"HERREEEEEE!" Chihiro shouted as she, Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster were transported to a dark, cool cavern with a floor covered in skeletal appendages all arranged to look a bit like a battlefield's cage.

Chihiro groaned as she plonked headfirst onto the cold stone, shook her head and looked up as a bright, silver light cascaded over the battlefield! Sure enough, the Eternal Undead Source loomed on top of everything around, with its round-oval shaped body silvery in color and bright like the moon while an oddly-shaped skull bobbed in its heart. Its undead aura was a striking chill among the already-frightening sights of the citadel and surrounding underrealms; just being around it made Chihiro feel so weak, even with her amulet's protective magic. They'd better make this quick, then!

"What was that containment spell Master Eon taught me for this?" Chihiro whispered as she tapped a finger against her chin and beamed. "Oh, right!"

Chihiro tapped her heels against the cold stone below her, and magical springs emerged from the soles of her boots! She took a few hops to make sure they worked, and once she was certain, she knelt down and made one big leap into the skies! (Or, lack thereof given they were in a building.)

Chihiro beamed as she felt the cold undead breeze in her hair, and summed up a pair of wings to keep her airborne. Now that she was safely above everyone else, Chihiro flew towards the Eternal Undead Source and held her hands around it. Its power seeped into her very body at such a rate that her whole person shuddered with weakness, but she tried to push that thought to the back of her mind as she envisioned its containment method. Before she could, something slammed into her and smacked her straight towards a nearby wall!

Chihiro screamed out as she balled through the skies, and the pain was surprisingly more intense than what she normally got from sudden injuries; though that might have been the Eternal Undead Source's work, now that she thought about it. Either way, the pain quickly subsided as something cool and scaly grabbed onto her! Chihiro shuddered for a moment as the pain coursed through her, but as she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into the eyes of none other than Cynder.

"You alright, Chihiro?" Cynder whispered as she pulled Chihiro onto her back and flew down to the ground.

Chihiro whimpered, but forced a nod as she opened her eyes and stumbled off Cynder's back. Chihiro frowned as she rubbed her aching head and looked up—just what was that thing that attacked her? They should've been the only ones here, right?

Wrong. A familiar cackle resounded from nowhere, one shrill and bone-chilling kind of like, Ghost Roaster's voice? Hex and Cynder must have had the same thought, as they both immediately turned and looked at him!

"Hey, don't look at me!" Ghost Roaster exclaimed as he threw up his hands. "I'm not the one laughing about this!"

"He's right!" affirmed a shrill voice not that far off.

Everybody turned to their front once more as a big purple and gray blur shot in front of them, while two other silhouettes manifested among twin puffs of dark purple smoke! The blur steadied itself soon enough to unveil an identical clone of Ghost Roaster, save for its body made of dark purple and gray energy as opposed to Ghost Roaster's bone and cloth, and its eyes which were white and blank.

The silhouettes beside it stepped from the smoke and unveiled themselves as well; their appearances were akin to Hex and Chop Chop's, save for the similar matter-filled bodies and evil auras. The two of them grinned as low cackles escaped their lips, and their presence added a subtle, menacing aura to the area around. More importantly, something about them felt... Off. They seemed stronger than the average clones, their bodies radiant with raw power and menacing feelings.

"Wait, weird clones?" Chihiro exclaimed as she took a step back and instinctively readied a magic sphere. "That can only mean—"

"MUA HA HA!" cried a quite familiar booming voice as a blue light cast over and colored the area around!

Everybody looked up as the simple light turned to a bright flash, gasped and stepped back as Kaos's holographic head made its way into the Eternal Undead Source's humble hideaway! But while Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster just snarled with anger, Chihiro's legs trembled without her even realizing! Just the sight of him brought back memories of their last confrontation at the Fairy Kingdom, and the sheer look of bloodthirsty malice in his eyes as he struck in to kill her.

No, what was she doing? Chihiro shook her head, and forced a grin as she balled her hand into a fist. After all, she got a lot stronger since then, right? There was no way Kaos could possibly beat them now, and she'd show him! She'd take the Eternal Undead Source right from his grubby little hands and show him who's boss!

"Ha!" Chihiro scoffed as she stepped forward and forced a smile, her stance more confident that she really was. "Sorry to say, Kaos, but you're too slow this time! We found the Eternal Undead Source first, and we'll be the ones to take it back home!"

"Oh, really?" Kaos sneered as he cast down a piercing glare, one that stopped Chihiro's heart for just a few moments. "You really thought you could interlope your way to the Eternal Undead Source under my magnificent evil nose, didn't you, you interlopers?" Kaos snarled a snarl so wide it showed off his sharp, rotten fangs. "WELL TOO BAD, SO SAD! THE ETERNAL UNDEAD SOURCE IS MY EVIL PROPERTY, AND I WON'T STAND FOR YOU STEALING IT!"

Kaos's snarl leered over Chihiro as his eyes tensed down at them all. "After all, I already knew you were coming!"

"YOU DID?"

Chihiro gasped and stepped back as her legs continued to shudder. Something in her gut told her she wasn't going to like the answer to this.

"Of course I did! I laid magnificently evil traps of doom for you and everything!" Kaos's snarl turned to a smirk as he raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you find anything suspicious about those knights? Or the spiders? Or perhaps even the masses of guards at the castle doors?"

This time, Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster gasped as they steeled their gazes at Kaos, but Chihiro couldn't find it in her to join them. Rather, her chest tightened up as the earlier fights and trials flickered back into her mind—so he was here all along!

"Well, even if you managed to get past my magnificent evil traps of doom, you still won't be leaving here unscathed!" Kaos proclaimed as the Eternal Undead Source glowed brighter beside him. "While you were gallivanting around the castle, I used the Eternal Undead Source to power up my minions! Now they're even more powerful than before!" Kaos cackled while his own hologram's light glowed brighter in tandem with the Eternal Undead Source. "THE ETERNAL UNDEAD SOURCE IS MINE, I TELL YOU! MINE!"

"NOT IF IT GET IT FIRST!"

Chihiro raced forward right as a pair of spring-loaded boats manifested on her feet, bent down and sprung up to the Eternal Undead Source! The blood rushed to her head as she drew closer to the Eternal Undead Source, but the moment she faced it, something swatted her down onto the ground! Chihiro crashed down with a nasty crack and winced as her body ached, uet grunted as Kaos's cackle resounded in her ears.

"Did you really think a stupid trick like that would stop me, portal-poster?" Kaos glowered as he glared down Chihiro. "Seems like you haven't learned a thing from our last confrontation!"

Chihiro let out a shrill, barely-there gasp as her eyes went wide, and turned her attention back to Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster, who all gave her wide-eyed looks that were silent with shock.

"Last confrontation?" Cynder repeated as she drew closer to Chihiro. "Chihiro, what's he talking about?"

Kaos paid no mind to Chihiro and Cynder's conversation. Rather, he cast his gaze back to the Eternal Undead Source as his holographic head glowed brighter, and in response, a sickly purple and black fog formed around the Eternal Undead Source! This fog swirled its way down to Kaos's evil minions, who embraced it with open arms as the fog seeped into their bodies and made them glow with a faint, silver halo. In that moment, the minions' strange aura grew stronger and more threatening, while they seemed even more ghostly than usual, almost as if being around them would suck the life out of someone.

"Enough of the talking! Evil Skeleton Knight, Evil Elf Witch, Evil Skull Imp, show the portal-poster and the Skylosers what we do to interlopers!"

The minions all cackled in unison with Kaos, but squealed as a tiny spark of lightning zapped them.

"And quit laughing! I'm the only one who's allowed to laugh here!"

As Kaos vanished, the minions groaned and rubbed their aching, burnt heads, their intimidating stature forgotten for a mere moment. But, as they locked eyes with Chihiro, Hex, Cynder and Ghost Roaster, they quickly regained this frightening stature! Their blank faces turned to burning scowls as that silver halo glowed bright around them, and they all dashed forward!

The Evil Skeleton Knight was the first to strike, its sword flared with purple fire as it dashed forward and got ready to slice Chihiro in half! Luckily, Chihiro herself teleported out of its way and closer to Cynder! Cynder shot bolts of pitch-black lightning towards the Evil Skeleton Knight, but it was quick to nullify her lightning with its shield! Cynder winced and jumped back as the Evil Skeleton Knight slashed at her, but that wasn't the end of it! It continued to slash and slice away, all while she barely dodged and jumped; with an enemy as unrelenting as this, it was impossible to land a clean blow.

So, Chihiro narrowed her eyes, summoned a longsword of her own and teleported between Cynder and the Evil Skeleton Knight! Right as the Skeleton Knight swung its sword and got ready to crash down, Chihiro swung her own and blocked it mid-blow!

"You're not the only one who can play with swords, you know!" Chihiro shouted as she ground her own longsword against the Evil Skeleton Knight.

With a grunt, she swung her sword forward and tossed the Evil Skeleton Knight's sword well out of its grasp! The sword flew through the air for moments with its trajectory set right for Hex's showdown with the Evil Elf Witch! The two of them, however, were so absorbed in the fight that they couldn't bring themselves to look away from each other as they cast orbs of eldritch magic, but Hex soon froze out of nowhere and teleported away!

"Hey!" the Evil Elf Witch shouted as it looked around for Hex. "Come back and face me, you coward!"

The Evil Elf Witch looked around and gasped as the Evil Skeleton Knight's sword shot straight towards it! It was quick enough to dodge before the sword could cut into it, but the momentary distraction hadn't shielded it from Hex, unfortunately!

"Something wicked your way comes!" Hex hissed as she reappeared in a puff of purple and black, smoky tendrils behind the Evil Elf Witch!

The Evil Elf Witch twisted its head around and got ready to attack, but it was too slow! Before it could even respond, Hex blasted it in the chest with a skull orb and shot it right across their battlefield! It could only cry out as it skidded across the floors, and also made the perfect roadblock for the Evil Skull Imp! The Evil Skull Imp immediately tripped over the Evil Elf Witch as it charged after Ghost Roaster; its gigantic skull form broke and it returned to normal as it bonked its head against the stone floors!

It groaned as it sat back up and rubbed its head, and shot a glare at the Evil Elf Witch. "Watch it, you—" the Evil Skull Imp cried, only to get socked on the face with an eldritch orb before it could finish!

"You need to look where you're going!" the Evil Elf Witch retorted with a scowl.

The Evil Skull Imp rubbed its head and growled as it looked back at the Evil Elf Witch, but froze as a low cackle sounded off.

"It's right, you know!" Ghost Roaster remarked as the sound of something spinning in the air echoed throughout the cavern. "You never know what's lurking in the shadows!"

Before either of them could reply, Ghost Roaster manifested out of thin air and smacked them aside with his chains! They screamed as they flew in the air, and as they skidded aside, they crashed into an oblivious Evil Skeleton Knight before collapsing in a heap! The three minions all groaned, but their exhaustion was quickly forgotten as they jumped back onto their feet and into the fray!

Though Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster immediately jumped after them and attacked, their attacks were completely matched! Cynder's lighting nullified the moment it hit the Evil Skeleton Knight's shields while the Evil Skull Imp swallowed her ghosts alive, and Hex's own skulls and magic blasts veered off course frm a wall of bones the Evil Elf Witch summoned and shot towards Ghost Roaster instead! Ghost Roaster grunted as an orb conked him in the head, and knocked him down and out of his giant skull form, but he didn't get much time to rest. While he laid down and rubbed his skull, his eyes went wide as the Evil Skeleton Knight charged towards him with swords raised.

Chihiro gasped as Ghost Roaster narrowly dodged the Evil Skeleton Knight, but frowned as she summoned a second sword and held both those swords tight. The fight seemed pretty evenly matched, but if she could get the Eternal Undead Source, she could tip the scales in their favor! Once she got it, surely she could undo that weird spell Kaos put on those minions and finish this up!

Her frown spread from ear to ear as she dashed towards where the still-smoking Eternal Undead Source hovered in midair, leaped up and swung her swords against the fog. Kaos may have put some weird spell on it, but some fog wouldn't be enough to stop her, not when she came this far! The fog, however, just yanked the swords by their blades and spat them out like a bad snack! Chihiro gasped as her blades strike the ground below, but she wasn't going to give up yet! So, she summoned a hammer and slammed it through the fog, but the fog just dissipated and reformed right as it swung! Guess weapons were useless here; so, Chihiro summoned a couple spheres and tossed them into the fog, but they only bounced off like the rest! Geez, Kaos really pulled out the stops with this fog spell, didn't he?

"How do you get rid of this thing?" Chihiro exclaimed as her head spun. Seems as though it didn't block that weird, life-sapping aura the Eternal Undead Source held, either.

Chihiro panted as she floated back down to the floor and lurched over. Sweat crept down her brow as she rattled her tired brain for something, anything that would help with something like this, but she was so tired and dizzy that nothing came to mind! Come on, think, brain, think! Chihiro whimpered as she held her hung head, but a sizzling sound drew her attention towards the ceiling. Though her dizziness made it a little hard to tell, it kind of seemed like there was a weird, white speck glowing against the ceiling, but maybe it was just her imagination?

Chihiro squinted as she tried to get a better view, but ultimately she didn't need to. The little white speck glowed brighter and brighter, all while the sizzling sound buzzed in her ears! Just what was this thing? Chihiro winced as she slapped her hands against her ears, screamed and leaped back as a gigantic laser shot down and out of nowhere!

"Wait, when did that get here?" Chihiro exclaimed.

She frowned as the laser finally vanished into thin air, but two more slammed down inches beside her! Soon, two lasers became three, ten, twenty; it was pointless counting them, for these lasers spawned like rabbits on the battlefield and blocked everyone else off from the evil minions! Not that the evil minions were high priority in anyone's minds anymore, for right now, they were all more focused on not getting seared!

"Owch!" Cynder yelped as a laser burned one of her wings before she took to the skies.

She breathed easy for a moment, but her breath was too quickly taken, for a bunch of lasers rained down from the ceiling and tried to shoot her down! Cynder gasped as she wove through their lightning assault, but in the end, there were far too many to avoid! While she dodged, a trio of lasers shot right into her wing with such force that it blew her against the battlefield.

She wasn't the only one dodging, either! Back down on the ground, Ghost Roaster and Hex jumped and teleported and ran every which way as lasers shot out from every angle, but they were so preoccupied with the lasers, they forgot to take notice of their other obstacle—each other! Ghost Roaster jumped away from a laser that strung across the right the same moment that Hex teleported away left, and both of them smacked right into each other! Ghost Roaster grunted as he conked his head against Hex, and he jolted up as Hex let out an agonizing scream and turned around!

"Hex!" Ghost Roaster exclaimed as he yanked her out of a particularly large laser's path. "What was that for?"

Hex, however, just grunted and shuddered as she held a hand tight around her arm. Her whole body seemed to glow with a faint light, but it was hard to tell when there were so many lasers crashing everywhere.

"Your arm!" Ghost Roaster gasped as he crept towards Hex and tried to get a better look, but she just drew back and panted.

"I'm, I'm fine," Hex gasped as she lurched back to her full height. "Just, just where are these, these lasers coming from?"

That's what Chihiro wanted to know, too! She spun around as one laser crashed down below, leaped out the way of two more and peered up. She took a glance at the Eternal Undead Source's foggy prison, where a cage of lasers enveloped it as well; as if she didn't need more things to worry about! Chihiro snarled as she dashed out the way of another laser, summoned a new pair of swords and leaped up towards the laser prison!

"HI-YAH!"

Chihiro slashed her swords straight through the lasers, and the lasers completely vanished in an explosion of light! Chihiro grinned as the light faded around her, sniffed and frowned. Something around here smelled kind of burnt, but why?

Chihiro frowned, looked down at her swords, and screamed as she got her answer! Holes were torn into a magical surface that bubbled like red-hot metal, all while white light wafted off of their blades. It didn't last for long, as the bubbles ate away at the swords and they dissipated into nothingness.

The lasers around retracted back into the walls and ceiling right as her swords' light faded away! Normally this probably would have been a good thing, but given that this was right as the evil minions rushed across the battlefield, light on their feet (or notable lack of feet in the Evil Skull Imp's case) as they got ready to attack down below, it was just one problem traded for another!

Chihiro frowned and turned her attention back to the Eternal Undead Source. No, she couldn't worry about them right now! Once she got the Eternal Undead Source, she'd be able to turn the tides plenty! Chihiro narrowed her eyes, slammed into the fog and plunged her arms inside its thick mist! The fog bent inwards like rubber as she pressed further, and finally, she came to a stop. No matter how hard she pushed, the fog just wouldn't budge! As she leaned in and pressed further, however, the fog just snapped back and sent her hurtling through the air!

Chihiro screamed as she slammed against the wall, shook her head and forced herself to keep hovering above. Just down below, she could spy Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster as they fought against those evil minions, their blows and dodges equally matched—save for Hex, who seemed a bit slower than the Evil Elf Witch as they traded magic spheres. But in the end, the clatter and screams and blows of their fight were only white noise in Chihiro's mind. They could handle their own just fine for now; she needed to hurry up and get that Eternal Undead Source before Kaos came back!

Chihiro screamed as she launched herself towards the fog again, but once again, it sucked her in and spat her back out! So, she teleported to the other side and slammed in it there, but once again it tossed her out! Chihiro grimaced as she got ready to slam into the fog once more, but before she could, a bloodcurling scream pierced her ears! Worse yet, it wasn't just any bloodcurling scream—no, she recognized the voice it came from!

"Hex!" Chihiro cried as she looked back down at the battlefield.

Hex grunted as she slammed against the arena walls from the force an eldritch orb, and she tried to pull herself back up, but it was fruitless. It was all she could do was slink against the wall and pant. Surely she was in no condition for fighting!

The Evil Elf Witch grinned a horrifying grin as it readied a gigantic orb well above them both, fully ready to kill Hex where she laid. Before it could finish, Chihiro zoomed down, tackled it aside and completely disrupted its spell! The Evil Elf Witch, however, hardly noticed that while it slammed into the wall.

"Oh no you don't!" Chihiro shouted as she lifted a sphere of her own above the Evil Elf Witch and got ready to finish it off.

But before she could, Chihiro herself was interrupted by a laser shooting right through her sphere! Chihiro squeaked and rolled out of the lasers' path as her magic sphere disappeared into fading light. She pressed her back against the ground and tried her hardest to avoid the lasers' bright, searing light…

"AUGH!"

Chihiro gasped as she heard a strained cry from Hex, and turned her gaze back around to see Hex collapse underneath the lasers' grid! Chihiro crawled forward at record speed, grabbed Hex's hand and teleported to a corner that was thankfully laser-free. Chihiro grimaced as she laid Hex down on the coolest part of the corner and—oh no, this was bad!

The skin around Hex's arms was covered in charred, dark blue burn marks, all while white smoke wafted from skin that bubbled like it burned away! It wasn't the only one of its kind, either. These burns spread to her shoulders, her hands, part of her face, and perhaps even more of her body, all while that shining, silver glow haloed her body. Just being around her made Chihiro's stomach churn…

"You just rest, Hex," Chihiro whimpered as she stood up and summoned twin magical swords, her eyes fixed on the Eternal Undead Source. "I'll finish this mess—"

Before Chihiro could run, though, a large bony bramble tore through the ground below them as it lunged right at Chihiro and Hex! Chihiro winced as she sliced the bramble away with her swords, but it wasn't the only one on the way—at least ten more barreled towards them! Chihiro grimaced and sliced away the brambles, and she caught the Evil Skeleton Knight right as it ran away. That piece of crap! She needed to get the Eternal Undead Source, but she knew Hex was in no position to defend herself from it…

Chihiro stood there, frozen in contemplation, but jolted into reality as a round of gigantic skulls flew out beside her and smashed through the brambles!

"G-Go…" Hex winced as she held out a hand seared with white smoke and cyan magic. "Quickly…"

Chihiro nodded, and with a snap of her fingers, she formed a cyan, magical barrier formed around Hex. Hopefully it would be enough to keep those lasers away from Hex long enough to get the Eternal undead Source! Chihiro dashed ahead and leaped over a laser, her eyes fixed on the Eternal Undead Source, yet skidded aside as a massive black lightning bolt shot right in front of her!

Chihiro gasped and skidded back as she turned her glance aside. Across from her, Cynder had her paws full as she fended off both the Evil Elf Witch and the Evil Skull Imp at once! She'd jump out the way as the Evil Skull Imp dashed at her from every angle and shot off the Evil Elf Witch's blasts, all while she tried to shoot off attacks that were just barely successful at best. She was so busy defending that she couldn't do anything else, and not just attacking, either. She was so fixed on the two of them that she didn't even notice the Evil Skeleton Knight creep up on her!

"CYNDER!" Chihiro cried as she stepped forward and slashed away another wave of bone brambles. "Behind you!"

Unfortunately, Chihiro's warning came far too late! The Evil Skeleton Knight already bashed Cynder into the side of the arena with its shield! Cynder cried out as she slammed into the wall, pulled herself up and opened her mouth. Sparks of black lightning crackled at her lips, but, something was off! Her legs trembled really badly, as if it took all her strength to stand! A glance at Cynder's wings showed just what was wrong; like Hex, her wings were burnt and bubbled away, all while that same silver halo glowed around them!

It seemed as though the Evil Skeleton Knight noticed this, because it immediately rushed forward and slashed Cynder's shoulder! The blow came so quickly thatCynder could only cry out and fall down as blood formed in the newborn gash and pooled down her front legs.

"CYNDER!" Chihiro cried as the last of the lasers receded.

With the lasers not a problem for now, Chihiro bent her knees and got ready to run, but before she could, something large and purple zipped in front of her and she fell down! Chihiro jumped back to her feet and readied her swords as that same purple blur made a u-turn and smashed straight into her! Luckily, her swords were more than enough to keep it from balling her down, and more importantly, gave her enough time to discern the comet's identity—a souped up Evil Skull Imp!

"Sorry, you little portal-poster!" the Evil Skull Imp cackled as it ground further against Chihiro's swords and sent magical sparks flying everywhere. "Your time is up!"

"I wouldn't count on that just yet!" cried another shrill voice much like the Skull Imp's own as a green blur tossed it aside—Ghost Roaster!

The Evil Skull Imp growled as it transformed into its giant skull formed once more and took Ghost Roaster head-on! The two of them clashed and smashed against each other like warring comets, so fixated on each other and so evenly matched that their blows did little to throw each other off—but the return of the lasers certainly did! Right before Ghost Roaster could charge into the Evil Skull Imp, a laser slammed into him and spun him aside! Ghost Roaster stopped himself mid-spin and charged back for the Evil Skull Imp, yet veered off the course for another attack as a laser cut through his path! He bounced from side to side as more lasers showed up at every avenue, but it seemed like wherever he turned, another one popped up! It seemed like he completely forgot about the Evil Skull Imp as he turned every which way.

That was his mistake, as out of nowhere the Evil Skull Imp leaped forward and crashed right into him! The blow was so intense that it slammed Ghost Roaster against the wall with a nasty CRACK, and as he slunk back down the wall, he groaned and returned back to his original form. Except now, there was a large, nasty-looking crack in his head that leaked a glowing green ooze! The rest of the bone in his head wasn't much better as it turned brittle and decayed.

"Ghost Roaster!" Chihiro cried as Ghost Roaster slunk down the wall, but shuddered as a cold feeling crept down her back.

This was bad, really bad! Cynder, Hex and Roaster were all down for the count, but the evil minions were still souped up and ready to fight, and she was all alone! Could this get any worse?

Right as Chihiro summoned her swords and got ready to fight, a booming, sickening cackle stopped Chihiro's heart while it echoed throughout the room and froze them all in place. Stupid, stupid, she really had to go and say that, didn't she?

"HELLO AGAIN, INTERLOPERS!" Kaos boomed as his holographic head swirled back into existence with a sickeningly proud smile. "How did you like my EVIL LIFE-SAPPING LASERS OF DOOMLASERS?!"

Wait, life-sapping lasers? Don't tell her… As the image of Cynder and Hex getting slammed by those lasers flashed back into her mind, Chihiro gasped while the swords clanged onto the ground beside her. Those lasers, they were literally eating away at their bodies, their very life! No wonder they were weaker than usual!

If Chihiro wasn't in such a panic right now, she probably would've mocked Kaos's awful sensibility when it came to names, but that was the last thing on her mind right now! All she could do was watch with big, horrified eyes as Kaos's holographic head continued to laugh in her face!

"Shocked speechless, are we?" Kaos's smile grew wider as he laughed. "Ha! As to be expected when dealing with me, the ultimate evil overlord of all Skylands! Bet you're regretting trying to take my Eternal Source now, huh?"

"It's not yours, Kaos!" Cynder hissed as she forced herself to stand despite her injuries. "It belongs…"

"In the Core of Light," Kaos crowed before he rolled his eyes and scoffed. "BAH, WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR STUPID CORE!" Kaos's eyes glowed a brighter, shinier blue as he snarled. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about THE EVILEST LASERS OF ULTIMATE DOOOMMMMM!"

Everybody gasped and braced themselves as Kaos's holographic head shone like an evening star and shot bright, silver light all across the room, and as the light faded, a single, barely-there laser beam shot across the battlefield. Wait, this was the evilest laser of ultimate doom? This was barely a laser! Chihiro frowned and tapped it with her foot, but yelped and drew back as it scorched her–only for the pain to fade in an instant!

While everyone on the battlefield watched the sole laser with a bit of confusion, Kaos's eyes widened in utter shock.

"CURSES!" Kaos exclaimed as his holographic head flipped through the pages of a thorny-looking spellbook. "I USED THE WRONG SPELL!" Kaos snarled and turned his head aside. "GLUMSHANKS! WHERE'S MY ULTIMATE LASER SPELLBOOK OF ULTIMATE EVIL DOOM!"

"You don't need to announce it like its big-paper news, Lord Kaos," said another, very tired-sounding voice off-holograph while Kaos's snarl deepened. "Besides, I thought you were holding it right there?"

"NO, IT ISN'T! THIS IS JUST A STUPID REGULAR LASER SPELLBOOK! GET ME MY ULTIMATE LASER SPELLBOOK THIS INSTANT!"

"But, it says 'Ultimate Laser Spellbook of Ultimate Evil Doom' on the cover—"

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR EXCUSES, I ASKED FOR A SPELLBOOK!"

While Kaos and Glumshanks bickered, Chihiro's eyes lit up with a light of realization. Kaos was completely distracted, she had a chance now! Thus, she turned her attention back to Cynder and Ghost Roaster and—oh no! Those evil minions completely ganged up on poor Cynder and Ghost Roaster! They were only seconds away from attacking; there was no way Chihiro would make it over there in time! But still, she had to do something! Anything would work!

So, she thrust out her hands and let out an ear-piercing scream! As she screamed, one by one, three gigantic energy spheres shot out from her hands and crashed straight into the evil minions!

Those evil minions tried to run off, but the spheres came in much faster than they could leave. Before they could break free, the spheres captured them and exploded! Everybody around winced and shielded their eyes as a bright blue explosion cast around the area, and lifted their eyes to find that the evil minions were no more! All that was left was a dusting of cyan magic sparkles paired with dark purple and gray energy spheres! Yes, she did it!

Chihiro knelt down and got ready to teleport away, but froze as the spheres rattled and shook before they completely flew off! Wait, where were they going? Chihiro turned her attention to the spheres, but before she could figure out their target, another bright flash of light, this time colored silver, rang across the battlefield and completely blinded them all! It wasn't just blinding, either—it was like the more Chihiro basked in it, the sicker she felt!

It was all Chihiro could do to frantically teleport to Cynder and Ghost Roaster's side, lift them up and teleport back to Hex as the light faded. Chihiro winced as she looked over Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster, all in a shape far too bad for the fight ahead. There was no way they'd be able to stand fighting Kaos, but they had to get the Eternal Undead Source back still! Maybe there was some way Chihiro herself could…

Chihiro shrilly gasped, lurched down and pressed her hands against the cold battlefield. All of a sudden, she felt something akin to death come over her, something that made her head light and her heart weak. She could barely keep her concentration long enough to see her amulet, which was now duller than before. Its glow started to fade, and its protective spell would surely be next! Chihiro winced as she lifted the amulet up with cold, shaky palms, but fell flat on her face as a powerful rumble echoed throughout the battlefield paired with a bright, all-encompassing light! Chihiro whimpered as she picked herself up and turned around.

This couldn't be happening, but it was. That simple laser that Kaos summoned became a gigantic laser cannon, charged and ready to incinerate everything around them—surely, it must have absorbed those minions' essence and got all that power with it!

There was no way Chihiro or anyone else could stop it! She had to get them out, but how? Chihiro didn't know, but either way, she had to buy them some time first! So, Chihiro used every last bit of strength in her body to pull herself back to her feet and thrust her hands in front of her body. A large blast of cyan magic shot from her hands and towards the cannon, now trapped in one magical battle of wills! She knew by all means that her own blast was a rabbit in comparison to the mighty lion that was Kaos's blow, but still! She had to do something! Maybe if she held it in place long enough, the others could recover and…

Wait a second, was that a clunk she heard just now?

Chihiro turned her gaze to the side to see that the brick walls stationed behind the skeletal decorations of her battlefield were now missing a few bricks! The missing bricks formed a hole large enough for a person to crawl through, and from that hole, a skeletal hand ushered them in!

"T-Bone!" Chihiro whispered as a burst of hope formed in her heart. She couldn't waste this chance!

So, Chihiro gulped and forced her blast into a gigantic shield that blocked off Kaos's laser cannon the best it could! Though the mighty laser the cannon shot burned against her shield and formed cracks in its magical surface, it still held its arms strong and mighty.

As the shield blocked Kaos's laser off, Chihiro dashed back towards Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster. She had to get something out that could carry them, since she was far too weak to carry them herself. Maybe some magic bubbles? Yeah, that would do the trick! So, she thrust her hands out, but nothing came! Chihiro grunted, pulled her hands back and thrust twice, thrice, four times more. After the fifth time, those magical bubbles finally formed around them!

As the bubbles flew beside her, Chihiro dashed as fast as she could into the hole that T-Bone created for them, and collapsed onto the cold, dirt floors!

"Hey, kid, what happened back there?" T-Bone asked as he looked over the wounded, weak Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster. "Your buddies look even deader than usual!"

"It, it, it's a long story!" Chihiro sputtered as she tried her best not to collapse under her, Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster's collective weight. "Kaos, he—"

Outside their shelter, a sharp crack echoed throughout the stage of their former battle and paired with a loud rumble as an explosion so intense it made the entire area quake in fear stormed throughout the field! The entrance to the battlefield was incinerated in a bright show of fire and light, but not for long; right after, a bunch of dirt and rocks crashed in front of the entrance and sealed it off! Judging by the way the ceiling crumbled, the tunnels would be soon to follow!

The bubbles popped as Cynder, Hex, and Ghost Roaster collapsed onto the ground, though they didn't stay there for long as Chihiro grabbed them and heaved them onto her shoulders.

"Actually, forget the explanation!" Chihiro exclaimed as she tapped her foot and cast what little magic was within her through her body. "We need to hurry!"

Chihiro glowed with a faint cyan light as she dashed through the twists and turns of the tunnels, but before long, her momentum faded and she lurched over as she tried to force herself just to take another step forward. Her amulet's spell faded and the undead influence seeped into her body, which made Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster's weight a far heavier burden on her then it normally would have been. She already exerted herself so badly during that battle…

"Kid, what're you standing around for?" T-Bone exclaimed as he lifted Ghost Roaster from her shoulders, and slung Ghost Roaster across his own. "This isn't the time to think!"

Chihiro gasped as the weight lifted from her shoulders, and looked down to see the still-reeling Cynder and Hex in her arms. T-Bone was right, she couldn't stand around here; she needed to get her friends out of this place before it was the death of them all! A newfound energy birthed within Chihiro as she pushed herself forward and sprinted down the crumbling tunnels, whose rumbles and roars only got worse as progressed. Though she wasn't as lively or strong as she normally was, this would at least be enough to get them to…

"The door!" Chihiro shouted as she looked ahead. "I can see it!"

Sure enough, beyond those skeletons and dry bones and dead brambles, was the door back to the beach! It was still thankfully intact and unblocked despite all the collapsing scenery behind them, but she couldn't feel at ease yet! She had to get out!

Chihiro knelt down and got ready to bolt forwards, but before she could, a loud rumble alerted the falling of a gigantic rockslide right in front of the entrance! While Chihiro was lucky enough to pull herself away in time, it seemed her luck ran out! The door was completely blocked off, and there was no way it would open now! No, no, this couldn't be happening! They lost the Eternal Undead Source to Kaos, and now she and her friends were going to die in this awful, awful tunnel!

"No, no, no!" Chihiro shrieked at the top of her lungs, her voice hoarse and strained from panic as she fell to her knees, dropped Cynder and Hex, and dug through the rocks. "No, please, let us out, let us out!"

But, no amount of begging would clear the rocks completely. No matter how many she dug, more fell into place! She was so frail and weak as well, like she herself was on the brink of death. Chihiro heaved faint breaths, shuddered as she fell on the rocks, lifted her head as she heard a firm CRUNCH and… As if things couldn't get worse, a rock crashed down and completely shattered her amulet! Chihiro yanked the amulet's string off her person, but as she did, she grew so, so weak and cold. Her whole body shuddered as she made tepid whimpers, all while her temperature alternated between cold and warm.

"C'mon, kid!" T-Bone exclaimed as he laid Ghost Roaster back on the ground and dug through the rocks himself. "Don't give up the ghost just yet! You're not dying on me, I'm telling you!"

But, despite T-Bone's words, Chihiro had a feeling she wouldn't be so lucky. Her amulet, the one thing that protected her from undead influence, was gone, and she could already feel the undead energies of the tunnel sap away her life. If that didn't kill her, surely this cave-in would!

Chihiro's hazy eyes turned towards her side as she heard faint, pained groans, and there she saw Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster, all shaky and piled together like corpses. She wouldn't be the only one to die here. Her friends, who she loved so much, but not enough to truly protect them, they'd meet the grave with her!

As the faint, fuzzy memories of that earlier battle came back to her, Chihiro shuddered, but this time not from the chills that came over her body. Rather, her memories moved to how those evil minions did them in, how those lasers burned them away, and surely continued to do so the more they lingered here. Chihiro got so caught up in stealing the Eternal Undead Source back, on breaking Kaos's spell, and proving that she was stronger than him, that she hadn't even thought to help them with their fight!

Cynder was right. Chihiro got so caught up in beating Kaos that she didn't take care to anything else, and now it would be the death of not just her, but all of them!

Hex, Cynder, Roaster, I'm so sorry.

That's what Chihiro wanted to say, though she was too weak to actually say any more words. Instead, she just held out her hand and brushed it against Cynder's cold, scaly paw as it trembled and twitched. In response, Cynder only whimpered and lifted her head towards Chihiro, but despite the way her body shook with pain, her eyes didn't shine with any sort of weakness. No, instead, a kind of scrappy strength resounded within her, her piercing ice blue shade resonant with a kind of determination!

Yeah, that's right. Cynder was a Skylander, and Skylanders never gave up no matter the circumstance! Even when things were hopeless, Cynder tried so hard to fight off Kaos and get back the Source, and even now, as she grappled with the brink of death, she was still fighting her hardest! It wasn’t just her, either. From behind them, Hex and Ghost Roaster both stirred and tossed and turned around, even if it was just slightly. They both fought their hardest to see another day!

Chihiro gasped as tears stung her eyes, and she struggled back to her feet. Just standing made her feel like her entire body was going to collapse in on itself, but she couldn't just give in and die, not when they fought so hard! Chihiro trembled as she let out tearless sobs, and finally, she held out both her hands.

Please, please, please give me something to clear this out, anything! Chihiro begged as she felt the rushing feeling that always came when she cast spells, though this time it felt more painful than anything as her entire body ached. I can't leave my friends to die like this, please!

But, nothing seemed to come aside from a few sparks! This couldn't be it, please! She had to get them out of here!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! I DON'T WANT…

Chihiro's thoughts became ferocious beasts that swarmed around her head as her entire body went numb.

I DON'T WANT THEM TO DIE!

Before Chihiro knew it, a gigantic magic blast exploded from her palms, enveloped the rocks, and melted them all into magical nothingness! It took so much power out of Chihiro that it knocked her on her back with a painful crunch, but at least it cleared the doorway!

"Thank," Chihiro whispered as she staggered back to her feet while T-Bone rushed up to the gate, "thank goodness."

Chihiro winced as another surge of dizzying, numbing pain crashed over her and forced her to her hands and knees, but even through the pain, she crawled over to Hex, Ghost Roaster and Cynder and grabbed onto them. Though they could barely move, they all looked towards Chihiro with hazy, glazed-over eyes that could barely stay open. Please, please, let them last a little longer, they were so close!

"Don't," Chihiro whimpered as she forced a weak smile, though tears streaked down her cold, cold face, "don't worry, everyone, we're almost there, I'll get you home safe, I promise…"

Chihiro gasped and grabbed Hex, Cynder and Ghost Roaster's hands as T-Bone hastily pushed the gate's doors open,. With one last, pained gasp, she crawled through the opened crack as fast as she could, and collapsed on cold, gritty sand as sea breeze hit her tear-stained face and made her even dizzier with panic than before. Her whole body was on lockdown, but she couldn't care about that right now! Surely, Cynder, Hex, Roaster, they were all in way worse shape than she was! She needed to get them to the infirmary before it was too late! But, it seemed like no matter what, she couldn't possibly get up, as if it was like her entire body lost its abilities to move!

"Chihiro?"

Chihiro recognized that voice, it was Spyro's! Sure enough, he flew down onto the beach and quickly caught sight of her and the others all tired and piled onto each other. Judging by how fast he flew over, he was definitely concerned.

"CHIHIRO!"

Spyro immediately dropped to his feet and ran to their side, and even through the dizziness Chihiro could tell he was just as frantic as she was.

"What happened? Why's everybody passed out?" Spyro took one glance at Hex and winced. "Oh god, those burns!"

"Spyro," Chihiro croaked, barely able to push the words out of her throat, "It, we, Kaos, he beat us, really badly, I, I…"

It was in that moment that Chihiro found herself unable to keep her body awake any longer. It was all she could do to keep her eyes from closing down as Spyro frantically pulled them across the beach.

"Forget about the questions!" Spyro grabbed the back of Hex's collar and pulled her on his back. "We need to check you into the infirmary, stat!"

However, Chihiro herself wasn't sure she'd last that long. Her whole body ached and moaned and if it could barely keep itself alive any longer. Was this the end for her? She was too scared to find out; her fit of anxiety was the only thing that kept her from closing her eyes and giving up. All she could do was shudder as her spikes of anxiety thrbbed her heart faster, and she let out tired whimpers.

"CHIHIRO!" Spyro called as he turned around and tried to shake her. "Chihiro, hang in there!"

Chihiro only moaned and whimpered further as her head grew warmer with, pain, she presumed? Her body was shaken so badly, and so sapped of energy that even the simplest things were hard to do. She couldn't even cry from the panic of death she felt at the moment; she just let her eyelids droop up and down.

"Spyro, what's wrong?" Hugo asked as he raced down the stairs. "What's all this screaming for—"

Hugo's voice crackled further as he and Spyro frantically spoke among themselves, but in this moment of tension, Chihiro didn't even notice. She was finally so weak that she could no longer keep her eyes open. In fact, she was gonna sleep for a little while. Yeah, that sounded nice.

"CHIHIRO!" Spyro called as Chihiro finally closed her eyes, his voice at a volume so loud and full of mourning that surely, it could be heard well past this stretch of the skies…