Inside Black Paradise, the meeting room remains silent.
Everyone continues to watch the massive digital screen, which continues to display the past of the life of the real Susan.
She sits alone in her private chamber at the top of the tallest tower on the planet.
The room is alive with digital lights.
Hundreds of floating digital screens surround her, filled with cascading numbers, scans, blueprints, and simulations. Entire worlds appear and vanish in projected models, civilizations collapsing, planets dying.
At the center of it all is one image.
The God of Gods, Everest.
Susan studies it in silence then another screen activates. It shows the city far below her tower.
Thousands of people crowd the streets, screaming, holding signs:
"KILL THE DEMON!"
"GREATEST HUMAN TURNED EVIL!"
"EVIL IN DISGUISE!"
"SAVE US? MORE LIKE KILL US!"
Military forces surround the building. Armed vehicles hover in the air as soldiers fire lasers at the reinforced doors, slowly breaking them down.
Susan doesn't react to it much as her mind is elsewhere.
Another screen flickers to life, showing her soulmate, the face of a demon.
She stares at the image, unblinking.
Beside her, a fusion core floats in the air, spinning slowly, radiating overwhelming power.
Susan reaches out and grips it then walks onto the balcony.
Dozens of armed, flying military vehicles immediately flies to her, weapons charging. Lasers fire but the barrier shielding the tower absorbs every blast.
Susan lifts her chin with a serious gaze as her voice echoes across the entire planet.
"My fellow people of the world… I understand your fear all too well," she says calmly. "Since you all know what is happening within our Universal Garden. Our God of Gods is dead. And you know the demons are to blame."
She pauses.
"But after discovering that the love of my life is a demon… I have accepted my fate."
A voice booms from one of the military craft.
"Lady Susan," a soldier says through the loudspeakers, "hand over the fusion core. So we can save ourselves. You are no longer fit to decide humanity's future!"
Susan smiles sadly.
She spreads her arms, the fusion core blazing in her hand.
"When life is on the line," she says, "the tides of humanity turn quickly when an anomaly appears even when that anomaly is their greatest human alive."
Her gaze hardens.
"So be it."
She looks out across her world one final time.
"I have achieved nearly everything life has to offer," she continues softly. "But the one thing I never found… was true love."
She closes her eyes.
"I will follow my destiny, until the very end."
Suddenly, the top half of the tower rips itself free from the rest of the structure.
Metal screams, energy surges as the upper section transforms, unfolding into a colossal spaceship with engines igniting as it blasts into the sky.
Susan stands at the edge, watching her planet grow smaller beneath her.
For a moment she hesitates but then turns away.
She enters the cockpit and grips the controls, guiding her ship through space. Outside the viewport, the remains of countless destroyed worlds drift silently, shattered continents, broken stars, lifeless debris suspended in the void.
She presses a button on the dashboard.
The nearby fusion core spins faster, humming violently as energy surges throughout the ship. Light races along the hull and in an instant, the vessel vanishes.
The ship reappears within the Universal Tree of Light.
She flies through its radiant core, then bursts out into the endless void beyond. Her breath catches as she then sees it. Countless massive Universal Trees stretching across infinity. Many of them are scarred, their trunks hollowed out by raging black holes. Some are collapsing entirely.
She watches as one entire universe shatters before her eyes, breaking apart into pure darkness.
Tears well up in her eyes.
"It's so sad to see life itself die like this…" she whispers. "But I have to know… why is my soulmate a demon?"
She tightens her grip on the controls and maneuvers through the Universal Garden. From a distance, her ship is nothing more than a tiny swirl of light drifting through the cosmic sea.
Suddenly, she enters a region filled with massive explosions.
Shockwaves tear through space. Dark holes rip open everywhere, their gravitational pull devouring entire Universal Trees. The garden screams in silence as worlds are erased.
She struggles to keep control, narrowly avoiding collapsing voids and violent bursts of energy. The ship shakes, alarms blaring, but she presses forward.
Then, silence....
The explosions fade. The dark holes vanish and that's when she sees something her view.
A massive demon floating in space, his body as large as an entire planet. She slowly approaches, her ship dwarfed by his immense form. As she draws closer, she sees his face, the same face from her soulmate's revelation.
Her eyes widen.
Without warning, streams of digital light pour out from her ship, surging toward the demon's body as it enters the body and begins analyzing. She turns to a holographic screen as data scrolls rapidly across it.
Her face becomes pales as she takes a couple steps back.
"He's… dying…" she says, her voice trembling.
She looks back just as smoke begins to rise from the demon's face. His body starts to fade, dissolving into the void.
"No!" she screams.
Desperation surges through her as she activates Ultra Syndicate. Her mind accelerates to impossible speeds, thoughts branching endlessly as she searches for any solution, any way to save the love of her life.
"I have to do something!" she says, her voice shaking.
Inside the meeting room, Yunbam and Wade are in tears as they watch the scene unfold on the digital screen.
Basil, however, remains completely still.
His eyes are locked onto the projection, sharp and unblinking, his expression more serious than ever. He doesn't look away, not even for a second.
Around them, the others in the room watch in silence, drawn in by what's happening on the screen.
Meanwhile, in the Star Games, on Treasure Island.
Atop a high cliff, Ignis kicks open a golden treasure chest. Points burst into the air as a metal bat shoots out from inside. He snatches it midair.
From his vantage point, the entire island stretches below him. Stars scatter across the terrain, racing to uncover treasure. In several areas, clashes have already erupted between the White Team and the Black Team, steel against steel, fists against armor, and magic explosions.
Ignis tightens his grip on the bat.
"I have to find their Special treasure to end it all."
He dashes forward, leaping from the cliff and sprinting across the forest. As he runs, he swings his bat, knocking down several unsuspecting Stars from the black team. Each hit earns him a point.
Above the island, the massive scoreboard updates:
White: 139
Black: 121
A timer ticks beside it.
1 HR 40 M REMAINING
Elsewhere, within the World Tree.
Voytek and Corvex clash repeatedly, their swords ringing with each violent impact. Sparks fly as their blades grinds against each other.
Nearby, Hans stands before a massive diamond chest. He grips its lid and pulls but suddenly a translucent menu flashes in front of him.
"Enemy team too near."
"What?!" Hans yells. "We have to drive them away so we can open this!"
Around them, Stars from both teams collide in full combat, magic, fists, and weapons crashing together in chaos.
Voytek blocks another strike and glares at Corvex.
"Of course you'd be on the other team!"
Corvex snarls as their blades locks in another clash.
"I'll do whatever it takes to get out of here," she snaps. "So I can be with Nox again!"
They exchange blows again and again. Corvex suddenly spins, delivering a powerful kick that sends Voytek crashing to the ground, before she could follow up.
Hans charges forward, wielding a metal staff. He swings at Corvex, forcing her back.
"Corvex, stop! We can figure this out, we're on the same team!"
Their weapons collides in a flash. Hans strains as he pushes forward.
"We don't have to hurt each other! I'm sure there's a way for both teams to win!"
"Don't speak nonsense!" Corvex snaps.
She shoves him away. Voytek recovers just in time to catch Hans before he falls. Both of them slide back and take battle stances as the fighting continues around them.
"She's already decided," Voytek says grimly. "She wants to win it all. We have no choice but to fight!"
"Then why is she still in our party?!" Hans yells. "That means she's still a friend!"
Corvex freezes, just for a moment.
Voytek grits his teeth. "Only because Nox is still in the party!"
Hans steps forward again, refusing to back down.
"Listen, Corvex. Sir Tobias told me earlier, this whole thing is still a puzzle after all. There's no way this is just a simple treasure hunt with points. This is the puzzle monster's domain. We're missing something."
Corvex pauses, eyes narrowing.
"I'm done thinking," she says coldly. "I only want to win."
A second sword materializes in her free hand.
Voytek responds by summoning several glowing magic scrolls that begin floating around him.
Hans takes a deep breath.
"If we work together… we can all win."
Corvex doesn't answer.
She charges.
Voytek activates a scroll. Fireballs erupt, filling the air. Corvex slashes through them, cutting each one apart as she parkours her way forward with spins and flips.
Another scroll activates, this one unleashing a massive surge of water that floods the battlefield, blasting Stars away in every direction.
Hans leaps onto his staff, riding it just above the rushing waters.
Through the torrent, he sees Corvex carving a path forward, both blades slicing cleanly through the flow as the water parts around her.
From behind the wave, Voytek emerges.
He hurls a glowing wind blade.
Corvex blocks it but Voytek shouts, "Wind transformation, release!"
The blade detonates into a spiraling tornado, pushing Corvex backward as the floodwaters finally subside.
She digs her heels in, struggling to push back then she hears Hans's voice.
"Extend!"
She then sees Hans metal staff rockets through the tornado, extending mid-flight. It slams into Corvex's chest, launching her backward and trapping her inside the wind spiral.
With a furious scream, she shreds the tornado apart and lands hard, far from the center of the battlefield.
Her eyes widen.
Hans stands before the diamond chest. With a kick it bursts open, releasing 100 points and a glowing diamond puzzle piece, which Hans catches.
Corvex gets more mad with veins popping from her forhead.
"This isn't over!"
She prepares to charge again
But Hans raises the puzzle piece that floats in his palm.
"Look, Corvex! I told you, there's something beyond this simple game!"
A menu appears in front of her eyes.
"Assemble the pieces for the secret ending."
She stares at it… then scoffs.
"You guys can figure that out," she says, as she is slowly walking forward. "I'm going to win this the easier way!"
She charges back in , dual blades flashing as she cuts through Stars in the white team. Her teammates also rally behind her.
Voytek shouts, "Go, Hans! You and Tobias can figure this out! I'll hold her back!"
Hans nods hard.
"Stay strong, Gramps! We'll win this, together!"
Hans sprints away with several Stars as Voytek turns back toward Corvex, with magic scrolls ready once more.
Meanwhile, Ignis reaches the ruined castle.
He pauses and glances up at the massive scoreboard floating in the sky.
White: 346
Black: 257
"Oh we're actually in the lead."
He turns back toward the castle just as its massive front doors creak open.
Crank steps out.
His muscles flex as he rolls his shoulders, then freezes in surprise.
"…It's you."
Ignis blinks, equally shocked.
"Wow. You guys are on the other team!" He quickly smiles. "That actually makes things a lot easier."
He casually walks forward, completely unguarded.
"Remember my great friend Tobias? He's figured something out," Ignis says. "We don't have to fight. There must be another way to clear this puzzle."
Before he can finish, Crank's fist slams into him, sending Ignis skidding across the dirt. He rolls, catches himself, and springs back to his feet.
"Hey!" Ignis snaps. "Were you even listening?! We're still in the same party!"
Crank plants his feet and raises his guard.
"Of course I heard you," he says evenly. "But I still have my honor to uphold. Fight me first, then we'll talk about your fancy plan."
Ignis dusts himself off, sighing.
"…Right. I forgot. You're a Boa after all."
He grips his bat and points it forward.
"If it's a game or a fight with rules, you'll honor it.....Fine. I'll play along."
Ignis charges.
His bat swings forward and collides with Crank's massive fist.
The shockwave rattles through the bat then through Ignis's arms, numbing his hands.
"He's insanely strong… There's no way I can win a straight one-on-one!"
Ignis darts backward, dodging a barrage of punches and kicks. Crank suddenly tears a chunk of the castle wall free and hurls it.
Ignis blocks with his bat but the impact blasts him backward, smashing him into the dirt as stones falls around him.
He exhales sharply as he gets up.
"Well… if we were still in the first stage, I would of have already won."
Ignis smirks.
"You might be stronger now, but I still have better luck stats!"
He stomps the ground hard as the rocks around bursts upward.
Ignis swings his bat, launching them like bullets. Crank punches through them, shattering each one.
Ignis rushes in then spins and slams his bat into the ground, kicking up a blinding cloud of dust. Crank shields his eyes with his arms.
In a split second later, Ignis reappears behind him and cracks the bat across the back of Crank's head.
"I've got you!"
Ignis also quickly bites into a power fruit.
A menu flashes before his eyes.
"Your next attack is multiplied by four."
A red aura surges through his body.
He roars and continues to push with his attack, driving Crank into the ground with overwhelming force. The earth fractures outward in every direction.
Ignis rests the bat on his shoulder, breathing heavily as he looks down at Crank's body embedded in the cracked ground.
"That should do it."
He turns toward the castle.
"I'll just talk to Boa instead. He'll probably listen better than you."
He takes a few steps then freezes.
A dangerous presence rises behind him, he quickly spins around to see Crank is standing.
"…He's still up after that attack?!"
Ignis swallows hard with sweats dripping from his head.
"Boa wasn't kidding… Crank really is the strongest back on their home planet."
Crank glares at him, eyes burning with resolve.
"I have to be strong… for Jen's sake. For Boa. For my honor!"
He charges in with a might punch, his punch slams into Ignis's bat causing the metal to bend.
The force crashes into Ignis's chest, launching him straight through the ruined castle wall as he crashes into a room.
Rubble rains down, as Ignis struggles to his knees, coughing up blood.
"…What ridiculous strength," he mutters. "This is way harder than I thought."
Heavy footsteps echo through the shattered hall.
Crank enters the ruined room, each step causing the ceiling to crumble and fall around him.