Deva appeared along with greed and laughed wickedly," I believe that you overstayed your welcome time to die, Zack and John". Deva was controlling all the candidates who arrived, and she was using her abilities to the max to ensure that this time, Zack died. John stood in front of Zack and told him to get ready since this was going to be a hard fight. Beau tried to use his ability to get John and Zack out, but it was no use since one of the candidates could block teleportation and telekinesis power. John was able to escape easily with his ability, but John couldn't run and leave Zack to fend for himself alone. Blake took a liking to Zack and agreed to fight by Zack's side despite hating Beau. Zack and John were about to fight the evil Deva. John swung his sword to block the incoming fire attacks and wind and earth powers. Zack used his stabilizing ability to support John by giving him a boost in his emotions and making him unafraid. The powers were getting nullified, and Deva remained shocked. Deva was losing, so she had to act fast. Deva rushed to John in an instant and tried to injure him with her acidic ability. Succeeding John's hands were burned, and he screamed in pain. Zack was angry, and Deva feared Zack due to his intimidation. She screamed, "You can't intimidate me She rushed forth, and suddenly, Zack was stabbed in his chest by a blade. It was John. Zack screamed, "Why, John?" Deva screamed; I controlled him with my ability. Silly boy, you think I wouldn't have a plan to kill you. Now you will die". Zack screamed while he was fading. Somehow, Zack stood up, and his nullification ability activated all on its own. Zack nullified Deva's ability, and then Deva fell to the floor. John came back to his senses and realized what he had done. Other candidates controlled by Deva were back, too. John rushed forward, consumed with rage. He sliced Deva's head with his sword. John couldn't believe he had broken Zack's promise that he wouldn't kill anyone anymore. Zack was fading. He said with a weak voice," It is not your fault. Sorry I couldn't achieve our promise, but you have to move on and achieve our promise and kill these beasts once and for all to ensure that no one dies again for Zeta and me".
All hope was lost for Zack, however, a miracle followed. Sindy, the girl who was being controlled by Deva, had a healing ability and offered to help. Sindy placed her hands on Zack, and he was recovering. Deva activated greed's ability, which was the ability of a second chance. She was revived from death, and greed's one-time ability was activated. Greed's ability was the ability to bring the dead. Deva was scared because she experienced the pain of death. Greed appeared from within Deva's soul, and then he made his escape, holding tightly onto Deva. Zack slowly woke up and was lying on his bed in his room while Beau kept scolding him in his mind," I don't want to lose you. Okay, don't you dare be reckless.
You must learn the teleportation ability so you can defeat Deva next time". Zack understood Beau's concerns. Zack woke up to see many unfamiliar faces; the candidates were gathered around Zack's bed. John explains, "We are all on your side. I explained the plan to them, and they are all in. They would no longer harm each other and until the test, they would support you". They told him that they would grant the same wish Zack promised to John if they became king. Now, unity bloomed, and they were all fighting for the same goal. They believed in Zack because he saved their lives just when Sara arrived. John taunted her," Too late Sara, we handled everything". John laughed slightly. Sara replied," Oh, well, I guess I wasn't needed".
The king summoned the candidates and the royal knights the next day. The chosen candidates arrived, shocked to see none other than Deva beside the king. The king announced that Deva was almost dead and that John and Zack would be severely punished for causing this pain. John replies with a hint of defiance, "Your Majesty, she is the one who attacked us first. I don't mean to be rude, but it isn't fair for us to be punished. After all, she almost killed all the candidates. How are we supposed to defeat the beasts without the candidates?" The king slammed his fist on the table and retorted," You can't justify killing the strongest candidate here. Her existence is a sure way for us to defeat the beasts, so defying her is defying me as king. Since her ability is extraordinary, she would have controlled all the candidates and use their powers to the fullest potential". John spoke again, stunned, "Did she brainwash you as well?" The king roared," You dare think that. I will have your head for this. "Deva spoke softly to his majesty to calm the situation, "I forgive them, Your Majesty, so pls don't punish them." The king replied commandingly," If you say so Deva, I will give them a test instead for them to prove their worth. If they succeed, the waterfall will give them each a wish. If they fail, their universe will be erased, so what will it be, Zack and John, do you accept?" Zack was shocked, saying to Deva," Wow, I didn't expect you to defend us. I will choose to trust you since you appeared to have changed". Zack was being very naïve, and John knew it, but he had a feeling that there was no other way out anyway, so he nodded, signaling for Zack to agree and face this challenge head-on.
John had a feeling that Deva didn't change her ways, so he wanted to agree because he knew that anything she would throw at them. They can handle it. Zack replied with his naive aura," It is a start change is good you know". John screamed at the top of his lungs," Don't fall for her stupid act, Zack. It is clear she isn't sincere". Zack replies, "Why else would she lower the punishment? It seemed that she changed after her defeat". John couldn't wait for Zack to snap back to reality, but for now, he would play the king's stupid game. John replied confidently," I agree as well".
Deva thought that her plans were working because she was indeed planning something that would cause John and Zack to be in grave danger.
Sam, the user with the reverse time ability and the snake hand's ability with his contactor with the freeze and ice ability, wanted to investigate the truth because he couldn't trust Deva, so he asked his friend Robert from the same universe, the 12 universes, to come with him and investigate. Robert's ability was a disguise ability, which enabled him to change anyone's appearance, and his contractor had a buff ability and a shield ability. Sam used his snake hands to produce a snake from his hands and knocked the two guards' unconscious. Then Robert disguised them as trees and took their places. Everyone was focused on Zack and John entering the arena test grounds so Sam and Robert were not caught. Unbeknownst to John and Zack, they were both entering the test they were going to take after all the candidates were gathered. A deep voice echoed in Zack's head," Now you must face your greatest regret". Zack used his stabilization ability to calm down because he knew this test was very difficult. Zack was teleported into a black room and saw Jeff sitting there. Then spoke angrily," You didn't trust me. I thought we were brothers. You broke our promise and didn't allow me to help you in a risky situation. I wish you had never been my brother. I wish you had died instead of me. Now I am dead, and you are alive living the life I always wanted". Zack was about to break down in tears, yet the stabilization ability activated, and he spoke again, "I never knew you felt like that. I am sorry, Jeff. I promise I will have you back, so just wait, okay? I will save you; then we could pretend to have powers like we used to. I know you aren't the real Jeff, so believe me, the real you will always be in my heart, and I won't give up on you. Thank you for letting me know how you felt. I love you, Jeff".
Then, Jeff said his last words, and the first test was complete. The voice rang again," You successfully faced your regret and proceeded to the next test".
John was experiencing more difficulty. Zeta spoke angrily," Why didn't you try to find the truth about the monster? If you did, I wouldn't be dead. You killed me and even became a murderer with blood on your hands". John replied to the figure in front of him," How can you say that you know nothing about the hardship I endured I wanted to save you so why aren't you satisfied it is true I let you down but I won't do it again so pls believe me all I did was for you". zeta replies angrily, "no it wasn't for me it was for you. You didn't ask me if I wanted to come back. You killed me and killed Dave and Jim from the 2nd universe just to bring me back. I never wanted you to see my brother turn into the monster who killed me because of you. Shame on you," John replies with sorrow. "You are right. I don't deserve your forgiveness because of the sins I committed. But you know what? I will keep being selfish to bring you back. I will become the devil himself". The voice replied Test completed. You may continue to the next test.
The next test was a test of strength to smash a giant boulder in any way possible, so John used his sword and destroyed the boulder easily. Zack struggled, but he had only one option: he used Beau to teleport the boulder high up, and it fell on the ground and was smashed to pieces, so now Beau couldn't help anymore because of using the ability.
Then came the final test: the voice spoke You must now overcome a great enemy. You must slay a beast with 1 percent of its power. Zack saw the beast again and was angry. The beast was intimated, and Zack stabilized himself and rushed forward using a blade given to him by the royal knights to slash at the beast's head. with the combat training and the beast was still frozen Zack easily killed him with one blow.
John used his powers to disappear and rushed forward, doubled his sword power, and killed the beast easily with one blow. John and Zack walked out of the test unscratched. Deva was waiting alongside the king and screamed in shock like a mad woman," You passed the test wow but the last test is very difficult you see the king will tell you all about the test" the king replied agreeing," You must fight yourself to the death the winner will make two wishes from the waterfall". John looked at Zack and then sighed. Then, suddenly, he felt no control over his body as if he was brainwashed. Deva forced John to speak as if it was John speaking," Goodbye, Zack don't forget the promise I will come back to haunt you if you didn't wish for the wish okay". John was being manipulated to kill himself. Zack rushed forward and tried to stop John, but it was too late. The sword cut his head, and his head rolled to the ground. John was dead. Deva laughed wickedly, "You win a good job! It wouldn't matter since the king isn't even in control. I controlled him with my ability, you see, and you can't wish for anything. I tricked you, Zack. Now, the only nuisance I have to deal with is you. Time to die, Zack".
Zack was frozen but when he heard Deva, Zack spoke angrily, you controlled john to kill himself you didn't change but I trusted you". Zack was no longer calm and collected, "I have lost my brother a second time because I trusted you but now you must atone for your sins, I will kill you. Sorry, I couldn't follow my advice. John, I will avenge your death. Then, suddenly, Zack teleported behind Deva. Deva was shocked," How I thought you couldn't use teleportation". Zack mumbles, "Well, too bad. Now die". Zack caught Deva by surprise, and she was killed instantly. Zack grieved in anger," John and Jeff, why do I keep losing people I care for? Why! Why!". Zack kept pulling his hair and screaming. Beau tried to calm Zack down, but the frustration and anger took control. Suddenly, the bond between Beau and Zack broke, and Zack disappeared, and the beast of his universe appeared instead. There was a secret that the waterfall kept to himself: if one of the candidates used his powers for a long time and drained all his energy, the beast would detect the energy and be able to consume the person and appear from their bodies. Zack was no more, and the beast appeared to kill the demi-beasts and abuse the waterfall's powers.
Robert and Sam returned to stop the test because they discovered the truth about Deva and the king. They saw John and Deva dead and the king on the floor. Sam explained that they could still save John and Zack if they used Jim's ability combined with Sam's to travel back in time about 1 hour before it all started and warn Zack and John before they took the test. The king agreed. The other candidates were fighting like there was no tomorrow to give enough time for the two people. Jim's ability was power capacity increase, and Sam was reverse time. The limit was that Sam could only perform this skill 1 time a day, so he wouldn't get second chances. Sam used his ability combined with Jim from the 8th universe to rewind time.
Sam remembered the crisis and warned all the people in the room before they accepted, "Deva is controlling the king. You have to stop her, royal guards, pls believe me. Zack don't trust Deva". Zack already remembered everything that had happened since his nullification ability was active until the time Sam reversed time. Zack rushed forward and teleported behind Deva and used his nullification ability to free the king from her control.
Deva lost her control. The king retained control and used his powers to extend his arms and grab Deva by the neck. The king screamed, "You dare control my mind. you ungrateful devil. time to die Deva! the evil plans are over".
Deva was no more, and John was back. Zack hugged John and said while sobbing," Don't dare get controlled again! You hear me?". John demanded answers," If Deva was this evil, why was she chosen to be a candidate?". The king explained Deva's sad story: "A 17-year-old girl named Deva had an only mother to raise her. Deva's mother had strangely disappeared. Her Father, who hadn't been with Deva her whole life, approached her from the shadows and took her in. He was an assassin, and he trained her to become like him. One day she discovered that this person claiming to be her father was the one who killed her mother and he wasn't her Father but was using her all along because Deva was the daughter of a top assassin: her mother He. Wanted to take her to ensure she became an assassin, a tool for him to use at his disposal. The daughter tried to escape until she planned her revenge. The father fails to capture her. The girl kept dreaming of killing this man who took everything away from her. She kept having nightmares of the inevitable confrontation. She kept hiding, running from city to city, because of the wanted posters.
She was confident in her ability to fight her evil, fake father, until the day. Deva was very kind, not wanting to become like her father, who trained her to be cruel when killing others, but the death of her friend James, who helped her escape back then, changed her. Her father noticed his betrayal and killed him. Deva became greedy like the first demi-beast and wanted to kill her father by getting stronger. She wanted power no matter the cost. The opportunity arose when she was chosen by the waterfall. I don't know for sure, but the waterfall might have chosen her to help unite us since the waterfall only did things for the greater good. I didn't think much of it, but I didn't realize she would turn this evil". John calmed down and demanded to explain what had happened to the king. The king explained that after Zack had left his audience, he summoned Deva to explain why she had lied to him. When she expressed her remorse and came closer, begging him for forgiveness, the king's heart softened. The king was playing favorites since Deva was one of the very first candidates, and he couldn't help but look out for her. He came closer and let his guard down. He slightly touched her arms to comfort her. Then, she controls the king, and everything is a blur for the king after that.
Zack wanted to laugh because he believed that even the king had a soft spot for women, even if they were different, but he couldn't show his shock. Beau was the only one who knew what Zack thought, but he kept it to himself. Instead, Beau praised Zack since he discovered how to utilize the teleportation ability. The key was sadness or negative thoughts. To use the power of teleportation, this was the condition. There was always a condition to use every ability out there.
Zack was grateful that now no one would be hurt and didn't want to act like a child again, remembering Jeff's words. Jeff was always calm, but the first time he got angry made Zack realize something. Zack understood what Jeff meant by the importance of Zack not acting like a child and growing up. Zack realized why John and Jeff had sacrificed everything for him. It was because of a genuine brotherly bond and the belief that Zack was a very special person to them and Zack couldn't let Jeff and John down. he will prove that he is as amazing as they think of him. He believed that he must stop blindly trusting people. Stop being naive and act based on logic.
The king says smiling, "For saving all of us, I will allow you, Zack and John to make a wish from the magical waterfall unless anyone disagrees". The candidates had a deal with Zack, so no one questioned the king's judgment. "Let me wish for the people's return after the beasts die", Zack discussed. John replied Then I will wish for the universes to be split after the beast dies". Zack and John entered the sacred waterfall and wanted to make their wishes.
The waterfall spoke with a spiritual voice ringing to the ears," For saving the candidates, I believe you earned a reward. I will do what I can, so don't hold back. I have a lot of energy stored, so I can grant you the wishes. Yet the real reason I will allow this is because I saw you both in my predictions. You are selfless even if you, John, have blood on your hands. You saved others, and Zack changed your view. I expect that you will become a dependable ally for Zack. Zack, you have the greatest chance to be a hero. Act more grown, and you will achieve greater things. now what is your wishes". Zack and John spoke their minds and wished for the deal with the others. Even if they were tempted to bring their loved ones back, they believed that the right thing was to wait for the beasts' demise.
There was enough energy to make it possible. The waterfall granted the wishes. Now, the only thing that was left was to kill the beasts to save humanity once and for all.
All the candidates were chosen except the one from the first universe. Zack was very on edge because Beau had told Zack that the candidate from his universe had finally been chosen, and Beau was instructed to fetch this person. Zack summoned Beau and waited for the news. He hoped that at least one of his friends would be chosen. An hour passed, and a girl named Kaddy was seen in Beau's arms. She flew and rushed forward because she couldn't believe her eyes. Zack, the brother of her love, was alive and well. Kaddy flew and dashed forward to hug Zack but suddenly stopped, remembering her sin. Zack spoke softly," What is wrong, Kaddy? Is something the matter?". Kaddy struggled to speak, "mm, Zack, I am sorry because...". Zack stopped her and says cheerfully, "I know! You saved my sister. Thanks so much". Kaddy was confused but decided to keep the matter of Jeff's death a secret, thinking that she would lose Zack if she tells him the truth. Before Kaddy arrived at Zack, the guardian Denny briefed her on everything, and she met with the king, who told her everything about the demi-beast and Zack Jeff's brother working to save the humans of their universe side by side with her.
She made a contract with Denny and was given five days to learn her abilities, and the test to decide who will kill the beast was set. Kaddy asked about what Zack would wish for if they succeeded, implying that the wish was obvious. Zack told her his promise to the other universes, what he achieved and what he wished for on behalf of the other universes. Kaddy was sad she had to wait, but she knew that Zack had a valid reason. Kaddy was fired up to kill the beasts once and for all to restore her love, Jeff, along with all the people who died because of the beasts.
The five days passed by fast, and Kaddy learned the basics of combat and her abilities and Denny's abilities easily because of Denny's good instruction. Denny had fire and water abilities, while Kaddy had flight and telepathic abilities. She was a fast learner, and she succeeded in catching up to Zack's level because of her raw talent. Also, she used to practice martial arts when she was the headmaster, so she had an advantage. All the teacher council and headmaster were skilled in combat to enforce the penalties on the people the beast wanted to consume. Kaddy was no exception. Zack wanted to ask Kaddy about how she was chosen, but time was running out, so he pried no further. Right now, they needed to focus on killing the horrific beasts who caused all this pain and suffering by ensuring Kaddy passed the test and achieving the effects of their wishes.
John and Zack had passed the test, so now it was the other candidates' turn to be tested.