The battle had gone on far longer than most wars.
Hours? Days? Time no longer mattered. Only survival did.
And Doom Slayer survived.
He had taken hits—very few. But the ones that landed hit like absolute destruction. Each time, his body buckled. Armor cracked. Systems screamed. And yet, each time, he got up faster. Dodged smarter. Fought better. His body was adapting mid-strike, dodging not with reaction—but with pure data.
But the injection—the cost of that power—was starting to burn through him.
The red veins pulsed faster. His vision blurred. His entire body felt beyond overheated—boiling. He wasn't just running hot. He was starting to collapse.
But not yet.
He pressed forward, even as it hurt to move, even as his systems stuttered beneath the strain. The battle slowed, just for a moment. The air went still. Attacks stopped. A deceptive calm fell over the broken battlefield.
Then came the color.
A sudden rainbow flash split the horizon—and there stood UltSans, his form pulsing in impossible hues, flickering through the entire color spectrum at a speed that defied logic. It wasn't just an outline now—his entire silhouette glitched, spasmed, and pulsed with shifting, frantic rainbow light.
The battlefield trembled.
Then came the rebellion.
One by one, the souls he had absorbed began to emerge, breaking free from his form. They floated around him—angrily, mournfully—as if recognizing the thing that used them was not what they followed.
And then—darkness.
Everything vanished.
Only six lights remained, floating around Doom Slayer.
True Human Souls.
They circled him, calm and radiant, each glowing in their own hue.
True Bravery:
"This demon used us. Killed us. Called it courage—but it was cowardice. You, Slayer... you fight evil alone. That is true bravery."
True Patience:
"He had none. He lashed out at the world. You waited. You learned. You endured. That is true patience."
True Kindness:
"He killed with cold purpose. You fought with empathy—not mercy, but purpose. You protect. That is kindness."
True Integrity:
"He rejected everyone. You carried the weight of every soul you couldn't save—and still did what was right. That is integrity."
True Perseverance:
"He lived to destroy. You destroy to survive—and protect. You never stopped. You pushed forward. That is perseverance."
True Justice:
"He became executioner for vengeance, not truth. But you fight not for yourself—you fight for everyone. The justice of the damned. And now… his judgment comes."
The souls glowed brighter—and so did Doom Slayer.
He gasped—not in pain, but in revelation.
The red haze vanished.
The strain disappeared.
The rage cooled—but didn't die. It refined.
His armor, once veined with volatile red, now shimmered faintly with a calm, rainbow glow. His vision cleared. His HUD stabilized. The Doomblade in his hand now pulsed with a clean, radiant light—rainbow, yes, but with a core of crimson that still burned with intent.
Then the souls vanished, gently.
A single faint red soul appeared before him. A memory. A trace.
And behind it, Chara, drifting silently in the dark.
Her voice was quiet. Echoed.
"I'm not supposed to help you..."
She hovered closer, her gaze soft.
"But you fought with determination. You didn't stop. You didn't give in. You have the right to choose now."
She extended her hand toward the soul.
"Spare... and help me bring him back. Or end it. You know what's right. The choice is yours."
Then—darkness again.
Total.
Silent.
And in the next blink—light.
The battlefield had returned. Reformed. The platforms were back. The broken world, restored. But UltSans...
He was kneeling.
All color was gone from his form. His body flickered dimly, his head bowed, shoulders trembling. His once-prismatic pupils were now nothing but flickering flames.
Not glowing.
Burning out.
Doom Slayer walked forward, slow, steady. His boots echoed against the stone.
UltSans didn't move.
His voice was barely a breath:
"...K-kill... m-me..."
Shaking. Weak. Hollow.
Doom Slayer stood before him. The Doomblade pulsed in his hand. In his mind, two words appeared—no sound, no command. Just choice.