Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa or Miraculous Ladybug. They belong to Spike Chunsoft and Thomas Astruc respectively. I only own the OC characters.

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The students now felt the presence of what they were truly up against. A sadistic, insane girl who was hellbent on their destruction. A stab of fear wormed its way into everyone's hearts; except for Adrien, that is. Instead, he allowed righteous anger to be birthed from that fear as he stared their enemy down, who was still cackling away. He braced himself for the fight ahead, as he knew it would be a long and grueling one.

The mad Ultimate's laughter echoed around them for a few moments before dying down. Everyone stared in horror, finding it hard to believe what they were witnessing. "M-Maddie?" Marinette breathed out, her voice wavering. "I... don't understand. I thought we were friends-"

"Friends?!" The villain scoffed, as if the word offended her. "It's called acting, sweetie! You got duped! Hoodwinked! Fucked over!" She accentuated each statement with various poses and gestures she made with her arms. "We were never friends!" Suddenly, she put a hand to her chin, cheerily musing to herself. "Quite a convincing act, as well. I should receive an award for that."

"Enough with your frivolous self-gratification!" Alya jammed a finger at the Ultimate, her expression a mask of bare conceived outrage. "Answer Mari's question. Now that you no longer have the proverbial wool over our eyes, tell us what possessed you to orchestrate such a diabolical game!"

"Ooooo, Césaire's angry~" Maddie wiggled her hips from side to side mockingly. "Congratulations on figuring out Sabrina was my agent, by the way. That girl was so desperate to get Blondie's attention that she practically threw herself at my feet to help me make that happen. Ah, the things we do for love." She clasped her hands together at the side of her head, staring off wistfully in the distance.

Adrien felt the boiling hot rage bubble up inside him at the mention of Chloé. Sabrina had died because she had just wanted to be accepted by Chloé as her friend, and here was the one behind it all, making light of her suffering and demise as if it were entertaining. He forced himself to remain calm, however, keeping his focus on the insane Ultimate.

"As for my reasons," she continued, her tone taking on an air of fake innocence, "would you believe me if I told you that I just thought it would be funny?"

"A-Are you serious?" Nino stuttered, perplexed. "You just wanted to have a good laugh?"

"Of course, silly," Maddie proclaimed. "Laughing's the best part of life, so they say." She threw her whole upper body back to laugh again, the sound grating on all their nerves. "What could be more hilarious than watching friends kill each other?"

"S-So those photos a-are real?" Marc looked like he was on the verge of passing out. Maddie gave him a madly gleeful side-eye, deranged grin plastered on her face. "It's not like I would lie about that. Your first year of public school went off without a hitch. Ah, those were the good ol' days. So unbelievably boring. You don't get how hard it was for me to act like someone else."

"W-Wait," Marinette interjected. "First year? Does that mean...?"

"An entire year of our lives gone... just like that?" The horror of all those implications came crashing into Adrien. He was vaguely aware that he had started sweating, and not from the blood loss. "And we were all friends? And we killed each other?" He gritted his teeth, seething. "What kind of monster are you?!"

"Yes, yes, there it is!" Maddie exclaimed giddily, pumping her fists up and down in the air. "That's the righteous fury that I love! The kind that all heroes possess!" She made her finger guns again. "You know, Adrien," she continued, much calmer now, "I used to be just like you once. Loving this godforsaken world and the parasites who infest it. Always willing to sacrifice yourself to save others." She put her hands on her hips, pompously flicking her black hair out of her face. "Good thing I killed that part of myself a loooooooooong time ago."

"Huh? Parasites?" Alix questioned. "But aren't you one of us, too?"

"Yeah, I know I'm a stinky, despicable human," Maddie stated, her stare blank. "Never said I was an exception."

"None of this makes sense," Marinette lamented. "What the hell's the point of all this? And what does the Hero's Day Initiative got to do with it?"

"The Hero's Day Initiative? Oh yeah, that." Maddie lightly smacked her forehead, as if just remembering. "Well, you saw it for yourself. You all agreed to be locked inside this school for, potentially, the rest of your lives if another Tragedy happened." The finger guns again. "That's basically what it is. Exactly what Hope's Peak tried to do."

"Hope's Peak?" Adrien echoed. "You mean... this place was turned into a shelter?"

"Ding ding ding! Adrien got it right again!" Maddie pointed at him as if he were the winner of a game show. "As you all remember, the 78th class of Hope's Peak Academy repurposed their campus into a shelter to protect them from the harsh fallout from the Tragedy. What you don't remember is that the Ultimate Despair infiltrated that shelter, wiped all the students' memories, and forced them to participate in a high school game of mutual killing!"

"M-Mutual killing?" Nino's blue pallor hadn't faded. "J-Just like you did to us?"

"Are you part of Ultimate Despair?" Alya demanded.

"Pfft, of course not," Maddie scoffed. "In fact, I hate Junko Enoshima with a burning passion. No, no, no, I work for me and me alone. Besides, I think Junko had it all wrong from the very beginning. It's much more fun to play the game than to watch it from the sidelines." She cackled again, a truly evil sound. "And my true goal," she pointed at all of them, composing herself, "is to make mankind feel my wrath!"

"Quite the cliché," Alya observed, pushing up her glasses. "So, it's to be petty revenge?"

"Ugh, seriously, Césaire, get with the program." Maddie looked exasperated, the journalist grinding her teeth together in agitation. "It's nothing so small as that. Well, maybe it is a little, but that's not the point. The point is that humanity deserves to go extinct in the most painful way possible."

"But... But why?" Marc inquired.

"Because," Maddie said, crossing her arms. "Do you have any idea what it's like to give your all for people and not get acknowledged for it? Better yet, no matter what you do for society you'll always be ridiculed and treated like trash. Just because you don't fit the norm." Maddie pointed a finger at the model. "Adrien knows what I'm talking about."

Adrien gulped, disturbed by the fact that this madwoman knows his deepest feelings. It solidified that they had known each other before. He must have trusted her enough to tell her everything, how his father seemed distant ever since his mom died, how his life only seemed to be consistent of going from lesson to lesson to photoshoot to lesson to photoshoot to dinner, and so on and so forth. Locked away in a glass box, never allowed to touch, never allowed to experience what the world was really like. A glorified trophy put up on display. It made shivers run down his spine.

To his immense relief, no one questioned him about what Maddie meant by that. But it was really because she took center-stage once again, quite literally. "Moving on," she announced. "You all remember who came up with the Hero's Day Initiative, right?"

"Uh," Marinette hesitated, "it was the principal, the mayor, and..."

"My father," Adrien finished for her.

"Man, you are on fire!" Maddie clapped jovially. It felt condescending to Adrien. "That's right! Since Paris had only just established a form of equilibrium, the city elite decided it would be a good idea to prepare for the next apocalypse. Damocles provided the location, the mayor the resources, and good ol' Gabe the funding." She swept her arms out to the side, gesturing to the space around them. "You all helped, of course, like the good little puppies you are. You even signed your lives away for it!" She threw back her head and laughed diabolically.

"N-No way," Nino stammered, his hands trembling. "All this time... we were trying to escape from a prison we created ourselves?"

"Not only that," Alix carried on, "but you're implying that something actually... did happen."

"Yup, it sure did!" Maddie cackled, clutching her stomach.

"N-No, that's a lie!" Marc cried. "We would remember if another world-ending event occurred."

"Yeah," Alix chimed in. "How stupid do you think we are?"

"It's honestly hilarious how stupid you can be sometimes," Maddie said, deadpan, making everyone flinch. "I assure you the outside world is in utter ruin. Just think about it," her cheeks flushed red as she hugged herself tightly, "as soon as mankind recovers from despair, I come swooping in and turn it into hell on earth. What could possibly be a better punishment for all the sins they've committed?" She sighed in a sensual way, making Adrien feel uncomfortable. This girl was absolutely insane.

"Surprisingly," Maddie continued, composing herself, "I wasn't the one who caused it. Well," she stroked her chin thoughtfully, "I'll take credit for providing the gun, but I wasn't the one who pulled the trigger." She turned back to them again, bouncing in place. She looked like an eager dog about to be offered a piece of delicious meat. "You wanna know, right? You wanna know who ended the world for the second time?"

No one answered, just staring motionless at the salivating Ultimate, knowing that she was going to tell them no matter what they said. Adrien felt dread creep into his stomach. "It was none other than... the one, the only," Maddie pointed dramatically, "Adrien Agreste!"

The boy felt like the world had fallen away until there was nothing left but him and Maddie, her revealing finger pointing straight at him. This couldn't be real. What's she saying? I ended the world? No, that can't be it. I wouldn't do something like that.

The Ultimate Villain proceeded with her explanation despite all the protests. "You were so sad and lonely because dear old dad wouldn't give you the time of day. He treated you more like an object, an asset he used to further his brand, rather than his own flesh and blood." She crossed her arms in front of herself, throwing up the peace signs again to thrust them outward. "It's no wonder you ended up hating him. I couldn't stand the bastard myself. And hatred can be a strong motivator."

"Don't talk about my father like that!" Adrien cried out. "That's not who he is, that's not who I am! I'd never destroy the world just because of that!"

"Oh, really?" Maddie crooned, leaning forward. "You don't even remember what happened. Sounds to me like you're just trying to convince yourself."

She was right. There was no way he could know for sure that he was truly incapable of committing an atrocity like that. Cold, dreadful despair weighed down on him, threatening to crush him completely. Am I... Am I really a monster?

"Hahahaha!" Maddie cackled. "See, Adrikins?~" she mocked. "You and I are exactly the same!"

"No, he's not!" Adrien looked up to see Marinette stepping up to defend him, anger marred all across her features. "Don't fucking say that he is! If that's true, it's only because you manipulated him!"

"Yeah," Nino added, also stepping forward. "Adrien's a righteous dude. Ain't no way he'd do something like that."

"Adrien's had our best interests at heart since the very beginning," Alix chimed in, clenching her fists. "He's been looking out for us this whole time, even when he didn't have the strength to do it."

"I'll admit, he appears incapable of even hurting a fly," Alya commented, probably the closest Adrien would ever get to praise from her. "Causing another cataclysm seems beyond his level of expertise."

"A-Adrien's not a v-villain," Marc stuttered, forcing himself to stop shaking. "He's not like you at all."

The boy couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everyone was rallying together to defend him. He never felt more grateful than he had in his entire life. Maddie was just staring at them blankly, occasionally blinking her bright red eyes. "You don't have to believe me," she said. "I can just show you." The students immediately tensed at the information. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the outside world that you've been so desperately trying to claw your way back to. But I have to say, be careful what you wish for." She pointed her finger up at the ceiling. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Several screens began descending from the shadows up above. Once they were situated, they flickered to life, an unbelievable scene laid out before them. It was exactly as Maddie said: the city lay in ruins. The entire area was flooded in about fifty feet of water. The buildings were crumbling, barely staying upright. The camera panned to different sites in the city. The Montparnesse Tower was leaning dangerously on its foundation. The Louvre was flooded, the glass making up the pyramid shattered. The Arc de la France was broken, its pieces sticking out of the water. The Eiffel Tower was on its side, its metal twisted and rusty.

Adrien could do nothing but stare wide-eyed at the destruction, unable to wrap his mind around it. "I... I did this?" He could hardly hear himself over the static roaring in his ears. No, this couldn't be true. There couldn't be nothing left for them out there... right?

"Aaaaaaahahahaha!" Maddie laughed. "You should all see your faces right now!" The Ultimate was doubled over in laughter, hardly able to choke out her words. "And don't even bother asking about your families, cause I'm one-hundred percent positive they didn't survive that. Aaaaaaaaahahahaha! Your suffering is so hilarious, you have no idea!"

The students were stunned into silence, their gazes fixed on the destruction based on the screens. Maddie continued to laugh in the background, basking in their tragedy. "Man, all that hard work for nothing!" she giggled, wiping away the tears. "Showing it off to whoever's left alive in the world that I destroyed their only safe haven that had a chance to succeed! Oh, oh, it cracks me up."

"You..." Nino was the first to speak, finally registering what the insane Ultimate was going on about. "You hijacked the airwaves?"

"Duh," Maddie teased, sticking out her tongue. "The rest of humanity's gotta see what's in store for them."

"You're... You're a sick freak." Alya muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear. Maddie, however, brushed it off. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a terrible person and I can go die in a hole, yada, yada, yada. We could stand here and list all the things that I am, but I'm afraid we're out of time."

"Out of time?" Marinette echoed in disbelief. "For what?"

"We can't mosey around flappin' our chops all day, you know. Viewership and all that." She did a little skip in place that kind of looked like an attempt at clicking her heels. "So, here's what's gonna happen. We're at the final showdown here, folks, so it's all or nothing." She made that gesture again with the finger gun pointing at her head and the other at the students. "The rules are the same except for one eensy-weensy little detail. You guys represent the side of Good, Heroism, Love, and all that mushy stuff. And I'll be on the side of Evil, Villainy, Hatred, whatever floats your boat." She spread her arms out to the side again, as if shrugging. "If everyone votes for Good, you've defeated me and you get to walk out of here, no more tricks, no more hidden surprises. But if even one of you votes for Evil..." She gave them a thumbs-down, grinning gleefully. "Then it's down the toilet for you!"

"Wait, seriously?" Nino lamented. "The vote has to be unanimous? That totally gives you the advantage!"

"However," Maddie interrupted, holding up a finger. "If you all vote for Evil, I'll let you live your miserable school life safe in this indestructible fortress, happy and carefree. You'll never see me again. A win-win for everyone, if I do say so myself. But one of you has to take the fall. And I have the perfect candidate. Eeeny meeny miney... Adrien!"

"What?" the boy wondered incredulously. "Why me?"

"Don't take it personally, kiddo." Maddie rested her cheek in her hand, playfully appearing sympathetic. "If the villain defeats the hero, the hero dies. That's just how it is. None of this would be any fun if there weren't any real stakes. Besides, you're no longer useful to me, anyways." The villain framed her eyes with the peace signs again. "So, what'll it be, campers? Will you forsake this impenetrable shelter to take on the hazardous wasteland outside with the one who caused it? Or will you sacrifice him to increase your own chances to survive?"

It all came down to this. Funnily enough, it wasn't despair, anger, or hatred he was feeling. No, the thing that was making his fist curl in defiance was something much more profound than that. "Your lips are moving, but you don't say jack shit." Maddie raised an eyebrow at him, taken aback by this brashness. "I don't know what could've happened to make you do all this, but if you think it'll bring us down, you've got another thing comin'! No way we're gonna give in to your poisonous speech and sick mind games! Right, guys?"

But as he looked around at his classmates, he could see that none of them were as convicted as he was. None of them could look at him, their eyes hidden by their hair. Even Marinette looked downtrodden. None of them believed in him. "Guys?" He looked around, trying to look for any shred of support.

"Aaaaaaaahahaha!" Maddie's laugh cut into his desperate flailing. "Looks like I win! That's okay, there was no chance you could stand against me anyways. My Hatred is unlike anyone's on this planet!" She gave him a casual wave. "Better say goodbye, Adrien!"

"Hold on!" the boy protested, making Maddie frown in annoyance. "We're not done yet!" He turned to his right, at small trembling Marc amongst the group. "Marc," he called, the boy not responding. "Nathaniel would've been so proud of you if he could see you now. He would've wanted you to live, to escape and see the outside world. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Something broke through to him, the light returning to his eyes. He sniffed loudly, wiping away the tears. "Yeah, you're right," he said, standing up straighter. "I'll live for you, Nathaniel, I promise."

Adrien nodded, turning to his left, addressing the next student. "Alix," he called, "we've been working so hard to get out of here. Don't you think we owe it to everyone who died to help us get this far? We can't let their deaths be meaningless."

Similar to Marc, the spell on Alix was broken and she blinked repeatedly. "The others didn't die in vain," she proclaimed. "I'll make sure they they're remembered if it's the last thing I do." The graffiti artist looked like she had gotten her spark back.

He turned to the boy standing next to her. "Nino, I know you're scared," he said. "But that doesn't matter. Courage is about facing your fear, not feeling any at all. You wanted out the most out of all of us, so get off your ass and do something about it! Now's the time!"

The DJ seemed to visibly shake himself awake from his trance, putting a hand to his head. "Man, what the hell was I thinking?" He sidled over to clap a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "Freedom's so close I can taste it. And if you're the one who gets me there, I'll stick by you till the end, Broseph." The blond smiled gratefully at him, nodding. He turned back to his right, the girl standing next him hiding her eyes with the glint of her lenses.

"Alya," he began, "I know things look bleak right now. But our future is out there, not in here! You want to be remembered, right? Then stop making excuses and do something already!"

The girl had a moment of recognition, Adrien's words reaching her. That coy smirk returned to her lips as she adjusted her glasses. "Impressive, Agreste. Perhaps you're not a lost cause after all. Though, just so we're clear, I don't need a pep talk about my ambitions. I'll handle that myself, thank you very much."

"Welcome back," Adrien said gratefully.

"You hear that?" Alya called to Maddie. "I don't submit to rotten slugs like you. You can take your doom-and-gloom ideals and shove them up your ass!"

Adrien chuckled before finally turning to the final student, who had yet to reveal her reaction. He took a deep breath; he knew that this would require some work. "Mari." The name made her flinch, but he pressed forward. "I'm sorry that you had to go through this. But it's going to be alright. We can always bounce back stronger than ever."

"How can you say that?" Adrien had to take a moment to realize that she had spoken. She lifted her head. Her blue eyes were pained, anguish roiling in them. It broke his heart. "My family is probably gone. I should've protected them. I should've been there." She buried her face in her hands. "How am I any good to you if I'm so useless?!"

His eyes softened, reaching out with his hand that wasn't holding her jacket to his wound. She gasped as he pulled her hands away, the tears unashamedly streaking down her face. He softly wiped them away. "Marinette," he said, and the word made the girl's heart skip a beat. "You only did your best. That's all anyone can do. No one's perfect, not even me." He smiled at her, one that made her want to melt right there on the spot. "No matter what, though, you're amazing. And I don't want you to forget that."

The brightness Adrien had come to love shined once more in her eyes, dazzling him like they always did. Marinette wiped the remaining tears away, composing herself. "Thank you, Adrien," she said, beaming at him with gratitude. "You're pretty amazing, too. Also..." She regarded him with pride and determination. "You said that you came to this school because you wanted to, because you were given the chance to make friends." She locked in her gaze, completely confident in him. "I think you came here for something way more than that."

Adrien blushed at that, and he found he liked the feeling of butterflies flying around in his gut. He turned back towards the scourge before them, narrowing his eyes. "Well, what now? Looks like you're outnumbered, Maddie."

"Such a shame," Alya commented. "So close and yet so far. You almost came out triumphant."

Maddie just stood there motionless, her expression blank and unreadable. "Wow, look at all of you. Commendable effort, Agreste. Rallying the troops. Staring me down." Her red eyes were hidden at this point, but she sprang back to life as she recoiled, looking disgusted. "It's so repulsive! All this love you have for each other! It makes me sick!"

"And that's exactly why we're gonna win. Because love is something you've forgotten." Adrien dug in his heels, ready for the long haul. He was ready for whatever barrage would come his way. "If there's no one else who'll stand up to take you down, then I will!"

"Didn't you hear me? There's nothing for you out there!"

"I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work!"

"The future is dark and bleak for you! There's no way you want that!"

"We seize our future, and we make it our own! We won't let anyone stop us!"

"The world is a cruel place! It takes and it takes and it takes!"

"It won't be if we work to make it better!"

"Aaargh! How naïve can you be?" Maddie rubbed at her head feverishly, clearly at the end of her rope. "Reality is harsh, it beats you down! The world is ruled by evil people! The good die young and darkness thrives!"

"Sorry," Adrien countered, delivering the final blow, "but Evil only wins if we let it!"

{Adrien Agreste: The Ultimate Hero}

"What the-?" Maddie looked incredulously at all of them as they all locked in their votes. "How is this happening? What... are you?" The slot machine eventually settled on Maddie, the coins spilling out as the trial came to an end. This was the only time that it felt like a victory to him.

"Well, damn." Maddie went back to her emotionless stance, blinking owlishly. "That was killer."

"It's over, Maddie," Marinette told her. "You've lost."

"I have? After all that hard work?" Her eyes cast in shadow. The others tensed, ready for her to fly into an uncontrollable rage. "That's... That's so..." To their surprise, when the Ultimate looked up, she looked as happy-go-lucky as ever. "That's so poggers!"

"Wait, what?" Adrien voiced, wondering if he was hearing her right. "You're actually glad that you lost?"

"Of course, dumbass!" Maddie let her tongue hang out of her mouth, flashing those peace signs as she crossed her arms. "The hero defeated the villain, leaving the villain feeling bitter about it. It makes me hate you guys even more!" Her cheeks turned red as she put her hands on her them, lost in pure bliss. "Ah, there's no other feeling like it! How I wish for the rest of humanity to get crushed by my burning Hatred!" She addressed them all again, holding out her arms in a grand gesture. "Also, the security system is synchronized with me, so once I die, you're all free to go!" She hopped from foot to foot, as if she were the one who was victorious. "Now, it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for! Bring on the punishment!"

"Hold on! Adrien cried, trying to reason with her. "The whole point of this was so that no one else had to die-"

"Shut your damn mouth!" The boy was shocked into silence, not believing that the Ultimate actually wanted to do this. "I don't want your charity! Don't you dare take this away from me!" She accentuated that statement by driving her fist into the pillar where Monokuma's throne sat. She left an imprint behind. With maniacal glee, she leaned forward, making sure everyone heard her. "After all, the only person I hate more than anyone else in this world is me."

Her fist hovered over the red "Game Over" button, the one that initiated all the executions that had come before. "Nyeh nyeh nyeh. Nyeh nyeh nyeh!" Maddie's laugh sounded just like Monokuma. "I absolutely loathe the Ultimate Despair, but I can't help but be a fan of her style." The sclera in her eyes had turned black, accentuating her red irises. She truly looked like a demon from hell. "This is what I deserve. Better go out in a blaze of glory." Black ooze began dripping from her eyes like painful tears. "And don't think this is over for you. This is just the beginning. Hatred will always linger." She began to raise her fist. "And here... we... GO!" She slammed down on the button hard, nearly breaking it. On the display, it showed Monokuma approaching Maddie's pixelated avatar, the girl willingly following the toy plush to her doom.

Maddie has been found guilty!

Time for the punishment!

The others watched warily, anticipating what was going to happen next. A loud alarm blared as a red light flashed continuously. The students refocused on the mastermind, who was delightfully waving at them by wiggling her fingers. The platform beneath her opened, sending her plummeting into the dark depths. She looked like she was on top of the world instead of being taken to her execution.

When the lights came back on, Maddie was resting on the ground on her knees, dutifully patient and giddy with excitement. In front of her, a small hydraulic press stood ready and waiting, like an altar. Behind her, a huge banner was hung in the background, its large blocky letters reading "Congratulations! You lose!" Soundtracks of an audience cheering and laughing echoed all around the execution ground, sounding more like mockery than genuine praise.

Maddie's Execution: Give Your Heart in the Name of Hatred!

Status: Executed

Maddie immediately ripped the front of her shirt down the middle so that there was nothing in the way but bare skin. Adrien had no idea what she was doing until her hands plunged back to her sternum, her fingers prying into her flesh. He resisted the urge to gag. This was less of an execution and more of a suicide. A particularly graphic suicide. Leave it to the Ultimate Villain to go out in her own way.

A terrible squelching sound shook him from his thoughts. Maddie had made it through the flesh wall, her fingernails going even deeper to begin digging into bone. This took a little more effort, but she was able to pry open her ribcage well enough. All this while she still had a maniacal grin on her face, her eyes truly reflecting her inner madness.

Her beating heart was out in the open. With a vicious grip, she seized it, pulling hard on it. The veins and arteries still attached seemed to resist, as if they were trying to convince the girl not to do it. But she wouldn't be deterred. With a final rip and splash of blood, the heart came free. Yet, it was still beating after being severed from the body. Slowly, painstakingly, Maddie got on her hands and knees, holding out her heart like an offering. She crawled forward, blood dripping from her mouth, pouring from her gaping wound. She left a trail as she shimmied her way to the small hydraulic press.

With a trembling hand, she rested the pulsing heart on the press. Monokuma was suddenly on the platform with it, completely motionless. Suddenly, a beep sounded, and a green light flashed on the machine. The hydraulic press slammed down on the stuffed bear and the heart, squishing both into a flat pancake. Blood mixed into the stuffing. Only then did Maddie's body collapse in a bloody, gory heap, her last breath leaving her lungs. She would never move again.

As he stood over her motionless corpse, Adrien had no idea what to feel. The monster who had manipulated them and forced them to kill each other was laying dead at his feet, all because he beat her at her own game. He was hoping that this could end with no one else dying. Should he feel relieved? Satisfied? Guilty? It was hard to say. She may have insisted she was beyond saving, but he only wished she could have let him try.

With a heavy sigh, the young hero tore his gaze away from his archnemesis, bending over to grab the controls for the emergency override for the doors. He took one last, lingering look at the body before Marinette called to him, urging him to join the others. He finally walked away, leaving the villain's corpse to rot. And together, they left the trial room for the last time.

He had tied Marinette's jacket around his abdomen to keep the pressure over his stab wound. Marinette wanted to quickly bandage him up in the infirmary, but he insisted he felt fine. The wound had reduced to a dull ache, surprisingly, and had nearly stopped bleeding. With the knowledge that they could finally go outside weighing heavily on them, they all stood in a row in front of the locked door. Of course, he knew that this wouldn't end with the mastermind's death. They had to face whatever was waiting on the other side. His hands began to tremble in anxiety. Was the outside world really destroyed? Was he the one who caused it? If so, how would whoever's left receive him? Would they want to kill him? He wouldn't blame them. But he had just gotten to know his new friends. He didn't want that to end so soon. Oh God, what was he going to do-?

His rampaging thoughts were brought to a halt by Marinette taking his hand in his. He looked up at her, her posture displaying nothing but confidence, and belief in him. "Don't worry," she told him. "Whatever happens, we'll always be right by your side."

"You can say that again, my dude." Nino shot him a thumbs-up, grinning from ear to ear.

"H-Hey, what're y-you gonna do when w-we get out?" Marc stammered.

"Oh, man, I could really go for some macaroons right now," Alix mused, licking her lips. "Or maybe a parfait."

"Seriously?" Nino inquired, flabbergasted. "We're about to see the light of day and all you can think about is food?"

"Regardless, I think we've been kept in suspense for long enough." Alya pushed up her glasses, head held high to face the future. "If you could do the honors, Adrien."

The boy nodded. "Right," he confirmed, lifting up the control to push the big red button. A high-pitched beep resounded from the door, locking mechanisms on the inside whirring around. To their expectation, the portal opened slowly, in a horizontal fashion, like an air hangar. They had all dreamed about getting out, but it was still hard to grasp that it was actually happening.

As the first rays from the sun began to trickle through the open gap, Adrien finally realized what this feeling was. Freedom. They were all finally free after nearly three weeks of being locked inside a nightmare. He could feel the open breeze on his skin, smell the foreign scents from outside. It was a whole new world they were opening up. And he, and the rest of his friends, were prepared to make their future in it.

Chapter 6: End

Remaining Survivors: 6

The End

Deep underground, in the same place where it was left, a conniving snicker resonated around the darkened trial room. Suffice it to say that the animatronic was still operational after the mastermind's death, but it still didn't make any sense. Was someone actually controlling the puppet from the outside while the mastermind was playing the game inside? Who's to say.

"Nyeh nyeh nyeh. Nyeh nyeh nyeh. They thought that this was over? Au contraire, my dear students. Au contraire, indeed. I'm still here, after all. Besides, it isn't over till I say it is. You hear me? Because I'm more than just a walking, talking stuffed animal." Monokuma's head shot up as he shouted. "I'm your principal, goddamnit!"

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Author's Note: And so, it comes to an end! Hope you all enjoyed it! I had instances where I enjoyed writing it, especially this last segment. Notice how I directly rip off a few of the lines from the anime.

I wouldn't be surprised if you all had lingering questions. With that being said, I bet you're asking "Is there going to be a second installment?" You bet your ass there is! "When will it be?" I have no idea. I haven't actually started writing it yet. There are so many other things I've been thinking about right now: Chainsaw Man started, I started watching and got caught up with Mob Psycho 100, Gold Edition of RE: Village came out. Just... a lot of things.

Besides this, I've got other stuff in the works that I could start posting. Things such as angsty Dad for One (which I'm a sucker for) and an OC backstory in Lord of the Rings that involves Sauron (I know, Lord of the Rings. It feels just as bizarre as it sounds). So, let me know if you wanna see any of that too.

And with that, I must be signing off. I hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower