The World Rings, Night 17: With Their Fates In My Hand

Play "Seven Rings In Hand" by Runblebee!

Final boss: Hoopa Unbound

"I lived as your pet for a billion years, Scheherazade!" Hoopa bellowed as his six arms and tail glowed the colors of the World Rings. "No longer will I be repressed by you! I will remake this dimension in MY IMAGE!"

"These feelings aren't yours, Hoopa!" Index declared. "Mark my words, I will cleanse the darkness in your heart! IT IS MY FATE!" With a mighty stroke of her trident, the Rukh blazed across Hoopa's chest, the Djinn screaming before flying further. Index flew at lightspeed with her golden wings, but Hoopa outran her as he formed portals in her path, intending to send her back. Index swiftly evaded the portals and caught up to the Djinn, and instinctively conjured a golden barrier to block out Hoopa's Hyper Beam.

When Hoopa ceased, Index condensed the shield into a beam and forced it into Hoopa's mouth, the beast bending its head back. Index then willed the Rukh into Hoopa's heart, but the genie blocked them with his Sadness Arm and turned the Rukh black. The Black Rukh swarmed Index as she countered with Light Rukh, and she sensed Hoopa about to punch her, quickly jabbing her trident to impale his knuckles. She shot a beam to increase the pain, then zipped behind Hoopa to puncture his spine. The genie coursed Rage Chi through his veins, glowing red and forcing Index off with pain.

Hoopa followed this by ripping open a rift with his Pleasure Arm, summoning a Sarlacc from another universe. The Sarlacc grabbed Index's limbs in its tentacles, but she fired beams from her eyes and forced the Sarlacc back inside, only to be swat away by Hoopa. Index recovered and shot at him like a bullet, forcefully jabbing her trident around all corners of his body as Hoopa rapidly blocked with his hands. The Rage Hand grabbed the trident, then the other hands surrounded Index and began to pummel her with punches.

Index formed a Light Bubble to withstand the attacks, smirking at Hoopa. "GRAAAH!" It was then the Djinn realized a Soul Bond was wrapped around his neck.

"Surprised?! I had the Rukh wrap that around you!" Index began to circle Hoopa, further entrapping him in the Soul Bond and forcing it to squeeze with her bending. "Love hurts, doesn't it, Hoopa?!" The angered Newborn conjured a gigantic portal above her with his Wish Arm, and the KND Moonbase began to descend from it upside-down. Index could see the terrified expressions of the operatives, so she stretched giant Light Hands up to push it back through. Hoopa was freed, and he punched Index straight up against the glass, the Moonbase retracting. However, she quickly recovered and escaped before the portal sealed.

Index began to soar around Hoopa, leaving mirages in her wake. The Djinn merely tracked the real one and caught her in a portal, making her reappear in front of him and swinging a fist. However, the mirage disappeared, and the real Index zipped above and stabbed Hoopa in the eyes. She flew skyward and whirled her arms, a spiral of Rukh flying down against Hoopa's face. The Djinn blasted his arms up, and Index reacted quickly to combat them with giant Light Fists. Hoopa surprised her by shooting a fist into a portal, and it shot down from above and struck Index, sending her falling. Hoopa smirked and readied to sock her again, but the Rukh carried Index and helped her dodge the massive fists.

Angered, Hoopa threw his Sadness Arm at the Rukh, but a recovered Index blocked it with her trident. The nun flew away, evasively dodging portals as she channeled Light Chi to the tips of her trident. Hoopa used his Pleasure Arm to rip open another rift and summon a red genie. "Huh? How did I get here?" Jafar asked himself, but could not receive an answer before Hoopa infected him with his Rage Arm. The genie shot rapid magic from his fingers like bullets, Index swinging her trident in conjunction.

The Rage Chi began to falter, so Hoopa touched Jafar again, only for Index to use her charged energy to blast Jafar back into the portal. "Original beings don't have power here, Hoopa! You're wasting your strength!" With a wave of the trident, the Rukh swarmed Hoopa from his right, but the Djinn smacked them away with the Sadness Ring, then Index stabbed skyward, a stream of Rukh swarming Hoopa from the bottom. Index defended herself from the Black Rukh with a Light Bubble, willing the Rukh to envelop Hoopa's body. As the butterflies were binding his arms, Index flew up to jab him in the eyes.

Hoopa formed a portal over and caught Index, sending her all the way to Zootopia. "RAAAAH!" Hoopa was dragged into the portal by the Soul Bond. "Why?! Why can't I close the blasted portal?!"

"Because you're not the only one in control!" Index yelled. "Hoopa, open a portal behind him!"

"Okay, Scheherazade!" Against his own will, the Djinn opened one behind him, and Index came out of it, flying skyward and trying to drag the Newborn through the first portal.

"Poor Hoopa, you could never go through your own portals." Index said, flying ever higher as the bond grew tighter. "Maybe I'll just come to you myself!" Index loosened the grip and was launched through the back portal, and out of the front portal like a rubber band, stabbing the trident perfectly through the Djinn's heart. Hoopa broke free of the Rukh binding him and furiously pelted Index with all six fists. "AAAAGH!" His knuckles began burning.

"My habit is getting too hot for you, isn't it?" Index smirked. "How about a NICE, WARM HUG?!" She flew around Hoopa's neck and tied herself to it, embracing the Djinn with every ounce of love and strength. Hoopa screamed horrendously under the habit, burning him like the stove of an oven. He desperately tried to grab the nun, but his own arms were restrained by his other conscience.

"Look at those butterflies, Big Brother!" Alluka pointed. "I wish there were more of them."

At that instant, the Rukh dramatically multiplied, and Index's wings grew to Hoopa's size. As the spirits continued fluttering around Hoopa, they were as bright as a sun. "HURAAAAH! Get these wretched bugs AWAY from me!" Hoopa pelted groups of Rukh with his Sadness Arm, creating his own swarm of Black Rukh. Index released him before they could attack her, watching as the Rukh took humanoid shapes: they looked like Blackbeard, Madara, Aizen, Zeref, and others, their eyes brimming purple.

"Well, those are faces I hoped never to see again." Index said with a casual smile. "I guess you really do have a small fraction of Caliborn's memories. But you'll find that I have my own memories." Amassing all the Rukh around her, they took the shapes of Nagisa, Morgiana, Goombella, Maria, Killua, Lotte, Deku, Riddler, Cheren, along with smaller versions of their friends. "My heart burns with the fates of all people, at this very moment. Eons ago, I vowed that I would never decide anyone's fate, except for you and myself. And right now, I have decided what our fate will be!"

With a wave of her arms, the bodies of Rukh became a cyclone that drilled in Hoopa's direction. Hoopa mimicked the act with his Black Rukh, the forces of light and darkness drilling against the other. "I have decided that we will continue to live and walk beside our friends in the guiding path of fate! No matter what dangers await us, no matter what enemies attack us… we will walk forward together! We've only just BEGUN to see this WONDERFUL NEW WORLD!" Index dove headfirst into her own cyclone, contributing power with her own light and penetrating the stream of Dark Rukh.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Despite his best efforts to block Index with all six arms and tail, they were burning under the nun's holy light. The Rukh struck Hoopa's chest, and the entire colossus began to descend to the castle grounds. King Bowser, still lain on his front in exhaust, glanced up with his single eye, which widened as Hoopa was falling directly onto him. "GROOOOAAAARRR!"

Bowser felt blood shoot out of his body when Hoopa CRASHED onto his steel-spiked shell. Holes were left in the Djinn's body as he shrunk down to his normal size and form. (End song.)

"Uhhhnnn… Sch…Scheherazade…" Hoopa cracked open his eyes at Index's warm smile. The little genie was safe in her arms. "Scheherazade… did I…did I go crazy again?" Tears leaked from his ring-shaped eyes. "Did I… hurt you again?! Did I kill your friends?!"

"No, Hoopa. They're all still fine. See?" Index held Hoopa up to see all her friends.

"Ahh… good…" His heart was at ease.

Index jumped down to join the Ring Hunters. Cheadle was holding Maria and Mario was holding Louise, their foreheads patched up. "So, has the crisis been averted?" Cheren asked.

"For now." Index replied. "First we have to restore the Universe Book and put Hoopa to sleep."

"Grrrrr…" Their hearts jumping, all the operatives faced up: King Bowser was on his feet again. "GRAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"AAAAH, I FORGOT ABOUT HIM!" Deku screamed.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Akko screamed.

"GRAAAAAH!" The Koopa King unleashed a stream of violet fire, and all the operatives ran with equal speed, out of the arena, through the 3rd gate, and all the way across the castle road. Bowser left a charred path in his wake, regardless of what soldiers lay along it.

"Maybe he only has a tiny bit of HP left!" Gon yelled. "Louise must have whittled him down a lot, right?!"

"Not worth dying over!" Goombella followed. "Let's live to fight another day!"

"My ice isn't working against him!" Shoto yelled.

"I have an idea! Gon, let's destroy the path!" Deku shouted.

"Okay!" Gon channeled as much Haki as he could into his fist and cried, "Rock, Paper, ROCK!"

"DETROIT SMASH!" Deku punched the ground at the same time, and Killua quickly grabbed both boys and Eri with his yo-yos to yank them up to safety. The assassin caught all three in his arms and used Moon Walks to fly, the group slightly burned by Bowser's flames. "GRAAAAAHH…!" The Koopa King took the fall into a pit of lava, but was already scrambling to climb out of it. The four quickly rejoined their friends and ran all the way to the exit.

"Quick, onto our ships!" Iida cried as all sectors boarded their own ships, with Sector SA boarding Peach's plane. King Bowser halted when he saw them take off, inhaling and spitting meteors at the operatives. The ships spread apart, confusing the Koopa King, and all of his meteors ended up missing.

"Hah… we got away." Cheren sighed in relief. "Let's head up to GKND H.Q.. They should have all the Book Pages by now."

"Actually, Cheren, I sort of had a better place in mind to finish this." Index responded.

Star Haven

After Louise had awoken, and Alluka returned to normal size, they all found their way to Star Haven. The eight Ring Bearers stood in a circle with a stack of golden pages in the center, all linking hands as Index spoke. "I hereby return the Seven Hearts to where they belong. Please, reunite our pages, and bind our stories back together. May this book continue to be filled with even more stories as our fates guide us."

Their bodies shone as the World Rings left their hearts. Alluka's Wish Ring, which gave life to desires. Lotte's Pleasure Ring, which opened the way to other worlds. Deku's Sadness Ring, which taught him to value his gifts. Riddler's Wisdom Ring, which showed him the secrets of the universe. Nagisa and Morgiana's Love Ring, which bonded souls together. Louise's Rage Ring, which burned with her ambition. And Index's Fate Ring, which allowed her to meet all these wonderful people.

The rings all flew into the stack of pages, creating a flash, and the covers of the Universe Book binded the pages into one body. Index calmly took the golden book and presented it to Hoopa. "And now, I return these stories to your heart… and hope that they warm you in your sleep."

Index began to hum a pleasant melody, her vocals brimming with warm light. Sector SA recognized this song from months ago, for it was what calmed Hoopa down before. The Firstborn's eyes began to grow heavy, for the song touched his heart. The Rukh began to gently cover his form, and he enjoyed their pleasant feel. It was not long before Hoopa sunk into his friend's loving arms. The habit no longer burned him, for his darkness was laid to rest. And now, Hoopa was at rest, too.

Index then approached the Star Sanctuary. She presented Hoopa to the Star Spirits. "Please… take him to the Chronicler's island. Don't worry. He won't wake up for a year."

"Very well, Scheherazade." Eldstar lifted him up with magic. "And thank you for reuniting our princesses." A light shone from the sky, carrying the Stars to the Spirit World.

"No doubt… more villains will try to attack our sector in search of Hoopa's power. But their search will be fruitless since we don't have the Universe Book. Hopefully, when we can finally cure that darkness… the universe can live in peace again."

And so, our quest came to a close. This wouldn't be the last time we'd be seeing Hoopa, though it is a shame we couldn't keep our awesome World Ring powers. But while we may have lost powers, we made a ton of new friends. I wouldn't forget my time traveling with this group… but for now, I think we're deserving of a vacation.

Isle Delfino; Gelato Beach

The World Rings Quest began on January 5, and it had concluded on January 10. It lasted shorter than other missions, but it would take the #5 spot on a list of KND's Greatest Quests and Crises. The operatives that took part in the quest earned major points for their sectors. Sector SA still retained their #9 spot below Sector JP, but they were very close to passing. Sector LN was now at #2 amongst the Avalar KND, below Sector SD, and Sector U.A. held the #8 spot in Superbia.

And now, all the sectors were taking a well-deserved vacation on Mushroom's Isle Delfino. Deku was using One-For-All and Gon was using Haki Fury to arm-wrestle. Diana and Weiss Schnee were at an umbrella table, waiting as Sebastian and Ciel brought trays of food. "Here you are, ladies, enjoy the food." Ciel said.

Diana took a sip of tea and scoffed. "No, too much sugar."

"It was an appropriate amount!"

"Not appropriate enough." Diana poured the tea onto the sand. "Make it again."

However, Weiss sighed happily when she drank her tea. "Perfect as always, Sebastian!"

"Years of practice, milady." The butler smiled, earning a glare from Ciel.

"Pichu, Pichu!" The Pokémon squeaked at Chancellor Yorkshire.

The Mobian positioned her fingers like pointy ears and squeaked, "Pika-Pikachu!"

"Ha ha ha!" Raleigh laughed.

"Do Tony Tony Chopper!" Lotte beamed.

"Oh, stop complimenting me, you jerks!" Cheadle perfectly mimicked the reindeer's voice, hands shaped like his horns.

"Now do the Mannish boy from Stardust Crusaders!" Raleigh requested.

"I… have no idea who that is."

"Come on, I only wanna see it for a second." Akko pled to Cheren. "Look, I'll trade you my Shiny Rod."

"Okay, fine. But don't poke your eye." With that, Cheren gave her the Master Sword, and he took the Shiny Rod. Both operatives studied the weapons with strong interest. "Oooooo!"

Then, both of them were zapped. "WAAAAAAH!" Covered in soot, they dropped the weapons in the sand.

"I wanna be squished!" Alluka said, lying on the sand before Eri and Killua. "Please squish me, Big Brother!"

"But you're not small anymore, Alluka-chan." Eri replied.

"I think it's gotten her into a bad habit." Killua shrugged. "Eh, live and let live." With that, he jumped on his sister's back.

"Hehehe! Twist your toes into me~"

"Hey, Eri-chan!" Deku yelled. "Wanna see me swim all the way to that island?!" He pointed at Pinna Island in the distance.

"I bet I can get there first!" Akko joined.

"Hey Ice Boy, want a skiing match?" Weiss asked Shoto.

"Sounds fun." He smiled.

With that, the two icebenders began skiing along an Ice Road, Deku used One-For-All to cross the sea, and Akko transformed into a dolphin. "GO, DEKU-SAN!" Eri cheered.

"I BET I CAN FLY THERE FASTER!" Bakugo aimed his hands at the beach.

"You wish!" Amanda readied her broom.

Both hotheads BLASTED off, burying their friends in a sandwave from the force.

"So, Maria," Louise began, "you really renouncing your princess title or was that all a hoax?"

"Nope. I'm really renouncing it." Maria answered, lain on a chair with her leg still bandaged. "From now on, I'm a rebel princess. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want."

"Maria!" The Hat Kid tipped up her sunglasses, seeing Wendy and Sector MG dash over. "Maria, we're so glad you're okay! Is your leg alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine, but I've got bad news." Maria replied coolly. "I'm not a princess anymore, so if you enjoyed mooching off my millions of coins, well too bad. Learn to like me for me."

"We already liked you before you were a princess." Romeo said.

"And besides, you never bought us anything." Kiki followed.

"And now I never will, so get used to it!"

"Oh, Maria…" The girl glanced right as Queen Peach and Mario approached.

"Mom, forget it! I'm a rebel princess now and there's NOTHING you can say to make me change my mind!"

"Well, you and your friends are still heroes, and heroes deserve an amazingly delicious cake." When Maria fully tipped up her glasses, she gaped at the sight of the colossal, five-layered cake, which had murals of the Seven Ring Hunters, shining with their colors, along with their sectormates.

Her eyes watering, Maria moaned, "So goooooood…"

"Don't fall for it, Maria." Louise stated. "A rebel princess can't be swayed by-" But when all the operatives piled around and began devouring the cake, Maria was among them. "…Dah, what good is freedom without cake?!" So, Louise joined the bandwagon of many hands burying into icing, wolfing down piece after piece. It was another average week for the Kids Next Door, a crisis which threatened the entire universe, and like many crises before it, it ended with joy, laughter, and messy clothes.

By the time twilight fell, most of the entire cake had been eaten. Index had taken a piece with Hoopa's image and stashed it in a plastic box. "I'll give this to Hoopa after he awakens."

"That's very valiant of you, Scheherazade." Riddler replied, stepping toward the sea. "In any case, this is where we part ways. The cosmos calls for me, and it rings, 'Make more riddles, Eddie! We can't live without your riddles!'"

"Shouldn't we arrest him?" Deku asked.

"Naaah." Nagisa brushed it off. "I mean, his riddles aren't really THAT bad."

". . . . . ." But after a moment of contemplating it, all the operatives RUSHED to subdue him. "NOT TODAY!" In a flash, Riddler was encased in a glass elevator. Rockets ignited on the top and took The Riddler aloft into the sky. "BON VOYAGE, my valiant students! For special extra credit, A THOUSAND Riddles must be solved by tomorrow!"

"GOOD-BYE, EDDIIIIIEEEE!" Lotte waved him off with a shining smile. "I'll follow you on social media!"

"Guys, look!" Gon pointed. "Something else is coming this way!"

Indeed, something was leaving a trail in the sky. They mistook it for a plane's chem-trail, but the figure was spinning and plummeting toward the beach at breakneck speed. "WAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The figure crashed into the beach like a meteor, denting a massive sand crater and blowing everyone off their feet. The KND recovered and limped toward the crater, finding an infant-size being with a red bandanna, an eyepatch over his right eye, blue and white skin that looked like clouds, and a belt with a Jolly Roger. "YOW! That was the best bloody black hole I ever RODE!!"

"CAPTAIN?!" Louise exclaimed.

"Oh, Louise!" He flew up to her. "Hey, how's the World Rings quest going? Can we access the Original Worlds now?"

"Oh, yeah. I kind of put that plan on hiatus."

"A'ight, no big deal. Hey, can I have my hat back? It's someone else's turn to be captain."

"Sure, here." Louise tossed him the captain's hat.

"Hey, who are you?!" Cheren asked.

"'Name's Skaios! I'm gonna liberate the universe of kings and queens some day! Wellp, bye!" And with that, he JUMPED to the sky like a cannon, the pulse so powerful that it created a massive tsunami. It looked like a liquid volcano were now engulfing Isle Delfino, blotting the sun as everyone fell pale in the face.

"WE'RE GONNA DROWN! !" Deku screamed.

"Rock, Paper, PAPER!" Gon blasted a charged energy fist.

"SHINY ARC!" Akko loosed an arrow.

"AMERICAN ROAD HOUSE!" Deku threw up a kick.

"TEMPEST KICK!" Nagisa and Killua did so as well.

Other operatives combined their powers and broke apart the wave as best as they could, but alas, the bases of the island, from the beaches to the town streets, were flooded. The operatives and royals found their selves swimming, having been washed away partway from the island.

"So, uh, that's Captain Skaios." Louise said casually. "He's fun once you get to know him."

"Skaios?" Hannah England repeated. "He's the one Tani mentioned…"

"Man, we can't even enjoy a vacation without it being all powerful." Goombella complained.

"So, what're you gonna do now, Louise?" Maria asked, holding onto Cheadle's back. "You aren't actually gonna go back to him… are you?"

"…" Louise turned to her mother with a serious glare. "I'm just going to make this clear, Mum: this will probably be the last time we see each other in person. I'm still going to kill Bowser and all the bad guys that work for him. You abandoned us a long time ago, so you don't get to tell me otherwise."

"I suppose I can't. If that's really what you want to do, Louise… then I wish you the best of luck. Just remember that Mushroom will always be your home."

"We love you, Louise." Mario said.

"YOU ACTUALLY TALKED!" Louise cried, swimming up to hug her father. "Oh Dad, I love you, too! …But not as much as Luigi." With that, she bonked him with her Paint Staff. "Get me out of here, boys!"

A Hat Ship flew overhead and lowered a fishing hook down, Louise grabbing on as she was reeled up. "See ya, Maria! See you on the open sea!" She yelled over the engines as she was uplifted to the sky.

"Byyyyye, Louiiiiiise!"

"Seriously, can we do something about the fact that part of the island is flooded?" Goombella asked. "This is no way to conclude an adventure!"

"I'm afraid that's how the KND works, Goombella." Cheren replied awkwardly. "One conflict ends, about five more begin."

Corporate Presidents' Headquarters

"Was that genie monster really Lord English?"

"Those were Kids Next Door operatives, weren't they? Is that nun a part of them?"

"Don't tell me they can just use that power whenever they want!"

"No wonder the villain attacks are getting worse nowadays!"

"I don't think I want my daughter to join them now."

"How many operatives could they need if they have power like that on their side?"

"If that was the Mushroom Princess, why did she attack her mother? Is she going to become a pirate like her sister?"

"This is proof the KND are getting out of hand! Even royal children are rebelling!"

"I heard that five Avalaran princesses tore off their dresses in the middle of town before running off with KND operatives."

"Hm hm hm ha ha ha ha!" Mom cackled, studying the holo-screen that projected from her eye. "Twitcher is exploding! Everybody's in a panic over those brats, it's perfect!"

"This crisis may work in our favor," Jacques Schnee replied, "but it is also a concern. What if they truly harness that creature's power? They'll be unstoppable."

"Aw, shucks, I don't really think they'll abuse the power." replied the mouse king seated on a high throne: it was none other than King Mickey Mouse. "Even from here, I could feel a strong light radiating from them. It reminds me of my own-hoho!" Indeed, the Rukh were fluttering around the king's body.

"Is that what you really believe, My King?" asked Gruntilda Winkybunion, her skull now set in a mechanical body to replace her old one. "Are you blind to the mischief they could bring?"

"The Kids Next Door are good people, and they will continue to do good things. Their light will grow so strong… that it will cast greater darkness across their own kind. Then they will begin to divide-hoho!"

"Perhaps they will." Ted Wassanasong replied. "In any case… I cannot take part in this." The Laotian president stood from his seat and began to leave.

"Where the crap are you going?!" Mom shouted.

"I no longer share your ideals. The fact is, the KND saved my life three years ago… and since then, I have felt no reason to stand against them. Our mission was to expose the KND's evils in order to turn the public against them… but I believe I am not up for the task if I cannot see their evils myself. It was a pleasure working with you all." And with that, one less Corporate President remained in the room.

"You still owe me for that Space Golf Course!" Mom yelled.

"Well, perhaps it's for the best." Jacques said with hands folded. "After all… I have been thinking of someone more capable for our mission."

"Well, you work on sending the invite to that bird." Doflamingo Jr. said as he began to leave as well. "Now that this mess is over, I have to go do something…"

Sweetopia; Whole Cake Chateau

"LOOO DO DOOO, I AM A FLAGSHIP, FLAGGU-SHIPPUUU…" sung the mouth of a tremendous pirate ship, its voice echoing for miles. Queen Sherry Linlin rode her raincloud, Zeus up to the deck of the galleon.

"Your Majesty, do you really have to come to Luna Nova as well?" asked Minister Goomnut, riding her shoulder. "The Kids Next Door will swarm us the second we set foot on the planet!"

"MA ma ma! The Avalaran Kids Next Door don't scare me! Besides, those girls are very good friends of Diana. It's only fair that I personally invite them to my party."

"Buu want to go to party, too!" A pink, obese creature in white puffy pants and a purple cape was dancing on the deck. The creature had a pudgy smiling face and an antenna, and a gold belt with Big Mom's Jolly Roger. "Buu! Buu! Party, too!"

"Silence, Buu, everyone is coming to my party! Now, be a good boy on this trip and I'll find a nice village for you to snack on."

"YAAAAY! Buu eat FOOOOOD!"

Koopa Kore

"Ragwah." King Bowser mumbled, now bandaged up as he rested on his throne. "Damn Mario's little brat, beating me around like a useless ragdoll… Now we've got no World Rings and NO Universe Book!"

"But now we know just how terrifying these Newborn are." King K. Rool replied. "If it were not for Ganondorf infecting them with his darkness, they may already be on the KND's side, and that would spell the end for us. Lord Bowser… it may be in our best interest to destroy the Newborn. Before it is too late."

"Grawr… even if we considered that, how the hell are we supposed to crush those things?!"

"Gruntilda seems to know a group who may be up to the task. Although, she says they are a rather shady bunch."

Unknown hideout

"So, that nun was able to subdue the rampant god." Rob Lucci observed. "And she is one of Nagisa's own teammates. There's no way he would agree to our plan in that sense…"

"Are we really sure that he wouldn't?" Deathstroke asked. "If their enemies know what they can do, then they will become a greater target. They may never know a moment of peace. Eventually, he might agree that killing the gods is the only safe option."

"At the moment, Nagisa is not worthy. And neither are we." Lucci spoke firmly. "Nearly each of you have gone up against KND operatives and you were defeated! If we allow ourselves to take even a single scratch, we will never be able to wield the Infinity Weapons!"

"Hey, YOU'RE the one that said not to go all-out on the KND!" Mandy Beret shouted.

"Because the KND make for excellent practice. And besides…" Lucci looked away as he thought of someone, "if their strength continues to grow… they would make valuable allies in our mission."

IDA Headquarters

"Thank goodness that's over with." Zedekiah sighed, stepping into a meeting room. "…? Oh, no. Are you two playing that game again?" His colleagues, Mask and Sir Reginald seemed to be playing chess.

"It's a great way to pass the time, izukukukuku." Mask giggled.

"I just claimed 10 more kingdoms!" Reginald declared.

"Sigh… I guess that means I have to play, too. Very well, then… who would make a good candidate in that universe?"

Chronicler's Domain (Play "Seven Rings In Hand" by Bentley Jones.)

The Chronicler lay Hoopa to rest on a pillow in a small room. He calmly flipped through the pages of the book. "Well, Scheherazade… this certainly is an upgrade from your previous incarnation." He turned to a page of the Yin-Yang demon, Hannibal Roy Bean.

"Bring in the next one." Hannibal ordered. His minions shoved a pink-haired woman to the ground. "So… yer name is Megan Linlin, correct?"

"Y…Yes." As far as he knew, Megan thought.

"Ah right, Megan, let's commence our union. Come to Papa."

"Do you plan to execute me as well?"

"Now, honey, don't think of it like that. 'Course, if you do, I might have to shut you up early."

"If I am to die… may I at least tell you a story?"

"What kind of stories do you have?"

"…I have lots of stories. About this universe… and others."

"Indeed… you were the only maiden Bean kept alive." Chronicler observed. "You had children, and those children had children. You kept yourself alive for a century… before deciding to reincarnate. Still…" He closed the book. "I can see why you didn't tell the Dimalantas that. It would've been an awkward explanation."

Index and the World Rings: Cast:

Monica Rial as Index and Tsuyu Asui

Lindsay Seidel as Nagisa Shiota and Romeo Conbolt

Cristina Vee as Morgiana and Killua Zoldyck

Lacey Chabert as Goombella

Apphia Yu as Maria Mario

Eileen Montgomery as Louise Mario

"How could you leave without telling me, Nagisa?!" Hiromi Shiota embraced her son in a tight hug. "After a disaster like that, I want my baby to tell me if he's risking his life!!"

"I'm sorry, Mom, it just happened out of nowhere, we had to hurry!" I wonder if the other boys' moms are like this?

"IZUKU, I saw you on the news!" Inko Midoriya squeezed her son as well. "How could you invade Bowser's Castle without telling me?! You have no idea what it's like being your parent!"

"I'm sorry, I was just helping them save the universe!"

Lori Phillips as Hoopa

Stephanie Sheh as Lotte Jansson and Jasminka Antonenko

Justin Briner as Izuku Midoriya

Wendee Lee as Eri

Maaya Uchida as Alluka Zoldyck

Eri was led into a room by Ochaco. The horned girl was surprised to meet a group of strange girls, who introduced their selves as Vanellope, Ib, Mary, and Madotsuki. They were inviting Eri to join the Club of Girls Who Were Stuck In One Place For a Long Time. Eri smiled and thanked them for welcoming her. She felt comfort in the presence of Ib and Mado, who had red eyes like her.

Wally Wingert as The Riddler

Ikue Ōtani as Cheadle Yorkshire

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool

Mark Rolston as Slade Wilson

Jason Marsden as Chase Young

Sharon Mann as Cheren Uno

"Hey, Cheren, the Hyrulean KND asked me to contact you." Nebula told him. "They said one of their operatives would like to meet with you. 'Said she was a Drill Sergeant."

"Well, alright. What's this person's name?"

"They said her name was Biscuit Krueger."

On Planet Hyrule, a girl with dark-pink eyes, a matching dress, and golden pigtails was sipping tea in a wooden cabin within the snows. "Cheren Uno… I wonder if this boy is as great as the rumors say."

Jennifer Hale as Panini Drilovsky and Mandy Beret

Brina Palencia as Ciel Phantomhive

Laurie Hymes as Prince Raleigh

Kerry Williams as Carol Masterson

Sylva Zoldyck was sent a postcard of Killua and Alluka on Gelato Beach. The father smiled at his children bonding, releasing a sigh. It didn't really bother him at all that they couldn't make use of her wishing power.

Erica Mendez as Atsuko Kagari and Gon Freecss

Laura Post as Diana Cavendish

Marianne Miller as Amanda O'Neill

Jennifer Alyx as Constanze

Rachelle Heger as Sucy Manbavaran

Brittney Karbowski as Wendy Marvell and Misaka Sisters

Lisa Michelson as Kiki Yamaka

Tenya Iida stepped off his ship and approached the entrance to Luna Nova. Diana approached him with an angered expression, presenting a jar containing a bruised Mineta and Vweeb. Iida took the jar and bowed as he apologized. "It was… so worth it…" Mineta spoke in euphoria.

Luci Christian as Ochaco Uraraka

J. Michael Tatum as Tenya Iida

Clifford Chapin as Katsuki Bakugo

Brina Palencia as Minoru Mineta

Caitlin Glass as Mina Ashido and Hiromi Shiota

Pat Carroll as Sherry Linlin

Dan Green as Vaati

Scott Burns as Bowser Koopa

Characters owned by their respective multiverses

Published by deviantART

Presented by Gamewizard2008

Index and the World Rings: END

…

25 years later

"Thanks! See you tomorrow!"

Snow had covered the capital of Mushroomrosa. Maria Mario stepped out of the Time's End Bookstore, locking it for the night. A yellow scarf wrapped around her neck, the woman began her walk back home under the starlit sky. The town was quiet and peaceful, and children were still playing happily in the streets – Toads, Goombas, and Boos – knowing they were safe under the protection of the treehouse growing out of the distant castle. There were many posters in town, displaying a pink circus, aptly named for its design: For Fans of Flamingo Circus, the Shiny Witches will not be performing today. We apologize for the inconvenience.

When Maria was about to turn a corner, she encountered someone and gasped: Louise Mario was wearing a turquoise dress under a red coat, her blonde hair grown into a ponytail. "Oh, hey!" Maria greeted.

"Maria! Hi… I was just out for a walk."

"No show tonight?"

"Yeah, Akko and Diana took a personal day, so the circus was pretty empty. What about you, just close shop?"

"Yep. I better get home before Timmy's dinner gets cold. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure, I'd love to!"

The sisters walked together through the peaceful town, the lights from street poles and windows guiding their path. A little gold butterfly landed on one of their footprints, its antenna twitching.