The battlefield had descended into madness.
Explosions tore through the station without pause while corrupted light and hellfire consumed entire corridors.
Yet Marley could barely hear any of it anymore.
Because all she could see—
was Vivian.
Her granddaughter floated above the shattered floor, surrounded by black and crimson energy, her silver hair moving violently beneath the storm of power around her.
But for one brief moment—
Marley no longer saw the warrior before her.
She saw a memory.
Warm sunlight.
Soft laughter.
A quiet home untouched by war.
And a tiny child wrapped carefully in white cloth.
"She's beautiful…"
Marley's younger voice trembled as she held the newborn carefully in her arms.
Beside her stood Liana—Marley's daughter—smiling through exhausted tears.
"Mother, look," Liana whispered softly. "She looks so much like me."
Marley smiled faintly back then.
"Yes…"
"You're right."
The baby had reached out with tiny fingers, gripping Marley's hand for the first time.
So small.
So warm.
And Marley remembered thinking then—
that perhaps this child would grow up in a kinder world than the one they had inherited.
The memory shattered.
Back to reality.
Back to war.
A violent explosion snapped Marley back as Vivian's attack tore through the corridor beside her.
Marley barely raised her barrier in time.
The impact sent cracks racing through it instantly.
Tears slowly ran down Marley's face.
"Vivian…"
High above her, Vivian tilted her head slightly.
"Why are you crying, Grandmother?"
Her voice sounded calm.
Cold.
Wrong.
Marley clenched her fists.
"Why are you with him…?"
Vivian's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she smiled.
A painful smile.
"Oh, Grandmother…"
"You stand here beside your heroes… pretending you fight for justice."
Her energy exploded outward violently.
"But you're all killers."
She vanished.
Marley's eyes widened.
Vivian appeared directly in front of her—
and struck.
Marley blocked the first attack.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Each blow heavier than the last.
The force shattered the floor beneath Marley's feet as she struggled to hold her ground.
"Tell me," Vivian whispered during the assault.
"What does it feel like now?"
Another strike.
"Are you happy, Grandmother?"
Another.
"After everything you destroyed?"
Marley's breathing became uneven.
The words hit harder than the attacks.
Nearby—
the others continued fighting desperately.
Lexia clashed against corrupted Draculian in rapid flashes of steel and blood.
Maximilian fought directly against the Demon King himself, their impacts shaking the station every few seconds.
Alfred and Sid struggled to stabilize the collapsing sectors while Zack coordinated surviving forces through the chaos.
And Shadow—
slowly pulled himself back to his feet.
Blood dripped heavily from the wound through his chest.
Yet his eyes remained fixed on Marley.
On Vivian.
Marley hesitated for one second.
Just one.
She looked away briefly—
toward the others.
Toward the destruction consuming the station.
And Vivian moved instantly.
A blade of corrupted light pierced straight through Marley's side.
Time froze.
Marley gasped sharply as blood spilled across her uniform.
Vivian stood directly before her now.
Expression empty.
"You should never turn your back on an enemy."
Marley collapsed to one knee.
"MARLEY!" Lenore screamed.
Everything exploded at once.
Shadow appeared immediately between them.
His blade collided against Vivian's with enough force to unleash a shockwave through the corridor.
"Move," he said coldly to Marley.
Vivian's crimson eyes shifted toward him.
"You survived."
"Unfortunately for you."
Then the battle erupted again.
Shadow attacked relentlessly despite his wound, forcing Vivian backward through pure aggression.
Darkness and corrupted light clashed violently around them.
Meanwhile—
Maximilian was losing ground.
The Demon King's laughter echoed across the battlefield as hellfire consumed entire sectors of the station.
"You cannot stop what is coming!"
Maximilian wiped blood from his mouth.
"We'll see."
He charged again.
Their collision shattered another section of the station completely.
Warning alarms screamed louder.
CORE STRUCTURAL FAILURE IMMINENT
Sid looked up sharply.
"The station is breaking apart!"
Zack's face paled while scanning incoming data.
"It's worse than that…"
Everyone felt it.
A pulse.
Deep below Earth.
Ancient.
Alive.
Then all screens across the station suddenly activated simultaneously.
One image appeared on every display.
A massive circular structure buried beneath the planet.
Covered in glowing red symbols.
Cracking open.
Alfred stared at it in horror.
"No…"
The Demon King smiled.
"At last."
The red cracks spread wider across the ancient seal.
And from somewhere beneath the world—
something enormous moved.
The entire planet trembled.
Vivian suddenly froze mid-battle.
Her crimson eyes widened slightly.
As if she had heard a voice calling to her from below.
Then she whispered:
"…Father?"
Silence.
Even the Demon King stopped smiling for a brief second.
And deep beneath Earth—
something answered her.