Meanwhile, the battle outside was drawing to a close. The crisp clang of metal echoed through the empty square. Cat Noir's metal staff cut a sharp silver arc, precisely knocking away the longsword clutched by Darkblade.
The sword, imbued with Akumatization power, tumbled through the air before clanging onto the flagstones a few meters away.
"You lose."
Cat Noir held his staff diagonally, its end resting against Darkblade's chest plate. His emerald eyes, visible beneath his mask, gleamed with the confidence of a victor and a hint of almost imperceptible playfulness.
"It's over, Cat Noir."
Ladybug approached from the flank, Her movements light and decisive.
She didn't hesitate, walking straight towards the lonely longsword lying on the ground, ready to fulfill Her duty as a hero.
However, a sudden turn of events occurred at this moment.
Darkblade, pinned by the metal staff, suddenly grinned a strange smile on his face, which was twisted by anger and obsession.
"Lose?"
His deep voice, amplified by the resonance of his metal helmet, sounded particularly sinister.
"I haven't lost."
He raised his gauntleted hand, gesturing for the two heroes to look back, "Look behind you, heroes."
Cat Noir didn't relax his guard in the slightest. He pressed the staff harder against Darkblade's chest, sneering, "Who are you trying to fool with such an old trick? We're not three-year-olds."
"Exactly,"
Ladybug echoed, but Her gaze involuntarily flickered towards the grand City Hall building.
"Do you think we'd fall for that?"
Her reason told Her it was a trap, but Her sense of responsibility as a Guardian made Her unable to ignore any potential threat.
"Ladybug, go get the Akumatization item,"
Cat Noir deployed decisively, "I'll keep an eye on him here; he won't be able to pull any tricks."
Before he finished speaking, a sharp tearing sound came from behind them, from the direction of the City Hall dome.
Both turned sharply, only to see several subordinate knights, transformed by Darkblade, had somehow climbed to the highest point of the building.
One of the knights raised his sword high, cleanly slicing the formerly fluttering French tricolor flag in half. Fragments of the flag drifted down like broken-winged butterflies.
Immediately after, he forcefully planted a black flag, emblazoned with Darkblade's unique emblem, at the top of the flagpole.
"Oh no!" Ladybug's heart tightened; she immediately realized that flag was not a simple act of defiance.
She turned, wanting to rush over and grab the longsword on the ground, which was the key to ending everything.
Just as she moved, Darkblade, who had been suppressed, suddenly burst forth.
He slammed the side of his gauntlet against Cat Noir's metal staff, the immense force causing Cat Noir to stumble.
Immediately after, he delivered a swift side-kick, forcing Ladybug to retreat and dodge.
Cat Noir regained his balance, sweeping his staff horizontally, but Darkblade nimbly evaded it with a backflip.
Darkblade adjusted his posture in mid-air, picking up the longsword from the ground as he landed.
He re-gripped the hilt, pointing the sword tip skyward, arrogantly proclaiming, "Victory is already decided!"
"You utterly unchivalrous fellow!"
Cat Noir was thoroughly enraged by his treachery. "We agreed to a one-on-one duel, and you resort to such despicable tricks!"
"Chivalry?"
Darkblade's voice was filled with scorn and self-pity. "Once, I yearned for that word.
But what did I get? Nothing! I received the merciless betrayal of the chosen ones!
From now on, I am the Lord, I am Darkblade! I don't need to respect any rules anymore, because the result is that I win!"
With his final declaration, the black flag atop the City Hall suddenly flickered with an ominous dark red light.
A stream of energy shot out from it, disappearing into the clouds. In an instant, the previously merely overcast sky dramatically changed.
Dense dark clouds gathered from all directions, like a giant black curtain, rapidly obscuring the sky over Paris, and even all of France.
Daylight instantly turned to dusk, and a suppressive, heavy atmosphere enveloped the entire city.
Ladybug and Cat Noir's hearts sank. They watched Darkblade before them, poised for battle.
They didn't know what that flag had activated, but the apocalyptic scene before them indicated that the situation was developing in the worst possible direction.
"Let's finish this quickly!" Ladybug whispered.
Both launched their attacks simultaneously. The yo-yo and metal staff, whistling through the air, attacked Darkblade from two different angles.
Darkblade blocked with his sword, and the clash of metal produced dazzling sparks.
He knew clearly that he alone was no match for the two heroes.
"Attack!"
He waved his hand, ordering, and the transformed subordinate knights beside him immediately surged forward like a tide.
The situation of many against few was instantly formed.
Although Ladybug and Cat Noir were skilled, under the siege of these fearless knights, they found it difficult to break through the encirclement and approach Darkblade himself.
"Hahaha!"
Darkblade laughed wildly under the protection of his subordinates.
"As soon as the black light pillar arrives, both of you will also become my loyal attendant knights!"
However, time passed minute by minute.
Ladybug tripped a group of knights with Her yo-yo's string, while Cat Noir swept away another group with his staff.
They fought for a long time, but the so-called "black light pillar" that Darkblade spoke of never arrived.
"What's going on?"
Darkblade's wild laughter froze. He looked up in disbelief at the silent, cloud-covered sky, where there was nothing but oppressive darkness.
Cat Noir, in a lull during the knights' encirclement, heard his muttering.
He glanced at the motionless sky, a characteristic mischievous smile playing on his lips, and loudly teased, "Hey, looks like someone's big plan failed again, huh?"
Ladybug also took the opportunity to catch Her breath. She swung Her yo-yo, its crisp sound echoing as she said, "Yes, how can someone who doesn't keep a knight's promise receive the favor of fate?"
"Shut up! Don't you two get cocky!"
Darkblade roared in exasperation. He looked up at the sky again, his eyes filled with anxiety and confusion.
Suddenly, he saw a faint pillar of light seemingly struggling to pierce through the clouds, heading directly towards the City Hall.
"It's starting!" He perked up, thinking his ritual had finally received a response.
However, that pillar of light did not bring the dark power he had hoped for.
Instead, an ethereal, solemn, yet incredibly eerie voice resounded across the entire Parisian sky.
It wasn't one person's voice, but the overlapping of hundreds of voices, calling out a name in an ancient, devout tone, in unison:
"Nefertiti—!"
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone.
"What's going on?" Darkblade was completely bewildered; this solemn calling was completely at odds with his ritual, which was filled with desires for destruction and conquest.
Ladybug and Cat Noir also exchanged glances.
"Darkblade's power… has this kind of effect?" Cat Noir scratched his head in confusion.
Just then, from behind them, inside the sealed City Hall doors, came the terrified shouts of students.
"Oh my god! Alix!"
"Why is Alix flying up?!"
What?
Alarm bells rang in Ladybug and Cat Noir's minds. Temporarily forgetting Darkblade, they flashed back to the City Hall entrance.
They pushed open the heavy doors, and the sight before them made them gasp.
In the center of the hall, a golden pillar of light shone down from above, enveloping Alix entirely.
Her body was slowly and uncontrollably floating upwards, Her feet already half a meter off the ground.
Her face was filled with terror and confusion; she seemed to have no idea what was happening.
"Alix!"
Rose cried out, trying to reach for Her ankle, but Her hand was gently repelled by an invisible force as soon as it touched the edge of the light pillar.
"Let us!"
Ladybug and Cat Noir immediately stepped forward to help. The two of them together rushed into the pillar of light, trying to pull Alix out.
But the result was the same as with Rose; they were also fiercely repelled by the mysterious force, falling to the ground.
The solemn calling from the sky resounded again; this time, the voice became clearer and more urgent:
"Nefertiti, return to our side!"
With this call, the pillar of light enveloping Alix shone brightly, and Her ascent speed visibly increased.
"Get out!"
Alya shouted, and everyone immediately reacted, rushing out of City Hall and into the square outside.
Ladybug and Cat Noir also burst out the door, seeing Alix flying higher and higher, their hearts burning with anxiety.
They exchanged a look, immediately understanding that the priority was to deal with the mastermind behind all this—Darkblade!
The two once again shot towards the still stunned Darkblade like arrows from a bowstring.
"What in the world is going on?"
Ladybug's yo-yo wrapped around Darkblade's ankle, and she yanked hard.
"I don't know either! This isn't what I wanted!"
As Darkblade stumbled, he shouted in panic, defending himself.
Seizing the opportunity, Cat Noir's metal staff whistled through the air, striking the longsword in Darkblade's hand.
"Cataclysm!"
Cat Noir activated his power, and his claw, imbued with destructive energy, slashed across the sword. The sword, which was the core of the Akumatization, shattered into countless pieces.
A black Akuma Butterfly flew out of the fragments in alarm.
At the same time, with the destruction of the Akumatization item, the strange golden light pillar in the sky and the calling sound instantly vanished. Alix, losing Her buoyancy, screamed as she plummeted from hundreds of meters high.
"Ah—!"
Everyone below gasped in fright.
"Leave it to me!"
Ladybug remained calm. She quickly captured the Akuma Butterfly with Her yo-yo, purifying it into a pure white butterfly. "Goodbye, little butterfly."
She whispered, then tossed the Lucky Charm she had summoned earlier in the melee into the air.
"Miraculous Restoration!"
A miraculous light spread out from the item, instantly repairing the damaged flagpole and ground.
More importantly, the falling Alix safely returned to the ground, completely unharmed.
Darkblade transformed back into Coach Jang. He looked around in a daze, "Uh... what happened?"
After a brief explanation from the two heroes, they quietly left the scene, disappearing into the city's buildings.
The farce finally concluded.
On the steps of City Hall, Chloé and Sabrina hadn't had a chance to slip away before Marinette caught them red-handed.
Just as Marinette was about to speak, she saw Sabrina holding up Her hand, which was stuck in the storage box, looking at Her with a face full of pain and pleading.
"Marinette, please, help me open it, it hurts so much..." Sabrina's voice was on the verge of tears.
Marinette's heart softened. She sighed, pulled out the matching key from Her pocket, and helped Sabrina unlock the prank lock.
"Thank you, Marinette! Thank you so much!"
Sabrina, as if granted a great pardon, rubbed Her reddened wrist and quickly hid to the side, not daring to look at Chloé or Marinette again.
"Chloé, now can you explain?" Marinette held the diary, Her gaze fixed on Chloé.
Chloé's eyes quickly scanned the crowd, and she visibly relaxed when she realized Jaden was not present.
She lifted Her chin, putting on an indignant expression: "Explain what? I never took your stuff, and how would I know that broken box contained a diary?"
"I didn't say what was inside," Marinette calmly retorted, seizing the loophole in Her words, "So how did you know?"
Chloé's face stiffened, and the surrounding classmates cast suspicious glances.
Her eyes darted around, and she pulled the nearby Sabrina over as a shield, pointing at Her and saying, "It... it was Sabrina who told me! Yes, it was all Her!"
"It wasn't!" Sabrina whispered in protest, but Her voice was almost inaudible.
Clearly, no one believed Chloé's statement.
"Today's activities are concluded!"
The mayor's voice sounded at the opportune moment. He walked over, half protective, half urging his beloved daughter,
"Let's go, Chloé, we're going home." With that, he led the indignant Chloé away.
The chaotic scene finally returned to calm.
Marinette retrieved Her beloved diary, hugging it tightly as if it were a lost and found treasure.
"Marinette, are you okay?"
Alya walked over, patting Her shoulder with concern.
She took the opportunity to pull Lila, who had been standing nearby, and enthusiastically introduced Her: "Oh, by the way, let me introduce you, Lila."
"Hello, Marinette."
Lila wore a sweet and harmless smile, extending Her hand, "Your designs are truly amazing, Jagged Stone can't stop praising you. I'm really happy for you."
Her tone was full of sincere praise and goodwill.
"Ah... hello, Lila, thank you."
Marinette shook Her hand a little awkwardly.
However, at the moment of contact, looking into Lila's seemingly friendly eyes, Marinette inexplicably felt a strange sensation rise in Her heart.
She always felt that behind this overly perfect enthusiasm, something else seemed to be hidden.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Kagami watched all this silently, without making any comments, then got into Her family's red smart car and drove away from the square.
Adrien was also picked up by his stern-faced Bodyguard, who had rushed over.
Night fell, and the city lights came on.
In Jaden's apartment, a warm orange light glowed.
The hustle and bustle of City Hall during the day seemed unrelated to this tranquil corner.
He changed into comfortable loungewear and was leisurely leaning on the sofa, watching TV.
"Jaden! I'm hungry! I'm starving!"
Duusu did a somersault in the air, complaining in Her soft, slightly coquettish tone.
Jaden smiled, turned off the TV, and stood up from the sofa. "Got it, little glutton."
He ruffled Duusu's small head and walked towards the kitchen, "What do you want to eat today?"
He skillfully tied on an apron and opened the refrigerator. Duusu floated excitedly beside his shoulder, like a little supervisor, calling out dish names.
Jaden was in a good mood, quickly washing and cutting vegetables. Soon, a pleasant sizzling sound and tempting aromas came from the pot.
He cooked several common dishes, both meat and vegetables, all excellent in color, aroma, and taste.
The food was served, and the man and the Kwami happily began to eat.
Duusu hugged a small piece of sweet and sour pork, Her mouth covered in oil, and Her eyes narrowed in happiness.
Jaden ate his rice, but his thoughts drifted back to City Hall during the day.
The golden light pillar that had swept Alix away, and the solemn voice echoing in the sky, calling out "Nefertiti"... Was it the Pharaoh?
Jaden's mind conjured the reference plot.
Alix's brother, Jalil, an individual extremely obsessed with ancient Egyptian history, had been akumatized into "Pharaoh" because his research findings were rejected. He attempted to use Alya as a sacrifice to resurrect his ancient Egyptian queen, Nefertiti.
However, the timing didn't match. In this world's timeline, Jalil hadn't even been akumatized yet.
Then, there was only one answer... a parallel world.
It was a Jalil from a parallel world who had been akumatized and performed a ritual, accidentally connecting to his current world and targeting this world's—Alix.
Jaden's gaze deepened. This was not a good sign.
The boundaries of the world seemed much more fragile than he had imagined.
He looked at Duusu beside him, who was eating with unsuspecting relish. Her pure joy infected him, allowing his taut thoughts to relax slightly.
A gentle smile returned to his face.
Don't come to my world.
He thought calmly to himself.
And, even if you do come... He unconsciously raised his hand, gently stroking the inside of his upper arm. The Peacock brooch was reversely pinned inside his sleeve in a special way, so from the outside, no trace could be found.
Through a thin layer of fabric, feeling the cool, hard outline of the accessory, and the immense power slumbering within, capable of distorting reality... I also hope you can obediently go back and follow the rules I have set.
Otherwise... Jaden's lips curved slightly upwards, his smile still gentle,
...then stay in this world forever.