Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return

From atop the alien-looking building, Worldeater descends. His suit is tattered, and his mask glowing with white cracks. In his left hand, a silver cane, adorned with a blue gem. In his right, nothing, though it is opened as if holding something in his palm. His eyes are hidden, as if the Imposter’s Masque suddenly had lenses covering them, and on his face, the most sinister grin he had ever shown.

Worldeater: Is this it, then? Diva? Is this our climactic finale? The curtains closing on our play, where you witness the demise of Mitakihara’s very soul?!

Niko: Think of it more like your dumb one-man-show getting cut short halfway through cause the entire audience has walked out, dipshit.

Worldeater: Have they, now? 

As if dolls, mannequins descending alongside Worldeater, various faces became visible. The forms were the frayed souls of Mitakihara’s various residents. Among the most central were the faces of Mitakihara’s Citizens’ Council, and they slowly gathered, swirling slowly around Worldeater, not unlike a curtain, protecting him from all sides.

Yuzuki: (Spotting her father’s face among the Council, Yuzuki takes an alarmed step forward, but restrains herself from any further reaction) 

Worldeater: My audience looks perfectly intact and present, Diva!

Niko: No one who’s “intact” would willingly let you parade their soul around like a friggin’ stage prop—You know what? Screw this! I don’t need to play along with your stupid game. We all know you’re a pompous creep, a coward and a fraud. So let’s get this over with, shall we?

Worldeater: At what point, linguistically speaking, did an audience have to be willing? Hell, even conscious? Besides, you can’t blame me. You broke my last shield, after all. (His gaze briefly lands on Yui)

Yui: Three. 

In her hand, a now smoking revolver, violet sparks dancing across its barrel. Worldeater, smirking as usual, summons one of the souls in front of him, though Yui’s bullet still misses its mark. He scowls down at her.

Worldeater: You never intended to hit me, did you, Forte? Indeed, you aimed to miss…

Yui: Right. He’s using them as a shield. Frontal assault’s out. Bit of a bitch move to do this shit again, though, Luca.

Worldeater: What can I say, Forte? A cornered man acts as though he has naught to lose. …And there is nothing more cornered than a dead man.

Niko: (her eyes widen) … D-Dead? You’re… (she looks at Yui, a worried expression on her face) … S-serves you right… (she scoffs, nervously and without much conviction) But, eh…

Worldeater slowly lowers his mask. His eyes are their usual color, though cracks had started to form around them. A sad smile lit Luca’s face as he stared down at them. His eyes meet Yui’s, which flash violet, scanning Luca’s soul.

Yui: …He’s not lying. He’s… he’s dead in the waking world. 

Shinju: What!? We didn’t even touch you! Did the other crazies turn on you? 

Niko: Did you… kill yourself? To make sure we couldn’t take you out without killing you here?

Worldeater: (His mask soon returns to his face, concealing his eyes) Don’t be daft now, of all times, Diva. I had no intention of dying from the start. But I have, and now I must complete my mission with due haste.

Niko: Ngh… (she grits her teeth, turning to Yui again) … W-What do we do?

Yui: (she exchanges the most brief, subtle glances with Mei, then shakes her head) …I don’t know, Niko.

Niko: (she turns to Shinju, somewhat desperate) … A-Any ideas?

Shinju: (she whispers back) We can’t just leave while he has that many hostages! We have to at least get some of them… 

Yui: If we make a move, he’s just gonna drop them into the abyss. This is a bit different when we die here, they’re out cold in the real world. He kills them here, it just might destroy their souls for good. (she exchanges another silent glance towards Yuzuki) {How fast can you get a shield out under them? Or like… otherwise catch them?}

Yuzuki: {In a couple seconds, I think… if we put some water in it, it should be a soft enough landing. As long as all he does is drop them…} 

Worldeater: (As the girls debate, and Yui nods to confirm her silent plans, Worldeater’s jaw clenches. He’s waited for an answer long enough.) What is this?! Do you plan on stalling me out? Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, even if this is not reality, there’s still no timer! If you insist on waiting for me to act, then fine! (One of the Council members’ souls, an unfamiliar elderly man is hurled in Yui’s direction) Catch, dodge, or explode, Forte!

Yui: (Yui instead jumps forward, catching the wayward soul and letting it fall on top of her as she slides back from the impact) Shit… Yuzu! Shinju! Heads up! (As soon as Yui says this, more souls begin to hurtle towards the group)

Yuzuki: (She stammers as if about to say something, but abandons the thought. She throws up shields in front of them, with multiple softer layers to try to catch them gently)

Shinju: Tilt it this way a little! (She promptly begins filling Yuzuki’s barrier with water like a bowl)

Niko: (she instinctively shields herself with her arms) God—That’s a person, for crying out loud! Didn’t your mom teach you manners?

Worldeater: Tch… 

He continues his bombardment, though the shields constructed are enough to catch the bulk of the souls, with Yui guiding the remainder towards the barrier. At the same time, Niko is pulled away, around the side of the building.

Niko: Whoooooah! Hey! C-Careful!

Mei: (Mei releases Niko’s arm, holding a finger to her own lips before speaking in a hushed whisper) Now’s our chance! He’s like… totally distracted up there, right? Well, this would be a pretty neat time to activate your old Puella form, right?

Niko: M-My what? I-I can’t—No, no, no, I’m not a Puella anymore!

Mei: Aren’t you like… God or something down here? L-Look, even if you don’t remember… (she closes her eyes, sighing as she pulls out her megaphone) …I do.

Niko: Eh, I r-really don’t think this is a good idea, Mei, I wasn’t exactly much to write home about as a Puella… 

Mei: And I was? I just had a good teacher. You have the benefit of having control of this place. Who cares if you sucked at Puella stuff, or your powers sucked? It’s enough to take this fucker down, right? And save all these people he’s using as ballistic missiles. C’mon, we don’t have time!

Niko: W-What do you even want me to do? Think harder?

Mei: No. …I just need you to remember. Vox Memoria! (Mei shouts into her megaphone, yet no sound is heard. Instead, memories swirling inside of Niko begin to gather, focused on a single point. Niko, staring down a school hallway at countless other girls, weapons drawn and readied.)

Niko: … You’ve gotta be—Mei, I ain’t got time to get pincushioned all over again! (she gazes at the horde, inhaling sharply, before catching a glimpse of the black gloves on her hands as she holds out her arms) Oh, this can’t be happening… (recognizing the dark bra top and military jacket of her old Puella Magi outfit, she sighs) Black is so not my color.

With a flick of her wrist, her getup turns light pink, a stylish ensemble of her old garb and her Dreamscape regalia. Beaming in her new outfit, Niko summons a javelin of pure light into both of her hands, twirling the weapons like batons to show off her confidence.

Niko: … Come on then, bitches. How long are you gonna make me wait?

Brandishing her weapons, she rushes headfirst into the crowd of enemies, effortlessly cutting her way through until the memory dissipates around her and she finds herself slipping through the souls swarming her from all sides, until eventually she comes out on the other side, cutting through the heavy mists swirling around the imposter as she readies both javelins to skewer him.

Mei: Heheh… flesh without blood my ass! (Mei smiles with a smug sense of satisfaction, the mist of the memory fading completely. She casts her gaze back around the building, the others still working on catching and corralling the souls away from Worldeater’s grasp.) …Now go kick his ass, Diva.

Niko: You want a duel, douchebag? It’s a duel you’ll get!

Worldeater is knocked from his position in the air, tumbling down through the seemingly endless height down from the building. He dodges as best he can with each of Diva’s attacks, drawing his sword from his cane to parry them. He can’t mount an offense, and they continue to tumble downward, ever downward until they land on the roof of the building they were falling beside. Once more, Worldeater summons a golden cane, a red gem atop it, and tosses it towards Niko.

Worldeater: Properly, if you please.

Niko: (using one of her javelins, she deflects the cane, pointing the other one at her opponent) Shove it, dickweed. My realm, my rules.

Worldeater: Not yet, Diva. Not while my soul still burns, and while I hold Father’s artifact.

Niko: … (as the two circle each other like duelists, gazing into each others’ eyes, she lowers her weapons) … He… He’s not your father, Luca. You’re not the Troubadour’s son.

Worldeater: Oh, not this contrived plot hole again. Do tell, Diva. Do tell this grand tale of yours, these twists and leaps in logic that bring you to this conclusion. Go on! Tell me! Tell me how this tall tale of yours goes!

Niko: It’s just… Your dad was just some guy. An old buddy of the Maestro’s back when he still lived in Italy. He was the man your mother fell in love with, had a child with, even before the whole affair when she merged with her sister… But he was never a Conductor. And the Troubadour had never anything to do with it… He never betrayed your mom because they never had a thing, dude! The… (she points at his mask) The only reason why that thing even works is because you were convinced it was your birthright… That he was your father… But none of that was ever real. That thing on your face was never real.

Worldeater’s face contorts, a mix of emotions naked on his face. His fist clenches and relaxes, and after a few moments, he removes the mask entirely. His eyes are closed, his chest rising and falling with visible effort to contain his breathing. The cracks on his face deepen, and eventually, he relaxes completely.

Luca: …Almost. Almost correct, Diva. But… my father was not just some guy. …He was a Conductor. Massimo Giordano… the Imposter of the Conductors. A title I inherit now. (He tosses the mask towards Niko.) Now… duel me properly, fellow Conductor, and put this tale to rest!

Niko: Just how fucking desperate are you, man? (she dismisses one javelin and transforms the other into a sword to match Luca’s) All this talk about inheritance? About who’s real and who’s fake? What’s got you so scared to just be you?

Luca: Because there’s nothing there, Niko Segawa. My entire life… my entire life was nothing but chasing shadows. Chasing the Troubadour’s, then the Imposter’s. All misplaced hatred, born of a lie planted as a child by a silly little cat who could grant wishes. Not mine, of course, but in his own way. I was a tool. A weapon; we all are. That is how the Incubator forms its eraser squads of the Balancers. Why else do you think we are so young? Erasers are disposable by nature. The ones that survive, they are given other roles to play. …I once called you flesh without blood, but I may as well have been speaking to a mirror. You must think my ambitions could serve a better purpose, had they not been misplaced. …But the curtain closed on that tale long ago. (He holds his sword aloft) …I realized this when Yosuke killed me— by accident, lest you hold the deed against the boy. But my soul drowned in hatred long ago. I have already lost, Diva. I am thoroughly defeated. Now finish the job, and save those souls I stole from your city, and grant me my fucking finale! (He points the sword towards Niko and steps forward.)

Niko: Spare me the sob story if you’re just gonna make excuses! In the end, this was still your choice! (putting a foot forward, she finally grants Luca’s request and attacks him, swinging her sword upwards)

Luca: (His sword clashes with Niko’s, again and again with increasing fervor) Yes, that’s it! The finale to my tale! And not a moment too soon. (He pushes in, swinging with expert precision) Because this was my choice! My actions were my own! I am the villain, Diva! Now finish the story! 

Niko: Since when does the villain get to dictate how a story ends? (she deftly evades Luca’s strike, instead grabbing onto his wrist with her off-hand, causing him to drop his weapon, and twisting his arm behind him as she holds up her own rapier to the back of his neck)

Luca: (He doesn’t move, simply closing his eyes and awaiting the final blow. When it doesn’t come, he sighs heavily.) … Don’t tell me. You, like the Forte, refuse to kill your enemies?

Niko: … Look at your feet. (lying on the ground, a mere inches away from Luca’s dress shoes, are the shattered remains of his mask) … You made such a big show with that last attack you trampled your own mask. You think you’re an artist, but all you do is destroy all that is beautiful… I don’t know why I would kill you, Luca… I have no reason to. 

The mists thicken, swirling around the duelists, frozen like statues, as an eerie silence falls.

Niko: … But the Dreamscape? The Dreamscape does.

As if on command, dozens of spectral arms emerge from the ground — no, the ground itself becomes a dozen of spectral arms that grab onto Worldeater’s legs and wrap themselves around his body. Niko lowers her sword, taking a few steps back as the vengeful limbs envelop the imposter, slowly dragging him into the ground — no, he melts into the ground as he is being pulled under, becoming one with his own grave as the collective unconsciousness unravels him into the void. Yet the man once known as Worldeater doesn’t scream. His eyes close one last time, an almost serene look upon his face as his soul dissolves into nothing.

To become the dew that quenches the land
To spare the sands, the seas, the skies
I offer thee this silent sacrifice

Niko: (panting, she falls to her knees, dropping the rapier) … I… fucking hate theatre.

The building returns to a more normal, natural-looking skyscraper, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Soon, Mei appears on the roof, catching her breath as if she had just run up the stairs from the ground floor.

Mei: Oh, there you are! W-We lost sight of you after you fell, but then… when they all got up and started walking, we figured you won! Yui’s going after them now… a-are you alright though, Niko?

Niko: (she sighs) … I might be.

Mei: So then… Worldeater, is he…?

Niko: Exit, stage left… Or however he would’ve said it, yeah.

Mei: (Mei closes her eyes, sighing softly. She’s quiet for a moment, but then just nods) S-So then… this whole place, it’s completely yours again, right? 

Niko: Well, if you don’t count Mr. Maestro. That dude’s still running his own little corner, even if I can “overrule” him.

Shinju: (She comes up over the side of the skyscraper in a trail of water, landing on the other side of the roof) Niko!! Are you okay?

Niko: (she darts towards Shinju for a hug) I am now!

Shinju: (She runs toward Niko as well and they meet in the middle, Shinju hugging her tightly) Whew… that’s great… 

Niko: (she immediately fixes her composure) Well… No time to waste. There’s a hunch of people that need our help… Now, where’s that Maestro?