F-23. The Thirteen Xehanorts

Hivebent (the real one)

Chimney and Aisa carried Truman to the Penance Chamber, handing his unconscious body to Vaati inside. "Will this chamber be able to contain Zorc's power?" Vaati asked.

"Zorc has been destroyed." Aisa replied. "But if there are any traces of his chi inside Truman, we think the cell can prevent it from becoming active."

"I see. All right. I'll protect him from these monsters."

"We have no interest in him." Aizen said.

"As if I can count on that." Vaati said, returning to his seat with Truman in his lap. Aisa shut the cell.

"VRISKA, I'M GONNA TEAR YOU TO PIECES!" Karkat screamed, bending the card up and down. "I would tear up this card right now, but I want you to GROVEL inside it, but when it's safe to let you out, I'LL CHOP YOU UP!"

"Yeah, and how you gonna do that without your claws?!"

"Guys, this isn't the time!" Sora shouted. "We have to rescue our friends and turn Cheren back to normal!"

"Screw that, let's just kill him and save ourselves the trouble!" Karkat argued. "If Cheren really wants us to win, his noble sacrifice will be dying for that cause."

"We're not going to kill Cheren!" April stated firmly.

"I don't want to, either." Apis followed. "And even if we considered it, Lord English will have us under his spell the second we go down there. Even being around April won't protect us."

"If Lord Eng's powwer has expanded so greatly," began Eridan, "he could havve us under his spell at any moment. Wwaiting is pointless."

"As Cheren's superior and High Supreme Leader, I forbid sacrificing any of my loyal operatives." Nebula stated. "At least… not without the consent of the person in question."

"Cheren isn't in his right mind, he can't give consent if he wanted to." Karkat said. "And if you would fucking open your eyes, Fybi and Suki went with the rescue party, too, and we've had NO word from them! That means they're in Lord English's clutches, TWO of the Lights GONE! Top that with Sheila who's still as limp as a potato sack, and we're basically fucking SCREWED! And it's ALL that pissing Cheren's fault for thinking he could take on a FUCKING ARMY OF NERD BAIT!! If we're about to become Lord English's ***-toys, then I'm gonna kill that shitty boy before he has the-"

With the snap of the fingers, Nebula shrunk Karkat to grape size. Nepeta's cat instincts kicked in as she pounced her leader. Vriska's card flew about in the air before landing in Feferi's hands. "I'll say it again: we are NOT killing Cheren. Not until we've made absolutely certain there are no other alternatives."

"Boy, this scene seems awfully familiar." A new girl's voice intervened.

The group turned to the source. "What are YOU doing here?" April asked. Their surprise guest was the Goddess of Nature, Viridi.

"In case anyone forgot, the gods are kind of waiting outside." Viridi stated. "We're officially involved with this war. The others are discussing returning to our home dimension to help Arceus combat Lord English. And I suppose it is our godly duty. But back to what I was saying: you're debating what to do with Cheren. To my knowledge, Cheren is a god; an unnatural god, but a god nonetheless. And what did you do the LAST time you tried to combat a god?"

The kids exchanged confused glances. "You freaking POISONED me!" exclaimed Viridi. "Poisoned me and stripped me of my godly power! So, why don't you do the same to him?"

"Right… That poison Cheren got from the Grim Reaper." Nebula recalled. "Maybe it could work. If the piece of Lord English is part of his God Tier, then if he drank that same poison, that piece would die along with his powers."

"But it could also kill CHEREN!" Apis exclaimed.

"I know! We need to ask Death the Kid how it would work. …And if he has any of the poison. Viridi, can you warp to the Spirit World and find him?"

"What am I, one of your dumb operatives?!"

"YES! Now, get going, for the sake of the word 'natural' still having meaning!"

"Bleeeh!" Viridi stuck her tongue out before doing the spirit-warp.

King Dutchman

Davy Jones set another captured heart on his tongue and swallowed. "Suki's heart tastes especially cold. I feel as if I will freeze… if not for the tiniest hint of warmth in its core."

"Sheila's heart… Aeincha's heart… Wendy's… Sugar's… Arianna's… Fybi's… Suki's… At last, I have seven pure hearts." Xehanort thought aloud.

"'ah 'ah 'ah!" laughed The Count from Sesame Street. Davy Jones snapped his head off with his crab claw.

"Tell me, Xehanort… why have you done all this for me? Why does it concern you if the darkness in my heart is diminished by these children's hearts?"

"I am a scientist, Captain Jones. I live to experiment. And there is an experiment I have been longing to complete. With your help, it might finally bear fruit."

"So, I am merely an experiment to you. A tool."

"Oh, Jones, don't think like that! Why, your heart is one of the most complex things I've come across. It's almost as intricate as Baldy Bald's mind. The darkness inside is so lush…"

"Hm hm hm… You praise the darkness in my heart, but I know of darkness much greater. His name is Gnaa… and in my world, he was the embodiment of Arceus's Darkness."

"Yes… Ganondorf told me of Gnaa. And I believe he will be the perfect ingredient…" Xehanort reached into his coat and drew a Catch Card, containing none other than Aang, "to complete my experiment."

The Dutchman was closing in on a small, purple moon in a region of space where no stars were visible. On this moon, Derse, was a city inhabited by pitch-black creatures, known as Carapacians. The creatures shrieked in fear of the strangers and stepped out of their way. "Who are those people?!"

"Are they with the other bald guy?!"

They found him in a town square, next to a fountain that made the water look purple, reflecting off its surroundings. He sat cross-legged in midair, facing the fountain and sipping black coffee. "Mmm… I never understood what those Positives found in tea. Coffee is the way to go." He opened his eyes and turned his head slightly. "It's been a while, Jones…"

"Lord Gnaa." Jones kneeled. "It is a pleasure to see you again."

"So, you are the one the IDA retrieved from the Sea of Worlds, to lead the rebels in the fight against us." Xehanort said. "Yes, I can feel the darkness inside you from afar. A vast ocean of conflicting emotions!"

"That's in the past." Gnaa turned, glaring at them. "I abandoned my quest for pure darkness a long time ago. My only desire now is to save the universe from whatever madness YOU have been causing!"

"The darkness inside you still exists. It is merely sealed away. But I will unlock it, even if it takes my entire being!" Xehanort lashed at him Keyblade drawn, but Gnaa blasted him away with psychic. The Negatar buried his hands in the shadows and sent a swarm of shadow hands over to grab Xehanort and drag him underground. Gnaa gasped when the Guardian Heartless shot out and punched him, allowing his master to get free and leap for a strike against Gnaa's chest.

Gnaa gripped the wound, making sure his heart was still intact, then he puffed a cloud of gas to put Xehanort in a coughing fit. Gnaa heated up the gas and made it explode, but the Guardian had already wrapped itself around him and shielded Xehanort from harm. The Guardian flew up to swing quick dark punches that Gnaa blocked with a psychic shield, but Xehanort warped behind to unlock the shield, then he stopped time on the Negatar to deal quick Keyblade strikes.

When time resumed, the force and pain of the strikes caught on to Gnaa, and the Guardian took advantage of his weakness by punching him across some buildings. Xehanort flew to his location, and Gnaa countered with a deafening Fear Scream. "Ha ha ha ha! Is this supposed to be fearbending?! You're out of luck, Negatar! I have already given myself to the darkness, I have nothing to fear!"

"What a pathetic man you are. I guess I will have to destroy you entirely!" His eyes and arrows brimmed with pure darkness, the powers of his five elements orbiting around him. Xehanort snapped fingers and summoned numerous Keyblades to his side, combining them into a bigger Keyblade that struck Lord Gnaa with near equal force.

"His Keyblades are as strong as Lord Gnaa's Negatar State." Jones observed. "Perhaps in his own world, Xehanort is the Negatar's equivalent."

Xehanort spun the giant blade to deflect Gas Bombs, and when giant Shade Hands sprouted up to clasp the Key Master, Xehanort took four Keyblades and shot blue flames to scare them away. Psycho Spheres formed and rained upon him, but Xehanort used Reflect to bounce the energy away, some of it striking Gnaa. Xehanort fired lasers from eight Keyblades and spun them around, slicing several buildings and Jones' body (not that it would hurt him at all). Afterwards, Xehanort drew them together with Magnet, and repelled them against Lord Gnaa.

The Negatar used psychic to grab the buildings and make them float around him. Xehanort smirked and channeled a surge of Gravity with his Keyblades, crushing Gnaa under the weight of the buildings. Lord Gnaa escaped by teleporting above Xehanort and blasting a giant Gas Bomb. The explosion swallowed nearly half the moon, but the Darkness used Aeroga to shield himself in wind. Gnaa grabbed the building rubble in psychic and attempted to crush his opponent, but Xehanort used a surge of Magnega to counter Gnaa's power. The force of the conflicting powers caused Derse to shake and almost crack in half.

Hivebent

"Aaaaaaand GUESS Who's Back From Matter Space!" Kanaya cheered once she, Carol, and Vanellope returned. Several material from the storage lab were tied together in a large ball of rope, and Eridan was struggling to haul it through the door.

"Guess wwho doesn't enjoy bein' abruptly called for yelloww-blood wwork!" retorted Eridan.

"Hey, why the long faces, you guys?" Vanellope asked. "You look like something terrible just happened."

There was silence for a moment. "…Something did." Nebula replied.

While Kanaya went to begin repairing the computer, the others recapped the story as told by Vriska. "Wait!" Vanel gasped. "S-So Dillon, Dad, a-and the others…?"

"But don't they have Midna with them?" Carol asked.

"We haven't had word from the other Firstborn." Nebula answered. "Jirachi can't even bring them here with a wish. They're really under Lord English's control, and it's all because they planted that bug in Cheren."

"Well, ain't we gonna do somethin'?!" Kimaya shouted. "I just came from the dead and it's boring! I don't wanna sit around and wait for that creep to kill me again!"

"Kimaya's right!" Sora stated. "If we can't do anything to help Cheren yet, we need to at least try to rescue the other Lights that went down there!"

"Oh!" Nebula gasped. "That's right! If Lord English's power can't affect the Lights… Jirachi, I wish Fybi and Suki were back here at Hivebent!"

"I'll try…" Jirachi channeled magic and burst with light. Two human forms materialized beside him, taking the colors of Fybi and Suki.

To everyone's shock, the figures fell dead on the ground. "Oh, no!" Apis ran up to Fybi first. "Are we too late?!"

A faint breath leaked out of Fybi's throat. Apis put a hand to her chest. "No… she's still alive. Her heart's beating."

Sora gasped. "I've seen this before… Xehanort must have taken their hearts!"

"She just said her heart was beating, dumbass!" Chimney shouted.

"I mean that he's taken their souls! The same way he stole Sheila's, and that small girl's!"

"AEINCHAN?!" Chimney screamed with remembrance. "That stupid BASTARD! He fed Aeinchan to Davy Jones! THEIR SOULS ARE BEING EATEN BY A CREEPY ANIME SQUID!"

"That's it!" Sora whipped out his Keyblade. "Xehanort needs to be taught a lesson!"

"Tell us how to kick his ass and we'll get right on it!" Kimaya smirked.

"Well… I don't know any specific weaknesses he has." They all collapsed anime style. "Heheheh! We usually just beat him up, but he always seems to come back in one form or another!"

"If You're Going To Fight Xehanort, I Think I Know Where You Can Find Him." Kanaya said, her computer displaying the purple moon.

"That's Derse, the Kingdom of Darkness." Eridan noticed. "Wwhat has happened to it?"

"That's the world where our leader is hiding!" Sora exclaimed. "Do you guys know him? His name is Gnaa."

"GNAA?!?" All the operatives screamed.

"I… take that as 'yes'?"

"We don't know him personally, but he is a legend." April said. "He's the Master of the Dark Elements, and he once corrupted the God of our Universe, Arceus."

"I'm going to Derse now!" Sora rushed into the hangar to board his Gummi Ship. "Xehanort's up to something and I need to stop him!"

"Ain't you takin' me along?" Kimaya climbed onto the ship.

"She's one of the Seven Lights, after all." Django joined them. "You may need her."

"I… guess so. But I still didn't have a chance to train you."

"Pfft, I never pay attention in school, anyway. I just cheat my way through. Got this far, didn't I?"

"Sigh… I can't argue with that." Sora smiled, finding her argument familiar. "Fine, but just promise you'll be careful."

The gods outside watched as the Gummi Ship took off. "What are we waiting for, Dialga?!" Palkia questioned. "For Lord English to come to us?"

"Under the circumstances, I fear he may come for these remaining mortals. We must offer them as much protection as we can. Furthermore… we cannot rule out the possibility of slaying their friend ourselves, if their other options have failed."

"Well, YOU'RE the God of Time. You should know what our course of action will be!"

"Heh heh heh. If only my powers were worth a damn in this world."

"They will not fail." Palutena said assuringly. "For the past thousands of years, the Thirteen Darkness have troubled even us gods. And yet, these mortals have defeated them, one by one." With a smile, she said, "So, I'm sure they can rescue their friends, and destroy Lord English. The prophecy may not have gone as we planned it to… but it will end the very same way: with the Seven Lights as the victors!"

Ganon's Castle

Ganon had fallen asleep on his throne. His sword was discarded on the floor. When a dark portal opened, Ghirahim jumped out of the sword and shook him. "Master, someone is here! Wake u-"

Ganon socked him in the mouth and jumped awake. "What?! Who…" He looked to see who stepped out of the portal. "Oh… Heh heh." Ganon smirked. "It's you… Majora."

"Good evening, Ganon." Zanifr held the mask in his hand to prove who he was.

"So, this is what you really look like. I was hoping for a demon more terrifying. I hope you aren't planning to destroy me, now that the Hero of Time is now Lord English's pawn."

"I never did have faith in Cheren. And recent events have persuaded MMe that MMy former friends have put their faith in the wrong person."

"The truth is cold and unforgiving, isn't it? So, why have you come to me?"

"I am here to give you MMy unconditional surrender. Vriska was already planning to betray them. And I have MMy MMask to offer." He held it forward in both hands. "All I ask is protection from Lord English. Assuming, of course, you can provide it."

"Assuming, of course, I feel like protecting you at all. HAH HAH hah! But I could never let a demon of your caliber fall to that fool's hands! After all… his idea of a world truly is disturbing."

"I'MM glad we're in agreement." Zanifr said as he approached. "Still, is it wise to be speaking of him in such a MManner? He is all-seeing and all-knowing, is he not?"

"So we have been told, over and over." Ganon took Majora's Mask and studied it. "And yet, my fellow Darknesses often doubt his power. Some were even discussing possible weaknesses. But whenever Lord English would greet us in person, he would speak so happily, so proud that his 'minions' were helping him realize his vision. Why, I would wager he is under the impression that we like his ideas."

"And what do you believe?"

Ganon smirked. "I believe His Lordship wishes only to see what he wants to see, denying any truths! But even HE cannot Rewrite our SOULS!"

Derse

Carapacians ran all around the moon, but nowhere on this small rock was safe from their chaotic battle. Lord Gnaa hovered above like a storm cloud and burned everything with Force Lightning, but Xehanort redirected it away from him. Lord Gnaa swooped down with a lightsaber drawn, but Xehanort once again used Reflect to make the saber stab Gnaa in the belly. The Negatar teleported away and clasped the wound. "I underestimated your strength… and your ties to the darkness. Truly, you are a prodigy in your own right. You give me no choice…"

Lord Gnaa sensed the presence of every Carapacian and teleported them off the moon. Afterwards, he formed a psychic bubble around it, using more psychic to bind Xehanort and Jones in place. The bubble quickly compressed and threatened to crush everything inside. "St…St…STOP!"

Despite his captive state, Xehanort summoned enough power from his Keyblade to freeze time. The Psychic Chi still held its grip on Xehanort. A dark portal opened, and from it a pink-haired man in a black coat. "This would be the signal, I take it?"

"Marluxia! I was afraid you wouldn't notice. Block that fool's chi for a moment, will you?"

Marluxia drew a card with a chi-block, throwing it at Gnaa. When time resumed, Gnaa felt an unseen force, dissipating the bubble and his grip on Xehanort. "Zorc wasn't the only card player in The Thirteen!" Xehanort said as Marluxia presented numerous cards. "For three years, I have been collecting pieces of every world I conquered. What better place to complete my project, than inside my portable REALM OF DARKNESS!" Marluxia threw the cards up in the air and SLICED them with his scythe.

In an explosion of purple light, another planet erupted over Derse, composed of darkness and broken worlds. The Gummi Ship arrived just in time to witness the transformation. "Uhhh… it didn't look like that on the computer." Kimaya said.

"Gnaa is in danger." Sora knew. "We have to hurry."

"Can't we just sit here and enjoy the view?" Django joked.

"Not unless it's the view of Xehanort cryin' like a bitch!"

"GEEZ, Kimaya, language!" Sora flinched.

"I take it his world has no cussing." Django said.

"What a puss."

"Ugh! Let's just get this over with." (Play "The World That Never Was" from Kingdom Hearts II!)

Stage F-21: Kingdom of Darkness

Mission: Protect Gnaa and defeat Xehanort!

The inside of the dark orb was its own dimension. Standing against the dark sky was Beacon Academy, and Grimm roamed the broken remains of this world. After landing in the courtyard, Sora and Kimaya ran up to a bear Grimm and two Neo Shadows having coffee at a table. The Ursa picked the table up and threw it at the intruders, but Sora used Guard and then whacked it back at the Grimm. The Neo Shadows went in the ground and pounced out at Kimaya, breaking her skeletal body apart. One of her hands drew the Oblivion and lashed at the Heartless from behind, destroying them. Sora froze the Ursa's face and leapt to behead the Grimm.

The school grounds were divided into five massive chunks, rotating in place. "School just got more interesting." Django said.

"Yeah… guys, call me crazy, but I kind of want to fix this world." Sora said.

"Good luck with that." Kim said, her bone head twisting around when three Plump Belly Heartless (twice the size of Large Bodies) spawned.

"I really think we should repair this place! Keep the Heartless away!" Sora used Magnega to draw one piece of the courtyard to their current piece. Django threw Kimaya up to one Plump Belly's head, channeling poison through her Keyblade and stabbing the Heartless' weak heads. Poison coursed through the Plump Bellies, making them so dizzy that they fell over the edge. Sora's Magnega brought the pieces together in time to squash them.

Light emitted from the crack, and when it cleared, the pieces were attached as though they were never broken. Sora worked to connect the other three pieces, with Kim and Django fighting back Heartless. After Sora repaired the fifth piece, Kimaya asked, "Great, ya fixed the playground. What'd that accomplish?"

The world rumbled, the trio gazing up at the full moon. The moon shattered as chunks came raining down. Sora grabbed Kim and Django in his arms, nimbly leaping from piece to piece as they flew into the sky. They landed on a trio of grind rails, Sora taking the middle and dropping his friends on either side. Heartless trains appeared behind them and fired puffs of darkness with chomping mouths. Jumping the puffs was easy, but Kim and Django had to get onto Sora's when the side rails sloped down.

More rails appeared as they seemed to fly over Beacon Academy. The school's towers collapsed and destroyed parts of several rails, forcing the group to jump to the very right, very left, and evade any other gaps destroyed by falling debris. When they were left with one rail, it slanted down under their weight and dropped them in a forest. "Is this one of the worlds Xehanort destroyed… or is Lord English just giving him the scraps?" Sora wondered aloud.

The walk through the forest lasted for a minute before they arrived at a new town. They had crossed from the Ruins of Remnant to the Ruins of the Dark Empire (the unnamed setting of Akame ga Kill). Heartless Assassins (cloaked in ninja gear with katana and red eyes) leapt from the shadows, led by Seryu, a girl with a robot arm and a gun in her mouth. Her teeth were sharp, and her red eyes were bereft of any humanity. Sora deflected her bullets, which had no effect on Kimaya's undead body, so the girl bravely ran forward and shoved a Keyblade down Seryu's throat. Shooting gas inside, the spark of the gunpowder touched it and exploded the human weapon.

Django strummed sonic waves to stun the Assassin Heartless, leaving Sora to destroy them. The trio journeyed toward the center of town, where a fountain sparkled with life in the dark light. "Is THAT blood?!" Kimaya exclaimed, not the first to notice the red water in the fountain.

"What kind of world was this?!" Sora asked in disgust. He observed the river behind it and said, "'Guess we have no choice but to go with it." He conjured a colorful boat with his Keyblade, using it to ferry them over. The river grew wide as red shark Heartless swum up from either side, but the kids used the boat's cannons to blast them.

"AAH!" yelped Django when a gunshot blew off his hat. The river would end at a cliff, and above that cliff was their sniper. "Someone's trying to gun us!"

"You wanna go at it, bitch?!" Kimaya shouted at their assaulter, cocking her Keyblades like guns. "I shoot fools in my sleep!"

The sniper shot again, but Kim batted the bullet away with Oathkeeper and shot an energy bullet from Oblivion. The sniper was hit, but still standing, she fired more bullets. Kimaya blocked and shot two more times until the sniper fell. The boat stopped at the cliff as the trio climbed up. The sniper was a pink-haired, pigtailed girl, and the dark aura implied her lack of conscience. "Tat…sumi…" She poofed.

They felt pity for the stranger, but had no time to ponder over her. The heroes crossed a grassland infested with T-rex Heartless, their eyes flashing once they spotted prey. Kimaya channeled poison to the tips of her blades, readied them to explode, and shot them into the Rexes' mouths. Further up the path, they heard shouting ringing from within a gorge. Inside the gorge, an obese old man was strapped to a table, writhing in pain as the angry bystanders chopped off parts of his body and tortured him with weapons. The base of the gorge was also flooded, the water turning red with the man's blood.

"Yuck!" moaned Django in repulse. "I sure am glad to be undead!"

"These people… they don't feel anything but hatred." Sora said. "No wonder Xehanort wanted to conquer this world. …Come on, you two. He can't be very far from here."

The trio walked around the gorge, trying to ignore the sight. …Sora conjured a Drop Tower above the pit and smashed everyone inside, freeing them of their despair.

Leaving the Dark Empire, the group wandered into a winding path of mirrors. Some of their reflections became Anti versions of the kids, but they were quick to defend and strike back at the Heartless. They encountered a giant mirror that shot bullet-size light drops. Sora used Reflega to bounce the drops back, but they came back even bigger, Sora Reflected them bigger, and rinsed and repeated until the mirror was overwhelmed and destroyed.

The heroes entered the Land of Titans, where massive naked humanoids scooped Heartless up in their hands and devoured them like cereal pieces. Fueled with the power of darkness, the Titans were desperate for more. "'ey, let's ride that!" Kimaya perked up at the sight of a jeep.

"Sounds good to me!" Sora jumped in the driver's seat and began driving them across the valley. The earth rumbled when the Titans pursued them, neither Kimaya or Sora's light-bullets able to damage them.

"You know, I bet the ground here is just FILLED with corpses!" Django smirked and strummed his guitar. Skeletons suddenly ripped through the Titans' stomachs, slowing the demons down. "Or their stomachs. That works, too."

There was a long and massive wall in the distance, and Sora drove toward a broken gap in the wall. Everything began to look a posh, yet unnatural purple. "It's starting to look like Derse again." Sora said.

"I think I see people up there." Django pointed ahead.

When they were close to the people in question, Sora stopped the jeep. They made the short journey on foot, and Sora was surprised by the people in attendance. "It… can't be…" (Play "Black Powder" from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep!)

Despite good efforts from either side, Xehanort was the victor in the battle. Negatar Gnaa and Avatar Aang, now cut free from his Capture Card, lay defeated on the ground, with Xehanort holding their hearts. "Seven Lights… Thirteen Darknesses… In my own universe, it was a prophecy to recreate the ultimate weapon." He made the hearts float into Davy Jones' body. Xehanort felt their presence and turned to greet his guests. "Sora… I'm glad you could finally make it."

"What have you done to Gnaa, Xehanort?!"

"I am on the verge of completing my experiment! Inside Davy Jones' body are seven pure hearts from the Dimensional Fusion 'Gameverse.' I will mix them with the souls of the Avatar and Negatar, along with my own Thirteen Darknesses, to construct the ultimate weapon: χ-BLADE!!"

"You're trying to make a Keyblade?" Kimaya questioned.

Xehanort formed the symbol with his hands in the air. "χ: a most ancient letter. Sometimes pronounced 'kye' or 'key.' It can also be known as 'chi,' which I'm sure your people are familiar with. But they all have the same meaning: death. The end of ALL things. The χ-blade once brought the destruction of my universe, and now it will be the end of yours! Because with the power of this marvel, I can even unlock the true darkness in Lord English's twisted heart! I WILL LIVE FOR ETERNITY AND LEARN ALL THERE IS TO KNOW OF ALL WORLDS!!

"…Oh, yes." Xehanort calmed down. "You must be wondering which Thirteen Vessels I plan to use? Well, say hello… to my Organization XIII!" Numerous figures in black coats appeared out of portals. Many of them resembled Xehanort, though with silver hair. "My Heartless, Ansem! My Nobody, Xemnas. My past self that possessed Terra, Terranort. My past self that possessed King Mickey and worked for the Illuminati. My past self that possessed Adam Sandler. My teenage self. My 10-year-old self. My 5-year-old self!" The 5-year-old Xehanort was playing with toy keys. "And let's not forget my volunteers: Braig, Isa, and Marluxia. Then, of course, there's me."

"That's only 12 of you, you egotistical dumbass!" Kimaya retorted.

"Not for long!" Xehanort stabbed his chest and extracted a piece of his heart. "Now that Gnaa's body is empty, I've decided he'll make the perfect thirteenth vessel!" The piece of heart entered Gnaa's body. His eyes and arrows sparked to life as his body shook. "Once my heart adapts with him, the χ-blade will be MINE!"

Sora leapt at Xehanort Keyblade drawn, the master dodging effortlessly. "Not if I have anything to say about it! Kimaya, Django, try to get his heart out of Gnaa's body!"

"You got it!" Kimaya readied her blades.

"You'll have to get past us first, kiddies!" Braig smirked, approaching alongside Isa and Marluxia.

"Is this really a 3-on-13 fight?" Django said.

"It's a good thing we undead…" Kimaya shook her head.

Boss fight: Xehanort

Sora immediately threw up his Guard, knowing Xehanort would begin with a flurry of attacks, and he did. Xehanort conjured a circle of lasers with Sora at the center, but he used Reflega and redirected the attacks back at Xehanort. Sora attacked the scientist with rapid swings, only for Xehanort to retaliate by popping energy spires out of the ground. Sora was shot up into the air, and Xehanort seized the chance to lay an immense combo of blows before his opponent could hit the ground.

"SORA!" Kimaya cried, for the boy was terribly injured by the time he hit the ground.

Sora used Reflega to block the next attack, followed by Curaga to replenish his injuries. "Don't worry! I have a spell in affect that keeps me from getting killed before I have a chance to recover."

"Isn't that a bit overpowered?" Django questioned.

"Not in cases like this!" Sora blocked one of Xehanort's attacks and stabbed him back, then used Magnega to expel him away. They clashed Keyblades and exchanged a few cuts, and suddenly they both used Reflega, resulting in a collision that bounced them far across the field. Xehanort used a dark portal to warp over to Sora, who quickly countered with Thundaga.

"STOPAGA!" Xehanort froze Sora in time and dealt a furious combo from multiple directions. When Sora unfroze, he felt the pain of the strikes, but knowing Xehanort would attack again, he let his body fall down, and as predicted, the madman beat him around like a ragdoll. "Which spell are you using, Sora?! Once More? Second Chance?"

"STOP!" Sora froze Xehanort for a brief moment, healed himself, and Guarded the inevitable flurry rush once he unfroze.

"You and those amateurs won't stand a chance against the 13 of us. Why, they're nothing but BONES!" Xehanort chortled. "I won't be surprised if they have already been vanquished."

"Don't underestimate them!" Sora clashed keys with him. "I may not know a lot about those kids, but if they made it this far, they can go even farther!" Sora cast Firaga and Xehanort countered with Blizzaga, the opposing forces creating a cloud of steam. Sora got behind Xehanort and cast a heavy magnetic spell on him, drawing in nearby debris to crush the scientist. "But they can probably use my help." He ran in the direction of Kim and Django, yet couldn't get far when Xehanort repelled the debris off, warped ahead of Sora, and bounced him back with Reflect.

Meanwhile, Marluxia was rapidly swinging his scythe in defense against Kimaya's Keyblades. "Impossible… I stacked my deck with all 9 Cards. How is this child so strong?!"

Kimaya whacked the scythe across the air and channeled poison through her Keyblades, cutting Marluxia down with one more hit. "'Cause I got an ace, baby! Django, keep them notes comin'!"

"Wasn't planning to stop!" Django cheered, his fingers strumming the strings with unmatched speed.

"Stupid little bastard!" Braig took aim and shot at Django, but Kimaya zipped in front and hit the spear away, followed by quick strikes against the sniper. Isa flew over to attack with his claymore, to which Kimaya had to block with both Keyblades. Xemnas slid over and sliced Kim into pieces with his lightsabers, but her arms floated and clashed with the sabers as Kimaya's bones reassembled.

"Yo Django, how 'bout a little Fury?"

"If you think you got the bones for it!" Django tuned his guitar and strummed a new set of notes. His guitar glowed red as cracks brimmed along Kimaya's bones, poison seeping out of them. A red aura ignited around her body, and the smell forced the twelve Xehanorts to cover their noses. "I call this one… Rotting Corpse FURY!"

"And soon, this is gonna be Y'ALL'S bodies!" Kimaya rocketed skyward with a gutless fart, then charged a massive Gas Bomb on her Keyblades, hurdling it down and nuking all the Xehanorts away. Django withstood the gasplosion thanks to dead hands that had sprouted from the ground to grab his ankles under his call. Kimaya landed, but the Ansem Heartless appeared and sent the Guardian to attack her.

"SUBMIT!" shouted Ansem as the Guardian forced itself into Kim's body. "Now, open your-" Immediately, the Guardian flew out, coughing rampantly and clasping its chest.

"'Guess mah heart was too stanky for you!" Kimaya was easily able to attack Ansem with the Guardian weakened. Seeing the other Xehanorts returning, Kimaya hurdled Gas Bombs to keep them at bay, afterwards throwing her attention to Negatar Gnaa. "Speaking of which." She cast a beam from her Keyblade, aiming to release Xehanort's heart from it. Xemnas appeared in the way and deflected it with lightsabers. "You jackass!"

Xemnas shot lightning from his hands and binded Kimaya in place, but when Django tried to string a sonic wave at the Nobody, Marluxia beheaded the skeleton. "Ugh!" Kimaya grunted, her Fury Mode wearing off. Her bones were steadily cracking under Xemnas's power.

Sora jumped in the way of Xemnas's lightning and used Reflega to redirect it back at him. Kimaya immediately jumped to attack Marluxia, so Django could reattach his head. Xehanort caught up as all 12 of his incarnations surrounded them. "The three of you survived longer than I expected… but you will go no farther. Once the χ-blade is complete, in its pure, ripe form, I will be invincible! Farewell, Sora." Xehanort extended his key. "It's been… educational."

"HYAH!!" As if out of nowhere, Marluxia was struck by a giant scythe, wielded by a pigtailed girl in a school uniform.

"Hey, I remembuh her!" Kimaya shouted. "She's that girl from the Ghost Sector, right?!"

"Sector SCYTHE, that's correct!" Maka Albarn replied. "We thought you could use some help."

"I can't believe you started the party without us, Kimaya!" Beat and Rhyme flew in on a Song Road.

"These 12 fools are NOTHING to my godly might!" Black Star remarked, twirling his chain sickles.

"So, why don't we even the playing field?" Ellen Wickens floated down, her hands glowing with magic.

"They don't last a chance against us!" Rukia Kuchiki joined in, alongside Sector SOUL, which consisted of Norman Babcock, Coraline Jones, Jack Frost, and Jack Skellington. "GWAH HAH HAH!"

"Sweet!" Django grinned. "Now it's 13 vs. 12!"

"Not for long, you wretched urchins!" Xehanort stated, his head throbbing. "CRUSH THEM!"

While Sora went back to attacking Xehanort, Maka Albarn began clashing her scythe against Marluxia's. Despite hers being larger, the scythes seemed equal in strength. "Huh?!" She realized that flowers were now growing on her scythe, the vines beginning to wrap around and bind her. "AGH!" She was sliced against the hip by Marluxia's scythe.

"Sheesh, got a weed problem?!" Django about-faced and strummed a song to kill the flowers. Maka thanked him and made sure to dodge Marluxia's strikes, zipping behind and cutting him in the back. The plantbender willed flowers to grow around and emit a noxious fume, Maka holding her breath. Marluxia was able to block her scythe with his own, so she was forced to enter Witch-Hunt Fury. Her scythe shone with energy and grew larger, easily chopped the poison flowers and breaching Marluxia's scythe to damage him.

Black Star set his sights on Braig, swiftly swinging his sickles to deflect his energy bullets. The spacebender floated upside down to shoot Black Star from the air, dodging his sickles when he threw them up. Braig smirked and landed successful shots on the spike-haired boy, but was unaware that the chain sickles were wrapping around his legs. Black Star yanked the chains and slammed Braig against the ground, then he stomped the man's face. Braig warped above Black Star, shot bullets, then began to warp to multiple locations to shoot him while also confusing him. Growing angered, Black Star whirled his scythes in an orbital fashion at rapid speed, ensuring his radius was protected as he inevitably sliced Braig's eyepatch.

"Moon shine down!" Isa drew his own card that depicted a moon, allowing said moon to project in the sky as he drew power from it.

"You're not the only one who can harness the moon's magic!" Ellen declared, her magic power increasing. Isa began to slash his Claymore at the witch, Ellen dodging and casting spells from her hands. Isa slashed across the ground on his way to Ellen, creating blue flames, until black demonic arms emerged from Ellen's body and grabbed his Claymore. The two fought over the weapon before Isa released it and conjured another one. Ellen used magic and willed lightning to strike down, Isa blocking with his weapon, but this allowed Ellen to shoot a red spell and send him backward. The witch entered Hollowfication and emerged four demon arms from her being, all flying to pummel Isa as he struggled to defend himself.

Rukia Kuchiki clashed her Zanpakutō against Xemnas's lightsabers, the Nobody performing graceful spins and flips to attack her from all directions. Xemnas was not slowed down by her blocks, but Rukia channeled Ice Chi to her feet to freeze the ground and ski away. Xemnas shot lasers that Rukia countered with icicles, and when Xemnas warped behind her, she ducked and stabbed him, freezing his stomach. Xemnas flew up and conjured the Storm of a Thousand Lasers, so Rukia mustered every ounce of her Ice Chi to freeze every single laser as it was flying toward her.

Jack Frost was also attacking Ansem with icebending, but his Guardian countered the beams with its darkness. Jack Frost formed snow in the air and turned them into clones of himself, and they all skied in circles as the Guardian randomly changed position, unable to focus on any one. This allowed Jack to shoot massive ice tridents to stab Ansem. The Heartless decided to take cover inside a bubble on the Guardian's stomach, followed by throwing dark boomerangs around to slice the Jack clones. Jack formed a giant snowman over his body and jumped high into the air, coming down to crush Ansem.

Kimaya was clashing Keyblades against the teenage Xehanort, the same one she once escorted back on Radiant Guardian. "You know, part of me thought we'd actually be buds back then." Kimaya remarked. "Didn't think you'd be a time-traveling lunatic."

"Quit reminiscing and keep killing!" Beat sang, riding a Hollowfied Rhyme as they shot Song Beams at Terranort. "More blood be spilling, this battle's way too thrilling! Yo, Jack Frost just gave THAT one a chilling!"

"And not where he wants it!" Rhyme remarked.

"I can't believe we got stuck with these small fry!" Norman remarked, shooting Ecto Beams at 10-year-old Xehanort.

"At least we're helping out!" Coraline said, ensnaring 5-year-old Xehanort in a giant doll and tightening it with strings.

Jack Skellington was strangling Mickey Xehanort with his Soul Robber. "You know, the real Mickey Mouse once tried to buy Nightmare Enterprises." Jack said with a scowl. "My father said 'no.' He's got enough properties already."

As Xehanort was still struggling against Sora, he glanced around at all his selves: Maka used Demon-Hunt Fury to cut down Marluxia's Fury Mode, Rukia directed all the frozen lasers back at Xemnas, and Ellen was beginning to claw out Isa's yellow eyes. "Is that a sweatdrop, Xehanort?" Sora asked with a smirk.

"I can't believe these spirit brats are this strong! Wait…" It was then Xehanort took notice of Django, who had been strumming his guitar this whole time.

"Today is the day, we got tired of waiting! We don't need nights because we're short-tempered!" As Django glowed with red aura, Kimaya and the spirit operatives seemed to grow stronger.

"Today is the day!" Jack Skellington added his own Music Chi. "We're aiming towards a new dawn! All our doubts are gone, let's move along!"

"They're increasing the power of their allies!" Xehanort exclaimed. "GHH!" He dropped his guard and was stabbed by Sora.

"There's no way for you to win now!"

"So you think! DO IT, SANDLERNORT!"

The Adam Sandler Xehanort nodded, mustering a massive surge of power. He flew to the sky, and a gargantuan Heartless ship POOFED out of thin air. It had multiple cannons, a figurehead with a gaping mouth, and seats for every Xehanort. All his versions abandoned their battles and warped up to take their seats. They all contributed power as a tremendous laser began to form in the figurehead.

"W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W…" Kimaya, Sora, and the others stuttered with absolute fear. The sight before them was too terrifying for words.

"Yes… the fear in your hearts smells DELICIOUS!" Xehanort smiled ecstatically. "AND ONCE YOU ARE GONE, THE χ-BLADE IS MINE!"

"We ain't scared of your ship, dumbass!" Kimaya shouted. "We freakin' scared of THAT!!"

"Huh?" Xehanort faced up at the sky in confusion. "Ack-!" He turned pale, his jaw nearly falling off.

It appeared that a gigantic boy in a hood was dwarfing the entire moon with his colossal size. "IT'S KALEO!" Beat exclaimed. "He finally made it!"

"KALEO?!" Kimaya screamed. "H-H-How big is he?!"

"Big enough to squash this place like a grape."

"Duuuuuuurrrr…" By using his Giant-Giant Fruit to increase to such a size, it was clear he had no brain power left. "Uuuuurrrr…" His godly hands were positioned on either side of Derse. Some undefined instinct in his being was compelling him to squash it.

"GET OUT OF HERE, XEHANO-!" Xehanort couldn't finish his order before-

"SUH-PRISE!" Kimaya had been thrown up to the ship, and she farted a giant Gas Bomb to drown the Xehanorts in noxious gas that only a corpse could reek.

"UUUUURRRR!" Kaleo's mighty hands made contact, completely flattening the entire Kingdom of Darkness. The Spirit KND channeled their energy to make the physical people intangible until Kaleo brought his hands apart. As they floated about the purple debris, Django played his guitar to restore Kimaya's shattered bones. The twelve Xehanorts were protected by a barrier formed by the main one, but their ship was reduced to nothing, and they had no more strength to continue fighting. (End song.)

"Reducio!" Xehanort cast a spell to shrink Kaleo down, gasping for breath. "Huff…huff… You brats have gotten on my last nerve." He weakly raised his Keyblade to heal himself. "I will not be defeated. I will form the χ-blade if it's the last thing I-"

Sora grabbed Kim and cried, "STOPZA!" There was a white flash from his Keyblade. Everything around them had frozen. Sora and Kimaya were the only ones mobile. "Huff…huff… That wasted a lot of magic power."

"Whoa, man! You froze time?!"

"Yeah, a friend taught me that spell… but I doubt it'll hold long. Listen, Kimaya, we can't waste any more time fighting him. We have to save the rest of our friends. I'm going to try and free the hearts from Davy Jones. But after we do, I want you and these guys to escape. You can get away on this." Sora conjured an energy roller coaster that stretched up into the sky. "When you're out of this planet's atmosphere, I want you to use the Sealing Charm on it. You know, the one that makes locks."

"But what're you gonna do?"

Sora pulled himself to his feet. He pointed the Keyblade at his heart and impaled himself. "Nngh…" A small light came out. Sora willed it to float into Kimaya's empty ribcage.

"The fuck?"

"I did what Xehanort did… I cut out a piece of my heart and gave it to you. Where I'm from, our powers stem from the strength of our hearts, so this should make you just a little bit stronger. It's not how I hoped to train you, but it's all I can do for now." He sported a grin. "Now then…" Sora ran up to Davy Jones and STABBED him with the Keyblade.

Time returned to normal flow. "WHAT?!" Xehanort whipped around at them. The hearts came flying out of Jones' body, scattering. "NO! THE HEARTS!"

Sora jumped to attack him. "KIMAYA, GET GOING!"

"Wait, what's going—WHOA!" Django tried to say before Kim grabbed him and jumped on the coaster. "The rest o' you, get awn! We'll get Leo on the way!" They were confused, but the spirit operatives decided to obey, the coaster soon to take off for the heavens. Xehanort clenched his teeth and glared at Sora.

"You think you saved them, Sora? You must know by now that Lord English has overpowered the Kids Next Door. The pure hearts will be in my possession again before too long."

"Not if you can't get to them first!" Sora raised his Keyblade skyward and fired a beam.

Once the coaster had taken them beyond the dark planet, Kimaya cast her own beam from both Keyblades. The beams connected with Sora's, creating a light that encased the whole of Derse. The Kingdom of Darkness vanished as if it was never there. "Where did it… go?" asked Django.

Having completed the sealing, Sora used the Keyblade as a crutch for his weary body. "I know you turned this place into a portal to the Realm of Darkness. Kimaya and I just sealed the portal. Until they're able to rescue their friends, I think they can do without YOU getting in their way."

"We'll escape, boy! You forget who commands the Heartless of this realm!"

Xehanort charged to attack Sora, but a psychic bubble appeared over the boy, expanding to blow them back. Negatar Gnaa warped to Sora's side. "And you forget who commands the Darkness, Xehanort. I will not allow you to harm my friends!"

"For once, you and I can agree on something." Xehanort faced Aang, his heart returned and strength restored. "It feels nice to be working with you again, old friend." (Play "Final Boss" from Kingdom Hearts III!)

Aang bent up jagged rocks against Xehanort, the master leaping out and striking the ground to fling his own boulder at Gnaa. Gnaa caught it with psychic, and as he returned it, Aang melted it into lava, which Xehanort survived with a Defense Charm. Xehanort raised the blade skyward and summoned large bolts of lightning to strike randomly around, and as the Avatars dodged them, Xehanort lunged to stab Aang's heart. Gnaa Veiled into a shadow and quickly pulled Aang with him, slithering evasively around the bolts. Xehanort was prepared to strike them when they flew out, but Gnaa sent a swarm of Shadow Clones to bombard him. Xehanort would cast an explosive light spell to disperse the clones, but the light would blind him from Aang's direct attack, encased in an air shield.

Xehanort rolled backward, but swiftly recovered and kicked toward Aang, casting an Aeroga shield. Their forces of air pressed against each other like two opposing, high-powered fans. Xehanort saw Gnaa teleport high above, shooting a giant Psy-Sphere. The Keyblade Master froze Aang in time, then shot up to whip the sphere at Aang instead. The impact would register when Aang unfroze, being forced through the earth itself several meters deep. Xehanort enforced Gravity into the hole, but would then be stunned by Gnaa's Fear Scream. The Negatar cast a Fear Sphere with a Gas Bomb surrounding it, causing Xehanort's nerves to quiver in an intoxicated manner. Gnaa warped into the hole, grabbed Aang, and warped them out of the intense gravity. Aang attempted to bend water around Xehanort and freeze him, but the master shattered it and cast Stop over them both. They were left vulnerable to his Keyblade combo.

The Key Keeper summoned a wave of Keyblades and took to the sky, conjuring a large structure that appeared to be a laser cannon, with four points connecting to the center. Despite the Avatars' best efforts to evade, the mega laser divided into faster, smaller lasers, which branched off and struck both men. Xehanort fired again, but Aang kicked on his Avatar State and grabbed the lasers with energybending, returning them to the master. Aang destroyed Xehanort's Trinity Laser, and Gnaa seized the chance to teleport above Xehanort and choke him with psychicbending. Xehanort willed the Keyblade swarm to shoot up and force Gnaa away, and he would cast Blizzaga to disperse Aang's giant fireball. However, beyond that fire was a boulder laced with icicles, piercing Xehanort, and Gnaa would ram him against the boulder with a Psy-Shield.

The opposites rejoined each other as Xehanort crashed on the ground, wondering if he was finally tired of fighting. …Xehanort pushed himself up and cast Curaga, restoring much of his health. "I guess I didn't need to feel bad about that last attack." Aang said.

"Heh, it's usually not like you to get so violent."

"Against strong opponents, I can't afford to use more pacifistic techniques."

"Then what do you say we stop holding back?"

"I suppose it's the only way to finish this efficiently."

Xehanort waited, wondering what strength was left in their heart. Both men shone with the Avatar State as the spirits of their past incarnations surrounded them… in fact, Xehanort recognized Negatar Navi's spirit. All Avatars and Negatars mixed into their respective body as Aang and Gnaa touched hands. In seconds, the two powers were fused into one body that flashed the colors of green, yellow, and purple. The body of power was surrounded by a cyclone of the Light Elements, Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, mixed with the Dark Elements, Poison, Shadow, Psychic, and Fear. He was now the Supreme Avatar.

And in his hand spawned a large Keyblade, the hilt of which seemed like two Keyblades fused together. Its colors were gold and purple, but Xehanort recognized its shape. "The… χ-blade! But how…how do you have it?!"

"No idea. It's something that just came with us."

"Is it due to being the Supreme God's Avatar? Hmmm…?" Xehanort turned to Davy Jones, lain on his back after the hearts were released. "What is…?!" A similar key seemed to stick out from his heart. Xehanort flew to it—the Avatar lashed his χ-blade, but Xehanort was ready to block it with the χ-blade from Jones' chest. "Ha ha ha! It worked! Even without the hearts, their light and darkness have already mixed well! My very own χ-…blade?" There were chunks missing in several places. With a little more power, the Avatar was easily able to force Xehanort back, crashing through several structures. Xehanort glid back and clashed his χ-blade with Avatar's, each impact of the powerful weapons flashing streaks of light and darkness.

Avatar molded all his elements around the χ-blade, creating a more massive blade brimming with the elements' colors. Xehanort willed his swarm of Keyblades to amass over his χ-blade, creating a clustered weapon of equal size. Their blows against the other were powerful, but while Xehanort's Keyblades shattered against the elemental cluster, said elements were able to regenerate themselves under the Avatar's will, even the chunks of earth that were broken into sand. "Why…" was all Xehanort could ask, mustering what was left in his blades to unleash a beam of clustered elements. "Why is my χ-blade incomplete? Were the hearts not strong enough? Or is it because… mine doesn't belong in this universe?!"

"Well, we do have 100 years on you. Perhaps you need more experience." Avatar drilled through the energy and dug his χ-blade through Xehanort's. As he was swallowed by the incredible energy, powered by the souls and hearts of many Avatars, the Keeper of Keys could only feel euphoric.

"Th…this is it… the true… χ-blade…"

Hivebent

The operatives stared in awe when four hearts flew into the base. One popped into Fybi's body, one into Suki's, and both girls gasped back to life.

In the infirmary, Aeincha's little heart returned to her, the tiny looking around in confusion. And Mason was filled with excitement when Sheila's heart returned. "Mmm…uuh…" The Faunus's eyes finally opened, refilling with life and light.

"SHEILA! You're awake! How do you feel?"

"M…Mason… My…" Sheila threw up her fists, kicked her legs, and screamed, "MY BODY FEELS LIMPER THAN A FUZZY PILLOW!!"