Sithking Zero: Megaman, Code: Lyoko, and all affiliated properties, names, and other stuff related to the topics are not mine. Except Candance. She’s mine.

As a recap, we’re almost done, people! Just this, the next chapter, and the acknowledgements! But anyways…

Bass was absorbed by Alpha, who planned to give his programs, along with Aeilita’s, to XANA. However, he was rescued by Franz Hopper and Aeilita, who took him to the secret room inside Alpha himself that Alpha could not touch. Bass was then told the history of him and Aeilita, and the bonding program between them, the “Hearts of the Warriors.” Franz used a manual override to fuse the two into the female program Candance, and now, the final battle for Earth shall begin!

Well, faithful readers, if you’ve read this far, then take heart. It’s been a crazy ride for all of us, and it’s almost over. Just this and the next, and we’re done here. So, without further ado, I, Sithking Zero, do hereby present…

Chapter 22

Titan Clash II:
Banishing World

“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of evil people, but because of those who don’t do anything about it.”

-Albert Einstein

XANA shielded her eyes from the massive wave of light that radiated from where Alpha’s destroyed core once was. Gradually, the light dimmed, and XANA looked back.

A tall young woman was floating in the middle of the room. Her hair was about mid-back length, and was pink with purple-and-silver tips. She wore a dark-maroon colored jumpsuit, and a red “L” was prominent on her crest, which was similar to Bass’. Around her neck, she wore a short, brown, tattered scarf. Her gauntlets were similar to Bass’ gauntlets, but with silver lining instead of gold. Her eyes shone a deep purple, with pink marks under them. She was smiling in a way that has been described as “terrifying,” “frightening,” and “Bass-esque.”

She opened her mouth, bubbles of energy forming in her palms.

“Hello, XANA.” She said. “My name is Candance. We need to talk.”

XANA gave a tight-lipped smile to her foe. “Hello again, Candance. I wish that I could say that it was nice seeing you…”

Candance floated back a little bit.

“You know me? How?”

XANA smirked. “It’s not like telling you anything will change your fat- WHUFF!” she whooshed as Candance’s fist sailed into her gut.

XANA sailed backwards before finally regaining control of her momentum.

“How did you do that? Last time we fought, we were evenly matched…”

“I’ve gotten better, XANA,” came Candance’s smug voice. “You of all beings should know that it is possible to raise yourself above what we were created to do.”

“Too true,” came XANA’s voice as she charged up a massive bolt of energy.

“Yet…” she spoke softly, as though sad, “I have not. And neither have you!”

Candance rocketed towards XANA, hell-bent on destroying her. “What are you talking about?” she cried.

XANA rained the holocaust blast down on her foe, knocking Candance back into the next room, through the wall.

“I was created to destroy Lyoko. You two,” she cried, “Were created to save it! Who are you to talk about ‘Raising yourself up?’ Even now,” she continued, floating towards the hole in the wall, “You continue to try to fulfill your primary program! As do I” she admitted.

There was no movement from the pile of rubble where Candance had landed. XANA peered at the pile with interest. “Come on, it can’t be over already!” she exclaimed, pulling out her sword with a loud metallic scraping sound.

“You’re right.” Came the voice from the pile of stones. A massive burst of light vaporized the stones and knocked XANA back. “It isn’t.”

Candance grinned. “And now… it’s time for some well-earned payback.”

She leapt up, immiediately landing a one-two combo in XANA’s gut, before executing a roundhouse kick to the face and breaking XANA’s nose.

XANA danced back, clutching her nose, blood spurting out of it and running down her armor.

Only for a second, however, because in a second, XANA leapt forwards, slashing away at Candance, who managed an energy pulse to the back but had about a foot of her hair sliced off. XANA, not really affected, kept up the assault, missing most of the time but finally landing a massive blow on Candance’s jaw, sending her flying through another wall.

Candance soared out of the smoke and grabbed XANA, repeatedly slamming her into wall and ceiling until they started to crumble. As the debris rained, XANA escaped, kicking Candance in the shin before both of them had to temporarily abandon the fight to avoid massive chunks of debris and stones falling from above.

After a moment, each began to move towards each other, vaporizing the various stones and rocks that got in their way. Finally, with a roar, their aura shields blazing red and purple, the two warrior goddesses began to hammer at each other with blows that should have killed a normal man.

Each blow, each blast, every exchange of hatred was stronger then the last. The Goddess of Lyoko darted and danced around the Demon, but the Demon was fast, too. They flew, striking, hitting, punching, destroying everything in their path. Walls disintegrated, and massive blocks of stone and steel were but momentary shields against the furious attacks of Candance and XANA.

After about ten minutes, the battle was still raging strong. Neither side gave anything, not in the slightest. Candance drew back for a moment, charging a massive ball of light and hyperexcited photons, before spewing out the pure energy blast in a holocaust wave that slammed into XANA.

“Tough little bitch, aren’t you?” XANA muttered, loud enough to hear, as she stepped out of the rubble.

“Let’s see…” muttered XANA as she drew her sword again. “I know I’m forgetting something…”

“How about I remind you?” cried Candance. “Taste EXPLOSION!”

Candance held out her glowing forearm and watched as hundreds of small energy balls rocketed towards XANA, falling like rain and exploding like missiles.

XANA rocketed out of the explosions, trailing flame and smoke, and slashing wildly at her foe. Candance was startled backwards for a bit, but then, after XANA left herself exposed after a bad slash, grabbed the sword.

What Candance did NOT expect was for XANA to grab the arm that was grabbing the sword.

“Oh, yes. I remember now!” XANA cried. “GET ABILITY!” she yelled.

Candance looked at her in disgust for a second before punching XANA in the face. Repeatedly.

After about five punches to the face, XANA let go and sailed across the room.

“You two.” She began to chuckle. “You two… have just sealed your world’s fate!”

“What are you talking about?” Candance asked gravely.

“Simple, really. Like the two of you, I too had something removed from me, except in my case it was removed by Franz Hopper himself! It was a crucial piece of data which would allow me to leave Lyoko for good: Human DNA.”

“Human DNA?”

“Yes. My creator planted his own DNA in me in order to make me more powerful. And now that I have fresh DNA…”

XANA rocketed in faster then Candance could follow, grabbing her by the throat.

“It’s time for you two to die.”

With a flick of the wrist, XANA threw them down. Through the floor, through the bottom of the sector, and down into the digital sea.

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XANA stood for a moment, contemplating triumph. “Finally… Aeilita and Bass… gone at last…”

She turned on her heel in mid-air.

She made a gesture, and a thousand monsters of every type appeared out of thin air.

“Come, my minions,” she cried. “Finally, after all these years, Lyoko is no longer necessary!”

She waved her hand, and a massive portal opened in mid-air. “We shall enslave a new world! A world for me to rule! A world that my father will have blessed!”

Through the warp hole, tall, mechanical-looking white towers rose up from the ground like a child’s dream.

“Now… MARCH!”

But before they could get even a step closer to the portal, something exploded out of the floor and delivered a massive uppercut to XANA, effectively closing the portal.

“XANA…” the female, pink-haired program growled. “THIS… ENDS… NOW!” screamed Candance.

With that, Candance leapt into the air, slamming her hands together as she rose.

And in that instant, her arms changed. Running from her hands were hundreds of black and yellow scales, which morphed and engulfed her arms. Gradually, they became cone-shaped, and then it became clear what was on Candance’s arms.

On her arms was a massive wolf’s head. It opened its mouth, roaring a challenge to the heavens, defying its dark foe.

“What the HELL is that?” yelled XANA.

“Oh, this?” came Candance’s smug voice. “This is Bass’ ultimate attack, his finishing move, if you will. Want to see what it does?”

XANA just stared in horror as the massive wolf’s head began to glow. A massive ball of contained lightning built itself up in its mouth.

“Oh, I thought that might be your response, XANA. No matter, I’ll just show you anyway!”

The wolf’s head was now too bright to look at. Too late, the monsters started to fire on Candance, but it was like rain rolling off glass.

“Ready, XANA?” whispered Candance. “BANASHING WORLD!”

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Sector five, from the outside, was nothing more then a gigantic sphere. Perfectly round, white as snow, and big as a small city.

Suddenly, a bulge appeared. Nothing much, just a large lump on the otherwise perfect sphere.

Then another appeared. And another. Some began to burst, tearing holes in the side and spilling out massive gouts of fire. Massive seams appeared where none had appeared before, and in moments, Sector Five exploded in a blast to rival a supernova.

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Out of the falling wreckage, a cloaked figure floated in the middle of the pocket void that had once held sector five.

Over one shoulder was his sister, her short pink hair covering her eyes. Yet her brother knew she was asleep.

Over his other shoulder, an older, fifty-year old man was draped unceremoniously. His white lab coat now bore scorch marks, and his hair was wild.

Bass looked at his surroundings, and seeing that there was nothing left of the core zone, Bass teleported away, taking the two hitchhikers with him.