Rubble from the manor was flown around everywhere, reacting against the powers of the Garden. Zinnia and Scarlett zipped between the attacks breaking through the opening on the chase. Iris and Alice were just insight. Smashing the last of the cubes away, Scarlett pushed in ready to take them both down. That was until serval cubes ripped from the walls blasting her back and down to the ground. Zinnia wouldn't let that stop her as she flew forward cutting a cube in half. A lightning strike shot through the manor's clocktower as Zinnia appeared above the two with the lightning blitzing through her body. Jolting her katana forward, Iris stared up at her smirking. As quickly as the electricity flowed through her, it vanished, leaving Zinnia powerless. Her eyes widened as the katana disappeared from her hand, and she began falling. Iris turned to her, shooting a pillar down smashing Zinnia into the ground. "Useless!"

The two streamers were down for the count with Zinnia trying her best to get back into the action but with no powers to aid her, she gave up quickly. She lay back holding her hand out towards Alice before slamming it into the ground. "Damn it!"

****

Hans stood over the three streamers his vines elevating him. He glared down at them, letting the Garden's powers taunt them. "You cannot hold a candle to my power. The Garden is mine! You will not take that from me!"

"Blah, blah, blah. Does this guy ever shut up about his birthright? We don't care you, noob." Emil scoffed holding serval origamis in his hand. "How about we just defeat you?"

Hans gritted his teeth, holding his hand up as the vines all squirmed into the walls shaking the ruins of the manor. Alton let his hilt ignite with ice as he held it up to Hans. "Let's do this, boys." The vines rippled through snapping at them. Gale rushed forward punching the onslaught destroying the vines in front of him. Emil hopped over his back diving forward throwing the small clutches of paper. They all came to life rippling into an ice cream truck, tree trunk and a lamppost. Hans broke each one out of the way as Alton slid underneath him, freezing the ground knocking his balance. The vines caught him, lifting him high up. Holding his arms out, he began creating a ray of seeds, which blasted down like bullets hailing on the streamers. Alton flicked his arm around, making an iceberg to block the shots. Gale stepped out, taking each one head-on, letting it power him up entirely. Pressing his foot against the floor, he vanished in the blink of an eye appearing next to Hans roundhouse, kicking him out of the building. Gale landed crashing through iceberg picking up chunks of ice throwing it at high speed. Hans couldn't react fast enough taking the helm of most of the attack being launched further.

He let out a rageful scream as the Garden's power grew consuming him more as his veins burst purple. He suddenly appeared from the ground behind the three. Roots ripped from the ground smashing everything apart. Emil and Alton were knocked back as Gale continued to take the attack falling to his knee panting. "Dead… Man's requiem." Everything around Gale went into a negative colour before returning to normal. Hans stared carefully at Gale, awaiting his next attack. Gale didn't move, but an attack still landed knocking the wind from him, forcing him onto his knees. Gale was still there, or that's what Hans thought on a second look he was shocked to discover it was nothing but an after image comparing how fast Gale must be going. Appearing above Hans, he elbowed him, causing the ground to break apart.

Hans lay on the ground coughing up blood, seeing the three streamers holding him at gunpoint. His hand began shaking as he yelled. "I will have order!" The three jumped back as Hans' eyes were completely yellow, and the last part of him consumed by the Garden. "It's an honour to battle against Team Rhapsody, but I think it's time I end this."

Serval dark replicas appeared with two holding the defeated Goro and Blossom throwing them aside. "I'm… Sorry, we failed…" Blossom whispered.

Hans held his hand out scoffing. "While I admire your attempts, you must realise you cannot win. Give it up, and I shall spare your lives out of respect."

"Always so confident in your abilities to undermine ours how truly foolish. To rely on borrowed powers too much is your downfall, Hawthorne." Alton stated, staring at Hans with a bold look.

Hans shook his head. "And your ability to never give up will be yours. Destroy them!" Hans stopped seeing none of the Dark Replicas moving he was confused, to say the least. "I said to destroy them!"

A shower of snow began lightly covering the courtyard as Alton gave a tut wagging his finger. "You built an army of clones that you are so reliant on. So much so you fall apart without them. If you cannot defeat me without your army, then I will simply dispose of them." Hans' eyes widened as one of the replica's helmets fell off, revealing them to be frozen solid. "You speak so proudly of the Garden powers as if you somehow earned them. That you are worthy of calling yourself a vessel for the Garden. But all I see is a coward too held up on the past to accept the present."

Hans suddenly felt unable to move his legs frozen solid. "The Garden powers are mine! You waste your gift on weaklings and pointless endeavours while I stride to change the world. I want to save it from the likes of you! That goal is what makes me better than you and time after time, the Garden will choose me!"

A heavy blizzard picked up consuming the area in a thick layer of snow. Igloos formed protecting Alton's allies as he stared blankly at Hans with a foreboding glare. "The Garden chose you? Who told you that? My powers are wasted on weaklings and pointless endeavours? Who told you that? You are better than me? Now just who… Told you that?"

Hans lost all feeling in his body as he went fully numb cradling his body like a baby. "No… No! It's… It's not happening. Not again! Not again!"

Alton held his hand out as a frozen chunk of black ice formed floating in his hand. "I truly pity you, Hans. You let yourself be consumed by grief and loss that you became the very thing you claimed to be saving us from. It is much better to kill off the past and leaving it where it belongs. And now I will tell you the truth. My name is Alton Brantley, I was not born of this world. I was born of the Garden a mistake never meant to see the light of day. I am a Child of the Garden, and our power will never in a million lifetimes be on the same level."

The almighty attack crashed to the ground as the black ice was fully covered by the snow fading into the blizzard. Hans screamed out as he was smashed to the ground crushed by the attack as the almighty power of the Garden consumed every fibre of his body. The blizzard grew in intensity before vanishing into nothing. All the snow melted as if it was never there. The igloo fell apart as the others stepped out in shock. "Alton?"

"Just give me a moment… All good. It's done."

Goro held his side being helped up by Blossom. "Why didn't you just start off with that attack?"

"If you had an attack that could consume you entirely and destroy half of the city, would you use it thoughtlessly?"

"You have a point."

Gale stared on, shaking his head. "This guy can't take a hint. When will he realise, he's been beat?"

Hans dragged himself away in the direction of the titan. He began whimpering holding out on hope. "I cannot let this end. Not yet! Not before my contract has been fulfilled!" Hans stood up calling the Garden again only for it to stop suddenly. He stepped back, looking at his arm glowing purple as flowers began growing. His skin turned to bark, and he soon found himself unable to move. He reached out in desperation, crying out. "No!!"

The others watched in horror as Hans transformed into a husk of a tree purple flowers blooming from said manner. "He failed me for the last time. The Garden doesn't accept desperation, only strength." Bargaining said blankly holding his hand out.

Alton turned to him, confused. "What did you do?"

"Gave him what he wanted. He wanted to be one with the Garden I granted that wish. The contract is complete and now given time, he will become one of our many titans."

Alton walked over to Hans, pulling a purple flower off him. The primary source of his power. Crushing the flower, he chopped Hans' head off, cutting the root stopping the titan's growth. "You haven't shown yourself since our contract, and I doubt it's because of second thoughts."

Bargaining crossed his arms nodding. "That indeed. If you do not act quickly, your world is doomed. In a matter of hours, the Garden will be awakened, and we will be free."

"This just got a whole lot worse…"