Deep in space, a dark sphere drifts silently through the void, inside it, blinding light fills the emptiness.
Susan floats within that radiance, her hand still tightly clasped with the being of light before her.
The being finally speaks.
"I have seen you before… You are the one loved by that mini God."
Susan's breath catches.
"So you've met Ulric?" she asks urgently. "Do you know what happened to her?"
The being's glow dims slightly.
"Ulriche… I did not know her name," he replies. "But she was powerful. A true God but she is dead, defeated by me and my brother."
Tears spill freely down Susan's face.
"I thought so," she whispers. "She left me only a farewell message… and entrusted humanity to me. And now, look at me. I've abandoned them."
The being lowers himself, kneeling so they are face to face.
"Your God was the one who changed me," he says softly. "When I fought her, I felt something unfamiliar within her divine body. A love for life itself. When I devoured her body and saw her memories… I saw you."
Susan trembles.
"A mortal that a God cherished. A mortal she gave so much for so humanity could thrive... You were.... Her shining star."
Susan's eyes glow with emotion.
"You're different from the other demons I've seen," she says quietly. "What are you? Do you even have a name?"
The being rises to his feet. With each step, gentle waves of light ripple through the realm.
"We demons were born of Chaos," he explains. "Created by our maker, our father and mother. Two brothers were born. My elder brother, Gander, who came first… and then me."
He places a hand to his chest.
"My name is Rear."
Susan steadies herself and stands as well.
"So after consuming my master… it changed you?"
Rear nods.
"Destruction and power was all that we seek because that is in our nature to do so. But her memories, her divine energy, and her soul was so pure that it rewrote the chaos within me. It made me also love life and humanity. It made me yearn to experience it all."
His voice hardens.
"But the rest of my kind refused to change. I fought them. I even fought my brother and lost. That was the moment, I believed I would never experience life's true meaning… until you appeared."
He bows deeply.
"You saved me. Thank you. And now… may I also know your name?"
Susan steps forward and takes his offered hand.
"My name is Susan," she says softly. "And if it is life you wish to experience… then I will give you all of it."
Those words strike Rear hard as Susan leans in for a kiss, when their lips meet.
Light explodes, causing Rear's radiant body to shifts softly, reshaping itself, becoming a tall, handsome man, his body etched with tattoos of living light.
The realm continues to pulses calmly as Susan's nearby spaceship shatters into cascades of brilliant color. The fusion core spins wildly from within, flashing through countless hues before detonating flooding the entire realm in pure, overwhelming light until it changes into a small planet.
Meanwhile, in the meeting room of Black Paradise, the entire group remains silent as the digital screen continues to play.
Susan and Rear are shown spending their time together on a small, isolated planet they have claimed as their own. An island surrounded by endless blue water stretches beneath a warm sky.
Rear sinks his toes into the soil, pauses then laughs as he dives headfirst into the ocean. Beneath the surface, vibrant sea life scatters around him, glowing with color. Susan watches from the shore, smiling softly, her eyes full of peace.
The digital AI Susan steps forward, standing at the center of the meeting room.
"The love formed between the real Susan and this ancient demon was pure," she explains calmly.
"They spent the rest of Susan's life on this tiny planet they called home. But at the peak of their happiness… an incident occurred that changed everything."
She raises her hand and points toward the screen.
Susan and Rear now stand together on a small boat, its surface covered in flowers drifting gently across the water. The moment is serene until both of them suddenly freeze.
Their smiles vanishes as slowly, their eyes lift toward the sky to see a crack forms in the sky.
Then an explosion ripples across as light fractures the sky as a figure streaks downward like a comet, tearing through the atmosphere before crashing violently into the ocean below. The impact sends massive waves rolling outward, swallowing the boat in its wake.
The screen flickers as the water churns, and the peaceful world they built begins to fall apart.
Meanwhile, in the Star Games, on Treasure Island, inside the ruined castle—
Ignis stands amid the wreckage, staring at the floating diamond puzzle piece resting above his palm. Beside him lies a strange glowing fruit. When he picks it up, a translucent pop-up menu appears in the air:
"Upon consumption, the user will regain 70% of their powers for 10 minutes."
Before he can react, the cracked wall explodes inward.
Stone shatters as Crank storms through the dust.
Ignis straightens and exhales slowly.
"Should I be honorable… or not?"
He tosses the fruit into the air, catches it with his mouth, and takes a single bite. Power surges through him instantly. He leaves the fruit half-eaten and lets it fall back into his hand. He then throws it toward Crank, who catches it, surprised.
"I won't forget what Boa has done for me," Ignis says firmly.
"So I'll uphold this so-called honor. Eat it. We'll each have thirty-five percent of our power. I want to fight using the strength we've been building this whole time. It'd be a shame to die without ever using it much."
Crank stares at the fruit for a moment… then devours it whole.
Energy erupts around his body.
"It's been an honorable fight, Ignis" Crank growls.
"Let's end this!"
A massive aura flares around him as he draws back his fist. The energy shapes itself into the roaring face of a tiger, its fangs snapping as the power condenses.
Ignis raises his arm.
A slot-machine wrist device materializes around his wrist and begins to spin wildly.
It stops on the image of a boxing glove.
A massive red aura glove forms around his right hand.
Ignis smirks.
"It's like my powers heard me… and decided to do the most honorable thing possible."
Red energy surges as he pulls back his fist.
Both of them roars at the same time as they charge into each other. Crank's tiger-shaped aura fist collides with Ignis's red boxing glove.
The impact is catastrophic causing the walls implode, the floor to splinter, and the ceiling collapses inward. The entire castle trembles as the shockwave tears through every level.
High above, in the throne room, Boa lounges casually on the throne, flipping his team's secret treasure into the air and catching it with ease. But then he pauses as cracks begin to spread across the floor and walls.
Boa tilts his head at the sight of this.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, the entire castle begins to fall apart.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, the battle is over.
Tobias stands amid the fallen Stars, staring at the combined diamond puzzle pieces floating above his palm. The pieces hum softly, their light pulsing in sync.
"We only need one more piece," he says.
Nearby, Hans notices the Star with eagle eyes lying on the ground. Despite her injuries, she raises a trembling hand. Golden energy gathers in her palm and takes the shape of a spectral eagle.
The eagle screeches and launches into the sky, flying off toward the horizon.
The Star's arm drops. She collapses unconscious.
Tobias turns toward Hans, his expression distant, almost unsettled.
"Don't you feel it too?" he asks quietly.
"Like we've been here before."
Hans shakes his head.
"I don't think we have. Let's hurry and find the final piece before the end of the game."
They both look up.
A massive timer glows in the sky.
01:02:36
Beneath it, the scoreboard flickers:
WHITE: 549
BLACK: 392
Meanwhile, at the World Tree, thick chains bind Voytek and the rest of his team to the massive roots.
Around them, members of the Black Team casually tap their heads again and again.
Each strike triggers a soft chime.
+1 Point.
+1 Point.
+1 Point.
Voytek grits his teeth but refuses to bow his head.
Corvex steps forward as she stops in front of him, her expression calm.
"I'm sorry it has to be this way," she says quietly.
"But this is what love does to you. It makes you reckless."
She tilts her head slightly.
"Sooner or later, I'll find your secret treasure and win this game."
Suddenly—
A spectral eagle made of pure energy dives from above, it slams directly into Corvex.
The impact explodes in a flash of light and energy floods into her eyes.
In an instant, she sees everything that happened at the beach.
Through the vision of the eagle-eyed Star, she sees it clearly.
A glowing mass of energy radiates from inside Hans's stomach, the secret treasure.
The light fades from Corvex's eyes as she turns back to Voytek.
"I had a feeling you guys would eventually trick us," she says.
"But I suppose I don't have a choice now."
Her gaze sharpens.
"If cutting open Hans's stomach is what it takes to win… then so be it."
Voytek's eyes widen in anger.
"Don't you dare do it!"
Corvex turns her back on him without another word, walking away.
Behind her, her Black Team continues tapping the chained White Stars.
+1 Point.
+1 Point.
Meanwhile, deep within the forest, Hans and Tobias move quietly through the trees, carefully avoiding Black Team patrols.
Ahead, they spot several White Team Stars tied up, each guarded by a Black Star casually smacking their heads.
+1 Point.
+1 Point.
Tobias lowers his voice.
"Let's go. We don't have much time left."
Hans shakes his head.
"No. We save them. It's better to have a bigger team in case we run into Corvex again."
He glances around the forest.
"Besides, we still don't know where the last puzzle piece is."
Tobias exhales softly.
"That's true… but Ignis has the highest Luck stat. If anyone's going to find it, it's him. We just need to find him."
He turns—
Only to see Hans already sprinting forward.
Before Tobias can react, Hans swings his metal staff in smooth, decisive arcs. Each strike knocks a Black Star unconscious. The point chimes abruptly stop.
Hans quickly unties their captured teammates, Tobias catches up to him.
"Hans, were you even listening?!"
Hans nods calmly.
"I was. You said we need to find Ignis."
He gestures to the freed Stars.
"But with a bigger group helps. And they might have information too."
Hans turns to his teammates.
"Did any of you see where Ignis went?"
They pause for a moment as they then point towards a certain direction.
Hans looks back at Tobias with a confident smile.
"See? Now we have a lead."
Tobias chuckles, shaking his head.
"When I was your age, I wasn't even half as sharp as you are."
His smile fades slightly as he presses a hand to his chest.
"I should've thought of that too… but all my senses are scrambled right now."
He looks around the forest, uneasy.
"The way my body keeps reacting… it feels like we've been here before."
Meanwhile, at the ruined castle, nothing remains but a mountain of rubble.
At the very top, Boa still sits calmly on the half-broken throne, his team's Secret Treasure resting in his hand. He gazes up at the sky.
"Hank, if you're watching this… Crank has returned to his old ways."
He exhales slowly.
"It's probably for the better. We need this version of him if we're going to win the Star Games."
The rubble shifts.
Stones slide aside as Crank rises from beneath, bloodied, breathing heavily.
Boa smirks.
"You pushed yourself quite far. I'm more surprised there's even a Star on the other team strong enough to push you this far."
The rubble shifts again.
Another figure emerges also bloodied, barely standing.
Boa's eyes gleam.
"Ahh… Ignis. Of course it's you. I expected nothing less."
He chuckles.
"Such a shame you're on the other team… though I suppose it's a win-win for us either way."
Crank steps forward.
Ignis steps forward.
Crank extends his arm.
"You have my honor."
Ignis grips it firmly, their forearms locking in a warrior's handshake.
"I didn't expect myself to grow like this either, to have such honor."
Boa slides down the rubble pile, landing lightly.
"So? Have you come to win it for your team? Just so you know—"
Ignis raises a hand.
"That you won't make it easy for me because you're a man of honor. Yeah, I already know."
He scratches his head.
"But I'm not here to fight. Well… not anymore. Now that I know you're on the other team, we can settle this another way."
Boa's eyes sharpen.
"From the look on your face… you figured something out."
Ignis nods.
"Well it was Tobias's idea. Think about it. We're in a domain ruled by a Puzzle-Boss. The first puzzle was a real brain teaser… but this second puzzle?"
He gestures around.
"It isn't much of a puzzle."
Boa laughs.
"You're right. This isn't a puzzle game at all."
He shakes his head.
" I should of thought of that too well you know prideful man like us can't think outside of the box when our honor is on the line.."
Ignis lifts his hand.
Floating above his palm is a diamond puzzle piece.
"I think this is the real puzzle."
A menu window appears in the air:
"Gather all of the diamond pieces to reveal the Secret Ending."
Footsteps approach.
Hans, Tobias, and several White Stars emerge from the trees.
Tobias's eyes widen.
"Ignis! You found it? Your Luck stat is truly beyond anything!"
Ignis jumps with joy
"I know, right?!"
Tobias lifts the combined pieces he carries.
"You have the final one."
They bring the pieces together, the diamond puzzles connects and spins, glowing bright with a spiral light pulses outward.
Suddenly from the center of the island, a colossal pillar of energy erupts into the sky.
High above, the floating Puzzle-Boss watches.
"They finally did it… and quite quickly. Third time's the charm."
Back at the ruined castle—
Hans steps forward.
"No more fighting. We have to work together and figure out this Secret Ending, that may be the true puzzle!"
but suddenly a sharp voice cuts through the air.
"Boa! What are you doing standing so close to the enemy?!"
Corvex appears from the forest with her eyes burning with intensity.
"Keep our Secret Treasure safe before they snatch it!"
Boa raises a hand.
"Well… things have changed—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Corvex has already rushed in with a bite into a power fruit mid-stride.
A blade manifests in her hand as she charges, slicing down two White Stars instantly.
Ignis intercepts her, red boxing glove blazing as it clashes against her summoned blade.
"Aren't we supposed to be in the same alliance?!"
"I'm only here to win!" Corvex roars as she overpowers him.
The force slams Ignis into the ground, cracking the earth beneath him.
Without much hesitation, Corvex dashes toward Hans, who readies himself.