(3rd Person POV)

It took a while, but The Harvester managed to locate where their partner and puppets have been launched to. For their two parents, both ended up crashing nearby an old bunker that was raided around the start of the infection, and while both Dimitri and Vanessa had some of the corruptive substance removed off their bodies and arms, The Harvester quickly patched that up with a quick blast of corruptive energy, before sending them back out to search for more survivors.

After that, they continued searching for where the Lemon Demon crashed, and after a while of flying above the ruined Starlight City, they eventually find the fruit-themed monster laying unconscious against a building, on the other side of the city. And while none of the corruptive substance has been removed off him from the surprise attack, Monster appears to be unconscious.

The Harvester: (thinks to themself) Just from one blast, he's rendered unconscious... I don't remember gifting the Glitch Soul that much power... What has it been doing?

Speaking of the Glitch Soul, Yokubo couldn't help but wonder what Glitch (Y/N) meant earlier when it said it will make their younger brother "become the world's god". Perhaps 17 years of free will have caused it to have delusions of grandeur. But even then, the possibility of something that they created outgrowing the creator has been in The Harvester's mind for a while. They've read The Modern Prometheus before in the past when hiding, and they know of the consequences of playing god. But the real question is, does Glitch (Y/N) know that too?

After a while of contemplating this answer, The Harvester's attention is brought out of their mind once they hear the Lemon Demon groan in pain, seeing their partner slowly climb back onto their feet, and slightly slouching due to some pain in their body.

Lemon Demon: (looks around in confusion) What happened? (notices The Harvester) Nice to see you here, dear partner. Could you care to fill me in on what happened earlier?

The Harvester: (crosses their arms) It appeared that one of my creations have gone rogue, having some kind of scheme of their own, and put up quite an irritating fight against us. They sent you and my parents flying with one blast, and kept engaging with me before I was forced to retreat.

Lemon Demon: (intrigued) A creation of yours? If I may politely ask for a further explanation, would you kindly give one?

The Harvester: (nods) Of course I would. (sighs) Around the time I was defeated, I had planted one final surprise into my dear brother. I had corrupted his soul, transforming it into a Glitch Soul, and gave it the commands to guard him under any circumstances. Unfortunately for us, 17 years of no leader to guide it allowed the Glitch Soul to gain free will. It still appears to keep its objective I gave it, but it refuses to bow down.

The Lemon Demon takes notice of their companion's pure white eyes, and how behind the mask they show concern for the rest of their plot. Of course, Monster does know that with the Glitch Soul potentially helping the young boy, along with the Spirit from the Hating Simulator, their plan might fall into jeopardy, but at the same time, they could potentially formulate a plan to work around them.

Lemon Demon: (smirks) Perhaps we should take a moment to rest our heads for a moment and come up with a form of counterattack for now? In fact, I've got one in my head already.

The Harvester: (perks up) Really? Then do share it, partner.

Lemon Demon: (chuckles darkly) Sometimes in battles, you have to come up with some kind of complex plan with multiple steps in order to perform it, when in some occasions, you just have to go with the classic overpowering route. That is my suggestion. We overpower your brother in not only magic, but mentality. It's clear that after enduring so much pain throughout this year, his mind might not be as strong as his bones. And as we all know, a fragile mind is perfect for a demon to manipulate.

The Harvester: Are you suggesting we break him? I'm not one against the thought of it, but the victim is my dear brother. He already hates me so much...

Lemon Demon: Don't worry, my jester-dressed devil. All we'll simply do to him is we the young boy locked up in his head, and when corrupted through might and memories, he'll be clinging to your side, like he used to in the past, from how you described those memories to me.

The Harvester: (thinks for a moment) Alright, I'll choose to give your little suggestion some time in the spotlight. (giggles) And why don't we rely on the two that hold a connection to him that rivals family bond? They haven't failed us that much in the past before.

The Lemon Demon laughs alongside their partner, as both of them sprout wings, Monster having dark angelic-like wings emerging from his back while The Harvester summons their demon-like wings, before they take off into the smoky black sky above Starlight City, ready to put their new plan into motion...

And bring the younger sibling of The Harvester back beside him...

(With Sunday and Sarvente)

Meanwhile, the two members of the resistance Sunday and Sarvente are still taking up shelter in the latter's church, and while the passing months have given them nothing but quiet days, it has also filled them with possible dread. Just because none of the infected citizens haven't burst into the church yet doesn't mean that they've chosen to brush the structure aside. What if they're gathering their strength first before attacking? After all, Sarvente is a demon, after all.

Speaking of Sarvente, the neopolitian-coloured nun is currently resting on one of the front pew rows of the church she owns, as some bags of food and drinks rest beside her. While it has been difficult finding any remaining supplies to keep the two females alive, and trying to keep themselves still hidden, but that doesn't mean that she's been constantly coming back empty-handed.

As for Sunday, the guitar-playing female is currently resting on a pew right next to where Sarvente is sitting, passing the time by tweaking her guitar and playing a few strings. Despite having permission to play some melodies as long as she keeps the volume at a reasonable level, she hasn't felt much motivation to even perform a guitar solo for ten seconds. Deep down, she misses her band and close friend Carol, they always fuelled her to keep playing, but without their voices of encouragement, she just feels empty inside.

After attempting to try and play a song she used to perform, only to give up after a few tries, Sunday lets out a miserable sigh as she turns her head towards Sarvente, taking notice of how the nun is staying focused on her phone most of the time.

Sunday: Hey, Sarv. You want to have a conversation to pass the time? I'm feeling bored at the moment.

Sarvente: (looks over to Sunday) Oh, Sunday. I thought you were occupied with your musical instrument.

Sunday: (lazily shrugs) I couldn't find it in myself to play a melody or two. Been losing motivation for quite some time.

Sarvente: (nods) I understand. You're worried about your friends, which is affecting your mental state, making you slowly act less like your old self.

Sunday: You could say that. So, are you still up for a chat?

Sarvente: (beams and nods) Of course, Sunday. I wouldn't mind talking with you. What's on your mind?

Sunday: Sorry if I'm being a bit curious, but... (points to her phone) What's with the constant need to check your phone? I've been seeing you eye the screen for a while now, almost as if you're expecting something to happen, like a phone call or a message.

Sarvente: (looks upset for a moment) Oh, well, I'm just as worried about a close friend as you are, Sunday. He's been helping me out since I've opened this church, and when this corruptive takeover began to get worse, we were split up. (sighs) I haven't seen him at all, and I silently pray to myself for his safety.

Sunday: (rubs her arm) Dang, you miss a friend too? What was his name, and what was he like?

Sarvente: Well, his name is Ruvyzvat, or Ruv for short, though he only lets me call him that. As for how he acted, he would always act polite around me, but mostly kept to himself. But when he interacted with others, he was known for being quite cold and aggressive, which makes some sense, considering he's the church's bouncer.

Sunday: (tilts her head) Not that I'm against the idea, but why would a church need a bouncer?

Sarvente: (nervously chuckles) Well, before Ruv started to help out, most people would come to the church to either seek shelter from the raging weather outside, vandalise it whenever I'm not in the main hall, or just wish to use the restroom. (groans) It got so repetitive, I was practically begging for someone to join by that point.

Sunday: Doesn't that sound kind of greedy?

Sarvente: (nods) It does. (slightly beams) Luckily, Ruv came along around that time, asking if he could provide some assistance, and I happily accepted it! From that day forward, he helped deal with any troublemakers that tried to this place for anything aside from its purpose. (looks sombre for a moment) We've been nearly inseparable from that point, and whenever we split up for a long time, I can't help worry for him.

Sunday: (walks over and pats Sarv's shoulder) I get how you feel, Sarv. Carol was like a sister to me, letting me crash at her place when I had nowhere to go when starting my music career, and when I found out she was lost to that freaky virus, I felt like my world was beginning to collapse. (softly smiles) But as our little group of survivors begun to grow, I felt as if despite that empty feeling in my chest not feeling the same, it was still similar to the bond I had with Carol, and she wouldn't want me to constantly grieve. (sighs) I know saying words like that is... kind of repetitive, but it's been what's kept us going for so long.

Sarvente: (wipes a tear from her eye) It's alright, Sunday. I get what you're trying to say. As long as I've got other friends beside me, those that I either recognise or don't know, I need to keep in mind I'm never alone in this struggle.

Sunday: (flashes another smile) That's the attitude, Sarv! (smirks) So, is Ruv your boyfriend or are you still waiting for him to pop that question?

Sarvente's face suddenly bursts red with embarrassment as she frantically tries to explain to Sunday that her relationship with Ruv isn't like that, only to find herself constantly slipping up on her own words, and getting the guitarist to chuckle a few times. Once Sarv has calmed down a bit, she prepares to speak up again, only for the two girls to be caught off-guard when the nun's phone begins ringing...

And a familiar phone number is on the screen...

Upon making contact with the familiar string of numbers, Sarvente's eyes immediately fill up with hope as she frantically hits the "Accept Call" button and places her phone right up to her ear, with Sunday leaning in a bit to hear some of the conversation.

Sarvente: (her hands are shaking) Hello?

???: (through the speakers) Hello? Sarv? Please tell me that's you on the other end.

Sarvente: (jumps for joy) Ruv!! It's you!! I thought you were lost forever!!

Ruvyzvat: (through the speakers) I thought the same thing, Sarv. (takes a deep breath) Listen, I'm sorry for what happened back there. I... I should've kept a better eye on you. I mean, I swore to protect you, and all it took was for those hellspawns to split us up was by throwing most of their forces at me.

Sarvente: (sighs) Don't blame yourself, Ruv. You were trying to keep me safe, and I wandered too far from your location. But don't despair, Ruv! I met some new friends, and we've been doing our best to survive for as long as we can!

Ruvyzvat: (through the speakers) Regardless of who you've met these past few months, I'm just glad that you're still alright. Speaking of which, where exactly are you, Sarv?

Sarvente: (perks up) Oh! Me and another survivor are currently hiding out at our church. Are you perhaps nearby? We could reunite and hopefully come up with a plan.

Ruvyzvat: (through the speakers) The church? Hold on a minute, I think I can see it up ahead. Hold on, I'm hurrying over there as I speak. (pauses for a minute) Wait a minute, there's someone following me! I'll try to lose them! Just stay put, Sarv. I'll try and lose whoever's chasing me soon.

After that, Ruvyzvat hangs up, leaving both Sarvente and Sunday to look at each other, clearly knowing what's happening, before heading over to the main door and carefully open it, as they peek out and look into the street, seeing no sign of anyone roaming around. With a heavy breath each, both girls take slow steps down the pink stairs and onto the concrete road, only to see a figure bursting from around one of the street corners, not showing one sign of exhaustion.

The figure in question is a male that has pale white skin with large grey lines going down the edges of his head, while wearing a grey Ushanka (a type of hay) with black stripes on the ear flaps (which hides his hair, which is grey and the front points upwards), a black eye patch with an unknown symbol that covers his left eye, a grey snow jacket, black pants, and black snow boots. This is Ruvyzvat the Russian bouncer, and upon seeing him getting closer, Sarvente runs towards him with tears of joy in her eyes, and pulls him in for a big hug, greatly surprising Ruv.

Sarvente: (tightens her hug) Oh, Ruv! I'm so glad you're still alive!! I thought the worst had happened to you!!

Ruvyzvat: (struggling to break free) Sarv, please could you drop the sweet talk?! You know I'm not a fan of it one bit. (frees one of his arms) And I thought I told you to stay in the church until I arrived!

Sarvente: (puffs her cheeks) Ruv, you know more than anyone that I can defend myself without your constant supervision! I mean, I've lasted this long with the help of others, like I told you on the phone!

Sunday: (catches up, panting for air) Sarv, I thought I told you to slow down, I can't keep up with you that easily.

Ruvyzvat: (notices Sunday) And who is this with you?

Sarvente: (sees Sunday beside her) Oh! Ruvyzvat, meet Sunday! She's been both wonderful company when I needed to talk to someone, and has been helping me deal with any corrupted attacker. (motions Ruv to Sunday) Sunday, this is Ruvyzvat, or Ruv as I like to call him.

Sunday: (looks to Ruv) Nice to meet you, Ruvyzvat. (offers a handshake) Sarvente has told me nice things about you, and from seeing you up close now, I can see she's right in some departments.

Ruvyzvat: I'll... accept those words for now. (accepts the handshake) Likewise, anyone who's friends with Sarv is alright in my book. (tightens his grip) But if I find out you've done a lousy job keeping her safe, then the minute this whole crisis is over, I'm grinding your skin, bones, and organs into Okroshka.

Sunday: (shakes with fear) N-N-No need to w-worry... I-I-I k-kept her s-safe...

Sarvente: (lightly slaps Ruv's cheeks) Ruv! You need to stop scaring people with those threats of yours! This is why I'm practically the only friend in your introverted life!

Ruvyzvat: (nonchalantly) And I prefer it to stay that way. Your enthusiasm is already enough for me to handle.

Sunday: (clears her throat) Not to interrupt or sound too cautious, but have you got rid of that person chasing after you, like you said you'd do when talking with Sarv?

Ruv's eyes go wide at that moment, realising that he wasn't sure himself if he had succeeded in doing that. To make sure, he looks behind him, only to see the street completely empty, which makes him sigh in relief, only to take that back, when from the corner of his eye, his tailgater emerges from around the road's corner, and that person being the Corrupted Vanessa.

Ruvyzvat: (sighs) Just great. The one time I need a miracle from God, and he chooses to not grant it for me.

Corrupted Vanessa: (slowly approaches) The reason behind this is more obvious than you think. God has abandoned you all, left you to crumble away, like the disgusting sins that humans desperately try to keep hidden from prying eyes. He's accepted all life as doomed to this inevitable fate, so why won't you all follow him and do the same?

Ruvyzvat: (glares at Vanessa) You better watch that serpent's tongue, you vile, wretched demon, and you call us sinful? You infect whoever touches you like a parasite, and have them do your bidding as they stay trapped in their mind. (points towards her) Let me make this clear. You turn back to your masters this instant, or I will personally break whatever bones you have in you.

Corrupted Vanessa: (mockingly tilts her head) Are you sure you want to go through with that threat of yours? You might have immortality, but your stamina is the same as a mortal being: Limited at best.

Ruvyzvat: If whatever action I take helps those I care about stay safe, then there's no risk for me to acknowledge. (groans) Let's just get whatever sick, twisted game you want to play over with.

https://youtu.be/iPHXpNsBmaY

*Song Name: Blasphemous*

*Original Song: Pray by WassabiSoja (Imagine it's Corrupted Vanessa Vs Ruvyzvat and Sunday instead of Taki Vs Boyfriend and Fever)*

Wasting no more time, the Corrupted Vanessa began to sing with Ruvyzvat following short after, with the out-of-nowhere melody sounding almost out of a horror movie, with the infected fashion designer letting out a haunting laugh before singing at a fast pace. In retaliation, Ruvyzvat begins to match her aggressive and fast tone, causing slight tremors that span across the street, even causing both Sarvente and Sunday to nearly fall over from the shockwaves. However, all it does to his opponent is mildly annoy her.

With the song going past the one minute mark, the Corrupted Vanessa lets out another string of disturbing laughs as she starts playing unfair, slashing at Ruvyzvat with sharp claws. Surprisingly, the Russian bouncer chooses to block the attacks, unaware that with each attack, more of the corruptive substance crawls onto and across his body. Sarvente and Sunday take notice, and slowly become more worried for him, with the former being even more concerned, and one of them wishing they could do something to help, until an idea forms in that person's head.

Back with the Corrupted Sarvente and Ruvyzvat, the latter begins to grow more tired, now realising what his choice of dealing with the attacks have done to him, as the former's grin grows wider, slowly stalking over to the Russian to deliver one massive blow...

However, she gets blown away by an unexpected shockwave that didn't come from Ruvyzvat, but from a new fighter joining the battle, now rocking a determined grin on her face...

It's Sunday now clutching her guitar...

Sunday: (chuckles) You wanna play unfair? Then let's tangle, you wannabe yokai!!

With Sunday now assisting Ruvyzvat, the two of them begin to push back against the Corrupted Vanessa, with the former also screeching and shredding on her electric instrument, infuriating the infected fashion designer as the song becomes more intense. As the song begins to shift in the survivor's favour, Vanessa lets out one final roar of frustration as the song calms down at the final verse, before she lunges for a desperate strike, only to get grabbed by the throat by Ruvyzvat and thrown over the buildings, hopefully far away from the three survivors.

Sunday: (sighs in relief) Well, at least she's gone for now. (looks to Ruv) You weren't bad in brawling against her. I would give you a high-five, but considering the situation we're both in, well... (chuckles) Y'know...

Ruvyzvat: I would deny your high-five request. I don't do those kinds of things with anyone. Regardless, you weren't bad either, recklessly jumping into battle to save someone you've just met.

Sunday: Well, when your world has become a desperate struggle for survival, any survivor is important. Plus-

Sarvente: (runs up and hugs them both) Sunday! Ruv! Don't you both scare me like that!!

Ruvyzvat: (trying to break free) Sarv, you need to let me go!! I still have this parasitic sludge on me!! You'll get it on yourself!!

Sarvente: (lets go of them both) Don't you worry, Ruv. I can use my demon side to safely remove it off us three. (Ruv is about to say something) And don't you say that I should be conserving my energy. We are now a trio, and we need to look out for each other. You can't be constantly bodyguarding me, Ruv.

Ruvyzvat: (sighs) Okay then, Sarv. You can remove this stuff off us.

Sarvente: (happily claps) Thanks, Ruv. (looks to Sunday) Oh, and Sunday, could I ask what possessed you to fight alongside Ruv?

Sunday: (scratches the back of her neck) Remember what I told you about my friend Carol? (Sarv nods) Well, when you got reunited with your friend a few minutes ago, it sort of reminded me of my bond with Carol, and I didn't want to see you go through that same heartbreak. Now, how about we go back into the church and get ourselves fixed and rested, because we're looking like easy targets standing out here.

Both Sarvente and Ruvyzvat nod in agreement as all three members of the small group head back inside the church, ready to let their resident demon nun remove the corruptive substance off them, and hopefully catch a breather from the encounter they've just survived...

(With Atlas Dearest and IRIS)

From one of the more quieter areas of Starlight City over to the more damaged streets, both Atlas Dearest and IRIS are navigating the matching streets of destroyed structures and wrecked vehicles as the latter guides the two of them towards their destination, that being the base owned by The Greater Good. Thanks to the Media Conglomerate from Hell having a map of Starlight City downloaded, navigating the darkened and slightly collapsing alleyways more easier than any previous treks. Also on the plus side, Atlas has managed to remove a majority of the strings, allowing him to move more fluently without suffering any shocks.

However, one thing that hasn't been as pleasant is the constant arguing between them, as regardless of wherever both demons are currently trekking through, they can't let a few minutes pass without complaining about something either petty or far in the past. Speaking of the latter, as Atlas and IRIS pass by a few remnants of destroyed buildings, getting closer to their destination, the former rockstar looks to the hellish Music producers and speaks up.

Daddy Dearest: Hey, IRIS? I wanna talk to you about something, particularly about when I chose to leave you guys.

IRIS: (rolls their eye) You mean when you undercut us with your own label? How could we forget that day. Why do you choose to bring up it again?

Daddy Dearest: It's more about why I chose to leave, Infernus. (sighs) While I admit, the song was great to top the charts of Hell multiple times over, it didn't make me feel happy with myself. To me, it felt like I was getting a shortcut to fame with your company helping me, and by that, I mean forcing me to sing the same song over and over again.

IRIS: (crosses their arms) And you expect us to stand here and hear you inform us how it's wrong to manipulate others just for the sake of fame and fortune? Don't you remember employing the same tactics on other people in your lives, such as Whitmore, Agoti, and especially Tabi?

Daddy Dearest: (groans) Don't remind me of them, Infernus. Only one of them, I completely regret doing, and that's Ol' Splodey' Head. Both me and Charlotte just wanted him to stand alongside us on the charts, but we didn't realise how much stress and pressure it was putting onto him.

IRIS: (curiously tilts their screen) And what about the other two?

Daddy Dearest: (thinks back) One of them might have been rude and a little over-the-top when he bested both me and my wife back then, but we both have agreed on we could've done something better than just throwing him into a void for eternity. As for the other... (Atlas looks guilty) I'll admit, that was my fault. I just heard the broke up without any complaints, and I chose to ruin his life anyway, and my daughter hated me for a long time after I did that. I took it too far with him. (looks back at IRIS) I've grown accustom to the feeling of guilt, Infernus, and it feels like your heart is being crushed, like it does in heartbreak.

IRIS: (blinks for a few moments) Well, and here we thought that just like those rumours spread about you, you haven't learnt a thing. Then again, when have we ever listened to rumours? (steps out of the alleyway) We have arrived at our destination.

Following after the demonic Media Conglomerate, Atlas looks to see the towering Greater Good building just to their left, with the main entrance, windows, and any other possible entry ways heavily guarded by technological defences. Upon noticing the defences, IRIS motions for Atlas to guard them while they attempt to message whoever's inside. While waiting for one of the two demons to let them in, the ex-rockstar hears the sound of footsteps slowly getting closer and louder with the passing second.

Once he turns his head to see what or who is approaching them, Atlas sees a figure charging forward, holding a lighter in one of their hands and unleashes a torrent of fire towards the two demons. Quickly reacting to this sudden attack, the ex-rockstar grabs IRIS and pulls them away from the embers, as they take a closer eye on who just tried to attack them. It's the Corrupted Darnell, with his right eye being freed from the corruptive substance.

Daddy Dearest: Well, it appears that the pyromaniac has followed us. (notices his freed eye) And he's slowly getting freed after our last encounter.

IRIS: (regains their stance) That may be wonderful, but now I've lost connection again. You can try and fight him if you want, but try not to disturb me again. We need to gain access with whoever's inside.

Daddy Dearest: (gives IRIS a nod) I was already planning on it, Infernus. You keep doing your tricks with technology, and I'll stick to my department. (looks to Darnell) Alright, you flame-spitting juvenile delinquent, just hold on for a little while. You'll be freed once this is over.

Corrupted Darnell: (his freed eye squints) Help... Me...

https://youtu.be/zAVFIMOnUmI

*Song Name: Encore*

*Original Song: Desire by bonky (Imagine it's Corrupted Darnell singing instead of Corrupted Boyfriend)*

Both Atlas Dearest and the Corrupted Darnell prepare themselves as the latter begins singing, with the former following suite as a few piano notes play out from somewhere, slowly transitioning to the real main track of this battle, sounding triumphant rather than the supposed sombre tone it started out in. Once the intensity hits, Atlas goes all out, unleashing his demonic side and removing any remaining traces of the corruption off him in a single burst, alerting the Corrupted Darnell about how this upcoming fight will go.

Regardless of the expected outcome, the infected pyromaniac attempts to change this by turning their lighter on again and unleashing torrents of flames towards the retired rockstar, who simply shrugs off the assaults and retaliates with projectiles of his own, striking his enemy multiple times and causing him to stagger back. After a beat-drop when one minute into the song, more of the corruptive substance on Darnell begins to be removed off him, freeing most of his hair and half of his face, as the boy looks around in confusion at where he is.

Sensing this, the remaining parts of the corruption suddenly start glowing, as the substance begins to reinfect the pyromaniac, leaving him shocked and unable to fight back before he's pulled under its control once again. With the two minute mark now reached, the song shifts back to a sombre tone, but only for a short while, as it returns back into its intense atmosphere, as the Corrupted Darnell frantically tries to strike down Atlas with their ember blasts, but the ex-rockstar stands against them, and with the song drawing an end, Atlas delivers one final strike, forcing the infected pyromaniac to turn tail and retreat, but only for now...

Daddy Dearest: (sighs) That was pretty intense. Even with my strength and magic now returned, those parasites are still persistent, even more so than they were previously.

IRIS: (taps Atlas's shoulders) Are you finished with your little battle, Dearest? I've finished communicating with the survivors inside the building, and they're coming to let us in. Also, be prepared for some form of surprise once you see them.

Atlas gives IRIS a glance of confusion, but doesn't have much time to question it, as the entrance to the Greater Good Tower opens, allowing the two demons to rush in before any other corrupted people try to ambush them again. Once inside, the ex-rockstar is surprised to see the face of one of his personal favourite roadies and henchmen Dee Jay, who also shares the same expression as him.

Dee Jay: (blinks a few times) Sir, you're still fighting? I thought they would've taken you down a while ago.

Daddy Dearest: (chuckles) Well, they took their sweet time plotting an attack, but they couldn't eliminate the old Disco Dearest with just their numbers. Though, I won't lie, I did have some help getting me out of that situation, even when they hunted us down for a second round.

Dee Jay: Regardless of how many numbers or how aggressive they fought, I'm just happy to see that my boss is still safe. (holds a fist out) Put 'em there, Disco Dearest.

Atlas Dearest happily accepts and the two demons shake fists with each other, only for them both to hear someone clear their throat, which catches their attention. Once they turn to see who did it, the ex-rockstar sees Agoti standing nearby, having his arms crossed and narrows his eyes to make an annoyed expression on his face, which gets Atlas nervous when they make eye contact.

Agoti: (narrows his eyes more) Dearest...

Daddy Dearest: (nervously fiddles his fingers about) Hey, Agoti... I haven't seen you since that competition you debuted in. Speaking of which, how did you get out of... You know...

Agoti: (raises an eyebrow) How I got out of that prison you and your wife threw me into? Well, my manager/step-father Solazar found out where you imprisoned me after what he described as "three years without so much as a single hint of where I was previously", and after finding a way in, we chatted before he bailed me out.

Daddy Dearest: I see... (takes a deep breath) Listen, I know what me and Charlotte did was completely uncalled for, and you probably don't wanna give me a second chance, but can we at least try and work together to drive this plague to extinction? And once it's dealt with, I swear me or my wife won't throw you back in that void.

Atlas then holds his hand out for a handshake, expecting Agoti to either walk away or just slap it away, which he would understand either options' reasoning. However, the ex-rockstar is caught off-guard when the Digidevil actually accepts the handshake, with his expression now looking more calmer than before.

Agoti: While I don't fully forgive either you or your wife, I can see that I was a bit of a dick to you both at that competition, and that punishment was sort of justified. A bit too far, but still justified. But like you said, we can put our past aside and try to work together. And who knows? Maybe we'll actually get along.

Daddy Dearest: (chuckles) Maybe we will.

Dee Jay: (claps) Hate to interrupt the sight of two upcoming former enemies beginning to get along, but I have a feeling that you're starving a bit, Dearest. How about I grab you some snacks and a drink from the vending machines?

Daddy Dearest: That doesn't sound bad, Dee Jay. Also, are you using that little midget's wallet again?

Dee Jay: (clicks his fingers) You know it, boss.

IRIS: (confused) How did you even steal that mortal's wallet?

Dee Jay: (grins) When I tossed him, boss's daughter, and their plus one onto Mearest's limo when they were heading to that sushi restaurant, it slipped out of his pocket. So, I grabbed it, but gave back his credit card, cause I ain't that cruel. (chuckles) It's been over a year since then, and he still doesn't know I took it. (holds it up) Though, I'm surprised that it's sort of loaded with cash, both paper and coins.

Daddy Dearest: I was as well, and from what I remember from when my daughter would gush over him, she said something about him making some types of videos for the internet, though she never said what kinds of videos. (shakes his head) Moving back on track, sure I'll have a snack and drink. (looks to Agoti) You want anything as well?

Agoti gives a smirk and a thumbs-up as IRIS begins to follow Dee Jay, asking him if he could also direct them over to where the main machinery is set up, so they can catch up on what research they've already accomplished. The roadie nods, before pointing down one of the many hallways, to which the automation starts going down, as both Agoti and Atlas start heading with Dee Jay to the vending machines. For now, they can have a break before continuing with their work...

(Corrupted Boyfriend POV)

Another groan of frustration escapes my lips as I finish searching the same area for the fourth time, still finding no sign of dear (Y/N) anywhere. I've searched the abandoned houses, the partially destroyed stores, even the sewers in case he might be down there, but no matter which one I choose to search, there's not a single thing that hints that he's in the area. What is that hint supposed to even mean?!

One of our lords gave both me and Girlfriend a location to investigate down by the more quieter sections of Starlight City, and when we both arrived, we found a message left by dear (Y/N), saying he wanted to finish this chase back where our friendship first started, so I went to where me and Girlfriend encountered him when he moved back to Starlight City while she searched his old Apartment Complex.

As I stand out on the cracked pavement, growling lowly to myself, I notice my sweet demonic darling flying down with her wings, which tuck back into her back the minute she lands down in front of me.

Corrupted Girlfriend: Hey, sweetie! I checked every room in that ransacked ruin, but couldn't find him in any of the rooms. Have you possibly found him?

Corrupted Boyfriend: (shakes his head) No luck on my side either, Girlfriend. I've searched every structure and hiding spot in this street multiple times, but dear (Y/N) wasn't lurking in any of them. (growls and stomps his feet) That message said when our friendship first started!! Why isn't he here?!!

Corrupted Girlfriend: (thinks for a moment) Perhaps the message wasn't meaning when our friendship with him was first formed, but rather only one of us.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (perks up) And since I've searched every part of this street, which is where you met him, Girlfriend, he isn't talking about you. He's... (eyes widen) He specifically meant me! I thought the "we" part included you! (calms down) But where did our friendship first form?

Corrupted Girlfriend: (pats her boyfriend's head) Come on, sweetie. Use that brain of yours and try to look way back. You said you knew each other for a while back in High School, so where did you first bond with him during that time?

The Corrupted Boyfriend took a moment to sit down on the curb of the destroyed street and begun to focus real hard, with the Corrupted Girlfriend giving him verbal support and the occasional hug to make sure he doesn't overclock his mind. After a while, the infected rapper's eyes widened when his mind remembers one specific location. One that they haven't destroyed yet, which makes his grin widen.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (chuckles) I think I know the place he's referring to. (looks to Girlfriend) I'll go and confront him alone. Can you try and round up some allies in case it gets out of hand?

Corrupted Girlfriend: (playfully salutes) You got it, hubby!!

(3rd Person POV)

(With (Y/N) and Spirit)

It took a while walking through the desolate streets of Starlight City, but both (Y/N) and Spirit managed to reach their location. Along the way, the former wanted to test out something involving his shadow magic, and with the latter's help, both ran a few tests along their journey. The young boy found out that his Shadow Manipulation magic can react on its own, mostly when he's in danger. They found out by Spirit launching a few projectiles towards (Y/N) after having his arms restricted but his magic active, they were both surprised to see it take multiple shapes to keep its summoner safe.

Once they wrapped up seeing what the Shadow Manipulation abilities can do in certain situations, Spirit and (Y/N) continued on their path towards where the latter wanted to have his final stand, and when they reached it, the young boy had some old memories flash through his head. And that specific location being...

...

...

Starlight City High School.

While the front gates and door were heavily locked, the former could be easily climbed over and the latter was solved by using the combat knife to break the locks. Once stepping inside, a wave of nostalgia struck (Y/N) in the mind, and apparently it worked on Spirit, as he was also silent while the young boy shut the door behind him and begun to walk through every area of the old building. The hallways have become silent, the classroom lights no longer flicker on, a small amount of the electronics appear outdated, any leftover food is now rotten, and everything else is gathering dust, either on it or inside it.

To both (Y/N) and Spirit, the building was like one massive time capsule, and while they wanted to explore the place even more, they knew what one of them wanted. Upon returning to the ground floor, the young boy enters one of the empty classrooms, and begins moving the equipment there around. He puts all the chairs and desks into one of the far corners of the room, he stashes all of the pencils, rulers, and other equipment into their respective drawers, and just for the fun of it, he cleans up the room, removing a large majority of the dust there.

Once the room looks slightly neater than it was originally, the young boy lets out a sigh of relief, before sitting down on the wooden floor, leaning his back against one of the classroom walls, and placing the bag of food and drinks beside him, before drifting off to sleep. Once he's fully succumbed to his slumber, the young boy finds himself in his mindscape, where aside from the cracks now being larger, multiple monitors span the walls, showing different memories he had back when he attended Starlight City High School.

(Y/N) spent a while looking around at the multitude of screens, getting lost in each replayed memory each one holds. He's able to identify when he first met Darnell and Nene along with Pico, getting to join their little friend group after given permission from Pico, meeting Boyfriend and working alongside him for a project, and even when he befriended the Goth Kids while he was going through his gothic phase. While admiring the past memories, (Y/N) feels a tear run down his face as he notices Spirit floating by his side, also viewing the young boy's memories.

Spirit: You really had an adventure when you attended here, didn't you?

(Y/N): (nods) Yeah, even if they were not as long as I wanted them to be, I'm still happy with what I have. (gives an upset sigh) What I'd wish to have these more happier times return for even just a day.

Spirit: I've got to say, the school has changed a lot since I've attended when human. Back then, technology was completely new to us, and our recently introduced Computing Class was a mess. (chuckles) I remember our Computing teacher kept struggling to deal with those pesky Blue Screens. (notices (Y/N)'s sombre expression) Are you okay, (Y/N)? You've gone silent now.

(Y/N): (nervously chuckles) Oh, I'm fine, Spirit.

Spirit: (gains a serious expression) (Y/N), I can tell you're hiding something from me. If you're trying to hide your stress, you know you can talk to me about it. Let me help you.

(Y/N): There's no point hiding it from you, huh Spirit? (sighs) You're right. With nearly the entirety of Starlight City being infected, and nearly everyone I've either known for a long time or just gotten to know falling as well... (sighs again) I'd be lying if I said I've been trying to imagine this as a cliché B-List zombie movie, because it no longer isn't. It's now more like something out of Saw.

Spirit: (listening carefully) I get what you're trying to say, (Y/N). And I presume you've been trying to keep all this fear and paranoia bottled up?

(Y/N): (slowly nods) Yes, and to makes matters worse, one of the two masterminds has been my older brother, someone who's been nearly erased from my life by my parents! And... (tears begin to form) And it's been making me think that it's sort of my fault that this whole thing has happened! (the tears begin to fall down his cheeks) It's just becoming too much! I'm nearly at the point where I want to... Where I just want to run far away from here, and forget about everything!!!

(Y/N): (hugs himself as the tears fall faster) I know people like Julian keep telling me it'll be alright, but... But what if it doesn't? What if there isn't a way to make this end? We'd just be trapped in an endless cycle fighting and fleeing from people who can only be saved for a certain amount of time!! (covers his face with his hands) It keeps getting worse for me. I... I could've saved a lot of others, if I hadn't just stayed by the side-lines and watched! It's... (screams into his hands) At this point, all I can think of is one final confrontation at this point, because if I lost one more person I could've saved, I... (falls to his knees) I don't know what I'd do anymore...

As the young boy silently sobs to himself, Spirit looks at him with a concerned expression. Even if he was eighteen, his mind was like that of a teenagers, being still fragile and not having enough growth yet. So, the spectral entity takes a deep breath before changing his form, this one looking like a crimson apparition of Senpai. He would've attempted to make his new look resemble how he looked as a human, but it's been a long time, and he had forgotten what his human self once was.

After performing a quick test on flexibility to get used to his new form, Spirit then floated in front of (Y/N), lifted him up, and pulled the young boy into a calming hug, not minding the fact that the one he's comforting is sobbing into his shoulder. Both stay like this until after a while, the young boy calms down, standing back up and wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.

Spirit: (softly smiling) Feel better now? Even just a slight bit?

(Y/N): (smiles back) Just a little. How do you do it, Spirit? How do you keep a calm head through all... this? (extends his arms out for emphasise)

Spirit: I have to admit, even I have felt overly stressed when I was in temporary control and had to deal with a few threats. At some points, similar to you, I felt like the situation was too much to handle. But, there was something that has kept me going, fuelling me as a form of encouragement, and it's something you use as well, (Y/N).

(Y/N): (tils his head) I've... sort of lost what that thing is, because of everything that's been going on. Could you remind me, please?

Spirit: (smiles) It's my friends, both you and the ones that were in the Hating Simulator. Every time I feel like giving up and accepting my demise, I think of what they would say and wish, which would be for me to continue fighting for a better future, if not for me, then for them. (floats around (Y/N)) We all use the same motivation, (Y/N), and while you struggle with keeping up with it, you've never thrown it away.

(Y/N): (rubs his right arm) But that's because you were able to save your world-

Spirit: (interrupts) Forget about what I've done, and try focusing on what you've done, (Y/N). You're one of the first members of the resistance, you've helped inspire others to believe in the same spark of hope you have for a long time. Sure, the world may be falling apart, but that doesn't mean it's unfixable.

(Y/N): (looks to the ground) But still, no matter how hard I try, every time I feel like we're making progress, it just ends up we're actually going backwards... Is... Is it even worth it?

Spirit: To answer that question (Y/N), I'll need to ask you a question of my own. What was your strive to keep fighting against the corruption, along with trying to free both your friends and family?

(Y/N): (stays silent for a while) It started out as a promise to free both Boyfriend and Girlfriend when they fell, and when more people I got to know suffered the same disaster, that promise sort of silently grew into a promise to save everyone. (closes his eyes) That's what it was and still is, but now I'm starting to think that it's not even possible.

Spirit: While it's true that it's difficult to save everyone close to you, even when you try your hardest, that doesn't mean it's impossible. No matter how much your mind and heart says these words are cliché and full of lies, you never need to stop believing in hope. (pats the young boy on the head) You've been through so much physical and mental pain, and while things look grim now, you need to know you're never alone in this struggle for a happy end. You're not alone, everyone else in the resistance is going through the same thing, so you shouldn't take everyone's burden. Let me, and others, share that pain, and take some stress out of you.

(Y/N) looks to Spirit before pulling him into another hug, which the spectral figure accepts with no hesitation. This time however, both figures notice the cracks in the mindscape begin to shrink back down, giving the signal that it's slowly healing. Even the third figure hiding in the shadows is amazed by the sudden recovery, even if it's only a small amount. After a while, (Y/N) lets Spirit free from the hug, having a more wider and larger smile than before.

Spirit: Has this little intervention helped you out? I have a feeling it did, judging by your more happier expression.

(Y/N): (wipes his other tears away) Yeah, it has.

Spirit: (smiles) That's nice to hear. (looks off to the side) You know, I've been thinking of one way we could possibly fight back against those two masterminds and free anyone infected without any difficulty, but I have to admit, this idea is more of a final attempt more than anything.

(Y/N): (perks up) Really? Could I hear it, if you don't mind?

Spirit: Alright then. You remember how The Harvester informed you that the magic was given to you by him? That means there's a high chance it's equal to his own magic power. Now, you are also aware that I can take control of your body if needed to, correct? ((Y/N) nods) Now, for one final question, do you remember the information I told you about regarding permanent fusion?

(Y/N): (nods again) I do, and I'm thinking to see what you're trying to offer.

Spirit: (nods) Correct, (Y/N). In case we are left with no other choice, the idea is that we both fuse, combining your magic with my own, resulting in a being that could potentially overpower most corrupted forces. However, there are risks to beware of. For starters, I have no clue on if we could stand our ground against Monster or The Harvester, and that if we went along with the plan, without a stronger force to split us apart, we'd be... you know, permanently fused together, and I don't want to force you into that.

(Y/N): (nods) I understand both your thought on going through with it, plus you did say it's a last resort kind of plan. I'll take some more time to think about it, but just keep that in mind just in case, okay Spirit?

Spirit: (nods) I will, (Y/N), just like I do with all of my other plans. Now, how about you wake up for now, just to think it over?

The young boy gives his spectral partner a nod, as his body slowly becomes more transparent, resulting in him disappearing from the mindscape, leaving only Spirit in there for now, to think about his own suggestion himself.

While a certain Glitch Soul silently plans to themselves on what to do next...

Glitch (Y/N): (has a thinking expression) HMM... SEEMS LIKE THIS PLAN MAY NOT WORK OUT AT ALL... (chuckles to themselves) GOOD THING I HAVE PLENTY MORE BACKUP SCHEMES, THANKS TO A CERTAIN VISITOR... OOH, THE THOUGHT OF ALTERNATE TIMELINES, AND WHAT THEY HOLD...

(Y/N POV)

I soon woke up from my slumber, still resting against one of the classroom walls, with my small bag of supplies next to me. Feeling a bit hungry, I reach in and grab both a snack and a drink, which were a few donuts and half a bottle of soda respectively, before neatly putting them away in the bin. With nothing else to do really, I chose to pass the time by either looking out the windows to try and spot any stars through the darkened sky, or just by looking at the clock, which showed I had been asleep for nearly four hours.

After switching between these two options for at least half an hour now, I notice a figure slink through the front doors to the school. Okay, he's here now. As the sounds of heavy footsteps begin to grow louder with each passing second, I take a few deep breaths, preparing myself for what, or rather who is about to enter. And after hearing the classroom doors open behind me...

...

Corrupted Boyfriend: There you are.

With the distorted voice passing through my ears, I turn around and face the Corrupted Boyfriend, the one I was waiting to arrive. Must've took him a while to realise this was where I wanted to face him. Regardless, we keep staring each other down, until I take in another deep breath, exhaling before speaking first to what was once one of my closest friends.

(Y/N): So, guess you finally found out where I wanted to see you, to have what you'd happily call my "Last Stand", correct? Don't bother lying. I can read it off your expression, even if it's permanently plastered onto you.

Corrupted Boyfriend: Why, of course I'm excited, dear (Y/N). You gave me an invitation to finally end this game of Cat and Mouse once and for all. Even if your little clue was somewhat difficult for me to realise for a while, I'm not mad about it right now, because... Well, I already said why.

(Y/N): I can tell. (stays silent for a while) Before we begin, let me just ask you a question or two. Is this what you really want? (Corrupted BF looks confused) Look at all this carnage that you and everyone else has caused. Friends and Family have been torn apart and frightened by each other, there's barely anything left to deal with hunger and thirst, and if this continues, we'll all be acting like fucking cannibals.

Corrupted Boyfriend: And what is this question supposed to mean exactly?

(Y/N): (glares at Corrupted BF) I'm addressing it straight at you, Boyfriend, if you're even still in there. This entire takeover has left what was once a place for aspiring and talented souls such as yourself and I, and transformed it into something that... (sighs) The best way I could describe this as being something from a reimagined nightmare. It's enough to drive anyone into Insanity, and it already has gotten to so many people. Pico, Whitty, Tabi... (looks down when mentioning them)

(Y/N): Even if people that you've targeted deserved some form of retribution for their past actions, what you're doing is akin to sinking down to their level. So my question is: Are you happy with what you've done, Boyfriend? And I'm not talking to that infected shell trapping you, I'm talking to you directly.

After I've finished speaking to Boyfriend, I see him go silent for a while, to the point that the glowing pink pupils in his eyes actually vanish. While surprised that my words might have had an effect on him, I make sure to keep my guard up in case it's a trap, while also recollecting my breath. A few minutes pass, and his eyes soon light up again, followed by him laughing to himself quietly, before breaking out into a hysterical one.

Corrupted Boyfriend: Oh, dear (Y/N). You make it sound like the past memories that you desperately cling onto and hope to see are lost forever. Haven't we told you this from previous encounters? Those days can still be replicated, all you just need to do is let the corruption engulf you, let it mould you into something more better. Something more... menacing.

(Y/N): (sighs) Figured that you wouldn't be reachable, but then again, when have many of infected people really showed to be signs of being saved lately. (shakes his head) Regardless, I think we both know just how we're going to settle this, so let's just cut right to the chase. (lifts up a microphone) Same way we settled this we first reunited. Three songs, just three. I'll even let you go first.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (cackles) Paying tribute to when we encountered each other again? Alright, I agree to your terms and conditions. Now, let's begin our little serenade together, since you've had a few with Girlfriend, and I want to spend some time with my other partner in our growing relationship.

https://youtu.be/yjePMVUZSp4

*Song Name: Oboete (Song begins at 0:52 and ends at 2:38)*

*Original Song: Endless Cycle by Renx The Hedgehog (Imagine it's (Y/N) singing instead of Whitty)*

With a guitar riff sounding out of nowhere, the two old friends stare each other down before the Corrupted Boyfriend begins singing ominously while his own body twitches with movement, with the sudden melody sounding incredibly slow and ominous, matching the feeling of confronting an unstable sociopath. To match this mood, (Y/N) keeps his guard up when he starts singing back, keeping one arm in his hoodie pocket, gripping the Combat Knife hidden in there while is eyes glow a dim white, giving off a warning to his opponent as he extends his turn by a small amount, with Boyfriend replicating what he tried.

Once the halfway point of the song hits, both (Y/N) and the Corrupted Boyfriend start attempting to interrupt each other, trying to fight for control of the song, with the latter doing it first after the young boy took the lead advantage with his extended turn, and the former replicating the sly technique. While this is happening, (Y/N)'s eyes begin to glow slightly more brighter, as he begins to use his Shadow Manipulation Magic, striking what was once one of his close friends with projectiles of darkness.

As the Corrupted Boyfriend staggers back from the sudden attack, (Y/N) puts his focus back onto the rap battle, continuing with slow and long bars, with his Shadow Manipulation Magic still active just in case his opponent tries any tactics of his own. With not much options on fighting back available at the moment, The Corrupted Boyfriend just narrows his eyes as he also repeats the same style of notes, with the song ending as the two fighters go back to staring at each other in silence, until the infected rapper with pronouns breaks it with quiet chuckles.

Corrupted Boyfriend: Never thought you'd go and start attacking first without being provoked. Are we really rubbing off on you, dear (Y/N)?

(Y/N): (narrows his eyes) Don't try and flatter yourself. I'm just picking up one of your own tactics, of playing dirty and attacking unexpectedly. (smirks) But if you want to have some form of credit, then the answer is yes.

Corrupted Boyfriend: If that's the case, then all you needed to do was just say if you wanted to actually fight instead of sing, dear (Y/N)!!

With that statement leaving his infected jaw, the Corrupted Boyfriend then lunges at (Y/N), who quickly pulls out his Combat Knife and slashes at the infected rapper's wrist, causing a slash mark to form on it, and get his opponent to back away, growling from the counterattack. However, Boyfriend's face keeps the confident smile on it, as he unveils an old trick from the past: Sprouting multiple black corrupted tendrils from his back, which then lunge towards the young boy. All (Y/N) knew at that this final stand was only beginning.

After dodging the first couple of tendrils that try to grab him, the young boy catches his corrupted friend charging towards him from the corner of his eye. (Y/N) barely moves out of the way, feeling the black substance slowly crawl onto his left leg, slowly infecting it. In retaliation, the young boy sends a volley of shadow projectiles towards the Corrupted Boyfriend. Unfortunately for the young boy, the infected rapper dodges them with ease, before going back on the offensive. Not wanting him to get close, (Y/N) instead sends a wave of shadow spikes across the floor, only to watch the Corrupted Boyfriend do the same attack, only with corrupted spikes that charge into the shadow spikes, which destroy each other.

Now starting to get more nervous as this struggle continues on, the young boy takes in a deep breath to try and stay calm, before looking back at his approaching opponent and creating a shadow clone of himself, which immediately lunges at the infected rapper, swinging its fists and feet at him. However, just like his previous attacks, the Corrupted Boyfriend just laughs it off, before having his tendrils ensnare the shadow clone, before crushing it with ease. Once the shadow clone has been destroyed, the tendrils resume trying to strike or capture the young boy, and unlike the previous strikes, they actually manage to strike (Y/N), hitting him on the right leg, left arm, and nearby his left eye.

As he feels the tendrils impale him, he looks to see them not going right through him or leaving cuts, but instead cause the corruptive substance to spread much faster, now covering the lower half of his legs, half of his left arm, and a quarter of his face, resulting in his left eye now looking changing from (E/C) to pink. As the Corrupted Boyfriend slowly resumes his advance, (Y/N) takes in another deep breath, before letting out more of his Shadow Magic, his eyes glowing much brighter than before, as he frees himself from the tendrils.

The Corrupted Boyfriend is caught off-guard by this, and in the brief window of time caused by the shock, the young boy sends forth a massive wave of shadow projectiles straight towards his infected friend. This time, he's able to land multiple hits, before having is uninfected arm surrounded by shadows, and charges forward, knocking into the infected rapper and pushing him back, before lowering the intensity of his shadow magic, with the glow in his eyes slowly dimming as the Corrupted Boyfriend just gets back onto his feet, not even showing any signs of damage on him.

(Y/N): (noticeably panting) Damn it... Thought that would've done something, but I guess not... (clutches his left arm with his right arm) So, I'm guessing you want to continue fighting, while I'm trying to recover...

Corrupted Boyfriend: (grins back) Why, of course I am, dear (Y/N). You did foolishly start this by attacking first. If you had chosen to not fight back, you would've had less of the corruption on you.

(Y/N): (raises an eyebrow) And let you attack me, which would've gotten me in a more unfavourable result? Yeah, I don't think so. (grunts from the spreading corruption) This is still hurting, but... (looks back at BF) Let's just get to the second song, and another trip down memory lane for the both of us.

Corrupted Boyfriend: Very well, dear (Y/N). It's not like it'll help you in the long run very time soon.

https://youtu.be/gr3LMfiay3s

*Song Name: Familiarity (Song begins at 0:33 and ends at 3:02)*

*Original Song: OverCorrupted by Renx The Hedgehog (Imagine it's (Y/N) singing instead of Whitty)*

Both (Y/N) and the Corrupted Boyfriend stare each other down again, until the former starts singing a familiar song from a long time ago, that being one of Whitty's songs when Boyfriend battled him before the corruption outbreak. Even the instrumental sounds similar, with the only difference being the instrumental itself sounding much more sinister and distorted. Regardless of the black substance slowly spreading across his body from where he was struck, (Y/N) continues fighting back, trying to keep his movements limited to prevent the corruption from spreading more, and his uncorrupted eye faintly glowing, representing the remaining determination he still has in the fight.

As for the Corrupted Boyfriend, he doesn't seem to mind how the young boy keeps attempting to fight back as hard as he can. No, he's enjoying every moment of challenge (Y/N) is letting out along with his determination, as he wants to utterly drain and destroy that little spark until there's nothing of it left. Soon, the halfway mark hits as (Y/N) begins to go all out, letting out a verse with his voice full of desperation in an attempt to overpower his friend. All it just does is motivate the Corrupted Boyfriend to try harder, replicating the verse as a form of taunt.

Despite that, the young boy keeps fighting back, struggling to keep up with his infected friend, but trying his hardest not to let him gain the upper hand or give the corruptive substance any chance to continue travelling across his body, soon attempting the same tactic, only this time, he's refusing even harder, as when the Corrupted Boyfriend finishes his turn, he surprises the catalyst rapper with one final push, bringing him into a frantic and desperate duet, with both pushing their limits to the max.

Eventually, the battle ends with a clear winner, being the Corrupted Boyfriend and his unlimited stamina, who strikes a familiar victory pose in triumph. (Y/N) meanwhile just takes in a deep breath, feeling the corruption continue to spread up his legs, and across both his left arm and face, trying his hardest to remain conscious, until he hears Spirit speak up telepathically.

Spirit: (through telepathy) (Y/N), your stamina has nearly ran out. If you keep this up, you'll pass out before he can continue infecting you.

(Y/N): (quietly) I can tell, Spirit, but there's not much options left. If I stay and fight, I'll fall, and that's not mentioning the additional point that Boyfriend is guarding the only way out, that being the door since the windows are too small. Even if I somehow escaped the classroom, I'd just be chased down, and this whole cycle would never end.

Spirit: (through telepathy) I can see your arguments, (Y/N), and I've already thought of one last ditch attempt, and we both know what I'm about to suggest. All I need to know is if you're still willing to go through with it.

(Y/N): (quietly) You're talking about the whole fusion thing, aren't you, Spirit? If that's the case, then I'm down with the idea. Yes, I'm aware of the risks you've mentioned earlier, but not only might this be the only way to free a large majority of everyone, but I trust fusing with you. We've known each other for a while, and we've grown a bond, so... If there's someone who I want to fuse with, it's you.

Spirit: (through telepathy) Thanks for those words, (Y/N). Now, are you ready for this? Just for one last piece information to know, our memories will be shared with each other, so expect a headache once it happens.

(Y/N): (quietly) Got it, Spirit. You wanna do the honours?

Spirit: (through telepathy) I shall, (Y/N).

"Let us become one."

With those words being declared, a crimson aura begins to envelop (Y/N), leaving only his figure visible and his eyes glowing, as he clutches his head, tearing up from an intense sharp pain in his head. Inside the mindscape, Spirit watches as so many memories flash across his eyes, from the young boy's childhood, to events he participated in Starlight City both before he left and after he returned, all leading up to when the corruptive outbreak began. The same happens for (Y/N), as he witnesses Jonathan's own memories, from when he met Girlfriend, the incident that resulted in him getting trapped in the Hating Simulator, and getting along with both Senpai and Valentine.

Meanwhile, the Corrupted Boyfriend stops his celebration as he notices (Y/N) surrounded in the crimson aura, and automatically assumes Spirit is planning to take over. So, he begins charging up to unleash a wave of corruptive energy, but once he's given the chance to unleash it, he's instead interrupted when the young boy lets out a furious cry, blasting the corruption on him off in an instant, as the crimson aura unveils something new. Standing in front of the infected rapper is (Y/N), but now he has some visual differences.

For starters, another crimson aura surrounds him, as his hair is now a combination between his usual (H/C) and blood red instead of being one of the two. For another noticeable difference, his right eye appears to be permanently glowing white, while his left eye looks the same, only with red glowing swirls in it. The infected rapper just looks at his friend in confusion, before taking a step forward, ready to find out just what happened.

Corrupted Boyfriend: One final trick before you fall? Relying on that spectre again? You should know by now that the same trick is never-

Spirit (Y/N): (holds his hand out) That's enough out of you.

The Corrupted Boyfriend suddenly freezes up, silently identifying the voice of (Y/N), or rather the new figure that is standing where the young boy is, with the key notice being how the figure's voice sounds almost like two people speaking through one body. With just that detail, the infected rapper is able to realise that both (Y/N) and Spirit have fused, becoming one being, and with the conclusion reached, the Corrupted Boyfriend's eyes momentarily flash with fear, before hiding them back behind the same wall of overconfidence as it has for a long time.

Spirit (Y/N): All of you that carry this plague have rendered this whole city impossible to enter or escape, all because of your emperors saying that what they've already destroyed and who they've infected as insufficient, and they want more victims. But now, things are going to change, for on this night, there will be a reckoning of hope, the promise of a new future, and we will be the ones to bring it forth. (points at Boyfriend) You don't mind being the first to fall, right? After all, it's only fair after your countless attempts to hunt us down.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (glares at Spirit (Y/N)) I'll admit, you both fusing was not what I was expecting in the slightest, but I won't let this trick scare me. Like I was going to say earlier, this will be just like when I've fought you back at the car park, only difference being that I'll have to deal with the abilities of you both instead of just one skillset. No matter, at least this fight will be even more exciting for me than I expected.

Spirit (Y/N): (glares back) Oh? You wish for this to be exciting? Do you desire more of a challenge for your end? Well, we'll grant you what exactly you desire, but don't blame us when you want to take it back once it overwhelms you. Now... (eyes glow bright) Enough stalling. The dawn of a new day shall rise.

https://youtu.be/s1qzuQ89bfw

*Song Name: Deadly Fusion*

*Original Song: Deadly Blast by CosmeticCloud (Imagine it's Spirit (Y/N) singing instead of Ballistic Whitty)*

Both Spirit (Y/N) and the Corrupted Boyfriend stare each other down one final time, as the song for the major battle begins to play, slowly building itself up, and after the first four bars have been performed, it explodes into a triumphant and nearly-holy instrumental, as Spirit (Y/N) immediately takes control of the song. At this point, the entire classroom begins to light up from a bright crimson red aura emitting around the area, as one of the walls explodes open, revealing the Corrupted Girlfriend and her backup, consisting of Pico, Darnell, Nene, the Spooky Kids, and Charlotte Mearest.

Upon noticing the fused entity inside the classroom, the Corrupted Skid and Pump quickly rush into action, leaping forward in order to apprehend and restrict him like they've done with Whitty, only for Spirit (Y/N) to simply launch them back with a short-ranged blast of energy, before resuming battle against the infected rapper, who's still trying to fight back. A little while later, the song begins to calm down, almost sounding melancholic as Spirit (Y/N)'s voice matches the mood as well. The Corrupted Boyfriend copies their rhythm, almost mocking them, until a voice rings out in his head, and that voice being from The Harvester themselves.

"What do you think you're doing, you overconfident midget?!"

"This is starting to get out of our control!! If you aren't careful, they'll obliterate you, along with the backup!!"

"Focus on the battle and do whatever you can to split them up and stop them now!! I'm trying to arrive as well!!"

Almost to serve as a wake-up call to the Corrupted Boyfriend, he suddenly gets struck by a slash of crimson energy by Spirit (Y/N), removing part of the corruption from his cap and left eye. Upon noticing this, the Corrupted Girlfriend immediately flies into action, landing right beside her love and starts to heal him up, as Pico and his crew come in to distract the fused entity for a while. Starting off, the Corrupted Nene goes lunging in, swinging her knife at him, only for Spirit (Y/N) to dodge her strikes, before retaliating by summoning a large crimson wall and shoving it against her, knocking the obsessive yandere to the other side of the room, as the spiritual entity then changes the wall into a barrier, trapping Nene in it.

With one distraction dealt with, Spirit (Y/N) turns their attention to the other two, mainly choosing to focus on the Corrupted Darnell, who begins to fire rapid streams of corrupted fire at them. As a counterattack, they create a long sharp chain out of crimson energy, before swinging it like a flail, destroying multiple embers with ease as they continue singing against the Corrupted Boyfriend, who's in the middle of being healed. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Spirit (Y/N)'s eyes begin to glow brighter, until he unleashes a battle cry, which spreads out a stronger wave of crimson energy, pushing Darnell away.

With just the Corrupted Pico left to deal with, the infected sharpshooter wastes no time in unloading every bullet in his Duel Uzi's, with Spirit (Y/N) calmly putting up a barrier to block them, before using the crimson chain from earlier to strike Pico multiple times, finishing the combo with a kick to the side of his head, pushing him out of the classroom as they look back to the Corrupted Boyfriend and continues the rap battle, with the enemy now fully recovered. Soon, the melancholic part returns again, as the Corrupted Girlfriend and Charlotte start to use their own abilities to try and weaken Spirit (Y/N)...

...

Only to be overwhelmed with another powerful screech.

With the final few seconds on the song counting away, Spirit (Y/N)'s eyes glow to the brightest they can reach, as they sing at a much more faster and aggressive pace, with the crimson aura now growing larger with each passing second. By this point, the Corrupted Boyfriend is panicking through his vocal skills. His backup has been demolished in a matter of one minute, The Harvester hasn't shown up yet, and he can't keep up. As his turn comes to an end, Spirit (Y/N) begins to charge up a ton of crimson energy, before unleashing it all with one furious cry, that echoes around Starlight City...

(??? POV)

I can't believe I'm about to do this, but I have no choice. If I don't do anything, then one of two unfortunate outcomes will happen, and neither of them result in anything good. As I look down to my own hand, seeing the microphone gripped tightly, I remember the both the promise (Y/N) made on how he wanted to free everyone, along with my own promise, swearing to never rest until I can fix what I've caused.

But, every time I've rewound time back to the beginning, there's always an accident that occurs that brings forth a new anomaly, forever dooming that attempt to a bad ending. Not to mention if I do this, then my corrupted self in this timeline might remember, and I've already begun to reach my limit, even with past attempts being reclaimed, but...

No, I have to do this. I have to endure at least one last decision, and then hopefully, my plan can work.

Let's play this back one final time, at least a few hours prior instead of all the way back and this time, nobody will have to die. No spirits, no angels, no demons, no humans. And (Y/N)...

I'm sorry for what I have to do...

"RETRY!!!!"

(3rd Person POV)

All of a sudden, both (Y/N) and Spirit find themselves back outside the main doors to Starlight City High School, both separated from their fusion, but have clear memories of what had happened before. Haven't they won? They overpowered the corruption on Boyfriend, Girlfriend, and everyone else that was present at the battle, so... Why are they back here all of a sudden? As (Y/N) looks around in confusion, he hears Spirit speak up, with his own state of bewilderment matching the young boys'.

Spirit: (through telepathy) (Y/N), please... Please tell me that you remember... What just happened, right? We... Weren't we...

(Y/N): (slowly nods) I... I remember, Spirit. We... We fused, then we fought Boyfriend, and then... (takes deep breaths) Shouldn't we have freed them? They were struck, weren't they? What happened?

Spirit: (through telepathy) I... I don't know, (Y/N). For once, I don't have an answer to what just occurred, and... And it frighten me.

(Y/N): (eyes widen) Wait a minute... We fused and fought together in the classroom, but all of a sudden, we're back outside the school doors again... Does that mean...

Without waiting for a response, (Y/N) kicks the front doors open and starts sprinting through the hallways, straight towards the classroom he had chosen earlier. Once he flings the doors open, what inside shocks both him and Spirit. The desks, chairs, equipment, even the dust are right back to where they were before the arrived. It was almost like they hadn't stepped foot in, and that one sight gets (Y/N) to piece together what had happened.

(Y/N): (hands begin shaking) Spirit, I... I think I know what happened, I... I think.

Spirit: (through telepathy) You do?! Well... would you like to explain it to me?!

(Y/N): We remember not only fusing, but also remember fighting Boyfriend in the classroom. However, we just found ourselves standing just outside the school entrance, and... (looks at the room's clock) The clock has moved back by four hours. (takes in a deep breath) I... I think time had just been rewound, but due to fusing, we remember what had happened.

Spirit: (through telepathy) I... I can see what you're saying, (Y/N), but how could time have been pulled back- (stays silent for a moment) Wait a minute, didn't that figure that visited the mindscape back from when we were at the venue say both he and your little rapper friend could rewind time?

(Y/N): (eyes widen) He did, Spirit. But... But he couldn't have done that, I think. What if... What if Boyfriend somehow did it? (starts breathing heavily) Wait a minute... Then... Then that means...

Spirit: (through telepathy) (Y/N)! (Y/N)! Calm down for me, please! Your heart is starting to beat at fast speeds! ((Y/N) takes in some deep breaths) That's it, (Y/N). Take a deep breath and blow out the candle. (senses the heartbeat going back to normal) Now, what were you going to say earlier?

(Y/N): Spirit, if Boyfriend was the one who did it, then... Then he knows that we fused, and that means he could plan to take us down.

Spirit: (through telepathy) You bring up another good point, (Y/N), but what can we do now? If he does know, then we won't be able to flee to another good hiding place without getting caught. And if we stay, you'll get corrupted, and for the worst case scenario, I'll be erased, or killed in your vocabulary. (sighs) What can we do now?

(Y/N): (looks around nervously) I... I think I have an idea, Spirit, but I don't think you'll like it one bit. (Spirit stays silent) You should leave, and... And let me take the fall to buy you enough time to get somewhere safe.

Spirit: (through telepathy) What?! (Y/N), don't say something like that!! We can-

(Y/N): (interrupts) Spirit, I know you don't want to acknowledge it, but we both now that it's at this point the only option we can do. Like you said earlier, if we don't do anything, I'll be corrupted regardless, and you'll be killed off. (sighs) I won't lie, even I don't want really accept this, but we have no choice now. (starts tearing up) Please, Spirit. I don't want to lose you, too...

Spirit didn't say anything after (Y/N) finished speaking, making the young boy silently question to himself if he's either debating on going through with the suggestion or choosing to ignore it by not speaking up. After a while, he begins to feel something in his head about to burst, and as he clutches it, a crimson light bursts out, before taking the form of Spirit, with his new looks from inside the mindscape, and a regretful expression on his face.

Spirit: (glancing to the side) I... I still don't think this might be a good idea, and as much as I want to argue against it... I cannot. Just... Just promise me you'll try and resist for as long as you can, alright?

(Y/N): (nods) I will, Spirit. And, if I may ask, if I do fall and potentially... Never return... (takes in a deep breath) Please look after both Boyfriend and Girlfriend for me, should they get freed. I know you hold a sort of grudge with one of them, but please... For me, Spirit.

Spirit: (nods) I will try my hardest to keep them out of harms way, like I've done with you, (Y/N). Now, farewell, until this is all over.

Both (Y/N) and Spirit embrace each other for one last hug, and after letting go from it, the latter takes off, shooting out of the window and flying through the darkened skies like a crimson comet. As for the young boy, he just sighs, looks to the classroom, and starts to move everything out of the way once more, knowing what encounter will be happening after a while...

(Corrupted Boyfriend POV)

I feel my eyes rapidly blink as I find myself standing back on the streets I've searched only an hour ago. What am I doing back here? From what I remember, dear (Y/N) and that spectral annoyance had fused, easily defeating Girlfriend and the others she had brought along with her, before unleashing one final attack. I nearly thought we would've lost at that point, but here I am, back on the streets, with no explanation as to how I ended up here without a scratch, crack, or any part of the corruption having been removed.

Just what has happened?

As I silently ponder to myself on what may have happened, my ears soon pick up the sound of something in the air, as I spot my sweet and demonic darling flying through the shadowy air, before tucking her wings and turning her attention towards me the minute her feet touch the ground.

Corrupted Girlfriend: Hey, sweetie! I checked every room in that ransacked ruin, but couldn't find him in any of the rooms. Have you possibly found him?

My eyes widen as she finishes her sentence, with me quickly turning around to hide my shock from her. I remember her saying those words, along with my response to them. In that interaction, I told her I was struggling to find dear (Y/N) in this abandoned street, only for her to tell me to focus hard on one certain location, which would lead me to remember the old high school, and I'd tell her to find some backup while I go confront our old friend alone. Did...

Did time just rewind, as a way to give me a perfect chance to corrupt dear (Y/N) properly? At that thought, I begin to chuckle to myself, as a new idea forms in my head. Since time was rewound, then I know just how to take care of that obnoxious spectre that'll ruin anything. At that moment, I feel a hand tap my shoulder, as I turn to face my demonic darling.

Corrupted Girlfriend: (tilts her head) Are you okay, honey? You just looked away and begun to laugh for no reason.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (trying to hold in his laugh) Oh, it's nothing, my cherry-dressed love. It's just that I think I know where dear (Y/N) is hiding out, and I was wondering if you would love to help me out. All we just need is to round up everyone that joined us when storming the music theatre...

Corrupted Girlfriend: (playfully salutes) You got it, hubby!! And I'd love to assist you!! So, who are we going to grab first?

(3rd Person POV)

(With Hanzou, Garcello, Annie, and Sky)

While the corrupted couple plot together on how exactly their grandest attack should and will play out, back with the largest group of survivors in the resistance, consisting of Hanzou the ninja, Garcello the smoker, Annie the chugger, and Sky the fangirl, things haven't gone smoothly for them, unlike the other teams. While they've been able to help Garcello adapt to his new smoke dragon wings and smoke breath, the former has lead to some unfortunate problems as now when flying through the skies, it's made them much more noticeable targets to those who can also become airborne.

After making it through multiple back-to-back close calls, the four have agreed that they won't take flight again, unless absolutely necessary, which also meant that they were back to traversing Starlight City on foot again, and dealing with the downsides of that choice. They couldn't travel as fast as they could, they were constantly checking corners to see if anyone corrupted was nearby, and if there was, they would try to hopefully sneak past them or risk engaging in combat, with the latter being most common. It was like this until Garcello suggested one new idea.

Garcello: (whispers to the others) Hey, something just clicked in my head, guys. If we're having trouble travelling in both the air and the streets, then why don't we try to use the underground railroads for getting around?

After a quick vote between the group, they all agreed on going through with Garcello's plan. Currently, they're in the middle of heading to one of the few tunnels that'll lead them to one of the platforms. With Hanzou taking the lead, dashing forward and checking every possible angle, the team are able to reach the stairs leading to the underground railroad, but before entering, Hanzou has something to say.

Hanzou: (halts the other three) Hold on a minute, guy and girls. Just because we reached our destination doesn't mean that we're in the clear for now. If we want to make it out, we need to take some precautions. (points to Annie) Annie, I know you're more better at skills such as witchcraft, but do you think you could try and get one of the electric trains active?

Annie: (gives a thumbs up) I'll go my best, Hanzou.

Hanzou: (nods) And I trust you will, Annie. (looks to Garcello and Sky) Garcello, Sky, I want the both of you to go down with Annie, and keep a close eye out just in case anybody corrupted is crawling through those tunnels as well. Do not let Annie fall. (motions to himself) As for me, I'll stay up here and keep guard, fending this entryway from any corrupted civilians that may try to get down here. If I ever run down, then that means they're too much for me to handle by myself, and I'll request your help, Garcello and Sky. Okay?

Sky: (nods) Okay, but just a quick question, why not come down with us instead of staying guard up here?

Hanzou: Because if some noise from down below slips out, somebody infected could hear what we're planning, and without anyone watching guard, they'd be able to ambush us. We need to stay alert.

Sky: (thinks for a moment) I think I see your point now, Hanzou.

Hanzou: Thank you for hearing my argument, Sky. Now, let's put this plan into motion!

With the plan now agreed on, Garcello, Sky, and Annie rush down the stairs while Hanzou stays behind, reaching for his blade as he notices some corrupted figures in the distance slowly getting closer. Down with the others, their hopes are answered when they find at least one train down in the station, but the difficult part will be trying to get it working. As Annie heads to the front to attempt to turn on the train, both Garcello and Sky sit down nearby the train, hearing the sound of combat above on the surface.

Garcello: (calls out) Are you sure you can do this without help, Annie?

Annie: (shouts back) I'm positive, Garcello! If I could craft a potion that could make your neck turn long for an hour or two, I can try and find a way to get this machine working! You just sit back and rest, man!

Garcello: (chuckles) If you insist, Annie. Just know you can let me know if you're struggling with anything. (sits down on a bench)

Sky: (joins Garcello) You two seem pretty close. How'd you both meet?

Garcello: Well, I met her once while I was sleeping out in an alleyway, where she asked me what I was doing living there. I explained I was cursed,  then she took me back to her apartment to try and mix some things up to create a cure. While every attempt didn't work, we grew to enjoy each other's company, and just started to hang out more. (smirks) And before you say anything, no, we ain't dating. We're just friends, and that's how we like it.

Sky: (pouts) You beat me to my question! Well, if you consider yourselves friends, then that's cool. (sits in silence for a while) How did you get cursed? (Garcello's smile drops) S-S-Sorry if that was p-p-personal!! I-I was just-

Garcello: (pats Sky on the head) Calm down, little girl. I know you're just curious. As for how I got cursed... (puffs a cigarette) Back when I was a teen with with self-esteem issues, I was just enjoying a Daddy Dearest concert when my attention was drawn to one old dancer running a stand. He was smoking some cigarettes, and the smoke was different colours. He taught me his tricks, and offered me a pack of cigarettes, saying I'd be as cool as him if I gave them a try.

Sky: (getting anxious) ...What happened then?

Garcello: (hides his eyes under his hat) Once I smoked one cigar from the pack, that dancer laughed and revealed himself as a demon, and he had tricked me. (pulls out his pack) This pack itself is the curse, as whenever I smoke it, my health slowly drops faster than if I smoked a normal cigar.

Sky: (eyes widen in shock) What!?!? Why haven't you bothered to try and remove the curse yourself, then?! Haven't you tried throwing the pack away?!!

Garcello: (looks at Sky) Trust me, Sky. I've tried every tactic in an attempt to get rid of them. I tried throwing them away, burning them to ashes, even burying them deep underground... But they kept coming back, and the only way to remove the curse was to pawn them off to another sucker, but I didn't have the heart to do it. (looks at the pack) Y'know, they used to hurt, but ever since I got these wicked powers, they don't really leave any mark on me now.

Sky: (thinks for a moment) Could be your powers are causing some kind of change.

Garcello: (chuckles) You might be right on that, Sky.

Annie: (calls out) Yo, Garcello!! I... I think I might need your help, honestly. I have no clue on what wire does what. Could I get a hand or two?

Garcello just chuckles, before standing up and walking into the train to help Annie out, as Sky chose to follow him in. As for why Annie was struggling, it was because she couldn't read the instructions properly while trying to make sure the wires didn't tangle with each other. After laughing at the situation, the three of them begun to sort out the situation, placing all the wires into the correct ports, before giving an attempt to turn the train on, which actually happens, as the mechanical behemoth whirrs to life. As the three cheer, their celebration is caught off by a strange noise...

With the sound of feet rushing down the stairs and bullets being fired after the footsteps, Hanzou bursts into the train, panting for air and dropping his blade to the ground. As the others go to check on him, they notice the black corruptive substance on his arms, right leg, and the right half of his face.

Annie: (concerned) Hanzou? What happened up there? A-Are you okay?

Hanzou: (panting for air) Is... Is the train fully operational?

Sky: (nervously) Y-Yes, but-

Hanzou: (points to the front) Then hurry! Get this electric locomotive moving! (falls to his knees) I... I couldn't fend them off for long.

Not needing to be told twice, Annie bolts to the front of the train and gets the express moving, with the underground vehicle slowly moving forward. As the doors begin to shut close, Garcello carefully guides Hanzou to one of the nearby seats, only for the both of them and Sky to be caught off-guard when the doors behind them suddenly get pried open by corrupted hands, as three corrupted figures step in. And the three attackers are...

The other three Corrupted Goth Kids: Cassandra, Cyclops, and Alucard.

As the three infected delinquents look towards the three resistance members: their grins growing wider as the trio of survivors cautiously back away, keeping their guard up in case one of them goes into an attack, with their leader eyeing the exhausted ninja

Corrupted Cassandra: More survivors hiding along with you, Hanzou? After this, maybe we'll reconsider on giving you a harsh punishment for leaving us.

Garcello: (confused) Punishment? Leaving you lot? What are you even talking about?

Corrupted Cyclops: (points his gun at Hanzou) That little traitor abandoned us after we had Cassandra re-join us, and he's been playing Hero with this little resistance we've been dealing with. So now, we're taking him back with us, and we'll be making sure that he'll never want to leave again, less he wants to face the consequences again.

Hanzou: (panting) They... They attacked me on the surface. I... tried to fend them off, but I felt my soul refuse to hurt those close to it...

Sky: (whispers to Hanzou) You could still see them as your friends, even under the corruptive substance that holds them... (looks to the goth kids) Well, you'll have to go through us first!! We're not letting you harm him!!

Hanzou: Sky... (climbs onto his feet) If that's the case, then I'll fight alongside you. I refuse to let my allies take the damage from my actions.

Garcello: (stands his ground) I'm with you both, too.

Corrupted Alucard: (chuckles) Well, at least this clash might turn out interesting after all. Very well, go ahead and demonstrate to us how and why you've all survived this long.

Sky: (her eyes briefly glow red) Gladly...

https://youtu.be/5sywDOCLf4A

*Song Name: Trainwreck by buttercakeee (Imagine it's Garcello, Sky, and Hanzou Vs Corrupted Cassandra, Corrupted Alucard, and Corrupted Cyclops instead of Pico Vs Corrupted Boyfriend)*

With a song fuelled with anticipation, the battle deep in the underground railroad commences, as the infected goth kids face off against the trio of survivors, with neither side planning on giving up right when they've just begun, and with the first bars being launched first, the infected boy with telekinesis known as Alucard begins his assault, using his telekinesis to rip off parts of the seats inside the train carriage and chuck them at his foes.

After being forced to dodge the projectiles, Garcello begins to sing his first verse, only for the infected goth kids to continue playing dirty, with the Corrupted Cyclops leaping forward and firing shots from his rifle. Luckily, Hanzou blocked the attacks with his blade, before joining in on the rap battle along with Sky, who's eyes slowly glow more red. As the song progresses, Hanzou continues to parry any attack the corrupted goth kids attempt to try, before using some spare ninja stars to strike back against Cyclops and Alucard, landing a direct hit and knocking them to the ground as the halfway mark of the song hits.

Unfortunately for the survivors, now the Corrupted Cassandra joins in, taking aim with her weapon and firing even more rapidly at the group, while singing at an even more aggressive pace than her comrades. At this point, the trio of resistance members begin struggling to keep up with both the bars and bullets, despite Hanzou trying his hardest to block the latter. After continuing the song for a little while longer, the battle eventually ends with Cassandra unloading one final stream bullets, striking Hanzou and knocking him back as the corruption begins to spread more across him.

Sky: Hanzou!! (rushes to his side and kneels down) Are you okay?! Please tell me you're okay!!

Garcello: (joins Sky) Sky, I think he's knocked out, not to mention the black stuff is spreading much faster on him. I... I don't know if he'll be alright.

Corrupted Cassandra: (slowly steps forward) So he decided to play hero for one final moment? I guess I should give him more credit to staying focused to this ridiculous roles he keeps playing at, but it's pointless in the end. Just like others that tried to fight against us, you'll all meet the same demise, regardless of how much of a struggle you give.

The Corrupted Cassandra then begins to laugh at the resistance's misfortune, with both the Corrupted Cyclops and Corrupted Alucard rising back up from their earlier attack, before joining their leader on mocking the survivors. However, unbeknownst to the three goth kids, Sky rises back onto her feet and assumes a meditating pose, before being engulfed in a pillar made of a bright white light, capturing the attention of everyone in the train section. Once the light subsides, those in the carriage now see Sky in her Manifest form, her red eyes blazing with rage, and its aimed at the goth kids, who aren't impressed or scared.

Corrupted Cassandra: Temporarily obscuring our vision to show off the looks of a wannabe goth? Fitting for someone like-

Before the Corrupted Cassandra can continue any further, the now demonic Sky lets out a furious battle cry, before charging forward and slashing the goth leader across the face, before pushing her to the far end of the carriage. Both the Corrupted Cyclops and Corrupted Alucard stare in shock, before quickly recovering and charge forward for revenge, with the former firing more bullets from his weapon. However, they all instead do nothing as Sky shifts her attention to him, dashing over and kicking him in the chest, before grabbing him and throwing him out of the carriage, straight through a window and shattering it.

As the shattered window begun to suck air out at a rapid state, the raging fangirl drew her attention next to the Corrupted Alucard, who begun to use his telekinetic abilities to try and keep his opponent trapped in place. When she found herself unable to take a step forward, Sky takes in a deep breath, and lets out a piercing screech, forcing Garcello and the Corrupted Alucard to move their hands to their ears to block out the noise. Now freed from the telekinesis, the fangirl charges forward, grabbing Alucard by his neck, and throwing him out the same window Cyclops was launched out.

With the infected goth kids supposedly dealt with, Sky begins to calm down and is about to transform back into her normal form, when both she and Garcello hear the sounds of a distorted roar, do they see this isn't over, as the Corrupted Cassandra is now in her Penilian form, glaring at them with malicious hatred. In a heartbeat, the controlled alien lunges for Sky, who narrowly evades getting tackled to the wall, before the two transformed females engage in combat, slashing at each other with their claws. Meanwhile with Garcello, he looks to his side, eyeing Hanzou's blade for a moment, before looking at the fight.

Garcello: (thinking to himself) If Sky keeps on going like this, she'll most likely get tired out, making her an easy target for that... Honestly, I have no clue what words could even describe it. And if Sky gets taken out, then me, Annie, and Hanzou will be just as easy pickings. Time to intervene...

Picking up the katana, Garcello feels emerald green smoke exit out his lungs, as the misty dragon wings emerge from his back. Having transformed as well, the smoker charges into the battle, swinging the katana up in the air, and stabbing it into the Corrupted Cassandra's tail. The infected goth girl lets out a distorted screech of pain, before turning to Garcello and swings its claws at him, only to miss as Garcello quickly breaths green smoke into her face, temporarily blinding her and allowing him to move out of the way of the claw, and punch the Penilian in the chest.

The Corrupted Cassandra staggers back as Sky now notices Garcello fighting alongside her, and her mind looking around for some way to end the fight before it gets too out of hand. After eyeing the shattered window for a moment, she lets out another screech, catching the Penilian's attention, and getting her to leap at the fangirl. However, Sky then uses both her hands and feet to push Cassandra slightly higher mid-leap, pushing her towards the broken window and having her crash through it, creating a slightly larger hole due to her size. Now with the goth kids properly dealt with, Sky slowly shifts back into her regular form, letting out a sigh as she walks up to Garcello, who also deactivates his transformation.

Sky: Are you okay? I couldn't see if she did slash you or-

Garcello: (shakes his head) Don't worry, Sky. That... thing didn't get that close to land an injury. (looks at his shirt) Best she could do was slightly tear at my clothes. (notices a small hole before looking to Hanzou) You really nearly went all out for Hanzou, huh?

Sky: (nods) Yeah, you could say that. I just... never really could make friends growing up, so for those who I could become friends with, my mind just shifted into overprotective mode. (gives Garcello a smirk) And before you say anything, no, I don't harbour any feelings for Hanzou. I want to be just friends with him and others in the resistance, and that's how I want it to be.

Garcello: (chuckles) No need to use my cheeky words against me, Sky. And don't worry about your behaviour, there's nothing wrong with acting overprotective to others. It shows that you really care for your friends.

Sky: (smiles and wipes some tears away) Thanks, Garcello.

At that moment, Sky then quickly rushes forward and tightly hugs Garcello, who doesn't mind it one bit and returns the hug, letting the fangirl unload some emotions out. A few seconds later, the two wrap up their little moment, just as Annie runs into the carriage, carrying her can of liquid tightly in her left hand.

Annie: (frantically looks around) Alright, you fucking intruders, where are you hiding!!?? I swear, I'll tear through this whole carriage and end you if there's so much as one little cut on my friend, you-

Garcello: (sweatdrops) Annie, Annie, it's all okay!!! Me, Sky, and Hanzou dealt with the intruders, though the carriage might've sustained a few internal damages. (worriedly looks at Hanzou) But for Hanzou, well...

Annie: (sees Hanzou's condition) Oh, I get what you're hinting at. Well, why don't you move him up a few carriages to First Class? The seats are much comfier, plus there's not a risk of getting stabbed by a glass shard or sharp metal pipe there, unlike here.

Garcello gives Annie a thumbs-up before both he carefully lifts up Hanzou, trying to not touch the parasitic substance and have it spread onto him, and follows his close friend to First Class so they can give their ninja friend a better resting seat. Sky meanwhile briefly stays behind to retrieve Hanzou's katana, before following after the other two survivors, her mind filled with wishes that one of her new friends will be fine...

(With Skittles and the Thugmen)

Moving out from the underground and back onto the surface, the other largest group of survivors, consisting of Private Skittles and the trio of Thugmen are riding the pillaged tank around the borders of Starlight City that lead to the Badlands. Every time the hulking machine drove around one of the many corners that presented a large view of the sizzling desert, the four delinquents would turn to face it and sigh, as old memories flash briefly through their minds. They miss those days of freely taking part in wars, fighting for what they believed in, and slaughtering their enemies for their own enjoyment.

However, with the corruption spreading to even the Badlands, those memories have now become just that: Memories. Until a possible cure is crafted so everything goes back to the way it was in the past, all the four of them do is reminisce on the days they all enjoyed. Currently, the four of them are driving along the roads, and are telling each other stories of how they grew used to the violence in the Badlands. So far, all three Thugmen have shared their stories, which is the same, just from a different perspective, depending on who was telling their side.

Chuckie: And after we knocked out that motherfucker, we stole his ride and decided we were all made a pretty good team, and officially declared ourselves as the "Thugmen". In order to fairly decide which of us would be the leader, we had ourselves a quick game of Rugby, and Chad won in the end.

Skittles: (winces) Well, that was both pretty heart-warming, and pretty graphic. Was there any reason to beat his bodyguards to bloody puddles with shovels and bottles full of whiskey?

Chad: (mindlessly shrugs) Well, those things were the best things we could find as great melee weapons, and we wanted to save our small collection of guns just in case we'd actually need them. (waves his hands) Anyway, we finished up our story. You gonna share yours, Skittles?

Skittles: (sighs) Alright, my turn. (clears his throat) So, I was chilling by some car wreckage while my dad was fishing nearby, when some Darkmen troops pull up, saying their looking for new recruits. They asked me questions like if I could fire a gun, defend myself in hand-to-hand combat, and believe if Top Gun as gay overtones in it.

Chuckie: Just asking this on the topic of Top Gun, do you actually believe it has-

Skittles: (chuckles) Duh, of course it does.

Chuckie: (whispers to Chad) He's a sharp one, Chad.

Skittles: (clears his throat) Back to what I was saying, they kept on trying to convince me to join their army, saying I could kill strangers with reckless abandon plus a pretty sweet dental plan, and tried to use the "your family's dead so you got nothing to live for" type of card, until I pointed out where my dad was. I still tried to tell them I wasn't interested in taking part in war, until they promised that they'd pay me so I could, as they said it, "continue supporting my disgusting habit", which was smoking.

Chuckie: How is smoking considered a disgusting habit? It makes your voice sound real gruff and edgy!

Chad: (looks at Chuckie) First of all, that's a completely stupid excuse in trying to encourage smoking. (looks back to Skittles) Second of all, how did that job do for you, Skittles?

Skittles: (groans) It resulted in me being put onto sniper duty in a watchtower for three years, where the only forms of communication I could have was with either some of the Darkmen, where most of them were complete assholes telling me to accept my duty, or my dad, who was... actually the better option, despite high-school movies saying otherwise.

Before any of the Thugmen could ask what else could happen, the four of them suddenly pick up the sound of bullets flying through the sky. Skittles quickly drives the hijacked tank over to the source of the sound, and find themselves spotting Julian with a samurai blade made of electricity being chased by the Corrupted Pico, who's relentlessly firing streams of bullets at his fleeing target.

Chuckie: (whispers) Hey, isn't that the lanky figure we saw a while ago? What was his name again, Nitty Gritty?

Skittles: (whispers back) Who cares about figuring out his name right now?! He's on our team, and he needs some help!! Quick, pass me a spare gun or something!!

As the Badlands bunch start scrambling for a working weapon in their supplies while trying their hardest to follow after the duo in the tank, back with Julian, he keeps pushing his legs forward, trying to lose his pursuer through any means. He tries moving around corners at fast paces, dashing through crumbling buildings, even stopping to throw random debris at his chaser, but to no avail. After running back into a large junction, leaning against a broken streetlight, Julian hesitantly looks around his corner, seeing the Corrupted Pico aim his Uzi at him, showing no signs of exhaustion.

Corrupted Pico: So, are you finished wasting your stamina in a desperate attempt to escape from me? All that you've done is tire yourself out, now becoming a much easier target than you were when fleeing from me.

Julian: (panting) And you think that'll deter me in some way? If you're just gonna spout the same nonsense, then why don't you just save your breath instead of wasting time talking?

Corrupted Pico: (chuckles darkly) If you insist, fool.

Without anymore words being exchanged, the Corrupted Pico starts firing more of his bullet chambers at Julian, who pushes his body to move, even with the mere seconds of rest, before summoning his electric blade and preparing to engage his opponent. The lanky figure swings his blade at the infected sharpshooter's arms, only for his foe to easily evade by sidestepping out of the way. Julian goes in for another try, only for the same thing to play out again, his attack missing. To make matters worse, the Corrupted Pico then lunges forward, swinging his Uzi into the side of Julian's head, knocking him to the side.

With his vision slowly blurring and his exhaustion getting slightly more difficult to ignore, Julian struggles to keep himself standing on his feet, as the Corrupted Pico goes in, pulling his arm back and preparing to slash at Julian's face. However, the lanky figure is able to move out of the way, just in the nick of time and slash at the infected ginger with his electric blade, this time knocking his opponent away. At that moment, the Corrupted Pico quickly gets back up, only to be knocked further away by bullets swarming at him.

As Julian begins to teeter, almost ready to fall over, someone quickly rushes over and helps him keep his balance, before walking him over to somewhere. With his sight slowly returning back to normal, the lanky figure soon sees the person that's helping him is Skittles, holding a shotgun in his left hand, as he leads Julian over to the parked tank, where the Thugmen keep guard with their own weapons.

Skittles: (nudges Julian lightly) Are you okay? No serious injuries or anything? (passes him a container of water) Here, drink this. It'll get your energy back and stop your head spinning from that bash you took.

Julian: (accepts and drinks some water) Thanks, man. Hey, aren't you that guy I met with (Y/N), Hex, and Mrs. Mearest? Skittles, was it?

Skittles: (nods) Yeah, that's me. (scratches his head) Hey, is it okay if you could remind me of your name? I sort of forgot, since it's been a while since we met.

Julian: It's cool. The name's Julian. So, what were you guys doing, driving around here?

Skittles: Oh, we were just driving around the borders, remising on the days when we'd witness or engage in bloody turf wars along the dunes. Those might sound insane, but it was our lifestyle, and it's hard not to miss something you've grown accustomed to. Anyway, how'd you get here? And why were you being chased?

Julian: (thinks back for a moment) Well, after (Y/N) had told me to run for safety, I did just that, kept running far away from where I was previously, occasionally stopping to recover some lost breath and give my legs a chance to rest. However, during one of those runs, I ended up attracting the attention of that creepy girl with the knife and the chained-up guy with the duel guns, which resulted in a chase happening. Luckily, I was able to take care of the stabby lady very quickly since my blade was longer, but the sharpshooter was way more aggressive. (shrugs) And then you guys showed up, and that's that.

Skittles: I see. (looks at Julian's hand) Anyway, I noticed you were holding a literal sword made of lightning in your hand. How'd you do it?

Julian: Honestly, I have no clue myself. I mean, I thought my cousin Whitty was the only one of us who had cool powers, being able to create and lob fire from his hands when he doesn't want to explode his head or voice, but I guess I have similar powers, just with a different element. (Skittles stares in awe) And before you ask, I only recently learnt how to summon it. It appeared when Mr. Dearest and I were cornered, and I had a gun pressed to my head. Something in my chest sparked, and the next thing I know, I swing my arm and have a thunder blade in my hand.

Skittles: (listening intensely) Well, guessing from your words and the scenario you just mentioned, I suppose the weapon was created due to a stressful situation, but that's just speculation from me, seeing as how I'm mostly good at sniping losers who become parents. (Julian gives him a strange look) Moving on, have you ever thought of possibly summoning different weapons?

Before the lanky figure could give a response to that question, a sudden swarm of bullets fly past their heads, just barely touching their hair before colliding with the metal shell of the tank, resulting in the Thugmen aiming their weapons in the direction of where the attack came from. Both Skittles and Julian climb to their feet and also assume a combat stance, as the Corrupted Pico comes charging forward, thirsty for another battle. However, before any more bullets can be fired, all six figures in the area hear the sound of more guns being fired, before the noise is replaced by screams of pain.

Skittles and Julian immediately turn around, having heard the latter sound more clearly, and see the three Thugmen dropping their guns and clutch their shoulders, blood leaking from noticeable wounds and tears falling down their masks. From the other side of the tank roars the sound of two smaller types of technology, and from the opposite end of the street arrives two motorcycles, with these rides being driven by the duo of the Corrupted Tankman and Corrupted Steve. Skittles climbs to the top of his teams tank, and glares down at the two unwelcomed faces, noticing how Tankman has a gun in his hand, with smoke coming out of it.

Corrupted Tankman: (grins) Now that's how you shoot at someone from a distance, Steve. (notices Pico) Hey there, senior PTSD. I see that you're also wanting these fuckers either dead or infected, am I right?

Corrupted Pico: (snarls) You're damn right I do, and I want this one to suffer the most. (gestures to Julian) He hurt my gang, and I'm not letting that slide at all.

Corrupted Tankman: (nods) Got it, you have a vengeance thing with your friends cause you don't want to lose them like you almost did during the school shooting you love keeping a secret. (sees Pico getting more angry) Tell you what, you can have the stick bug while me and Steve take out these fuckers for stealing our ride- (gets shot in the shoulder) Ow, that smarts, you dickweed!!

Skittles: (keeps a steady grip on his gun) Keep talking all you want, but you're forgetting that even if some of us are injured, we still outnumber you fuckers, five to three!!

Chuckie: (removes his hand from his injury) And you fucking... I don't care what you are, cause you guys don't have proper guns like we do!! (grabs his shotgun off the ground) So, we still gonna rumble? (Chad, Lincoln, and Julian also assume battle stances)

Corrupted Tankman: (sarcastically) Oh no, we only have two less fighters on our side. I guess we gotta let you go, after all. (chuckles) Of fucking course we ain't!! Besides, who says we are outnumbered, especially since it's feeding time!!!

The Corrupted Tankman then puts two fingers to his mouth and then whistles sharply, greatly confusing the five survivors as they carefully stay close to the tank. However, they would receive an answer, and it's something they didn't expect nor want. From every possible anger, multiple pained groans echo throughout the desolate streets of Starlight City, putting the group of resistance fighters on even more edge, and checking every corner in worry, until one of them notices something approaching them.

Julian: (nervously) Uhh, guys... I think I know what the military guy meant by "Feeding Time"... Look around us...

Skittles and the Thugmen do what Julian suggested, only for their faces to change into a matching expression of fear and worry. Approaching from every street direction is a horde of undead soldiers, each of them groaning and extending their arms out, as saliva pours out from their dislocated jaws. Once the troops have all arrived, the Corrupted Tankman clicks his fingers, and his squadron comes to a halt as their commander speaks up.

Corrupted Tankman: Did you really forget I have a whole team of loyal fighters at my beck and call? Even when all they care about is eating your skin and whatever fucking fungi you got growing on you, every single one of them still knows who's their daddy, and who they gotta impress. (gestures to himself) Me!! Now... (points at them) Troops, it's time to have some lunch!! Go ahead and be the disgusting pigs you are!!

The zombified troops now start advancing towards the five survivors, immediately surrounding the tank as they attempt to climb on board, eager to rip the flesh of those riding it apart, and sink their teeth into their skin. Skittles and the Thugmen begin loading their guns with every drop of ammunition they have available, followed by Julian swinging his electric blade and cutting down any zombies that get close to him. While this starts off great for them, the four from the Badlands soon end up draining their entire supply of bullets surprisingly quickly, due to the swarm getting more aggressive with every passing second, leaving only Julian fighting against the horde, and even he's starting to get exhausted.

They're all sitting ducks, unless...

Skittles: (whispers to the Thugmen) Psst, guys, I think there's a possible way to get us all out of here, but it might be incredibly risky. Are you guys up for it?

Chad: (whispers back) We don't wanna get bit and find out if those zombie-slaying movies are right about their contagious jaws. We're in!! So, what do ya want us to do exactly?

Skittles: (whispers to the Thugmen) Okay, like I said, this might sound risky, but I'm gonna try and get the tank speeding out of here. I want you three to try and knock away any zombie that tries to climb on as we leave.

Chuckie: (whispers back) What?! Are you sure?! What if they bite us as we clock them in their dangling, gross jaws?

Skittles: They won't, as long as you guys use those guns instead of your fists. Now, I'm just gonna tell Julian his little role, then we'll be escaping faster than a convict during a breakout. (leans and whispers to Julian) Julian, I got us a way out of here, but I'll need some help. When the tank starts moving, prepare to swing that blade of yours like crazy.

Julian: (takes in some breaths and whispers back) Honestly, I'll try anything if it means fighting to live another day. I'm game with your idea.

Corrupted Pico: (shouts out) Hey, if you're all done mumbling about how fucked you five are, I've got one quick question for you all. Will you five continue standing in defiance, only to watch your dreams of a happy ending come crashing down and burn away, all for the pitiful sake of "freedom"? Or will you accept your fall, follow the example your friends have shown, and join our ranks, where you'll see your loved ones again?

Corrupted Tankman: (whispers to Steve) Honestly, I'd prefer it if we just let them become zombie chow, or turned them into nothing more than bleeding carcasses decorated with bullet holes, but I guess a few more meatbags to boss around wouldn't hurt a bit. (speaks up) You heard the PTSD-induced midget!! What's it gonna be? An unconditional surrender? Or a defiant death?

Corrupted Steve: (joins in) The lives you once lived can no longer be reached, all that matters in our new world is life and death, and we all know neither of you lot wish to end up like those who defied our new rulers.

Skittles: (chuckles) Well, if you want my- no, our honest answer, you pointless military puppets. If presented with the only available choice of survival is living without any free will, and my minds trapped in an endless purgatory of either pleasure or torture... Then I'd laugh and spit in the face of death, and continue fighting with what we have left: Our hopes, dreams, and dignity!! Catch you dickweeds on the other side of the city!!!

With his defiant statement completed, Skittles starts the tank's engine and steps on the gas, having the metallic steed burst forward with extreme velocity, as the Thugmen and Julian tightly grip the edges to avoid falling off, unlike the zombified troops, who get launched off the tank and crash down into the cracked stone ground. As the tank begins to leave, some of the undead soldiers attempt to climb back on and claim their grand meal, only to be knocked off again either by the Thugmen swinging their guns like clubs, or Julian electrocuting them with his lightning katana.

As the rusted and stained metallic battering ram disappears down the street, the Corrupted Tankman lets out a small growl from his lips, as his lips curl into a frown. However, it quickly changes back into his signature smirk, as he hops back onto his motorcycle, looking to the Corrupted Steve and Corrupted Pico and motions to them to join him as he clicks his fingers, getting the zombified squadron to stare down the road the survivors went down.

Corrupted Tankman: So, if they want to play hard to get, then I'm fine with extending this hunt. It makes it more fun... for us. You guys want in?

...

...

Back with the survivors riding through the collapsing streets of Starlight City, Skittles continues driving the tank forward, getting further away from their near-death situation, as the Thugmen and Julian stop swinging and sit down, taking deep breaths from wasting so much of their stamina. After a while, all of them slowly begin to victoriously laugh at how they all escaped, sharing high-fives and hugs with each other. Even Skittles joins in, momentarily stepping away from the steering wheel, as the corrupted figures slowly become more smaller in the distance, until they can't be seen over the horizon.

Lincoln: (still laughing) That was so crazy and out of nowhere, I can't believe that we somehow pulled it off!! I thought one of them would've climbed on and make us goners!!

Julian: (slowly calming down) I'm with you on that, Lincoln!! I was swinging so rapidly and wildly, I thought my own hands were about to fall flying off. (looks to Skittles) Skittles, where did that idea show up in your head?

Skittles: (wipes a tear away) Honestly, Julian, I have no clue myself. I mean, we were all about to fall and become mindless slaves, and my mind suddenly just came up with the idea to make a desperate escape. (slowly stands back up) Alright, I think that's enough with the celebrating for now. We gotta find somewhere to rest and stay low for a while. If not, then-

Before Skittles can continue explaining what happens next, he's cut off mid-sentence as a sudden flurry of bullets whizz by his face, causing him to slightly jump in fright as they collide with the tip of the tank. All five of them turn behind themselves, in the direction of where the bullets came from, and see who exactly fired them. Slowly catching up to the five survivors on their motorcycles are the Corrupted Tankman and Corrupted Steve, with the latter holding a shotgun in his hands, clearly having fired the weapon, but has missed his targets.

Corrupted Steve: (groans) Damn it!! I missed again!!

Corrupted Tankman: (chuckles) Don't get your dick in a pretzel twist, Steve. Even if they didn't get more bullets in their skin, then the other surprises might actually catch them off-guard.

At that moment, more bullets rain down onto the five survivors, causing them to cover their heads with their arms in an attempt to protect their heads. Once the aggression calms down for a while, the group briefly look up to the rooftops of the collapsing skyscrapers, seeing the Corrupted Pico running along and leaping over the gaps, firing at them constantly and only stopping when he has to reload for a moment. In retaliation, the three Thugmen quickly raced to grab the spare shotguns, load them up with any shells that landed onto the tank, and begun to fire back in similar aggression.

However, both the schizophrenic and the war experts were only a distraction...

Out from the corner of the upcoming streets burst the army of zombified soldiers, charging forward with unexpected speeds and ram into the metallic mobile mountain, desperately attempting to either slow it down and allow their boss to catch up, or hopefully dig their bony fingers into the metal and climb up to feast. The latter of which begins to happen, forcing Skittles to start swerving the tank back and forth to try and shake them off, which only makes the Thugmen miss their shots and fall over, as the watchtower sniper pushes their ride to its highest speed and charges forward, getting the approaching undead force behind them...

But they still follow suite...

They demand their next meal, and they will get it...

No. Matter. What.

Chuckie: (stands back up, annoyed) Thanks a lot, Captain Candy!! You just made us waste some valuable ammo!! Now how are we gonna fight back against that kid?!!

Skittles: (shouts back) Well, I'm sorry, but I didn't want those walking remains to climb aboard and dine on us like a bunch of carnivores at a barbeque!!

Julian: (interrupts) Guys!! We can't argue now, considering we're still being followed and attacked at the same time!! (a bullet flies past his head) See my point? Look, the Sportsmen can continue fighting against the shooter on the rooftops, Skittles can focus on driving us to safety while losing our chasers, while I distract them for some time.

Chad: (raises an eyebrow) And how are you gonna distract them? Challenge them to a rap battle or something?

Julian: Yeah, that was my idea, to be honest. I don't want to run the risk of losing my blade if it can't be retrieved. (looks to the army) Alright, you Hot Topic-wannabes!! Bet your chorus of mangled maws can't sing better than me!! Hit a track, Skittles!!!

https://youtu.be/eozzAVTGJuc

*Song Name: Trigger-Mortis by punkett, Cval, and JADS (Imagine it's Julian singing against the Zombie Tankmen instead of Tankman)*

Skittles quickly puts on a heavy metal track as the zombified soldiers immediately begin singing, almost like it's an automatic instinct left inside whatever remains of their own brains. Julian however doesn't seem to be bothered by this, and starts singing back, seemingly enjoying this idea more and more as the song progresses, but while he focuses on distracting the pursuing undead, the rest of the survivors begin to deal with their own issues that creep up.

The biggest one being the Thugmen attempting to shoot back at the Corrupted Pico, as that task is made difficult due to the cycle they have to undergo. They have to evade the swarm of bullets sent their way, while also making sure that neither of them, Skittles, or Julian get struck as well, before scrambling to find any bullets that landed onto the tank and haven't rolled off yet. If they do find some, then the Thugmen quickly load them into their own weapons, before taking aim and firing back, where they mostly miss or barely hit, which aggravates the Corrupted Pico. Once that's done, or they don't find any stray bullets, then the cycle continues.

As for Skittles, he's focusing on steering the tank through the damaged streets, always taking sharp turns in a desperate attempt to try and lose the legion of zombies chasing after them, but due to both the loud music and the unnatural stamina of the undead, it doesn't work. At least no other infected opponents are running over. Aside from that, the only other event Skittles has to keep a close eye on is the Corrupted Tankman and Corrupted Steve, who try to zoom ahead occasionally, only for the teen to take care of that problem by simply slamming the tank into them, knocking them back to the army.

As the five survivors continue focusing on their respective tasks, the song begins to reach its end, and Skittles takes notice of how they're slowly beginning to run low on fuel for the tank, so he decides to take quick action, quickly rotating the cannon around to face the army of zombified tankmen, and hits the fire button, landing a direct hit and sending their pursuers flying in multiple directions. The Corrupted Tankman and Steve swerve their motorcycles away in shock, only to crash into two street-lamps and send those crashing down, as the group of five survivors laugh in victory, and taunt as they get further away.

Skittles: (yells out) How do y'all like that, you reeking dickweeds?! Go back to the showers if you want your obvious and obnoxious stench to go away!!

Chad: (yells out) And once you sort that issue out, maybe go hang out with the rest of your fellow freaks at the nearest goth gathering!!

Julian: (yells out) And for one final roast, your whole army lost to a homeless guy who can't even afford shoes!!

As the five survivors laugh even harder, the Corrupted Tankman climbs out of his wreckage and with his teeth tightly gritting against their opposite row, grabs his damaged shotgun from the ground beside him before firing every shot left at the fleeing resistance members. Unfortunately, all he ends up doing instead is waste every bullet, which results in Tankman throwing his gun to the ground in rage, as Steve staggers over and Pico leaps down from the rooftops.

Corrupted Pico: Are you both all okay? The targets have managed to escape through quick thinking.

Corrupted Steve: (nods) I'm fine. No cracks in my skull yet.

Corrupted Tankman: (fuming) Yeah, well I ain't. We just lost the chance to take out a massive number of resistance fighters, but all you did was just leap across buildings and wildly shoot at them, while me, Steve, and my troops actually attempted to deal with them. Speaking of which, why didn't you try to jump down and attack them?!

Corrupted Pico: (narrows his eyes) Well, if you had your eyes focused on the bigger picture, you would've seen how I was occupied with those sport-dressed delinquents shooting back at me. And even if I wanted to take things into a more physical approach, I could've missed the mark and crashed into the ground, or they could've just whacked me aside, like you and your troops. (glares at him) Maybe if your mind was more focused on combat instead of cock jokes, then your squad might be more efficient fighters.

Corrupted Tankman: (glares back) Oh, you wanna go, you sexually ambiguous school-shooting ginger!? You can insult my way of humour, or even my own leadership skills if that gets your dick hard, but you never go after my fucking bros!!

Corrupted Pico: (mockingly) Did I touch a nerve of yours, John? If so, I'll gladly throw down and shut you up.

??? + ???: I wouldn't suggest it, you two.

Before a fight can break out between the two gun-wielding boys, two sudden voices speak out from nearby, catching the attention of the three infected men. As they look around in  curiosity, trying to find whoever's calling out, the unknown intruders land down from the air, revealing themselves as the Corrupted Boyfriend and Corrupted Girlfriend, leading to great surprise from the Corrupted Pico.

Corrupted Pico: (tilts his head) Boyfriend? Girlfriend? What are you both doing here? Last I heard, you were both searching for (Y/N), wherever he's hiding at.

Corrupted Girlfriend: Well, we were going to do that, but Boyfriend brought up something during our search for dear (Y/N) that made a little sense.

Corrupted Boyfriend: You see, Pico, you know how dear (Y/N) has freed that pesky Spirit from the Hating Simulator, which I'm sure you've heard about a few times? (Pico nods) Well, what came into my head was the possibility of those two fusing together, becoming an entity we wouldn't be able to stop.

Corrupted Pico: Ah, I think I get what you're planning, Boyfriend. You want to do something about that little issue so they don't use it against us. (smirks) Nice to see you using that brain of yours for once, BF, but that doesn't explain why you wanted to share this with us.

Corrupted Boyfriend: First of all, Pico, don't insult my intelligence when both Darnell and Nene are smarter than even you. (smirks as well) As for the second part, my plan will need you and your friends for some required assistance...

(With (Y/N))

Back at the abandoned Starlight City High School, (Y/N) leans against one of the walls in his chosen classroom, having finished moving everything in there out of the way and choosing to rest until Boyfriend arrives for their inevitable battle, which he has a feeling won't go as it had previously. However, unlike the previous attempt he remembers, where his infected close friend arrived four hours after he had, the young upstart rapper doesn't show up at the expected time. In fact, the clock in the classroom later shows nearly half of a day has went by, and Boyfriend has yet to show up.

Because of this, the young boy has slowly become afraid, especially since he insisted on Spirit escaping so he could help him gain some time to come up with a backup plan. The feeling of dread has also begun to slowly affect (Y/N), resulting in him either taking walks around the school, taking small meals with whatever's left in the bag of supplies, or just practicing his Shadow Magic in the classroom in an attempt to try and calm himself down, but unfortunately, nothing he tries seems to work.

He hasn't even gotten much sleep when he noticed Boyfriend not arriving, worrying that the infected rapper might be already in the school, hiding and waiting for the right moment to strike (Y/N): When he's asleep and unable to fight back. This may have resulted in bags beginning to form underneath (Y/N)'s eyes, but they young boy ignores them, having his mind focused on the same question.

(Y/N): (in his mind) Where's Boyfriend? I know he'll show up, but what's happening? Is... Is he more focused on taking out the others, so he can make me feel more alone?.. Or is he going after Spirit instead? Please... Please don't tell me that's what's happening... (slaps himself) No! Don't think like that, (Y/N)! That's what they want you to think!! Plus, Spirit is strong, he can handle himself out there!! I mean, I did for 5 starting weeks!!

(Y/N): (his eyes look down) But... That doesn't mean it's not true... There's still the possibility he ran into that fruit-devil... or worse, The Harvester...

As he lets out a sigh, tired of clashing with his own paranoid mind, and tired of walking down the same set of hallways whenever he gets scared, (Y/N) returns back to the chosen classroom, leaning against one of the walls and resting beside the bag of supplies. The second he sits down, a yawn escapes his lips, followed by his eyes beginning to droop. With no stamina capable of fighting against the exhaustion, (Y/N) give in and falls asleep, lightly snoring as his mind starts to calm down, thinking one little nap wouldn't do so much harm to him.

Speaking of his mind, the young boy opens his eyes to be greeted with his mindscape, still the same as his last visit, only without the paranormal partner he had saved and got along with, despite his brash past, and because of that, it can be seen as even more boring than being out in the real world. Despite this, (Y/N) tried to fight the boredom by looking back at some past memories, mostly the ones that involved either hanging out with Pico, Darnell, and Nene during his old High School days, or when he used to be invited to Boyfriend and Girlfriend's dates when he moved back to Starlight City, but that only worked for a short time.

After looking back at the same memory of playing racing games against Pico and Darnell, (Y/N) stops looking back through the past and sits down, sighing as the feeling of boredom continues to grow, until his ears pick up the sounds of light static from a distance slowly getting closer. The young boy stands up and turns around, seeing Glitch (Y/N) floating there, slowly approaching him, which causes (Y/N) to slowly back away, something that the static soul takes notice of.

Glitch (Y/N): WHAT'S WITH THE SUDDEN FEAR? YOU'VE NOT SHOWN THIS LEVEL OF COMPLETE DISTURBIA EVER SINCE WE FIRST CONVERSED. WHY DO YOU BACK AWAY FROM ME NOW? I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG TO YOU.

(Y/N): (quietly) ...Yet.

Glitch (Y/N): (tilts his head) YET? DO YOU THINK I'LL COMMIT A HEINOUS ACT TOWARDS YOU WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT? HAS YOUR DEGRADING SANITY AND RISING PANIC CAUSED YOU TO FORGET WHAT I TOLD YOU? I REFUSE TO BE IN LEAGUE WITH THE CORRUPTION. I DEVOTE MY WHOLE EXISTENCE INTO KEEPING YOU SAFE.

(Y/N): (body slightly shaking) Yeah, but... I heard the interaction between... (takes in a deep breath) Between you and Yokubo. You... You're my own soul, twisted and amalgamated by his vision, by his desires. I... (rubs his arm) I don't know if I can trust you now after hearing that. What if... What if you've been lying to me this whole time? All of those moments you helped me out, even if they were rare in a way, all just meant to gain my trust... (looks away) So you could take advantage of my sacrificial personality...

Glitch (Y/N): (puts a hand on (Y/N)'s shoulder) BE NOT HEARTBROKEN, (Y/N). TRUST IN ME. LIKE I TOLD YOU MANY TIMES, I WOULD'VE TAKEN ACTION AND ELIMINATED YOU IF I WERE TO BE PARTNERED WITH THE CORRUPTION. IT'S ALL OKAY, BECAUSE LIKE YOU MENTIONED EARLIER. EVEN IF I RESEMBLE THE CREATIONS THAT ERASE REAL SOULS, I AM STILL YOUR REAL SOUL UNDERNEATH THE LOOKS I BARE NOW.

(Y/N): (nervously looks around) I... I don't know if...

Glitch (Y/N): I CAN TELL YOU'RE STILL UNSURE ON WHAT'S TRUTH OR DECEPTION, SO HOW ABOUT I PROVE MYSELF TO YOU ONCE AGAIN? (summons a microphone and offers it) WITH SOME FREE TIME TO OURSELVES, LET'S ENJOY HOW WE FIRST BONDED AFTER 17 YEARS OF SEPERATION. LET'S PLAY A GAME, FOR OLD TIMES SAKE?

(Y/N): (cautiously takes the mic) Well... Okay, you can prove yourself again.

Glitch (Y/N): THAT'S QUITE ALRIGHT WITH ME, YOUNG (Y/N).

https://youtu.be/RFRmlPC8Ujo

*Song Name: Autophobia*

*Original Song: Green Screen by KrystalPhantasm (Imagine it's Glitch (Y/N) singing with (Y/N) instead of GB Camera Man Vs Boyfriend)*

Both the young boy and his altered soul stare each other with the latter giving off a calming smile, as the mindscape changes the environment into a similar relaxing location, that being the show stage his father allowed bands to perform on, followed by a retro-sounding song plays out around them. The minute they begin singing, Glitch (Y/N)'s vocals become full of reassurance, trying to convince (Y/N) he truly does mean no harm, while the unsure boy has his voice pipes sound still cautious, but also more calmer than before.

Around a short while into the song, the melody slowly calms down, as the background shifts into a sight (Y/N) hasn't seen in a while, nor has he been to in so long, that being inside the room he used to live in the apartment complex, right down to how everything in the living room had been arranged before the corruptive takeover began a year ago. However, the young boy can only look around and reminisce for only a short while, before the mindscape shifts back to the show stage once more, as the song repeats the beginning section.

With familiarity in the song, (Y/N) starts to sing more fluently and keep up with his glitchy counterpart, only for after finishing the second verse for another surprise to happen. The mindscape changes background, but this time it contorts two different images together, creating a fusion between the Starlight City High School and the high school from the Hating Simulator, with the song becoming faster and slightly more aggressive. Despite the alarming location and being caught off-guard by the change in tempo, the young boy stands his ground and pushes on, reaching the end of the song as it calms down and sounds more calming, followed by Glitch (Y/N) clapping his hands with his signature smile visible.

Glitch (Y/N): (chuckles) AS ALWAYS, YOU CONTINUE TO STAY VIGILANT, EVEN WHEN YOUR OWN CONSCIOUSNESS IS TRAPPED WITHIN INNER TURMOIL. OF COURSE, THANKS TO BOTH MYSELF, THE GHOST FROM THE VIDEO GAME, AND YOURSELF, THIS FRAGILE REALM OF MENTAL SOLITUDE HAS WITHSTOOD MANY DAMAGE, BUT ITS CRAS IS ALMOST INEVITABLE.

(Y/N): (nervously chuckles) You're... You're right on that, in a way... (stays silent for a moment) Is... Is there a reason why you wanted to see me all of a sudden?

Glitch (Y/N): THANKS FOR REMINDING ME, DEAR ALLY, AS I DO HAVE SOME THINGS TO SHARE WITH YOU, STARTING WITH A SIMPLE QUESTION. (LEANS FORWARD EAGERLY) EARLIER, WHEN YOU SCREAMED FOR THIS INFESTATION TO GO AWAY, WOULD YOU WISH TO ACHIEVE IT THROUGH ANY LENGTHS? EVEN POSSIBLY HARMING THOSE CLOSE TO YOUR HEART?

(Y/N): I... No... I wouldn't...

Glitch (Y/N): STRESS IS TRULY SOMETHING, ISN'T IT? IT CAN MAKE ANYONE SAY ANYTHING, WHETHER THEY MEAN IT OR NOT. NOW CONTINUING ON, YOU SPOKE WITH SPIRIT ON HOW SOMETIMES, YOU WISHED TO GIVE UP BECAUSE THE CONSTANT CYCLE OF STANDING YOUR GROUND AND RUNNING FROM DANGER IS BEGINNING TO EFFECT YOUR HOPES ON A HAPPY ENDING, AM I RIGHT?

(Y/N): Yeah, we did talk about- (realises something) Hold on a moment! Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop on others' conversations?!

Glitch (Y/N): (stifles his laughter) IT'S TECHNICALLY NOT EAVESDROPPING, SEEING AS HOW I'M A PART OF YOU TECHNICALLY. NOW, BACK TO THE TOPIC FROM EARLIER... (appears beside (Y/N)) WAS WHAT YOU SAID TRULY WHAT YOU MEANT? THE CONSTANT STRESS OF HOPING FOR A HAPPY ENDING WHERE YOU CAN SEE YOUR REAL FRIENDS AGAIN, WAS IT ALL TRUE?

(Y/N): (tils his head away) Yeah... It has been. (sighs) I know I already had this talk with Spirit, but with so many chances to actually step in and actually prevent someone from falling, I still chose to watch by the side-lines as they fall, and... (lets a stray tear fall) And it makes me feel like it's partially my fault.

Glitch (Y/N): (wipes the tear off (Y/N)) AH, THE STRUGGLE OF PUTTING ON A CONFIDENT FACADE FOR NOT ONLY YOURSELF, BUT ALSO THOSE YOU SHOW TRUE COMPASSION TOWARDS. THE INTERNAL FIGHTS WITH YOUR CORRUPTED SIDE, THE FLEEING FROM YOUR FRIENDS IN THE REAL WORLD... (his grin begins to widen) IT'LL BE LYING IF I SAID I DIDN'T FIND IT REMARKABLY FASCINATING AND EXCITING. AND OF COURSE, IT'S TAKEN YOU UNTIL RECENTLY TO SHOW MASSIVE SIGNS OF SLIPPING SANITY.

Glitch (Y/N): BUT NOW, ALLOW ME TO POSE ANOTHER QUESTION FOR YOU: WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT TO BE BETTER IF YOU... LET OUT ALL OF YOUR PILING FRUSTRATIONS AND SADNESS? UNLOCK THE MENTAL BARRIERS PREVENTING YOU FROM UNLEASHING IT, AND GO ALL OUT TO RELEASE IT, TO HOPEFULLY CALM DOWN?

(Y/N): (holds his breath hesitantly) I... I don't think I'd want to go crazy... Even if my own sanity says otherwise, and your words make some sense... It... It's not what I would want... And it's not want they would want, either...

Glitch (Y/N): EVEN WITH YOUR CLEAR HESITATION STILL FLOWING THROUGH YOUR VEINS, YOU STILL SHOW SOME ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT MAYBE, GOING CRAZY MIGHT BE THE RIGHT OPTION IN CERTAIN SCENARIOS... SCENARIOS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH IN THE PAST. (his smirk grows more) FROM YOUR ANSWER, I CAN SEE THAT DEEP UNDER SOME DENIAL, YOU JUST WISH TO RIP APART ALL OF THE CAUSES OF YOUR STRESS, LIKE A STARVING ANIMAL FEASTING ON ITS HARD-EARNED PREY.

Glitch (Y/N): (chuckles to himself) IF OTHERS WERE TO HEAR THESE DARK AND HIDDEN FEELINGS, THEY'D DESCRIBE IT AS RECKLESS, AN OPTION THAT MIGHT FOREVER DAMAGE YOUR CONSTANTLY-CRUMBING MIND. BUT MY VIEW ON WHAT YOU'VE SHARED TO ME? I HONESTLY SEE IT MORE AS SOMETHING... THERAPUTIC, CONSIDERING WHAT YOU'VE BEEN FORCED TO BRAVE. (chuckles again) IF IT WAS ANY OTHER HELPLESS SOUL BEING FORCED TO EXPERIENCE WHAT THEY MIGHT BRUSH OFF AS "PURE NONSENSE", THEY WOULD BE THE ONES TO SNAP EARLIER THAN YOU!!

(Y/N): (stays silent for a while) Where are you trying to go with these questions, Glitch? You... You speak like a therapist in a way, but... It's slowly becoming more clear that you... You're expecting something to happen eventually...

Glitch (Y/N): (ominously floats a short distance away) TO ME, (Y/N), THE IMAGINATIVE AND CREATIVE WORLD THAT IS CALLED THE HUMAN MIND IS LIKE A DAM, BUT INSTEAD OF WATER, THERE'S STRESS, ANGER, SADNESS, AND ALL OTHER NEGATIVE EMOTIONS, SLOWLY BUILDING UP AGAINST THE BARRIER YOU'VE CREATED TO HALT THEM. OVERTIME, THE DAM WILL BEGIN TO FORM CRACKS, AND WILL CONTINUE TO GROW WORSE IF LEFT UNTREATED. ((Y/N) is about to speak up) AND YES, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO PATCH UP THOSE HOLES, BUT WE ALL KNOW IT WON'T BE LONGER BEFORE THEY RETURN, MUCH LARGER AND DIFFICULT TO REPAIR.

Glitch (Y/N): (his grin grows exponentially wide) EVENTUALLY, THE CRACK IN THE DAM WILL BECOME SO LARGE AND UNREPAIRABLE, THAT ALL IT'LL TAKE IS FOR ONE TINY LITTLE CATASTROPHE IN YOUR LIFE TO SET OFF A MENTAL CHAIN REACTION, MAKING THE DAM EXPLODE, FOLLOWED BY A BURST AND FLOOD OF UNCONTROLLABLE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS, AND ENDING WITH YOUR MIND BECOMING IRREPAIRABLE. (leans closer to (Y/N)) WE BOTH KNOW YOUR MIND IS ON THE BRINK OF GOING THROUGH ALL THAT, CORRECT?

(Y/N): I... Yeah, you're right... It's something that can't be hidden at this point...

Glitch (Y/N): (nods along) CORRECT, (Y/N). IF ALL IT CAN TAKE IS ONE MEASLY BAD DAY TO RENDER EVEN THE KINDEST AND SACRIFICIAL SOULS SUCH AS YOURS INTO INSANITY, THEN THOSE MONSTERS THAT WEAR THE VISAGE OF YOUR CLOSE FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE PUTTING YOU THROUGH NOT A BAD DAY, BUT HELL. AND I CAN TELL EVEN IF YOU FALL, THAT HELL WON'T SIMPLY VANISH AWAY. SO TELL ME, (Y/N)...

Glitch (Y/N): (leans back) WE'RE BOTH AWARE OF THE MENTAL DAM BEING REACHING ITS FIGURATIVE AND LITERAL BREAKING POINT, BUT WHAT'LL HAPPEN AFTER YOU FINALLY SUCCUMB TO BORDERLINE INSANITY? YOUR EARLIER OUTBURST WHEN HIDING IN THE ALLEYWAY MIGHT HAVE GIVEN US BOTH A CLEAR IMAGE ON WHAT WE COULD EXPECT, OR WE MIGHT SEE SOMETHING ELSE BLOOM INTO FRUITION. (shrugs) ONLY TIME CAN TELL US BOTH.

(Y/N): (sighs) But... Like I said, going insane isn't what I want to happen, and it's something I know they don't want to see or find out, as well... (rubs his arm) Pico, Darnell, Nene, Cassandra, Boyfriend, Girlfriend... (lets a few tears fall) Mom... Dad...

Glitch (Y/N): (wipes the tears away) YES, LIKE YOU'VE POINTED OUT MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, THERE ARE SOME THAT YOU COULD'VE SAVED BY INTERVENING, BUT THE ONES YOU'VE NAMED ALL HAVE REASONS AS TO WHY YOU HADN'T ENOUGH TIME TO SAVE THEM. FOR THE TWO EARLIEST VICTIMS, YOU HAD ONLY BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE CORRUPTION, AND NEITHER OF YOU THREE COULD KNOW WHAT IT CAN DO. NEXT, FOR THE THREE SCHOOL SHOOTING SURVIVORS, THE FIRST TIME THE GINGER FELL, YOU WERE TOO OCCUPIED FIGHTING WITH THE CROWD AROUND YOU BOTH. AND WHEN ALL THREE FELL, IT WAS BECAUSE OF AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE ATTACK. AND AS FOR YOUR PARENTS... HOW COULD YOU HAVE KNOWN THEY WOULD'VE INFILTRATED INTO THIS DEATHTRAP OF A HOME YOU ONCE KNEW?

Glitch (Y/N): (gestures his arms out) IT'S CLEAR THAT YOU DESPERATELY DON'T WANT ANYONE TO SUFFER LIKE THEY AND YOU HAVE, BUT YOU'RE ALSO AWARE THAT YOU CAN'T BEAT THE CLOCK AND SAVE EVERYONE.

(Y/N): (slowly nods) I... I'm still a bit not sure on that... Sure, I still want to save everyone, but... but it's becoming too much...

Glitch (Y/N): YOU DON'T HAVE TO CONSTANTLY BE SOMEONE WHO'LL HOLD ALL THE BLAME TO KEEP OTHERS SAFE, (Y/N), BUT YOU STILL PUSH ONWARD WITH THAT MINDSET FOR THEM. (his smile grows more wicked) BUT DON'T YOU WORRY, (Y/N), FOR I AM FORMULATING A PLAN TO STRIKE BACK AND UNLEASH A NEW INSURGENCE ONTO THE PERSON... NO, THE ENTITY I BLAME RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THIS. SOMEONE I DUB WORSE THAN YOUR OLDER SIBLING.

(Y/N): (eyes widen) Wait, someone you say is worse than The Harvester? Who? And why?

Glitch (Y/N): (shakes their head) I'M AFRIAD THAT OUR TIME FOR CONVERSING HAS REACHED ITS END, BUT BE NOT FULL OF WORRY AND DREAD (Y/N), FOR EVEN IF THE INEVITABLE FATE COMMENCES...

As (Y/N) notices his body begin to slowly disappear, signalling that it's only a few seconds until he wakes back up, he feels something cold and electrifying be placed onto his cheeks, before looking back at Glitch (Y/N), noticing how he's currently cupping them and maintaining eye contact with him...

Glitch (Y/N): I WILL PUT YOU BACK TOGETHER... REBUILD BOTH YOUR BODY AND MIND TO BECOME SOMETHING TRULY BEAUTIFUL...

...

...

(Y/N) slowly opens his eyes, letting some tired groans slip through his lips, as he rises to his feet and stretches his whole body to get his bones back into place. Once he feels more comfortable, the young boy bends down into the bag of supplies, and pulls out both a snack and a drink to sort out his hunger, not caring for whatever he's grabbed. After finishing his meal, (Y/N) curiously glances at the clock in the classroom, surprised to see that he's been asleep for nearly a whole day, only for something else to catch his attention.

From inside the classroom, the young boy can hear a pair of footsteps at the far end of the hallway, slowly getting louder with each passing minute. Knowing who has finally decided to arrive, (Y/N) stretches his body for an extra time, before standing over at the opposite end of the room, hearing the doors open from behind him as his opponent steps in, staring at the young boy.

(Y/N): So, you finally decided to show up, huh? You took so much of a while, I honestly thought you were off doing-

Corrupted Boyfriend: Now!!

All of a sudden, multiple pink strings appear from over (Y/N)'s shoulders, and begin to tightly wrap around him, their primary focuses being his right arm, both legs, and his entire body. As the young boy then gets pulled to face the Corrupted Boyfriend, his eyes widen with shock as he notices a face that wasn't there from the remembered battle: It's the Corrupted Girlfriend, with her hands having the same pink strings on them.

This wasn't supposed to happen!? Girlfriend was never supposed to be here for the battle!!

As (Y/N) stares at the infected couple in both shock and fear, the Corrupted Boyfriend chuckles, taking delight in his friend's growing uncomfort, before speaking up again, picking up the conversation from where it left off.

Corrupted Boyfriend: Now, I know what exactly you're thinking, dear (Y/N): Why is Girlfriend here when you requested to face down only me? To answer that question, I did consider fighting you alone, but then I remembered how much we used to invite you along to our dates, so you also got to enjoy the fun we experienced. So, I thought why not bring her along to create one grand memory: The day that you finally join us. Not to mention, we have another surprise on the way.

(Y/N): (his voice laced with fear) Boyfriend, Girlfriend, please... I... I don't want to harm you, or do something worse... I... I want you both back, the real Boyfriend and Girlfriend, not whatever you've both become...

Corrupted Girlfriend: (innocently tilts her head) Oh, but you've forgotten, dear (Y/N), we are the ones that you remember. We've just simply changed appearances, and haven't changed anything else. But now, let's just get one thing straight. (glares at him) Where's that Spirit hiding?!

(Y/N): (hesitantly) He... He's not here. He fled, somewhere far away from here. I... (glares back) I refuse to let you harm him.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (cackles) Oh, it's this part of you that I enjoy the most, dear (Y/N). When you try to stand strong, when all you are is both alone and scared. Now, I believe you asked me a question before, and I gave you my honest answer. I want you to do the same for me, is that alright, dear (Y/N)?

(Y/N): I... If that's what you're also after, then fine.

Corrupted Boyfriend: Excellent. (grips his microphone) Tell us both, dear (Y/N), aside from your magic, that pesky apparition, and everyone else in that bothersome resistance, what's been fuelling your motive for survival this whole time? What's been keeping you fighting to survive every waking moment? All for the empty promise of a better future? A better life? What is this mission you've forced upon yourself? That is my question for you.

(Y/N) stays silent for a moment, taking time to think of an answer to the question, only for his mind to quickly realise it sounds remotely similar to the one he asked Spirit back before the rewind. With that realisation, the young boy takes in a deep breath before looking to the Corrupted Boyfriend, ready to give him what he asked for.

(Y/N): The one thing that's helped me realise why I keep choosing to fight every day... The reason why I believe in a happy ending where the resistance succeeds in freeing everyone... The motivation that I use... It's everyone I care for. My desire to keep on fighting, it resides within the people I love, the people who help make my life feel full of happiness. I haven't been doing this for myself, I've been doing this for you guys. I made a promise to save you all, and I intend to keep my word. So there, that's my answer. You satisfied?

Corrupted Boyfriend: (his body twitches for a moment) Yes, I am satisfied with your answer, thanks for sharing it. Now... (tosses him a spare microphone) I believe you know what comes next, right? We may have had a serenade with you before, but that was with a massive group of clashing sides. We want to have one with just the three of us.

(Y/N) slowly looks at the caught microphone in his left hand, before looking over to his right hand, seeing that both are shaking like he's caught in cold weather. He's afraid, and he can't deny it. But, he can still try to ignore it, as he faces the Corrupted Boyfriend and Corrupted Girlfriend, trying his hardest to not let their victorious smirks affect him in any way.

(Y/N): Fine. Let's get this over with...

https://youtu.be/yy5EcEUmYdo

*Song Name: Circumvented (Song starts at 0:14 and ends at 2:27*

*Original Song: Cycle's End by Renx The Hedgehog (Imagine it's (Y/N) singing instead of Whitty)*

With a sudden guitar rift followed by sirens, the rematch between (Y/N) and the Corrupted Boyfriend commences with a song sounding similar to the previous opening from their earlier battle, only sounding more different, almost having a hopeless tone to it. Also just like the previous battle, the infected rapper leads the song, his vocals sounding more difficult to replicate, while his body twitches with every slight movement he makes.

Meanwhile for (Y/N), he soon follows along his infected friend, with his own voice filled with both massive amounts of caution due to both not knowing what both Boyfriend and Girlfriend are planning for this rap battle, especially when the former mentioned something about a "second surprise", but also worried about the pink strings on him. He knows about them due to Darnell, Whitty, Charlotte, and Atlas being victims to them, and he isn't a fan of them providing a... stinging feeling whenever he moves in a way the strings don't like.

After repeating the same verse a second time, only with a slightly different rhythm, the song changes into a more tense atmosphere as both the Corrupted Boyfriend and (Y/N)'s vocals start to let out faster bars, until it turns into a duet with the former repeating the opening to the song one final time, while the latter repeats the previous verse he heard. As the song reaches its ending, the sirens ring out once again, as (Y/N) clutches his hand as he feels another sting, along with his eyes flinching from the small pain.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (mocking tilts his head) What's the matter, dear (Y/N)? You're looking quite stressed all of a sudden. Are you uncomfortable with our first little surprise, or is there something else that's gotten you afraid?

(Y/N): (takes a deep breath) Well, if I bothered to tell you, you would've just used it against me. (his eyes begin to glow) But honestly, I think it would be better if the playing field was evened a little bit...

At that moment, the Corrupted Girlfriend narrows her eyes at the young boy, before pulling on the strings in her hands. Suddenly, (Y/N) screams out, feeling a much larger pain course through his body, as the strings tighten around his body, pulling his right arm closer to his side, and making its position feel more uncomfortable. Once the pain slowly dies down, (Y/N) looks to the infected couple with pain in his eyes, and tears beginning to slip down his cheeks, as the corruption envelops his right arm, legs, and small parts of his body.

Corrupted Girlfriend: (giggles darkly) Did you really think we'd let you use your other abilities or your weapons, dear (Y/N)? Well, you thought wrong. While they may have helped you make some progress in our previous battles, it all changes this time. You're going to be playing by our rules.

Corrupted Boyfriend: Exactly, dear (Y/N). We've been preparing for this grand moment for quite some time, and we've considered every possibility that might come our way, which allowed us to come up with the perfect counters for them, such as your magic, for example. (gestures to the strings) I'm sure you're familiar with these strings, but if not, allow us to remind you. Whenever they detect magic, they'll simply... interrupt you via electrocution, thus preventing you from relying on it.

Corrupted Girlfriend: It worked on Whitty for quite some time, and it's done wonders for my mother. They haven't felt their powers be so... controlled in a long time. And now, you'll be experiencing what they've grown accustomed to.

(Y/N): (nervously chuckles) So, this is your grand plan? Just keep me at bay with controlled shocks? Need I remind you how well that worked out for some of your other attempted victims? (screams in pain from another shock)

Corrupted Girlfriend: That was but a warning now, dear (Y/N). You don't want to make us angry, and result in the pain being too much for your body now, don't you? So, why don't you prepare yourself for round two, even if the outcome is expected, and what our grand prize will be...

(Y/N): (says silently to himself) Please, BF and GF... Please wake up...

https://youtu.be/cXwpPE1YxSM

*Song Name: Abnormal by CosmeticCloud (Imagine it's (Y/N) singing instead of Whitty)*

The second round soon commences, with (Y/N) leading the song this time, occasionally tilting to his sides, almost struggling to stand up from the pain the strings cause with every movement of his body. Both the Corrupted Boyfriend and Corrupted Girlfriend remain unfazed, keeping their their expressions the same as the previous song. Speaking of the song, the second one sounds more suspenseful than the others, as evident by only thirty seconds into the song, it begins to slowly build up...

Until it quickly explodes ten seconds later...

All of a sudden, the electric pain shoots through (Y/N) once again, filling his voice with both pain and panic as he desperately tries to continue singing, while feeling the corruptive black substance spread all over his right eye and part of his head. Meanwhile, the young boy's vision begins to spin and alter, making him see twisted and amalgamated faces all around him, laughing and taunting at his suffering, including the Corrupted Boyfriend, who chooses to mimic (Y/N)'s restricted movement as another form of mockery. Both he and his infected lover are enjoying playing with their victim, seeing how much he's squirming in fear...

They love it immensely...

As the battle rages on, (Y/N) takes notice of two more details the moment the song seemingly calms down for a brief moment, as well as the shocking coming to a halt. Those two details being how earlier, the Corrupted Girlfriend was floating with her hand close to her mouth during his moments of agony, almost like she was holding in her laughter. As for the second detail, it would have to be what he noticed behind Girlfriend: Some parts of the classroom walls are beginning to form glowing cracks on them, almost like they're about to burst at some point.

However, that brief moment of calmness quickly goes back to the earlier tone as (Y/N) starts singing more rapidly than before, almost like he's pleading for his opponents to stop with the torture he's going through, but to no avail as the Corrupted Boyfriend continues to mock his physical stances of pain, all the way until the end of the song, where it finishes with the calming feeling returning for one final time, before being interrupted by the infected couple cackling in victory.

(Y/N) starts gritting his teeth from the electric pain, desperately trying to activate his Shadow Magic and try to fight back, only for the pink strings to amplify the pain, and make him scream out in agony, and allowing the corruptive substance to continue spreading along him at a slow pace. Eventually, the pain becomes too much for the young boy to handle, and he feels his knees begin to buckle, before falling down onto them, as his hands move to his head, as a returning headache makes its return, all while the Corrupted Boyfriend and Corrupted Girlfriend continue to laugh victoriously.

Corrupted Girlfriend: Oh, there's no point in making things worse for yourself, dear (Y/N). We've won, and we're taking our grand prize, you. (slowly walks towards the young boy with hearts in her eyes) Now, how about we give you a taste of what's to come soon~.

Without any warning, the Corrupted Girlfriend then grabs (Y/N) by the collar of his shirt and pulls him close and onto his tired feet, before giving him a French kiss, her tongue overpowering his surprised one very easily. After a few minutes of forcing the young boy into a game of "Tonsil Hockey", she lets him free, but only for a short while, as after (Y/N) recovers some of his breath, the Corrupted Boyfriend has his turn, repeating the same motion, only with slightly more aggression, almost as if he's impatient. Once he's also satisfied, (Y/N) falls back to his knees, coughing for air as his face goes bright red.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (sighs) I've been wanting to do that for quite some time, and it feels amazing. (looks to (Y/N)) And judging by your flustered face, I'd say you also enjoyed it, dear (Y/N).

Corrupted Girlfriend: (giggles) Oh, and just in time for the second surprise to arrive.

After finishing her sentence, (Y/N) hears the sound of vehicles roaring in the distance, slowly growing louder with each passing second. Knowing what's about to happen, (Y/N) takes in a deep breath and tries to summon his shadow magic for this situation, holding his breath as the pain shoots through his body like poison, right until the speeding vehicle crashes into the school wall...

...

...

(Y/N) slowly opens his eyes, coughing madly from the abundance of rubble and smoke clouding both his vision and lungs, as he attempts to stand up. As he does, he groans in pain, feeling all sorts of pain across his body, and when looking down to himself, even feeling his cheeks, he feels multiple cuts along his skin, with many of them even bleeding. As tears begin to form in his eyes, (Y/N) looks around as the smoke begins to clear, showing himself standing in what remains of the classroom, with many of the walls and ceiling destroyed from the crash, along with a massive fire blazing nearby.

However, something else the young boy soon notices is the abundance of both Boyfriend and Girlfriend, even though they were right in front of him a minute ago. Could they have been launched by the crash, he though to himself, only to throw that possibility away, thinking that instead they expected for this to happen, and were just stalling for a while. And unfortunately for the young boy...

His thoughts on that were correct...

All of a sudden, two glowing pink eyes illuminate from the darkness nearby, followed by a flurry of pink corrupted strings being launched towards him, which wrap around his body, arms, and legs, causing the corruptive substance on him to rapidly spread along him, until the only parts of him that aren't infected is the left side of his face. As both the Corrupted Boyfriend and Corrupted Girlfriend emerge from their hiding spots, with the latter having the strings around her fingertips, multiple other infected figures soon make their arrival. Some choosing to stand atop the remains of a destroyed limousine, while others choose to stand on the ground and have a closer look.

(Y/N)'s eyes begin darting around frantically, identifying every infected individual that's arrived, and all of them being faces he's grown to know. Pico, Darnell, Nene, Cassandra, Skid and Pump, Charlotte Mearest, Tankman, Kapi, Whitty, Hex, Carol, Tabi, Cyclops, Alucard, both his parents, and not long later, both the Lemon Demon and The Harvester soon arrive, taking front row seats alongside Girlfriend. Every single friend and foe he's faced at some point...

They're all here to watch him suffer... To watch him fall... To take pleasure in him finally joining their side...

Corrupted Boyfriend: (motions to the crowd) Take a good look all around us, dear (Y/N). It's just you, me, Girlfriend, and them. You can't win, nor can you escape. And even if by some miracle you do best us, we'll keep hunting you down, until you're incapable of continuing on.

Corrupted Girlfriend: (sighs with hearts in her eyes) It's been too long since we've been without your voice, without your smile, without your warmth... (giggles) And your taste is so sweet and wonderful, dear (Y/N). (sees (Y/N) start to tear up) Don't cry, dear (Y/N). While this might hurt, once it's over, you won't have to worry about experiencing any pain ever again. We'll be together, for all eternity, and nothing shall ever force us to split up.

Corrupted Nene: (speaks up) Oh, (Y/N), if you had only a bit more... submissive to our requests, then maybe we would've been more nicer and not exhaust you to this point. But at the same time, it would've prevented you from trying to play the hero role, and heroes never surrender, correct? (giggles) That's what makes you both fun and exciting, as well as making the reward of claiming you so exquisite!!

Corrupted Cassandra: I have to agree with the unstable killer on this one, mortal. No matter whatever foe comes at your way, no matter how much we try to make it clear where your destiny belongs, you keep fighting with whatever determination is left within your soul. It is incredibly intriguing, and something about your self-sacrificial personality that should never be changed. However, it's clear that you're battered and beaten, and it would be inconsiderate of us to not give you a break, so let us break you until it's all over...

Corrupted Pico: (aims his Uzis at (Y/N)) You know we don't want to continue hurting you, (Y/N), so why don't you stop trying to make this more difficult for everyone and finally allow yourself to rest. Besides, no one is able to escape from our sight for long, and that includes you too.

(Y/N): (silently sobbing to himself) ...Stop this, please...

Corrupted Boyfriend: (tilts his head) Could you repeat that, dear (Y/N)? I don't think any of us heard that clearly.

(Y/N): (starts shouting his lungs out) I SAID STOP!!! ALL OF THIS PAIN, NOT ONLY TO ME, BUT TO EVERYONE, PLEASE STOP IT!!! (tears begin to rapidly fall) I... I SAID THIS A MILLION TIMES ALREADY, I WANT MY REAL FRIENDS BACK, NOT YOU MONSTERS WEARING THEIR APPEARANCES!!! I WANT THE BOYFRIEND THAT ENJOYS SINGING FOR FUN, THE GIRLFRIEND THAT WOULD ENCOURAGE HER FRIENDS TO DO THE RIGHT THING ALONGSIDE ME, THE PICO THAT WOULD DEFEND HIS CLOSE FRIENDS, THE DARNELL AND NENE THAT WOULD MAKE THEIR FRIENDS LAUGH, THE CASSANDRA WHO WOULD INVITE THOSE SHE COULD RELATE WITH, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY... I WANT MY FAMILY BACK AS MUCH AS MY FRIENDS!!!

Corrupted Boyfriend: (cackles) Oh, don't despair any longer, dear (Y/N). You're friends and family are still here, and we're not demons wearing ridiculous costumes. Why don't we show you through one last song, just me, you, and girlfriend together, and then you can finally rest easy.

https://youtu.be/EcEF-Kf73SY

*Song Name: Denouement*

*Original Song: Detonation by CosmeticCloud (Imagine it's (Y/N) singing instead of Whitty)

The denouement begins, with the instrumental starts off slow, haunting, and suspenseful as the Corrupted Boyfriend leads the song, with (Y/N) beginning to follow, only to be interrupted by the Corrupted Girlfriend... and then the battle, or rather inevitable struggle begins. The instrumental changes, sounding more frantic and aggressive, fitting for how the infected couple are handling this fight against their friend: Fighting aggressively, and the whole crowd cheers them on, enjoying the show with every passing second.

As for (Y/N), with tears rapidly falling down his face like waterfalls, the young boy can only do nothing but forcefully scream his lungs out to the rhythm, while also desperately trying to tear the pink strings on him, fighting against the pain. The young boy is having something akin to a panic attack, and no matter how hard he keeps fighting back, attempting to gain some form of advantage, all it results in is the Corrupted Girlfriend quickly controlling the strings and getting him back to having no advantage.

As the halfway point begins to be reached, the music slowly builds up as the two opponents engage in a duet, before it explodes into the two of them exchanging verses at a rapid pace, before (Y/N) starts frantically singing, as opposed to the Corrupted Boyfriend, who sings at a haunting pace just like at the beginning. However, as expected, the former's attempt at resistance is only brief before the Corrupted Girlfriend returns to apprehending him, while her lover replicates his opponent's earlier bars as another form of mockery, as the song returns to sounding how it did when it began.

Just like the beginning of the battle, the corrupted crowd continues to cheer for the infected couple to take down their most anticipated victim, as the enormous fire from the crashed limousine continues to rage on, acting as a representation of (Y/N)'s last remains of determination. Speaking of the young boy, after going through three more verses of familiarity, the song suddenly goes slow and suspenseful again, this time lasting for double its length, before exploding right back into its main frantic pace.

(Y/N) begins to frantically pour his lungs out once again, only for the same thing to happen as he attempted during the halfway mark, with the Corrupted Girlfriend halting his progress right as he's slowly breaking free. However, this time something new happens. All of a sudden, the young boy briefly breaks the strings and sings against the Corrupted Boyfriend in an aggressive an frantic duet, both their eyes beginning to glow brighter as their own body language starts moving faster than earlier. The corrupted crowd starts to lean closer, their curiosity growing as each of them eager to see who comes out on top, and when the song goes back to its calmer style one final time...

Both the Corrupted Boyfriend and Corrupted Girlfriend sing together as (Y/N) falls to his knees, the female enveloping him in even more pink strings, with the song reaching its end while the blazing fire in the background finally snuffles out, signifying how the young boy's fighting spirit has been diminished.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (cackles) Like we've told you, dear (Y/N), how no matter how hard you try to fight, you'll fall to our vision eventually. And while it has been too long for your assimilation, in our opinion, it has been worth the wait for all of your friends and family.

Corrupted Girlfriend: But like we've also said, you have no reason to despair now, as when you're finally on our side, you won't have to worry about losing any loved ones ever again. We'll all be together, as one big happy family, forever.

As the other infected crowd members also join in on "reassuring" the young boy that it'll be all right in the end, (Y/N)'s body begins to shake as his tears continue to pour rapidly down his face, blurring his vision to the point where he can't see anything or anyone properly. In an attempt to block out the voices of his captors, he moves both his hands to his ears, but all that results in is (Y/N) hearing even more voices, these ones ridiculing him for being unable to save his friends. However...

One of those voices sounds different than the majority...

It sounds like someone he had a conversation with just a few hours ago...

"DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO THEM, THEY ONLY WANT TO CRIPPLE AND WEAKEN YOU"

"LOOK AROUND, THEY VIEW YOU AS ONE OF THEM. A MONSTER WITH NO REGARD FOR THE LIVES OF OTHERS"

"THEY ONLY VIEW YOU AS A TROPHY THEY WISH TO CLAIM, TO KEEP PERFECT"

"WHY NOT STOP HOLDING BACK, AND SHOW THEM ALL WHAT A REAL MONSTER IS BEFORE THEIR EYES?"

"WHY DON'T YOU... PROVE THEM RIGHT?"

...

...

(Y/N): (quietly to himself) It isn't who I am, I am no monster, but...

(Y/N): (grins maliciously) I guess it wouldn't hurt to make an exception... (chuckles to himself) JUST THIS ONCE...

...

...

...

...

...

The battle has been won, both the Corrupted Boyfriend and Corrupted Girlfriend had managed to apprehend and infect (Y/N), one of the earliest survivors when the takeover first began, and now the parasitic substance has finished engulfing what remains of his face, forever trapping him in its hold. With grins of lust spreading across their faces, the infected couple advance towards the young boy, along with The Harvester, the Corrupted Dimitri, and Corrupted Vanessa, wanting (Y/N)'s first thing to see are those close to him, when they get halted by a sound echoing through the air.

It sounds like... laughter?

Upon immediately recognising it, the corrupted group look around in all directions, even towards the infected crowd, who copy their motions, until they realise the laughter is coming from... (Y/N)? As they inch closer to his proximity, the laughter slowly becomes more louder and clear, reaching the point where everyone in the area can hear it, and soon, (Y/N) rises to his feet, with a look in his eyes that only a few can identify properly:

INSANITY

Corrupted (Y/N): (looks to the group) You all...

Without any warning, the Corrupted (Y/N) lunges forward and slashes the five infected figures with his newly-grown claws, hitting only the Corrupted Boyfriend across the chest while the others leap back in surprise, until The Harvester clicks his fingers and points at his snapped brother, ordering the crowd to apprehend the young boy. The first one to lunge forward is Kapi, only for a shadow pillar to appear from under him and crash into his chin, knocking the infected cat away. Next to charge forward is Carol, sprouting her angelic wings and fires some projectiles towards (Y/N). The corrupted boy simply lifts his arms to block the onslaught, as the infected angel is knocked down by a shadow hand the size of a school bus emerges from behind, and slams down, trapping her underneath.

With two down and thirteen more to go, the corrupted duo of Whitty and Hex charge into combat, the former aggressively tossing pink fireballs in retaliation for his girlfriend being struck down, and the latter going in with his hands sparking with pink electricity. After blocking the melee and ranged attacks for a while, the Corrupted (Y/N) grows shadowy wings and takes flight, manoeuvring around their attacks for a while, before going on the offensive by charging up and unleashing projectiles of darkness down, overwhelming the two infected attackers, before moving his arms and having them be trapped in prisons made of shadows.

With the crowd starting to be unable to apprehend their younger brother, The Harvester looks to the infected goth kids, and silently orders them to stop the infected young boy and contain him, with them obeying without any complaints and leaping into the battle. First, the Corrupted Alucard attempts to use his telekinesis to prevent (Y/N) from moving, which does work for only a while as the Corrupted Cyclops fires at him from nearby. However, the young boy vanishes into his shadow, before reappearing behind the two and grabs them both by the throat, resulting in him slamming Alucard and Cyclops into the ground, followed by (Y/N) then tossing them straight throw a wall.

Upon finished with the two goons, the Corrupted (Y/N) feels something strike his back, and when turning around would result in the Corrupted Cassandra catching him by surprise with multiple punches to the face and bullets to the chest. After staggering back, the infected boy soon retaliates by creating shadow duplicates of himself, and has them charge forward. The shadow clones overwhelm Cassandra for a while, until she shapeshifts into her Penilian form, and disperses them with ease. As she turns to face the real (Y/N), the boy charges at her, leaping onto her head and begins clawing at her eyes, getting the Penilian to scream in pain and flail about, until she ends up crashing into another wall. To make sure she's properly dealt with, chains of shadows soon appear and keep Cassandra pinned down, which was a smart move, as she wakes up and starts to squirm in irritation, attempting to break free.

Lemon Demon: (looks to The Harvester) Well, it appears he's still fighting back, and he's impressively doing so well. Imagine just what he could do when he's properly under control.

The Harvester: (growls in Japanese) That's if we're able to calm him down. (clenches their hand into a fist) I've waited too long to have my brother back into his arms, and the feeling of insanity won't ruin this for me. (looks to the crowd) You!! Wife of the rockstar and vengeance seeker!!! You three go in next, and go assist them, you army commander!!

Upon hearing their "nicknames" being called, the Corrupted Charlotte Mearest and Tabi leap into the battle, the both of them attacking at once, resulting in the Corrupted (Y/N) getting swarmed by demonic projectiles, tossed C4's that explode upon the detonator being hit, and knife stabs from different angles. Just like the brief struggle against Cassandra, (Y/N) attempts to block their attacks, slowly charging up energy, before unleashing it in a blast of corruptive energy, followed by a scream fuelled with insanity and fury.

The Corrupted (Y/N) turns his attention to the Corrupted Tabi first, finding him more annoying out of the two attackers, and charges forward towards him. The two engage in a physical struggle, until the corrupted boy extends his arm out, creating a blade made of darkness and quickly swings it at Tabi, slashing aggressively at him before kicking him away and turns to face the Corrupted Charlotte Mearest. The infected boy begins to slowly walk towards her, resulting in the fallen demonic popstar to send even more projectiles at him. Every single shot collides, but do nothing to halt the boy's advance, until he's close enough to charge forth and swing his blade through her abdomen, striking nothing fatal but interestingly...

Actually draws blood, which drips off the shadow blade.

Corrupted Girlfriend: (recoils in shock) Mom!!! No!!!

Now feeling angry at how her mother's been stabbed, the Corrupted Girlfriend fires more pink corruptive strings at (Y/N), which wrap around his limbs and body, constricting him and allowing Boyfriend, Pico, Darnell, and Nene to attack with bullets from Uzis, explosive spray cans, and melee strikes from either a knife or a microphone. However, this onslaught only lasts a few minutes, before the Corrupted (Y/N) breaks free with an enraged battle-cry, and charges towards the Corrupted Girlfriend, pulling his hand back in order to slash her...

But he never swings...

Even when he tries to force his hand to move, it doesn't budge another inch. Seeing this, the Corrupted Boyfriend catches (Y/N)'s attention by throwing his mic at his head, striking a direct hit before quickly retrieving it. As the corrupted boy turns to face the infected rapper, he growls and lets out a frantic roar, causing every nearby shadow to turn into replicas of everyone in the vicinity. The shadows pinning others down also change, freeing those that were captured, and allowing them plus those that have been knocked aside to re-join the brawl. As Boyfriend lifts his mic up, the Corrupted (Y/N) catches onto what he wants, and nods as a form of acceptance to the challenge, but not without a threat leaving his lips.

Corrupted (Y/N): Boyfriend... I will cut you down. Break you apart. Splay the gore of your profane form across the concrete! I will grind you down until your very sparks cry and beg for mercy!! My hands will RELISH ENDING YOU!! HERE!! AND!! NOW!!!

https://youtu.be/3f80X8w6Xqc

*Song Name: Purgatory by CosmeticCloud (Imagine it's Corrupted (Y/N) singing instead of Corrupted Whitty)*

With a melody sounding like a combination of both haunting and murderous, the true final stand commences with the Corrupted (Y/N) leading the song, his voice filled with nothing but insanity and bloodlust as his Shadow Army charges forward. The Corrupted Boyfriend soon begins his turn, singing back as the other corrupted figures, lead by both Lemon Demon and The Harvester charge against the opposing army. During the rap battle, the voices of the two fighters quickly become identifiable, with the infected rapper's vocals sounding more slower and haunting, while (Y/N)'s are instead aggressive and fast-paced.

As for the battle in the background, each corrupted fighter begin to engage their respective doppelganger in their own way, starting with the Corrupted Pico, Cassandra, Tankman, and Cyclops shooting against their opponents, before the infected schizophrenic disappears after finishing off his. Meanwhile, the Corrupted Charlotte and Girlfriend fend off against their replicas, despite the former having a stab wound. After a while, the shadows begin to gain the upper hand, only for them to be tossed aside by Alucard's telekinesis, including the corrupted goth kid's own opponent.

Over with another group, the Corrupted Darnell and Nene are struggling against their respective shadows, until an idea strikes both of them at the same time. In a split second, they swap opponents, and begin to turn the tables around. Over with the Corrupted Kapi and Tabi, both are engaging their opponents through up-close combat, using their claws and knife. While it starts off as nothing more than a stalemate, the latter quickly pulls out backup explosives and uses them to fight back. Moving onto the Corrupted Whitty, Hex, and Carol, all three are facing their replicas, also left in a stalemate, but unlike the other groups, they couldn't find a way to break it.

Finally, with the Corrupted Dimitri, Vanessa, along with The Harvester and Lemon Demon, the parents push back against their shadow copies, while the two masterminds finish off their opponents, before splitting up and assisting the other groups with their fights. While the war rages on in the background rages on, back with the Corrupted (Y/N) and Boyfriend, the halfway mark is reached, and the song begins to calm down, along with the former as their voice slowly becomes more clear.

After a few turns however, the Corrupted (Y/N) lets out a low growl, before the song returns back to its aggressive style. All of a sudden, the song begins to go slow again, slowly building itself up for something. The Corrupted Boyfriend begins to both physically and mentally prepare for whatever's coming in-between their faster vocal exchanges...

Until it finally detonates...

(Y/N) suddenly explodes into an aggressive frenzy, his rhythm being much faster than before, and catching the Corrupted Boyfriend in shock, with the infected rapper struggling to copy the young boy's own vocals. Speaking of his turn, whenever Boyfriend has his turn, the Corrupted (Y/N) would lunge forward in an attempt to slash at him, before letting out a screech that echoed across Starlight City.

By the end of the song, the Corrupted (Y/N) goes in for another attack, only to be suddenly apprehended by three other figures. Those being the Corrupted Girlfriend, who has unleashed more pink corruptive strings around the young boy, the Corrupted Pico, who has returned with similar chains that are around him and wrap them around (Y/N)'s body, and finally The Harvester, who strikes with corruptive energy blasts. This struggle continues, until (Y/N) finally falls onto his knees, taking deep breaths as his eyes fight to stay awake. Now that he's restricted, the Corrupted Boyfriend walks forward and hugs his friend, stroking his hair to try and calm him down.

Corrupted Boyfriend: (in a soft tone) Don't worry, dear (Y/N). We won't hold this against you when you reawaken. It's clear that you're only panicking, and when you're finally on our side, we promise to make sure this will never happen again... EVER...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

(Y/N) slowly wakes up in his mindscape, his eyes blinking rapidly as he notices that the surrounding environment has changed by a lot. While the monitor still remains, the walls are fully decorated in yellow cracks while the small areas without cracks were painted in blood red. Instead of standing on a lavender-shaded floor, he's instead on a large rock floating above an endless sea of darkness. As he looks around, he notices on the monitor what's happening out in the real world, and attempts to run towards it, only to be pulled back instantly, noticing he has red chains tightly around his wrists and ankles. Despite this, he attempts to break them through struggling.

(Y/N): (gritting his teeth) No... I can't fall now... I... I have to keep my promise... I... I have to keep fighting for them, to make them proud...

Try as he might, but no matter how much he tries to pull against the red chains, they refuse to show any signs of breaking, resulting in the young boy getting them to instead dig into his wrists and ankles, causing discomfort and slight bleeding. This continues on, until (Y/N) finally stops, falling to his knees once again, letting out exhausted breaths as silent tears run down his cheeks.

(Y/N): (sniffles) Why... Why can't I fight back? I... I want to help them become free...

https://youtu.be/4lv4EFPH0sk

*Song Name: Imprisoned*

*Original Song: Sink by METROGARD3N (Imagine it's (Y/N) and ??? singing this song instead of Sink and Soul Sonic)*

All of a sudden, a uncomfortable melody begins to echo around the young boy, sounding like it came out of a haunted circus or an ancient death-trap. With no other option really being available, (Y/N) starts to sing, his voice full of melancholy as he laments on how his desperate attempts to save his friends and family have resulted in losing any possible sights of hope left, being stranded in his mind for possibly forever, forced to endure painful nightmares that could drive anyone insane, with no chance of being saved...

That's when he hears it...

A new voice emerges from nowhere, sounding like the Corrupted (Y/N), but only more different, being deeper and sinister. Regardless of the tone of their voice, the sudden guest joins in on the sorrow song, speaking possibly through experience of how this is the punishment of playing the role of hero and how blind courage leads to no hope or freedom, while the young boy questions how torturous his imprisonment will be, still struggling to break his chains and shackles by continuously tugging against them, and ignoring the pain in his wrists and ankles.

Speaking of pain, after some tugging, (Y/N) falls down onto his knees for a moment, as a few cracking sounds suddenly become heard, resulting in the young boy clutching his body upon either instinct, or actual pain...

Once that moment passes by quickly, both singers form a duet, with the "Corrupted (Y/N)" mocking his partner on how can he keep his promise if he's incapable of mentally fighting back against his subconscious, while (Y/N) himself instead questioning on if it's impossible to wish for a second chance, before briefly begging for one regardless, followed by another cracking sound and a pained reaction from the young boy. 

Another duet occurs, with the former continuing to insult (Y/N) on how blind he was to his inevitable fate, while the young boy continues questioning his situation, wondering on if continuing to fight against the chains or just accept what might be his demise, especially when all that's around him is nothing but darkness from every visible angle, along with twisted vision of grinning faces. With one strained voice let out, both voices stop singing for a moment, letting the haunting instrumental play out for a while, until the "Corrupted (Y/N)" states how the struggle is over, and so is (Y/N)...

...

Only for the young boy to spark back up, yelling how he still refuses to fall, despite it being clear that he can't fight back now. He continues singing, his voice slowly becoming more doubtful, asking how even with the heart of a hero can he endure the pain stabbing itself into his weakening skin, along with both his sanity still fragmented like a vase, and every scream and shout being drowned out by the darkness. The last one especially, as while the "Corrupted (Y/N)" shares the same unpleasurable sensation of this punishment and wanting for someone to be there for them, the shadows soon engulf (Y/N) and silence both voices...

...

But then the final stretch of the song hits. (Y/N)'s voice becomes more frantic and croaky, as he desperately tries to find a way to break the chains and shackles on him, even trying to activate his shadow magic to try and cut parts of his own limbs off, his rapidly-deteriorating mind trying to rationalise the decision as being crucial for both survival and freedom. While (Y/N) continues his fall downward, pleading to see the sunshine and his friends smile for even one more time, the "Corrupted (Y/N)" keeps trying to persuade him to stop trying, once again sharing how they'd attempted to break free, only to no avail.

Eventually, the song ends with another duet, and (Y/N) still hoping to break free while the other voice taking their leave, not having been able to convince the young boy, but at least they tried. Speaking of the young boy, he's been constantly tugging against what's been keeping him restricted to one spot, but all he's been actually doing is wasting all of his stamina, to the point where he falls not to his knees, but onto his chest, panting for air as (Y/N) tries forcing himself back up.

(Y/N): (groaning) Why... (tears begin to fall) Why can't I fight back?! It's... It's never stopped me before.. I just want to make them proud... I just want to keep my promise and save them... Bring back who they once were... Why?

???: Isn't it that obvious? Wow, even after a whole year of fighting, you're still this short-sighted? Why did we even consider you a friend back in High School if this is what you're really like?

(Y/N) starts looking around, trying to identify where the voice is coming from with his ears and spot them with his blurred vision. After a few seconds, he spots one new figure off to his side, and despite being unable to see properly, the young boy is able to know who it is, thanks to some key features of the individual. It's...

(Y/N): (shaking in worry) Pico? Is... Is that you?

Pico: (slowly nods) Took you so long to finally fall, you miserable excuse that we thought as a friend. Where were you when others needed you at the right time to intervene? Where were you when some of us were begging for help, either verbally or silently?! (grins) Oh, wait! I know! You were off running away like a little coward!! (scowls) And that sickens me. Look at what your "promise" brought you and your friends and family. Nothing but pain and suffering, both physically and mentally.

(Y/N): (extends a hand out) Pico, please let me explain... I didn't want to hurt you or anyone else... I... I wanted to save you all, even at the expense of my own sanity... I kept fighting, even when my body wanted to fall apart, but-

???: But you didn't try hard enough, unlike those that actually took a proper stand against the corruption.

A new feminine voice appears, getting (Y/N) to turn away from Pico and look around once again, finding the figure standing behind him instead of to his side. When looking at the key features, (Y/N)'s eyes widen as more tears begin to form, seeing as how it's one of two people he didn't want to be confronted by.

(Y/N): (starts sobbing) G-Girlfriend, I-

Girlfriend: (cuts him off) You wanna know what you've been incapable of saving us? It's because you never cared for us that much! If you did, then we wouldn't still be trapped and corrupted!!

Pico: (starts walking to (Y/N)) What's the matter? Are you gonna bawl your eyes out again? (scoffs) Pathetic.

Girlfriend: (starts walking to (Y/N)) All you've been doing is wearing a mask of confidence, when in reality, you're nothing more than a coward and a weakling. Take a look at the battles you took part in, for god's sake!! People like my dad, my mom, and others could free others from the corruption, but you couldn't even make a crack!! (looks at him with disgust) I can't believe I let my heart grow attached for you.

Pico: (looks at (Y/N) with disgust) And I can't believe I considered you as something akin to a brother to me and Darnell.

(Y/N): (tears fall more rapidly) Pico... Girlfriend... Please, let... let me explain. I.. I tried as hard as I could to save you and everyone. I... I had trouble sleeping, had to face thirst and hunger on multiple occasions, I... (takes a deep breath) Even my nightmares nearly had me kill myself... (wipes some tears away) I really do care about you all, and I really wanted to save you all. Why... Why are you guys angry?

???: Oh (Y/N), we're not angry at you. Rather, we're more disappointed with you.

(Y/N): (eyes widen) That voice... No... No, no, no... Please, not you too...

Unfortunately for (Y/N), his silent prayers wouldn't be granted, as when the third figure spoke up, they begun to walk over, stopping between Pico and Girlfriend, and matching their tone of their voice, they looked down at the young boy with a look filled with nothing but disappointment, shaking their head before speaking up.

Boyfriend: Look at yourself, (Y/N). I used to see you as someone important to have in my life, as a lover to join my relationship. But now that I'm seeing your true colours, I can't even look at you the same way as I could in the past. All you are is nothing more than someone who has no clue what they're doing. Sure, I'm like that, but at least I put in effort, while you just hope for the best to happen!!

(Y/N): (attempts to reach a hand out) Boyfriend, please... I-

Boyfriend: (slaps the hand away) Save your breath and whatever excuse you have prepared. Like Girlfriend said, you're not the person I fell in love with, the person who could make me smile and showed no problems with being involved in whatever was going on. (yanks (Y/N) up) All you are at this point is nothing more than a fake shell of who you once were!! How can you save your friends and family if you can't even save yourself!!!

Boyfriend then dropped (Y/N) back to the ground as he, Pico, and Girlfriend then surround the young boy, endlessly shouting insults straight towards the young boy, not letting him get a moment to recover or say anything to stop them. In fact, the only things that even left (Y/N)'s lips were quiet pleas for his close friends to stop, every single one of them failing to have any effect on the trio. After what felt like a whole hour of non-stop insults stabbing the young boy in the heart, Boyfriend, Girlfriend, and Pico's voices soon came to an abrupt stop.

By that point, (Y/N) was just left curled up into a small ball, the only sounds coming from him being pained sobs and the only movements he made with small shivers. He had become broken. Not long later, a new pair of footsteps echoed throughout the destroyed mindscape, only stopping a few steps away from the broken (Y/N). This figure turns out to be the Corrupted (Y/N), who looks down at the young boy, surprisingly with sorrow instead of any kind of malice before speaking up.

Corrupted (Y/N): So, we've reached the moment. The moment that you wished would never happen, but as we all know, you can't escape your inevitable fate. This is the grand moment where the angel finally weeps, unable to reach the Heaven they once knew, and is stranded forever in Hell. (kneels down) The moment when a special brand of failure is unleashed upon the most fragile souls, rendering them forever unfixable. (lifts (Y/N)'s chin) Tell me, you self-sacrificial mortal, what's the perfect four letter word for surviving this long against the grasp of fate?

Corrupted (Y/N): LUCK. Sure, you might have been standing your ground along with not only fellow fighters of the resistance, but your gift of bending nightmares, yet it wasn't enough. A year might be impressive, however, all you've truly done is stall your downfall until now.

(Y/N): (still sobbing) Don't continue... I get it... (wipes some tears away) Go ahead... You won... Kill me...

Corrupted (Y/N): (tilts his head) What kind of words are rolling off your tongue now? You beg for me to end you? Why would I want that?

(Y/N): (looks at Corrupted (Y/N)) Isn't that what you wanted?.. To kill me, and take control of my life permanently... That's what you've been trying to do... Every time you spoke to me before, saying how I should be better off under the corruption's thumb...

Corrupted (Y/N): My motive was only for you to relinquish control. I have no desire to see you suffer this much, or worse. What I am is a living embodiment of truth, the truth that you didn't wanted to accept, until now. You don't deserve death, mortal. Instead, what you'll endure is permanent banishment, with the nightmares keeping you company. While they'll hurt when you first go there, we both know you'll quickly adapt to the pain. Now... (lifts (Y/N) onto his feet) Why don't we have one final sonata? Before you end up down there? Consider it a form of apology from me.

(Y/N): (sobs for a while) Okay...

https://youtu.be/2oOPfYjisn0

*Song Name: Banishment by funny man (Imagine it's (Y/N) and Corrupted (Y/N) singing instead of Spirit and Glitch BF)*

The song begins, sounding void and empty of any semblance of determination or hope. It sounds hopeless, with the two figures preparing to battle within the remains of the mindscape. (Y/N) leads the song, his vocals being slow and devoid of any emotion except sadness, just hoping that his opponent can make this quick and painless. Speaking of his opponent, the Corrupted (Y/N) song joins in, leading to most of the song consisting of the two performing a long duet, with both their voices filled with despair.

Partway through the song, not only does the mood suddenly become slightly more intense, but the mindscape begins to shift, changing its background to areas the young boy has been through during his journey. The gas station, the highway, the graveyard, the arcade, the Underground Railroad, along the streets while atop the limo, the Hating Simulator, Tankman's bunker, the abandoned car park, downtown Starlight City, the alleyways, the bunker he hid in, Atlas's music theatre, his father's venue, and even his old high school.

Every part of his adventure appearing for one final moment, either destroyed or untouched, tying this young boy's story throughout the corruptive takeover together...

As the song returns back to its slower and melancholic melody, the instrumental begins to overpower both (Y/N) and the Corrupted (Y/N)'s voices, leaving them literally singing the instrumental as the damaged mindscape begins to glow a bright white light, and when it finally subsides, all that's left standing in what remains...

Is the Corrupted (Y/N), sighing to himself. He's finally gotten control, and now he'll ensure that the infection remains, through any means necessary...

(Y/N POV)

I wake up to find myself in The Depths of my own subconscious, the chains still tightly wrapped around both my wrists and ankles, digging into my skin and threatening to draw more blood than before. I don't care at this point. All I can do is just sob, accepting to my fate, and awaiting whatever punishment is down here. My hopes have finally ran out, there's nothing bringing them back...

After spending more minutes letting tears spill out my eyes and more pained cries escape from my lips, I see silhouettes in the distance, standing atop many of the mountains of The Depths, with some slowly approaching. Eventually, they arrive, each of them resembling Boyfriend, Girlfriend, and everyone else I cared for, just made out of shadows, and having uncomfortable grins on their faces.

Once they made it to my location, they all surround me, carrying all sorts of weapons in their hands. Microphones, knives, lighters, different types of guns, all of them brandished before they speak up, all of their voices conjoined together to create a haunting collection powered with harsh judgement.

"So, that's it for you, huh? You disgust us all, especially with your weak and pointless efforts in trying to save us. What happened to the young boy who swore to keep getting back up? The young boy that promised to free us from the inky void? All that we see now is a pathetic reason that justifies why you deserve this."

(Y/N): (with a croaky voice) Please... I...

"You what? You tried? Do you really think that excuse will work again? Keep up with it, and you'll just keep proving our point, and bring forth more brutality upon your hollow shell."

(Y/N): (starts gritting his teeth) Please... Just listen-

Suddenly, I feel two harsh slaps to my face by the silhouettes that resemble both Girlfriend and my mother, their hands reeled back. The stinging pain coming from my cheeks, including the constantly-growing feeling in my heart from who did it. All that they got out of me was more tears to spill from my eyes. No cries of pain, no expected flinch, just barely any acknowledgement of the attack, which gets the shadows to change their grins into frowns.

"Where was this sudden refusal to bow down to others? Where was it when everyone surrounded you? When they took advantage of your already destroyed sanity and hopes? Maybe if you had been like this earlier, then you wouldn't be the worst definition of a hero right now."

(Y/N): (his hands start shaking) Shut... Up...

"Aww, what's the matter? Is the weak and pathetic (Y/N) gonna beg and scream for us no to continue any further? Are you gonna-

(Y/N): (shouts) I SAID SHUT UP!!!

In a fit of unbridled frustration, I tried to lunge forward and punch the taunting shadow, this one resembling Boyfriend as it had kneeled down to face me with a taunting grin returning onto its face. However, as expected, all my fist does is go right through the torso of the shadow, whose grin grows more while they cackle, and my arm gets pulled back to my side by the chains.

"See what we mean? You're that pathetic, you thought that mere hallucinations that YOU created were real and could be harmed!! Now, how about we show what you rightfully deserve for letting us all down?"

(3rd Person POV)

After the rhetorical question, all of the shadows spring at (Y/N) without warning, using their weapons to tear at his skin, rip chunks of him apart and scatter them across the environment, all while the young boy tries to hold his jaw shut, only to give in and start screaming in agony. Claws, knives, bullets, both demonic and regular fire, insults, and other forms of weapons ravaging both (Y/N)'s body and sanity, all while he can howl without given any chance to speak or fight back.

Eventually, the young boy is left as a curled bleeding ball, decorated with cuts, holes, burns, and all sorts of injuries, with his breath barely able to be heard. However, before any more attacks could be unleashed, the shadows disperse, and all the injuries (Y/N) had on him fully heal. However, right after (Y/N) looks at his recovered state with both shock and confusion, everything repeats, with the silhouettes returning and picking up where they left off.

This endless cycle repeats for another five times, until when (Y/N) awaits for the shadows to torture him with his eyes closed and vision blinded with tears, he's instead caught off-guard by a hug, but by who? The young boy opens his eyes, moving a hand from its uncomfortable position to wipe the water out of his sight, and seeing Glitch (Y/N) embracing him, with an apologetic look on his face.

(Y/N): (blinks for a while) ...Glitch?

Glitch (Y/N): FORGIVE ME, (Y/N), FOR THIS OUTCOME IS NOT WHAT I WANTED TO OCCUR. MY ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO HELP YOU BECOME BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY STRONGER THAN THE CORRUPTIVE SUBSTANCE, SO THAT WAY, WE COULD BOTH BEND THESE MINDLESS SYMBIOTIC SLIMES TO OUR WILL, AND BECOME VANGUARDS. HOWEVER, THIS PLAN HAS BEEN THROWN INTO JEPOARDY BY HIM.

(Y/N): (raises an eyebrow) Him? Who's... him?

Without needing to wait for more questions to be asked, Glitch (Y/N) releases the young boy of the hug, and creates a sketch of the unexpected visitor when they were hiding out with Atlas Dearest on the ground.

Glitch (Y/N): IT'S ALL HIS FAULT. HE CLAIMED TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO REWIND TIME TO ANY POINT OF THEIR CHOOSING. IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIM THAT YOU'VE FALLEN, IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIM THAT YOU'VE BEEN FORCED TO ENDURE ALL THIS SUFFERING, AND IT WAS HIS FAULT THAT WE CAN'T FIGHT BACK. HE SAID HE'S TRYING TO SAVE EVERYONE, BUT IT'S CLEAR THAT HE'S INCAPABLE OF TELLING WHEN HE'S CROSSED THE LINE. HE EXPECTS YOU TO CRUMBLE AND FADE AWAY INTO NOTHING DOWN HERE, BUT I WON'T LET HIM. 

Glitch (Y/N): (embraces (Y/N) again) I WILL KEEP YOU SAFE DOWN HERE, (Y/N). I'LL CONTINUE BRAINSTORMING FOR WAYS TO HELP US REGAIN CONTROL, AND MAYBE ONE DAY, ENACT REVENGE ON THAT MENTAL INTRUDER. (lets go of (Y/N)) UNFORTUNATELY, I WILL HAVE TO LEAVE FOR A WHILE, AS I NEED TO OBTAIN A FEW MORE PIECES OF INFO, BUT BE NOT FULL OF DESPAIR, (Y/N), FOR I'LL BE BACK TO KEEP YOU SAFE FOREVER DOWN HERE. JUST REMEMBER THIS: NO MATTER IF YOU FADE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH THE DEPTHS ATTEMPT TO DESTROY YOU, WE SHALL NEVER DIE AS LONG AS WE REMAIN CONNECTED...

After sharing one final quick hug, Glitch (Y/N) vanishes from The Depths, leaving the young boy to remain where he still is in both silence and confusion, wondering what his corrupted soul is planning. After a while however, the shadow figures begin to crawl back, catching (Y/N)'s attention, as all it gets him to do is curl up back into a ball, silently mumbling to himself.

(Y/N): (sniffling to himself) Please... Please just leave me be... Let me suffer alone... I... I just wanted to see their smiles... One final time...

https://youtu.be/PwoPRdFe9Ws

*Song Name: Asthenia by Plunger, ArchieMiles, and The_Contenter (Imagine it's (Y/N) singing with the shadows instead of Boyfriend singing with the voices)*

As the shadows start to slowly tread closer to him, one final track plays throughout The Depths, sounding incredibly melancholic as the only instruments that form the background melody being a few sombre piano notes and the ticking of a clock. With nothing else he can do, (Y/N) starts to sing to himself, his voice full of exhaustion and pain, also having a croaky throat when he performs any form of note. After two lone verses, the silhouettes of Pico and Darnell began to join in, their own verses sounding similar to their previous performances.

After the two delinquents finished their turn, the silhouettes of both Cassandra and Nene immediately leap in, their voices sounding more fast-paced when compared to (Y/N), who's somehow struggling to even try and replicate their movements, only to instead change their melody. After they stopped, the young boy began to lament to himself, only to hear another voice echo throughout The Depths, and (Y/N) could easily identify who was speaking out. It was the Lemon Demon, and his lyrics were full of mockery, aimed directly at the young boy.

"Look at you, your time is fading"

"Laugh as your spirits start disintegrating"

"You have lost, became one of us"

"And thanks to your sibling, the world shall be mine!"

As the fruit-headed monster cackles in victory, (Y/N) keeps sombrely singing to the sonata of suffering, trying to ignore the permanent prison he's trapped in, to be forever butchered and mocked by living nightmares, but it's impossible to even evade their stares, voices, any part of them. He can't help but mumble through his lyrics how he deserves every moment. Soon, four more silhouettes spring into the song, those being Charlotte Mearest, Atlas Dearest, and both (Y/N)'s parents. All of their voices having a disappointed tone, and so do their glares.

Once they vanish out of the song, another quartet of voices take their place, but these sound just like (Y/N), even getting the young boy to look up and see four new figures with their silhouettes all resembling him, and while (Y/N) was unable to properly identify how the looked properly, but he could identify their tone of voice well. Their voices had an understanding tone, sounding like they knew just what exactly the young boy was going through. In fact, (Y/N) swore on of their voices sound... familiar.

...

Halfway through the song, the sickening sound of multiple cracks echo throughout The Depths, as the whole area glows a bright red, along with the mountainous landscape suddenly form cracks that ooze a haunting red liquid. Also at that moment, (Y/N)'s voice becomes more broken, both his smile and voice sounding like he's falling apart, while his own verses become more ominous and tragic. He can barely hold himself together long enough to continue singing. Even said verses start to become only one long note. After a short while, around a few seconds until the song reaches its end, two voices join in for the moment...

It's Boyfriend and Girlfriend, their own voices harmonizing with (Y/N)'s, acting as a reminder as what he was originally fighting for, and now what he has lost. He failed to keep his promise, he wasn't able to see their smiles, and he now will never be able to see everyone he cared for ever again. And with three final notes, all filled with heartbreak and tears streaming down his face...

(Y/N) breaks down, covering his face as he begins to endlessly sob, while he begins to fade away, until all that remains of him is a small light in the shape of the young boy, forever down in The Depths of his mind...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spirit has left the Party!!

(Y/N) has succumbed to the Corruption!!

WARNING: (Y/N)'s Mental Status is now 100% Broken!! Extremely unlikely he might be able to Recover either Physically, Mentally, or Emotionally!! Under Any Circumstances, Do Not Engage!!!