Assassin’s Creed

Play "Pirates' Fortress" from Majora's Mask!

Hyrule; The Wonder

A thin sliver of morning light struggled to cut through the horizon, ominous, gloomy clouds blotting the sky and putting Wonder City in a dreary light. "This is Cheren to Panini." The disguised ninja spoke in Japanese. "I'm onboard the enemy vessel. No doubt this was the reason Jerome lost contact with the Story Pirates. It seems like we'll have to defeat Rā's ahead of schedule, but we'll have a thousand ninjas to get through. I'm going to rescue Nagisa's team and take down every crewman onboard."

"Yer lucky our communicators have translators, boy. Just be careful in there. And use your Antikill bullets wisely."

Stage 28: Wonder City

Mission: Rescue the Story Pirates and defeat Rā's al Ghūl.

Cheren quietly climbed the ladder on the side of the vessel, seeing thin platforms where some lady ninjas were stationed. Cheren stepped on a platform and used Cloak Jutsu when the ninjas looked down in his direction. When they looked the other way, Cheren quickly climbed up to the first ninja's platform and silently KO'ed her with an Antikill knife, then stashed her in the Infi-Cube. He climbed up to the second ninja and repeated the maneuver. Cheren then arrived at the deck, carefully surveying the small town, which mainly consisted of two- to three-story buildings.

Cheren crept behind the first building, away from the assassins' vision, and used his Observation Haki to survey the surroundings. Cheren sensed a prisoner trapped in a building a few blocks down. He crawled around his current building and saw three Yiga chilling in an alley-like area, smoking cigarettes. "Man, why'd these ninjas have to make their ship so damn complicated?" the closest Yiga asked. "I can't find my way around anywhere."

"That's what makes it so hard for intruders to sneak on." The second Yiga replied as Cheren shot an Antikill bullet at the first one's face with his silent rifle. "'Course there are ninjas everywhere," the second glanced skyward nonchalantly, allowing Cheren to shoot past him and hit the further one, "so you'd figure it'd be harder to hide if they-" And the talking one was shot and silenced. Cheren stashed him in the Infi-Cube and crept through the alley. He hid behind a dumpster and could sense a ninja on the other side, in a striking position. Cheren climbed to a gutter pipe that went around the current building, sidling atop it until he was above the hiding ninja and sniped her.

Cheren made it to the building where the prisoner was held. Cheren peeped into a small window, seeing Hange wrapped up in multiple thin, tight strings, and several ninjas holding and tugging the ends. The way the strings were squeezing the poor scientist, they could easily slice her in pieces. "Yeeeaaah, squeeze me harder, dammit!" yelled Hange's crazy self. "This ain't even tighter than the grip of that Deku Baba Snake!"

"Why were you, a Gerudo, assisting those pirates?!" demanded a ninja. "What were you doing to the Divine Beasts? Is this an act of treason?!"

"I'll act however I want to, lady, whether it's treason or some reason, no matter how much you're squeezin'!"

Cheren crawled into a vent to get into the building, and as soon as he dropped in, rifle in hand, he entered Quick Perception: in that brief instance he was in the air, he rotated and shot Antikill at each ninja, KOing them in one fell swoop as Hange plopped on the floor. Cheren landed on the woman, who laughed, "Hahahaha, happy to serve as your placemat! Ahem…" She became serious. "I mean… thanks."

Cheren took off the Leaf Headband, shrinking to his normal form to speak English. "Were you with Sector SA?" he asked, cutting Hange's strings.

"Yes." Hange helped herself up. "Nagisa made a deal with Rā's, something about taking him to Scheherazade if they spare us. I doubt he intends to help him, but Nagisa can only stall for so long."

"We'll save them. Help me load these ninjas into the Cube and keep them tied up."

"What if they wake up and try to escape?"

"That's why Nebula lent me a hundred or so Wisps to hide in here." Cheren winked. "They'll help keep the ninjas in check until we can lock them someplace tighter."

"Hahaha, time for a bit of role reversal!" Hange helped load the ninjas in the Infi-Cube before jumping in herself. Cheren became a ninja again and climbed out of the building. He then climbed to the roof of it and set his sights on the central mast. He saw a Leaf Target and leapt forth, clinging the mast. There was a hanging rope to take him to the first crow's nest, a ninja patrolling around it. When he sensed she was away from the rope, Cheren was able to climb up undetected, silently KOing her. There were several Leaf Targets decorating one side of the sail he was under, as well as the parallel sail, but ninjas were viewing down from the topsails.

Cheren could zoom in on them with his sniper rifle and shoot them precisely in the heads, taking them down before either could notice. He could then Ninja Leap to the lowest target and advance up between both sails. He landed on the topsail and collected the ninjas before targeting the ones on the other topsail. The five ninjas were patrolling left and right in synchronized fashion, making sure they were always facing one-another, with the exception of the left or right ninjas when there was no one at their backs. When they all walked right, Cheren shot and KO'ed the very left ninja. When the others turned, only the following ninja noticed her fallen friend at first, but Cheren could hit the very right ninja since no one faced her at this time. The other two were wondering what the second-to-left ninja was looking at, so Cheren could shoot the second-to-right, middle, and then the final ninja.

Cheren jumped his way toward the central topsail and faced up at the highest crow's nest. There were Guays (crows) flapping around the top, swooping down to bite some prey that was tied up. "?!" Cheren realized that "prey" was Morgiana, chained with her back against the top of the mast. Cheren quickly climbed up and perched himself atop Morg, cutting the birds down with the Antikill knife. He had to wait for the birds to fly at them so they would fall onto the nest upon defeat (lest they fall to the deck and be spotted by the pirates).

Once Cheren defeated all the Guays, he cut Morgiana free. They dropped to the topsail as Cheren unmasked himself. "Don't worry, it's only me." Cheren smiled.

"Cheren, thank goodness. I don't know where the others are on the ship."

"We'll save them. This is actually convenient because the others and I were thinking you and Nagisa could defeat Rā's."

"I'll get myself warmed up." With that, she jumped into the Cube. From this high position, Cheren could snipe and KO the ninjas on the front topsails, and then use the available zipline to slide to it. He looked down near the left and saw a building with smoke rising out of a chimney. Thinking fire was a good torture device, Cheren carefully climbed down to investigate the source. Once on the rooftop, Cheren could pull open a broken grate and hang his head in to study: it seemed that a blonde-haired angel boy was strung up in ectoplasmic chains and held above a boiling cauldron.

"You're really pushing your luck, boy!" stated the Yiga Blademaster, accompanied by two others. "You think we can't do anything to your spirit buddies?! Cortez and Sivam can corrupt their souls as easily as soiling a lake!"

"Your threats feel hollow." Joshua remarked, unphased by the heat. "Somehow, I feel that my friends have already escaped their fates."

"Ya won't escape yours! Drop him in for another 24 hours!" They lowered a crank and submerged Joshua in the boiling stew.

"Guys, I need your help for this." Cheren called Hange and Morg out of the cube as they dropped in and engaged the armored Yiga. Hange dodged one's blade and punched him with Haki fists, taking his weapon to cut him down. Morgiana's mighty legs could easily stamp through the mask of the 2nd Yiga, while Cheren disarmed his opponent with a Shield Bash before cutting him down. Afterwards, the group turned the crank and raised the angel out of the cauldron, cutting his ecto binds.

"Many thanks for saving me, friends." Joshua said casually. "I'm a spirit, so that pain was only mildly tolerable. I'd help you guys, but these mortals ninjas are kind of outside my legal boundaries."

"Yay, legalities." Cheren rolled his eyes. "Well, do you think you could help us fight the Phantom Division?"

"Oh, those fellas? I guess we're due for a little revenge. As soon as I reunite with my friends." With that, Joshua fled the ship.

You've rescued all the members of Sector REAP! Death the Kid is unlocked as a support ally!

Cheren made his way back to the sails and toward the back area of the ship. He was above a rounded building he presumed to be the captain's cabin. He landed on the roof and peeped over the side, seeing ninjas perfectly aligned around every part of the cabin. However, he noticed one ninja texting on a phone, almost oblivious to everything around her. As luck would have it, there was a window behind her, and Cheren quietly reached down, cracked it open, and ninja-slipped inside, closing it. He was inside Rā's' cabin, filled with bottles of Diet Lazarus. Cheren noticed a hatch with a ladder leading downward. He quietly climbed down, but he could sense guards directly underneath, so he slipped into an available vent.

"I didn't ask for a riddle!" Cheren could hear Rā's' voice beneath him: he was holding a sword to Nagisa's neck, and Shiva was holding Goombella captive. "I asked for a location! Where… is… Scheherazade?!"

"I'm telling you, all she told me was that she was going to the 'Golden Land'!" Nagisa stated. "I asked her, 'Where is that at?' She told me it was 'At the end of a sweetfish river running through my beloved homet-'"

Rā's snapped his fingers. "Aaaaaaahhh!" There was screaming further ahead, as Killua was pressed under a giant, block-shaped stamp machine, mustering all his strength to keep the device suspended. His knees were faltering, so Cheren quickly crawled toward him. The vent let out above the stamp machine, so Cheren could sneak on. "Call your Scheherazade and have her give us the name of her hometown, or better yet, an exact location." Cheren pulled open a panel on the machine and tore up the wires. "If she doesn't within the next five minutes, I'll break this boy's legs. After another five, his arms, and I doubt he'll have much to go on after… that?"

Rā's noticed Killua's screams were softening, and the Sheikah was able to straighten his legs to full height and raise the stamp. "Ah… I guess I'm getting stronger."

"Lord Rā's, something is wrong with the machine!" the operator ninja said. "I can't bring it down!"

"Then throw your swords at the boy's legs! Surely he can't dodge them without losing his-" (End song.)

Morgiana and Hange BURST out of the cube, the Fanalis immediately stamping the Demon's Head in the skull while Hange lunged at Shiva, rescuing Goombella. The other ninjas tried to attack Killua, but Cheren sliced them down with the Antikill knife, allowing Killua to escape from under the stamp and help fight them. "Hurry, knock out Rā's and tie him up as a hostage!" Hange ordered.

"No, you have it all wrong!" Goombella yelled. "That isn't Rā's, it's one of his-"

Morg gasped when the Sand Clone of Rā's dissolved into dust. At that instant, a gush of sand spewed out of a large grate in the center of the room, opening it as the sand swept around and knocked everyone off their feet. "AAAAH!" Nagisa was grabbed by the sand and dragged into the darkness.

"NAGISA!" Morgiana tried to grab him, but the grate immediately sealed.

Shiva swiftly recovered and grabbed a speaker. "All assassins, report down to the brig! We have several intruders, the Demon's Head is under attack!"

Within seconds, the first wave of ninjas rushed into the room, drawing blades and attacking. Killua and Morgiana worked in tandem to fight the warriors, Cheren reverting to his normal form to aid them. "I have to go down there and help Nagisa!" Morg yelled.

"Wait, I only sense him and Rā's down there!" Cheren said. "We need to keep these ninjas from going down after them!"

"But Nagisa can't fight by himself!"

"Awe, have you two grown dependent of each other?" Killua teased, kicking a ninja away.

"This is serious! Rā's is strong, and Nagisa's not exactly the 'powerhouse' of the group."

"But he is an assassin. Assassins are all about strategy, not power. He'll at least survive long enough until we get down there."

"But he doesn't even have Antikill on him!"

"Yes he does!" Cheren beamed. "I… think my Infi-Cube got swept down there with the sand. Whoopsie!" He blushed at his mistake.

Nagisa landed in a giant chamber completely covered in sand. Rā's raised him by the neck. "I just knew you were going to pull a stunt like this." Rā's said to the struggling boy. Nagisa glanced down and noticed the half-buried Infi-Cube. "I'll teach you what happens to those who cross the Demon's Head. I'll dry you to a-"

Nagisa kicked him in the gut, escaped, and snatched the Infi-Cube as he leapt away. "Don't mistake me for a helpless little girl, Rā's. I'm not just a man… I'm a monster like no other." With a wicked grin, Nagisa drew a rubber knife from the cube. "I'll take you down so fast, you won't even feel a thing." (Play "Vampire Killer" from Castlevania Judgment!)

Boss fight: Demon's Head of the League of Assassins, RĀ'S AL GHŪL

Rā's dove into the sand as five clones emerged around Nagisa, the boy using Paper Art to dodge their consecutive lunge-and-stabs, but they all worked in tandem to try and cut him out of the air. He studied them carefully until he spotted one's eyes glowing, quickly using Shave to zip behind Rā's and stab him with a Finger Pistol. Nagisa immediately reverted to Paper, knowing he would be greeted with a slash, but then Rā's brought up a sand bubble to completely engulf the boy. The sand hardened with Haki, and he intended to crush Nagisa in the Sand Coffin. Knowing his paper weight couldn't escape this, Nagisa used two Tempest Kicks to slice an opening for himself, leaving Paper Art to handle the rest.

Rā's just as swiftly trapped him again, ready to crush Nagisa within the black sand, but as soon as he threw the first Tempest, Rā's punctured the bubble and cut Nagisa's hip. The boy grunted and immediately Shaved away. Rā's slashed the moment he saw Nagisa respawn, but his form turned to mist—an afterimage. Nagisa was Shaving all over the sandpit, leaving afterimages everywhere and confusing the assassin. Instead, Rā's willed the sand to heat and closed his nose and eyes, listening for Nagisa's dripping blood from the wound, and when he heard the newest drop hit and sizzle on the sand, the man hurled his sword. Nagisa gasped and dodged by a hair's breadth, but he was quickly ensnared in a sand-hand and slammed into the wall.

Rā's surfed up the sand-arm and grabbed Nagisa by the neck. "I can always find out Scheherazade's location from the others." Rā's hissed as he began to dry Nagisa's body.

"Want your sword back?" he gasped as his left hand tugged a string.

Rā's cocked a brow, thinking Nagisa had used some technique to tie that string to his sword just as it flew by, and for a split second glanced right, thinking he was about to be stabbed, but that split second of worry was all Nagisa needed to CLAP. Rā's was startled for just the briefest instance, and his hold on Nagisa faltered just enough so the boy could escape with a Moon Walk, followed by a Tempest Kick up Rā's' left side. A long, though not deep gash was carved into his flesh. The assassin hurled large Sand Fists at Nagisa, who used Iron Body to defend. Rā's flew to get his sword back, then dove underground. He stabbed up from beneath Nagisa, only to hit an afterimage.

Again he was using the afterimage technique, so Rā's again heated the sand and listened for sizzling blood. He flew toward the newest drop and slashed—the afterimage faded, and a light jar bonked him in the head. Apparently, Nagisa dipped his blood into the jar and tossed it in the air, where it would flip and drip it back on the ground—CLAP, Rā's was startled, and Nagisa cleaved his back with another light Tempest. "Ghhh… ugh…" Though the injuries weren't deep, Rā's' natural fatigue began to become him, so he drew a syringe of Diet Lazarus and injected himself. His wounds began to heal, but he remained stationary as the sensation coursed through, allowing Nagisa to Shave up, dance around, and gracefully cut him with the Antikill knife. "What do you hope to accomplish with that toy?!" Rā's punched sand, Nagisa leaping away. "If you were smart, you would've knocked the syringe out of my hand."

"That's your life support, isn't it? You have to take it or you die. However, it seems that absorbing it strains your nervous system, and when you add the effect of my Antikill knife, it might be able to numb your muscles entirely."

"You will NOT escape this battle unless you kill me!" Rā's dove underneath and came up with 10 Sand Clones, all sliding circles around Nagisa as they stirred up the dust. The heavier sand prevented Nagisa from seeing the glow, so he instead slashed a 360-degree Tempest. The clones merely leapt over, high in the air as they closed in on Nagisa, who Shaved away, followed by Paper to evade their onslaught of stabs. Seeing this was doing nothing, Rā's trapped him in a Sand Coffin. This time, Rā's willed spikes to grow on the inside and shoot at Nagisa, who could only use Paper Art. If he tried to use Tempest to escape, he would be hit by the bullet spikes, but if he didn't escape, the coffin would close in and crush.

However, Nagisa could will his Paper body to float up to the ceiling and situate himself between the spikes (since none shot from the floor). When the coffin was about to snap shut, he slashed a Tempest into the ground to split the sand, dropping in and hiding to avoid the crushing coffin. Rā's growled, noticing the hole in the ground, from which Nagisa jumped out and sent a Tempest. Rā's countered with his own sword and leapt for a diagonal slash, Nagisa dodging, then Rā's thrusted his fist up, and Nagisa was hit by a sand-uppercut. He reeled backward, Rā's seizing the chance to jump and cut him, but the grinning boy whipped out a gun and shot him in the head.

The rubber bullet bounced off his face, but Rā's was not fooled, continuing his attack, and Nagisa's right shoulder was cut while dodging. The boy ran from his opponent, who brought up a sandwave in his path and brought it down, trapping Nagisa and leaving his head exposed. Rā's stepped up calmly and held his blade to Nagisa's neck. "Now I know for certain you have no intent to kill. Your toys and tricks will no longer deceive me, and the most you will do are light cuts. And yet, I don't understand why your blood smells so fresh!" He pulled back his blade and struck Nagisa's neck, but it bounced against his Iron Body. Rā's hardened the sword and kept hitting the neck, Nagisa applying more chi to keep his skin sturdy, but it was futile. "NNNAAA!"

The blade cut the skin, but Rā's held himself back just then. He pulled the sword out and sniffed his blood. "This blood reeks of a strong desire to kill, yet it's so clean, as if it hasn't once gotten dirty. With just a little push… a little taste… you could awaken your inner demon." Rā's forced Nagisa's mouth open with sand, the boy struggling more desperately than ever as the sword was held above the mouth. A couple drops of blood fell from the blade onto his tongue.

Nagisa had never truly tasted blood, not even his own, but… his tongue danced with its flavor. A shadow fell over his eyes, which gleamed blue and soulless, and a deathly aura of black and red encased his body. To Rā's' surprise, his trapped head turned to mist—the assassin was kicked in the back by the escaped Nagisa. He turned to face the boy in a new light, his hair grown longer and flowing. "Well… if you really want me to." A line of afterimages zoomed up to Rā's, who suffered a kick to the gut from a different direction. Nagisa then used Life Return to repair his own cuts. "Get a taste of my Bloodlust Fury!"

Rā's gasped, sensing the boy suddenly behind him, but the sword cut through an afterimage, and Rā's was greeted with a flurry of punches before he was flung away. Rā's watched as Nagisa extended his own fingernails into blades using Life Return. I knew he had bloodlust! It won't be long until he tastes some of my own! The Demon's Head smirked as Nagisa zipped to his left, ready to impale him with his nails. Once he tastes my Lazarus-filled blood, he will become addicted to the substance. He'll carve me in pieces and drink every drop, and I will be born anew! …Eh?

He realized Nagisa was clawing him from all directions like a playful kitty, his nails very gentle. "?!" Rā's realized his nails had Antikill on them. "AAAAGH!" The sand around him erupted, Nagisa zipping back, and the Head began to pelt the boy with a storm of giant Black Sand Fists. "Even in this form, why do you refuse to kill me?!"

"What, disappointed?" Nagisa's grin was stapled to his face. "Lust is only powerful when I don't get what I want. As long as I deny myself the chance to taste your blood, my Lust is even stronger." Nagisa zipped to Rā's' left, shooting aerial Finger Pistols, Rā's reactively positioning his sword in defense, but Nagisa had already thrown his rubber knife up, the soft weapon hitting Rā's in the head, numbing him just slightly for Nagisa to puncture his stomach. The boy zipped up to study that tiny ounce of blood, but Nagisa bit his mouth shut, restraining himself, and kicked Rā's across the pit.

Rā's felt fatigue returning, so he injected himself with the Lazarus. Nagisa whipped out twin pistols, crossed arms, and bombarded him with Antikill bullets. "I refuse to be defeated by your pacifism!" Rā's entered Sand Fury, molding a giant sand statue of himself, in which he took refuge in the heart. Nagisa unloaded a storm of Tempest Kicks to scatter and disorient the titan, but a bunch of sand hands shot up to envelop the boy. He Shaved to safety, but the hands were everywhere with no chance of a break, and Nagisa's Tempests were merely scattering the sand, which would just as swiftly reform and attack him.

Nagisa ignited with Bloodlust and blazed through the sand, going to the foot of the Rā's titan and digging his way up, locating the assassin and ripping him out of the titan's heart. Rā's dissolved his Antikill nails into sand, and upon landing, Rā's trapped them both in a Sand Coffin, then enveloped himself in a shield. Haki spikes grew from the coffin and flew at Nagisa, but the boy endured the spikes and attacked Rā's' shield with Tempests. When the shield ruptured, Rā's flew out to stab him—he hit an afterimage, and Nagisa brought down the Antikill knife from above—Rā's grabbed and dissolved it.

Rā's brought his sword down onto Nagisa's head, his Iron Body shielding himself. He simply brought sand up to catch the boy, save for his head, and was able to stab him in the face. Blood drenched the sword as Rā's snarled, "So, that's the end. …?!" The head and blood faded away like an afterimage. Before Rā's could even question this, he heard the echo of a singing bird.

"Humming Bird technique." Nagisa's soft whisper was up against Rā's' ear. "Fooled ya." The boy was clinging Rā's' back, the Head reaching back to grab him. He channeled heat to his hands and began to shrivel Nagisa's body. "Huff… what is… this technique?" Nagisa gasped.

"My Sand Chi allows me to dry bodies of liquid. You must drink something to recover your blood. But there's only one thing to drink." Rā's smirked. "Can you restrain your bloodlust now?"

"Haaaaahh… just… a little…" His mouth growing more skeletal, Nagisa sank his teeth into Rā's neck.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" Even in his weakened state, Rā's didn't expect Nagisa to bite so hard. His neck was in unimaginable pain, as if Nagisa was violently, yet very slowly tearing his flesh like paper. "Heh heh heh… I KNEW YOU COULDN'T RESIST IT! Now you'll know the true, addictive power of Lazarus! Nagisa… take my place as the Demon's Head. Let our souls become one as we continue to smite evil… under Lord… Mandy's… name…?" His head growing numb, Rā's believed the end of his life had arrived. He fell to his knees, then all the way on his front. It would not be long until his eyes faded…

And yet, no blood spilled around Nagisa's teeth, and no liquid quenched his thirsty body. Still, he had enough strength to use the Spider Bite technique, sending imaginary pain through Rā's' body, all while the Antikill slathered on Nagisa's teeth weakened Rā's' senses. "You know, Rā's… a good assassin would end a sleeping target without a second thought. Completely unaware that death would come. A never-ending dream. But me… I prefer to wake up the next day and keep living the life I love. I want my targets to repent their actions in their sleep and wake up a better person. And if you don't, Rā's… I'll put you to sleep again."

Nagisa grabbed Rā's' Lazarus syringe and injected him in the spine, all while sinking his Antikill teeth into the neck. The mixture of both substances stirred his veins and muscles to a point where they ultimately fell numb. "Good night, Rā's… sleep tight… the Gentle Assassin… is here to protect you…" (End song.)

Killua and Morgiana dropped into the sandpit, seeing both Rā's and a shriveled Nagisa unconscious on the ground. "Uh-oh… Looks like Rā's hit him a little too hard. Hope you know how to breast feed." Killua remarked.

Morgiana kicked him in the gut. "Let's just get him some water, hurry!"

…

"Mmm…aaaahh…" Nagisa felt as if his own flesh just reflated like a balloon, his mouth still dry. As his senses came to, finding himself on a couch, he saw Rā's and Shiva, heavily chained with chi-blocks. The woman in question also had knuckle and foot-shaped indents on her head.

"Well, even if you're rude and vulgar, at least you're reliable in a pinch." Nagisa glanced over, seeing Killua and Morg talking.

"You're not bad yourself." Killua smiled. "Nagisa's got nothin' to worry about with you watching his back."

"Thanks. …And don't worry about Gon, I'm sure he's fine, too."

"Well of course I know that, don't go doubting him, baka."

"Excuse me for being consoling!"

"Aw, man." Nagisa sighed. "Did I just miss the team-up of a lifetime?"

"You sure did, pal." Cheren poked him teasingly. "They worked very well together. Anyway, we were able to capture the whole ship, and the GKND are coming to secure these assassins. Hange already wrote up a plan for the Divine Beasts, too."

"Heh… we're gettin' kinda close to fightin' Lord Mandy, aren't we?" Nagisa chuckled. "Then it's just the rest of them… sigh…"

"I didn't know Nagisa could go into Bloodlust Fury by drinking his own blood." Goombella said. "It's not just a World Ring power-up, anymore."

"No, but I didn't feel as strong as I did back then. I didn't have as strong a grasp on the Advanced Series, and I'm totally pooped. I honestly can't believe I beat a guy who was 4,000 Level Units above me."

"Power Levels aren't everything." Goombella shrugged, smiling knowledgably. "It isn't just physical strength that wins battles, it's how to use technique and exploit enemy weaknesses. Rā's was weakened with a lack of pure Lazarus, so the Antikill helped to numb him."

"Hmm… To think I actually doubted you could do it on your own." Morgiana smiled at her boyfriend in pride. "I guess you don't always need me…"

"I'm sorry we didn't get to team up, Morg. Don't worry, there's plenty of war left to go!" Nagisa flashed a sweet grin.

Gamer Shrine

Jenny and Gaz were mounted on skateboards as the shrine projected a virtual illusion of a power plant skate course. The "sky" was pitch-black while the structures resembled giant lava lamps of electrical currents. Jenny launched off a fifty-foot ramp and did a back-flip and diagonal front-flip, flexed her right leg around her front and back, then propped her hands against the board as she clacked her heels in the air—barely returning to her upright position in time to land on a narrow track that curved right. She grinded her board along the left rim, stood on one hand, and twirled around six times, but her hand inched to the side and nearly made her lose balance. She landed on her feet and regained control of the board on the track, which launched her off a ramp as she spun leftward three times.

Jenny landed on stable ground and glanced up at the scoreboard: she was over 110,000 points while Gaz was breaching 115,000 and counting. (Neither of them were actually moving, it was simply the projection moving around them, and both were segregated in their own course.) Jenny skated into a bowl and did a cartwheel around the rim, followed by a tornado spin, then aerial, diagonal spins. Jenny skated backwards out of the bowl and into the air, performing some flips—"AAAH!" she bumped her head against a moving rail on a track, causing her to trip off the board.

The simulation disappeared. "Heh. You fell off first this time." Gaz said. "But my score was still higher. That's five losses in a row."

"Psst. Eddy." Quill whispered. "How's it going?"

"I've almost cracked the system. You may have to sit through at least one more game."

"I won't just be sitting. HEY, GAS! How about having a crack at me?!"

"You must feel very clever to think of that one." Gaz remarked.

"It's all yours, Quill." Jenny stated, putting her skates back on and rolling to the barrier. "She was cheating, anyway."

"And where's your proof?"

"What do you think?" Jenny banged the barrier for emphasis. She rolled through while Quill entered.

The shortest operative took the controller from the stand. "I wanna do a racing game. Handheld controls."

"Fine by me." Gaz clicked that option on her controller.

"So, what do you plan to do when all this is over? You know Mandy's not gonna win, right? And even if she could, we're not letting you stay. We're bringing you in, and you'll have to answer for your crimes."

"I'll cross that bridge when it comes. For now, I just wanna play games."

"Hmph…you know, that's what I like about Miko. When she apologizes, she tries to make things right."

Miko glanced over at hearing this. She felt a tinge of warmth at the compliment, but returned her head to a bowing position.

A projection of a racetrack appeared. Quill's car was black with a white streak while Gaz's car was purple with monster fangs at the front. The cars were facing the Dueling Peaks, a mountain split into a trench with a river flowing through. "We're gonna start at the Dueling Peaks, drive up Hateno Mountain, then down to Hateno Beach, which we'll drive along until we reach Lurelin Village. Need a map?"

"I can manage."

A timer counted down: three… two… one… GO! Both racers mashed the gas button and zoomed up the valley. The cars started neck-in-neck and bumped each other. As they zoomed over a short bridge, they ran through some ?-Blocks: Gaz earned a banana peel while Quill got a Boost Shroom. He seized the chance to zoom forward, driving through a Bulblin camp. Quill expertly dodged the demons' arrows and sped alongside a river, about to enter the Dueling Peaks. Just as he passed the rim, a banana peel flew and sniped him. Quill swirled to a halt, then Gaz rammed him into the river as she zoomed past. Quill struggled to get his car out of the water and return on track.

"Hmm…aha…" Eddy smirked, his glasses shining with millions of coded characters. "Yeah… it's not too different from Mario Kart. So, let's see if I can help."

Quill's car glitched as a Gold Shroom appeared on his screen. He smirked and mashed the boost button, swiftly zooming through the canyon and turning a tight left around a horse stable. Gaz had driven over a stone bridge and dropped a bomb, but Quill steered to the very right edge and avoided the bomb's radius. He picked up another ?-Block on the way and acquired a Red Shell. He turned right and cut through a field of dead Guardians, though some of them fired lasers at the racers. Gaz's car was in sight, but he waited until he was past the Hateno Gate before firing the Red Shell. It homed in on Gaz's car, but the woman shifted position behind a boulder and tricked it into crashing.

Quill growled and focused on driving up the mountain path. Gaz acquired a Frisbee power-up, and when they drove through a forest, she fired it at the trees to make them snap off and roll down. Quill had gotten a Spring Pad power-up, using it to propel himself over the rolling trees, as well as bypass some of the snaky turns. Gaz had remained but a few feet ahead of Quill. His car glitched as a Place Swap item appeared. Quill shot it at Gaz and gained the lead, just in time for them to enter Hateno Village. "So, you resorted to cheating, is that it?"

"Well, it's not like we're in the mood to play." Quill stated.

Eddy inputted another command to give Quill invincibility. His car flashed rainbow colors and gained enhanced speed. He zoomed up the village without a car, flying over the top of the mountain and down the other side. Gaz hit a ?-Block and acquired the Blue Shell: she waited for Quill's flashing to disappear, pursuing the younger racer down the mountain. Once it wore off, she fired the shell. It homed in on Quill with no intervention and struck his car, causing him to tumble down the mountain and onto the beach. Gaz sped up and rammed his car with enough force to shove him into the sea. "Sorry, kid, but cheaters never-"

Gaz gasped when flames were fired at her, taking her controller and jumping away from the terminal. Quill was mercilessly shooting his Elementors at her. "Yeah, well get burned, bitch."

Eddy inputted another code to assume command of Quill's car. He drove out of the sea and crossed the beach. Gaz's focus was hindered with the flames assaulting her, but Quill would disperse the flames with ice as he left his post. He then shot wind to knock Gaz off her feet, though her hold of the controller was firm. "You really can't take your eyes off that thing, can you?"

"No. And I don't like being disturbed."

"Hmph. Well, too bad." Quill combined ice and wind to create a blizzard, causing Gaz to shudder. Her fingers quivered and caused her car to falter. She was seconds from crossing the Finish Line, but Eddy had acquired one last power-up: he fired a banana peel and caused Gaz's car to swirl and stop, and Eddy zoomed past and crossed the Finish immediately after.

Quill lowered his weapons and allowed Gaz to stand. "Sigh…it appears I lost." She limped back to her control station. With a few, quivering button-presses, the barrier disabled.

Eddy shot a grappler to Gaz's leg and pulled her down. He then leapt and BASHED her in the head with his computer, causing an unbearable, dizzy, ringing sensation. Miko and the Hinobi agents approached her with weapons raised and spiteful glares.

"Where… is… Mitch?" Miko demanded.

"…He's… in a cellar… behind a waterfall at the Lanayru Ruins. Just keep going up the hill past this shrine, through the forest… and you'll see it."

"…Thanks." Miko extracted her K.O. Hammer and SMASHED her.

"COUGH! Uck…I'll… see you… in Aincrad…" Gaz spoke her last before passing out.

"…" The friends hung their heads in silence. Even this victory left little satisfaction in their hearts. Their friends were still dead.

"…Um…thanks for helping out there." Quill said to Eddy. "You're a pretty cool driver."

"Thanks…"

"…" Jenny looked over to Carmine. "Hey… I'm really sorry about what I said. I was really frustrated… but you were just trying to keep me calm."

"I know… but I shouldn't be calm at all. It's my fault that Drake-"

"It was an accident. Drake wouldn't blame you… and neither will we."

"…" Carmine couldn't bring herself to smile or thank her.

After cuffing Gaz and throwing her in the Infi-Cube, the team began their ascent up the elevator shaft. "…You know… I don't think I knew Haneesh very well." Miko admitted. "I feel like I've been more upset about Drake all this time… I feel awful."

"I guess we didn't invite you to hang out much." Bergy figured. "But hey… even though we didn't know Drake as well, we can still feel sad together… right?"

"Yeah…" Jenny sighed. "I hope… we don't lose anyone else."

The elevator reached its destination, their eyes needing to adjust to the light of the outside. "Hey! You finally made it back!" Awaiting them was Irken leader, Giz, alongside a band of Irken operatives. "What took you so long? Was my mother down there?"

"See for yourself." Jenny said as they dumped Gaz out of the cube.

"MOTHER!" Giz gasped. "You…You look horrible! What happened to her?!"

"Just take her away." Zahra demanded, the teams proceeding up the hill. "We got a leader to save."

The operatives crossed the forest and entered a canyon, setting foot on the bricked path of some flooded ruins. They followed the sounds of the waterfall until it came within view. They jumped their way up some stone pillars and followed a path leading behind the waterfall. There was a hidden cave with a stairway, leading to a lonely old cellar.

Clothed in ragged prison wear, Mitch Williams lay glumly on the bench. His eyes shot open upon hearing someone entering, and he sat up with an expression of relief. "M-Miko! Five!"

"Mitch!" Five exclaimed. "Phew…were you here all this time?"

"Gaz had me moved here just recently. …Hey, is it really true? Is Haneesh… really gone?"

"Y-Yeah…" Zahra answered guiltily. "You already knew?"

"Yeah… she told me." Mitch approached the cell door as Five had shot it open. "I…I'm sorry this happened."

"He wasn't the only one." Miko said. "Drake is also gone…"

"Right… the nose-puncher. Sigh…"

They were internally surprised by Mitch's behavior. They had almost expected some sort of snide remark or aggravating tangent about their lateness… but it seemed he knew that it wasn't the time for it.

"At this point… I think our part in this war is done." Five decided. "We made some mistakes and wish we could've done things differently… but we need to accept what happened and move on. So, let's get off this planet. The others will take care of the rest."

"Yeah…" Miko agreed. "Let's go home."

Soul of Competition

The Sports Star Pirates were completely surrounded by ghost ships, their dark presence causing storms to swallow the sky. "Karin, there's way too many!" Kodama shouted. "I won't have enough fireworks!"

"KIDS NEXT DOOR!" A voice bellowed in the distance, and it possessed the rugged tone of a traditional pirate. Two ominous ships were brimming with ghostly flames: the Black Skull, belonging to Commander Cortez, and the Phantom Hour, captained by General Bellum. "Yer time of playing pirate has come to an end!" yelled Cortez. "We'll take Princess Cindy from yer hold and sink that pitiful ship to Davy Jones' Locker! And should ye fools be so lucky, you will serve Her Majesty for the rest of your days!"

"Looks like they're right on schedule." Karin remarked in sarcasm.

"PLEASE, I don't wanna die!!" cried Meiling, ducking on the deck. "I was gonna be the bridesmaid at Kinomoto-san and Syaoran-kun's wedding! Please let me live for just a bit longer!"

"No one's gonna die here!" Karin proclaimed. "Keeps your chins up and keep fighting! The back-up's gonna be here any moment!"

Dozens of miles behind the fleet of ships, a young man was zooming across the ocean on a skateboard, his black cloak flapping behind him. "Just look at their formation. They're so… asymmetrical." Death the Kid stated in disgust. "You make me sick…"