Themis, Uranus, Gaia, the Lake Guardians and Six seem to reach the end of this Layer, but... there is no Puruel or anything else of significance in sight. Despite the Layer ending here, Gaia the Dachsbun notes: "We're not quite at the end of our journey yet." "I don't understand.", Yannick says to that, "But we've reached the end of the eleventh and final Layer!" After a bit of a pause, Gaia then reveals: "There's... twelve Layers, actually. There is another portal to go through, one that's currently inaccessible because of a barrier in the way." That makes her husband Uranus ask her: "Then what are we supposed to do?" She pauses again. Then she lets them know: "This... This is the actual reason I came along. The only way for the now six of you to get to where Lucy is... is for someone's soul to be sacrificed... and only something as powerful as a willing soul sacrifice could break through whatever kind of barrier is keeping you from getting further." "Awww.", Six doesn't approve, "I would have gladly sacrificed one of the team members for this!"
Gaia isn't in the mood for jokes now, shaking her head to that comment before she continues to explain: "This sacrifice requirement is just for people who aren't of a status as high as Puruel here in Heaven. So Puruel can get to the eleventh Layer just fine. But not even the Lake Guardians can." "We're lower than that guy??", Mackenzie feels offended, "We're Gods, he's just an angel!" "With just about the highest rank among all angels...", the Dachsbun states, "Team Infamy... they released a massive threat... all just to further their goal of infamy across the universe... a threat who was sealed away for a long time and for good reason... Cronus. The biggest titan. Cronus is powerful and large enough to wipe out an entire solar system with ease... and he's not even at full power with those capabilities... at least not yet. Your girlfriend, Themis... Lucy... She might be the only one powerful enough to stop Cronus before he gets what he needs to become even more powerful, at which point... he'd be unstoppable since... those who locked him away in the first place can't do so again due to Zeus being corrupted, Poseidon being dead and Hades not really showing himself anymore."

"This is why you came back?...", Uranus asks, though Gaia can let him and her daughter know: "It was the initial motivation, yes. But... as I came along with you on this adventure, I... started to realize... how much I really wanted to be part of this family. But... it must be done. I have to... go." "No, mom, please... don't...", Themis doesn't like this, "Can't anyone else of us sacrifice their life for this??" "It'll be best for me to do it, I'm sorry.", Gaia says, "I will not allow you or your father to lose one another because of the needed sacrifice. The Lake Guardians are literal Gods and should remain complete to oppose Puruel along the way. And Six... well, we can't be sure if Puruel didn't make it so that a demon's soul wouldn't be enough of a sacrifice, nor do I think Six would willingly sacrifice himself." "Yeah, I wouldn't.", Six can affirm this, making the Dachsbun say: "So it has to be me. I'm... sorry, Themis. I'm sorry, Uranus. I... love you both. And I want to thank the two of you for letting me be part of this... wonderful family. At least while it still lasted." "Mom...", Themis can understand that it really has to be done. And the only way she can cope with it is by thinking of another Skillet song, fittingly enough "Say goodbye":

(Skillet's "Say goodbye": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxBk8cRzvj0)
"Don't say goodbye
'cause I don't wanna hear those words tonight,
'cause maybe it's not the end for you and I,
and although we knew
this time would come for me and you,
don't say anything tonight,
if you're gonna say goodbye."

"Mom...", Themis cries a little, "I... I'm glad you were here... even if it didn't last..." Gaia rubs her daughter's head a bit, telling her: "You matter so much more than you think you do, my dear Themis. You make the difference. You get Lucy back. Save Heaven for me, will you?" Gaia then turns to the Angel Zoroark, talking to him now: "No need to act tough, I know it hurts you too... Just know that... I'm glad to call myself your wife, Uranus.", giving him a final kiss, then turning to the Lake Guardians for a bit to tell them: "You three. My daughter trusts you. So I hope you have no intentions of betraying her... She needs the three of you as friends, she really does. So... let her trust be worth it." Gaia doesn't have as much to say to Six though: "Just... don't fuck this up. Evil or not, you also wouldn't want Cronus to succeed, after all." And finally, the canine Fairy Type Pokémon turns to the group as a whole for her last words: "..... Now save Heaven for me, all of you. I'm counting on you. Don't... Don't let me sacrifice be in vain."
She then turns into her more energy-like form and flies against the then noticable barrier. Breaking it at the cost of breaking her own soul along with it, ceasing to be alive for any longer. Now...the planet called Gaia no longer has a soul, making that planet become like most planets in that regard and here at the end of the Empyrean, a dark path is opening up which should be leading them to the portal that leads into the true final Layer of Heaven. They don't enter that next Layer just yet though, especially since Themis and Uranus need to take a minute to process this just now. Six witnesses the genuine sadness of Uranus and Themis, making him... think.

Since Arceus did in fact apologize, Giratina is actually willing to help out his creator in this time of need, since Arceus seems to truly want to strive getting much better as a person. But before they leave the Distortion World, Arceus walks into one of those disappearing and appearing trees again, making Mew remark how he should watch where he is going more, fully aware that Arceus had no way to see this coming, so that the universe's creator reacts grumpily to that. Anyway, after this, Arceus, Giratina and Mew get back to Heaven together, to the first Layer called Elysium, with Giratina turning into his Altered Forme in the process due to being outside of the Distortion World.

Inside some ancient ruins on Planet Araneaca, there is the so-called Deity, an all-knowing being looking like a giant blue glowing eyeball made out of energy. Because of knowing everything, it also knows about the nature of reality and finding out about that can very easily turn someone insane. Unless the person already knows about it all being fiction, more or less. This is why bad guys typically fear going insane because of asking it the wrong questions, so that they don't even go to the Deity at all. Cronus doesn't have to worry about that though, already well aware of being a fictional character, as he now telepathically asks the all-knowing Deity: "Tell me... where is the Holy Lance?", since the Deity's omniscience also causes it to not be bound to morals, so it would tell information even when it is used for evil purposes, as "evil" is only a subjective concept in the eyes (or, well... eye) of the Deity. However, it turns out that it isn't as easy as Cronus expected, with the Deity answering in a similarly powerful voice: "I will not tell you that." "Why not?" "I wasn't always in this all-knowing form and made sure that at least this piece of information isn't accessible this easily, specifically because you might use it. So this is the one question I can refuse to answer." But Cronus uses his psychic abilities in an attempt to force the information out of the Deity. Though even with this, all he can manage to get from it is who the one other person is who would also know the answer: Someone named Pallas. And the Deity can definitely tell where Pallas is too. "Ah, the guy who tried to stop time and only afterwards realized he was a bad guy with his actions.", Cronus has heard of that person, "I suppose with him being all good now, he isn't gonna be all that willing to share the knowledge regarding the Holy Lance's location with me. But that's not gonna stop me."

Next Chapter: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/55530667/

Previous Chapter: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/55441440/

First Chapter: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/53818365/