In the black land, the monster carrying the King finally tears free from beneath the ground. Its body rises like a colossal tower of darkness, its skull face glowing with malice. The beast fires a massive blast of shadow across the battlefield. Explosions rip through the land, cracking the black surface apart.
Jen and Crank dodge desperately, but both are caught in the blasts and sent crashing across the broken terrain.
Crank forces himself up, aura flaring around him.
"Jen… cover me again. I'm going all out!"
Jen staggers to her feet as spider legs erupt from the ground. She slashes through them with lightning speed while Crank charges, his aura surging brighter with every second.
The King swings his blade, unleashing a storm of slash waves.
Jen's eyes widen.
"I can't stop that!"
Suddenly, Melon leaps in front of her, releasing a thunderous sonic wave. The sound scatters the slash waves across the battlefield, deflecting them in every direction.
Jen cuts down the spider legs relentlessly as Crank's body shifts—his chest morphs into a roaring lion's head, goat horns sprout from his skull, and a serpent coils into existence as his tail.
The dark monster below the King roars and fires another devastating blast. Melon charges head-on into it, the force shaking the land.
"Melon!" Jen screams.
The explosion clears. Shattered pieces of Melon's flesh and armor scatter across the battlefield. Jen's eyes widen in horror, tears streaking down her face.
Crank transforms further—his right arm becomes the blazing maw of the Blaze Dragon, his left arm morphs into the head of the mighty T-Rex. His voice trembles with rage.
"His death won't go in vain."
His legs reshape into the galloping limbs of a centaur. Griffin wings burst from his back, carrying him skyward. He soars, dodging a storm of spider legs while using his T-Rex arm to absorb the King's dark slashes.
The King howls, summoning an army of sea and sky-born dark monsters from the shadows. They pour into the black land, rushing toward Crank in endless waves.
Crank unleashes his fury—
A fire blast from the dragon head.
A spiritual cannon from the T-Rex.
Lightning bolts from his horns.
Poison breath from the serpent tail.
And a colossal energy wave from the lion's chest.
The battlefield erupts with thousands of explosions, dark monsters vaporized in the chaos.
Tomi lands beside Jen, watching the devastation above. Despite Crank's power, wounds mark his body from the constant assaults.
Tomi grips his deck of cards tightly, his eyes blazing.
"I'm ready! Let's do this!"
He draws a card, holding it high.
"The Empress!"
A surge of magic floods Jen, boosting her speed and strength.
Another card shines in his hand.
"The Emperor!"
Power flows through Tomi's body, enhancing him as well.
One more card flashes to life.
"The Chariot!"
A golden chariot materializes before them. They leap aboard as it thunders forward into the fray. Jen unleashes a storm of slashes, cutting down countless monsters and spider legs. Explosions light the sky as Crank continues his rampage above, shaking the entire black land with his wrath.
Crank dives straight at the King, his body blazing with the energy of all his fused beasts. He unleashes every attack at once—fire, lightning, poison, spirit blasts, and the roar of the lion chest—in a single catastrophic beam.
The skull-faced monster opens its maw, spewing a colossal wave of dark energy. The two forces collide, shaking the entire black land. The clash rages, but Crank roars louder, pushing his beam through and overwhelming the darkness. The explosion tears across the battlefield, engulfing the King and the monster in a blinding eruption.
Tomi raises a trembling hand, blood dripping from his nose as he draws another card.
"The Star!"
A radiant star bursts above, shattering into countless fragments. Each fragment rains down like meteors, detonating into thousands of explosions that tear through the horde of dark monsters clearing the path ahead.
Jen steadies him on the chariot.
"You alright?!"
Tomi wipes the blood away, his voice hoarse but unbroken.
"I'm fine… this is just beyond my limits. But I'll push through!"
They reach the base of the towering monster. Tomi draws again.
"The Sun!"
A blazing sphere ignites overhead, its searing rays scorching the King and the beast. He coughs blood, but with shaking fingers he pulls the next card.
"The Moon!"
Opposite side of the sun, a colossal moon rises, its silver light burning into the monster's flesh.
Blood pours from Tomi's mouth as his knees buckle. He leaps from the chariot, ascending on sheer will. Jen's heart races as she sees the toll ripping him apart.
Another card flashes in his hand.
"The Tower!"
A magical spire bursts from beneath him, carrying him higher into the sky. Glowing text appears before his eyes:
"50% HP lost. 50% stamina lost. 100% Jester power lost."
Tomi's breathing shakes. But he doesn't hesitate. He draws again, gripping two cards with bloodied hands.
"The Magician! The High Priestess!"
Both of his hands erupt with radiant energy. Blood streams from his ears now as he lifts both arms. The sun and moon tremble—then begin moving inward, pulled by his will toward the King and the dark monster.
Crank and Jen stare in awe.
Jen whispers, "This… this is his ace move? No—it's beyond that."
The King snarls, releasing a torrent of darkness that halts the moon in its tracks. The monster bellows, firing its own blast to hold the sun in place.
Tomi roars in pain, his vision fading, his arms trembling. The strain is tearing his body apart.
Jen leaps from the chariot, colliding with the moon itself. She presses her whole being into pushing it forward.
"Don't give up!" she screams.
Crank spreads his wings and slams into the sun, his beastly arms straining with fury.
"Carry yourself with honor!" he roars.
The celestial bodies inch forward, but the enemy's darkness still holds them back. Tomi's eyes blur red as blood blinds him. His body shakes violently—yet he refuses to let go.
And then—
A crimson bird of energy streaks down from the heavens, exploding into them. Ignis's power floods their veins.
All three roar together, surging with unstoppable force. The sun and moon slam inward, colliding with the King and the monster, Jen and Crank then falls from exhaustion.
Tomi raises one final card from his deck, his voice a thunderous cry:
"Judgment Eclipse!"
The sun and moon crash together, creating a cosmic eclipse that devours the battlefield. The King and the dark monster are torn apart in the blinding void, their bodies obliterated as the eclipse swallows every last dark monster. The entire black land is also absorbed returning the surface back to the ocean waves
Silence.
The eclipse fades, leaving only the endless ocean. Tomi falls from the sky, crashing into the waves close by to Jen and Crank, their bodies broken but alive. The waters begins to turn black once more as the darkness seeps back, spreading like ink through the sea.
The darkness closes in, pressing against them with crushing weight. They brace themselves, unable to defend any longer—
But then, from Crank's chest, a radiant spirit bursts forth.
It shifts, expands, and takes form—the massive, spiritual whale, Melon.
With a single, graceful motion, Melon opens its great maw and swallows them all. Inside, instead of darkness, they are wrapped in waves of radiant light. The whale's glow shields them, its spiritual power protecting every one of them from the consuming shadow.
Meanwhile, in the ruined land of darkness, Gaia unleashes a storm of lasers, explosions tearing across the battlefield around Lars and Atheen.
Lars pushes forward, ignoring the blasts, and charges at Nox with a flurry of relentless punches.
Nox hurls his shovel at him. Lars dodges and counters, striking hard.
The shovel ricochets off a floating diamond shard, absorbing rainbow lightning as it bounces to the next shard.
Lars keeps throwing brutal combinations, each blow landing with force, spraying blood from Nox's body.
Nox mutters under his breath.
"Even if I can predict his moves, his speed is much faster than mine!"
He raises his guard, blocking more punches and kicks, blood dripping from his head.
"But I'm smarter!"
From behind, the rainbow lightning-charged shovel rockets toward Lars—
But Lars's gauntlets flare, unleashing a wave of energy that halts the weapon midair.
Its aura twists, rainbow turning into a dark purple glow.
Lars seizes the shovel, roaring as he swings it into an arc. The blade slices across Nox's stomach, sending him crashing onto his back covered in his own pool of blood.
Lars repositions the shovel, raising it high for the fatal strike.
He brings it down—
But Gaia swoops in, grabbing the handle. The weapon stops just inches from Nox's chest.
Gaia roars.
"I still have my questions with this man! He can't die yet!"
Suddenly, a black ice shard pierces her back, tearing through her mecha suit.
Gaia pushes through the pain, still holding the weapon as Lars forces it downward, the shovel inching closer to Nox's heart.
Nox, barely conscious, tilts his head upward—just in time to see Kayle dive from the sky.
She vanishes midair.
A ray of green light bursts from Lars's chest. He staggers back, roaring in pain.
The light shoots out his back, leaving him trembling.
Gaia collapses beside Nox, groaning as she reaches for her digital pouch and pulls out healing spray.
Nox slowly sits up, his eyes fixed on the scene. Atheen cradles Lars, pulling him close as more giant ice Atheens form, surrounding him with towering frozen bodies.
Nox lets out a weak laugh.
"Just as expected, Kayle!"
Gaia gasps as she sprays the healing spray all over themself.
"What is going on?"
Inside the spirit realm of Lars, Kayle approaches a massive dark sphere.
She draws back her bow, a powerful green and yellow arrow glowing at the string.
"With his powers combined with mine, I can destroy the darkness."
She releases.
The arrow explodes, tearing open a giant hole in the sphere. Kayle dives through the breach, entering the core of the darkness.
Inside, she sees Lars and Atheen bound in shadow. She takes a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, brother…"
Kayle charges another arrow, her energy rising into a spiritual divine glow.
But before she fires—
From the shadows, a dark figure bursts out. Dark Zion slams his foot into her chest, kicking her away.
Kayle flips midair, catching herself. Her aura burns bright as she clashes with Dark Zion, her spiritual light and wind magic colliding with his shadows.
Meanwhile, black chains coil tighter around Lars and Atheen's spiritual bodies.
Lars's eyes snap open. He sees Kayle battling Dark Zion, the realm flickering wildly between darkness and light.
He stares at the clash.
"I've seen this before… but when?"
A sudden vision floods the realm.
Young Lars and Dustin appear, watching their father—Zion—locked in a brutal fight with a woman.
The two argue mid-battle:
"You make them weak!"
"Forget the noble ways! I want my sons to be free!"
"Godhood is the only goal for all nobles!"
The woman's face is blurred, but Dustin whispers desperately.
"Please, mother…"
Lars turns back to see his younger self holding Dustin back as his brother sobs.
The memory strikes Lars.
"That's right… this is when father banished mother, when they fought."
He turns back to take a looks closer. The woman's face sharpens, reshaping—until it becomes Kayle's.
Lars staggers in disbelief.
"What? That's my mother?! It's been so long I had forgotten how she looks. But… that means I've been fighting my own mother this whole time in the Star Games?! No… that can't be. She looks the same as she does now. Then… who are you really?!"
The vision fades.
Lars refocuses on the present, watching Kayle and Dark Zion's battle. Rage boils inside him. The dark chains around his body begin snapping one by one.
Atheen awakens, tearing the bindings from her arms. Together, they shatter the restraints.
Lars roars.
"There's no way you could be my mother! Just… who are you?!"
The final chain bursts apart. Lars leaps forward, smashing his fist into Dark Zion, sending him flying back.
He turns to Kayle, who immediately draws her bow and looses an arrow at him.
Lars snatches it midair, gripping it tightly.
"Why do you have the face of my mother?"
Kayle freezes, stunned.
"So… he remembers now?!"
Dark Zion charges back in.
Kayle fires an arrow. Lars hurls an ice shard.
Both strikes land, stunning Dark Zion to the floor.
Kayle straightens, but when she speaks—her voice is no longer her own, as it is Dustin's.
Lars's eyes widen in shock as Kayle's lips move.
"Brother… I'm here for my revenge. For all the pain you and father caused me."
Her aura ignites, burning with fury. She surges forward, clashing head-on with Lars. Their energies collide, shaking the realm.
Lars lets out a wild laugh.
"So you've returned, brother… wearing mother's face?"
Kayle roars, her aura flaring even larger.
"Yes! She was the one who made me who I am! She is my inspiration! I will carry her image forever!"
Their powers swell, tearing apart the darkness around them. The realm quakes, collapsing as the waves of their aura destroy even Dark Zion.
But Lars pushes harder. His strength overwhelms Kayle as she strains to hold him back.
Desperate, Kayle fires a divine arrow—its impact shattering Atheen's arm and chest.
Lars answers with a devastating punch, slamming Kayle and sending her flying away.
Back in the real world
The ice bodies of Atheen crack apart. Dark Lars lets out a roar of agony as a swarm of black worms erupts from his body. The corruption dissolves until his body returns to normal.
Kayle manifests in thin air, crashing down before the semi-healed Gaia and Nox.
Nox smirks, the gash in his stomach sealing shut.
"Well done, Kayle!"
Kayle rises to her feet, catching her breath.
"Sorry… I could only destroy part of his ice magic. But it's enough to stop his instant healing. And more importantly… he and I purged all of the darkness inside him."
Their eyes snap toward Lars. His body erupts in a massive surge of purple and blue aura, blasting upward in a towering pillar of energy that pierces the dark skies.
Lars steps forward, his voice cold and resolute.
"Dustin… I will finish father's job for him."
He drops into a powerful stance, his energy raging.
Nox and Gaia stare in disbelief.
Nox's voice trembles.
"So… that's who you are."
Gaia whispers, eyes wet with tears.
"Dustin?"
Kayle stands firm, her voice once again carrying Dustin's tone.
"We'll talk after this, Gaia."
Gaia's tears fall as she prepares for what's coming.