Leo stood in front of the Diamond State Branch and closed his eyes. He heard footsteps behind him and looked back to see Usagi. She crossed her arms and looked at Leo with a worried expression.
"I know what you're thinking...Why am I going through with this? I have to...for my son." Leo said and looked at the building.
"Leo, Claudio needs you. He still needs his real dad in his life. I need you...You can't go through with this." Usagi said.
Leo smiled at Usagi and walked toward her. He held her hand then pulled her toward him, hugging her. "If I die...give Claudio the news. Tell him that I love him."
Usagi grunted softly and held him tightly. "Leo..."
"I love you, Usagi...Always remember that..." Leo said, gently rubbing her head.
Usagi nodded and closed her eyes then let Leo go. "I love you too..."
Leo stepped back then handed Usagi his mask and transferred the Sacred Verse he held onto. "Give those to him if I fail to walk out of the building in an hour. My Joker's Mask...and the Sacred Verse, Wall of Protection."
Usagi noticed an angelic marking appear on her arm and looked at Leo, taking the mask. "Come back alive...I don't want to lose you. No one does you're too important to us to leave us..."
Leo gave Usagi a reassuring smile. "I won't make any promises, but I will promise one thing...Claudio will save everyone. I taught him everything he knows just about. If he has one thing...he certainly has my wits. I must go now... It's now or never."
Usagi nodded and watched Leo walk toward the building. "Good luck..."
Leo walked inside the building and noticed how empty it was. He pressed a button on the elevator then the doors opened. He walked inside and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms.
"Omega, answer me." Leo said.
"I hear you, Leo." Omega said.
"Do I have a chance of winning this fight?" Leo asked.
"That future is unclear, I have no way of knowing." Omega said.
Leo chuckled and had memories of him and I bonding over the course of his life. He shook his head and watched the numbers go up on the elevator. "Is that so..? Well if I end up dying...then I want you to grant me one wish..."
"State your wish, Leo." Omega said.
"When I die...send my entire being to Wonderland. Tell the Goddess of Wonderland...that I am going to kill her and stop her from merging with our world." Leo said.
Omega chuckled softly at Leo's request. "Are you sure you want that? Sending your entire being to Wonderland will mean that you will have no way of returning to this dimension. You will be stuck on Wonderland."
Leo smiled and shrugged. "Trust me, if anyone is going to stop Luke's plan, it will be me. Even after death, I will make sure Luke fails at all costs. No matter what. Also...Give Claudio my spirit. Even after death I want him to know that I'm always with him."
"Any other request? Make them good as this will be your last day in Madriax." Omega said.
Leo closed his eyes once again and exhaled softly. "Yeah, I have one last request. Take away Luke's Sacred Verse. Free Claudio of the Phantom...Tell Nexus to show him the truth in Neo Spring City. Make Nexus show him why he was chosen. Set my son free from this world of lies for good."
"As you wish." Omega said.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Leo opened his eyes and his eyes shined brightly. "It's time...It was nice knowing you, Omega. Until next time..."
"Until next time, Leo Reigns." Omega said.
Leo walked out of the elevator and walked toward Suxen's office. He walked into the office and noticed Suxen standing at the window.
"It was a matter of time, Leo." Suxen said then took off his mask.
"Luke, we end things now. Your reign of terror ends here." Leo said.
Suxen turned to look at Leo and smirked. He walked toward Leo and grunted softly. His chest shined brightly then the Sacred Verse he held was extracted from his body. "What the—"
Leo smirked and walked toward the chess table then sat down. "Have a seat, Luke. We shall settle things here...it started with chess and it ends with chess."
'My Sacred Verse...What the hell happened..?' Suxen thought to himself.
Suxen walked over to the chess table and sat down. "Well, I don't know what miracle you performed, but it won't help you now the playing field is equal..."
"Explain something to me, Luke. Why are you doing all of this? From the very moment you took Alice, gave her a child... you've been obsessed with Wonderland. Why?" Leo asked.
Suxen looked at Leo then smirked. "It's simple... Merging the two Dimensions together, Madriax and Wonderland, will cause the fall of the Cosmic Keystone. In other words, God will die as his life depends on the Core of Madriax. Merging both dimensions will destroy the core in which I will take its place. Alice being one of the strongest Alpha Angels to ever exist, her power is limitless...Her beauty forever shines...and once I make her spirit strong enough to rival even the likes of the Original Ones, I will take it and become the strongest being in existence."
"In other words, I will become God." Suxen said.
Leo glared at Suxen then scoffed. "You really are The Devil incarnate."
"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment." Suxen chuckled softly. "You see, Alice is more important than one might realize. Not even you know that Alice is the first Trinity Angel meaning, Alice is a child of Seraph City, but she's also connected to the Alice from the Dimension Wonderland."
"How so..?" Leo asked.
"Wonderland, although a different Dimension, is directly connected to Madriax, this dimension. That Dimension was created in the image of our dimension except it is more Maddening than ours. That in itself explains the Agents and Boss of Royal Greens and all who come from that area." Suxen explained then moved his pawn forward.
Leo looked at the pawn that was moved forward then looked back at Suxen.
"Alice and her Wonderland counterpart...are the same person. When I found that out, I knew my purpose. I knew I had to awaken her...I needed her power. I need her power as she is a Prime Source...the reason why the Wonder Point is even open." Suxen said.
"Wonder Point..?" Leo asked as he moved his pawn forward.
"It is like the Nexus Point. An anchor to different dimensions and realities. Once I gain enough power, I can truly control the Wonder Point with the Goddess of Wonderland...and merge our two realities." Suxen said.
"I won't let that happen." Leo said.
Suxen laughed and stared at Leo. "Then prove you have the means of stopping me...prove to me that you are the hero this world calls for!"
"Watch and learn, Luke Rose..." Leo said.
...
...
...
Leo moved his queen forward and closed his eyes. "Check."
Suxen fixed his tie and smirked. He chuckled softly and looked at Leo, noticing that he was staring at the chess board. "You're quite good at this game...Each round I have tried to best you, but never even came close. How do you do it?"
"Your moves are easy to read. Predictable." Leo said and kept staring at the board.
"What will you do when you're met with an unpredictable situation? Like this one.." Suxen said and moved his bishop into an attacking position. "You've played into my hands. If you move your queen, my rook takes it. If you don't move your queen, my bishop takes it..."
Leo stared at the board then moved his rook only far enough to block the bishop. "I find my own way to success. I can see your every move, Mr. Rose. I can tell you're trying to understand my mindset, but you can't."
Suxen laughed and clapped his hands. He stared at me and moved his rook down into attacking position to take Leo's queen. "Now what?"
Leo moved his last pawn up to protect the queen. "You realize you can't move your King anywhere therefore your attempts of trapping me becomes apparent...more clear. All you have to work with is your last rook and bishop...Strength in numbers mean nothing to me. One asset is all I need to clear the board. As they always say...It is lonely at the top. Check."
Suxen chuckled and stood up. "Is that how you've beaten the allegations and how you rose to the top? Staying ten steps ahead of your targets? Of the law? Even rivals can't compete with you when it comes down to overthrowing you."
"For a man like me who has many enemies, it is important for me to stay on the top no matter what. You lose, Luke." Leo said and stood up.
"Well I certainly agree with that logic, Mr. Reigns! I certainly do.." Suxen said and walked toward the window and stared out the window. "However..."
Leo looked back and groaned as Suxen fired a bullet at him, hitting him in the chest then three more bullets hit him. Leo fell back on the table and grunted in pain, watching Suxen walk toward him.
"It is quite lonely at the top... Don't worry...I will take care of your business. I won't let it go to waste." He said then fired a bullet through Leo's head.
_____________________________
Usagi heard the gunshots and grunted softly. She looked at her watch and noticed an hour had passed since Leo walked inside the building. "Leo...don't tell me..."
Suxen walked toward his desk and pressed a button to make a public announcement. "Attention all citizens of Diamond State!"
Usagi grunted as she heard Suxen's voice. She felt her heart drop the moment he started speaking. She noticed everyone stopped in their tracks to listen to Suxen's announcement.
"I am proud to pronounce that Leo Reigns, a man amongst many, the man known for his abilities, is now dead!" Suxen said.
Usagi heard the murmurs of everyone around her and looked around. Tears began to form into her eyes and she took a step back. She looked at the mask Leo gave her and grunted. The memories of her and Leo flashed in her head as Suxen's words echoed in her head.
Everyone looked at Usagi and watched her run off quickly. Usagi hurried over to Royal Greens with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Why..? Why..?! Why did you have to go..!" Usagi softly cried.
Arabella watched Usagi run off then closed her eyes. She lowered her head and balled her hands into fists. "Are you happy now..? You killed the one man that could stand in your way...Are you happy now Luke..?"
Everleigh placed her hand on Arabella's shoulder. She could feel Arabella's growing sadness and noticed her Wonder Energy form around her body. She looked at the Diamond State Branch and her eyes shined.
__________________________
The next day arrived and I sat up on a bed then looked around. I noticed I was in an hotel and saw Elma getting ready for the day. I got out of bed and looked at her then noticed Chassie helping Elma get ready.
I walked toward them and tilted my head. "Elma..? Chassie..?"
Elma looked back and noticed I was finally awake then smiled. "You're awake..."
I stared at them and Dearie placed her hand on my chest, stopping me from getting ready to attack.
"They helped you recover, Claudio. You freed them from Ryan, remember?" Dearie said.
I looked at Dearie then calmed down and exhaled. "Right..."
"It's only a day before the ball, but before we go get you a nice suit...You need to see this..." Chassie said and walked to me, showing her phone to me.
I looked at Chassie's phone and my eyes widened as I noticed the article. I snatched her phone out of her hand then reread what the article said just to be sure I was reading it correctly. My heart thumped hard and I grunted and fell to my knees.
"C-Claudio?" Elma said worriedly.
She walked toward me and grunted as she noticed my Wrath Symbol shining brightly. Chassie grew afraid as well and quickly grabbed Elma's arm.
I dropped the phone and gripped my chest, softly panting. I closed my eyes tightly then shook my head. "No...this is fake news..! My dad would never lose to a monster like him...! Tell me it's fake right now..."
"Claudio, it's—"
"Shut up and tell me it's fake right now!" I yelled then my dark energy surrounded my body.
Chassie squeaked a bit and hid behind Elma. "This energy..!"
I stared at the screen and grit my teeth. "Of all the things to wake up to...Of all the things...I won't accept this...This is something I will never forgive! Never!"
Elma looked down at me with a sad expression. She walked toward me and crouched down then placed her hand on my shoulder. "I wish it weren't true either...I really do, Claudio...but it's true..."
"Don't fucking touch me..." I said and smacked her hand away from me.
Elma flinched back and stood up quickly then watched me stand up.
I grunted and felt myself about to explode. I quickly left the hotel room and felt my heart racing. All of my memories of Leo quickly flashed in my head and my heart began beating harder.
"First Mom...now Dad..?! Why?! Why does he have to take everyone away?!" I yelled.
"Claudio wait!" Elma said then chased after me.
Chassie didn't want to chase after me, but was worried about me as much as Elma was. She hurried after the two of us.
Addis noticed I ran out of the street and grunted heavily, feeling my dark energy then saw Elma and Chassie chasing after me. "What the hell..?"
Aria noticed as well and hurried toward Addis. "Was that Claudio?!"
"Yes, it was. Something is wrong. I'm going after them." Addis said then quickly ran after us.
I made it to the outskirts of the city and felt my thump even harder and fell to my knees. I kept trying to hold back my pain, but the more I held back the more I wanted to explode. I grunted then let out a yell that came from the deepest parts of my soul.
Elma grunted as she noticed my aura creating a pillar of light at the sky and expand. She stopped in her tracks hearing my scream echo across the sky. Chassie stopped as well and her body shuddered as she felt my ever growing energy.
Aria noticed the pillar of light in the sky and stared at it in awe. She looked around and noticed everyone else stopping to look at the pillar of light as well. She looked back at the pillar of light then noticed fbe clouds shining gold. "Is...that Claudio..?"
Cecilia and Verin also noticed and felt the powerful surge of energy. Cecilia looked at her phone and read the article once again and lowered her hand. Verin stared in complete awe of what she was witnessing. She watched the pillar of light disappear and the clouds go back to normal.
I gripped the grass and cried for the first time in forever. "Dad...Why? Why did you have to go..? I still need you..!"
Addis made it toward me and noticed me on the ground then noticed Usagi walking toward me. He noticed her get down on one knee.
I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder then looked up to be met face to face with Usagi. Usagi hugged me tightly and held me in her embrace. I could tell she was just as destroyed as I was. I didn't hug back...I lacked the strength to even bring myself to return her embrace.
"I'm so sorry...I tried to talk him out of it...I did, I tried..." Usagi softly said. Her voice was breaking. She resonated with my pain and inner suffering.
I stayed silent. At this point I didn't know if I could go forward with anything after losing the one person I didn't ever want to lose.
Usagi pulled away and transferred the Sacred Verse to me, but I didn't care enough to read it and Nexus knew that and just bestowed me the ability.
[Acquired a New Spell: Wall of Protection.]
Usagi showed me Leo's mask and handed it to me. "Leo wanted me to give you something that is extremely important to him. The Joker's Mask..."
I looked at the mask then took it from Usagi's hand. I could feel Leo's presence and the mask faintly shined. I gripped the mask tightly and closed my eyes.
Usagi looked at me then looked down. "I loved him like he was my husband...I know you don't want another mother other than Alice, but if you need anything—"
I hugged Usagi and held her tightly. Usagi looked at me and hugged me back. She could feel my wavering spirit, my confusion, my distraught.
"I promise...to never leave you..." Usagi said and rubbed my hair the same way my mom and Leo did when I was upset.
Addis felt my Willpower wavering and grunted softly. "What happened..?"
"Leo Reigns is dead is what happened..." Eve said.
Addis looked at Eve and crossed his arms. He softly grunted and closed his eyes. "How..? He had enough power to rival even me...Is Suxen really that much stronger..?"
"Answers to that is unknown, but we do know...without Leo, your chances of winning against The Anti have significantly dropped. We have no way of beating Suxen as of now and our only hope lies with Claudio." Eve said.
Addis looked at me and gripped his sleeve. "With his mental state...He won't be able to do anything for some time. The day before the ball as well..."
"He will recover. Just give him some space to think and be sad. For now, we are to take his place." Eve said.
"I'm connected to Claudio...and with his Willpower significantly weakened, I am weakened as well, but I will do all I can to prevent a war." Addis said.