More despair or....

Two months have gone by since Verkonis' return. The spell he cast, changed the entire landscape of the planet. Nothing was the same. The sky turned red and was covered in dark mana clouds since that day. His goal was to keep the Alpha out as much as possible, in case he tried to intervene. The whole planet became a giant battlefield as his armies came in in full force to wipe out any opposition. But thanks to The Moe Crew, the allied armies of the world stood their ground in the Setran Empire, the last nation that wasn't taken over by Verkonis. Refugees from all around the world gathered there as well as the armies, nobles and royals of the other nations. Including Exforia which was the first to fall. In the great hall of the palace in Faust, the capital of the Setran Empire, all the royals of all the nations of the planet gathered there. Ogres, orcs, humans, succubi, dragonewts, goblins and many others. They all decided to become allies in order to stand a chance of survival and retake their world. Luckily for them, the Setran Empire was the richest nation in the world and could accommodate all the refugees that were coming in. But with the way things were going, they won't be able to keep up for much longer. The royals sat at a giant round table to discuss their next move when The Moe Crew came in.

"What news do you have for us?" Asked the king of Exforia.

"We just brought in five hundred thousand refugees from the orc kingdom." Said Animak.

"We also finished scouting the rest of the planet. They were the last. All the survivors of the planet are in the Setran Empire." Said Nux.

"That's good. Thank you." Said the Orc king.

"We have some more news." Said Dono.

"We have found out that Verkonis has about two weeks left before he sucks out all the magic of the immortal being." Said Briggs.

"So soon?!" Asked Melody who sat next to her mom, the succubus queen.

"What do you plan to do?" Asked the goblin king.

"We are going to infiltrate Osval and get to the immortal being." Said Recon.

"Then we will rescue him and bring him here." Said Hirito.

"Our hope is that he agrees to grant us access to the Celestial Level. With the situation of the world and the whole universe at stake, we hope he will agree." Said Tekking.

"I see. You are right. But won't this be dangerous?" Asked the Setran Emperor.

"It will. But if we do nothing, forget getting our world back. Verkonis will finish us off before we even know what the One Piece is." Said SOS.

"When do you plan to go?" Asked the dragonewt king.

"In two days. We need to rest and recover our magic and get back out there as soon as possible." Said Evan.

"We will end up going behind enemy lines and we need to be in top shape." Said Johnny.

"Very well. Please be careful. I am sorry to say this, but the future of our planet and the universe, rests solely in your hands." Said the ogre king.

"We promise not to let you down." Said the ten as they bowed and left the hall.

The ten headed for the mansion they have been living in. Just as in Osval, they lived together with Melody and with all her maids. Or at least, the ones they could save. The others were split up all across the empire helping out wherever they could with the current refugee situation. Thanks to Recon and his portal spells, they could go to different locations whenever they needed to. Because they also needed time to rest, they split up into four teams. By the time the ten got back home, they met Connor, Joey, Libellus and Mental Quorum.

"Hey guys. Welcome back." Said Libellus.

"Thanks. The others are still out there, huh?" Asked Briggs.

"Yeah. Rustage's team just left." Said Connor.

"I see." Said Recon.

"Are there any more people out there?" Asked Joey.

"No. We just came in with the last ones." Said Hirito.

"So, this is where the real work begins." Said Mental Quorum.

"You got that right." Said Animak.

"What's next?" Asked Connor.

"In two days, we are going to infiltrate Osval and try to get to the immortal being. We hope to get it to agree to granting us access to the Celestial Level." Said Johnny.

"You're going to do what?!" Asked the four.

"That's too dangerous." Said Libellus.

"Exactly. You're going to walk straight into the lion's den." Said Joey.

"We know. But if we don't do this, Verkonis is going to absorb the necessary amount of magic that will grant him access to the Universal Level."

"What?" Asked Connor.

"That's right. We found out that in less than two weeks, Verkonis is going to reach that stage. If we don't move now, we are as good as dead." Said Dono.

"And there is no way we can stay back and let that happen. We failed to stop once before. This time, we'll get him for sure." Said Evan.

The four stayed quiet. They looked at their friends and saw the determined looks on their faces. They were right. This was their last chance.

"You're right. We need to end this. We said we would." Said Mental Quorum.

"We will. We promise you that." Said Nux.

The two days went by in a flash. The ten managed to restock on their mana supply. With much to spare. The royals, Melody, Aki, Mastar and the other sixteen came to see them off.

"Be careful out there. We don't know what awaits you, but we know for sure that it isn't going to be easy." Said Melody.

"We'll be fine. Just you wait. Once we get to the Celestial Level, we'll mop the floor with Verkonis." Said Nux.

"That we will." Said Animak.

"Don't forget about the Fatalities." Said Katie.

"Don't worry about them. From what we know, they are split up on different fronts leading the demon armies. Verkonis should be alone with just a few small fries." Said Tekking.

"Even so. Don't let your guard down around him. He is still a handful on his own. "Said Mastar.

"Will do. By the way, any news regarding Gigguk's whereabouts?" Asked Hirito.

"Still nothing. Knowing him, he might be off looking for the rest of the missing Holy Swords." Said Aki.

"I see. I hope he is alright." Said Hirito.

"We should get going." Said Briggs.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds. Nobody knew for certain what was about to happen. All they knew is that The Moe Crew was about to face death incarnate. For all they knew, that might be the last time they see each other.

"Come back alive. You hear me?" Said Gaby with tears in her eyes as she hugged Recon.

Melody and the others rushed into a hug as well.

"We will. We swear it." Said the ten.

The ten looked at their friends and then turned to the royals.

"Your majesties. We're off." Said Animak.

"May the Alpha watch over you all." Said the Setran emperor.

"Arius Zect!" Said the ten.

They immediately transformed and flew off towards Exforia. They passed countless battlefields but couldn't stop to help out. They had their mission and the soldiers had theirs. The ten couldn't afford to miss even a second. They had to get to Osval as soon as possible and get to the immortal being before Verkonis could suck out all its magic.

"Guys, it's time to suppress our magic power." Said Briggs.

"Alright." Said Animak.

"Garventa Loxia!" Said the ten.

The ten were enveloped in a purple aura that kept getting smaller and smaller till it disappeared.

"I know this spell takes a lot of magic out of us, but we need it on so that they won't sense us coming. Take it off only if get spotted and need to engage in battle or when we complete our mission." Said Briggs.

"Also, be prepared for what comes after we achieve the Celestial Level. Because once we've unlocked it, we take down Verkonis once and for all." Said Animak.

"Right!" Said the others.

"Let's get this done." Said Nux.

The ten kept on flying and soon enough, they began to see the ruins of Osval. Seeing those ruins reminded them of two months before. Even with their overwhelming power, they couldn't stand a chance against Verkonis. They failed to protect those they swore to protect. But this time, they had to make sure to make things right and finish this. The ten then landed before they got to Osval and began scouting ahead.

"Alright everyone. From here on out, we need to be extremely careful. Anything can happen." Said Briggs.

"First we need to scout ahead. Nux, take Dono and check out the area." Said Animak.

"Alright. Come on Dono." Said Nux as he activated his Shadow Movement.

Nux and Dono began moving through the shadows. Thanks to Dono's Silent Step skill and the magic suppression skill, they managed to move around unnoticed. They passed by countless enemies. Thanks to having the ability to sense magical energy, they were able to sense where Verkonis and the immortal being were.

"Those two magical sources must be theirs." Said Dono.

"Yeah. One is huge. The other is large too. But it's decreasing rapidly." Said Nux.

"That must be the immortal being."

"Hey. Look." Said Nux as he looked towards room where Verkonis was in.

They both saw Verkonis appear at the window. He just stood there. For a moment, they thought he might have noticed their arrival and was looking for them. But it seemed that that wasn't the case. Suddenly, he flew away from Osval.

"That scared me." Said Dono.

"Same here. But this is our chance. Let's go get the others while he's gone."

"You're right."

The two rushed back to their friends and told them what they saw. Then through Nux's Shadow Movement skill, they managed to get to Verkonis' room. There they saw the immortal being in chains.

"Quick. Break his chains." Said Tekking.

The ten began uncuffing and breaking the chains when the immortal being woke up.

"Y-You are T-The Moe C-Crew, are y-you not?" Asked the immortal being.

"Yes, we are. But don't talk right now. We'll get you out of here." Said Hirito.

"N-No. T-There's no t-time. I n-need to g-grant you…"

"Grant them what exactly?"

The ten turned to see Verkonis standing right behind them. Immediately, they rushed to attack him.

"You know that nothing you do works on me. So why bother trying?" Said Verkonis as he blew them away with a wave of his hand.

The ten along with the immortal being were sent flying through the walls of Verkonis' castle.

"Did you really think I wouldn't know about you coming here? Who do you think leaked the information about me getting to the Universal Level in less than two weeks?" Said Verkonis as he walked towards them. "I wanted you to come."

"W-Why?! You knew we were no threat to you. So what do you want?" Asked Recon.

"Oh I'll tell you what. You see, even though you are just like a few pebbles to me, it doesn't change the fact that you power greater than Serbus ever had when he was a God Level. The fact that you all have the ability to undergo a spirit transformation and also each have all the six elementals proves that. Now, where did you get so much power from?" Asked Verkonis as he grabbed Johnny by the neck.

"Argh! W-We d-don't k-know. A-And even if w-we did, w-we wouldn't t-tell y-you." Said Johnny.

"Hmm. You have courage, I'll give you that." Said Verkonis as he threw Johnny at his crew. "But no matter. Whether you tell me or not, I'll still be able to find out." Said Verkonis as he looked at the immortal being. He then disappeared and reappeared in front of the immortal being. "Let's finish this shall we?" He then grabbed the immortal being.

The two were enveloped in a great, bright light. The immortal being tried to set himself free of Verkonis' grasp but was too weak to do so. The ten looked up to see what was going on, but by the time they figured out what was going on, it was too late. The whole world began to shake. All battles on the many battlefields across the planet stopped. The people in the Setran Empire all looked towards Osval. A large white beam of light shot into the sky. The royals, the rest of the Moe group and the Guardians realized what was happening. That was the sign of an awakening.

"Please be safe guys." Said Chibi.

"Quick!!! We need to stop him!!!" Said SOS.

The ten rushed towards Verkonis, but before they could get to him, the beam of light expanded. A giant explosion took place that could be seen for miles. A few minutes later, the ten woke up in a giant crater. The immortal being was next to them. They all looked up to see Verkonis enveloped in red lighting.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Yes!!! My power is coming back bit by bit!!! I sure missed this feeling!" He then pointed a finger towards the sky. The ten looked at what he was pointing and they realized that he was pointing to the brightest star they could see from that planet. The next moment, Verkonis shot red beam from the tip of his finger towards the star. A few seconds later, the star disappeared.

"Much better. It was too bright anyway." Said Verkonis as he laughed.

"D-Did he j-just d-destroy t-that s-star?" Asked Hirito.

"T-That m-means h-he's a U-Universal." Said Briggs as he tried to sit up.

"D-Dammit!" Said Evan.

Verkonis then turned to look at them.

"Now then. To find out where you got all that power from." His eyes turned bright red as he looked at them. As if he was scanning them.

"I see. Earth, is it? That planet should be roughly seventy-three million light years away in that direction." Said Verkonis as he pointed towards the sky. "And it seems to have an abundance of magical energy. On par with the spirit realm actually. That would explain everything. So Deius thought I wouldn't notice? He must be dumber than I thought." He then looked back at the ten. "Well, it has been fun. But I have to dispose of you now. I don't need you anymore."

"Damn!!!" Shouted Nux.

"We failed again?!!" Said Dono.

"Oh don't be so hard on yourselves. You losing to me was inevitable." Said Verkonis as he stretched his hand towards them.

"Quickly! Just do as I say. All of you need to hold each other's hands. NOW!!!" Said the immortal being as he spoke to them telepathically.

The ten didn't hesitate. They did just as the immortal being instructed them.

"It would seem that you have accepted your fate. Dying as you hold each other almost moved me. Almost. Now, farewell, my so-called mortal enemies." Said Verkonis as he shot a read beam from the palm of his hand.

Just then, the immortal being touched Tekking. The ten closed their eyes thinking that they were about to be hit by the attack and die. But several seconds passed and nothing happened. They began hearing birds chirping and a river flowing. One by one, they began to open their eyes. They then realized that they were no longer in the crater. But none of them knew where they were.