Play "Our Eternal Land" from Xenoblade 2!
The First Church of Arceus
A young angel in a white robe and bluish-black hair raced up a towering stairwell, extending for miles above the Spirit World's surface. The hard stone of the stairs felt warm and welcoming under the angel's bare feet. The great structure was nearing closer and closer beyond the stairs: an enormous cathedral marked with a great statue of Arceus. Just staring at it gave one a sense of serenity, their very souls soothing. The chorus of hundreds of robed spirits flowed throughout the air, making all souls feel warm and welcome.
The young angel panted after finally reaching the top of the stairs. Before him was a vast courtyard. Circles of worshippers knelt before Arceus's statue in prayer. Otherwise, visitor spirits were roaming around, and angel guards were patrolling. White torches lit the courtyard. Miles beyond the church, the Spear Pillar towered to the heavens.
The angel saw the man he was looking for, beaming as he ran to him. "Mr. Landers!" The adult angel stopped, turning calmly toward the boy. Ash Landers had white hair and a butler uniform that went beautifully with his wings. He also had amethyst eyes. "Mr. Landers, I brought a gift for God Arceus!" He held up a golden wrapping shaped like the god in question. "It's chocolate!"
"Lord Balder is with Arceus today. They're probably quite busy."
"But you promised I would get to meet Arceus if I made it back." The boy frowned sadly.
"Patience, Leic. You'll have your chance some day."
"Mmmm…"
On the opposite end of the courtyard were stairs leading to an outdoor nave, where people sat at the pews as Father Amalthus, a blue-skinned man with long ears and white hair, spoke. "In the beginning, hundreds of small worlds existed in nothing, but their instability and fragility caused them to collapse. But, from their remains, from the fragments of scattered chi, an egg appeared. And from that egg hatched God Arceus. Arceus created Dialga and Palkia, and established the movement of Time, as well as the open Space on which they would build their universe. Then, Arceus created Palutena and Medusa, to establish the eternal law that was Balance, the Good and Evil which would clash within the universe. It was stated that all beings need a Balance, a second being to counter them, and thus, the Negaverse was built. But just as all beings needed a parallel to Balance them, so did Arceus. And so, the Demon King Demise was born."
The interior of the church's center was an entire sub-dimension of stars and planets, and a stairway of white light would carry one up to Arceus himself. Divine Leader Balder stood before the Supreme God. "Still doubting the Spirit KND's potential, Balder? Hm hm hm… I know their top priority is not to serve us, but they follow the example set by the heroes in the Mortal World. They and you were once alive, and they have not forgotten what drove them."
Balder didn't respond for a moment. He knew Arceus would favor their side. It saddened him… somewhat… "I honored you for one million years. From the day I was born, to the day of my death, to every day after that… I prayed to you, and you never answered… and when you finally return to us… you were just so complicated. Your hatred was powerful… your orders were, 'Destroy the mortals, destroy them'… and that's exactly what I did. The Negatar was the primary perpetrator who led the mortals to wrong you… and that's why, on that day, I invaded the Negaverse. All to please you. You don't understand the pain I felt… when you rescinded your orders."
Arceus closed his eyes. "I have sinned… Balder… and compelled my children to sin. Even in my scattered form… somehow, I heard the voices of my followers, the prayers… yet, my scattered emotions prevented me from truly listening. I was a terrible god, Balder. And that's why, after the KND set me straight, I ordered Dialga to lock me in a Stasis Bubble. For one billion years, I floated in that bubble, in sheer loneliness. I was completely deaf to all the prayers, and blind to the beautiful cosmos I had created. That was my punishment for attacking the mortals who were kind enough to revive me. Of course, only a day passed in real time. Although I did not deserve the prayers of the universe, I was not about to abandon it for such a long time. But after all was said and done, I am glad I returned to hear your prayers. I am truly grateful to have you, Balder…"
"And I am grateful to you… for creating us. I truly love this universe you have created… I am just irritated by the people inside it. So many mortals do not appreciate the natural gifts they have… some are arrogant to think they do not need the gods. And some act so irresponsibly and childish. But I know this Balance, this darkness… is necessary for their everlasting growth."
"Yes… mortals and spirits alike will continue to sin. But so long as they are capable of sin… they can persevere, learn, and grow. …Oh, but it seems someone would like to give me something." His eyes flashed.
To Balder's surprise, Leic Spirithive appeared beside him with a teleport. "Wah! W-Where am…OH! God Arceus!" The child beamed brightly. "Here! I brought you a gift!"
"What in the… Arceus! How could you just bring this boy in here?! He hasn't even got shoes, and this robe is so shabby!"
"What's wrong with no shoes?" Leic asked. "Most of the gods are naked! Haha, and Arceus only wears that gold ring thing!"
"Hm hm! It is all right, Balder. I do love a good chocolate~" Arceus used telepathy to raise the chocolate sculpture, unwrapping as it flew all the way to his enormous mouth. He chewed it with a delighted expression. "Ahhhh… so delicious." Divine tears escaped from his eyes. "This… is what I missed about the universe. Oh, how I loved Yosafire's apple pies. I must visit her… and hope I get to try one again…"
"My Lord…" Balder sighed.
"Oh…and Balder? You know of Dimentia, correct? I need you to inform her of something…" (End song.)
Heaven's Hotel
After leaving the treehouse, Nolan made the drive in his Soulmobile, a white car modeled after his Sandmobile and left a white streak. The towering Heaven's Hotel was steadily growing closer, and there was a parking lot the size of a field for all of its residents. Nolan parked his car after being lucky enough to find an empty spot. Afterwards, he made the grand journey to the hotel escalators.
Just outside the escalators, Nolan saw a familiar face standing with her family. "Dimentia!" he called, the white-garbed Zathurian looking over.
"Oh, Nolan! I thought everyone else would've made it before me."
"You're not the only one who's busy with other matters. But why're you waiting out here?"
"I'm waiting for someone. I heard he had arrived just-"
"DIMENTIAAAA!"
"Jirachiiiii!" A shooting star fell from the sky, popping to become the Star God in white pajamas and a gold star head. Dimentia grabbed his arms and did a little dance with him.
"I didn't see you in such a long time! Why didn't you tell me you moved to another universe?!"
"I never had the chance to meet you after you woke up! There's a lot of stuff I wanna tell you!"
"We'd better join up with the others then." Nolan suggested.
They rode the great escalators to the outer courtyard of Heaven's Hotel. There were dozens of residents hanging out at the tables, including a group of three.
One of those three, the skull-faced man, was reading a newspaper. There was also an obese man in a pink suit and curled blonde hair. The third man was elderly, with a long goatee tied at the end, a huge wide crown with spikes, spiked stone pauldrons on his shoulders, and a white robe with a stone collar. He had a big nose and thin curled mustache.
The blonde man glanced over at the passing group, softly rubbing the hilt of his sword. "That's the Firstborn, isn't it? He'll make things complicated unless we subdue him as well."
"Yes, but the woman is no longer his Guardian." Skull Face clarified. "He should not be able to grant her wishes. However… Jirachi could make excellent leverage."
"I sense powerful Space Chi from her." The elderly, tribal man said, twirling a string around his long-nailed finger. The end of the string had a small device resembling a Trefoil Knot. "Valentine, I think you should ready a few copies of her in case she tries to teleport them."
"Perhaps you're right, Ibara." The blonde man agreed. "For now, prepare to set the weapon."
Ibara held the stringed device up to his mouth and spoke concisely: "Thirty meters, thirty minutes." The device brimmed with green energy, absorbed from Ibara's soul. Afterwards, he handed it to Skull Face, who stashed it under his coat.
"DIMENTIAAAA!" The manager of the hotel jumped with joy and raced around the reception desk. She was a white-skinned demon girl with blonde hair and a shining smile. "Welcome back to Heaven! And I see you brought Jirachi with you!"
"Hah hah, it's great to be back, Charlie!" Dimentia grinned. "And, um… Kid told me that I had to-"
"Whaddyou think of this uniform?!" Charlie presented a maid's uniform with yellow and purple colors.
"I THINK I'M NOT WEARING IT!"
"Awwww, but you would've looked so cute in it." Charlie pouted. "Ah, no big deal!" She tossed it away casually. "We can get started after the party! Let's go!"
Energetic music was booming in the Party Room as late parents and KND operatives celebrated the end of the Pirate War. "OIII, Dimentiaaaa!" Marine Frantic pounced the Zathurian, planting her hands to Dimentia's shoulder to hoist herself in the air. "Yours and moi daughter are official pirate brethren! Drinks were shared and everything! Can you believe Nebula is close mates with the Pirate King?!"
"Haha, I never would've expected it, honestly! I guess it was fate that Nigel randomly found you on that island." Dimentia smiled as she was partially weighed down by the ecstatic Mobian.
"Heehee, you didn't think a thing about me, didja?" Marine returned to the floor and put an arm around her. "Just thought I was some crazy sheila wantin' to crash in your base? Well, I was a girl who was gonna give birth to a legend, and I guess so were you! But anyway, where've you been? What's with all the mates saying you were a phoenix now?"
"When I died on the Noah a few years ago, my soul awakened as an Inviere."
"A what?"
"My soul transformed into an immortal body. It happened because I hosted one of the Phoenios, Tanzy."
"Phoenix Who?"
"Tanzy is…sigh…" Dimentia figured it would take up the whole party if she tried to explain everything. "Basically, I'm working with a group of gods who protect other universes outside of this one. I've even been to a ton of other universes."
"YOU'VE BEEN EXPLORING THE MULTIVERSE?!" Marine, her attention immediately spiked, bellowed loudly in Dimentia's ear. "Strewth, then you need to let me come with you! I was all set to begin my Afterlife of Eternal Adventure, anyway!"
"I don't think you're allowed to come."
"Why noooooot? Do I have to become one of those Invear thingies?"
"Um, I guess, but it's kind of too late since you're already dead."
"Fine! Then at least let my Sheila become one!"
"Marine, it's not that easy…"
"C'mon, Dimentia, just tell us about the places you visited!" Jirachi cheered, flying around them. "What kinda people did you meet?"
"Well, one of the first places I visited was Phaera Plinam, which is sort of a training ground for us. I met this girl named Borarovite, and she kind of reminded me a bit of Kuki… Maybe it was the greenness."
Nolan had gone to sit with Yuki and Nigel at a table, sharing drinks of milk. However, while the other two were enjoying their selves, Nolan was studying a holographic image on a Soul Phone. "Element benders have been dying on different planets, and their souls are missing… Phantom Thieves stealing from peoples' dreamscapes in the Dream Realm… Dracula fricking broke out of prison… and somehow, K. Rool got into the Spirit World without a proper judgment, and no one can penetrate that big-ass fortress of his…"
"Nolan, put that thing down and enjoy the party." Yuki stated. "Look, we have Divine Milk. Fresh from the angels' farmland. This is quality dairy!"
"Honestly, Nolan, don't you think you've done enough?" Nigel asked. "When you were still fighting crime as an adult while the rest of us had settled down, it was kind of admirable… but we're spirits now. I think this should officially be the point of retirement."
"Nigel, you should understand better than anyone." Nolan replied. "Our duty to keep the universe safe for our children is never over. If the dark spirits escaped to the Mortal World, I have no doubt our kids could knock 'em dead… but I would rather they not trouble themselves with that. They need to be able to rely on us to handle our side of things, just as we rely on them. If Dimentia's not going to retire, no reason I should either."
"Maaaaannn, Nolan, Nolan, same old Nolan." The adults looked up and were approached by Dillon Simmons and Corey Sanderson. "You're just not a soul that's allowed to live in peace, are ya?" asked the former.
"I-It's all b-b-because we died, isn-sn't it?" Corey stuttered.
"Don't start blaming yourselves." Nolan said. "But it's true that your deaths stuck with me. As long as there are villains or evil spirits, other innocent people and heroes are in danger of dying. I have to do my part to minimize that danger as much as possible."
"No one's stopping you from wanting to save people." Dillon replied. "But you're not gonna save anyone if you don't lighten up. …And since we are spirits, that is definitely a pun~" He cracked a smile. "Just smile, drink your milk, and get in happy spirits. And if you don't, I'm gonna sing Zach's 'Drink Your Milk' song!"
"Daaaaah!" Nolan screamed in a gruff form, quickly snatching his bottle of milk and drinking.
"Ha HAAAAH! That's more like it! But you know what? WE'RE GONNA SING IT, ANYWAY!"
"NOOOOOO!"
Nolan was yanked up by his two old friends, unable to escape as they danced in the middle of the party. "Driiiiink your milk today, driiiiink your milk, oh yay!"
"W-W-White, an-nd chocola-a-ate, st-st-st-st-strawb-b-berry, t-too!" Corey sang.
"Well said, Nolan, my boy." declared Brett Gunkan, raising a glass of the drink. "Milk is good for the ghostly bones!"
"Did you guys know Secco has a city where milk flows naturally through the ground?" Mikaela Chariton asked. "Rainier told me about it!"
"Actually," Darcy began, "we heard that town was taken over by the Big Mom Pirates. Sunni and I kind of did a bit of research during the war."
"Oi actually visited that town once!" Marine remembered. "Dimentia, you ever been to Al Mamoon?"
"Not exactly…"
Dillon and Corey were spinning Nolan around. "If you can do the moo-moo, the way that a moo do, then YOU… MOO… TOOOOO!" Charlie giddily swirled along with Nolan, fitting him in a cow costume. The song and dance continued on, Nolan's glum expression in contrast to the cheerful atmosphere.
"Wait, what is 'moo'?" Blumeré asked. "Aren't cows supposed to say 'zoirlee'?"
"Not anymore, Dad." Dimentia replied awkwardly. (Play "Boilerworks First Time" from Luigi's Mansion.)
BAM!
The doors burst open, kicked by a firm black boot. The party-goers whipped around in surprise. The gentle strumming of a banjo could be heard from an invisible source. Standing in the entrance were two people: the skull-faced man and Valentine, the blonde man. The two entered the party, slowly, the Skull Face firm with each step. The friends merely stood, confusedly and cautiously, and watched them.
Skull Face walked to the punch table. He calmly took the ladle, raised it out of the bowl, and filled a plastic cup. He slowly raised the cup to his mouth… and sipped. "I wonder where punch originated." He spoke simply. "Earth? Flora? England? India? I bet whoever made it never thought it could be so popular. I bet whoever or wherever that spirit is, nobody believes him or her. By now, they have been… forgotten. Punch is such a common drink that nobody cares."
"Um, hi, excuse me." Charlie approached and tapped his shoulder awkwardly. "Were you… invited to this party?"
Skull Face cast her a glare. "…Right, well, we have milk over there, if you wanted…" She grinned nervously and backed away.
"Who are you?" Nolan asked, marching up to him in his cow suit.
"…" Skull Face stared at him, not with resent… but with bewilderment.
"…!" Nolan quickly threw off the suit.
Skull Face put the cup down and slowly walked to the middle of the room. "I… am Skull Face. Who I was before… that no longer matters. Funny… how we can all stand here, partying, cheering. That fear of death no longer affects us. But even a spirit… has things to fear. When the memory or existence of a person starts to disappear in the Mortal World… their soul begins to change. When a spirit's body is destroyed and reformed, by a Hollow or otherwise, a couple memories are lost. Something gets changed. Our souls are one with the chi of this realm, but that chi slowly adapts with the Mortal World's changes. As a result, our souls change."
Skull Face turned to Dimentia's family. "You… Dimentia, was it? Say something to me. In Zathurian. Speak your native tongue."
"Um…well, I…I haven't had to speak it in a long time. I wished to Jirachi that I could learn any language that I heard, so I could understand all the aliens… but those languages kind of muddled together, and I could only remember a few at a time, so I…"
"You were lost to your culture… and your tongue was erased. Then perhaps your parents know."
"W-Well… we sort of adapted our language with the New Zathurians." Blumeré replied. "Many of us died with our old planet, a lot of them turned into Hollows out of despair, and then we met Palkia and tried to learn the language of gods, and… well, a lot of things happened, and…"
Skull Face took off his 10-gallon hat and held it at his chest, bowing his head. "When I was a boy… my entire culture was killed in genocide. Everything I knew was taken from me. When I escaped to the neighboring country… I was captured and sold into servitude, and forced to learn the language of my captors. Then, I was sold again… and the cycle repeated as I learned dozens of languages. I had forgotten my culture… and my identity."
Skull Face placed his hat back over his dead, pale scalp. "Every world has a lingua franca. Enough time in the Spirit World will make us forget our original tongue and speak the Language of the Gods. On Hyrule, the dominant language is Hylian. On Mira, it is Nopon. And on Earth, the merpeople and Nimbi learn to speak human, but those humans come to gravitate toward the English language. Memories of what we once were fade or transform, and most just stop caring."
Skull Face walked toward the blonde man. "This gentleman is Valentine. He was the President of the United States. He is still talked about in history books, but during his time, he was beloved. He sought the growth and prosperity of his country and was a hero to his people. But so many presidents came after him, and his legacy disappeared over the ages. One day… there will come a time when your descendants forget you." Skull Face turned toward the parents. "Nigel and Rachel Uno have been succeeded by their children, and those children may be succeeded by theirs and so on. Your memory may exist in history books, but they will soon stop caring. Just where are your other relatives, your ancestors that have died? You do not care for them… you only look toward the future. By now, those ancestors could have transformed in some way. Some spirits return to the Mortal World as reincarnations, but as a result, they forget who they once were, and transform all the same."
"And just what does it matter to you?" Nigel asked. "Usually, whenever a couple creeps show up uninvited to a party, they're up to something awful."
"What we want…" began Valentine, going over to the milk table, "is to not let our afterlives go to waste. Although our legacies and existences may be forgotten… it does not mean we can't begin anew." He poured himself a glass of strawberry milk. "The first person who decided to milk a cow… was forgotten, yet they set the example for all to follow. They were immortalized simply by future generations continuing to do what they did. The ones who decided the proper way to pronounce words… the proper ways to speak… Those who first designed the fork and knife, or the proper way to eat… Was it the gods? No. The gods merely lay the groundwork. The gods built the planets, blessed them with their chis, and gave those planets the ability to develop life. From then on, it was up to the mortals to decide how to develop their selves and their world. And when the gods blessed the mortals with bending, all techniques that were developed, from summoning meteors to achieving Logia, were all developed by mortals. The first Logia was Acnologia, and then Viridi and Hexxus mimicked his example in their physical forms."
"Across history, there have been millions of cultures and voices that were lost to the annals of time." Skull Face continued. "And though those spirits remain in this world, they have long forgotten who they were. Even the birth of this New Universe could not save them all. Their languages transformed and adapted. There may even come a time when the lingua franca on each world assimilates them all. Their cultures will be destroyed, just as mine was. But perhaps there is a way to stop that. A way to not only destroy the power of the lingua franca, but to restore all that had been lost. Yes… the Tower of Babel."
"The Tower of Babel?!" Nolan repeated. "Then the one who orchestrated that attack wasn't Bayonetta… it was you?!"
"Yes… Bayonetta had lost her identity also, being the last of the cursed Umbra Witches. She has no memory of even her parents. Perhaps recalling her tongue could recall her memory? The Tower of Babel was built by Meloetta to archive all the languages in the universe. But when archives are burned, the knowledge is lost. Babel is therefore a core in that regard. I will free the forgotten voices from Babel's hold and release them to the universe, and in the process, erase the dominant languages that are destroying the worlds."
Nolan drew his Zanpakutō. "You have to be one brain-dead idiot… to walk in here and say that to a bunch of strong, highly-trained former operatives."
"That may be… but my heart isn't made of stone." And so, he withdrew the Trefoil Knot device from his black coat.
The device brimmed a bright green—Dimentia sensed an explosion was imminent. With swift thinking, she focused her Space Chi around the room and warped all of their friends, reappearing at the courtyard of the hotel. "Phew, that was—AAAH!" Suddenly, the device appeared above them via another teleport—Dimentia and Nolan impulsively jumped down the escalators with a flash-like step. The device exploded into a bright green, see-through sphere of light. The courtyard was completely unharmed, but everyone within the sphere's radius turned into solid stone.
Nolan and Dimentia ran back up after the light faded. Nolan ran up to Yuki's statue, brushing the skin with his bare hand. "Their souls transformed into pure Earth Chi…"
"Don't try to break them open!" Dimentia cautioned. She approached the device on the ground and picked it up. "This is a Zanpakutō. Did it belong to—AAH!" A Starburst struck her arm, causing her to throw it up. (Play "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by AC/DC!)
The device was caught by Skull Face. He and Valentine stood behind a Zathurian identical to Dimentia, wearing a black and yellow dress. "Nya ha ha ha!" Ibara ran up the escalators and joined the men. "It seems the plan nearly worked like a charm!" He took back the device from Skull Face.
"Who… are you?!" Dimentia asked the identical woman. That attire she wore perfectly resembled the last clothing she wore as a mortal.
"For my clone, you look a little different than I was expecting." 'Dimentia' remarked, hands glowing with chi. "Don't even think about touching President Valentine."
The two whipped right when another figure warped out of space: Dimentia recognized her younger self in jester clothes. "Aha hahahaha! Seeing myself as an adult is just insulting!" she spoke crazily. "The only grown-up I respect is Valentine!"
Valentine drew his sword and declared, "For the love of justice, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap!" He got between the statues of Dillon and Corey, and from them, clones of the two appeared. He pulled out clones of Nigel, Rachel, Mika, Yuki, and the other party-goers.
"A cloning Zanpakutō?!" Nolan exclaimed, dodging ice blasts from Yuki and fire from Nigel. Dimentia raised her arms in defense against Rachel's sword, but reacted to counter Starbursts from her copies.
"My Zanpakutō, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, allows me to open the multiverse." Valentine began. "Ever since this universe began, millions of alternate realities were born. Those realities were extremely small and fragmented, possessing even the most miniscule differences. For example, Dimentia, the adult clone you are fighting just had a reunion with her parents and imprisoned brother. However, that clone was hit by a tomato and an egg."
"A tomato and egg?! When the Tallests and Rumpel tried to prank me?! But I felt them coming and warped the food against them!"
"Yes, but this Dimentia was not so fortunate. You see, it's like playing a videogame: if the player had pressed the Dodge button, you would have avoided the enemy's attack. By not pressing the button, you are hit by the attack. A bunch of play-throughs of a single game create multiple universes and realities within that game. However, there is only one 'canon' within the context of that game. That 'canon' is known as the Miracle Universe. It seems that you possess God Chi, Dimentia, as none of your parallels have it. Only this universe, the world with gods, Firstborn, and every amazing thing that has happened, is known as the Miracle. All other parallels are merely inferior universes that have been snuffed out by the Miracle, but my Zanpakutō allows me to recall those universes and bring forth their inhabitants."
"So, you're another version of Dillon and Corey?!" Nolan asked his opponents. "Then why are you attacking me?!"
"Because you're President Valentine's enemy, duh!" Dillon retorted.
"I-I-I-I-I won't lose to you!" Corey stuttered.
"As a bonus, when I recall parallel universes," Valentine explained, "I am worked into their memory as a close friend whom they will fight for."
"So, you can't even fight for yourself, you damn coward?!" Nolan yelled, bashing Nigel's head into the ground before slamming him into Yuki.
"I don't think my associates are quite interested in a fight right now."
"?!" Nolan realized Skull Face and Ibara were running down the escalator. "GET BACK HERE!" Nolan dashed after them.
Ibara looked back and yelled, "One meter, one second!" tossing his device up—Nolan launched an energy rope straight at Ibara, snagging and flying towards the man, escaping the device's radius. Ibara was tackled, the two tumbling down the escalator, while Skull Face jumped off the side. He landed on the back of a winged Hollow and made the flight to land.
As Nolan and Ibara tumbled, the hero punched the ancient man's jaw, but Ibara dug his long nails into Nolan's neck, then used a Thrust of Spirit Chi to blow Nolan off. Ibara resumed escape down the stairs, pulling his device back. In the process, they had knocked over several people riding the escalator, and people riding the up-escalator looked over to that side with worry. Whatever conflict was happening over there, they hoped it wouldn't come their direction.
Skull Face flew under the escalators and rose up beside the up-escalator. "Encase them, One That Covers." Drawing a gun-type Zanpakutō, he quickly shot the people on the elevator, the spirits screaming as parasites developed and engulfed their bodies. Some of those people became fiery, some developed strong armor, and others were misty. He ordered the spirits to run back down the stairs.
Nolan caught up to Ibara and fired a Soul Beam at him, Ibara dodging and countering with spirit flames. Ibara twirled the device and willed it to emit a green light as he launched it at Nolan back-and-forth like a yo-yo. "My Zanpakutō, Dr. Stone, allows me to turn any form of Spirit Chi into Earth Chi. My people once harnessed the powers of Medusa in our punishment rituals, but alas, we fell to ruin."
"Sounds like you should be in the Underworld!" Nolan yelled, dodging his way up to Ibara and landing a cut to his hip. Afterwards, Ibara used Flash Step to escape, then whirled Dr. Stone around himself to turn the air into stone: its path left strips of earth floating in the air, forming into a sphere. Nolan forcefully punched the stone until he broke an opening, but then Dr. Stone flew through the gap and exploded, Nolan jumping away as it was just wide enough to nearly catch him.
Nolan sensed something behind him and gasped, seeing the spirits transformed by Skull Face. A fiery spirit threw a punch, Nolan ducking and stabbing it, but as the spirits surrounded him, he furiously slashed his blade to cut down as many as possible. He saw Skull Face jump off his winged Hollow and raise his gun. "My Zanpakutō, One That Covers, allows me to create and reproduce parasites that can enhance the bodies of other spirits, but also control them. These enhanced spirits are known as 'Skulls.' But recently, I was able to give them a special upgrade. Allow me to show you…"
Skull Face withdrew a bottle; Nolan recognized it as one of the milk bottles, but it now had golden water inside it. The Skulls ceased their attack as Skull Face tossed the bottle to Nolan. (End song.)
Back on the courtyard, Dimentia was able to KO most of the clones, but her legs were froze by Yuki, and her child self formed a Space Block and exploded it, melting the ice as Dimentia endured it. "You are holding yourself back." Valentine said.
"Huh?!" Dimentia gasped.
"I sense tremendous chi inside you, and yet you are restrained. It is just as the gods do not interfere even with quarrels among us spirits. I can only assume that, whatever you are, you act according to a similar law. You cannot interfere with our plan. Perhaps you will not interfere at all. Stop, my comrades!"
The parallels ceased as Valentine calmly approached Dimentia. "You are a very admirable woman… Dimentia." He raised his left hand and molded a beautiful rose of blue and white chi. "You are a woman who obeys the law. No matter what, you cannot break that law. For the sake of this universe's natural law, for the sake of our natural growth and progression, for the sake of our mission, you will not attack me. You cannot attack me. You cannot break these invisible chains."
Indeed… it felt like a thousand giant chains were binding her arms and legs. Even if she wanted to attack him, she couldn't. Although she could act in self-defense, she couldn't interfere with the natural fate of the universe. But still, she wished she could do more. Even warping all of her friends a moment ago was a dangerous move, but it didn't even matter.
Valentine turned and walked away. "But just in case, it's handy to have a bit of extra leverage." And so, he grabbed the statue of Jirachi and quickly jumped between two statues.
"HEY!" Dimentia ran up, but Valentine had disappeared. The parallels began to flee the area. Dimentia sensed Nolan fighting down on the main land, so she raced down the escalators.
"This is… Reflecting Water." Nolan said, holding the bottle close to his face. "What…What is…?!"
The gold water depicted an image of the Murphy Family, enjoying a nice dinner. However, their conversation came to a standstill when the Murphys became unable to speak, their vocals totally mute. The image changed to one of the Heartly Family: Jeremiah was delighted to have his wife and daughter back again. Unfortunately, the husband seemed to go silent suddenly. Nolan saw visions of Hoagie and Abby, Wallabee Beatles, and Bartie Stork going mute.
"Using a special 'upgrade' to my Zanpakutō, One That Covers is now able to harness the Sound Chi from language itself." Skull Face explained. "For the past year, I have sent my parasites inside of people to adapt with multiple different tongues. From them, they would be signaled to attack other people who spoke those languages. As a result, their voices have been completely absorbed by the parasites. They won't be speaking another word. Not in their own language, anyway."
"But that's impossible! Zanpakutō shouldn't have this large an effect on mortals!"
"Oh, Sandman, don't you know? There's always ways to bend the rules. While my Skulls only maintain their powers for a limited time, the effect of my Vocal Parasites is permanent. Ah, but I wonder if the Tower of Babel could restore their voices? After all, it brims with Meloetta's Sound Chi, it could surely defeat the Sound Chi that composes these parasites, while also giving them brand new voices."
"You just want me to open the Tower of Babel! But I'll force you to stop them MYSELF—AAAGH!"
Bayonetta landed a whipping kick to Nolan's gut before going to join Skull Face. Ibara had conjured twin stone pillars, from which Valentine returned with Jirachi's statue. Dimentia made it down the escalators and ran to help Nolan up, both facing the villains. "Dimentia, catch them! Use a Space Block, minimize them, something!"
"I…I can't."
"What?! What did they do to you?"
Again, Dimentia felt the invisible chains appear around her. "I can't… interfere… I'm sorry… Nolan…"
"What a shame…" Skull Face approached them. "A shame to be bound by the law. A shame to be forced to adapt to new laws."
Nolan ran to slash him, but Skull Face conjured a Black Coffin to trap the Sandman, piercing the coffin with energy spears from all around. The coffin dispersed as Sandman fell to the ground. "In time, the York name will disappear from the world, too, and you'll be but a phantom." Sandman glared up at Skull Face's black silhouette against the moon. "Your justice and identity will be forgotten with your legacy. But don't worry. My parasites won't kill anyone. All those poor people can adapt to the old languages, once I restore them."
Skull Face returned to Bayonetta and his accomplices. "I will restore the ancient voices, and restore the memory of the cultures that were lost. I will make a new home for them. And perhaps…" Skull Face raised his gun to his head, "this little one… can have a home, too."
Bayonetta twirled her swords and declared, "Madama Butterfly, Witch Time, is it?" Time completely slowed in her vision, and she pulled her allies in as well. With that, the four turned away and left the vicinity.
In Nolan's and Dimentia's vision, they had zipped away in a heartbeat. The Skulls and parallels resumed their attack as Nolan fought them off and Dimentia defended herself.
Soul Beams were fired at the monsters as Nolan saw Sector SCYTHE, REAP, and Emily appear. "YO, what the hell is goin' on?!" Beat rapped.
"Mr. York, was that Bayonetta?!" Maka Albarn asked. "Who was she with?"
Nolan struggled to respond, unable to wrap his head around all the events that had transpired. "Urgh…Balder is going to be really pissed…"