her time is precious. Follow me.”

Stelle and the group Gepard followed through the winding halls of Qlipoth Fort, her heels sinking into blue carpet that lined the floor. As she walked, she turned to Flamberge, whose placid expression turned into a frown.

They eventually reached a pair of large brown doors. Gepard pushed them away and led them inside a wide open room. Above them, standing in front a large wooden desk with gold designs was a blonde-haired woman in black and white clothing, adorned with many medals on her shoulder. Flamberge took notice of the oddly placed holes exposing her hips.

“–But that’s a meaningless sacrifice, how can you–!” There was a girl speaking to Cocolia, and she paused when Gepard entered the room and led the Express and Dreamland Crew inside. Cocolia regarded them briefly before glaring at the person standing in front of her.

“Ahem… You may leave, Bronya,” Cocolia ordered. “Visitors have arrived.”

The girl, Bronya, flinched slightly. She looked at the floor before nodding. “Yes, mother…” She muttered, practically through gritted teeth, before turning around and walking out of the room. She made sure to glare at the group before she did.

“Zoo wee mama…” Flamberge muttered, her eyes lingering on Bronya. Dedede hit her in the side with his elbow to stop her from ogling further.

“Madam Guardian, have brought the group of outsiders to see you,” Gepard announced, his voice echoing as he gestured to the group. Kirby waved at her. Cocolia did not, and she tried to ignore the glowing green electricity that was shooting out from his hair.

“The messenger informed me of your arrival. Well done, Gepard. You may leave,” The Supreme Guardian flatly said. The captain nodded and walked out of the room silently. Cocolia watched him leave, and as the door slammed shut, she faced the crew with a plastic smile.

“Welcome, visitors from beyond the sky,” Cocolia began, standing up from her seat and moving in front of her desk. “Or, for some of you… beyond this reality. I am Cocolia Rand; the eighteenth Supreme Guardian of Belobog. I would be grateful if you would tell me why you have come.”

“Hold up lady, how do you know we’re from an alternate reality?” Flamberge huffed, much to the shock of the entire group, and Cocolia’s surprise. “We only told Guitar-Case that we’re from off planet, not off universe.”

“Flamberge!” Bandee whispered harshly, tugging on her jacket to pull her back. “Don’t be rude!”

Cocolia only laughed lightly at Flamberge’s interrogation, hiding her expression behind an ice-covered hand. “I’m not offended; it’s a perfectly fair question.” She said,

“To answer your question… I believe it’s reasonable to assume that at least one of you is from an alternate reality. The portals that have recently appeared all over Belobog are otherworldly in nature. I’ve read reports of those who have bravely ventured inside; how they end up in distorted reflection of our past and present that defy logic, and how they’ve been nested by creatures whose hunger is insatiable.

“Given you seemingly know how these portals behave, what caused them, and how to close them for good, it’s natural to assume that at least one of you at least comes from another dimension, wouldn’t you say?” Cocolia asked.

Stelle was about to open her mouth; something about the Supreme Guardian’s reasoning didn’t add up. Before she could speak up, Dan Heng hit her foot to distract her for a moment.

“...Yeah, you’re right on the money,” Dedede eventually said, putting on a smile for show. “Speaking of gettin’ rid of the Portals, we think we’ve got a solution on how to fix the problem. Ya evah heard of a Stellaron before?”

“Stellaron…” Cocolia murmured softly, as if tasting the word in her mouth.

“Objects that fell from the blue on separate worlds. Their appearance spells disaster. Many of the planets we’ve visited,” Dan Heng quickly explained. “Our current theory is that the energy being produced by the Stellaron is attracting the Doomers, who are now tearing apart your world to locate it.”

“There’s also the fact that Stellaron brings disasters wherever they land, like the Fragmentum or the Eternal Freeze,” March continued once Dan Heng said his piece. “So, you can see us as… kindhearted multiversal public servants, lending a hand to any world affected by Stellarons or Doomers!”

Cocolia sweeped a frigid gaze over each of the Express Crew and Star Allies as she contemplated their words. She tilted her head, her gaze lingering on Stelle for a moment far longer than would be comfortable before speaking.

“Your analysis of our current circ*mstances is true. We have suffered the disasters you speak of, some of which prove vexatious to us even today… but why should you care?” Cocolia asked. “Even if this Stellaron did bring about such a disaster, even if you’re from the same world as the… Doomers, I don’t believe anyone would go through such lengths to help a world unrelated to them, unless they had something to gain.”

“W-well, Ms. Rand…” Bandee spoke up, walking to the front of the group. “Doomers aren’t just your typical monsters. The more energy they consume, the more powerful they grow. If we let them eat for too long, they’ll eventually gain the warp reality and eat everything, everywhere, at any time!”

“In addition, the Stellaron’s energy is also preventing us from leaving. Unless it’s power away, we will be unable to leave,” Dan Heng added. Cocolia’s eyes narrowed for a split second, before crossing her arms under her chest and taking everything they said into consideration.

“You know how to… ‘seal’ a Stellaron?” Cocolia mumbled to herself. She shook her head momentarily before looking back at the group, King Dedede specifically.

“Very well. Your arrival is the hope that Belobog has been waiting for centuries. I am willing to assist you in any way possible to locate the Stellaron and close the portals,” Cocolia said, leveling a firm gaze and fake smile. “It’s getting late, and you must be tired. I will arrange for you to stay at a nearby hotel, where you can rest.”

“Thank you, Supreme Guardian,” Dedede said, slightly bowing at Cocolia. “If it’s alright with you, there’s something else that I would like to discuss with you. I hope you don’t mind if lil’ Bandee here joins us, do you?” He asked, patting the smaller boy on the shoulder.

“Yes, that’s fine,” Cocolia said with a nod. An… odd smile appeared on her lips. “As for your companions… I shall arrange for them to stay at a nearby hotel, where you can all rest. Then at noon, I’ll send for an escort to bring you back here, so that we may discuss this matter in greater detail.”

With that, two Silvermane Guards appeared at the door, quickly ushering the group out of room, sans Dedede and Bandee.

“Soooo… I think we can all agree that Coco is sketchy as hell, right?”

The moment the Guards left them in the lounge of the Goethe hotel, Flamberge flopped on the nearest couch. They sat on the circle of furniture near the entrance, watching as more Silvermane Guards entered and left the building.

“She’s definitely hiding something,” Dan Heng agreed, sitting down with one leg crossed over the other. “Was it safe to have Dedede and Bandana Dee stay with Cocolia? She could be dangerous.”

“It’s fine! Those two can take care of themselves. In times of sheer power, Dedede is the strongest out of all the Star Allies. Bandee’s also just as skilled as Spear Kirby, so he can definitely hold his own as well,” Flamberge reassured him. She brushed a lock of her red hair away and let out a huff. “I’m more worried about what Coco is hiding from us.”

“That only brings up another question, if she is working with somebody. Was she fed false information, or did she misinterpret it?” Stelle pondered. Kirby was sitting on her lap, twirling a lock of gray hair with his fingers.

He spoke up next, mentioning how he’s not sure how Cocolia would’ve gotten such information. The only people who could’ve done so would’ve been Magolor or Susie, as they’re the ones who both know more about and have personal experience with Another Dimension. But since neither of them had contacted the group beforehand, and Cocolia seems to have misconstrued some of the information, it’s highly unlikely that they could've done so.

Flamberge quickly translated for the others.

“So… what are we going to do now?” March asked with a shrug. “We know Cocolia’s up to something. But, we can’t just go in guns blazing and beat her up.”

Kirby poyo’d, saying that they could.

“Well, you’re right,” Flamberge said with a shrug, “but since Coco’s the one running the place, that also means she has an army to back her up if we do jump her. So… yeah, I say we don’t do that.”

“So… I guess all we can do is investigate,” Dan Heng said. “Tomorrow morning perhaps, once we’re all well rested.”

“Ha ha ha… there’s no need!” Flamberge said, laughing to herself. She reached inside her green jacket, and pulled out three bottles. She tossed them to the Express crew, and Stelle caught one in her hand. She turned the bottle to read the label, which read: “Whispy Wood’s Maxim Power Punch!!”

“It's juice… made out of Maxim Tomatoes…?” Stelle muttered as she examined the label. She watched March open the bottle to take a sniff, only to reel back at the smell.

“Fruit punch, technically. It won’t do much for hunger, but it should replenish your stamina just fine,” Flamberge explained, tossing another bottle for Kirby. He ate it in one gulp. “We have a few hours before the sun sets. Before the Guards get suspicious, we should look around town and investigate whatever we can. Maybe we’ll find something that explains what’s really going on here.”

“That sounds like a plan!” March said excitedly, grimacing as she looked at her juice and downed it in a few seconds. She gagged at the taste, making Stelle recoil slightly. Still, March tossed her bottle to the nearest trash can (she missed) and turned back to Flamberge. “So, what’re you going to do?”

“Simple. I’m gonna look for that Bronya chick,” Flamberge answered with an unapologetic smile.

“...You’re not going to hit on her, are you?” Dan Heng asked.

“Yesn’t,” Flamberge said unhelpfully. “Besides, did you see her outfit? First off, thighs, second, she’s wearing a Silvermane Guard uniform, and has a bunch medals on it as well. Chances are she’s probably a high ranking member, probably beneath Coco herself,” The fire general reasoned.

“Well… As long as you're not chasing after other skirts, I suppose that’s a good idea,” March said with a defeated shrug.

“Hehe, I know… Hey, wait a minute–!”

“In that case, why don’t March and I look for clues in the library?” Dan Heng suggested. March blinked and looked at him.

“What!? Why do I have to go to a stuffy library!?” March exclaimed in opposition to his idea.

“That sort of makes sense,” Stelle muttered. “Getting a sense of Belobog’s history might help us in the long run. We could get a better sense of where the Stellaron is if we figure out where more disasters seem to appear. Plus, Cocolia wouldn’t be able to pull a fast one on us if she decides to tell us an abridged Belobog’s history.”

“Those… are perfectly valid points,” March said with a defeated sigh. “I guess that leaves Kirby and you to explore Belobog itself, right?”

Kirby nodded. He looked up at Stelle and smiled. Stelle returned the look a few moments later.

“All right,” She said. Kirby nodded happily. “That gives us a chance to take a look around and see the sights.”

“...Oh,” March muttered. She grabbed the camera that was constantly hanging around her waist and tossed it to Stelle. “Make sure to get some good pictures, alright? Otherwise, I’m not inviting you to the pillow fight tonight!” She said with a huff.

“Ah ha… okay,” Stelle said with a slight laugh.

“Alright then, we’ve got our plans set up. Let’s go and skedaddle then!” Flamberge said, getting up from her and walking towards the hotel rooms.

“Wait, where are you going?” March called after her. “Aren’t you supposed to go look for Bronya?”

“I’m gonna go see if the hotel rooms have some make-up I can use. Or at least, some fancy clothes,” Flamberge responded, looking over her shoulder and winking at March. “If you want, can you help me pick out a dress before we split?”

“U-uhm…” March muttered, finding the hands on her thighs more interesting than Flamberge’s co*cky smirk. Dan Heng sighed, and Kirby pouted at Flamberge.

Stelle meanwhile…

A few minutes passed. Stelle and Kirby were walking next to the monorail tracks, following them as they explored the frozen city. He finally dropped the Plasma ability back at the hotel, mainly to avoid the odd stares, but also because Flamberge handed him a lighter before he left. Given that this is an ice based world, having quick access to his Fire ability would be more beneficial than having to rub his hands together to generate electricity.

In general, the center of Belobog is far more put together than the outskirts of the city. There weren’t many people outside, only a handful walking around quickly going to get groceries or supplies. There were almost no heaters outside, something Stelle assumed was to keep Doomer from snatching them away.

Speaking of them, Stelle looked up to see those blasted birds in the sky.

Stelle stuffed her hands into the pockets of her skirt, watching as the pink boy hummed to himself. He often spun his circles, the endless cosmic abyss that was his eyes latching onto every single thing that moved.

“What song are you humming?” Stelle asked. Kirby whirled around to look up at her. He didn’t answer directly. He opted to instead point up at the sun and made a gesture with his hands, opening and closing them repeatedly.

“...Twinkle Star?” Stelle guessed. Kirby corrected, as the song was officially titled “Twinkle☆Stars” on the OST, but otherwise nodded happily. He jumped up and latched onto her arm and then her shoulder, hanging from it like a kid on monkey bars before pulling himself up. Stelle had remarked that Kirby was light before, but right now, as he clung to her shoulder; he was practically weightless. A feather was probably heavier than him.

Kirby started to hum again. After a few seconds, he paused, and repeated the first few notes. Stelle blinked, and after a while, she started humming the song as well. She hummed slower, since she didn’t know the tune as much as Kirby, but she managed to sync up the sound of her voice with him eventually.

The two walked followed the rail, Kirby turned his head to glance at a small store off to the side. He leapt Stelle’s arm and skipped over. Stelle followed after him, and her eyes widened slightly to see that he was running towards a flower shop: “Eversummer Florist.” She didn’t think flowers still existed on this planet.

Kirby opened the door slowly, the bell ringing softly as he and Stelle made their way inside. It was warm inside, thanks to the heaters on either side of the door. While Kirby made his way to the front desk, Stelle lingered behind to examine the rows and rows of bright and beautiful flora. She reached to gently brush against the petals of the flower. However, her eyes caught a twinkle to her right. She frowned.

Even here, the flowers were beginning to freeze. A bright yellow rose’s stem was covered in a thin sheen of ice. The petals were beginning to wilt as the ice visibly expanded.

“Koromaru, if that you?” Stelle flinched, drawing her hands away from flowers out of fear of being yelled at. She turned to the front desk to see a woman coming out of the back, wearing a green and white dress and a hat. Her smile brightened upon seeing the two.

“Oh! Finally, customers!” The woman said cheerfully. “Welcome to the Eversummer Florist! How can I help you?”

Kirby spoke up immediately. He spoke in poyo for a moment, and then pointed to a bouquet, behind the florist. “Oh, that one?” The bouquet had tulips, bluebells, white roses and red spider lilies. The florist’s gaze became dour for a split second, before she nodded in understanding.

“Of course,” The florist said, her mood becoming more chipper as she turned around to reach for the flowers. Stelle wondered why her expression changed for a split second.

“So…” Stelle spoke up, getting the woman’s attention. “Um…” Her mind blanked for a split second, unsure of what to say. “Rough business week?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe…” The florist said without skipping a beat. She gently pulled down the flowers Kirby asked for, and started to prepare a basket for them. “Ever since those portals and freaky monsters showed up, the Silvermane Guards have basically got the entire town on emergency lockdown,” she groused. “Only people going to work or grocery shopping to leave their homes are allowed to leave their homes.”

Stelle quickly but two and two and together. “Ah… that sounds unfortunate,” she muttered awkwardly. The florist nodded at her words, letting out a long sigh afterwards.

“You’re tellin’ me. I’m here working 9 to 5 without as much as a ‘hello’ for the entire day,” She said. “The only one who comes here to visit is Koromaru. Speaking of which…”

The door opened again, and Stelle watched as a small gray and white shiba inu with red eyes walked inside the shop. It wore a white shirt with wings on the shoulders, and had a weird head-set like device around its neck. The dog barked, walking up Stelle and sniffing at her feet.

“That’s Koromaru,” The florist said as the gray dog then walked to Kirby and sniffed his feet as well. He giggled and leaned down to scratch behind Koromaru’s ear. Koromaru sat down and closed his eyes, allowing Kirby to do so. “He started showing up a few days ago. Sad as it is to say, he’s been my only company for the past week.”

Koromaru then walked over to the front desk, placing a few gold coins on the floor and sitting down, looking up at the florist expectantly. She giggled and went to the back, and returned with a single blue rose. Koromaru licked her hand, and gently grabbed the rose with its jaw. As quickly as he had appeared, Koromaru walked out of the flower shop, his tail wagging all the while.

“...Do you know who his owner is?” Stelle asked. The florist only shrugged.

“Nope. He doesn’t have a collar or anything. I guess he’s one of the regulars,” The florist said as the door closed once more. “Anyways, here’s the bouquet he wanted!” Kirby smiled as he took the basket. He sniffed them, and as he did, he noticed something moving on one of the thin petals of the spider lily.

A single brown spider with white marks.

“Ah!” Stelle flinched, having been jumpscared by the tiny and frail arachnid. Kirby didn’t share her reaction. He smiled at the creature, watching as the mandibles and front legs twitched. Kirby turned around and raised the bouquet to her eyes. Stelle took a step back when she and spider locked eyes. Eight pure yellow dots stared right at her, causing her to shiver.

“Poyo!” Kirby said.

“...Yeah, c-cute…” Stelle muttered halfheartedly.

“Aw, it seems like you guys made a new friend!” The florist said, smiling at the two. Kirby nodded, and walked to another set of plants off to the side. He gently blew on the spider, and the creepy-crawly slowly crawled from the spider lily to another plant.

“So, will that be all for today?” The florist asked. Stelle blinked, turning away from the spider to the florist, who was walking towards the cash register.

“Yeah, I guess. How much do we owe you?” Stelle asked, not paying attention to the fact that Kirby was already walking out the door.

“Hmm… 120 shields,” The florist said with a cheeky smile. Stelle paused, patting her skirt for anything. Alas, all she had was her phone. She didn’t even have any credits. “Since you're my first customers in a while, I slashed the price by 50% percent.” Stelle hissed through her teeth, feeling guilty.

“Actually, before we go…” Stelle said, looking around the shop in a panic. “Can we also have that bouquet as well? It really… speaks to me?”

“Sure!” The Florist said, turning around and walking towards. “Nice combination of flowers, by the way. This combo in particular represents an acceptance of incoming hardships, but determination to carry on.” The florist turned around–

But nobody was there.

“Well, f*ck me in the–”

“Kirby!”

Stelle quickly jogged after him, who was waiting outside the front steps of the shop. She grabbed Kirby by the wrist and quickly dragged him to the opposite side of the building, hoping that the florist inside wouldn’t follow them.

“Maybe we should’ve asked Cocolia for some money…” Stelle groused. Kirby nodded with her. He stopped for a moment, taking out his phone and taking a picture of it.

“Who are you sending it to?” Stelle asked. Kirby went into his contacts and tapped an icon. “Taranza” was the icon that he highlighted. Stelle's golden eyes glanced downwards for a moment, seeing that he’s already gotten a few texts from Meta Knight. Below him, she could see he messages from someone named Su–

And Kirby swiped his thumb on the screen, preventing her from reading more. Once the picture was taken and sent, he moved to the sidewalk. Stelle watched as Kirby raised his fist and punched the ground, destroying the cement and unveiling a patch of dirt. He dug a hole and planted the bouquet inside.

“Huh…?” Kirby looked up at Stelle and explained that he didn't want the flowers to get damaged while they investigated the city.

“Oh, right…” Stelle muttered, slapping herself on the face. “How are we supposed to do that anyways? It’s not like we can just walk up to people and ask ‘Hey! You wouldn’t happen to know where a world-ending magic relic is, do you?’ And it’s not like we can ask the Guards, especially if we don’t want Cocolia on our radar.”

Kirby agreed with her on that front. He pointed up at the sky, specifically, the Doomer that continued to circle the city like vultures. He reasoned that Doomer’s are looking for the Stellaron. Like the two of them, they can sense that it’s somewhere in the Belobog, but where it is specifically.

“Yeah, so… are we just going to wait for them to find it eventually?” Stelle muttered. As she looked up at the sky… a thought occurred.

“Well… what if the Stellaron’s underground?” Stelle proposed. “That could be why we can’t sense it right now. The energy being emanated from it is probably being covered up by layers and layers of rock.”

Kirby nodded slowly, his eyes brightening. If the energy of the Stellaron is trapped underground, then all they have to do is make a whole hole in the ground that’s large enough to let it out! He pointed to the weird monument in front of Qlipoth Fort; he could use the ice to turn into Ice Kirby and make a drill. Then, Stelle can use the Rainbow Sword to make a hurricane around them, so that they can drill their way underground.

Stelle narrowed her eyes on Kirby, carefully considering his plans and possible risks that could come up while doing so.

“...I see no flaws in this line of reasoning,” Stelle said, giving Kirby a thumbs up. “Let’s do it!”

Kirby cheered. Casually, he ran up to the funky monument, snapped off a piece of ice, and gnawed at the corner of the tip. Once a piece of ice snapped off, Kirby transformed and skated back to Stelle. He slammed the piece he stole borrowed from the monument, getting about half of it stabbed into the ground and cratering the surrounding area. From there, he breathed out a massive amount of frost, turning the ice into a fifteen-foot tall cone with a sharpened tip.

Kirby jumped on top of the makeshift drill, and told Stelle to start spinning. He’ll jump up and slam his feet to make it go deeper.

“You got it,” Stelle said, summoning the Rainbow Sword tightly gripping the hilt. The blade shone brightly, and the small molecules of oxygen and hydrogen in the surface started to come together, forming into water. Stelle made a circling motion with her free, and the water began to imitate it, floating around the icy drill faster and faster.

More water surrounded the drill, which started to spin faster. The drill shifted in its place slightly, but otherwise wouldn’t budge. Kirby frowned when he noticed, so he jumped up and slammed his feet down.

The drill rocketed downwards an entire four feet, sending large shards of concrete and shrapnel everywhere. Stelle had to use a small amount of water to knock pieces of the street away before it could hit her. “Hey, warn me next time before you do that,” She huffed. Kirby let out an awkward laugh before nodding.

Minutes passed, and Stelle’s hurricane grew in size. As she kept generating water, Kirby used some of it to add to the size, and thus the weight of the drill he created. They’d managed to dig 15 feet into the ground just as Stelle dropped the hurricane.

“So…” Stelle said with a pant, the Rainbow Sword losing its solid form and splashing back to the ground. “Do you think we’ve managed to far enough down?”

Ice Kirby jumped down into the crater they created. He made a few crude shovels with his ice and started to dig, but only found more soil and cement. He shook his head, and Stelle let out a disappointed sigh.

“Well… I guess we should take a break before…” Stelle paused as she felt her phone buzz in her skirt. Kirby’s did as well. He reached into his parka and turned it on, revealing a text from Flamberge.

Belobog ‘Blazers

March: @everyone Hey guys! Me and Dan Heng are going to deal with the portal on the far side of the planet. We’re taking Gepard and Pela with us. Wish us luck! [10 Min Ago]

Flamberge: found bronya, gonna talk to her rn [7 min ago]

Flamberge: @Kirby @Stelle go to portal near hotel [7 min ago]

Flamberge: pick up lines didnt work lmao [6 min ago]

Flamberge: cute anime girl robot chasing me rn [5 min ago]

Flamberge: giant axe holy crap @Kirby @Stelle hurry up pls [2 min ago]

Flamberge: @ Stelle @Kirby [1 min ago]

Flamberge: @ Stelle @Kirby [1 min ago]

Flamberge: @ Stelle @Kirby [1 min ago]

Flamberge: @ Stelle @Kirby [1 min ago]

Flamberge: @ Stelle @Kirby [1 min ago]

Flamberge: @ Stelle @Kirby [1 min ago]

Flamberge: @ Stelle @Kirby [Few seconds ago]

Flamberge: @ Stelle @Kirby [Few seconds ago]

Flamberge: @ Stelle @Kirby [Right now]

“Oh…” Stelle muttered as Flamberge spammed their group chat. Not even a second would pass before she pinged the two of them again. Five more times. She’s not even sure if that should be physically possible.

“Should we… leave this here?” Stelle asked, pointing to the drill sticking out of the hole they made. Kirby just shrugged nonchalantly. He skated around and closed up the hole they made with his ice breath. Once he made sure it was strong enough to keep anybody from falling inside, he gave Stelle a thumbs up and skated away.

She lagged behind briefly as they ran back to the Goethe Hotel. The Silvermane Guards turned around when they saw Kirby and Stelle round the corner. Stelle felt… odd as she looked into the portal. It didn't look like a standard Fragmentum portal, but it didn’t look like a portal to Another Dimension either. It was almost like it was fused together.

“Hey, what are you–” The first guard said, before they were frozen instantly by Ice Kirby’s breath, sans their head. Kirby jumped up with a twirl, falling into the portal with any resistance.

“Sorry,” Stelle muttered to the Guards before jumping inside the portal himself.

“So… what are you guys doing tomorrow?” The first Silverman Guard said.

“Shut up, Dub.”

When Stelle first passed through the portal and landed on the cobblestone concrete, she expected to see distorted space and random geometric shapes, just like March and Dan Heng had described.

What she didn’t expect, or even wanted to see, was the entire city of Belobog burning to the ground. With widened eyes, she saw buildings torn apart by massive lasers falling from the sky, swaths of concrete reduced to lakes and rivers of lava. The entire area was covered in a thick cloud of smoke, slowly rising into the sky and blocking out any light from reaching her eyes.

“Kirby?” Stelle shouted. The Stellaron inside her pulsed.

She reached out, and managed to find and latch onto Kirby’s cold mittens. She could hear stomping on the ground, and looked down to see footprints made out of ice. What little light could be reflected off them bounced into Stelle’s eyes, allowing her to see barely a foot or two in front of her.

Kirby poyo’d, urging him to watch his ice trail in case he lets go. With that, he skated across the floor, dragging Stelle with him. The ground quaked as the laser from the sky fell down, decimating streets in an instant. The brightness from the lasers allowed Stelle to see a bit farther through the fog.

Kirby skidded to halt, and steadied Stelle with her other hand. In front of them was a river of molten concrete, with large fireballs jumping out of the surface before falling back down. Stelle summoned the Rainbow Sword, and with a swipe of her weapon, shot out a blade of water. Fireballs turned into stone as the liquid splashed over them, but strangely, they didn’t fall back down.

Kirby didn’t care that much. He knocked Stelle off her feet and carried her, bridal style. Using his ice breath, he created thin platforms on top of solid fireballs and used those to jump over the river. Once he landed, the platforms melted and the fireballs fell back into the lava.

The two continued down a ruined half-melted city block. The roofs of the buildings were warped and gnarled like the branches of a dying tree, forming a thin strap of cracked cement over a wide drop of nothingness. Kirby, acting on pure instinct, skated quickly. Stelle looked behind them as he did, watching as their weight caused the bridge to crack even more and fall down, down, down.

Kirby continued skating down the trail, but slowed down for some reason. Stelle squinted her eyes to see further into the fog, and realized that the reason why he did so was because the trail ended. They didn’t have to think about that for long though, as one of the massive lasers struck an already tilting skyscraper a few miles. The building toppled, and just as it was about to tip over the edge, Kirby used it to skate over to the other side.

Stelle held in her breath as she saw the world curve in on itself. Upside buildings hovered over them, each in the same ruined and lava-riddled state. She created a shield of water over them using the rainbow sword, just in case the gravity decided to behave for once.

Kirby slowed down when the duo approached their final challenge.

Like a few moments prior, there was a large void of nothingness separating them from the exit. Above them, however, was a melting city block with slow moving trails of lava falling from the streets to the void. And from those, three fireballs moved between them in a circle, dipping into the lava again before flying out.

Stelle raised the Rainbow Sword, and sent a wave of water at the closest set of fireballs. Kirby jumped at the same time, and after a breath of ice, landed on it before jumping over to the next set of fireballs. Stelle and Kirby repeated the process again, but they performed it a bit slower than last time. Stelle hissed as she felt the falling lava drip onto her skirt. Kirby quickly froze it before it could ignite her clothes.

As he jumped towards the next lava-fall, Stelle realized there were only two fireballs rather than three, and they moved significantly faster. She shot out her water, timing so that the moment fireballs exited the lava they would be doused and cooled. Kirby landed on the first rock, and aimed his breath behind him. Just as the second exited the lava flow, Kirby’s ice breath had created a platform. The left side had evaporated for being too close to the lava, but regardless, it was enough to get a decent foothold and jump towards the exit.

The smoke cleared up once they hit the ground. Stelle quickly pushed herself to her feet and readied the Rainbow Sword. But the fight she was expecting never came. “...What?” She muttered silently. The exit portal was already hovering in front of them.

Kirby furrowed his brow. It’s likely that the Doomer that’s nesting in this space already has enough energy to keep open from a distance.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Stelle muttered. The ground shook as another laser fell from the sky, tearing through the memory of the city behind them. “But at the same time, I don’t want to hang out for any longer. That’s go help Flamberge, then we’ll deal with this.” Kirby nodded and jumped through the exit portal, and Stelle followed closely after him.

Flamberge sighed as she levitated over a frozen-over section of Belobog. Fire that she conjured floated beneath her, allowing her to above the watchful gaze of the Silvermane Guards that started chasing, especially that (admittedly cute) killer robot.

“Jeez…” Flamberge muttered, scratching one of the burn scars on her neck. She saw a small number of guards running through, so she released another surge of fire to move out of the way.

As she flew, she crossed one leg over the other. She wondered what exactly got Bronya to be so hostile earlier. Their first interaction (if you could even call it that) in Cocolia’s office only lasted a split second, with a glare. Flamberge wasn’t too bothered; she had a habit of defrosting ice queens. Francisca would attest to that.

Still, Bronya went from mildly annoyed at Coco’s place to trigger happiness in the span of… like, an hour, now that she thinks about it.

Flamberge blinked, sensing the power of Void from off to the side. With a smirk, the fire around her intensified as she flew over to where she sensed Kirby.

“Heya,” Flamberge said, silently landing behind Kirby and Stelle. Her voice caused Stelle to jump back slightly.

“Where did you come from?” Stelle asked.

“The sky,” Flamberge said. She leaned back, her natural ability to float preventing her from falling onto the ground. It looked like she was lying on a bed, with one leg crossed over the other. “I would’ve appreciated it if you guys had come over a bit faster, though.”

“Sorry, but we had to wade through a volcano,” Stelle said, pointing to Another Fragmentum Portal. “So… anime robot girl, right?”

“Yeah, that,” Flamberge said. She gestured for the two to follow her.

“What even happened between you too? She didn’t come off too strongly, did you?” Stelle asked. She was slightly miffed that she was the only one running, not only in heels, but on an icy floor as well.

“What? No, of course not! At least, I don’t think so,” Flamberge huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “We didn’t even get to talk for an entire minute. I just kinda showed up behind her, spooked her, and the next thing I know she’s got her rifle pointed at my face! Apparently, we’re under arrest for trying to overthrow Cocolia, or something dumb like that.”

“What the hell? I thought we were supposed to work together!” Stelle exclaimed. The ground shook. Kirby mentioned that Cocolia might’ve planned to betray them from the beginning. After all, she didn’t give them any money that they could use. “I think you're grasping at straws with that point…” Flmaberge muttered.

“So, now what do we do?” Stelle mutterred. “We left Dedede and Bandee back at the Fort, and– sh*t! Dan Heng and March could be in danger too! They went to the other side of the planet with Gepard! How the hell are we supposed to help them!?”

“Good question,” Flamberge said with a shrug. She slowed down as both Kirby and Stelle flattered from another earthquake. She looked in front of them, and could see buildings shattering as it came closer. “Though, I think we should be worried about ourselves first…”

Flamberge landed on the ground, having led everyone to a circular field courtyard with an ornate fountain in the center. The buildings off to the side shattered instantly as Flamberge’s pursuer appeared; it was feminine robot, as Flamberge described, but she emitted the fact that it was dressed like a Japanese highschool girl, wearing a sailor uniform with a yellow bow. Her arms were covered by large red gauntlets, and she had red eyes and long light blue hair styled into a ponytail.

Most distinctively, however, were the massive labrys in her hand, and below her, were large bull-like monsters chained to the ground with flames sprouting out of its horns and skeletal mouth.

“What the…” Stelle muttered as the robot girl floated down, landing in the head of bull monsters.

“Even though it has suffered Fragmentum corrosion, this is still part of Belobog. It was our home. The Guards know this place like the back of their hands,” An icy voice spoke. Stepping out from behind the massive bull monster was Bronya, accompanied by an entourage of Silvermane Guards carrying muskets. Stelle narrowed her eyes, and was about to speak, but Flamberge had already beaten her to the punch.

Please don’t say petty theft, vandalism, and destruction of private property.

“My orders are to arrest you,” Bronya said through gritted teeth. “It is for the adjudication panel to present you with the nature and penalty of your alleged crimes.”

“Hmm… nah,” Flamberge said with a grunt, surprising Bronya and even Stelle She turned around and waved her arm for Kirby and Stelle to follow. “C’mon guys, let’s bounce. We can save the world without her help.”

“‘Nah…?’” Bronya repeated, her eyes narrowing. “I’m not sure you understand. The Supreme Guardian conducted an investigation on your backgrounds. She saw through your lies and deceit! You seek to overthrow the government."

“She conducted an investigation… in not even an hour?” Flamberge asked, tilting her head so that Bronya could see her blue eye. “That doesn’t sound suspicious to you? We were first invited to Qlipoth Fort when we arrived. We talked to Coco–” (Bronya fumed at the nickname) “–for seven minutes, then we went to the Goethe Hotel to rest. 20 minutes, max. Then, we split up and explored the city. We were doing that for thirty minutes.”

Flamberge turned around and stomped her foot on the ground, her eyes blazing as pillars of fire burst from the ground on either side of her. “You mean to tell me that Coco had ordered somebody to investigate our backgrounds, have that investigation conducted well enough to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that our motives and origins are fake, contact you, and order you to chase after us. She did all that… in fifty-seven jamblasted minutes?”

Bronya’s hardened gaze faltered slightly, as did her grip on her rifle. Even the other Silvermane Guards shifted uncomfortably. Flamberge smirked. “If you asked me, either Coco really has it out for us, or she’s incompetent leader who lets her biases get in the way of doing a decent job.”

“Publicly insulting the Supreme Guardian only elevates the seriousness of your crimes!” Bronya growled once the words left Flamberge’s mouth. “Throw down your weapons at once!”

“Great… another world without free speech…” Flamberge growled. Kirby frowned as well.

While Stelle didn’t know what they were talking about, she could tell that they weren’t just going to run away. She summoned the Rainbow Sword again, water forming around her hand until it hardened into her colorful blade. Flamberge, meanwhile, raised her hand, a pillar of flames shooting out from her hand until it revealed a wavy sword with a red hilt.

“...Very well then,” Bronya said. She backed away, turning to her troops to address them. “Back away. Provide covering fire.” She looked at the robot and the monstrous bull standing in front of her with a grimace. “I suppose we will see if our benefactor’s… creations… can match up against human threats, not mere monsters…”

The ground began to melt, even evaporate as a large hand slammed on the ground. Chains rattled as a large humanoid figure tried to pull itself out of the ground, one with a bull-shaped skull for a head.

On the middle of the skull was a stylized, orange H.

Above it, a robotic school girl twirled an oversized ax in her hands. She landed, cratering the ground as yellow eyes blazed. Behind her, the minotaur-like shadow howled into the air, it’s burning eyes screaming bloody murder.

Otherworldly Bull of Destruction
PARALLEL LABRYS

Labrys went back into the air as Asterius, the minotaur chained the ground, lunged.

Kirby retaliated with a swift punch, knocking Asterius off balance. He noticed that Labrys didn’t respond to the damage herself, and quickly relayed that information to the two girls.

“Great…” Flamberge muttered to herself. She spun her weapon around, creating three more copies of it and launching them towards the Silvermane Guards surrounding them. While a few were knocked away, a good majority, including the ones closest to Bronya managed to evade.

While Flamberge busied herself with the Guards and Kirby with Asterius, Stelle engaged with Labrys herself, ducking and weaving underneath swings of her giant ax. Despite what she expected, the iron maiden was much quicker than she initially anticipated. As the giant ax crashed next to her, Stelle lunged, but her slices were knocked aside by Labrys' armored gauntlet.

She was going to attack again, as Labrys tried to pull her weapon out of the ground. Her shoulder was struck by gunshots from the Silvermane Guards, so she backed away on instinct. Once Labrys freed her weapon, Asterius turned away from Kirby and charged right at Stelle. The flames coming from its horn intensified as it lunged.

Kirby quickly skated beside Asterius and breathed ice into its eyes. The minotaur shrieked in pain and flailed its arms, trying to swat him away. Kirby jumped out of its range, and he noticed the Labrys also flinched, her right eyes closed.

Stelle surged forward, slashing at Labrys’ hand and making her drop her ax. Watery chains wrapped themselves around the handle, and tossed the ax towards the nearby Silvermane Guards. With Labrys disarmed, Stelle pushed forward, slicing off bits of the androids armor until she slammed the hilt of the Rainbow Sword against her face.

Just as Labrys had flinched when Asterius’ eyes, Asterius roared in pain as Labrys reeled back in pain. Stelle whirled around and launched a thin wave of water at the flaming bull, and just like the fireballs in Another Dimension, Asterius’ horns hardened. Its head body turned to stone, and Labrys froze in place, unable to move.

Multiple flames appeared over Asterius’ head, transforming into silver and red flamberges. Flamberge snapped her fingers, and the swords drove themselves into Asterius’ head. They came out the other side and ignited, covering its entire body in Flamberge’s magical flames. The rocks melted and Asterius was freed only to writhe in pain moments later. Labrys lurched uncontrollable, able to sense the pain Asterius felt but her body incapable of reflecting it.

The Silvermane Guards surrounding the arena fired rapidly, trying to get Stelle and Kirby off their weapon of war, but their shots were intercepted when plumes of lava shot out of the ground. All Flamberge had to do was snap her fingers, creating a spark that would fly to the ground and ignite violently.

“This is taking too long,” Flamberge muttered. She swapped out her sword for a black cannon that she held under her shoulder. Taking aim at the Guard’s feet, the cannon shot out a plum of thick liquid and caused the ground to melt.

Bronya growled, and fired multiple bullets. Flamberge didn’t even flinch; she merely conjured multiple wavy blades that circles around her, slicing away the bullets before they strike her. Upon seeing this, Bronya lowered her rifle, and then slammed the stock of her firearm into the ground.

Asterius’ eyes glowed, and it roared loudly, the flamberges in its head shattering, its flames intensifying. Labrys’ felt the same surge of power as her Persona, and managed to catch Stelle’s sword as it came down. Her golden eyes widened as Labrys slammed her fist into her gut, shattering her concentration and causing the Rainbow Sword to disappear.

“K-Kirby!” Stelle breathed out. She grabbed Labry’s wrist and pulled, tossing the robotic girl to him. Kirby skated away from one of Asterius swiping hands and looked up, seeing the android correcting itself mid flight. It reached out a hand which shot forward, grabbing her forgotten labrys and pulling it forward, throwing the blade at Kirby.

Ice Kirby raised a hand and caught the ax by the blade. With his tremendous strength, she pulled Labrys towards him and headbutted her. Labrys’ face crumpled slightly from the blow and was launched away. Kirby simply pulled on the ax again, dragging Labrys towards him for another devastating headbutt.

Asterius shrieked. It tried to reach for Kirby, but Stelle conjured harpoons made of water, stabbing them through Asterius’ hands and turning them to stone. She twirled the Rainbow sword in the hands, and went to work slicing petrified arms, reducing them to mere pebbles on the floor.

Labrys’ arms went slack as Asterius’ was destroyed. Her eyes widened, and a brief cry left her mouth as Kirby spun the ax in a circle, dragging Labrys with it. At first, he slammed into the ground. Metal shrieked as her internal systems were damaged, bits and pieces crumpling and shattering away.

Kirby tossed Labrys towards Labrys. Flamberge smirked as she aimed her cannon at the metal body thrown her way, and fired. A plume of red hot lava slammed into Labrys body, covering her entire body, burning away at her clothes and causing her mechanism to melt away.

Before the lava could cause her to melt completely, something inside her sparked. Parallel Labrys exploded from the inside out, her pieces sent flying everywhere and landing as silvery globs of half solid, half liquid remains. Asterius cried in pain as its body disappeared in a cloud of thick gas. The only thing that remained was a steaming heart shaped core that glowed red.

“Well… that was certainly a thing,” Flamberge joked as she stepped away from the Silvermane Guards, who all stood in shock and awe once they realized Parallel Labrys had been utterly destroyed. The fire mage picked up the heart, and twirled it on top of her finger. “All in all… this was a really bad match-up!” Flamberge laughed.

Bronya all but growled, infuriated as Flamberge stabbed a sword into the ground, creating a great wall of lava to rise. Once it fell down, the trio had disappeared down the street into an alley.

“Why you–!” With an enraged huff, Bronya burst into a sprint chasing after the group without her entourage.

“Miss Bronya, wait!” One of the Guards shouted after her, but Bronya didn’t listen. She had a duty to perform. She had to arrest them. She had to prove that her mother was right and just and that these intruders were out to destroy Belobog.

As she rounded the corner, Bronya yelped as a silvery blade whizzed past her ear.

“Oh, come ON!” Bronya narrowed her eyes as she saw Flamberge hovering over the floor. Her spiky hair cast a shadow over hers, preventing her from seeing anything of her face except her flaming eyes and burning red eye shadow.

“What do you want, kid?” Flamberge growled, several wavy swords floating ominously behind her. Bronya could feel her arms shaking as an intense wave of heat filled the area, causing the frost and ice on the surrounding buildings to melt.

“Intruders… give it up!” Bronya said, raising her rifle. “You will be given a fair trial.”

“Do you really believe that?” Stelle and Bronya both blinked as Kirby spoke up. Bronya hesitated for a moment, but after taking a deep breath, she stomped forward to fight all them.

Bronya paused as she felt her boot stepping on something round and smooth. The ground cracked as multiple thorny vines shoot up from the ground.

“What in the–!?” Stelle exclaimed just before the vines wrapped around her throat and squeezed. She tried to summon the Rainbow Sword, but the vines restrained her hand, drawing blood as the thorn dug into her palms. “What’s going…” She tried to say as her vision began to fade, the vines squeezing around her throat deeper.

She thought she was hallucinating from lack of oxygen. Flamberge and Kirby’s bodies dissolved, crumbling apart like clay. But that shouldn’t be possible.

The vines eventually released them all, but the lack of oxygen had already caused Stelle to black out. The last thing she could remember was falling on the destroyed ground was a flash of a golden metal and colorful hexagons.

FLAMBERGE
Fire / Destruction

Faction: Star Allies
Character Introduction: Once upon a time, there was a young girl choking on the fumes caused by her burning family home. Before she met her end, a kindly stranger appeared before her and unlocked her potential for fire magic. That girl was soon reborn as Flamberge, the Blazing General of the Jambastion.
VA: Molly Zhang [Compared to Seele, Flamberge is audibly more calm, even lazy sounding when she’s undisturbed. Her voice is more excitable when talking about or to Francisca or Zan Partizanne. When angry, Flamberge shouts loudly to the point where it’s ear-grating.]

HP - 1201
ATK - 691
DEF - 366
SPD - 96

BASIC ATK - Berg Combo [Single-Target]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 50% of Flamberge’s ATK to a single enemy.

SKILL - Mega Broiler [Blast]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 170% of Flamberge’s ATK to the target and Fire DMG equal to 95% of Flamberge’s ATK to adjacent enemies. The DMG increases by 50% when the enemy is Frozen or Shocked

ULTIMATE - Scorching Sword Plunge [Enhance]: Apply the following effects if there is at least 1 Ice and/or Electric character as an ally, then inflict Fire DMG equal to 205% of Flamberge’s ATK to all enemies. This attack deals 35% more Fire DMG if those allies are Fransisca or Flamberge.

• Ice: Change all enemy buffs to stacks of Scorch (at the end of an enemies turn, reduces their HP by 15% of their current HP. This does not count as taking DMG), then, if Francisca is active, all enemies gain stacks of Scorch equal to the average of all Scorch stacks currently in play.
• Electric: All allies gain a shield equal to 15% of Flamberge’s ATK + 344, then, if Zan Partizanne is active, they gain DMG Reduction equal to 34% of Zan Partizanne’s ATK.

TALENT - BBQ Skewer [Enhance]: At the start of Flamberge’s turn, she gains three stacks of BBQ Rock. When attacking or taking DMG, one stack of BBQ Rock is removed to deal Fire DMG equal to 55% of Flamberge’s ATK to the attacked/attacking enemy. Flamberge gains the following effects if there is an Ice or Electric ally.

• Ice: If a stack of BBQ Rock is removed when attacking a Frozen enemy, that enemy has Frozen removed, but it’s replaced with 10 stacks of Scorch and their toughness reduced by 15. If Francisca is active, that enemy also has their Ice, Fire, and Electric resistances reduced to -5%.
• Electric: If an enemy attacks an ally, removes one stack of BBQ Rock to apply a shield to that ally before Damage Calculation equal to the 15% of Flamberge and the targeted ally’s ATK. If Francisca is active, that shield gains HP equal to 34% of Zan Partizanne’s DEF. This shield lasts until the end of the attacked character’s next turn.

TECHNIQUE - Fiery Sonata to God [Enhance]: If Francisca and Zan Partizanne have already used their technique, if a Nihility Character inflicts a debuff during the first three turns of the battle, that affected enemy also gains 5 stacks of Scorched.

VS Parallel* Labrys

One of the prototype anti-shadow war robots created by the Kirjo Group in order to end the Dark Hour. This model in particular has been infected by a malevolent entity, which created a dark copy of the original* Labrys. This copy has formed its own ego, allowing it to create a Persona named after the minotaur that was sealed in Daedalus’ labyrinth.

*Don’t worry! Parallel characters are not the same version from the source material! They are completely unrelated.*

SKILLS
Persona - Fortune Asterius [Enhance]: Summons Asterius at the beginning of the battle. Asterius and Labrys’ share the same Toughness Meter. When Labrys is Weakness Broken, Asterius disappears, but returns at the start of Labrys’ second turn after recovering. Asterius does not have HP.

Flash Freeze [Impair]: When Asterius takes Ice DMG, it becomes petrified until the start of Labrys' next turn. While petrified, Asterius loses 10 more toughness when attacked by one of its weaknesses, also, if Asterius is weakness broken while petrified, Labyrs loses HP equal to 16% of Asterius current ATK.

Megaton Press [Single-Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 120% of Parallel Labrys’ ATK to a single enemy (Parallel Labrys).

Matarukaja [Enhance]: Increases Labrys’ and Asterius’ ATK% by 22 for two turns. This effect can stack up to two times (Asterius).

Maragidyne [AoE]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 145% of Asterius ATK to all enemies (Asterius).

Primal Force [Bounce]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 175% Parallel Labrys’ ATK to random enemies two times (Parallel Labrys).

Makarakarn [Enhance]: Creates a shield to protect an ally for two turns. If that ally is attacked, any damage they would have taken is transferred to the attacker (Asterius).

Raging Will [Enhance]: Parallel Labrys or Asterius enters a charged state. On the next available action, Parallel Labrys will perform “Gigantomachia,” or Asterius will perform “Titanomachia.”

Titanomachia [AoE]: Deals Fire DMG equal to 405% of Asterius’ attack to all enemies. There is a 44% chance that enemies who have lost HP because of this attack will be inflicted with Fear (There is a 37% chance that Fearful enemies will not attack Asterius. If they do, Asterius will not lose any toughness. This debuff can be removed by applying any buff). Gigantomachia [Single-Target]: Deals Physical DMG equal to 405% of Labrys’ ATK to a single target.

Chapter 12: Belobog Barberry - 3: Lava Dome

Chapter Text

"...e can have transport set up in this section of the Tree, while our forces are set up a few light-years north of the branch," King Dedede told Cocolia. The two were looking at a false hologram of the weird space tree they discovered a couple weeks ago. Bandee stood a few feet away, swiveling on the balls of his feet with hands clasped behind his back.

The king was giving Cocolia false information, obviously. He wouldn't really givethis muchsensitive information to anyone that wasn't allied with their group. There was something about her that was fishy. He couldn't quite put his nose on it yet, as the saying goes… (wait, he does have a nose in this disguise) but he's pretty sure that the Supreme Guardian would slip up at some point.

"Um… Great King?" Bandee suddenly spoke up. The two rulers turned their attention to the smaller boy, who was fiddling with his spear. "I need to use the bathroom." Dedede gave him a subtle thumbs up that Cocolia didn't notice.

"It's down the hall, three doors to the right," Cocolia said. She and Bandee stared at each other for a moment. "If y–

"Okay, thank you!" Bandee said with a wave. He dashed out of the room before she could say anything else. Instead of turning to the right, he turned to the left, following the signs that led him to another part of Fort Qlipoth. The Architects' research facilities.

As Bandee paused as another hallway appeared. He skidded to a halt and tossed his spear. "What the heck was that?" Bandee could hear a Silvermane Guard say. He hid behind a large blue and white vase as the Guards came out to investigate. Once they left, Bandee quickly conjured another spear and ran through the door they were protecting.

Bandee made his way to a stark white room. It wasn't nearly as bright as the interior of the Starcutter, but it gave off the same technologically advanced vibe, despite the lack of floating screens and random pages scattered about. It was orderly and clean, with multiple desks aligned neatly in rows. Other than papers and binders, there was nothing on the desk that said anything about their owners.

Except for one. There was a single photo of two smiling blonde women; one of them was Cocolia, and the other had glowing light blue highlights at the end of her hair. Their arms were wrapped around each other as they looked at the camera

Bandee ignored the picture for now and started grabbing the folders on each desk. He opened them, sending the pages scattering all over the floor.

He wasn't a science wiz like Susie or Magolor, but he was a surface-level knowledge on what blueprint would end up becoming a massive death machine.

As he scrounged through the blueprints, Bandee's phone buzzed in his scarf. He reached inside to see who messaged him.

Bandana Deereceived 1 new message fromMarch 7th

!March: Hey, Bandee

.March: me and Dan heng think we found out why there's a big portal on the other side of the planet

!March: We're thinking that there's an active volcano

.March: (this is Dan Heng) The doomers might be trying to access the geothermal energy that builds up underneath the planet's crust

March: (Heng) According to a map we found, there should be a super volcano that's close to where we found the large portal during the initial scan

Bandana Dee: I suppose that could be the cause. We've had similar situations before.

Bandana Dee: If that's the case, you should probably head over there before the Doomer eats the Jarilo from the inside out.

?March: Can they eat magma

.March: (Heng) I don't want to find out

Bandana Dee: first they'd absorb all the heat and and natural gasses that come up of the volcano

Bandana Dee: then they'd eat the planet inside out

March: o

March: (Heng) In that case, we should call Himeko on the express and have her pick us up

Bandana Dee: Actually, I know something that can get you there faster.

Without waiting for a response, Bandee swiped through his home screen and tapped on an app with a bright yellow star in the center. He sent his new friends' coordinates to the app, and went back to his messages.

March: IVNWEINCQ-E

March: A giant star just came down from the roof.

March: Its flying.

Bandana Dee: That's the Warp Star!

Bandana Dee: It'll take you anywhere in the blink of an eye!... Once per world.

Bandana Dee: it's pretty busy, saving people from all sorts of damaged dimensions to safe ones, so we can call on it every so often.

Bandana Dee: It's also the only way we could figure out how to nerf the Warp Star and keep it from becoming a better Astral Express without any drawbacks.

March: what

March: (Heng) what

Bandana Dee: what

Bandana Dee: You might wanna head over there with some back up first. Who knows how powerful those Doomers will be with a portal that large.

Bandee put away his phone and began to look through the pages once more, adjusting the scarf around his face as he continued to rifle through the papers. On the third binder he started to rummage through, he found what he didn't want to find.

"Oh boy…" Bandee muttered as he ripped out blueprints from the binder's rings. It had a small H logo on the corner of the page. While the middle was filled with gibberish he didn't understand, he recognized the face staring back at him.

It was a Clockwork Star. Somehow, the Architects had gotten the blueprints for a Clockwork Star.

"Only Susie should have the schematics for this…" Bandee muttered to himself. He stuffed the designs into the pocket of his sweater and raised his hand, summoning his spear using it to block the downward swing of a Silvermane Guard's halberd. He pushed the weapon back and slammed the butt of his spear into the Guard's stomach, knocking him into his partner.

"Betraying us already? Doesn't this usually take a few chapters?" Bandee said as the Silverman Guards picked themselves back up. They lunged, and the smaller combatant easily jumped back. He twirled his weapon of choice and thrust it forwards. The Guards tried to dodge, but the tip of the spear extended. With a flick of his wrist, Bandee slammed it into both Guard's neck, knocking them out cold.

"I better get back to the Great King…" Bandee said. He propped the men against the wall and raced out the room.

By the time he reached Cocolia's office, the Supreme had already revealed her true colors. The King and the Guardian were already engaged in combat, their wooden mallet and frozen spear creating sparks as they pushed against each other. Behind Dedede, ports on the floor opened and allowed mechanical tendrils to slither out.

"Great King, watch out!" Bandee shouted. He raised his spear and threw three of them, each one piercing through and shattering their respective targets.

"What?" Cocolia shouted as the fourth sailed over them and bonked her on the head. She flinched slightly, and that gave Dedede the opportunity to pull back so that he could rear back his mallet. The back of the hammer opened up to reveal a jet engine; it ignited, and the hammer flowed forwards, slamming into Cocolia's gut. Had she not created a wall of ice to cushion her, she would've been sent flying out of the window.

"Hey, Little Dee!" King Dedede said as the engine retracted back into the mallet. "You find something these guys definitely shouldn't have?"

"Yep! Clockwork Star blueprints!" Bandee said, showing him the page he stole from the Architects.

"A Nova? Really?" Dedede whined before turning back to Cocolia. "Are you tryin' ta create another hole in th' multiverse?"

"I'm trying… to save my world!" Cocolia shouted. She slammed her hands into the floor, covering the floor in a thick sheen of frost. With a snap of her fingers, multiple frozen spears appeared in the air above her, and with a flick of her wrists, they flew forwards.

Dedede grabbed onto Bandee and pulled him close. He knelt down and launched himself into the air with a massive jump, smashing through the roof in the process.

He landed with a thud, groaning as the force of their descent was absorbed by his knees. "Well, that was certainly quick. We needa get outta here!"

"Seconded," Bandee said. "Should we head back to the Express?"

"Nah. Cocolia might not be able to track us, but whoevah she allied with definitely does. We betta stick to the surface for now," Dedede quickly reasoned.

"Okay. Let's find someplace to hide," Bandee said. Both the king and the retainer flinched when they heard a harsh crackling sound coming from the hole Dedede made when he jumped. A large pillar of ice erupted from it, with multiple red eyes twitching and shivering inside. "Preferably right now…" Bandee said as the red eyes all glared at Dedede.

"Fine by me!" Bandee leapt off the building first. He raised his spear and started to spin it around like helicopter blades, letting him fly away. Dedede quickly followed, using one hand to latch onto his feet and fly away.

The red eyes watched as they fled, watching until ice melted and retreated back into the fort.

"What do you think he's talking about?" March asked Dan Heng as they remained seated on their desk.

A second later, she shrieked and jumped back as something from crashed down on the desk, leaving a hole in the ceiling and crater on the floor. Dan Heng pulled out his spear and pointed it at the crater. Before the dust settled, a glowing bright light shot out of the cloud and flew in front of March, revealing a wide five-pointed star.

"...Huh?" Dan Heng muttered. The star bounced (can it bounce if it's still in the air?) and circled the duo, almost as it was looking at them.

The Warp Star made a twinkling sound as it hovered over their shattered desk. It did nothing else. Dan Heng poked the Warp Star with his spear, and all it did was spin more quickly for a brief second.

"What's all this noise!?" Both Express members flinched when they heard footsteps walking towards. A small girl appeared from the bookshelf only a few feet in front of her, her face covered by a stack of books she was carrying. She placed them on the table next to her and adjusted her glasses. "This is alibrary!You can't be making this much…"

Her voice slowly became quieter as she noticed the hole in the roof, the crater in the floor and the star floating above it. She took off her glasses and cleaned them with a white cloth before slipping them back on.

"Am I dreaming? I don't think I've had anything to drink yet…" She muttered to herself.

"W-wait! That uniform, you're part of the Silvermane Guards, right?" March asked just as the girl was about to pick up metal (and strangely ornate book). "That's perfect! We could really use your help right now! You see–"

March spent the next couple minutes explaining the situation to Pela.

"...and that's how we're going to stop this planet from being eaten!" March said excitedly. Pela blinked at her explanation. She raised a hand to say something, but hesitated for a moment.

"...Huh. Well, if we assume that the more powerful the portals are the stronger the Doomer that resides, by defeating, we should be able to scare off the others…" Pela reasoned. "In that case, I'll gladly join you!"

"Well, I suppose that makes one partner," Dan Heng said, glancing at the Warp Star. "We should be able to bring one person, if we don't want to weigh down the Warp Star."

As they talked, the front entrance of the library opened. Gepard walked through, his dark purple gaze shifting from bookshelf to bookshelf before reaching Dan Heng and March. His dilated like cameras.

"Oh, Gepard!" Pela said as she noticed the captain walk through the entrance. "You've arrived just in time!"

"...I did?" Gepard blinked, his voice sounding more hoarse than normal.

"Do you have a sore throat?" Dan Heng asked, picking up on the voice change instantly. Gepard(?)'s gaze snapped towards him for a brief moment, glaring.

"No… I just got a sore throat a while back," He muttered.

Dan Heng raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry! I have cough drops!" March chirped. She skipped over to Gepard(?) and took his hand, placing a cherry flavored candy on his palm. Gepard(?) looked at the candy blankly before pocketing it.

"Okay, now! We have a full party!" March said. She grabbed Gepard(?) by the hand as pulled him towards the Warp Star. Pela gave the captain an apologetic smile as she and Dan Heng walked towards the crater with the floating star.

"So… how does this thing work?" Pela asked, pointing a finger at the Warp Star.

"I'm not too sure, actually. Bandee just said it would take us where we need to go in the blink of an eye," Dan Heng said. "Maybe you should just… climb on it?"

With a shrug, March grabbed onto one of the star's arms and hoisted herself up. Her feet dangled as she clutched the left arm of the star. "It's warm!" She chirped, snuggling her cheek against the corner. Dan Heng leapt to the star next, latching onto the top arm, and was closely followed by Pela, who took the arm opposite of March.

Gepard(?) stayed on the floor for the moment, eyeing the star as it began to shake. "I think it's going to move soon. Hop on!" March said, extending her hand. Gepard(?) walked towards her and took it; March thought it felt a bit too cold–

Next thing she knew, the Warp Star flew into the sky, smashing another hole into the ceiling of the library and then disappeared on the horizon.

A few seconds later, the Warp Star crash landed in a field of snow. All four landed in heap on the packed powder, with Gepard being the only one to land on his feet. He looked up to see Warp Star flying out of the crater. It bounced, almost as if it was trying to wave goodbye, before flying off into space and disappearing with a twinkle in the night sky.

"It's gone…" Gepard commented. He turned around and helped Pela and March up. Dan Heng used his spear to push himself to his feet.

"I suppose that counts as 'one use per world…'" Dan Heng muttered. "And if that's the case, then that means we should be in front of…"

The group turned around. They were expecting to see a large caldera, maybe with some volcanic case rising out of the crater. But instead, there was a dormant mountain with multiple metal balconies and even rail tracks dipping in and out of the mountain. And in front of was a metal walkway that led to a pair of large doors decorated with gold. In the center was large H.

"Huh," March muttered. "It's definitely a volcano, but it's a lot less active than I thought it would. And what's with all the machinery?"

"Perhaps, before the Eternal Freeze, the people of Jarilo-I…VI had found a way to harness the power of the volcano?" Gepard suggested.

"I… suppose that could be possible?" Pela shrugged. She walked forward, making her way towards the entrance. The metal walkway shook as they stepped on it, leading them towards a control panel. Drone-like objects appeared from behind Pela and began to fly towards it, but when they did, the door opened automatically.

"Wait here," Dan Heng said, summoning his spear as he walked through the doorway.

Metal slowly transitioned to rock. The inside of the volcano was a cone shaped spiral, leading towards a basin of bubbling lava two Floors down. The only pathway down was the rocky path he was standing on, with the center hollowed out.

Large chunks of geomarrow were jutting out of the ground, some of it contained in minecarts. Beside a few minecarts were deactivated, spherical robot suits with a red eye in the center and large Hs emblazoned on each of the arms.

Dan Heng tilted his head down to see a single door. March walked over there and tried to open but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked," She said.

Looking up to the 3rd Floor, Dan Heng saw a bridge with a ladder on this floor leading up to it, but it was dangling over the empty space in the center of the Floor, and a few moments later, a train carrying carts filled geomarrow chugged by.

"Is this some sort of mining facility?" Dan Heng turned around to see the others walking inside the volcano with him. March's eyes swiveled around as she took in the sight of machinery. He watched as Pela walked towards one of the geomarrow veins.

"Well… I'll be. This is pure geomarrow. Not even the veins that come from the Underworld are this pure," Pela said, adjusting her glasses as they scanned the ore. "Depending on how much we find, we might be able to keep Belobog warm for nearly one more century." Gepard remained silent.

Dan Heng walked towards the right, following the path until he reached another door. He pushed it open to see a Deppa and a pair of Darpas feasting on the geomarrow inside. Bits of chewed off machinery littered the floor.

He was about to enter and engage the monsters, but Pela placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please, allow me," she said with a smirk. The drones from earlier appeared, and shot blasts of frozen energy, piercing through the monsters and destroying them instantly. With the room cleared, the group walked inside.

There was a console near the center, and a set of rail tracks. The path was blocked off, by a large door so they wouldn't be able to progress through there. In addition, there was also a large padlock next to the keyboard in the shape of a horned eye.

Pela tapped a key on the console. It turned, with the start-up screen displaying the same H that the robots had. March walked to the side of the console. She hummed as she found a copyright label: "Haltmann Works Enterprises."

"It looks like I can control the lava flow from here," Pela told Dan Heng as she went through the files on the computer. The Express pair looked over her shoulder, while Gepard stood at the back of the room.

"Really? What happens if we push this button, then?" March asked.

"Wha–! Don't!" Pela said, she tried to grab March's hand, but she already pushed the key by the time Pela yanked it away. The ground shook.

Dan Heng ran outside the room to see the lava slowly rise, engulfing the first floor and the 1st floor, but not the second floor. In addition to the lava, two rock slabs rose alongside it, floating on the surface.

"I didn't kill us, did I?" March said, anxiously popping her head out of the room.

"No… I think you allowed us to progress." Dan Heng took a few steps back and jumped on top of the first slab. He jumped again and managed to grab onto the ladder. He hoisted himself up, placing himself on the catwalk that was next to the rails.

Dan Heng climbed the ladder, reaching a metal catwalk next to the bridge. Like in the room to the console, there was a wall on the left that prevented him from moving forward. The right didn't have such barriers though.

Walking forwards, he reached one of the balconies built on the side of the volcano. There was a minecart filled with geomarrow on the far side of the room, right next to some chutes. Nothing was deposited into the minecarts; soon, the minecart began to roll forwards on its own.

Also, those robots from earlier were in this room as well. And they were manned.

The mining(?) robots were piloted by spherical androids with black glass heads. The red eyes on the robots glowed before they slowly started to lumber their way towards Dan Heng.

Just as Dan Heng was about to retaliate, he felt Gepard's gauntlet on his shoulder. He pulled him back and slammed his guitar case into the ground, which created veins of frost that stuck the robots to the floor. With them immobilized, Dan Heng was able to drive his spear into the pilots without issue.

A small key was dropped from one of the robots upon its destruction. Dan Heng pocketed it for the time being.

"...Thanks," Dan Heng said.

"You're welcome," Gepard responded just as flatly.

Dan Heng said nothing and continued to investigate. The room shook lightly, and another set of geomarrow-filled karts rolled into the room, next to the shutes. The shutes deposited nothing, but the minecarts rolled out of the room regardless.

The two rummaged through the room for a moment but found nothing.

"Now what?" Gepard asked. "Did you find anything useful?"

"I might have," Dan Heng said. He took out the key he retrieved from the robot and inspected it. "I think I know where it goes, too."

Dan Heng returned to the ladder. Gepard placed his hand on it and used his ice to create an easier path towards the walkway. They quickly slid across it just as it melted from the lava.

"Pela, can you make the lava recede?" Dan Heng asked as the two entered the room.

"Yep!" With a tap of the button, the volcano shook. Dan Heng walked outside and looked down at the 1st floor. The room that was locked was uncovered. He placed his foot on the rock that had been buried in lava and felt that it was cool to the touch. So, he walked down to the first floor and inserted the key in the hole The door unlocked instantly.

Dan Heng entered the door, with March following behind him. There were no enemies inside, and at the very back of the room was an empty minecart.

"Help me push that up to the control room," Dan Heng said.

"Hm? What for?" March asked, walking alongside him. Dan Heng didn't answer immediately, and reached out to grab the side of the kart–

Only for a surge of electricity to shoot him back.

"Dan Heng!" March cried, grabbing his arm before he could be blown out of the room. "What the heck was that?"

"It's protected," Dan Heng muttered, his hand twitching from the shock. He looked around the room for anything to shut off the power but found nothing.

"One of these machines has to be generating the electricity, right?" March asked. Slowly Dan Heng nodded, and his eyes widened when he saw March summon her bow. Her frozen arrows flew, piercing through the machines and shattering them. The power in the room flickered off. Curious, Dan Heng grabbed the minecart again. No shocks.

The two pushed the kart into the control room and laid it on the tracks. Pela turned around to see a new command pop up on the screen. She tapped it, and the minecart moved along the tracks. The wall opened, but the rails on the other side were too thin for them to walk on.

Pela then increased the lava again. She used one drone to man the controls while the group climbed back up to the 3rd floor and waited. The empty minecart rolled inside.

"Alright, hop in," Dan Heng told them. They did, albeit uncomfortably.

"Gepard, c-could you move a bit to the left?" Pela asked, her face squished between Dan Heng's back and Gepard's guitar.

"I…can try," The captain muttered. His back was already digging into the back of the cart. Because of the tight space, his armored leg was poking into Dan Heng's shin, making him hiss as the sharp icy bits dug in even further.

"Is there really only one minecart?" March asked. Her legs were spread out so Pela could fit between them. She kept her hands on Dan Heng's shoulder to keep herself steady, as she was only standing on the tips of her toes. Her chest was pressed against Dan Heng's back.

"...when is this thing supposed to move?" He practically growled. In his words, the minecart shifted and began to move. They went over the bridge and through the wall, leading them outside.

March and Dan shivered as they were exposed to the freezing blizzard outside, a star contrast from the inside of the sweltering volcano. The tracks curved along the side of the volcano, leading them back inside.

The minecart stopped in front of a massive pile of geomarrow. The ore glowed brightly, reflecting off the metallic surfaces of the minecart and the group's respective outfits. Their ride shuddered as it stopped, and suddenly tipped over to the side, spilling them onto the pile of ore.

"Ow…" March groaned as she landed with a thud onto blunt ore. "Well, at least we're out of that stuffy cart."

"I hope that's not our only way to get back downstairs," Pela grumbled next to her, sliding her glasses off her face to check for any cracks. "At the very least, it'd be much more comfortable if we went two at a time."

Dan Heng glanced at Gepard. "We'll discuss that when the time comes."

Taking the lead once more, Dan Heng walked out of the ore deposit and towards a mechanical section of the Lava Dome. A conveyor belt pulled geomarrow from the deposit onto large shipping containers until they were filled. They littered the floor beneath the railsThe containers were loaded onto a train, which floated above the tracks before moving out. Like with the minecarts before, walls prevented them from going any further.

"Where do you think all this geomarrow is being taken?" Pela asked, mostly to herself. "It can't be Belobog; we would've known about this. That, and the city is much too far away for this operation to be managed efficiently."

"For all we know, that geomarrow is headed to a location that's been frozen over for centuries," Gepard said.

"Right, but doesn't the machinery feel… sorta new, recently installed?" March added. "If it's as old as you say it is, the amount of rust certainly doesn't show it."

"We should find out more the deeper we go," Dan Heng said. He reached the edge of the deposit and jumped down to the lower part of the 4th Floor. He rolled as he landed and looked around. Some monsters were crawling around, trying to eat away at the metal containers to reach the ore inside.

He quickly dispatched them just as the others dropped to the ground. The containers formed makeshift hallways leading them towards the center of the room.

"Hey, look!" March said. There is an armored figure standing in the center with a control panel in front of them. It was covered in black with gold trimmings. On its back was a circular shield with an H in the center and a large two-handed sword. The armored figure heard them approaching, and slowly turned around. The only thing they could beneath its visor were two glowing eyes.

Immediately, the Darknut drew its sword and shield and lunged with deceptive speed. March yelped as she jumped away from the attack, the sword shattering the ground in the process.

"What the heck!" She drew her bow and fired arrows, each one bouncing off the hulking swordsman back. As it pulled its sword out of the ground, two of Pela's drones fired lasers at its exposed back, causing the Darknut to lurch forward in pain and a piece of its armor to fall off.

The Darknut turned around and swiped its sword at Pela, shattering her drone. March fired another of arrows, but the Darknut raised its armor to block. Dan Heng lunged and tried to stab his spear through the front of the monster, but the spear only bounced back. The Darknut slammed its shield into him and brought its sword down.

Dan Heng stabbed his spear into the Darknut's chestplate again, using the force to bounce away. The blade of the sword barely managed to graze him, but even that was still enough to send him flying into the containers. The Darknut jumped after him for the kill, but Pela's drone fired at its feet, encasing its grieves in a thick mound of ice.

With its momentum and weight, the Darknut fell to the floor as a result. Gepard jumped and slammed his guitar case into the back of the Darknut. A sickening crack came from the blow, and the Darknut twitched erratically as the floor cracked around it.

While Pela helped Dan Heng up, the Darknut's armor slowly broke off from the main body. His eyes widened as the figure inside the armor lumbered to their feet, acting as though they didn't take any damage.

Speaking of the person inside the armor,shewas a dark-skinned girl with long black hair and a similarly colored halo in the shape of a crosshair. She wore a black and blue maid outfit of all things, with white leggings that had the numbers 02 emblazoned on the thighs. Her gold, hollow,shatteredeyes glared at Dan Heng.

A rifle matching her outfit's color scheme materialized in her hands. Gepard grabbed her hands and pushed them up, just a massive laser blew out of the barrel.

He jumped back and aimed a punch at her gut, but Karin quickly twirled out of the way. She slammed the stock of her weapon into Gepard's face and kicked him out of the way.

March's arrow crashed next to Karin's feet, encasing them in ice. She brought her rifle down to smash the ice, but March placed her hands on a container. Thin trails of ice condensed on the surface, leading up before reaching Karin's hands and freezing them over.

As the maid flexed her fingers to break free, Pela's drones slammed into her gut and fired, launching Karin into the air. Dan Heng jumped after her, thrusting his spear forward. She parried with her rifle, causing the barrel to crack as the blade slammed into it.

Dan Heng swings his spear downwards, knocking Karin to the ground. Just as she was about to pick herself up, March fired an arrow that went through her arm, severing it at the elbow. The arm flopped onto the floor, but no blood came out of the wound. Karin only blinked, as if barely registering the fact that she couldn't feel her arm anymore.

Dan Heng came crashing down, his spear cleaving through Karin's body. Her eyes widened marginally as she was split down the middle. Her body darkened, hardening into black glass before shattering.

From the glass, a rainbow-colored orb flew and managed to push itself free. It hovered in the air for a moment before flying up towards the roof. Gepard narrowed his eyes and jumped up to try to grab, but it managed to slip through his fingers. The rainbow-colored orb phased through the walls of the Lava Dome.

"What was that?" Pela asked after a few moments.

"She's… free," March whispered, too quietly for anyone to hear. She turned her attention back to the shattered glass and brought herself to her knees to dig through them. She pulled out a large key, one that had the same eye-shape as the padlock in the control room.

Pela moved to the control panel and frowned. "A block sliding puzzle? Really?"

"Can you beat it?" March asked, blinking when she got a scoff in response.

"Of course I can! This will be a breeze!" Pela said hotly, her glasses shining as she took hold of the controls. As she pulled and pushed, mechanical tendrils came out of the ceiling; they grabbed shipping containers, pushing them aside to make a path for them. A minute passed until Pela completed the puzzle.

"C'mon, follow me." Pela led through winding corridors of shipping containers. On the other side was an elevator, which opened as they approached. Thankfully, it wasn't as tightly cramped as the minecarts.

The elevator went down as soon as they entered. When it opened, they were back at the control room. March walked to the panel and inserted the Boss Key into the eye shaped panel. With a satisfyingclickthe padlock fell off the controls, and the key dissolved into nothingness.

The volcano shook once more. Dan Heng ran out of the room and watched as the lava receded even deeper than before, until passed through the metal grate at the very bottom of the Lava Dome. Once it disappeared the air above the grate crackled with electricity, forming into a star shaped portal to Another Dimension.

"That's our target…" Pela said, adjusting her glasses. Dan Heng and walked down. Pela and March moved behind him, with Gepard guarding the rear.

Even as they moved towards the portal, reality began to unfold around them. Gravity remained consistent, but the walls and floor shattered, crumbling away to reveal the distorted void of Another Dimension. Dan Heng's not even sure if they walked through the portal as the sky turned red, and small embers started to rise.

He paused and found himself staring at a large pool of lava. In the center was a large boulder, and behind was a massive vein of geomarrow, surrounded by minecart tracks. There was a loud shriek as Greater Doomer glided down to glare at the dungeon crawlers. It snarled at the sudden appearance, jaws snapping together in anger. It spun in a circle, dissolving into gas and seeping into the massive boulder.

The boulder shuddered, lava bubbling around as it rose from the pool. Two rocky arms groped at the edge of the pool to lift itself up, lava lapping at the edge as it did so. It was a massive, cyclopian golem made of magma and igneous, with a single black and blue-red eye in the center of its eye. The monster loomed over the group and howled with a gravelly voice.

Melting Flame Giant
Cragma

Both Gepard and Dan Heng moved back, leaving March and Pela in front, as they were the ones with ranged weaponry. They fired lasers and arrows, but each shot only bounced off Cragma's sturdy body. As golem raised its fist, another portion of its body rose from the lava revealing a bright yellow growth on its lower abdomen. March fired an arrow, and it popped, spilling lava and causing the monster to shriek.

Cragma roared in anger, and meteors started to rain down from the sky. Gepard, with a wave of his hands, created a wall of ice to protect them, the falling rocks easily smashed through and exploded, sending shrapnel and fire everywhere. Gepard gasped as he knocked back, slamming into Pela and sending them both to the floor.

Cragma raised both fists and brought them down with incredible speed. Gepard barely had enough time to raise his case to block the blow. Both he and Pela yelled as the force and weight of Cragma's hands caused their bones to creak and bend. Gepard tucked in his legs and kicked the fist away, but only because Cragma reared it back for another devastating punch.

Just before the blow landed, Dan Heng threw his spear with enough force to pierce through the laval golem's wrist and pin it to the ground. He jumped on the arm and started to run up it. March fired an arrow at him, which Dan Heng managed to catch; it extended to a long spear in his hands, which he was going to use to pierce through Cragma's single eye.

Cragma growled and knocked Dan Heng away with a headbutt. He flew into the wall, gasping as it cracked from the impact. The massive golem raised one hand, revealing another blister-like growth on its palm, ready to slap Dan Heng further into the wall. A laser from one of Pela's drones popped the blister, causing magma to spill from the wound and the monster to groan in pain.

As lurched back to grip its wounded hand, Dan Heng fell out of the wall with a groan. March managed to catch him and gently place him on his feet, applying a shield of ice as she did so.

Cragma glared back at the group and howled, summoning a storm of meteors to rain down on them, but by that point, they already knew what to look for. Pela's drones circled Cragma, shooting at any blisters, bubbles of magma or welts growing on the back of the golem's back. It howled in pain as its own magma slowly trailed down its back, joining with the pool it was floating on.

Cragma howled and slammed both fists into the ground. The pool shook and bubbled as it moved, slowly rising onto the platform everyone was standing on.

"Crap! Now what!" Pela shouted as the lava slowly began to spill over the edge, creeping towards the walls with slow, thick waves.

"Over there!" Gepard pointed to the minecarts at the edge of the wall, four of them.

"What? How are they even supposed to work! There's nothing next to them!" Dan Heng said, despite the fact that he started jogging towards them with everyone else.

"We'll figure it out!" March said.

They didn't need to, as just when Dan Heng made it onto the last minecart, it started to move automatically, just as the lava started to melt through the rails on the ground. As they rose, Cragma glared at them. It howled, and the popped blisters were filled with lava once more. March raised her bow and fired, trying to strike at them but Cragma moved its body in subtle ways, causing the arrows to shatter against its tough and rocky exterior.

As the golem prepared to swipe at the group, Pela's drone appeared behind the side of its head, far enough away to prevent Cragman from seeing it. The laser it shot slashed through Cragma's eyes, and the monster stopped its counter attack. It clutched its eye in pain, revealing more blisters on its chest and stomach that were quickly shot by March.

The minecarts rose, while the golem sunk into the lava. Once they reached the second floor of the arena (which looked exactly the same as the previous one) Cragma's hand pulled at the rails; the group landed on the rocky floor while their ride was brought down into the molten rocks. Cragma popped out of the lava shortly after, groaning in pain until its face landed on the floor. The top of its head chipped off, revealing its soft and mushy insides.

Dan Heng stomped his feet into the ground as his body crackled with energy, rainbow flames shooting out as he gripped his spear tightly.

"The truth of life and death, revealed in an instant…"

Dan Heng relaxed and held out his spear in front of him, breathing deeply as he felt the tension in his muscles leave.

[ETHEREAL DREAM]

"This sanctuary is but a vision…"

He opened his eyes, the roar of a dragon echoing in his mind. He spun around, his spear twirling in his hands, leaving behind black brushstrokes as moved alongside him. Dan Heng lunged forwards, embedding more than half of his spear into Cragma's head.

"BREAK!"

As the energy died down, Dan Heng yanked his spear out of Cragma's head, causing it to convulse in pain. It howled and swung its arms rapidly, slamming them into the ground as meteors upon meteors fell down from the sky.

As Pela shot them out of the sky and Dan Heng parried them away, Gepard created a wall of ice in front of him. March jumped on it as Gepard swung his case, shattering the wall and sending March into the other. Instead of drawing her bow, March condensed the moisture into a thin line and froze it, creating a thin icicle in her hands. She threw the weapon downwards. Cragma blinked as the ice pierced its head and shrieked as multiple spikes of ice burst from its head.

The giant roared, clutching its head as water and lava dripped from its wounds. Its body soon began to lose its color, red and glowing turning into dull shades of gray. Cragme reached its hand into the sky as its body stiffened and began to crack. It then crumbled apart, its body collapsing under its own weight as chunks of rock and ash fell into the pool of lava it made its home in.

Another Dimension shook without Cragma to support it. The geomarrow in the center of the arena began to crack, losing its yellow glow as it began to sink into the lava. A few feet in front of it, the exit portal appeared.

"...What should we do with the geomarrow?" Pela asked as Another Dimension began to dissolve and shatter.

"...We should leave it here. I doubt only the four of us have the strength to move it," Gepard said, crossing his arms and sighing solemnly. "And besides, if we tried to take all the geomarrow in here, I doubt we would be able to make it out with our lives."

"Fair enough…" Pela muttered.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" March said. She jumped through the portal, humming to herself as she did so. Dan Heng jumped in afterwards. Gepard smirked. He jumped in after them.

Pela frowned upon seeing his expression. So, she jumped through the portal, feeling the world unravel around her as she moved from the gap between dimensions back to her own dimensions.

The first thing she saw when she landed were the spherical robots from earlier, now activated and pinning March and Dan Heng to ground.

"H-hey! What the heck is this!?" March shouted as a foot from the Invader Armor pressed her face further against the ground. Next to her, Dan Heng tried to summon his spear, but the other Invader Armor quickly grabbed his arm. Dan Heng shouted in pain as a snap met Pela's ears.

"Gepard, what the hell!?" Pela shouted.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," Gepard said, grabbing Pela's shoulder and pushing her away. "I've seen them before. You can't be fooled by their appearance. If you can't see through their disguise, then you've fallen for their trap."

"Gepard, what are you talking about!? You're not making any sense, what do you mean they're…?" Pela went silent as Gepard's armor shimmered. Brilliant whites turned to faded black, chipped and rusted. The ice crystals turned purple and covered even more of his outfit, almost as though it was infecting it.

Pela took a step back, her gaze flitting back from this…Parallel Gepardand Express duo on the floor. "I have no idea what he's talking about! He's talking crazy!" March said, her iridescent eyes shaking with panic.

"I…" Pela stuttered, looking back and forth between March and Parallel Gepard. She grit her teeth, and raised her hand to commander her drones to–

Parallel Gepard had already slammed his fist into her face, shattering her glasses and knocking her out cold.

VS Cragma
While planning the return of the Demon King Malladus, Chancellor Cole created four great monsters that hold the temples hostage and prevent their holy energy from being transferred to the Tower of Spirits. The most powerful of the demons, Cragma, lies in the Fire Temple waiting for the day the Hero would emerge so that it can boil and consume him.

SKILLS
Boiling Life Blood [Enhance] -At the beginning of the battle, creates 3-4 Weak Spots on Cragma. At the start of the Cragma's turn, creates 1-2 Weak Spots. If all Weak Spots are destroyed, immediately inflicts Weakness Break on Cragma's, regardless of its current Toughness, and reduces Cragma's DEF by 15% while it is Weakness Broken. Weak Spots can only be destroyed by using an Ice AoE attack.

Igneous Armor [Enhance] -Reduces the amount of Toughness Cragma loses from enemy attacks by 5 plus 5 for each Weak Spot Cragma has.

Burning Knuckle [Single Target] -Deals Fire DMG equal to 170% of Cragma's ATK to a single enemy.

Planet Waves [Bounce]- Deals Fire DMG equal to 65% of Cragma ATK to random enemies 4 times.

Suppression of Spirits [Impair] -Has a 45% chance of inflicting an enemy with Flammable. While an enemy is Flammable, they have 25% chance of becoming Burned by Cragma's attacks. If a Flammable enemy is burned, immediately inflicts them with 6 more stacks of Burn.

Volcanic Tension [Enhance]- Cragma enters a charged state. On the next available action, Cragma uses 'Rising Tides of Eruptions.'

Rising Tides of Eruption [Quick-Time Event (QTE)] -A minecart appears, and the party climbs on top of it. Cragma gains or loses Weak Spots until it has four, and a reticle appears over the screen as the minecart circles Cragma. Aim the reticle and press the shoot button to destroy the Weak Spots (this does not deal damage). The Weak Spots have been destroyed, to appear more on the palms of Cargma's hands. Destroy those, and then shoot at Cragma's eye.

You have 6 seconds to complete the QTE. By completing it, Cragma's is immediately weakness broken, and its attack is negated. Otherwise, inflict Fire DMG equal to 500% of Cragma's ATK to all enemies.

Chapter 13: Belobog Barberry - 4: Dried Daikon

Chapter Text

“What… are you?”

Kirby, pink ball Kirby, blinked.

Staring at him was a mountain of rocks. Kirby tilted his head as the mountain examined him. One of its arms(?) reached out, fingers made of boulders and stone poking the top of his head.

“An enigma.” The pile of rocks whispered. “A deadly enigma.”

The mountain shifted. It sounded like rocks bumping and crashing into each other.

“Why do you care?” The mountain turned around, and faced Kirby once more.

“Keep my friends out of your plans,” Kirby told, no, threatened Qlipoth, “Don’t become a threat, and we won’t fight.”

The Preservation remained silent for a moment. Its rocky arms shifted back.

“Very well. I have no quarrel with you,” The Preservation spoke. It began to float away, the sounds of falling and crashing rocks punctuating its disappearance into the void. “Those who cross you… are truly pitiable creatures.”

Kirby said nothing as Qlipoth floated away. He hummed to himself once it left their minds. Blinking, Kirby turned around, and stared.

“Stelle? What are you doing here?”

Stelle groaned. She felt like sh*t, arms heavy as lead. Her vision was hazy. She could feel the Stellaron twitching inside her, rubbing against her organs and rib cage.

“Aeons…” Stelle muttered, pushing herself with her shoulders. She grunts, feeling the throbbing in both her head and chest increase in intensity as she struggled to move.

“Oh! You’re awake!” Stelle barely had time to react when somebody wrapped their arms around her waist and pulled her up. She sucked in breath as somebody placed a warm, wet cloth on her forehead, and started to dab her face and cheeks with it. “How are you doing? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Stelle groaned, her vision becoming clearer by the second. As the nurse continued to dab her face. “C-could you stop with the rag?” She huffed, gently swatting the arm holding the rag away while turning away.

“O-oh… of course,” The voice muttered meekly. Great. Now Stelle felt like a jerk.

“Look, I didn’t mean it like that…” Stelle muttered turning back to face

yeah no shes gay.

The nurse tending to her was a young woman with cyan colored hair tied into ponytail, wearing a dark blue parka and thick pants of the same color, both lined with white fur. The girl also had curved horns atop her head, red and black in color. Her outfit looked tight around her hips and chest.

“Uhm…” The nurse muttered, shifting on the balls of her feet. Stelle realized she was staring.

Respectfully. At her horns. Nothing else.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Stelle murmured with an awkward smile.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s normal for me,” The nurse breathed. “Most people don’t have…” She awkwardly laughed and pointed to her horns, “y’know?”

“I think I get what you mean.” Stelle placed her hands over her chest, where she could feel the Stellaron writhing inside her.

The horned nurse cleared her throat by coughing into her fist, and put on a bright smile. It was radiant. “Anyways, I’m glad you’re up. I am Ganyu…(?) Can you stand, or do you need more rest?”

“Um… I think I’m fine,” Stelle told her. She pushed the covers off her, and reached for her jacket, which was draped over a chair next to her bed. “Have you seen a pink-haired boy around here? About yay tall,” Stelle placed her hand a few inches under her chest, “and has stars for eyes?”

“Oh! Yes, I have! I’ll call him for you,” Ganyu nodded and was about to leave the room.

“N-no, wait, I can walk!” Stelle said just as the pretty girl was about to leave her side. She’s not sure she should mention the… probable disastrous consequences if they’re kept apart.

So, Stelle pushed herself off the bed and almost fell flat on her face. Thankfully, Ganyu managed to catch her just in time. “Don’t worry, I got you!” She said, wrapping one arm around Stelle’s waist and the other around her shoulder.

“Thanks…” Stelle murmured. No, she’s not blushing. “Can you take me to him?”

“Of course!” Ganyu chirped. She raised Stelle's arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, and carefully carried her out of the room, and into what looked like an office. “Ms. Natasha! Stelle wants to see Marx!”

“Wait, Marx?” Stelle tried to say. Looking forward, she saw an older woman with red eyes and dark blue hair, chatting to Kir…

That’s not Kirby.

The boy standing next to the older woman, Natasha, had the same face and curly pink hair as her humanoid life support, almost to an eerie degree. Thankfully, that’s where the similarities ended. He wore a white, short sleeved button up shirt with shorts held up by suspenders, brown leather shoes, and large white gloves; like the ones on an ‘80s cartoon character. His pink hair was covered by a jester’s hat; one side was blue and dotted with circles, while the other red and dotted with triangles. His eyes, meanwhile, were unlike Kirby's. The were stone cold, almost... glazed over like a corpse's.

“Ehhhhhhhh? You’re looking for lil’ old me?” The boy said in a nasally, annoyingly smug voice. He sounded like a stereotypical New Yorker… whatever that means. He smirked at Stelle’s confusion. “Oh, how exciting! I didn’t know I had any fans here! Tee hee hee!” He laughed, looking past her, past the window of the office, past…

“Marx…” Natasha sighed, looking disappointed at the gremlin-looking child. “Do I want to know why somebody from the surface world knows who you are, by name? ” She asked, leveling him a glare that made both Stelle and Ganyu flinch. Marx only smirked.

“C’mon, lotsa people know who I am! I’m famous! You can’t be surprised that one or two wranglers know about me!” He said with a wide, toothy grin. Said grin was filled with sharp teeth. “Who knows? Maybe Sampoo Le’Buttski accidently leaked my name out to one a the sorry sods he scammed!”

“Uh… is this a bad time?” Stelle asked. Natasha shook her head.

“No, it’s fine,” She sighed. “I’m Natasha, an Underworld doctor. You’re in my clinic right now, and this is–”

“Marx,” The child interrupted her. “You thought I was Kirby, didn’tcha?”

“I-”

“Marx here is the one who rescued you,” Natasha said at the same time–as if she didn’t even hear him–while frowning down at him. “I should be mad at him for leaving the Underworld, but if he hadn’t, then you probably wouldn’t have gotten medical attention in time.”

“You owe me one!~ Heee he he…” Marx chuckled ominously.

“Right…” Stelle muttered, Marx’s chuckle being enough to make her shiver. “What… happened to me and my friends, anyways. One minute, we were fighting, and the next… nothing.”

“Something was strangling you,” Ganyu spoke up. “Whatever it was, it was sharp and serrated, like tiny thorns. There were a lot of small cuts on your body, all leaking blood. Strangely, your two friends didn’t have the same wounds…”

“Tiny thorns…” Stelle parroted. She looked down, and saw bandages wrapped around her arms and neck. She could even feel some on her neck.

Marx started whistling a tune.

“Uh, thank you for nursing me back to health,” Stelle said. Natasha offered her a smile.

“Think nothing of it,” The doctor said. “Now, you wanted to see Marx?”

“Uh, no actually, I was talking about someone else,” Stelle muttered. Marx's eyes shone mischievously.

“Don’t worry pal! If you want, I can take you to Kirby!” He said, walking over to Stelle and tugging on her arm. Even his touch felt like Kirby’s. “C’mon! Let’s go before–!”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Marx gagged as Natasha pulled back on his shirt, dragging the kid towards his desk. “You didn’t think that playing nice would keep you out of trouble, did you?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Marx said without an ounce of hesitation. Natasha sighed and rubbed her temple with her fingers.

“Ganyu, could you take Stelle to the main foyer? Her friends should be waiting there for her,” Natasha said, pulling Marx onto a chair that he obediently sat on.

“Yes, of course…!” Ganyu said after a moment's hesitation. “C’mon, let’s go,” She then said into Stelle’s ear. Her breath is warm.

“Right,” Stelle muttered. She waved to Natasha and Marx. The doctor returned the gesture, and Marx stared past everything again. His expression was unreadable behind that smug smile.

Ganyu closed the door to Natasha’s office and she led Stelle down the hallway. “Hey, um…” Stelle blinked and turned to the horned woman, who looked slightly anxious. “When we enter the foyer, there might be some… staring. You don't get anxious, do you?”

“No, not really,” Stelle said with a shrug. “Is this because of your horns?”

“More than that,” Ganyu muttered. “You know about the portals popping up everywhere? Well, two people were fighting to close them, and apparently, I was inside one of the monsters.”

“You were?” Stelle muttered. “You can’t remember?”

Ganyu shook her head. She lowered her head, staring at the tips of her toes. “I can’t remember anything, actually. My memories start a few days ago, waking up here in this clinic. Around the same time the portals started appearing.”

Stelle’s eyes widened. “Some people think you caused them?” Ganyu smiled, but it wasn’t a happy one. Something inside her eyes looked… shattered.

“Why wouldn’t they? A strange woman w-with demon horns coming out of a portal that insatiable monsters come from?” Ganyu spoke, her voice shaking somewhat as her grip on Stelle’s shoulder. “They’re just thinking logically…”

“Well, they’re not,” Stelle huffed. “I think you look like an angel!”

Ganyu froze. Stelle wanted to punch herself. Both their cheeks turned bright red.

“I– Uhm– W-wha–” Ganyu stammered.

“Tooforwardtooforwardtooforwardtooforward!” Stelle mentally screamed.

“Th-thank you…?” Ganyu whispered. “It means the world to me.”

Stelle blinked, but nodded. “Yeah… no problem.”

Like Ganyu said, some people stared at her once they entered the foyer. Some were other patients with IVs connected to their arms. Others were armed, carrying shovels or guns. Multiple cots lined the edges of the room; the people on them had varied injuries, ranging from mild sickness (at least, Stelle assumed) to missing limbs.

Stelle scanned the room quickly, ignoring how the atmosphere became tense once Ganyu walked in. On the far side of the wall, next to some barricaded windows was Flamberge, talking to a young man with red hair and a mechanical left arm. Kirby was the first to notice her, perking up on top of Flamberge’s lap.

“Poyo!” Kirby said, bouncing off Flamberge’s lap and suddenly wrapped his arms around Stelle’s hips.

“Hey,” Stelle said, patting his hair softly. Kirby cooed.

“Hey, Stelle!” The girl looked up to see Flamberge walking towards her, a grin on her face. She looked between her and Ganyu, noting the way their arms were wrapped around each other. “How come you get to hug the cute girl!?”

“That’s what you’re concerned about!?” Stelle huffed, her face red once more as Ganyu squeaked. They instinctively pulled away from each other

“Well I mean it’s good for you to be safe and sound, but still,” Flamberge said. She pulled Stelle and simply whispered, “Hips,” into her ear. Stelle choked on her own breath and covered her hands with her mouth.

She is looking respectfully. She is looking respectfully.

“Now ya get it…!” Flamberge chuckled, patting Stelle on the head before pulling away. “Anyways, thanks for looking after our friend! Greatly appreciate it!” Ganyu nodded, still somewhat flustered from her earlier comments.

“It’s my pleasure…” Ganyu said. Just opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Instead, she just waved awkwardly at Stelle. “Um… bye. See you soon?” Ganyu then awkwardly shuffled out of the room and out of sight. The tense atmosphere diminished somewhat when she did.

“I hate you,” Stelle whispered to Flamberge.

“Really? No way, so does Francisca!” Flamberge laughed, shaking Stelle by the shoulders.

“Hi there!” He chirped. “Roughing up thugs and protecting the townsfolk is just part of my everyday job.”

“Hi…” Stelle said, taking his hand in hers and shaking it. His grip was strong, obviously. “Were you guys talking about something when I walked in? I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

“Well, yes, but it saves me from having to explain it twice.” Flamberge quickly spoke up. “Did Ganyu tell you about how she came here?”

“Yeah. From Another Dimension, lost her memories.” Stelle nodded, and then looked to Luka. “So… does he know?”

“That Flamberge and Kirby are from an alternate reality? Yeah,” Luka nodded in confirmation.

“Alright, so about Ganyu’s memories…” Flamberge began to explain. “So, you guys know that Planet Popstar barreled through the dimensions to reach the Forgotten World? Well, what happened to Ganyu is a massive consequence of all those shattered worlds.

“Theoretically, Planet Popstar could’ve possibly smashed through an infinite number of universes. When it does, everything inside that universe leaks out like air rushing out of a space station. All that leakage is very bright, very loud, and very, very overwhelming on any brain, immortal or otherwise, and even more so if those tears in reality are relatively close to each other.

“I’m pretty sure that Ganyu’s home world was grazed by one of Popstar’s arms. If she didn’t look directly at the leakage, she would’ve been fine. But, she most certainly did. All that visual and audio information was too much for her brain to handle, so to keep herself from becoming overwhelmed, it effectively… hard reset her mind, leaving her a blank slate.”

“That’s terrible…” Stelle muttered. She glanced back at the door Ganyu left through, her heart sinking down into her stomach. “Is there any way we can restore her memories?”

“Mags and a few of our interdimensional friends are working on it. But to be honest… Ganyu got off easy,” Flamberge said with a shrug. Luke and Stelle stiffened at her words.

“You mean, there’s something worse than possibly permanently losing your memories?” Luka asked. And Flamberge nodded.

“If her world was hit directly, then everything in that plane of reality would’ve shattered completely,” Flamberge revealed, drawing a gasp from Stelle. “Ganyu’s soul would’ve been broken to pieces and scattered all over the multiverse. Those pieces would endlessly search for one another. But given how impossibly vast the multiverse is… it’s unlikely those pieces would ever become whole again.

“Those pieces only have one goal; to form back into one singular being. If anything gets in their way, they become violent and destructive, and the only way to calm them down is to beat them into submission. Once that happens… that just started endlessly searching again. The cycle of searching, fighting, and searching again repeats ad infinitum, until the soul finds a way to piece itself back together.”

“Geez…” Luka muttered, placing his hands behind his back. “That’s… not even bleak. That sounds like something you might hear from a Lovecraftian horror story.”

“Wait, you guys know who Lovecraft is?” Flamberge whispered. She looked at Kirby, who shrugged. The less time he spends beating Hastor out of the Dedede the better.

“So… Ganyu’s just going to be a husk of her formal self for a long, long time?” Stelle looked over her shoulder to glance at the door the horned woman disappeared through. She wondered, if only for a moment, if that’s why she also doesn’t recall anything either. Because her brain tried to comprehend infinity.

“Look, we’re trying to fix the issue. That’s about all we can say,” Flamberge shrugged, noting the dour looks on both Luka and Stelle. She patted both of them on the shoulder before smiling. “Hey, chin up guys! We’re doing everything in our power to fix everything, and we won’t be able to do that if we constantly beat ourselves up over things we can’t right now!”

Flamberge’s smile was wide and prideful, filled with an infectious feeling that made Stelle return the gesture with a smile of her own.

“Well, you got that right!” Luka exclaimed. His mechanical arm released a small cloud of smoke from its exhaust ports. He and the Fire mage shared a fist, the impact punctuated by a short ring of fire and smoke.

“Poyo…!” Kirby’s eyes sparkled at the display of friendship. He grabbed onto the hem of Stelle’s jacket and tugged, babbling about something she couldn’t understand. It sounded like he was saying “Bronya.”

“Oh yeah. I probably should’ve saved the explanation for one Bronya got back!” Flamberge laughed, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck. “Man, I had a really dramatic explanation and everything… Where did she go anyways?”

“Oh, the bathroom,” Luka spoke up. “She asked me where it was. Now that I think about it, she’s been in there for a long time…”

“...You guys don’t have Taco Bell or Chipotle on this world, right?” Flamberge asked. Stelle and Luka blinked. Kirby perked up.

“Huh?” Stelle and Luka said at the same time.

“Poyo?” Kirby wanted to know if they were ordering food.

Flamberge speed walked past them, carefully maneuvering between the crowded foyer and towards the restroom. The door was locked, so she melted the handle with her magic and kicked the door open. “Houston, we have a problem,” Flamberge muttered.

The rest of the group followed her inside to see the room empty, and the window open.

Bandee and King Dedede touched down in the center of the commercial district of Belobog, hiding in an alley next to a restaurant and a bookstore.With the city streets empty and no witnesses to tell the Silvermane Guards where a small boy flying by moving his spear in a circle rapidly and an older, bigger man hanging onto his legs and somehow not weighing him down.

The pair hid in the shadows as Silverman Guards rushed out of Fort Qlipoth. Heavily armored men and less armored foot soldiers began to scour the city. Most had the typical blue and silver uniform, but some had purple and black outfits, with dark crystals growing on their body.

King Dedede narrowed his eyes at the darker uniforms.

“Hey, where do we go from here?” King Dedede asked his young retainer. Bandee hummed, going deep into thought as he tugged on his scarf.

“I think… I have an idea,” Bandee muttered. He grabbed his phone and went into the search engine, typing in Cocolia’s name into the search bar.

“Eh? Who’re ya looking fo?” King Dedede asked. Bandee did not reply until he found the same picture that he found on one of the desks.

“I think… We might be able to get some help from her,” Bandee asked, pointing to the woman with her arms around Cocolia.

“...Should I know who she is? You pointed to ‘er all dramatically,” Dedede muttered. Bandee froze and chuckled awkwardly.

“Oh, no! I have no idea who she is either!” Bandee chirped. “But thankfully, we have technology!” He clicked a few more buttons on his phone.

“Serval Landau, that’s her name. She lives… right under Fort Qlipoth,” Bandee sighed. King Dedede sighed and scratched his hair under his cap.

“Oh boy,” King Dedede said. He hoisted his mallet over his shoulder and grunted. “Whelp, let’s get t’ work then.”

“Great King…?”

“Hey hey, relax, little guy!” King Dedede guffawed, grabbing his shoulder and shaking the small boy. “If we get jumped, we can take those guys without issue!”

“Y-you’re right!” Bandee said, his spear appearing in his hands from a cloud of smoke. “We can take them! Let’s go!” The small boy yelled, running out of the alleyway without an ounce of fear.

“Oi, oi, oi, at least have a plan when you run out! You ain’t Kirby!” Dedede yelled, rushing out to catch Bandee before he caught.

Once they left Natasha’s clinic, Kirby jumped up as high as could, and inhaled. Stelle and Luke both watched, dumbfounded, as his cheeks puffed out and he flapped his arms, allowing him to effectively fly into the air, albeit very, very slowly.

Kirby released the air and dropped like rock. He pointed to the north side of the town, and urged the others to follow him.

As they ran (except for Flamberge, she floated), Luka tapped Flamberge on the shoulder and asked, “Since when could he do that?”

“What’s the problem? Makes platformers accessible to anyone who doesn’t know how to play games,” Flamberge said, dodging the question. Luka looked at her, confused, before shrugging and focusing back on Kirby.

Stelle soon placed her next to Flamberge. “Hey, about Marx–?”

“No clue,” Flamberge uttered in a hushed whisper, only audible to her and Stelle. “He’s… complicated. The best we can do is keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t cause too much trouble.”

“Just for clarification, he’s a good guy. Right?” Stelle asked.

“Only an annoying rival on his worst days,” Flamberge responded. “Just keep your guard up around him. Oh, and if he asks for food, cough it up.”

“Why? It’s my food.”

“You will cough it up,” Flamberge said. Stelle nodded obediently.

Kirby led them around Boulder Town, running without even a hint of slowing down. While Stelle focused on merely keeping up with her pink-haired partner, she did manage to catch glimpses of the glowing orange ore, and the large metal structure off in the distance. It was probably the only back to the surface, considering it was the only structure like it.

Eventually, they managed to reach a set of stairs leading up an upper area. On that, Bronya was standing on the railing, with a group of thugs surrounding her, keeping the Silvermane Guard from escaping. Kirby narrowed his eyes and jumped up.

Bronya’s eyes widened as Kirby landed in front of her. Before anybody could react any further, he lunged, his form a pink blur. In less than a moment, the thugs surrounding Bronya had been launched away, some flying off into the distance, others crashing into walls or flying into dumpsters.

“Wha…” She muttered as Kirby landed in front of her again. She didn't even see him leap off the ground. Bronya flinched when the boy turned around to meet her gaze. Call her paranoid, but she fully expected him to attack her, so she summoned her rifle. He didn’t even flinch.

“What do you want?” Bronya demanded. Kirby tilted her head, wondering if she was a threat.

He didn’t have to answer. Kirby felt time and space unravel around him, the sensation punctuated by purple translucent butterflies. Kirby jumped in front of Bronya, and raised his hands, catching the scythe that was about to slice the gun out of Bronya’s grasp. Once Stelle, Flamberge, and Luka climbed up the steps, they were able to see the butterflies form into a young woman with purple hair.

“What the–!?” Seele gasped in shock. Kirby’s eyes shone as he pulled on the scythe, dragging Seele close for a devastating punch to her gut.

Flamberge summoned a pillar flame between the two of them. Seele jumped back to avoid getting burned, while Kirby placed an arm in front of Bronya to shield her from the sudden heat.

“Hey, she’s a good guy!” Luka said. Kirby, his hand still on Seele’s scythe, looked between him and the strange purple-haired girl that tried to attack Bronya. Eventually, he nodded and tossed the scythe back to Seele.

“Never thought I’d see the day that an Underworlder would protect the Overworld Princess,” Seele huffed darkly, snatching the scythe out the air. It and Bronya’ rifle disappeared in a flash of light. “I heard a Silvermane Guard is paying the Underworld a visit. That you?”

“Princess…?” Bronya asked slowly, standing up straight and sizing up the opposing woman. “How dare you talk to me like that!? Your conspiracists brought me down here! What is the meaning of this!?”

“Heh, listen to her… ‘What’s the meaning of this?’ She still thinks she’s an Overworld Princess!” Seele scoffed in response, making Bronya’s face go red with anger. She was about to walk up to her, but Kirby held her back. His starry gaze met her silver one, and she faltered.

“Really scared of a little kid?” Seele taunted. Kirby leveled that same gaze at her, making Seele flinch as well. He’s still not sure if they’re threats or not.

“Seele!” The woman turned around to see Luka waving at her, followed by Stelle and Flamberge.

Flamberge nudged Stelle’s side and pointed her thumb at her outfit. Stelle frowned at her, though her face did turn slightly red. The fire mage managed to keep in a laugh.

“Oh, Luka,” Seele said, glancing his way before her gaze returned to Bronya. “Have you seen Sampo? Wildfire has too many issues on its plate right now. We don’t need a side order of Koski.”

“I haven’t seen in… a while, actually, now that I think about it. Not since Marx showed up,” Luke said with a shrug. “As far as we know he didn’t drag her down here.” Kirby and Flamberge shared a glance.

Seele hummed. As she and Bronya glared at each, Kirby tilted his head. His eyes sparkled as an idea formed in the closest thing he had to a brain.

He grabbed Bronya’s hand, surprising her; even more so when he led her towards Seele. Dumbfounded, Seele allowed Kirby to grab her hand and interlock her fingers with Bronya’s. “Hey, what the–!?”

“Friends,” Kirby said.

“What? Friends, with her!?” Seele pulled her hand away, practically in disgust. “No way! She doesn’t even know what’s happened to us while the Supreme Guardian locked in here to freeze, leaving us to those monsters from the portal and the Fragmentum? Did you even consider the fate of the Underworlders!?”

“Did you consider the lives of the people living on the surface?” Bronya shot back, irritated by Seele’s lack of respect. “Those same portals are appearing on the surface as well. Entire districts of the city had been shut down, buildings and eaten destroyed by their insatiable hunger. The Silvermane Guards have to be deployed to the city and the front lines, leaving both areas woefully underprotected!”

“Hah! Do you even hear yourself!? You think you’re protecting the Underground? By deploying every Guard, and cutting off only the passageway, you think you’re protecting us!?” Seele snapped back. “The only thing you’re protecting are those Architects and the bullsh*t Supreme Guardian!”

“You dare–!” Bronya was about to say, but both girls froze and fell to their knees, groaning in pain. Kirby still had their arms and in his hands, so he squeezed to stop from fighting.

“How scary…” Luka muttered as Kirby loosened his grip and hauled both girls up to their feet.

“Friends,” He repeated, interlocking their hands again.

“I’m not going to hold hands with this–!” Kirby glared. Seele promptly shut up. Kirby looked at Bronya, and she glanced away.

Kirby walked back to Stelle, a smile on his face as the group laid eyes on Seele and Bronya, both irritated beyond relief, looking away from each other, and their races red from embarrassment as they… held hands.

Oh, the humanity.

“I hate you,” Seele bluntly growled.

“Believe me, the feeling’s mutual,” Bronya responded.

“I wanted to hold her hand…” Flamberge bemoaned.

“Anyways!” Seele coughed into her unused fist, trying to hide her embarrassment from everyone. “Chief Oleg wants to see you, and he’s got more than a few questions. Let’s go already.”

She pulled on Bronya’s arm, getting an irritated squawk from her. “Don’t drag me!”

“I’m sorry princess, do you know where Chief Oleg is!?”

“You can take me to him without tearing my arm off!”

Luka, Flamberge, and Stelle watched awkwardly as the woman argued with each other while walking, their argument becoming progressively louder the farther away they got. The only reasoning they hadn’t gotten physical was because Kirby was walking behind them.

“Is… is Seele normally this aggressive?” Stelle asked Luka.

He was going to shake his head, but he thought for a moment and shrugged. “Not usually. Though you bring up the Overworld around her, she does look at you ugly.”

“I ship it,” Flamberge commented. Luka looked at her oddly.

“Bet you’d rather ship her with yourself,” Marx chortled. The group screamed in surprise at his sudden appearance.

Serval grunted, slamming her electrified guitar case against another egg shaped monster. The tiny bastards managed to eat their way into her workshop, again, and started to gnaw away on the circuity of the machines she’d been commissioned to repair.

The tiny monsters shrieked and scattered as another blast of purple electricity fried their bodies. Once Serval managed to get them away from her machines, she dropped to her knees and groaned, loudly.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me… That’s the third time this week!” She exclaimed, pushing herself with her guitar. She went to the pack of her shop and grabbed some planks of wood, a hammer and nails, ready to patch holes those monsters made in her walls.

While she was rummaging through her closet, muttering to herself in frustration, she heard somebody knocking on her front door. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute,” She said. She had the door locked for–

The door was knocked on again. Serval grit her teeth. “In a minute!” She said more forcefully, not yet shouting. …As she saying, she locked the door because–

The knocking only became more forceful. Serval’s nails dug into the wood of her closet doorway.

She slammed the closet shut, and walked slowly to the entrance to her workshop. With a scowl on her face, Serval practically pulled the door off its hinges as she opened it.

King Dedede and Bandee spilled inside the room the moment the door opened, both of them landing on top of Serval and squishing her under their combined (mostly Dedede’s) weight. Serval groaned in pain, and grunted when Bandee scrambled to his feet, repeatedly kicking into Serval’s stomach on his way to close the door.

“What the hell are you–!” Serval tried to say, but she was interrupted yet again when Dedede put a hand to her lips and shushed her. They kept low to the ground, in complete silence except for the sound of stomping boots.

“Where the heck did they go!? They were just here a moment ago!” One gruff voice huffed, a Silvermane Guard by the sounds of it.

“How should I know!?” Serval’s eyes narrowed; that voice was somewhat distorted and scratchy, almost like it was coming out of a broken speaker. “Scour the city from top to bottom! Find them and bring them to justice!” The sound of boots slamming on the floor slowly disappeared, and once the Guards were out of earshot, both Bandee and King Dedede let out a sigh of relief.

“Finally… we’re safe…” Dedede muttered, sitting on the ground with a soft thud.

“Well, not everyone,” Dedede raised an eyebrow, and Bandee pointed to Serval, who the King was still sitting on.

“Oh shoot!” Dedede quickly jumped off the suffocating woman, and color quickly returned to her face. Serval coughed, her throat sore and lungs singing in joy as they were filled with air. Uncomfortably cold air, but air nonetheless.

“Ah he he, sorry ‘bout that! We were in a bit of a rush!” Dedede said as he helped Serval up to her feet. She was rubbing her throat, glancing at Dedede with an eye until she pushed herself away from and placed a hand on her desk to support herself.

“Don’t laugh it off…!” Serval groaned, coughing lightly. “Who the hell are two, and what do you want with me? Why the hell were the Silvermane Guards after you!?”

“Cuz… Cocolia’s probably evil or somethin’?” Dedede shrugged. “Usually, we don’t get an in depth explanation for anything ‘till the end of the adventure.”

“Considering she said she wanted to ‘save’ her planet, I’d say she’s a person who strayed off the path of good because an evil eldritch monstrosity possessed or tempted her,” Bandee said. Serval looked at both of them, utterly confused.

“What are you two talking about…?” Serval asked. She reached behind her desk and grabbed her guitar, ready to strike in case they did anything.

“Look, this might sound sudden, but…” Bandee reached behind him and took out the Nova blueprints from his hammer space. “Have you seen this paper before?”

Serval blinked in surprise, looking between the King and boy with confusion. “How did you get that?” She asked slowly, noticing the cat-shaped lips on the blueprints that Bandee presented to her.

“We were invited into the Fort, Bandee did some digging, and while he was gone, Cocolia decided to attack me,” Dedede quickly explained. Something in Serval’s eyes shifted when he mentioned Cocolia. Her grip on her guitar loosened.

“Four years ago…” Serval began. “...We were called into Co– the Supreme Guardian's office. Somebody was already inside. She presented us with that paper. We thought it was a joke. I mean, a machine capable of granting wishes? A mechanical comet capable of bending time and space? It seemed like something out of a children’s book.”

“Okay… do you know who was with Cocolia? Who gave you this blueprint?” Dedede asked. Serval nodded, rubbing her face with her hands.

“Susanna Patrya Haltmann… that was her name,” Serval said.

Natasha gave them a quick run-down of the situation. A giant vein of ore was discovered in the Great Mine, and now the miners, vagrants, and monsters from Another Dimension were participating in a bloody free-for-fall for it. Going deeper into the mine, they learned that a group of robots had apparently tried to join the frey, but were quickly retreated once all sides learned Another Dimension only got stronger from eating their fuel cells.

Bronya sighed as shot down another Doomer from the sky, the monster exploding in a cloud of ash as the bullet tore through its body. They’ve been fighting for a solid fifteen minutes practically non-stop. Off in the distance, she could hear the billowing flames of Flamberge and the rushing water of the Rainbow Sword.

“What’s the matter? Getting tired, princess?” Bronya’s nose flared as she heard Seele insufferable voice taunt from the side. The butterfly-themed warrior jumped off and ran up the rocky walls of the Great Mine, slicing through any and all monsters standing in her way. “When was the last time you got a mask on that pretty face of yours?”

“Is this really the time to be arguing?” Bronya growled. She raised her gun again, shooting monsters charging in from the minecart rails.

“No, not really. But I have to admit, it’s kinda funny!”

Both women flinch as they see Marx standing between them, smiling up at the pair. “I wonder what’ll kill you first? The monsters or yourselves, tee hee hee!”

“What in the– How did you–!?” Bronya exclaimed, her eyes widening in horror at the sight of a young boy (lol) on the battlefield. “What are you doing here!? This is no place for a child!”

“What, like the eternity of the underground is?” Seele scoffed, leaning against her scythe.

“That’s besides the point!” Bronya snapped back.

“Wow, you guys fight like a married couple… that’s going to kill each other in the next few days,” Marx said, his eyes rolling in amusem*nt. “I mean, honestly! You’d think that fighting for a common cause would get you all buddy-buddy or something gross like that.”

“Marx, what are you doing, here?” Seele asked, turning her attention away from Bronya. “Why aren’t you with Hook or the other Moles?”

“I told them I was heading to the bathroom! They didn’t follow me here… from what I know anyways. You can’t tell with those kids,” The jester boy muttered with a half-assed shrug and a lazy grin.

“You say that you aren’t that young yourself,” Seele muttered. Marx only shrugged.

“Yeah well…” He said, then refused to elaborate in any way. “So, you might want to stand back for a couple inches. Kirby’s coming.”

“What are you–?” Bronya began, but Marx disappeared when she blinked. Seele grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her away as the walls behind them shattered; Kirby, who was fighting in a separate part of the mine, burst through with a Deppa in his hands. He slammed the monster into the ground, causing it to explode.

“He’s…” The Silvermane Guard gasped as Kirby got to his feet. He babbled something that the woman couldn’t understand, but sounded urgent considering his voice and facial expressions.

“He found a portal,” Marx quickly translated as he leaned on Seele’s shoulder. Kirby blinked and waved at him. Marx waved back with an… odd grin on his face.

Seele yelped and pushed Marx off her shoulder. He landed on a red and white striped bouncy ball, balancing on top of it with incredible ease.

“By portal… you mean the ones that have been plaguing Belobog for the past few days?” Bronya asked cautiously. There was something about Marx that made her uneasy.

Kirby nodded, saying “Poyo” repeatedly. As he did, Marx rolled his ball over to his side.

Bronya and Seele both felt a great sense of unease at how… similar they looked; Kirby’s as endless as the abyss of space, Marx’s as dead as a planetoid abandoned by its star.

“It’s this way,” Marx said. He turned around and started to roll away, followed closely by Kirby. The girls shared a look, before running after him as well. The jester grinned mischievously and turned his head towards Kirby with a plastic smile matching his dead eyes.

“You really think you make those two friends? There’s a lot more to unpack than just hating each other’s guts,” Marx slyly whispered. Kirby only shrugged.

“I can only put them on the right path. It’s to them if they want to save this dying planet or not,” Kirby responded. Marx hummed, but didn’t say back.

“We’re here!” Marx exclaimed. Bronya and Seele’s eyes as the golden glow of geomarrow became more intense. A massive spire of orange crystals glowed brightly, reaching upwards several hundred feet. The vein was almost as tall as a skyscraper. Small groups of monsters encircled the ore, trying to gnaw off as much as they could so they could transport it back to the small portals they came from.

“Me an’ Kirby here will take care of those bozos up top,” Marx said, balancing on top of his ball one foot as he leaned forwards to get a better look at the Doomers. “You two’ll stick down here and drive off the support critters, got it?”

“W-wait, you can’t possibly fight all these monsters off! There’s only two of you, and an army of them!” Bronya exclaimed, reaching out to grab Marx and pull him back.

“Please! We can take care of ourselves!” Marx laughed, using his bouncy ball as a spring to launch himself up in the air. “‘Sides, you look like you have some other things to worry about right now!”

“What are you talking about?” Seele shouted just as Kirby and Marx disappeared behind the spire. She heard a mechanical cracking noise once they were out of sight, followed by an explosion and the sound of Bronya’s pained cry.

Seele whirled around to see a mechanical tree-like robot, stomping on four drill-bit feet. Its “wood” was made of black metal, and on the top it had multiple pipes connected to orange, jaggedly shaped cubes. It had a cannon in the center of its body, with the sides having the letter H plastered on them.

The long, blue visor glowed as the cannon on the center of its body released a loud bellow.

Mobile Geomarrow Miner
Clanky Woods 3.0

“What’s that!? I thought all the robots fled!” Bronya yelled as she summoned her rifle and started firing. Her windy bullets bounced off Clanky Woods’ armor, dealing only minor damage to its armor. The robotic tree growled and fired a missile at her. Seele quickly sliced it out of the air, and rushed towards Clanky Woods.

With a downwards swing, her scythe made a small cut in the robot’s hull. She moved back as Clank Woods retaliated with a swing of its arms; Seele backpedaled, then unleashed a flurry of slices, each one only causing sparks against the robotic tree’s hull.

“This isn’t Svarog’s minion,” Seele huffed, moving back as Clanky Woods rushed towards her, attempting to tackle her into the nearby wall. She teleported out of the way, butterflies scattering and then reemerging above the orange cubes. Seele raised her scythe to slice downwards, but paused when she heard steam coming off the pipes.

The faux geomarrow cubes flew off from the pipes and slammed into her. They exploded, making Seele cry out in pain as she was engulfed by a blast of fire and smoke. She landed on her head, a harsh thud echoing against the mine’s walls.

Clanky Woods whirled around, and raised its arms to deliver a finishing strike, but Bronya’s bullet managed to pierce through the thin joints keeping it together. Clanky Woods whirled around when it realized its left arm clattered to the ground, and stumbled back as Bronya slammed the stock of her gun into its visor. The robot staggered backwards in surprise.

Bronya tried to help Seele up to her feet, but the Wildfire member pushed the Overworlder away. “I don’t need your help. Not now, not ever,” Seele growled, picking her scythe and teleporting behind Clanky Woods. The robotic tree quickly swiveled its body around to face her, causing Seele to flinch slightly. With that moment of hesitation, Clanky Woods punched Seele across the face, knocking a tooth free from her jaw.

Seele staggered, and ducked underneath another punch. She slid under Clanky Woods to attack, but the Geomarrow bombs on the pipes came loose again. Before they could, another shot from Bronya caused them to explode prematurely. Seele took a step back and slammed the blade of her scythe as far as she could into Clanky Woods’ armor.

Clanky Woods shrieked and jumped, dragging Seele with her. Bronya aimed her weapon at the sky and fired; the bullets crashed into the handle of the scythe, dislodging it slightly. Seele managed to pull herself free, only to slam it back into the Clanky Woods’ hull. Its drill feet whirled to life and aimed themselves at her body.

This time, Bronya fired near Seele’s hand, making the girl drop her scythe just as the drills slammed into where. She dismissed her weapon, and managed to catch Seele before she crashed on the floor.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Seele shouted angrily, quickly teleporting out of Bronya’s arms. “I had that thing right where I wanted it! I could’ve ended the fight there!”

“I was saving you from being skewered to bits by those– DRILLS!” Bronya pushed Seele out of the way, narrowly avoiding being torn to bloody chunks.

“I can fight without you! I’ve been doing it my whole life!” Seele shouted, pushing Bronya as she recklessly ran towards Clanky Woods. The robot fired more missiles from its cannons, and flew towards the spire of geomarrow. Orange crystals fell from the massive vein, shattering into smaller, sharper pieces. Seele was about to teleport away, but Clanky Woods grabbed her by the neck.

Bronya tried to teleport away, but Clanky Woods grip on her neck tightened significantly. Her concentration shattered as she felt something crack, causing her body to flicker instead of disappear. Clanky Woods growled as it extended her arm to the falling shrapnel. Seele’s eyes bulged as the orange pieces came closer; she scratched at Clanky Woods claws, trying desperately to pry its hand off her.

She paused when she saw Bronya run in front of her. “What are you…!?” Seele managed to breath out before the shrapnel stabbed into her backside. Bronya grunted as multiple pieces of geomarrow, their sizes ranging from small flakes to daggers tore into her flesh. She bit her lip to keep herself from screaming, despite the sheer pain and tears beginning to well in her eyes.

Bronya then reached up, and pulled a ten-inch geomarrow shard out of her shoulder, causing blood to spew from the wound. She reared her hand back and tossed it at Clanky Woods as hard as she could. The shard pierced through its visor, destroying the camera inside.

Clanky Woods staggered backwards and dropped Seele. Without wasting a second, she pulled her scythe free and began to slash wildly at the cut the shard made. Her scythe went deeper and deeper with each swing, until she managed to drive the entire blade inside Clanky Woods’ head with one last powerful swing.

Clanky Woods was sent flying, much to the surprise of Seele. It bounced against the walls like it was a ball, before crashing in front of the geomarrow spire. A single tear of oil of its broken visor before the machine exploded, leaving no trace of its existence behind.

Finally, Bronya collapsed on the floor, falling unconscious from blood loss. Seele heard her fall to the floor, and turned around with a conflicted expression on her face. Gritting her teeth, Seele up to her and scooped her up into her arms, staining her pale arms with crimson liquid.

“Dammit, dammit!” Seele breathed as she tore off a part of her cloak and wrapped it around her shoulder wound, trying to stop the deluge of blood.

“I swear, if you die here…” Seele growled. She scooped the bleeding woman and rushed out of the mines in a desperate attempt to find Natasha before Bronya ran out of blood.

“So, what do you think?” Marx asked as he and Kirby watched them leave from the top of the spire. “You really think they can save the world?”

Kirby didn’t respond immediately. Instead he jumped down, clutching a bottle of Whispy Woods Maxim Power Punch and running towards the pair. Marx sighed and shook his head. Golden wings with rainbow colored hexagons sprouted from his back.

“You bleeding heart, you,” Marx muttered as he melted into the shadows to search for more monsters to dispatch.

VS Clanky Woods 3.0
A more advanced version of Clanky Woods, remade completely from scratch. While the defunct models were made to replace trees, this version of Clanky Woods was created to mine geomarrow from the depths of Jarilo-VI’s underworld.

SKILLS
Spire Missiles [Enhance] - At the beginning of the phase, Clanky Woods 3.0 fires four missiles into the background (max 4). At the start of Clanky Woods 3.0’s turn, if there are less than four missiles active, Clanky Woods 3.0 will launch missiles until there are four. These missiles can only be struck by AoE or Bounce SKILLS, and cannot be damaged in any other way. If a missile has not been destroyed in 3 turns, Clanky Woods 3.0 enters an enhanced state which cannot be removed and prevents it from having less than 5 toughness . On the following turn, Clanky Woods 3.0 will use “Geomarrow Avalanche.”

Missile Fire [Single Target] - Deals Wind DMG equal to 96% of Clanky Woods 3.0’s ATK.

Stomping Drills [Blast] - Deals Physical DMG equal to 155% of Clanky Woods 3.0’s ATK to the target, and 77% to adjacent enemies.

Geomarrow Tank [Bounce] - Deals Wind DMG equal to 88% of Clanky Woods 3.0’s ATK to random targets 3 to 7 times.

Skewer Drill [Single-Target] - Deals Physical DMG equal to 55% of Clanky Woods 3.0’s ATK three times, then inflicts the target with 15 stacks of Bleed.

Geomarrow Avalanche [Bounce] - Deals Physical DMG equal to 199% Clanky Woods 3.0’s ATK to random enemies 9 to 14, then fires two missiles that explode in two turns.